#IMAGINE STRAWBERRY MILKSHAKE GARNET | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

trustsalvatorewriting · 4 years

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wasteland, baby! || kol mikaelson - chapter nine

Summary: Kol makes a deal with the Hollow to revive the first woman he ever loved. Unfortunately, it doesn’t go as planned.

Trust’s Note: Please like and reblog! I hope you enjoy.

Word Count: 2,140

❝ i'm afraid that's just the way the world works; but i think that it could work for you and me. ❞

"HENRY."

Aniya's eyes widened as the boy stepped into the diner, the right side of his face red and bruised. She stood from her chair and rushed to stand in front of him, reaching her hand up slowly to touch the purple marks that began to appear on his face. Henry flinched away, eyes squeezed shut as if doing so would lessen the pain. Aniya grit her teeth together, and Ruby walked over, handing Henry an ice pack.

"Who did this to you?" Aniya asked as Ruby led Henry to an empty seat by the counter. A burning feeling filled her chest as she watched him wince at the cold feeling against his cheek, and she stood with her fists clenched despite Ruby's warning look.

"I-I-It doesn't m-m-It doesn't matter," Henry murmured, eyes glued to the floor.

She opened her mouth to argue, but shut it when she noticed the sad look on Ruby's face. The older woman's red lips were turned into a frown as she rubbed Henry's back comfortingly, and Aniya knew the answer immediately. She shut her eyes and took a deep breath, burying her anger and the magic that would inevitably come with it. Instead, she took her seat next to Henry and watched as he turned to face the counter, glassy eyes trained on the counter top.

A tear slipped from his eyes, lips trembling as he held the ice pack to his cheek. Aniya mentally scrolled through a list of things to say, before she realized there was nothing she could say that he hadn't already heard. Instead, she moved carefully, turning to rest her head on Henry's arm. She fought back the sobs that wracked her body, shutting her eyes as she whispered to him,

"I'm sorry. Stay alive for me. Please."

Aniya had known this fear before. It was common for Viking men to treat their children terribly, and the people she loved had never been strangers to their cruelty. Vihaan and Niklaus in particular would come to her with bloodied faces and bruised ribs. Her brother had always been the golden child, but had taken the fall for Aniya's actions countless times.

"Love should never be punished," He'd told her, as if it had justified what he'd done. His efforts had been sweet in the moment, when he swore that he was all right and that his injuries would heal eventually. His thought process would change within a few days, when she found him in the forest with nothing but a length of rope in his hands. It had been Niklaus Mikaelson that talked him down each time this happened.

Dread filled her body as she held Henry's arm close to her. She knew when they met that Henry Pearl had radiated an inexhaustible light, and she didn't wish to imagine a world where it went out.

"I'll try," Henry said.

It was in that moment that she wished she'd woken up sooner. Before the world could even lay a finger on Henry Pearl, she wished she could've saved him.

She rested her forehead against his arm, eyes shut as she murmured the words, "I love you," beneath her breath. She'd said it more for herself than anything else, hoping it would ease the troubled feeling in her chest if she admitted what she knew to be true. As if admitting it would cause Death to turn its back on someone like Henry Pearl.

"Jag är kär i dig, också, " He murmured. Aniya thanked the gods for her upbringing, otherwise she might not have known what he said. She smiled through her tears, and they sat there as the time passed. Ruby stood at the other end of the diner, cleaning and taking care of the few customers that came in during the late hours of the night. They sat in silence, until Henry pulled a small box out from his pocket and slowly moved it towards her.

"What is this?" She asked, brows furrowed as she looked at the flattened white bow tied.

"O-Open it," Henry told her, his heart racing as she reached for the box. He swallowed nervously as she untied the ribbon and slowly opened the box, revealing the ring he'd worked on a few hours ago. The different gold wires wrapped around each other to create a band, and encircled a small garnet stone at the center. It resembled the older jewelry Aniya had seen in the village, worn by the Elders as a way of protecting themselves from dark spirits. Still, there was something unmistakably Henry about it. Some part of the small circlet that she would look at and remember as Henry, and Henry alone.

She bit her lip and looked up at Henry's pale green eyes, and she wanted to tell him being loved was a talent, too, for it was in moments such as this that she wondered if he knew how it felt to be loved unconditionally -- or if he had, and he'd somehow forgotten it. She wanted to tell him that it takes as much courage and as much work as loving; though, for some people, they never learn the knack. She prayed Henry wasn't one of them.

