A Cowgirl and Scared Dork (Steven Universe RP w/ Y

Pyrite was used to pain, and much like the gem they just fought, she could be a described as a hardy gem who was stubborn to the end. Pyrite could tell that Heliotrope had quite a different pain tolerance compared to her, and in their still fused state, could feel the distress reverberate through their being. Unakite stumbled, almost threatening to fall over.

"Come on now... keep yourself together..." this was mainly the Pyrite part of them speaking, trying to reassure Heliotrope about what they were feeling right now, but it only went to show how fragile the fusion was with their consciousnesses splitting. Pyrite didn't want their first fusion to end with a bad experience. Pyrite didn't want to inadvertently prove what Homeworld taught about fusion to be right.
 
It was hard keeping it together even as they bent down to pick up the gem. It was sharp to the touch and reminded them of the rock growths in caves with it's strange growths. The thought was interrupted by a burst of pain that swelled through their whole being. They could feel the tears in the massive. "No, no! I gotta stay me, I gotta...." they hissed under their breath.

Yet it was already too late. The gem known as Unakite ceased to existed anymore in a mere matter of seconds. A flash of light enveloped them as they were violently ripped apart. It felt like an eternity for them to be pieced together and become themselves - to become two completely different beings.

Heliotrope landed hard on the ground, dazed and confused with an odd sense that she wasn't whole anymore. That a part of her was missing now. Fusing with Pyrite made her feel whole and powerful, like she could do anything. Yet the gem couldn't. A single injury caused them to separate. Pain still ached in her body and proving how little she could handle it compared to Pyrite. Heliotrope began to push herself up, "Pyrite, are you okay? Are yo-" before she could finish, she felt herself give way to the pain and retreated into her. In an instant, she poofed, leaving Pyrite utterly alone.
 
Pyrite tried to keep them together out of pure stubbornness but, alas, even she had her limits. Pyrite was forced to separate from the other gem, and she fell to the ground like she'd just been bucked off a horse. Pyrite had to take a moment to remember just who she was and recollect herself. She didn't want to admit it, but the way they harshly split really affected her. She might have been mainly 'directing' the fusion... but Heliotrope contributed to the identity of Unakite too. It was like someone went and pulled something out of her soul. Perhaps it was because it was her first fusion, but... it scared Pyrite to feel this vulnerable. To feel so uncertain of herself.

Heliotrope! Pyrite got herself up, remembering the other gem. She looked to be worse off than Pyrite was. It was likely that Heliotrope might not have had to face heavy combat before, let alone sustain any sort of pain, "What I outta be askin' is-" she was interrupted when, in front of her eyes, Heliotrope poofed, "Heliotrope!"

Pyrite hurried to the gem as if something else might come and threaten to shatter Heliotrope's gem. She cupped it in her hands as gently as she could. The gem looked to be small compared to her larger hands. She should have never pressured Heliotrope to fuse, especially since they were both so new to it. She was so rash with her decision that, as usual, she didn't think about any future consequences, and now Heliotrope paid the price. She carefully inspected Heliotrope's gem for any cracks and thankfully found what appeared to be no damage to her gem... it was a close call considering how the creature might have gotten a chance to do some actual damage.

Had Heliotrope ever reformed? She mentioned having her gem fixed before... She'd be fine, right? She just needed to protect Heliotrope in the meantime, "I'm so sorry, Heliotrope... I-I don't know if ya' can hear me, but I know I must have really let ya' down. I'll make this up to ya', though." she said to Heliotrope's gem. Pyrite did know what it was like to reform in her gem, and knew that it wasn't likely to even know what was going on around one's gem while they were reforming... but it felt reassuring to speak to Heliotrope's gem. It made her feel less alone.

She looked to the other poofed gem, the creature that started this whole mess. Still holding Heliotrope's gem, she went to pick up the other gem, "You caused us a lot'of problems, ya' know that? I mean, we were aggressive about it, but we were only tryin' to help ya'. And tah be fair, you started it."
 
