"Pearl, do you have any family?"
An innocent enough question, asked while folding shirts next to the washer and dryer high atop the Gem Temple. It was a warm spring day, and the weather could not be better. Seagulls glided on the wind, calling to each other. Steven Universe had been watching them for a few minutes, seated on the teleport pad as Pearl finished the laundry. She regarded him as she put the clothing into a basket. Her hesitation brought Steven's head around to look at her.
"Why would you ask that, Steven," Pearl finally said.
"Well, I was just curious," the boy replied. "I mean, I have a dad. Rose Quartz was kinda my mom. And I know Gems are created in the earth. But what about brothers and sisters? Cousins? Aunts and uncles and creepy old grandparents and that one family member no one ever mentions out of shame?"
Pearl blinked, and then laughed lightly. "Oh, Steven! You have the strangest ideas sometimes." She sat down next to him and looked out over the water. "Since we are born in a planet's crust, we don't have what you would consider mothers or fathers. But sometimes two Gem seeds will be planted together by accident, and will grow alongside each other. And when they emerge, those two Gems will have a relationship much like human siblings. It's pretty rare though, and such siblings often separate. But they do stay connected to each other in a metaphysical way."
"Metawhosit," Steven asked, confused. "What's that?"
"Metaphysical," the Gem corrected gently, turning her head to look at him. "It means they stay in touch in more than a physical sense. It's as if they only need to think about their sibling, and they'll know if they're alright or not."
"Like Garnet's future site," Steven said with a nod.
"Sort of." Pearl turned away from him again to stare longingly out over the ocean. "I think of Garnet, Amethyst and you as my family, but I don't have that kind of connection with any of you. It's something that runs... so much deeper..."
She paused, and Steven wondered what she was thinking. "Pearl? Are you alright?"
Pearl gazed at the horizon for a few more seconds before sighing, then stood up. "Come on, Steven. Let's get this laundry put away, then it's time for training. Connie should be here soon." She picked up the basket and rejoined Steven, who had stood and was waiting on the pad. They both teleported down into the temple, and Pearl handed him the basket. "Come to my room when Connie gets here. We have a busy day ahead of us." She then turned and walked toward the multidimensional door that served as access to the Gems' rooms.
"Pearl?" She stopped just inside the door and looked back at him. "Did you have a sibling?"
"No," Pearl replied, her voice hard and cold, and the door sealed shut.
Steven stood there for a moment, scratching his head, then walked to his loft to put away his clothes. Pearl was acting sort of weird there. I wonder... The door opening interrupted his thought process and he turned to see Connie step inside, sword tied across her back and a gym bag over her shoulder.
"Hey, Steven," she said happily, waving to him.
"Hi, Connie," he replied and descended the stairs. "Want a munchie before we go in?"
"Oh, absolutely yes," Connie replied, setting her sword and bag on the coffee table. "I forgot to make myself lunch before I left. My parents were being weird again." She joined Steven in the kitchen as he made them some jam biscuits. She opened the fridge and pulled out a pitcher of juice, then grabbed a pair of glass cups and filled them. "Man, it's almost like I live here lately."
"I don't mind," Steven replied as he brought over the snack. "We get to be Jam Buddies every day! Who could not want that?"
Connie laughed and took a biscuit. "Some crazy person, maybe." She bit into the jam-coated biscuit and chewed contently. She then noticed that Steven had gone silent for a moment. "Is everything alright, Steven?"
Steven stared at his jam biscuit for a minute. "I think Pearl has a sibling."
"You mean like a sister?"
"Yeah. I asked her if she had any family members today. She said no, but the way she said it..."
"Maybe she died in that big war you told me about. I can't imagine how it would feel to lose someone like that."
"Maybe..."
"Connie, your form is excellent," Pearl said as she watched her spar with a hologram Pearl. "But keep your eyes on your opponent. They will take advantage of any distraction."
Connie nodded and moved in to attack. Steven, meanwhile, had rolled away from his own opponent, having ducked underneath it's sword. His own swung out and caught the hologram on the calf, cutting right through and toppling it. It burst into pixels and disappeared as he stood with a triumphant grin, then raced over to block a swing Connie wouldn't be able to block. His shield knocked away the sword, giving her the opening she needed to dart in and skewer the hologram, bursting it as well. She looked back at Steven and grinned as well. It may have been hard work and left them sweaty, but she couldn't help but feel pride for her growing skill and her partnership with this strange yet fun boy. They high fived as Pearl walked over, clapping proudly.
"Well done, you two. You've both really improved since Steven joined. I'll have to put you against fifteen next time."
"And we'll beat 'em down too," Steven exclaimed raising his sword and formed shield over his head. Connie joined him, saying, "Because Jam Buddies are unbeatable!"
"Well, whatever Jam Buddies are, you've both earned a few days off from training. We'll start up again next week. For now, let's return to the temple. You both need a shower."
As they stepped off the teleport pad at home, Connie's phone began buzzing. She stepped away from the others to answer as Pearl and Steven sat down on the couch. Steven looked at Pearl for a moment before speaking. "Uh, Pearl?"
"What is it, Steven?"
"I'm sorry I upset you earlier, with the whole sibling talk thing."
Pearl blinked. "Upset me? Why do you think I was upset?"
