Notes:
The second chapter opens up with our intrepid girls heading for Beach City's beach, all ready to have a good time. But, Is Jasper going to have it too? Let's find out!~
Amethyst guided Jasper along the road leading to the beach with Lapis walking next to her. Amethyst told Steven they would deal with Jasper's situation on their own telling him he didn't have to worry about anything and that he could go on his own. Steven was uncertain to leave the three on their own as he felt the responsibility to assure Jasper's success at her task; at the same time though, Amethyst told Steven this was something she and Lapis had to deal with on their own with Jasper. The latter also didn't stand the fact that Steven was following them, and Steven still had other things to do like helping Pearl and Garnet at Little Homeschool with welcoming the newly regenerated Gems. The boy separated from the three Gems halfway the road and they proceeded with their respective paths. As the three Gems kept walking through the forest the air was getting warmer and the sun was above their heads, signaling it must have been around midday. Amethyst spun around stretching her arms smiling brightly:
"Ahh, this is gonna be so good!~. Free time is my favorite time of the day!".
"Your time is always free time~", Lapis said sarcastically. Jasper huffed with her eyes closed, still wondering about her choice to join the two irritating Gems on their "fun time". She kept telling herself the only reason why she came was to prove them wrong and then they'll leave her alone for good. That was it:
"Say Big J, are you ready to have some fun like you've never had in your life?", Amethyst asked facing Jasper while walking backwards with her arms behind her head. The Gem huffed crossing her arms. She looked like anything but ready to have "fun" but Amethyst wasn't displeased at all:
"So much ready!~", she said flicking his fingers. "Remember to relax and follow my lead, and everything is gonna be alright~"
"Mph, follow your lead…", Jasper chuckled without joy looking aside. "Why of all people do I have to follow you?!"
"Because", Lapis walked past Jasper holding her hands together behind her back. "In case you didn't get it yet, you need to learn how to talk to people without threatening them or killing them, and who can teach you better than the most friendly Gem in Beach City?". Lapis moved her hand towards Amethyst who blushed slightly:
"Aw shush, Lappy~. You don't have to!"
"Amethyst can get along with pretty much everyone", Lapis kept explaining. "She taught me lots of things and it's thanks to her I've learned how to be less afraid of contact. Not even Peridot helped me that much. You may not believe it, but me and Amethyst are two of the teachers at Little Homeschool!"
"Oh, really?", Jasper looked down at the blue-haired Gem and grunted looking contemptuous: "I can imagine what low standards you have there. A bunch of worthless Gems teaching other worthless Gems how good this dirtball of a planet is. Tsk, thanks for reminding me not to go there at all! Ahah!". Jasper chuckled loudly as she expected any reaction from her accompanists. Lapis and Amethyst looked at each other, and while the first just rolled her eyes huffing, the second straight up booed Jasper pointing her thumbs down:
"Lame, girl!~. You're not gonna get any reaction from us, don't you get it? And besides, you don't know what you're missing! Also, you are the one who talks about standards?! Thah!", Amethyst slapped her knee laughing loudly. "Seriously, are you going to tell your edgequeen caveGem lifestyle has higher standards than teaching Gems all the funny things the Earth has to offer?!"
Jasper grinded her teeth blushing embarassed for a moment. If she had veins around her eyes, they'd be pulsing violently for the irritation. Lapis was covering her mouth widening her eyes:
"W-Well, at least I'm not surrounded by useless stuff! Like all of you!", Jasper shouted louder pointing her finger, feeling like she was losing her touch and the conversation was heading in a different direction she was picturing in her head. To make things even worse, Amethyst began laughing hysterical like she's known for, adding more fuel to Jasper's frustration:
"Ahahah, it's very funny you think that, Jasper, because that's exactly what me and Lappy are going to teach you!~"
"What… what does that mean?", Jasper hissed furiously:
"We're gonna teach you through a beach episode the wonders of Earth's useless stuff!"
"I still don't know what the heck is this 'beach episode' stuff even is!", Jasper screamed spreading her arms:
"Well maybe, if you let Amethyst speak instead of shouting angrily at her, you would know what that means!", Lapis sighed tiredly. Jasper gave her a poisonous look while Amethyst cleared her throat ready to speak:
"Thanks, Lappy. Alright, my dear Pawadan, listen carefully because this little Gem is about to explain you the magic of what a 'beach episode' is".
