#am i jaspering good i just wanna write bae right

[inu-jiru]

The Tiger And The Zebra

Chapter Two - Passing The Time

If there was anything positive I could say about the Gem Rebellion, it was that it forced Gemkind to vastly improve its ships and weaponry. I had less than pleasant memories of the days of Era 1, and the decades-long journey it took to reach Earth during the war. Now, thanks to warp speed technology, we’d arrive in less than a lunar cycle. For that amount of time, I’d need to find a way to occupy myself. If only past me had had the foresight to store a few books in her gem...

The first few Homeworld rotations were uneventful. When I wasn’t sifting through the ship’s archives for an interesting report to read, I patrolled the halls of the warship, hoping to White Diamond that those disgustingly bright yellows and greens wouldn’t blind me. One three areas of the ship were of interest: the bridge, the prisoner’s dock, and the training bay. 

I visited the prisoner’s dock the least. The Lazuli had been moved there since the interrogation. Once we returned to Homeworld, her final punishment would be decided by her own court. Personally, I thought it was a waste of time. A traitor like her only had one use: to be harvested. Still, she was the ship's prisoner for the time being, and prisoners needed to be checked in on. The prison bay contained three long hallways lined with prison cells. When in use, the a would have a forcefield that would destabilize the physical form of a Gem. Normally, this made it so that a prisoner could be left alone, but there was always that one desperate Gem who'd attempt to escape, usually dissipating their forms in the process. The Lapis Lazuli, fortunately, showed no signs of such foolishness. At least she had that going for her.

"Mmph," I'd often grunt in disgust, eying the terraformer as I passed her cell. She would only press herself deeper into the corner, burying her head in her arms and knees. She resembled one of those small, crawling Earth creatures: small, pathetic, and begging to be crushed under my foot. 

The bridge was next, though my visits were very brief. The Peridot piloted from there and never seemed to stray from that area. How dull. The Peridot herself was very professional, always saluting to me and treating me with the utmost respect. Without Jasper around, she wasn’t nearly as snippy as I thought she’d be. She was growing on me.

“Tell me.” I decided to strike up a conversation during my most recent visit. I stood beside the technician, gazing out into the starry void that was space. “I’m quite curious. How exactly did you cross paths with the traitors?”

“Well, as I said before, I was assigned to monitor the incubation of the Cluster,” she explained. “A geo-weapon, one that would destroy the Earth from the inside out.” I felt my brow raise in interest. I’d overheard the Cluster’s name from Peridots in White Diamond’s court, though I’d never looked into it. How fascinating, and how clever of the Diamonds to turn something as messy as the Rebellion around in their favor. Oh, if only I hadn’t needed to bring Rose Quartz to Homeworld; I would’ve loved to imagine the look on her face when her precious Earth suddenly crumbled away beneath her feet. Oh, well.

“As for the Crystal--I mean, traitors...” I smirked at my own reflection in the glass. She remembered my anger at the Lazuli when she used that juvenile name. How cute. “I was just starting to remotely reactivate the Prime Kindergarten's control room, when they showed up: three gems and a...a Steven.”

...A what?

“Pardon?” I asked.

“That’s what it called itself.” 

“How odd…” I paused for a moment. “No Rose Quartz?”

“Just her lackeys, I’m afraid,” the Peridot admitted. “They destroyed the power supply and disrupted my connection. I made the request for an escort immediately after.”

“Well, Rose Quartz and the fools who follow her will be dealt with in due time, Peridot,” I said. I stood up straight, hands behind my back as a surge of confidence flowed through my physical form. “Her Clarity has complete and total confidence in us. I’ll personally see to it that they’re all shattered, even if I have to testify and each and every one of their trials.”

“I appreciate that, ma’am,” said Peridot. Despite her monotonous voice, I could hear some genuine gratitude. I flashed her a quick smile before making my leave, calling back over my shoulder:

“As you were.”

Finally, there was the training bay, where I spent a good chunk of time, for obvious reasons. Jasper was very much like Peridot in that I never caught her in any other part of the ship. No, Jasper preferred to spend every waking moment training. Even when I was nowhere near the training bay, I could swear I could hear her roars echoing in the distance. I was intrigued, yet also wary. Gems might not have needed sleep, but enough physical exertion was enough to dissipate any Gem’s form. Either Jasper wasn’t aware of this, or she simply didn’t care.

Each visit, I would quietly take my place near the wall, observing Jasper’s progress with an expressionless mask. Her favorite piece of equipment seemed to be the punching bag, and she was relentless with it. First, she’d assault it with a flurry of punches and kicks, barely giving it a chance to swing back to her before she attacked again. Then, equipped with her helmet, she’d tuck herself into that signature spinning attack (a “Spin-Dash, as I’ve heard some call it) and deliver blow after blow. It was nothing short of genius engineering that the punching bag hadn’t been torn to pieces. Once Jasper was satisfied, she’d stand up right, hands on her hips, head held high, her chest heaving, her toned muscles drenched with sweat…

Oh, dear. One of these rotations, she was going to catch me staring. 

