Chapter Twelve: Adjustments
Pearl had forgotten how utterly boring standing guard was.
It reminded her, in some ways, of her duties back when she had served Homeworld. Long, monotonous cycles of standing at attention, her expression never faltering, never letting anyone see how her mind wandered.
In other ways, it was completely different. This was important. Here, she stood as a free Gem, standing against a tyrant, weapon in hand. Here, she could not allow her mind to wander: her entire focus was on the Diamond, searching for any signs of deceit or danger.
And of course, she wasn't alone. She had Rose at her side.
As in all things, Rose had a rather unorthodox approach to guard duty. Rather, she sat down, stretching casually before resting her back against the cave wall.
The little Diamond stared at them.
Pearl stared back at the little Diamond.
Rose Quartz stared at her own fingers, as if inspecting them for dirt. Out of the corner of her eye, Pearl noticed something around Rose's wrist.
The little Diamond noticed too.
"Hey!" he cried out. "That's Pearl's bracelet!"
"No it's not," said Pearl.
"Not you Pearl," Steven said. "My Pearl."
Pearl was very proud of the self-restraint she exhibited just then, tightening her grip on her spear and trying not to think about how much she'd like to use it.
Rose gave Pearl the briefest of glances, but otherwise, pretended not to notice the comment. "Ah, yes," she said, voice light, "we found it at the Fountain. It must have fallen off."
"Give it back to her!" the Diamond demanded.
"Of course," said Rose. "Just wanted to make sure I knew who it belonged to."
"It's Pearl's. She got it in Empire City and you'd better give it back to her or—"
He had no way of finishing that sentence, and the Diamond knew it.
Rose smiled as if she hadn't basically just been threatened, and began to stand up. "Of course. I'll take it to her right away."
"Wait," Pearl said, falling into the familiar routine. "We promised to let the Pearl and the Lapis go free. If we go to their territory, that might be seen as violation of our truce."
Rose put a hand to her mouth. "My, do you think so?"
"We might be attacked," said Pearl.
"Oh no. I wouldn't want to scare her…" said Rose.
The Diamond had stood up in the cage. "Look! Wait," he said, and Pearl waited, listening very carefully to what he had to say. "Just— just leave it near the warp pad by the Palanquin, okay?"
Pearl blinked. "What?"
"Pearl's sure to use the warp pad eventually. If you put the bracelet there, she'll be bound to see it."
Rose nodded, then hesitated. "Oh, dear. What if some animal takes it?"
The Diamond bit his lip. "You could… put it under a rock. And, um, wait— let me write a message, so she'll see it and know it's from me?"
"I don't think we should allow for communication—" Pearl began.
The Diamond glared at her. "You can read my message over, okay?"
He grabbed at his human note book, wrote something in it, then tore out the page. He poked it through the energy field of the cage. Pearl grabbed the page carefully by the corner, and read it.
Hi Pearl. The Crystal Gems have returned your bracelet. I'm doing okay. Love you, and Lapis too.
— Steven
Pearl scanned the words for any sign of code. None immediately jumped out at her, but she knew how subtle the Diamonds could be in this regard.
She was finishing her inspection when the Temple door opened and Garnet stepped out. She said, "I'll take next watch."
"Wonderful timing," said Rose Quartz. Garnet's timing was always wonderful. She settled into position, allowing Rose and Pearl to go to the warp pad. Neither of them spoke in the duration of the warp. When the light of the warp stream dissipated, Pearl was not surprised to see they hadn't arrived at the forest where Blue Diamond's Palanquin was hidden, but rather they were in a familiar battlefield strewn with strawberries.
Here, they would be free to talk.
"Well," said Rose, slipping the bracelet off of her hand and considering it. "That went well."
"I'll admit… he appears to be treating the Pearl with more civility than I expected." Pearl banished her spear, and looked again at the message she still held in her hands. Love you, it said. Was it a lie? A code? "But I'm still not convinced."
