Winter Blues
The earth is uplifted by a mighty blow. Savage, raw power channeled through a fist. Chunks rain down after a short trip to the heavens. A hard shoulder is anointed by a healthy slab of rock; it neither bends nor breaks. What does break is the rock. She steps over the remains, first in a strut, then quickly gains speed into a full on dash, heavy feet stomping, leaving deep impressions in the grass. Powerful thighs rub with enough force to start kindling. Arms swing. Sweat trickles out of that thicket of hair, so course and black and square. With a grunt extruded through clamped teeth she throws another punch. Something shrieks unholy startling a few birds.
Patchwork skin like a hobo's bindle. This creature though, wasn't full of over ripened food plucked from a garbage bin. An arm full of veins that ran like streams, knuckles of thick protruding bone stretches the skin white when the hand grabs hold of a bicep.
Teeth grit as the socket it pulled taught. The joint ready to slip. Imaginary bones threaten to break. Yet the woman bears through it all, digs a foot in and leavers her unrestrained fist at anything she can. Immediately the monster is forced back; yet tries to take her whole arm to go.
"I got'cha, G!" Says a very fuzzy tumble weed spinning their way. Bouncing in the air the ball of hair unravels to reveal a short woman with a whip, which she cracks across the monsters forearm. In a blazon show of power the cracker on the very tip pulses with energy as it cuts through the flesh. There is no blood or cartilage, the forearm simply splits apart leaving a clean flat stump.
The limb is motionless, fingers lifeless; they'd marred the dirt with a blunt scratch. With not a pause the monster simply leaves this piece of itself behind, stepping over it. Its thumb shaped head turns as a sharp noise pierces the air. Something long and glistening sticks out of its shoulder. The monster brushes it off with its stump arm.
A voice calls, breath freezing as the words are expelled, "Garnet, what do we do? Our weapons don't seem to have any effect on it." Gem glinting in her forehead, Pearl, brushes the side of her coral colored hair. It is so easy to fall back into old habits, to forget what you can do. Yet all she can do is worry. Summoning another spear from her gem she hurls it with as much effectiveness as it had before. Her mind is split, unable to let her concentrate on what is before her. All it can do is worry.
That momentary lapse, that split second when she loses focus, almost spells disaster. Pearl finds herself tumbling in the grass. When she comes to a stop there is a weight on her chest connected to a hand. The short chubby arm gropes her for a moment before painfully using Pearl like a crutch to sit up. Amethyst leans back admiring Garnet as the gem gives another powerful punch.
"Oooo, right in the gut." The gem hisses through her teeth, hand closing into a fist as she wallops empty air.
Pearl feels something hairy tickling her thighs and shins. With a grunt she manages to at least sit up even with the gem still atop her. Round cheeks and double chinned. Hair covers one eye. Pearl brushes it aside so that she can see into both of them. So, she could find quiet in her thoughts.
A loud crack as something hard hits something less equally so. Garnet rises onto strong legs. The gems gently placed in each of her palms protected by the thickness of her gauntlets. Her fists clench with a solid sound.
In the light of the sun so dully blazing the head shaped oddly like a thumb rises to its full height. Thick frothy lines of drool hang from its lipless mouth. Sharp teeth, yellowed, and full of chunks of dirt stuck like cavities between the gums. The thing must have been munching on rocks, how...unhygienic. Its shoulders swung oddly like a gorillas as it tries to move like one with only one full arm for support, chased by the gem with a very heavy hourglass figure.
Those large thighs piston, arms swinging, hot breath chugging through thick and full lips, so flawless and unworried by teeth. They were perfect, unlike the smattering on her gauntlets. Bits of the scenery wedged in the knuckles. A chip, near the wrist. Sweated brow furrowed behind thick sunglasses. They hid her surly eyes; all three of them.
As the beast ran away, or more aptly, was coming their way, the world spun and nature found its way across her body, in her hair, and, unfortunately also found its way into her mouth. Pearl was wishing she could remove her tongue so that she might throw it in with a load of wash. That does remind me, I have to do a load tonight. Oh Steven, what did you and Connie get up to? He told me they were doing some kind of arts and crafts project, but...so much glitter could hardly make anything that spectacular. What a silly boy, Pearls thoughts natural bubbled with joy at the prospect. Not only was cleaning a healthy hobby, but very good for getting out her frustrations.
When Pearl cleaned the pebbles out of her ears she finds Amethyst smirking. So irritating a facial expression, "Get yo head in the game Peeee!" Such exuberance put forth into words. Such scorn Pearl felt for them; but, they were a helpful pick-me-up. As Pearl not so kindly slipped her slight legs underneath, planting her feet upon Amethysts belly. Pearl gave a hard shove. The short, weighty gem flew impressively far. An echoing shout that ends in an oomph.
Amethyst rolls through her own hair. It floods down her back, creeps over her shoulders. She pulls apart the strands that cover her eyes to behold the sight of the odd Franken-gem belching wildly, arm flailing, that stump needlessly swinging, and Pearl, who could easily be drunk through a straw, with her spear stuck in the gems chest; hands wringing and twisting the shaft, struggling to hold all that weight, to keep it from collapsing atop her in a tangle of muscles.
"Pearl!" The shout comes from two different voices. Garnets was always robust, yet easily worn after a short time of speaking, and Amethyst talked so much her throat naturally had a crinkle.
Fingers tightened and the rest of her body springs into action as Garnet runs. Amethyst copies her fellow gem warrior.
Under that hard and unforgiving body, hands becoming sweaty, muscles throbbing, hair still good though, swept back behind her scalp. However, Pearl's sash had a tear, probably from Amethyst. She could have been gentler, thought the gem, able to still be sensible even under such circumstances. Skin chaffing as the spear slid in her palms. Pain, none to pleasurable; it never was, why would it be? Not for her. Maybe Amethyst liked her to be a little rough. Pearl didn't like doing it, but, this was a request; and Pearl always aimed to please.
Those thoughts, about the small gem, gave the mental equivalent of a hard slap, enough to jostle Pearls brain into the precise way of thinking. Teeth bit down on a thin lip to keep down an unseemly grunt. The gem beast found itself, somehow, overpowered by such a tiny and frail woman. Body leveraging and tilting sideways; broad back exposed.
"GARNET!" Pearl shouts.
