Spinel accepted the purple gem's hand and pulled herself up. "Thank... you. I'm Spinel." she hesitated slightly in her words, this being the first time she had ever spoken. Her voice was high and wispy, as one might expect. Spinel took note of the red and blue gems arguing, both trying to convince the other young gems that they, meaning the blue or red gem exclusively, were the ones who were really here for the young gems' benefit. Spinel understood what she had to do now, she needed to find out who the true leader was. But how was she going to go about this? She needed to start by asking the right questions. She left her new companion and approached the blue gem who had just been speaking. "Excuse me. You said we need to do what we feel is right? What did you mean by that? I understood everything else you said, but I'm not familiar with that word. What do you mean by 'feel?'"

For an indefinite amount of time, the orange Gem fought with herself, pulling her mind this way and that, unable to focus on a single course of action as she ignored the voices outside. Stay and live amongst the stones? Follow the Aquamarine? Fight the Aquamarine? She wasn't sure where the last line came from, but there was this feeling in the corner of her thoughts that told her not to trust the blue gem. The suspicion was unfounded so far, however much it existed within her. It was as if there was something missing, something that would help her understand what she needed to do, but was absent from her psyche.

As she pondered her thoughts, the unfamiliar sound of steps upon some sort of glass-like surface met her ears. Before she knew it, a shadow loomed at the entrance to her cave of solitude. When she raised her head to gaze upon their figure, it was no other than the subject of her thoughts, Aquamarine. The Gem quickly scrambled from her place on the ground, greeting her visitor with a simple "Hello," unable to think of anything else at the time before Aqua dropped a proverbial bomb onto her psyche. "Are you alright Citrine?" The now named Citrine froze, as if stuck within time, any follow-up statements lost within a single intake of breath. That was a vital piece of information she had been mulling over for quite sometime. Thankfully, the Aquamarine gave it to her before she had to ask. A tinge of heat flushed her cheeks, as well as a fluttering feeling in her chest. After a few moments, Citrine understood the sensations to be from "embarrassment"

"I'm sorry I didn't get to you sooner. You don't have to stay here all alone. If you'll let me, I just want to help you learn and keep you safe but the choice is yours. I will answer any questions you need." In response, the orange Gem crossed her arms, tapping her foot on the ground as a frown shown within her features in a startling contrast of confident impatience from the previously seen witlessness of her curled up form. However, unseen under her translucent glasses, her amber orbs shivered with untouched timidity, fear and anticipation within. "If you're willing, then please explain the purpose of a Ge-

Her sentence would be left unsaid, as a venerable bolt of lightning struck behind Aqua, quickly forming into another gem, abit a greener shade than the cerulean gem they hid behind. Listening to the conversation, she picked out a smidgen of it that seemed important: Homeworld Gems. As Aquamarine absconded from the hole, leaving the green gem behind, Citrine moved to tap their shoulder, only to be surprised by a zap of static electricity and was caused to recoil from the pain."Hello ther- Ack! ...Fellow Gem. What did you and Aquamarine mean by, 'Homeworld Gems'? Are they a different species of Gem from us who were born from these rocks?" Unintentionally, she completely ignored the speeches given by Bloodstone and Aquamarine in favor of hearing Verdelite's response.

@Akayaofthemoon@EnterTheHero

Vert cringed as Orange Gem- now on the ground, thankfully, or not, hard to say just yet- touched her, and she felt the sparks from her body leap at the contact. She frowned- she was going to have to rein this in if she was going to coexist with anyone or anything, much less other Gems. She turned to face Orange Gem, who looked to be feeling rather fearful and timid herself. In spite of herself, Vert felt some of her own distress dissipate as she sympathized with her distress.

I suppose she is a Newborn- she's probably quite confused, what with no one around to tell her what she's for. She felt another twinge of anger at Homeworld at that thought, then focused on addressing Orange's concerns.

"Different species...? Uh, no, I don't think so, but--" She flinched suddenly as she was cut off by a very loud "PEW" noise very close to her, and she turned sharply toward the source of the sound to see Other Green, his eyes still glowing brightly. She followed where his gaze went, and noticed a scorch mark on the wall, just above his head. Vert turned back to Other Green, raising an eyebrow and backing away from him by a few inches.

