Only The Best Ruby

(Continued from here)

They probably looked ridiculous, standing next to each other, the size difference blinding- and Nova has never been the biggest Ruby to begin with- but somehow, with her hands held like that, with Rosie looking at her like that-

She just felt equal. 

Nova returned the smile, her own dark eyes warm and affectionate, her voice dropping into the typical Ruby rasp. 

Slowly, Rosie shook her head at Nova’s words, understanding her anger all too well. She had endured her rage and bitter words, refusing to be disheartened, because she knew adaptation would take time. Rosie’s time to adjust to Earth had been marred by war. She’d been forced to accept the Earth as her shelter before she was ready to accept it, and it was only by befriending a human and being forced to see the reality of her situation that she came to appreciate the Earth. 

“Don’t be silly, Nova,” She sighed, her thumb ghosting lightly over the Ruby’s cheek. “Yes, I’m lost and alone, and I won’t lie, it’s been… difficult these past few weeks, but I can’t blame you for that.”

She let her hand fall, clasping it with her other hand, looking down briefly at the ground. Rose Quartz gems were naturally very compassionate. It would be unfair of her to expect Nova to like this planet at the same pace she herself had. The circumstances were different, so… she was patient. She’d prove this planet’s worth to her friend despite how long it may take. 

“You’re consumed with anger and loss, that’s normal — your entire world was turned onto its head, but you can’t let it control you. You’re seeing this world through your anger, and maybe once that’s… simmered, you’ll be able to see things through a new perspective!”

She wondered, about this endless optimism- she looked at the bigger gem and wondered how it was possible that someone so inherently good could have been considered a threat. Speaking with Rosie and coming face to face with her rooted compassion and affections, Nova was often forced to remember the other Rose Quartzes from the Zoo- her other friends, her allies.

It made her gem ache from the unfairness of it all, and bitter anger bubbled inside, cursing the rebelious Rose Quartz (did she even know how her Rebellion affected the rest of her kind?). 

Yet it didn’t burn inside her as usual. She felt more exhausted, thinking those unkind thoughts and feeling those sharp emotions, and so she just... let it go, for the moment, instead focusing on the gem’s before her. Focusing on her small smile and hopeful face- and gave her a soft, wobbly smile in return, because Rosie just made everything brighter.

Nova knows that tomorrow she might turn back to her surly mood- but right now, for today, the Ruby used the moment of their closeness and stepped close. Now it was her turn to cup Rosie’s face and lean in, gently, slowly, Nova rubbed their cheeks in very familiar manner.

It would be considered scandalous, among her kind, this Nova knew. She was also aware that Rosie didn’t know the many sensitive customs Rubies had, as those interactions happened far away from prying eyes, the red gems usually putting up a tough front in public.

But she didn’t know how else to tell her she appreciated her in every possible way- that she was treasured.

Continued from here.

Nova avoided Rosie’s gaze as she spoke, she just couldn’t look into the gem’s dark, compassionate eyes and not feel shame. This feeling stayed with her even as Rosie cupped her cheek and soothed her with words.

The Ruby heaved a soft sigh and closed her eyes, nuzzling the large palm- but it only made the guilt in her burn deeper. After all, how can R even stand her? In the past, Nova has been so proud of not being as rash and temperamental as other Rubies- it was what granted her Pink Diamond’s favour, after all- but it seemed she had been a bit delusional.

In the past few weeks, Nova felt her temper stretched thin, and anger seemed to bubble constantly under her skin like molten lava. She couldn’t enjoy the sights of the planet around her- she disliked the sun, was annoyed by the birds’ songs.

She detested any signs of human civilization.

It made her snappy and irritable and not a good company at all- and yet Rosie never raised her voice, never told her to get lost. She weathered Nova’s temper with endless kindness and patience, and in the moments when the Ruby had finally exhausted her fire, she could see how unfair she was being to her oldest friend.

To her only friend.

  “And I’M more experienced where TRAITORS and REBELS are concerned!!” The soldier all but snarled back, arms gesturing wildly towards the sky for no reason other than she had no idea what else to do with them. She just knew that if she didn’t do something with them, she’d end up lunging at the other with every intention of beating her dumb face into the dumb earth sand!! 

     Stars above, how did Nova not get this??? Regardless of whether the Steven was Rose Quartz or not, Homeworld wouldn’t care!! Sure, perhaps inviting the leader of the rebellion that waged war against them for thousands of years into their pack was a tad bit more incriminating than just inviting some human into their pack, but the latter situation was still cause enough for shattering. Or- worse, retraining. 

