Fic based on The Gembeast’s Temple comic (check it out before reading this) featuring Tiddygem’s Jaspearl fusion, Agate. The fic ends abruptly and I told myself I would add something to it, but it has been months and it’s still sitting in my folders so here. Better late than never right?
Speaking of late, this was before some substantial character development so Pearl’s characterization might be... outdated.
Jasper looked at her hands in the aftermath of the battle. She did it. She did it with her own hands, hands who failed her but they were not the same, she pulled trough with those but they were not her hands. Why, she thought. What did these hands had that she did not. She already knew the answer. She knew it too well, but it made even less sense because of it.
Agate. Agate's hands, Agate's strength, Agate's speed but not Jasper's. Not only Jasper's, which meant the Pearl had something to do with it. Too much. Jasper's fighting power should have been virtually the same considering she had fused with a pearl, a defective one on top of it. Flimsy. Weak. Agate proved to be anything but. The fight was lost, yet once fused they turned the tides in an instant. It felt wrong, grotesque beyond reason. A warrior who depended on others was worthless; war showed no mercy. Fusion was a mistake. A liability. It granted power but at what cost? You would lose yourself in the process. Your thoughts, your actions, they weren't only yours anymore, fusion surrendered your very will to another being. Try to keep exclusive control and... let's just say the lesson had been a harsh one. The whole affair left a bitter taste in her mouth and to top it all off the Pearl had enjoyed it. She knew, she had felt it, she could hear from the way the Pearl breathed at this very moment. Jasper's teeth began their slow grinding. Worse: Agate enjoyed it.
She didn't want this to happen, she had sworn to never fuse again. The situation had forced her to reconsider however, imminent death has a way of restructuring priorities. A shattered gem wouldn't fulfill the task at hand so she broke her oath for the mission's sake. The idea disgusted her nearly as much as her dance partner did. A weak fighter at best, filled with doubts and fear whose only redeemable quality was her obedience. All in all a frail, shivering thing too meek to even propose fusion by herself when every aspect of her being yearned for it. During their dance, Jasper had sensed her fingers cling to her arms, hands, back and any strand of stray hair she could reach with every step and swirl. Thereafter everything changed. For a moment she had felt swift and agile, every move orchestrated with unerring efficiency. Aspects that felt oddly familiar, so did the sheer resolve governing her every move. Determination was no stranger to Jasper, an old friend, only this time impelled by queer motives. The mission drove Agate, sure, yet such matter were overwhelmed by concern for Steven's sa– no, the Rose Quartz gemling's safety. The emotion lingered still.
“That was... amazing,” the Pearl said.
Jasper's eyes switched their focus to the world beyond her clenched fists. There, a slender figure looked up at her. Long delicate legs, a narrow chest atop a thin waist, elongated fingers and a neck you could snap with one hand. The more she looked, the less of a fighter she saw. Nevertheless, the eyes brimmed with an enthralling intensity. From that gaze, a tidal wave of Agate's memories crashed down over her thoughts: the power and grace and fervor and fury and zeal and might and–
“I never imagined we'd feel so confident, so powerful.”
And so light. How is it possible to be so light, yet not fragile at all. The same contradiction existed in her movements; she let her instincts guide her yet achieved absolute precision. Every motion flowed from the last and grew into the next, a cascade of movements flourishing into a dance as graceful as a feather waltzing in the wind. A maelstrom of death.
“Is that... is that how you feel every day?”
No. Never, not like this. Agate's fire was impossible to match without consuming oneself completely. She was a wild flame, exultant and powerful, the heart of a burning star. In comparison, Jasper felt tepid, heavy, sluggish even.
With a hint of concern, the Pearl called out to the other gem.
“Jasper?”
So strange. So delicate, yet ruthless, relentless.
“You... you're kind of like air.”
“Ah...”
The Pearl, averted her eyes almost immediately. She was back to her old self, the same slouching and submissive pose. It was infuriating.
“Why? Why do you act so weak?”
