Needless to say, the Gems were baffled.
"Oh... well... thank you. Steven," Pearl stammered awkwardly. "But uh-" She turned to Garnet and whispered, "Garnet help me out here."
Taking charge, Garnet stood up and approached the two kids. "Steven," she said. "We're all sorry for lying to you. You were right about everything; we're a family and we all need to watch out for each other. We shouldn't have taken your kindness for granted."
"If there's anything we can do to make it up to you, man," Amethyst joined in, "We'll do it." "And we'll try and be a little more outgoing, if that's what you want from us," Pearl concluded. The three of them huddled together and opened their arms, expecting a hug from Steven.
However instead he and Connie glanced at each other and began snickering. The Gems quickly got back to their feet.
"Okay, now I'm confused," Garnet said.
Regaining his composure, Steven looked up at his three guardians, hands on his hips. "Thanks guys, but you're not getting off that easy."
"Huh?" All three of them said.
"We're glad you're all sorry for lying," Connie added, arms crossed and smiling smugly. "But we're still going to punish you."
"Punish us? " Pearl said, incredulously.
"Yep," Steven said. "You can forget about any missions or Gem stuff today."
"Or hiding away in the temple," Connie added.
"Because you'll be spending the rest of your day here," Steven pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to Garnet for the three of them to see.
Beach City Ocean Breeze Spa
Wash away the stresses of life with one of our many treatments! Book your appointment today!
The Gems looked back at Steven, each one sporting a different look of confusion. "Steven, what is this?" Pearl asked.
"Only the finest and fanciest spa in Beach City," Steven said. "It was all Connie's idea actually."
This did little to clear up Pearl's confusion. "Well, that all sounds very exciting," she said. "but what exactly is a spa?"
"It's a building that offers health and beauty treatments," Connie explained, matter-of-factly. "My mom's a regular there. It's the only way she can recover from all her long hospital shifts. Anyway, she took me there a few weeks ago and I had an amazing time. You relax, people tend to your every need, and you come out feeling like a whole new person. They have everything: massages, manicures, pedicures, mud baths-"
"Mud baths?!" Amethyst's eyes went wide and a big grin shot across her face, "Count me in!"
"Hold on a moment, Amethyst," Pearl said, "Connie, I'm sure it's lovely, but I'm not sure how comfortable I'd feel being..."
"Around other humans?" Steven asked.
"No," Pearl felt herself blush, "It just all seems to involve a lot of... physical contact and I..."
"Oh please!" Steven blurted out. "You guys fuse all the time."
"Yes, but that's with Gems," Pearl stated.
"You danced with Dad in Empire City," Steven reminded her. "You have no excuse."
"Besides, they're all about cleanliness, Pearl," Connie added. "They even make you shower between treatments. It's actually very fancy. You've got nothing to worry about."
"And even if you did, you still have no choice," Steven's smug attitude came back. "We've already picked out all your appointments. Dad paid for everything. Your session starts at noon." He folded his arms triumphantly. "No exceptions."
Pearl opened her mouth, but Garnet covered it. "Pearl, you really need to keep your mouth closed," she warned. "Bugs could nest." She turned back to Steven and, to his delight, she was smiling. "Steven, we'd love to."
"Well... what about Beach City?" Pearl said after prying Garnet's hand off. "We can't just leave it unguarded."
Steven and Connie grinned at each other again. "Leave that... to us." Taking each other's hand, the two kids were immediately engulfed in a bright pink flash of light, out of which appeared Steveonnie. Striking a pose with Rose's sword in hand, the fusion saluted the Gems.
"Steveonnie, Beach City protector, reporting for duty! And look!" They whistled and, as if on cue, Lion rushed through the door of the house and knelt before them. "We've even got our own trusty stead."
Garnet chuckled at the kids' act. "Well, that answers that."
"Whoo-hoo!" Amethyst threw up her arms in victory. "Mud baths, here we come!"
Pearl briefly closed and opened her eyes, trying to take all of this in. Finally, she let out a breath and said, "Well, as long as you two have everything under control, I guess we will be going to this spa." As an added bonus, she even started to smile. "I did say we would try and be a little more outgoing, now did I?"
"Sure did," Stevonnie said, "Besides, we're sure the Pearl we know could handle anything a mere human could." They grinned slyly. "You are a Crystal Gem, aren't you?"
"Well of COURSE I am," Pearl scoffed, as though she'd been insulted. With more confidence, she said, "And you know what? I'm actually looking forward to this spa. I've got nothing better to do today and frankly, all these monster battle have gotten me rather tarnished."
"Then it's settled," Garnet declared. She placed a hand on Stevonnie's shoulder. "Stevonnie, Beach City is all yours. Be sure to keep the harmony." She turned to her companions. "Come on Gems, our appointment's in an hour."
Amethyst winked at the duo as they headed for the door. "Slick."
Once the Gems were gone, the fusion went over to Lion and patted the beast on the head. "Great job, Lion. We totally sold them." Lion growled and began nudging their jean shorts.
"Okay, deal's a deal." The fusion pulled several Lion Lickers out of their pocket. "But you won't be getting anymore until we're off-duty."