"I hope you're not proposing," She said with a chuckle. She reached for the choker beneath her sweater and pulled it off, bending the leather to slide the ring onto it and create a makeshift pendant. She smiled up at Henry and tied it back around her neck.

His pale lips formed a small smile, light green eyes lighting up in amusement. Aniya leaned forward and pressed a small kiss to his lips, sliding her wedding ring off her finger. His lips were softer than she'd imagined, and tasted of strawberry chapstick. She held his face in her hands and pulled away, looking up at Henry as she waited for his reaction. His eyes were wide, and he was vulnerable. There seemed to be something so tragic in a victim so colored by vulnerability.

After a few moments, Henry arose from his seat and began preparing a milkshake. Ruby assured him that she would let him have the night off. He frowned and shook his head, "N-No, I wanna..."

Henry prepared a vanilla milkshake and placed it in front of Aniya as he placed whipped cream at the top. She took a sip and he scooped a bit of the cream onto his finger, wiping it on her nose. She broke out into a smile and reached to do the same. Before he could respond, the door swung open, and she heard a familiar voice.

"So, this must be the human you've been leaving the house to see." Kol grinned as he marched into the small diner, a smirk painted across his face. "I must say, I thought he would be more handsome."

Aniya winced at his tone, and moved her body slightly so she stood in front of Henry. "How did you find me?"

"Love, we've had this conversation. Powerful little witch, remember?" Kol reminded her and went to sit at the counter, a seat away from her. "It might interest you to hear, but I spoke to one of my old witch friends here in the Quarter. As it turns out, you're a Tyaag witch. At least, that's what you're called these days. They don't have a very good reputation in the community, so they're very rarely written about."

"Why?"

It was Henry that spoke this time. "They have r-r-reputation for failed sacrifices."

"Oh, good. You're not utterly useless," Kol smiled up at Henry. The human boy shrunk back and took a step closer to Aniya, despite the counter that separated them. Kol turned his attention back to her and explained, "The sacrifices don't work if you cheat. You, thankfully, didn't marry your brother, and therefore, you two were forgotten and never heard from again."

"N-No, they would've been forgotten e-even if it w-worked," Henry pointed out. "Th-the point of, um, the point of T-tyaag witches is they sacrifice their o-o-old life for a n-new one, so..."

"Right," He shrugged him off. "Well, from what I've gathered, you're quite powerful. You could probably make my brother bend to your will if you tried."

"I don't want to do that," Aniya responded, swirling her straw through her milkshake. In the thousand years that she'd been dead, the Mikaelson brothers had managed to turn on each other. Niklaus and Elijah seemed to be rather close, while Kol stuck to himself and Rebekah floated in-between. She didn't know much about Freya. From what she was told when she was younger, Freya should've been dead.

"Yes, I suppose you're rather biased in that sense," Kol rolled his eyes. Aniya frowned at his behavior, but he ignored her. "Regardless, I was promised a few notes from the New Orleans witches. Once we master a few simple spells, you'll be able to resurrect your brother and return my memories."

"You need to stop," Aniya hissed. "There are humans here."

"Relax, darling, your human's already signed his death certificate. There's no point in acting this way," Kol chuckled bitterly. "Or haven't you heard? Loving a Mikaelson is a death sentence."

"I am not a Mikaelson."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "No. I suppose not."

Aniya bit the inside of her lip and turned to Henry. "Could you stay in the kitchen for me, please?"

Kol rolled his eyes as Henry walked to the back of the diner. His eyes drifted to Aniya and she grabbed hold of his jacket, pulling him outside of the diner and behind the building. Once they were out of hearing reach, she snapped.

"What the bloody hell do you think you're doing?"

"I'm sorry, I thought you wanted me to help you. I've singlehandedly found a way for you to both resurrect your older brother and restore the memories of the people you claim to love. I suppose you should be thanking me."

She clenched her jaw. "Do you want me to feel caught? Is that how I'm meant to feel?"

"You're flirting with another man while wearing your wedding ring--" Kol lifted her left hand, only to see that it was completely bare. His expression fell. Aniya looked at him blankly and slipped the ring out of her pocket, placing it in the palm of his hand. His stomach fell at the sight of the old, worn ring.

"You are not my husband. You cannot tell me how to live my life, and who I am allowed to love when it is another woman you are aching for each night." Aniya pushed his hand towards him as she looked at him, disgusted. "Do not ever speak to me that way again."

They stared at each other for a few moments, before Kol sighed. "All right. I'll fold." He paused. "I can't say much for that witch watching over your little human, though."

