She came with the Tower ~Starring Plum and Bloodstone~

[Plum Pearl]

Dawn was breaking over Empire City, much as it had done so before, however, in recent months.. nearly a year actually, there had been a rather large shadow cast over the city, as a refurbished Era 1 colony ship had hovered in place like a giant saucer shaped leviathan over the city.  However, this morning was different, in that it was much likt the mornings prior to the arrival of the Derelict, Morion's little pet project, in that... there was no shadow.. there was no Derelict.. the ship had gone in the night, left for space leaving Empire City's airspace freen and clear once more.

Now.. Moving out is always a tricky buisness. It's never so cut and dried, despite all the planning and fuss that can go into things before hand.  There is always some loose end that doesnt get tied up or trimmed off, some piece of this or that that ends up getting lost or in this case.. left behind....

"Helloooooooooooooooooooooo???!!"

Plum Pearl's head emerged and looked up and down the brightly lit, but eerily silent hall way in the uppermost portion of the previously named M Tower.  All about her was a  suffocating nay.. percing silence that was most out of place in that building which was usually  abuzz with all manner of footsteps, intercomm communications, pager beeps and human and gem voices. She had only been there a few weeks so far, but Plum was used to it all.. it was nice. And now, it was gone, empty, giving her a sick twisted feeling in the pid ot her body that felt very much like how she had felt, all those years trapped fused to a relic, a human spell book that had been recovered at an auction a short time ago, and liberated by a principle gem resident of this tower, a fire opal called Chip..

Plum had somewhat lost track of time, browsing through the human data net, and the gem archives provided by the tower's proprioter, and in that intense focus to catch up on the data of lost centuries, she had failed to notice the tower emptying over the past day or so, and then couple that with a nap which had overtaken her and a set of drawn curtains, the had not even noticed the gargantuan ship fire its engines and push itself out of Earth's atmosphere..

So here she was, arms cross in front of her, hugging her own chest, as the only sounds to be heard were the dull hummmmm of the flourescent lights, and her own shoe projections tapping against the floor as she waked down the halls, peering around corners and into rooms, letting just her head sneak in, almost hiding the rest of herself around the corner or outside the door way as if she were afraid she would somehow barge in on some big important super secret meeting or breifing and ruin it all.

"Anyoneeeeeeeee???!!"

Her voice had a bit of a confused tremble to it by now. She had walked through every hall in the upper half of the building, the more private areas, and was now looking down over a glass balcony catwalk that circled the inside of the bottom half of the great glass spire, which was somewhat hollow on the inside, creating a massively tall plaza and multi purpose area where the warp pad also stood.  She expected to at least meet SOMEBODY by this point.. A guard, a scientist, a Secretary human pearl... a...a...  Friggin Diamond Damned ROOMBA would at least be a releif, but no. There was nothing.

Beyond the tinted and mirrored glass of the outer walls, Plum's eyes caught sight of the skyline.. the uninterupted skyline that is.  it took her a second to figure it out, then she realized that the Derelict was gone.. just like everyone in the tower.

"Ohhhh.. No No NONONONOOnoooooooooo!" Plum wailed as glimmering panicked tears formed in the corners of her eyelids.

"They can't have just... GONE!!  I was.. I was.. .right.. here.."  Her voice trails to a whisper as she slumps back against one of the marbled pillar sections jutting out from the wall and just kinda of.. slides down onto her butt in a clumsy tremblesome crouch.

[Bloodstone]

Bloodstone was walking through M Tower, taking in the inheritance that was technically hers. It was a bit...odd, not seeing many people around. The other staff members likely had all gone off on breaks or..whatever it is that humans would need to do.

"It's...eerie.."

Bloodstone said to herself as she started looking through the various rooms in the tower, trying to see what all may have worked as well as possible

As Plum was walking around the tower, a long ROOMBA that had been left one was wandering around the tower, cleaning up any leftover dirt that was in the building. It would eventually bump into the Pearl ad Bloodstone would make his way closer to her, without realizing obviously that there was another guest in the tower with her 

"Maybe I can find some missing gear for training or...well who knows what"

Bloodstone sighed as she moved up to another floor of the tower 

[Plum Pearl]

The sound of the main doors of the tower being opened then shut as the Bloodstone walked in gave off a faint click-click as they latched shut again automatically. Plum, who was in the midst of a 'buck yourself up' sniffle faintly heard the noise, which caused her to snap alert for a moment or two.

