Alone in the City (Paddy/Closed)

[Paddy]

The sapphire's combat senses were not the most honed the universe. It was almost surprising that Hematite seemed to truly abandon her avoidance tactics, and the loyalist didn't react appropriately before she caught a foot in the face.
"Oof!" She stumbled back as the fusion deftly landed on her feet. Padpara gripped her blades more tightly, grimacing as she internally cursed her own failure to defend herself.  

For a hot second she wasn't sure if the ground beneath her were moving, or if her gem had been scrambled by the hit. Before she could gather her senses, her midriff coiled in anticipation of the sickeningly familiar feeling of being in free-fall. Her eyes snapped up to train onto Hematite "W-what did y--"


The scraping of metal-on-stone crackled through the air, drowning out the accusation she tried to make before the entire car lurched, dumping the sapphire forward. "Ach," She stuck her hands out in front of her to prevent herself from face-planting into the metal. She titled her head back up to gain tabs on the target, but her eyes widened as the the car continued to tip downward, the endless well revealing itself to her from behind the fusion. As young as she was, none of its technology was familiar, but she couldn't imagine humans would've achieved something like this-- it seemed to drive down toward the center of the Earth. She was struck by the realization that this was not going to end well for either of them. The sapphire began to strategize. 

Even if she stuck herself to the car to prevent falling out, the end of the plummet would certainly be her downfall. She had to try to escape in the following moments if she wanted to survive-- but if she did that, her opponent would have a chance to use that flight of hers to make a getaway. That wasn't an option.  Her plasma was very strong when it cooled, but she had no clue if it was strong enough to support the weight and potential energy behind the unstable ground she was on, and it would expend more energy than she was sure she had. 

Before she could finish a plan, the tension on any remaining steel beneath the gems finally snapped, sending a crack echoing down the chasm. The sapphire fell fast through to the other side of the car, slipping right passed her target-- she reached out to grapple Hematite, as there was no way she was going to let this be the fusion's ticket to escape. 

[Hematite]

Things were getting hectic and the general danger of the situation was climbing by the second. Behind her was some unknown descent into the beacon of digital light that seemed hundreds of feet below, and now- a gem was flying directly at her as the cart began to tip backwards. Padpara would have reached out to the grasp the gem with her own intentions, but what she would have  realized was that Hematite almost instinctual reached out for her too —there was a look of genuine concern and action in her eyes as she realized both their lives were in danger. The fusion embraced the gem and brought her as close as she could—not necessarily cradling, but it would be considerably close for comfort for some as Padpara would have been held very close to her chest of all things.

She certainly wasn’t going to cradle her like a baby, so this was the next best thing!

What happened next would make most gems whose stomachs weren’t built for high speed cringe. Hematite’s hair took on a more aerodynamic form, something akin to several wing-like shapes, as she dived into the chasm with Padpara within her grasp. Not even a second after her dive, the train-cart followed after them as the steel gave way - she was racing against the careening cart at this point – allowing herself to fall until they would have been reaching almost terminal velocities. But she knew at this speed that without her hair being in its best condition, she’d be unable to control their descent. She was going to have to pull a very dangerous stunt.

She’s only ever pulled this once, and honestly, was grounded on luck and chance; for the only way this would work was if whatever was down there had more space than she originally imagined. As soon as she had passed into what seemed like an open expanse of light and technology (it was far too blurry for her to see in this split moment) her wings would jut out almost instantly, throwing their momentum forward. This wouldn’t slow them enough however, as Hematite did the unthinkable. She took the brunt of the impact, coiling herself around the gem as they made a sudden impact the tile flooring, Padpara would be thrown out of her grasp, a loud “Aaggh!!” As Hematite was sent rolling and cascading into a wall.

Her light-form began to flicker, an obvious sign that something had been damaged.
The red gem on the back her head was certainly chipped, and she lay there motionless.

((If you like, you can take narrative of the area they are in and describe stuffs, I don't want to hog the ruin descriptions and puzzles and stuffs.))

[Paddy]

"Wha--" She uttered as she was scooped up by this fusion. Her hard expression was replaced with one of befuddlement as she seemed to become victim to a similar tactic to her own-- but she couldn't for the life of her figure out why this runaway would want to keep a potential captor in arm's reach. Being as close as she was, her analytical ability for reading gems seemed to indicate concern of some kind on Hematite's expression. It was a given that the fusion would be concerned in this situation, but why would she reach out for her enemy? It was suspicious, and made the pit in Padpara's stomach grow. 

