Quick A/N:

Hello! I would like to apologize for not updating these last two weeks. I've been working on my study schedule and visiting my cousins ever since vacation ended, so I've been more on-and-off on Wattpad than usual.

Updates will still continue to be on Mondays, however. So, without any further delay, I hope you enjoy and see you next week!

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     Garnet pushed open the door belonging to the worn out barn, a low creak emerging from the wood until she finished with that action. She later gestured with her hand for you and the Gems to enter the premises, her lips shaped into a tight line as she witnessed the ruby gemstone in Pearl's hold shake twice. Steven quickly went over to her side once he noticed those movements. With the help of his powers, he bubbled the Ruby, preventing her from taking any sort of abrupt movement while the others dealt with explaining the situation to the residents of the barn.

     The two familiar figures belonging to Lapis and Peridot made themselves apparent over your vision, courtesy of the noise your entrance had made. The green-toned Gem  ran enthusiastically towards you and the others; the blue one simply waved hello, a small grin present as she did so.

     "What brings you here, (Y/N)?" Peridot inquired, an amiable tone present over her words. "It certainly has been a while since we last got to see each other!"

     "We, uh, actually came here for somethin' important." Amethyst intervened, an apologetic expression visible on her features as she glanced a look towards you.

     Pearl caught on to her words, quickly approaching Peridot's side and handing her the bubbled gemstone. The green Gem eyed it curiously, her hand taking hold of it with great caution.

     "Is this. . . one of those Rubies that infiltrated this barn?"

     "Yeah." You muttered, placing a hand over the back of your neck in uncertainty. "I had a bit of a. . . fight with her, and now she won't calm down."

     "So you want us to deal with her now?" Lapis interrogated, the pace of her intervention and tone of her voice leading you to notice her annoyance.

     The Gems nodded at that question before you had the chance to respond, making the blue Gem sigh and place a hand over her forehead in what you labeled as frustration.

     "You know what happened with Navy." She continued, this time crossing her arms over her chest.

     "That doesn't assure this Ruby will be the same as her." Garnet chimed in, her voice leaning more towards the defensive side as she gestured for Peridot to keep the gemstone in her hold.

     Lapis remained quiet for a short while, inspecting both you and your companions from head to toe. Then, she centered her eyes on Garnet, her distrustful expression faltering slightly as she processed her earlier words.

     With visible reluctance, she went over to Peridot's side, inspecting the inactive Gem with narrowed eyes and a pensive frown. It took her a while to finish with those actions, the time spent on this readying her next statement.

     "We'll give it a shot." She heaved out a breath, allowing her muscles to loosen up and her mind to relax as she did so. "Just let Peridot try first."

     Steven went to her side in order to speak with her, whereas Peridot and you smiled gratuitously at her response. Having planned out what to do in terms of interrogating the Ruby, you were able to exit the barn and converse about other topics, the chance of atmosphere proving to be refreshing the further time you spent next to the unoccupied Gems.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

     It had been a long day, full of questions and doubts. Now, however, it was time to relax. Early night had finally arrived over the sky; clouds shielded the moon's faint glow and the stars were plentiful. You observed them while sitting down on the grass, a welcoming silence lulling you into a pacific sleep.

Your surroundings were calm, and though your eyes were closed and your heart beat slowly, a small wave of consciousness was still present over your body. Your ears could catch the noise of faint footsteps approaching you, these stopping after being audibly close to you.

"Oh. . ." A voice, which you could identify Steven's, murmured, his tone signaling surprise.

     You began to open your eyes slowly, the image of his short body and puffy hair making itself present in front of you. He took a step back after noticing you'd woken up, and after he witnessed you stand up, his brows furrowed in concern and his mouth turned into a straight line.

"Sorry for waking you up. I was gonna check to see how you were doing, but. . ." He trailed off, his worry fading away the moment you waved your hand in dismissal, this action being accompanied by your lips tugging into a friendly smile.

"It's okay." You certified, patting down your clothing to brush off the grass that'd clung to the fabric. "I was just dozing off for a while."

Steven smiled back in a brighter manner, his pale and tiny hands gesturing for you to walk with him towards another place. "Let's go then! The Gems and I set up a lil' picnic while Lapis talked with Eyeball."

You nodded to his words, following him with hurried steps. Though it had been a tiring day, the boy still had plenty of energy to burn, and he showed it with the haste pace and bright eyes he kept along the course of the walk. On occasions, he would stop, using this walk as a chance to introduce you to all the diverse locations the farm had. He pointed enthusiastically at a small clearing of water, a large field of crops, and finally, a picnic table currently occupied by four women and a pumpkin-like creature sitting on the wooden surface.

"I found her!" Steven exclaimed, pointing at you once the Gems –and the pumpkin– turned their gazes towards the noise.

You waved at them and watched them huddle close to leave some space for both Steven and yourself, Garnet being the only one to switch places in order to leave Pearl closer to the empty edge of the seat. Amethyst signaled for Steven to sit next to her, leaving him sandwiched between her and Peridot.

After making sure everyone had accommodated themselves properly, you walked over to the remaining space left, sitting right next to Pearl, who was now busily talking to Steven about the extensive time it was taking Lapis to exit the barn. Her hesitant tone showed the worry of not being successful with this mission, though Amethyst soon intervened in on her incessant pondering.

