Nkwëlaha

by Mister_Rat

Summary:

"I hope" in the language of the Lenni Lenape.

Or: a tale of how the discovery of a corrupted Gem living among humans changes the course of the Crystal Gems' lives.

Chapter 1: Legend of the Sky Women

Notes:

Welcome to what I hope will be the start of a great journey! I only own the characters not thought up by Rebecca Sugar and the Crewinverse.

Please, come take a seat.

I wish to share a story with you all, a story of beings who once walked (perhaps still walk) the same land as us.

Born of stars, these beings, though similar to us in appearance, possessed skills beyond our imagination: the ability to forge weapons from their bodies, to take any form they pleased, to create giants tall enough to touch the Moon and Sun, and so much more.

They also did not understand death as we do, and for this reason looked down on us and our weakness, how we were, and refused to realize the true potential of both us and these lands other than a means of sustaining their own existence.

Until one of them, soft and gentle as the flowers of spring, saw past our frailty and fell in love with the life of our world. Then and there, she realized the mistake her people were making and sought to change their minds.

They took no heed.

War became her only option.

So she gathered a band of warriors and struck against her own kind to protect this world.

The Great Conflict lasted for generations, claiming many lives—both our people and theirs— until finally the enemy fled, leaving this world to the deviant chief and her followers.

But at a horrid price.

The Suns, in retribution, unleashed a terrible curse on the world, one that rendered any Sky Woman it touched into a beast robbed of memory and control.

This curse, the Madness, only the chief and two of her closest followers survived.

To this day, these three wander the world in search of their fallen friends, in hopes that one day they will find the cure to restore the Lost Ones to their former selves and reunite their tribe.

But that story, I’m afraid, has yet to find its own ending.

Chapter 2: Back Again

Notes:

The Day of “Back to the Barn”

 To-Do List

1. Prepare family breakfast.............................

2. Check flowers with Uma.............................. 

3. Submit Final Project for Physics Class........... 

 4. Morning Jog with Sparky................................. 

5. Groceries....................................................... 

6. Donuts...............................................................  

7. Unpack the last few boxes................................     

8. Help Dad balance the checkbooks.....................     

9. Check Spirit Morph fanfics for updates..............      

Wait, already?

Double check, just to be sure.

...Yeah, halfway done earlier than usual.

Then again no surprise, considering the size of this town.

Eh, still a nice change of pace from the chaos of Empire City.

In which case.

10. To be continued................................................        

Now which direction did the sweaty guy that handed this tacky button say the donut shop was?

---

Ding-a-ling, Ding-a-ling!

Standing behind the countertop, a stout young woman with short curly blonde hair looked up from cleaning at the twinkling sound, her business-friendly smile ready for the approaching customer despite the intruding rush of chilly air still lingering in the wake of yesterday’s heavy showers.

Off to her left, a taller lankier male around her age slipped a heavy box into a stack with the same ease as a twig attempting to shove a boulder off a cliff, making his ungraceful groans and mumbled complaints known. Only when he stood up and administered an exaggerated stretch to his spine did he notice him, too.

A tall sepia-skinned male with black hair in a low-hanging ponytail, faint moustache and soul patch; dark Lennon glasses; gray button-up shirt and blue jeans hinting at the stocky build within them; russet leather jacket ending at the pants pockets that hid his large hairy hands; and mahogany dress shoes.

Sadie put away the washcloth right before the man reached her. “Hi! Welcome to the Big Donut! What would ya like?”

Mysterious only gave a stoic expression as his view shifted to the display of sugary temptations beside the worker, their glass cases shimmering in the early afternoon light. He pointed at a cinnamon apple fritter with one hand then a strawberry jelly fill topped by vanilla glaze with the other.

“How many?”

Three fingers on the first hand raised up in response; four on the second.

Not fazed at all by the lack of verbal response, Sadie dutifully fulfilled the order. She knew how to deal with the silent types. Before she could hand over the bag, however, her coworker snatched it from her grasp and presented it to Mysterious as though granting a royal an extravagant gift.

“It’s on the house, man!”

Of flipping course.

Sadie sighed at this sad display; facepalming at Lars’s shameless attempts to advance up the status quo lost its satisfaction ages ago. Except when Mysterious accepted the bag, he deposited it on the counter in favor of hunting around the inner pockets of his jacket for his wallet. Lars instantly flew into sycophant protest, insisting “really dude, it’s no big” and such.

Tough luck, Lars.

Mysterious grabbed him by the wrist and stuffed the money into the lanky teen’s hand, effectively shutting him up. Then, balling that hand into a fist, he shoved it into Lars’s chest, not hard enough to knock him down but enough to get the message through that mohawk-topped head.

That nonverbally said, the stranger nodded in thanks at Sadie as he took the bag, face unchanged as he silently turned to leave—only to pause on the threshold, one foot out and the other still in, free hand on the door. His head pivoted a bit to the side like something just passed by him.

“You’re staring.”

His concise statement moved spritely and smoothly with a faint yet smoky Latino accent that sounded like he could easily slip into singing fluid Spanish. Sadie had to fight back a blush at hearing it (not that the guilt hadn’t reddened her face already—Lars’s sudden suspicious stare was not helping either).

“Oh! Sorry...” Sadie averted eye contact for a moment. “I just couldn’t help notice that your ponytail looks like a lotus.” She pointed to the back of her own curly hair, indicating what she meant. Mysterious faced her with a tilt of his head before lightly, perhaps even subconsciously, tugging at the aforementioned hairdo.

“There’s this family that just moved in down the street, ya see,” Sadie continued, “This old lady wears her hair a certain way, too. But I only saw her from a distance on my way to work this morning, so I never got a good look.”

“Sunflower.”

When Sadie and Lars blinked at the abrupt answer, Mysterious cleared his throat and spoke at a more hesitant pace, head hunched down ever so slightly. “My grandmother likes sunflowers. They’re her favorite.” The man scratched his nape as he readied to step out of the doorway lest he impede any other customers.

Though not before looking the pair’s way one last time. “Good to see you again, Sadie.”

An appreciative smile reflected back. “You too, Kurtis.”

On that note, the male—Kurtis—departed, hardly noticing (and caring about) Lars stuttering as he demanded an answer from Sadie about how she knew ‘that guy’.

Neither did he notice a pudgy kid with a red shirt and curly black hair speed past him and into the shop.

---

Evening that same day, a few miles outside of town, a massive bear-like shadow trudged through the woods, something small and spherical in between their teeth, a slight glint catching off from the light of sunset.

Today had been a hard day’s work, and this giant was looking towards a well-earned—

BOOM!

WHAT THE—the ground shook from what sounded like two big somethings landing nearby, tons of birds fluttering from their tree-bound perches in panic. With ginger steps, Shadow Giant approached the source of the disturbance until they reached a sizable clearing.

Then needed a double-take at the sight of two large pickup trucks lodged into the soil—one brown, one green—both battered and dented like soda cans from touchdown.

Wow. Shadow Giant just shook their head, speechless.

Humans came up with the strangest uses for their vehicles.

Chapter 3: Watching You

Notes:

End of First Week After “Back to the Barn”

Kiki sure liked to know how she got herself into this situation.

Not that she meant this out of incredulity or frustration (even though she’s feeling plenty of the second at the moment).

Just the simple curiosity that comes with living in a town like Beach City.

Because playing a card game with her grandma for lunch break: nah, that’s family routine.

The absence of her father (out in the front arguing with Mr. Fryman—again—over something) and twin sister (out in the back checking her phone and/or chatting up with Buck and Sour Cream): also family routine.

Playing a card game with the new neighbors’ dog: not family routine. For the time being anyway.

Especially when said dog was creaming her like a pro! Seriously, Kiki could not describe with words the speed at which this pooch had been emptying her own hand (or paw in this case). Nanefua seemed to be holding up better by comparison, if just barely judging by the elder’s concentrated frown and scrunched brow.

How the Flores pulled off training their pet to be this good, Kiki hadn’t the slightest idea. And forget asking her grandma; the family loved her but that lady operated on a whole other level.

Not that the pizza heiress had any mind to complain. Sparky made for surprisingly sociable, let alone sanity-preserving, company in the past few days. And not in the traditional cute-little-doggy-distracting-you-from-life’s-annoyances-with-kisses either.

Case in point: a customer from out of town really wore down Kiki’s patience yesterday and Kiki, not wanting to burden her folks with her woes, elected to dump her feelings on Sparky instead since the dog had been nearby.

Oddly instinctive? Yes, but something about the look in those big round black eyes, against all logic, assured the twin that the canine would drop everything just to listen to her—which she did.

Besides, Kiki couldn’t have brought herself to shoo the cute little yellow bugger away from the restaurant when the young woman caught her laying on the backdoor step, even with Kofi’s daily warnings about health regulations at the back of her mind.

Damn those literal puppy-dog eyes and her weakness for those of the canine persuasion!

That bouquet of roses Sparky carried by mouth had not helped either.

Still touching, though. Kind of excessive but touching.

At least Mr. Flores sounded cool with the situation when Kiki called him over the phone minutes ago, which was a lot more than the young lady could say for her father once he found out about their uncalled-for ‘visitor’. Apparently Sparky had a history of hanging out with the neighbors from time to time.

In other words, nice timing on the argument, Mr. Fryman (no sarcasm intended).

Just as well. Kofi aside, the Pizzas were more than happy to let the Flores family dog hang out with them outside business hours.

Speaking of the Flores, Kiki sidled her sight to the rightmost card just in time for her peripherals to notice Kurtis step into the restaurant. The pizza heiress gave a polite wave, as did Nanefua; the Native American-Latino returned an acknowledging nod.

Without a glance, Sparky raised a paw up at her boy despite the teen’s silence before, with a smug wag of the tail, slapping her final card onto the table. Nanefua perked both eyebrows in amazement while Kiki double-checked her cards in disbelief then back at the one her canine opponent just laid down.

With a defeated sigh, the young woman released her hands, cards raining upon the table in shared resignation. That’s the last time she ever challenges this dog to Crazy Eights. She stood up and stretched her legs, ready to get back to work.

Only to suddenly freeze at the feel of something patting her leg. Kiki shifted her eyes downward; oh, it was Sparky...and she’s raising a forepaw up towards her with a ‘I’m honored to have fought you’ grin, waiting for a handshake.

Kiki accepted the gesture without hesitation, even threw in a smile cause why the heck not?

As if she never saw weirder.

“Good game.”

---

 

She seems to be doing well.

What did ya expect? She’s a tough little firebug.

Heh, that she is. Still, it feels wrong that we haven’t dropped by even once.

You’re not suggestin’ we confront her now, right?

Of course not. Otherwise we’ll risk a repeat of Rose’s mistake.

Well, you’re not totally wrong. We definitely can’t avoid each other forever. This is a small town, ya know.

True. Fortunately, that’s going to be an easy path to reach. After the Cluster is dealt with, of course.

A tall busty figure atop the lighthouse hill arose to her feet, silhouetted by the receding sunlight, yellow bubble in hand.

Shall we then?

We shall.

The figure cast one last glance at the cozy cluster of buildings.

“Take care, friend.”

Then leapt back home.

Chapter 4: Confirmation

Notes:

Second Week After "Back to the Barn"; Day of “Too Far”

Contrary to semi-popular belief, Ronaldo Fryman is the ultimate expert on logical fallacies.

Strawmen, slippery slopes, anecdotal, ad hominem: you name it, he knows it. (Seventy-nine point four percent of the time, but who’s calculating?)

Cause let’s be honest, when you’re a seeker of the truth and got enemies blocking you at every turn, you need any bit of info you can get (farfetched or otherwise). So if the rock people and their sympathizers want to play dirty, Ronaldo will gladly return the favor.

Fortunately, the workers/denizens of Fish Stew Pizza know him well, so there’s no chance of drawing suspicion here. Besides, they have the best Wi-Fi.

Fingers steepled beneath the chin under the pretense of examining the screen of his laptop, he subtly zeroes his sights on the target, who’s seated by a window across the room from the blogger. “Hmm, subject seems to be reading what appears to be a novel,” began Ronnie as he typed down observations, “quite possibly a disguised report from his superiors.”

That would explain the reflexive cover up in response to passersby.

Or embarrassment. The subject does give the air of someone who keeps things close to the chest...which would be the perfect attitude for someone under the rock people’s control!

Ahem.

Plus, there’d been some weird lights cropping up in the forests around town every now and then, their beginnings correlating with the Flores moving back here, which could not be a coincidence. Something was up with this family and someone had to figure that something out one way or another.

Cue chin rub!

Hmm, maybe that old lady knows some secrets; Ronaldo could not recall ever seeing her the last time the Flores lived here—he jolts out of his thoughts at the sound of the chair in front of him scraping back then in, Kurtis’s stoic face staring him down like a judge, glasses gleaming from the overhead lights like obsidian.

Damn it, I took my eyes off him!

Time for plan B: clear the throat with an authoritative air and plaster on the perfect poker face, hands clasped back together in aloofness.

“Can I help you?” Ah yes, dragging out the pronoun always adds a dash of ‘one step ahead’-ness to one’s demeanor. Now just to wait, stay cool, and watch this sympathizer fall apart at realizing his masters’ plans have gone all—

“Wrong.”

Oh...well that flat-toned answer has ruined Ronaldo’s thunder for sure. The theorist scrunches his face, at a lost. “Uh...”

His stupor only extends after a book, its front cover an image of a kid’s feet in mid-run, plops onto the table: Maniac Maggie. Less sophisticated of a cover up than Ronaldo anticipated. You’d think the allies of rock people would have more dignity.

Looking back up, he perks an incredulous eyebrow at Kurtis before crossing his arms like a ward, huffing. This suspect will have to do better than this to knock him off the scent.

The moment Ron opens his mouth to deliver a discourse about the foolishness of helping enslave humanity, the darker male raises a finger to his own lips in a shushing manner, returns the book to the handbag, and stands up. With a tilt of the head, he gestures the chubbier teen to follow.

“Boardwalk.”

To talk? Out in the open? Okay our shrugging hero can deal with that. Still, he points two fingers at his own eyes then to Kurtis before gathering his own stuff and following the other teen outside.

Minutes later, the boys are sitting on the edge of the wooden planks, feet dangling over the warm sands, the caws of seagulls and lull of the ocean the soundtrack to this conversation. Kurtis had removed his glasses, revealing dark piercing eyes that gaze out to the cloudy blue sky over the waters. Running a hand through his hair, he inhales deeply and slowly as though bracing himself then starts.

The following conversation turns out as eventful as you expect.

Ronaldo would often bolt up with victorious fists into the air, blurting “I KNEW IT!”, before going quiet at Kurtis’s unamused glare (geez, the guy looked imposing without his glasses) and sometimes everyone else’s befuddled stares from further away, too.

At one point, the potato heir, gasping, gets in the other male’s face, hands balled from the excitement of whatever revelation became clear, eyes sparkling in anticipation, while Kurtis leaned back from the invasion of personal space. Ronaldo’s voice comes out hushed to prevent any further eavesdroppers. “So my theory was right!”

At the surprised look tossed his way, Ronaldo adjusts his own glasses with a knowing smirk, chill demeanor back in place. “I commend you and your folks for keeping this under wraps. Your cover was pretty sound; no match for my keen observational skills, though.”

He pauses to note Kurtis’ slightly expanded eyes. With no small amount of pride, by the way.

“Plus, there’s been an interesting increase in electrical storms. Nowhere in Beach City, mind you, but definitely throughout Delmarva and most of the surrounding states.” He angled his body in a smug manner, eyes staring down his peer. “Sound familiar?”

No answer besides Kurtis looking away with a thoughtful hum—and staying that way. Ronaldo cranes his head at the other boy’s expression before looking away, feeling more awkward the longer the silence continued. This moment does not feel like the triumph he’d been hoping for.

Way too casual, way too quiet, way too calm, way too...normal.

Any wonder then why the blogger starts fidgeting, mind reaching for straws at this point. Anything was better than Kurtis’s lack of reply. “Buuut...if on the off chance I’m mistaken by your allegiance and you’re willing to prove so, I could drop the charges.”

As expected, that offer earns an incredulous stare. Finally, a response.

“So what do you say?”

After a few more moments of Stare-down Central, Kurtis reluctantly nods.

Just the answer Ronaldo needs. With new vigor, he launches up to his feet with bright eyes and enthusiastic fists. “Then meet me at the lighthouse by six,” like a comet he takes off, shouting over his shoulder, “and make sure to bring your informant with you!”

As the blogger dashes into the not-yet sunset, Kurtis shakes his head with a wry frown. Talk about a quick one-eighty. Quite a piece of work, that guy. A glance of the watch confirmed now to be 3:26 PM—plenty of time to head back home and check on the family before heading out.

Whether all of the family would be present, hopefully that probability would turn out as a reality. Otherwise Ronaldo’s time of contact would have to wait another day—and wowie, would that be a fun rant to sit down to.

Returning the glasses to their proper place, Kurtis turns the direction Ronaldo went to walk back home.

“Ya know, for someone who wants nothing to do with Ronaldo, you really are goin’ out of your way to get ‘im off your back.”

Huh? Kurtis pauses and gazes towards the source—and scowls once he does: Jenny.

More specifically Jenny leaning back next to the entrance to Fish Stew, legs and arms crossed with more coolness than the Arctic. Kurtis edges his glasses down his nose, eyes discerning the girl’s empathetic smirk with skepticism.

The twin raises her hands in acquiescence, a surprise in itself considering her usual in-your-face attitude. “Just sayin’. The more you prove or disprove him, the more interested in you he’s gonna get.”

Kurtis readjusts his glasses with a huff then the strap of his bag before walking away. The ‘concern’ was touching but unwarranted. If Ronaldo remained anything like back then, tiding him over with a little confirmation will spare Kurtis and his family a world of headaches in the long run.

He has no idea.

---

Speaking of having no idea...

What the frack are those three doing in the Kindergarten?

Hmm, better take a closer look. A hop there, a hop over here...ah, this spot will do nicely!

Huh, appears as if they’re doing something to that old injector. Are Amethyst and that human kid trying to dismantle it?

That green one—might be a Peridot, but looks awfully short for one—isn’t doing much besides speaking into something in her hand.

Some talking, some more talking, a couple of laughs—actually, that Peridot’s the only one laughing now. And now she’s showing the others this hole where the wall opposite this hiding spot meets the ground.

Even from way up here, the sudden tension in Amethyst’s shoulders is palpable.

You’d think that Peridot would be smarter about ticking off a—Whoa.

Whiplash with a bit more than necessary aggression; straight through that drill, too: yep, angry smol Quartz.

Hopefully, if Amethyst still associates with them, then no worries for the Peridot and the kid. If not...

...

Best keep an eye on them for now.

Chapter 5: Unwanted Reminders

Notes:

Morning "Steven Floats" ends

Need...to...want to...have to...

—form. Terra Batch J27-13 is now ready for briefing and commission. Notifying Blue Spinel to prepare orientation for—

Cabochon-2F4B, Unit-2713: your designation. You will do well to remember—

—that and everything else. Of course, even you should be capable of handling some—

—life we got, eh? But hey someone’s gotta do the icky—

Worthless blob! Make yourself useful and seal this up before my—

—Diamond has selected you for a special assignment. Your assigned destination is on—

—just another garbage planet. It’ll probably wound up dead long before you can get there. I still don’t understand why—

You’re the ones they’re sending with me? O-kay then, I suppose—

— it’s alright. I guess I can see why you like—

—defending it, miss? This one knows the mistake it made! Please—

—don’t try to fight back, any of you! They’ll just—

I don’t know, backstab us probably! The fact it hasn’t happened yet is all the more reason to be careful, R—

—trusts you, and I trust her judgment, so why not?

—because you can’t expect mercy from them because of your Gem type! Just...take care to—

—TAKE MY HAND, AM—

BZKKKTTTTT!

...

...hurt...pain...hurt...someone...stop...hurt...help...someone...

...rip...slash...tear...Rip...Slash...Tear...

...

RIPSLASHTEAR, RIPSLASHTEAR, RIPSLASHTEAR, RIPSLASHTEARRIPSLASHTEAR RIPSLASHTEARRIPSLASHTEAR—

BZZZZKKKKKKTTTTTTTT!

...

...

...Are you there?

...

Don’t give up.

...

You’re going to be okay.

I promise.

---

 

Kaw! Kaw-Kaw!

For the fourth morning in a row, Shadow Giant startled awake at the raspy call of a blasted crow. They grunted in groggy awareness before standing up on four paws and giving their spine a nice lithe stretch.

As usual, REM sleep proved a cruel lady mutt. Ah, the benefits of sentience.

Oh well, the furry giant cricked their neck, maw wide open in a yawn that revealed sharp teeth, I’m plenty awake now. Better get today rolling.

Starting with coffee, lots and lots of coffee.

And marshmallows, the big fluffy kind that barely fit in the cup and went great with graham crackers, kind of like a drinkable s’more. That is, as long as Uma and Marcus hadn’t pigged out on the pillowy sweets first.

Otherwise there was gonna be Words.

Lips smacking to dispel any lingering dryness in their mouth, Shadow Giant ambled through the tree-laden shadows, speckles of light revealing golden fur here and there, leaves crunching under their paws.

A nice place to take a nap— at least when you resemble a large forest predator. Their ‘talents’ may have had something to do with the peace and quiet, too, not that they would dare use them here. Fortunately, none of the wildlife possessed that level of stupidity, something they wished they could likewise say about the occasional wandering humans.

Upon exiting the forest, they squinted when the morning sunlight fully assaulted their striped face. Noon’s still in coming, plenty of time for a brisk walk (assuming nothing major would happen in the meantime).

Beyond the corner of their eye, something pink bounded this way...

Chapter 6: A Word Please?

Notes:

Evening "Steven Floats" Ends

“MARCUS!”

A wheelchair-bound male with deep tan skin, balding black hair, a mahogany vest, dark brown jacket and shoes, and black jeans paused tending to the jasmines and peeked an eye over his shoulder at the entrance to the family flower shop.

Rotating to about-face, Marcus smirked at the visitor’s identity, thick square eyebrow perked at his scowling new neighbor of the past few weeks—and mentally sighed in relief at the animal brought in by said neighbor.

A thinner, darker skinned man with an upward pizza-shaped topknot stomped into the spacious room, footsteps echoing against the burgundy tiled floor. He held in his hands a familiar canine whose long golden fur shimmered in the fading evening sunlight streaming through the display windows.

Marcus remained unfazed as the man reached him.

“Yes, Koko?” he asked in a smooth bouncy Peruvian accent.

The Ghanaian fellow lacked the mood for pet names as he held the animal away from himself at arm’s length as though handling radioactive material, fingers avoiding the dog’s underbelly lest he risk bite marks again. Once he promptly plopped the canine into the flower man’s lap, ‘Koko’ deepened his displeased expression and stuck an irate finger at Marcus, voice low and brisk and threatening.

“Your dog was in my kitchen, harassing my daughters and my mother!”

“Harassing”: now there was a new word to add to the ever-growing ‘Flores Book of Exaggerated Misdemeanors’. Marcus absently started scratching in between his dog’s ears, the canine quite content with both the attention and her current location’s warmth despite the forced removal earlier.

Right then, the Peruvian’s nose caught the faint scent of ozone, partnered with the fading tenseness in the canine’s shoulders.

The marshmallows must be all gone, he realized with a cringe. Note to self: tell Kurtis ta add that ta the grocery list.

Meanwhile, Kofi’s rant raged on. “I do not even know how she got in my restaurant in the first place!”

“Hmm,” Marcus sidled his eyes for a second, not entirely sure what his neighbor expected for an answer. “Rrrrandom kindness?”

Again, Kofi radiated no amusement.

Before the Ghanaian could continue his tirade, a ringtone set to the tune of Davey Yonder’s “Saturn” interrupted the conversation. Raising his left index finger to get a moment, Marcus pulled out his dark red cellphone and placed it to his ear.

“Helloooo? Oh yeah, I can put ya on speaker. Un momento.”

A switch to the proper button later, he was holding his phone out, face set at Kofi with an expression full of ‘Oh, you in troubllllle’, while the familiar voice of a certain Jenny Pizza bounced from the screen, bludgeoning her father with all her teen fury.

“Dad, leave Mr. Flores alone! Sparky was standing in front of the entrance lookin’ all sad and tired and you’re always gettin’ on our case about animals hanging around where either the customers can see them or the food’s in reach, so I let her in from the back door. ‘Sides, Kurtis told you straight up the day they moved here that she’s the cleanest, best-behaved dog this side of Beach City, and when has Kurtis ever lied to you?”

Okay, those were all valid points, but still! “Young lady— “

“Ugh! Look, Sparky wasn’t even getting anywhere near the customers or the food. She was just hanging out with Nanefua and you know how good Nanefua is with dogs.”

“Well the last time someone let her in— “

“Yeah, Pops, I remember what happened last time.” The eye roll in Jenny’s tone could not have been more palpable. “To be fair, though, if I were a dog and saw you marching at me with a death glare, I would’ve been branding an axe like crazy, too.”

“Tomahawk, Kiki,” a similar female voice stated in the background with a deadpan tone. Marcus could easily picture the dismissive hand wave Jenny was tossing her sister.

Meanwhile Kofi’s left eyelid twitched uncontrollably. This was not the familial support he sought for; then again after all these years as the father of this family, should he be surprised anymore? His growing headache readily agreed.

Now there are times to feel pity for someone, and for Marcus, seeing his pizza-centric acquaintance bulge his eyes out like a squishy stress doll, vein on the left temple about ready to burst, made now look pretty damn appropriate.

After giving a hasty goodbye to Jenny as well as thanks for looking after his furry family member, he ended the call and returned the phone to his pocket. He put one hand on Kofi’s stressed shoulder while gently gesturing to the rest of the store with the other.

“Wanna take time ta talk over a drink before ya head back? You been lookin’ more frazzled than usual.”

Kofi stepped out of the Peruvian’s hold and stuck a hand out like a ward against his neighbor’s aggravating sincerity. Sometimes he swore this man (the whole family, actually) lived on another planet. “Just...keep your dog on a leash, Flores. I’m not speaking in her defense if she lands herself in the pound.”

Pound? Blinking, Marcus scratched his faint goatee and matching moustache with a thoughtful hum, eyes going narrow. “Ehhh, considering dogs don’t typically disappear before your very eyes, I wouldn’t count on anybody’s ability to keep this lightning bug in one place, let alone in a building full of metal. Believe me, we’ve tried.”

And one near-flood from the Beach City water tower was enough reason to think twice.

At wits’ end, Kofi simply threw his hands up with a huff of defeat and sulked out the door.

“Look on the bright side, Kofi,” Marcus called out in a last-ditch effort to make the peace, “your mother’s made a new friend!”

No glass could block out Kofi’s heavenward moan.

Or Sparky’s whine. Actually, now that Marcus took a closer look, the yellow dog seemed pretty exhausted—not just physically, but emotionally as well.

Out of concern, the man held the canine closer to his chest.

Make that a ton of marshmallows.

Chapter 7: Lovable Goof

Notes:

Evening "Steven Floats" Ends

What an idiot.

No, not ‘idiot’. Not anymore perhaps. The word implied stupidity that met expectations.

All of which Ronaldo Fryman surpassed. He embodied stupidity the likes of which this planet, and perhaps galaxy, had never seen. Not so much for the universe as Kurtis felt pretty confident the Crystal Gems more than likely had met beings that could top the blogger in that department no problem.

In terms of this town, though, Ronaldo had no equal. Except maybe Lars on occasion.

Okay, definitely Lars.

Which brings into question why Kurtis himself, someone already three-fourths through his Programming degree and who earned among the top ten highest GPAs in high school, associated with someone like the over-excitable Fryman heir, especially after the theorist purposely pursued him and his family to “expose their true identity as followers of the rock people” throughout their first two weeks here.

Yeah, not fun.

As someone who lived in Beach City before, the aspiring astronomer remembered well Ronaldo’s childhood interest in aliens and the paranormal and, upon running into him after the Flores family moved back, recognized that it transformed into an obsession over the years—and an intense one at that.

Because five minutes in Ronaldo’s presence was more than enough to realize how much of a bad idea associating with him could prove. No, Kurtis didn’t give a damn about fitting in like Lars did. That desire died out after Lydia...um—anyway he had responsibilities to fulfill so life could be easier for his folks.

Who had time for the social quo when there’s important work to be done?

So why let this guy, of all people, walk home with me?

For starters, one could argue Ronaldo had a way of inviting chaos and if there’s one lesson Kurtis’s learned from both his talks with Sadie and Kiki and interactions with the blogger himself, Ronaldo knew how to be a force of nature, especially where the ‘truth’ was involved.

There’s also that by some ironic twist of fate, Ronaldo happened to hang around Kurtis’s haunts, both old and new. Namely the flower shop, the Big Donut, Funland Arcade, and even the peak that overlooked Beach City—or ‘Morning Hill’ as Uma liked to call it.

So avoiding the blogger: nice try but no, particularly since Ronaldo, even after that talk on the boardwalk and the subsequent fateful meet between the two boys and a certain Gem, singled Kurtis out for a discussion buddy on sight.

Every. Single. Time.

Apparently one time had not been enough to satisfy that craving for the abnormal.

Except when he called Ronaldo out on this habit yesterday, the blonde had paused in his simultaneous pizza consumption and laptop typing and cheerily replied: “Cuz arguing with you guys is fun!”

Oh.

Well, shit. Jenny was right.

Shouldn’t have called him out on that banana slug theory. Or any other theory after that. Too late. Well, I suppose I couldn't have ended up with worse. Because having Ronaldo in his room, big butt in his favorite computer chair, while the theorist’s mouth raged on was as worse as worse got.

“The big red eyeball from last year, the giant monster attacks, the hand in the sky, the lightning storms, and now all these earthquakes and those ‘unexplained’ pieces of fruit on the shore: they all gotta point to the Great Diamond Authority somehow!”

Seated on his bed, decked in a black muscle shirt and baggy grey pajama pants, Kurtis stroked his sparse moustache and goatee in patient wonder. Partially at how Ronaldo’s latest theory fit with all the strange goings-on the Flores family had noticed after the move; partially at the fact that Uma invited the blogger into their house without batting an eye.

At least Ronaldo had been nice enough to help out with the groceries while he babbled on. That and Dad openly encouraged Kurtis to interact with ‘somebody his mindset’. The youngest Flores decided to take that advice as a hint at an opportunity—for what, he was not entirely sure but willing to wait and find out.

So for right now, he resigned himself to listening. No telling if there’d be new information to use later on; plus, if memory served correctly, Ronaldo either threw a hissy fit or closed himself off whenever no one took his words seriously.

A frustrated sigh broke Kurtis’s train of thought.

Ronaldo had twisted around so he sat backwards, arms draped over the back of the chair, eyes skyward in perplexity. “What I don’t get is why. What would the Authority want with Steven and the Crystal Gems?” He shrugged at his curious peer, one hand gestured in confusion. “I mean yeah, their presence attracts a lot of monsters, but they never go out of their way to be an actual threat.”

Aside from the occasional property damage, but even that improved with time. Marginally.

Kurtis tilted his head with searching eyes. “Refugees?”

“Maybe...but Steven’s only been alive for so long. Otherwise more people would know about it.” Memories of that day at the hill flashed back. “Maybe we’re not the only ones in the dark about all this. He lives with them, so he’s gotta know at least something but—”

“Not everything.”

Ronaldo snapped his fingers as if to say ‘bingo’. “Exactly.” His head tilted up to be eye level with the other teen, determination evident on his face. “Hey, do you think Amber could tell us a bit more?”

Good question. Kurtis pursed his lips, deep in thought.

Ronaldo, impatient for an answer, abruptly leaned forward into Kurtis’s personal bubble and pulled...ugh, that face. That hammy bright-eyed one that likened him to someone out of a niche-induced anime, just like the faces the kids Kurtis babysat would use...only much worse and much harder to resist.

“Please?”

With a terse sigh, the young florist placed a comforting hand on Ronaldo’s left shoulder and pulled the same trustworthy face that won the trust of countless adults. “I’ll try.”

Amber had been pretty open about all this Gem stuff, after all. Even with Ronaldo.

Regardless, Kurtis retreated his hand to cover a light yawn. It was getting late. “You heading home?”

Ronaldo suddenly tensed and adopted an oddly meek frown, a sight that set an alarm off in the young florist’s head. Taking caution to keep his face neutral, the blogger, eyes off into space, carefully weighed his next words.

“My mom’s in town.”

Oh. Kurtis rubbed his nape, self-conscious for once. “Your dad and Peedee?”

“Dad’s dealt with her before so he’s seen all her tricks; he’s also got your dad’s number so he can call for backup, and I think Peedee’s at a ‘welcome-back-home’ sleepover at Steven’s place.”

Then all the bases were covered apparently. Kurtis tried not to appear too relieved at that, instead crossing his arms to appear indifferent; he semi-succeeded, judging by the other male’s expectant gaze. A thought suddenly occurred to him. “The lighthouse?”

Ronaldo’s shake was as firm and serious as death, the expression on his face so unlike anything Kurtis expected from the normally upbeat teen it almost startled him. “No, which is how I wanna keep it. It’s another reason I’m here; you’re good at keeping secrets.”

The statement inspired a skeptic look from Kurtis. “Not Lars?”

Ronaldo shrugged. “I don’t think he’d rat me out if that’s what I think you think I’m thinking.”

Uh huh. Kurtis nonchalantly stood up to fetch a bottle of water and a snack. This conversation was far from its conclusion, he could tell, so best get something for the meantime.

The distant sound of the television news echoed from downstairs.

“Wait, Kurtis!” Ronaldo reached a needy hand out as he stood up from the chair, stumbling a bit from the still-swirling chair swiveling into his backside. “What about our search for the truth?”

Kurtis paused on the open threshold and eyed over his shoulder at the theorist in surprise, a bit touched Ronaldo considered him a partner in all this. Anyway, he was just leaving for a few minutes to get stuff to help pass the time, not going out into space. With a short genuine chuckle, Kurtis stuck a hand out to indicate his associate relax then pointed to the closet in the corner.

“A sleeping bag is in there.”

Short answers get short looks, especially irrelevant ones. Ronaldo, crossing his arms, turned away and huffed with indignation worthy of a Fryman. “You’re lucky I consider you a trusted member of this paranormal investigation team.” Then shot a haughty smirk back. “Otherwise, you’d be missing out on quality enlightenment."

When his ‘partner’ perked an amused eyebrow, Ronaldo wagged a finger in reproach, tsk-tsk clicking from his lips. “Don’t forget you owe me. I cleared you and your family two weeks ago—and with reasonable proof of innocence, I might add.”

‘Legendary’ defined Kurtis’s deadpan stare perfectly. “You geeked out over Amber recharging your laptop with her tongue.”

“Because it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for scientific data!”

Best not to give a verbal response to that (not that there could be any). Instead Kurtis held back the urge to chuckle any further lest he end up hurting the blogger’s feelings, an effort manifested in a minute snort. The amusement settled down when he noticed Ronaldo twiddling his fingers, looking to be on the verge of asking something else.

When Kurtis cleared his throat at a soft volume, Ronaldo almost flinched in response but caught himself. “Um by the way, is it okay if I can use your charger for my laptop?” His eyes focused on Kurtis’s, twinkling with nervous anticipation. “I’ve got the first season of Koala Princess on DVD and I was wondering if you’d like to check it out.”

Silence. Short yet decisive silence.

Ronaldo’s shoulders started to sag at the ensuing look of wonder. “It’s fine if that’s not your thing, I just figured since what we’re doing sorta qualifies as hanging out, we’d take a break.”

“Okay.”

“Yeah, I figured I’ve shoved enough stuff in your face so”—Ronaldo double-took at Kurtis, eyes disbelieving. “Wait, you’re serious?!” A simple nod constituted Kurtis’s reply, as did Ronaldo’s rebounding enthusiasm as the theorist balled his fists with a starry-eyed gasp. “A-Alright! Uh, I’ll get my stuff set up and you can handle the food!”

Well, that moment didn’t last long. While the blogger flew around the room in search of his precious technology, Kurtis could only shake his head with a wry smirk as he resumed leaving the room.

Yeah, Ronaldo Fryman is still an idiot.

But he’s an idiot with heart.

Chapter 8: Telltale

Notes:

The Second Afternoon after 'Steven Floats'

Pearl was beside herself.

And considering what she’s seen and lived through during her long existence, that was no small wonder.

Ever since they saw the morning news about a small ‘freak electrical storm’ a few miles off Interstate 95 that lasted from mid-afternoon to late evening yesterday, its end around the same time as Steven’s ‘Welcome Home’ slumber party with Connie and the younger of the Fryman children, the Crystal Gems had been investigating.

Not that this wasn’t the first time the CGs noticed such bizarre ‘acts of nature’...

Nevertheless, the fact that whatever happened apparently took place at the Kindergarten did not ease the lean gem’s concern. Steven and Connie, the latter eager to get into the field after weeks of self-practice, asked if they could come along after Pearl explained her reason for cutting this morning’s lesson short.

Pearl half-considered turning down the request, not because she doubted the kids’ fighting capabilities but rather felt uncomfortable leaving Beach City vulnerable in the event that the cause of this recent ‘storm’ attracted something worse near the humans. So per Garnet’s suggestion, Steven and Connie were instead patrolling the town’s perimeters atop Lion, close enough to alert their teammates at the temple in case some fighting would have to occur.

Hopefully that possibility would not come to pass.

Anyway, back to the present.

Before Pearl laid what she could only describe as the aftermath of a cross between a tussle amongst wildlife and a lightning storm meeting the earth up close and personal.

Giant scratch marks up and down the walls (some single, others in threes), sizable chunks of wall and floor strewn all over amongst burn marks of various sizes, smoke revealing the freshness of the incident responsible. Equally massive paw and claw prints strewn this way and that. Most suspicious of all: no sign of broken gemstones anywhere, a typical casualty of such fights if the evidence fit.

In her hands she held what she recognized (with no small amount of survivor’s guilt) as a purple variant of her own Gem type, the stone sealed under a thick skin of hardened yellow resin. She found this one under the shelter of a nearby outcropping of rocks, a spot safe from the sight of any curious animals that might have wandered through here.

Not that many animals (or organics for that matter) ever dared to venture into this desolate place.

“Yo, Pierogi!”

So lost in her thoughts, Pearl started at the call of her shorter teammate, who she found standing a good distance away. Garnet passed a comment about ‘someone walking away from there’ just before everyone split up; sounds like Amethyst found the evidence. After bubbling the object (the resin broke away from the inside out) and whisking it away to the Burning Room, Pearl hurried over with dainty steps.

“What did you find?”

The purple gem thumbed behind herself at a trail of huge paw prints that, upon closer inspection, perfectly matched the tri-numbered claw marks. Pearl crossed her arms and tapped her chin in suspicion once she realized the last set appeared to shrink before...stopping?

Ice-blue eyes narrowing at them as well as the lack of roasted dirt in this spot, Pearl tapped her chin. “That’s odd. No gem creature could have disappeared so smoothly in mid-run.”

Amethyst flipped a white bang out of her visible eye. “Looks like this one did. Ya think it was...?”

Could this have been—Pearl shook her head in disbelief. After so long, the answer seemed unreal yet what alternative could there be to all this?

“Okay,” the former servant finally stated with hands akimbo, “let’s say this was a corrupted Gem. It leaves its opponent neatly disposed for us to collect it afterward, has its prints swerve into the canyon as though it were herding the other into a trap, and those bolts were more than noticeable.”

Amethyst nodded, fully agreeing.

This scene was way too planned out.  And the most concerning part?

In sync, Pearl and Amethyst trailed their vision in the direction the prints pointed: straight towards Beach City.

The two Crystals shared a look—worried on Pearl’s end; interested on Amethyst’s—and nodded before hurrying back to the warp pad.

---

 “What do you mean everything is fine?!”

“Everything is fine,” Garnet affirmed in her usual monotone to her slimmer teammate’s exclamation.

“Yeah!” Steven chirped while Connie nodded behind him, still dressed in her training outfit, Rose’s giant carnation sword sheathed on her back. “Whoever Garnet saw coming this way, maybe they changed their mind and decided to go somewhere else.”

“Maybe they’re even hiding somewhere nearby,” Connie added in a measured tone.

Pearl’s face contorted at the children disbelievingly. “Amongst the humans? Even if it—um they do have some degree of intelligence, blending in with the people here would require an unprecedented amount of cunning and deception. None of the gem creatures we’ve encountered are capable of that.”

At a pointed look from Steven and a warning growl from Lion who sat lounging on the Quartz child’s bed, Pearl hastily cleared her throat with a blush. “Well, aside from obvious exceptions.”

Connie furrowed her eyebrows in a passionate way, even while the volume of her voice remained even. “Well, what if the gem creature does have that degree of intelligence? Maybe they just wanted to help out.”

Garnet adjusted her glasses, lips pursed decisively, then turned to Amethyst and Pearl. “You said you saw signs of a struggle there. Were there burn marks as well?”

Amethyst finished picking her ear and affirmatively bobbed her head. “Yep, just like last time.”

Pearl noticed the wondering gaze on Steven and Connie’s faces. “Similar incidents started millennia ago, a few decades after Homeworld fled Earth and a while before we found Amethyst. The first and only time we saw the creature with our own eyes, she was fighting another corrupted gem.”

“And she won...barely,” Garnet continued. “Rose captured her afterwards, except we never saw the bubble. She never said, and we never thought much of it. At least until centuries later, when we noticed a lightning storm near Beach City. Rose insisted we stay behind.”

A heavy sigh passed Pearl’s lips. “We followed her naturally. We were worried.”

Amethyst crossed her arms and leaned against the wall. “By the time we caught up, we found her in the Strawberry Fields with a bubbled Gem,” she looked away for a moment, face softened with an odd air of solemnity, “all quiet and sad. Without a scratch, too.” Her dark eyes shifted up to the kids. “By then Garnet and Pearl figured out why she was there.”

Pearl set her hands akimbo as her gem projected an electric-blue hologram of one of the islands that surrounded the field.

“Beyond the Strawberry Field is one of many computer terminals originally used for historical records, including past military campaigns,” then the image shifted into a slim yet tall-looking hexagonal prism set on its back with smaller triangular prisms extending from the lower sides.

“We pilfered them during the Rebellion before our enemy could delete the data so we could be a step ahead. However, while any Gem could access these terminals, only certain types could directly interact with the data, let alone modify it.”

Steven cocked his head. “Like who?”

Garnet, as expected, gave a succinct answer. “An Amber, for example.”

“And the Gem she had in her hands,” Pearl added, “was not one. That’s when we finally saw her again, after all this time...but the moment we did, she disappeared in a flash of light.”

Connie suddenly adopted a worried look, childhood memories and facts from her gemology book—resin, yellow, electricity, solar plexus—mixing with the evidence to coalesce into a single picture in her mind’s eye.

“Um,” she fiddled with the end of her braid, “and where do you think this Gem she let go is now?”

Amethyst rolled her eyes with a playful, though not unkind, smirk. “Uh, besides the flower shop that popped up while we were at the barn?” She caught the incoming question in Connie’s eyes. “You and Greg mentioned ‘em at Stevo’s birthday party, remember?”

Oh right. Our Indian swordfighter blushed at forgetting that part.

“Rose had some history with the people there, so if anyone is bound to be harboring a Gem,” Pearl added, finger pointed upward in a matter of fact manner, “they’re as good a start as any.”

Connie was afraid of that.

“And what’s the plan for if she is there?” Steven could not help asking slowly, somewhat nervous at hearing the answer now that he caught onto his Jam Bud’s train of thought.

He never forgot his guardians’ distrust of Centipeetle, and while he only met the Flores family (sans this ‘Sparky’ who had been absent at the time) in passing yesterday on his way to invite Peedee to the ‘Welcome-Back-to Beach City’ slumber party, he could already tell they were great fun-loving people, and though he knew the Crystal Gems would do nothing to hurt them, landing the family into the middle of a possible interrogation did not sound fair at all.

To both children’s relief, the older Gems responded with rather sheepish stares—Pearl and Amethyst anyway. Garnet merely tilted her head down with a faint hum.

“Well,” Pearl finally began, tapping her pointer fingers together, “we’re hoping that we can establish our presence to her peacefully. Having no actual Gem to talk to besides Rose must have been lonesome for her, especially since your mother’s, um, ‘passing’.”

Garnet nodded, half-smiling at how Steven eased up at Pearl’s reply. “Meeting back with us might do her some good.”

“And besides,” Pearl continued in a more confident tone, “if she has been associating with humans all this time, then we can safely assume she won’t pose any threat—that is, of course, as long as no one provokes her.”

Steven smiled in immeasurable relief before a thought occurred to him. While Connie had her back to them, hands seemingly busy with something, he shot his fellow Gems a curious stare. “Wait. What about Lapis and Peridot? Shouldn’t they come, too?”

“Best it’s only us,” Pearl gestured a hand out, palm up, “The smaller the group, the better. But don’t worry. We’ll leave a note for in case they come by while we’re—”

“It’s going to end up a full party,” Garnet calmly interjected.

Pearl turned to the fusion with eyes scrunched in confusion yet before she could ask why, a blue light illuminated the room, bringing everyone’s attention to the Warp Pad. Steven adeptly dashed towards it with a welcoming smile, only for said smile to wane at the irritated green Gem standing on the pad, hands posed behind her back.

“Peridot? I thought you were at the barn with Lapis.”

“Lazuli has finally expressed an interest in Camp Pining Hearts. However,” her emerald eyes narrowed on the half-gem, “a source of mine, contrary to the discarded VHS casing I stumbled across, misinformed me on the program’s airing length, and since I could not locate my quarry in the barn, I decided to take my search elsewhere, starting here.”

Steven rightfully cringed. He had a feeling the technician would eventually catch onto his little white lie from weeks ago, but between the insanity of Malachite and the Cluster and everything else, the inevitability must have slipped the boy’s mind.

“Oh right, sorry.” Rubbing his nape, he offered a helping hand. “Uh, I can—”

Amethyst strolled right up, her easygoing grin bringing the technician’s attention to her and saving the kid some slack. “Oh yeah, that show. Ste-man handed the videos over ta me so we wouldn’t be short on nerd-power for the drill. Watched a few, by the way.” She waved a hand in a so-so manner. “Not exactly Lil’ Butler but I can kinda see why yer into it.”

Peridot blushed at the purple Gem’s compliment, angry façade effectively ruined. “Ah,” she coughed to save face, “then I surmise you know their location.”

“Yep!” Pivoting on her heel, the Quartz gestured Peridot to follow. “C’mon, let’s get your gooshy drama spiels back.”

Phew, nice save! Steven tossed his fellow Crystal a grateful grin as Peridot passed by. However, he impeded his teammates with a concerned tone two seconds later. “Wait, Amethyst! We’ll meet back up so you can meet Amber, right?”

Amethyst paused and ran a hand through her long white hair with a thoughtful frown. Hmm, she didn’t want to leave Peridot hanging, but at the same time the violet whip-slinger really did wanna meet this corrupted Gem Rose used to help.

Garnet gave her younger friend a faint yet comforting smile. “It’s alright, Amethyst. Take your time helping Peridot. A Gem from the war would only remember me and Pearl. Rose, too.” She spared a look at Steven, mindful. “Though that part will need some explaining.”

“Since that’s the plan,” Connie interjected with a smile, putting away the phone she’d been dialing in the meantime, “it’s a good thing Uma knows beforehand. She doesn’t take well to surprise guests." A finger tapping her shoulder made the girl pause and turn around, discovering Peridot’s inquisitive stare on her.

“Is this Amber a Crystal Gem, because if she is how was I not notified of her? Second, what manner of human designation is...,” her face contorted like a hamster fed a sour piece of candy, “‘Uma’?”

Chapter 9: Old Friend

Lapis heard everything.

Due to some subtle sarcasm on her part, she initially suspected Peridot’s attempt to introduce her to ‘Camp Pining Hearts’ to be another misconstrued joke. So color her curious when, during a light nap in the loft, she awoke to the sound of the green Gem’s grumbling and dashing out the barn.

But hey, peace is peace, right? Except when Lapis spotted the DVD casing left behind in the open barn door and glided down to take a look, her peace went south.

Cue facepalm.

And thanks to Peridot’s talkative nature, Lapis already figured out the technician’s only plausible source for more content of this show: Steven.

Now, at this point in their ’friendship’, Lapis already knew Peridot would do nothing to harm the boy, infuriation or not. However, she also knew Peridot tended to run her mouth a bit too much, particularly around a certain purple Quartz, and if that Quartz got in her head that Lapis enjoyed the same TV show she openly cold-shouldered on a daily basis, the blue Gem would never hear the end of it.

That lovely motivation in mind, our blue grump arrived onto the porch by flight (the Warp Pad would have attracted too much attention), on the verge of knocking rather than barging in to avoid making a scene.

That’s when she caught whiff of the conversation inside.

She left just as quickly, needing to see the truth for herself, if not to seek closure than at least to confirm she hadn’t been hearing things.

Now here she was, standing right in front of the designated human dwelling.

And standing.

And still standing.

...Seriously, why was she still standing?

This building contained only humans, just like the other ones she saw on the way here, and reportedly one Gem in disguise. What did Lapis, who once stole the entire ocean, have to fear from the inhabitants?

Oh yeah, like you have the right to think yourself innocent? Flashes of Steven and Connie struggling to breathe flickered in her memory, chaining her in place. Humans needed oxygen. How could she have forgotten such a basic fact, even in her anger?

Maybe it’d be best if—

“If you’re that nervous about going in, just ask.”

Lapis nearly jumped into poofing at the aged voice, and spun to the right to discover an old diminutive human female with mahogany-brown skin and tied up gray-and-black hair smiling at her, her wrinkled face a cross between comfort and playfulness. Her clothing consisted of a purple sweater open at the front, revealing a black turtle vest with a matching knee-length skirt, and medium-brown Velcro shoes with white orthopedic socks.

“Are you one of Amber’s humans?” the Water Witch asked in restrained unease.

“Depends.” The elder angled her head to the side in curiosity. “Are you one of Amber’s old friends?”

Was this human making fun of her? Lapis shook her head and, preferring not go into the details with someone she only just met, replied with a curt yes.

The elder smiled, completely unfazed by the aqua alien’s cold demeanor, as she set the broom under her arm, walked up to Lapis, and opened the door with a flourish, the bells above tinkling. “Then allow me to extend welcome to Flores and Gardening, Miss Stranger.”

Lapis resisted the urge to scowl at the title, so she settled for a disinterested grimace. “It’s Lapis Lazuli.”

“And I am Uma. It’s nice to meet you.”

Nice to meet me? The azure Gem blinked not so much in shock as much as in wonder. How can she be that welcoming already?  

Lapis stored the question at the back of her mind (for now) as she followed the old human inside.

The interior looked decent enough: wide space in the center for visitors to stroll around, burgundy tiles that felt refreshingly cool against Lapis’ bare feet, white walls lined with dark-brown shelves containing various tools for gardening, a wide display window to the Gem’s right, and a black counter on the right that divided between the majority of the room and the space close to the shelves.

Most of all, there were flowers everywhere: flower pots lining the wall, flowers in the display window, flowers on the counter, and even the shape of the human’s hair bun resembled the ‘sunflowers’ Lapis remembered seeing both before her time in the mirror and after her decision to remain on Earth.

So many colors, so many shapes, Lapis would have stumbled back from the sheer variety if Uma hadn’t nudged the tip of the broom’s handle against the water stone’s back, steadying her. Lapis immediately gave a wide berth between herself and the old lady who, once again, kept smiling in that infuriatingly cool and soothing way.

“I take you’ve never seen flowers.”

At this soft-spoken statement, Lapis scoffed—or at least tried to. Something about this human and way she effortlessly maneuvered around Lapis’ defensive attitude not so much as unsettled the water-user as much as...comforted her? “I’ve seen flowers before. Just...,” her eyes panned the entire scene, “not so many in a human’s living space.”

“Ah, another day in the life of a florist,” spoke a deep smooth voice with a rich accent Lapis could not identify. From an open doorway opposite Lapis and Uma came another human, only this one, much to the Gem’s further interest, ambled into the room through use of some transport with wheels attached to it.

“Marcus Flores, at your bllllllossomin’ service! To what do we owe this fine visit, Miss?” His face downturned into a thoughtful frown. “By the by, do you use,” his eyebrows furrowed as he waved a hand around to jog his own memory, “female pronouns?”

Not expecting that question, Lapis blinked with eyes wide and defenses down once again before shrugging. “Uh, yeah?”

Marcus smiled triumphantly in a way that revealed his shiny white teeth and gave a thumbs-up—whether for himself or Lapis, the water stone could not tell. Either way, she broke eye contact, both out of embarrassment and how increasingly these humans kept reminding her of Steven.

Only to discover the absence of Uma at her side; the Gem’s eyes soon discovered the older human at the bottom of the stairs viewable through the entrance Marcus emerged, calling for someone named ‘Kurtis’.

Seriously, where do humans come up with all these weird names?

The sound of footsteps brought Lapis’ attention to the stairs once again, where a third human, a younger cinnamon-toned male with longer black hair and definite musculature, descended down. His clothing consisted of a black T-shirt, blue jeans, and gray shoes. Once he reached the floor, he immediately noted Lapis with the best poker face the Gem had seen from anyone besides Garnet.

Only here his eyes were visible, more piercing than any blade Lapis ever saw.

Not the best sign in Water Witch’s opinion.

Fortunately, Kurtis broke eye-contact, silently nodded at Uma and proceeded into the back of the building—until three steps forwards he suddenly walked smack into thin air with a surprised ‘OOMPH’. Immediately Marcus snorted, Uma instinctively bit back a tiny smile, and even Lapis turned to hide her smirk, recollective enough of this trick to recognize the culprit.

Kurtis, face full of attempted-annoyance-coming-out-as-amusement, crossed his arms over his chest and patiently tapped his right foot, waiting.

WHOOSH.

Right in front of the young man materialized a yellow, white under-bellied, bear-like badger that towered over him by a head and a half, a circular golden gemstone on the solar plexus. The hairy being’s right paw was handling what Lapis assumed to be a container for water judging by the liquid presence she could sense inside it. She perked a questioning eyebrow at the light-green sun hat perched atop the larger Gem’s head.

When Kurtis gestured his head behind himself, Amber raised her head and locked eyes with the alien visitor in question. Every photon of Lapis’ body froze in time under that calm, unassuming stare, feeling like the times Blue Diamond would stare her down, only somehow more nerve-wracking.

At last, a wide genuine grin took over Amber’s face, accompanied by a hearty wave. Lapis hesitantly returned the gesture, taking note of a yellow bound variety of what Steven called a ‘notebook’ under the other stone’s left armpit, a writing utensil resting within the spiral spine. The badger put down the water vessel, switched the hat from her head to Kurtis’s, side-stepped him, and entered the room after a swift duck under the doorway as her body shifted into its dog form.

Lapis crossed her arms once the furry canine, which interestingly came close to Amber’s original size, stopped a foot in front of her. “You’re larger than I remember.”

Amber opened the notebook to a blank page, removed the pencil from the spine, and scribbled something down. Once she finished, she showed Lapis what she’d wrote.

You’re poutier than I remember.

A warm scoff escaped Lapis at this statement. At least no one could say this old spark-ball lost her sense of humor.

The water Gem suddenly remembered the humans around them, except none of them seemed to be paying attention to them anymore. Uma was behind the counter, talking into some kind of communication transmitter, Marcus was outside sweeping the front in the elder’s place, and Kurtis was nowhere in sight, probably to store the water vessel judging by its likewise absence.

Good, the lack of an audience will make this less awkward. With a sigh, Lapis mustered the best smile she could. “I just wanted to see how you were doing.”

Only to immediately cringe at Amber’s unchanging stare.

‘See how you were doing?’ That’s the best excuse you could think up to someone who’s not only been missing for centuries but also been living with...corruption is what the others called it, right?

Lapis hunched her shoulders in self-reprimand. “A-Ah, sorry! It’s been a while and things have been,” she pointedly looked away, eyes somber and heavy with memory, “rough.”

Okay, best to resurrect her previous façade before the discomfort increased any further. Her view returned to Amber. “Anyway, I better get going. Some Gems you might recognize are coming by soon, so I wanted to check in on you first and get out without trouble.”

Wait, why was Amber’s face scrunching—and why wasn’t she looking at her anymore? The following answer came in the form of more writing. Lapis got a sick feeling in her gemstone once she read the next sentence.

That is going to be a problem.

“How exactly?”

On cue, the bells sounded off again.

“Hello, Lapis.”

Chapter 10: A Late Welcome

Stark as ice: exactly how Garnet’s greeting made Lapis feel. With gritted teeth and a mumbled ‘Oh shatter me’, she faced the shop’s new visitors with an ill-concealed grimace.

Perfect.

Lovely.

Positively fantastic.

Apparently the universe considered Lapis’ wish to have a private conversation with the last remaining Gem from her past that she considered a friend—or close to one at least—too much of a favor.

Steven’s pleasant rush-hug barely perked her mood either, even while she instinctively wrapped her thin arms around the boy in return. She regarded Garnet, Pearl, Peridot, and Amethyst with a scowl, albeit a tempered one once she noticed Connie standing beside the maroon fusion with a wary expression.

“What are you all doing here?”

“Eh,” Amethyst shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly, once again (much to Lapis’ eternal annoyance) utterly unaffected by the icy attitude, “extending hands of friendship, coming in peace, yadda, yadda, yadda,” and relaxed her hands behind her head, “that sorta thing.”

Pearl clapped her hands together, a touch of exasperation tainting her tone. “What Amethyst is trying to say is, um”—seconds later she crossed her arms with a resigned sigh, “exactly what she said.”

She pointedly ignored Amethyst’s snort of amusement. “We were hoping to arrive with a smaller...,” she briefly broke eye-contact with Lapis, “entourage, only Amethyst and Peridot joined us at the last second. We didn’t want to startle anyone.”

Amethyst eye-rolled as she sent a teasing elbow to her teammate’s ribs. “Aw, c’mon, Pearl! You think me and Peri would miss out on this?”

Peridot lay too deep in interest towards the curious-eyed fur ball to affirm her purple associate’s words. A mind-damaged Gem peaceably living amongst humans: now there hid some interesting potentials. She remained behind Garnet’s sturdy legs, though, just to be—

Suddenly Amber got up on her hind legs to stick her big black nose into Steven’s bushy black hair, an action that made the boy giggle and loosen his grip on Lapis, before licking his face like any actual dog would. Pearl would have snatched Steven back if not for Garnet’s firm assuring hand on her shoulder.

Connie held back a giggle as she discreetly took out her phone again. She was definitely taking a picture of this.

“I’m Steven, and we’re the WTBC Committee! Sorry we didn’t get to meet yesterday; you were probably busy, but’s that okay!” Steven exclaimed as he spread arms open wide, starry trademark grin in place. “Better late than never!”

Amber readily returned the grin; she liked this kid already. Out of her peripheral, she noticed the confusion in Lapis’ downward gaze at the boy, likely because he had said so much on one breath.

“The ‘Welcome to Beach City’ Committee, Blue Belle! Get that pretty head in the game!” Marcus called as he shut the front door behind him and set the broom against the wall before cruising towards the group, Lapis’ threatening eye-twitch not fazing him at all. “Can’t be a newcomer to Beach City without at least one fine hello from this bunch. Speaking of which,” he turned to Garnet with a hand extended in greeting, “nice to see you all still in top form.”

Garnet smiled as she returned the handshake. “Likewise. Family doing alright?”

Marcus stuck his tongue out the side of his mouth. “Nobody’s set the town on fire yet, and the popo haven’t shown up, so I must be doing something right.”

And cue Amethyst’s boisterous snort.

Pearl plastered on a polite smile. “Yes well, while we are happy to welcome you all back to Beach City, we came here to work something out with Amber,” she turned to said Gem, “maybe even continue from where you and Rose left off. If you could hand me some of the notes she made on your progress, the process can go much smoother.”

That statement got Peridot’s attention. Rose Quartz made notes on this anomaly? Definitely not intel privy to the technician’s knowledge. The emerald stone could not deny a sense of intrigue towards this detail.

Meanwhile Amber backed off of Steven and then pointed a paw at Connie, gesturing the girl to come over. Connie blinked in wonder, lips pursed; at Steven’s shrug, she decided to comply and drew closer. “Um, hi. I’m Connie Maheswaran, you probably remember me from when Kurtis would babysit me. What do you need?”

The answer became clear once Amber started gesturing her paws as though she were texting. “Oh! I see! Is it okay if I speak for you then?”

Surprise crossed Amber’s face for some reason, though she hastily wiped it off with a thankful smile. Once Connie switched to the typing app of her phone, Amber tapped the device with her nose and before the girl’s and Steven’s mystified eyes, words started typing onto the screen by themselves.

“Whoa—Oh! Um...,” Connie recovered with a clear of her throat before reciting in a clear tone, “My apologies, but I am afraid that will not be possible. The...’last time’ Rose and I rendezvoused, I left everything I recorded on the terminal.”

Pearl tapped her chin, a thoughtful hum echoing. “That’s fine. We already know where it is to begin with, which only leaves the matter of the cure itself. Given everyone’s collective knowledge on corruption so far, yours included, finding the solution should go much smoother.”

“True.”

“So then you’ll let us help you.”

BZZZZZZZZZ!

The incorrect buzzer sound effect blaring from Connie’ phone said everything, everyone but Garnet, Marcus, Uma, and Amber herself flinching in surprise at it.

Pearl had to hold back a blush at the nonverbal flip-off. She should’ve expected the yellow Gem would prove difficult...not that she lacked good reason. “Oh...o-of course, well we don’t need the information urgently, mind you. However, there are underlying time restraints you should”—

“Take all the time you need,” Lapis interjected, taking no small amount of pleasure in Pearl’s vexed glare. She stepped closer and hovered a hand over her mouth. “Trust me,” she whispered, “considering some of these guys, you’ll need a while.”

That advice got the golden Gem stifling a chuckle. (Connie, too, who’d been close enough to overhear, though the girl wisely hid her expression behind her free hand.) A tug on the left paw brought her attention back down to Steven, whose grand smile disarmed her just as much as his next words did.

“But we can still hang out with you right?”

Connie didn’t even need her phone to translate Amber’s wide-eyed amazement and bashful break in eye-contact.

“She guesses.”

Steven’s whoop echoed throughout the shop.

No one noticed Uma going into the back.

---

“Kurtis.”

At his elder’s soft-spoken call, the young man paused amongst watering the flowers.

“Aren’t you going to welcome our guests?”

That question sounded innocuous, but Kurtis knew his grandmother long enough to know better. He rotated to face her, the pink apron that reached past his knees flowing with the motion. “They came for Amber, not us.”

Uma cast a knowing smirk at her grandson, hardly surprised he heard that part of the conversation. “Pearl and Amethyst and Garnet, true; Lapis seems happy to see her at least. And Steven and Connie seem the same way about you, too. Would be a shame if you didn’t get to say hi to the two of them, don’t you agree?”

A few moments of pregnant silence passed.

When Kurtis’s shoulders finally slumped in defeat, Uma fist-pumped in her mind; right where she wanted him. Without another word, she returned to the shop, her grandson dutifully (and semi-reluctantly) following, apron and watering can cast aside.

The moment they emerged, all bets were off.

“Eyyyyyy! There’s the little sad sack!”

A pout formed against Kurtis’s will at Amethyst’s call-out. Why did so many people think that about him? Despite his inner irritation, he managed a meek wave to the Gems. Garnet nodded; Pearl returned the wave with a nervous grin; Amethyst wiggled her fingers in a vaguely flirty manner; Lapis, who already saw him once, regarded him with a bored look; and Peridot squinted at him for some reason.

Whatever. Connie and Steven grabbed his attention the moment the former latched her arms onto his left leg while her star-eyed other half clung to the other. Kurtis tousled both their hairs, smiling softly when they giggled in return.

Just then, the cell in his right pants pocket started vibrating, the kids pulling away as he checked his ebony phone. A quick check of the messages confirmed that Kiki had to reschedule their study date, meant to be today in currently ten minutes, due to some ‘freak accident with the yeast’.

At once Kurtis felt both irritation and relief.

There went his getaway card for avoiding any more ensuing awkwardness with the ‘guests’. On the bright side, at least he wouldn’t have to worry about disappointing his little sister-figure and the younger boy, who seemed like a genuinely nice kid.

Sensing the man’s ambivalent mood, Connie took out her own phone. “I called my mom after I called Uma. She said I can stay with you as long as I’m back in time for my violin lesson. So if you want, we hang out to fill out the hole in your schedule.”

“Guys,” Steven turned to the Gems with a hopeful expression, “is it okay if I hang out with Kurtis today, too?” He really wanted to get to know the guy who used to look after Connie because, hey, if his best friend (cool herself) thought the guy was cool, then he was already okay in Steven’s book!

Pearl pursed her lips, unsure, her sky-blue eyes lingering on the surprised youth in question. “Um, I suppose.”

Garnet shrugged. “I see no harm in it.”

While Steven and Connie shared an ecstatic high-five, Kurtis turned to his grandmother and father and Amber with a questioning, almost concerned, look.

Marcus waved a dismissive hand. “Oh, c’mon! Like we’re not used to alien presences in our home. We’ll be fine! Ta be fair, though, I thought you’d be stickin’ around ta hang with Amber’s old friends. Practically a sci-fi film knockin’ right on our doorstep!”

Kurtis pointedly looked away, hoping against hope no one could see his blush, flinching when Amethyst sauntered up and administered a hearty slap to the small of his back.

“Yo, you guys tryin’ to ditch me or what?” At Kurtis’s wary stare, Amethyst threw her hands up in metaphorical defense. “Seriously, man, we haven’t hung out since we were kids—well, since you were a kid, but ya get what I mean. So c’mon,” she dropped the joking tone as her face became sincere, “for old times’ sake.”

A brief bout of stare-down. Kurtis pinched his eyes and shot a careworn chuckle. “Alright.”

Amethyst finger-snapped with a wink then turned to Peridot and Lapis. “Yo, Peri, Lap-a-Lazy, wanna join in?”

Peridot tapped her chin, indecisive for a moment, before gesturing her hands in genuine apology. “I’d love to, but I feel now is a big opportunity to learn more about this ‘corruption’, much less how this one,” she gestured to Amber, “has managed to coexist with humans if this condition is as debilitating as you all suggested on the way here.”

Steven crossed his arms with a considerate hum. “Sounds fair. Lapis?”

The blue Gem shook her head, small smile signaling her regret as well. “Some other day.” At Steven’s despondent gaze, she patted his shoulder before turning to her older friend, “I still need time to take this all in. We have plenty of time to catch up.”

Amber gave an understanding nod and grin, although Steven suspected a bit of sadness in the expression.

That’s okay. If you ever change your mind, just look for my funky hide.

She morphed her fur color into a mobile rainbow, invoking a series of ‘whoa’ and ‘cool’ from the kids and Amethyst.

Even Peridot could not deny her awe.

Interesting use of her photonic abilities. I could get to like her.

Chapter 11: A Day Out

Notes:

Second Afternoon After Steven Floats; A Few Days Before “Drop Beat Dad”

At this moment of time, Kurtis realized an important fact of life.

Never let Steven and Amethyst decide the first stop.

Which, in this case, turned out to be Beach City Fries.

“KURT, IS EVERYTHING OKAY?!”

Because the sight of Ronaldo bursting his head out the service window, voice at full volume? Not healthy for the heart.

Ronaldo must had seen Peridot enter Flores and Gardening earlier because the moment he spotted the gang at the window, he demanded answers from Steven and Amethyst and Connie about the ‘eco-terrorist android’ and her intentions for the local fauna of Beach City.

And the entire Flores family’s well-being, much to everyone else’s surprise and Kurtis’s melted heart.

Peedee, who handed Steven his usual fry bits right before Ronaldo interrupted, tugged at his older brother’s shirt with routine exasperation. “Ugh, Ronaldo! Get back to the fryer before Dad sees this! You can do this later.”

Ronaldo turned to his younger sibling with dejected eyes. “But Peedeeeeee! This is import”—

A strong hand gripped the portly teen by the collar of his Fieri shirt and, faster than a blink, he found Kurtis up close and personal to the point of their noses touching.

Everyone gaped in shock at the reticent teen displaying such roughness.

“Calm. Down,” Kurtis stated in a low firm tone and nothing more. Connie released a relieved sigh, thankful for the lack of a scene...but then heard the following words. “Amber is with the Crystal Gems and the android. We can transfer their conversations to your laptop later.”

The blogger’s bottom lip jutted out and his eyes sparkled like those of a puppy presented a treat. “Promise?”

Kurtis smiled minutely. “Promise.”

Ronaldo locked the other male in a sudden brief yet intense bear hug, strong enough to almost knock his friend’s glasses off, smile grand and alit as though someone granted him the key to the cosmos. Probably not too far off in hindsight. Kurtis patted the chubbier teen’s back in a way that should have been awkward in that position but somehow came out genuine instead.

Once the two teens ended their moment and anyone else who fancied a meal got their orders (namely Kurtis and his curly fries with ketchup), the group departed for the beach.

Ten feet later, Kurtis felt a gentle yet incessant tug at his pants. A glance down revealed Steven giving him an interested smile.

“You and Ronaldo must be really good friends.”

Kurtis angled his glasses to cast an inquisitive stare on the younger boy. Our half-Gem hero hardly flinched as he let go.

“I mean it. Ronaldo’s a really cool guy once you get ta know ‘im. He just gets a little ahead of himself sometimes.”

Connie pursed her lips, not quite siding with her Jam Bud on that opinion. While she did not know Ronaldo personally well and knew better than to just write him off as trouble (the guy never came off as someone to act like a jerk for no apparent reason), the thought of enlightening the same guy that kidnapped her best friend and later accused him and his family of endangering Beach City did not sit well with her.

Then again, she remembered and reacquainted with Kurtis enough over the past weeks before Steven and the Gems’ return to know he never associated with such people without good reason. And Steven still had gall to hang around Ronaldo and treat him as a friend despite all that happened between them.

In silent defeat, Connie heaved a light sigh. Their intuitions’ hardly let me down before.

At Steven’s comment, Kurtis shrugged. Nothing he hadn’t figured out about the blogger beforehand. Still the florist had to admire the kid’s optimism. An elbow to the left arm dragged his attention to Amethyst.

“So yer are buds then, huh? Color me surprised,” she shapeshifted into a violet counterpart of Kurtis himself, voice deep and monotone, “I hate being annoyed. That’s why I like looking grumpy. How else can I get some alone time?”

While Steven and Connie held back snorts at this display, Kurtis perked an eyebrow at the performance, secretly amused behind the stoicism, before switching his attention to the kids.

Connie shook her head, empathetic grin showing. “She does this a lot.”

“She’s super good at it, too,” Steven added.

The florist looked back at his lookalike, who fluttered eyelashes back at him, expectant on his answer.

“You got it wrong.”

When Amethyst’s face twisted in confusion, Kurtis pointed to his own eyes. The purple doppelganger facepalmed, eyes rolling skyward— “Oh duh!”—before fashioning Lennon glasses of her own, jazz hands included.

Kurtis nodded in approval. Much better.

“Okay, now that looks more like your moody self.”

That familiar sass, coupled with an old engine’s grumble, diverted attention to further down the boardwalk, from which came a pizza jeep that seated two unmistakable characters. Steven hopped up and down with starry eyes before dashing towards them, the others following in his wake at a calmer pace.

“Jenny, Buck!”

“Yoooooo!” Amethyst added as she reverted to her usual self, waving a hand high above. “What up?”

“Hey Steven! Hey Amethyst!” Jenny returned. Her eyes caught sight of Connie. “Oh hey, Connie Maheswaran, right? Steven’s told us you’re a pretty cool kid.”

“Kurtis said the same at the party yesterday,” Buck added in his usual laidback monotone. “Says you’re pretty sharp.”

With a blush and fiddle of her hands, Connie blinked at the compliments, not expecting to hear them from popular kids she barely knew. To be fair, though, she shouldn’t have been as surprised that two of her favorite people shared such positive descriptions of her, especially Steven.

She brushed back her hair with a modest smile. “Heh, well thank you.”

“Anyway,” Jenny continued, “we came by to remind ya and Amethyst of the gig he’s setting up for this weekend, Steven.”

“Oh yeah!” Steven balled his hands in excitement, eyes brighter than all the stars in Andromeda, as he turned to Kurtis and Connie. “Sour Cream’s got this cool extra-special rave he does every year! There’s gonna be food and music and a whole bunch of other awesome things! You gotta come!”

Kurtis shared a look with Connie, who offered an assuring nod and grin, before looking back at Jenny and Buck. “What time?”

“Saturday evening,” Buck answered, “at the old warehouse.”

Connie crossed her arms and turned her gaze downward, thinking the invitation over. While she had improved on her social anxieties since last time, she still got a bit nervous about dancing in public sometimes. However, if she had Steven and now Kurtis there, then their presences could take the edge off.

“Well, I’ve got nothing planned for then,” she poised her hands behind herself and gave Steven a saddened frown, “but my parents still get pretty wary about me being out at night.”

At this point, everyone’s eyes shifted to Kurtis, the man scrutinizing Connie and Steven’s abrupt hopeful eyes like a judge.

“No later than ten.”

That point-blank proviso earned him a hearty slap on the back from Amethyst.

“Attaboy!”

Jenny stiffened at a sudden thought. “Oh that reminds me. We also drove by cuz me and Buck figured SC is gonna need some help getting the equipment out tomorrow,” she scoffed in exhaustion, “Trust me, that stuff is killer heavy! ‘Cept me and Kiki both got our hands full with work that day and Buck’s got a family reunion that won’t end ‘til the day of the rave.”

Like a sugar-fueled rocket, Steven’s hand shot up at blinding speed. “Oh, oh! I can help!” Then he turned to Kurtis, Connie, and Amethyst. “Guys?”

Connie offered an apologetic grin. “Can’t. My schedule’s swamped until then, too.”

Amethyst raised both her hands in a ‘we’ll see’ manner. “No promises.”

Much as she genuinely supported Vidalia’s firstborn, the demands of life as a Crystal Gem could be downright capricious. Of course, one could say the same for Steven and arguably Connie, but then again Amethyst and the other Gems didn’t have to worry about matters such as school or maintaining ties with all facets of a diverse heritage.

Mostly, though, she just wanted to weasel out of additional busywork to her ‘schedule’.

Regardless, she snapped her fingers at Jenny and Buck. “But hey, don’t go thinkin’ I’ll be a no-show once Sour starts his thing!” Free food and music, after all.

Jenny’s dark eyes narrowed in on the only person who hadn’t objected. “Well, Kurtis Flores, I know for certain you can’t talk your way outta this. C’mon, you’re practically done with your summer classes, and the fall ones won’t start ‘til next week! Besides, what’s the point of those muscles if you’re not gonna use ‘em?”

Hard to refute that logic, Kurtis mused as his face scrunched from considering the offer.  Sour Cream had turned out to be a cool dude judging by the few parties the Lenape-Latino elected to attend. And considering how difficult Amber had gotten lately over certain matters, some time away from her might do some good for everyone.

Once again, screw Jenny and her uncanny ability to argue.

With a halfhearted smirk, Kurtis threw his hands up in surrender.

---

As did Peridot once the quirky quartet returned to the shop an hour later.

The technician was pacing back and forth on the boardwalk, hands in her hair, grumbling to herself. She never even noticed Steven and Amethyst calling her name, that was how lost the unexplained frustration rendered her.

“...doesn’t make any sense...follows no logic!”

Garnet and Pearl were off to the side, talking in hushed tones and judging by the rigidity in the former’s crossed arms and latter’s worried tone, their topic of conversation did not bode good news either.

Steven shared a look with Connie, puzzled, before he approached his caretakers with meek steps.

Pearl noticed him first; she plastered on a cheery smile that failed to reach her eyes. “Oh, um, Steven, Connie, everyone! You’re back!”

“Geez Pearl,” Amethyst scanned her eyes from Pearl to Garnet to Peridot then back, usual joviality gone from her voice, “what’s eating everybody?”

When Pearl struggled to answer, Steven angled his head with a tiny frown. “Pearl, did something bad happen with Amber?”

