That morning, Morganite had found another color forming inside her irises. There were already red, green, and blue specs. Now a vibrant orange came and ate up some of the remaining black space.

Yellow Diamond would be ecstatic.

No matter how many times she blinked, her eyes remained the same. In fact, the orange seemed to get more obnoxious each time her lashes pressed together and flew apart. While she would have loved to stay and stare at herself and knit her brows together, Morganite had work to do.

So she went to her office and kept busy.

Between the documents and reports about their progress on other planets, those multicolored eyes darted up to catch her collection of books and paintings. Much of it came from worlds about to be conquered or that were conquered already, and much of it Morganite could comprehend even if the language was different. Some of them she had even translated; the severely bent Madame Bovary rested at the corner of her desk at that very moment.

Whenever someone went out on a mission, Morganite asked for souvenirs. The end result was an office full of pretty distractions that may have looked like a garbage pile to someone else.

The day passed quietly until there was a knock on her door.

"Come in!"

It was Jasper who stuck her face in and eventually her entire body, bringing in the scent of the outdoors and a see-through plastic bag. It was full of bizarre treasures that caused Morganite to glow an intense pink.

"Jasper, it's been forever!" She rose up from her desk and came to greet her guest. "How are you?"

"Fine. I just got back from a mission. Peridot asked me to deliver this to you."

"Wonderful! Thank you so much." Their gazes met up for a second. "Can you stay? I bet you've gone on a fantastic adventure you could tell me about."

Morganite's expensive, important perfume clashed with Jasper's scent now that they were standing so close together. The bag exchanged ownership and their fingers brushed.

A feeling ran through Morganite—one she wasn't at all familiar with.

But she ignored it for the time being.

"I can stay for a while."

"Good. Sit across from me."

So the two took their places, and while Jasper recounted her story of conquest and violence, Morganite removed each item from the bag and placed them on her desk. There were two books. The first was entitled Animals and was a colorful album of photographs that labeled and explained all manners of Earth creatures. The next was a thick book with fewer pictures called Unfamiliar Familiar. On the front page Peridot left a note saying that it was a popular novel many people on Earth read.

The last thing had been a glass bottle full of black, bubbly liquid. 'This is a beverage many people drink. Consume at your own risk.'

"Wow…"

"Are you even listening?"

"Of course." She was groping around the inside of the bag. "You were telling me about how you cracked the skull of the village leader you encountered. Go on."

"That was pretty much it." A pause.

The smaller of the two put the sack into one of her drawers and looked back at Jasper.

"Your eyes grew another color."

"I just noticed this morning myself." Morganite's attention skidded past the surface of her desk and the piles of documents that made up miniature castles. "I don't know what it means yet. I feel like I gained a little more strength, but whether or not I gained another power, I don't know."

But already, the champagne pink gem could read Jasper's aura: she was perplexed.

"You don't sound that happy about it."

"I'm not." Morganite crossed her light pink fingers. "Yellow Diamond tells me that when all the slots in my eyes fill with different colors, I'll be able to read memories and detect lies and control minds just by looking at someone. Except hers of course. That's what I was made to do. But these are powers I don't want."

"That's something I'll never get about you. I'm always trying to become stronger."

"But you're already so strong! Besides, I don't want to know what everyone else is thinking. I don't want to take away anyone's free will. It is, however, inevitable. When it comes to that, my two options will be to do as Yellow Diamond says or to be broken to pieces. I honestly wish I were normal. Even being a tiny gem with little power would be better."

"I couldn't disagree more, but you've always been too sensitive. You should be thrilled."

Morganite didn't say anything. With her right hand, she rotated the cola bottle around a few times. "I missed you, Jasper. Ever since our lessons ended, I never get to see you anymore."

"That was thousands of years ago."

"It was, wasn't it? Sometimes it feels like it happened recently."

"I bet I could still beat you."

Morganite grinned. "I bet you could."

"We should spar sometime." Jasper showed all of her teeth in a wide smile that took up half of her face.

"Sure, but you better not go easy on me. Let me know when you're free. I'll be practicing until then."

"You're on, and you better practice—for your own good." She was beaming. And because Jasper was beaming, Morgan beamed back.

"Why don't we try some of this drink Peridot gave me?"

"I don't want any of that."

"Just a sip."

"It looks disgusting."

"Jasper, come on." With some difficulty, her palm served as a bottle opener and placed the red and white cap on the desk. The drink fizzed up with popping foam and then settled back down, though it still hissed quietly.

"Eugh. Is it alive? How barbaric."

"No, I don't think so." Morganite took the opening and placed it against her lips, taking in some and then placing it next to the cap. It caused a burn in her throat with a sweet, smooth flavor that made a series of small explosions as it slipped into the rest of her body.

Aaaaahhh.

"That was crazy!" She took another drink. "You have to try some."

Morganite held out the drink, but her counterpart only made a face.

The smaller of the two did not distend her arm.

"Alright, fine." Her enormous hand engulfed Morganite's while taking the drink. And in a flash, words in Jasper's voice entered her mind, accompanied by an image.

The next time we spar, I'm going to get her for this.

In a field, Morganite saw herself unconscious in the dirt, with Jasper standing above her, glittering victoriously.

Why won't she let go?

"What? I said I would drink some. Now you won't let me have it?"

"Oh, sorry. Go ahead."

She had a little, and no sooner spit it up in a mist that stuck to every part of Morganite's office, with each one of her white hairs standing on end.

"Jasper, that's gross!"

"I told you I didn't want any! What is this anyway?! Here!" The bottle was slammed back onto the desk, yet miraculously didn't break. However, all her papers and books from Earth jumped up in the surprise and landed relatively in the same place. Jasper stood. "I'm out of here." Then she slid a hand past her mouth in distaste. "Don't you make me try anything ever again."

Morganite stifled a laugh.

"Don't giggle! You'll be lucky if ever you see me again."

"How will we spar if we never meet one another after this?"

But she was already walking away.

"Well, thank you for coming to visit. It was nice catching up with you!"

The larger woman turned back and scowled before disappearing behind the automatic door. The sound of her heavy feet disappeared into the hallway and Morganite slowly stopped laughing.

Her vision captured her right hand, which hadn't forgotten Jasper's touch. The memory stuck like a syrupy film against her knuckles, and her heart-shaped gem nearly cracked in half.

"So that's what it is."

She took another sip and placed the bottle in the drawer with the rest of her collection.

Morganite sighed.

Then, seeing the time, she organized her papers (which were laced with Jasper's spit) and went back to her room. Maybe Peridot's books could distract her until tomorrow, where there would hopefully be more distractions that would come in clusters.