[ he patiently takes a seat at said table, politely taking off his (recently recovered) hat and setting it off to the side. Cairngorm almost certainly doesn't care about human manners, but Lupin does, even if he's been displaced! He has an aesthetic to maintain.
Frankly, he was a bit nervous when Cairngorm mentioned tools - he doesn't know what he was expecting; a hammer and blowtorch to melt them back together or something - so it's a small relief when it's just paintbrushes, that powder, and... glue, probably? Yeah, he can handle that. Probably. ]
You had all this on hand? [ as he puts the gloves on, he speaks, eyeing Cairn curiously. That shiny, ink-black "skin" is hard to get used to... ] You're really prepared for anything.
[ They set the tray down and sit next to him, grumbling a little while they take out the shards from the bag. ]
I didn't have much of a choice, you know. I'd still be without a leg if I hadn't made this much in advance.
[ Luckily, making glue turned out to be easier than they imagined, but they're still not sure about this powder. They can't tell what flowers are truly white given the lack of color in this place, so if color ever gets restored and they're walking around with a blue face or something... it'll be weird.
Nonetheless, they busy themselves with picking out the piece Lupin had held up to their face earlier instead of looking at him when they speak. ]
All it takes to fix us is glue, and finding these brushes was pretty easy. [ They explain, while they coat the back side of one of the shards in resin. ] Though it's never been my job to make glue and powder before, so it's definitely not perfect.
[ as they explain, Lupin sits back, resting his elbow on the table and propping his chin up in one hand. ]
You made all this stuff... Huh. [ he sounds impressed - although his idle commentary is more of a distraction from what's actually impressing him. A person that doesn't feel pain, and can put themselves back together with just a little bit of glue... Wait, actually -- ]
... Does it hurt? Missing parts like that.
[ he gestures to his own face. he's not sure he ever asked; when they were missing their leg, they seemed okay, but... ]
When pieces break off, I feel it, but only in that moment when it breaks. There's no lingering feeling after that.
[ Honestly, they wouldn't say the feeling of pieces breaking off is even pain, really, just... a sensation. It's not something they think they can even describe, so they don't try to, setting the shard down closer to Lupin than themself - a silent indication that he can pick it up if he wants. ]
But that isn't how humans are, right. You feel pain when you get broken, or lose parts of yourself.
[ They lean against the table too, but moreso so that they can turn their face towards the other more fully. Up until now their understanding of other living things has been that they decay if broken apart...but they've witnessed very little organic life die or even get injured, so they don't know how to gauge for pain. They can't begin to imagine what the feeling of losing a limb would be like for a human. ]
Yeah. If something like this happened to me, I wouldn't be able to put myself back together like you. It'd be really painful, too. [ he reaches to gingerly pick up the shard Cairngorm proferred, carefully avoiding touching any of the fresh resin. ] If I got it cleaned up properly, it'd heal eventually and stop hurting, but... well, there'd definitely be a huge scar.
[ and as tough as that might make him look, he doesn't really think a big gnarly facial scar would suit his gentleman aesthetic. Lupin looks at the shard, then to Cairngorm again. ]
I don't know if I should say you're lucky, but I'm glad it doesn't hurt. You had a rough enough time as it is.
[ They can't help but make a slightly troubled expression while he explains. It was normal for the gems to think of other life forms that had these experiences as lowly and vulgar, but they can see that the quality of experiencing pain and death is completely different for a human than for a jellyfish or a crab. It's weird, to come to associate those traits with fully intelligent beings, and in a way, it is also... sad.
It's a whole new feeling to know that someone you have talked to will meet an end, eventually. ]
It could have been much worse. [ It's easier to just brush off what the other says so they don't have to dwell on it very much, and the feeling of concern is uncomfortable, especially coming from someone infinitely more fragile than them. ] Breaks like the ones the shadows caused, they are easily fixable. All you have to do is put the piece in where it's missing.
[ They close their eyes, not wanting to make eye contact with the other before he inevitably has to make physical contact with them. But they remain as still as they possibly can. ]
You're the one that's lucky nothing happened to you.
