Chapter 19: Jewel and Rose Quartz
Though the Creation Heroes hadn't been on the Gemstone Isle for a particularly long time, one of the first things they noticed other than the serene forested scenery was a tall white castle atop a hill that overlooked the surroundings. It had a wall around it and was protected by guards on the outside. The castle town, though small, had lovely houses and shops, as well as areas to study in. Other than the castle, the heroes noticed two other notable buildings.
It reminded them of the town hall of Watersong, though it was larger and seemed to have a library or chronicle very close beside it. The two buildings were atop a smaller hill and were accessed by a large stairwell. The Lapin that passed by were donned in vibrantly hued robes and were either conversing amongst each other, focusing on their studies, or attending to their daily tasks.
However, they did notice the judging and perplexed stares of the Lapin, who didn't seem all that fond of outsiders being present in their zone.
Particularly, Penelope was the only one who didn't get the same scrutinizing stares as her two colleagues. She began to wonder if it specifically related to her appearance or not. After all, Penelope had a rabbit-like appearance, while Roselyynn looked human-like and Thunder was a mix of being human-like but also slightly mannequin-like.
The heroes heard the confused whispers of the townsfolk as they made their way to the center of town. The Lapin primarily kept their distance away from the heroes and didn't really interact with them much on their way there. Only when they got to the center of town and tried to figure out what was going on was when someone spoke to them.
She hadn't intended to do so. In fact, the lapin in specific was attending to some errands. She had silvery-white fur, very pale pink hair tied into a bun that was partially hidden by a grey bandana, and a uniform different from the colorful robes they had seen. That wasn't to say that she stood out, though Penelope observed something when she first saw her.
The townsfolk seemed to be particularly avoiding this Lapin for whatever reason. She looked as if she were a servant, but their avoidance didn't seem to be because of the fact she was of a "lower class".
It seemed to be out of fear. Penelope didn't know why until the woman saw the heroes and approached them after a moment of observation. Her pale blue dress, which had short sleeves and medium-length skirt with a white apron tied in front of it, became more evident when she quickly came closer. She carefully slipped a list into her pocket, looking mildly concerned when she approached the heroes.
Roselyynn and Thunder hadn't expected a Lapin to come up and speak to them. The guards were the only ones who had addressed them, with the past interaction with Jewel counting.
The lapin woman scanned the trio over and brought a paw to her face. "I never expected to see the heroes of the Creator here, though I'm very glad you are here. Hopefully it eases the current problem." She spoke thoughtfully. Even though she was in public, she seemed to be speaking rather quietly, like someone could have been listening.
Roselyynn raised an eyebrow when she heard current problem, as did Thunder. "Problem? So there is something going on? Does it have anything to do with the King?" She asked, quickly remembering what Jewel had spoken about in Lavasteam.
"With Diamond? I suppose he relates to it." The lapin woman spoke. Pondering a moment and getting an idea of why the heroes were there upon putting two and two together, she decided to make a quick but important comment. "As you have an idea of what is happening, I'm going to inform you three of one key thing to remember while you're here."
The trio looked at each other and then back to the woman. As they appeared to be listening, the lapin woman spoke. "Here is what you must remember: until you meet Diamond, don't trust anything said about or related to him. Though you may hear things about him, please, take them with a grain of salt."
Roselyynn crossed her arms, furrowing her brow at this. It was strange that the woman felt the need to tell them this, especially noting what Jewel told them about Diamond in Lavasteam. She couldn't help but feel suspicious of her intentions. "Why? If Diamond relates to the problem, wouldn't it be good to know as much about him as possible?"
The lapin clutched her paws together. "It would, but due to the way things currently are right now, its hard to know what's fact and what's fiction. I'm only giving you this advice so you don't fall victim to deception, which could end up leading to something tragic."
