Aftershocks (closed w. Paddy)

[Paddy]

6UE had been just about ready to knock her compatriot over the head with her sword when she lurched to a halt at 7XB's command. She glanced up at the drillmaster, befuddled, as if she had just been woken up out of a trance, then fumbled to let her weapon dissipate before she stood at ease, glancing around at the other amethysts in an attempt to figure out what was going on. 

Padparadscha froze. Seconds after she'd made her decision to vacate the source of her anxiety, 7XB's robust voice brought the drilling to a halt. Her eyes widened and teeth clenched, as if she'd been caught committing a crime-- part of her had felt it was-- but her feet were stuck in place. With nothing else to keep their attention, she feared she'd be found out, a grimace plastered across her face while her back remained turned away from the arena. Her shoulders hiked up as she tried to hide herself even further; there had been no way to save this situation from the moment she had walked in. She simply stood at odds with herself and her own decision to leave when she did. How uncouth it was be for any noble to be caught coming or going without the proper preamble. The sapphire had tried to leave in the same manner she had intruded in the first place; without warning, nor any sort of fair or expected treatment for those she had intruded upon. The pit in her midriff sank like an iron weight as her mind was brought into a state of anxious panic.  

She peered back, attempting to conceal her mental state, but it was difficult to keep at bay. She tried to turn around, but she couldn't face them. With one glimpse toward the clear quartz, she flicked her gaze back toward the hall as if she'd been given a shock. Her foot scooted forward, then the other, each step made her feel as if her feet were chained to the floor.

A wavering huff left her. It would look odd, but she did say she had come here for a reason. She needed a report, and now was the time to get it; so she came up with an excuse for her behavior, straightened up her back, and reentered the room-- though, with the same difficulty that she had left it, and her expression withheld by pressure alone. 

[7XB]

The sudden, almost terrified, look that the Sapphire had thrown in their direction surprised 7XB greatly- Though the quartz was well aware that they were both having their own internal struggles with what had happened, this was another firm reminder that most gems neither processed nor dealt with things in the same way as they did.

But for Padparadscha's own sake, they wished that she did. It made them cringe internally to watch her struggle just to exist in their presence, to keep her composure while contending with the strange phenomenon that happened whenever the two gems spent too much time together. This only reinforced the idea that nothing good could come from this: already it was causing the Sapphire to lose her trademark composure. In good conscience, how could 7XB allow such an important gem to ruin her reputation on their account?

A master at saving face, and hoping to draw attention away from the Sapphire and her less-than-graceful return, their gaze came again to the Amethysts, “I hope you have all learned something important today, “ they began sternly, arms crossing again behind their back, “ If you fight every time like you are trying to prove something, you'll find that you rarely will need to. That will be all for today.” 

[Paddy]

Amethyst relaxed as the overseer spoke, a grin forming on her lips. She stretched her arms; the conditioning had been tough, but well worth it. She felt as if she could run around the moon's equator a hundred times and still be up for anything, and she recognized that she really had learned a thing or two. Then, she gave a glance around for the sapphire. It caught her a bit off guard to spot the little gem lingering near the door instead of where she'd been before, though nonetheless she felt more than ready to take on whatever dispatch it had been that the sapphire had told her about that day. But for now, she turned as someone clapped her on the shoulder, and joined the lively conversation that had bubbled up next to her.  

The sapphire listened carefully to 7XB's words, relief pouring over her as she realized that they and the other gems still seemed occupied. She took the opportunity to channel the focus, and the confidence she'd grasped onto when she'd made the first decision to come here just a short while ago. Her eyes fluttered closed for a moment while her arms were pinned to her sides. She'd been in many nerve wracking situations as of late, finding need for her mantra. Here on the moonbase, there was no immediate danger, no threat of losing her form or seeing her comrades taken down or falling victim to some heinous trap. She just had to make it through one exchange, end things the right and fair way, and get back to work. Despite trying to tell herself that, her panic was not an easily tamable creature, and her mind continued to race through conflicting modes of thought, rendering her immobile.