The answer came as a loud, almost roar of a grunt. Her blow was merciless. Muscles would have been torn if they had been real. Garnet felt the strain as the solid thing she hit refused to budge. Refused to give. So reasonably she had no choice but to put more power in her punch, cocking her shoulders to throw the entirety of her weight, and last scrap of strength, into this final punch.
Like a balloon drifting into a pin the patchwork skin seemed to pop with the same ease; a cloud of smoke is released with its demise too.
Pearl picked herself up, fixing the bow that had migrated lower, to her hips. Brushed the dirt off her elbows and knees and anywhere else, "Thank you, Garnet." The gem said breathily after she'd finished preening.
The foot taller gem gave a nod.
"This would'a been a heck of a lot easier if Steven were here." Coming up sneakily behind Pearl, Amethyst delivered a teeth clenching clap to the gems bottom; Pearl reflexively stiffened. The plum colored gem studied the ugly colored rock sticking out of the dirt. Hideous brown and yellow congealed like a week old burrito left in the sun.
This sickening colored sesame red gem with its chipped exterior was scooped out of the dirt when a bubble encapsulated it. Suspending the gem in the center of the bubble, which rested safely in that strong hand, "Steven needs his rest." Garnet said as she adjusted her sunglasses, which flashed. With the simple jitter of her fingers the bubble disappeared in a sparkle of light; the gem gone, with only a dissipating low echo like the sound of Amethysts stomach after she finally reached the limit stuffing herself.
With the bubbled gem safely tucked away back in the temple, Garnet turned and started off in the direction of the warp pad, chasing the heels of turquoise colored flats which had a head start.
"Awe-a! Can't we take some time out and congratulate ourselves. Steven's always telling us we need to do more a that junk." The gem gave chase. Those short legs had to work extra to catch up. Garnets square hair was the only thing to move, her arms stiff and stapled to her sides. While Pearls hands were spending time picking at each other across her chest. Amethyst watched each of their backs. One so thin of waist yet broad shouldered. The other just thin up and down and wherever you looked, like a living street lamp. The nose was the place where the bulb hung from.
A few snickers made it to the front of the procession. They fell onto such sensitive ears, yet the gem who made the noise wasn't trying to cover it up anyway. Pearl didn't know what Amethyst found so funny, but for some reason the gem found her cheeks warming none the less.
. . .
Face and neck are flushed a deep pink, like he'd run a marathon, from his bed. The covers jittered with his shivering limbs even though he is under three layers. The first was the trusty tried and true: a blue blanket he's had since childhood. Where Pearl keeps it, he doesn't know. The sweet, compassionate, gem always brings it out when he needs it most. There were two other blankets of increasing thicknesses overtop his favorite.
The fuzzy quilt of his blue blanket tickled his nose but Steven didn't feel a thing. His body felt weightless. Possibly, the burden of the covers is keeping him from floating to the ceiling with its unevenly cut boards, which Steven counted like sheep. Growing dizzy after the fourth row he shut his eyes to breathe, raspy, congested, like a swamp packed in his lungs.
An empty house. All the fun was outside, not that he could hear any of it with all the windows closed, but Steven could hear the houses joints shift like an old man with a bad back.
A fit of giggles tumbled forth from the warmth of the blankets. Steven thought of his dad when he heard the groans the house made, a running hose in one hand, a sudsy sponge in the other, hunched over while driving the base of a balled up fist into the spot in his lower back, hoping to work out the kinks. A shrill gasp when the soap snuck down his waistline.
Steven wished his dad could be here, or anyone, to keep him company. Connie couldn't, she had violin lessons (her mom started making her go to them again) and Steven suspected that Doctor Maheswaran wouldn't want her daughter around sick little boys.
A sharp cry from a seagull had the boys head whipping to the window by the bed. Steven blinked the stars away but saw nothing else there when they dispersed. Only a cliff and the sky. Full, blue, and daylight out, something that should be taken advantage of; Steven grumbled into his blankets. Pulling them over his face. His fuzzy blue blanket tickled his nose again, but still he couldn't feel it. The weight of all three blankets pressing down made it hard to breathe and when he came up for air it was refreshing, yet made him shiver too. Like coming up from a dive only to find you've drifted towards the Arctic Ocean, greeted by a friendly polar bear on an iceberg.
Silence wasn't enjoyable and the gems would be mad if Steven went to the big donut. Maybe Pearl or Garnet could get him something...later, he thought, when Steven felt a queasy stir inside his belly, Amethyst can't be trusted, was the other reason why he only included two out of three. After all, the big donut had some mighty tasty donuts.
"They make you go-nuts!" Arms struggle to wiggle in the air like they don't care. Strength quickly leaving they fell and smacked Steven in the face. "Ouch." The boy sniffled, feeling a numbness on his lip where he had struck himself. Then, for some very unexplainable reason Steven began to laugh. Loud, hard, and long. Making the vacant room sound as if it were hosting a hundred people. Steven laughed, and laughed. Eyes watering. Nose leaking oodles of snot, both green, and thick. The pain: forgotten. His current misery: forgotten.
A vibrant hum as the room began to flow with energy. A sharpness, like thousands of shards of glass falling with the brilliant light flooding the room. The warp pad dimmed then went dead again. Standing on its pristine and flawless surface were three people Steven was very much happy to see. His cheeks inflating with a smile.
"Hey guys." The boy croaked.
"Steven. You should be sleeping." Said Pearl, first to step off and cross through the wooden framework separating the house from the temple; feet squeaking on the polished floor.
A hand pressed against Steven's forehead. It wasn't clammy or wet or even cold like Connie thought. A gems hand feels much like any normal human's would, even a bit better. To Steven, the gems touches were like bathing in the sun. Not a horrible hot sun that turned him red, but a gentle, spring or fall kind. Just warm enough. As if Steven had strayed into a beam of light coming through a window. It was so good in fact that he found it hard to keep his eyes open, or keep his smile from showing some teeth.
Pearls hand strayed, fingers combing through his messy hair which had lost a lot of its puff. As it crawled to the back of his neck, her face turned thoughtful, nose pointed, tongue visibly rolling around inside her mouth as she pondered verbally.
"You don't feel warmer, so that's good. Open." She instructed. Steven gave a loud ah sound as he opened his mouth. "Hmmmmmmm..." Pearl's thoughtful hum turned tuneful, unbeknownst to her knowledge.
