Gem inferiority complex

“Watcha got there” said the fusion “is it important?”

Pink Avengurine looked at the vial. “It’s very important…” She paused for a moment, then quickly added, “To me, at least.”

“what’s in it!” he asks, tilting his head

“Well.” She raised the vial for him to see, the pearl inside shifting to the bottom with a soft clink. 

“Oh goodness!” He flinched away “what happened to them!?”

“You can tell me” he said with a tender voice “if you’d like, that is”

Rainbow’s tone was enough to persuade her. After all, it had been years since she’d had somebody to really talk to, and this gem seemed to be friendly. “To be entirely honest,” she shuddered, “I put her here when I was on Homeworld.” Her eyes closed. She liked to think what happened wasn’t her fault, and introspection was never easy for her.

He placed a hand over his mouth “Why would you do that?”

“It sounds awful, I know it does. Please hear me out. She continuously goofed off and broke rules, and I was constantly afraid she’d be punished. I figured if she couldn’t do that, at least until we were in space…She’d be fine.” It sounded like a ridiculous idea to her when she said it aloud.

“well that won’t do! you have to free her” he said, waving his arms around frantically

Her face reddened. “What do you think I’m trying to do? It won’t open, it won’t break, nothing I’ve tried has worked. It sure looks like a fragile container, but it isn’t.”

he takes a closer look “what is it made out of?”

“I can’t tell.” It was transparent, made from only a thin layer of material with the exception of two caps on either end, but it didn’t make any noise as she tapped it.

“I might be able to figure it out… But you’d have to follow me” he took a pause “I’m a long way from home”

“I’m willing to go however far we need to go.” She looked determined.

“Fantastic!!” He beamed “ Lets get to it!” He said as he grabbed her hand and rushed off

The vial was still tight in her other hand, and she smiled. “Yeah, let’s.”

She gasped, stunned, and looked down. Her eyes focused on the ground as it became distant.

he flew until he reached a pair of trian-tracks

As they arrived, she giggled to herself. It had been a while since she’d flown, and she wasn’t sure she had even flown like that. 

“okay! now then, we’ll have to catch the train” he closes his umbrella “but for now we can just follow the train-tracks” he smiled

“Oh, right.” She remembered what she was doing, and proceeded along the tracks. 

She shrugged. “I was coming here to study the planet, but that plan fell through after I got delayed. A lot happened here that presumably nobody was expecting. It’s a busy planet.” 

“Hmm” he listened as he nodded along “do you miss home world?”

“Not really. There wasn’t much to do.” She looked towards the sky. “Our purposes were all we had, but at times, it felt like we didn’t even have that.”

“Well, now you have me!!” He twirled enthusiastically as the tracks started to rumble

Pink Aventurine giggled, her voice audible this time. “You’re not wrong.” Her steps were lighter and more relaxed, though she moved at the same pace. 

“Wha- Okay!” She quickly scampered into an opening in the train.

She thought about her answer for a moment. “Earth…..is not as intricate as I had hoped, in some ways. The system of careers and way time is spent during the day is less than efficient. But, even though Earth could afford to fix a lot, it’s beautiful. I’ve grown to like most humans.”

he swayed his feet “that’s nice” he smiles “do you have a home here?”

“I do, technically, but I move around.” She pulled her hat down out of habit. 

“hmm, why’s that?” he looks over “if you don’t mind me asking”

She looked back at him. “Everything on this planet is temporary. There’s something I find comforting about being able to totally reinvent myself as many times as I want, especially since I’m not entirely sure who I want to be.” Her gaze moved to the ground.

“well, welcome to earth” he smiled at her and then looked at the skyline “it’s such a beautiful place

“Yep.” She hummed to herself, tapping the vial.

“so” he looks at the vail “do you know what that thing was for?”

“I have some sort of an idea. Most of the containers like this that I found already had gems inside, so I assumed they were for storage. I saw them get picked up and taken out of the room, and they always came back empty.” Her hand moved to her gem. “I wasn’t sure what opened them, but clearly they were able to be accessed somehow.” 

“hmm, how curious…” he looked up “did you see what kind of gems were opening them?”

“I didn’t see anyone specifically opening them, but it was mostly quartzes and sapphires that handled them.”

he mumbles to himself “yeah I might…” he trails off

She stared at him. “You might?”

“hm? oh!” he turns to you fully “I might know a gem who works with sort of stuff!” he smiles as the train bumps around

Pink Aventurine gasped, her eyes lighting up. “Wait, really?” 

The vial nearly slipped from her hands. “Oh my stars. That would mean everything to me.” She tried to sound casual about it, but there was obvious and undeniable excitement in her face.

he smiled then looked away “so, what were you doing before I found you?”

“I was just talking about this vial to everyone I could find. I’ve had a lot of free time lately, due to….well, it’s human stuff.” She fidgeted with her hat. 

“human stuff? I love human stuff!!” he beams “I mean, I am ¾ths human”

“Well, this wasn’t really fun human stuff. My old human friends went to college, and I went with them just because. After we graduated, though, we went in different directions and never saw each other again. But this was only about…a decade ago.” She shrugged. “I don’t even have a real human ‘job’.”

He thinks, mumbling to himself softly “maybe… we can do some fun stuff when we get to my part of town” he smiles

“Really?” Nobody she had known was this unconditionally caring at first, even though humans were usually way friendlier than gems. It made her wary, but she supposed she should give him a chance. “I’d like that.” 

“Cool!” He beamed, then turned back to the open scenery. “Just a few more hours and we’ll be home” he muttered, but mostly to himself. “So did you ever do anything for fun?”