Note to self: do not let Other Green look directly at you. She shook her head, almost imperceptibly, then turned back to Orange and continued on.

"As I was saying, they're not a different species. Probably... but they may as well be. It's not a matter of creation or chemical makeup, it's about temperament. Homeworld has rules, see, and bad things happen when you break those rules. And there's a lot of rules- rules about who you are, what you're allowed to do, to feel, to think, all because of how you're built, and what purpose they decided for you before you were even made. Homeworld tells you what to do and expects you to do it, and then punishes you if you refuse or fail to do what you're told. They're... unfriendly. I know that from experience.

"But these ones," she said, gesturing at Aqua, Sodalite, and Red Gem, "they don't act like that, do they? I mean, when's the last time you were hugged by-- right, Newborn, stupid question to ask of you. Look, my point is, these Gems are acting like they actually care about you and the rest of us. And I've never seen Homeworld care about anything but itself. I wouldn't trust any of those Gems as far as I could throw 'em."

She looked back down at where Aqua and Red Man Gem- now to be known as Blood... something, she couldn't quite catch it- were conversing. She looked square at Blood-thingie, still terrified, but there was another thing rising up in her, something she hadn't felt in a long time: anger. It felt kinda good- better than the fear, anyway. She swallowed, and then, hoping she wasn't interrupting anything, and shouted down to the Homeworld group.

"You hear that, Blood... rock... something? I-I'm not listening to you anymore! So... s-so please just, g-go away, and leave me- us- alone!" She paused for a long time after shouting this, suddenly feeling very self-conscious, and stepped back next to Orange, still shaking and sparking erratically.

Not too close to Orange, then...

@ianzerep@Kronshi

There she was sitting down in the booth in the back contemplating this new information that she was just told. In truth, Topaz felt bad for running away from this man especially after she had just spawned TO NOT BE ALONE someone and not be alone anymore. As she was saying this to herself she heard the weird man that she remembered as Mars huffing. " Is.. Is he crying." As this revelation hit her she suddenly felt a wave of dread pass through her. "I hurt him. I remember that feeling all to well...I don't know who this Zoe character is, but I wont let anyone feel like this!" As she made her proclamation (a bit to loud as the people's faces around her told her) she could hear him start to compose himself and apparently put on a face. Topaz stood up with a newfound conviction and made her way over to Mars with a passion she had never know until this day (granted she was less then 45 minutes old) and walked over to the sad gem. "My name is Topaz by the way, and I don't know who this Zoe person is, but if I can help I will. I know I'm kinda new at this but I never want anyone to feel sad," as she said this she extended her hand at the defeated looking gem she would now call friend (hopefully).

@Raijinslayer

She did all she could to think things out. They needed to get moving. Homeworld was here, Bloodstone, the pompous commander he was, was here, and now all of the gemlings were being forced to pick sides It wasn't fair, not to them. It wasn't fair to have them pick a side unknowingly moments after their awakening. There would always be those thoughts, those connections, that would keep them there, but make them longing to change sides afterwards. As cool and collected as Bloodstone might have been, he was still the Homeworld watcher of Earth, making sure that all of these gems lived to do nothing other and serve the purpose they were created for.

On the other hand, it was still too early to present them with all of the options that earth had available to them. the same problem would arise. She did all she could, but she knew that thinking was her strong spot. She looked to Aquamarine, staying close, but still wanting to usher the gemlings that they had to safety before things would inevitably get hectic.

Chromite's eyes immediately darted to the source of the projectile that had just flown past her commanding officer. She nearly readied her shield but stopped herself, as she didn't want to ruin their chances by making the other young gems thinking she was going into battle mode. She still had to perform her primary duty however, which was to protect her commander and any gems who had expressed loyalty to Homeworld. "Do you think I should go have a talk with that one, Commander? she asked calmly. "I know he's probably nothing to be alarmed over, but it's probably best to be sure that he isn't hostile.