Her eyes opened again, but she hadn't quite been able to dig up her confidence. She wished her pearl would return, but the servant was still on her chores. The sapphire brought her hands together in front of her skirt, then stepped a bit closer,"Commander, whenever you have a moment..." She managed softly, though the metal surfaces helped her words carry through the spacious air. As soon as the words left her mouth, she felt like shrinking, but she managed to keep her back straight.

[7XB]

The dispersing of the other gems was a great relief to 7XB for a number of reasons, though the great tension they carried throughout their entire body never relented, even as the training came to an end. A familiar, approaching voice still managed to catch them off guard, the brief moment that the quartz allowed themselves to fixate upon the maelstrom of thoughts providing Padparadscha with the opportunity she needed to creep up on them yet again.

“Oh, Your Clarity,” they summoned forth a respectful salute across their broad chest as they stepped-turned to face the diminutive noble. “Is there something I can assist with?” Or was something amiss? Reminded again of the promise they had made to each other back on Earth, the clear gem nonetheless understood on some level what this must have been about. Had she come upon the same conclusion that they had?

[Paddy]

As 7XB turned, her eyes drew up across their whole shape, until landing on theirs. She took a moment to explore their expression, searching for hints about what they might be thinking. Her lips parted, though not particularly to say anything, until she caught herself staring at them. "Ah, well--" She tried to keep her voice down, but the way it carried in this room was not going to make it easy,"--You see-- well, first off..." Everything she wanted to say was getting mixed up as her voice became even more stilted. Then, she sighed heavily,"My apologizes, for dropping in without sending in advance, I hope I haven't disturbed your regimen," With that out of the way, she moved to the next item on her list of things to address. "I've just-- well, I haven't been so confident in Amethyst since the last dispatch I brought her on. It was...something of a catastrophe, though admittedly not entirely her fault. I suppose I felt the need to make a surprise visit, to make sure she's improving," Her eyes flicked over to 6UE, whose spirited conversation had raised a few decibels,"This next dispatch needs to go better than the last, or I'll never hear the end of it from my repair tech, or the medics,"

Then, her eyes wandered to the wall, and the floor, though she kept her head up. She switched the leg she put her weight on, and shifted her shoulders, her clasped hands tightened around each other. "I didn't expect to see that-- uh...you were the one assigned here," She avoided looking at them for a moment longer, until her eyes trailed back over to 7XB. Their platinum gaze glinted in the harsh arena light-- it was easy to remember how it'd looked under the moonlight on the riverside. The things she wanted to say next caught in her throat, and she stood looking a bit vapid. "Uh..." She uttered, catching herself again,"I mean, I just-- ah...well there's something...m-maybe I shouldn't-- ah, well at any rate, it looks like she's in good hands, I'm sure she'll improve rapidly under your instruction," She gave a small smile, but it quickly faded as she swallowed, unable to truly touch upon the topic that she knew needed to be brought up quite yet. 

[7XB]

Allowing the silence to linger with that terrible anticipation churning in their gut, 7XB nonetheless raised a heavy brow at the fashion in which the normally eloquent Sapphire broke the growing, awkward stillness between the two of them. This was a version of Padparadscha that the Quartz had never seen before or after that tranquil moment in the jungle, their concern threatening to draw their lips into a frown. 'This must be difficult for her to say,’ they mused grimly, 'its my fault we indulged this, I..' they had only just began to give into their guilt when she continued, color threatening to stain their ivory cheeks as the topic of conversation revealed itself to be something much less serious.’Oh.’ they seemed visibly relieved, a respectful smile flickering once more across their face, though the pragmatic gem knew that the conversation they had imagined would have to be had eventually.

Just..not right now, it seemed.

