Chapter Text
Discreet footsteps broke the customary silence of the school's library, followed by some murmured words.
Perhaps the phrase wasn't as muffled as one thought. The gem that had been spending their time in the library, getting their duty done prior to the other one that just entered, simply wasn't paying enough attention to what was being said.
After a few moments of silence, the sound of the other gem approaching kept increasing with each second. Shortly after this, a sigh followed, coming from the same gem.
"Lapis."
There was no verbal response, though a small sign of acknowledgement in the form of a hair flip. The other gem standing so close by took a step back just in time. Becoming slightly impatient from this type of behavior, they decided to give the gem a gentle tap on the shoulder alongside the next call of his name.
"Laaapis-"
Maybe it was the rather whining tone that caused him to finally turn around and tend to the other gem. He put on a smile as he finally responded.
"Yes? Oh, it's you, Ghost. Do you need anything…?"
"Well, not really. But, I just wanted to inform you that the new gem has arrived. Everyone's gathered around the hallway, watching them and Sensei. So, I was wondering if you didn't want to join us and get to know the new one… I assumed you'd be in the library, as always, so I came here to perhaps wake your interest..."
For further explanation, a new gem had been brought into the school by Sensei. Particles floating around in the sea would slowly begin to grow crystals. Over time, those crystals would come together and begin an attempt to form a gemstone. Eventually, these would wash up at the Shore of Nascency. Even though the success of this process has a very low chance, some gems are still able to make it and have Sensei grant them a life. In this case, he would use a chisel on the gem in order for them to possess a more humanoid silhouette. And the newcomer was one of these rather rare cases.
Ghost shuffled their legs around a bit before continuing to speak.
"I hope I didn't interrupt your reading session or anything. You seemed quite interested in that book... I mean, you didn't seem to respond to me till I eventually tapped your shoulder."
Ghost pointed at the book in Lapis' hands.
He felt a bit called out, as he had been caught off guard, since his tasks actually consisted of organizing the books and keeping the library clean, not mindlessly reading. Quickly, he shut the book, creating a loud noise, and slid it back onto the shelf.
"I see. Maybe I'll visit them a bit later. I am in fact a bit busy right now, after all... I've still got a bunch of things to get done here."
"Awh, that makes sense, though. Honestly, I think you and the newcomer could get along pretty well."
That last statement seemed to catch Lapis' attention. His curiosity mildly began to grow.
"Hm? What makes you say that?"
"Oh? Well, let me explain... How about you go see for yourself? After you're done with your tasks here, I mean. I could lend you a helping hand to speed things up. We're partners, after all."
Ghost meant this in a lighthearted manner, as they chuckled a bit after finishing their sentence. They attempted to motivate Lapis to hurry up a bit and perhaps get to spend some more time with him.
"Hmm... Now you've got me wondering. Alright, I guess I could use some help."
"That sounds good, um-"
Ghost took a quick look around the library to see if there were any prominent obstacles that they could take care of. However, some things seemed to be arranged a bit differently than how Ghost had left things off earlier.
"It seems like you've built up your own system around here..."
Unlike what this room usually looked like, many more books were simply lying around, some opened on various pages. It was a bit similar to the scene of somebody cramming for an exam and leaving lots books and papers related to a specific subject just flying around their entire room.
"Oh. Well, I guess... It's not like we're required to follow a certain structure, hm?"
"That is true... but I must admit, I'm struggling to identify the patterns in the way you organized the shelves. Looks like I can't quite keep up with your intelligence, Lapis... In moments like this, I wish that there was a way to just peek into the way your mind works."
"Ah, I know that it's a mess."
Lapis said this in a lighthearted way, but Ghost, on the other hand, failed to recognize this. Feeling a bit guilty from the thought of having insulted Lapis, they glanced down at the floor.
"I'm sorry, that's not exactly what I meant to imply. I was just curious, that's all."
Unsure whether he wanted to involve Ghost with all this, Lapis began slowly putting things back into their original place as he tried to dodge telling them more for now.
"I didn't think you'd come to see me so soon. Well, it's not unusual for you, but it seems like I was unprepared this time..."
"Hm... So do you often come here to... rearrange things when I'm absent?"
