My Name is Emerald

Eleven

     I sat unmoving, staring blankly at the wall as the sun slowly illuminated the little house. I wondered what I could do to make myself useful. On a whim I stood and entered the kitchen, rummaging through drawers and cabinets for food. I found a couple eggs in the fridge and a loaf of bread behind a sack of flour. I set about making breakfast. A few minutes after I had set the plates out on the table Steven wandered downstairs with a head of messy hair and groggy eyes.
     "Good morning," he said with a yawn.
     "Good morning, Steven!" I said warmly. My smile faltered slightly as Pearl followed him around the corner.
     "Oh!" she said in surprise. "You made... breakfast!"
     "Yes, I thought I should do something productive. I have enough for everyone... if you want any, that is."
     "That's... very nice of you, Emerald. Thank you," Pearl said hesitantly.
     "Yummm! This is delicious!" Steven cried, already scarfing down a second plate of scrambled eggs. Pearl started visibly. "Thanks so much, Emerald! I haven't had this good of a breakfast in forever." Pearl shifted uncomfortably. I beamed.
     "I'm glad you're enjoying it." A flash of light shone from the other room, paired with the sound of a warp pad activating. The other gems, Garnet and Amethyst, strode into the kitchen.
     "Emerald made breakfast!" Steven exclaimed.
     "Aw, nice!" Amethyst cried, scurrying to the table and shoveling a plate of eggs into her mouth. She turned to me and uttered a garbled set of words with her mouth full of food. I laughed.
     "Um, you're welcome?" I guessed. Amethyst gave me a thumbs up. Garnet sat across from Steven and daintily took the fork in her large hand, lifting a bite of eggs into her mouth. She chewed and swallowed. I shifted nervously.
     "Yum," she said. I grinned.
     "So, what's the plan for today?" I inquired. They looked at me blankly. "For finding Jasper and Peridot?" I added.
     "Oh yeah, that's the whole reason  you're here," Amethyst said. She shrugged.
     "I'll search the ocean," Garnet offered, standing. She summoned a pair of goggles and walked out the front door without another word.
     "It seems only logical that we search above ground," Pearl said.
     "Ooh! Can I come? Can I?" Steven cried, hopping out of his seat and bouncing up and down before Pearl, who exchanged an uncertain glance with Amethyst.
     "Your call, P," Amethyst said dismissively. Pearl cringed.
     "Please?" Steven begged.
     "Oh, alright," Pearl murmured.  Steven cheered, rushing upstairs to change out of his pajamas. I was left standing the kitchen under the watchful, scrutinizing eyes of Pearl and Amethyst.
     "So, Emerald," Amethyst said casually, opening the fridge. "Why did they send you to negotiate instead of sending someone else to take Jasper and Peridot by force?" She turned around, stuffing an entire apple in her mouth and chewing it up. I paused.
     "I don't know, Amethyst. But I'm glad they did. Had Yellow Diamond sent someone to attack you, there's a high chance that you would've retaliated and that could've resulted in something disastrous..." Amethyst waddled up and bunched me playfully in the arm.
     "C'mon, lighten up a bit. You're being such a Pearl." Pearl growled angrily and I stifled a laugh.
     "We should get going," Pearl said pointedly, glancing up at Steven's empty room. "Steven!" she called. "Are you ready to go?"
     "Almost!" came the muffled reply. Moments later Steven came running down the stairs with a bulging, burger-shaped backpack slung over his shoulder. "Let's go, guys!"