Jasper huffed crossing her arms, surrendering at the fact she was going to be taught about a bunch of stuff she wouldn't care whatsoever:
"Alright, let's hear what this thing is"
"Thank you so much!", Amethyst bowed slightly before saying: "You shall know that a 'beach episode' is a term utilized in anime which refers to the characters hanging out at the beach for a whole day of fun and airiness! It's a very popular trope in anime from what I saw. At least 4 out of 5 series have it!"
"What's an anime? Another human term to learn?", Jasper asked annoyed:
"Animes are animated TV shows people watch", Lapis added. "It's a thing human like to watch and I've seen plenty of them both with Amethyst and Peridot"
"I bet you would like them!", Amethyst flicked her finger. "They've got everything you like. Great fights, cool characters with cool poses, spectacular energy attacks, the whole nine yards!"
"What do you know about the stuff I like? What if I don't want to watch this stuff you told me?", Jasper asked grunting again:
"It's just a suggestion. You don't have to do everything I tell you just because I told you", Amethyst shaked her shoulders up and down. "Anyways, during these 'beach episodes', the characters in anime do plenty of funny stuff, like running on the beach, tan in the sun wearing sunglasses, eating and drinking many delicious stuff like ice cream, or playing many games like split the watermelon. Question: do you know what a watermelon is?"
"No, I don't", Jasper said exasperated.
"But you like smashing and splitting things, right?", Amethyst winked:
"Tsk, or course I do!", Jasper shouted:
"Great, then you'll like it when we do it! You get to do it blindfolded holding a bat and you have to hear our vocal directions until you hit it! It's very funny!"
"Ugh, are you going to say 'funny' and 'fun' all the time?!", Jasper asked scratching her head. "Everything you said sounds so dumb and useless. Like, why would I need to run over the beach, or eating this ice cream thing? We Gems don't even eat because we don't need to!"
"Trust me, Jasper~", Amethyst said placing a hand on her chest. "When we'll get to the beach, you will find out how great those 'useless human stuff' you say are! Because the Earth is full of useless stuff and each one is more funny to do than the other!"
"Mph, can't you think of anything that isn't funny? Do you even take anything serious?", Jasper asked with contempt:
"Of course we take stuff seriously", Lapis intervened. "I for example take my artistic hobby very seriously as I also try to teach it to my students. But we also know how to have fun and have a good time without worrying about serious stuff".
"It sounds so pointless", Jasper grunted once again. "You're all filled with so much pointless stuff it just gets on my nerves! Did you Crystal Gems really fought for all of this 'fun stuff'? The beach, the ice cream, anime, that painting?! Isn't there anything more worthy?"
Amethyst shrugged and shaked her shoulders:
"Welcome to Earth, Jasper. And yes, we did fight for all of that stuff and thensome. You're saying it because you've never tried any of that. You think you don't need any of that stuff only because you can't see the beauty in it. If only you let yourself go once in a while, perhaps you'll be happier"
"Fighting and combat is what makes me happy!", Jasper shouted pointing at her chest: "Fighting was the reason I emerged in the beginning. There is nothing more that I love than fighting. You should know it too well!"
"Sure, I know", Amethyst said annoyed. "But there's so much more in life than fighting and punching stuff or those you don't like. Take humans for example. They're not as strong or tough as we are and if somebody gets on your nerves or acts like a jerk to you, like you're doing with us, you can't just silence them with a punch. You need to talk sense to them, not smack sense to them"
"Oh, would you look at that?", Jasper chuckled without any joy. "A Quartz soldier who talks with words instead of hands!"
"Eh, what can I say? I grew up so I learned how to solve things with words".
Jasper looked perplexed hearing that word:
"Grew up? What does that mean?"
"It's another human thing, and from what Steven told me, it's one of the greatest things about humans, as well as one of the most difficult. I don't know exactly how it works myself, but it's a good thing so that's cool".