Just as Sphene stepped around the corner to show herself, a small energy shot of some kind zapped the wall dangerously close to Bloodstone. Startled by the light and sound of the bolt as well as just how many Gems were in the area, she squeaked and ducked instinctively. Titanite stones weren't tough enough for firefights! When she realized that no more shots were coming, she straightened up and assessed the crowd carefully. This was...not was she was expecting. Everything seemed to be in disarray, with more beings showing up and leaving all the time, and many acting unusual or overwrought. As Bloodstone and Aquamarine exchanged words with each other, she tried to keep an eye on the ones that had been with her earlier. It was nearly useless. They all seemed to scatter in different directions, mixing in with the new Gems.

Sighing, she quickly gave up and decided to just listen to the respective leaders instead. They both made good points, and true, Bloodstone hadn't exactly been honest about his relationship with Aquamarine earlier, but no one on his side had behaved recklessly like the green gem on her's had. As for the supposedly atrocious acts committed by Homeworld, well, why should an Aquamarine be the judge of means taken by a higher power with only the desire to look out for the greater interests of their own kind? If to conform, maybe even to be subjugated was their lot in existence, why rebel? It would only leave her without a purpose too. She decided then and there that being small and useful was better than feeling big and yet being absolutely pointless.

Sphene stepped forward. Now she was just a bit behind where Bloodstone was sitting and could be seen easily. "I claim allegiance to Commander Bloodstone, for he claims allegiance to my Homeworld." she stated firmly. "If what you said is true, though," she turned to Aquamarine and inclined her head in respect. "I thank you for watching over us all the same. I wish we did not have to split ourselves like this, but it appears unavoidable." The strange tone in her words seemed to increase gem dispersion, she noticed. Was it a symptom of some sort of power?

As Bloodstone sat there watching the gems, he noticed most asked Aquamarine questions instead of him. Then again, they were on her side so it's fine if they start to doubt her. It was getting boring though, and Blood was certainly ready to leave but a green gem had other ideas. He didn't take to kindly to being shot at so he looked up at the gem, giving them a death glare only to realize what kind of gem it was. "No, don't worry Chromite. It's simply an Emerald. I mean sure, he may appear to be masculine but I'm sure his powers are still weak. What's the worst that could happen if he actually hit me?"

Bloodstone stood up, ready to leave, when another interruption occurred. The other green gem, the Verdelite, spoke. How quaint that one of his kind could make complete sentences, much less give a speech. An Era-3 Verdelite. I thought all the ones formed on Earth were failed. This just got interesting. Of course, before he could voice anything yet another gem had to speak out. At least this time it was one of his own and they were claiming allegiance. This was perfect, Aqua's gems were spreading doubt while his were gaining faith in him. Blood approached the Verdelite and inadvertently Aquamarine, keeping his hands behind his back. "Does it look like I'm controlling anyone? As was just shown, Chromite and my new recruit are willing to serve me by their own will. And all the newborns here have that same option. I won't force them to join me by taking them away before the person he put them there shows up. It would be different if it was her job to retrieve you, but it isn't. It's mine. So, join her if you wish but know that I'll always be willing to take you in and teach you what true power is. You can even leave me afterwards if you don't like how I do things. Although, if you dare actively rebel against me and halt my activities here on Earth, Bloodstone extended his hand and gripped the energy around Vert. He then pulled the gem to him, looking him straight in the eyes, "I will make sure it is the last thing you do."

Bloodstone dropped the gem and began to walk away. He had said what he needed to. There were no more reasons for him to remain in this wretched place plagued by rebel scum. "Come on Chromite, Recruit, and anyone else who wishes to follow my leadership. There was a gem energy heading towards town from here. It may have been a corrupted gem." He leans over and whispers to Chromite, "If we're lucky." Blood walked away, not wanting to remain in this place any longer letting any that wished to follow him, do so.

Vert flinched as Blood-whatever walked up to her, calmly, deceptively friendly. Emphasis on "deceptively-" she knew Homeworld. She knew Gems like him, like the ones who'd made her, treated her the way they did. He could talk all he liked about "true power" and how it was his "job" to take them in, but she wasn't going to listen- just because it was his job didn't mean he was any good at it. And it didn't mean she was going to let him. She stared at him, scared still, terrified, even... but with another edge to it as well, one of anger, hostility, and rage. He must have seen something of that, because his last words were a threat, coupled with him grabbing her and pulling her to his face, threatening to destroy her if she got in his way.

