Chapter Forty-Seven: Honesty
Connie hugged herself as the late summer breeze blew through her. She was in front of the restaurant, pacing as she tried to get a grip on herself. The road— was mercifully deserted, the only person driving by didn't even spare a glance at her as they passed.
"Connie!"
She started, and looked over towards the restaurant's entrance, out of which both of her parents were coming out.
Connie scrunched her face into a tight grimace. Even though running off from the trainwreck that had been dinner had felt good, Connie knew that it was going to cost her. No doubt when they got home, Mom was going to haul out the abacus…
She should have gotten on the bus and gone to live on a farm.
"Connie, there you are," Dad said as both he and Mom approached her. They didn't look mad, at least, not in the way they did whenever Connie broke a rule. Or not as mad.
She braced herself as she spoke, "Sorry for just running out like that. I know—"
"Connie," Mom said, interrupting her. She was silent a moment, Connie ruefully imagining that she was going over the abacus calculations in her head, before she continued, "Given what happened tonight, I suppose you can't really be blamed for getting upset like you did."
Connie blinked in disbelief, wiping her eyes that she didn't even realize were wet. "Oh," she said simply. "Then Amethyst and her- her family…"
"We're pretty sure they're leaving too," Dad said. "It, uh, sounds like it's going to be an awkward drive home for them too. Or walk. Or swim, or however they got here."
"Oh," Connie found herself saying again. She wasn't really sure what to say. At least her parents weren't exploding. That was definitely a plus. But even with that in mind, she still felt wound up and… she wanted to talk to Amethyst. Though she knew, even with her parents taking this rather well, they weren't going to let her head back and try and talk to Amethyst.
And part of that desire was fueled with the chilling thought that this might have been the last time Connie could see Amethyst. And not for the usual reason of Connie and her family moving.
Instead, she was afraid of her parents. Ruining it , just like they had in the past. Like they always had.
One particular time stirred in Connie's mind. It was maybe two or three moves ago— it was hard to remember. Connie had met this boy at the school she was going to at the time. He was really nice, a grade older than Connie had been, but they shared a lot of interests together.
So one weekend, when Connie practically begged her mother to let her put off her tennis practice and violin lessons, Connie had went over to the boy's house, to hang out and play. And that part had actually gone really well. She remembered having a good time, watching things on Filmflix and eating some lunch and just having a good time talking to each other.
It had been nice. And, at the time, Connie had already been planning future get-togethers. But when her parents had come to pick her up, they had of course started talking to the boy's parents. And Connie hadn't been completely sure what the parents had been talking about, she had still been playing with the boy and hadn't really been paying attention. But whatever it was, she knew her parents were more than a little terse as they left and on the car ride home they had made it clear in no uncertain terms that Connie wasn't allowed to play with him any more.
Now, she couldn't even remember his name.
Looking back on it with an older perspective, Connie's pretty sure that the subject of healthcare and, more specifically, vaccinations had been the catalyst. The boy's parents didn't believe in them, thought they were dangerous, and Mom, being the well-learned and informed doctor that she was, just couldn't abide with that. And in a single moment, after such a fun and memorable day, her parents had completely killed a budding friendship. Even saying in that miserable car ride home that she was afraid of what Connie would catch going over there, 'Either bad ideas or just diseases in general'.
Not that it really mattered all that much, since they'd moved again, just a few months later.
But that wasn't supposed to happen this time! Connie and Amethyst had already talked about what would happen when and if Connie moved again and Amethyst had said that between warp pads and growing wings, Amethyst wasn't going to let Connie out of her sight. This was supposed to be it. The friendship that would actually work out!
But now… after everything that had happened, she wasn't sure…
Connie gritted her teeth, bracing herself for what she knew had to be the obvious answer to her question.
"So… does this mean I can't hang out with Amethyst anymore?"
Mom and Dad exchanged looks.
"Rose Quartz was— very impolite—" Mom began, voice stiff and delicate.
"No! I mean, not know she was, but— I don't care. I don't care about Rose! I care about Amethyst ! Please!" A little hiccuped sob escaped Connie's lips, she couldn't stop herself. "She's so- so cool, and fun, and I don't— I don't want to go back to just sitting in my room after school every day—
There was the feeling of Dad besides her, wrapping a warm arm around her shoulders. He gently pressed her, and Connie let herself sit down on the restaurant steps, even though it was probably dirty and would mess up her dress and normally her parents hated that. He said, "You really like Amethyst, huh?"
