Jamie cleared his throat for the tenth time that morning before raising a fist. Three knocks, and not two seconds later, a quiet voice called out from behind the door. "I'm coming!"

The director inhaled, straightening out as a smile grew on his face. The pot in his hands, carrying the pre-blooming flower, was no bigger than a mug, but he held it so carefully, fearing it might break before he could deliver the gift. As the door opened, he began his greeting. "Good afternoon, C…" Jamie trailed off, his smile fading a bit in surprise.

The woman before him, in a dark emerald summer dress with lace accents that outlined her slender chest and bony shoulders, stepped before him with a blushing smile and a hand in her thick, wavy hair. "Afternoon, Jamie," Cordelia replied shyly. "Do I look ready for a beachside barbecue?" Her eyes watched him with an anticipation and humility that made Jamie ridiculously self-conscious. He blinked, snapping back to attention. "I…Y-Yes, you look great!" he replied hurriedly. He remembered the flower. "Ah, here, for you. Welcome to Beach City," he recited, holding out the pot a little too quickly, making the bulb bounce slightly.

It was Cordelia's turn to blink. She smiled and took the pot in her thin, pale hands, cooing, "Oh, it's adorable…~ Is this a tiger lily? I don't think I've seen one like this before, and it looks almost ready to bloom, too." She turned her smile to the young man, cheerily thanking him. "I can't wait to see what it looks like, but…" she trailed off, her grin growing hesitant.

Jamie tilted his head at her discontinuity. "What's wrong?"

The young woman cleared her throat quietly, glancing down at the plant. "It…It really looks like it's hours away from blooming, but we have to go to the barbecue now… Would it be odd if I brought it with me?"

Jamie shook his head, practically beaming. "Oh, no no! I think you're going to get even more surprises today."

Cordelia looked to him again, feeling like a tower above him two steps higher than he, and she briefly wondered just how tall the man was compared to herself. "Oh? Really?"

Jamie nodded. "You'll see what I mean soon. Shall we head to the beach?" He offered his arm, stepping down a step with a foot as he invited her to be escorted.

Cordelia laughed quietly, shutting the door behind her and gently taking Jamie's arm. His demeanor was so formal at times, but it never seemed forced. It was as if his nature was to be a gentleman from some forgotten era of chivalry and men wearing tights. She smiled, asking, "Are the gems going to be there?"

Jamie replied with a hum, "Well, I know Steven will be there… The rest of them are pretty difficult to predict."

"I've noticed."

When everyone in a town comes together to make a special event, it usually turns out pretty wonderfully. Whether it's messy or organized, colorful or careful, it's a symbol of everyone's cooperation and creativity, and that's what Steven loved most about town events.

With Steven's direction and the joint effort of just about everyone in the city, the beach was transformed into a sizeable picnic area, with tables and benches and barbecues galore as people cooked burgers and dogs and discussed the gifts for the mysterious newcomer. 'What is she like? Where is she from?' are popular questions, and the speculations are often wondrous and slightly ridiculous. Conversation buzzed in the air as more people came down to the beach and joined in the jovial crowd. Steven watched the growing population from the stage, brow furrowed slightly as he searched with his eyes. Pearl had told him that she would be too busy, hunting Peridot every moment of every day, and that he should have fun while things were quiet. Garnet hadn't replied much on the matter aside from "I'll do my best," and Amethyst hardly gave an answer so much as a distracting comment about some raw waffles in the fridge. It really made him worry that the gems were pushing themselves too hard, but there wasn't much he could say to make them take a break now.

He had managed to get his father and Connie to help him make music to welcome Cordelia, but the boy was finding it difficult to concentrate on the preparation when his bandmates were constantly questioning him.

Connie tuned her violin before asking again, "Come on, Steven, why can't you tell me her name?"

Steven's father continued with the sound setup, hooking up the speakers as he added, "Yeah, buddy, what's with all the secrecy? It's not like we'll never find out."