     “Leave him alone, Nova. That’s an order.” 

“...And what are you going to do if I refuse?” she asked her quietly “If I disobey? Punish me? Report me to the supervisor? Kick me out from the squad (which I am not part of anymore)? Shatter me?” She crossed her arms and looked to the side for a moment, staring at nothing with slightly troubled expression.

“Eebee. You know that right now, I am that too? A traitor, a rebel? At least, that’s what Homeworld will definitelly think. A ruby, reported shattered on the battlefield, suddenly seen alive and well and whole on a Crystal Gem controlled planet?” She let out soft, unhappy laugh.

“They will take you all home- you guys just say you are prisoners and you are all clear. Me? I would be crushed on sight- or taken back and put on a trial. Harvested.” Nova sighed softly.

     @redgemcasanova continued from [ x ] 

     “He’s not a pebble! He’s a human!!” A pebble implied a young gem- naive, wet behind the ears, near useless in a fight but still a gem. The Steven was NOT a gem- not really!! He was- he was a hybrid. An ABOMINATION, created by none other than the traitorous Rose Quartz!! He was, quite frankly, the last human on this entire PLANET that Nova should be talking to, let alone teaching their customs to!!!  

     Honestly, the fact that Nova hadn’t considered that was ASTOUNDING!! Nova was smart- smarter than any ruby 4ND had ever met before, and she was loyal. Hadn’t she realised yet that treating the Steven as one of their own was, for all intents and purposes, TREASON?? 

“He is a pebble,” Nova stressed again, frown on her face “Or, a cub- human cub. Litte pebble. Bit of both really.”

Sighing deeply through her nose, she could see that Eebee’s displeasure with the situation was reaching new heights. But really- was it only because Steven was so different from them, or because of his connections to Rose Quartz? To be honest, Nova was actually tempted to teach Eebee how exactly are humans made- and what exactly Rose Quartz had to do for Steven to exist.

It’s not like Nova was feeling fondness for the late Rebel leader- quite the opposite really- but she looked at Steven and saw a small child, who just wants to be given a chance. 

Nova will give him that chance. Will give him the tools to not offend the Ruby matriarch by accident.

Quite frankly, Nova had wondered when it will finally come to this. She knew she was technically pushing boundaries by being friendly to the hybrid cub- but honestly? She was just so tired of these hostilities.

In her experience, Rubies weren’t naturally hostile gems- sure, they had a short temper, and liked to scream and brawl- but there has always been a respect and honour, one extended even towards an enemy.

And so she crossed her arms as she faced her friend right back, chin raised high and back straight. She was much smaller than Eebee- and if Eebee really wished it, she would be able to ground Nova’s face into dirt no problem. Nova was already toeing the line by disrespecting her elder.

But Eebee didn’t take up the role of the matriarch, nor she tried to overthrown the current Captain for the position of a leader.

Not yet at least.

Oh jeez.

There were a lot of rules when it came to being a Ruby, weren’t there?

Steven was having some trouble keeping up with all the greetings Nova was trying to show him, but he ran them over in his mind, trying to remember everything, and he looked thoughtful for a moment, before slowly, he repeated what she told him.

“Okay, so… nose to ear is ‘hello’ when you’re seeing someone you know well enough.” Steven noted, slowly nodding. “bottom of the jaw up slowly is when you haven’t seen someone in a while… got that one too…” 

That all made sense at least.

“So… lightly touching cheeks is when you barely know someone? So, that’s how I’d greet the other rubies right? But for Garnet’s Ruby, it’d be the first or second, right?” Steven guessed. He doubted the other Rubies would be okay with surprise cheek rubs from him anyway — well, Leggy and Navy might not mind so much, but the others..?

“I think I got it.” 

The topic on Matriarchs and packs and platoons was more than a little confusing, though, and Steven rubbed his head, trying to process everything. He blinked, furrowing his eyebrows. Jeez… “I didn’t know Ruby rules were so complicated.. you guys have a real sense of community going on, huh?” That was nice, though!

“So Eyeball’s the oldest? That…does make sense. She was in the war, I don’t think the others were? Well, except for you, but I meant the platoon.”

“For your Ruby, you’d do the first two gestures, yeah.” She grinned, rubbing her nose lightly.

