(no subject)

[rosetintedbubbles]

Steven is in a serious mood when he enters today, carrying a very large pearl on a very large pillow--just a pearl, a large oval stone , though people who've talked to another Pearl may think it looks very familiar.

He stays serious as he sets the pillow down on a table with a good view of the Bar's television. Then he brightens up, or at least makes a good effort at it. "Oh,it's the squid show! Your favorite! Do you think they'll save Scintillating Sands from the Evil Clamopolites?"

This appears to be directed to the pearl, which says nothing, predictably.

(argh, the incoming storms seem to be playing havoc with my internet connection, so I'm wrapping it up for the night before blackouts proper. I'll tag everyone back tomorrow, if weather allows!)

Comments

[wings_of_a_swan]

Combeferre, on a coffee break after a morning in the Infirmary, has settled down with a book on magic.

His eye is caught, though, by the child talking to a--pearl?

A gem.

Well, he's...met a pearl, though she was rather more woman-shaped than this.

Still, it's an odd coincidence.

"Good day," he says, to the child.

[rosetintedbubbles]

"Hello!" Steven calls, with perhaps more enthusiasm and volume than is exactly necessary over this distance. He jumps off his seat and starts to head over-- and then comes back and gets the pillow, and walks over much more carefully. "What are you reading?" Maybe it's super cool? Some books are!

[wings_of_a_swan]

Combeferre smiles. He can't help it; the child's good cheer is contagious. As is his enthusiasm for books! "It's a book on magic. Aureate Magical Theory." He glances at the pillow, and then hazards a wild guess: "Is that...a person?"

[rosetintedbubbles]

Steven's eyes go wide for a moment at the mention of mnagic, but Comebferre's question sobers him up again--at least a little.

"Yes! This is Pearl!" He holds the pillow up so Combeferre can see her more clearly. "We were practicing swordfighting, and then she was talking to me, and then her sparring model stabbed her, and she poofed!-- But that's okay! Gems can do that any time! She'll be back!" He is definitely not trying to reassure himself on any nagging doubts here!

"...But she's taking an awfully long time." He frowns, frustrated rather than grieving. "I thought maybe Milliways would make it happen faster, but I've been here for a whole episode and it hasn't."

Wait! A great idea! "--Could your magic help?"

[wings_of_a_swan]

"I'm sorry," Combeferre says, after a moment. Poofed sounds ominous, but then, she's a gem, so...he's not sure of the level of tragedy here.

"I doubt I could help, unfortunately. I'm not familar with gems at all, other than what I heard from Madame Pearl."

[childofrebellion]

Cassian's standing and debating going back when he sees the boy with the pearl that he turns to watch him.

When the show's turned on he smiles as Tentacles of our Waves is intriguing and says, "They have to catch the spy in their midst first."

He's holding his datapad and in his captain's jacket with a blaster at his side as he comments.

[rosetintedbubbles]

(aaah YES)

It's a very intense plot! "Maybe the spy will realize they're wrong, and admit what they're doing, and then they can all be friends!"

It's a guess more hopeful than experienced. "-- Do you know who the spy is? I thought I had it all figured out, but then I missed a couple weeks." So exasperating!

[childofrebellion]

"I thought I did but I've missed a few episodes too. Spies don't usually do that, they tend to get caught and.."

Cassian stops himself, he's not going to finish that sentence in front of a child, not one that's this hopeful. Instead he watches the show and sees something happier, "I think they're finally going to kiss. They've been pining for each other and watching and worrying."

[rosetintedbubbles]

GASP!

Steven's attention is well and truly diverted! He turns to watch what is really a very passionate embrace, for squids. He doesn't really understand it, but-- "Awww! Look at all their colors!" That seems very romantic, anyway! "They must be so happy--oh gosh, their beaks!"

They're squid. He covers his own eyes anyway, blushing a little."Have you been watching it for long? I only started coming here a couple of months ago, and we don't have this show in my world."

[iprotectyou]

Guess who else has met a Pearl? That's right! This giant of a man, currently watching the kid talk to a gem on a pillow!

Unfortunately, the Guardian needs a clue-by-four to put together the fact that this pearl is actually the Pearl. Maybe the child can help?

"I've always thought the Clamopolites were over the top," the giant says, grinning. "I mean, their motivations are all over the place, and their dialogue comes across as stilted. Hi. I'm Baze Malbus. Does your gemstone talk back?"

[rosetintedbubbles]

That is more nuance than Steven brings to his critiques, alas! "I just don't understand why they want to be mean?"They're mean. "The Squids just want to save their reef so everyone can live together! Why can't the Clams just come and live there too , instead of trying to get rid of it?"

