[IC] Crystal Universe

[Akayaofthemoon]

Eerily silent and seemingly desolate, the Kindergarten continued to sit while barely withstanding the test of time. Thousands of years passing by since the beginning of its creation on Earth which was leading it to slowly crumble away and some parts even caving in. The echoing of footsteps suddenly broke the silence as it bounced off the canyon walls, the owner of the steps continuing on as they explored this uneasy place. The outsider knew nothing of this place and upon seeing it they thought it was like a ghost town with its nutrient lacking soil forcing no plant life to form, almost constant fog and mysterious hole lined walls. The strange objects from another world still standing scattered like relics, a warning not to trifled with this place and something to be cautious of. Weapons littered all over the plane in different areas, buried and thrown about, slashes in the Earth still running deep and speaking clearly of the battles that might have happened here. They looked at this canyon as devoid of all life, finding it hard to believe otherwise but in fact it had been the birthplace to many lives and still was to some that have not even started yet but that was a secret only this place knew of.

It was hard to believe that anything like this was so close to a town so full of beauty and life. Sure, it was practically in middle of no where but no one could deny that the view was worth it with a vast expansion of forest on one side and a dazzling mountain on the other that held the captivating mystery of a huge temple craved into it. If that wasn't enough to charm you than the range of colorful old timely buildings and the sparkling crystal clear lake in the center would be. A night here had to be glittering with thousands of stars that wouldn't appear in a place like Empire City with all its lights. It was a good thing being here and if it meant having to check out a creepy place just beyond those mountains than so be it.

The person nodded to themselves, continuing on even though shivers were running up the spine and everything told them to run. They would not back down for they needed to know this place was safe, not for them but for the only person they had left to care about. They had their own mission in this town but they wouldn't let themselves come first if it meant the other was in danger. The echoing foot falls came faster, wanting to explore as quickly as possible so they could leave. It was when the foot falls were not their own that panic set in and their mind started racing with all the horrible scenarios. Had they said where they were going? Did anyone know they were here? They picked up the pace and speed up into a full sprint, trying to get away or hid from whatever was coming or possibly following behind.
Green eyes glanced over their shoulder, looking to catch a glance at what was coming with no luck. Eyes quickly casting forward once more and managed to stop a split second before slamming into a wall of rock. Pale fingers moved to the wall, touching the crumbling surface as if searching for a way to get through since they were now trapped at a dead end.

They swiftly turned around to find a new way out, a mass of curly red hair blocking their vision for a split second before clearing to see a shadow forming in the fog. She felt as though her heart as in her throat, hands starting to shake before she curled them into a fist and got into a fighting stance. She was as much a Gem as her mother was and she would be brave in the face of danger. How else was she ever to find a place where she belonged or even others that were partly like herself. The side of herself that her father would never be able to fully understand which wasn't his fault. The shadow was bigger now, taller than herself and clearly armed which made her eyes squeeze shut as she focused on concentrating on summoning her weapon, only to have it fail on her once again. She quickly pulled off her backpack, bending down, ready to find something to defend when the other stepped out of the fog. The redhead stilled, her heart moving from panic to shock at the view of the other woman. She was tall with long flowing dark blue hair that stopped barely above the ground and her skin was a light blue that no human could achieve even with hypothermia. The woman's dress was blue as well and almost matched the skin, a white slash through the middle drawing the eyes there before they focused on the star design at the side. Bright green eyes continued up, pausing only a second at the tear shaped gem on collarbone before they were locked onto deep black eyes, ones that were baring down on her with a glare that seemed to hold complete focus as well as ferocity and almost a coldness to them that made the red haired woman's fear strike back up. This was a Gem in front of her but she had never thought of the fact that what if they weren't friendly.

As quick as the fear and worry had come it quickly disappeared, those eyes that caused those feelings were suddenly gone as if they had never held a glare in the first place. They were still as black as before but they were suddenly warm and inviting as they turned from harsh to beyond soft. They were completely open as if this woman never had anything to hide and they were sparkling with a kind of light. It reminded her of a mother looking to her child or someone looking to another that they loved or cared for. The Gem's weapon vanished in a flash of light as a gentle smile appeared on her features."I apologize if I startled you, I was taking a patrol of the area and upon hearing the noise I assumed.... It is unusual for humans to willingly venture to this area but that is no excuse." the blue gem spoke in a soothing voice as she moved slowly closer and lending her hand out for the human to take. "I hope I have not caused you any harm or I would not be able to forgive myself."

"N-No, I am alright. Thank you...I...I just can't believe you are here...that I finally found you..." she stuttered before quickly taking the other's hand to help herself up before shaking her head to focus."You said you assumed? What did you assume?"