At this question, Pearl held her hands up, frantic. “No! No, nothing...bad, per say. We’re only experiencing a slight...compromise.” When the worried gazes on Steven and Connie’s faces and the puzzled one on Amethyst’s refused to let up, Pearl angled her face to the side, one hand to her mouth and the other on her elbow.

“She needs our help,” she finally murmured. For some reason, Pearl did not smile when she stated this, a fact that worried the three greatly. “It’s just...”

“She wants no help herself!” Peridot screeched skyward from behind everyone.

How did that make—Connie shook her head, bewilderment growing with each passing second. “So, wait, Amber needs our help but doesn’t want it?”

Amethyst scoffed. “Okay, you guys are makin’ no sense. Either she wants to be healed or she doesn’t. Which is it?”

Though Amethyst had taken care to keep her voice even, the stress showed on Pearl’s face as she faced the younger Gem with a firm yet still heartbroken countenance, sighing as she did. “She wants to cure all the Gems the Diamonds damaged. All except for herself.”

“But why?” Steven asked, starting to catch onto Peridot’s disbelief.

A silent discreet stare passed between Garnet and Kurtis, who’d been in the background the whole time, unreactive and observant.

They mutually nodded and Garnet returned her attention to the others.

“Amber wants to stay corrupted.”

Chapter 12: Best Explain

Notes:

Second Afternoon After Steven Floats; A Few Days Before “Drop Beat Dad”

A shimmering lake lay in the distance, the blue of its waters deepened by the night.

Mighty trees stood like sentinels below heavens framed by receding sunlight—purples, tangerines, scarlets, and azures— amongst darkened clouds while starlight snaked across as ribbons of white.

Far below, firelight fluctuated like the gentlest of heartbeats, its glow painting the humans around it a breathtaking orange.

Amazing how such simple displays could still bring calm and focus after all these centuries.

And sitting upon a cliff in the middle of all this, peace of mind restored, was—

“Amber?”

All beauty evaporated instantly, back to memory and nothing more. The cliff dematerialized into a plushy chestnut armchair, large enough to comically accentuate Amber’s tiny stature, notebook and pencil from earlier to her right. The thick book she’d been reading clattered to the floor, its former holder startled as her gemstone lost its ethereal glow and her eyes locked onto the concerned intruder in the doorway.

Steven held his hands up in apology, offering a placating smile. “Sorry about that,” he gestured his head to the older male behind him without breaking eye-contact, “I should’ve listened to Kurtis about knocking first.”

Though in all fairness, the young rockling figured Amber would be the type to seek comfort in a library, even before Kurtis brought him along. Not that Steven could blame her; libraries are good for peace and quiet. Pearl and Connie would enjoy Amber’s idea of relaxation.

Speaking of Connie, she wanted to check up on the yellow Gem out of concern—a bit of curiosity, too—but Dr. Maheswaran arrived moments ago, leaving the girl to request Steven for a later update on Amber’s status.

Oh, our young pacifist had to bite his cheek from squealing at the cuteness before him: a squat golden mole/hedgehog with flat umber plates in place of quills; same white underbelly; chubby snout that tapered to a plump nose; shovel-like hands that ended in four white claws on each; and round clawed feet.

Sweet Cookie Cats, Amber looked so huggable!

But upon noticing the discomfort on Amber’s face, Steven wisely kept such thoughts at bay lest he speak them aloud and risk upsetting the mole...hog?

Molehog? Yeah, that works!

With a clear of his throat, Steven rubbed his right arm with a tiny unsure frown, “Amber. Not that I don’t appreciate your help,” then shrugged helplessly, “I just don’t get why you wanna stay corrupted. It’s...”

A somber sigh escaped the furry stone, eyes gleaming with wistful frustration at the boy’s loss for words. She reached for her notebook and pencil, wrote something, and then flipped it around.

Stupid?

Steven frowned at the question, a little hurt that Amber expected such insensitivity from him. That was so not the word he was gonna use. Before he could put this feeling into words, Amber continued.

It’s okay if you do. I should want to be healed, to be myself again. But I don’t. 

“Why?” the half Gem balked, “Not being corrupted anymore means you’ll feel better...,” only to scrunch his face, “right?”

Kurtis furrowed his brows at the hesitancy punctuating Steven’s statement. This kid sounded like he didn’t have the full picture on corruption yet.

An observation with which Amber agreed as evidenced by her bittersweet smile. Steven, I’ve been corrupted for as long as the Rebellion’s been over. That’s 5000-plus years. Then there’s this...

After she lifted her left claw, Steven gasped when the limb glimmered into a normal hand covered by a black rubber glove emblazoned with a golden star on the forearm. The boy could only gape at her in wonder.

“Three days ago,” Kurt interjected the moment Steven opened his mouth to ask.

That long? Steven turned to Amber with creased eyes and a slight tilt of his head, unsure on the appropriateness of the next question on his mind. Geez, what he wouldn’t give for a guide on Gem stuff.

“Are you saying you’re scared of getting better?”

I’ve known corruption for so long. My other forms, the friends and family I’ve made while like this—if I return to my original self, how will I know I won’t lose any of this?

As if on cue, her hand reverted into its clawed self, the last flicker fading almost pleadingly. Kurtis stepped forward, got to his knees and took gentle hold of that hand, mindful of the sharp digits, and rubbed the palm with soothing strokes. Amber acknowledged the gesture with a faint yet thankful smile.

Steven smiled as well at the sight, happy that Amber had a support system, which was a lot more than he could say for nearly all the other corrupted Gems. The young Quartz pursed his lips a moment, eyes diverted to a nearby bookshelf. That’s when he noticed the copy of Sun in the Sakura, the greenness of the spine staring back as though in encouragement.

His eyes returned to Amber.

“We can visit you if you’d like.”

Amber already implied she’d be visiting them to help with the corruption at large. Why not return the favor? And Garnet did say seeing other Gems might do the golden stone some good. Besides, even if she’d stay corrupted, she was still a Crystal Gem—or at least Garnet and Pearl and Lapis’ friend.

Amber and Kurtis stared at him, a reluctant hope in the former’s eyes much to the Universe kid’s joy.

“Pearl, Garnet, and Lapis wanna be friends with you again, and Amethyst and Peridot looked like they wanted to know you better, too.” He spread his arms wide to indicate the entire room. “You could even show ‘em stuff like this! Peridot’s really gotten into human stuff and Pearl knows lots of stuff about history! Think of the long-winded conversations you guys could have!”

Kurtis and Amber stared at him for a while, one stoic as usual and the other thoughtful, then shared a long contemplative look, the light in their eyes fluctuating as though in conversation...until at last Amber faced Steven with a shy yet genuine smile.

That does sound nice. Despite herself, she felt a warmth blossom in her gemstone at Steven’s brightening countenance.  I didn’t cause an atmospheric lightshow for nothing.

That quip inspired a giggle out of Steven. Even Kurtis could not help but pull a faint grin, though that switched to surprise when the younger boy’s face firmed up in determination.

“And even if you don’t want your old form back, that doesn’t mean the Gems won’t want anything to do with you.” He even balled his fists up, hearty grin never wavering. “Whatever happens we’ve all got your back!”

That. That...took Amber off guard completely.

Not the assertion itself; she would have expected no less from someone who shared the better parts of Rose’s personality. She just never expected the sheer drive behind the spoken words, much less the amount of faith Steven had in his own team.

No, Amber reminded herself, of course he’d say stuff like this. He’s more than just Rose.

A hint of sorrow took over Amber as she gestured to her own navel, making sure to pull a thoughtful expression to show there was no pressure. Steven, to her relief, caught on quickly and nodded before lifting his shirt up to reveal his pink gemstone.

After a few moments of pregnant silence, Amber scribbled something down then looked away, forlorn.

So then she really is gone.

Letting his shirt back down, Steven felt his face turn downcast, already knowing the emotional drill by this point yet feeling smaller regardless. Garnet, Pearl, Amethyst, Dad, even Jasper in her own way: they all expressed their loss of Rose Quartz in one way or another. And he knew no matter what he tried to cheer her up, Amber would need time to move on.

Just as well.

When Steven and even Kurtis eyed her in shock and confusion, Amber continued. This time, she took even longer to write, a fact that signaled Steven to brace himself for a lengthy explanation.

I already discussed this with the others. The War made Rose do things she wished she never had to. I’m not saying she didn’t love you or didn’t want you, but I think part of the reason she had you stemmed from her desire to atone. And while I don’t know you as well as the others do, I believe she made the right choice.

Wow.

Steven expected a little honesty since Amber didn’t know him that well, sure, but nothing of this magnitude. And though the idea of being someone else’s atonement lacked a degree of comfort, Steven accepted it with a thankful smile. He knew his mother loved him, but hearing these bits of truth about her helped him build a more complete picture of the Gem who brought him into this world.

His train of thought broke when his peripherals caught sight of the thick book Amber dropped earlier. Picking the item up, Steven took a long look at the black cursive title: Lesser Known Mythologies. So focused on the book, he missed the way the older Gem’s shoulders tensed.

“You must really like reading this sort of stuff,” he handed back the volume to the lemony fuzzball, who managed to relax before he faced her, “Have you ever been to any of the places these myths came from?”

Amber gestured her free paw in a so-so manner, which turned out sufficient enough of a reason for Steven to get starry-eyed again, gasping in excitement.

Unfortunately, the time for sharing tales of globetrotting would have to wait another day. At that moment, Kurtis tapped a finger against the book to get Amber and Steven’s attention then pointed to the waning sunlight streaming through the window.

“It’s almost dark.”

---

 A minute later, Amber was standing in the doorway as Steven returned home with the other Gems, smiling when the boy gave her one last wave goodbye before disappearing in the distance. She waved a paw back, glad to have met someone so nice.

Here’s to your own legacy, Starman Jr.

So intent on her thoughts, the sound of nearing wheels escaped her notice until the accompanying voice spoke.

“What you told Stevie ain’t the only reason you’re afraid of healing, is it?”

Amber could only sigh. Figures Kurtis would tell Marcus; Uma no doubt knows, too, though it’s unlikely she needed anyone to tell her in the first place. The canine inclined her head downward, resigned to the upcoming sermon. A warm calloused hand rubbed circles into her back instead.

“C’mon, they gotta know better than to copy Rose’s mistake. A lot can change in a couple of years, even for rocks.”

Despite the softness of his voice and surety in his tone, the assurance lessened neither Amber’s nervousness nor her frown. Marcus noticed this and drew his hand back, knowing better than to push his luck. Though judging by today’s events, he could say the same about his little lightning bug.

With an empathetic smile tugging at his wrinkled face, the Peruvian picked the yellow dog up and held her tight, nuzzling the canine’s head with his cheek, relieved when she leaned into him in return.

“Welp, if you do tell the whole story behind you and Rosie and all chaos breaks out, expect backup.”

Only at hearing that assurance did Amber finally shift her view from the departing Gems to Marcus, nodding in thanks, then towards the darkening sky.

Somewhere amongst the appearing stars, the galaxy once home to her twinkled.

Chapter 13: First Session...Kind Of

Notes:

Day of "Drop Beat Dad"

Scrapping claws lightly dragged behind as Amber followed Pearl down the steps leading into the Sky Arena, notebook and pencil and a honey-orange cellphone cradled in the crook of her left arm.

The past few days since the reunion turned out to be uneventful. While Amber’s near-daily visits to the Temple switched up everyone’s routine, they hadn’t imposed any significant change other than the temporary addition of another Gem in the house and an extra activity on Quill Mom’s schedule.

All the golden rock had been doing consisted of examining the abode, getting a feel for the place, Steven offering his humble services by explaining everything’s location.

But beneath the surface, Amber could sense the tension underlying the interactions between her and the other older Gems, a notion that did not go unshared.

Steven showed only openness and welcome while Amethyst seemed neutral if not curious. Peridot and Lapis hadn’t dropped by yet so their take remained unknown, though Amber suspected the former was still racking her illusory skull over corruption. No idea about Lapis.

Then there were Pearl and Garnet with their constant aura of concern. Not that Amber suspected they viewed her as a threat; rather that, like Steven, they perceived her ‘resolve’ as less than comforting. To their credit, the fusion and knight unanimously circumvented this topic altogether in lieu of catching up with Amber, seeing what she’d been up to all this time.

Not until the topic of ‘certain spats over the years’ came up did Pearl realize something important: Amber had gotten accustomed to fighting corrupted Gems all these centuries. And with Yellow Diamond’s imminent suspicion over Peridot’s betrayal, the Cluster’s lack of activation, and the Ruby Squad’s lack of reports on Jasper—

“Have you considered training with us?”

Amber’s continued focus on the teacup in her clawed hands had sent the lean Gem backtracking quickly, recalling her mistake from days ago.

Pearl only got as far as ‘Just in case you’re in a tight spot or’ before Amber had finished her tea then turned and walked over to the Warp Pad, her patient stare expecting Pearl to follow through on the offer, much to the leaner lithomorph’s surprise.

Not that I can blame her. I had to face this sooner or later. That fact did nothing to ease Amber’s nerves, even moments later as the stone-tiled openness beckoned her to demonstrate her full potential.

Clasping her hands together with peppy vigor, Pearl faced the smaller stone with a grand smile. “Alright, since you’ve been missing in action for so long, it’s only fair we start with the basics. Though considering your performance at the Kindergarten, those shouldn’t take long for you!”

On cue with its owner’s frisk claps, the oval gemstone on her head glimmered white before projecting a large light like a projector onto the arena center, the light taking shape into a neon-blue version of Pearl herself.  The moment two white diamonds took shape where the copy’s eyes belonged, a robotic facsimile of the original’s voice sprang forth from its flashing angular mouth.

A loud robotic facsimile.

DO YOU WISH TO ENGAGE IN COMBAT, AMBER?

Uh huh, the yellow Gem, grimacing from the volume, mused with a half-lidded stare at the Holo-Pearl before sending a questioning eyebrow at the genuine article. This thing already knows my name apparently.

Pearl gestured a hand to her flickering double, unabashed. “I just thought it’d do to be ready when necessary.”

Amber decided against focusing on the ‘when’ in place of ‘if’. Count on Pearl to subtly zero in on inevitabilities. Ah well, the preparation was still a nice gesture. After setting her belongings down on a nearby seat, Amber did a few limb-stretches then stepped forward, hardly batting an eye when a sword sprung into existence in Holo-Pearl’s right hand.

Or when seven more of them, also armed with swords, materialized in a circle, surrounding their tiny target.

Her peripherals caught the mild surprise on Pearl’s face. From my lack of surprise, no doubt. Here’s hoping my confidence isn’t misplaced.

“Begin!”

Diamond eyes, now red, zeroed in.

Three sharp thrusts to her left: flamenco-spin to the right.

Diagonal strike from the right: MJ-lean to the left followed by spinning kick, leaving a gash in the Holo-Pearl’s chest and destroying her. One down, seven to go.

Horizontal slashes from front and back: full front split, causing her opponents to slice each other instead and fizz out of existence. Five left.

Three coming in with ballet twirls from three different directions: high spinning leap just before the blades connected while quills fired in all directions, missing the holograms completely... until the projectiles, forming a perfect circle, lit up and electrocuted their targets into oblivion. Only two more.

Speaking of which, the survivors, who’d been hanging back until now, performed The Robot to fuse into a dual-wielding version of their selves.

Land and cue stare down, dust unsettled by the near-silent wind.

One...two...

Mega-Pearl made the first move, charging in with a spinning swipe that Amber jumped over, scrapping the ground where the molehog had been. To the left, to the back, weave around the legs: everywhere Amber went, Mega-Pearl tried to keep track, unable to attack at such close range.

Until finally the hologram managed to sidestep far enough and slash.

Only for Amber warp out of existence then reappear on the goliath’s outstretched arm, a current of chain lightning spreading from her feet all over her opponent, allowing her to string around Mega-Pearl’s body like an electron and resist being thrown off despite the hologram’s fierce attempts to—

BZZZKTT!

Mega-Pearl stiffened, swords falling to her sides with a clatter while her eyes abruptly returned to their original white, her form flickering like bad reception. Then like a tree, she fell face-first and dissipated into fritz upon impact, swords fizzing out as well.

Amber landed a foot away from where her opponent collapsed, claws sparkling from the final blow, still alert, still ready.

Clap! Clap!

“That’s enough for now.”

Amber looked upward just in time to see Pearl approach her with a contemplative chin-rub and remained tense, wary as to what the knight had to say.

Empathy had never been Pearl’s strongest forte, but her sharp eyes knew they hadn’t imagined the resigned way in which Amber faced her like a child bracing for punishment. The taller Gem faced her friend with a ginger look of curiosity. The molehog shuffled her feet and Pearl twiddled her index fingers, both aware of the metaphorical elephant yet unsure how to acknowledge it.

Before too long, Pearl cleared her throat. “Some of those moves you used. Did you...learn those from humans?”

Automatically Pearl could sense the slight incidental charge of particles in the air. She couldn’t exactly blame Amber for feeling self-conscious about this issue, least of all around her. “I’m not going to condemn you for that if that’s what’s worrying you,” she sighed, “I admit: my views of them have never been the most flattering. Regardless, their ways of fighting are nothing to scoff at.”

Humans were more physically fragile than Gems, yes; for that exact reason, however, they excelled at using other forms of fighting besides brute force. Most of them would have shied away from Gems anyway, let alone corrupted ones, so Amber’s teachers had to have been exceptional individuals. Besides, they’d been her only option for the longest time.

Pearl stifled a chuckle at how Amber’s eyes widened at her in wonder. “Oh come on now!” she retorted with crossed arms, “Give me more credit than that at least.”

Amber shook her head with a good-natured scoff, hands akimbo. Okay, I jumped the boat there. Still...

Seeing the lingering questions in Pearl’s eyes, the yellow Gem returned to where she left her belongings and returned with the notebook and pencil, writing down her next statement on the way back.

Apparently, the terminals make for good combat simulation. Just have to tweak the programming a bit, insert some data, and viola, perfect holograms—colors, voices, and everything!

“I see,” Pearl commented with contemplative chin rub, impressed, “That’s how you could practice the techniques of your human teachers to keep your skills sharp.” Even long after their, ahem, ‘passing’.  “I take it Rose helped with your Gem abilities in the meantime.”

To her confusion, an oddly upset look flashed across Amber’s face before the molehog wrote and presented with more force than usual. Yes. The point is that I’ve relearned how to fight.

Pearl cleared her throat, knowing better than to comment. “True, you’ve regained your skills to the point that you’re formidable enough,” she crossed her arms over her chest, “but there’s still plenty of room for improvement. There were times you left yourself open.”

Amber looked away and rubbed her head in embarrassment. Yeah, she suspected as much.

“Not many, mind you!” Pearl added in haste. “Your style and stance were well managed. In fact, I’m considering letting you in on Steven and Connie’s training so they can get experience with speedier enemies!”

That sounded pretty good, but it brought up an important point that’d been bothering Amber since her visits started.

About Steven. Did he know about me before we met?

“W-Well...,” Pearl admitted with a slight blush, not caught off guard by the question but still self-conscious, “no. We never thought telling him would have made a difference. From what Rose told us, you’re perfectly happy here on Earth. You made this new life on your own without us,” the sad twinge in Pearl’s voice as she looked towards the clouds did not go overlooked, “She didn’t want us forcing ourselves onto you.”

Amber turned her gaze to the ground for a moment, pensive. Yeah, that sounded like something Rose would do, even after the...’incident’.

Steven’s a good kid, though. Would telling him beforehand have been that bad of an idea?

“Steven means well; it’s just that he can come off as a bit too...,” Pearl sidled her eyes for a moment, considering her next words carefully, “forthcoming to people who don’t know him personally.”

I don’t mind forthcoming. I’m just worried you guys might be waiting a bit longer than necessary.

“A fair enough concern,” Pearl begrudgingly sighed as she walked back to the front seats and sat down on one of them, hands together, Amber following suit beside her. That lesson definitely came back to bite the CGs in the arsenic more than once. “Steven wanted to know the same thing once we came back from the flower shop.”

Garnet’s words from that night as they sat around Steven’s bed echoed in Pearl’s memory: Even if we were friends long ago, it’s her call whether to face the past, not ours. When she’s ready, so will we.

Amber gestured her palms out in a ‘see my point now’ manner. They couldn’t keep the little guy in the dark forever.

Cue the perfect unamused stare from Pearl. “Regardless, we are making an effort to be more honest and forthright with Steven about matters like this. Of course,” she wagged a finger, “you realize that now includes you as well. You did promise to share stories of your own.”

Amber shrugged her shoulders to say ‘a promise is a promise’. Just fair warning: any earth-shaking revelations on my part will not be filtered. I’m good at silence, not censorship.

“Oh ho, trust me,” Pearl scoffed with a lighthearted smirk, hand held up in faux lament, “I remember. Well, now that we have that issue talked out,” she returned to her feet with a flourish, back to business, “what’s say we continue with training?”

Popping her neck (mainly for show), Amber got up as well, standing on the seat so she’d be closer to Pearl’s eye-level.

Alright, but when Apollo starts kissing the horizon, I need to go.

For a moment Pearl blinked at the strange saying then shook her head to return to the topic at hand. “To where exactly?”

Sour Cream and Steven invited me and Greg to a special rave tonight. Care to join in?

The taller stone waved her hands in mild rejection. “Oh no, no, no. I appreciate the offer, but I already have plans for later.”

She clapped her hands together excitedly, sky-blue eyes glimmering, “I’m going to attempt a puzzle rendition of Van Gogh’s ‘Starry Night’! 1000 pieces,” then cleared her throat to tone down her eagerness, “Despite his dramatics, his art style was among the more genuine in my opinion.”

That and...well, as tamer as her relationship with Greg has become recently, certain aspects still left a certain tension between the knight and ex-rock star without someone else (namely Steven) to fill in the gap. The last thing the Universes needed was her bogging down their fun.

Amber quirked an eyebrow, amused. Good taste. I’ve always favored the styles of Miyazaki myself.

“That’s animation, Amber,” Pearl replied incredulously.

Which is also a legitimate form of art, I must add.

Pearl rolled her eyes skyward with a dry smile before gesturing a hand to the arena, signaling her intent to continue where they left off. Not that Amber lacked a valid point, but Pearl would rather forego a potentially silly argument when more productive pursuits could be done in the meantime.

“Be thankful I’m here to critique your style and not your preferences. Speaking of which, about your way of fighting...”

A tune emanated from Amber’s cellphone, interrupting Pearl. The lyrics got as far as ‘I’m dripping down from the fangs, when I hear your name...’ before Amber unlocked the device and switched to the Private Messaging, where she discovered a recent text from Connie.

MightOfLisa: Coming in late today. My parents had a schedule conflict. XP

Amber was quick to reply.

SuaveSaturn5: No worries. We’ve barely started anyway.

MightOfLisa: BTW, did you get Steven’s text about the rave being moved over to the beach? He mentioned Sour Cream’s dad. Judging by the mad emoji, I’m guessing he means Mr. Universe’s old manager.

A puff of air escaped Amber’s snout as she pinched her eyes in consternation. Oh yay, Marty was back in town.

Even Pearl winced once she read the last part, recollective enough of what Greg shared about the circumstances surrounding his and Rose’s first encounter to recognize why this particular human’s presence in Beach City insinuated trouble.

SuaveSaturn5: Thanks for the warning, kiddo.

MightOfLisa: Don’t mention it! By the way, I convinced my parents to invite your family over for dinner tomorrow.

A smile came over the golden being's face. Granted, Priyanka and Doug weren’t her first choices for company, but they were good people.

SuaveSaturn5: We’d be happy to come! I’ll tell Marcus, Uma, and Kurtis the news!

MightOfLisa: Great! And Amber? Don’t stress over seeing my parents.

Amber and Pearl furrowed their brows at the last statement and shared a worried look.

SuaveSaturn5: Why? What’s wrong?

MightOfLisa: I also told them you’re a Gem.

Oh!

Oh.

...Oh.

Chapter 14: Help You Along

Notes:

Morning of “Too Short to Ride”; the day after “Mr. Greg”; and two days after “Drop Beat Dad”

Throughout her life, Uma’s come to expect plenty of curveballs, of which (surprisingly) having a Gem in the family only accounted for 30 percent.

Hence why when she went out front to sweep, she never batted an eye at the sight of Lapis Lazuli standing stiff and awkward right before the shop’s main door, the blue stone’s right hand posed in midair from an aborted attempt to knock.

Trying hard to hide her bright blue blush at the near déjà vu of this reencounter, Lapis crossed her arms as she avoided the human’s inquisitive eyes. “Is Amber home?” She winced at the forced politeness in her voice and glanced at Uma, who stared back curiously. “My roommate’s preoccupied.”

“Because Steven invited her to his house.”

Lapis hunched her shoulders with a light scowl, thrown off by Uma’s deduction. Already she could tell coming here would be a bad idea, just as she expected. She still couldn’t believe she came here per Peridot’s suggestion.

You could visit Amber and her familial unit at their seed-bearing facility! Since the matriarch seems quite fond of you, getting an audience with your friend should be simple.

As much as Lapis would rather not take advice from someone of a Gem type reputed for social ineptitude, she could not deny that Uma had indeed taken a liking to her. Why, the water stone could not fathom. Plus, she didn’t want to give Steven (and maybe Peridot) a reason to worry either, much less the two younger Gems using some ‘grand scheme’ to get the hydromancer and Amber to talk to each other.

Relatively speaking, Lapis hoped this way of confrontation would be less painful. So far, no good.

A broom handle from behind nudging her into the building broke Lapis out of her reverie, eyes widening as though she were about to face off against the entire Diamond Authority instead of just one common Gem.

Except this isn’t just one common Gem. This is Amber.

So why not fly away? It worked perfectly before.

Why rush into the agony of reliving the whole emotional trauma that led her and Amber to their respective fates? Lapis could stall until she thought up better plan to face this part of her past. What was one more Earth day in a Gem’s life?

Why even bother at all? Amber found herself a decent life among these humans; what right did Lapis have to soil it with bad memories?

Then she remembered.

YOU NEVER CARED, DID YOU?!

After a rueful sigh, Lapis turned and backhanded the handle away, Uma not fazed by the action at all much to Water Witch’s decreasing disappointment. Steeling her resolve, arms crossed over her petite chest, the azure stone strode into the center of the shop with nothing short of determination.

Only for said determination to dwindle once she realized one tiny detail: she never planned what to say to Amber. Frack.

Unfortunately, Uma left no more time for thought once she whistled clear and loud, Lapis casting a sideways glare at her in return. The grandmother simply stood by with her usual dreamy smile, hands clasped in front of herself, while Lapis mustered all willpower to remain neutral in expression, hoping her nervousness would—

“She was afraid to see you, too.”

Lapis stiffened, anger flashing for a hot second, only to sag seconds later. Of course she was. How could she not be?

“I suspect she blames herself for what happened,” Uma continued as though her visitor initiated conversation, “More than necessary in my opinion.”

Ugh, Lapis realized with a wince, did I really speak that out loud?

Oh, how she wanted to slap her own self. As that action would only paint her as crazy, she settled for facepalming her mouth instead. Actually, now that Lapis considered the response, Uma sounded like she had more than a general knowledge of the reasons behind Amber’s unease.

Drawing the hand away, Lapis cast a subtle yet curious glance at her company in wonder. Just how much did this old lady know about—?

The pat-pat of paws against the floor announced Amber’s arrival moments before the golden canine appeared, trotting out the back entrance of the room, some weird apparatus hanging around her furry neck. What did Steven call that device—headphones?

When Lapis looked to Uma in hopes the old woman might have something useful to say—she was the ‘matriarch’ of this place after all—surprise, surprise, the elder no longer stood beside her but now out front, sweeping like she intended. How the old lady managed to get out there without ringing the bell, who knew?

Swallowing up a curse, Lapis forced a meager smile and wave, uttering the most elegant response she could formulate.

“Hey.”

After a few blinks, Amber smiled in return then stepped aside and gestured a forepaw like a butler, welcoming her visitor into the rest of the house. Lapis tightened her arms around herself before sauntering past her host, pausing on the threshold to observe the layout.

The hallway had three paths of entry: one into the backroom, the stairs to the upper level, and a wider one to the right that the stairs led straight into, revealing a spacious room.

Here she first noted the same white walls as the shop; a floor of polished wooden planks; a dark red sofa standing against the back wall; and a small mahogany wood table in front of said sofa. The wall to Lapis’ left comprised of (from closest to farthest) a large gold-rimmed window with dark brown shades; a door the same ivory hue as the one in the front; a black electric fireplace with various decorations above; and a pair of bookshelves. The right side, meanwhile, sectioned off into a kitchen by way of an oak counter with a dark brown top. Finally, the wall to her immediate left had a silver plasma screen and matching stand.

Stepping further in, Lapis noticed a large blue leather-bound book sitting atop the table, open to a random yellowed page, Amber’s usual notebook and pencil beside it. Out of curiosity, she drew closer to the piece of literature and let her eyes skim over a random line.

"The human condition is such that pain and effort are not just symptoms which can be removed without changing life itself; they are the modes in which life itself, together with the necessity to which it is bound, makes itself felt. For mortals, the easy life of the gods would be a lifeless life."

Narrowing her eyes, Lapis attempted to discern the words until the smoosh of cushions moments later drew her attention to Amber. Back in molehog form, the yellow Gem now sat on the couch in an easy recline, clawed hands on her fuzzy belly, as her dark eyes regarded the other stone with eager curiosity as though awaiting a response.

Suddenly, the nature of the text dawned on Lapis; her eyebrow cocked once she also realized the direction Amber wished to take this conversation. The blue rock shrugged her lithe shoulders, almost apologetic, before she proceeded to examine the room.

“I’ve never been one for philosophy.”

She had no qualms with thinking; however ‘thinking for thinking’s sake’ never appealed to her like it did to most other Gems in Blue Diamond’s court. The pursuit just seemed futile in her opinion.

Besides, the physical world was far more interesting.

Speaking of which, Lapis realized that several of the items along the walls resembled parts from certain non-human Earth species (feathers and claws). In fact, they appeared to be crafts, all well fashioned as evidenced by the solid coloring and structures.

Except for one pendant hanging right in the middle of the assortment above the fireplace: brown twine looped to a pink diamond bordered by a crayon drawing of blue and brown triangles surrounding an unconnected square of black squiggly lines. Within said lines sat a simple brown geometric drawing of a bear and a fat yellow crescent on each side, the open ends facing away from the animal.

Fingering the object in question, Lapis realized the diamond to be paper, only affirming the object’s simplicity. “This looks like something I’d expect Steven to make.” In spite of the plain tone, her eyes softened at the thought of her little half-Gem friend. She turned to Amber. “Did someone his age make this?”

Amber did not respond immediately, only gestured Lapis to bring the item to her. After the other Gem complied, Amber took the pendant with utmost care and regarded it with fondness, eyes twinkling as though she held the universe’s greatest treasure.

Only when she placed the accessory on her neck did she finally take up her notebook and pencil.

Kurtis made this for Mother’s Day when he was almost as old as Steven. I’m fairly certain he got inspiration from a website. He’s self-sufficient like that.

The heartfelt pride in Amber’s words could not be more apparent. Lapis tried to ignore how it inexplicably made her metaphorical stomach twist, even while she returned to her seat with an empathetic smile, knees curled up to her face and arms balanced atop them. Her eyes trailed down from the pendant to the molehog’s gemstone.

“So...how come you can coexist so well with humans?” From her memories of what she could see and hear from within the mirror, Lapis gathered that the ‘monsters’ were mentally fractured Gems, their violent tendencies due to the pain and confusion brought about by their distortion.

So what made this fuzzball next to her so different?

Amber fixed Lapis with a hesitant stare, a moment of deliberation before she sighed at last.

Rose had a theory that my interactions with humans reestablished my functionality as an Amber. The species and my Gem type do share a few behavioral similarities.

“But you’re still two completely different species,” Lapis counter-argued, “And I’m pretty sure there’s no safe way you two could have tested her theory.” Rose cared far too much for humans to risk that, after all; Amber as well.

The molehog, as if reading the ocean bender’s mind, threw her hands up in exasperation.

Thus the dead end I’ve been dealing with all these centuries. And I couldn’t go to the others for help either. Otherwise—the yellow Gem blew a raspberry as she slapped her hands together. The visual’s meaning was not lost on Lapis.

“But you had to have known you’d need to come to them eventually. You’re only one Gem.”

At this point, Amber’s face became downcast while her eyes grew misty, that tentative light back again. Lapis’ face contorted in concern...only for it to double when Amber’s eyes darkened.

Rose did something behind my back. I called her out on it, but—the corrupted Gem’s resolute expression crumbled into regret—my words might have been harsher than they should have been.

Lapis hardened her face, torn between annoyance and sympathy at her friend’s lament towards the Rebellion leader. Such softheartedness was one of the qualities that made the aquatic Gem both appreciative of and frustrated by folks like Amber and Steven.

“So? She hid something from you even when she was supposed to help you.” the hydromancer asserted as her feet returned to the floor, tone soft yet fierce in Amber’s defense. “You had every right to say whatever you said. Besides, someone had to knock her down a few pegs.”

Lapis then turned away with a downward scowl, mumbling, “It’s not like she ever cared about other Gems to begin with.”

Silence reigned afterwards. How long, Lapis could not tell, but after a while the lack of response got to her and before she could help herself, curiosity dragged her attention back to Amber, whose face held not the slightest trace of resentment or even anger. If anything, the fuzzy electroball remained composed as ever as she wrote down her next response.

The sight nearly led Lapis to ask why the absence of outrage, of incensed demands to take her words about Rose back. Instead she remained quiet, wanting to gauge Amber’s reply and fully comprehend where her friend stood.

Rose made plenty of mistakes; she had plenty, PLENTY, of flaws, but she never stopped caring about our fellow Gems, no matter which side they fought for. Next to her love for this planet, their plight was part of the reason she rebelled in the first place.

Right as Lapis opened her mouth to launch another verbal comeback, Amber flipped to the next page, her next statements prepared beforehand.

The others told me what happened to you after you know what. Homeworld’s done just as much wrong unto you as the Crystal Gems have.  Neither side’s completely innocent or completely guilty, especially in war.

Lapis shut up hard after reading this, dumbstruck not just by the valid argument but by how Amber seemed to perfectly predict her retort. Jaw set, she stared at her open hands with longing. Her voice came out as fragile as a faint breeze.

“Was Homeworld really that broken back then?”

Amber rubbed the back of her neck, pensive, eyes regarding Lapis with sad understanding. Every society’s broken in some way.

“The real test lies in whether a society can compensate for its brokenness,” Lapis reiterated in a monotone tone that did nothing to hide her microscopic smirk at Amber’s flattered expression. “One of your favorite quotes if I remember right.”

War wasn’t the only option the Diamonds could have taken, but then again you know how they are about their authority. It’s even in their title for stars’ sake!

“The Diamonds were kind of big-headed, weren’t they? At least Rose Quartz wasn’t conceited enough to name the rebellion after herself.”

Now that would have truly been ridiculous. Wait—Lapis creased her eyebrows once she noticed—why was Amber sidling her eyes back and forth as if deciding the best way to break the news?

The writing came hurried and awkward. Would you believe me if I said Pearl actually suggested that at one point?

...

SNRRRRRK!

Lapis bent over laughing so hard it’s a miracle she didn’t poof, surprised yet somehow also not at the thought of Pearl voicing such an idea. Amber only beamed with both pride and relief that she got a positive rise out of the other Gem.

Eventually the aqua alien settled down, and lounged back in a similar fashion to Amber. Her eyes went downcast again, only this time without the despair she’d known for so long. “I still don’t know how I feel about this place, but...even if I’ll always miss my old home, at least I have the chance to make a new one here.”

With a hopeful smile, she turned to her companion. “That is, if you don’t mind helping me out. Or, well, helping Steven and the others with helping me out.”

No need to write this time; Amber gave her the grandest smile her snout could allow.

Feeling lighter, Lapis pointed back to the crafts. “So all those things on the wall. What’s so important about them?”

Instead of waiting this time, Lapis looked over Amber’s shoulder as the molehog wrote.

They’re items we’ve either made or received from Uma’s side of the family over the years. They’re one of the ways she and Kurtis maintain their heritage as Lenni Lenape, a group of humans who live north of here. They’d lose their identity as a people if they didn’t.

Something in Lapis cringed, except not in a way that made her illusory skin crawl.

I’m Lapis Lazuli and you can’t keep me trapped here anymore!

More like the awe from when Steven freed her from the mirror, only bittersweet.

Did you even wonder who I used to be?

And within that awe, a flash of something between anger and pity sprouted within, nourished by a sudden thought that hit too close to home. Her eyes narrowed, the familiar urge to ball her petite hands into fists resisted. Instead she stood up and went back to the crafts before Amber could catch her countenance.

Silence passed for who knew how long before Lapis’ voice resurfaced, soft to the point of almost being inaudible. “Have people tried to do that to them?”

The shadows in Amber’s eyes as she nodded weighed with something heavy and bleak.

Yes. The Lenape were fortunate because I stuck around long enough to be a sort of legend, even outside the tribe. Plus I may or may not have sabotaged contracts outsiders tried to make with them.

Lapis tilted her head ever so slightly, noting the word ‘fortunate’. “But outsiders still managed to do it to others.”

Sorrow and regret streaked across Amber’s eyes. We Gems are capable of many things. Omnipresence is not one of them. Not that the others tried particularly hard.

Ah, if Lapis recalled correctly from the countless times Pearl used the mirror, the conversations she overheard insinuated the Crystal Gems’ drive to stay detached from humans despite their vow to protect them in the first place. If not for her emergent feelings for these ‘tribes’, the irony would have made Lapis scoff in derision.

Perhaps part of her still was.

As for the other part, she couldn’t say. Never in her millennia of existence did Lapis Lazuli ever entertain the possibility of having a feeling in common with a few members of such a short-living race.

The context, she knew even with her limited knowledge of these people, had to be different.

But I’ll never find out by just living my days out in the barn, will I?

“Hey Amber,” from the wall she plucked off a monochrome bandolier bag whose leaf designs caught her interest, “What else do the Lenni Lenape have as part of their identity?”

No need to turn around to know the Steven-like sparkles emerging in Amber’s eyes. The sound of the molehog bouncing up and down in her seat gave hint enough.

For starters, bags like the one in your hands relayed agreements and messages between tribes through the design. If the belt was white with black interwoven like that one—

Notes:

Because Lapis being interested in Native American cultures makes too much sense to me.

Chapter 15: Let It Be

Notes:

(Evening of “Beach City Drift”; the day after “Too Short to Ride”)

“—which is why we’ll keep an eye on the supermarket in the upcoming weeks.”

“By loitering?”

“Stakeout. How many times must I tell you this?”

“Then loitering with purpose.”

“You just contradicted yourself! Have you been practicing logical ploys behind my back?”

“...Sure.”

The deep red moped and sliver scooter halted side by side, their occupants dismounting just as they wrapped up this interesting conversation.

Ronaldo regarded the lot everyone stood in and the surrounding mountains along which it and the roads ran with nothing short of a charmed smile.  He loved coming to the underground racing circuit (even though nothing about this place screamed subterranean).

Kurtis inhaled the cool crisp summer air, usual stoicism peeled away by calm. He scanned the sparse crowd, eyes narrowing when they never found their objective. Right on cue with his thoughts, a thick arm then peeked from behind to shove a cell in his face.

“Just got Jane’s text. Looks like her mom needed her help with something,” Ronaldo retracted the phone into his pocket as he explained. Then he began to roll his shoulders as though in preparation for something strenuous. “She’s gonna be a little late getting here.”

The Latino/Native American nodded before letting his eyes drift over the nighttime view that encompassed Beach City and the surrounding land, forests, and sea, the distant waters glimmering white in the moonlight. He wasn’t sure how long he stood there, drinking in the beauty, before the firm warmth of Ronaldo’s hand on his shoulder disrupted his reverie.

When he faced him, however, the bashful look on the other boy’s face surprised him.

“Would it be okay if you spotted me while I practice?” At his friend’s perked eyebrow, Ronnie took his hand off to rub the back of his neck. “I want to make sure I’ve got something to impress Jane with. I don’t wanna bore her.”

Kurtis blinked, surprised to the point of near amusement.

Ronaldo? Bore someone? Annoy yes, but bore?

Impossible at best, let alone with Jane considering how much the ticket girl doted on the conspiracy theorist. Yet here stood Ron, the same guy who could blurt out bullshit like no tomorrow, fretting over scooter practice just because he wanted his girlfriend to be proud of him.

Kurtis found the reality touching. In an ironic way.

“Please, senpai?”

Though not as ironic as that. Especially when Ronaldo pleaded with clasped hands and that huge shimmering gaze for the umpteenth time.

The darker-skinned boy looked away with a blush, frowning. Why did this guy insist on calling him that term?

Okay, so weeks of meeting up at the lighthouse (whether for Amber’s tutelage or investigations) and whatnot did culminate in a tentative friendship between the two boys. He doesn’t need anime eyes to get my cooperation by this point, the stocky youth mused with a resigned yet genuine smile.

The reward for his nod of surrender came as an extra firm bear hug.

The next few minutes went by surprisingly fast as Kurtis stood by and watched over his peer, watching the chubby teen practice a few basic moves. Sometimes, however, he would look away for the briefest of moments, expecting to see someone else, so lost in thought he forgot to keep his face neutral.

“Are you still looking for Jane?"

With a subtle jolt of surprise, Kurtis tore his view away from the roads to notice Ronaldo had halted right next to him. He blushed at letting himself get distracted.

Ronaldo assured his friend with a wink and gentle elbow to the ribs. “C’mon, you can tell me!”

Kurt eyed Ron for a moment then took a deep breath. “Steven and Connie aren’t here.”

Hearing the name of the two younger adolescents gave Ronaldo pause. “Are their parents dropping them off?” At his peer’s silence, the blogger’s eyes expanded. “Wait, you’re not saying they’re driving themselves here, right?”

Really? One could literally hear Kurtis rolling his eyes. “I drove. Stevonnie took over to practice by their self.” That way, any possible altercation with the police would be averted. “They want to race some guy named Kevin for payback.”

The way Ronaldo’s nose wrinkled as if someone just stuck a rancid piece of pizza in his face did not escape his partner’s notice.

Yeah, after hearing what those two said about their first time as Stevonnie, can’t say I’m surprised. Beyond his peripherals, Kurtis noticed Buck and Sour Cream approaching them, both boys’ faces stony (well, Sour Cream’s anyway; Buck remained as unreadable as usual).

“Bro,” Buck dragged that word out as though he intended to pour in all the distress in the world into it, “Please tell us you’re playing around.”

“Dude,” Vidalia’s son sighed, feeling Kurtis needed some exposition, “That guy is not worth the time. He gets on everyone’s nerves just for the fun of it.”

“A second thought has much power,” Buck added in a sage tone, “some people don’t deserve that.”

“You tried to talk Steven and Connie out of racing that guy didn’t you?”

Kurtis shook his head no. One look at those kids’ determined faces, especially Steven’s, and he knew there’d be no convincing them. “Learn through action if not words.”

Ronaldo sighed, figuring as much. He readily agreed with Buck and Sour Cream, and disliked the thought of one of his good friends stooping to Kevin’s level. However, he’d also come to trust Kurt’s sense of intuition. In which case, all any of them could do was trust Steven and Connie’s sense of judgment.

“Then they’ll be racing as Stevonnie,” Buck stated, not asked. “Bold.”

“Yep,” Ronaldo affirmed as he fixed his glasses, full on analysis-mode, “From what I gathered beforehand and from Am—another source’s own explanations on fusion, Steven is capable of merging with both Gems and humans. That makes sense enough. My former theory postulated Stevonnie as a specially fabricated bodysuit designed for espionage.”

At the other boys’ bewildered stares, he drew his hands up in defense. “I had limited info at the time, okay?”

Before the conversation could continue, everyone turned at the sound of two cars revving down from the curve and halting to screeching stops in the middle of the lot: one the unmistakable Pizza jeep; the other a deep gold sports car so sleek and shiny Kurtis felt glad he wore dark glasses.

“Ugh!” Jenny griped as she slapped her hands against the wheel, “My practice didn’t pay off at all! That was so bad!”

Out of the sports car stepped a lean teen with mocha skin, short-cropped black hair riddled with the scent of overly expensive cologne, and clothes that equally reeked of someone with too much money and time on his hands. His languid incline against the car, half-lidded gaze, and drowsy-not drowsy tone of voice confirmed that impression.

“I know, baby. I’m the worst.”

Kurtis scowled instantly. Impressive. Five seconds and I already can’t stand him.

Ignoring the Pizza girl’s disgruntled scoff, Pretty Boy called out to anyone who had the guts to face him on the course next, to which Ronaldo smartly hid Peedee’s scooter behind himself, knowing better. When no one answered, the showoff’s eyes strolled across the crowd, searching for victims himself.

Then his gaze landed on Kurtis.

Combing back his hair, Pretty Boy stepped towards the oddball pair until he stood within one foot of the taller male, half-lidded gaze trailing from bottom to top, landing on the passive face and round glasses.

“I thought I heard rumors about a new face to this garbage town. Hey handsome, name’s Kevin. And yes, I said that without a mirror. Course if ya’d like to stand still so I can use your pretty lenses as a sub, I wouldn’t mind.”

Kurtis gave no response—aside an ‘over the glasses’ stare fit for something smooshed underfoot, a possible outcome if this guy insisted on invading his personal space for any longer. A bit of flattery sparked in him when his peripherals caught Ronaldo frowning at the egotist in disgust.

Fortunately, Pretty Boy elected to lean away, hands raised and head tilted in cool arrogance. “Silent type, eh? I can dig. We’ll see how long that lasts after I’m done showing the next loser my skills.”

Jenny mimed oral ejection of her breakfast and lunch in the background. Ronaldo and Sour Cream bit back a chortle at the display; Buck smirked; Kurtis once again felt honored.

Unfortunately, Kevin stepped even closer, raising a hand as if to cup Kurtis’ chin. “Though if you’re feelin’ up to it, hunk, I guess I could spare you and your cute little moped a shot.”

No need to. The unexpected Dundai (to everyone but Kurtis anyway) diverted all attention with its flair-studded entrance. As did the tall figure stepping out of it as their black poofy hair flowed in the evening breeze, eyes dark with determination.

“I’ll race you!” They pointed at Kevin with all the conviction of a queen and king in one. “Now step away from the man with the ponytail!”

---

C-flat, A, A-sharp...nah, that doesn’t sound right. Maybe...Ugh!

It was no use. Greg set the guitar down on his lap and closed his eyes with a despondent groan.

The sound of ice cubes tinkling against glass drew the portly man’s attention to a tall glass of chilled cherry juice offered to him by Uma. He took it with a grateful smile, the elder woman returning the mien before going back to her seat to Greg’s left to resume her knitting.

The music man stared into his drink for a few moments, the stress lines under his eyes reflected in the cold red, before taking a meager sip. Somebody taller than Uma yet shorter than him leant against his shoulder from the right.

“If you need some ginger ale, I can steal some from Pete or Kofi.”

 To anyone who barely knew Marcus, the Peruvian would sound serious; Greg did not fall into that category. The ex-rock star smiled at the joke, shoulders hunching from held back chuckles.

“Op! Look at that, Uma!” Marcus breezily crowed, “I told you I’d get a smile outta this man tonight.”

A wily hum comprised the grandmother’s response. “And here I assumed you’d be achieving that through other means.”

That quip got Greg blushing very hard. Marcus only rolled his eyes, hardy flustered by the innuendo, as he broke contact with the other man.

Despite himself, Greg still smiled (albeit bashfully), thankful to have these two oddballs taking his mind off all these worries. With a deep breath, he leaned back in the lawn chair, feeling somewhat more relaxed.

“Guess I’m worried letting Connie and Steven have the Dundai was a bad idea.”

Marcus leaned forward in his wheelchair with a knowing stare. “Kurtis pitched the idea to you and got a home run, huh?”

Hunching his shoulders to hide his blush, Greg started plucking his strings in an absentminded manner. “Your kid’s really persuasive!”

“You should have seen Little Bloom at the dinner two days ago,” Uma commented.

“Deflected every question from Priyanka’s interrogation to the point their little spat felt like a tennis match,” Marcus added in a prideful tone.

“Yeah,” Greg looked between the two Flores as he replied, “Connie gave me and Schtu-ball the details at the Car Wash before that Kevin kid showed up. So I guess Dr. Maheswaran and Kurt’s argument was the highlight of that night.”

That grin of Marcus could not have been smarmier. “Nope! That would be Amber strolling onto the table and shapeshiftin’ into her true not-blue self.” Not that the sight of ‘Sparky’ taking a seat at the table failed to get heads turning. “Just hopped up and exposed the truth like an encore.”

Greg could only give a low whistle. The little sparkplug had more gumption than he thought.

“You wanna know the wacky part?” Marcus lost his grin and gazed into the night, dark eyes gleaming in wonder. “They just took it. Aside from bugged eyes and open mouths, they rolled with it and just asked her straight from the top. Questions like,” he started to count off his fingers, “‘how did you end up like this’ and ‘how long have you dealt with humans’ and of course ‘how good of a caretaker are you’.”

So pretty much the standard to expect from Connie’s parents.

Uma halted in her project. “One question of theirs, though, bothers me. In fact, we would like to get your input on it.” Please note that she said this without taking her eyes off her knitting, while still sounding completely chill, mind you. “Is there a cure for this?”

Greg rubbed his neck and shifted his gaze downward. “Um, I don’t know much about Gem stuff besides what Rose and the others told me, so I can’t really say.”

Marcus clamped an arm around him as a means of assurance. “Ah, no te preocupes de eso. We’re all in the same boat. That’s why Amber wants your help.”

“MY HELP?!”

Greg needed a moment to catch his breath!

What did Amber honestly think he could do to help her? Okay, he pulled through for the Gems on more than one occasion. Still, if Rose could never find a way to heal all those ‘corrupted Gems’, how on Earth was a normal guy like him supposed to accomplish the same?

Except Amber wanted his help specifically (for whatever reason) and Greg didn’t have the heart to turn her down, misgivings or not, so he might as well give this whole cure search a shot for her sake.

He sighed with heavy reluctance. “I’ll...see what I can do.”

With a triumphant ‘ha’, Marcus clapped his back in reward. “Atta Guitar Dad!”

Chuckling past the nervousness of the accepted task, Greg tossed him an angled half-smile. “Ya know, Mark, Marty’s not here anymore. You can use your old nickname for me if ya want.”

Other hand on his chest, Marcus gazed at the man in faux affront. “With all due respect, Mr. Universe, I was hoping to avoid disrespect towards you, but be it far from me if you insist on inflicting offense upon yourself...Starman.”

The two men shared a good round of laughter, Greg looping an arm over Mark’s shoulders in a half-hug of camaraderie. Just like the good old days.

A sudden realization occurred to Greg: “Amber’s over at the temple telling the Gems the same thing you guys told me, isn’t she?”

Marcus pointed a finger at the ex-rocker. “And I betcha half my health insurance our kids are havin’ the same talk. Maybe.”

Uh. Greg needed a moment to blink. “Wait. How long have you guys been planning—“

“Ever since the day before we moved back here,” Uma answering without missing a beat, only to pause in her knitting and furrow her brow with a thoughtful upward gaze, “Expect little Ronnie, of course. But then again that’s what flexibility is for.”

“Amby meant to ask you and the Crystal Crew altogether after that whole debacle with Marty,” Marcus continued, “but she decided to let you have your moment of monetary glory.”

That and then there came the whirlwind trip to Empire City Greg took with his son and, of all Gems, Pearl the next day, not to mention that dinner with the Maheswarans that same night. And Amber and Blue Bell got so wrapped up in their talk yesterday that they lost track of the time.

In any case, Marcus sent a gentle punch to Greg’s chest. “Good job, by the way.”

Mr. Universe eyed Mr. Flores in wonder. “On the money or patching things up with Pearl?”

Marcus stroked his chin in thought. He decided against mentioning the unintentional pun. “Pearl, but really good question.”

Greg simply leaned back in his chair, eyes wide and stunned, taking in the foresight of this family. A nervous laugh escaped him. “You guys are scary. Awesome...but scary.”

Uma patted his thick arm as a means of comfort. “We Flores just like to think ahead.”

Speakin’ of scary, Marcus rolled up his right sleeve back to check his silver watch, Starman Jr. and company should be back by this time; otherwise Pri-Pri is gonna have all our hides.

As if on cue, the Dundai came to stop in front of the flower shop, the engine cutting off as Kurtis come out the front passenger side to get his moped out of the back and a beaming Stevonnie on the other, flipping their voluminous hair out of their eyes.

“Hey guys!”

Greg jumped to his feet and approached the teens with a half-relieved, half-anxious expression. “How did it go?”

“Pretty good!” Stevonnie exclaimed with a chipper expression. They shared a happy glance with Kurtis, who joined their side with a faint smile, moped draped over his shoulders. “Better than expected actually!”

Marcus’s eyebrows went up as he leaned forward in his wheelchair, eager to know. “So you showed that sucka’ up?”

“Nah, I pretty much lost,” the fusion confirmed with a shrug, their smile still present. At the adults’ blank stares, they rubbed their arm sheepishly. “Kind of a crazy story.”

A pink flash later, Connie and Steven were back, same mien as Stevonnie on their faces. The former held up an assuring hand.

“We’ll explain on the way home.”

Chapter 16: This is Love, This is War

Notes:

The Day after “Restaurant Wars”; Four days after “Beach City Drift”

You could have cost your team their lives with such lack of focus! What were you even thinking?!

Easy, everybody! Someone mind telling us what happened?

What happened is that Amber prioritized her curiosity over the mission!

Maybe something spooked her? She was standing there looking out at the field, eyes all wide...

Oh ho, well that obviously narrows down the cause! We’re in the middle of a war, Garnet!

You think I don’t know that? We’ve been out there just as much as you! Not all of us are stone-cold Renegades!

 Obviously! Both our rising and this planet will wound up a lost cause if we allow these sorts of mistakes!

Then let’s figure out a solution to these mistakes so that doesn’t happen! Otherwise we’re no better than—

---

“Home?! Why would I wanna go home?”

The golden long-haired dog suppressed her wince at Ronaldo’s volume. Schist, this kid knew how to screech.

At least here between the lighthouse and the fence, nobody could see the pair unless they had serious determination—and considering the ‘situation’ back in town, Amber had little time left before that case became reality.

“I, Ronaldo Fryman, have WAAAYYYY better things to do,” the boy flew his arms to the side, offended, before balling his hands into fists “than waste my time and energy on people who can’t appreciate the emotional investment demanded by paranormal investigations! After all that time you spent tutoring us, you should know that better than anyone, Sensei!”

Despite time running short, Amber’s countenance defined ‘reluctant’ better than the definition itself. She enjoyed Ronaldo’s company and appreciated the blogger’s influence on Kurtis, so she had reservations about administering ‘tough love’, especially with the weariness she could sense behind the teen’s outraged facade.

Fortunately, Ronaldo let his hackles droop once he realized the canine Gem would not answer. “Why are you even here? Kurt and Uma won’t be back ‘til tomorrow.”

Reaching into the black backpack at her feet, Amber produced her cellphone and switched to a favorited page of KBCW—the one about crying at Brooding Hill.

Ronaldo’s blush would have put Yellow Diamond’s shine to shame. The drawbacks he got for publishing his emotional woes on the Internet. Childish whimpers echoed down the chubby teen’s throat as he turned away from Amber, fighting back the urge to cry in front of her. He didn’t need to see writing telling him to suck it up.

Something tingly dotted his right arm, the hairs there standing up enough to knock him out of his funk, just in time for him to brace for Amber, now in badger form and invisible, hoisting him onto her broad back.

The blogger only got as far as a confused “what” before the golden beast rendered him unseen as well then bounded down the hill at breakneck speed, giving Ronaldo barely enough time to grasp the large neck for dear life.

The Fryman heir barely contained the urge to scream, knowing well enough even in shock not to attract unneeded attention. Besides, he still had the cool image to maintain in front of Sensei, botched as it already was at this point. Instead, he stuck to restrained yelps from both the wind whistling in his ears and the bumps from his ride’s powerful dash.

And forget looking. While Ronaldo usually enjoyed fast rides, certain events from yesterday had soiled his ability to enjoy, period. Besides, he trusted Amber enough not to fear she’d lead him someplace dangerous—or at least not leave him to fend for himself.

Eventually, the feel of high speed decreased to that of a slow trot. Once Ronaldo sensed that change, he reopened his eyes to discover him and Amber near an open field with sparse trees, a crystalline podium nearby and a barn further in the distance. And seated on the edge of the podium, attention drifting away from the tablet strapped to her arm was—

“YOU?!” Peridot spat in disbelief after nearly falling off her perch from shock, turning to Amber while gesturing an exasperated hand at the tubby theorist, “Of all the humans to bring here, why HIM?!”

The sunny giant tilted her head and blinked in a way that asked ‘why not’.

Ronaldo hopped off and cleared his throat before a one-sided argument could spring up. That also meant both Gems’ attention landed on him, sticking the boy under a rather uncomfortable spotlight as he could sense Amber meant to show him something not meant for human eyes.

Or ‘Ronaldo eyes’ as Kurtis might say. Man, I really wish you here right now, partner.

Adjusting his glasses, he slipped on an academic persona. “Peridot, correct? With all due respect, I don’t entirely know Amber’s intentions myself, though I can surmise enough to deduct she means to show me something of emotional comfort.”

Peridot stared at Ron with a blank stare then Amber with a questioning one, unsure how to rebuke (or whether she should for that matter).  Amber only responded with a long-suffering headshake full of ‘it’s a short yet sad story’. The technician rubbed her eyes with a sigh before standing up and gesturing the pair to get on already.

“Let’s just get this over with.”

Now Ronaldo, having learned enough from Amber about Gem culture plus being the sci-fi buff he was, expected a smorgasbord of weird sensations from traveling this ‘Warp Pad’. The trip did not prove him wrong, though on the bright side other than a blinding light, the feeling of weightlessness, and having his body tugged through space, the experience turned out to be pretty cool.

Too bad it lasted far too soon for in seconds the pad landed the trio in a flowery meadow full of strawberries, large hills in the near distance and large ‘platforms’ of land floating far above, jagged underneath as though a giant ripped them straight out the ground.

Amber and Ronaldo stepped off, the former leading the way while the latter followed and marveled at the beautiful scenery. A minute in, the latter noticed Peridot tailing them and cocked an eyebrow at the green Gem.

The Kindergartener did not take long to notice. “As leader of the Crystal Gems, my duty entails looking after the organic inhabitants, which includes making sure Gem tech doesn’t shorten their lifespans.”

If Ronaldo had been a normal person, he might have gulped at that last part and noped out of there. Instead he blushed with a sideways glance opposite Peridot, both from hurt pride due to the subtle dig at his capabilities and thankfulness for Amber’s supervision every time he and Kurtis would study those ship parts.

Still, hard to beat the prospect of exposure to more alien technology.

“Besides,” Peridot, matching her rival nerd, perched her visors like glasses, “I’m hoping to glean some info from her once she’s done with you.”

Ronaldo’s eyebrows arched, curiosity piqued. “What kind of info are we talking about?”

Peridot waved a dismissive hand at him. “The kind I doubt you’d make good use of.”

“I beg to differ, my extraterrestrial rival,” Ronaldo huffed, crossing his arms, chin in the air, “for Amber has made certain that Kurtis and I are well-versed in your technology.”

So smug, he never noticed the emerald Gem freeze in her steps, wide-eyed and disbelieving. Then, without warning, a surprisingly strong grip on the right arm sent him spinning around to face a suspicious, narrow-eyed Peridot.

“What do you mean my technology?”

“Uh...,” Ronaldo stammered, realizing his verbal slip too late, and tried to remedy his epic fail of a poker face with a nervous chuckle. “When I said ‘your’, I meant as in your people’s technology in general, which, I might add, could be really awesome stuff for human scientists to—”

Peridot saw right through that plastered grin. “The others made certain to render all Gem machinery on Earth either inaccessible or unusable to humans, and, while we don’t know each other well, I highly doubt Amber would let you anywhere near such complicated tech.”

At this point, she let go and stepped back calm as Sapphire, an index finger pointed vertically, “In other words...”, and then jabbed it right at the blogger, “YOU PILFERED A PIECE OF MY SHIP!”

Okay, hold on now! “I don’t get why you’re getting upset about this,” Ronaldo proceeded to yell and point back in turn, shoulders hunched, “You used that stuff back when you were working for your Diamond overlords. I thought you’re protecting the Earth now!”

One blink, two blinks. Peridot rubbed the visor in place of her eyes. “First off, I shudder to know how you came across knowledge of the Diamonds long before you met Amber. Your online depictions of them and Homeworld alone are terrifying,” then added under her breath, “and still inaccurate.”

Thank goodness other human viewers, per Peridot and Lapis’ perusal of the comments section that one time, wrote off Ronaldo’s demonstrations as ‘roleplaying’.

“Second,” she unobstructed her face to point at Ronaldo once again, “that piece of technology is from Homeworld. That fact alone makes it dangerous!”

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Her narrow face suddenly went pale, eyes wide and stricken. “Although,” she squeaked, “I can think of a few counterexamples.”

Ronaldo blinked in confusion at the abrupt change in demeanor—until he felt someone’s warm breath billowing down his back and shoulders. Dread in his gut, he turned to discover Amber towering over them, unamused and one-hundred percent done.

The two intellectuals spent the rest of the trip on the badger-bear’s back as punishment, the unsaid threat of being thrown off and falling hundreds of feet heavy on their heads once the trio reached a series of levitating steps leading up to one of the larger platforms. Much to the passengers’ peace of mind, the pieces of land held up surprisingly well as Amber hopped up them.

Once they reached the top, Peridot remained atop her fellow stone (“I enjoy the boost in height”) while Ronaldo dismounted and peered at what appeared to be nothing but flat grassy mound all around.

He crossed his arms in slight disappointment, pouting. Huh. I swear she brought me here to show me something.

As if in tandem with the boy’s thoughts, Amber, who’d been poking around a certain spot in the middle of the grass, gestured a forepaw in an ‘over here’ manner, beckoning Ronaldo. Once the teen reached the two lithomorphs, the pseudo-mammal lit up her left paw gold and placed it upon the spot, electricity arcing right into the ground.

In an instant, pink circuitry lit up from underneath to form a perfect diamond, which then converted into blinding light for a second before digitally fading away to reveal a sizable passageway opening to a carnation escalator illuminated by neon red lights, the walls seeming to pulsate with the same colored circuitry from before as the mobile stairs began operating in response to the trio’s presence.

Ronaldo’s and Peridot’s breaths hitched, eyes glittering and mind fast-forwarding with all the possibilities as to what lay down there.

“Whoa,” both uttered in unison, unbeknownst to each other.

Amber lowered down so Peridot could get off then reverted back to molehog form. Taking Ronaldo’s right hand, she gently tugged to urge him forward. Ronaldo snapped out of his awe and responded with a half-anxious, half-eager nod.

Together the three oddballs descended within.

---

“—cuz you’re the only one who keeps tabs on both her and Ronaldo!”

No response. Kurtis simply continued reading through his copy of Carl Sagan’s Cosmos as though there weren’t a mob of angry/concerned teens in the lighthouse right now, hovering over him and the couch paying respect to his nonchalant butt.

Jenny, a low growl escaping her, snatched the book up to grab the burly male’s attention. It worked (if you count a slight head tilt as ‘working’). At least Kurtis appeared to be looking in the gang’s general direction this time.

Sometimes Jenny hated those glasses.

“Look,” she continued, other hand to her face, “We really jacked up Ronaldo’s relationship, and we wanna make it up to him. ‘Cept we haven’t seen him all day! You and Sparky have been spending a ton of time with him since a while now, so you’ve gotta know where he’s gone!”

Now she got Kurtis’ full attention. The young man raised his head even more, eyebrows furrowed.

“The Restaurant Wars!” Steven suddenly blurted, hands in the air. “I ordered breaded mozzarella sticks with ketchup from Peedee and Mr. Pizza saw and thought Mr. Fryman was poaching on his business, so they both got all angry and started going all crazy, which then got us going all crazy, so we tried coming up with plans to make them drop the feud and—“

Kiki shot a hand to the boy’s shoulder and gave a firm squeeze. “Steven! Breathe.”

The Universe kid inhaled nice and deep, cheeks puffing as he held, and exhaled slow and easy. He patted Kiki’s hand as a way of both assurance and thanks.

“I’m okay. I’m O-kay.”

Peedee, on the other hand, looked ready to choke on the disbelief brought about by the confusion still on Kurtis’ face. “How could you not know any of this? Where were you during the whole time?! Your dad and even Sparky were there!”

Kiki suddenly snapped her fingers, eyes lighting up. “Oh, right! You and your Grandma were at a powwow in Jersey for the last few days! You mentioned that on E-Chat last week.”

So he didn’t know about what happened between Mr. Pizza and Mr. Fryman or to Ronaldo, Steven realized. But Mr. Flores and Amber did.

He took another deep breath, slowing his speeding conclusions. There were other details he needed to confirm first. “Kurtis, when we were trying to get Mr. Pizza and Mr. Fryman to end their feud, we first tried making Ronaldo and Kiki look like they were dating.”

“What?”

Without thinking, Kurtis whipped off his glasses, only for everyone to step back in wide-eyed shock. While the concern and lack of understanding etched in his frown came as no surprise, no one expected bloodshot bags under his dark eyes or for said eyes to be red as though...

Wait. Steven’s brows creased worriedly, his frown matching. “Kurtis? Have you been...crying?”

A silent gasp escaped the older boy once he realized his mistake.

When Kurtis tried to put the glasses back on, Steven intercepted the hand holding them with a firm grip on the older boy’s wrist, his dark eyes piercing Kurtis with stubborn sympathy and desire to understand. The eye-to-eye standoff lasted until three minutes later, when Kurtis finally cast his eyes downward with a relenting sigh.

Steven let go, allowing the man’s hand and glasses to drop to the side and onto the cushions, thankful his own resolve won out. As everyone waited patiently for an explanation, Kurtis looked away, eyes heavy. After a moment of hesitant silence he muttered something.

“Um, Kurtis,” Steven sat down beside him. “Could you repeat that?”

Once again, a low tone, albeit slightly less inaudible. “My gr...fa....”

“A little louder, please...?”

Kurtis tried hard not to bare his teeth. “My gran...fa....”

“Kurtis Flores,” Kiki admonished with crossed arms, patience thinning, “you’re mumbling.”

“MY GRANDFATHER.”

...

Okay. Steven scrunched his face in confusion after another lapse of quiet. Not sure where to go with that.

Though judging by how Kurtis griped that answer, he had a fair hunch. He would have had an even fairer hunch had he only looked forward because if he had, he would have also noticed the dawning realization and sinking dismay on the other teens’ faces as well as the silent counseling stare they shared.

“Um Steven,” Jenny murmured at last, arms crossed for reasons no longer tied to annoyance. She waited until the younger boy looked back at her. “It’s probably best you hear this from Kurt. Alone.”

“Huh? W-Why?”

Steven’s worry only increased as the three restaurant kids filed out of the room, Peedee the last to leave. “It’ll be easier on him if you’re the only one listening.” He offered a weak smile. “We’ll send you a text if we see Ronaldo.”

Then there were two. Steven and Kurtis spent the next minute staring at the closed door.

“She took my book,” the older male stated, more deadpan than a tombstone.

Steven cleared his throat, getting comfortable for what he felt sure would be a long talk. “So your grandpa. It sounds like you guys don’t get along, right?”

The narrowed eyes and curled upper lip spoke everything for Kurtis.

“He’s that bad?” ‘How’ almost leapt off Steven’s tongue, but the young Quartz held back that tidbit, feeling it sounded too nosy. “Is that why you don’t look so good this morning?”

Kurt’s eyes angled down. “He made Uma cry.”

Something at the base of Steven’s soul clenched at the thought of the elderly woman in tears. Not just because she was always so nice to him, but how her chill demeanor reminded him so much of Garnet. After a heartbroken gaze at Kurtis’ sad scowl, he administered a gentle hug to his taller friend’s arm.

“You spent the night making sure she got sleep, didn’t you?”

Kurtis sighed, his body sagging against Steven. He bit his lip. “We agreed to leave early.”

Steven couldn’t help but smile as he pulled back. “And you and Amber came here waiting for Ronaldo the moment you got back, right?”

Kurtis failed to hide his blush. “Everyone else insisted.”

Huh. That part sounded kind of vague. Steven grew puzzled. “Everyone as in...?”

“Uma, Dad, Amber, Pearl.”

“Wait, Pearl? When did she talk to you?”

“She called this morning. Said you’d be here.”

Steven tapped his chin, racking his brain for the memory in question. “She never told me anything like—,” only to blush once he remembered, “...unless I ran faster than she could tell me after I called Jenny and the others about finding Ronaldo.” He faced Kurtis with a bashful mien and chuckle, rubbing the back of his head. “Heh, heh. My bad.”

Kurtis could only blink at first, wide-eyed and blank. Then for the first time in the last twenty-four hours, he felt a laugh echo against the walls of his throat. A faint one, but it lessened the storm cloud of his mind. A brotherly smile gracing him, he tousled Steven’s afro, the weight in him lifting even more at the younger boy’s giggle.

“She also said Amber’s looking after Ron.” His grin waned in confusion at the way Steven gripped his own face, cheeks smooshed between the hands and enamored smile nearly blinding.

Steven poked the other boy’s left cheek. “You just shortened Ronaldo’s name,” he squeaked like a baby mouse that just uncovered the world’s biggest hunk of cheese.

Kurtis could only roll his eyes, not even caring about the faint heat emanating from his face this time. Where was the point in hiding embarrassment anymore? Returning his glasses to their rightful place, he grabbed his jacket where it’d been draped over the right arm of the sofa.

“Where are you going?”

“We’re going outside,” Kurtis amended as he donned his jacket and stood up.

Steven, glimmering from hope, hopped off the couch in suit. “Are we gonna look for Ronaldo?”

“Close.” Kurtis kneeled, hands on the floor, his back to Steven so the younger boy would get the hint. Steven happily accepted.

---

A familiar shot of blond hair ambled down the boardwalk, face solemn and in deep thought. Ronaldo, hands in his pockets, kept his eyes trained on the wooden planks as he pondered the fatigue and relief in his heart after the reunion back home.

His father unsurprisingly had been livid—yet also remorseful, an unexpected emotion considering the man’s near-indifferent annoyance at his firstborn’s distress yesterday.

Ronaldo had spent the last hour answering question after question, overwhelmed by the man’s rampant apologies and assurances to try better as a parent. Thank goodness Peedee had been there to keep their dad’s hysteria under control.

Still, the Fryman heir needed time to himself to let the previous conversation sink in.

He knew one fact for sure, though, one that worked a meek grin out of him as he pulled out a yellowed slip of paper and reread it. “Maybe Amber and Peridot were right, after all.”

“Ronnie?”

Ronaldo felt his insides freeze at the soft-spoken words, uttered by an even softer yet achingly familiar voice from behind him. Breath bated, he hesitantly turned, hoping against hope he would not be met with a hallucination, some trick induced by canary overlord technology.

So his eyes sought the evidence. They did not disappoint.

“J-Jane...,” his voice trembled at the slender brunette right before him, gazing at the young man through misty eyes. “I...”

He fully faced his ohime-sama, feeling as if (half-dreading) that he might wake up any moment. At last, the young man pocketed the paper slip and stepped forward tremulously.  When his love remained where she stood, still solid and there, his words let loose.

“I...I JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT I’M SORRY! EVERYTHING YOU SAW WAS JUST A RUSE TO HELP THE TOWN! I NEVER MEANT TO MAKE YOU THINK—“

The air in his throat halted at the feel of thin soft arms enveloping his neck, all apologies and assurances brought to a screeching halt by the demure voice in his ear.

“Steven and Kurtis told me everything. I’m so sorry for not listening.”

There lay no more doubt. This was real.

Ronaldo embraced his princess, reunited once more, tears rampant and free.

Elsewhere, a pair of star-studded eyes gleaned the scene from the front window of Flores and Gardening.

Quick and silent, Steven dashed from the front window all the way to the living room, where Kurtis had been waiting ever since they returned from their talk with Jane back at the lighthouse minutes ago.

Upon entry, Steven had his mouth ready to cheer their success, only to pause at the sight of Kurtis collapsed against the sofa, still and asleep, Amber’s dog form curled beside him, also in slumber. With a soft smile, Steven draped the blanket over Kurt and Amber, a pat on the shoulder and pet on the head (respectively of course) for good measure.

“We did good, amigos. We did good.”

---

That's why we’ve all agreed to arrange a surprise for you.

Easy, Sparky! You’re not in trouble! Ya just been lookin’ like you need someone to talk to.

We’d like to help you through this. Problem is we’re not the best Gems for this job.

But, lucky for you, we know someone far more qualified!

Speaking of whom, HEY!

Yes, hello! We’ve brought her!

Just a moment! I’m almost done finishing up these flowers. There we go! Hi there! I’m Lilac Pearl, but please. Call me Lily.

Chapter 17: Figuring Out

Notes:

During the events of “Monster Reunion”; three days after “Restaurant Wars”

Today, Greg Universe learned a profound truth: it’s possible to be in hysterics while staying near-silent at the same time.

Evidence: Amber’s sidelong position in the man’s office chair as she gripped her sides in wheezy laughter.

To be fair, though, Greg couldn’t blame her after he recounted...that. Heck, if not for his own embarrassment at the memory he would’ve laughed too. The middle-aged man shrugged with a bashful grin. “Well, now you know why I don’t do covers anymore.”

No kidding. Amber needed another solid minute before she regained her composure and sat up straight again, breathing still funky from laughing so much. When her eyes caught the clock up on the wall, she hopped off and began gathering her belongings and stuffing them into the backpack at the chair’s feet.

From behind, Greg quirked an eyebrow in surprise until he noticed the time, too. He set away the microphone he’d been holding onto the table beside him.

“Time already?”

Amber nodded with an apologetic grin. Much as she enjoyed the ex-rocker’s company, she had another promise to keep somewhere else and little time to get there.

Fortunately Greg understood. “Ah, don’t sweat it!” He waved a dismissive hand as he moved to open the front door for Amber, who followed beside him. “Gem business’s no picnic. Sorry we didn’t make good headway on that cure by the way. Guess we got a little too sidetracked.”

Noting the wilting grin, Amber hastened to her notebook.

It’s fine! I thought I needed a pretense to socialize with you. At Greg’s blank stare, Amber winced before scrambling to continue her response. What I mean is you’re probably not used to Gems genuinely wanting to hang out with you.

When Greg’s face flickered to something sadder, she only flinched harder.

Not that I DON’T want to! It’s just that many of us never made actual efforts to get to know humans during the war.

A tense hunch took up her shoulders, the molehog knowing how that all sounded, before she braced for an offended tirade. A patient sympathetic smile crossed Greg’s face instead. “Huh, that’s too bad. Kinda ironic, too. What about you then?”

Amber scratched her face, thoughtful. I’ve always enjoyed their company. A lot more than I ever enjoyed that of other Gems—recent events ran through Amber’s mind, silently reprimanding her—Mostly. I just didn’t know if you would believe me if I came upfront and asked.

Back when the Flores consisted of only her, Kurtis and Marcus, she—or rather Sparky—often witnessed Greg at some sort of odds with the other Gems besides Rose. (Okay Pearl ninety-nine percent of the time, but you see the point.) Just like with most of the other aspects of her old friends she’s behind on, she had little context for help.

And from what little context she did have before her talk with Pearl at the arena, yikes.

‘Not to mention there’s my corruption to consider—and that’s a whole other tar pit altogether.’

Greg deepened his frown at those last few statements, not just because they implied self-esteem issues on Amber’s part (woo boy, could the man relate to that) but...well self-consciousness towards her own people, too, which felt bizarre to think about in terms of the Gems since Greg never got that impression from Pearl or any of the others.

Now he knew very well how much emotional baggage weighed each of them down (and experienced firsthand much to his dismay), but none of it included simply being their species. They all seemed so accepting and even proud of their ‘Gemhood’ that hearing one of them confessing the contrary surprised him.