When she let go Steven scrubbed his tongue over his lips to get the spit flowing again. It projected a few drops onto Pearl. The gem, ever so calmly wiped away what got on her; though her lips seemed to stretch tighter as she tried to put on her best face.
A snort came with the clicking of shoes, Amethyst appeared on the top of the steps to the loft. When she reaches the bed she holds out a cup to Steven. The boy accepts, yet before he can take a sip-flooding his dry throat with relief-the cup is taken hold by the rim by some very stiff fingers.
"No, you can't drink milk Steven. Amethyst, he can't drink this. It'll make him congested."
"But i'mb already conjusted." The boy throws one arm for the glass, wanting the relief that it offered, the other slides under his nose to mop up what leaked. Pearl plucks a tissue from the box on the nightstand and presses it to Steven's face.
"Blow." The gem demonstrates by doing so through her lips.
Eyes roll-and Pearl feels a little sad by the sass she's received for only looking out for Steven's well being-Steven does his best to hold a breath and force pressure through his blocked nose. There is a faint hiss, dry, and un-wet, from the left nostril.
"Harder." Voice encouraging, Pearl pinches tighter hoping to help entice something from that stuffy nose. Wanting to give Steven some kind of relief.
"I'm try-ying." Words muffled, Steven accidentally takes a bit of the tissue into his mouth. The boy spits it out angrily then pushes Pearls persistent hand away. A frustrated gasp as he tries to breath.
The tissue is disposed of in the kitchen trashcan which stood guard by the boy's bedside since the first sniffle. As was the medicine, the tissue box, thermometer (which was thoroughly rinsed after each use), cough drops (which Steven detested because although the package promised that they were cherry flavored was not the case because they tasted indescribably nasty), and lastly his phone (so his dad and Connie, could call or text him to see how he was doing). Connie texted every two hours like clockwork. Sometimes to update him of the things she had heard on the message boards about rumors during the winter break for under the knife. Other times it was with tips from her mom on how to combat the cold. His dad called every time there was a lull at the carwash.
Greg's worry wasn't necessary. Pearl had this down. She knew precisely what to do. Had thoroughly done her homework on the subject; Steven was in good hands. The best, if Pearl could boast a bit about her excellent care practices.
Well, now she can.
The wind had made it especially chilly (not that gems felt cold), her hair flustered out of shape. One of many days spent staring out of the temple entrance with the goddess's hand providing protection, which instead of shielding a houses roof as it did in the future, was only covering Pearl as she waited. Since Steven came along, most of her time had been spent waiting, and waiting, and waiting for him to come see her.
A magical sound much like the curtains being drawn to reveal that the magicians assistant had in fact been turned into a beautiful striped tiger, although this was simply the temple door opening; nothing spectacular. Pearl was joined, not at the hip as Steven liked to put it later on, by Amethyst. The scuffing of her white boots on the rocky entrance followed a chaotic rhyme. But it was her way of telling Pearl she was there. No spooking her as she loved to do sometimes. More so when Steven was around, and more so, much later on when Pearl's broken heart finally healed.
The smile had more to do with who was coming rather than seeing the short gem at the moment, but Amethyst did not need to know that, "Did you need something, Amethyst?" Pearl turned her chin down and ever so to the side so that she might aim an ear to better hear her with. Eyes swimming into focus from the depths of her thoughts.
Amethyst batted the bangs covering her eye; however, they simply swung back into place when she shrugged. "Nah, just came out for some fresh air." Now, of course, gems didn't particularly need air. Amethyst seemed even more likely to need hers to be fresh. Pearl was under the assumption that by the smells coming from the gems room that the staler the smell, even more so to say stronger too, the better.
In this moment like some that had come before when they were alone together, it seemed that, for some reason, there should be more than silence. That there should be more chatter. But Amethyst never said what she wanted to.
So she stayed for a few minutes longer then left, back inside. When next the door opened (Pearl did not know how much time had passed), it was a taller presence than before standing beside her. Where Pearl was lithe and elegant, Garnet was strong and immovable. Nothing could stop the gem. Pearl envied that very much. Wished she could feel that complete.
But that chance is gone now, Pearl thinks as she gently leans her nose against her shoulder as she looks over it. The vibrant white door to the inner sanctum of the temple stands still, but there is a faint glow of use from two of the five gems arranged in a star. The magnificent pink quarts atop the star had been inert for some time now. Pearl turns away.
The ocean sighs, a weak green under a cloudy sky. Waves froth and roll. Large divots the size of Greg's van have been dragged into the ocean by force. Pearl frowns. I should fill them in. Steven could get hurt if he falls into one. He was frail, unlike his mother. That was Greg's fault though, making Steven less durable. Then the sigh slips, and slips hard. They wouldn't like me thinking like this, Pearl takes a glance at Garnet. I shouldn't think like this, a remark upon herself, designed to make her feel the weight of her guilt at what she had only contemplated. She couldn't help it, they just come. Sometimes fleeting, and sometimes to stay for a while. That is...
How far away a voice can carry, bouncing off the cliff, it sounded so big coming from a boy so small. A hand outstretched and waving frantically. "Peeeeeearlll, Gaaaaarnet." Steven bellows. A worn red jacket too big for him is zipped up to his nose. The jacket drapes past his knees, making his chunky legs struggle in the sand. The hood had fallen off from the wind. Breath caught in a gust. When he reaches them Steven is red faced and a long string of slimy boogers drips over his lips and towards his chin
"Hey guys." Lips part spewing forth snot onto the sacred temple ground. Even at eight years old it was hard teaching him manners.
Pearl made an effort to keep the repulsion from contorting her lips. One would think she would be used to pieces falling off of a human body, however, there always seemed to be something new to make her feel sick to her gem. Swallowing that feeling, Pearl crouched low to allow Steven to wander into her arms.
"Hey Steven," Such kindest from someone with usually a curt outward demeanor, Garnet bends low to pet the boy. Steven looks at the tall woman like he was seeing the statue of liberty, with absolute wonder. Lips spread wide, a hole where one of his teeth had fallen out. All three of the gems now know-after a lecture from Greg-that it was natural for children to lose their teeth during childhood.
Generating a wind of his own, lungs desperate to nourish themselves with air, Greg huffed their way. A large bag under his arm; clinks and clanks as things rustled inside. Pearl could detect the nauseating smell of food, even if it were locked away in those insufferable containers. A child could starve before one could get them open.