"I… don't get it", Jasper said perplexed. For some reason, the sound of that word gave her a weird feeling of uneasiness. Amethyst raspberried her saying:
"Me neither, but if we stay here all day, we won't be doing anything. Lapis, how much road do we have for the beach?"
Lapis nodded and once sprouting her water wings, she leaped high in the air with a strong motion and flew over the treetops to see the landscape. She looked around below her position and not that far she saw a patch of bright sand meeting the placid ocean:
"It's very close!", Lapis shouted. Amethyst nodded and answered:
"Good! Say Lapis, wanna have a short race?"
"Fine! I'll wait you to the beach!~", Lapis exclaimed and with a powerful flap of the wings, she dashed forward shaking the treetops:
"Hey! That's not fair!", Amethyst shouted. "Follow me, Jasper! We can't let Lapis win this time! Gems, roll out!".
"What, what"-, Jasper said before Amethyst rolled into a ball and launched hersel at high speed throughout the trees, disappearing after a few turns. Jasper was left alone and confused, not because of the sudden challenge to a race, but for all the things Amethyst told her about how good useless stuff are. How could something without a purpouse be good in any way? Back at her planet, anything that didn't have a use or didn't respect its role was quickly disposed without question. That's the way things have always been, like with those wretched Gems who fused in public - they said it was accidental but nobody ever believed that. That's how things always were - at least, so Jasper thought. Nowadays so many things changed without her being included in the whole scene. It was like the galaxy went on without her, like she was left behind… just like in the past when she lost her…
After a while Amethyst and Lapis left the field, Jasper noticed how quiet was the new part of the forest she was in. She had been living all by herself for a long time, choosing to mind her own buisness instead of hanging out with those annoying goody goodies with no spine and no dignity. However, now that neither Amethyst nor Lapis were bombarding her with tons of "jokes" to laugh at her, that silence she was used to felt more heavy than before, like deep down she wanted those annoying Gems to bother her with their babbling about things she didn't know or didn't want to know. What was happening to her? Was she feeling the need of… wanting more of that stuff?
Jasper couldn't explain it to herself. She was all alone once again; it was the perfect opportunity for her to turn around and go back to her cave, the cave she hated deep down. However, what other alternatives did she had? Fighting? That was out of the question as she already established. Then, what else did she have?
Seconds felt like minutes passed as slowly as they could and Jasper started to realize that, at the end of the day, perhaps Amethyst and Lapis, for how much they made her feel furious, made her realize how shallow her recent life was, and the same could be said for Steven. She saw the fact of joining Little Homeschool as a waste of time and a further way to humiliate herself, but was she really that much better? Was she really still "perfect"? Because at that point of her life, what did that word even mean if every one around her seemed to think that word was "overrated" or something on that effect?
Jasper clenche her fist while her expression softened from her perturbed one. She had made a decision, perhaps something that won't end up making her unhappy and disatisfied with her current condition. Perhaps this wasn't what she wanted, but something she needed to give her life a new spin. Whet it ended good or bad, one thing was for sure: Jasper didn't just want to "be" and exist. She wanted to feel alive once again. She sat on her knees and smirked to herself:
"Who they think they're talking to?!", Jasper said before she rolled into a ball and dashed forward at high speed through the trees, small animals running away to avoid being ran over…
Several hundred of meters away…
"Aaaand, won again!~", Lapis danced on her tiptoes and bobbing her hips lelft and right. Amethyst payed a newsagent and returned to the celebrating friend with a magazine in hand:
"Yeah yeah, good for you. If Garnet were to launch me, you wouldn't even see me coming!", Amethyst said pointing her tongue out. Lapis chuckled while looking at the forest she left behind:
"Say, where do you think Jasper is? We left her behind, but she didn't follow us right away. Do you think she just gave up and returned to the cave?"
Amethyst was starting to browse through the pages before saying:
"I'm sure she needs some time to think. This is all new to her so it makes sense she's so rejectful, but I'm doing this for her own good, not for me"
"You're so considerate, Amethyst", Lapis smiled holding her arms together by the elbows. The purple Gem blushed saying:
"Don't say so. I still feel a little gross acting so mature!~. And besides, if Jasper doesn't show up we can just go to her the next day and-"
"No, you won't!"
