Summary:
In which people have a lot to think about.
Ruby runs toward Sapphire, colliding with her, and in a flash of bright light, a new being is formed. The fusion is tall, with three eyes and big, poofy hair. The eyes of their ruler glare with disgust. The fusion looks down at its hands in both shock and wonder.
"Sapphire, this is not the scenario you described," it states coldly.
The fusion immediately unravels, and Sapphire tries to reason with the ruler, but Ruby jumps to her defense.
"I'm sorry, I-it was my fault," she implores.
The ruler is not pleased. "How dare you fuse with a member of my court. You shall be broken for this," she orders. But Sapphire takes Ruby's hand and flees, never to be seen again.
Blue opens her eyes, sitting up. Another dream? No, another memory of her mother. A memory of the war. This time, it's a fusion between a Sapphire and a Ruby. The fusion they created was so incredible, something Blue had never known about. But if she really thinks about it, in a way, she herself is a fusion—between a human and a diamond.
Her smile turns grim as she recalls the dream, remembering that her mother was a shatterer. Blue slumps back down, staring at the interior of her canopy. What was so wrong with fusions between different types of gems? She doesn't understand. No one ever told her why, other than that it wasn't "normal" or "appropriate."
The room lights up as the ceiling rotates, shifting from the moon to the sun—an imitation of Earth's night and day. It's time to get up. Blue rises before her pearl can wake her, since she's already awake. On her way to the washroom, she pauses to look up at a stained-glass mural of her mother's hands, lowered as if bestowing baby Bluebell to faceless gems as their new ruler. Blue blinks, feeling no particular emotion toward the image.
Yellow had taken over when Blue was young. Occasionally, Blue would participate as she grew, so she could better understand things until she eventually began to take on her mother's legacy.
Blue continues with her morning routine, eventually finding herself in her control room, typing away on a screen. 59 kindergartens, 66 spires—everything seems as it should be. She leans forward, swiping to another category. On her lap rests the pink whale from Earth. Blue glides her hand over it, pressing it gently, letting the aroma of strawberries fill her nose. It reminds her of Steven. It feels as though he's right next to her. The scent is just like him—though his had a softer rose tint that complemented the strawberry. Still, it makes her smile.
"Steven," she murmurs.
Steven scrubs the car with a sponge, the crisp fall weather making the task more difficult than usual. But his mind is far away, lost in thoughts that keep him distracted. Greg notices his son's distant demeanor and pauses, sensing something's off. "Steven, you okay? You seem a little out of it. Is it a gem thing?" he asks, snapping the 16-year-old back to reality.
"Huh—wha—oh, no. It's not like that," Steven mumbles, going back to scrubbing, trying not to think about the silvery-haired girl and how the sun made her shimmer with a hint of blue when it hit her just right.
"Is there something I can help with then?" Greg asks, concern in his voice. Steven hesitates, unsure if he should talk about it, but figures his dad might have more experience with this kind of thing.
"Well… there's this girl I met," he finally admits. "Her name's Bluebell, and she has a friend who I think is a Pearl, but I didn't see a gem, so I could be wrong. But anyways—"
"Whoa, slow down, sport. You met a girl?" Greg interrupts, his eyebrows raised in surprise. Steven nods, a slight blush creeping onto his face.
"Yeah, Bluebell. She's… really cute." He smiles, his thoughts lingering on her beautiful eyes. "I saw her at Sadie's concert, and then I gave her a tour of Beach City the other day. But she was only traveling. I couldn't even get her number because she didn't have a cell phone. Didn't even know what that was…"
Greg rubs his neck thoughtfully. "She might be from a country where they don't use phones, or maybe she's just not allowed one."
"Well, she said she might come back in a year," Steven says, sounding a little more downcast.
Greg smiles, trying to lift his son's spirits. "Hey, that's great. Maybe I'll get to meet her then, and who knows? Life can throw some surprises your way. She might even come back sooner than you think."
