The next day quickly turned into a repeat of the one before.

Blue made multiple attempts to talk to Yellow again and was repeatedly shut down before she could get more than a few words out. Yellow didn't even seem angry with her, which made her feel worse and made the whole process more excruciating. She could at least have some kind of a conversation with her if she was angry, but she had no idea how to get anywhere with this feigned indifference.

After training, she came back to the house and flopped down on the sofa, tired and frustrated.

"Hey, Blue," Amethyst said, coming in through the front door. "P work you extra hard today?"

"Oh, Amethyst, hello! No, training was fine."

"What's up then?"

"She won't listen," she replied dispiritedly.

"Who, Lemon Drop?"

Blue propped herself up on her elbows to give Amethyst a confused look.

"Y'know, Nerd #3? Your partner in crime?"

"Oh, you mean Yellow! Yes." She tilted her head. "Why are you calling her Lemon Drop?"

"Because you guys are in desperate need of nicknames. I'll think of some for you too, don't worry."

"I'm…not sure I understand."

"They're just other names you come up with for people. Usually something shorter, but you can't really get anything cool from 'Yellow' so I'm taking artistic license."

"I don't think she'll appreciate it much."

Amethyst grinned. "That's half the fun, isn't it?" She came over and sat down on the other end of the sofa. "So what's up? Want me to drag her over here for you?"

"No thanks." Blue let herself fall back onto the couch, arms crisscrossing above her head. "It should just stay between us. I'll keep trying until she decides to listen."

"That's the spirit," Amethyst said lazily, stretching. "If you want a backup plan, I know a good death trap where you can work out all your feelings."

"That's a joke, right?" she asked, mildly alarmed.

"Joke," she confirmed. "Happened to Pearl and Garnet once. Here on Earth, we generally try to avoid putting our friends in death traps."

Blue smiled. "Good."

"That's not something Homeworld actually does, right?"

"What, death traps?"

"Yeah."

"The Diamonds do get bored sometimes."

Amethyst looked down at her, startled.

"That…was a joke," Blue said awkwardly.

"Sorry, you said it with such a straight face," she laughed. "And Homeworld's already seriously messed up; it's not that much of a stretch."

"That's fair," she replied. "I forget you haven't been there."

"That's okay, I get the feeling I wouldn't have liked it much," Amethyst said lightly. "So, you just going to lay here all day?"

"No," Blue sighed. "I was just thinking. Once I eased up on the training, I realized I don't really know what to do with free time. And if I spend it all trying to talk to Yellow, I'm just going to end up annoying her."

"Well, I'm going to lay here all day, so feel free to join me."

"You don't have things to do?" she asked curiously.

"Yeah, but if I do them now Pearl won't have anything to complain about."

"That's very considerate of you," Blue laughed.

"I know."

The two of them lapsed into a comfortable silence for a few minutes.

"You've been talking to Yellow, right?" Blue asked after a while. "Does she… Does she seem okay?"

"Girl's four different kinds of uptight," Amethyst said with a shrug. "Kinda like Pearl, except I haven't known her for thousands of years, sooo…no idea, sorry."

"Oh. That's alright."

"I mean, I'm guessing that the fact she practically locks herself in the barn for most of the day means something's wrong?"

"I—I don't really know, honestly," Blue admitted. "I mean, she's avoiding me, but she's very focused to begin with."

Amethyst laughed. "Yeah, I used to think it was hard to drag Peri away, but she's a whole new level."

Blue cracked a small smile.

"You two'll be fine," she added reassuringly, poking the top of Blue's head. "You're a team."

"A team," she echoed quietly. "I haven't known her for thousands of years either though," she countered. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do."

"You're supposed to stop being mopey and keep at it until something works," Amethyst declared. "Come on, let's go out and grab a donut or something. You're thinking too much."

"Thanks, but I don't really want to eat a donut…"

"Then I'll eat yours for you."

"I thought you were just going to lie here."

"I'll do that later. Getting you a donut to not eat is my new mission."

Blue giggled. "You're the strangest Quartz I've ever met."

"Yeah?" She stood up. "Well, you're not the weirdest Pearl I've met, but you make the top three. You coming?"

"I am," she said, smiling as she got up.

