Great another "Gem of culture"

We all turned our attention to the owner of this outrageous voice and saw a cute pale-skinned girl with very long messy white hair with pale blue, purple, pink, and green tint and large, turquoise-gold eyes. She looks very short at about 5'1 and has a petite build with thin limbs and a purple/indigo, green, and blue gemstone located on her navel.

She is wearing a purple sailor uniform with a small black Diamond symbol located bellow the collar on the centre of her chest and it seems to be a bit oversized except at the location of her gem where it parts to the side and hangs like a nightgown just above her skirt and she is wearing thigh high stockings that turn into shoes. Her She also has a smug and slightly perverse smile on her face. (She looks like Shiro from No Game No Life)

"Labradorite! Watch what you say, this is not how we are supposed to speak about our Diamond!" It was Pearl who spoke out this time, I could feel her hostility due to battle tenacity and it is high! Is that a shadow of a beast behind her?

In response Labradorite just waves her hands as she casually defends herself "Calm down Pearl, we have been working together for months now and our Diamond doesn't seem to mind."

"She may not mind it, but we should show her the same amount of respect and reverence that the Diamond authority deserves!"

"She's Black Diamond Pearl, of course she knows what every Gem thinks and yet she does nothing. She is giving us this privilege so shouldn't we enjoy her graciousness?"

They entered a staring contest while me and Schorl looked at Labradorite in support of Pearl and this continued for a few seconds before we all broke out in laughter. Pearl managed to calm down enough to start speaking.

"Really Lab you should watch what we say about our Diamond, she has earned that respect."

Lab wiped a tear from her eye before she said.

"Okay Pearl you have a point… but do you disagree with what I said?"

"Of course not!" "One hundred percent fact." "She is one fine cut of Diamond." Pearl, Schorl, and I replied respectively.

Lab just nodded her head with her eyes closed and made a "mmh mmh" sound and walked up to us before questioning. "So what were you doing?" and Schorl responded.

"Oh, me and Onyx were just training Pearl."

"I'll just watch you and use my powers to help you improve, is that alright?"

We all nodded in agreement and Lab sat down on the ground next to me on the wall before pulling up a screen and began watching the fight.

…

"Wow, those fights were very impressive!" Lab exclaimed. "I'll send the data to your personal devices later."

What is impressive is how Lab is acting like nothing unusual is happening. After Pearl and Schorl finished sparring I went. Honestly, it was more me just beating on Pearl than instructing her like Schorl did.

"It's to build battle awareness." I said that as my excuse before starting and well, she improved in a painful and tiring manner. We were all sitting in the training hall completely tired while Lab was taking and I interjected.

"Hey Lab, why are you putting your hand there?" I asked as the Gem was fondling my chest with her arm around my neck and using both hands as she mentally rolled past her screen while we were resting.

"Bonding." She answers in a calm, nonchalant manner.

"We already have a good relationship if we ignore your harassment."

"I have no idea what you're talking about. However, we must improve our bond for the next step of training from our Diamond."

Pearl and Schorl were both looking at us at this point but remained silent and we looked at her with a questioning gaze as I slapped her hands from my chest. She was rubbing her hands as she said in a wronged voice.

"Meany."

I pulled her ears and demanded in a calm cheerful tone as I manipulated my battle intent to cast a shadow over my face.

"What do you mean the next step of training?"

I used her ears as hostages before she relented and responded with tears in her eyes.

"I-I-I just heard from our court Jades that we would be training in a Gem cell team to become a canon formation within the Homeworld army. Y-y-you, me, and Schorl would be part of the same team so-so we should get to know each other and our bodies better. You included Schorl." She then stretched her short arms in Schorl's direction in an attempt to ask for help.

He looked at her for a few moments before he got up and walked in front of her and we both shared a look as Lab had a hopeful look on her face at the appearance of her savior, he crouched in front of her.

She raised her arms to welcome him to save her and he reached out... to pinch her cheeks and began stretching them while I did the same to her ears and she began to lightly cry as she called us names for our actions.

