LOG-089.

  Rose Quartz had experienced more than a few examples of fusions during the rebellion, both via direct participation and by mere observation. It was why, despite the fact a portion of her gemstone felt like Dianite had been planned (potentially to leverage herself against what a possibly paranoid Viridian might consider an ambush attempt), Rose still noted the way the bluish green union nonetheless shared many of the traits those first few examples of intercaste fusion had shown, back when there had been more than a handful of Crystal Gems.

  Power, naturally. Joy in that new-found power. But also fascination. Interest. Love. Both for herself and between her components. She was an experience. And she was loving that experience.

  Rose had been in enough human celebrations to know that while Gems couldn't exactly get drunk in the traditional human sense, being part of a strong fusion could get you to a close enough equivalent, given the right interactions between various Gem mental states. Sugilite came to mind. Or maybe Deepriver Topaz, though considering the state of her components, she probably wouldn't be forming again anytime soon.

  Regardless. While Dianite could fly, and more likely than not, was both fast and powerful...it was really hard to imagine there was foul play behind those eyes when the fusion genuinely just seemed to want to help, in her own bumbling way.

  That of course, left two outcomes, in her mind. Either Viridian was a scarily good actress with an active agenda of some kind (something Vanilla had speculated to her about in private, in between one of their...sessions, with Quille), and a clear and present ally in Brim...or she was maybe just a Pearl riding high on her still relatively newfound freedom, and was maybe a bit too prone to flights of fancy at times.

  "I saw it in a dream."

  Rose considered those words. She considered them even as she briefly made her way into the private little world that existed within one of her oldest organic companions, retrieving the inevitable mistake she'd made thousands of years ago with shaky hands. And she kept pondering the meaning behind that simple, offhand sentence and how she could go about questioning Viridian about it, even upon exiting the space within her pink furred friend, locking eyes with a shocked Vanilla.

  For a moment, a small part of her continued to marvel at the fact that they truly never had thought to give themselves proper names beyond their basic Gem types. Though...she supposed that wasn't entirely true. After all, the rebellion had done similar, back in the day. It just had never really been a problem since...then. At least before they'd gotten so many new faces calling the Earth home once more.

  Still, the tangent went aside quickly as she approached, suddenly and rather distinctly unimportant in the face of the plethora of emotions running across her Pearl's face.

  The lithe Gem knew why it had all happened, of course. Rose had explained the situation to her long after Viridian had left, and answered more than a few pointed questions besides, but it was another thing altogether to see Bismuth in all her glory like this, sitting in a bubble like just another Corrupted Gem.

  Save for the fact that she'd been safe from that horrible blast. Hidden away as she was.

  ...

  Rose made to pop the bubble-

  "I saw it in a dream."

  -and hesitated, drawing back her fingers to a curious glance from Dianite (and wasn't that just an entirely new fiasco to try and deal with as well now?) and a worried one from Vanilla.

  "I-this...this just feels very sudden! And unplanned!"

  She didn't feel in control. And part of her programming that she'd long since elected to mostly ignore suddenly woke up at that, poking her with the closest equivalent programming could get to alarm as it did so.

  The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  The fusion was regarding her fully now, attention turned away from the letter she'd been apparently writing to her...alternates? (Fellow fusions? Something like that. More strange, interesting concepts. Those always seemed to be present whenever Viridian was involved, even when she wasn't directly present.) Teal eyes staring at her with an odd intensity that hadn't been there before.

  Was she just imagining things, or had she seen a small bit of green overtake the usual teal in those orbs while their owner stuffed the letter into her lower gemstone?

  "...Right."

  A small part of the Diamond in denial reminded the rest of her about her previous thought process. Namely in that that there was a Lapis Lazuli and a Pearl that Vanilla had described as potentially unstable in there, and that there was more than enough moisture in the air and on the surrounding plants to utilize in the event of a more...physical disagreement.

  Rose continued nonetheless, gesturing to the trapped Gem in her hand.

