Bubble was sitting down, happily singing a tune to herself, minding her own business on this perfectly normal, perfectly fine day.
It was an average, ordinary, perfectly regular day out in the great fields, and it didn't seem like their algebralian host was coming down from wherever it was they slumbered to give them a new challenge to do in quite a while; the sun was shining, the skies were clear and blue, and the contestants were out and about being themselves. Life was good. As good as it can be, anyway.
And it was just about to become even better; Ruby, her fellow alliance member, had returned from what was presumably hours of frolicking in the fields in a sugar-fueled craze. She probably wanted to talk about all the fun she had, and to Bubble, that was *also* a fun thing all on its own. "Hiya, Bub!" The gemstone exclaimed. "Hoi, Ruby!" Bubble likewise exchanged a greeting; the shiny rock fiddled a bit as she sat down, finding a posture that fit well with her unique appearance. "Did you have a ton of fun on this great day?" Bubble asked. "You bet!" The red one cheerfully replied. "I played a lot of games, did a lot of cool things, and even tried flying a jet once or twice; still getting the hang of it, but it's a ton of fun!" "Yoiy!" Bubble smiled. "Glad to hear it!" "What about you?" Ruby queried. "You're still planning on just lazily lying around all day?" "Hoi, Oi can still foind some fun in that." Bubble rested her back on the grass; not too hard, lest she end up popping herself. "These little blades of grass are so ticklish! Who says Oi can't have fun in my own way?" "Well, can't blame you, I suppose." Ruby remarked.
"Though, speaking of ticklish..." The gemstone continued. "Hm?" Bubble got right back to sitting straight. "One of the things I've been doing is this whole... gossip thing." Ruby went on. "Gossip thing?" The fragile one raised an eyebrow. "You know: hearing about stuff going on, learning about secrets, whispering them to others and laughing about it. Match and Pencil did that way back, didn't they? Don't you remember?" "Ooh, uh... Oi don't." Bubble shrugged. "Bubbles don't have broins, so-" "That's alright." Ruby interjected. "So basically, I was doing that, and as part of that I was eavesdropping on what the others were doing; I ended up spying on Book a lil' and I thought what I saw might interest you." "Well?" Bubble's interest was piqued. "Do tell!" "She was, like... all on her own." The weird one elaborated further. "She kept on mumbling to herself about Taco, on how she felt like she still left things on a sour note, how she wanted to stay with her more..." "Oh, Oi remember that." Bubble nodded. "That *was* a pretty big thing, yeah."
"So, I was thinking..." Ruby kept on going. "Why don't we go and, like... cheer her up?" She'd shrug. "Like, I know we're on different teams, but if there's something that *seriously* put a downer on any competition, it's people feeling miserable." "Oh, Oi dunno..." Bubble frowned. "Oi mean, of course Oi wanna help her, but Oi don't think it's something we should be meddling with; we've got nothing to do with it, and-" "I think we've got *everything* to do with it." Ruby interjected. "It's clear that she's feeling lonely and isolated from anyone else, and so it's the obligation of *anyone* that comes across her to help her out. Make her feel welcomed, you know?" She'd take a deep breath. "It's a whole new competition! A whole new chance for opportunity and adventure! Nobody should be out there feeling glum, when they could be having so much fun!" Bubble shrugged. "Oi suppose..." She'd remark. "But, loike, shouldn't that be her teammate's responsibility?" She'd then ask. "And whoi does it have to be us? Again, we don't really know her-" "True, true." Ruby nodded. "But we've somewhat *felt* like her; remember when Pence-Pence got the boot? Then Match?" Bubble rolled her eyes. "Oi don't think those are-"
"*C'mon*." Ruby got up and started pulling Bubble by the arm. "Let's get you out there, stretching your legs!" Bubble tried to object, but she knew that one wrong step could ultimately be her undoing; she eventually surrendered and let the gemstone take her to wherever she pleased.
