Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Spinel’s first memory was of cold corridors.

When most Gems are made, they pop right out of the ground. Their first experience is of dirt and wind and their birth planet’s sky. They take their first uneasy steps to freedom as they become aware of their existence, their purpose, their identity.

When Spinel came out, her hole already had a facility built around it. Pure white tiles, blinding lights. She barely had time to process who she was, what she was, before a rough hand grabbed her by the neck, picked her up.

“Get the gloves on,” a voice yelled.

“Cover her up,” another said.

“Don’t let her touch you,” said a third.

“What--!” Spinel tried to cry, but no one listened.

xXxXx

They locked her down and bundled her up, covering her whole body in real fabrics. Every inch of her skin. They didn’t want to touch her. Spinel didn’t understand why.

Until eventually they brought in a Flint. Handcuffed and shaking and trying to break free. Which was useless, Spinel could tell. There was security all around. There was always security.

One of the chief scientists-- a Morganite-- bent down next to Spinel, as close as she dared come, and looked Spinel in the eyes.  “This Flint is a traitor,” she said. “You are going to fix her.”

Spinel didn’t know what that meant. So they explained. She could change people’s memories. Get rid of the bad, ugly thoughts in their cores-- the ones that made them mean and confused, so confused that they stopped acting the way they should.

It had seemed silly and strange, and Spinel wasn’t sure what to do, but there were guards all around, and a sword at her back. So when they pulled the glove off her hand, she placed her palm on the Flint’s cheek. Spinel was terrified. The Flint too. The scientists and the guards needed the Flint to be obedient, so Spinel needed her obedient too. Please, be good, she thought. You like these Gems. You’re not angry at them. They want to help you, and you want to help them, too.

The Flint calmed down. Started smiling. By the time she was lead out of the lab, the Flint didn’t even need handcuffs.

(Spinel had still needed the gloves.)

“Well,” one of the scientists, a Peridot, said. “Looks like our project is a success.”

xXxXx

They took a scalpel and made a scratch in Spinel’s gem.

She screamed and screamed and screamed, and nobody listened.

xXxXx

Spinel lay there, eyes closed, only half listening to the world around her. It didn’t hurt, not much, not anymore. It wasn’t that bad, she told herself. They’d barely taken anything. It was just a scratch. But still, everything was spinning, and she was dizzy, and it was easier to to just lie there.

“We got the full report back,” a voice said.

“Great. What’s the analysis say?”

“Well… it’s not great, Morganite. Almost everything looks the way it should, but… see here, at this string of code? It looks, well…”

“Yes, I see what you mean. Like the data’s been corrupted.”

“We’ve theorized that it’s a side-effect of the memory manipulation abilities. To induce such instability in other Gems’ code requires instability in her own.”

“What effect will it have?”

“We can’t know for sure, ma’am. But I’d suspect mutations in the projected form, memory loss, decreasing intelligence. The effect is so minor as to be irrelevant right now, but there’s a very strong possibility it might worsen.”

The Morganite’s voice went quiet for a very long time. Spinel wanted to look, to see what was happening, but she was too tired.

“We need more data. Get the sample, then throw her into suspension,” said Morganite. “If she is going to-- corrupt , we need to delay it as long as possible. This project took a lot of resources, and Yellow Diamond will not be happy if she breaks in less than a century. For now, let’s look into the corruption thing. Maybe we can cure it. Maybe not. Either way, I think it might have some practical applications.”

xXxXx

They scratched her gem again, and it hurt, it hurt , but then the pain went away. Everything went away. Instead, there was nothing. Nothing at all.

xXxXx

Spinel never knew what to feel, coming out of stasis. It was wonderful, getting to experience things, even if it was just the lab. To be able to see, and hear, and touch, and talk.

And they didn’t hurt her. At least, not much, not often.

They would let her take her gloves off, too. Unless it was for testing, they had only ever brought her out of stasis when there was someone who needed fixing. A rebel Ruby, a confused Calcite, an astray Agate. With her touch, Spinel would remind them of their duties and their loyalties, and they’d always go away so much happier than when they'd come in.

