#guest starring ...! ( LAPIS SISTERS. )

[youreallyshouldtalkmore]

Dark Imagination_ Part 10

A.N: 👻Happy Halloween!!! I hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable one! 🎃🕯️

Thank you for reading this story!! I hope you enjoyed it!! This final chapter has guest stars abound!!

Genshin Impact MasterList

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You entered the glittering ballroom. This was your first time traveling in this world. It had been three months since your arrival in this world. Your coven was invited to an affair, and they thought it was a good time to introduce you. You took in the sights with no small degree of interest. 

You heard a deep chuckle from besides you and ducked your head. You hoped you hadn’t been that obvious. But these were things you’d only seen in movies. 

“Do not worry, my dear. The night is young. We will show you all there is.” Zhongli spoke, raising the back of your hand to his lips. 

Neuvillette’s hands draped over his cane in front of him, “Indeed.” 

Alhaitham only sighed. He was bored already, and his elders refused to let him bring a book with him. They even double-checked before they left. 

However, you barely got in the door before you heard, “ZHONGLI!!” 

You blinked as at the whirlwind and looked up to see a young girl, dressed in brown with long twin pigtails and black nail polish, had thrown her arms around Zhongli. As tall he was, she was floating as she did so. Despite her gothic demeanor, she was all smiles as she squeezed him tighter, “You made it!! Welcome!!” 

Zhongli sighed, “Hu Tao, must you do this? I haven’t even been here for two minutes, yet.”

“But how else am I to greet my sire? I haven’t seen you in a long time!” 

“We saw each other last month. For us vampires, that is hardly a long time. Now, get off of me, please. I have a Blood Mistress. It’s time for you to stop being so childish and pay some respect to her.” 

You blinked when Hu Tao popped in your face with a grin. You clearly saw her sharp canines as she took in your appearance, “I’m Hu Tao, one who was turned by the Lord Rex Lapis! You are his coven’s Blood Mistress, yeah? It’s nice to meet you, Y/N L/N. Yes, I know all about you! No need for introductions!” 

You had to fight to catch up with everything she said before you smiled shyly, “Well, nice to meet you anyway.” 

Hu Tao threw her arms around your shoulders chummily, “Aren’t you a cute one! You are human, right? Hey, have you thought about the great beyond? We are having a two for one deal….” 

She was snatched away from you and your eyes widen as Rex Lapis glared down at her, “I suggest you watch your mouth, little one.” 

Hu Tao waved his words away, “I wasn’t talking about for the two of you but perhaps she…oh right, she came from another world, didn’t she? Never mind. I’m sorry! Hey, let me introduce you to my Blood Master and coven sisters Xinyan and Xiangling! Listen, if Xiangling offers you anything ask what’s in it before you eat, okay? I will not have my sire’s Blood Mistress passed out, Zhongli can and will kill me. She’s a great cook, but she has some weird tastes, you know. Let’s go!!” 

Your eyes were wide as you look over your shoulder at Zhongli who gave you a reassuring smile. You relaxed. If he was letting you go with her, it must have been okay. 

“I never thought she would leave. How can a vampire be that sunny?” Alhaitham growled, raising his hand to massage his temple.  

“Hey, you guys made it!!” 

“Speaking of sunny….” Zhongli sighed. It hasn’t been 15 minutes, and he was already tired as he turned to the newest group with a ginger head in front.

“Zhongli! It’s been awhile!” Childe grinned.  

“So your coven was invited as well.” Zhongli eyed the men behind Childe,  “Is your Blood Mistress, here as well?”  

The coven that Childe belonged to was….questionable in his eyes. Not one, of them, was sane in his opinion. Dottore was a mad doctor, Pantalone valued mora a bit too much and Capitano was, in fact, a werewolf, and a bloodthirsty one at that. Childe was the sanest, and that was saying something. He always felt bad for their Blood Mistress. What did she have to put up with, with them? 

“Yep! It seems Hu Tao is winding up all the Blood Mistresses and Masters here to introduce yours!” Childe laughed at the growing group that was surrounding you. You hadn’t realized there would be so many. 

“Are we sure, we shouldn’t intervene? It looks like she might be feeling overwhelmed.” Neuvillette observed. 

“Ah, let’s leave them alone!” Childe spoke, “More to the point, Rex Lapis, we should have a fight sometime!” His eyes swept over the group, “Or, rather, I’ll fight any of you!”

Neuvillette gazed calmly at Childe, “Do you really think you wish to get into it with me?”

Alhaitham added, “Don’t involve me in your stupidity.” 

Zhongli just sigh, “Why? So you can lose again?” 

“Each lost brings me closer to victory. We shouldn’t ruin our friendship so something so petty as how many times I lose.” 

“We are not friends, Childe….” 

“You wound me.” 

“So this is where the party is….” 

“Heya, Kaeya!!” Childe greeted, then he gave a cool grin toward the red-haired behind him, “Diluc…it’s been a minute.” 

Diluc bared his fangs, “Don’t try me.” 

Childe laughed, “Bring it on! Let’s go! We can step outside now!” 

Zhongli growled silently. Why did this young vampire insist on fighting everyone he came across? So help him, if he tried that with you. 

“I will not!” Diluc retorted, folding his arms, “This is a formal occasion, and we should conduct ourselves accordingly!” 

Venti laughed as he stepped between the two of them, “Now, now! Why should we get into fights when we have such a wonderful gathering. It’s been since five years since we had a coven gathering like this!”

Kaeya spoke, “Yes, we have much to celebrate. We’ve found more Blood Mistresses and Masters in the past five years than ever before. Let’s not forget the reason for this gathering.” 

“Like you and Venti need a reason to celebrate.” Diluc grumbled, “I ask everyday I wake up, why, why was a chosen to be part of a coven with the both of you.”

Kaeya laughed and threw his arm around Diluc, “You do not wish to share a coven with me, my brother?” 

“I will end you.” 

Zhongli turned to Venti, “It’s been a long time, old friend.” 

Venti grinned, “Likewise, old man.” 

Zhongli just sighed in response. Barbatos, known as Venti, was considered one of the seven vampire lords on par with Rex Lapis. He never could figure out why a vampire lord could be so childish sometimes. 

“Pardon me, am I interrupting?” 

They looked up to see a girl, dressed in orange, lingering on the edge of the group. 

Zhongli smiled, “Yanfei! Good to see you!” 

“And you as well, my lord! I was just meeting your Blood Mistress!  We had prepared in case she wanted to leave, but I’m happy to see that she had decided to stay.” 

“I must thank you, Miss. Yanfei. You and your coven’s help was indispensable!” Neuvillette smiled. 

“I’m glad that we could be of service!” 

Yanfei was not a vampire. She was part of a witch coven. Zhongli, Neuvillette and Alhaitham had contacted her coven, consisting of her, Ganyu and Keqing, bringing you to their world. They were the highest and most powerful witch’s coven in the land. 

Neuvillette and Yanfei had moved to the side, started talking quietly. 

Childe turned to glare at Diluc, “Despite this being a formal affair, such an affair needs entertainment, don’t you think? 

“You are like a dog with a bone.” the red-haired remarked, “First off, we have a set of magicians, who will be performing a magic show later and second, you should think of your Blood Mistress. If I kill you, how will she feel?” 

Alhaitham sighed. This was precisely why he hated these gatherings. You get all the covens together, and you end up with this mess. He folded his arms, “Are we going to stand around trading barbs all night?” 

“Why? You got something better to be doing? All you do is read! This is why your personality hasn’t developed! I see you still haven’t gotten any new hobbies since the old days.” 

Alhaitham rolled his eyes at the group led by the blond, “I did not come here to get any form of opinions from you Kaveh! And I don’t need any new hobbies. I read, and I take care of my Blood Mistress, can you say the same?” 

“You!” Kaveh groweld, “I will not have you insulting our Blood Mistress. Our coven takes care of her well enough!” 

“Let’s leave our Blood Mistresses out of this fight?” Tighnari cautioned. 

“I agree. It’s beneath us to involved them.” Alhaitham agreed, “My apologies.”  

“You were the one to bring it up!” Kaveh snapped. 

Cyno shook his head, “I cannot understand why you insist on picking a fight with Alhaitham every time you see him. Especially when you always lose.”  

Kaveh growled, “Because every time I see him, I get angry all over again!” 

“For what? Existing or paying my bills on time?!” Alhaitham snorted. 

“We are vampires! Unlike mortals, we don’t have bills!” 

“You still do! That debt is still lurking, the only hold over from when you were a human. Now that’s just sad. You are a vampire with indispensable power at your fingertips yet paying a simple bill is beyond you.” 

“You act like you were never a human!” 

“I never said I wasn’t, but I don’t have any outstanding debts either.” 

“Did I really get dragged here for this?” a voice snapped. 

Cyno glanced at the man behind them, “Do you want to disobey Lesser Lord Kusanali, one of the seven ancient vampire lords? Be my guest, but you will reap the consequences of such actions.”

Wanderer growled and looked off with a pout. They did not need to bring up Lesser Lord Kusanali to him! He knew what was owed to her. It was the Lesser Lord that saw value in his puppet-like status after being tossed aside Raiden Shogun, one of the seven ancient vampire lords. He still harbored hate, the one who was supposed to be his mother and would have eventually been driven mad because of it. 

He was a failed puppet that was supposed to be a vampire like his mother creator, but was now currently a zombie. It was the vampire Lesser Lord that showed him that despite his status he still had worth and was even taken into the coven consisting of Kaveh, Tighnari and Cyno. 

“Fine!” snapped Wanderer, “Kaveh, shut up!! I hear your loud voice every day, I do not suffer it over this den too.” 

“Then go somewhere!” Kaveh snapped, “I’m trying to have a conversation here.” 

Tighnari sighed, “That’s not what I hear happening.” 

“This is enough. I’m done. Call me, when you idiots have something important to say.” Alhaitham growled before walking away from the group. 

Wanderer unfolded his arms and turned to walk away, “He has the right idea. I’ll be over here. And don’t invoke Lesser Lord Kusanali either because I’m still here.” 

Cyno rolled his eyes as Tighnari just sighed and held his head in his hands. Whose idea was it to gather all the covens together again? Childe and his coven just cackled at this. Neuvillette looked up from his conversation with a frown, as he watched Alhaitham migrate away. Well, he supposed it was better than him being in a book. While he didn’t mind, he wanted Alhaitham to be present today. But perhaps getting some distance from Kaveh was wise before it escalated. 

Zhongli shook his head as he gazed coolly at Kaveh, “I see that the grudges of days pass has not been laid to rest.” 

Kaveh smiled nervously, “You mistake me, my lord. I hold no grudge against your coven brother.”

“What would you call it then?” 

“A difference of opinion.” 

“Hmm…..” 

Kaveh glanced nervously at Cyno and Tighnari who were more interested in suddenly watching the gathering of Blood Mistresses and Masters. You had laughed at something their own Blood Mistress had said. They smiled. If their own Blood Mistress could break through the barrier that was Wanderer, then becoming friends with you would be a piece of cake. Kaveh growled, finding no help among his coven brothers. 

“So, if we are done with this foolishness, perhaps we should migrate over to our Blood Mistresses?” Diluc asked. 

—-

You gave a sigh as you slipped out into the night for a breath respite. You weren’t the most social of beings, and after a few hours your battery wasn’t doing too hot. You had gone to the restroom, but the garden invited you to gather a few more moments to yourself after you came out. You breathed as you looked up at the moon. 

Everyone was currently staying at this compound until the night after tomorrow when they will all disperse. All the Blood Mistresses and Masters had decided to spend the day together, getting to know each other tomorrow.  Hence, all the humans were going to retire early tonight. This was going to be the first time you spent with other people since you came to this world. 

Although you were nervous, you were kinda of looking forward to it. Hu Tao’s Blood Master, was quite lively like her, and had already promised to take care of you. In addition to Kaveh’s coven Blood Mistress and you had already become fast friends, sharing much in common it seems. She seemed eager to put you at ease as well. You were a bit nervous around Childe’s coven Blood Mistress. You were a bit taken aback that the first thing she asked you, was if you could fight. You met Venti who was one of the Seven Vampire Lords like Rex Lapis. His coven’s Blood Mistress, was quite a bit friendly as well. 

“So here you are.” 

You turned with a smile to see Alhaitham leaning on the wall behind you. 

“Sorry, I guess I got caught up.” 

Alhaitham shook his head before coming to stand quietly beside you. The two of you stood for quite some time in companionable silence before: 

“We sent you to get her, not join her.” Neuvillette spoke, his cane tapping lightly on the ground, followed by Zhongli. 

Alhaitham folded his arms, “Do I look like a social butterfly to you?” 

“We….” you stressed, “Do we look like social butterflies to you?” 

Neuvillette forked an eyebrow, “You two say this as, if I am one. I’m not that good at socializing, even with our own kind.” 

Zhonglik spoke, “I admit, sometimes, even I get lost.” 

