Aftershocks (closed w. Paddy)

[Paddy]

The words themselves were somewhat innocuous, but combined with their tone, and the look in their eyes, a pit sank through her chest as she realized she must've crossed a boundary. Her own gaze snapped off of their expression as she stared into the crowd ahead, cursing herself for such a transgression. How clumsy she was in her pursuit of knowledge about this quartz-- it was nothing like trading quips with other sapphires, or the verbal combat she could get into with a zircon, or the convoluted waltz of aristocratic pageantry that she'd come to be so accustomed with back on Homeworld.

No, it was even more complex than that. Of the universe this quartz had come to be within, lived and fought within, she knew next to nothing. She had little data, and no real conception of how to communicate effectively with soldiers; she'd never had to until she came to Earth. But what she did know was that this soldier's guard was as strong as their ardent willpower could make it, and she could guess at the reasons.

It was easy to recall just minutes ago; the scars her traipses into conflict left her with, and how quietly 7XB had let her forget the subject when it became clear she didn't want to breach it. The thought smacked her with realization as dots began to connect for her. Though her curiosity singed at her mind, wanting to replace the guesses with solid facts, a knot twisted in her midriff at the thought of hurting 7XB with ignorant questions. With their tightening grip, she could tell there was a heft of things they simply couldn't say at this juncture.      

"I-- I'm sorry, I didn't-- you don't have to talk about that if you don't want to," She fumbled, desperately searching her mind for a change of subject, but she drew blanks, and fell into a quiet spell. The sapphire thought a little harder about everything in that time, passing over her frantic thoughts a second time, in order to ask herself if closing off that avenue really was the best course. "But-- I..." Her eyes trailed back up, though she wasn't sure if she was brave enough to look them in the eyes, or say it while she did. Maybe it was the best course to let that hidden giant remain shrouded for the time being, but her social prowess failed to give her the correct answer.  

Then, her gaze finally swept up to them as her step slowed,"I'll listen, if you ever find that you do...um, remember, or...want to talk about it," She spoke softly, knowing her attempt to connect was very thinly veiled. She returned their grip, clasping their hand more tightly, before she tore her eyes away to look ahead once again. Padpara had a feeling she knew what their answer would be, but she extended her offer anyway.  

[7XB]

Though they were rather relieved as Padparadscha relented in her questioning and allowed them whatever secrets they were so desperate to keep, her apology made them question their own reasoning with a shuddering bolt of guilt. Were they simply being ridiculous, could they not trust her, out of any gem in the galaxy? They felt their own resolve wavering before they began puzzling over another quandry: why would they feel guilty at all? It was something they'd never had to deal with before, so why now? As with all things that involved her, they began to wonder if this inexplicable condition were clouding their judgement.

The idea, though in no way comforting, strengthened their resolve.

They gave a nod as the moving crowd suddenly merged into a much larger one, the clearing they had found themselves in practically packed to the brim with humans. They eye her out of the corner of their own, lips pulling upwards lightly, “I..right. I will. I promise..” as they said before, a promise was a promise. "Thank you for..thanks." a sudden uproar in the surrounding crowd put the crowd on edge, though with a glance around their deducted that it was directed north, towards whatever event had caused this gathering; as tall as they were, the Quartz gem had trouble making it out, and the swelling, artificial noise did not help.

[Paddy]

In the crush of the crowd, Padparadscha could hardly see anything at all, but she was glad to have 7XB keeping her close. Their words were more reassurance than she had originally hoped for, and hearing them make her another promise gave her cheeks some more color. It had seemed that they accepted her offer; though she knew it could've been a nicety, their tone suggested that they were genuine. Perhaps she was one small step closer to earning the right to know more about them. With such absolute choice of words, the sapphire began to anticipate the moment they would follow through. She gave them a subdued smile, and a nod, though for the time being she was somewhat lost for words. 

