LOG-055.

  "AaaaAaaaAaaaAaaa~"

  Talons scraped against the growing gemstone in front of her, molding it into its intended shape. The process of refinement was a delicate balance. Too much pressure, and she'd damage the slowly forming Pearl. Too little, and she wouldn't be able to scrape away the excess material growing out from the future servant's core without leaving the proper paths behind for future directed growth.

  "AaaaAaaaAaaaAaaa~"

  The process itself continued for a few more moments, before Nacre Three finally deemed the Pearl adequate. She would need a few more additional sessions of refinement, but for now, she could safely be left to grow into her intended shape. Batch Eighteen still weren't anywhere near ready to project their lightforms, after all.

  "AaaaAaaaAaaaAaaa~"

  Sighing, the Caretaker lifted her clawed hands from the small basin of suffused water, accepting a cloth from the green Pearl next to her and wiping off the fluidic growth formula still clinging to her fingers.

  "AaaaAaaaAaaaAaaa-"

  The painfully familiar looking servant finally paused in her melodic singing as Nacre lifted a hand, waving the limb at the Pearl. "You can stop now, Seventeen A. Your performance was...sufficient. Go join your Reefmates."

  Sufficient.

  Sufficient.

  It was a struggle not to growl out the word as Seventeen A all but skittered away, her newest attempt at replicating her previous success more than aware of the Caretaker's mixed opinion of her.

  After all, no matter how hard the repurposed lead Pearl of Nacre Three's newest Batch tried, she simply couldn't match up to her inspiration...unfortunately. A failed note during a song here. A misstep during a dance routine there. Sure, she was of much higher quality than her peers thanks to the Caretaker's focused attention, a success to be certain.

  But she wasn't perfect. Not like Viridian had been. Wherever her brilliant creation even was now.

  Lifting a hand to delicately pinch the bridge of her nose with a thumb and finger, the overseer angrily stalked out from the incubation chamber, making her way through several halls before finally retreating to the relative peace of her office, practically throwing herself behind her desk.

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  That damnable Emerald. If only she'd known the defective pebble was a traitor from the start, she could have slotted her Viridian for someone truly worthy of her, and reported the treacherous admiral to the appropriate authorities, of course.

  But she hadn't. And so the Caretaker instead poured herself into her remaining work, stewing in the grief and impotence of knowing that something precious had been lost, all while further negative thoughts continued to fester in the back of her mind. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed an informational report indicating that Yellow Diamond's Pearl had finally arrived to the facility.

  Poor thing had nearly been shattered, apparently. Nacre Two (currently finished with her own Batch and in a bit of a lull state) would likely have to spend the next few cycles, at minimum, ensuring she was properly repaired after Blue and Yellow Diamond's...disagreement.

  News had travelled quickly. Something she had been counting on, initially. Her own efforts in advertising her greatest creation had ended up paying off, in tune with the Emerald herself occasionally interacting with other highly ranked Gems and displaying her brand new Pearl. It had drawn attention to Nacre Three, distinguishing her amongst her counterparts as the superior option for commissioned servants.

  Seeing One and Two's utterly livid expressions when an excited young Morganite had arrived with specifications almost exactly matching Sixteen B had been one of the most gratifying moments of her life, second to her personal audience with White Diamond, back during the waning vestiges of Era One.

  In the end, her gambit had been successful, and her accidental resurrection of an old trend in Pearl fashion (the waning interest in dual hip and shoulder dresses was making a firm comeback. And Aristocratic Gems were finally taking a liking to the concept of Pearls with slightly wilder hair as well!) had brought her no small amount of prestige and potential commissioners.

  And then word had arrived that Viridian had been stolen. By organics of all things! Alongside an entire Stars damned freighter filled with Diamond essence!

  The news had been spoken from the very lips of a Hessonite that Nacre Three had seen once before, visiting from the Crystal Confluence to acquire a few special appearance modifiers for her own Pearl.

  It had been a small comfort, seeing Sixteen J fulfilling her role to her new owner's satisfaction. Truly, rejuvenation had been good for the flighty thing.

  Regardless of one of her lesser successes, the subsequent clusterfract of trying to apparently recover both the lost freighter and the abducted Pearl had resulted in a rather distinct failure. Bad enough. Made worse by the fact that Blue Diamond herself had apparently decided it prudent to personally exit her grieving exile for the first time in countless cycles to judge members of the Yellow court.

  She could easily imagine how the cause of their latest Pearl repair had come about. Yellow Diamond had no doubt been most displeased to learn of her counterpart assuming authority over her Gems. The subsequent...disagreement, would likely have cracked Quartz soldiers, much less a Pearl, no matter how well made.

  Ugh, the sheer scandal of it all! And now a Diamond was left lacking a personal servant for the first time in eons, with the Reef helpless to provide an adequate replacement beyond hurriedly assuring the furious ruler that they would do their utmost best to repair her cracked Pearl.

  Swiping a pair of holographic screens out of her way, the Caretaker leaned back, stifling an annoyed groan.

  And to top it off...she was failing to replicate Viridian, even now. Seventeen A was good, yes. But she was only good. She didn't excel. Didn't exceed expectations. If she could just find a way to get the green Pearl to...to embody what her predecessor had been, she might even have a potential stopgap solution for the Yellow Pearl situation. Sure, she wouldn't be a Diamond's Pearl, not a purpose designed one at least, but it would give the Reef time.

  ...Well, she could hope. A fleet had supposedly been dispatched to hunt down and retrieve the rogue admiral and her ship. Perhaps...perhaps she'd get lucky and they'd manage to find her perfect Pearl as well?

  It was a loose, desperate thought. But she clung to it regardless, even as she continued to file further reports, accepting one of her counterpart's notifications. namely that Yellow Diamond's Pearl was already being submerged in a repair-oriented incubation chamber.

  Yes, one could hope, even while one continued to perform their tasks as best they could, she supposed.