“No, you just go on long-winded tirades that no one asked for.” remarked Alhaitham. 

Zhongli stared at Alhaitham, “I’m surprised to hear that from you. How often do you engage in conversation with me, thinking I can spit trivia on demand?” 

“You’ve read most of the books of the library ten times over, as I have. It helps to have someone else speak on that knowledge. You can discover a new angle that way.” 

“But you are proving my point, young one, and thus I shall repeat, I'm surprised to hear that from you.” 

“I don’t mind the diatribes, but others may not always appreciate your…peculiarities.” 

“Enough.” Neuvillette spoke, “Both of you have your faults.” 

Alhaitham gave him the side-eye, “Like you don’t? You both made sure I did not have a book on me to be present in the conversations. Aside from Yanfei, I did not see you talking much either.” 

“Miss. Yanfei and I discuss topics of a specific nature, not relating to most people, and we enjoy it.” 

“I have read several law books, but I do not find them that interesting. They are hard, cold facts to memorize and move on.”

You raised your eyebrows silently at this. Law books were not the type of material you’d find to memorize and move on, much less understand them.  

Neuvillette replied, “This is why I’m a Judge and you are not. You memorize the facts of law in the books, but do you know how to apply it? I think not. Miss. Yanfei understands the particulars and this lends to an engaging conversation. A conversation I had, unlike you. You barely spoke to anyone.” 

“Don’t call me out, when Wanderer was doing the same.” 

“Wanderer is not my coven brother, you are, and as such….” 

The three blinked when they heard your giggle. They looked to see you had taken a seat and was watching them in amusement. The three shuffled once, remembering where they were. 

Zhongli turned towards the door, “Well, come along. I hear that you and the other Mistresses and Masters will be retiring shortly. And it would be impolite to keep them waiting any longer. Especially since all of us disappeared.” 

“And whose fault is that?” Alhaitham mumbled under this breath. 

He got the full glare from both Zhongli and Neuvillette. But Alhaitham didn’t seem nervous instead, he suddenly became engrossed with the surroundings. 

You stood with a smile, “Yes, we should probably return. However….”

They raised an eyebrow when you crooked a finger at them. Then they glanced at each other. 

Through silent mutual decision, Zhongli stepped up first, “Something wrong, my dear?” 

You reached up and planted a kiss on his cheek. He gave a warm smile, “Ah, how quaint.” 

Then you turned to Neuvillette and did the same thing, followed by Alhaitham.  

Neuvillette was looking away from you, “Thank you, ma cherie.” 

Alhaitham just stared at you, his green-red eyes riveted on you. 

With a small laugh, you bounded back inside. Whatever dark imagination this was, you hoped you’d never wake up.

FIN.

-----

Coven Spinoffs:

Dark Sanity : Dottore, Childe, Pantalone and Capitano

[variantia]

BLACK STAR !

        “Guys guys, please” Black Star loudly chuckled.  Her face turning dark as she was ‘swallowed up’ by the Lazuli sisters.  Though a part of the Diopside was ENJOYING the close affections of her girlfriend’s siblings.  They were a happy family that wasn’t afraid to be affectionate and loving, something Black Star long desired herself from her fellow Black Star Diopsides, but could never acquire.

        “Oh, that?”  Diopside feels a slight tug against her neck when Denim pulls at the hood on her outfit.  “It’s called a hood!  People wear them on their heads to protect from the-” she felt herself cut off when Denim might’ve tugged a little too hard on accident “weather.”  Luckily Gems didn’t have to breath, otherwise Black Star could’ve been in trouble.  But the defective Gem LOVED answering questions that Gems, or human alike, had for her!

         “Ah okay okay” nods the short-statured Gem.  Looking for resources to help their own planet without having to harm another was a great idea, and Black Star made that clear to the group of Lazulis.  “Well, I hope I’ve given you guys a.. fun time!”  Laughs Black Star, pinching her nose a couple times and making a pretend��‘honk’ sound, like how a clown’s nose might honk.  “Did you guys wanna.. hm.. oh!  If y’all are ok with eating, we could go to my favorite Ice Cream Parlor?  It’s.. the best!”

           The undeniable truth is that regardless of Persian’s attempts to rein everyone in, the Lapises are going to do as they please.   The tallest of them gives the small black Gem an apologetic look, though if she’s reading the situation accurately, it seems that Black Star doesn’t necessarily mind all the attention.   Thank the stars for that.

          Sky pushes herself into the frame, giving a tug on Black Star’s hoodie as well.   “   I guess it makes sense ; most Gems aren’t as good at getting water off them as Lapises are, right ?   Guess you need something to protect you.   ”  Her gaze squints upward for a moment before returning down to Black Star.   “   But it doesn’t look like there’s gonna be any precipitation today !   So how come you couldn’t – OW, Denim !   Don’t nudge at me like that, your elbow is so sharp !   ”

          The only one who’s hanging back is Nocturne, if only out of fear that she might say the wrong thing.   Still, while her sisters are laughing at Black Star, Nocturne’s quiet but smooth voice cuts through them all.   “   … What is … ice cream ?   ”

[weaselsmuses-aa]

Typhoon Island Villager HCS [final]

Emma

Age: 21

Island occupation: Island Representative. Though she’s called a shady representative by many.

Sexuality: Bi.

Friends: All of her villagers of course! (though she does have her favorites, namely Punchy, Antonio and Bamikins.)

Very hard working. Is almost always running form one side of the island with new ideas for how to improve things

When she isn’t terraforming, pathing or planting, she’s hanging out with Punchy and her friends.

A gracious host, according to her. She wants all guests to check in with her first and foremost. Gets a little grumpy when someone doesn’t follow that rule.

Terrorizing Isabelle is her hobby, gets her through the day.

Loves rain, storms and fog the most.

Favorite season is winter. (Totally not because she can make the whole month of december about her.)

Has been bickering with Isabelle so long she’s accidentally befriended her. (easier to torment her that way)

Rumored to be good friends/has close ties with Redd. (How else did he get here?)

House has an incredibly ominous vibe. Something about it just isn’t quite right.

Is a great asset when you’re friends with her, when you aren’t though....

Almost always with Antonio and Bam (Three musketeers vibe) or Punchy.,

Doesn’t get along with Julian too well. Almost always yelling at him/swearing at him under her breath. 

Misses sloppy furniture damnit.

“ I don’t know about the missing people or the blood, stop asking about it.”

Bellionare.

Punchy

Age: 23

Island occupation: Professional Slacker. (sometimes he’ll help Emma garden and clean the beach though)

Sexuality: Bi at best.

Friends: Bob [bff], Kid Cat, Beau, Antonio, Weasel, Stitches. && ofc Emma.

The FavoriteTM.

Representative’s Pet.

Probably dating Emma

Absolute precious sweetheart

Naive, lazy, but can be sarcastic and snarky when you know him well enough.

Huge heart.

Snacks on snacks on snacks on snacks

Can be a cry baby at times.

Very affectionate with his friends

Usually seen in his yard, by the playground or in Emma’s orchard.

Favorite color is blue, Favorite activity is sunbathing and naps

You look in his home and you’ll be able to tell how much of a favorite he is.

Has nothing but good things to say about Emma. (Seriously shes all he talks about.)

Kind of scared of Bam. He doesn’t get along with him well, for ...obvious reasons.

Popular but didn’t ask to be. He’s just sweet and easy to love!

Really loves cherries. A lot. Seriously. Fastest way to the little kittys heart.

Also pretty good friends with Monsun key’s Lapis, asks about her sometimes.

Bam

Age: 20

Island Occupation: Has a part time job at the museum dusting and helping out with the fossils. 

Sexuality: Pretty het.

Friends: Emma, Ky, Swiss, Antonio, Kid Cat, Beau, Cheri, Getting to know Lucky.

Big brother vibes with a pretty bad temper if you know how to strike a nerve.

Best friends with the Island Rep and Antonio

Seems to be the island’s favorite target for teasing.

Gets along well with everyone …….except Punchy and Bob.

Avidly and openly does not like Punchy, its most likely due to jealousy. It’s also rumored the reason his his very blatant crush on Emma

Only person he likes less than Punchy is Bob as he is quote ‘an asshole’. (Its usually just Bob returning the favor though for Bam being a dick to Punchy).

Usually seen working out on the Beach, doing Yoga in the square, or taking walks. Really loves the Light house, the orchards and the Playground.

Known to be a little overbearing with his attitude problems when he doesn’t like someone. (He’s been seen walking around punchy’s house,and has hit him on a few occasions)

Is either your friend and super nice, or doesn’t like you and can be a dick.

Hangs out with Cheri and Beau a lot when his two right hand pals aren’t available.

Secretly wishes Brewster would come open a shop.

Beau

Age: 22

Sexuality: Pan.

Island occupation: Got a part time gardening position from Lief. Also helps the nooklings arrange their shop displays.

Friends: Topaz, Emma, Ky, Punchy, Bam, Stitches, Lucky, Julian

Sleepy eyed sweetheart.

Very Peaceful and kind, doesn’t like to see anyone fighting and wants everyone to get along.

Definitely the type to always say yes.

Rustic mountain town vibe. Really likes nature and long hikes.

Favorite season is winter.

Best friend’s are Topaz, Punchy, and Bam.

Talks to Blathers and Celeste a lot, very interested in natural history and astronomy.

Goal is to be good friends with everyone on the island. The only one he’s having trouble with is Antonio. He can’t quite figure him out yet.

Likes to have Tea with the island rep on Sundays.

Always wanted to be like the reindeer he’s seen on TV. He admires the lifestyle and aesthetic despite being an antelope.

Has a baby blanket he’s very attached to.

Loves kids, and babysits Kid cat and stitches often, he thinks they’re very sweet.

Plants trees, flowers and shrubs a lot. He really wants to make the island feel more woodsy.

Favorite spot is the museum, orchards and star gazing spot.

Julian

Age: 28

Sexuality: Gay Trans Icon.

Island occupation: He worked at the able sisters for a little while but they had to let him go because he went overboard and tried to control everything. He’s thinking about applying at brewsters. 

Friends: Kyanite! Topaz, Beau, Cheri, Punchy & Bob (sorta)

Narcissitic, Dramatic and self obsessed.

Only thing he loves more than himself, is a good book and singing.

Really loves to look good, and is constantly indecisive about what he wears.

Has an aesthetic and will NOT let you mess with it. Seriously, don’t give him furniture, he’ll give it away.

BFF is Ky.

He also gets along with Beau and Cheri. He can appreciate Beau’s simple pleasures in life, and his kindness. Cheri and him relate on pop culture and music.

Gossips constantly, cannot keep a secret to save his life, and only wants to know your business to talk about it.

Very loving friend once your’e close to him, and will likely only break his ‘peaceful’ face, for a friend. Pissing him off is hard to decipher most of the time, as he finds it beneath him to show ‘savage’ emotions.

Claims to be magic, but no one knows if he actually is, or he just uses his species to say that.

Usually seen in the square seeking attention, following others to eavesdrop, or at home either inside, or in his yard reading or writing.

Doesn’t seem to get along with Spinel too well. He tried to be friends with her but when it didn’t work out he just decided to mess with her for fun.

Dreads double visits from Ky and her girlfriend. As they mess with his lights until they break. Blames Spinel for encouraging it.

Very curious about Lucky and Stitches but kind of creeped out by them. He snoops on them when given the chances to do so though.

Loves the stargazing spot and Ky’s picnic area. He does enjoy a good stroll on the beach too when he isn’t shopping for stuff.

Cannot be without attention for too long, he will shove himself into your conversations, your day, and the town square and tell you gossip or start singing.

Wishes there were more people on the island that he could relate to.

Cheri

Age: 22

Sexuality: She like gurls

Island occupation: Has a part time job doing island clean up for Tom on the weekends. Thinking about asking the nooks to get her a part time job at the shop.

Friends: Pearl (Monsun key), Marina (Monsun key), Emma, Lapis (monsun key),  Weasel , Bam, Bob, Julian, Punchy (they bonded over music recently), Lucky (slowly but surely shes giving her lots of gifts and being in general sweet and cheri cant okay.)

Zero bullshit tolerance.

Sarcastic, snarky and loud, but a very loyal friend

Rap, Rock and Metal are her life

House so red you will forget what other colors are.

Rumored that she’s got an album, no one on the island knows if what she says is true.

Good friends with Bam, Bob and Julian.

Usually in the square Jamming or  Hanging out on the Beach.

Pretty good friends with the Island Representative, isn’t really into all the  gossip about her.

Thinks Kid Cat is cute, but also isn’t big on watching kids, so you know.

Good friends with Weasel, likes to talk to them every once and a while.

Literally don’t start an argument with her, you WILL lose.

‘ im a bad bitch, you cant kill me’

What the hell is stitches? What the fuck happened to lucky? IS anyone going to actually acknowledge how fucked up this is?? hello???