The child pursed his lips, pretending to concentrate on tuning his guitar. "She just doesn't want me talking about her to everyone yet. She doesn't know many people yet, after all."

Greg smiled softly. "Alright, buddy. We get it. I'm just curious, is all. We haven't had a new town member in a long time." He turned some dials on the speakers and strummed his electric guitar, smiling at the sound of the chord echoing through the machine.

Connie nodded. "Yeah, sorry, Steven. I guess I'm more than a little eager." Certainly, having a new face in town would be interesting, to say the least.

Steven smiled at her, reassuring. "It's alright. I bet she's excited, too!"

An excitement rose up on the other end of the beach, and all three turned their attention toward it. "Is she here?" Connie asked. Steven squinted at the distance before beaming. "It's her! I'll go say hi to her, and then we'll play! Be right back!" he called before jumping onto the sand, leaving his instrument with the others.

Cordelia's chest tightened. Her breath became shallow, almost labored, but only mainly in her mind as she put on a smile and greeted the people who came to her in what seemed like a swarm. They shook her hand, introduced themselves, listing dozens of names that Cordelia wondered if she would ever be able to remember. Many of them seemed to know her name already, and she felt her heartbeat quicken almost instantly. 'So many people.'

Her hands clenched the pot with the orange bulb, but she found herself taking another with a tiny cactus from a friendly man who introduced himself with a distinct voice and an even more distinct smile. Did he say he ran the amusement park? It was difficult to keep track of who was saying what, and she tried frantically to make mental notes of people as she saw them. She recognized a few faces, like the ones from the donut shop, but there were so many that she had never seen that were smiling at her and talking to her and she felt like she was standing in a spotlight and waiting for a note that would signal her performance. She looked at Jamie, silently begging for solace.

The young thespian stayed by Cordelia's side, smiling as one cordial face after another came to them in succession. He was reminded of his first memory in Beach City, how just about everyone he met was amiable and welcoming, how overwhelmed he had felt at it all. It was a strange relief from what he had been used to. He looked to Cordelia, and what he saw was exactly what he was reminiscing. He frowned softly, leaning in a little closer when the flood of strangers bated as he whispered, "Are you alright, Cordelia? You look a little overwhelmed. Do you want to sit down?"

Cordelia felt relief wash over her. Just as she was about to respond, someone else called out: "Cordelia! Jamie!"

Both turned their heads towards the familiar voice. Steven hurried up to the two, grinning and spreading his arms. "What do you think? This is your party, Cordelia! Welcome to Beach City!"

The woman smiled, almost lifting the cactus to her face before she realized that she couldn't cover her mouth in embarrassment with a hand full of needles. "Oh, yes..! It's lovely, Steven. Thank you for putting this together. I really didn't expect so many people to show up."

A new voice cut between them, hollow with a strained fullness in its tone, like someone doing an impersonation of Santa Claus. "But of course! It's customary for us to hold a town greeting for a new member of our lovely city!" A man with a pink face and a sophisticated suit smiled as he approached them. "Welcome to our town! My name is Mayor Dewey- you can call me Mayor Dewey. It's a pleasure to meet you, ah..?"

Cordelia smiled, feeling her cheeks strain from the continuous activity. "It's a pleasure, sir…" She didn't notice the subtle question of her name before Jamie covered for her.

The mailman held a hand out. "Cordelia, Mayor Dewey. Mayor Dewey, this is Cordelia Byrnes, a skilled editor and aspiring thespian. I was actually hoping we could talk to you about a possible career for her here."

"An editor! How professional! We don't get many editors travelling through our town. I'm sure you'll be a wonderful addition to our community," the mayor commented, smiling a practiced but genuine grin at the two of them.

Jamie continued to ask about the position while Steven waved a little to catch Cordelia's attention. "Cordelia, we have music ready, if you want to hear it. We also have dogs and burgers if you're hungry!"

Cordelia gasped quietly. "D-Dogs?"

"Hot dogs!" Steven clarified, giggling a bit.

