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[stickupherforehead]

[Pearl's quiet. There hasn't been any squawking or reprimands or singing or humming for a few weeks now. Of course, it could easily be blamed on the arrival of the new baby and magnitude of the work involved. She couldn't bring herself to prepare beforehand (how do you prepare for the death of somebody like that?), and now she has had little to no time to learn an entirely new set of skills, ranging from actually taking care of the baby to working with Greg and trying to figure out how much responsibility to give him to make him feel like he's involved (but without freaking Pearl out).

She can't help that breaking feeling whenever she sees the baby's gem or those growing curls or that smile or those eyes. She knows well enough that the child doesn't deserve it, so. She stays quiet.]

Comments

[likegarbage]

Me? [ She lets out a hitched laugh, gaze dropping to her lap. ] At what?

[stickupherforehead]

[and her free arm pulls you close again for another hug.] Reminding me of what's important.

[she was going to tease about singing, but this is more important. No mistakes here.]

[likegarbage]

[ Amethyst's eyes widen, and her cheeks flush. She doesn't think her singing's all that, but she was expecting this even less. ] Oh.

I don't really... [ deserve this. She yelled at Pearl, and she said those bad things, she turned into Rose when she shouldn't have and she made her cry...

But it doesn't feel right just deflecting it, either, when Pearl sounds so genuine. Maybe instead of turning this into some stupid argument she should just shut up and accept it. Enjoy this much-sought moment of intimacy and peace while it lasts. ] I... thanks.

[ Amethyst shuffles a little in place, and then tilts her head up to kiss Pearl's cheek. She hopes for it makes for a better thank you than her awkward mumbling just now. That, and she owes her one for earlier. ]

[stickupherforehead]

[she could spend a long time dissecting all their actions that led up to this point, but that's not what she wants right now. And it hurt, both the words and seeing Rose, such as it was. And it's not like it's unaccompanied by a load of guilt.

They're both a bit broken, huh?]

Amethyst. [that's a bit of a flush at the kiss, and then it's a small smile.] My butt's getting numb.

[step by step. They'll be fine.]

[likegarbage]

[ Amethyst blinks, then breaks into a laugh. It's the lightest her voice has sounded in weeks. ] Hey, you didn't even do the air quotes!

[ She's smiling as she hops off of Pearl's lap, extending a hand to help her up. There's some humor to be found in the gesture, perhaps, given that on her feet she's about Pearl's height when she's sitting. ]

[stickupherforehead]

[Pearl laughs along. It's quiet, but she feels better for it.

And she's reaching out with a hand, letting you tug her up.] I think we can afford to get away from the temple for a bit.

[get out of her room and go somewhere, anywhere. Get some fresh air. Maybe punch a monster.]

[likegarbage]

Yeah, I feel that! [ Having Pearl agree feels like something of a victory. ] Where you wanna go?

[stickupherforehead]

Somewhere nice. With sunshine, perhaps. [at least that rules out most of the caves.

Pearl hops on down and opens her door with a glow of her gem.]

i'm sorry LIFE PUNCHED ME

[likegarbage]

Ooh! Yeah, what's the last time you saw some of that, huh?

[ She quickly follows, making a considerably larger splash on the way down. ]

You wanna hang out in town? Or warp somewhere? Maybe there'll be something to punch!

/PUNCHES LIFE IN THE FACE!!

[stickupherforehead]

[hmmm. Pearl walks back into house and glances at the warp pad, before looking at the door.

...] Greg [and the baby] will be alright.

[she's doing her best to make it sound like a statement rather than question. She can't just hide behind work, right?]

my hero ;3;

[likegarbage]

Huh? [ She blinks. ] Oh, yeah. Greg'll be fine! [ Better pile on the reassurance if she wants Pearl to do anything other than fret today. ] I mean, he obviously made it through being a human baby okay, so he should know what to do with one, right?

/hairflip /sparkle

[stickupherforehead]

That...almost makes sense. [so why would humans write so many books on babies?

She still looks like she's contemplating the mysteries of human babies, but she's turning towards the warp pad. Pearl is more than inclined to listen to Amethyst right about now; she hasn't been doing such a great job recently.]

Shall we? [let's see. Someplace sunny, lush foliage. Maybe a ruin or two, but nothing intimately connected with Rose. Just a change of scenery.]

heart eyes emoji

[likegarbage]

'course it does! [ You make it sound like the stuff she comes up with normally doesn't! Geez.

She trots along after her, hopping onto the pad. ] Yeah, yeah! Let's go somewhere fun. We earned it.

[stickupherforehead]

[heh. You get a quiet smile, and then they're surrounded by a column of light.

And it's super pretty here. Dappled sunlight filtering through green leaves. A refreshing breeze, birdsong in the background.

Pearl takes a deep breath she doesn't need. It's...nice. To be somewhere else for a bit. Also she's gonna forcibly squash any intrusive thoughts about enjoying herself when Rose is gone.] Does this count as fun?

[likegarbage]

[ The way Amethyst's face lights up seems like indication enough. ] Ohh man, isn't this where we fought that huge three-headed mosquito? It's been ages!

[ She grabs Pearl's hand in her own and tugs. ] Hey, let's go climb that giant hill!

[stickupherforehead]

We did, didn't we? [she will let herself be led towards the hill]

And - [hmmm] - it somehow had teeth in its needles and it kept drooling... [gross]

[likegarbage]

Haha, yeah, it was the grossest! And we kicked its butt into next century!

[ ... With Rose. Her smile falters. It's a little weird to think back on it now. Like how it's weird to think back on just about anything. ]

[stickupherforehead]

[that's a squeeze of her hand, but she's going to keep talking. Maybe if she tries hard enough to be normal, it'll come true sooner or later.]

Technically, we kicked it right back to the temple. Though I suppose the expression would make sense if one were to imply that the force of the kick caused it to accelerate to lightspeed...

[likegarbage]

[ Amethyst looks up at her with her brow lifted in silent appreciation, and then her smile returns. ] Pfft, you don't always gotta be so literal about everything, P. 'Kicked it to the temple' doesn't sound half as awesome.

[stickupherforehead]

Exaggerations may certainly make things sound more 'awesome,' but precision is key.

[no big surprise here, considering how Pearl fights.

There's absolutely no bite to her tone. It's almost silly and inconsequential, given everything that has happened.]

[likegarbage]

You're such a nerd, you know that?

[ She laughs. Is it weird to feel happy about this? What was the last time she got to call Pearl a nerd? It's just some silly banter, but it's so... familiar. Normal.

It's nice. ]

[stickupherforehead]

[she sniffs, almost theatrically] I should really take offense to that.

[aaand they're at the top of the hill. Pearl takes a moment just to take in the scenery. It really is one of the highest spots in the immediate area.] This is a good vantage point.

[likegarbage]

I know, right? [ Amethyst grins so proudly you'd think she planted the hill there. She stretches her arms over her head, drinking in a breath she doesn't need. ] We're always warping all over the place to fight stuff, but we never stop an' check it out after. Kind of a waste, if you ask me!

[stickupherforehead]

We're usually a bit too busy for that, but we really ought to rectify this, if only to make sure there's no lasting damage. [that's probably not what you meant]

Though from the looks of it, this place is recovering quite nicely. [even the local fauna look less anemic now!]

[likegarbage]

[ Amethyst smirks through a roll of the eyes. Even if it's for her own Pearl-reasons, she still agreed, so she's not going to complain. ] Yeah, yeah, damage surveillance. That's what I'm all about.

[ She plops down on the ground, yanking on Pearl's hand to take her with her. ] Yeah, look! I think some new trees grew over that crater we made!