Then as everyone seemed to react to something happening ahead, the sapphire jumped, eye widening a bit at the sudden unison of sound. She glanced up at the humans in the immediate vicinity to try to gauge what they were doing, though now many seemed to be trying to get their own records of the event with their primitive hand-held devices, or likewise tried to get a better spot to observe whatever was going on.   

It were times like these when she wished she were as tall as a gem like 7XB, though she wondered if even they could get a glimpse of what was going on from so far out. "Knowing the focus of this event would shed light on what purpose these humans have gathered for," She began, stepping closer to the quartz as she came up with a plan to deal with this dilemma,"But, um, I can't get a look at whats going on over there. Perhaps we could try to get a bit closer, or..." The idea was one with genuine utility; she had no doubt 7XB would have little trouble wading through this throng of people, while she already knew to what degree of difficulty she had trying to get through a gauntlet of humans. But, despite the number of times they'd picked her up in the past, and the practicality of it, she found herself a bit abashed about asking for them to do it now.   

[7XB]

It didn't take a peridot to figure out what the flustered peach gem wanted, and though they were happy to oblige, 7XB couldn't quite figure out the cause of her sudden bashfulness. Either way, she was right, it would help them both, and the mission, if they could actually decipher what all the fuss was about. It was an easy choice for them to make.

And so, with a deft nod as their only response, 7XB slung the little gem upwards, arching their movements in such a way as to insure that she would end up safely upon their broad shoulders. “Can you see any better from up there?” They question, failing to hide the grin that pulled suddenly at their lips as they imagined just how startled the sapphire would be! They couldn't help but feel uncharacteristically impish as a result, that strange warmth lingering. Amethyst was, in this exact moment, totally forgotten, a first for them on-mission.

[Paddy]

She wasn't all together prepared to be lifted from the ground yet-- "Wuh!" her eyes went wide as she was swung through the air, until in the next instant, she landed, and found herself sitting at a whole new perspective on this environment. A smile broke out on her expression and she laughed a bit with surprise. There was also something satisfyingly effective about 7XB understanding what she wanted without having to outright say it.

It wasn't hard to recall the last time she'd been in a position like this. The circumstances had been much different, and she was glad to be more relaxed-- now, she could really have fun with them, without an impending threat lurking around. Everything seemed different from this angle; instead of the backs of coats and the movement of individuals, she could now better see over the entire scene. She could see clear over the heads of what looked to be thousands of people, all gathered into this tiny pinpoint of the city. Part of her had been worried about how highly visible this would make them, but then again, she and 7XB weren't the only one's who had this idea; some humans were going to lengths to see what was going on over there too. 

Her smile lingered quietly on her lips while she got to work. The holotech focused on the far side, and she zoomed in toward what everyone else seemed to be trying to get a look at. She narrowed her eyes and tapped her chin as she analyzed the enhanced image,"Yes, I'm noticing a few different things right away. The main focus seems to be a human standing on a platform, using sound projection technology; I can't quite interpret what she's doing however. Singing, dancing maybe? Nearby there are other raised platforms, occupied by humans, but they don't seem to be the focus," It was still hard to say what was going on here, but with a better view point, she would now be able to better guess at the reasoning. She began to think aloud,"If we were able to grab some clearer audio on those adjunct platforms, that would help confirm their roles here. I'm wondering if the one on the stage is perhaps a leader of some kind,"

She glanced around, and should've felt a bit more stress at the fact that Amethyst seemed to be nowhere in sight. Truthfully she figured she could find the soldier rather easily in this place-- and aside, it would be harder to get research on her new objective done if a third gem were hanging around. Her smile became more wry; hopefully Amethyst wouldn't be too sore about being left to her own devices. 

[7XB]

A chuckle passed the quartz gem’s lips at Padparadscha's exclamatory reaction to their actions, pulling their lowering lip between their pearly whites enamels in order to do so, still trying to peer over the crowd even as it became clear that her perch atopt their shoulders gave the clear advantage. More careful with such a precarious passenger, the clear gem began to trudge toward through the sea of fragile humans in order to more closely observe.