A blush, a nervous laugh. "Oh, y-yes, right…"

Steven gestured towards the tables. "Here, you should probably sit down. You look tired."

Cordelia continued to blush as she quietly followed Steven, the boy unaware of the embarrassment that hung over the woman from his last comment. As she sat down and distributed her plants in front of her, Steven hurried out of sight before returning with his hands hidden behind his back. He brought them forward, revealing yet another potted plant. "Ta-da!" he cheered, holding up the sapling. "It's a Sakura tree for you!"

Cordelia blinked, hesitating before gingerly taking the plant from the boy's hands. "A Sakura tree..?" she wondered aloud.

"Yeah! It may be a little difficult to grow in this climate, but nothing's impossible when you have people to help you! I know a little about plants, so if you ever need help with it, or with anything in general, you can ask me or anyone here, okay?" the boy asked, smiling at her with a genuine sense of care that she'd never have expected from such a young person.

The woman was speechless at first. She looked to the plant, then the boy, then the plant again, and then she began to laugh quietly, almost forlornly. "I…I've never really…"

Steven's smile disappeared. He tilted his head with a little frown, watching her with a curious worry.

Cordelia shook her head a little, her smile growing as she responded quietly, "Thank you, Steven. That means a lot to me, it really does."

Her eyes were still sad, the boy noted, but he smiled all the same. "Well, of course. I'm going to go get the others ready, and we'll play some music for you, okay?"

Cordelia nodded silently, continuing to smile.

As the boy left, she glanced around, noticing how the crowd closed in around her, and she took a breath, steadying herself for another round of socializing. They're just people, she reminded herself, they're just other people...

Cordelia observed the world around her as if through a lens. The people she met, the friendly faces that presented her with gifts and phone numbers and directions to homes and cheery advice, all seemed to be talking to a character who only smiled and nodded and thanked quietly, and Cordelia was merely watching from behind a screen. When they asked questions, she replied shyly, vaguely, and often trailed off as she felt herself retreat further and further into her own body. It was as if she was a ghost inhabiting the body of a dead stranger, living a life that did not belong to her. It was surreal, but not uncommon for her. She often fell into this daze of a mental state when the world became overstimulating, and with the events of the previous days, she was surprised she hadn't fallen into it much sooner.

Still, despite the hubbub of noise and the presence of so many strangers, she felt a twinge of guilt and longing. These people, whom she had never met before, whose wishes and motives were as mysterious as their thoughts, were offering her so much grace and hospitality that she felt an odd warmth creep under her skin, soothing the chilled ice in her bones. The makeshift ceremony reminded her of a scene in one of the books she'd edited- a long, detailed description of the protagonist meeting her new "family", as she would come to know them in time. At the time, Cordelia had not thought too much about it, but now she felt a sort of connection to it, to the character, that almost made Cordelia smile.

As much as she wanted to stop and experience the world around her "for herself", she knew she'd be overwhelmed quickly by all the attention being poured on her. She felt her joy sink calmly into the well of her gut, and she convinced herself that she felt content putting minimal effort into the party.

She snapped back to attention when she felt someone touch her shoulder, and she looked to her right to see Jamie sitting next to her, and Barbara and Sadie beyond him. They all smiled, but Jamie looked concerned. "How do you like the music, Cordelia?" He nodded up at Steven, Connie, and Greg, the trio playing music and singing songs together. Something about their expressions brought Cordelia back to the world, and she heard the music for the first time. It was joyful, and while the lyrics were odd, she found herself being drawn in by the sound.

"And if you ever need a hand, we'll draw our names in the sand, and we can be there for each other when the world is upside down~" Steven sang into the microphone, smiling to his accompanist as she continued.

"We're friends until the end and I will help you dearest friend, welcome to my world and stick around in my hometown~" the girl melodied as she played her violin, smiling at Steven before meeting Cordelia's eyes. The child smiled amiably at the woman before starting the instrumental portion of the song, playing a duet with the boy on the stage as they circled each other in perfect sync.