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Heliotrope could here the gem's voice muted yet the words sounded like minced; she could only make a word here or there. She'd been in her gem before but couldn't remember any aspects of it. This, it felt as if she was trapped in an endless sea; no end in sight but she couldn't move a single inch. The gem didn't want to come out; she was scared and confused, she needed time to think.

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How long had it been since Heliotrope retreated into her gem? Pyrite lost count somewhere past the second week, the days just seemed to fade into one another after that. It was lonesome for both parties as the days dragged on. She had been spending her time thinking of what just happened. About the fusion, Homeworld, Pyrite, and even herself. Questioning where she stood in the amidst of all of it and how to continue from there. It wasn't a dauntless journey into herself, she feared that her insights might wound her more than any battle would.

One night, as the stars glowed dimly alongside the moon, Heliotrope had finally realized where she stood and what she must do next. From time to time, she could hear Pyrite's gentle voice or feel her hands but not at this moment. She felt alone and she was ready. Light entangled her gem, lighting up night. Out of it, she began to form. She felt so alive; the air against her skin, the touch of the ground, and the emotions that flooded her. It was amazing. Heliotrope barely changed with her form. No longer side does the Homeworld's symbol reside on her, she was free from as far she was concerned. Her dress, well, it changed. It split back around her waist and now had a pair of pants that covered herself.

She looked around, "Pyrite...? Are you here?" It was too dark to see whether she was around or not. "Pyrite, I'm back." Heliotrope needed to speak the earthly gem, to tell her where she stood now.
 
Another day without Heliotrope. And now was... what night was it? Pyrite had tried to keep a tally of the number of days on a rock, but had given up on that just a few nights ago. Pyrite told herself not to worry about Heliotrope, she probably wasn't used to reforming-- after all, one of Pyrite's first reformations had her staying in her gem for years out of pure fear. Sometimes Pyrite would see Heliotrope's gem and think that she was reforming, only for it to turn out to be some sort of trick, like the sun glinting off of the gem. It was funny, how the little time she'd spent with Heliotrope affected her so much. Pyrite was used to being alone, and always thought that was for the better, since as fun as humans were they had a spec of a lifespan and she figured that any other gem she'd meet wouldn't be too trustworthy.

Maybe she underestimated just how lonely she was, and the other gem's presence distilled the lifestyle that she'd gotten so used to. She had taken off her hat and flipped it over to keep Heliotrope's gem in it, while keeping the other gem somewhere else on her, still not trusting them in the same space as Heliotrope. She spoke to Heliotrope's gem a lot, even if there wasn't much to say. She was tempted to tell some of the stories of her adventures, but decided against it, wanting Heliotrope to hear them when they'd get through much clearer... She hoped that Heliotrope wouldn't be too sour about their previous fusion experience. She didn't want to end up pushing away the only friend she'd managed to make in a very long time.

She also spoke to the other gem, the one that had caused Heliotrope to reform in the first place. She wasn't mad at the other gem. She wasn't sure about how they'd go about fixing this gem, but there had to be some way to do it, and then maybe they'd make up for all the trouble they'd went through with them. Only time would tell.

One night she was laying on the ground, staring straight up at the stars, the hat with Heliotrope's gem beside her. She looked to Heliotrope's gem. Still hadn't reformed yet, "Just what are you thinkin' about in there anyways?" she said before closing her eyes. Gems didn't need to sleep, but she found that it didn't hurt to. Besides, it didn't make sense to travel when it was so dark. A sudden light came upon her face, did the morning come sooner than she expected? Opening her eyes, she was greeted by the spectacle of Heliotrope's gem glowing. This was it! She was reforming! Pyrite had done this many times herself, but had never seen another gem do it. She looked on, fascinated and ecstatic by the sight. She grabbed her hat and held it to her chest.