Spinel liked being able to help them. To be useful. But part of her wondered why the broken Gems had been so upset in the first place.

(“I don’t want to go back! I don’t want to be a slave! You can’t make me!” a grey Pearl shouted and squirmed as she’d been dragged into the lab. The fear on her face, the desperation, was enough to make Spinel hesitate. But there were still guards all around, and she had no choice).

Worst though was the knowledge, the certainty of the corruption. Knowing it was there, in her very core, her gemetics. Twisting, mutating, changing. Every moment out of stasis, she was a little closer to losing herself all together.

“We’re working on a cure,” one of the Peridots promised her, but that wasn’t enough to dispel the fears.

They put her back into stasis again, and there she stayed for a long, long time.

xXxXx

Stasis wasn’t blackness, or whiteness. It was just… nothing. No thought, no thought at all.

But then there was light. Bright, overwhelming, it was in her and around her and it was her….

Spinel came back.

She swayed unsteadily on her feet, bracing herself against the open door of the stasis chamber. Usually someone was there to grab her, to hold her down, to shove on the gloves and the bandages, but now there was no one there at all.

Or, no. There was someone. Or two someones. Spinel blinked the lights out of her eyes, trying to focus on them.

“You’re… not Morganite,” she managed. “I don’t know who you are.”

“Nope!” said one of the strangers. “I’m Steven! This is Garnet.”

They weren’t like any Gems that Spinel had ever seen-- but then, Spinel hadn’t seen a great many. The one called Steven was small and round, with curly hair and a bright smile. The one called Garnet was large, larger than Spinel, all reds and purples and an unreadable expression behind her glasses.

They watched her expectantly. It took her a moment to realize they were waiting for her to introduce herself. She’d never had to do that before. “I’m Spinel.”

“Nice to meet you. What’re you doing here?” Steven stepped forward, holding out a hand.

Garnet pulled him back. “No. Don’t. Don’t touch her.”

A spark ran down Spinel’s back.

“Why… not?” asked Steven.

“She’s a mind manipulator. Her touch can change memories and emotions.”

Spinel backed away, bumping into the wall, pressing into the sharp jagged edges of machinery. “Who are you?” she stammered. “Why’d you let me out-- what are you going to do to me?--”

“Relax. We’re not going to do anything,” said Steven.

It was a lie. Of course it was a lie. Somebody was always done something to her, nobody would ever just let her be--

Her suspicions were confirmed when Garnet stepped forward, raising her gauntlets up in a clear threat.

“Garnet-” said Steven.

“I’m just going to bubble her,” said Garnet. “We’ll need to discuss--”

“No!” Spinel shouted, and she made a break for it.

She intended to run and dodge beneath Garnet, past her companion, head for the lab door and never look back. Garnet was too fast, though, and just picked her up by the collar of her tunic.

Spinel flailed out on instinct, bare hand wrapping around Garnet’s forearm. You like me, she thought wildly. You like me, you want to let me go.

“That won’t work on me,” said Garnet.

“What won’t work?” asked Steven.

“I believe she was trying to change my memories. Force me to trust her, and release her.” Garnet stared down at Spinel, and even behind the visors, her gaze was intense. “But I’m a fusion. I’m too strong for you to override.”

Fusion, Spinel thought. She vaguely remembered hearing some of the scientists throw the term around, but she never knew what it meant. She still wasn’t sure that she did.

“That’s why we need to bubble her. She’s extremely powerful, Steven. She can’t affect me, but almost anyone else-- she could make them believe practically anything.”

Steven was biting his lip. He looked unsure. “What is she going to do?”

Garnet went silent. Spinel tried to struggle out of her hold, but the grip was too strong.

After a long time, Garnet said, “There are many possibilities. My Future Vision cannot be completely clear. One possibility is that she poofs me, puts Ruby and Sapphire away in stasis. She erases us completely from your memories, and the others’. You would all carry on your lives not even knowing I existed.”

“I wouldn’t,” Spinel said, but it was a lie. She would, she would, if it ensured her freedom.