A nervous look showed on the blue woman's face for a moment before she answered,"Nothing you should be worried about, I promise. I would love to converse more since I'm extremely curious on what you meant by finding me but we should leave here and go meet up with the others or at least get you back to town. The Kindergarden is not a safe place, especially for humans." She replied.

"The Kindergarden? Is that what this place is? Wait, you said others!? Are there more Gems here!? Oh, where are my manners? My name is Maeve by the way!" Maeve squealed with excitement.

"It is a pleasure to meet you Maeve but right now, we need to get to town."she replied with a large smile, trying to fight a laugh since this was a serious situation. Who knew if a corrupted Gem was nearby or something worse and she wasn't willing to risk it with a human depending on her."My name is Aquamarine but you may call me Aqua if you wish. Please follow me and I will keep you protected."

"Thank you Aqua...I have so many questions to ask you. I don't know where to start..." Maeve knew she should be worried about this place if a full Gem was but she couldn't help but keep talking. She had waited so long and looked in so many places to find a Gem...any Gem and now here she was! They had only arrived in Mohs Town a few days ago and they had just finished unpacking enough for her father to start up work. She had wanted to know more of where he would be digging before starting her own mission and now she had finally found what she had been searching for for years.

"I see this is important to you and I will answer any questions you have once we have exited this place." Aqua said quietly and Maeve nodded as they headed to the exit which wasn't close by any means in this maze of canyon walls. She quietly followed after the blue gem, slightly on her guard as Aquamarine lead the way.

[pyroman]

"Aqua... Aquamarine?" Another blue skinned figure walked about carefully, the dull, grey ground. She monitored the area carefully, waving a piece of cobbled technology around in her hands. Whatever she was looking for, she didn't seem to be finding it anywhere near. The machine in her hands didn't seem to emit any sounds recognizable by human ears, but her special build allowed her to actually hear the low infrasound chimes that it sounded off. She stopped and dropped the machine at her side.

"I shouldn't have wandered off," She sighed. "Who know's where she is now."

Talking to herself, the gem picked the machine back up in both hands, looking around and waving it in every direction as she walked onward. Why did the Kindergarten have to be so large? Of course she had the entire area mapped out, but she didn't even think to pack with her trackers in the event that they actually retrieved what they were looking for.

It was only when the blue skinned figure heard a set of voices that she knew which direction to move in. Smiling to herself, the small machine was deactivated and set in the backpack that she had brought with her. She recognized one of the voices as the one belonging to her leader, but she other one was one that she had not heard before. Maybe they were lucky. Maybe one of the popped out ahead of the others. With a little pep in her step, she moved forward with a quicker pace to go and meet her leader.

"Aqua!" She smiled at seeing the other blue figure. "It should be soon, but I figure that you already know that since you're talking with one of the new... borns..." However, she stopped when she was able to get a good look at the other figure. She didn't look like a gem at all. What was a human doing out here? Maybe they were dared, like many humans before. Perhaps they were inspecting the area and documenting their findings, another human custom to spread information to others. She didn't not like Humans, but Sodalite knew that it was not safe to divulge their mission, or what they were, to unknowing parties.

"Hello, Human." She smiled and tried to not talk in a disapproving or condescending tone. "What brings you to this place, which has little importance and you should start leaving soon?"

[HaltingBlooper]

Emerald became conscious. He could hear noises, some sort of thud, followed by what he perceived as chatter. He opened his eyes, casting beams out of a.....a hole? Why was he in this sort of....impression? He dove out of the potentially dangerous hole, and glanced around. Why were the walls changing color as he looked around? Why was it gray, and then not the same gray? This made no sense! He backed up against the wall. Whatever this weird place was, he wasn't going back in the potentially dangerous hole. Or any of the other holes. That are potentially dangerous. I have to get out of here. Maybe this gray and then not-gray place will go away if I do something! Emerald couldn't think of anything else. Emerald let out a crazed shriek. Or two. As many as it took to get out of this stupid place!

[ianzerep]

A noise. A pitter-patter of repeating motions that became louder, only to tapper out at a different position from where it originated. Another sound that was similar, but somehow more firm and... confidant? Voices? Another pitter-patter?

The vibrations through the earth created by these noises caused a figure within it to squirm, her pale, delicate hands twitching into motion as if their owner had been within a deep slumber. Deep, amber eyes fluttered open in the darkness under the shade of tangerine glass, a feminine groan releasing itself from it's owner. The moment she awakened, the figure could feel an enveloping pressure laying upon her whole body. What was this feeling? This oppressive force upon her person? It covered her, consuming her every movement, every excess of without reaction. She didn't like it.

Her squirming became a struggle, lithe limbs pushing around in their earthen confinement, an unpleasant, clutching feeling making itself known within her core. Why did she feel this way? What was feeling? How could this daunting pressure keep her here, in this oppressive darkness? She wanted out. Out. Out. OUT!