She squirmed as she was pinned to the fusion's chest, "W-what is this!" She managed to snarl as she tried to free herself. Her eyes went wide as Hematite lobbed the both of them straight into the free air,"Whaaa!" The sapphire couldn't struggle anymore as she became paralyzed with panic, nearly ready to faint. Now she began to put together what her enemy was doing, or at least what she thought; it seemed the fusion was getting ready to dispose of the loyalist once and for all by tossing her down into the light at the end of the tunnel, quite literally. 

Though, before she could find a way to react to this idea she'd formulated, Hematite veered from the path that Padpara thought she would take. The cart continued to hurl passed the gems as they tumbled into what seemed to be an artificial outcropping. The small gem flung through the air easily, and snapped out from her despair-induced paralysis to shield her gem from damage as she made contact with the floor, rolling with the momentum until her head was swimming in all directions. 

"Ugh," She groaned, writhing on the ground for a moment with a grimace plastered across her expression. Her hands still covering the gem on her neck, she blinked, and peered around the well-lit space. A specific silver alloy seemed to cover every surface, except for the tessellated stone floor. Though it was tarnished with age, it reflected the light shedding from the beams in the tunnel like a mirror. A series of thick, vertical piping lined the walls, seeming to lead further down, with scaffolding coiled around them for ease of access. After giving herself a moment to stabilize, she slowly got to her feet, and shuffled over to the edge of the outcropping to peer down. She'd never heard the train car smash into the ground, she wondered if it was still falling. Then, she peered upward, to see some of the rest of the human vehicle still dangling precariously over the edge. It was far; it might take many long hours for her to scale her way back up, if she could make it at all. 

It came to her attention that this had to be some kind of ancient gem construction. It's purpose eluded her, perhaps it was some kind of resource transport system? She wished she had an older gem to ask about it...then turned, reminded to look for Hematite.

Her eyes settled on the glitching form of the gem, not far from where she stood. The sapphire's brows came together as the corners of her lips drew downward. Awash with confusion, she wasn't quite sure what had just happened, nor why the fusion had elected to take damage in her stead. The tap of her feet echoed off of the austere, radiant surroundings as she made her way over to stand above the unconscious gem. "Hematite?" She tested quietly, though her voice still bounced easily around the area. There was no way she would simply leave her suspect here, but she also realized it would be a grueling task to drag the gem back up with her if her form didn't give way. The sapphire prepared to poof her enemy, pulling an orb of plasma out into the open, but she hesitated. 

[Hematite]

“We’re practically useless,” a voice rang behind her in a strange unconscious vision, Hematite turned her head-or well what weightless form she had in a what felt like a strange dream, she was uncertain if this was what it was like for a gem to die but it seemed quite appropriate, gazing into a grey void, the gems that comprise her fusion looking at each other with grim faces. A red-haired armless runt of a gem spoke with a certain despair in her voice, “I’m the most useless, if we go back –they’ll shatter me, I’ll be done for.”

“Then I’ll protect you …” One, whose dark outfit seemed to cover most of their visage, “We’ll protect you.” Said a smaller long-haired one who promised as they approached. “We need you, Spindel.”


“Spindel, Moonstone … l-let’s fuse.”

…

“What ... who, who I am?”

“Hematite?”

“Hematite?” A voice suddenly woke her from her trance, almost in sync with another, someone called out to her as she stared at silvery reflections bouncing around her. A shadow stood over her and her eyes flashed several times before noting she was indeed conscious and alive. But, as the situation began to round back to the gem and what had just transpired, she remembered exactly where she was-and what she had just done. The gem's head would shift to look at Padpara standing over her, plasma already cooking in her hands. It would be easy to note that though her figure had stopped glitching, the red-eye on Hematite's forehead remained sealed as if though it was sleeping.

She knew the gem could strike at her at any moment, but that did not seem to faze her in any way, there was a apathetic look in her eyes that was … unsettling, at least to anyone who has truly gotten to know Hematite, a darker, moodier stare that was very unlike her naturally lighter and more vigilant expression. “Really …” her voice seemed to coo, but it was much deeper and much heavier than before- she attempted to stand and failed, her body language was even completely different now as there was stoic aura to her and her eyes that spoke how little she seemed to care for this moment. “Don’t make me regret saving your pitiful life.” She spoke in slow cruel words that hummed far more strongly than her previous tone, “Watashi wa sonaeru jūbun ni kaekon inai ga seimei.” It seemed the gem wasn’t all there, as she let slip an entire bit of her response to the gem in a foreign tongue, which would most likely be lost to them.

