Tundra (Closed, Ari)

[Ari]

She smiled and gave a light chuckle; Moonstone's reaction was a big boost for her mood, especially considering the gem was seeing her creation in its worst state since she'd perfected it. "Yeah, I call myself an engineer, most arsenic's I know are artifact engineers," She answered as she continued to search for the proper materials. There were many dupes, but when the portable warp pad was compared to the crystals, it was easy to see which were the correct and which weren't. So far, none made the match.



As Moonstone spoke again, Ari nodded, but kept her eyes sweeping the area for her materials,"Oh yes, it's a shame it all has to be hidden so deep underground, only accessible by warp pad," She gave a shrug,"Earth does all kinds of weird stuff-- you know there's no telling, some humans think these crystals might actually be sentient," A grin formed on her face. To her, the idea wasn't so far fetched; her entire species were a massive series of artificial crystalline sentient beings, who grew their empire across space and time. Her eyes caught onto a small deposit of the crystal's and her eyes lit up. She scurried over to it, and knelt down to compare the celestial warp to it. The cluster of blue, translucent crystals matched, and she glanced up to Moonstone,"I gotta say, I'm not too familiar with your class of gem-- most arsenic gems don't get out much," She began as she pulled a small ice pick from her belt, and carefully chipped pieces from it,"Do you have any abilities that might help us find more of these? Or collect em faster? No shame if you don't, I'm just wondering,"

[moonst0ne]

She giggled a bit at the lack of knowledge humans had, they were so primitive but in a way more advanced in an emotional sense. She saw ari move over to the crystal cluster, she moved forward about to help when she saw that ari that had an ice pick. Moonstone shuddered a bit at the fact that they were harvesting gemstone like materials, and the humans do think they might be sentient... but no, those gems couldn't have been sentient, they didn't even have a physical body like gems. She could easily collect them therefore didn't need too much help not that moonstone could be of much help as this task needed a bit more physical strength, something she wasn't too great at. Moonstone started to look around for more of the blue crystals when she heard ari talk to her, she was a bit happier now that the other gem showed an interest of talking to her instead of the other way around.

Moonstone wasn't too surprised that ari didn't know about her gem class, home world hadn't really hidden moonstones on purpose but moonstones purposes means that they didn't move around at all, other than their early years they were kept in a room for their entire existence after that. Moonstone herself wasn't even sure if there were other moonstones. "Well yeah I can't blame you for that, moonstones don't move around much either. We are used for keeping an eye on things, we are like living security cameras..." She didn't want to get back into her past mostly because she didn't want to make the arsenic think she was weird and she didn't want to bore her. She also didn't like thinking of her past because of reasons that were obvious to her. "But yes, I can probably help you collect these. I can spy on places I have visited before, if I explore this entire cave I can look at it without being present. Like now..." She closed her eyes for a few seconds. "There seems to have been a blue crystal that we missed, it is near the warp but it is so small I don't think it could be of use to you." She said, reopening her eyes rather quickly. Despite her not liking to talk past, she still liked to use her powers.

[Ari]

At first she simply nodded to Moonstone's words as the gem explained; that would explain why the arsenic gem hadn't often seen Moonstones in the past, whether in meeting or on the assembly line. However, as she went on to explain her ability, Ari stopped midway through chipping another piece of crystal, and swiveled to look at the other gem with widened eyes and a grin,"Well actually Moonstone, I need as much of this as I can get so I can cobble something that works together. I'll keep that in mind, when we head back to the warp I'll gather that bit as well," She turned back to the small cluster of earthling crystals, and eventually dug most of them up, leaving one small piece of mineral that she knew would grow with pressure and time. With a bag of crystals, so far the mission she'd given herself and the moonstone was going well.

"Anywho, that's an impressive ability, very useful," Ari continued deeper into the cave as she spoke, weaving under hanging stone and crystal as she went, and slid her ice pick into her belt,"I bet you'd be able to watch our backs for corruptions too. You'd think it'd be hard for those things to get in here, but to be honest, I think they were here before they were corrupted," She shrugged. It was scary to think of, being trapped in a cave like this only to catch the insidious corruption virus, still largely unexplained by both homeworld and the crystal gems. It was either that or these things knew how to use warp pads despite their addled mind, which itself would be impressive to Ari if the things weren't such a danger. 

