Stars and Diamonds

Chapter 54: Quarry

For anyone who hasn't seen, there is now a visual schedule for when chapter updates will be released.

https://greenendai.tumblr.com/post/185759042977/greenendai-chapters-may-be-released-a-day-or

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The soft tapping of shoes echoed in the empty corridor, breaking up the monotonous silence that naturally seemed to reside inside the headship, like oppressive white noise. Orange Diamond, with her wish granted, was milking it for its worth, taking her time as she moved freely through the halls. A stroll, by herself, no one in sight to interrupt her. Nothing but sparkling white walls and marble floors, lined with borderline exorbitant decorative arches and molding on the wall, making the young diamond stand out amongst the alabaster.

Tap, tap, tap

She created a haphazard litany, stepping a little heavier than necessary to create noise with her shoes. It was silly, but no one was around to tell her to stop or judge her for her moment of harmless fun. It was a certain sound of freedom she could easily get addicted to. An independence she would soon have when she had her own palace, and when she was officially a part of the Authority. No longer kept in the shadow of the other Diamonds, but an equal to them.

It made her giddy to think of it, not that she could think of much else in that moment. Her whole life had been leading to this, what the other Diamonds had been grooming her for, on the horizon and waiting for her. It was such good news, she knew she had to share it. She wanted to tell everyone, anyone, no matter how unrealistic that option was in reality. The Carnelians would be first to know, which seemed only right. It was the Carnelians, after all, who had first approached her with their interest in following her when she became apart of the Authority. She would fight White tooth and nail for them, at the very least. They absolutely had to come with her to the palace. She would prepare some kind of impassioned, but rational, speech for White on the off chance she did want to punish them for straying from her.

But after them, there was Pearl. Pearl had to know as well. She would be first, if she wasn't away doing something for White. Knowing that she was only just busy doing whatever it was White had tasked her with put a part of her she hadn't really acknowledged at ease. Pearl wasn't at her arrival, not because she hadn't wanted to be, but because her job as White Diamond's pearl came first, and Orange had to respect that. Pearl's job meant everything to her, something she marked her worthiness by, and Orange could relate well enough to that. So, she would wait until Pearl had the time to see her to tell her the good news.

Her hand strayed to her belt, feeling the hard lump of rock underneath the stiff material of her belt. At least with Pearl being busy she would have extra time to clean up her present a little more. It no longer carried the loose dirt and dust that had lined the fine cracks and crevices of the stone's colorful clusters, but it could still do with another polishing, and, surprising to Orange, she had found applying her energy over the colorful stones enhanced its hue into a more vibrant indigo than it had been when she found it. She didn't know the reason behind it, but assume it had something to do with the gem essence it had formed from reacting to her.

Spurred to use her time a little more productively, Orange picked up her lazy pace, feet making a quicker staccato bounce off the walls.

Tap-tap, Tap, Tap-Tap, tap, Tap-tap

Orange's brow furrowed, foot paused from its arched position off the ground, stiffening with the rest of her as she felt a small, uncomfortable tingle shoot down the back of her neck. It was sudden, but familiar, not unlike when was back on Yellow's colony, being watched by that monster hiding in the trees. Unsuspecting prey, all alone to be perfectly ambushed. Turning her head to look behind her, her eyes searched the hall, but found nothing. Reaching a hand up, she soothed the feeling away as she rubbed the exposed skin there, eyes still flicking around, aware but unseeing of something that had set the feeling off.