But he knew better than to pry. “There’s no shame in asking.  You’re pretty cool to hang around; also pretty sure you’re at least semi-serious about this whole ‘curing corruption’ thing.”

He had her there. Amber scratched a claw against her cheek again, not sure how to respond until the carwash owner waved an assuring hand. “Don’t worry. I once decoded a message from outer space! I’m sure one of these days we’ll crack it.”

Amber smiled in gratitude before reaching into her backpack and tossing Greg a red box. The chubby musician caught the item easily, confused until he read the hug white block letters: Cheez-E.

Consider it an edible token of our camaraderie.

...Greg’s eyes shifted from Amber to the box then back. He managed an awkward smile. “Uh, thanks?”

Then after a resolute ZIP, RUSTLE, ZIP followed by a polite nod, our little cheeseball departed.

Once Amber went around the corner and he finished waving goodbye, Greg took a second glance at the box then perked.

“Oh hey! Cheddar Jack!”

---

 

‘Oh hey, sand in my face. Again.’

Amber promptly spat the offending material out before rolling onto her back, checking herself.

From mid-thigh down, her right leg sported part of a yellow rubber jumpsuit along with a black boot, the dark gray upper rim and soles a sharp contrast against the tawny sunlit sand. The change lasted ten seconds before the limb flickered back to its bestial self.

Should one feel relief or annoyance in this situation? Amber sighed regardless.

On the bright side, the shift lasted longer than last time; not so bright side, the delay between states seemed to be increasing in length, let alone choosing the most inopportune times to act up.

In other words, Amber had to deal with limbs that could turn intangible at any moment, one of the reasons she hadn’t been allowed on missions yet.

Even fighting had become a problem in the days since the Restaurant War craze, the hiccups leading to her getting poofed more times than she wished to count. At least before she could force the brief changes with minimal effort. Now that effort took more out of her, taking away energy needed for other tasks.

Nowadays, she could barely keep focus during training without expecting a close-up with the ground.

Pearl did not react well once she realized the reason Amber kept shapeshifting in the middle of fights.

You shouldn’t force your form like that! Your condition’s precarious enough as it is!

Although Amber would have preferred the anger and disappointment over what Pearl told her later in the presence of the other Crystals, Connie and Steven included.

I talked with the others and we all agree it’d be best to work training more to your needs.

‘In other words, more handicaps. Lovely,’ Amber griped as she gingerly returned to her feet and continued towards the beach house, wary and disgruntled. Ugh, how much longer will she have to deal with this bodily indecisiveness?

“Yo, Mole Mom!”

Amber halted her trek towards the stairs and looked up at the familiar call, happy for the distraction, and posed her paw to wave.

Only to wish she hadn’t, greeting grin drooping instantly.

Bear in mind, she didn’t dislike Amethyst.

Not to say she was bosom buddies with the tiny Quartz either. Every time they were in the same room or area together, there had always been someone else there as a sort of mediator. The two Gems could still glean off general information about each other, whether from the others or from observation, but that was all.

Now marked the first time they were interacting one on one.

It’s just...did Amethyst have to do this? And by ‘this’, Amber was referring to her purple lookalike strutting down the steps, flashing claws and all in jazz hands fashion once at the bottom.

“So whatcha think? Too quilly?” Amethyst gave herself a look over as though she were a fashion designer critiquing her own work, going so far as to pose like a supermodel. All the display received consisted of an unsettled stare and subsequent lack of eye contact. She didn’t take long to notice. “What?”

Sucking in a breath through gritted teeth, Amber took one last look at Amethyst then hastily wrote something into the sand between them with her finger. Due to the positioning, Amethyst had to angle herself to get a good look at the sentence.

Could you please turn back?

Blink, blink. Amethyst scrunched her face at the other Gem, perplexed and a bit offended. “Why?”

Taking a deep breath, Amber tried again. You shapeshifting into me makes me uncomfortable.

“Ugh, fine,” with a huff, the lavender snark reverted to her original form, “geez Sparkles, I just thought you needed some cheerin’ up. Lighten up why don’t”—BZZZKKTTT—“YEOW!”

Clutching her right hiney more from shock (pun intended) than pain, she shot a wide-eyed stare of disbelief at Amber, smirking as her right claw lost its glow from waning static discharge. The aureate Gem erased her previous message and wrote in a new one.

I never said get pouty on me.

Amethyst blew a bang out of her view, pretending to be annoyed at the comeback even though her own smirk ruined the effect. “Where is that every time ya come over?” She rolled her eyes at the molehog’s puzzled face. “Yer always tryin’ to pull a Lapis when nobody’s talking to ya.”

Okay maybe an exaggeration. That behavior started to lessen in frequency due to the efforts of Amethyst and Steven (and Connie when she could) to help her integrate back into the team. Still, Amethyst could count a good number of times the corrupted rock politely excused her way out of further socialization after a few measly minutes of hanging around the others.

To her credit, Amber made an excellent impression of a hooded lizard. I’m shy, okay?

“Ooooh of course,” drawled the other lithomorph as she bowed at the waist like a posh servant, “my sincerest apologies, Madame. Shall we share my condolences over a cup of tea?”

Okay, the British accent killed the joke in Amber’s opinion. Or Garnet accent? Garnet did come before Britain. Linguistic perspectives aside, now seemed like a good time to get an honest opinion now that the two Gems could talk one-on-one.

Amber kneeled down and, in a flurry of digits, the next of her words appeared. Amethyst craned her neck again to look.

What’s your take on me?

The point-blankness of the question took the violet Gem by surprise. Her eyes ascended back to the serious-eyed molehog. “For reals?” 

I'm curious.

Amethyst broke eye contact and scratched her right cheek in an absentminded manner, thinking for a moment. “Didn’t think much of ya at first, I mean besides ya bein’ corrupted and all and not bein’ all crazy and wreckin’ everything in sight. Between the Lil’ Butler  vibes and the shit-ton of books ya got on you, I figured you’d pretty much be like Pearl’s long lost twin or something.”

Amber stood there, blinking and blank-faced. Suddenly she pointed up.

Amethyst shook her head with a sly grin, not taking the bait. “Ah naw, I ain’t fallin’ for that old trick, Sparkles.”

Then Amber pointed down.

“Or that.”

For some reason, Amber pointed to the violet Quartz’s feet this time.

Amethyst barely glanced down. “Yeah, my boots are on fleek as usual, what’s your”—Wait, since when do her boots sparkle? Her eyes took a double take. “Wha...AHHHH!”

At Amber’s sudden hand swipe upward, Amethyst literally found herself knocked off her feet, back-flipping in midair like someone in the cartoons getting a rug pulled out from under them. Seconds later she returned to Earth, face first right in the sand.

“PAH-TOOIE!  Pleh-pleh,” she wiped away the grains from her impressed grin as she lounged against the last step, “well played, Sunshine. Well played. Speakin’ of playing, how’s things with yours and Gregory’s little experiment?”

I feel we may be making progress.

Amethyst quirked an eyebrow and snorted, amused. “You mean you and Greg jammin’ together? I like your idea of progress.”

Amber could only roll her eyes. Despite how our efforts look, there is a method to what we’ve been doing.

“Like doin’ the bossa nova to Davey Yonder?”

Too bad the fur of Amber’s corrupted form excluded her cheeks. Some cover for the golden blushing would have helped right now. We both really like that guy, okay? Besides, we’re dealing with music.

How they could not end up getting distracted?

Amethyst shrugged her shoulders, seeing the other Gem’s point. “Figured anything out?”

Besides reaffirmation that music could help fix corruption? No. Since we’re on the subject, have you all worked out how to safely work in the other corrupted Gems as test subjects?

“Eh,” Amethyst rubbed the back of her head, “Garnet says we gotta start small. That way we don’t hafta worry about so much damage control. And Pearl says we better stick to the ‘less rowdy’ Gems while we’re at it,” she finger-quoted, blank face and all.

So basically make sure to avoid the Rebels.

Amethyst snickered at how that quip hit the nail on the head. “Yeah, pretty much!”

“GUUUYYYYYYYSSS!”

Welp that sounded like Steven. A rather urgent Steven, in fact. Amethyst called back in an assuring tone, not wanting the kid to pull a Pearl before she got there. “We’re coming. We’re coming.”

At that moment, a ringing sound reverberated from Amber’s backpack. After pulling out and activating her cellphone, she noticed a new message notification—only to rub her eyes once she read the sender’s message.

Peridot5XG: Assistance! Assistance! When I tried to notify Steven of a new project of mine, the tablet warped my message into some nonsense about Earth produce and morphing mops!  I believe there may be a saboteur interfering with the local communication network!

A poorly stifled chortle erupted from Amethyst, the chubby whip master clutching her sides. Sounds like someone found the Auto Correct. Amber facepalmed, trying hard not to sigh at the technical naiveté. Ugh, what was she gonna do with this kid?

Before walking off to deal with the impending silliness, she rotated this time then scratched into the sand so Amethyst could see better.

You go on ahead. I’ll catch up.

Not like there’d be any surprises waiting for her.

---

 

'On second thought, never mind.'

Amber was currently having a benevolent yet curious stare-off with the bipedal insectoid currently seated on Steven’s sofa. A Nephrite judging by the massive eye gemstone, though Amber could not quite remember for sure. It’s been a while.

In any case, she had to resist the urge to swarm ‘Centipeetle’ (as Steven just introduced her) with questions.

“...and since you’re also corrupted but have been getting along so well, I figured you could help me help Centi!”

Without looking Amber held up a finger as her way of saying ‘One moment, Steven’. She needed a moment to assess the patient.

Not the physical aspects; those were obvious. Amber cared more for how Centipeetle’s posture betrayed anxiety and confusion despite the poise, how those hands kept tightening in on themselves, and how that single eye bunched up at the yellow Gem as if she were something out of a nature documentary gone out there.

Which to be fair, she did look the part but that’s beside the point.

She stuck a forepaw out. Centipeetle stared at it, not sure what this strange Gem-like being expected of her.

Sensing the lack of comprehension, Amber grabbed her own hand and shook it. Centipeetle blinked in realization, fascinated, and then tentatively took the molehog’s hand, letting the other Gem lead the gesture. When Amber smiled, Centipeetle returned the mien, happy she got this ritual correct.

Speaking of correct, a bloom of pride blossomed in the electroball once she realized Garnet and Pearl and Amethyst’s absence, the three Crystals waiting out on the front porch. That sort of considerate behavior just went to show their easy agreement to letting Steven heal this ‘Centipeetle’ character. Amber would rather not think of the alternatives for if they hadn’t had an excuse to give Steven’s corruption therapy a shot.

A soft yet audible finger-snap from Steven reminded them of his presence. “Oh, right! I guess ‘Centi’ isn’t really your name,” he fixed curious stare on the green being, “so what is your name?”

CLCK-CLCK! RAWWW!

Amber bit back a sigh. ‘Yeah, we definitely have our work cut out for us.’

The following events did not prove her wrong.

Despite Steven’s ingenuity to use crayons and paper to convey Centipeetle’s words, the session went downhill horrendously fast. In the end after a heartbreaking breakdown and dismaying chase through the South American jungle, it was agreed upon that Centipeetle would remain with her teammates, recently discovered inside one of the abandoned Gem ships.

“Amber! We have to go!”

Thought and rumination cut through by Pearl’s voice, Amber looked back at her old friends with reluctant regard. She did not wish to leave. At least not yet.

Even after the therapy went awry, the molehog felt they all owed Centipeetle something for unintentionally putting her through that anguish and frustration. A long serpentine form snaked beside the smaller corrupted Gem, drawing her attention to the now massive Centipeetle. The golden rock stared guilty into the oral eye that stared back.

I’m sorry you went through that. I should have anticipated—the feel of a bisected leg drawing her into her newfound friend’s ivory mane cut off her writing. She returned the embrace. 

Out of the corner her eye not smothered by Centipeetle’s mane, she noticed one of the insectoid’s legs scratch something into the dirt. It was scraggly but readable.

One day.

Those two words occupied her focus the entire way back to Beach City, none of the other CGs’ attempts to talk to her enough to break her reverie. Just those words repeating, adding more to themselves each time.

One day you’ll be yourself again.

One day you won’t have to live with this brokenness.

One day you won’t be reminded of your loss every time you see your reflection.

One day you won’t need to live every waking moment seeing your biggest mistake given form.

One day...one day...

The feel of a stone-studded hand gently on her left shoulder cut off her thoughts, drawing her attention to a familiar pair of shades.

“You were hoping for a better outcome.”

Out here seated at the beach house’s front-side patio table, umbrella angled so she could feel the Sun’s warmth, Amber regarded the maroon fusion with a half-hearted smile.

If it’s any consolation, the same thing happened to me when I remembered how my corruption started. Took Rose and the tribe weeks to find me again.

Garnet’s frown deepened even more, unsettled by the thought of her friend lost and alone, confused and scared. She took up the seat opposite the yellow Gem, crossing her arms and legs and leaning back in the chair with ace nonchalance.

They sat together in silence until a few minutes later when a familiar dainty hand deposited a pink mug of marshmallow-laden coffee in front of Amber...and a cane beside her?

Pearl hardly batted an eye at the molehog’s questioning stare. “Amethyst suggested it during your and Steven’s session with Centipeetle. She noticed how often your form would go unstable, so she handed over one of the canes from her room. Not to worry, it’s in perfect condition!”

Her guest’s suspiciously raised eyebrow and skeptical half-lidded look got Pearl eye-rolling quick.

“And of course, she wants an excuse to make cracks about you hobbling all over the place like someone’s grandmother.”

After eyeing the cane for a long moment, Amber flicked to a new page with such attitude she might as well have smacked her gums.

I’ll bean her noggin in with it later.

Garnet made no effort to hide her chortles. Pearl shook her head with a likewise smirk, finger pointed up. “Not too hard, mind you. She might change her mind about bringing you along with her and Steven to wrestling tonight if you give her a reason to regenerate.”

If Pearl had been of less poise, she would have giggled at Amber’s curious wide-eyed stare. Instead she crossed over to Garnet’s side and seated herself in the chair beside her teammate. “She and Steven are ardent fans of wrestling, participants even. When I told her about how your training sessions had been going, she got rather excited to say the least.”

“Don’t be surprised if she suggests you join in,” Garnet added, “She tried with Pearl.”

Pearl snorted at the thought and waved a hand in flattered dismissal. “Not that I wasn’t flattered at the offer, but I prefer more along the lines of tachimawari, although I’d think twice about using an actual sword as part of a performance.”

Amber struggled to smile at Pearl’s quip. After a few futile seconds, she stared down her cup, remembering how she hadn’t been far from the house when her leg acted up. Meaning Amethyst saw her fall flat on her face after all.

Lovely.

‘No wonder she tried to cheer me up.’

The molehog barely got to grimace before Pearl spoke up again. “Speaking of performances, we’ve been meaning to talk to you about the way you’ve been handling your corruption lately. Amethyst meant it when she said that cane would help you.”

“Your form’s been losing stability lately,” Garnet finally leveled her gaze at Amber, “ever since you helped Ronaldo in fact.”

The minute flinch of Amber’s snout gave Pearl enough to puzzle the answer out on her own. “And you’ve realized this, too, haven’t you?” She leaned forward ever so slightly. “What on Earth did you show him?”

He felt like no one cared about him, so I disproved him by showing what happened after I lost my sisters.

Garnet jerked her head up, her three eyes tense.

Pearl gasped, hand to her mouth. “You...you mean...?”

Amber shook her head. After that. How I could barely function, let alone focus on missions without the environment triggering me.

Pearl blushed in bright cyan and twiddled her thumbs, remembering the sloppy way she approached the younger Gem during that time. “Still,” she tapped her chin in thought, “that’s not a severe memory. Peridot’s take on it, as far she told us, was thoughtful and I can only surmise Ronaldo was the same, right?”

At Amber’s nod, Pearl hummed to herself. “I still think something that day links to your problems now. If it’s not the memory causing you trouble—“

“Then chances are the problem isn’t external but internal. Something the memory reminded you of. That means that the solution,” the way Garnet’s glasses shimmered did not sit well with Amber, “lies in you.”

Pearl sighed, hardly sounding surprised at all yet no less troubled. Amber swore the leaner Gem uttered something along the lines of ‘I was afraid that’d be the case...’

“Amber,” Garnet leaned forward as her arms supported her upper body against the table. She tightened her hands as though bracing herself. “We know you’re trying to hold back your original form.”

At this point in time, the little cheeseball realized her current situation and remained calm. Yes, being found out alarmed her but if there was one lesson being in the War taught her, it was this: never panic. Letting the situation get to you never worked out unless you intended to die faster.

Keeping that advice in mind, Amber silently assessed her options, sipping at her coffee to buy more time to think.

One, she could feign ignorance (a futile effort); two, she could fend Garnet and Pearl off with biting remarks (she had neither the will nor personality to do that); and three, just coming clean (simple and honorable).

Except that last option had one drawback.

Amber shuffled her feet out of anxiety, claw tapping against the cup once she’d drained the sweet fluid. Pearl’s tired sigh sliced through the silence.

“Amber, I don’t understand. You remember what Steven told you! You don’t have to worry about losing everyone once you’re healed. We’ll all still be here.”

The molehog managed a small brief smile. She felt nothing short of gratitude for that sort of loyalty. And yet...

If I get better, I go back to being a Gem. Being a Gem means I can’t avoid tying my legacy back to Homeworld. I don’t want to remember what I did before I joined.

Pearl and Garnet shared a concerned gaze, finally understanding what their friend chose not to tell Steven.

“Amber,” Pearl began in a measured tone, “you cut off your ties to Homeworld the moment you and your sisters defected to Rose’s side, and whatever you’ve been doing all these years, surely some of it included helping humans along the way. Otherwise you wouldn’t be with Marcus’ family right now.”

But is that enough?

“It doesn’t have to be.” Garnet arose from her chair tall and away from the umbrella, striking a strong figure in the sunlight. “You have every right to feel ashamed of the injustices Gems have wrought on themselves and others.”

She walked around the table until she stood beside Amber, the molehog craning her neck to keep eye-level, and then lowered herself to one knee with one arm draped over it. “But the actions of those Gems are not yours. They reflect on you, but they do not define you.”

Amber’s dark eyes crinkled, the doubt in them not conceding. The voice at the back of her mind that sounded too much like Rose did not help either.

If you want a road to freedom, you have to carve it first.

“At least that’s how I believe Rose said it.” It took the golden Gem an instant to realize Pearl had been speaking her exact same thoughts. “And no, you weren’t being obvious about your thoughts. There’re just parts of you I still know well.”

Okay, Amber tried real hard not to blush at that last bit. She honestly couldn’t discern from Pearl’s calmer-than-ice smile whether the taller stone knew damn well how else that statement could be taken.

“All joking aside, regardless of your reasons, we can’t let you keep endangering yourself. And if we can’t convince you to stop”—Amber’s sharp warning glare did not faze her at all; if anything it spurred a stern glare in return—“yes, we will resort to telling the Flores if necessary.”

Amber could only look away with a snort, thankful she possessed the willpower to not pout like a petulant child. ‘Good to know you and Garnet still have no qualms about playing dirty, Pearl.’

Though at least she could say they were doing so because they cared. That’s more than anyone could say for the Diamonds.

When Pearl spoke again, Amber noted how her voice softened as though in guilt. “If you think we don’t get your feelings about what our kind’s done to other people, then you need to know this: we cut ourselves off from humans partly so we wouldn’t have to worry about playing around with their lives.”

When Amber and Garnet turned to look at her, Pearl directed her gaze to the dimming afternoon sky. “I often made a show of exalting Gem culture in the past, but part of that came from the guilt of knowing that our efforts here didn’t stop others from suffering at Homeworld’s hand elsewhere. No one deserves that burden.”

A bitter huff escaped her, conflicting with her halfhearted smile.

“I suppose the reason we can’t stand what you’ve been doing is because we’re worried you blame us, too. Sometimes I wonder if we deserve it. You and so many other Gems went through so much because of us, lost so much because of the Rebellion. I know an apology isn’t enough to make up for what happened, but...”

Pearl could not bring herself to finish. Even millennia later, the losses felt fresh.

A long stretch of quiet passed between the three of them, the air left ponderous...until a tap-tap-tap sounded against the tabletop. When Pearl returned her attention to the others, she noticed two new details: the note beside the umbrella and Garnet’s small yet tender smile.

Dragging the note closer with one finger, she examined the contents. Her eyes started to water about halfway through.

If there’s one thing I’m glad Homeworld did, it was giving me a reason to join you. For all the trouble I went through to help protect this world, for all the scars the war left me, I could never forfeit the memories of my friends. Even in corruption.

Oh. Oh. Pearl needed a moment to wipe away the rampant tears, her chuckles warbled by the wave of emotions threatening to flood out of her.

“Hmm-hm. You really are too sweet sometimes.”

Despite herself, Amber managed a tired but genuine smile. Then she suddenly turned her head after sensing two presences dart from the bottom-right corner of the nearest window. She rolled her eyes and hopped off, collecting her backpack, before warping to the front door and wrenching it open to reveal a wide-eyed Steven and Amethyst on the couch.

The violet whip-slinger was lounging with a magazine in hand and trying far too conspicuously to hide her face with it. Meanwhile Steven was sitting ramrod straight with the worst poker face Amber had ever seen; the nervous facial sweat didn’t do the kid any favors either.

When he noticed the unimpressed pair of eyes on him, he attempted a smile that came out more like the face of someone about to but not wanting to explode. “Um...”

Garnet appeared in the doorway behind Amber next and shook her head with a knowing smirk at her younger teammates’ antics. “Best you go with them now.”

No need to tell Amber twice. The molehog gestured two fingers in a way full of ‘come on, you goofballs’, and the two sheepish Quartzes complied easily.

Once Amber assumed her guise as Sparky and the trio disappeared around the cliff bend, waving the others goodbye, Pearl joined Garnet at the door. The feeble smile she’d been holding during the departure loosened into a countenance of worry as she turned back to Garnet.

“Do you think that talk was enough?”

The Crystal Gem leader let her lips downturn. “No. But it’s a step in the right direction.”

Chapter 18: Kindred

Notes:

(Right after the events of “Alone at Sea”; two days after “Monster Reunion”)

No business today.

Uma discerned as much the moment her eyes caught the grey bulging cumulus overhead. In which case, best to close shop before the wind kicked in. Amber left a few minutes ago on an errand with Pearl; Kurtis had classes at this time; and Marcus was on the phone talking with a supplier, meaning Uma had the task of closing early alone.

No matter. She never minded having time to herself.

Pulling a stool to the display window to switch the sign to ‘Closed’, Uma paused in the middle of flipping once she noticed a familiar blue person cradled below the window, formerly out of the elderly lady’s sight. How long the water Gem been out here was anyone’s guess. Without hesitation, Uma returned to ground-level and approached the front door, concerned and a tad curious.

The tinkle of the bell grabbed the cradled alien’s attention. Uma took one look at her and Lapis returned an empty one back. When the former retreated instantly, the latter sighed as though not surprised at all and returned to huddling her face in her knees—until a navy blue Sampaguita quilt depicting a night sky full of golden stars and moons draped around her shoulders.

As the watery rock looked back again, Uma finished adjusting the adornment and stood a close yet respectful distance away with hands clasped in front, patient. Shaking her head, Lapis willed herself to speak, voice feeble yet audible enough to hear.

“Is Amber home?”

With an apologetic frown, Uma shook her head. “She said not to expect her back until late evening.”

Oh wonderful, wonderful timing. Lapis could only sigh. As usual her luck kept getting worse. She huddled the blanket more around her and murmured, “What am I even doing here?”

Every time she visited this place, she only stayed long enough to talk to Amber and forewent any attempt to interact with the molehog’s family beyond awkward one-sentence answers. Not that she had anything against humans specifically, but she never had to deal with a species Homeworld taught her to treat as inferior. That and she had always been a bit of an introvert. Months spent as a hate-induced fusion never does one’s social skills much good either.

Uma, blinking, stroked her chin in a way that somehow came off as genuine instead of teasing. “Good question. Whatever the reason, in there has to be more comfortable than out here.”

Lapis wanted to argue yet could not will herself. In fact she couldn’t bring herself to pull away either when Uma took her hand, helping the Gem stand up, then gently guided her into the store. Like a despondent fish in an ocean current, the hydromancer tagged along for the ride.

All while her mind continued to drown.

I thought I was a brute, but you. You’re a monster!

LET’S BE MALACHITE AGAIN!

I was wrong about fusion. You made me understand!

It’ll be better this time! I’ve changed! You’ve changed me!

Changed me. Changed me, changed me. Changed-me-changed-me-change-change-change-change—

Tinkling alerted her to the sound of a cup trembling from the sepia liquid inside it, clank-clank against the surface of a table somehow in front of her. When had she—oh, she found herself sitting on the red sofa now, Uma calmly drinking tea beside her. Out of embarrassment, Lapis undid her fetal position and stared at Amber’s necklace, there over the fireplace like usual, to avoid eye-contact with the old woman.

Eventually, she tired of this endeavor and grabbed her cup, feeling the lukewarm liquid, but made no move to sip. Only stared down into the forlorn reflection whose face revealed nothing more than the desire to teleport someplace far away, far away enough so she’d never need fear hurting anyone ever again.

Minutes passed in heavy silence.

At last Lapis spoke faintly and calmly, figuring she had nothing to lose.  “I went on a boat with Steven and his dad. It was a little fun.”

Uma set her own drink down with a smile-studded nod. “A little’s better than nothing.”

“I tried to enjoy myself. I really did, but it’s hard when you’ve messed up the way I have.”

Uma nodded again, silent this time. Lapis wished she did say something to at least fill the quiet. Anything to distract from—the tea in her cup suddenly started to slosh again despite her hands remaining still. A hand on her back made her stiffen at first but then she and her tea relaxed once she remembered her surroundings.

She wasn’t back there. The one touching her wasn’t her.

Eyes closed, the blue rock inhaled. “Someone came back for me. They wanted to f...get back together with me. I...,” her breath clinched, “I almost said yes even when I remembered how horrible it felt to be with them. Being together meant I had someone to take all my anger out on...and I missed all of that.”

Good people shouldn’t feel that way, right? Good people knew better than to keep thinking that way, right? Wasn’t that all the more proof of how rotten to the core Lapis truly was?

But you said no to her, remember? You even told her how unhealthy being Malachite was. Would a bad person have said any of that?

Lapis bit her lip, unnerved by how much her inner voice sounded like Steven. Her eyes reopened, angled at the TV yet staring off at a distance miles beyond it. Staring off perhaps for her other self. “Is it wrong that I still feel sorry for them? Do I even deserve to feel that way? All I did was hurt them.”

That same hand started rubbing circles just shy of the gemstone.

“It’s good that we feel concern for them,” Uma finally replied, voice thick with an emotion Lapis swore she recognized yet could not pin down. “It means we haven’t lost our ability to feel for others. I still care about my family and you sound like you still care about Steven.”

Lapis shot the old woman an incredulous stare. “Of course I care about him! Jasper was about to kill him!” She slapped a hand over her mouth. Uma remained unfazed, still calm and supportive as though the outburst never happened. The blue Gem turned away with a mortified blush. “Why am I even telling you this?”

Humans couldn’t even fuse. But Lapis didn’t want to heap this mess on top of Steven; he’d been through enough today because of it, because of her. And Peridot, annoying as she could be, didn’t deserve that either after all the pains she took to make Lapis feel welcome at the barn. Besides, as much as she loved the former and was begrudgingly starting to like the latter, she doubted they’d give her grievances their full attention.

Because that’s what Lapis needed right now, someone to listen to her. Not prove her wrong or comfort her, just listen—and Amber always excelled at that.

A careworn sigh echoed beside the Gem as she felt the hand once again leave her. Lapis had half a mind to just apologize and leave, feeling like she wasted enough of this human’s time with her sob story, until Uma’s voice stopped her, once again laden with that familiar yet unnamable feeling.

“It’s hard to let go.”

Clink.

When Lapis shifted her gaze at the sound, Uma had set the teacup down on the table and now had her hands in her lap, face blank and eyes focused on the TV as well in that same distant gaze.

“Albert was never the gentlest man,” she cradled her right wrist in a subconscious manner, a detail Lapis couldn’t help but notice, “Not the most open-minded either. He could never stand anyone who isn’t a member of our tribe. He’s even worse if you’re mixed. He never let Kurtis forget that.”

‘Mixed’? Lapis furrowed her brows at the term. “Are you saying Kurtis is like a cross-gem fusion?”

The Flores matriarch hummed, thoughtful. “I suppose you could say he is. More of a fusion between two different worlds, a fact Albert never let him forget.” Her speaking started to slow. “Kurtis and I...saw him again a few days ago. I’d hoped that,” her voice gave off the slightest tremor, “that he’d changed his mind and turned his attitude around, try to make up for his mistakes.”

Lapis could already tell the direction of this story. Gently and slowly she asked, “Did he try to convince you to take him back?”

Uma sighed. “I wanted to say yes. So, so very badly. Even after what I put him through, what he put me through...what we put everyone through...a part of me still softens at the thought of him.”

“But then you remembered what you did to each other.”

“And I rejected him, so he tried to take his anger out on Kurtis instead.”

Though not all that close to Kurtis, Lapis tensed at the thought of Amber’s boy getting attacked. She could only imagine how the yellow Gem would have reacted had she’d been there. “Did you punch him into the sky?”

Despite herself, Uma managed a weak chuckle. “No. Kurtis punched him. I was such a wreck that night from realizing the truth...that no matter what, Albert and I could never move past our misdeeds. In a way it was a relief as well. My dear nuxwis reminded me why we’re better off apart. And he always will.”

“All you have to do is think about him,” Lapis finished with a faint yet genuine smile even as she looked away again.

A comfortable silence hung between the two ladies, easier to breathe, the burden still there yet no longer as prominent.

Lapis twiddled her thumbs in a moment of shyness. “Is it okay if I stay a little longer?” She didn’t feel ready to return to the barn yet.

Uma waved a dismissive hand. “Oh, it’s no trouble, dear. Though you may want to call your friends so they know where you are and don’t worry themselves silly.”

Lapis nodded in agreement and stood up to do so. She forgot her phone back at the barn, but managed to memorize Steven’s cell phone number. Her feet barely got three steps in before Marcus stuck his head from around the corner, dark eyes wide at the sight of the cerulean alien.

“Ah geez, Uma, why didn’t you tell me we had a guest over?! I would have finished the order earlier if I knew!”

One could almost hear Uma’s eyes roll. “Visitors over business? I’m amazed the shop’s stayed afloat with you in charge for this long.”

“Oh c’mon,” Marcus retorted as he wheeled his way into the living room, “I am just trying to be a good host.”

“And an apparently ineffective shopkeeper.” She put a hand to her chest in faux woe. “Letting an old woman close shop on her own, too!”

“Oh woman, don’t you start with me on that!”

At all of this silliness, Lapis stifled a chuckle but maintained her smile.

Her day didn’t have to end on a sour note after all.

---

 

Pearl and Amber suspected Jasper would have preferred the same.

Together the two Gems and Lion stood in a forested clearing with mountains in the near distance, and gazed into a massive Quartz-sized indentation in the ground two feet before them.

“Are you sure this is the spot they mentioned?”

Amber turned to the carnation cat, whose eyes betrayed none of his seriousness. She nodded back at Pearl.

Pearl sighed. “We can investigate the area more, see where she went, but it would help if the Ambers here cooperated with us,” her Alice-blue eyes caught the distant lights in the distance just before they flickered away into the arboreal darkness. She set her hands akimbo in exasperation. “You said they never acted this distant when you went through this region before, right? I wonder why.”

Then again, Amber never went through this region with any of the Crystal Gems either—or as far as Pearl and the others knew at least. Did the denizens here not trust her enough now that she involved herself with her old comrades? That reason in itself made no sense since a good number of them had been—

Pearl shook her head. No, speculation would not produce any results, especially with more concrete matters like Jasper at hand. Still, she and Amber would do well to share this finding with the others.

“Anyway, we at least have the materials you and Peridot requested at least. We’ll tell the others back at the temple about Jasper.”

The two Gems hopped aboard Lion and braced themselves as the great beast roared a portal to life.

Just before they jumped in, though, Amber looked back at the forest with narrowed eyes and mouthed the name of the Gem likely responsible for the strange behavior of the others.

Rose.

Chapter 19: Left Unsaid

Notes:

Takes place during the events of "Greg the Babysitter"; three days after "Alone at Sea"

“No, I don’t get it!”

That was the first sound to greet Amethyst the moment she stepped off of the Warp Pad on route to the barn. Sounded like Peri was up to wit’s end as usual. The lavender Gem smirked fondly as she made her way to the avant-garde building. There, she noticed Peridot and Amber standing in the entranceway, the former’s arms a-flailing like the green Gem was trying to illustrate her entire frustration to the world at large.

All the while, Amber received this tirade with an innocent façade, her simple blinks completing the look. Amethyst snorted at the doggie bone sticking out of the molehog’s mouth like a cigar. Lapis watched overhead from the truck overhanging from the entrance, kicking her feet idly.

“Why do we need to build this stuff for the humans,” Peridot demanded to know, “Isn’t the point of the Crystal Gems to be protecting them in the first place?”

Picking up her notebook and pencil from the ground, Amber wrote something down then stuck it at Peridot. The technician balked then threw her hands up. “I’m not saying they shouldn’t know how to defend themselves! I’m just saying, what’s the point of us protecting this world if our efforts are unnecessary—or better yet will become unnecessary?”

Scribble-scribble. Present.

Peridot pinched her nose with a sigh. “Yes, I know his unique position as a gem-human hybrid warrants a level of cooperation between the two species.” Resigned, she eyed Amber skeptically. “Still, don’t you think expecting me to construct weapons capable of countering Homeworld tech is a bit much?”

Scribble-scribble again. Present again.

Cue the perfect Peridot facepalm, neon lime blush included.

Amethyst chose then to make her presence known, sparing Peri further vexation.

Peridot lit up upon noticing her. “Ah Amethyst! Thank the stars you’re here!”

Holding back a snicker, the violet Quartz crossed her arms over her generous chest. “Pearl sent me over to see how ya’ll are doin’. Sparkles givin’ ya a hard time?”

“T-That’s not important,” Peri brushed off the question with a flustered flourish, “and for Pearl’s information, the project has potential but the execution is proving a bit,” she sidled her eyes as though considering her words carefully, “difficult.

At Amethyst’s curious stare and Amber’s encouraging one, Peridot cleared her throat before continuing. “I made a list of the Earth materials capable of incorporation with Homeworld technology per Amber’s request the other day.” She tossed an exasperated glare at the molehog. “And now she expects me to puzzle out how to make it all fit together.”

And helping you out like Lapis is.

Holding back another snort at Amber’s playful retort and Peridot’s eye-roll, Amethyst shrugged her shoulders. “So whatcha guys come up with?”

“Well,” the technician began, hands behind her back, “the integration won’t took too long since we’re simply modifying already existing technologies. The real challenge here is getting the Homeworld tech to be workable for non-Gems, let alone understandable.”

Amethyst’s smile started to wane, part of her hoping yes. “Can ya?”

Peridot broke eye contact and scratched her cheek, abashed. “That...would depend on the individual’s technical competency, not to mention their skills in combat. Connie, for example, could no doubt make efficient use of such equipment, but we can’t expect the same from every other human.”

“Yeah that’s true,” Amethyst admitted with a frown, eyes to the side. Not many folks around here shared Connie’s gumption.

“And even taking fortitude into account,” Peridot pointed a finger skyward, “humans tend to come up short in strength compared to Gems, so victory for them would require a combination of wits and exploiting weaknesses. And don’t get me started about the impossible countermeasures they would need against a Quartz from” –she noticed Amber’s worried gaze and started to stammer—“b-but that’s not to say this planet and its populace have no chance of surviving! I’m positive we’ll stumble across a solution at some point. Take how I and Steven flawlessly neutralized the Cluster for instance!””

“Yeah, Dot’s right!” Amethyst agreed as she teasingly elbowed Amber, “We’ve always found a way outta tight spots!”

Assuring as that thought was, Amber recalled when the Gems caught her up about the Cluster back on the day they confronted her true identity. Regardless, she offered the younger stone a small polite smile, thankful for the assurance and not wanting to bring the mood down.

“You mean like when Alexandrite barely managed to beat Malachite?”

Everyone gazed up at Lapis in shock. Hopping off her perch and landing easily thanks to her water wings, the azure rock crossed her arms and returned Amethyst’s glare with a frosty unimpressed mien.

“Uh, you were part of that fusion, too. We still wiped the floor with her.”

“Oh, like when you guys came to take back the ocean from me? If Steven hadn’t summoned his shield and thrown me off enough to talk sense into me, the Crystal Gems would have lost for sure.”

“Hey, that mess was a long time ago, a’ight? We’ve gotten better since then!”

Lapis stamped a foot. “It’s still true, though, isn’t it? How most of your guys’ victories were because you lucked out?” Or at least the ones she was around to witness, not that Lapis would disclose that detail. “I was the one who kept Jasper from hurting Steven any further.”

“Tch-yeah,” Amethyst scoffed with crossed arms herself, “right after Garnet finished wiping the floor with her.”

Lapis balked for a moment, taken back by this fact, but recovered quickly. “Well of course she’d be able to take on Jasper! She’s a fusion! A single Gem wouldn’t be enough to defeat Jasper otherwise!”

By this point, Amethyst had stomped straight up to Lapis, sneering right into the hydromancer’s face. Lapis gladly returned the leer in full. Sensing the rising hostility, Amber and Peridot immediately got in between their two feuding friends, hoping against hope this argument wouldn’t turn physical.

“Oh,” Amethyst’s inquiry held more salt then the ocean, “And why’s that?”

“Because. She is the ultimate Quartz.” Lapis put a hand to her own chest. “I know this because I was one of the Lazulis responsible for carving her Kindergarten out a cycle before I got captured!”

Quiet. Amethyst went drop dead quiet, eyes wide. Did...did she just hear Lapis right?

Peridot hastily swerved around to face Amethyst, a huge yet nervous grin plastered on. “Well, obviously Jasper’s far from ultimate! I mean, the Kindergarten she came from was Beta after all.”

Amber stiffened at the name and stared at Peridot questionably. No, Peridot couldn’t be talking about that Jasper, could she?

A similar expression took over Amethyst’s face. “Wait... ain’t Beta the other Kindergarten you mentioned back on the Moon?”

“Yes,” Peridot exclaimed, seeing an opportunity to defuse the argument and simultaneously show off her Kindergartener knowledge, “yes, it was! A total rush-job compared to yours, of course. And don’t get me started on the fact they used Redstone for it,” she took a moment to chuckle in amusement, “Of all things!”

“Wait, wait, wait,” Amethyst interjected, holding her hands up, “you’re telling me Jasper’s from Earth?!”

Peridot blinked, unsure how to take the whip-slinger’s disbelief. “Um, yes?”

“WHY DIDN’T YOU SAY SOMETHIN’?!”

“It’s not like I expected that fact to be of conceivable importance!”

“Uh, the fact that the same Gem that stuffed me and the others in space jail then tried fusion to off us came from the same planet as me? Pretty sure that counts as conceivable importance, girl!”

“Oh by the stars of—I don’t see you getting on Lapis’ case for not saying anything about this!”

Amethyst, Peridot—she promptly shut her mouth afterwards, feeling as though she just outed her own barn mate—and Amber all moved their gazes to the Gem in question who returned their looks with a cold glare.

“Oh I’m sorry. I didn’t realize staying on Earth required me to share every tidbit of my life from before the mirror. Besides, Peridot’s right. What difference does it make if Jasper came from the same planet as you? She still treated you, Steven, and the other Crystal Gems as enemies.”

At this point, Amethyst’s face softened; her eyes vulnerable. “But is she...really supposed to be the perfect Quartz?”

Lapis widened her eyes in surprise, not expecting Amethyst to ask that question. “Y-Yeah. I even heard one of the Peridots say something about how her exit-hole might end up having smooth glass all the way to the back or something.”

Peridot gawked. “You can’t be serious.”

“And from what I heard after I got back to Homeworld, the fact that Beta popped out nearly all defective Gems only made her stand out even more.” A sorrowful light crossed her eyes, but Lapis quickly shook her head. “Look, just...forget about wanting to beat Jasper. She’s a threat to other Gems, so that should be reason enough for you to contain her.”

Then Lapis walked off, her part in this conversation over.

Amethyst looked back at Amber, who’d been left thoughtful by Lapis’ words. “You were in the Gem War. Was Jasper really that good of a Quartz?”

Amber, so lost in thought, jolted at being addressed but regarded Amethyst with a curious stare.

Amethyst rubbed her nape. “I mean...it’s not like I care about what Homeworld would think of me.” The thought made her glad beyond measure that she was a Crystal Gem, if nothing else. “Besides, I got better things to do than pull something outta Serpent Orb and go around tryin’ ta be the toughest or junk like that. I got a life.”

Hearing those words eased the doubt in Amber’s eyes, but she remained unsure. Amethyst sounded certain now, but would that line of thought remain if Amber added on to what Lapis confirmed?

Amethyst must have noticed the lingering doubt because she held her hands up in a placating gesture again. “Look. It’s cool if ya don’t wanna spill. I’ve dealt with G-Squad and Pearls long enough to know the war couldn’t have been easy on ya. It’s just...Lapis said Beta birthed out defective Gems,” she put a hand to her chest, “Gems like me. Now that I know about them, I wanna know more and you’re the only Gem I know who could help with that.”

Amber twiddled her thumbs, deciding.

“Please? I gotta know how life was for ‘em.”

The yellow Gem finally looked back at the violet Quartz and her pleading face then sighed. Eyes shifting to the tablet tied to Peridot’s left wrist, she gestured two fingers to the verdant stone in a ‘come here’ fashion.

Peridot eyed Amber with curiosity, already knowing what the corrupted Gem intended of her yet not sure what Amber intended to show of Jasper.  Complying, the technician came closer and stuck out her tablet-arm with her other behind her back in a militant fashion, her face serious and patient.

After nodding in thanks, Amber tapped the screen a few times until she reached the video app. One claw sparkling, she tapped it against the back of the tablet. Immediately, static filled the screen until it gave way to a slightly fuzzy picture of what appeared to be a sandy space within the walls of a sizable desert canyon, curvaceous walls of red and orange and white adorned with what Amethyst recognized as exit-holes, albeit misshapen ones.

And the Quartzes. So many Quartzes.

Some that could only be Jaspers themselves. Others Amethyst had never seen before. None of them exactly matched what Amethyst expected either. Sure many of them sported considerable muscle—nowhere close to Jasper’s bulk though—but others came in various sizes. Some skinny, some short. She swore at one point she even spotted a red one about her size.

And they were all fighting for their lives.

“So that’s Beta,” Amethyst spoke in a hushed tone.

Peridot nodded. “Affirmative.”

Amber tapped the tablet again, and the text app came up. I was part of the initial raids on Beta. Rose knew we had Homeworld on the ropes at this point, so she wanted to make sure we took out the soldiers there the moment they emerged.

Amethyst and Peridot turned their eyes to Amber in shock. The former knew Rose and the others fought many grueling battles over Earth and the latter had had similar inklings due to both snippets from Jasper and talks with the Crystal Gems, but seeing all this still caught them both off guard.

Like when she and Peridot winced at the sight of a tiny red Gem getting ripped out of her hole and shattered before she could even touch the ground. Or a Peridot’s gemstone being dashed against a sword (Amethyst squeezed Peri’s trembling shoulder during that one). Or a Crystal Gem spearing one of the Quartzes to the wall with an unsettlingly excited grin.

Suddenly Amethyst realized: all this was stuff Amber saw, stuff she experienced firsthand. This realization became clear once the screen seemed to shoot away from the deaths, a gasp accompanying the action. Once or twice, a hand clad in black shot electrified projectiles from the screen’s perspective, warding off Quartzes and other Homeworld Gems coming her way.

Until everything started to shake.

A marvel that only a few seemed to register the great explosion of gravel and dirt from a clear patch of earthen wall, a testament to the frenzied violence happening all around; only once the dust waned enough could Amethyst and Peridot recognize the wild white mane and sharp angular gemstone.

The two younger Gems expected a toothy grin and golden eyes alit with anticipation for combat, for a tangerine juggernaut to come flying out to wreak havoc like a meteor. Instead they only saw Jasper peeking out at the fighting outside her space like a curious child, face obscured by the glaring sunlight—until someone wrenched the orange soldier out of her hole and into the ground.

Amber cut the video right there. They’d seen enough.

Amethyst blinked in wonder, stunned by everything she’d witnessed. “All those Quartzes we watched—did any of them besides Jasper make it?”

Amber shrugged. That, I don’t know. If they did, Homeworld probably did away with the surviving ones after the war. The Diamonds never did bat an eye at removing those incapable of serving them.

Amethyst crossed her arms with a sneer. “Figures. Sure makes me glad I don’t work for ‘em.”

Good, because I wouldn’t wish what I’ve been through under their regime on anyone.

Peridot eyed Amber and wondered what the molehog must’ve been through to make her say that.

Amethyst, not so much.

“’Cept Jasper, am I right?” Amber furrowed her brows at the purple Gem’s question. “Aw c’mon, Sparkles! You and Peridot have gotta be thinking it, too! If Jasper had ta put up with shit on Homeworld, then it would serve her right for putting others through the same.”

I admit I don’t know enough of Jasper personally to make an honest opinion. From how you all describe her, she does sound like she may be hard to get along with.

“Uh, ‘maybe’. How about ‘definitely’? I bet she walked and talked big on Homeworld cuz they consider her a big deal.”

Peridot twisted her face into an annoyed scowl. “Ugh, you have no idea. She kept regaling her military feats to me on the way to Earth, but she couldn’t fool me,” the Kindergartener crossed her arms in pride, “I knew her background. Not to mention her desperation to impress Yellow Diamond.”

A tap on the shoulder drew Peridot’s attention to an extremely baffled Amber and her notebook.

Are you saying she works under Yellow Diamond now?

“Well yes, hasn’t she always?”

Amber reeled in shock. Homeworld couldn’t have gone that far to obscure the war...right? Yet the more she took in Peridot’s confusion, the heavier the truth sunk in. Amber looked back to the phone, remembering Jasper’s emergence and wincing.

Amethyst gave her no time to ponder further. “Why are you so interested in Jasper all of a sudden?”

Good question, now that Amber thought it over. She shook her head regardless. Look, bottom line is there’re things about her you two need to know.

“What else is there ta know about her,” Amethyst argued, “Oh yeah, that’s right. Jack squat!” Amber started to write again, but Amethyst got in her face. “What? I suppose you wanna say we should feel sorry for that jerk?”

Amber backed away. Easy now. All I’m saying is that we should be careful on what we base our judgments on. If you’ll just let me explain the context, you can get a better idea of her real self.

“We’ve seen her real self! She’s a big, selfish jerk that only cares about being the strongest! Someone like her doesn’t know how to care about others!”

Please listen to me. We can’t be completely sure that’s her honest opinion.

“Amber,” the exasperation on Amethyst’s face could not have been more apparent, “she called Earth garbage! She doesn’t care about the place she came from, and ya know what? I bet she’s glad all her sisters from Beta got killed, too!”

No words followed for the next few moments. Just heavy, heavy silence: shock on one end; simmering outrage on the other. Amethyst softened her face at first, as though half a mind to apologize to Amber for the outburst, only to shake her head and skulk off to the Warp Pad.

However, she left a few parting words: “You’re too nice. Ya know that?”

Peridot and Amber remained where they stood, dumbstruck and concerned as they watched Amethyst walk then teleport away. The former bit her bottom lip and looked off to the side for a moment before facing Amber with a forced chuckle, hands akimbo.

“So heh-heh; that could have gone worse.” She took note of Amber’s downward gaze and wilted. “Of course that also could have gone better.” She rubbed her nape, emerald eyes growing wary. “You okay?”

I should’ve stopped Lapis from talking about Jasper when I had the chance. Amber, cursing her own drive for confirmation, fell back on her backside in frustration.

Peridot sat down beside the yellow rock and cleared her throat, eyes trained on the dimming evening horizon.

“You’re...an objectively strange Gem. A confusing one, too, even compared to the other Crystal Gems. To be honest, I still think your drive for ‘atonement’,” she finger-quoted, “through acquiring a cure for corruption merits logical reevaluation. To say nothing of how you view our chances against Homeworld. I’d even go so far to agree with Amethyst that you do share Steven’s tendency to let your compassion rule out reason.”

She put her hands together in a meditative manner. “All the same, I still consider you a perceptive individual. I’ve come to appreciate your diplomatic capabilities in spite of your various quirks, and to be fair, I am of the opinion that you made a fair decision in letting Amethyst learn the truth about Jasper.”

Amber turned to her in confusion.

Peridot shrugged. “It’s obvious Garnet and Pearl and perhaps Rose Quartz haven’t been forthcoming to her about her actual origins as a Quartz. Perhaps if Homeworld had never gotten involved with Earth after the war, not notifying her would have never made a significant difference. As everything stands, though, the more she knows about how her kind operates under Homeworld, the better prepared she’ll be.”

She cupped her chin in thought, humming. “Although...that knowledge appears to be feeding into her feelings of inadequacy. In which case, it’s no wonder the others never told her.” Amber moved to write something, anything, in response, but Peridot raised a hand to stop her. “Don’t apologize. Bottom line is: now that she knows about the disparity in skill between her and Jasper, she’ll no doubt do something drastic to bridge that gap.”

I hope she lives to learn from it. She’d rather not have Amethyst’s shards on her hands.

Peridot nodded, solemn-faced. “You and me both.” Her eyes swiveled skyward. “Although this whole conversation has brought up another important detail,” she turned to Amber with serious eyes, “I’ve also been in the dark about the Rebellion...,” then tore her gaze away, “about my own Homeworld.”

You want me to share with you Homeworld’s history before the war?

“As much as your memories can allow. I prefer not to prolong ignorance regarding where I came from.”

Who would? And you’re right. You should know more about Homeworld’s past.

Peridot smiled in response.

“I’m glad we could come to an agreement,” she removed her tablet and handed it over to Amber, who regarded it then her with shock, “No doubt you won’t be available consistently to provide information on a face-to-face basis, so I grant you permission to transfer as much as the storage capacity of this primitive though useful device will allow. I trust you’ll return it to me in perfect condition.”

Amber blinked, amazed, but regained her wits and nodded in thanks as she accepted the device. Once Peridot left after saying she would check on Lapis, the molehog reactivated her powers and restarted the video screen.

This time, the display revealed the purple walls of Amethyst’s Kindergarten, huge chunks missing everywhere. The sight had been after one of the raids on Prime, one that completely devastated the Homeworld Quartzes. Shattered so many of them.

While all of the other Crystal Gems celebrated their success, a lone Jasper had been far to the side picking up the pieces of the Quartzes destroyed in the explosion. A Beta retrieved after a mission for the Homeworld soldiers went awry, she had switched sides after brief yet decisive persuasion from Rose. And now there’d she been, gingerly gathering the sisters she’d betrayed, alone in her silent grief.

To this day, Amber wonders if she herself was the only Gem that ever noticed or cared. Perhaps that’s why she slipped away unnoticed, willfully resigning to the sad task of gathering remnants of the unfortunate, no matter where their allegiance had lied.

The Jasper had noticed; neither of them smiled.

But the Jasper nodded.

Amber nodded back.

Chapter 20: A Brief Talk

Summary:

Takes place three days after “Greg the Babysitter”

You don’t work as a florist without learning to pay attention to the seasons. Like right now. The air was cooling, the daylight hours weren’t as long anymore, and some of the kids were starting to get antsy about school starting. Definitely late summer.

In which case, best to get the flowers switched out.

But first, better check on the tea. Hmm, not boiling yet but getting there.

Anyway, some silver artemisa and blue sedum should do nicely. Did they still have some in the back? Marcus checked the greenhouse room to make sure. Yep, perfect!

Ding-a-ling-a-ling!

Oh, better answer that!

After smoothing back his thinning hair, Marcus swiveled around with an star-swooning smile and wheeled his way into the store with his typical flourish.

“Welcome to Flores and Gardening! How may I be of...,” the man’s question trailed into confused silence at the sight of Garnet, whose curvaceous figure struck a rather fitting complement to the blues and light greens in the display. The subtle unease that radiated off her made Marcus think twice about taking her picture.

The shop owner recovered with a smooth ahem and schooled a concerned yet no less charming smile. “Miss Garnet! A pleasure to have you here visiting us, although I would have expected you to have company like last time. I hope our little sparkplug hasn’t been causing trouble.”

Garnet remained silent for a time, as if debating whether to tell, then shook her head. “Not...intentionally.”

Marcus finally surrendered his businessman’s façade in place of a frown and furrowed brow. Garnet took a step forward.

“It’s about Amethyst. We haven’t seen or heard from her since she left to check on Amber and Peridot at the barn a few days ago.”

“Ah.” Marcus stroked his soul patch thoughtfully as he leaned back in his wheelchair, “and you were hopin’ to get a hold of our little lemon drop, ask her if she’s seen our residential sour grape.” At Garnet’s succinct nod, he shrugged his shoulders apologetically. “Lo siento, but she left this mornin’ to see that kid with the pointy do.”

“Peridot.”

Marcus snapped his fingers as if to say ‘bingo’. “That’s the one! Been hanging out a lot lately, those two,” he stroked his chin some more, eyes distant, before shaking his head, “anyway, if you want a hold o’ her, you best try the barn.”

Garnet nodded. “Thank you, but I thought one of you might have some clue to where Amethyst could be instead.”

Oh. Well hello, unexpected twist for today.

Rubbing the back of his head and then his nape, Marcus pursed his lips. “That figures,” he threw his hands back with the face of a man who had his hands all tied, “Mío is all out today ‘cept for yours truly.”

Humming, the red-and-purple fusion looked off to the side, contemplative about her next move. “I see,” the faint worry behind her stoic tone did not go overlooked. She faced Marcus again. “Thanks you,” then she turned to leave, “Sorry for taking your time.”

Suddenly, Marcus started waving his hands in the air like a maniac, trying to get her attention. “Whoa, whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa, whoa! Not so fast there, Señora Doble.” He waited for Garnet to stop and look back at him. “Now correct my old man ears if they’re wrong, but I couldn’t help detect a bit of frustration when ya said ‘intentionally’.”

The visors didn’t show, but Marcus bet fifty dollars that all three of the eyes underneath it widened at his observation. That slight parting of her mouth confirmed enough. With a wave of his hand and a comforting smile, the florist gestured to the door at the end of the hallway.

Once again, Garnet pursed her lips. For a moment, the fusion seemed as if she would decline, but then with a resigned sigh allowed Marcus to lead her outside.

Seated out on the back porch of the shop a few minutes later, the flower shop owner in his wheelchair and Garnet in a purple lawn chair, the pair watched the Sun’s illusory movements, the white clouds soaking the blue of the sky like big cotton balls. Neither of them made a sound for a while aside from the occasional sip from their cups of peach mango tea.

At last, the Crystal Gem leader set her beverage down on the cheap plastic table between them before interlacing her fingers and setting her chin on them. She regarded the sky with a critical gaze.

“Amber told Amethyst.”

Marcus leaned forward, face curious. “About her birthright or about Beta?” The middle-aged man felt the fusion’s eyes on him, a silent yet curious stare that more commanded than requested he share everything he knew. The Peruvian tsked as he leaned back. “Señorita, you gotta remember. You, Perla, and Rosa weren’t the only veterans living amongst humans.”

He shrugged his shoulders in a ‘what can you do’ way. “Consderin’ her position, our little starlight needed some way to vent her feelings about the war.” He subconsciously rubbed the top of his left calf while his eyes drifted off into space with a dark sadness, a look Garnet recognized and related to all too well. “Then again, who doesn’t?”

The sound of fists tightening simmered into the rising heat as Garnet looked away. Although her face remained impassive as ever, Marcus didn’t miss the Crystal Gem leader’s sharp inhale.

“Amber’s not used to talking to us. I get that. But...”

Marcus nodded and continued for her, voice gentle and empathetic. “But you don’t get how she could just go behind your back and steal your obligation to tell Amy the truth.” The Flores patriarch took another sip then returned his gaze to the sky. The sun had almost reached the noon position. He looked back at Garnet with a soft expression.

“If you wanna rant about how Sparky took away you guys’ right to tell her, I ain’t gonna judge.”

What comes next happens so fluidly that Marcus needs a moment to register it. Once he does, he realizes ‘it’ turned out to be Garnet defusing into her component selves, Sapphire left calmly sitting in the fusion’s place while Ruby hops to the ground and proceeds to pace back and forth with crossed arms, grumbling all the while.

Well at least she wasn’t burning holes into the ground like at Keystone Motel, as Greg once told Marcus and Uma during Stevonnie’s face-off with Kevin. Still, the crimson stone looked significantly ticked, evidenced by the steam literally flying off her ears.

“...can’t believe her...just telling her without telling us...now she probably hates us, too...it’s like Rose all over again...”

Ruby’s voice started to crack at the end, as if she were about to cry. Not cry out of frustration, just cry. Marcus felt his insides ache at how helpless she sounded. Before he could think of any comforting words, Sapphire abandoned her chair, walked up to her partner, and grabbed her shoulders to stop the pacing. Ruby stared back, wide-eyed more out of nervousness than shock.

Sapphire took her lover’s face in her gloved hands. “You know that’s not true. As much she has a right to be upset at us for keeping the truth from her, what she truly hates is the way we’ve treated her, not us.”

“Even after all the stuff we put into her head about her being the only ‘good’ Gem to come out of Alpha?” Ruby did not retort this statement. Just stated it in a resigned tone, as though admitting a painful truth. Which she was.

Sapphire rightfully flinched away and clenched her hands like Garnet had, head tilted down.

Bad choice of words. Ruby blushed and shifted her gaze to the concrete. “Sorry.”

“No.” Sapphire was quick to regain herself. “You’re right. We’ve based our treatment of her off of our own assumptions, many of which sprang from our experiences from the war,” her hidden gaze reverted to the ground as well, “not to mention the bits of Homeworld still in us.”

“Maybe we just didn’t wanna be reminded of what happened to all those Quartzes,” Ruby offered, “We didn’t wanna think about how she could’ve turned out.”

Sapphire sighed, acquiescing to reality. Sometimes she questioned whether Rose ever noticed how the Quartzes that betrayed Homeworld felt, whether she ever did anything to alleviate their anguish.

The blue seer knew the truth, though, and that was what hurt the most. Yet she also knew this truth: Amethyst was and would always be a Quartz, no matter what anyone else said otherwise. And if the futures Garnet had seen regarding Amethyst and her emotional state were any indication, then the full weight of the whip-slinger’s heritage might come full circle sooner than the others feared.

“We can’t deny the truth, no matter how much we dislike it. Besides,” the former aristocrat looked back to Ruby, “that sort of treatment is what Amber’s life once entailed, too. Is it any wonder she told her?”

Feeling her anger crumple inward, Ruby curled her arms in even further to cradle herself. Stars, she felt lower than the dirt she came out of. How could they ever forget that part of their lost friend’s life?

Well, Rose did.

Negative thoughts of their departed leader coaxed tears that Ruby hastened to wipe away. “So what, do we hijack a time machine so we go back and threaten our past selves into being nicer to Amethyst...and maybe to Amber, too, while we’re at it?”

Despite everything, that half-serious reverie got a halfhearted chuckle out of Sapphire. Ruby felt a weak smile creep up despite herself and rubbed her nape bashfully. The red Gem then noticed Marcus merrily lounging back, eyes trained on the heavens. Ruby knew better, though, and she knew Sapphire knew, too.

“Uh, sorry about that,” the red brawler apologized with a blush.

Marcus turned to the lithomorph with a questioning hum, only to wave a dismissive hand. “Oh please, giving women space while they have an emotional vent session is one of my specialties.”

Ruby found herself chuckling a little, thankful for Marcus’ penchant towards jokes.  

Sapphire hummed back in likewise amusement, still smiling. “Regardless, thank you for that. At least when we see either of them again, it will be with a clearer head. And if you see Amber—“

“Tell her we won’t roast her too much for telling Amethyst about where she and Jasper came from,” Ruby continued with a smile, which suddenly switched to a smirk, “although we’re definitely gonna grill her about not telling us about telling her.” If the rest of them had to be held accountable for keeping secrets from each other, so did that little cheeseball.

Marcus snickered at that promise of admonishment and flashed a hearty thumbs-up. “I’ll be sure to pass on the message. Or warning, depending on your preference.”

As he spoke, Ruby and Sapphire rejoined into Garnet, who returned the gesture with a genuine smile. “Thanks. And Marcus...,” the fusion’s face became somber, “If you see a large, orange Gem with white hair and red stripes, stay clear of her. She has no interest in humans, but she isn’t the type to concern herself with collateral damage either.”

“Watch out for big, scary beef mama. Got it.”

Garnet gave one final thumbs-up and smile before launching upward. Marcus watched her disappear out of view before turning his head to the horizon and tending back to his drink.

He batted no eye as a violet tabby stepped out from the shadows of the greenhouse behind him and hopped into his lap, where she curled into a ball, bushy tail hiding her morose expression.

“Thanks,” she murmured feebly.

Marcus stroked her back. “Don’t mention it.”

Calm settled around them.

Chapter 21: The Lucky Ones

Notes:

(The day after the events of “Steven vs Amethyst”, two days after “Gem Hunt” and “Crack the Whip”, and six days after “Greg the Babysitter”)

Connie knew anxiety. More than she wished she did.

Social events, team projects, school exams, and (much to her dismay) Gem missions. Even after all the time she’s spent with Steven and the Crystal Gems, her unease still found ways to resurface and rear its ugly head.

Revelations about her babysitter’s pet hadn’t helped much either. Imagine the paradox of facing your first monster, ready to pierce rose-colored metal into its body, only for the vision of a tiny yellow dog sleeping before a fireplace to flash across your eyes, halting you in mid-swing and leaving you open to attack.

And that’s barring the fact that like this so-called dog, the monster you’re aiming for is a person suffering from a damaged mind.

Not fun.

At least she hadn’t choked as badly during her, Amethyst, Steven, and Lion’s fight with Jasper and her corrupted ‘soldiers’. That she considered progress.

Seated upon the lowest row of seats at the ‘redecorated’ Sky Arena, Connie sighed calmly. Pearl had to cancel today’s lesson after Garnet suspected via Future Vision where Jasper might be, and assured that she’ll make up for the missed practice after the elusive Quartz’s capture.

The damage Steven and Amethyst incurred on the arena for their recent competition might have had something to do with that decision, too.

Never one for letting her mind idle, Connie had tried practicing her moves with the practice sword for a bit. Wise use of her time, but extremely boring when you have nobody to spar with, let alone someone to cheer you on from the sidelines.

Besides, Steven and Amber couldn’t join her today—not that Connie could blame them...

Plunk.

Her eyes shifted at the soft sound of a water bottle posited to her left. She already guessed the person responsible before the beefy figure with a tied ponytail crossed her vision and took a seat to her right. Connie suddenly realized the cookie-filled Tupperware box now in her lap.

“Pops made them.”

The young girl smiled as she took out one of the freshly made treats. “Thanks.”

A moment filled with the sound of munching and sipping pursued as Kurtis and Connie took their time watching the horizon slip away from the sun. The slightest furrow came to the younger human’s face. “I had my first mission two days ago.” A committal grunt echoed back, acknowledging her. “It didn’t turn out as well as I hoped it would.”

Without looking, Kurtis tapped the girl’s temple with a forefinger. “Still alive.”

Connie couldn’t restrain her dry half-smile. That was a hard plus to argue against.  She pulled up her left sleeve to inspect the red ribbon tied around her left wrist, a memento of Kurtis from just before she departed with Steven and Pearl that morning to the frozen north.

When she inquired about it, he merely replied, “So they don’t waste time identifying your body.”

Most people would have cringed at the cold comfort; Connie had hugged his neck tight.

Smiling at the memory, she stared off at the clouds for a moment to reflect on her thoughts. “Hey Kurtis? What should you do when you’re being too hard on yourself?”

Kurtis turned to his little sister-figure with a soft expression. “Stop thinking too much.” Something he knew the girl was almost notorious for. Yeah, she had a ton of expectations to live up to and her training to fall back on, but she still tended to over-analyze at times. “You have to be flexible in battle.”

For some reason, Connie started giggling quietly, but toned it down at Kurt’s questioning stare. “You sound a lot like Amethyst. She showed back up at the temple yesterday morning while Amber was watching me and Steven train and Garnet and Pearl were looking for Jasper. She told us how there’s no time to think during a fight, that you have to be loose.”

That sounded like Amethyst alright—not just the advice, but the ‘popping out of nowhere’ shtick, too. Kurtis could only imagine the earful Pearl and Garnet were going to give her once they met back up again. His musing cut off at the concerned light in Connie’s downward eyes and the way she wrung her hands.

“I’m asking because Steven told me Amethyst hasn’t been feeling well after that fight on the beach. She thinks we didn’t need her just because Stevonnie drove Jasper away without her help.”

Well shit. They were going to need more than cookies to quell that. Kurtis pursed his lips as he considered the best course of action.

Eventually, a deep sigh escaped him as he stood up, as did Connie. “Let’s check up on her,” they somehow stated at the same time. The two stared at each other in surprise before Kurtis huffed good-naturedly and bowed like a gentleman, hand gesturing to the Warp Pad.

Connie put one hand to her chest and another towards the pad. “Sages before apprentices.” The young girl earned a tousle to her hair for that return quip, one she took in stride as she joined her brother figure on the pad, box of cookies in hand. With a flick of the whistle, they returned to the beach house in seconds.

There they found Steven looking out the open right window overlooking the front porch, both the boy and the beach before him bathed in tangerine from the sunset. Connie and Kurtis shared a look before they approached.

“Hey Steven.”

“Hmm,” Steven perked at his best friend’s voice and turned to face her with a smile, though this one seemed to be a little forced. “Oh, hey Connie! Hey Kurtis!”

“How are they doing?”

Steven pointed towards the beach. Coming to their friend’s side and craning over the wooden railings, Connie and Kurtis narrowed their eyes at the small yellow and purple figures sprawled out supine on the sand in front of the house, far away enough for the three humans to hear without making the lavender Quartz feel smothered.

Steven caught Kurtis’ questioning stare. “Amethyst called Amber for...,” he put a hand to his chin and looked off to the side for a moment, “a therapy session, I guess? They don’t have the big fancy chairs or ink blots like they do on TV, but Amber is letting Amethyst talk her feelings out.”

“The key to effective therapy,” Connie agreed with a nod.

Kurtis gently shushed the two kids just before Amethyst resumed her rant.

“I feel like I’ve let them all down! Not just the Quartzes like me, but other Gems like me, period! If I can’t beat someone like Jasper the way I am,” she threw her arms into the air, “how the hell can I be perfect the way I am?”

Dark eyes thoughtful, Amber whirled a clawed hand in circles, gesturing her ‘patient’ to elaborate.

“I mean, I-I know Rose wanted me to be more than a fighter, and I can get behind that. But,” Amethyst placed a hand to her chest, “fighting’s part of who I am, too, and if I’m not good enough to do even that...,” then looked away with a sorrowful grimace, “am I good enough for anything else?”

Steven fought against the urge to yell out ‘yes, you are!’ He still cringed on her behalf. Connie patted her Jam Bud’s back consolingly.

Amber shared the boy’s sentiment for she fixed a sympathetic gaze on her fellow Gem. Taking a deep breath, she scribble-scribbled in her notebook. Amethyst, I may not be the right kind of person for you to be sharing all this with. I can listen and give feedback, but I can’t exactly give good feedback.

“I know, I know, you’re not that kinda doctor.” Amethyst sounded so much like her usual sassy self that Steven fought hard not to hope too much, too quickly. She waved a dismissive hand. “You’re still the only one besides Peridot and Lapis who said anything about where the Quartzes really came from, plus the only one besides Vidalia and Steven who I can vent to without gettin’ judged.”

Well, what about Vidalia then? You usually talk to her about stuff like this, right?

“Thought about it after I finished all that training solo, but...for some reason, I kinda wound up at the barn instead. Like something in my gem was dragging me there instead.” Amethyst groaned as she rubbed her forehead. “I ain’t makin’ sense, am I?”

Then she caught the way Amber arced an eyebrow at her. “What?”

So you talked to Peridot.

Amethyst struggled—and failed—to contain her purple blush.

“Dot w-was on her way to the Temple when I showed up, said somethin’ about needing Pearl’s opinion on somethin’ she’s makin’ for the barn. Was totally at a loss on how the heck I deal with...well you-know-what after I told her, but at least she admitted it.” Something Peridot had in common with Vidalia: even when she had none of the answers, you could always count on her to be honest. “Just listened to little ol’ me spitfire away. ‘Cept...”

It didn’t feel like enough, did it?

The purple Gem shook her head. “No. More like I’m just repeating myself. Complaining about how Jasper wiped the floor with me ain’t gonna change things, and I’m sick of feeling this way.” And she just knew everyone was probably sick of her whining about how lousy she felt, too. Aggravated, she banged her fisted hands into the ground, stirring up sand. “I just wanna stop feeling like I’m no good no matter what!”

A beat of silence passed as Amethyst lay there, stewing in her emotions, until Amber set her jaw, eyes growing serious. Amethyst raised her eyes drearily at the sound more writing.

If you ever want to come to terms with this, you may have to face Jasper after all.

Seeing those words made Amethyst shoot up, shocked. “For real?”

Yes. If words won’t help you, then maybe actions will.

“You think I can beat her then?”

Amber wrote nothing, but Amethyst could take a hint. The lavender stone sighed, frustrated with herself. That is until she felt a claw tap her shoulder. Her eyes bugged out the moment she caught what Amber wrote next.

Especially since Steven’ll be there to help you.

Amethyst gasped, looking at the molehog as though she’d suggested taking a dip in lava. “Dude, are you crazy?! I’m not lettin’ him near that nut!” The kid was tough, yeah, but Jasper would rip right through him without Connie for backup. “Besides, I gotta be able to do this myself! What’s the point otherwise?”

Amber could only shake her head at the Quartz’s continued obstinacy and gave up on convincing her otherwise. Sooner or later Amethyst was going to need to get through her head that independence doesn’t mean isolation. If a literal smack from reality was the only way for her to accept that fact, so be it.

Regardless, on the off-chance you somehow succeed in beating her on your own and taking her prisoner, that means I might finally have a chance to talk to her.

...Okay, that made no sense. Amethyst scrunched her face in confusion. “Talk to her about what?” She doubted Jasper would be willing to have a talk with Amber over a cup of tea, least of all after a severe butt-whoop.

I’ve been thinking about what you said at the barn. You asked me why I was so interested in Jasper and back then I had no idea how to answer that myself. But during my history lessons with Peridot, I was reminded about things leftover from the war. Confronting Jasper will be a step towards settling them.

“Is this something to do with all that atonement stuff you’re hung up on?”

Amber rubbed her nape, pensive. A little bit. Let’s just say there are a few things I’d like to put to rest. Who knows, maybe the newfound sense of peace will help me get my form back under control.

Huh, Amethyst scratched her head, I didn’t think of that. I guess it’d be worth a shot. Still...

She looked back up at Amber. “What do you have to put to rest, though? You got a cozy place to crash, you don’t gotta worry about being on missions—heck, you don’t hafta worry about us hunting you down and stuffing you in a bubble anymore. I don’t get why you bother with us when you could just keep livin’ how you’ve been for so long.”

Nothing.

“Amber?”

Scribble-scribble.

My sisters died right before we could defect.

Dude. Amethyst blanched. “Was Jasper the one who—”

Amber shook her head hard then morosely mouthed ‘boom’. The meaning did not lose itself on Amethyst.

We were surrounded and one of us had to get important information back to Rose, so my sisters held back the Homeworld soldiers sent after us just so I could escape. I got away but there were too many after me, too many on top of them. In the end, my sisters had to

The yellow molehog paused there with an indecisive face, unsure if she wanted to continue.

BZKKTTT!

Amber hissed as both her legs violently started to flicker, pencil falling from her grasp. So taken back by the sensation, she would have toppled backwards if Amethyst hadn’t launched herself in time to catch her by the hands, taking care to avoid the long claws, and help stabilize her.

“You okay?”

Amber nodded. Out of habit, Amethyst fiddled with a loose bang near her gimpy eye, the presence of which flashed her back to the events of yesterday. A thought suddenly came. “You were there at Beta, right? Did you ever get to see how the Quartzes from there treat each other?”

Amber closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. Oh, those were not fun memories she wanted to relive.

Okay, bad question, thought Amethyst with a cringe. “Sorry.”

Sighing, Amber shook her head, trying to give her best assuring smile. Unfortunately, Amethyst saw right through it.  “But that’s my point, ain’t it? You’re way stronger than me.”

Amber narrowed her eyes, not understanding what the other lithomorph meant.

Amethyst threw her head back with a soft petulant growl. “You want an example? How about how Pearl sent like thirty of herself right at you and you owned them all? Or that you know how to corner corrupted Gems like they’re nothing? Or, oh, how about the fact that you’ve survived on your own as a pincushion for the last 5000 years?”

The Quartz’s voice, though level and tame enough, simmered with self-hate. “All that got wrong about me was my size,” she looked away as if ashamed to burden the other Gem with her presence. “I’d never be able to do half the stuff you did,” she murmured as she wiped away a stubborn tear, “not on my own.”

So lost in her own misery, the Quartz never noticed Amber create her next response in the sand between the two of them with slow deliberate strokes until the aureate stone tapped her knee, imploring her to look.

Lucky.

A bitter hollow laugh escaped Amethyst. “Yeah, it figures.”

Seconds later, she felt Amber tap her knee again. Moaning out of annoyance, Amethyst begrudgingly looked again, seeing Amber had added more to her answer.

Me. I lived by chance.

Wait, what? Amethyst fixed a confused stare on the other Gem. “Uh Sparkles...I really don’t—“

With a hiss of frustration, Amber slapped her hands onto the sides of Amethyst’s head, smushing her cheeks, and pinned down the Gem with a glare that demanded no movement. The moment the yellow Gem made contact, both their eyes started glowing white as a golden shimmer traveled down Amber’s arms into Amethyst’s head.

Snide voices immediately filled the lavender Quartz’s head, some of them uncomfortably familiar.

Worthless blob! Get over here and fix my screens already!

Someone is going to take responsibility for this, and it certainly isn’t going to be me!

Well of course. Things always find a way to go wrong when you leave Ambers unattended.

Don’t look at me. Look at this pitiful excuse for a mudstone that can’t follow directions properly.

Oh, you have nothing to apologize for. I should’ve known better than to have handed you such defective tools.

Maybe if we pin it on her, they’ll go easy on the rest of us Ambers for that malfunction. She is from Earth after all.

Many Gems are born lucky. Gems like you, little one, are lucky to be born.

You’re the lucky one, sis. Never forget that.

The conscious stream cut off there, returning both Gems’ eyes to normal, Amber having snatched her hands away to wipe off a few errant tears while Amethyst sat there shell-shocked at everything she’d heard. Even with the snippets given to her, she had enough to piece together Amber’s point.

Sweet grief.

Amethyst put a hand on her counselor’s furry shoulder, despite the other Gem not making eye contact with her. “So Gems on Homeworld made you and other Ambers into scapegoats for everything?”

...Scribble. Scribble.

Gemstones like us are looked down upon because of our origins. If you relied on biological life to come into existence then you’re instantly nothing more than an object. Its why Gems like me and Pearl rank so far down the hierarchy.

Amethyst could only nod. Yeah, that sounded pretty much in line with what Peridot said about Homeworld and how it operates, and quite honestly Amethyst wasn’t surprised in the least.

But wait, if Pearls were supposed to be ‘pretty little decorations’, what were Ambers then? Amethyst took her hand off Amber and put it to her chin, reviewing everything she’d heard from the data share.

Then it hit her, that one comment about ‘defective tools’.

