Stars and Diamonds

Chapter 69: Responsibilities

It felt wrong, of course, but she was just too much sometimes and she needed the space to breathe. She knew she should speak with her, but every time she even commented on a minor thing she wasn't sure of or didn't like, Pearl became frazzled and fretted for hours after, trying to make up for some perceived wrong against her for it. Orange couldn't understand her, none of the other pearls ever acted like that, so she was at a loss as to what she could do to curve it. How did one handle a gem that freaked out at even the slightest bit of disapproval? It was draining on her, honestly, and she didn't know what to do.

Regardless of how she felt, she had been gone for almost an hour now and she knew if she didn't return soon, Pearl would be deep into a panic attack that she couldn't find her. Sitting up, Orange tilted her head back, releasing a deep breath through her nose before forcing herself to stand up, brushing the nonexistent dirt from her backside. Honestly, the Pumice did an amazing job keeping the place spotless, even when the building had been so sparsely populated before she had moved in, there wouldn't have been a real point.

Moving through the halls, Orange's eyes moved over the walls as her fingers grazed the smooth stone beside her, taking in the new decor that surrounded her. While she had always appreciated the old beauty of White's palace, Orange was captivated by the new, updated work the bismuths and morganites had put into their crafts when it came to designing and constructing her building. It truly was like stepping into a new era, going from the grand, sparkling opulence of sharp angles and crystalline structures of White's palace to the more blunted edges of decorative octagonal shapes that made up a lot of the lattice work lining the upper walls. It did well to blend into the large, polyhedron shapes that made up parts of the pillars that were inlaid in the walls, breaking up the otherwise bare flat surface.

Her marveling lasted only until she had found herself returning to the main atrium where she was greeted by the sight of her pearl and two very frustrated looking Jasper guards half-listening as she made frantic hand gestures at them. That is, until she noticed her standing at the mouth of the hall, studying the trio. In the next moment she was running towards her, tears streaming down her face and all but forgetting the guards she had just been yelling at as she barreled towards her.

"Oh, My Diamond!" Pearl wailed, one hand grasping a data pad to her chest as the other balled up in a fist, crossing over the other to protecting it as she ran towards her. "Thank the stars, there you are!"

Orange waited until she was in front of her, a half smile on her face as she waved her hands placatingly at the frazzled gem, "Calm down, Pearl."

Pearl gave her a scandalized look, "But My Diamond, you were gone!" She cried harder, her words coming out in a barely understandable rush, "And-and the guard, they didn't know- and Carnelians 5PX and 7PX were only laughing at me, they wouldn't take me seriously when i told them you must have been taken, or-"

"Alright Pearl," Orange cut her off before she could start hyperventilating, placing her hands on her thin shoulders, "Breathe."

"But-"

"Breathe." Orange repeated, waiting as Pearl stopped, taking a moment to gather herself before pulling in a long, deep breath and then blowing it back out through her mouth. Orange nodded in approval, "There you go. Better?"

"Yes," Pearl nodded, a hand raising to wipe at the tears on her cheeks, "Thank you My Diamond."

"Now, I wasn't kidnapped, I was..." Orange addressed, pausing as she realized she couldn't tell Pearl the real reason she had up and disappeared on her. Instead, she cleared her throat, her eyes shifting from Pearl as she settled on, "I was simply looking around. I'll speak with Five and Seven, but really, you need to calm down."