Ages

Steven - 3

Greg and Vidalia - 29

sour cream - 7

Pizza twins - 8

Kofi Pizza - 33

Nanefua Pizza - 55

Ruby ~ 6,000

Pearl ~ 8,000

August 12, 2003

Ruby stared at the large building. "We've got this." She told Pearl and Pearl nodded determinedly "This will be a difficult mission, but we have handled worse." She said as they walked into Toys 4 Kids.

They had come to Charm City to find a very important item, a bike. Steven's 3rd birthday was coming up and they had learned last year it was traditional to bring gifts to humans at their birthday party. Kofi Pizza had recently gotten new bikes for his girls and had said "Every kid needs a bike." Steven did not have a bike, they had to fix this.

The store was loud, kids screams and laughter echoing through it and Pearl winced as they walked in, she steeled herself immediately though. "Oh, look at how organized it is!" She said, pointing out the signs hanging over the rows of shelves ``Humans didn't used to have these!"

"Well, they didn't used to make stores so big." Ruby pointed out.

Pearl nodded in acknowledgment, but her joy over the signs was undaunted. Ruby looked- nothing. Ruby couldn't see anymore. Her hand touched her forehead, wishing her hand found an eye there, wishing her sight showed her next steps, wishing she wasn't alone in this body.

A hand gripped her shoulder, she looked up to see Pearl's worried face. She lowered her hand from her head. "Which one says bikes?" She asked, pretending nothing had happened. Pearl followed her suite. "It looks like it's in the back of the store."

Pearl's hand didn't leave her shoulder as they walked, the people here were less used to seeing gems than in Beach city and people stared at them as they walked through the rows of stuff.

"Hey!" Ruby said, pausing in front of sidewalk chalk.

"Vidalia said she was getting Steven art supplies." Pearl reminded her.

"Not for Steven! I want them!" Ruby said, taking down a box of them. "Can I get them? Please?"

Pearl looked surprised she was being asked but nodded "I don't see why not. I have plenty of money to pay with."

Ruby cradled the box to her chest and wondered if Sapphire would like drawing. She supposed it didn't matter; every time Ruby had visited her Sapphire had barely spoken. But she wanted to know, she wanted to know how Sapphire felt about everything.

Pearl's hand tightened comfortingly on her shoulder. "Come on, the bikes are this way." She said, and they continued on their way.

There was a line of bikes of all different sizes and colors at the end of the store. They walked down it for a bit, looking at the different options, trying to find the perfect one.

"It's perfect!" They said at the same time.

Ruby looked at what Pearl was pointing to, a bright pink three wheeled bike that's seat was barely off the ground. The front wheel was much larger than the back two. "He'll be so safe!" Pearl exclaimed.

"But look at that one," Ruby countered, "it's awesome!"

She pointed to a black and red bike that had a casing that made it look like a motorcycle, the red patterned on the side looked like flames. "He'll be so cool!"

"Steven is already cool. What he needs is to be safe."

"You can never be too cool." Ruby argued.

Pearl sighed "We'll get both of them. And Greg can explain to you why I am right."

"Steven's going to love it!" Ruby said excitedly. Grabbing her pick and ripping it off the stand.

Pearl picked up her bike and a matching helmet hanging near it.

They walked to the counter with their prizes. Pearl lifted a hand to her gem and took out several gold coins she collected a few hundred years ago, which she put on the counter, "is that enough?" She asked the woman staring at them with an open mouth. The woman nodded mutely, and the gems walked out to begin their long walk back.

"We did great." Ruby said.

"Yes," Pearl agreed. "I think that went quite well."

August 15, 2003

They were holding the party on the beach outside the temple, although of course the humans were bringing much of the supplies, Kofi had offered to make a cake and supply a few pizzas. Vidalia was bringing some toys to keep the kids busy. And Greg was bringing the 'special birthday suit.' Pearl set up a table for the humans to eat at, and most importantly the magician's stage.

