Diamond Manor was an old, towering estate on the edge of a lake. It was an old home, kept in shape by two hundred years of housekeeping and remodeling. As beautiful and clean as it was, it was never home to Pearl. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw it. White marble floors, Pale gray walls, and all the cleaning supplies she was forced to use to keep them in just that shape. She used to sing a song as she scrubbed the foyer. As her once manicured hands pruned from the suds, she'd remind herself that enduring this was true strength.
"I know that I can be strong in the real way. I want to inspire them, I want to be their rock and when I talk, it lights a fire in them."
They were her sisters, Rose, Sapphire and Amethyst. Sometimes they'd join her, filling the husk of a home with joyful noise.
But now Pearl cleans a beach bungalow, her own home, and her only family is her nephew, Steven. Rose had him in prison, and a social worker deemed her the only fit parent and dropped the baby off at her door.
Fourteen years passed, and Pearl stopped wondering why Rose did what she did to get behind bars, and why she chose Greg of all people to start a family with. Now all she wonders is how she's going to take care of the boy.
"What'cha thinking about, Pearl?" Steven asked, tapping his fingers on the kitchen counter.
Speak of the devil!
He cocked his head. "You kinda stopped in the middle of chopping onions. You're crying too!"
"Oh! Nothing. It's just the onions, they always make me cry."
Steven picked up an un-chopped onion and raised it to his face. "What did you say to Pearl? Meanie!"
That made her laugh. Her nephew was always the comedic relief around the house. "Oh, Steven. They told me my nose is too long."
"But I love your nose! Pointy is in style."
She scraped the knife along her cutting board, pushing a mountain of diced onions into a pot. "Huh. I suppose it is, but what do you know about style?" She gave him a tired laugh and pointed to the clothes his dad gave him.
"Ohhh, roasted! You mean this old frock? Connie likes it," the boy retorted, chuckling back. His aunt wasn't making fun of him, he knew that, and he was willing to laugh at himself too. "At least someone thinks these things look good."
"Connie? Who's that? A girlfriend?"
"Noooo, silly. She's only twelve, that's too young for me. I'm fourteen. But Connie came out of the wall of a crater I used to play in, she lives down there."
"So... she came out of a mountain?"
"Yeah. She had no idea who she was except that her actual name was Cinnibar. Dad says he used to take care of her after he got off parole. Now she kinda wanders, but I see her sitting by her hole sometimes."
Pearl could feel herself pale. "Wh... what? Steven, this doesn't sound like any twelve year old girl. Should I be concerned?" But then she stopped. There were three faces at the screen door, all eyes peering in at the two. "Is that one her, Steven? Cinnibars are brown, right?" She pointed to a woman with caramel skin and blue hair.
"That's racist, I'm Polynesian," the woman joked, waving at the two. "My name's Lapis. Lapis Lazuli? I'm interviewing to rent out your barn."
Color filled Pearl's face again. "Ohh, thank the stars. We thought you were an alien that came out of a- you know what? That's not important."
"Cinnibars are more reddish than brown," came a voice from the kitchen. Steven was behind the stove now, pouring more broth into the soup. "Oh! Pearl, is this stuff for them?"
"Yes, Steven. Thank you for refilling that!" She directed her attention back at the couple at the barn, who smiled back. "Come on in! I made soup if you're hungry."
Lapis' shorter friend Peridot snorted. "Ha. Your kid is so helpful! If only ours made lunch for us," she mused, gesturing to a mutt sitting by her feet. She scratched her head, and cooed, "You might be useless, but you're a pretty dog, yes you are!"
Unfortunately, that's when the dog caught a whiff of soup, and dashed into the kitchen without even bothering to wipe her feet on the mat.
"Pumpkin, no!" Lapis shouted, dashing in to grab the dog's leash. "I'm so sorry! She's so well behaved... unless there's food."
Steven stepped down from his stool and knelt down to pet the dog. "It's no big deal! She's so cute!"
