Chapter Twenty-One: Friendships
"So you don't live in Beach City?"
Connie shook her head. "No, my parents and I live just out of town," she said. "I started coming because my Dad sometimes has security positions here. It's quiet, and there's a bus that runs here frequently, so…" She chuckled nervously. Talking to new people, especially people around her age was never that easy, which was why she spent most of her time with books, rather than other kids.
Oh. And a four-and-a-half-thousand-year-old rock-person who just looked like a kid her age. That too.
Still. Steven seemed friendly enough, especially once they'd both managed to calm down a little.
"What about you?" Connie asked. "Do you live in Beach City?"
Steven shook his head. "No. My dad was staying here for a while, but I think we're going to be going back home soon."
"And where is home?"
"Damyang," Steven answered.
Connie tilted her to the side. That sounded like an Asian name, but she had no idea where it was. "Huh. And where is—" she struggled to get her mouth around the unfamiliar syllables- "Da-ma-yang?"
"Oh, sorry," Steven said quickly. "It's in Korea."
"Korea!?" Connie sputtered. She was not expecting that. "You've been all the way to Korea?"
"Well, yeah," Steven said easily. "I was born in Seoul, and about two years ago I moved to Damyang with my guardian, while my dad moved here to Beach City."
"Wow..." Connie trailed off. "If your dad moved out here, why'd you stay behind?"
Steven grimaced, and Connie quickly regretted her question. She could think of only one reason why a father would move so far away from his child and leave him in the care of a 'guardian'.
"Hey, I'm sorry, Steven," Connie hastily said. "I- You don't have to answer that. I shouldn't have asked."
"No, it's alright," Steven replied, but he didn't meet her eyes.
Connie was about to say something, but for just a moment, she could have sworn she saw a quick flash of blue out of the corner of her eye. She looked down and didn't see anything glowing, but did see Steven digging his hands into the pockets of his hoodie. She felt a burst of guilt push through her. She really had crossed a line.
"No really, Steven," she said. "Don't answer that. That's your business and I- I shouldn't have been prying. I'm sorry."
"No, it's really okay," Steven said, putting on a small smile. "Dad moved here for some business and… and I just really missed him."
"Okay," Connie said. "But you said that all of you were going to be going back home to Korea soon?"
"I think so," Steven said. "But… Dad might still have some stuff to finish up first."
Connie nodded along with Steven's explanation. Even though he was trying his best to sound light and casual, Connie could tell that the boy didn't really want to talk about what was going on with his family. She couldn't blame him. She didn't really want to talk about her family right now either.
So, she needed a subject change, and she said the first thing that came to mind.
"So what's going to school like in Korea?"
Steven paused a moment before answering, "I don't go to school. Pearl, my guardian, she home schools me."
"Oh."
Homeschooling. Geez, he's lucky, Connie thought. Then she considered having to stay at home all the time, with only her parents, and started revising her opinion.
"Do you go to school?" Steven asked.
Connie nodded. "Yeah."
"Is it… fun?"
Connie shrugged. "I guess? I like the classes, even if sometimes they can be boring, and…" None of the other students like sitting with me or partnering with me. "We get to do cool discussions and experiments and posters and field trips and stuff."
"Field trips? Like what?"
"Museums, mostly, but sometimes we can go to like, sewage treatment plants or camping…"
"You get to go camping in school? "
"Yeah. Assuming your parents let you," Connie answered, bitter. Her mind drifted briefly to an image of her hand, missing just one finger, and how that missing finger ruinedeverything. "Field trips with your class are pretty commonplace," she said.
"That's cool," Steven said. His hands were still in his pockets, but his posture had loosened a little, and his expression didn't seem quite as focused. "I guess Pearl and I went on field trips every now and then," he said. "We even went camping once… Sort of."
"Sort of?"
"It wasn't really planned," Steven said. "But we ended up staying the night at these ruins."
"Ruins?" Connie's eyes grew wide. "What kind of ruins?"
"Oh, I'm not sure," Steven said, shifting his posture a little in his rock. "Pearl just took us there so we could explore it a little."
"And you camped there overnight?"
Steven nodded.
"Wow…" Connie cooed. "That sounds so cool. Camping in ancient ruins, huddled around a fire surround by all that history."
"It was… alright," Steven said. "It probably would have been better with a whole class. With like, friends and stuff."
"Oh. Yeah, probably," Connie replied. "Not that it really would have helped me," she shrugged. "I don't… really know a whole lot of people my age."
"You don't?" Steven asked. "But aren't classes in school filled with people your own age?"
