She walked along the shore. The salt in the air tickled her nose and her dress was tousled by the breeze. She still wasn't completely used to living in Beach City. Of all of the places she had lived, it was still one of the more peculiar locations. And it wasn't just because of the random monster attacks and the Crystal Gems.
She walked up the wooden stairs to the door of the house. Pausing at the top of the stairs, she took a moment to admire the large statue. Just how was something like this here for countless years and no humans bothered to ask what it could be hiding? Coming back to her senses, the girl continued walking along the porch to the screen door.
She knocked on the door. Immediately, she was greeted by a familiar face and a bubbly voice.
"Connie!" a small boy jumped out of the obvious hiding spot of next to the door, "I heard you coming up the stairs! Come in, come in!" He opened the door.
"Hello, Steven," Connie replied, breathing a slight sigh of relief that it was him who answered the door. "How are you doing today?"
Steven closed the door behind Connie and started to muse, "Oh, nothing special. Just went on a mission with the Gems this morning to take down this big, ginormous monster!" He raised his arms up to try and mimic the size and fierceness of the creature. "It was all like 'roar'! And Amethyst roared right back at it! Then Garnet tried to punch it but she got hit back all like 'foosh'!" Steven tried acting out the battle as best as he could. And then Pearl-"
Before Steven could continue, there was a sound from across the room. Both Steven and Connie turned around to see that it was the temple door. It opened, revealing a tall and slender being. A black jacket covered in patches was wrapped around her torso with a baby blue shirt hiding beneath, showing just enough to allow a small yellow star to be visible. Her long legs were hugged by a pair of slacks. Her short hair was a mess, but it looked as if some care was taken to keep it away from the pearl that was embedded on her forehead.
"Pearl!" Steven rushed across the large room and gave a hug to her legs.
The tall figure just looked down at Steven "'Sup, runt."
Steven looked up at Pearl, still hugging her, "Pearl, Connie's here!"
Lifting her gaze up, Pearl saw Connie. She reached into her coat pocket and pulled out a cigarette and a lighter. "You're late, kid," she commented as she lit the cigarette in her mouth.
Connie looked at her watch, "Actually, ma'am, my watch says I'm on time."
"Oh yeah? Well, time is just an illusion and is nothing more than an agreed up system that was fabricated by a bunch of men who were scared of their own mortality. But, you know, whatever." Pearl took a drag, breaking free of Steven's hug and walking past the warp pad toward Connie.
Steven laughed at what he thought was a joke, but Connie was a little uneasy with the statement.
"I'm….uh….I'm ready for my first day of training, ma'am," Connie stood up at attention.
Steven had an excited look on his face, "And I'm gonna watch!"
"Hm…." Pearl rested the cigarette in her mouth as she stopped in front of Connie and started to examine her from her shoes to the top of her head. "That's great and all, but there's no way I can train you in that."
Connie looked down at her clothing, "What's wrong with my clothes?"
"Nothing, if you are hoping to trip and fall on your own sword," Pearl commented as she took the cigarette from her mouth. "Hold up," she raised her free hand into the air and the pearl on her forehead began to glow. A light shone from the gem and at her hand. Within a moment, a set of clothing appeared in her hand. "Here kid, get changed," she tossed them to Connie, who almost dropped them.
"Y-Yes, ma'am!" Connie hurried toward the restroom to change.
The temple door opened again. This time, Garnet and Amethyst were the ones who exited. Both of them looked like they were in a hurry.
"Pearl, let's get a move on!" Amethyst shouted, "We got a monster up in the Great North!"
"It's a big one," Garnet calmly added.
"Ooo! Can I come with? And Connie?" Steven asked enthusiastically.
Pearl shut Steven down quickly, "Connie can't go. She's starting training."
Amethyst walked over to Steven and Connie. She wrapped her arm around Steven, "Then I guess it's just going to be the three amigos! Whoo-hoo!"
"Steven, can I talk to you, privately?" Connie asked, pulling Steven away from Amethyst and over to the corner of his home with the restroom. Once there, she continued, "can I be perfectly honest with you?"
"Sure, what is it?"
She was timid and hushed with her statement, "I….I kinda don't like Pearl."
This surprised Steven, "What? Why would you say that?"
Connie was trying to find the right words, "She just so…."
"Awesome?" Steven interrupted.
"I was going to say….harsh or sadistic," Connie's hands were holding one another, slightly fidgeting.
"Pearl's not like that! You just don't know her well enough yet!" he stated.
