Pearl knew she wasn't being fair.
Pearl knew that her behavior towards Amethyst was, maybe, slightly, a little unwarranted.
Pearl also realized that Rose and Garnet were growing exasperated with her reluctance to be near the young Gem.
But every time she looked at Amethyst, all she could see was the warrior brutes back on Homeworld. She could only see the Kindergarten and all the destruction it was supposed to reap. Every time she looked at Amethyst, she was back in the war, throwing her body in front of Rose to protect her to the best of her abilities from the goliaths. Like she always had. Like she always would.
It wasn't hard to keep this view of the newest addition. She was loud, and reckless, and adventurous, and sometimes she could be downright obnoxious. But there were also those moments where she could be sweet, and quiet, and brave, and thoughtful. It was just hidden underneath that rough exterior.
She wasn't blind. She saw how Amethyst winced whenever she questioned why they were bringing her along on missions. She saw how dejected she looked when Pearl reprimanded her over any little flaw during the mission. She noticed how her defenses immediately shot back up and she was ready to pretend Pearl hadn't just crushed her.
She most definitely noticed Rose's looks of disapproval that she'd shoot her way before scooping the young lavender rock up in her arms to go try and cheer her up.
This whole situation frustrated the long nosed Gem beyond reason.
'You should understand what it's like to be underestimated.'
It was something Garnet had said to her a while back, when they'd first started taking Amethyst on missions. And it was no less true now than it had been at the time. Pearl knew all too well what it felt like to be told that you were only allowed to be what others said you could be. She knew all too well what it was like to be forced into being something you never wanted. She knew what it was like...not to have a choice.
She hadn't chosen to be a pearl. She hadn't chosen to mean less than nothing back on Homeworld.
Amethyst hadn't asked to be made. She hadn't built the Kindergarten. The only choice either of them had made was to become a part of this ragtag group of rebels. Not that Amethyst completely understood the gist of the war.
It was with much trepidation that Pearl took a seat next to the shortest Gem, who was happily munching away on some berries she'd found in the forest, a ways from the coast that they called home for now. She had colorful stains all over her clothes and around her mouth. The taller Gem would never understand Amethyst's habit of eating, or why she bothered. She found the whole display rather disturbing to begin with.
It took a moment for the purple runt to notice that she wasn't alone, and when she realized which one of her friends had come to find her, she froze, unsure of what to make of this development.
Pearl never sought her out. Pearl never willing provoked any kind of contact. This whole thing was really weird.
"Uh...hi...?"
"Hello." Right. Polite. Keep it polite. Off to a good start. Don't screw this up.
Amethyst slowly, not taking her eyes off Pearl, popped another berry in her mouth. "Did you...want something...?" It didn't take a genius for her to see that Pearl looked just about as uncomfortable as she, herself, felt.
Pearl's hands started to wring together in that nervous way they did whenever she was feeling especially fidgety. Which, considering how Pearl was normally that wasn't a stretch.
"I'm... sorry."
Indigo eyes widened considerably.
"I haven't exactly been fair to you."
Amethyst could tell this was exceptionally hard for the lankier Gem, getting Pearl to admit any kind of wrong doing was like pulling teeth. And yet all Amethyst could manage was a small, "oh."
There was a moment of pretty uncomfortable silence, each unsure of where to take this strained conversation - if you could call it that - now.
Pearl patted her leg once, twice. "That, ahem, that trick you pulled during the ice cave fight was... it was really..." She floundered for the right word. "Precise."
Amethyst blinked once, twice. Pearl stared uncertainly back.
Then Amethyst burst into a fit of laughter at the anti-climatic description. "If you say so, Pearl."
The pale Gem smiled slightly, still uncertain but calmer than she'd been when this conversation began. "I do say so."
What's this? A Pearl chapter? Technically it's still Amethyst centered. I'm still trying to get the hang of writing these characters. It's tougher than I'd thought it would be, if I'm being completely honest. But alas, here we are.
Reviews would make my day.
I'm out. Peace.