Pearl Gemstone sits at the front desk, her posture absolutely perfect. Despite the fact that there’s absolutely no one there to watch her, After all there’s a guest coming. 

 

As that thought passes through her mind, the front doors of the factory slide open. Revealing Artifal Carter standing on the other side, this time dressed in her casual street clothes. She’s also drunk.

 

Arti through swaying steps walks up to the front desk, leaning up on top of it. “Hey Pearl, if you have some time and wouldn’t mind. I’d like to take a look around the facility, see if I can find anything important, ya know?”

 

Pearl nods ever so slightly, while she pushes her chair back and stands at attention. “Of course Detective. Miss Gemstone is out at a meeting right now, so you will not have access to her today. Other than that though, I will answer any questions you have during our exploration of the facility.”

 

With little more than a glance, Pearl’s desk folds all of the pieces of the computer inside of it. Ensuring that no one could just wander in and start attempting to mess with it. 

 

Once that’s done the steel door that bars entry to the rest of the facility slides up. 

 

“That’s absolutely no problem, after all I’m actually here to talk to any of the gemstones you’ve got today. The newer the position the better!” Arti kicks her feet and stumbles her way down into the halls of the factory. Her posture is casual and infinitely more confident than the last time that she’d been in the facility.

 

“Well each gemstone is the head of a department, so they can be quite busy… but I’m sure there’s none of them that will object to meeting you Detective.” Pearl nods slightly, glancing over a few different views in her visor. Checking each room that a Gemstone is in, to inform them of the possibility they have a guest coming. 

 

“I myself am actually Miss Gemstone’s second in command, so me showing up to do a check in isn’t unheard of. We have two Gemstones who we hired this last year, but Peridot isn’t at work today, so how about we go speak with Ruby?”

 

“That actually brings me to ask an important question. Why are all the people who are officially ‘Gemstones’ girls?” Arti tilts her head slightly, as she glides along the wall. Allowing Pearl to step forward to get in front of her and start leading the way to Ruby. 

 

“Oh that’s actually quite simple, I’ll put it like this and allow you to infer the rest. After all, I’ve heard you’re quite clever. Miss Gemstone is a trans woman, and that position is one she offers to those who remind her of herself.” Pearl flashes Arti a little grin while they trade places between one another. Good, this will be a good test of her ability to recognize Ruby. I will be on hand should things go wrong.

 

After a few moments of walking, the pair arrive at a small office door with the name Ruby on the plaque. Pearl slowly pushes it open, and scans the miniscule room, it has blue walls with a bright pink wood desk. Behind it sits Ruby wearing a bright red work dress, her hair an identical tone and appearance as the detectives. “Hello Ruby. I’m here with the detective, she has a few questions she wants to ask you.”

 

Arti takes a single large step into the center of the room, looming over the two women. Taking a moment before she flops back casually into the chair across from Ruby. The detective’s eye’s already burrowing their way into the girl.

 

Unphased by the decor, fascinating. 

 

“Oh of course, what would you like to know about Detective?” Ruby’s eyes widen slightly as she gets a good look at Arti. Her head tilted ever so slightly to the side. 

 

“I’m looking for someone named Grant, she was apparently intended to be the next person to become a ‘Gemstone’. The issue is that she never arrived for her first day, do you have anything you remember about that situation.” Arti leans forward as she talks, putting her hands in her lap as she maintains perfect eye contact with Ruby’s visor all the while. Her eyes obviously scan for anything, even a fragment of recognition or response. 

 

Ruby’s right eyebrow twitches slightly, the visor covering up any other expression that could be read. Speak as truthfully as you can. 

 

“Well, I do remember Grant… she wanted to be here so badly.” Her head tilts down as she breaks eye contact with Arti. “I looked into it a bit after she didn’t arrive… her personal issues…”

 

“Alright, now I’m going to need you to take your visor off please. I need to be able to look you in the eyes during this interview.” Arti flashes a smile filled with surprising warmth to Ruby. Her posture becomes more casual as she uses her left hand to grab and open up her phone. 

 

“It helps me get a better feel for the person I’m interviewing, tell if they are obfuscating the truth or simply don’t remember but are attempting to answer anyway.”

 

Ruby’s posture tightens, as her arms instinctively move up to remove the visor. No- wa-

 

                                                * * *

 

Ruby’s head is buzzing violently, her eyes swimming slightly as the red tint from the vizor fades away from her vision. She then looks up at Artifal, the detective’s size all the more intimidating without the visor mediating her emotions. “I trust that you want to find her… How can I help?”

