Relic Safari (Closed w/ Paddy)

[Paddy]

She cherished their soft tone, and the feeling of their hand around her own. Little time had passed since they'd sat together next to the water, but she'd already missed that closeness for too long. "There aren't any others," The sapphire asserted, her tone firm and final. The gentle tapping of water against leaves grew more steady as the rain picked up. Droplets rolled down and cooled her skin, but she hardly noticed it. She didn't care about conventions right now, as much as 7XB seemed to want her to. She was use to being told she was precious. She often didn't feel that way, especially when dwelling on her past. She supposed that the quartz was use to putting their patrons before themselves, going above and beyond, proving their worth. Every action they'd taken for her sake, and every word they gave her now, made her feel important. It only served to strengthened her notion of 7XB's own importance,"There isn't a quartz who can know they made a sapphire feel this way, but you. I can't replace you." 

She didn't know how this ardent gem would take that. All the talk of status reminded her of that prospect that this wasn't something she should tell other gems about. But it would always be between them, she decided. The two of them were still in the middle of the jungle together, without any eyes to judge them but their own. She drew herself closer to them, and felt oddly like she should do something, but wasn't sure what that was as her eyes traced the angles of 7XB's visage. She gave careful consideration of their eyes, nose, jawline, and lips. "I still want to be close to you," She managed, delicately.

[7XB]

The rain would continue to grow heavy around them, almost completely ignored by the clear quartz gem as Padparadscha drew so much closer to them, the heat that was generated between the two gems- Sapphire and Quartz- almost infernal in it's intensity. Try as they might, 7XB couldn't think about anything except for the gem before them, and her delicate features, gentle and awash with the warmth. 
Nothing else seemed important, the world growing fuzzy around them as the jungle soaked them. Instinct drew their other hand upwards to take hold of the Sapphire's chin, their nose pressing against her own as the Quartz leaned forward, stealing the words from Padparadscha's lips with their own. Electricity ran through the immediately, a euphoric reward as they gave into.. whatever this notion was called! It fed their desire for intimacy, draining away their temper in an instant..

[Paddy]

Again, the warrior's instincts were better than her own. At first it was a shock to her whole body, she didn't know how to react. 7XB became the focus of her entirety as she allowed them to take action, all of the tension in her melted away as their lips moved with hers. She gripped their palm with one hand, while the other drew along their shoulder, gently up their neck, and played along their face. Drenched in the rain-forest deluge, the sapphire had no idea what she was doing, but it felt incredibly right. An aura of protection and confidence swelled around her, she felt as if she were completely invincible. At the same time, her lightheadedness had reached an all time high, her head was swimming, but there was nothing to say, or think about. She only to let herself be swept up by the strength of her adoration for this gem. 

Exhilarated by their embrace, Padparadscha found she only wanted to be closer. The thought gave her a lapse, as the only way the two of them could be closer than they already were...well, she already knew that was out of the question. The idea tore at her, but she let herself indulge in this tenderness for another moment, savoring it, before she gently drew her lips away, and soaked in the image of 7XB. She let her eyes, and the beaming smile that blossomed over her lips, speak for her while she enjoyed the view.

[7XB]

Right now, the jungle felt strangely safe to 7XB, and everything the quartz had ever hated about it had suddenly become benefitial to them, allowing them both to indulge in this new desire unabashed. Diamonds, no interaction with any other gem had ever made them feel so..so right!

No words were spoken as Padparadscha severed their embrace, beaming so tenderly at them as the cool raindrops soaked them to the bone. They chewed the bottom corner of their lip, concealing their own grin for a moment, reaching to brush a lock of dripping hair from the Sapphire's eyes, leaning in rather recklessly to..do whatever it was the action was called, their lips brushing her own again before they could help themselves. This moment belonged to the two of them, and them alone, but they couldn't live in it forever. "We should, uhm, get moving. The Rubies'll be waiting." They cleared their throat with a coy look, offering her a hand up, to ride on their shoulders, if she desired.

[Paddy]

She traced their delighted expression with her eyes, and wondered if she'd ever felt happier than she did now. Nothing else mattered to her for those minutes, filled with the patter of water, the thick misty air and the heat between the two of them. Her heart surged as the quartz swept the hair from her eyes, and came forward to give her more of that soft touch, for a final, fleeting moment. She wanted to linger there, but 7XB spoke, and she swallowed, her sense of reality revived. Though their words came as a reminder that the two of them were still on a mission, one that she had been dreading even before she'd been sent out to do it, she felt more determined than before, more assured of success. Knowing they shared in this feeling just as much as she did gave her a flood of strength.

"You're right," Padpara gave a breathy sigh as she accepted it. The rest of the team still needed them, and she felt much more level now than she did minutes ago. Whatever happened, whatever Earth lobbed at them, she was confident they could return it in kind, together. The sapphire returned 7XB a blushing smirk, and took their offer without a second thought. She was a bit giddy at the prospect of getting another perspective on them, and the surroundings.   

