It was another rainy day today.
The sky was dark and the rain that poured down from the sky was so heavy that you could scarcely see the horizon. There was a damp smell that only the heavy rain could produce, and it filled the halls and bedrooms with its fragrance.
Bortz awoke from their sleep before anyone else. They could immediately tell from the smell in the air that it was going to be a very wet and dreary day.
They stretched their arms behind their head as they rose up from their bed. Bortz undid the loose ponytail in their hair with a quick gesture, allowing it to fall naturally on their body. They used their fingers to delicately go through the strands and pushed most of it behind them.
Standing up, Bortz swiftly changed clothes and headed out of the room.
Making their way to the small pool, Bortz enjoyed the quiet tranquility of the early morning. There was almost no sound to be heard, save for the occasional flapping of wings in the distance, as well as their shoes clacking on the floor beneath them.
When Bortz reached the pool, they realized the jellyfish had all amalgamated into one location near the top surface. This piqued their interest, and as Bortz moved closer, the jellyfish started to light up in different colours and began to move around.
A small grin surfaced on their face, watching the jellyfish dance. Bortz had come to check on these creatures every morning now for some time, and each day they had something new to show them.
'Weird creatures...' Bortz thought, backing away from the pool slowly. It was time to make their way to the library to study.
But before they could get there, Bortz spotted a familiar face.
"Gooooood morning, Bortz!"
The teal coloured hair gave away exactly who it was immediately.
"Ugh, what do you want, Phosphophyllite?"
Phosphophyllite grinned, a mischievous chuckle escaping their lips. "Why so mean, Bortz? I just heard you wake and wanted to talk!" They shuffled their feet as they grew closer to Bortz, their hands clasped together in excitement.
Bortz leaned back. "...What are you planning, Phos?"
Another grin and laugh. This was getting suspicious. "Just curious about something..."
Phosphophyllite spun around to Bortz' backside and swiftly grabbed a handful of Bortz' hair in their hands. Before they could really take in the texture however, Bortz spun around and snatched their hair out of Phosphophyllite's hands.
"What the hell do you think you're doing, you idiot!?"
Phosphophyllite's face was, surprisingly, not showing shock, nor fear, but rather... astonishment. Their eyes began to glimmer, which confused Bortz and made them even more angry.
"What!?"
"Your hair... Your hair, it really is so soft!" Phosphophyllite regained their composure, clasping their hands together yet again in wonder. They moved to be closer to Bortz and continued.
"How do you get your hair to feel that soft? Is it something the quack doctor gave you? Is it a secret technique you're not telling us?"
Bortz was taken aback by the sudden questions, but was mostly, well, annoyed.
"Why do you need to know?"
"Because I want my hair to be soft like that, too! It's not fair!" Phosphophyllite stamped their feet, looking Bortz in the eyes with a fierce determination. There was no getting rid of them at this point.
Sigh.
Before Bortz could speak, they heard the sound of footsteps approaching them.
"Oh my, what are you two doing together at this hour?"
Diamond approached both Bortz and Phosphophyllite, a hand cupping their cheek in curiosity. They smiled once they were acknowledged by the both of them.
"Are you two getting along?"
"Yes, of course, Dia! Bortz was just about to tell me how they make their hair so soft!" Phosphophyllite responded with no hesitation, which made Bortz breathe out a very heavy sigh.
"Oh, really? Even I could never get that out of Bortz, that's quite impressive Phos!"
Phosphophyllite grinned, turning their attention back to Bortz. "So, tell me!"
"Ugh, you're so annoying. Fine. I'll show you."
Walking away without so much as trying to clue Phosphophyllite in to following them, Bortz made their down the hall, the clanking of their shoes the only sound around. Soon thereafter, both Phosphophyllite's and Diamond's footsteps could be heard behind them. Along the way, some other gems began following them. Among them were Morganite, Red Beryl, Jade, and Euclase.
Bortz continued their walk until they made it to the room where Rutile was diligently working.
Rutile looked up from their work, puzzled. "Do you need something Bortz?"
"I need some more of that hair solution."
Without blinking, Rutile made their way to the back wall and pulled out a small bottle with a cloudy liquid inside and handed it to Bortz.
"Remember to only use a little bit."
"I understand."
Their duty fulfilled, Rutile returned to their work, ignoring the presence of all the other gems in the room.
"Follow me." Bortz commanded, making their way out of the room with Rutile so as to not disturb them while they worked.
In the nearby hallway, Bortz leaned against the wall and unscrewed the lid to the bottle they had been given. The gems watched closely as they stuck their index finger and thumb inside and into the liquid. Rubbing them together once they were outside of the bottle, Bortz ran their index finger and thumb on a small patch of their hair. The strands that received treatment started to flow with a white aura before returning to their normal colour. They continued this process on many different strands and pieces of their hair to demonstrate how it worked.
"Rutile helped me come up with this formula years ago."
Diamond spoke up. "Can... I try some too?"
Trying not glare, Bortz answered. "I guess... let me treat your hair, Diamond."
Following the same process they used for their own hair, Bortz applied the liquid to Diamond's hair. They only tested it on a few strands, but when Diamond felt the spots that were treated, they noticed the difference immediately.
"Wow, this is amazing!" They exclaimed.
"Hey, me too, me too!! I asked first!" Phosphophyllite piped up, shoving the other gems out of their way to get closer to Bortz. "I have less hair anyway, so it will be easier. I want my whole hair done!"
Bortz let out a heavy sigh, but knew now that their secret was out, Phosphophyllite especially would not leave them alone.
Taking their index finger and thumb to the liquid again, Bortz ran their fingers through Phosphophyllite's hair, diligently making sure to get every strand and lock. The other gems watched in wonder as Phosphophyllite's hair began to glow and fade with each touch. When the treatment was complete, Bortz stopped and put the cap back on the bottle.
Phosphophyllite immediately began to run their fingers through their hair, screeching in amazement. Their eyes lit up as they rushed to Diamond and the other gems to let them feel their hair. Everyone was in equal awe of its softness, and Bortz couldn't help but feel slightly proud of themselves.
'This isn't too bad... I guess.' They thought, watching the gems who had ceased to remember in that moment that Bortz even existed.
"Hey, if you want this treatment for yourselves, just ask Rutile. I'm sure they'll make some for you if you ask."
With that said, Bortz began walking away from the gems as they all rushed into Rutile's room to ask them for the same formula, leaving Phosphophyllite behind.
As Bortz continued walking down the hallway, they could swear they heard Phosphophyllite mumble something.
"Thank you, Bortz!" Was what Bortz thought they heard, but... it was quickly drowned out by Rutile's screaming.
"All of you get out before I experiment on every one of you!"
Maybe telling them to do that wasn't such a good idea.