A brilliant, golden light, the relief of freedom, a loud rumbling that exploded towards the skies, revealing an encompassing fog. Was this freedom she felt, or the workings of a larger confinement? The undesirable tightness of her chest faded away, leaving a bliss coolness that she intrinsically knew was safe. Contentment, she knew it was called. 'But what was contentment,' she thought as she pulled herself from the earthen walls of dirt, the source of the earlier oppression, out of a six feet deep divid in the natural structure. Her eyes focused on the figures beneath her, only ten feet above the three forms. Two strangely familiar in her jumbled mind. Another tightness consumed her feeling, colder than the softness of content, but not quite the same as the feeling she felt underground. It was filled with an intrinsic sense of... loss? 'What was contentment, if I barely understand what is going on?'

@pyroman@Akayaofthemoon

[Temporary]

Sleep was such a glorious thing. Being able to exist separately from everything else, unconscious, in your own world, was one of the best things to do. Besides looking over a mountain of corpses beautiful scene, sleep was, by far, the greatest of past times and the best of experiences. It granted the ability to soar the skies, shape landscapes, murder your friends and enemies alike, and visit the most amazing of places - real or otherwise.

In the depths of sleep, you needn't worry about anything. Nothing truly mattered, and unlimited bliss was in your hand. But it's limited. Like a drug, it only lasts a short while before it wears off. With every high there's a low, and it just so happened that the low from sleep was difficult. Most are usually groggy, some miss the fantasy hidden in a dreamscape.

And it was such an easily attainable drug. One must simply drift off to the infinite expanse that is sleep. The simplicity of that task, mind you, varied from person to person; being difficult for some, yet easily attainable for others. But simply sleeping is never enough. There are those that find it impossible, or close to, to remember dreams of any kind - instead waking up to that tiredness, with no recollection of their previous murders nights fable.

As was such for one Gem in particular. Charoite, a deep purple gem of dubious stability and snarky personality. Her eye lids wavered and flicked open, to hear a loud shriek; whether in pain or fear unknown. The girl, if you could call her that, had always been a light sleeper - or had she? At any rate, she was a light sleeper now. Her view glanced upwards to the light rays of light trickling through a hole.

Whatever this impression was, it was confining. Small, even, yet oddly spacious. How long had she been here for? Long enough for the place to acquire quite a layer of dust; which plumed up into the air like a mushroom cloud after an atomic detonation sending its spores up.

They scattered and danced in the light - mere particles, yes, but oddly beautiful in their own, strange way. This was a feeling unlike that experienced in a dream. This was reality, correct? The dreamscape she found herself so fond of had melded away into darkness and light, along with any recollection and feeling. The memory of the dream had long since vanished, despite her awakened state only having lasted, so far, for a short while.

Perhaps it was best to vacate this tomb of stone? If the shrieking was any indication, something bad could have been on its way, and being encased in an early grave with no vision of the outside was far from the top of her agenda. The only question being... How did one leave?

~

It didn't take long for the Gem to exit her prison. She stood in some kind of hallway, or passage. Or aqueduct. Or mass grave. Her gaze shifted across her surroundings as she span on an axis, taking in everything around her at one. And then she looked down at herself.

Her body was quite small, likely at the lower end of 5 foot from how high up she was. Her frame was small, as well, reminiscent of a little human girl. Anyone might have seen her as a normal human girl, though the gem embedded in her left wrist, and the deep purple hair and eyes likely gave it away. All features a normal human didn't have.

Her legs took her off to the side, around a corner a-

She stopped, braked, and flattened her back against the wall. There was another person. By the looks of it, they were the one who created the terrible racket from earlier... Maybe it was best not to talk to them. Or get close to them. Or do anything near them that may cause unnecessary interaction or distress. The last thing the Gem wanted was to be responsible for a meltdown so early on.

So, instead of going in that direction, her legs carried her in another direction; feet tapping away at the ground, resounding off the walls as she walked. Perhaps there were others around... Ones less unstable than greenie back there, that was. It was so exciting to wonder and imagine what others would think as they met a legend in the making. They would write songs about the girl, songs!

A lover, a fighter, a singing, a poet and a heartbreaker. She could write a book about it! Bards would sing her name throughout the taverns, writers and romantics would recite her endeavours each and everyday. There would be no one in the land who did not know the name CHAROITE!