"Well yeah," Connie conceded. "It's… not that I don't know anyone my own age. I just… don't really have many friends, is all. Not that it bothers me," Connie quickly added. "I'm fine just reading a book or something."
"Yeah, I don't really have a lot of friends either," Steven said slowly. "I mean, I know Nari and Tom and… others. But they're not humans." He looked down at his lap. "So I usually just draw."
A heavy silence descended over them as Connie silently berated herself for being so stupid. Talking about having no friends. Yes, that was the perfect subject to unload on someone you'd just met. Brilliant strategy as always, Connie.
"So, um," Connie stammered as she reached for her bookbag. "I sorta have some homework I need to do. I was going to do it on the beach like I sometimes do, but then I… well, yeah. You know…" She felt her face burning as she reached into her bookbag, withdrawing a binder and a thick textbook. "So if you need to go, you can."
Steven chewed his lower lip. "Do you want me to go?"
"W-well only if you want to!" Connie quickly said. "But, you know, I'm just going to be doing homework, so…"
Steven sat there silently for a moment before he began saying, "I could help you with your homework, if you want. Pearl always says I do really well in our lessons."
Connie nodded, even though she was unsure how much help Steven could be. Beyond being taught by, presumably, Korean standards (which Connie was unsure how or if they differed from Delmarva standards), she wasn't one hundred percent sure on the homeschooling. Granted, most of that was just stereotype, a stereotype from her Momnonetheless, but it was still a little hard to shake.
But it wouldn't hurt to let him help. If she had to, she could always redo whatever parts she needed to when she got home later.
"Okay," she said as she opened her textbook to the bookmarked page. She pointed at a group of several algebra problems. "I need to solve these but, to be honest, math isn't really my strong suit."
Steven scooted closer to her and looked at the open textbook. "Yeah, I don't really like algebra. It's pretty boring. I like it better when Pearl teaches me about things like history and geography."
"I know, right?" Connie said, looking over at him. "Math is important and everything, but I'd rather be learning about history or literature."
Steven nodded, "Yeah. Though these don't look too difficult." He pointed at the first problem. "For this one, 'x' is three."
Connie blinked unbelieving at him. She looked at him, then the multi-step problem and then back at him. "You did all that in your head?"
"Yeah. Like I said, these aren't too difficult."
Connie looked back down at the textbook before opening her binder to a blank sheet of paper and began copying down the problems.
It seems she had either misjudged the veracity of homeschooling or Korean standards of education were just that much more demanding.
"Okay, so for that first problem, 'x' is three, right?"
Steven nodded in response.
Connie tapped the page and continued, "So if we're writing out the process to solve the problem, we start with the part in parentheses, then move on to exponents…"
In its first full day of being completely re-opened, It's A Wash got a lot of customers, and it was pretty clear that this wasn't because the entire population of Beach City had just been that desperate to get their vehicles cleaned. Part of it was just natural curiosity; everyone knew that the car wash had been mysteriously closed due to 'personal reasons' for about a week, and while no one openly pried, it was clear that folks wanted to know why.
But that was only part of the reason for the crowds today.. The real thing everybody wanted to know was—
"What's this I heard about you having a kid, Greg?" Barb roared, socking Greg playfully in the shoulder.
It was a friendly gesture, so Greg laughed even as he rubbed at the spot which would most certainly bruise over the next day. "Well, exactly that."
She shook her head dramatically. "How could ya keep something like that from us, eh?"
"I didn't mean to keep it from you," Greg lied. "It just… never came up. He's been living overseas until now, so it was just— easier not to talk about it."
As expected, Barb's face softened. "Ah, geez. That's rough. Kid stuff can be hard sometimes…"
Greg nodded sympathetically. Barb would talk about her daughter Sadie at every opportunity— mostly heaping on praise for what a good worker she was, how great she was at baseball, and swimming, and a dozen other assorted hobbies. Sometimes, though, a sort of undercurrent of uncertainty became clear— the same kind of worries most parents had for their kids, about friends and dating and future jobs…
Greg supposed it was something most parents thought about. It was something he had thought about. But, compared to current times, that seemed much more simple and straightforward.
"I'm guessing Sadie's the one who told ya about Steven?" Greg asked.
"Sure did. Sounds like a real cute kid. When am I gonna meet him?"
"Probably soon," Greg promised. He still felt guilty about having to hide Steven from his Beach City friends. "He'll be sticking around for a while. I can bring him along to our next cards night. It's at Vi's, right?"
"Sure is! That'd be great. Steven could meet Onion— they're 'bout the same age, yeah?"
"Steven's a few years older, but yeah," Greg agreed. The thought hadn't even occurred to him, but it filled him with a warm glow. It'd be good for Steven to make some friends, aside from the animals that lived around the Palanquin.
