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Pearl was a rather ironic existence. She strived for order and perfection yet every one of her loves broke convention. That she would have loyalties above a Diamond or mind enough of her own to pursue them was blasphemy under their Authority. The Earth changed that.
Millions of parsecs away from Homeworld, Pearl had found that she could be more than what she was told. More importantly, she found a reason to be so: Rose. Pink Diamond's personal rose quartz who saw beyond the purpose given to her, who saw the evolution of the organic life on Earth and yearned to be able to do the same.
Together they would fight for the Earth, because there, there was a chance to change. After Pearl got over her hate of Rose, of course, but that is a story for another day.
With Rose, Pearl could revel in the glory of boundless potential. With Rose, Pearl could indulge in her love of learning. She learned to be a scientist, a leader, a fighter, a partner and not a slave. She learns to be Rose's closest confidant and it would be millennia before Pearl seriously questioned how much Rose had ever actually confided in anyone. In the wake of secrets and pink lions, Pearl would stare at the boy Rose had chosen to reshape herself as--at the boy Pearl loved like what she had learned humans called a son--and weep with a swirling myriad of feelings of betrayal and confusion and conflicting loves. Eventually Pearl will remember that loving Steven is different from loving Rose is different from loving herself and she will relearn to balance and separate the three. After she falls apart.
But that is later.
Right now, Pearl is learning to be a teacher. It takes a patience and understanding she hadn't known herself capable of. She sighs as the Fusion stumbles again. She had never expected to be giving lessons on how to walk. Dancing, maybe. A mix of annoyance and hurt crosses the pretty pink face of her student and Pearl suddenly feels contrite. She still doesn't trust these new recruits of theirs, though, and so does not apologize. Instead she thinks of how the Fusion keeps looking at their new, big feet and long, long legs every other overly cautious step, and offers them her hand.
"You are gems, you know how to walk. You're just thinking too much." Pearl pulls them to their feet and starts to arrange their stance.
The Fusion awkwardly lets themselves be positioned with a pensive frown on their face. "I...I am a gem. Gem, singular."
Pearl smirks a little at how the taller gem puffs up like an assertive ruby, suddenly owning all of her impressive height. She holds the pose even as a deep blush covers her face and ears. It is, admittedly, endearing.
"Fair enough." Satisfied, Pearl stands front to front with the Fusion and says, "If you want to survive as your singular self, however, you will need to have better coordination." She holds her left hand aloft. "You need to focus on your surroundings and let your body adjust naturally. To get you into practice, we will dance and you will focus only on me." This was the simplest of standard formations. This is a dance every gem should know, Pearl thinks. It is presumptuous but she is still learning how to ask, to communicate.
"But--I--" Pearl holds her position, waiting for the Fusion to stop stammering excuses and blushing, her tone taking on a distinctly more Ruby quality. When it looked like they might actually unfuse, Pearl quickly reminds them, "How will you protect yourself if you're constantly tripping? Homeworld will not hesitate to shatter you, or any of us for that matter."
With a huff and a determined face, the Fusion slowly gets herself under control and mimics Pearl's stance. "Like this?"
"Other hand." The Fusion adjusts and Pearl nods and steps closer so that the backs of their hands lightly touch. The taller gem blushes red with an undertone of purple. Pearl does not comment but thinks that the shade suits her. "Just mirror me," she says, and starts to move slowly backwards.
Red. Blue. Purple. Three eyes stare intently at Pearl, trying their hardest not to glance down but still they had a few stumbles. Pearl breaks down the science of their motion in her head and tries to compensate, give instructions, but toes are stepped on and red cheeks blush redder. It would take far more to hurt either of them but they both halt regardless, flustered. Pearl really thought this method would work! Pale turquoise eyes examine the space between them, as if the problem was written there. It was not, they were the perfect space apart for their size difference and the ground was especially even here.
"Ah, Pearl?"
Was it her shoes?
"Hmm?"
"How about some music? To, ah, get us in sync."
A pause.
"Of course! You're absolutely right! Stepping to a beat should definitely help. I apologize, I'm much too used to dancing on my own. I'm a horrible teacher."
"No, no, no! You're doing great, I'm so sorry I'm taking up so much of your time!"
They stare at each other, more flustered and now somewhat sheepish. Pearl raises her hand, "Again?"
The smaller gem starts to hum a simple one-two-three and coaxes her student forward. Eventually, they make it ten steps without incident and a smile so excited and happy has Pearl's lips quirking up in response. Carefully, Pearl reverses their direction and her student cautiously steps backwards and then in circles until they are somehow back where they started. As they are stopped, Pearl forgives the Fusion for almost headbutting her in her excitement to look down at her finally cooperating feet. Her head pops back up and she does a little bounce on her toes, pink and blue curls springing into place. She stands proud and all three of her beautiful eyes seek Pearl's approval.
Pearl blushes under the weight of that beaming happiness. It was only fifty four steps. Still, Pearl clears her throat and says "Congratulations." Locking gazes, Pearl raises a brow and her hand in challenge and the Fusion nods her acceptance.
The Fusion later known as Garnet doesn't know it yet but when she looks back at the past, this is the moment she'll pinpoint as when she started to fall in love with her best friend. Right now, however, Ruby and Sapphire's love is too new. She is too new to notice.
Pearl, for her part, is oblivious through no fault of her own. Even now, even having run away together, the idea that Rose loved her, a pearl, was a ludicrous concept she was still struggling to fully accept. Never mind a stranger she had just met. By the time Garnet is the Garnet of deep reds and purples, she will be Pearl's closest friend and well on her way to being her second great love.
Later, Pearl will ruminate from time to time on love and war and her apparent taste in rebellious, badass women and the irony of it all and laugh and cry.
Right now, they dance and learn together.