Something Entirely New (A Pearl x Reader)

Act 6: Her Expressivity

🎆 Happy New Year, everyone! 🎆

I wish you all the best for your future, and that you're able to come closer towards accomplishing what you most desire in life.

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Once the Van came to a stop, Greg opened the back door for everyone to exit through it. You waited for the boy and five women to get down first, and afterwards, you were lent a hand by Peridot.

"Thank you. . ." you spoke, as soon as your hand made contact with hers.

The green-haired lady smiled in response to your words, and didn't hesitate on leading you to your first destination. She quickly led you towards Steven, who'd been waiting eagerly for everyone to unite. The young boy wanted to give you a tour of the places he was most fond of.

In front of you stood a steep hill, with vivid trails of grass and petite, colorful flowers decorating its path. Everyone close by stood still for a moment, as they waited for a sudden, strong gust of wind to pass by.

"C'mon!" Steven exclaimed, as he began to walk up the steep path. "If you're here to know about our home. . . you have to see this!"

Listening to his words, you decided to nod in understanding. You took a final glance at your surroundings, noticing how everyone around you was already making progress.  Strangely, the blue-haired woman was already at the top of the hill, whereas the rest were only midway there.

Witnessing this, you couldn't avoid wondering over just how she had managed to arrive there so quickly. Both her face and body showed no signs of physical exhaustion-- she seemed unfazed after what would usually be some arduous exercise.

With these distractions, you soon managed to reach the top of the hill, and were currently waiting for Steven to carry on with his small tour of the area. He wasted no time on doing so, as he led you to a sun-bathed hill decorated with numerous, magenta-colored flower buds.

On a first glance, it seemed like a typical, humble flower patch one would find at someone's garden, yet as you continued to inspect the scene, the more beautiful it became.

The flower buds swayed lightly with the breeze, and eventually, they opened up. Slowly, they began to spread their petals, as some small, hot-pink gemstones were revealed on the pistil of the flower. Farther into the scenery, you noticed the hill made it possible for the entire Beach City to be visible to your eyes. The colorful sky caused for the flowers to become even more breathtaking to look at, as you stayed gazing at the scene with awe.

Steven, noticing your somewhat joyous state, decided to provide you with more knowledge as to what these flowers were.

"Those are moss flowers!" he explained, trying to imitate a tour-guide's ways of speech.

He walked closer towards the patches, and pointed at them.

"The lil' guys start off as a pile of moss. . . And then, they bloom when the sun hits them!" he finished, while the others continued to inspect their surroundings-- as if expecting for something to be out of place.

"This is beautiful!" you beamed, with your eyes growing in size, and lips curving into a smile.

Even with the plentiful amount of buildings and monuments you'd been to, nature always seemed to amaze you the most, though, as soon as you remembered you were supposed to capture the scenery, your smile changed into a pensive frown and your previously relaxed posture became stiff.

There was one thing you were always in agreement with your boss, and that was the respect of a person or place's privacy. Being a 'tourist' for the sake of your job sometimes made it a bit awkward to intervene with someone's culture or home.

"Wouldn't you like to capture a memory of this place, then?" Pearl suggested, noticing your hesitant state.

Your gaze shifted from the patch of moss flowers, and later faced towards her curious, light-blue eyes. As much as you admired this place, it felt just a little too beautiful to tamper with. Quite like your visit towards the Bioluminescent Bay of Vieques, the scenery before you made you hesitate on taking a picture.

"I. . . I guess so. Is it really fine for me to take it, though?" you questioned at the woman, wanting to make sure, and to hopefully shake away your doubts.

"It is!" Steven intervened, whilst Pearl nodded in agreement to his words.

Receiving their approval, you were able to relax slightly. You took the smallest camera out from your bag, and walked closer to the plentiful group of moss flowers. Facing them, you thought it would be best to crouch down to their level, for it was the most captivating angle of them all.

Carefully, you sat down on the grass, and inspected the vibrant flora before you. The wind had gotten much stronger, which provoked for them to sway more frequently and with a consistent, gentle rhythm. You watched in pure amazement through the lenses of your camera, and finally, snapped a picture of the landscape before you.

 As you inspected the photograph, you felt another person sit down next to your side. You were quick to direct your gaze towards where you expected to see the figure, and immediately, you recognized who it was.

"Did it turn out well?" the copper-haired woman asked, with a soft smile appearing over her pale features.

"Yes, I think it resulted good!" you responded, showing her the picture.

As you both inspected the picture revealed in the small, yet highly-advanced device, a gust of wind attacked everyone's faces. The wind carried a sweet scent to it, and it had been strong enough to make some of the flowers to fly away.

A familiar, slender hand managed to take hold of one, and it caressed the petals with great, intricate care. You focused your gaze at the one who held it. Quietly, you observed the way Pearl held on to the flower, and eventually, she was able to notice your gaze. Her face soon became brighter, as an idea came across her mind.

With caution, she reached for one of your blue-tinted streaks, and pressed the moss flower's short stem against it. She fumbled with various locks of your hair, trying to make her sudden, peculiar idea turn out successful.

"There!" she declared, finally letting go of both the flower and your strands of hair. "It looks surprisingly well with this shade of blue!"

Catching on as to what exactly she was referring to, you took out a small mirror from your bag, and gazed upon your reflection.

The vibrant, hot-pink flower was resting on the right side of your hair. The blue and pink contrast, though usually odd to the fashion industry, managed to make for a beautiful, one-of-a-kind match. Both of these colors complimented each other well-- they didn't seem to overshadow one another.

"Thank you. . .This looks lovely!" you spoke, as a thought took over your head. "But, I'd rather plant it back on the ground. . . It's too beautiful to be taken away."

As you said those words, a warmer smile took over the woman's features. She seemed to fully understand your sudden thoughts, yet she desired for the flower to stay by your side. Oddly enough, the little flower carried much more life to it once it had been placed over your hair.