"Hello? Hello! E'rybody please quiet down fer a moment - just a moment of yer attention please!" He heard a voice shout out, above the din of the disparate crowd.
Silence followed as the conversations quieted down and everyone did the polite thing. Even 5JQ's clique seemed attentive, though it did take a few… creative suggestions of where their leader would shove her veritable serrated short sword of a combat knife if they did not shut their, quote 'good-for-nothing but bootlicking mouths' unquote.
"Ermmm…" Ruby stalled, a tad aghast after having picked up on 5JQ, "Aaanyhow, as I were sayin'. Right here's the elevator shaft down to The New City, but there ain't enough space on its floor fer e'ryone. So, form an orderly queue and I'll count y'all into batches to go down in turns. Then, when yer down there, stay put 'n wait for the rest of us before you get movin'. E'rybody got that?"
Her voice echoed throughout the cavern of black volcanic rock, as did the motley chorus of 'yesses' and 'yups' that came in return.
"Good! Now then, form a line!" She shouted out, her usual endearing drawl drowned out by a sudden burst of authority.
Bolt followed their instruction and began shuffling back, hoping to take a place near the rear of the queue where he would be out of sight. So, he peacefully stood his ground as the swirling sea of strangers - eager to enter - flowed into him almost as often as they did around.
Then, the flow stopped and the chatter around fell silent. He grew curious why - he could have sworn there were more people aboard than were currently in line.
"Ngh!" He huffed beneath his breath as an unexpected mass crashed against him.
The posse of glassy-eyed Quartzes barging past him answered any questions he had instantly.
In their wake, the people who moved out of the way looked to each other. They waited a moment longer, and when the coast appeared clear, they surged back in.
Motivated by a wish to keep away from any more trouble, he began pacing slowly backwards while keeping his head up to try and keep track of the resurging crowd. A number of minutes - and just as many shouts of 'hold on!' and 'order!' from Ruby - later, and he found that almost everyone now stood in a long line. It was then that he took his place, joining right at the back.
Granted there had been some pushing, but it was far less chaotic than expected, 'Even with the 5JQ and her get,' he noted.
Though, he supposed, it was because almost everyone present was fresh from their close brush with death. No point in arguing or fighting with anyone now, not when their second chance at life was so close-
A finger tapped on his shoulder, jolting him a little bit before he turned to its source, "Oh?"
"Excuse me, would you mind if I go here?" The stranger, a tall Peridot-styled fusion of sorts, said as she pointed to the small space he had left in front of him during his retreat.
He hummed. It seemed someone else had the same idea, of waiting for the rush to end before taking their place.
But he did not mind. The further back, the less attention.
So, he said, "Oh no, it's fine."
"Thanks," She said as she slid into the line and turned around to begin having a friendly chat with the other fusion - a Green Jade-based one it seemed - in front of her.
"Welcome," He replied as he took his place, though he got little response. But that was fine - good, even. For now, it was better to be forgotten about.
In his mind, there was no sense in attracting any more eyes towards himself than necessary.
Compelled by that urge, he shot a look down at his chestplate. He breathed in relief. This was the second time today, and thankfully, the results remained the same.
He ran his hand over where the proud Raptor Imperialis once lay. Of course part of him grew sombre. Though he knew not its meaning, it was a symbol unique to him, a symbol that had inspired his name, and one he had worn proudly as he spited Imperial authorities - and on more than one occasion.
Still, another part of him was quietly glad that nothing but cold, grey metal met his fingers. That was one of the many things he made sure of. Some days ago, when he had found a quiet corner of the ship, he took it off and dribbled over the slab of metal until his caustic spit had melted off every last trace of black paint.
That, and he had also left the pickaxes in some storeroom he had seen Pery working near - creating some sort of strange electrical devices she seemed hesitant to reveal the purpose of when he had asked. He remembered watching the tools disappear behind a compartment as she stowed them away. Again, he had been sombre to let them go, but he knew he had to leave them behind if he wished to stay hidden.
Unwanted attention was something he had learnt to give a wide berth to ever since that… incident.
Beneath the helmet's visor, he grimaced.
'If I hadn't provoked that robonoid…'
It seemed the right thing to do back then, to be like those righteous rebels in his childhood stories that rose up and fought against injustice.
Only now, in retrospect, did he realise what a blind, naïve fool he had been - to let barely thought out rationale mix with immature petulance and sudden rage. Rage at his circumstances, rage at the persecution he and those he cared for endured every waking moment. Fuelled by that volatile mix, he almost willingly offered his and their lives to that same laser-lit pyre.
Although the burden was made easier to bear by their forgiveness, there remained his actions' consequences. This whole exodus, he knew, could be traced back to that one act.
Resigned, he sighed. A personal tragedy this may have been, it had - if inadvertently - saved the lives of everybody in front of him. Partly at least, he could console his conscience on that. For now, all he could do was to get ready to shoulder everything his future here had in store.
The proceeding hour came and went. Though the rest in the line happily chatted away, for him most of it was spent in silence, listening for the elevator platform whirring as it ascended back up and opened to take in yet another group. Then, as it descended, he would walk forwards with the line and repeat the cycle again.
When the platform arose once more, followed by their leader, part of 5JQ's clique went in. Though at first Ruby seemed apprehensive as they filed in, he watched 5JQ lean in and whisper a few words to her. After a mutual nod, Ruby appeared a little bit more reassured afterwards. When the door closed and that group went, by his count, there were perhaps two more batches left to go down until his own turn.
'So… this is it then,' Before he would go though, he flicked one last look at The Old City, and a pang of sorrow pulsed in his chest.
He had heard Ruby explain some things on the way here to the escapees who asked, and he was able to fit a few pieces from it together. Far larger as it was in scale, The Old City was a place with a story and appearance all too similar to the Settlement on Homeworld. Yet, its location was anything but. Here, this place was a mere mote in the sea of darkness that was the intergalactic void.
As if to mock him, the ruins reminded him so clearly of everything he had lost.
More time rolled by, and the elevator platform came back up - strangely with 5JQ still standing beside Ruby. As its door and the grate opened, Ruby gestured for the next batch to come in. These were the last half of the clique, sixty in all, and they went down together with their leader among them to enforce some semblance of discipline.
With nothing else to do, he counted those in line again, 'eighty-three,' was what it tallied up to, 'definitely one batch until us then.'
However, the moment he finished counting, one of those in line turned backwards. Within a heartbeat of glimpsing their face, Bolt recognised exactly who they were. Rhodonite appeared apprehensive, but once her eyes widened as she spotted him, she waved at him nonetheless - if just a quick one to get his notice before she slipped back into the line. In fact, he barely had time to acknowledge the gesture and wave back before she was gone.
In the short time the two had faced eachother though, Bolt noticed that she too had gotten rid of any distinguishing symbols or markings on her clothes or body.
She and him were of like-mind then, that it was best to stay hidden among the crowds.
The elevator platform ascended again. As the grate in front of the pit compressed back and the door opened, it revealed the platform bereft of all but Ruby, and she called in the second to last batch. It was just their group now, as Rhodonite's position in line was close to the cutoff between the two batches.