The man wiped the sweat from his brow. A young child was hard business to keep up with (Greg's hand has to travel a little further up his scalp); it's certainly stressful raising one.
Pearl saw a pair of eyes peeking from Garnets hair as the gem steps in line with her. Comfortably shielded by its wooliness against the wind, the feeling is pleasant like this is what clouds are made of. All warm and kind of rough. Garnet chuckles deep from within her belly. Head lolling back, Steven finds himself tipping, his hands grab hold as his body slips down the back of the gems neck. His full weight dragging Garnets head back. Realizing the potential doom of his situation Steven starts kicking frantically. His weak limbs unable to pull himself up.
Garnet spins about, calling to her fellow gem for assistance.
Pearl grabs the child in a panic and sets him on the ground with a stern warning, "You have to be more careful Steven." She brushes her hand over his face, finding it clammy and unpleasant. His flushed cheeks were very pronounced. The boy breathed through the mouth. His ok started with a b rather than and o like they had studied. His letters were coming along, but Steven had yet to make any headway with his numbers. Add a couple of x's and parenthesis and the child would grow bored and eventually want to play instead. Oh, what was she to do with him, Pearl reflected with an earnest sigh. He's more carefree than his mother, more like Greg. But he's got roses cheeks. There was a lot of Rose in his face, except...except the eyes. That made Pearl sad to not see her looking back.
With bounding energy Steven was wandering away. Pearl was quick to be on his heels but Greg calls her name; Garnets too. The man gathered the gems to him, hesitantly holding onto the bag rather than handing it off as per usual.
"Listen guys, I don't think this is a good idea. Steven's um..."
"Is there something wrong with him?" Panic arose in Pearls throat, her hand clutching it.
Greg shook his head, "No, no. Not really. But, he's got a bit of a cold."
Her hand so slim and boney, Pearls fingers tested the air, "Yes, it is chilly, Greg."
Now the man flushed, unfortunately most like his son, rubbing the back of his head and pulling some of his long hair over his shoulder. "I..."
A quick achoo, as high pitched as a tuning fork knocked on a knee, was rapidly followed by several more. By the end of his attack Steven was left heaving, and drooling. Greg handed the boy a tissue from a box pulled out of the bag. "Here ya go kiddo." The man said as he kneeled in the sand. A callused hand gently touched his son's forehead. "I think your fevers going down." Greg's smile was rumpled to keep the rest of his worry hidden.
"Why? Does he not want to stay?" Asked Pearl cautiously, thinking that maybe she had done something to upset Steven the last time she had watched him. Was he mad that she wouldn't let him play with the warp pad? Or see her swords; sharp implements weren't supposed to be for children, or so Greg says. Maybe it was because she wouldn't let him play with those disease ridden seagulls. Or go into Amethysts room; surely he would have gotten hurt in there.
"No, the little guy really wanted to come today, but I don't think it's such a good idea he stay." A high almost squawk like sound came out of Pearl. The gem bristled. Hands clenching at her sides. Her shoulders went rigid.
"I think we'll be just fine!" The gem harrumphed, as she grabbed for the bag. Greg held on even when his feet left deep trenches in the sand. Stubborn and infuriating, Pearl wanted to rip the bag from his arms but then she saw Steven. That perceptive little child was rubbing his hands together nervously.
Greg fell on his behind, the bag in his hands, sand filling his shoes. The left one had a noticeable scuff which had been buffed with nothing more than a wet paper towel. The man quickly rose to his feet and brushed his ugly brown suit. Tie as crooked as a fishing hook. If only he had bothered to do anything besides brush his hair today he'd look much more presentable for his meeting. "Are you sure? The dude at the bank has met him before, it'd be no problem, I can set him up in the corner with some..."
Finding himself spun rather quickly, dizzy, Greg stumbled forward from a hard shove off. "Go. We'll be fine." Pearls brows knitted, hand stiffly waving the older man off.
"We got this." Said Garnet solemnly, it did not give much confidence to Greg but he did need to get going or else he was going to be late. This was a very big step. This loan would fund his car wash, and, he'd hope, would provide a much steadier pay check.
Greg made it back to his van on the boardwalk, parked with two pairs of sleeping bags in the back; still unmade. Pillows squashed by their sleepy heads. There was an opened bag of bread, and a dirty knife covered in jam and peanut butter wrapped in a napkin. Greg hopped in the front seat and started the van. It gave a wheeze. A belt whirring loosely in the engine block. Even in the mild cold it was best to let the old girl warm before trying to move her.
That choking sound, like a million bees with a bad cough, soon echoed away, Pearl didn't notice the smile she wore. Curled on one leg the other outstretched to support a woozy Steven. His hands pressed into the skin of her thigh. His touch tickled, and his words made her warm even in the cold breeze that ruffled his hair. Pearl smoothed it back into place, even tried to frump it up a bit to its usual puff.
"...nd he showed me how to hook the bait on the lure. I poked myself, but dad put a bandaid on it." The boy showed his thumb with a cartoon cat Band-Aid on it. Pearl frowned and cooed and gave the boy a reassuring hug.
"Yes, I'm sure your fine. But keep an eye on it. If it looks infected tell me, or your father. We don't want you to lose your thumb." How unbidden the words came from her lips without pause for worry or thought of repercussion.
The horror painted the boys face in a single stroke. Hands pressing into his chubby cheeks. A bit of wetness in the eyes. "Nooooooooo, I need my thumb to play video games."
This confession had Pearl rolling her eyes. Why would that be the one thing that gave him cause to be upset over? Those silly things were becoming very irritating. Biting into their time together; playing his game instead of paying attention to her. Really Greg, why would you give him such a distraction. It will rot his brain. Or so she'd read in some magazines she'd paroozed while in the grocery store, when Steven and her popped in during a stroll they were enjoying together. Pearl would have rather taken more...scenic tours. But Steven still loved to explore the town he'd seen a hundred times over. How could she deny that face? Impossible.
Pearl stumbled when she heard the faint clogged sniffle, "I'm-sure it will be fine, Steven. There's nothing to worry about."
It broke her gem to see him wiping his eye. "Will you kiss it to make sure it heals fine?" Holding the digit to her face, Steven wiggled the thumb hastily, close to her lips. It tickled his skin when she opened her mouth; which had curved into a smile.