All concerns aside, she thinks both stitches and lucky are very sweet but seriously wtf.

Rapping in the square with her friends is the shit for her okay. She loves it. Has asked Emma to throw a rapping party to which she replied ‘eh.’

Leather jackets and cool clothes are just as important as looking cute as hell!

Talks about Raymond moving like it was the best thing to happen to mankind, and his existence on typhoon island like a bad dream. (she still holdin a grudge)

Antonio

Age: He....wont tell. well guess 25

Sexuality: Doesn’t talk about it.

Island occupation: Typhoon Island ditch digger.......he digs the graves. At least thats his supposed job. He’s seen some shit. Surely.

Friends: Emma, Bam, Swiss, Bob, Stitches, Lucky, Ky

One does not simply get rid of him

Is he all there or is he not?

Vacant stare

Either ramblings of insanity or way too meddling

Everyone calls him crazy but….he knows all the dirty laundry.

Usually in the square….listening..and watching

Favorite Song is K.K. Dirge

Digs the graves for the grave yard and probably puts up the missing signs.

Always seems to pop up out of nowhere. At the most..unnerving moments.

One of the least social, yet most involved somehow.

What are you hiding antonio?

Bob

Age: 24

Sexuality: Bi.

Island occupation: Doesn’t have one. Works booorring. Give him some games and food any day.

Friends: Punchy (BFF), Emma, Lapis (Monsun Key), Weasel, Kid cat, Stitches, Lucky, Beau is okay

Absolute Meme-er

BFF is Punchy

Constant jokes, no matter his mood. Is he serious? Is he not? good luck figuring that out.

The popular kid on the island, but he doesn’t really care.

Also good pals with Swiss.

Give him a dare and he will do it. Every time

Older than the island rep and talks about it alot like its a personality trait.

Play fights you.

Sarcasm for days.

Affectionately bullies you softly

Annoys Antonio for laughs

Pisses Bam off on purpose (they dont get along)

Favorite spot is the playground , the pool and the beach.

Thinks stitches and lucky are super friggin cool. So what if they’re a little weird? That’s what makes them so awesome.

Affectionately messes with cheri when shes’ trying to sing or rap in the square.

Kind of avoids julian because he doesn’t like how he talks down to him

Got kicked out of nooks cranny a couple times. Who even knows why.

Kid cat

Age: 12

Friends: Stitches, Emma, Weasel, Ky, Punchy, Bob, Bam, Antonio, Lucky, Beau, Cheri. (So like everyone.)

Is, as his name would suggest, A kid.

Absolute trash heap of a house. Like He actually lives like this?

The island rep felt bad for him and built him a nice bed. He’s very attached to it.

Best friend’s are Bam, Kody and Weasel.

Sees Bam as a big brother.

Wants everyone on the island to be friends.

Considers himself a super hero, always wants to be the one to save the day and help people with their problems.

Hangs out on the playground, claims the jungle gym as his ‘base’.

If he isn’t there he hangs out in the square trying to spread his ‘heroisms’

Wide eyed optimist

NARUTO RUNNING AROUND YOU.

Is probably going to stay up past his bed time. Whos going to stop him

Claims the ninja turtles live under his house.

Misses Raymond. Says the island is ‘missing its dad’

Stitches

Age: Ageless, but comes off as a 6-10 year old

Island occupation: Doing whatever Emma tells him. 

Friends: Emma, Punchy, Topaz, Kid Cat, Weasel, Beau, Lucky, Bob

A mash up of many different bears and animals before him. All of whom met an untimely end by the hands of the creature.

Is not aware of how he came to be, and it is in Emma’s best interest to keep it that way. She will make sure you don’t tell him.

Can’t see very well, and can’t speak. Instead is telepathic, and can speak in sign language if need be. You will be able to hear his voice, but his mouth will never move.

Doesn’t come out of his house too terribly often, and is not allowed out after dark.

Favorite activity is playing pretend! He loves his toys and his blocks, and sometimes will go over to kid cats or weasels to play pretend with them.

Refers to the island representative as a mother, which .....disturbs and disconcerns most.

really close with lucky. They relate on a lot of....similar misfortunes. They can also speak to each other privately through mystical means without interruption or eavesdropping from others.

Is as name would suggest, stitched up. Sometimes the seams come undone and his stuffing comes out. (Yes hes actually full of ...just stuffing.) stuffin’!

Seems to be alive by sheer paranormal means. There is nothing in him keeping him ticking biologically.

Wants to be friends with isabelle, but notices he frightens her, so he avoids town hall.

Favorite spots are his room, the picnic by kys house, and the playground. (He wants to learn the monkeybars!)

Really looks up to Punchy, and wants him to help teach him the ways of the world....though punchy may NOT be the best rolemodel.

Afraid of Bam and Antonio, but is put under their care often.

Lucky

Age: ......we aren’t sure. Shes been dead a while. The only one who might know is emma.

Island occupation: Haunting the island after dark. (She’d help out if anyone would hire her.)

Friends: Stitches, Emma, Bob, Beau, Swiss

Is as ‘luck’ would have it, dead. She’s a spirit.

Rumored first victim of the typhoon island serial killer. She’s been dead a while, as her house would show, she’s not had the privilege of living for quite some time now.

Her bandages are a permanent feature, and theres a rumor floating around that without it, there wouldn’t be much left to her---besides those piercing haunting eyes of course.

Has a very sweet, soft spoken voice. Almost as quiet as a distant whisper. 

Very good friends with Emma. Follows her around almost....an unnatural amount. Almost as if...she’s got some sort of attachment to her.

Has a grave in her back yard, which was not naturally there prior. Seems to have dug it herself. A comfort thing perhaps since to present knowledge she was never given proper burial.

A very kind dog, and very helpful if you give her the chance and look past her....otherworldly appearance.

Loves stitches like a baby brother, almost always hanging out with him more than anyone else, will protect him feircly.

Self conscious about her state of being dead, just wants to make friends and live a happy afterlife since hers was taken from her.

Loves gardening, though all her flowers turn into black roses....or die.

Favorite spot is the graveyard, the forest, and Emma’s orchards.

Thinks her and Isabelle would get along good! If....Isabelle didn’t run away from her.

Really loves K.K. Slider concerts. Always wants to be the first to attend them. Can he see her though? She’s not sure sometimes.

[thelustrousyellowdiamond]

The Welcome Home Party

Bella and Susan exchanged a look, very unsure. “We're rather busy, you know,” Bella said to Steven.

“Please?” he begged. “We'd be honored to have you, and you two deserve to enjoy yourselves for once! Saving my friends is a reason to celebrate!”

They thought for a moment, and Susan told him that they'd think about it, but that they weren't going to make promises.

Back on Homeworld, the two Diamonds were out of their human disguises, trying to make up for lost time. Though their Pearls did quite a good job managing their duties, there were some tasks only a Diamond can complete. And in that time, Yellow was finding ways to cram several meetings into one.

It wasn't possible to completely catch up, but Yellow was not one to let that get in the way of productivity. At that point, she started delegating her duties to her most trusted advisors and commanders, but they were left wondering as to why Yellow was taking such extended absences. She sternly told them that it was nothing more than a personal project and the details were top secret. Still, it did not stop the rumors amongst the upper class gems. Yellow Pearl wondered if she should inform her Diamond, but she decided against it as the rumors were nothing close to what actually was going on. ‘Thank the stars,’ she thought to herself.

Making Pink happy was more important to Yellow and Blue than anything else in the cosmos. It was decided. They would attend the party. They just hoped that White would never find out about what they were doing…

The next evening, in Beach City, the party was in full swing. The two Diamonds stood in the back of the crowd in their disguises, hoping no one would notice them. That didn't exactly work however, as so many residents of the town kept pestering them with questions about how they managed to save Lars and the Off Colors, questions they would rather not have to respond to.

To make matters worse, they had been considered guests of honor for such incredible feats of heroism,” in their eyes, as well as having been called up to the stage after Sadie Killer and the Suspects had performed a few songs, with Lars singing alongside her.

‘How could we possibly be heroes to them?’ thought Bella to herself. ‘They don't know it, but WE were the ones responsible for kidnapping all these humans in the first place. Not to mention all the invasions of this planet!’

Susan, however, found herself happy for witnessing all the tearful reunions. It was the least she could do after losing Pink for thousands of years. It intrigued her that such an inferior species could know these pains so very well. Two humans who introduced themselves as Dante and Martha Barriga thanked her profusely for saving their “son.” Susan was still confused as to what exactly that meant, but understood it to be some kind of human relationship that apparently signified their closeness.

Looking over at the Off Colors, it seemed that they were not only happy to be safe and free, but also to meet several fellow rebel gems who were equally as excited to have new friends. There was no way Susan nor Bella could approve of their strange lifestyle or their odd ways, but at least they wouldn't have to deal with them anymore, provided that they had enough respect to honor the conditions of their exile.

“New roomates!” Susan overheard a Peridot saying. It had been the same one that the Bismuth clad in armor had flung into her face, something she wasn't willing to forgive anytime soon.

The traitorous Lapis Lazuli replied, “Yeah, that's great and all, but where are they possibly going to live? You're already living in the bathroom, and Pearl was kind enough to let me stay in her room. Bismuth often keeps to her Forge, but all the rooms in the Temple are pretty much occupied! It just seems like this place is getting crowded.”

“Oh don’t worry!” said the defective Amethyst. “You guys can stay in my room! Just don't touch my junk, and we’ll be all good!”

“And in the meantime, We’ll work on building places for you new rocks to live!” the Bismuth told them enthusiastically. “There are tons of great places to be on Earth, and I haven't seen half of it yet! Stuff's always changin’ here! You'll love it!”

The new off colored gems were talking amongst themselves enthusiastically about what their new lives could be like. Padparadscha looked uncertain, but Susan could not tell if this was because of her delayed sense of vision or because she was unsure of what she would do with her new life her. She felt a sense of pity. How could one live with no purpose?

Susan was interrupted in her thoughts by one fusion in particular approaching her. “Humans never stop impressing me. I'm proud of you and your sister for saving these gems.”

She felt extremely uncomfortable having this fusion, standing beside her, a former Sapphire of hers and her Ruby guard. And that thing had the nerve to call herself a Garnet! Good thing Sapphires weren't omniscient, or she'd be found out immediately. However, Susan was at a loss for words.

“It's a party. You should lighten up a bit,” said the “Garnet” before walking away.

Susan sighed. She and Yellow had snuck out in their disguises, and had been doing so for quite some time. It wouldn't hurt to mingle a little bit. As strange as these humans and rebel gems were in their customs, it was a little relieving to be able to socialize with others without the need of formality. On Homeworld, one couldn't simply talk with gems of another rank casually, especially since she was a Diamond with Yellow as her only peer. So she went out and did something she wanted to do for a while: buy a scarf in her favorite color, which ironically was not blue, but green.

Bella was a little shocked, to say the least when Susan came running up to her wearing a striped scarf that was far too long for her tiny shapeshifted form. “Bellaaaaaaaa! Look at what I just bought!”

Unimpressed, Bella stated bluntly, “You look absolutely ridiculous.”

“And they don't?” Susan replied, gesturing to the Off Colors.

“We are Diamonds!” whispered Bella. “Not rebels! We will NOT stop to their level!”

“Come on Bella, it's not that bad! I've wanted to have one of these for quite some time! I actually had to warp to the other side of this planet to get one of these! I'm not sure why they don't have these in this settlement, but I suppose it is a little long for me. Here, you can wear it too!” Susan took one end of the scarf and wrapped about five feet of it around Bella. “Now we can be scarf buddies!” she exclaimed.

“I swear, Susan, you are getting more and more eccentric by the day.”

However, that was not even close to the most unusual thing that happened that night at the party. Everyone had decided to have a dance off with a human called Sour Cream as the DJ. (The Diamonds later found out that it meant he was in charge of the music.) They stood by the sidelines instead of joining in. Pink and her Pearl were happily dancing casually, until all of a sudden…

Bella and Susan stood agape in horror as they witnessed the scene. The fusion who was now standing where Pink and Pearl had stood was now admiring his new form.

“Rainbow Quartz!” exclaimed Garnet with glee. “How nice it is to meet you!”

“Well, I certainly wasn't expecting to make a guest appearance at this fine party!” began the fusion. “Ya mind if I show off some totally fabulous moves?”

The crowds of humans cheered as Rainbow Quartz summoned his parasol and flew on it like a witch riding a broomstick. He twirled around in the air a few times, creating a spectacular looking rainbow in the sky before gracefully landing on the ground again. “Thank you all!” he said before quickly unfusing back into Pink and her Pearl.

“Pearl, we fused! I can't believe it!” Pink cheered in delight. She hugged her Pearl and they twirled around for a bit.

“Oh Steven,” said Pearl. “That was such a wonderful experience!”

