Chapter Three: Settling Down

After the debacle on the beach the previous night, nobody had really been sure how to proceed. So, essentially, they didn't. Some ships arrived to take some of the Gems back to Homeworld, but many wanted to stay. Not just Crystal Gems, either, but a few former Diamond loyalists who were not happy with their leaders' decisions–either to corrupt them, or to step down from leadership. And since none of them had anywhere to go, they stayed in Beach City.

Of the very few Gems who actually knew what sleep was, none opted to do so that night. Not even those that were used to it, like the small Amethyst who accompanied Steven on his attempts to play damage control. The six or so Crystal Gems who had survived corruption did their best to try and reign all the others in, with the Diamonds doing the same, but it was still a very hectic night. Jasper seemed to have vanished, none of the search parties sent out to look for her having any luck. Though admittedly, she was the least of their worries at the moment.

By the time daybreak rolled around, the more sociable Gems were milling around Beach City, getting used to modern Earth as their hosts showed them around. Some took to it easier than others: for instance, Goshenite sat beside Pearl as she tried to explain the function and purpose of the new frozen treat she had just discovered.

"So…it's frozen water," Goshenite said, "that they worked into a slurry…placed on top of that little pyramid there…and colored pink?"

Pearl nodded. "That's essentially it! The human who gave it to me said that they eat things like these as a treat sometimes. It helps when it's hot out, too. This one tastes like strawberry, but there's tons of other flavors!"

Goshenite was still struggling to see the appeal. "...The frack is a strawberry?" she asked, puzzled.

"Beats me. All I know is that I like it!" Pearl happily licked away at the ice cream cone, holding it out to Goshenite. "Want a taste?"

The Beryl was absolutely appalled by the frozen pink mush, but Pearl seemed to enjoy it. "No, I think I'm good," she said, scooting away to avoid some drops that fell from the cone. "Perhaps some of the others would feel differently?"

She shrugged. "Tanzanite didn't seem interested. Onyx tried another flavor, but she…well, she didn't enjoy it as much." The Quartz has spat out the desert the moment it hit her tongue, before quickly washing out the taste with some water. Pearl tried a sample of that flavor–'coffee,' whatever that was–and didn't think it warranted such a reaction.

Their talks of frozen treats were put on hold as a familiar face strolled into the park. "Ah, Emerald, welcome back!" Pearl said. "Any luck?"

Somehow, despite everything she had been through in the past several thousand years, the events of the previous night still had Emerald looking haggard. In addition to playing peacemaker to some of the more riled-up Gems, she had also gone out to look for Jasper. "The problem here," she said, "is that we're trying to find someone who has a lot of experience not being found. I don't think we're going to see her again unless she wants us to."

"Better than her causing trouble for the empire." Goshenite stood up. "Though I suppose the empire doesn't quite exist anymore." As though the revelation hit her just then, she suddenly froze up, her eyes going almost comically wide. "T-the empire doesn't exist anymore…what are we going to do now?"

"That's what we've been wondering all night," Pearl said, casually eating her ice cream.

Emerald did her best to reassure her frenemy, awkwardly patting her on the back. "I know, I know, this is hard on all of us. But we'll get through it together, don't you worry."

But Goshenite was worrying. "Emerald, this isn't something we can just 'figure out.' Without the Diamonds, society will just collapse! We need leadership to be able to accomplish anything!"

"Homeworld isn't as fragile as that," Emerald assured her. "We've survived crises like this before. If we could evolve and thrive in Era-2, then I'm confident we can do the same in Era-3."

Goshenite was beginning to come to her senses now, but was still a bit rattled. "Even still, we'll need direction. At least a temporary leadership. I could convene with the Council of Beryls to decide what to–" She looked up as an idea crossed her mind. "The Council! The Council has always been second only to the Diamonds, so it already has the necessary authority! The six of us could guide the empire, at least until we decide on a more permanent solution!"

"Hmm…" Emerald wasn't wild on that possibility. She hadn't known the Council to be the best at working together, even when she had been a member. And although she didn't have any better ideas, there was another problem. "I'm not sure Steven would approve. His entire stance is on limiting the power of those in charge. The Diamonds may have had unlimited authority, but the Council isn't much better."

"And why should what Steven thinks affect our decision?" There was a bit of venom in Goshenite's voice, but Emerald could tell she had tried to lessen it. "We're talking about the fate of our species, Emerald. And besides, this will only be until we can find a more suitable replacement. If it really bothers you so much, go talk to him about it. But for now, I need to ask the Diamonds about this." Goshenite walked away to do just that; Emerald took her spot on the bench.

"I tell you, Pearl, I thought this would be easy," she said wearily. "We defeated the Interlopers, healed everyone who was corrupted, this whole thing with the Diamonds–but it still feels like this isn't a happy ending." In response, Pearl offered her some of her ice cream, which she gladly took. "Thanks. …Say, what exactly is a 'strawberry' anyway?"

"Couldn't tell you," Pearl admitted. "Hey, what Goshenite said…do you really think we should bring this up to Steven?"

"Couldn't hurt," said Emerald. The Diamonds had made it quite clear that Steven was one of them, humanity and all. And despite his youth, he knew more about Gemkind than most Gems his age. He had seen both the good and bad of their kind. "Why don't we go and see?"

