Dan & Phil: Not of This Earth

02 | Take a Risk

Word Count: 873

     It had only been a few minutes after the larger Gems left, but Black Opal was anxious to introduce himself. He knew he couldn't speak clearly enough to please himself, so he waited a few days. In that time, Obsidian didn't budge, not even readjusting his posture.

     Black Opal had suppressed the pain over the loss of Topaz and riled up the excitement of a new friend. It was difficult to muster but once he had it, he was certainly not about to lose it.

     TLUM! 

     "HELLO!" Black Opal pressed his cheek and palms against the glass. A goofy smile painted his face.

     Obsidian jumped and pulled a longsword from his gem. He held in front of him, his stance ready for a sudden enemy.

     Black Opal chuckled. "SORRY! DIDN'T MEAN TO SPOOK YOU!"

     Obsidian let the tip of his sword ting on the floor. "You know, you might be some kind of rare gemstone, but that's not cool," he said flatly.

     "I DIDN'T QUITE CATCH THAT! CAN YOU LOOK AT ME WHEN YOU SPEAK?"

     "Oh, stars, this is my existence, now." He began to turn to Black Opal but paused and faced the opposite wall. "I'M NOT SUPPOSED TO SPEAK WITH YOU OR LOOK AT YOU."

     Black Opal sat back on his legs for a moment. That couldn't be right; that wasn't a rule before. He wasn't any sort of important Gem like a sapphire, so why did it matter? "YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BUT IF YOU DON'T TAKE A RISK, YOU'LL NEVER KNOW HOW GOOD FRIENDS WE'LL BE. I CAN FEEL IT, DAN. WE'LL BE GOOD FRIENDS!" he shouted.

     Obsidian turned his head and kept his eyes on the floor. "What...what did you call me?"

     "Dan! It's quite fitting, don't you think?"

     Obsidian went to speak but became silent.

     "Like, 'Obsidi-Dan'! Heheh! It's a pun! I've heard Gems who've been to Earth use them! I think they're hilarious! I can teach you about them, if you'd like!"

     The guard raised a finger and made eye-contact with the other Gem. "How... how did you know I like to be called 'Dan'?"

     Black Opal shrugged.

     "Freaky." He paused. "Don't black opals have future vision?"

     "Ah, it's not future vision, really. Sometimes what I say never happens – but I have a good feeling about you and I being friends! We're both special gem cuts, after all, too!" He pointed to his gem with a smile. "And yours is a neat star shape!" Black Opal's smile shrunk a little. "Your gem cut isn't natural, right?"

     Dan leaned against the glass dome. "No, but I'm not a 'special gem cut' – I'm defective."

     "Oh, I don't believe that for a second! If any Gem is defective, it's me. My future whatever doesn't even work right, and it is kind of the only thing I've got going for me besides apparently being the only heart-cut black opal out of – what, eight of us?" He chuckled nervously. "I'm just for looks, really."

     His blue eyes drifted to any and every object that accompanied him across the room. There was a speckled lapis lazuli-powered mirror on a small shelf, it too encased in a glass dome. There was also a vertical shelf of Pearl Boxes – twelve of them. There was a small holoprojector standing without purpose on a pedestal next to the shelf. In between four sharpened legs was a triangular, pink gem, its name unknown to Black Opal.

     Of course, along the side of these simple tools were items of more nefarious means. A battle axe hung horizontally on the wall itself, the head of it stabilized between two square beryl gemstones – friends, maybe. There was a staff with a howlite at its head and a sharp-edged hand fan with a bloodstone in its handle. A black broadsword hung by its hilt in a display case, and looking at it now made Black Opal uneasy. He sincerely hoped Dan's vision never wandered to its pommel.

     Each Gem present was meant to enhance something or power something. Most of them had been punished for some kind of treason or crime that was seen as wretched by the authorities. Some had been produced specifically for enhancement or power. Their levels of existence varied between relatively fresh and as old as the Diamonds themselves.

     "Charoite is a collector," Black Opal grimaced.

     Dan pushed off the glass and sighed. "Fucking great. I guess I know why I'm here. I'm smaller than every other obsidian and everyone thinks I'm specially cut!"

     "Who says you aren't?"

     Dan huffed an answer: "The technician that inspected me."

     "That certainly doesn't mean it's true. That's one Gem's word out of billions. What does it matter what one Gem says about you?"

     The darker Gem became grave and he took his proper stance again. He didn't respond at first, letting a terrified silence space his thoughts. With his head turned to the side, he bit his lip and spoke shakily. "I could have been shattered for my imperfections. I could still be shattered now because of them." Then he turned to face the wall and replaced his longsword in his gem. "I might not be that chipper about it, but I actually like existing."