It was an old routine they'd used during the rebellion, or a variation of it. As the Crystal Gem message had spread, their numbers had began to swell. While new recruits were welcomed, they also brought risk. It would have been very easy for Homeworld to slip spies among their ranks, something they'd attempted multiple times. There had been systems in place to minimize the chances of betrayal, and one of those systems had been covert ways of testing recruits' reactions. Would they be kind to all Gems, regardless of caste? Would they share resources? Would they stand up for others?
And the Diamond who called himself Steven Universe had done very well. He hadn't tried to take the Pearl's bracelet for himself. He had insisted the Crystal Gems return it to its rightful owner. He had, apparently, even written a letter to reassure the Pearl.
But still. This whole setup was suspicious.
"I know," Rose said, when Pearl voiced her concerns. "But… I am beginning to believe Steven Universe might be genuine. If he really was Blue Diamond, she could have destroyed us so easily. I can't see why he would allow us to lock him up, unless what he's saying is true." Rose looked out across the field, weapons of a brutal battle still lying where they had fallen five thousand years ago. "Just… just think, Pearl. This could be… something entirely new. A chance to fix the mistakes of the past. To create something better."
The hope in Rose's voice… it was inspiring, alluring. The image it conjured was beautiful.
But when Pearl stared across the battlefield, for a moment, all she could see were the Gems who'd been shattered there. All she could hear were their screams as they'd transformed.
The risk was too great.
"A few shows of kindness don't mean anything," Pearl said. "He was still keeping a Pearl enslaved. That Lapis Lazuli as well, most likely. He attacked Garnet, and believes the same shale about fusions as all of Homeworld. And I don't want to hear what he has to say about Amethyst. Perhaps he is not Blue Diamond, but he is still a Diamond."
Rose sighed. "Perhaps," she said. "We'll need to keep watching." Rose tore her gaze away from the horizon, and turned her eyes on Pearl. "But… there's something else I want to talk about."
"Yes?" said Pearl.
"I'm sorry."
Pearl blinked. "Pardon?"
"I'm sorry." Rose laid her hands, warm and heavy, on Pearl's shoulder. "You tried to warn me about Mr. Universe. I didn't listen. And I…" Rose shook her head, causing a cascade of pink curls to tumble around them both. She seemed to be at a loss for words. "And I should have… I was… I'm sorry."
Victory flared in Pearl's core, hot and fierce.
I told you so. The words would have felt so good to say. But Pearl saw the unshed tears shining in Rose's eyes, and held back. Instead, she leaned into Rose, hugging her tightly, offering what comfort she could.
The stayed like that for a long time. The two of them, together.
Then Rose said, "I'll need to be more careful, next time."
Next time?
"Rose—" Pearl began, as her lover pulled out of the embrace and started towards the warp pad.
"Yes?" said Rose.
"Nothing," said Pearl, looking away.
Rose tilted her head in mild confusion, then smiled. "Well. Let's go, then. We have a bracelet to return."
Steven shifted where he sat as his stomach growled in hunger. He glanced at the fusion, Garnet, who made no indication that they heard his restless belly.
Steven turned his attention back to his drawing. It was starting to really come together now. The basic sketch was done and now he was adding finer details. He didn't have his outlining pen, unfortunately, so he was having to make do with what few tools he did have.
He was working on the shading of Mom's robe when his stomach rumbled again. He frowned as he put his pad and pencil to the side. He looked over at the fusion.
"Hey. When is Dad getting back with dinner?" he asked.
Garnet was silent for a moment before answering simply, "When he gets back."
Steven grimaced at her. "You're supposed to have future vision. Can't you see when he'll get back?"
"Yes."
"And? When will he?"
"When he returns."
Steven huffed and was about to say something angrier to the fusion when Dad rounded the Temple's corner, one hand carrying a heavy-looking duffle bag, a wonderful smelling pizza box balanced in his other.
Steven stood up and ran over to the far side of the cage. "Dad! You're back!"
