Vert cringed as Orange Gem- now on the ground, thankfully, or not, hard to say just yet- touched her, and she felt the sparks from her body leap at the contact. She frowned- she was going to have to rein this in if she was going to coexist with anyone or anything, much less other Gems. She turned to face Orange Gem, who looked to be feeling rather fearful and timid herself. In spite of herself, Vert felt some of her own distress dissipate as she sympathized with her distress.

[color=8dc73f][i]I suppose she is a Newborn- she's probably quite confused, what with no one around to tell her what she's for.[/i][/color] She felt another twinge of anger at Homeworld at that thought, then focused on addressing Orange's concerns.

[color=8dc73f]"Different species...? Uh, no, I don't think so, but--"[/color] She flinched suddenly as she was cut off by a very loud "PEW" noise very close to her, and she turned sharply toward the source of the sound to see Other Green, his eyes still glowing brightly. She followed where his gaze went, and noticed a scorch mark on the wall, just above his head. Vert turned back to Other Green, raising an eyebrow and backing away from him by a few inches. 

[color=8dc73f][i]Note to self: do not let Other Green look directly at you.[/i][/color] She shook her head, almost imperceptibly, then turned back to Orange and continued on.

[color=8dc73f]"As I was saying, they're not a different species. Probably... but they may as well be. It's not a matter of creation or chemical makeup, it's about temperament. Homeworld has rules, see, and bad things happen when you break those rules. And there's a lot of rules- rules about who you are, what you're allowed to do, to feel, to think, all because of how you're built, and what purpose they decided for you before you were even made. Homeworld tells you what to do and expects you to do it, and then punishes you if you refuse or fail to do what you're told. They're... unfriendly. I know that from experience.

"But these ones,"[/color] she said, gesturing at Aqua, Sodalite, and Red Gem, [color=8dc73f]"they don't act like that, do they? I mean, when's the last time you were hugged by-- right, Newborn, stupid question to ask of you. Look, my point is, these Gems are acting like they actually care about you and the rest of us. And I've never seen Homeworld care about anything but itself. I wouldn't trust any of those Gems as far as I could throw 'em."[/color]

She looked back down at where Aqua and Red Man Gem- now to be known as Blood... something, she couldn't quite catch it- were conversing. She looked square at Blood-thingie, still terrified, but there was another thing rising up in her, something she hadn't felt in a long time: anger. It felt kinda good- better than the fear, anyway. She swallowed, and then, hoping she wasn't interrupting anything, and shouted down to the Homeworld group.

[color=8dc73f]"You hear that, Blood... rock... something? I-I'm not listening to you anymore! So... s-so please just, g-go away, and leave me- us- alone!"[/color] She paused for a long time after shouting this, suddenly feeling very self-conscious, and stepped back next to Orange, still shaking and sparking erratically.

[color=8dc73f][i]Not too close to Orange, then...[/i][/color]

[@ianzerep][@Kronshi]