Steven’s eyes were locked onto hers. “She’d definitely do that?”

“No,” said Garnet. “You know there’s nothing ‘definite’ about the future. She might choose not to use her powers at all.”

“So… we could be friends?”

Garnet’s voice was reluctant when she said, “It’s a possibility.”

Steven approached very cautiously. Closer, but still out of reach. “Could you really change my memories?”

Spinel nodded. No point denying.

“I can… tell that you’re scared. And I know you probably just wanted to defend yourself,” he said, and he didn’t look scared or angry, but sorry. “But… I don’t want to hurt you, if we don’t have to. If you promise us you won’t use your powers, I’m sure we can work something out.”

I promise, Spinel could say, and she wanted to say it. But what came out instead was, “What’s the point?”

“Huh?”

“Either way, I’m done for.”

“What-- what do you mean?” asked Steven.

“You might as well bubble me. Every moment I’m out of stasis, I’m closer to being destroyed.”

Garnet held her up, twisting around the tunic so Spinel spun to face her. “Explain.”

So Spinel did. Piece by piece. The instability, the changes, the mutations. How she was fated break, to become a monster.

“Corruption,” said Garnet, and Spinel nodded.

“Well,” said Steven, a tentative smile slowly spreading across his face. “I think I can help!”

“What?” said Spinel.

He bounced a little. “I’m a healer! I can heal corruption. Not… not completely. But I’ve done it before! I helped my friend get her body and memories back!”

Spinel shook her head. This was too much. “How… how many other corrupted Gems are there?”

“Thousands,” said Garnet.

Spinel shivered. She had no idea. She’d thought-- she’d been told-- that she was the only one.

“If this corruption is really slow acting for you,” said Steven, “I think I can keep it from ever getting really bad. And my friends Pearl and Peridot are super smart. Maybe we could all work together to find an even better cure for the corruption.”

“A cure,” said Spinel. “That’s-- that’s what the scientists were trying to discover.” She stared at Steven. “You would really help me?”

“Yeah.”

“But… why?’

He shrugged. “‘Cause you need help.” He looked at Garnet. “Come on. We can’t bubble her, just because she might be dangerous. Please Garnet.”

She sighed. “We’ll need to discuss it with Amethyst, Pearl and the others.”

Steven nodded quickly.

“Fine,” Garnet said. “Spinel, do you promise not to use your memory alteration powers on anyone?”

Spinel considered.

She'd never asked for her powers. She'd never wanted them. If not using them was all it took, to get her freedom, a future and a life, then…

“Yes. I promise.”

Garnet put Spinel down on the ground. Carefully, slowly, drew her hand away, and let Spinel stand freely.

“You walk next to me,” Garnet ordered. “Don’t try to touch Steven. I’ll catch you if you do.”

Spinel nodded. She wouldn’t try that, even if she hadn’t made the promises. Steven seemed pretty much harmless, while Garnet radiated power. She wasn’t even sure why the two of them are working together. She wasn’t going to risk bringing Garnet’s wrath down, just for the loyalty of someone who wouldn’t even be that helpful.

She took a few, warbling steps. She was still uncertain on her feet.

Steven gave her an encouraging smile. “Come on. Let’s get you out of here.”

Chapter Text

Sunlight was like nothing Spinel could have imagined.

For her, the only lights had been the ever-present glow of the lab walls, and the shine of computer monitors and screens. Sunlight was so much… more. A single bright ball of yellow in a pure blue sky, which nonetheless somehow managed to fill up and light the entire world. It was warm against her skin. Warm and glorious.

She knew her dallying could only get her hurt, but she couldn’t help but stop, tilt her head up towards that warmth, and let the light soak through her, filling her up.

Nobody shoved her or told her to keep moving. When she finally came back to herself, Steven and Garnet were just standing there, watching. Garnet was still unreadable, but Steven had a sad little smile on his face. “How… long were you in there?”

“I don’t know,” said Spinel. “My whole life.”

Steven’s mouth opened and closed. “Oh,” he said. “Well then, welcome to the outside! Isn’t it cool?”