Out of a sudden Jasper emerged from above the thick vegetation shouting triumphantly and landing on her knee with a fist slamming on the ground - a stylish landing like only she was capable of. Then Jasper stood up, her massive size covering the sun, leaving Amethyst and Lapis speechless:
"Hey there, sis! Good to see you!~. I thought you dumped us!"
"Hah, me? Dumping you?", Jasper smiled, and something in her smile seemed to have changed, although not by much as it kept looking terrifying. "Please, trash like you should be dunked in the dumpster right away! Ahahah!". Jasper let out a very awkward laughter as if she was finding a way to regulate her tone. She hoped her phrase made some sort of effect on either Amethyst or Lapis, but none of them seemed to react, only staring at her with a blank expression:
"It's, uh… it's a joke. Get it? Dumped you? Dumpster? B-Because, uh…". Jasper quickly felt like a fool as she covered her face, but just as She was reverting to her angrier persona, a burst of laughter came from both Amethyst and Lapis who hugged to support each other. Amethyst even dropped on her knees slamming her fist on the floor:
"I-I can't believe it!", Amethyst shouted as her eyes filled with tears. "Jasper tried to told a joke… willingly!~"
"*Sniff* This is…", Lapis put the back of her hand on her front and said in a overdramatic way: "This is a day that shall be remembered in ages!~".
"Ah ah, very funny", Jasper said in monotone, still trying to adapt herself to the Gems' "humor". "At least you laughed, so it's a good thing I guess".
"A-Are you kidding me?!", Amethyst sat up recovering from the laughter and approached the taller Gem. "That's an awesome thing! See? That's what people like when they get to know each other! Yeah, you can work on some of the details like not explaining the joke because then it's not funny, but I'm sure you'll get it since you're all so perfect~".
"No", Jasper exclaimed somberly looking down as Amethyst was just next to her legs. She couldn't believe she was going to say it, but she had to. There was no other option. "No, I'm not perfect, so teach me, Amethyst. And you too Lapis".
Both Gems stopped laughing all at once when Jasper talked. Their hilarious faces shifted to ones of shock and disbelief, something they clearly weren't expecting so suddenly. Jasper's expression looked just as serious as she was when she was begrudgingly dragged by the two friends along the forest, but there was little of the hardness of the gaze she mustered before:
"There's something I need to tell you"
Amethyst didn't say anything and neither did Lapis:
"I understand what you and Lapis are trying to do, and I also understand I'm not the most 'friendly' and 'likable' Gem out there. Trying to make me someone like me must be like a miracle from you two"
"Jasper, we were-"
"Let me finish", Jasper raised a hand to silence her. "I'm not going to apologize for what I told you before in the forest. I firmly believed what I said and my line of thought hasn't changed. At the same time however, I realized that I can't just keep living on my own while everything happens around me. I feel like I'm missing something but I'm sure I won't be finding it on my own".
Jasper took a pause, Amethyst and Lapis still speechless for what they were hearing. Neither attempted to speak over Jasper who regained her speech grinding her teeth in frustration:
"What I'm trying to say is that, even though it hurts me to admit it, I believe I don't deserve this treatment. I'm too tough for any of these stuff and nobody I want to be close to ever wants to stay… But what if I was wrong all along? What made me happy was my will to fight and train but when I thought about it, I didn't have anything besides that, and when I went on my own, I was even more lonely. Without a purpouse, without an end to meet. I was just… existing. But I don't want to!". Jasper's voice raised and a new flame burned through her amber eyes. "I didn't fight a war for thousands of years to end up living in a cave. I need to understand what other possibilities this life has for me. Even if it means to hear you two ordering and guiding me through everything, I ask you to teach me about human stuff or whatever you were planning. Eheh, what an irony. If even perfect Gems like me can ask lower Gems for help, maybe things have changed indeed…".
Jasper took a deep sigh after ending her speech and gave Amethyst her right hand to shake. The latter quickly grabbed it and they shaked it, this time the hold feeling pleasant and soft. Amethyst looked upward to meet Jasper's eyes: her expression didn't look as confident as that since the days she was an enemy of the Crystal Gems. They kept shaking their hands when Amethyst finally said:
"And this is what Steven calls growing up, Jasper. I'm so happy that you got to know what it meant on your own. What else did I expect from a perfect Gem?"