“Oh, truly it is no trouble at all, Your Clarity,” they began in that formal, understated tone- but what else could be expected of the gem here on the moon base and surrounded by others? “It's always an honor to see you.” Glazing over what was clearly her discomfort at seeing them again, (a pang of hurt snuffed quickly), 7XB attempted to normalize the situation. “Ah, yes. One of the Agates requested my assistance with the training of this new batch while I am on-base. I was glad to assist, of course,” though that wasn't exactly true, “and as it's only.temporary it will not interfere with my own objectives.” They glanced towards the dispersing, dismissed gems, “I just hope some part of what I teach them sticks..” Her comment on the poor performance of 6UE provided them with plenty of cause for concern.

“I would think she is eager to prove her merit after today. “ At least one would hope, “Dare I ask what happened?”

[Paddy]

As the sapphire's eyes flickered across their expression, she found herself insurmountably envious of their ability to be calm and collected where she was fumbling over herself. It seemed so easy for them. Though their tone was placid and formal, hearing them speak, especially to tell her they were honored in her company (even if it was just a nicety) only made it worse, the bright rosy color of her high cheeks flushed with more intensity.

But, their demeanor seemed to be further evidence that the quartz had moved passed what was now giving her so much difficulty. The idea of that still twisted in her core, just as the idea that they might easily forget the time the two of them shared had made her dizzy. What little discomfort she read in their manner, she supposed could've been attributed to her unseemly behavior. She nodded as they spoke, trying to seem normal, until she sensed a touch of untruth in their words. It caused tension to zip through her, and she looked away again for a moment. Despite her urge to dig up whatever truth they were masking, especially considering the circumstances between them, she shoved it down, and acted as if she hadn't noticed. 

Then, as they asked about her dispatch, the embarrassment showing on her cheeks brightened, and she shifted her stance once again as she fidgeted with her fingers. Being the leader of that mission, the failures would ultimately be her fault, and she had already admitted that it hadn't gone well-- she wasn't so eager to go into the details. But, it gave her more excuse to stand and chat with a gem she might not get a chance to see again, especially not after the conversation they needed to have. 


"Oh..." Now she really couldn't look at them,"Ah...well...I'd sent her to secure the perimeter and it had initially been cleared, but we were beset by a full battalion of...of what had initially appeared to be some kind of guerrilla rebel force, as soon as the team hit the surface. When the team retreated back to the ship, it had been infiltrated. Amethyst was the first to be...well, she lost her form, and we ended up with a hostage situation on our hands," She wondered what may have happened, had she been given the benefit of having a battle-hardened, experienced gem like 7XB there that day. "We were able to recover, as you can see-- ultimately we reached our objective-- though I'm still waiting on a holoscreen replacement..." She looked over her shoulder in search of pearl. Her first impulse was to pull up her holoscreen and message her servant, but, nothing would come up if she tried. Turning back to face them, her lips parted...but again, she just couldn't say it. She wanted to speak to them about anything at all, just not that, not yet. Whatever fib they'd told still weighed on her, it always irked to be lied to even if it was small,"Ah, also, I'd like to remind you that...you can be honest with me, Commander," 

[7XB]

The quartz blinked, even the neutral expression that they were so well known for threatening to slide off of their face as they were made privy to the details of this 'catastrophic’ mission. When she had first mentioned it, 7XC had naturally assumed that her assignment had..well, been something more in line with the aristocratic gem’s talents: diplomacy, interrogation, that sort of thing. The idea of her undertaking any sort of dangerous mission by herself was preposterous, and even the knowledge that she had been accompanied by the inexperienced amethyst did next to nothing to quell the churning in their gut.

What was even worse was that they could say nothing about it at all: It was well out of their rights to question why the Sapphire has undertaken such a dangerous mission, and what would they have said even if they could have? That she shouldn't have gone without them? All that came out was, “Oh. That sounds rather.. rather dangerous, Your Clarity. But I'm glad youre okay.” That, at least, they could be honest about. “..what do you mean?”

[Paddy]

"It wasn't suppose to be," She mentioned off-handedly, then gave a huff. Already she regretted going into those details, wondering what they thought of her now, though they seemed genuinely glad for her well being. The worst part hadn't even been alluded to, and she was content to leave it that way. "But I suppose things often go off the rails when one is on Earth," Then, she pressed her lips together as she thought about what she just said; true in more ways than one, and always unpredictable. 