They chatted for a little longer, Greg occasionally spraying whatever car drove up, but the lunchtime rush was well and truly dying down now. He was just laughing at Barb's post-office politics story when a new voice cut through the air: "Oh, Mr Universe~!"
Greg's stomach dropped at the sound of his own name.
Still, he made himself paint a smile onto a face as he turned towards Rose Quartz. The smile did grow a bit more genuine when he saw Amethyst in tow behind her. "Hey guys," he said. "What's up? You didn't break that phone already, did ya?"
"Huh? Oh, no," said Amethyst. "Just wondering if you've seen Steven around?"
"Not since this morning. He told me he was going off to go see you guys."
"Oh come on," said Barb. "Your magical friends got to meet your kid before me?"
"Yep!" said Amethyst, unabashed.
Rose smiled. "Hopefully you'll get the chance soon. He's such a truly fascinating being."
Barb blinked at the odd phrasing, and Greg decided to intervene before things started getting out of hand. "Uh— so, did Steven never show up, or what?"
"Nah, he showed up," said Amethyst. "But then he went off to go find you to see if you'd let him come with us to the Sky Spire."
"Uh… well, nope, he definitely hasn't asked me about that."
"Dang." Amethyst kicked the asphalt. "Well, you're his dad, right? Where'd ya think he could be?"
Greg scratched his head. It wasn't like Steven had any 'haunts' in Beach City. And on top of that, it was overcast now and threatening to rain. So hopefully wherever he was, it was somewhere inside. "Maybe try the arcade?"
"Oooh! Good idea!" Amethyst bounded off, running on all fours down the boardwalk.
"It's good to see them getting along, isn't it?" Rose Quartz asked, taking a few steps closer to Greg.
"It is," Greg agreed.
Barb caught his gaze, raised an eyebrow, gave a huge smile. "Well, can't stand here yammering my mouth off all day. I got packages to deliver." She waved a hand. "See ya guys around."
Right before she turned, she gave Greg a wink.
Greg bit the inside of his cheek.
Barb's done her fair share of teasing about him and Rose. Vidalia too, for that matter, and even a few others from around the town. It was hardly a secret how much time the famous Mr. Universe spent with the mysterious magic lady. And Rose Quartz was hardly subtle in expressing her feelings. If Greg ever made stumbling protests to them that it was really nothing, they were just friends, well, that just made it all the more obvious, didn't it?
Rose was standing very close to him now. Very close.
"I'm so glad all that… unpleasantness is over with," she said. She ran a hand through her bright pink curls. "Hopefully we can all move on now. Make a fresh start."
"R-right," Greg stammered. "We can all just be... friends."
"Friends," Rose Quartz repeated.
Sweat rolled down the back of Greg's neck.
Was she really doing this? Now? When less than forty eight hours ago she'd been keeping his son locked up in a cell?
She really was an alien.
Greg had never intended to get close to Rose Quartz. He'd just wanted to observe the Crystal Gems from a distance. The fact his plans had so quickly become waylaid had felt equal parts lucky and terrifying. And he'd felt guilty about how easy it had all been. It had been easy, to just have them hang around at the car wash or to wander over to their Temple. To sing songs, to ask questions, to joke, to… flirt.
After all, Rose Quartz was… attractive. Not just physically, with that soft face and luscious hair and striking stature. Her personality was magnetic. Likeable and charismatic. Greg could understand perfectly well how she had become the face of a rebellion.
But every time the guilt of his deceit had roiled in his stomach, he'd pushed it down. He had to keep Steven safe, no matter what. Had to keep Rose Quartz close. Had to learn all he could.
But that wasn't a concern anymore. He couldn't go on like this.
"Look, Rose…" he sighed, taking a step back. "I appreciate the interest, really. But I'm really not… looking for a relationship."
Rose blinked, surprised.
"Oh," she said, and Greg couldn't tell if she felt hurt or just confused.
"It's not that you're not nice," Greg assured quickly (for a given value of 'nice'.). "It's just, well, I'm not looking for a romance right now, and after everything that's happened… I just want to focus on Steven."
Rose blinked again, then smiled. Hardly the brightest smile he'd ever gotten from her, but a gentle one, nonetheless. Maybe even a little amused. "I see. Yes, of course, Mr. Universe. I understand."
"Thanks." Greg sighed again, this time with relief. "It's just…. Hard, y'know? Moving on, after losing her…"
And all amusement dropped from her face. "Blue Diamond."
Greg didn't appreciate her tone.
"Yes, Blue Diamond."
