The morning light accentuated the bags beneath Black's eyes as she sat by the window. The sun broke across the ocean and her stone reflected the same colors. In that moment, she didn't bother to cover it, even if the twinkling caused her lashes to flutter.
Only when she heard the cracking of Pearl's bones as she stretched did Black begin to dress. She wrapped the long blue fabrics around herself and once Pearl had awoken, she helped her dress as well. Carefully, Black looped each long stretch around Pearl and tied knots at her shoulder and waist before both walked quietly downstairs and found Lady Lapis waiting for them.
The woman had sat upon the sofa in the parlor attached to the main room, eating slices of carefully peeled oranges. She finished just as her guests reached the bottom step.
"Good morning," Lady Lapis greeted them. "Will you two be ready to go after breakfast?"
"Actually, Lady Lapis…" Black Diamond placed her palms together. "Would you happen to have any veils Pearl and I could borrow?"
"Veils?" She narrowed her eyes. "I do have some I could loan you, but I'd surely like to know why."
Neither of the pair answered. They looked at one another before Black Diamond spoke. "I don't want any of the Quartzes to recognize me."
"Hmm," something in her face softened, but she wore a strange grin. "I suspect that you aren't who you say you are."
Black did not reply.
Lady Lapis continued, "It's not easy to see, but from certain angles, your pupils are quite square, and the last gem I've seen as tall as you was White Diamond."
Black couldn't look at her host any longer, and Pearl took one of her hands. "Would it be too much to ask you not to tell anyone?"
"No," Lady lapis stated. "I won't tell anyone. I don't want you leaving anyway, not when my wife is still sick. I have to say, I'm relieved that you're probably not some kind of criminal, but I do want to know why you're pretending to be a Coal. The other one was perfectly happy to stomp in here and declare her status, but you—you're different."
Black Diamond sighed. "I hate it when they worship me. I've seen so many gems drop to the ground when they find out, even though I've done nothing to deserve their praise."
"I can understand that. Whenever anyone grovels to me I ask them to stop, but I'm just another Lapis." She moved towards the stairs. "It's probably different for you, being a Diamond. I'm sure they can't help themselves, but I bet if you stayed in one place long enough and established how you want to be treated, they would listen." The gold upon her cheeks glimmered as the morning light grew brighter. "I don't know what you've been through, but I find that if you're patient, they usually try their best, and you seem patient to me."
"Thank you."
"I'll get you and Pearl veils to wear, but if they've seen you before they're probably going to find out. Even without looking at your face, you're pretty recognizable."
"I know." Black Diamond's brows wilted. "But I'd still like to try."
"Alright. I'll show you the backroads as well. You'll be less likely to run into them."
"I appreciate that. Thank you."
Lady Lapis finally turned and ascended the stairs while both Black and Pearl breathed out all of their air. After the travelers had obscured their faces beneath even more blue fabric, the three left together, taking the backroads.
That morning, the town bustled with noise and activity, now that White Diamond's army of Quartz soldiers had come to help. Black passed a few of them, even on the unfamiliar path, though they were occupied rebuilding sections of the white and blue buildings. A few of them, Lapises and Quartzes alike, turned to look at the tall and shadowy figure walking by, curious at both her height and her Pearl, but followed no longer once she walked far enough away.
Eventually, Lady Lapis left them at the medical tent, where the healers had already gone to work with their new supplies. Only about half of the patients remained compared to when Black and Pearl first arrived.
They started immediately, creating their mixture and using the surplus of fresh gauze to heal the remaining wounds and ease the lingering pain. Once Black had produced her smoke, Pearl continued replacing the bandages. The Lapises observed this ritual, and they too began to help dressing wounds while Pearl made the mixture and Black Diamond used her powers.
All of the gems worked as though they were inside a factory. By noon, each patient had their cuts addressed and covered, and by four, no more remained. They had all stood, popped off their casts, and flew away.
Once the last Lapis had gone, the healers formed a ring around Black Diamond. They covered her on every side with a circular hug which she attempted to return, despite only having two arms. Pearl, too, invaded the ring to embrace Black Diamond, who started to laugh.
"Thank you, everyone."
"No, thank you, Miss Coal."
"We couldn't have done it without you."
"You're amazing!" (That was Pearl.)
"Oh, stop. It would have gone much more slowly without all of you. Thank you."
Every one of them held one another moments longer before the healers stepped back to look at Black Diamond. One of them asked, "Well, what will you do now, Miss Coal?"
"You don't need to stay here any longer if you don't want to."
"It's not that I don't want to," Black Diamond began to adjust her veil over her face to a chorus of confused looks. "But I think I should return to Lady Lapis's home. Her wife might need me."
"Oh, yes. She's very pregnant."
"You should help her."
"If you don't mind, may I take a few supplies with me?" Black had finished her disguise and Pearl began to adjust hers.
"Yes, we have so many now."
The healers loaded a bag of herbs for Black Diamond, picking out many of them by themselves. Each vial that entered the sack came with a mumbled note of what effect it would have; 'this one helps with the swelling'; 'this one will help her to sleep'; 'this one will reduce her morning sickness,' and so on.