"Let's go then," Amethyst said, heading for the door. "If you want, I can tell you some funny stories about your favorite renegade on the way."

"Yes please."

Yellow was decidedly frustrated with everything.

She had worked through the night, declining offers from all four of the original Crystal Gems to come back to the house and rest. Peridot hadn't really asked her, but she did announce rather loudly that she was going to "continue her Earth research for a few hours" and disappear until sunrise. Blue, meanwhile, kept trying to approach her again, making up excuses to come by and drop off supplies throughout the evening and well into the night. After a while, it was clear she had run out of ideas, so she just showed up empty-handed and stood stubbornly near the entrance of the barn trying to apologize while Yellow continued working. She was just as persistent at training, but Yellow left quickly so she couldn't be cornered into a conversation again.

Yellow had spent most of the past couple days working on reconfiguring some of the ship's systems in hopes of enhancing the warp drive, but kept running into obstacles because she hadn't really observed any of this type of work. She knew the components and she knew what the end result should look like, but she was missing a few of the steps along the way. It was frustrating, but she muddled through as best she could on her own. She wasn't about to ask Peridot for help and have to acknowledge that she did, in fact, have a slightly superior grasp of technology than Yellow did. It was already difficult enough to prove her usefulness without admitting that she couldn't do something this simple.

Though she quickly reconsidered her designation of the task as "simple" when she accidentally failed to align two components and caused a minor yet decidedly loud explosion. The resulting bang and expulsion of smoke startled her badly, and it took her a second to gather her thoughts and quickly switch everything off, hot metal scorching her hand as she ripped away the offending piece.

"What did you do?" Peridot asked, waving her hands wildly to dispel the smoke as she came over. "That better not have been the energy converter; it would take forever to try and remake one from Earth materials."

"It wasn't the converter." Yellow crawled out from the engine room, swiping the grime off her face with one hand. "A few of the connections got fried, that's all. I can fix it."

"You're sure?" she asked skeptically.

"Yes."

"I can take over," she offered. "I've worked on engines like this a thousand times."

"I said I've got it," Yellow snapped. "I don't need your help."

Peridot scowled. "You nearly blew up the whole ship just now!"

"No, I didn't. And I know how to fix it, so it's not a problem."

"You've literally never done this before!" she said exasperatedly. "I've been a technician since the day I was made and you just started, so let me handle this part of the—"

Yellow laughed sharply. "Of course that's what it comes down to."

"What?"

"You're a Peridot, I'm a Pearl, this is how it works," she said derisively. "I know how gems like you think."

"We're not on Homeworld," Peridot retorted. "I know that's not how it works here! I'm just saying you don't have the experience."

"I'm just as much a technician as you are," she shot back, hating that she couldn't actually refute the statement, "and in case you've forgotten, I'm the one who flew this thing here."

"You were lucky you even got here; if you had traveled any further the warp coil would have burnt out and you and the other one would both be space debris right now!"

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" She took a step closer, taking small pleasure in the fact that she was significantly taller than the other gem. "What, is it really that humiliating to see that any common Pearl can do your job?"

Peridot stiffened, glaring up at her.

"You can say you're a Crystal Gem all you want, 5XG, but you still think like every other Peridot on Homeworld."

"Stop calling me that!" she said angrily. "I am a Crystal Gem! I defected!"

"And you think that makes you entitled to my respect?" she scoffed. "I'm not inclined to trust a gem who didn't give a second thought as to the consequences of her actions."

"What does that have to do with anything? Homeworld was going to come here anyway!"

"That's not what I'm talking about!" Yellow took another step forward.

"Then what?"

"Talking to Yellow Diamond like that could have gotten me shattered! Who do you think has to deal with her once you've ended the call?"

"I…" Peridot faltered. "I wasn't thinking about that…"

"Of course you weren't thinking about it. Nobody thinks about Pearls."

"It couldn't have been that bad, right? Yellow Diamond liked you; you've been around at least since I was made—"

"No, I haven't," she said quietly, taking a step back. She suddenly felt very, very small.

"What?"

"I wasn't around when you were made. That was the Pearl before me." She shouldn't have been surprised; she was fairly certain the only thing even remotely unique about her was that she tended to mouth off more than her predecessor.

"Oh." Peridot looked like she realized she'd made a mistake. "Sorry, you…look similar?"

