"Urg, Blue! What is this?"

The sound of hard alloy hitting stone followed after, breaking the tense silence as it clattered against the desktop and would have slid off if it hadn't been for Pearl's quick reflexes, diving down to catch it just before it hit the floor. She sighed in relief as she was slow to stand back up, peaking over the edge of the desk to look at the irritated matriarch as she fell back against her chair with another agitated grunt, one hand gripping the end of an armrest while her other raised up, fingers rubbing harsh circles against her temple as she closed her eyes, her eyebrows still furrowed in aggravation. She watched her from under her lashes, head tilted down as she stood back up properly and gingerly placing the pad back on her desk in front of her.

"Why would you think I could make recommendations for that?" She grumbled to herself, ignoring Pearl's questioning look as she leaned forward, once more grabbing for the slightly dinged up pad and swiping the still open document up until it appeared on the array of screens hovering over her desk before once again carelessly tossing it back down onto the desk, causing Pearl to flinch at the jarring clack of it. Her hands moved up to sort the open files on her screens until Blue's remained the most prominent one in front of her. The enlarged sight of it did little for her mood as she threw herself back against her chair, resting her chin in her hand as she glared at the screen and gestured at the it in annoyance with the other, "We haven't covered half of this, let alone anything about the rebels. What even is rejuvenation? Is this something she thinks I'm supposed to just know?"

Pearl took a glance at the screens, quickly piecing together the unintended information her Diamond's grumbling rants gave her and the words on the screen to see that she was scowling at a small list of rebel Crystal Gems and a long winded proposal from the older matriarch. Her Diamond was expected to put forth her own advisements as to what should be done about the individual gems that she had been given to overview. However, her Diamond seemed to be hindered by her lack of knowledge on their terminology, and perhaps a basic understanding of unjuried proceedings, she couldn't be sure but she felt confident it was a simple matter she could help with. Unfortunately, by the time she had opened her mouth to speak up, her Diamond was already angrily ranting to herself again.

"And just what is Iris thinking?" Orange huffed, brining up another window with a note from the short iridescent gem, the message Pearl herself had passed onto her when she had received it that very morning, containing a rather longwinded and roundabout argument from her as to why she should take the time to spend with her head bodyguards, and by extension, for herself. Orange had elected to ignore it for most of the morning instead of writing back her response. "Why would I have any time for that? She knows my schedule."

"My Diamond?" Pearl spoke softy, though she didn't seemed to hear her at all as she continued to gripe.

"I've told the Topazes I'm too busy. Why would I just change my mind just because she thinks it's a good idea?"

This time Pearl decided it best to remain silent, taking her place back at the side of her chair and attempting to keep her hands from fidgeting as she watched from the corners of her eyes as her Diamond's hand fell from her face to slam down on the armrest, flinching at the loud bang. She would not have been surprised if it had cracked the armrest from the sound, though she didn't dare to look.

While she hadn't been in the direct line of her anger over the past few day, Pearl was still incredibly wary. Orange had been short with her since her screw up, barely looking her in the eyes and keeping their conversations short and limited to her work, giving her small tasks or telling her to remember something for her and little more. She longed to redo that day over, to have just walked away like she knew she should have. Maybe then her Diamond wouldn't hate her. If only she could figure out how to make it up to her but that was beginning to seem like a task that was doomed to fail from the start.

Orange reached forward, flicking the message from Iris Agate away to leave her with Blue's and a stack of others she had compressed into a pile beside it. Her fingers moved the text of Blue's message up and down aimlessly, eyeing the different bits of information and taking none of it in, sighing as she spoke to herself in a rather defeated and exhausted tone, "How am I supposed to know any of this? Is this another kind of test? I just don't understand."

Pearl glanced at her surly owner and then back at the screen, taking a breath as she spoke up louder than before to ensure she'd be heard, "My Diamond, if I may-"

Orange didn't look away from her screen as she brought up a new one to compose a response, "Not now Pearl."

Pearl frowned, dejected, "Yes, My Diamond."

A sudden ping had Orange's hand stilling as she glanced over at Pearl, who was just as surprised and was scrabbling to produced her communicator. Opening the device to a screen, she scanned over the new message.

"What is it?" Orange asked curiously.

Pearl looked at the sender, "It's a message from-" Her voice cutting off as she stared at the sender's credentials.

"From?" Orange echoed, snapping Pearl out of her stupor.

Pearl cleared her throat, eyes glancing at her Diamond as she raised her head, responding, "There is a message from White Diamond's Pearl. She is requesting an audience, at your earliest convenience this cycle."

"Grant it." Orange ordered, turning back to her work to continue typing.

Pearl was surprised by her quick response, turning to look at her with wide eyes, words a little rushed as she asked, "When for-?"

"Now."

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Pearl nodded, "Yes, My Diamond."

"I want a private meeting with White Diamond's Pearl." Orange paused to cock her head and look at the thin gem beside her, "I expect you'll listen this time when I tell you to leave us?"

Pearl's cheeks burned and her chest constricted, unable to meet her Diamond's eyes as she nodded again, "Of course, My Diamond." Pearl's fingers dug into her palm as she sent her Diamond's response, her hand falling away from her personal screen, staring at the small inbox and listening to the quiet tap of the screen beside her as Orange had returned to working on her own. Ignoring the tightness of her chest and summoning all the courage she could, she turned to look at the older gem, "My Diamond, I...I really am-"

"I don't want to hear it, Pearl."

Pearl's shoulders sagged, her eyes casting down before turning to collapse her communicator and return it to its proper place. "I'll go meet White Diamond's Pearl and escort her in, if that would please you, My Diamond."

"It would." Orange nodded, "And Pearl?" her fingers paused on their keys as she turned her head just enough to meet her gaze from the corners of her eyes, "Remember what we talked about."

Her other hand clamped against her wrist, eyes falling closed as her chin tucked down against her chest, "I cannot disobey my Diamond's direct orders."

Orange stared at her for a long moment before nodding, her head briefly inclining towards the doors before she turned back to her message, "Go on."