The two of them stood up and went to look for him. Knowing he had to be at the center of the action, they headed for the busiest part of Beach City. They passed by just as many Gems as humans, some of whom didn't seem sure what to do with themselves. Pearl frowned when she saw a Quartz just sitting against the side of a building, watching the passers-by. "What's going to happen to them all?" she asked.

Emerald sighed. "I wish I knew. Even if the Diamonds were still in charge, this wouldn't be easy for anybody. I guess if they aren't going back to Homeworld, they'll have to stay here."

"It almost feels like they don't want to be here, though," Pearl said. "Are the humans even okay with them? Some of them don't seem particularly welcoming."

Although Emerald agreed, it was hard to blame them. If an enormous group of what was essentially refugees was suddenly thrust upon her hometown, she might have her share of reservations. There had to be a way to help them that made both happy.

Steven was indeed in the thick of it, directing traffic of Gems who seemed to be coming to him for a whole load of reasons. Beside him was another handful of Gems, all of whom seemed to be some combination of fusion or off-color. There was also what appeared to be a human, though Emerald wasn't sure if they came in that color. Pearl recognized them, but didn't feel the need to point this out.

"You guys might need to take a few more round trips," they heard Steven tell him. "There's a lot of Gems stuck on Homeworld colonies with no way to get here, or Gems here who want to get somewhere else."

"No problem," the pink human assured him. "I'm keeping the Sun Incinerator's engines warm, so we can take as many trips as we need–Yah!" He suddenly jumped the moment he saw Emerald, only to calm down and curiously regard her as she got closer. "Oh…you're not Emerald. Sorry about that."

Emerald was confused for a moment, reasoning that it was a different Emerald he was familiar with. "No problem. Steven, do you have a moment?"

The boy looked exhausted. There were heavy bags under his eyes, and yet he answered Emerald with enthusiasm. "Of course! What can I help you with?"

"I've been discussing some things with my colleagues." As Emerald spoke with him, Pearl sadly looked at all the Gems who still needed help. "With the Diamonds out of power, we'll need someone to run things on Homeworld. You seem busy here, but I understand you're the one to come to for help?"

"Well…" Despite his worldliness, Emerald had to admit that this was a big ask of Steven. He seemed justifiably stumped. "Who do you think should be in charge?"

"Goshenite's going to ask the Diamonds to contact the Council of Beryls," she explained. "We–er, they ran things in the Diamonds' stead, but I'm not sure they can handle this much responsibility. It would be a temporary solution, at best."

"Council of Beryls?" a worried fusion said. "Emerald's one of them! If they're coming here…ooh, this isn't good! We have to get off this planet, quickly! Even staying in this galaxy could be risky!"

Emerald looked at them, confused, then to Steven for clarification. "They stole one of her ships," he explained. "Lars, do you think you should leave?"

"Ah, I'm not scared of her!" said the human, Lars. "She hasn't caught us so far, she won't catch us now!"

"I, uh, hate to interrupt, but I doubt they'll actually be coming here," said Emerald. "It's more likely the six of them will head to Homeworld to hold their meeting." She sucked in air through her teeth at the realization of how much work they had cut out for them. "I can't imagine how they must be handling all of this…"

"Hopefully well," Pearl tried to reassure her.

"Mmmmmayybe the cryyystal geeeems caaan leeeeead uuuuus," a very large fusion suggested.

"Eh, ruling a whole planet seems like a bit too grand of a task, even for them," Lars said. "Maybe you can just hold an election."

Emerald blinked. "I'm sorry, a what?"

"An election! You get together a bunch of people who want to be in charge, and everyone votes for who they think would do the best job! It usually works for us!"

The idea of democracy didn't quite sit well with Emerald, but anything was worth a shot. Before she could say anything further on the matter, Pearl had a question of her own. "Excuse me? Mr. Steven? I saw all of these Gems back in town with nowhere to go, and I was wondering…what's going to happen to them?"

"If they don't want to go back to Homeworld, or another planet, they can always stay here," said Steven. "We're doing our best to make it comfortable for everyone, but there's only so much we can do."

"It's a shame to see them all like that, though," a Rutile said. Emerald realized with a start that she had two heads, but didn't show her surprise. "If they don't have anywhere to go, maybe we could build them somewhere…"

Steven seemed to like that suggestion. "Hey, yeah, that's a great idea! That's the perfect job for Bismuth, and Peridot would probably want to help, too. I'll ask Nanefua if there's any empty space we can build on."

As they continued discussing their new housing plan, Emerald noticed a familiar face approaching. "Good news," Goshenite said. "The Diamonds were able to call in one last favor, and the Council's on its way now."

"Good to hear," Emerald said. "Hopefully we're one step closer to getting this whole thing resolved–hang on…did you say they're coming here? As in, the entire Council of Beryls is going to be coming to Earth?"

Emerald was mainly just surprised that they would be meeting in such a (relatively) out-of-the-way place. To Lars and his off-color friends, however, this was a much bigger shock. They froze and looked up in shock as soon as Emerald had said it.

"We should probably put a tarp over the ship," suggested Padparadscha.