Chapter Text
The halls of the school were silent this evening. It was nearing the end of winter, when the snow began to melt, and the sheer white landscape began to transform into something greener and more alive. However, the light snowfall outside was a sign that winter hadn’t left yet, as was the lack of any life in the building. The gems were still hibernating, with the exception of Sensei and the gem in charge of winter duty -- and Morganite and Goshenite, who were currently, stealthily making their way through the dark corridors.
“I really don’t like this, Goshe.” Morganite pleaded, tugging at Goshe’s sleeve. “We should go back before Sensei finds us…” Their eyes darted around, looking for any possible changes in their surroundings.
Goshe looked to them and responded, a confident smile on their face. “Come on, Morga! Who knows when we’ll wake up before spring again -- it’s a perfect opportunity!” The pink gem hesitated for a moment, and then nodded and smiled nervously. They clearly weren’t convinced, but it seemed like they’d go along with Goshe’s plan for now.
Goshe felt a little bad for waking up their partner in the middle of their rest, and especially when it was already the evening, when there wouldn’t even be any light out to give them a little more energy. However, Morga was their most treasured companion, their somewhat-willing partner-in-crime forever, so they couldn’t imagine undertaking such an important mission without them.
Besides, for a task like this, they wouldn’t dream of going alone.
It was amazing how different the school looked in the winter -- and a little frightening. The pillars towards over the two gems and seemed to stretch on endlessly into the darkness. It reminded them of the forests outside, but far more oppressive. The wind was blowing outside and through the halls, and even though they couldn’t feel cold, Goshe still felt vaguely chilled by its presence. Despite their efforts, their footsteps rang loud and clear with every step they took. The fact that they didn’t hear any other footsteps in response must have meant that Sensei and the winter gem were asleep, but it still felt like they were being watched, somehow.
The unnerving atmosphere around them was fitting, considering what Goshe wanted to investigate in the first place. It all started years ago, when they heard it on one late night -- the whispers from the convalescent center. They dismissed it, but a few months later Morga heard the same ominous sounds as well. That was when Yellow Diamond told them the entire floor was haunted by a dark and mysterious presence. Since then, Goshe could hardly stop thinking about it.
And now, they had the perfect opportunity to get to the bottom of the cursed convalescent chamber. The atmosphere was definitely creepy enough for the presence to come out, and since it was winter no one would interrupt them. Add Morga on top of that, and their plan was unstoppable.
They made their way up the building without interruption, Morga holding on tight to Goshe’s winter gown. Goshe wished they wouldn’t be so nervous, but there was something nice about being the gallant leader. No need to worry, Morga -- they’d protect them at any cost.
On the third floor they passed by Phosphophyllite’s room, and couldn’t help but peek in for a moment. Apparently, they were a gem that had their limbs replaced by alloy and other substances, until they finally fell asleep after losing their head. The other gems spoke of them fondly, but Goshe couldn’t help but picture that vaguely gem-shaped form rising from the bed now, shambling towards them with a patchwork body and dripping with gold. Maybe they were the thing haunting the fourth floor…
On second thought, probably not. The sheets looked like they hadn’t been disturbed in ages, and even though new flowers lined their bed, it was probably from the winter gem. Morga gave their sleeve another persistent tug and that was enough to make them move on, though they still couldn’t help but feel uneasy.
Finally, after a short walk that felt like ages, the two emerged in the convalescent chamber, their feet now touching soft grass instead of hard stone. This was a strange place even without the rumors. Why was there grass growing inside the building, above the ground? Why were the shelves covered with white cloth, giving them the appearance of ominous mounds? Morga once told them that this room was calming and peaceful to be in, and while they could understand feeling that way during the daytime, now it just made them feel on edge.
They walked forward, glad that their footsteps were mostly smothered by the grass beneath them. The two gems were completely alert and on edge now, despite the lack of sunlight. One wrong move, and the presence would get to them -- then it’d all be over. At least, probably. Dark presences were dangerous like that, weren’t they? They’d find out soon enough, as they reached the first shelf, and slowly and carefully peeked around its edge to stare down the rest of the chamber’s halls.
Empty. Totally empty. At the farthest end, the little evening light there was didn’t reveal anything besides more soft grass, with small piles of snow gathering around the windows. The only sound they could hear was the wind. The two of them quickly pivoted around the end of the shelf, now crouching in the middle of it and another just like it. There was nothing in between the two, and they kind of expected that, but the additional cover was appreciated, especially if the presence somehow entered the room from the stairs. They snuck to the other side, and peered out from the second shelf there.