Her accumulated stress and discomfort gave her a prickling in her spine. At some point, she would have to bring up what happened between them on Earth, as she had guessed 7XB's sense for propriety wouldn't allow them to-- aside, if they had already moved passed it then the conversation should be easy, or at least that's how she rationalized it to herself. It would just be a matter of getting over it herself. "7XB," she said a bit impatiently,"I'd prefer it if you say what's true and on your mind, rather than what is necessarily polite," She supposed it was what made her a bit different than many other high ranking officials, though she would often play their rituals, it was awfully far from the point a given matter; she noticed too that, like those nobles, she was tip-toeing around this uncomfortable topic now, but she asked herself what she was accomplishing by doing that. She shored up her strength, and brought her hands closer to her chest. She met them in the eyes.

"I appreciate your decorum. You're always on the up-and-up, I admire that about you. I understand there are some things you'd rather not say, for the sake of etiquette. But when you say something contrary to the truth, contrary to how you really feel, it-- well...it bothers me. When...when a gem lies to me, especially a gem like you-- er, well, what I'm trying to say is that, when you talk to me, I want you to know that the truth is always preferable," She paused, looking away for a quick moment,"I know that we-- we've both said things tha--" As her eyes wandered away, she noticed Amethyst waltzing her way up from the pit with a huge grin on her face. The sapphire's eyes widened, and she shooed the purple quartz with a wave of her hand. 

Amethyst stood, grin dissipated and brows furrowed, as she realized something was up. The commander was impassive as usual, but Padparadscha seemed on edge. It didn't seem quite right to say that the sapphire's sensibilities had been offended by the training, as she'd seen first hand that this gem wasn't a typical aristocrat. Something else was going on, and Amethyst hoped, with a pang in her gut, that it wasn't about her. She flipped around, scratching her neck, and tried to find something else to focus on.  

The interruption had rendered the sapphire out of sorts once again as she remembered where she was. Her mouth hung open has she tried to think of how to carefully word what she would say next. 

[7XB]

Her attempted dismissal of the dangerous aspect of this mysterious mission only cemented, in the Quartz gem’s mind, that this undertaking wasn't one that the Sapphire, amethyst or no amethyst, should have undertaking; A flickering of annoyance, almost anger flickered past their eyes as they imagined this poorly-conceived undertaking. Though she had already accepted the blame for what had happened, 7XB couldn't help but feel somewhat to blame for their own unavailability.

If she had asked only asked them, they then reasoned, perhaps the Quartz could have found some way to assist her, to keep the fragile, peach gem out of the slavering jowls of the enemy. They had to remind themselves of course that, logically, they were right to focus on their own missions, and likely wouldn't have been available to call upon either way.

Still, a twinge of regret and jealousy flared up at the entire mess, making it all that much easier for her to kindle their anger by insisting upon something they both knew they simply could not do. It was never their intentions to upset her, the very thought of it paired with her apparent desire to guilt them did little for their mood, the faintest color threatening their cheeks.

“With respect, Your Clarity,” they interjected with as blunt of an edge as they could possibly muster, “it is often imprudent to do such a thing.” Some things simply couldn't be said, whether they felt they should or not.

“And it is never anything of great importance.”

Watching her squirm and attempt to continue with bated breath, the Amethyst had already turned to retreat by the time they faced her- surely dismissed by some small motion of the Sapphire's. Lips pursed, they vocalized their thought when it became clear the tiny aristocrat was not prepared to continue. “Perhaps I should accompany you upon your next mission?” Realizing how it sounded, 7XB moved to quickly clarify, “ in order to..to ensure that 6UE is truly prepared to protect you. I can get a better idea her abilities in the field.”

