Chapter Text
Part I - When She Talks
Pearl in the direct aftermath of what she considered a successful and productive sparring session was an absolute delight - the literal bounce, and often twirl or two or three, in her step; the unusual lack of caring about the tidiness of her appearance; the endless stream of enthusiastic near-reenactment and commentary on both her own and Rose’s bits or leaps of progress; the simple, unconstrained joy and pride coming off of her in waves - it was enchanting, and Rose busied herself with trying to find words to let Pearl know as much.
It was startling, then, when this Pearl froze in her tracks, a frown growing on her face - and it took Rose a moment to fully grasp what was happening. They were in familiar, friendly territory, after all, moments away from reaching the current rebellion headquarters, and surrounded on all sides by fellow Crystal Gems. But the voices wafted over to her soon enough, and then she spotted the source: an ametrine and a citrine, both fairly recent and quite promising recruits, deeply engaged in a lively and far from hushed gossip session.
“I mean, yeah, she’s pretty enough even with all the not-trying no-effort stuff Rose Quartz has her doing, though I’ve seen prettier… But that’s court life for you, I guess - you just get used to having all these pearls paraded in front of you, you know? And when you’re standing guard there’s really not much to do but watch them.”
Pearl bristled, and made displeased little sounds at the back of her throat. There were very specific things that Pearl didn’t like to be called and that Rose kept careful catalogue of, and ‘pretty’ was quite high on the list. It hadn’t made sense to her at first, like so many things about Pearl hadn’t, back in those tenuous early days of their strange, unprecedented relationship. They were compliments, all, and true besides - what harm could there be in them, honestly given?
Rose liked to think she’d learned a thing or two since then, and could only hope she’d never sounded quite like these two did now. “Pearl, do you want me to-”
“No, no, no, it’s fine, I’ve got this under control,” Pearl cut in, outwardly very calmly, very quietly, and stepped forward. “Excuse me!”
The two Gems continued, clearly failing to even register her presence. “Kind of makes me wonder what Rose Quartz is even doing, though. Some sort of experiment? Sounds like a waste of valuable time, teaching a pearl to do sword tricks and then having her follow her around.”
Pearl looked way past mere bristling, barely restrained hands clasped tightly at her sides, tiny tremors running through them at every word.
“I’ve heard that’s not even her pearl.”
“Not her pearl? No way, I mean, with how they’re always, always together? Who else could she belong to? You see anyone around-”
“A- hem. Excuse me.” Pearl stomped her foot, and the two quartzes startled, finally taking notice of her. She continued more softly, in a very unconvincingly sweet tone, with a smile that could only be described as sharp. “Please, if you have any complaints or misgivings do not hesitate to share - after all, we’re all equals here.”
“Y-you must have heard us wrong,” the ametrine began, stammering guiltily, eyes darting between her companion and Pearl - and Rose, too, still keeping her distance, “I was just-”
“Oh, that’s fine, then. My mistake! I suppose I’ll see you next time we have drills - you know, I think I might need a partner for the sword trick - pardon, melee demonstrations I have planned.” Pearl grinned, as cheerfully unfriendly as she could make it, and gave a small wave. “Till then!”
The two hastily scampered off, without bothering to wave back.
“Hmph. Quartzes. So entitled.” Pearl huffed at their retreating backs, then startled as Rose chuckled right next to her. “Oh… oh dear, that’s not what I meant, I-”
“It’s all right. We could all use a reminder from time to time.” Rose bent down to give Pearl a quick peck on the cheek. “Now let’s go see what Bismuth and Garnet needed us for.”
---
“...and how could it possibly matter if I’m pretty or not, anyway? They wouldn’t criticise their regiment commander’s aesthetic appeal, would they, or consider it at all important? I’m quite certain it’s not my appearance that is the deciding factor in battles I fight- oh, hello.”
Pearl, caught up in her monologue, hadn’t even realised they’d reached their destination until the moment she spotted Garnet and Bismuth. The two looked like they’d grown bored waiting, and seemed to have resorted to lounging around, casually and comfortably leaned against one another.
“You two took your sweet time,” Bismuth quipped and sat up, shooting them both a curious glance. “Something happen?”
“Pearl had some matters to take care of,” Rose simply replied, and offered no more clarification.
“Right,” Bismuth said slowly, then shrugged and inclined her head towards an entire pile of holopads stacked on what passed for a table in their little cave-slash-headquarters-slash-war-council-chamber. “Anyway, to cut to the chase now that you’re both here, here’s what we have: District Overseer Aventurine. Well-known scientist and administrator, newly transferred and promoted by Blue Diamond herself to oversee pending colony construction on Earth.”