Once again, nothing. Just the arching shadows of the windows and the shelves, and the faint rippling of the grass. Still, they waited for a minute, making sure the coast was entirely clear before they went deeper into the chamber.
At first, the only thing they heard was the wind, with a particularly loud gust causing Morga to flinch. But after a few moments, there was another noise as well. Something was being carried by the wind. Something...like a voice.
“...too...ate...”
It wasn’t a voice, really. It was more like hollow, jumbled sounds, forming fragments of what might be words. But it was proof. Morga and Goshe turned to each other, their frightened and wide eyes saying all that needed to be said between them. Where was it coming from? The wind seemed to carry it, but it was too faint to tell how far away the source was. The sounds were becoming easier to put together into words, at least.
Unfortunately, neither of them liked what they were hearing.
“...y...ou...br...k...”
It was at this moment that Goshe realized they didn’t have a single weapon on them, and neither did Morga. Break? Did this thing want to break them? Its intent sounded malicious...but then why didn’t Sensei get rid of it already? Did he know of its existence? Was it too powerful, even for him? Each possibility Goshe considered left them feeling more and more defenseless against the nearing threat.
“...member…one...ro...”
They couldn’t move. The voice was getting louder, but they couldn’t do anything about it. Their feet felt glued to the grass, and it felt like their inclusions had left their limbs entirely, leaving them rigid and frozen.
“...know…d...on’t...”
If it came down to it, they’d just snap off their arm and use it as a weapon. Could they even do that? Dia told them that they cut a Lunarian in half with their shattered limb once, but they were a diamond, and they had already been broken. Would the presence even give them time to react?
“...hope...less…”
Any minute now. Goshe still couldn’t tell how close the presence was, or where it was coming from. The voice was too soft, and the room’s acoustics caused it to echo throughout the chamber, dashing any hopes of finding what general direction it came from. Maybe it didn’t even have a general direction. Maybe it was everywhere, just waiting for the right moment, taunting them with ominous words. But...it had to show up soon.
Any moment now.
...
Any...moment…
…
“You should be sleeping.”
A gem-shaped figure towered above them. Every bit of it was covered in shadows, with two long wisps trailing from its head. From its back, a large scythe jutted out, and its sharp blade glinted in the evening light.
In that instant Morganite and Goshenite, in a last-ditch effort to save their eternal souls, screamed and ran for their lives, scrambling off the ground and out of the convalescent chamber.
---
“...They overreacted.”
Ghost Quartz sighed, staring at the torn grass the two young gems kicked up. Hopefully they could patch it up with the soil in the room, but it would take a couple of weeks for the grass to grow back. It was rare for gems to awaken before spring, but not unheard of. Why would they come to the convalescent chamber of all places, though?
“Should we follow them?”
Ghost shook their head. “I think they’ll be back with the others soon enough.” They looked over at the stairs leading out of the chamber and listened. As expected, the hurried footsteps of the younger gems were getting quieter by the moment, presumably from the two making a mad dash down to the first floor. “You know, you didn’t have to be that stern with them.”
“Then they shouldn’t have been wandering around in the first place.” Cairngorm grumbled. They typically took charge for occasions like these, when they both knew that Ghost wouldn’t be assertive enough to enforce any rules, but it looked like this was one of those situations where their brusque attitude had unintended consequences.
Ghost couldn’t help but smile at their inner layer’s serious demeanor. “That is true.”
With that matter settled, Ghost turned their attention to their initial reason for coming to the chamber. The school’s general structure and placement on the island protected its interior from most hostile weather conditions. However, occasionally a storm would blow in at just the right angle and make a huge mess of things if they didn’t make preparations beforehand. This current snowstorm was one of those cases, though it was thankfully mild enough to do little more than bring in a few snow piles, such as the ones Ghost was looking at right now.
“Those were the two new gems, right? Morganite and Goshenite?”
“I think so. It’s a shame our first meeting ended up like that...They seem sweet.”
From the look of the general forecast before the sun went down, there didn’t seem to be any worse storms on the way. It was likely that the current snowstorm would die out in a few hours, and with spring on the way, this was probably as heavy as the snowfall was going to get. “Think we should cover the windows?”
“Nah. It’ll be less work if we just clean it up in the morning.”
“Good point.” Ghost turned away from the windows, and moved to inspect the shelves storing the gem fragments. They wanted to make sure the wind -- or Morganite and Goshenite-- didn’t end up messing with the sheets.
“You know, if you weren’t so antisocial you could’ve met them already.” Cairngorm returned to the previous topic of conversation, speaking with a vaguely lecturing tone to their voice.
