The Unlikely Confidant
A/N: This is a side note, but with Stevenbomb 6 (SPOILERS) the aquamarines in this story are a different type of aquamarine from the Cannon!Verse ones.
Chapter 4: Acquainting Other Gems
A feeling of awkwardness followed Greg like a stench that would not go away as he walked alongside the blue pearl. He felt this immense feeling of guilt and worry for the servant gem, for he had accidently forcefully placed her in a position in which she could not avoid: listen to Blue Diamond's personal stories. Whilst that did not sound dangerous in the slightest, Greg was concerned about how the pearl would respond to Blue Diamond's reminiscing about Pink Diamond. Would the monarch lash out at her if she made the 'wrong' response or comment? Would she even… shatter the poor gem?
Greg gulped in dread at the thought of the pearl's future. He glanced over at the ballerina dressed gem who sauntered quietly and with a sense of duty to accomplish.
"Hey…" Greg uttered, causing the blue pearl to glance over at him. Greg could not distinguish what the svelte gem was expressing behind her bangs: irritation, curiosity, or fear?
"I'm sorry for placing you in a hard position." Greg apologised sincerely.
A barely audible gasp escaped the petite pearl's lips at Greg's words. Never in her entire existence has anyone ever apologised to her. Hearing someone say 'I'm sorry' swelled up an intense feeling of rapturous joy that the blue gem had to look away and stare at the ground so to not expose her blush of flattery.
"…Uh… you have no reason to apologise…" She quietly muttered as she stared at her twiddling thumbs in deep embarrassment. "It is my duty to serve my diamond."
"That doesn't change the fact that I put you in a pretty tough position," Greg insisted kindly, his brown eyes softening in concern. "You could get hurt for not understanding her."
Apologising to her was one thing, but for someone to feel concern for her, a pearl, was beyond physical comprehension. The pearl glanced up at the human and saw that it was truly worried about her. She could not understand why it would show any concern for a petty gem as her, but it was… pleasant having someone who showed care.
"I know my diamond well…" The svelte gem remarked, although her tone sounded weak and uncertain. "You need not to worry of me."
But Greg could not stop worrying for the servant. Suddenly an idea hit him, which caused him to smile prosperously towards the blue gem.
"How 'bout I teach you some responses towards what your diamond will say? That way you won't accidently offend her!" Greg suggested kindly with his eyes gleaming hopefully towards the pearl.
That suggestion made the pearl turn her head quickly towards Greg so that her bangs flung off her face to have revealed a glimpse of her stunned blue eyes.
"…D…Do not worry yourself with a pearl…" The blue pearl rebutted meekly towards Greg.
"Nah I insist!" Greg grinned wholeheartedly. "I can tell you some responses now as we walk!"
The blue pearl had no idea how to process the situation she was in. This organic being, whom she had just acquainted with, was willing and caring enough to help her. Was it the nature of humans to show compassion to one another? If it was not, then why was this one so concerned for her? Even if it may not understand the hierarchy of gems, what promoted it to care for her? These were questions that she should not be thinking! She's a pearl, and pearls are not made to think or feel!
But… it really was an unbelievably pleasant feeling, knowing that someone-though organic-showed care and concern for a trivial pearl…
"Ok!" Greg acknowledged, taking that the pearl's silence and her attention to him meant that he could teach her. "When your diamond tells you something personal about her experience with Pink Diamond, these are some responses you can say to her…"
Greg listed some responses to the pearl and explained when she should say those comments to her superior. He also explained why they would ease the diamond and potentially assist the monarch in her goal to overcome her grief. The servant listened intently to Greg's words, and he had a gut feeling that she was listening not because she was obliged to assist Blue Diamond's confidant. She didn't question his explanations, which made him uncertain as to whether she felt unworthy to speak to him or if she understood him.
It was such a surreal experience for Greg speaking to a pearl that wasn't Pearl. This one showed timidness; only spoke when requested to, and she tried to remain as stolid as physically possible. She really was a servant, a being that was seen as nothing but some item used to show the owner's position of power. Trying to picture Pearl being like this blue one made Greg's eyes soften and his heart thud lightly in pity and remorse. Hopefully he may be able to convince Blue Diamond through his lessons to… be more open to the idea of pearls being beings and not accessories.
Suddenly from Greg's right somebody bumped into the blue pearl. The pearl yelped as she fell back, and the one who bumped into her grunted in surprise. Greg turned and noticed that the gem that bumped into the svelte gem was one of those amethyst guards. She was a maroon colour amethyst with a chipped tooth he noted as she shrieked and flinched in panic and alarm towards the fallen pearl.
