Yellow didn't mind stargazing too much. She let Blue point out all the stars she already knew the names of, trying not to laugh when the other Pearl blatantly skipped over the faint light of Homeworld in Earth's sky.

"I enjoyed traveling," Blue said after she ran out of stars and planets to talk about. "Not that it happened often, but it was more interesting than standing around in court."

"Everything is more interesting than that."

"Like you'd know," Blue returned lightly, flashing Yellow a quick smile to let her know she didn't mean anything by it.

Yellow gave her an unimpressed look. "I suppose you're the expert at standing around."

"Yes, I am. You're terrible at it; you got so fidgety during meetings."

"I was not fidgety!" she said indignantly.

"You don't actually fidget, but your face gives you away." She poked Yellow's cheek lightly. "You're doing it now too. Do you want to start walking back?"

"Not yet."

"Mm. I guess Steven's probably still asleep." Blue thought for a moment. "We could spar?"

"In the dark?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure it would make that much of a difference for me," Blue said, gesturing to her eyes.

"Your vision's that bad?"

"No, no, I just mean it's limited to begin with, so I'm used to it."

"Alright," Yellow said warily. "So it's less of a handicap for you. That's fine." She pulled her sword from her gem. "I still think that whole thing is incredibly unnatural; you must have some kind of gem damage you don't know about. Single or dual wielding?"

"Single? I don't think either of us have enough practice for a proper spar with two swords."

"That's fair."

"And it is unnatural, by the way," Blue added, pulling her own sword out. "Pearl figured it out."

"What do you mean, Pearl figured it out?" Yellow demanded. "When?"

"Oh…a couple days ago? We talked." She let the sword fall lax at her side. "I would have told you right away if it was serious," she added, "but we took care of it, and I figured it could wait until we had sorted things out."

"Took care of what?" she asked impatiently.

Blue averted her eyes. "The other Pearls…?" She tapped her gem lightly with one finger. "The ones I brought with me, I mean."

Yellow's eyes flicked to her gem, and then back up.

"Apparently you're not supposed to put other gems inside of you like that," she said, laughing nervously. "Who knew?"

"Me," Yellow said flatly, crossing her arms. "I told you there was something wrong with that."

"You did not know, it just scared you," Blue huffed.

"That's beside the point."

"No, it's not."

The two of them held eye contact stubbornly for a moment and then Yellow shook her head, smirking. "Alright, fine," she said. "I didn't know, but seriously, it's common sense."

"I have plenty of common sense," Blue argued.

"You have very selective common sense," she retorted, taking a step forward. "Let me see your gem."

"My gem is fine," Blue said, halfheartedly batting Yellow's hands away. "Let's spar."

"Don't change the subject. I'm not pointing sharp objects at you two seconds after you tell me that you're endangering yourself with ridiculous notions of heroism again."

"It's not ridiculous," she replied, a note of warning in her voice.

"Well, I'm still not sparring with you." Yellow started to put her sword away, only to have Blue catch her wrist. She cringed slightly at the odd feeling of having the sword stopping halfway into her gem and let go so it could slide in completely.

"Yellow," Blue protested. "I really am fine, I took them out. Pearl's keeping them in the temple for now."

"You're not at all concerned that those things have been attacking you from the inside for thousands of years?"

"Of course I'm concerned!" Blue shot back. "I have no idea what it did to me, and I'm trying not to think about it too much because it's terrifying not knowing!"

Yellow blinked, going still.

"But whatever it is, it's already happened, so there's no point trying to be careful now." Her fingers loosened on Yellow's wrist. "Please don't treat me like I'm fragile, or I'm going to start believing that I am."

The other Pearl sighed, letting her hand slip back to her side. "Fragile is the last word I'd use to describe you." She paused. "Is there any other relevant information I should be aware of?"

Blue shook her head. "That's everything."

"Alright," she relented, reaching for her sword again. "One spar then."

"Really?" she asked eagerly.

"Yes."

"Thank you!" She backed up to give Yellow some space to draw her weapon. "If you don't mind, I'd like to try some new techniques; I could use a second opinion."

"Sure," Yellow agreed. "I'd appreciate your advice as well."

Blue smiled. "Of course."

"And do try to be a little bit more careful with yourself."

She nodded happily. "I will."