"You… miss her," Rose Quartz said, tone oddly flat.
"Yeah, I do," Greg said, the barest of an edge sharpening his voice. "I spent six years with her, and she's the mother to my son. Of course I miss her."
Rose's lips pressed together before she spoke, "You miss her. A Diamond."
"Yeah, a real Diamond. She was one of a kind."
Rose Quartz chuckled humorlessly. "Oh, you have no idea how right you are there."
Greg took a deep breath.
He was done with this.
He'd played nice, again and again and again. But he couldn't stand around and keep listening to all these insults and taunts making it out that Blue Diamond was some sort of irredeemable monster.
"Stop," he said. "I don't know what exactly your beef with Homeworld and the Diamonds is, but Blue was my partner. She was— she was a wonderful person. She sang songs, and wrote poetry, and she got into art— she'd never done it before, never been allowed, but she was getting really good at drawing—"
"Oh. She'd never been allowed to draw. I see."
Rose's voice was bitter with sarcasm. It was not a tone Greg had ever heard her use before.
Greg narrowed his eyes at Rose. "Her position as a Diamond really weighed on her, you know. Being one of the leaders of an entire species wasn't easy."
"I know the weight of being a leader—" Rose began, but Greg wasn't finished—
"She worked and worked, but there was always so much to do, and you know what? She was tired of it. And I can't blame her! She was an emotional wreck for thousands of years after Pink Diamond's death— a death you caused. How do you justify causing that kind of pain, Rose Quartz?!"
There was a moment of terse silence, as Rose Quartz reared up to her full height. Her gemstone glowed menacingly, hinting at the power Greg might have just foolishly unleashed. It cast her face in strange pink shadows.
"How do I justify causing that kind of pain?" she asked, voice low, and dangerous. "I justify it on the backs of all the Pearls who were forced into servitude. On the backs of the Bismuths, the Rubies, the Topazes, and Flints, and hundreds of others. I justify it by the barren planets that can no longer support life. I justify it among the fields of shattered Gems who failed to make themselves useful. I justify it by saving your planet and your species."
She leaned in close, so close that if she were human, Greg would have been able to feel her breath against his face.
"I shattered one, so I could save everyone. That is how I 'justify' it." Her voice grew yet more cold, more quiet. "You are many things, Greg Universe, but do not presume to judge me or my actions."
And then, without another word, she left, leaving behind nothing but the sound of her dress rustling in the wind.
And Greg stared after her, with no idea what to say.
Connie bent over her book, clicking her pen in and out as she worked on her essay on the French Revolution. Steven was sitting nearby, textbook spread out in his lap, helping her. Or, well, theoretically helping her. While he knew the basics of the French Revolution, he hadn't been able to offer much in the way of perspective on why the revolution had happened, or the positive and negative consequences of it. Instead he was mostly assisting in checking dates, names and the like.
In between asking her about pop culture, anyway. Not that she was complaining.
"So you've never seen Small Sorcerer Shin?" Steven asked as he turned the page of history textbook in his lap.
Connie dotted the end of her sentence before responding, "No. Are you sure it's been shown outside Korea? Or Asian markets?" It wouldn't be the first time Connie would have missed a show or game because of restricted releases.
"Why would they keep it just in Korea?" Steven asked earnestly. "It's really good. Everyone should see it. It's got magic, adventure, and a wise, magically enchanted, talking hat as a mentor!"
"Well," Connie said, turning to another fresh page in her binder. " You have no idea about the Spirit Morph Saga. It just never really got released where you live."
Steven pursed his lips before saying, "Well that's dumb. Spirit Morph Saga sounds really cool."
"Oh, it is!" Connie enthused. She had just finished the penultimate book in the series, so her hype was at fever pitch. "Lisa Widicker is one of my favorite characters of all time. She's smart, brave, and always willing to help out others. And she's got this wicked sword!"
Steven smiled. "She does sound really cool. Maybe when I get back to Korea, I can—"
He stopped suddenly and at first Connie wasn't sure why, until a single rain drop landed on the page of her binder. And then one landed on the top of her head. Then her hand, and then-
"Great, it's starting to rain," Connie moaned as she snapped her binder shut and hastily put it away in her bookbag. The shadows of the dock, combined with her conversation with Steven had made her completely miss the rapidly clouding sky. But now the pitter-patter was impossible to ignore, quickly transforming into something heavier, as water began to drip through the gaps in the wooden planks above.
Steven handed her the textbook and she put it in her bookbag right before zipping it shut. "So, I guess you're going home?"
"Yeah. If it's raining, my parents are going to want me home." She sighed. "And now I get to run to the bus stop in the rain."
