Scene #4295:

Owner	Pose
Peridot	The drudgery of every day existence had been wearing on Peridot. She had formed an uneasy alliance with the local homeless humans. Namely, they had learned by now to keep their distance from the scrappy little green gem, less they get zapped by her increasing arsenal of make-shift weaponry. Her expansion into the underground system had grown. Siphoning electricity from the above world, and scavenging discarded human tech- Peridot had developed a surprisingly sophisticated system. A system designed to keep her safe. Mostly from Homeworld- the only threat she truly feared. So, when a particular alarm began to beep, an alarm that didn't go off in the presence of mere human activity, Peridot jolted up right. This alarm only beeped when the energy signature of a gem had walked by one of the many sensors she had hidden in the city. She pulled out her make-shift screen, a cracked tablet she found in a landfill. Soon she is scouring over the data as it poured in. A gem... no, a -large- gem was in the city. The only question left to be answered was... where? And what was she doing?
Rose Quartz	Rose has only been in the Unified Multiverse for a small amount of time. And New York city is one of her favorite places so far! So many different kinds of people, so many humans and animals and plants. And this 'iced cream' place is so interesting! Beach City has such places, but this one is different! Some very interesting flavors. She peruses the menu, totally oblivious to the looks she gets from the adorable humans scuttling about. She's a big one, somewhat larger than Jasper, and wider as well, her matronly curves slightly straining her frilly petal-dress. That big, poofy pink hair bounces slightly with every small move her head makes as she stares through the options on the menu.
Peridot	The parlor! Of course! Peridot's brows knit tightly as she looks over the coordinates. And just a single gem, at that. She couldn't get a good reading on what sort it appeared to be, but the initial scanning at least confirmed it wasn't one of the few gems Peridot knew. Garnet, Pearl, Lapis, Jasper, Sunstone... Save for Lapis, she kept close tabs on what the other gems were doing. So she hopped onto her rail system. A faded pink skateboard she modified to have a little more power, fixed to a rail that let her traverse her system rapidly. She poked her head up, her diamond shaped hair lifting the sewer grate off the ground as she peered toward the parlor with suspicious eyes. She caught only a glimpse of pink hair before she narrowed her eyes further. The size... the hair. "So.. they sent a Quartz gem to take me out..." She gripped the tattered remnant of her old limb enhancer. What was once her forearm, had been refashioned into a pistol of sorts. She pushes the lid off her head and creeps towards the entrance, the gun hidden by a green robe. "Freeze Quartz!" Peridot shouts, taking a brief moment to appreciate how brilliant her word-choice was given the location. She then levels her blaster at the much larger gem. "Before I disintegrate your physical form, I want to know how Homeworld found my hideout!" Her lips purse. "My false trails and counter measures were brilliant!"
Rose Quartz	Seeming not to notice for a few moments, Rose smiles at the proprietor. "One mint chocolate chip in a waffle cone." she says, producing money from somewhere on her person. She's wordlessly handed the large scoop cone, and turns to see Peridot with a blaster pointed at her. She's far from a typical soft-brained Quartz, and smiles. Speaking of homeworld like that... She must be one of the Peridots who joined the rebellion! "Well hello there, Peridot. It's been a long time, hasn't it?" she says, turning to face the other gem. Her face doesn't have the hard lines of a Homeworld Gem. There's a subtle glow about her as she crouches down, cone held in one hand. "I've been looking for nearby Crystal Gems who made it through this 'Unification', but you're the first I've found. Where are the others?" she asks, appearing wholy unconcerned with the blaster pointed at her.
Peridot	Peridot was ever the paranoid gem. Her experiences since being trapped on earth did little to soften that dis-trust of others outside the chain of command she once existed in. She turns her blaster to the air for a moment and fires a shot. The electrified goo blast sending a wave of debris crashing down on the ground between them and sending the locals running and screaming in fright. "You picked the wrong gem to run such a basic ploy by!" Peridot answers. "I happen to be a record keeping genius." "There are only three crystal gems and you don't look like any of them. It's a matter of military record that all other gems were wiped out on this planet years ago. I assume Yellow Diamond sent you." And being a gem of little martial prowess, she makes the mistake of taking her eyes off Quartz as she looks left and right. "How many others did you bring with you?"
Rose Quartz	"Dear, I've been on this planet for over five thousand years. Mmm... I suppose you might be from a separate timeline? Do you know Garnet? Or Pearl? Pearl would certainly vouch for me." she says in a fond voice. "My name is Rose Quartz, and I lead the Crystal Gems in the defense of this planet. Though I suppose you could simply be a new addition. It's not unheard of after all." she says, getting a little lost in thought as she licks her cone. This IS perplexing. While the idea of multiple crystal gem timelines isn't unthinkable, coming across someone who claims to know the crystal gems and does NOT know her is disconcerting. "Why don't you order some ice cream and we can talk? I think perhaps you might be mistaken as to my intentions, little Peridot." she says in a warm, but firm tone. "And you shouldn't go shooting that off in the middle of such a crowded place. You might hurt someone. Humans are quite soft and fragile."
