A verdict was finally given on whether I would be allowed to stay, though I didn't know it as I walked along the pathway of parted hoomans. Kinda felt like I was going to the Diamonds for a misdemeanor or something, though the hoomans looked less angry and more… apathetic?
Ignoring the looks on their faces, I trudged forwards. There was a wooden platform in front of the heads of the leaders' house that wasn't there earlier that day. The light coming from Earth's star would have been too bright for me had it not been for an overhanging arch that held a sign. I could only guess what the sign said, though I was sure that Pearl and Pink would know.
The forest was lively this close to the village, the animals seeming to fear the hoomans enough to leave. Pearl told me that they would still attack the hoomans for sustenance, though. So they had one or two people watch guard every night, and they would spend most of the day in their tents.
It baffled me at how inefficient their bodies were. Their bodies seemed to be built for falling apart!
Though, the fact that they were able to survive this long is a testament, so don't forget that.
I skipped along, unburdened by my thoughts, right up until I reached the stairs. For some reason, Pearl and Pink came down the stairs. Pearl gestured for me to follow her over to the front of the stage. She gave me a look that I couldn't read, though I was sure I would have to be able to read later.
Pink and Pearl summoned weapons. Pearl summoned a sword, while Pink summoned a shield and longsword. They both stabbed the sharp ends of the swords into the ground, kneeling on one knee. I was somewhat surprised that Pink would show such respect to these hoomans, but I tried to sloppily copy their movements. I didn't have a weapon, so I just knelt on one knee.
The other two then stood, standing with weapons still in the dirt. I followed their lead.
One of the hoomans on the stage started talking to the others, Pearl translating for me. The one speaking had a long, grey beard, a wrinkled and knotted exterior, and a stick that they leaned on heavily.
"The leaders have made a decision regarding this 'Spinel' character. She seems to be the kind of being that has heart, though is somewhat… "
Pearl held up a hand at the person at the next word. She said something to him, and he paused. The surrounding hoomans started laughing and poking at each other. They whispered into each other's ears in their strange language.
"Ah! Fresh out of the nursery. Not quite foolish, and very energetic. Kind of like one of their 'children'." Pearl finally let out, gesturing for the man to continue.
"As she seems to be under the command of Rose, we will allow her refuge in our village. She will have to abide by our rules, of which she will be informed of in the morning. We will speak with her to figure out what jobs she would be most suited for, as she must earn her keep here." The man turned to one of his fellows and stood back to allow him to take the crowd's attention.
Pearl continued translating for the new speaker. "Although she may seem somewhat foolish, know that her actions may save you and your families some day. I hope you treat her with the same respect as the others, even though her abilities are unknown as of yet."
At this, the hooman stood back. All of the leaders chanted something in booming voices, and their followers roared back in earnest. They cheered and hollered and hooted.
The leaders boomed after that moment of excitement. Pearl translated it as"Who's ready for her initiation feast?"
At this, the other hoomans' excitement grew exponentially. Poles reaching high with fire at their tips were set up a safe distance from the houses made of wood and woven foliage. Fires were set up with animals roasting above the fires. It was somewhat weird to me.
Wouldn't those just reform? Eh, whatever they want to do, I guess…
I ignored the fires with animals on them, focusing on the hoomans with large chests that were bringing berries instead. There were many more that I had found earlier that day, mixed in with a variety of other kinds.. There were black balls that were juicy, a berry with bumps that had juices inside each bump along with red ones of those, and pointy, red berries that were sweet! I had to be careful around those, as they seemed to leak everywhere.
The hoomans with the pronounced chests stayed out for a while, but went into their homes after a short time. I saw that there weren't those smaller 'children' to be seen, and the hairy people were partying. They had water in wooden cups to drink.
Wouldn't it be more flavorful for them to drink those juices? Depending on how much they can make, it should be rather easy for them.
I joined back into the party when the men sat around the fire and began chanting once more. Pearl, ever helpful, translated for me once more.
"We ask spirits and gods alike to bless us. We tell stories and weave tales through your name, though feeble you may seem in them." Pearl whispered in my ear.
"Gods? Spirits?" I whispered back in confusion.
Before, I would have said that a little louder than I needed to, but Pink didn't need me to be zany for her right now.
"Kind of like how the Diamonds are to us, except they weave stories about them. They explain natural phenomena through 'the wrath of the spirits'. We can't tell them otherwise, as Pink wants them to progress as they can through their own means." Pearl explained.
As she spoke, the chanting stopped. One hooman, without hair on their face and with short hair on their head. They began to play music on a drum, and some others stomped to the beat. The patterns he wove were beautiful to listen to, reminiscent of the crickets of the Garden. Though the crickets were disorganized compared to the fast paced nature of the drumming. The hooman began to sing in a deep voice. Though Pearl didn't translate, I figured they were singing about their 'spirits'.
Everyone, including Pink and her Pearl, were entranced. At least, except for me. It hurt somewhat that I couldn't be a part of this moment. It wasn't much, and was counterweighted by the day's events, but it still left me wondering.
