------- Bloodstone's Ship, ~1 1/2 months ago --------
Talc stepped off of the warp pad into Bloodstone's office. She could barely take two steps before Blood spoke up from behind her. Blood walked up to her with his arms crossed and he was clearly not pleased by the fact that she was here.
"Look, you're lucky I even let you up here with all the things I've already done for you. Say what you have to say and leave, before you get me in trouble."
"I...Your..." was all the green gem before him could manage for a brief moment, clearly taken back by his hostility. He was one of the few gems who had ever saw her as something with a worth beyond being, paradoxically, worthless, and she had been glad to see him again. Apparently the feeling wasn't mutual. She blinked, shook her head, and spoke again, apparently having found her voice once more. "I'm sorry, sir, if I am unwelcome here. I just wanted to go home, and was hoping that you'd be able to warp me back. If that is too much to ask of you, I'll leave now without another word."
Bloodstone was taken off guard by this request. Why on Homeworld would a gem like her want to return to the place that used her. "Naturally, I would have to refuse due to the chances of it causing trouble but I have to ask. Why? What are you hoping to find?"
She was expecting him to be wary -it was clear that Talc wasn't fond of Homeworld despite her serving it- but she was surprised that he didn't understand why. "Microcline. Galena. They're not on Earth, they're probably on Homeworld. I need to find them. Isn't it obvious enough?"
"Well, I haven't heard anything about Galena but Microcline is gone, Talc. I thought you knew that. You won't be able to find them on Earth nor Homeworld nor anywhere else in the universe."
Silence.
A long, long silence.
"You're joking."
"I wouldn't joke about an ally's deat-"
"Then you're wrong. There's no way they're dead."
"I picked up the shards of Micro myself. I tried to save them but there was nothing that could be done."
More silence.
"...You're trying to tell me," she said, her eyes still wide with disbelief, "That they died before I did, and expect me to believe you?"
"I would hope you would believe me. You're not as weak as you think you are, of course you would survive. You were more catious due to knowing that you were fragile. I would show you their shards but they have already been used by my own experiments to make a new gem."
Another bout of silence. The longest one yet. Once it was broken, it was done so by a voice that was hardly above a whisper.
"...You did what?"
And then it hit her. A new gem.
Who else.
She didn't mistaken Eve's eyes for Microcline's that week ago. Those eyes were Microcline's. Except they weren't their own anymore. They belonged to a different gem now.
A gem who was alive.
Microcline was not alive.
Finally, it sunk in. Her gaze fell to the floor as eventually would the tears which were forming in her eyes. Though she knew the answer, she repeated it once again, taking a step back.
"Y-You...You did what!?"
"I made a new gem with Microline's shards. They were gone Talc. What did you want me to do, just let her shards sit their as an empty shell. I wanted to give that gem new life and I did. It was a much better idea than for me to just leave them in a bubble!"
"And what kind of life," she said, her tears now running and her voice raised, "Did you give them -her- Evenkite? Have you even been down there once to see how she turned out!?"
"Don't you think I wanted to!? You were so close to the newborn and I didn't know how either of you two would react to my presence! I didn't want to scare her!"
"Didn't want to scare her? As if she couldn't have been more terrified as is! She was in hysterics when I found her, Bloodstone!"
"I thought you wanted me to stay away from Evenkite! What did you want me to do!? I owe you too much to go against what you want!"
Talc shook her head. Bloodstone was being so stupid. Why was he being so stupid? This wasn't the commander she knew. He wouldn't have brought something like this upon another gem. She refused to believe that he would.
"I'm not angry because you didn't, I'm angry because for some reason, you thought this was okay! Do you have any idea how fragile she is!? Did you make her knowing full well that she'd end up like me!? And you thought that was okay!?"
"There were only so many pieces left! I used what I had and replaced to rest with artificial gem matter! I had no clue if the new gem would be ANYTHING like Microline or any other gem! I just wanted to let the gem live!"
She had had enough. Turning her back to him, she spoke, walking away from him as she did so.
"Well good for you, that gem will probably not live long! And frankly, if you didn't know how she would turn out, you shouldn't have let her live at all."
Bloodstone couldn't see why she didn't understand, he followed behind her. Hoping he could get her to listen.
"Well that seems highly unfair to judge her based off her gem's fragility."
She stopped dead in her tracks, her shaking hands curled into fists. Why didn't he see the facts? Why couldn't he see that not every gem would be as lucky as she was? Why couldn't he accept the fact that -
"We're supposed to die first."