Peridot	Peridot is silent for a moment as she rattles off names. She hated to admit it, because she so enjoyed being right, but once she began putting together the pieces of this story logically. It was starting to fall more and more into place. She utilized the correct names- Homeworld probably wouldn't bother to learn Garnets name at all. "Alright Quartz. Your explanation is undeniably plausible... Let's say I believe you." She goes on, lowering the blaster by a few degrees. "The fusion leads the Crystal Gems as far as I know. Garnet." Peridot backs away from Rose, still keeping the gun pointed in her direction. She briefly glances at the terrified manager before uttering in a non-nonchalant tone... "The usual, Gary." Soon with shaking hands, 'Gary' hands Peridot a chocolate mint cone. Which she takes with a free hand and moves back towards Rose. "There. The ordering of the creamed ice has occurred, now we will talk." "If history serves me correctly. The rebellion was once-lead by a Quartz. But as far as I know she was assumed shattered at the end of the war." Peridot goes on trying to recall the details of earths history, as recorded by Homeworld. "Were you recently bubbled, or perhaps trapped in gem form?"
Rose Quartz	Rose Quartz laughs out loud. "Goodness no! I've never been bubbled, though I have been 'poofed' a time or two!" she says. "Hmmm... Perhaps a test... I can tell you things about the other Crystal Gems. Though they probably wouldn't like that." she says, licking her ice-cream cone. "Well, if it helps, I'm the one with the healing powers." she says, stretching and laying on a bench a little. Then she blinks. "Garnet? Leading the Crystal Gems? how delightful! I'm sure she would make a great leader. She's always been so level-headed. I relied on her Future-Sight during the rebellion, but she always seemed a little quiet. I suppose that comes of being together all the time."
Peridot	Peridot rubbed her neck idily. The pain of being strangled by Garnet fresh on her mind, despite happening months ago. "Level-headed... right." Peridot motions over to a table with her gun, and then sets there herself. She had a loose-understanding of the Unification process, despite having studied it immensely. The problem was it was illogical and inconsistent with itself. Both things Peridot struggled to understand. "Working theory. You're an alternate variation of crystal gems. Based on your explanation this is the increasingly likely scenario. So then this war where Homeworld presumed you shattered, how long ago do you believe this took place?"
Rose Quartz	She smiles down at Peridot again. "A little over five thousand years ago it ended. Close to... Fifty-three hundred years, give or take a century or two. It was..." her eyes cloud over. "It was war. There's nothing good to be said about war." she says, her voice pained. "I lost a great many friends the day the war ended. And even before that. But we won, and the Earth was safe. We found Amethyst a thousand years or so after the war ended. She'd been alone a very long time in the old Kindergarten..." she says, her eyes distant as she relives those days in the span of an instant.
Peridot	"Story checks out." Peridot eventually agrees. "Interesting. So, you are indeed the leader of the crystal gems." Peridot squints. "Seeing as I'm a rebel gem in the crystal system, technically that makes me a crystal gem as well." She looks down at her makeshift arm blaster, and then back to Rose. "Well. ah.." She coughs. "Sorry." She clicks off the hammer, the gun seemingly powering down with a low whine. "I cannot be too careful. I am public enemy number one on Homeworld right now. The face of anarchy and rebellion. I have little doubt this planet is swarming with hunter killer drones, and Jaspers all tasked with splintering my gem into a million pieces." "I am low on allies, therefore it is in my best interest to accept another. However I had to confirm your story, less Homeworld attempts to take advantage of my desperation."
Rose Quartz	Rose Quartz sighs. "It saddens me that you must live in such fear. Why not come with me to the Crystal Temple? You'd be safe there, and we could work together. You feel so lonely... Especially if you're so desperate for safety that you live in the sewers." she says, glancing towards the bit of the street that Peridot seemed to have pulled herself free from.
Peridot	Peridot blinks some, seemingly caught off guard by the invitation. Even her best friend, Toph, kept Peridot at arms length away. She was forbidden from going anywhere near her home- in fact, Peridot had to fight just to hide herself in the same city as Toph. And the other crystal gems... they were lukewarm to her, at best. "I uh.." She looks up, and rubs her shoulder. "You should know. I'm not.. like the other crystal gems. I didn't fight in the old war. I came here recently under orders from Yellow Diamond and I acted in the name of Homeworld for a long time before I stopped." "Even though Homeworld hates me... this planet hates me too. I've caused a lot of grief and pain to the inhabitants here. Some of it can't be undone."