"Lady Garnet," asked Steven, "wouldst thou liketh some berry of straw to top thy cakes of pan... -eth?"
Garnet smiled, "Yea, sir chef. I thank thee." Steven spooned some strawberries onto Garnet's pancakes.
"Lady Amethyst?" said Steven.
She snapped her fingers at him like he was a cool guy. "Thou knowseth it." He gave her strawberries. "You've been watching too much Webs of Lust."
As if he were about to faint, Steven wailed, "I can't stop-eth!" Then, repleting politeness, he said, "Lady Pearl?"
Pearl threw up her hands as if she totally wasn't opposed to the idea of more food atop here very full plate of pancakes. "Oh-uh-prithee! By all means... -eth..." He gave her strawberries.
"Enjoyeth thy meal, good company!"
They all dug in. Amethyst's pancakes may as well have never existed in the first place and she had syrup on her face. Garnet took her first bite while Pearl was just staring at the food on her fork in utter terror.
"You don't have to eat it if you don't want to," said Steven.
"Yeah, I'll eat 'em," said Amethyst.
"No, no!" said Pearl. "You went through all the trouble to make them for us! For you, I will tr-iugh!" The food hadn't even touched her lips yet she had to leave for the bathroom.
"Alright-eth!" exclaimed Amethyst. She got as posh as she could. "Lady Garnet, won't thee passeth unto me Lady Pearl's unfinished portion of cake-pans?" Garnet did so, and Amethyst scarfed them down immediately. She licked her fingers, stepping down from the bar. "My props to the chef." She went outside.
Now it was just chef Steven and Garnet. Her pancakes were half done. Steven placed Amethyst's dishes into the sink, got pancakes of his own, and sat where Pearl had been. The first bite was so sweet.
"What have you been up to?" asked Garnet.
"Well, besides marathoning Webs of Lust, I've recently been trying to reorganize my trading card collection by types and categories. But, there are some that are mixed types, like metal and fairy, and dragon and psychic, and there are some that are fairy and dragon and it's just so frustrating to figure out a system! Other than that, I've been trying to beat this game called The Legend of Hansel on the hardest difficulty, and that hasn't been going so well." Steven ate more pancakes. "What have you been up to?"
"Sweeping the globe for Gem beast activity and artifacts, renovating the Temple's metaphysical structure, and reevaluating my existence as it pertains to my immortality. That sort of thing."
Steven dug mushed pancakes from between his cheeks and teeth with his tongue. "...How's renovating the Temple going?"
"Well. Topaz had destroyed more than I had anticipated."
"How are Peridot and Topaz?"
Garnet was unfazed. "Still bubbled."
"Are they... comfortable?"
"They're fine."
"Do you think they're angry?" said Steven. "Is there a way to tell?"
"No, as they are there's no way to tell."
"Can we check?"
"No."
"Why not?"
Garnet set her fork down. "They're dangerous, Steven. You know that."
"Well, I mean... I just don't think they should stay like they are too long. The longer they stay like that the more hurt and frustrated they're going to get. Isn't that what happened to Lapis?"
Garnet thought a moment. "I understand your concern, Steven, but right now it's not an option." She got up and put her dish in the sink. "Thank you for the breakfast." She left Steven and entered the Temple.
Then, Pearl came back from the bathroom. Steven looked up at her with his mouth full. She breathed, "Steven. I almost forgot to thank you for the kind ge-iughh!" Pearl hurried back to the bathroom. Steven thought he was going to spend the rest of breakfast alone. Turned out he was right.
...
Steven left a piece of paper on the countertop for Garnet. It was folded in half and standing upright with her name on it. Its contents, Steven doodled images of Peridot and Topaz in crayon, apart from one another, with really big mean faces. At another spot on the paper, he doodled them again, but together and with happy faces. The card was poorly drawn and silly and it proved a point. The card was gone when Steven got back home that day.
...
The next morning, Crying Breakfast Friends was on. The Pear and the Apple were crying. The Waffle was crying, too. Everyone was crying.
Bacon, Egg, and Waffle had left Orange and Pear in the fruit bowl believing that's where they belonged and should stay. It was brave little Kiwi that convinced them otherwise, that Orange and Pear weren't meant to remain in bowls, that they should be free to do as they pleased. Much apologies were made, and many more tears were shed. Many, many, many, many, many more tears.
"Steven," called Garnet. She was next to the stairs below his loft. "When you finish eating, could you please get dressed and ready. I want to speak with you about something."
When Steven had brushed his teeth and all, he made his way into the Temple with Garnet, into the Room with the roots and the Gems. The destruction that Topaz had caused, it was as if it never happened.
"I've given it a lot of consideration," said Garnet, "and I've concluded that un-bubbling Topaz and Peridot is a viable option at this time."
Steven's heart fluttered. "Really?"
"But," she said, "only on one condition."