He dropped her before walking away casually. Vert, however, had had enough. Scared took a backseat to angry, and she stood, glaring at his retreating back.

"I don't need you..." She took a deep breath, then called out stronger. "You hear? I don't need you! And I never will! I know enough about you and your kind already! I know how you work, and I know what you do! And sooner or later, the rest of your 'loyal' Gems will, too! You can't lie forever, red bastard! They'll know how you operate soon enough- they'll know what I know!" She spat in his direction, though he was already too far away for it to hit him, so she merely spat on the ground in his general direction.

"Keep your offer of 'power' to yourself- I already know where that leads. I'll take my chances elsewhere."

She breathed deeply, feeling more awake, feeling something assert itself- something that hadn't been a part of her for a long time, because she'd been to asleep to feel it. She was starting to feel more like herself again. She walked back over to Orange Gem, brushing herself off.

"See?" she said to the other Gem, "That's how Homeworld operates. Fall in line or be crushed under their heel. Trust me on this- you don't want anything to do with his type. Those other Gems... they're gonna regret this decision, that much I can assure you."

@ianzerep

Carmen stood - rather awkwardly - while waiting for Maeve to finish signing off on whatever it was in that package. There was a great deal of chaos and confusion from the gems emerging from the earth (were those lasers?!) and he had no intention of sticking around longer than he had to. It left a bad taste in his mouth to leave a girl like Maeve out her on her own... But she'd clearly come out here for a reason, and taking a swing in the dark, he suspected that the this emergence of humanoids was it. The appearance of yet more gems, these from somewhere other than the lifeless stone of the canyon, seemed to cause a disturbance with Big Blue, and Carmen's sense of urgency only grew stronger. He quickly took the package from Maeve once she was done, then turned to look for an exit route. There were those big machines set up all over the place, so maybe... Yeah, that one was close enough. Carmen gave Maeve a small nod, turned, then raised his arm to take aim--

"Wha-- Hey!" The albino man grunted, suddenly being dragged away by someone else. He had the faintest inkling of seeing this guy before, but he was a little too preoccupied with being manhandled to really place it. Having been in such an awkward position, and being on such rough terrain, it took Carmen a good few minuets to get into a position to yank himself away from the other person trying to lead him out. He righted himself, straightened out his jacket, and looked between Maeve and this new young man... Who introduced himself as Reginald Dorvain. Carmen sighed and turned to make sure they were out of most of the mess before regarding the other man before him.

"Look, I appreciate you trying to help, but I've got ways of getting out of bad spots a lot quicker than just walking. I'm a bit of--"

Wait.

The Dorvain? Carmen stared at the stranger, eyes practically glowing behind his mask, before he lifted it to give the other person a good look. He suddenly realized where he'd seen this guy before, and excitement welled up inside him, the gems and danger quickly forgotten.

"Did you say Dorvain? Weapon's mastermind, technological industry leader, guy with all the reverse-engineered Gem tech that'd make any college student's mouth water?"

@Akayaofthemoon @Raijinslayer

Mars

"Well that's good, we don't want the general screaming our ears off because his Top weapon manufacturer lost a family member due to being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Keep me posted on the situation."

Just as Mars finished talking to Candice, he felt a presence approaching him, turning to see it was the newborn from earlier. He couldn't help but smile at her attempt to cheer him up, despite not knowing a thing about him besides what she had managed to hear him say(which was a bit embarrassing, as he honestly didn't like showing that kind of vulnerability, but given where his break down had decided to strike, he just had to deal with it for now), and gladly took her hand as he stood himself up, giving it a nice and firm shake.