"Good." Yellow dipped into a bow. "Let's begin."

One spar quickly turned into two, and then three.

After they had finished practicing and rested for a few minutes, the two of them made their way back, exchanging commentary on each other's technique.

"That one move, where you kind of slid sideways and nearly took off my nose—"

"I already apologized for that!" Yellow protested.

"No, I mean it was good. It wasn't as predictable as you usually are."

"Oh. Thanks, I guess." She walked up to the door of the barn. "It was mostly because you surprised me with the second sword."

"Did that actually work? I still don't quite have the hang of it."

"Your dual-wielding was subpar, but the idea of adding another weapon mid-battle was solid." She paused, thinking. "You could try something smaller."

"Maybe," Blue agreed. "I'll see what Pearl has in her collection."

Yellow nodded and pushed the door open. The lights were already on, which wasn't surprising, and she quickly located Peridot off to the left, miscellaneous supplies scattered in front of her.

The smaller gem looked up as they came in. "Uh, hi," she said nervously.

Blue immediately inserted herself in the space between them, standing directly in front of Yellow. She couldn't see Blue's expression, but Peridot looked about ready to start running.

"You…seem to be getting along again," the technician tried carefully.

Blue nodded curtly.

"Stars," Yellow muttered, rolling her eyes. She took Blue by the shoulders and moved her out of the way. "I don't need a shield."

"I know that. I'd just like to remind her that if she hurts you again, she answers to me."

"Well, you can stop now. She's already scared of you anyway."

"She is?" Blue asked curiously, tilting her head back to look at Yellow.

"I am not!" Peridot said indignantly. "You're just…weird! I'm not used to Pearls like you."

Blue pressed a hand to her mouth, stifling a laugh. "Thank you."

"I don't think that was a compliment," Yellow said dryly. "That aside, can you give us a minute?"

"Oh, sure. Should I wait outside?"

Yellow nodded, giving her a small smile as Blue's hand brushed against hers on the way out. Once she had disappeared out the door, Yellow turned her attention back to Peridot. "I apologize for my behavior yesterday," she said crisply, shoulders straight as she tried to get through the awkward apology as quickly as possible.

Peridot jumped to her feet. "No, no, no, wait! Wait right there, don't move!" She started upstairs and stopped about halfway. "That's not an order, but I would greatly appreciate it if you don't ignore me like you usually do."

Yellow crossed her arms. "I'm waiting, aren't I?"

"Yes. Good." She disappeared up the ladder and hurried back down a few seconds later with a small box clutched in her hands. "Here," she declared, thrusting it towards Yellow. "This is for you."

"You're…giving me something?" she asked slowly, curious fingers halfway to the box but not quite making it there.

"As part of my apology."

"But I'm the one apologizing."

"No, I am!" Peridot pressed it into her hand determinedly, launching into a flurry of nervous words. "Uh, that is to say…I sincerely apologize and I hope that we can come to a peaceable agreement in our future endeavors. Please accept this token of appreciation and understand that I in no way meant to devalue you or your work. You're actually—I mean—considering you never had formal training in engineering…" Her cheeks went blue with embarrassment. "You're quite skilled."

Yellow stared at her.

"Are you going to take the present or not?" she demanded, flustered. "It's rude to refuse gifts."

"I didn't know I was supposed to bring one," she said, looking down at the little box uncertainly. She hesitated, reaching up to snap the clips in her hair open. "I…don't have much, but if you'd like this decorative gear, I suppose—"

"What? No, don't bother." Peridot waved away the offer uncomfortably.

"You just said it was rude to refuse a gift!"

"Well, it seems worse to take a gift that's not yours," she muttered. "Those are from Steven, right?"

Yellow nodded.

"Then don't go offering them to other gems. They might be useless Earth junk, but they're yours."

"So I don't give you anything in return?"

"Just stop calling me by my Homeworld designation and we're even."

"I… Yes. Alright." Yellow stuck out her hand awkwardly. "Peridot."

The smaller gem smiled, relieved, and accepted the handshake. "Thanks."

"Am I also allowed to call you by the numerous aliases Amethyst and Steven use for you?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I said so!"

Yellow snickered.

"Now are you going to open that or not?" Peridot demanded. "I spent a lot of time on it!"

Her laughter died in her throat. "You did?" she asked uncertainly.