Black and Pearl waved as they walked away, and the vials chattered amongst one another.
After that day, they stopped going to the medical tent on the other side of town. Lady Lapis had even come home that evening and set her hands on her hips upon finding them.
She wore a rare smile as she said, "So I heard you healed all the patients at the hospital."
They had met in the hallway, as the Lady had come to visit her wife.
"I was delighted when I heard the news, but I wasn't surprised. I hope this doesn't mean you're going to leave."
"No, Lady Lapis, unless you don't wish us to stay any longer."
"Of course I want you to stay." Her eyes maintained their edge, but somehow lessened in severity, like a gleaming knife that had been sheathed. "I wish I could let you both take some time off, but I have to ask you another favor."
"Certainly."
Before speaking, Lady Lapis crossed her arms and came closer. Her voice lowered in volume. "I'm sure you've noticed, but my wife is due any day now. Will you at least stay with her until she gives birth? I don't know how long you intended on being here, but we would appreciate your help just a little while longer."
"We'll stay and help, thank you."
"I wish the other one was more like you, but I'm still glad you came to us, for whatever reason. Thank you, Black Diamond, and thank you, Pearl."
She didn't wait for a response and moved to her bedroom, where her wife made a happy greeting the guests heard in the halls.
Black turned to Pearl. "Sometimes I wish I were more like the other one. It seems like more gems would be satisfied with that."
Pearl frowned and followed her lady downstairs.
From then on, they watched over the pregnant woman.
Each day, Black Diamond and Pearl would greet her inside her room. Pearl would prepare an elixir to keep the pain at bay and Black Diamond would steal the discomfort that had come in the night, repeating the procedure every couple of hours.
Despite the frequent attention from her attendants, the woman stayed confined to her bed. She might come downstairs to take her meals, but mostly slept as her stomach grew somehow rounder despite its near perfect status.
When she woke, her lovely golden eyes would toss themselves from the open window and into the light. Her brows furrowed just about any time a carefree cloud passed by, swimming through the light blue sky the way a boat would drift over a wave.
Black Diamond and Pearl found her alone one morning, awake and staring out the window. She crossed her arms over her stomach as the sunshine occupied several tiles on the floor.
"Good morning, Lapis." Black Diamond had parted the door and knocked on the frame before coming inside. "How are you?"
Her attention stayed glued to the sunshine as she inflated with a sigh. She pushed her messy hair behind one of her ears before finally answering, "I'm fine, Miss Coal. How are you?"
"I'm fine, thank you."
"And you, Pearl?"
"I'm fine, Madame. Thank you."
They came and went about their tasks; Pearl made an elixir while Black Diamond numbed the pain, but she didn't look at either throughout the process. Her fingers only moved to collect the occasional tear that fell onto her cheek as she focused on the light blue sky.
"I'm sorry," she finally said.
"Why is that?" Black Diamond pulled her hands away as Pearl presented the pregnant woman with the potion. "I don't see what you have to be sorry about."
"I guess I don't want you thinking I'm angry with you."
"I don't think either one of us thought that."
"We just want you to feel okay, Madame."
Listening to Black and Pearl's response, Lapis set her hands on her stomach and observed the bands of gold stretched across it. They appeared stressed as they reached out for one another. Perhaps there was a time they used to touch.
"I want to go to the beach," she said. "I haven't gone since I've been bed-ridden, and more than ever, I feel like that's where I should be." A few more tears escaped. "But I can't fly and I can't walk and I'm just so bored, sleeping all day."
Black Diamond touched her hand. "I'd be happy to accompany you, if we could find a means to go. I could have…someone carry you."
"That sounds nice, but I don't want to trouble you. That, and I don't think I should go."
"It's really no trouble, but I understand how you feel. Just know that if you changed your mind and are well enough, I'd be happy to take you. It's not that far away, is it?"
"No, but don't tempt me." Her smile showed a few teeth. "You're a saint, Miss Coal, but I really shouldn't. I only felt this awful within a few days of the last time I gave birth, so I'm sure I'll go into labor soon."
"I understand. Do you need anything else at the moment?"
"No, but thank you. If you could just go downstairs and make sure you and Pearl have an excellent breakfast, I'll be satisfied."
"Thank you, Madame."
After that, the rest of their day mirrored the ones before, until it faded into the deceptive calm of night. Both of them lay in stillness as the evening darkened and the moon moved further overhead. The hours passed and the pair descended into sleep, before awakening at about four in the morning due to noise outside.
"Honey, what are you doing out here?"
Neither Black Diamond nor Pearl heard the answer.
"You should come back to bed. I don't want you to be exhausted tomorrow."
A long pause ensued. "What does it matter? I'm not going to do anything anyway."
"Are you just going to stand here?"
"That's what I feel like doing."
A sigh, and then, "I worry about you when you get this way. I wish you would come inside."
"I wish you would just let me stand here in peace."
"Okay then."
A door slammed, and Black Diamond jumped while Pearl cuddled in closer.