While we bulli-played with our new teammate Schorl questioned Pearl.

"So Pearl, any idea if what she said is true?"

Pearl just deadpanned at his ordinary tone as we "played" with Lab and answered.

"Yes, our Diamond has mentioned this and has introduced it as one of the main formations for individual missions. It would make sense with your Gems abilities wouldn't it?"

I answered for the rest of us.

"Yes, I can see the potential of an Onyx spatial ability in combat, the stealth capabilities of a Schorl's umbrakinesis, and a Labradorite ability to control the battlefield would be precious."

Schorl had a questioning look on his face at the mention of Labradorite powers so Lab continued for me.

"Yesh, Inm greatsh!" Schorl lightened up on the cheek punishment for her to speak properly.

"However, only Labradorites who have been deemed capable will be able to be seen as capable. Since we have intelligence and computational abilities similar to Sapphires, Peridots, and Bismiths we would mostly be sent to research and development sections of the empire."

She then raised her hand and a blue light shield hovered above her palm.

"However, thanks to the brilliance of Black Diamond we also have the ability of long range communication, battle simulation and analysis, and high defensive capabilities that can be shared. So we are essentially walking fortresses."

Schorl had an impressed and confused look on his face as he said.

"So you're actually pretty impressive huh?"

"Yes!"

"I know your capabilities over the last few months and I got to know you pretty well."

"So you trust me with your life, I understand!" Lab had a serious expression on her face.

"But your personality is horrible."

"..." I swear she would start crying any minute now.

I stopped pulling her ears while Schorl took this as a signal to stop and Lab began rubbing her face and I began to speak.

"Well then we should get to know each other better-"

"Through our bodies!" Lab exclaimed

*Bonk* I accidently moved my hand and punched Lab on top of her head and she had tears rolling down her cheeks as she looked at me in an accusatory gaze with her unique coloured eyes and I continued.

"So let's go near one of the training simulators in the centere later."

Schorl and Lab agreed with me and we began a pleasant conversation with Pearl for a little while before we recovered enough to be able to leave.

"Well thank you for everything you've done for the last few months, I really appreciate it." Pearl said as she walked to the door while storing her guns in her Gem on her head.

Schorl and Lab just waved her off while I asked.

"It's okay Pearl but… I'm wondering why? You're a Pearl, not a guard so you don't need to do this… it's completely unnecessary."

Pearl had a reminiscent and peaceful look on her face. Peaceful? I just questioned your months of effort and dismissed it as nothing, so why do you look so happy? Unknowing I was clenching my hand behind my skirt.

Pearl spoke in a slightly determined voice.

"I… wished I could do more for my Diamond and at the rate she is going she will soon reach territory where it would be dangerous. I refuse to be a weakness to her and for a time I didn't know what to do. Then one day she asked me if I wanted to learn how to fight."

"She asked you?" I questioned while Lab and Schorl also threw questioning glances at Pearl but she paid it no mind as she answered.

"Yes, she asked me if I wanted to learn how to fight. I don't know if she noticed what state I was in or if it was a whim for her to want to see a Pearl fight, but… I will not fail her and I refuse any attempt to do so."

Wow, Black Diamond really is something isn't she? She can bring out this side of a servant meant to be used by others, was it a whim? Or something else?

No… I will not question orders from my Diamond.

"Okay Pearl, thank you and sorry for being intrusive. I was just curious."

Pearl just smiled and responded. "Don't worry about it, you were a big part in helping me to where I am now." It's true she has come far, she almost hit me while I was holding back by a lot and that means something.

I nodded my head and we went our separate ways to our quarter while Pearl returned to Black Diamond. Damn it! She gets to look at Black Diamond's face nearly everyday while we rest in our own places! No wonder she doesn't blush whenever their in the same room

I reached my room I share with 7 and lay down to go over the day to see how I can improve, this has shown to help and Black Diamond called it "meditation". Now that I think about it, whatever happened with the training exercise that we were doing before Pink Diamond came.

Oh well, it couldn't have been that bad.