"Heliotrope! It took ya' long enough!" Pyrite said with a grin. Her first instinct was to hug Heliotrope tightly, like an old friend of whom she hadn't seen for a long time. After letting go of the hug, she paused, a guilty look on her face, "... I'm sorry about what caused ya' to reform, Heliotrope. Your first fusion experience shouldn't'of gone like that... and I hope ya' can find it in you to forgive me."
 
The first thing she feels is Pyrite's strong arms wrapping around. She didn't pull away, it feel comforting to know that they missed her and hugged back, though it was no where near as strong. She felt loved. "It's okay, it's okay! I promise you, you did nothing wrong. I think it was just a bit too much to handle." Truthfully, Heliotrope felt as if it was her fault their first fusion faulted and hoped she didn't ruin the experience for Pyrite.

Oh, how good does it feel to be back though, it was almost indescribable. Once Pyrite finally let go of the fragile self gem, she gently takes her hand and leads her to the nearest rock for them to sit down and talk. The time spent in her gem wasn't for nothing; it was used to figure out exactly what she'd say to Pyrite and where she stands amidst it all. "I need to talk to you. I'm really sorry for ruining this grand moment but I don't think this can really wait." Did she really want to bring something like this up right after reforming? "Fusion didn't bother me," she started off saying, "it felt great, no, amazing! I've never felt better or more useful than I did then. I won't mind if we try again but I don't know how well it'll work out. I'm used to carrying out orders and straying from fights, I'm not built for battle - I want to fight though. I want to be useful so I can protect myself, protect you."

"I know Homeworld isn't a fan of fusion but I don't want that to stop me. I want to keep learning all these new and amazing things about myself. I don't like what Homeworld is doing. It's cruel as far as I'm concerned." Her voice drew softer as she spoke. "But I can't complelty cut myself off from it like you have. I'm scared of what might happen to me if they find out they left me, that they might shatter me or lock me away or something terrible. I can be a rebel or a deserter but I can't leave them either, all are too dangerous to me. It isn't going to make me leave you though Pyrite. You're the best thing there in my life and I'd rather not lose that."

She couldn't look over at her, fearing what she must be thinking knowing she doesn't side with her completely. "I'm sorry Pyrite, I hope you can understand."
 
"... Let's just make sure that next time it'll be a much better experience fer the both of us, alright?" Pyrite said, still feeling as if she had her part in what made the fusion experience end the way it did, but the guilt she felt was mitigated by that Heliotrope was still wiling to consider her a companion despite what happened.

She followed Heliotrope and joined her in sitting on the rock. She nodded when the other gem said she wanted to speak, eagerly wanting to hear what she had to say. Pyrite had her own introspection when she was inside her gem for so long, and was interested to hear about what Heliotrope had thought about while in her gem. She smiled to hear the development Heliotrope had-- that fusion wasn't terrible, and she wanted to learn how to fight. Pyrite was sure that she could help with that... except maybe some easier targets. Something a little gentler than a gem monster.

Pyrite was rather surprised to hear that Heliotrope wasn't willing to 'leave' Homeworld. Pyrite crossed her arms. She thought that Heliotrope was convinced. Well, she was, but... It soon came to Pyrite that the departure she had from Homeworld and the departure Heliotrope had were radically different. Pyrite had years to mull over Homeworld, and the opportunity to start anew because, well, she had to. By now Homeworld likely moved on from her, she doubted anyone would even recognize her now from what she was from her old self, and would probably consider her 'defunct' compared to newer, advanced gems. She'd be shattered rather than 'welcomed' with open arms.

Remembering what Heliotrope told her when she was curious about what Homeworld was like, she realized that Heliotrope's memories of Homeworld were still fresh. Pyrite had never seen a glimpse of the planet she was supposed to be fighting for. Heliotrope lived with them. When she first found Heliotrope, she was still clinging to them like... like it was all she had left. With this in mind, Pyrite had more sympathy, and her expression became softer as she considered this.