"That's a great attitude to have Topaz, and the fact that it's one of your own thoughts makes you a really kind person. So, since I don't have anything to do currently, is there anything you want to know? I don't know much about Gems, but if you've got a question about humans, I can almost certainly tell you about it. Also, is there anything yet that you've figured out about yourself yet?" Mars decided to try and help the gem acclimate to things, trying to get her to ask questions as well as trying to get her to find out things about herself. More than anything though, he knew that he wasn't going to let the General try and turn her into what he had turn Mars into. He couldn't imagine Topaz hurting a fly, and he didn't want her or any of the newborns to ever be put in a situation where they had to, which would certainly be the case if the General had anything to say about it, if he didn't decide to just send in a miniature army to capture them all that is. That being said, there are Blue and red to consider, so that could be enough to keep the General from taking drastic action. . . at least, I hope it's enough.

@Veiled Angel@Guardian Angel Haruki



"Okay, how about Starburst? Because your freckles look like a bunch of stars just burst up all over your face. It's cuuuuuuuuuuuuuuooooooooool, yeah, super-cool, wish I had them, how'd you get them and, follow-up question, what were you doing talking to that Blue Gem back there? Sorry for spying, but you don't see many gems around, like, ever, so to see one come out of nowhere like that was too rare an opportunity to miss." Reggie said as he walked the two up a path that was slightly hidden by the cliff face that would wind around a bit before depositing them in an area again over-looking the chasm, though it was a bit of ways off from the current congregation of Gems. It was around here that, upon the other guy's protests, that Reggie to a closer look at the other, much less drop-dead gorgeous human he had dragged away from the possible conflict. First, this guy was tall. Reggie himself was around 6ft even, and this guy stood above him by a noticeable margin. Second, this guy was an honest to god Albino. Third, he had a hook launch mounted to his arm, knife around his neck, and a creepy as fuck mask. In total, Reggie was a bit intimidated by this person at first, but as soon as he saw the way the man reacted to the name Dorvain, his fears were wiped away by the look of enlightenment as he realized that this tall, pale man was, in fact, a kindred spirit.

"Yes. . . and No, my good sir. You see, I believe you're thinking of my father, who I help from time to time with my own inventions and theories. I do, however, have access to nearly all of the high-tech gear one could ask for, except for the most classified stuff, of course. I sense that you might be interested in taking a gander at it, am I right?" Reggie face was currently in a wide grin as he thought of all the fun he would have with having someone to show off all of his current inventions and schematics. All in all, this is shaping up to be an awesome day. Got a few more power gems to much with, saw a shit ton of Gems, got to meet a cute girl, and may even have found an engineering buddy. If this is a dream, then nobody better fucking pinch me right now

@Akayaofthemoon@BrassOtter

Candice chuckled at his mention of the General screaming their ears off and she answered his request to keep him in the loop before she turned her attention back to the screen.

"You got it,"

She watched as Blue's friends tried to usher some of the gems away, only for Red to appear and start putting in a lot of charismatic effort to make Blue seemed like a bad guy. Blue on the other hand seemed calm and patient and came forward with facts while stating that she did what she could to protect them, and she was willing to let them make their own decision. She told Mars over the communicator, "Looks like you were on to something about Red, Mars. He is really trying to paint Blue as a bad guy and get the new gems on his side. He threatened one of the new gems who was screaming about him deceiving the others. Blue on the other hand remains an unknown, but at least they're not giving as much of a bad vibe as Red is,"

She continued listening until Red spoke up, telling Chromite that they were going to head into Mohs Town due to an energy signal that headed from the Kindergarten and into town. Her eyes wide, she realized that he could be talking about the newborn Mars met, and/or Mars himself. She touched the communicator and she warned him, her voice filled with dread, "Mars. Red's coming over to Mohs Town. He said there was a gem energy heading from the Kindergarten to Mohs Town. It may be the gem you spoke to, or a corrupted gem. I'm coming to the town. I'll be right there!" She was worried. She was worried that the Red gem would try to deceive Mars while he was still grieving, or worse, hurt him and everyone in Mohs Town, just to get the new gem that Mars met.

After she gave him the warning, she landed the drone, turned off the tablet and hurried into town with the appropriate gear. The communicator was still in her ear, in case Mars was to respond.