As soon as she had left, the older gem heaved out a deep sigh, her entire body sagging back into her seat as her hands loosely clenched the ends of her chairs armrests. She stared at the few sentences she had forced out onto the screen, vague and lacking anything of substance. She glanced at the message from Blue, reading and rereading the designations of rebels that meant nothing to her beyond their caste. All had been stripped of their ranks and claims to any single Diamond. She knew she should give a little more, care that she was being given the responsibility of having their lives in her hands, even ones as traitorous as this, but her mind could barely stay on any given topic long enough to be useful. Between her Pearl's constant attempts to apologize and hovering to worrying how she was going to talk with White's Pearl about what happened, her work had fallen by the wayside, more than likely declining in quality, though no one had commented on it. At least, no angry reprimanding calls or messages from any Diamonds had come, yet.

While a part of her appreciated that Pearl had been trying so hard to apologize to her, she simply wasn't ready to forgive. She felt as if she hadn't been given the chance to think it through enough, to reason just why it had happened or how she really felt about it or her. She hoped that talking with Pearl about it would get her through it enough that she'd be able to move on with her own pearl and put this behind them. But then that brought up the other issues of telling Pearl what had happened in the first place. That alone had caused her a lot of stress, to the point she had even considered just avoiding it, but after calming down, she would alway acknowledge she couldn't rug sweep this. She had to tell her, this wasn't something she could keep from Pearl, even though she had taken the measures to ensure nothing would come of it as soon as she realized what had happened, she knew it would eat her up from the inside if she hid this from her. Plus, once Pearl found out, and she had little doubt Pearl would somehow find out, she would be incredibly cross with her for withholding such important information that involved her, and she wouldn't have Pearl questioning her loyalty to her or their relationship. What a sorry mess it all was.

She wasn't entirely sure how long she had been staring through the screens, her mind racing and souring her mood even more, when the doors to her office swooshed open and pulled her attention away. Turning in her chair to glance at the now open doors, seeing Pearl had returned with her guest, did she lean forward to shut off all the screens before standing up. Walking around the chair, she was greeted by both pearls bowing to her.

"White Diamond's Pearl has arrived, My Diamond."

White's Pearl straightened up, her hands moving to clasp behind her back as she addressed her, "Orange Diamond. Thank you for your time."

Orange gave her a single nod before her eyes slid to the gem beside her, meeting her eyes as she rose an eyebrow, "Pearl?"

"Of course." She bowed her head once more, "Excuse me." She then turned, closing the doors behind her. Orange, for a brief moment, couldn't help but wonder if she was still there, just behind them or if she had actually listened to her. Would it be foolish if she checked? What would she do if she found she was still disobeying her? Thankfully, she didn't have too long to overthink the matter as the other gem in the room demanded her attention.

"She was quite anxious the whole walk here." Pearl commented, eyes glancing at the closed doors before turning back to her as she began walking towards her, an eyebrow raised in mild curiosity, "Has something happened?" However, the closer she got, Orange's lack of enthusiasm and when she hadn't been pulled into the tight hug she had come to look forward to, did she began to notice the serious look on her face and the tenseness of her figure and was given pause, "You look upset." Pearl noted. "What's happened?"

"We need to talk." Orange said, her jaw clenching as she attempted to not wince at how blunt that had come out, or how poorly worded it must have been based on the concerned frown Pearl gave her in response.

Pearl stopped a few steps in front of her, "Okay." She said slowly, giving her a small nod as she gave the taller gem her full attention, "I'm listening."

"She knows."

For a few moments, Pearl was puzzled by her cryptic wording, mind attempting to find some meaning or context to piece to her words before she finally voiced her confusion, "Who knows what?"

"Pearl, my Pearl." Orange clarified, her arms folding against her chest, hands clutching at her elbows as her eyes glanced away from her and then back while she struggled to speak over the tightness of her chest, "She was eavesdropping on us last time. She..."

"Orange?" Pearl breathed, her hands falling from behind her back as the severity of what she was hearing hit her, her own heart racing as her mind sped through what that would mean. "Did she...has she told someone?"

"No!" Orange shouted, eyes wide as she took a step forward, head shaking as she swallowed down her panic, this time speaking softer, "No...I've made sure of that."

Pearl took in a deep breath, closing her eyes as she forced herself to calm down. Clenching her hands in an attempt to ground herself, she looked back at Orange, eyebrows furrowing as she pressed her, "Perhaps you will explain to me what's happened?"

Orange nodded, arms falling away from her chest as she sighed, running her hands over her face as she took a moment before responding, "Pearl listened in on us. Heard us talking, learned about us dancing together and after you left made me believe it was something she wanted to learn more about. I guess she thought she could impress me?" She shrugged, throwing her hands up in frustration, "I don't know. She pretty much tricked me into dancing with her and told me she heard us."

"You danced with her?" Pearl echoed, her voice laced with a mixture of confusion and amusement.

Orange hesitated, surprised that that was what Pearl had gotten caught up on first, before giving a small shake of her head and continuing, "I thought it was a part of us trying to get along. I told her we could be friends."

"But she knows about us?"

"She knows we weren't discussing things for White, Pearl." Orange replied, taking the few short steps to her as she placed her hands against her upper arms, looking her in the eyes as she attempted to reassure her, "But like I said, she's not going to tell anyone. She can't."

Pearl reacted up a hand to lay over the top of the hand that held her left arm, the realization of what Orange was implying dawning on her surprisingly late. "You exerted your power over her."

Orange pursed her lips, nodding as she felt the need to justify herself, "I didn't have a choice. It was either that or let something potentially happen to you, and that wasn't going to happen."

"And your pearl?"

"Has spent the last week apologizing to me for what she did."

Pearl's eyes were rounder than normal as she blinked, staring up at her for a long moment. "You chose me."

Orange couldn't help the little quirk of her lips at the amazed confusion in her voice. "Why do you sound so surprised?"

"I just..." Pearl's eyes lowered, her hand tightening over Orange's hand as she looked back up at her, eyes apologetic as she responded, "It's personal. But...that does make me think."

