Hey, guys. Ellis here.

So, this story is really starting to pick up, apparently. Not a bad thing, of course. Then again, this story was mostly planned out, so it is easier to write.

Here's part 4!

Penelope found herself in a what looked like the ruins, except they didn't look like ruins anymore. Everything looked like it was built recently. She saw a figure by a pool of water that, by now, has dried out. She found herself going up to the figure and asked, "Why… Why come back now? Who are you?"

The figure smiled and began to hum the most beautiful song she ever heard as she ran her fingers through the water.

Penelope woke up with a start. She realised it was merely just a dream and look around to find that Jasper was nowhere to be found. Thinking that she left again, she sighed and got ready for the day. It wasn't till she stepped outside that she found Jasper wandering around the garden at the crack of dawn. She smiled, "Morning. Did you sleep well or do Gems not sleep, too?"

Jasper chuckled, "Right again, Pinky."

She laughed a little, then noticed that Jasper still had on the clothes from last night. Penelope realised that Jasper might want a few more clothes if she was going to stick around for awhile. Plus, she needed some stuff from town anyway.

"So, I need to go into town today. Would you like to come with?" she asked, hoping to learn more about Jasper.

Jasper stared at her for the moment, "Sure. I got nothing better to do right now."

Penelope smiled, "I just need to grab my bag and we'll go."

When she did return with her bag she noticed Jasper went back to her uniform, which Penelope could care less of what she wore and they headed off to town. Jasper asked about the warp pad. She simply told her that she didn't know how to use it nor where else it'll lead to, so she never bothered with it. Though, it would be nice if there happened to be one in town or at least closer to it. It'll make her trips a lot easier that way. She, unconsciously, said that out loud, making Jasper chuckle and her blushing in embarrassment.

"Shut up… A girl can dream, can't she?" She muttered under her breath.

Jasper shrugged, "I guess so."

Things were quiet for a moment till Jasper spoke up, "So, how far is this town again?"

"About 5 miles. It is a long walk, though." She admitted.

Jasper chuckled, "That's nothing for me. I can walk across the world without getting tired."

"Lucky. I'm actually jealous of you."

"You are?" Jasper seemed surprised, instead of her usually prideful self.

"Yeah. I mean, there are actually a lot of things that amaze me about you gems. Like I'm envious of your stamina and your ability to never let anything get you down for too long. You never seem to truly give up on anything really, you just keep going. In a sense, it's amazing. However, I'm also aware that it can hurt you a lot more than it can help you. So, I see it more as a double-edged sword; something that you have to learn to balance before you end up destroying yourself instead. Does that make sense?" She explained, looking up at her.

Jasper frowned, "So are you saying I should just give up?"

Penelope shook her head, "I'm saying that you need to learn how to better pick-and-choose your battles. You need to accept that there are some battles that you can't win and learn from them as to improve yourself and not make an even bigger mistake in the future. Cause believe or not, there are and will always be things that we regret in the end."

She saw Jasper looking insulted at what she had said and sighed, "You don't always have to listen to my advice. All I ask is that you take the time to think about it when you get the chance. I think that's reasonable, yeah?"

"Fine." She muttered.

The rest of the walk was spent in silence till they hit Beach City. Penelope made a beeline for the clothing store with Jasper following behind her. The woman behind the counter knew Penelope but was surprised to see Jasper, who to her knowledge was new to town.

"Hello, dear. And who this you have with you today?" She asked, curiously.

"This is Jasper. She's in the military and is on leave for awhile. She needs some new clothes cause it's been awhile since her last leave and she's gain a lot of muscle since then. Got anything in her size?" Penelope asked, technically not lying in since Jasper was technically stuck here from what she knew and she was a soldier.

"Well…" the woman said, pondering for a moment, "Give me a moment."

As she went to get some things for Jasper to try on, Jasper leant down next to her, "Uh, I don't really need clothes since I'm a gem, remember? Besides, I don't really think I'll be here for long."

"True. But, you, also, don't know how long it'll be before you can go back either. Might as well prepare, just in case. I mean, I would think you like to get out of that uniform from time to time, right?" Penelope reasoned.

"Well, you really didn't have to let me stay with you! I could survive by myself!"

"Yeah, but wouldn't you be lonely doing that? I, honestly, really don't mind you staying with me. Besides, I really enjoyed watching Camp Pining Hearts with you last night. Maybe… we can do stuff like that more?" She offered, shyly.

Jasper was speechless, "I—"

She was cut off when a bunch of clothes was shoved into her arms. "Try these on, dear. They should fit you just fine." The woman said, proudly.

"All of them?" Jasper asked in disbelief.

Penelope laughed, "You don't have to try all of them. Just pick some stuff that you like and we'll go from there."

Jasper stared uncomfortably at the clothes, "If you say so…"

An hour and several clothes later, Jasper had a decent bag of clothes that Penelope deemed suitable. "Why do humans bother spending so much time on things like this?" Jasper muttered, exhausted from the action of trying on multiple clothes.

Penelope shrugged, "Some people just find it enjoyable."

"THAT was not enjoyable." She commented.

"'To each their own', then."

They headed over to the market for some groceries. Penelope caught Jasper eyeing the strawberries, so she slipped some into her basket when she wasn't looking. She was pretty sure she saw Jasper's eyes twinkled when she notice the strawberries at the checkout counter. Outside the market, Penelope noticed a young girl walking alongside her mother, chatting happily with her. She didn't notice how badly she stared when she finally heard Jasper yelling at her, "Pinky! Is your gem cracked or something?! You said that it was important that we get the milk home!"

She turned Penelope around to face her and a strange look appeared on her face, "Why are you crying? Did that human child harm you or something?! Do I need to shatter them?!"

Penelope blinked before she slowly started laughing.

Jasper started to panic, "Pinky? What's wrong with you? I-I not sure how to fix you. I-"

"No, no! I'm okay! I'm sorry, I'm sorry. It's nothing, really!" Penelope assured her, wiping away her tears, "Come on, let's head back!"

She grabbed Jasper's hand as they headed back home with their supplies. Penelope smiled. She wasn't alone anymore.

So, there was some feels being twisted. Please feel free to lend me your thoughts.

And now, I can finally sleep!

Laters,

Ellis Alpha