Scene #2792: Signs of Home

Owner	Pose
Sunstone	Sunstone stands on a strange grey stone platform with an array of crystalline pads on it. It's not the Galaxy Warp, but it is a warp hub, and it responded to her resonance device. Once she arrived there, she went about inspecting the damage. Every single warp pad was cracked or just utterly destroyed and scattered to the four winds. A mixture of relief and dread filled Sunstone. Some part of her didn't want Peridot to be right about Homeworld being gone, because that would mean that Gems /are/ endangered, and she still wants them to survive as a species. But the damage here also suggests someone broke them on purpose, and so Sunstone is spending the day trying to figure out if it was Gem weaponry that did it. So far it's been inconclusive, since it's nearly impossible to find forensic clues from beings that are made of energy and light. She eventually stops and sits on the middle pad, puffing at her bangs. She pulls out a recorder that looks like a rectangular piece of orange rock with glowing lines along the surface and speaks into it. "Sunstone, multiversal log number thirty-eight. Unification continues to display a tendency toward thematic placement, but evidence of my universe is few and far between. Today, I found a warp pad that is commonly used on Gem colonies, in a state that suggests it has been broken for a very long time, longer than we have been unified. Initial investigation only tells me that it was broken long enough back that all evidence of the reasons behind that is gone. Attempts to repair the warp pads are under consideration, although it bears the risk of it connecting to a larger warp hub and, consequently, somewhere I really don't want to stumble across. Sunstone, out." Click-whirr. She places the device away in a pocket in her clothing, and brightens her perpetual smile to look around. "At least the place it ended up looks healthy..."
Guest Lapis Lazuli	Today has been an eventful day for Lapis. Attacked by Vega, extreme use of her powers, and so much exploring. The multiverse was huge. She'd been to the end of it and back -- quite literally -- and it was just dawning on her how little the chance of her finding homeworld would really be. Peridot had been treating her oddly, in ways that she hadn't previously. This place was changing her, and it was changing Lapis, too. Maybe the pangs of loneliness against the great void were an echo of how Peridot felt, but still she maintained her rivalry against Sunstone. It felt.. draining to have to keep up on the offensive. Was this really want she aspired to do? Some of the brush is disturbed near Sunstone, rustling with activity for a bit. One of the robonoids equipped with a transmitting module stumbles on out, barely the size of a grapefruit with a likeness of Elvis Presley drawn right on the surface. It was the same one from the trap, and though Peridot used it for such, this one was Lapis'. Not that Sunstone was particularly aware of that. Almost completely indifferent to Sunstone's presence, the little robonoid clatters on over to the platform in a drunken beeline, suggesting the module was throwing off its balance somewhat. Or perhaps it was just broken, still. Upon reaching the center it stops. Again, but from a different direction, leaves rustle as Lapis comes out of the undergrowth. Her skirt is slightly torn and she's a little scratched up. When she brushes some of the foliage from her hair, a flower floats away as if filled with helium. The flora here is unusual, and Lapis is obviously somewhat distracted by it. Upon reaching the clearing with the warp pad however, Lapis looks up at her robonoid and then to Sunstone. She stares for a moment, unmoving. Perhaps expecting Sunstone to attack her, but she doesn't actively engage.
Sunstone	Sunstone looks up. This time, she doesn't attack the robonoid on sight. She just stares at it, smiling passively, but watching its path. She remembers this one, the one from the trap, and it strains her cheer to remember what all of that meant. A fight that really didn't have to happen, that's how she remembers it. She looks away from the robonoid to another shape. It was Lapis, staring at her, and it seemed like she was cautious, wary of the potential of violence. The smile remained. Sunstone didn't say anything to Lapis, she just smiled and watched passively. Expecting something. Words, or flight, maybe a fight... She pauses in this only briefly to reach down and pick up the robonoid, examining it, and then setting it in her lap like a cat, and then looking toward Lapis.
Guest Lapis Lazuli	When Sunstone picks up the robonoid and sets it in her lap, Lapis starts moving again. The way she walks is graceful, as though she just flows across the ground on her bare feet. While appoaching, her eyes remain glued to Sunstone, but by the time she actually makes it to the warp pad, she seems content to drop her gaze. The Elvis robonoid goes limp as it's picked up, and then just sits in Sunstone's lap. It's a very passive thing, and doesn't seem to make any hostile motions. It is, for all intents and purposes, a cat just sans purring. Carefully, Lapis takes a step on the platform. Her eyes scan the surroundings and the warp pad itself, and it's pretty clear that she's coming to the conclusion Sunstone had made herself just prior to Lapis' arrival. This warp pad was broken, but it was at least a sign that things had appeared from their universe. If this warp pad exists, others do as well. Looking back at Sunstone, Lapis kneels down and sits on her knees. Her fingers lightly rest on the surface of the warp pad and her eyebrows lower sympathatically as she looks down in front of her. "I'm sorry for what I did, Sunstone."