Aniya's eyes widened and she rushed into the diner, only to see an older woman sitting at the counter, smiling up at Henry. Her nostrils flared and she took a few steps forward. "You're a New Orleans witch?"

She spun around, her red lips forming a smirk when she locked eyes with the smaller girl. "I am. The name's Keres. You must be the Tyaag Kol mentioned."

Aniya glanced up at Henry. "How much does he know?"

"Just witches." Keres leaned to ward Henry and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I could tell him more if you'd like--"

"No!" She spoke quickly, raising a hand to stop her.

Keres stared at her with amusement, but she sat back down. Aniya rushed behind the counter and stood in front of Henry. There was something wrong about Keres. Something about the older witch that made her nearly impossible to trust, and she wasn't quite sure where she could rely on Kol's judgement.

"So, you know the basics about Tyaag magic. An eye for an eye, a life for a life?" Aniya nodded timidly, and Keres continued, "You must have been the dense twin, then."

Henry opened his mouth to defend her, but Aniya stopped him.

"I guess I have to spell it out for you," Keres sighed. "If you want to bring back the memories of seven people, you have to erase the memories of seven people."

Aniya stiffened at her her next words, and she fought the urge to slam the witch through a window.

"Oh, and you have to kill someone if you want your brother back." Keres nodded toward Henry. "He can go first."

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legendofzeldaalinktothepast · 4 years

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Opalescent Tides - Chapter 1

“Amethyst wakes up on the shore of Beach City, and she couldn’t be more confused.”

Fandom - Steven Universe

Pairing - Pearl/Amethyst

Rating - T

Human/Mermaid AU.

Next Chapter

Waves crashed against the shore, and seagulls cawed from up above. Though her eyes were closed, the glaring sun bore straight through Amethyst's eyelids. She stirred, gritting her teeth as the sand ground against her blistering skin. Finally, she forced her eyes open, letting out an audible gasp as the sunlight hit her eyes.

As soon as Amethyst's eyes adjusted to the sun's blinding rays, she finally managed to look ahead. She was the surrounded by beach, the dark and endless ocean... and just behind her was an even darker and more ominous patch of trees. Not a single grain of sand around her was familiar. Amethyst heaved herself to her feet and looked herself over -- her dark brown skin was covered in blisters... She must have been laying in the sun for quite a while, she observed. Amethyst hissed through her teeth as she pulled a layer of skin off of her sunburnt arm. 'Gross.'

To make matters worse, Amethyst was thirsty. The kind of thirsty that made her head throb and her throat feel like she'd swallowed a mouthful of sand -- though, to be fair, that wasn't entirely out of the question. Regardless, Amethyst crouched in front of the water and cupped her hands in it, taking a reluctant sip.

'Ugh, of course it's saltwater! Dumbass.' she thought with a groan, immediately spitting it back out. 'Guess I gotta find some fruit... Or even running water. There's probably people somewhere, right?' It was unlikely she'd waken up on a deserted island -- she had no memory of a shipwreck, or being on a ship in the first place, or... Anything at all, really. Now that she thought of it, she couldn't remember anything.

'Alright, don't panic. It's probably not amnesia, I'm just... really fucking sore and thirsty. Maybe I'll feel better once I get some water.' Taking a deep breath, Amethyst made her way through the patch of trees up ahead.

From the outside, the woods had seemed endless; but after only a few moments of walking did she hear a loud crack, followed by the sound of fizzing. Amethyst tensed for a moment and gazed upward, but her fear eased once she saw a beautiful red firework shimmering in the evening sky. 'And where there's fireworks, there's gotta be people!' she thought, her heart racing. She quickened her pace and headed towards the source of the noise, grinning even harder as another firework echoed in the woods.

Her feet soon met pavement, giving her a short moment of relief before the concrete burned the soles of her bare feet. So she quickened her pace until she reached a patch of cool grass.

Amethyst looked around at the quaint little town around her. The road was lined with various vendors; some were selling meats and vegetables deep fried beyond recognition, while others were advertising toys, games where one could pop balloons with darts, people selling fish in plastic bags... The latter of which made Amethyst shudder.

"Lemonade! Only twenty-five cents!" a tiny voice drew Amethyst's attention. She locked eyes with a small, curly-haired boy sitting behind a chipped wooden table. His cheeks were bright red from the sun, and he wore a pinkish-red tank top with a yellow star on it. On the table before him, there was a plastic pitcher filled with lemonade (the ice had already melted, but Amethyst sure didn't care), tiny paper cups, and a jar filled with quarters. "Get your freshly squeezed lemonaaaade!"