"... I understand plenty." Pyrite said, getting up and offering a hand to Heliotrope, "If you're willing to stand by my side, I'm willing to stand by yours... friend." The word didn't roll of her tongue, and even lacked some of her accent. She didn't say that particular word a lot, and this had to be one of the first times she'd even uttered it. Did Heliotrope think the same...? She probably did, but Pyrite had to have some sort of confirmation.

... But in the back of her mind, there was something she considered that disturbed her, and she tried to push it away. If given a choice between her and Homeworld, who would Heliotrope choose? Pyrite was fine with most uncertainties... but this was one she wished she had a firm answer to, if she'd even like the answer in the first place.
 
It wasn't the best situation she'd gotten herself into. Heliotrope was glad that she understood but Pyrite's voice and actions, her emotions showed through anyway. The pain the Homeworld had caused the earthly gem still existed and rightfully so, but Heliotrope wondered if she might come to hate her for not leaving Homeworld behind in the dust like she did so many years ago. "Pyrite, I don't like them and I doubt I'll come running back to them but I won't leave you." Gently, she took hold of the yellow gem's hand, looking down on the ground. "I won't leave you though."

"I'm sorry, it must be tough to know I don't completely revoke Homeworld but I just... can't. I'm not strong like you, I can take care of myself well enough or know what to do. I'm scared of what they might do to me, I'm scared that I don't have purpose without them."

Her hands clench Pyrite's, shaking a little. "I'm not going to leave you though, even if this planet is invaded or if we're attacked, I'm not leaving. Pyrite, you're the single best thing that has happened to me and I've only know you for barely a day. Think of what happens when I know you for longer?" She wasn't sure if she was conveying this right, interactions were hard and trying to make sure everything is right is even harder. The gem pauses, trying to piece together next. How would she say that she'd stand by her side? Fight with her? Just trying to be useful for the earth gem? Heliotrope tried to speak but nothing came out, noticing she shut her mouth completely; the moment filled with silence.

She glanced up at Pyrite, staring with her brilliant green eyes with red speckles splattered on them. "You're good and amazing. You make me hopeful that something that was used like an object can be good, you make me hopeful that one day I'll be strong and brave like you. Even if one of the Diamonds comes for me, I won't go." Heliotrope treasured their shortly formed friendship and doubted anything could replace it.

"I'm willing to be shattered for you, partner." She tried to use some of the earth slang that Pyrite tended to say, the gem just hoped she used it in the right context.
 
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Pyrite wasn't the sort to hide her emotions easily... she just hadn't felt like this in a long while. With humans, she could forget what happened in the past, if only for a few moments. It was obvious how they'd influenced her. Being with another gem reminded her of all the hurt that she'd buried deep inside herself, even if she tried to push it down some of the emotions would still seep out. So, of course, anyone could read her like a book with just a glance at her.

As if she were reading her mind, Heliotrope reassured her about the very thing she was tangled in her thoughts about. That she wasn't going to leave her. Heliotrope had taken her hand, but didn't look her in the eye. Heliotrope definitely didn't seem like the sort to lie, or pull off a convincing one for that matter, but Pyrite wanted to see her eyes. To see that she was sincere. She didn't force the gem to look at her, though.

What Heliotrope said next made her realize just how much the other gem admired her. Heliotrope said that she 'wasn't strong' like her but... Pyrite had her fair share of insecurities. She didn't trust other gems easily. She was lonelier than she'd like to admit. She had her fair share of regrets. Heliotrope regarded her as a sort of foundation she could depend on, but Heliotrope reminded Pyrite of what it was like when she first regenerated long after the war for Earth was over, something that she didn't reflect on often. Scared, unsure of what to do, where to go... Pyrite was able to use human culture to replace the void Homeworld left, but now Pyrite could be there for Heliotrope. Pyrite wanted to say something, anything. But what? Pyrite's usually snappy mind came to a complete blank. Reassure her about what she was without Homeworld? Admit her own faults? Pyrite could only grasp Heliotrope's hand, feeling how it was shaking with the emotions Heliotrope was expressing.