 

“I want you to tell me everything about her. Any and every piece of information that you can give me.” Arti leans forward with her phone now that Ruby is out of the visor. In less than a second snapping a picture of the girl without the visor on. “It’s been so long that she could look very different from old descriptions, so any help would be massive.”

 

Ruby’s mouth barely makes its way open before her head is hit with a piercing pain. A small voice starting to scream in the back of her head She’s not! She’s not! She’s not!

 

Pearl immediately moves to grab the visor, only to have Arti’s hand slam in front of her chest. Ridgid like a steel beam even against all the strength that the woman can muster. “Excuse me, but Ruby is still very new. She’s adjusting to our in system high end visors, and shouldn’t be out of them during work hours.”

 

“She’ll be fine, and this is a missing woman. If she didn’t think she could take it she wouldn’t have done it.” Arti presses Pearl backward as they both stare at Ruby.

 

To Ruby it’s nearly impossible to read their expressions, unsure if it’s intrigue or horror. As that voice gets louder and louder, more and more head splittingly painful. “She’s not my mom…” She barely manages to choke out as she scrambles for the visor.

 

“Please detective, until the visor and her finally sync taking them off this suddenly can cause information overload. Causing confusion on who the user even is when they take it off.” Pearl squirms up against Arti’s gargantuan frame. Unable to get to Ruby and assist in putting the headset back on.

 

While holding Pearl with one arm, Arti grunts and pushes the visor back toward Ruby. “Then tell me. Ruby who’s her Mother.” She turns and begins looming large over Pearl. Like the secretary is one second away from being crushed like a gnat by the detective. “Don’t give me any bullshit half answers, who is her mother.”

 

As the words slip out of Arti’s mouth, the door to the office launches open, and Sapphire in her work suit easily slips past Arti. Sliding over the desk and wrapping her arms around Ruby, as she starts to latch the visor back into place. A look of determination was clear on her face.

 

Ruby’s breaths shift from short and rapid, to a slow controlled pattern. Warmth blooming throughout her entire body against her will, reminding her how much warmer and safer everything is within the system. 

 

“Ruby is my adoptive daughter, part of how these visors work is they weave everyone in their department together during work hours. Helping sort information passively, she probably was experiencing information collapse. Where she couldn’t distinguish herself from those in the system with her.” Sapphire’s hand starts to gently rub at the base of Ruby’s neck, pulling the girl up against her chest as if she was handling a glass feather. 

 

Artifal steps over to the far wall and leans up against it. Taking a few deep breaths as her gaze grows distant. Obviously analyzing everything that she’d been told. 

 

Ruby lets herself be lost in the soft and fuzzy feeling the visor is pumping through her system. Until she hears the detective speak once again. Her gruff voice came out with obvious frustration. 

 

“Sorry… It’s just hard to be around or trust visors after everything I’ve seen.” Arti’s foot thumps on the ground over and over. Tiny microfractures embed themselves in the ground and grow with each thump. “I believed it was-”

 

Sapphire shakes her head and puts her hand out. “No, don’t force yourself to go back there detective. I can understand your particular trauma regarding the visors.” Her hand then lands on Ruby’s shoulder starting to gently rub it. “Just rest easy knowing I’ve put more safety procedures in after that incident…” 

 

Ruby feels an itching at the back of her head as soon as Sapphire finishes talking. A script she fully believed implanting itself within her head and drifting out of her lips. “Yeah… Mom only uses the high output connection visors in the main factory now. And only with licensed professionals, I shouldn’t have so recklessly taken it off like I did.”

 

As she talks Arti slowly slides down the wall into a squat on the ground. Leaning her head back and taking slow shaking breaths. “Good… I always hoped that the things I saw that day weren’t pointless.” Her head tilts to the side looking out and into the hall. “Connie is doing well… I still keep in touch sometimes.”

 

Sapphire frowns and nods ever so slightly. “I’m glad, I understand her desire to be distanced from us. So hearing that you’ve kept an eye on her is quite the relief.” She gently starts to run her fingers through Ruby’s hair. Straightening it out under the visor.

 

Arti nods as she looks up at Ruby. Her expression locked in that level frown, hiding almost any sign of emotion despite the situation. “I have to admit Miss Gemstone. I’m surprised you have a daughter. Is she adopted?” The moment the word passes through her lips, her left hand slaps to the side of her head and Arti shakes ever so slightly. “Eh heh, sorry thoughts are getting jumbled I guess.”