"Steven, she almost stabbed me the first time I met her because she thought my glasses were a gem…."
"To be fair, your glasses have a weird glare to them," he gave Pearl the benefit of the doubt, "But that was just one time!"
"She once commented that she wanted to make me bleed just to prove I was human," Just remembering the statement was enough to make Connie shiver.
"Like all pearls, she's just rough around the edges!" Steven smiled.
"That's diamonds, Steven," she corrected.
"Well, pearls, diamonds, same thing."
"N-No….they're not, Steven," Connie was starting to think that Steven could really benefit from going to school with her.
Amethyst interjected between the two, "Don't mean to break up a party, but we need to get a move on!" The purple gem picked up Steven and raised him above her head, "Let's go already!" She carried Steven over to the warp pad, where Garnet was already waiting. Without setting Steven down, Amethyst and Garnet warped all three of them out of the building, leaving Pearl and Connie alone in the house.
"Hurry the hell up, kid. I'm not getting paid by the hour," Pearl coldly said. Connie wanted to correct her that she wasn't getting paid, but she decided against it.
Pearl had transported Connie and herself to some sort of ruins that floated in the air. Exactly where, Connie couldn't pinpoint, but the atmosphere felt far different from any place she had ever been to. She couldn't get a straight answer out of Pearl, either because Pearl didn't want to answer or she didn't care.
As they walked down the steps toward the arena floor, Pearl lit up another cigarette. She blew the smoke in the air. The smoke made it's way back to the following Connie. She covered her mouth and coughed.
"Um….Pearl? Could you not smoke around me?" Connie meekly requested.
Pearl didn't reply verbally. Instead, she turned her head to glare back as she descended the stairs. She only stopped when her feet reached the arena.
The human girl stopped next to the gem and started to look at her new surroundings, "Where are we?"
"Welcome to the Sky Arena, kid," Pearl blandly spoke.
Connie was in awe as she looked around at the location. It was as if ancient coliseum was lifted into the air by some sort of goddess. The pillars, the seats, and even the floor looked as if they could fall at any given moment, which gave Connie all the more reason the desire to study every little detail about the location.
"It's….magnificent…." she was in absolute wonderment.
"Eh, at one point, I guess."
"Was? What do you mean? What happened to it?"
Pearl didn't answer the question. "Take your shoes off, kid. You aren't going to be needing them here."
Connie looked down at her slip-ons. They certainly didn't match the black gi that Pearl had given her. "Are you sure? Won't I need something protecting my feet?"
"Kid, every type of bladed combat that has ever existed on this miserable rock, I have learned and mastered, so I know what I'm saying." Pearl stared straight at Connie, who slowly backed away. "Now, I will only repeat this one last time; lose the shoes."
"Y-Yes, ma'am…." Connie quickly slid her shoes off.
Turning around and walking toward the center of the remaining arena platform, Pearl sighed, "Kay, now let's get this trainwreck a-rollin'," Pearl said as she reached a hand up to the gem on her forehead. From it, she pulled a thin saber. This act still amazed Connie of how gems are able to do something like this. "I'd also lose the glasses if I were you."
Connie raised a hand up to her face, feeling the glasses on her face, "Huh? But I need them to see."
Pearl turned around and raised an eyebrow, "Hm, guess you got yourself a hindrance. That might cost you big time on the battlefield. And you might want to do the something about that hair, too. It's just going to get in your way."
"My hair?" Connie felt her bushy hair behind her. Quickly, she took the scrunchie on her wrist to put her hair into a ponytail. "But, Amethyst has a lot of hair…."
"Amethyst is a short furball who prides herself in eating and sleeping, not fighting," Pearl quickly growled back, "Now are you here to discuss fashion with me or are you here to learn how to fight?"
"Sorry, ma'am!" Connie quickly stood back at attention.
"Here, catch," Pearl casually tossed the saber in the air toward Connie. However, as it was in the air, Connie yelped out, scared that the blade would make contact with her. She raised her hands up to protect her body. However, the sword landed at her feet with a clang. Connie looked up at Pearl with an annoyed look. Pearl had an apathetic expression.
"That was dangerous!" Connie shouted.
"Oh, get over it. I'm here to train you on how to fight, not about safety." Pearl took a drag of her cigarette. She exhaled and continued, "Now pick it up."
Connie bent down and picked up the sword. It felt odd in her hands. She held it the hilt with her right hand and began to slowly swing it, getting a feel for the blade. She had played tennis, sure, but this was something completely different. This was a sword, this was a weapon.
"Now, fight me."