“Garnet, can WE fuse!?!? I wanna see what awesome moves we could pull off!” Pink seemed to have stars in her eyes at the idea. Susan was absolutely livid, but did not act out for fear of attracting attention. How could she partake in such a disgusting act?

“Alright, but just for you Steven.”

The two (or three if you counted the Ruby and Sapphire) did a more hip based dance, and Pink leapt into the fusion's arms. They burst into flame, and the next thing Bella and Susan knew…

“Well, if it isn't the one and only Sunstone!” said the new fusion, standing in their places. “I'm here to show off all my moves, and by the end of this night you'll be amazed at how awesome we are!”

Sunstone then added, “But kids, always remember to practice humility. Don't ever let your pride get the better of yourselves.” Bella and Susan exchanged a rather puzzled look. Just who was she talking to?

While the fusion was wowing the entire crowd, the disguised Diamonds had to mutter under their breaths.

“We need to talk to Pink about this,” said Bella. “This is completely inappropriate and unacceptable for a Diamond especially!”

“Imagine if she did that at the ball! How unthinkable!” replied Susan.

Garnet and Steven unfused shortly after, and then Amethyst came rushing up to them.

“You guys, that was AWESOME! Give it up for the G-squad and the Ste-man! Can we form OBSIDIAN now!?!? It would be the PERFECT time to!”

“No,” said Garnet bluntly.

“Absolutely not!” exclaimed Pearl. “We only fuse as a team in DIRE circumstances! What dire circumstance do we need Obsidian for?”

“Aw, man!” Steven said in disappointment. “That would've been so cool to see what we look like all fused together!”

“Steven, we'll form Obsidian some other time,” said Garnet. “If the time ever calls for it. She is far too unstable and dangerous for just showing off willy-nilly.”

A little while later, Steven approached Bella and Susan. “Having fun yet?” he asked.

“Pink, we need to discuss your behavior,” said Bella.

“You can't just go fusing around like that!” Susan said. “If you had done that on Homeworld, you would be in serious trouble right now!”

“But this isn't Homeworld!” said Pink. “This is Earth! We do things differently here! This is what a real party is like!”

“This may be your colony, but you still must adhere to our rules,” Bella added. “You're not supposed to do this, especially not in public!”

“Oh right,” Pink said thoughtfully. “Just like how you're not supposed to be neglecting your royal duties by sneaking out in these disguises to have fun!”

They couldn't deny it, Pink was right. They couldn't believe they would fall for her silly games. Of course she would try and convince them to engage in rebellious behavior. She had done the same thing thousands of years ago by sneaking out in her Rose Quartz disguise.

After a while, the party died down and most everyone started going home. Bella and Susan looked more sullen, feeling very unsure of themselves. They weren't sure what was right or wrong, good or bad. How far was too far to make Pink happy. These feelings, however, did not go unnoticed.

“Hey there, Your Highnesses,” said the human Greg. “You doing okay?”

“No, we're not.” Bella said. “Now if you could please get a move on, we need to go back home.”

“You sure you don't wanna talk about it?”

Susan thought for a moment. “I suppose… we could stay a little longer.”

Bella sighed. “Fine,” she mumbled. Little did she know, that this was going to be a longer night than she anticipated.

[outofthisgxlaxy]

"Lapis!" Lazurite beamed as she approached her daughter, before glancing behind her. "I apologize that this might be sudden, but... there are some Gems who want to see you." As soon as the last syllable left her lips, Lapis was suddenly swarmed by four other Lapis Lazulis and swept into their arms. "LAPIS!" "We were so worried!" "I thought I'd never see you again!" "Thank the stars you're okay!!!" (( their names are Sky, Nocturne, Persian, and Denim, and they love their sister very much-

“Lazurite, hi! Let me just...” Lapis was going to start getting things cleaned up, at least so the space she’d been occupying while Bismuth worked on her new room looked nice, when she was told something she hadn’t expected. Well... she hadn’t expected her beloved matron to arrive that day anyway, but guests along with her? Lapis stood where she was and all of a sudden found herself swarmed by four of her fellow lapises. A surprised noise turned into joy within a few moments.

“Sky! Nocturne, Persian, Denim! You’re all here!” Lapis couldn’t deny that she was enjoying this group hug. They all held her close, and she in turn allowed her wings to reveal themselves so she could hug them close in return. She really had thought that she’d never see them again, but all of them were there. Her sisters...

“I thought I’d never see you girls again,” Lapis told them. “I...” She felt ashamed of what she was going to admit. They’d been fairly close when she’d lived on Homeworld, but after all that time? She’d worried.

“I thought you’d all forgotten about me. That’d you’d moved on...” If Lazurite hadn’t forgotten her, then why would her sisters? That was the thought that came to mind moments after she’d admitted what she had.

[baddeleyite-archived]

💍 + our ship?

Wedding Bells A-Ringin’~ [Accepting]

where they get married

There is a bit of debate as to where they should hold the ceremony. Black Star argued for Beach City, while Baddeleyite made a convincing case for the Mountain Temple. In the end, they agreed on the Temple since Black Star understood that it what it would mean to her fiance. 

when they get married ( ie what time of day, what month and season etc. )

The ceremony itself took place in the spring after the end of hostilities with Homeworld. The vows and such took place in the late morning with the rest of the planned festivities taking up most of the day.

what traditions they include ( do they get married under a chuppah and crush a glass, garter toss, ‘something borrowed, something blue,’ etc. )

They decided on a mix of both Earth traditions and Sisterhood traditions, the latter of which the newly reformed and healed Sisters of the Mountain Temple were happy to teach Black Star. And of course, Baddeleyite happily threw the bouquet.

what their wedding cake looks like

Their cake is a multi tiered marble cake with calico patterned fondant and decorated with all sorts of fondant kittens playing on the different layers. At the very top is Black Star and Baddeleyite representations standing playing with a bunch of excited kittens.

….who smashes cake into whose face

It’s a mutual face-cake smashing~

who proposed to who first

Baddeleyite proposed to Black Star after the battle with Blue and Yellow Diamond. The fact that they could have died in the encounter making up her mind to go ‘fuck it’ and pop the question then and there

who walks down the aisle and who waits at the altar ( or neither )

Baddeleyite was escorted down the aisle to Black Star.

what their wedding dresses / suits / other look like

Baddeleyite wore an ankle length, long sleeved white silk gown while Black Star wore a combination tuxedo gown because she couldn’t make up her mind on what she wanted to wear.

what their wedding colour scheme is and what sort of decor they have

Night sky blues with glittering stars and other cosmic themed decorations

what flowers are in the bouquet ( if applicable. bonus: what do the flowers mean? )

White lotuses and lilies

what their vows are ( eg poetry, traditional, improvised etc.)

 They barely make it through their vows before they break down laughing from an overabundance of nerves. It took several minutes for them to get themselves under control again to continue .

if anyone’s late to the wedding

There were a couple of late-comers due to various reasons. Blue and Yellow Diamond’s viewer robonoid got delayed by atmospheric turbulence on the way down.

who’s in the bridal parties / groomsmen / other

Baddel chose Pearl as her Maid of Honor with Kiki Pizza and Lapis as her Brides Maids while Black Star had Steven as her ‘Best Boy’

what their bridal party / groomsmen / other are wearing

Honestly, they just let them wear what they wore for Ruby and Sapphire’s wedding. Though they found a nice blue floral gown for Lapis.

who gives speeches at the reception ( bonus: what do they say? recount a sweet memory or two between them? tell an embarrassing story? )

Black Diamond. She gives a deep meaningful speech about how overjoyed she is that Black Star and Baddeleyite have made a life together.

who catches the bouquet( s )

Jasper, though she immediately threw it several miles away the reddest face ever. 

what their wedding photos are like ( are they sweet, with the couple holding hands or kissing or ~gazing into each others eyes~? are they silly, with a snapshot of the ‘cake-smash’ moment? or are they artistic, with one of them facing the sunset or holding their bouquets? )

Super silly, they take the chance to just let loose and be relaxed.

what sort of food they have at the reception

They have options for either vegan or meat depending on their guests tastes. 

who cries first during the ceremony

Steven.

how wild their reception gets ( who dances the best, who gets drunk first, etc.)

It gets crazy. The dance floor is just filled with rowdy fusions shaking it to the beat.  

what their rings are like

Bismuth forged them a pair of gold and silver rings with each other’s names engraved in the bands.

what sort of favours they have ( heart shaped sparklers, mini champagne bottles, personalised candy etc. )

Lots of candy, all hand-made by Baddel and Black Star.

where they go for their honeymoon?

They decide to head out on a six-week trip across the country to see the sights and just enjoy themselves without the stress of war, corruption or anything.

something memorable that happens during the party / ceremony ( do they run out of ice and someone goes to get it in full formal wear on foot, does anyone fall asleep in the middle of the party, etc. )

Baddeleyite and Black Star laugh themselves silly for several minutes during the vows, Garnet and Amethyst fuse into Sugilite and have an impromptu concert with Sour Cream DJing.

who officiates the ceremony?

Garnet happily agreed to officiate for them.   

what song their first dance is to

Stand By Me by Florence and The Machine

who gives who away as they walk down the aisle?

Greg gave Baddeleyite away in lieu of a father figure.

[sweetpea-cc]

Lovers of Mine - Chapter 4

Synopsis: Natala Halvorsen was Queen of Sicily and Norway when a group of traveling nobles made their way into her kingdom and into her life. Changed into an immortal being in 1113 A.D, she suddenly awakens another part of her that she believed to be dead. Soon, she becomes a sole interest of wicked games for the Mikaelson family. What happens after Natala resurfaces after being thought dead for over 100 years? 800 years by their side and she abandons them without a second thought.

Previously: The King gathered Natala’s hand in his and Elijah watched as her cheeks turned a low shade of red. “Yes, my husband, we have met. The Lords were ever so kind to accompany me to the market.” Natala stood close to the man, it was as if she would become merged to him.“Well, gentlemen, the sun is fading and there will be a feast in honor of our new guests. Please, come join.” With that, the King and Natala lead the way to the castle, with three Mikaelson’s following close behind. Never would they expect this Queen to become a great part of their lives.

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3

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"If love had the answers why aren't you here? This truth as an obsession had almost disappeared But when I see you alone far away from home and I wonder why I feel like everything is turning in my head It's you again."

The following morning, Natala was in the kitchen making herself a cup of coffee when she heard the sound of the front door opening and closing. "Aunt Nat, you here?" Damon's voice called out as he walked through the house before poking his head through the kitchen doorway. Natala raised her eyebrows while taking a sip of her coffee. He and his brother had just come back from Elena's house and truth be told, Natala wanted to meet the famous doppelganger that had somehow had multiple people willing to die for her. Damon walked forward tossing what looked like an invitation towards Nat and then Stefan followed in shortly after. They had stayed up early into the morning because Stefan had multiple questions and Natala had done her best to answer them truthfully, or at least in a way that wouldn't reveal too much. However, her history with the Mikaelson's was so long, it was not exactly possible to explain everything in one night but she was open to answering any questions that she had.

Though she never showed it, it actually upset her greatly that Stefan, even after all these years, refused to trust her completely. He always felt that Natala was hiding some great big secret from him, and she was, but not one that had anything to do with him. "They're throwing a ball, we're going," Damon said simply, tapping on the counter with haste and Natala let out a small laugh. "You're joking, right?" she stared dumbfounded at her nephew then looked at Stefan.

"You are joking." her tone suddenly became deadpanned as she set her coffee cup down on the counter, clearing her throat, picking up the invitation and turning it over and reading the inscription on the back- 'Elena, I think it's time that we finally meet. Esther.'  "Esther," Natala spoke softly, not realizing that she had said it out loud. "Yeah, turns out she's who was in the box. Momma Mikaelson. You know her?" Damon asked twisting his lapis lazuli ring. Natala moved her head back and forth, shrugging her shoulders.

"I know that Klaus killed her in a fit of rage and that Elijah knew about it the entire time and Klaus doesn't know that." Stefan's eyes went wide as he digested this new information- Elijah, a man who supposedly was all about nobility and honor, knew that Klaus had murdered their mother, yet he remained by his brother's side with unwavering loyalty all these centuries.  

Stefan's eyes squinted briefly at his aunt as he watched her take another sip of her drink, tossing the invitation away from her as if it were trash. "You know all of their secrets, don't you?" he questioned, leaning against the door frame and crossing his arms loosely over her chest. Stefan could see a sly smirk forming behind the cup as Natala's eyes bore into his own.

"Of course I do." she hummed, granting her an eye roll from him. Natala had only been here for two days and from her observation, Stefan was just being a tantrum-throwing child who could not deal with his emotions. Granted, he was compelled to turn them off but that did not stop Natala from having any patience to deal with his aloof and rude manners.

