The gem watched the ocean while the human built a sandcastle next to her "Spinel, by chance. Have you ever seen a strange gem, big and green, with white hair?" The human asks curiously, Spinel strangely understood a drawing that the human made in the sand quite ... simple.

"No, until now I had never left The Garden, and apart from you ... nothing has entered this site" Spinel mentions indifferently, although she was hurt by the fact that Steven was the only recent company she had in a long time "So that gem is "Malachite"? I never heard of such a gem"

"Yes, she is a fusion between my friend Lapis and ... Jasper" Steven exclaims sadly, mainly because of her friend's fate "Garnet says that if we don't find her and separate them, her hate will destroy them. Lapis doesn't deserve something like that, she has been locked up for a long time, she recently escaped from a mirror "Steven tells an attentive Spinel.

"A fusion of two different gems? I still say that is weird, like your friend Garnet" Spinel says a little uncomfortable, as Steven told her about the gems he lived with, Garnet was a fusion between a Ruby and a Sapphire, but such events were not common or well seen by most gems. At least when Spinel was not yet in The Garden, Steven ignored Spinel's strangeness about the matter, he told her that Garnet was a very good person, if they got to know each other "Why was Lapis locked up?"

"I'm not sure, I just know that it ended up in the hands of Pearl at some point. But in the end Lapis just wanted to go home, so I released her and she tried to go to Homeworld, she almost stole the ocean near Beach City" Steven exclaims with concern, Spinel stretched curiously beside him while the human calmed down.

"Homeworld ... Have you ever been to Homeworld, Steven ?!" Spinel asks with curiosity and emotion, but the disappointment was great when the human denies "It's a shame, although I have to admit that Homeworld is something ... how to say it ... without organic life. It's a good place, full of gems, tall buildings and above all, the presence of the Diamonds ... Perhaps Pink is there, it would not be surprising if a Diamond is not in her territory "Spinel pensive sentence, but she quickly removes her ideas from her mind.

"Spinel ... don't you miss your home?" Steven asks calmly, especially trying not to make Spinel over react.

"Define "home" " Spinel exclaims waiting for the human's response.

"You know, where you live or the place you like, where your friends are. My home is Beach City, there are the gems, my dad, Connie and my other friends. Maybe you would like to go one day, there is the restaurant of fritters and the Great Donut "Steven explains with a smile, but on Spinel's face a grimace formed. What could she call home?

"Steven, I don't know any more places than Pink's court and this ... our garden ... I don't have any more friends than Pink, I was made to be her best friend" Spinel sentences with her eyes lost in the ocean, but then the Steven's sad voice asks another question.

"We are not friends?" The human asks, because of this the gem curled around him.

"That's not what I meant, don't worry, you're my new playmate while I'm waiting for Pink. Don't put that long face on!" Spinel exclaims hurriedly, making strange and funny faces to take care of Steven's sadness, which quickly took effect "Hey, how about if you talk to me a little more about your ... home? Your adventures with those"Crystal Gems" and all that" Spinel asks curiously, partly for convenience, since the gem did not want Steven to leave The Garden soon.

It worked, Steven's eyes seemed to take the form of a star "Can I sing the stories?" Steven asks excitedly, to which Spinel nodded, albeit with a small grin before the human began to use his Ukulele to narrate in a song the many adventures he had carried out with Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl or other of his friends and allies

******

Pearl had entered the temple through the portal, initially she was calm and perceptive, but Steven was not in the house, only Lion was outside looking towards the ocean, the gem still did not quite like the animal but she lost nothing by asking "Lion. Have you seen Steven?" Pearl asks with concern, but quickly she got annoyed when the animal just yawned and went to sleep in the sand "I don't know why I bother ..." Pearl complains, then heading towards the city.

The first place the gem attended was Greg's car wash, but it turns out that the human's father had not seen Steven recently either. Greg seemed calm but seeing Pearl's concern he also panicked "This has something to do with gems, doesn't it?" Greg asks quickly, to which Pearl did not know what to answer.

"Something like that, it's ... complicated Greg, but I assure you that for now Steven is not in danger of death. For now" Pearl sentences saying goodbye to the worried father, she felt compassion for him. Pearl then continued to go to other places where Steven could be, in Connie's house or with Lars and Sadie, some other house or store. Nothing.

Pearl stopped to try to reason Steven's sudden disappearance, they had left him tomorrow, and no one in the city had seen him go out on the streets, the only alternatives were that Steven had used Lion or crossed the portal, and as Lion was outside the house, the animal was not waiting with Steven to return him to his home. Consequently, Steven had used the temple portal.

"But where could he have gone?" Pearl wonders starting to travel from portal to portal, but the mistake of the meticulous gem was that she did not know that Steven already had access to The Garden.

******

Without knowing it, Steven spent the afternoon singing and talking with Spinel about the human's friends and adventures, the fight against corrupt gems, what happened to Lapis, Peridot and Jasper, to some regret of the gem, Steven had to sing almost all his experiences. As Spinel understood, it was what his father did because of an agreement between them, and Steven liked to do this in the same way with Spinel.

For Spinel something was clear, the world changed, and that terrified her even more. What would Pink be like now? Thinks the pink gem, Steven did not have all the answers, being only a teenager of 13, and on top of all that Steven did not go to school and the gems kept secrets to him. So Steven and Spinel's relationship to today's world was a one-eyed man leading a blind man.

But on the other hand, going back to the great stories Steven told, the afternoon passed quickly, and Steven had to go home. The gem tried to stop him once more "Why don't you stay?! Come on! You know we make one of those pajamas! Like you did with Pearl and Amethyst, please, please, please," Spinel whined, clinging to the human's foot, forcing Steven to crawl due to the gem that did not release him.

"I'd like to, but I can't now. Besides, if I don't go, I won't be able to ask Pearl about Pink Diamond." Steven responds quickly, Spinel reluctantly released him. The gem had a contradiction, she didn't want the human to leave her, but she wanted to know about Pink, and for the moment, she couldn't have one thing without the other.

"Very well ..." Spinel resigns, saying goodbye to Steven, who went to the portal to return home.

Spinel was alone again, her feet felt heavy every time she tried to approach the portal to go with Steven, but a lump tightened in her throat more and more when she was alone, at that time, Spinel was a walking contradiction. Deep down, she cursed that Steven was her only connection to the world, and that this same connection will leave her from time to time for other reasons, however, Spinel was also glad that Steven attended to play.

******

In the temple, Steven was received by Pearl, at first the hybrid human was about to greet the gem happily, but it began the conversation in a worried and annoying way "Steven! Where were you?" Pearl questions directly, to which a shocked Steven does not know what to answer, so he almost bites his tongue "Steven, I know you weren't with Greg, Connie or any other place in Beach City ... Where were you? " Pearl again questions genuinely concerned about Steven's safety.

Steven still did not control all his powers, they continued to develop, and the world was still full of corrupt gems, if Steven went on an adventure through the portal when none of the gems were, it meant he could get hurt without anyone knowing.

"I ..." Steven had no words, Pearl's eyes were still staring at him. It was not like the looks of his father, Connie or even Spinel, the looks of Pearl meant a feeling as deep as the ocean, one that preceded even Steven himself, but the human took courage in that situation "Pearl ... Do you know who Pink Diamond is? " Steven asks curiously, some would say that this was an excuse to change the subject.

For Pearl it was a surprise blow. A face of misery and surprise seized the face of Pearl "Who?" The gem asks.