Pink Palace
From outside the palace, down in the lowermost part of its base, a crowd gems are making their way towards the entrance meant for the lower echelons of gem society; leading the crowd of gems was Citrine along with her Orange Pearl and an exuberant Spinel as she hopped from leg to legs like they were springs.
"Pink's palace, pink's palace, pink's palace is where the fun is!" Spinel beamed a wide smile, before frowning as she hopped once more to land by the lower doorway for common gems to come in through, she glanced up with a longing look to where the main entrance was high up with a large doorway for the Diamonds to pass through.
As Citrine and the rest caught up with her, Spinel continued to look up at the pathway to the main entrance, and envisioned a scene from her past of when Pink Diamond had just come back to her palace after picking her up from her emergence; Spinel even saw the see through scene of her hopping beside her Pink Diamond as the two them headed to the main entrance, with Pink diamond pausing to look down a laugh at the acrobatic ways Spinel bounced around her Diamond and clapped in joy.
Spinel reached up with a listless longing expression, before the scene disappeared from her vision and was replaced with an empty pathway; pinpricks of tears spilled from the corner of her eyes as she clenched her fist back down and grinded her teeth in anger. "Stupid Rose Quartz!" She abruptly yelled out, her eyes bloodshot with heated anger, before breaking into depression and collapsing to her knees to weep.
Meanwhile, with Citrine as she allowed the various Quartz soldiers to continue on to head into the entrance to finally visit the palace of their Diamond, Orange Pearl spoke up as she stood beside her Citrine with a worried look on her face, "Should we…comfort her?" she asked while turning her head to look up at her commander.
Citrine looked to be in the process of thinking with her arms crossed, before a sharp shrill giddy voice broke out when the lower entrance doors of the palace opened for the quartz soldiers to enter, "Visitors at this hour!?MY oh my oh my!"
Turning around on the heels of her feet, Citrine looked to see the perturbed and wary looks of the quartz soldiers as they were abruptly blocked off from entering any further from a lone gem standing within the doorway of the entrance, Spinel sniffled a bit more before wiping her tears to glance over her shoulder to see one of Pink's gem she hasn't seen for some time.
Walking out while spinning a pink parasol in her grasp, a Pink Opal, dressed in a richly adorned pink dress with matching boots, jauntily walked amidst the parting crowd of Quartz soldiers, the gem's eyes twinkled in excitement at the prospect of visitors to the Pink Palace. "And what's this? You lot are even Pink's little hodgepodge of quartz soldiers from her colony!" she squealed with delight as she glanced around at the soldiers around her, before exiting out through the crowd to confront Citrine and her Pearl.
Citrine took note of the hair the pink opal had was a ponytail with a drill-like appearance that went down from the back of her head to over her shoulder and hung below her collar, she also took notice that the odd Opal seemed to look past her and straight at Spinel with a maddening gaze.
"Well if it isn't lil old Spinel!" Pink Opal announced as she walked over with a pep in her step, and stood in front of her as Spinel looked back at her with an unreadable gaze, "It's about time you made it back home! When I heard from Morganite that we'd be getting visitors, I didn't think you'd be among them! This is such a delight!" Pink Opal animatedly spoke with a chipper tone.
Meanwhile, within the crowd of quartz soldiers, Skinny leaned down to Carnelian to whisper while looking cautious towards the odd Opal, "Is it just me, or does that attitude seem a bit off?" she questioned.
Carnelian looked up at Skinny and gave her a haphazard shrug, "She's kinda actin' like Spinel during her phase where she's in denial of Pink Diamond's shattering, all chipper and such." she whispered back.
Back with Citrine, she glanced over at the crowd of soldiers, before looking back at the Pink Opal as she and Spinel eyed each other down, Spinel was giving the opal gem a look of annoyance while Pink Opal was smiling broadly back at her. "Are you supposed to be the gem to welcome us here?" she asked first with her arms crossed and a look of skepticism on her face.
"Who? me?" Pink Opal craned her head around and tilted it to the side with maddening gaze, "Aw shucks, I'm just here cause I heard the rumor that Spinel was finally picked up from the Garden that Pink left-" the next thing Pink Opal knew was finding an enlarged fist punching her into the wall of the Palace, and finding herself indented into the base of the wall. Pink Opal blinked with a wide smile as she pulled herself out from the wall, and spin-hopped up out of the way of another incoming large pink fist that thundered against the palace wall that Opal was once planted into from the previous punch.
As the enlarged pink fist retracted back to an enraged Spinel, Pink Opal floated down while hanging onto her opened parasol before landing with some grace; both gems stared down at each other, before Spinel spoke up with anger, "She didn't leave me! She was playing a game with me!" she yelled at the Opal gem.
Pink Opal marched herself over and smiled back at Spinel with a maddening gaze, "Awe shucks, and here I thought she left you-whoopsy haha!" Opal said as she avoided another punch from Spinel by ducking and standing right back up with a brimming smile.
