"Ah, Seraph. Thank you for coming all the way here from your humble abode." Tsavorite turned to the gem that presented himself to them, a soft smile on their face. "Are you doing well? Does the plating suit you comfortably?" "I'm doing very well! It all looks so nice, I can't thank you enough…!" "Hah… I try to do my best. Anything to make you the most comfortable that you can be." The compliments made them a little smitten… this frail one always knew a means to make the garnet proud of themself. "So… Topaz has requested your presence within Shining Signal's deepest caves. He wishes for you to see its most wonderful depths." "Topaz…? But with where he lives… Wouldn’t I die before reaching that place?" "That is why Ametrine and myself will accompany you there. Should any danger arise, we will be there to help you with such." "But you have nothing to defend yourself with…" "Oh, but I do. I've developed weapons with the most pristine minerals I could manage. Trust me, you will be safe. None of us will get so much as a scratch." "Oh...that's comforting to hear! I'm happy I mean that much to you both." "It's nothing, really." They cupped one of the shorter gem's cheeks, and he would hold it there. It was warm… "What Topaz will do is quick, we’ll be out of there before we know it, if you're worried."
Seraphinite was about to respond, but was interrupted by a series of beeping noises. "...one moment, please. ...Ametrine? Why are they calling so soon after leaving…?" the mumbling continued as they pressed a button on their scouter. Perhaps it also had an earpiece…? "Hello?" Their voice suddenly switched to its usual confidence thereafter. "Yes, what is it? … … You...found something?" Their eyes narrowed a little in thought, glancing down as a hand went to their chin. "Describe what you have uncovered." The scientist moved over to a desk nearby, writing down the little notes that the quartz told them, stopping when the name was finally given to them. "...Repeat the name…?" They had to be sure. On this last chance, they… they finally found the one they were looking for? Tsavorite's eyes lit up when such was confirmed. "How long will it be before you get here? …An hour, right… you're going to keep losing yourself in these new mines if you keep thinking like that." There was a pause, then a laugh drawn from them. "I can't believe you've found Phantom at a time like this. I don't recall the last instance I gazed at them in complete clarity. Would you mind giving them a dose of that sedative I gave you all the time ago in case you sighted them? ...Yes, yes. The vial. It will simply relax them, nothing more. I wouldn't wish for them to be startled upon waking up. ...Thank you so, so much for finding them. I have something for you when you get back home, I promise you'll like it. ...Pff… Don't go overexerting yourself trying to get back here, silly. Alright… I'll see you then. Take care."
Click. "What’s happening…?" "Well, a specimen has simply been discovered for a little project I'm working on." "What are they like?" "We'll know when they arrive, won't we? It's been far too long since I've seen them… I wonder how those growths have been fairing for them." "Growths?" "They have a small cluster of crystals on one side of their face. It's been decades since then, so it's probably adapted to its host by now. I'm curious about adding other inclusions into them, since they always rambled on and on about how being a quartz wasn’t enough to stop foul beasts...tch. As if they could be stopped to begin with." "They...can't be stopped?" "Once the diamonds start forming? Certainly not. I cannot make that Phantom into diamond, definitely not, but this experiment will leave them satisfied nonetheless." "...I see." Seraphinite nodded, understanding almost none of that. "Can I say hello to them?" "You can, but they'll be asleep." "Oh. ...how long will your experiment last?" "A long while, to say the least. It might also fail, so at worst, they may have a lot of themself eaten away at. It’s nothing that further inclusions and plating can't fix." "Hm… I suppose we'll be going out sooner, thanks to such a sudden finding?" "Of course. Give them a short while, and they'll be here before you even realize."
~
"Okaaay, back in the mines. Mm, I dunno where the entrance is, buuut! Maybe I can find that one point I found a while ago…" Pulling up a few scanners on their visor, they hummed as they glanced at each of them...oh! The radiation one...that's the stuff that caused all those Larimar to bluescreen, right? Yeah, probably.
Why do you keep forgetting things? That isn't like me at all!