“It’s quite warm, actually,” said Spinel.

“I mean… isn’t it nice to see?”

“Oh. Yes. It is.”

The two of them led her onwards. Garnet remained silent for the entire trek, but Steven talked and talked and talked. He pointed things out to her, one after another, telling her their names and how they worked. There was dirt and trees and birds and vines and rivers, and Spinel barely had anything to say. All she could do was listen and listen and try to take it all in.

“And this is a warp pad,” Steven said, rather needlessly, when they arrived at a blue crystal platform. Spinel had never seen one, but the scientists had mentioned them enough times that she probably could’ve deduced what it was.

“Where are we going?”

“Our base,” said Garnet, speaking for the first time in a long while. “There will be two other Gems there when we arrive. Pearl and Amethyst. They’re our friends.”

Garnet’s tone was mostly even, but Spinel did not miss the clear warning hidden in it. She just nodded in understanding.

When they stepped onto the warp pad, Spinel wasn’t really sure what she’s supposed to do, but it turned out she didn’t need to do anything. Steven held out his hands a little, and there was a rush of blue light. Spinel felt her whole body begin to float up. She laughed at the sensation. She never felt so light-- so free.

But it was over too quickly. Gravity returned, and the world reformed into solid colours. Spinel found herself out of the forest and inside a building completely unlike the lab. No more cramped spaces or clinical white surfaces. Everything was in warm browns and reds and pinks. Big open spaces, soft edges everywhere…

As promised, there was an Amethyst and a Pearl waiting. But the Amethyst was small-- much smaller than any other Quartz that Spinel had ever seen. And the Pearl’s head was raised, her smile bright and on display. The two were sitting side-by-side, touching each other.

“Yoooo,” the Amethyst said.

“Welcome back!” chirped the Pearl, then her eyes widened. She stood up. “Who’s that?”

oOo

“So she’s a Homeworld experiment,” the Pearl said, once the explanation had been given.

Garnet nodded. Steven grimaced. Spinel did nothing. She was standing away from them, in the ‘kitchen’ area, where there was a large counter between her and the other Gems.

The Crystal Gems, they called themselves. It was a name Spinel had heard before. The name of the rebel group, of the broken Gems who were brought for her for fixing.

Were these Gems broken? They weren’t acting the way Spinel expected them to, the way that the scientists and supervisors in the lab had acted. But hey weren’t yelling, or crying, or fighting. And they weren’t hurting her.

They didn’t seem broken.

“So what?” asked the Amethyst. “We were all basically Homeworld experiments. Y’know, except Steven.”

“This is different,” said the Pearl. “None of us can control minds.”

“I can’t control minds,” Spinel protested. “I can simply alter memories.”

The Pearl rolled her eyes. “That distinction is essentially meaningless.”

Spinel hadn’t thought a Pearl could roll her eyes. She hadn’t thought that a Pearl could be threatening .

Maybe that was why Spinel found herself rather transfixed by the Pearl, who intrigued her even more than the ‘fusion’ Garnet or the odd Steven or the tiny Amethyst. She’d seen a few Pearls before, in the lab. Silent shadows, trailing behind their owners who had come to watch the miraculous experiment work her mind-altering magic. None of those Pearls had been like this Pearl, however. She stood tall and carried a trident and spoke her mind and demanded people listen to her.

(No one except that one other Pearl, tiny and grey, who’d screamed and protested and fought-- until at Spinel’s touch, all that beautiful fury had just drained away.)

“Well, I think it sounds cool,” said Amethyst. She gave Spinel a lazy grin. “Could you really make anyone remember anything?”

“I think so,” said Spinel.

“So, could you make someone think they’re like… a penguin?”

“I don’t know what a penguin is, but probably.”

“It’s a kind of bird,” said Steven helpfully. “Only instead of flying, it swims under water.”

“Oh.” Spinel considered the odd proposal. “Yes, I could do that.”

“Cool! Let’s see then.”

“Amethyst!” cried the Pearl.

“Relax, P, I just wanna see if it works.”

