Peridot hung out of the Barn's window, one arm suspended out in space. The harsh summer sun beat down on Peridot's palm. Lapis leaned next to her, eyes glued to Peridot's palm. They remained thus for another minute. Finally, Peridot pursed her lips in effort, and said with finality: "The temperature is 310 Kelvin."
Lapis waved her hand out into the sun's rays. "Feels like it," she concurred.
Lapis retreated as Peridot did the same, spinning around to face her. "This is great, Lapis!"
Peridot scrambled down the stairs, toward the mouth of the Barn, while Lapis flew. On the bottom, the talk continued. Peridot said conspiratorially: "Now that it's so hot, we can finally give Steven…the gift." She rubbed her hands in anticipation.
"Right," agreed Lapis. Using a water arm, she brought out a nearly-finished jug of milk (supplied by an anonymous shades-wearing donor), floating in a round bubble of chilled water, a sack of sugar, rock salt, and a large freezer full of ice. "I have the stuff."
"Oh!" cried Peridot, struck with inspiration. Taking up a slightly more deep voice, Peridot said: "Is that a fact? Leave it on the doorstep and get the hell out of here."
"…" said Lapis, face loosening in a blank stare. Her expression solidified into one of confusion. Then her eyebrows leaped. "Oh. Er…" she assumed a suitably deeper voice and an accent. "Acey said you had some dough for me!"
Peridot grinned, thrusting her hands in the air. "All right, Lapis! You remembered!"
"I did," agreed Lapis with a smile.
Peridot turned and seized a bowl and a clean plastic bag for their gift to Steven, saying, "Now when Steven makes references to movies, we can respond appropriately."
Lapis brought the goods, and settled them down. First, Lapis poured the ice into the large bowl, and generously coated the ice with rock salt. She widened her stance, glanced at Peridot to make sure she was watching, and tossed the ice-salt into the air. The mixture up, stopping a foot from the barn roof; as it came down, Lapis skillfully caught every single piece. Peridot clapped and said: "It's a shame Steven couldn't have seen that." Lapis agreed.
Spreading more salt, she tossed it again, and periodically used her water powers to keep the melting ice as cold as possible. Peridot plucked the milk carton out of the near-freezing water bubble. Her eyes screwed up and her teeth gritted. "YeaaaAAAHHH that's cold…" she hissed as her arm became submerged. The water bubble lost cohesion as soon as the milk carton left. The water snaked out the Barn, into the grass outside.
Peridot began to measure the sugar. She tried to work as quickly as she could, but didn't know how sweet the mixture had to be. Lapis had no idea, so Peridot just thrust her fist into the sugar bag, drawing out a handful. As she transferred the sugar into the bag, some drooled out of her grasp, forming a trail. Peridot sealed the Ziploc and shook it violently. Unsealing the bag, Peridot picked up a bottle vanilla seasoning, and dribbled a little in. After a good shaking, Peridot readied the bag to be submerged in salty ice.
Lapis pawed out a hole for the bag, and Peridot inserted it. Lapis smoothed ice over the bag. "Last bit," said Lapis, pleased with the results so far. Lapis proceed the shake the entire kit and caboodle. Up and down, up and down, for ten minutes. Then left and right, left and right.
Time passed. Lapis uncovered the bag. The rich yellow milk had solidified in the colder-than-273K-temperatures, becoming slush. Lapis shrugged, her lower lip pushed out briefly, her eyebrows leaping up a teeny bit.
"We ready?" asked Peridot, excited.
"Yup," agreed Lapis. "Let's go," she said, showing her excitement subtly.
Peridot and Lapis traveled to the Beach House, Lapis violently shaking the bowl and bag. No ice got to leap out the open-faced bowl, thanks to Lapis's water powers. The heat had intensified over the noontime; this only made Peridot happier-their gift would be even more appropriate!
At the Beach House, Peridot hammered on the screen door, fists creating tiny craters.
Pearl leaned over the board, like Ebenezer Scrooge over his money. Her eyes darted to Amethyst's HOME, where all three of her pawns sat snug, one pawn just one space away from victory. She glanced back at her disgraceful HOME, where only one pawn sat, at her START, where two pawns were, and her pawn trekking to her HOME, passing by Garnet's neck of the woods. Pearl had already been bumped back not once or twice, but THREE times, once by Garnet, twice by Amethyst. She would have sworn they were targeting her. Her pawns always sat next to victory every time her opponents pulled a SORRY! card. She had shuffled the deck herself-she couldn't believe her bad luck.