She picked out one of the pads, its display showing an aloof-looking Gem posed by the side of White Diamond, her uniform proclaiming her to be a high-ranking member of the White Court’s science division. Bismuth tapped the image, causing small ripples to spread around the figure. “Aventurine here is now in position to have plans and agendas and schedules for the next several centuries of construction. Complete, detailed logistical breakdowns. And we know exactly where they’re being kept - Blue Diamond’s newest orbital station.”
“This could be it!” Rose looked like she could barely restrain herself, voice straining in an effort to keep from becoming a shout. “This could be the turning point we need! Our chance to truly fight back and become more than a minor insurrection, and finally be taken seriously - give us some leverage when we demand they leave Earth for good!”
“Think of how far word could spread if we manage to drive them off! Denying the will of the Diamonds, why-” Pearl joined in, near-breathless with enthusiasm, fists clenched before her chest. “Just think of how many Gems would hear of the radical doctrine of Rose Quartz! Hear of what they could be!”
“Luckily for us and our chances of being recognised as a true threat to the Diamonds’ order,” Bismuth continued with a grin, “dear Aventurine is also being thrown a welcoming assembly, attended by Gems from all over the quadrant. I hear with everyone milling around, security at the station will effectively be at an all-time low.”
“We have to get our hands on these plans,” Rose concluded, then frowned in sudden realisation. “How do you know all these things?”
Bismuth chuckled softly, and Pearl found herself a bit confused at her humour. “Oh, it just so happens a Morganite very closely involved in the project handover came to visit, presumably to scout out some of the main Earth sites. But she was really here to find a certain quartz lieutenant who’d been deployed to Earth and who’d disappeared during a rebel attack-”
“- and she ran into me,” Garnet finished, smiling, but not really explaining much.
Rose stared at her expectantly. “Well, where is she now?”
Garnet’s grin grew impossibly wide, and Bismuth answered it with one of her own, arm thrown around her shoulders. “Why, with her charming Carnelian sweetheart, of course. We thought we’d let them have their touching reunion first, bother them about detailed intel later.”
“Good call,” Rose replied, matching their gleeful expressions. “This is perfect - one, maybe two Gems getting everything done cleanly, instead of storming fortifications and fighting security and risking losses.”
“It needs to be me, obviously,” Pearl cut in, looking at Garnet and Bismuth pointedly, then letting her gaze drift over to Rose. “I mean, there aren’t many fusions of rubies and sapphires running around, or bismuths at fancy court parties… and Rose, well… the, uh, notoriety might be a problem...”
“Not quite.” Bismuth produced another holopad off the pile. “You’ll see it for yourselves once you meet our newest friend, but… the resemblance is actually quite striking. Here, take a look at this.”
“Huh. You’re right. I’ve never met a morganite before but this is… well.” Rose nudged Pearl closer, letting her catch a glimpse of the slightly blurry shot of what was undoubtedly the aforementioned Morganite, stepping off a transport ship. Her stature, the head of pink curls, the smile - suddenly, Rose’s intentions became horrifyingly clear to Pearl.
“Ohhhh, no. No no no no no, absolutely not! Risking yourself like that? Rose, you can’t be serious! Bismuth, don’t you dare encourage her! ” Pearl quickly snatched the holopad away from where Bismuth was holding it up next to Rose’s face as if for easier comparison. “This is a terrible plan and I am not allowing it!”
She didn’t need Garnet’s Future Vision to see a thousand horrible possibilities of everything going wrong. If anyone suspected, even for a moment, that they had the notorious rebel leader Rose Quartz in their midst-
“But nobody would ever suspect something like this!” Rose protested.
“That’s right, nobody would ever suspect this because it’s an absurd idea! Garnet, tell them-”
“We could vote,” Garnet offered, the picture of helpfulness, pulling her arm out of Pearl’s death grip and putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder instead.
“Alright, alright, fine, if this is what we’ve decided our priorities are…!” Pearl sighed. If Garnet wasn’t protesting the ridiculous plan, then surely the outcomes couldn’t be all that awful? Perhaps- “But I am not letting you go alone, Rose, so-”
“You’re not exactly lacking in notoriety yourself, Pearl,” Bismuth pointed out, not unkindly.
“Yes, but...” Pearl hesitated. “But I’m still a pearl. Oh, please, Rose, I’m simply stating a fact, it’s hardly something to be upset over.”