"Oh! Is someone there??!" She pipes up but with the new occupant still in a distant part of the tower, her call goes unanswered and soon there is nothing but silence once again in the sunlit halls.

"Get it together Plum, Get it Togetherrrrrr! You have been through plenty worse than this, and although this IS a rather... wrenching ...situation to wake up to, we mustn't- hmmmm?"

Plum's own little pep talk was interrupted by another sound, a soft murmuring droning sound coming from around the corner. Craning her head to the side to peek, and hugging her skirt to her knees where she sat she heard the sound grow stronger then the motion sensing glass doors of a conference room parted softly on their motors and out from the room buzzed the Diamond Damned ROOMBA she had been on about earlier.

"Grrrrrr... OOOOOH!!! A fine bit of company you are, you .. you... youuuuu..... Clod-Duster!"

More than just a little upset at the moment her foot lashes out as the automated cleaning device passes by on its way to the next room, and punts the thing up into the air, end over end, where it clips the railing or the glass balcony barrier and spins and wobbles there like a coin spinning precariously along a knife's edge....

"Ohh No NO No! I didn't mean to, I shouldn't have- Ive got to-" Plum makes a clumsy lurch for the device, but her fingers grasp only air, as the teetering bot, wobbles and then tumbles off the edge of the railing and falls... falls falls falls down, one story after another until it hits pay-dirt some sixty or so feet below her on the main plaza tiled floor with a most audible plastick-ey CRRRRUNCH CLATTER CLATTER!

"Pummmmmmmmmmmmmm! You emotional wreck, get a grip.. ohh.. I shouldn't have done that." She scrambles to her feet and peers over the edge of the railing at the smashed cleaning bot far below. The sight and sound of a few final piteous and pathetic whirrrrrrrrrrs.... and moans float up through the air, as the spinning carpet beater brushes fall silent and still for good..

[Bloodstone]

Bloodstone looked out in surprise when she heard the Roomba crash onto the floor with a huge crunch

"What the...where did that come from?"

Octi ran upstairs, having heard Plum a little bit more until she found the Pearl at the railing from where the Roomba had fallen, a bit confused as to why the gem was here in the first place

"Hey there...you alright? I didn't realize there was another gem still in the Tower."

Bloodstone walked up and crouched down in front of Plum, smiling softly and trying her best to give off a friendly appearance

"I'm Bloodstone..technically speaking I'm the new owner of M Tower. I was just here to see how the place looked. Mind I ask who you are?"

Octi was just trying to figure out where this gem had come from in the first place..after all this was the first time seeing her, and the Bloodstone had been in M Tower numerous times before

[Plum Pearl]

Plum was still peering over the railing at the shattered and broken sweepy-bot that she had sent to an early decommissioning thanks to her misplaced frustration, and didnt hear much in the way of the Bloodstone's hurried footsteps patting through the halls on her way up. Sliding back down from where her forearms were hooked over the railing with a drawn out groooooan she returns to her defensive piteous sitting position against the wall, just in time to draw her knees back up to her chest and hug about her legs when another pair of gravity connectors appears before her line of sight and pipes up, much to her surprise..

~ "Hey there...you alright? I didn't realize there was another gem still in the Tower." ~

The sudden presence makes the pearl squeak out and shield her head with one arm and hug her short skirt to her legs with the other!

"Gah! Wah! Who??!!"

He eyes widened with a sudden sense of alertness as the unexpected gem spoke. What was this, THEY were now the proprietor of the tower? Well where did that leave her she wondered?

"Yo-You? You're the tower's keeper now? I didn't know that any of this was about to happen, I wasn't told a single thing! Ohhhhhh!!" She groans for a moment as her mind put together a few of the details, then with a huff she straightens herself out and scurries to her feet, standing about 5 and a half feet tall.. shorter but slightly more substantial than most common dancer style pearls, but truthfully, right in line height wise for her particular model.

