Scotophobia

|| Chapter 4 ||

Obst was roughly shoved into the room. He looked down to see a short, green gem. A Jadeite? Why was he so small? Weren't Jadeites supposed to be giants? Close to a Diamond's height even?

He shook nervously as the two Quartz aggressively pushed him down to his knees before leaving. He looked up at the Jadeite, expecting to be shattered. It took all of the thin gems strength not to shift into a wolf in panic.

He placed a hand over his gem to hide the chip, his only eye widening nervously.

The rare gem in front of him looked at him.

"Please don't shatter me... please." He muttered weakly

The green gem rolled their eyes, "Let's just get you into the cell and diagnose your problem,"

Obst was still trembling and on the verge of tears, but nodded anyway. He shakily stood to his feet as Jadeite led the way around a bend, and to an empty cell. On one side was scratch marks that seemed to mark sun cycles, Obst narrowed his eyes, counting. Twenty. One gem had stayed almost a month in that thing.

Obst gulped, "W-who did that?"

"Hm?" the Jadeite asked, looking up from the controls to see what Obst was pointing at. "Ah, that was from my last patient. A topaz,"

Obst's brow wrinkled, how odd it was that the Jadeite called him and past... problems paitents. Perhaps he hadn't been sent here to be shattered but fixed? He snorted internally, wondering if the Jadeite realized how much work they had ahead of them.

"Are you going to get in?" Jadeite interrupted Obst's thoughts.

"Oh," Obst yelped, "Yeah,"

He quickly stepped into the cell. Moments after he was a good foot from the barrier a sudden loud buzz filled his ears. Obst wheeled around, a yellow static floated in front of him, seperating him from Jadeite.

He took a tentative step forward but Jadeite stopped him, "Don't touch it, unless you intend on getting poofed,"

Obst froze and seemed to deflate, "How long will I be staying?"

Jadeite froze, their shoulders stiffening, "Can't tell. Some are... fixed within a day while others can take months," They gestured to the scrapes on the wall.

"I really should get that cleaned up," they muttered to themself. They turned and started towards a a small desk full of controls, their shoulders were hunched.

Obst had seen so many targets in his days to see the Gem was getting emotional. Why? Obst couldn't tell. Obst frowned, but didn't say anything as he slunk into a far corner, brushing his fingers against the dents in the wall- counting them over and over. Perhaps he should make his own?

He turned his single eye away from the dents and to Jadeite, who had his face buried in his hands, a single finger rubbing his gem on his cheek. Finally, Obst got some courage to speak.

"Who was before you?" Obst asked, quietly, but it was enough for Jadeite to hear.

Jadeite snorted, "A Jadeite was before me. Sure, she was greater. She was tall and and had her Gem was on her throat- a position of power, her voice, it was so loud. It was said she could shatter gems with just her song, because that was her weapon,"

Obst was silent, "Where is she now?"

Jadeite sighed, "She was shattered by Painite after trying to save a ruby that was half corrupted,"