Garnet shook her head, moving forward a few steps as if to create yet another blockade between Spinel and the Amethyst. “Pearl’s right,” she said. “This power is extremely dangerous. It is not something to be played with.”

The Amethyst’s mouth twisted, but she didn’t say anything to protest.

“Spinel’s already promised not to use her powers,” chimed in Steven. “Right?”

“Right,” said Spinel.

Pearl’s grip on her spear tightened. She’d summoned it the moment she learned about Spinel’s capabilities. “That’s just her word. I would appreciate having more reassurance than that. Or else, who knows what she could make us all think?”

“How about clothes?” suggested Steven. “We could give her a nice long sleeved sweater, some gloves…”

Spinel stiffened. Gloves and bandages and coverings-- just like in the lab.

But the scientists had never let her walk around.

“I’ll wear whatever you want,” she said. “But first... Steven said he could heal me. I want-- I need-- to see that first.”

All the Crystal Gems exchanged looks.

“I... suppose,” said Pearl.

“But no touching,” said Garnet. “Steven, spit onto a tissue. I’ll be the one to apply it to her gem.”

It was rather gross, seeing Steven shoot a big glob of mouth fluid onto a piece of paper. It was even grosser, having that applied to her gem. The liquid was warm and rather viscous. But as it seeped into her gem, it glowed and sparkled and...

...and maybe Spinel was just imagining it, but she thought she felt something dark in her mind recoil.

Garnet stepped away. Spinel carefully raised the back of her hand up, inspecting her gem critically, turning it side to side to catch the light in its facets. It glittered, pure bright red, completely smooth and whole-- even the little nicks and scratches from where the scientists had taken samples were completely gone.

It was true. She’d been healed.  

Steven bounced up past Garnet’s shoulders to try and get a look. “Did it work?”

“It did.” Spinel closed her eyes against the hot burn of tears. “It did. Thank you. Thank you so much.”

Chapter Text

Spinel fiddled anxiously with her glove, pulling it up higher, tucking it in carefully under the sleeve of her sweater. Steven had let her pick the clothes out. They were warm and soft, in complimentary purples, and much more comfortable than the rough uniform she’d always been forced to wear in the lab. Nonetheless, she was uncomfortably aware of it rubbing against her skin. She couldn’t help but wonder if it was going to be enough.

“Don’t worry, they’re gonna think you’re great,” Steven said, as he lead her off the warp pad and towards the ‘barn’. It was an odd looking building-- but then, every building on the planet seemed odd to her.

Steven went up to the door, knocked on it loudly.

“Lapis! Peridot! I’m here!” he called. “And I brought someone for you to meet!”

“Coming!” someone called from inside.

A moment later, the door opened. Spinel was presented with a tiny green Gem. It took Spinel a moment to recognise her for what she was: a Peridot. A really, really small Peridot.

“LAPIS!” the Peridot screamed. “WE HAVE GUESTS!”

“I heard,” the Lapis said, sweeping into view. “I was coming. Hi Steven! Er. Who’s your friend?”

“Yes. Who are you?” The Peridot’s expression was critical, scrutinizing. “Are you a human?”

“No. I’m a Gem. Spinel.”

“Cool,” said Lapis Lazuli.

“I don’t know of any ‘Spinels’,” said the Peridot. “And I’m a certified Kindergartener. I know of every Gem model ever created.”

“Peridot...” There was some warning in Lapis Lazuli’s voice.

Spinel offered a hesitant smile. “It’s alright. I think I was kept… pretty under wraps.”

The Peridot’s eyes narrowed. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I don’t need to tell you,” Spinel said, because she didn’t. She didn’t need to tell anyone anything, least of all a Peridot .

Steven laid a soft hand on her arm, the touch felt even through the layer of fabric. “It’s okay,” he said. “Spinel was created back during the war. She was kept captive for a long time, but Garnet and I found her and freed her.”

Lapis Lazuli nodded. Her expression was odd. Curious. But she didn’t ask anything.

“Hmm,” the Peridot murmured. She didn’t ask anything either, but Spinel got the strong impression that she wanted to. Instead she said, “Well, come in!”