She attempted to stand to her two feet but wobbled weakly, the gem on the back of her head glinted with a disfigured obvious imperfection. Her head was throbbing, the pain originating from the cracked gem and her eyes showed her dizziness and seemingly dream-like state.

[Paddy]

Her expression darkened as Hematite came to, and she took a step back, unsure of how the fusion would react to seeing the enemy poised to attack above her. Why hadn't she just struck down her opponent when she had the chance? The three components of her enemy could have been quickly, easily quarantined if she hadn't hesitated. But, it seemed a merciful streak had gotten the better of her-- or perhaps it was because she needed answers.


"Why?" The word slipped from her lips, fiery eyes fixed on Hematite, with a brow arched. It irked her to be told she'd been saved, though perhaps it was true. She hadn't been able to think in those moments before the both of them had gone flying. Would she still be hurling toward the center of the Earth, if it hadn't been for Hematite's actions? The sapphire imagined that she could've gotten out of that debacle some how, but she would've lost her chance to capture the runaway. Her eyes flickered over the fusion, preparing to analyze the subtle tells in her expression that would give Padparadscha a sense for the truth of the matter.

Confusion whirled through her thoughts as she tried to piece together why it was that Hematite seemed to be working against her own interests. "Do you not already regret it? What do you hope to gain?" Her burning curiosity glared through her genuinely invested tone. She had no inkling of what the other sentence meant, but she mulled over the sounds in her mind in an attempt to decipher this whole situation. The measured steps she took clicked over the otherwise still air as she circled from a distance, never taking her gaze off of her target. Her eyes narrowed as she realized the fusion had sustained considerable damage. It would seem the chance to strike her down easily hadn't been lost, yet Padparadscha still hadn't gotten her answer. On top of that, she realized that she'd ended up in a rather precarious position. How would she get out of it? 

The sapphire had once before allowed herself to admit that she'd been saved by an enemy. Truly, the thought process of rebels eluded her completely. Yet, in that time before, she had given special treatment to that rebel; against all better judgement, she'd allowed that one to get away. It still haunted her to think on that time that she'd let her sensibilities to be tarnished. This one in front of her now elicited the same conflicting feeling of frustrated compassion, and she suddenly feared the possibility that this rebel would find a way to take advantage of her as well.  In that moment, she decided that she wouldn't allow it. There was no way this traitor would get the better of her in any sense of the phrase. The sapphire kept her orb of plasma at the ready, but still awaited her answer. 

[Hematite]

Why indeed? Why did she spend her energy and sacrifice herself for someone like this. She could have let this all go, she could have watched her fall into the abyss and give not a care about it … but that was impossible, she would have truly felt horrible watching this gem perish. It would lurk in the back of her mind for years to come. Just as she’s felt horrible feelings watching countless human’s she's observed over the centuries she’s been alive do the same. What kind of compassion did she hold within herself that brought her to do something so foolish?

“Gain?” the fusion repeated and a low chuckle came from her, exhausted, “Not all choices in our life are done with the intent to obtain, to achieve what we desire. A soul who commits themselves to such a life is one of hedonistic values and that will only ever end in tragedy. They are like a hungry star, sucking the life from everything it touches-just to maintain its beauty, its ways. but eventually they will run out ... and will fall apart.” A strange saying, though it seemed to be referencing blue stragglers, stars that fly through the universe devouring others that come across their path in order to sustain themselves--but, these stragglers were often times very fragile-unstable, and in some cases if incapable of finding enough sustenance, violently tore themselves apart in a galactic meltdown. “Some choices, are made in order to maintain- it isn’t about losing or gaining. But instead establishing your own foundations as an individual. In my case, I chose to save you because it maintains who I am. So I remain Hematite, Usagimegami. The same way you choose to make your choices, so you maintain whatever makes you who you are.” She said the last part with some distaste, as she recalled many gems really didn’t know who they are … and truly, knowing was a very light expression in this situation. Gems walk about, labeling themselves this and that. Peridot, Lapis and more. Their names were an identifier, it wasn’t like a ‘true name,’ something that was meant to truly identify you as your own self.

“I simply didn’t want to lose myself, watching you die. I would have died inside …” She managed get out in a low utter.