"Uh-huh. And Steven too," Connie added, as another horrible thought hit her. Amethyst hung out with Steven too, maybe even more than her, now that they both lived in Beach City. Would she have to stop seeing him too?!
"Priyanka," Dad said, in a soft, but oddly pointed tone.
A sigh. The sound of Mom's jacket rustling as she crouched down in front of her. Reluctantly, Connie looked up at her. "It's going to be alright," Mom said.
"Not if I lose another friend," Connie said, defiant, fiercely wiping her face.
"Honey, Amethyst saved your life ," Doug said, before laughing lightly. "Outside of your mother and me, there's probably no one else I'd want you spending time with."
Mom sighed. "Your father is- probably- right. Amethyst isn't her guardians. Even if they were… more than a little rude…"
"That doesn't reflect on Amethyst herself," Dad finished.
"And I suppose," Mom added, "as, ah, over-enthusiastic Rose Quartz was… I didn't see anything that casts doubt on her as a mother.
Connie stared, afraid she was misunderstanding. "So- I can keep being- Amethyst's friend?"
A brief pause, which felt much longer than it was, Connie afraid to breathe. "Of course you can, dear," Mom said. "Just… take the things her family says with a grain of salt, alright?"
Connie felt her insides loosen a little as she nodded silently. "Okay," she said finally.
Dad put a hand on her shoulder and gently began to lead her to the car. "Come on, Maheswarans. I think we should all be heading home."
Mom nodded. "But you drive, Doug." She pushed a finger against her temple. "I think I may have been a bit too quick with my wine over dinner."
Dad laughed, but Connie was just silently reaching into her pants pocket and pulled out her phone, tapping the first name on the contacts list.
Amethyst was off to the edge of the restaurant's deck. She frowning very intently, doing her best to try and ignore the uncomfortable pressure that was radiating from Pearl and Rose.
Well, mostly Pearl, to be honest. Rose mostly just seemed confused.
She sighed, frustrated by the situation and frustrated that there wasn't anything else for her to really do. Connie and her parents were most likely already gone…
Amethyst jumped slightly as she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned and saw that hand was Garnet's. Her expression was its familiar stoic stonieness except, and perhaps this was just wishful thinking on Amethyst's part, but she could almost swear she saw Garnet's eyes flickering from behind her glasses.
"Come on," she said simply. "I think you and I should head back to the Temple."
"What about Pearl and Rose?"
Garnet didn't even look back at the pair as she answered, "I think they're going to take a different way back to the Temple."
Amethyst blinked before shrugging. "Yeah, okay. Whatever." She sniffed and wiped the underside of her nose. "Whatcha thinking? Flying?"
Garnet gave a curt nod. "It would be the fastest"
"A'ight. Sounds good to me." Amethyst then proceeded to climb onto the railing of the deck and begin to channel energy from her gem and direct through her form. She could feel her feet begin to bend and grow into claws, her mouth and nose stretching to form a beak, and her arms sprouting feathers as her arms and hands grew into wings..
A few seconds later and she was fully formed and ready to go. She glanced over at Garnet, who had shapeshifted into a similar, though overall bigger bird form. Despite everything, that made Amethyst feel a little better. Garnet didn't shapeshift much, but had for her.
"Let's go," Amethyst said, the words feeling just a tad awkward to get out thanks to her beak. She spread her wings and began to flap. Stepping off the edge of the deck's railing and taking to the sky, heading into the direction of the Temple.
The two flew in silent for a bit, the only sound being of flapping wings and the sound of Amethyst's own thoughts.
Really, it was stupid to think this— dinner with Connie and her parents— would ever work. Sure it worked well enough with Steven, but at least he knew about human stuff. And his family was normal. And didn't have self-obsessed fusions, or Pearl and Rose in it, who couldn't just chill for half a second-
"This wasn't your fault."
Garnet's sudden words cut through Amethyst's internal monologue. Without her realizing it, Garnet had flown right up beside her.
"Everything that happened with the dinner," Garnet said, clarifying an unasked question. "It all came down to Pearl and Rose."
"Sure," Amethyst said. "Whatever you say, G."
"It did," Garnet assured. "I was sharing a mind with Pearl at the time."
That… was a good point, and one that Amethyst hadn't considered. So if Garnet was saying that the main problem was Rose and Pearl, then that did make her feel a little better. At least it wasn't her or Connie.
