It didn't take long for them to arrive on Homeworld. All the upgrades they'd given the ship helped immensely in decreasing the time it took to travel the lengthy distance, and thankfully there were very few repairs that needed to be done in-flight. It was a sturdy little pod, or at least sturdy enough for this one journey.

On the way there, Garnet had unfused, pointing out that—at least while they were moving around out in the open—it was safer and less conspicuous to have a Ruby and a Sapphire instead of an obvious fusion. Steven, Amethyst, and Pearl all greeted the two of them with delight, and Blue and Yellow were "introduced" to them and received a warm reception soon after.

The seven of them spent most of the trip talking and occasionally playing card games with the deck Steven had brought along, and it went by quickly. Pearl soon announced their landing and set them down with impressive smoothness at the coordinates Crimson had given them.

After a few tense minutes, staying alert for any sign from outside that they'd been noticed, Pearl sent out a quick signal to the rebellion's base to let them know they'd landed. Now all they had to do was wait.

There was a sharp rapping on the door of their ship only a couple minutes later, and everyone was immediately on alert. Ruby, Amethyst, and Pearl got in front of the others, and Ruby was the one to take a step forward and see who was there.

"Are you ready to go?"

The question was posed by a Pearl, who stood unperturbed as they looked her over. White Diamond's, Blue concluded, taking in the unusual outfit and the gem on her forehead. White Diamond's Pearls didn't share many commonalities besides color and gem placement, but it was still easy to pick them out when they seemed to be the starting point for new experimental Pearl designs. This one was fairly simplistic, sharp points adorning the top of her leotard and the translucent skirt attached to it, topped by fluffy hair that was short on the side but flopped over her forehead and obscured part of her gem.

The boldness of her personality was starkly different though. She didn't cower at the sight of other gems, didn't show an ounce of shyness or hesitation, just walked right into the ship like she'd been invited and looked around.

"We're ready," Pearl answered, expression unreadable. "Are you White Diamond's…?"

"Yeah, I'm White." There was a distinct lack of pleasantries, and Blue wondered if she might not be so eager to meet one of her many predecessors. The Pearl frowned a little as she looked around, taking account of all of them. "Crimson said there were supposed to be six—" White stopped short, noticing Yellow. "I thought you were busy."

"What?"

"Crimson said you and Sky were busy, so she sent me. Anyway, whatever, I'll just let you handle things."

"What are you talking about?" Yellow asked, voice raising slightly when White headed for the door. "Where are you going?"

"Haven't decided yet. Might try to snag some more of that cool-looking equipment in Facet Eight."

"You're supposed to take us back with you!"

"Huh?" White gave her a puzzled look. "Is this another of your jokes that I'm not getting?"

"I think maybe there's been a misunderstanding," Blue interjected. "This is Yellow. She's the Pearl who escaped with me; she just got here too."

"Oh, right." White nodded, understanding dawning in her eyes. "Okay, in that case, follow me. Although that puts you up to seven gems again."

"Ruby and I are usually fused," Sapphire explained. "But it's safer like this until we get to your base."

"Fair enough." White appeared totally uninterested in the mention of fusion. "Let's go."

"I'm Steven, by the way," Steven said, hurrying to catch up with her as they exited. "And this is Amethyst and Blue and—"

"I know who you are. You don't need to waste time with introductions," White said bluntly.

He looked startled, snapping his mouth shut.

"What's your problem?" Amethyst asked as the rest of them encircled Steven to keep him out of sight of any possible passersby.

"I don't have a problem."

"Well, you're being kinda rude for somebody without a problem."

"I'm in a hurry."

"You have to get back to your Diamond?" Blue asked sympathetically.

"No, I'm just running out of time to get things done. I'll probably get shattered within a week or two."

She said it like it was nothing, no emotion behind the words.

"How do you know?" Pearl asked apprehensively.