"Oh, well you don't have to do that," Steven said. "I bet my dad would be willing to take you home."
"That's alright. I don't want to impose."
"No, really. I don't think he'd mind. Come on, he's not far."
They both stepped to the edge of the dock and stopped. It was raining rather hard now. Even if they made a run for it, they were sure to get soaked. Connie looked over at Steven, who also seemed to be mulling over their options, when suddenly they heard someone call out his name.
"Steven!"
Connie looked around, but didn't see anyone. However, Steven pointed his gaze to the sky as a smile grew on his face. "Hey, Lapis!"
Connie looked up and saw a bright vivid blue person land gently from the sky in front of them, joining them under the dock. She was noticeably dry.
"Stars, Steven. We've been looking for ages." The person, Lapis, had her hands on his shoulders. "When you just disappeared, we were worried. We had no idea where you were or-" She looked over at Connie, giving her a look that was one part curiosity and two parts annoyance. "Who's this?"
"This is Connie! I've been hanging out with her all afternoon."
"Huh. Okay." Lapis stood back up. Connie noticed how the water just didn't touch her skin, rolling off as if there was a forcefield around her. "Come on. Let's get you back to the car wash."
"Alright. Connie and I were just about to try and get back there anyway."
Lapis's brow furrowed as she glanced over at Connie. "Why is she coming?"
Connie grimaced at her, but otherwise gave no response.
"Cause we're going to see if dad will take her home. Since it's raining."
"Oh. Alright then." She shrugged as she turned around and raised an outstretched hand into the air. "Stay close if you want to stay dry." She stepped out into the rain, Steven and Connie following close behind her, and as she said, they were staying completely dry, despite the rain continuing to fall. Looking up, it was like being surrounded by an invisible dome.
Connie thought it was amazing and odd, until she got an answer to her unspoken wonder. Between Lapis's shoulderblades was a bright, water drop shaped gemstone.
She was Gem, just like Amethyst.
She looked at Steven, who was still following silently behind Lapis.
"Excuse me? Lapis?" Connie said. The woman looked back at her. "Are you a Crystal Gem?"
"No," she snapped, and started walking faster.
Connie shrank back, not sure what she'd done to offend. Steven gave her an apologetic grimace, but offered no explanation.
It seems, Connie thought to herself as she hurried to keep up, that there's more to this Korean kid than being able to do Algebra in his head.
Of all the days it had to rain, it had to be the one where Greg's family would go missing.
He'd been looking all over for them. The van, the car wash, the restaurants, the arcade, Funland— nowhere to be found. To make matters worse, the rain made it all the harder to see anything.
Before, it had mostly been annoyance, frustration— after his conversation with Rose Quartz, all he'd wanted to do was find Pearl and get some proper answers. But now, she was gone too, and Greg was beginning to genuinely worry. If the Crystal Gems themselves hadn't been the ones who'd alerted him that Steven was missing, he might have suspected that they were the ones responsible. Could the pair have gone somewhere? Warped back to Korea, maybe? Surely they wouldn't have done that without telling him...
"Dad! Dad!"
Relief surged through his chest.
"Steven!"
There he was, his little boy coming through the rain in some sort of magical water bubble, not kidnapped or mauled by some monster or otherwise hurt.
"Thank goodness you're okay!" cried Greg.
"Geez, Dad, I'm fine," said Steven, stuffing his hands deeper into his pocket.
"He was under the docks," Lapis said.
"...Mr. Universe?" said a third voice. " He's your Dad?"
"Connie?" Greg said, noticing the girl for the first time. "Nice to see you again. And, yeah, Steven's my son." He rubbed his neck. "Been getting a lot of that the past few hours…"
"Wait? You guys know each other?" asked Steven, looking between Greg and Connie.
"Yeah. Mr. Universe— er, your Dad— he helped me when I got in an… accident, a few months back." She shuffled her feet, and Greg noticed how she curled her left hand up. "Sorry if we worried you."
"Yeah. Sorry. We were just hanging out," said Steven.
"It's okay, it's okay," Greg assured, letting out a huge breath. He had to admit, this past week had left him more than a little high-strung. "I don't suppose Pearl was hiding under the dock with ya by any chance."
"No," said Steven, shortly.
"I didn't see her," said Lapis. "I'm going to go back to looking." And without another word, she lept up and took off into the sky. Connie stared up in wonder. Both kids would've gotten soaked if Greg hadn't offered them his umbrella.
He also offered Connie a ride home— which she accepted, after a little bit of stammering ' oh no really ' and ' I can catch a bus no problem '. But Greg was insistent that it was no problem on his part either… especially since Steven seemed equally eager to give her a lift.