Orange's brow knitted together in confusion, "What about?"

"Perhaps it would be a good idea..." Pearl bit her lip, her eyes glistening as she forced herself to continue on, "Perhaps we should stop this."

"Pearl?" Orange breathed, surprised, before her hands moved to grasp both of hers, eyes wide as she looked at her in alarm, "You can't be serious." When she didn't respond or look back up at her, Orange gave her hands a gentle squeeze as she pleaded, "Please talk to me?"

Pearl turned her hands in Orange's so that she was holding them back, head tilting so that she could look at her properly, "We were caught, Orange. I knew it was only a matter of time, but I still took that risk. I put you at risk and I shouldn't have."

"I know what's at stake Pearl." Orange argued, "I chose this, remember?"

"Orange, we had a good time, and- stars- I love you." Slowly, she pulled her hands back until they slipped from hers, the Diamond's hovering in the air where they had been holding hers as she wrapped her arms around her middle, shrinking into herself as she spoke, "But maybe this is the warning that we should take. You have a new pearl, and I can tell she adores you. It will take time to adjust, but she'll do just fine. You could eventually love her too."

Orange's hands fell back to her sides, hands clenching and nails digging painfully into her palms to keep herself from being overtaken by her emotions, tears already pooling at the corners of her eye as she shook her head, "I would never love anyone but you."

"You wont know unless you try." Pearl countered.

Orange gave a breathy laugh that lacked any kind of amusement, "Can't you tell? I don't want just another pearl. I want you."

"Orange." Pearl whined quietly, shoulders slumping as she gave the taller gem an imploring look, begging her to simply understand, "I'm just a Pearl. I'm replaceable, but you're not."

"No, you're not."

"I am!" Pearl shouted, hands digging painfully into the soft flesh of her upper arms, head turning down to tuck into the small space her raised shoulders had made as she attempted to hide the tears that began to fall down her face, "I've been replaced before, I know I am!"

Orange stared at her, wide-eyed and chest tight as she watched her cry and pull further into herself. It hurt her to see her cry, and so she reached forward again in an attempt to comfort her.

Pearl smacked her hands away as they reached for her, stepping back as she reared back in anger, narrowing her eyes through her tears as she cried, "Stop trying to placate me! I know it's true."

"Pearl..." Orange held her hands up, shocked by her outburst and unsure how to respond.

"Just let me go, Orange." Pearl begged, "I'll miss you but I'd rather you be alive then shattered because of me."

Orange clenched her hands, taking a deep breath as her voice managed to come out even despite the trail of tears running down her face, "You're not just any pearl, not to me. I don't want to let you go, so don't ask that of me like its something simple. I love you."

Pearl shook her head, a cynical smile forming on her lips, "You're young. You have plenty of time-"

"I'm nearly 900 years old, Pearl." Orange cut her off, slowly stepping into her space and thankful when Pearl didn't immediately retreat, "I know what I want, and I know what i'm willing to risk." She waited until Pearl eventually looked up at her, eyes wide and unsure as she remained quiet, "If you believe in us, in me, then don't give up, because I'm not going to." Even slower, she reached out again, hesitant, as she touched her shoulders and when she didn't retreat, took it as her consent and slid her hands up to cup her face, forcing her to keep eye contact with her as she spoke as sincerely as she could, "I love you, and that's never going to change."

This time she didn't fight as Orange slowly pulled her against her, arms wrapping around her, one hand cupping the back of her head and the other settling on her back, thumbs moving to rub calming circles against her. Pearl pressed her face into her stomach, taking a long moment to find comfort in the feel of her before pulling back slightly, her forehead leaning against her as she made sure her words wouldn't be smothered by her tunic, "I'm so scared." She admitted, her voice sounding small even to her. She titled her head back to look up at her, voice warbling as she asked, "What if someone else finds out?"

"Then let me deal with it." Orange responded, titling her chin to look down at her, "I know you can take care of yourself, but let me be strong for you for once. What's the point of being a Diamond if I cant even keep you safe?"

Pearl sniffed, hands moving to wrap around her and grasp at the sides of her tunic, pulling her closer. "How am I supposed to say no when you make me feel so special?"

"You are special, Pearl. Don't ever doubt that."

"....Are you certain?" Pearl asked quietly, watching as Orange tilted her head in mild confusion.

"That you're special?" Orange questioned, the corners of her lips quirking up, "Of course I am."

"That you still want this?" Pearl clarified, eyes wide and serious as she looked up at her. "Us?"

"Yes." Orange responded, the amusement slipping away at the seriousness in Pearl's eyes, though she couldn't help her impulse to lighten the mood as she added a little playfully, "I've wanted this since you compared me to an Aquamarine."

Pearl snorted, a small smile forming on her face despite herself, "You remember that?"

Orange's eyes softened as she leaned back slightly, the hand that had been behind her head moving to cup her cheek, "I'll never forget the things you do for me Pearl. You pulled me together when I was in pieces. I would do anything for you."

"Anything, huh?" Pearl allowed a real smile to form as her tears slowed.

"I'd dedicate my first colony to you." Orange declared, pleased as she smiled back, "It would be yours."

Pearl giggled softly, "A Pearl with a colony? Now what would I do with that?"

"Anything you wanted." Orange shrugged, "I'd make sure you'd want for nothing."

"I already want for nothing."

Orange's eyebrows raised, "Oh?"

Pearl's hand reached up between them, fingers incredibly gentle as they ran over the beveled edges of Orange's gem, her breath catching in her throat as she turned her head down to watch her run the thin tips over her facets, her face flushing even as she continued listening, "I have a home, a job any pearl would kill for, and I have a gem who loves me loves me, flaws and all."

"I love our home, my empire and its people," Orange paused to rub her thumb gently over her cheek, wiping away the trail of drying tears under her eye, "but they mean nothing if you aren't apart of it."

Pearl's cheeks darkened, her smile growing as she rolled her eyes playfully, "Sweet talker."