"Well, it should be obvious that I don't just mess up the library purely for fun."
He grabbed the next few books and put them back onto the shelf where they belonged.
"Tell me about it."
Standing next to Lapis, Ghost bent down a bit to be able to meet eyes with him. After all, Lapis' arm was reaching out for the shelf in front of the two, causing him to cover Ghost's face from his eyesight.
Lapis looked back at them but didn't respond for a couple of seconds. In an attempt to ease the awkward atmosphere, Ghost gave him a smile.
"Okay, sure. I should have expected you to ask that. Now where do I begin..."
He retracted the book and held it close to his chest. Ghost continued silently analyzing the current state of the room, while Lapis seemed to think of the best way to explain things.
Their eyes immediately turned back to Lapis as they heard him take a deep breath.
"Go on..."
"Well, it might sound a bit confusing. I already got the impression that this arrangement seemed odd to you, and I totally get that."
"It's alright. I honestly think all that makes it even more interesting."
"If you say so. The mess I've turned the library into perfectly reflects the situation inside my mind. I've been wondering about a lot of things lately."
"But something specific has been occupying your mind, huh...?"
Right as Lapis inhaled to continue with his next sentence, Ghost interrupted him.
Oh, they could listen to him speak for hours. They were one of the few people who couldn't care less about the way Lapis would always find a way to stretch his sentences to the maximum.
But this time he would use this method to avoid talking about something. To hide something from others, including Ghost.
"You can just tell me. I thought you wanted to make things less complicated, after all."
Ghost struggled to hide the bitterness in their words. In an attempt to get Lapis to trust them with his secret, their words only managed to come off as aggravated.
Though combined with Ghost's innocent expression and Lapis' prior knowledge of what type of behavior is typical for them, this provoked Lapis to speculate. If it was any other gem that interrupted him like this, it's likely that he would have reacted more sassy.
"Alright, I'll get to the point. I've been studying a lot about inclusions lately. The concept of how our bodies are built and the way they function relies on them after all. Are you following? I mean, I don't get how one couldn't be curious about this topic. Though it's safe to assume that many others actively avoid trying to act out on their curiosity and digging deeper."
This was the kind of rambling that Ghost loved to hear.
"Everyone has their own reasons. On top of that, I don't think every single one of us has the right mindset to handle deeply indulging oneself in these topics over a longer time span. I can perfectly picture certain gems slowly falling down a devastating loophole if they don't get the answers that they desire. But on the other hand there are some that..."
Lapis slowly shifted his gaze over to meet Ghost's eyes. Shortly after, he quickly shook his head gently.
"What I mean is that I think you possess some good qualities that could come in handy when trying to learn more."
"So you think I'm useful... To help investigate exactly what again?"
"Don't describe yourself like that. All I was saying is that I'm lucky to have you as my partner."
He returned Ghost's bitter smile from earlier.
Hearing Ghost use terms on themselves that would appear as negative or display them as some kind of tool made Lapis' faith in them die every single time. Yet he often failed to realize when he did the exact same thing to Ghost. Both of them were in possession of unique personalities that often seemed to be meant for each other, yet they seemed to occasionally bring out flaws in the other.
"Investigate... That makes it sound like you're talking about a crime scene or something. Look, I have a bigger master list of notes lying around here somewhere. We can go through those together. That'll maybe help you understand what I'm after a bit better."
In an attempt to make things seem less awkward, he made that little reference and couldn't help but giggle a bit.
"Ah, you're right. Let's look for that list then, shall we?"
They titled their head and smiled in response to Lapis' joke, as they waited for further instructions. It's not like Ghost knew exactly where to search or anything.
"Yeah. I'm sure I left it somewhere over there..."
Lapis put the book that he still held in his hands down in order to have some more freedom to begin his search. On the other hand, Ghost didn't really get any hints to work with. So, in their opinion, they had no other choice but to stand still or follow Lapis around instead of going their own route.
Suddenly, a voice emerged through Ghost's mind.
Why aren't you helping him? You're making us look lazy.
Worried about the legitimacy of that claim, Ghost approached Lapis and crouched down near him and the pile of papers that he was going through.