These last few minutes flowed with the same numbing sluggishness the oxygen glaciers of the planet did. Dreaded anticipation weighted him down, his footsteps hesitant as he advanced with the line.
Bolt was brimming with questions. What was The New City like? What kind of life awaited him down there? How big was it even?
If the extent of The Old City's ruins were of any indication, then perhaps tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, even, might be present down there. That idea especially had him on edge. He had never experienced city life firsthand before, and stories or anecdotes could only do so much to prepare anybody - that was a lesson he had very much learnt firsthand.
These and more flitted through his mind as he awaited the platform's return. He stared down the grate covering the pit as if it were a mouth - one that would utter all the answers he sought if only it yawned open.
'Almost time.'
At last, the whirring of machinery alerted him to its return. With a clank and a hiss, the grill compressed back and the door parted. Finally, he and the last batch were called to come in. Step by step, they filed into their places on the platform, and with a heralding chime as Ruby pressed a button on the side, their descent began.
They were packed a tad tight, but it was bearable. Strangely enough, close as they all were, again nobody paid him any heed. Indeed, no one seemed to bear their neighbours too much mind unless they were familiar with them. The two tall fusions from earlier were either side of him. They ended up holding a conversation above his head - relief at being truly safe from the grasp of their harsh old superior, or something along those lines - all the while completely ignoring the strange, silvery armoured and helmeted figure under their chins.
Fine by him. In fact, listening in to the pair provided some much needed uplifting to his otherwise bleak mood. They laughed with eachother while trading the odd gossip or throwing around some rather interesting insults about their shared former overseer.
Soon though, the platform came to a stop, and he let out a deep, drawn out breath, 'This really is it.'
Another chime came as Ruby pressed the panel beside the door. The crowd disgorged, continuing their discussions all the while as they melted into the previous groups.
Not long after however, the grip of awe choked them all out. And when he caught sight of what had stunned them so, he too had stars in his eyes. His doubts were washed away now, and for a time, his sorrows as well. So amazed was he that he almost had to rein his curiosity back from making him follow the lights to peer over the cliff's edge.
"What the…" He managed to drawl out.
Far unlike The Old City, this was no mere mish mash of houses. Though he suspected most of the escapees had seen far grander, he guessed it was the mere idea that someplace could exist beyond The Empire's 'light' which baffled most.
Why, it had gone so against everything they had been taught since even before birth - that gemkind needed the Diamonds to direct every aspect of their lives to achieve such unity.
Now, that indoctrination was blown aside by what lay before them - for The New City truly did live up to its name.
The urban maze of carved stone below shone and pierced through the subterranean dark. Rows upon rows of street lamps lay upon its clean and concentric streets, paved with fitting bricks of volcanic rock. Upon those streets' sidewalks, at ground level, there lay throngs of gems from all courts peacefully going about their respective days among eachother without incident.
The sights and sounds of an industrious people filled the air. The distant rumbling of street trams transporting citizens to and fro could be heard, as could the whirring of tools in the hands of coordinated cohorts of workers tending to construction sites on the outskirts.
Titanic natural columns of basalt did interrupt this outgrowing pattern at times, but they were worked around and the area around them were made into public spaces instead. Complementing the dark rock of the rest of the streets, paved grounds of white marble decorated with benches and the occasional stage marked these spaces. Some of the larger public spaces were even host to jumbo-sized holoscreen projectors, affixed around their equally large columns' sides.
In a sudden flash, all of these holoscreens lit up at once, revealing a smiling blue figure sitting behind a desk. They dressed in a type of simple, though formal suit that complemented their figure, and had a colourful cravatte around their neck.
Perhaps they were a Blue Jade of some kind? He vaguely recognised their type from Ammolite's memories.
"Hello and welcome viewers to today's very special broadcast!" Blue Jade began, speaking in a tone equal parts commanding and chippy, "As many of you may have heard, rumours of a massive influx of new arrivals have been spreading recently, and we - your ever reliable source on current affairs - are finally able to put those to rest," She waved her hand to the side and all of the screens flickered.
He and everyone else stood there lay stunned silent as every single column-bound screen in sight buzzed and switched to showing… them. The perspective zoomed closer and closer, stopping when it was just about able to fit their whole group in one frame. Paralysed as everyone was by the act at first, a few brave souls at the front gathered themselves and made a good showing - smiling and waving for all to see.
The screen switched back, and Blue Jade looked touched by their gesture. A kindly smile had grown on her before she put a more formal, if still cheery expression for the screen, "Isn't that wonderful? As always though, citizens, remember to greet them as you would eachother. We were all in their places once…"
"Hey," Rhodonite whispered to him, but she was brief, for she seemed gripped and enthralled too, "what do you think of all of this?"
He turned to her, and spoke with wonder still colouring his voice, "I- It's more than we could have ever hoped for. So much more…"
"Yeah. I knew they'd have something big going on here, but I didn't think it'd be… anything like this." She said vaguely, and a little too quickly, he noticed.
Rhodonite breathed, then stalled for a moment, biting lower lip for a short second before she turned around and continued to stare at the broadcast - slowly growing entranced again.
Or pretending to at least. Try as she might to hide it, he was ever emotionally perceptive.
After turning back around, she did not speak or even look at him. Yet, that was despite him having a feeling that she wanted to speak to him about… something important. Yet, it seemed as if something else was holding her back. To him, it looked as if Rhodonite had begun that conversation to ease into another topic, but then something caught in her throat, and she abandoned the effort.
Bolt blinked, and he looked again. Was… was that shame in her eyes?
Hard as it was while she still looked pained by burdens, he tore his gaze away. Whatever she wanted to tell him - and he had a very good idea of what - it was almost definitely a private matter, he understood. Not something to be shared in the middle of a crowd.
His pondering was cut short though, for he caught wind of faint footfalls. Turning to his right side and rising on his tiptoes, through the crowd he spied the huge, if gently inclined, ramp cut from the wall of volcanic rock the sound came from.
Evidently, the entire crowd too heard soon enough, and everyone turned their heads to the right as well.
What no one else but him noticed though was how Ruby seemed to march forwards, nigh mechanically in her movements, as the steps grew louder and its source drew near. He did not quite know her well enough to make a guess as to why however.
'Strange.'
A lone hooded figure emerged from the ramp. Clad in a cloak, trenchcoat and boots - their outfit came in varying shades of crimson, except for golden buttons on the coat.
Face hidden and with tough boots echoing on what amounted to cooled lava, it all made for an intimidating approach…
…which made their squeaky voice just that much more disarming, "Wowee, I knew there'd be loads of you, but this has got to be the most we've ever had arrive at once. Isn't that right, Rubes?"
He watched as Ruby walked up to the figure, ready with a beaming grin that - to his eye - almost looked practised, "Oh yeah! The second closest was prob'ly that minin' ship some four- naw, five, yeah, five hundred years ago," She said, merry.
Again, the conversations that had just picked back up quieted down as the group began to listen, if out of sheer shock value this time.