Damon seemed to notice the tension between Natala and Stefan so he offered to change the subject. "Anyway, Stefan and I are going to the ball, you can come along if you want, or don't. No one cares." he shrugged his shoulders in a nonchalant way and Natala gave him a wide smile. "And that's why you're my favorite nephew." she joked, winking at Damon. On her way out of the kitchen, she felt Stefan's hard eyes on her so she stopped next to him, patting his shoulder a few times. "You know, Stefan, one day you're going to have to forgive me." she eyed him warily as Stefan gave her a sarcastic smile.

"I don't have to do anything." he retorted, pushing himself off the wall and walking away. Something he seemed to do very well. Natala let out a scoff and turned to Damon, who merely shrugged his shoulders again. "Give him time, he'll get over it." now it was Natala's turn to roll her eyes as she rested her hands on her hips. "It's been over fifty years, Damon. And what I did wasn't even that bad. I knew your mother was alive, big deal." she brushes her fingers through her luscious hair, leaning against the wall but Damon just sat in his seat, seemingly lost in thought. "I have errands to run, have fun at the ball."

Meanwhile at Klaus Mikaelson's mansion, was the collection of his dear siblings as they stood in a foyer, getting ready for the upcoming ball. The youngest sister, Rebekah, was getting her nails done by an assistant whereas, the youngest brother, Kol, stood in front of a full-length mirror wearing a black evening suit while a tailor adjusted it properly. Across the room, stood Finn and Elijah who were also preparing themselves for the evening. Kol smirked at his reflection as he called out to his little sister. "Rebekah? Tell me how handsome I am." For a brief moment, Rebekah looked up from her nails and offered Kol a sarcastic smile. "Ah Kol, you know I can't be compelled." She responded, granting her a short laugh from Kol and sweet grin from Finn.

No sooner than that, the double French doors opened and reveal Klaus who immediately stalked up to Rebekah, annoyance stemming from his entire being. "You went after Elena? What is wrong with you?!" He yelled out, but Rebekah was hardly fazed by his outburst. "Here we go." She simply responded, rolling her eyes at the man staring at her. "Do you want another dagger in your heart?" Klaus threatened, taking a small step forward before Kol came to Rebekah's rescue. "Again with the dagger threats? Don't you have any other tricks?" He taunted, his constant smirk still on his face. Klaus scowled at his little brother, a growl threatening to rip through. "Oh, go back to staring at yourself." He retorted, but Kol didn't back down. "And who are you, my father?" He questioned as he took a step forward to Klaus, daring him to attack. "No, Kol, but you're in my house."

"Then perhaps we should take this outside." Kol offered, wanting so badly to give his brother a piece of his mind for sticking him in a box for the past century. Before Klaus could respond, Kol spoke up again. "You know, I miss this- the constant bickering but it would seem there is someone missing. Tell me, where is that feisty little minx, Natala?" Elijah and Klaus' eyes darkened at once, a sudden negative mood filling the room. "She's dead." Kol's signature smirk faltered almost immediately but he quickly covered it up with a snappy remark. "I assume that was your doing." Kol shot a glare at his brother, refusing to believe that his beautiful, wicked, little star was dead. Of course, though, she wasn't his- she never was and Natala had always made it clear that she belonged to no one.

"Well, I say good riddance. I never liked her anyway, she had all of you wrapped around her pretty finger. Not to mention she was a sneaky little slut who bedded all of you like a common whore. Not to mention, you lot only ever kept her around because she could bloody read minds." Rebekah chided, standing up from her spot on the couch to observe her reflection in the mirror, her distaste for Natala Halvorsen knew no bounds. "She was quite a phenomenon, a vampire, witch, and psychic rolled up in one, she was also hot. I quite liked being wrapped around her finger." Kol joked, wiggling his eyebrows at his little sister who merely let out a sigh of disgust. "You're such a pig, Kol." she spat before wandering off to the deep end of the mansion, far away from her brothers.

Kol let out a sigh as his mind drifted to the day that he and his brother met Natala Halvorsen. Never did he expect such a simple human to create a ripple effect on his life, never did he expect her to be a constant. He thought about the way he showed her how to do a few spells in the beginning and as cheesy as it sounds, how magical that time was. Klaus ignored his siblings as he walked away from the scene and back into the dining area where the body of his dead hybrid still laid. Apart from his siblings attacking him, he kept replaying that small part where the man was in a complete trance and ripped out his own heart but perhaps, what struck him the most, was the phrase that he whispered. He let out a low sigh as he picked up the body with ease, it needed to be burned, buried, or just disposed of.

Elijah came into view wearing his classic suit and tie as he observed the scene before him. He too had been wondering about this all night, but alas an event such as your mother returning from the dead after a thousand years tends to place your priorities elsewhere. "Have you figured out why your hybrid appeared to be compelled last night?" he questioned, tucking his hands into his pockets as he stood tall and proud.

"I have a few ideas but of course that's impossible seeing as she's dead but then again it would seem no one wants to stay dead, nowadays." Klaus retorted sarcastically at his brother, they were both thinking the same thing- this had Natala Halvorsen written all over it and if their assumptions were right, it could either be a blessing or a curse. "If our assumption is correct, now is the worst possible time for her to resurface," Elijah said as he focused his attention on his cufflinks. Klaus found it amusing how his brother appeared rocked by the possibility of this woman showing up in the midst of everything they were currently dealing with.

Natala soon found herself standing across the street from The Mystic Grill as she watched Rebekah Mikaelson walk away with a satisfied grin on her face. She walked through the door of the local hangout center and spotted an all too familiar face chatting with a pretty blonde. She walked up to the table where the two girls stopped their conversation almost immediately, holding out her hand to Elena, she offered a broad smile.

"Elena Gilbert, I presume? My name is Nat, a pleasure to meet you." Elena looked at Natala as if she were starstruck for a few seconds before clearing her throat. "As in Aunt Nat?" she questioned warily, shooting her golden brown eyes back and forth between Nat and her friend. "One and only. I merely came to give you back your invitation." Nat reached into her back and pulled out the invitation that Damon had snatched from her earlier. Before Elena could get another word in, her friend spoke up, waving a hand in the air slightly. "Wait, wait, Damon and Stefan have an Aunt? Like an actual who is older than them?" the girl looked puzzled and Natala only found it amusing.

"No, darling, they have a weird family fetish." Natala retorted sarcastically, granting her a small smile from either of the girls. "I'm Caroline," she said, furrowing her eyebrows slightly, Natala didn't even have to read Caroline's mind to see that the girl was highly wary of her.

Elena gracefully took the invitation from Natala's hand and stared at it for a few moments before setting it to the side. "Thank you, for bring it back but I already told Damon and Stefan that I'm not going." Natala hummed to herself, she was almost a convincing liar. She decided to take the empty seat at the table and sat down, making herself comfortable with her new acquaintances. "Of course, we all know that's a lie. But I don't blame you when the Original witch wants a meeting but then you have brooding bodyguards watching your every move, I'd resort to lying too." The wide-eyed doe looks on either of their faces made Natala laugh deep in her chest. Natala raised a hand at the waiter across the room to signal him to come over which the man did fairly quickly.

"I'll have an Americano, please." She spoke, fluttering her lashes as the man nodded his head and walked off and when he was far enough, Natala focused her attention back to Caroline and Elena. "You're not even a little bit curious why the Original witch wants to meet you? And you're going to miss out on that simply because my nephews forbad you from doing so?" Natala tilted her head in a perplexing manner at Elena who appeared to be cracking under Natala's intense gaze.

The man came back a few moments later and set down Natala's drink in front of her. "Grazie, Tesoro." She spoke softly, offering him a sweet smile. Caroline cleared her throat in order to obtain Natala's undivided attention which she gave happily. "So, apparently you're this big bad backup who is supposed to help us. What I don't get is why Stefan and Damon would wait until now to call you when we've been dealing with psycho-hybrid for months!" she threw her hands up in the air in defeat, then began rubbing her temples, clearly distressed. Natala merely nodded, showing a face of care and understanding.

"If it makes you feel any better, Caroline, I'm as surprised as you are. I've been on the outs with them for years but they asked for help, so here I am." Natala took a long sip of her drink, letting the hot liquid burn its way down her throat. "I think it's better if we come up with a solution to this whole Klaus problem rather than sassing each other out." intervened Elena, who was tired from the lack of progress in this whole ordeal and Natala smiled sweetly at the girl. She saw it, why everyone around her was so willing to risk their lives for her- she would never let them. Such compassion.

Letting out a long sigh, Natala nodded her head in agreement. "Of course. I just wanted to say this; be very vigilant when dealing with that family. As I told Damon and Stefan, they cause more harm than good, no matter their true intentions. I've had my fair share of run-ins with them, so I sympathize with all of you. None of you asked for this life, but I suppose the best you can do is to not let them win." Caroline and Elena were silent for a moment, it would seem that Natala was successful in making them see that she had no intentions of harming them, that she truly wanted to help, at least to the best of her ability.

When the clock had struck four, the girls got up and bid their goodbyes to Natala, walking away completely unsure of what their evening held. Natala fiddled with her watch that rested loosely on her wrist, becoming slightly anxious, not to mention annoyed. Meeting Elena today was not the only thing she had on her schedule today- early in the morning before Damon and Stefan had come back home, Natala had received a call from an old contact, a witch turned vampire through unfortunate circumstance years ago, saying she had urgent information Natala needed to know. The loud clearing of a throat capture Natala's attention as she looked at the person standing before her, and immediately she scowled.

"Everett. I hope whatever information you discovered isn't a waste of my time." Natala leaned back in the seat, folding her arms over her chest, raising her eyebrows while pursuing her lips every so slightly. Everett raked his fingered through his shaggy blonde hair, letting out a nervous breath. "First things first, I give you this information, and you'll do something for me?" He asked, pulling out the chair and sitting down.

Natala noticed how fidgety he appeared, like an addict going through withdrawal or someone who was being chased. "If your information is sound and true. Then, yes, that's how the deal goes." Natala straightened her posture as Everett nodded his head fervently and Natala's eyebrows furrowed. It would seem that this man was risking his life to relay whatever information he had to her.

"Witches talk, alright. Especially the ancestors. Esther Mikaelson is awake." Natala's neutral face didn't change which told Everett that this was not new information and he began to fidget, he had to prove he wasn't wasting Natala's time because those who did, never lived to tell about it. "They're saying she's got dark intentions, that she's on some kind mission." he was whispering now, his body hunched over the table and Natala's interest was officially piqued. "How do you mean?"

Everett tapped on his leg impatiently, whatever he was running from was going to catch up with him soon. "She's going to link them together. As one, and then she's going to sacrifice her eldest- Finn. She's going to kill them all." Everett's grey eyes were boring into Natala's and she, along with anyone that was paying attention, could tell he was distraught over this information. "I'm not seeing the problem Everett. If anything, Esther would end up getting a medal for killing them. The entire population wants them dead." she shrugged her shoulders, still not all that interested in what Everett was telling her.

Everett clapped his hands together pointing them at Natala, trying to make her understand the gravity of the situation. "The bloodline, Natala. Every single vampire and hybrid species are linked. Kill the top of the food chain..." Everett stopped his sentence and Natala raised her eyebrows, nodding her head in understanding. "And the rest follow." She pursed her lips again, though she wasn't all that surprised. Vampires were an abomination of nature and nature always demanded a balance, so what was better than to join every single vampire to the originators? She made a clicking sound with her tongue and decided to dwell on it any longer, right now, she had to complete the deal. "Alright, a deal is a deal. What do you need?" he flinched right then and Natala would be lying if she said she wasn't wondering what was causing such a flighty mood.

Everett hung his head low, his breathing hitched. "I got caught up in the Holy Forsaken business, they hired me for a job and I didn't deliver." Natala's face when completely stoic, Everett wasn't always bright, but he was never dumb enough to get involved with such an elite group made up of centuries-old vampires, werewolves, and a few rogue witches. They were known within the supernatural community and had a track record of being vindictive, ruthless, and cruel. In a way, they were like a Klaus Mikaelson fan club.

"One of their witches put some kind of hex on me, I'm seeing and hearing things that aren't there and I'm only lucid for a few hours at a time. On top of that, they're holding someone I care deeply for hostage and I don't know what they're doing to him. Please, take this hex off me and save him; save Thomas." Natala crossed her legs and held out her hand for Everett to take, which he gladly did and she then used her powers to siphon away whatever was ailing him. In just a few short moments, he let out a gasp of relief, it was like he could finally breathe again.

"Give me a few days, Everett. I'll take care of this, but mark my words, steer clear of them and anyone affiliated with them after this. You should have known better." Everett solemnly nodded his head and Natala patted his hand a few times before dropping a few bills on the table and walking off. By now, it was roughly half an hour past seven and Natala needed to see for herself if what Everett had said was true.

Cursing to herself, she now had a definite reason to go to that pompous ball but Natala could not deny that the sound of the Mikaelson's meeting their maker sounded appealing, truth be told, perhaps it was in the world's best interest for this to happen. Though, she doubted Esther would succeed, not if her children, excluding Finn, had something to say about it. It didn't take long for Natala to reach her destination and from what she could hear, the ball was in full bloom and everyone appeared to be having the time of their lives.