"Do you remember what we talked about, right before I was real sick and before I became apart of the Authority?"

Pearl grimaced, fingers tightening into the loose fabric of her tunic as her hand flattened out over her gem, "I try not to remember that time, honestly."

"When we talked about my palace," Orange said in a gentle tone, "How there we were going to explore it together?"

"Yes?" Pearl responded inquisitively, eyebrow raising as she waited for Orange to explain further.

Orange moved her hands down to cover Pearl's, "Let's go do that. Just us, no guards or anything."

"Others will see us together." Pear reminded her.

"They will see their newest leader, Orange Diamond, being accompanied by White Diamond's Pearl." Orange argued. "I'll keep my hands to myself, I promise. It'll be like when we took walks in White's palace."

Pearl couldn't keep the smile off her face, her chest warm as she let go of her top to flip both her hands so that she was holding hers, fingers intertwining as they settled in-between them, "I'd like that. I miss our time together."

Orange grinned, a big, toothy smile in excitement, "How long do you have?"

"For the day, my time is yours."

Orange raised her eyebrows in mild amazement, "How'd you swing that?"

"My Diamond is very busy with her new colony." Pearl smiled slyly, "She normally has me doing other things while she works alone."

Orange's eyebrows knit together, concern flashing in her eyes, "Then what about your tasks? Won't you be in trouble?"

"They can be done later. Right now," she looked down as she squeezed Orange's hands a little tighter, "I just needed time with you."

"It's yours." Orange let her hands go, making Pearl look up at her in confusion, only to have her unsaid question answered as Orange turned, making a mocking look of one of the Diamond as she spoke in a jesting commanding tone, "Now, Pearl, I think it'd be a good idea if you walked with me to observe that my palace is up to the very high standards of White Diamond."

Pearl giggled, even as she mocked bowed to her, "Of course, My Diamond. It'd be my honor to aid you."

Orange followed beside Pearl towards the doors, and for the first time, realized she had forgotten all about her own Pearl and her fear of her listening again. She couldn't help her jaw clenching as they approached the door, or the breath that left her when Pearl opened them and they were only met with the empty hall. Schooling her features, Orange allowed for a little distance between herself and Pearl as they walked side-by-side, stopping at the end as they were met by the Carnelians.

Orange held out her hand as Seven opened her mouth to speak, giving a small shake of her head, "Pearl is here to inspect the palace for White. You guys stay here, we're just going to walk around."

Orange ignored the shared look between them as, instead of arguing with her about protocol, saluted her with a twin chorus of "Yes, My Diamond." And then went back to their post without argument.

She knew she'd be getting the third degree the next time they were alone just the three of them, but she was already thinking up the half lie she would be telling them over a joke.

Moving on from her work space, she couldn't help but watch Pearl from the corners of her eyes as she turned her head, looking at all the things she hadn't noticed on the way in, and anything intresting that caught her attention. She couldn't help the small smile that turned up the corners of her lips, her chest warm just watching her. Despite their little issue from earlier, it reminded her just how worth everything was to just be with her. It was a feeling she was sure she'd never tire of or ever wane.

It wasn't until they came upon one of the halls that ran along the perimeter of the building, lined with windows and allowing the light of the day cycle to filter in, giving them a view of the southwestern part of the city did Pearl speak up.

Pearl stopped in front of the windows, looking out over the large buildings, seeing the city stretched out before her. "It's such a nice view from here."

"It is, isn't it?" Orange agreed, stopping to stand behind her and look. She hadn't been here, and had no idea her palace had such a view, though, in retrospect, she imagined her palace had a view of all the city somewhere in the building, so long as she could find it.

"I've noticed there are many windows." Pearl told her, turning her head to look up at her, "I imagine White Diamond wished to ensure you liked your palace."

Orange shrugged, eyes meeting hers and then moving back to the city as she considered her words. "I suppose she wanted to keep me happy, considering how long I'll be here."

"You can't see a lot of them from outside." Pearl told her, "It must have taken a lot of work to conceal them."

"I feel like my palace was a chance for our more artistic gems to stretch their muscles, so to speak. It's nice to see something a little updated."

Pear hummed in agreement, "It's fascinating to see, and very you."

Orange blinked, looking down at her with a raised eyebrow, "You think?"

"What's more new and fascinating than the Diamond that brought in a new era for us?"

"Mmh," Orange hummed, turning from the windows to continue down the hall, Pearl following beside her. "So everyone is expecting new things then. That's not a lot of pressure at all."

"You'll be the highlight of the new era for a long time, Orange." Pearl giggled at her light sarcasm, "There's no telling what will come from you and your new court. Everyone is excited."

"Even you?" Orange ventured, eyebrows rising as she glanced at her.

"I've always known you would be important to us." Pearl responded, "I look forward to what all your stubbornness focused on something will eventually lead to."

Orange grinned cheekily, "The first colony dedicated to a pearl, for one."

Pearl simply smiled, shaking her head in exasperation.

Orange allowed silence to settle between them for a few minutes as they walked on, debating if she should speak up or not before she cocked her head to speak nervously, "You know, speaking of new things, I was thinking..."

Pearl's head turned towards her, curious, "Yes?"

Orange reached up, rubbing the back of her neck as she continued, "Maybe we can...we should find a room, like we had back at White's? Something that's just ours."

"You wish to secluded yourself away...in your own palace?" Pearl questioned, her eyebrow raising.

"I want a place that we can retreat to when we need it." Orange explained.

Pearl nodded, humming in understanding as she thought about it for a moment. "Well, we do have plenty of rooms to choose from."

Orange grinned in excitement, earning her own smile from Pearl in return. It took a lot for Orange not to reach down and hold her hand and lead her through the palace, "Let's look while we walk around."

For the first time since she moved into her palace, Orange could honestly say, walking the halls and peeking into the rooms likes didn't own everything in it, making her feel like she was centuries younger and back at White's, sneaking around and simply enjoying her present company, did she start to feel like she was home.