 

Sapphire smiles softly and chuckles. “Ruby is indeed adopted. She had been wanting to work with me for a long time, but only recently has she been able to start.” She wraps her left arm around Ruby’s waist, and squeezes her stomach gently. “Her first job was to find a new employee, she… picked Grant. While I, and Pearl, handled the actual interview process ourselves. She was working the security systems.”

 

“Y-yeah… I’ve been trying to look everywhere for her ever since she disappeared. Mom has been doing everything in her power to avoid it being a public thing for my sake…” Ruby’s mind is flooded with sudden guilt. The words escape her lips before she can even consider them. Then she feels herself turn around and cling to Sapphire, starting to sob into the woman's shoulder. 

 

“I… see… while I can’t condone hiding information about a missing person. I understand it can feel necessary to protect your family…” Arti starts to rub her arms slowly, taking slow shaking breaths. “If you wouldn’t mind though, I would like to try one of your visors. I… can’t continue this case if I’m going to keep lashing out any time I’m reminded of them.” 

 

“Of course darlin, just let me get Ruby somewhere safe where she can recover. Then ah’ll personally assist you with testing a few out.” Sapphire then stands up to her full height. Lifting Ruby as if she weighed no more than a flower in her arms, walking cleanly past Arti and into the hall. Leaving the detective and Pearl together in the room to wait for her return.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Sapphire takes a deep breath, a visor with green glass in her hands. Her eyes tracing over it meticulously, making sure not a single piece of the technology is out of alignment. This was always going to be a risk, but it’s better to have it be a calculated one.

The device is far weaker in its abilities and effects than the other models. Perfect for scanning a brain, but not for controlling it. If the detective gets spooked now it could be another few years before she manages to find her again. 

 

After a few more moments of thumbing over every inch of the headset. She reaches out and presses the door to Ruby’s office open once again. Pearl is now sitting in Ruby’s seat and working, while the detective remains on the ground with her head in her legs. 

 

“Miss Carter.” The moment the words leave her mouth Sapphire is certain that they were the wrong ones. The detective’s eyes shooting up and glaring right into her soul. 

 

“That was my Mother, please… just call me Arti.” Arti presses herself up against the wall. Sliding to her feet as tiny microfractures appear in the concrete with every inch she moves.

 

Sapphire blinks a few times as despite all of the precautions she’d taken in warding the factory against any magic being used in the premises. The detective is still able to exert enough of hers out to damage the wall on accident. Just by becoming slightly agitated, yet another reason to use the low input visor. 

 

“Ah yes, my apologies Arti. I wasn’t thinking, I was going to just let you borrow this but…” She looks down at the green visor in her hands and holds it out to the detective. “This is one of our starter visors, very low input so it should be safe for you to use it. It’s yours if you’ll take it.”

 

The detective stands in front of the visor for a few seconds. Her body starts to shake ever so slightly, as she reaches out and gently scoops the object into her hands. “S-sure… I’ve been needing some nicer tech for a long time now. What’s overcoming a childhood trauma for a bit of free merch.” She lets out a dry laugh, obviously barely able to even to force the farce past her lips.

 

“Then why don’t we go to my office? It will be far more comfortable for you to test it out in, and we should have privacy.” Sapphire flashes a small smile, as she holds the door to Ruby’s office open with her foot. 

 

The detective simply nods and walks out of the room without another word. Making sure to stand right next to Sapphire the whole time, while her fingers rub up against the visor’s glass. “Why isn’t it breaking in my hands? Fragile things tend to… shatter near me.”

 

Sapphire chuckles and grabs the visor. Tapping it against the wall a few times. “You see there was an accident when I was a young woman, one far too arrogant for my own good. Ah thought I didn’t need to consider the effects of magic on my technology…” She frowns at the admittance rubbing the glass as the pair continue down the halls.

 

“It wasn’t until a child with Hyper Magical Syndrome put one on for the first time that I realized what I’d done.” Her grip on the headset tightens ever so slightly. “She was hurt very badly, she lived… but no one knew if she’d recover… it nearly tanked the whole company.”

 

Sapphire sighs and presses the headset back into the silent detective’s grip. “I recalled every visor we’d ever produced. Now all of the headsets are built to be capable of draining the user’s magic to reinforce the frame and power itself. It keeps people with HMS from having their visors break and hurt them…”

 

The detective lets out a small grunt of affirmation. Her expression is one of deep shame, obviously unable to even look at Sapphire after hearing that last story. “Well I guess that’s a good sign for me then. I’ve always had HMS…”

“Well I’m glad to hear that our safety precautions are protecting people like you.” Sapphire nods, and stops as they reach the elevator at the end of the hall. Letting them both inside without even needing to reach out, as they start to quietly slide their way to the top floor of the factory.