It put a smile on an old man's face.
(And if it occurred to him that it was still early on a Friday afternoon, and that Connie should probably be in school… he didn't mention it. Connie seemed like a good kid. Not his place to go poking his nose into her business.)
Greg asked a couple questions, following up on Connie, asking how she was doing, but for the most part didn't pry. It was nice, being able to put on some quiet tunes, stare at the road, and listen as the two kids chatted in the back of the car. Hardly any time seemed to pass at all before they pulled up outside the Maheswarans' townhouse.
Even though they'd hardly met under the most ideal of circumstances— the two parents understandably panicking about Connie's severe injury and miraculous healing— Greg liked Doug and Priyanka Maheswaran. Priyanka was… intense, admittedly, but Greg respected her. Doug seemed like a nice guy— and Greg didn't just think that cuz he owned every single one of the Mr. Universe albums. After the day he'd had, he sure wouldn't have minded a chance to catch up with them.
But when they pulled up, Connie didn't invite them in. She just said. "Thank you so much for the drive, Mr. Universe. And it was great meeting you, Steven."
"Yeah, you too," Steven replied— and did Greg catch him blushing in the rearview mirror? "Uhhh— Are you gonna be back in Beach City anytime soon, or…?"
"Yeah. Yeah, I should be. We should meet up! If you're not flying back to Korea, that is…"
"No! I-I mean, I can definitely be around! I don't know when though, so, uh, maybe... um, just come by the car wash? Or we could meet up at the docks..."
"Sure! The sounds awesome!"
"Okay, great! See you soon, Connie!"
"Yeah! Bye, Steven! Thanks for the lift, Mr. Universe!"
Steven was grinning like a goon as Connie jumped out of the car and hurried up the steps, the two of them taking one last chance to wave at each other.
Unfortunately, that smile died shortly thereafter, with Steven retreating into a sullen sort of silence. And without the children chattering, there was nothing to distract Greg from his own restless thoughts.
So he took his son on a shopping trip.
First, they swung by an electronics store. Greg needed a new phone and, especially after today's disappearance, he realized it probably wouldn't be a bad idea to make sure Steven had one too. The kid had a lot of fun testing out different phone models and checking out any cool accessories he might like to have. He eventually settled on a smartphone a bit on the higher end, with a wide, highres touchscreen. He also picked out a phone cover with faux-ink calligraphy art of a bird of prey on it.
They stopped by a shoe store next. The hiking boots Steven usually wore in Korea weren't practical for the beach, so they got him some sandals, a couple of flip flops, a pair of aqua shoes for when he wanted to go into the water... Greg was starting to eye the G8tor brand aisle when Steven pulled him away to the counter.
They also went grocery shopping. Now that Steven was out and about again, it was time to get his diet back to something resembling normal. They bought enough food to fully stock the van's cupboards and mini-fridge— lots of fresh vegetables, some canned and dried fruits, several packs of tofu, a carton of eggs, and a small sack of rice. They also got a few treats for dessert, like chocolate chip cookies and a gallon tub of rich chocolate ice cream.
By the time they arrived at the carwash, it was five PM— and thankfully, Pearl was back.
Greg let out a sigh of relief he hadn't realized he'd been holding. Sure, he had known that she was almost certainly fine— Pearl was a Gem after all; she could take care of herself and had probably just needed some alone time— nonetheless, he was glad to know nothing bad had happened to her.
But it didn't take Greg long to realize that something still seemed wrong.
"Wanna help with dinner?" Greg asked her, as he waved her into the van. "I was thinking bibimbap or stir fry or something."
"Of course," Pearl said, bowing her head and making a beeline for the fridge.
"No! I can do it!" Steven said. He rushed ahead of her, practically blocking her. "You just sit down— if you want to."
Greg raised his eyebrow, but didn't say anything. He just got to work chopping onions.
It was like that for the rest of the evening. Pearl would start to do something— clean the vegetables, set the table, or even just pour some water— and Steven would be there, hurrying to beat her. Once or twice he snapped, "No," or "Stop," and she would freeze, and then he would freeze, looking horrified. Greg caught him taking a moment to do his breathing exercise up to ten, something he only ever did when he was feeling on the verge of an emotional outburst. Pearl, for her part, ended up pressed up in the corner of the van, hands clasped over her breast.
When dinner was ready, Steven took his seat at the table. He kept glancing at Pearl, but neither said anything.
Noticing this, Greg urged Pearl, "Come on. Join us."
Without looking up, she padded silently to the table and sat down next to Greg.