"Ahem..I am Pearl designation DSSA HG-U #93877, I am a high-grade Utility model pearl. Because of my coloration, I was nicknamed Plum Pearl, so.. Plum kinda stuck from there on out. I ..I was ..umm.. I accompanied my master to earth a very long time ago, when it was still just a perspective colony.. we were here a long time I thin, but a couple hundred years ago, we were seperated and I was bound to an artifact by a human alchemist.. and a few months ago, I was discovered by Chip, in a trunk he bought at a charity auction. He and a large green fusion called Gaspeite released me, and I have been catching up and acclimating myself ever since. I thought I was to serve one of them, but.. umm.. I went to my romo to recuperate and read the human data net.. and while I was in there for a couple days, I lost track of time and fell to slumber. When I woke up, the tower was ..well.. EMPTY!"

[Bloodstone]

Bloodstone smiled softly, walking up to the Pearl and sighing, not sure what to think

"I see..well I'm afraid to say that most of the gems have gone onto the Derelict with..the exception of a few that I know of.:"

Octi crouched down, getting on Plum's eye level and still smiling

"Yeah, I technically own the place now...Morion gave it to me before he left. I erm..don't know where Gaspeite is now and I believe Chip is with Morion so...I guess I'm sort of the one who's taking care of you now, I guess? I honestly don't know how this works:"

Bloodstone blushed a little bit and sighed, standing back up and leaning against the hallway

"Regardless, if there's anything I can do to help, just let me know and I'll do the best I can...seems like you got the proverbial short end of the stick"

[Plum Pearl]

Plum sighed and crossed her arms and does a little spin on her heels, all the way about. It was okay, she could get through this, and the Bloodstone seemed to be rather kind and patient, so there was no immediate danger at least.

"Well, better a short end than no end to grasp onto at least.. er.. I think."

Plum pauses for a moment as a thought ended up in her head. "Hmm, you say that you have been around the tower many many times, and recently as well. I am surprised that we two never bumped into each other before. I mean, I know I have only been around here a few months, but still. You would think that would have been enough of a window.

Bit by bit her mood and disposition was shifting back to her gleaming pearly self. Bloodstone said that she was here to scope out what was left in the tower and see what they wanted to do with it and all that jazz..

"Well then, are you hoping to find any particular thing or nature of.. thing that would be umm.. useful for you when you umm.. What was it you say you do again? I know that the tower and it's contents was left TO you, but I rather doubt that simply sitting here and ensuring that the tower itself doesnt just float off into the sunset is hardly your primary precept in life, am I right?"

Plum straightens herself up and clears her throat and her pearl core starts to glow and then with a wave of light, in front of her in a neat row, four holo clone copies of herself stand ready and waiting...

"I can mentally keep in touch and command clones such as these at all times, and what's more, I can see and hear through their eyes and ears. If there is something you want to track down in here, I can offer my services in helping as well as these four here. It would be like you had 5 more sets of eyes exploring for you Bloodstone, if you'll have my help, that is.  She eagerly drummed her fingers together in front of her chest as she waited to see what this gem thought of her idea!

Pearls like Plum, despite variations in their individual personalities and other quirks not withstanding, generally DO like to be of help to those around them that they perceive as their friends or betters.

[Bloodstone]

Bloodstone listend to Plum, nodding as the Pearl continued explaining before her eyes widened in surprise at the site of the other holo clone copies

"Well...I-I suppose it's hard to decline the offer..especially with all of the help that you're giving."

Octi smiled and laughed softly, practically blushing at how eager Pearl seemed to be to help out

"And you are correct..I don't exactly plan to just sit around and make sure that the tower doesn't disappear...true, I may check back in every so often, but my real home's back near Beach City. I have a shack I've modified over the years and...well considering how it is, I guess I really could use the help."

Bloodstone figured she'd just wait and show the partial mess that had developed...wasn't exactly the best gem in terms of cleaning up and such.

[Plum Pearl]

The very colour of Plum's projection seemed to spring to life with a bit more vibrancy when Octavia agreed to accept her help. Raising one hand in the air, she snaps her fingers and the holo-clones scurry off in in various directions, like it was their job.. which it was. Bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet for a moment, Plum looked very relieved and pleased with herself when she suddenly stops her bubbly little bounce on her tippy toes and then blushes a bit and turns to the tower's new proprietor and quips..