Finally, Pyrite got what she wanted. She saw Heliotrope's eyes. She'd never noticed that they weren't just green, they had little red dots in them too. Pyrite took her other hand, putting it on top of Heliotrope's clenched hands. She looked Heliotrope in the eyes, and knew that she'd meant every word she said, down to the very last letter. She never knew that Heliotrope had thought of her this way-- when she first convinced Heliotrope that Homeworld wasn't any good, she was just trying to make a stubborn point. Now look at where they were.

"Heliotrope, I..." she trailed off, unsure of what to say. Then she heard it. Heliotrope said something she never thought would come out of her mouth, that she'd be willing to be shattered for her, and... she called her partner. Pyrite looked her in the eyes, before taking one of her hands off of Heliotrope's to wipe something from her eyes. It was rather pointless, as the tears continued to stream down her face anyways. She was grinning, not one of her mischievous or confident grins but rather, one of pure happiness, "Heliotrope I'm... I'm flattered. No, honored you'd think of me that way... I don't think anyone's ever held me with as much value as you're holdin' me at right now." She couldn't stop the tears, and eventually she stopped trying to wipe them off. In a quieter voice, she said, "... And you're a whole lot stronger than ya' know, Heliotrope. Just... trust me when I say that... You'll be alright."
 
Heliotrope stares at the gem for a moment, out of all the things she expected, her crying wasn't one of them. She leaned over the large gem, gently wiping a few tears away. "No, no, please do not cry. I didn't mean to make you cry." Interactions with gems were still new to her and something with such emotion, it was alien to her. "I didn't think that he truth would upset you so much... I won't do it again if you don't want me to."

She waited till Pyrite to calm down before talking again. It warmed on the inside to hear those words coming from the gem's mouth. Never had she seen herself as strong yet there was Pyrite assuring her that she was. Turning away from her, trying to hide the slight blush of embarrassment that showed on her green skin. It seemed that even out of fusion, the earth gem could make her feel special and worth something. "Thank you Pyrite, thank you."

The night sky was still twinkling with stars as she got up. One of those was Homeworld's star, one of the billions that littered the sky. Heliotrope moved towards the Pyrite's hat that she dropped when she reformed. She gently picked it up, dusting of the grime and dirt on it before walking over to Pyrite. Even in the darkness, she could still make her brilliant golden eyes. "You dropped this," she smiled, placed it on top of her head (though she did have to stand on tip toes to get it on the gems head.) "Can't have the... cowboy? losing their... hat? Can't have the cowboy losing their cowhat? Is that correct?"

Suddenly she realized that before the fusion, they fought a corrupt gem. "Pyrite, what ever happened to the creature we fought? I know we got it to go back into it's gem but what happened to it after that?" She wondered if it happened to reform like she had or if it simply was lost among them splitting. It was strange to think that they actually weren't alone, that there was possibly another gem lurking nearby somewhere. "Is it okay? Did it... shatter?" Heliotrope had to know, the gem fell from a great height and she worried that maybe she caused it to crack or even shatter. That the fusion might have cost another gem's life.
 
Pyrite shook her head, "Nah it... it ain't that Heliotrope. I'm not upset." Wiping away more of her tears, she tried to think of a way to explain this to Heliotrope. She probably didn't understand complex emotions like this, "I'm sorry I'm cryin' like this. I don't want ya' to ever not tell me the truth, even if ya' think it might upset me, except here... Do you see how much I'm grinnin'? I'm cryin' out happiness! Uh... think of it like this... I'm so happy, I gotta cry to get that happiness out, if that makes any sense. Just know there's nothin' ya gotta apologize for."

Pyrite managed to calm herself down, she was in as much puzzlement about why she cried. She decided not to think about it too much now, lest that start the waterworks all over again. She chuckled seeing Heliotrope blush like that, "Tain't no problem, just sayin' what I think... but you're certainly welcome." Her eyes sparkled in the night, like the very stars that were up above. In the war, she used to look up at the stars and wonder which one was Homeworld. She was told that they could go 'home' once the war was all done with, but obviously that promise never came to fruition. Maybe she'd ask Heliotrope about what Homeworld's planet was like, if she'd be comfortable sharing.