“Well, of course! I…” Nothing came to mind. She had done plenty of things that she considered important or meaningful, but she couldn’t remember a time where she did things specifically for fun. “…Yeah, I did,” she lied halfheartedly.  

“like what?” he smiled at her

“I…used to write about the Earth.” Technically, it was true. It was obvious from her tone that it wasn’t particularly exciting to her, but there was a time when she did write frequently.

“hmmm, but was it fun?” he tilts his head at her, the tone in her voice already kind of giving him an answer

“Honestly?” She sighed. “Not really.”

“oh dear, well that won’t do!” he grabs her hand “i promise when we make it to beach city, we’ll have lots of fun!!”

She looked down at their hands, smiling faintly. “…Thanks. I’d love that.”

It seemed that as soon as she blinked, he had vanished. “Huh-? Hey, wait up!” She hopped off the train and ran after him.

“Watcha got there” said the fusion “is it important?”

Pink Avengurine looked at the vial. “It’s very important…” She paused for a moment, then quickly added, “To me, at least.”

“what’s in it!” he asks, tilting his head

“Well.” She raised the vial for him to see, the pearl inside shifting to the bottom with a soft clink. 

“Oh goodness!” He flinched away “what happened to them!?”

“You can tell me” he said with a tender voice “if you’d like, that is”

Rainbow’s tone was enough to persuade her. After all, it had been years since she’d had somebody to really talk to, and this gem seemed to be friendly. “To be entirely honest,” she shuddered, “I put her here when I was on Homeworld.” Her eyes closed. She liked to think what happened wasn’t her fault, and introspection was never easy for her.

He placed a hand over his mouth “Why would you do that?”

“It sounds awful, I know it does. Please hear me out. She continuously goofed off and broke rules, and I was constantly afraid she’d be punished. I figured if she couldn’t do that, at least until we were in space…She’d be fine.” It sounded like a ridiculous idea to her when she said it aloud.

“well that won’t do! you have to free her” he said, waving his arms around frantically

Her face reddened. “What do you think I’m trying to do? It won’t open, it won’t break, nothing I’ve tried has worked. It sure looks like a fragile container, but it isn’t.”

he takes a closer look “what is it made out of?”

“I can’t tell.” It was transparent, made from only a thin layer of material with the exception of two caps on either end, but it didn’t make any noise as she tapped it.

“I might be able to figure it out… But you’d have to follow me” he took a pause “I’m a long way from home”

“I’m willing to go however far we need to go.” She looked determined.

“Fantastic!!” He beamed “ Lets get to it!” He said as he grabbed her hand and rushed off

The vial was still tight in her other hand, and she smiled. “Yeah, let’s.”

She gasped, stunned, and looked down. Her eyes focused on the ground as it became distant.

he flew until he reached a pair of trian-tracks

As they arrived, she giggled to herself. It had been a while since she’d flown, and she wasn’t sure she had even flown like that. 

“okay! now then, we’ll have to catch the train” he closes his umbrella “but for now we can just follow the train-tracks” he smiled

“Oh, right.” She remembered what she was doing, and proceeded along the tracks. 

She shrugged. “I was coming here to study the planet, but that plan fell through after I got delayed. A lot happened here that presumably nobody was expecting. It’s a busy planet.” 

“Hmm” he listened as he nodded along “do you miss home world?”

“Not really. There wasn’t much to do.” She looked towards the sky. “Our purposes were all we had, but at times, it felt like we didn’t even have that.”

“Well, now you have me!!” He twirled enthusiastically as the tracks started to rumble

Pink Aventurine giggled, her voice audible this time. “You’re not wrong.” Her steps were lighter and more relaxed, though she moved at the same pace. 

“Wha- Okay!” She quickly scampered into an opening in the train.

She thought about her answer for a moment. “Earth…..is not as intricate as I had hoped, in some ways. The system of careers and way time is spent during the day is less than efficient. But, even though Earth could afford to fix a lot, it’s beautiful. I’ve grown to like most humans.”

he swayed his feet “that’s nice” he smiles “do you have a home here?”

“I do, technically, but I move around.” She pulled her hat down out of habit. 

“hmm, why’s that?” he looks over “if you don’t mind me asking”

She looked back at him. “Everything on this planet is temporary. There’s something I find comforting about being able to totally reinvent myself as many times as I want, especially since I’m not entirely sure who I want to be.” Her gaze moved to the ground.

“well, welcome to earth” he smiled at her and then looked at the skyline “it’s such a beautiful place

“Yep.” She hummed to herself, tapping the vial.

“so” he looks at the vail “do you know what that thing was for?”

“I have some sort of an idea. Most of the containers like this that I found already had gems inside, so I assumed they were for storage. I saw them get picked up and taken out of the room, and they always came back empty.” Her hand moved to her gem. “I wasn’t sure what opened them, but clearly they were able to be accessed somehow.” 

“hmm, how curious…” he looked up “did you see what kind of gems were opening them?”

“I didn’t see anyone specifically opening them, but it was mostly quartzes and sapphires that handled them.”

he mumbles to himself “yeah I might…” he trails off

She stared at him. “You might?”

“hm? oh!” he turns to you fully “I might know a gem who works with sort of stuff!” he smiles as the train bumps around

Pink Aventurine gasped, her eyes lighting up. “Wait, really?” 

The vial nearly slipped from her hands. “Oh my stars. That would mean everything to me.” She tried to sound casual about it, but there was obvious and undeniable excitement in her face.

he smiled then looked away “so, what were you doing before I found you?”