"Well, it's not like—I mean—ugh, just open it already!"

"But—" Her fingers tightened on the box.

"You don't need to make a big deal out of it!"

"…Okay." A small, genuine smile curved her lips. "Thanks."

"You have to open it first, then you say thanks."

She nodded dismissively and undid the ribbon, removing the lid to the box. Inside was a small, thin rectangular device. "Thanks," she repeated automatically. "What is this?"

"It plays music," Peridot replied, grabbing it from the box and turning it on. She attached it to a small boxy speaker that had been sitting next to her workspace. "Here." It began playing the CD they'd been listening to before. "I uploaded everything we could find around the temple and Steven's dad's van and a bunch of things from the humans' internet database before Pearl started telling me off so…" She shrugged, handing it back. "If you want me to get more, just say so. There's still some space left."

Yellow gazed down at the little player in her hand. "This is…" She shook her head quickly. "I mean, thank you. For doing this. I'm…sorry I assumed the worst of you. I've spent a large portion of my existence having to put up with Peridots who think they're better than me, so I wasn't inclined to believe you'd be any different."

"That's fair," Peridot said, flashing her an awkward smile.

Yellow returned it hesitantly. "You could show me how to fix the engine?"

She brightened. "Yes! I came up with some new modifications based off of your original changes that I think could increase efficiency as well."

"Okay." She carefully placed the music player back on the speaker and turned it on. "Do you mind if Blue comes in, or would that interfere with your concentration?"

"I told you, I'm not scared of her!"

"You're a terrible liar," Yellow said mildly, starting for the door. "You might as well just admit it."

"Be quiet!"

"No."

Yellow and Peridot worked on the ship well past the time the sun came up, while Blue helped with menial tasks and looked on in fascination.

"Need something?" she asked as Yellow crawled out from underneath the engine.

"Yes." The other Pearl wiped her hands on her shorts, smudging dirt onto the gray fabric. "I need one of those—" She made a large, boxy gesture with her hands. "—image cubes everyone seems to enjoy staring at. Peridot says I can't dismantle hers."

"It's called a television," Blue replied helpfully. "I'll see if there's one at the temple we can use."

"Thanks."

Blue headed for the door, only to collide with Garnet as soon as she stepped outside. "Oops, sorry!" she said quickly as Garnet caught her with one arm.

"It's okay." She smiled and pointed back over her shoulder as Blue straightened up. "We thought we'd all help out today."

"Good morning!" Steven called, running over ahead of Pearl and Amethyst.

"Good morning, Steven!" Blue said with a smile, before waving at the other two. "And good morning!"

"You're all here?" Yellow asked, appearing behind Blue's shoulder with tools still in hand.

"Hey, there you are!" Amethyst grinned. "Get all the singing and crying out of the way?"

"The what?" She wrinkled her nose. "I haven't cried, and I certainly haven't sung anything."

"Aww, c'mon, you're not a real Crystal Gem without the singing and crying! Right, Peri?" she asked, leaning sideways so she could see the other gem.

Peridot, who had just popped her head out to see what the commotion was, blushed. "No comment!"

"See? It's tradition," Amethyst laughed. "You're missing out."

"I haven't sung anything either," Blue said. "Should I?"

"She's not serious," Pearl said exasperatedly. "Amethyst, stop teasing them. There are no requirements for being a Crystal Gem besides believing in Rose's doctrine."

"What is this doctrine?" Yellow asked. "You keep mentioning it, but I've never heard of any such thing."

"It was the cornerstone of the rebellion! Of course Homeworld wouldn't talk about it." Pearl seemed about to launch into another colorful recollection of the war, but Garnet placed a hand on her shoulder and she stopped short.

"You've already met the requirements," Garnet said warmly.

"Really?" Blue asked.

"Really." She smiled. "Though there will be singing eventually."

Yellow snorted disbelievingly. "Not on my part."

"We'll see."

"I can help you write a song," Steven volunteered.

"I think it sounds fun," Blue agreed.

"I'm not singing."

Garnet smiled, ignoring her indignation. "You seem to be feeling alright."

"I'm fine," she said quickly, straightening up. "I apologize for the trouble."

"Don't worry about it." She glanced over Yellow's shoulder to where the music was playing. "I see Peridot gave you your present already."

Yellow nodded.