"Here, let me assist you."
"If you insist... Could you flip through that little stack of papers over there?"
He pointed at it and began lifting a few books in the hope of finding his notes beneath them. Lapis would eventually manage to find them on his own, but he did appreciate Ghost's support.
Taking things a bit less relaxed than Lapis, Ghost was determined to find his notes. Not only because they were interested in its content, but they also saw this as an opportunity to leave a good impression and put a temporary end to the nagging inside of their mind.
"Oh! Ghost, come over here! I found them."
Upon hearing that, for a moment Ghost clenched their eyes shut in order to process what in their opinion was a failure. That annoying voice wouldn't be leaving them alone anytime soon, huh?
With a relieved look on his face, Lapis sat down on a table. Not next to the table, on a chair, but on a free space on top of the table. The fact that his heavy structure made it quite easy for the table to break didn't seem to stop him from doing as he pleased.
Ghost didn't comment on this and simply sat down on a chair, near the table.
Lapis slapped his notes onto the table and began introducing the overall topic. From his view, the script must have been upside down. It amazed Ghost how he was still able to recall almost everything that he had written so well.
"I'm trying to figure out if it were possible to combine parts of multiple gems and have their inclusions harmonize with each other. Now, for example, think of Padparadscha. Once in a blue moon, Rutile does manage to temporarily fill his gaps with shards found at the Shore of Nascency. For a short period of time, their body accepts those pieces with a similar structure to their own. But in the end, it's not like those pieces have ever greatly influenced them in any way. And those bits don't even have proper memories or anything, so there's not much for them to do, I guess. Those shards have nothing. No memories, no thoughts, no goals nor desires...
They don't possess any traits that would mark them as an individual. In my opinion, I wouldn't even consider them alive. But everyone seems to have their own definition of that term.
All reading and research in the world couldn't even come close to what it would feel like to actually test things out. But I'm not like Rutile or Sensei. I don't know anything about piecing gems together. Have you seen all of the different equipment and... and substances that Rutile goes through in order to repair one of us? It seems like alot of work. Too much for my personal liking- I'd rather read a diary report about it, I'm serious. I've actually never even helped put somebody together before. They make it look so easy yet... professional. I mean, they are professionals when it comes to that field, huh? We even consider Rutile a doctor, it makes sense..."
As Lapis had slowly started to transition from one topic to a rather unrelated one, his gaze also began moving from the notes and Ghost up to the ceiling.
"Lapis... I don't mean to bother you, but..."
He flinched a tiny bit and slowly focused his eyes back on the table and Ghost.
"Huh? What- Ohh. Ohhh..."
Seems like he had lost his train of thought once again. Seeing the contents of the note immediately helped him get back on track. The subject of his tellings had slowly shifted from Padparadscha to Rutile. How ironic.
He dragged his palm down his face, a bit frustrated about this small slip up.
"Sorry. There's still so many points to cover, I guess it's causing me to easily get distracted at the moment."
"It's alright, I don't mind at all. Don't rush yourself, just explain things at your own pace."
Ghost gave him a warm smile. Actually, they were a bit afraid that they had accidentially bothered Lapis by pointing this out.
Returning the smile, Lapis took this as an invitation to slowly continue talking. Occasionally, Ghost would nod or give a quick comment on whatever he said to affirm him. After some time, Lapis began loosening up a bit more as he lost himself in his imaginations bit by bit. He would make gestures to provide a basic picture of what he was talking about.
Lapis and Ghost were completely unaware that the day was slowly coming to an end. More and more other gems were returning to school in order to get ready for bed. Yet the two continued hanging around in the library, talking to each other. It was getting quite late and most of the gems were already asleep or in the middle of changing into their pajamas. Just like Lapis managed to completely block out Ghost's voice earlier, the two now managed to simply ignore anything else around them. And they probably would have stayed this way together in the library the entire night if it weren't for Alexandrite bursting in and snapping them back into reality. Actually, that wasn't their intention at all. All they wanted was to quickly stop by and grab some book about lunarians as a bedtime story for themselves.
"Oh, Alex..."
Ghost peeked up at them with a puzzled look on their face.