Steven blinks down at his distorted reflection in the car's windshield. His dad's right—considering how his parents met, anything's possible. He smiles, but before he can say anything, his best friend Connie runs toward the car wash.
"Hey, Steven, are you ready for training?" she asks, stopping in front of him.
"Oh, right!" Steven exclaims, having completely forgotten. "See ya later, Dad!" he calls, waving as he follows Connie back to the temple.
At the ancient Sky Arena, Pearl is giving instructions to the teens. The moment of focus arrives, and suddenly, only one person stands: Stevonnie, their sword ready as a holographic Pearl readies her own.
"Begin," the real Pearl announces cheerfully.
With swift movements, Stevonnie dodges the sword, twirling around to slice the fake Pearl in half. They turn, using the shield to block another attack. Stevonnie smirks before pushing back the fake Pearl. As they continue to train, they can't help but wonder, What would Blue think if she saw me training?
A smile tugs at their lips as thoughts of Blue flood their mind—her cute smile, the way her eyes lit up when she learned something new, her graceful movements. Oh, god. She was beautiful. The way she danced, so fluid and elegant. Her voice, soft and elegant with a hint of playfulness. And her singing—it was beyond anything Steven had ever heard.
Stevonnie grins as they finish off two fake Pearls at once.
"Who's Blue, Steven?" Pearl teases, leaping onto one of the broken pillars.
Steven's face turns bright red. "A girl," he replies, mentally adding, a beautiful girl. He hopes—no, he hopes she comes back sooner than planned.
When training ended, Stevonnie wore an odd expression that Pearl couldn't quite place. As they unfused back into Steven and Connie, Steven had a red face while Connie wore a giddy grin. "Uh… should I ask?" Pearl wondered aloud, but before she could get an answer, Connie dragged Steven off to who knows where.
Back at the beach house, Connie immediately forced Steven to sit on the couch while she stood in front of him, her grin wide with excitement. "Okay, tell me everything about her," she practically demanded, bouncing on the balls of her feet.
Though the two of them shared thoughts as Stevonnie, Connie had already seen what Blue looked like. Still, Steven tried to push thoughts of her aside during training. Now, though, Connie's excitement was undeniable.
Steven blinked once, then twice, before ducking his head, feeling his face heat up. "Okay, okay, okay," he said, holding up his hands in surrender, a smile tugging at his lips as thoughts of Blue returned. "Her name's Bluebell," he began, a little giddy himself at the chance to talk about her.
Connie cooed, "Bluebell? That's so sweet! In the language of flowers, it means humility and gratitude. She must be a very humble girl." She grinned, recognizing the flower name. "It's not unusual either—there are tons of people with flower names like Lily, Rose, Aster, or even Poppy."
Steven nodded, smiling fondly. "I met her at Sadie's concert, but unfortunately, she travels a lot, so Blue couldn't stay." His voice carried a touch of sadness. "Well, from what I could tell, you showed her around Beach City," Connie noted, plopping down next to him. "So, she must've stayed a little longer. Tell me all about your date/tour!"
With Connie's question, Steven couldn't hold back. He launched into a tangent about Blue—how she'd never had a donut before, how he was about 80% sure the girl with her was another Pearl, how Blue's eyes grew so big when he showed her something new, and how adorable her laugh was. He also shared how much fun they had, how graceful she was when she danced, and how beautiful her voice was when she sang. But amidst all the excitement, he reminded both Connie and himself that Blue traveled and that the tour was the last time he'd be able to see her.
To keep the mood positive, Steven shared what his dad had told him. "Maybe she'll come back," he said, a hopeful smile tugging at his lips. "Maybe sooner than you think," Connie teased, winking at him. Steven sighed, staring up at the ceiling. "I'll never meet someone like her," he whispered softly.
Connie hummed, leaning back against the couch. "Sounds to me like she likes you too. Maybe she actually will come back," she commented with a knowing smile.
Steven smiled softly at the thought. He could only hope.
