The lone Homeworld gem would need to have been blind as well as deaf not to realize he was being followed. Through his periphery, he was able to catch glimpses of a vibrant orange shape, roughly the size of a human child, ducking behind crystal formations whenever he turned his head. If this was meant to be some attempt to spy on his efforts, then their methods were laughable at best and pitiable at worst.

After playing along for a time, Azurite decided he'd gathered enough information from the abandoned Kindergarten to satisfy Black Diamond and halted in his tracks, quieting his breath to listen for shuffling footsteps he was certain he'd heard following him for about an hour now. Although he hadn't sensed any hostile intent, rumors of the Rebel gems had reached even the likes of him over the centuries, and now with this silhouette on his tail, it was like he could hear the whispers once again. A snarl split his mouth. Baring his teeth, he growled over his shoulder, "Whoever's been following me, I suggest you come out now." A startled eep gave away the location of his unwanted guest. Azurite scoffed with contempt at the complete lack of professionalism, shaking his head. "This is your first and final warning."

And while he'd expected an amateur, certainly, to creep out from behind the jagged crystal outcropping, the head that peeked out at him with unveiled curiosity belonged to a newborn gem. It seemed that they had remained in the Kindergarten longer than the rest of their crop, and their carapace had been stunted as a result. Their round cheeks, giving off the impression of youth, were puffed with frustration. The formation of his carapace was relatively blemishless, meaning the young Quartz must have completed their gestation after the conclusion of the Gem War, otherwise they would have been deployed into battle as a soldier, as was their design.

Yellow-brown eyes blinked owlishly at him from behind the dry remains of a withered tree. Azurite tapped his foot impatiently, his arm crossed over his chest while the gem inched into view. Soon, Black Sun would come looking for him, and though he didn't fully understand why, the thought of her finding him with this recently born Quartz made him uneasy.

At last, they came out of hiding to face him head-on. Azurite frowned at the tiny gem. They hardly reached past his hips. This gem would be of no use to anyone as a warrior, let alone Black Diamond. As he watched, a tentative smile spread across the gem's face. They stuck out a pudgy arm, "Hi!" Not knowing what to say, Azurite remained silent. If the gem were discouraged by his reticence, it certainly didn't seem that way. The Quartz beamed, grabbing his hand and shaking it enthusiastically. "I don't have a name, so you can call me Citrine. What's your name? Why are you here? This place is sooo boring. Hey, I've got an idea. Do you want to be friends?" The newborn was lucky that Azurite was too shocked by his straightforwardness to react to such blatant insolence.

Before Azurite could recover, he found himself being dragged through the Kindergarten by a willful child, who insisted on showing him every rock and speck of dirt in the place. Most of which Citrine appeared to have named and bonded with in his isolation.

"This is my home!" Citrine informed him, gesturing excitedly towards a cavern roughly the same height and width as himself.

Scowling, Azurite turned from the sight. "It's too small. Just like you."

Citrine deflated at that, his smile flickering until it petered out like a candle in the wind. He picked himself up quickly, though, taking them to a large gem formation and the broken fragments that bordered it. "These are my bestest friends," declared the little Quartz with pride. "Guys, this is…" He trailed off with a meaningful glance at Azurite.

Reluctantly, Azurite introduced him to the odd collection of rocks, if only to make the young gem quit waggling his brow at him. "Do they speak?" He wondered aloud when he was done.

"What?" Bending down with his hands on his knees as he greeted each one, Citrine snickered. "Of course not. They're rocks." Shoving down a surge of annoyance, Azurite promptly decided it was time he returned to Black Sun. There was a transporter nearby they could use instead of their craft, which might have been preferable, but taking her to it now would lead to her inevitably crossing paths with the newborn Citrine. He'd hoped that the gem would take a hint and not follow him, but Azurite could sense his presence dogging him, darting behind rocks and diving into shadows that were nowhere near dark enough to conceal the flower-shaped gem on his chest.