"I told you, I'm not perfect", Jasper said feeling her words poisoning her mouth, but Amethyst shaked her head and said:
"I say you look perfect the way you are, Jasper. You are just too harsh with yourself, that's all"
In a moment, Amethyst felt Jasper's hand slipping off her hands and falling back on her leg. For a moment Amethyst believed to see Jasper's eyes filling with tears but the latter shaked her head huffing. Lapis approached Jasper too, still looking in disbelief for how much she opened herself to them. She was smiling at her, something neither she or Jasper ever thought was possible:
"We'll do however we can to have a fun time together~".
Jasper nodded clearing her throat. The words struggled to get out of her naturally as she wasn't feeling herself at the moment. So instead of saying anything, she awkwardly attempted another smile, but judging from the two friends' reaction, it still didn't look good enough:
"Eh, gotta work on that a little bit, Jasper~", Amethyst chuckled. "But you'll figure this out".
Jasper let her failed smile fade away and then the words stuck in her mouth finally came out:
"So, what do we have to do now? How does this 'beach episode' work?"
Amethyst and Lapis seemed to have regained their original excited expression and Amethyst told Jasper:
"That's exactly the kind of question we like to hear! Come on, follow us and let us show you the best place in Beach City!~".
Jasper didn't have to follow Amethyst and Lapis for too long. They took a few steps along the road leading to a large patch of sand where the sea was peaceful touching it, while the seaguls cawed in midair and the people sitting on the sand were happily chatting with each other:
"There it is, Jasper!", Amethyst announced spreading her arm. "Welcome to… the beach!~".
Jasper watched the scenery for a while as her mind was trying to figure out what was so amazing to look at it like the goody goodies claimed to be. Needles to say, Jasper didn't seem to be able to see anything that made her feel different from the stern shallow shell of nothing but anger and grumpiness… Was that something she really thought about herself?! Jasper was distracted by a hovering seagul gliding a few meters from above her head and her hand instinctively moved to swat it away. Amethyst chuckled to her:
"Eheheh, those are seaguls. They can't do anything to you - well, except maybe launching some poop on you!"
"What's poop?", Jasper asked confused. Lapis snorted a laughter too and said:
"Well, let's just say it's not something good to hit you in the head~".
Jasper brought her hands over her hair and her fingers ended up touching her small green horns. While Amethyst and Lapis chuckled watching her doing that, Jasper was anything but happy. Those damn horns were the only the only things that remained after her healing from the corruption and they kept staying on her head from then on, including other green patches over her body. That was a further demonstration of how not much "perfect" she was at the end of the day, which was something that would have usually made her furious or indigned; instead, she decided to take a deep breath and try to forget that thing:
"Say, what do you think of this view?", Amethyst asked seeing Jasper's eyes looking lost. "What does it tell you?"
"Uh? Telling me? What does it…", Jasper stuttered.
"This view of the beach looks really good for me", Amethyst explained. "How does that make you feel?"
Jasper returned her look to the landscape. For some reason, the sight of the sea gave her vague unpleasant remembrances of her time as Malachite, and considering that Lapis was standing right next to her, made her feel all the more weirder. She then said, trying to come up with something:
"Uh, I think it's… good? I mean, all that water seems fresh and the sand… uh, comfy?"
"You don't have to pretend you like it~", Lapis said. "Just be honest with us. We won't judge you"
Jasper sighed deeply and said:
"Ugh, alright, I don't feel anything looking at all of this… this, place. It looks better than my cave, but it doesn't make me feel anything".
"That's totally fine", Amethyst shaked her shoulders. "It will take some time. Besides, the best part isn't just watching the scene. It's also about…", Amethyst then opened the magazine she was reading with a firm move. "Fitting in!~".
Jasper looked at the object Amethyst was holding in her hand. She had no idea what it was but it showed human beings with other objects adorning their bodies:
"Ehm, what is this?"
"This, my dear Pawadan, is where we are going to start our journey!", Amethyst pointed her finger at the image of a woman wearing a short red dress with red flip-flops. Jasper still didn't understand but she didn't reply. She told herself she had to learn step by step, so even this was one of those?