Blue watches from a distance as pairs of people kiss, her cheeks flushing red with a smile as she imagines a certain boy in pink kissing her like that. Another couple shares a kiss nearby, a mixture of humans from Earth and the beings at the zoo. The choosening, a custom where a "little voice" chooses partners, isn't a thing on Earth—at least it wasn't for her mother. Her mother had chosen a human from Earth, but here, the 'little voices' decide who pairs with whom, and the creatures reproduce. Blue had always known this and had concluded that things were just different in various parts of the galaxy.
But Blue didn't want a "little voice" to decide who she would be with. She'd follow her mother's example and court her own potential mate.
The thought caught her off guard, and she quickly leaves, her heart racing. What am I thinking? She could almost hear her own thoughts spinning. She made it sound like she was planning to go back to Earth—but no, that's unacceptable. Once had been okay, twice a risk, but there is no way she would return for a third time. She is a Diamond, with colonies to oversee and diplomatic duties that she couldn't possibly abandon. No way, absolutely not, not in a thousand years.
In the washroom, Blue sits in a tub, chin resting on her knees as she quietly gazes at her plush toy, now safely encased in a bubble so it wouldn't get wet. Pearl is skillfully washing Blue's hair. "You miss Steven, my Diamond," Pearl comments softly, combing the soap through Blue's hair.
Blue grimaces, closing her eyes. "It's true," she admits, the thought of Steven lingering in her mind. She pictures him mating with her as the zoo people do after the choosening. She needed to forget him, forget Earth entirely. In fact, she should throw the toy away, too, but Bluebell can't bring herself to part with it. She couldn't forget him. His smile, his voice, his joyful aura—everything about him had drawn her in. She wanted more of it. More of him. No, stop. I can't.
"Pearl, have I cracked for wanting to see him again?" she softly asks.
Pearl almost wants to laugh. What was it humans said? Like parent, like offspring? She'd heard similar sentiments from Blue's creator before. Perhaps it's an organic, hormonal thing, but it wasn't unfamiliar—her previous Diamond had developed similar feelings.
"You could always visit again," Pearl suggests gently.
Blue shakes her head, a little lie escaping her lips. "You know I can't."
"Liar," Pearl murmurs. "That never stopped your creator." Water is poured down onto Blue, rinsing her hair. "You have screens in your ship to check on your colonies while you're gone."
"And Yellow will be gone for a few months," Pearl adds, bringing the bubble closer to Blue.
There were fewer excuses now, and despite Blue's nervousness, a small part of her yearned to see Steven again. She fidgets, debating. "Should I really be doing this?" She moves some hair behind her ear, stammering. "I—I mean, what if—what if he doesn't like me when he finds out I'm only half organic?"
Her internal conflict rages. She really wanted to go, but she's a Diamond with responsibilities. And if Yellow finds out? Yellow would be furious—her punishment would likely involve locking her up like she did with Pink. The thought makes her cringe, but then again, what could Yellow really do? She's half-human. Still, the idea is unacceptable. She can't—
"We could ask for a Sapphire," Pearl offers, interrupting her thoughts.
Blue's eyes widen in surprise. "I will not use a member of my court for such trivial things." She lets out a low sigh, finally relenting. "But I'll go." She knows she wants to see Steven again, and though it may be just for a little while, she decides it's worth it. "When does Yellow leave?" she asks.
"When you wake up in eight hours, she'll be gone," Pearl answers as Blue stands up, the bubble held gently in her hands. The bath is over, and with a soft pop, the bubble bursts.
Later that night, as Bluebell continues her bedtime routine, she and Pearl discuss the trip. How she'll check up on things from the ship, how her workers will continue their tasks, and how Pearl won't accompany her. Instead, Pearl will oversee the gems directly while Blue explores her human side on Earth.
Lying in bed, Blue stares at the ceiling, which rotates to simulate night with a half moon displayed. She turns to her side, clutching her plush toy close to her chest. In eight hours, she will be on her way to Earth. She smiles softly, closing her eyes, and dreams of the possibilities that await her when she arrives.