Love Like You (A Pearl x Reader) (Sequel to 'SEN')

Act 5: Your Confrontation

     After the long and eventful day both you and the Gems experienced yesterday, you were now resting over a colorful beach towel sprawled over the sandy terrains nearby the beach.

     Steven had invited you over for a small get-together composed of swimming and a barbecue, and you were taking this as a cool down from all the hectic events revolving around the Ruby's arrival.

     A cool breeze blew through the area, freshening your face and giving your skin a break from the constant sun rays shining over the place.

     Everyone had agreed to deal with the new visitor early in the morning before doing anything else unrelated to said mission, yet once they freed the Ruby from the bubble, her gem remained inactive.

     Both you and all the other people in the household waited more than two hours for her to show her physical form, which only brought impatience and unsuccessful results. They decided to lock her in a safe and well-protected room –the bathroom, to be exact– with her ruby stone freed from the bubble in hopes that she would make her long-awaited appearance along the remaining hours of the day.

     In order to kill time, Steven made the offer of the barbecue. This later became a small beach party constituted of cheerful music, a friendly though vigorous game of volleyball, and the occasional war of splashing cold water at unsuspecting swimmers. You'd spent more than a couple of hours outside simply enjoying the day, joining their game, and being a bit reluctant over taking a swim at the beach.

     Though you practiced swimming in case any emergency broke out during your boat travels, actually performing this action anywhere else besides a pool made you doubtful.

     "Would you like some durian juice?" Pearl offered, standing in front of your seated self, her question making you look up towards her with slightly narrowed eyes due to the sun shining over your features.

     She carried two boxes of the liquid on each of her hands, one of them which she handed over to Steven, who quickly ran off back to the water with the rest of the Gems.

     "Thank you." You muttered, reaching out for the drink with a hesitant hand. You were careful not to make too much contact with hers as you picked up the box.

     She sat down on the checkered towel spread next to your floral one, her azure eyes curiously inspecting the way you poked at the boxed juice with a flimsy straw. Comfortable silence reigned over the both of you as you observed the waves crash against the sand, with calming swooshes adding to the quiet melody of the place.

     You watched Steven play water frisbee with Amethyst and Garnet, the faint sound of vivid chatter and joyous laughter flooding your ears. Then, you cast a quick glance over to Pearl's direction, your eyes instantly focusing somewhere else after seeing her notice your staring.

     Crash!

     The muffled noise of heavy objects making contact with the floor could be heard all across the beach, making everyone present snap their gazes towards the location of the noise. The first one to run off was Amethyst, realizing the sound had come from the room they'd locked the Ruby in. Everyone quickly followed the purple Gem's steps, leaving the towels, frisbee, and other objects scattered about the sand.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

     The living room was a mess. An arrangement of papers, chairs, and other items were thrown all over the floor, the way they were dispersed making it seem as if someone had been digging through the place in exasperation. The couch nearby had been flipped, its two pairs of legs now facing upwards. Your eyes soon came across the small and crimson figure belonging to the Ruby. She spotted you as well, and without hesitating, she began to charge towards you.