Neither she or Steven spoke. Greg tried to prod a conversation into existence, but it kept fizzling out before it could even start, so eventually he gave up and just ate his food.
It was baffling. Just this morning, the two of them had been getting along perfectly, singing and cuddling and working together… Now, it was like this wall of ice had built up between them.
What was going on?
Steven took his own sweet time with his meal, pushing his rice and vegetables around the bowl for the most part. When he had finally finished eating, Greg decided to put his son's apparent newfound love for chores to good use. "Can you clean up, buddy?"
"Sure," Steven muttered, and began carrying the dishes to the sink.
Greg looked to Pearl and said in a low voice, "Hey, could I talk with you? Outside?"
She nodded. The two of them slipped out of the van.
Greg hemmed and hawed a bit before asking, "Hey, is everything alright? With you and Steven?"
"I… do not know," Pearl confessed. "He is upset with me."
"Oh jeez," said Greg, rubbing his neck. "Wanna talk with me about it? Maybe I can help out or something."
"No," said Pearl.
"Oh." Greg heaved out a sigh. He didn't want to push this. He knew that Pearl could be sensitive… and he also had to admit, that in some ways, she was closer to Steven than he was. She was the one who'd been living with Steven full time for the past two years, who'd been caring for him day to day. If she didn't want to talk about this, he wouldn't force it. "Okay. But if you ever need some help… I'm all ears. And anyway there's, uh, something else I wanted to ask you about…"
Pearl shook her head. "No, that is not what I meant. I do not want to tell you about it. But I believe I should. You may be able to help."
"Oh. Okay. Um well. Shoot."
A long quiet moment, the kind Pearl fell into when she was seriously considering what to say. At last, she softly started, "You never understood the relationship between Blue Diamond and myself."
Prickles ran up Greg's arms.
Somehow, he knew this was going to be it.
"What… do you mean? I mean… you were her lady-in-waiting, but like… you were still friends though."
"Gregory, 'friendship' is not a concept Gems traditionally have."
This was a problem Greg had run into again and again in his time with Blue. Gems were aliens, and for them, so many words to describe relationships just didn't exist. "I know, but that doesn't mean it… wasn't there. You… you stayed together for thousands of years, you helped each other… I'd call that friendship."
"That was not friendship. That was my duty."
Greg licked his lips, Rose Quartz's words from that morning echoing through his head. "What— what're you saying?"
"Please, Greg," Pearl said. "This is where Steven got upset. I want you to understand that this is simply a difference in our species. All Gems are created to fulfill a specific purpose, a specific duty. Blue Diamond's was to lead and rule us. My purpose was to serve at her side and do as she commanded."
Greg shook his head. "But it wasn't just that, right? You— you wanted to be with her. You were happy with her."
Another one of those silences.
"Those questions do not matter," said Pearl. "My happiness and desires are irrelevant."
"Don't— don't say that!"
"But it is true."
Greg took a staggering step backwards, bumping into the hood of the van. He stared at Pearl, all quiet and polite and demure.
'I justify it on the backs of all the Pearls who were forced in servitude.'
"Pearl— Pearl, are you saying you had no— no choice but to be with Blue?"
Pearl paused at the question. "I was her Pearl. I did as she commanded."
Greg braced himself against the van. "What if you didn't?"
She went very, very still. So still that she looked like marble.
"Pearl," said Greg.
Her voice was barely audible when she said, "That would be unthinkable."
It was a good thing the van was there, because Greg could feel his knees start to shake beneath him.
"No," Pearl said. "No, that is a lie. Such things are thinkable. But the punishments for such behaviour is steep, and rightly so. To disobey your Owner is to create chaos."
Chaos.
Greg had heard Blue use that word before. About the war. 'All those Gems shattered… buildings left in ruin… Nobody sure who they could trust, who was loyal… It was all utter chaos, all the worse when Pink was gone, and her people didn't know who to turn to—'
Now he was wondering.
"The Crystal Gems..." Greg said. "They went to war against the Diamonds. Why?"
"They disagreed with the order."
"The order," Greg echoed. "What 'order'? Why?"
"They did not abide by the Laws."
"... what kind of laws?"
"The Laws," Pearl said, again. She was very, very still, and took her time before answering. "The Laws that built the Empire. Each Gem, a Duty; each Duty, a Gem. The rebels did not want to abide by this most sacred tenet. It began with Rose Quartz, she who refused to fight in her Diamond's name. Who valued this planet over her purpose."
"... wait," said Greg. "You mean Earth? She fought for Earth?"
"Partially." Pearl's face was like porcelain. "Our Empire needed this planet for a colony, to make new Gems. But the process would have destroyed it. Stopping its colonization was part of Rose Quartz's motives."