"Sure." Pearl said as she gave the little thumb a kiss. Those thin lips put all they could muster into it so that she might see that smile. Pearl always enjoyed seeing that smile. It might not have been Rose's, but...it filled the hole left by her absence just the same. Pearl made sure to make her kisses a little wet, because, supposedly, wet kisses were the absolute best, so she's overheard. As to healing properties, that probably didn't hold much truth.
During a bout of giggles from the affection, Steven was lifted into Garnets arms, the gem supported him in one as she strolled towards the entrance of the temple. Pearl caught up with the bag hanging from her shoulder. Walking beside the strong and tall gem, they parted around the glistening warp pad, but stopped in front of the temple door. Garnet waits for Pearl to open the door. The gem in her forehead glowed and so too did the matching colored one, which made the door open with grace resembling her own.
Inside was a tranquil beauty found only in simplicity. Fountains of water shooting to different heights. An delicate sky simulated above their heads. It was towering inside. Much taller than the cliff the goddess was rooted in. The rush of water was calming, if having adverse affects on a Childs blatter. But Garnets room was dark and really red. Steven likes red, just not such a scary shade.
Garnet suggests that Steven hold tight. Quickly, all that is left are ripples to mark their trail. Higher and higher they climb, drawing nearer to that synthetic sky. His tiny hands tighten their hold which causes the gem to chuckle. Steven's teeth clench. His belly drops out from under him. Left somewhere well below. But...the noise, the rush of the water around them is a picture composed of light more magnificent than a painting. An ever widening fall, the door they had come through so tiny now only an ant could fit through.
They reach the top. As high as they could go. She knows how much Steven likes to be close to the top.
Finding the ground. Steven teeters. Legs aching from a climb he hadn't participated in. Pearl began to lay his things out. Starting with a blanket. She smoothes it out diligently. No creases allowed. Careful not to press to hard and make the blanket sink below the perfect barrier between the water and them; less she loose this blanket too. Amethyst said she never found it even though we searched the spot in her room where that particular column drains. What was lost might never be found for years, like that axe she had received as a gift; Aud was very reserved, a deep minded thinker, rare, for Vikings. They did have good habits as far as hygiene went, always kept their beards wonderfully groomed. Bathed...regularly (at least every Saturday).
Building bricks. A ball, really, not a good choice Greg, Pearl shook her head as she put it back in the bag. The tip of one of her flats sunk into the water. It felt nice flowing through the thin fabric. Touching her toes, making her calf muscles tickle. Pearl pulled out some more toys. A rusty metal space ship, as if something so round could be aerodynamic enough to take off. The scoff was drowned by the echoing sounds of the room. Heavy streams surge in an endless cycle. Never stagnant nor green. They were clearer than the ocean. As transparent as glass. They reflected a rambunctious kid who moves about slowly. Scared, but determined, yet still thoughtful enough to stay clear of the edge.
Garnet follows him, Stevens coat slung over her right arm. Hair bouncing with her strides. Glasses sharp, Steven never strayed out of their reflection. A smile played in her head as she slide the coat further along her forearm, till she could touch the fabric with the same hand. Roll it around and stroke it serenely. It felt like him in a sense. Carried Stevens' unique impression on the clothes. The part of Garnet connected to the sapphire gem in her palm was thrumming inside her. Both enjoyable and suffocating at the same time, as Sapphire was interfering with Garnets own feelings of delight.
With a gentle clearing of the throat Pearl drew the two to the blanket where all of Stevens things had been laid out neatly. Those young eyes wandered over what his father had packed. "Did dad pack my gameboy?" The child asked, taking a long drag on the boogers in his nose, which sent him into a coughing fit.
Dutiful, and quick handed, Pearl gave Steven a tissue. The boy looked at it then the gem kneeled on the blanket. Chest puffed forward. Eyes on the boys hand. Waiting. Steven brought the crumpled tissue to his nose. Pretended to blow. Pearl took the tissue between the edges of her fingers and found a spare pocket to put it in. Greg could throw that away later, she reasoned. It wasn't like the temple produced trash, unless Amethysts entire room counted.
Steven asked about his gameboy again. Tiny hands eager and clenched, ready to start on the next level of his game, it'd taken him the whole day yesterday to beat the previous one. Turtles were tricky to deal with when they had magic wands.
There was apprehension as Pearl searched the bag. She hoped Greg neglected to pack it. That little piece of technology was a nuisance. How could Greg, let Steven have something that would take away all his attention. Its outer shell was hard plastic which kept whatever evil possessing such a device locked within. Pearl toyed with it. Depressed the control pad that made the man in the screen jump (as Steven had shown her) and run and squish defenseless animals, what a horrible example he was setting for children. And that mustache was hideous. Bushy and menacing it was.
Putting on her best face, which made Garnet's lip twitch just a bit under her nose, Pearl shrugged her shoulders and said, "Ooohh, I'm sorry Steven, your father mustn't have packed it."
"Aw man. Dad told me he did. That goof." Clicking his fingers in an aw shucks way, Steven's shrug was much more believable than Pearls, "This stinks. I really wanted to play my game." In the way he conveyed how upset he was, either the drooping face, or downtrodden way he sunk onto the blanket (it probably had more to do with the face), Pearl felt a little bad about lying, but now she had Steven's attention. So she wasn't about to let it wander.
"Well, I'm sure we can find something much more fun to do." Pearl searches the spread she had laid out. Something catches her eye but also tangles her eyebrow in confusion. Her hand slowly turns the bulb clockwise for study. The end tappers to a very fine point. "Now...
"...don't make me use the boogey sucker." A more wizened Pearl threatened, giving the bulb's squishy end a few presses. It makes a quiet threatening wheeze that fills Steven with dread, a long nooooo that increases in pitch till the end and bounces off a roof rather than a faux sky over their heads.
Pearl smirked, knowing she had won, "Then I suggest you blow..."
Amethyst interrupts, "Yeah mister. Blow or else." The gem cackles from the foot of the bed. The small TV full of an ever changing landscape. Sometimes it was a soap opera with clichéd betrayals and surprise weddings. Then it would burst with color and talking animals. Back to the real world thereafter, a drama with hardnosed cops and even harder(nosed) criminals. Amethyst sucked it all in a foots length from her bulging, steadily un-focusing eyes, and a tongue that was slipping down her chin.
A loud fwoooo came out of one of the people on the TV. Amethyst turns her head and saw Steven with his fists clenched blowing into the tissue.