When they checked on the lady the next morning, she didn't turn her head to greet them, nor did she move at all. She merely lay unconscious beneath her blankets.
Each day began to follow a similar pattern. They might hear a slight amount of bickering during the night, and would come to an unconscious woman in the morning, afternoon, and evening. Black Diamond and Pearl left her with a vial of elixir on the bedside table and stole her pain as she slept. Her eyes didn't open when they removed the blankets nor did they open when they put them back. Whenever they arrived, the vial would be empty and waiting for replacement.
Lady Lapis began to stay home and watch over her daughter when she didn't sit at her wife's bedside. She only left occasionally to manage her city, and many times, her gems would come to her to talk about funds, progress, and problems. During these meetings, Lady Lapis usually held her daughter in her lap, who squirmed and cried in boredom. If a Quartz ever came, Black Diamond and Pearl would hide deep inside their room, away from the window and its transparency.
Days expired in silence until one night went devoid of an argument. All parties slept as the darkness produced its regular noises, such as the occasional flutter of a nocturnal creature's wings or the wind's short song anytime it whistled past a window.
Only when the morning came did Lady Lapis shatter the house's sleep. She shook Black violently out of bed, which woke Pearl in turn.
"My wife is missing!"
Black Diamond shook off her dreams.
"She must have gone to the beach! That's what she was talking about yesterday! Get dressed—grab your supplies—we need to leave now—" Lady Lapis wore her pajamas. She had yet to put on her crown and even the gold foil upon her cheeks gleamed duller than usual, as if it too had yet to wake.
All three threw themselves together and ran outside, past Lady Lapis's screaming daughter in the hands of her servant. "Watch over her," was all she commanded as the party passed by, spilling into the streets like a flood from a perturbed ocean.
They sped through the city paths, past the workers standing in the way. Despite her size, Lady Lapis cleared the way, racing and occasionally summoning her wings by accident, only to realize her companions couldn't fly and frantically put them away. She looked back to Black Diamond and Pearl every few seconds to make certain they followed. Any time the clinking of their bottles of medicine grew too quiet, she tossed them her crazy gaze and slowed down only a step.
With every gem they passed, the party collected lengthy stares. Black Diamond's fingers fidgeted constantly with her poorly arranged veil, but between her hasty movement and the ocean wind, it fell around her neck constantly. A rainbow of multicolored eyes clung to her visage—blue, and gold, silver, grey, and black. Whenever they arrived to glance at the features she attempted to hide, she hoisted the cloth over her face, but the curiosity still chased her, until all three of them left one onlooker's sight for another's.
The staring went on until the sea grew louder and the air smelt of salt. The buildings stopped where the sand began and just a short way onto the beach stood a small crowd.
Lady Lapis made her wings and flew directly overhead, landing near the collection of blue women, and spattering sand and water with the heels of her bare feet. Black Diamond and Pearl ran to catch up. By then, the others had cleared a path to allow the outsiders in, and to catch a glimpse of the woman in the middle.
She had a healer from the hospital holding one of each of her hands, encouraging her to push. Her entire body tensed violently as she squeezed and made the fingers in her grasp turn white. With each push, she cried and tossed her head back beneath a coating of sweat and tears.
Lady Lapis replaced one of the healers and allowed her wife to ruin her hand instead.
"I need—"
At the woman's side sat a half-empty bottle of water, which Black Diamond herself picked up and brought to the mother's lips. Between surges, she drank heavily while Pearl wiped the film from her brow and everyone in the crowd encouraged her.
"Just a little more! I can see her head!"
The mother shouted in anguish and broke her wife's hand. Releasing the healer's, she stole the bottle from Black Diamond and slammed the rest of it as her entire body made one final push and one final scream. The cry ended as she collapsed backward and started anew as one of the healers placed a tiny blue baby inside her exhausted arms.
"Honey!" Lady Lapis covered her mouth with both hands and released hot tears. "Why did you come all the way out here? I almost had a heart attack when I couldn't find you this morning!"
The woman's eyes blinked slowly as she cradled her child. "I don't know. I went outside last night and started to wander until I ended up here." The healers cleaned the newborn, who only managed to scream a little less, revealing bands of gold across her skin. "I don't know why, but it felt right. As soon as I came close to the beach, I went into labor. I don't know. I didn't feel this way last time…"
"That's okay." Lady Lapis wiped her tears. "We're all here now, and look at her. She's so small."
"Do you want to hold her?"
"Of course."
The baby hollered as she changed hands and her mother laid back in the sand. The healers took her pulse and checked her vitals, as Black stole her agony and Pearl cleaned her brow.
"Madame," Pearl spoke over the chatter and confirmation that the mother was alright.
"What is it, Pearl?"
"You have tears in your eyes."
"Oh—" Black wiped them.
Slowly after that, she, Pearl, Lady Lapis, and her wife and child headed back to the mansion. The party of three had grown to five, and with the woman in her strong arms, Black Diamond looked occasionally to the newborn.
"Life is amazing, isn't it?" The mother spoke with a tired voice.
"It really is."