The Lotus Complexion (C: I. Topaz / Amethyst)

[Amethyst]

Amethyst's whole expression dropped, eyes and mouth agape at what she heard this gem just say so nonchalantly. It wasn't just shocking to hear, but to hear from a higher echelon gem, one she knew had to be quite important to get any kind of clearance to even be here on site, seemed to be agreeing with the rebellion's rhetoric, and even proclaimed herself to be defective. How easy it was for higher caste gems to just say things like this, how easily she knew this gem would get away with it. The whole thing gave Amethyst a pang, and her expression closed back up, lips pressing together as her eyes narrowed, and darted away from the armored gem. 

"I..." She didn't even know what to say in response, she searched the Wave Disrupter, eyes wandering aimlessly away from the gem she was talking to,"I think it's--it's...idiotic," she finally pushed the word from her lips as if it were a damning curse,"It's stupid. So, so stupid! All of this rebelling stuff...it's wrong, it's dumb, it's--" The quartz was getting herself worked up, her teeth clenched for a moment as she tried to put together the words to truly convey how she felt about everything, about every reckless decision she'd made since she began her escapades on Earth,"I-I shouldn't even be talking about it, or thinking about it..." She shook her head, then peered up at the Topaz. As the wind continued to whip around them, her dark, shaded eyes were juxtaposed to the bright whiteout billowing around them, her voice lowered as she spoke,"I'm a door guard, for the Diamond's sake. Been sittin' up on the moon for...30 some years, I don't even know how long it's been to be honest, and it doesn't matter. That's all I'm here for. I shouldn't know what I know, there are things I should've never seen..." She bit her tongue back, flexing with tension as she held herself back from continuing, but words kept coming out anyway,"...It's really stupid. Stupidest thing I've ever-- ugh," 

[Imperial Topaz]

"It is a good thing that you are saying this aloud though, Amethyst." Topaz said gently. "If there is one major thing about the Diamonds that I disagree with, it is the complete suppression of our emotions. Bottling up unsure feelings and rage is what causes us to become dissidents in the first place. If you have any more to tell me, I shall listen and give advice to the best of my abilities. 'Everything' means everything in this situation as well. Unless you have plans to blow up the galaxy, I shan't speak of what you say to me here without your proper consent, if you so wish to share anything else." She shifted, readjusting her positioning near the Wave Disruptor. "Otherwise, please continue assisting me with this if you would."

[Amethyst]

Amethyst pressed her lips together. It seemed the machine was thawed enough for them to assemble it; though, she really wasn't sure what to do. The quartz followed Topaz's movements as they began to set up the Wave Disrupter. The fire running along her skin was finally snuffed out by the wind, and her unwillingness to open up to this gem whose name she didn't even know.

"It's a nice offer, but I know how things are," 6UE said in a frank tone. She gave a huff; what was she thinking, saying all of that to some technology officer just because she seemed sincere? "I know why you're saying that," She clarified, just for good measure,"But I've already said a lot." The quartz spoke despondently. She was disappointed with herself, but that wasn't enough to lead her away from the real questions here.

She narrowed her eyes at Topaz before glance back to what she was doing as she hoisted the pillar up, a bit of strain in her voice as she went on,"I gotta wonder what's got you so curious anyway. Most gems might be less eager to have a chat about stuff like this," Amethyst thought she was done being interrogated after she left the immediate side of Pink Diamond's overzealous detective. Nonetheless this gem seemed to have pinned her as a rebellious sort, and she wanted to know why, or how this gem could've possibly known; she would have to stage her own interrogation for that,"So what, do I look like I'd have an opinion on this, or are you just very curious?"

[Imperial Topaz]

"Understandable. Its not like we really know each other, after all. As for my questions... I like to believe that I actually am able to tell when another Gem isn't 'doing so hot' as the humans would say. Most of the upper echelon concerns themselves with detaching from the 'lower classes' so much that they tend to lose the ability to connect with them at all. And, to be honest, I don't understand why - closing yourself off from your soldiers seems to be the easiest way to create distrust and a sense of abuse. Do I believe the caste system is correct? Yes, but I also believe that most people go about it wrong. We are at the higher up because we were built with a capacity to lead and do things... better than other types of Gems. We owe it to Gemkind to treat ALL with respect." Topaz paused, cracking a small smile. "Also, your group is working as laborers on Earth. You tend to have to make a few people upset to be assigned to something like this."

[Amethyst]

Amethyst's lips pursed, she didn't feel particularly in agreement with Topaz's assessment of the caste system, but who was an amethyst door guard to try to foist her opinions up to a gem who clearly seemed to know more about how things worked than she did? The quartz imagined this gem was debating all the time with her fellow nobles, just like her ex-patron sapphire did, about how things should be done around the colony, and throughout the intergalactic empire. Though there were some things that the gem had said that did resonate. "Well I guess I make myself too suspicious then, eh," The question was rhetorical, more to herself than to Topaz. If this gem was anything like a detective, she had probably already guessed what 6UE, the below-average quartz, was up to.

"--and it only took two," 6UE addressed what Topaz had pointed out about her circumstances, cracking a grin that seemed to become more of a sneer as she continued,"One stuck up quartz who thinks they're better than the rest of us, and one batty sapphire hellbent on saving the world from itself," Her eyes rolled. The hardest part was that her whole unit had been pulled away from guarding the moon headquarters just because of something she'd been roped into. None of them knew why they were here, but she knew all too well. Her voice continued at a low volume as she spoke, "O' course there is more to it. There's a reason she wanted my unit here and not another one," Padparadscha's strategies were easy to read from the right perspective,"She doesn't want word getting out about this place, you know. It's...more than just a giant laser, especially for her," Again Amethyst caught herself saying too much, but this gem seemed genuine enough to her. She shrugged, and prepared to continue lugging the heavy equipment to its destination. 