It was wonderful having this time with Pearl, feeling so close to her again as they went from one room to another without a care in the world, neither of them with a single thought or worry about their jobs bothering them in that moment. It was also great having another to join her who enjoyed searching the building, level by level, and snickering as they played off their roles when they came across random gems patrolling. It was a fun break Orange hadn't let herself acknowledge she needed.

Orange followed as Pearl took the lead, pushing open another ornate door, peaking into there room behind her as her mouth dropped at the open room, gasping out a quiet "woah" as she held onto the doorway looking in.

"This is perfect." Pearl said, eyes wide as she looked around, lips parted as she took it all in.

Orange looked at her, eyebrows raised in both excitement and surprise, "Yeah? This place?"

"It's big." Pearl said, feet spinning her around until she turned to look at her, a smile stretched across her face, "And it's beautiful. There's even a balcony."

Orange stepped in the room, walking towards her as she glanced around again. It somewhat reminded her of their room at White's, and although it was rectangular instead of octagonal and lacked any sort of artwork on the walls, it was still beautiful. It was a grand room, stone polished to shine a bright shade of her namesake, with high vaulted ceiling and archways that led to a very long balcony on the far side of the room. Curtains were let down, obscuring the outside view, though they billowed in the soft breeze that filtered through the room, giving them teasing glimpses outside. And if Pearl loved it, that only made it all the easier for her to love it as well. "It's perfect."

Pearl turned, taking the lead as Orange joined her side, slowly walking around the perimeter of the room. It wasn't heavily decorated at all, which lead her to believe it was simply an extra room for her to decide a purpose for, perhaps for guests, which meant it wasn't on the main patrol for any of her guards. Orange's eyes turned towards the archways as they neared, spotting in the little alcoves between them and the curtained off balcony multiple couches, large enough to fit two, maybe three gems.

"Look, there's even chairs. We could comfortably watch a sunset here if we wanted." Orange pointed out, Pearl's eyes following her hand, head titling as she considered it. "Tell me this wasn't made for us."

"It was made for you." Pearl said, the small crinkles at the corners of her eyes as she smiled coyly up at her expressing the playfulness that alway had Orange grinning back in shared joy.

Reaching out, Orange wrapped her arm around her shoulders, pulling her against her side. "But now it's ours."

Pearl leaned her head against her, a content smile settling onto her face. "Ours."

Orange titled her head to look down at her, eyes soft as she took in the unguarded sight of Pearl simply resting against her and enjoying the moment. It was a far cry from earlier, and she for one was glad to move past it. There was only one more thing she could think of that would make the day better. "Well, we explored a good chunk of the palace, finally found our room, and now, there's only one thing left to do."

Pearl's eyebrows furrowed in thought before she cocked her head back to give the taller gem a questioning look, "What?"

"We test it out." Orange let Pearl go, the smaller gem looking at her in confusion until she had turned to stand in front of her, placing one arm behind her back and bowing to her with a proffered hand, "Pearl, will you honor me with this dance?"

Pearl placed her hand in hers, her body pressing close to her as she looked up at her with another coy smile, her other hand moving to rest against her upper arm. Orange was quick to fall in place, though their posture remained relaxed as they began to sway back and forth, paying more attention to each other than their footwork, simply enjoying the closeness their dance offered. Pearl and Orange switching off leading one another around the room as Pearl hummed a tune for them to move to.

And then Orange surprised Pearl by dipping her, her eyes going wide before she laughed, her hand holding on tight to her arm even as Orange lifted her back up, a wide toothy grin on her face as Pearl settled down. Moving back into their dance, Pearl took the lead from her, Orange easily following, her own peels of laughter coming when Pearl would surprise her with a twirl or to spin around and have her back pressed against her chest as she tilted her head to look at her. Orange was near out of breath from laughing as she twirled with Pearl, fast footwork that was more random than planned, nothing like Pearl's practiced steps, perfect and precise. The perfect dancer and her clumsy partner, but they laughed together in enjoyment all the same.

Orange grabbed her hand and she twirled on the spot, her eyes glowing with amusement and affection as she watched her partner spin in place, twice, and then she pulled her back to her on the third, Pearl only slightly stumbling to catch herself as she followed Orange and was pulled into a dip as their dance came to an end. Both their cheeks were flushed, from their physical exertion or laughing so hard, neither couldn't tell.

Pearl wrapped her arms around Orange's neck to help keep her balance as she giggled, and Orange's forehead fell onto Pearl's as she chuckled herself, catching her breath. She hadn't felt so happy in a long time. She wished she could feel this way forever. Neither of them took notice as they both started to glow, the light that killed their gems expanding and quickly engulfed the room. A moment passed and the light dimmed and vanished, leaving a very tall, confused gem in their place.

"What?" She looked around, thin brows knitting together, unsure of just what was going on. She looked down and jumped when she realized she was looking down at two sets of hands, and two very long legs that were not hers- theirs? All four hands flipped for her to look at and then she looked down at her torso, two gems, one on her chest that was a very familiar diamond and another on her stomach, but they weren't the right colors! What was this?

"Fusion" Whispered in her mind, a word that was both familiar and foreign to her at the same time.

"We fused?" she spoke out loud, her voice was soft pitched and almost musical.

And then another thought, coming from the same place as the first, "This is wrong."

Suddenly she hunched over, pain hitting her so unexpected before it was gone as she was devoured by light and split, gone just as quickly as she came, the two gems landing gracelessly on their backs facing one another.

Orange groaned as she sat up, rubbing her head before becoming still as she looked at Pearl who was doing much the same, her gray eyes widening when they met hers.

"I-I...that was..." Orange stuttered, her stomach fluttering as she attempted to gain her bearings once more.

"I can't believe we..." Pearl whispered, her hand moving down to her gem.

Orange took a deep breath, "We fused."

"I've never..." Pearl clenched her hands, glancing up from under her lashes to see Orange struggling to process what had happened as much as she was, "I've never fused before."

Orange's head shot up, staring at her wide eyed, "You haven't?"