"We all helped."

"If by 'helped' you mean everyone argued over what music to include!" Peridot shouted from inside.

"That's what I meant," Garnet called back.

Yellow and Blue exchanged a brief look, both hiding smiles.

"Anyway, were you going somewhere?" Pearl asked.

"Oh," Blue said, "I was just coming to ask you where I could get a TV. They need some more parts for the ship."

"I'm sure Amethyst has a spare lying around somewhere."

"Hey, don't just volunteer my stuff!" Amethyst protested. "But yeah, I do," she added, leaning past the two Pearls. "Yo, P-dot!"

"What?" she asked, poking her head out again.

"Come show me and Steven what kinda thing you need!"

"Just a minute!" Peridot disappeared for a moment and then slipped out, dusting off her uniform. "Okay. Yellow, if you could finish putting that together—"

"On it." She started back towards the ship.

"Mind if I join you?" Pearl asked.

"You?" Yellow asked skeptically.

"Yes, me," she replied, sounding affronted. "I've had to focus my attentions elsewhere as of late, but I'm quite well-versed in engineering myself."

"Since when?"

"Since long before you were even made!" Pearl huffed.

Yellow crossed her arms. "I've yet to actually see proof of that."

"Then if you'll kindly hand over that wrench…"

"You haven't been on Homeworld for millennia; you can't possibly be up to date on technology!"

"Goodness, you really do sound like Peridot sometimes."

Yellow stared at her blankly, her grip on the wrench loosening just enough for Pearl to tug it out of her hand. "I do not sound like Peridot."

"You kind of do," Blue chimed in. "Sometimes. I think it's because you're both from Yellow Diamond's court."

"I…can't dispute that," she said, wrinkling her nose.

"Yellow," Pearl called, already inside the ship. "Was this arrangement your idea or hers? It's one of the most streamlined repairs I think you could manage with such limited equipment."

"Both," Yellow replied, heading over. "Have you worked with this kind of engine before?"

"It's not so different from what they had in my day."

She slipped inside as well, already explaining their plans to catch Pearl up.

In the meantime, Garnet beckoned Blue over to one side of the barn to sit down. "Let's leave them to it."

She nodded, smoothing down her shirt as she sat. She listened to Yellow and Pearl exchanging tips inside the ship wistfully.

"You could learn," Garnet said.

She looked back at her, startled. "I-I suppose I'd like to, but there's no time for it. Not right now, anyway."

"After the rebellion," she replied, nodding. "It wouldn't be hard for you."

"Thanks." Blue couldn't help but think that after the rebellion was far too tenuous and uncertain for her to be making plans for it. She smiled up at her, shaking away the thoughts. "It's okay. I just wish I had time to try all of these new things on Earth right now. You do everything so differently here."

"We do," she agreed.

"It's amazing." Blue pushed her hair back slightly. "I just have to prioritize."

"Pearl says you've made a lot of progress in training," Garnet said. "She's got you dual-wielding already?"

"We're both trying it," she replied, nodding. "I'm not sure it suits me, though. I'm working on figuring out my own style."

"Let me know if you want a little extra practice sometime," she said with a smile. "I enjoyed sparring with you."

Blue smirked. "You were going easy on me."

"Soon I won't have to. You're unpredictable."

"To someone who's half Sapphire?"

"You're halfway unpredictable," she said good-humoredly. "And, for the record, I don't use future vision constantly when I'm fighting. It gets to be distracting, especially with gems like you."

The compliment made Blue genuinely happy and she clasped her hands in her lap. "Thanks. I'll take you up on the offer soon then."

"Good. If you want fusion practice too, you just have to ask."

"W-What?"

"You seemed interested."

"…Yes," she admitted quietly, "but I don't know. Everything I know about fusion comes from Homeworld—and even the unofficial reports never wanted to talk about it much, not the way it's done here and definitely not between different gem types."

"It's very different," Garnet agreed. She paused, looking at Blue closely for a moment. "There's nothing inherently wrong about fusing within your type either. It's about the experience." She looked down at her hands briefly. "Existing together, not just because you need to win a fight."

"It sounds nice," Blue murmured. "I just can't imagine it."

"That's okay. Take your time." Garnet glanced back towards the others for a moment. "I'm pretty sure you'll like it."

