#gemling verse

Amethyst could get agitated from time to time, like any of them, but she didn’t often escalate to full-blown panic.  Granted, this was because she usually didn’t care enough about a given thing to get that invested.  If her friends and family weren’t in danger...it was hard to get her bothered these days.  But her daughters and their well-being absolutely pushed that button and she was in a frenzy.

Pearl had been shaken by Iris’ close call; of course she had.  Not only was Iris part of the family, but Pearl had also g.rown especially close to her over the years.  It was a little easier for her to look at the positives, though.  That usually wasn’t her strong suit, but...maybe it helped that she wasn’t Iris’ mother.  Or maybe it helped that she had seen for herself - in heartbreaking clarity - just how much more badly things could have ended.

She’d talked to Amethyst first.  Mostly because Amethyst had been a little easier to find, but they had an easier and more casual relationship.  Had it done any lasting good?  Only time would tell, but she had to try to help her friends somehow.  She understood what they were feeling and why but she hated to see them continuing to torture themselves over something that couldn’t be changed now.

Dottie beamed, rocking back and forth from the heels to toes of her little socked feet.  “IT’S MOTHER’S DAY.”  Finally, it seemed to occur to her she didn’t need to shout now that she had Peridot’s full attention.  The little peridot giggled, flinging herself at Peridot to hug her, and then grinned, pulling something out of her pocket.  “Iris and Violet went to find Mama and then we’re gonna have a party, see?”  She handed Peridot the picture she’d pulled from her pocket, slightly crumpled by its journey.  It was a crayon drawing of their little family, and the hearts she’d added might have been a bit excessive, covering the figures, but the intent was clear.

Training with Connie was always refreshing.  Though Pearl very much enjoyed the joint sessions with Steven, his strength was defense.  And Connie’s was definitely offense.  It was the perfect pairing, really.  So while she worked the two of them together to refine their skills, sometimes she tried individual sessions when she wanted to try something new.  And...well, Connie always did seem to enjoy new sword tactics, especially now that she’d advanced to being able to wield Rose’s sword without difficulty.

Topaz had been known Steven for a while now, even got to introduce him to Amber( despite Garnet’s disapproval) and their gemlings when they came around. He had heard about Steven reviving Pink Diamond and the new treaty between Earth and Homeworld. Garnet had gotten to reunite with Blue Diamond, and Jasper was mostly back to normal. Today, Topaz and Amber had stopped by Steven’s house

It wasn’t as if she was entirely unfamiliar with the concept of pain.  She was an amethyst, after all, and despite the fact that her tastes turned toward the sciences and her introspective nature didn’t lead her to much trouble, Iris did enjoy a good wrestling match with her sisters.  All that pent-up energy had to go somewhere.  

This, however, was an entirely different situation from Violet accidentally biting her too hard or Dottie’s elbow in her ribs.  

It had been clear that trouble with Homeworld was on the horizon for some time now.  They had allies there, definitely, and more than ever before.  But White and Yellow Diamond…well, even if they got Blue on their side, one out of three might not be enough.  Whether this attack had been related to that or perhaps a rogue gem trying to impress her Diamond, Iris couldn’t tell.  But the small research center the Crystal Gems had set up had been ransacked and for all the fight training she’d had, an adolescent gem trained mostly to defend herself stood no match against a hardened quartz warrior.  And Iris had been alone, reading in her favorite nook.

The injuries were serious, but they hadn’t forced her to give up her form.  She probably should have, but doing so voluntarily was far from her mind as panic took over.  She was scared and she was hurting and as much as she’d been seeking some temporary peace from her family in coming here, now she wanted them more than ever.