"That's just how it works." White tilted her head to the right before turning neatly ninety degrees. "This way."

"White Diamond's been pretty…fickle about keeping Pearls around since you left," Blue explained quietly to Pearl, before turning her attention back towards White. "Has it—Has it gotten worse because Yellow and I left?"

"That's what I've been told. We're lucky to make it a month these days."

"I'm so sorry," she whispered, horrified. "I didn't realize…"

"It's fine," White said with a shrug. "I don't have time to hold grudges."

Blue didn't even know what she could say to that. Pearl and Yellow looked equally at a loss for words.

"…Do you want a hug?" Steven asked hesitantly.

White looked down at him for a moment, not slowing her pace. "No, but I've come to understand they're inevitable."

"Huh?"

"Nothing, just make it quick."

"Okay." When she paused for a split second, Steven put his arms around her and squeezed gently, the hug lasting no more than two seconds before he let go so she could continue leading the way.

White clicked her tongue, smirk playing on the corner of her lips. "The others will definitely like you," she said. "Now hurry up."

"Base" was a rather nondescript building from the outside. The eight of them had made their way through the deserted sector, taking in the robust but completely abandoned structures on every side, until White stopped them.

She keyed a long, complex code into a panel beside the door, fingers moving so quickly it seemed effortless. She gestured for all of them to get inside and then shut the door again behind them, shouting, "Crimson, I got them!"

Blue looked around wide-eyed. It was a nicer place than she'd expected—and big. Two long hallways lay ahead of them, framing a large room directly before them. As they took a few steps into the near-immaculate entryway, she could see a number of Pearls turning around to look at them at the sound of White's announcement. She could pick out the few Pearls they had talked to already, as well as many more who she recognized by sight from all her time sharing the projections. A few, including a blue Pearl with a curly ponytail who disappeared out of her line of sight as soon as she noticed her, were completely unfamiliar.

"Welcome!" Crimson called, appearing from the hallway off to their right. "It's great to see you. Did you have a safe trip?"

"We did," Pearl answered, smiling. She seemed invigorated by the atmosphere in the place. "No trouble at all."

"Good." Crimson gave them all a quick salute, fist at her shoulder. "Please, come on in. Everyone's looking forward to meeting you, if you're not too tired from the journey."

"No, that sounds wonderful," Sapphire answered. "Just a moment, please."

Blue watched as she joined hands with Ruby and the two of them fused effortlessly. It was so impressive, seeing how loving and solid Garnet was as a gem and as a relationship.

Crimson seemed to be trying her hardest not to stare. "Um, it'll be right this way. And thank you for going to get them, White, I really appreciate it."

"Sure," she replied, clearly ready to get going again.

"What are your plans for today?"

"Haven't made any," White answered easily.

"Alright, well, you're welcome to stick around for a little while and help us show everyone around," she offered.

She nodded noncommittally.

Crimson sighed and instead focused on showing their guests inside to the larger room. "This is our common room," she explained as a number of Pearls hurried to join them. "We mostly just use it for socializing."

The place itself seemed a little outdated, only in the sense that some of the more modern accoutrements were absent. Somebody had clearly stripped the place of anything reusable, and the rest had been left behind along with all the marks on the floor that showed there had once been more there.

Now, it was the sort of room that was on the way to being cozy. The large amount of furniture congregated near the walls and the corners was all clearly replicated, with very little variety and even less softness. It was easy to forget what standard Homeworld furniture tended towards after so much time on Earth. But there was an assortment of small things here and there that made it feel homier than one of Homeworld's usual rooms, and it was clear they'd spent a lot of time trying to make it nice.

Silver was first to join them, smiling widely as she greeted all of them. "Welcome to our humble abode!" she said proudly as Chroma and Aura joined her. She knelt in front of Steven and extended a hand warmly. When he took it, she squeezed it firmly between both of her hands and smiled, projecting a small picture of a door opening in place of words.