She eyed Amber warily as though in fear of triggering her. “Were you supposed to be like some kinda toolbox? Something Gems like Peridot would’ve lugged around to fix stuff?” Pearl did say something once about how Ambers can store tons of data. When Amber responded with a solemn nod, Amethyst only shook her head, face twisting in disgust. “Dude, I don’t know who had it worse on Homeworld: you or Pearl.”

Actually no, scratch that. Both Amber and Pearl had led equally suckish lives on Homeworld, just in different ways. Chalk up yet another tally under the list of reasons Amethyst thanked her late emergence she was a Crystal Gem.

Although it hadn’t come without its own lousy moments because, man, did Pearl know how to deliver them. Amethyst, after as this competition’s over, we’re having a talk about that little stunt of yours. Amber, too.

The tiny Quartz had to wonder if Garnet made some baloney about her Future Vision pinpointing Jasper just to give Amethyst time to rest up before she had to deal with any more emotional baggage.

In which case, thanks G.

Speaking of whom, the tiny Quartz looked back at the beach house. When she noticed the trio watching, the purple Gem gave a hearty wave, one Connie and Steven gladly returned while Kurtis merely smiled back. She looked back to Amber with an empathetic gaze.

“Thanks for tellin’ me, Abs.”

The quills along Amber’s back lit up white like lightbulbs as the skin of her pale snout blushed gold. The molehog hastily shook her head and managed a shy yet grateful smile, one the Quartz reciprocated as she lay back in a more comfortable pose.

“You never said you were from Earth either. I mean, if that’s who that other Amber was talkin’ about.” When Amber confirmed with another nod, Amethyst blew her lips angrily. “And you got blamed for stuff cuz-a that? Dude, why not tell us sooner?”

Suffice it to say, I was popular among Gems in a way I could have done without. It’s part of why I feel more at ease among humans I guess I just didn’t have enough faith in any of you to understand.

A sad truth, but a truth nonetheless. Amber looked to the side, lost in thought, until a poke in the shoulder brought her attention to a smirking Amethyst.

“That’s why we Earth Gems gotta stick together, girl! And just so you know, Sparkles, when I sock Jasper in the face, I’m dedicating the first hit to you.”

Amber put a hand to her chest, her way of asking ‘you’re serious?’ At Amethyst’s pumped grin, the golden rock returned the mien and, without thinking, uttered out her thoughts. “...’Hanks.”

She slapped a hand over her mouth, mind reeling at what just happened. Did...did her voice just...? Amethyst’s stupefied expression asked the same question. Gingerly, Amber put her hand away and managed to squeak out another scratchy “....H-Hanks?”

Right away, Amethyst pointed to Amber excitedly, hopping up and down as though the other Gem just did the coolest thing ever. “Heeeeey! You just sounded like yourself! Yer actual self, I mean! Wait, wait, lemme think up another epic Quartz joke! We’ll get that form uncorrupted in no time!”

Though Amber did not protest, she blushed amidst her efforts to hold back a tickled smile.

Back in the house, Steven and Connie shared a newly hopeful grin, thankful that Amethyst had gotten her cheerfulness back.

All the while, Kurtis only sighed in relief even though there was no hiding that smile of his.

---

Pearl wished she could smile herself.

First of all, no Jasper much to her and Garnet’s (well mostly Pearl’s) chagrin.

Second, that disappearing act of Amethyst and Amber’s apparent role in it. Not that the little yellow Gem bothered to hide the truth about what she did once Pearl and Garnet confronted her, Peridot, and Lapis at the barn after a week of their resident whip-slinger’s absence and immediately following Garnet’s ‘interrogation’ with Marcus.

And now this. The lithe veteran shot a disdainful glare to the quartet of colored eyes flickering in the distance, watching back. Amber’s not even with us this time! Why are they following us?

A heavy thud to the side signaled Garnet’s return. “That Quartz Jasper was tailing disappeared.”

Crossing her arms, Pearl shook her head with an exasperated groan. “Impossible. Quartzes don’t have the ability to just teleport. Of course,” she tapped her chin, “that would mean...”

Garnet hummed thoughtfully before the two Crystals returned their attention to the trees. Though the glowing eyes no longer lingered, the two space ladies could still feel their eerie gazes.

Pearl huffed. “What I don’t understand is why these Ambers would harbor that corrupted Gem. I can’t recall them ever doing such a thing before.” She angled her face to the ground. “Then again, they only started avoiding Amber, too.  Could there be a connection between the two behaviors?”

But again, why? They couldn’t possibly think Amber wished to hurt the corrupted Gems. In which case, they were keeping the yeti-like being safe from Jasper. Or to put it more accurately, that targeted Quartz was seeking sanctuary. After all, if her footsteps stopped just short of the trees, then perhaps she had been waiting to vanish there.

How would she know to come here then, though?

“Maybe it really is that simple,” Garnet finally answered, “that all these Ambers are keeping the corrupted Gems safe from Jasper. Or maybe just keeping them safe in general.”

“They would need to have regained enough self-awareness to pull it off,” Pearl retorted, “just like our Amber, and I doubt every single one of them found human families of their own to interact with.”

“Or at least someone to get them organized enough so they could recognize and remember what to do.”

That statement caused Pearl to shoot a gaze of shock at her teammate. “Garnet, you’re not suggesting that...”

“She always did have many secrets.”

Pearl put one hand to her chin and the other to her opposite elbow and eventually sighed. “All this does sound like something she’d do, wouldn’t it?”

“Doesn’t mean we have to follow every example of hers.”

Pearl immediately placed two fingers to her forehead, just beneath her gemstone. “Garnet, please don’t...”

“She deserves to know.”

“I know, Garnet! You think I haven’t pondered over how torn apart she must be. But can you blame me for being upset about all this?! Ever since she disappeared, I kept asking myself: ‘Where did we go wrong, what did we say wrong?’ And then all of a sudden we come back to find her slouching around as if nothing happened!”

“She never did like sharing her issues with us.” Voluntarily anyway. “She’s worried about burdening us.”

Pearl wanted so much to retort, to insist that Amethyst could most certainly have opened up to them about her problems. Yet she thought back to that incident when Amethyst introduced Steven to the Kindergarten.

You’re the one good thing that came out of this mess. I always thought you were proud of that.

A saddened exhale escaped the lithe Gem. “Is it too late to start blaming Lapis for all this?” Because stars knew Pearl couldn’t bring herself to blame Amber or even Peridot for how Amethyst acted, particularly the former despite the aborted attempt at confrontation this morning.

Garnet merely shrugged. “Antagonizing her wouldn’t help much.” The hydromancer only played by the CG’s rules as long it meant they’d leave her alone. What reason did she have to care about the feelings of the same people who kept her prisoner for so long?

The fusion put a hand on her friend’s shoulder. “Instead of seeking blame for the past, let’s head back and talk to Amethyst instead. Amber, too, if she’s still there.”

A second of quiet heavy with thought trekked by. At last, Pearl closed her eyes in defeat before facing the direction of the Warp Pad with a calm, serious mien and taking the lead back home.

Garnet’s right. It’s time we stopped stalling.

Chapter 22: Because of You

Notes:

(The morning after “Bismuth”; three days after the events of “Steven vs Amethyst”; the morning of “Beta” and “Earthlings”)

“I don’t have any choice, do I? I fight, I die. I don’t try to, I die anyway. I’m trying to do some good, to stop feeling like...this...but I only end up feeling worse.”

“Then don’t stop.”

“What?”

“Ever since you came ta us, you’ve been doing everything you can to help out. That’s more than most Gems I’ve ever met.”

“Even if it wound up—“

“That’s another thing. Whoever’s fault it was that we lost so many of our friends, it wasn’t yours.”

“That’s not—“

“Same with your sisters. They knew what they were gettin’ into, and I know they went down with no regrets.”

“...”

 “They won’t get away with this.”

“...Promise?”

“Swear on my gem, Sparky.”

---

 Pearl swore to herself long ago that she would learn to accept the eccentricities of all her teammates.

Still a work-in-progress. In her defense, certain individuals had a special way of nettling her, even after she had buried the metaphorical hatchet with them. Amethyst naturally held a place of honor in that department.

And yet Pearl still tried, for the sake of her friends.

That’s what the ballerina swordfighter reminded herself when she and Garnet knocked on the front door of Flores and Gardening on this cool Saturday morning. Because in any other situation, she would have scoffed at Amber lounging in her armchair with a lit pipe in her mouth like some anthropomorphic adaptation of Sherlock Holmes despite how she never shapeshifted lungs in the first place.

Instead, Pearl kept her patience steady and waited for her friend to respond.

As of now, Amber was tapping the mouthpiece of the pipe against her chin, eyes trained on the floor in a pensive stare. She looked up at the two Crystal Gems seated on the armchairs across from her before she waved the pipe in a circle, her way of saying ‘carry on’.

Pearl sighed. She figured Amber wouldn’t be satisfied with what they’d told her so far.

“Look,” she sighed with a hint of exasperation, “we only found out where she’d been yesterday morning, let alone why she wound up where she did last night.” Stars knew they themselves were still reeling from what Steven told them. And not much needed to be said for why they never told Bismuth of Amber’s whereabouts either let alone her condition.

All the same, Amber closed her eyes contemplatively before letting out a sigh and cast a disappointed sigh on a vase of roses in one of the shelves lining the room.

Pearl got the implication and winced. She knew Amber had ample reason to disapprove of Rose’s actions—all of them did when one thought about it (not that the others would voice as such). Amber especially deserved the truth behind one of her closest friends missing for so long after the war, considering how much of an emotional support the weapon-maker had been for her back then.

But that fact also raised a question, one Garnet addressed as she cocked her head. “You only looked surprised when we told you where Bismuth was found, not that she was found at all.”

That observation caused Amber to angle her eyes away and Pearl to widen hers in realization at Garnet’s valid point. The lithe Gem put a hand to her mouth in shock. “How long had you suspected Rose was lying about Bismuth?” she asked in wonder. When Amber continued to neither answer nor look them in the eye, Pearl knitted her brows in concern. “Did you...ever confront her about this?”

The continued silence weighed down on Pearl and Garnet until at last Amber deposited the ash in her pipe into a small black tray on the stand next to her chair, set aside the pipe, and hopped onto the floor. At first, the other Gems feared the molehog would end this conversation by leaving the room but instead Amber went for a tall chest of drawers standing in the left corner behind her chair.

When the yellow Gem pulled out a medium gray sphere from the bottom drawer, Pearl recognized the item with a gasp, a hand over her mouth while Garnet pursed her lips in a serious manner, braced for whatever Amber intended to show. Taking the notebook and pencil next to the tray, the molehog walked up to Pearl and offered the orb to her.

My Chronicle Globe from the Rebellion. Forgot about it after my corruption, but Rose returned it to help me communicate. Her expression saddened. Everything I experienced that day is recorded there.

For a moment, Pearl could only gape in Amber in shock, not believing that her old friend would hand something this personal to her. One look into those dark eyes though and Pearl knew Amber meant none of this act in jest. Feeling deeply honored, she shared an understanding nod with Garnet before taking the globe into her hands as delicately as she would Rose’s sword and scabbard.

With the utmost care, Pearl took the top hemisphere in her slender fingers and gently twisted it. Right away, the globe’s circuitry started to glow sterling white. Before any of the Gems could blink, the glow spread from the globe to the entire room, coating everything in the patterns, which thickened until all the surroundings became a paper-blank void.

Then bit by bit, shapes and colors started to fill in the space like a sketch being drawn to life. Pearl and Garnet stood up as the scene completed itself; they had a feeling they’d end standing up anyway by the end of this recording. Looking around the familiar cavernous area, Garnet noted Amber’s absence but decided against calling the yellow Gem out on it. The fusion had a hunch the molehog preferred not to re-experience this memory.

That said a lot about the kind of scene she and Pearl were about to witness.

Speaking of whom, Garnet felt her teammate’s nimble hand softly taking hold of her bicep and tugging, an attempt to get her attention. When she did direct her gaze to Pearl, she needed no Future Vision to know the reason behind the lithe Renegade’s wide-eyed stupor. Hands balled out of resolve, Garnet looked up as well just in time to see Rose and Amber—past Rose and Amber—emerge from the triangular entrance, where the former left behind a pink bubble encasing a green double-cut gemstone.

“...and that’s why I’d like for you to come with me. It’ll be easier to convince the leader to volunteer if I have someone to vouch—and who better than you? Besides, now that humanity’s had time to improve on their understanding of the world, I think integrating her with a human group in this day and age should streamline the process more easily.”

Amber merely nodded as she followed along, though only Garnet and Pearl noticed the somberness in her eyes.

Rose put a hand to her chin. “We could try that one community up in northern Treasure. A few of the human there are open-minded and the leader’s already pretty much settled, what with her posing as part of the wildlife for so long. I think I even caught her interacting with them once, so—”

A gentle tug on her dress cut Rose off. She turned to Amber with a patient yet curious smile. “Yes?”

Walking up to the massive console that overtook the side of the room opposite of the entrance, Amber put an electrified hand on a panel to activate the machine. Once the screen lit up a bright pink, English typed across the screen in black blocky text. It sounds doable, but we should still be careful. We can’t expect all of those humans to understand. You remember the last time an attempt like this blew in our faces, don’t you?

Surprise flitted across Rose’s face, as though she hadn’t expected Amber to bring that memory up, before she sighed at the rightful concern. Unlike the Lenape, the nearby tribes hadn’t been as...welcoming to the idea of housing corrupted Gems. And forget the settlers; one passing look at a witch trail had been enough to put that option out of both Amber and Rose’s heads.

“I do,” she quickly regained her smile however, “but that was a long time ago, Amber. We have a better idea what to do now.” At Amber’s skeptical stare, Rose giggled behind her hand abashedly. “Well, what not to do, to be more precise.”

Despite herself, Amber bit back a smile of her own as she exhaled in exasperation. Even in the darkest of times, Rose had a way of lifting the tension.

“But let’s save that for after this,” Rose sidled her eyes to the entrance, “the others should be coming here soon. They noticed the lightning storm you let of earlier during your fight with that Onyx.” Her eyes sidled to Amber. “That’s what we were hoping for, right?”

Pearl and Garnet shared a suspicious glance at the question. They’d long suspected that Rose drawing their presence to the Strawberry Fields had been premediated. It sounded like the sort of plan their former leader would have concocted. But that alone never explained the battle-worn condition they found her in.

The reason had been obvious, even back then, but what about the reason behind that reason? Why had there been a fight here at all?

Indeed, Rose averted her eyes to the ground for a second, as though debating something with herself, her smile dimming. “I have to admit...I’m still a little iffy about this,” she ended with a nervous chuckle.

Amber patted Rose’s pudgy hand to comfort her. Save for Amethyst, you’ve all known each other for 5000 plus years. And from what you told me, Amethyst has taken quite the shine to you. They’ll understand when you tell them the truth.

Despite the gentle and assuring smile Amber accompanied with her words, Rose looked away with a downward gaze filling with guilt and worry, her smile a ghost of itself by this point. “You make it sound so easy,” she started in a small voice, “I know what to tell them, I know how to tell them,” she shrugged, “but no matter how much I tell myself it’s for the best, the thought of their reactions...”

Another tug on her dress brought her attention to Amber and the screen.

You don’t want to disappoint them.

Rose smiled more genuinely, grateful for her smaller friend’s empathy.

Smiling back, Amber cocked her head. Do you remember when Pearl and I had that argument shortly after you guys found me and that child?

Pearl couldn’t help but cringe. She remembered that altercation all too well.

Rose nodded. “I remember. Bismuth was the one who found you and brought you back.”

I never could’ve brought myself to join the rebellion after what happened. Not if she hadn’t gone after me. I felt like such a failure back then—to you, to Pearl, to the other Crystal Gems...to my sisters...

“It sounds like Bismuth really inspired you,” Rose chuckled faintly, “She always had that effect on others.”

Amber shuffled her feet. I wouldn’t say ‘inspired’. More like she renewed my sense of hope. I lost so much after I emerged from the Earth. Giving up felt like the most sensible thing to do.

“But you didn’t,” Rose replied with conviction, “You and your sisters turned against Homeworld for the planet you came from. You kept going to see that wish through. And now here you are.”

Neither Pearl nor Garnet had any idea how to feel about the sentiment coming from Rose. ‘Here you are’ validated undergoing corruption and feeling isolated from other Gems. At the same time, though, they could get what Rose intended to say. Judging by the forced smile on Amber’s muzzle, they could tell she felt the same and was thus holding the observation to herself.

Instead the molehog twiddled her toes like a nervous child, the perfect façade of meekness. Bismuth told me the exact same thing, told me that every time I felt like surrendering. That’s why I felt so sad and hurt when you told us what happened to her.

Something in Rose’s eyes shifted. Pearl and Garnet knew that look well enough to know that Rose was currently experiencing a rare moment: she had been played.

And yet even as the carnation Gem spoke, her voice remained steady, belied only by the wariness in her eyes. “Yes. Her disappearance was a great loss to all of us.”

Did you ever find traces of her?

A moment of silence. Rose gently wrung her hands, eyes not meeting her friend’s, and shook her head. “I tried. Homeworld made sure we found none of her remains. I suppose that was their way of intimidating us.”

Amber tilted her head again, eyes searching...knowing.

Actually, it always struck me as odd how Homeworld’s forces just happened to attack you both at the volcano.

Pearl caught the subtle tension in her former leader’s shoulders. Rose had forgotten how well Amber could detect liars.

Because I remember right before we lost her how she told me and Pearl that she hoped to give the rebellion an edge. Maybe even end it early before we lost anymore friends.

Amber started to walk a circle around Rose, hands behind her back, and though the smaller Gem’s eyes were no longer on her, Rose remained cautious. Pearl insisted that was wishful thinking. Of course, we both know how stubborn Bismuth could be. In fact, if memory still serves me right, her last words to me were about how she had big plans, plans she couldn’t wait to tell you.

Amber stopped between the Rose and the terminal. A small part of Pearl resented how Amber took pleasure in the way her shadow, fortified by the screen’s amaranth light, swallowed Rose as though the former soldier were facing a Diamond. The yellow Gem’s eyes zeroed in on her ‘friend’, accusing and stern.

Bismuth never died, did she?

Rose remained where she stood, stricken and silent.

Why isn’t she free?

“You know how charismatic Bismuth was,” Rose quickly replied in a terse tone, all pretenses dropped. “The rebellion would have disintegrated.”

Amber rolled her eyes. I know that. What I don’t know is why you’re keeping her bubbled after the fact. Her face softened as she held her clawed hands out.  The rebellion is over, Rose. Bismuth will understand if you just let her out and explain yourself, just like how the others will understand why you kept me a secret.

For a moment, just one brief moment, Rose folded in on herself, as if to agree...then she hardened, Quartz leader once more.

“No. I can’t risk that. The rebellion may be over, but that doesn’t mean the war is. You’re right; letting Bismuth out means telling her everything that happened: all the friends she lost, all the lives that might have been spared if I let her have her way.”

Closing her eyes, Amber breathed through her nose to keep her patience steady. Then tell me, Rose. What was ‘her way’? What was the ‘big plan’ that warranted you sealing her away for so long?

Rose broke eye contact to divert her heavy focus to the wall, as if to delay facing the subject. She knew better. “Bismuth intended to shatter the Diamonds—all of them—with a weapon made specifically to destroy a target’s gemstone. She hoped I’d approve it as a means of ending the rebellion.”

Why didn’t you then?

Rose gawked as though Amber had just asked why they ever rebelled at all. “Because it would have only made things worse for everyone! What Bismuth envisioned was foolhardy and reckless! Whether or not I agreed, any forces following her plan would have most likely failed in the end.”

With a step forward, Amber hardened her countenance, the typing on the screen slowing in its pace, as though Rose herself was the one being slow. You could have worked out an alternative, like some way to lure the Diamonds out so they’d be easier to pick off.

“Shattering one of them was enough!” Rose retorted in a heated tone. “I was lucky to accomplish even that!”

The ferocity behind Amber’s scowl unnerved even Garnet, the molehog’s teeth bared like a wild animal’s. No, it wasn’t enough! The Diamonds sit atop the whole hierarchy. They are the ones driving Homeworld. They are the ones who get to sit back and bask in their glory and power while the rest of Gemkind cracks its stones just to ‘serve’ them. They deserve what Bismuth intended!

Rose massaged her temples in an attempt to calm herself. Neither Pearl nor Garnet could ever recall seeing their ex-leader so frustrated. “And what about Homeworld itself? It may not be our home anymore, but it still is for our people! Even if Homeworld is awful, the Gems who depend on it don’t deserve to be left in the dark!”

Whatever sort of response everyone expected out of Amber, it had not been her staring at Rose with more hurt than anyone present had ever seen on her, eyes starting to mist up.

Yet she never cried, she never yelled. Rather her face saddened.

Why not? Us Gems are worth nothing more than the dirt we crawled out of, after all.

That sentence stunned past and present Gem alike. Pearl with both hands over her mouth, eyes wide. Garnet with mouth agape and hands frozen open. And Rose...Rose had nothing to say. How could she? She could only stand there, mouth hung open and eyes wide from disbelief.

Amber gave her no time to respond.

I am so sick of us thinking we can do whatever we want—with each other, with other lifeforms, with the universe—just because the Diamonds say we’re more advanced. The quills on Amber’s back started to puff out, like those of a porcupine ready to lash out. How we know better than everyone else. Do you know how many human lives I’ve seen ruined—not just because of Homeworld but because of the fighting our war wrought?

The hurt compassion in Rose’s could not have been more painful to see. “I-I know that! But none of us could help that! That’s war!”

You sure? Because I can still remember the talks I overhead from our so-called teammates, talks about getting the humans to ‘work’ for us, about making sure they show gratitude to us for saving their world.

Garnet winced and Pearl grimaced. They well remembered such conversations and never abided by them. No matter how much humans puzzled them, neither the fusion nor Renegade ever fancied the idea of forcing on humanity what they themselves tried so hard to defy.

All of this, they never told Rose, for so many reasons. And as they took in their departed friend’s agonized shock, Pearl wished with every photon in her being that they had.

“I-I...,” Rose barely managed to stammer, head tilted away though she never took her eyes off Amber, “I had no idea that...”

Amber deflated. Of course not. You never got to hear and see as much hypocrisy as me. How can someone expect you to treat organic life as inferior when you’re dealt the same treatment every waking second—or still dealt it as a matter of fact? Because having how you feel about your fellow Gem type treated like the rantings of a maniac? Not fun.

“Amber...,” Rose started as she held a hand out.

So, are you going to bubble me now? I could tell from the slightly higher emissions from your gemstone that you’re carrying your sword in it. It’d fit perfectly with what you said to Pearl the other day, about how you were thinking about calling off a certain project of yours.

Despite knowing better, Pearl wanted so badly to retort otherwise. She knew what conversation Amber must be referring to, she had suspected what Rose had meant back then, but she had no idea it would have entailed something like this.

Rose, of similar mind, shook her head vehemently. “Amber! Please. I don’t want this to be like with Bismuth!”

Amber narrowed her eyes even more now. Well we both know you have no intentions of letting her out, just like you have no intentions of revealing me to the others. Then she pointed a claw at her. And since you won’t come out and tell them the truth, I will.

A look of disbelief and confusion took over Rose. “But...you’re corrupted! There’s no guarantee they’ll listen to you.”

Oh they’ll certainly listen. They just need an incentive. Or better yet—a sly smirk came across Amber as she raised a fist—a hostage.

WHAM!

The moment Amber slammed that fist onto the console, a smooth shimmering barrier came into existence from the center top and encompassed most of the room, resembling a makeshift arena, leaving the spectators and bubbled Onyx just outside it and Rose inside. Amber stepped in as well just before the barrier sealed off.

“Amber,” Rose tried one last time as she summoned her shield, voice guarded yet calm, “We can still talk this.”

The response the carnation Quartz received consisted of a barrage of electrified quills, forcing her to raise her shield against the attack.

Amber was done talking.

In the blink of an eye, the molehog summoned four massive spheres of golden energy that flew from her hands and seemed to sink halfway into the ground, acting like energy mines that severely restricted her opponent’s movements. Indeed Rose cautiously watched her step, well familiar with how damaging her friend’s powers could be to even the sturdiest of Quartzes.

But no way could Amber have regained the same dexterity from before her corruption, not yet...right?

Rose had no further time to wonder as Amber disappeared from sight and reappeared at the top of the barrier to unleash another storm of quills, which the pink stone deftly blocked—just as Amber intended.

In another flash, Amber warped right behind Rose’s legs and delivered an electrified leg sweep, forcing the Quartz to jump out of the attack’s range. With her opponent now in the air, Amber seized the opportunity to will the mine spheres to fly out the ground and towards Rose, seeking to catch her in the crossfire.

Out of pure reflex, Rose tucked herself into a spin-dash and soared out of the way just before the balls collided and exploded into a flash that forced Pearl and Garnet to cover their eyes. Amber, completely unaffected, eyed the trajectory of her target’s path and warped out of sight right before Rose came out of her roll and landed back on her feet.

The moment she did, she found her throat in a vice grip, a circle of electrical energy constricting her while Amber reappeared behind her with one hand held out, her face set in deadly determination. What’s more, violent glitches started to overtake her form, her body flickering blue more and more as Amber started to ball her hand.

Garnet grit her teeth, hands shaking, while Pearl covered her mouth in tears and bit back the futile urge to rush in and stop all this, neither of them wanting to see their friends do this to each other.

Right before the molehog could complete her fist and finish the job, Rose willed her bubble into existence, destroying the bind and returning its energy in a rush of force that sent Amber reeling. This maneuver spared Rose enough time to recover then launch herself towards the ceiling of the barrier, shield aimed towards the top.

Pearl realized Rose’s intentions in an instant. Force fields such as this one had been designed to protect the Gems at the controls and be flexible in who and what it could protect, ranging from the Gems themselves, to the controls, to even the entire floating island housing the machines.

But there existed a weak point: the very top where the energy converged. With a normal weapon, be it Gem or otherwise, the barrier would remain intact but if a strike returned enough energy—

BONK-CRACK!

Rose bounced back from the recoil but managed to halt the descent with her floatation abilities—only to gasp in shock when she noticed the cracks were immediately starting to mend themselves! Catching on quickly, Rose shot a glance at Amber just in time to see the electrokinetic turn away from a part of the arena’s wall where she’d been feeding her power into the construct to keep it whole.

With a distempered frown, Amber waved a hand to summon a plethora of yellow lasers around the Quartz, the bars of light suspended like possessed arrows before they shot at Rose.

Except Rose proved too fast. In fact, she proved too quick on her feet for she took advantage of the lasers’ homing ability to make them strike the barrier’s top instead, forcing Amber call off the attack to undo the damage. She couldn’t afford to let Rose get away, not if it meant letting herself and Bismuth and everything else Rose hid fade away forever.

She was done being a secret to the only Gems left for her to consider friends.

With renewed resolve, Amber started to glow a fierce shade of gold and turned with glaring eyes alit in white to Rose, who landed on the opposite side of the arena, ready for another attack. Suddenly the glow around Amber started to snake and twist in front of her, growing and shifting into something.

That’s when Rose, along with Pearl and Garnet, gasped at the shape the figure had taken: a massive bear reared on its hind legs, its hulking head raising to cast matching glowing eyes on Rose. At the command of Amber’s screeching snarl, the bear let off a resounding roar as it shot towards Rose with the speed of a bullet.

Rose barely had enough time to raise her shield again (the bear almost reached the ceiling and left no room to maneuver around it).

Big mistake.

So focused on the incoming behemoth, she failed to noticed Amber’s sudden absence until she heard a whoosh right behind her, followed by the feel of something clinging its claws into her mass of hair. Right as she did, the room seemed to vanish around her, the floor included.

Except it hadn’t. Rose had just been teleported by her new passenger to far above the Strawberry Fields—along with the Lightning Bear, which reappeared right in her face, eye to eye, and exploded instantaneously in a blinding burst that forced Pearl and Garnet—they now stood midair far above the terrain—to shield their eyes.

Immediately after, two figures went souring out of the resultant smoke-cloud and landed hard into a patch of strawberries, the fruits’ red juices splattering over all over the two stones upon landing. They bounced and skidded a few feet until they finally came to a stop.

Silence reigned...

Then slowly, ever so slowly, Amber rose to her feet and wobbled on her feet before righting herself. Even though Rose took most of the blast, the force of it still left Amber pretty shaken and fairly electrocuted herself. Thank the stars for electrical resistance in that case.

Now then, to finally carry out what she meant to do.

Waving a clawed finger, Amber conjured more binds to keep Rose still, let alone prevent her from drawing her sword. Then with a final huff, she marched towards Rose with claws crackling with energy. Once she reached the felled Quartz, she raised a hand...

“Maybe it is best you did this.”

Amber paused in mid-swing and blinked out of surprise. Though Rose never raised her head, Amber could hear the regret in her voice.

“I’m such a coward. I almost let Bismuth out once you know, right after the Rebellion ended. It was right before we found you. I asked myself if it was too soon, if she still needed time. So I didn’t. I tried again a decade later and still didn’t. Decades, centuries...eventually it got to the point that I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I was just too scared.”

A weak chuckle sounded out.

“It’s kind of funny, huh? I could lead an entire army against a massive empire yet not have the courage to tell my friends what’s wrong,” she angled her saddened eyes and smile at Amber, “I’m so sorry I hid you away as though you were something to be ashamed of. You never were. I guess I was just...scared it would end horribly, that you might end up bubbled, never to see the world again.”

“That’s why I told Pearl I’d be ‘ending this project’, why I brought my sword with me. I thought I could take you someplace faraway, someplace where you could be happy and safe...but that was just another way for me to run away, wasn’t it?”

Her face crumbled into something rare for the Rebellion leader: a look of defeat. “I can’t fix what’s happened to you, not on my own; maybe I never will. But I do think there’s a chance and I think the key to that lies in humanity.”

“ROSE?!” Amber, Pearl, and Garnet all stiffened at the familiar call of past Pearl’s voice.

When Amber looked back down at Rose, the pink Quartz gave her a small yet assuring smile.

“Whatever you do from here on out, I hope it’s what makes you happy.”

...SWSSSHH!

In a resounding poof, Rose’s gemstone fell to the grassy ground as Amber collapsed to her knees and held her head, her thoughts distraught.

She couldn’t do it; she just couldn’t, not after Rose looked at her like that, those gentle eyes seared into the molehog’s mind! Her dark eyes cast upon the pink stone, torn emotions raging. Bismuth deserved to be free, Rose was wrong to deny her that for so long...yet she never did it out of cruelty.

All she wanted was to keep from losing even more friends, just like Bismuth.

That realization shook Amber to her core. With trembling hands, Amber hid Rose’s gemstone in a nearby bush so that her friend would have time to return.

Although Quartzes had quick regeneration times, a necessity for when you’re designed for fighting, Amber felt she owed Rose a chance to save face. Besides, on the off-chance Rose didn’t come back in time, the others wouldn’t have the fright of seeing their leader reduced to her base form.

Turning to the distance, Amber noticed faint flashes of light in the distance—the result of Garnet, Pearl, and Amethyst striking against the additional barrier Amber set around the land so her and Rose’s fight would go uninterrupted.

Amber warped back into the computer room and set the computer to deactivate the smaller barrier inside. As for the larger counterpart, she set it for a timer of 8 hours, giving Rose more than enough time to regenerate so she’d be as good as new. Then she took the bubble and its occupant, peaceful despite the madness that took place here, and warped back to the bush to hide them alongside Rose.

And when she looked over her shoulder to gaze out at the horizon, she regarded the distant flashes with regret before vanishing from sight.

She’d messed up enough here.

Chapter 23: No Hard Feelings

Kurtis valued routine. It meant tasks stayed organized, that appointments were not forgotten so easily, that chores got done. Plus, you never had to worry about your mind wandering off to stuff best left alone.

Unfortunately, routine also had a way of getting thrown off track easily. If someone wasn’t where they were supposed to be at a certain time or if an unforeseen event like bad weather happened, even the most carefully laden plans could go awry.

That’s why Kurtis also believed in backup plans.

Take this morning for example.

He woke up at the usual 6 a.m. to help out with breakfast, only to find Pearl at the table with tea in her hands, Uma at the stove as though nothing about this scene warranted question. The elder woman did not take long to notice her grandson in the doorway, let alone his confusion.

“Good morning, nuxwiti!” Uma greeted cheerily. Hearing the greeting, Pearl stiffened at the sight of the young man, eyes wide like those of a deer in headlights; Kurtis pretended not to notice. “Did you sleep well?”

Kurtis stretched his muscled arms with a faint grunt. “Nkëkhitunkòm. Tani hách Amber?” When Uma shrugged at the question, he blinked out of curiosity. Amber was usually down here with them at this time. “Nuxa?”

Playfully rolling her eyes, his grandmother gestured in the direction of the family greenhouse. “Your lazy father is probably strolling amongst the flowers again. As for Amber, it’s best to let her be for now. She’s probably meditating with Garnet after that session.”

Session? Kurtis eyed Pearl out of his peripherals, the slim Gem pointedly avoiding his gaze in favor of her tea. Sighing, the young man took a seat opposite their guest and accepted the cup of decaf his grandmother offered him soon after. Whatever business the slim rock woman had here, Kurtis had no intentions of discerning it.

That is until Pearl suddenly stood up with a nervous smile. “Speaking of Garnet, I better get back with her! Thank you, ma’am, for having us here but it’s best that we got back to the temple!”

Uma waved a blasé hand. “Oh come now. What’s Earth time to someone who’s functionally immortal?”

Okay, that was a pretty damn good argument. Pearl sucked her lips inward in verbal defeat and hesitantly sat back down, Uma taking that as permission to set a napkin next to her cup. The lithe Gem eyed the napkin with wary defiance, as though the cloth dared order her to remain seated.

Kurtis hid an amused half-smile behind his cup at the sight. Steven’s rock-moms were a trip sometimes.

His grandmother batted no eye. “Now then, I’d best get the shop open! I’ll call you if I need any help, alright?” She patted Kurt’s hand as she walked past to the front of the shop. Without looking back, she waved over her shoulder goodbye. “You two enjoy yourselves.”

Oh stars, Pearl thought with a grimace. This was not how she intended to spend her morning. Why didn’t she choose to wait for Garnet at the temple instead? Better yet, she could have gone with her so they could find Amber together. Okay, so the small yellow Gem had always been closer friends with the fusion than with Pearl but still—

“I’m not gonna attack, ya know?”

The blunt statement took Pearl by surprise, and only took her a moment to realize it had come from Kurtis.

She rolled her eyes at the ludicrous statement. She didn’t fear him; she just...feared interacting with him instead—and something in her gemstone told her that Kurtis suspected the same if his knowing look was any indication. She straightened her posture, not threatening but still dignified. “I’m well aware of that. It’s just—“

“You want to know why I’m not.”

Okay, did this young human have to finish her sentences like that? This conversation felt like talking with Garnet only more aggravating. With a petulant sigh, Pearl leaned back in her seat and crossed her arms. “That would be preferable.”

Kurtis took another sip of his coffee. “Dogs.” Pearl arched an eyebrow that requested explanation. “My people have plenty of stories about them and why they deserve respect. One in particular is about this dog who wanted to warm himself near a fire, only a really stubborn girl kept pestering him to tell her a story. He did...by sharing an accurate prediction that she’d die three days later. A little grim but somehow it was Miss Rose’s favorite story if I remember right.“

“It was,” Pearl affirmed with nostalgic eyes into her tea, ignoring how Kurtis sidestepped her question, “she even kept that tiny plush dog you gave her back then. I wanted to burn it after she told us about Steven.” The look of curiosity Kurtis gave had not been what Pearl expected, but she managed a sad smile. “She’d already made her mind up about having a child with Greg by then, but...I think that story you shared was what gave her one last push.”

No response. The distant chirping of morning birds compensated but to avail.

“I thought you looked upset when I saw you with Lydia.”

Pearl’s face pinched. Already the heated words she and the woman exchanged long ago echoed with a vengeance, the perplexed child the young man had been, watching from afar amidst a sandcastle, clear as well.

I never could stand how you humans put so much stock into unfounded concepts.

What’s that supposed to mean?

A regretful sigh comprised Pearl’s response. “You were so small back then. You couldn’t have known.” What right did she have to expect someone that age to understand? To recognize the impact of one small mistake? No, Pearl corrected, it was never a mistake. It had simply been Rose doing what she did best: reaching out to others.

All Kurtis did was reach back.

Just that your species is laughably dependable on things that never existed, let alone have proof that they do. Even with how far humans have come since they crawled out of their caves, your species is still inane enough to think that there are higher abstract forces that care about you.

Oh, like your species hasn’t been doing the same for millennia?

...H-How do you—

The only difference is that we humans weren’t as ‘fortunate’ enough to have one big oligarchy leading our whole planet. Nope, we had to learn that all on our own—and let me tell you, we are no closer to being perfect than when we started.

I implied no such thing!

“She really let you have it,” Kurtis spoke.

“Well, I was the one who started it.”

You didn’t have to. The way you act does that for you.

Excuse me?!

Look, I couldn’t care less what you think about humanity. My only stipulation is that you take it to somebody who gives two shits because all I care is making sure is that the kid I brought to this beach has a good time here.

“It was also my fault for not letting her leaving it at that.”          

What does everyone keep seeing in these tiny, fragile things?

In her mind’s eye, Pearl could see Lydia turning to her, confused by her question and no doubt impatient that this crazy space lady refused to let this conversation end.

You, Greg, Amethyst...Rose...what’s so worthwhile about something so powerless and insignificant? What supposedly beautiful, wonderful thing do you all keep seeing that I don’t?!

Lady, whatever you’re getting at, you might wanna talk this out with—

I’m getting at the fact that everyone sees it fit to throw everything they’ve worked for, everyone who loved them, just for some tiny creature that can’t understand anything about what others gave up for it! Because I’ve been trying; I am trying and I still don’t understand! What was so important about one child that Rose ended herself for it?!

Present-day Pearl groaned at the recalled theatrics of her past self, face in her hands as if to hide away from the mortification. So lost in herself, the lean Gem vaguely noticed the feel of a warm calloused hand on her back. For a half-second, she mistook the person for Lydia, awkwardly comforting her like she did on the beach long ago, but it was only Kurtis when she looked, the human’s face unsure and patient.

Stars, Pearl wished Kurtis hadn’t brought that memory up. Then again, perhaps that had been more of inevitability than mere possibility. With a precious someone they had in common now, the two of them would be foolish to assume they would not end up running into each other, which meant coming to terms with one another as well.

With a petulant sigh, Pearl took a nearby napkin to wipe away encroaching tears. “I’m sorry you heard all of that. It was grossly unbecoming of me.”

Kurtis shook his head. “People in mourning get angry.” That was one of the stages of grief, after all. “Me and Lydia were just at the wrong place at the wrong time.”

As if that fact justifies my dragging either of you into my drama. Still, Pearl appreciated the lack of resentment. The last thing she wanted was making enemies with Amber’s family. Speaking of Amber, Garnet had been gone on her search for the yellow Gem a while now. Where was she?

As if in sync with her thoughts, Marcus wheeled into the kitchen, the scent of potting soil fresh on him. That classic debonair smile appeared at the sight of the Crystal Gem in his kitchen. “Why Señorita Pearl, looks about ta be that time!”

Pearl and Kurtis looked at him perplexedly. “Papá,” Kurtis slanted his head forward, brow furrowed. “What are you talking about?”

Marcus mouthed a silent ‘o’ and snapped his fingers, realization lighting up in his eyes. “My bad! Forgot the context! Lemme start over: Señorita Pearl, in accordance with Lady Garnet’s vision, she and Amber would love if you were to join them at this time.” Wait, so they weren’t here then? Just as Pearl opened her mouth to ask just that, Marcus seemed to read her mind instantly. “At Silver Lake just on the edge of Beach City to be more precise.”

Pearl smiled gratefully and moved to leave before a realization stopped her: there were no Warp Pads near that area. At best, she’d have to hike a good number of miles, which would take her well into the late afternoon if she started this instant. And who knew where Lion was at this point.

I guess I’ll just have to ask Greg for a ride. In which case, she smiled graciously at Marcus. “Thank you for telling me. I better not keep them waiting.”

“I’ll take you there.”

Once again, Kurt and his bluntness took Pearl by surprise.

“Oh no, no!” The slim swordfighter held her hands up. “That’s quite alright. I can always ask Greg for a ride.”

“True dat,” Marcus agreed though not without wagging a finger afterward, “but dear Gregory’s on the other side of town while Kurt here’s an inch or two away.” He shrugged his shoulders, face in a nonchalant pout. “Just sayin’. You’ll spare yourself a good deal of legwork.”

Pearl could only roll her eyes. Ugh, these humans did not want to make this endeavor easy on her, did they? Actually, now that she thought about the offer, having Kurtis along may help when she saw Amber again—that is assuming the young man wanted to join in on that conversation at all.

Either way, Kurtis nodded at his father’s suggestion before grabbing his jacket off the coat rack by the refrigerator and waving a hand to gesture Pearl to follow him, the Crystal Gem following suit.

A good ten minutes later, the pair arrived at Silver Lake in Kurtis’ blue, slightly rusted pickup truck. Looking out the passenger-side window, Pearl could see Garnet and Amber sitting together on the off-white sandy shore, throwing rocks across the surface (of all activities but who was she to judge?). Pearl exited the car and crossed the green grass towards her friends. Out of her peripheral, she noticed Kurtis hanging back to lounge against the truck and check his phone.

Looks like I’m going in alone, after all.

Fortunately, when Amber and Garnet saw her they waved with smiles. Pearl took at as a good sign and returned the greeting just as she reached them, hands behind her back, eyes quickly noting the notebook and yellow-ladybug backpack between the two other Gems. “Amber? Are you feeling alright?”

Picking up the notebook, Amber wrote her response. Well enough, all things considered. Are YOU feeling alright?

“Also well enough, ‘all things considered’.” Pearl crossed her arms reproachfully. “It was rather rude to show us something that significant and just leave in the middle of it, you know.” Despite the words, Pearl said them with a playful smirk. She wanted to make sure Amber bore no ill-will towards them for driving her to share that painful memory with them.

Scribble-scribble.

It’s also rude to visit someone at 3 in the morning to tell them a best friend of theirs had been hiding another best friend behind their back, but at least you guys had the decency to knock first.

That response inspired a bright cyan blue out of Pearl. Alright seriously, did everyone in the Flores family have the innate ability to argue very well?

Garnet shrugged, holding back a smile at Pearl’s expression. “Given the choice between that and never telling you at all, this was the lesser of the two rudes.”

“Impoliteness aside,” Pearl interjected before this conservation derailed too far into silliness, “I’m guessing you two had a lot to talk about.”

“We did,” the maroon fusion shifted her body around to face her teammate properly, “would you prefer all the details or just a summary?”

Smiling, Pearl took a seat on the ground before her friends, legs crossed. “I don’t expect an epic honestly.”

Garnet looked to Amber, who nodded, and returned her gaze to Pearl. “Once we came out of the Globe’s simulation, I caught Amber in her dog form, just about to leave. She told me she was headed for the barn so she could ask Lapis to fly her here.”

That would certainly explain how you two got here so quickly. In fact, now that Garnet mentioned the water-shifter, Pearl looked around herself but could not see Lapis anywhere. She must have gone back to the barn. Pretty fitting that Amber had sought her help to retreat here; the yellow Gem often chose large bodies of water like this during the war to meditate. However, Pearl also marveled that Lapis let Garnet accompany them; the water Gem must had at least shown resistance until Amber convinced her.

“I didn’t want to leave you out of it, Pearl. “ Garnet removed her glasses to give her friend an apologetic stare, “but considering whom that memory involved—”

Pearl shook her head, ignoring the pang in her stone. “I understand. That was a hard epiphany for both of us,” she scratched her cheek and chuckled self-deprecatingly, “I needed some time to digest everything anyway.”

Amber rubbed her nape abashedly. We all did. Like I told Garnet, you guys didn’t have to come after me.

“We didn’t’,” Garnet slanted her head to her much shorter friend, “I just wanted to make sure you didn’t feel alone.”

Whereas Pearl had been content to collect her thoughts over the incident between Rose and Amber, Garnet had not been able to shake off the frustration, the anxious energy brought about by her uncertainty. As much as she had been improving in communicating with the others, she remained a person of action. Hence why she chose Amber’s wordless Steven-like companionship and asked to come along for the ride. She needed some peace of mind.

Speaking of peace, Amber put her hands together in a meditative position, almost as though she were praying for strength, before directing a soft apologetic gaze to Pearl. Since we’re all making up here, I’m sorry Amethyst’s so obsessed with Jasper. I only wanted her to know more about her heritage, not send her on a death wish.

Pearl shook her head. “To be honest, she was bound to learn more about this eventually. It’s more on us that she’s so upset about all this.”

“She’s going to be okay,” Garnet asserted, “As long as she and Steven stick together, she’ll pull through this. But Pearl,” she looked up to her friend, “we can’t afford to make our own go wayward anymore. We have to be more open with Amethyst about all this going forward. Steven, too.”

Don’t forget Peridot. The others looked at Amber confusedly. She knows literally nothing about her own species, let alone the history. Did you know that Homeworld leads the current generation to believe that the Diamonds were the ones to come up with the idea of the injectors?

Pearl could not help the incredulous snort that escaped her. “Of course not! That was clearly the work of a dedicated technician. Peridot Facet-1H6G Cut-3DA as a matter of fact.” Just because the Diamonds were the leaders didn’t mean they had to assume credit for every bit of progress. How full of oneself could a Gem get?

And you don’t even want to know the garbage they used to cover up the Rebellion. Just another reason Peridot did right in dissing Yellow Diamond.

Garnet hummed in disappointment at that tidbit, hardly surprised.

A haughty huff emanated from Pearl, who crossed her arms. “Well at least we all have sense enough to admit when we’ve messed up,” she blushed again at the knowing glances from her friends, “albeit with a bit of a push. Still, you’re both right. Hiding all this just makes things more complicated than necessary, and after everything with Jasper, Peridot and that Ruby squad, we can’t afford more schisms like this.” A light tap to the knee brought Pearl’s attention to a perplexed Amber.

What was that about a Ruby Squad?

Pearl shared a mien of surprise with Garnet. “Peridot and Lapis hadn’t told you?”

Amber’s eyes shifted side to side for a moment. So that story about you guys fending off a bunch of Rubies from Homeworld by playing baseball was true then? I thought Peridot was trying to be funny.

Oh...Garnet and Pearl shared yet another look before their silence dissolved into a fit of laughter. Honestly, neither of them could blame their smaller companion for assuming that. For someone who prioritized objectivity, Peridot had something of a penchant for tall tales. Still, that story was awfully humorous when one looked back on it.

In fact, Garnet was just about to comment on just that when something in Amber’s backpack started ringing. The molehog reached in and produced the object to reveal her cell phone vibrating. Who could be calling her right at this hour?

Pressing the call button, she put the phone to her ear and managed a deeply garbled ‘hello’.  Lapis’ voice emitted from the device almost immediately. “Um, Amber? Could you come over to the barn? We have a slight problem.” The bored annoyance in her voice could not be more apparent. “Also, Peridot says to bring the others with you.”

Positioning the phone against her shoulder so her hands were free and screeching to keep Lapis from hanging up yet, Amber hastened to write in her notebook, making sure to groan out ‘again’ to insure she got the other Gem’s words right. Once she and Lapis hung up, she presented the ‘play-by-play’ to the others.

Garnet sighed, one hand on her hip, while Pearl facepalmed in annoyance.

You’re gonna need another baseball game.

Chapter 24: Like a Bandage

Notes:

Takes place right after “Beta” and “Earthlings” and during the events of “Back to the Moon”

“And that’s how I learned to kick even more butt than before!”

“Wow!”

“That’s incredible!”

“What do ya expect from the Kindergarten Quartz That Could?”

Amber’s closed her eyes in chagrin—she was standing on all fours to keep her gem out of view—blocking out the sight of Amethyst masquerading as Jasper to fool the gullible Rubies swarming around her.

The rest of the gang’s varying degrees of disbelief and exasperation seconded Amber’s notion.

On the reluctantly brighter side, at least the Quartz’s plan had subverted any further conflict, though Amber knew that would not remain the case for long. Even with centuries of shapeshifting skill under her facet, Amethyst could only assume that form for so long. These Rubies needed to be sent off—soon and permanently, which seemed to be Amethyst’s intention despite her half-baked means of going about it. In which case, Amber approached the faux Jasper and gently tugged the end of her long white hair with her mouth to grab the larger Gem’s attention.

“Hey, weird spiky thing!” Eyeball barked at the molehog, pointing a finger at her. “Who gave you permission to touch Jasper?!” Her fellow Rubies piped up similar sentiments, all of them as terrifying as a bag of red velvet marshmallows. The fact that she now found out about Steven’s nicknames for them via Garnet and Pearl’s inquiry upon arrival did little to help the foot soldiers’ case.

‘Jasper’ waved a nonchalant hand. “Ah, it’s cool you guys! This is just my...,” her eyes sidled for a desperate second, “pet pincushion, so I can keep my hair nice and spiky, yeah that’s it!”

...

...

“I can see that.”

“Me too!”

“Makes sense.”

“Quartzes need their hair in battle, after all.”

‘Aaand of course you guys eat it up,’ Amber mused with a downward shake of her head as she followed Amethyst back to the group for a very interesting private chat.

“Really Amethyst?” Pearl, keeping her voice low, subtly gestured a lithe hand to the Rubies. “How long do you expect yourself to keep this up?”

“Just long enough ta convince ‘em to go back to Homeworld and tell Yellow Diamond this planet’s good as doomed,” the purple phony murmured back.

“Amethyst!” Peridot hiss-whispered in a panic, hands clawing through her triangular hair. “They’re going to expect you to return there with them! Yellow Diamond sent Jasper here to report back, not sightsee!”

“That’s why I told them about the computer at the moon base! I gave ‘em this whole spiel about how I made you guys take me up there, only to get surprise-attacked so one of you could bust the computer up and keep me from contacting Homeworld, and then beat all of you in a super-awesome fight! Totally flawless! That way, I can just ask them to do the report for me without taking me!”

Garnet tilted her face. “On what grounds?” The Moon Base computer being out of commission only meant ‘Jasper’ would need to report back in person.

And judging by the wide eyes and sucked-in lips, Amethyst realized that flaw as well. “Uh...,” she stalled for ideas as she rolled her eyes upward and scratched her cheek, “on the grounds thaaaaat...”

“Jasper?” The purple Quartz jumped with barely restrained yelp at Doc’s sudden proximity. “If you’re having trouble with the prisoners, we can rough ‘em up for you!”

“Oh, that uh won’t be necessary!” Ame-Jasper hastily stuck a thumb to her chest. “Trust me I’ve already got that covered! I was just...interrogating them about what they knew about what happened to Pink Diamond.”

Silence fell upon both sides, shock from the Rubies and bated breath from the Crystals. The moment finally broke when Eyeball patted her calf, face empathetic. “We understand. We can tweak some of the details in the report.”

“Wow really?” Ame-Jasper shook her head. “I mean—thanks guys! I appreciate that.”

“You sure?” Doc, uncertain, walked up to put a hand on Eyeball’s shoulder. “What will we tell Yellow Diamond?”

Eyeball waved a dismissive hand at her leader with a confident smile. “Easy. We’ll just say her Gem got lost when the Peridot’s ship crash-landed.” Said green Gem felt her eye twitch at the reminder, even if it was only a fib on her part. She still had her pride after all.

Regardless, Pearl and Garnet shared a look of wonder, as did Amber and Lapis. Maybe this farce would work after all, though they all knew better than to keep their hopes up.

“Besides,” Eyeball continued, “somebody needs to avenge our Diamond after that traitorous Rose Quartz shattered her.”

“WHAT?!” Of course, everyone forgot one important variable: Steven. His sudden shout startled everyone, giving the incensed human-gem teen room as he marched towards the Ruby Squad. He stomped a sandaled foot in denial. “Rose Quartz would never do that!”

“Oh yeah,” Army sneered with crossed arms over her chest, “and how would you know that, human?”

Steven stuttered, now at a complete loss of words, hands balled helplessly and eyes shifting away from the Squad’s pointed stares. “Um, well...” He shot a pleading look to the others, vaguely noticing how among the helpless faces that mirrored his own, even Garnet via her pained expression and Pearl who curled in on herself with eyes stark wide and both hands over her mouth.

Amethyst proved quick to improvise as she slid in between the Rubies and Steven with a huge fake grin. “Heeee’s...their accomplice of course! Yeah, hehe,” she thumbed over her shoulder, “you would not believe the junk these Crystal Gems have been feeding him!” Amber could practically hear the cringe in Amethyst’s voice. “H-Humans, am I right? A-Anyway, you guys better get to Homeworld! You know how Yellow Diamond gets!”

Leggy shared a look and fearful shudder with Navy. “Don’t remind us.”

The entire Squad cast a diamond salute to Ame-Japser, one the violet imposter somewhat struggled to return out of awkwardness but managed before the squad marched back into their Red Eye. Less than a minute later, the ship levitated with a futuristic whir and warped out of sight.

Amber could only blink, taken back. ‘Okay wow. That worked out.’

She smiled...until a peek out of her peripherals alerted her to Steven and his despondent stance. She winced. ‘Okay almost.’

Amethyst seconded that notion as she warped back into her normal self, concern etched into her face. “You okay there, Stevo?”

“Oh, yeah. I’m fine.”

Amber begged to differ on account of the boy’s continued lack of eye contact. However, he wasn’t her ward so she had no authority to address his emotional state unless she had the Crystals’ okay, even if for a valid reason. Hence why she sincerely hoped Garnet or Pearl or Amethyst would take the kid aside to come clean about this inadvertent reveal.

Judging by the concerned yet hesitant glances being shared between Garnet and Amethyst and (most alarmingly) the way Pearl continued tremulously sealing her mouth with a shellshocked thousand-yard stare, something in the yellow stone’s metaphorical guts told her they intended to do that—and more than likely botch it up.

Eventually, Garnet broke the tense silence as she stepped forward. “Steven—”

“Did...Did Mom really shatter Pink Diamond?”

Garnet shot Peridot, Lapis, and Amber a cursory glance before getting down to one knee and putting a hand on Steven’s shoulder, Ruby’s gemstone warm on the teen’s skin. “Yes.”

“Why didn’t you guys tell me?”

When the maroon fusion cast another pointed look to the blue and yellow and green Gems again, a scowl cropped up on Lapis as she crossed her arms in defiance. “What? Afraid we’ll tell you guys on the Diamonds or something?”

“D-Don’t be ridiculous,” Pearl retorted with less heat and snark than expected, almost as if she were relieved for the change in subject. “We all know you’re neutral parties.” Peridot cleared her throat with a self-important ahem, one fist before her mouth and eyes closed. Despite herself, Pearl rolled her eyes. “The two of you, I mean.”

“So,” the blue stone continued with crossed arms and a challenging frown, “me and Amber showing concern for Steven here isn’t good enough for us to be in the loop.”

Amber and Steven tensed; Pearl blushed in bright cyan; Peridot and Amethyst darted their eyes back and forth nervously; and Garnet kept her gaze on Lapis, who gladly kept up her end of the staredown.

In classic fashion, none other than Steven stepped in to defuse the incoming fight, coming in between the fusion and hydromancer. “Lapis, Garnet didn’t mean it like that!” He looked to the taller Gem hopefully and desperately. “Right? Lapis and Amber have much a right to know what’s going on as the rest of us.”

Garnet remained silent, gaze unreadable, long enough that the others’ faces started to contort in various levels of tension.

Until at last, she spoke. “We wanted to tell you when the time was right.”

Pearl wringed her hands over her chest. “And we couldn’t exactly tell you the moment you were born either.” She met Steven’s gaze, stilly visibly shaken. “We’re so sorry.”

Steven managed a weak smile at the apology before it melted back into a saddened frown. His eyes became downcast. “Did Mom...really have to shatter her?”

“She had to,” Garnet affirmed in a stern yet gentle voice, “for all of us to be the way we are now. Or at least,” she tilted her head at the sulking Lapis and attentive Peridot, “those of us she could help at least.”

Lapis merely narrowed her eyes, hardly moved by the fusion’s admission. Peridot cleared her throat in hopes of drawing attention away from her teammate. “With all due respect, this is hardly news to me. Amber shared all the details regarding Pink Diamond and the circumstances around her demise.” She turned to Steven with slight guilt. “We had discussed sharing these details with you. We agreed to let the others have that choice.”

Amber scrambled to write. I don’t regret telling Amethyst about where she came from or Peridot , but considering the tension the former wrought on you all, you could imagine how much more loaded doing the same with you would be.

Amethyst rubbed the back of her head self-consciously. She felt the same way, so she couldn’t blame the yellow Gem for her reasoning, but that fact didn’t make seeing the hurt on Steven’s face any easier. Amber, realizing that as well, stared down in her now fidgeting hands in nearing shame.

“We agreed to tell you on the way here,” Pearl hastily yet truthfully interjected on Amber’s behalf before sidling her eyes to the sky where the Red Eye had departed, “well after all that business with the Rubies, of course.” She looked to Steven with a worried frown. “If you’re still willing to hear us out, of course.”

The silence carried on thick and heavy. Steven looked around at everyone, eyes pensive, before finally facing Pearl with an innocently stern face. “As long as everybody gets to hear the story, and I mean everybody.” His eyes darted to the side, empty space, for a moment. “And Connie, too.”

For a split second, Pearl appeared ready to argue—part of her didn’t sit well with the thought of her best pupil becoming familiar with the tragedy of war—but one glance at Garnet and Amber silenced whatever protests she had. Besides, her logical side reasoned, it wouldn’t be fair if only Steven got the opportunity to learn more about the Rebellion. So instead, the former servant managed an agreeing nod and small though strained smile, one Steven gladly returned.

In turn, Amber pulled her cellphone from out of her bag and left Connie a text message in case the girl had family time or some other activity going on at the moment.

Steven looked downward and rubbed the back of his head. “And Pearl,” he panned back to her. “Me, Peridot, and Amethyst have something to tell you guys, too, after you’re done.”

Turning their eyes away as well, Amethyst chuckled halfheartedly and rubbed her arm while Peridot scratched her face with a finger, sneaking (in vain) a warily concerned glance at her sharp-eyed barn mate.

Garnet, Pearl, Amber, and Lapis all gave the younger Gems stares ranging from suspicious to curious to worried.

“Trust us,” the purple Quartz added ruefully, “it’s a doozy.”

Notes:

Sorry everyone—firstly that this chapter took so long; second that there’s no tearful reunion in space—but at least Steven has one less traumatic experience under his belt!

Chapter 25: Round Up

Notes:

Day after “Back to the Moon”; during the events of “Kindergarten Kid”

Crock. Complete utter crock.

That’s what Lapis thought of Rose Quartz’s ‘greatest’ feat as she sat atop the lighthouse overlooking Beach City.

Of course, she had kept that opinion to herself throughout the whole recount of Pink Diamond’s shattering, partially out of respect for Steven and partially to avoid the headache of arguing with the same Gems that never bothered to free her when it counted.

Not that she had to air out her confused grievances afterward once everything had been said and done. Peridot had done that for her thoroughly enough.

Neither of the former Homeworld Gems could accept the tale at face value, not with so many questions and holes staring them in the face. How did Rose get so close to Pink in the first place when she’d already been a longtime fugitive by then? Why hadn’t Pink Diamond’s entourage been there to stop her? Her Agates, her Sapphires, her Quartzes—and what about her Pearl?

And speaking of Pearls, what had been up with Pearl herself whenever Pink Diamond came up? Lapis narrowed her eyes as her mind flashbacked to the many times the former servant would slap her hands over her mouth because, yeah, that certainly didn’t count as suspicious.

Looking back on her far distant memories of Homeworld, Lapis could recall hearing a few snippets here and there about how Pearls were programmed to remain mum on critical details, which made sense enough. Pearls loyal to Homeworld exclusively belonged to the upper class and/or highly distinguished, so it only made sense to prevent whatever they learned from their masters from being leaked.

And for all Rose Quartz’s dear Pearl boasted of belonging to no one, Lapis just knew she could never truly outrun her programming. What else could have explained the flash of frustrated defeat that crossed Pearl’s eyes every time Peridot pushed her on the validity of Pink Diamond’s shattering?

But if Pearl never belonged to Rose, who would want her to keep quiet about this? Who would have the power to make her keep quiet?

With a frustrated sigh, Lapis closed her eyes and pinched them between her index and thumb. This was also why she wanted to keep her distance from the other Crystal Gems. Considering deep thoughts about the people that ignored her sentience and desperation gave her such a headache. She didn’t care about them—at least not much—but she did care about Steven since the kid was living with them, and Peridot and Amber in turn.

The thought of those three getting hurt by whatever indubitably ugly truth Pearl could not share sent such a wave of anger and fear through Lapis that she considered bolting the moment everything about Rose and Pink Diamond had been said and done, only the look of concern on Steven’s face keeping her there – until Steven and Amethyst and Peridot reluctantly mentioned Jasper and in turn her corruption.

Steven.

Y-Yeah.

When she got corrupted, did green sprout all over her body?

Lapis, I don’t think it came from—

Did it?

...Maybe.

That had been the big final ‘no’ for her.

As far as she knew she’d been gone since yesterday.

She tried to ignore the pang of guilt brought up by the fact. In her defense, Lapis couldn’t help when the discomfort and other feelings she’d rather not mention drove her to isolate herself like this. If she had to suffer the silent drowning of her memories, best just her alone and not everyone else along with her.

Would Jasper have agreed? Evidently not.

Lapis thought back to her argument with Amethyst last week. She still thought the tiny Quartz had been foolish to try and prove herself against her obvious better. Then again Quartzes existed for combat and Amethyst’s obsession, alongside Pearl’s behavior, just further proved the inseparability between a Gem and their function.

Jasper proved no different.

Lapis rubbed her temples with a grunt before standing up, water wings unfurling.

Now might be a good time for a flight; all these heavy thoughts were dragging her mood lower than necessary – and for someone like her, that was saying something.

Just then, she noticed a tiny and overly clothed human leaving the lighthouse for the town far below, hands in the pockets of their baggy black jeans and matching backpack with yellow accents hanging from their shoulders, the dark grey sweatshirt’s hoodie up enough to conceal their face while the pants and monochrome sneakers hid everything else.

“Amber?” Lapis murmured in curiosity. Who else that short would be walking around the place like that? Part of the water Gem felt the urge to call Amber out and wave to her, but she resisted. She didn’t want to impose.

Was that selfish? Or perhaps cowardly, ignoring Amber out of fear?

Either way, the blue stone’s indecision left her still long enough for Amber to notice out the water Gem of her peripherals as well and wave instead, nose barely peeking out from under the hood. Blushing navy blue, Lapis meekly returned the gesture. Her mood soured, though, when she spotted the familiar blue pickup truck waiting at the bottom of the hill and Kurtis in the driver’s seat.

Lapis still struggled to understand the reasoning behind the fondness Amber – shards, the Crystal Gems in general – had for humans. Granted, the hydrokinetic had been content to listen to Amber lecture about human cultures and history, but only because she wanted to see her happy. On their own, humans warranted little interest.

They were fragile, primitive, ephemeral.

“HEY!”

“GAH!”

With a start, Lapis nearly fell off the roof – not that she feared falling; she just rather not put up with looking like a fool tumbling down – but quickly regained her footing.

Oh, and humans were also loud – very, very loud.

With a nearly inaudible growl, the blue rock turned on her heel and shot an icy glare in the direction the voice came from...only to discover the source to be some big chubby guy with weird yellow hair standing out on the balcony just beneath and to her left, his meaty hands on the railing.

Right, another human Amber had taken a shine to recently, and judging by the way he seemed to practically radiate eagerness to talk to her with that ridiculous smile, Lapis could tell this guy would not be as respectful of her boundaries or volume tolerance as Kurtis and his family.

With a droll look, she pivoted on her heel once more to face the ocean to follow through with her original plan.

“Wait-wait-wait-wait-wait!” the human called out with desperately wagging hands before digging into his pants’ pockets in haste. “If ya see a tiny green rock and potential ally named Peridot, could ya give her this?” He chirped a triumphant ‘ha’ and tossed something up to Lapis, who caught it with a water wing modified into a hand. She drew the construct closer and willed it into unfurling to reveal a tiny piece of green material that looked...oddly familiar for some reason.

Wait a minute. Lapis backtracked as her mind registered what she just heard. Casting a perplexed and begrudgingly curious gaze to the human, she crossed her arms to feign nonchalance. “How do you know Peridot?”

“Oh, ya see Amber-sensei wanted to cheer me up a while back so she took me to some super-secret Gem base over this really ancient battlefield and...”

For some reason, the human suddenly froze, eyes all wide and the vigor in his expression gone as though he just remembered something somber. He hastily stuffed his hands back in his pockets and cleared his throat, smile back only fake and withdrawn. Lapis had seen enough of that sort of expression from Steven and Amber and Peridot to tell this guy was holding something back.

Again, not that she cared for this oaf. She just couldn’t deny her curiosity. Though she never participated directly in the war, Lapis knew enough about the Gem structures built so far back then to recognize that Amber must have taken this human and Peridot to the training simulations above the Strawberry Battlefield. In which case, one could only assume the express purpose was to show the pair something important.

And whatever it had been, Lapis guessed it either was something incredibly uplifting to allegedly cheer this guy up or something lousy enough to warrant the adage ‘it could have been worse’. Knowing Amber, Lapis wouldn’t be surprised if the yellow pincushion pulled off an ambivalent mix of both.

“A-Anyway,” the big human continued with some of his gusto back, “you must be that Lapis Lazuli lady senpai brags so much to me and Kurtis about!” He stuck his hand upward in greeting. “I’m her newest protégé, Ronaldo Fryman, paranormal investigator and head of the blog Keep Beach City Weird!”

Lapis wound up tuning out the second half of Ronaldo’s statements, cheeks blushing an even deeper navy than before at the first. “Amber...brags about me?”

“Ha, ha, yeah I guess ‘brag’ is kind of a stretch. What I mean is that sensei likes to mention you a lot! She really lights up whenever she does, too!”

“O-Oh...I see.” Feeling awkward, Lapis decided to change the subject. “Why is she dressed up like that?”

“Oh, well ya see, the town doesn’t about Sensei’s true identity, so—”

“I already know that. Why is she dressed up like that right now?”

“Oh yeah! Ya see, Sensei takes classes at the community college over in the next town alongside Senpai.” His eyes turned skyward in thought, hands akimbo. “I think she’s studying philosophy and maybe counseling?”

Lapis was not surprised, not after seeing Amber’s collection on the topics firsthand. One thing bugged her, though.

“What’s the point?”

Ronaldo arched a brow in confusion, “The point?”

“Doesn’t she have books on stuff like that at home already? Why would waste time learning the same things at a place she has to go all that way for?”

Ronaldo re-perched his glasses with a curious light in his eyes. “Oh, so you’re familiar with the human educational system, I take it, Miss Lazuli.”

Lapis tried not to scowl at the formal title (it sounded too much like this human was trying to get in her good graces), opting instead for a blank half-lidded stare. “Steven’s friend explained it to me.” And in her honest opinion, this system sounded far more convoluted and less productive than how Homeworld Gems learned.

“Ah yes,” Ronaldo put one hand to his chin and the other on the opposite elbow, “Connie Maheswaran. Sensei had many positive things to say about her as well. Senpai, too, unsurprisingly.”

Once again, Lapis had to hold back a scowl...except this time the urge came even more strongly. Lapis didn’t feel comfortable analyzing the reasons why and instead kept quiet in hopes that the human would just ramble on.

Ronaldo remained true to form. “Anyway, back to your original question. The real appeal of attending those classes for Senpai is that she gets to interact with other people besides her family”—he eyed Lapis’ skeptical face—”and the other Gems. She likes being around people.”

Even if they’re humans, Lapis cynically mused.

“Of course, since Gems pop out already knowing what they’re supposed to do, I can see why you view the way we do it here as inefficient.”

Hearing that made Lapis blink in mild surprise. “No. Well, at least not that much. We Gems know our roles in general, but,” she crossed her arms, “some of us are better at certain things than others, so Homeworld has to help us specialize by teaching us how to.”

“Mm-hmm, like say how since Peridots are made to be technicians, certain ones are more cut out for tech stuff related to Kindergartens like, say, our Peridot?”

Lapis opened her mouth to continue, except she finally registered was happening, eyes wide and brows raised. Then without warning, she unfurled the water-hand to let the ship piece fall into her actual hand before reverting it into a wing and leaping off into the sky, ignoring Ronaldo’s pleas to come back.

In fact, Lapis flat out ignored the part of her that had started to enjoy the conversation – not so much due to the company (that Ronaldo human still seemed too nosy for her tastes) but just the mere experience of talking to someone new and different by her own accord.

Because it just hit Lapis how little choice that she’d had in the company she got to keep up until recently.

Malachite and the mirror went without saying in that regard. Even before that, though, the Gems she ever associated with had been the ones Homeworld deemed appropriate for her to mingle with: mainly other Lapis Lazuli, who were not known for being the most sociable to begin with, and other Gems by proxy of assignment. In short, Homeworld and its colonies weren’t exactly the most conducive spaces for different-Gem friendships, a fact that stung Lapis in a way she hadn’t felt since her ill-fated return to the home she once knew.

A melancholy frown marred her face.

On second thought, maybe hanging out by herself wouldn’t be the best way to spend the day. As much as she didn’t look forward to the possibility of the Crystal Gems still being there, Lapis at least hoped Peridot and Steven would be available for hanging out.

However, once Lapis changed route and neared the barn a minute later, she discovered not only the barn grounds empty but a certain yellow Gem waiting patiently by barn door, human disguise from earlier bundled up in her arms.

“Amber?”

Hello, Lapis.

“Hey. What are you doing back here?” While Lapis knew Amber had seen her watching back at the lighthouse, the hydromancer preferred the molehog remained ignorant of her conversation with Ronaldo to avoid any awkwardness. Fat chance if that human’s motor mouth proved any indication. “And where is everybody?”

My and Kurtis’ classes got cancelled, so I texted Steven to see if he and the others had room for roundup duty over at the Beta Kindergarten for all those corrupted Gems Jasper had been collecting for her army. When he said sure, I had Kurtis drop me off so that I could wait for you in case you wanted to come.

Lapis angled a brow in confusion. On the one hand, she wasn’t too worried about having an episode at Beta so long as they didn’t linger too close to the Kindergarten. On the other, though...

“Isn’t Beta in a desert? I’m pretty sure I’m not going to be much help there.”

Amber shrugged. I know. I just thought you might wanna get away from the barn for a bit. Plus, Peridot is insistent that she can catch these corrupted Gems all on her own and Steven is doing his best to help her out, so me and others agreed to keep an eye on them from afar.

Of course. Lapis sighed for lack of surprise at her barnmate’s pride-driven escapade and Steven’s attempts to minimize the trouble Peridot would get into in turn. Again, though, Lapis wasn’t keen on spending any more time with the Crystal Gems than she already had.

As if reading her mind, Amber hastily added, Of course you won’t have to be anywhere near Garnet, Pearl, and Amethyst. Or Beta for that matter. In fact, I volunteered to keep watch from another vantage point altogether for in case you agreed to come.

For the umpteenth time that day, Lapis found her cheeks flashing a deep navy once again. Her mind traced back to what Ronaldo said about Amber’s mentions of her. “O-Oh! You didn’t need to do that.”

I’m fully aware. I just wanted to make sure you’d be comfortable regardless of whatever you chose to do.

‘Whatever you chose to do’.

Lapis was sure that she if had shapeshifted a heart beforehand, it’d be fluttering right now. She even found herself giggling a bit, flattered by the consideration. After a few more moments’ thought, she crossed her arms in a thin veil of nonchalance.

“I guess I can spare a few minutes of my time.”

XXX

Just as Lapis suspected, ‘keeping watch’ had meant ‘make sure Peridot and Steven don’t get themselves killed’, which admittedly had proved somewhat difficult since she and Amber had to remain discreet about their job lest Peridot discovered them and threw an accusatory fit over their ‘lack of confidence in her competence’.

Hence why the two Gems had to make heavy use of Amber’s invisibility powers and refrain from excessive noise – and Lapis could hardly imagine how the Crystal Gems were managing the same.

Thankfully, that hadn’t needed to be the case at night since the darkness provided excellent cover.

 As of right now, Lapis and Amber were seated behind a boulder atop some mesa a good distance away from where Peridot and Steven had set up a campfire to recuperate after their latest failure to capture Roadrunner (Amber had thought up the name for the speedy corrupted Gem).

The water Gem was reading one of her books from Amber’s backpack (something about a guy being depressed and putting an ax in some old lady’s head – interesting stuff), the faint light of Amber’s gemstone illuminating the words enough to make the words visible.

Since their wards did not have anything planned for now, Amber lay on her back with her head cushioned against Lapis’ left hip and eyes closed, hands on her stomach and feet leisurely crossed, the yellow ladybug backpack by her side. The faint sounds of Peridot snarling in frustration as Steven pelted her with marshmallows echoed back, rousing Amber from her nap and inciting her to peek an eye open in the direction of the sounds.

Lapis likewise lifted her head at the noise and peeked around the boulder since she was the closest to the side. She scoffed at the silliness and shook her head before going back to her book and turning the page.

“I swear Peridot’s gonna get herself poofed at this rate.” A tap on the knee brought Lapis’ attention to Amber, who held up her notebook at an open page.

I doubt it. Peridots have notoriously sturdy forms. It’s what makes them so good for maintenance and tech stuff.

“And this is neither,” Lapis added, “so no wonder Peridot’s been struggling so much. She and Steven are lucky we’ve been around to make sure they didn’t get anything worse than a few scrapes and bruises.”

Although if the water Gem were to be honest, she swore their two juniors were starting to grow suspicious about their presence, especially after the cliff incident. Not Lapis’ fault that this stupid place had so little usable water or that her water hands made so much noise in keeping that broken piece of cliff up long enough for Steven to pull Peridot back to safety.

On that note, Lapis also felt a pang of annoyance at the seeming lack of Crystal Gems doing the same. Surely, they cared enough about Peridot and Steven, or at least the latter, to subtly keep them out of harm’s way.

As if reading Lapis’ mind, Amber shifted onto her left side. I sincerely hope the others have been pulling their share of the work. Getting a good laugh is one thing, but I’m going to be sorely disappointed if it turns out they’ve been lounging around just watching like this is a cartoon.

Lapis idly wondered if the simile had some commonality with the reason behind Amber’s name for the corrupted Gem, and then shrugged the thought away. She needed to check out a few more of those human channels Steven mentioned once she returned to the barn. Maybe if Peridot would let her borrow that tablet...

Another tap to the knee broke Lapis out of her reverie and redrew her attention to Amber.

Speaking of getting a good laugh, did talking to Ronaldo cheer you up after hearing about the kids’ escapade at Beta?

“Ronaldo? Oh.” Right, that guy. Lapis rolled her eyes. “Not really. I got some decent information out of him though. Just had to let him ramble on.”

A smile came across Amber’s snout –a fond one much to Lapis’ silent confusion and slight chagrin. Ronaldo tends to do that. Not someone I’d trust with a secret, but certainly someone I wouldn’t mind hanging out with if I’ve had a bad day. Amber paused before adding another sentence. Mileage varies per individual of course. 

No kidding, Lapis mused as memories of the conversation with the blonde loudmouth came back to her. She scrunched her brow in cynicism. “I still don’t get how you enjoy being around humans so much. Compared to us, their lives might as well be the blink of an eye.”

Which is why I always remind myself to live in the moment as much as possible. The past will always be behind us and the future will always loom ahead of us, but the present is always right here.

Lapis arched a brow. “Another quote from your philosophy books?”

Nope. Made it up myself.

Lapis shook her head with a good-natured scoff. “Speaking of pasts, how did things go back at the barn after I left?”

Amber scratched the back of her head. Well the others got on my case a little about telling Amethyst about where she came from. Amethyst, Peridot, and Steven all stood up for me naturally.

“How’d it go from there?”

Eventful. Let’s just say me and Amethyst got a lot of stuff off our chests.

