The Pink walls of the pink palace greeted them as they wrapped in the pink palace. Pearl was already summoning her screen to write. She needed to make a request. It couldn't do that her diamond was cut short for information. Her Diamond had already stopped smiling and waving. There were no gems around them. No need to keep it up.

"I was not playing games!" The Diamond huffed, her foot stomping on the warp pad.

"I know, my Diamond," Pearl responded automatically. She knew that she could help fix that. Its why the request was for.

"I was actually doing a diamond thing! So why did I have to leave? " Pink stomped again and Pearl started to walk towards the pebble room. She heard Pink huff, and then her steps following after her.

"I only decide to leave with you because it was your idea to go to the archive in the first place." Pearl nodded to that still typing away on the screen. She had to properly phrase the request to get it all. It will make Pink happy.

"I actually enjoyed talking with the operator gem you know."

Pearl hummed. Could she add to the request that as well? She didn't think of getting an operator gem involved in her preparations... maybe that wasn't such a bad idea... An informant. The surface pearl provided her with the word. Sorting that task in the queen of to do things.

"So why did you lie about the court thingy?" Pinks voice was slightly off. Harsher, more edges, it made Pearl look up from the request she was shaping. Her Diamond was... so close to crying. Her pupils shining with her emotion, none were good.

"I didn't lie... You do have it coming up... in ten cycles." Pink closed her eyes, fist clenching. Pearl could feel the eyes of the wall shifting. The fear was building up.

"Let us return to the room." Pearl offered, pressing the send on the request. Hoping it would be well enough worded to get what was needed.

"Because White said so?" The bitterness and anger were raising. A sensation of helplessness radiating from the frustrated diamond. Pearl could all but see that Pink would punch something into pieces. "Are you MY pearl or not?" Pink voice cracked, in the hallways were only the walls and her a pearl. The walls looked terrified. All there was were just things... Pearl still felt no fear for her own shattering, no fear of being caught in an angry tantrum by Pink. Or have her full anger on herself.

"White diamond will have to recognize your attempt to improve upon your perfection, my diamond. " Pearl saluted as she continues with her reasoning. "If we don't give her anything to be angry about, she will have to see it, and then she will for sure like it. It what White diamond would want..." Pearl didn't get to finish her explanation, as her words were intended to claim her diamond. To ease up the fear yet, the anger that caused the walls to be scared, shifted to near panic as Pink grabbed her shoulders.

"Never assume what White likes, or want."

"My diamond?" Pearl blinked, not understanding. Having Pink so close now feel her fingers gripping onto her shoulders in a crushing way. It hurt.

"Please, I can't lose you. " Pink sounded so desperate. Pearl didn't show the discomfort she felt. Calmly she spoke.

"I am not going anywhere..." Pearl's words caused it... She failed Pink.

"You don't know that!" The diamond yelled into her face. Pearl barely suppressed the jumpy reaction from showing. The fingers were digging even harder into her shoulders as if scared she would simply vanish like a light without its source. Pearl blinked. A moment passed.

Pearl leaned closer to her diamond, Pink accepted the motion into a hug. A desperate clingy hug. If she were organic in need of breathing she would have been suffocated by it. At least the grip on her shoulder stopped as the pink-gloved hands shifted to hold her. "I am just getting to know you..." Pink whispered into her hair. Pearl's hands shifted to gently touch her diamond chest. Pearl had no idea what to say to make her feel better. Instead of comfort, a question came to her mind and out her lips.

"...Did the pearl I am replacing assume what White wanted?"

Pearl was surprised by the amount of honesty in her question. She wanted to know... It felt like she knew the answer to that... but ... none came to mind. Something was escaping her, she needed Pink to hold her. To not be falling, again. Pink moved away, her pink hand sliding off her back and along her arm till it held Pearl's hand, Pink started going back to the pebble room. "You are right, I should better go to the room."

Pearl didn't even register they walked till the curtains were pulled closed on the balcony. She looked at her hand, Pink was still holding onto it. Her diamond smiled at her. "Feeling better?"

Pearl blinked, she did feel better somehow...

She felt grounded.

Pearl blinked and simply nodded, not yet trusting her voice. A big pillow appeared as the pebbles build it and in a smooth motion, Pink dropped on it pulling Pearl to sit beside her. "Now to not do anything at all again..."

Pearl felt the chime as the response arrived. "It arrived, my diamond."

Pink looked at Pearl, as Pearl opened the screen with the message and data.

"What arrived?" Pink asked.

Pearl opened the attached package to the message, intending to store the information in her gem, where it would be at safest.