Cordelia found herself exhaling, "Wow…"

Jamie chuckled, smiling. "They're good, aren't they?"

The woman nodded, flustered. "It's been so long since I've heard people play music in person, I…I forgot there were people behind the music. And they're so young, too! I wish I'd known them in my hometown."

Jamie blinked at the woman's first mention of her hometown, but he decided not to press the matter. He simply nodded, looking up at the kids on stage. "They're very talented. And they've been through a lot together, too…" He turned his attention back to Cordelia, noticing just how entranced she appeared by the music. He felt his lips turn upward in a smile, his eyes curiously examining her profile before he caught himself and looked away, distracting himself by taking a sip of water. A moment more passed before he took a breath and stood up, holding a hand out to Cordelia. She noticed the hand and looked up to its owner curiously, blushing when he offered, "May I have this dance?"

The young lady blinked, letting out a quiet breath of surprise, but she smiled, nodding. "Y…Yes, you may."

She rested her hand in his, following him to her feet and away from the table. She tried not to stumble as he turned and interlaced their fingers, holding his other hand up for her to see, silently asking permission to continue. The courtesy of his gesture made her knees weak, and she nodded, trapped in curiosity as to how he would hold her, how gentle his hands were… She gulped, blinking hard. 'I am not going to lose my head over a stranger who offered me a job. I will keep my composure.'

Jamie gently placed his hand on her waist, smiling at her, as if asking again if she was alright, and it was all she could do not to pull away in embarrassment and cover her face from the entire world. Instead, she returned the gesture, placing her hand on his arm and nodding with a slight smile. A moment more passed, as they waited to catch the downbeat of the song, and Jamie led her into a dance following the pace of the music. Cordelia followed clumsily, looking down to avoid stepping on his feet and subconsciously pulling further away from him in the process. When her toe tapped his, she whispered an apology, and then another when she misstepped and nearly sent them toppling. Jamie simply laughed quietly and held her to keep her from falling over her own feet. "It's alright! Let's just take it one step at a time?" he offered, giving her an encouraging grin. Cordelia felt her face growing warmer, and she silently scolded her own body for betraying her. "Right…" she replied sheepishly.

Jamie kept the steps simple after that, letting Cordelia find her rhythm as the joyous music continued and others on the beach joined in dancing around the tables. She didn't dare look into Jamie's face, but his hand was so gentle in holding hers, large and warm. The hand on her waist remained above her belt line, and it gently guided her in moving across the sand. She couldn't remember the last time someone held her with such care. She wanted to reciprocate somehow, to make herself more than a stumbling amateur… In a spark of inspiration, an idea came to her.

As Jamie stepped to the side and led Cordelia's hand further to the right, Cordelia followed through, lifting Jamie's hand and twisting under it. Luck must have been with her, because her feet landed sturdily on the sand beside him. She gave Jamie a gleeful grin and was surprised to find that he was doing the same. He lifted his hand slightly, and she followed the notion, twirling back into his waiting hand and taking steps with him as they smiled at each other. Cordelia could have gone on forever, if the music hadn't come to a stop.

Jamie removed his hand from her waist and bowed, holding her hand under his lips. "Thank you, miss. It was an honor," he pronounced eloquently. Cordelia chuckled and curtsied. "'Twas an honor for me, too, sir." They returned to their seats together and enjoyed the next stream of song.

The music continued, and someone brought Cordelia a hamburger, which she tried cautiously but continued with zeal. Another person cracked several jokes as the music calmed and quieted, making many people laugh and others cringe. At one point, Steven introduced his father and his best friend, and Cordelia met them with warm smiles and enthusiastic handshakes. She was grateful to Steven for keeping his promise, for not one person mentioned her work in editing, although the questions about her life continued to come and go.

