Chapter Text
Topaz wasn’t that worried.
At least.. that’s what she kept telling herself.
That idiot gambler had been gone for long enough on Penacony, without even bothering to text her. She was supposed to be his project partner, they were supposed to be doing this together.
So she waited.
But he had risked everything, like she thought. Betting all he had.
But, she hadn’t expected him to well… lose.
“Agh.. why would he do that?! Did he really think no one would miss him...?” Topaz muttered, running a hand through her hair. Numby scuffled over to her side, making soft noises of comfort, trying to get her attention. She sighed and gently pet the warp trotter in a soothing motion.
“At least I have you, Numby. You don’t make me go insane worrying about you and throwing your life away for some stupid...” The words died on her tongue. Her eyes widened slightly as she realized what she almost said.
Did she really think Penacony wasn’t worth it? Aventurine had been so determined to get Penacony back for the IPC, and confident that he could. She clenched her fists, her jaw going rigid. Why.. would he willingly risk his life for Penacony?
It was just an old prison planet, probably lost to the IPC anyway. Aventurine’s life was worth more than any planet…
Her phone rang, disrupting her thoughts. Topaz's hand reached quickly for it. If it was anything to do with Aventurine, she needed to know.
“Hello? This is Topaz speaking,” she answered, attempting to sound professional even while her heart was beating out of her chest.
A respectful woman’s voice came from the other end, and the Stoneheart recognized it as one of her assistants. “Mrs. Topaz? Mr. Diamond has requested to have a meeting with you.”
Her eyes widened slightly. Diamond...? He wanted a meeting? Was it about…
“I’ll be right with him.” She quickly responded, her heart pounding slightly faster. If Diamond wanted to talk about Aventurine and Penacony, she felt the need to see him as soon as possible…
Her assistant politely ended the call, probably sensing that Topaz wasn’t in the best mood for small talk.
Topaz’s heart hammered, the very core of her being on edge. Why would Diamond want to see just her, alone? Usually for a meeting, he would want the audience of all ten Stonehearts. It wasn’t like him to only request one..
And Aventurine? Damn.. she couldn’t get that annoying gambler off her mind. She needed to know if he was ok, just to ease the gnawing feeling of anxiety in her chest. Surely, this meeting would give her some sort of answer to where he was…
She stood abruptly, startling Numby, and grabbed her Stoneheart uniform. “Alright Numby.. Everything’s going to be fine. Just perfect.” She took a deep breath, trying to steady herself, but her racing heart betrayed her calm facade.
The warp trotter stumbled over to her and landed on her shoulder, making a noise of encouragement. Topaz couldn’t help the smile that crept onto her face, raising a gloved hand to gently pet him. Of course, Numby would come with her. He was always there to help.
Together with Numby, Topaz gathered her thoughts and quickly left her office, heading towards the tallest tower on Pier Point, where Diamond’s meeting room was. Everything just felt so strange and surreal. She tried to wave or give a polite smile to any assistants or friends she passed, but her thoughts were so scattered it made it hard to even pretend.
Aventurine… she just couldn’t get him out of her mind. Why? Why was she wasting so much time and energy worrying about him? He was probably fine, just playing a silly prank by not responding to her messages. That was it.
But no matter how hard she tried, Topaz couldn’t convince herself. This wasn’t like Aventurine, even knowing how unpredictable he could be.
She furiously ran her hands through her hair. “Pull yourself together Jelena… just relax. Get through the meeting.”
The lights began to dim as she made her way to Diamond’s conference room. It was heavily guarded of course, but that didn’t bother her. The door towered ahead, almost as high as ten starskiffs from the Xianzhou ships. Small, glowing yellow orbs dotted the navy blue door, casting a faint light to the darker floor.
Topaz forced fake confidence as she approached the door, Numby sliding down from her shoulder to trot beside her. The IPC guards at the door noticed her with a nod and moved aside so she could enter.
Her gloved hand reached out, gently opening the door with a slight creak. This was it... no turning back.
“Topaz,” Diamond’s low voice greeted as she stepped into the large, empty room. “I’m glad you’ve come. There’s something I need to discuss with you.”
Topaz nodded respectfully, trying to steady her breathing. This couldn’t be about Aventurine. There was no way.. he wouldn’t discuss this with her, right?
“Yes, Diamond?” she asked, with Numby floating up to her head. She saw Diamond’s face turn solemn, and her heart twisted painfully.
No…
“Your partner for the Penacony project, Aventurine, has had unknown whereabouts for weeks. I’ve recently received a call, and he’s presumed… dead.”