[moonst0ne]

    "Thank you and yes I could, I wonder how corruption works... what would they be thinking?" She thought she was getting too deep in thought or about to get too deep in thought so she decided to take Ari's advice and stop herself. She stopped walking and closed her eyes. "From what I've seen there are no corruptions behind u-" She got cut off from a deep growl coming from the darkness in front of them. She opened her eyes and saw nothing. She was about to whisper something to Ari but another growl cut her off once more, this time a bit closer to them.

    She kept her eyes fixated on the direction of where the growl was coming from, a slight green shine came from the darkness, coming closer and closer to them. It was obvious from the growling and the shine that this was a corruption. It came close enough that they could see it decently, though it was still partially cloaked in darkness. The gem's placement was on its neck and seemed to be an agate type of sorts. It had two legs with the body that could only be described as a bird with no wings and no beak. It had one arm on the front of its torso with a long tail like thing on the back of it's neck. "Ari, what do we do?" She said looking to Ari in hope of a quick reply.

[Ari]

Ari, as soon as the corruption had made itself known, recoiled in silent disgust and terror, throwing her hands up as if to shield her face. The gem looked at Moonstone with wide eyes and furrowed brows, then turned and bolted, dashing back over the cave with a desperate speed. The ice pick in her hand was in a vice-grip; it was her only hope if the corrupted gem were to retaliate by attacking.


Some corruptions she was able to take on with her wits and grit, and with a good weapon on hand. However, it was an obscene risk for her to try to battle this corruption with only a bag of crystals and an ice pick. She didn't know Moonstone at all, so she hoped the gem would be able to run too if nothing else.


The fragile engineer wove back under stalagmites and jutting crystals, leaped over slick rocks and piles of calcium, until her foot caught onto a stone and she flicked forward, smacking into the ground. Ari scrambled, trying to get back up to her feet.

[moonst0ne]

    Moonstone stood in place staring at the was paralysed with fear and shock, she had never seen a corruption and had never even imagined it would be this bad. To see a gem no different than herself being trapped in it's own form unable to change to what she once was. After seeing Ari bolt for the warp she finally ran for the exit, holding the end of her dress to make sure she didn't fall. Moonstone saw Ari trip and helped her to her feet as she ran for the warp.

    After a second of running she began to hear three sets of footsteps, she looked back and the corruption was sprinting after them letting out a high pitched roar that sounded like a scream. This motivated her to run for her life to say the least, she was completely defenceless since she was made to be a non hostile gem. She didn't even know if it was possible for moonstones to summon weapons. She looked back in front of her, she could now see the warp pad come into view more and more as she ran further and further.

[Ari]

Ari's eyes snapped onto Moonstone as the gem stuck her hand out to help her up. For a moment the gem seemed to be sparkling in light, despite the fact that this cavern was so dark. The arsenic gem's eyes were wide, her hand flung out to grab the hand offered and she popped up to her feet,"You're an angel!" Ari gasped, especially considering that she wasn't sure she would do the same for a gem she just met-- then the nightmarish shriek of the corrupted creature sent chills coursing over her skin, and again the engineer bolted off for the warp pad. 

She glanced over her shoulder, and let out her own scream as the thing was gaining on them with a disturbing speed,"Ahh!" The old gem scrambled for the warp while the corruption slipped around the obstacles of the cave with ease. As she approached the warp, she remembered that Moonstone mentioned there were more blue crystals for the taking near here-- a pang went through her as she realized this might be the last chance she could have to grab those particular ones. Her eyes scanned as she ran, until her gaze snagged onto the cluster of blue crystals. The warp was right there...maybe she had time to grab just a few-- 

Ari slunk over to the small cluster of crystals, hands shaking as she tried to chip off as much as she could before the corruption would be upon them

[moonst0ne]

She saw the warp pad and slid onto it, she got ready to warp when she noticed that Ari was not on the warp pad along side her. "Ari?" Moonstone called out as she looked at the corruption to see if it had gotten Ari but couldn't see her, she finally spotted her behind her chipping away at the crystals. "Ari! We can come back later to get them when the corruption has left we need to leave!" She looked from the gem in front of her to the monster that was growing closer and closer to them.