The teenagers asked to take selfies with Cordelia, to which she responded shyly but eventually consented. Awkward smiles were forever preserved, and she received several more phone numbers which were suddenly being written on her arm in marker ink and red pen. She couldn't help but laugh at the concept, it seemed so childish, but whenever she looked at her arm, with the string of numbers and addition of names at the end, she felt her heart beat a little more fiercely. The cold shell that she had retreated into before was dissipating as the hours came and went, and as the people around her conversed and shared stories, she soon forgot that she was the newcomer in town. For the first time in a long time, she felt like she was in a place she could call-

"Cordelia, look, the flower!" Jamie pointed out, smiling.

Indeed, the flower bud was beginning to curl back its sepals, the orange petals becoming more and more revealed. It was happening at quite an alarming rate, actually, and Cordelia fixed her eyes on the bulb as it opened gradually but quickly. "Oh my…" she whispered. First the entire town greets her, and now she's witnessing a flower blossom in person for the first time. Could this day get any more exciting?

POFFFFFF..!

The bulb erupted in a cloud of orange smoke, covering the area with a thick haze. Cordelia and the other table's inhabitants coughed while the people surrounding them backed up in surprise, and the music abruptly stopped.

As the smoke cleared, Cordelia waved her hand and squinted through the dust at the flower. "What the..!?" She stopped short, her eyes widening. Sitting on the table, on the dirt in the pot, was not a flower, but a grub-like creature with fuming orange skin. It trembled as it stared back at Cordelia, and a moment of silence passed before the woman let out a noise. "Aah…aah..!"

"Cordelia!" Steven cried from the stage.

"A-choo!" she sneezed. The creature squealed and leaped into her lap. The woman barely registered the monster's movement before she gasped. "Oh, my..!" She lifted her hands up, her fingers curled slightly, unsure of what to do. "Is this…the flower..?"

Steven left his guitar on the stage as he dropped to the sand and hurried to the table. "Cordelia! Jamie!" Greg and Connie called after him, "Steven!" The gem stopped short when he saw the creature in Cordelia's lap. "Oh, no..!" he whined, wracking his brain for a plan.

Jamie was frozen, one hand gripping the table and the other clinging to the back of his chair as he gaped at the monster in Cordelia's lap. His back was straight, a bit arched, and his eyes were wide and worried. "Steven… Is this thing…dangerous..?"

Cordelia looked to Jamie, confused. "Dangerous? But isn't this your present? I didn't know you could grow creatures like this here!" She beamed, observing the creature in her lap before lowering a hand next to what appeared to be its face. "What are you, though..? Are you trembling because you're scared? You're so tiny and adorable, like a bug..!"

The grub monster whined and squealed like a piglet in her lap, shrinking away from her hand at first. After a curious inspection, however, it lifted its upper body to lay several tiny grub arms over her hand, making a deciding squeal of a noise.

Jamie let out a surprised gasp. "Is it eating her? Steven!?" He hesitantly reached out a hand towards the monster, but it hissed loudly at him, making him quickly retract his hand with a shocked expression.

Steven crept slowly towards Cordelia's chair, speaking in a low, calm voice. "There, there, grub, it's okay… No one's gonna hurt you…"

The grub hissed at Steven, too, its body secreting more and more fumes, but Cordelia hushed it and gently stroked its back. "There, there, now… I'll protect you," she cooed softly, affection soaking her gaze and voice. "I don't know what you are, but you look like you're just a baby…" Her Irish tone rolled the words gently, and the monster seemed to calm in her lap, clinging to her hand as the fumes lessened.

Steven stayed several feet away from Cordelia as he explained, "Um, Cordelia… That's not a plant- I mean, well, maybe it is a plant, but it's really a gem. It's a gem that we have to keep secure someplace safe and calm. It's not really safe to…" he trailed off, biting his lip when Cordelia met his eyes.

Cordelia watched Steven with a questioning look, and then she noticed the curious, surprised, and fearful faces of the crowd around her. She felt a hand squeeze her heart, crushing her insides. She looked down at the grub, her expression becoming more anxious. "But… But it's just scared. It's only a baby."