"Thank you! I'm really excited I get to visit!"

She looked immensely happy that he'd understood the welcome and nodded, letting his hands go and standing.

"We're really happy to have you," Chroma added warmly.

"Thanks!"

"Oh my stars, are you the Rose Quartz?" a new voice said excitedly. "You're so cute and tiny!"

Tiny, they realized as they looked up, was particularly accurate considering that the green Pearl who'd spoken was a full head taller than every other one in the room, closer in height to Garnet. For a moment, she seemed like she might be a fusion too but closer inspection revealed that she just had a large, unusually-shaped gem. It seemed to drip down her chest, beginning around the point Blue's did and going several lengths further down towards her stomach.

"That's me!" Steven answered, eyes going wide with awe.

"That's amazing!" She patted his head gingerly, then suddenly noticed Amethyst beside him. "And you too," she gushed. "Oh my stars, nobody told me you were all so wonderful!"

"I told you they were small," Silver pointed out.

"I thought you just meant a little smaller. Quartzes vary a bit in size to begin with, don't they?"

"I'll be more specific next time then," she replied, laughing silently.

"Can I hug you?" the tall Pearl asked the two of them earnestly.

"Uh…" Amethyst looked a little taken aback. "Sure?"

"Thanks!" She swept both of them up at once, hugging them softly. "I'm so happy you're here!"

"You might want to introduce yourself to them first," Crimson pointed out, amusement playing on her lips.

"Oh, right!" She set them down again, careful with each movement. "I'm Viridian, Viri for short. It's wonderful to meet all of you. It's Garnet, right? It'll be so nice to have someone taller than me here!"

"Nice to meet you too," she returned with a small smile.

"And Blue and Yellow, right? And Pearl? It's really great to meet you." They were all treated to a round of hugs, and Blue was surprised by how gentle Viri's grip was. Yellow squirmed a bit at the unfamiliar touch, but she didn't complain.

"So this is Viri," Crimson continued. "And you already know Silver, Chroma, and Aura…" She slowly worked her way around the room, naming the other Pearls one by one, even the one peeking in from one of the other entrances and barely noticeable. "Ory, White, and—"

"Um, I'm not White." The Pearl Crimson had pointed to was, in fact, purple.

"Sorry, Violet. I could have sworn—where did White go?"

Violet shrugged and pointed a thumb towards the door. "She didn't stay very long."

"Ah. Well, this is Violet," she continued, finishing off the round of names, "and Sky." She pointed to the blue Pearl, confirming what Blue had suspected upon seeing her.

She was Blue Diamond's new Pearl then. Her gem ached a little as she watched Sky avert her eyes with her "Hello, nice to meet you."

"Then I guess it's our turn," Amethyst said as she finished. "This is Garnet, Steven, Pearl, Yellow, and Blue. And I'm Amethyst, who's starting to wonder if she got cheated out of a cooler name."

"It's too late, you're our Amethyst," Garnet said, placing a hand on top of her hand fondly.

"Yeah, at least I'm not the only one with a regular old name, huh, guys?"

"Don't look at us," Yellow said, pretending to be offended. "Blue and I picked our names for a reason, at least."

Amethyst laughed.

"So I see they never pulled the stick out of your ass," another Pearl said.

The room went dead silent in an instant, everyone either freezing or turning to look at Millie, who was standing in the doorway and looking completely undeterred by the reaction. Pearl covered Steven's ears belatedly.

Blue took a step forward, wanting to defend Yellow, but Crimson spoke before she could.

"I thought Lavender was with you," she said wearily.

"I ditched her."

"You're quite insistent on making a terrible first impression, aren't you?"

Millie shrugged nonchalantly. "I wanted to see them in person."

"Well, you've seen them and insulted them now, so let's go." She began tugging Millie towards the door by one side of her skirt. Chroma, Silver, and Viri were doing their best to stifle or disguise their laughter.