"Oh I'm so sorry!" The maroon amethyst apologised, her tone implying that she genuinely had not meant to bump into the pearl.
Then she crouched and took a hand of the slim blue gem and gently assisted her to her feet. The pearl could only gawk in utter flabbergast as a gem of higher class helped her up to her feet.
"I-I wasn't paying attention so I didn't see you and then I bumped into you and-"
"Whoa take it easy there!" Greg interrupted with a light chuckle at the panicky guard. "Everyone accidently bumps into someone!"
The chipped guard turned to Greg, and the man noticed that her rattled features softened at his words and brought her to ease. She then looked back to the blue pearl to hear from the gem if she forgave the ignorant amethyst. The servant gasped at the attention she was receiving.
"O-oh I, uh, y-yes I forgive…you…" The thin gem uttered shyly. It was weird for a pearl to grant someone forgiveness-it was simply unheard of!
An amethyst popped from the doorframe with a look of sheer terror on her face. "Holly Blue, forgive my fellow amethyst for-" Her state of trepidation immediately dropped when she noticed Greg.
A wide grin of rapturous excitement appeared on the amethyst's face. She then turned her head over her shoulder and called out ecstatically, "Hey it's the free human!"
Suddenly a whole group of quartzes came at the door to stare in deep fascination towards Greg as if he was some sort of divine being that was gracing their presence. Greg flinched at the amount of attention he was receiving from everyone. Their eyes flickered with jubilant wonder, as if they were expecting the man to perform some wondrous tricks for them.
An amethyst, the one that had a curl much like Rose's, came forward with her clenched fists close to her chest in excitement. She grinned down at Greg, who shrunk under the height of the muscular gem.
"What do you think of the station?" She asked in a zip-fast tone that exposed her vehement fascination in Greg.
Another amethyst that had pinkish hair and darker skin came up to Greg with equal excitement as her comrade. "What do you think of us gems?"
Then another amethyst rushed forward. "What's it like eating?"
Greg felt his back about to give up due to how far he bent himself backwards from the close proximity of the muscular gems. I guess no one could really resist the Universe charm.
Greg raised his arms and gave light pushing motions to show the gems to give him space. "W-whoa just back up you guys!"
The purple coloured gems listened to Greg's request and backed away to give the man some breathing space. Greg sighed in relief as he straightened his back, and then he looked at the inquisitive gems before him. Before he could open his mouth to request them to ask him one at a time someone grabbed his left arm and tugged at him to enter the room that the quartzes came from. Looking down Greg noted that it was the small red gem he saw before-a carnelian as he recalled-dragging him into the room with the widest grin physically possible on her face.
Greg found himself within the familiar room in which the quartzes occupied when they were not given anything to do. A couple of jaspers within their designated 'holes' looked down from above at Greg, but the man did not feel daunted by them as they were all smiling down at him with equal excitement to their amethyst counterparts. Behind him the blue pearl awkwardly tagged along, her mouth gaping and closing like a goldfish as she tried to speak and remind the human that they had to be at the laboratory. A couple of amethysts and jaspers looked down at her with curiosity and wonder, for they have rarely paid heed to a pearl. Not use to this sort of attention she looked down at the floor and twiddled her thumbs when she came to a halt behind Greg.
Everyone's attentions was directed towards the human that stood in the centre of the room. The carnelian still clung to his hand with her eyes gleaming like stars up at him, which brought a pleasant smile to Greg's face. All these quartzes seemed so pleasant and carefree, much like a certain amethyst he knew!
"So…" Greg raised his hands to his side and pivoted to gesture to all the quartzes before him. This scene before him reminded him of his dreams of people flocking to him to ask about the life of the great musician Mr. Universe. "What'd you all like to know about me?"
"What's there we don't want to know about you, free human?"
Greg looked on over to notice a jasper, but this one was unlike the rest of her bunch. She was skinny, but she held an air of confidence and pride in regards to her appearance.
Her arms were crossed and her eyebrows were raised in amusement towards him. "We've never had a human wander around the station before, let alone we never interact with any humans in the zoo, so naturally we'd like to get to know you."
"None of the aquamarines tell us anything about the humans!" The carnelian stated dourly, drawing Greg's attention down to her. She let go of his hand to cross her arms, and she huffed in frustration. "They think we're too stupid to understand their description of humans!"