"You guys were here the entire time?? Ghost, you just disappeared out of nowhere... I should have figured that you're hanging around Lapis."
Alexandrite groaned and tried not to get distracted from completing their little errand.
"Uhg... And I've already told you that you're not supposed to call me Alex. It shouldn't be that hard to remember. Lexi sounds so much cuter anyway! Well, whatever..."
They marched right up to the shelf that usually carried Lunarian related books.
Suddenly, Lapis spoke up.
"Jeez, tone down. You're gonna end up waking everyone else up."
Ah, the cheeky Lapis we all know and love had returned, followed by his signature hair flip as he smirked right at Alexandrite.
"Lapiiis..."
The sound of Alexandrite grinding their teeth together could not be overheard.[1] After giving Lapis a cold glare, they returned to the search for the perfect book.
"So many books are missing or just out of place... You're telling me you've spent all this time in here and didn't even manage to clean things up?"
This time their glare was also directed at Ghost, since they're also in charge of library duty.
"Whatever. You two surely make an interesting team. I'm outta here!"
After scanning the room a bit better, they noticed a book regarding the anatomy of Lunarians spread out on a table. They quickly snatched it and stomped back out of the room.
Once Alexandrite had finally left the scene, Lapis allowed himself to slump down against the nearest wall and laugh.
"That gem is surely something, huh?"
He leaned his head back and sighed. The exhaustion from the nearing night was really starting to take effect.
"I think... I think we should head to our beds as well. We can still talk, of course. I can just bring my notes with us."
"...That makes sense. Wait, that reminds me... you didn't get to meet the newest gem yet."
"Oh. I guess we got a bit carried away, hm?"
Lapis chuckled, he honestly wouldn't have noticed that if Ghost hadn't reminded him.
"I think it's just that... When I'm with you I sometimes manage to forget everything that's happening around us..."
"You're a smart gem after all... I think it's only natural that you try to focus on what's most important to you at the moment..."
Are you hearing yourself right now?
"I mean- you're really polite, so you wouldn't let yourself get interrupted while we're having a conversation."
"Hm... Polite, huh? Ghost, that's not really what I meant... I'm not always perfect. Everyone has imperfections. Even those who you look up to and deem as superior... Like Sensei and Bort, I guess."
Lapis chuckled and focused his gaze down at the floor.
"I see... I think I understand. Seems like one of my flaws would be misinterpreting things...?"
"Don't stress it. Ah, we got a bit sidetracked again..."
"Let's get going then... I'm sorry."
"Ghost, don't apologize. Just get changed and meet me in my room, alright? We'll continue our discussion, just as planned."
He grinned, slowly making his way towards the hallway.
"I understand..."
The two of them made their way up to the long corridor with their rooms and then went separate ways. Lapis waved right before he headed to his room. They avoided from engaging in any kind of verbal exchange as they wanted to prevent bothering any of the nearby resting gems.
Once Lapis had arrived in his room, it didn't take him long to change into his pajamas. It was a plain robe which was fairly easy to put on. On top of that, Lapis didn't really mind if he put it on sloppily or anything, all that mattered to him was that he could maintain his luxurious hair. As long as the robe didn't slip off or anything, he was satisfied.
After a while of waiting for Ghost, Lapis began growing a bit impatient. Thinking that it'd be for the best if he went to check up on Ghost, he began walking towards their room. He couldn't really think of any reason what would be causing them to take so long. It was rather unlikely for any other gem to try and get their attention, especially at this time. On the contrary, Lapis would often get approached by other gems in the most inconvenient of times. And he was bound to experience such an encounter on this day.
"Lapis!"
Oh great, he managed to cross paths with Alexandrite again. Looks like they still weren't over the small outburst from earlier.
"You better clean up the library right after you wake up tomorrow morning, got it?! I'm sure you wouldn't want to push me over the edge..."
Alexandrite shook their finger right in front of Lapis' face as they walked past them.
Everybody knew that they just had a short temper and genuine concern about their warnings would be completely unnecessary. The unfazed Lapis simply sighed.
"Goodnight to you too, Alex."
Although they were already pretty far apart again, Alexandrites yell was loud and clear.