"Wait," Blue said quickly. "You're from Pink Diamond's court, aren't you?"

Millie froze for a second before speaking. "I am. You…remember me?"

"Definitely! I didn't get a chance to mention it last time, but I'm glad you're safe."

"O-Oh," she breathed, pressing her fingers to her lips. "Thank you," she added quietly, eyes looking distinctly watery.

"And," Blue added with a gentle smile, "this is Yellow, who's less than a thousand years old and very definitely different from the Pearl I think you're thinking of."

"Oh, right," she said, gathering herself. "I s-sssee."

"Yes," Yellow said. "So if you could please consider that before you start talking about my ass…"

Blue nearly laughed aloud, while Pearl muttered "Language" to Yellow and received only a blank look in return.

"Millie!"

They all turned to see another Pearl arrive in a rush, purple skin flushed as she skidded to a halt. "I'm sorry," she said to Crimson. "I lost her."

"We noticed," Crimson said, a hint of a smile on her lips.

"I'm so sorry," she said again.

"It's okay, Lavender, don't worry about it."

"Thanks," she replied, embarrassed, before walking over to Millie. "You shouldn't have run off like that!"

"Crimson sssshouldn't have assigned you t-to distract me in the first place," Millie said, making an attempt at haughtiness that didn't quite succeed. "I'm perfectly capable of being civil."

"Yes, you've proven me completely wrong," Crimson said, rolling her eyes. "I did try to explain," she added to Yellow. "And then decided it was probably safer to delay this particular meeting since…"

"No filter," Silver finished with a grin, giving Millie a friendly nudge.

Millie blushed a little and shrugged it off, quiet as her eyes flicked to Blue again. Yellow continued eyeing the thin Pearl with a scowl.

"Well, let's go then," Lavender said. Her eyes searched Millie's expression for a moment before they softened a bit. "Come on," she said again.

"I'm not finished," Millie said belatedly.

"Yes, you are. Let's go back."

Millie huffed and reluctantly followed after her, not arguing any more.

"Well," Crimson said, embarrassed, "sorry about that. I suppose we can get to showing you around now."

"Yeah, would you like a tour of the place?" Silver offered eagerly.

"Yes, we can show you your rooms and everything too so you can get settled in," Aura added.

"That sounds wonderful," Pearl answered. "Though before we do that, where would you like us to put the supplies we brought with us?" She gestured to her gem.

"Oh, of course," Crimson said. "We'll start the tour over by the storage rooms then. That'll be right over here."

She led the way out through the exit to their right, and a handful of other Pearls followed after them. Sky, noticeably, did not—she lingered in a corner for a moment before pulling out a screen and settling stiffly into a chair to work.

Blue wanted to talk to her, but she wasn't really given the opportunity right then. Instead, she hurried to catch up to Yellow, who tentatively reached for her hand as they walked and smiled when Blue gave it.

"Told you," she saw Silver project briefly in Chroma's direction. The other Pearl just gave her a crooked smile and pulled at her fingers to get her to lower her hand.

Crimson cleared her throat. "So this is the storage hallway," she explained as they turned left and then right. "We may find other uses for some of the rooms later, but for now that's their main purpose. It's where we keep supplies and any kind of items that can be replicated for our living space." She opened up one of the first few doors and then made a startled noise as she had to duck to avoid a small object that came flying out. "Snow!"

"It wasn't me, it was Quin!" A Pearl with fluffy white hair poked her head out. "She's messing with my inventory again, Crim—oh, hello."

"It's not my fault you put down the wrong number," another Pearl called cheerfully.

"Quin, we've got guests, stop being picky," Snow said over her shoulder.

"We do?" The other Pearl appeared beside her. "Hello! Quinacridone, at your service."

On first glance her coloring made her look nearly the same as Crimson, but beyond that she bore little resemblance. Her hair was short and curly, with her gem nestled into it right on the very top of her head.