[ once again, he's surprised by Cairngorm's compassion. From their usual cold demeanor, he'd guessed they were tolerating his presence at best, but it seems like they might actually like him in some way - which he feels slightly triumphant about, to be honest. ]
Heh. It'll take more than a few shadows to take me down. Although I won't deny that my good luck helps a fair bit.
[ it's obvious that Cairn is waiting for him to put the piece on for them. Lupin rarely hesitates, but he does here, for a brief moment. Something about this feels weirdly intimate - which he typically wouldn't shy away from, if the other party was a beautiful lady, but the jury's still out on that one (logically, if Cairn's a rock, probably a beautiful neither, right?) He really was just trying to help, but he wonders if he hasn't overstepped his bounds here... Then again, Cairngorm's definitely the type who would tell him to buzz off if he wasn't wanted. So he just shakes his head slightly, lifting his hands. ]
Pardon me. [ he gently cups their chin with one hand to keep it steady, clicking the fragment into place with practiced fingers with the other. ]
[ They aren't surprised to feel the other cup their chin, since it's customary when fixing fractures in the face, but it doesn't make it any less embarrassing. A moment like this makes them painfully aware of just how much they have had to adapt to living in this place; when they had things their way, they rarely let anyone closer than an arm's distance.
There's a slight movement when the piece clicks back into place, not quite a flinch, and their eyelids flutter a little at the feeling of the dormant inclusions in the shard jolting back to life. ]
It's fine, I asked you to do this after all...
[ As soon as the other's hand is far enough away that they can touch where they've been pieced together, they move to do so. Slowly, they pull away so they can open their eyes again, because the thought of accidentally making eye contact while the other is holding their face and everything is more embarrassing than they can fathom... ]
Didn't...you say you had things you wanted to ask me.
[ It's easier to just return their hands to the task at hand, avoid any lingering weirdness by taking control of the conversation. ]
[ ... are they embarrassed? They definitely seem embarrassed. Of course, he lets go as soon as he's done (it would be inappropriate not to) but Lupin can't help noticing the awkward pausing and the clear avoidance of eye contact. It's a refreshingly human reaction - and, dare he say, a cute one. It makes his own uncertainty vanish. He can't help but smile, sitting back once again and waiting for Cairngorm to move to the next piece. ]
Oh, that's right. Why do you wear powder like that? Is it just makeup?
[ they clearly don't have any experience with humans at all, so it's not to try and blend in. ]
[ Their brows are knitted together as they almost always are, but noticeably a little more, frowning down at the table while they pick up the brush again. Of course, they definitely choose to ignore the smile they can see in their peripheral vision. ]
We wear it so we can resemble each other more closely.
[ Otherwise all the shining gems would look so different... they guess they haven't really thought about the "why" of it in a while, since it was just normal to do so. The short time they'd been without it had only gotten them stared at. Cairngorm takes a little pause, idly painting while they elaborate. ]
It's just weird to have it off. Gems only do that if we get a really bad injury, like having to get a limb replaced or something. And even that is very rare.
[ he's not heard of "cairngorm," but it must be a black crystal... he supposes that an "emerald" person would be green, and so forth. The idea of wanting to blend in with one another isn't unusual, considering humans do it all the time. Lupin nods, accepting the explanation. ]
I guess you'd have to have taken it off anyway when you put your leg back on. [ which still sounds weird to say. he stares at the refractions in Cairngorm's crystalline skin while he speaks, unable to help himself. People are drawn to shiny gemstones - infamous high-profile thieves, perhaps a little more than the average person. ] That makes sense. I was really surprised to see you looking like that, though. I thought you lost your color or something... That happened to my roommate, and he was put out for a week.
That's why it's better to just have it on. Everyone here is already used to seeing me that way... it'd be weird if everyone stared at me the way you are right now.
