"Hey, living legend!" a voice called out as those being briefed filed out of the rehearsal room. Pearl made certain to duck out of sight of Jasper's scowl as she turned to find the voice's owner. A hulking Green Tourmaline separated from a huddle of soldiers and threw an arm around Jasper to thump her on the back. Surprise of surprises, Jasper cracked a smile and jabbed the Tourmaline in the ribs good humoredly. It was the first time Pearl had seen her smile.

"GT," Jasper said by way of greeting. "How's Facet 3?"

"It's a mess," the Tourmaline laughed and ruffled Jasper's hair. "But look at you! You got a public promotion. You got a Pearl!" At that, Pearl went rigid, grinding her teeth in her nervousness.

But even with GT gesturing at her Pearl, Jasper didn't give her any sort of acknowledgement. She just ducked under GT's arm with a crooked grin and locked her arms around GT's chest. "Don't think it's because I'm getting tired, got it?" Jasper growled.

"Why are you fighting?" Pearl asked, under her breath. She had no way to tell if the Green Tourmaline was a threat or an affront to Jasper but no one seemed to be stepping between them. Her nerves made her hands shake as she took another step back. If anyone heard her, no one acknowledged it.

GT cackled and shoved Jasper backwards with an elbow to her ribs. "You still got the mettle to back that up, Kinderquartz?"

Wheezing and laughing, Jasper twisted GT's arm away from her and threw the other gem over her hip. She kept her bent backwards balanced only on her toes and leaned in close to say "More than ever."

Pearl clasped a hand over her mouth as other gems crowded close and egged GT and Jasper on. "Why is she laughing?" Pearl hissed desperately, biting her own palm in an effort to keep calm and clutching the glass box holding Jasper's pin to her chest..

"Hey, hey!" someone shouted over the ruckus with such a sharp tone that half of the gems, including Jasper and GT, immediately snapped their heads around to find the speaker. A Carnelian that Pearl recognized from the stage stepped forward through the parting crowd. Jasper and GT quickly scrambled to attention, each offering a diamond salute. "If you gems want to get rough, take it back to the stage. The architecture in here is historic."

"Of course General," Jasper said quickly, "My apologies."

The Carnelian gave a curt nod and kept walking, waving the crowd away. "Good, don't make trouble for me here soldier."

When the Carnelian was out of sight, Jasper and GT relaxed and grinned at each other before Jasper shoved the other and led the march back to the stage. Once again, Pearl was utterly confused and utterly forgotten even as she trailed after Jasper like some lost little thing.

The amphitheater was long empty when Jasper and GT took the stage. The pair had spent the march to the stage snickering and shoving one another in what Pearl was beginning to suspect was a good-natured manner. She hung back in the wings where she could keep Jasper in her sight without being tripped over. The small crowd of gems that had followed Jasper back up the stairs formed a wide circle to give Jasper and GT the space they needed. The two of them had already locked hands and were both trying to topple the other. Pearl could not hear what they said to one another but watching them was unlike anything she could have imagined on her own.

Both gems moved with surprising grace considering their heft – every step was beautifully precise and deliberate. Even while pitting their strength against one another they both moved with ease. Jasper especially looked far more comfortable now than at any given moment in the last few hours.

Jasper knocked GT to the ground three separate times before someone else jumped forward and insisted on a turn, and each time happened so suddenly that Pearl couldn't even see how it had happened. She was so mesmerized but the goings-on that she nearly did not notice the other Pearl, grey in color and dress with her gem on the palm of her left hand, sidle up to her quietly.

For a moment she wondered if this Pearl was simply watching as well but she could feel the Pearl's sidelong gaze insisting on her attention. "Uhm… can I help you?" Pearl asked.

"You're the Jasper's?"

"Y-yes?"

"That Jasper?" the Grey Pearl asked with a nod toward the stage just as a roar went up from the small crowd. They both cringed when Jasper slammed yet another gem into the ground with a laugh. Pearl gulped and nodded. "Wow… Well, I belong to the Magnetite who heads energy production in Facet 1; we were here for the ceremony," she announced to draw Pearl's attention away from the fight. She was clearly smug about her position. "I thought I'd come introduce myself while she's busy, since you're new."

"Oh. Thank you." Unsure of what else to say, Pearl gazed out at the stage instead. "…They're fighting right? So why do they all look so pleased?"

The Grey Pearl shrugged. "They're soldiers, you know how soldiers are."

"No, actually," Pearl admitted, "I don't know anything."

"Oh, right. I forget what it's like to be new. You must be, what, a couple of days…?"

"A few hours," Pearl laughed softly. "I'm still very lost."

"A few hours?" the Grey Pearl exclaimed, "That wasn't the first time you formed, was it?" She seemed unexpectedly alarmed at that and when Pearl assured her that she had indeed formed for the first time during the ceremony, she dragged a hand down her face and groaned. "I was positive that whole bit was staged, these things are all about the dramatism. Ugh, Jey's going to run me through the gauntlet."

"Jey?" For the first time since forming, a gem other than Jasper had Pearl's full attention. Perhaps there was some clue here about what existence had in store for her. "Is that your gem?"