She grinned as she picked up the fallen pen and handed it smartly back to Snow. "Well, I can take things from here, Snow. You can spend time with the Renegade and I will take on this arduous task of—"

"Don't make it sound like you're doing me a favor," Snow laughed, keeping a tight grip on the tablet Quin was trying to get away from her. "Why don't you show them around? I'm sure they'll appreciate your attention to detail."

"You're just trying to get rid of me!"

"You threw a pen at my head, I think it's justified. Even if you missed by a long shot."

"You threw off my aim by being so short," Quin said breezily.

"If one or two inches difference is enough to throw off your aim, I'm not sure you had one to begin with."

"I nearly hit Crimson!" she protested. "My aim is fine."

"Glad I could be of service," Crimson said dryly.

"So are you two the ones we should leave the supplies with?" Blue intercepted smoothly.

"That's me," Snow answered, looking mildly embarrassed as she finally gave a salute, hand going behind her back. "Sorry, I'm Snowdrop by the way. Let me show you where you can put everything."

"Thanks."

"And Quin?" Snow tossed the pen back at her. "If you want to be helpful, you could start organizing that room instead," she said, pointing at the adjoining wall.

"Fine," she sighed.

Snow drew herself up proudly and led the way down the hall, watching patiently as the three newly arrived Pearls began pulling boxes of equipment and various other supplies from their gems. Some of it was food for Steven, which Pearl made sure to request was stored somewhere easily accessible. The rest was pushed into the empty room haphazardly, and Snow promised to get it all sorted as soon as she could.

"Alright, I suppose we should head to the infirmary next?" Crimson decided.

She led them in that direction, pausing briefly to show them a meeting room, the communications room—the one they'd seen on the calls before—where Aura and Millie worked, and a small room that functioned as Crimson's office.

"We have a couple little lounge areas set up too," she added, gesturing to the sparsely decorated space just outside her door. "If Pearls want somewhere a little quieter than the common room. And right over here is our infirmary." She led them to a room near the entry. "We thought it would be best to have it by the door for convenience, but I'm afraid there's not much here that makes it an infirmary."

"Hopefully we can change that," Pearl said.

"Thanks." Crimson opened the door. "Come on in, I told them to expect you."

It was true that there wasn't much there, but what was there was nicely kept. There were three plain beds lined up on one side of the room with cozy-looking replicated blankets on top. Only one was occupied, a blue Pearl and an orange Pearl curled up together with their eyes closed, half covered by a blanket.

"They got injured while escaping from their owner," Crimson said quietly, going over to them and gently calling out "Cyan."

The blue Pearl stirred slowly, rolling over and peering at them with her one visible eye through long bangs. She brushed a few more intrusive bits of hair away from her face, revealing the edge of her gem, in place of her left eye. "Caddy, please," she mumbled, "I just got all the glitter out of my hair this morning and I need to look presentable for—" Her eye went wide all of a sudden and she sat straight up, realizing who was standing beside the bed. She snapped her arms into a diamond salute, then realized her mistake right away and broke it, instead clenching her fist for a rebellion-style salute and bringing it up to her eye gem a little too enthusiastically, giving the impression she'd just tried to punch herself in the face. She let out a startled "Ow!'

"And that's our new tactician," Crimson said with a smile. "Are you alright?"

"What happened to their old tactician?" Yellow muttered under her breath, and Blue elbowed her in the side discreetly, trying not to laugh.

"I'm sorry," Blue added, leaning forward a little with concern in her eyes. "We didn't mean to surprise you."

"No, it's fine, I'm okay!"

"Well, we've got some healing tears in case you're not," she replied with an amused smile.

Cyan blushed, rubbing at her gem. "Stars, it really is you," she breathed, taking in Blue's appearance like she was trying to make sure she wasn't dreaming.

"I look forward to working with you," Blue offered.

"Me too. I mean, you too. Working with you. It's an honor."