Fwoooooo, just as dry as before. When Pearl saw that there was nothing in the tissue she badgered Steven, "Are you even blowing?" She put the tissue back on his nose.
"D'im trying, Bearl." Steven said blowing up the skirt of the tissue with his breath.
"Yo lay off the guy, P. Can't you see he's got a dam up his snozz. Nothin's comin' outt'a there."
An aggravated huff came, Pearl unknowingly tweaked Stevens nose in her grip, the child felt his eyes well up, "Well, he has to try, otherwise how is he going to sleep, hmmm?"
"Uhhh," Amethyst rolled her shoulder, then rolled her eyes back round to the TV where she found that she had been changing stations even when she wasn't looking, "I don't know. Just pump him full of medicine."
"ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL HIM!" Pearl exclaimed, "You know he can't have more than the recommended dose. That's why they include it on the label, Amethyst."
Amethyst made a little pssh sound, "Chill, P. That's why you're in charge of it."
"That's right!" Pearls finger dashes the air at the end of her exclamation.
The argument, which may not be the proper word to describe such an exchange of words between these two gems, more like, loving exchanges? That sounded right-ish. Even when altercations got...physical? Such as when Amethyst hid lobsters in Pearls fountains. The outcome had not been what Amethyst had expected. Pearl never retaliated like that before, and Amethyst had felt it after. And as the TV channel changed again, Amethyst rubbed her bottom, not in a way to relieve an itch, more like if it were sore. She wasn't, but the memory made her remember the feeling. A minute shiver traveled up her spine
With a sigh, Pearl set the boogey sucker on Stevens end table, where the boy could see it. Steven was relieved; the covers fell into his lap as he sat up.
"Hey, Bearl?"
"Yes Steven?" The gem inquired sweetly, hands curling and eager to be of service.
Cheeks reddening (and not from the fever), eyes ticking nervously back and forth as he wound his hand in the cover, head tilting shyly to the side, "could you-um-rub dah-bi-bick's-could you rub dah stuff on me?" A request so quiet that Pearl had to ask twice to be sure what he wanted.
The stuff came in a small jar with a screw top lid. Inside was a blue jelly which had a strong odor that punched the senses, hard. When told to, Steven pulled down the neckline of his shirt. It felt weird and cold and sticky too. Tree sap came to mind as he watched Pearl re-dip her fingers into the jar. He remembered one of their strolls through the outer parts of the city (fun, he guessed, on the other hand, there were only so many times Steven wanted to look at a tree that looked just like the one next to it, and even the one next to that one too). Although he couldn't remember any of the lesson Pearl had tried to teach him about sap, Steven did recall how it felt. So gooey, and hard to get off, and it left a stain on his coat that didn't wash off after the first trip through the washer.
Steven took a few uncertain sniffs. Each one brought further clarity and he sounded less like a clogged garbage disposal. Not one hundred percent, but with it Steven was able to sigh with some mild satisfaction. Although a pop came embarrassingly from inside his nose causing the boy to shy into his covers, resting his head upon his pillow; Pearl leaned over and fluffed it around him. Pulling back with a smile, she crossed her hands overtop one another in her lap. Leans ever so slightly to the side as if to get comfortable on an invisible pillow of her own. Shutting the world out so that all her thoughts could be focused on finding that little tidbit of information kept on a shelf for this kind of special occasion. Which didn't take long. That particular shelf wasn't dusty nor hidden far back in her mind. If Pearl had to describe the memory, as if it had a physical form, its cover would be a dark maroon color. Old, and used, but never misused. Well taken care of, well preserved, pages unbent, no bookmark, but she always knew what page it began on.
A soft hum to start. That was always the key like any story. Start off simple with any opener. Nothing complex; that came later. Pearl had a magical way of throwing out different pitches at the same time. The gem was like an entire quartet inside one mouth. With many highs, and few lows.
Steven recognized it. He never knew the name, but the song was as familiar as his father's face; somehow. There is a memory, or something he thinks might be part of one. As a baby in the back of his dads van. His father snoozing beside him. Little Steven couldn't get to sleep. This had made him sad. Yet before he could get out a whimper to wake his father, a song, this song, echoed through the vans thin shell. Bringing slumber to his eyes just as the song does now. A little yawn had Steven snuggling deeper under the covers. Ears poking out like a ships sail as Pearls song filled them.
Garnet, who was wedged between the bed and the wall, with legs drawn tight to her temples, tilted her head down, Pearl was sure the gem had closed her eyes even if they were hidden behind those cool shades of hers.
Warmth floods the room, even when the air outside was frigid. Ocean waves lumpy and lazy as if the changing of the seasons had taken their strength away.
Amethyst continues to flip through the channels, albeit slower now. Body sunken deeper in upon itself, things loosened all over.
The song did not just end on the last note. It never ends in Pearls mind. The gem simply puts it on pause. Its anthology placed back on the shelf till the next time. Pearl hoped it wouldn't be to long of a wait as she opened her eyes and let out a breath, pushing a few lingering notes out of her chest. I do miss the old songs. Too bad Steven doesn't have an appreciation for fine gem culture. His mother did, sort of. Until she heard Greg's music...Pearl huffed a little off key for her final note. Thinking about such chaotic rhythms and sounds ruffled the gems feathers to no end. Music isn't supposed to be like that, it's supposed to be beautiful, sad, an evocative. Pearl touched her face then rubbed down to her neck, fingers wandering around the back of it. Hitting that sweet spot right at the base that helped relieve the stress in her gem.
An oh rolled quickly from her when she felt a small weight press into her leg. Though trapped beneath the comforts of the blanket, Steven squeezes Pearls thigh through the sheets. She could feel his body heat. So much warmer than normal. Pearl cooed sorrowfully at his predicament. Hands brushing his hair. This tender action made Steven nuzzle and sigh into her touch, which made Pearl wrap her other hand in her chest as she continue to pet him. More coos followed. High, chirp like, but quiet as well. It was best not to disturb someone in recovery, even if she wanted to move Steven closer.
There came a snort, much like a pigs grunt when it finds the food trough full, the noise made Pearl look to the end of the bed. Near white hair with a plum tint surrounded an eye peaking over a flabby yet strong shoulder. Amethyst rolled her eye so hard that her ears wiggled with the motion.
The TV was stuck on a cartoon, Stevens favorite, the one none of them understood.
"Yes, Amethyst?" Pearl inquired when the gem so rudely continued to stare.