Her comrade Steven had two pawns at HOME, one at START, and another just one space from a slide. If he could get there, then Steven might be able to score a win! Pearl nibbled her fingers.
"Um, Pearl?" asked Steven.
"Yes, Steven?" Pearl's head whipped around, the very picture of happiness.
"I think you're taking this a little too seriously."
Amethyst sniggered, and Garnet shifted her legs. Pearl's smile widened. "I am calm Steven. I certainly am not letting Amethyst get to me."
Pearl snapped her attention back to the board. What she needed was a strategy-
An explosive knocking shattered whatever plan Pearl had just begun to craft.
"I wonder who that is," said Amethyst, making no move to get up and answer the door.
A smile crept across Garnet's features. "Friends with something special."
"They had better be bringing us victory," sniped Pearl, walking to the door, as tense as a wind-up toy. Pearl let Peridot and Lapis Lazuli in.
Steven greeted them cheerily. "Oh, hey guys! It's really hot isn't it?"
Steven was not prepared for Peridot's enthusiasm. "Yeah! Isn't that great?!" Peridot yelled, rocketing over, seizing Pearl's space. Pearl groused a bit, pacing a little way away.
Garnet chuckled. "Steven, let's take a quick break from the game."
"Wha-aaaat?" protested Amethyst. She grabbed Garnet's shoulder, shaking her in a friendly, but stubborn way. "Garrrnet, we're crushing them! Come on…"
Pearl ran over, agreeing breathlessly. She needed time to craft a flawless victory! Amethyst would not beat her at her own game…!
"Don't worry Amethyst, we still have an excellent chance for victory," said Garnet, reassuring her partner in crime. She adjusted her glasses, giving Steven a sneaky smile. "We're coming for you, Steven…" she said in a sing-song voice.
"Oh, no!" gasped Steven, shielding his head and shoulders in a dramatic way.
Lapis set down the bowl, and presented the dripping wet bag, brimming with marigold slush, to Steven. Peridot supplied him with a spoon. "Homemade ice cream, just for you," said Lapis, settling down by him.
"Ooh! Thanks guys!" Steven accepted their gift happily, returning the favor with a hug each. He dug the spoon into the slurry, and tasted it. The homemade ice cream had a pleasant vanilla taste, accentuated by the sugar. "Whoa, this is sweet!"
"Is that a good thing?" asked Peridot a little nervously. "I thought a handful would suffice…"
Steven, nursing a brain freeze, clarified: "The sugar's fine, Peridot! I just meant that this stuff is awesome!" Peridot returned to her previous perkiness after that.
"So…it's nice and cold?" asked Lapis.
Steven nodded cheerily. "Did you use your water powers?" His eyes turned starry as Lapis confirmed it.
Pearl, yanked from her planning, hovered right behind Steven, watching with a mixture of happiness and disgust. Eventually she said, "…That milk…it's pasteurized, right?"
"What's that?" asked Peridot. Before Pearl could freak out even more, Garnet nodded. "I gave them the milk."
"So you guys had this planned all along!" said Steven, grinning. He'd have to hug Garnet, too.
Amethyst would not sit still when there was food to be had. She watched Steven with puppy eyes, slowly gravitating closer. Pearl stood stiff as a board, then sat right next to Peridot, trying to relax. Peridot gave a squeak of indignation as she fell. Peridot wrinkled her nose, but Pearl could not see her.
"Hours of playing games are taking their toll," Garnet said to Peridot.
Amethyst came within three feet of Steven, eyes larger than dinner plates and shinier than her Gem. Steven gave her a bite, pacifying her.
Garnet resumed the game, as Lapis and Peridot looked on. Peridot became a true kibitz, supplying Pearl and Steven with advice, despite never having played the game. Lapis watched silently, perching her head atop her elbows.
Garnet drew a card. "I have to go back a little," she placed the card down on the discard pile, nudging her pawn onto the square prior. Pearl sucked in her breath as Steven drew a card.
"SORRY!" he yelled, knocking off Garnet's pawn. Garnet clucked her tongue. "You little devil," she chuckled. Peridot squealed, "Knock off Amethyst's pawn!" not knowing Steven couldn't do that.
Pearl drew next, an eleven card. She moved forward eleven spaces. Peridot commented, "Maybe you should have switched with Steven's pawn." Pearl ignored her.
Amethyst had her turn. She drew a three. Sighing, she discarded the card.
The game progressed. Pearl lost her last bit of chill howling at Peridot to shut up as Amethyst drew a lucky one and won the game for her team.