She looked up from the sword and at Pearl, "I'm sorry?"
Pearl took the spent smoke out of her mouth and flicked it away, "You heard me: fight me."
Connie was frozen. What did Pearl just say to her? Did she want Connie to just rush and attack her? Connie's grip on the sword was shaking, just like her voice, "M-Ma'am?"
"Cut the 'ma'am' crap. You got a sword, don't ya? Then use it and fight me!" Pearl's lazy stance became far more formal, as if it were a real fighter's stance. The only difference is that she was unarmed.
"But….you're unarmed!" Connie pointed out.
Pearl raised her voice, "All the more reason to strike now! You have a window of opportunity! Use it!" Pearl demanded.
Connie closed her eyes and rushed at Pearl. She began to wildly swing the sword. However, she was stopped when her sword hit something. She opened her eyes to see that her blade was stopped by a sword held by Pearl. She was glaring straight at Connie with disappointment.
"I thought you were smarter than this, kid. You never swing blindly," Pearl pushed Connie's blade away and backed up. She then moved in and started swinging, "Every movement of your body must serve a purpose. Whether it be for offense or defense. When toe to toe with your enemy, you have to think on your feet and make every second count. If you don't, you will die." As she swung, she would stop barely an inch away from making contact with Connie's body.
The near-misses frightened Connie each time. She started to back away, but Pearl would follow her closely with her strikes and her icy stare. She repeatedly let out a fearful squeal following each attack.
"Act like a real warrior, or I'm going to start landing these hits on you!" Pearl barked in anger.
"But I'm scared!" Connie cried out.
"Then use that fear and do something! Give me everything you've got!"
Connie raised her sword up to meet with Pearl's weapon. The metal of the two swords clanged. She looked to see that she had stopped the blade correctly. She smiled and looked up at Pearl, "I….I did it!"
Pearl's expression didn't change, "Not bad, but don't get cocky, kid," She reeled her sword back toward herself, "cause it's about to get a helluva lot harder." Pearl backed up and started to swing her sword around, either to intimidate Connie or to prepare an attack.
The smile on Connie's face was gone. Again, it was replaced by dread and fear for her life. With both hands on the hilt of the sword, she raised it up ready to protect herself from any and all attacks. Just as she expected, Pearl was coming in for a number of attacks. Each attack, Connie was able to pick up from where each attack was coming from and protect herself. However, Connie had a feeling that Pearl was telegraphing her attacks on purpose.
Connie's defensive measures weren't sitting well with Pearl, "Don't just defend; fight back!"
"I….I don't want to hurt you!" Connie replied, blocking each attack.
Pearl snarled as she increased the frequency and intensity of her attacks. They were becoming more tricky for Connie to defend against. Pearl's attacks were allowing her to control Connie's movements and sword placement; she was messing with Connie.
Pearl finally backed off on her attacks and took a step back. Connie dropped to her hands and knees, finally happy she got a chance to breathe without a fury of sword strikes coming at her.
"Get on your feet," Pearl commanded.
Connie was panting, trying to breathe. Between her deep breaths, she spoke, "Are….Are you trying to kill me?"
Pearl repeated herself, "Get on your feet. Now."
She didn't move from her grounded position. Instead, Connie continued trying to get air in her lungs.
Walking over to her, Pearl raised her foot up to Connie's side and pushed her over to her back. "On your feet."
Connie was surprised that Pearl would do something like that, "What was that for? I was trying to catch my breath!" Connie protested more as she got to her feet, her stance was wobbly, "There is no way that's fair!"
Pearl cracked her neck to the right, "There is nothing as a fair fight," and then she cracked it to the left "In war, it's not so much how you fight, but how you win it."
"That's barbaric!"
"That's the wicked world we live in. Life's a bitch and then you die. Now let's go, you bag of flesh and bones."
Connie was still panting as she processed what she was told. "Is….Is it really that bad?"
"When you're toe to toe with your enemy," Pearl started, "they won't stop until they destroy your weapons, your body, and your spirit. That's why you have to give everything you got, and then some more."
"Ma'am….I'm hurting…." Connie said, taking a knee with her sword as a support.
"Then use that pain and fight!" Pearl screeched. "When I fought with Rose, I saw what the universe was like; a cruel, heartless place that will shatter you the second you let your guard down. I'm trying to help you, kid. One day, you'll grow up and see reality for what is." Pearl spat on the ground, "Us Crystal Gems were beaten down, kicked like dogs, spat upon, but we kept fighting and eventually drove them off. You can do the same, so rise above the pain."
