Even though the Gems were happy to take up Steven's offer for a beach day, that didn't make the job of finding a spot to set up any less stressful. Pearl had suggested simply staying by the Temple, but Garnet and Amethyst had both turned her down, as Garnet knew Steven would want to be near Connie and Amethyst wanted to be closer to where the food would be.
So, the three Gems had spent the last half hour trudging through the crowds of vacationing humans, looking for a spot, but with little luck. It seemed like what little space wasn't already filled by an umbrella and beach towel was being used as either undesignated race tracks by ATVs and dirt bikes (both Pearl angrily pointed out didn't
have turn signels) or sand castle construction sites by loud, bratty children (many of whom, the Gems unpleasantly noticed, were unsupervised toddlers with little potty-training). The normally peaceful and tranquil sounds of the ocean were buried by an ugly orchestra of loud music, screaming kids, and seagulls cries. The pleasant smell of the sea air was tainted by the strong scent of sunscreen and body odor. Overall, the natural appeals of the beach had been smothered in a sea of tourism.
Still, the Gems persisted. They'd even gone to the effort of shape-shifting their outfits into bathing suits to better blend in with the crowds (and to appeal to Steven). Garnet now sported a maroon and indigo sports top and boyshorts, Pearl wore a lime-green bralette and high-waisted bottoms, and Amethyst rocked a violet underwire top and hipster bottoms. One thing the Gems noticed as they ventured through the crowds (much to their relief) was that they were receiving surprisingly little attention from the tourists. Only a few quick glances were made towards the short, purple Amethyst or the bird-nosed, stick-thin Pearl. Apparently, they actually blended in better than they thought.
"Ugh, we've been searching forever!" Amethyst groaned, bored and impatient. "Can we just clear a spot?"
"No Amethyst," Pearl scoffed back at the purple Gem. "That would be rude." As annoying and irritating as the tourists were, the Gems knew they had ever right to be there. After all, it was their money that was keeping Beach City alive.
"There!" Garnet pointed to a shockingly unclaimed, medium-sized area in between several umbrellas and thankfully devoid of any tire tracks or plastic kids' toys.
"Oh, thank the stars!" Pearl exclaimed. For them, it was like an oasis in the middle of a desert.
"Whoo-hoo!" Amethyst threw her hands up in the air as Pearl and Garnet set down their equipment. "Party time!"
"Not until Steven gets here, Amethyst," Pearl perfectly laid out Steven's beach towel, pulling several heavy objects out of her forehead Gem to secure the corners from the wind, while Garnet opened Steven's umbrella and positioned it to most effectively cover the spot where the boy would be sitting. "You could help us set up camp in the meanwhile."
"Pffff, looks like you already got that covered," Amethyst smirked. She around at the sea of other toursts and giggled. "Man, look at these suckers. All this for some sand and water?"
"Not everyone lives next to a beach, Amethyst," Garnet said. "Most towns and cities aren't even near coast lines."
"Ugh, thank Rose for choosing this place for the Temple," Pearl shuddered. "I can't imagine being stuck in the middle of a concrete jungle. All the smoke and trash and… vermin." She cringed.
"Easy, Pearl," Garnet patted her shoulder. "This is our day off."
Pearl turned to her. "Are you sure we can afford to?"
"It's rare, but there are days when nothing happens," Garnet explained. "This is one of them."
"Yeesh, can you imagine trying to fight a monster in all this?" Amethyst threw out her arms to emphasis the size of the crowds.
"No, and I don't want to," Garnet sat down on the towel. "Come on, let's cool off before Steven gets here."
"Too late," Amethyst pointed up. In the blinding light of the sun, it was possible to make out a tiny blue shape fluttering closer and closer. It was Lapis.
"Wooooow," Peridot gazed in amazement at the vast sea of people covering the beach. "So many humans." "Yeah, better get used to it," Lapis sounded less than thrilled, but otherwise content.
"That's the spirit, guys!" Steven cheered. "This is going to be great. Look, I can see the Gems! Down there!"
They landed near the water, their enterance attracting more than a few looks and camera flashes. Lapis and Peridot stayed hooked to Steven as he lead them to the Gems, Pumpkin wiggling excitedly in the green Gem's arms.
"Hey guys, look who I dragged out of the barn!" Steven called.
"Hi, Peridot, Lapis," Pearl waved.
"Nice of you to join us," Garnet smiled.
"Shorty squad!" Amethyst cheered.
"Steven," Lapis nervously clutched one of her arms. "Would it be okay if…"
"Go right ahead."
The blue Gem quickly retreated under Steven's umbrella, pulling out one of her magazines as she lay on his towel.
Pearl put her hands on her hips. "Lapis, that's Steven's spot."
"Don't worry, look who's here." Amethyst pointed.
Trudging towards them was a massive load of beach gear and other junk on a pair of sun-tanned legs.
"Dad!" Steven ran over.
"Hey, Stew-ball!" Steven lead him over to the Gems, who wasted no time in relieving him of his load. Greg had somehow managed to carry three beach chair, three umbrellas, two surfboards, two boogie boards, a tub of beach toys, a radio, a case of old records, a beachball, a picnic basket, a cooler of drinks, at least half a dozen towels, and his trusty guitar all the way from the local parking lot. How he'd known where to find them the Gems had no clue. "Whew, I think I may have overpacked a little."
"I'll say," Pearl rolled her eyes, but nevertheless got to work setting up the other umbrellas and towels. It was cramped, but they managed to get three more shady spots open for the others. Greg immedately took a seat in a chair under one of them, breathing and sweating heavily from the load and the heat. Pumpkin jumped out of Peridot's arms and started licking him.
"Hey, hey Pumpkin," he patted the pumpkin dog on the head and let out a sigh. "Phew, it wasn't easy, but here we all are!" He smiled at his son. "The whole Universe clan in our natural environment!"
"Steven!"
Steven turned to see Connie rushing towards him. She was dressed in a striped tankini top and swim shorts. The two kids embraced with a big hug. "You made it!"
"You know I wouldn't pass up an opprotunity like this!" He smiled. "My best friend, my dad, and my extended Gem family, all in one beach-filled, sun-filled paradise!"
"Oh cool, you really brought everyone," she ran over and greeted the Gems. "Hi, Pearl, Garnet, Amethyst! Whoa!" Pumpkin jumped up on her leg, panting and smiling at her. "Hi Pumpkin! Hey Lapis and Peridot!"
"Hi Connie," Lapis quietly called.
"Glad to see at least one civilized human in all this mess," Peridot added.
Connie giggled. "Yeah, I know. Hey, my parents are here too." She pointed over to her parents, Priyanka and Doug, lounging under some umbrellas. Priyanka wore a swim dress and shorts with a large sunhat and Doug was in a shirt and trunks with his signature glasses. They noticed their daughter's company and waved over to Steven. "Don't worry, I told them there's not going to be any Gem stuff today, so they're cool."
"You ready for beach fun?" Steven asked.
"You know it!"