Sunstone	Sunstone taps the robonoid, her expression not changing from that vacant smile. She's not super worried about Lapis' approach, and when the blue Gem comes to a halt after assessing the warp pad, Sunstone looks up and then over to her, turning where she's seated. "I forgive you," she tells Lapis, immediately, while rubbing the top of the robonoid. "If you feel like that, why are you helping Peridot?" she wonders, after that. Sunstone's posture seems to be slack, as if she's tired. There's not a lot of sunlight in this area thanks to all of the trees and weird plants, so might not be getting enough to maintain that artificial glow and cheer.
Guest Lapis Lazuli	The robonoid squirms a little when tapped. It's still alive. The fact that Sunstone is holding it prevents it from moving. If placed elsewhere on the ground, it will return to the center of the warppad and stand there vacantly. Usually Lapis has it on wander mode when it's around her, but she very well can't change its ordes from here. She's not a techno-savant like Peridot is. When Sunstone says she forgives Lapis, she looks up to the orange gem. Why is she helping Peridot? That's a complicated question. Sitting up a little straighter, her other arm reaches up and gently rubs the opposite upper arm. "It's complicated."
Sunstone	"..." Sunstone doesn't have a lot to say about that. She brightens her smile for a while, and it would seem awkward between the two of them. Like she was waiting for Lapis to elaborate. But she cuts into it first, saying, "Everything is complicated, Lapis. I didn't become a rebel gem because I just happened to think it was a good idea one day. Something happened that changed how I felt." She strains her smile a moment. "You don't have to tell me. Complications can hurt." She taps the robonoid a couple of times, but then turns it about and gets a good look at the damage. "Hmm." She digs in her coat and pulls out what looks a bit like a tuning fork, checking the robonoid for any damage she might be able to fix. "I'm sure it can't be as bad as my reasons," she tells Lapis, "Now /that/ is complicated."
Guest Lapis Lazuli	Lapis seems to consider Sunstone's words. She's right, and Lapis knows she's right. There has been a secret eating away at her, too. Something that's been causing a level of disruption even throughout her powers. It's that thing that just tugs away at the back of her mind. "I'll tell you if you never tell anyone." She pauses a beat, "And if you tell me why you became a rebel gem." Shifting a bit, Lapis looks up to the sky, or what's visible of it through the canopy of leaves and branches. Then she looks back to Sunstone. "Peridot doesn't know it, but before I unified, I betrayed homeworld." Shock! Awe! Lapis is a rebel! "One of the homeworld gems had imprisoned me, and was trying to force me to fight against my friend. I.. didn't let her. She tried to fuse with me and I dragged her to the bottom of the ocean on that miserable planet. Earth." Not only did she doublecross homeworld, she fused with someone and used it against them. Retelling the facts obviously causes her some discomfort. Her arms cross fully and she looks down at her knees. "I had to do it, to protect Steve-." She perks for a moment, "For my friend. They would've taken him back to homeworld." She shakes her head a little. "Now things are different. Peridot is acting.. different.. She's never been without homeworld. I don't think any of us have been in a situation like this." A frown tugs at the corner of Lapis' mouth as she looks back up to Sunstone, "I just.. I really want to go home, like none of this happened. I don't know what to do."