With one hand behind his back, he attempted to make shooing motions, but the Quartz either didn't know what the motions meant or was ignoring them. By the time he'd reached the ship, there was no more time left to drive him off. Black Sun was waiting outside, her dark eyes glittering like beetles at the sight of him. "Everything's in order then?"

Azurite shrugged his shoulders. "Nothing beyond our expectations." He approached her without slowing, heading for the cargo ramp. "There is nothing for us here." A shift in the stones behind him gave him pause. He resisted the urge to peer over his shoulder, keeping his gaze trained on Black Sun. After all, he had to act like there wasn't a stunted Quartz hiding somewhere behind him.

"That's too bad." Having made no move to follow him, Black Sun smirked. "I was hoping for a little action." She glanced over his shoulder, her expression calculating.

At this rate, she was going to find the little gem even without his help. Thinking fast, Azurite blurted, "If maybe… If I did find something," when her soulless smile widened, he hastily backtracked, "I didn't, obviously. But if I had… what would have happened to it?"

"Our orders would be to take it back to Homeworld with us."

"And then?"

Instead of looking at him like he wanted, she continued looking past him. "It would be dissected," came the casual reply. "The scientists back on Homeworld would never be able to resist the temptation of studying a gem born on Earth." At last, she turned to him, and for a moment, Azurite allowed himself to hope that Citrine had managed to keep out of sight long enough for her curiosity to fade. "Speaking of," the words fell slowly from her lips, as though she savored the way they tasted, "who's your new friend?"

Azurite whirled, taking in the crown of Citrine's head peeking out from behind a large dun-colored rock. If Black Sun got to him now, he wouldn't last long enough for the Homeworld scientists to cut him to pieces.

Although his mind was still weighing out his options, his legs were already carrying him towards Citrine, having apparently decided to sacrifice his job and home for a gem he'd never met all on their own. Once he was within grabbing distance, he plucked Citrine up by the shell, ignoring his protests, and sprinted for the transporter he knew was in the Kindergarten somewhere. If they could only reach it, they could get far away from Black Sun, and then shut it down. The planet was so large and populated she'd never find them.

"Where are we going?!" Citrine cried once they'd ducked into one of the caves the fully-grown Quartz gems had left behind. "Why is that scary lady chasing us?"

"Quiet!" Azurite snapped, setting him down. "Don't even breathe until I say the coast is clear." He could see her peering into one of the caverns on the other side, no doubt realizing he'd chosen to hide. In her hand was the night-black blade crafted from her own body. Black Diamond had ordered it forged for her, and its edge was known among the Homeworld gems to shatter any who displeased Black Diamond upon contact.

She took one step inside, then another, and Azurite waited, not daring to make a sound until she crouched to investigate. Grabbing ahold of Citrine's hand, he roared, "Now!" The pair of them dashed through the Kindergarten, each aware of her gaining on them, but neither willing to look back. Ahead, they could see the transporter, the deck unoccupied and inactive. Without maintenance, there was a chance it might not even be functional anymore, what with it having been exposed to the elements for so long, yet it was a chance they would have to take.

Something long, inky black, and resembling Black Sun's arm struck the ground ahead of them, forcing them to swerve. The teleportation pad was nearly within reach. Just as Azurite was about to leap atop its surface, the device began to glow. A red and purple gem appeared in the center, their forms bearing more resemblance to terrapins than humanoids, though there was resemblance there, too. The red one barked a question, glaring down at them like he was gearing up for a fight. Azurite barreled into him, accidentally throwing Citrine into the purple one, which knocked the pair of them down onto the transporter. His voice straining with desperation, he shouted out the command without thinking, "Take us back!"

An elongated black limb lunging towards them as the transporter washed the gathered gems in blue light. Pulling Citrine towards him, he wrapped his arms around the little gem's torso, shielding him with his shell as best he could manage, and squeezed his eyes shut. Honestly, Azurite had little hope that he would ever open them again but Earth, it seemed, was determined to defy his expectations.