“I was just talking about this vial to everyone I could find. I’ve had a lot of free time lately, due to….well, it’s human stuff.” She fidgeted with her hat. 

“human stuff? I love human stuff!!” he beams “I mean, I am ¾ths human”

“Well, this wasn’t really fun human stuff. My old human friends went to college, and I went with them just because. After we graduated, though, we went in different directions and never saw each other again. But this was only about…a decade ago.” She shrugged. “I don’t even have a real human ‘job’.”

He thinks, mumbling to himself softly “maybe… we can do some fun stuff when we get to my part of town” he smiles

“Really?” Nobody she had known was this unconditionally caring at first, even though humans were usually way friendlier than gems. It made her wary, but she supposed she should give him a chance. “I’d like that.” 

“Cool!” He beamed, then turned back to the open scenery. “Just a few more hours and we’ll be home” he muttered, but mostly to himself. “So did you ever do anything for fun?”

“Well, of course! I…” Nothing came to mind. She had done plenty of things that she considered important or meaningful, but she couldn’t remember a time where she did things specifically for fun. “…Yeah, I did,” she lied halfheartedly.  

“like what?” he smiled at her

“I…used to write about the Earth.” Technically, it was true. It was obvious from her tone that it wasn’t particularly exciting to her, but there was a time when she did write frequently.

“hmmm, but was it fun?” he tilts his head at her, the tone in her voice already kind of giving him an answer

“Honestly?” She sighed. “Not really.”

“oh dear, well that won’t do!” he grabs her hand “i promise when we make it to beach city, we’ll have lots of fun!!”

She looked down at their hands, smiling faintly. “...Thanks. I’d love that.”

“Watcha got there” said the fusion “is it important?”

Pink Avengurine looked at the vial. “It’s very important…” She paused for a moment, then quickly added, “To me, at least.”

“what’s in it!” he asks, tilting his head

“Well.” She raised the vial for him to see, the pearl inside shifting to the bottom with a soft clink. 

“Oh goodness!” He flinched away “what happened to them!?”

“You can tell me” he said with a tender voice “if you’d like, that is”

Rainbow’s tone was enough to persuade her. After all, it had been years since she’d had somebody to really talk to, and this gem seemed to be friendly. “To be entirely honest,” she shuddered, “I put her here when I was on Homeworld.” Her eyes closed. She liked to think what happened wasn’t her fault, and introspection was never easy for her.

He placed a hand over his mouth “Why would you do that?”

“It sounds awful, I know it does. Please hear me out. She continuously goofed off and broke rules, and I was constantly afraid she’d be punished. I figured if she couldn’t do that, at least until we were in space…She’d be fine.” It sounded like a ridiculous idea to her when she said it aloud.

“well that won’t do! you have to free her” he said, waving his arms around frantically

Her face reddened. “What do you think I’m trying to do? It won’t open, it won’t break, nothing I’ve tried has worked. It sure looks like a fragile container, but it isn’t.”

he takes a closer look “what is it made out of?”

“I can’t tell.” It was transparent, made from only a thin layer of material with the exception of two caps on either end, but it didn’t make any noise as she tapped it.

“I might be able to figure it out… But you’d have to follow me” he took a pause “I’m a long way from home”

“I’m willing to go however far we need to go.” She looked determined.

“Fantastic!!” He beamed “ Lets get to it!” He said as he grabbed her hand and rushed off

The vial was still tight in her other hand, and she smiled. “Yeah, let’s.”

She gasped, stunned, and looked down. Her eyes focused on the ground as it became distant.

he flew until he reached a pair of trian-tracks

As they arrived, she giggled to herself. It had been a while since she’d flown, and she wasn’t sure she had even flown like that. 

“okay! now then, we’ll have to catch the train” he closes his umbrella “but for now we can just follow the train-tracks” he smiled

“Oh, right.” She remembered what she was doing, and proceeded along the tracks. 

She shrugged. “I was coming here to study the planet, but that plan fell through after I got delayed. A lot happened here that presumably nobody was expecting. It’s a busy planet.” 

“Hmm” he listened as he nodded along “do you miss home world?”

“Not really. There wasn’t much to do.” She looked towards the sky. “Our purposes were all we had, but at times, it felt like we didn’t even have that.”

“Well, now you have me!!” He twirled enthusiastically as the tracks started to rumble

Pink Aventurine giggled, her voice audible this time. “You’re not wrong.” Her steps were lighter and more relaxed, though she moved at the same pace. 

“Wha- Okay!” She quickly scampered into an opening in the train.

She thought about her answer for a moment. “Earth…..is not as intricate as I had hoped, in some ways. The system of careers and way time is spent during the day is less than efficient. But, even though Earth could afford to fix a lot, it’s beautiful. I’ve grown to like most humans.”

he swayed his feet “that’s nice” he smiles “do you have a home here?”

“I do, technically, but I move around.” She pulled her hat down out of habit. 

“hmm, why’s that?” he looks over “if you don’t mind me asking”

She looked back at him. “Everything on this planet is temporary. There’s something I find comforting about being able to totally reinvent myself as many times as I want, especially since I’m not entirely sure who I want to be.” Her gaze moved to the ground.

“well, welcome to earth” he smiled at her and then looked at the skyline “it’s such a beautiful place

“Yep.” She hummed to herself, tapping the vial.

“so” he looks at the vail “do you know what that thing was for?”

“I have some sort of an idea. Most of the containers like this that I found already had gems inside, so I assumed they were for storage. I saw them get picked up and taken out of the room, and they always came back empty.” Her hand moved to her gem. “I wasn’t sure what opened them, but clearly they were able to be accessed somehow.” 