Pearl, Yellow, and Peridot spent most of the morning working on the ship and engaging in conversation that toed the line between academic discussion and petty bickering. Meanwhile, the other four kept each other company and played games nearby while discussing strategy, until the others reached a stopping point in their project.

"Training at two o'clock sharp, Blue," Pearl said. "Amethyst, come help me find some more parts at the Kindergarten, please."

"Gotcha."

"Steven, I require your assistance in locating more information on Earth machinery," Peridot announced.

"Sure thing!"

"I'll come too," Garnet said, picking Steven up and setting him atop her hair.

Blue watched the others go and wandered over to where Yellow was sitting with her back to the side of the pod. "It's working out well?" she asked lightly, sliding down to sit beside her.

"It is."

"I'm glad."

Yellow nodded, twirling a tool Blue didn't recognize between her fingers. "What do you want to do until training?"

"I'm not sure. Was there something you wanted to do?"

"Not right now." Yellow gave her a long look. "You were talking about fusion again," she commented.

"Oh! A little," Blue replied, looking down at the tools scattered around them. "It's interesting."

"You want to try it."

"What?" Blue asked, startled. "No, we—we were just talking."

"It's fine if you do," Yellow said with a shrug. "It seems like your kind of thing."

"I don't know…Garnet seems so content, and the others enjoy it too—I'm just curious."

"Might as well try it then," Yellow said dismissively.

Her cheeks went a dark blue. "Really?"

"It's not like you'll get in trouble for it. And I'm sure one of them would be willing to give it a shot, maybe even Pearl."

"Wait, what—oh." Her voice faltered. "I guess so." She rearranged her bangs nervously. "You…wouldn't be interested then?" she asked in a small voice.

It took a moment for her to realize Blue meant interested in fusing with her, and when she did her whole body locked up. "Me?"

"It's okay if you aren't!" Blue said quickly, waving nervous hands between them. "I just thought that if I'm going to try it, I'd rather it be with you first. I'm sorry, that was—I shouldn't have asked."

"It's fine," Yellow managed faintly.

"I could have at least timed it better."

"It's fine," she repeated.

Blue nodded, averting her eyes.

"You want to fuse with me," Yellow said, the inflection in her voice not quite right, somewhere between a question and a statement.

"Only if you want to," she said with an almost smile.

"I don't even know how fusion works," she replied, voice strained.

"That's okay, I don't either."

"You're not making a very convincing argument."

"If you give me a minute to think, I'm sure I could hold up my end of the debate."

"It's not a debate," Yellow muttered, touching her gem self-consciously.

Blue blushed. "Does that…mean you want to?"

"It means I'll think about it," she corrected her, and then hesitated. "Can I think about it?"

"Yes. Yes, of course!" she replied, relief washing over her face. "Take as long as you need."

"Okay."

"You're allowed to say no."

"Got it." Yellow nudged Blue's hand open to lace their fingers together. "You too."

"I'm the one that asked."

"I know."

"…Thanks." A small smile crept to her lips. "Sorry I threw that at you all of a sudden."

"I'm starting to get used to it," Yellow said wryly. "You really are a very strange Pearl."

"Thank you," Blue said brightly. "You're very strange too."

"That's still not a compliment."

"Isn't it?"

Yellow smirked. "If you say so."

Neither of them brought up fusion again that day, but Yellow was surprised by how easily she began to accept the suggestion once the initial shock wore off. She was a Pearl, and she wasn't meant to fuse. She'd never even considered it. And fusion—this kind of fusion, on Earth—was intimate in a way that ought to scare her, but her sense of unease was soon overtaken by a cautious curiosity. What was fusion like?

Blue wanted to try it, which warmed her to the idea more than it should have, so she ignored that and tried to look at it logically. Fusing wouldn't hurt either of them, it could give them a tactical advantage, and if it didn't work they could just move on, right? There was a small, nagging voice in the back of her head that kept questioning what good could come from a fusion of two Pearls, but she was sick of letting Homeworld tell her what to do and how to think. They were galaxies away and they'd already broken hundreds of rules.

And honestly, it felt nice, being someone's first choice. Being Blue's specifically, and knowing that there was some quality within her that prompted such an honor, especially after spending so much time feeling alone.

She still wanted to think about it more before she said anything, but there was never really a question what her answer would be.