What followed was a tangle of scoldings from Garnet and Pearl toward Nora and myself. Scoldings about the irresponsibly dangerous actions we had just taken by freeing Lapis Lazuli, a gem they did not even know existed until today.
The look of disappointment Pearl was giving Nora was something that was really hitting her hard, given all her complexes regarding her mother. But I was there for her, understanding enough to know that Pearl had no reason to make her feel that way, whether because of my prejudices from knowing the future or because of the simple fact that you do NOT treat your teammate like that.
So, I took Nora's hands to lead her out of that rabbit hole known as identity complexes and mommy issues, while directing an easily understandable expression that said "could you please shut up" toward Pearl—because Garnet had finished her scolding rant long ago and Amethyst, well, she is Amethyst, there is not much to say about her.
"Hey Nora, look up" was what I was able to say to her while making her focus on my face and ignore everything else. "Look, you do not have to feel bad" I told her, taking a breath as I noticed that despite my words, she was still lost in her mind.
"She was trapped in the mirror, so the right thing to do was to free her, or would you have left her locked up?" I finished by letting go of her hands and making a theatrical gesture with them in which I imprisoned an object, all this while Nora's face contorted quickly to look at me and exclaim by reflex.
"No! Of course not!" she shouted before realizing what I was doing.
"If it is the right thing to do, then you should not worry your pretty little head about it." I touched her forehead with my fingers before continuing to speak. "You can leave those worries to moi" I added while flicking her forehead with a finger, leaving a pink mark along with her audible cry.
"Ouch!" she half shouted while looking at me with a bit of anger—well, as much anger as a pink, fluffy ball full of more concern for every living being than for herself could have. Yes, she is a sweetheart, but I will have to work on that complex of hers (as well as the rest).
"Oh, deep down you know it was just to see if you were paying attention." I lowered my shoulders while closing my eyes, dodging her playful yet not so playful punch, which was a privilege I earned quickly without her noticing. You see, she already has more base strength than most living beings in this universe, including the current Crystal Gems (yes, she is part Diamond but basically she SHOULD NOT have that power yet), and that is where strength control comes in; she restrains herself in basically all her interactions, even with the gems, because they, despite having similar strength, do not have the physical durability that having a material body entails. Now, that is where I come in; what do you think happens when someone like that interacts with another being of similar strength? Unconsciously, she stops holding back. That playful punch of hers? That would have easily broken solid tungsten, but comparatively, my body, though a bit less dense than metal, contained a layer of psychic power that simply distorted the reality surrounding me in a natural way.
But putting aside my ramblings about a simple action—ramblings that are becoming more common in me and simply make me see reality as a quantifiable set of things like in a great, unimaginable computer—I focused back on the interaction in the few moments of time in which I had disassociated.
While Nora got a bit frustrated at not being able to hit me, I pulled her hand before she could fully withdraw it so I could have her close to me again. You know, I had not forgotten about the other gems present; I simply did not see it as relevant to mention them because, well, Garnet was still being Garnet, and as angry as she was, she was still half smiling seeing us interact. Amethyst was awkward as hell, and let us not forget the polished, boiling stick in the room next to me called Pearl, who was not happy at all with how I was hugging Nora.
I smiled before pulling Nora closer to my side under the watchful eye of Pearl, who could only curse in silence. In a room where all the beings present have a certain degree of super senses—screw her—this last part was my thought before kissing Nora's hair just because I want to, I can, and to annoy Pearl.
Nora's slightly uneven breathing returned to normal as she looked into my eyes before smiling a bit melancholically, her pink eyes looking directly into mine. "I suppose I can take your word for it, but..." she said, drawing out the words before continuing as her hands slid from mine to cup my face in hers, "we are a team, do not forget that, okay?" she told me while her form was superimposed with a faint pink light, something that made my soul decide it was appropriate to react with a platinum light of the same intensity. That would have been an emotional moment if both of us had noticed it, but Nora did not, or she ignored it just to stretch my cheeks in retaliation for the flick from before.
Well, what she said brought me down from my pedestal a bit, but she was very right; we are a team, not just me. And as a team, we must support each other, right? Right? Right? At those thoughts, I internally smiled like a demon truly taken from the thirteenth hell while she continued with her "revenge." Before I could attempt to escape her "torture," I wrapped my right arm around Nora's lower waist, my fingers sinking a bit into her soft but firmer than many known metals flesh, while my left hand passed over Nora's upper back, touching certain tension points before ending up holding the back of her hair. Her eyes closed instinctively and her breath hitched, expecting me to squeeze, causing her a bit of pain—enough for her body to register it but not enough to hurt her—thus creating a sensation of pleasure in her body despite the fact that it was basically just a hug with a bit more strength.
"Mmmh... haaah..." was the light moan that escaped her mouth at my touch, under the gazes of what were her mother figures or aunts if we are more technical. Mind you, I did not forget to record with my mechanical gauntlet—which people forget I always wear simply because my shirt has long sleeves—but anyway, I will frame Pearl's expression in a painting, maybe give it a Van Gogh style. But regardless, I did not worry about her anymore as I concentrated more on the softness of Nora's body against mine, as well as the now "needy" look for attention she had, forgetting in the process, well, everything bad about today.
I do not need to say that I also recorded Amethyst's awkward look as she watched Nora and me flirt shamelessly, nor Garnet's conflicted expression at what she saw because, well, she did not know "this" future would become a reality, but she was also happy for how happy Nora was. Not to mention Pearl's subsequent expression before leaving the room, stomping heavily on the wooden floor in the process.
Now, first I will enjoy the company of my beloved half space-robot-goddess-alien girlfriend while I have this moment of relative calm. Tomorrow I will worry about how the oceanic ecosystems are being destroyed in Lapis Lazuli's attempt to return home. Finally on my list of near objectives: solving my problems with Pearl. I already have enough photos of her conflicted and disgusted expressions, so if you will excuse me, I need to get to Nora's room with clothes on, with the Crystal Gems on the floor below listening as Nora forgot that embarrassment exists, so goodbye.
That was a smooth transition from a scolding to a very "Adrian" moment. Would you like me to help you draft Pearl's "revenge" or perhaps the dialogue for the ocean ecosystem crisis in the next chapter?