[7XB]

7XB couldn't remember the last time they had felt so invigorated- if there had ever been such a time, that is, especially considering the innate hostility of their surroundings. They had always had a heat, a fire of sorts burning inside of them, but now 7XB felt practically invincible, as if some part of them that they weren't even aware of had been fully recharged- something that the quartz hasn't even known had been missing.

"I feel..funny," they mused lightly, carefully slinging the miniscule gem up onto their shoulders with barely the twitch of a muscle. "Like..like I could take on the world." They surprised themselves in that regard, seeing as 7XB was a gem that shunned such silly sayings and sentimentalism. Moving forward, they turned to continue slicing through the brush, albiet a bit more thoughtful of Padparadscha.

[Paddy]

Even though she had been reminded of the seriousness of the endeavor, she couldn't help but to feel blissful as the quartz lifted her onto their shoulders, and put into words the very thing she'd been thinking. She was surprised herself to hear them say it, but less so than she would've been before-- 7XB was full of surprises, and to be the gem to witness this sensitive, passionate nature they kept secret was something she found a great amount of satisfaction with. It reminded her of how frustrated she'd been with their guard before, even when she'd only just met them, but now she knew 7XB better than she'd ever imagined she would. "Me too!" She answered enthusiastically,"Lets take it on, you and I. The world doesn't stand a chance!"   

Settled on their shoulders as the huge soldier hoisted themselves up, she glanced around. Earlier she'd been too afraid to really appreciate the height this gem stood at, though now she got a sense for what it might be like to be so tall. With a whimsical smirk, she ran her hands through their drenched hair. She played with it as she peered over to observe the quartz while they hacked at the foliage. Quietly, she hoped that she didn't impede them, but if she were more honest with herself, she knew she was having too much fun to give up her seat. From where she was, it also made it a bit easier to get a look around, so she kept an eye on things for the quartz while they focused on getting the two of them from a to b.

Her mind wandered as she did, and she began to think on how the rest of this mission might go, especially when the two of them rejoined the ruby squad. Would 7XB re-assume their adamant exterior? She supposed that they might have to, though she didn't let it pop her balloon quite yet.      

[7XB]

7XB chuckled lightly at Padparadscha's enthusiasm, their expression fading into a more natural, neutral expression as the returned to the fairly mundane task of carving their way towards the direction the flare has shot up from, trudging at a veritable snail's pace. Surely, the jungle couldn't be this dense all of the way through, could it? Gradually their question was answered by the change in terrain, the undergrowth becoming all of the sudden steeper and more rocky.

Trees grew sparser and more scraggly, thinning out as they desperately clung to the rocky soil.

"We're headed up," they panted lightly, the underbrush that once obstructed them now little more than a prickly grass brushing their ankles. And sure enough, they seemed to get climbing a steep hill. "They must be on that outcropping over there." They motioned to the only other hill in sight, a grassy island in a sea of deep green.

[Paddy]

As the forest opened up, and the dark clouds could be seen more clearly through the canopy, the rain came down more heavily without as much interference from trees. The steep hillside was barren compared to the jungle that they'd trudged through up to this point, and the sapphire began to worry about a few different things as she watched water slither in streams down over the surface that 7XB scaled. A word she'd seen on her dossier, mudslide, hung in her mind. She chewed her cheek as her all-too-familiar anxiety prickled at her thoughts, and hoped to the stars and back that the team wouldn't have to deal with that. While she was worried for the rubies, she was also worried about something perhaps more irrational, that would've seemed much more petty to her a short time ago.

Being close to 7XB now carried so much meaning to her. She wasn't sure how much those little corundums would be able to read into it, if at all, but she found herself anxious over the prospect of being found out. She wasn't sure how much of a front she'd be able to put on either way, she wasn't like 7XB in that regard. While many different models of sapphire were expected to be prim, if not emotionless all together, Padparadscha was never able to emulate that so well. Being open was a part of her talent for information gathering, and it served her well-- for the most part.

"Be careful," She said quietly, thinking of the quartz's injury. Then she brushed her fingers through their hair once more, and swallowed,"Should I-- ah...well your team, are they going to...this wont seem strange to them, will it?" 

[7XB]

Though the seemed, at first glance, oblivious to the slick, thick mud caking heavily upon their feet and lower legs, they were keenly aware of just how much more difficult the ascent had begun as the patter of rain had escalated, now a true downpour. 

In the distsnce, they imagined that they could see three tiny red dots upon the hill, shimmering through the curtain of rainwater. "We'll deal with that when we get a bit closer." They said rather matter of factly, lips pulled into a serious expression. They didn't want to think about that, not just yet, anyway. There was still a mission to so after all; A cracking whip of lightening lit up everything for miles then, pulling them back up to a razor edge. "Let's get off this hill. Keep an eye out. Something.. something feels out of place."

