"Done with your preparation?" Her diamond whispered as Pearl stood by her side.
"Yes, my diamond," Pearl responded without thinking. She felt exposed, tired and really just want to feel good once more. Even so, there was a nice feeling about succeeding with her goal. Keep Renegade appearances away from as many eyes as possible. Especially the other three diamonds. Pearl gave a smile to her diamond. Pink giggled at seeing it, causing the operator gem to blush at the privilege to hear such a wonderful sound. To be simply in the presence of it. Hands shaking briefly before she steadied herself.
Pink Diamond returned back to reading the screens the operator gem was providing.
The break of simply watching Pink read was cut short as gasping was heard from ahead. Pearl's eyes shifted towards the direction where the warp pad was. The only warning they got.
"Pink, what are you doing here?" A white ball speedily rushed and abruptly stopped in front of them. The white ball melted to showcase White Pearl. A perfect pose. Unseeing eyes that saw all. Pearl looked at the other pearl. Pearl felt too much, a ton of things looking at the other Pearl. It felt dizzying. None of those felt like anything either. Just dizzying noise.
Helping.
The feeling vanished in a flash, focusing on the facts. On the now. The present she was in.
And right now Pearl was beside Pink diamond.
Pink was about to answer the question when White Pearl cut her off. "White Diamond send me, her Pearl to escort you back. So you don't waste time playing around." Pink huffed at hearing those words. Righting her self up to stand as tall as she could without moving on her tiptoes or floating up.
"I am not playing! I was studying. Doing diamond work!" Pink announced, pride and something sad mixed in her voice. Pearl looked at her. Comfort.
How?
A flash of inspiration. Very loudly Pearl took the proper pearl pose. Making sure her feet made a noticeable sound as they touched the floor whit more force than strictly needed while taking the position. In the silence that grabbed the archive, with all gems having their eyes transfixed on the situation, the sound even echoed. Her diamond-turned her head to her. Her stance relaxing a bit. Returning to look at White pearl.
"Pearl escorted me here." Pink pointed at Pearl.
White pearl looked at Pearl as Pink said that. "She can escort me back once I am done."
"I will inform White Diamond about this." White Pearl said, Pearl bowed her head down. White Pearl was floating up and in front of Pearl. From her bowed head position, she could see the gem on the other pearls belly, exact position where Pink diamonds gem is. Not like her own that is on the head...
Empty. Waiting. Like a thing.
A buzz that filled everything up till nothing was there.
"White diamond wants Pink Diamond to be escorted back, to not waste time playing around. Her presence has distracted already too many gems from performing at peak efficiency." White Pearl spoke, Pearl felt an odd weight in her gem. A something in the nothing. Only to feel the weight change to a sensation of standing up again. Her diamonds suddenly raised voice broke the brief moment it all lasted.
"I was not!" Pearl raised herself to stand with her head high. She spoke looking at white diamonds pearl, seeing her cracked eye. "Yes. My diamond..." Lost footing.
Recover.
She was falling when her light body was not moving an inch.
Stand up again.
"I will escort Pink diamond, according to White Diamonds wishes," Pearl spoke already shifting to face Pink diamond.
Who, was glaring at her.
Definitely not liking it.
"I was not playing a game." Pinks voice rung out coldly daring with a diamond authority anyone to disagree with her statement.
The warning in PInk voice did cause all the nearby gems able to hear it lower their heads. Pearl could see the shivering hands from the operator gem who was serving Pink diamonds requests just a few moments ago. Not shivering from joy or nervousness but fear. This time the hands didn't stop shaking.
Why was she not fearful? Pearl wondered about herself.
Looking at white Pearl as she started to lead her diamond out, Pearl realised that the only gem not bowing their head deep in the wide archive for the diamond were herself and white pearl. Even the walls had their eyes closed. Pink did break walls before, and windows and mirrors….did she ever break gem walls?
Not important now.
Right.
Pearl turned her head back to focus on her huffing diamond. She had to get her back, Pearl didn't want to anger White, she didn't want to appear incompetent in White diamonds eyes. It would mean failing and then … Pearl took an audible breath to not imagine horrible fates that could await a gem failing White Diamond. The few moments it took Pearl to think over only made Pink glare harder. They were nearly at the warp pad. PInk stopped walking. Fingers clenching in a fist.
"My DIamond, we should return, there is an upcoming court activity for which preparations are needed." The words flowing fast of her tongue. Only once Pearl said what she had, she did avert her eyes to look at her feet. She could see Pinks hand opening, no longer about to break in a tantrum. That was good. Pearl spoke again, ignoring the increasing number of the curious and daring gems stealing glances at Pink.
" We should return. So we can make IT true, that what I showed you before we came here." Pearl hold her stance stiff. She felt the need to have her fingers move, have them intertwined with her diamonds. Impossible with so many eyes on them.
"It…," Pink repeated the only word Pearl said with a different intonation. She started to walk. Pearl looked up, watching her going in the direction of the wrap pad. White Pearl smile never flattering. As if it didn't matter to her in the end. Maybe it didn't.
Pearl hurried up and moved to walk in front of her diamond, slightly improper. Excusable as to open the doors without Pink having to wait. Having her diamond ever stop or slow down.
The warp hall was just as still, with gems waiting for PInk diamond to leave, trying to get another glimpse of her. Pearl looked around until she spotted the purple Pearl and her master. They were bowing as well but their both eyes were following the diamond. Pearl blinked. Another flash of inspiration. She could get her diamond what she wanted and without failing whites orders.
Pearl let a happy hum, it did catch her diamonds attention. Following Pearls eyes, Pink saw the archive leader and her Purple Pearl. Pink gave them a wave. "Thanks for your time. All of you were beautiful and great. I am so proud of all of you. Keep the good work up!" A big smile on the diamonds face.
They stepped on the warp pad, Pink kept waving till the light took them both away. Back to their pink palace, where no gems will have their productivity lowered... because there was barely anything to do to be productive... It didn't matter.
The quick travel ended and the light placed them both on the pink warp pad.