 

“Yeah… barely anywhere considers the needs of people with HMS.” The detective opens and closes her hand, as she leans up against the wall. “There’s what? Nine hundred or so on the face of the planet?”

 

“There’s exactly one thousand two hundred and sixty five. I must keep a good track of those numbers. Lest the guild take innocents into their ‘little system’.” Sapphire lets out a cold growl. Only to be interrupted from her thought process by the elevator opening to reveal the interior of her office. 

 

The detective's eyes jump between each corner of the room, starting with the kitchen. Then drifting over to the tv area, with shelves of movies that all look to be from the early two thousands at latest. 

 

Then she looks to a new bed in the corner, the blanket a sloppy blue and red quilt with R&S sloppily stitched into the corner. Finally her glare drops to Sapphire’s dark oak desk, noting a small shrine tucked away behind it.

 

Obviously trying to get a better look at the details this time I see. “So would you like to head over to the couch so we can get started?” Sapphire walks over to the velvet black couch and sits down. Patting it a few times and flashing the detective a smile. 

 

“Y-yeah… let’s get started.” The detective walks over to the couch. Sliding her jacket off of her shoulders, and dumping it down next to her. While her hands fiddle with the visor, starting to twiddle with it mindlessly. 

 

Sapphire gently reaches out and takes the detective’s scarlet red hair into her hands. Brushing it gently and tucking it into place to be out of the way of Arti. “Alright just slide it on and take a deep breath. I’ll be right here.”

 

The wait for Arti to put the visor on was agonizing, each inch a tiny victory in Sapphire’s mind. All the answers she’d ever want about the mysterious detective are about to be at her fingertips.

“Alright… here, we…” The detective closes her eyes and shoves the visor onto her head. Her entire body shakes as it slots into place and tightens around her ears. As the points in them get squished slightly due to the lack of holes for elven ears. 

 

As soon as the headset is on Sapphire reaches out and pulls Arti firmly against her chest. Able to feel the detective start to shake violently. “Just take deep breaths Arti… you’re safe. I know it’s scary.” She then starts to rock from side to side. Humming an old song from the elven isles, the same one that she’d sing each night for her Ruby.

 

As Sapphire begins to hum, Arti’s posture loosens up. Starting to slowly melt into Sapphire’s grip. “I- is it on?” She murmurs between shaking breaths. So it is you…

 

“Yes, it’s currently being set up. Scanning your brain for any abnormalities that could cause issues, just focus on the present. I’ll hook my visor up with you and guide you through this.” Sapphire slowly pulls her left arm away from the hug. Grunting slightly when due to the lack of pressure the detective presses harder against her. 

 

Reaching up she presses a small button on the back left of the visor. Linking the one on her head with the detectives. “There we go, just follow my lead. You’re doing wonderfully.”

 

The detective nods, cracking her eyes open once again. Only to see a normal desktop UI in front of her. No horrible reveal, nothing that could justify her deep fear. Just a simple mundane piece of technology. “Oh… ha… hahahhahaaa.” 

 

“I know it doesn’t feel all that special does it?” Sapphire chuckles lightly, gently patting the detective’s back a few times. Looking over the scans of Artifal’s brain that the visor is currently downloading.

“Now why don’t you just try going to any website. You just need to think of the visor as your brain making images out of your thoughts. So if you think, open a movie and then think of the movie’s name it should pull up. It’s currently logged into all of my Gemstone’s streaming accounts.”

 

The detective nods ever so slightly, focusing on making a murder mystery appear. Only to have the screen pop one of the sapphire inc streaming services up. Her body shooting ridgid out of shock as it does, nearly flailing her way onto the ground if it wasn’t for Sapphire grabbing her out of the air.

 

“Well I guess you understand the prompt but not the implication.” Sapphire grins slightly, gently guiding Arti to sit back down. As the scans start being developed in earnest assisted by the different stimuli. “Also it’s perfectly alright if this has made you go non-verbal darlin. If you just think of talking, the visor will do it for ya, alright?”

 

“Really it can just… do that?” Comes out of the Detective’s headset in a very soft feminine voice. Her expression shifts to one of shock, then shame as she rubs her throat. “I never thought I could sound like this…”

 

“Ah yes…” Sapphire’s expression softens as she kneels down in front of Arti and looks at the detective’s throat. “Let me guess tiny but constant damage in your throat and vocal cords because of your condition?” Of course it is, she obviously can’t control her magic in the slightest… something to work on in the future.

