January 23, 201x. Weather: Clear, Sunny
Spent a week at Little Homeworld for interviews. Since nothing much happened on individual days, I figured that I'd just summarize the week's events. Barely got far with any interviews, except with one particularly interesting Gem.
She called herself Garnet, and unlike many of her peers, she was made up of two gem cores rather than one. However, those gems were not garnets. According to a friend of mine who examined some pictures, they were actually different forms of the mineral corundum, the material for sapphires. When I inquired about this, Garnet explained that she is a Fusion, a combination of multiple Gems. Specifically, she is the combination of a ruby and a sapphire. Upon further inquiry, I managed to wring out of her all known aspects of fusion:
Gem Fusions are made up of two or more gems, and they typically have two basic aspects. The first is whether or not the fusion is made up of the same or different parts. If made up of the same type of gem, the fusion is typically a larger and stronger version of its component gems. If made up of different types of gem, then the Fusion will still be a combination of its component gems, usually with extra body parts and different shades, forms, and abilities. The second aspect is whether or not the fusion is permanent. A temporary fusion usually denotes a utilitarian use, for example the need to lift a heavy object or complete a specific task. A permanent fusion denotes a social use. Garnet refers to this as a "relationship." I suppose the relationship is meant to be an intimate affair, presumably having the same connotation as, say, a sexual relationship on Earth. According to Garnet, permanent and different-gem fusion were taboo to Gem society until about two years ago, which is surprisingly recent for an immortal and highly-advanced species like the Gem. However, she doesn't know the science or specific mechanics behind fusion. She instead attributes it to abstract concepts like "love" and "intimacy." Gonna have to research its inner workings myself, but I did learn a lot from her.
I returned to Beach City yesterday. Felt like I was at Little Homeworld for years. Weird. Anyways, I still need to look for a better lead on Gem physiology. Gems themselves don't appear to have the complete answer.
January 31, 201x. Weather: Clear, overcast
After another week of interviews, I decided to finally look for researchers in a similar field. I'm starting in Beach City first. Since this is basically the center of known Gem activity in the entire world, I figured I should send out a call online to see if anyone would answer. Today, I got my first answer from a researcher. By fax, no less. Calls himself Ronaldo Fryman, and says he's a researcher of extraterrestrial and mineral-based life. By the looks of the fax he sent me, he seems an interesting fellow. Perhaps he has research that he's willing to share with me. After exchanging information, we arranged for a meeting at his office in the local lighthouse. Didn't know someone used it for office space, but the city plan did list the spot as a rental. Huh.
February 1, 201x. Weather: Snow, light
Spent a whole month in Delmarva, and it's been pretty nice. Didn't have to worry too much about money, and I'm finally going to meet a fellow researcher who's willing to share his findings. Just gonna grab a quick bite and head to the lighthouse.
My God. He was… Full of bullshit. And I mean the worst kind. It turns out this "researcher" was the blogger for Keep Beach City Weird. Thought he looked like the guy in that fiasco of a fake documentary, but after listening to him for a solid thirty minutes, I knew this was just the crazy conspiracy guy. Spouted off again about "Rock People" just like in the blog, though he shifted quickly to reptile people. I can firmly say that I'm not planning on talking to him again, though I copied some photos of Gem tech and creatures from the walls of the lighthouse.
That was the only researcher who answered the call for help. Should probably ask Little Homeworld about researchers in a similar field. Maybe they know something about someone I could talk to.
February 2, 201x. Weather: Snow, light
Went to pay the month's rent to Mr. Universe and actually ran into that knowledgeable pearl again. Did a bit of digging, and it turns out that Gem researchers actually have been in and out of the giant statue as well as other sites. She said that they had a tendency to be spread across history, and many of their works have been lost. In the modern era, the Gem presence has mostly been covered up or downplayed. Many people mistake them for humans now. Odd. I was disheartened to learn that most researchers now are either hidden or dead from old age, but I did learn of one who dabbled in Gem research, at least for a while. Her name is Priyanka Maheswaran.
Author's Note
...This was really short and rushed. Fuck, guys. Sorry 'bout the wait and whatnot. I've been busy. With Calculus. Still am. I'm learning about infinite series. And they suck. Next chapter'll be out next week and will hopefully have more effort put into it than this shitshow of a chapter. There were five drafts. FIVE DRAFTS. There was even one where a ruby blew up his car.