[ It feels kind of awkward to be stared at in such a way, especially considering they're not like Diamond or Morganite who have such colorful and bright crystallizations that tended to draw similar attention back at home. But despite saying something so direct, they don't look up, setting another piece near him and going to paint another. It'll be faster if they just get more of them done at the same time - it's more practical. ]
I don't know how long I was gone after that shadow incident, but probably not for a whole week like your roommate. I can't really remember everything after losing some of my color... [ They trail off, carefully setting a second piece near him and placing the paintbrush down. ] But it's possible those memories are in these pieces.
[ manners, lupin!! you're a gentleman thief! He shakes his head just slightly, focusing his gaze on the new shard as he picks it up and repeats the same procedure as last time - minus the hesitation. ]
Your memories are in these?
[ he'd better be extra careful, then. Cairn probably doesn't have a brain if they're a rock, so... that makes sense...? Maybe? Not really. ]
Yes. Small pieces like this have things that I won't even notice not remembering... But losing bigger parts means losing more, like when my leg was off. It's possible I forgot who entire gems were at that time.
[ They wait patiently for the other piece, looking more like a sculpture than anything given the eerie stillness of their body. ]
I guess something like that probably can't happen to you.
[ he muses as he sets the second piece into their face. Fortunately, he actually is pretty good at this, so they won't look like a Picasso when he's done - he has an eye for details and is good with his hands. ]
We can lose memories, but only if we hurt our heads really badly. There's not usually any coming back from that. [ he leans back, having finished, and double-checks his handiwork. ] ... Anyway, now I'm even more relieved you got all your parts back. Forgetting and being forgotten - that's worse than death, if you ask me.
[ They can't agree or disagree that it's scary, since it's the only reality they've known - they just give a little 'hmph' in response, actually quite interested in the memory functions of humans. Humans, and everything about them - it's definitely something the other gems would want to hear about, so they'll try to remember what they can. ]
I don't know if it's worse than death. [ Pulling away again, they feel the smoothness of their cheek, looking distantly thoughtful for a second when they open their eyes. ] The closest thing we have to "death", at least the way I understand it, is to be taken away to the moon.
[ They realize right after saying that that they haven't exactly explained the We Get Abducted By People From Space thing to Lupin, so they just go back to painting the last piece and give a preliminary sigh in mental preparation. ]
And even then, most sane gems would prefer losing a limb and some memories to that.
[ the moon thing definitely requires an explanation, especially seeing as one of his best friends - no, probably just his best friend, period - is determined to get there one day, somehow. Of course, Cairngorm's moon is probably totally different, but the interest is there all the same. ]
The moon...? Who's taking you there? [ a pause; then, somewhat hesitantly: ] ... What's so bad about it?
[ this rock person's life just keeps getting weirder?! if Lupin wasn't sitting here looking at their weird reflective skin and listening to their story while sticking shiny bits of crystal back on their face, he probably would never believe it, but, well. he is. he doesn't have much of a choice. ]
[ As they speak, its quickly and distantly. They agreed to answer his questions, after all. ]
They're people from our moon that harvest gems for weapons and jewelry. Or at least, [ They set the last piece near him, using a cloth to clean off the brush while they talk. ] That's what we assume, their arrows have shards of previously abducted gems sometimes...
[ Setting all their tools down properly, they prop their head up on their hand, tilting their face so the last open break is as easily accessible as possible. ]
Those gems aren't "dead", but. We've never recovered enough of someone to revive them. So that's what's bad about it.
[ it's immediately apparent he's touched on a delicate topic - not that it wasn't obvious already, considering the subject matter of their conversation, but he can't predict what will actually bother Cairngorm and what won't. Lupin listens respectfully.
It still sounds like a fairy tale. The mention of turning gems into the jewelry is just close enough to his reality to make him feel a pang of guilt, however. Lupin's been offering comparisons to life on his world thus far in the conversation, but he decides it's probably better not to mention this one, even if the jewels on Earth aren't sentient. That would be insensitive. He simply frowns as he leans in one last time to put the final piece into place, his brow furrowing. ]
... Yeah. That's worse than "bad." [ maybe worse than anything that could happen to a human, too. He won't apologize for asking about this - Cairngorm did volunteer the information - but there's an apologetic note to his voice, and a bit of compassion, too. He has a strong sense of justice; unsurprisingly, this news bothers him. ] Killing someone just to use them for parts... That's unforgivable. They must be real monsters.