  "None of this is going the way it was supposed to! You weren't supposed to be here! Viridian agreed on a very clear plan in between knowing and talking about all of this-which I would still like to discuss, by the way! And-and Vermilion isn't here either, she was meant to help, right?"

  Vanilla nodded supportively at that, and Rose reminded herself to thank the Pearl later, even as Dianite tilted her head, the silly image of the countless glowy bands adorning her lightform shifting with the motion in a stark contrast to her paradoxically laid back yet disturbingly attentive demeanor.

  "Uhuh...sounds like you're mega stalling Rosey."

  The faux Quartz blinked at that name, stifling a giggle at the fusion's weirdness even as she continued to anxiously hold on to the bubble in her hands.

  "I...I am! Because I feel really uncomfortable about how this is going!"

  Communication was important. Right? That had been a thing Quille had mentioned a lot. Sure, this wasn't a relationship or anything, but it still applied!

  Right!?

  The Lazuli-Pearl mixture hummed as if she'd just read her thoughts somehow, a finger going up and scratching at the side of her eye for whatever reason, thoughts of her own visibly running through her mind.

  "...Chat what do we think."

  A few seconds passed in pure silence.

  Then the fusion promptly began to stretch, all four of her arms flailing slightly as her lightform began to glow and distort.

  "Woah woah I was kidding wait-!"

  And just like that, the amalgam of light broke apart into two distinct shapes, one settling down into a helplessly giggling Lapiz Lazuli and the other a grumpy looking Pearl with her arms crossed across her chest.

  ---

  Brim continued to laugh her dumb blue butt off, even as I pursed my lips at the helpless grasping motions being sent my way.

  "I-hahah-I don't even know what that meant! C'monnnn!"

  Fucking ridiculous.

  "Viridiaaaannnn!"

  Shaking my head and resisting the urge to just outright facepalm, I did my best to reconcile the...trip I'd just been taken on into something vaguely coherent, even as I turned away from my silly counterpart to stare at Rose and Vanilla.

  "...Right. Dianite is banned from important meetings. She affects my decision making process far too much for things like this." I pointed at a now snickering Brim and did my best to ignore just how much of my savings had been spent on fucking watermelons of all things.

  The fact that I'd only managed to...sober up in the middle of Rose trying to bullshit her way out of this was even worse, amazingly enough.

  "...Chat what do we think."

  Hrmhhgmragherragh.

  Keeping up my serene expression and clapping my hands together (while pointedly ignoring the distinctly missing sensation of a second pair doing the same), I nodded at Rose.

  "You and I are going to have a talk. In private. Give Bismuth to Vanilla for now."

  The hidden Diamond made noises. I tried my best not to get outwardly angry because for Stars' sake I was getting sick and tired of this.

  Stomping forward, I pointed at the bubble in her hands, then at my fellow Pearl.

  "Bismuth. To Vanilla. She can keep your little troublemaker in her premium grade storage space while we discuss a few things. Alright?"

  Rose hesitated. I narrowed my eyes and did my best in not acknowledging the fact that I was effectively squaring up to a fucking Diamond what the fuck-

  Calm. The big Gem slowly handed the bubble to Vanilla, who took it with all the reverence of someone holding a newborn baby.

  Turning, I pointed towards the Warp pad.

  "We can go talk in your room. Brim!" The Lazuli, finally recovered from her little laughing fit, turned to glance up at me curiously as I called her name.

  Gesturing towards Rose and then myself, I kept my voice decidedly neutral.

  "If I'm not back within twenty four localised hours. Call Emerald."

  Then I casually started striding towards the Warp pad, decidedly ignoring Rose's choked protests regarding her unsaid but most definitely plausible actions towards my person (fuck me if I was gonna become another Bismuth), alongside Vanilla's usual scandalised gasp.

  Contingencies contingencies contingencies.

  Uggghhhhhhhhh.

  Damn it Dianite!