Silence, broken only by sniffles and quiet sobs, which prevented her from speaking for a good minute. Eventually, however, she'd find herself able to take a shaky breath, and speak once more.
"No one expected me to live long either. I'm surprised I did. Bloodstone, sir, gems like us aren't meant to live long. You know that. Do you have any idea how many gems like myself have died before they even reached a year of life? Any idea? A month? A day!?"
"I always had faith in you, and I have faith in her. If you can't accept that she turned out the way she did than you have no right to judge how long she will live. There is a chance and by gods I'm willing to take it if it means another gem gets to live, if only for a day, a month, or a year. It's better than never being given life at all!"
"She's living her life in fear. Even before she knew, she was living her life in fear, and knowing how short your time probably...It really messes with you. I turned out okay because I had you and Galena and Mi-Microcline and even Hiddenkite and Xenotime, but even then...It messes with you. It's better to be alive than dead, I won't argue with that, but if I knew that whatever I'd create could turn out like me, I'd spare them of their fate."
"But does she live in fear now? Does she? That's because she has you, and others will come too. There is hope for her and you can't deny that. Besides, there was a larger chance that she wouldn't turn out like you than there was a chance to be like you. Not that being a gem like you is a bad thing-"
"It is a bad thing. Don't even argue with me on this one. I live through this, you don't."
"But don't you see what you've done, the lives you've changed for the better. You have made so many people's lives better because you are a gem like you. And I'm positive she can do the same."
"I didn't say I was a bad gem. I said being a gem like me is a bad thing. I have no doubt that she can do great things, Bloodstone, sir, and I don't doubt that for whatever reason, you think this was the best. And maybe I don't have the right to doubt you at all. All I'm trying to say is that this is hardly a fair fate and I wouldn't wish it upon any other gem, even if it meant another life came to be. But she's here now regardless, and that's what matters now. But if she's taken to Homeworld..."
If Evenkite was taken to homeworld...She shuddered, and it was neither from her sobs nor cold.
"You can't. You can't take her there. Please, Bloodstone sir. Don't take her to Homeworld. I don't want her to go through that. I don't want her to be used as a tool. You know how they think of gems like us."
"And you know how I think of gems like you, every gem is useful no matter what. Every gem has the chance to change things and do what's right. Life is hardly fair either, I had to fight and kill millions of my own kind, my allies, my friends. I can't change that, and I can't change how she turned out. Neither of those things were in my control."
"But this is. Homeworld doesn't need to know about her."
"Fine, I hid your existence by faking your death so you would be free from their chains, I can do the same for her by not even letting Homeworld know she exists. Is that what you want?"
"It's better for her this way. It's better than what Homeworld would have planned for her."
"And I won't argue with you on that but either way, Homeworld won't be happy if they find out. That's another reason why I don't want you going to Homeworld. Imagine what would happen to me if they found out I lied about your death."
"It was irrational of me. And it would've done neither of us good if we were found. But I was desperate to find them, sir. They mean more to me than you can imagin-"
"I can imagine quite well, you remember what happened to the people I cared about and who I felt for like you do them"
"And I'm not saying you care less for them than I do. I'm saying they mean more to me, because without them, I was what Homeworld saw me as: Nothing. Galena...Galena, even before you did, he gave me a chance. Gave me a chance gems like me can only dream of. They're everything to me. Everything I am and everything I've acheieved and done is because of you, him, and Microcline."
"Fine, I'll set up an arrangement with Bismuth to get you through the cities unnoticed. But she won't be able to hide you forever so you'll be on your own before too long. If you can live with that than I'll let you go."
"...And Evenkite? What about her?"
"I'll keep a watchful eye on her.... And don't worry, I stay true to my words, Homeworld will never hear of her."
"I know you do, sir. And I trust you with her...But please, for her sake, keep an extra careful eye on her. You gave her a chance to live; make sure it's a good chance."
"Anything for you, especially after what I did. I'll make sure nothing bad happens to her."
"And when I come back, I need to be with her again. She needs another gem like her around. And I've told her not to trust any other gems she came across, because I wasn't aware how much time had past. I didn't know the war ended, and I was scared of what would happen if someone else found her."
"The war isn't over. According to reports by Peridot and Jasper, there is a resistance group still on Earth that calls themselves the Crystal Gems. You had every right to be wary of what would happen."
"I have to be. Otherwise I'm gone in a second. And so will she."
"I know that all too well."
"Good. Don't forget that you know, either, for her sake. I'm sorry I doubted you, sir. I'm sure she'll be in good hands."
"That's good to hear, and what should I do if you don't come back?"