As Amethyst approached lemonade stand, she fumbled through her pockets in search of change, but they were filled with nothing but seaweed and grains of sand. Ugh, really? I don't have anything?' she thought. In all honesty, she was struggling to remember what twenty five cents even looked like. Trying to remember anything other than her name made her head ache... So she shook it off. Now wasn't the time for that; dehydration was getting to her, and if she didn't get something soon, she'd only descend even further into insanity.

"Hey, kiddo!" Amethyst greeted, shoving her hands into her pockets as she approached the boy.

"Hey, Miss!" the boy greeted. "Do you want some lemonade? I made it all by myself! Well, mostly -- my dad cut up the lemons because he doesn't trust me with knives, and he also helped me squeeze them because I wasn't strong enough... But it's delicious, I promise! And only twenty-five cents! My name's Steven, by the way!"

"Oh, that's awesome!" Amethyst licked her lips, her eyes locked on the pitcher. "Here's the thing, though... I don't really have any money. At least not right now, but uh -- I'm absolutely dying of thirst, so do you think I could -- "

"Say no more!" Steven said, thrusting a tiny paper of cup of lemonade Amethyst's way. "Don't worry 'bout the quarter. It's on me."

Amethyst smiled weakly. "Thanks, buddy. Next time I get my hands on a 'quarter', I'll be sure to pay ya back." She reached for the cup and downed it immediately -- it tasted purely of sugar, with maybe a hint of lemon, but to a woman on the brink of dehydration it might as well have been liquid gold.

"No problem! And really, it's no big deal if you don't pay me back!" Steven said. "Hey, you gotta place to stay? Not to be rude, but you look like you've been sleeping on the beach."

Amethyst blushed; with her soaking wet hair, sunburnt skin, and sand-covered tank top and shorts, it wasn't hard to guess, but she still felt self conscious nonetheless. Even after the cup of lemonade, she was still too dehydrated to think... She could barely even remember where her actual home was. But she wouldn't dare admit that; no, she'd find her way back home soon enough, and if not, she'd spend the night at a hotel until she was well again. "Mm... I'm just passing through." she said with a shrug.

"Ohh, I see!" Steven said, though he didn't look fully convinced. "Well, here's another glass of lemonade for the road! On me." he added with a wink. Amethyst smiled gratefully and ruffled his hair. "Thanks again, little dude." As she turned and headed off, she took another sip of the lemonade and continued on her way.

As she walked, she glanced around in search of something, anything that looked familiar. 'Do I... live in this town? Maybe I passed out drunk on the beach... But I've never heard of hangovers causing legit amnesia.' she thought, scanning all the little houses. None of them rang a bell.

She glanced back towards the direction of the beach, her stomach turning. 'If I'm not from here, then... Maybe I washed up in some kind of shipwreck? But from where? Ah, but there wasn't a boat anywhere, so maybe not... Or maybe someone mugged me and whacked me over the head...' she thought, tapping her head as if it'd shake a screw loose and jolt her memories back into place. Everything was so foggy... And the fact that it was getting dark wasn't helping. With each shade the sky grew darker, a feeling of unease grew within her gut... She could see some of the vendors starting to close up, which only sent her anxiety even further into the sky. The only thing scarier than being lost was being lost and alone, especially at night.

Amethyst seated herself on a nearby bench, drinking the last few drops of lemonade in her cup. She tossed it into the nearby trash can and rested her chin in her hands. She watched as a family of five walked by, the littlest of the three children holding onto the mother's hand. 'Do I have even a mother...?' she thought, gazing down at the pavement. 'Or a family? Anything? Ugh, what the fuck is even going on?'

She hated just sitting there; part of her knew that she needed to keep walking, looking for a hotel so she could rest her head, or even psychological help... But her body didn't want to move. She felt like she'd been hit by a train; maybe she was beaten and mugged after all. Nevertheless, for the time being, Amethyst leaned her head back against the bench and watched the seagulls as they swarmed above.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

With her chin in her hands, Pearl gazed at the worn down cuckoo clock. It had been gathering dust in the corner of the store for months, now; an antique worth a few hundred dollars, and it drew quite a bit of attention for Beach City patrons, but none of them had the guts to actually purchase it... And after weeks of living with it, getting startled by that obnoxious bird every damned hour, Pearl was starting to understand why.

On cue, the clock struck nine and the bird popped out of its little hole. It cuckoo-ed loudly -- nine times to be precise -- before retreating back to the safety of its little wooden birdhouse.