The corruption seemed to be running even faster now and seemed to be seconds away from them, no, it was already there in front of her yelling. "Ari we need to leave!" She was going to reach for Ari's arm to pull her onto the warp pad but before she could even come in contact with her the creature had already swung it's tail at Moonstone and had hit her right in her head and into the wall next to the warp pad. The impact of the creatures tail wasn't what poofed her but the impact of her head on the wall. Her gemstone hit the floor a few feet away from Ari.

[Ari]

Ari cringed as Moonstone called to her, and glanced over her shoulder to get an idea of where the corruption was, but she kept scooping crystals into her bag. The gem's whole body shook; little did Moonstone know, but this cave was only accessible every few hundred years, when the scalding water that built up into it would drain away. Soon, more scalding spring water would drain into the cave, making it inhospitable for a gem like Ari. The arsenic knew this would be her last chance for a long time to get materials from this cave-- or at all, if the war were to conclude in Homeworld's favor. 

She swiveled with a grimace on her face, expecting to be attacked herself, but Moonstone went up in smoke before the engineer could do anything about it; though she was frozen with fear, unable to do much anyway, as the corruption slunk up to the gem of Moonstone and began to inspect it. Ari rose silently, steadily like the wisps of steam from the stone, ice pick gripped tightly in her hand. The corruption had claimed the area around the warp, but it's back was turned to the petrified gem. 

Her eyes glinted, and she tossed the ice pick through the air, hoping to knock it out, but she quickly pulled the ice spikes off of her boots to prepare for the next volley if that failed. The pick smacked over the corruption's head, causing it to let out a shriek and it whipped around, tail lashing toward Ari as the gem lobbed both ice spikes at the creature-- a lucky hit struck it, and it poofed. 

For a moment she couldn't believe it had been that easy to take the creature out. She lowered to get the rest of the crystals, then sneaked her way over to the corruption's gemcore, and plucked it from the ground. She inspected it for a moment, then, she slowly turned toward Moonstone's gemcore, eyes lingering on it for a moment. The artificer scooped the core into her hand before stepping onto the warp, and beaming back to the tundra.  

[moonst0ne]

After the escape back to the tundra, moonstone was still recovering within her gem. Even though she didn't have full trust in ari to handle her gem she still wanted to make sure she reformed well. She stayed within her gem for around thirty or forty minutes before she started to reform, she started as a small ball of light eventually forming into a pigmented humanoid body.



Her gem rose up a bit too high up for her to reach the soft, white, ground with her feet making her drop to the floor landing on her knees. It took her a moment to collect her thoughts as it usually did when gems reformed but when she had regained her sense she remembered what happened at the cave. "Ari, I told you we needed to leave! Why didn't you? I know you needed those gems but I could have been broken!" She didn't want to seem angry as she was more of a pacifist by nature, and in all honesty she wasn't angry just a bit frustrated and hurt by the fact she tried to help Ari and she let her get poofed and almost cracked or worse.

SPOILER: Click to show

Her reforming outfit

[Ari]

Ari had hurried off of the warp, and began her trek back to her bunker as she ruminated on what happened in the cave. A shade cast over her eyes as she glared down at the two gemstones in her hands; the old arsenic gem was unable to make bubbles, and therefore prevent these gems from reforming, so she needed to get back to her workshop and case up these new additions to her collection as soon as possible. She considered all of the wild possibilities that came from trying to use a gem whose abilities were unknown to her such as the dark, corrupted gemcore in one hand. On the other hand was the glittering Moonstone core-- a powerful, rare gem, with exceedingly useful abilities. The prospects were tantalizing, to say the least. 

However, that seemed to not be in the cards today. Her eyes fluttered as light enveloped the Moonstone core, and her lips stretched in dismay. She tossed the gem from her hands and the core she had only seconds ago considered making into an artifact reshaped. Immediately, and much to her chagrin, the Moonstone began her questioning. 

Ari gave a deadpan stare to Moonstone as she allowed a frigid silence to envelope the area around both of them, the shadows forming in the creases of Ari's face gave her usual mirthful features an unsettling lack of true amusement. Wind battered the landscape, sending drifts of sparkling frost over them as she stood, not answering for a moment. Then, her expression cracked as a wry smile pulled over her lips,"What can I say?" She began slowly, her voice crackling and quiet,"I'd really like to have those materials...to fix my warp, I mean," and to make something new of course, but that wasn't happening now. She shook the bag of crystals and her grin sobered,"Now I have almost everything I need to fix it, thanks to you for your help," In distracting the corruption, so that she could take the risk that she had. She held up the core,"This needs to be contained before it reforms, so I'm heading back,"  

[moonst0ne]

    Moonstone was taken aback to say the least by the way ari seemed to be amused by her distress, she was for the most part a calm gem who had hated conflict but seeing the amusement Ari felt made her frustration only grow into anger due to her grin being almost a mocking of how Moonstone had been feeling. "Is this funny to you? I tried to help you and you respond by letting me get poofed and almost shattered or broken by that monster for some crystals that can probably be found anywhere else on this planet?" She gave the Arsenic an angry glare with her pale green eyes.