After a minute or two singing, the hooman changed the tune to something that sounded more upbeat, and I decided to explore a little bit. It might have been night, but the creatures were scared of me. I'd be fine going off for a little bit, then I'd come back before anyone noticed I was gone.
hr
I was deep in the forest, though I could still see the light and smoke coming from the village, when I heard a roar.
It was one of those 'bears' that Pearl had warned me about.
What was it she said? Right. 'They are fast, can climb, and will attack just about anything if they perceive it to be a threat to it's young. The last part is only for 'female' bears, the ones that birth them and care for them, so you should make sure that any bear you meet is without smaller versions of itself.'
This one had several 'cubs', which Pearl explained was the smaller versions of itself. That was somewhat bad.
Its cubs were around it and on its back, making it difficult to see them in the darkness. But I could still feel them there.
The bear roared at me, a sound I that I was sure was loud enough to be heard by the villagers.
Pearl explained that hoomans can't reform like gems, and I don't want to test it out on 'her'. I would hate to leave these cubs without a caretaker.
That's when I heard rustling from the shrubs behind me. Two hoomans with markings and spears came out of the shrub.
Although the hoomans were fragile, Pink was right about them being cunning. Whilst gathering berries for them, what I later discovered was a 'grizzly bear' came barreling towards me.
As I was made with the purpose of entertaining, I had little to no fighting experience. Oh, sure, I had the instincts that were carved into every gem. I had the capability of dodging, but there was a difference between being capable of something and being able to do it.
I could still appreciate how they made it look easy, though.
There were only two of them, so they didn't outnumber the bear by much. They surely weren't strong, and they broke easily compared to the gems.
But they used their weaknesses well.
The bear might have had strength and power, but the hoomans dodged and attacked it with those spears from afar. For some reason, they didn't aim for the cubs, which I was thankful for. I would have hated for them to have gotten hurt.
The spears they were using were striking around the bear, but never actually hit it. They seemed to dance around it, speaking all the while. A third hooman came from behind me, startling me. This one had one of those pronounced chests, and had both a stick with holes in it that seemed fragile and a woven basket.
The warriors saw her and retreated to my side. She walked over to the enraged bear speaking softly. She put the stick to her mouth, and moved her fingers to make music. It was much different than the drums from earlier. It had a gentle and soothing touch that reminded me of the flowers in the garden. She opened the basket, revealing berries that she gave to the female bear and her cubs.
The two warriors didn't seem angry that I had left or caused trouble, and they had small smiles on their otherwise unreadable faces.
I pouted a little at the reminder that I couldn't really talk with them.
The bear, now peaceful and content, left with her cubs, feeling much the same way.
Even without knowing what her music meant, I could feel the meaning in the woman's tune.
'Safe travels, both young and old.' the hooman with the stick said with her music. She turned with a small smile back to us and beckoned us to follow her.
It was then that I noticed that the musician and one of the warriors were darker than the second warrior. Much darker, in fact.
Pearl said there's other settlements of hoomans around the planet. Did the light skinned warrior come here by accident?
The warriors were chattering the entire walk. The musician trailed behind us, though I couldn't tell whether it was because she was shy or just didn't care about the conversation between the other two.
She walked over to me when I glanced at her. At first, I thought I did something wrong.
Shoot! I only got the basic rundown from Pearl! I don't know their customs or beliefs beyond what they've told me! Did I offend them somehow? I thought frantically.
Seeing my concern, the musician took her instrument in her hand. The tune she played was one quite different than the one she had used prior. It was gentle, but brought to mind the authority of a Diamond. It was gentle, but urgent as well. I don't know what it was meant to convey, nor whether I was supposed to. But I felt at peace all the same.
She put a hand on my shoulder. Though she didn't speak, she gave me a comforting smile and a pat on the back.
Can the musician not hear?
No, that would mean they wouldn't be able to play an instrument. Why won't she talk then?
The others spoke with the musician, but the musician only gave nods or shakes of their head. Every once in a while, they'd respond with music. I couldn't tell what they were saying most of the time, but the others seemed content with their answers.
What few snippets I did get were the themes of excitement, joy, and thrill. I could tell the musician was happy about something, though I was curious about what.
I can't just keep calling her 'the musician'... How can I do this?
I practically ran in front of the warriors, and held up a hand. I didn't know how else to convey what I was trying to do, so I tried for the easiest way I knew how.
I pointed at myself and said "Spinel." I then pointed to one of the warriors, hoping they would get what I was trying to do.
It wasn't for naught, as they began chittering excitedly. The one I pointed to introduced themself as Odeserundiye, which was long and hard for me to pronounce.
"Sundy?" I asked, pointing at him while doing so. Sundy shrugged, seeming to understand that I was trying to shorten Sundy's name for my sake.
Sundy's friend piped up, though pointing at the musician instead of themself. This confused me somewhat, but I shrugged it off.