"Well, you kinda slammed the door when you went into your room."
"Steven, that's physically impossible."
"I know, I know, it's not actually a door you can slam. But the way you acted there was kinda... telling."
Pearl stared at him for a moment, then turned her body and hugged him. "I'm sorry I worried you, Steven. I should know better than to try to keep things from you. You're a smart boy, despite how you act sometimes. And sometimes I can forget that."
Steven hugged her back. "It's okay. Sometimes I forget too." They both had a laugh and pulled apart just as Connie walked back into view, still talking on her phone.
"No, mom, I'm not ready to come home... Because I'm doing something with Steven... Of course it's not dangerous... It's just a something... Because I should get to have privacy too! I'm a teenager! We like to do things without our parents being involved!"
Pearl and Steven glanced at each other worriedly as Connie practically yelled into the phone.
"I'll be home before nine alright? ...I'll having dinner with Steven, obviously. Did you think I just wouldn't eat? ...Because you said nine was curfew! We talked about it this morning before I left! Why do you always do this? I'm a big girl! I can take care of myself! And I'm with Steven and Pearl! Do you really think they'd let anything happen to me? Ugh!" She mashed the call end button, then threw her phone across the room just as Amethyst and Garnet teleported in. It bounced off of Amethyst, who fell backwards with a yelp, and stuck in Garnet's hair.
"Hey! What the heck?"
"Ohmigosh! Sorry Amethyst! I didn't mean to!"
"Your parents" Garnet asked, plucking the phone from her hair an handing it back to Connie. Amethyst stood up rubbing her forehead.
"Yeah," Connie replied, looking down at the floor for a minute before meeting Garnet's gaze again. "They're so nosy! They've been calling nearly every hour to check on what I'm doing! It's drivingme crazy!"
"They're just worried about you," the large Gem said as she sat down on the couch. "They want you to be safe."
"But they know I'm safe! I'm with you guys!"
"Dunno if you've noticed, Connie," Amethyst quipped as she flopped down on a cushion on the floor. "But we don't exactly have the safest job. If I was your parents, I'd be worried too."
"Yeah, but..."
"They're just being parents," Pearl said. "It makes them feel better knowing what you're doing."
Connie sighed and sat down next to Steven. "Yeah, I know. I just wish they'd back it off a bit is all."
Seeing an opportunity to change the subject, Steven looked to Garnet. "How did your search go?"
Garnet looked up at Pearl before replying. "It was alright..." On the floor, Amethyst pointedly looked at the ceiling.
Pearl noticed. "Did you run into Peridot?"
"Not exactly," Amethyst said.
"Then, what?"
"Not in front of the kids," Garnet said, looking away.
"It's okay," Steven said as he stood up. "We need to go shower anyway."
Connie grabbed her bag and followed him out the door. "Wonder what that was about," she said as they walked down to the beach.
The pair made their way around the cliff side to where the beach showers were set up. During the summer, they'd be in constant use from the tourists and beach goers. But the rest of the year, only Steven used them. The building was fairly large, and was sectioned off for male and female users. The dividing wall, however, didn't go all the way up to the ceiling, so talking to someone on the other side wasn't hard when the place was empty.
"What do you think they found," Connie yelled over her shower.
"I dunno, but I hope it's something interesting! Maybe a real live Dogcopter!"
"That would be cool! Or a warehouse filled with Cookie Cat sandwiches!"
"Aww why'd you have to mention Cookie Cat? Now I really want one..."
They chatted more while they finished their showers, and met up again outside. They were about to start back to the temple when a man called out to them.
"Excuse me," he said as he caught up to them. I'm looking for the Gem Temple. Is that around here somewhere?"
Steven looked him over. He was tall and strong looking, but at the same time looked agile and flexible. He wore a light Hawaiian shirt over a black undershirt with some sort of design, and denim shorts that looked a bit baggy. Black work boots covered his feet and his hands wore a pair of fingerless gloves, the right one looking like it had an actual diamond sewn into the fabric. A pair of blue tinted goggles rested just below his very light blonde hair, finishing off his look.
"It's right around the corner," Steven replied. "What business do you have with the Gems?"
"Just visiting old friends," the man said with a smile. "We go way back."
"Well, we're heading there now," Connie said. "We can walk you there."
"I appreciate it," he replied, and they set off.
"How long have you known the Gems?"
"Years and years. We've had many adventures together. Though, we kind of parted on bad terms last time."
"And you're hoping to make up with them then?"
"You got it, kid." The group rounded the corner and came into view of the carving that made up the cliff face. The man whistled as he looked up at it. "Man, that is a sight."
"You've never seen it before?"
"Nope. Saw a few pictures, but never in person."
Pearl could be seen standing on the balcony. "Hey Pearl," Steven yelled. "We brought a friend!"
Pearl looked down with a smile. That turned into a snarl. She leapt off the deck, forming her spear as she dove at the man, a war shout tearing from her throat. The man shoved the confused children out of the way before back flipping away from Pearl's impact.
Steven and Connie collected themselves, coughing as the dust and sand settled, and looked over to see the man wielding a brilliant curved sword in each hand, both holding Pearl's spear at bay. Pearl pushed against him, gritting her teeth. "Diamond!"
The man, Diamond, grinned at her. "Hello, Pearls. Miss me?"