“hmm, how curious…” he looked up “did you see what kind of gems were opening them?”

“I didn’t see anyone specifically opening them, but it was mostly quartzes and sapphires that handled them.”

he mumbles to himself “yeah I might…” he trails off

She stared at him. “You might?”

“hm? oh!” he turns to you fully “I might know a gem who works with sort of stuff!” he smiles as the train bumps around

Pink Aventurine gasped, her eyes lighting up. “Wait, really?” 

The vial nearly slipped from her hands. “Oh my stars. That would mean everything to me.” She tried to sound casual about it, but there was obvious and undeniable excitement in her face.

he smiled then looked away “so, what were you doing before I found you?”

“I was just talking about this vial to everyone I could find. I’ve had a lot of free time lately, due to….well, it’s human stuff.” She fidgeted with her hat. 

“human stuff? I love human stuff!!” he beams “I mean, I am ¾ths human”

“Well, this wasn’t really fun human stuff. My old human friends went to college, and I went with them just because. After we graduated, though, we went in different directions and never saw each other again. But this was only about…a decade ago.” She shrugged. “I don’t even have a real human ‘job’.”

He thinks, mumbling to himself softly “maybe… we can do some fun stuff when we get to my part of town” he smiles

“Really?” Nobody she had known was this unconditionally caring at first, even though humans were usually way friendlier than gems. It made her wary, but she supposed she should give him a chance. “I’d like that.” 

“Cool!” He beamed, then turned back to the open scenery. “Just a few more hours and we’ll be home” he muttered, but mostly to himself. “So did you ever do anything for fun?”

“Well, of course! I…” Nothing came to mind. She had done plenty of things that she considered important or meaningful, but she couldn’t remember a time where she did things specifically for fun. “…Yeah, I did,” she lied halfheartedly.  

“like what?” he smiled at her

“I…used to write about the Earth.” Technically, it was true. It was obvious from her tone that it wasn’t particularly exciting to her, but there was a time when she did write frequently.

“hmmm, but was it fun?” he tilts his head at her, the tone in her voice already kind of giving him an answer

“Honestly?” She sighed. “Not really.”

“Watcha got there” said the fusion “is it important?”

Pink Avengurine looked at the vial. “It’s very important…” She paused for a moment, then quickly added, “To me, at least.”

“what’s in it!” he asks, tilting his head

“Well.” She raised the vial for him to see, the pearl inside shifting to the bottom with a soft clink. 

“Oh goodness!” He flinched away “what happened to them!?”

“You can tell me” he said with a tender voice “if you’d like, that is”

Rainbow’s tone was enough to persuade her. After all, it had been years since she’d had somebody to really talk to, and this gem seemed to be friendly. “To be entirely honest,” she shuddered, “I put her here when I was on Homeworld.” Her eyes closed. She liked to think what happened wasn’t her fault, and introspection was never easy for her.

He placed a hand over his mouth “Why would you do that?”

“It sounds awful, I know it does. Please hear me out. She continuously goofed off and broke rules, and I was constantly afraid she’d be punished. I figured if she couldn’t do that, at least until we were in space…She’d be fine.” It sounded like a ridiculous idea to her when she said it aloud.

“well that won’t do! you have to free her” he said, waving his arms around frantically

Her face reddened. “What do you think I’m trying to do? It won’t open, it won’t break, nothing I’ve tried has worked. It sure looks like a fragile container, but it isn’t.”

he takes a closer look “what is it made out of?”

“I can’t tell.” It was transparent, made from only a thin layer of material with the exception of two caps on either end, but it didn’t make any noise as she tapped it.

“I might be able to figure it out… But you’d have to follow me” he took a pause “I’m a long way from home”

“I’m willing to go however far we need to go.” She looked determined.

“Fantastic!!” He beamed “ Lets get to it!” He said as he grabbed her hand and rushed off

The vial was still tight in her other hand, and she smiled. “Yeah, let’s.”

She gasped, stunned, and looked down. Her eyes focused on the ground as it became distant.

he flew until he reached a pair of trian-tracks

As they arrived, she giggled to herself. It had been a while since she’d flown, and she wasn’t sure she had even flown like that. 

“okay! now then, we’ll have to catch the train” he closes his umbrella “but for now we can just follow the train-tracks” he smiled

“Oh, right.” She remembered what she was doing, and proceeded along the tracks. 

She shrugged. “I was coming here to study the planet, but that plan fell through after I got delayed. A lot happened here that presumably nobody was expecting. It’s a busy planet.” 

“Hmm” he listened as he nodded along “do you miss home world?”

“Not really. There wasn’t much to do.” She looked towards the sky. “Our purposes were all we had, but at times, it felt like we didn’t even have that.”

“Well, now you have me!!” He twirled enthusiastically as the tracks started to rumble

Pink Aventurine giggled, her voice audible this time. “You’re not wrong.” Her steps were lighter and more relaxed, though she moved at the same pace. 

“Wha- Okay!” She quickly scampered into an opening in the train.

She thought about her answer for a moment. “Earth…..is not as intricate as I had hoped, in some ways. The system of careers and way time is spent during the day is less than efficient. But, even though Earth could afford to fix a lot, it’s beautiful. I’ve grown to like most humans.”

he swayed his feet “that’s nice” he smiles “do you have a home here?”

“I do, technically, but I move around.” She pulled her hat down out of habit. 

“hmm, why’s that?” he looks over “if you don’t mind me asking”

She looked back at him. “Everything on this planet is temporary. There’s something I find comforting about being able to totally reinvent myself as many times as I want, especially since I’m not entirely sure who I want to be.” Her gaze moved to the ground.