She could sense through the gems’ emotional disposition that she was on the edge, and she knew the gem was going to strike eventually, or at least it worried her enough that she should prepare. Hematite decided to try and fool her enemy, though she certainly wasn’t at a hundred percent, she also wasn’t weak enough that she couldn’t utilize her own abilities. Though she was originally quite weak, she would take the time now to start thinking of a way out—but first she’d have to maintain this injured façade until she could think of a way to escape. It would hopefully keep the gem relaxed. Hopefully. Climbing up this massive hole seemed a little too much, she’d rather take her chances and try and traverse wherever the hell they were and make a run for it.

[Paddy]

As tangible data to analyze came forth from the gem she focused her ability on, the sapphire's brows pulled together. Something seemed off about the manner of the fusion. There was something she was being deceitful about, but Padparadscha couldn't yet put her finger on what that could be. Was the fusion being disingenuous about her reasoning, did she not believe the things she said? Or was she speaking in order to throw the sapphire off? Neither of those explanations seemed to fit the bill, it only made her curiosity burn with more intensity.
It seemed that Hematite was, in fact, working for her own interests-- and she did so at the sacrifice of her other strategic interests. 

If Padpara hadn't been so perplexed by what she was hearing, it might have incurred her wrath to hear how sure Hematite seemed to be that the loyalist would've died if not for her help. She chewed on the fusion's reasoning, but the fact that there seemed to be hidden intentions here left her increasingly uneasy. Her lips parted as if she were going to retort. Instead, she swiveled on her heels, and began to pace in the other direction, though she still didn't let her gaze veer from her suspect, her intense gaze scrutinizing every twitch of the fusion's muscles. What was wrong? What was her sense telling her?

There was a distant hiss, and the pressure in the air rose. The hissing grew louder, and the sapphire's eyes finally snapped away from the fusion she was trying to interrogate, searching for the source of the noise. A rumble echoed up from the well below. The outcropping they stood upon suddenly lurched downward, then locked up again as if it had lost its grip for a moment. It was suddenly much darker, as in its quick descent, walls had drawn up to nearly seal the platform off from the chasm they'd entered from; though it seemed to be stuck, with just a sliver of light beaming in from the top edge of the room's center.

The sapphire wobbled around as she tried to keep her footing. "What in the name of the Dia--" Her muttering was drowned out as the hissing and rumbling grew louder. Steam blasted from under the platform, pouring out from the maintenance tunnels lining the pipes. Air pressure rose as opaque, hot water vapor billowed into the room.

She grit her teeth. Her eyes flicked between the fusion, and the newly present walls. Padparadscha still couldn't be sure of the fusion's true intent here, since there seemed to be some kind of deception in play-- she wondered if Hematite had lied about caring whether her enemy were destroyed, as that seemed most logical. Despite that consideration, the sapphire turned to face the wall, and directed her plasma into it, trying to melt through in order to create a possible escape for herself. She continued to increase the energy she put into it, the corners of her lips pulling downward. The alloy didn't seem to react to the heat of her plasma-- her eyes widened as she realized the implications of that. The mechanism had been constructed with planetary core temperatures in mind.

"Well, if you didn't regret it before, you might now," She seethed, still trying to push the heat of the plasma to its upper limits despite the realization she was about to make aloud,"We're trapped,"

[Hematite]

And Hematite would simply watch the gem pace around, both of their eyes locked on each other at this point. The gem was giving her such a scrutinizing look, she would have thought something off about it-but honestly she was still trying to gather herself from the stunt she had pulled earlier. A small part of her wanted to say something, to expand on her reasoning for saving her, but it seemed she was at a loss for words—but that would become a small issue as a loud hiss began to flood the chamber they were and it only grew louder by the second.

Her eyes grew fierce as the rampart they were on began to tip down and descend into the darkness below them, the escape they had entered from closed off, it seemed the gems were confined into this space, much to Hematite’s aversion. She was beginning to hate this city and its habitants.

Even worse, hot vapor was flooding the room, lowering visibility and making it uncomfortably humid in the room. She watched the gem grasp some of her own plasma and attempt to burn her way through the sudden enclosure-but much to Hematite’s surprise who recalled her plasma melting through objects with terrifying ease-this one remained practically unfazed from the gems attempts to dissolve it. Her face showed a confounding glare as she came to the realization that this had to spell bad news for both of them.