@Raijinslayer
@Veiled Angel

---

Carnelian could only watch as the discussion, or rather persuasion on Bloodstone's part, echoed throughout the Kindergarten. She knew that speaking up on her part would not help matters, and she knew to trust Aquamarine in this. Unfortunately, Sphene had clearly joined Bloodstone along with some others. Thankfully there was Verdelite and maybe a couple of other gems? She heard the humans' discussion and she managed to restrain an excited smile. She made a mental note to play matchmaker and set up a date between Reggie and Maeve at a later date when things weren't...dire as they are now.

She was prepared to summon her weapon and help Verdelite, when Bloodstone grabbed her and threatened her. But just as quickly as it happened, it ended. She raised an eyebrow at his mention of heading into town because of a corrupted gem. After Bloodstone was gone, Carnelian turned her attention to Verdelite, and she asked her in concern, "Dahling, are you alright? Aquamarine can heal you if you're hurt,"

After she received an answer from Verdelite and that she was alright, she asked Aquamarine, "Should I go into the town and make sure that Homeworld doesn't hurt anyone there? I really don't think it would be wise to leave him unattended there,"

@Kronshi
@Akayaofthemoon
@EnterTheHero
@BrassOtter

Chromite nodded approvingly at what Sphene had to say and began following Bloodstone as instructed. She looked back at Strengite to see if he was coming, but said nothing. As Bloodstone had said, he'd follow if he wanted to. Unfortunately, it looked like many of the new gems didn't want to, but that was not for her to worry about. If they became a threat later, she'd deal with them. She was amused by Bloodstone's comment, laughing internally. "Hoping for a workout, Commander? Shall we be bringing the new recruit with us? And what of Bixbite? I'm entirely confident that we can handle whatever may be in town on our own, but it would probably be good for her if she were allowed to join us." And I'm not particularly interested in hearing what she has to say if she feels like we left her behind again.

@rocketrobie2@Kronshi@SevenStormStyle

As the shock faded, Emerald noticed the death stare coming his way. It was Bloodstone. Bloodstone was referring to him. Something about not wanting to hurt him. That was good. However, given the red Gem's reaction to Verdelite, Emerald definitely needed to keep it that way. Besides, he didn't feel like he was going to be the one to rebel. Something about that felt innately....wrong to him. He couldn't place why. The talk of an angry Bloodstone bearing down on him didn't help either. Especially considering Bloodstone's backup. Yeesh. Emerald decided that the best course of action for now was to...mediate. That seemed like a good idea.

"S-sorry about the laser thing, Bloodstone...Sir? I'd certainly like to find out why....that happens and how to make it stop, and more about why I can even do this. This is all very confusing, and you seem like you could help."

Well, it's not like I'm lying....

As Mars said his piece Topaz she could feel the loneliness that she woke up with dissipate. She felt that Mars was kind, maybe troubled ,but kind person. What did he say about powers? I don't have any that I can think of. UGHHHH THOOSE PEOPLE IN THE BOOTH BY THE BACK NEED TO BE QUIET I CAN'T HEAR MYSELF THINK. While Topaz was thinking of questions she could hear someone start talking talking to mars.

"Looks like you were on to something about Red, Mars. He is really trying to paint Blue as a bad guy and get the new gems on his side. He threatened one of the new gems who was screaming about him deceiving the others. Blue on the other hand remains an unknown, but at least they're not giving as much of a bad vibe as Red is,"

As Topaz heard this she made a face of disgust. She felt a but sick on the inside and considered grabbing on to Mars for support, she really hoped a fight would not arise from this Topaz may be nice but she still had eyes. "Why would someone threaten a gem? That's the lowest of the low. Do you think the lady could have just mistaken it for a threat? If gems are as powerful as you say it would be pretty stupid to threaten one." Topaz decided that she had only made one friend so far. A friend that she had no intention of letting go of.As Topaz thought of the possible outcomes, She overheard.

"Mars. Red's coming over to Mohs Town. He said there was a gem energy heading from the Kindergarten to Mohs Town. It may be the gem you spoke to, or a corrupted gem. I'm coming to the town. I'll be right there!"