"You too," she answered, then realized that was completely redundant and laughed.

Cyan did too and then, after another moment of staring, she hurriedly gathered her hair together and pinned it up as neatly as she could with all the lingering bedhead. "Tangerine," she whispered excitedly, tapping the sleeping Pearl on the shoulder. "Tangerine, they're here, they're real."

Tangerine didn't wake immediately and Cyan seemed to catch herself, stilling her hands so they were just resting lightly on the other Pearl's skin. Now that she had moved, it was easier to see Tangerine's gem. It was nestled in the dip of her sternum, in the space between where Blue's and Steven's were. The damage to it was evident in the scratch interrupting the unusual two-toned surface. More artificial—but no less serious—wounds showed on her skin too, including a large gash on her leg that was visible only briefly as Cyan rearranged the blanket.

"Crimson said you brought something that can heal Tangerine's gem?"

"We did."

Pearl had carried the tears there and she removed them now, Garnet helping her get the huge container out of her gem and onto the floor. Once it had been set down safely, Blue dipped a small vial inside it. She let the remnants drip back down the sides before passing it over to Cyan carefully.

"Thank you," she murmured, holding it securely in both hands for a moment before gently tipping the contents drop by drop onto the crack in Tangerine's gem. It immediately began to shrink and disappear as the tears were applied.

"She'll probably need at least a few more doses to be safe," Garnet added, helping Steven prepare a few more vials.

"Okay. Should I do them all at once or space them out?"

"You can do another one when she wakes up if you think it'll help. Otherwise, space them out a little. Every hour, or more often if she's still hurting. Here," she added, handing over another. "For your hands."

Cyan looked a little startled. "Oh, thank you, but it's not gem damage—"

"It'll still heal you much faster than you would on your own," Pearl said. "Please, take it. There's plenty to go around."

She nodded, accepting the vial from Garnet and spilling a little bit onto the scorch marks marring her palms and fingers.

"Better?" Steven asked hopefully.

"Much better," she agreed, smiling. She was nudging at Tangerine again excitedly with her freshly healed hands. "I'm sure it'll be a great help for everyone."

"I hope so," Pearl said. "They certainly have been in the past."

"I'd love to hear about some of your strategies from the Earth rebellion," Cyan said, stilling her hands when she realized what she was doing. "And of course any new ideas you might have too," she added, directing the last bit at Blue.

"That sounds like a great idea, but I'm sure you're more skilled in strategy than I am," Blue said, nearly short-circuiting Cyan again.

The conversation meandered for a little bit longer, and Crimson helped Amethyst maneuver the rest of the healing tears over to one wall. After a while, Tangerine shifted around in her sleep, finally seeming close to waking, and Cyan gently nudged her along the rest of the way until she opened her eyes.

"My gem…" she said first, looking down at it and running careful fingers over the now-smooth surface.

"They brought the healing tears for you. We can put some more on if you want, and on your other injuries."

Tangerine nodded, eyes flicking to the small crowd next to her bed, and struggled to lift herself into a sitting position. Cyan hurried to help her, slipping an arm around her waist while the other got the pillows gathered against the wall to support her. "Hello," Tangerine offered quietly once she was settled. "I'm Tangerine."

"I'm Blue, and this is Yellow, Pearl, Amethyst, Garnet, and Steven," she offered.

"It's great to meet you," Steven said earnestly, handing over the rest of the vials to her and Cyan. "I honor your service."

"Steven," Tangerine repeated slowly, stunned. "I honor your bravery," she murmured.

He nodded brightly, then blinked as she placed a careful hand atop his head.

"You look so much like your mother."

"You knew—?" He stopped himself before finishing the question, recognizing the hesitancy in her tired eyes. "Thanks," he finished instead. "You, um, you have a really cool gem," he offered in return. "I like the colors."

Tangerine's hand rushed to cover her gem, a panicked look on her face before Cyan's hand joined hers and soothed it away.