Natala walked through the Mikaelson mansion, going completely unnoticed thanks to the cloaking spell she was currently hiding beneath. She walked through the crowd with ease, simply watching people live their lives, seemingly unaware of the dangerous creatures that the mingled with. Natala was sneaky, not mention a nosy woman and when she wanted to know something, she would find it out, no matter what steps she had to take to gather such information. She needed to know if the information that Everett gave her was true but thanks to her psychic ability, Natala was able to see inside Elena's head, able to see how she continuously replayed her conversation with Esther and ultimately, Esther's plan. Natala scoffed to herself, but she couldn't deny how smart and sophisticated the plan was. Kudos to her. However, for a very personal reason, she couldn't let Esther go through with such plan, not if she wanted to live.

The sound of a loud thud caught Natala's attention as she looked towards the front door of the mansion where she spotted Stefan rushing through and flinging open the door. Upon a closer look, she could see that Damon had beat up someone and snapped their neck. "Damon! are you crazy?" Stefan asked exasperatedly as he slowly tried to edge towards his brother. Natala watched as the rest of the Mikaelson's and Elena come out from the opened door and see what was happening. Damon's face was anything but void of emotion. "Maybe a little," he responded before turning to look at Elena. "Far be it from me to cause a problem." and with that, he turned his back and walked away. Everyone was silent for a few moments and Nat walked forward, brushing pash Klaus along with Elena.

"You'll have to excuse my nephew. He's always had a bit of a temper," she spoke sardonically as she continued past Stefan, stopping next to Kol's unconscious body where she kneeled down and gently caressed his face. Letting out a long sigh, she stood up facing Stefan and Elena. "Stefan. Elena. Perhaps it would be best to leave." she said as if she were their mother. The two of them simply nodded and walked towards her as Natala's eyes landed on each other the Mikaelson's burning gaze.

-----

A/N: feedback highly appreciative! :):) Tagging: @fafulous @captainam-erika-trash @wish-i-was-a-mermaid

[harinezumiko]

Jaspearl: From a Distance

Very self-indulgent AU I’ve been toying with for a few months. Canon divergent as of The Return. Jasper takes Pearl to Homeworld to be put on trial since Steven is clearly not Rose Quartz, Peridot gets to check on the Cluster, and nobody is happy. When it becomes clear that Pearl’s memories have been altered, Jasper takes custody of the Terrifying Renegade, and Era Two is anything but what Pearl expected.

Lots of OCs by necessity. It’s mostly worldbuilding. Milky and Copper in particular belong to @anditwasjustathought.

So much had happened in the past few months that Pearl didn’t ever think her head would stop spinning. Everything bled together, a distinct change from the day and night cycles of the Earth she had left behind. Time was an illusion, marked by the movement of stars in a galaxy she would likely never see again.

She was in the Home Galaxy, now.

Pearl had offered herself in exchange for the others’ freedom and safety, a trade that Jasper wasn’t fool enough to shoot down. Rose Quartz was organic and worthless now, but the Terrifying Renegade might still hold answers, might face charges for what the traitor had done to Pink Diamond. Peridot had been able to check Yellow Diamond’s precious geo-weapon for an estimate on when it would emerge, and from there…

From there, it had become abundantly clear that someone had tampered with the pearl’s memories. Put on trial, she truly didn’t have anything to offer that they didn’t already suspect. The zircon assigned to her hadn’t been able to extract any useful information, and it was entirely luck that the Diamonds themselves couldn’t be bothered with a pearl’s testimony, lest all Gems present be shattered.

Yellow Diamond granted Jasper’s request to keep her prize; part of the plan. It was the only thing that had been truly out of their hands.

Pearl was too old to manifest colors outside of her limited pastel palette, but she’d reformed with appropriate attire for her new station; Jasper headed a gladiatorial Arena, and while she already had an Arena Pearl, a second wouldn’t be a problem. She had the status for it. Pearl wore a uniform that looked a bit like Peridot’s and tried not to acknowledge the yellow diamond insignia over her sternum.

The Arena Pearl knew rumors about the Terrifying Renegade, as did many of their caste. Originally from the ailing White Diamond’s court, and later passed to the tragically deceased Pink Queen, she had something of a reputation back home; her involvement in the rebellion on Earth had sparked great change for her kind.

“We can’t just tell everyone who you are,” Jasper grumbled, “But Copper can know.”

Copper. Copper Pearl. It was still strange to hear other Gems calling pearls by their colors. Pearl could have cried for joy, if she hadn’t used up all her tears mourning her comrades on Earth.

Several things became apparent very quickly, following Pearl’s arrival in the Home System. Most notably was how different things were; Lapis Lazuli hadn’t been exaggerating when she said that it was beyond her understanding. Pearl couldn’t keep up, didn’t know what to do with holo-screens or most of the other Era Two technology. But socially, for a pearl…

Pearls in the White Court had always been dutifully silent and impossibly stationary. Pearl herself had been terrible at it in almost every respect, but she had been part of an otherwise perfect batch meant for the Diamonds, and she’d been allowed a great deal of leeway from Her Holiness.

Her job now involved a lot of staying in one building, but rarely sitting in one place. If anything, Jasper was the one trapped in an office dealing with files and planning; she and Copper worked together to ensure that the Arena ran smoothly, that guests were orderly, and that even visits from the uppercrust went without a hitch.

Sometimes, Copper’s sisters visited. Pearl didn’t know how to feel about that. Pearls had visitation rights now, jobs and income and opportunities, and rights, and Copper privately credited her role in the rebellion.

Of course, Pearl couldn’t visit her sisters; it was luck that Jasper had gotten permission to keep her, luck that kept Nacre from doing an inspection. Pearl was on borrowed time, and seeing her batch mates would surely mark the end of that. She stood to the side while Jasper made her reports to Yellow Diamond through her sister, held her tongue, and missed Earth more than ever.

Jasper sometimes spoke to her about the Earth, little questions that grew more pressing the longer they were alone. At first, Pearl was reluctant to speak to her at all; despite their accord, Jasper was entirely responsible for taking her away from the people and planet she loved above all else, and she hadn’t been very kind about it. Pearl supposed that she didn’t really have to be, but then, she didn’t need to like Jasper for it.

Jasper was, however, the only tie she had left to Earth. Lapis Lazuli was conspicuously elsewhere, likely readjusting to life in the Home Galaxy, and there was a marked lack of other Earth-grown Gems here in space.

Her questions were mostly innocent, honest things about the planet they had left behind, but they grew more pointed. She asked about Pearl’s companions, about Amethyst, about when she emerged. Pearl pointed out that Jasper could have stuck around to ask, if she’d cared. Her superior stormed off, and Pearl resumed sharpening swords for the rest of the cycle.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to talk about them. As she understood it, Jasper was the only Earth-grown Gem still serving the empire, somehow, and quartzes had an affinity for Gems grown in the same soil. They were sisters, in a sense. Amethyst would probably have liked Jasper if she’d had the time to get to know her; when she wasn’t bearing down on enemy rebels, she could be kind, but had the kind of scathing dry tongue that Garnet did, that Amethyst so enjoyed.

But thinking about the Gems she’d left behind made Pearl’s heart ache, and Milky—Jasper’s second-in-command, a brittle Era Two quartz whose sincerity reminded Pearl of Steven—caught her crying for the first time since the trial.

Milky was several things a quartz shouldn’t be. The resource shortage had hit Homeworld hard, made the Diamonds lower their requirements for viable Gems. There was no choice, when only a dozen out of a Kindergarten of five hundred even emerged. She was soft-spoken and hardly intimidating, and offered Pearl her shoulder to cry on. She wasn’t very worldly, and she had never—and would never—seen battle outside of Arena matches, and even those were few and far between. She was a civilian in ways that Amethyst should have been, but that the corrupted Gems on Earth had prevented.

Pearl clung to her and cried until her eyes were dry again, and Milky promised her that life at the Arena would get better with time.

Jasper took her aside a few cycles later, looking tired and haggard and uncomfortable, and Pearl dutifully let the big quartz steer her into her office without complaining. She felt stiff and wooden, and Jasper offered her a seat, but Pearl remained standing.

“Milky told me I made you cry,” Jasper said stiffly. Pearl stiffly denied it. Her superior—her owner, Pearl supposed, and the burning in her gut at the notion would probably subside in a century or two—sighed, pinching between her brows, just above her Gem. “That wasn’t my intent, Pearl. I apologize.”

Pearl’s tongue was dry and her mouth felt stuffed with cotton. She nodded. “And?”

Jasper didn’t need to pull her into a locked office for that.

The quartz sighed again, looking annoyed. “We’ve got a confiscation today. I need to debrief you, or you need to be out of the way. Either way, I need to debrief you, because it’s… messy.”

“Messy,” Pearl echoed, finally sinking into the offered chair.

Jasper looked like she’d tasted something sour, and her sharp eyes met Pearl’s. “An aquamarine has been invited to enjoy today’s show,” she said slowly, “She’ll be sitting in the reserved seats, with her blue pearl. You won’t want to read her file; it’s sick. With luck, she won’t realize what we’re doing until it’s too late…”

Pearl’s eyes went impossibly wide as Jasper explained the details of Copper’s plan to separate the pearl from her visiting owner, an apparently common practice at the Crystal Arena. There was something of an underground network, Jasper explained, where battered pearls would reach out for help—but the legal channels through which they could be taken away from their owners required recorded testimony, and that testimony was impossible to secure while they were in their abusers’ custody. The Crystal Arena was one favored by Yellow Diamond, highly thought of and hard to get tickets to; turning down an invitation simply wasn’t done.

Neither was leaving a pearl home for most of a cycle. It was a good honey pot.

“…The aquamarine has had pearls confiscated before,” Jasper went on, “Public outbursts in the courts aren’t tolerated, and they were easy cases. But this one’s… new. Different. She isn’t even registered. She might be hard to save. We got the tip from another Gem; the pearl may not know what she’s in for.”

Pearl wasn’t registered, either, but she knew that Era Two pearls were supposed to be.

“What’s my part?” Pearl asked, pursing her lips in a thoughtful frown. “She doesn’t know me. I don’t know anyone in this system. I don’t even know the laws.”

Jasper’s toothy smile startled her; it was grim, and almost conspiratorial, and she leaned forward with her hands steepled in front of her face. “Exactly. The aquamarine won’t even know you work here. Copper’s practically synonymous with the Arena itself, and Milky’s too timid. If you can lure the pearl away from the seats, we can get her to safety without causing a scene at all.”

It sounded dangerous and unfamiliar, and Pearl nodded. “What if there is a scene?”

“That’s what your spear’s for, isn’t it?” Jasper sounded almost nonchalant about it. Pearl stared at her like she’d split into two Gems, and Jasper raised an eyebrow challengingly. “You’re supposed to be a legendary warrior. Use it. Protect the blue pearl and don’t hurt any of the spectators. If the aquamarine tries to stop you, use force.”

“Since when are pearls allowed weapons?” Pearl managed to squawk out. Her mind was reeling.

Jasper looked smug. “Welcome to Era Two. Are you on board?”

She offered her hand, and Pearl stared for several seconds before extending her own. Jasper squeezed her smaller fingers tightly, and Pearl stared at the quartz a moment longer. Then, she managed a smile, faint and uncertain. “I’m in.”

----

The confiscation went almost too smoothly, but Pearl supposed that Copper must have had several centuries’ worth of practice from the way she steered the blue pearl into a private area after Pearl had gotten her out of her owner’s sight. Milky was tasked with detaining the aquamarine not long after, and Pearl felt a little silly and awkward standing perfectly still in the hallway, clutching her spear for several minutes while the aquamarine’s shrieks echoed down the hall.

“Good job,” Jasper said, appearing behind Pearl without a sound. She whirled on the Arena Head, ready to lunge with her spear, still on edge—and Jasper caught the shaft before Pearl could thrust it too close to her Gem.

“…Sorry,” Pearl managed tightly, letting the weapon dissipate. “Reflex.”

“My fault. I shouldn’t sneak,” Jasper said, raising her hands in a gesture of appeal. “You did good. No disruption at all. No complaints from the crowd.”

Wide blue eyes stared up at her; Pearl wasn’t sure what to say. “Is this… normal?” she asked uncomfortably. Jasper nodded slowly.

“A lot of Gems don’t like the new laws, especially old ones,” she explained, motioning for Pearl to follow her. Pearl found it easy enough to walk and listen, just like a pearl should. Jasper went on, voice low. “It’s hard to enforce new laws on old Gems. Especially if their pearls won’t—or don’t know to—report violations. Or they can’t, because it’s all they’ve ever known. Some owners aren’t sneaky, but the ones that are’re harder to trip up. That’s what we’re here for.”

“This entire Arena schtick?”

