AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Hey guys! If there's a better way to do A/N here, I don't know it! FFnet has funny ways of uploading that I don't like. Thanks for the support so far!
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Peridot reforms mid yell.
The realization that she's regenerated- she feels shorter, and there was a knife in her gut last she remembers- jolts her into shutting her mouth. The second realization, that she's somewhere new, has her tempted to start screaming again.
She's in a large room with high ceilings. Peridot would guess it's gem-built, based on the designs, and the fact that they probably warped here. She's unsure of its specific purpose, but the room contains no pad, and there are a few doorways that branch out into other parts of the building.
"Wow, you're kind of short. I was worried you were going to come back with no arms or legs. They fell off when I stabbed you," a familiar voice tells her, "sorry I had to do that, by the way."
She turns, nervously, to see the pink beast, hackles raised. It looks about to pounce on her small, defenseless ass.
"Don't hurt me," she pleads, wondering if it even has enough sentience to listen.
She reasons the human has enough, and directs her request to the scruffy one sitting behind the animal.
"Can you tell me how to find my son?" He asks.
"Well, I can tell you," she says, "though I don't think you'll have much luck."
"Go on,"
"Uh, did you kill my guards?" She asks; he looks uncomfortable, "I'm guessing you just warped away, since we're somewhere else, but I thought I should check."
"Lion could eat them, I bet." He says.
He ran away, then.
"Are you half gem too then?" Peridot asks.
He shakes his head, no.
"Wh-? Then how did you activate the warp? Your organic system shouldn't be compatible with our technology."
She'd assumed incorrectly, before, then. Humans were stronger than she thought. Jasper had gone on about how weak humans were, so Peridot reasoned this one was the same as the Steven, judging by his hit to her visor, earlier. That came back fixed, at least.
"I have- a way to activate the warp," he says, touching his hand to the pocket of his appearance modifiers, "what's your name?"
"Peridot, Facet 2F5L, Cut 5XG."
His eyes narrow at this.
"...I'm Greg Universe."
"Hello..."
He rubs the back of his neck, taking a deep breath before repeating his earlier inquiry. The Lion has calmed, sitting next to Greg with its paws crossed over one another.
"Do you want the Steven, or all of them back?" She sighs.
"Uh, preferably all of them," he says, "but they can handle themselves better than Steven. He's just a little boy."
"What is a boy?"
"It's... a type of human."
"Are you a boy?"
Greg nods. It doesn't clear up much confusion for her, but Peridot is hoping to never have to talk to a human again soon.
"Okay- I am not betraying my Diamond with this information, since what you seek to do is hopeless anyway." Peridot states, convincing herself, "you would have to warp back, defeat my quartz guards, take my ship two days away- I don't assume you have a way around ship software?"
He thinks, then nods. She's surprised, but continues,
"Then you'd have to warp three more times to Homeworld and your obviously organic self and pink beast would have to slip past all gems in sight to find and collect the Steven. Then, you'd need to do the same back. Minus defeating the quartz gems again... unless you allow them to reform."
Greg does not seem happy with this description. Nor should he- it's hopeless.
"Okay," he reasons aloud, "Lion takes your scary ladies out, I have you bubble the-"
"Bubble?"
Greg, unhelpfully, cups his hands, like a bubble.
At her blank stare, Greg poorly describes what she recognizes to be Stasis, cupping his hands again as he speaks, for the visual.
"They... keep gems in Stasis?" Peridot gapes, "here?"
Greg pauses, wondering how much he should reveal before a thought hits him.
"They do!" He says, "there's like a thousand in the Temple."
"What the fuck?"
"Could you get into the Temple?" He asks, "I could release a bunch on Homeworld, as a distraction."
He makes a face, once he's actually said it out loud. It might not be ideal.
"I can't open a door that's not programmed to my gem." Peridot tells him.
It's true, but even if she could, she's not telling that to Greg.
What he wants to do is a terrible idea- if the Crystal Gems have them bubbled, they're likely not their allies, and if he thinks that releasing them will be a good distraction, they're probably not good for Homeworld, either.
Additionally, she's deduced that the Greg Boy doesn't know what the hell he's talking about, which is great for her. She's a little worried that he's telling her all this information, since that's not always a good thing, but it seems pretty clear at this point that he's only bouncing things off of her because he doesn't know the answer.
All she has to do is be a little less truthful and maybe she can get away to complete her job. She doesn't know much about this planet, other than what she is to do here, but that alone means she doesn't want to end up stranded on it.
"How were you planning to fly the ship?" Peridot asks.
He fidgets.
"Was that me, also?"
Peridot sighs. She can't beat anything in a fight, without her limb enhancers, but maybe this hopeless boy will let her go. She doesn't mind if he lives, as long as he's out of her way.
"I'm going to go," she says, "but you can live-"
She jumps back at the growl from the Lion.
Greg looks thoughtful, and nods.
"Let her leave, boy," he tells the lion, puzzlingly.
This is a Boy too? A human?
Peridot decides to drop the matter, taking her chance while she has it. She breaks into a run as the growling starts back up behind her and slips through the first doorway, hoping desperately it leads to a warp pad.
