Stars and Diamonds

Chapter 28: Ebbing pt 1

Orange stretched out over the soft white bed in her chambers aboard White's head ship. The pillows that normally littered the bed when she inhabited the space were stacked on one side to allow room for both her and Pearl as they lounged together, her head on Pearl's lap while they talked. Her Pearl's hand ran lightly over her hair, smoothing at fly away pieces while Orange talked, quietly listening and speaking up when it was appropriate of her to, otherwise she was perfectly content to simply listen to her Diamond speak lazily about an event that happened before her time with her.

It was becoming a rare occurrence that they had such downtime together, that did not involve Orange Diamond completing a lesson task given to her by one of the other Diamonds, or even being in the presence of one, or one of her fellow Pearl's. Any time away from them was spent with her Diamond resting in an inactive state, and while it had been alarming to her at first, she had simply become used to and associated it to her Diamond's own unique characteristics.

She was aware her Diamond was special, the exact circumstances of why and what exactly made her different was not privy to her, a result of being a simple Pearl and thus not important enough to know such a thing, but she had been supplied with enough information to know how to meet her Diamond's needs. And while her needs where not too far from any other gem, she realized that her need to replace minerals for her physical form, as well as the time she required to be inactive, set her apart from her peers. Her Diamond was special, and as her Pearl, she would serve her as best she could, while guarding her Diamond's unique traits from any other gem that was not in the older Diamonds' approved gems that already knew about Orange. She knew this uniqueness would not be so welcomed in Homeworld's society, and Pearl could not bare to see it possibly snuffed out.

"Pearl? Pearrrl? Hello, are you listening?"

Pearl blinked as a hand was waved in her face and she laughed, pushing it away, "Yes, Orange. I am."

A wide smile stretched across her face, "you called me Orange again."

"You did request I only call you Orange when it is just us." Pearl reminded her softly.

"Well, Yeah. But you normally don't."

"And it is normally not just us."

"It has been a while since we could just spend time alone, hasn't it?" Orange asked softly, gazing up at her through strands of hair that had fallen onto her face when Pearl had ceased moving her fingers through it.

"It has. But you are a Diamond, and it is expected you will constantly be busy."

"I'll only get busier when I'm a real Diamond."

"I do believe you already are a real diamond, aren't you? You did not go and become a Jasper while I was away getting your supplement, did you?"

Orange laughed, her shoulders shaking with her mirth, "you know what I mean, Pearl!"

"Yes, I do. But I wanted you to laugh."

"You're always trying to make me laugh. Your going to get me in real trouble one of these days."

Pearl grinned, "I don't believe it is my fault if you happen to burst out laughing in the middle of one of Yellow Diamond's discussions."

"Oh, no, because you were totally not making faces at me behind her back."

"You looked like you could use the distraction. If I remember correctly, you said Yellow's discussions can become drier than a peridot's mission report on a gamma kindergarten."

"Oh Star! That's right! But Yellow was so angry, I thought she was going to explode right out of her boots when I couldn't stop laughing. I was so glad you were there, though. Having my ear lectured off wasn't so bad."