He spared a quick look to her, and just as everyone else, Rhodonite was left baffled. So thoroughly was it that even the sorrow seemed to drain from her face. Temporarily, at least.
"Ay-yup," The figure said, nodding so eagerly towards Ruby that it bordered on the comedic. Then, aftering turning, she did the same to them, "Either way, welcome and all…"
She spun around on one foot to face the city, sweeping her outstretched arm and open hand across the skyline. So dramatic was the gesture that her cloak fell, revealing the identity of the one beneath.
Scarlet Spinel turned back to the audience, her face all cheers, "To the world of Refuge!"
#####
"...So yeah, I get it might be a bit scary living inside a supervolcano's magma chamber and all - but!" Scarlet said, her sing-song way of speaking everpresent as she walked ahead of the remaining group with a spring in her step, "There's nothing to worry about, it drifted away from the vents that fed it at least twenty eight million years, so it's long, long dead…"
Fascinating as it was at first, as it fell into tangent after tangent, Bolt found himself tuning out Scarlet's story-telling. Instead, he focused on the item in his hand. Before coming here, just as they had come into the city proper, they were directed to a building - a data logging centre, if he understood right - where they were to be interviewed. To his ears, it sounded as if the group were being organised to find the calculated optimal living arrangements for them all.
Left idle, he could not help but indulge his curiousity and listen in to pass the time. In the end, he thought, he would need to visit the few here he knew sooner or later, so knowing where they might live was of no harm.
He found out Pery had asked for an inner city apartment, while on the other hand, 5JQ and much of her clique wanted somewhere out of the way. Morganite's request though seemed thoroughly odd - asking for a basement or underground apartment a ways away, but not too far, from the city centre. For the peace and quiet mixed with convenience, she had claimed to Scarlet on the way out when asked about the unique request.
It was a simple process. People's relationship to others from the ship and any special requests had been logged by Scarlet and the other interviewers, fed into the database, which then found the apartments that best matched their needs and wants. Or, if none were available, then a catalogue to choose from of whichever ones came closest.
Since Rhodonite and he had mutually expressed a desire to stick together, they were assigned to an apartment together.
Apparently, the block they were to live at was part of a newer development, and so nearer to the outskirts of The New City. But they had agreed that was no problem for them.
"Alrighty then," Scarlet came to a stop, "here's the apartment blocks for groups of two or three."
Scarlet then turned to the group, "Just as a last check though, everybody hold up your keycards…" but when only a few lazily waving hands came up, she cleared her throat spoke again, louder as she dramatically waved her hand up and around as an example, "come on people, a bit more energy this time, wave them in the air for me to see!"
Bolt looked to his side. As if unable to help but join in, reluctant as she looked at first, the willingness of the crowd drew Rhodonite in.
Strange as the whole ordeal made him feel, he shrugged it off. Soon, he too raised his arm and began waving his keycard for them to see.
'It's harmless enough anyhow.'
Scarlet clapped her gloved hands together, a full-face grin flashing on her face, "Good to see it! Okay then, have a great time here you lot, and remember to watch the orientation vids when you find the time. Everyone else, to me!" She gestured to the rest to follow, enthused as ever.
The remaining group went on, leaving their's behind. They were a relatively small bunch, since it appeared as if most of those from the prison break were alone or already permafused into one. That, or they were part of 5JQ's clique, and many of them knew eachother and asked to live in groups of four or more.
And so, there were not many like them - assigned to blocks containing mid-sized apartments meant for just a few people.
Moving with the small crowd, Bolt and Rhodonite entered one at a time through the small and simple arched stone doorway. Here, they were met with an equally plain lobby room. Not that it was boring by any means. Light embedded in the roof emitted soft, warm rays and the synthetic yet soft carpet gave it a friendly feel. Meanwhile, the edges and corners of the room were carved with smooth curves instead of sharp, geometric bends.
Having heard what to do earlier from Scarlet, Bolt followed the flow of the crowd as they got in line in their pairs or threes. He got beside Rhodonite, albeit while consciously leaving some personal space between them.
They waited in line for some time, and though they were among the last in, it was only a matter of minutes before they were at the front. Now they just had to register with the building, and that was it.
'We will have a new home.'
"Hello," The Green Pearl at the counter greeted with a smile, "may I have your keycards?"
Following their request, two two gave her their cards.
"Reading… resident cards detected. Authentication successful - welcome," Came the response from an automated voice as the Pearls holoscreen scanned the cards.
Yet, it was neither cold nor harsh. Quite the opposite. The machine voice was warm and kind, as if even its otherwise unintelligent self genuinely meant to welcome them.
'Just as everything else here seems to be,' He thought. Too tired to truly smile, he still found it in himself to let go of some misgivings.
Strange and far-off as this world was, there was something to be said about how it received outcasts without question.
'If only the rest of them could find this place…' He internally sighed.
After typing up something, Green Pearl spoke again, "Yep, all seems to be in order," She said as she slid the cards back, "Your apartment is number 16 - that's on the third floor. Have a nice stay!" She said, waving them on.
As she waved them on, he found their cheer infectious and waved as well. Evidently, it was not just him though, and Rhodonite also subconsciously waved back as they made their way on. On departing, they first came to a set of simplified maps on the wall beside the desk. There, they searched the one displaying the third floor and found their new home on it. That done, they moved on to the stairs on the far side of the entrance and moved up.
A short while later, and they were up on the polished marble stairs. Apartment number 16 was quite close, with only apartment number 15 preceding it on the third floor. Their one was on the left side of the carpeted hallway, where the even-numbered doors lay.
"So do I just swipe it like… aha," Rhodonite whispered to herself as she placed the keycard on the glowing reader below the door handle.
A high bleep and low click came from the lock, then the door swung open to reveal their new home.
A small living room greeted them. It was plain, with not much aside from a small sofa in the middle and a short table - formed of a smooth metal frame and clear glass surfaces - in front of it. On the centre of the wall the sofa faced though, there lay a strange protrusion. It was a small metal dome, no bigger than his palm, and with a small depression at its centre that glowed a faint blue.
He wondered at its purpose for a moment, then drew similarities to the holoscreen projector at the counter.
'Perhaps this is where we can watch those orientation videos Scarlet mentioned,' he guessed. Probably would be best to check up on how to work it later if that were the case then.
The click of another door opening caught his attention though, and he saw Rhodonite walking into the strange walled-off section emerging out from one of the corners. He followed her, and as he did he found what was within. The walled-off section was host to a small - though by no means cramped - and undecorated bedroom, painted white as the rest of the apartment. Aside from the plain beds hugging either side, the sole other furnishing was an equally simple nightstand between them.
But as took off his helmet and moved to set it down, he stopped halfway through as he noticed the mini poster laid atop the stand. Printed on was a simple figure with flat colours, and though it possessed no face, he could tell it was supposed to be of Scarlet's likeness. The figure looked towards the reader, its hand raised towards him with the forefinger up, as if to call attention to the message printed in the rigid form of gem glyph on bars at the top and bottom of the poster.
Unpracticed as he was in the written word, he racked his mind, and Ammolite's memories were once more of great help.