Jasper laughed, shaking her head. “Nah. Arenas have been around longer than I have. When Copper applied to be the Arena Pearl, I looked a little too deep into what happened to her. Found out she wasn’t alone. And now, we do this alongside regular Arena duties.”

“What happened?” Pearl couldn’t stop herself from asking, but from the way Jasper’s step stuttered, it was a mistake.  

Jasper didn’t answer, not right away, but she did look down at Pearl coolly. “Not your business,” she said, and Pearl shrank back a little. “Copper doesn’t talk about it.”

“Oh.”

Silence stretched between them for several seconds, and Jasper sighed. “Let’s get you somewhere quiet. Nacre isn’t coming for this confiscation, but it’s better if you don’t get seen by her aides yet.”

Pearl nodded absently and wondered, briefly, whether her sister still worked alongside Mother of Pearl—but thinking about her sisters was almost as painful as thinking about her family on Earth, and she stuffed those feelings down inside her to contend with in the distant future. Pink certainly couldn’t afford to see her, and if that meant hiding in alcoves and weapons rooms after confiscations to buy a little more time, she would have to do it.

She wrapped her arms around her midsection and missed the perplexed look on Jasper’s face.

----

Pearl’s new life was terribly, achingly lonely. Copper was kind and spoke with her often, but she was hardly physically affectionate at all, even for an Era One pearl. Pearl learned to approach her from her left side, away from the Gem on her thigh, to give ample warning, and that she seemed to have a limit to how much physical contact she could stand from just about anyone—and that limit was far, far lower than anyone Pearl had been close to since the war. She endured the clinging from pearls they confiscated because she understood, in ways Pearl wasn’t sure she could, their fear and pain.

Milky had learned to be sparing with her affection. She expected Pearl to be distant the way Copper was, and though she was pleasantly surprised that it was not the case, she was too shy, too awkward to simply fall into easy, casual touching with an Arena Pearl.

Finding out that the new Arena Pearl was the Terrifying Renegade that Jasper had told stories about made her even more awkward.

“I don’t bite,” Pearl insisted, feeling somewhat wounded that the brittle quartz was avoiding her now that she knew. The diamond against her sternum itched, and Pearl shrank in on herself. “That’s not who I am anymore.”

Milky regarded her with some hesitation. She was a young quartz—made well into Era Two—and she couldn’t imagine the scope of Pearl’s long life. Jasper had regaled her with thrilling stories of the war on Earth, and those stories featured a worthy adversary that she had never had the opportunity to fight. Pearl seemed to think her reputation was undeserved, and Milky didn’t know her well enough to agree.

“Who are you now?” Milky asked hesitantly, scratching the back of her head. Pearl’s gaze shot up to meet hers, startled and glassy. “You don't have to tell me anything—that is, it’s up to you. But I’d kinda like to know.”

Pearl no longer wore a sash or skirt to fiddle with, and her long fingers tangled together in her lap instead. “I’m no one now,” she murmured, “I gave up everything I was coming here.”

That brought to mind several questions, but Milky watched the way Pearl closed off, the way her eyes grew distant and sad, and it was hard to be afraid of her. She put aside the bracers she had been tightening and crossed her legs, resting her hands in her lap. “You weren’t confiscated,” she said slowly, and Pearl shook her head. Milky’s brows furrowed as some pieces of the puzzle fell together. “You weren’t rescued. You weren’t even in the empire, were you?”

“Earth was never colonized,” Pearl’s voice was hollow. “We ensured that.”

Then what was Pearl doing here? Milky watched her, and daringly reached out, passing her hand through Pearl’s field of vision by way of warning before settling her big hand over hers. Pearl’s head jerked up, and their gazes met. Milky mustered up a lopsided smile. “Tell me about Earth?”

Pearl did.

----

There were many things Milky didn’t understand in Pearl’s stories of Earth; she had trouble imagining the beach, the trees, the fauna. Pearl showed her projections of some of these things, and Milky stared with rapt attention as Pearl talked about domesticated wildlife and plants, of ecosystems Homeworld didn’t have on any of its colonies, and while a lot of it went over her head, it was the happiest Pearl had seemed since she had come here.

Milky asked questions, and eventually, those questions were angled at Pearl’s companions. She was thrilled to learn that one of Jasper’s sisters lived on Earth, somehow, and abundantly curious about Garnet and Steven. She didn’t tell Pearl not to cry when the memories were too much for her, and for that, Pearl was grateful. Milky tried to be understanding, and Pearl tried to be honest. They talked, and Pearl cried, and Milky couldn’t really find it in herself to be afraid of the Terrifying Renegade after all that.

“It was really brave of you—protecting them like that. I’m sure they appreciate it,” Milky said with some uncertainty. Her smile was sincere, and she gave Pearl’s small hand a squeeze. Pearl squeezed back without missing a beat. “You couldn’t know you’d end up here. It’s lucky Jasper could save you.”

Save.

Pearl didn’t feel saved. She felt like a fish plucked from the ocean and transferred into a tank in someone’s office. Like the little clown fish in one of Steven’s silly movies, except that there was no brilliant escape plan to be made, and no one coming to rescue her.

She didn’t feel very lucky, either.

“I suppose I owe her for that,” she murmured dully, “It’s better than being shattered, I guess.”

Worry writ itself across Milky’s face, open and unguarded, and Pearl knew she’d said the wrong thing, but there was no taking it back. The quartz stared at her, searching for something to say and coming up short. The alabaster Gem before her looked—aged, like the vids she’d seen of White Diamond, and it startled her.

“You should talk to Jasper,” Milky blurted out, wincing at the withering look Pearl pierced her with. “She could—help? You’re obviously unhappy, Pearl, and nobody wants that. But Jasper’s the only one who might get it. Copper ‘n I have never left the Home Galaxy.”

Some long unturned gears deep in the recesses of Pearl’s mind creaked, shifted, and groaned. She wondered whether she could convince Jasper of anything. She had no leverage over her new owner, no tricks up her sleeve.

“I don’t have anything to give her,” Pearl’s voice was hollow, “She doesn’t have any reason to help me. Any information I had got thrown out at the trial. Mistrial.”

Milky considered this for a while, watching Pearl’s eyes darken unhappily, and she hesitantly reached up, settling her hand in the other Gem’s hair. “She doesn’t need a reason to help you,” she said gently, “She’s our boss. It’s her job. And she’s secretly nice, but you didn’t hear that from me.”

The joke fell flat.

“Talk to her,” Milky urged again, and Pearl nodded almost mechanically. The Arena Second managed something that passed for a smile, even if Pearl couldn’t see it. “Is there anything I can do…?”

Crush me, came to mind, but was the wrong thing to say. Pearl had already worried Milky quite enough, she told herself, and she shook her head slowly. “Thank you, Milky,” she mumbled despondently, “I’ll talk to her.”

She just wasn’t making any promises about when.

---- 

An upcoming tournament gave Pearl several excuses to make herself both scarce and busy. Unsure as to whether Milky had spoken to Jasper about their conversation, she simply avoided the Arena Head as much as she could. She buffed armor, reinforced bracers, and tended to the absurdly large collection of swords kept in the Crystal Arena.

She worked in their forge, too close to the flames, but if she closed her eyes she could pretend she was back home, in the Temple, in the boiler room, and what did she care if she got burned now?

Pearl didn’t speak for days, and her silence wasn’t totally unnoticed.

“…She’s not thriving,” Copper said, pointedly leaning across Jasper’s desk. Their conversation had gone in one circle already, and the Arena Pearl didn’t have time for another lap. Jasper seemed convinced that Pearl was adjusting well; Copper didn’t have to speak to the other pearl to know better. “She’s closing off! Jasper, why did you even bring her here? She doesn’t meet the qualifications!”

Pearl could hear Copper’s voice several meters down the corridor. She couldn’t hear Jasper’s response, not quite, and curiosity got the better of her. As quietly as she could, she moved to stand near the open door to Jasper’s office, and listened.

Copper was speaking again, shrill and frustrated. “I can’t even read her file—it’s locked up!”

“You know why,” Jasper sounded tired.

“And you know there’s a reason Arena Pearls have to apply for the position,” Copper quipped, “She wasn’t confiscated; she hasn’t had a cool down period; she hasn’t had any training that wasn’t on site! She has no travel privileges, she’s not registered, she hasn’t seen any of her batch mates since she started here—“

“It’s a risk we can’t take,” Jasper cut in, “They belong to the Diamonds. Yellow Diamond can’t know it’s her.”

Copper kept going, unperturbed, but getting louder. “So let’s review, Jasper; you brought a war criminal who gets no vid calls out, no rehabilitation, no visitation rights, no travel. This is completely against protocol!”

“She gets the job done, doesn’t she? She must enjoy some of the work—“

“That is not the point,” Copper growled, “And you’re killing her.”

Pearl heard Jasper’s chair scrape back. She wasn’t sure when she’d covered her mouth, but stale air burned in her lungs now.

“You know me better than that,” Jasper’s voice was a low rumble, and Pearl recognized it as threatening. “I saved her the only way I could, Copper! She’d be bubbled or worse—“

“Is this better? Is this really better, Jasper?”

They argued, and Pearl stood rooted to her spot in the hall, out in the open, in the worst possible place to freeze up. Copper’s words were touching, but the realization that so much about her situation was wrong scalded her to the core.

The fact that she’d never thought of any of this, for weeks, was chilling.

Tears blurred her vision, and Pearl pressed her palms to her face and cried silently.

“Pearl?”

Of course Milky would round the corner and see her. Of course. Jasper and Copper’s argument came to a screeching halt, and Pearl did the only thing she could think of:

She ran.

-----

Not that it helped. The Arena was large, but there were a finite number of places she could hide, doors she could open, and the other Gems all had higher clearance than she did. Pearl ducked into the forge and tried to bar the door.

She couldn’t do this.

The knight stumbled backwards into one of the many armor racks behind her and wound up buried in quartz-sized light armor, bracers and chest plates and something akin to chainmail. The resulting crash was almost deafening. She reached automatically to check her Gem—no dents, not that it mattered—and rocked forward to cry into her knees.

Pearl could hear the others coming, and she wished more than anything that she hadn’t been spared after her trial. She sobbed, tore at her hair, and was vaguely aware that the thundering footsteps in the hall had to belong to Jasper.

“Pearl!”

Milky’s voice. Sufficiently worried and out of breath, she sounded a little like Amethyst. Or, more likely, Pearl’s mind was playing tricks on her. If she closed her eyes, maybe just for a moment, she could pretend this wasn’t Homeworld.

Jasper tore the forge door off its hinges, and that moment ended.

Pearl reacted without thinking. Cornered and afraid, she drew her spear in the second it took for Jasper to lay eyes on her, but the quartz was already upon her—and it was the Strawberry Battlefield all over again, strewn with weapons that were unfamiliar and large, and Pearl screamed, expecting exactly the end she deserved.

There was no killing blow.

Jasper’s cheek bled crimson where Pearl’s spear had grazed her, but she snapped the shaft, and then—nothing. Wild gold eyes met hers, and Pearl’s breath hitched while reality caught up to her. Foliage and the scent of strawberries bled away like a forgotten dream, and Pearl tried scrambling away from her adversary, but was already inches from the wall. She was cornered, and a frantic look around confirmed that she was still very, very far from Earth. Milky filled most of the doorway, but Copper had an arm out, cautioning her to stay, and Pearl’s wide eyes settled again on Jasper—

Jasper.

“Pearl,” Jasper’s voice was low, but there was no threat this time. “Pearl, look at me.”

She did. Jasper’s face was inches from hers. Her vision blurred, and the world tilted, but she did meet Jasper’s eyes before dissolving into ugly tears with a low wail.

Jasper faltered, unsure of what to do, what to say. She settled for going rote, murmuring reassurances that she didn’t think Pearl could hear, and which ultimately didn’t matter anyway. Behind her, Copper slipped inside to check the forge itself; she shut the open grate as quietly as she could before pulling Milky into the hallway.

Pearl hiccupped and sobbed, but she wore herself out quickly, and Jasper leaned a hand against the wall near her head.

“I’m sorry,” Jasper said stiffly, and this drew Pearl out of her revere. “I made a lot of decisions for you without your input. It was well-intentioned, but…” She cleared her throat, looking askance. “You cooperated on Earth, and I… saw you give your testimony. The memory alteration wasn’t your fault. And I—I know about you. Stories from the war. I thought you’d do well here. I thought it was better than the alternative.”

The alabaster Gem stared at her, eyes puffy and damp, and she uncurled slightly. Jasper sat back on her heels, and Pearl tried to gather her wool before speaking.

“I’d rather be dead,” she croaked out, “I never, ever wanted to come back to this place. This isn’t where I belong—I can’t live under the Diamonds again. You said yourself that I’m defective—I know what happens to defective pearls!”