"Course I am," Dad responded. "Took a bit longer than I thought it would. Pizza place lost my order so they had redo it while I waited."
Normally, Steven would probably be a bit annoyed by this, but he was so hungry now and all he wanted to do was take the largest bite out of that pizza that he could.
"I… kinda forgot what you said you wanted on it originally, bud. So I just got mushroom and onion."
Dad sat the pizza down on the floor next to the cage and opened the lid, revealing what just then looked to be the most beautiful, cheesy, greasy pizza in existence. Steven had never been so glad to see food in his whole life.
"It looks so good…" Steven said, licking his lips.
Dad chuckled. "Yeah. It's no Empire City, but Fish Stew does good work." He peeled a piece of the pizza off the box and carefully handed it to Steven through the bars of his cell. Steven took it, mindful not to touch the cage's bars, and with barely a moment's hesitation, devoured it, licking his fingers clean after he did.
"Easy, bud," Dad said as he prepared another slice. "Don't want to make yourself sick or anything."
"I won't be cleaning that up," Garnet intoned.
Steven shot them a look, but Dad was right. No need to make himself sick. Especially not in front of the rebels. Before the next slice, Dad handed him a water bottle from the duffle bag, a large chunk of ice in the center keeping it cool. Steven unscrewed the cap and drank a little, followed by drinking a lot. Because of his more pressing hunger, Steven hadn't realized how thirsty he had been.
Dinner went uneventfully after that. Steven ate three more slices of pizza and drained the water bottle, swallowing a pain pill Dad had brought with it. Satisfied, Steven leaned back where he sat.
"Pretty good, huh?" Dad asked as he closed the pizza box lid.
"Yeah, pretty good," Steven agreed. "Thanks, Dad."
"Hey, no problem. That's what Dads are for, right?" Dad's tone was one of forced upbeatness and it contrasted uncomfortably with the grim atmosphere around them.
Still, Steven had to go along. After all, Pearl's words still rung in his ears:
"Never let them see how much they hurt you."
"Man, it's getting late," Dad said. Steven wasn't exactly sure how late it was, but he was inclined to agree. The sun had fully set awhile ago and the only light in the Temple's cave came from a camping lamp Dad had brought, as well as the dim pink glow from the cage's bars.
"You should probably be getting to bed," Dad said. Steven was going to protest, as he often did around bedtime, but a powerful yawn welled up inside of him and it took all his strength not to let it out.
"Yeah, you're probably right," Steven said. "It's been a long day."
"Yeah…" Dad responded, his eyes quickly darting over to Garnet and back again. "Why don't we get ready?"
Dad had been really smart and picked up some extra things for him when he'd grabbed food, with pillows, blankets and a sleeping bag. There was only one of the latter, clearly sized for a child; when Steven asked Dad where he was gonna sleep he just waved the concern off. Steven bit his lip, but didn't want to make a fuss. So he nodded, got up, and dragged the sleeping stuff into the corner of the cell.
That was when he suddenly noticed something.
He had to pee. Badly.
He dropped his things, as he saw Dad was readying his own blankets. "Dad?" Steven tried to keep his voice down, even though he knew it only made him look suspicious. "Dad? I have to go to the bathroom."
Dad seemed to be taken a little off guard by this. "Oh! Right… Hey, Garnet." He looked over at the Gem, who shifted her gaze to him. "Steven has to… you know."
The said said nothing.
"Uh, take care of some business?"
Still silent.
"Answer a call of nature?"
Silence.
"I have to pee!" Steven blurted out.
"Ah. Okay." Garnet pushed off the side of the wall they'd been leaning against. "I can take you."
"Take me? Take me where?"
"To the ocean," Garnet answered plainly. "You can… answer your call there."
"The ocean?" Steven sputtered.
"Yeah, Garnet. Isn't that a little… harsh?" Dad asked. "I can take him to the car wash and he can use the bathroom there."
Garnet however shook their head. "You can't be wandering that far away from the Temple." She folded her arms across her chest. "It's either the ocean… or I can fetch a bucket."