“Have you heard much about the Cluster?” I dared to break the silence. This was shortly after my talk with Peridot. Jasper paused in mid-swing, the punching bag getting a brief reprieve from its beating. She looked towards me, clearly caught off-guard. She recovered quickly.

“The pipsqueak mentioned it,” Jasper replied, a growl in her voice as she referred to Peridot. “I didn’t ask for details, mostly because I don’t really care. Rose is my top priority.”

“That’s fair,” I said. “I just thought it might be of interest to you, considering...well, you know.” Jasper frowned. She then struck the punching bag with her fist, a noticeably half-hearted strike.

“Well, that isn’t a bad memory at all,” she grumbled. Sarcasm dripped from her words. 

“...” I should’ve realized how sensitive of a topic that must’ve been. I mentally cursed my own foolishness. I, of all the Gems on this ship, should’ve known better. “My apologies. I just assumed that it wouldn’t be nearly as painful to talk about after 6000 years.”

“As if that,” Jasper gave another punch, a slightly stronger one. “...makes it better.” I let out an annoyed huff.

“My judgement was faulty,” I admitted. “I get that. That’s why I’m apologizing. It’s not that hard to understand, is it?”

“Of course it’s not.” This time, it was a kick. “I’m a Quartz, not a Ruby.”

“Alright, alright,” I began, sighing. “I shouldn’t have asked. I’m sorry, really. I promise I meant no offense.”

“Hmph,” Jasper snorted. She lowered her fists, bringing the punching bag to a halt with her hand. I could see her glancing at me out of the corner of her eye. “I guess I accept your apology.” I didn’t realize it until that moment, but I’d been holding my breath. 

“Well, if you guess,” I said, attempting to mimic Jasper’s tone. I saw the corner of her mouth twitch. “You know, another Agate might call you insubordinate for that kind of talk.”

“Oh?” Jasper now turned to me, a brow raised and a hand on her hip. “And not you, eh?”

“Not at the moment, no. Though I would advise you not to try my patience.” The Quartz only stared at me for a moment, before shrugging.

“Alright, sure.”

“Is something bothering you?” I asked curiously. I walked a bit closer as Jasper looked at me, confused. “You seem...upset by something.”

“Wha…? I--” Her eyes darted off to the side. “N-No. No, ma’am. Why would I be upset?”

“That’s why I’m asking,” I explained. I stopped in front of her. It was by now that I realized that she was a bit taller than I was, and I had to look up at her if I wanted to look her in the face. “Going to Earth after all of that happened...I admit, I’m not too thrilled about returning myself. It’s not just you, you know.”

“I’m fine,” Jasper said hotly. She looked down at me and I could see a faint blush appearing on her cheeks. “Why are you acting so...concerned? Agates don’t do that.”

“Well, I do,” I shot back. “I look out for my Quartzes. And until we return from this mission, you are my Quartz, Jasper.” I saw her stiffen. Her blush deepened, and her eyes widened as if she’d just emerged from her Kindergarten. Stars...How could someone gemetically designed to be a brute be so cute? “Am I a bit lenient for an Agate? Perhaps. It depends on the Gem, really. I just believe that a Quartz is at her best when she is physically, mentally and emotionally sound. Now…”

I brought out my arms from my sleeves, pushing them up and out of the way. Jasper’s eyes followed the movements of my hands. I grinned.

“As skilled as you are, Jasper,” I started. “Watching one Quartz smack a punching bag around is painfully dull. Perhaps you’d do better with a sparring partner?”

“You?” The soldier met my eyes again. 

“No, the Lazuli,” I scoffed. “Of course, me. Are you interested?”

Jasper didn’t respond at first, instead, resting a hand on her chin in thought. It didn’t take her long to come to a decision, and soon, she smirked.

“You know what? Sure, why not. Heheh, this should be fun.”

“Oho,” I cooed. I felt excitement rush through me. Battling the Ultimate Quartz? When would I ever get another chance to do this? I held out my hand, summoning my crook, slowly as not to startle my new training partner. “I hope you don’t expect victory to come easily. I’d like to be something of a challenge for you.”

“Good.” I heard a purr edge into Jasper’s already rumbly voice, as if it wasn’t already sending delightful vibrations into my gem. She summoned her crash helmet, grinning in anticipation. “I wouldn’t accept anything less.”