Amethyst sprang on the question, and onto the bed. Well, half of her body did. Those short stubby feet in the white boots tapped the floor. Her round cheeks were cradled in her powerful fists. That deep cut tank top was pulled further beyond a reasonable boundary, exposing an excessive amount of cleavage. Pearl felt heat in her face. Looking away when a tongue rubbed over a bottom lip.
"Would you ever take care of me if I got sick?" Amethyst posed a question that was...
"Ridiculous, you know we can't get sick. I think that would be the least of your worries the way you bounce about. You're lucky you don't crack your gem again."
"Yeah but, you'd take care of me right? I mean, sweet old Pearl wouldn't let me fester?"
To which a questioning look was given that turned the thin gems bottom lip down. Pearl did not stop her comfort for Steven. His curly hair gone lame. Forehead damp. But the smile, no matter how miserable the rest of him must have felt, the smile stayed on those dry lips. Seeing them in such a way made Pearl want to wake him, and make him take a drink. He had to be thirsty right?
"An answer would be nice?" Amethyst said loudly.
Pearl shushed the gem, "Will you quiet down. Steven is trying to rest."
"But I want to know." Said Amethyst with an irritating whine, forearms crashing onto the covers, stirring the bed springs.
Steven did not stir, but Pearl did.
"Stop that," Pearl said with a high hiss, "If you're going to be a nuisance go be it somewhere else."
"Well I want to be it right here." Amethyst stabbed her finger into the bed. The plum color of her skin was certainly darker than the sheets.
A gust of wind rattled the window frame. Garnet perked up and looked out of it, but soon resumed whatever she was doing before with her head down. A shoulder rolls in its socket; her body is a storm of worry for the sleeping boy. Ruby compounding on top of Garnets own. There were so many ways it could worsen. Different paths. Different outcomes. Ruby feed into Garnet's own frantic feelings. Multiplying the worst case outcomes. The what if's that Garnet hated so much. That's all they were. What if's. They were not set in stone. Things can change, things do change. They are always changing. That's why Garnet was thankful for Sapphire. Who spoke up, in a way, when that soothing feeling washed over Garnet, over Ruby too, it brought all the worry to a frozen halt. Cooled both their jets. That was great for Garnet but outside her head the squabble was just beginning.
"I don't get why you can't answer the question?" Amethyst's voice grew as shrill as a blender grating ice.
"Why is it so important? The question doesn't make any sense. When will you ever get sick? Never!" Pearls voice jumped an octave higher in response. The two of them bristled. Eyes locking. Amethyst crawled further onto the bed. Teeth bared. Clutching the bed sheet with her gnarled fingernails. A horrible smell leaking from her mouth: a mixture of a garbage dump and the macaroni and cheese Steven had made two nights prior.
Pearl stayed put. However, she removes her hand from Steven, to wash the pair of them nervously in her lap. Eyes finicky, darting between either end of the bed. A contented smile swaddled in covers on one and a grumpy frumpy frown on the other; that bottom lip fattened by irritation. Dark purple eyes stare deeply into Pearls lighter blues. The wells weren't deep in either's case, no emotions lay hidden.
Amethyst scuttles closer. Kicking the sheets with her legs trying to swim through them. The remote is knocked off, landing with a thunk on the wood floor.
Steven sleeps as Amethyst closes the distance, pushes the gem onto the bed. Her belly rests with a weighty presence. The message is clear: you will not be getting away from me. An exhale presses the two closer. That pudgy belly fills the void. Amethysts hair falls over her shoulder and coils on Pearls face, tickling her. An invisible string draws upon the corner of Amethysts lip till her gums show; it was a smirk that tried to hide the quiver in her eye.
"I can't see." Says the gem, her eyes closed by the ticklish feeling.
Amethyst's smile widens, more for Garnets pleasure, "Yeah, hold on. Let me get that for ya." How her voice had deepened to a rumbling purr. Amethyst takes as much hair as she can and drapes it over the other shoulder. Pearl feels the miniscule amount of extra weight.
Pearl frowns, "That was not my idea of helping me."
"Sure it was."
"It looked very helpful." Garnet said with playfulness which turned to fuel that fed the short gem.
Pearl parts the hair over her left eye, it looks at the gem in the corner of the bed, "Garnet, please. Don't encourage her." The large gem wore a miniature smile that pushed her lips tight together, so childish and happy.
A drawn out inhale, nose sounding like a half clogged vacuum cleaner. Steven has his arms tucked under his head. Knees curling to his chest, they bumped Amethyst's leg as she straddled Pearl. An urge overtaking the gem to unseat the other for fear if this continued that they would awaken the poor boy.
Those fingers, thin as bone, weak looking, sunk into Amethysts side which was soft on the outside but just a few inches below the surface it refuses to give. That hidden muscle was enticing yes, though, that shouldn't be the first thought to come to Pearls mind. She pushed. Amethyst lifted a bit, only enough to make the gem think she was doing so willingly, before bearing down with all her weight and squashing Pearls hand between them.
"Oh, am I getting my medical exam now doctor?" That sultry voice made the gem in Pearls head want to burst from the heat which had nowhere else to go but into her face. She could feel the weight of Amethysts chest against her arm. Hot breath, moistening her ear. Pearl could hear the slippery movement of Amethysts tongue as she spoke, "Doc, I got a fever..."
"Garnet! Help!" Pearl shrieked as she began to wiggle. Shaking the bed and everyone on top. Steven's head wobbled back and forth like a bobble head doll. This was not the place to have such interactions.
Garnet did not help Pearl, she did grab Steven carelessly by the shoulder and drag him, and the sheets, into her lap. Gem and boy gave the pair a wide berth on the bed. Garnet nodded to Amethyst as she stroked Stevens forehead. The dip of her head took the mystery away, her sunglasses slidding down the bridge of her nose, third eye exposed, looking down into her lap and half closed in delight.
Time flows so much differently; Garnet can see the future and all of its outcomes. For her though, even if she can see all the beauty, all the happiness in store for them after those dark days inbetween, nothing, not a thing, is as precious as her memories of the past. Garnet can see them as well as she can see tomorrow, or a week, or years from now. A new born wrapped in a blanket, and although it was also a moment of great loss, she knows that that child, this one she is holding both now, and then, only a little more grown up, but still has such small wonderfully soft hands to hold. My weakness, Garnet thinks absolutely, right hand under the blankets. The ruby in her palm was quite warm at the moment. Transferring that heat and stopping the shakes of a sick little boy. Steven cuddles closer. Turning inward toward Garnets body, the blanket moves as she felt him grab her. The gem leaned over till her lips brushed his forehead, staying for but a moment before she gave Steven his space.