“well, welcome to earth” he smiled at her and then looked at the skyline “it’s such a beautiful place

“Yep.” She hummed to herself, tapping the vial.

“so” he looks at the vail “do you know what that thing was for?”

“I have some sort of an idea. Most of the containers like this that I found already had gems inside, so I assumed they were for storage. I saw them get picked up and taken out of the room, and they always came back empty.” Her hand moved to her gem. “I wasn’t sure what opened them, but clearly they were able to be accessed somehow.” 

“hmm, how curious…” he looked up “did you see what kind of gems were opening them?”

“I didn’t see anyone specifically opening them, but it was mostly quartzes and sapphires that handled them.”

he mumbles to himself “yeah I might…” he trails off

She stared at him. “You might?”

“hm? oh!” he turns to you fully “I might know a gem who works with sort of stuff!” he smiles as the train bumps around

Pink Aventurine gasped, her eyes lighting up. “Wait, really?” 

The vial nearly slipped from her hands. “Oh my stars. That would mean everything to me.” She tried to sound casual about it, but there was obvious and undeniable excitement in her face.

he smiled then looked away “so, what were you doing before I found you?”

“I was just talking about this vial to everyone I could find. I’ve had a lot of free time lately, due to….well, it’s human stuff.” She fidgeted with her hat. 

“human stuff? I love human stuff!!” he beams “I mean, I am ¾ths human”

“Well, this wasn’t really fun human stuff. My old human friends went to college, and I went with them just because. After we graduated, though, we went in different directions and never saw each other again. But this was only about…a decade ago.” She shrugged. “I don’t even have a real human ‘job’.”

He thinks, mumbling to himself softly “maybe… we can do some fun stuff when we get to my part of town” he smiles

“Really?” Nobody she had known was this unconditionally caring at first, even though humans were usually way friendlier than gems. It made her wary, but she supposed she should give him a chance. “I’d like that.” 

“Cool!” He beamed, then turned back to the open scenery. “Just a few more hours and we’ll be home” he muttered, but mostly to himself. “So did you ever do anything for fun?”

“Well, of course! I…” Nothing came to mind. She had done plenty of things that she considered important or meaningful, but she couldn’t remember a time where she did things specifically for fun. “…Yeah, I did,” she lied halfheartedly.  

“like what?” he smiled at her

“I...used to write about the Earth.” Technically, it was true. It was obvious from her tone that it wasn’t particularly exciting to her, but there was a time when she did write frequently.

“Watcha got there” said the fusion “is it important?”

Pink Avengurine looked at the vial. “It’s very important…” She paused for a moment, then quickly added, “To me, at least.”

“what’s in it!” he asks, tilting his head

“Well.” She raised the vial for him to see, the pearl inside shifting to the bottom with a soft clink. 

“Oh goodness!” He flinched away “what happened to them!?”

“You can tell me” he said with a tender voice “if you’d like, that is”

Rainbow’s tone was enough to persuade her. After all, it had been years since she’d had somebody to really talk to, and this gem seemed to be friendly. “To be entirely honest,” she shuddered, “I put her here when I was on Homeworld.” Her eyes closed. She liked to think what happened wasn’t her fault, and introspection was never easy for her.

He placed a hand over his mouth “Why would you do that?”

“It sounds awful, I know it does. Please hear me out. She continuously goofed off and broke rules, and I was constantly afraid she’d be punished. I figured if she couldn’t do that, at least until we were in space…She’d be fine.” It sounded like a ridiculous idea to her when she said it aloud.

“well that won’t do! you have to free her” he said, waving his arms around frantically

Her face reddened. “What do you think I’m trying to do? It won’t open, it won’t break, nothing I’ve tried has worked. It sure looks like a fragile container, but it isn’t.”

he takes a closer look “what is it made out of?”

“I can’t tell.” It was transparent, made from only a thin layer of material with the exception of two caps on either end, but it didn’t make any noise as she tapped it.

“I might be able to figure it out… But you’d have to follow me” he took a pause “I’m a long way from home”

“I’m willing to go however far we need to go.” She looked determined.

“Fantastic!!” He beamed “ Lets get to it!” He said as he grabbed her hand and rushed off

The vial was still tight in her other hand, and she smiled. “Yeah, let’s.”

She gasped, stunned, and looked down. Her eyes focused on the ground as it became distant.

he flew until he reached a pair of trian-tracks

As they arrived, she giggled to herself. It had been a while since she’d flown, and she wasn’t sure she had even flown like that. 

“okay! now then, we’ll have to catch the train” he closes his umbrella “but for now we can just follow the train-tracks” he smiled

“Oh, right.” She remembered what she was doing, and proceeded along the tracks. 

She shrugged. “I was coming here to study the planet, but that plan fell through after I got delayed. A lot happened here that presumably nobody was expecting. It’s a busy planet.” 

“Hmm” he listened as he nodded along “do you miss home world?”

“Not really. There wasn’t much to do.” She looked towards the sky. “Our purposes were all we had, but at times, it felt like we didn’t even have that.”

“Well, now you have me!!” He twirled enthusiastically as the tracks started to rumble

Pink Aventurine giggled, her voice audible this time. “You’re not wrong.” Her steps were lighter and more relaxed, though she moved at the same pace. 

“Wha- Okay!” She quickly scampered into an opening in the train.

She thought about her answer for a moment. “Earth…..is not as intricate as I had hoped, in some ways. The system of careers and way time is spent during the day is less than efficient. But, even though Earth could afford to fix a lot, it’s beautiful. I’ve grown to like most humans.”

he swayed his feet “that’s nice” he smiles “do you have a home here?”