"Of course I haven't!" Pearl cried, eyebrows furrowing as she looked at her with a mixture of confusion and anger, her voice rising in pitch, "Why would I need to?"

"Oh, of course. I just..." Orange blushed in embarrassment, "I've never seen a fusion up close before. I wonder is it always..." her voice trailed off.

"Disorienting?" Pearl offered, much softer as her eyes turned away from her.

"Like you're so much more than you are." Orange sighed, looking down at her own hands, though any glow had long since faded. "Like your not so small anymore." Both Orange and Pearl looked up at one another, their eyes meeting. "Like you're complete."

"We...we shouldn't do that again." Pearl responded, her head bowing down to avoid Orange's sudden intense gaze and began to get to her feet.

"What? Why?" Orange's sudden urgent tone had Pearl stopping on her knees to look at her in alarm.

"It's dangerous enough if we get caught together like this, but fused?" Her gloved hand slapped over her mouth at the very word, falling away after a moment of silence, "Orange, not even you being a Diamond could escape punishment for that. Please, I don't want to be the reason you're hurt."

Orange quickly scurried over to Pearl on her knees, surprising her as she cupped her face into her large hands, "Shh, it's okay. We don't have to do that again, I would never make you, but please don't ask me to stop seeing you. I couldn't."

Pearl placed her hands over Orange's, pushing her cheek into the palm of her hand, so naturally warm compared to her, "I just...I think I need some time, Orange. This is all just too much. Im sorry. I...I should go."

Orange held onto her hand before she could fully pull away, stilling her, "Pearl, please wait-"

"Please, just...let me go." Pearl begged, pulling her hands away the moment Orange relaxed her hold.

Orange kneeled helplessly as she watched Pearl stand up, turning from her before she could react and run from the room.

--------------------------------

No one dared to approach her as she made her way back to her office by herself, her eyes narrowed ahead of her as she walked past countless gems who dodged out of her way. Glaring was all she could do to keep her eyes from welling up with the tears that seemed to be constantly threatening to reappear before she could sequester herself away and let go. Her chest hurt at just the mere thought of earlier, like she was choking, drowning in deep water and burning up from the inside at the same time. The tension caused a beat to pulse painfully in her temples as she fought against everything she was feeling. She couldn't break down there, not in front of her subjects, she reminded herself, she was a Diamond first and foremost before she was anything else.

Even as she reached the hall to her office, the Carnelians stood at their posts, her Pearl, surprisingly, was making small talk with them. On any other day, she would have been surprised, perhaps proud. However, right then, she had no interest in anything but those four closed in walls and her chair where she could just drown in her tears before she had to get back to work whether she liked it or not.

Upon her approached, all three gems perked up at the sight of her, though they must have seen the mood she was in and remained silent, saying nothing as she passed them by. Vaguely, she acknowledged that Pearl had left them to follow her.

Once inside, Orange tried her hardest to not explode on Pearl as she stood next to her in her proper place while she sat in her chair, hands angrily flicking out at the live screens as they flashed to life and showed the messages as she had left them.

She stared hard at the screen, feeling her eyes ache with her stubbornness to not allow herself to cry. If she could just push it all down until later, she would be fine. What she was feeling right now would pass and she'd be able to think clearly. However, her Pearl seemed to both be oblivious and think otherwise.

From beside her, Pearl spoke up in a cheery voice, "My Diamond, I was wondering-"

Orange immediately cut her off, uncaring how she reacted to her harsh tone, "Not now, Pearl."

"Oh," Pearl blinked, mouth shutting as she grimaced, "of course. Another time then."

Orange simply hummed in return, eyes aching as she glared at the transparent orange screens and the multiple messages she attempted to stay concentrated on. However, it only agitated her further when, from her peripheral could she see her Pearl rocking on her feet, stopping for but a moment before she spoke up again.

"Perhaps I could help with-"

"No." Orange ground out, teeth mashing together as her anger flared.

"My Diamond?"

Orange took in a deep breath through her nose, the hand in her lap curling and uncurling as she moved opened screens around into a new pattern, doing her best to reign in her anger, "I don't need your help."

"It's just-"

Orange whipped around in her seat, glaring at her Pearl, "What could you possibly help me with?"

Pearl took a startled step back, hands rising over her chest as she glanced away and then back, "I...it's just, i know a little about our justice system, and I thought I could, maybe-"

"Help me?"

"Well, yes." Pearl nodded, relaxing slightly as Orange's glare turned from her back to her screens, "I'd like to help you My Diamond. It's...It's what i'm here for."

"Is it?"

"I mean...yes." Pearl nodded more forcefully, "It's what friends are for, right?"

Orange let out a breathy, sarcastic laugh, "And where'd you hear that?"

"I-Ive been speaking with the Carnelians." Pearl admitted, "They can be vulgar, rude even, but they've been helping me understand what it means. I've been...learning."

Orange snorted, leaning forward to pick up her personal pad, flipping it on as she gave a small derisive shake of her head, "Friends. Interesting."

Pearl looked at her with wide, hurt eyes, "I just want to-"

"Sweep it under the rug like it didn't happen, because now you feel bad."

Pearl lowered her head, tears already beginning to fall down her face, "I....I'm sorry."

Orange grunted, "You know, you keep saying that, but it doesn't fix anything."

"I know." Pearl acknowledged.

Orange blew out a breath through her nose, placing her pad down in her lap. She stared at it a long moment before she turned in her chair to look at her, "Anything else I could have forgiven, would have considered it done and over with, not worth wasting thought or feelings on. But that...you betrayed more than my trust Pearl."

Pearl's eyes widened, her voice low as she questioned, "What?"

"You made me feel used, Pearl." Orange admitted, "You took something special from me and used it against me. And for what?" Orange questioned, her tone verging on mocking, "Do you feel better now? Did it help you learn something about yourself?"

"No!" Pearl shook her head, "I-i just....I didn't know that would happen."

"Being naive isn't an excuse." Orange refuted.

Pearl continued to cry as she nodded again, "I know."

"Then why did you do it?"