"And they make fun of us." An amethyst with sharp teeth (the sight made Greg flinch at how they resembled shark teeth) added sombrely with her posture slouched in dismay.
"I'd trade Holly insulting us with aquamarines insulting us any time." The amethyst with the rose curl said with a humorous grin on her face.
That remark garnished a few chortles from the crowd of quartzes that rumbled across the entire room. During the chortling a jasper came up to the pearl, startling the gem that was tiny compared to the butch orange gem.
"Oh do you get your own pearl, free human?" The jasper inquired as she lowered herself with her hands on her hips to investigate the pearl as if she were some exotic animal. The pearl quivered in terror from the scrutinizing jasper. "Now that's pretty neat!"
The chipped-toothed amethyst from before gave a light shove towards her jasper comrade. "Hey leave her alone, 8xK! Can't you see she doesn't like the attention you're giving her?"
"Gee didn't mean to crack your gem there, 8xT!" The jasper huffed and backed off to rub her sore chest that was received from the shove.
Noticing the tension from the two gems, Greg quickly ran between them and laughed nervously, "No she's not my pearl, 8xK!"
Hearing her name made the gem's dour mood morph into one displaying rapturous joy. It was clear to Greg that these quartzes were not used to being addressed by their 'names', meaning that they were looked down as the 'stupid grunts'.
Greg turned back towards the crowd to shoot his charming smile towards them all. "Allow me to introduce myself!" He then pointed a thumb to himself and his grin widened. "I'm Greg Universe!"
A series of awe-filled noises of 'wow' and 'whoas' echoed across the room from the quartzes. Eyes sparkled towards the human and their mouths were open agape in uncontained reverence.
"Are you really important on Earth?" The sharp-toothed amethyst inquired excitedly like a cheerful child.
"Well to some people I am!" Greg laughed and rubbed the back of his head. He never thought that receiving such attention would make him feel so meek and timid!
"With a title like 'Universe' in your designated name it sounds like you're a higher-up amongst humans." The skinny jasper commented with her posture straightened to signify her interest about the human.
"Oh, uh, no, no the 'Universe' thing is my last name!" Greg clarified, only to receive blank stares from the quartzes. "I choose to be called Greg Universe! It's got nothing to do with position or complicated hierarchy stuff that you gems have."
That response received confused and baffled murmurs to circulate across the gems. They were all flabbergasted and astonished by the idea that one could choose to be called by whatever they wanted. Not only that but the human stated that there was no social hierarchy like theirs! Then how did the humans go about in their daily lives? How do they work together to continue the survival of their race? How could one be born without an identity to only create their own?
It was the skinny jasper that broke the shock-stricken silence by questioning carefully, "So how does your species live without purpose?"
Greg gave an off-handed shrug. "We do whatever we want! We focus on surviving of course, but in the meantime we can also choose to do whatever we want!"
"You mean…" Greg looked down at the Carnelian. She pointed to herself and asked with wonder, "…like I could choose to not be a guard if I wanted to?"
"That's right!" Greg gave a nod and an auspicious grin towards the red gem's rapturous reaction of jumping up and down in uncontained glee.
"Wow humans sound awesome!" The amethyst with the curl remarked jubilantly, which received a few nods and murmurs of agreements from her fellow gems.
Carnelian turned to face the quartzes with her arms outspread to emphasise that she had a magnificent idea to share. "Hey maybe we should all name ourselves!"
The quartzes seemed extremely keen to the Carnelian's proposal that some were grinning towards one another and stamping their feet in eagerness. Greg was tremendously pleased that the quartzes were so willing to try to do something outside of their… designated birth upbringing.
The pearl, on the other hand, was perturbed by the human's stories and the quartzes doing the unthinkable: abandoning their designated number. A gem's designated number was what identified them across a sea of their gem kind. The designated number told all what a gem's position was and how 'healthy' they were regarding how they were brought up. To go against their designated number was… it should be impossible…
"But what would I call myself? Skinnys?" The skinny jasper joked with a grin adorning her face.
"Oh maybe you could give us names, Greg!" The sharp-toothed amethyst suggested, and the others approved of the idea.
Greg looked around to count how many quartzes there were. Oh boy-there was too many for him to name each of them. "I won't have the time to name you all, but I can give you some ideas on some good names!"
That idea seemed to satisfy the quartzes. All of them seemed to close in on Greg like a pack of wolves eager to devour their prey. They were all trying to gain the human's attention so that he could name them first before having to leave. Greg pressed a hand to his temple and hummed contemplatively as he pondered a few names for the quartzes that were in his line of sight. The one with the sharp teeth, understandably, caught his attention first with that wide grin of hers.