"What's that?"
Garnet led Steven over to the far end of the Room where sat the sarcophagus. It was open, its facade lying diagonally over its inner chamber. The spikes that had protruded from it weren't there. "I have seen mainly two outcomes. Either they cooperate, or they don't. Frankly, I'm not comfortable with the odds." Garnet looked at Steven. "That's why I'm going to leave the decision up to you. If you choose to un-bubble them, they're going in here. This is the only way I'll allow it."
Steven looked up at Garnet, towering over him, then to the sarcophagus. He touched it. It was dense, deep as a grave, and just as lifeless. Steven touched his Gem. "Ok."
Garnet went and got Peridot and Topaz, willing their bubbles down from the roots, and came back to Steven. "Who first?" she asked.
"First? We can't let them both out?"
"No. We can't be sure what might happen if we lock them both in there together."
Steven hesitated. "What could happen?"
Garnet hesitated. "I don't want either one of them getting hurt."
Steven thought about that a moment, then remembered he had to make a choice. He'd never met Peridot face to face. He didn't know that much about her. He would like to talk to her and get to know her, and learn something about her and Topaz's relationship, if at all possible. But, Peridot is still aligned with Homeworld, and sees the Crystal Gems as her enemies. Even with all the stammering Peridot likes to do, it'd likely be the same with her as it was with Topaz: being disdainful and disagreeable.
Steven asked himself what the ultimate goal was through releasing Topaz and Peridot. For him, truthfully, it had nothing to do with Homeworld, but had everything to do with who they were and who they were to each other. It was for that reason, and that Topaz had seemingly revoked her ties to Homeworld and had some sort of understanding with the Crystal Gems, however remote, that Steven made his decision.
Garnet lowered Topaz's Gem into the sarcophagus. Peridot's Gem floated about Garnet as she shut the sarcophagus and effortlessly sealed it with the crank that had had Steven sweating like a pig. Garnet took the red diamond from the crank, causing it to retract back into the sarcophagus, and inserted it into the Nemes headdress of the facade. Energy surged through the sarcophagus, the crisscrossing bars in the portal under its visage becoming hot. Garnet popped her bubble that trapped Topaz's Gem.
Steven climbed atop the sarcophagus' hands and sat there. After a moment, an effervescent auburn glow radiated from the portal before him. He peered into the portal and watched Topaz's face as she returned into existence.
Steven squinted at the brightness of Topaz. Her head began as a simple sphere, like and was like the sun. Her face grew out from that sphere and created angles, contours, like that of a skull-Topaz's, in particular, having a large dome-piece and a narrow chin. Muscle and flesh grew over that-ears, a big nose, eyeballs-all still very bright. Then lips, eyelids, and hair over that. It all happened in a matter of seconds.
Topaz's brightness was absorbed and developed into a dull auburn and other colors-her hair, her clothes, her teeth. Topaz's consciousness returned to her and the light she emitted receded into her eyes and gave her back her sight.
Topaz was in shock, coming back, and searched for something. She tried to move herself in her prison, but there was no room. She looked up at Steven through the bars. Steven's gut flipped.
"No," said Topaz. "No, no, not again."
"Topaz!" called Steven.
"Where is she? Get me out!"
"It's ok, Topaz. Peridot's right here."
Steven lifted his head to show her Garnet who had Peridot in her bubble. Instead of relief, at least a little like Steven expected, Topaz's eyes flooded with fear. "Stop!" she screamed. "Don't hurt her! I..." She was crumbling.
"Topaz," said Garnet. Topaz took her eyes off Peridot and glared at her. "We're not going to hurt her. Peridot will be fine, you have my word."
"Don't play-don't you play with me."
"I'm not. I will even return her to you."
Briefly, Topaz's eyes widened, but then they narrowed repugnantly. "But, what?"
"...But," said Garnet, "before that happens, you are going to give me the information I have sought."
"Garnet?!" exclaimed Steven.
"We need to ensure her cooperation," she replied.
"Why didn't you tell me you were going to do something like this?!"
"Would you have agreed to do this otherwise?"
"I... I just-"
"I'm sorry, Steven, but this was the only way I was going to allow their release. We needed to get something out of it."
Topaz looked like she was in pain. Taking one last look at Steven, she resigned herself, and shut her eyes. "I'll do... whatever you want."
"Good," said Garnet. She started walking away. "Come on, Steven."
"What?" he said. "Why?"
"Topaz and I are going to have a talk. I'll let you know when we've finished."
Steven hesitated. Before he hopped down, he peered back into the sarcophagus and said, "I didn't know things were going to turn out this way. I'm sorry. But, don't worry. Garnet doesn't lie. You'll be ok. Peridot, too." Topaz never opened her eyes to him and she frowned.
Steven got down and left the Temple. Thinking back, he wished he wouldn't have worded that last thing he said the way he did.
...