So Spinel did.

The barn was interesting, if nothing else. A little cramped for her taste, but with all kinds of strange new smells and dynamic shapes to hold her interest. The building is covered in all sorts of decoration, like the ‘art’ in Steven’s home. Lapis Lazuli and the Peridot did not call it art, though-- they preferred the term meep morps. Spinel wondered if there was a difference, and was tempted to ask, but she didn’t want to show off her ignorance in front of the Peridot.

Spinel had indulged in a lot of art, the last few days. It came in all sorts of forms, and Steven was been eager to show her all of it— books, TV, drawings, music, video games. It had almost been too much for her. Too many new words, too many new things, too many new ideas— a huge part of Spinel had just wanted to retreat back into the safety of stasis. Or, at the very least, close her eyes and hide under a blanket.

But knowledge was power. Spinel refused to go back into stasis, so this was the world she lived in now and she was determined to learn as much about it as she could.

So she smiled and listened to Steven and Lapis Lazuli and the Peridot ramble on about ‘baseball’ and ‘Camp Pining Hearts’ and ‘sculptures’ and ‘communicative properties’ and a dozen other things. She figured out what she could from context, and drew up a mental list of questions to ask Steven once they were back ‘home’.

“Thank you,” Spinel said once the tour was finished. Steven beamed in approval. Lapis Lazuli and the Peridot smiled too. It made Spinel feel… nice.

“So, we all ready for the trip to Beach City?” Steven asked.

“If you are,” said Lapis Lazuli, a little quietly.

“I am!” said Steven. “I think it’ll be good for you guys. I’m glad you’re so happy here at the barn, but I want you both to see all the other awesome stuff Earth has to offer too. And Spinel has barely seen anything yet!”

(Coming from anyone else, those words would be discouraging, degrading even. But from Steven, they just sounded inviting.)

“We already agreed Steven. Further convincing is not required,” said the Peridot. “So let’s go!”

They warped back to the Temple which was the Crystal Gem’s main base. The outer room was empty, aside from Garnet, who was sitting on the couch. She didn’t seem to be doing anything. Except sitting there. Waiting .

Garnet hadn’t wanted Spinel leaving the base at all. She still didn’t want it. It was only after a great deal of begging on Steven’s part that she had relented. It seemed as though Steven could convince Garnet to do practically anything.

“Hello,” Garnet said, and was met with a return chorus of greetings.

“Are you coming with us, Garnet?” Surprisingly, it was not Steven who asked— but rather the Peridot.

“Hmmmm.” There was another one of those abnormally long silences that Garnet often fell into. Then, “Sure. I’ll come.”

“What? Awesome!’ cried Steven.

“Yes, ‘awesome’,”  the Peridot agreed. “It shall be good to spend some ‘quality time’ with you, Garnet.”

Garnet smiled. It was odd to see. Spinel hadn’t known her face could make that expression.

Lapis Lazuli said nothing. Neither did Spinel. Truthfully, she had been rather looking forward to a little time away from Garnet’s ever-present, watchful gaze. She wondered if Garnet really did have any interest in the excursion, or if it was all just an excuse to make sure she behaved.

(Probably the latter.)

Together, they headed off— Steven, Garnet, Peridot and Lapis forming a loose pack, Spinel walking off to the side. She had gotten pretty good at walking, now that she’d had some practice, but sand proved to be a fair bit trickier to master. It shifts underfoot with the slightest of moves.

“Keep your legs spread out,” Steven suggested.

“Or walk on all fours,” said the Peridot. “I find that people generally underestimate the efficiency of using all four limbs.”

“I think I’ll stick to two,” said Spinel. She was getting the hang of it now. Nonetheless, she was rather thankful when they reached the solid ground of the ‘board walk’.

The first place Steven took them was ‘The Big Donut’, which was markedly different from both Steven’s house or the barn in that its front walls were transparent. Even though Spinel could see inside, she could not tell what the building’s function is. There appeared to be seating areas like in Steven’s house, but it  also had things on display— perhaps another meep morp/art gallery?