With a smile on his face he pointed to her. "You could be Sharky or Jaws because of those sharp teeth of yours!"
The sharp-toothed amethyst had her eyes glowing at the compliment of her teeth that she touched her teeth to feel their sharpness. She chortled goofily at how sharp they were. "I like the sound of Sharky! Kinda sounds like sharp-y!"
Incredibly joyful that the gem enjoyed her name, Greg then turned to the one with the rose curl. "You could be Curls because of that curl of yours!"
The amethyst massaged her fingers through the curl and gave a smile of acknowledgement. "Curls sounds cool!"
Greg continued to name as much gems as he could. The skinny Jasper, surprisingly, seemed to have grown fond of referring herself to 'Skinnys' for as she had put, 'why should all quartzes be big? Being skinny has its values'. Carnelian seemed keened on just being called by her gem type as she is 'the one and only carnelian of the quartzes!'. Throughout the naming, the blue pearl stood completely dumbstruck at what was occurring. Her shock was interrupted when she felt a gigantic yet gentle hand on her shoulder. She glanced up to see that it was the maroon amethyst that she had bumped into before, who was looking down at her with a pleasant smile. No gem has ever smiled at a pearl before, even when a pearl executed their tasks perfectly for their masters and crowds.
"Maybe you'd like to be named too!" The chipped-tooth amethyst proposed kindly.
That threw off the svelte servant gem as if a fusion had swatted her aside. Before she could open her mouth to oppose, the maroon amethyst called out and waved to the human to check her. Unfortunately for the timid gem the human turned to her and came up to her and the amethyst.
"Since you're naming us, why don't you name the pearl?" The chipped-toothed gem recommended, her hand still on the blue gem's shoulder.
"Absolutely!" Greg approved with a favourable and welcoming grin.
The quartzes seemed gobsmacked but not against the idea of naming the servant gem. They were not used to the idea of regarding the pearl as an individual, which again was seen across the whole gem hierarchy. Perhaps Greg could create small influences amongst the soldier class gems and then have it spread like wildfire. Besides the pearl deserved recognition too!
"Well I got plenty of name opportunities for you!" Greg stated enthusiastically, which made the shy gem all the more nervous. Using his fingers, Greg counted, "There's Sky, Ellie-because you're elegant-Lulu because, I don't know I like the name, and-"
"I'll just…" Pearl abruptly interrupted Greg's counting, which caused the quartzes to blink in surprise that the blue gem spoke. She looked down at the ground, ashamed for her lack of manners. "…be referred to as pearl…"
Greg gave the pearl a sympathetic look, and he opened his mouth to insist but the slim gem's body language indicated that she wanted to drop the subject. To shatter the awkward silence that came across the group Greg turned to the maroon amethyst to name her.
The maroon gem grinned knowingly to Greg, indicating to the human that the amethyst has already named herself. "Everyone calls me Chip for my tooth!" She pointed out to her missing tooth with pride. "I lost it when Holly punched me in the face!"
Greg grew pallor at the image of that brute blue gem smashing a tooth out of this buff amethyst. Thinking about the agate made Greg realize that he had to go and meet up with that aquamarine before these gems get into deep trouble.
Suddenly a gem's head popped from the corner of the entrance, causing Greg to yelp in fear and babble about how he happened across this room and that the quartzes were not at fault. When he did not hear the shouting demands and chagrin comments from Holly, Greg calmed himself so he could see who the gem was. Much to his great relief and humiliation it was the aquamarine he was designated with.
The cyan gem blinked questioningly towards the human, and then her marine green eyes scanned the odd scene before her. "Well it would seem that I have stumbled upon an extraordinary gathering of gems and an organic!" She remarked drolly with a sly smile gracing her features.
"Oh, a-aquamarine!" Greg straightened himself up and coughed to hide his blush of embarrassment from his reaction towards her. "I thought you were-"
"Holly Blue Agate? Sorry to disappoint you," the cyan gem stated sardonically with a snort. Her attention shifted to the group of quartzes. "So why are you hanging out with the quartzes?"
"Hey! For your information we have names!" Carnelian boasted defensively with her arms crossed to emphasise her point.
"Names, huh?" Aquamarine blinked inquisitively. "I think you mean your designated number, Facet-7XNT Cut-9xA."