“I do, technically, but I move around.” She pulled her hat down out of habit. 

“hmm, why’s that?” he looks over “if you don’t mind me asking”

She looked back at him. “Everything on this planet is temporary. There’s something I find comforting about being able to totally reinvent myself as many times as I want, especially since I’m not entirely sure who I want to be.” Her gaze moved to the ground.

“well, welcome to earth” he smiled at her and then looked at the skyline “it’s such a beautiful place

“Yep.” She hummed to herself, tapping the vial.

“so” he looks at the vail “do you know what that thing was for?”

“I have some sort of an idea. Most of the containers like this that I found already had gems inside, so I assumed they were for storage. I saw them get picked up and taken out of the room, and they always came back empty.” Her hand moved to her gem. “I wasn’t sure what opened them, but clearly they were able to be accessed somehow.” 

“hmm, how curious…” he looked up “did you see what kind of gems were opening them?”

“I didn’t see anyone specifically opening them, but it was mostly quartzes and sapphires that handled them.”

he mumbles to himself “yeah I might…” he trails off

She stared at him. “You might?”

“hm? oh!” he turns to you fully “I might know a gem who works with sort of stuff!” he smiles as the train bumps around

Pink Aventurine gasped, her eyes lighting up. “Wait, really?” 

The vial nearly slipped from her hands. “Oh my stars. That would mean everything to me.” She tried to sound casual about it, but there was obvious and undeniable excitement in her face.

he smiled then looked away “so, what were you doing before I found you?”

“I was just talking about this vial to everyone I could find. I’ve had a lot of free time lately, due to….well, it’s human stuff.” She fidgeted with her hat. 

“human stuff? I love human stuff!!” he beams “I mean, I am ¾ths human”

“Well, this wasn’t really fun human stuff. My old human friends went to college, and I went with them just because. After we graduated, though, we went in different directions and never saw each other again. But this was only about…a decade ago.” She shrugged. “I don’t even have a real human ‘job’.”

He thinks, mumbling to himself softly “maybe… we can do some fun stuff when we get to my part of town” he smiles

“Really?” Nobody she had known was this unconditionally caring at first, even though humans were usually way friendlier than gems. It made her wary, but she supposed she should give him a chance. “I’d like that.” 

“Cool!” He beamed, then turned back to the open scenery. “Just a few more hours and we’ll be home” he muttered, but mostly to himself. “So did you ever do anything for fun?”

“Well, of course! I...” Nothing came to mind. She had done plenty of things that she considered important or meaningful, but she couldn’t remember a time where she did things specifically for fun. “...Yeah, I did,” she lied halfheartedly.  

“Watcha got there” said the fusion “is it important?”

Pink Avengurine looked at the vial. “It’s very important…” She paused for a moment, then quickly added, “To me, at least.”

“what’s in it!” he asks, tilting his head

“Well.” She raised the vial for him to see, the pearl inside shifting to the bottom with a soft clink. 

“Oh goodness!” He flinched away “what happened to them!?”

“You can tell me” he said with a tender voice “if you’d like, that is”

Rainbow’s tone was enough to persuade her. After all, it had been years since she’d had somebody to really talk to, and this gem seemed to be friendly. “To be entirely honest,” she shuddered, “I put her here when I was on Homeworld.” Her eyes closed. She liked to think what happened wasn’t her fault, and introspection was never easy for her.

He placed a hand over his mouth “Why would you do that?”

“It sounds awful, I know it does. Please hear me out. She continuously goofed off and broke rules, and I was constantly afraid she’d be punished. I figured if she couldn’t do that, at least until we were in space…She’d be fine.” It sounded like a ridiculous idea to her when she said it aloud.

“well that won’t do! you have to free her” he said, waving his arms around frantically

Her face reddened. “What do you think I’m trying to do? It won’t open, it won’t break, nothing I’ve tried has worked. It sure looks like a fragile container, but it isn’t.”

he takes a closer look “what is it made out of?”

“I can’t tell.” It was transparent, made from only a thin layer of material with the exception of two caps on either end, but it didn’t make any noise as she tapped it.

“I might be able to figure it out… But you’d have to follow me” he took a pause “I’m a long way from home”

“I’m willing to go however far we need to go.” She looked determined.

“Fantastic!!” He beamed “ Lets get to it!” He said as he grabbed her hand and rushed off

The vial was still tight in her other hand, and she smiled. “Yeah, let’s.”

She gasped, stunned, and looked down. Her eyes focused on the ground as it became distant.

he flew until he reached a pair of trian-tracks

As they arrived, she giggled to herself. It had been a while since she’d flown, and she wasn’t sure she had even flown like that. 

“okay! now then, we’ll have to catch the train” he closes his umbrella “but for now we can just follow the train-tracks” he smiled

“Oh, right.” She remembered what she was doing, and proceeded along the tracks. 

She shrugged. “I was coming here to study the planet, but that plan fell through after I got delayed. A lot happened here that presumably nobody was expecting. It’s a busy planet.” 

“Hmm” he listened as he nodded along “do you miss home world?”

“Not really. There wasn’t much to do.” She looked towards the sky. “Our purposes were all we had, but at times, it felt like we didn’t even have that.”

“Well, now you have me!!” He twirled enthusiastically as the tracks started to rumble

Pink Aventurine giggled, her voice audible this time. “You’re not wrong.” Her steps were lighter and more relaxed, though she moved at the same pace. 

“Wha- Okay!” She quickly scampered into an opening in the train.