Sunstone	And now Sunstone is put on a spot. As she listens, she processes what she's hearing, and it's probably on a far different scale than her own actions. Her smile begins to falter, especially on that last part. Something grows in her, and she has to set the robonoid down at her feet and stand up, walking away to rub at her face. The timing of this is mostly at the end, there, so it couldn't possibly be the betrayal that causes these difficulties. She sniffs and sighs, and starts from the beginning, her voice already cracking. "I was a scout, and engineer, tasked with watching over a Kindergarten on a world. I knew the ins and outs of the technology, and I was trained to mingle with the local populace and make sure nobody knew what was going on. But they weren't..." She rubs the side of her head. "They were able to read each other's emotions, and I eventually figured out that they knew about my mission. I decided to go along with it anyways, since I had a duty to uphold." She pauses for a beat. "But I heard news of the Crystal Gems. I heard they had fought a rebellion to protect a world, and it confused me. I started thinking over the years... 'why?' Why would any self-respecting Gem protect any world other than Homeworld? What would they have to gain? And then I thought about the species I was dealing with, and..." "Something changed. What right did we have to believe another race could be less than our own? I forced a shutdown of the Kindergarten and none of the gems that were going to be born in that batch ever made it out of the ground. It..." Her eyes water... "I had to choose between a race that would have never done me harm, and my own people... I resigned myself to die fighting whoever came to check on me and when I woke up a long time after, after erosion freed my gem from under the ship that fell on me..." "I found out that they had all died anyways. I don't know if Homeworld did it, or if the damage to the world from the Kindergarten was just too much for the ecosystem to handle... but everything was gone." By this point, tears are streaming down her face and a powerful horror is in her eyes. She visibly shakes, and even her image flickers like she might lose cohesion. Her gem glows intensely... "All that was left was an old statue with a plaque that said they forgave me," she hoarsely nearly sobs out, and then puts her hands over her face and nearly doubles over. This is the first time she's ever told anyone and she practically had to force it out. It's obvious she's trying to regain her composure, very steadily. Snifffff. She straightens and rubs at her face and tries to force her composure back to the way it was. "Don't tell /anyone/," she tells Lapis, practically hissing it at her, "A-alright?"
Guest Lapis Lazuli	When Lapis finishes her story, she's silent, a bit dejected. She honestly doesn't know what to do. Then Sunstone stands so suddenly. It grabs her attention and her eyes follow the other gem. The robonoid, now back on the ground, trundles on to the center of the warp pad and stands there with its Elvis Presley face. Sunstone's story begins and Lapis listens intently. Somewhere around the middle mark, Lapis slowly rises to her feet. She doesn't appear to have any intent, she's just listening and standing. The tears that roll off of Sunstone's face and leave her skin drop, then hover in the air at random heights before dispersing as if part of the atmosphere. It's unclear if that's Lapis' doing or some part of the forest. Lapis just listens to the whole story, feeling something of an empathetic connection to Sunstone. As the story comes to a close and Sunstone's posture straightens out, Lapis is already right in front of her. Her arms wrap around Sunstone in a hug, arms over Sunstone's shoulders. One of her hands comes around to lightly hold the back of her head. It's a very consoling hug, and she doesn't let go. Repeating back Sunstone's request, she replies, "I won't tell anyone."
Sunstone	Sunstone freezes absolutely still on contact. The orange gem has never been hugged before, by anyone, for any reason. The sensation is jarring, resulting in uncertain hover hands at first. She doesn't know how to process the idea of another Gem doing this, let alone one that she had fought in the past. Even with forgiveness, it was hard to accept someone completely. The hug is reciprocated and held for a long time after that. Sunstone's eyes close until the hug is broken by Lapis, which it'll pretty much have to be.
Guest Lapis Lazuli	Lapis snuggles into the hug a little bit. Gems show affection, it is a thing not completely alien to their society. Even Garnet is a fusion of two gems who love one another. It's nice to share a moment, even if only for a little bit. Most of all, Lapis just wants to comfort Sunstone. That was a lot to give and to take in. Ultimately, her thoughts return to Peridot again. About the gem warship and Steven. Things really are complicated more often that not. Can she really be expected to fight Sunstone like this? Worse still, if Homeworld is really gone, Sunstone, Steven, and Peridot are all she has left. Her thoughts return to Peridot, and the fact that they've been practicing fusion. About what happened with Jasper, but here is someone that maybe understands. Someone, besides Steven, that knows what's really happened. Jasper is gone. Maybe she can relax? Then Lapis' gem starts to glow on her back. Startled, she breaks the hug to step backwards, letting out a gasp of surprise. Stumbling for words, she apologises, "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to.." The glow from her gem fades, as her cheeks burn a little darker blue.
Sunstone	A lot of things run through her head. Sunstone is not a person who believes others can easily forgive her, but the catharsis of receiving a hug after that is so intense that she feels an emotional connection with Lapis. Her mind churns over all of the silly ways she imagined that going wrong, only making her smile in amusement as the hug maintains, especially from the snuggly behavior of the blue Gem. Sunstone's own gem, which had been responding, dims until it's not glowing either when the hug breaks. She places a hand on it, having never experienced the sensation before. Although she's heard about it and seen it in action, she seems surprised. She looks back up at Lapis with a smile and clasps her hands behind her back. "I wasn't really thinking about it, but... we were about to fuse. I've never done that before," she tells Lapis, brightening when she says it. "Isn't that fun? I wonder what we'd look like." She acts as if nothing were wrong here, instead whimsical and happy now that the sorrow has been hugged out of her. It doesn't even feel forced right now. "Oh," she realizes, "If you're here, that other gem is /definitely/ somewhere in the Multiverse." Her glow dims and her smile shrinks, a bit of that strain returning. "Oh no, that would be bad. I'll keep an eye out, maybe I can catch onto her showing up again so you have some warning. Just stay on-guard, for Steven's sake."