"Thank goodness." Pearl let out a sigh of relief. After the longest 8 hour shift of her life, she was finally able to close up. Before any customers could come in for some last minute shopping, she sprinted over to the door and tugged it shut, turning both of the locks and flipping the open sign around.

Stairs creaked from above, and Pearl turned to smile as Garnet approached. "Hey there! I was just closing up." she greeted.

Once Garnet reached the bottom of the stairs, Pearl saw that she was holding two milkshakes; one strawberry, the other banana. "Here you go." she said, handing the pink one over to Pearl.

Pearl beamed with joy. "Oh my goodness, Garnet -- that's too kind of you! Thank you so much, ah..." she said, immediately taking a sip.

"It's the least I could do. I still feel terrible that you had to work alone on such a miserably hot day..." Garnet sighed, leaning against the counter.

"No, no, don't you dare let yourself feel bad about this." Pearl reassured, resting a hand on Garnet's shoulder. "I'm the one that told you to get some rest. Working in this heat is already hellish enough -- I couldn't imagine doing it when you're dealing with those unbearable cramps."

"Still... You'd think I'd be used to it, getting it once a month and all." Garnet blushed, taking a sip of her milkshake.

"While that is true, sometimes mother nature decides to be a little extra cruel. She likes to keep us on our toes." Pearl smiled, giving her shoulder a comforting pat. "Since our sales were pitiful today, counting the drawer and cleaning the store should be a breeze... And after that, I was thinking of going out for a swim... Would you like to hang out by the pool, perhaps dip your feet in?"

"Not sure... I was planning to go up and lie in front of the fan, if I'm being honest. But if I start to feel a little better, I'll head over."

"Alright." Pearl smiled sympathetically. "Feel free to use my rice sock! And help yourself to my chocolate stash as well."

"Already have." Garnet smirked. She turned and made her way up the stairs.

Once she was gone, Pearl reached for a feather duster and quickly wiped down all of the little nick-nacks that lined their shelves. Then, she unlocked the cash register and pulled out the drawer.

"Twenty five dollars and thirty cents..." Pearl sighed once she'd finished counting. "Another week of ramen noodles, I suppose. Perhaps some rice and beans if we're feeling fancy." Shaking off her frustration, she locked the money up in the safe and made her way up the stairs. 'It'll be alright. Everyone has shitty days... Especially when they're first starting out. And besides, tourist season has just begun! Perhaps we'll need to advertise more...'

Pearl slipped out of her sweaty work clothes and into her modest one-piece bathing suit. She grabbed a towel from the bathroom cabinet and headed back down the stairs, slipping out the back door. "See you later, Garnet!" she called, letting the door fall shut.

She hurried across the street towards the Universe household; an eccentric family of three, and regular shoppers at the antique store, they'd once told Pearl she was free to swim in her pool whenever she pleased... And she certainly wasn't turning down an opportunity like that.

Once she reached the house, she rapped on the front door. As she heard footsteps, she smoothed out her hair -- after all, there was a one-in-three chance she'd be greeted by the beautiful head-of-household known as Rose, and while she certainly had no intentions of being a homewrecker, she wanted to look presentable around her nonetheless.

"Good evening, Pearl!" Rose greeted, and Pearl's heart fluttered in her chest.

"Good evening to you as well!" Pearl grinned. "I had a long day at work, and thought I'd stop over for a swim -- if that's still alright with you, of course!"

"It's more than alright." Rose winked. "Come on in! Unfortunately, Steven's already headed off to bed, and Greg's watching a movie upstairs... As for me, Aunt Flo is currently visiting, so I can't join either -- otherwise I'd gladly swim with you."

"Oh, that's not a problem at all." Pearl said, admittedly a little disappointed; mother nature was particularly cruel today, it seemed. "I just wanted to cool myself off, anyway! It won't be a very long swim."

Rose smiled warmly. "Alright. Next time, though! Steven's been wanting to have a pool party... perhaps this weekend?" She shrugged. "Anyway, feel free to help yourself if you need anything to drink, or if you get hungry... I'll be in the living room. Gotta catch up on some reading, now that I've got some peace and quiet."

"Thank you! I think I'll be fine, though." Pearl nodded gratefully. As Rose headed back towards the living room, Pearl continued to make her way through the house and towards the back door.