Still, Amethyst should have known better than to bring either of them to this…
The silence resettled over them, but it lasted for even shorter period of time as Amethyst felt her chest vibrating. It took her a moment to realize what it was, before she drew up some more energy and grew an arm and hand from her chest, just below her gem. In that hand was her cell phone which was vibrating with a new text message.
It was from Connie:
hey ame, just seeing how it's going.
Amethyst thought for a moment, before she began to type out her reply, something that took a bit longer than usual due to doing it one handed.
nb just heading home
oh yeah. me too
Amethyst paused for a moment, flying silently ahead before typing out another message.
your parents seemed pretty ticked
A few seconds passed and a reply came in.
maybe? it's hard to tell honestly. they're not mad like they usually are anyway.
Amethyst snorted as she replied:
yeah wish i had that on my end rose and pearl are so miffed they weren't even talking when we left
wow. that's rough ame.
Another momentary pause, and Connie sent another message:
hey, you want to come by real quick? you can come through the window in my room so my parents don't have to know. just so we can say goodbye for tonight a bit more properly?
Amethyst felt her bird brow crinkle in consideration for only a moment before she texted back:
on my way
Amethyst retracted her extra arm and safely tucked her phone back into her form. She gave a burst of speed to catch up with Garnet, who had pulled ahead while Amethyst had been texting.
"Yo, Garnet. I'm heading out. Be back in the morning," she said, not even waiting for a reply before she sharply turned off and headed in a new direction.
Pearl followed Rose down off the restaurant's balcony onto the beach below, the gravel transforming into sand, crunching beneath their feet. They didn't talk. Pearl could recognise Rose was in one of her 'contemplative' silences. Pearl supposed she was too, but 'contemplative' seemed to be too gentle a word.
Rose dipped her feet into the water, and smiled at Pearl. "This will be a nice way to get back. It's been so long since we swam."
"We swam not long ago," Pearl said, voice flat. "With Amethyst and Garnet and the others."
"Yes. But I meant, just you and me, together."
Pearl felt something inside of her go all funny. She remembered the first time they'd gone swimming together. It had been very early in their rebellion, back when it had still been a game. Pearl had suggested it as a way to hide; no one could find them beneath the waves. It had been cool and quiet. Rose's hair had billowed, so big that Pearl could have gotten lost in it. They hadn't been able to speak down there, but they'd held each others' hands, and pulled each other through the currents and past reefs…
They could do it again. They could do it again, and everything would be good again. For a little while, at least.
But then it would start all over again.
Pearl squared her shoulders, and made herself say, "Rose… can we talk?"
Rose glanced at her, most of her attention still on the waves. "Hm? Of course. What about?"
"About- about- about, well, us."
"Oh?" Now Rose was looking frankly amused, her eyes sparkling with interest, and while usually Pearl adored that expression... not this time.
"Flirting," Pearl said. "I'm not okay with it."
"You're not?" Rose sounded genuinely surprised.
"Or— no, I am— I meant. Before." Pearl took a deep breath. "You said that Sardonyx was fine with you flirting with those humans, but she wasn't. Or, no. I wasn't."
"Oh," said Rose again, that twinkle fading. She wore that somewhat reserved sense of frustration that tended to come up, those times Pearl had made her enthusiasm towards Rose's human suitors clear. "Anything about these particular humans?"
"Nothing about them in particular, no," said Pearl. In fact, looking back, she thought she rather liked Priyanka— storming out aside. "But that's not the issue."
"Yes, of course not. It's the fact that they're humans." Rose didn't actually roll her eyes, but it was a near thing.
"No. It's— it's not that," said Pearl, desperately trying to put words onto her emotions. "It's just— when you do— it makes me feel bad , Rose."
Rose coked her head. "Bad… how?"
"… Lost. Ignored. Forgotten."
"Oh, Pearl." There was a rustle as Rose swept forward, cupped Pearl's face in her massive, gentle hands. "I could never forget you."
Pearl still felt stiff as ice. "It's… hard to feel that way, sometimes," Pearl confessed. She remembered so many long days, night, years, decades sometimes— where almost all of Rose's time was preoccupied with some human or other. "I just would— would really appreciate it if you… stopped."
Sighing, Rose pulled her hands away from Pearl's face. "Surely you can see how unreasonable you're being."
It was a strike to Pearl's core. She took a step backwards, fists clenching.
"You never get this way when I flirt with Garnet," Rose continued. "So I just don't see what the big issue is here."
"Garnet's— Garnet's different ," said Pearl.