Spinel grinded her teeth in anger at the Opal gem and pointed her index finger at the gem, "Stop saying nonsense, when you know you're just saying that stuff to get back at me for being Pink's playmate, face it! I replaced you as her number one playmate!" she smirked devilish at the way Pink Opal's smile tightened and clenched her parasol handle, until she broke it over her knee to whip out the sharp point of her broken handle at Spinel.
"YOU WANNA GO YOU CRACKED GEM!" Opal screeched at Spinel while threatening her with her broken handle repurposed as a piercing weapon.
Spinel began to storm towards Opal and made-pretend of rolling up imaginary sleeves on her arms, "LINE YOUR CHAFFED GEM UP AND WE CAN GO, CHARCOAL BLASTED GEM!" Spinel yelled back, and as the two marched towards each other, a calm tone spoke up.
"Opal." Pink Sapphire spoke up calmly from within the entrance doorway with Pink Morganite standing beside her.
While Opal ceased from marching and turned to look back with a nervous look on her face directed at Sapphire, Spinel did not halt her actions as she swung her arm out and stretched it out to pummel the Opal into the wall once again; just as her fist was about to make contact with Pink Opal however, Citrine and made it over and reach to halt the fist in place, leaving only a few inches as a gap between the fist and opal.
Citrine didn't look on the verge of struggling against Spinel's strength, but there was a definite tense moment between the two which Citrine shooting Spinel a glare of warning as her hand sparked up yellow circuit lines, before Spinel took the warning and retracted her fist to turn the other way to cross her arms but not without glancing over to give the Opal a glare from over her shoulder.
Citrine let out an annoyed breath as she relaxed her posture, before turning to address the two gems, "You must be the gems that were supposed to greet me, yes?" she questioned the gems as Pink Sapphire walked out first with Pink Morganite walking behind her.
"Indeed." The Sapphire replied in a calm tone as she approached Citrine steadily, before stopping once she was within a few feet of the commander, "I apologize for Opal's behavior and antagonistic nature, she and Spinel have a bit of history if you can't already tell." she commented while gesturing at said gems that were in the process of giving each other the stink eye.
"Mh, Yes…" Citrine pursed her lips in thought while glancing at Spinel and shot the gem a warning look, who glanced her way and nervously waved and steadily walked over with a look of shame.
As Citrine focused her attention back at the two gems, she cleared her throat to speak clearly, "Prior mishap aside, I have been given the authority to give Pink Diamond's quartz soldiers the chance to finally get a tour of their diamond's palace, get more acquainted with how she lived and what her preferential treatment of her court was compared to the other diamond courts."
Pink Sapphire smiled in response to Citrine explanation, and gestured for everyone in, "As one of the highest officials of my late Diamond's court, I can say it is under my authority that I shall allow this tour, please do let yourselves in."
While the crowd of quartz soldiers talked animatedly amongst each other as they headed into the pink palace, Opal gave Spinel one last dirty look before turning her nose up and entering back inside the palace ahead of the crowd of gems.
As Spinel was doing her own thing of making faces back at Opal before she entered back into the palace, Citrine spoke back to Pink Sapphire with a noticeable surprised expression with the brow raised, "I'm a bit surprised you allow that much freedom for gems to wander the halls of Pink Diamond's palace."
Sapphire's smile waned before frowning, "Yes, well, it'll feel less empty now with her soldier gems wandering the hallways."
"Ah." Citrine winced, before giving the Sapphire gem an apologetic smile, "Well, would you mind giving a more personal tour of the place as well?" she asked, "I have a few questions as well surrounding the nature of Pink Diamond herself, that I haven't had the chance to ask from her own court yet."
Pink sapphire smiled back once more, and gestured for her to follow her, "Do please ask away, and Spinel" she called over to Spinel, "Why don't you take it upon yourself to view Pink's room?"
Spinel crossed her arms a bit and moped with a dissatisfied frown, "What makes you think I wanna go there?"
Sapphire simply smiled in response to Spinel's question, "Cause I foresaw you asking for a chance to go see it, so I went ahead and offered you the chance to go ahead and see it without asking." the gem answered, while causing Spinel to look embarrassed at herself at forgetting who she was speaking to.
"Hehe." Spinel nervously rubbed the back of her head, "I almost forgot you could do that, I was a bit preoccupied with my thoughts on other things." She apologized.
"Just don't get into it with Opal again." Pink Morganite spoke up as she waltzed over to stand beside Pink Sapphire, and gave Spinel a deadpan look, "The pebbles do diligent enough work in keeping the palace in top shape." she warned. "It's bad enough that you and Opal had one of your little fits against each other."
Spinel grumbled to herself, and looked to the side where she punched Opal into the side of the palace, and saw it was already under repair by the pebbles that her Diamond created with her essence. "Right…" she mumbled, before sharply looking back at Pink Morganite, "But no promises if she starts it!" she said back with a heated look.
Pink Morganite looked directly back at Spinel with a glowering look, "I was tasked with modeling this palace for my diamond, I will not have your shenanigans desecrate it." she bit out, before sighing, "Just try to take your arguments with Opal outside if it happens again." she pleaded.