This again. “Like you aren’t?” They joked, straightening the uneven sheets on one of the shelves.
Cairngorm paused for a moment, before speaking up again. “You got me there.” If they had their own face, they’d probably be smiling, at least for a split second before returning to the dour expression Ghost imagined they’d have.
They usually had this dialogue once every five years or so, and always with the same conclusion: they were both utterly hopeless. Two reclusive fools in one, who preferred solitude above most other things. Though they weren’t truly alone. They had each other, for one, and --
“Let’s visit them before we head off to sleep, alright?”
Cairngorm didn’t respond. They didn't even need to. This was one matter neither of them would disagree on. Whether it was fulfilled during the morning, day, or night, this was their most important responsibility, above even their winter duty.
With the convalescent chamber secured for the evening, they headed down the stairs to the third floor, their own footsteps practically silent compared to the two gems that had attempted to sneak around earlier.
“Hey, Cairngorm?”
“Yeah?”
“I’m glad we’re able to talk together like this.”
“...Me too.”
The days where they were both awake at the same time were few and far between. Because they had jobs all year-round, one of them would be asleep for months at a time while the other took charge. The very fact that Cairngorm was awake was usually a sign that Ghost would be sleeping soon, though the expected date for that was still a month off, so this was just one of those rare, but highly appreciated occasions.
To think that centuries ago, they actually would have dreaded their waking presence.
...Actually, they still did, sometimes. A year ago Cairngorm woke up while they were breaking ice floes and they got chewed out for an hour for using their sword improperly. Honestly, they should've just taken over winter duty again if they were going to be so fussy about it.
All those thoughts fell from their mind as they reached their destination, however. Ghost stood at the entrance to their partner’s room, staring down at the covered bed with a wistful look in their eyes. The jellyfishes’ lights made the bed stand out in the dark room, and dark shadows were cast everywhere they didn’t touch. The curtain was closed, so no snow would get in and ruin their slumber. If it ever had, Cairngorm must have been on duty at the time and never told them, because personally, they wouldn’t know how they’d handle a disaster like that.
“Good evening.”
They walked in slowly, even more quietly than before, for fear of disturbing the sacred grounds they created. Once they reached their partner’s bedside they kneeled down, and softly ran their hand over the raised outline of a head underneath the sheets, as if stroking it. This was a gesture meant to comfort the other party, but if anything, Ghost was the one being comforted by the motion.
“Cairngorm and I found a lovely flower today. It’s dark blue, just like--”
Just like their shimmering, dark blue hair. Just like their beautiful, wise eyes. Just like their beautiful partner’s head, which --
“...A storm came in before we could take it, though. I hope it makes it through the night for you.”
Apart from Ghost’s own voice, the room was heavy with silence. Even the wind outside was difficult to hear, or had died down.
“Can you believe it’s been a hundred years already? Time moves by so quickly these days.” That was a lie. These hundred years had felt longer than their entire lifetime, the days passing by like molasses. It was agonizing.
Carefully, incredibly carefully, Ghost laid their head down next to their partner, and closed their eyes. “Still, it feels like it’s been ages since I last heard your voice…”
Silence. Their voice wouldn’t sound for Ghost here, and it likely never would. But with their eyes closed, they could say the one thing they couldn’t bring themself to utter before, not as long as their body -- their head -- was like that.
“...please come back, Phosphophyllite.”
---
Early summer. The sky was clear, the sun high in the sky over the shore. The absolute worst kind of day, really. Ghost stood on the beach, the shallow waves lapping at their shoes. In front of them, a pitch black sunspot began to unfold, revealing the Lunarian vessel encased within. It was a larger unit, typical for this sort of weather. Definitely too big for a useless loafer who’d only just started patrolling again.
It was a different matter for the gem beside them, but even then they weren’t sure. If it was a quick decisive battle, then maybe, but that wasn’t their goal right now.
“It’s a big one. Will you be alright?” Ghost’s grip on their scythe tightened as they stared at Phosphophyllite in concern. While they didn’t want to potentially deride their new partner’s combat abilities, there must have been at least fifty sundries in that vessel, and that estimate was on the low side.
The other gem stepped forward, their short sea-green hair blowing with the wind, and their gold arms rippling, preparing for battle.
But for a moment, they stopped. Ghost couldn’t see their face, but it seemed like they were about to say something beforehand, only to decide against it for some reason. And then, they turned around, walking past them back to the school.
“...You’re right. Let’s get Sensei.”