 

The detective nods ever so slightly, her gaze drifting away from Sapphire. “Yes, it’s been like this ever since I was a kid. I always thought my voice was broken, my… mother said it just made me sound unique…”

 

“Well I would say she’s right, your voice is one that is stained with the hard earned confidence and edge of a life hard fought. Though I think you also sound lovely with how the visor is processing your thoughts.” Sapphire gently reaches out and guides the detective to look her in the eyes. Memories of days long past, caring for her daughter suddenly at the forefront of her mind. 

 

“Well I’ll keep both comments in mind… thank you.” The detective’s cheeks flush with just the slightest pink. As she leans back in the seat and starts to fiddle around with commands for the visor. Digging around the files randomly, coming up empty of course, nothing to see detective. 

 

“I’m glad, it should only be a few more minutes before you’re good to go. I’m sorry that you didn’t get to have a real conversation with Ruby today, she gets so overwhelmed sometimes. I worry about her…” Sapphire sighs and shakes her head, taking a seat next to Arti. “By the way Detective, I have never gotten the chance to be so candid with you… but I appreciate the actions of ‘Jackie’ immensely. I hope to see that mysterious lady continue to destroy mages guild scum.”

 

The detective’s posture shoots rigid, and the website for the now defunct Hell’s burgers pops up on the visor. Before being quickly deleted once again. “Stupid headset…”

 

“There’s a filter you can enable to prevent unwanted pop ups from happening.” Sapphire snaps and the setting reveals itself and flicks on. “There you go, no unwanted pop ups. And don’t worry, Jackie has not been and will not be seen in Change City any time soon. We’ve been… doing our part to make sure of that.”

 

The detective nods and taps on the sides of the visors. Quickly shutting it down and sliding it off of her face. Exhaling sharply in relief as her ears pop back into place. 

 

“Oh you might want to give it a few-” Sapphire tisks as she watches Arti remove the headset. Guess I’ll be working with what it got. “Minutes… you’re probably going to.”

As she talks the detective's heads slowly slide into her hands. “Augh My heaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad.”

 

“Deal with some backlash…” Sapphire rolls her eyes, hopping up off of the couch. It’s hard to tell if that was calculated, or just raw stupidity. She snickers to herself and walks over to her desk, grabbing some headache medicine. “Now imagine you had 50 people in your head, and that’s what Ruby was dealing with.”

 

“I get itttttt it sucksssss.” The detective stumbles to her feet and starts to walk over to the desk. Grabbing the pain killers out of Sapphire’s grip, sniffing them a few times, then swallowing six at once without anything to drink.

 

“Indeed it does.” Sapphire sighs standing behind the detective. Making sure that she doesn’t get too far behind the desk. Just in case this was all a ruse to try and gather more information. 

 

After a moment, the detective's eyes go from winced to entirely neutral. “Welp, I guess it’s time for me to get out of your hair.” Without another word or so much as another word she starts to walk back to the door to the room. 

 

“If that’s all you wanted to do today. I’ve already canceled my appointments because of that little moment earlier, so it’s not like I have much else to be doing.” Sapphire follows behind Arti as they leave her office. Letting the detective lead the way this time, after all it’s useful to know how quickly she can memorize the factory layout.

 

“Yeah it’s been a long day already, and with the killer headache I honestly just wanna go home and flop on the bed to sleep.” Arti snickers, as her fingers roll over the visor’s headphones. “Shame there’s no slits for elven ears on these things, because it makes wearing them horrid.”

 

“Well don’t worry too much about that, I didn’t have it today but there’s a limited run set that does have ear slits. As well as versions for all the common types of anthro. I just don’t have them on hand at all times because of how few we actually produce on a day to day.” With each step Sapphire grows more impressed with the detective's memorization of the halls. Without it being pointed out once, and despite the factory being designed to only be navigable with the assistance of a visor. She’s retracing each of her steps perfectly. 

 

“Oh don’t worry about that for me, I’m sure a pair of scissors and fifteen minutes will make it easy enough for me to wear it.” The detective starts to spin the visor on her finger as they reach the slab of steel that blocks off the entrance of the factory from the rest. 

 

Sapphire nods slightly and the slab slides up into the wall in the blink of an eye. “Alright if you want to do your own custom work I hope you enjoy it. If you end up damaging the visor though just come in and we’ll repair it for you.”