She'd almost forgotten about her hat. It was a small detail in all that was happening, and could easily regenerate even if she forgot it (otherwise getting a poncho to throw away would be a daily living expense), but she still appreciated when Heliotrope picked it up and put it on her head. Aware of Heliotrope's height, she bent down a little so she could really place it on her. It didn't occur to Pyrite too often that Heliotrope didn't know a lot about Earth culture, particularly the wild west culture that Pyrite had embedded herself into. Pyrite was going to say Heliotrope was right about it just being a cowboy hat, except she uttered what she thought it was. It took her great will to keep from laughing herself into poofing on the spot, but she did sport a big grin and let a few giggles through, "Yes... Thank ya' kindly for my... cowhat." Pyrite adjusted the hat over her face so hopefully Heliotrope wouldn't be able to see how hard she was trying not to laugh. She didn't have the heart to correct Heliotrope.

She sobered when Heliotrope brought up the gem. Last time she'd checked, the poofed gem was alright, and she brought the gem out from where she was keeping it to show Heliotrope and make sure the gem was still okay. She peered at the gem before nodding, "Yep, no need to worry... little bugger's perfectly fine. I bet they don't even know all the trouble they caused us, do ya'?" Pyrite said, speaking to the gem as if they could respond.
 
It looked so strange and wild compared to their gems, the sharp jagged points that seemed like they'd be painful to live with. "They did cause a lot of trouble, but at least we're okay... I hope they're okay." She gently took it out of Pyrite's hands, cradling it in her own. The longer she stared at the gem, trying to understand, the more an idea formed in the back of her mind. Heliotrope leaned towards Pyrite, holding out the gem like a child trying to show off something they've found. "I think I might be able to fix it! I know it sounds a tad on the ridiculous side but I believe I can do it. My ship might have something that can repair it."

"Maybe the gem won't be bad if we fix it. Maybe it was scared like us?" She didn't know how to feel towards the gem, after all it did try to kill them both. Hopefully Pyrite might be okay with that, trying to fix the gem. It was the least she could do considering she forced it to retreat into it's gem. "Can we try?" she quietly asked, lowering her arms.
 
Pyrite honestly had no idea about what to do with the gem. Defending yourself against an attacking creature was one thing, but... trying to 'save' them was something different altogether. Was there any saving this gem? Pyrite didn't want to think of the possibility of there being no way to turn them back to normal, there had to be some way to do it, they just hadn't thought of it yet- or rather, Pyrite hadn't, as Heliotrope reminded her of her ship, "Ah think I know the way we came from, so we can get back to it." Pyrite said. When Heliotrope was regenerating she didn't travel too far from where they were previously.

"So'f course we're gonna try!" Pyrite said, as if it were an obvious answer, "Ah don't see why we shouldn't! This gem couldn't have been in the right mind when it just went and attacked us like it did. So, what're we waitin' for? We have a gem to help." Pyrite gave an encouraging smile.
 
"I just don't know how far away my ship is... but we're gems! We have all the time in the world! Oh, thank you so much Pyrite!" She grins, clutching the gem tight in her small hands. Heliotrope only wanted to help, she couldn't stand the thought of another gem suffering one way or another. After Homeworld, she didn't want anything to hurt. Hopefully there would be a way to help the gem.

While they were making their way to Heliotrope's crashed ship, the milky blue gem began to glow. She didn't notice it for a few seconds, not till it became near blinding. "It's reforming!" she called out, dropping the gem on the ground, fearing that it might become monstrous again. Light engulfed the corrupt gem as she ran to Pyrite, hiding behind her like a child. She didn't want to fight the thing again, she would rather have Pyrite deal with the corrupt gem. Instead of forming into the beast the towered above them, it formed into a smaller version of itself. The size of a cat that Heliotrope had seen lurking around the human houses. It hissed at them, backing up showing it's claws.