"Sorry," Steven said apologetically.

"No, it's alright," she said quietly. She hesitated for a moment, looking slowly between the others before focusing back on Cyan. "So what've you all been talking about?" she asked, changing the subject. "You've dreamt of this day for years after all."

That earned her a small laugh from her companion. "Tangerine!"

"She's quite fond of you," Tangerine continued, turning to Blue with a smile tugging playfully at her lips. "You're all she'd talk about after her rest cycles. Her cool blue hero."

"Her valor was an inspiration to us all," Cyan said matter-of-factly, though it was impossible to hide the blush creeping back up on her cheeks.

"You're very kind to say so, but it wasn't all me," Blue said, bumping shoulders lightly with Yellow.

Cyan nodded, though she was too busy trying to figure out how to make eye contact without imploding to really notice Yellow.

"Well, we should let you rest," Garnet said, nodding to Tangerine. "Use as many tears as you need and let us know if there's anything more we can do for you."

"Thank you. Really, I…" She shook her head. "Thanks."

"No problem."

With that important task out of the way, their little group trailed along on the rest of their tour, everyone—Crystal Gems and the accompanying Pearls—trying their best not to laugh when they heard the giddy squeal behind them that was very definitely Cyan.

They cut through the common room, in one side and out the other to get to the training room, which Silver showed off proudly. It was, like most of the other rooms, a bit sparse, but it probably didn't matter too much considering what it was used for.

"We can have you come join in tomorrow if you like," she said happily. "I cancelled today's training since you guys were coming."

"That sounds wonderful," Pearl said, running her fingers over a blade that had been left out on one of the benches lining the wall. "This is incredible handiwork; did you make this?"

"Oh, no, that's Az. Azalea." Silver pointed off in the direction of the part of the building they hadn't gotten to yet. "She does all the smithing, she's great."

"Ah, your forge," Blue recalled.

"Yeah, we can take you over there tomorrow too if you like," Chroma said.

"Please," Pearl agreed.

Blue nodded. She'd never really caught more than a glimpse of any weapons-making in progress.

"It's pretty much just living quarters left to show you now," Aura said with a smile. "Would you like to see?"

"Sure."

On the way out though, Blue caught sight of Sky in what must have been another little lounge area and stayed back as the others continued down the hall, Crimson pointing out her room at the head of the hall and then Silver's, Chroma's, Aura's, and so forth.

"Hi."

Sky jumped, startled by Blue's sudden appearance beside her.

"Sorry," the other Pearl apologized.

"It's okay," she murmured. "Hello. Is there something I can do for you?"

"I just wondered if we could talk, actually? It's Sky, right?"

"Oh. Yes. Of course, it's a pleasure." Sky straightened up, and Blue was struck by how different her design was to her own. Her first thought was that the outfit was odd, outdated. All diamonds, from the intersection of her gossamer jacket with the top of her leotard, to the crisscross of the long ribbons of her ballet shoes, to the large cutout that left her stomach exposed. The colors were plenty familiar, but the design—didn't it belong to someone else once? One of Pink Diamond's Pearls that Blue kept tucked in some far away memory with all the other nameless she saw go? "What is it?"

Blue didn't answer right away, suddenly feeling every one of her thousands of years alive. "You would have every right to hate me," she said softly. "Regardless of what I've done, I certainly haven't helped you by doing it." She swallowed. "It wasn't that I didn't think about you—the possibility of you, I mean. I just…had to leave anyway. I'm sorry."

Sky's mouth moved for a moment without words. "Are you apologizing for letting me exist?"

"Oh!" Blue's eyes flew wide. "No! That's not what I meant at all! I just—"

"I like existing," Sky said firmly. "And I'm glad you left. You needed to."

It was sincere, and meant to be kind, Blue thought, but it still felt like a slap in the face.

"I don't hate you," she added, looking away. "I just don't know how I'm supposed to feel about you."