 

“Oh well thank you.” The detective nods and steps outside of the main factory. Making her way to the front doors and stepping outside without bothering to really say goodbye. 

 

Sapphire stands there staring at the detective as she disappears into the distance once again. Before the door automatically slides back down and cuts her off from the object of her fascination once again.

 

Standing there that deep hollow pit in her chest that always lingers in the background splits open once again. She shakes her head and turns around, refusing to allow that feeling to consume her again. 

 

The walk back down the halls, to the elevator, and up to her office is painful in its solitude. Sapphire nearly connects to the whole facility just to feel less alone than she is at the moment… at every moment.

 

It takes every ounce of her fortitude to reach the office without succumbing to the impulse. But once she arrives and throws the door open a small smile slips onto her face at the sight of Ruby, with her visor still on, bundled up in the quilt on her bed. Smiling softly out and over to her. 

 

“How did I do today Mommy?” Ruby pulls the blanket up against her chest and smiles a little wider. Her anticipation for even the slightest amount of praise, already rushing out through her and Sapphire’s connection.

 

“You did immaculately darling. I apologize for giving you a vague enough order that you couldn’t help but comply with the detective’s request though.” Sapphire chuckles and walks up, sitting down on the edge of the bed. Taking a moment to bask in the sight of the newest of her daughters, before she reaches out and starts to gently rub Ruby’s cheek. 

 

“Thank you mommy…” Ruby’s eyes close as she leans up against the larger woman’s palm. Her posture loose enough that if it wasn’t for the hand she’d have melted all the way back down onto the bed by now.

 

“Of course, you know I only ever speak the truth.” Sapphire leans in and plants a kiss on Ruby’s forehead. A shot of euphoria from Ruby running through the link and into her, a comforting reward after a long day of holding everything together. “And better yet I know who the detective truly is under all those secrets now.”

 

Ruby’s eyes spring open, and her posture locks tight at the news. “You do? Who is it! I know this has been really important to you after all!” Her legs lightly kick at the bed as she waits for an explanation. 

 

“Indeed it is, that’s because of a woman named Emerald… She was my wife.” Sapphire gently reaches out and scoops Ruby up into her arms fully. The girl felt as light as a rose even fully in her lap. 

 

“When I was very young, only a little older than you to be honest. We got married, we’d actually invented the visor technology together.” With each word out of her mouth Ruby’s expression widens. Going from one of excitement to fully mystified by the story she’s hearing. Unable to focus on anything else let alone add commentary.

 

“It was slow going, you see she was a neuroscience student. While I was going for computer science, it just so happened that we were put in the same room.” Sapphire chuckles and stands up out of the bed. Holding Ruby bundled in the blanket in her arms with ease. As she walks over to the small shine next to her desk. 

 

“It was honestly probably just because we were the only two elves in that year’s classes. Due to how elven law interacted with schools it was generally considered ‘safer’ to have us room with one another.” She sighs and frowns slightly at the admittance. Looking at the ground. “That’s not a thing these days, but it was horribly stifling to have everyone made aware that we were both elves…”

Sapphire pulls open a drawer on the shrine and pulls out a small picture frame. Revealing a seemingly human woman on the other side, the only thing indicating that she was actually Emerald being the bright green hair. Her ears are not pointed, and instead have scars at the tops where they round out. 

 

“She’d been banished from her family for her transition before we’d ever met…” Her finger rubs in small slow circles over the woman’s face. Pausing the story just to take a moment and reminisce on those times, when the world seemed less needlessly cruel. Even if that feeling was a meaningless illusion hiding the far more painful truth.

 

“She was the nicest, smartest, woman I’d ever met. I’d become so used to the hostile politics of living as part of one of the richest households on the isles, that I truly thought she was just trying to manipulate me into letting my guard down the first few weeks together.” She chuckles weakly at the admittance, before she leans back down and places the picture on top of the shrine. “I guess she managed that much.”

 

Ruby leans up against Sapphire’s chest as she laughs, reaching out and wrapping her arms around her mother. 

 

“It’s alright darling… I just got a little caught up on myself.” Sapphire’s right hand rolls around the back of Ruby’s head and gently squeezes her into place. “Now where was I? Ah yes, college. Emerald worked with me throughout all of college on developing the original visor, it was a bunch of failing, failing again, and then failing some more.”

 

“But by the time that we made it to the end of our four years we’d managed to finish our first prototype of the technology. We simply needed funding to continue development, and much to our misfortune I only had one place to go that would give it.” She grits her teeth and growls a low roar. “The isles, specifically the factions controlled by my family and its ‘allies’ the Raenors. Who just so happened to be my now wife's ex family.”

