Peridot was in her room, multiple colors of paint in cans at her feet. She was staring at one of the walls of her room, her finger to her chin in thought. For the past few days, since Easter, the green gem was praised for her aptitude in art. For those days, she locked herself inside of her room with paint supplies, staring at her wall, which was smoothed out with Steven's help. All that she's done in this time was stare.. What could she possibly paint? Peridot knew that she wanted to paint something memorable.. maybe something to commemorate her initiation into the Crystal Gems?
While she was lost in thought, Steven made the trouble of traversing through his own room to Peridot's room. The boy carried a case of many different colors of chalk in his arms.
"Peridot!" The green gem jumped, surprised by the sudden outburst. She turned around, a blush on her face and her face contorted in mock anger.
"Don't startle me like that!"
"Oh.. sorry." Steven apologized and Peridot sighed. It really was hard to stay mad at the half gem..
"Anyway, I was thinking." Steven spoke, holding out the case of chalk for Peridot to take. "Paint's kinda permanent, so I was just wondering if you wanted something that you could easily wash off. So I got you some chalk!" Peridot eyed the case curiously.
"What is.. chalk?"
"Well, it's basically like paint. Except it's dry.. It'd be better to think of it has lead, or graphite, used in pencils. You know what pencils are, right?"
"Yes, I know what pencils are.." How could Peridot not know what pencils were. Amethyst said she hated using them. Wait.. or was that utensils? Steven opened the case after having set it on the ground, revealing an array of neatly assorted chalk pieces.
"I asked my dad to help me buy this. He really liked what you did with the Easter eggs!"
Peridot reached in the case, picking out a green piece of chalk from the assortment. It was.. dusty? No, the residue on her fingers wasn't dust.. Was it this.. chalk that Steven spoke of?
"See, you just hold one end of the chalk and rub the other end on the wall. Try it!"
It felt.. odd, dragging a dry substance against the wall. Peridot was surprised however, when a green like appeared behind the chalk.
"I also brought some erasers." Steven reached into his pocket, pulling out a rectangular object. It was something you would find in any school room that had a chalkboard. He handed it to Peridot. "Just rub the softer side over the chalk you put on the wall." Peridot did as instructed, and when she did, she was surprised to see the green mark disappear.
"Where did it go..?" Steven took Peridot's hand, turning the eraser around. There was a green streak on the erasing side.
"It's here. The material of the eraser and the wall is different, so the eraser can sort of.. steal it from the wall. It makes it easier if you make a mistake."
Peridot stared at the eraser. This was a good gift.
"Thank you.." She turned her attention back to the wall, as if Steven never interrupted her thoughts.
"Well.. seeya later." Steven left the room through Peridot's door while the green gem tested the chalk she received, drawing a few lines on the wall each.
"Did she make anything?" Pearl asked when Steven came out of the temple, Amethyst's head in her lap.
"No, not yet.."
"Seriously?" Amethyst was surprised and a little frustrated. "She's been in there for almost a week! What's she doing in there?" Steven shuffled his feet, looking back at the temple door.
"She's just staring at a wall."
"Ugh!"
"She can have all the time she needs, Amethyst.." Pearl said, gently stroking the purple gem's hair. "You know it took Leonardo Da Vinci many years just working on Mona Lisa's lips."
"Yeah, yeah.." Amethyst closed her eyes, trying to relax. It was torture to wait to see what Peridot was gonna come up with..
"Well, when she finally finishes what she's thinking about, it's gonna be awesome!" Steven couldn't contain his excitement. He had an artist in his house!
"I'm sure it will be too." Pearl agreed with Steven. Whatever Peridot was cooking up, it was going to be extraordinary. She had the entire wall as her canvas, after all. "And we'll think of something to do while she's at work.. We've been without her before."
"True.." Amethyst sat up, moving herself so that she was sitting in Pearl's lap. The gem wrapped her arms around her girlfriend's neck, kissing her cheek. Pearl blushed, putting an arm around Amethyst's waist despite herself.
"Amethyst.. Steven's right there.." Amethyst chuckled, only planting more kisses on Pearl's cheek.
"Chill, P.." Steven had stars in his eyes while he watched this little trade.
"You guys are so cute! I can't believe you didn't get together earlier!"
"We were going through some things." Amethyst waved off Steven's words, but she kinda agreed with him. Her relationship with Pearl could have taken light much sooner.. But all that hardship was in the past, like she keeps saying.
"Do you guys know where Garnet went?" In fact, no one has seen the tallest member of the gems all day. Where could she have gone? As if on cue, Garnet walked through the door of the beach house, followed by Connie.
"Steven, Garnet came and told me about those eggs Peridot colored. Can I see?"
"Yeah, come on!"
Steven's attention was torn from Pearl and Amethyst as he ran to the kitchen, Connie following after him. Garnet looked at the couple.
"You better be keeping it cool around Steven.." Pearl blushed deeply while Amethyst laughed.
"W-what do you take us for?! We wouldn't.. I wouldn't.."
"I'm just messing with you." Garnet said, chuckling. She sat beside the couple. "Honestly.. I'm surprised you haven't formed Opal lately."
Pearl and Amethyst looked at each other. They should have known that Garnet would ask about their fusion eventually.. After all, future vision isn't all powerful.
"Well.." Amethyst started, holding onto Pearl tightly. She was a bit frightened.. Would Garnet get mad at them? "We talked about this when we were on our date.."
"And we decided.." Pearl interrupted, looking Garnet in the eyes. "..that we don't want to stay fused.. not like you." Garnet didn't say a word. She only waited for the two gems in front of her to continue.
"We're happy just the way we are.." Amethyst continued. "I mean, I love the feeling of fusing with Pearl. It's just.. amazing.. but it's not the same as just being together, but not together, you know?" Pearl continued from this.
"We're very happy that your relationship is like this, and that it's so perfect, but we feel as if our relationship blossomed from just.. being beside each other, rather than as one being. It's not the same when I can't look at her.." Amethyst chuckled, kissing Pearl's cheek.
"You got that right.."
Garnet stayed quiet for a few seconds. She was processing what her teammates were saying. Being a fusion herself, Garnet felt somewhat offended. But she didn't at the same time. She was not two people, nor was she one person. She was an experience, and so far.. she's been a good one. Well, there was no law that two gems in love had to stay as a fusion, anyway..
"Alright." Garnet finally said, causing Pearl and Amethyst to let out their held breath.
"You're not mad..?" Pearl asked hesitantly. Garnet shook her head, a small smile on her face.
"No. Not at all. I can understand how you two feel. When we.. Ruby and Sapphire, split up at the Motel, they were still so enraged. It was hard to even think." Pearl averted her eyes at this. She would rather avoid the subject of her betraying Garnet's trust. "But in the end, they couldn't be happier than when they were looking at each other.."
Garnet looked at her hands as she said this, feeling as if Ruby and Sapphire knew what she was saying.. and of course, they did. She never really thought about it before, but it was odd.. being a fusion. She stood from her seat at the couch, walking toward the warp pad.
"Hey Garnet, you going somewhere?" Steven asked from the kitchen while Connie was drooling over the eggs that Peridot painted over. They were exact replicas of the covers of her books, and the girl couldn't believe her eyes.
"Yeah, I'm going out.."
"Out where?" Garnet ruffled the boy's hair, smiling.
"Just out.. I feel like Ruby and Sapphire could use a little date of their own."