"No we got names, like that's Sharky, Curls and Chip!" Carnelian corrected and pointed out to the named gems. "Greg taught us about identity and how he's nothing special!"
Greg gave a light smile and chuckled in flattery, although he did feel slightly hurt by the comment of him not being special.
Blue Pearl felt trepidation claw at her as the quartzes exposed how the human named them and taught them about humans' lifestyles. What if this aquamarine reported to Blue Diamond about these taboo topics that the human was speaking with the quartz soldiers? Her superior would shatter her for her insubordination! As a pearl she should have not gotten herself so side-tracked and distracted! She should have escorted the human like she was ordered to do!
"Oh? How fascinating," aquamarine uttered with genuine wonder etched in her tone. She turned over to Greg and gave a playful grin. "So what name would suit me, 'Greg'?"
Greg gave a shrug. "Cyan? Marina?"
"Hmmm…" the cyan gem hummed in contemplation and tapped her temple in thought. "I quite like the sound of 'Marina'. But only call me that when there are no other gems in present, okay?"
Greg couldn't help but grin like a thrilled child awaiting their gifts for Christmas. It was incredibly relieving and fantastic that he was teaching these gems some important and wonderful values that mankind has to offer. Maybe he will be able to convince Blue Diamond that there was more to these gems than their designated positions-that life is more than just being born for a task.
"Anyhow you best to come with me now before Bitter H comes by to scold at you and the rest of you gems." Marina spoke as solemnly as she could, though she could not help but snicker at the name 'Bitter H'.
"The blame befalls me, aquamarine," the blue pearl admitted and gave a bow of shame. "I should have escorted the human to you without having distracted myself-"
"Whoa take it easy pearl or that stress is going to make you look unattractive in the eyes of the Blue D," Marina interrupted and waved her hand dismissively towards the servant gem's humbleness. "I'll be taking the human, pearl; you're dismissed.
The blue pearl seemed reluctant to allow the issue to pass but she remained respectfully silent and obeyed the aquamarine's orders. The cyan gem then turned to Greg and ushered him to come with her. As Greg approached the bun haired gem the quartzes waved to him with sincere smiles etched on their faces as they said goodbye to him. Greg waved back to them and bid farewell by calling out their names as he exited the room and followed the cyan gem down to the laboratory.
"Be glad that I and the rest of the lab gems are silky aquamarines and not standard aquamarines. They have these fancy powers that allow them to life objects with their minds." Marina explained as she led Greg to the lab. "All those quartzes would have been flung against a wall and be poofed by one standard aquamarine!"
"Well that's a huge relief!" Greg chuckled nervously. His face crinkled in trepidation. "Uh you won't report to Holly Blue or Blue Diamond about I hanging out with-"
"No need to worry-you didn't tell the Blue D that I call her that so I won't tell anyone that you hung out with a group of quartzes and a pearl." Marina assured with a sly smirk etched on her face.
When they reached the laboratory she showed Greg to one of the giant tubes built into a wall that he noticed earlier. One of the tubes was open, and judging by the inside and the shape it was meant for him to enter. He turned to the cyan gem with his brows furrowed in uneasiness.
"These tubes used to be where humans would sleep," Marina explained by banging her fist against the open tube door. "Since you're not a part of the zoo this is the only place where you'll be sleeping."
Strangely enough though he did not feel tired initially, the amount of events that happened to him and the sudden realization of it made Greg now feel exhausted. He yawned lightly and entered the tube where he then tried to adjust his posture so he would be comfortable. No matter what pose he tried he was not even in the slightest comfortable, but he did not complain.
"What am I going to eat?" He called out inquisitively to his personal scientist gem.
"I'll arrange the appropriate food that'll contain all the minerals an organic like yourself needs in due time!" Marina replied loudly for the human to hear. "You just recover your energy and lead the rest to me!"
Before Greg could even open his mouth to ask more questions regarding matters like hygiene and when he should be expected to wake up, the aquamarine shut the tube and he was left in the dark. Sighing both in content for being given privacy and from all that has happened today, he stared up at the ceiling.
Once again his thoughts traced their steps back to his little man Steven. Greg wondered what Steven was doing now with the Gems. Were they planning to build a spaceship to come and rescue him? Were they debating about whether Steven should come with the Crystal Gems on this dangerous mission? Did they even have the slightest idea of where Greg was? Will he be stuck on this zoo station forever? Greg's one and only hope was that Stew-ball would be safe and that the Crystal Gems will take care of him.
The more he thought about everything the more he became tired until finally he went to sleep.