She thought about her answer for a moment. “Earth…..is not as intricate as I had hoped, in some ways. The system of careers and way time is spent during the day is less than efficient. But, even though Earth could afford to fix a lot, it’s beautiful. I’ve grown to like most humans.”

he swayed his feet “that’s nice” he smiles “do you have a home here?”

“I do, technically, but I move around.” She pulled her hat down out of habit. 

“hmm, why’s that?” he looks over “if you don’t mind me asking”

She looked back at him. “Everything on this planet is temporary. There’s something I find comforting about being able to totally reinvent myself as many times as I want, especially since I’m not entirely sure who I want to be.” Her gaze moved to the ground.

“well, welcome to earth” he smiled at her and then looked at the skyline “it’s such a beautiful place

“Yep.” She hummed to herself, tapping the vial.

“so” he looks at the vail “do you know what that thing was for?”

“I have some sort of an idea. Most of the containers like this that I found already had gems inside, so I assumed they were for storage. I saw them get picked up and taken out of the room, and they always came back empty.” Her hand moved to her gem. “I wasn’t sure what opened them, but clearly they were able to be accessed somehow.” 

“hmm, how curious…” he looked up “did you see what kind of gems were opening them?”

“I didn’t see anyone specifically opening them, but it was mostly quartzes and sapphires that handled them.”

he mumbles to himself “yeah I might…” he trails off

She stared at him. “You might?”

“hm? oh!” he turns to you fully “I might know a gem who works with sort of stuff!” he smiles as the train bumps around

Pink Aventurine gasped, her eyes lighting up. “Wait, really?” 

The vial nearly slipped from her hands. “Oh my stars. That would mean everything to me.” She tried to sound casual about it, but there was obvious and undeniable excitement in her face.

he smiled then looked away “so, what were you doing before I found you?”

“I was just talking about this vial to everyone I could find. I’ve had a lot of free time lately, due to….well, it’s human stuff.” She fidgeted with her hat. 

“human stuff? I love human stuff!!” he beams “I mean, I am ¾ths human”

“Well, this wasn’t really fun human stuff. My old human friends went to college, and I went with them just because. After we graduated, though, we went in different directions and never saw each other again. But this was only about…a decade ago.” She shrugged. “I don’t even have a real human ‘job’.”

He thinks, mumbling to himself softly “maybe… we can do some fun stuff when we get to my part of town” he smiles

“Really?” Nobody she had known was this unconditionally caring at first, even though humans were usually way friendlier than gems. It made her wary, but she supposed she should give him a chance. “I’d like that.” 

“Watcha got there” said the fusion “is it important?”

Pink Avengurine looked at the vial. “It’s very important…” She paused for a moment, then quickly added, “To me, at least.”

“what’s in it!” he asks, tilting his head

“Well.” She raised the vial for him to see, the pearl inside shifting to the bottom with a soft clink. 

“Oh goodness!” He flinched away “what happened to them!?”

“You can tell me” he said with a tender voice “if you’d like, that is”

Rainbow’s tone was enough to persuade her. After all, it had been years since she’d had somebody to really talk to, and this gem seemed to be friendly. “To be entirely honest,” she shuddered, “I put her here when I was on Homeworld.” Her eyes closed. She liked to think what happened wasn’t her fault, and introspection was never easy for her.

He placed a hand over his mouth “Why would you do that?”

“It sounds awful, I know it does. Please hear me out. She continuously goofed off and broke rules, and I was constantly afraid she’d be punished. I figured if she couldn’t do that, at least until we were in space…She’d be fine.” It sounded like a ridiculous idea to her when she said it aloud.

“well that won’t do! you have to free her” he said, waving his arms around frantically

Her face reddened. “What do you think I’m trying to do? It won’t open, it won’t break, nothing I’ve tried has worked. It sure looks like a fragile container, but it isn’t.”

he takes a closer look “what is it made out of?”

“I can’t tell.” It was transparent, made from only a thin layer of material with the exception of two caps on either end, but it didn’t make any noise as she tapped it.

“I might be able to figure it out… But you’d have to follow me” he took a pause “I’m a long way from home”

“I’m willing to go however far we need to go.” She looked determined.

“Fantastic!!” He beamed “ Lets get to it!” He said as he grabbed her hand and rushed off

The vial was still tight in her other hand, and she smiled. “Yeah, let’s.”

She gasped, stunned, and looked down. Her eyes focused on the ground as it became distant.

he flew until he reached a pair of trian-tracks

As they arrived, she giggled to herself. It had been a while since she’d flown, and she wasn’t sure she had even flown like that. 

“okay! now then, we’ll have to catch the train” he closes his umbrella “but for now we can just follow the train-tracks” he smiled

“Oh, right.” She remembered what she was doing, and proceeded along the tracks. 

She shrugged. “I was coming here to study the planet, but that plan fell through after I got delayed. A lot happened here that presumably nobody was expecting. It’s a busy planet.” 

“Hmm” he listened as he nodded along “do you miss home world?”

“Not really. There wasn’t much to do.” She looked towards the sky. “Our purposes were all we had, but at times, it felt like we didn’t even have that.”

“Well, now you have me!!” He twirled enthusiastically as the tracks started to rumble

Pink Aventurine giggled, her voice audible this time. “You’re not wrong.” Her steps were lighter and more relaxed, though she moved at the same pace. 

“Wha- Okay!” She quickly scampered into an opening in the train.

She thought about her answer for a moment. “Earth…..is not as intricate as I had hoped, in some ways. The system of careers and way time is spent during the day is less than efficient. But, even though Earth could afford to fix a lot, it’s beautiful. I’ve grown to like most humans.”

he swayed his feet “that’s nice” he smiles “do you have a home here?”