A bell chimed as they pushed the door open . It startled Spinel a little, but she tried not to let it show.

“Hey, Steven,” someone said when they entered. “Oh, wow. Brought the whole gang with you today, huh?”

“Almost!” said Steven.

Spinel completely missed whatever exchange that followed because she was too busy staring at the humans . She’d heard the term thrown around by the scientists, but she’d only first learned what it meant after being freed. Humans feature prominently in almost all of Steven’s art— apparently they were the ones who made it all. She’s watched videos of them on the television, seen pictures and drawings. She’d known what to expect— roughly Gem-shaped beings, who could walk around, use tools, and even speak— yet somehow she hadn’t been prepared for the real deal.  She’d been rather offended when Lapis had mistaken her for one earlier, but now she couldn’t quite fault her for it.

The two humans there looked very different from one another. The one who greeted them was short and stock, built a little like a Ruby, but with a pale, whitish complexion similar to Steven’s. The other was tall and thin, his skin a warm brown. His most striking feature was his ears, with their huge holes in the bottom half.

“Are you... cold?” the thin human asked her.

Spinel blinked at him. “What?”

“Your sweater and gloves,” he said. “I mean, they’re really pretty! But are you cold? Because I can go... turn up the heat if you like?”

“Uhhh,” Spinel began.

But the human was already pushing away from the counter, rushing towards a back door out of the room. “I’ll go do that!”

“It’s not even September yet!” the other human called after him, but he didn’t even falter. She sighed as he vanished.

“Uh. What was that?” asked Spinel.

“I think he was flirting with you,” said Lapis Lazuli.

“If that was flirting, it was very poor technique,” said the Peridot. Lapis Lazuli snorted. The human put her head in her hand.

Spinel was still confused. “What’s ‘flirting’?”

“It is a way that humans— and Gems— can display romantic affection through vocal communication,” explained the Peridot.

“He thought you were pretty,” Lapis clarified.

Pretty. Spinel’s eyes fell towards the glass cabinet spread before her. She could just about make her reflection in it. It wasn’t as clear as it had been in Steven’s bathroom mirror, where she saw herself for the first time, but it was enough to remind Spinel of her physical appearance. A thin body, with petite features, from her short hair to her nonexistent muscles, all in shades of red and pink. Was that pretty?

“Sorry about that,” said the short human.  Spinel noted that she appeared to have gone through a slight colour change, her face taking on a distinct red shade. “Lars… isn’t always the best at showing affection. Anyway, my name’s Sadie.”

“Sadie.” Spinel tasted the word. “I’m Spinel.”

“Lapis,” said Lapis.

The Peridot puffed out her chest. “Peridot!”

“Garnet and I are showing them around Beach City,” Steven said.

(All Garnet did was nod.)

“Nice to meet you! Can I get you anything?” Sadie waved her hands towards the glass display case, filled with strange rings and discs.

Everyone except Steven declined Sadie’s offer. Spinel did consider asking for something for herself— the rings came in an attractive array of colours— but she did not know their function, and thought better of it. When Steven ended up giving little metal disks to Sadie in exchange for a box of the rings, Spinel was relieved for her choice. She did not know any of the details of this exchange ritual, and anyway, had nothing to offer herself.

“Okay, the heat’s on!” the human Lars said, bursting back into the room.

“Thanks, Lars. But we were actually just about to head off. I’m gonna introduce these guys to my Dad over donuts.”

Lars sagged. “Come on. You don’t all have to go, right?”

He seemed to look at her when he said it. Spinel felt something in her shift.

“Is it alright if we stay a little longer?” she asked Steven in a low voice.

He looked surprised, but pleased. “Sure, Spinel. If you want.”

“It’s a good idea,” Garnet agreed, seating herself firmly in a chair.

The conversation which followed was… odd. In one of the shows she’d watched, Spinel had heard the term ‘small talk’, and she believed it applied here. Almost everyone took a seat, except for Sadie, who opted to remain behind the counter, and Spinel, who felt is best if she remained standing to the side. Steven munched on a ring (apparently they were yet another kind of ‘food’) while everyone else spoke of trivial matters.