Jasper looked taken aback. She swallowed thickly. “It’s different now,” she insisted, “Nothing will—you’re safe here, the Arena program is a good cover. You’ll…”

Pearl stared at her flatly. “I’ll die. Isn’t that what Copper said? You took me away from everything I knew and everyone I loved, and I’ll die.”

The quartz’s jaw hung open, and she faltered, tried and failed to say something. Pearl’s arms were around her midsection again, and Jasper finally recognized the defensive gesture for what it was. Blue eyes fell away from her face, and Pearl dropped her voice. “I’ll die, and I’ll welcome it.”

Jasper’s throat was dry. Pearl looked smaller than ever, head bowed, hair tousled, and for a moment she could sympathize—because eons ago, after learning of Pink Diamond’s death, she’d felt the same way.

“Pearl…” she tried, and the smaller Gem bristled visibly, drawing in on herself. Jasper sighed. This wasn’t working. She was horribly bad at comforting anyone to begin with. “Just… bunk with Copper or Milky for a few days. I’ll see what I can arrange. I’m not going to just let you die.”

Of course, Pearl thought dully, even that was out of her hands. She had been a fool to think otherwise even for a second.

----

[stevenuniversallyreviews]

Episode 46*: The Message

“Have a little have a little have a little faith in me.”

In the past, Greg Universe wrote songs that yearned for a life among the stars. Then he met Rose Quartz, and in a way, his wish came true. More than any other human on the planet at this point in the show, his life is full of cosmic wonder. But while he may be surrounded by aliens with literal magic, he’s not one of them. He tried so hard to fly, but he was thrown.

Greg is never more distinctly human than when contrasted against the Gems, and The Message highlights these differences more than ever before; he’s not even boring ole Greg here, but in Amethyst’s words, he’s Gregory. We haven’t seen the Gems so uniformly dismissive of him since all the way back in Laser Light Cannon, but this time we don’t just have to take Steven’s word for his greatness. He has proven to be competent and loving, capable of understanding his son deeper than any of the Gems.

This is honestly still a problem forty-odd episodes later. Sure, I buy Pearl having no faith in Greg. Even if we ignore her Rose-based dislike of him, here’s her perspective of his handiness: in Coach Steven, she saw his cruddy makeshift gym; in House Guest, she had to fix his van because he couldn’t; in Space Race, she saw his go-kart explode against a rock, and certainly didn’t see him help make a spacecraft; in Maximum Capacity, she confirmed that he’s messy, which hits her very core. Pearl is allowed to be condescending.

But Garnet and Amethyst? The former is super open-minded and practical, and the other actively enjoys Greg’s company. Both have participated in making music with him and know that he’s an expert with sound. Both know him to be someone who tries his best to fix things. Hell, all three of them know that his human duct tape solution to the Geode worked. 

With this backdrop in mind, all three Gems react absurdly to his initial failure. Even Pearl, who’s most likely to want him to fail, is an expert in how the van functions and would understand the power failure. And his methods are clearly working before the battery shorts out, slowly shifting the senseless wailing into something that sounds vaguely like a voice. But instead of continuing down this path, the Gems give up the only lead they have. These are the same Gems that are bracing themselves for Homeworld after two encounters with Peridot and need all the help they can get, by the way.

The only conclusions we can gain from this is that the Gems are incompetent (which they aren’t) or that their stubborn lack of respect for Greg clouds their vision. Well, we’ve seen the latter in Laser Light Cannon, where, as a reminder, they assume a guy who keeps everything and loved Rose would’ve tossed something Rose gave him. But there, and here, this is nonsensical compared to their treatment of Greg in the rest of the series. Maybe Pearl would be petty enough not to recognize his value. But for Amethyst and Garnet to brush him aside ignores many episodes of rapport with him, and their knowledge that, oh yeah, he raised Steven by himself for years.

I’m not against the idea of the Gems having friction with Greg, but it comes up so infrequently that both of these episodes feel like oddballs. It would be easy enough to make this plot element consistent, but instead, the Gems (even Pearl) are far too cordial far too often with Greg for me to believe they suddenly see him as a total failure in The Message.

Like Laser Light Cannon, this tension does make for good conflict within the episode itself. Steven wanting to bring his two families together and prove his dad’s worth is a great problem to solve, and it lets Greg have a victory with stakes. But Steven Universe is a serial, and what works for a single episode doesn’t necessarily work for the whole. For a more extreme example, take House Guest: while I can’t stand Greg’s sudden shift to lying manipulator, it’s a perfectly decent episode if we ignore the context around it, which is that Greg never shows anything close to this sort of behavior elsewhere. But we can’t, and The Message shouldn’t.

One more issue before I get to the good stuff (because I promise, I actually do like this episode for all its flaws): it’s been a while since Lapis Lazuli flew back to the stars, and she hasn’t been mentioned since, so one of The Message’s duties is reintroducing her to the audience. This ends up being a mixed bag, because as much as I adore Steven’s song about her and our extended callback to Greg’s reaction to her ocean tower, it makes the sender of the titular message blindingly obvious. As soon as the Gems deduce the Wailing Stone is communicating from space, any viewer who understands foreshadowing (which admittedly excludes the show’s absolute youngest audience, but not school-age kids and up) will recall the focus on Lapis minutes earlier.

Considering the looming presence of Peridot in the wake of Warp Tour and especially Marble Madness, this episode could’ve easily led us to believe the green meanie was the culprit, with Lapis appearing as a genuine twist. As it is, her message arriving on the same night Steven and Greg happen to be discussing her (again, for the first time we’ve seen since her departure) feels contrived.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad that the focus is on Greg and the Gems, and I understand that with only eleven minutes to spare it would’ve been difficult to do a genuine mystery plot justice while maintaining that central character study. But I’m tickled by the irony of an episode about a message being distorted by its medium getting distorted by the necessities of serialized children’s television.

Okay, so the good stuff. There’s a lot of it! Despite their out-of-character reaction to Greg, the Gems have fantastic interactions with each other: I get a kick out of the assumption that the Wailing Stone is a prank from Amethyst, and their different methods of trying to stop the noise are nice reflections of their characters. Steven and Greg are still great together, and Steven’s utter faith in his dad never gets old.

The music here is terrific. Greg expanding Steven’s melody about Lapis to express himself is inspired, considering they’re having a jam session before the episode picks up. I just love Tom Scharpling’s singing voice: I can’t imagine it’s easy to find so much oomph from the word “expertise,” but he nails it.

Even if its place within the serial makes some of the character beats ring false, the emotional truths underlying them are still done well. We feel how crushed Greg is, how hopeful Steven is, and the Gems’ full arc from discouraged to amazed to terrified. And Greg still gets to be a dad in an episode where he could just act like a buddy, calmly telling Steven to use his words when he gets too excited to communicate.

And dear lord, does Lapis continue to impress. With mere seconds on screen, the tone of the episode, and the entire rest of the first season, shifts into full crisis mode. It’s not just Jennifer Paz’s chilling performance, it’s the positioning of her small monitor to either fill the screen or surround itself with the Crystal Gems’ reactions. It’s the knowledge that the most powerful Gem we’ve seen so far is out of her league with Homeworld. It’s the confirmation that yes, they’re coming back to Earth. 

And it’s Garnet, trying desperately to play it cool while her team falls apart. Her headspace is still pretty much the same as her initial reaction to Peridot in Warp Tour, but now she’s got to pull everyone together. It’s crunch time.

But not until we get Steven goofing off a little, because this is still a show that wears its heart on its sleeve and Steven’s humanity still matters when the going gets tough. Even if he’s actually a robot.

Future Vision!

Apparently Steven says “Hold the phone. Now give the phone to me” enough to worm its way into Garnet’s lexicon come Mindful Education.

As the Gems leap away, Steven notably fails to make such a leap. Combined with his fall in Rose’s Scabbard, it’s a wonder it takes so long for Steven Floats to pop up.

Lapis points out that Peridot knows Steven’s name, which shows that she paid attention to such things during their Marble Madness conversation; given this, is it really surprising that she kept a record of Steven’s friends that comes back to haunt us in I Am My Mom?

If every pork chop were perfect, we wouldn’t have inconsistencies…

A personal hot dog this time: why oh why didn’t I name this section “My mind is the internet, I know every continuity mistake ever made on television”?

I guess you could read it that way…

When viewed in the intended order, The Message comes right on the heels of Story for Steven, with mixed results. While Steven and Greg’s musical van hangout makes for an excellent link between the episodes, as does the focus on Greg’s relationship with the Gems, Story takes place at the car wash and Message on the beach. Sure, Greg could’ve driven them over, but they still seem to be mid-hangout when The Message begins. This really should’ve been a more solid location connection given the opportunity.

This also would’ve been the third Greg episode in a row in the intended order, for whatever that’s worth (thanks to Shirt Club). The Message works as a culmination of a Greg trilogy, but honestly I like it better on its own.

We’re the one, we’re the ONE! TWO! THREE! FOUR!

Like sister episode Laser Light Cannon, I do enjoy this episode on its own merits. But its flaws are easier to see in hindsight, especially when you aren’t as caught up in resolving the initial Homeworld Arc as you are in the first viewing.

Top Ten

Steven and the Stevens

Mirror Gem

Lion 3: Straight to Video

Alone Together

Rose’s Scabbard

Coach Steven

Giant Woman

Winter Forecast

On the Run

Warp Tour

Love ‘em

Laser Light Cannon

Bubble Buddies

Tiger Millionaire

Lion 2: The Movie

Rose’s Room

An Indirect Kiss

Ocean Gem

Space Race

Garnet’s Universe

The Test

Future Vision

Maximum Capacity

Marble Madness

Like ‘em

Gem Glow

Frybo

Arcade Mania

So Many Birthdays

Lars and the Cool Kids

Onion Trade

Steven the Sword Fighter

Beach Party

Monster Buddies

Keep Beach City Weird

Watermelon Steven

The Message

Enh

Cheeseburger Backpack

Together Breakfast

Cat Fingers

Serious Steven

Steven’s Lion

Joking Victim

Secret Team

No Thanks!

     4. Horror Club      3. Fusion Cuisine      2. House Guest      1. Island Adventure

[variantia]

@outofthisgxlaxy  //  continued

   Lazurite chuckled and hung back, simply watching her daughters’ reunion.  If she looked hard enough, she could almost pretend that these last millennia hadn’t passed.  That she and the others were still on Homeworld, going about their business, enjoying each others’ company.  But in a way, despite all the pain Lapis had been through … this was even better.

    Now they were all free.  They could be together and just be.

          ❝  We missed you so much, Lapis !  ❞    Denim was the first one who had managed to reach her sister, an affectionate kiss pressed to her cheek as the rest of the group surrounded her.

    Nocturne was holding tighter than anyone else, tears running down her face.           ❝  When I saw you wander away, I didn’t get a chance to                   go after you before everything happened !  I’m so sorry !  ❞

          ❝  We thought you’d been shattered !  I can’t believe you’re                   alive !  ❞    Persian, who was the tallest of them, gave Lapis a second kiss, this time on her forehead.

    And the shortest, Sky, wrapped both arms around one of Lapis’ as if she never wanted to let go.           ❝  We could never forget you !  You’re my big sister !  ❞

    Persian smiled softly as she brushed part of Lapis’ hair from her face.           ❝  We thought about you every day.  Talked about you.  Oh,                   Lapis, we could have never forgotten about you, even if                   you were gone.  But you’re not … Lazurite told us what                   happened, and … you survived everything.  No matter                   what anyone threw at you.  No matter what you threw at                   yourself.  ❞

   A giggle came from Denim, nuzzling against Lapis’ neck.           ❝  I prayed every day to the Moon Goddess to give you                   strength, Lapis !  Every day, I prayed that you didn’t die !                   And She answered my prayers, because you’re alive !  ❞

   Nocturne’s crying turned into full-blown sobbing.           ❝  You’re so amazing !  I’m so glad you’re okay !  ❞

          ❝  Stop cryin’ so hard, Nocty !  ❞    Sky laughed.           ❝  C’mon, you’re gonna drown her, and we just got her                   back !  ❞

[variantia]

@blackstardiopside​   /   liked for a starter !

          “   Heyyyy, you must be Black Star !   Lapis told us you were gonna be here !   ”

          “   Oh, my stars, I can’t believe we finally get to meet you !!   ”

          “   I thought maybe it would never actually happen ... wow ...   ”

          “   Haha ... oh dear, girls, we don’t want to overwhelm her, though.   ”

   And just like that, Black Star is surrounded by a group of Lapis Lazulis, each different but all of them bearing some resemblance to the Lapis she knows.   The one with white markings immediately lifts Black Star up, grinning, as if just to prove that she can.

   The others are looking on in clear awe, though the ‘   leader   ’ of the bunch is hanging back and has almost given up on any semblance of order.   She tilts her head, nudging at the white-marked Lapis to put Black Star back down.           “   Hopefully we didn’t startle you ; I’m not sure if Lapis told you about us ?   We’re HER SISTERS.   ”