Before she knew it, the sun had set; the once beautiful sunset had turned pitch black, and stars appeared one-by-one. Amethyst had half-dozed on the bench for God knows how long; and in all honesty, her body was still sore -- if anything, even more so than before. As much as she didn’t want to get up, she knew she had to find shelter soon...

'Guess I should look for somewhere to sleep.' Amethyst thought. As she pulled herself up to her feet, every muscle in her legs ached in protest. 'Fuck's sake...' she thought with a grumble.

Amethyst began to head down the road, searching for anything that resembled a hotel... She gazed with envy at the houses and apartments that surrounded her, with lit-up bedrooms and people chatting loud enough to be heard through the window screens. Amethyst came to a sudden halt as she heard a familiar voice -- the voice of the boy who'd given her the lemonade earlier, to be exact.

"Ooh, mommy, look at the moon!" he shouted, pointing out the window. "It's a full moon! Do you think there's gonna be any werewolves?"

His question was followed by the sound of an older man chuckling. Amethyst's heart sank; for a reason she couldn't quite parse, she wanted Steven to notice her standing right in front of his house... Maybe if he did, he'd have some more pity on her and let her spend the night inside.

But the boy didn't notice; he turned back around and away from the window, saying something else that Amethyst couldn't quite make out, now.

Clenching her fists, Amethyst eyed the front door. 'Maybe I should just... Straight up ask. Worst case scenario, they tell me to fuck off. I think I can handle that.' Taking a deep breath, she took a step towards the house -- only to fall right on her face.

"Fuck!" she hissed through gritted teeth, gripping her knees. As she tried to right herself, however, her legs refused to obey. 'What the...?' She ran her fingers across her calves, noticing her leg hairs slowly disappearing; purple, opalescent scales began to take their place.

"What was that?" a voice called from inside the house. She no longer wanted to be seen -- not while this was happening. Amethyst dragged herself behind the bushes just before the front door opened. Silence filled the air for a moment, before a deep voice announced, "I don't see anything." and the door shut once more.

Amethyst would have let out a sigh of relief if her legs currently didn't feel like they were on fire -- if they could even be considered legs anymore. At this point, they had begun to fuse together, forming a shimmering fish tail. And to top it all off, her unquenchable thirst had returned.

'The beach... I need to go back to the beach.' Amethyst thought. Her arms trembling, she began to struggle through the grass, though she couldn't quite remember which direction the beach even was... But before she could feel completely hopeless, something on the other side of the picket fence caught her eye -- a massive pool of water. She could faintly smell chlorine, but that didn't matter -- water was water, and if she didn't get to it soon... She feared what would happen.

She spotted a small hole beneath the fence; probably dug up by a groundhog or other woodland creature. Amethyst dug her claws into the hole that'd already been started -- taking a short moment to gawk at the fact that her fingers were webbed, now -- raking out clumps and clumps of dirt until the gap was just big enough for her chubby body to squeeze through.

The pool was finally within reach. Amethyst dragged her body across the remaining grass and leapt in with a splash, and almost instantaneously did her pain begin to wash away. She drew in a long, deep breath, allowing the water to enter the gills that opened up on her neck. No longer did her throat crave water, or did her muscles ache; like magic, she was healed.

Amethyst was confused -- far more than she ever thought possible -- and yet... she was calm. Her eyes fell shut, and she slowly drifted down to the very bottom of the pool, sprawling herself out on the floor.

Pearl made her way through the back yard, her flip-flops squeaking beneath her feet with every step. Placing her neon beach towel on the lawn chair and setting her shoes aside, she approached the pool and dipped a toe in to test the temperature.

"Eep!" Pearl immediately jerked her foot away. 'Goodness, that's cold...' Bracing herself, Pearl climbed down from the ladder and submerged her entire body in the water.

"Ah... there we go." She let out a sigh of relief once she adjusted, gazing up at the night sky. The full moon illuminated the surface of the pool. Crickets sang from the nearby bushes and trees, and fireflies glowed on the other side of the yard. The row of moonflowers framing Rose's garden had bloomed for the night. ’I wish I could stay here forever…’ she thought, smiling warmly.

Pearl’s peaceful mood was soon interrupted, however, by the mosquitoes buzzing near her exposed skin. "Shoo!" she hissed, splashing water at the swarming pests. When that proved ineffective, she sank down into the pool until the water met her nose.

But as her feet met the floor, her toes brushed something... Soft. Slippery, too. Pearl turned her gaze downward, expecting it to be one of Steven's many pool toys -- only to see a fin covered in shimmering, opalescent scales... And attached to that fin was the torso of a beautiful, lavender haired woman.

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