Penelope found it curious that this woman felt the need to tell them this. She seemed to know more than she was letting on about the situation. Still, from what Penelope could pick up about her, the woman didn't seem to be lying. The rabbit crossed her arms and spoke. "Alright. I'll keep that in mind while we're here. You seem to know a lot about what's going on. Would it be bad to ask who you are?"
The older lapin curtsied and adjusted the bandana on her head. "Ah, yes. I completely forgot to introduce myself when I saw you three. My name is Rose Quartz, though I am typically called Quartz by those who know me." Quartz introduced.
Penelope went to asking another question. "You seem to know the King from what you were implying in your advice. Do you have a specific relationship to him?" She questioned.
Quartz looked around. Though the lapin were passing by and relatively avoiding her, she seemed bothered by something. With a wave of her paw, she motioned the trio to follow her. None of them knew why, but they decided to do so cautiously. Quartz led them to a quieter spot in the castle town where there weren't as many people around.
"I apologize for having to move you, heroes of the Creator. I was worried that a certain someone was listening to our conversation." She said briskly, still keeping a cautious eye on the area. She brushed off her apron with her paws before clutching them again and straightening up. "Still, to answer your question, I do know Diamond quite well. I work as the head chef at the palace, though Diamond has been close to me since he was young."
"So, you're in support of him." Roselyynn said, getting more suspicious. "Why would you tell us to not trust anything said about him despite the fact you're loyal to the crown? You aren't a spy for him, are you?"
"I'm telling you to not trust what is said about him now as it's the truth." Quartz responded to Roselyynn, putting her paw over where her heart would be. "Even though I am biased towards Diamond, it's not a lie when I say something is wrong. Nowadays, it's very difficult to go into or leave the palace without certain permissions, so it makes it easier for falsehoods to become ingrained on the outside."
Penelope picked up on the part about it being "difficult to leave the palace". That resonated with her as something important to ask about. She decided to bring it up now before she forgot to do so, especially noting that Jewel mentioned something previously about Diamond not being publicly seen in a few years and that she said he'd become a cold shut in. As Diamond had banished Jewel, however, she decided to avoid mentioning who told her about this.
The first hero tugged on one of her long, fluffy ears. "Quartz, is it alright if I ask something else?"
Quartz smiled and nodded. "Of course. I have to make sure to get my errands done so I can get back into the castle soon, but I think I have some more time for answering a few more questions."
"Why is it difficult to get in or leave the palace? Does it have anything to do with the King? We've heard that he hasn't been seen publicly in a long time, but…"
It took a moment for Quartz to answer. The older lapin tugged on a stray strand of her pink-hued hair. "Though Diamond has something to do with the circumstances, if I recall, he wasn't the one who made it hard to get in and out of the palace. That was an order from the Council." Quartz answered, struggling to recall if she knew the explicit reason. "When was that placed? I believe it was a bit over two years ago. You'd have to ask the Council for more details if you're able to catch up with them."
Thunder had been pretty quiet since the heroes had gotten further into the kingdom. Roselynn and Penelope had done most of the talking, while he had mostly been looking around and following the other two. It wasn't that he hadn't been listening at all—as he had—but he didn't find a reason to speak.
Not until the Council was brought up. The term "the Council" didn't resonate with Thunder all that well, nor did it resonate with Roselyynn well for that matter. It was mainly due to what happened in the Galactic Jungle and the whole DOTROTPOTUSF situation.
"Where can we talk to the Council? Do they even exist and aren't a puppet totalitarian government?" Thunder asked, his face going still as if he were going into his Thunderstruck form.
Roselyynn decided to chime in, as hearing about a council worried her. "Also, have they been passing really strict laws that break the citizens?"
Penelope paused when the two of them asked that. She looked to Quartz, who appeared to be stunned but almost offended and really confused, and then back to her colleagues. "…Who hurt you? Seriously, who? And Thunder, when did you learn the word 'totalitarian'?"
Rose Quartz drew quiet, really thinking about it. She bit her lip, after looking down and processing this. "I only have time to talk about one more thing. However, something just occurred to me. Our Council isn't an extreme totalitarian government, like you were assuming, though they have been acting strange lately."