Greg stared. "But... Blue loved Earth."
"She came to love it." Pearl brushed the hair out of her face, so that Greg could see her eyes for the first time that evening. "The transformation she underwent after meeting you was remarkable. You taught her so much. Opened her eyes to the beauty of this planet. You gave her peace and solace like she never found on Homeworld."
Now, Pearl was smiling at him, one of those rare, bright, genuine smiles that Greg so cherished. But just then, it made him feel almost... nauseous, like looking at an otherwise delicious cake when you had food poisoning.
"But… before she met me… Blue wanted the Earth destroyed?"
"The Earth was property of Pink Diamond. She wanted it to be a colony, and Blue Diamond was prepared to do anything to fulfill that desire."
"So— Just... just let me get this straight. The whole war started because the Crystal Gems wanted to protect Earth and humans?"
"No," said Pearl, and Greg was given the tiniest flicker of hope. "It started when Rose Quartz stole Pink Diamond's Pearl."
That flicker of hope was doused in ice. "What."
"Gregory. Please—"
"No, no, Pearl. What do you mean? You can't steal a person! Do you mean— she 'kidnapped' her, or what—?"
"She stole Pink Diamond's Pearl," she repeated. "This Pearl belonged to Pink Diamond, and Rose Quartz spirited her away, corrupting her with propaganda, making her act in ways no Pearl should."
Greg was speechless. Stole a Pearl. Like you could steal a chocolate bar or a phone or a wallet.
"The other Pearl— the Crystal Gem one— she —"
"Yes."
The other Pearl. Head held high, all pride and sharp edges and fury.
Not stolen. Definitely not stolen.
Free.
"She is a traitor," said Pearl. "All the Crystal Gems are traitors, Greg. Remember, Rose Quartz shattered Pink Diamond."
And now Greg was beginning to understand why.
"Pink Diamond… Pink Diamond owned her. And Blue... owned you." Greg felt bile burn in his throat. "And you don't think— you don't think that Steven —"
"That was the nature of our disagreement, yes. I am his Pearl. I belong to him. But he is having trouble understanding."
"Damn right he is! Nobody owns you, Pearl! Not Steven, not anyone!"
"Please do not be angry, Greg."
"I'm not angry!"
But he was angry. He was furious. Maybe more than he'd ever been in his entire life.
And more than that— he was horrified. At Blue. At himself.
Pearl... Pearl had been a slave for all these years, and he'd never even noticed.
And hadn't the signs been there? The way Pearl was so quiet. How she always walked behind Blue Diamond. How she'd never speak without being spoken to. How she'd do her best to fulfill Steven's every request, no matter how childish or impractical it was.
But no. He'd ignored it all. Told himself Pearl was just shy, just anxious, just eccentric. She was an alien, and so was Blue. Any oddness in their relationship could be chalked up to that—
He put his face in his hands. Fuck.
Fuck!
He was so stupid.
He felt a light hand brush against his shoulder, and looked up to see Pearl. Her eyes were shining with unshed tears, and that blade of guilt just stabbed deeper into his stomach.
"Do not be upset," she told him. "This is not your fault."
"Yes it is! Holy crap, Pearl, I've been keeping you as a slave—"
"You have not," she said, voice patient, like she was talking to a young child or startled animal. "And regardless, Greg, you gave me a choice."
"... what?"
"The day Steven was born. You told me I could leave if I wanted. I chose to stay."
Greg blinked at her.
He did remember that, even though it was blurry— that whole day had taken on a dreamlike quality, Blue's death and Steven's birth all blending together into something strange and surreal. He had told Pearl that, had given her the option of leaving.
But he hadn't meant it like that. He'd just meant that Pearl shouldn't feel obligated to become a substitute parent.
"I chose to pledge myself to Steven. To be his, until I am no longer of any use."
"That's— that's not something you get to chose, Pearl," Greg said. "That's not— that's certainly not fair on you, and— it's not fair on Steven. He's just a kid. He can't understand this stuff."
Pearl was just staring at him, eyes huge and horrified.
Greg made himself meet those eyes. Made himself stand up straight. Made himself say, "Steven's my son. And I am not letting him have a slave. I refuse."
Now Pearl was far from still. She was shaking, shaking all over.
"But he is my Diamond. I am his Pearl."
"You're not his."
"I…" Pearl stared around, looking dizzy and dazed. She stared at Greg, then at the van, then at nothing at all. In a hoarse whisper she said, "Very well. Then I shall go."
She turned, and with that strange Gem speed, took off, too fast to follow, even if Greg had tried.