'Remember, a well-rested worker is an efficient worker,' He began to read the top note, if slowly at first, for he never quite needed to read until now, 'So take a rest for the day. You've earned it, citizen.'
He took a moment to ponder it, then he let his body go half-limp. After having endured so much, he agreed that, 'perhaps it is time to rest.'
He set down the helmet and his own keycard on the nightstand, and after he shuffled over to the bed on the right wall, he collapsed onto it. Splayed on the soft mattress, he found himself staring blankly into the ceiling. Each blink was a slow sag, and he made no effort to move, not even while sinking deeper into the fluff as the bed consumed him.
Comfort as the mattress did his body, his mind found no true respite in its embrace.
Rest only left him restless, for as old burdens tired of hounding him, a new one was given room to take its turn, "I- what do we do now?"
To his surprise, Rhodonite, who had taken to sitting in silence at the foot of the same bed, was awoken from her similar stupor. Though she still looked worn, what she said next resonated with him deeply.
"Do what we meant to do on Homeworld - build a life worth living." Rhodonite said, a certain dull weight in her tone. But when struck by a heavy weight, her convictions only rang louder, "I know it's just us two now, but we have a real chance here… we shouldn't throw it away."
He stilled, taking a moment to internalise that. Lonely as this place may make them feel, she was right - there was no sense in stewing in their own sorrow. They were never guaranteed to live past that day of the prison break. The mere fact that they are still breathing should not be taken for granted.
And though they now breathed the air of a far-away world, this was a world that had welcomed them with open arms.
'She's right,' Fresh with a flicker of hope, he rose from the puffy pit.
"I guess… then perhaps one day - that one day, when we'll all meet again," He said, wistful. Then, he balanced his back on a plain white pillow as he sat upright to face Rhodonite, "they will see some familiar faces here, happy to host them."
Rhodonite scoffed good naturedly, "Maybe - they do have that ship after all," She said as she entertained the idea, "so who knows what might happen if they fix it? I mean, Fluorite's still there. So I guess even if Pery's here, there's a chance that way…" she added, slowing down towards the end as she pondered her own words.
At the mere mention of Fluorite, an epiphany dawned upon him. From them - as she had just hinted - came not only Sphene and their expertise…
"And Ammolite is still with them too," He realised, eyes widening "do you think she could use her sight to find us here and to direct them where to go?"
Hearing his words, Rhodonite was left to stew in genuine thought for some moments, "I- well… it's not impossible. They could go ahead and do that."
"Could? I think she'd've done it already," He said, in his mind harking back to when he first met Ammolite.
He smiled then. Little as he had seen of her, they had already impressed on him the existence of a truly caring soul.
"You know what, yeah, she probably has," Rhodonite agreed. Then she grew wistfully distant, her eyes glossing over as she seemingly reminisced on her own fond memories of Ammolite.
Tranquil silence settled between them. One short conversation later, and their most forlorn dream no longer seemed so impossible after all.
However, it was not to last.
Rhodonite huffed, and his look moved back to her. The gleam on her had faded, and the gloom returned in its place.
Bolt stilled, releasing that this was likely it. But he stilled himself. This was a sensitive matter, he understood; something best to be taken slowly.
His eyes began to glint over with well-meaning concern, "Rhodonite? Are you alright?"
She turned to him, that same shame weighing down her gaze, "I was going to ask you the same thing."
Vague as her inklings were, Bolt knew instantly what she meant. Yet, he did not press on any faster or further. He would try to take this at her pace, not his.
"Why?" He said, the words coming out soft-spoken.
She breathed in, a grimace coming over her, "It's just… after what happened - back on the bridge… you never came back there," she stalled, but continued after a shuddered swallow, "It- it makes someone think a certain way, y'know."
The single pair of eyes of her new form looked up to him now. One pupil pink, one pupil red, both waiting for answers only he could provide.
He almost flinched at her, no, that gaze. Again he had defied her, and again he was subject to that look of anguish. While he knew he had a fine reason this time, the pang of guilt still pulsed from his first scar - intent on making him never forget of the foolishness that brought them here in the first place.
It was why - back on the ship - he had taken so long, looking on as the argument between Rhodonite and Morganite devolved to a shouting match before he finally intervened.
His shoulders sagged, but he replied honestly, "I won't lie to you, I was scared at first. But after? I only kept away from the bridge because everyone seemed just so… so… angry. I just thought giving everyone some room wouldn't hurt," He sighed, "I don't blame you for that though. Me siding with your former… master."
He almost shrunk back at the mere utterance of that word, for - brief as it was - the flash of pain across Rhodonite's face struck him as if it were his own.
He recovered in time, but Bolt found himself unwilling to look up from his feet, "I can only imagine how that felt."
Shame clawing at her, her face scrunched up and she let out a tight breath, "Still, it wasn't right - just snapping at you like that." Her voice shrank to a solemn whisper and she sighed, "You were just trying to save our shards… and I was too fissured-off to see that."
He looked back up at her, his face kind yet firm, "Was it right? Stars no. But was it understandable?" He paused, his sunkissed yellow eyes shining with sympathy, "Well… think back on that day. We had just fought through a riot to escape execution, only to be told that we were going to abandon everything and everyone we knew. Of course tempers were bound to run high."
Rhodonite slowly broke away from him, staring off into the wall. Sat silent, there she lay, contemplating… something.
At last, she turned back to him. Then, with a huff, she spoke, "You know, no offence, but sometimes I find it hard to believe you."
That spooked him. But when he focused back on her face, he found nothing more than a heavy lidded look.
"Huh?"
At that, a shaky smile quivered its way onto her - but weak as it was - it managed to keep hold, "You heard me. Sometimes, it's hard to believe anyone can forgive this easily."
She was just pondering the idea, not directing anything at him, Bolt understood. If anything, it was a complement. A strange one, but one nonetheless. Kindness - true kindness, not mere favour currying - after all, even for those born flawless and living loyal to the regime, seemed in short supply among the citizenry of The Empire.
To those with defects or 'disloyal' to the draconic status quo though… his hearts sank at the thought.
'No wonder why she thinks this way.'
Had she been gone and him been alone, Bolt did not doubt he would have begun to weep for her sakes. But for now, it was her emotions that needed mending, not his, and tearing up would have only undone what progress he had made.
So, he offered her a small smile in return, "It doesn't come from nowhere. I mean, I never did fully apologise for the…" He swallowed an imagined lump, his smile faltering a little but never failing, "robonoids, and all the… trouble they brought after. Still, none of you held anything against me. Stars, even after everything, you all stood together to protect me from the consequences of my own stupidity…"
He looked up, but for all his encouragement, Rhodonite still was caught in shame's grasp. So, he shuffled over and as he got close, he stopped and stooped over. He took hold of her arm in a hug. Then, without fear, he slowly snuggled his face - one cheek squishing up as he settled into the crook of her neck.
"People like that - people like you - raised me. It'd have been stranger if I didn't turn out as I have."
Muffled as his voice was by the way he lay on her shoulder, the soft conviction behind them was not drowned out. Not in the slightest.