"Well now." Sapphire interrupted the two as she clasped her hands together with a calm tone and smile, "Shall we head on in, I'm sure the other gems are already enjoying the palace without us!"
Pink Palace
Within the main room that has several artistically made columns to look like towering flowers, at the center of the floor was a large water fountain that had more of the same aesthetic of flowers inside bushes for the brim of the fountain; gathered around the fountain were a few of the wandering Quartz soldiers, few of which were Skinny and Carnelian. Skinny leaned over on the brim of the fountain to gaze down at her reflection within the water, while Carnelian was just barely able to lean her upper body over the brim.
"Hm." Skinny 'hm' aloud as she turned her head to look at her reflection, before standing up to look around with an appreciative gaze at all the architecture that her Diamond preferred; putting her hands on her hips as she walked around, Skinny smirked appreciatively at what she saw, "I gotta say, our Diamond has good taste for interior ideas." she remarked, while Carnelian leaned off from the brim of the fountain to follow after her.
"Kinda feels more cozy too!" Carnelian remarked as she caught up with Skinny and walked beside her, "Feels like home to me."
While the two gems continued to walk beside each other, they passed by Jasper who was leaning up against one of the columns with her arms crossed, "It would have been too." Jasper sneered to herself with a dark look.
Skinny and Carnelian stopped walking to stand not far from Jasper, before Skinny looked back at the brooding Jasper, and smirked at her, "Oh Light'n up Jaspy, ain't much doin if all we do is mope, y'know." she jested in an effort to light the mood that Jasper brought down with her state of mind towards her late Diamond.
Jasper didn't bother looking back at Skinny or Carnelian, but let out an annoyed sigh, "Just let me be for once, I'd rather tour the place by myself."
Skinny and Carnelian glanced at each and shrugged, before Carnelian headed off first to tour elsewhere, while skinny stayed behind to speak a bit more with Jasper, "You know-" she began to say as she walked over with her arms crossed, "I kinda envy prime kindergarten quartz soldiers." she commented.
Jasper looked back at Skinny with a confused look, to which Skinny took at letting her continue where she was going with her talk with Jasper, "They get each other, they formed cliques, a comradeship. But you and me, and all the other Jaspers and carnelians from the beta kindergarten?" she gestured between her and Jasper, "Carnelian and I at least chum up, but everyone else seems bent on dwelling on the past."
"Tch." Jasper grumbled a bit, before speaking back, "It's not like an off color like you would understand, you weren't stationed at the front lines, you weren't even used in the war effort."
Skinny rolled her eyes, and shifted on her feet a bit as she kept her hand on her hip while the other pointed at Jasper, "You at least got to serve at the front lines, how do you think I feel I didn't get to serve my diamond due to how I came out?"
"...been there…" Jasper grouched out while looking elsewhere with a self hatred look in her eyes.
Skinny furrowed her brow and relaxed her posture as she stood across from Jasper, but crossed her arms as she gave Jasper a look, "I didn't understand what you said, Jasp', you need to speak up if we're going to have this conversation."
Jasper sighed in defeat and looked straight back at Skinny, "I should have been there for her." she gritted out in anger, "A thousand years of war, and all it did was lead the loss of our diamond."
Skinny frowned, and sighed dejectedly while looking to the side, "A lot of us feel that guilt, Jasper." she softly spoke back, before looking back at Jasper with an annoyed look, "But you don't see the Prime kindergarten quartzes moping about it, internally most likely, but they have each other to lean on, and I envy that."
"I'm just not ready to move on…" Jasper grouched out with her eyes shut in anger, "It's too soon for me to simply forget the loss of my Diamond, our Diamond!"
Skinny nodded in understanding and backed away from Jasper, "Just don't be doing it your whole life, it's a bit boring with just me and Carnelian being pals from Beta, and I'd like to experience what Prime has with each other." she commented with a wistful look on her face while smirking back at Jasper, before leaving. "Just let me know when you're done hanging onto the past, alright!?" she hollered back as she left to catch up with Carnelian.
While Skinny exited the main room, Jasper continued to lean up against the column with a look of contemplation; she then glanced in the direction that was the lone empty cushion seat, amongst several dozen smaller seats that surrounded it, no doubt the room she was in was where her Diamond held her meetings with her court. 'Would I have even been part of your personal guard?' Jasper thought to herself wistfully as her eyes homed in on the large set of cushions that was meant for the size of her Diamond, she briefly imagined Pink Diamond being there, talking with her court animatedly while she herself was standing not far from the entrance guarding the place for her Diamond along with other Jaspers from the beta kindergarten, before the imagination of her mind disappeared.
"Tch." Jasper grouched out before shoving herself off from leaning on the column behind her, and took her leave, "Stupid Rose Quartz! I should have shattered you when I had the chance!" she yelled out while stomping her way down an empty corridor, all the while surprising a few amethyst standing near the water fountain.
Once Jasper was gone, the Amethysts glanced at each other before shrugging, Jasper's behavior was a bit erratic at times, and being angry was one of the default moods they were mostly accustomed to by now.