To say Pearl and Garnet’s reveal about the Kindergartens and their Quartzes proved emotional would have been an understatement. Pearl had admitted that the assault on Beta had been her plan – or more precisely her ‘modification’ to Rose’s original plan, robbing the Kindergarten of its Quartzes the moment the emerged, in response to the Crystal Gem leader’s miscalculation as to when the growing Gems would emerge.

The thought of such a plan had still rendered Amethyst sick to her core.

We couldn’t have afforded all those Quartzes to remain with Homeworld. Besides, Homeworld has a reputation of treating its soldiers as less than Gems, so Rose and I agreed that they’d be better off on our side. Not that many of the ones we captured bothered to hear us out.

No duh, considerin’ ya kinda kidnapped ‘em from their birthplace.

Amethyst, it was a bad call that resulted in more casualties than we expected! It’s not like we were proud of what we did!

Not a unanimous sentiment as Amber pointed out. In fact, the yellow Gem had showed no hesitation in revealing the shortcomings concerning how the Crystal Gems looked after the Earth Gems that defected to their side: ignorance of the feelings of isolation among the Quartzes, the lack of empathy over the Ambers’ fear and confusion in being dropped into battle, the belittlement of both groups’ feelings concerning their enemy siblings’ that became prisoners of war.

Garnet and Pearl had struggled to come up with counterarguments to any of those points.

Amethyst wasn’t stupid either. She saw Pearl and Garnet’s logic and from what she knew of fighting, she understood how talking sense into the Quartzes during battle would be difficult, let alone explaining to a bunch of terrified Ambers why they better learn to fend for themselves.

That still hadn’t kept her gemstone from aching at the thought of who were essentially her sisters – and Jasper’s – being dehumanized into faceless brutes, and she could tell from Amber’s disappointed glare that she felt the same about her own and their displaced unity.

All of this, Lapis had missed, so the blue Gem took Amber’s word with a shrug. As little as she cared for Amethyst, Lapis couldn’t deny her curiosity as to how the purple Quartz came to terms with the full ramifications of being an Earth Quartz like Jasper. In fact, now that she thought the matter through, Lapis understood that Amber had just as much of a stake in her home as the other terrestrial Gems had. In which case...

“Do you feel any better? About all the Earth stuff, I mean.”

Amber stared back in silence for moment before she looked away and leaned back on her hands. Lapis waited patiently for an answer.

Lighter. I feel lighter. Like a container full of fresh croissants. Buttery and perfectly flaky.

“That makes no sense whatsoever.”

One day, you will come to understand the strangeness of us Earthlings.

Lapis rolled her eyes. Nothing could hide her small smile, though.

Just as nothing could hide Amber’s sudden petrified wide-eyed look of shock and caution. Lapis, who had been about to return a smart quip of her own, noticed and furrowed her brow in confusion at first until the sound of familiar garbled grunts echoed from right behind her. Eyes expanded, the water Gem with dread in her nonexistent stomach, reluctantly turned her head.

Roadrunner stood right behind her, staring straight down at them. No words could properly capture the awkwardness permeating the scene.

The stare-down ended at last when Roadrunner walked a small circle, clawed the ground in some odd semblance of a cat, and sat down with their legs folded beneath them. A dumbfounded Lapis looked back at Amber as if in hopes of an explanation. The golden molehog shrugged and shifted her eyes back to Roadrunner, head tilted in wonder though not surprise.

A strange closed-lipped grunt suddenly emitted from the corrupted Gem. It almost sounded like...a whimper?

Whatever this being wanted, Amber must have caught on for she stood up and relocated herself to in between Lapis and Roadrunner, her faint light in no danger of revealing them since they all still sat behind the boulder’s cover. Lapis realized what was going on as well the moment she noticed how the larger corrupted Gem seemed to relax in response.

“I guess she doesn’t like the dark,” Lapis murmured as not to spook Peridot and Steven’s quarry. Amber nodded before laying on her back, hands behind her head. After a moment of deliberation, Lapis followed suit.

“Hey Amber.”

Amber made a grunt of her own to show she was listening.

A moment of silent thought passed. “...Thanks for inviting me out there.”

Taps on the shoulder coaxed her to look over.

What are friends for?

Right. Friends.

With a faint smile, Lapis closed her eyes to the sounds of the nighttime desert, the distant crackling of their juniors’ fire, and the warmth of her friend’s gemstone.

Chapter 26: According to Plan

Notes:

Takes place during “Buddy’s Book”, the day after “Know Your Fusion”, and two days after “Kindergarten Kid”

“Camping?”

“Camping.”

“Camping?”

“Camping.”

“...”

“No seriously, P. Camping.”

Pearl blinked in bafflement at both Amethyst and the huge messily stuffed backpack beside her and crossed her arms. “Since when do you camp?”

Amber, Pearl could understand given her affinity for nature. Peridot as well to an extent on account of her and Lapis living out on the countryside. Amethyst though, for all her enjoyment for getting down and dirty and shapeshifting into animals, never expressed explicit interest for the human activity.

“Uh, since Sparky reminded me that nature is super cool and stuff?”

Garnet, standing beside Pearl, set her hands akimbo. “You based your decision off that human that lets himself get stung by various Earth insects, didn’t you?”

“Eh, he’s already gotten past that. I just feel like getting down to earth with Mother Nature.”

Pearl opened her mouth to protest, only to think better of it and sigh in defeat. Who were she and Garnet to deny Amethyst intimacy with the world that birthed her? That and the slimmer Gem suspected her purple teammate wanted an excuse to take a break from all the drama going on lately, much less the people responsible.

“Please don’t try to get a rise out of the wildlife,” Pearl wearily advised. She doubted Amber would appreciate that.

Amethyst threw a dismissive hand. “Chill, P. You know I’m the ‘can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em’ type. ‘Sides, humans are way more fun to mess with.”

Pearl perked a skeptic brow, deciding against listing off all the times Amethyst messing with humans turned out with less than comical results.

“That and P-dot needs somebody ta keep the critters distracted long enough for her to jot down stuff in her nerd book.”

Jot down? Pearl arched both brows now, curious. “Peridot intends to observe Earth fauna - specifically?”

Then again if Pearl recalled correctly, there had been that time during Peridot’s ‘redemption arc’ (Connie’s words, not hers) when the green stone expressed a strong albeit abrasive interest in studying the organic life of this planet. Perhaps being around Amber had reignited that desire.

“Yep! Said Camp Pining Hearts got her interested in doin’ the real deal.”

Of course. Pearl sighed once more, resisting the urge to eyeroll.  “At least Amber will be there to supervise the two of you.”

“Aww, now Pearl!” Amethyst cooed as she cupped her face in her hands in a cutesy manner, “What trouble do you expect me and Peri to get into outdoors?” At her taller teammate’s unimpressed stare, the whip-slinger wagged a finger. “Don’t answer that.”

A knock at the door cut the conversation short, prompting Pearl to walk over and open it, revealing Amber and Peridot armed to the teeth with camping gear.

“Greetings, fellow Crystal Gems!” the latter quipped, “We are here to pick up Amethyst!”

Amethyst held her arm out as though presenting a work of art. “Here and ready for the pickin’!”

The technician craned her head back and forth, eyes scanning the house. “I take it Steven won’t be joining us for the festivities?”

“Nah, the little dude tagged along with Connie to the library. he told me he kinda got his fill of the outdoors after doing the tango with that looney-toony Gem the other day.” Amethyst shrugged at Peridot. “Surprised ya don’t feel the same.”

Peridot concealed a bright-green blush with her hand, pretending to be stroking her chin. “Y-Yes well while I certainly am in no rush to try my hand again at quote-on-quote wrangling corrupted Gems, looking back I found that I rather enjoyed interacting with the natural environments of this planet.” That is as long the environment didn’t cause her bodily harm. She then drew a prideful smirk and put a hand to her chest. “I thought this would be a more opportune means of reliving that experience.” The verdant Gem twirled her other hand. “Besides, Lapis has errands elsewhere and making meep-morps isn’t nearly as fulfilling by oneself.”

Amber got out her notebook from a side pocket of the backpack and flipped to a prewritten page. You got everything you need?

Amethyst hoisted the backpack over her shoulder. “You know it! Let’s move!”

Garnet gave a lopsided smile and flicked her hand goodbye. “Have fun, you three.”

“And behave!” Pearl added as she waved as well.

We’ll be back by tomorrow noon!

Amethyst flicked a blasé hand in return without looking back before shutting the door behind her.

Pearl and Garnet barely turned away from the door when a knock came a few seconds later, much to their surprise. Did the others forget something? Pearl shared a look with Garnet before going to the door to open it.

“Ah, Pearl, Garnet!” Uma chipperly greeted, “Good morning!”

“Um,” Pearl waved a hesitant hand, “good morning?”

“I was dropping by to see if anyone here could help this old woman with the watering? Kurtis will be at the library for most of the day for a research project, Marcus chose today of all days to come down with the flu, and since Amber will be off camping with her friends ‘til tomorrow noon...”

“Oh! Um,” Pearl looked back at Garnet, who shrugged, and then at Uma with a blush, “we’re very flattered you considered us, but our...’work schedules’ can be a bit erratic at times so I can’t say Garnet and I would be a good choice.”

Uma waved her hand dismissively. “That’s quite alright, dear. Shame, though. Marcus was hoping you’d be joining.”

What? “He...was?”

“Well, not in many words. He did say something about you and Kurtis talking the other day and if I recall Marcus’ words right, you and my grandson both sounded civil with each other.”

Pearl blushed cyan. “W-Well, in all fairness, your grandson was only trying to be polite...”

“A little politeness goes a long way,” Garnet commented in an amused tone as she walked up and put a hand on Pearl’s shoulder. “No harm in a few more human friends, right?”

Pearl sighed in defeat. “I suppose we could spare a few moments.” Besides, it would make Connie and Steven happy to hear their favorite people were all getting along.

However, when the two Gems followed Uma out of the house, a peculiar sight awaited them on the beach. Pearl took one look, closed her eyes, and pinched the bridge of her nose. “What are you three doing?”

By ‘you three’, she was naturally referring to Amethyst, Amber, and Peridot who were all in the process of setting up camp right there on the sand. They all turned at the taller Gem’s voice.

Amethyst adopted a droll half-lidded stare. “Uh, did someone already forget our conversation from earlier?”

“Amethyst, it isn’t camping if you’re less than a mile from the house.” Pearl gestured an open palm to the abode in question.

“Well, we are outdoors, are we not?” Peridot smartly countered with outstretched hands. “And how much more danger would we be exposed to here compared to a completely untamed piece of wilderness, what with all the corrupted Gems that come here on a near daily basis?”

Amethyst threw her hands up. “See?”

Pearl opened her mouth to retort until Amber’s teeth tugged on her sash with an empathetic smile, prompting the taller Gem to look down at her.

Just let ‘em have this, Pearl.

Et tu, Amber? Pearl tossed her hands up in defeat and tossed an exasperated look to Garnet, who merely shrugged her shoulders with a bemused half-smile. What were they going to do with these guys?

“Speaking of corrupted Gems that aren’t Amber,” Peridot continued, “someone needs to stay close by in case any of them emerge near the temple!”

Okay, point taken there, Pearl supposed. If that did happen, though, she didn’t want her younger friends to take any chances. “If you spot any, at least make sure you have a way of signaling the rest of us.”

Amber and Amethyst and Peridot responded with a group-thumbs-up, albeit more seriously in the case of the yellow and green Gems. Pearl shook her head in begrudging fondness before turning to finally leave with Uma and Garnet.

“Let’s see,” the elderly woman began once they reached the front door to the flower shop, “there are a few larger plants we’ve ordered in, but I’ll need someone with muscle to carry those in along with the potting soil.”

Garnet thumbed to herself with a smirk. “I can handle that.”

“In that case—Pearl, could you help Lapis with watering the flowers in the meantime?”

Pearl cupped her chin. “Sounds doable. To be fair, though, Lapis alone is probably enough to have the task cover—” only then did Uma’s statement register in her mind and make her freeze with wide eyes – “Lapis. Is in. Your house?”

Uma blinked and looked between Pearl and then Garnet, whose mouth went agape in similar surprise. “Would you feel better coming with me and Garnet?”

Pearl shared a conflicted stare with her leader, the Renegade and fusion equally unsure of the best route to take here. Turns out they didn’t have to worry long over that decision because right then the front door flew open via giant floating water hand to reveal Lapis Lazuli, a round straw hat with a cyan ribbon tied in a bow in the back adorning her head, a watering can in each hand.

“Took you long enough,” the blue rock deadpanned. “Are you gonna help me with the plants in the back or just stand there gawking?”

Pearl (who most certainly was not gawking thank you very much) shook her head. “W-What are you even doing here? Peridot said you had ‘errands elsewhere’.”

Lapis arched a brow. “These are errands, and this is elsewhere. Now,” she tossed a watering can Pearl’s way, the other Gem barely managing to catch it, “flowers. Get to it.”

The commanding tone snapped Pearl out of her confused stupor. “Hmph! I sincerely hope you’re not under the impression that I was brought here to serve you. In case you’ve forgotten, this isn’t Homeworld.”

In any other case, Pearl would have stayed clear of any reminder of estrangement around Lapis, but the Renegade could easily discern that Lapis could not do much to her if she intended to stay in this human family’s good graces. Besides, Pearl hadn’t quite forgotten the Grand Theft Aqua from long ago, let alone the resulting damage. As far as the swordfighter was concerned, her sassiness was well warranted.

Lapis remained unfazed. “Nope. I’m under the impression that we’re not gonna dance around each other like cl—...idiots.” She scowled at Pearl’s knowing smirk. “I was going to say idiots.” She pivoted on her heel, this conversation over (for now). “Besides,” she mumbled while holding the door open for the others to come in, “even having you around beats having to listen to Dad Puns all day.”

Pearl rolled her eyes as she followed Garnet and Uma into the shop. She faintly registered the tinkling of the bell above the doorway and the following thud of the door closing before Lapis’ light footfalls fell into step beside her. She eyed the water-user with scrutiny. “I never took you as someone who enjoys human company.”

Or any company at all besides Steven. Or Peridot. Or Amber. In fact, now that she factored all their absences together...

“First off, I don’t,” Lapis cut in, “I just find these guys less annoying than the average human. Second, I’m the one who suggested Uma ask you guys for help.”

“And she agreed? Just like that?”

“Just like that,” Uma confirmed in a tone too breezy for Pearl’s liking as the group went through the shop and past the stairs towards the back door leading outside. “The dear felt now would be the best time to clear the air between you all. Or start to at least.”

Lapis blushed a deep blue. She’d been hoping Uma would keep quiet about that part.

“Maybe it is high time we clear it.”

“What?”

“WHAT?!”

Halted in their tracks, Lapis and Pearl stared at Garnet with varying degrees of shock.

“But,” the fusion calmly stressed as she turned to the water-user in question, “on Lapis’ terms. She’s the one who arranged this, so it’s only fair that she be the one who calls the shots here.”

To say Lapis got taken back would be an understatement, but to her credit, she quickly shook off her surprise and regained aloofness. “Good. Cuz Uma needs extra muscle and I need extra hands.”

Garnet gave a thumbs up before facing the Flores matriarch. “Shall we then?”

“We shall.” As she and the fusion continued towards the back door, Uma gave on last look over her shoulder at Pearl and Lapis. “Play peaceful, you two.”

Pearl blinked and gulped as Lapis sullenly led her to the greenhouse attached to the back of the house.

‘Peaceful? Oh stars.’

---

“Oh stars.”

Amethyst looked up after a swig of grape soda as she and her friends sat around a rock-enclosed pit, the wood within crackling from the fire while their completed tent stood in the early evening background. “What’s up, Per-Bear?”

Peridot held back a lime blush at the nickname before shooting her fellow Gems a disgruntled gaze. “Whose idea was it to include these in our camping supplies?”

When the green Gem held up a bag of marshmallows, Amber gave a meek smile and raised her hand. Peridot arched an accusatory brow in response.

They’re quintessential camping foods, the response on the phone in Amber’s left hand asserted. The molehog side-eyed the younger green Gem with amusement. Why? Bad experience?

Nothing could hide Peridot’s blush this time. “N-NO! No! I-I just…don’t appreciate the textures when I consume them. Yes, that’s exactly it!”

Amethyst gave an empathetic half-smirk and shrug. “It’s not like you gotta eat them, dude.”

Despite the assurance, Peridot bristled as Amber took the bag from her and popped it open. “Hmph, it’s not as if I could ever bring myself to partake in these anyway.”

Amber paused in snacking and blinked at Peridot in curiosity. Did the younger Gem share Pearl’s distaste for eating?

Amethyst noticed the gold Gem’s confusion and opened her mouth to explain, only to be halted by Peridot putting a hand on her shoulder.

“It’s alright, Amethyst.” The technician turned to the molehog with a vulnerable air. “You see, Amber, Homeworld wound up in a resource shortage after the Rebellion. As a result, Era-2 Gems such as myself wound up at a,” she broke eye contact for a moment to think over her wording, “functional disadvantage, so to speak. It’s why I’m so much shorter compared to Peridots you’ve seen before.”

Realization and understanding flashed across Amber’s face. Are you saying you can’t shapeshift or fuse then?

Peridot opened her mouth only to pause and then close it back up a second later. “That’s...currently debatable.”

When Amber cocked her head, patiently waiting for an answer, Peridot closed her eyes with a sigh. “Back on Homeworld, I had to wear limb enhancers in order to insure my proficiency as both a technician and a Kindergartner. They proved quite useful since they allowed me access to a plethora of data – that is until I ... lost them during my escapades on this planet.”

Amethyst rubbed her nape self-consciously. Amber decided not to push for answers there, even though she could hazard a guess on the connection.

Fortunately, Peridot rebounded with a proud smile. “However, the resultant struggles opened a myriad of opportunities for me! Why, I hadn’t even been aware of my metal powers before Amethyst attempted throwing my tablet into the ocean!”

Or unfortunately on second thought. Amber threw the purple rock a questioning (and slightly reproachful) look, one Amethyst had the decency to wince under – at least until Peridot hastily cleared her throat, realizing she just put the Quartz on the spot.

“Did I forget to mention that Amethyst and I have made attempts recently to retrieve my limb enhancers? Since the data on them does pertain heavily to Homeworld technology, we had agreed that retrieving them would prove invaluable to our side.”

Amethyst half-smiled in gratitude while Amber turned to Peridot with a warily sympathetic look.

Any luck so far?

Peridot paused before sucking a breath through her teeth. “I surmise it likely that longtime exposure to the salinity of these planet’s oceans have rendered the inner workings useless by now, not to mention that the limbs were lost very near to this so-called ‘Gulf Stream’ you showed me the other day, let alone to any other currents. In short, my limbs enhancers could be anywhere on this planet by now.”

“Hey, we did manage to snag your other foot last week and Pearl said we’d be lucky just to find one of the pieces,” Amethyst admitted. “That’s better than nothing, right?”

“Garnet suggested I’d be better off building myself new ones instead for that very reason,” Peridot countered with a shrug. She looked off at the moonlit horizon in thought. “The gravity connectors alone won’t suffice anyway as a basis since they lack the technical capacity of the other pieces…and given this planet’s lack of the necessary resources, I haven’t succeeded in building replacements yet.”

Succeeded? So, she’d tried in the past, then.  Amber reached out a hand to comfort Peridot – that is until the green Gem puffed her chest out.

“All the more reason for me to construct them more to my liking! Besides, I’ve come to enjoy my inherent shortness and subsequent induction into the Shorty Squad!”

The what? Amber scrunched her face in utter bafflement.

That is until Amethyst guffawed with a facepalm. “Oh! Duh, I can’t believe we haven’t told ya yet!” She held her hands up. “See, it’s this thing me and Steven started up cuz, ya know, short folk solidarity and stuff, right?” She rolled her eyes playfully at Amber’s bemused blink. “I know, we young people and our fancy-schmancy slang. You should totally join up!”

A half-hearted scoff escaped Amber. You’re not worried I might cramp you young uns’ style?

“Hah, hardly!” Peridot haughtily barked, “Our squad’s style is virtually impervious to muscular spasms! And with your wisdom and experience, we’d be virtually uncrampable!”

Amber shook her head with a silent huff and shrugged her shoulders in a ‘sure’ manner. Why not? It’s been a while since she’d been part of a crew.

A worried look suddenly crossed her face though. I don’t have to go through some crazy and/or gross initiation, do I?

Amethyst waved her hand. “Chill, Sparky. That ain’t how the Shorty Squad rolls. You short, you in. That easy!”

Amber released a sigh heavy with relief. Oh, thank stars.

Peridot rubbed her chin in thought. “That does pique my curiosity about a relevant matter, though. Did the Crystal Gems require anything from either of you when you joined them?”

Amethyst and Amber shared a significant look.

Nothing formal if that’s what you mean. So long as you proved yourself loyal to the Rebellion’s cause, you were as good as in. Amber put a claw to her chin. The only official-esque thing they had you do was this sort of induction ceremony where you recite Rose’s Manifesto.

A flash of recognition shot across Amethyst’s eyes. “Fight for life on the planet Earth?”

Amber turned to Amethyst in wonder and surprise. Defend all human beings…

“…even the ones you don’t understand…”

Believe in love that is out of anyone’s control…

“And then risk everything for it,” the violet Quartz finished in time with the text on Amber’s phone.

I didn’t think Rose had you recite it. Not much point when there’s currently no war.

“She didn’t,” Amethyst confirmed with one hand on her nape, “Pearl mentioned it right after they took me in. Rose went on about how she came up with the words and how wonderful hearing it from so many Gems was. She made it sound so cool.” She lay back on the sand after a forlorn exhale, careful not to spill her drink. “Sometimes I’d mumble to myself when I had some me-time. It always made me think about if I had emerged back then. If I’d had stuff like that to go back on, maybe I wouldn’t’ve felt so outta place, ya know?”

So deep in thought, the Quartz only faintly registered two new presences lay down beside her: Peridot on the left, Amber on the right.

The former twiddled her thumbs. “Regrettably I cannot relate to your plight – at least not in the same context. Back on Homeworld, my role and loyalty to Yellow Diamond provided all the belonging I needed. Naturally, that fell apart after I called my former matriarch a clod to her face.” She noticed Amber’s look of shock. “Yes, that legitimately happened.”

Amethyst smirked and gave Peridot a playful punch to the shoulder. “Yeah, but now you’re part of somethin’ way better.” Those words caused her to retrace herself, leading her into second thoughts. “We’re all part of somethin’ better.”

Part of something better. Peridot mulled over her fellow shorty’s words and smiled in agreement.

Amber smiled as well – except some of the smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. One claw drifted to her gemstone, self-consciousness.

“Still,” Amethyst continued, “it’d be awesome gettin’ to know another Amethyst from Earth.” Not another Amethyst in general considering that would mean putting up with more Homeworld rhetoric. “Ya think they’d care about me bein’ a runt and all?”

With some slight hesitation, Amber held her phone out with the screen facing downward so the other two could see the text.

Earth Quartzes always seemed like a close-knit bunch to me. Even after the raids on Beta, I’d see how the Gems there stuck up for each other during fights, even the defective ones. Didn’t matter whose side they were on.

“Huh.” Hearing that made Amethyst feel a little better. Still kind of iffy on the off chance of meeting others of her Gem type, but better. It also made her wonder about something else. Someone else. “Are Ambers the same way?”

No new text. Amethyst turned to the blank-faced molehog in confusion. “Sparky?”

Do you think those Ambers back in Treasure hate me?

While Peridot scrunched her brow in confusion, Amethyst sat up in concern. Where did that just come from? “Whoa whoa-whoa-whoa there, Cheese Ball! That’s kind of random – and jumping to conclusions, don’t ya think?”

Amber shuffled awkwardly, not making eye contact.

A contemplative hum emitted from Peridot, the technician sitting up as well and rubbing her chin. “You may be basing that assumption on how uncharacteristically distant they’ve been in behavior. From both a personal and objective standpoint, I can see some of your reasoning.”

When the other two Gems turned to her, she continued. “This may or may not surprise you, Amethyst, but Ambers are probably among the friendliest and most welcoming Gems one can ever meet. You might even say they’re the Stevens of Homeworld.”

The comparison almost made Amethyst chuckle at first – the thought of an army of Stevens befriending everyone in sight crossed her mind – until she recalled everything Amber shared about the Gem type’s role the day after the beach fight with Jasper. The thought of someone like Steven (hell Steven himself) being subjected to that treatment made her torn between shivering and bristling.

Peridot’s face reflected essentially the same feelings, albeit more sedate. “They’re also not the strongest. They’re built to be as versatile and manageable as possible to maximize their utility. As a result, it’s always been common practice to use them in groups, mass in fact, even though the latter option became much rarer in Era 2. Hence why their greatest strength lies in numbers.”

Amber nodded in faint recollection. That’d been one advantage from the Rebellion she remembered well.

“Huh,” Amethyst voiced at last. Well that surely shed light on Amber’s behavior but not the Ambers’ behavior. She turned to the aureate stone in question. “Didn’t you tell us something about them not being like this with you before? Ya know, back at the barn after we got rid of those Rubies?” She received a nod and furrowed her brow in return. “Do you think Rose told them to act like that?”

Amber shook her head immediately. I doubt it. She made it clear to me that not all those Ambers were Crystal Gems before they got corrupted. Plus, she knew just as well as any of us did how crucial unity is to my Gem type.

Peridot pursed her lips, discerning. “Hmm, that would imply then that they’re avoiding you out of their own volition. Did Rose Quartz ever give any indication of those Ambers acting differently?”

Amber shook her head. Nope. All I know is that they started avoiding me some time after that fight she and I had.

Right, the fight over Bismuth. None of the veteran Gems had been enthusiastic about sharing the details, necessary as it had been. Amethyst couldn’t blame them after hearing about that mess. Yikes. “Maybe Rose didn’t even mean to make them avoid you,” the whip-slinger voiced, “Maybe when she told them what happened between you guys, they overreacted.”

“That is possible,” Peridot added, “Ambers are notorious for being awfully skittish.” She caught the molehog’s attentive glance and hastily added, “The ones reared by Homeworld I mean!”

Amber shook her head with a wry grin. It’s alright, Peridot. We are very bad about that. She wiggled her feet side to side. Even after all this time with humans, I’m still tentative at times. In any case, it’d be best to let those other Ambers be. Especially if they were giving shelter to other corrupted Gems.

Amethyst and Peridot both agreed with a nod, and everyone fell back into companionable silence, watching the stars slowly emerge into view as night approached.

Slight shuffling sounded into the air.

“Penny for your thoughts, Peri?”

“Since we tapered off on the topic of letting others be…Lapis may or may not have been keeping her distance from me lately as well.” The technician shrugged. “I haven’t prodded into why, but…”

“Welp, it’s a good thing then she planned out this whole shebang with you guys and Steven yesterday. Thanks for letting me tag along, by the way.”

A good thing too Lapis, Peridot, and Amber happened to be waiting around in the house for Steven when Smokey Quartz – Amethyst and Steven’s fusion – burst out of the temple with Pearl and Garnet in tow after the fiasco with fellow fusion Sardonyx.

To say Lapis and Amber got the shock of their lives at the fusion would have been an understatement. Amethyst, Steven, and Peridot had only mentioned the former two ‘joining up’ to beat Jasper back at the barn. Ames and Steven had wanted to save the surprise for Garnet and Pearl first, and that went out including Lapis’ history with fusion and Peridot already having met Smokey once and Amber leaving after receiving a text from Ronaldo about some crazy ‘cryptid’ he spotted at the time.

Fortunately for everyone, Peridot proved invaluable in helping Amethyst and Steven explain once the two unfused. In turn, the green stone had helped Lapis and Amber share the details with Steven and (much to Lapis’ reluctance) Amethyst. The three Gems had to lie about needing help with a ‘project’ at the barn to avert suspicion from Pearl and Garnet so that the five of them could get far away enough to collude.

No problem. Pearl will take priority. I mean she is the one who literally kept Lapis in mind for the last few millennia.

“True dat,” Amethyst quipped. Pearl had the most to own up to between the three Crystal Gems concerning Lapis. The violet rock also hoped her playing along with this plan would get her into Lapis’ good graces enough that when her turn to apologize came, the two of them could patch things up more easily (and less violently). “Let’s just hope those high-strung string beans don’t murder each other in the meantime.”

If we see Pearl getting catapulted into the horizon, we’ll have our answer.

---

I’m amazed she hasn’t catapulted me into the horizon yet.

Or committed grievous harm in general, let alone the moment Uma and Garnet left. Since then Pearl felt as though she’d been tiptoeing through a mine field, on a tightrope over a spiky pit, and past a Diamond all at once.

Lapis hadn’t spoken a word to her since they’d entered this room either, her face the supreme example of vague disinterest. Didn’t help that whenever she handed Pearl something, she did so with a gaze intense enough that Pearl marveled her own gemstone hadn’t split in two yet.

Nothing wound up destroyed so maybe Pearl was just worrying more than necessary. Wouldn’t be the first time.

Still, would it shatter her to at least say something? the ballerina mentally sniped. Even a snide comment or passive-aggressive remark would do.

“Would you like to be a statue for the birds?” the hydromancer in question deadpanned. “You could pass for one at this point.”

Oh, ask and thou shall receive. Pearl blushed cyan and hastily returned to watering a jasmine. She hadn’t even realized how still she’d gotten during her reverie. “W-Well can you blame me?” She didn’t take long to register what she just said and cringe. “I poorly worded that, didn’t I?”

Lapis’ stare virtually amounted to ‘Yeah, ya did.’

Okay, now may be time to stop beating around the bush as Greg might say (even if Pearl still didn’t get how assaulting plant life could be relevant here). With a deep breath, she steeled herself and spoke as clearly as she could without sounding holier-than-thou. “Even though I realize how long overdue this is, I want to apologize for keeping you inside the mirror for so long. It didn’t hit me that there could have been an actual prisoner of war in there.”

A sharp bark of laughter burst from Lapis, startling the other Gem. “Oh, that’s rich! What, were you made on Earth? You expect me to believe that you never once noticed the live, sapient Gems being used as everyday objects on Homeworld?”

“Not all of them were like you!” Not the ones that were Harvested anyway, Pearl’s mind reminded her with grim remembrance. “You were put in there by Homeworld and kept in by us out of suspicion! We had no idea who could have been in the mirror, let alone whose side they could have been on.”

“Oh, so you just shut me away,” Lapis spat with pure venom, “acting as though keeping somebody as an object was no big deal.” How ironic of a Pearl.

Pearl nearly retorted – only to realize the same irony and look away. The memory-Rose from Amber’s Chronicle Globe came to mind, and the Renegade could not help but murmur, “The rebellion may be over, but that doesn’t mean the war is.”

At Lapis’ confused glare, she shook her head in lament. “Y-You’re right. There was no excuse for keeping you in there, let alone for so long. When I found that mirror, I’d been elated at first. As much as following Rose had been my choice, it left me so homesick for everything I missed about Homeworld, about traveling the stars, writing you off as a tool took no effort at all.”

“But the moment Steven made us realize there was a person in there, it was as if every lie we told ourselves – I told myself – got ripped away. Suddenly, everything I hardly stopped to question about the war came rushing back full force. It made me feel as if I never left those battlefields.” Could it truly be a surprise then why she and Garnet reverted to those old wartime instincts? Pearl pinched her eyes in frustration at her past self. “Even after Steven freed you, the others and I still struggled with personifying you. It was easier to see you as part of some abstract threat looming over our heads.”

Just like they’d done with Peridot before they learned of the Cluster.

Silence reigned. For a moment, Pearl swore Lapis tuned her out. Until a strange sound suddenly met her ears. Pearl blushed in mollification once she realized its identity: Lapis was laughing. Uproariously at that.

The swordfighter’s whole face lit up cyan! “I-I fail to see the hilarity in any of it!”

Lapis took a few moments to regain enough composure to speak. “I was right after all. Everyone around me kept saying you were all some high and mighty heretics that wanted to prove they were better than Homeworld just because you felt like being unique…when all this time you were just ignorant idiots like me.”

Pearl bristled, sputtering. “I-IGNORANT?! EXCUSE ME?!”

“Oh, come on. The Mighty Renegade, fatal elegance to countless Quartz, dancing to a symphony of destruction as shards upon shards rained in her wake…only to be some Pearl that never really escaped her servant mindset by allegedly risking her existence for someone else over and over?”

A twofold cringe took hold of Pearl at hearing all that. She well knew of the reputation she had during the Rebellion and (mostly) didn’t regret it, but ‘symphony of destruction’? Really? Also, ow – just ow. Not that Lapis didn’t have a point about her at least but still. The Rebellion hadn’t been fought on a whim! Pearl barely opened her mouth to retort just that before Lapis’ next words took her for a loop.

“I mean, if it weren’t for the fact that you Crystal Gems were causing problems for Homeworld, I would have almost thought you guys sounded cool.” She mumbled the next part. “Goes to show how boring my life was back then.”

Shock sent Pearl still, the watering can in her hands spilling its contents to the floor without her knowledge. Lapis noticed and in annoyance scooped the liquid up with her hydrokinesis and distributed it amongst the flowers. Pearl shook her head and leveled the watering can so nothing more would spill out before turning to Lapis.

“Are you suggesting you actually…liked us at some point?”

Lapis rolled her eyes. Best not let this get to the Renegade’s head. “If by ‘liked you’ you mean like how Steven’s human friend enjoys reading those primitive versions of holopads, then yes. Like I said, my life was boring back then, and when I got assigned to help terraform Beta, I’d assumed it’ be quick and easy. I’d be home before I knew it and be back to treating the War like a story.” Her eyes turned downward alongside a scowl. “I never thought I’d end up becoming part of it.”

Pearl bit back the urge to correct the water user on not using Connie’s name, suspecting Lapis just wanted to egg her on. “War has a way of dragging everybody into it.” It didn’t matter if you wanted to fight or not, let alone whether you were anywhere near the battlefield to begin with. “It’s not like you could have refused to go to Earth in the first place.”

“Oh no, I’m sure Blue Diamond would have been perfectly fine with me doing that,” Lapis scoffed with an eyeroll. She adopted a singsong tone and smile, one hand on her cheek. “Oh, my apologies, my Diamond, but I’d rather keep my distance from a planetwide war that’s been raging on for over a millennium than risk getting shattered or worse on behalf of our Empire.”

Despite the context, Pearl found herself chuckling (albeit ruefully).

Lapis could not keep herself from doing the same. “I don’t think I ever stopped to think how much the Diamonds contributed to me getting screwed over until I got sent with Jasper and Peridot back to Earth. Prisoner here, prisoner there, all because I had to be a good little Gem for my magnanimous, all-knowing leader.”

Oh, and because also Lapis didn’t fancy the idea of getting shattered or Harvested for simply saying no. Stars, had she ever had any say in her life? A disenchanted sigh intermixed with a sad half-chuckle escaped her at the thought. Lapis almost sounded like she wanted to cry a little.

The urge to put a hand on her shoulder came to Pearl but the Renegade bit it down, not wanting Lapis to mistake her understanding for pity. Besides, it wasn’t as though Pearl deserved to offer her that.

Lapis still noticed. She shook her head with a half-hearted scoff. No, not a scoff. Another laugh – a soft bitter one but a laugh, nonetheless. “You know, Amber kinda let me have it when we got to talking about the Gem War and whose fault it was. Told me that no side’s completely innocent or guilty.” She pretended to ignore Pearl’s look of empathy in favor of a trough lined with yellow flowers. “The real test lies in whether a society –”

“—can compensate for its brokenness,” Pearl finished in pleasant surprise. At Lapis’ look of curiosity, she blushed and rubbed her nape with an awkward chuckle. “She always was the more philosophical out of her sisters. Not that Icy didn’t have her own moments but—”

Realization slapped Pearl’s hand hard over her mouth and rendered her eyes wide! Oh – how could – oh stars, she really did it this time, didn’t she?! How could she have forgotten all the attempts Amber made, even in the wake of her sisters’ deaths, to seek out the location of a Lapis Lazuli with a tear-drop shaped gem on the back? Or how the yellow rock starkly avoided other Lazulis as if to spare herself something painful?

She opened her mouth to apologize –

“They didn’t make it, did they?” Lapis asked point-blank with a voice and stare that could only belong to someone who knew deep down but severely wished they didn’t. “Icy and Cherry.”

The wide-eyed hesitation on Pearl’s face said everything.

Lapis’ soft laugh emerged once more as she put a hand to her face, sadder. “It’s so easy to blame everybody but yourself whenever things go wrong. Even though they and Amber…they and Sunny lied to me about being loyal to Homeworld, I don’t think anyone ever treated me like a friend the way they did. At least until Steven anyway. And when I found out? Heh, I’m sure you can imagine how that went. Funny thing is even after that, I couldn’t bring myself to genuinely hate them…not after the feelings they stirred in me.”

Pearl’s face softened with a sad smile. “They knew you’d never defect to our side. That’s why they asked me and Rose to help them add alterations to a raid on the Homeworld base you’d been reporting to. They wanted to stage their own betrayal of you so that you’d come out clean, looking nothing more than an innocent victim of the Crystal Gems.”

Hearing that sent a gasp out of Lapis, who looked to Pearl shellshocked. “Was that what they were trying to do?” She looked to floor in deep heavy thought. “I-I mean they sure fooled me. Except,” her face twisted between anger and regret, “they never counted on the Diamonds’ paranoia making its way to Earth.” Even after millennia, the blue stone could recall the cold distrusting eyes of the Tumbled Peach Agate clear as day, the sound of that riding whip cracking through the air, straight at her.

“They saved me, those three, even after I accused them of never caring about me. Sunny cleared a path so I could escape while Icy and Cherry kept back as many Quartzes as they could with their fusion.” Her voice started to quaver despite her best efforts to refrain. “I just…I just never thought they’d go so far as to…”

Lapis did not finish. Dared not finish.

Pearl felt her shapeshifted heart clench. Her hesitation and need to think up an attempt at comfort left the room silent for a few merciful moments.

“You’re free to blame me and Rose if it helps you feel better,” she finally spoke, “Rose assured me the soldiers would believe the trio’s act. She promised that we’d make it and the raid work at the same time.” A grimace came to her. “I should have convinced her to have those three hold off their plan for the time being.”

So many spiteful responses danced on the tip of Lapis’ tongue. About Rose and Pearl’s incompetence, about Amber and her sisters being naïve enough to think their plan would work, about those Quartzes for not being trustful enough to let Lapis off the hook. In the end, she turned and collapsed into a fold-up chair, her hair drooping down and obscuring her face. “Maybe I could have done something differently, too. I stole most of the Earth’s oceans, yet I couldn’t save a few Ambers, let alone myself. Talk about pathetic.”

Oh, sweet outer cosmos, Pearl bemoaned in her head. Now would have been a nice time to have Steven here. Pearl never excelled at cheering people up, at least not to the same extent…but maybe she could offer something else.

Bracing herself, Pearl sat in the folding chair next to Lapis, hands in her lap and took a deep breath. “It’s always easy to linger on what’d you do differently if you had another chance. You won’t always approach a problem as rationally or calmly as you could have. You might get things wrong, might misinterpret or hesitate. It doesn’t mean you’re a lost case. It means you have to learn from and make up for your mistakes.”

Lapis gave a faint ‘heh’, sarcastic yet halfheartedly so. “Gee, you sound like an expert.”

Pearl coughed into her hand. “Y-Yes, well…I’ve had plenty of, um, experience in that regard.”

More quietude followed. Neither Gem spoke: one waiting for a response, the other simply thinking.

“I caused a lot of damage to this planet when I first tried to get home,” Lapis finally murmured, “Even though I put the water back in the end, what I did still messed up the currents. Climates and ecosystems all over got screwed up because of me.”

Oh right. That. Pearl remembered with too much clarity Connie’s distressed voice when the young girl brought up the news on droughts and floods in odd areas of the world along with the devastation she and the other Crystal Gems felt in realizing how badly they’d failed in keeping the Earth safe despite their best efforts.

She swallowed down the echoing guilt in her throat. “It’s surprising to hear you express concern over that.” Especially given the water stone’s past vehemence towards the planet.

Lapis ran a hand through her messy locks. “It’s not as though the Earth itself took me from Homeworld and stuffed me in the mirror.” Hell, if anything one could argue this place had been just as much of a victim of the Gem War and Homeworld as her. Lapis looked down at her right hand and clenched it. “I was just so…angry! At what happened to me, why it happened, the fact it found ways to keep happening…I got so sick of it all that the chance to make it happen to someone else for once…”

Toxic green and gurgled screams flashed into memory, raging pleading orange in the distance.

Lapis tilted her head back and closed her eyes, shoulders tense. “Needing to apologize isn’t something I’m used to. When I was still with Homeworld, my superiors would always tell me and the other Lazulis not to worry whenever we terraformed planets. ‘It’s just a few organic species,’ they’d tell us. ‘Nobody will miss them,’ they’d always say. For the longest time I never questioned it. Not like I had a legit reason to. What did it matter to me if some other species wound up hurt or dead because of my actions? I was only doing what I’m built for, weren’t I?”

Pearl grimaced at the explanation, the words sounding a little too familiar for comfort. “That’s the line of thinking the Diamonds made sure everyone believed. Anything for their view of perfection.”

Anything, no kidding. Pulling her head back forward, Lapis draped her arms over her lap, eyes distant.

“There was never a reason to get attached. At least not to creatures that’d be gone in the blink of an eye anyway.” Not that she ever went out of her way to be a social butterfly with other Gems either but still. “That’s why I thought your Rebellion was idiotic and why I lashed out at Amber and her sisters once I found out the truth. What good would sparing one measly planet do in the end?”

The remorseful tone Lapis’ voice adopted by the end did not escape Pearl’s notice. The taller Gem chuckled weakly. “When you put it that way, it’s no wonder you considered our cause selfish. The sad part is I understand that sentiment perfectly. I mean it,” the ballerina insisted when the other Gem viewed her with skepticism, “When I fought in the Rebellion, I always treated Rose as top priority. I only fought for the Earth because victory meant staying here with her afterward…even if I took it to mean walking into my destruction time and time again like you said.” Pearl looked away with a weak rueful chuckle. “Rose never liked when I did that.”

Whoa. So, the rumors about the Renegade risking form and gem in battle were true. Lapis scrunched her eyes in begrudging interest.

Pearl shook her head. “It…took me a while to get my head on straight about that.” Sardonyx came to mind as well. “About a lot of things, honestly. Taking ownership for oneself takes a lot of courage. No one enjoys admitting when they’ve done wrong.” Pearl closed her eyes and sighed with millennia worth of emotion – and emerged through it with a smile. “It’s also one of the most freeing things you can do for yourself.”

Freeing. The word sat heavy in Lapis’ mind.

“Is that why Rose Quartz shattered her Diamond?” No answer came and Lapis chuckled dryly. Figures. She turned her eyes to the opposite wall. “I mentioned the currents and wildlife already, right? After Steven changed my mind about staying here on Earth, I thought about making up for what I did by putting everything back where I found it, wanted to – except…”

Lapis facepalmed to hide haunted eyes. “Malachite. Part of me sometimes feels as though I’m still in that fusion. Controlling it. Like all it’d take for me to mess the planet up even more is just one bad moment.” An angry shiver rippled through her body. “Jasper didn’t deserve what I did to her and neither does anyone else. Go on and call me a selfish coward. It’s not like it isn’t true.” Pearl did not and Lapis almost wished she did. “Besides, it’s not like there’s a line of people waiting to help me out.”

Pearl could imagine since nearly everyone were people on whom Lapis made a less than pleasant first impression. She half-smiled knowingly. “Did you ever ask Amber, Steven, or Peridot for help?”

Lapis shook her head, hand departing to reveal her weary face. “Only Amber. Not that Peridot and Steven wouldn’t have pitched in.” Heck, those two would more than likely jump at the chance to help their Barn Mate/Beach Time Summer Fun Buddy on her path to redemption. The thought brought a bittersweet expression to her face. “I’d just rather fix this mess with someone who won’t make excuses for me or walk on eggshells whenever I bring up the ugly stuff.” 

Pearl nodded in empathy. She recognized the desire to face reality without filter, even if from her own struggles to accept certain truths herself.

“Besides, she makes a better flashlight,” Lapis added with an amused snort, “unless I wanna fly with my gem upside down of course.”

That mental image made keeping a straight face very hard for Pearl to maintain. Lapis, too, couldn’t help but emit a soft ‘heh’ at her own joke. For a moment, you could have almost mistaken the two for friends.

The humor passed before long and Pearl and Lapis found themselves back to watering the flowers. The past still lingered but for some reason the water Gem felt lighter. Just a little bit.

“I’ve been training Steven and his friend Connie in combat,” Pearl gently voiced, “Garnet, Amethyst, and even Amber have joined in from time to time. Sometimes I’ll catch Peridot watching from the sidelines as well. You’re free to do the same if you’d like.”

Lapis paused in the watering for a moment, thoughtful, until she nonchalantly continued with her chore. “I’ll think about it.”

Fair enough, Pearl mused with an amused smirk.

Focused on the flowers and their sort-of breakthrough, neither Gem noticed the distant drizzle of light showering upon the beach.

Chapter 27: So What Now?

Notes:

The day of “Mindful Education” and two days after “Buddy’s Book”

Amber knew something had been off about these ‘fireflies.’

Her assumptions paid off when she flapped her hand back and forth as if to slap a nearby light away, only for said light to not just stay perfectly in place but instantly transfer piecemeal images and sounds through her mind’s eye like a torrent! She’d barely noticed herself falling back, let alone Amethyst and Peridot catching her.

Just as she expected. These lights contained memory and only one Gem type could pull this off.

Needless to say, the camping trip wound up cut short.

The trio wasted no time sharing the details with Steven after he returned from hanging out with his dad who’d picked him up from the library earlier, as well as with Pearl and Garnet - Peridot sent a text to the fusion’s number (i.e. Kofi’s stolen phone) via tablet – who showed up a few minutes after him. Peridot made a mental note to tell Lapis, too, once back at the barn.

“There’s no mistaking this,” Pearl confirmed once everyone gathered and received the details (almost all of them at least) from the trio, “those were messages sent by Ambers.”

“Really?” Steven asked his seat on the couch. “How do you know?”

“Remember,” Pearl explained, “they can transmit the data they contain to anyone and anything that can assimilate it, like a computer or another Gem, even if the recipient can’t display it.” Speaking of which, she projected a simple diagram of an Amber emitting glowing orbs from her gemstone. “As for this method, the Ambers on our side often used it as a means of secretively sending messages to one another.”

Amber angled her phone so Steven, Amethyst, and Peridot could see. Rose refamiliarized me way back when during a discussion over signals we could use to communicate more safely. We did the same with the other Ambers afterward. She paused a moment and added, Results varied.

“But…you just said any other Gem could get a hold of an Amber’s message and see it, right?” Amethyst pointed out. “Couldn’t Homeworld use that against you guys?”

Crossing her arms, Garnet smirked. “That’s just it. They never could.”

“Our Ambers,” Pearl continued with a matching grin, “had the ingenuity to mask their message lights by having them move about the sky like bioluminescent Earth insects.” She tapped her chin in thought. “Fireflies, I believe they’re called. Homeworld never considers organic life after all.”

An awed ‘wow’ escaped Steven; Peridot and her reasoning were not so easily placated. “That still wouldn’t account for the possibility of an enemy Gem – like say a surveying Agate or Peridot – stumbling into one of those lights by accident.”

“That’s why the Ambers only sent off spoken messages. Not only that, they made sure to use Earth languages other than English, languages only someone well-versed in them could understand.”

Peridot lit up in understanding, impressed. “Which meant only certain Crystal Gems could translate them.”

“And certain humans too if we needed help translating,” Garnet added.

Before Peridot ask again, Pearl beat her to the punch. “As for how the messages found their way to the destinations, the Ambers imprinted memories of the cut and facet engraved in the recipient’s gemstone so a message could arrive without mistake or fail.”

“Ah,” the technician voiced again, “similar to how IP packets sent over a network will have the destination address so that they’ll know where to go! Fascinating.”

“However, these messages ran the risk of fizzing out the further they went, so sometimes Ambers along the way had to act like amplifiers, which involved notifying each other ahead of time to prevent confusion. That is unless they were close enough to avoid needing to do that altogether – and it would only be logical to assume that’s what they did in this case.”

Garnet nodded in solemn agreement. “Hence why we should prepare as soon as possible.” She directed a firm gaze to Amber. “What exactly did you see?”

Her golden friend shrugged. Just pictures and sounds.

Peridot crossed her arms and hummed. “As did Amethyst and I after we reached out ourselves.” On second thought, she tapped her chin and backtracked. “Well not so much pictures as much as moving snippets of whatever the viewers –clearly the Treasure Ambers – were seeing.”

Basically, like a movie then. At that thought, Steven turned to the yellow and green Gems, curious. “Sooo what did you guys see?”

The camping trio shared a look and wince at the question, silently debating how to best answer. At last, Amber sighed in solemn reluctance and presented her phone once more. It looked like they were running away from their own.

Heavy silence tinged with concern followed in contrast to the storm of questions raging through everyone’s heads until Steven broke it in a worried squeak.

“You mean…like they’re scared of them? Shouldn’t they be sticking together?”

“With each other yes,” Garnet supplied in a grim tone, “with those who aren’t Ambers…that might be another story.”

Pearl gasped with a hand to her mouth and shot her eyes to the maroon fusion. “You don’t think the Corrupted Gems they’ve been harboring are the cause, do you?”

“It’s a strong possibility.” Especially if Jasper’s relentless collection efforts had stirred enough trouble to warrant a rift of opinion. “If they are coming for the reason we believe, we’ll need to prioritize the safety of both Beach City and, if such is the case, the new Corrupted Gems.”

Steven hopped off the couch. “What about the Ambers? Shouldn’t we help them settle things with each other?”

Uncomfortable gazes passed between everyone else, only this time with something even heavier. At last, Pearl shook her head. “We’re still not completely sure of their situation, so it’s likely our interference would just complicate things. They’ve avoided us whenever we showed up at their forest after all.”

Okay, understandable. Still, though, Steven felt they could at least do something to help. He turned to Amber next, face twisted in desperate compassion. “Don’t you think we should help them? I mean…”

As the boy trailed off at a lost for what to say for a convincing argument, Amber blinked in surprise at being addressed for a course of action, but the molehog regathered her wits and sighed. Homeworld rears its Ambers to fear not just isolation but everything around them. Even those of us born on Earth couldn’t fully escape that conditioning.

That last sentence sparked a memory in the young hybrid. “Oh right! Amethyst mentioned you being from Earth during your pep talk, right?” After the beach fight with Jasper in fact. At Amber’s curious look, he chuckled with a bashful rub at his nape. “She said that part pretty loud.”

Amber nodded. Add in how those of us with the Crystal Gems had our feelings downplayed and the baggage of losing and having to regain our sense of self thanks to corruption and who knows what else your mother did…

Enough said. Steven got the message, evident when he hung his head in morose thought. Was this another of his mother’s crimes he’d have to deal with? A familiar triangle-faceted palm pressed into his curly black locks in a gesture of comfort.

“Ambers are tougher and braver than others credit them to be. These ones are willing to bring their friends all the way here, even if doing so means defying their own. All we can do is put their worries to rest by doing what we can for the Gems they bring to us.”

Even the most stubborn optimist could see through Garnet’s confident front. Things never went simple or clean wherever the Crystal Gems wound up involved. Still, the seriousness of this situation lied nowhere near the cataclysmic nightmares they’d endured before (yet) so Steven took comfort in that thought and smiled regardless.

Seconding that emotion, Amethyst sat up. “I guess they’re gonna send Sparky some more of those twinkle-messages so that we’ll know when and where to pick up their buds then? Cuz it ain’t like those Ambers can just stroll up and just knock on our door in broad daylight.”

Good point.

Steven realized another one as he pursed his lips in thought. “There’s still one thing I don’t get. If the Ambers don’t trust us and don’t want the other Gems around them anymore, why contact us then?” A tap on the shoulder directed his attention back to Amber.

Remember the electrical storms I caused at Prime to get your attention?

Peering the text over Steven’s shoulder, Garnet hummed to herself. “Yes. The fight between you and Lilac.” Everyone sans Pearl and Amber cast confused gazes at her. “The Corrupted Gem Pearl and Amethyst found at the Prime Kindergarten, right before we all went to see Amber.”

The golden Gem nodded. Lilac and I had history together; plus, I had good authority from Rose that she had recovered enough coherence to follow plans. In short, she was my safest bet at my plan working out smoothly.

“Only one problem: she was with the Treasure Ambers, wasn’t she?”

Got it in one, Garnet. Amber nodded with a frown. Most of my sisters weren’t in the mood for explanations – nor have ‘you do you’ in their vocabulary.

Most? Noting everyone’s confusion, Amber took a breath to brace herself. After my fallout with Rose, I grew worried about how the Gems under my fellow Ambers’ care were faring. When I finally managed to sneak in and asked the Corrupted Gems, I discovered my sisters at Treasure fell into a dispute amongst each other that apparently started after Rose visited by herself.

Oh dear, Steven did not like the sound of that. “Does that mean the other Ambers been mistreating them since then?” he asked in a timid tone. Amber’s hesitant shrug did not help.

Maybe, maybe not. According to Lily, most of the Ambers had been distancing themselves from her and them for a while now. They said they’re worried about getting kicked out.

‘Kicked out’? Pearl and Garnet shared an apprehensive look at the wording.

“Hang on,” Peridot piped up, “then you two could have only been chased down if some of the other Ambers had been assisting you in the first place, which frankly doesn’t make sense. Why not let you and your friend run off anyway and make it easier for everybody?”

To the technician’s surprise, her question earned a scoff from Amber.

If they had been helping, Lily and I wouldn’t have been running into their family disputes left and right, let alone getting dragged into them! Turns out what inspired last night’s lightshow wasn’t the minority’s first attempt at moving their guests someplace else.

“So, they were behind all those electrical storms throughout Delmarva and the neighboring states last month,” Pearl surmised.

“And the fact their wards haven’t appeared at our doorstep yet means they’re mostly likely being stored someplace safe,” Garnet added. Only more proof backing Amber’s assertion (a vague estimate but better than nothing) and why the Crystals best be prepared for a response soon. She looked back to her quilled companion. “One more question though: how did you two even shake them off?”

For some reason, Amber blushed. The ‘how’ sort of happened by accident. The ‘kick-everyone-but-us-out’ Ambers drove us straight into Prime and I was running pretty low on power. One close call led to another and…Lilac and I may have fused without realizing.

Surprise and awe swept through the others! Then again, if Corrupted Gems could fuse with non-Corrupted Gems like Jasper then why not with each other?

Pearl tapped her chin, deeply fascinated by this revelation. “And here I thought all those marks were just from the two of you staging a fight.”

That’d been the original plan at least. Fortunately, the other Ambers got so spooked by our fusion’s abilities that they scampered off. The molehog ran a hand down her snout. Complicated my plan to get your guys’ attention, that’s for sure. If everything back in Treasure had stayed hunky-dory, I would have gladly just picked a random Gem closer to Beach City and called it a day.

But nope, she just had to check just to quell her own nagging thoughts. Once again, Amber shook her head. Maybe Amethyst wasn’t wrong about her being too nice for her own good. As if on cue, a purple fist connected with her shoulder, prompting the organic rock to look up at her fellow Earth Gem.

“Dude, c’mon. You may not be sayin’ it, but I can tell you’re beating yourself up over it. They’re the ones making a big mess of things by not just agreeing to disagree and doing what works best for everyone.”

Wow. Amber didn’t think her train of thought had been that obvious. Regardless, she couldn’t help but wonder if this development would have still happened, let alone escalated to such an extent, had she stayed away. A soft chubby hand atop her clawed one broke the self-deprecating line of thought and drew her attention to Steven’s soft-as-marshmallow smile and empathetic eyes.

“They stuck together a long time before this, right? There’s no way they’ll let all this get between them. Not forever! I just know they’ll fix things up!”

Though the words were genuine, Amber could not overlook the flicker of trepidation flashing across the young boy’s eyes – or the way his voice clipped on ‘know’, as if he were trying to convince himself as well. The molehog had no time to further ponder this detail before Amethyst draped a thick purple arm around her shoulders.

“Heck yeah, man! Now how’s about we move past all this gloomy junk and break out the s’mores? We didn’t even get to sit back and snack on any durin’ the lightshow!”

Of course. Amber shook her head but smiled in good humor while Steven chuckled a little more at ease.

Maybe the young ones were right: perhaps things would turn out just fine.

XXX

Two days later…

Nope, things did not turn out fine at all.

In fact, they were so much the opposite of fine that they warranted immediate surgery, just like the boy at school unfortunate enough to bump into the young girl currently approaching Steven’s home.

I can’t believe I did that. I cannot believe I did that. Any other day, such thoughts would have sent her surfing a wave of euphoria and pride. Today that wave held only regret and shame. Oceans of regret and shame.  So lost in thought, Connie jumped when something soft nudged her arm and shot her head to the left in reflexive panic – only to relax upon seeing a familiar yellow dog, ladybug backpack in tow.

“O-Oh. Hey, didn’t see ya there.” When the Gem dog gave her a head tilt of curiosity, she waved her off. “I’m okay. School was just a little rough. What about you?”

Amber shuffled her front paws in nervous silence. Connie offered a sympathetic smile and pat on the head in response. “Guess today’s been rough on both of us, huh?”

Fair enough, Amber supposed. Waiting for crucial messages could be considered ‘rough’ in its own way. Mostly she’d been hanging outside (most at times at the Temple, otherwise back home so as not to worry her family), trying hard not to let the what-ifs eat away at her. Overall, she’d been in this weird limbo between wary ritualism and nebulous anxiety.

The gold canine noticed the sword and sheath on the girl’s back and gestured her snout to said items.

“Hmm? Oh yeah, I have lessons with Pearl and Steven today.” Which she should count herself lucky to still have the privilege to attend after what just happened today, fallout included. “A-Anyway, you going to join in, too?”

Tempting as the idea was, Amber shook her head. The ‘why’ didn’t take long to dawn on Connie. “Oh, that’s right. Steven texted me this morning about the situation with the other Ambers. I hope it works out for them.” With that, she walked up the steps and knocked on the door, the dog close behind in hopes one of the Crystals were here so they could switch turns and she could take a nap in turn.

The moment Connie knocked and the door in turn opened, both girl and dog stared at Steven – and his ‘baldness’ – in silence. His cockily delivered “Nice weather today” and leaning posture against the doorframe fell flat as Connie responded with a distracted blank “Yep” and strolled inside right past him, Amber in suit yet eyeing Steven’s fashion choice out of curiosity.

Eyes swishing back and forth awkwardly, Steven fancied one last effort at humor. “Sooo Amber, I’m sure you’ve noticed my latest predicament,” he pocketed his hands and leaned sideways towards the yellow Gem with one leg bent and the other sticking out, wearing an expectant smile. “Got any advice?”

Amber blinked behind her canine mop hair and pulled out a cellphone from her backpack. Work on your comedic timing perhaps?

Steven winced but got the message. Admitting the mood at last, he removed the fake scalp and tossed it aside with a wary sigh before approaching Connie, who was silently rummaging through her bag for her training equipment. Rubbing his arm, he bit the bullet. “Everything okay?”

Connie raised her head with a distracted ‘hmm’ before swiveling around in surprise with a plastered smile. “O-Oh yeah! Everything’s fine! You ready for training today?”

“T-Totally! Uh, before we do, are you sure nothing’s —”

As fate would dictate, Pearl and Garnet just happened to warp in at that very moment. Amber purposefully stayed silent throughout the rest of everyone’s conversation in favor of closely observing the kids’ body language. Just as the yellow Gem suspected, Connie wasn’t the only one exhibiting evasive behavior. Amber had handled enough children over the centuries to discern Steven’s excessive attempts to lighten the mood (and she could fathom a suspicion or two as to why).

Except Steven wasn’t her child. She could only hope Garnet and Pearl had caught on as well.

“You’re free to join us if you like.” Pearl’s voice startled Amber back to the physical world. The molehog shuffled nervously at suddenly becoming the center of attention. “It has been a while since our last session together and Garnet and I were just discussing ways to acclimate it more to your comfort. We were hoping to have your input.”

Oh! Oh wow.

Amber alternated gazes between the door and her friends. Pearl’s offer did sound like it could serve helpful…but what would happen if one of the Treasure Ambers showed up in the meantime? Would they simply leave the Corrupted Gems behind? Would they know where to leave them? What if—

Warmth from a hand inlaid with a square-facet stone drew her attention to Garnet.

“You can wait out here ‘til Stevonnie finishes their training if you prefer. We can talk then.”

Stevonnie? Ah yes, Steven and Connie’s fusion, someone Amber hadn’t yet the pleasure of meeting but heard of plenty during her own training sessions. As an enthusiastic nod from Pearl accompanied Garnet’s offer, the yellow Gem gave a few moments’ thought and then nodded as well in gratitude for her friends’ understanding.

However, as she watched Steven and Connie warp away together with their mentors, Amber felt the parental anxiety kick back in. Something happened with Connie earlier at school and was eating away at her – and Amber would willingly bet on her secret stash of marshmallows Steven stood in a similar boat himself, albeit a huger one on account of everything on his shoulders.

At all these thoughts, Amber shuffled her paws nervously again. Perhaps she should wait right by the Pad for them…

The molehog hastily shook her head. No. No, she had a job to do. Besides, Steven and Connie had gotten on just fine before she came along. They could help each other sort out whatever was bothering the other, and on the off-chance they ever asked for her help—

A snack. That’s what she needed to take her mind off everything right now, so she reached pivoted towards the door, intent on a quick stop at home to whip up something quick and—

KNOCK! KNOCK!

A few quills jutted off her back at the startling noise! Hardly a second of tense silence followed before the knocks repeated, more urgent this time. Whoever stood behind that door would not wait. Didn’t help that Amber in all her shortness couldn’t see anybody through the front door’s screen…except for what appeared to be green spiked hair.

Wait, that isn’t hair, Amber realized in dread. Acting on sheer impulse she wrenched the door open and found herself face to face with a near-identical green version of her corrupted self. The main differences, besides the color, were the windswept spikes and vitiligo – and exhaustion. Sheer, sheer exhaustion that showed in how they swayed, struggling to hold the brown burlap bag that Amber just noticed now in their fanged mouth.

Shocked, she reached a tentative paw. Her fellow Amber collapsed into her and poofed right in her arms, the bag spilling out in turn dozens of iridescent resin-coated gemstones that clattered among the wooden floor. Amber held the cabochon in her paws, utterly gobsmacked.

Well then. Hello, questions continuing to pile up.

Amber took a moment to take everything in and sighed long and tiredly. Relax, she chanted to herself, relax.

She silently gathered resin inside her throat and spat it onto the other amber, issuing a silent apology before rolling it around in her hands to cover it completely in the substance. After setting it on the coffee table, she got to work regathering the other gemstones into the bag, trying her best not to think about the implications of the timing.

Her stupid brain drifted to the implications anyway. A frustrated sigh escaped before she shapeshifted back into her ‘regular’ form (nobody else would be visiting today so no reason to keep up the disguise) and sagged into the couch.

Well at least she had time to figure out how to best break what just happened to the others.

TWING!

Or not. Amber swiveled around at the Warp Pad’s activation. Their training couldn’t have finished already – and apparently it never did for when Garnet appeared with the kids, Connie appeared ready to run away and Steven to chase after her should his friend choose so. Thinking fast, the molehog snatched the other Amber and hastily stuffed it into the bag, which she then proceeded to toss behind the side of the couch facing away from the Pad, before the others could notice.

It wouldn’t do to add this development on top of all the worries already burdening these kids.

No luck with Garnet. The fusion looked up and fixed a significant gaze on the shorter rock. “Amber, could you wait for me a little longer? I need a talk with Connie and Steven first.”

Translation: these two need a lesson on emotional honesty in their relationship (Fusion 101) and avoid crumbling apart like a cookie in milk. The yellow Gem nodded without question, although still fixed a concerned gaze as the trio passed her on their way outside.

Thankfully for the molehog, Pearl arrived not long after with sword in hand and unease in expression, leaving little time for any further anxieties to take over.

“Amber! Garnet told me there won’t time left for the lesson today after her conversation with Stevonnie, so I figured why not invest the lost time in you instead?” She noticed her friend’s on-edge state and hastily amended. “That is, as long you feel ready for it!”

In truth, the offer sounded like what Amber needed to take her mind off recent events. The molehog just about told Pearl exactly that until a sound caught her ear: singing? Subconsciously, Amber moved to approach the sound until a lithe pale hand took her shoulder.

“Ah…it’d be best to leave them for now. These sorts of talks work best without interference – that is of course unless you’d like to wait for a turn.”

Oh right. Garnet’s counseling sessions. I had no intentions of doing that. It’s just been such a while since I experienced something similar with Garnet, I suppose I just wanted to be reacquainted with the process.

Pearl pulled back with a surprised yet understanding smile. “Oh! Well like I said, you’re free to wait your turn if you’d like. In fact, that was part of what she and I wanted to discuss with you. Honestly, I’m surprised you two hadn’t done one sooner.”

Consider the feeling shared. Looking back, Amber wondered if she should feel foolish for not taking the offer before now. Garnet suggested it once, giving me what she’s giving Stevonnie right now, but I already meditate on a regular basis. Even now in between her lookout vigils. Besides, I’d always been under the assumption these sorts of talks worked best for fusions.

Fair enough, Pearl mused with a chuckle. “Can’t really blame you for thinking that. On the contrary, I have good authority from Garnet that these talks can work for singular Gems, too!”

To say the offer tempted Amber would be an understatement. The urge to procrastinate, put off dropping the bombshell literally right next to them, weighed heavy as though the molehog were carrying an entire asteroid bareback. Just a bit longer in peace. Just…

…think of just…flexibility, love, and trust

And cue the irony-laced facepalm. Damn it, Garnet and Stevonnie. Of all the times for an inadvertent guilt trip, ugh! Amber emitted a frustrated huff before reluctantly facing Pearl once more, dark eyes glancing the top of that accursed gemstone-filled bag for a hot second. Might as well rip the bandage sooner than later.

Actually. There’s one little thing you should probably know about first.

XXX

Steven gets a turn at the trauma train the next day because hey there hidden mental scarring. Connie (a la Stevonnie) winds up along for the ride because Fate is a lady mutt.

Understandably the news has to take a backseat for now: 1) because Amber, Garnet (who figured Amber’s news cuz Garnet), and Pearl (now properly notified) are still recovering from their nonexistent heart-attacks and 2) because, well, bringing up the topic of possibly confronting a group of incensed mentally wounded rocks doesn’t seem like an appropriate follow-up to seeing your kids literally walk off a cliff.

At the least, Stevonnie seemed pretty put-together – literally and metaphorically – after the three Gems dashed down (read: Garnet leaping off the side carrying Pearl and Amber bridal style) to the pastures far below to assess any mind-wrenching damage to their ward.

Yeah, maybe telling the kids could wait until tomorrow.

Chapter 28: It’s Alright Cuz I’m With Friends

Notes:

Takes place during “Last One Out of Beach City”; the day after “Future Boy Zoltron”; two days after “Mindful Education”

BRRRRRNNNNG!

Golden light spilled across a well-organized bedroom as the incessant noise continued.

Baritone grumbling and yawns followed as Kurtis bopped the clock on his bedstand into silence and semi-reluctantly got up, stretching his muscled arms with a satisfied groan. Yesterday had seen more customers than usual for the shop, a side effect of the late summer tourist peak before autumn kicked in, intense enough that even Lapis who had been only visiting at the time wound up helping out.

Ugh, sometimes Kurtis cursed his need for schedules. It was Saturday and all his final exams for this semester were done and awaiting grading at this point. Maybe sleeping in late just this once wouldn't hurt.

He shook his head at the thought. Forcing himself back into sleep had never been among his strong suits. 'Hard to wake up, hard to conk out,' his papá would always say.

Hmph, maybe I can sneak in a quick nap after breakfast. Yeah, I could probably get away with that.

A quick successful hunt for a shirt and pajama pants later, he went downstairs to the kitchen to discover someone already set out today's breakfast: scrambled eggs with orange slices and sliced bread (for toast) along with jelly and peanut butter to the side. Classic. Covering another yawn, Kurtis strolled towards the refrigerator for the strawberry kiwi juice, passing by Uma having tea with Ronaldo at the center table.

It took until he got the carton out and reached for the nearby cabinet for a glass that his brain fully registered.

Face blank and brows furrowed, Kurtis looked back at the table with suspended disbelief, to which Ronaldo gave a happy wave as if same old, same old.

One would think Kurtis would have detested his grandmother allowing a surprise intrusion, but then again, the elder woman constantly let in a space rock that could flood their entire home (and town) with a snap of her fingers, so any demands for an explanation in this case were moot by default. Besides, as far as unannounced guests went, Ronaldo was far from the most unwelcome.

If anything, Kurtis felt more along the lines of surprised curiosity.

Uma noticed her grandson's need for answers. "Did you forget, nuxwis? You promised your little friend here you'd scope out the cliffs for suspicious activity today!"

"I even got here early so as to minimize potential disruption to your schedule!" Ronaldo boisterously added, "Uma graciously allowed me entry after I debriefed her on the situation of course!"

Oh...right. A dark blush lit up Kurtis' face upon realizing he'd forgotten to tell Uma the exact same yesterday. He and Ronaldo had been hanging out up in the lighthouse after a long workday for both of them when the blogger had decided, for some random-ass reason, to initiate a food fight. A food fight Kurtis won, by the way.

He averted his eyes in embarrassment, about ready to apologize when Uma waved an assuring hand.

"Oh, it's alright, sweetheart. Now come, come, get some food, sit down! There's still plenty to go around!"

He finished up gathering what he wanted and joined the others at the table, taking a seat next to the Ronaldo so the blonde wouldn't feel the need to shout across the table at him.

It mildly worked.

"Oh, that reminds me!" Ronaldo burst out in the middle of a 'well-thought' plan for exploration. "You and I are going to a concert with the Cool Kids tonight!"

They were? Kurtis eyed Ronaldo in surprise and slight skepticism, unsure if the theorist might have heard wrong.

Ronaldo didn't take long to notice. "Jenny told me yesterday at Fish Stew Pizza and asked me to tell you. Can't blame her since you and I have been hanging out so much. She wasn't sure if you were done with your semester finals yet since you're so – and I quote – 'fussy about being timely and stuff'."

Okay nope, Ronaldo heard fine. Kurtis narrowed his eyes in soft accusation. "Then why wait until now to tell me this?"

Ronaldo paused in mid-bite and blinked. "You didn't see my texts?" he asked in genuine confusion through a mouthful of orange.

Kurtis blinked back as he realized no, no he hadn't, taken back at his own oversight and blushing again. Damnit, he'd been slipping lately.

"Eh, it's cool, senpai! There's sorta been a lull in unusual activity around here anyway, so it's okay for us to take a break from paranormal investigations, especially since sensei's been preoccupied with all that business with the other Ambers lately."

That last bit made Kurtis question if Amber should have told Ronaldo about that development – the blonde had a propensity for blabbing after all – let alone calling that 'emergency meeting' at the lighthouse tower two days ago after coming home from the Temple. Then again, Ronaldo kissed the ground Amber walked on so perhaps it had been the right call in the long run.

Either way, better safe than sorry, hence why Kurtis regarded Ronaldo with a stern look.

"I didn't post it to my blog or any social media, don't worry," the blonde replied in an easy tone. When Kurtis didn't let up, Ronaldo threw his shoulders and head back with a groan. "You heard me even promise sensei right there in the lighthouse. I physically can't be any more serious."

At Uma's cross look out of his peripherals, Kurtis sighed in defeat and frowned somewhat abashed. That had been a notable lack of faith he'd just demonstrated in his friend. "Sorry."

Thankfully, Ronaldo took the apology in stride. "Eh, no hard feelings, buddy." He forked a piece of egg from his plate and playfully wagged it. "I can always trust ya to keep the important stuff in mind and make sure I do the same."

Trust. Kurtis tried his best to ignore the heat in his cheeks. He'd improved in taking Ronaldo's compliments, but the extent of the blogger's admiration and respect for him could still prove disarming at times. As someone reputed (and rightly so) for being reliable, Kurtis was no stranger to someone trusting him– yet something about Ronaldo's felt different. Nicer.

The darker male shook his head to wave off these sappy thoughts. What was up with him today? Better change the subject. "So, when are they picking us up?"

"I think around 6. It's a little far out where the concert is, so it might take us a little while to get there."

Plenty of time to get ready after the 'expedition' then. Kurtis nodded before lounging back in his chair and popping the last piece of buttered toast into his mouth. Once they emptied their plates and stuffed them in the sink for Uma, Kurtis headed upstairs to change clothes while Ronaldo tailed close behind, chatting away about the latest episode of an anime the two boys had been following.

In a few minutes, they were out the door and down the sidewalk after a quick goodbye to Uma, Ronaldo still talking at his usual jubilant pace as his arms swung in time with his words. At this point, Kurtis tuned Ronaldo out like usual - not out of rudeness (unlike when their 'arrangement' first started) but more so because he'd acclimated to treating the other's voice like background music, something to keep him and his thoughts grounded throughout the walk.

Once at their destination, Ronaldo pulled a camera out of his pants' pocket before perusing the rock walls. Kurtis contented himself with watching his friend, hands in his jacket's pockets as he leaned against the wall. At one point, though, he noticed Ronaldo stalling in between movements and shots, his head turning in an aborted fashion as if to look back only to rethink.

"Need more space?" Kurtis asked with raised brows, head leaned to the side. "I can back up if you do."

The chubbier boy faced him with a surprised expression. "N-No, no! I'm cool!" He broke eye-contact for a hot second. "I'm just, uh..." Under his friend's patient gaze, the theorist knew there'd be no point in fibbing. He whined in defeat as his arms sagged, camera bouncing against his stomach. "I... sort of lied earlier. Sorry."

Oh boy. Kurtis crossed his arms, eyes hard and demanding answers.

"I-I wasn't lying about scouting the cliffs, but I also needed to talk to you about tonight." When Kurtis's countenance softened at the meek tone he adopted, Ronaldo forged ahead. "When Jenny asked me to tell you about their invitation the other day, I think she and the others only meant to invite you."

Huh? Kurtis leaned his head forward in confusion and a twinge of concern. "What makes you so sure of that?"

"Well, it's just that the Cool Kids are all cool and stuff. And like you-cool!" Ron gestured a palm to Kurtis and then to himself. "And I'm all...me and stuff. N-Not that I don't know how amazing I am, it's just that sometimes other folks don't see that and yeah I've learned how to not let that bother me, especially since I'm used to having non-believers, and don't get me started on—"

"Ronaldo." When his friend faced him, Kurtis offered a firm but not unkind look. "Breathe."

The blonde complied, even though he misconstrued 'breathe' for gratuitous inhaling and exhaling. Close enough. Once he could tell his friend seemed okay enough to answer, Kurtis tried again. "Now. What are you trying to tell me?"

"Is it okay that I asked Jenny if I could come with you guys yesterday?"

More the vulnerability in that question rather than the question itself took Kurtis by surprise. His eyes narrowed. "Of course, you're my friend."

"Y-Yeah, heh. I guess I'm just a little nervous about annoying you guys by being all loud and mouthing off about stuff they might not be interested in."

Kurtis blinked in surprise, taken back. Something about the lack of sunny boisterousness in Ronaldo gave him pause, disquieted him. "We've been around them before." Like back at the underground circuit, for example. "What's so different about now?"

Despite the mood, Ron managed a weak smile. "Are you asking in a 'cheer up' way or 'you're worrying the heck out of me' way?"

"Latter."

Ronaldo looked away with a shrug. "It didn't matter in the past because we always could keep to our little cliques if we wanted, the three of them and me and you. This'll be all five of us taking a road trip together, scrunched up in the same car." And they both knew how much Ronaldo sucked at staying still for long. "I don't wanna embarrass you."

"Hey." Kurtis waited for Ronnie to redirect attention to him before continuing. "I hang around you because I can be myself around you. I don't have pretend to be cool or bigger than life for you." Wow, this felt unusually emotional of him yet Kurtis looked away with a half-grin, unable to stop. "You make me feel like I'm enough."