Silence ensued, and he began to grow scared that perhaps he had moved too fast all at once-
Just then however, a snort broke the rising tension, "no wonder why we're also both stubborn schists then," Rhodonite said, a rueful smile managing to gain a foothold.
Pulling away from the hug, he looked at her. She seemed weary still, but the shaky cheer's hold looked strong, and now it had the footing to begin pushing shame out of the way.
Comfortable with the progress made, he put a little childish cheek in his tone next, "Well, if any of you have taught me anything, it's also that no one's truly perfect - not enough to be free from being a 'stubborn schist' anyways."
Again, a silence ensued before it was broken by Rhodonite's snort, "Ahh, you know what," she said, doing a mock salute with both sets of arms, "here's to stubbornness - for making us too tight to listen, and too tough to die when we get after."
As unnatural as it felt at first, buoyed on by the jovial atmosphere, he crossed his arms and linked fingertips to form the diamond symbol too, "Well… so long as we learn from the first half, then… ahh why not, here's to stubbornness!"
They looked at each other then, as each was locked in a mock salute to a regime they both disavowed.
Bolt could not help but let a smirk cross his face at the absurdity of it all. Rhodonite, seeing him and understanding just what caused it, broke out into snicker not soon after. The pair released their salutes, reeling at just how ridiculous everything about their situation was.
"Whewww… I- ha! I mean- whehahaha!" Rhodonite tried to reply, but she found herself hunching over as she gripped her sides.
"Hnggm- *snort* hmhm," His lips bursting with trapped air, Bolt tried to hold it in longer, but he too failed, "hm- ahahaha!"
First with fitful giggles, then descending into hearty, belly-gripping and side splitting laughter. Unable to process being overwhelmed by so much tragedy any longer, they had run out of grief to give.
Now, the only thing left was to laugh at madness' face.
But that was only started it. What kept their hysterics going was something else, something more genuine. Here, in this quaint, quiet apartment, in a world far beyond Imperial Space and in each other's company… they finally felt safe.
Lonely, yes, but safe.
Safe enough to laugh till their breaths gave out.
"-bwahahaha! Aha- ha- ha- he… hehehe…" Wiping a tear from her eye, Rhodonite's laughter teetered off to light wheezing until she managed to get a hold of herself again.
"-gahahaha! Oooh- wheeew," Bolt let out one long wheeze and wiped his brow, but the way he finished laughing was more clean cut.
Breathing out, Rhodonite's shoulders slumped - though not in a sad way. She sat there, lips pressed in thought. Then, she looked over to him with an odd look, "That was… weird."
"Mhmm," Bolt agreed, already looking in retrospect.
Most of that was just an outburst of stress edging them on - the joke itself really was not that funny.
He shrugged, "I can't say it was bad though."
She chuckled a little more, "Yeah… stars knows we needed that."
With nothing more to talk about, the two lounged there. Bolt sank into his own bed while Rhodonite walked over to sit on hers. There, they took some time to appreciate the accommodations given to them so freely.
'Finally… some peace. Proper p-'
*Vwoop* - "you have (1) unread message."
His head rose from the pillow. When he turned, he saw that Rhodonite was already facing the open door.
"Huh, wonder who that could be," She said before rising to her feet and leaving the room.
He followed just behind, and when he arrived, she was already working away at it. After following the layout of the holoscreen with practised ease, Rhodonite arrived at the message and opened it.
"It says here it's from… oh," Instantly, she burnt indignation and she swung her gaze away from the screen - a glower in her eyes.
Coming closer to read, he looked to see what had provoked such a reaction, 'Urgent. From… Morganite-3… oh.'
Sensing Rhodonite would hear nothing from her former master, even if it was important, he took a look at it himself. Once more then, he mustered the literacy he learnt from Ammolite's memories and began to read the whole message.
"Hello, I understand we may have just arrived here, but I need you two to come to my apartment for a meeting. Immediately. However strange this request may seem, I believe the reason - and so the importance - should be more than obvious to the both of you…" Bolt trailed off, the rest of the message hitched in his throat.
'Could it be..?' His gut twisted at the thought.
To his side, he saw a deep scowl had taken over Rhodonite. He could not blame her - vaguely threatening yet meticulously worded, it had a threatening quality that set off many an alarm bell. And that was even without considering who the source was.
"The reason-" gasping in panic, she clambered for words, a series of indistinct rumbles left Rhodonite before she settled simply on, "how does she know!?" She hissed.
Bolt did not even need to be told. His mind ran apace, scanning through every possibility, but to no avail. The most likely one remained the one he most feared.
"What else could she be talking of though?" He replied, feeling almost helpless.
Rhodonite opened her mouth as if to reply, but she closed it not soon after and a dark look overcame her.
He too opened his mouth to speak, but then slammed it shut as he instantly decided against it. While it was true that Morganite had so far done them no direct harm, he already knew the answer if he were to ask Rhodonite of all people if they could be trusted.
Nevertheless, he cleared his throat and carried on with slight trepidation in his tone, "So, if you wish to come and discuss how to approach the issue, take the E-4 tram to 'Refuge Square', but get off at the stop called 'Ochre Avenue'. From there, go to the basalt-coloured block directly to the left of the stop. My apartment is in the understory, labelled U-7."
'If you wish,' Even he had to hold back from sneering at that. The whole thing was phrased as an invitation, but the insinuation of very private information directed at him made it feel more like a menacing summons.
He pushed down that fear, only for it to resurge at the very next sentence, "Oh… Rhodonite, it says here that 'The Peridot has been invited too.'"
Within moments, Rhodonite snapped to attention, the will draining from her as she drew a leery gaze over the screen. As her pupils danced while she read, she mouthed along with the words as though still in disbelief.
"But… but it says here that we should 'refrain from mentioning the issue to The Peridot too quickly,' because…" her hand clenched for a second, "she isn't a hundred percent sure if Pery actually knows about 'the issue'. Maybe… maybe 'the issue' is something else? I mean, I was with them the whole time, and Pery never actually said anything about you…" Rhodonite mumbled out, likely knowing it was a weak counter.
"I see… but there's nothing else this important that only us and Pery know about," A pause, "besides, what harm can she really do here? It would not hurt to check, just in case," He said to try and reassure her.
Rhodonite gripped her arm, it having grown anxious and twitchy at the prospect. Nevertheless, she simply said, "Alright," and gave her reluctant support.
Slowly, he nodded, "I'll go get everything."
#####
Bolt stalled at the last step, his one hand on the bannister tightening its grip as second thoughts of coming here swarmed him.
On the tram to here, Rhodonite had discussed her discomfort at seeing her old master face-to-face again. Understanding, he agreed to go alone while she waited for him at the tram stop outside. He could not say he was excited at the idea of meeting a noble on his own.
While he tried to no longer put so much stock into the stories, the subconscious prejudices they instilled into him were difficult to shake off.
Then, they were amplified by raw emotion from Ammolite's memories…
"Ack-!" His spare hand gripped his thigh as he lurched over.
…and the raw emotion of his own.
The scars that twisted about his legs cackled as it prodded him with the phantom needles of electrocution.