    She hated to realise that she had been wilfully treated how she was treated on home world, used for a selfish goal no matter who may or may not get hurt in the process of completing that goal this only fuelled Moonstones anger towards Ari as Ari was no different from the diamonds in her eyes. Arsenic fit all the criteria of one of them, selfish, unfazed by the distress of another gem, having other gems for their own needs and wants. Moonstone stared at the bag of blue crystals and then back at Ari, getting ready for what she had to say for herself.

[Ari]

Ari furrowed her brows in quiet disdain, and kept walking toward her bunker as Moonstone became increasingly upset with her. There was no particular reason, the old gem thought to herself, that she should hang around with this gem, especially now that her plan had ultimately failed. There wasn't a way to tell this gem what was really going on without making things worse for herself in the long run.

"Look, you're a kind gem, and you seem new around here," Ari called over her shoulder to Moonstone in her languid accent,"So I'll cut you a break-- but Earth isn't all butterflies and rainbows. Those crystals are absurdly rare, it might have taken me another thousand years to find another spot where they develop, so today was very productive. It's a shame what happened, but look on the bright side-- you're here now," Ari gestured to the tundra folding out around them. Earth could be whatever a gem could make of it, a wild vast expanse of possibilities open to any who were daring enough to take an opportunity when it presented itself. Ari dwelt in her shadowy corner, doing what she could to survive; if this gem would condemn her for it, then so be it. She slowed down and looked at the gem,"Moonstone, it was a pleasure to work with you. Again, thank you for your help, much luck to you in the future," She asserted, then turned her back and kept walking. Even though she would have liked to make a pair of goggles with the ability to accurately see the past, Ari assumed that Moonstone would find a better use for her own abilities now that she had secured her freedom; the arsenic wasn't a violent gem, just an opportunistic one. 

[moonst0ne]

    Moonstone had to stop herself from attacking the arsenic, she knew it wouldn't be wise as to attack such a gem that seemed to be taller and more capable of combat than her but she did get an idea. "Hey, Ari wait up!" She said stopping in front of Ari, she looked at the warp pad not too far away from her so she could get there fairly quickly. Moonstone knew what she was about to do was a bit petty but she thought Ari's sarcastic tone and overall disinterest in the situation matched her maliciousness.



    She looked from the warp to the bag of crystals in the other gems hand of which she quickly snatched and with all the pure spite she was capable of having she tossed the bag of crystals into the distance, the crystals flying into the air and eventually scattering into the snow. She realised what she had done and had no idea what to feel, she felt like she was about to be shattered but she also felt an extreme rush of happiness and excitement. She saw the blue shards disappear into the horizon with a slight smile. "I'm sorry, it's a shame what happened, but look on the bright side- the search for those gems wont take another thousand years." She started to walk away towards the warp rather quickly.

[Ari]

When the bag was yanked from her hand, Ari's brows shot up and her eyes darted to glare at Moonstone. She wasn't sure what her intentions were, and kept piercing focus on the gem's movements. Fear snapped through her like an icy shock as she watched the gem toss her bag of precious jewels. She gripped the corrupted gem's core in her hands, and dashed after the crystals, almost tripping over herself in the process. It was clear to her now just how angered the other gem had been, but Ari found herself glad Moonstone hadn't tried to make off with the collection of crystals that would repair her most complex artifact. 

"Touché!" Ari sneered over her shoulder. Moonstone made off for the warp, so she left the gem to disappear as she continued rushing after the crystal's she had collected. She was determined to trip over the bag at any moment, and was ready to spend the rest of her year looking for it if necessary, but she had kept a close eye on it's trajectory and knew where to look. 

The gem scrambled over the hill in search of her crystals, while calculating a way to make the corrupted gem unable to reform.