“Music?” They question, drifting with quick purpose through the primitive creatures. They knew the word, and it's relation to the electrical feedback mankind did their fusion-less dances to, but it still sounded rather alien on their lips. “What's, well, the point of all of this?” They ask with some faint concern and a gesture about, “The power usage, the noise..and they couldnt even fuse if they wanted to." The clear gem seemed genuinely concerned by it, their brow furrowing as they pondered this race and their wasteful, senseless ways. The universe couldn't get rid of them soon enough.

[Paddy]

"Huh?" Her brows floated up a bit at the four-letter word,"Oh-- um...I don't know much about, uh, that," The sapphire was a bit embarrassed-- something about their phrasing, the context, and the memory of something she'd once thought. She took a moment to think about it while the quartz took her closer to the target. The humans, for the most part, didn't really want to be in 7XB's way, so they moved; so far the mission was moving along well. While she mulled over their words, she wondered, older questions coming to the surface of her mind when she peered at them. The genuine concern on their tone also piqued her interest; what could possibly have them worried? She was beyond curious, but wondered if right now was the right time to ask; then again, she wondered if any time would be appropriate for those questions.

"It reminds me of the jubilees back on Homeworld. Of course, our aristocratic festivities had more refinement," She added, her words a bit rushed while she tried to stall for time to think about the rest of what they'd said. As she did, she recalled that she rarely saw quartz soldiers at such events, doing anything other than guard duty. It seemed strange considering these festivals often commemorated field achievements. Now that it was brought to her attention, it did seem strange for humans to have these big festivals with music, lights, dancing, especially if they had no significant planetary colonies to celebrate, or fusion to participate in. Fusion itself was an enigma to the sapphire, something for soldiers to take advantage of. "Perhaps they're celebrating, though what I'm not sure, they haven't even left their star system. As for...um...fusion, well, I hadn't really thought of that, I suppose you're right," 

The courage to ask what she wanted to was hard to dig up, so she tried to skirt around it,"It seems you know a bit about it?" She asked quietly, hoping she wouldn't be crossing another line. It wouldn't be out of place for them to have some knowledge of a soldier's tool, though she did remember their attitude toward it back when she'd first seen them working with their rubies. Again she realized she was in an inopportune angle to observe their cues from. Though, this also meant that they wouldn't be able to easily see her flushing face, which she was content with. 

[7XB]

There were always pros and cons, as 7XB had discovered so long ago, to being such a large and sturdy gem, and the flight of smaller beings, be they gem or human, was always welcomed; Who wouldn't want the ocean to part before them? “Ah, yes,” they would answer absently, having no real personal experience of these famously-extravagent soirees thrown back on Homeworld, having been fortunate enough to be passed over for guard duty, “I've heard about those. Never attended one myself either way.”

They were not all that broken up by it, feeling personally that they had served their Diamond much better in her colonization efforts than they would have protecting parties back home. A sudden halt came as sudden as the deep blue upon their cheeks once the Quartz processed her words, body threatening to lurch forward as the force of their momentum dissapated. “No
” came the sudden response, hasty for a reason other than harshness, “I mean..yes, I know a bit about it, the concepts and it's uses. I've never..I've seen it, yes, if that is what you mean.” But she knew that, didn't she? They'd seen the Rubies do it countless times, as she had once seen. In this moment they shared a similar wavelength with her, relieved that their own expression was free from her scrutiny. “Uhm..what about you?” As much as they wished the conversation would end, some little corner of their mind urged them to ask the same of her, that tingling heat reminding them of it's presence.

[Paddy]

As they answered her about the jubilees, she was reminded of that faint feeling of remorse, that they didn't have that experience, which was so prominent in her own. She gave a small grimace as 7XB put the brakes on, and she realized her question had caught them a bit off guard-- she was caught off guard herself, inertia almost sent her flipping over the quartz's head, but she managed to hold on. Padpara listened carefully, with some tension in her shoulders, to their response.