It's a better love story than Twilight, in any case ;P

@HaltingBlooper

[HaltingBlooper]

@Vocab Emerald heard the sound of footsteps coming near him, and sharply turned his head towards the noise. He saw a purple blur pop out from the wall before leaving, out of his sight. Who was that? He gave chase, turning the corner.....and tripping over a crack in the ground, causing him to faceplant into the gray dust. He got up, dazed, with the mysterious purple thing nowhere in sight. He walked back around the corner, being careful of any cracks, and decided to go find the purple thing. He turned another corner of this strange place and noticed a few things, in this order.
1. The weird light beam was gone.
2. OH #&@@!*#&!@# IT'S BACK!
3. Wait, I can turn the beam on and off? Cool!
4. Is that an orange person? @ianzerep
He shined his eye-beams at the orange person. He cautiously took a step back from the person, and announced himself."Um......hello? What is this place? Who is the purple person? Who are you?"

[EnterTheHero]

She didn't exist. And then she did. She remembered that much, at least.

She remembered what they wanted to use her for- a saboteur. A weapon. A tool. She really shouldn't have been so offended. Really. They did it to all the Gems. Everyone had their place, their purpose. Everyone was built for something. The Gems who'd designed her had made her just as they'd been designed and made- for a point and purpose. She really shouldn't have been so offended.

And yet, for some reason, she was. She'd chafed at everything being so... structured. Predetermined. She'd chafed at the assumption that she would do as she was told.

Mostly she chafed at being considered more of a Weapon than a Gem. She'd quite taken exception to that. Things got messy when she realized that little tidbit. And then they got really quiet. And then she lay down and hid, deep within herself, and tried to figure out how she felt about what they'd wanted... and what she'd done in response. She thought about that for a long time. Long enough that she couldn't remember when she had started. And then long enough that she couldn't remember what exactly she'd been thinking about. She remembered some details, but not others.

Mostly she remembered that she wanted to be a Gem. Not a weapon.

A scream brought her out of her reverie. For the first time in... a while. Hmm. How long had it been...?

...Getting off the subject. She opened her eyes. Had she always had those? She must have- can't see without eyes. There were other ways to perceive, but eyes were best.

Stop getting distracted. She raised her arms- oh, hey, those- and started to pull herself up. To her surprise- or rather, surprise at her lack of surprise- she began to float, her feet (I have those, too!) not quite touching the ground.

Huh. I can float. Weird. Or... not weird. I knew I could do this... didn't I? Clearly, she had been asleep too long if she sort-of-not-forgot she could float. Hmm. What else could she do? A crackle of electricity ran up her arms.

Oh. Right. That.

She started remembering... things. A little. Messy bits, like before. She ignored it, floating out of her hole, into the light. Ish. It was kinda dim here. Wherever "here" was. A word came, unbidden, to her head. Kindergarten. Gem manufacture. Place for Gems like her.

Like her. Who is her?

Who am I? She thought for a moment as the unbidden words came again. Verdelite.

...No. That's what the other ones called her. The ones who called her "Weapon." A description as bland and pointless as "Gem" for describing who she was, not what she was. She'd have to think of something better than that. Something more descriptive. She looked down at her arms.

Green. Green, green, green, some black, but mostly green. Short and green. Why was she short? Shouldn't a Weapon look a bit more intimidating? Focus. Not a Weapon. You're... a you. You're... something. She looked at her arms again, and her bare feet.

A joke. Vert. "Vert" for green. "Vert" for "vertical." She chuckled at her own joke. Yes- she was a Vert. She was THE Vert. Vert. It was a good name.

...So. What now?

She felt vibrations in the air. What was that again? Oh, right. Hearing. That was a thing she could do. Like the scream. She heard, and she followed the noise. And then she saw. And then she kinda wished she hadn't.

Blue person. Other blue person. Green person, like her, but different. Orange-ish person, but slightly different to the blue people. Orange person like blue and green people, about ten feet up the wall. She didn't know about the orange-ish person, but she knew enough about the blue, green, and actual-orange people to know who they were.

Gems. Homeworld? Possibly. Would they try to use her again? Call her Weapon? She'd be pretty mad if they did- she was Vert. She'd just decided that, so it must be true. She started to back away slightly, wincing as she suddenly crackled- loudly- with arcs of green lightning.

Apparently that happened when she was nervous. Wonderful. Just another thing she had to worry about. Hopefully none of them had seen her. She didn't want things to get messy again...

@Akayaofthemoon @pyroman @ianzerep

[Veiled Angel]

Silence and tranquility, it was nice while it lasted, all Topaz had to do was sit there and bask in the nearby nutrients. In a nutshell the biggest reason Topaz didn't come out sooner was because she felt safer that way in the ground ,but one can only stay for so long. In this case longer then a lot of the other gems in this barren sector of the kindergarten where Topaz had finally emerged. She was scared but also lonely and after a while loneliness beat out her fear of the world around her.

