Stars and Diamonds

Chapter 48: Learning

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Yellow Diamond stood back, one hand cradling her right elbow while the other curled around her chin, finger tapping lightly on her jaw. Her eyes narrowed, watching closely as Orange thrust her hand out, her aura twirling outwards from her body and solidifying as it created quite an impressively sized dome for a gem of her size. The energy of the dome twisted around itself, scorching the ground around her as it pushed out from its original position close to her. She head her Pearl gasp at the sight, but largely went unacknowledged as Yellow inspected the dome, the younger gem holding it in place for a moment before it disappeared in a hiss of wisps that dissipated in the air.

She hummed as the younger gem turned to look at her, her expectant expression telling Yellow she was waiting for her observation. "Interesting. This dome you create seems to almost burn up and push away everything it touches." Yellow gestured at the thin line of dirt that had been singed to black around her, "Physical manifestations of pure energy, powerful, useful for a Diamond. But what is it exactly?" Her eyes turned back to the damage the younger gem had done to the ground, "Fire? Basic, but not discountable. Super heated air? Perhaps." Yellow spoke out loud, her eyes turning down to meet Orange's again, "Where does it radiate from?"

Orange placed a hand to her gem, "It used to just come from my gem, but that wore me down too quickly. I worked out how to move my energy better, and so it comes from my stomach and pushes outward, and becomes a dome if I don't think to use it as something else."

Yellow raised an eyebrow, "something else?"

"I've figured out how to concentrate it through my hands." Orange held up a hand, her fingers splayed out as it and part of her forearms was engulfed in energy, "If I use the dome too many time, it leaves me feeling like I'm burning up too. I can handle it better when it's just my fists." She explained, her fingers clenching and the energy flared before finally blinking out entirely, leaving only little wisps of light behind.

"Hmm." Yellowed hummed once more, "Concentrated through your hands...I wonder." She turned away from her, her arms dropping to her sides as she looked towards a line of soldiers, mostly guards for Yellow Diamond while she was outside the safety of the Spire, but also acting as Orange's while she joined there. Yellow pointed to one gem in particular, singling out an Amethyst with quite the exaggerated expression of surprise on her rounded face. "You there, guard."

The Amethyst stepped out of line, her expression coming a bit more into control as she saluted to Yellow, "Yes, my Diamond!"

Yellow crossed her arms, and Orange wondered if Yellow was bored or if she was purposely intimidating this gem. "I'd like you to engage Orange Diamond in hand to hand combat."

"My Diamond!?" Amethyst squawked in alarm at the same time Orange spoke.

"Yellow?" Her eyebrows scrunched together and turned up, "What are you doing?"

Yellow turned to acknowledge her as opposed to the gem she had just elected to fight her, "Your abilities are obviously suited for close combat. I wish to see how you do in an actual fight."

Orange's lips thinned out as she raised an eyebrow at her, "You're going military strategist on me, aren't you?" She sighed, giving in before any kind of argument could happen, resigned for another fight she hadn't intended to start. She raised her arms, stretching out her limbs while she asked, "What exactly am I doing?"

"You're using your fists to punch."

Orange's arms dropped from her position over her, her head cocking to the side to give Yellow a look that was returned with the an eyebrow lift of her own. "Oh, well, if that's all."