He looks a little sadly at Pearl. "This is Pearl. And she does! She talks a lot! Only--not right now." He pats the gem like he would pat Pearl's shoulder, if she had a shoulder right now. "She got poofed and now she's ...sort of having to make a new body that can do talking?" Something like that?

"Oh, and I'm Steven! Hello." He's so used to Beach City, he keeps forgetting he needs to introduce himself.

[iprotectyou]

Ohh, right. Twelve-year-old. Huh. Well, okay, Baze can deal with that! This must be the human child Pearl mentioned.

"Pleasure to meet you, Steven! I don't know why they're mean, but you're right in that they are," Baze says, shaking his head. He folds his massive arms across an equally massive, armored chest. "It's not really clear why, honestly."

As if Baze is never not honest.

"I know a Pearl," he says, his brow creased as he glances to the gem. "But she's a woman-shaped non-human, not a... Oh. Well. She is a gem, actually! How did she get 'poofed'?"

[rosetintedbubbles]

"Yeah! That's her!" Hurray! Someone knows! "She was teaching me how to swordfight, and I wasn't getting it , and then..." okay, he's a little ashamed about this part. "--Then she tried to explain what I didn't understand? And there was a training dummy like her, and it stabbed her while she was talking." Amethyst might have a joke to make there; Steven would never think of it, even if it wasn't sort of his fault.

"But Pearl said it was fine, and Amethyst and Garnet both promised she'll come back! It's just...taking a while." He doesn't say it with any doubt or hesitation; just impatience. Come on, Pearl, it's been forever!

[livinginmyglass]

Viola generally tries to observe a strict no meddling policy.

This policy also basically always fails. Like right now, for example.

"Is it wise, think you, to carry such a stone so openly?" she asks tentatively. Who even gave such a massive pearl to a kid in the first place?

[rosetintedbubbles]

"Oh, I'm not gonna drop her!" That is definitely the only reason to be concerned! "I just thought-- I thought maybe she'd come back faster in Milliways, because it's a magic place." That explains everything! "I'm being really careful, though! Aren't I, Pearl?" This is definitely directed to the Gem on the pillow.

[livinginmyglass]

Aww. Viola can't help but smile. That's... really not the danger here, kid!

"But do you fear no thieves?"

[rosetintedbubbles]

...Is a confused blank look enough of an answer?

He puts it together , though! "You can't steal Pearl! It would be a kidnapping. She's a person! You'll see eventually." He thinks about it a minute. "--And then Pearl can handle almost anything."

--Except her own practice training dummy. Whoops.

[foolyoutwice]

"............Why are you carrying Pearl on a pillow?"

Because that's a little weird.

[rosetintedbubbles]

Oh hey! It's that nice Loki guy! "I thought it would be more comfortable for her? Since I can't ask her right now."

[foolyoutwice]

"Ye-es..."

That nice Loki guy still looks like he has questions. "Is she--sleeping?"

[rosetintedbubbles]

Good question, Loki! "...Maybe? Sort of? She got poofed when her sparring dummy stabbed her--that mweans she disappeared? I mean,the rest of her body disappeared, her Gem's still here. But, uh, the Gems make their bodies themselves, so she's...going to do that soon?"

He looks at Pearl's gem. It doesn't show any signs of imminently growing a humanoid body.

[bwbw_aabb]

Its luster draws Zecora's eyes
to a pearl of most impressive size
(even for one whose world of birth
features sizable stones found pre-cut in the earth).
More curious, its bearer seems to feel
that entertainment to it might appeal.

"Good day, young sir. Might I beg
to know, is that a pearl, a stone, or an egg?"

[rosetintedbubbles]

Talking zebra!
Rhyming zebra!

Steven is used to the idea that the world is full of unexpected people, but this is still completely awesome! He's more than a little starry-eyed as he answers her.

"This is Pearl! This is her Gem--" he pats it very fondly--"which is her-- but normally she has a body like you or me, but it's gone now, until she brings it back. "

Talking! Zebra! Wake up, Pearl!

[bwbw_aabb]

"Remarkable! Then you maintain
that her essence is herein contained,
and her body, when present, is an artifice?
Do you know how she accomplishes this?"

[rosetintedbubbles]

It takes Steven a while to work through that! But when he does, he grins. "Yes! That's exactly right!--I don't know how she does it exactly? Gems are--"Hmmm. "They make their bodies out of light? So they can change shape if they want. But then when those bodies get damaged too bad, they ...have to make them again?" He frowns. "I'm starting to understand the shapeshifting, but I don't do the part about getting poofed, because I'm half human. So I don't understand that so much." Sorry, Zecora!