“I do, technically, but I move around.” She pulled her hat down out of habit. 

“hmm, why’s that?” he looks over “if you don’t mind me asking”

She looked back at him. “Everything on this planet is temporary. There’s something I find comforting about being able to totally reinvent myself as many times as I want, especially since I’m not entirely sure who I want to be.” Her gaze moved to the ground.

“well, welcome to earth” he smiled at her and then looked at the skyline “it’s such a beautiful place

“Yep.” She hummed to herself, tapping the vial.

“so” he looks at the vail “do you know what that thing was for?”

“I have some sort of an idea. Most of the containers like this that I found already had gems inside, so I assumed they were for storage. I saw them get picked up and taken out of the room, and they always came back empty.” Her hand moved to her gem. “I wasn’t sure what opened them, but clearly they were able to be accessed somehow.” 

“hmm, how curious…” he looked up “did you see what kind of gems were opening them?”

“I didn’t see anyone specifically opening them, but it was mostly quartzes and sapphires that handled them.”

he mumbles to himself “yeah I might…” he trails off

She stared at him. “You might?”

“hm? oh!” he turns to you fully “I might know a gem who works with sort of stuff!” he smiles as the train bumps around

Pink Aventurine gasped, her eyes lighting up. “Wait, really?” 

The vial nearly slipped from her hands. “Oh my stars. That would mean everything to me.” She tried to sound casual about it, but there was obvious and undeniable excitement in her face.

he smiled then looked away “so, what were you doing before I found you?”

“I was just talking about this vial to everyone I could find. I’ve had a lot of free time lately, due to….well, it’s human stuff.” She fidgeted with her hat. 

“human stuff? I love human stuff!!” he beams “I mean, I am ¾ths human”

“Well, this wasn’t really fun human stuff. My old human friends went to college, and I went with them just because. After we graduated, though, we went in different directions and never saw each other again. But this was only about...a decade ago.” She shrugged. “I don’t even have a real human ‘job’.”

“Watcha got there” said the fusion “is it important?”

Pink Avengurine looked at the vial. “It’s very important…” She paused for a moment, then quickly added, “To me, at least.”

“what’s in it!” he asks, tilting his head

“Well.” She raised the vial for him to see, the pearl inside shifting to the bottom with a soft clink. 

“Oh goodness!” He flinched away “what happened to them!?”

“You can tell me” he said with a tender voice “if you’d like, that is”

Rainbow’s tone was enough to persuade her. After all, it had been years since she’d had somebody to really talk to, and this gem seemed to be friendly. “To be entirely honest,” she shuddered, “I put her here when I was on Homeworld.” Her eyes closed. She liked to think what happened wasn’t her fault, and introspection was never easy for her.

He placed a hand over his mouth “Why would you do that?”

“It sounds awful, I know it does. Please hear me out. She continuously goofed off and broke rules, and I was constantly afraid she’d be punished. I figured if she couldn’t do that, at least until we were in space…She’d be fine.” It sounded like a ridiculous idea to her when she said it aloud.

“well that won’t do! you have to free her” he said, waving his arms around frantically

Her face reddened. “What do you think I’m trying to do? It won’t open, it won’t break, nothing I’ve tried has worked. It sure looks like a fragile container, but it isn’t.”

he takes a closer look “what is it made out of?”

“I can’t tell.” It was transparent, made from only a thin layer of material with the exception of two caps on either end, but it didn’t make any noise as she tapped it.

“I might be able to figure it out… But you’d have to follow me” he took a pause “I’m a long way from home”

“I’m willing to go however far we need to go.” She looked determined.

“Fantastic!!” He beamed “ Lets get to it!” He said as he grabbed her hand and rushed off

The vial was still tight in her other hand, and she smiled. “Yeah, let’s.”

She gasped, stunned, and looked down. Her eyes focused on the ground as it became distant.

he flew until he reached a pair of trian-tracks

As they arrived, she giggled to herself. It had been a while since she’d flown, and she wasn’t sure she had even flown like that. 

“okay! now then, we’ll have to catch the train” he closes his umbrella “but for now we can just follow the train-tracks” he smiled

“Oh, right.” She remembered what she was doing, and proceeded along the tracks. 

She shrugged. “I was coming here to study the planet, but that plan fell through after I got delayed. A lot happened here that presumably nobody was expecting. It’s a busy planet.” 

“Hmm” he listened as he nodded along “do you miss home world?”

“Not really. There wasn’t much to do.” She looked towards the sky. “Our purposes were all we had, but at times, it felt like we didn’t even have that.”

“Well, now you have me!!” He twirled enthusiastically as the tracks started to rumble

Pink Aventurine giggled, her voice audible this time. “You’re not wrong.” Her steps were lighter and more relaxed, though she moved at the same pace. 

“Wha- Okay!” She quickly scampered into an opening in the train.

She thought about her answer for a moment. “Earth…..is not as intricate as I had hoped, in some ways. The system of careers and way time is spent during the day is less than efficient. But, even though Earth could afford to fix a lot, it’s beautiful. I’ve grown to like most humans.”

he swayed his feet “that’s nice” he smiles “do you have a home here?”

“I do, technically, but I move around.” She pulled her hat down out of habit. 

“hmm, why’s that?” he looks over “if you don’t mind me asking”

She looked back at him. “Everything on this planet is temporary. There’s something I find comforting about being able to totally reinvent myself as many times as I want, especially since I’m not entirely sure who I want to be.” Her gaze moved to the ground.

“well, welcome to earth” he smiled at her and then looked at the skyline “it’s such a beautiful place