A sniffle caught his attention.

Before Kurtis could look back and ask what's wrong, Ronaldo grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him into a tight ferocious and teary bear hug, the chubby blonde's body shaking against Kurtis from sheer emotion as his wet face echoed sniffles into the other boy's neck. Kurtis found himself at a loss for a moment, taken back by this intense affection, but slowly become pliant and wrapped his arms around Ronaldo in return, one hand running through those soft golden curls while the other stroked circles into Ronnie's back.

After a moment that felt like a comfortable eternity, Ronaldo released Kurtis and stepped back to wipe off his tears, a wobbly smile in place. Sensing an uplift in the mood, Kurtis smiled back and draped an arm around Ronaldo's back. His friend did the same in return around his waist and the two friends spent the rest of the morning like that, comfortable and happy in each other's presence.

XXX

Amber and Pearl wished they could feel the same.

As of now, all the Corrupted Gems brought in a few days ago had since been all bubbled and stowed away in the Burning Room.

The only partial exception was the lime-green Amber who brought them here, stored in the Burning Room until earlier this morning. Garnet stated her intentions to stash her away in a forest outside the Delmarva region so she could reform without danger because the fusion was A) among the few with significant electrical resistance in the event the Amber infighting crossed her path and B) lacked any personal guilt complex concerning the current situation.

Amber and Pearl didn't take the latter reason well since the speed and ease at which they seemed to be wrapping up this development (at least on their end) didn't sit well with them, as if they missed an important detail along the way. However, since changing Garnet's mind would be futile and neither Pearl nor Amber felt like doing combat practice in the Arena today after that last eventful session with Stevonnie, Pearl got out the 2000-piece puzzle (yes those exist) since she figured they might as well do something to spend the day.

Steven came back in the early afternoon alongside Amethyst from their usual antics at the Big Donut and pitched in. The purple Gem in contrast took one look at the puzzle and opted instead for the sanctity of her room, a quick request to call her in case Greg ever shows up. The fusion meanwhile had retrieved their 'guest' from the Burning Room and departed via warp with a succinct peace sign.

Two hours later, the puzzle was three-fourths of the way done and the two organic Gems still felt antsy, something Steven noticed. Before the boy could ask what's wrong, Amber surprised everyone when she hopped off the couch with an irate huff and ripped out her notebook from her backpack. I'm going out.

The declaration earned a furrowed brow from Pearl. "Out for...?"

A walk, a snack, a dip in the nearest vat of arsenic: anything's better than just sitting around.

"Amber, we have to stay until we hear from Garnet that the other Amber reformed and left so we can confirm there's nothing left on our part to worry over." Although Pearl could not deny how long their leader had been gone, her concern manifesting in a pensive frown and sidled eyes. "Still, Ambers have some of the quickest regeneration rates among Gems. Surely this one had to have reformed by now."

Exactly. Even corrupted, I always came back after a few minutes. About twenty at worst. Even if she's still there, Garnet promised to keep a close eye to make sure none of the wildlife got too close to where she hid her, and she never explicitly told us to stay here as we wait, did she?

Pearl opened her mouth to protest when the swish of the Temple Door interrupted.

"Eh, gotta side with her there, Pierogi," answered Amethyst who just happened to overhear as she stepped out of her room for a quick bite. "If G-Squad saw any future where she'd need help, she'd have told us before she left – and since she hasn't, we're in the clear!"

The violet Quartz snatched something out of the fridge and hopped up onto the kitchen counter. "Besides, this is like the first run in with other Gems we've had that's legit gone without a hitch since Sparky there. Nothin' even got broke this time. I don't know about ya'll, but that sounds like a win-win to me!"

Once again, Pearl opened her mouth to argue a counterpoint, only for Steven jump in. "Amber and Amethyst are right. Garnet always , uh, almost always knows what to do! I even asked before she left if she'd need help and she said something about having a good feeling about this. This seems the perfect chance to go out and celebrate!"

One slow blink signified Pearl's lack of suspended disbelief. "Over the fact that nothing's happened?"

"Exactly!"

Pearl and Amber shared a counseling look before the molehog shrugged with a 'why the hell not' smile.

Not like I have anything better planned. Kurtis, Uma, and Marcus all have separate plans for tonight, so it'll just be me at home.

The leaner rock cupped her own chin. While her strategic self still believed this sentiment premature, she could relate to her companions' need for fun. "Well I suppose a break is in order. Still, we should at least wait for Garnet to get back."

As if on cue, a buzzing emanated from Amber's backpack. The golden Gem pulled out her cellphone and answered. Garnet's voice responded.

"Could you put me on speaker please?"

Amber did so and held her phone out so everyone could hear.

"Garnet?" Pearl asked. "Where are you? Did the other Amber reform yet?"

"She did, and I made sure to stay out of sight as she left. Took her a while to leave though. " Before her slimmer teammate could ask, Garnet beat her to the punch. "Nothing else happened."

At this news, Pearl perked. "Oh, so you're coming back then!"

An indulgent hum passed. "Actually, now would be a good chance for us to take a break. Everyone's been too tense, even by my standards."

Garnet too, huh? Pearl sighed with a knowing smirk. "You're not the first to think that. I suppose you have a point but...what can we even do with ourselves?"

A moment of silence passed before Garnet's reply. "Ask Amethyst. She'll know."

What? Pearl looked to her shorter teammate in question, who to her own credit seemed to genuinely consider something despite her current munching, before redirecting her attention back to the phone. "W-Well, what about you?"

"We'll be fine where we are. Besides, it's been a while since Ruby and Sapphire got to share a nature hike. See ya."

Pearl pinched her eyes in defeat as the call ended. Well, if any consolation existed, at least now this waiting time equated to something more definite, even if said something remained to be seen. To her sanity's great fortune, she and the others didn't need to wait long before a wide-smiling Greg burst in through the front door, one hand behind his back. "Hey, ya'll!"

Like a puppy greeting her owner, Amethyst leapt off the stool and dashed up right to Greg with an intense happy gleam in her eyes. "Greg, Greg, Greg, Greg! Ya got 'em right?!" When the ex-rocker revealed his hand and produced some tickets, she pumped both fists into the air with a whoop! "Oh yeah, you and Mark ready to throw down in the pit?!"

The excitement on Greg's face shifted into a more sheepish and apologetic mien. "About that: Barb called me, him, Uma, and Vidalia over for cards tonight at the flower shop." He shrugged his shoulders. "Sorry."

Amethyst rolled her eyes in exaggeration. "Ugh, cards?! What, are you guys gonna have bingo at the retirement home too?"

"Yeah, Barb threated to hold our mail if we didn't." He turned his head away in thought for a moment. "Although I wouldn't be surprised if she agreed to let Marcus bring a whole bunch of weird costumes for me to wear whenever I lose to tide him over. He's pulled stunts like that on me before."

As much as that last bit tempted Amethyst into tagging along, the call of rock proved stronger. Eh, she could ask Vidalia for the photos later. Besides, the chubby lithomorph could see this development for the opportunity it was.

"Welp!" she chirped with a full throwback of her hair as she shot a triumphant grin at the others. "Incoming questions get incoming answers! I ain't so keen on goin' show-lo, so what you dorks say to a little musical awesomeness tonight?"

Steven jumped to his feet with a cheery 'heck yeah' while Pearl and Amber posed doubtful expressions, albeit for different reasons. In fact, the golden molehog pointedly gestured to her spiky self.

"Oh PFFT!" Amethyst waved a dismissive hand. "You've hung around plenty of humans before!"

Yes. In disguise. With my face covered.

That begged the question on Greg and Steven's end how she pulled that off while attending college classes. The two Universes shared a look that swore they'd get the answer to that question later.

Meanwhile back to Amethyst: "So just whip on some pants and a T-shirt! Half of rock n' roll's about looking wild and out there; a little work and you'll fit right in!"

"She's got a point," Greg added.

Amber pressed her lips, thoughtful. I've never attended a rock concert before. They always look so crowded to me. A sea of legs did not constitute a fun time for someone her size after all.

Greg held his hands up. "No worries! It's one of those open-spaced shows where everybody's got room to move! It's even in one of those semi-rural neighborhoods where the great outdoors are, well, right next door!"

Amber cocked her head then eyes. I do enjoy the great outdoors. After a moment of deliberation, she smiled before flipping to and writing on a new page. You know what? I'm sold.

The sound of cushions shifting drew everyone's attention to Pearl who chose that moment to stand up. Her face shone with nothing short of absolute determination. "Me too!"

No galaxy could compare to the ones in Steven's astounded eyes. "REALLY?!"

"Really?" Amethyst asked in a far more sedate and unsure tone, although an edge of genuine intrigue colored it as well.

As much as Pearl had loosened up and let go of certain inhibitions lately, she hadn't lost her typical fussiness and daintiness. At the same time, though, hints of that infamous Renegade had started popping up on missions more often. Who could blame Amethyst for wanting to egg that side of her friend out more?

For that reason, the purple Gem walked to Pearl's side. "Cuz there's gonna be lots of loud music and people pushing each other." She playfully elbowed her in the waist to prove her point.

Even Amber could not help but join in. And lots of crazy, unconventional fashion choices.

Pearl huffed in faux affront. "In case you've forgotten, Amber, I've done my fair share of pushing and being crazy and unconventional!" Amethyst and Amber made a show of backing away from her with both hands in the air, the former even throwing in a faux spooked 'oh ho ho' for effect. "In fact, it's high time you see why Homeworld considered me the rebel to end all rebels alongside your mother, Steven!"

Cue Steven's second double fist-pump. "Yeah!"

"In that case," Greg spoke up, "since Barb and Vidalia and Marcus are coming to pick me up, you guys can take the Dondai!"

At that moment, Amethyst held her hands out in a time-out gesture. "Whoop! Hold the phone, ya'll! Pearl, this is human stuff, not a Gem war! If you and Amber are gonna blend in and rock out, you're gonna need some serious dregs first!"

XXX

"Yeah, no you don't."

For once, Kurtis found himself on the end of this sentence – and by Ronaldo of all people. Not only that, said blonde had the audacity to stand in his way as if he were the one being irrational. Seriously, what was up with today?

Then again, the fact that the Fryman heir started this whole argument over a pair of glasses should not have surprised Kurtis in the least. For this reason, the dark-haired male rolled his eyes before shoving past the blogger to reach for the Lennon spectacles on his bedstand.

Except Ronaldo, who clearly had a death wish, snatched them up and went so far as to raise them high and out of reach. "Senpai, c'mon! I know the whole Stoic archetype is your thing, but this is a concert, a place where the future of this country can break free of the trappings of mainstream and relish in musical ingenuity!"

And now cue awkward silence. Kurtis arched a brow in wryness. "How long were you waiting to say that?"

"Since this argument started." The blonde threw his hand up in dramatic flair. "C'mon, Senpai! You're like the coolest guy I know, and these glasses are the kind you wear when you wanna keep a distance from everyone."

Isn't that the whole point?

When Kurtis craned his head in a challenging manner, Ronaldo rolled his eyes. "Including me and the Cool Kids, the same people you're going to hang out with! Aren't you worried they'll be put off and think you want nothing to do with them by wearing these?"

For a moment, Kurtis opened his mouth to launch a sarcastic quip...only for it to die on his tongue once the logic in Ronaldo's words started to sink in. Against his will, his face sunk the more he wondered if these glasses had this exact effect on people who'd wanted to genuinely befriend him in the past.

Smelling victory, Ronaldo lowered the hand holding the glasses. "We're all your friends here, Senpai, even if we don't hang out all that much." Let alone altogether but the blogger knew better than to digress. He set his hands behind his back and sidled up to his peer, batting his eyelashes. Kurtis caught onto what he was doing and looked away stubbornly, arms crossed. "Please, Kurt?"

Damnit, not that tone of voice again. After another moment of struggle Kurtis sighed in defeat. "If I say yes, will you knock off the cutesy stuff?" Ronaldo promptly did so, leaning back with a smug grin Kurtis would have loved to remove without physical harm. Right then, the sound of a car horn blared outside, and boys looked out the window to see the familiar Pizza jeep out in the parking lot, carrying none other than the Cool Kids.

"Yo!" Jenny chirped in between honks. "You guys ready?"

Kurtis tossed a cursory glance at Ronaldo, who continued to keep the Lennon glasses beyond his reach the moment he noticed the other boy looking at them again. The dark-haired boy grunted in reluctant defeat. Okay, maybe one time without the spectacles wouldn't hurt.

A few minutes later, after Kurtis gathered everything that he needed and locked every including the house itself, he and Ronaldo hopped into the back seat alongside Sour Cream, who gladly scooted to the side to make room. Faster than lightning, the jeep shoved off onto the boardwalk and soon onto the main road out of Beach City.

It took thirty seconds for Ronaldo to start running his mouth, and to the blonde's surprise, Buck not only took his gibbering in stride but joined in. Kurtis resisted the urge to toss his friend a 'told you so' smirk.

"So Ronaldo," Jenny asked during a break in the boys' mild debate over the disconnect between school and the job market, "you into grunge, huh? No offense but you never struck me as the musical type. You listen to it between investigations?"

Ronaldo rubbed his chin like one of those smarmy anime protagonists, chuckling. "Though my tastes lean more towards the world of electronica, I like to keep an open mind towards other genre. Prevent creative stagnation within thyself."

Sour Cream nodded. "Respect, man." To Kurtis' surprise, he addressed him next. "What about you? We've seen you around Fish and Stew plenty times and I don't think we ever hanged out much."

Really? Kurtis never stopped to notice in all honesty. Now that Sour Cream brought the point up, though, he found it hard to ignore. Like someone put a spotlight on a mural Kurtis had passed by every day and now he was noticing details he hadn't before. Against his better judgement, he rubbed his left hand up and down his left bicep, feeling oddly self-conscious. "I...like my privacy, I guess."

Much to his relief, Jenny accepted his answer with a shrug. "Fair. Still, it kinda sucks how you're always busy with school and work. You're aiming to be an astronaut, right? You've definitely got the build for it cuz those training programs from what I heard do not play!"

Kurtis shrugged. He knew well the ramifications of his goals and the sacrifices required. Nothing he couldn't handle. Still, the switch in topic felt a bit abrupt in his opinion. Was Jenny getting at something?

Turn out she was.

"I don't know much about being a space person but I'm pretty sure it involves dealing with people so your whole lone wolf thing likely won't do ya much good when you get in." Kurtis bit back a smirk at the use of 'when' in place of 'if.' "I'm just saying even introverts socialize sometimes. There was this cute guy checking you out the other day at my place and you never looked up to notice!"

Wait, really? Kurtis stood up straighter in his seat, face and blink reflecting his surprise well.

Jenny's smirk in the rearview mirror could not have been more obvious. "Oh yeah, scrawny guy about Buck's height. I wager Latino like you since I'm pretty sure me and Kiki heard him spouting Spanish at one point. Dresses like a greaser but in an ironically cool way."

For a moment, Ronaldo shifted his eyes to Kurtis with a curious hum. "Ya think he's into him?"

Once again Jenny shrugged. Anything was possible. The blogger hummed again and turned to Kurtis, curious to hear his answer. "What do you think, Senpai? Senpai?"

The repeat in address and shift into a concerned tone occurred due to the strange position Kurtis had now adopted: arms crossed, head turned away, hunched over. What was wrong?

An answer came after Jenny's frustrated sigh. "Look, you and Sadie got past that, alright? Plus, you're a different person than back then."

At Ronaldo's look of confusion, Buck rotated in his seat, one arm draped over the headrest of his seat. A brief look then nod passed between him and Kurtis. "They dated for a bit before Kurtis and his family moved to Empire City. Could've ended better, could've ended worse."

Banked more on the former part if you asked Kurtis. His bitter chuckle confirmed that opinion. "She was smart to break things off when she did. My addled brain would have thought staying together would be doing her a favor." He started when two familiar thick arms and a plushy body tackled him from behind into a bear hug that pinioned his arms, a mess of fry-locks nestled against his cheek. Despite half-thoughts of prying the other boy off, a shaky breath emerged instead.

"Hey now," Jenny gently chided, "no talking down on your own brain."

"Never joke about a person's mental health," Buck added in sage tone, "especially your own. Cuz it sounds like it's more than just dating again that's bugging you. Wanna talk about it?"

"You're in a judgment free zone, man," Sour Cream gently affirmed when Kurtis tried to give a weak protest to the idea. "You don't have to if you don't want to, but if you do you can load off whatever's eating you on us."

A heavy sigh sifted into the air before Kurtis nodded. He tried not to sag when Ronaldo disengaged his hug, although the other boy remained close to his side just in case. Maybe, maybe some venting wouldn't be so bad. Kurtis twiddled his thumbs for a moment, letting his thoughts center.

"Responsibility sucks. You remember teacher's pets, right?"

Jenny smacked her gums. "Oh to-ta-ly! Most of 'em couldn't help it—teaches tend ta like the kids that do well—but some of 'em could be such snobs about it! Why ya ask?"

Kurtis rubbed his nape. "Cuz it's easy to latch onto that kind of attention. Then when you finally get out in the world, you realize how average you are compared to everyone else," he grasped his hands even tighter. "It can be a real shock to the system, especially when you realize how easily you can mess up. Not just in work, but in life in general. It gets even harder when you hear horror stories of people who made similar mistakes as you but worse." Eyelids narrowed. "Thinking about it's enough to make you feel like an oven ready to combust."

Clawed hands balled into fists, trembling from fury. "Sometimes it gets too much, when your brain wants to gravitate towards bad thoughts, stuff that gets you upset. I gotta stomp my feet when I walk or hit extra hard during practice or snip off the wilted flowers harder, just so I feel like I'm getting release so that it won't blow up into something worse later. And it helps…a little bit anyway."

"But then some days," the fists loosened and covered his face, leaving only darkness visible, "nothing's enough. I feel like a kid, a big selfish kid that doesn't know how good he has it, and I think about how so many folks would kill to be in my position. And here I am, acting like my problems matter. Do I get like this because deep down I'm a brat who still hasn't learned? Or...maybe there's something legitimate to my complaints and I'm just too naïve to realize it."

He dared a glance to Ronaldo, who stared back in wide-eyed shock. "That's why Sadie broke things off. I could never bring myself to relax enough for her."

Then silence, save for the roar of the jeep and Kurtis's faint breathing.

"Bro...," Sour Cream murmured in hushed shock with wide eyes on the darker boy.

Same with Buck, who shook his head empathetically. "Your Pops is right. You do need to chill out on yourself."

Though all these words held only understanding, Kurtis blushed and avoided eye contact by focusing on the passing scenery. Jenny's voice broke through the self-loathing haze of his thoughts.

"Hey, how's about we make a quick pitstop at that Akidi's over there? All this heavy talk's got me starving!"

Akidi's? Why did that name sound familiar? Kurtis frowned as the girl switched lanes towards a small shopping mart, the large blocky orange letters spelling out the store's name. Right then, it suddenly clicked for him: Ronaldo mentioned going here in a text once, hadn't he? But wait, Jenny didn't mean to go on a grocery spree, did she?

Like the world's smarmiest mind reader, she waved a dismissive hand. "Don't worry, I checked the travel time and weather report. We've got plenty of time!" She pulled over into the adjacent parking lot before Kurtis could even think to retort.

Well too late to object now. As the group left the car and proceeded to approach the facility, Kurtis took the time to mull over everyone else's words. True, he constantly tried hard to be the mature and responsible one, let alone the sane one, but only because he feared that others would think less of him, stop depending on him to be there for them.

I'm scared of people losing faith in me. An adamant shake of his head followed. God, I'm so bad at chilling out around people.

Thankfully, getting inside took little time and the compactness and orderliness of the place went a long way in calming his mood. That and (to his surprise) the shelves full of various foods and drinks originating from East, South, Southeast, and Central Asia - pockies, custard cakes, yakisoba, dried squid, lemongrass powder, gochugaru, naan bread, ginger, borscht, bok choy, egg coffee, chantaboon, bubble tea, you name it – along with the classic fruits, vegetables, meats, and other familiar commodities.

In short, wow. How had he not visited this place before? A tap on the shoulder snapped Kurtis out of his awe and directed his attention to Ronaldo, who sported a giddy smile at his reaction to the store but for once managing to contain his own excitement. The others were nowhere to be seen, presumably familiar enough with the layout to go off on their own and leave Kurtis and Ronaldo on their lonesome.

Yeah, thanks guys.

"Now you know where I get all our movie snacks!" The blonde clasped his hands together and leaned closer with a gushy smile. "So...what do ya think?"

"I...think we might be a little over our heads here." Kurtis panned his head around at the selection. How did Jenny expect them to make up their minds on such short notice?

That answer came in the form of (surprise, surprise) Ronaldo taking him by the hand and eagerly dragging him down an aisle filled with snacks and candies. The blonde paused before a section and skimmed his eyes across the choices, leaving a prime chance for his friend to take in the cheery bobblehead characters and cutesy animal mascots amidst bright colorful backgrounds.

"I'm feeling in the mood for something sweet. What about you, senpai?"

"Sweet's fine." Kurtis shyly sidled his eyes. "Maybe something cold, too?"

Sweet and cold, eh? Ronaldo snapped his fingers. "I got it!"

Before Kurtis knew it, the blogger brought them before a line of freezer chests in front of the stands preceding the cash registers, the contents visible beneath framed glass seals. A closer look revealed an array of ice cream bars and cones, each sealed up in crinkly wrap. Ronaldo slid a chest open and skimmed the selection.

"Oh, oh, how about some Melona bars straight from South Korea? They're fruity, delicious, and trans-fat free! May I recommend the honeydew?"

Visually picking out the flavored bar didn't amount to difficult, and to be fair it did look pretty tasty. Kurtis looked back to Ronaldo and nodded. The chubbier male beamed in approval and quickly picked out a bar for each of them. A brief stop and payment to the register later, the two boys sat out on a bench right outside the entrance, munching on their treats (every bit as delicious as advertised) in hand as they waited on the others to finish.

Ronaldo, true to form, wasted no time in rambling about all the weird things he'd came across on his free time the other day; Kurtis found himself content to munch and listen.

"Like how else would all those fish be so picked clean? Maybe Sensei might know something about it, I mean after all she's gotta have heard something about..." Hearing him trail off, Kurtis looked to his friend in wonder, eyes asking what's wrong. The wonder only increased when Ronaldo put two fingers to his own ear. "Do you hear that?"

Indeed when Kurtis stopped to listen his ears caught the combined sound of sirens and screeching tires and his brow scrunched in confusion.

The two boys craned their heads towards where the noise came from just in time to notice a car – one that looked suspiciously like Mr. Universe's Dondai – tearing down the street past them, swerving and swaying to throw off the wailing police car not far behind. The pursued pulled off a sharp turn, one sudden enough to make the police car skid to a stop, before pulling a full donut on the police car and careening towards a nearby hill to go flying off it like a ramp.

In that airborne moment, Kurtis swore there'd been a flash of white hair in the front seat inside, not to mention heard shouting that sounded like...Steven? The car landed a perfect landing and proceeded to tear through the sands, leaving copious sand clouds in its wake. Not for lack of trying from the police car, which followed its target into the sizable dust cloud.

Once the mobile performance disappeared into the night, Ronnie and Kurt shared a look of stunned befuddlement.

"HOLY SHIT, TELL ME YOU GOT THAT!" shouted a screechy voice that for once did not come from the blogger.

A droll female-sounding voice responded. "Do I look like I keep my camera out for every felony we happen to witness?"

"Got one," chipped a deeper monotone masculine one.

"LEMME SEE, LEMME SEE!"

The pair shifted their attention to the right-hand side of the parking lot where there stood a blue jeep with silver linings along the sides. Three people were currently stationed around the vehicle, chatting amongst themselves.

A slim manic-looking light-brown skinned guy dressed in punk biker attire, sporting short slicked-back black hair decorated with golden streaks and slight sideburns, appeared to be the smallest of the group, and sat precariously atop the jeep, kicking his legs one after another like a little kid.

Leaning against the vehicle was a taller and rounder deadpan medium-brown skinned woman decked in black (combat boots, jacket, and jeans) and blue (miniskirt and tank top), her black hair in an undercut and left side-braid, face decorated by matching blue lipstick and eye shadow, her arms crossed.

And an even taller and chubbier chill-looking man with sepia brown skin, prominent nose, and dark wavy shortly cropped hair, his attire a white dress shirt, long-sleeved deep green sweater that matched the frames of his round glasses, black flat cap and dress shoes and slacks, and red bowtie, one hand in his pants' pocket while the other held a pink cellphone.

Flat Cap held the phone up so his perched friend could grab it and get a good look. The little guy giggled instantly – until he caught Kurtis and Ronaldo staring.

The former cussed under his breath and directed all focus onto his half-eaten ice cream bar, although the fierce warmth of his blushing cheeks betrayed his attempt. Didn't that guy fit the description of the person Jenny mentioned?

No, no there are plenty of people out there in the world who dress like that; no reason to assume, Kurtis. Chances are that guy will shrug you off and get back to his friends.

"Hey, I know you, cute guy from that pizza place, how ya doin'!"

...Crap. With deepest dread, Kurtis turned his head to face the music, only to start at finding the source's face up close and personal in his own, disarmingly wide smile included. Kurtis shot a desperate glance to Ronaldo, who gave only an encouraging gesturing nod in return. Biting back a grumble, he managed an awkward half-smile in return. "Doing...well? I'm Kurtis."

"Bert!" the smaller guy more so barks not unlike a peppy puppy, once again startling the longer-haired boy. "I wanted to talk to ya back then but that one chick told us you could be really standoffish and I wasn't sure if approaching you out of nowhere like I wanted would be weird and then I thought going after ya as you left would look weird too, so I figured I'd just man up and sit down in front of ya but by the time I decided that, you were already leaving and we were already gonna leave too, so I let it go but now you're here and I'm here and I'm kinda up in the air over what to say now."

He paused and blinked once, smile still in place, before pointing to the ice pop in the two boys' hands. "Are those Melona? Nice choice, dudes!"

Uh. Kurtis blinked twice as he allowed for his brain to fully process the infodump before answering. "Yes, and thank you?"

Flat Cap Guy chuckled. "Sorry about that. Roberto gets excitable when he meets someone new that he likes. I'm Lan by the way." He stuck a hand out, which Ronaldo eagerly and Kurtis shyly took.

"Ronaldo Fryman! Paranormal investigator at your service! Don't take my good pal's reactions the wrong way; he's just a little shy!" Kurtis didn't bother hiding his eye-roll. "We're headed for a concert and made a pit stop here; right now we're waiting for our friends to come out 'fore we get back on the road."

"Same here," Undercut Girl confirmed with a nod, "name's Alice, the other half of sanity and reason in this group." The added quip earned a slight snort on Kurtis' end, leaving it Ron's turn to eye-roll now. "We got done stocking up on drinks and snacks ourselves and were about to head out too before...that spectacle came by." She thumbed in the direction the car chase had gone. "In fact, if we're bothering you – and by you I mainly mean Bert here - we can make ourselves scarce and head on our way."

For some reason, Kurtis found himself not falling back on his usual inclination to reject the company of more people. Perhaps a side effect of that earlier heart-to-heart or Ronaldo's usual influence – either way he shrugged his shoulders without thinking too much. "We don't mind."

After all, what could hurt from letting this night be a little more eventful?

XXX

Well then...this has been an eventful night.

A soft good-natured huff left Amber at this thought, the molehog rubbing her eyes as Amethyst led their group through the nighttime brush, their ride left hidden well out of sight of passerby police by a billboard, the purple Gem pulling down the front of her shirt enough that her gemstone could fully illuminate the countryside before them.

Things had started out tame enough for the gang's night out at first: Pearl had donned a simple black leather jacket and blue jeans while Amber did likewise save for the addition of a black beanie and sleeveless gloves and huge sunglasses; the former bungled all attempts to woo a huge pink-haired human lady who resembled Rose a little too much for Amber's comfort; the latter had to have the others drag her out when a random rude tourist bumped into her and caused her sunglasses to fall off, causing a one-man scream fest that not only mercifully ended thanks to a well-timed jab to the neck by Pearl but also did not attract undue attention due to the boardwalk being empty at the time.

One would think things would be smooth sailing after Amethyst posed the tourist against a nearby trash can with an empty beer bottle in hand so the man would pass off as drunk.

Such was not the case: not only on the road did Pearl once again lose her chance to converse with Not-Rose when the opportunity literally came riding up to her on a motorcycle thanks to an ill-timed red light, her attempts to catch up attracted the police's attention, leading to a prolonged chase that took the Dondai through both asphalt and shrubbery alike before Pearl managed to give the cops the slip by ducking the car behind the aforementioned billboard.

So yeah, eventful.

If any silver lining existed, at least Pearl got to have her moment of assurance from Steven and Amethyst back at the billboard when she'd flat out shed her cool outfit in frustration over how this trip had gone so far.

"I'm sorry tonight didn't go well for you either." Amber started at being addressed and looked up at Pearl in surprise. The lean Gem ducked her head with a cyan blush. "Amethyst and Steven wanted both of us to enjoy ourselves but so far I more or less made it all about me with my shenanigans."

Eh, it's not the worst series of mishaps I've experienced. Stars know I've had crazier ventures on my own. Besides, I've got no qualms against being in the background just as long as I get a taste of the adventure.

"Like having a front seat to my social blunders?" Pearl quipped with a skyward tilt of her eyes. The taller Gem took a moment to relish in Amber's nervous cough and shuffle before hunching her shoulders with a snort. "It's alright. To be honest with you, I figured tonight would be a total disaster...but if it's any consolation, it proved an interesting disaster. Very quick thinking on your part to suggest that donut maneuver by the way."

Not my first time in a police chase but definitely my first in company. And without me posing as a common street dog. I didn't even think that trick would translate well for a car. Kudos on proving me wrong. Hell, even Amethyst was impressed with that one!

Pearl chuckled at that last bit. After how far she and Amethyst had developed both separately and together in recent times, the swordfighter could recognize the high compliment in these words.

Before she could answer back, though, the sound of music reached everyone's ears.

"Yo, ya'll hear that?" Amethyst spoke up.

Steven cupped his hands and fingers around his eyes in a binocular fashion and peered in the distance. He undid the gesture a second later with an excited grin and pointed. "Guys, over there!

Amethyst, Pearl, and Amber took note of the distant halo of light emanating from behind and below the line of hills and dip in the road the group had been approaching. The moment they cleared the top, a small neighborhood nestled among hills and sparse trees, the lights of a nearby city further out near the distant mountains. The closest street encompassed a sizable group of people, some decked out in rock fan attire, scattered around with a stage set up as a focal point.

Destination reached! Steven and Amethyst shared a high-five and even Pearl and Amber shared a triumphant smile. Looks like this night will turn in their favor after all. The group wasted no time sliding down the hill and making their way to the crowd.

"Yo, Steven!" called a voice a moment after they got in range of the neighborhood lights. A quick pan-around revealed Jenny waving her hand from beside her Pizza Jeep, the other Cool Kids lounging against the trunk.

"Guys!" Steven called back before running over, Amethyst not close behind (though the hybrid never noticed the violet Gem linger back for a moment to notice her and Amber nudge Pearl in a certain direction). The young hybrid shared a quick hug with Jenny and high-fives with Sour Cream and Buck. Pleasant surprise flashed onto his face once he not only noticed Amber walking in the background but also walking towards Ronaldo and Kurtis, the boys chatting with a trio of twenty-something year-olds Steven never met.

Buck's voice brought back his attention to the Cool Kids. "Big fans of Mike Krol, too, huh?"

"Actually, I only just heard of him thanks to Amethyst and Dad! Dad even got tickets," Steven grew a sheepish grin and rubbed his nape, "'cept he got roped into other stuff at the last minute, so his ticket had to go to somebody else."

Statements of 'bummer' and similar met this statement, the lost opportunity to hear a musical veteran's opinion on today's entertainment lost on no one. Amethyst waved an assuring hand. "It's cool, though. Thanks to good ol' Greggory, we had room to bring Pearl along so she could hang with some humans" – her dark eyes flicked in another direction and inspired a satisfied smirk – "and I think it's safe ta say 'mission accomplished."

When both Steven and the Cool Kids all shot a perplexed look at her, the violet Quartz thumbed over her shoulder, guiding all attention to the front of a nearby house where the lean Gem in question could be seen in conversation with the same tall beefy woman from before – and enjoying herself no less! Steven's happy gasp and sparkly eyes could shine any brighter.

"Dude," Buck smiled and gave a thumbs-up, "good on her."

Amethyst arched a brow in amusement. "And I see you dudes are making new friends of yer own."

Hearing this observation, Sour Cream looked over his shoulder at the other important social breakthrough taking place tonight. "Oh yeah, me and Buck and Jen met those guys back at Fish Stew Pizza the other day. Kurt and Ronaldo ran into them back at Akidi's, and it looks like they're all really hitting it off. Kurtis especially."

A good-natured snort burst from Jenny. "Pretty sure he's got Ronaldo to thank for that one. Course having his cousin around doesn't hurt either." When Steven and Amethyst blinked at her in confusion, she pointed to (they realized) Amber. "Over there next to Kurtis in the biker getup."

Lest anyone thought she was mocking them, Amethyst had to hold in an amused chuckle at this fabricated detail. It only made sense after all considering the connections people would have made from seeing the disguised Gem and Kurtis interacting so much.

"O-Oh, that's right! His, uh, cousin," Steven stammered with a blush. He did his best to keep a straight face in the meantime to avoid only arousing suspicion so he in turn wouldn't need to lie, a skill he could never master. Fortunately, the three older kids seemed too invested in discussing musical preferences with Amethyst to take note.

In fact, now might be a prime chance to make some new friends. Besides, it'd be nice to catch up with Kurtis and Ronaldo since the younger boy hadn't hung out with either of them for a while. Without further ado, Steven started to trot over to the five young adults so he could give a hearty hello.

Or at least he would have if something...weird hadn't come over him. At first, he'd been walking forward as planned and then for a moment, the boy felt as though something had 'skipped' for lack of a better word, like he were in a movie that'd fast-forwarded a scene without warning. By the time he snapped out of it, the trio had already departed, leaving Kurtis and Ronaldo and Amber to talk amongst themselves.

But...I just saw them talking. How...?

"Steven?" The curly-haired boy jolted a little at Buck's voice and shifted around to find the taller male standing beside him. "You OK, man? You were just standing there."

"O-Oh! No, I'm fine! Just thought...it'd be polite to let them finish their talk first!" There, that sounded believable.

Buck nodded, thinking none the wiser of his friend's excuse. "Whatever ya say, man."

Phew, Steven sighed in his head. Awkwardness averted.

However, as Buck turned away, the younger boy shifted his gaze back to the three youths walking away. He swore right before that strange sensation started that the tall guy in the flat cap glanced his way, right when Kurtis and Ronaldo and Amber had been focused on the other two.

Did...did that guy's eyes glow green?

Chapter 29: Missing Out

Notes:

Takes place a day after the events of “Onion Gang”; two days after “Last One Out of Beach City”

Sunlight.

Chirping birds.

Rustling autumn leaves.

Warm grass soft beneath.

A surprised yelp and subsequent thud sending fallen leaves all over the place.

Still in lotus position, Amber peeked her left eye open at the young fallen boy now lying prone beside her. Welp, there goes my meditation for today.

While the much older rock waited patiently for an answer, Steven lifted his head up with a flummoxed smile. “Hey, Amber! What are you doing here?”

Holding back an amused smirk, Amber whipped out her cellphone. Enjoying my day off from training, working, and brainstorming with your dad. What about you?

“Oh,” Steven sat up, “I was heading back home from hanging out with Onion and his friends. I noticed you down here and, uh…I wanted to say hi!”

The slight hesitation at the end did not escape Amber’s notice. An ulterior motive or sudden thought? Either way, Amber gave Steven a friendly smile. In that case, hi to you too. Now then, you better get home. It’s getting late out.

Steven waved off Amber’s suggestion-not-suggestion. “That’s OK, the Gems leave me on my own a lot; as long I’m not out too long, it’s cool!” The boy shifted his sight to the setting sun, missing Amber’s heavily shocked and concerned face. The yellow Gem continued to wait him out.

The young hybrid did not disappoint. “Would it be OK if I hung out with you for a while? I, um…” Amber softened her countenance into something still concerned but more open and encouraging. Eyes casted downward upon noticing, Steven sat down and fiddled with his fingers. “There’s some things I’ve been wanting to know lately.”

This time Amber shifted herself until she faced him fully, giving her full attention. Steven averted eye contact at first; before long he braced himself with a brave sigh. “What’s school like?”

Amber cocked her head. You’ll have to be more specific than that.

Specific? Surprise and confusion took over Steven’s face, his eyebrows furrowed. “You mean it’s not the same for everybody?”

Something in Amber’s shapeshifted gut told her to brace for a long talk. She shook her head.

It varies. As far as where we live is concerned, the main factor tends to be age. Connie, for example, goes to middle school since she’s too old to go to elementary school anymore, unlike Onion, but not old enough to go to high school. Money and economic status can play a role too since certain families send their kids to private schools. Now when you reach adulthood, that’s when the choices really start diversifying, but even then – she paused and looked up to notice the glazing over in Steven’s eyes – am I losing you, by any chance?

At the question, Steven snapped back to attention and held his hands up in haste. “Oh, no, no! I’ve been paying attention! It’s just a little much to wrap my head around all at once. Connie’s mentioned a buncha stuff about school to me, although it doesn’t sound like she enjoys most of it.”

Probably because you’re not there. Seeing Steven’s blush was so worth a chuckle. Smiling, Amber pat the stuttering boy’s clasped hands. But in all seriousness, it might be a blessing in disguise that you don’t attend school at all.

Hearing that sparked bewilderment in Steven’s eyes as he cast them on the molehog. “What do you mean?”

Pulling her hand back, Amber shrugged. The purpose of school is that kids learn important things so that they can function more easily as adults and in society later. She paused for a moment, eyes pensive and averted. Supposedly.

Supposedly? Steven mentally parroted, his head at a tilt.

The school system in general, at least in this country, leaves a lot to be desired. Amber could probably go on for hours on why, but they didn’t have the time for that, and she didn’t wish to lose Steven in verbosity again. Best to summarize. For one, it doesn’t do a good job of considering how different people learn.

Understanding took shape in Steven’s eyes. “Oh! Like with me when I had to learn summoning my weapon! The Gems all tried teaching me their own ways of doing it, but none of those ever clicked with me.” The boy scratched his cheek, expression withdrawn and somewhat embarrassed as though he half-expected to be scolded. “N-Not to say they didn’t try their best...I just—”

A clawed hand atop his head shushed him.

It’s OK to be critical of your family, Steven. It doesn’t mean you dislike or don’t love them.

It was? It didn’t? The amount of shock radiating from Steven’s face at these revelations shouldn’t have worried Amber, but it did. The golden Gem made a note to discuss this with the other Gems and Greg. Out of curiosity, how did you first summon your weapon?

“Cookie Cat!” Steven chirped. Before his baffled talk buddy could ask, the boy forged ahead with his story, leaning back on his arms to face the evening horizon. “It’s this ice cream I used to eat all the time – well not as much as before at least. It got discontinued that day and it really bummed me out, but when the Gems told me that they bought out all the Cookie Cats left, I was so happy! Back then, I mostly cared about getting to enjoy my favorite treat after all, but” – the energy in his eyes softened into something more thoughtful – “I think how the others went through all that trouble for me was what really sent my gem over the edge.”

He looked down in thought. “It kinda took me a while to get the hang of it and I still needed a little help afterwards, but in the end, I figured it out my own way.” He shot a glance to his quilled companion. “Is that what you meant by school not doing a good job?”

In a way yeah. From what I’ve seen and heard from human teachers, its main approach seems to be one-size-fits-all. Doesn’t help that the learning’s gauged by a grading system. In which case, at least the Gems could say they opted for different teaching tactics.

Steven craned his head forward, curiosity piqued. “You mean with letters and stuff? Connie mentioned that a few times too, although I still don’t get it. What’s a letter to do with how smart you are?”

Essentially, it’s meant to show teachers how well you know the material, but even in theory it’s shaky at best. For one, it doesn’t encourage actual learning; it just trains kids on how to give the right answers. Second, the grading operates on the assumption that you somehow remember all these facts and figures, some of which might not even be tested to begin with.

Huh, that sounded rather arbitrary. Steven pursed his lips. “And that works with some kids but not others, right?” When Amber confirmed with a nod, the young hybrid crossed his arms. “Don’t they go outside for lessons at least?”

Besides physical education and maybe science classes, no. At least not with Connie’s school or Kurtis’ former ones. Otherwise, almost all their time is spent in a room filled with desks and chairs.

“What?!” Steven gasped, gripping his head in utter horror. “They don’t even get to run around?” When his golden friend gave an empathetic headshake, the boy slumped onto his back spread-eagle style with a dramatic sigh. “Ugh, no wonder Connie doesn’t like school.”

That isn’t to say school is utterly useless, Amber amended, It’s just not executed to help every kid reach their full potential.

Steven rotated his head at the other Gem. “What about for adults? You know, college.”

Oof, a slightly more multifaceted question. Amber gave her stomach a thoughtful scratch. It’s...a lot of experiences at once. You get to meet plenty of different people from plenty of different places while learning what interests you. It can get kind of boring too at times, but that’s how school tends to be no matter how old you get – and I’m mainly speaking from my experience and what Kurtis told me. Amber cast a curious (and slightly knowing) look on Steven. Why the sudden interest?

The boy redirected his eyes to the sky. “No reason. Just...suddenly interested.” Sitting back up, Steven tapped a random beat against his sandalled feet. “Onion’s friends don’t live in Beach City, so they had to leave now that it’s fall.” He tilted his head skyward in thought and then turned to Amber. “It’s because school for them starts around this time, right?”

When Amber grunted in affirmation, he returned his sight to the horizon. “Yeah, Connie mentioned it when I texted her to see if she wanted to hang out” – a wistful frown emerged – “and she said she couldn’t.” Steven started when Amber, now in canine form, laid down and set her head in his lap. He petted her head in thanks and let the moment sink in for a few moments. “Do you think the Gems would let me go with her if I asked?”

Amber looked up at Steven and then to space in wonder. Hmm, a good question. In fact, now that she thought about it, how close to a formal education did Steven have?

Shapeshifting back to default, she picked her phone back up to continue the conversation. Have the others ever taught you anything besides Gem stuff?

Steven crossed his arms, mulling over how to answer. “Uh...my dad and Pearl helped me learn how to speak English...and Pearl taught me basic math and some algebra! She tried to teach me trigonometry and calculus, too, but I think Amethyst ate the books before she could.”

Figures on that last part. What about human history?

“The Gems...sort of tried? They were there for a lot of stuff that happened, but it seems like Garnet would brush over certain things, and I think there might have been parts that hit a little too close to home for Pearl. In the end, I learned most of it from my dad...although he always gets super-particular about the history books I read. Something about me deserving better than ‘patriarchal whitewashed propaganda getting shoved down my throat’.”

A snort burst from Amber, forcing her to smother her snout with both forepaws. Before Steven could ask what’s wrong, she hurriedly deleted her last message and typed, Your Dad is a legend.

“I’ll...let him know you said that? Thanks?”

Eventually Amber got over her laughing fit. But in all seriousness, it seems you’ve been having an easier time being homeschooled.

“You mean what me and my Dad and Gems have been doing? That counts as school too?” At another nod from his senior, the boy put a hand to his chin and soon beamed in eureka fashion. “Yeah...yeah you’re right! Maybe we could even mix it up with Gem stuff from now on! Like – what did Connie call it? – P.E! That could be me going through Pearl’s training, and maybe some laps around the Strawberry Fields or some Gem ruins? And we could have Peridot and the others be teachers too!”

He started to count off on his fingers. “Pearl and Peridot could handle science and math; Garnet could do P.E. cuz she’s so strong; Lapis could do art with her meep morps – although so does Peri so maybe they could co-teach? Amethyst is a good sparring partner so maybe she could do P.E. with Pearl? I’d have given her Cooking but—”

A sharp tug at his pants’ leg cut off his rambling, a sign that Amber needed him to slow down. Steven sheepishly rubbed his head, chirping out an apology.

The smiling molehog shook her head to show no hard feelings. On the contrary, the sight of Steven’s enthusiasm to learn filled her with pride (and a hint of relief).

“Still, I’d really-really like for the guys to try harder in teaching me stuff besides Gem things, especially since they’ve getting along better with Dad. Besides, I’d probably make a mess of things at Connie’s school cuz of my Gem powers.” Or indirectly via a Corrupted Gem coming for him but Steven didn’t want to accidentally insult Amber by saying that.

Amber frowned regardless. While she didn’t disagree with the avoidance of risk in that admittance, she didn’t like the self-deprecating way Steven phrased it. Sure, this kid didn’t strike her as someone who always looked before he leapt, but rather as someone who always tried to put his best foot forward.

I’m sure you’d have done fine. If anything, you should count your lucky stars you don’t have to deal with bullies.

Steven pursed his lips before stuffing one hand into his pocket and nudging a pebble away with the other. Connie vented to him about such people sometimes, namely other girls who’d call her out for various reasons, even though she always made a point to assure him that she can handle them. Without violence mind you.

Eventually, he picked the pebble up and rolled it between his fingers. “Did people at school ever bully Kurtis? Or either of you at college?”

Oh. This was not a direction Amber foresaw this conversation taking. The molehog opened her mouth and closed it, unsure how to respond.

Immediately at the silence Steven hunched his shoulders in shame. “Sorry. I only asked because…sometimes when tourists brought their kids along, I used to try playing with them. Most of them were pretty nice, but some could be really mean. Even their parents.”

Used to? Amber’s brow furrowed in worry.

By this point, Steven had stopped fiddling with the pebble and gazed down on it in his palm. “Usually, I stay away if they are, but then one time, this one lady got super-super mean. Garnet was telling a story to me and this one girl I just met about a Gem mission until her mom charged in.”

His face twisted in discomfort from recalling the incident. “She called Garnet all sorts of weird, not-nice names and she looked so scary shouting them.” He remembered hiding behind Garnet, who had taken the insults with crossed arms and unimpressed stoicism. The girl’s look of shame and likewise fear as her mother scolded her and dragged her away. Him asking Garnet if he’d done something wrong, only for her to assure him no. “After that, I sort of kept my distance from anybody not from here for a while.”

Until you met Connie.

Steven managed a brief genuine smile, only for it to sink at a realization. “Teachers are always adults, right? Are they ever bullies to students – or as bad as that lady was?”

A forlorn sigh seeped through Amber’s nose. She couldn’t bring herself to lie. It’s been known to happen.

“Even to kids?”

Amber looked away even as she held her phone up. Even to kids.

Steven looked away as well, silent for a minute. “Is it bad that I still wanna see it for myself? Not the teachers being awful but school in general, just so I know what a day there’s like?”

Not necessarily. It might be a little tricky pulling it off without rousing suspicion, though. Particularly in terms of paperwork since there’s no account of how far Greg had gone in registering his son as a citizen. Steven pursed his lips at the information given thus far, frustrated but unwilling to give up. A brief skyward gaze later, Amber mumbled in an ‘aha’ manner. What about school events open to the public?

This question urged the boy to crane his head forward, interested. “Like…?”

While I can’t speak for all schools, I do remember Kurtis’ elementary and middle schools having book fairs, and I’m fairly sure Connie’s does too. In fact, if what her mother told me at my coming out dinner weeks ago is still true, that place also has a fundraiser event coming up next month.

A strange feeling suddenly came over Amber, the feeling of being under intense focus. One turn of the head confirmed the reason: Steven up close and personal with shimmering starlit eyes.

“They. Have. Fairs?”

Blink, blink. Amber had to scooch back a little to uncross her eyes and gave a slow nod, almost worried any more of an answer would make the boy explode into stardust and rainbows…which seemed as though might happen judging by his excited trembling.

OK, Steven, Amber hastily typed out, breathe first. Much to her relief, he complied – well if giant gulps and puffs of air counted. In any case, he got a hold of himself and pulled back, although the glimmery eyes and smile remained. I take it Connie never told you about those then.

Thankfully that statement got the kid to settle down a little.

“Sorta but not really. She mentioned her school does ‘extra stuff’, but she sort of glossed over it. I don’t think she thought I’d find them boring; it might be more like she finds them boring and knew I’d want to see them for myself with her, but she’s probably worried she’ll bum me out instead cuz we won’t be the same amount of excited and now I don’t know to bring it up without putting her on the spot…,” his eyes rolled back to Amber, “if that makes sense.”

Yes, that indeed made some kind of sense, although Amber couldn’t help a pitying look in return. We can pitch the idea to her together if you’d like.

“Really?” Amber barely got a smile and single nod in before Steven tackled her in a hug, spouting ‘thank you’ over and over in rapid succession. The golden Gem pat a gentle paw against the boy’s back before Steven peeled himself off and stepped back to futilely mask a sudden yawn. “Sorry, guess hanging out with Onion took a lot more outta me than I thought.”

How Vidalia and Sour Cream handle him day in and out, I’ll never know.

That quip earned a chuckle from Steven, who stretched his arms over his head. “Ok, now might be a good time for me to go home.” Not that the grass here didn’t look comfy, but he’d rather not chance any bugs making a roost out of his nose or ears overnight. Besides, he’d already taken up enough of Amber’s private time. “Thanks for letting me hang out with you. I’ll catch ya—Whoa!"

Before he could turn homeward, the young hybrid found himself flipped before landing face-first onto a broad furry back of gold. He needed only a few seconds to realize Amber had shapeshifted into her badger-bear form and delegated herself to living transport. With her mouth, she tossed up her backpack with her cellphone and possessions all inside to Steven, who caught it without effort. Then without further prompt, his transportation trudged forward to Beach City.

Steven sat up and ran a hand through his curls in amusement. “Or you can catch me. Heh-heh.”

His ride shifted her head enough to shoot a smirk over her shoulder before returning her attention to the way ahead. Admittedly, for a ride to someplace a couple minutes away, the trip felt as though Amber were taking her sweet time. Not that Steven minded, let alone didn’t trust his companion to get him home before dark. In fact, he appreciated the extra time as it allowed him a quick nap. However, right before he could nod off a thought occurred to him.

“Hey Amber?” he murmured. The aureate badger grunted to show she was listening. “When we do the homeschooling thing, would it be OK to have you be the history teacher?”

That question gave the yellow rock pause, though gradually lest she jostle Steven from his perch by accident.

“It’s cool if you need time to think about it first,” the boy assured in slight haste, “I just thought it’d be nice if you got to work on something with the other Gems, have something to do with your friends.”

Oh stars, this kid was just too sweet for this world. Amber smiled as she redirected her attention back to the path home. “I’ll…consider,” she croaked out. The badger-bear could feel Steven’s happy smile against her back right before the boy’s light snores started to fill the autumn air.

Amongst the trees far behind them, a beam of sunlight shifted.

XXX

What a surprise to see Greg and his guitar alone on the porch steps when Amber arrived at the beachfront half an hour later.

If anything, she would have hoped one of the Gems have been present so she could share a piece of her mind, but one glance through the windows put that expectation to rest. Not to say she dreaded seeing the older chubby human here. If anything, his presence filled her with a sense of relief even as confirmation of Steven’s unwitting words about his lifestyle growing up raised her concern even further.

In any case, some words needed to be exchanged.

She switched off her invisibility to make herself and her passenger visible before they came within eyeshot of Greg yet once they were out of eyeshot of any passersby from town. No sense in giving the man a heart-attack.

One look at the boy had been enough for the former rocker to emit a light chuckle before gathering his son and taking him inside to bed. Once the elder Universe returned and retook his seat on the porch, Amber reverted to default and sat down beside him, texting out a customary icebreaker. No need to be too blunt after all.

Any new developments since this morning?

Greg shrugged before he picked his guitar back up and returned to strumming its strings. “Eh, nothin’ too exciting. Things at the wash got a little busier than usual. Probably cuz school’s starting up soon; all these parents wanna make sure their cars look spic and span when they drop off their kids.”

Don’t forget all those teens who have licenses and cars. Any of them give you trouble?

“Nah, they’re usually in and out even faster than the older folks are. Well except for these two kids chatting me up about music, especially this big guy. Something tells me he got a little bit of the musician’s bug in him.”

Big guy? Amber shook her head. Nah, that’s probably not the kid from the other night.

Which reminded her. Since we’re on the topic of kids and school, Steven and I were discussing the idea of homeschooling earlier today, and he seems pretty enthusiastic about going further with it.

“Homeschool?” The confusion in Greg’s voice shifted Amber’s focus to him – more specifically his taken back expression. To his credit, the ex-musician did not immediately turn the idea down, although he did rub his nape in uncertainty.

Amber pressed her lips together in second thought. It's alright if past struggles have made you doubtful of it.

“Wha – no, no!” Greg blurted, waving his hands in a manner not dissimilar to his son. “I still think it’s great! It’s just…,” he broke eye contact, “the Gems might think anything more’d be unnecessary.”

When Amber furrowed her brow, curious, Greg shrugged again. “You may not believe me, but they have been doing a decent job at teaching him other things than Gem stuff.” He noted the surprise and relief on Amber’s face intermixed with skepticism. “No really, Pearl’s all into calculations and stuff, so she makes a point to make sure Steven knows plenty math and science, astronomy in particular; Amethyst knows a thing or two about art thanks to hanging around Vidalia, not to mention lots about the human body since she shapeshifts so much; and Garnet…well…”

Does she mostly focus on physical stuff? Steven said she’d make a good PE teacher since she’s so strong.

Greg chuckled at his son’s observation. “Probably. Course, just one of those Gem missions probably counts as much as a dozen PE classes. She tends to be way more hands-off anyway. Last time I asked, I think she said she was teaching Steven about ethics and philosophy. Sounds a little high-brow to teach someone his age, but then again the little guy tends to pick up quick on stuff, even if he doesn’t fully get it.” He spared Amber an amused glance. “Not too sure if it’s a Gem thing.”

Amber looked away, scratching her cheek, unsure if she should feel self-conscious about what seemed to her like an unfair advantage.

“Besides, Steven being in human school never seemed like something that could pan out. What other kids do you know have Gem powers?” An uncharacteristic grimace came to Greg, eye half-lidded. “Or boys who never got bullied for being like Steven in general.”

Yeah, that checked out. Amber winced at memories of a much younger Kurtis coming home in tears after a rough day at school. Kids could be cruel after all. She pat Greg’s shoulder, face sympathetic.

“It might not count for much,” the brunet murmured, “but I did try to put the little guy in kindergarten once.”

What made you stop?

Greg bit the bottom of his lip. “A Corrupted Gem nearly tore the school apart looking for him. The Gems managed to stop it before it could get close but…um.”

You didn’t tell them about taking Steven to school, huh?

A deep blush answered her question before his words could.

“Actually, I did. They didn’t react so well when I said I wanted to take Steven to kindergarten; took me forever to convince them that it means something completely different for humans” – he managed a feeble smile that waned soon after – “and after that Gem attack, they really tore into me for taking him there anyway.” A brief exchange of looks with his present company passed. “OK, Pearl tore into me.”

Amber shook her head. One incident doesn’t make an argument. Didn’t you try to argue how Steven needs contact with more humans his age? Greg nervously fingered the strings of his guitar at a slower pace. The molehog tried hard not to frown in disappointment at the man’s clear tendency to cow from Gem matters. What about afterward?

The strumming stopped; Greg shifted his eyes to the side in thought. “There was this one time right before school ended this summer, although that wasn’t because of me and the Gems. Connie sorta brought Steven to show and tell.”

He noticed Amber, eyes wide in surprise, start to type at a rapid pace and smirked. “Schtu-ball brought a Corrupted Gem by mistake, helped Connie and the kids fight it off until the Gems showed up, half the school wound up totaled, Connie almost got suspended until her teacher brought up not just her perfect scores but Steven’s too, and so the principal decided to not suspend Connie as long as Steven never attended the school ever again.”

All this Greg listed out in the most relaxed and nonchalant tone possible. While the order of events did not take Amber by surprise, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of incompleteness to it, as though Greg were holding off a plot twist.

“That is until this morning when Steven followed Connie to make sure she got to her first day of school OK, and the principal popped up to show him his new spotless permanent record. Little guy’s an honorary student now.”

Ah, there you go then.

All the same, Amber set her jaw in puzzlement. Something still didn’t add up. Odd, Steven never mentioned any of this to me. In fact, he made it sound as though he never set a single foot in school.

Greg gawked at his companion in wonder. He’d figured that since his son had discussed the topic with Amber that he would have at least mentioned this incident to her.

Then again, he posed his questions in terms of what school’s like in the long run, so I gave him my observations along with what I’d heard or read from other humans. Maybe he thought I’d tell him no straight away if he’d shared that story? Based on what Greg shared about previous attempts to enroll the boy, Amber started to see why. She twiddled her foreclaws nervously. Either way, I hope I didn’t discourage him.

“Actually,” Greg sported a half-smile as he replied, “when he came back to visit me this morning and told me what happened, I asked if he ever thought about going back. He never gave a clear answer, so I think it’s all up in the air to him.”

If anything, at least he won’t get in trouble for showing up at school events. I’d hate to see him all sad and disappointed at not getting to hang out with Connie at the next book fair.

Those last two words lit up a bright smile for Greg. “Oh yeah, I remember those! My parents never let me go cuz they thought the selections were ‘low brow’ and other nonsense. That’s why I always tagged along with my friends so their parents could buy stuff for me. Maybe I could go with the kids sometime so they can get whatever they want.”

Vast approval of the idea took the form of Amber’s smile and nod. Greg smiled back but only for a moment before his facial expression waned in melancholy. The ex-rocker plucked a few more strings, self-conscious. “That is…as long as the little guy’s not too upset with me.”

Upset? Amber cocked her head, suspecting the reason behind the change in mood yet wanting Greg to confirm on his own.

Once again, the plucking stopped. “I know I shy away from Gem stuff when it comes to Steven.” All that fancy alien tech and wild battles could be pretty intimidating to a regular person. Still, Greg curled in on himself a little. “Sometimes I see the way you and the Flores interact, and I feel like a total wimp, thinking over how often I let the Gems have the final word on what’s best for him. I guess it’s because they can do all these amazing things while I’m just…me. That and all the stuff with Rose.”

A frustrated sigh left Greg, his voice taking on a surprisingly dark glint. “But even I know they’re not perfect. Between all those missions they couldn’t take him on until recently and me working at the car wash, Schtu-ball’s all by his lonesome a lot of the time.”

Exactly as Amber expected. Between the lack of public school and the boy’s professed shyness around other children he didn’t know well, this reveal did not surprise her in the slightest. That being said, a part of her suspected Greg had more to share.

“To be honest with ya, it sucked at first when Steven had to switch over to living with them, but after a while I got used to it because first off, I still got to see him from time to time, and second, I had enough trust in the Gems to make sure he didn’t get himself killed…at least until…”

When Greg pinched his eyes in sudden disquiet, Amber pat his thick arm in a show of comfort. This gesture helped the man gather himself, eyes starting to tear up. “This one night, I’m at the wash cleaning my van when my own son comes to me…”

Amber craned her head closer, curious yet at the same time dreading the answer. As time went on, Greg’s face started to distort, lips trembling and eyebrows pinching as though the man were trying to contain a bomb inside himself.

Then the metaphorical bomb exploded. “He comes to me with literal cat faces growing out of him! It didn’t even click with me at first that it could be a Gem thing, I only knew that my kid was in trouble and needed my help! I mean, he looked so scared and in pain, how could I NOT do something?! And the next day when I asked the Gems what the heck that was all about, Garnet said it all worked out alright because ‘Steven found a way like he always does.’”

Garnet said that? Amber’s lower jaw fell from shock.

“The poor kid had nightmares about that, too! I only found out after he had a nightmare during a night over with me two weeks later, and that’s after all the times I asked if he was OK after the incident!”

You didn’t grill the Gems for this, did you?

Greg let his hand drop in shame. “It’s not like I didn’t try, but Garnet’s always been pretty hard to argue with. She wasn’t wrong that Schtu-ball found a way to fix his problem, but how could it be worth letting him go through all that?! Even Pearl agreed with me that they should’ve stuck around to help Steven out, but Garnet had insisted to let Steven handle himself because they couldn’t drop their mission at the time.”

Seriously, Gem stuff or not, how messed up was that?

The smell of ozone suddenly filled the air, giving Greg and his rant pause. He noticed Amber hunched over, face hidden but quills crackling with barely contained electricity and giving enough hint to her emotions. For a moment, Greg found his anger replaced by anxiety as he suddenly recalled that his companion could let off literal lightning. Fortunately, the potential lightshow did not come to pass for Amber managed to raise her head back up with a controlled (and long) breathing exercise.

Sorry about that. Hearing what Garnet said hit a little too close to home.

Greg gave an empathetic yet wary half-grin. “Then remind me to stand clear when I tell you what Pearl did with a spaceship.” His face grew despondent again. “I know they care about Steven – the little guy wouldn’t love them so much back if they didn’t – but I’ve already seen them drop the ball in big ways and who knows how else that I don’t know about.”

But you don’t want to cut off Steven from his Gem side either.

“And sometimes I wonder if the same’s happening to his human side instead.” A flashback to that odd frown his son wore after Greg finished sharing that story about him and Rose trying to fuse came to mind. “There’s nobody else like him, no one who can completely relate with him. I know that can’t be helped but…”

Once he trailed off, indecision straggling his thoughts, the telltale whoosh of shapeshifting caught his attention a second before a thick furry arm extended behind his head and wrapped around his shoulders. Greg didn’t need to look; he only smiled in gratitude and leaned into the huge badger-bear now beside him. “Things have gotten better between us, me and the Gems, but what if it’s not enough? What if it’s too late for any of us to make it up to our kid?”

It's never too late. There’s still a chance. You still have time.

Pretty platitudes but considering Greg’s more than evident low self-esteem at the moment, the poor guy would need a more effective push. For that reason, Amber shifted her great weight, not so much that she jostled him but enough to regain his attention.

If it’s any consolation, I’m not much better. At the man’s doubtful hum, she smirked. No really. Sometimes I don’t know what I’m doing with Kurtis, even with all my experience raising kids all these centuries. Then again, I always have someone to help, like Marcus or Uma. And then there’s Steven. I’ve heard that kid say some concerning stuff from time to time.

Like that one comment on the trip to the concert about how Pearl ‘almost let him die’. Amber had a suspicion that might be tied to the spaceship thing Greg mentioned.

Not that it didn’t worry me at the time, but I figured the others had sense enough to handle Steven’s struggles properly. So much for that comforting thought. She set her jaw, frustrated at them for incompetence and herself for foolish assumptions. But apparently not. Someone needs to set them straight.

“The fault’s not all on them. Like I said, I could’ve done a better job myself by putting my foot down, let alone getting more involved in all the Gem stuff.” And even if things between him and the Gems were finally starting to lighten up, there was still no telling if their baby boy would open up about his own problems, especially after recent events – and who knew what else might happen to shove new burdens on the poor kid’s shoulders?

Steven deserved better.

That mere thought reignited Greg’s frustration, inciting a determined glare and frown the protagonist of a certain indie game would be proud of. His kid deserved better and even if any effort Greg put into giving him that was doomed to failure, he’d try anyway.

A fanged smirk seized the opportunity to draw his eye – as did the cell phone now in his lap.

And how, Mr. Universe, do you intend to start?

XXX

When Steven woke up later that evening, a most peculiar (though not at all unwelcome) smell greeted him.

Letting loose a yawn, the small boy hopped off the bed and groggily made his way downstairs, rubbing his eyes until he caught sight of both the steamy syrup-laden source responsible, the accompanying tall glass of orange juice and the cook currently in front of the oven in the back.

“Pancakes at night?” Steven asked as he drew near.

With a sideways glance, his father shot him a smile. “With strawberries and whipped cream, Schtu-ball, and some scrambled eggs and bacon on the way, too! A little Sunday night breakfast!” On second thought the older Universe rolled his eyes upward. “Sunfast? Nightfast. Uh…”

“What about” – Steven raised both pointer fingers and then flicked them his father’s way into finger-guns, throwing in a saucy wink for good measure – “Sunnightfast?”

Greg returned the gesture and wink back. “Oh, good one!”

Full of pun-attested pride from the approval, Steven trotted up to the counter and hopped his caboose atop one of the stools. From there, he took up the fork and knife and dug in. However, once his father finished the eggs and bacon and handed over the hefty portions to him on another plate, Steven couldn’t help but notice something odd on the table that he hadn’t until now. Swallowing his current bite, the kid leaned over the counter to read the slim book aloud.

“How to Face Your Family with Confidence?”

A ruddy hand flashed in his vision and like that the book vanished in blinding speed. Once his brain caught up and processed what just happened, Steven looked up in time to see his father’s averted sheepish expression, both hands behind his back.

“Dad,” the boy cocked his head in both budding curiosity and mild concern, “is everything OK?”

For a hot second, Greg considered fibbing, shrugging off that nothing was wrong and that this breakfast only came about through a whim. Then he recalled his lie about the broken leg months ago and what it did to his son’s confidence and powers. He shook his head with a resigned sigh before turning off the oven and gathering his own meal, taking a seat next to Steven straight afterward.

“Little buddy, there’s a question I gotta ask ya and you gotta promise to be honest, OK?”

A moment pregnant with hesitation passed before Steven managed a feeble smile and nodded, unsure what to expect with his father sounding so serious all of a sudden.

“Steven, do you…wanna give school another shot?” He flinched at his son’s taken back expression yet resisted the urge to backpedal. “It’s fine if you don’t want to. I’m only askin’ cuz it’s one human thing ya haven’t had much of.”

Well, several to be more exact but one thing at a time. On the bright side, his son seemed to be taking the question into consideration judging by his thoughtful mien. The boy proceeded to twirl the fork between his sticky fingers.

“Will I get to make more friends?” The question left his father gawking, only to elicit a snort soon after. Should Greg have expected anything different from this kid? To this reaction, the younger Universe shrugged as he casually speared another piece of fluffy pancake, a more genuine smile in place. “Everyone’s been super nice to Connie after what happened, so I figured since I’m her friend, it’ll be a lot easier to get to know everybody.”

Would amusement or relief be the proper response? Greg honestly had no idea. Either way, he saw no reason to shoot down the tried-and-true magic of optimism. “That’s good to hear, Schtu-ball!” The middle-aged rocker crossed his arms on the table and leaned a little forward to best gauge his son’s potential reaction. “It sounds like you didn’t have much trouble with all the learning stuff either.”

Steven shrugged, neither proud nor embarrassed. If anything, he seemed more pensive than anything else. “Not really. It’s not like I did much of anything on my own.”

Oh geez, Greg didn’t like the downturn of tone in his son’s voice. Steven caught his father’s worried expression and steeled himself with a deep breath. “Peridot video-called me after my talk with Connie’s principal. I guess she showed up and talked with Pearl about school after I left cuz she asked me all sorts of questions about what human school’s like.”

Greg couldn’t help flashing a half-smirk. “I take it she wasn’t all that impressed, huh?”

Despite himself, Steven managed a faint chuckle. “Actually, she went on a rant about why school sounds so inefficient and everything.” A lot like what Amber did except wordier and with far less punches pulled. Then he remembered the next part and his mood fell. “Then she said how lucky I am to be part Gem. When I asked what she meant, she explained how Gems learn stuff with math and logic faster than humans, that it’s super easy for us to learn something as long as we wanna learn it.”

In other words, his gemstone did all the work; the stuff he did that mattered only mattered because of what he inherited from Rose Quartz let him do. Anything he did on his own made no difference. Greg didn’t miss the way his son’s hand hovered for a brief moment over the stomach. “I didn’t do anything at all.”

Ah, hello crux of the problem.

For a moment, Greg felt himself flounder for an answer, then remembered Amber’s words: Someone needs to set them straight. Pulling what he hoped to be an effectively comforting smile, he patted his child’s back. “Hey, of course you did. You didn’t need your gem to pick up a pencil and write stuff, right?”

“But I only got things right on the tests back then cuz my gem did all the learning for me!”

“Steven, listen. That’s not how learning works. The fact Gems can figure out certain things faster than humans doesn’t matter as much as you think. There’s a big difference between picking up on stuff quick and actually wanting to know stuff. Amethyst could probably tell you all about that.”

That last statement earned a giggle from his son. So far, so good.

“And about what Peridot said, even if she’s right about your gem making things easier for you, that doesn’t mean the heart you put into learning new stuff counts for less. That’s one of the best things about you Schtu-ball: you always do your best to understand. Not that I’m saying what your gem does can’t be a good thing; you just gotta make it part of your thing. Cuz everything about you – what you are, who you are, what you do – is yours. Not mine, not the Gems’, and definitely not your mother’s.”

Mine. Again, Steven found himself clasping his gemstone – except his grip was looser this time, more reverent. He hadn’t forgotten his own autonomy; he simply felt it meant little in the face of everything else because everything else – his mother’s legacy, the threat of Homeworld, whether he could solve Corruption — seemed to be all anyone cared about. That’s why hearing these contrary words from his father, who would always shy away from ‘magical space stuff’, left him in a rare speechlessness.

For all these reasons, he regarded his father in a mix of wariness and hope leaning shyly towards the latter. “Do you really mean that?’

“Kiddo, you’re no less human than me, Connie, or anyone else.”

Ah ha, there’s that smile. For the clincher, Greg raised his hand in the same way he once did with Connie. No leaving his kid out this time. “Human beings?”

In the space of a few moments, the ex-rocker witnessed a myriad of emotions shift through his son’s eyes, shifting too fast for him to pinpoint all of them – but what little he could gave him reason to hope, especially when his son beamed that classic Universe smile at last and returned the gesture with a happy clap.

“Human beings.” Words could not describe how much Steven felt like a burden had been taken off his shoulders. Reason #2385 why hugs are awesome, a reason his father reciprocated in kind. Once the two Universe men pulled apart, Steven took the chance cheerily stab another piece of pancake. “If it’s all the same to you guys, I’d rather you all homeschool me… more officially, I guess, since you guys have technically already been doing it. It’d be a lot less complicated to handle.”

An important detail returned to him before he could down the next bite. “Oh, but would it be OK if I still went with Connie to—”

“The fundraiser this month, the next book fair?” Greg finished, way ahead of him. “Little buddy, they’re already a done deal!” Sure, the principal might get wary but nothing a little parental chaperoning can’t tide over. “Besides, they’ll be the perfect chance to do something as a dad that I should’ve been doing more often.”

“What’s that?” Steven asked. He semi-regretted doing so when the answer came in the form of his father unleashing the dreaded headlock-noogie combo on him. ‘Semi’ considering his giggling. It had always been hard for him to turn down a little roughhousing with his father.

Fortunately for Steven’s preteen esteem, a certain warp pad lit up on cue.

More fortunately for Greg, it dropped off the very rock moms he needed to see – and oh were there about to be words.

He made a mental note to thank Amber afterwards if this worked out.

Notes:

One thing about Steven that strikes me as interesting is how often he romanticizes so many things. Not that it’s a bad thing in itself but it is a flaw that’s caused him trouble from time to time. In fact, even in Future, he’s still prone to this, particularly in “Mr. Universe”. Yes, I know he had a right to be upset at his dad, but at the same time I can’t help but reflect on what I went through in school and then imagine Steven going through all that and cringe.

The grass is not always greener.

Plus, maybe Steven not attending public school was a blessing in disguise because I read through the Too Cool For School comic (the fact it isn’t canon hurts me) and, uh…it goes places. Also, Mrs. Lezner is a precious nerd and I love her! <3

Chapter 30: Of Grumps and Gravestones

Notes:

Takes place during “Gem Harvest”; three days after “Onion Gang”

Late morning sunlight warmed the early autumn air, filled by crickets chirping in the long grass.

Peridot and Lapis sat atop the truck-bed protruding above the barn’s front entrance, legs dangling, the former critically examining readout from a small device in her hands while the latter lay back with both hands cushioning the back of her mop-haired head.

The quietude slipped away when a pickup truck appeared over the horizon, two familiar men visible through the windshield, an equally familiar yellow dog lolling her head out the side of the cargo area. Before long, the vehicle parked some feet in front of the barn, the smooth jazzy timbre of Pilar de la Hoz emanating as Kurtis stepped out to greet their technicolor hosts. Peridot noticed and hopped onto ground level in excitement, only for Marcus, still busy swaying in his seat to the music, to hold up a finger the moment he caught the green Gem opening her mouth.

In half a minute’s time, the song reached its final crescendo, ending with a snappy clash accompanied by a final head-bob from Marcus. Meanwhile, Kurtis reached in the back of their truck and pulled out his father’s wheelchair, unfastening and unfolding it before setting it right outside the passenger side where his father could reach it.

Once Marcus opened the door and pinched his fingers into the OK sign, Peridot, who’d been tapping her foot in excited impatience, let loose. “Marcus, you and Amber are right on time for Steven’s science lesson!” she clapped her hands together. “I take it you brought the necessary materials?”

“And the necessary backup,” the florist responded as he stretched his legs out for a few moments and then eased himself into the wheelchair. “Hijo, can you help Amber get out the supplies they asked for yesterday?”

Kurtis nodded silently and left to comply.

His father regarded the Gems with a genial smile. “I hope we weren’t interrupting anything important.”

Lapis fluttered down to the ground in suit. “Eh, not yet. We’ll let you know when it’s time to kick you out.”

Marcus craned his neck forward to get a good look at the corn field and whistled, impressed. “I hope not too soon, Bluebell. Them veggies are looking pretty scrumptious!”

“Yes, well I’m confident we can work out the proper Earth ritual for exchange!” Peridot exclaimed in pride, rubbing her knuckles against her chest. “Originally, we meant to forge weapons in accompaniment—at least,” her eyes averted in a self-conscious manner, self-esteem suddenly waning, “before Steven corrected us on the actual nature and use of Earth produce during his surprise visit yesterday.”

A bright cyan blush lit up Lapis’ face as the water Gem rubbed her arm in likewise embarrassment. “We thought they’d grow into Quartz soldiers. Ya know, what with popping out of the ground and all that.”

“BUT!” Peridot quickly interjected while holding her hands out, “now that we know better, our plans can better achieve the maximum potential of our labors! Shall we start with the tubular-based variety?”

Marcus waved a nonchalant hand. “Eh, we can hash out the details later. Now what’s all this about a science lesson?”

“Ah,” Peridot blushed lime while scratching her cheek in an awkward manner, “well originally we intended this to be a co-op solely between Lapis and I so that Steven could see for himself the wonders of agriculture. Unfortunately, since we misunderstood the true applications of this field…”

A humored chuckle from Marcus stopped her. The man put a hand to his chest with a wink. “Say no more, Amberly and I would be more than happy to take over – assuming you ladies are cool with bein’ assistant teachers?”

Peridot and Lapis shared a look before returning their gaze to Marcus, back to their regular upbeat-ness and casual-ness respectively.

“Eh, fine by us,” the water-user drawled with an easy shrug.

Her barnmate tapped her own chin, humming thoughtfully. “I suppose we can tolerate this arrangement until we’re competent enough to handle future endeavors ourselves, although we had to make some recent changes to the class activities. I trust they’re to your satisfaction following yesterday’s exchange via electronic workspace messaging?”

Kurtis, as he and Amber (she’d currently taken on her Bear-Badger form) lugged out heaping bags of potting soil, wondered in silent amusement how long it would take for the former technician to call Boogle Docs for what it was. Behind him, Amber paused at something out of her peripherals. After depositing the second to last bag next to the front entrance where the other ones were, she neared towards the source. Marcus’ son did not notice in time since Peridot chose right then to grab his attention.

“I take it you won’t be participating in today’s lesson?” Kurtis, in true laconic fashion, pulled a list of chores written in Uma’s flowery handwriting, to which the green rock promptly nodded. “Mm-hmm, well regardless, wow-thanks for your assistance!”

BARK! BARK!

All humans and Gems shot their eyes to the truck in surprise and then Marcus. The Peruvian shook his head and shrugged.

More of the barking sounded alongside nearby rustling from the corn stalks.

Peridot narrowed her eyes in suspicion. Did another stray dog wander in there? The former technician barely took a step toward to investigate before something burst from the stalks and shot towards the group, a mildly stunned Amber emerging and following in suit at an easy pace.