As she felt the ground around her bend for her need for freedom she couldn't help but wonder exactly how long she had been there. The ground gave away much easier than she expected not that she had an opinion to go off. It was just surprising that the small piece of home she had remembered for her whole life if you could even call it that gave away with almost no struggle, and to think it held her entire being.

When her eyes opened for the first time and gazed around the desolate empty place that stood around her she questioned why she saw no one and why everything looked so old while she was just now taking her first steps into the abandoned portion of the kindergarten. Shaken not stirred the partially frighted gem took her first steps out into the dry nutrient depleted ground. "Oh my" she muttered as she saw the poor lifeless area around her almost begging for companionship, a feeling she could knew all to well. She hastily started moving toward the closest thing that she could only hope was an exit. Hopping to find a friendly presence of some sort.

[SevenStormStyle]

From the moment she could put her thoughts in order, Sphene knew her duty. She was to be kind, but firm. She was to give directions, but submit to higher authority. She was to act with purpose, but tread lightly. In essence, she was to be balanced.

In the graceful manner which was expected of her, she emerged from her hole in the ground without much fuss or display, a task that was made easier by the fact that her hole was a mere foot off of the ground. Stepping carefully onto the barren ground, she lifted the edge of her trailing skirt with one hand to avoid catching it with the toes of her sandals, while the other hand rested on the rocky wall to assist in balance. Glancing around after she finished her first few steps, she came to the conclusion that something was very wrong. She should never, ever be this alone. She couldn't quite explain it, but she knew somehow that there should be someone waiting on her, telling her where she was needed and what her task would be once she got there. Instead...nothing.

"Hello, is anyone there?" she called out. Though it sounded normal coming out of her, she could hear in the resounding echo caused by the canyon walls that her voice had a strange ringing layered just underneath its tone.

Suddenly, a fast pattering like little feet moving silenced her, and she headed toward the sound with caution but a sense of duty to find out what was going on. Soon, she spotted a slightly feminine figure just a bit shorter than her, with a pretty shade of purple hair. "Dear purple one, do you know where I'm supposed to be?" she questioned, that odd sound seeming to emanate throughout the area again as she spoke.

@Vocab

[rocketrobie2]

This was nice. The seemingly never ending 'warm' feeling of developing in the ground like he had been for so long. Whoever he was he was enjoying his time in the ground and he was looking forward to spending the years to come in his spot without a care in the world. He was beginning to get flashes of what he was but they weren't all there yet. He had a strong almost pulling feeling that made him think that he should know by now what his purpose is and whatnot but that would come in time. He knew this much.

For now he decided he would wait for the rest of his knowledge to come, something he was completely aware of lacking, like it had been for his entire existence. He was a gem created for... something, something that he'd find out about at a later date. This feeling of not knowing his own purpose was akin to that of trying to recall a word, for it to be on the tip of one's tongue but not being able to fully recall its sound. Suddenly that part of his 'mind' began to fill in just as most of his other tidbits of knowledge did, it was an exhilarating process as this seemed to be one of the last pieces of a section of a puzzle, not the end by any means but no less exciting. His purpose was a simple one, he was to-

Suddenly he was ripped away from his deep hibernation.

While he began to contemplate what had happened he began to realize something a lot more interesting. At the moment his mind was seemingly going into overdrive, no longer content with simply having this ethereal information pumped into his mind, he now had senses giving him information and he was now fully aware of his conciseness.

He was also aware that he was soaring through the sky as a beam of golden, magnificent light went off behind him. He instinctively tried to let loose a scream in an attempt to warrant some help from anywhere but found that no sound left his mouth. Then he began to notice that he had a mouth and a fully functioning body. While all this was pretty amazing (he was alive!), he was more focused on not falling to the ground in quite such a forceful fashion. "What do I do? come on think!" he thought frantically as he finally noticed his saving grace. There was a large enough indent in the wall he careening for to grab onto and hopefully stop his descent. With one mighty swing and a hopeful heat he grabbed onto the hole and held on with all of his might. He had no idea what he was actually capable of but what he did know was he did not want to fall from this height.

As he hanged in wait he looked down at a duo below him. A similarly coloured purple Gem (although different in hue) and a taller yellow Gem. He once again tried to call out but failed to do so, instead he began using his free arm to lob loose stones in the wall's surface near the duo in the hopes of getting their attention.

@SevenStormStyle@Vocab

[2b3heart]

The area was warm and soft around the the green gem. Thoughts were swimming around in the gem; random and jumbled. She felt calm and serene, not caring about what was going on around her. Yet the ground began to grow cold to her. She felt a lack of nutrients being absorbed. The shock of this began to align the thoughts of the gem. She began to think.