They moved about the mines, retracing their steps every so often. Right- no- left? South- no, they've been there before! However, the more they wandered, the more they began to recall the path they took, eventually finding the hand sticking out of the wall- well- hands? Did gems always form this way? They could've sworn that one of them twitched as they passed by. Tsavorite wasn't far, were they…? Hm...oh! No, they weren't! They were actually soooooo close!
Walking into the lab of the scientist, there was a wide grin on their face. "I'm hooome~!" "Ametrine! It's good to see you back! I surely wished you could have stayed longer, but alas, you discovered Phantom. Was there any….activity there?" "Uh, there were two really creepy monsters there, and there are more to come, I think!!" "...I see. So, the outlook is grim." "Huh?" "Nothing." Tsavorite sighed, turning their attention to Phantom Quartz. "So, they've even put inclusions of their own into themself following… hm. Interesting. I'm so glad I'm able to see them once more. Will you allow me a moment with them?" "Mhm!" They handed the knocked out thief over, which Tsavorite seemed to carry with ease deeper into the labs.
In a dimly lit room, they would enter, closing and locking the door behind them. It's been a long time since they've been here, and this surely would be the last. Open notebooks littered the place, the center of it all having a large tube by which the Phantom was loaded into. Once wires were hooked into them, fluid mixed with their yellow and blue blood as it sealed them in. "I don't know why you ran before, but… it matters not. You will become the pest control you craved to be, down to a science." They put their hand up to the glass, a smile on their face leaving as soon as it took to form as they gazed at the other’s eye. "... I apologize, however. I wish I could have salvaged your sight in that incident, but… one cannot have the world, it seems. It’s not as if you can hear me, with the state of comatose the vial put you in, however...these are secrets I will carry to my grave." Upon those several notebooks, they all spoke about several things, failed attempts using other gems, but upon realizing the adaptability of Quartz…
One of the notebooks read differently, detailing oddities related to artificially embedding gems into others. Those inclusions? Ah, those were something Tsavorite figured would happen. And now that their beliefs were confirmed… they knew this had to work. No cost was too great for someone that could salvage them all.
~
Ametrine watched the scientist leave as quickly as they came, pouting and putting their hands on their hips. "Hm! I thought they'd spend more time out here… dummy!" "Oh, they're not all that dumb." "W-Well, yeah, but-!!! Seraph??? It's been so long since I've seen you!!" There was an excited giggle as they ran up to the green gem, hugging him. "It's been a while, hasn't it- ah!! D-Don't hug me too tight, please!" "Oh- Right, sorry." the hold of the quartz softened, doing a quick once-over to make sure nothing was chipped. “What did Savvy want you here for?” “Oh, just the usual, more plating, preparing for whatever extravagant event they’ve had Topaz plan for us.” “Oh, that’s right! Tsavorite told me to give you something before we go, since we seem to be leaving a little later… uh...this!!!” It was a crystalline gun, its source material unknown. “They said they would protect me as would you, so-” The sentence couldn’t even be finished, as the weapon was taken right from the hold of the other. “Ooooh, it looks so fancy, like Phantom’s little stabbie-stabbies!” They were in awe, at least! “I’m gonna show those monsters how to stay dead and stop hurting people!! Maybe I’ll be seen by them??” likely in reference to Phantom quartz- “Maybe they’ll want me to come back to the mines!!! Oh, this is great!!!” “...What’s all this ruckus about?” The voice...Oh! Was that garnet back from whatever they were doing? Cool! Now they all could-
… “Savvy, your hair looks weird.” “This is how I woke up.” “Woke up?” Seraphinite approached the other, squinting a little. “Uh...Tsavorite, you haven’t slept…” “...Are you referring to me?” “Yes, why?” “I don’t know who that is.” “Huuuuh?” Ametrine got closer as well- ehm- maybe a little too close, peering at the other. But… they looked exactly the same... “Then...who- or what- are you?” “You’re asking for a name? If I remember correctly, I am to be called Demantoid.”