Ruby lets out a little gasp when Sapphire starts to growl. Shrinking down against her mother’s shoulder, as Sapphire’s anger overflows and pours into her through their link. 

 

Sapphire pauses once again and takes a deep breath, shaking her head slightly. “We had to go and have a meeting with the shareholders of my family's remaining assets after the ‘unfortunate’ accident that killed my parents.”

 

Step after step Sapphire walks over to the couch and flops down. Electing to finish the story here rather than pace herself into an early grave. “While the most valuable of my family's artifacts, like the limb of that thing that was responsible for the founding of the elven isles, had already been stolen. As well as the majority of the Adamant stores, there was still enough left that I needed to return and take what I could get for both my and Emerald’s sake.”

 

“Making the appointment was easy, getting there was a joke… but I made a terrible mistake. I agreed to let my poor Emerald come with me, so I could announce my love as we left the isles for the last time.” She sniffles and closes her eyes as a few steaming tears trickle down her cheeks and onto Ruby’s head.

 

“Everything was going fine, those left from my family were more than happy just to give me what I wanted to never have to worry about me in the isles again. They saw it as self-inflicted banishment out of shame, but the Raenors… they weren’t satisfied with me taking what’s mine and leaving.” Her grip locks into place around Ruby as the tears continue to fall. 

 

“They grabbed her, speared her through the chest with horrible festering magic. I- I reacted as fast as I could, but it was far too slow. Even after I ripped her father from limb to limb, she just smiled at me. Told me to keep going, and finish our dream… for her.” Sapphire leans down and pulls a tiny drawer out of the coffee table by peeling out the middle plank. Revealing a small notepad, obviously over thirty years old at this point.

 

Flipping it open to the first page there’s a five point list that is written in handwriting far too sloppy to be Sapphire’s. “Step one, start Sapphire Industries and reinvent technology.” She murmurs out each word, her voice shaking ever so slightly. “Step two, find others like us to give them the support they need. Step three, have a kid…”

 

Sapphire snaps the notepad shut the moment the word comes out of her mouth. As she quickly tosses it back into the cubby, causing it to slam into a small green cube. As if the object was suddenly made of lava and burning her by mere exposure. 

 

“And I followed through on all of those… but once I finally got to having a daughter. I… had an idea.” She reaches down and gingerly scoops the cube into her hand. “I’d taken a copy of both my brain and Emerald’s with the original visor. It was meant to be a theoretical way to create true artificial intelligence… it never worked, it would have needed a human brain to input into technology just wasn’t and isn’t sophisticated enough to keep up with magic in some aspects.”

 

She fiddles with the cube in her hand, staring into it like it’s a black hole. “But that gave me an idea, what if I didn’t need to put it in a computer. Of course I couldn’t put it into someone who was alive already, I’d need to make something to hold it personally.”

 

Tapping the top of the cube a few times, she sighs and puts it back down in the cubby. “You see Ruby, I learned of something growing up in the isles. A creature called a homunculus, they are entities that are copies based off of someone who once existed, but they are made of pure magic.”

 

“That was simply unacceptable for my needs, after all a brain that’s fully magic wouldn’t be able to take the data in properly. So I searched for a specialist in bioengineering who also knew enough about magic to transition one concept between science and magic. How to make a clone, I only thought it needed to work once so I was willing to give infinite funding to see it done.”

 

Sapphire flicks her head slightly, and images start to appear in front of Ruby. Those of an infant with buds of crimson red hair, floating in a thick clear substance, eyes closed. “And this is how Ruby was created… and the beginning of yet another act of criminal hubris. I was a fool to think that combining science and magic wouldn’t create a wholly new individual.”

 

Another picture appears this time of Sapphire holding the infant in her arms. Alone but smiling ever so slightly. “I believed it would be fully blank, devoid of identity. I’d just need to wait for it to be old enough to implant Emerald’s download into it… I was so horribly wrong.”

Pictures of the clone, now four years old, sitting in Sapphire’s lap. As she knits the red and blue quilt that Ruby is currently bundled up in start to roll through Ruby’s visor. “She started to develop the smallest amount of personality. It was incredibly difficult for her to do much without my assistance, but she was still a person. Not only that, she was my daughter, who I needed to care for…”

 

The pictures stop once the original Ruby is six years old. The last one an image of her sitting in front of a bright green visor with the cube hooked up to it. “It killed me to make the choice, Emmy, or Ruby… but the older she got she never developed… I’d intentionally given my child brain damage that I knew I could only fix by putting Emmy inside of her.”

