Jack looked the grey gem up and down, his eyes falling on the gem in his right shoulder. It was a multi-colored square stone that seemed to sink inwards into his arm. He chuckled nervously, "So, uh, your gem is... an innie?"

Tyler locked eyes with him, and Jack felt an awful amount smaller with this guy towering above. Then, a ghost of a smirk appeared on the gem's face.

"You could say that. Technically, it's a Bismuth."

His voice was a lot deeper than Jack's, but the tone wasn't as intimidating as Tyler's features.  Then again, the guy did have short, curly, pastel rainbow hair. Jack felt a little more at ease.

Just then, the door to the temple opened, revealing the blue gem from the waterfall room. "I can't find him anywhere guys-" he stopped, and his eyes widened when he saw Jack. A smile quickly lit up his face.

"Tyler, you found the human!"

Tyler shook his head, "Mark found him."

"Whaaaaat and he didn't tell mee? Wait, where is everyone?" The gem said, looking around, deep blue hair floofing around his head bouncily.

"They're on a mission. Felix ordered me to watch him." Tyler stated, then went right back to staring at Jack. The blue one rolled his eyes, "You're taking this way too literally. Also, you kind of look like you're going to murder him."

Jack blanched at the thought. "Please, don't."

He heard a squeal of delight, and the blue gem was in his face. "You have an accent!" he exclaimed, "Are you Irish?!"

"I, uh-"

"Oh, sorry, how rude of me. I'm Ethan, and I'm a Blue Pearl." The blue gem stood back and put his arms on his hips. He was skinny, and a bit shorter than Jack. His pearl shone bright on his forehead. Jack stared at it. "A pearl, huh?" he thought out loud, hand to his stomach.

Tyler's eyes switched between the two. Then he stuck out his thumb towards Jack. "That's Jack. He's human. He also has a gem."

Ethan gasped, "Really?? How? Where?" This guy's constant energy was a little funny. Jack smiled shyly and pulled his shirt up, revealing his own pearl.

Both gems stared. Well, more specifically, gaped. "This-you-it's a-" for a moment, Ethan seemed to lose all ability to articulate. Suddenly, he jumped forward, tackling Jack in a hug.  He lost his balance and the two tumbled to the ground.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE THERE'S ANOTHER PEARL!!!" Ethan shrieked. Jack awkwardly patted the smaller gem's back.

Large hands grabbed Jack and Ethan by the arms and hoisted them up the their feet. Jack sent a look of gratitude towards Tyler for prying Ethan off him.  The blue gem was still just as bubbly. "Another Pearl! Well, Green-Half Human-Pearl! Can you believe this, Tyler?"

"Yes."

Ethan went on passionately while Tyler uncrossed his arms and looked deep in thought. Watching the two of them was amusing, to say the least. Jack could tell that the two were good friends, despite them seeming very different.

"So?" Ethan looked expectantly at Jack and the man realized he had been deep in thought as well. "Er, sorry, what was the question?"

Ethan laughed. "I asked if you wanna hang out outside? We could go up to the cliff, it's beautiful up there!"

"Sure." Jack smiled, and the blue pearl grabbed his arm, tugging him out the cave opening. Tyler was following close behind.

Outside, Jack could the town and boardwalk, looking to be only a few minutes walk away. The ocean stretched on for miles in either direction. Turning around, Jack looked up in awe. The cave stood at the base of a magnificent cliff. Carved into the land mass was the guise of some gigantic being with numerous arms and gems sticking out in various places. It was even cooler up close, albeit old and falling apart slightly.

Ethan noticed Jack's expression and smiled, "Yeah, it's pretty sweet. But you ain't seen nothing yet." The three circled around the cliff until they came to the back and started to make their way up the hill to the lighthouse. On the way, Ethan filled the silence.

"So, I didn't get the details, but Felix came to my room and said there was a human in the temple! Then I saw you, but you fell down the waterfall. That was insanely dangerous by the way."

Jack huffed, "Well, I wasn't really there by choice. How would you feel if you were kidnapped by a bunch of weird, colorful aliens?"

Ethan snorted, "Yeah, they are pretty weird. But isn't everyone?"

"I heard Felix say he was going to 'poof' me." Jack said with a grimace. Ethan rubbed the back of his neck. "Felix isn't that bad once you get to know him." he offered. Behind them, Jack heard a scoff, and turned to see Tyler rolling his eyes. Somehow, the Bismuth didn't seem to agree with that statement.

"He's a really good leader," Ethan continued, "and he just wants to protect us at the end of the day. Even if he can be kind of-"

"An asshole." Tyler interrupted. Ethan's lips pressed into a tight line, then he let it go and carried on. "You met Dil and Mark, right?"

At the memory of Mark, Jack's heart skipped a beat. "Yeah, he- they were really cool."

"Oh yeah, Dil is great. He's kind of awkward, but he's funny. When it comes down to it, he's super helpful in a fight. He's one of the strongest on the team!" Ethan beamed, "And Mark's probably one of the best gems you'll meet. He's an awesome friend."

Tyler nodded in agreement. Jack smiled to himself. He didn't think he would end up liking these people so much, but after hanging out for a while, they really grew on him. Ethan stopped walking and Jack realized that they made it to the lighthouse. The tall structure towered over them, covering the three of them in shadows. Jack ventured farther to the edge and gasped at the sight.

From up on the cliff, you could see everything. The town, the beach, and the expanse of ocean in front of them. The sun was setting in the distance, bathing everything in a gold and orange light. He sat down, leaning back on his arms to enjoy the view. Ethan and Tyler sat by him as well. Tyler closed his eyes and wore a serene expression, and Ethan watched Jack's own eyes sparkle in wonder.

"Welcome to Beach City, Jack."