“Trapped? In here?” The fusion spoke up, her voice almost becoming a growl, “Only regret I have is traipsing into this hell-hold of a city -meeting you and your fanatic little monarchy, and leaving my home.”

Right now she could have been drinking green-leaf tea with some of the stranger humans of her abode. There was a certain shrillness to her voice that broke the stoicness of its tone before, “I refuse to be stuck in this pit for hell knows how long.” She said, standing to her feet and stomping towards the chasms’ entrance, she would jump up to grasp the enclosure from where she could, and used both her hair and hands to try and pry it open, growling with anger and her face practically seething at this point.



What happened next was actually quite entertaining, as the water from the condensating vapors loosened her grip, the fusion made a, ”Ah-g-ghah!” and suddenly lost her grasp. She fell back to the ground belly-flopping against the hard tile flooring. “Ugh! Shimatta!” she cried out as she crumpled to her knees and heaved.

[Paddy]

The futility of trying to burn a hole through the wall gave her a bitter taste, and she retracted her plasma before she wasted even more energy in her attempts. Then, as Hematite spoke her regrets, the sapphire's brows shot up. Had she just heard a rebel profess to regretting her abandonment of Homeworld? Considering the fusion's tone, Padpara decided that must not have been it, though what else could a gem truly think of as their home? Even though it had been a misunderstanding, a part of her wished it hadn't been. "Why'd you leave, then?" She muttered, almost not expecting an answer. 

The dire nature of the situation stifled any humor the sober gem might have entertained at her enemy's attempts to escape. Instead, she felt frustrated at the fact that she allowed this situation to even unfold in the manner that it did. She could only replay the events over in her head, trying to spot something in her pristine memory that could help her decide how best to escape. Her eyes hovered over Hematite as she considered how much of a liability it was to let this fusion stay formed-- though if she were to attack, there would be no option of retreat, which could turn out to be an even larger problem in the end.  As she contemplated her options, she circled along the central walls, looking for weak spots, but didn't find any. Without any other ideas, she flipped open her communicator, but her heart sank as she found she received no satellite signal here. 

Steam still poured into the room from underneath, and she made the connection that it had to be coming from somewhere, as well as the idea that it had to be serving some kind of function (or at least, it did at one point). Then, she cut across to the other side of the platform, and observed the steam as it filled the air. She got closer, and peered down into one of the maintenance tunnels the steam was coming from. The heat was intense, though it was the humidity that bothered her. Unsurprisingly, she couldn't see much, and the mirror-like walls made it seem as if she were wading in an endless expanse of dark clouds. 

She turned to face the shadow of Hematite through the fog. Memory of the scuff they'd had just before the chase ensued in earnest popped into her mind; when Hematite had managed to almost knock over the sapphire with the force of wind she could create with the fan-like quality her hair could take on.  

"I agree, being trapped indefinitely here isn't an option. Idling around wont get either of us very far," She mused aloud, then gestured toward the tunnel in front of her,"Though, if the steam could be cleared from one of these vents, even momentarily, perhaps some scouting could be done," She hoped the implications of her words would get through to the fusion; the idea of having explicitly ask for help or state her plan to a runaway, made her eyebrow twitch.  

[Hematite]

The look on her face was solemn enough to prove her disapproval of the situation, she swore she heard the gem mutter something to her, but it was muffled under the hissing of the vapors pouring into the room which was gradually making it far more difficult to see as the moments went on. She managed to stand to her feet and stare about with a face wrought with a sense of anxiety. Getting out of her may have been impossible, and of all the gems she had to be trapped with.

She watched as Padpara seemed to be scoping the area, which would prove difficult to do as the haze grew thicker by the second. This odd construct and design was something that only seemed to befuddle her even more, what was this place used for-why was her ancestors building such odd contraptions here on the planet? In all honesty Hematite wasn’t well versed in her own kind’s history and the thing about them. She was simply a war gem, she knew little about anything above fighting her way to survival and fusing to gain an upper hand in combat. But beyond their space-shuttles and much more, she was rather ignorant of her own kind’s ways beyond hierarchy and things of that nature.

Her eyes showed some annoyance as the gem began to speak to her directly, though she was right that idling about wasn’t about to get anything done, her words didn’t really touch the gem kindly. “Alright, and?” the fusion retorted almost instantly, “What, you want me to do something? You have an idea, bout’ how to do this?” She said in an angry grumble. “I’m not a mind-reader you know.” She could certainly read emotions but this gems intent was another thing.