"Kaniehtiio" They said, Kane nodding.
"Kanieh?" I asked, hoping she wouldn't mind the shortening of her name.
She nodded enthusiastically at that.
The other warrior didn't give a name, their friend had to.
"Bond." they said, pointing to their friend.
I was a little confused, though the confusion dissipated as I remembered my previous thoughts.
So he is from somewhere else. Now the question is how he got here; was it by boat or by warp pad?
We left the clearing we had taken a break at. I felt chipper, and could tell that Kanieh and Sundy were just as lively. But Bond was sulking a little bit. I didn't know why, but it seemed weird and somewhat wrong to me.
What can I do? Can't really stop the group again, we're almost there. Can't talk, don't know any words in their language besides their names. What about… hmm…
As lost in thought I was, I didn't notice Pink running up to me until she was squeezing me.
Feeling somewhat zany despite the mood my companion was in, I deflated myself like a balloon, letting out a squeaking noise while doing so. It was quiet enough that it wouldn't alarm any nearby animals, but loud enough to be heard across the village.
Once I deflated, I looked at Pink's face, and she was struggling to hold in a laugh.
Well, that's a relief. Thought she'd be angry that I ran off.
Plus, it's good to feel needed again.
"Spinel, you really haven't changed much, have you?" Pink said with a smile.
I put my thumb into my mouth and blew, reinflating my body.
"Nope!" I said, popping the p at the end. I was grinning wide enough to part a river.
I paused when Pink turned somber. "Spinel, please tell someone where you're going next time you leave." When I opened my mouth to convey my confusion at why she requested it instead of ordering it, she interrupted me. "I'd rather not order you around when I don't need to, so I won't command you as your Diamond. I ask you as a friend." I could see her wince when she called herself my friend, but I didn't blame her for forgetting about me.
I nodded. "I'll be sure to say something to someone next time. I just didn't want to ruin the moment." I told her sheepishly.
Pink's eyes widened at this. "Until you learn their language, I'd recommend you learn from Pearl. She's better at teaching than I am, and I'm sure I can handle the next few raids without her." Pink said. "That being said, you don't have to if you don't want to. If you'd rather learn from someone else, or not even learn it at all, I'll respect your decision." Pink said.
I kind of want to learn to talk in the hoomans' language so I can talk with Kanieh, but I'd also like to come with her to see how I can help in the next raid… How do I want to do this?
After a moment of thinking over how I could fit both things, I figured it out.
"What if Pearl and I took turns going with you for a little while, just so I could get a grasp at what you're doing, and I could learn from Pearl whenever we had time off?" I asked her excitedly, flipping over to walk on my hands. I did that to give myself a new perspective to look at problems from.
Pink laughed at my antics once more, and said "Sure! I'd have to talk with her about making sure you're combat-ready and ask her if she's okay with it, but I wouldn't mind!" Pink turned around and began to walk away, leaving me with Bond, Kanieh, and Sundy.
"Oh yeah! Spinel, you might want to see the chief in an hour or so. He will probably want to talk to you about a couple of… minor details!" Pink called out as she entered a hut with a hue that matched her gem.
Kanieh began playing her instrument absentmindedly, and I was reminded of another thing I was curious about.
I pointed to myself and said "Spinel.". I then pointed to them and said "Kanieh.". They nodded slowly at both. I pointed at the instrument.
Kanieh's eyes widened in understanding. They didn't tell me, instead trying to grab someone else. The person they grabbed saw them pointing to me, then the instrument, but didn't know what they were trying to tell them.
If she can hear, why doesn't she just tell me, or at least ask him to tell me?
The hooman Katieh dragged over rolled their eyes and called, quite loudly as well. A hooman with a short beard and hair came over, the two chattering to each other. both were quite obviously irritated, talking in sarcastic and condescending tones. The second one sighed, and shooed the other one away.
Kanieh looked downcast at their fighting, but took it as well as she could have. She pointed at me, then at the flute. She then played it a little.
Like before, I was able to tell her meaning without knowing what she was saying.
'I want you to tell my friend that this instrument is called a [failure to find equivalent word].'
I must have looked thoughtful, as she put a hand on my shoulder and gave me a small smile. I looked around, shocked out of my stupor, and gave the cheesiest grin I could give.
The man, slightly entertained by my actions, pointed to the instrument.
"Flute." He said.
"Ah." I said in understanding. "Flute!" I grinned a little at how the word sounded. I knew that Homeworld had invented instruments a while ago, but they sounded eerie and a little cluttered compared to the flute and drums the hoomans had used.
The pair looked at me apologetically and tiredly, and waved goodbye.
I watched them leave, standing still.
I wonder what might have happened if those meteors hadn't crashed into the Garden… I wondered idly as I walked towards the leaders' cottage.
As there was a mountain nearby, I knew where they had gotten the mud and earth from. I just wondered why they would mix the earthen walls with fallen trees and foliage to make huts and houses that stretched somewhat high.