Vidalia had said her fiancé Yellowtail had offered to get a magician for Sour Cream birthday the first year they were dating, and it was when she decided she would marry him. So, Ruby and Pearl had spent the last couple of weeks not spending their nights hunting corrupted gems and instead learning everything they could about magicians' shows and making their own.

Pearl didn't like clothes, but she'd found the magician hat agreeable enough and agreed to shapeshift her clothes. Ruby had thought the sparkles of the magician assistant clothes were beautiful and had eagerly volunteered for that role.

They learned about sleight of hand, disappearing tricks and misdirection. Breaking free of chains and decks of cards. Even sawing someone in half. They had made the perfect magic show.

Steven and Greg arrived early in the morning, Greg had gotten the day off work, and they were used to spending the days with Steven watching him while Greg worked, unless something pressing came up with the corrupted gems. Ruby played with Steven in the sand while Greg and Pearl set up the rest of the party while trying to politely ignore each other.

The Pizza were the next to arrive and Ruby quickly handed Steven over to them so she could run over to Greg and Pearl, who quickly dropped what they were doing and hurried into the temple's hands where they had left the bikes.

"Pearl and I both picked one out!" Ruby said excitedly "Which one do you like better?"

"Which one is safer for Steven?" Pearl questioned.

"Ah guys, you went to a lot of trouble" Greg said nervously scratching his head, "but, Ruby buddy, I think the one you got for him is a little too big for him right now. I'm sure he'll love it when he's older though."

"Oh…" Ruby said, that made sense now that she looked at it. "Yeah. I guess. Want me to put it in my room for when he's bigger?"

"Sounds great, Bud."

Pearl didn't rub the victory in her face, simply took a bow out of her gem and tied it on the smaller bike that she had picked.

The party had been fun, Ruby had even forgotten about Sapphire for a bit while she played Red Light, Green Light with the children. As the humans all dished themselves out paper plates of pizza and cake Pearl got on the stage with her black magician hat and red cape over her shapeshifted black suit. "I am the mysterious and magical Pearl, here to enchant your evening." She said dramatically.

Ruby ducked behind the stage and transformed her clothes into a glittering red leotard and jumped on stage next to Pearl. "This is my assistant, the radiant Ruby," Pearl said. "She will assist me with a series of marvelous magic tricks tonight, behold!"

And with that she pulled out a long string of rainbow-colored napkins out of her gem, getting cheers before she was finished because of the insane length, when she was finally done she threw them to Steven. Greg and Nanefua caught it for him and the audience cheered loudly.

She then produced a deck of cards. "I need a volunteer from the audience."

Jenny raised her hand "Oh, me! Let me do it!"

Ruby pointed her out. "The little girl in the red."

Jenny ran over and Ruby helped her on stage. Pearl looked down at her. "This is a very important job. I need you to shuffle this deck for me, can you do that?"

Jenny took it and shuffled the deck and handed it back to Pearl.

"Now I need to select a card." Pearl said, she said, quickly browsing through and putting a card to the side. "Tell me when to stop." She said, turning over cards and laying them down one by one.

Jenny watched for a moment, grinning at her important role. "Stop." She said, and Pearl did. Lying half the cards on the table and putting the rest of the cards on top in a cross.

Everyone watched with interest, Kofi looked between Pearl and Ruby as though wondering what they would do next. Wondering how they would make this magically. But Ruby knew this was purely sleight of hand.

"How many cards are here?" Pearl asked, gesturing at the top pile.

"I don't know." Jenny shrugged.

Pearl took the top of the cross of cards off. "Well, it looks like we have a five here. Now let's count out the cards, here. F.I.V.E. Well, well, another five, Jenny. Flip over this card for me." She said, gesturing at the card she set aside at the beginning.

Jenny flipped over another five.