“So are you from out of town?” Sadie asked.

“Hmm, yes, I suppose that is the proper terminology. We are from ‘out of town’, yes,” said the Peridot.

Did that mean out of this nearby region of Earth, Spinel wondered, or were they from Homeworld? Did that refer to just herself and Lapis, or the entirety of the Crystal Gems?

“How long are you staying?” Lars asked.

“Forever,” said Lapis.

“Or until we can convince Homeworld to be nicer,” said Steven in a tiny, hopeful voice.

“...most likely forever,” said the Peridot. “But that’s okay! Earth may be… small, and limited, and primitive, and entirely cut off from the culture of our species-- but it is also an interesting and unique planet!”

Spinel felt something inside her sink. It wasn’t that she’d ever harboured much hope of seeing Homeworld, but there had always been some… small desire, nonetheless. The scientists had talked constantly about how they couldn’t wait for the war to end, so that they’d finally have a chance to leave. Spinel had wanted to leave with them.

Neither Sadie nor Lars seemed to know how to take this, either. “Well,” said Lars, “If you want someone to show you around…”

He was smiling at her. Spinel tried smiling back.

Sadie rolled her eyes in irritation, but then, oddly enough, came to stand next to Lars. “Yeah. Beach City’s pretty quiet, but we’ve got some cool stuff. You guys seen Funland yet?”

Lapis had not, but Peridot had, and proceeded to launch into a detailed and rather intense description of the place. None of it made much sense to Spinel, though the occasional additional explanation from Steven or one of the humans helped, a little. It appeared to be some sort of large area built purely for recreation, where people entertained themselves by riding high-speed vehicles, entering perception-altering mazes, or participating in skill-based challenges to earn prizes.

“Or not win them, as the case may be,” Saide said, shooting Lars a dark look.

He crossed his arms. “Hey, I got you that teddy bear, didn’t I?”

“It was a teddy bear key-chain. That hardly counts.”

“Fine, then I’ll take it back,” Lars said. He turned, and began in the direction of the back-door. “It’s hanging off your backpack, right?”

“No, Lars!” Sadie cried, her face reddening again as she pulled him back. Lars looked rather pleased with this reaction.

“Well, I won a life-sized alien!” the Peridot crowed. “And it is magnificent! Tell them, Lapis!”

“Yeah, it’s pretty cool,” Lapis Lazuli agreed.

The discussion continued a little longer, wandering aimlessly, with no apparent end-goal. Occasionally, even Garnet would add a comment. It was… nice. Even if she didn’t understand most of the things people talked about. Even if she felt she didn’t have a lot to add. Even if Sadie started arguing with Lars about how he hadn’t refilled the ‘napkins’.

It was around that point that Steven rather quickly finished consuming a second of the food rings, stood up and announced that they really should get going.

“See you around?” Lars asked. Spinel wondered if he meant all of them, or just herself in particular.

“Sure,” said Steven, and Spinel felt safe in nodding.

The group of Gems existed the building, and walked in silence for a few moments. Then Lapis Lazuli said, “They were strange.”

“What do you mean?” Steven asked.

“I couldn’t tell if they liked each other or not,” Lapis said. Her expression was distant. “They would insult each other, and fight, but act like they enjoyed it.”

Steven scratched his head. “That’s just… kind of how their relationship works? It’s like… friendly bickering.” He laughed a little. “Mostly friendly.”

Lapis Lazuli didn’t seem very reassured, but the Peridot brightened. “Ah, I see! Their dynamic is like the rivalry between the purple and orange cabins!”

Spinel did not know what that meant-- but she did think she understood Lars and Sadie, a little. It was an act. A show. Like how one of the Peridots at the lab had acted like all the other scientists and technicians-- professional and dutiful and clinical-- until one of the rare chances when they were alone, and she’d give Spinel kind words. Apologies. Reassurances. Promises.

“I like them,” Spinel said, so quietly that she thought that maybe only she could hear.