hey mom, dead mom, i need a little help here

[nothingcanstop]

[ ...All of that happened, huh. That's the sentiment each and every week, and it's no different this time. Except, this time they've lost more people than before. Five.

The gathering invitation is slipped under everyone's doors, but it specifies something a little different. ]



[ That's a good two hours or so of difference. Enough time to wander around, for sure.

But, in the garden, at the appointed time, there's a variable arrangement of fresh-cooked food. A good amount of beef stew, some Chinese hot pot, and...watermelon? Just, an absurd amount of watermelon, cut up and set on plates. All the food's set on tables that seem to have been moved from the library, and the ground is littered with blankets, for those who don't want to sit on the grass.

And yes, she did not lie. There is, indeed, a variable fuckton of alcohol. (And coffee, for our underaged.)

This has become routine. But, we're still here. We're still alive. ]

Comments

[nothingcanstop]

[ Della wordlessly pulls a small letter from her jacket pocket. ]

It's...it's from her.

[hardnosed]

[ Before Della can fully get the paper out, as soon as the words register, Jasper's grabbed it. If she doesn't let go in time, she might rip it a little at the corner. As she suspected, it doesn't take long to read. Without looking at Della, she intones: ]

That's it.

[ She'd ask it, as a question, but it's too clear what the answer is. Why would she explain anything to her in death? She didn't want to do it when she was alive. What she's holding, right now, is all she's ever going to get. ]

She must have known — if she was shattered, someone would put it together, Therion or Nira or somebody. She had to have known.

[nothingcanstop]

[ She lets it go once Jasper has a hand on it--but a small piece does tear, if only because she wasn't expecting Jasper to move that fast.

Della expects a question, but no, Jasper has this together, it seems. Even if she doesn't want it. ]

She...said in mine she expected it. That, if I was reading this, there'd be a lot everyone would learn, and... [ She lets loose a small sigh. ] She asked me to let her friends know, just what happened to her. But...not this. She said it was Pearl's decision to tell.

[hardnosed]

[ ... Oh, of course that was her Pearl. But then she thinks about the rest of them, the fusion and the runt, and— ]

She didn't even tell the rest of them?

[ She sounds genuinely shocked as she asks the question, but then she chuckles under her breath, a low and unpleasant noise, as the rest of it filters through to her. Her eyes are still on the paper. ]

Of course not. It's not like she could tell the Crystal Gems the truth when they were an army, but now... there's only four of them left. Everyone they fought alongside was broken or turned into monsters, because they believed in a Gem who didn't even exist.

[nothingcanstop]

[ This is airing Rose's dirty laundry...but at this point, doesn't Jasper deserve a little more? Even a little something? ]

I'm sorry, Jasper. [ What else can she say? ] ...She... She probably thought this was the only option, but this, it...

...None of you deserved it.

[hardnosed]

Every Gem deserves better than to serve the Diamonds. ]

You don't know what I—

[ What is she even saying? Why is she standing here, throwing a tantrum and letting someone as tiny and weak as Della watch her do it? If she didn't think she was pathetic when she got here, she'll certainly know it now. ]

It doesn't matter. It happened, and she's gone, and there's nothing anyone can do to change that.

[nothingcanstop]

[ But, Della doesn't regard her with pity. Just concern. ...Does Jasper know the difference? ]

It does matter, because...because it hurt you. And...! [ She struggles with what to say, very much. ] ...I care about you, Jasper.

[hardnosed]

You—

[ She doesn't. She never has. ]

You don't mean that. You're just telling me what you think I want to hear, so I don't — don't do something stupid that gets us all killed when I'm unstable.

[nothingcanstop]

[ Is it something she wants to hear? Della shakes her head, emphatic. ]

No, I-- I don't say things I don't mean, I swear it. I do care about you. I want to help you. This isn't...it's not about the good of the group, or anything. It's about you.

[hardnosed]

[ Jasper's arms have dropped to around chest level, now that there's nothing more to read. She shifts the paper to just one hand and lets them fall to her sides. ]

Why?

[ Her gruff voice is low and dangerous. Her face — well, she turns away from Della the second she opens her mouth, so that's nothing one can judge on. She takes one stride forward, as if she's about to storm off, and then she stops.

Refusing to accept Steven's help, she loses her mind and form to corruption. ]

Why do I want to believe you?

[nothingcanstop]

[ Honestly, Della doesn't think she's going to stop. She doesn't think any of that's going to...lead to anything.

But, even though Jasper can't see, she perks up. Like there's a light in the lighthouse again. ]

I...can't answer that for you, Jasper. ...But, I... It might be because... [ ... ] Because some part of you doesn't want to do all this alone anymore.