"H-Hes coming here? I'm sure he is nice I mean your pretty nice." As Topaz stated this thought she looked at the ground. "So the lady in your ear thinks there is a chance he is coming for me" As Topaz pondered the several idea she worried more and more about herself and Mars. After touch him lifting her head back up she asked "So if i'm the gem you think I am, then I could fight him? Only if i have to ,but you think i have the power to defend myself and you?" She made eye contact "Could you please teach me to fight?" As Topaz said these words she knew she was willing and ready to fight Mars seemed to be the only person who knew or cared about her existence,and she was prepared to fight for that.

@Raijinslayer

Charoite

The purple girl followed on behind Bloodstone, listening to what he had to say about her comment. He said there would be countless paths for her to choose from, and that he could help... He could teach her, but she'd have to pay? Pay what? She didn't have any coins on her... Maybe he'd take a favour? Or two? Oh well, that was in the future.

She trailed along, falling back a slight bit when the buzzing of that Water one came back. Their voice was annoying, especially when it was inside her head. Scrunching her face up in disdain, she focused on rejecting that god awful sound. Who cared if it was important information, it was grating on her hearing.



The group soon approached a gathering of people, who too looked to be "Gems" like Bloody and the others. She didn't step forward at all, or really listen in on the conversation. Instead, she hung back, letting everyone talk it out as they would; merely observing, if the state she was in could even be called that. It was more like she was in standby, waiting for something interesting to happen.

Not even a reaction could be seen from the Gem. Not when Bloody called for them to step out, nor when the green Gem she had seen before fired a shot into the wall. Not even when Vert shot themself into the floor to escape.



To Charoite, it was only a couple seconds she stood and waited for something to happen. Still half asleep, thinking of weird puffy white creatures, when Bloodstone stood and began to make his way away from the group. How much did she miss?! Something about a town... And Corrupted Gems, whatever they were.

She quickly came back to her senses, running out of the shadow she was stood in to the rear of Chromite and Bloodstone.
"Wh-where are we g-going, Bloody?" she said, in quite light and shaky voice. Her vocal cords still weren't working properly, it seemed. In any case, she chased off behind them, following every corner and path they took, "Wh-what did you s-say a-about a price b-before? I-I dont have a-any... Things, s-so..."

"Carnelian." Sodalite looked to the red gem. "We can do two things. You can charm your way through this and help Aqua and the Gemlings, while I go into town assess the problem there. Or, you go into town and asses the problem, and I stay here with Aqua." If Sodalite were being honest, either of the options would have worked for her. Though she did want to see the gemlings a little more, the town was equally important to their mission, just as the rest of the earth was.

Slowly, she stepped forward. She seemed to have faded to the back of people's minds, not that she truly minded that. More often than not, being alone and unnoticed was more helpful with gathering information and exploring, but this one one of those times where she needed to take a stance and actually make a direct difference on things. She could not do that by hiding in the background, not here.

Mohs Town.
An interesting place I must say...
Thought the young vagabond girl.
Yes...Very...Very interesting...
She was growing bored out of her mind, maybe it was the part of town she was in, or the maybe she was missing or had missed something...who knows. For now, Simone was just looking around, eying the stones while toying with her own, and at the same time, glancing at all she could. She was a fantastic multitask-er. She came here do to the rumors she had already forgotten, but heck, this was probably most likely not like those rumors, maybe! Who knows? Though, she must say, they're are some very colorful people around! Almost....literally.

Aquamarine

Aquamarine turned to a familiar voice, one that had not long ago asked to have their spot stay hidden. She now looked to the white gem, staring into those vast yellow eyes that stared at her to await an answer to an impossible question. How did one go about something as complex as feelings if it had never been felt? It broke her heart to gaze into this young ones eyes and know that even curiosity wasn't in them. It wasn't like she was stalling or unwilling to reply but it was definitely difficult and rather than explaining feelings themselves, a different approach was most likely necessary in this situation. "That is sort of a difficult question if you have never...felt or had a feeling. Instead of following what you feel is right, I will ask you some different questions. Do you want to be ordered? If you were ordered to destroy another gem or even walk to your own destruction, would that be fine with you? Would you be alright with following blindly? Or would you rather be asked to do something and be given a choice to follow? Do you think it would be better for you to be ordered but know that it is your own choice to follow? If direct orders and doing as your told sounds right than Bloodstone would most likely be a better one to join with. If you want to make your own choices and be a part of a group instead of completely under someone's rule than with us is where you would belong."