[Paddy]

When the air left empty by her was followed with 7XB's words, her eyes slid back over to them. Her brows floated slightly, surprised to see them being more forward, the emotions they hid lingered near the surface. A hint of a smile grew on her lips as they voiced their true opinion on what she'd just told them; many gems would've simply agreed with her whether they liked it or not. Then, what 7XB said next had her smiling fully without realizing it. Something about the way they said it, and the look in their eyes, made her wonder more.


With a start, she processed the implications of that more thoroughly, and bit down her smile. "Oh!" Her whole body buzzed with the surge of conflicted emotions she'd tried to keep at bay, and she took a second to try to piece together how she truly felt about it as she spoke,"Well, first off, I would like to thank you for being frank-- with what you think, I mean," Even if she didn't fully agree. Part of her felt as if she should explain it better, but she had a tendency of making things worse by trying to do that.
Then followed a pause, silence as she continued to try to buy time to help her figure out what to do. Her eyes again darted to Amethyst, who wandered around the increasingly empty arena with a few others of her kind, seemingly in deep conversation themselves. Her eyes floated passed the mural of Pink Diamond, before settling back on 7XB. 


Padparadscha wondered if this was a good idea, with all things considered. "I-- I...ah," All of the courage she'd managed to gather, to tell them that she couldn't be around them any more, drained out of her,"Uh," With each stammer, her face flushed brighter. But, she told herself this was just a mission, to them this would be just another dispatch; she just needed to get over it, though she wondered how difficult that might be, with them right next to her. The idea filled her with lightheaded giddiness-- to work along side them again, to see them in action, to be with them..."W-well commander, what I've been trying to...what I mean to say is...uh, perhaps I could brief you on the mission, so you could determine if it's truly worth your time?" She went to bring up her holoscreen, then remembered she didn't have it, and quickly clasped her hands again,"It's nothing that's suppose to be too dangerous. We're heading to a large human population center they have called Empire City, I'm sure you've heard of it. Routine investigation, collecting data, that sort of thing. It seems the internal investigation department needs more information on the nature of humans, and the species' connection to current events," 

[7XB]

Empire City. The name struck them as quite familiar, pulling a plethora of recollections forth from the foggy darkness of the Quartz gem’s memory like a fish upon a hook. Much of what had occurred 7XB would have rather forgotten, not because of any great trauma, mind you, but because the sights and smells of the city, not to mention the smothering herds of humans, caused the battered gem to look rather unfondly upon their first trip to Earth, not to mention the erratic gems that could be found there. The whole thing seemed to them a barbaric mockery of gem society.

Certainly no place Padparadscha should safari in all by her lonesome, or even with an inexperienced guardian like this particular Amethyst. Though truthfully, would 7XB have been happy about anyone other than themselves filling that role?

“I know of it, yes,” they began, “a massive hub for humans. Practically overrun with them.” Their nose wrinkles at the thought of it, imagining not only the stench, but the trouble one could get into, much like they had.

“I do still think I should accompany you on this dispatch,” the quartz insisted in that respect, passive way, “Just to ensure she's up to snuff to deal with such a potentially compromised area. Rebels have been known to drift there from time to time.”

[Paddy]

Knowing well of Empire City's rebel problem, the sapphire became still for a few seconds. It was a place that had given her many unique experiences, including one of the most unpleasant. Every detail of that particular encounter still stung, it had only been days ago. Her hand unconsciously went to her midriff as a phantom pain sprung through her.

Blinking back into the present, she looked around as if she were in a daze, then back to the quartz. Another moment was spent searching their expression-- it was rather unprecedented for a quartz to suggest themselves for her entourage, but they were no ordinary quartz. It seemed to her they were going out of their way to make sure the Amethyst would perform well, it caused her to wonder more. Had she been too quick with her assumptions? "Right...to be honest commander, I would feel a lot better if you were there," Her voice soft, she let her hand fall to her side. Part of her felt as if she'd been wrapped in warm relief, while the other became even more on edge. "Well, if...if you're going to be accompanying me on this dispatch, I think there are some things we should discuss," Things they wouldn't be able to discuss if Amethyst were lumbering around or if pearl was standing nearby. First, she glanced back to Amethyst, and motioned for her to return. 6UE perked up, and gave some goodbyes to the handful of purple gems remaining in the room. 