Pearl's mouth opened and closed as she struggled to find an answer for her, "I...I don't...I don't know." Her hands clenched around the sheer material of her skirt as she closed her eyes, "I don't know!"

"Then figure it out." Orange responded, turning away from her and back to the pad in her lap, picking it back up, "In the mean time, I have more important things to focus on."

Sitting there, she stared at the screen, mind blank as an angry headache pulsed behind her eyes, the sounds of Pearl sniffing and attempting to cry silently next to her wearing down on her already frazzled nerves. She couldn't stand the tension in the room. Between Pearl leaving her so uncertainly and having to be with someone she had too many complicated feelings towards at that moment, she could just feel it weighing her down, suffocating. It made her want to scream, to lash out. But she knew better. She couldn't get angry with Pearl, not when she felt so deep in turmoil, because she knew what would happen if she did.

"You know what?" She declared, tossing the pad down on the desk as she stood up.

"My Diamond?" Pearl questioned meekly, moving out of the way as she rounded the chair to walk past her.

"I think I will see the Topazes." Orange responded over her shoulder as she headed towards the doors, "Contact Iris and tell her to have them meet me on the third level. I need to do something physical."

"Yes, my Diamond, I'll contact her at once-" Pearl didn't get to finish before Orange was gone.

Down the hall, she breezed past the Carnelians who looked at her in surprise.

"Leaving so soon?" Five called out, though she got no response, "Uh, my diamond?"

Both gems watched as she continued on, turning to share a look of apprehension and confusion.

"Think we're supposed to stay or follow?" Five questioned.

Seven watched as their Diamond disappeared around the corner of a distant hall, frowning, "I'm going to say stay."

--------------------------------

Orange ducked under G9's wide punch, arms moving up to guard her face as J2 attempted to take advantage, just barely managing to block her knee as it hit her forearms. She ignored the ache the forceful blow and countless others before it caused in her tiring limbs to reach out, locking her hand behind her knee and wrapping her other arm around her calf before tugging, pulling her leg out from beneath her and taking her off balance. The result was G9 backing up in surprise to avoid her as she fell back, distracting her long enough for Orange to move towards her, hitting her in the chest and knocking her back.

Orange only had a moment to savor her hit before she felt the brutal sting of J2's leg knocking into her ankles, sending her crashing down to the hard floor from her leg sweep.

"You seem distracted, my Diamond." J2 joked as she moved to stand over her.

Orange grunted, using her arms to push herself up into a sitting position as she glanced over at G9 when she came to stand next to them, offering her hand to Orange. Taking it, Orange was yanked up, bouncing on the spot once, twice, as she attempted to shake the ache of her body off and keep her adrenaline going. "Lets go again."

The two topazes shared a look.

"You certain?" J2 questioned. "Maybe we should take a break."

G9 nodded enthusiastically, pleased by the idea.

"No break." Orange shot down, rolling her shoulders and feeling the tension that spanned between her neck and shoulders, the twinges of pain from her back that she knew she would be sorry for later. "I've got time to make up for."

G9 grimaced as she shared another look with J2. Turning to the taller gem, G9 rubbed the back of her neck, "You've been going pretty hard. You know we could just pick this up tomorrow, or-"

"I might not have the time tomorrow." Orange countered, falling into a defensive stance, "So lets go." She gave them a few moments, raising her eyebrow when they weren't quick to react, taunting, "Or have you two grown soft with the new recruits?"

"Ohh no, no," J2 responded, grinning as she got into her own stance, "It's not us that have been taking all the blows."

"You've just gotten lucky." Orange countered, taking the first swing the moment G9 readied herself as well.

J2 landed the first blow, hitting Orange in her upper arm as she weaved to avoid a hit from G9, "Lucks got nothing to do with all this skill."

Orange huffed as she swung at them, keeping her arms up to guard her face, blocking jabs and moving with them as they circled around the room, feeling her reaction time slowing the longer they lead her around. She knew they were attempting to tire her out, she couldn't keep this up forever and they couldn't win on sheer power alone, not against a Diamond, and right now, thats all she really had in her favor. If she didn't end it soon enough, she knew she'd lose the round again.

Acting on reflex, Orange dipped to the left to avoid G9's fist from hitting her, and ducking to avoid J2 taking her own jab at her. Taking advantage of their closeness, she struck out, first hitting J2 in the stomach, sending her staggering back. Popping back up, she rounded on G9, feinting to hit her face, which she rose her arms to block, leaving orange the chance to raise her leg, kneeing her in the stomach, the force of which had her bending over, slowing her action time as the larger gem punched her and sent her tumbling back into her partner who caught her before she could fall. Orange breathed heavily, arms aching but coming back up to guard herself as the two rounded to face her again.

However, Orange was taken by surprised as the two broad gems advanced on her, her eyes widening just before she was knocked in the abdomen by their combined arms, flipping her onto her back and causing her to cough, gasping in air as it was forced out of her. Her back ached from her hard fall and she took a long moment before she opened her eyes, the Topazes upside-down faces grinning down at her as she blinked, seeing their still linked arms that they had used to take her down.

"And now it's break time." G9 declared with a toothy grin.

Orange groaned as she sat up, hand rubbing under her gem where she had been assaulted. "Where did you two learn to do that?"

"You aren't the only one who's been busy." J2 answered, "We've been making sure we're prepared."

"Prepared?"

"For when we have to protect you." G9 responded. "We're not going to let anything happen to you. You know, when you get to leave Homeworld."

J2 waggled her eyebrows, teeth showing as she grinned, "Colonies can be dangerous."

"Pink Diamond has shown us that." G9 added a bit more seriously.

"Pink?" Orange's head shot up, eyes bouncing between the two as her hand fell away to rest against leg, "You guys get some news I haven't?"

"Nah," J2 waved, sitting down opposite her with an appreciative groan, arms stretching out behind her head, "But everyones on edge 'bout that sol colony."

"Rebels. Nasty pebbles, they are." G9 agreed, plopping down onto the floor beside them much less gracefully, completing their triangle formation.

"I'd like to get my hands on some of them."