"I know. Trust me, I know," Steven replied, his hands out in a gesture of peace. "But they're hurting, and we can't help them yet. We have to put them away for now. I'm really sorry…" his voice was pained and apologetic, and Connie recognized it all too well. She inhaled, then set down her violin, ready to join Steven on the beach. Steven looked to her and subtly shook his head, meeting her eyes in a silent conversation. 'Trust me,' he begged. She bit her lip, but, trusting his judgment, she nodded.

A long silence passed over them. The sun was just beginning to set, casting shadows over the beach with the people and props dotting the sands, and a cold breeze brushed over everyone's skin. Cordelia watched as the grub turned its head to stare up at her with large, watery, bulbous orange eyes, like a frog's or a salamander's, but, in that moment, they reminded her of a frightened child's desperate gaze. "S-Steven…" She held the grub closer to her chest, cradling it. "As much as I want to believe you, I can't believe that this is a dangerous monster. Common sense tells me that you're right, but…but it's so…" She bit her lip, then sighed a little. "It's shaking so much…"

"I know…" Steven replied softly. "I had a friend like that, too. He was a corrupt gem, and we were good friends, but…but I wasn't good enough yet to help him. I will be some day, just…not today. I just need you to help me bubble it, and it'll be safe…"

Cordelia kept her eyes on the grub a few moments more, then looked to Jamie, her expression complex and painful. "Did you know this would happen?" she asked softly.

The young man, having watched the discourse on the sidelines, started slightly when Cordelia addressed him suddenly. His expression softened at the pain in hers, and he shook his head. "I swear I didn't… I'm- I'm sorry, Cordelia," he apologized. He frowned with a concern that he hoped would portray his honesty, his complete denial of the intent to make her struggle the way she was so evidently struggling now.

Cordelia looked to the grub again, frowning. "Well…" She took a breath, then stood up slowly, holding the grub in her arms as the wind danced around her bare legs, pushing the dress around her knees and lifting her hair to make it flow around her face like the ocean waves. "I haven't seen any evidence that this poor thing is dangerous. It didn't attack me, and it doesn't look like it's going to attack anyone, so…s-so…" She met Steven's eyes with a pleading gaze, putting as much determination in her voice as she could muster. "Please let me try to calm it down, at least. It's so scared, I don't want to just lock it up somewhere."

Steven blinked. Cordelia swallowed, her legs shaking a bit as she held the grub closer to her chest. She could feel her sudden burst of confidence slipping away. "I-I…I mean…" She felt so small. Her throat swelled with a knot that came out of nowhere, and her voice trembled as she stammered, "I-I'm s…"

Jamie stood up suddenly. "S-Steven." He looked nervous, but he took a breath and continued. "She does have a point. I mean, it seems pretty calm with Cordelia."

Cordelia held her breath. She didn't dare speak again, but she found his support strangely reassuring, yet confusing. He was Steven's friend, so why was Jamie defending her point?

Steven wanted to find a reason to shut down Jamie's argument, but, seeing how relaxed the grub was in Cordelia's arms, how it clung to her with its tiny little nub legs, how Cordelia held it like a mother would hold a child, he couldn't find the words. His breath caught, and he felt himself shiver a little inside at the sight. It reminded him of so much, of what he'd had and what he'd never have. He gulped, then smiled a little. "Well…I guess you have a point. Maybe it will calm down with her around. Maybe…It probably thinks you're its mother, Cordelia."

Cordelia blinked. She looked down at the creature, noticing how its fuming had stopped. "I…suppose so."

Mayor Dewey clasped his hands together, relieved that the tension seemed to be easing away. "If that's the case, then I believe this calls for a continuation of the celebrations!"

The crowd generally nodded and agreed and began to relax again as Steven looked up to Connie and Greg, sharing meaningful looks with them. Greg looked concerned, and Connie, confused. The boy made his way back to the stage, and the party continued with Cordelia holding the gem grub in her lap. She petted it softly, slowly sliding her hand across its smooth, slimy back.

Connie whispered to Steven, "What's going to happen now..?"