"Something important to do when it comes to socializing is to make a good first impression. Case in point? Clooooothes!~". Amethyst scrolled the pages of the magazine showing Jasper the many colorful outfits people wore:
"Clothes?", Jasper asked. "Are those 'lighweight body protections' called clothes?"
Amethyst chuckled loudly as Jasper resembled early Peridot in some way:
"Yes, body protections! You can say they are protections, because they protect people from the shame of going around all naked, which is something not very decent to do!"
"But, what's intersting about clothes", Lapis added as she felt like she was swinging in the mood. "Is that humans have like thousands or even milions of clothes to choose for everyday. For everything they do or wherever they go, they have hundreds of options to choose from, and so many different clothes to wear for any occasion".
"Why is it so important?", Jasper asked as he looked at the photo of a tall woman wearing a large straw hat, a white dress and a short skirt with high-heeled shoes. "Why do humans have so many things to wear? Wouldn't be better one good cloth to always wear? I remember humans used to wear only one piece of 'clothes' back in the day".
"You mean cavemen during Prehistory?", Amethyst asked trying not to laugh again:
"Yeah, that kind of whatever it is!", Jasper exclaimed as she made Amethyst understand what she meant:
"Jasper, that was like thousands of years ago!", Lapis chuckled covering her mouth. "Do you really think humans wouldn't evolve and make their clothes more diverse?"
Jasper didn't say anything and instead did the same shoudler shaking Amethyst did. This caused another brief chuckle coming from them:
"Ok well, the point is, within human life, every clothes has a purpouse for a specific situation", Amethyst continued her explained. "Remember that thing back on Homeworld about *ehm ehm* 'Every Gem has a purpouse!'? Yeah, it's the same thing but funnier"
Jasper nodded. It did resemble how on Homeworld every Gem had her place and its function, only much less restrictive and rigid and with the option of choosing what to wear everyday:
"That sounds overly complicated, and yet so simple", Jasper commented. "And humans have to choose for their clothing every single day and every time a different composition?".
"Exactly!", Amethyst. "But it's much easier to understand than explaining, so I think a demonstration is required~. Take it for me".
Amethyst gave her magazine to Jasper and moved aside. Her body began to turn into pure light form and in an instant bright flash, her clothing changed. Her hair were bent in a ponytail, she wore a differnet black shirt with the image of a simplified alien spaceship, a green pouch around her waist, a pair of short jeans and green flip-flops:
"Tadaan!~. Here's my beach outfit!".
Jasper, who looked confused just a second ago, now looked weirded out by what she was witnessing:
"Hold on, you mean to tell me I'll have to… shape-shift?". Her tone seemed to have reverted to its original grumpy one. Amethyst took a look at her legs before saying:
"But of course. What did you expect? Buying clothes? Eheh, I'm sorry, but A) we don't have enough cash, and B) Humans usually don't sell clothes for mountains!"
"Money?", Jasper asked before she shaked her head. "I-It doesn't matter! You mean to tell me I have to change my appearence?!"
"Only your clothes", Amethyst said, having the feeling Jasper was about to explode with another tantrum. "Take a look at the magazine, so you can get an idea on your outfit"
"But I…", Jasper said looking back and forth between Amethyst and the opened magazine. "I mean, do you realize this goes against anything I've ever done in my life? Using shape-shifting to change my appearence… I know I said I was ready to do whatever you said, but this seems… I don't know…"
"Is it something that makes you feel uncomfortable?", Lapis asked meeting Jasper's eyes. She wasn't smiling, but instead she looked concerned. Jasper turned her eyes away base she felt unable to hold her look: "You don't have to change your appearence forever. Only for a day, then if that makes you feel uncomfortable, you won't have to do it ever again"
"I thought…", Jasper said. "I thought you said I was perfect the way I was, Amethyst".
"Jasper", Amethyst sighed approaching her. "You're making too much fuss for something that's perfectly normal on Earth. And besides, just because I told you so, you don't have to take everything I tell you for granted".
"You mean… you were lying to me earlier?", Jasper asked, her voice sounding wounded.