"That's okay," Blue said. "I guess I'm pretty confused too."

"Yeah." Sky fidgeted with her sleeves.

"How is she since I've been gone?" she asked slowly, not sure if she wanted the answer.

She shrugged, and Blue felt silly for asking. It wasn't like the younger Pearl could compare the before and after. "I'm mostly for show," she answered slowly. "She sends me away when she's not in court or meetings. It—It gives me time to come here, which is nice."

"It is," Blue agreed, relieved.

"Yellow Diamond is pretty much the same," Sky added when the conversation seemed in danger of grinding to a halt.

"Oh?"

"Yeah."

Maybe there wasn't much hope for the conversation anyway.

"I'll, um, let you get back to your tour."

"Oh, right. Thank you, Sky."

"You're welcome." She gave Blue a polite smile and salute. "I-I honor your service."

"I honor your bravery."

She was hoping that somehow it would help, but Sky only flinched, ducked her head, and murmured something Blue assumed was a goodbye.

When she did catch up with the others, Crimson glanced at her, and then back over her shoulder to where Sky was sitting.

"Do you mind if I leave you with Chroma, Silver, and Aura?" she asked after a moment. "There's something I need to check on."

"Oh, sure," Pearl said.

"Thanks. Let me know if you need anything."

Crimson walked off back the way they'd come, slowing as she reached the small lounge area and slipping into the seat next to Sky. The other Pearl looked up, surprised, and said something, but Crimson shook her head. Whatever she said in response made Sky smile for the first time since Blue had first seen her.

She looked away. Maybe she should have given the other Pearl space, but she'd wanted to at least try to say something. She'd have to try again later, try to start off better than with an apology for letting this new Pearl fill her place, a place that really no one ought to be forced to fill. But at least she had the rebellion, right?

Blue smiled at Yellow when she felt her hand on her back, awkward but reassuring.

"These'll be your rooms," Chroma said as they neared another part of the hall. Sure enough, small nameplates had been placed on the three doors with all six of them listed. "We weren't really sure who would be rooming with who, so we just took a guess. Feel free to rearrange everything as you see fit."

"Thank you," Pearl said warmly. "Steven, did you want your own room? Garnet, Amethyst, and I can share."

"Oh! Umm…" He considered it for a moment. "Yes please?"

"Alright." Garnet swapped out the name plates. "Now we're all set."

"We'll leave you to get settled in," Aura said shyly. "If you need anything, you can usually find me in communications, or my room is right over that way, like we said." She pointed to the left.

"And we're right next to her," Chroma added. "Or, if there's nobody there, then you're bound to find one of us in the common room."

Garnet thanked them again, and they went their separate ways, Blue and Yellow heading into the door with their names on it.

The room was a cozy size—not huge by any means, but big enough to be comfortable without feeling stifled. There was some simplistic furniture, including a large bed, a table, and some shelves, all empty and fresh. One wall had a faux window apparatus to provide the illusion of a view—though a real window there would have only shown them a hallway.

Blue flicked it on curiously and scrolled through a couple options before settling on one that looked like the Homeworld sky she'd often glimpsed through windows in Blue Diamond's quarters. It had a different feel from Earth's night sky, but it felt welcoming all the same.

"Impressive," Yellow said, though she was looking at the apparatus itself instead of the picture. "Weird, but impressive."

"Everything is impressive," Blue said. "Being here with everyone."

"Yeah."

"Do you like it alright?" she checked worriedly, hearing the exhaustion in Yellow's voice.

"I do, I just need a break. Stars, chatty doesn't even begin to describe these Pearls."

Blue laughed and tugged Yellow away from the wall, closer to the bed. "I'll be quiet for a little bit then, I promise."

"Thanks." She gave Blue a quick smile before climbing into the bed and lying flat on her back, appreciating the softness of both the bed and Blue's voice as she joined her.

"Good night."