Steven glanced at her, then looked out over the audience, over everyone he'd known for his entire life, plus one. He smiled.
"Play me a C."

Sunlight filtered through the immaculately dusted blinds and casted stripes along the floor and over a plump purple face. Amethyst sighed, opening her eyes to stare at the blank ceiling. "I'm bored…"

A huff in her feet's direction caught her attention, and she lifted her head to stare over her belly at the owner of the scoff. "Well maybe you wouldn't be so bored if you'd help me with this tracking system," Pearl chided, continuing with her experiment. She concentrated on the projection in front of her, plotting trajectories and other weird stuff that Amethyst had no interest in. The younger gem sighed, resting her head back on the floorboards. She turned her head to the side, her lips brushing against her thick hair as she replied with exasperation, "Every time I try to help, you get all nit-picky and do it yourself."

"I do not. And maybe I wouldn't need to guide you so much if you'd show some initiative and learn what you can," the pearl responded.

Amethyst sat up, frowning. "I show initiative, alright, but what's the point when you're always telling me what to do?"

Pearl rolled her eyes. "Honestly, Amethyst, you can't blame me for your lack of direction." She leaned over the hull of Peridot's escape pod and continued to tinker with the contents.

Amethyst scowled, not wanting to start a fight, but still peeved by her comment. "Well, then, why don't you ask Garnet for help?"

Pearl stopped, and Amethyst realized a little too late her mistake. The older gem straightened up, clenching a wrench in her hands. "Well… I… I want to surprise her, that's why! I want her to know that I can do something like this myself." She nodded decidedly, as if convincing herself of this fact.

Amethyst groaned loudly. "Why can't you two just kiss and make up already?" Despite the jiving nature of the comments, their only purpose was to mask just how much the silence between the two older figures in her life disturbed her. Of course, if anyone understood how much of a blunder Pearl had made, it was Amethyst, but it still didn't change the fact that she wasn't used to Garnet giving the cold shoulder to one of their own- especially not for this long. She wanted it to end.

Pearl sighed, ignoring Amethyst's question and returning to her work. Amethyst stood up, crossing her arms. "I mean, seriously, if you'd just apologize to her, then she'd-"

"YOU THINK I HAVEN'T TRIED THAT!?" Pearl nearly yelled, her entire form tense as she clenched the wrench and shut her eyes. "You think I haven't tried apologizing for what I did? I have, SEVERAL times, and she still won't…" Pearl sighed tiredly, finally meeting Amethyst's shocked gaze, and she almost immediately looked away, silently leaning over the escape pod again.

For several moments, Amethyst wasn't sure what to do. It wasn't common for Pearl to snap at her loved ones like that, but it wasn't alien, either. The younger approached the older and, after a moment of silent hesitation, raised a hand to rest on Pearl's shoulder.

Pearl froze, her eyes remaining on the innards of the ship. Amethyst glanced at the door. "I'm…going to go check out Steven's party. Maybe that new person is cool."

The screen door shut, leaving Pearl alone with her work and her treacherous thoughts.

(( And that concludes Chapter 5 of Love Takes! Looks like Cordelia has stirred up the town a bit. Stirred herself right into everyone's hearts! What's going to happen with the gem grub, tho? What's up with Steven? And what is Cordelia trying to hide about her past? What's she hiding from? WHERE IS LION!? Tune in next time to watch Jamie make a complete fool of himself aaaaand we get more gems! ;D We also get more information on Cordelia!

I know this publication is a lot later than I anticipated (than anyone anticipated!) but college is a killer, haha... Honestly, though, I'm not giving up this fanfic. Some of you have left some really inspiring reviews and messages regarding Love Takes, and it's motivated me to publish this latest chapter! I'm still awfully busy and as I'm writing this I'm sitting at my desk, at almost midnight, sick silly with an exam tomorrow, but hey! At least we got to read about Cordelia's fast-paced character growth and Amethyst's complex feelings towards Pearl. Anyways, expect the next chapter to come...probably in a month. Bear with me, everyone! :D Later, tater tots. ))