"Umm.. pardon me for asking, but err.. what.. precisely do you want my clones to be keeping an eye out for while they rummage through the place? I will do my best at this, but you almost made it sound like you might have more extensive experience in all the corners of this tower than I do perhaps. But I shan't give up."

Trotting over to the glass railing she looks down at the main plaza, still quiet and empty, aside from the wrecked roomba she had punted from on high and then another thought pops into her head, and she turns back to the taller gem with a very enthusiastic and glistening look in her eyes.

"So. Do you think that once we are done here, and we find.. whatever it is you think you need, could I accompany you back to the er.. ummm.. other... place that you... came from? I haven't really been beyond the center of this city since I was reintroduced back into the world. There is so much that I should be seeing and learning!"

[Bloodstone]

Bloodstone thought for a second, not entirely sure how to respond to the Pearl's request

"Anything that could be of significance really. I'm just trying to make sure that nothing important had been leftover. You never know what all was here"

She shrugged nervously before smiling happily and nodding

"Of course! I have a shack out near Beach City. It's a bit of a ways out but I promise I'd take care of ya. It's quite roomy!"

Octavia seemed fairly happy that Plum was so willing to follow her back home. She admittedly hadn't had a lot of company and could use the extra help anyway.

"Oh, um..almost forgot, if there's any important tech or equipment, see if the clones can take it back. Who knows what they may have left behind here..."

She shrugged, not entirely sure what else to look for

"But, erm, I'm always excited to show gems around the area. So this could be a lot of fun!" Bloodstone was smiling happily, pretty excited for the future

[Plum Pearl]

Plum nodded in response to Octavia's invite to travel beyond the tower and area of empire city that she was most familiar with. She didn't know if she should expect this to be a new owner type scenario, but she found herself oddly calm and not worrying about that, perhaps just.. friends.. and orienting herself in somewhat of a stand alone fashion, just for the time being at least. It was something kinda tricky for a pearl to grasp actually, what with them being predisposed to serving, heck.. WANTING to serve even, but with all the shaking up her world had endured, perhaps it was best to try and build her own solid foundation as she went forward.

"Well then, I believe I shall take you up on your offer to visit beach city and see this er.. beachfront property of yours. Perhaps theres something I can do to make it a bit more like home for everyone, yes?"

As they walked along, her eyes would flicker and glow as she was shifting back and forth between viewing what her holo-clones were seeing at any given time. After a little while of wandering beside Octavia, she had recalled one of her clones entirely, for the purposes of pushing along a custodian's trolly which was now laden with valuable bits of tech, both of human and gem origin that could be easily transported, yet also not too overly dangerous if not stored within some sort of fortified vault.

"Well Madam Octavia, er.. umm sorry.. Octavia. Do you think you want to gather up any mor-"

Plum cut herself off as her vision flickered to one of the 3 remaining roaming clones as it came upon a door ajar, a door that was usually closed for the sake of privacy and security, even when the gem whose room it was, was around. The door lead to Chip the Fire Opal's room, and through the crack, the holo-clone's vision picked up a book shelf on the far wall, with a data terminal beside it, and a few other pieces of furnature, that was comfortable but simple, suiting it's former occupant's nature quite handsomely. As the holo-clone entered the room, its vision picked up book on the shelf, apart from the others, and resting with a velvet cloth, to protect it, but its protruding spine gave it away, she recognized it immediately.

Of all the things in the tower, this might be the one thing that Plum might get defensive or possessive over, after all, it had been a part of her, and she a part of it for over 200 years.. It was the alchemist's tome that she had been bound to as a pearl core when she was separated from the master she could not remember. She hated that book, but knew that it might contain some clues or.. SOMETHING.. that could help her somehow..

Her fist balled up into a tight knot that creaked and popped softly a few times as she noticeably took a few deep breaths, and stopped all together. Her eyes still aglow, her face contorts in focus, as the holo-clone way off in Chip's old room, was guided manually by Plum to the Grimoire on the shelf, where it delicately picks up the book and wraps it in the deep blue velvet cloth, and then scurries out of the room with it held closely to it's chest, making a bee-line back to Plum and Octavia at Plum's behest..

[Bloodstone]

Bloodstone would watch and smile, letting the clone roll up the trolly full of tech

"I'm sure there's something you could do. That place could use some renovations."

Octavia would giggle softly before looking at Plum in confusion. She was a bit unsure as to why the Pearl would suddenly stop talking.