“So I did, on her sixth birthday I decided it was time. I let her put the visor on, and it… failed. For the first time ever one of my visors reacted poorly to a brain and… she went into a coma.” Sapphire shakes slightly as without her willing it a flood of images appear in front of Ruby. Day after day of the original Ruby slowly growing in a hospital bed. A black and white cat plush pushed up against her side, and a picture of Sapphire holding her pinned to the board across from her. 

 

As the feelings and images flood her brain, Ruby tries to open her mouth. Beg for the wave of grief to stop, only to have her throat refuse to respond. Keeping her shaking silently in Sapphire’s arms.

 

“Then… one day she was gone. Not dead… just gone, the doctors claimed to know nothing, there was a shift change going on so there was only limited supervision one day. A few extra people called out sick, and then my baby was gone.”

Sapphire squeezes Ruby as tight as possible. Able to feel the far smaller woman pinned down against her chest, unable to so much as squirm from the force. “The only evidence of tampering was the ripped picture of me holding her, and the fact the plush was missing.”

 

“Then one day, decades down the line. After years and years of searching every day for any sign of my daughter, Detective Artifal Carter appeared back in my life.” Her grip slowly goes slack as the detective is mentioned. As her gaze drifts out the window. “She was investigating an incident in one of my factories… and I realized as I looked into her life, that this woman didn’t exist.”

 

“She just… appeared one day! Even from the eyes of the legal systems, she was found on top of two half dead mages. What they wanted with her was left ambiguous in the reports, but I suspect it was manna farming. A horrible little practice where you keep a person with HMS imprisoned to power your wards.” She sighs and starts to tap along Ruby’s arms in a slow rhythm. 

 

“They did DNA tests, nothing. They searched all elven families in Washington State, nothing. It was such a small blip on the radar and across the nation, I hadn’t even noticed it all those years.” She laughs lightly, and shakes her head. “But once she showed up in Change City a few years ago, I had a feeling I knew who she was. Candy red hair and everything, I never thought she was capable of developing this much of a personality for herself… but I couldn’t be sure.”

 

“So that’s why you took me!” Chirps out of Ruby’s mouth. The first words she’d been able to speak since the beginning of Sapphire’s rant, and not even ones that were truly her own.

 

“Yes indeed Ruby, give her a puzzle box that’s impossible to open and wait. It gave me time to do my own tests, both with her DNA, and now with a scan of her brain. Made using a visor that I’d designed all of these years to make sure it’d be compatible with her brain structure, and I was right. My Emerald… she thinks that she’s Artifal Carter.”

 

“S-so then what are you going to do?” Ruby’s eyes go wide as she asks this question. Shock at the fact that the thought had managed to slip through her lips clear on her face. 

 

“Well I’m going to complete the program, I know exactly how much got downloaded the first time so I just need to finish this one. Then she will remember who she truly is, and if there are really other personalities than the core one I will simply do with them what I did with Emmy’s personality the first time we did the scan.” Sapphire nods to herself, smiling softly now that she’s finished her story. Slowly pushing up and off of the couch, before she turns and starts to walk to the bed to lay Ruby down.

 

“Oh- okay! Does that mean that I can start going outside again? I… really wanna see Saya, it’s been so long.” Ruby blushes and smiles softly. Nuzzling up against Sapphire as she’s carried over to bed. 

 

“Well… since the detective has seen you now it makes sense for you to go out into town now.” Sapphire sighs and shakes her head, laying Ruby down in bed. “But no going to the bakery, if your friend recognizes you she may tell the detective and spook her too soon.”

 

Ruby puffs her cheeks out slightly, pouting performatively but not arguing. “Okay Mommy, I’ll avoid the bakery until you tell me that I can go.”

 

“Good girl, you’ll be able to go just one more week. Two max depending on the detective's pace with bringing this farce to an end.” Sapphire smiles and taps the side of Ruby’s visor. Causing the girl to be hit with an immediate wave of exhaustion that it had been previously repressing. “Then my little girls will all be happy.”

Ruby lets out a little yawn and rolls onto her side, as she lets her eyes start to drift shut. Not noticing the little voices being flooded into the back of her mind. “Mhm… can I sleep? I’m… exhausted.”

 

“Of course darling… I’ll be here when you wake up.” Sapphire leans in and plants a gentle kiss on Ruby’s forehead. Watching her in mere moments drift off to sleep thanks to the visor’s assistance.