At their gut reaction, no, she wondered if this was an answer to question she was really asking, and they almost seemed to go on with it, I never, but then they went on with their deflection. Just as she had skirted around the question, they seemed to skirt around the answer. Her brow quirked and she leaned forward a bit before stopping herself-- she found herself exceedingly frustrated by the fact that she couldn't confirm or deny anything they said (that she didn't already know) with certainty. Even if she could've seen their expression, their words hadn't provided any clear leads, but she could tell right away by their reaction that there was more not being said. By the time they finished speaking, her brows were floating away. She tried to put together the dots here-- this wasn't the answer she'd expected from them, to say the least. Curiosity only compounded as she thought about it. 

Though, she hadn't dwelt on that too long before they turned the question back around on her, and her embarrassment deepened. Perhaps it was only in her head, but she got the feeling that they were drawing a circle around the same question she had tried to avoid. Fully knowing she was the one who'd asked that question first, she felt a little indignant at the fact that they would ask it of her, "I'm afraid I'm not knowledgeable about such things," She answered in a matter-of-fact tone, her words a bit terse,"There's never been a reason for me to be," Aside, uncouth for a sapphire to participate in such things. It was rather uncouth to even be talking about it, though she had to admit that it was more fodder for her inquisitive streak. "I'd expect you to know, given your work with rubies, and other soldiers. Knowledge can come to be useful-- so what I mean is..." She paused, rethinking her next words. She didn't want them to feel cornered, so she gave them an out if they would chose it,"Well, it isn't important for now. How are those gems doing, anyway? Your squad?"

[7XB]

Her terse and scathing tone bit at them, and despite their great difference in bulk, 7XB couldn't help but feel the same as if they had been chastised by any Agate, their ire and annoyance crescendoing all at once. If there was much one, single thing that would could be considered fragile about 7XB, it would definitely be their mood, which was easily fouled as the temperamental gem allowed it to bother them much than was reasonable. It had always eaten away at them the way that all these dignitaries like to stomp and traipse across every gem beneath them, though it was always a feeling they swallowed alongside their pride for the sake of honor and duty. But as Padparadscha and themselves had already broken down quite a few barriers, it was an especially hard pill to swallow tonight.

“As you'll remember me saying, Your Clarity,” they began with an uncharacteristically jagged edge, “ I know everything I need to know about fusion to serve my purpose efficiently. I do apologise if that answer isn't what you wanted.” Their words, by account of their clenched jaw, were clipped, 'and the rubies are the same as ever. Thank you for asking.". Like an iron trap their lips came down around their teeth, the quartz deteriorating into a silent giant as they came in range of the music and it's throbbing base. Always prodding and poking, wasn't she?

[Paddy]

Her eyes widened, and her mouth opened as if she were going to say something, but instead she just sat there, feeling a bit as if she'd been punched through the gut. Retaliations burst into her mind, all of it bubbling up at once as further, more tangible indignation surged. But, the feeling of being gut-punched soared alongside it.

Anything she could say would certainly escalate the situation. Just minutes ago, she'd been too swept up to remember this more challenging side to their nature. It reminded her of the many contemplations she'd had about whether or not entertaining this was a good idea. But, especially after the past few moments she'd shared with them, the thought of shutting it down now caused her tension to pull her more inward. She fumed in a silent stalemate with herself, and the quartz, for the time that she spent leaning over to gather data samples. But, her mind was so frayed, she didn't pay much of it to the task at hand.

Many times she had let her emotions steer her into charged verbal conflict with gems, but the thought of getting into it with this gem accompanied that soreness in her midriff with a burning, nauseous twinge. If only she had been a diplomat instead of an investigator, she wondered if she might have been able to get through this situation with more grace. She pressed her lips together for a moment, and decided to be more honest about her intentions.