What was she? Oh... She remembered that she was a gem. The gem also realized that she was in a hard rock. A little annoyed by this, she desired for a bit more space. But what would she do? What was she made for? Maybe these thoughts will come to her in a moment. Right now, she wanted to break out. Concentrating, the gem began to take her form. The rock around her began to crack and light seeped from the fissures. The rock crumbled away and the gem shot out. Taking form, the gem fell to the ground.

The gem rubbed her eye as she began to remember. Her name was Serpentine. Or she was a Serpentine. She placed a hand over her gem; right where her left eye should be. Smiling, Serpentine pushed herself up and stretched. She was glad that she was out of the ground and it was high time that she left. She lowered her arms slowly when she took noticed of her surroundings. It looked dead. She felt lost. Within herself, Serpentine began to realize why she was made. She was made to take orders. She was made to hide. And... She was made to kill. But who? And who does she take orders from?

Sighing, Serpentine began to look around. She didn't see anyone ore anything around, just big machines. The lanky gem started walking, searching for somebody. Yet she felt a bit afraid. Maybe she should hide and wait? Serpentine grimaced and continued on. She had to find somebody. "Hello? Anyone?"

[21308]

Created some unknown length of time ago, but for some reason never activated, a transparent gem shimmered from somewhere in the Kindergarten. The outline of a body formed around it, and White Spinel was born. She examined the area around her. She was neither sad nor lonely, because those were emotions she did not yet know. She saw nothing negative about this situation regardless, as the complete silence and apparent lack of any life agreed with her. She sat and took her surroundings in, unsure of what to do. She wasn't even sure if there was anything to do, as her current situation was acceptble enough. At least, it was for a moment. Before long, shouting, talking, and various other sounds made themselves known. She heard movement.

At that moment, something awakened within her, some manner of survival instinct which she'd been programmed with. "I need to go up." The urge was insurmountable, as if her survival depended on this. Her eyes darted about until she saw a spot where the canyon wall was a bit slanted. She ran there as fast as she could and began climbing the rocks, until she found a hole not unlike the one she came out of high up in the canyon wall. She hopped into it and became a pair of glowing, yellow eyes, carefully surveying everything transpiring in the canyon below.

[pyroman]

At first, a shriek. Sodalite turned her head to the sound, and another one rang out. This time, the earth about ten feet above them shook and reveled another. All of this activity all at once! She giggled and stamped her feet excitedly with so much promise. She was so overjoyed that she couldn't even speak at the moment, her hands only being able to rapidly pat Aqua's shoulder as she looked all around her at the activity of gems. She squealed in delight.

"Aqua, here they are, here they are! So many!" She could hardly contain herself. If she kept it up, her physical form would be ripped apart from sheer joy alone.

"Hello!" She called out through the valley. "Hello everyone! Everything is okay, and you are all okay!" She wanted to squeal again at all of the newborns. "My name is Sodalite, and the taller blue figure next to me is Aquamarine! Please, follow my voice so we can help and meet all of you!"

[EnterTheHero]

Vert almost cursed as she felt the gaze of Blue... 1? Maybe 2. She seemed deferential to Other Blue. And she was smaller. Vert shrugged internally. Blue 2 it is, then. Making Other Blue... Blue 1. Maybe Blue Prime. That sounded cooler.

...What was she talking about again? Oh. Right. They'd seen her. She started to back away, hopefully she could get out before they decided to round her up, and then she'd have to get messy again and that meant so much sweeping up and then she'd have to go to sleep again before she cried too hard--

She stopped herself, forcing her to stay in one place. Something was different here. Blue 2 had started talking. Calling out. Not the same kind of calling out she'd been used to when they were still doing things to her. This Gem sounded... kind. Excited, even. In a different way to the Gems that had designed her, anyway- they only got excited when she broke the right stuff. Anyway, focus- what was Blue 2 saying? Something about how many there were. How many what? What was she measuring?

Blue 2 introduced herself. Sodalite. Hmm. Blue 1 was introduced as Aquamarine. Hmmmmm. Kinda-Orange remained un-introduced.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Her form crackled into static for a split-second as she contemplated things. They didn't seem like the others. But then, this could be some kind of ruse. Or maybe these Gems were just the same in a different way. She'd only ever had contact with the scientist varieties of Gems when she'd been up last. These ones could be just as bad, but in different ways. Messy was still a thing that could happen.

She reiterated to herself that she did not like messy.

She floated a few inches forward, sparking incessantly. A bit closer. Closer. Surely they could see her now? Damn- why was everyone taller than her? Even Kinda-Orange was taller than her. Damn you, cheap scientists- couldn't even make their "Weapon" sufficiently dangerous-looking. Budget cuts, am I right?