Lapis sighed a breath of relief, thankful these people weren't sticks in the mud and that Pumpkin didn't bother them.
That's when Peridot and Pearl joined them in the kitchen, and Pearl asked, "so how about we get this interview started?"
"Sure," Peridot mused, taking out a notebook and pen. "Where should I sit?"
"Right here," Pearl gestured to the couch, while picking up two bowls of vegetable soup for her guests. She set them down, then proceeded to sit with them. "So," she finally said, "Where are you two from?"
Lapis offered a gentle smile, but Steven could feel the woman's mood drop. It was like she was running from something.
"Peri and I are originally from Jersey, but I felt really trapped in there. Everyone was so hostile. We just needed a change of pace, I suppose." She bit her lip, reaching for her friend's hand.
"I uh... Lapis doesn't like talking about Jersey. It's one of her triggers."
"Oh. I didn't realize… So you're moving in with her to protect her, then? And to help her out with the anxiety?"
Peridot squeezed Lapis' hand. "Sort of. But we're actually moving in together because we're married."
"Aww, cute! When's your anniversary?" Steven asked from the kitchen. He had pumpkin in his lap, the two of them seated on the floor.
The lovebirds chuckled, blushes dusting their cheeks. The blue haired woman was the only one with guts to speak, and she muttered, "we got hitched last night, actually. We were just passing through Empire City and decided it was time to tie the knot. We've been together six years, though."
"Ah! I see. So a lovely dog, a stable relationship... What about jobs? Do you have any of those yet?" Pearl asked.
She was met with silence.
"So... not yet. You're going to need jobs, but I'll give you the first month free of rent while you both look for one."
"That's too kind of you. See, Laz? I told you everyone in my hometown was nice."
"Oh, you're from here?"
"Yeah. We went to school together. I was the kid who hacked the school news in 8th grade and played that compilation of Amethyst burping."
"That was you?! I had no idea you were friends with her. ...That video was an atrocity, though. How did you even get that footage?"
As the two chatted on, Steven held up a carrot for the dog. "Hey Pumpkin, sit!"
The dog did as she was told, and he tossed her a carrot. She jumped, catching it midair.
"That was fun. Okay, now lay down."
Pumpkin immediately laid down, and Steven sat the treat in front of her face. Pumpkin didn't even flinch- she was waiting for him to give the okay.
"Get the treat, Pumpkin!"
And then the second carrot was gone. As he was reaching for another, Peridot noticed his shirt sleeve dangling by the open flame of the stove.
Almost instantly, she reacted. His shirt was on fire, but the shorter woman was there with the house's fire hydrant.
"Stop drop and roll while I pull the pin," she called, fumbling with the thing. Eventually, she got it, and sprayed along Steven's arm. Within seconds, the fire was out.
"STEEEEVENNN! Oh thank the stars you're alright!" Pearl yelled, grabbing hold of her kid's arm and looking it over. "Second degree burns. I have salve for this. Don't worry, I'll fix it."
"Oh come on, don't worry about me. I'm okay."
Pearl turned, staring up at Peridot and Lapis. "You!" She shouted as she stood up on her feet. The air suddenly turned cold.
The taller of the two held it together, despite the way her hands were shaking. Confrontation was never her strong suit. "I'm sorry," she cried, barely aware of the tears rolling down her face. "We'll leave town, we promise. We'll pay for his hospital bills. We'll-"
"I owe you a huge debt for saving him. You can live in the barn."
Lapis let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and began to gasp with sobs. "Oh my stars. It's all okay. We actually did it. We have our home," She said, grinning ear to ear.
The blonde woman chuckled from her place next to Steven. "The way you're so emotional reminds me of my sister. She was hopelessly in love like that once."
It was Steven's turn to chime in. "That doesn't sound like Amethyst to me."
"That's because it isn't. Her name was Sapphire."
"Was…?" Steven asked cautiously. His heart dropped when he didn't get a response. "Oh."