"I look identical," Yellow snapped. "I look like every other Pearl she's had, and I probably look identical to whatever Pearl she's replaced me with. Do you know how hard that makes it?" she demanded. She brought one arm up, crossing it over her gem protectively like it would provide some form of self-reassurance. "Do you know how much I had to fight for every tiny piece of recognition, to try to prove I couldn't be replaced? Do you have any idea what it's like to be that disposable?"

"I—"

"I have fought every single minute of my existence to stay useful and stay alive, and gems like you never even have to consider that!"

"I didn't know that before, but I know it now!" Peridot said in frustration. "I'm learning! I'm trying to make this work. I don't know what it is you want."

"I want you to stop acting like I can't do anything! Just pretend I'm worth something for once!"

Yellow was suddenly hyperaware of the complete silence around them. The color drained from her face, and a sick feeling settled over her as she took one step backward, and then another.

Peridot had frozen, eyes darting to and from her anxiously, like she was afraid she might snap. "You—"

Yellow turned on her heel and ran, humiliation washing over her. Why was she even…? She needed to get out of there, needed to be alone, needed to—

She very nearly ran into Garnet upon leaving and turned sharply to avoid a collision, refusing to stop.

"Yellow," Garnet began, concern evident in her voice as she began to follow her.

"Leave me alone." She forced the words out, inwardly cringing at how pathetically weak they sounded.

Garnet had one hand halfway extended like she wanted to stop her, but she let it fall back to her side. "You should go to the house," she said finally. "There's no one there right now."

Yellow nodded and walked away as quickly as she could.

She did, somehow, force herself to get all the way there.

Her hands were trembling badly, and she could barely get the door open. She felt like she was coming apart, unable to think straight.

Pitiful.

Her fingers wound themselves into her hair as she paced back and forth, curled around the hem of her shirt as she ran upstairs, clutched at her shoulders as she curled into a ball in the corner, left faint marks on her skin.

Make it stop, make it stop, get yourself together.

She hadn't intended for this to happen, she'd just been trying to do her part and make herself useful, but she wasn't and—and that was why she'd broken down like this last time, wasn't it?

Defective, she thought, palm pressed hard against her gem and not at all easing the fear and paranoia that surrounded her. She pressed herself farther into the corner and kept her eyes wide, wide open. She knew if she closed them she'd just see her former owner looming over her, hear you ought to get a new one and perhaps, and she refused to grant her even that tiny millimeter of control. That wasn't going to happen again. Not here.

"Blue."

Blue looked back over her shoulder, startled out of the pseudo-meditative state she'd been attempting to use to summon her weapon. She hadn't quite felt right doing nothing all afternoon. "Garnet?"

The other gem came over and held out a hand to help her up. "You need to talk to Yellow."

"What for?" she asked, confused. "I mean, I've been trying and I want to, but—"

"Just go," Garnet said. "She's back at the house. I'll tell Pearl where you went."

Worry spiked in her chest. "Thanks," she said hastily, getting up.

Blue took off back in the direction of the house. It appeared to be empty when she arrived, and she called out "Yellow!" a few times before opening up any doors to look for her. Finally, she found the other Pearl curled up in the corner of Steven's room, wedged between the dresser and the wall with her fingers digging into her shoulders.

"It's just me," she said quietly, remembering all too well the last time she had found Yellow like this and shown her the projections for the first time.

Yellow's eyes flicked to her and then away again.

"Are you okay?" Blue asked, dropping to her knees.

She didn't answer, shoulders hitching up higher in an incomplete shrug.

"Do you want me here, or should I leave?" She didn't want to decide for her; if she knew anything it was that Yellow needed to feel some measure of control.

"Stay," she said in a low voice.

Blue smiled faintly and moved the dresser over just enough so that she could crawl in beside Yellow. She pulled her knees in, leaving a little bit of space between them. "Okay. You can tell me to leave whenever you want."

Yellow nodded minutely, not looking at her. Her hands trembled, the one stray sign of her emotions betraying her otherwise perfectly neutral expression.

"Okay," Blue said again. She let her gem emit a soft glow, projecting familiar, recent memories of the stars and planets they'd seen on their way to Earth.

Yellow watched in silence for a minute, jaw clenching. "You don't have to do this," she said finally, voice rough around the edges.