Steven grimaced before sighing. "Fine. I'll take the ocean. Get a chance to stretch my legs at least…"
Garnet placed their hand on the top of the cell and all at once, the energy bars disappeared. Steven cautiously stepped past the cell's threshold, as if afraid that the bars would suddenly re-appear as he did, cutting through his body. Thankfully, they did not.
Steven was out of the cell and he looked at his dad, and then past him. The mouth of the cave was just there, the sound of the ocean echoing invitingly.
In an instant, Steven realized that he could just run. Grab Dad and just race out of there. He could be out of the Temple before the fusion even knew what was going on. Just run and run and run.
But… Steven knew what a bad idea that was. Even if they were fast enough, where would they go? The rebels knew where the Palanquin was now and no doubt that's where they would check first. Maybe they'd attack Pearl and Lapis again— and this time, they wouldn't let them go…
"Let's go." Garnet adjusted their glasses.
"Fine," Steven responded.
Dad got up to follow them, but Steven stopped him. "Um, that's alright, Dad. I can handle this."
"Oh. Um, okay, bud," Dad replied slowly, as he pointedly didn't look at Garnet. "If you're sure."
"Yeah, I am."
Garnet and Steven left the Temple's entrance and walked towards the ocean, small waves breaking against the shore. He stared at it dubiously. He was used to going in the woods, but somehow going into the water seemed completely different and immensely unappealing. Steven walked to the edge of the water and hesitated.
"Can you like, turn around while I go?"
Though it was next to impossible to tell, Steven was fairly certain that one of Garnet's eyebrows had just just shot up.
Steven felt his face redden in embarrassment. "I… I can't go if someone's watching me…"
The corners of Garnet's mouth tightened, before they nodded. "But you better not try anything."
They turned, turning their back to Steven.
"Not like I have much choice…" Steven mumbled to himself.
He fumbled with the fly and zipper of his jeans before finally being able to relieve himself. He sighed with well-earned relief. Finished, Steven zipped back up and simply said, "Done."
Without even looking at him, Garnet turned and began walking back towards the Temple, beckoning him to follow, like some kind of trained dog.
Steven grimaced and followed after them.
When they returned to the rebel base, Steven was hurried back into his cell. As soon as he crossed the threshold, it powered back on, bathing everything in a pink glow.
That wasn't going to make it any easier to sleep. But he needed to try. He knew if Pearl were here, she'd insist.
As he slid into his sleeping bag, pulling MC Bear Bear close, Steven smiled…
… before letting that smile fall right away.
He wished Pearl was here.
No, that wasn't true. He wished himself, Pearl, and Dad were back in the apartment. The Crystal Gems had been defeated so Dad never had to leave. It was just the three of them— and Lapis, couldn't forget her— just the four of them living in the apartment together. Cooking meals, cleaning up, singing songs, doing puzzles, playing video-games...
Like a family.
"You need a story, Schtoo-ball?" Dad asked.
Steven yawned, not bothering to try and hide it this time. "No, thanks Dad. I'm just—" Another yawn. "I'm just gonna go to sleep." He was tired, at least. Maybe he would get some sleep tonight.
"Alright, Steven… Goodnight."
"Goodnight, Dad."
They both lied down in their respective sleeping spaces and rolled over, Steven doing his best to face away from the glowing bars, even if it meant not seeing his dad.
He closed his eyes, but sleep was stubborn. Part of it was the ache through his entire body, which not even the painkillers could dull completely. Part of that was the never-ending glow from the cage, like the most irritating night-light in existence. But even burying deeper under the blankets to block it out did little to help. He guessed he shouldn't be surprised. He had warp lag. In Korea it was morning; and he'd just been adjusting to France's time, and there it had to be about noon. Despite the darkness outside, as far as his body was concerned, it was time to be awake.
But warp lag or not, his body was also exhausted. Steven felt sleep come for him gradually, slowly draping over him before he was finally engulfed.