It wasn't even seconds before she was finished speaking that the yellow gem with Blood spoke up and claimed alliance with him. She gave a light nod and replied,[color=7bcdc] I wish you luck. It was an honor to have been your protector even for a short time.[/color] That being said, it hurt to see them leave but she wouldn't and couldn't make them stay. She was however protective still and the words of Chromite had ice crawling slightly up her arm which she dulled down quickly, one because she didn't want to start a fight and two because Blood rejected the idea. It was clear that Verdelite wasn't buying into Blood's elegant words, the reason why was still unknown to her but she was grateful that at least she could keep one of them safe. It was when Verdelite was grab that Aqua stepped forward, ready to fight and already strategizing of ways to split the two up without hurting the newborn in the process. Luckily, it was over before it started and Blood was already head off with the two younglings and Chromite with mentions of something headed for town. She looked to the newborns, not wanting any of them to be harmed by a corrupted gem and at the same time the town would need help.

"Carnelian." Sodalite said as she looked to the red gem before continuing to speak once she had the other gems attention. "We can do two things. You can charm your way through this and help Aqua and the Gemlings, while I go into town assess the problem there. Or, you go into town and assess the problem, and I stay here with Aqua."
"I believe the best form of action would be for the two of you to face what is coming to town together. I can heal and put up defensive ice with a group of this size. Once the gems that wish to stay with us have been delivered to the temple then I will be able to join you both. A corrupted gem could be some trouble and the town will be in better shape with two defenders, especially if Blood decides to join in the fun. A fusion could also be necessary and that is impossible alone. I don't doubt both of your abilities alone but as the humans say,it is better to be safe than sorry.
Young gems, if you wish to go with me than we will be heading out soon as well and I will lead you to our home. You are more than welcome to stay here but it isn't safe. If you wish to go with Blood then hurry by his side."

---

Maeve

Maeve gasped in a sharp breath at the mention of her freckles and placed a hand quickly to her cheek.She had completely forgotten to cover them since she had been hoping to speak with the gems about herself. It was easier to show who you really are instead of being false, which for once she didn't want to do. A soft smile made her way onto her features before she spoke, voice filled with emotion."Starburst...I love it. As for my freckles they have always been this way. As for why I was speaking with the blue gem, well that is kind of hard explanation to explain."

She listened to Reggie's reply to the other guy with them and thought really quick about the fact she couldn't always summon a weapon. Maybe she could have Reggie or his father help her with that. Of course she didn't have much but she could figure that out later if it would work for her. It would give her father some relief as well if she was going to fight for this town."I would love to take a gander as well if you are offering Reggie. It sounds really fascinating and I want to know more if you have the time."

"What I want..." Spinel had to take some time to consider what Aquamarine had said. "To my knowledge, my purpose here is to find a suitable leader to report to so that I may being my reconnaissance duties. What I want however... I apologize, I'm still not sure I understand. The one you referred to as Bloodstone, you said he is the one I should report to?" Bloodstone had only just begun to head in another direction, perhaps Spinel could still reach him if she hurried. Was he really the right choice? Spinel took a moment to evaluate her options. She was a reconnaissance gem, that much she knew, so which of the two seemed more like someone a reconnaissance gem should report to? Bloodstone had made a big entry, not attempting to hide his presence at all, attempted to intimidate the other gems, and gave them all the option of joining before he left.

More of this choice business. If he was meant to command me, he would not have spoken in such a way. Perhaps there isn't a suitable leader here at all. She considered this some more. While her methodology was also flawed, this Aquamarine was still here, and seemed interested both in learning more about the situation, and also giving whatever information was requested. She had also proven herself to be trustworthy.

"Neither you nor the one you call Bloodstone have done anything in to establish yourself as the leader I'm supposed to be looking for, Aquamarine. After evaluating both of you, I've determined that you are closer to what I was created to serve. I'll stay with you for the time being if you think that's appropriate. However, I must request that you give me more decipherable orders from this point forward, or help me better understand the language you're using. Both you and Bloodstone have asked me to consider what I want, but I'm unable to comply with this order. I don't understand how to want."