Roselyynn and Thunder straightened up, and Penelope was thrown off guard for a moment. She didn't know how Roselyynn and Thunder were able to get Quartz to recall something about their council based on wild assumptions, but she didn't know if she were confused or unimpressed.
"How strange? What have they been doing? Do you think someone has been controlling them in the background?" Thunder quickly asked. Quartz brought a paw to the side of her face.
"I'm sorry… I don't really know what's off about them. All I know is that the way legislation has been passed lately has been strange, and their demeanor about meetings have been weird. You would have to ask the Council about what's going on." Quartz pulled out a slip of paper from her pocket and carefully unfolded it. With a polite bow, she said, "I apologize for cutting things short, but I must go. I need to finish my errands before it's too late to go back into the palace. Take care now."
From there, Quartz hurried off to her errands, barely giving the trio a chance to say goodbye. Penelope brought her paw to her face and had to process what happened. It provided more puzzle pieces, but not more answers to the puzzle. As for Roselyynn and Thunder, they had particularly stern looks on their faces.
They also had similar thoughts. "We need to find the Council now." The both of them spoke, looking at each other. Penelope stared at them, crossing her arms, not exactly liking the idea.
"We don't know where they are. Besides that, it wouldn't be good to rush in and ask without thinking. First, we need to find out where the Council is. Second, we need to figure out what we'll specifically ask them if we are able to catch them." Penelope advised, uncrossing her arms.
Roselyynn and Thunder looked at each other, and then to Penelope.
They were pretty sure she had no idea what she was talking about. Roselyynn decided to be the one to smack this down onto the first hero. "Penelope, in a situation like this, you can't always be slow and tactical. If there's possibly a puppet government with someone controlling them behind the scenes, you have to get on it and do something before things get bad."
Penelope rolled her eyes and surveyed the surroundings. Right now, this part of time was fairly quiet and there were very few about. That made it hard to see if they could ask anyone about the Council and where the building was.
At least, it was that way at first. Roselynn and Thunder were going to say something else, only to pause when they heard the quiet playing of a harp nearby. Penelope's ears twitched, and she looked in the direction of the noise. A figure in a brown cloak holding a harp drew closer to them. The heroes stared at them until the figure got close and stopped playing.
"Why, hello again heroes. I didn't expect to see you three here so soon." A familiar feminine voice spoke from under the hood. They looked in the direction of the dock from where they were now. "Did something happen to the rest of your group? I could've sworn you had more numbers by now."
The trio recognized Jewel rather quickly. Roselyynn answered the question, crossing her arms and glaring in the direction of the dock. "No, they're here. They just weren't allowed on the island because of "tradition and rules". Mari and Maelynn didn't approve."
Jewel shrugged from under her cloak. "Well, my people don't like outsiders—especially not Raposa. Its fortunate that you three were at least allowed on the island. It would make it easier to deal with the King, though you can't just slip into the castle right now."
Thunder was the one who replied back. "That's what Quartz was just saying. Apparently its hard for people from the palace to get in and out as well."
Penelope noticed Jewel pause when she heard the name "Quartz". It was as if she knew it. She could sort of see the lapin's expression from under her cloak with her height. Penelope saw Jewel glance in the direction Quartz had gone before her expression went serious. Her tone sounded different as well. "Quartz? As in Rose Quartz? Why did she talk to you?"
Jewel's tone sounded different. She seemed weirdly panicked about this. Roselyynn and Thunder didn't find it odd, as Jewel wasn't on good terms with the King and Quartz worked for him, though the shift rubbed Penelope wrong. She didn't comment on it and kept observing.
Thunder spoke again. "Well, she didn't expect to see us here, but was glad as it would help with what's going on in the kingdom. She also mentioned something about not trusting things said about Diamond until we get an audience with him."