Now Marcus had seen plenty of shocking sights so far in his life: political upheavals, war, panic attacks (both human and Gem), puberty. One would think the man had gone beyond the point of being surprised anymore.

Operative word being ‘think’ because a barking wiggling pumpkin? That was new.

Everyone could only gawk in utter shock at the sentient piece of produce yelping and hopping around Marcus’s wheels.

That is until faint chuckling started to emanate from Peridot. Then it grew louder and louder – until eventually she descended into mad cackling and snatched the pumpkin up high above her head in triumph. “Forget human science! We are the masters of creation!”

Amber shook her head and pointed a claw at the corn field, phone held up in her other hand. Wait, don’t you think this feels off? You guys had been growing vegetables the old-fashioned way for what, at least a few weeks now? Why is this – she gestured that same claw to the pumpkin - a thing now of all times?

Lapis blinked and then eyed the gourd creature, seeing Amber’s point. This did seem oddly convenient.

Peridot did not share her barnmate’s burgeoning suspicion as she lowered the creature next to her grinning face and then held it at arms’ length. “Trial and error, my dear Amber! Come, my dear spawn, you shall assist in harvesting the rest of your kind!”

“Hey guys,” a familiar voice called out. The pumpkin, much to Peridot’s surprise, scrambled out of her hands and towards Steven who so happened to be headed their way. The boy backed up in relaxed (too relaxed) surprise at the sentient vegetable nipping at his heels. “Whoa, who’s this?”

“Apparently their baby,” Marcus quipped as he and the others approached the two. “Seems they found a way to replicate Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, all veggie-style.” The Peruvian narrowed his eyes, well-cognizant of when Peridot mentioned Steven’s last visit. “Any idea how they pulled that off?”

True to form, Steven could not hide a tell to save his life. The sudden sweat and dilated eyes confirmed as much. “Uh,” he responded with a nervous smile and shrug, “your guess is as good as mine! Heh!”

Lapis sidled her eyes as she mulled over Marcus’ words and looked back at her friend. “Steven, do you have anything to do with why that pumpkin came to life?”

“WHAT?!” the boy yelped, only to catch himself and recover with a barely convincing nonchalance, “I mean, whaaaat? No, no, why would you think that?”

Marcus, Kurtis, and Amber’s unimpressed stares cut like kitchen knives through a cake. Steven’s head started to lower like his forced smile the more he kept talking. “I mean it’s not like I went behind your backs and did something…like maybe using my powers…to maybe bring one of your vegetables to life? Sorry.”

Sad realization bloomed on Lapis’ face as she took in the creature yapping at Steven’s heels. “So…we didn’t create life…,” her shoulders sagged and her downcast eyes half-lidded, “or anything.”

As usual, Peridot bested her friend in dramatic reaction. Her entire body slumped forward, arms dangling like depressed noodles. If her face could sag any further, its sheer weight could probably send her tipping face-first into the ground. The despondent moan only completed the effect. She barely noticed Amber pat her shoulder in comfort.

“Hey now, you two made all this!” Marcus swept a hand to indicate the produce fields. “That sure don’t seem like nothing to me!”

“Yeah,” Steven agreed, eager to rectify his ill-begotten attempt to help, “plus think of all the hungry humans out there who’d appreciate all this. That’s gotta count for something, right?”

Consider Peridot unmoved because her slouch showed no change whatsoever.

Steven pursed his lips, at a complete loss – that is until Kurtis handed him a trowel. It didn’t take long for the young hybrid to put two and two together. “Kurtis, you’re a genius!” He snatched up the trowel and dashed away for a moment to retrieve a pumpkin from the field, missing Amber and Marcus’ looks of disapproval and amusement respectively.

Sure enough, Steven’s demonstrative bit of carving up a fellow pumpkin in utter gusto a minute later did the trick in spooking the little veggie dog straight into Peridot’s arms. Granted, the kid was gonna feel awkward now around the newly formed barn trio, but Kurtis would find a way to make it up to him for the trickery.

In any case, problem one solved.

Too bad another one took its place straight after.

XXX

Greg Universe had thought today would be chill, a day spent relaxing with his family and friends because didn’t everyone deserve that?

Apparently nope because here he now stood among those same family and friends, beckoned here via a text message about some rude ‘old-fashioned’ guy and taking in the paler man dressed in pilot’s gear thrashing and protesting in the throes of Peridot’s attack drones with something akin to dread and resignation.

A nudge in the arm courtesy of Kurtis snapped him back to reality, as well as to the yellow dog held up in one of the younger man’s arms while the other hand held up his cell phone.

I take it from the one-thousand-yard stare that you know this guy, huh? Amber inquired with a face set to wince on the former musician’s behalf. Indeed, Greg could already feel Marcus’ hand on the small of his back since the smaller man, like many of the people Greg knew back in his younger days here in Beach City, had a solid idea of the drama the brunet left behind in pursuit of his intended career – and now some of that drama had decided to drop in.

Greg ran a hand down the back of his head, figuring he might as well face the music. Forcing down a gulp, he uttered the one sentence that would spell his doom: “He’s…my cousin.”

As he expected, everything burst into a flurry from there, questions atop questions. His cousin’s rapid-fire transition from recognition to colorful critique of the others upon his restored freedom only added to the discomfiting rush. Honestly, could Andy please drop all the white nationalist and man’s world talk? Oh, but when Steven spoke up and called Greg ‘Dad’, asking in curiosity and rising joy if this man really was family, their family, oof.

On the questionably bright side, the revelation of having a nephew at least had Andy switching gears so that his insults went mainly to Greg.

“So, uh, which of these girls is the wife?” Andy quipped as he walked up to the Gems to get a better look at them all. “I gotta give her my condolences, right?”

Then that. Andy barely finished joking on Garnet being the ‘lucky lady’ before Greg put a stop to the speculation. “Rose…is no longer with us.”

If nothing else positive, Andy at least had the decency to look remorseful. “Oh wow. I-I’m sorry…I didn’t know.”

Well, if anything, this guy knows when to back off of the sensitive stuff, Marcus thought. A tug on his pants’ leg drew his attention to Amber, who held up Kurtis’ phone in her mouth.

Should we tell him we sell flowers? Kurtis and Marcus shared a counseling look before shaking their heads back in Amber in unison. Best not to give that Andy guy any more ammo. All the same, I don’t feel like leaving just because this guy might be uncomfortable around us. Especially since she and Marcus had been invited here in the first place.

“Ditto,” Kurtis added in a tone that would have sounded plain to someone who didn’t know him well; Marcus could detect the undercurrent of dislike in his son’s voice. The air of defiance crumbled once the young man remembered the list still in his hands. “If not for this anyway.”

Adopting an assuring smile, Marcus reached up to pat his son’s arm. “Don’t you worry, hijo. Amber and I have handled people like him before. Besides, if he’s related to Greg, let alone Steven, he can’t be all that bad.”

“They're illegal aliens!?” Andy shouted, interrupting whatever Greg had been telling him. “You couldn't even marry an American?!”

On second thought nope, Marcus decided with a sharp pop of his gums, screw this guy.

Before the incensed man could speak up, there came something from Steven that shouldn’t have come across as heartbreaking yet did: “DeMayo is a much cooler name than plain old Universe…”

That did it.

“Hey!” Marcus shouted out in a peppy voice far louder than necessary as he wheeled up to the estranged men. He stuck out a handshake the same way Pearl would a sword. “So, we finally meet a family member of Greg’s, eh? Name’s Marcus Flores, your wonderful cousin’s closest companion! Proud Peruvian and owner of the finest flower shop this side of Delmarva!”

Andy sidled his eyes from the hand to the too wide smile and back before loosely accepting the handshake, quick to take his hand back. “Eh…nice ta meet ya.”

Marcus clapped his hands at the same brisk pace. “Oh, speaking of the shop, that reminds me! Steven, can you head back with Kurtis and help him get that list squared away? Don’t worry, we can keep Andy…entertained ‘til you get back.”

With no warning, the boy’s eyes lit up from a bright idea. “Wait! I have a better idea! Why stop with the stuff on the list when we can get more than that! One big traditional dinner so Uncle Andy can eat with all of us. He’ll have to admit the Gems as family and you guys as friends after that. Please?”

Oh damn, not the ‘please’. Not with those eyes.

Eventually Marcus sighed in defeat, holding his hands up. “Alright, alright! Cool off on the galaxy eyes and we’ll go big on making him feel welcome. How’s that sound?”

Steven took him off guard by jumping into the man’s lap to wrap a hug around his torso. “Thanks, Marcus.”

Marcus moved to give the small boy a pat on the back –until he caught the disbelief on Andy’s face. The sheer sight motivated him to smirk and flat-out hug the kid instead. “Whatever to make ya happy, kiddo. So, got anything specific in mind?”

“We’ve got lots of vegetables, although it wouldn’t hurt to have lots of fruit too. Do you think we should throw in some meat, too?” Steven shot a glance to his uncle, who was currently having a stink-eye showdown with Peridot, the green Gem’s drones hovering by her side in anticipation for their mistress’ next signal to remove the interloper. “Uncle Andy kinda strikes me as a meat-only guy.”

Wouldn’t surprise Marcus, but he knew better than to let the atmosphere sour now that Steven was invested in changing that guy’s mind. Oh well, some passive-aggressive comments will have to do.

“Make sure you boys at least check in with Uma first before you get that list done. She knew a couple of gourmet chefs back in the day, so she knows plenty of good recipes.” Marcus hummed and smiled a little too widely. “In fact, you don’t mind us introducing your uncle to a few dishes from our cultures, do ya?”

Steven gasped with somehow even starrier eyes. “That’s perfect! What do we need?!”

Marcus nodded to Amber. The golden dog nodded back and joined Steven’s side. “Have Uma tell you the stuff we need besides the usual, Kurtis and Amber will help ya handle the rest.” He thumbed over to Andy who once again snapped at whatever Greg had been telling him right. “In the meantime, we’ll get things set up around here.”

To the boy’s credit, Steven adopted a nervous face. “You guys are going to be OK with him, right?”

At that point, Garnet picked the perfect moment to schmooze onto the talk in her own Garnet-y way. “As long as Pearl can keep the drone remote away from Peridot and Greg’s cousin doesn’t touch the meep-morps.” She threw in an assuring smile as she reached down to tousle Steven’s hair. “It’ll be easier for him to get to know us all better anyway. You’re very good at stealing the spotlight, after all.”

Steven giggled and blushed, flattered, before he hugged Garnet’s leg. He waved Marcus goodbye before calling out to everyone else that he’d be heading out with Kurtis and ‘Sparky’ (he almost slipped on using Amber’s actual name) to get the food.

To say Andy looked stricken to be without the one person he genuinely liked here would have been an understatement.

Greg patted his shoulder. “Don’t worry! Schtu-ball’s in good hands with Kurtis around, and the Sparky’s the best dog this side of Delmarva. They’ll be fine.”

“In the meantime,” Pearl chirped up as she clapped her hands together, “Greg, could you and…Other Greg be so kind as to help Peridot and Lapis gather up the produce?”

“Sure thing, Pearl!”

At that moment, Marcus wheeled in, Garnet close behind. “We sent the boys off to get that list sorted out, but I made sure to have my son text me a list after they get with Uma. That way, we’ll know how ta get the most of outta these veggies.”

Greg sent a grateful smile to him. “Oh cool! Thanks Marc!”

Marcus leaned against the armrest and returned a cocked grin. “Anything fo’ you, Starman.”

By this point, Andy had started shifting his eyes between the two men, looking torn between questioning what he was seeing and simply aborting out of this whole situation. Greg noticed and glared back in annoyance. “What is it now?”

Rather than answer, Andy gestured his gaze to Marcus and then to Greg and back.

Greg rolled his eyes. “Yeah, we’re friends, so what?”

Eyelid twitching, Andy proceeded to point harder at Greg with one finger, Marcus with the other, made fists out of both and pounded his knuckles together. It didn’t take long for everyone else to pick up on the man’s assumption. Greg blushed, Garnet arched all three brows behind her glasses, Amethyst and Lapis doubled over in barely restrained laughter, Pearl blushed with an awkward sideways gaze into space, and Peridot merely blinked in confusion.

Marcus remained unmoved, unsurprised daresay.

“N-No! No! Andy, it’s not like that, I swear!” Greg hastily backtracked while pivoting to Marcus, both hands up. “U-Uh, no offense, but it’s totally platonic! Right Marc?” When no response came, Greg worriedly looked to the Latino in question. “Marc?”

Uh, why was the other man gazing up at him like that?

Oh Marcus, don’t, Greg mentally pleaded at the sight of the man’s smirk once he realized the reason behind not only his lack of surprise but, now that the ex-rocker realized, his sudden dismissal of the boys. Alarmingly, his predictions came true when Marcus linked one arm onto his and fixed on him a serious look.

“So, when were ya gonna tell yer favorite cousin about us...cariño?”

The sounds of Pearl’s facepalm, Garnet’s sigh of resignation, and Amethyst and Lapis’ hysteria-induced collapse echoed throughout the autumn air. Peridot’s muttered musings did not help in the slightest.

“Perhaps there does exist a form of human fusion.”

Choking sounds could already be heard emanating from Andy’s open mouth, struggling to form words.

“HEY ANDY!” Greg squeaked at near voice-cracking volume before wrenching his arm out of Marcus’ loose grip and swinging around to grasp the top handles of the other man’s wheelchair, trying very hard to ignore said other man’s smug catlike grin. “Why don’t you introduce yourself to the others? Marcus and I need to discuss something important.”

Cue the ex-rocker’s mad dash to the back of the barn.

“Marcus! Are you insane?!” he hiss-whispered once he stopped and rotated the man’s wheelchair to face him. His hands remained on the handles because Marcus needed to recognize the flaming mess he just ignited. “I’m not going to pretend we’re married in front of my cousin!”

“Of course not,” Marcus calmly retorted before taking a pause. “We’re pretending to be lovers. Totally different.”

The sheer lack of amusement on Greg’s face deserved a place in legends.

Marcus for once dropped the grin in favor of a more somber demeanor. “OK, fine maybe that was an uncool move – but only that I dropped you headfirst into this spiel without forewarning. For real, don’t I deserve to mess with that guy after the stuff he’s been saying?” He’d had to put up with so many similar people both here and back in his home country, forcing himself to smile and nod like an obedient little caricature because he knew who the unspoken rules of society would back up in the end, as well as who those rules would render broken.

At least in this case, Marcus had plenty of backup cuz which average human jerkoffs would be crazy enough to tango with a whole squad of superhuman and super-intelligent space rocks? (Well, probably plenty to tell the unfortunate truth if that Andy guy was any indication.)

For a hot second, the Peruvian expected Greg to retort something akin to ‘no, because he’s my family’ because well, fair enough on his end but even that shouldn’t excuse letting the other guy spout whatever the hell he pleases. After all, isn’t real family supposed to call you out on your bullshit?

That’s why Greg’s bitter chuckle took him by surprise, let alone the weariness in his currently averted eyes. “Welcome to the family, buddy. Now you know part of the reason I left.”

Let alone all the constant lectures and rants from near about all his folks about why he ‘didn’t have a girlfriend yet’ when he had no qualms staying single and waiting for the right one or ‘was hanging out with questionable influences’ when those very influences in question were the coolest people he’d ever known. Never mind that fact that those same influences proved nowhere near as questionable as the questioners themselves.

Marcus rubbed the back of his head, a little self-conscious that he hadn’t considered Greg’s own feelings on this matter. “I was hoping to drive the guy outta here, be so unapologetically ‘foreign’ and ‘un-American’ that he’d go bonkers and give up on taking the barn back.” At least until Steven had sweettalked him into making dinner for the man. “I really am sorry for springing this whole joke on you without asking.”

Another dry chuckle escaped Greg, his shoulders shaking. “Is it bad that part of me would rather you go through with it? It’s been so long seen I’ve seen any of my family, I forgot how hurtful some of them could be. Call me a bad dad but another part of me’s paranoid Andy’ll somehow convince Steven to be ashamed of everything in his life. Does that sound nuts?”

Marcus shrugged. “As an immigrant father consistently haunted by the possibility of losing my son to white America, pretty sure I’m on good authority to say your concerns are pretty damn valid.”

Greg ran a hand down his face, groaning. “’Cept Andy’s not a bad guy either. He’s just got…”

“Some super lousy viewpoints.”

“Exactly! And Garnet and Pearl and Amber didn’t fight for this planet just ta deal with the same junk they were trying to get away from!” They were family just as much as Andy was and deserved to be treated as such. Greg gripped his head and even snarled, that level of frustrated. “All I want is this whole thing to end so I can breathe easy again.”

A warm calloused hand on his bicep incited him to reopen his eyes and notice Marcus’ soft look. Greg found his tension ebbing out.

“It’s not too late for me to send him away,” the ex-rocker murmured. “You guys don’t have to deal with him.”

“Your kid didn’t give us much of a choice, and you know how much making him sad hurts. That and I’m still smarting a little from Steven thinking DeMayo’s a better surname than Universe.”

Despite himself, Greg managed a humoring smile. “We DeMayo men have really bad taste in names. To be fair, Steven Flores sounds a lot better too.”

Marcus cocked his head in amusement. “Kurtis Universe has a nice flow of its own. So, does this mean…”

Greg rolled his eyes as he offered the crook of his left arm to Marcus. “You know what, let’s do it! If nothing else, it’ll take the edge off.”

Besides, Andy warranted payback for that immigrant jab.

XXX

About an hour and a half later…

“OK,” Steven reported from atop Kurtis’ shoulders as he checked the older boy’s phone for the list, “all that’s left are the cranberries and bread rolls and we should be done!”

Kurtis nodded as he pushed the grocery cart through the frozen food aisle, thankful he had his jacket on. Per Uma and Amber’s advice, the boys had merged the first and seconds lists into one big one so that everything could be sorted out at once. Plus, once she’d been caught up, the elderly woman elected to join in on the dinner with Andy, wishing to contribute a few dishes of her own.

Amber chose to stay behind at the flower shop to assist Uma with closing shop and escorting the matriarch to the barn. Via bear-badger form naturally, although Amber assured the boys that she would return to doggy version to avoid giving Andy a heart attack.

At present, Steven bit his bottom lip, mulling over something. “Hey Kurtis? Can I ask you something?”

An affirmative grunt met his question.

Steven tapped a light rhythm against Kurtis’ scalp. “Is it bad that I’m kinda nervous about you guys getting to know Uncle Andy?”

Kurtis side-eyed the smaller boy, smirking. “Worried we’ll embarrass you?”

From his position, Steven couldn’t see the older boy’s expression and so assumed that his own question came off wrong. “Wha—NO! Um…kinda—but not by you guys! I know Uncle Andy sees you all in a really mean light, and that I pretty much pushed you guys into doing this for him. I’m sorry.”

 “Be real.” Kurtis gently swerved around a woman taking her time picking out fishsticks. “You only said DeMayo’s a better name than Universe to placate the man, didn’t you?”

A light blush dusted Steven’s cheeks. “Sort of. I still think it’s a nice last name, but Universe belongs to me and my dad.” He had no intention of cutting off that link to him. “I’m not getting rid of that. It’s just…Gems don’t do families – or at least Garnet and the others didn’t before they had me, and I don’t know anyone from Dad’s side of the family.”

His human side of the family.

As a Gem-human hybrid, Steven could not help but do mental gymnastics between excitement and confusion. What about those people would convince his dad that letting his son near them would end only badly? Didn’t Steven have a right to at least give the family members he could meet the benefit of the doubt?

“Dad and Uncle Andy haven’t seen each other in years, way before he even met Mom.” And nobody was getting younger. “For all I know, I might never get a chance like this again. Does that sound desperate?”

Most definitely, but Kurtis knew better than to make the boy feel guilty for wanting something that’s been kept out of his reach for so long. “It sounds like you really need this whole thing to work out.”

Steven twiddled a strand of Kurtis’ dark hair, hesitant to confirm that observation for fear of seeming selfish although he had a strong hunch Kurtis saw right through him regardless.

“He didn’t call the police on us,” the older boy observed. Now that would have gotten ugly, although the fact that man straight out thought he could physically oust them all out himself spoke volumes of his lack of sense.

Steven bit his bottom lip again, now feeling his stomach sink even deeper. For all his optimism, the boy held no ignorance of the more unsavory ways Andy could have responded. What’s more, that confrontation brought to mind the ones he and the others had experienced with Peridot before her outburst at Yellow Diamond.

So many hurt feelings and misunderstandings, compounded by stubbornness on both sides.

Yet look at Peri now. The thought of how far his friend had come revitalized Steven’s determination. He leaned forward on Kurt’s head. “We’ll change his mind, I know we will, and if we can’t…” he paused. His face became resolute with a twinge of sadness. “Then Dad and I’ll make sure none of you ever have to put up with him again.”

Kurtis paused four-fifths through the frozen section, mild surprise on his face before a touched smile replaced it. He patted his passenger’s smaller hand. “Hey, Steven? You’re a good kid.”

A grateful grin graced Steven at hearing this. Why did such assurances feel rarer lately?

Before he could give a relieved thanks, a sudden stop and clang to the cart broke the two young men out of their moment. More so did the following shout.

“WATCH IT!”

Kurtis cussed under his breath for not paying attention, having run into someone else. Steven, shaken from the impact, beat him to the apology, eyes closed in panic.

“Are you OK?! We’re really, really sorry! I swear we didn’t mean to bump into—” A hand on his sandalled foot halted him, drawing his attention to Kurtis. In doing so, he noticed that they bumped into a familiar girl in black. “You,” he gasped. “You’re the girl Kurtis, Ronaldo, and Amber were talking to back at the concert!”

Said girl narrowed her eyes. “And you’re the chatty little kid their friends were hanging around for some reason.”

Steven puffed his cheeks like an offended hamster. Sometimes he hated how young his appearance could make him seem.

“He’s fourteen for the record,” Kurtis calmly retorted, a response that brought an appreciative smile to Steven. The older boy leaned an elbow on the cart handle. “Something you would have known had you and your friends spared time to meet him, Alice.”

Alice rolled her eyes as she pushed her cart around Kurtis’s on route to one of the cabinets. Clearly, she was in no mood to socialize.

Too bad she was dealing with a certain protagonist.

“My name’s Steven by the way.” True to form, the young hybrid stuck a pudgy hand out. Alice eyed the hand in skeptic bemusement before tentatively accepting it with her free hand for a quick second. Once she returned to her business, Steven craned his neck to get a good peek at the copious food in the older girl’s cart. “Are you and your family having a big dinner too?”

Call Kurtis too analytical but he could have sworn he caught a twinge of hurt flash across the girl’s face before it vanished beneath stoicism, never mind how her grip on the door’s handle tightened.

Alice shrugged. “I have a roommate who can put away more food than someone his size should be able to.” As if to prove her point, she pulled out and held up two boxes of beer-battered chicken.

“You mean Roberto, right?” When the girl stared up at him in the middle of adding the boxes to her groceries, Steven smiled. “Kurtis and the others told me about you guys. You three seem like a lot of fun!”

At first, silence. Then Alice let out a terse though not unkind huff. “Spend five minutes handling Robby’s manic self and Lan’s nerd-outs, then we’ll see how much fun you’re having.”

At his current angle, Steven swore he caught one corner of her lips twitch up. He considered that a win.

“How’s that sculpture coming along by the way?” Kurtis spoke up.

“Decently enough. At my current rate, it should be done sometime this month.”

“You do sculptures?” Steven asked. “I have some friends who do stuff like that! I could introduce you so you guys can swap ideas!”

Alice gave Steven a glimpse that Kurtis would call hesitant – and perhaps a touch regretful? “I’ll mull it over.”

And as quickly as she had popped up, she took back her hand from the handle and left, cart wheels’ squeaking fading into the distance.

Steven could only blink in innocent wonder. That girl reminded him heavily of Lapis. “She seems nice.”

Yeah, a regular ice queen, Kurtis mused with an amused smirk. “She’ll warm up to you soon or later.”

Of that, Steven had no doubt, his smile an attestation to his confidence in it. He rechecked the phone. “Anyway, where were we, again? Oh right, the canned cranberries!” The younger boy stuck a finger towards the next aisle. “Onward!”

Kurtis pushed forward on the cart to amble down the aisleway, cart and all, content to let his friend make an adventure out of this mundane trip.

Behind them, a worker came in to restock, only to notice and peer at something off about the handle.

How did ice get on the outside?

XXX

The sight of an angry red-in-the-face Andy marching past greeted the boys when they returned to the barn. Not good.

Amethyst, Garnet, and Lapis joined their side at that moment while Marcus and Greg brought up the rear, everyone all various degrees of baffled and worried. When Kurtis and Steven tossed the adults a confused look, Amethyst held her hands up before any questions could fly.

“Hey, we’re as much as in the dark as you guys. The dude started throwing a fit outta nowhere!”

Andy swiveled around at the purple Gem’s flippant response, somehow even redder now. “Fit? FIT?!” He jabbed a finger at the propellor-based oven over in the distance that Kurtis and Steven only now noticed. “You damn hippies butchered my parents' plane and made-made...WHATEVER THIS THING IS!”

“An oven cooktop combo actually,” Pearl corrected in a matter-of-fact tone over the sound of sizzling.

Amber, in between Uma and Lapis and out of Andy’s line of sight, facepalmed. Maybe leaving the other Gems with Andy hadn’t been the best idea.

“It's TERRIBLE!” Andy continued to rant. “That was the heart of the legendary wings of the ‘Daring DeMayos’. I learned to FLY on that plane!”

“No one was even—” Lapis cut off at the feel of Uma tugging sharply at the blue Gem’s dress. When she shot the elder a miffed gaze, Uma shook her head to urge the Gem to hold her tongue for now.

Marcus held his hands up. “OK, OK, let’s settle down,” he coaxed, “I’m sure they didn’t recognize how much it meant to you. It’s cool.”

“IT AIN’T COOL, YOU TREEHUGGER!” Andy missed the way Kurtis’ eyes narrowed at him like a sniper rifle, Marcus’ son clearly not tolerating his father being addressed in such a manner. Only Greg’s hand on his shoulder prevented Kurtis from possibly getting physical. “You people think everything just belongs to you, cause nothing belongs to anybody, and you take it, and—” At this point, Andy gripped his head, appearing ready to burst.

Greg furrowed his brow in worry, starting to approach. “Andy?”

Andy held up a hand as he backed away from his cousin’s attempts to comfort him, pinching his own eyes with the other. “Ah! I need a moment. I just can’t look at this right now.”

When his cousin started to stomp away, Greg gave chase. “Wait, Mark’s right! They didn’t know!”

Steven slumped. “This is going down in flames.”

Pearl placed a comforting hand on the boy’s shoulder, adopting what she hoped constituted an assuring smile. “Now Steven, I’m sure Greg will turn this around.”

The resounding argument between the two men proved her otherwise.

Well, this simply won’t do, Uma mused while tapping her chin in critical thought. “It seems we’ll need to up the ante, won’t we?”

Steven made a fist and palmed it into the other, determination returning. “You’re right! We need the ultimate party to fix this! The best of all parties combined!”

Pearl crossed her arms. “Then I suppose it’s our turn for a trip.” She looked to the golden dog. “Care to join us?”

Amber flitted her eyes to where Greg was currently trying (and failing) to help his family member cool down, and then shook her head at Pearl. The yellow Gem felt she’d be needed here more. Besides, the molehog trusted her fellow Gems enough to sensibly puzzle out what to collect for a simple party.

A few minutes later all the Gems sans Amber loaded Greg’s van and drove off, waving goodbye to the others. By then, Greg had semi-succeeded in getting his cousin to recover enough to join his fellow humans, although Andy still kept his distance from everyone besides Steven, who’s best efforts to get him to interact with the others met resignation at best.

That is until Uma worked her grandma magic, sweetly asking Andy for helping with various tasks. Between her and Steven, the pilot never stood a chance. The three plus Kurtis were now currently in the process of peeling the vegetables, Marcus and Greg cooking the meat over on the oven while Amber lay curled in the shade of a nearby tree, watching from afar.

Greg eyed the food on the table. “You guys sure you don’t need any help? I can switch with you, if ya like, Uma.”

Uma casually waved off the offer. “Oh, I think we’re fine for now.”

“Yeah,” Steven added in a confident tone, “we’ve got this.” He then noticed how his uncle was handling one of the potatoes and awed. “Wow, one peel!”

Uma cocked her head, likewise impressed. “My, my, quite the skill you have!”

The double-sided accolade inspired a mellow half-smile out of Andy. “Thanks. Aunt Deb and I usually got put on kitchen duty when the family got together. I peeled a lot of potatoes back in my day.”

Hearing the name of someone he hadn’t seen in sometime opted Greg to ask on her current well-being, but a sound nudge and sharp headshake from Marcus advised against it. Call him presumptuous but Marcus had a feeling Andy might not respond well to Greg inquiring about the rest of his family after decades of not being in touch with them.

Fortunately, Greg caught on and opted to keep the question to himself, although not without a sad sigh. Fortunately, Andy was too preoccupied with everyone else to notice.

“Make sure not ta throw the peels away,” Marcus called out, “we can work them into one of the dishes. Plenty of nutrients!”

Andy huffed, still gruff but a little more good-natured than he’d been towards the man so far. “Ya sound like Deb. She never stopped finding ways to get use outta even the scraps.”

This aunt sounded practical, a quality that Kurtis could respect. “Waste not, want not,” he coolly commented, coming up with one peel himself. A gentle elbow to the side brought his attention to a smirking Andy.

“Looks like I ain’t the only one who knows his stuff.”

Kurtis blinked in mild surprise at first at the praise but merely nodded back with a grunt. Maybe this guy wasn’t a complete jerk after all. Still, it would take a lot for this man to get on Kurtis’ good side, especially after the way he yelled at Marcus.

To his credit, Andy read the room and managed a humbler smile. “No really, I’ve been seein’ how you handle the food there. You could teach your future dad a thing or two, I bet.”

Blink, blink from Kurtis.

Blink, blink from Steven.

Both boys cast baffled stares on the man. What did Uncle Andy mean by that? Amber, too, raised her head upon hearing this supposed development.

Seeing the confusion on the younger men's faces wiped the smirk off Andy’s face and as expected set him off once he put two and two together. He rounded on Greg and Marcus, scowling. Did neither of these bozos tell their sons?!

Marcus proved quick to smooth the tension over with a (far too in Kurtis’ opinion) lighthearted laugh. “Ah well I guess we couldn’t be discreet about this forever!”

He put down the cutting knife, turned, and beckoned Steven and Kurtis closer with a hand. The boys shared a look of confusion before complying and neared until Marcus could put an arm around each boy’s shoulders. “Boys, we didn’t tell ya this right away cuz we weren’t sure how to break the news but…Greg and I are in love.”

Again, Kurtis and Steven could only blink in utter bafflement, brains processing what they’d just been told. Once they registered Marcus’ words, questions on top of questions piled up to the point that neither of them had the faintest idea where to start.

“I’m so…happy for you guys?” Steven managed to squeak out with a forced smile, then uttering under his breath and averting his eyes, “And really lost.”

Seriously, if this had been a thing, why was Steven only learning about this now? Usually, romantic stuff was top priority on his radar, unless the friendly way his dad and Kurtis’s had been interacting lately had been leading to other stuff between them. In any case, the young hybrid couldn’t shake away the feeling that something about this 'news' felt off.

At that moment, Marcus released the boys and clapped his hands. “Let’s chalk it up as another reason to celebrate, shall we?” He turned to Steven. “You mind lending a hand over at the stove? Ya’ll look about done with those veggies.”

Indeed, Andy had finished the last potato and vegetable overall while Marcus had been dropping his ‘bombshell’.

“O-Oh, course!” Steven whipped out his pink shield, a sight that sent his uncle aback, and gathered all the veggies into it before carrying the load over to the oven to use as a makeshift pot. Even as he did, though, he still spared a suspicious glance at his dad and Marcus, not entirely certain he approved of whatever the two men were up to.

Kurtis did similar as he gathered up the cutting utensil to get them washed, although he only eyerolled. If anything, dinner would prove quite entertaining at the least.

Andy rubbed his nape. “Heh, that’s one way to do it, I guess.” He glanced at the makeshift oven. “Ya know, maybe these old plane parts are seeing good use after all.”

“That’s the magic of recycling, brother!” Marcus quipped. “The possibilities are almost endless when you practice reusability!”

“Plus, you’ve got a new plane anyway!” Greg piped up.

“A darn good one, too!" Andy agreed in pride. "Been all over the world in that thing!”

Steven’s eyes sparkled in response as he peered around the oven, disapproval forgotten. “All over the world?”

Hearing that perked Amber’s interest. A fellow globetrotter? The very thought made the Gem consider revealing her real self although she had no way of knowing for sure how Andy would respond to the concept of a Corrupted Gem. The man seemed to be barely adjusting to the idea of Gems in general. How long had it been since she last swapped tales with a fellow traveler?

So lost in thought, she tuned out of the rest of the conversation by accident to the point that she started when she looked up and caught the sudden somber change in Andy’s demeanor, a change the other humans noticed too judging by the varying miens of concern.

Before anyone could ask, the familiar sound of the Universe van drew near, signaling the other Gems’ return.

One look and Amber couldn’t decide whether to bury her head in the dirt or let her sides split from laughter, floored by her second bad call today. That merry band of idiots she called friends seriously gathered up mementos for every aspect of the human life cycle, gravestones included. Something about Lapis being the one to carry the markers felt oddly appropriate though.

Oh, but the kicker had to be Pearl proposing to ‘all marry each other’. Even Kurtis couldn’t resist snorting at that line.

On the bright side, Andy took all these shenanigans in stride much to everyone’s surprise, even going as far as to laugh about the whole ordeal. Seems all that time around everyone wore down his walls after all. That in turn made dinner go more smoothly than anyone, let alone Andy himself, anticipated.

Didn’t stop some awkward moments from cropping up. For instance, right at the start of dinner once all the food had been readied and set on the table. Andy eyed one of the dishes, drawn in by the smell.

“Hey, that smells pretty good.” He pointed a fork at a huge plate full of poached chicken coated in glistening brown sauce and topped by egg slices and black olives. “What is that stuff?”

“Aji de gallina,” Marcus responded. “Creamy chicken. Goes great with a side of white rice! Also had Uma bring in some of my white wine to counter the sweetness.” When Andy shot him an alarmed look, Marcus rolled his eyes. “Don’t worry, Steven’s getting white grape juice – but the kind I make myself, not of that cheap commercial junk.”

Andy balked at Marcus in surprise. “Didn’t you say you sell flowers?”

“That’s the main schtick of our family business. Our little greenhouse in the back also has a little section dedicated to produce.” Marcus made a point of flicking the lapels of his dress-shirt with his thumbs in delight. “My pride and joy…after mis cachorros of course.”

Andy could only assume that last bit was referring to Kurtis and Steven, judging by the boys’ blushes. He’s met plenty proud parents to recognize that tone and smile. “Heh, I’ll bet.” Out of his peripherals, the pilot noticed a plate full of balls covered in white. He fork-pointed at one of them next. “This is another, uh, Peruvian dish, right?”

“Indian, actually,” Uma corrected. “Coconut ladoo. Steven’s friend, Connie, taught me the recipe a while back, and I’ve been dying to make some. I sincerely hope it came out well.”

As expected, Andy blanched more than his complexion suggested he could. He stretched the collar of his shirt with a finger and chuckled anxiously. “Oh, my bad. This Connie’s about Steven’s age, right? If she could teach someone how to make this, she must be pretty smart then.”

“Connie’s super smart!” Steven chipped in, eager to talk about his best friend. He swiveled in his seat to face Andy with starry eyes. “And she knows so many cool things! You’ve gotta meet her someday!”

Pearl perked at the mention of her prime pupil. “She’s quite a quick learner as well! One of the most I’ve had the pleasure of teaching in fact!”

Andy twisted his face in confusion at the lean rock. “Wait a sec…you homeschool someone else’s kid too?” The Gems and other adults had explained to him the educational setup they had going on for Steven while the boys had been out, including the science lesson he had inadvertently disrupted, but hadn’t mentioned any other students.

Pearl stared back in likewise sentiment for a moment but then laughed once she realized the mix-up, waving her hand. “Oh no, no, that’s only for Steven! On the contrary, I’ve been teaching her the art of sword-fighting upon her request.”

A girl wanting to learn how to wield a sword: Andy wasn’t sure what to say to that. Scratch that, he would have known some things he could say, but after spending time with these people, he couldn’t bring himself to even be passive aggressive anymore. Besides, he could tell his nephew thought the world of this girl, so instead he uttered under his breath, “I sure hope she let her folks in on this.”

When tense quiet settled over the table, Andy realized he may or may not have hit a sore spot anyway and flushed accordingly. “That…was a bad thing to bring up, wasn’t it? Sorry.”

“Eh, she and her ‘rents had a little personal family drama we’d rather not get into.” Amethyst took a more meditative swig of her oil can before waving a dismissive yet assuring hand. “But it’s all cool now.”

“You oughta meet her folks, too,” Greg added to steer the conversation back to less fraught territory. “A little stern but they’re good well-meaning people.”

Well-meaning. Yeah, Andy could understand well-meaning people, so long as he allowed himself to accept and respect their background like he’s learning to do here. The mere thought invoked a big smile out of Andy. “Ya know what? Since we’re throwin’ tradition out the window, how’s about we skip straight ta dessert?”

To prove he meant business, Andy cut up a slice of cake and politely handed the first plate of it to Steven, who graciously accepted it with a thank you.

From there the young man politely handed it to Peridot, who politely handed it to Lapis, who politely handed it to Pearl, then to Amethyst, then to Garnet who handed it to ‘Sparky’, who took the offered plate in her mouth and proceeded to chow down, frosting getting all over her face in seconds.

“Gems don’t really eat. Well except for Amethyst,” Steven explained at Andy’s blank stare. He noticed his uncle’s eyes stare linger on the little yellow dog next to Kurtis. “And Sparky’s a little…different from other dogs.”

“Oh yeah, almost forgot!” Amethyst cut in, before thumbing over her shoulder at the oven. “Hey Sparky, want some cooking oil I haven’t drank yet? Last one!” As if on cue, the purple Gem belched out a burst of fire.

The yellow dog angled her furry head and then waved off the offer, an action Andy found oddly human, before going back to eat like a regular canine.

Amethyst shrugged, looking oddly pleased as though she pulled off a perfect punchline. “Eh, suit yerself!”

“More cooking oil,” Pearl chirped with a hearty thump of one fist into her other hand, “I knew we were forgetting something!”

“And a shopping cart!” Peridot threw in. “We could have added that next to the truck!”

Kurtis furrowed his brows at the former technician in between filling his plate. “That’s stealing,” he drily stated. “Also, the local landfill has plenty metal.”

“None of which is fresh!” the green rock snipped back, “Lapis and I have far too high standards to rummage around in mere garbage!”

Lapis shared a quick glance with Amber, the doggy rock giving a terse shake of the head, to which the water Gem nodded back. Best not to counterpoint that the meep-morps literally consisted of discarded material and let Peridot have her moment.

Greg looked to Kurtis, unsure whether to disapprove and a little surprised the younger man would suggest it in the first place. “Wouldn’t that still count as stealing?”

Lapis sported a skeptic face and crossed her arms, leaning forward on the table. “Why? If it’s thrown out, then there’s no one left to care about what happens to it. Well, except the person taking it. Isn’t that the whole point of that recycling thing humans like to go on about?”

“Not like the police around these parts bother when it comes to petty crimes anyway,” Uma commented as she sliced up a piece of turkey. “Hmph, if my daughter were still around, she would have whipped such layabouts into shape!”

Andy perked as he passed down the pot full of cranberry sauce to Marcus. “She was a police officer, eh? Musta been one tough nut!”

“Well, you have to be for such a dangerous occupation, especially if you’re a woman of color. My Lydia always had a strong sense of justice, right to the very end.” A brief melancholy came across the old woman’s face before she regained her sunny wistful demeanor. “It runs in the family after all! I could tell you all about the times Kurtis got in trouble in elementary school for tackling bullies twice his size!”

Kurtis hunched his shoulders, face pinched in embarrassment. Did his grandma have to bring those incidents up?

In a stroke of both fortune and irony, Peridot drew attention back to herself. “How does that differ from what we’ve done for the Earth?! The only difference is that Homeworld has way more advanced battle tactics!”

Garnet shrugged. “Different methods, same basic principle.”

“Albeit on a much grander scale!” Pearl added.

Greg leaned sideways towards Marcus, uttering into his ear, “That’s a pretty big playground then, am I right?”

“In that case, the Himalayas make for the perfect jungle gym,” Marcus joked back, gently nudging the other man’s ribs. “Plenty of sandboxes too if you know what I mean.”

“Oh, oh!” Steven, who overheard, stuck a hand up into the air and waved it vigorously. “Can the jungles be the swing sets and the hills slides?”

Garnet smiled at her boy’s silliness. “Only if the caves and caverns get to be tunnels.”

“Wait, what would that make the oceans?” Lapis brought up, confused by the comparisons yet curious.

Amethyst set both hands behind her head and leaned back in her seat. “How about them roads outside the playgrounds? Oh wait, why not make ‘em the schools? Cuz ya know…,” she trailed off purposefully. Steven snorted at the implicit pun.

Pearl hummed with one hand on her chin, semi-seriously contemplating Amethyst’s suggestion. “Both do have plenty of activity that take place interrelated with yet separate from the areas of interest. Not to mention both in a sense have plenty of fields yet to be explored.”

Uma chuckled. “Just make sure to respect the equipment! The forces of nature make for formidable monitors.”

Lapis snorted, thumbing at herself. “I should know. I’m one of them!”

Even Kurtis couldn’t resist laughing alongside the others at that one, shoulders trembling as he palmed his face to hide a mirthful smile.

As more playground jokes dominated the air, Greg took in all the smiles and laughter and beamed. This, this was how a family gathering should be. The man wrapped an arm around his son, feeling so proud right now. “Putting this meal together was a great idea, Steven. Thank you.”

Steven returned the hug in equal gratitude. “Everyone deserves a thank you!” He looked to the maroon fusion. “Garnet’s the one who gathered up the vegetables!”

Garnet in turn looked to Lapis and Peridot. “There wouldn’t have been any to pick if not for these two growing them in the first place.”

The green Gem took the next turn. “Well, Pearl deserves thanks for driving us to the store!”

Lapis elbowed her barnmate. “Don’t forget Kurtis and Steven! They were the ones who bought everything else! Remember?”

“Only after Uma and a good friend of ours helped us figure out what to get,” Kurtis added. He received a thankful pat on one arm from his grandmother and affectionate nuzzle in the other from Amber.

“Let’s not forget everyone who helped pitched in with preparing the food!” Pearl added.

“And disposin’ of the leftover stuff!” Amethyst agreed before letting off a burp that smelled suspiciously like onion skins. Peridot rightfully wrinkled her nose and waved off the offending smell, albeit with a fond half-smile she barely tried to hide.

Andy gave a slightly off chuckle, once again thrown by how Steven’s mom-aunts-whatevers marched to the beat of their own drums. Hell, about everyone at this table seemed to have their own rhythm, as if they had their lives all figured out.

Pearl splayed her hands in a hearty manner. “Well then, I think that’s everyone!”

“Wait!” Steven cried out as he shot up in his seat. “What about Uncle Andy?!”

Andy put a hand on his nephew’s shoulder, managing a weak smile. “Eh, it’s fine. I pitched in with cutting up the food, ‘member?”

“Precisely!” Peridot agreed before holding up her plate high in the air. “That leaves only one human milestone left! Cheers!”

“Cheers!” everyone returned, raising their plates as well.

Everyone except Andy, who couldn’t bring himself to follow suit. He only stared down at his piece of cake, a tiny groom standing alone atop the frosting. A rueful frown took shape.

Steven did not take long to notice. “Uncle Andy?”

Nor did Andy take long to stand up and leave, much to everyone’s concern, plainly stating to the Gems that the barn belonged to them now and leaving things at that.

Too bad (and lucky) for him Steven wasn’t the type to simply leave things at anything. One flight later courtesy of Lapis followed by an emotionally charged confrontation Universe-style, his nephew succeeded in convincing him to circle back to the barn.

Plenty of time for a certain conversation – or rather lots of certain conversations - to be had.

Once the plane touched down on the grass and the pair exited, they were greeted by the sight of Greg, the Flores, and the Gems waiting in a loose nervous circle in front of the barn. Greg was the first to notice his cousin’s return and ran up to him.

“Andy!” He stopped within arms’ reach of the other man, half-ready for another refusal of physical contact. “You OK?”

Color him surprised when Andy tackled him in a fierce bear-hug. That sufficed for an answer.

When Andy stepped back, he averted eye contact while rubbing the back of his balding head in shame. “Um, sorry about bailing out of dinner like that, guys.”

Uma chose that moment to approach, hands behind her back. “Oh sweetie, of course we forgive you,” she cooed with a smile before gesturing the taller man to bend down to her level. Once he did, she beaned him in the forehead with one of the wooden ladles used for the salad, “now that is.”

Despite the sharp pain, Andy managed a sheepish chuckle even as he rubbed the affected spot. Yeah, he definitely deserved that one.

“We’re just happy your leave wasn’t permanent!” Pearl chirped, hands together. Man, this lady gestured with her hands a lot.

“Especially after we put so much work into that dinner,” Peridot grumbled under her breath, eyes angled to the side and arms crossed. She earned a double elbow in the ribs from Amethyst and Lapis.

“Ya know,” Andy continued as he took a step towards the group and observed the abandoned dinner, “there’s still plenty to go around. I didn’t even try some of those grape dumplings Uma brought yet.”

The elderly woman smiled at one of her native dishes being acknowledged, let alone being shown interest.

“Eh, it’s all cool, ¡hermano!” Marcus cheered while he wheeled towards Andy and gave the thickset man a big hug, one where the pilot surprised him by returning it.

“Thanks, buddy and…sorry for giving you and Greg grief. I really hope you two goofballs are happy together.”

Ah, the perfect moment for Marcus and Greg to not only blush but also catch the urging ‘tell the truth’ frowns from their sons, even empathetic nods from some of the Gems.

Greg cleared his throat. “About that. Marcus and I aren’t really dating…or engaged or anything. We’re just really good friends, and we wanted to get back at you for all the stuff you were saying about everyone.”

“Particularly the immigrant jab,” Marcus added as he disengaged from his hug, looking serious for a moment. At least until he spared a glance at Greg. “Not that I don’t find your cousin handsome or anything—”

Really? Steven set his hands akimbo. “Marcus.”

A series of astonished chuckles from Andy stopped him, the older man waving a placating hand at his nephew. “Nah, nah, Steven! They got me good with that one. Plus, you gotta admit I had it comin’!” In fact, he adopted a conscientious frown and took off his aviator’s cap in respect. “I’m really sorry about all the stuff I said, everyone, especially when I showed up. That was…definitely not cool. Sorry for being a handful, guys.”

All the Gems shared a long look before exploding into laughter. Even Amber hid a humored smirk beneath her fur.

“A handful?!” Peridot cackled. “Please, you should’ve seen me when I first arrived on Earth! No, no, no! When the others had me trapped in Steven’s bathroom! I was a complete menace!”

Amethyst doubled over, snorting at the memories. Oh ‘menace’ was putting it lightly.

“Hey at least you didn’t steal the oceans and disrupt climates and ecosystems all over the world,” Lapis jokingly shot back…only to blush indigo. She put a hand to her nape, sheepish now. “Still working on fixing that one.”

Pearl took the reins of the conversation. “What we’re trying to say is, everyone’s a work in progress! What matters is that we all acknowledge where we need to improve and take responsibility of ourselves to do better!”

“Nicely said,” Garnet agreed, setting a hand on her friend’s shoulder with an agreeing nod.

Greg emulated the nod in full gusto. “Then let’s start this dinner back up!” He flung a wink over to his cousin. “So long as you don’t mind a little more time with our ‘coven’ of course.”

Andy smirked before giving the smart aleck a playful punch to the shoulder. Hey, he got in this deep with this colorful cast. Why back out now?

XXX

“Are you certain, Yellow?”

“Blue, look at these screens! How can I be anything other than certain?”

Blue Diamond cupped her elbow in one hand and her chin in the other, perplexed. She and Yellow Diamond were standing within the atrium of the golden matriarch’s office before a set of massive screens outlining various data. “I don’t understand how they’re managing to gain ground on us like this, let alone recently.”

“The how does not matter!” Yellow snapped. “The mere fact this is happening at all should be concern enough!”

With a sharp turn of her heels, the golden monarch set her hands behind and regarded the readings in deepest disdain. “Doesn’t help that the Cluster still has yet to have emerged from that backwater planet.” Never mind the fact that the Ruby Squadron she sent there returned with the most transparent excuse she’d ever heard.

‘Lost in the crash landing’, her facet. Yellow Diamond had dealt with Pink’s Jasper for far too long to not recognize her vengeful fixation with Rose Quartz – and the sad part: she couldn’t even fully blame that Quartz for wishing to stay behind. Stars, she could even relate. But Yellow knew better than to give into sentiment unlike these lesser Gems. Homeworld needed her and the other Diamonds to know better.

Unfortunately, with everything else going on and resources already stretched thin, there would have to be some reordering of priorities.

The golden matriarch stroked a hand against her chin, pondering for a few moments. “Blue, are you planning any trips to Pink’s palanquin anytime soon?”

Blue shot her fellow Diamond a gaze full of wonder. “Why yes, Yellow. In fact, I was originally intending to do so after the next series of meetings with my Court. Are you suggesting I hold off on that for now?”

“On the contrary, I believe it may be conducive to send protection – or better yet extra eyes.” Reaching forward, she pressed a button on the armrest of her throne-like chair. "Pearl.”

The squawking voice of her assistant responded with flawless promptness. “Yes, My Diamond?”

“Are any Benitoite squadrons currently available?”

Various bleeps sounded. “As a matter of fact, Your Radiance, one has just returned from a mission. Shall I send them to meet you at your current coordinates?”

Yellow Diamond nodded. “At once.” Then she unpressed the button and ended the call.

Blue Diamond’s surprised and slightly concerned voice returned the matriarch’s attention to her azure counterpart. “Benitoites?  Yellow, what exactly are you expecting me to run into on that planet?”

“Hopefully, whatever caused that one Peridot to turn traitor. For the most part, however, I want to figure out what’s keeping the Cluster.” With luck, perhaps this course of action could reveal a connection between the two. “Homeworld’s under enough stress dealing with them. The last thing we need is any unexpected surprises.”

Not that Blue couldn’t understand her fellow Diamond’s concerns; she only struggled to see what dangers Yellow expected, unless – Blue bit back a grimace. No, she’d rather not entertain any thoughts of them still being alive. Instead, she set a gentle hand onto Yellow’s shoulder. “Are you sure you aren’t being a bit hasty, Yellow?”

“Blue,” Yellow sighed in a slightly softer tone while setting her own hand atop Blue’s and fixing her with a compassionate frown, “you know as well as I do how imperative speed is when dealing with enemies like these. We can’t afford to lose any more than we already have.”

Blue returned her gaze to the screens, eyes heavy from questions plaguing her. One in particular.

Would it not be too late then to gather one last piece of Pink’s legacy?

Notes:

Sorry about taking so long. This chapter was surprisingly tough to write. On the bright side, ya'll can consider this a belated New Years gift. <3

Chapter 31: 24/7 Mom - Part 1

Notes:

Takes place throughout “The Zoo” arc and during “The New Crystal Gems”; a week after “Three Gems and a Baby”; a week and three days after “Gem Harvest”

Another slow day.

No problem, Amber never minded slow days. Relaxation had its own significance.

Besides, she’d already crossed off all work from college off her list, and the flower shop wasn’t seeing much action today either. Unlike Uma and Marcus who were content to stay at home, however, the aureate rock felt cooped up. Maybe she could go see Greg since today should’ve been a day off for him too. In fact, now would be a good chance for them to get some progress done on their anti-corruption project, which if she remembered right had been a decent size last time she checked.

After leaving a note on the fridge, she wandered off in her dog form for Greg’s van. Once there, she tapped her furry knuckles against the backdoors and hung back to wait. Greg answered without hesitation, bearing his usual smile. “Oh hey, Amber! How’s it hanging?”

Other than the sky, nothing much.  How’s our salvation music looking?

“Innocuous as ever,” Greg rubbed the back of his head. “Feels like we’re just building one big playlist at one point. Sorry, I only got as far as adding a couple more inspiring-sounding songs to it the other day.”

Amber shook her head and gave her human friend an assuring smile. It’s still progress. Besides, it’s not like Steven and the others are keeping us on a strict schedule. In fact, it seems like they’ve been putting this on the backburner.

Now that she said it aloud, Amber couldn’t help but fixate on the lack check-ups. Not that the golden rock couldn’t understand why since she was the closest anyone had to a real expert. Still, she couldn’t help but feel as though the group were being a little too lackadaisical about fixing the Corruption. Even Steven had stopped bringing it up at some point, let alone Centipeedle.

One would almost think all of them had stopped caring. Given up.

Greg caught on to her downward-spiraling thoughts quick. “Hey there, I’m sure the others still appreciate what we’re doing! And I’m also sure they’ve been wracking their brains thinking up another way to help all those Gems.”

That’s…possible. Amber never initiated conversation on the topic because she figured the others trusted her and Greg enough, so maybe the others had assumed the same of the pair in turn? Either way, the molehog made a mental note to be more forthright concerning this matter. Even if she wasn’t a main member of the Crystal Gems anymore, she made herself part of the fold the moment she made this arrangement with Greg.  

Speaking of whom, she looked up at him in curiosity.

How big is our playlist?

Greg pulled out his new laptop and booted it up. It didn’t take long for him to find the proper Microsoft Work document. He scrolled down and let off a whistle. “I’d say we’re about to 150. Why?”

I think it’s high time we move onto the next phase.

“And that would be…?” the brunet asked in a wary tone, as though he could already see the direction of this conversation.

Testing this on the real deals.

As she expected, Greg didn’t take too long to catch on. The widening of his eyes and paling of his skin said enough.

Don’t worry! We’re doing this under the group’s supervision in case anything goes awry. Which knowing their luck most likely will happen but after the semi-success with Centipeedle, Amber had a good feeling about this plan.

Greg relaxed in turn, relieved to know his friend was enacting her usual sensibility. “When you put it that way, then I guess there’s no reason to back out, huh? I doubt the others have anything on their plate at the moment anyway.”

XXX

Or the others had too much to fit on their plate at once.

Case in point, when the Universe van neared the beach house, voices caught the hearing of its passengers – loud, angry voices. The concern they elicited only furthered once Greg and Amber, after sharing a look, went up the steps and approached the righthand window. Gingerly the golden dog rose up on her tiptoes and peeked over the windowsill, Greg looking over her head.

The centerpiece turned out to be Steven and Garnet having a heated argument in the middle of the living room, the tension in the boy’s shoulders and back palpable even without his face visible. Connie and Amethyst stood behind Steven, Pearl behind Garnet, the slender Gem holding her own hands to her mouth.

“I. DON'T. CARE! I wanna go there NOW!!” he shouted.

“Steven!” Garnet shouted back. The pleading was barely audible beneath her outrage.

“I'm sorry,” Connie amended in a meek tone. “I- I shouldn't have brought the book.”

“Yes, you should've brought it,” Steven retorted in a heated tone without tearing his eyes from Garnet. “It's lucky something has some information that I don't have to GET OUT OF THEM!”

Amber and Greg hurried away from the window the moment they saw Steven turn and stomp towards the door, his face the definition of rage. What the heck just happened in there?

The questions only mounted when Garnet emerged soon after, calling after Steven, moving too fast to even notice the pair’s presence. On the bright side, it made sneaking into the house even easier. Amber had to go into bear-badger form to physically keep Greg from following after his son, though, as the yellow Gem had a feeling his presence would only complicate an already volatile situation.

If anything, some serious context needed clarification first, even if it required walking straight into the tension.

When Amber and her reluctant companion entered, they found Pearl and Amethyst in the middle of a fierce whispering match and Connie leaning against the table with a downcast face and frown, hands clasped before her.

The young girl quickly noticed the new arrivals and managed a halfhearted smile. “O-Oh, hey Amber! Hey Mr. Universe!”

Greg managed an awkward smile and wave back. “Hey kiddo. I take it we walked into something…delicate?”

Connie glanced the front door where her best friend had marched out. “I’d say more like mishandled.”

“Not Steven’s fault if ya ask me,” Amethyst grumbled with crossed arms and an averted face.

“Amethyst!” Pearl chided at a more regular volume seeing as they were no longer the only adults here. “That’s not how Garnet meant it!”

The purple Quartz rolled her eyes. “Really, dude? ‘Please, you’re making Pearl very upset,’” she retorted the latter part in a mock deep copy of Garnet’s voice, hands held up at right angles, “no offense but I’m pretty sure him being upset is way more important!”

Pearl looked as though she might continue the argument, only to surprise everyone when she crossed her arms and put a hand to her face with a tired sigh. “You’re right. This isn’t being fair to him.” If anything, this felt like an encore performance of how they handled his feelings during the mess with Peridot’s robonoids. “But I’m sure he and Garnet will come to an understanding.”

As the slamming door that revealed a still fuming Steven and despondent Garnet attested, no.

“Connie, I need to borrow your book,” the boy asked point-blank.

“O-Okay,” Connie responded in surprise, “just be careful. I need to return it to the library by next week.”

“Thanks.” Steven took the piece of literature from the coffee table and turned to his father next. “Dad, I need to go to Korea! Could we get Uncle Andy to fly us?”

Greg held both his hands out in haste. “Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait! Could someone explain to us what the heck’s going—"

The Warp Pad sounded, cutting the man’s full question off, as did the appearance of a certain cool-hued duo, both bearing perturbed expressions.

Lapis blushed at not only the prominent gathering but the various levels of tension and concern adorning everyone’s faces. “Um, I take it we’re interrupting something?”

Greg blushed back, rubbing his nape. “Join the club. You guys seem to be in the middle of something yourselves. What’s up?”

Peridot cleared her throat. “Well, I was busy calibrating the signaling on our newly upgraded television when my device caught an extremely disturbing transmission. Here.” She held out the tablet on her arm and pressed play.

A lightly staticky voice twinged with an unclear accent followed suit immediately.

Facet O4M, this is Facet O5K. Do you copy?

O5K, this is O4M. Copy.

Have you and O3J reached the Prime Kindergarten Facility yet?

Negative but luckily our scouting pod landed not too far from the main entrance. It shouldn’t be long before we get a status on the Cluster.

Good. Make sure to incapacitate any Gems you come across so we can take them to Blue Diamond later on for questioning. Over.

Acknowledged. Over.

The transmission ended, leaving everyone in stunned, terrified silence.

Steven found his rage and frustration plummeting into sheer horror. This couldn’t be happening, it couldn’t.

“Yo,” Amethyst quipped in a shaken tone, “you can’t be serious?!”

Pearl cradled herself in fearful disbelief, in no emotional state to comment.

“B-But the Cluster’s all bubbled now!” Steven squeaked out. “Whoever these Gems are, it should be safe from them!” He shot a desperate look to Peridot. “Right?”

“Theoretically yes,” the green Gem rushed to answer, seeing Steven’s clear distress, “especially given all those shards are capable of synchronizing now thanks to you!”

Connie cast her eyes on everyone else, wary. “But…what if Homeworld sent these Gems with something that can set the Cluster free?”

None of the Gems, never mind Steven, had a proper answer.

That is until Amber lightly slapped a paw against the tabletop and pulled out her phone. OK, before anyone does anything else, could someone please catch me and Greg up on what you guys were arguing over?

Steven gave a solemn gaze at the book in his hands before sighing. “I’ve been having dreams about this pink palanquin surrounded by flowers. It’s not a nightmare but I always wake up crying from it even though I don’t feel sad.” He lifted his gaze to Amber. “I think it might have something to do with Mom.”

Pink palanquin. Pink. Already Amber could see her own mind connecting the dots, let alone where the boy intended to go about this matter.

“But”— Steven continued with a brief yet very pointed glare at Garnet – “apparently no one else wants to tell me what’s going on and expect me to stop caring about it instead.” A fluffy tap on his shoulder drew the boy’s attention back to Amber, who’d heard enough.

The dog took a deep breath and growled out, “I…can…take…you.”

To say this offer took Steven off guard would be an understatement. He blinked and gaped in surprise, only to smile in gratitude straight after.

Greg, however, cocked his head. “You sure? Not that I’ve got a problem with you tagging along, but you were really set on testing our little project on the other Corrupted Gems.”

Amber shook her head and held her phone back. It’s fine. A big part of it requires Steven anyway, so I see no harm in postponing this for his sake.

The surprise flipped when Steven tackled the golden stone with a hug. “Thanks, Amber. This really means a lot.” He pulled back to give a determined smile. “We’ll come right back the moment we figure out what my dream is about – and then we’re helping all those Gems! I promise!”

This kid. Amber smiled in pride, feeling like she often did with Kurtis. In that case, it looks like we’re splitting up! She turned to the other Gems. The rest of you can tail these Homeworld Gems while I make sure these two have a safe trip.

“Amber, wait!” Garnet cried with one hand raised, only to withdraw it upon catching Amber’s nonchalant expression. Right away, the brawler found herself floundering. “I…I can’t see much of what these Gems are or what they can do. We might need your skills.”

A plausible point, although Amber could plainly see the fusion fishing for excuses at this point. I’m pretty sure between you and the others, my absence won’t make much of a difference. Besides, my form still has those glitch-outs so I’m more likely to be a liability for you. I’ll come in handier on the off-chance Steven and Greg do need to make themselves scarce.

“But—”

It’s not like anyone other than us will be there.

“YES, THERE WILL!”

Heavy silence dominated the room, all eyes now on the crimson fusion – Amber’s in particular. Garnet, in a rare moment, hunched in on herself as though wishing to disappear this moment.

The very sight would usually leave Steven concerned as Garnet rarely if ever got scared like this. After how much she and Pearl had been dancing around the truth, however, all he could care about was the why. He looked down for a moment in thought before redirecting his stare to Amber. “Garnet told me she ‘can’t get near her’. Who did she mean?”

The one person who could scare Garnet. Amber’s dark eyes narrowed at the fusion in turn. Blue Diamond is coming, isn’t she?

Garnet’s sudden stiffen said everything. It hadn’t occurred to the fusion until now that Amber had been fishing for hints.

Steven gawked. Why would Blue Diamond come to Earth? Wouldn’t she still be worried about the Cluster?

Garnet’s next words set the future, however. “You’re. Not. Going.”

Steven turned on her in an instant, teeth almost bared. “Garnet—”

“I meant Amber. If you insist on going, I won’t stop you but I’m not losing any more of my friends to her!”

The next objection came from someone she hadn’t anticipated.

“What about me though?” Greg spoke up. “Not to sound self-centered but you’re worried about Steven going and I can get behind that.” He gestured to Connie and the other Gems. “You’re worried about all the others going and I can understand that too, but you’re not raising any complaints about me going.”

When Garnet cringed, Greg sighed in disappointment. “I thought we were past this. Yeah, I’ve backed away from Gem business plenty times before, but this is really important to Steven. Me being human’s no reason to think I can’t handle this with him. It’s not like I’m going up against Homeworld!”

Connie set her jaw at Mr. Universe’s words. Not because she disagreed but rather because she couldn’t help wondering if this conversation would have been much different if she’d been in his shoes.

Amber narrowed her eyes even further at a sudden realization, one that made her sick to her shapeshifted stomach. Except that’s what you’re banking on, isn’t it? You’re expecting Blue Diamond to be there when Steven and Greg and I find the palanquin.

“Amber…,” Garnet attempted to state in a commanding tone to no avail.

Steven and I have powers; Greg doesn’t. Are you hoping it’ll go wrong, like maybe Greg will get kidnapped so you and the others can fix it without having to face Blue Diamond at all?

No black hole could hope to match the increased heaviness in the room.

The Crystal Gem leader couldn’t find the words to rebuke her friend’s accusation.

“Garnet…,” Steven murmured in shock and disappointment, not sure what else to say to the fusion. A tap on his back drew his attention to a somber Amber, who merely jerked her head to the front door. The boy hesitated with one last look at Garnet before sighing and nodding, ready to start this journey already. They had places to be.

“Wait!” Lapis called out in a tone desperately struggling not to descend into panic, causing the trio to pause and look over at her. “You’re not really going after Blue Diamond, right?”

“Of course not!” Greg assured her in his usual chipper tone, already pulling his phone out so he could call Andy. “We just gotta get to some place she inconveniently happens be at.”

That statement did not do Lapis and her anxiety wonders. Greg realized the same and gulped at his poor choice of words.

Amber turned her eyesight away for a moment and then teleported all the way to Lapis, where she gently took the blue Gem’s slender hands in her claws. Nothing will happen to me, and I won’t let anything happen to Steven and Greg either.

“I only need to get close enough to hear Blue Diamond,” Steven added, “see if she has anything to say about Mom and Pink Diamond. We’ll be in and out before she can even notice us!”

Lapis alternated her uncertain gaze between Steven and Amber for some time until she sighed at last in reluctant complacency. “Just…don’t let her see you, OK?”

Steven dashed up and hugged his Beach Summer Fun Buddy in gratitude. “We’ll be super-duper careful, I promise!”

XXX

Luckily, Andy been doing a personal tour around the East Coast, meaning Steven, Amber (as Sparky), and Greg hadn’t needed to wait long on the beach.

The Warp Pad had gone off not long after the three of them had exited the house. Good, Greg doubted anyone could handle any further awkward looks.

Well, save for Connie who’d come outside immediately after the Gems left, arms crossed and a steamed look similar to Steven’s earlier. Now that he’d had time to cool down, Steven couldn’t help feeling guilty for not asking her to join them earlier, not to mention addressing her so roughly, so lost in his fury at the time. He’d sprinted after her to apologize and offer a spot on the plane.

“It’s fine, Steven. Korea’s a long way from here anyway.” Connie had observed. With all the recent homework piled on top of her, long-distance traveling on a school night would be out of the question. Thank goodness tomorrow was Saturday so she could come back here for surveillance. “Besides, someone needs to keep an eye on the town and temple anyway. That’s why I’m going to ask the Flores and my mom if I can hang around at the flower shop for a while. Speaking of eyes, shouldn’t there be Warp Pads over in Korea?”

Her friend shook his head. “Amber says it’d be safer not to; we don’t know if these Gems from Homeworld can track anyone using those.”

Made sense to Connie, who nodded back. Good to know her best friend had taken her warning to heart. Still, she couldn’t help but worry for the safety of her friend and his travel companions, especially Mr. Universe. “Just don’t charge in, OK? There’s no telling if it’ll only be Blue Diamond there.”

Her warning made Steven avert his eyes with a worried frown. Garnet never said anything about foreseeing those Homeworld Gems coming for the Cluster. What if one of them stayed behind with Blue Diamond as a bodyguard?

The young hybrid shook his head. No, he had no intention of backing down from this, not now that he had a chance for answers. He almost jumped, jolted out of his thoughts, when someone tapped his back, and swirled around to see…no one? A whoosh and shimmer revealed Amber, the yellow dog wagging her tail.

Steven brightened. “I forgot you can turn invisible!”

Connie slapped a hand against her head. Duh, this Gem can manipulate light; why wouldn’t she be able to do this? “Me too! You use it so little around us! Why is that?”

On cue, the girl felt her bag vibrate from her ringing phone, which she pulled out and turned on. Steven joined her side to read alongside her.

I don’t want to startle anyone. Now let me show you something else.

She reached out both forepaws to the children, who shared a look and then each grabbed one. Instantly, a tingle passed over their bodies. Steven and Connie looked down at themselves and then each other to discover the effect now applied to them, only the refractions of their shadows remaining proof of their presence. What’s more, though the effects were evident to them, they could still see one another, albeit only as transparent 3D outlines.

The two wowed in awed unison.

“Uh, guys?” Greg called in concern, startled at seeing the kids and Amber disappear right before his eyes. “You’re all still there, right?”

Amber shut off her powers, returning herself and the kids to sight. Steven shot his father a quick assurance and apology.

Connie chuckled. “Well, that’s all I need to know.” She hiked up the bag strap up her shoulder. “You guys watch each other’s backs.”

Steven gave a smiling nod, feeling more confident of this personal mission’s success. He hugged and waved Connie goodbye before the girl walked off towards the town. Right on time, the whirring of propellors signaled the approach of Andy’s plane, coming into the view from the south.

The reunion had been short and sweet, Andy giving both his cousin and nephew bear hugs. Neither an eye batted nor question asked about Steven’s request either, likely because the pilot considered it wasn’t his place to ask. He only hesitated at the sight of the yellow dog at Greg’s feet.

“Any particular reason you’re bringing Marcus’ dog with you by the way?” he asked, pointing down at the unassuming canine.

Greg and Steven blushed at this obvious detail. Excuse time.

Right way, the hybrid delved into his mind for the story he and his traveling companions had been practicing. “The Flores are busy with…family stuff, so they needed someone to watch Sparky. Don’t worry, they bring her on trips all the time. This is just a little further out than she’s used to.” Steven tried his best not to sweat as he said all this, well remembering how epically he failed to lie to Connie’s mother right before the hospital debacle.

For a moment, Andy only stared. Thankfully, he shrugged off the explanation. “Eh, as long as you got her leash and don’t lose sight of her, I ain’t gonna judge.”

The moment their family member turned his back, Steven and Greg let off silent sighs of relief before following him to the plane alongside Amber, who trailed behind them.

“Your aunts are cool with this, right?” Andy asked as their little group boarded the plane. “Just wanna be sure.”

Steven hunched his shoulders, averting eye contact. “Things got a little tense today. I need a little space from them right now.”

Andy’s face contorted in sympathy. “Yeesh. Sounds rough. But hey if me and your goofball dad could work things out, I don’t see why you guys can’t.”

Steven managed a thankful smile at his uncle’s words of comfort. As much as he didn’t feel ready to forgive Garnet yet, he didn’t fancy staying mad at her forever. In fact, as the plane took off, he had to wonder if he and Amber and Greg had been too hasty in assuming the worst about Garnet’s attitude about this whole Blue Diamond business. Garnet was stoic, not heartless (figuratively speaking).

Hopefully everyone will have cooled down enough by the time they all got back together to talk things out better.

XXX

Garnet had always been a Gem of few words.

Whether out of shyness during her early days of the Rebellion or nowadays out of her need to seem cool and in control, she never saw a point in filling empty space with words she didn’t mean or need. Her teammates did more than enough talking to make the difference.

Nobody was talking this time and she hated it.

Ironic considering that they were supposed to be stealthy right now as they slid down the Prime Kindergarten’s elevator shaft into the Control Room. As of now the group’s plan consisted of sneaking in and staying out of sight to overhear whatever these Homeworld Gems would have to say. Whatever happened next depended on whether or not they could manage to stay covert.

Luckily, this plan had gone without a hitch so far. There were enough risks letting Steven and Amber and Greg do what they were doing, so Garnet tried her best to restrict her future visions to this matter instead.

So far, nothing definite; without a better visual on who Homeworld sent, only the immediate future turned up – and by ‘immediate’ we mean only seconds ahead. Fortunately for Garnet, the team reached the room’s floor before long. Right away, everyone noticed the two Gems –one kneeling and fiddling at the control panel while another stood by with crossed arms—and scattered among the massive cables circulating among the room.

Due to the current darkness as well as them having their backs to the others, no one could get a good look at their appearance.

“Sheesh, at least those rebels got a Peridot on their side,” the Homeworld Gem at the panel murmured in loud annoyance. “Sure as slit saves us half the trouble of fixing this thing.”

“Let’s not question good fortune, O3J,” a similar yet calmer voice answered. “Let’s just focus on getting the Cluster’s status for now.”

“Yeah, yeah. Speaking of the Cluster, how’s the Golden Queen planning on kickstarting that big thing back into action?”

The other Gem shrugged her angular shoulders. “No clue, it’s possible she might send an extraction crew to retrieve it. Like I said, let’s focus on finding out what’s up so we can leave as soon as possible. This place gives me the –”

Her companion jumped and double fist-pumped while giving a triumphant whoop. “Hah! Got it!”

Instantaneously, the pentagonal back of the control room filled with a bright green holographic screen that illuminated everything within reach in an eerie matching glow, including the two Gems who chose then to face each other.

Peridot, hidden next to Amethyst, held back a yelp. The purple Quartz noticed and eyed the technician with concern and then the two interlopers in wonder.

Both Gems seemed between Pearl and Garnet in terms of height yet possessed slightly thicker limbs than the former. Speaking of Pearl, their noses were pointed but nowhere near as long as hers. Their violet-blue skin and irises contrasted well against their short, deep blue punk-style mohawk-undercuts, which sported white streaks that Amethyst couldn’t help comparing to toothpaste. More specifically, the one at the panel’s mohawk flared forward like a rocker’s while the other one’s flowed backwards, tamer and shorter by comparison.

Their sleeveless uniforms were white, marked by thick black linings that ran over the shoulders and collar like Jasper’s only instead they met in a downward triangle sporting the current Diamond Authority symbol. Matching white elbow-length gloves with circuitry at the back hands glimmered in the green dimness, wires meeting into the gloves’ black tips, while matching knee-length boots ended at black soles. The top half of their uniforms flared down from their black belts to their knees like jackets, also marked by thick black at the bottom edges.

The gem of the one closest to the panel could be seen on her right deltoid, a deep blue baguette cut. Amethyst couldn’t make out the location of the other one’s stone.

“Whoa, are you seeing these readings, O4M?!” O3J exclaimed.  Right now, she and her companion were examining a model of the Earth.

“I am. They’re saying the Cluster has already achieved union…but then how is this planet still whole?”

“Maybe it decided not to? It is supposed to comprise of Crystal Gems.”

 “Not by itself according to Yellow Diamond. In fact, if I’m reading this right, the lack of brainwave activity indicates that it’s been bubbled.”

O3J gawked at her teammate. “That big thing?! Wait, wait, wait, does that mean someone messed with it? Humans maybe.”

O4M scoffed at the suggestion. “Yellow Diamond made sure to have this thing planted in a way that none of the native species would stumble across it. Besides, on the off chance any of them did, that would’ve either unleashed a swarm of reanimated Gem shards or, if late enough, a colossal beast on the planet.”

A moment of silence passed before O3J regarded her fellow Gem again. “What about the Spectral? Mosaic?”

Amethyst narrowed her eyes in confusion at the unfamiliar names. Who were they talking about?

The eyeroll O4M gave could not be any louder. “Were you not paying attention during the debriefing? Yellow Diamond explicitly stated that she took deliberate steps to keep those organic trash in the dark about this. It had to have been the Peridot that she warned us about. That twerp was one of the few privileged with knowledge of this project.”

“And the little shrimp just changed her mind all of a sudden and found a way to stop it all by herself?” O3J released a derisive snort. Unbeknownst to her, said little shrimp gritted her teeth nearby, struggling not to leap out and strangle her. “No way.”

“My thoughts exactly. Someone on this planet got to her and managed to sway her loyalties.”

“Well, it couldn’t have been the humans. They’ve got no reason to come near this place.”

“But Gems would. To be more exact…” O4M let that statement trail off, allowing her companion to fill in the rest.

O3J didn’t take long. “HO-LY FRACK!”

O4M proved quick to cover her fellow Benitoite’s mouth for the sake of both her hearing and maintaining secrecy. “Yes. Yellow Diamond’s suspicions were correct.” She cast a withering gaze at the holographic Earth. “The Crystal Gems are still alive.” The blue and white Gem shut down the panel and gestured her companion to follow her towards the exit. “Let’s get back to the ship so we can notify the others.”

As the two Benitoites departed down the pathway, the Crystal Gems remained stock still, not hard considering their shell-shocked mental states.

Only when the Homeworld Gems disappeared up the shaft via what one could only describe as ‘ninja flips’ did the others emerge from hiding.

Peridot got up and proceeded to walk in a circle, voice rising in volume as she gripped her head and hair in an odd mix of distress and fascination. “Benitoites, Benitoites, Benitoites! Of all the Gems for Yellow Diamond to send after us, why Benitoites?! And the Spectral…THE SPECTRAL ARE REAL! All this time I only thought them to be some horror story my coworkers cooked up but holy smokes, the mere implications are—!”