“But you’d do it for both of her cheeks. That’s what Fledglings do for their... well, mentors I guess. There isn’t a really a word for it. But it’s the older Ruby, that sorta takes you in? Protects you- teaches you. Could be a Captain, could be a Matriarch- but really, it’s any Ruby that is at least a five hundred years older than you.” Her grin widened and she leaned forwards, ruffling his hair messily.

“And until you are fifty years old, you are a Fledgling~!”

Easing her grin into a smile, Nova shrugged lightly, a bit sympathetic. “Well learning from a scratch like this, it seems complicated, but really it’s not, once you put it to practice. But yeah! Rubies are pretty close with each other- it’s just in our nature.” Here she turned a bit somber, sighing.

“...That’s actually the worst that can happen to a Ruby, you know? To be alone, I mean. And I don’t mean it just from like, alone alone. It’s when you loose your platoon- or when you loose your pack. Being around other Rubies helps with that but... It remains within us.

She crossed her arms, falling silent for a moment, keeping her gaze at nothing in particular.

“...It was why the War was particularly bad for Rubies. So many shattered... And I don’t mean that from Homeworld side, I mean it from Crystal Gems side too. Loosing someone from your platoon- or your pack, It’s just...” She faltered and then shook her head.

“Well, don’t worry. Your secret is safe with me.” Sheena offered with a wry grin in return, rolling her eyes faintly. She didn’t care. She’d been planning on leaving shortly, anyway, until Nova made her appearance. 

It wasn’t that the party was boring or she didn’t like the music, she just hadn’t been feeling it that night, and thoughts of her comfortable bed back home were influencing her pretty heavily. Good company could stave off her desire to sleep for a while at least, and it would be rude to just leave in the middle of their conversation, wouldn’t it?

No, she’d stay for a little longer.

“Yeah but more of a pastel blue than electric, though, I DID consider bright blue, since I like standing out, I went with a lighter blue. I just liked the colour a little more.” Sheena confessed, shrugging faintly. 

She lightly tugged at a lock of her pink hair thoughtfully, smiling lightly at Nova’s words. Well, that was something, wasn’t it? It was nice to be complimented, and she was glad other people seemed to like her hair. Allowing the hair to fall back into place, she blinked as Nova lifted herself with ease and sat herself onto the table, only to let a faint smirk grace her features as she set a hand upon her hip.

“Nice moves.” 

Sheena swirled her drink around in her cup thoughtfully, letting out a soft hum as she thought. “I guess I do. My hair’s dark brown, originally. It was too plain for me, so I figured I’d mess about with it. I’ve tried all sorts. I’ve been stuck on pink for a while now.” 

Pursing her lips slightly, Sheena leaned in, squinting at Nova’s hair. Huh. That was pretty tough.

“I’m no hair stylist, but… I’ve heard light blues go pretty well with red.”

Blue... well it certainly wasn’t a colour Nova had considered. Still, curiosity peaked, she made a mental note to try out some blue later; she was sure that Steven would be more than helpful in finding the right hue. Not that Nova was really sure she would be able to dye her hair, as it was in fact physical manifestation of light- but maybe she could try experimenting none the less? Maybe even try to shift some colour herself.

(If they are able to have white, yellow and blue on their uniform, why not on the rest of their bodies?)

“Who knows then,” she commented eventually, giving a coy smile “I might go for blue. And when we meet next time, you can tell me how it looks.” It was not at all subtle hint that there could be next time, and she wondered how the woman will take the offer.

“Say... You are not that much surprised by my looks in general.” Nova hummed after a moment “I guess you met a gem before?” It was only logical- and she had to meet a Ruby, that was given, if she didn’t think Nova’s height was odd.

"Stay with me. Come on, just a little longer."

"You're gonna be fine, okay? You... You'll be fine."

"No. Oh, no. No no no. This can't happen. No. You can't die."

"Shush, just concentrate on staying awake, okay? Don't sleep."

"Oh my god... Don't give up! You can't give up!"

"You can make it through this. I know you can. Y-you have to..."

"Where did they shoot you!? Where did they sh-- Oh... Oh, god... Oh please no..."

"The doctor explained everything to me... I... I can't just let you go like this. I need you."

"Oh, god. Please be alive. Please still be alive."

"There's nothing they can do. I-- I'm so sorry."

"No. They're wrong. They're wrong, okay? You're not gonna die."

"Please, fight this. You have to fight it. You have to live."