"It's not a matter of lying or being sincere", Amethyst shaked her head. "It's not up to me to decide what is good or bad for you. The only one who can do so is you. Take us for example. We've been through a lot but we like what we are now!"
"Exactly! At the same time…", Lapis exclaimed before she spun on her tiptoes while also turned into pure light form and in a flash, her outfit changed: now she was wearing a blue and white baseball cap, a lime green shirt with a tree drawn over it, long ripped pants and brown sandals. "Nothing prevents us from experimenting with different things every day!"
"Great look, Lappy! You've been improving!~", Amethyst gave the friend a thumbs up.
"All thanks to the best shape-shifter in Beach City!~"
Jasper looked bewildered at Lapis changing her outfit on the fly like it was perfectly natural. In her head, they seemingly didn't understand the implications of shifting their appearences like that; on the outside however, Jasper didn't know what to make of it. Was this thing also something having to do with "growing up"?
"Wait. What do you mean by 'the best shape-shifter in Beach City'?"
"I've been changing my appearence constantly from when I can remember~", Amethyst explained proudly. "I did so because I didn't know what I was supposed to be. Now I do know however, but I still want to become something different everyday! And even then, I'm still me everyday. See what I'm saying? At least give it a try!"
Jasper nodded and took a look at some of the outfits shown in the magazine. She didn't know what was so special about them or anything. She couldn't explain her fear of shifting her attire even just for a day: was she perhaps too much afraid of changing she couldn't even do something so simple? If so, then everything she told Amethyst and Lapis sounded so dumb in her head. She knew she was acting all tough once again and maybe she was going to ruin their fun time before it even began, but again, she needed to learn more about human stuff as she promised herself.
Jasper gulped and she scrolled the pages of the magazine looking at the pictures one by one at incredible speed. Just as Amethyst was about to ask her what she was thinking, Jasper hushed her and gave her magazine back:
"Alright then. Then how about… this?"
Jasper took a deep breath and once closing her eyes, she commanded her own light to transform to give herself a new appearence for the first time in her life. The traditional military outfit she had brought on herself since the days of war was gone in a flash of light and in an instant, the "new" Jasper appeared in front of Amethyst and Lapis. Jasper opened her eyes as the warm sea breeze was tickling her legs. She looked down at the two Gems and asked:
"So… what do you say? Is this thing good enough?"
Both Amethyst and Lapis didn't utter a word as they looked at kind of outfit Jasper chose for herself. Her large wild hair was tied in a thick braid while on her head rested a white hat with a wide sunshade. She sported a clear blue and white tank top which showed a massive cleavage over her large chest. Instead of her original brown pants she was sporting a long clear blue skirt with white edges with a slit over her right leg. She wasn't wearing any footwear although she brought two golden ringed ornaments around her right ankle. Jasper was nervously waiting for an answer from the two who were still not uttering a word. Perhaps it wasn't good enough? Were they going to make another joke about it? The waiting was exasperating, until Amethyst jumped forward and grabbed Jasper's arms exclaiming:
"Yeeeey!~. So pretty! That's my girl, yeheah!~". Amethyst jumped up and down like a child while Jasper was shaken from top to bottom by her enthusiasm. At least it looked decent, she thought:
"O-Ok, ok Amethyst, c-cut it out please", Jasper said, her face turning all red. The purple Gem let her hands go while still giggling excited:
"Lapis, look! It's just so…".
"Perfect?", Lapis lifted an eyebrow looking complacent at Jasper. "Yeah, it looks very good on you~. Good job, Jasper!"
The tall Gem was still blushing and failed to hide it to the two friends, but nevertheless she felt much more comfortable than what she imagined. All the fear and insecurity she was having just a few seconds ago when she was thinking about the implications of shifting her attire now felt like a silly old memory:
"I-I thought about the best combination. I looked at all images on the 'magazine' and then I made a synthesis of the best clothes I saw"
"Did you made that whole calculation in just a few seconds?", Lapis looked shocked. "It's, remarkable. It took me weeks to figure out what counts as a good outfit and you did it right on the spot…". She looked down at her feet blushing lightly, until Jasper said without thinking giving a thumbs up:
"You're not bad. Good job".