"I'm curious about you, but I don't know how-- I don't-- you're just so--" Her tone was wounded as she continued trying to speak the jumble that was on her mind. It was difficult to keep down her resentment at the implications of their reaction. It seemed the issue of status couldn't be forgotten; 7XB had just easily used it as a tool to put space between them, and she put together that her own over-stepping had been the prompt for it. The fact that she didn't know quite how to talk to them yet was beyond frustrating, and the more she let her words forth, the more that feeling seem to get loose. It culminated into a heavy huff of warm air, and her internal temperature rose with her heightened emotion. "Perhaps I shouldn't be so curious. I'm sorry, 7XB. Thank you for your input, and for bringing me here. Now, if you would, please put me down-- I need to get another angle," That was more an excuse to give them space for themselves, and in a more personal maneuver, to let them stew with that detachment they seemed to want.   

The investigative side of her had already begun to analyze what was going on here, in hopes of finding the root cause. She supposed she wouldn't be able to find that without the quartz's input, but for now she wanted to avoid saying any more, as she feared anything else she wanted to say right now would come back to bite her. 

[7XB]

She needed only to speak in that fragile, hurt tone for that first pang of guilt to coil and wrestle around in 7XB’s stomach, the effect on their mood very much like when one tossed ice water over a smoking flame, extinguishing it before it could do any lasting damage; Unfortunately, it seemed as though they had hurt Padparadscha nonetheless, and though that may have been their intent in their heightened state, the lumbering Quartz could not help but feel small and ashamed in themselves.

How ironic, the battered gem thought bitterly, that they should hurt a gem they had promised to protect in such a way. A gem they..cared about. Foolish pride would not allow them to simply apologize, and they had nary a moment to respond to her distress before they were so suddenly called upon to let her down. The notion shocked them, eyes darting from human to human, those that surrounded them currently; They would likely prove to be pillars to the Sapphire, obstructions if not outright threats. But yet, in the same way as their stubborn pride would not allow them to furnish an apology, despite these feelings, 7XB felt that to refute her could do no good. Not right now, at least. “As you say.” Their replied lightly, reaching up to grab her by the waist, first lifting than bringing her down just Infront of them

“But don't stray too far.”

[Paddy]

As they lifted her up, she almost wanted to stop them, somewhat regretting the fact that she had gone further with her retaliation. Would it have been better if she'd stayed put and just let it go? Despite those thoughts, she found herself still too miffed to say anything to that effect, and committed to her decision. Once she was on the ground, she pursed her lips at their words-- partly to prevent herself from smiling at the thought that they wanted her nearby. Still, it wasn't enough to douse her agitation, and she reasoned that they could've meant it more from their sense of duty rather than an effort to be close to her. 

Her gaze flicked up and down 7XB, then landed on their eyes for a moment as she thought about what she wanted to say. There was a lot, but she still felt she would need to let her head cool down before she said anything. Aside, it was hard to speak over the close-at-hand noise pouring out of the audio projection apparatus. "Hmph," She pivoted and stepped around the devices, deciding how she would tackle the rest of her information gathering. Her first samples were fine, but a literal new perspective could do wonders for the analysis phase of research. The sapphire peered around, then glared up at an adjunct stage where several humans seemed to sit around talking to one another. As she did, she noticed that the tower behind the main stage was lit up all the way to the top, bursting with colors in a way that stood out from the rest. Her holotech swept up the visuals, and the audio recording for her data sets.

She tried to get her mind off of the ensuing altercation, but something about this bothered her greatly. It wasn't normally difficult for her to stay angry, now wasn't an exception, but her soreness came from more angles now. Would she ever have answers to her questions? It seemed now that she wouldn't, as she was too mad to speak, and it seemed the quartz had enough with her for the time being. She knew they wouldn't make promise's lightly, but her anger was largely derived from the fear that she was too out of touch to properly understand this soldier, or the connection the two of them had discovered.

Humans jostled around, some of them getting in the way as she tried to get her documentation. Admittedly, it had been much easier to collect this sort of data at 7XB's height, but she stubbornly continued. "Tch," She sneered, and pushed her way forward, and came to a row of aluminum barriers, chained to one another. She knew it would bring attention to her if she tried to get passed it-- but now she spotted a handful of humans milling around, wearing all black with the sequence "ECPD" on their uniform, her brows floated up as she realized these ones must all belong to the same caste. With only a hunch, she decided to push forward, and summoned a bit of plasma to help her melt through the chain.

