"You ready?" Connie's smile somewhay diffused the tension that blanket Spinel's shoulders while she absently glanced around the boardwalk. Steven had put her up to this, in hopes of bringing some kind of smile to the gem's face after she spent a good week and a half just milling about the beach house and slogging onto the floor every time she saw something that reminded her of Pink. Which happened to be just about everything.

"I think getting her mind off it might help, plus I wanted to help Pearl with orientation at Little Homeschool." He had said. Then he just left her there with the gem and a list of potentially fun things she might enjoy. Connie didn't mind it, she had only really talked to Spinel during their baseball game, she would be lying if she weren't a little eager to spend the day with her.
That is, until she caught a glimpse of the gem as Steven walked up with her.

Not as disheveled as she used to look but the stark comparison was the near heartbreaking inversion of her gemstone.

"Yeah." Spinel answered, her eyes drifting as they followed a small yellow butterfly through the air. Connie nodded and put on a smile, offering her hand to the gem.

"I've got some really fun stuff planned for us today," she mused as she lead the gem toward Funland. "I was thinking we'd go on some rides, and then-"

There was a slight tug on her hand, forcing Connie to stop and turn back.

"Spinel?"

The gem hadn't moved a single step, only stretching her arm as Connie walked to give the illusion that she was keeping up. She just stood there at least twenty feet back, shuffling her feet with her head hung.

Connie grabbed a portion of her arm and roped it up as she returned to Spinel's side, providing a small smile that she hoped would comfort her.

"I'm sorry." Spinel's voice was soft and creaked with shame.

"Don't be, we don't have to do what I want, what do you want to do?" Connie hanged the gem the pile of arm with a nod, waiting as she glanced around trying to find something that could hold her attention, or take her mind off of things. Connie was trying, Spinel knew that, she knew she was trying really hard to make her happy and help Steven feel not as bad about her. The concept of it wore at her though, making the hole grow just a few centimeters wider.

She was a burden to them. She was just a painful reminder to everyone and god it hurt. It made her mad. Why was she like this now? Why did she have to be so bad all the time? It would be better if she were alone.
Not alone.

"Can we do that?" Spinel pointed at the entrance to a larger than average store, and glanced back at Connie for approval.

"Oh, shopping? Of course!" Connie dug her hand in her pocket and pulled out a small wad of cash she had saved over the past month of allowances. "I should have enough to get a few things."

Definitely not what she was expecting, but Spinel was full of surprises, perhaps she was tired of games now.

The two of them strolled into the mall, stopping every now and then at the kiosks to marvel over the weird things they sold.

"Can I interest you ladies in some jewelry?" The voice caught Spinel's attention and she turned to once over a man in tighter than average pants as he dangled a necklace from his hand.

"We're good, thank you-"

"What's a jewelry?" Spinel cut her off, pulling away to take a peek at what the man offered.

"Beautiful stones mined from all over the world, much like yours my dear." He mused, glancing down at the large heart gemstone on her chest.

Spinel leaned over the glass cabinet, staring at all the intricate little stones fused to metal before Connie began tugging on her arm to leave, it probably wasn't a good idea to have a gem learn about their non sentient counterparts.

"They're pretty." She whispered softly, pressing her face to the glass to see the tiny stones a little better. Who knew that gems could exist without being from homeworld. Quiet and silent and completely unthinking. Just a rock.

"Yours is lovely as well, and large, I'm sure you could sell a Spinel that size for a pretty penny." The man smiled, ignoring Connie's frantic gesturing.

Spinel almost contemplated it. Wondering what would happen, if anything would happen, until Connie began pushing her away from the kiosk and toward a different store.

"She's good, thanks though!" The girl said, nudging her friend away from the dark distraction. Steven was right. Connie didn't exactly want to believe it but the faint glimmer of true contemplation in Spinel's eyes begged to differ.

"How about this one?" Connie moved ahead of the gem, grabbing her hand to make sure she wouldn't run off somewhere as she pointed at the giant pink letters.