His face twisted into a ghost of the scream of anguish he let out that day, but he bit down and staved it off.
'Everyone is different. Get to know them, then make a judgement,' He chided himself, 'because unlike that Agate, this one saved you.'
Bolt took a breath, then made the last step down the stairs.
He found himself within the underground section of the apartment block. It was an ingenious use of space he had to admit, but matched as it did the quality of the building above, the uncanny silence unnerved him. Even with his heightened senses, no more than muted footsteps and the muffled rumble of a passing tram could be heard through the thick and dense volcanic rock.
These places were supposed to be homes, and yet, the liveliness of the world above was completely snuffed out. In fact, even the adjacent rooms made almost no noise - as if they were completely empty. Though, he surmised, it perhaps was an unpopular choice to occupy a subterranean dwelling if other options were available.
Though, he found, the eerie atmosphere did at least fit Morganite's earlier claims of wanting peace and quiet.
'Number U-7… ah, here it is,' He spotted the markings on a door, then he pressed on the buzzer a little above the door handle.
Morganite emerged from behind the door and quickly gestured for him to come in. His steps stuttered, but it did not take long for him to follow. Silence lay between them for a moment as, before closing the door, Morganite searched the space behind him.
Appearing unsatisfied with the results of her search, she then asked, "Is… she not with you?"
The difference of over a foot and a half in height caused her to crane up - just to look him in the face. But her inscrutable expression and, at times, almost deathly whisper of a voice made it simple to take Morganite seriously.
"No," He shook his head and said no more.
After all, he had been a firsthand witness - caught in the crossfire - of just a fraction of the tensions between the two. No point in mentioning them to eachother more than necessary.
"Figured," Morganite replied, and despite the topic, neither her tone nor body betrayed any further emotion. Indeed, she was rather direct, for upon closing the door, she asked, "So, do you understand why I called you here?"
"Yes," Bolt said, terse, before he hummed in contemplation, "I had thought this disguise good enough, especially when the truth was steeped in sheer improbability. What gave it away?"
"I had my suspicions from the start," Morganite began, professional as always, if a bit quiet, "the eagle symbol, for one."
He looked down to where the symbol once was, but he shook his head, "Eagle?"
Morganite looked around, then gestured for him to lean in, which he did after a short delay. As he did though, he found her request odd - the underground section of the block was rather empty anyways, so what need was there for this?
But, he supposed, this was a very sensitive matter. It was best to exercise caution.
Morganite put a cupped hand beside her mouth before she whispered to him, "A predatory aerial creature. One that is solely from Earth," and let implications set in.
He rose back up and nodded firmly, understanding her meaning well enough.
The buzzer hissed for attention again, and when Morganite opened it, in came none other than Pery.
But as Pery came in and moved to sit down on the couch, Morganite flashed with strange swiftness as she raised an open palm to signal them to stop, "No, not in this room," She whispered.
He and Pery looked at her with bewilderment. He noted just how swift Morganite was, as if something about the living room had ticked off the Aristocrat's instincts and set their otherwise deadened attitude on edge.
"But why?" Pery shook her head, her glare as stern as her tone as she stood back up from the sofa.
Bolt watched the situation unfold, and he gave a mental sigh. It was as if Pery was eternally offended by any opposition. At least, any opposition not from her colleagues back at the Settlement.
Then, try as she might to hide it, he noticed a held breath escaped Morganite. But it was not one of frustration either, as he had expected in response to Pery's antics. Through her deadened expression, he saw that Morganite simply wished to get things moving. Nothing more, nothing less.
She spoke again soon enough, still in a low whisper, "Not here, not now. Just trust me," and she motioned for them to follow her to the more secluded single bedroom.
Then he became aware that Pery was looking at him, as if awaiting his reaction to what she saw as an affront. But he gave her no more than a shrug in response. He truly had no clue why anyone would be so jumpy in their own apartment.
So without further words, he followed Morganite, for he could sense the genuine intent behind their request, even if the reason was a complete unknown. A groan came from behind him, but footsteps came soon after. He and Pery then sat on the edge of the single bed while Morganite perched herself on the nightstand beside. Awkward as the arrangement was, it at least meant she could face and address the both of them at once.
"So, onto the first topic," Her glare shot towards him, but then moved over to Pery, "do you know of their true nature?"
Pery scoffed, "Fancy way of putting it, but yeah, I know he's human."
Hidden from prying eyes, he bit his lip.
Morganite turned back to him, "And I would guess that you would wish to hide that?"
He stopped for a moment, realising how utterly strange this situation was. Why was the one who had betrayed Rhodonite suddenly working to help him, one of her friends nonetheless, with something so vital? Surely it could not simply be out of goodwill… could it?
At the very idea of denying her help however, he instinctively licked his front teeth, feeling the gap chipped into one of the incisors there.
'Unwanted attention…'
Crimson lights flashed his eyes as searing heat branded his head. Then, giving him no reprieve, crushing force smashed against his face and coursing lightning flayed away at his flesh.
Within that helmet, he choked as a single tear was wept. On some level, even he understood someone so young - someone like him - should never have had to be put through so much.
Despite the distrust then, he answered truthfully and with little hesitation, "Yes."
Either oblivious or uncaring to his struggles, Morganite strode right to the core of the problem, "Then a word of advice, the physical growth you organics experience is not the only thing you have to factor in."
"Oh..?" He said, his initial suspicions beginning to give away to a familiar curiousity.
Here was a chance to learn from an aristocrat of the Pink Court, he realised. If anyone he had met so far would have a wealth of knowledge on Earth - the fabled homeland of his kind - then it would be them.
"I am no expert, but having been involved in… an assignment related to humans, I do understand some things. Chief among them is that during a process known as… puberty, I believe it is called."
Beneath the helmet, his eyebrows rose and he lay in rapt attention. However, eager as he was to learn, it seemed that Morganite had fallen silent.
'To gather her thoughts perhaps?'
That was the reason which made the most sense to him. He would not expect trivia on humans to be a common source of discussion in Imperial high society, so maybe some moments were needed for her to remember the details.
Thankfully for him, Morganite - after a small cough - continued, "So, during… this process, not only is rapid growth expected, but so are a number of internal changes. Including a change in voice," She grew silent, letting that information sink in before she continued, "and male humans especially much more often grow to have their voices become distinctly un-gemlike. That, among… other things that could out you.".
He chewed on his lower lip, and then his brows crinkled as a fraught sigh escaped him. When would this process happen to him? How quickly did it occur? What if they could not find a solution quick enough?
These and more swirled in his mind. Instinctively, he rubbed the visor of his helmet, at the spot where his forehead would have been. Despite realising, he continued anyway; if only to occupy his mind with something - anything - else.
"That… this is going to be an issue," he said, unable to find any other way to describe the situation.
"Quite."
Then another voice butted in, "Bigger clothes, bigger helmets, then there's whatever the schist it is Morgie wants me to make… augh!" Pery grumbled, and threw her hands in the air, "I'm gonna have to work overtime for everything you two need aren't I?"
Beyond the complaints and through the stress, his curiousity piqued again - Pery had just voiced complaints on both his and Morganite's needs.