It was less threatening but still it was corrupt. "So, looks like it's less deadly but it's still corrupt..." she mumbled, looking the creature over.
 
Pyrite laughed, "It's no problem, Heliotrope. Just doin' the decent thing here." she said, enjoying how eager the smaller gem was acting. Compared to how emotional things got earlier, she was glad that things seemed to be getting more lighthearted. As they walked towards the ship, Pyrite wondered just what this gem might be like... Would they be from Homeworld? She shook her head, her distrust of gems was seeping into gems that they didn't know yet. Heliotrope was a Homeworld gem, and they managed to become friends. If this gem turned out to be one of those gems, her and Heliotrope could probably try and convince them that Homeworld wasn't all it was chalked up to be-

Lost in thought about the gem, Pyrite didn't notice that it was regenerating until Heliotrope called it out. She watched as the gem glowed, this time more concerned and fearful about the regeneration. As Heliotrope moved behind her, she took her poncho and hid Heliotrope more, like she was trying to shield her from the monster's view, and with the other hand drew her gun. It took a fusion to take the creature out before, and that was just barely. It caused Heliotrope to have to regenerate. Could she handle this creature on her own if she needed to? She tried to look as if she could handle it, to reassure Heliotrope, but she had trouble keeping her hand steady as her gun was pointed at the gem monster.

To her surprise, the creature turned smaller and... significantly less intimidating. She'd seen cacti that looked more threatening than the stunt this little fella was trying to pull. She dropped her arms, her weapon disappearing, and she chuckled, "Ya' see the size of this thing? Barely a fraction of what they used to be! Ah doubt this feller's gonna be anymore trouble, 'least to us... Still has that attitude, though." she knelt down, trying to get to eye level with the creature and held her palms out, "Ah know we weren't on too friendly terms before, but we were just attackin' ya cause you were bein' all threatenin', ya' understand? ...Did over do it a bit, though, I'll admit that." she paused, moving a bit closer, "You're just a scared lil' thing, but ah'm sure either of us ain't so bad as we might look."
 
It hissed at her again, trying it's best to keep away from yet remain threatening. Heliotrope still hide behind Pyrite, still frightened by the creature despite it being nearly harmless now due to it's size. She turned to Pyrite, "Is it normal for them to become smaller or no?" she whispered to the gem. To her it was strange, seeing something that they could barely defeat turn into something akin to a stray angry cat that litter human cities. "Will it hurt us when it's this small?"

She still thought that they should head back to her ship despite the slight inconvenience the corrupt gem caused. Hopefully it wouldn't be too bad to handle, if anything, she had Pyrite to handle the gem. The creature glanced between the two of them with it's single lifeless eye before hissing once more. Except this time instead of backing away it made a mad dash away from them, running like the strange earth creature Heliotrope had seen around her ship many times. What were they again? Oh yes, bats.

Heliotrope stood back for a few seconds before realizing the creature was running from them. Despite not being much of a harm to gems, it could still prove deadly to a human. She dashed off for it, taking advantage of her speed to catch up to it. Then, she drew out her daggers and threw them in front of the gem and into the ground. Trying to scare the gem into heading back and luckily it did, screeching the whole way till it found it's way back to Pyrite. It was stuck with the two gems it seemed, which was good on Pyrite's and Heliotrope's part.
 
... Obviously, Pyrite's attempt at a truce wasn't working. She wasn't afraid of the creature now, but it wouldn't be easy helping this gem if they were going to put up a fight the whole way, "... I ain't sure." Pyrite confessed, studying the threatened creature, "And if this thing were to nip us, it might hurt but not nearly as much damage as it managed when it was a lot bigger, that's for sure." Pyrite was determined to get this gem back to Heliotrope's ship, even if they had to drag them there screeching.

