Not So Fast
All truth told, Earth is the only planet that Garnet knows. She didn’t exist on Homeworld long enough to get a feel for the place, so Earth really is her home.
She first meets Rose Quartz when the latter catches her sneaking away from the cargo ship, roughly an hour after landing.
A shield, round and pink and decorated with thorns, cuts through the air in front of her nose. Garnet jerks back, her red gauntlets with their spiked knuckles raised and ready for anything.
She has to admit, she’s a little surprised to see a gem in flowing white gown, and massive curlicues of pink hair, standing in her way. Her tried and true battle ready stance—not to mention the flamboyant pink sword in her shield-free hand—betrays her as a quartz of some kind, a warrior by trade.
The setting isn’t the same as her first vision of this gem, but does that actually mean anything? It’s possible that it could just be another version of this same confrontation. Right now, it’s impossible to tell either way.
“Who are you?” the quartz gem asks. She’s leery, but not outright confrontational. “Your gems—how do you have two? I’ve never…” She trails off, but after a thoughtful moment the realization strikes. “You’re the one the rumors are about. You stowed away.”
Garnet doesn’t say anything. Her fists are still raised; she’s not taking any chances. The pink gem is bigger than Garnet, but a quartz’ hardness on the Mohs scale is inferior to that of a corundum (though not of garnets; does that mean she has a lower Mohs than Ruby and Sapphire? Is that even possible?). A fight between them would probably be hard won, but victory is slightly more likely than failure.
“But why this ship?” the other gem asks. Her sword lowers slightly. “Why here?”
“I knew your ship would be traveling light years,” Garnet replies. She hasn’t been killed yet, so she supposes she owes the quartz at least that much. “It didn’t matter where.”
“So what’s the plan? Are you just going to run off and live on your own in solitude? Well,” the quartz stops, reconsidering. “Together, I mean. Is that how it feels, or do you actually feel…” She gestures to Garnet’s solid-looking corporeal form with her sword “Whole?”
Enough small talk. “Aren’t you going to send me back? Turn me into an indentured servant?”
“Regulation demands I should, to be sure,” the quartz concedes genially. Is she—enjoying herself? What kind of sick, pink-tinted creature is this? “But honestly? I have so many questions about what you’ve discovered—what it’s feels like, how you do it, does it hurt—and you both obviously think it’s something worth fighting for.” To Garnet’s surprise and distrust, the shield disappears, and the quartz sheaths her pink sword as she straightens up. “We’re so isolated out here, if I don’t say anything I don’t see how anyone from Homeworld is going to find out this is where you are. I’d so much rather have you work with me than die or disappear.” She offers her hand and smiles. “I’m Rose Quartz.”
Reluctantly, Garnet allows her gauntlets to fade. Rose, once she notices the gems set into her palms, allows her own hand to fall without needing to be told that offering the most vulnerable part of you by way of introduction isn’t exactly how Garnet wants to play this.
“Well, do you mind telling me your name?” she asks. “I’d like to know what I should call you. Either of you.”
After a pause Garnet says her name aloud. It’s still so new to her that the thrill of it hasn’t quite faded, but Rose Quartz doesn’t seem to notice.
Her smile grows. “It’s nice to meet you, Garnet.” She steps back and sweeps her hand out behind her. “Welcome to what will soon be Kindergarten.”
Well, Garnet thinks to herself as she follows along and stands more or less wordlessly while Rose Quartz introduces her to the construction crew as if this unexpected addition to the team had actually been planned all along. The ones who catch sight of her two gems whisper amongst themselves about rumors and anomalies, but no one brings it up outright. Rose obviously already has command of their respect; she is, admittedly, a rather charming individual. Garnet can see the confusion warring with the trust in the other gems’ demeanors; if Rose is giving their new addition the green light, then it must be okay, right? However, the fact Garnet stands nearly as tall as Rose also probably has something to do with the fact that they haven’t been challenged.
This can be used to her advantage, Garnet thinks. The probability of survival on a foreign planet is better if she’s part of a group, at least initially.
Except Garnet forgets to leave and, ultimately, that’s what changes her life.