"But…."
Pearl swore at Connie and waved the sword in front of her. The tip of the blade came up to Connie's face, right in front of her glasses. "Don't give me excuses. You have to fight for what you believe in! How else are you going to do even fight if you don't have a cause? Now tell me, just what the hell do you believe in?"
Connie stared at the sword tip in front of her as she thought to herself, why was she fighting? What was she fighting for? "Steven."
"What?"
Pushing Pearl's sword away, Connie got up to her feet. She was in pain, but she didn't let that stop her. "I believe in Steven. I'm fighting for him because I know Steven is fighting for me." Connie raised her sword up, bracing herself for the next series of attack that Pearl was going to throw at her.
Pearl raised an eyebrow, "Is that what you really fight for?"
Her grip on the sword hilt tightened as she nodded, "Yes."
"Good, now let's see if your conviction holds true," Pearl finished her words by lunging at Connie with an attack.
Connie was ready and started to do more than just defend and retreat. She started to analyze the attacks that Pearl was throwing at her. The pattern was becoming more obvious for Connie. When she found a window, Connie would try and strike. While none of them landed, it did force Pearl to take into account the change in her fighting style. The clashing of metal filled the air of the arena
"Oh, so you think you know how I'm fighting now, huh? Let's try this on for size," Pearl seemed to like that Connie was getting better, but also that she got to increase difficulty.
The fighting between the two was becoming more fierce by the minute. Connie was becoming more exhausted, as evident of her sweat and panting, but she kept pushing on. Her tired body was causing her to lose focus.
"You're getting sloppy, kid. You need to think more on your feet….unless, of course, you have a death wish." Pearl blocked another attack from Connie, "You are the only thing standing between the massive enemy army and Steven! What are you going to do? You are to protect your commander, you are a soldier, now act like it!"
Connie grunted as she started to swing wildly with little regard to her tired body. Her energy was starting fade.
"Don't let yourself get careless!" Pearl started to shout as she blocked Connie's wild swings. "Push yourself! Don't be anyone's prisoner! Don't be anyone's pearl!"
"What?" Connie only half-heard what Pearl said. She was continuing her attacks.
Pearl shouted as she continued to defend. "I'm not anyone's tool! I'm not a hostage! I don't belong to anyone!" She closed her eyes tightly as she finally proclaimed as loud as her body would allow, "I am my own pearl!"
This caught Connie off guard in mid-swing. Surprising them both, Connie had landed a hit on Pearl. The blade of the sword had struck against Pearl's left side, lodging into the gem's body. Both looked at each other. Connie's face was one of horror, while Pearl had one of mild surprise.
Connie began to fret, "Oh my goodness! Should….Should I take it out?"
Pearl gave a sinister smile to Connie, "Didn't know you had it in ya, kid."
"Are….Are you going to be okay?"
Pearl pushed the blade out of her body. The clothing hid any wound that might have been there, "Don't worry, my body is just an illusion. But this jacket isn't," she lamented about her now ruined article of clothing.
"I'm…." Connie started to speak, "I'm so sorry about that…."
"Sorry for what?"
Connie dropped her sword to the arena floor, "For hitting you with the sword! I….I could have poofed you, or worse!"
"It comes with the territory kid…." Pearl trailed off as she returned her own sword to her forehead gem. She then pulled out a cigarette and her lighter from her jacket pocket, "Good, you didn't hit the cigarettes."
Falling to her knees, Connie took a deep breath. "I….I think I'm done learning how to sword fight."
Pearl lit her cigarette and put the lighter away. "Not too bad for a start, though."
Connie looked up, confused, "What do you mean?"
"You actually exploited a weakness I had and landed a blow," Pearl took a drag and continued, "You're gonna go far if you keep that up, kid."
"I don't think I can keep this up, though," Connie commented.
"Not with that attitude."
Deeply exhaling, Connie asked, "How do you do it? You seem so natural when you were fighting. It's like you were made for fighting or something."
Pearl scoffed and gave a laugh as she sat down on the arena floor next to Connie.
"Why are you laughing?"
"Kid, I'm a pearl. My entire existence was to look pretty. You know what I say about that?" Pearl swore aloud and then continued, "It wasn't until I met her did I do any fighting. Rose not only taught me how to fight, but she also taught me what was worth fight for."
"Was she the one that was worth fighting for?"
"Sharp kid," Pearl raised the hand with the cigarette up to her nose, pointing at it. She inhaled the cigarette and then continued talking, "But now, I don't know what I'm fighting for. Survival, perhaps?"