Guest Lapis Lazuli	Lapis seems a little lost for words, and she watches Sunstone gush for a moment over the possibility of fusion. This just seems to be how things are now. So much talk of fusion from Peridot. It's definitely on the mind. To the rhetorical, she replies, "We wouldn't know until we tried." She offers a small smile. The cathartic feeling is shared, despite the sudden awkwardness. Both gems had their secrets, and now that they're out in the open, things just feel more.. natural. When Sunstone suggests Jasper is around, Lapis very quickly alert. "Is that really true? Jasper is here? I didn't know that's how this worked." Learn something new about unification every day. This multiverse is proving to be rather complex in of itself. That must mean the Crystal Gems are somewhere, too. Just undiscovered. "I don't know what Peridot would do -- .. If she found out.." Lapis' expression turns very sad suddenly as she considers the possibilities. None of them are good.
Sunstone	"When she finds out," Sunstone goes on to say, "She's probably going to see you as a traitor. Because she has to, that's how she works." She crosses her arms after that, the blunt truth given for what it is. "Unification draws our entire universe in, or at least the parts with sentient life. Homeworld /is/ here, somewhere, as well as Steven's Earth. The Cookie Cat factory is indicative of that. But that also means everyone else is here. Gems that you might want to run from, like I saw you do when I first saw you." "Peridot's assumption is wrong. I'm sure of it. She might just want to be right about that. Think about it... can you remember Peridot acting like this before? She's acting weird, for her."
Guest Lapis Lazuli	Lapis pauses as she considers Sunstone's words. There's obviously the potential that none of this is true, but she doesn't think that's a possibility. Not after what just happened here. Could Homeworld really be out there? Sunstone says it is, but how long would it take to find among the mass of planets? The multiverse has changed her, and Peridot. This place is dangerous, and likely the Crystal Gems are out there fighting for themselves, too. It'll all come together in time. Looking at Sunstone, Lapis says, "Then we'll wait. Fighting that Jasper might come back, or any of the Crystal Gems will only make things worse." She sounds definitive, "Peridot.. I'm not going to betray her.. I'm going to ask her to stop attacking you." Lapis shakes her head and takes a step forward to put a hand on Sunstone's shoulder, "We don't need to fight, we need to work together. Why don't you return to the warship with me?"
Sunstone	Sunstone looks to the hand... Her smile fades, as she remembers that fateful day, when the gem warship came down and she shot it out of the sky with everything she had. She carefully removed the hand, and says to Lapis, "Forgive me, but I can't do that. I have the Union... I have my own principles. I can't just wipe away what I've done, and I can't ignore what Peridot would do." She doesn't apologize, though, confident in her stance on this. She looks Lapis in the eyes. "You already betrayed her, by doing that to Jasper," she tells the blue Gem in a soft voice, "You betrayed Homeworld. She isn't going to overlook that. You know that. You saw how she looked at me, at the factory." "So stay with her, keep an eye on Steven... but I know this is not going to end with us all being friends in the end. It's just a matter of where everyone stands when the smoke clears." And she smiles at Lapis, trying to be reassuring. She didn't let go of that wrist. "Thank you, for the offer. I just can't do that."
Guest Lapis Lazuli	Lapis has a small smile herself, like maybe everything will be okay. Maybe. But it fades when Sunstone removes her hand and declares solidly that she will stand with the Union. In her eyes, Lapis looks a little hurt, but understandably so. Furthermore, Sunstone is right, Peridot has already been betrayed. Homeworld is betrayed. She said it herself, and it's undeniable. Yellow Diamond is out there, and though Peridot agreed to absolve her crimes regarding Steven, nothing could prepare her for the bombshell of what she did after Peridot retreated with the warship. Everything with Jasper, it was wrong on so many levels. But.. firmly Lapis replies while looking Sunstone in her eyes, "I did what was right." Though, she sighs at the final point. "Of course I will," watch over Steven, that is. To the best of her abilities, anyways. Steven has a habit of wandering off for his own adventures. Still. One less person in the universe willing to stab you in the back is always a nice thing.
Sunstone	Sunstone only smiles when Lapis affirms that she did what was right. It's something that she can respect, and she has nothing to say about all of that. After that, she reaches over to pat Lapis on the shoulder, happy that the two of them have reached an understanding. She turns to leave after that. "See you later," she says to Lapis.