[ They shrug. The other's compassion feels like pity, and they don't like the feeling, so they just offer a little hum in acknowledgement of what he says, agreeing but having no further opinion on it - the Lunarians were bad, beyond a doubt, but it was also just the way things were.
Lunarian talk aside, it feels nice to be whole again, and it's instinctive to cup their own face to make sure everything is pressed in correctly. ]
Hm. You are not too bad at this.
[ To be fair, they don't think it was a very hard thing to fix, but they're still appreciative, willing to give credit where it is due. They barely pause after saying so, as if it was just a passing thought that they mumbled aloud. ]
Gems can get pretty distracted fighting against weapons made of their former partners... Lunarians likely do it on purpose. [ Sending particular shards of gems on particular days, that is. ] So I'm sure you can see now why we would prefer to lose some memories than become tools used against our own.
Heh. I told you, didn't I? The great Arsène never fails.
[ ... not that he actually had any experience doing something like this, but his confidence says otherwise. He interprets their cupping their face as satisfaction, and it's enough to pick him up from his momentary concern over the Lunarians. ]
But yeah, you're right. It's just hard for me to imagine. Humans can do terrible things to each other, but we don't really have anything like that. ... Well, not that I've heard of. [ with his work finished, he leans back, draping his arm over the back of his chair. ] Has it always been like that? The fighting between your people and them.
[ Ugh.... why is he so smug. They almost regret complimenting him, but not enough to show any more displeasure than the always-present crease in their brow returning. It's better to just leave it and answer his questions. ]
Well, originally Lunarians just tried to convince gems to come to the moon... but those gems began to act strangely and break themselves, so they stopped trying that and moved on to more violent methods. That's how it's been for the majority of our existence, including my entire lifespan.
[ They can't think of a time when there was peace, other than maybe the first century when the very first gems had been born. And they have a severe lack of knowledge on that particular time period, given their relatively young age. ]
But since you mention it, I was pretty surprised when I heard humans fight among each other. That's unheard of for gems.
[ he's running on the assumption that Cairngorm is always at least 20% annoyed with him based on that RBF, really, so it doesn't bother him. More accurately, he probably doesn't even notice it anymore. ]
I see. A war that never ends, then. [ hmm. ] We've had a few like that, too. We pay more attention to the differences between us than the similarities, so we end up fighting a lot. I don't know if gems are the same way... Even if they are, having a common enemy usually brings people together.
[ a pause. there is one thing he's wondering about now, though. ]
Uh, this is backtracking a little, but you piqued my curiosity. How old are you? I'm 24, for the record.
Twenty-four? [ They can't hide their shock over his age. ] I thought you'd be at least thirty to forty, or something...
[ Cairngorm had heard that humans only live for seventy years, and seeing as Lupin was a bit more mature than the child ones, they'd been under that assumption. Now he just seems like a baby. ]
I'm just under a thousand. That might seem old to you, but out of the twenty-eight gems, I'm actually in the lower half in seniority. [ A slight pause, as they close their eyes and give a little sigh. They really do wish it was easier for them to understand the life course of humans, but it's so wildly different that they keep making incorrect assumptions. ] Though even the two youngest gems are already nearly triple your age. So that probably doesn't mean much to you.
[ he was expecting like, 200... so now they're both here being shocked. Really, though, is there even a difference in his perception between 200 years old and 1000 years old? They're both impossibly long amounts of time to live from his point of view - so much so that he can't really comprehend the reality of it. That knowledge doesn't stop his eyes from turning into dinner plates for a second or two, however. ]
Well... You don't look a day over 500. [ this is the best he can come up with; he laughs a little. they really are different... ] And you've spent all that time fighting against these moon people?
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[ he patiently takes a seat at said table, politely taking off his (recently recovered) hat and setting it off to the side. Cairngorm almost certainly doesn't care about human manners, but Lupin does, even if he's been displaced! He has an aesthetic to maintain.
