LOG-193.
LOG-193.
There was a shift to our surroundings as we descended deeper into the Atoll. The clean but cold walls of the surface level soon gave way to somewhat warmer tones, not due to any change in material, but…because of the drawings.
Countless drawings. Imagery depicting Gem-esque figures. Stars. And a great and terrible fire.
I resisted the urge to wrap my arms around my torso as we walked onward, keeping a careful eye on the gargantuan figure silently moving beside Khaki.
Eyes didn’t walk very often, thanks to her sheer size. More often than not the overgrown Pearl was forced to either hunch over significantly, or when it came to certain (visibly reinforced) doorways, outright get down on all fours and crawl.
There are increased defensive and surveillance mechanisms in place compared to what I’ve grown used to at the Reef. All powered down for the time being, but the fact remains. This facility was modified at some point.
It was in the midst of waiting for the large Gem to get through yet another doorway and considering the informational thoughts within my head that I noticed Patina edging towards me, and it was annoying to admit that I likely would have jumped at her presence, if I hadn’t already seen her coming closer through the gaze of one of my extra eyes.
“...You were very rough with Khaki.”
Turning just enough to glance at my creation, I frowned, before slowly letting out a sigh and nodding, even as the still lingering, irrational sensation of being watched stubbornly refused to go away.
“I was.”
The green Pearl tilted her head at that, long locks flowing with the motion, and the slight narrowing of her eyes betrayed the fact that she was using the very analysis suite I had built into her code to try and pick me apart.
Electing to save her the trouble, I waved the curious little thing off and began moving forward through the doorway, the obstacle that was Eyes having finally gotten out of the way.
“Because I was-am, scared. I would have been calmer otherwise.”
The slight hint of sparkles around my sphere of vision heralded the arrival of Violet, the flyer having just completed an orbit of my head before settling in front of me, her arms crossed and a bemused expression on her face.
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“I don’t see what was so scary. Dangerous, given what little we knew, maybe. But not scary.”
Rolling my eyes as we entered what looked to be yet another auditorium (albeit one adorned with ribbons, streamers, and other quaint little decorations), I looked around.
“Yeah, well you’ve literally never seen a horror movie. So I suppose the requisite context is distinctly lacking in your…case…”
Only to pause and blink at the sight that met us, namely another giant fucking Pearl, this one seemingly ducked down and listening to whatever a smaller figure sat beneath her was whispering.
More tattered looking frills shifted slightly as the enormous lightform shifted, this one a muted sage green compared to Eyes’ beige.
“Horn! Ribbon! We have guests!”
In between Khaki’s calls for the duo’s attention, I couldn’t help but silently acknowledge just how…simplistic, the local Batch’s naming scheme apparently was.
Because Horn did indeed have a horn, the gemstone in question tapering upwards to a sharp point and, just like in Eyes’ case, also consuming most of her upper face.
Compared to her ginger haired counterpart, the giant Pearl moved significantly slower, though she did rise and step out of the way quickly enough for a grey figure to dash over, the predictable sight of a ribbon wand in her hands drawing my attention for the briefest of moments before she impacted with Khaki in a hug.
Watching the two exchange a rapid fire set of hand twitches that (despite some clear linguistic drift) proved eligible enough for me to identify as both a greeting and warning respectively, I stepped forward and folded my hands behind my back, watching as Eyes and Horn both briefly mirrored the motions of their smaller Batchmates, only to bump their gemstones against each other in favour of anything else.
Nonetheless, as two (regular) Pearls ran up to face me, one with an expectant expression and the other with a nervous one, I found myself more than a little curious.
Perfectly fine, functional (if clearly less than put together) Gems. An Atoll that was abandoned yet clean on its top side, while clearly inhabited on its bottom half, with the inhabitants in question being some kind of forgotten Batch.
And a planet supposedly far enough away from the rest of the Warp network that Periwinkle had immediately pegged it as the least likely place for the Empire to find us, which was currently consumed by a ghostly firestorm made up of screaming holographic specters.
Nothing could ever be simple, naturally. But I found myself wanting to smile despite that fact.
After all, compared to what I had already dealt with? Some mysterious world sat near the edges of the Warp network was practically child’s play. Giant Pearls were something I’d take over Imperial shocktroopers any day.
“This is all of you?”
The question earned a pair of blinks from the two Gems standing before me, before the other one, Ribbon, shook her head.
“No. Including us, Eyes and Horn, there’s seven. You haven’t met Paint, Blue and Head yet.”
Completely trusting. Doesn’t seem to have a frame of reference in regards to the potential danger a stranger may pose. Contact with other individuals aside from her own Batch is…unlikely.
Repressing the slight frown that my…that the thought’s existence prompted, I held back from calling out to Violet, who was currently in the process of slowly floating towards the two giants that seemed transfixed with her existence, and turned to glance at Patina, if more for her benefit than mine, considering I could already see her.
My creation looked calm, all things considered, a patient expression on her face as she seemingly stood waiting for my decision.
Turning back towards the duo in front of me, I finally pulled up a mask worth maintaining, the friendly smile attached to it seemingly putting Khaki and Ribbon at ease.
“Well, I suppose I would like to meet them all before anything else happens. Care to lead me to them?”
First I’d account for any and all moving variables within this space. And then…
…Then I’d get started on finding a way back home, from wherever I’d managed to find myself.