…
It was a good thing that the other Gems were so near, Pink thought, because she had to make a serious effort to keep up with White's huge steps. Either the white Gem had forgotten their size difference already, or still expected to her to keep up. Pink wasn't sure if either was a good thing… When they reached the small crowd White introduced them all.
"Blue, Yellow, this is Pink Diamond. Pink, Blue and Yellow Diamond, the only others of our gem type."
"Welcome, Pink. It's a pleasure to meet you at last, we've been expecting you." Blue said, and knelt down to wrap her up in the hug that she'd been waiting to give her.
Pink was caught off guard by the second intrusion into her personal space, but instead of pointing out the diamond's disregard for boundaries (which she now suspected might be a characteristic of their type) she surprised herself by returning the hug. She had no idea why she suddenly felt so happy to be meeting this stranger, or why the thought of holding on to her forever seemed so appealing… and yet it did. She started to laugh for no apparent reason. Even Yellow felt the worst of the edge coming off her reservations about the new diamond, but her practical nature wouldn't allow her to let go of them:
"Am I missing something?" she asked in a sharp voice.
"I highly doubt it, though it's impossible to be certain without context..." White prompted.
"The context is her size. Look at her, she's barely taller than the largest quartz. Why is she so small?"
"Yellow!" Blue chided. Although now that it had been said, she was also curious as to why Pink was so much smaller than them.
"Don't call me small just because I'm smaller than you! Maybe you're too big."
"I wasn't talking to you." Yellow snapped.
"But she does raise a valid point." said White.
"In what way—" she started, but then turned to face Pink instead, deeming it wiser to silence the lesser Gem before discussing the matter with White. "'Maybe I'm too big'? Don't be ridiculous, look at the three of us and then look at yourself! Your size is quite clearly an irregularity."
"It's not 'clearly an irregularity'! White is taller than you, you and Blue are taller than me. There's a pattern, going from first to last — like our emergence… ces."
"Yes but the difference is that our heights clearly separate us from those who rank below us, yours doesn't."
"But… you still said I was bigger than the largest quartz… And it's not all about height anyway. White saw that I'm perfect, and I'm still a diamond... Why are you even complaining?"
"See, Yellow? Now you've upset her. Was this argument really necessary?" asked Blue.
"I'm not upset…" said Pink, looking a little upset.
"I wasn't complaining, I merely wanted to know if your height was cause for concern, as it would be in any other cut of Gem." Yellow said.
"But we're not any other cut of Gem, are we? You should keep your silly questions to yourself in future, or ask me properly if you're going to ask at all."
"Excuse me?"
The ice in Yellow's voice let Pink know that she'd just made a serious error. She noticed for the first time just how much taller than her the other Gem actually was, and how… sharp everything about her was, especially her frown. Her authority hit Pink like a tangible object, nothing like the feeling she'd had while White was speaking to her… it left room enough for her to question what might happen if she stepped out of line - or further out of line, as it was - and she was afraid of the answers.
She was afraid of Yellow.
But this was an opportunity. She wanted Yellow to treat her like the diamond she was, and she was now in a position to demand that treatment through her actions. If she gave in to Yellow now then she'd keep treating her a like lesser Gem, but fighting back would show that she was stronger than that. Deciding that it was best thing for her, she did her best to ignore her fear and answered Yellow how she would answer anyone else (anyone except White).
"You heard me. You've heard everything else so far."
"And I refuse to hear any more! You have shown me more disrespect since you emerged than any other Gem has in the last thousand years, and you would do well to stop talking and start listening before you disgrace yourself any further! Your status as a diamond demands obedience from those below you, not the respect of those on your level! If you wish to earn our respect then you can start by behaving in a manner that befits a Gem of your station. It's the very least you can do, instead of offending this Authority with your shallow-cut notions... Follow our example and accomplish something of merit, maybe by then you will have thought of an argument worth having."
"That will suffice, Yellow. Your point has been made." White interjected, barely concealing her smile at the way things had developed.
Pink knew that she had brought it on herself, but that didn't make Yellow's words hurt any less. It didn't seem like her stand had even been noticed, and White and Blue hadn't come to her aid… The only thing she'd accomplished was making herself look foolish — the inconsequential, ill-mannered Gem that Yellow believed her to be. She bowed her head and brought a hand to her eye, quietly sniffling as she failed to hold back her tears.
Blue glared at Yellow with an intensity that few unbroken Gems had ever witnessed.
"Unbelievable…" Yellow muttered, and turned away from the more sentimental members of the group to address White. "I assume there's nothing else that needs to be done here, in which case can we leave now?"
"...Yes, our business here is complete. Walk with me." White replied. "Blue, Pink, don't linger. Sapphire, be sure to introduce yourself." she commanded.
"Of course, my Diamond." said Sapphire.
The pair departed, taking their pearls with them.