Frankly, he was a bit nervous when Cairngorm mentioned tools - he doesn't know what he was expecting; a hammer and blowtorch to melt them back together or something - so it's a small relief when it's just paintbrushes, that powder, and... glue, probably? Yeah, he can handle that. Probably. ]
You had all this on hand? [ as he puts the gloves on, he speaks, eyeing Cairn curiously. That shiny, ink-black "skin" is hard to get used to... ] You're really prepared for anything.
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I didn't have much of a choice, you know. I'd still be without a leg if I hadn't made this much in advance.
[ Luckily, making glue turned out to be easier than they imagined, but they're still not sure about this powder. They can't tell what flowers are truly white given the lack of color in this place, so if color ever gets restored and they're walking around with a blue face or something... it'll be weird.
Nonetheless, they busy themselves with picking out the piece Lupin had held up to their face earlier instead of looking at him when they speak. ]
All it takes to fix us is glue, and finding these brushes was pretty easy. [ They explain, while they coat the back side of one of the shards in resin. ] Though it's never been my job to make glue and powder before, so it's definitely not perfect.
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You made all this stuff... Huh. [ he sounds impressed - although his idle commentary is more of a distraction from what's actually impressing him. A person that doesn't feel pain, and can put themselves back together with just a little bit of glue... Wait, actually -- ]
... Does it hurt? Missing parts like that.
[ he gestures to his own face. he's not sure he ever asked; when they were missing their leg, they seemed okay, but... ]
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[ Honestly, they wouldn't say the feeling of pieces breaking off is even pain, really, just... a sensation. It's not something they think they can even describe, so they don't try to, setting the shard down closer to Lupin than themself - a silent indication that he can pick it up if he wants. ]
But that isn't how humans are, right. You feel pain when you get broken, or lose parts of yourself.
[ They lean against the table too, but moreso so that they can turn their face towards the other more fully. Up until now their understanding of other living things has been that they decay if broken apart...but they've witnessed very little organic life die or even get injured, so they don't know how to gauge for pain. They can't begin to imagine what the feeling of losing a limb would be like for a human. ]
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[ and as tough as that might make him look, he doesn't really think a big gnarly facial scar would suit his gentleman aesthetic. Lupin looks at the shard, then to Cairngorm again. ]
I don't know if I should say you're lucky, but I'm glad it doesn't hurt. You had a rough enough time as it is.
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It's a whole new feeling to know that someone you have talked to will meet an end, eventually. ]
It could have been much worse. [ It's easier to just brush off what the other says so they don't have to dwell on it very much, and the feeling of concern is uncomfortable, especially coming from someone infinitely more fragile than them. ] Breaks like the ones the shadows caused, they are easily fixable. All you have to do is put the piece in where it's missing.
[ They close their eyes, not wanting to make eye contact with the other before he inevitably has to make physical contact with them. But they remain as still as they possibly can. ]
You're the one that's lucky nothing happened to you.
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Heh. It'll take more than a few shadows to take me down. Although I won't deny that my good luck helps a fair bit.
[ it's obvious that Cairn is waiting for him to put the piece on for them. Lupin rarely hesitates, but he does here, for a brief moment. Something about this feels weirdly intimate - which he typically wouldn't shy away from, if the other party was a beautiful lady, but the jury's still out on that one (logically, if Cairn's a rock, probably a beautiful neither, right?) He really was just trying to help, but he wonders if he hasn't overstepped his bounds here... Then again, Cairngorm's definitely the type who would tell him to buzz off if he wasn't wanted. So he just shakes his head slightly, lifting his hands. ]
Pardon me. [ he gently cups their chin with one hand to keep it steady, clicking the fragment into place with practiced fingers with the other. ]
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There's a slight movement when the piece clicks back into place, not quite a flinch, and their eyelids flutter a little at the feeling of the dormant inclusions in the shard jolting back to life. ]
It's fine, I asked you to do this after all...