The data transfer started.

"Oooh-hoo!" Pearl gasped instead of answering her diamond. The information flowing directly into her gem. She shivered in delight as the information flowed so nicely into her, being instantaneously sorted to its place. Not creating a mess like the first time around. Surface was keeping her gem in perfect order. It felt so good. Another shiver rolled off her body and she grinned wide. The process completing. She definitely liked to know stuff, especially now that it didn't cause chaos in her gem.

"Pearl are you okay? I never heard a gem making such a sound. Do you need me to heal you?" Pink was hovering over her, eyes filled with worry. The eyes that still looked so blurry instead of shiny.

"It's fine my diamond."

"...sure?"

Pearl pulled the block of information Pink was interrupted reading when White Pearl arrived. She offered it to Pink on a pink screen. The light screen was taken from her and Pink hesitantly looked away from her to looked it over, while Pearl was returning to smile polite. A more proper Pearl smile. Pearl watched Pink as she started to rub her eyes and reread the information. Pink blinked several times.

Pearl kept her perfect pearl smile.

"Pearl?"

"Yes, my diamond!"

"This is information from the archive." Pink put the screen down.

"Yes, my diamond!" Pearl felt pride, Pink can continue working on the gem line and not get in trouble with White diamond for distracting gems.

"Information from the archive is forbidden to be taken out the archive. You can only view it, while you are inside the archive." Her diamond slowly explained eyes torn between big shining stars and worry.

"Yes, my diamond!" Pearl responded. She knew that she already committed that crime. Renegade already committed that crime. She already stole for the archive... this time she was at least given the information, instead of having to sink her hands into the machine herself.

"We are outside the archive..." Pink clarified really slowly.

"Yes, my diamond!" Pearl felt confidence raise in her, against all odds.

"How did you get it?"

A question, not a fact, so Pearl answered it.

"I send a request, I had to make sure to phrase it right. That was why I was slightly distracted just when we arrived back. I deeply apologize for that, my diamond." Pearl will make sure to never do that again. The face of an angry about to cry Pink was sad... The fear of other gems when looking at her was ... something Pearl didn't want to see...As it just made her diamond even more frustrated. She will pay the needed attention to her diamond. She will just get better at doing more tasks at once. The hurt and tears in Pink's eyes she will try her hardest to never again be the cause of.

"And they just gave it to you?" Pink asked carefully picking the screen up and looking it over.

"Yes, my Diamond!" Pearl beamed, well she made it sound like that this information was vital... which it was... just not to what she made it sound like. Vital for her Pink happiness... which all reasons did return to. One cannot blame her for gems misunderstanding or assuming all on their own.

Pink bit her lip, once more putting the pink screen away. Her hand going to rub the bridge of her nose.

"...I can tell that I ordered you to do it when the archive leader reports this to White..."

"No, my Diamond." That felt the opposite of familiar.

"What did you just...?" Pink was staring at her shocked hand frozen in the air, in a half-completed movement.

"They will not report to White diamond, that is if you don't tell them to." Correcting a Diamond, unheard of. But correcting her made her worry less so...its acceptable. A stray thought wondered if other pearls ever had to readjust the proper pearl behaviour this much ... to follow the rules... or bend the rules to go against them. All for their master?

"Why?" Now finally the diamond was only shining in bright curiosity. The worry losing out to the excitement. Pink was looking at Pearl in pure wonderment. Pearl never felt this proud of her self before.

"My preparation, my Diamond." Pearl allowed the smugness to be heard in her voice now. She could not resist the urge and decided to sit more upright to show her pride for what she managed to do.

"Are you sure you are a Pearl?" Pink diamond asked, looking back at the screen she put down. A genuine smile appearing on her lips.

"Yes, my Diamond!" Pearl beamed one more time. This felt familiar, she was being more of a Pearl than ever before. Serving her Diamond with exactly what she needs to be happy. Pink took the screen and read it. Her diamond was slightly less surprised when Pearl summoned the next portion of the information on the next pink screen.

"... How much did you request?" Pink asked taking the second screen and returning the first one.

"Everything you asked the operator gem to look up."

"All of it?"

"Yes, my Diamond!"

"You are amazing."

"Yes, my Diamond. I know.~" Pearl hummed, her diamond laughing. Truly laughing. Pearl will poof all of Homeworld, break every rule, become the most fearsome gem there ever was if it meant getting to hear that laugh more often. She wanted to make her happy.

Make her happy.

Her choice was to make her happy. Even if she didn't belong to her she would choose to make her happy.

You sure?