Whispers that weren't, loud and ear tingling, Garnet saw Stevens wiggle as the sound made its way into them, but he didn't awaken. He wouldn't anyway, that she was sure of. Even when a yelp came forth, Steven only licked his lips and sighed.
The tip of a pointed nose was pinched between teeth that were like the blocks Stonehenge was made out of. Long, and flat, and heavy. When the nose tried to pull free, they bit down harder. Pearl stopped her struggle, but settled on glaring at the gem having trapped her; arm still pinned beneath Amethyst as well. Pearl gave it a try to which it caused a giggle that sounded more like a moan.
A thick knee pressed into Pearls skinny side. It was painful, yet made her breath hitch.
"Doc, is this part of the exam?" Came the breathy question.
Frustration built and was let go through the nose as a whistle, even with it still inside the others mouth, "This is neither the time nor the place for such a thing. We are hardly alone." Amethyst looks at Garnet.
"Psh, G don't care. We just playing, nothing bad, right?" An accusatory grin given that implies so much more, "Unless, you thought..." The trail leads to the words Pearl didn't want strung together, for they were very improper.
A hard shake of the head made Amethyst laugh hard, a series of playful bites to Pearls nose like a dog fighting over a bone, the gem gave a growl.
"You dog, Pearl. You were gettin into..."
"Please, that's far from it." The gem begged nasally.
A hard tap that bruised Pearls shoulder, "Don't be tryin' to hide it, P. Did I get to you? Did my Pearly-bird get into the scene, hmm? You're so over dramatic. Getting lost in your par-ta." The end was a daring statement within company.
"d-don't be ridiculous." The gem mumbled; hands let go as the stocky gem atop her leans back, she trailed her fingers down those arms and sides. They walked upon Pearls stomach like it was a pilgrimage. When the whole of her palm pushed down it made the gem beneath her touch squirm uncomfortably.
Pearl yelped with such mortification it was as if she had been caught unawares whilst changing. Those fingers were touching that small spot just near her hips and closer to her back. The sensitive nerves tingled her gem. Her body thrashed about, still pinned under the weight of the shorter gem, but as Amethyst continued to tickle the other she found the ride beginning to roughen. Pearls legs bucked Amethyst in the air. The gem gave a groan, bottom tingling from the landing.
"Geez. Why do you have to be so boney?" A complaint as the gem nudged her thighs back into place. Amethyst gave her bottom a twist. What usually made Pearl gasp and whine, now made the gem's face fall. Her freed arms crossed each other and squeezed tight against her chest.
Stern eyes, stone lips, the pearl in her forehead was polished to a mirror shine. Pearl always took care of her gem.
"Our gems are our true selves, they reflect who we are." A dash of wisdom shared a little while after Amethyst had joined their group. So ignorant to the standards of gem culture.
"So you're like, always uptight right? Is that what you're trying ta say about yourself with that wide forehead of yours?" Amethyst had been told that her pointing was rude. It had been an argument between the two that set the tone for their relationship.
Sitting atop the taller gem Amethyst wore a lazy grin while brushing a hand through her hair.
"I expect my exam later."
"Get off me!" Pearl exclaims, rolling her head away so her nose pointed out of the loft and towards the kitchen. The rooms wide open space was stuffy, unlike how they originally had the entrance to the temple; yet this was a sacrifice Pearl was more than willing to make, even if it ruined the temples majesty.
A lovely laugh followed the gems outburst. Garnet's shoulders shook enough that they would not even disturb an ant. Her left hand was wiping away the sweat on Stevens's brow; its sapphire gem twinkled and a bit of cold relief helped to chase the fever away. There was a knowing glare that flashed blue across her sunglasses. Garnet spoke as she looked upon Stevens face.
"You'll be glad you waited Amethyst."
Knowing the future felt more like mind reading. Especially when Garnet saw the quiver in Pearls shoulders, she didn't need to see to know how blue that face must be.
Those fat lips were sucked up by a stiff chin, "What chu' talkin 'bout G-girl?"
Being caught was a horrible feeling. A meaningless shame settled deeply inside Pearl, it was enough to make her want to go outside and dig a deep hole then bury herself in it. Pearl laid her arm across her face, hiding it so that the gem on top of her couldn't see the expression of guilt.
Curious Amethyst reached for Pearls arm, those large stubby fingers gripped it tight. Swimming in blue like the ocean was just swirling beneath the skin. Bottom lip captured by her teeth, it was pinched tightly and turning red. A small moan came from within when Amethyst placed Pearls arm around the gems own skinny midsection. Amethyst gave the skin of Pearls forearm a pat that seemed to convey she wanted the gem to keep it right there. Not that Pearl would have been able to move it quick enough before Amethyst lay atop her. Her short form fit uncomfortably overtop Pearls. Parts didn't link; Amethyst nudged her head against the underside of Pearls chin as a cat does to their owner. There may have been a little purr that had come out, but Pearl couldn't hear with the vibrant hum in her ears, the static charge of energy igniting from her gem, channeling throughout her entire body.
The plum colored gems words were muffled as she rubbed her face into Pearl chest, causing the taller gem to shiver, "I guess I can wait. Could use a nap to warm up."
"Do I get any say in this decision?" Pearl asked as she felt a shift in the weight atop her. Meaty arms burrowed into Pearls sides linking under a bony back. Amethyst hooked her legs around those very slim thighs turning herself into some kind of backpack with long hair; that mouth could sure store a lot of food.
That was that then. There was no further reason, nor energy within Pearl to put forth an argument. The gem surrendered to her fate and began to count the number of wooden boards making up the ceiling to occupy her mind. A soft whisper that was as alluring as counting sheep. A dastardly scene plays out between some detective and his quarry on the TV, but their moving lips are silent. The room is at ease, peaceful.
Garnet looks at the boy in her lap, expression thoughtful, her sunglasses slope just right to show a little transparency. All three eyes are shimmering with mirth, one, a sapphire blue, closes in a wink. The boy in her arms smiles and snuggles closer, eventually, lulled to slumber by Pearls hushed counting.
The End