Pink was still crying after the exchange and there was no indication that she would stop any time soon. Blue walked over to where she stood and knelt down once again, swiftly taking the little Gem into her arms and holding her tightly. The smaller diamond was grateful for the comfort that Blue provided, and for the fact that she hadn't left her behind. Like before, she found that she didn't want to let go, and thankfully she didn't have to: Blue was patient as the hug did its work and her sobbing died down. When Blue sensed that Pink had stopped crying, she let go of her and carefully wiped the last tears from her face.
"You handled Yellow very well." she said kindly.
"I did?" asked Pink.
"I would say so. Not many Gems would be willing to speak their mind to her like you did, much less if they'd just emerged."
"But they still don't think I'm good enough…"
"No, that's not true. White was definitely impressed, you could tell. Well… I could tell, you'll have to get to know her better. And don't worry about Yellow for now, she isn't always like that. She only wants what's best for Gemkind, and because you're a diamond she expects the best from you. It isn't your fault that you don't know her yet." She smiled reassuringly.
"Thank you."
"She made a good point though. In order to learn how to do what we do you'll need to pay close attention to Yellow and I. Only when you prove to us that you're fit rule will you be allowed to."
"I-I can do that."
"Of course you can, you're a diamond. Now, let's make our way back to the surface before they start wondering why we're still here."
…
Faced with the two flights of stairs, one for diamonds and the other for smaller Gems, Pink opted for the one that fit her size better. It was as she started to climb the staircase that Sapphire seized the opportunity to talk to the new Gem, Blue Diamond being finished with her for the moment.
"My Diamond, Sapphire Cut 1AE at your service." she said with a bow. "It's an honour to not only meet you, but to have witnessed your emergence as well."
"Wow, you're a sapphire…! And thank you, it's nice to meet you too. You're the first other gem type that I've met." Pink replied.
"Then I will do my best to make a good impression."
"So… why are you the only one? Apart from the pearls there aren't any other non-diamonds here."
"Normally only diamonds and their pearls may visit this place. I enjoy a very privileged position at my diamond's side, and was given her permission to be here."
"I see. Sorry! That wasn't very nice." said Pink, noticing the placement of Sapphire's gem.
"Pink, you don't have to excuse yourself for a Sapphire." said Blue.
That struck Pink as being very rude, she hoped that Sapphire didn't mind… But if that was how she was supposed to conduct herself then she didn't want to get Sapphire in trouble with her reaction.
"It's fine." Sapphire said quietly, and smiled at her.
"But how do you know where anything is if you don't have any eyes?" Pink continued.
"My future vision shows me the immediate future with such clarity that it compensates for my lack of sight."
"That's amazing! Oh my stars, so can you tell me what's going to happen in my immediate future!?"
"I'd be happy to." Sapphire answered. A few seconds later she had a result. "You're going to ask Blue Diamond for your pearl."
"...Interesting… But will I be asking because we've had this conversation?"
"This conversation has moved the event forward slightly, but it's something you were always going to ask."
"I really like you." Pink told her with a huge grin. A light-grey blush quickly darkened Sapphire's cheeks. "But Blue, where is my pearl?"
"She hasn't been made yet." Blue informed her.
"Why not? You were all waiting for me, you knew I was coming."
"Pearls are specially made for their owners, and you need to be there at the start of the process so they can take the necessary readings from you, and a sample of your speech,"
"Ooh! Can we do it now!?"
"Very soon. The Nacrarium has been on standby since the first predictions of your arrival. They've been told to be ready so that construction of your pearl may begin as soon as possible."
"Yes! I want one with her gem where mine is so we'll match, like you, Yellow and White and your pearls."
"No. That's not a good idea. The chest is the usual place for a pearl's gem, a chest placement yields the most desirable qualities in a pearl."
"So why is White's pearls' gem in her forehead?"
"Many of White's entourage have forehead placements, their qualities suit the way she prefers to work."
"So why can't I have mine placed where I want? If we have the same placement then won't my pearl be suited to the way I prefer to work?"
Blue laughed.
"Tell me, how do you prefer to work?"
"Umm... Well?" said Pink, making Blue laugh again.
"Even if you did know, you have yet to understand the subtleties of gem placement. Just remember this for now: in a pearl, the navel is one of the least favourable positions for the gem to be in; the navel, the upper back, the eye, the cheek— all are unwise choices when it comes to pearls."
"Why?"
"Pearls with those placements have the highest defect rates."
"Oh, okay… Well I want one with a forehead placement then."
"I'm sure White would like that."
"Can I get a sapphire too?"
"No, Pink. You'll have no need of a sapphire for a long time."
That didn't really matter to her though, she felt a lot better now than she had all day. Things were looking up: Blue was really nice, White seemed reasonable, and if she could impress Yellow like Blue suggested, then ruling with the others was going be so much fun.
She couldn't wait to get started.
…