"Is...everything alright Plum?"

Blood would crouch down, looking Plum in the eyes. She had looked like she zoned out..course the Bloodstone never really understood all the powers that Pearls had so its possible something was going on they didn't know about.

"Please tell me..."

Octavia would take not of the deep breaths and fist getting balled up. Something was obviously up with Plum. And as one of the holo-clones would make its way back to the two of them, she looked at the two of them in confusion, not sure what it was.

"Erm...a book? Mind I ask just how this is important?"

[Plum Pearl]

Plum's jaw bent her expression into a scowl that looked like it could char the very pages from between the covers of the book that her holo-clone just handed her. After a few wordless moment's, Plum's expresion softens, or rather breaks, and she lets out a long slow breath as she hold the book in her arms like a baby, shifting to make the cover visible to Octavia, then almost caressing over a hollowed out notch in the thick cover where it looks like something was once nestled.. something perhaps, about the size of plum's pearl, if one were to eyeball the hollow and her core carefully.

"I.. I was worried that Chip or Morion took this with them when they left. They said they were going to help me go through it, and maybe uncover some of what happened to me and the memories of my original master. I suppose I should be grateful that Chip left it behind for me to find."

Plum held the thick spell book out at arms length.. still protective of it, but giving Octavia a better look.

"Here it is.. home sweet home for over 200 years.. grr that withered old meat sack is lucky hes been dead for two centuries or I'd... Why I'd... OOhhh! I dunno but it wouldn't be pretty! Long story short, this is the artifact to which I was bound.. rather sloppily. So you can bet it wasn't fun! Id like to burn this thing to ashes if I wasn't suspicious that it might hold some valuable information for me. But this isn't the time or place to go about magically probing human-made gem relics and expect to get any sensible or discernible answers out of them."

Plum looked antzy now, not exactly comfortable but not distraught either. In fact, she wore on her face that look that humans often get right when they realize that they have a big ol' headache about to come on. She gazed out the large glass panes at the street scape below, and it seemed to settle her somewhat, reminding her that she was in the here and now, and everything bad leading up to her waking up in present day was gone and past.

The sound of the main doors clicking open and shut far below on the main level drew her attention. Some human personnel were walking in after all. Perhaps there were remnants of Morion's operation that chose to remain behind and keep the tower for administrative functions. Oh well, at least it looked like the building had some keepers now so that Octavia didn't have to stand guard like some common doorkeeper.

"Seems like the help has arrived, things should be okay here until you make some administrative decisions. Is there anything else you want before we head out Ma'am.. er... Octavia?"

[Bloodstone]

Bloodstone watched, realizing what it meant as Plum went through the explanation

"I see...well, it's a good thing that you've gotten a hold of it. I'll try to help you go through it later. It might indeed hold some answers."

She sighed and smiled as the humans started to walk in, a bit relieved admittedly as she looked down at the Pearl again

"No no...and if you really want to call me Ma'am, that's fine by me. Do whatever you want."

Octavia would giggle softly before sighing, looking at the book again. It had to have been awful for Plum to have been stuck in there for so long...Octi couldn't really blame her for wanting use some violent ends to teach that human a lesson.

"I suppose before we go grab all the tech that your clones gathered up. It's gonna take a bit for us to get to the beach shack...I just need to take care of some things."

Blood would walk over to some of the humans, doling out tasks for them to do and take care of while she was away from the tower for...well for who knows how long in all honesty

[Plum Pearl]

"Um, okay then, just.. come get me when youre done with that.."

Plum quipped to Octavia while a single remaining holo-clone, which pushed the trolly to the elevator and rode down, and waited beside the main warp pad for her real self and Octavia to catch up.

Waiting patiently, Plum inspected the book a bit more, then tucked it back under her arm. She was sure that she could store it away with her pearl-storage but she somehow, didn't want that thing residing magically within her gem, for both emotional reasons, but also because she worried it might just have residual clunky magic about it, that could harm her in ways she didn't know.

Upon Octavia's return, Plum seemed to brighten up, and bounce on the balls of her feet in a somewhat eager looking fashion.. "Well then, are we ready to depart, and are there a few stops to make upon the way until we get back to your home? I must admit that I am curious to what goes on outside this city."