Something was different. The silence that hung over the two was heavy, filled with grief. Something had changed. They didn’t understand why. What had happened? They knew he had always been headstrong, willing to take risks. So when they found him near-death after he fought the members of the Astral Express, they had assumed he’d be fine with a bit of rest and medicine. They weren’t surprised he fought the Astral Express members.

Something was different. The two were sitting in his hotel room, Aventurine on the singular bed. They said nothing, the quiet air filled with sadness. They had carried him to his hotel room, cared for him while he was unconscious. Something had changed in their co-worker.

The ticking of the clock on the wall was getting on their nerves, but they did not speak. For if they did, they would ask a thousand questions yet none at all. Their voice would be unheard, questions left unanswered. They knew this.

“How long was I out for?” the sandy-blond-haired male questioned, breaking the quiet that was filled with nothing but the tick of a clock’s hands.

A soft hum left their lips. “Two weeks.”

Another silence before— “My Cornerstone was destroyed.”

“Diamond is aware.”

“What will become of me?”

“Perhaps an execution. Pearl suggested waiting until you woke to decide what to do with you. Sapphire suggested immediate removal.” They shifted in their seat.

A scoff. “Who did you side with?”

His tone was flat, though there was a hint of panic in it. They blinked, turning their gaze to meet his. “Pearl.”

“And here I thought you hated me.”

Another hum. They forced their gaze back to the wall they had been staring at. “Perhaps, but I do not wish to see my partner in this assignment die.”

Something was different. The mantra kept repeating in their mind as they sat in silence next to Aventurine’s hotel bed. It was preemptive grief, they realized, that hung over the two. Grief for the loss of a co-worker, a partner, a friend. He would simply become someone they used to know once Diamond made his choice.

“You’re pouting,” Aventurine pointed out, a small smirk tugging at his lips. “Don’t worry. I’m willing to bet I’ll be fine. A hundred fifty thousand credits says they won’t kill me.”