Blue gave her a particularly intense look that she wouldn't have been able to read even if she had been in a better state of mind. "I'm trying to help."

She turned her face away. "This isn't what you did last time."

"Because you were in the hallway right outside a Diamond meeting last time, you pebble," Blue said exasperatedly, ending the projection. "My priority was keeping you alive, not being nice to you."

Yellow laughed weakly. "So calling me a pebble is your way of being nice?"

"You're usually fairly responsive to insults, so yes." Blue reached out and gently worked Yellow's hands away from her shoulders, careful not to go near her gem. "Do you want to talk about what happened?"

"No." She pulled her hands away from Blue and clenched them on her lap.

She hesitated, not sure what to do as silence settled around them. "I'm sorry," she offered quietly.

"Quit apologizing."

"Yellow—"

"You don't need to."

"I've missed you," Blue said, voice soft and uncertain.

"You don't have to do this," she said again, shoulders tensing.

"Why not?" she asked indignantly. "You're my friend."

"Just stop it!" she snapped. "You don't have to say that! I get it, I'm awful, and I'm sorry you got stuck with me instead of a better Pearl!"

Blue stared at her in shock for a moment after the outburst. "That's not—"

Yellow looked down at her shaking hands, eyes dark. "I'm sorry," she repeated in a small voice. "I'm sorry."

Blue hesitantly reached out, fingertips grazing her arm briefly before pulling her in close. "Stars, Yellow," she breathed. "That's what you were thinking?" She squeezed her gently. "I'm not stuck with you; I chose to stay with you."

"Yeah, because there were a hundred other Pearls lined up ready to defect with you at a moment's notice," she muttered.

"Yellow, really," she sighed. "You think I didn't have my chances to escape before then? To start something?" She pressed her palm flat to Yellow's back and curled her fingers in slowly. "I needed somebody to give me a push."

She didn't reply, staying perfectly still.

"You're not awful. If anything, you've been good for me. I'm sorry," Blue said softly. "It just got to me, the way you always used to act. But that was your coping strategy for a really horrible situation, and I can't fault you for that, not entirely."

"You should."

"I don't." She hesitated. "And I know you were just worried about me before. I would've done the same thing if I were you."

She flinched minutely. "I can look after myself," she muttered roughly. "I'm used to it."

Blue bit her lip and drew Yellow in as close as she could. "Me too," she murmured. "But we don't have to do everything alone anymore. I don't think we can." She tilted her head down, nose tucked against Yellow's upswept hair. "And if we're going to go back to Homeworld and fight, then I want you to know I'll have your back. All of us will."

Yellow slowly brought one arm up to hold onto her. "You're too sentimental for a Pearl," she whispered. "Someone's got to have your back too."

"I know."

She raised her head, pulling away to meet Blue's eyes determinedly. "You really will be stuck with me then."

"Perfect." Blue smiled, tracing carefully around Yellow's gem without touching it. "We're okay?"

"Yeah," she said, catching Blue's hand and holding it securely.

"Good." She brushed a thumb over her knuckles gently. "You'll accept my apology this time?"

"You're still fixated on that?"

"Yes. I want you to say it."

"It's accepted," Yellow said, mild exasperation creeping into her voice. "You're forgiven. Satisfied?"

Blue laughed, nodding, and squeezed her hand gently. "Thank you."

"Thank you," she said honestly, lowering her eyes.

"Of course," Blue replied seriously. "Do you want some time alone now, or would you rather I stay?"

"If you're busy, you can…"

"I'll stay," she said immediately. "I was just checking."

"Thanks." Yellow slowly covered Blue's fingers with her other hand, stilling their small, repetitive movements. "I—" She broke off when she caught sight of movement by the door, snapping her mouth shut.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to intrude," Pearl said, coming up the stairs. "Everyone was worried, and I volunteered to check on you before they all decided to come along." Her eyes flicked briefly between the two of them. "Should I tell them you're fine?"

"Yes, please," Blue said. "Would it be alright for us to take the rest of the day off?"

"I think that can be arranged," she replied with a small smile. "Do you need anything?"

"We're fine," Yellow said, before Blue could answer. "And…thank you. I'm sorry for making a scene."