"I'd like to take down Rose Quartz." G9 sneered, pounding her fist into her other open hand, "Pathetic."

J2 snorted, "Defective more like. Fighting against your maker? Can you imagine?"

"It won't be long." Orange shrugged, wiping the long, wet and tacky hairs from her forehead, "Pink will finish her off soon enough. She doesn't stand a chance against a Diamond like her."

"Or any Diamond for that matter." G9 added, "Unless you happen to be us."

"Oh haha. Don't be such a clod." Orange responded, rolling her eyes as she shook her head, accepting the playful smack she got from G9 for it.

"That was something out there." J2 nodded her head, gesturing towards the room, "It's been awhile since we've gotten such an edge over you."

"You sure you're okay?" G9 asked, mirroring her as she brought her legs up to rest her arms against, "You seem off. Not losing your touch are you?"

Orange shrugged, leaning forward as she bent her arm up to rub at the thick muscle at the back of her neck, avoiding the topazes' eyes as her mouth twisted, "I've just got a lot on my mind."

"Want to talk about it?" J2 offered.

"I..." Orange faltered, biting her lip as she debated simply keeping quiet before she looked up, hesitantly speaking, "Let me ask you two something."

"Alright?"

"You two are really close, right?"

The two gray topazes shared a grin, G9 giving a nod of confirmation, "Ever since we were placed on the same guard."

"Came from the same planet." J2 added, thumb wagging from her to G9, "She's a Beta Kindergartner and I'm a Delta. Long distance sisters."

Orange rose her eyebrow in question, perking up at the new information, "So you've always been close?"

"Stars no." G9 snorted.

J2 laughed, nodding in agreement, "Couldn't stand her for the longest time. Would have chipped her visor first chance I got if it wasn't for our Agate."

"Iris?"

"Nah. We used to be under this Plume Agate, a real piece of work." J2 pulled a face as she recalled her.

G9 placed a hand by her mouth, stage whispering, "Don't tell her I said this, but Iris is a sweetheart in comparison."

Orange raised her eyebrows in disbelief.

"I know, sounds crazy," G9 laughed, "But she was a real stickler for the rules. She had this electric pike," she made a gesture of mimicking holding a pole weapon, jabbing it forward into the air towards the larger gem, "she'd prod us all with it when we were out of line."

"And when weren't we out of line?" J2 snickered.

"Right?" She leaned over, bumping forearms with her partner as they shared some inside joke between them. Turning her attention back to Orange, she continued, "Couldn't salute perfectly? Pike. Taking to long to answer her? Pike. Too far apart from your partner when presenting? Pike. Show your scared of her?"

"Pike." Orange finished for her.

"Exactly." G9 snapped her fingers, pointing at her as she nodded. "So, we're put together, at each other's throats constantly. I figure she's too rash-" She jabbed a thumb towards J2.

"And she took too long to do a task because she was always overthinking it." J2 chimed in.

"I was desperately scared of having Plume's wrath pointed at me." G9 explained.

"We all were."

Orange hunched forward, listening as she became even more invested in their story. "So you ended up clashing?"

"We ended up brawling!" J2 cackled like it was the funniest thing, her hands stretching out as if framing a picture for her to see, "Right there in the colony base we had been assigned to. Atrium packed, overseers upstairs, on a direct call with White Diamond herself."

Orange gasped, "You didn't!"

"Oh yeah." G9 verified, shrugging as she added, "Course, got caught red handed by Plume herself." She made a double jabbing motion with her invisible pike, "Destabilized us both right then and there."

"Surprised she didn't shatter us."

"I'm surprised White didn't shatter you." Orange said, the bewilderment still clear on her face.

"Plume wasn't gonna tell." J2 responded, shrugging, "It would have looked real bad on her."

"But we were certainly deep in it when we reformed."

"And you guys got along after that?" Orange questioned.

"No way."

"But it was certainly easier to work together." G9 was quick to add, "I was amazed by her uppercut."

J2 grinned as she looked at her partner, "And I was surprised by how much of a beating she could take."

The two shared another arm bump before G9 continued speaking, "We eventually settled it, got to be real friends once we were placed in White Diamond's palace. Had lots more time to talk then."

"We actually have a lot in common."

"But have you two ever had a falling out?" Orange pressed.

The two topazes glanced at one another, J2 shrugging "We've fought, yeah."

"No one gets along all the time." G9 explained, "I mean, I got J2 in some real trouble with Iris." She grinned fondly, "Got the silent treatment for two weeks until she felt like forgiving me."

"She was a grump the whole time until I forgave her." J2 chuckled, her head cocking to the side as she looked at her partner, "Honestly, I just missed my bud."

"Awww!" G9 cooed, hand moving to cup her cheek as she dramatically blinked her lashes at her, "Now I know your just getting sappy in your old age!"

"Shut up!" J2 yelled back, laughing as she reached over and pushed her shoulder. Laughter bubbled up from G9 as she reached over and pushed her back, the two going back and forth as they shouted and roughhoused.

Orange smiled watching as the two shoved one another playfully, laughing until J2 lost her balance and fell backwards, startling them until she burst into laugher, making Orange giggle at the two. Eventually they settled down, both out of breath from laughing.

"Oh, but hey, you didn't want to hear about our past." G9 scratched her cheek, tinted from a mixture of laughing too hard and embarrassment as she returned her attention back to the larger gem in front of her, "Was there something you wanted to know?"

"No, actually," Orange shook her head, lips still curled in amusement and happiness, "I think i figured it out on my own. Thanks guys."

G9 raised her eyebrows, laughing despite being confused, "Don't know how that helped, but you're welcome!"

"So..." Orange leaned back, stretching out her back before she slapped her thighs, eyes moving from one topaz to the other, "We done for the day, or you guys up for round six?"

"You're on." J2 agreed, popping up from the floor, stretching her arms as she twisted to the side, preparing before either of the other two gems could make it to their feet, "Lets make it an even split."

Orange grinned, raising up her fists as J2 did the same, "I wont lose this time."