Steven's dreams were wild, yet predictable that night. He dreamt of life at the Palanquin, of Pearl waking him up and the two of them heading to town for some breakfast. He dreamt of roaming the streets of Empire City with Dad; of walking through the mountains and showing Lapis all the landmarks, which morphed and twisted in the manner of dreams.
As he drifted, occasionally something would pull him back towards consciousness for a brief enough moment to remind him where he was, before pulling back down into the depths of sleep.
"Go find Rose," the fusion's voice was saying. "You don't need to be here."
"Go where I want."
At first Steven thought the voices were part of yet another dream, until he drifted close to awakeness, and he realized that truly was Garnet's voice. At first he thought the second speaker might have been Dad— but no, the voice was too low, too smooth—
Garnet grunted, "Go. Get."
"Stop pushing. I will steal your glasses again."
Steven sat up, bleary eyed, and for a moment wondered if what he thought he was seeing was in fact what was actually happening.
Because it looked like the fusion was trying to push away a giant pink fur ball.
"What— Is that a… a lion?" Steven asked as he rubbed his eyes. There, not five feet away from where his Dad slept, was a cat, its back arched, its tail pricked, batting at the fusions with massive paws.
"It is," Garnet answered slowly. "He's Rose's."
"Not anyone's," the lion refuted. "Rose is pride."
"Don't growl at me," Garnet snapped at the Lion. It gave a small growl back.
"I know what you mean," Steven said to the lion. "Treating people like animals seems to be a thing for them."
Garnet fixed him with a heavy glare, but before she could say anything, the lion broke in, "I wondered why this cage was here." He walked up to bars. His eyes shone amber in the light. He was close enough that Steven heard him sniff, could feel the warmth radiating off of him. "You smell sort of like them. You a Gem?"
"Sort of," Steven answered.
"Hmph." The lion gave a dismissive sniff. Just then, Dad let out a snore. He ears twitched a the noise, and turned to investigate.
"Don't eat him!" Steven squeaked.
"Not hungry." The animal sat down on its haunches and licked his paws, displaying its massive white teeth in the process. Steven couldn't tell if that was coincidental or a deliberate act of intimidation.
"Oh. Good," Steven said.
The fusion took a step forward. They said, "You are communicating with him."
Steven didn't bother replying with words, just nodded stiffly.
The lion was now grooming its hindlegs. He paused to ask Steven, "Scared?"
This didn't sound so much a threat as genuine curiosity.
"Not really," Steven answered honestly, through a yawn. The lion had been startling, but not scary, really. He reminded Steven of most other cats he'd met in life— a little prickly, but quite nice once you got to know them. Certainly nicer than the Crystal Gems. "My name's Steven," he told him. "What's yours?"
"No name," the lion said between licks.
Steven shook his head. He shouldn't have been surprised. "Can I give you one?"
The lion lashed his tail in what was probably the feline-version of a shrug. Finishing his grooming, he got to his feet, stepped over Dad, and began towards the exit. He stopped and looked over his shoulder. "I hope they let you out of your cage, Gem cub," said the unnamed lion. "Let me know if they do. Would like proper conversation."
And without another word, Lion began sprinting away from the Temple, towards the ocean… and over the ocean. It was hard to tell from this distance, but it looked like the he was running on top of the water.
Steven blinked sleepily, still not sure if what he saw was real or if he was dreaming. "I didn't know Rose Quartz had a Lion."
"You don't worry about him," Garnet spoke sharply. "He's Rose's responsibility." She settled back into her spot and nodded curtly at him. "Go back to sleep."
Steven didn't have the energy to put up any kind of an argument. So he slid back into his sleeping bag, his mind still idly going over the fact that a giant, talking pink Lion was also part of the Crystal Gems.
"I wonder if Mom knew…" Steven mumbled to himself before closing his eyes and falling back asleep.
oOoOo
Authors' Note: Big shoutout to the user Wikisorcerer who started a TVTropes page for this series! Thanks so much!