'Just what sort of agreement did those two come to beforehand?' He found himself thinking, but he set aside that mystery soon after.
The issue of his identity was something far more immediate that had to be dealt with. Besides, he understood it was not his place to pry in the business of others. At least, so long as it did not affect him or those he was close to.
Morganite was the first to reply, "If that is your main concern, know that I plan on getting assigned a job soon. I should be able to reimburse you in time."
He hummed, and what she said got him thinking, 'A job..?'
Rhodonite's words came back to him. They really could build a life here, and getting down to hard work seemed like a good place to start. The people here, without fear or delay, had provided them with so much already. Giving back to a community like this with the products of his own hard labour was the least he could do.
Either way, if it would also help Pery - as Morganite hinted - then it was the right thing to do considering everything she would do for him.
Though, while he had a course of action set out, one thing did catch his attention, 'Reimburse?' That was a completely new word to him, the closest equivalent in Imperial Lithoii being 'to reciprocate', usually in the context of favours or good deeds.
'Perhaps the orientation videos might help?' It was a guess, but one as good as any he had at the moment.
Setting that aside, he focuses back on the current issue at hand, "Once I have a good enough disguise, I could go out and get a job too," He then offered aswell.
Pery huffed, placated for the moment, "You know what, fine, I'll tell you when I have the stuff for it. Then as soon as possible, you," She shot a look at him, "come to my place. We'll record enough audio of you for me to mash together in a deep learning algorithm or something. If it's good enough, I'll install whatever it spits out into any voice modulators I put in your future helmets. Happy?"
She ranted at length, as if speaking to herself. Yet he was not concerned, for he knew that was evident of Pery's circuits working away.
'Now there is a surprise,' he found the unbidden thought coming to him. Pery speaking at length, and all without hurling an insult at somebody. As much as he tried to see the good in people - and to be fair to her, Pery was incredibly hard working, even if she did complain… alot - he could not help but begin to see her abrasiveness as the rule, and not the exception.
He pushed that down for now though, and instead gave a simple, "Yes, thank you," in reply.
Aloof as her delivery was, and strange as the new concepts brought up by Pery, he still understood one thing - the honest intent beneath it all. The techie was - usually - quite honest. Brutally so at times, yes, but honest all the same.
"I believe that solves that then," Morganite cut through, "now, the issue of your growth - and how to explain it to others."
As much as she may have intended it to bring about a sense of urgency and so set them to find a solution, only silence came in reply.
Pery leaned back on the bed, one hand propping her up while the other rubbed at her chin. Stumped, she scowled and let out a little growl. Beyond that, the silence persisted.
Then, a small sound interrupted it. Bolt had clicked his fingers.
A revelation at last burst forth, "Can pebbles fuse?" He said, a tad enthusiastic.
Fusion normally led to exponential growth, he knew. But with such a small mass as a Pebble being added at a time, his gradual growth could be far more easily explained away.
"They can…" Morganite was hesitant at first, but came to realise the idea's potential, "Yes, yes that could work. The population and density of gems here should be just enough for our influence to begin making small, simple objects sentient. Even if the rate of pebbles emerging would be slow, eleven thousand years of continuous inhabitation here should be enough to spawn plenty."
'Eleven thousand years… just how does she know that?' Bolt found himself wondering immediately.
This planet, Refuge, was supposed to be unknown to the wider galaxy… was it not? Then again, that only invited more questions in - such as, if that were the case, then just how did Morganite know exactly where to look for it?
"Eleven millennia huh?" Pery said, who, unlike him, seemed unconcerned by the strange knowledge, "That's gotta be alotta pebbles - no way anyone would give much of a schist about finding and logging them all."
He broke away from those thoughts soon enough, for as he heard out Pery, he found her's was a reasonable observation, "Which then means no one would be too suspicious with the story of me being made of many fused pebbles, at least, so long as I have a decent enough disguise."
"Yeah, I guess," Pery said then sat silent, as if again thinking of the workload ahead. But to his surprise, instead of complaining, she snickered shortly after, "Pebbles… ha, maybe we should start calling you 'Mountain?' I mean, we're living under one now, and a big enough pile of pebbles is- ah whatever," she gave up on the joke and threw her right hand in the air at them, for she drew only a confused and a blank look from him and Morganite respectively.
Puzzled as he was at first by the quip, he spoke up not too soon after, "I suppose it wouldn't be amiss to come up with some sort of new name that fits," he stewed in thought, then spoke again with calm certainty, "Cairn. Yes, I think that'd work."
"Cairn?" Pery grinned, sardonic, at that, "What? As in… like… a literal pile of pebbles?"
Morganite though did not judge, and she merely shrugged, "Apt a name as any."
He nodded to Morganite, electing to ignore Pery's comment. Grating as she could be, he knew her malice was rarely ever directed or personal.
"So," Morganite said, perhaps glad to be away from that topic, "I suppose that is all, then?" She finished, then shot an inscrutable look at the two.
He thought on for a moment longer, but when nothing urgent came to mind, he relaxed and awaited their meeting's end.
Then his twin hearts jumped into his throat. Cairn blinked rapidly and jolted back up, and he turned to Pery with wild eyes, who on noticing, grew confused as she turned to face him. The two stared there for a moment, awkward, until a single name was uttered.
"5JQ." Cairn said simply, yet with an undercurrent of dread.
Pery raised her brow at first, "Yeah? What about that block of… schist. Right."
Immediately, she strained her eyes and buried her nose into cupped hands, where she proceeded to let out a harsh, grumbling sigh.
Morganite, in an instant, sharply piped up and asked, "Whom and what?"
Pery rose from her frustration, the left side of her face twitching as she did, "Whom? an Amethyst who's wayyy over her head. What? They still think pebble pile over here-"
"Cairn."
"-is a Smoky… something or whatever Quartz."
He bristled a little at their brusque rebuke, but he collected himself. There were more important things to dwell on, "Pery is right. When we first met 5JQ, she gave them a temporary alias. If I suddenly call myself something different, they might begin to suspect something."
Cairn grimaced. It was a good enough cover identity at the time, but now, he realised, it was woefully inadequate. Doubly so if Morganite's description of human growth was true. After all, there was no easy way to explain away why any regular Quartz would keep growing noticeably and permanently taller.
Morganite seemed to realise this too, and they decided to cut to the chase, "Are they someone we can trust with to know of his true nature?"
The pair's exchange of tense looks and ensuing silence said everything.
It was Morganite's turn to grumble, if with a bit more decorum, "I see. How do you two propose we approach the issue then?"
The pair exchanged awkward stares again.
"Fine," Morganite huffed, "let us hope there is no incident with this in the meantime. Though, if any of you do figure out anything, do not hesitate to ask to meet with me. I will repeat that again. Ask to meet with me - in person."
He nodded, and as did Pery.
When silence came again, Cairn noticed, this time it was Pery and Morganite who gave each other strange looks.
As if at Pery's cue, Morganite turned to him, "Is there anything else you wish to discuss while you are still here?"
He searched around his mind, but he shook his head, "Not particularly… no."
