Losing Game - DRAFT VERSION

Chapter 5 - Let's Chat

Summary: Spinel and Steven found a way to communicate with each other, thanks to Pearl and learned Spinel's real name
__________ __________ __________

How they're speaking:
• "Hi!" When speaking normally
• [Hi!] In sign language
• "[Hi!]" OR "[Hi] there" When speaking and signing at the same time

°°—~•.______.•~—°°

Steven starts fluttering his eyes open, slowly removing the dry sand on his eyes. He felt that he was laying on something soft but it's not his bed, it's like… Rubber. He also felt something hard too.

Steven stirs, rubbing a smooth surface on his palm and curious about what he was feeling. When his vision focused and he's now sitting up, he found himself near someone.

He was laying on Bubbles, rubbing her smooth heart-shaped gem just earlier.

"Oh, Bubbles! Good morning! Sorry I slept on you." He said sheepishly, scooting a little more distance away from the gem but mostly relieved that Bubbles is here and real. He almost thought that he was just dreaming.

Spinel didn't mind actually, she kinda got used to it after waking up at dawn since he sometimes stirs and snuggles close to her. She secretly melts at the thought that even in his sleep, he still comforts her. How nice.

She also realized that she successfully did the Sleeping thing. Probably the second time? She doesn't exactly remember what happened last night but she thought it didn't matter. She slept and it surprisingly went well.

"How are you feeling?" Steven asks in slight concern, thinking about what happened last night. Bubbles perked up a bit, trying to find a way on how to respond. After thinking for a while, she just gestured her throat, tapping it.

"Oh, right. I forgot you can't talk, sorry." He said with a week smile and a sheepish chuckle, rubbing the back of his head before his finger went under his chin. "I wish there's a way we can communicate each o-"

Suddenly, the infinity door, coincidentally opened. Pearl bounced out of her room, looking quite excited. "Ah, Steven! You're finally awake. I wanna show you two something!"

Pearl made her way to Steven's room, skipping. "I've been thinking and I found this!" Pearl's gem started glowing, summoning an object out of it.

"A book?" Steven questioned when the light descends of the object Pearl summoned.

"It's an ASL Book. it helps you learn sign language." Pearl responded. Steven gasps with stars in his eyes before standing up.

"Sign language!?" He said excitedly, palms on his cheeks with a wide smile. Spinel is confused by the whole situation but silence starts covering her form, so she listens anyway.

"Since Sp-eh… Bubbles can't talk, we're gonna learn a new language! It might be a little hard though." Pearl explained.

"I think we can do it! Right Bubbles?" Steven said, turning to Bubbles who was still confused but nodded with a nervous smile.

"Why don't we start to spell out our name. I already know how to spell mine actually, I've been reading for a while as well but I'm still a beginner." Pearl says as she spells her name with her hands. "And now it's your turn, let's begin!"

And so, they spent their time learning.

Steven was really excited and during the lessons are really fun, he needs to take some breaks to eat his food when it's breakfast and lunch and sometimes in the bathroom but it was still fun!

Spinel was really confused at first but was slowly understanding this new language and it was surprisingly more fun with Steven around. He sometimes needs to go somewhere alone though, Pearl says it's called a "Bathroom" and it's a place where they do their "Human needs"? Even if she understood when Pearl was explaining it, she just hopes he's okay in there… Alone. OKAY, WHERE WERE WE!?

Amethyst eventually came out of her room, she didn't join them but decided to just chill on Steven's bed with them while eating snacks. Amethyst learns little bits of sign languages but she probably forgot afterward. She also wants to get to know this mysterious gem better, still off about her.

Pearl was really excited and happy about teaching. Spinel was kinda hard to teach since she doesn't know English but she manages with the alphabets, also with some help of Pearl's hologram from her gem that summoned an Era 1 Gem Glyph writing hologram to help Spinel understand better.

"Now that you learned the Alphabet, Bubbles, can you please try to spell out your name? You already know what they sound like, right?" Pearl said cautiously, trying to not make it obvious that she already knows who this pink gem is.

Bubbles thought for a while, finger under her chin but eventually starts signing slowly while thinking.

[S… K-no, no… P… I… M… E, L]

"Uhh…" Amethyst knows what she means and was gonna answer what Bubbles signed but Bubbles cut her off, raising her hands and waving them before signing again.

[Try, again]

Pearl waited patiently but her mind is racing, keeping another secret might be hard for her but Spinel eventually signed again.

[S, P, I… N, E, L-]

"SPINEL!" Pearl squeaked, almost sounding more relieved than excited but everyone still buys it. Steven is also happy to know her name too. "Your name is Spinel, right?" Pearl said again but calmly, knowing that she was too loud.

Spinel nodded, smiling. She thought for a second before signing the letter S with her right hand, close to the right side of her head before rubbing the left side of her hand on it, almost like knocking on a door.

[Spinel. My, name, S, P, I, N, E, L– Spinel]

"Ohh, that's your sign name! Cool!" Steven cooed with a nice grin, repeating Spinel's sign name.

"Spinel, huh? What kind of gem is that?" Amethyst questioned, looking at Pearl, knowing that she knows better than her. Pearl starts to slightly sweat a little.

"Uh, well… I never heard that kind of gem before so, she must be a special gem!" She said with a weak and nervous smile. Spinel slightly blushed at this. "Special"? Well, that's new. It's been a while since she had a compliment after 6,000 years.

Spinel looked at Steven. [Special]?

"Yeah! You're [special]!" Steven responded, signing the 'special' before turning to Pearl. "So, you barely heard a gem like her? Not even Garnet?"

Pearl was still slightly sweating with a weak smile. "Well, I never heard or seen any Spinel gems before so, no! And I'm sure Garnet as well."

"Wow!" Steven said before looking back at Spinel in awe. "You must be a one of a kind!"

Suddenly, Garnet walked out of the infinity door. "Oh, Hi Garnet!" Steven greeted her when he saw her.

"Good morning Steven. Or should I say, Afternoon?" Garnet said, smiling slightly with her arms crossed.

"Oh?" Steven looked at his window, the sky is now in a shade of violet. Steven chuckled sheepishly at this. "Oh! Heheh, whoops! I guess we lost track of time while we're learning."

"Are you still up for another lesson though?" Garnet said, smiling slightly excitedly. Spinel and Amethyst have no idea what she is talking about but listened curiously, slightly leaning forward. Pearl is also curious but has some hunches on what Garnet means, kind of anxious too about what she's gonna say.

"Really!?" Steven says in awe. "What is it?"

"Steven, I think it might be a nice time for you to learn about fusion."

'Fusion?' Spinel thought.