It was five months before White Diamond finally spoke to her Pearl.
Most days Pearl waited by her throne, poised with one leg curved up into the air, like a dancer, and sometimes she would transition into another pose with absolute grace.
Sometimes, on the rare day that was slow, White Diamond would spare a moment to watch her Pearl from the corner of her eye, twirling away as only a dainty little thing like her could.
Eventually she would begin twirling on one foot, then hop forward, perfectly landing on the tip of her toe, where she would then arc her hands above her head and bend back, and then swing her leg around into a standing position once more. It was like a dance, one that grew more elaborate as the days turned into weeks, and soon Pearl was bold enough to prance around the entirety of White Diamond's throne room.
She was never even given permission to do such a thing. But White Diamond was not offended, or even annoyed.
It was quite entertaining.
She was doing this now as White Diamond, frustrated, laid her head back and sighed quietly. "These simpletons," she grumbled. It was the first words she'd spoken since Pink left the two of them alone.
"Is something wrong, my Diamond?" When her piercing, snowy eyes flickered downwards to the tiny thing, Pearl quickly lowered her gaze, hands clasped in front of her. "Forgive me."
White Diamond waved a hand in dismissal, and resumed leaning back into her chair. "Needless, you've done me no wrong."
"But once again, I opened my mouth without being asked to," she said gently, regret in her words.
White gained some amusement in her expression. "And now you're arguing?" she challenged.
Teal exploded across Pearl's face, which she tried hiding behind her clasped hands to little effect. "I-! Uh-uhh... m-my Diamond, I-"
A low chuckle rose from White's bosom. She held up a hand. "Don't. I know what you're about to ask, and again I say, you've done nothing wrong." She settled into her chair, waving her fingers through the dozens of yards of holo-screens. Silence fell, for a moment.
"In fact, I like it," White said, surprising them both by resuming the conversation. "You're bolder than most Pearls, from what I hear of them that is. That's good. I like bold. It's something I wish for from all my Gems. Like this degenerate here." She pulled up, and with a gesture, enlarged an image of a green Gem with a single eye and spiky white hair. "This Nephrite is trying so hard to muster the courage to ask if she can have more time assembling her crew for their expedition. You'd think that's what she was made for, groveling. She doesn't know she's wasting my time and her's by showering me with hollow pleasantries." White grumbled. "I don't want pleasantries, I want results."
Pearl hummed. A silence borne from what White Diamond assumed was her attendant not realizing she was being directly spoken to, until she heard that startled "Oh!"
"Mm. Is that the simpleton you mentioned before, my Diamond?"
White grunted in response. "Indeed. My Gems work so hard to please me, they don't realize what would actually bring me pleasure is shutting up and fulfilling their duties. If I could ask Pink Diamond to start growing them without mouths, I would. But that wouldn't be any more or less productive. It'd just be quiet." Her musings ended on a tinge of bitterness, wherein a tiny flutter of sound then echoed in the vastness of White's throne room.
It took a moment of listening for White Diamond to realize it was her Pearl giggling. And it wasn't forced amusement made to please her Diamond, but genuine laughter.
White eyed her with a sidelong gaze. "You're finding this amusing?" she asked, a bit of humor in her own voice.
Though Pearl didn't seem to catch that, as she stopped her giggling altogether and was now back to blushing and stuttering. "N-No, my Diamond!"
White's eyes widened, and let her face settle into an intense glare. Inside, she felt the rare emotion of giddiness tickle her bosom. "So you don't find my jokes funny?" she said, her typically quiet voice rising.
To which Pearl yelped. "Yes I do!"
"Your Diamond is just a big joke to you, then?"
The tiny Gem clasped her hands over her mouth, standing pigeon-toed under her owner's menacing gaze. "Not at all! No!"
White Diamond rose from her chair, standing tall and proud and thirty menacing feet over her Pearl. "You think you can weasel your way out of insulting me?"
"NO! I mean, no, I'm not trying to insult you! I wasn't, I swear on my Gem!" She had erupted into hysterics amidst her pleads, tears rolling down in pairs along her smooth cheeks.
White sneered. "Don't swear on what you don't have. Pearls aren't real Gems, everyone knows this. Further proof of your falseness, I'd say..."
Pearl dropped to her knees with a sob, hands clasped together and shaking at her Diamond in submission. "I'm not false, my Diamond! I swear! I'm loyal, you're amusing! Incredibly so! And, and you're smart, and wise, and perfect-!"
"Enough," White Diamond spoke, forcefully to cease Pearl's grovelling. The aforementioned Gem kept her head lowered. Now White's humor was truly gone. "Rise."
Pearl rose. She kept her hands clasped over her chest, big blue eyes wet and wide and full of fear.
"It was all a joke, my Pearl. You had no cause for distress."
Pearl's body went rigid for a moment, processing this, before a grin spread across her face and she started laughing. "Most humorous, my Diamond!" Her titters were light and airy, yet White did not receive any pleasure from hearing them like before. This was obviously forced. Fake.
Meaningless.
Her mood effectively soured, White lowered herself back into her seat. "Pearl?"
Like a switch the laughter stopped and Pearl had her feet together at attention. "Yes, my Diamond?" Discreetly, though not enough that White didn't notice, she quickly brushed a hand across her still-damp eyes.
The matriarch considered her next words like she would a command to her army. Why, she did not know, but she felt some weight inside as she asked her Pearl, "That dancing you do, do you enjoy it?"
"Oh, absolutely, my Diamond! I practice whenever I can, it's fairly enjoyable to be, dare I say, so incredibly graceful?" She even did a little curtsy.
White laughed through her nose; she could tell Pearl's enthusiasm was genuine from the energy in her voice and the way her eyes lit up at the question. It wasn't just to please her Diamond, and for that, White found herself invested.
Blush ravaged Pearl's pale face as White Diamond remarked, "It is rather cute," as a Bismuth would compliment another's craftsmanship.
She bowed again. "Thank you, my Diamond."
"Dance for me." The expression on her Pearl's face was nothing short of wonder. White nodded in approval. "Go on, dance away."
Pearl's hands came together above her head, forming a delicate point. "Y-Yes, my Diamond! Right away!"
She spun away, the whole throne room her stage, and White her audience. All the while the Matriarch watched her movements, the fluidity of them that she worked to perfect day in and day out.
Dedication and passion, White realized, as Pearl pirouetted at least a dozen times in one spin.
That is why she cared.
Sorry this is late. Hope you enjoyed. There will be another one this evening.