When You're Hot You're Hot
Author: Emerald Padparadscha
It wasn't often anymore she and Garnet went on missions together. The fusion had explained to her before - right after yet another bout of questioning of why they never went on missions together - that Steven would learn more from her and Amethyst right now than he would from Garnet. It was one of the few times Pearl could recall catching the taller Gem so blatantly telling a lie. She was just as nervous as the rest of them around the small half-Gem, yet she likely handled him with the most attention and the gentlest hands. Mission wise, though, the places Garnet went solo to weren't usually friendly to non-Garnet Gems, anyway.
"Well," Garnet adjusted her glasses, "I did warn you, but you still wanted to come."
Pearl clutched to the stalactite, her long limbs wrapped security around it. She'd been perturbed more than anything when she'd found herself in this predicament. Embarrassment edged in when Garnet simply strode out of the magma pool and smirked. Now, irritation.
"You just looked at what my chances were of falling, didn't you?" Pearl deadpanned.
Garnet's smirk didn't lessen. "I suggest you hold on real tight."
Pearl watched as Garnet stepped on to a stone halfway submerged in the magma. She formed a single gauntlet, slamming it hard into the ground. The vibration shook the entire cavern they were in, and Pearl clutched even tighter whens he felt her lifeline starting to give away. The rumble intensified, and she felt the heat more than saw it. She also felt it when a strong pair of arms wrapped around her waist. Garnet deposited Pearl on the edge of the volcanic crater just as the lava caught up with them. She walked over and reached into a pool of the molten rock starting to form, pulling out what looked like a crystalline red orb. Casually, she brushed it off. Her body was steaming from the heat.
"The orb was trapped underneath the pool. I had to, as humans say," She smiled. "get two birds with one stone."
Pearl rolled her eyes, unable to hide the smile. "Show off."
Garnet returned the smile. "You love it."