"Don't die... Don't die on me. Please..."

"Listen to my voice, okay? I need you to stay with me. I'm bringing you to the hospital."

"I wish I could tell you everything was going to be fine..."

"Come on, now. You've lived through worse than this. Just... Just live through this too."

“I guess.” Steven conceded, smiling faintly. It was nice of her to try to cheer him up like that. He still felt as though there was a lot on his plate, but it seemed to feel more… manageable now, somehow. She’d helped a little bit, and he definitely appreciated that. He’d just take things as they came now, in his own steven-y way! 

“Of course I’ve got you! B-But only if you’re okay with it. I’d LIKE to have you helping me… I mean, I like you Nova, and you nicknamed me! So, we’re definitely bonding now!” 

Speaking of nicknames… what?

He got to be an… honorary Ruby?

Steven let out a soft gasp at this news, his eyes positively shining. Oh! This meant the next time he saw Garnet Ruby, he could greet her like a real Ruby! She’d be so surprised… He already couldn’t wait. Grinning in clear anticipation, Steven nodded slightly before blinking as she began to rub their cheeks together. Oh — she was very warm and.. it kind of tickled.

Unable to stop a guffaw leaving his lips, Steven grinned goofily, trying to replicate the motion as best as he could. So Rubies liked to rub cheeks? It was hard to imagine Rubies like Eyeball enjoying this contact, but… it seemed very Ruby specific, so maybe in private? He was still breaking through her tough shell, after all.

“The matriarch? So… like the leader? Or the oldest? How do I tell?” 

She grinned at that guffaw, happy that it cheered him up- and then her grin widened when he beamed at her, eyes shining. Seeing he tried to repeat the motion she laughed, nuzzling him again, this time slower, starting with her nose gently rubbing near his and dragging it closer to his ear.

“This is the standard greeting~ It’s when you didn’t see each other only briefly, so it’s like ‘hello’ or ‘welcome back’ you could say. Now when you go like this- as the younger Ruby, mind you-”

She turned her head so the motion came more from the bottom of his jaw up, going much slower than the first gesture.

“-That’s for when you haven’t seen each other quite a while, sort of like ‘I’m glad you are back’.” She didn’t mention the high mortality of Rubies, guessing it would be too grim to add.

“Now though, when you are entering a group with Rubies you are not in the group with and never really interacted on like, close bonds level, you greet them like this.”

This time she angled her head so only their cheeks touched- it was clear that should he wished to, he could have pulled away before they even connected.

“Now that is more formal. Sorta like, very polite way of introducing yourself, or just greeting another Ruby.” At his question she blinked and shrugged a little.

“Well it depends. You see, there are like platoons set by Homeworld- and then there are... well, lets call them ‘packs’. Platoons are lead by Captains- packs are lead by Matriarchs. Usually the whole platoon is in the same pack- but the Captain doesn’t have to necessarily be the Matriarchs. And yeah, Matriarchs are the oldest gems- of course, not every Matriarch leads a pack and can do the like whole lone gem thing. Usually it’s that the older the gem, the paler red they are”

“I think it was standard that a platoon could have seven soldiers tops? Well, pack can have up to fourteen- so yeah, that could be two platoons in the same pack, with the small difference that there is only one Matriarch but two Captains. Does that make sense a bit?”

“...That is a very excelent idea, strange person!” Nova snaps her fingers, grinning. “You hear that, Eebee? I am a red Sapphire now.”

     “………WHAT??” That made NO SENSE!! “YOU CAN’T JUST STOP BEING A RUBY!!” 

“Sure I can.” She rubbed her nails on the front of her uniform, staring at them thoughtfully and completely chill. “Just watch me.”

     “Of COURSE I don’t!!!” It wasn’t exactly a secret!!!

Scowling harder, the other red gem looked a second from arguing against it- before her expression cleared into nonchalance, and she crossed her arms almost haughtily, sniffing.

“Fine then. I am going on a strike- right now I am not a Ruby.”

     “Because he’s not a Ruby, Nova!”

The Ruby scowled.

“That never mattered before! And Sapphire isn’t a Ruby either- yet you don’t mind her knowing the customs, do you? Hypocrite.”

She narrowed her eyes at her.

     @redgemcasanova

Nova: He’s a sweet cub and I like him, stop being a grump

     -GRUMPING INTENSIFIES- 

She huffs at her, cocking her hip and crossing her arms as well.