Then she noted the temperatures, it was getting hotter and hotter in here, and unlike Padpara, she wasn’t resistant to heat, she seemed to show some distress at this as the fusion managed to grimace and try and fan herself down, she took a bundle of hair in her hand and it took the form of a small oriental-paper fan and she began to try and cool herself. “I’m gonna melt in here …” she managed to groan as she realized how hot it was getting.

[Paddy]

"Ugh," the sapphire audibly groaned as she was forced to explain herself. Her lips pursed as she tried to think of a way to put it. Part of her tried to think of a way to do without the fusion's help, but there was no telling where these tunnels led. This was an uncomfortable situation for a multitude of reasons, but she didn't want to end up making things worse for herself by ignoring the reality that Hematite's talents could be useful. 

She cleared her throat, and spoke with enough strength behind her voice to be heard clearly over the reverb and the channeling steam,"I need to glimpse down the tunnel long enough to see if there is any kind of foothold or mechanism that might be of use...I-- well-- you seem have a grasp on air-flow control, with you're...um, hair," her small hand waggled toward the fan Hematite had formed, then she made to wave at the steam as if to demonstrate what she wanted to happen,"If the steam could be redirected for a moment or two, I could do some tests to see what we're dealing with."

Padparadscha noticed quickly that the other gem seemed to not be coping as well as herself with the heat. She thought on what the purpose of this mechanism the two had found themselves caught up in could be; discerning its purpose could be the first step in truly figuring out a solution. Heat-resistant (or down-right invincible, as far as she was concerned), radiation-reflective alloys, with the ability to traverse up and down these vertical pipes. All of this considered, she figured aloud, "I'm no tech historian, but given the construction, I'd say this place was meant to house a specific kind of resource, something that could only be found and maintained at high temperatures. Or, perhaps it was meant to cook something, to prepare it for some other step in a process that it was a part of. There has to be some kind of fail-safe around here, I can't imagine they'd design such a dangerous contraption without one," At any rate, it was clear that the thing wasn't working as intended, with the small opening letting in a meager draft-- still, the fusion might be baked.

She tried to rationalize the disquiet that thought gave her; it seemed she would have to rely on the alternate abilities of this rebel to get out of this place, so they would have to work quickly.

[Hematite]

The fusion made a coy look as she scanned over the gem. She was actually going to ask her for help now? She almost assumed she had died or something for a second, as this seemed like a miracle coming from this gem. Hematite’s face was still skeptical, but this heat was becoming so unbearable, and she simply couldn’t do this back and forth in a literally ‘hellish’ steam room. Her eyes shifted to the steam vent and then back to the gem where she frowned. Sighing, she made casual steps to the vent and listened Padpara went to explain the original purpose of this strange, ancient wreckage.



“Possibly. You’ll have to excuse that I know very little of this place.” Her eyes showed a certain expectation, as if she knew the gem would make a mockery of what she would say next, “I’m simply a combat gem, battle tactics is all we’re good for. They felt it was best we didn’t know more than she should – in case we were captured possibly.” The gem narrowed her eyes at this, “Maybe for darker scenes too.”



She took a deep breath and made her way to the vent. It was much hotter the closer she was but that shouldn’t be much of problem. She perched over and turned her back to the vent, hair started to do something with impressive technique. The whole of it bundled at the center and began to spiral quickly, their speeds were impressive, and she was able to blow much of the steam away with ease and was actually quite easy for the gem to maintain. “Well, what do you see?” she said in a somewhat ‘commanding tone,’ as if she was hurrying the gem on.

[Paddy]

Though the fusion was a bit apprehensive, Padpara was relieved to see her decide to cooperate. She nodded with understanding at Hematite's lack of knowledge about this place; though she hadn't an idea of who the fusion's components were, she had gathered from their previous encounter that at least one of them had been a warrior of some kind. Soldiers were expected to fight, it wasn't in their jurisdiction to have interest or knowledge about the technology and gems that they fought for.
At the final comment in her statement, Padparadscha wondered what darker things she had in mind, but didn't press the issue. 

As the other gem moved to push away the steam, Padpara leaned down to look for anything of interest in the tunnel. She gripped the edge, and prepared herself to react just in case the enemy gem were to make some kind of move while she searched. Instead, Hematite only seemed to be impatiently cooperating. Her eyes flickered, a twinge of irritation biting her at the fusion's tone of voice, but she quickly went back on task.
The maintenance shaft was well lit at the bottom, like the central chamber of this enormous construct-- much to the sapphire's relief. The pipes continued down, fading off into the light below. Her eyes flicked around the chasm until she spotted what appeared to be an inset door, securely closed. 