"Well, I don't see how."
Pearl could have gone quiet. She almost did. But in the back of her mind, she could hear Blue Pearl, voice quiet and pitying, saying; We Pearls are attractive and alluring, but when we're not performing, no one pays us any mind. Their focus is on other, more important things.
But Rose Quartz wasn't like that. Pearl was going to prove it.
"Because Garnet's Garnet ," said Pearl. "She's been with us since the beginning, or nearly so! And Garnet will always have herself, Ruby and Sapphire will always have each other. And you promised me that we would always have each other! But when you run off with some human— where- where does that leave me?"
"Where you always are," said Rose, so gently, but… a little condescendingly, too. "And anyway, I didn't 'run off' with the Maheswarans. I didn't even kiss or sleep with them! I was just being polite! They seem like lovely humans, no harm in complimenting them. And anyway, they weren't interested—"
"But what if they were ?" asked Pearl. "Them or some other human? How long before you'd start being with them? I've seen you with Mr. Universe. Didn't take you long to start spending time with him again—"
Rose's eyes narrowed. "He's a friend. That's all he wants from me, and I'm respecting his wishes."
"Then why can't you respect MINE?!"
A silence, horrible and deafening. Pearl wanted to throw herself into the ocean.
Drawing herself to her full height, Rose crossed her arms. "I'm sorry I've apparently made you feel bad, Pearl. But you need to respect my wishes too. Nobody's allowed to order me around, tell me how I spend my time."
It was like a pit had open up inside Pearl, filled with her worst fears, and it threatening to pull her in. She tried to claw out of it. "I'm not ordering. I'm asking. Please, Rose."
A long moment. And then, voice cold, Rose said, "No. You're being ridiculous."
Ridiculous? Ridiculous !
Rose was the one being ridiculous! Even the humans realized that! But two could play at this silly, stubborn game!
Pearl held her head high and said, "Fine."
"Fine?" Rose echoed.
"Fine," Pearl repeated. "You're right, Rose. We can choose how to spend our free time. And if you can't do this for me, then I don't think that I can be with you anymore."
"W-what?" Confusion rang in Rose's voice.
"I can't be with you," Pearl repeated.
"You're— you're leaving?" cried Rose, and the desperation in her voice felt good. Like an opponent's scream when Pearl thrust a blade into their form.
"Not leaving," said Pearl. "But leaving you. No more hand holding, no more kissing, no more fusion. I'll stop being yours. Not until— not unless you can give me what I want."
"Pearl," said Rose, staring at her.
Pearl stared back.
"Well— well, FINE!" Rose shouted. "Go ahead then! Go! Enjoy yourself!"
"I WILL!"
"GOOD!"
Head held high, Pearl turned on her heel, and walked, proud and defiant, away from the beach, away from the Rose, away from the Gem whose love she had risked everything for.
It was late, and Priyanka needed to get to bed. It had been… an interesting night, but mostly a long one. And she had perhaps overindulged a little over dinner.
But before she headed off for the night, she wanted to say goodnight to Connie and perhaps suggest that, in the morning, they could all get up and go somewhere and get breakfast, since dinner hadn't exactly panned out as expected.
Priyanka pushed gently against Connie's door, poking her head in and— stopping herself just before she spoke.
Connie was in her room, still fully-clothed, dozing in her bed propped up against a pillow like she did when she fell asleep before bedtime. Nothing unusual there— but so wasAmethyst , fast asleep and leaning against the same pillow Connie was.
Priyanka's immediate thought was 'how did Amethyst manage to get up to the second floor of the town house', but the question was quickly answered by the still open window overlooking Connie's desk, its curtains flapping in the evening breeze.
Besides. Knowing her weird magical family, Amethyst probably had spider-powers or something.
Priyanka felt mouth open and close multiple times as she tried to process what she should do exactly. She wanted to know how long exactly Amethyst had been here, if herguardians knew she was here.
But… as she looked at the pair, Priyanka was finding it harder and harder to begrudge the two of them, especially after the night they had all had.
And what Amethyst had said to her and Doug was still fresh in her mind…
Besides, it wasn't like she had any way of contacting Amethyst's family. She was pretty sure they didn't even own phones.
With a small sigh, Priyanka walked as quietly as she could over to the open window and shut it, and drawing the curtains. And with a last lingering look at the two, Priyanka flicked off the light in Connie's room and close the door behind her.
Looks like they probably were going to get breakfast in the morning. It was only polite to feed your guest, after all.