"Chill out for a while." Amethyst spoke up, handing her a pink-tinted can of what appeared to be fruit punch. "I'm sure Lapis can handle her."

"I'm worried she'll escape." Pearl sighed, taking the offered drink in her slim hand, her pointer finger absentmindedly tracing the metallic edges of the can in a slow motion. "Who knows what she'll tell Homeworld if she does so."

The sound of a heavy and aged door being pushed open could be heard from close by, making everyone's gazes focus on the barn, where a blue-toned woman held onto a reddish gemstone, her eyes showing exhaustion after the long period of dealing with the Ruby. She began to walk over towards the picnic table, setting the inactive Gem down on the table as she prepared herself to speak.

     "She won't talk." Lapis exhaled, the rest of the Gems exchanging ambivalent looks and half smiles. "It's better to leave her alone now."

     "Ruff!" The pumpkin creature intervened over the ambience, its small body shaking as it ran towards the blue Gem, carefully pouncing at her torso in order to not damage its own, fragile body.

     Lapis smiled faintly at the gesture, petting the creature in its head with tender and compassionate strokes. You scooted back over your seat on the picnic bench, stopping once bumping lightly into Pearl's shoulder. After meeting with her gaze, you excused yourself over the action, to which she dismissed by giving you a good-natured smile.

     "Take a seat." You offered to the other Gem, hoping to later apologize for the abrupt visit at her and Peridot's home.

     "Thanks." Lapis murmured, holding the dog-like being closer to her body.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

      One in the morning marked on the wall clock near the kitchen, making you realize how much time you'd spent back at the barn. After Lapis suggested everyone left the Ruby alone, the rest of the Gems huddled close at the benches, discussing what actions to take and the repercussions following them.

     Much to their hesitation, they decided it wasn't right to keep the Ruby captive at the burning room. With great reluctance, they placed her unshielded gemstone down on the grassy fields next to the barn, allowing her to run free if she so wished.

     As expected, the gemstone disappeared hours after it was left on the ground, and as a consequence, you couldn't help thinking about where she'd run off to. You wondered if she'd flown off in some sort of hand-built spaceship, or if she was simply wandering about the green area without any sense of direction. These thoughts soon turned into over thinking, something with you weren't up to handling at this current time of day. You found yourself unable to get some shut eye despite your heavy eyelids and constant yawning.

     Steven's home was quiet and so were the people residing in it. Deciding today would be a lost night, you walked over to the exit, making sure not to make too much noise as you pushed open the door. Once stepping foot outside, you were greeted by the calming noise of water rippling, wind blowing through the few trees spread around the home, and waves crashing melodically against the sandy terrains surrounding the empty beach.

     "Are you having trouble falling asleep, (Y/N)?" The interrogation made you freeze on the spot; your blood ran cold the moment you recognized to whom the voice belonged to.

     Pearl was standing next to the railings of the stairs, her posture straight and her eyes focusing on you. Though a smile was visible over her pale complexion, you could see her gaze was furrowed and her shoulders were tensed up, almost as if she were holding something back.

     "I guess I'm not feeling that tired today." You responded, your brows knitting tightly in concern as you prepared yourself to question her over her well-being. "But, how about you? Is everything alright?"

     Pearl's breath hitched at your question, and she looked away from your stare. She placed her hands over the railings, though she eventually released them after feeling the frigid touch of the wooden surface, courtesy of the cool winds and current hour of the day.

     She tried to brush off the question you directed at her by declaring it was nothing trivial to be concerned about, yet she stopped on her acts after hearing you inquire over the matter that'd been bothering her the most since yesterday.

     "Are you. . . worried about what might happen here?"

     Similar to the way you had frozen up at her earlier question, she was currently stuck on place, unable to turn her neck around to face you. She kept facing the ocean and kept holding onto the rails of the balcony, hesitant to say her next words.

     "Yes, that's one of my mayor concerns." She replied in a low tone, her posture shifting as she tried to push her thoughts out in the open. "This. . . planet is filled with all sorts of living beings, and I sincerely wish treasure that for as long as it's possible." Pearl confessed, her wide eyes still looking away from you, and her back being the only thing you could stare upon. "I believe that's why I wanted so strongly for that Ruby to inform us about the situation at Homeworld, as these matters only seem to become more complex the further we investigate them."

"There's still a lot of opportunities left. . ." You mumbled in a distant voice, trying to word out your thoughts in the most understandable way possible. "There. . . There're a bunch more Gems out there, right? At the very least, one of them could be willing thelp with this."

Pearl glanced a rapid look towards you, though she eventually looked back again with warmer eyes. She turned around, finally facing you instead of the night sky, her smile strained though genial, as she took steps closer to you.

You both stared at one another with uncertainty, finding yourselves unable to decide on what to say next. Silence was prominent between you and her, and before you knew it, Pearl placed a hand over your shoulder, her eyes never faltering from your face as she waited for your reaction. You leaned closer to her tall figure, catching on to her movement. Cautiously, she pulled you into a hug, her copper hair tickling your cheek as she lowered her posture to deepen the embrace.

"Thank you for hearing me out." She graced, her voice as low as a whisper, a sigh in relief being slowly released from her chest as she finished with those words.

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