Perspective, Part I
Sapphire and Ruby have been paying much closer attention these days. It’s sort of odd, after so many years of carrying them in the back of her mind, tangled up together and happily dormant, but between Malachite and Homeworld and Peridot and trying to patch things up with Pearl again Garnet can’t bring herself to mind how crowded it sometimes feels. Ruby and Sapphire are sometimes her only company; they’re certainly the only company with whom she enjoys complete disclosure. It’s not like they’re trying to take control, either; they’re just watching. Garnet can’t blame them. These last couple decades have been more exciting than the last few thousand years put together; the reason they went dormant to begin with was more or less out of boredom. Garnet simply cannot get bored of how incredible it feels to be alive, but Sapphire and Ruby have been around long enough that the simple act of living isn’t as interesting as it used to be.
All of which is to say, Garnet is grateful for the extra perspective right now. Sapphire and Ruby’s opinions are often two sides of the same coin, but it is in watching it flip end over end that Garnet comes to the best conclusions.
And for someone who dislikes unfusing, this conclusion is a pretty potent one.
Maybe Ruby and Sapphire saw the flinch when someone mentioned them in front of Steven. It’s possible they did, since they’ve been awake and watching. They don’t know Steven well enough as themselves to understand his body language like that, though.
Garnet knows. Garnet sees his flinch acutely, and that’s why she’s bringing this up.
“You’ve spent one hour with him in which things weren’t going wrong and you weren’t upset,” she tells them. “It’s not enough. He’s begun associating you with negative situations.”
It’s funny. As the centuries have passed, their relationship with Garnet has… well, actually become a relationship. Initially, Garnet as a unique personality did not exist. But as she continued to thrive her memories and style and will became entirely her own, and the conversations she would have with Sapphire and Ruby became increasingly opinionated and complex. She still possesses traits that are obviously the result of their contributions to her, of course—Garnet is always a fusion first—but the way she expresses them and conducts herself has gone beyond the sphere of their influence at this point.
It’s not a bad thing. At least, not in their eyes. Ruby and Sapphire enjoy the person Garnet has become; they love her, love being her. She’s the closeness they crave and the powerful and compassionate person they’ve always wanted to become; the fact that Garnet wears them so well is a point in her favor, not theirs.
Garnet is a good thing; she’s better than they could ever be alone. The way she cherishes and finds ways to protect them at all costs is only shadowed by their dedication to always, always put her and her existence first. They don’t mind giving her themselves because it’s such a joy and a pleasure to be her—and seeing what she does with the source material they provide is nothing short of amazing. Ruby and Sapphire never would have thought to take such interpretations of themselves, but that’s why Garnet is here.
Still, for all of her independence, it’s rare for Garnet to impress her opinions on them like this—especially opinions regarding her own separation.
She makes a good point, though. What’s one good hour of bonding with Steven compared to several tense and stressful ones, in the grand scheme of things? Maybe they didn’t see the significance of Steven’s flinch at the mention of their names, but if Garnet says it’s significant then that’s what it is. Sapphire and Ruby don’t want Steven growing to resent them any more than Garnet does.
While they’re usually dormant, Sapphire and Ruby are never truly gone. They’ve been here with Steven and Pearl and Amethyst this whole time (technically). Still, their distance from their friends has taken its toll. Garnet is the leader of the Crystal Gems, not Ruby and Sapphire. Amethyst and Pearl don’t look up to them in any sense of the term. And Steven…
“Steven doesn’t know you,” Garnet continues. “But he should, and he wants to. This is important.”
It says a lot that she’s pushing for this, it really does. It’s more than the fact that Steven is precious to her and she doesn’t wish to inadvertently be the cause of any distress for him, though that does play a part. She wants him to know and understand her better, and to do that you have to know Ruby and Sapphire. Of course, Ruby and Sapphire are precious to her too, and Garnet thinks that this—that Steven—will be good for them on an individual level.
They’ve all been under a lot of stress recently. There’s no denying it. Garnet isn’t the only one taking comfort from their company—Sapphire and Ruby are drawing reassurance from her perpetual confidence and serenity as well. Maybe taking a day off really would do them some good; Garnet certainly thinks so, and at this point they trust her judgement more than their own.
After all, what’s one day in the grand scheme of things? If you think about it, it’s not really that big of a sacrifice. Considering how much fun they might have, it might not be a sacrifice at all.