PredaPearl Rising Draft A

> It was Tuesday. 3:41 Pm. The weather in Beach City was slightly cloudy, with rain expected to come in later that evening.
> Normally you wouldn't be so focused on small details like that. Or at-least, they wouldn't be what you were focusing on.
> It was either that, or having to listen to Amethyst go on about her latest "conquest".
> You could never understand the fascination she had for humans. Sure you may have been a member of the Beach City town committee for several decades, but that was only to keep the beach free of any unwanted development.
> Everything around the temple would stay clean and neat, just as you preferred it.
> With Steven away with Greg on some "road trip", you'd found the house extremely quiet. Garnet had also been requested to stay on Home world for a period of time to help gems learning the joys of fusion for the first time adjust to their situations.
> While you had managed to find the time to finish those books you had been saving, Amethyst found...."other" ways to entertain herself.
> Namely sleeping around with every eligible bachelor and bachelorette in Little Home world.
> As Amethyst continues with all the lurid details about "totally showing him what’s up”, you nod your head absent-mindedly, trying not to reveal your utter disgust.
> If you tried to offer any advice, you're sure she'd take it personally like last time, and start making messes around the temple. At least this way her messes were kept in other places.
> You silently chuckle to yourself at your witty thought, accidentally causing Amethyst to notice your true lack of attention

> “Seriously Pearl? This is a grade A dish I'm sharing here!" Amethyst calls out, your ruse blown.
> You roll your eyes in response to her accusations
> "Just because you are out *enjoying*" you make visible air-quotes "yourself while Steven and Garnet are away, does not mean I wish to become an audience to it!"
> Amethyst makes a humph and storms out the room, yelling as she goes to her room.
> "Geeze, you're so uptight about everything! At least I don't have to worry about some guy seeing my freak-teeth!" she yells as she slams the door.
> Her mentioning your teeth riles you up more then you're comfortable with.
> Sure your mouth is a little sharper then the other gems, but it's never been anything to worry about. Garnet might keep checking that you've ground them down as to not scare Steven, but without Garnet around, you've been a might lax with keeping them short, enjoying the freeing sensation of the sharp points along your tongue.
> You haven't even been interested in human dating for quite some time. Yes you may have had a fun night with that pink-haired mystery woman, but that ended going nowhere, despite her interest in your unusually long, black tongue.
> Sometimes you're not even sure what the fuss is about. You find the two little fangs sticking out the corner of your mouth to be rather charming, accentuating your pale skin.
> Steven once said you were like a "vampire", which you later found out to be some sort of blood draining creature that skulked about at night, claiming innocents for their own. A bunch of nonsense you assured him, although that WAS when Garnet became much more assertive in making sure your teeth were kept short...
> Honestly you didn't see the harm, but Steven's well-being has always been your priority, as well as keeping nosy beach-city goers a distance from the temple.

> Taking a look outside at the darkening skies, you decide a small trip to Little Home world wouldn't be the worst idea, as Amethyst is sure to be locked in her room all night.
> Little Home world has really picked up in size recently, with humans and gems alike making their way to the new town, expanding its border well beyond the initial walls.
> Sadly this brought the usual problems with all developing settlements. Word had spread of unsavoury gems prowling at night, harassing citizens on their way home from the evening’s festivities.
> Just to be safe you decided to stash a Gem Destabilizer within your gem. While you were certainly capable enough to dispatch any Gem assailants, the destabilizer also had a stunning effect on humans, ensuring no lasting damage. Simply tap them with the destabilizer and they would be frozen still for hours, plenty of time for the proper authorities to arrive.
> While it had gotten dark outside, your Pearl eyes were used to operating in all environments, an odd benefit of your gem-types requirement to serve, no matter the task.

Later, in the dark streets of Little Home world’s Outer Ring

> Amethysts words seem a bit fruitless now, as you spend your third hour on this experimental walk through the quiet streets, the few evening venues having long closed for the night.
> You're certainly not lost, as you would never hear the end of it once you return to the beach. If you knew which way that was.
> While you don't necessarily need to stay warm, your outfit could have done with being warmer. You had elected to dress in alignment with the current styles worn by gems out on the town.
> You'd forgone your usual jacket for long sleeves that didn't actually connect to anything, covering just above the elbow to your wrist (why your shoulders needed to be exposed you'd never know), and swapped your usual shorts for a long pair of leather trousers. Flashy, but not expository like Amethyst's night-time attire.
> After passing what feels like the same crossing for the seventh time, you begin to admit to yourself that you may be lost. With Little Home world expanding so fast, it's been difficult to keep up to date with your orienteering.
> "I know the bus station is around here somewhere, just keep it together, Pearl..." you talk to yourself, desperate to fill your ears with something other than the hum of the street lights.
> As you turn a corner, you see a human enter their home, leaving the door ajar.
> "Surely they wouldn't mind pointing you the way to the bus station" you think to yourself.
> You approach the home, the door still being open, but the lights have oddly been left off. Perhaps this anonymous human is trying to save power?
> It's much more likely they've been at the kind of party Amethyst would feel right at home in, you think to yourself disgustedly. You may be one for some fun when the occasion calls, but humans always seem so eager to share their messy fluids with each other, via kissing or.. "Other things".

> You quietly enter the house, trying not to make too much noise that might awaken any other occupants apart from the stranger. You wouldn't want to alarm anyone.
> As you go deeper into the house, you make your way down the main hallway, moving towards what appears to be a lit kitchen.
> It's slightly unkempt, but there's at least the attempt to keep it presentable.
> Regardless, you're here for directions, not to clean.
> Even if it does make your skin itch.
> You see the human, now more apparent as male. You're alarmed by the fact that in the short journey to the kitchen he appears to have discarded his trousers, walking around in gemstone patterned underwear.
> He's just standing at the kitchen counter, eating cheese singles individually one by one.
> Of all food, cheese disgusts you the most. And yet this human seems to be consuming them without care, somehow fitting it all into their skinny body. Not as lithe as you, but not nearly as chubby as someone like Steven or Greg.
> "The sooner I get directions, the sooner I can leave this disgusting domicile" you think to yourself, taking a quiet step into the kitchen.
> "Um, excuse me sir, may I ask dire-"
> The sudden appearance of a tall, fanged stranger in their house appears to have startled the human, as he makes a loud noise, whipping around with a large kitchen knife to defend themself.
> Understandable, but very dangerous.
> You're in no mood to be hurt tonight, as you quickly summon your destabilizer.
> The human takes vertical slash at you that you easily avoid. He must have been drinking.
> You drive the wand directly into the human's ribs, dropping him like a stone.
> You feel very bad at not attempting to talk the human down first, but feel justified in defending yourself.

>The human is out cold on the kitchen floor, the impact from hitting the ground knocking them out. Thankfully the knife landed a safe distance away, so no permanent harm has been done.
>"OWO what’s this" you say, noticing their bulge.