Penelope noticed another shift in Jewel's demeanor. Roselyynn and Thunder couldn't see it, though Penelope saw how Jewel went from being panicked to being annoyed. "Well, that makes sense. She does serve him after all and is close to him." Jewel said crisply. "Though at the same time, she's loyal to a tyrant. As he's her King, its natural she'd want to protect him."
Penelope found it peculiar how Jewel was speaking about Quartz and behaving under her hood. She clearly had contempt for the other lapin for whatever reason. Her tone reminded her of Wilfre when he spoke about the Raposa in the past—which sent off red flags in Penelope's head.
She could tell that something was off about Jewel in specific. She still didn't know what.
For now, she just let Roselynn and Thunder keep talking. Thunder asked about the Council to change off the topic of Quartz, as he noticed talking about Quartz upset Jewel. "Actually Jewel, do you know anything about the Council? We needed to talk to them about something."
Jewel paused when the Council was brought up. Penelope observed Jewel's grip on her harp tighten. Still, the lapin knew something, and she went to strumming her harp a moment. "I do. I used to be a member of the Council for a while in fact." Jewel replied coolly. She turned away, as if looking at something, and she pointed in that direction.
"The Council meets in the second tallest building on the island. It's the one atop the hill with the staircase and the massive library by it. It's one of the landmarks, so you can't miss it." She said, strumming her harp again. "The only issue is that they got off their meeting not too long ago, so you wouldn't be able to meet up with them as a group right now. There are six council members—"
Thunder interrupted when he heard "six council members". He didn't typically interrupt unless it really bothered him. "There's six of them? Having six council members isn't a good thing. Are they actually puppets?"
Jewel went silent when Thunder said that. Penelope couldn't read Jewel's expression as she was turned away right now, but she knew that what Thunder said took her off guard. She seemed to be aware of something that she wasn't telling them. The lapin took a deep breath and answered in a still voice, "No. I don't know where you got that impression. Let me guess, the Raposa in one of their towns did something like that and it had drastic consequences on the townsfolk?"
Roselyynn and Thunder nodded. Jewel still remained facing away. "Why am I not surprised? Anyway, like I was saying, there are six council members: Carnelian the Red, Sunstone the Orange, Citrine the Yellow—" Jewel was unimpressed when she was cut off again, though it was by Roselyynn this time.
"They're named after colors? Why? That's just sad."
"The colors represent the magic they use. The Council has the most vibrant robes compared to everyone else." Jewel clarified, before taking a deep breath and continuing. She didn't want to be interrupted again.
"The last three are Malachite the Green, Sapphire the Blue, and Moonstone the Purple. Sapphire is the leader of the Council, though it's harder to talk to him as he's the busiest. It might be easier to try and speak to the Council or at least identify who they are after their meeting tomorrow." Jewel finished, taking a deep breath.
Penelope supposed that was good intel to have. She decided to ask one last detail. "Even though this may be unnecessary to know, as you aren't currently a council member, what was your title exactly? You don't have to answer if you feel uncomfortable talking about it."
Jewel strummed her harp briefly before answering. She still had her back turned to the heroes. "I was called Jewel the Black. I was the only female member on the council. They probably called me that because I was the black sheep of the group."
Penelope decided to add one last thing. "Do the council members have secondary titles?"
"Yes, for the most part. They mainly relate to their magic or a trait. For example, I was called Jewel the Muse as one of my specialties is musical and hypnotic magic." Penelope could feel Jewel wince for saying that. Such as if mentioning her specialties would be a mistake if it backfired on her later.
Penelope decided that she was satisfied with the questioning for now. Though this whole situation generally seemed off, Penelope decided to keep some suspicion of Jewel. Despite that she was supposed to have been "banished" from the isle, it was strange that she knew a lot about what was going on by the looks of it.
And she was hiding something. Roselyynn and Thunder couldn't detect it as easily, but Penelope could sense that some things were purposely being hidden. There was to be a specific reason behind it.
Hopefully getting into contact with the Council would help shed some light on the situation.