Slowly a feeling of dread, trepidation, overtook their sense of bliss. The Earth wasn't done with them just yet.

[Paddy]

The quartz's words helped her focus on more pressing matters. She swiveled her head around, and her eyes widened when she caught sight of what might have been the rubies in the flash of lightening-- from a distance, she thought she only saw three, though perhaps the fourth was hidden from view, and she figured that they would have to handle themselves. For now, her eyes dropped back to the incline the two of them were on, which seeped like a dark molasses. A low crackling came from nearby, her spine shivered. Things were going to be tremendously worse if they didn't find a way to act fast.


She rolled her shoulders back, and threw out her hands to generate an orb of glowing plasma between them. Her teeth clenched as the rain immediately began to sap the heat and light out of it, but it was the only thing she had, so she pushed herself harder to add to its mass. She leaned over the quartz, and flung the plasma into the hill. She grimaced when she realized that she wouldn't have enough to do as she'd planned, and she quickly modified her approach. She might not be able to get them off of the hill as 7XB suggested, but maybe she could stall it until they could find a way. Using the senses her plasma was connected with, she carefully created a mesh under the surface to hold the ground in place. The intense heat of her generated substance might also serve to cement the mud beneath. 

As she worked, the distant crackling turned to a raucous clamor-- another nearby hill had already been washed into a slide-- full trees and boulders snapped together as they barreled down through the valley below. The hill the gems were on began to give way, coaxed on by the other. The sapphire grit her teeth as she heaved a latticed foothold out of the mud, and desperately wished she could work faster, "G-get ready!" 

[7XB]

Right away 7XB knew what was going on, the ground growing into a thick mire beneath their feet before the words had even left Padparadscha's lips, the combination of the torrential downpour and the already naturally moist ground threatening to swallow up the two gems with ease. Beneath their face of grim determination, the Quartz knew they were at a disadvantage, their great weight working against them as they tried to ascent the hill, painfully slow in comparison to what they would like to be doing.

The faster that 7XB moved, the farther they would sink into the muck- they had seen it happen many times before. Besides, for the Sapphire to keep up, they would have to trudge slowly, and even then, it was no easy task. "We can make it," they insisted," maybe we can..ride it down."

[Paddy]

The sapphire's eyes widened, the idea sounded ludicrous to her, like running straight through a crossfire. With the other hillside already pouring through the valley, she feared it could change in direction at any moment if-- or rather, when-- the hill they were on let loose. But it seemed that there weren't many options either way, her attempts to keep the ground from slipping out from under them were waning fast as she began to run out of steam again.

"We'll have to be quick!" She said as she retracted some of the plasma she'd used to craft the lattice, though most of it had already sunk far into the ground and become inert. Then, she repurposed the structure, bending the material into a raft. This would serve a few purposes--provide her with the necessary substance to use her natural defenses quickly if they came to face with massive uprooted trees or rocks; spread the weight of the two of them out over a level plane to prevent them from sinking; and, it would allow them to slide down without as much of a chance of being separated. The ground was already slipping away as her sled cooled, her body buzzed with tension as she tried to hold it close enough, while keeping it cool enough for the quartz to hop onto. 

[7XB]

It would be hard for 7XB to ever admit admit just how relieved they were as Padparadscha's makeshift plasma raft lifted them up out of the hungry mire. The quartz knew that their massive bulk put them at a serious disadvantage with each step- They had seen situations like this play out countless times on many different planets across the universe, and had little to no desire to become one of those unfortunately statistics. As far as methods of meeting their demise went, drowning and or suffocating in an avalanche of mud, trees and boulders was certainly at the top of the list when it came to levels of unpleasantness. 

Their relief was unfortunately short lived, the entire hillside giving out mere moment after Padparadscha had solidified the raft. "Hold on!" They shouted instinctively as they began to, slowly at first, slide down the hill, reaching up rather awkwardly in an attempt to keep their hands on the Sapphire as they picked up momentum, the thought of losing her in the river of heavy mud bordering on horrific.

[Paddy]

She hunkered down, her own hands moving to grip theirs as the gems raced down the collapsing incline. Her gaping expression flickered until she was dizzy, trying to keep track of everything that zipped past them or churned in the mud in front of them. She tried not to think that the rubies were caught in this Earthling tirade, but there was nothing she could tell herself to keep her fear-driven pessimism from attacking her morale. Trees bobbed and snapped under the roiling flow like twigs, she grimaced and also tried to keep her thoughts away from imagining what it might be like to be caught up between that. Though, as they fast approached the cross-section in the flood, she spotted a log as it jutted up from the tide, and realized that she may soon find out anyway-- she lifted herself up so she could try to react, but it was already too late.

The raft skipped over the thick, mangled trunk, and the rapid momentum sent it air borne for a fleeting second. "Wah!" She yelped as inertia yanked her back, her grasp torn away from 7XB as her light form floated up in the time it took for the raft to smack back down into the mud at an angle.