I was prepared to make some sort of witty reply, or, at the very least, put some distance between myself and Jasper. I hadn’t taken into account Jasper’s enthusiasm, however. She’d barely finished her sentence when she suddenly charged at me, aiming a punch at what was probably going to be my face if I didn’t move. With only milliseconds to react, I dove to the side, feeling her fist brushing against my hair. She wasted no time, swinging again. I dove back, narrowly avoiding a blow to my stomach. An unexpected twinge of fear pulsated through me as I now found myself dodging an onslaught of punches, all while Jasper laughed.

“What’s the matter?” she demanded. Her smile indicated that she was enjoying this a bit too much. “I thought you were gonna give me a challenge!”

With a shout, I launched myself backwards, landing far out of Jasper’s range. It did nothing to deter her, and Jasper rushed to close the distance between us. Now that I was expecting her, though, I was ready for a counterattack. With a tight grip of my crook, I dashed towards her, swinging the hooked end and catching her by the neck.

“Uh…?” she muttered, but it was all she had time to say before I tugged my crook and dragged her along. I grunted; her body might’ve been made of light, but it felt like pulling solid rock. She dug her heels into the ground, which definitely didn’t help. With effort, I spun her in a circle and flung her back in the direction she came from. Before she could land flat on her face, she pulled herself into a Spin-Dash and spun around, aiming at me again. She was relentless, and I didn’t have time to marvel. 

I took a deep breath, feeling energy coursing through me. It traveled to my crook and charged it to the point where white bolts of energy spiraled around its length. With both hands, I brought up my crook and slammed its base on the ground. The electricity now traveled towards the Spin-Dash, meeting it and giving Jasper a mighty zap.

“Grah!” I heard her cry out. I gritted my teeth, feeling some guilt. I hadn’t wanted to hurt but, but it seemed like she wanted a genuine fight. Jasper broke from her Spin-Dash and was on her feet again. Smoke rose from her body and I noticed her stagger. 

“Oh, stars…!” I shouted in alarm. Without thinking, I started towards her.

“Heheheh...” the Quartz suddenly chuckled. froze, staring at Jasper with wide eyes. She looked back at me, panting hard, yet still smiling smugly. “I was starting to think you were rusty or something. Guess not.” My face grew hot. No Quartz had ever given me this much trouble. 

“I wasn’t ready,” I said irritably. My infatuation with the warrior Gem was forgotten. She made a fool out of me. At least no one else had been here to see it. “I thought we’d have a countdown or start on “Go” or...something other than that.”

“There’s no countdowns in a real fight,” said Jasper with a chuckle. “Your enemy’s not gonna wait for you to be ready. You know that, right?”

“This isn’t a real fight,” I sighed. “At least, I hadn’t planned on it being a real fight. And I’m not your enemy. We could’ve hurt each other.”

“Like I said. Holding back isn’t my style. Besides, you’re gonna need to do a lot more than that to hurt me. But if you can’t handle it, I can just go back to using—“

“I can handle anything you throw at me,” I interrupted. I angrily pointed my crook at her. “And you need to be careful with how you talk to me. I’m still your superior, both in rank and in court. Am I understood?”

“...” Jasper’s smile fell. A long and uncomfortable silence lingered between us. In that time, I began feeling guilty. It was the one instance where I didn’t feel pleasure from asserting my authority. I wasn’t sure if she’d been enjoying my company as much as I was enjoying hers, but we had been getting along. My anger subsided quickly, and with a sigh, I allowed my crook to vanish in a flash of light.

“I…” I heard Jasper say. She was quiet. Unnaturally quiet. Hands at her sides, crash helmet disappearing, and eyes shut, she stood at attention before me. “I understand. I’m sorry.”

Her voice sounded strained. I couldn’t imagine apologizing was something she did very often. Still, I appreciated it.

“You’re forgiven,” I replied, giving her a polite smile. “At ease, soldier. She opened her eyes and folded her arms across her chest, but her body still seemed rigid and stiff. It was finally sinking in that this Jasper was the most battle-driven Quartz I’d ever met. 

“You know…” I started. “You’ve been training non-stop for a while now. Perhaps you should take a break? You could sit in the Extraction Chamber for a bit.”

“A “break”...?” Jasper echoed, looking confused. I blinked. Did she really not know what a break was? How had she not shattered herself from overexertion?

Without another word, I walked to Jasper, took a hold of her shoulder, and began walking with her to the ship’s Extraction Room.

“Do I really have to do this…?” she pouted. “I’m fine; I don’t need a “break”.”

“Well I think you do,” I responded playfully. “Let’s say...an hour?”

“But—“

“Two hours, if you start.”

“Mmph…”

“Very good,” I chuckled, patting her shoulder gently. I’d sit with her, just to make sure she didn’t try sneaking off. Besides, I wanted to see how much she glowed after her impurities were steamed away. Maybe I could convince her to change out of her usual attire. Something more...revealing. I felt hot under my robe just thinking about it. Oh...this was going to be interesting.