After letting go of you, Pearl offered you a seat at the small couch sitting nearby the living room. Her smile remained present over her face whilst waiting for you to settle down. You on the other hand, and with some hesitation, brought your travel bag next to the couch, this being the only luggage you'd brought with you for your short stay at Beach City.

     Despite your insistence over staying again at a nearby hotel, they assured you it was fine if you stayed at their house, mainly Steven with his excitement over having you here again. They were more than happy to welcome you into their home after a year of knowing you, and everyone in the household was eager to speak with you.

     Having finally sat down on the provided seat, you inspected your surroundings with curiosity being your main factor, and soon enough, you focused your gaze on Amethyst, who was standing next to Garnet near the kitchen counters. The two women were discussing something amongst themselves, yet once the purple one caught a glance of you sitting next to Pearl, she acknowledged you for a second time— this time winking at you in a somewhat teasing, though well-intentioned fashion.

     "How is your photography career going?" Pearl inquired, making you return your attention over her.

     "It's going well. . ." You trailed off, trying to make memory of the places you'd visiting during your absence at this place. "I traveled to Barbados and Santo Domingo recently.

     Pearl's smile widened at your reply, and she eventually carried on with her small talk. "And how long do you plan on staying here? You. . . don't seem to bring much with you."

     "I'm staying for six days."

     Hearing your reply, her bright visage became gloomier, and she lowered her head in thought. It seemed she desired to tell you something, yet each time she felt ready to say it, she held herself back. She kept on speaking with you for a long while, though you couldn't shake off the reaction she had minutes before.

     Soon enough, you were sharing a meal with Steven and his family at a small dining table decorated with various plates, cups, and an assortment of silverware. Steven was eagerly telling you all about the things that'd happened ever since you left back home. Many of these things you didn't understand much, yet you had a feeling that this was somehow connected with what Pearl had been wanting to explain to you after you arrived at this place.

     Pearl took notice of your confusion over certain topics the boy spoke of, and as a consequence, she decided to invite you over to the nearby beach to speak about it once the get together came to an end.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

     The both of you sat down on the sandy flooring, her previously cheerful demeanor now replaced by worry and hesitation. A cool, salty wind blew close by, contrasting with the heat of the leftover rays left behind by the sun. The ocean's large waves crashing rhythmically against the sand brought calm over your mind, but this didn't seem to have much of an effect over Pearl. She remained tense and shifty, hesitating more and more over what to say.

     "(Y/N). . . I didn't want to surface this matter as quickly as this, but seeing as you're not going to be staying here for long. . ." She paused for a brief moment, a strained smile forcing itself over her face. "I guess I have to make change in plans."

     She made sure you were facing her eyes, and once you did so, she carried on with her words.

     "During the time you were absent on our lives, a great amount of incidents have transpired among us. . . The 'Rubies' Steven told you about earlier were trying to attack us, and the baseball competition we held was only a method of distraction then. We were trying to make them leave the farm, though the plan didn't go too well."

     A sigh broke free from her lips, and one of her pale hands found its way up to her forehead.

     "Plenty other complications followed after that day, and now, we're somehow dealing with a higher threat than those Rubies."

     "Are Rubies. . . literal gemstones?" You questioned, your tone coming off slightly humorous in hopes to lighten up the mood and lift her spirits a bit more.

     "Well, you seem to have caught on to this rather quickly." She chuckled lightly, a hint of warmth returning back to her features. "But, yes. Rubies are Gems, and though it may be hard to explain. . . They tend to mimic and take the shape of the human form, and their own bodies are made entirely out of light."

     Seeing her stand up from the ground, your eyes widened lightly in realization. At times, you would curiously stare at the pearl resting over the middle of her forehead, yet you didn't pay it any bigger mind until now. Now, you couldn't break your gaze away from her gemstone, and the feeling increased after witnessing the pearl glow faintly.

     "I am a Gem myself, and the residents of this home are too." She explained, her posture becoming tense due to her having noticed your bewildered expression. "We. . . We are currently in a rivalry against higher classed Gems, and our missions only seem to get more complicated as the days go on."

     A hand was placed over your shoulder, and you felt slight pressure over your exposed skin, almost as if she were uncertain to carry on with her words.

     "This is why I want to warn you about us. . . A lot of the citizens surrounding us have become affected by living so close to us, and I desire to know if you are willing to stay."

     "But– But of course I'll stay!" You responded, your tone signaling your decisiveness over this matter. "Why would I back away now?"

     "This is much more dangerous than the Rubies infiltrating on our home." She carried on with her words, wanting to make sure you were completely positive about your decision. "All the adventures Steven told you about were just a few of the things we had to go through. . . (Y/N), are you absolutely certain of your decision?"

     You remained quiet for a long while, pondering over her question and the thoughts flooding your mind. Though this did seem to be a complex way of life, you didn't want to stop being by their side, and you'd gone far enough to think about backing away now. If their spontaneous missions were as dangerous and troubling as she painted them out to be, you were going to try to adjust yourself to them. It didn't feel right to you to back away now.

     "I'll stay." You declared, though another thought eventually interfered in your mind. "If I can't keep up with things during these days of my stay, I'll still continue to try again."

     "I am glad to hear that from you." A warm expression was now visible over her face. She returned back to sitting next to you on the border of the beach, and faced you with persistent eyes. "It seems I now have plenty to speak with you." She pointed at the moss flower chain you had tied around your neck. This time, in order to not scald yourself due of its heat, you'd exchanged the metal part for cloth. "Starting from this particular gemstone."

     You let out a soft gasp in shock, blurting out the first question that came across your mind, and clutching gently onto the necklace afterwards in uncertainty. "Is this a living being tied around my neck, then?"

     "Well, not exactly. . . Though this gemstone did show signs of life, it seems it only reacts this way when it has some sort of contact— be it by animals or humans." She explained. "We performed some research over this, and found out that just like how they react to the Sun's warmth to bloom, they react to other kinds of warmth to show their hidden powers."

     You stood with your mouth slightly parted, unable to take in all the information that was currently being delivered to you. It surprised you to see how much you'd gotten to learn about her and her descent in such little time, and you weren't sure on how else could you possibly react to these matters— besides asking some questions and nodding every once in a while.

      Splash!

     Followed by that loud noise was a massive shower of water over your face and clothing.

     You instinctively closed your eyes when feeling the liquid make contact with your body, and after wiping your eye lids for some time, you were able to inspect your surroundings. The first thing that caught your eye was a grinning Amethyst, who was dressed in denim beach shorts and a black swimsuit top.

     "Stop being nerds and join us already! The water's nice." She yelled out from the distance, mischief leaking from her tone.