"Well… Cairn, I suppose you can leave now. This other matter is between Pery and I."
He nodded in understanding. While he knew not of what Morganite had arranged with Pery, he was content by the fact that his side of the meeting had been - mostly at least - resolved.
Cairn rose and made his way to the door, but before leaving the room, he turned back and waved a polite goodbye to them, "Good luck then."
"You too," Pery replied, genuinely genial this time.
"Likewise," Morganite added with another slow nod.
He walked out of the bedroom, then into the hallway proper. Halfway back up the stairs however, he was stalled as he caught wind of a voice down the hall.
"...how powerful of a receiver!?" He heard Pery shout.
He pursed his lips, then made a conscious effort to rein in the sensitivity of his lyman's ear. Temptatious as curiousity could be, he resisted. Unlike before when they were being assigned apartments, this time the two of them had made it clear they wanted privacy. He would respect that wish - after all, they had done nothing to harm him so far, only help.
He kept walking on, up and out of the underground section. There, he waved a polite goodbye to the kindly one-eyed Nephrite at the entrance desk before he opened the door and made his way out of the building proper. Walking down a small set of stone stairs flanked by black iron railings, he came to a stop on the pavement.
There he spied the tramp stop - a few neatly arranged benches with a pole beside it that held up a tastefully designed sign displaying the trams that passed the stop and the minutes until their arrival.
Apparently it was already past the end of the working day for some jobs, so besides one bystanding Onyx, engrossed in reading what looked to be a holonovel of sorts, there was no one else but Rhodonite there.
Cairn looked around and hummed. Aside from buildings that might be the local hangout hotspots - where music, singing and the raucous cheering of crowds seemed to emanate - the streets were empty. The few still out were either going to said spots to unwind, having a leisurely stroll, or arriving back from work to their respective apartment blocks.
As much as he was amazed at the idea of walking free among a city of many, he found that much preferred the quiet - for now at least. He would keep low until Pery could craft his outfit. Once that happened, he would go out and finally properly mingle to get to know this place and these people of wonders.
'Until then…' Looking over to the other side of the street, he saw that Rhodonite was sitting there on the stop opposite.
The moment they spotted eachother, they shared a small wave across the road.
Beneath that helmet, he smiled. Despite never being too pessimistic, he knew that even if his future efforts to befriend new people here somehow were to fail, there would be one person here he could always rely on.
He walked past the tram stop they got off at on the way here. Then, after noticing the empty streets, he crossed over to the other side, making his way to the opposite stop which marked trams going the other direction - back home.
"Hello, I'm back" He said as he sat down.
"Hey," Rhodonite said as she turned to him, a tad apprehensive, but still happy. Then, she toned her voice down, "So… what happened in there?"
"Apparently, I am to be called 'Cairn' from now on," He replied, also just loud enough for her to catch, but not so quiet as to appear suspicious.
She shook her head at that, interest colouring her face at first, "What, as in, like a pile of pebbles?"
He flicked his head over to a site of activity across the street, a few blocks to the right from where Morganite lived. Though the work day was over for most clerical workers and regular manual labourers, those called up for building inspections and vital maintenance were still up and about and were dutiful as ever.
Soothing as the sight of teamwork was, specifically, Cairn was looking at the pebbles there. Working in teams, some of these pebbles danced among the feet of the other workers as they carried small pieces of new energy tubing into a panel in the wall. Meanwhile, different pebble teams went in the other direction, ferrying out the worn out old tubes.
"Mhmm. We figured it was the best way to explain how I keep growing," He said, leaning over to her and now being especially quiet.
Rhodonite looked over to the site, and after suppressing a revelatory gasp, she nodded in understanding, "I'll admit, that's pretty good."
Having seemingly run out of things, Cairn looked up to the sign. His eyes scanned the list until he fell upon what he was searching for. The E-4 going back in the other direction was about a minute away.
Just then though, her lips quirked to the side for a moment before she turned to him, "Was that it?"
Prompted, he turned back, "Pery and Morganite had other things to discuss, but that isn't for me to know…" Taking a moment, he put a gauntleted hand to the helmet's chin before clicking his fingers, "Ah, right! We also talked about getting jobs. From what it sounded like, they weren't mandatory, but I think it would be nice to get one - to give back to the community."
Her brow raised at that, "A job? Huh… wonder what they might have for someone like me," she said.
Cairn perked up, and instinctively he tried to gauge her mood. First, he grew worried - any mention of her permafusion like that was normally an ill sign. However, as he soon saw her, he understood instantly that it was different this time. Rhodonite was… interested - hopeful, even.
Hoping to help, he spoke up, "If I remember right, on the way here, Scarlet did say something about there being a number of 'job centres' near Refuge Square. Maybe we should come back here later - probably after learning about the process from the vids."
There was a glint in her eyes, "Huh, that's not so far from here."
The instant their conversation ended, the whirr of metal rolling on metal surely alerted them. As they looked down the road for the source, sure enough on the incoming vehicle the symbols 'E-4' were spelt out in bright colours on the holobanner at the front carriage's head.
But there came a problem - how to tell the driver they wanted to get on? The question went unsaid, but both looked to eachother as if wanting to ask the other that same question.
However, the lone Onyx at the stop unwittingly came to the rescue. For a moment, she took her face away from her novel and stuck out a hand to wave down the tram before burying herself in the story again.
"Ooh, that makes sense," Rhodonite muttered to herself.
As the carriage door hissed open, the pair walked in just behind the Onyx. The two found a pair of empty seats a little ways down the carriage which they agreed on and took for themselves.
As he settled down in the plush covering, he looked out to the side, through windows and again at the maintenance workers.
He felt inspired then, by the idea of hard and honest work among a team, 'Yes. Something in manual labour would be good.'
Beyond just his sheer strength making it a fitting occupation, it made for a good cover. After all, while he did have the mind for clerical or even managerial work, he felt it would have been thoroughly strange to see what was supposedly a pile of pebbles working as, say, a logistics clerk.
However, the carriage soon lurched and the tram picked up speed. But he craned his neck, keeping in sight for as long as he reasonably could. Once it was out of sight, he faced forwards again and settled back into the seat.
'For now though, time to go…' His thoughts stalled, but it did not take him long to settle on a word that simply felt right, 'home.'
A/N:
Whelp, I'm sorry to announce, but this is the last chapter until a long hiatus - which will last at least a year, maybe up to a year and a half.
Updates from now until the summer of 2023 will likely be rare and sporadic, as the last part of this academic year, and the upcoming one too pretty much is gonna decide my fate, which means I gotta spend much more time studying - time I won't have spare to write. (This is also the reason why this and the previous chapter took so long to come out, since the increased workload has left me with little energy to write.)
Either way, I hope the situation is understandable. Until next year though, peace out.
As more cheerful aside, I made more art at the bottom of the Ao3 version of this chapter if anyone would like to look.
Also updated the Goshenite and Noctilith's pieces on ch.19 on Ao3 - couldn't just leave the villains' art looking odd after all :p
As a result of this though, every description of Noctilith's… 'spear' has also been updated since some retcons had to be made.