[Imperial Topaz]

"Ah - apologies. I believe you may have misconstrued my meaning... is it not true that certain Gems emerge with specialized abilities? If a Jasper was asked to 'fill in' for a Sapphire, would she be able to see the future and provide non-biased opinions free of emotion?" Topaz paused, considering her words. "Possibly the second one." She admitted. "The first, however, no. A more clear example would be you - assume we were to get attacked right now, you would be the one fighting efficiently, not I. You'd also take more hits, even considering my natural stature." Sighing heavily, Topaz continued to assist moving the various mechanical parts into place, leaving an air of awkward silence to pervade the area for a bit. "You seem... distraught." Topaz noted, her tone neutral. "Was there perhaps something more to this place that aggravates you than a lost post?" Talking to the Quartz was, surprisingly, difficult. She acted like... none of the other warriors Topaz had interacted with before. Nervous, reserved, jumpy... it was strange. Piecing together the context clues, Topaz had a hunch who this Amethyst used to be with, but kept silent, instead opting to focus on the task at hand and wait for a response, if she was to get one. She had assumed that her more lenient stance on Homeworld's traditions might have loosened the Amethyst up a bit, but for the most part it seemed to be doing the opposite. Or perhaps this was just how she truly felt about the caste and the going-ons of the planet.

[Amethyst]

She nodded along with what the gem said, until the Topaz pointed out the fact that she seemed aggravated. It was so hard for her to keep her emotions under wraps that it all came out anyway, in ways that made her obvious; that wasn't good for various reasons, but most of all, it pushed her nearer and nearer to making that crucial decision about what to do about any of this. 

"Well..." She swallowed,"What we're building here...it's...it's..." Her eyes searched over the quarry, then the Wave Disrupter, wondering if she should stop it in its tracks, and let the rebels compromise this mission,"--Not really my business, or yours," Her eyes flicked back up to meet Topaz's. She wanted to imply that anything more said would certainly result in her harm, and possibly harm to Topaz herself,"Yeah, yeah, gems all have their pre-programmed talents, but what about...other stuff? What if I wanna...pick flowers and play hockey, drink shakes, go to arcades, get to know people, build stuff, discover things...no one will get to do that once this thing is finished. Not on Earth," She seemed to become more passionate the further she spoke, but she suddenly snapped out of it, and tried to focus on helping Topaz get the machine set up. Meanwhile, she paid attention to all the joints, points that seemed weak. "--But yeah, I'll be sure to beat the daylights outta whatever comes your way,"

[Imperial Topaz]

Topaz's countenance took on an appearance of surprise, which she hastily attempted to fix and morph, taming it into one of neutrality. "Flowers, hockey, shakes, arcades... people...?" She stopped for a moment, face scrunching together again as she processed the words. "I don't... understand. Why would you want to do any of that? What benefits do such things provide to us? We aren't reliant on calories or physical activity to keep our bodies running, and the other activities hardly help us at all." The other Gem then let loose '-no one will get to do that once this thing is finished. Not on Earth' ...What in Diamonds name did she mean? Certainly Pink Diamond wouldn't want the planet to be irreversibly harmed outside of Kindergarten production, it was her first colony after all. "...Amethyst." She said lowly, tone taking an unprecedented amount of seriousness. "What do you mean by that?"

[Amethyst]

Amethyst gave an exasperated sigh, stopped what she was doing, and calmly lowered the part that she had been picking up to give a more direct look to Topaz,"Easy for you to say. It's hard to explain this stuff to gems who wouldn't get it up or down. Look-- you're asking a lot of me right now," She pressed her lips back together, and lifted the part back up, handing it gingerly to Topaz. "I mean, this thing, the Lotus...you'll have to ask her about it, I'm sure a gem like you could get her talking," 6UE assumed this gem knew who she was talking about; after all, the gem who had advocated for this thing's existence was obvious. At least, it seemed as much to the purple quartz.


"Apologies ma'am," She went on after a pause, suddenly regretting taking such a tone with a higher up,"I'm just trying to keep on the up and up, but it's hard for me to keep my big mouth shut. In all fairness, you ask a lot of hard questions," Her shoulders shrugged, she gave a light smirk. If this gem wanted casual opinions, there was one right there. She hoped this Topaz wouldn't be back later with some manner of rebuke after what she had revealed about herself and the project, all she could do was hope.

[Imperial Topaz]

Topaz fell silent for a short bit, finally getting the machine into working order with the help of the Amethyst. "Alright. Fair enough. And... as I promised, I shan't speak of anything we have discussed here." Normally, she'd use some form of physical contact with her workers to soothe them but this Quartz seemed to be... not the type to get too close to, so instead Topaz shifted in place unsure of what to say next. "...I hope you find more joy in your future endeavors. And that perhaps one day... hm. Nevermind." The Wave Disruptor was now active, and the only thing left to do was to give a crash course on how not to get poofed by it during an attack to the rest of the soldiers. "You can go back to your standard duties now." Topaz thought that those words would perhaps be the last she spoke to this Amethyst. Perhaps they would be normally, or perhaps things were destined to take a strange path...

~Fin~