"Well, that's a set of three, but I like to have everything match. So let's see if we can find the fourth." Pearl said, turning over the top card in her hand. Revealing another five. The audience applauded loudly.

Pearl beamed that her trick had been a success.

She pulled a saw out of her gem and the audience gasped. Ruby ran up excitedly. They were getting to the good part of the show.

"Now I am going to saw Ruby in half." Pearl said simply. As the audience exchanged glances. Ruby figured it was probably because they had never seen anything so cool. Ruby hopped onto the table and lied down, waving at the audience happily as she shapeshifted a hole in her body where Pearl sawed through the table up until it snapped in two.

Ruby snapped her body back together and hopped up. Greg and Kofi were covering their children's eyes for some reason, so she waved to Sour Cream who waved back.

"Now I'm going to eat fire!" Ruby yelled "Oh, sorry Pearl. I'm just the assistant."

"It's fine Ruby, this is your part of the show."

"This is the best part!" Ruby said to the audience.

"Ruby. Mystery." Pearl whispered to her.

"Sorry." Ruby whispered back.

Pearl smiled down at her and stepped to the side of the stage. Tossing Ruby two torches as she went.

Kofi whispered something to Greg and Nanefua hit his arm.

Ruby gripped the torches lighting the ends on fire before she flipped them over. She threw them in the air a bit, Pearl had taught her some juggling for the act, although she had seemed almost sad about it for some reason, Ruby shook her head slightly. They were both always sad, but today was about Steven.

She juggled for a minute before she swallowed the flames one after another, then opened her mouth to show the audience the fire still burning for a second.

The kids applauded loudly. "I want to learn that!" Jenny said, and Nanefua laughed. "When you're my age." She told her.

Pearl walked in front of Ruby as Ruby chuckled the torches and broken table off stage and out of the way.

"I have been told." Pearl said. "That a human magic show is not complete until a rabbit has been pulled out of a hat."

The audience leaned forwards eager to see what they would do this time.

Pearl took off her hat "I have a hat. Do you think I can make a rabbit?"

"Yes!" Everyone other than Kofi yelled.

Pearl smiled, dipped her hat to both sides, pausing after each dip to look in. "No rabbit." She said, then she held it behind her for a second and Ruby jumped in, shapeshifting into a small Rabbit. Pearl held out her hat and looked in. She grabbed Ruby by the ears and held her up for everyone to see.

Ruby took her bows as a rabbit. And Steven ran up wearing a cape and crown and gave her a hug the second Greg let him go. "You're so cute!" He said.

"Thanks, Steven." Ruby said.

"Best Birthday Ever!" He said.

Greg laughed, "You don't even remember your other ones, Schtu-ball."

"The best!" Steven said.

Pearl smiled. "Well, I'm not sure if your present is as good as the dictionary I got you, but it's very safe."

Greg chuckled, "Right, the dictionary."

"Our Steven has quite the vocabulary, doesn't he?" Pearl said.

Greg looked awkward, but Vidalia walked up "Oh, you guys talking about the dictionary again? Great show, guys."

"Thanks!" Ruby said, shapeshifting back to normal.

"Thank you." Pearl said.

"Anyway Greg. Pearl gave Steven a dictionary and now he talks. Sounds like an ironclad argument to me."

Pearl smiled triumphantly, Greg sighed "Thanks, Vidalia."

"No Problem. Hey, Steven's, not the only one getting older. What's happening to your hair?"

"Not Funny!" Greg said and Vidalia laughed.

"You guys ready to open presents?" She asked. "Sour Cream and I have to head out soon."

Ruby held Steven's hand as they walked over to open presents feeling like for the first time things might be okay one day.

Author's Note: Learned the card trick from Matt Mcgurk on YouTube if anyone likes magic tricks.

I had a comment on my last section that was confused with Steven's age. Let me know if you like the dates, or if you would prefer me to list their ages in the author's note at the top. Or not address them at all other than in the story itself.