As soon as she noticed the creature making a break for it, she got up and gave chase, although Heliotrope went ahead of her due to outmatching her in speed. Instead she focused on cornering the creature when it came to her. She wished she had one of those ropes with a loop around it, a lasso, would be real useful about now, but something else could be used to capture the creature. She took off her poncho, holding it open, "We tried to do this the easy way, but if ya' wanna take the hard way, be my guest!" she jumped for the creature, intending to capture them within the poncho.
 
The creature was just screeching it's little lungs out once Pyrite managed to get it underneath her cloak and somehow manage to get it all wrapped up as if were inside a bundle. It was simple but the thing was like an animal and acted just like one too. Heliotrope rushed back over to Pyrite, a trail of dust behind her. With a sigh, she turned over to the earth gem and her new catch. "Well, it seems like this thing doesn't like us. Big or small. What are we going to do with it?" she yelled over the creature.

At least she could count on Pyrite to get the job done, which was lucky for Heliotrope. "Thank you, I don't think I could have done anything else other than make it run and turn around a lot." She wondered if they should head out for her ship again or wait for the creature to calm down in it's cloth prison. Luckily, it only took a few minutes before it gave up.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

It took hours for them to reach Heliotrope's ship. Walking through the rugged earth landscape was hard on the space gem but sucked it up. Her ship though, was in far worse conditions that the surrounding harsh landscape. It was quite big considering it was meant for only one to two gems. Vines had taken over the back portion while a tree was growing out of it's engine. Heliotrope had been crashed on Earth for countless years yet managed to keep a nice portion of the ship running, mostly so she could continue on her research for Homeworld. "Well, we're here."
 
Pyrite struggled with the creature, closing her poncho on the gem and then had to make sure they wouldn't escape. It was kind of like that time Pyrite had tried something humans called 'pig wrestling', where they'd grease up a big pig and let them run around a pen and the challenge was to capture the pig with your bare hands. This was arguably easier, "Well, we should head back to the ship quick before this guy... oh." she yelled back before they started to tire out and just settled in the poncho, "... Ya' mighty welcome. Now come on, we have a gem tah fix."

---

For a gem who had walked miles upon miles of land on a whim, the walk to the ship was rather brisk for her. It was obvious to see just how long Heliotrope was stuck on earth. It served as a reminder to Pyrite about how careless Homeworld was about their gems, viewing them all as replaceable tools and not giving a single damn about any gem left behind in the crossfire, "Alright so... you go ahead and operate on this thing." she gestured to the ship. She really would have no idea about what to do with it. She was more familiar with culture that wasn't her own... Even if it was outdated, Pyrite did wonder just what this gem tech was. What had changed since her long departure? "And I'll keep an eye on this 'lil bugger over here. Just tell when you're ready and I'll make sure they get in the right place."
 
"I'll be quick! I promise!" She yells back as she rushes towards her ship. It brought back a bunch of good times and bad times for her but either way it was what she considered her home. The lights no longer blinked inside of the ship but most things were operational. She stumbled around towards the back, were most of the portable devices were stored. Heliotrope's ship was much larger than the common ones Homeworld used. It was due to the fact it meant to hold team of gems to conduct research although hers could only fit two comfortably but it needed it's large size to also hold equipment and even possible specimens.

The gem managed to find a piece of equipment that should hopefully fix the corrupt gem. It was mainly used to fill in the gaps with forced gem fusions, creating a more 'stable' gem. Heliotrope rushed out of the ship with the equipment (that looked more a small bowling ball with legs than actual science equipment) tucked under her arm. Once back to Pyrite, she gently set it down and turned it on. "I hope this works. I really do."

Once Pyrite managed to get the creature out of her poncho, it landed on the ground wit a soft thud. The machine went over to it before it could get up and scramble away, and coated it with a thick red goo. Heliotrope watched on, hoping it might fix the gem despite how disgusting it looked. Sadly, as the corrupt gem moved away from the machine, scared, it stayed the same. Her face sunk with realization that it had failed and that the gem was still broken. "Oh..." she mumbled to herself.
 
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