Connie looked toward Pearl, "Ma'am?"
"Rose leaving….hurt me. Perhaps too much. More than I would ever admit. She was my whole universe. And now? My memories of her are starting to fade. It kills me to say this but I can't remember the color of her eyes…." Pearl raised her free hand up to her eyes to preemptively wipe away tears.
"Pearl, are you okay?"
She didn't reply. She covered both of her eyes with her free hand, "It's happening again….everything is falling to pieces…."
Connie wasn't sure how to respond. She raised her hand, almost as if she was wanted to comfort her with a touch. However, she stopped herself, lowering her hand and spoke softly, "Ma'am, just because Rose is gone doesn't mean you can't still fight for her."
"Kid, I don't want to fight for her ideals, I wanted to fight for her." Pearl moved her hand away from her eyes. Her cheeks might have been dry, but her eyes were still damp with tears, "I've seen Rose's flag tattered on the battlefield of war. When that image was burned in my mind, I knew I would never stop fighting for her. She fought for me to be who I am, for me to be my own pearl. I used to follow her into battle without question. Now I doubt everything. With her gone, I've just grown more and more pissed. Often at others, but mostly at myself. Where does this insignificant pearl go from here?"
Connie raised her voice up, "You really can't see yourself as insignificant, you aren't! You are incredible! I've seen you do so many amazing feats that I've only seen done in fantasy books, and those aren't even close to as amazing as you! You've fought toe to toe with creatures the size of skyscrapers!"
She raised her hand up to inhale more of her cigarette, "I certainly don't feel amazing. But with everything I've seen….heh, I can tell you about the horrors I've seen." Pearl looked as if she was contemplating about sharing such. She decided against it and resumed, "I wonder if it was all worth it. Those countless years of meaningless war. I don't know if what you humans call heaven exists, but I can assure you that hell does. I've fought through it."
"So you're just going to run from your past? The good and the bad?"
"We all got damage, kid."
"Everyone's got their problems, but just being angry or sad about them won't solve anything!" Connie shouted, "Do you want to know why I believe in Steven? Because Steven sees the good in everything, in everyone! He told me that I shouldn't be afraid of you just because you frighten me. He told me I should get to know you before I make any real judgment. He said that you were just like all pearls, and you were just rough around the edges."
Pearl broke her stoic face and chuckled, "That's not what pearls are."
"I told him that, too," Connie shared in the laugh.
With a sigh, Pearl took a drag of her cigarette. "I guess you got a point, sometimes you humans really do have some smart things to say. Dwelling on the past ain't doing me any good." Connie smiled as Pearl looked toward her. Pearl didn't return the smile, she continued talking, "Life is a bitch and then you die, they say. Heh, if only it was that simple for me. But all of this bitching doesn't really change what I am now, but perhaps having a better outlook can make me less of an insignificant Pearl."
"You're not a meaningless pearl."
"Nah, I'm a fighter. Guess I always have been."
A silence grew between them. The only audible sound was the wind rushing across the ruins. The clouds slowly were floating by, captivating the attention of Connie. She stared at them for some time until Pearl brought her back to reality.
"Kid."
"Yes, ma'am?"
"I told you to cut that 'ma'am' crap off." Pearl sighed. She shook her head and then continued, "Look, I'm hard on you because I know you have potential. A lot of it. I can see it, just as Rose saw it in me."
"Really?"
"Yeah. And….well, I'm glad you're Steven's friend and I'd be proud to fight with you on any battlefield," Pearl spoke, looking away from Connie toward anything, anywhere else.
Connie smiled and became a little flustered at the compliment, "Th-Thank you, ma'am!"
Pearl pulled out her carton of cigarettes and opened it, offering one to Connie.
Looking at the carton, Connie waved her arms, declining, "Oh, uh, no thank you!"
Pearl closed the top and put it back in her jacket, "Smart choice. A horrible, filthy habit."
The silence returned between them. Both laid upon the floor of the arena floor. Above them, the sky was starting to turn from blue into warmer colors, the clouds slowly wandering by. The smell of tobacco slowly drifted with the breeze.
"Hey, ki- Connie, just so you know, I was holding back on you."
"I know."
"Okay, just letting you know." Pearl paused for a moment before adding on, "Next time, I'm going to break both your body and your spirit."
Connie wrapped her tired arms around Pearl's torso, "Thanks for training me, Pearl," her face beamed.
Pearl looked away, trying her best not to be flushed with the physical contact, "Yeah, whatever."
END