January 10, 201x. Weather: Clear, sunny

Feeling better after yesterday. Thinking of finally sloping the RV roof in case of another storm. Don't want to involve myself with Gem technology until I know what I'm getting into this time. Decided to pay a rent to Mr. Universe instead of working the carwash. It just seems more convenient given what I'm planning for tomorrow.

Night's quiet, as per usual. Honestly, the winters here are kind of underwhelming in terms of snowfall. At least I have that going for me. I should start coming up with a plan as to where I should start.

January 11, 201x. Weather: Heavy Snow, Heavy Wind

"Speak of the devil and he shall appear." Shouldn't have mentioned a lack of bad weather. Good thing I sloped the roof yesterday, otherwise the RV would have caved in.

During the snowstorm, I figured that I should come up with a plan of attack, as it were.

Plan of attack

Step 1: I should start by figuring out how to deal with Teleportation Sickness. I'm already easily motion sick as it is, so I should start by having Nephrite warp me back and forth between two points in order to acclimate to that sort of motion.

Step 2: I should canvass Little Homeschool for answers on Gem anatomy: what they can do, how they function, how they're made, lifespans, emotional responses, everything.

Step 3: Start with theories as to what they are. My current guess is that they are a life form based on a different element with an evolutionary quirk that allows them to function in non-native environments. That is to say, they might be extradimensional.

Step 4: Further study via authority figures. There are two types that I should canvass: scientific authorities and Gem authorities. If anyone other than a scientific authority would know, it would be a Gem leader or some senior member.

This plan should give me a basic idea of what Gems are and how they work. Most importantly, it will allow other researchers to finally start working on this field of study. I wonder if I can possibly publish this journal. That'd make me a good few bucks of extra spending money.

January 12, 201x. Weather: Snow, light

Weather cleared up pretty quickly, so I can begin step 1 of my plan. Made sure not to eat anything so I wouldn't throw up during my self-induced warp torture. I'll be back in an hour to describe in gruesome detail my experience.

Fortunately, it was slightly less terrible than the last time. Unfortunately, it was still terrible. Stomach hurts. Chest hurts. Everything's blurry. Threw up into the ocean and chummed the water. Antacid tabs don't do shit. Head's splitting open. Get a priest.

Ibuprofen just barely keeping me sane. Should take note. I counted 48 warps before I stumbled out the beach house. Thinking about it, most normal people don't go through these things more than five or six times in a day. I went through 48, and all I got afterwards was a cripplingly painful level of teleportation sickness, which, now that I'm experiencing it in a more lucid state, does feel a lot like the bends. Learned that Nephrite had to bring me back to the RV after fainting. Awkward. I wonder how I should pay her back?

Couldn't sleep at night. Head still hurts like hell from all of that constant teleportation. Drank five kettles' worth of instant tea before the pain finally subsided enough for me to rest comfortably. Wasted an entire box of instant tea in the process.

January 13, 201x. Weather: Clear, Sunny

Marched right back to the warp pad. I'm not losing to a goddamn teleporter. I'm on an adrenaline rush. I will fight that warp pad. And I will win.

Sent right back to the RV. Turns out that these people actually worry about my health like it's something important. I have aliens to study. I can't just delay my journey for leads because of something as trivial as teleportation sickness.

Was told to turn in and rest for the night. Guess I didn't look so good last time.

January 14, 201x. Weather: Snow, light

Mr. Universe came early in the morning to check up on me. Seems odd to me. I barely associate with him, aside from my living in front of his carwash. Told me that my long stay warranted going at a slower pace than the one at which I was going. Nice guy. Too nice, frankly. Think he's just worried about my poor health showing badly on the carwash. At the very least, I should show him some common courtesy. I'll slow down my research. For now.

Starting to get really sick of my diet. Probably shouldn't have just bought K-rations. Ok, let's face it: I bought canned food, and a lot of it. Note to self: never buy food in bulk again.

January 15, 201x. Weather: Clear, Sunny

Woke up 11AM again. Terrible habit. I should really get that fixed. Wondering about how I lost to that warp pad again. Thinking about it, the sickness wasn't as bad the second time. Probably because of the extra food that I had. That's it. I should have a big-ass meal that isn't canned. Let the record state that I'm not going into town out of cravings.

Let the record state that that was the best meal I ever fucking had. Pizza. Sweet, delicious, hearty, not-canned pizza. Found a mom-and-pop place in town. Only boardwalk restaurant that isn't closed for the winter. Ate two large pepperoni with extra cheese. Good to know this spot exists. Life is beautiful. Cashier was a bit of a hard-ass though. Really insistent on the my ordering the expensive stuff. Guess he's a bit too frugal or something.

Side note: the pizza place appears to have employed a Gem. Don't know her name, but the single eye and lobster claw kind of give away the fact she's a gem. Pretty clear that there are Gems that left Little Homeschool. Aren't straying too far from Beach City, though.

January 16, 201x. Weather: Clear, Sunny

Decided not to just sit on my ass all day. Finally going to take my first drive to Little Homeschool, and I'm bringing my forward base with me. With my current notes, I can finally start asking about Gem physiology, like I actually came here for.

Turns out it took 3 hours to unhook and seal everything for the trip. RV's are kind of clunky like that. Drive wasn't too long, but my motion sickness is still pretty bad. I assume I still have warp sickness.

Just arrived at Little Homeschool. Remember, my main goal is physiology and history in relation to physiology. If Gems don't know it, look for a researcher who does.

Waited until evening, but I finally got in touch with someone who knows a little more than Nephrite. A pearl, named… Pearl. I really think these Gems need some unique names. Seriously, I said her name and four other pearls in the amphitheater responded. Gave me some new information.

A Gem's form is definitely light that acts as matter. A gem has the ability to manifest it by "glowing," or releasing energy. Gems also have to ability to manifest additional matter forms, most commonly creating traditional weapons or armor. Some have to ability to manifest irregular forms. A few Gems have the ability to manifest wings, control outside matter, or easily alter their forms like a hardened rubber. They are also immortal, or at least effectively immortal. The oldest Gems have lived for millennia, perhaps even longer. This pearl is around that age. Gems are not invulnerable. If a gem's form sustains enough physical damage, a Gem can "poof." The Gem's form disappears, as the core stops sustaining the form. Air rushes in to fill the spot the form left, sometimes scattering particulate and making a loud noise like a smoke bomb. The Gem then recharges before recreating the Gem's hardlight form in its original condition. This recreation can be delayed via compression or containment in a hardlight manifest colloquially known as a "bubble." Most importantly, a Gem can effectively be killed by breaking its core. The act is called "shattering," and it's treated similarly to a murder. Unlike an actual murder, a Gem can be revived from shattering via a substance called "Diamond essence." As long as a majority of the core's fragments are present, a Gem can reform with little to no memory loss, though imperfect revival can cause a shift in form.

When I asked her how Gem's sustain themselves, the Pearl simply responded that they do not require food or similar sustenance. Intriguing. Matter-like light takes a ridiculous amount of a constant supply of energy to create. The fact that a Gem can do this for thousands of years makes one wonder where such power can come from.

One problem: she never told me where Gems come from. That was my main question, but she never elaborated beyond "Homeworld." I don't want to know the colloquial name of some distant planet. I want to know the process of Gem creation. She nervously dodged when I specified. I smell a rat. Unfortunately, I can't get to that right now.

I'm not sure if I'm being kept here out of suspicion, but I was asked to stay at Little Homeschool for the night. As payment for my interviews with the lecturers, I'm being asked to assist in a lecture on social interactions. That's just… great.