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.

     "Not so fast." Garnet declared, extending her hand and aiming it to the Ruby's face. Her face was caught in her fingers, and she was handed out towards Amethyst. "Hold her for a moment, I need to make space for her at the burning room."

     "Wh– Wait!" You called out, noticing they were already heading off somewhere else. "Let me try talk to her first. . ."

     Garnet stared at Amethyst, wanting to see what she would do. She gave a nonchalant grin and shrugged, eventually taking steps forward to your direction. Her footsteps were unhurried despite having the Ruby thrash and struggle to free herself, and once she arrived in front of you, she eyed your face. She'd noticed your uneasy self, and was ready to speak up about it.

     "Don't worry dude, I'll hold her while you talk." Amethyst assured you, her chubby arms tightening over the Ruby's torso.

     "Alright. . . " You mumbled, gulping the heavy tension that'd built up inside your throat.

     You faced the Ruby with a tense expression, not too keen on approaching her any more than you already had. She was now being held back by both her arms and legs due to the harsh tugs and violent lunges she gave towards you whenever a spark of anger flared up within her chest. Her eyes directed a persistent glare over you, her furrowed brows enhancing that expression.

     "What type of Quartz are you even?!" She exclaimed, incredulity dripping out of each word. "You. . . You removed your gem, yet you didn't poof!"

     "I'm telling you. . . I'm not a Gem! The one I had around my neck was a type of flower that grows a gemstone on its center."

     Suddenly, she threw herself at you, Amethyst's hold being broken. She fell over you with a loud thud, her forehead making harsh contact with your own. It took her a moment until she recovered from the impact, though she didn't waste any time on giving out a quick punch towards you after regaining her focus.

     Before you could take any other action in your defense, the necklace you'd kept hidden underneath your shirt began to glow, and with the help of its warmth, it shielded you from an incoming attack.

     Steven and all those surrounding you gasped in shock at the ongoing scenario, the boy quickly attempting to summon out his shield in hopes to help break up the fight. You waved your hand towards him in dismissal, letting him know you still wished to confront the Ruby one final time before bubbling her.

     "Why you–" Caught off guard, the Ruby threw another hit. This time, however, your necklace wasn't able to deflect the impact. A hollow noise reverberated through your ears as her fist came in contact with the flower's gemstone. Her eye narrowed in irritability after witnessing you still remain in a healthy condition despite the damage given to your 'gem'.

     "Just hear me out, and you'll see I'm telling the truth." You explained, holding her back with both of your hands. "If. . . If you don't believe me after that, you can even take a look at the gem you're suspicious of.

     "I don't want to hear you talk." She snapped, pushing your hands away from her and pinning you back down with a forceful shove. "I just want to take you to Homeworld. They'll for sure know what to do with a freak like you!"

     Before she could take you by your collar once more, you held back her wrist and signaled for Steven to do what he planned to earlier. With a nod and a determined gaze, he began to form a rose-coloured shield around the Ruby's body, thus making her unable to attack any longer.

     "Let me outta here!" She demanded through gritted teeth, persistently thumping her short arms against the protective material enclosing her. "I'm not gonna stop until I take at least one of you with me!"

     Heaving out a long sigh, you began to fumble with the necklace's knot resting over the back of you neck. You removed the piece of jewelry away from your chest, and after having it firmly in your hold, you began to approach the bubbled Ruby.

     Cautiously, you began to direct the necklace closer towards her, whereas she backed away in what appeared to be suspicion.

     "Take it." You spoke, your tone carrying a hint of agitation over it. "You'll understand once you take a better look at it."

     You gradually brought the item closer to her; she continued backing away until she reached the other end of the bubble. Your posture remained firm as you finally placed your hand against the surface of the shield, the flower necklace being pressed against it. 

     You tried to maintain firm eye contact with the Ruby, yet her sudden tackle made you flinch and take a step back. The bubble shield remained intact. She, on the other hand, was thrown back due to being unable to break the walls surrounding her.

     "Don't you think I'll fall for any of you rebels' tricks again! You fooled me with the baseball game once –twice with the Jasper clone– but you won't be fooling me any more than that!"

     Deciding the angered Gem wasn't going to cooperate any time soon, Garnet approached her with a stern visage. She allowed Steven to free from the bubble shield, and before she could take any action, Garnet summoned what looked to be a pair of cube-shaped gloves, which she used to punch the Ruby's gem. Again, her body vanished away from your eyes, and her ruby fell down to the wooden floor with a sharp clank.

     "Let's go to the farm." Garnet suggested, her expression unaffected by what she had just done. "I believe Peridot and Lapis can take care of her."

     The group nodded simultaneously at her words, their gazes carrying graveness over them. Amethyst and Steven followed quickly after her, whereas Pearl signaled for you to follow her. You assented at her action, dusting off your clothing and fixing up your tousled hair before carrying on with the mission.

~ ~ ⭐ ~ ~