"You're hardly the first to do it," Pearl said wryly. "I'll give you two some privacy," she continued. "If you do need something later, feel free to come find us."

"Thanks," Blue repeated, watching Pearl leave and waiting for the door to close again. Once they were alone, she pulled Yellow into an embrace once more. "Anyway, I'm here," she said simply, running a hand down her back. "Whenever you want me to be."

Yellow nodded. She still felt shaken, but Blue's soft reassurances were steadily soothing her nerves. "Sorry," she muttered.

"For what?"

"Whatever I owe you an apology for."

Blue laughed lightly, settling one hand in Yellow's hair. "I'd appreciate one for the 'ornamental Pearl' comment."

"Right. For that, then." Yellow paused, then added a proper "I'm sorry."

"I don't mind you saying it," Blue countered, "since it's true. But I'd rather not have it used as an insult."

She nodded. "I understand. It won't happen again."

"Okay." Blue let go, sensing that she could use a little space. "Thank you. And thank you for worrying about me, even if you communicated it really badly."

"Sure." She kept her fingers interlaced with Blue's, giving them an uncertain tug. "Can we go somewhere else?"

Blue nodded, getting to her feet. "Where?"

"Doesn't matter."

"I think I know a good stargazing spot, if you're up for a walk."

"If I wasn't, I'd be seriously concerned about Pearl's ability to train anyone," Yellow replied with a smirk.

"Then I'll leave a note for the others." Blue pulled a pen and paper from her gem, scribbling a quick message down. She dropped it on the coffee table on their way out, shutting the door behind them.

The walk was nice, and it gave Yellow a chance to calm herself down. She knew almost immediately where they were headed, but she let Blue lead the way and make her small detours, tugging at Yellow's hand whenever something caught her eye.

The two of them eventually ended up back at the place where they had first landed and automatically sat down on the grass, shoulder to shoulder as the last traces of sunlight slipped off the horizon.

After several long moments of silence, Yellow spoke. "I missed you too. I shouldn't have been avoiding you."

"It's okay. If we fight again, we'll know what not to do."

She laughed, shaking her head.

"Why were you avoiding me?" Blue asked more seriously. "I mean, besides the obvious."

Yellow shrugged. "Pearl habit." She risked a small glance sideways. "Or…Yellow Diamond Pearl habit, I suppose. If you don't do everything right the first time..."

"Oh," Blue murmured. "That makes sense. I'm sorry." She leaned gently against her shoulder and took her hand. "You don't have to be perfect here."

"I know," she said quietly.

"And I want you to call me out when I do something I shouldn't, okay? I get stuck in my own head too sometimes."

"You got it," Yellow laughed weakly. "I'm not very good at keeping my opinions to myself anyway."

"Yeah," she said, "I like that. I always know where I stand with you."

A small smile crooked her lips, and she looked away. "Seriously?" she scoffed.

"Yes, seriously," Blue insisted. "I've spent way too much time around gems that play mind games and tell lies to get what they want. I much prefer your way of doing things."

Yellow's cheeks flushed a slightly darker gold, and she was unable to formulate a reply.

"Though I will admit you could benefit from a little tact," Blue added lightly.

"Thanks," she muttered sarcastically.

"Mm-hm." She played with her fingers, cool skin reassuring against Yellow's. "How do you feel?"

"What kind of question is that?"

"A normal one, at least on Earth." She drummed her fingers lightly on Yellow's palm. "And you're meant to answer it."

Her fingers curled slightly. "I don't know, tired?"

"I meant emotionally."

"Can't I be emotionally tired as well?" she asked irritably.

"Now I can tell you're feeling better," Blue laughed. "Alright, I'll stop asking." She interlocked her hand with Yellow's firmly and drew it up to rest against her gem, a silent but unmistakable display of trust. "Let's stay out here tonight?"

Yellow nodded, pulling her hand back to mirror the gesture.

Blue smiled warmly and tugged Yellow down so they were lying on their backs, keeping their hands firmly clasped between them.

"I don't really see the point in stargazing."

"I figured. Can I convince you to do it anyway?"

"I'd say it's fairly likely. You already convinced me to run away to another galaxy and join your rebellion, after all."

"Our rebellion."

"Yeah," Yellow said quietly, letting her head rest against Blue's shoulder. "Ours."