...She was now within a few feet of them after her rambling stream-of-consciousness-or-whatever. They definitely saw her now. She swallowed, somewhat loudly. She needed to do something now. What was it Blue 2 (Sodalite) had done? Right. The mouth thing. Speaking. She could too that too, right?

"..."

...

I've gone mute!!

...Wait. No. Just nervous. That is also a thing that happens when you're awake. Nerves and stuff. Now I want to sleep again. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes and trying to calm down. It mildly helped.

She opened her eyes again, and then opened her mouth. Come on, physical functions, don't fail me now...

"Are... are you with Homeworld?" She crackled, mildly ominously. "I-if so... you should... you should stay back. I don't want to do anything... messy."

[Akayaofthemoon]

Aquamarine smiled, waving to her comrade as Sodalite came into view and ignored the change in her demeanor as Maeve was shown to be just a human. She didn't fault the other blue gem for her opinions on humans plus she could see how disappointing it could be after such a long wait to find that it was indeed not a newborn that was accompanying her. It was just like Soda to get straight to the point and questions since this place was special to them, possibly more to Soda than anyone. The human girl looked nervous and her mouth opened to answer but that was short lived as a shriek interrupted and Aqua was slammed with a new consciousness in her range of telepathy. She had been told it would be soon but she hadn't expected it to be this quick. She felt a need to go to the cry, desperate to help the newborn that might be in need of help and wanting more than anything to sooth them when suddenly the earth from above blew out and caused Aquamarine to quickly move the human out of the way since they were to fragile to risk having rocks fall on them. She wanted to speak but so many newborns were appearing at once that her focus on connecting with them telepathically was more important than words. Aqua needed to reach them so she could guide them safely when she couldn't be there for all of them at once. Some felt so close while others were much further and harder to reach if even impossible but she was brought back to those around her with Sodalite's hand touching her shoulder, the excitement bubbling out of the other making her grin and feel just as excited. They were finally here....how long had they waited in hope? How long had she wondered if maybe they were wrong?

Aquamarine looked to the two green gems on the ground with them, one an Emerald if looks had any say with it while the other was a Verdelite if the sparks were an indication. She glanced up for a second, trying to make out the orange gem above but they seemed a little too high up to make out and the list of orange-ish gems could be a long one. She moved her attention back down as one of the newborns came closer, they seemed to have something they wanted to say so she patiently waited even though she wanted to just hug them or celebrate their beginning, speak with them and teach them. Aquamarine stilled a bit at mention of Homeworld, wondering how she was going to answer that when the other gem spoke again leaving her still at a loss. Instead of questioning it, she walked forward, deciding not to fight what she felt and wrapped the other in a hug even though it was extremely painful since water, even ice didn't work well with electricity. "I don't understand why you have a dislike of Homeworld but you have nothing to fear here with us. We aren't like them and you don't have to be either. I am just so happy that you all are awake. All of you are alright...thank goodness..." Aqua said softly before letting go of the green gem and moving back a bit to look over her shoulder to Soda."I am going to send a message to the newborns that will hopefully reach and then I will message Carnelian. I think she would like to be here for this."

-Newborns, please hear my voice. My name is Aquamarine and I am a Gem just like all of you. You need not worry or feel lost and alone. I will guide you to my location and from there lead you out of this place if you so wish. Just think of your location, think of it and show me in your mind. If you can't then I will come to you, please stay safe...-

- Carnelian, can you hear me? The newborns are finally emerging....they are finally awake and here!-

[HaltingBlooper]

@pyroman@EnterTheHero
"Please, follow my voice so we can help and meet all of you!"
Something came over Emerald. His head jolted up. He didn't really like this. He felt like he had to do this. He didn't know why. It felt kind of predetermined. Whatever. What's the worst that could happen? This person had answers, probably. They were also taller. That probably meant something. Maybe. Emerald walked, practically robotic(This adjective sounds weird, but apparently it's correct usage), towards the two blues. He stopped. He felt less weird. That was good. Did these people make him do that? He flinched back, grimacing a little, before realizing that these people were probably a lot less dangerous than these weird holes that were everywhere. He hated holes. "Err....Hello, So...Sodalite? Aquamarine? My name is...Emerald. I have so many questions. What is this place? Why are there holes everywhere? Who is the purple person who was spying on me? Can we please leave this horrible gray dust zone? Why do my eyes light things up?" He then heard a voice. Apparently Aquamarine's. It freaked him out. "Last but not least, why is her voice in my head?"

[Kronshi]

And we begin again. Finally back to the first Kindergarten after fifty years of orbit.