She also managed to discern that the steam was pouring up from a pipe below, which had been punctured somehow. It was just out of range, but if she were to get down there, she could plug it up. The heat of the steam wouldn't bother her, but it would make it hard to see what she was doing as she climbed down the pipes. Aside, Hematite likely wouldn't be able to tolerate the heat, and Padpara wanted to keep the fusion close at hand; she couldn't afford to lose the effort she'd put into tracking her target to this point, along with the consideration that her enemy had already come to be useful in this predicament. Unconventional perhaps, but if her goal was to escape, she would use any asset that came to her. 


"There's a door down there," She said, peering up toward Hematite,"Not sure where it might lead but it's our best bet. I'm going to stop up this steam, I just need a few more moments,"

With that, she conjured a line of plasma, and secured it around her waist like a rope, then anchored herself to the wall. The small gem hoped that Hematite would be deterred from messing with her safety line by the heat of it, then began to lower herself into the vent. After a moment, she hung face to face with the steam billowing from the tear in the pipe, and began to draw plasma over it to seal the wound.    

[Hematite]

She realized her position would have put her back to the other gem, a small test really. She was certain at any moment, Padpara would try and snag her at the last second. She decided to see if she could accelerate it. The fog in here was unbearable, but she felt she could take the gem. Her sensory abilities allowed her at least to able to know where Padpara was without even watching her directly. She was certain at any moment, she’d sense that cold rage rearing behind her and get to huffing it. But, surprisingly she didn’t she turned her head to see the small gem leaning over.

When the other gem mentioned a door, she looked back with a questionable gaze, “Well, I guess that’s promising. Though that means we’ll be going deeper into this … whatever it is.” She managed to get out and then watched as Padpara descended towards the vents. She had to admit, it was rather kind of her. Though now, Hematite would take this time and commit it to something that takes more sleight-if-hand. Her hands slipped into a bundle of hair wrapped behind the back of her head and beneath the nap of her neck. She unrivalled two small towel-sized cuts of thin cloth, a small phial of shimmering grey substance, a few wooden matchheads.

She looked back once more with a coy look to see if the gem had returned.

Dumping the matchheads first onto the center of one of the cloth towelettes, she took the phial of grey dust and sprinkled it inside carefully. Then she took a careful amount of the straw cloth and proceeding to use one of her shedding hairs to wrap and tighten its top within her fingers until it was nice and compact. These would prove be useful, a mix of saltpeter and igniting sulfer. She even premixed a little bit of sugar into the mix for more effectiveness. She took a second to inspect her creation carefully within her hand.

Torinoko were essentially a flash-bomb though a very simple and odd type of one. The ingredients were simple and the fact that its mechanisms of activation were simple as well made them versatile tools in many situations.

[Paddy]

Oblivious to what Hematite was crafting, the sapphire began to craft herself. She wasn't sure how long her patch would hold back the pressure, but she didn't expect to be lingering here for very long. For now, the steam had been allayed. With some more of her plasma, she created a small perch so that she could stand and conserve her energy, then retracted the bit she'd anchored to the wall above. As she did, her eyes traced along the bottom of the platform, still searching for some kind of switch or mechanism, but it appeared barren. She would have to rely on this door, and hope that it could not only be pried open, but lead to something that could be of use. 

While her foothold was cooling into place, she shifted her gaze up toward the hole she'd descended in from. Hematite seemed to be preoccupied with something, and the sapphires eyes narrowed as she tried to figure out what that could be. However, there was no way from her vantage point to see what it was. In the quiet moment that ensued, she calculated all of the different ways she could trap and subdue her enemy. But, she would have to work with foresight. Aside, the sapphire was not as merciless as she liked to think of herself as; the pink-court nature in her was what made her so effective at her multifaceted job, yet it came to her detriment as well. 

"Clear, the next phase will be to scope out this door, unless you can find an alternate route," She said, carefully modulating her tone to speak in the manner she might with any job partner. But, it had already been nerve racking enough to trust the fusion's earlier statements about letting her perish; she wanted to give Hematite little-to-no opportunity to take advantage of her. She kept her eyes honed on the fusion, waiting to see what she would do before she moved on.