[ As soon as the other's hand is far enough away that they can touch where they've been pieced together, they move to do so. Slowly, they pull away so they can open their eyes again, because the thought of accidentally making eye contact while the other is holding their face and everything is more embarrassing than they can fathom... ]
Didn't...you say you had things you wanted to ask me.
[ It's easier to just return their hands to the task at hand, avoid any lingering weirdness by taking control of the conversation. ]
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Oh, that's right. Why do you wear powder like that? Is it just makeup?
[ they clearly don't have any experience with humans at all, so it's not to try and blend in. ]
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We wear it so we can resemble each other more closely.
[ Otherwise all the shining gems would look so different... they guess they haven't really thought about the "why" of it in a while, since it was just normal to do so. The short time they'd been without it had only gotten them stared at. Cairngorm takes a little pause, idly painting while they elaborate. ]
It's just weird to have it off. Gems only do that if we get a really bad injury, like having to get a limb replaced or something. And even that is very rare.
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[ he's not heard of "cairngorm," but it must be a black crystal... he supposes that an "emerald" person would be green, and so forth. The idea of wanting to blend in with one another isn't unusual, considering humans do it all the time. Lupin nods, accepting the explanation. ]
I guess you'd have to have taken it off anyway when you put your leg back on. [ which still sounds weird to say. he stares at the refractions in Cairngorm's crystalline skin while he speaks, unable to help himself. People are drawn to shiny gemstones - infamous high-profile thieves, perhaps a little more than the average person. ] That makes sense. I was really surprised to see you looking like that, though. I thought you lost your color or something... That happened to my roommate, and he was put out for a week.
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[ It feels kind of awkward to be stared at in such a way, especially considering they're not like Diamond or Morganite who have such colorful and bright crystallizations that tended to draw similar attention back at home. But despite saying something so direct, they don't look up, setting another piece near him and going to paint another. It'll be faster if they just get more of them done at the same time - it's more practical. ]
I don't know how long I was gone after that shadow incident, but probably not for a whole week like your roommate. I can't really remember everything after losing some of my color... [ They trail off, carefully setting a second piece near him and placing the paintbrush down. ] But it's possible those memories are in these pieces.
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[ manners, lupin!! you're a gentleman thief! He shakes his head just slightly, focusing his gaze on the new shard as he picks it up and repeats the same procedure as last time - minus the hesitation. ]
Your memories are in these?
[ he'd better be extra careful, then. Cairn probably doesn't have a brain if they're a rock, so... that makes sense...? Maybe? Not really. ]
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[ They wait patiently for the other piece, looking more like a sculpture than anything given the eerie stillness of their body. ]
I guess something like that probably can't happen to you.
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[ he muses as he sets the second piece into their face. Fortunately, he actually is pretty good at this, so they won't look like a Picasso when he's done - he has an eye for details and is good with his hands. ]
We can lose memories, but only if we hurt our heads really badly. There's not usually any coming back from that. [ he leans back, having finished, and double-checks his handiwork. ] ... Anyway, now I'm even more relieved you got all your parts back. Forgetting and being forgotten - that's worse than death, if you ask me.
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I don't know if it's worse than death. [ Pulling away again, they feel the smoothness of their cheek, looking distantly thoughtful for a second when they open their eyes. ] The closest thing we have to "death", at least the way I understand it, is to be taken away to the moon.
[ They realize right after saying that that they haven't exactly explained the We Get Abducted By People From Space thing to Lupin, so they just go back to painting the last piece and give a preliminary sigh in mental preparation. ]
And even then, most sane gems would prefer losing a limb and some memories to that.
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The moon...? Who's taking you there? [ a pause; then, somewhat hesitantly: ] ... What's so bad about it?
[ this rock person's life just keeps getting weirder?! if Lupin wasn't sitting here looking at their weird reflective skin and listening to their story while sticking shiny bits of crystal back on their face, he probably would never believe it, but, well. he is. he doesn't have much of a choice. ]
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[ As they speak, its quickly and distantly. They agreed to answer his questions, after all. ]
They're people from our moon that harvest gems for weapons and jewelry. Or at least, [ They set the last piece near him, using a cloth to clean off the brush while they talk. ] That's what we assume, their arrows have shards of previously abducted gems sometimes...
