My Name is Emerald

Eight

     Everyone I saw in the street waved and smiled at me as I passed by, and I returned their friendly gestures, cheerful. I liked this town. I took out the tracker and glanced down at it. I was painfully close to the ship, yet I still saw no sign of a crash site. I followed the flashing light right into a mountain. Looking up in surprise, I discovered that the beach curved sharply around a cliff-like protrusion of stone. I followed the shoreline around the mountain and found myself staring at the remains of an ancient temple... an ancient gem temple. A quaint house had been built in front of it, and it was to this house that I found myself directed by the tracker. I knocked on the door. I heard little feet pattering inside, and a small figure trotted up and opened the door.
     "Hello!" he exclaimed, looking up at me. He froze, mouth opening slightly. "Are... are you a gem?" I blinked, somewhat taken aback. How much did this small human know?
"I... yes," I said anxiously. "I'm looking for a big, green ship." The human took a step back, fear alighting in his eyes.
     "Shaped like a hand...?"
     "Yes. Do you know where it is?"
     "M-maybe..." He took another step back, looking very unsure. "Are... you from the Gem Homeworld?"
     "I am," I replied gently. "I'm not here to hurt you."
     "I'll... be right back!" he said quickly, darting into the house as the door swung shut. I heard muffled voices inside. I strained my ears, but I couldn't make out any words. Suddenly, the door swung open to reveal three more figures. They were gems, and they stood with weapons drawn. I hurriedly took a step backward, lifting my hands into the air.
     "I-I mean you no harm," I stammered. "I don't want to hurt you. I'd rather not get hurt myself."
     "What are you doing here?!" demanded the lithe, pale one.
     "I didn't think you'd be back so soon after we kicked your butt last time," growled the short, lavender one.
     "If you don't want to hurt us, what do you want?" the tallest one asked quietly. I could feel her eyes on me from behind her reflective visor. I took a deep breath.
     "I'm here to negotiate," I murmured. "Yellow Diamond sent me to find two of our people we believe to be stranded here. I want to resolve this peacefully. The last thing we need is to start another war." They stood in silence, considering my words. I felt myself shaking slightly. The purple one bared her teeth at me, clenching a studded whip in pudgy hands. I gulped.
     "Alright," the tallest said. "If a peaceful solution is really what you want, we are willing to work with you to achieve that." I breathed a sigh of relief. "But," I sucked it back up. "If you're lying to us, you will regret it." I smiled nervously.
     "You said you were looking for two gems?" the pale gem inquired.
     "Yes," I replied, still very anxious. The small human made his way through to the front, looking up at the pale gem.
     "Who does she mean, Pearl?" He whispered. "Is she talking about Peridot and Jasper?"
    "I think so, Steven," the gem-Pearl-replied. I bit my tongue to stop from contributing to their conversation.
     "If you are looking for Peridot and Jasper, so are we," the purple one piped up. My eyes widened slightly.
      "You mean you don't know where they are?" I asked in surprise.
     "You'd better come inside," Steven said, pushing the gems gently away from the door. "It's kind of a long story."