Templeschool

39. Bismuthed Signals

AN: Thank you all very much for the votes! I'm so happy to know you guys enjoy this story!

Pearl couldn't believe her eyes. Here she was. Bismuth. She couldn't believe it had been over 5000 years. Tears came to Pearl's eyes, and she shakily wiped them away. The broad-shouldered gem stared at them in astonishment. "Garnet? Pearl?" The prim and proper gem wanted so much to jump into her arms. Still, for one second, Bismuth's unbelieving smile morphed into a twisted snarl. A blink later and Bismuth's smile was a huge grin. Pearl mentally shook off the vision. She wouldn't let that happen. Not this time.

"I can't believe it's true. You're back, and yet you were here the whole time!" Pearl sniffed as more tears poured down her cheeks. Bismuth's elation shifted into suspicious confusion. She looked around the base, waving at the few new faces, and then turned to Garnet.

"Here the whole-? Are you aware-? Where's Rose?" The blacksmith looked frantic as she stepped closer to Garnet. She was trying not to blurt out everything, in case her friends weren't actually aware of her imprisonment.

Garnet placed a hand on her shoulder in comfort. "Rose is gone. You don't have to worry about her putting you in a bubble again."

Bismuth's eyes widened. Gone? "She's... been shattered?"

Pearl placed a hand on Bismuth's other shoulder. There was a mix of guilt, relief, and horror in the broad-shouldered gem's eyes. Hopefully, that meant that they had already changed the timeline enough that Twoie's version would not come to pass. "Not shattered, but she is gone. We have a lot to tell you, now that you're back." Pearl led her old friend to sit on the couch. The somber mood had left little room for the jokes that Twoie remembered Bismuth cracking when she first arrived. It felt awkward, and he didn't like it.

The young man stepped forward, worrying the others in the room. Amethyst tried to grab his arm to hold him back, but Twoie was already in front of the multi-colored gem. She looked up at him curiously, greeting his smile with one of her own. He held out a hand to her. "Hello, Bismuth! My name is Twoie Universe." She blinked in surprise but gave him a firm and friendly handshake.

Her smile got a little bigger when he also had a firm handshake. "It's nice to meet you, Twoie. You already know my name, but let me say that I'm looking forward to hearing about all of the things I've Bis-muthed." There was a groan from Pearl and Garnet, but Twoie snorted, and Steven laughed into his hands. Tension eased out of the room.

"Stars, have I bismuthed you, and you're jokes." Twoie plopped down in the seat next to her. She looked at him in bemusement, but Twoie quickly waved Steven over. His younger brother walked over and shyly waved. "This is my younger brother, Steven Universe." Bismuth smiled and held her hand out, as well. Steven felt more confident at her friendliness.

"Hi! You were in my lion, and now you're in my house!" He shook her hand, then stepped closer to Twoie. He was still a little nervous, but he liked her already. She was friendly, and she made jokes!

"Well, thanks for having me." She shifted her gaze to Amethyst, standing by the counter, and waved. "Are you a new recruit? Welcome aboard! We could always use more amethysts." Amethyst scoffed and looked away. Twoie sent her a stern look, and she sighed.

"Hi, I'm Amethyst. I'm not a new recruit, though." The purple gem didn't want to befriend her right now. Not after what she did. Or could do. She would keep a watchful eye on her, and then maybe if everything went well, she'd be okay with being friends.

The blacksmith shrugged off the rudeness and turned to face Pearl and Garnet. "Alright. Obviously, I've missed some stuff, so why don't we start from the beginning? How long was I gone?" Pearl stepped forward, hands twisting her ribbon.