[ Setting all their tools down properly, they prop their head up on their hand, tilting their face so the last open break is as easily accessible as possible. ]
Those gems aren't "dead", but. We've never recovered enough of someone to revive them. So that's what's bad about it.
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It still sounds like a fairy tale. The mention of turning gems into the jewelry is just close enough to his reality to make him feel a pang of guilt, however. Lupin's been offering comparisons to life on his world thus far in the conversation, but he decides it's probably better not to mention this one, even if the jewels on Earth aren't sentient. That would be insensitive. He simply frowns as he leans in one last time to put the final piece into place, his brow furrowing. ]
... Yeah. That's worse than "bad." [ maybe worse than anything that could happen to a human, too. He won't apologize for asking about this - Cairngorm did volunteer the information - but there's an apologetic note to his voice, and a bit of compassion, too. He has a strong sense of justice; unsurprisingly, this news bothers him. ] Killing someone just to use them for parts... That's unforgivable. They must be real monsters.
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Lunarian talk aside, it feels nice to be whole again, and it's instinctive to cup their own face to make sure everything is pressed in correctly. ]
Hm. You are not too bad at this.
[ To be fair, they don't think it was a very hard thing to fix, but they're still appreciative, willing to give credit where it is due. They barely pause after saying so, as if it was just a passing thought that they mumbled aloud. ]
Gems can get pretty distracted fighting against weapons made of their former partners... Lunarians likely do it on purpose. [ Sending particular shards of gems on particular days, that is. ] So I'm sure you can see now why we would prefer to lose some memories than become tools used against our own.
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[ ... not that he actually had any experience doing something like this, but his confidence says otherwise. He interprets their cupping their face as satisfaction, and it's enough to pick him up from his momentary concern over the Lunarians. ]
But yeah, you're right. It's just hard for me to imagine. Humans can do terrible things to each other, but we don't really have anything like that. ... Well, not that I've heard of. [ with his work finished, he leans back, draping his arm over the back of his chair. ] Has it always been like that? The fighting between your people and them.
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Well, originally Lunarians just tried to convince gems to come to the moon... but those gems began to act strangely and break themselves, so they stopped trying that and moved on to more violent methods. That's how it's been for the majority of our existence, including my entire lifespan.
[ They can't think of a time when there was peace, other than maybe the first century when the very first gems had been born. And they have a severe lack of knowledge on that particular time period, given their relatively young age. ]
But since you mention it, I was pretty surprised when I heard humans fight among each other. That's unheard of for gems.
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I see. A war that never ends, then. [ hmm. ] We've had a few like that, too. We pay more attention to the differences between us than the similarities, so we end up fighting a lot. I don't know if gems are the same way... Even if they are, having a common enemy usually brings people together.
[ a pause. there is one thing he's wondering about now, though. ]
Uh, this is backtracking a little, but you piqued my curiosity. How old are you? I'm 24, for the record.
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[ Cairngorm had heard that humans only live for seventy years, and seeing as Lupin was a bit more mature than the child ones, they'd been under that assumption. Now he just seems like a baby. ]
I'm just under a thousand. That might seem old to you, but out of the twenty-eight gems, I'm actually in the lower half in seniority. [ A slight pause, as they close their eyes and give a little sigh. They really do wish it was easier for them to understand the life course of humans, but it's so wildly different that they keep making incorrect assumptions. ] Though even the two youngest gems are already nearly triple your age. So that probably doesn't mean much to you.
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[ he was expecting like, 200... so now they're both here being shocked. Really, though, is there even a difference in his perception between 200 years old and 1000 years old? They're both impossibly long amounts of time to live from his point of view - so much so that he can't really comprehend the reality of it. That knowledge doesn't stop his eyes from turning into dinner plates for a second or two, however. ]
Well... You don't look a day over 500. [ this is the best he can come up with; he laughs a little. they really are different... ] And you've spent all that time fighting against these moon people?
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