"It's Lexi!"
Their tantrums were hilarious. Lapis couldn't contain himself from chuckling as he continued his way to Ghost's room.
Before he knew it he had arrived. Illuminating light emerged from the entrance. He took this as a sign that Ghost was still in the room. The light most likely was deprived of glowing jellyfish that the lustrous would carry around in bowls of water as a portable source of energy.
"Ghost? You ready yet?"
Lapis was lingering around right in front their room, waiting for them to join him in his room. The gem seemed to take a bit longer to get dressed than most others. Though it wasn't a big secret that Ghost seemed to often take their time and perform actions with more care than most others.
Once Lapis' voice had reached them, they were a bit flustered and rushed to get ready. For how long had he been watching them...?
"Lapis, oh! Wait- give me a moment..."
Upon hearing that, Lapis turned away and waited for Ghost. In almost no time, Ghost came nervously walking out of the room, still fiddling around with their outfit.
"Oh.. you've tied your robe belt into a bow. It looks cute."
"You think so...? I'm not the first one to think of this. I saw the others gather to play cards and other stuff some day. All of them seemed to have fun and Red Beryl decided to share some fashion tips with them. They used Dia as a model and spruced up their regular sleeping attire. It looked really adorable and i wanted to try it out myself..."
"You didn't join them?"
"I didn't-"
Just stop talking already. Nobody wants to hear about what a loner you're causing us to be, so stop wasting Lapis' time with it. You keep on ruining our reputation.
Ghost's response was cut off by the sudden voice throbbing inside of his consciousness.
"I didn't want to neglect my priorities. As much as I would have enjoyed having fun with the others I still had to... get some stuff ready in the Convalescent center. And as it takes up alot of time to go all the way up there and then back to my room, I had to decline the offer..."
Ghost didn't like lying, but they were capable of twisting the truth to a certain extent. In reality, they had watched the other gems hang out for a while but just couldn't get themselves to ask if they may join them. The Convalescent center became sort of like a hideout or safe space to Ghost as they could sulk there in peace. Besides that, the leftover shards from gems that were taken to the moon would be able to keep them company.
"That's unfortunate. But I'm glad that you're keeping things under control here. You're making Sensei very proud, you know? ...Those residing in the center would be thankful too."
"I guess you're right. Thank you..."
Those last few words of Lapis really touched them. It seems like the being sharing Ghost's body took notice of this.
You're fully aware that he wouldn't have said that if you were honest with him.
"Well, I'm sorry for keeping you waiting... How about we get going?"
Changing the topic wouldn't help them escape the gem inhabiting their body.
"Right, let's go..."
Lapis grinned as he took the lead. Unfortunately, their rooms were at the completely opposite ends of the building, which forced them to endure a few moments of awkward silence. And even if they had something to say, it'd be incredibly rude to do so while surrounded by sleeping individuals. Also, both of them had socks on which would cause their feet to make less noise once they hit the ground, besides protecting them.
"Over there...?"
Ghost tried to keep their voice down while speaking. They were curious about another brightened room that they were slowly approaching.
In response, Lapis turned around and nodded. He went inside first and let himself drop onto his bed. Looks like he didn't really care about being noisy once he was in his room.
"Here. Sit down next to me."
Lapis smiled and pat his bed, gesturing an invitation for Ghost to come closer. They hesitated a bit but, in the end, didn't refuse the offer. One should keep in mind that this might have been one of the first times that Ghost experienced spending time in someone else's room so late at night.
"Thank you."
"So... I think we left off right here."
Lapis grabbed a few sheets of paper that he had laid down on his bed earlier. He began trailing his fingers over the notes, stopping at a few keywords he had written down.
"...I actually have a theory that combining us gems with each other could perhaps come with a benefit. Don't you think it could function as some sort of stronger bond? If the inclusions that one decides to combine carry the talents and strengths of each gem... I really think they could somehow fill each other's gaps, creating a flawless entity."
Ghost really didn't want to doubt Lapis. Not under any circumstances. But it seemed like their own case of being a multi-layered gem made them feel like the concept of two combined gems applied to them. And well, the experience they had made under these conditions weren't quite as spectacular as Lapis' ideas. Though the other gem living inside of Ghost wasn't a big secret amongst the othdr gems, the topic was often avoided or considered taboo. Nobody knew how to approach it.