...
Greg watches the green gem go, pulling the warp whistle from his pocket.
From what he can tell, it replicates the last warp from any given pad. He ended up here, he thinks, because it's the last place the gems must have warped to, before their capture. If he goes to the warp after Peridot, it'll take him to wherever she goes.
"We'll hide out and follow her for a while," Greg says; Lion has seemed to understand him at times, so he thinks it might be beneficial to talk to it, "maybe we can get on her ship."
Lion grumbles at him.
If this thing has any communication capability, Greg surmises that Lion thinks it's a bad idea. That, or he's just projecting onto this animal.
Because Greg sure thinks it's a terrible idea.
...
Pearl sighs, leaning heavily against the wall. She peers through the yellow field at the chrysoprase guarding her. It's one of Blue Diamond's squadron, which means that she's been brought in on this too.
Pearl suspects that's what happened to Sapphire- they likely sent her back to her court...
She presses her palms to her eyes to stop from crying, but all it does is aggravate the painful bruises to her face. She first met Sapphire, and Ruby, and Garnet on Earth. She expected she'd die there with them.
Instead, she's lost Garnet forever, and Pearl has to look at one of the gems she'd doubtless faced in battle all those millennia ago, from a cell in the one place she never wanted to be again.
She doesn't specifically recognize the gem before her, but she met plenty of them during the war. Pearl also suspects that they're not sending any gems to watch her that don't already know she exists.
Peridot's ignorance about the existence of the Crystal Gems, as well as the careful way they've been moving her from place to place, means that they don't want to inspire rebels again.
It was enough of a deal the first time it was revealed that a Pearl , of all gems, had freed herself of her owner and was becoming a real and significant problem for the Diamonds.
It delighted Rose, at the time, that her friend was having such an impact. Sometimes they caused trouble in front of as many gems as they could, just to make sure they were seen. Word would spread of the rebellion, and that any gem could participate, Rose would say.
That was how she met Garnet. It was one such appearance in Blue Diamond's court that introduced her to the Ruby and Sapphire, who fused in a panic into the first fusion of different gems that Pearl had ever seen.
She quickly wipes her eyes again as she hears faint footsteps.
The chrysoprase glances to the spinel in the doorway, nodding her consent to let the other gem enter.
She pads softly over to Pearl, ordering her to not move, as her hand hovers by the switch to disable the field. She looks a little nervous, Pearl's happy to see.
The spinel hits the switch, quickly dropping the items in her opposite arm into the cell and straightening to slam her palm back onto the button, enabling the force-field once more.
"Yellow Diamond thanks you for your cooperation, Pearl, " she speaks through gritted teeth; Pearl's sure now that they've met before, "clean yourself up a bit, before your next meeting. We'll collect you, when that time comes."
Pearl knows the message is just to rub in her face that she's surrendered any information, but she knows being mostly honest about what Steven was was the best way to keep him safe. Next, she's sure, will come the information she doesn't want to give up.
"You've delivered this just for me, Spinel?" Pearl says, utilizing her flexibility to lean and collect the box, chest brushing her straightened legs in her reach, "You're doing a pearl's job- for me."
"For my Diamonds," she corrects, infuriated, "we can't risk you ruining any more pearls. They had to break Yellow Diamond's last one, because of you, and she wasn't the only one."
She had noticed that the pearl leaving Yellow Diamond's warp was different than the one she knew. Pearl feels some sorrow at this news, but she expected nothing less. Maybe someday, things could change- it was clear enough, also, that she recognized her. The pearls' projection capabilities had undoubtedly fueled a small revolution on Homeworld before it had been shut brutally down. This one had been smart enough to not get involved- or at least, caught- after being told about her.
"You're excused," Pearl murmurs, before the spinel has a chance to leave of her own accord.
It's a risky thing to say, and she worries that the gem is going to disable the field again to beat her to a pulp, but Pearl can't help it. The very sight of the blue gem reminds her that Blue Diamond, who Spinel swears allegiance to, has robbed Pearl of someone she loves. Two someones, she corrects, feeling guilt at picturing only Garnet in the wake of Sapphire's death.
The chrysoprase warns the slender blue gem against taking further action, but it's clear she wants to get in on hurting Pearl.
They have strict orders to not hurt her so badly that she retreats into her gem- doing so would allow her to remain there indefinitely, until she felt like leaving. They've now allowed her to remain uncuffed within her cell, which means Yellow Diamond now trusts her to not draw her weapon and poof herself- probably due to her weakness for Steven. So the orders must also have been updated to not allow them to hurt her, for now. Interesting.
Pearl looks inside the box. It's just a rag and some water, for wiping the blood off her face. Presumably, Yellow Diamond also expects her to phase out her clothes and replace them with a fresh pair. Not that anything but time, regeneration, or healing tears will do anything for the physical marks.
She's not really willing to do it. Pearls are valued for looking pretty. This is a clear message that that's what Yellow Diamond expects of her, for their next interrogation session. She's putting Pearl back in her place.
For Steven, though, Pearl will do anything.
At least she doesn't want her in thigh highs.