Lapis turned her eyes up and blushed even harder hearing Jasper complimenting her, another thing she wasn't expecting hearing from her at all. Jasper too was shocked and blushed even moreso covering her mouth. Since when words like that slipped from her mouth like that?
"I-It's just I repeated what you told me!", Jasper shaked her hands and pouted looking elsewhere. "It's something nice humans tell others, right? S-So I mimicked it. That's all".
"And that, is a very kind thing to say when you want to get along with somebody!", Amethyst pointed her fingers at Jasper. She couldn't get her eyes away from her outfit and for some reason, her bare feet caught her attention. "Say, out of curiosity, why didn't you choose any shoes?"
"I don't know. It just came natural to me", Jasper said, and was it just her or Amethyst and Lapis were exchanging a furtive look of enjoyment?
"I see, but you know what's another kind thing to say when someone receives a compliment? It's 'Wow, thanks!'. It always works. Say it, Lapis, so she can see how you do it"
Lapis was still blushing but she said with a gentle calm voice:
"Wow, thanks Jasper for you liking my outfit".
"Now you too, Jasper. Say it!"
"Ah, uh, wow t-thanks for liking m-my outfit, L-Lapis?". Her face turned more red than before for some reason. Amethyst giggled before exclaiming louder than ever:
"Alright girls! Enough with the compliments! We've got a mission today, that being giving this big grumpy gal a good Beach Episode! Are you with me?!"
"Y-Yes, Amethyst!", Lapis said snorting a laughter.
"Y-YES! I'M READY!", Jasper shouted louder than the others, her voice catching the attention of many tourists on the beach. "And don't call me grumpy-"
"Then let's go!", Amethyst exclaimed jumping forward landing on the sand. Lapis followed her in toe while Jasper instead slowly stepped on the sand, and when her large foot touched it, she realized how soft it was. She never walked over anything that soft, except for the seabed back in the day, but this time it wasn't wet or overwhelming. She then took another step forward with her other foot, and another, then another and realized how funny the feeling of that granulated earth was… and also how itchy it was every time she lifted her foot. But she didn't mind at the moment. What felt like an impossible task was like a huge step for the lonely warrior Gem and whatever awaited her along her journey was certainly going to be more rewarding than what her past had to offer her. All she needed was to take one step at a time… until a slightly stingy pain caught her toe when a crab attacked her with its pinchers:
"Out of my way, you weakling!". She stomped the sand so hard it lifted a bunch of it which fell all over herself. Some of the people around her screamed in fear, others laughed at her, but Jasper was busy dealing with a new issue:
"GRANULATED EARTH IN THE EYES!". Her shout spread around the beach, catching the people's attention one more time…
To be Continued…
And that does it for the second chapter!
R.I.P. you brave crab, but the good thing is Jasper had finally reached the beach!
I know I said I was gonna introduce my own OC in this chapter, but as it always happens, I got lost with words so much if I wanted to write the scene where the Gems and my OC meet, then my word count would have exploded! So I'll write him down in the next and maybe last chapter. Me and my friend have been making a crazy idea about new stories set in the same world of this different iteration of SU Future, but I prefer doing one thing at a time. Just so you know, some of these stories involve the likes of Hippie Rose Quartz and Jay-Ten, White Diamond and another OC, and maybe Sardonyx with another OC. It's a very loose can(n)on for now, but the ideas are there and certainly worthy of developing.
I also wanted to let my followers know that I'm slowly starting to think about changing my story topics and subjects which by the way would mean no more stories involving minors or Underage Sex. I've been looking back at my older stories and even though they were funny to write when I was younger, nowadays I don't feel proud of them anymore. I will still leave those on this platform for the time being so everyone can witness from where I started and where am I going to head from now on. If I were to cancel them, that would be proof of my will to hide what I did in the past and pretend like nothing had ever happened, but I'm not going to hide like that, so all my stories will be available for you to read and comment on however you want. If anyone had anything to tell me, let them come. I shall take everything I receive, either praises or curses.
Anyways, besides this little long announcement, the next chapter will be out in a matter of days. I don't know when but I can't wait to introduce my first OC. I hope you'll enjoy it and let me know what you think of this!
See you around!~