Two Worlds
Garnet has her suspicions, of course, but it isn’t until a six-months-pregnant Rose mentions something about her child having a foot in both worlds that she realizes they are not unfounded.
During the later stages of the rebellion, when her room of pink clouds had finally become operational, Rose would often call upon Garnet to run simulations with her. Garnet’s job had been to prophesize implications and enemy retaliation in real time. They would replay all angles and possibilities of the most promising simulations until they had determined with certainty which ones would result in the least casualties for the most gain. During that time, Garnet came to understand the way Rose acted and sounded when she strategized. Even if she never told Garnet her endgame, Garnet could always understand the gist of it. Well, she could tell when Rose was planning for long term or short term, at any rate.
That’s what Rose’s talk about her eminent child so often reminds Garnet of. It positively reeks of long term strategy—and the concept of this child inherently having a foot planted in both worlds, so glibly mentioned, easily brings to mind the idea of a bridge connecting the two.
It’s not her place to bring this up—not really—but Garnet was under the impression that Rose had very different motivations for having a child with Greg Universe, and she can’t help herself.
She takes Rose off to the side before confronting her about it, as is only polite, but Garnet can’t control the wavering of her voice as she asks, “What is this fusion actually for, Rose?”
Rose only smiles. “My room predicted you’d do this. It knows you well, Garnet.”
Garnet is not particularly interested in the gem powered partial sentience of Rose’s room at the moment. She crosses her arms in front of her chest and says, “Rose. Is this child the product of any sort of sentiment, or is it simply a pawn in your long range scheme to topple Homeworld’s empire once and for all?”
The smile fades. Rose lets out a breath and passes a hand over her rounded midsection. She looks down at it for a moment, and then back up to Garnet. “Must the two be mutually exclusive?”
“That’s up to you.”
“I love Greg. That is not a lie.”
“And this?” Garnet gestures to the hand she has on her swollen abdomen.
“And this,” Rose says, gently patting her belly. “Will be the first gem born with the freedom to choose their destiny, without ever having to know that their perspective could have been dictated to them by beings they have and will never meet. They were created in love, incubated in love, and they will be born into love. This is the closest I will ever get to truly having a human experience, and I do not view this child’s existence as anything less than my gift to them.”
“So which is the primary motivator, making Homeworld uncomfortable or this creation itself?”
Garnet can see Rose knows she isn’t trying to be malicious, per se; she’s just trying to understand. This is true, as far as that goes. Garnet is trying to understand whether or not she has been lied to by the Queen of Secrets, but she is also trying to understand if the approval she gave when Rose first announced her intentions to have a baby was too hasty. When they talked about it, Rose claimed to view this as a type of fusion, and Garnet simply cannot abide by any abuse of fusion.
After a long pause in which Rose seriously debates being frank, she finally says, “I want to do this. I would have wanted to do this even if there weren’t strategic advantages to it. The fact that there are is convenient, yes, and I am taking advantage of it because I want there to be a contingency plan if Homeworld ever returns to Earth, but Garnet, I wanted this first.”
As good as she is at changing the subject, omitting things and evading those who pester her about her secrets, Rose is actually a terrible liar. She can’t look someone in the eye and tell them a blatant untruth. Garnet knows this about her. It is, in fact, sometimes the only comfort one can have around someone who keeps so many plans and details to themselves.
Garnet doesn’t ask why Rose believes that having a living bridge between gem and human culture is so pivotal in toppling Homeworld. She doesn’t ask why Rose seems to think that Homeworld will be looking at Earth again. She can understand the symbolism of a gem being born outside of Homeworld’s influence, but she doesn’t think that the rest is something to worry about. She doesn’t ask any of these things because they don’t matter. At least, they don’t matter as much as the fact that Rose isn’t lying about her motivations.
Garnet reaches up and lowers her mirrored glasses so that Rose can see all three of her eyes. “If that is the case, then I am sorry for doubting you.”
She should have seen the hug coming, Garnet reflects as the pink gem grips her in a flurry of white skirts and bouncing pink curls. Rose is nothing if not an affectionate friend. Nevertheless, Garnet hugs back, and it’s only after her arms have settled that Rose says, “I understand why you did it. You were just trying to protect them.”
Maybe so, Garnet thinks as the hug ends and Rose smiles brightly and changes the subject to something far less serious. That isn’t what it feels like, though.