"My sapphire?" 6UE gave a weak smile as she approached, her eyes flicking between the clear quartz and the shorter sapphire.

"Go get pearl, and accompany her to the hanger. She'll be with Olivine," She said tersely. The amethyst's smile broadened, as she took this for a sign that she hadn't been fired yet. Though, there was something that put her off about being ordered to fetch things as if she were a pearl.

"Uh, yes, your clarity," The amethyst gave a salute, directed at both gems. Her eyes went to the other quartz as she began to wonder more about what these two had been talking about. Padparadscha gave a nod to the guard, who then moved out toward her objective. 

The sapphire waited a moment longer, as the remaining amethysts slowly wandered their way out of the room. No doubt more soldiers had it on their schedule to be here soon enough. She stepped around 7XB, toward the pit to get further away from the door, and her eyes swept the room,"Being here reminds me of when we met," She gave a short, bright laugh, then peered over her shoulder, a sparkle in her eyes as she looked at them,"I've meant to come here again...to practice, of course," 

[7XB]

The quartzite gem acknowledged the Amethyst with the curt inclination of their head, admittedly happy to see the last of 6UE, and the other gems, for the time being; At the same time their gut reminded them that perhaps the fact that the other gems leaving the arena might allow Padparadscha to now touch upon a much more private discussion, and the Quartz suddenly felt quite conflicted.

Following closely in her shadow, their great weight caused the gravel underfoot to protest, crunching as it always did as they trailed her meandering route to the center of the pit. It was a rare moment, this, one of the brief interludes between the arrival of the crowds that usually trained here. Her warm laugh hit their ears first, warming them as that strangely familiar fire coursed through them. Lips pulled upwards into a simple smile, more of a grin, as recollected that day. “Certainly a day worth remembering, that.” They admitted truthfully, the vision of that very day crisp in their mind as their gaze pulled from her to look around. “That and..others, of course.” Immediately the clear gem cleared their throat, “Ah..a memorable training among others, I mean.”

[Paddy]

As they spoke, her heart fluttered with yet another feeling she didn't know what to call. Relieved that they might remember in the way she did, but also dreading the thought that they might have to struggle onward in the face of all of this confusion, as she did. Hands clutched together, her face felt warm as she turned around fully to look at them, and thought about the words she wanted to say. But, now she was preoccupied with their smile, and the memory; how daring she'd felt then, how much she knew she was making a scene. How uncomfortable this quartz must've been. She leaned back on one hip, and tilted her head up at them, "It was fun," She said, a bit of a wry smirk on her face,"Battle is a serious matter, but I don't think I took it as seriously then. I just wanted to see what you would do. I walked away with a few things in mind, more than I'd bargained for,"

Her feet shifted against the granules of moon rock, hardly displacing them as her weight swayed to the other leg. "You handled my impositions well, and you taught me something," Her smile became more abashed. The tension in her changed, but it didn't relax; a twine spun in the opposite direction. Reminders of the risks were all around her, but she couldn't be anything but honest, she wanted to be direct. Her frustration with that grew, the twine winding ever more tightly. "A memorable day. Indeed among others," Her eyes flicked up to theirs with a deliberate look. Next would come the difficult part, the one she didn't want to say,"But..." She stopped. The tension churned inside of her, and pulled her lips closed. She would have to say something she truly didn't want to say, something she didn't all the way believe. We shouldn't work together. On the contrary, she wondered if she worked that well with any other gem. We can't be too close. Again, something she knew wasn't all together true.      

Padparadscha decided instead to say something that was true. She peered at them as her next words came in a careful tone,"I'm glad for this chance to work with you again, commander," As she said it, her courage ran dry, her eyes widened a bit,"--ah, b-because...working with you is-- er well, because you're so effective,"