"My gem? Oh my stars, no," the Grey Pearl laughed. "She's another Pearl, I'm certain you'll meet her sooner or later, she's quite the socialite. But we had a… friendly wager. And I lost!" Her face twisted at the thought and Pearl wondered if it really was such a friendly wager if the Grey Pearl was so upset about losing. Of course, Pearl had never lost anything, so she was unfamiliar with the feeling.

"Er, I'm sorry about that," she tried.

"What? No, no, it's not your fault. I was just so sure," the Grey Pearl assured her, clenching her fists. "But don't you worry about that! And- and don't think I only came over here to settle a bet."

"…Did you?" Pearl asked, a little hurt. "You said you wanted to introduce yourself."

"I did want to introduce myself! And I wanted to see if you're doing alright. …Are you?"

Pearl considered her sister gem with pursed lips, not wanting to lie but too embarrassed to admit that Jasper did not want her. Onstage there was now a constant chanting cheer surrounding the string of fights and Jasper was laughing as other soldiers doubled up against her. Pearl gritted her teeth. "I… just don't know how I'm supposed to serve someone who's only happy when she's knocking other gems to the ground," Pearl admitted with a wistful look toward Jasper. "How do I make her happy?"

For a moment she was met only with silence before the Grey Pearl put a hand on her shoulder. "Oh, no Pearl, no no no… You listen to me," she crooned, turning Pearl to face her. "You're not here to make your gem happy."

"W-what?" Pearl blanched, recoiling instinctively. "But…"

The Grey Pearl quieted her with a stern look. "You were made to serve her and to make her life easier. That's it. Pearls don't make gems happy, we just make them conceited. And who can blame them? I mean, look at us," she giggled with a small toss of her head.

Pearl forced a small laugh but she was more concerned than before. Surely the difference between serving someone, being made for them, and making them happy wasn't so huge that the two could be separated so easily. "Do our gems know that?"

The way the Grey Pearl hesitated before offering her a noncommittal shrug told her no.

Fumbling a bit, the Grey Pearl said "How about I give you some advice? To get you started." She waited for Pearl to nod before going on. "Things will transition more smoothly if you can figure out what needs done without her being particularly aware of you. Learn how to get around without her noticing you, don't disturb her space too much if you can help it. But don't let her wonder where you are either. After you master that, everything is simple."

"That seems contradictory doesn't it?"

"Oh, I promise it isn't. You'll get the hang of it," the Grey Pearl assured her with a nervous smile.

Pearl mulled it over, grateful at least to have some sort of guidance – which was more than she had before. The other Pearl left her with a reassuring squeeze of the shoulder after insisting that she had to go before her Magnetite noticed her absence. "I'll probably see you again," she assured Pearl, "Good luck!"

And then Pearl was alone again but she felt calmer, more focused. By the time Jasper and the other soldiers had worn themselves out roughhousing, Pearl was composed and ready to try to be of use. It seemed like hours before Jasper was ready to break herself away from the clutch of soldiers, but when she finally did she was in much brighter spirits. Of course, she still did not acknowledge Pearl, even as they stepped onto a warp pad and were whisked away.

They arrived before a shining spire surrounded by yellow sand and lower structures for miles that radiated moonlight. Pearl followed Jasper inside, past elegant architecture and a few clutches of gems to a door inlaid with a dozen small glass spheres. One of them reacted to the glow of Jasper's gem as they approached and the door opened into a small wing that must have belonged to Jasper. Pearl stayed close to her gem as the door closed behind them.

The circular front room was bathed in red and yellow light and acted as a foyer for three other rooms. Through the doorway Pearl could see that the room to her right displayed a number of weapons and pieces of armor in varying colors and styles while the room to her left seemed centered around a plush couch draped with sheer orange fabric. All she could make out from the last room, straight ahead, was a stiff yellow glow.

Jasper took a few steps toward this final room before stopping and taking a deep breath. Her thumb massaged the knuckle of her index finger thoughtfully. "Pearl…"

"Y-yes, Jasper?" Pearl squeaked.

"What's your designation?"

"M-my…?"

Jasper turned around to give her a sharp look. "Your serial number. You do know it, don't you?"

Pearl stammered, trying to think. No one had told her about a designation of any sort beyond belonging to Jasper. But after a moment something clicked and she knew. "I-I… I'm Pearl 1F30 Cut-2PB," she sputtered at last.

Jasper studied her for a moment with pursed lips and Pearl felt smaller by the second. "PB, then," Jasper finally announced.

"Pardon?"

"PB," Jasper drawled, sounding irritated. "From your designation. I need a way to differentiate you from other Pearls. I deal with a lot of different gems."

"Oh," Pearl paled, feeling embarrassed. "Yes, of course."

"Good," Jasper said and unclasped her cape to hand it over stiffly. "I suppose you know what to do."

Pearl swallowed hard and nodded as she took the cape from Jasper and draped it over the glass box she was still carrying. "Of course," she lied, holding Jasper's gaze and inclining her head the slightest bit in subservience.

Jasper huffed and turned away to enter the far room. "Good, one less thing for me to worry about," she muttered dismissively, leaving a bewildered Pearl behind to discover her duties on her own.