Germination

Linked one-shots, focused on Pearl.
Budding: No one would ever tell a pearl she isn't allowed to think. That would require a pearl's thoughts to matter, and they don't.
Flowering: It's hard to have conversations between different gems. Rose knows she's probably just annoying the pearl like she does everyone else, but she can't help herself.
Fruiting: They didn't call her rebellious at first. They called her stolen.