[7XB]

Though they had hoped that Padparadscha would not risk her own safety for the sheer sake of spitefulness, something burrowing deep in their gut told them that they would most definitely need to keep a close eye on her..whether she liked it or not. No sooner had the gem risen back to their full height and gotten a good re-triangulation of their surroundings before a thoughtless human collided with them from behind, splattering something cold and syrupy down their back. “Hey man, why don't you wa-” the human’s confrontational attitude mounted as they were rounded on by the bristling quartz gem, practically melting into a puddle beneath their steely, withering gaze.

“Ah, what I meant to say was..ah..my bad, dude.” The human tried more passively, gesturing behind them, towards the crowd, with their thumb, “I'll-I..uhm..I'll go get you a napkin!..” with that, the human was gone, the cold liquid upon their back steaming away from heat born of misplaced fury.

“The nerve of these creatures,” they stewed absently, turning back to where they assumed Padparadscha still stood, “why don't.. Padparadscha?” They straightened like an iron rod as their eyes traced the area where the small Sapphire had just been, darting back and forth across the ground as a moment of panic threatened to overtake their senses. “Your Clarity?..” even their voice was barely more than a whisper over the whining feedback and human noise.

[Paddy]

Concentrated on her task (or as much as she could be), she hadn't realized that 7XB wasn't behind her, but she was also too miffed to look back and check for them; she just assumed they were there, and kept going. 

One of the humans wearing the ECPD uniform double took as she caught sight of the short gem, who was analyzing the chain links for the weakest point in the metal. Before the sapphire could get started, the human cleared her throat, and marched up,"This area is off limits," She called over the music,"You should be able to see just fine from over there," The human pointed further up, then pulled out a hand-held device,"But, first, does this image look familiar to you?"

Padpara's eyes widened a bit as she recognized it immediately; herself leaping out of a burning building. But, she didn't entirely feel the need to qualify herself to this human,"Oh, this business is none of your concern. I assure you my clearance level allows me access," She decided not to acknowledge the image too much.

"It is my concern. I'll have to see a badge,"


"So you're some sort of security then?" The sapphire asked immediately following the human's words, trying to at least squeeze some data out of this road block. Being stymied gave her irritation a kick, her foot began to tap impatiently.

"Some sort of...ma'am, I'm with the Empire City Police Department,"


"Aha! Say that again, for my records," The sapphire swung her holotech around to face the police officer, whose brows rose at the sight of the floating screen,"-- and if you would, just let me through," She scrolled on her holoscreen and pulled up a portfolio of herself, the same one she'd used to get her way around the city in the past. Then she peered over her shoulder, and froze, when she realized 7XB wasn't there. It was hard to see passed the movement of people, buffeted by gusts of wind, and she realized she had strayed quite a ways in her quest to get passed these barriers.

The human stared at her for a moment, thinking, before she moved down along the aluminum bars, motioning for Padpara to follow. "I've never seen a badge like that, and I can't read it. Would you come down to the department to get this sorted out?"

"No," She uttered,"Actually, I came with someone, and it seems I've lost them," The sapphire just flipped around and strode into the crowd, hoping to leave the human behind, and get a glimpse of her quartz protector. Though she'd been through the city on her own many times, there were thousands of people mashed into these blocks, making it not only hard to navigate, but hard to feel secure. She knew the quartz wouldn't leave her intentionally, or she hoped at least. Perhaps she should've just let it go, or tried harder to find common ground after that little kerfuffle. Her hands fidgeted anxiously as she dwelt, her previous task forgotten for the moment.  

The officer cursed under her breath, then spoke into her radio as she speed-walked along the barrier. She unlocked one of the chains, and pushed her way into the crowd in pursuit of the sapphire.