"Lapis... Wouldn't that mean it'd be possible for their negative properties to combine as well? That'd seem like a burden to me..."
Honestly, Lapis had seen that question coming. He simply smirked at Ghost. It was oddly reassuring yet felt a bit creepy.
"I knew you'd ask that. If I were to actually try this out, the first few outcomes, of course, wouldn't be perfect. It'd take lots of tries to achieve pure perfection. But it's not like time is any of my concerns at the moment.
I've had the exact same question as you. That's why I'd try to focus on combining gems whose abilities would be able to fulfill the deficiency of the other. Perhaps some mental preparation or training would be needed to perfect their potential... "
He paused for a moment and sighed. Seems like the thought of how exhausting it would be to help somebody train to excellence got to him.
"...So what I'm saying is that you shouldn't worry so much about that. In the end, if two gems inclusions don't seem to get along at all, we can just take them apart. Problem solved."
Two certain words struck Ghost and seemed to deeply engrave themselves into their mind.
Don't you even dare think about it.
As usual, no conversation or thought could be kept secret from the gem inside of them. But this time, their threat didn't seem to have any sort of impact on Ghosts behavior. Instead, they were bold enough to quote what Lapis said. After all, it could be a way for Ghost to finally be freed from the one plaguing them.
"Take them apart, huh... You really thought of a solution for everything, I'm impressed..."
"Oh come on, everyone could've had that idea. Though I must admit I'm still flattered."
It was unknown whether Lapis intended to trigger something inside of Ghost. He simply giggled and went back to unraveling his ideas with them.
Despite shining a bit brighter than Lapis due to the more translucent properties of their body, Ghost seemed to slowly grow weaker from the lack of sunlight. Maybe having another conscious gem living inside them meant that they required the double amount of light to properly function? Or perhaps it was the pitch dark color hiding inside of Ghost that happened to swallow much more of the light...
Without even realizing, Ghost slowly let his posture down and his head happened to slump to the side in order for it to lean against the crook of Lapis' neck.
Lapis immediately flinched as he noticed both the pressure and the sound. With Ghost's hardness of 7, they were capable of potentially damaging and causing Lapis with a hardness of only 5 to shatter. Though Ghost put very little force into their action, nothing fatal seemed to happen in this case.
Ghost quickly sat back up straight and waited for some kind of further reaction from Lapis. They were terrified. Even if gems weren't capable of feeling pain, it surely wasn't very comfortable to be broken or have force applied.
Gems could often be seen having physical interactions, though their limbs would be covered with gloves or socks to prevent direct contact.
Ghost would also be wary in situations like that, but since areas near their heads which carry some of the most crucial inclusions and memories had touched, they were far more concerned about possible bad outcomes.
Inevitably Lapis returned the stare. The shivers that the sudden touch sent through his body had surprised him. Yet he didn't expect Ghost to suddenly behave so tense. He imagined that Ghost would begin apologizing a lot, waiting for him to reassure them or simply laugh things off, while still remaining rather calm. But this was different. He couldn't quite remember the last time Ghost had acted like that. Or if this was perhaps the very first time.
"I shouldn't be here. I've caused you enough trouble for today."
Ghost was filled to the brim with worries. They would have loved to just be shattered into a million pieces, but that's exactly what they were trying so hard to prevent. Never would they be able to cope with the feelings if their inner gem happened to be exposed. Despite shaky legs and their mind all over the place, they quickly got up and scurried right out of his room. They didn't look back even once, and it seemed like Lapis wasn't exactly trying to get them back. Thanks to their socks, Ghost sprinting back into their room didn't cause a particularly loud noise.
Lapis was left speechless in his bed. What was it that made Ghost behave so strangely? The closer they grew, the worse it got. And this made the number of Lapis' questions steadily grow. If he wanted answers, he'd need to find a way to cooperate with Ghost. But for now he had time. All the time he needed.
Eventually, the two also fell asleep. Even the strongest of emotions will sometimes fail to battle against the laws of nature.