Rose looked sad at that anyway, and exchanged a slightly uncomfortable glance with Bismuth, who in turn busied herself with rummaging around the holopads some more. “Morganite herself doesn’t have a pearl. But, according to this, the Milky Quartz who frequently serves as her escort does, and, in an unusual display of generosity,” Bismuth spat the word out with unrestrained disgust, “often lets Morganite borrow her during court events.”
“That sounds a lot like a plan to me,” Rose said, perking up a bit and placing a gentle hand on Pearl’s lower back. “Garnet?”
“Rose masquerades as Morganite, Pearl as Milky Quartz’s pearl, very generously lent for this special occasion. We have a ship to take you there, even, thanks to Bismuth’s and Pearl’s latest… operation.” Garnet shrugged. “You either get the plans, or cause a commotion, or both - we give Homeworld something to worry about, one way or another.”
“Was that a prediction?” Pearl tilted her head, trying to picture, instead of worst-case scenarios, the rapidly approaching futures of her and Rose repeating their grand and outrageous performance as fanciful but remarkably persistent thorns in Homeworld’s side. She’d be around to keep Rose safe, of course, and, oh, those high-class Gems had no idea what was coming! And there was the feeling, blooming in her chest again - with the two of them together, things rarely felt impossible. “I might be warming up to this idea.”
Garnet smiled. “Maybe.”
-
Bismuth elbowed her in passing, on their way to the warp pad that was to take Pearl to the hidden dock and the stolen ship. “Still know how to snap off a smart Diamond salute?”
“You know, I’m not sure,” Pearl offered in mock-worry, twisting her arms around themselves, elbows knocking together awkwardly. “I think all this unadulterated freedom has impacted my limbs in some very strange ways. They just can’t seem to want to stay like that… oh, my, now that looks more like an odd, flapping bird than a diamond. How very distressing.”
Her upset pout didn’t last long - the both of them dissolved into giggles and came close to falling over each other and the edge of the polished warp crystal. Bismuth snapped out of it first, a sudden seriousness falling over her as she stood to face Pearl. “Hey, listen… be careful out there.”
“Garnet gave us very good odds! And you know I always am.”
Bismuth scoffed at the half-offended tone. “Please. I know how you get, especially when Rose is involved. You’re not exactly hard to rile up, you know.”
“Weren’t you the one very vocally in favour of this whole undertaking?”
“I was, but...” Bismuth hesitated, and shuffled her feet. “Hey, here. I made this for you.”
She sounded almost bashful, for what Pearl knew as Bismuth’s usual, as she hastily shoved a finely-crafted needle of a dagger into Pearl’s hands. It was exquisitely sharp and leaf-thin, perfectly balanced and fit to Pearl’s hand - Bismuth’s signature skill was evident in every deceptively delicate-looking inch of it. “It’s a lot shorter than what you usually use, I know, and not really your style, but this way you don’t have to hide it in your gem, and you know they search those now… Anyway, keep it handy. Just in case. Please.”
“Just in case,” Pearl nodded back, mood turned quite solemn. It was odd just how like the tense calm before a skirmish or a raid the brief wait at the warp pad felt - and to think she was on her way to a party!
She tucked the dagger into her sleeve where it all but vanished, and grumpily tugged on the frills for emphasis. “Well, guess I have a use for these ridiculous things after all. Honestly, what is it with Homeworld appearance trends and sleeves ?”
That at least got Bismuth to smile again, and Pearl felt accomplished - it pulled her own thoughts away from vivid images of Homeworld’s newest and highly intrusive contraband-seeking gem scanners, and how she’d had to first empty out her pocket dimension, then fill it up with unassuming objects, convincing in their role as an upper-crust Gem’s belongings just as much as Pearl herself was.
Bismuth would take good care of the swords, at least, that much was certain. Even - or especially - if Pearl never made it back to reclaim them.
“Hey, at least it’s not as bad as what Rose has on - I wouldn’t trade outfits with her for all the ore on Earth.” Bismuth nudged her again, attempts at breaking the tension grown more straightforward as their time grew short. “Garnet and I’ll hold down the fort, so don’t worry about a thing except getting it done and getting both of you out of there. Anyway, Rose and Garnet should be done with Morganite by now - ready to go meet up?”
Pearl took a deep, steadying breath and pulled a carefully-maintained blank pearl look over her face, trying to ignore the lead weight that had suddenly settled somewhere around her belly. “Ready.”
Bismuth sending her off with a small wave was the last thing Pearl saw as the warp pad activated - and as the stream carried her away she was left hoping it would not be the last she ever saw of the curious, bewildering, marvellous planet they’d chosen as home.