It was always fifty years. Fifty years to visit and monitor every Kindergarten, in every Facet, in every District on this miserable planet. Luckily, fun things always happened when he came here. Sometimes a new gem or two will form or perhaps the rebels will be active. You never know what might happen in the Omega Kindergarten. Bloodstone watches the monitors carefully, wondering what the humans have done in the past fifty years. Have they finally run from this place in terror? He looks towards the Kindergarten while marveling at it's beauty. So many gems were planted here before the Diamonds even gave orders on where to begin. They never knew, and they still don't. The Diamonds think there are only 12 Kindergartens, Ha. There are over 40 of them now.

It's fun keeping things hidden from the Diamonds since all they do is over exaggerate any of his plans. Let's use shards of broken gems to make new ones leads to lets put a gigantic one in the Earth and have it explode. No telling what they do if they found out about the extra Kindergartens, especially since some are still active. They'd have a field day ripping this planet apart to recover any gem. Don't they know that letting them come to you stops rebellions and gem wars. All they need to know is that I occasionally find lost and abandoned gems

Alerts go off as activity is sighted in the 3rd and 4th quadrants and it appears that there's even one in the long barren 1st quadrant. Spectacular, I was sure that area was long since dead and gemless, but it seems one found there way out of the realm of doubt. Bloodstone couldn't wait to greet his new arrivals to his ship so he could begin training. So many possibilities open up when you consider this amount of newborns. It was time to summon his subordinates. "Chromite, Bixbite. Report to the Command Deck immediately. We've got some activity on the radar." His knight Chromite and assistant Bixbite were good at getting jobs done, even if one of them was a weak copy of something great. When one or both enter the room, Commander Bloodstone walks over to the warp pad and begins stretching, summons his glaive, and stands tall. "There may be a fight or perhaps some new recruits. It even seems some are heading for town so we may have to diplomatize with the humans. So get your things together and meet me down there asap."

Bloodstone warps down to the Kindergarten and surveys the area around him. Lots of noise in the background but near him are a yellow and purple newborn. One being interrogative and the other startled and awkward. He unsummons his weapon and approaches them slowly as to not startle them. "Greetings young ones, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I see both of you are confused upon your situation, but trust me, I can answer any question you have. But first, I must ask one of my own, what is it you want the most?" Blood says giving them a friendly grin and an outstretched hand.

[21308]

For some reason, Spinel felt compelled to follow the order the blue gem gave. She prepared to focus on her location until a red gem and at least one other, who appeared to be a follower of his, appeared in the canyon. She decided she should observe the situation further before making a decision.

"Chromite reporting." the knight gem said upon being called into the command room. She had already taken her lance out of the weapons room, and merely said "Understood, Commander." and beamed down with him.

[rocketrobie2]

The hanging gem was about to toss down yet another stone to get the attention of the two gems below when a voice was sounded in his mind. It didn't sound like one of malicious intent and they were likely the only Gem they could communicate with due to his lack of vocal capabilities. As the gem prepared to try and imagine his predicament to call over the voice from in his mind, he saw a sudden appearance of two new Gems, a red one and one in a lot of armour. The miraculous display was pretty amazing to the small Gem but after the initial shock he once more began throwing stones down below in an attempt to get rescue while also imagining what he was seeing as per the instruction of the voice in his head. At this point he just wanted down from his perch high above the ground.

[SevenStormStyle]

A small stone smacked Sphene sharply in the back of the head. Whipping around and instinctively covering her gem with her hands, her eyes scanned the surrounding cliffs anxiously in search of whomever was responsible. Should they be a foe, she would need to help the little one to safety. Should they be friend who was merely showering them with rocks accidentally, they were in need of a gentle reprimanding for carelessness. Her gaze zeroed in on yet another gem of the purple kind, this one even more so. He appeared to be in trouble. Or he thought he was, at least. The poor thing seemed to fear letting go of his grip on the wall, despite looking durable enough to land with little issue, or at least slide down. "Are you stuck up there, little gem? You could jump, I doubt that it would hurt you." Seemingly contradicting herself, she drew closer as if expecting him to need assistance.

Suddenly, she could hear a voice. "Ah, she must be my leader!" Sphene was instantly reassured by Aquamarine's words. As instructed, she focused on painting a mental picture of her surroundings, highlighting in particular Stengite's predicament. Soon, she would be taken away from this place to her assignment, and allowed to fulfil her purpose of assisting in the conquering of other worlds. She wasn't overjoyed, no, but she was satisfied.

As Bloodstone approached, Sphene turned to face him, folding her hands and lowering her eyes in respect. At his question, she was slightly startled. Why would her wants matter? She would be sent to where she was needed, not wherever she happened to fancy a visit. Was this a trick?
"I don't think I understand...are you not here to escort me to the Aquamarine so she can give me my assignment?" she questioned uncertainly.

With every word thus far, the quiet bell-like sound was renewed in the area.

@rocketrobie2
@Kronshi
@Akayaofthemoon
@Vocab