Amethyst threw her hands out. “Whoa Peri, easy there! First off, what’s so special about those guys we just saw?”

Despite not needing to, Pearl took a deep breath to gather her nerves. It barely worked. “Benitoites are a Gem class specialized in reconnaissance and espionage.”

“Wait, Gem spies?” Amethyst awed with wide eyes at the taller Gem, taken for a loop by the concept at first before reality came crashing back. “Well, they didn’t look that tough! We coulda taken them.”

Garnet shook her head. “Benitoites possess technokinesis. We would’ve been outmatched down here.”

“Not to mention they can render themselves invisible on top of that,” Pearl added. The slender Gem cupped her chin in urgent thought before shooting around to face Garnet. “We need to let the others know, especially Steven. There’s no telling where the rest of the squadron are.”

The maroon fusion did not answer at first, too busy looking away as her future vision kicked in to high gear. This time, results came pouring in – and she liked absolutely none of them. Well, almost none of them.

“I may have an idea.” The maroon fusion faced her team. “Everyone, head back to the temple and Lapis without me.”

Pearl shared a brief worried look with Amethyst. “What about you?”

Garnet had already begun walking away. “I’m heading to Korea.”

“Whoa, whoa, hang on!” Amethyst cried out, hands now thrown up, before their leader could go out of earshot. “You didn’t say jack about these Spectral and Mosaic guys yet! Are they gonna be trouble too?”

The fusion paused and, after a moment’s deliberation, sighed and then turned her face halfway to share a consulting look with Pearl. Her lean comrade nodded back right away before regarding the others with a resigned frown.

“Your guess is as good as ours on who the Spectral are. As for Mosaic…perhaps it’d be best if I explained. After all, it was one of the few secrets Rose didn’t keep from me.”

XXX

They arrived sometime near noon.

Andy promised to wait up for them, intent to drink in the sights himself until the others called him up as he had no desire to ‘get caught in all this magical hullabaloo’. Greg could relate.

Based on what Steven managed to get out of Garnet before departure, the sun had been somewhere in the 4:00 position in her vision of Blue Diamond, which left the little group some free time. As such, they’d agreed to spend some time as tourists before heading to Blue Diamond’s location.

Or at least Amber intended Greg and Steven to. Her original plan had been to go ahead by herself and keep watch of the area in case Blue Diamond showed up early and the yellow Gem needed to phone the boys to hurry her way.

“But we promised we’d check the sights out together!” Steven pleaded as the three of them approached the city proper.

Steven, you know Garnet’s future vision isn’t perfect. If we miss Blue Diamond, you’ll have come all the way here for nothing.

“I know, but…it doesn’t seem fair that Dad and I get to have fun while you get stuck with all the work.”

It’s not like I’d be welcome in any stores or restaurants in this getup. She gestured to her heavy black getup, particularly the scarf and glasses. If anything, I’ll be expected to have some form of ID on me. She raised a hand to stop Steven, who started to retort. And aside from maybe the parks, my dog form wouldn’t do me much good either.

Steven pouted in reluctant defeat, racking his brain for a workaround.

“What about that invisibility bit you can do?” Greg asked. “Between that and your size, you could follow us around without anyone being the wiser.”

Except someone would notice my refraction.

“The part of your shadow where the light gets bended around you instead of blocked?” Steven asked, receiving a confirmative nod from Amber.

Greg rubbed the back of his neck. Truth be told, he’d rather not have his little golden friend head out by herself either, not only because he’d love to have her company but also because the idea of her being alone to watch out for a space monarch unsettled him.

Seeing the two males’ expressions, Amber started to wilt. Of course…I could hide near the places you visit while invisible. I’d have to keep some distance and keep track of the time, but as long as I stick to the shadows and don’t make noise…

That was all Steven needed to hear, as his bear hug attested.

To Amber’s surprise, the arrangement didn’t pan out as awkwardly as she feared. In fact, other than needing to stay clear of passersby, sneaking after the Universes turned out smooth as silk. Things got a little complicated in the more cramped spaces, namely that one animation studio when Greg and Steven strolled past all the artists.

Overall, the tour went smoothly. Amber even got front-row seats to quality entertainment, such as Greg and Steven attempting the Fire Noodles. Poor goobers probably wished they’d brought Lapis along. Or when the two adorable goofs went through their own little fashion montage in one of the shops, trying out all sorts of outfit combos.

Only near the end, when the time to leave for the designation vision-spot dawned on them, did the yellow Gem get the sudden feeling of someone following them, which said a lot since this was her first time getting this feeling today. Tons of people were still around at this time of day, leaving little room for any other Gem to peek without Amber noticing them.

Maybe my nerves are getting to me?

The yellow Gem shook her head and continued scaling the rooftops in close pursuit of Greg and Steven, opting to leave this feeling for later. She couldn’t afford to lose track of them in the crowd. Fortunately, Greg and Steven didn’t take long to take the next bus to their intended destination, making it a simple matter for Amber to hop up and latch onto the vehicle’s top for the whole ride.

Only after they got there – Steven had asked the driver to drop him and his father off on account of ‘a hunch’ — and climbed over the fence (Greg needed a little help from the other two to get down safely) did Amber’s senses go on full alert.

Energy shifts. Someone cloaked was nearby.

Steven, to her relief, noticed too though not in the same way, the young boy pausing and tensing as he scanned their forested surroundings with a wary expression.

“Hey,” Greg asked upon noticing his son’s sudden reaction, “is something wrong?”

For a hot second, Steven considered lying to his father but considering their goal and who might stand in the way, he realized doing so would add needless complication. “I don’t know. Just a gut feeling someone’s watching us.”

Greg had half a mind to joke about Steven forgetting Amber but thought better. As much as he didn’t like having to deal with this much tension, the older man knew what he’d signed up for upon agreeing to accompany his son all the way here. The best he could do was support his child while adapting to the situation as best as possible.

He gingerly patted his son on the shoulder. “Then I guess we better watch our step from here on out.” Lowering his voice, he regarding their surroundings and called out as audibly as he could without shouting, “Hey Amber, if you’re still here, twinkle twice or something.”

Up to this point, the molehog had been gazing around, coming up short. Whoever or whatever the source of those shifts, they either left or were smart enough to contain themselves. At Greg’s call, she prattled around the two Universe men close enough so they could see and hear the grass and leaves crunching beneath her feet.

Greg shared a look with his son and chuckled. “That works. Lead the way, kiddo.”

The group moved through the trees with only their only guidance being Steven’s tears, which had sprung up the moment they stepped foot into the forest. Aside from the sound of the humans’ footsteps and Amber’s soft thuds as she leapt between tree bases and roots, avoiding leaves and grass, everything lay in silence.

In a couple of minutes, the group emerged outside the treeline where a massive field full of flowers, hibiscus in particular, awaited them. Nearby, a blue palanquin stood amongst the bloom.

“Is this it?” Greg asked as he began to approach, only to pause at the feel of his son’s hands pulling at the back of his shirt. They needed to practice caution. Thankfully the ex-musician got the message and nodded. “This the one that belongs to that Blue Diamond person?”

“Seems like it,” Steven replied, his tears running harder now and forcing him to wipe his eyes. Amber silently scampered to Steven, grass barely rustling beside the boy while brushing off her own increased tears. With a faint whoosh, she returned to sight.

Surprise took over Steven’s face once he noticed Amber’s face. “Hey, have…you been crying this whole time too?”

Oh right, she’d been invisible up until now. Amber would have preferred to scamper from trunk to trunk for a higher vantage point from which to scout ahead, but that would have risked her slipping and hurting herself due to obscured vision, hence her recent mode of movement.

Nodding, the molehog got out her cellphone. Against my will, yes. Each of the Diamonds have a special ability that can affect other Gems, although not organic life. Blue Diamond, for example, can force her emotions onto anyone nearby, be it physically or as you’ve proven mentally. Amber paused to wipe off a rather profuse stream from her face. Which can only mean she’s here and going through quite a time at that.

As if on cue with the yellow Gem’s words, a morose feminine voice sounded out.

“Oh Pink…”

Greg, Steven, and Amber snapped to attention and gingerly followed the voice as its owner continued to lament, eventually reaching a thick line of bushes where Amber cloaked them all once more. Together, they peeked over the foliage to discover a massive blue hooded figure kneeled before a dilapidated pink palanquin, the very one from Steven’s dreams. A smaller figure, a powder blue Pearl decked out in a leotard and sheer, stood dutifully at her side.

“I should've done more,” Blue Diamond continued. “Yellow says it may still be time before this world ends. No doubt this would have relieved you. This is your planet, after all. I still think it is.”

The matriarch raised her head. “She also said those wretched Crystal Gems may survive still on this planet. The thought of them, still alive, still flaunting their existence.” Dark venomous fury bubbled beneath the softness of her voice, almost making Steven and Amber gulp from the sheer intensity. “Whatever I feel towards your planet, I won’t let them disrespect what is yours.”

By this point, Steven collapsed back behind the bushes, rubbing away in vain at the saltwater practically raining down his face.

Greg wasted no time joining his son’s side in concern. “You O – MMPH!”

Just as Steven wasted no time exclaiming. “Am—MMPH!”

Both Universe men now had a clawed paw clamping their mouths shut.

Sweet stars, do these two not know the meaning of quiet?! Amber, after making sure the two could see her commanding glare, shot a glance through the leaves. To her immense relief, neither Diamond nor Pearl had noticed. Releasing a quiet sigh, the golden Gem released their mouths at last.

“That’s her,” Steven asserted in a (thankfully) low tone, “I’ve been seeing through her eyes.” He wiped off the tears from his face. “I’ve been crying her tears!”

Amber nodded and then thumbed back the way they came. It was time they left.

Steven, however, shook his head. “Not yet. I wanna hear her a little longer. She might say something important!”

Oh, for Earth’s sake. As much as she empathized with the boy’s obsession to confirm truths that had personal stakes, this felt too much like tempting fate. They were lucky enough not to have run into any of those other Gems supposedly on Earth.

Steven only stomped his foot. “No, I need to know what she knows about Pink Diamond!”

“Then why don’t you ask Her Luminescence yourself, human?”

All three eavesdroppers froze and slowly looked up to discover one of the Gems from Peridot’s forewarning – a Benitoite much to Amber’s dread – standing over them with a stoic glare, arms crossed. The Blue Pearl stood beside her, hands clasped upfront, and face unreadable behind her long bangs.

Crap, Amber cursed, I forgot Benitoites can sense nearby energies too! She knows where we are!

“Better yet, allow us to introduce you.”

When the blue spy started to reach a hand towards the now glowing gemstone on her left shoulder while the Pearl turned to call for her Diamond, the molehog wasted no time twisting around to expel electrified quills from her back, taking the taller Gems by surprise and forcing them to reel back, giving herself and the humans a chance to escape.

Amber dropped to all fours and shapeshifted into bear-badger form. Steven and Greg wasted no time getting on, although the former wound up struggling a little due to the constant tears obscuring his vision.

The Benitoite by then had recovered from the shock and took the chance to pull out a whip from her gem and lash it at Steven, the young hybrid forced to jerk back to avoid getting struck in the head. Amber likewise jumped back, Greg clinging to her neck.

“Steven!” the father cried out.

Amber narrowed her eyes and willed energy into her back feet, ready to kick out a wave, only to stiffen at the sight of two more Benitoites materializing out of thin air on the other side of her, one sporting throwing knives between their fingers while the other cocked a sniper rifle over her shoulder. The golden Gem inwardly cussed at letting themselves get surrounded like this.

Steven meanwhile regarded the Benitoite closest to him cautiously and tried to back up towards his companions, only to leap sideways to avoid another lash. That Gem had no intentions of letting any of them go. Biting his lip, the boy noticed Blue Pearl had left and thus cursed himself for not listening to Amber, especially when thunderous steps started to near their location.

They needed to get out of here now.

So stuck in panic, Steven never noticed Amber close her eyes. He did, however, notice when everything went blinding white from two different directions to the point of forcing everyone to cover their eyes. A strong pair of jaws clamped on the back of his shirt and hoisted him into the air. Before he could think, Steven landed atop a broad furry back where a strong arm held him close right away.

From there on, everything passed in a chaotic blur.

For a few minutes at first, it seemed as though the trio had gotten away as Amber charged through the flowers for the nearest treeline, especially since the badger-bear had turned on her invisibility. Then came shouts and shots, feet stomping straight after them. The fact they hadn’t yet left Blue Diamond’s range did not help either, meaning Amber had to contend with running forward semi-blind thanks to her forced tears.

And the misses, so many near misses. Then one managed to graze Greg’s left arm.

“ARGH!” the elder Universe shouted as he gripped his limb in pain.

“DAD!” Steven put an arm to his glowing gemstone.

Greg shook his head in haste. “NO! Steven, the last time you got taken away, it’s because they recognized your shield.” His son had told him so after the boy’s confrontation and reconciliation with Connie in the wake of Malachite’s first disappearance. “It might be the same with your bubble and healing too!”

Steven gritted his teeth. That hadn’t occurred to him but now that his father brought this valid point up, the boy couldn’t stop realizing all the ways he couldn’t help in this situation. Something, something, he had to think of something! Otherwise, he might as well be—

Out of nowhere an explosion went off behind them, causing their pursuers and the barrage to halt. Amber had no idea what just happened (though she could hazard a guess) but she did not dare look back to find out lest she wind up headfirst into a tree for at this point she and her passengers finally reached the forest.

Steven did it for her anyway.

When the boy looked back, he realized what happened back there hadn’t been an explosion but rather an impact by something falling from the sky. Better yet, someone for out of the cloud of dust rose a familiar afroed brawler, her back to them as she summoned her gauntlets in preparation for the upcoming battle.

Despite everything so far, Steven could not help a thankful smile.

In a few minutes’ time, Amber managed to clear the forest and onto the side of the main road, eyes dry now that they escaped the reach of Blue Diamond’s powers.

“Please tell me we lost ‘em,” Greg begged in a strained tone. Once Amber nodded yes and undid the invisibility upon affirming no one else could see them, the ex-musician sighed in relief while his son spat some healing saliva onto his wound, the injury disappearing instantly. He gave his arm a helicopter stretch, other hand on the corresponding shoulder. “Thanks kiddo. Phew, that’s one way to add spice to an overseas trip, huh?”

When his son gave no response, Greg noticed Steven hopping off of Amber with a morose expression, eyes groundward.

“Schtu-ball?”

“I’m sorry, guys.”

Greg shared a worried gaze with Amber and dismounted. “What do you mean?”

Steven’s shoulders hunched up. “I wanted answers so bad, I dragged you guys all this way from home, only to put you all in danger. The worst part is you guys risked your lives for nothing. We’re no closer to finding out about Pink Diamond than when we started. Maybe…maybe I should have just listened to Garnet and dropped it all.”

At this point, Amber had shapeshifted back to default and placed a clawed hand on Steven’s shoulder. She tapped on the boy’s hip, drawing his attention, and then mimicked writing into her palm, urging him to pull out his cellphone so they could talk. Steven obliged.

Maybe you didn’t learn what you wanted, but at least you got a taste of what the Diamonds can do. She frowned in regret. If anyone should apologize, it’s me. I’m sorry for not warning you about her powers beforehand. I hadn’t seen hide or photon of her since my creation, so I never experienced her powers firsthand up until now, only heard snippets and horror tales about it.

Steven shuffled a sandaled foot in response as he mulled over Amber’s explanation. It sounded reasonable enough since he never got to meet any of the Diamonds face-to-face himself. Besides, it wasn’t as if Amber gave the heads up right after the chase started, although some earlier forewarning would have been nice.

“Did you not tell us earlier because you wanted us to have fun on the trip first?”

The molehog paused for a moment, thinking, and then shrugged. Sort of. I didn’t say anything until we reached her location because I figured knowing the nature of her powers would disquiet you. After all, you treasure choice as much as you do emotion. The thought of being able to force how you feel onto others – Amber turned her face away, grimacing — it’s shameful in its own way. I didn’t want any of that hanging over your head and ruining your spirits, especially after the day you already had.

Steven stared back, blank, then drifted his eyes to empty space. “When you put it that way, yeah, I don’t think I like her powers either. It’s still hard not to feel bad for her, but it’s kinda hard to keep feeling bad when she’s making you feel the same.” The boy could get wanting to share your emotions, but how the azure matriarch’s powers operated struck him something akin to selfish or even spoiled, as if she expected everyone nearby to drop everything and share in her pain at a moment’s notice.

Come to think of it…

“Garnet and Pearl probably know about that power too.” Pearl especially. She had said she once worked for Homeworld. “They just didn’t say anything because they’d think they’re protecting me from stuff I can’t handle.” Which only caused the realization of his inadequacy to sucker-punch him yet again. “You basically did the same thing.”

Amber wilted at hearing this. She hadn’t considered the chance her choice might come across like that. Steven—

When Steven returned his view to her, though, his face held not frustration but instead defeat and resignation underscored by increasingly teary eyes of his own volition. “Well, maybe I’m done deciding what I can’t handle.” He put a hand to his chest. “Dad got hurt because of me, you guys could have been taken away because of me! No answer should have to be worth losing any of you.”

At this point the tears started to dominate as his voice began to warble, the boy having to swipe his forearms against his wet face. “I’m so sorry for acting like a brat.”

Greg and Amber gaped with faces in between shock and concern, taken off guard by all these heartbreaking words. They’d underestimated how deeply this whole ordeal had affected their young ward.

“Steven…,” the father murmured as he started to approach his son with intent to comfort him.

“That’s not true.”

Everyone turned towards the forest in time to see a familiar Gem emerge from the brush, a tad scuffed up but otherwise unharmed.

“G-Garnet!” Steven cried out before running up to trap her legs in a bear hug. He shot his head skyward, tears still running hard. “I’m so sorry for yelling at you!”

A gentle hand atop his mass of black burls hushed him, as did the matching smile.

“Don’t be. You had every right to be upset at us, at me. You only wanted answers about your mother,” Garnet’s face saddened into a frown, “but I chose to take the coward’s way out by trying to dissuade you. I put my own emotions over your own, even using the others as an excuse. That’s never something a leader should do.”

The fusion turned her attention to Amber and Greg next. “I owe you both an apology as well. Greg, though it wasn’t my intention to let you get into harm’s way, I chose not to accompany you out of self-preservation. That was gross negligence on my part.”

Greg managed a wry half-smile and chuckle, shrugging. “Hey, don’t sweat it! This isn’t exactly the first getaway I’ve been in, ya know.”

Garnet nodded, baring a brief thankful smile for the man’s understanding nature, and switched her attention to the other Gem present. “And Amber…”

The molehog, bearing a stern expression, held up a hand to silence her friend and then lowered it. Everyone else watched Amber with bated breath, unsure what response to expect. Her face softened to a pensive mien, hands akimbo and face angled away for a moment before she shot a meaningful look to Steven, who caught on and raised his cellphone so Garnet could see the other Gem’s response.

 Been some time since I last saw a Diamond in the flesh. I forgot how much they tower over us.

Garnet kept her silence, anticipating her friend had more to say.

Amber did not disappoint. No doubt those Benitoites have already told her about us. She gazed up at the fusion. Unless you managed to poof and bubble all of them? Any of them?

When the taller Gem shook her head, Amber rubbed her own nape, feeling like a fool for asking. Perfect, now they had Homeworld surveillance running around the planet, fully aware of their team’s existence.

“I should have been here with you,” the fusion admitted.

You should have.

“I could have come clean about Blue Diamond.”

You could have.

“That would have made things easier for everyone.”

It would have – Amber paused to let off a silent sigh – but now what’s past is past. Nothing left to do but acknowledge we all made bad calls and strive not to repeat them. A wry grin crossed her snout as her eyes angled up to Garnet. That and getting our butts back home.

Garnet shared the grin right back, relieved to know her friend had no qualms moving beyond today.

“Lucky for us Amber pulled off that flashy trick of hers back there,” Greg quipped upon seeing the tension between everyone easing up, “I thought our gooses were cooked!”

And like that, the tension returned as both Garnet and Amber regarded the brunet with serious yet hesitant expressions. Greg held back the sudden urge to gulp. Why were their stares giving him a bad feeling?

Amber’s brows furrowed further. That wasn’t only me.

Steven blinked in confusion. “But…who else could it have been?”

Don’t know. All I do know is that I’m not the only one who pulled that move. The molehog turned to her maroon friend. Unless you’ve been holding back on us.

Garnet shook her head this time. She had some electrical powers of her own, sure, but never to that extent. Besides, she hadn’t shown up until well after the chase had already started.

Speaking of whom, only now did Steven notice one of her hands had been balled up this whole time, almost as if hiding something within it. “Garnet, is there something you wanna show us?”

The fusion’s lips parted in surprise at the perceptive question, only to nod. Getting to her knees so she and Steven were more level, she opened her hand to reveal a heart-shaped badge, comprised of various angular shapes that formed together into an iridescent swirl against a black backdrop.

Steven, Greg, and Amber gathered to peer down at the article.

“What is that?” Greg asked.

“An invitation. Someone else has it in for Homeworld…and they’d like a word with us.”

Chapter 32: 24/7 Mom - Part 2

Notes:

Takes place throughout “The Zoo” arc and during “The New Crystal Gems”; a week after “Three Gems and a Baby”; a week and three days after “Gem Harvest”

The group had agreed to take the plane back instead of the Warp Pad back home. This way, they’d have more time to discuss the newest development and decide the best response going forward. Besides, it would’ve been rude to leave Andy behind like that.

In the couple of minutes since takeoff, Garnet, seated between the lefthand wings, had delineated everything she and the other Gems had heard back at the Kindergarten. Once the fusion finished, Steven stared down at the badge in his hands before looking back up at her.

“You said those Gems mentioned someone called Mosaic. Who’s that?”

At first no answer. The only sign Garnet acknowledged his question consisted of a terse tighten of her lips. “Steven, did you ever wonder how other people beyond this planet fared against the Gem Empire’s expansion?”

The boy grew quiet as he mulled over this question. Come to think of it, he never thought to ask about that since matters here on Earth had always taken priority. Now that he did, he couldn’t help feeling some shame. For all the trouble Homeworld had been causing him and his family, who ever said they hadn’t been causing as much misery to people elsewhere in the universe?

A warm faceted palm atop his hair quelled his thoughts.

“We’ve all have had our own troubles to contend with. It wouldn’t be fair to expect one single person to shoulder all that, let alone you.” She offered a comforting smile, one Steven returned in gratitude. “Mosaic is for organics what the Crystal Gems are for Gems: an organization and task force focused on countering Homeworld’s colonization and assisting whatever planets they can still save. Your mother and Pearl had been in contact with them during the war.”

“Really?!” Steven gasped, eyes starting to shimmer. “If they knew Mom, then that means they know about us! They can help!”

Another curt press of her lips formed as Garnet considered her answer. “That depends on whether our priorities align.”

Steven wilted in confusion. “But…they’re fighting Homeworld just like us, aren’t they?”

Garnet hummed in thought, considering how to best answer. Eventually, she withdrew her hand. “See it from their perspective: they’re fighting for various species that have lost, are losing, or are under threat of losing their homes to Gemkind. We only fought for other Gems and the denizens of this world. They wouldn’t lose as much if something were to happen to our team.”

Amber, back in dog form, nodded at this brutal yet honest truth. Everyone had to pick their battles after all.

Greg, seated behind his son and Amber, leaned forward. “Except they wouldn’t let that happen, right? They teamed up with Rose, so they’d have to know how important you guys are to this planet. If it is their job to help out non-Gems, then I don’t see how they wouldn’t chip in if things get hairy down here.” A hopeful smile blossomed. “Heck, for all we know, they might have some humans working for ‘em, too.”

The maroon fusion did not respond back this time. Steven set his jaw in thought before turning in his seat to regard Amber. “Did you ever meet anyone from Mosaic?”

Amber shook her head before nudging Steven’s arm, gesturing the boy to display his cellphone where her words could be seen. Nope. Rose and Pearl acted as the liaison, but they never shared the information from those meetings unless it pertained to battle plans. Said they didn’t want to risk any info leaks lest we had spies listening in. Most of us took the two at their word. A pensive frown took over the yellow Gem. Then again, we did the same with Rose’s cover-up about Bismuth.

While Greg reached over to place his hand on Amber’s back, Steven reciprocated the frown – until a more determined expression took over. “Well, I think we should team up with them! The more help we have, the easier time we’ll have fighting Homeworld!”

“Hey uh,” Andy spoke up at last, “I know I ain’t an expert on this topic, but these Muzak guys sorta sound like those civil rights groups from back in the day.”

“Oh yeah,” Greg brightened, “like the Black Pumas! I met a few folks from that group during my time on the road! Nice folks, a little intense too although I guess you’d have to be going up against what they were facing.” He looked over to Garnet. “Is that how Mosaic is?”

The maroon fusion chuckled as she too recalled hearing about this group and similar ones among humans. “I suppose the comparison’s not too off the mark.”

“And the Spectral?” asked Steven with an urging tone.

Garnet shrugged. “Never met them, never heard of them. It’s only logical to assume they’re associated with Mosaic since the three that came to help tossed me the badge you’re holding. I only got one look at them before I managed to slip away.”

Greg, curious to hear more about their and the fusion’s mysterious saviors, leaned sideways in his seat. “Any idea where they are now?”

“Reporting to their higher-ups no doubt. No idea how they intend to contact us since they didn’t leave me with anything else.”

Steven returned his attention to the badge in his hands, brows creased from both concern and slowly mounting frustration.

If Mosaic and the Spectral were supposed to be good guys, then how come Rose had to be so secretive about them?

XXX

Some hours later, Pearl held that same badge as well, examining it from all angles between her nimble fingers. Everyone else (sans Andy who’d left earlier) sat around her in a circle, awaiting her response.

“This can’t be all they gave you,” she spoke at last before looking over the kids’ heads to Garnet. When the fusion gave a taciturn nod, Pearl returned her sight to the item, brow furrowed. “Then there has to be more to this than appearances suggest. Did they at least say anything to you?”

Garnet gave a clueless shrug. “Only that I ensure all available team members should be present for this.”

“Well, this is everybody on our roster, so what’s next?” This question came from Connie, who’d arrived half an hour ago. Steven had called her the moment he and his group touched back down on the beach, promising her she’d have the whole story once she got here. So far, the girl currently seated in the middle of the sofa alongside her best friend, Garnet on the left and Pearl on the right, had not been disappointed. Only curious and a tad anxious.

“There’s gotta be more to go off of than that. If they gave you this in person, that means you must’ve gotten a good look at them, right?”

Garnet shook her head. “Only black armor with visors. They were intent on keeping their identities secret. That and they seemed to be in a hurry.”

At this tidbit, Pearl hummed and cupped her chin, contemplating, before her Alice-blue eyes regarded Peridot, seated on the floor lefthand of the sofa. “You said you heard of Mosaic through rumors. I take it Homeworld wasn’t keen on having their presence be public knowledge.”

An amused snort burst from Peridot. “I’d surmise not! If the Diamonds didn’t want your guys’ refusal to disappear to be known, then I doubt they’d find the existence of organics doing the same as any more favorable.”

“They’d probably be even more desperate in that case,” Lapis added from her spot next to Amber on their spot on the floor opposite of Peridot. “At least in your guys’ case, it was still Gems vs Gems, but anyone organic managing to push back Homeworld? Now there’s something the Authority wouldn’t be able to live down.”

Peridot hummed as she tapped a finger against her chin. “Valid point, considering anyone flesh-bound ranks far lower than even Pearls and Ambers and other organic Gems. That said, how anyone non-Gem could give Homeworld a hard time, let alone put its intergalactic spread to a standstill, is beyond me.”

“To be fair, Rose and I could never figure out how they managed it either,” Pearl elaborated. “From what we could pry from them, it seemed to have been nothing short of teamwork, strategy, and pooled resources that they got as far as they did. In which case, they had a vested interest in ensuring the Rebellion here on Earth would last. That way, Homeworld would stretch itself thin trying to manage two wars at once.”

Was that so? Peridot arched a brow. “Well, if the current shortage is any indication, I would say Mosaic made the right call in the long term, although in that case you’d think they’d have made more of an effort to ensure as many Crystal Gems as possible survived.”

As usual, the Era 2 Gem’s observation cut to the quick. Pearl diverged her eyes to the floor, melancholic. “From a distance, they did. If nothing else, they could match Homeworld in spacecraft. In terms of direct combat, well…”

Peridot softened in understanding. Gems on average tended to be a nightmare in physical fights, even the ones not built for battle – yet another reason why Mosaic’s continued presence felt like a marvel.

“Regardless of how everything turned out,” Pearl continued, “the Diamonds still wound up suffering a sort of double-obsession: defeating us on one end, defeating Mosaic on the other. Since they considered us the more immediate threat, the Diamonds acted accordingly as you already know.”

Steven frowned sadly at the reminder of the Corruption Song. Pearl noticed and put a hand on the child’s hand in understanding. “Homeworld went out of its way to make sure Mosaic’s forces would be too occupied elsewhere to give us escape from the Diamond’s final onslaught.”

A nudge to the arm shifted the lean Gem’s attention to Amber.

Have they tried to contact us ever since?

“If only I knew,” Pearl sighed with a shake of her head. “Perhaps Rose might have but you know how she could be. For all any of us know, perhaps she did find a way to get back into contact with them.”

Steven cocked his head in confusion. “And she never told you guys? Even after everything?”

Garnet lowered her head, wishing she could give their boy a better answer. “Your mother always kept secrets. Lately I’ve started to wonder if there’d been any tactical use to them.”

Peridot rolled her eyes. “Well, they won’t have any for us unless Rose Quartz has a secret cabinet full of notes somewhere.”

A cabinet, eh? The technician’s words struck an idea in Steven. “What if there is? Like how she left behind her armory and Lion?”

Connie likewise perked at this (in her opinion at least) plausible idea. It sounded worth a shot at least.

Pearl hummed, eyes diverting as she tumbled the suggestion in her mind. “I suppose that wouldn’t be too beyond the realm of possibility, although we’d have no idea where to start looking.”

“Maybe one of them Muzak guys could tell us,” Amethyst suggested, lounging on the left arm of the sofa.

“Mosaic. But yes, chances are Rose entrusted at least some vital information to them.” A hint of nervousness came over the scrawny rock, although Amber couldn’t help but notice how her eyes flitted off the to the side as well. Was Pearl scared? “I only hope they’ll be willing to answer.”

Lapis, sharp-eyed as ever, noticed as well but withheld pointing it out in favor of staying on topic. “And if they don’t?”

Everybody else shared uneasy gazes. Nobody had an answer.

Greg, who’d been leaning against the couch’s left side, rubbed his nape before tentatively breaking the silence. “Either way, how are we supposed ta answer them? They didn’t exactly leave us a phone number.”

A sudden thought occurred to Steven, whose eyes shot over to the badge. What if they did? Out of pure impulse, the boy picked the article back up and gave it closer examination. Wait a minute, this green piece in the very middle…could this be a button?

Curiosity pushing him, Steven pressed the spot. It gave way easily beneath the pressure of his finger.

Right on cue, a bright ping echoed throughout the room as the badge lit up a rainbow light and ascended from the boy’s hand and high into the air, where it spun three times before halting and, to everyone’s surprise, going completely black. What took everyone aback even more, light started to gather around the edges as though the heart were now a miniature black hole.

After a few more moments of this beautiful strangeness, the light had now become a solid thick border, enveloping the black in a transparent film of white. Almost immediately, a computerized and pleasantly toned female voice sounded out.

Hello, welcome to the Mosaic Communication Network. If you are a current or pending member/ally, please hold for the soonest available representative. If you are an innocent in need of rescue, please state location so that aid can teleport to your coordinates. If you are none of the above, please prepare your brain or whatever equivalent you possess for immediate drainage. Have a nice day!

Drainage? Peridot worriedly mused. Homeworld communicators never threatened to do such a thing. Well, not the ones issued to lower-ranking Gems at least.

Before anyone could further ponder on the implications of that last warning, half of the white heart facing the group filled with static like a TV screen before revealing live feed of someone seated at a desk, facing forward.

This person possessed a stout build and lacked a discernable neck, their head contiguous with their torso. They were mainly deep blue with huge white markings encircling their pupilless yellow eyes, white encompassing their underbelly up to their lower jaw, a white mane fashioned in a mohawk, and a broad canine-like snout that ended into a mouth full of sharp teeth. Their broad and somewhat flat arms, crossed on the table before him, ended in huge hands with clawed fingers interconnected by duck-like webbing.

The being looked as though someone took a wolf and orca, smooshed them together, and painted the result blue.

Their clothing consisted of a form-fitting black uniform that revealed their chubby yet muscular stature, white lining the joints of their shoulders and framing the front torso, the same insignia as the badge Steven had held displayed proudly on the person’s left breast.

Perhaps this would have sounded rude spoken aloud, but Steven found himself taken back by this being’s appearance. Not that he found this person repulsive in any way, it was just…perhaps the difference lay in perspective, but Steven was so used to Gems and their more or less humanoid structures, seeing an alien with an appearance not so much that hit a little different.

“Crystal Gems, I presume?” the being addressed in a deep polished voice, authoritative.

The gang shared bemused looks, at a loss for words, until Garnet stepped forward and nodded.

Their guest returned the nod and put a hand to their chest. “Greetings, I am Mincho, leader of the defense team assigned to Earth. Our scouts came to your leader’s aid during an altercation with Blue Diamond. Usually, protocol dictate we avoid extensive involvement in civil matters between Gems, but due to recent developments we considered this an exception.”

“You’re referring to Blue Diamond bringing Benitoites with her to this planet, correct?” Pearl inquired.

“Affirmative. I contacted you in order to receive more direct info as opposed to the report our scouts submitted. If your schedule permits, I would like to hear the accounts of all witnesses.” Mincho took a pause to cast a meaningful gaze on Steven. “Assuming the young one is done gaping at me.”

Steven blushed upon realizing his own rudeness. “Oh! Sorry, I’ve…never met anyone who’s neither human nor Gem.” And now here he’d been ogling them like some zoo animal. The boy rubbed an arm and averted eye contact in shame. “This is a first for me…sorry.”

To the child’s surprise, the wolf-orca emitted a warm chuckle. “That’s quite alright. In all fairness, this meeting is a first for many here.” Mincho put a hand to his chest again. “I am a Lurcenian. My people are a polar-faring race at home beside the oceans that dominant our planet. Our world has been in Homeworld’s crosshairs several times.”

A humored raspberry blew courtesy of Amethyst. “Join the club. Earth can’t get no break from those losers. They’re still lookin’ to wake up the freaking Cluster.”

“Despite the fact that its desire to destroy the planet is now entirely nullified,” Peridot added.

“That still doesn’t negate the danger everyone is in,” Pearl asserted with crossed arms. “Not only are those Benitoites aware of our presence now; they have full knowledge of the Cluster and its current state. With Blue Diamond here to vouch for them, it’s only a matter of time before they send word to Yellow Diamond.”

And from there receive extraction teams in no time flat, Amber inwardly rued with a grimace. She hadn’t forgotten the Ruby Squad’s vessel and its ability to jump hyperspace.

Meanwhile Mincho had regarded all these points with a thoughtful face, hands steepled. “In that case, our top priority will have to be reaching the Cluster and removing it before them. I could send in a request for an extraction team but given the circumstances there may not be time for that.”

“In that case,” Garnet responded at last, hands akimbo, “it might be time to bring our Gem Drill back out of retirement.” She looked to Peridot. “You still have it around?”

The verdant technician adopted a cocky smirk. “Do I? Ha, I’ve been keeping that beauty out back as a secret project for just such an occasion!” She noticed Steven’s surprise. “No offense. You did an ample job helping the Cluster to not form, but you couldn’t expect it to stay off Homeworld’s radar forever! With the modifications I’ve made, it should be able to reach the Cluster even faster than last time!”

Amethyst hopped off the couch to give the green Gem a high five, who gladly reciprocated. “Alright, Peri!”

“But wait,” Lapis spoke up as she got to her feet, “we can’t bring the whole Cluster up with us. It’s bubbled, right? Couldn’t we just…tap it and send it someplace easier, like how Peridot did with that Corrupted Gem that one time?”

“Usually yes,” Peridot replied, “but considering it took the combined effort of all those shards and Steven to bubble the entire thing, there’s no telling where they’d end up or even if it would work.”

Pearl shook her head. “Well, I certainly don’t like the idea of something that size being whisked to who knows where! How do we know it won’t pop up in the Burning Room and bring the entire temple down?” Or take form and trample on the town for that matter?

The whole room fell into silence as everyone pondered a plausible answer to that valid concern.

At last Mincho spoke up. “There might be one solution that could help.” Everyone else turned to him as he continued. “It’s a long shot but the armor used by our Spectral can counter Gem abilities. If worked in tandem, we could redirect where you send the Cluster, although that could require severe effort on both parties’ end for something so massive.”

Once again quiet reigned as everyone shared looks. How in the stars would they pull off a plan of such literal grand scale?

On a whim, Pearl’s eyes sidled to Amber, the swordfighter idly recounting her friend’s ability to teleport not only herself but others as well, demonstrated in her flashbacked fight with Rose. A shame there weren’t more of their golden friend or else they might have had a viable solution.

Or…perhaps we still do, she mused in slowly dawning realization, face lighting up in tentative hope.

Steven noticed and leaned forward in his seat. “Did you come up with an idea, Pearl?”

Pearl tapped her chin. “Possibly,” she replied before sighing in defeat, “but it’d probably be even more of a long shot than our current plan.” She looked to Amber. “If you and all the Ambers from Treasure could latch onto the Cluster, that might assist greatly in removing it from underground and where we need it to be. If anything, the extra energy could boost whoever’s moving it.”

Amber broke eye contact to mull over Pearl’s plan. It wasn’t the most insane idea she’d ever heard of, although it still ranked pretty high up.

A clear of the throat drew everyone’s attention to Peridot. “First off, we have no idea of the exact numbers of these Ambers! Second, there’s no guarantee all of them have regained the same level of sapience as our Amber here, meaning there’s similarly no telling if they’d all be able to coordinate on such a task. Third, the visits we’ve conducted to their location so far have made their desire for solitude quite clear!”

Connie pursed her lips and looked down at the floor in rumination, well seeing the green Gem’s counterpoints. “Plus, even if we could convince all of them to help, how would we get so many of them down where the Cluster is?” she added.

“That would be the easy part,” Garnet supplied. “Fusion. Ambers are among the most team oriented of Gemkind after all, and considering what’s at stake, I see no reason why we couldn’t convince them.”

Lapis cocked her head, dubious. “Can we convince them?”

Steven hopped off his seat with a determined smile. “I think we can! We just gotta go over to Treasure and explain, and then they’ll hafta help us!”

Everyone else shared a consulting gaze until Amethyst spoke up, shrugging. “Eh, why the heck not? Unless anybody’s got a better plan.”

Nobody voiced as much.

“In that case,” Mincho voiced out, “I’ll be sending one of our scouts to meet you there.”

“Then it’s decided,” Garnet declared as she stood up to regard everyone present. “We’re heading off to Treasure.”

“Alright,” Amethyst drawled as she gave her arms an overhead stretch, “but if it’s like the last few times, I doubt there’s gonna be a welcome committee.”

XXX

Color the Quartz surprised, there was a welcoming committee this time.

At first, nothing had seemed out of place the moment the group touched down on the Warp Pad nestled against between the forest and one of the region’s mountains. Only the same-old, same-old trees and sounds of nature…and lots and lots of fireflies for some reason. Something at the back of Steven’s mind nagged him about this last detail, although the boy couldn’t put his finger on why.

As they progressed further to the same clearing as before, however, Garnet and Pearl lighting the way with their gemstones, none could shake off the increasing sensation of being watched from afar. The random streaks of light amidst the dark growth did not help either.

Greg for instance had to hold back a yelp at every minute noise lest he wind up looking like a hypocrite. Despite his son’s initial protests, he’d insisted on coming along as part of his efforts to be more involved with the Gem side of his child’s life. Plus, he figured meeting a reclusive group of semi-Corrupted Gems couldn’t be any crazier than getting chased by a space empress and her spies.

Fortunately for the Universe elder, Amber, travelling beside him, shapeshifted into her bear-badger form and then gently elbowed his side to make her presence known. This way, the man would know he had folks backing him up in case things got hairy. The ex-musician smiled in gratitude at the gesture, and the rest of the trip felt easier.

Everyone else remained quiet mainly out of caution, some nervous like Greg while others were tense and battle-ready, unsure what to expect.

Eventually, the group reached their destination, the same wide empty clearing as before…only to find it empty.

Pearl took a step forward, turning her head this way and that to catch even a glimpse of their quarry. “Hello?” she called out. “It’s us! There’s something we need to discuss with you!”

When only silence persisted, Pearl furrowed her brow and turned to ask someone else to try when her peripheral caught something in the distance: a light. And then another. And another and another.

One by one, hundreds upon hundreds of shining dots lit up, and not in a mere line either. On the ground, up the trunks, in the trees, in every direction illumination dotted the dark landscape until the forest looked as though it had merged with the starry night above, the sight alone enough to send Steven, Connie, and even Amethyst gasping in awe.

“Whoa,” Steven breathed as he panned his eyes to drink everything in.

Then slightly, ever so slightly, one light in particular moved as if unhooking itself from the scenery and started to slowly approach the group. As the source became clearer in detail, Lapis peered her eyes for a better examination. The Gem matched their Amber in figure – same snout, body shape, quills, and claws – except this one had a paler yellow body that almost blended with her white underbelly.

And unlike their Amber’s nervous countenance, this one sported a very guarded one, one that kept the visitors on edge even as nothing proceeded to happen…well nothing beside the other Amber waving one hand in the air, causing the fireflies in front of her to scatter…and then swirl into words?

Before the Crystal Gems’ unprepared eyes, what they had thought to be fireflies rearranged themselves into the following words midair: Why are you here?

Here at last, realization struck Steven and the boy’s eyes widened as a result. “Hey, isn’t this the firefly trick you and Garnet said Ambers would use back in the war?”

Pearl nodded in confirmation, eyes also enlarged, well remembering. “At least we won’t have to worry about communication issues,” she murmured back.

Amber pulled out her phone and stepped forward, holding it out close enough for her fellow molehog to see. I’ll skip the pleasantries. The Earth is in danger. We need your help.

Silence at first. Then another wave of the hand and the fireflies took formation again.

What sort of danger?

This time, Peridot stepped up, clearing her throat as she did. “Gems from Homeworld are seeking to reawaken and unearth a Gem experiment called the Cluster. It’s—”

The paler Amber raised a hand, gesturing the verdant rock to stop talking.

We know what the Cluster is. The Spectral informed us of its nature a long time ago.

The Crystal Gems could only gape in shock at this bit of info. The Spectral had been here and in contact with the local Ambers? Had this been a continual thing? Better yet—

“Wait,” Connie spoke up, “if they told you about the Cluster before, that means they already know where to find you. Why couldn’t they have come here to tell you about the situation themselves?”

Pale Amber regarded the girl with a faintly amused eye. They would have, but they wanted to wait up for you first.

“Wait for…,” Peridot started to ask in confusion, only to trail off once realization hit. Suddenly the same prior feeling of being watched returned tenfold. Nervously, she shot her head around to discover more lights behind the group.

Only these didn’t belong to Ambers. They belonged to dark figure standing in the shadows of the tree line.

Peridot rationally responded by shrieking and jumping into Amethyst’s arms.

The rest of the gang promptly met the newcomer by whirling around with weapons drawn…all except for Garnet, who instead raised a hand without looking back, gesturing her team to stand down.

Despite her teammates’ looks of confusion and disbelief, Garnet calmly turned to face the armored figure. “Kind of you to wait up.”

Steven and Amber both widened their eyes at the fusion’s response, although more so out of realization than surprise unlike the others. Their suspicions were confirmed once the figure stepped out into the moonlight to reveal their appearance: a medium-tall, curvy figure decked out in black sentai-like armor, their helmet marked by prongs fashioned like wolf ears, glowing light -blue lining their torso and limbs. Their most confirming feature, however, turned out to be a dark visor that resembled an angular heart in shape.

So, this was one of the Spectral who’d helped back in Korea.

The blue and black being did not respond at first. They regarded the group for a moment, during which Steven swore the being’s stare lingered on him the most, before giving nothing more than a nod.

“I take it the rest of your team are keeping tabs on Blue Diamond and her Benitoites then?” Garnet asked.

Another wordless nod.

Garnet returned the nod and crossed her arms. “And I trust we’ll all be able to rendezvous with them safely?”

Yet another wordless nod.

Pearl threw her arms up, having just about had it with this schtick. “Oh, for goodness’s sake! Can we move onto to why we came here sometime this century?!”

As if in answer, Pale Amber raised her head and rang out an echoing series of screeches, one returned in mass by her surrounding counterparts, the resultant cacophony enough to make all the Crystal Gems (yes that included Greg and Amber too) cover their ears.

Then all at once, the leading Amber raised her hands and the noise ceased immediately. She faced her visitors again and called back the light particles to continue their part of the conversation.

We have agreed to help you.

Pearl reared her head back in surprise, blinking at the floating response. “Really?”

Amethyst let off a surprised chuckle. “Dang, didn’t think it’d be that easy.”

But only if you agree to help us in turn.

“And I spoke too soon,” the purple Quartz sighed with a sag.

Garnet gestured her hand for Pale Amber to continue. “Go on.”

Pale’s expression became even more severe. Our human. They took our human. We want him back.

Chapter 33: 24/7 Mom - Part 3

Notes:

(Takes place throughout “The Zoo” arc and during “The New Crystal Gems”; a week and one day after “Three Gems and a Baby”; a week and five days after “Gem Harvest”)

“Greg?”

“Yeah, Peridot?”

“Be honest, your species possesses mind alteration abilities, don’t they?”

Greg blinked down at the green Gem, unable to discern whether she meant this question as a joke.

Peridot continued before the human could answer, proceeding to count off with her fingers.

“Let’s look at the cases so far: there are Amber and her family unit, withstanding whatever she and you have going on; Steven and his recounted encounter with this ‘Centipeedle’ as we ventured back here; and now these Ambers and their own human. Clearly some correlation exists between all these cases!”

The tech’s voice rose to a shrill exclaim by the end of her litany, causing the balding musician to back up with both hands raised.

 “Hey, your guess is as good as mine! Best as Amber figures, music had the biggest effect on her so far. That and…talking, I guess? She was kinda vague about it although I got a feeling she didn’t mean to be.”

Steven, who’d sitting on the grass from a distance alongside Connie as he watched the exchange, lowered his eyes in wonder. Now that Peridot brought Centipeedle up, he couldn’t disagree with anything said so far on account of how far communication had gotten the hybrid and his patient before Corruption reared its ugly head again.

Which reminded him, he’d promised Amber that they’d try her and Dad’s playlist on some of the Corrupted Gems once they’d concluded their business in Korea. The boy winced in guilt knowing they’d have to push back on that promise because of his actions.

Yet another way he wound up dragging others down.

Fortunately, Connie noticed her friend’s sullen mood and nudged his shoulder so that he’d see her assuring smile. It worked, Steven returning the expression out of gratitude for the comfort.

“Hey, once us and the Ambers are done helping each other out, maybe we could ask them to be test subjects for the music project,” Connie suggested, only to blush once she registered her own wording. On second thought, ‘test subjects’ probably wasn’t the nicest way to describe her suggestion. “On second thought, we should think up a better way to describe the idea if we ever wanna pitch it to them.”

Steven hummed and panned his eyes around himself.

Everyone had resumed at the barn after the lead Treasure Amber had stated all her terms. In the middle of the front ‘lawn’, the Gem Drill stood as tall and proud as from its previous usage albeit with a few differences: its long spindly legs were slightly thicker with its ends more pointed like those of a crab, and the cockpit atop the drill had been expanded and reinforced thanks to the addition of repurposed pieces of the Emerald Hand from way back.

Pearl and Amber stood together in the cockpit, discussing and testing out functions in between placements; Amethyst and Garnet busied themselves with adding in the final pieces outside while Lapis, perched on the truck above the barn entrance, lifted the two up with water platforms whenever either needed to fit a piece higher up on the drill. Peridot and Greg stood to the side at a foldout table with edited schematics of the drill, not far from Steven and Connie who sat beneath the shade of a nearby tree.

Since last night, the Gems had been busy touching up the Drill while Steven and Connie, who’d gone home for the night, got much needed sleep. Greg too had done his best to pitch in – or at least as best as his aging body and sleep schedule could permit.

The kids had asked to help but Pearl reasoned that with all the work Peridot had already done beforehand, there wouldn’t be much either of them could do to help finish. If anything, more hands would likely prove superfluous and even complicate matters. However, Pearl had also quickly reassured the children that there’d be plenty for them to help with in the next phase of the plan.

However, as much as her addendum tided the children over, it failed to address the matter of their guests. Their many, many guests.

Out of the corner of her eye, Connie took note of the small multicolored menagerie of molehogs gathered atop the silo sticking out of the barn. Though most of them were curled up in seeming sleep, she could tell from the pale Amber’s unwavering gaze on the horizon that they were primed for any surprise attack.

And these weren’t even the full extent of their numbers.

Somehow, she found this fact more interesting than unnerving as guesses of where the other Ambers could be filled her mind. She only hoped the other Gems didn’t trip over any of them.

Next her eyes drifted to the lone figure atop the barn roof not too far off from the Ambers, merely watching the Gems’ progress from their vantage point as the being idly kicked their legs in a childlike manner.

Like the blue one from earlier, this one sported a primarily black armored uniform with a pointed heart visor, although the reflective color lining their body and limbs were yellow instead, the prongs of their helmet pointed backwards with jagged edges resembling lightning bolts, and the helmet extended more at the face, indicating a longer snout. They also possessed a slimmer and shorter build than the one from last night.

Every now and then, the Spectral would cock their head to the side and nod as though in conversation. Comm links in their suits, no doubt.

“So…that’s another one of the Spectral Garnet talked about, huh?” Connie piped up. “They’re a lot more glowy than I expected.”

Not right now of course considering it was midmorning, but Connie had seen enough sci-fi and tokusatsu to envision this one lighting up the night as much as their comrade. She turned to keep talking about the newcomer with Steven, only to discover the boy scrutinizing them rather intensely. She leaned forward to better catch his eye.

“You okay?”

“Huh?!” Steven jolted, jerking around to face his friend. A blush took over his face once he noticed her staring. “Oh, sorry! I’m fine, it’s just…so many big things’ve been happening since yesterday.”

Blue Diamond, the Cluster becoming a threat again, meeting Mosaic, and now this.

“I guess I’m still kinda soaking it all in.”

Connie offered her friend an understanding smile. She couldn’t blame him for feeling the way he did. Heck, she was in the same boat.

“No kidding. I was already used to you and the Gems, but after meeting that Mincho guy and now seeing the people who helped you, it dawned on me that I never stopped to take in the big picture.” She averted her eyes with a guilt-ridden frown. “What Homeworld’s been doing, I mean. All those people and planets hurt by Gems, not just Earth.”

Steven put a comforting hand on his friend’s shoulder, well understanding how she felt.

However, the gloom ended when Connie perked up with a hopeful smile. “But that’s why I’m relieved these Mosaic guys agreed to help! Can you imagine all the allies we could get from across the galaxy?”

Steven brightened up immediately, starry-eyed. “That’s what I’ve been thinking! And think of all the new friends we could make too! Oh, we should give them a ‘Welcome to Earth’ party once we take care of the Cluster!”

Then his sunny expression gradually softened, still there but tempered by reality. “And the Diamonds. And the Corrupted Gems.” He averted his eyes in a bashful manner. “Oh, and that guy the Ambers want us to rescue. Do you think the Spectral will help with that?”

Connie switched her attention to the armored figure still atop the barn. Call her paranoid but the girl could have sworn she felt the Spectral’s gaze on her and Steven a few times. She shrugged at her friend. “They at least wanna help out the Earth, and the one in blue was there when we made that deal with the Ambers. I can’t imagine them bailing out right after we’re done with the Cluster...”

Steven cocked his head, eyes searching. “But…?”

The incomplete question made Connie blush. Her friend knew her all too well. “But we only just met these guys.”

Yeah, that Mincho fellow had been pretty nice but for all the team knew, it could have only been in a professional way. After all, niceness didn’t always equate to friendship. Plus, there still remained the whole matter of only Steven’s mom and Pearl ever talking to Mosaic prior.

“There’s still so much we don’t know about them.”

At this admittance, Steven averted his eyes with a pensive frown. As much as his friend’s counterpoint made sense, the young hybrid couldn’t stomach the thought of this cooperation being a one-time deal, his family and Mosaic never interacting again.

 That and – he lifted his eyes to the lone Spectral – he still needed to confirm something.

Emboldened, he stood up and proceeded to make his way to the barn.

“Steven?” Connie asked, curious, before getting up to follow her friend, bringing along her scabbard and sword (not for the Spectral by the way – she simply didn’t want to lose track of her weapon). “Where are you—?”

“I’m gonna talk to them! We’ll all be in the same cockpit anyway, so why not?”

Connie paused at the simple reasoning, blinking. Count on Steven to use such an argument.

Then again, wasn’t that why her friend had a way of winning people over? She chuckled, strapping the scabbard to her back, before strolling alongside him to the Spectral.

Since the adults were all too preoccupied with the drill to notice the kids, Steven and Connie did not take long to reach their destination.

The Spectral never noticed the children approach either since their attention remained on the construction.

After sharing a look with Connie, Steven cupped both hands around his mouth and called heavenward. “Hey!”

Right away, the Spectral stiffened and then flipped themselves up into a handstand before launching off the roof. After a roll midair, they plummeted straight down feetfirst and landed into a monkey-style crouch right in front of Steven, who jerked back in response at the sudden closeness but held himself from backing up.

“Um,” the boy managed a flummoxed smile before raising a hand in greeting. “Hi? I’m—”

Without warning, the yellow Spectral flashed into a burst of golden electricity and zipped over to Connie next, although the young girl also managed to stand her ground at their reappearance. Despite being shorter than their blue counterpart, this Spectral still towered over the children – possibly as much as Lars if Connie had to guess.

Then to the children’s surprise, the space sentai fell back on their butt and simply sat there, legs stretched out,  regarding the pair in…curiosity? It was hard to tell due to the helmet hiding their face.

Steven and Connie shared another look before following the Spectral’s example, both sitting cross-legged.

“So…,” Steven started off. “What‘s your name?”

The Spectral leaned their head forward.

“What’s your name?” they asked back, a faint static to their voice like a low-power electrical current, accentuated by a slight lisp as well.

“I asked first,” Steven gently huffed back.

“Well, I asked second, and two makes double the ones, which means double the firsts!”

Steven blinked twice, blank-faced, legitimately unsure how to respond. He did, however, know how to respond to the Spectral suddenly tousling his hair with both hands.

“Hey, cut that out!” The hybrid managed to swat away the offending hands, although that didn’t stop the Spectral’s snickering (or Connie’s restrained giggling) as Steven proceeded to restore harmony to his now staticky afro. He sent their guest an annoyed pout.

The follicle offender held both hands up in faux apology. “Your hair looks so fluffy; I couldn’t help myself! My species doesn’t even have hair, so it’s not like I get to touch it a bunch!”

Wait, really? Steven exchanged his chagrin for wonder. He thought back to the Spectral in blue as well as Mincho. What kind of species could this person be then?

Connie, on the same wavelength, raised her hand. “Excuse me, uh…”

“Dude. Definite dude.”

“Right. If it’s alright with you, sir, could we see what you actually look like?”

Because at least that way, they could start establishing a stronger camaraderie for the battles ahead. Plus, the young girl wanted another excuse to meet more non-Gem aliens face to face.

As she hoped, the Spectral cocked his head in a puppy-like manner and nodded. Without so much as a button push, his helmet dematerialized in multicolored sparks.

Like with Mincho, Steven could not help but take in their ally’s revealed face in awe.

Because unlike Mincho, this person roughly resembled one singular animal: a coyote –more specifically a coyote if it swallowed a whole bunch of yellow glowsticks and the stuff wound up spreading through its body because while the kids didn’t need to shield their eyes, there emanated a faint shine from the Spectral’s body (or head anyway) like candlelight.

Which was good because it meant the other features didn’t get drowned out. Rather than fur like an actual coyote, the Spectral’s golden ‘skin’ consisted of stylized snakish scales like an indigenous Mesoamerican figurine; his tall triangular upright ears fluffed out in the back like cumulus clouds; and a pair of huge and angular pupilless neon blue eyes framed a long nose-less snout and accompanying grin full of pointy canine-like teeth that seemed more extensions of his face.

Connie and Steven couldn’t help but gawk in awe.

“Yeah, I know,” the Spectral cut in with a smug grin and tone to match as he stood up and struck a heroic pose. As he spoke, you could see his glowing white mouth and neon blue tongue, flat and round like a dog’s. “I am pretty amazing. Name’s BZZKTT-KRSSH-ZZZZ-KZK,” he belted out in pure static to the kids’ surprise. “Better known as Circuit, best Spectral agent there ever was!”

Connie and Steven shared a bemused gaze before holding back the urge to snicker, not out of malice but because they genuinely found the energy canine’s attitude funny. Their humor only persisted when their new ally pulled a faux look of outrage and craned his head down at the two kids.

“Oh, so you little punks think that’s funny, eh?” When the pair transitioned into giggles, Circuit puffed out his chest. “Then let’s see ya laugh at this!”

Without warning, the canine alien burst into pure electricity and zipped around the pair at light speed, leaving behind angular sparkling streaks of light that crisscrossed every path they took.

Neither child could resist marveling again, stars filling their eyes.

“Hey, HEY!” Peridot shouted once she noticed the literal light show going on in the background. The green technician frantically waved her hands to get the trio’s attention. “Absolutely NO displays of electrical dispersion around the drill! Sercavian discharges can reach temperatures matching those of a white dwarf star! Even the core of this planet is like a summer breeze by comparison!”

Circuit whooshed back in front of Steven and Connie where he rematerialized on the ground in a seated position with legs crisscrossed and one hand propping up his chin. With a droll, bored expression the canine blew a loud, wet raspberry at Peridot, who merely huffed  in annoyance before resuming her work.

Connie took a seat on the grassy ground beside the alien, hands in her lap. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Circuit. I’m Connie.”

“And I’m Steven,” her friend cheerily followed up as he hopped around to sit on the other side of their ally. “So, Sercavian. Is that your species?”

The lightning canine, grinning, nodded at a near-blurry rate.

Connie cocked her head in interest. “What’s your planet like?”

Their taller companion snickered mischievously. “Oh, it’s one big mess! Clouds blotting out the sky 24/7, rain-rain everywhere, plenty of lightning to gorge yourself on” – he sighed in bliss – “it’s basically heaven, unlike this dull-butt place. I don’t get how you Earth dudes can stand all these clear skies.”

“You get used to it,” Garnet called from atop the drill.

The Sercavian simply rolled his eyes (hard to tell without any irises) before stretching out his legs and leaning back to lay on the grass, hands behind his head.

Steven smiled at the display, pleased to discover the older male’s playful demeanor. As nice as Mincho had been to them all, the secrecy of the Spectral and Mosaic had led the boy to believe they’d all be too closed off to befriend. “So then, you guys are like the Gems then?”

“What, you mean like all hard light springing from a gemstone?” Circuit waved a dismissive hand. “Nah, we’re 100% sapient energy! The only way to take someone like me out would be ta siphon my conscious apart, but I’m way too tough for that!”

He happened to miss the disturbed expressions Steven and Connie adopted at his explanation. That sounded like a very unpleasant way to go out at the very least.

Fortunately, the kids didn’t have to ponder for long.

“There!” Pearl called out as she and Amber stepped out of the cockpit and addressed everyone. “That should be everything on our end! Peridot?”

The green Gem took a moment to do an observational walk around the drill before giving a thumbs-up.

Garnet, standing beside Greg and Amethyst, nodded in return. “It’s time then,” she announced to the team in a clear, firm tone. “Alright everyone, we’re about to start the retrieval. Peridot, Steven, Connie, Greg, and the Spectral—”

A tug on the hand by Steven interrupted the fusion.

“His name’s Circuit.”

Garnet smiled before continuing. “Peridot, Steven, Connie, Greg, and Circuit will man the drill, leading the excavation to the Cluster while all the Treasure Ambers follow close behind as fusions. Once you’ve reached the extraction point, Circuit will latch onto the Cluster and teleport it away.”

“Just Circuit?” Connie asked. “What about the other Spectral?”

“Actually, he’s all the help we’ll need from their end,” Peridot briskly explained. “Since Sercavians are energy beings similar to us, the Ambers’ boost abilities should work on him as well. In conjunction with his armor’s alleged counter ability, we’re hoping that’ll suffice for the task ahead.”

Circuit puffed a ‘pshaw’ as he waved a dismissive hand. “Ah, that’ll be plenty! The worst that’ll happen is I’ll be more jazzed up than usual for a while. I just gotta worry about focusing on where ta whisk all those Gem shards.”

“And before anyone asks as to the concern of where,” Peridot continued. “Mosaic is sending a fleet equipped with omega-class tractor beams as we speak. According to Mincho as well as my calculations, they should be here by the time we reach the Cluster.”

“Wait,” Steven spoke up. “What about the rest of you guys?”

Amethyst pounded a fist into her other palm. “We gonna be standing guard up here, duh!”

“Someone needs to stay behind in case the Benitoites launch a surprise attack,” Pearl added. “That’s why our Amber and a select few of the Treasure Ambers are also staying behind as back up.”

Plus, with all their human members far beneath, there’d be no risk of whatever Homeworld Gems sprang up taking hostages.

The lean Gem gestured a hand to her leader. “From what Garnet’s been able to see, we’ll at the very least be dealing with the Benitoites.”

The fusion nodded. “Since apprehending the Cluster is their top priority, chances are likely they’ll attempt a sneak attack for when you return topside.”

“But Mosaic’s fleets have no idea where we’ll send the Cluster,” Lapis brought up while crossing her arms, skeptical. “They’d need backup themselves just to transport it, let alone handle it.”

“Which is why I had Circuit check with Mincho to insure those ships have enough firepower,” Garnet returned in a cool tone. The Spectral in question saluted the fusion with a goofy yet obedient grin. “The rest of us will be hiding with the Ambers up here, invisible.”

“We’ll have to scatter ourselves throughout the fields since the barn is too obvious a hiding spot,” Pearl chimed in. “This way, we’ll hopefully be able to box in whoever Homeworld sends our way.”

Who knows? Perhaps Steven’s team could even pop back up by then to put extra pressure.

Just then, the lights on Circuit’s armor started flashing, faint dings sounding. The lightning dog quickly resummoned his helmet. “Circuit reporting! Uh huh…uh…oh. R-Right, I’mma tell ‘em.”

The Sercavian dispersed his helmet to reveal a resigned and annoyed expression.

Amethyst facepalmed, already knowing what would come next. “Ugh, don’t tell me. We’ve got a problem.”

“Um kinda? My guys just told me they caught some Homeworld ships warping to Earth…and they’re Emerald Hands. Lots of Emerald Hands.”

Various degrees of panic streaked across everyone’s faces.

Garnet pursed her lips, pensive. Their enemies had arrived sooner than expected. “Then we don’t have time to waste. Steven, get your team into the drill. Everyone else, find a group of Ambers to pair up with and then a place to hide besides the barn.”

And thus, everyone scrambled to their ready positions, bustling in haste. However, as Steven and Connie merged into Stevonnie who proceeded to pick up Greg and gravity-leap all the way into the cockpit, Peridot nearby found herself looking downward in thought. She yelped when a pair of sinewy arms picked her up as well.

“Any thoughts for a penny?” Circuit joked before tossing the small technician onto his shoulders, making sure to keep a grip on her feet.

“First off, I’m 60% certain you got that saying backwards. Second, if you must know, I was pondering a solution for dealing with the Emerald Hands. An admittedly insane solution I must admit upon further reflection.”

As she spoke, Circuit proceeded to hop up the nearest leg of the drill. “Dooooes it involve getting the Cluster to fight for us?” He snickered at the Gem’s taken back expression. “Hey, big problem, big solution.”

“Not inaccurate,” Peridot admitted as she and Circuit reached the cockpit, where the latter sat her in the frontmost seat. The Sercavian took the remaining leftmost seat behind Peridot next to Greg, the remaining one beside Peridot herself taken up by Stevonnie. “But let’s save that topic for after the extraction! Brace yourselves everyone!”

At the press of a few buttons and pull of a lever, the drill whirred to life and proceeded to burrow into the designated spot. In seconds, the vehicle had already cleared the soil and started piercing the bedrock at a breakneck pace. In a mere minute, one could already see the molten rock (peridotite, the Steven in Stevonnie recalled) right outside the window.

Greg could not help but stretch the collar of his T-shirt, feeling anxious. Good thing Peridot had the foresight to add air-conditioning for the drill’s organic occupants.

Circuit noticed and administered a hearty slap to the man’s back, startling him (partially from the slight static shock). “Eh relax, old man! We’ve got a fusion, a genius, you, and a whole army of cute pincushions down here! Those Homeweenies won’t know what hit them once we’re back topside!”

Homeweenies? Stevonnie couldn’t help snorting at the insult. Their mirth, however, cut short at a sudden thought. The fusion looked at Peridot with a concerned look. “Hey, that reminds me. Will the Ambers following us be OK down here?”

“I wouldn’t worry,” Peridot assured with a flippant wave. “Different Ambers come with different energy affinities. For example, the red ones are just as resilient to extreme heat as Rubies – or Garnet for that matter. In fact, I’d wager that’s how their fusions are able to traverse behind us under these conditions.”

Ah, well that made sense.

In fact, when the group emerged into the Cluster’s subterranean ‘chamber’ not too long after, they could all see several large, multicolored molehogs emerging from the hole left by the drill like a supersized ant swarm, crawling all over the walls until they surrounded the massive bubble from every angle. When their back quills lit up in preparation, the display itself showered the Cluster in light that it refracted into a kaleidoscopic display.

Circuit leaned over to ogle the sight, eyes large and starry in awe. “Whoa. Is that the Cluster?”

“Yep,” Stevonnie confirmed with nod as they also took in the sight of the contained behemoth. They could feel Connie’s likewise amazement (and slight trepidation) thrumming beneath their skin, as well as Steven’s assuring presence. The fusion looked to Circuit with a smile. “You ready?”

The Spectral puffed his chest out as his helmet rematerialized over his head in a shower of sparks. “Watch me!”

Once the lightning canine hopped over his seat and into the back, Peridot punched in a few controls. A glass tube came down on Circuit, sealing him in, before the floor beneath him scoped out and allowed him to drop below.

Stevonnie, Greg, and Peridot all watched as the Spectral zipped past in an electric burst before rematerializing atop the Cluster’s bubble. Once there, he gazed around at all the Amber fusions and gave them a thumbs-up.

On cue, the huge molehogs let off a miasma of energy streams that streamed towards and then around the Cluster, where they culminated in an iridescent globular cage. Circuit, feet directly on the bubble, also glowed with this energy as he kneeled down in preparation.

“Alright,” Peridot declared. “That’s everyone in place. Now we just need to contact the Cluster and get them up to speed on the situation so that they’ll cooperate!” She regarded Stevonnie. “If you’ll do the honors?”

Stevonnie gave the green Gem a thumbs-up and then closed their eyes, falling into focus.

In seconds, they could sense the part that belonged to Steven reaching out…

XXX

Hey again! Can you guys hear me okay?

YOU. YOU. YOU.

Yeah, it’s me again! Sorry if I seem a little different. Can’t really get near you like last time.

TRAPPED. WHY?

Don’t worry, it’s just me and my friends! Homeworld’s coming back for you, so we have to get you someplace safer.

LEAVING?

Exactly! You guys all bubbled yourselves last time; do ya think maybe you can send yourselves away too?

AWAY? LEAVING?

Don’t worry; you just focus on the warping part; we’ll handle the rest!

…LEAVING. GOING TO LEAVE.

Everything’s gonna be fine. Trust me!

LEAVE. MUST. LEAVE.

…

Guys? You still – whoa, WHOOOAAAAA—

XXX

All the while, Greg and Peridot waited with bated breath in the waking world, trying their best not to let what-ifs get to them.

Fortunately, they did not need to wait much longer before Stevonnie woke back up with a startled gasp. Right way, the fusion put a hand to their head, groaning.

“Whoa…trippy. I know, right?”

“Stevonnie!” Greg cried out in relief. “How’d it go?”

“Pretty good; took shorter than Steven expected; way shorter than Connie expected.” They gazed out at the lightshow outside. “The rest is on them. All we can do now is—”

In the blink of an eye, the Cluster along with its bubble and Circuit vanished in a reverberating whoosh.

“Not wait,” Stevonnie finished in a surprised tone. A side-glance showed Greg sharing the same expression. “Wow, that was easy!”

Peridot wagged a finger. “Ah, we’ve only accomplished half the mission. Now that the Cluster’s been fully extracted, the next part will be the retrieval.”

“Well, how are we supposed to know where they’ll end up?” Greg asked, scratching his head.

“We’re talking about an intergalactic defense force that’s been able to match wits with Homeworld,” the green technician assured. “I’m sure they’ll send confirmation soon enough. For now,” she pressed a button to activate the newly installed microphone. “Attention all Ambers! The extraction process is now complete. Please follow the drill in a straight and orderly—”

One by one, the Amber fusions scrambled for the hole and made their way upwards, leaving only the drill and its occupants left.

“Line,” Peridot finished lamely before shrugging. “I suppose that works too.” Then she set her hands akimbo with a triumphant smile. “In that case, mission accomplished! Now we can all—”

Without warning, the ancient radio fashioned into the dashboard crackled to life, static bursting out.

KRSSSHHH – GUYS – KRSSSHHH – IN TROUBLE!

“Amethyst?” Stevonnie murmured before rushing to the radio so the purple Gem could hear them. “What’s wrong?”

A growl sounded from the radio before a hard smacking sound followed. Just like that, the static lessened and Amethyst’s voice came out much clearer.

Ugh, finally! Guys, wrap things up down there! We’ve got company!

The bang of a massive explosion went off in the background, making the entire group jerk back in fright. Then the sounds of voices that sounded much too similar to Jasper.

Static overtook again.

Oh no, Stevonnie thought in panic as their eyes went wide. “Amethyst?! Amethyst!”

“Everyone back to their seats!” Peridot ordered, hands flying in a blur over the dashboard. “NOW!”

Stevonnie and Greg wasted no time complying and refastening their seatbelts, barely in time for the drill to start its mad scramble for the surface.

Silver lining: the drill’s rapid ascent meant the group didn’t have to worry themselves sick over the state of their teammates for long.

Not so silver lining: the drill seized up the moment it emerged topside, as though some invisible massive hand had grabbed it, and started to tip over despite Peridot’s best efforts to push back with both the controls and her ferrokinesis. When the technician realized the futileness of her struggle, she punched the button designated to open the cockpit.

Stevonnie, catching on quickly, grabbed her and Greg and cast a bubble around them all. Thanks to the fusion calling upon their levitation powers, the trio managed to whisk away right before the drill capsized, the massive instrument hitting the ground with a resounding crash.

Down below, the whole field teemed with Rubies, Amethysts, and Jaspers hellbent on overwhelming the Crystal Gems. Already, Stevonnie could spot Pearl and Amethyst fighting back-to-back while Lapis hovered high above the field, using the water from the pool to cut down her opponents. Garnet faced off on the other end of the field, taking out enemies left and right with well-timed strikes. A few Corrupted Amber fusions – too few – dotted the chaos, glowing angrily as they clawed and snapped their jaws at the soldiers.

“Not good,” the young fusion murmured.

Oh, things got much worse.

A blue and white blur suddenly struck the bubble, startling Stevonnie enough that their levitation slipped, allowing the bubble to plummet into the ground and pop on impact, sending its occupants spilling. Thankfully, the bubble managed to break most of the fall, though the trio still wound up shaken and dazed by the impact.

Before he could ask if the others were OK, déjà vu came for Greg in the worst possible way as a familiar group of Benitoites  surrounded the group, weapons at the ready and this time larger in number. The ex-musician lifted his head and eyed the would-be captors with utter dread.

One of the Benitoites, without lowering her kusarigama, eyed the group in incredulous wonder. Peridot recognized her as one of the Benitoites from the Kindergarten, the one with the right deltoid gem and rocker-like mohawk.

“Wait, wait-wait-wait-wait! These are the fleshbags that gave you guys the slip?”

“Please don’t remind us,” the Benitoite with the sniper rifle, navel gem, and pompadour snarked. “I only recognize the big fat one, though.”

Greg shot her a dirty glare, not appreciating the weight-shame.

“Enough,” O4M ordered, pointing her bo staff at the trio. “O5K, gather up the humans. O3J, dissipate the Peridot. O2L, O1Q, help me with fending off those strange pets of theirs, there aren’t that many. The Quartzes and Rubies can handle the other Crystal—”

Without warning, a barrage of iridescent lightning struck all around Stevonnie and their group, the Benitoites barely managing to avoid the surprise attack.

The leader only had enough time to gape before an unearthly screech started to permeate the battlefield, causing combatants and non-combatants alike (save for the Ambers) to cover their ears.

Then out of seeming nowhere, a writhing twister of light and color raged into existence and tore through the Homeworld troops, destabilizing many instantaneously while others were sent either flying or screaming in terror.

“What in the stars…,” Forehead murmured in shock, unprepared for such a sight alongside her teammates. “What is—”

“Those would be the rest of our ‘strange pets’,” Stevonnie answered with a smirk as they all watched the Treasure Ambers wreck shop.

The Benitoite with the whip, braided mohawk and left deltoid gem merely huffed, unimpressed. “Don’t be so quick to assume victory, human.”

On cue, a low boom heralded a multitude of Emerald Hands warping into view just above the battlefield.

Stevonnie’s smirk only fell harder than their stomach. Those were going to be a lot tougher to take down. Regardless, the fusion drew their sword while Greg and Peridot stuck close to them with a raised guitar and trembling dukes up respectively, much to the Benitoites’ amusement.

“Aw, look at that,” O3J cooed in a cutesy tone Stevonnie honestly couldn’t tell was genuine or mocking, “they think they have a chance against us!”

The squad leader, exasperated, stomped the butt of her staff against the ground. “Alright, alright. Let’s get this over with and bring them in for questioning. Yellow Diamond wants answers before the cycle’s done.”

With that, the Benitoites slowly closed in. Stevonnie, Greg, and Peridot braced themselves, ready to fight back.

“ABSOLOK!” shouted a voice Stevonnie (or at least Steven) recognized.

Out of nowhere, a massive column of blue ice slammed down into the center of the battlefield, taking out half of the troops taking on Pearl and Amethyst, the ground shaking.

Only when the column lifted did Stevonnie realize the column was actually a fist. The fusion’s eyes traced the gigantic arm attached to the hand but could only make out a massive hunching shadowy figure, its broad shoulders and beady glowing-white eyes the only features visible.

“Whoa,” Stevonnie murmured, lost in complete awe at the icy titan, Greg and Peridot sporting similar expressions.

Except the giant wasn’t done.

Narrowing its eyes, it pressed its fist into the ground and let off a burst of cold that instantly froze all Quartzes and Rubies yet left all the Crystal Gems and their allies untouched.

The Benitoites barely dodged in time, leaping onto the roof of the barn.

“FRACK!” The sniper grouched as she and her team gawked at the summoned giant. “How is a Spectral here?! I thought Yellow Diamond’s forces in the planet’s atmosphere were supposed to keep those losers off the planet!”

O4M huffed. “Looks like they were able to sneak some ahead of us. On the bright side, there’s only one. Plus—”

On cue, the ice titan faded in a shower of sparks.

“Those summons never last long, thank the Diamonds.”

“Uh yeah,” the Benitoite with throwing knives and a gemstone on the front base of her throat pointed out in a meek tone, finger to her chin. She sported a spiked up half mohawk. “But all our soldiers are frozen now.”

Indeed, as the squad observed, the Crystal Gems and their strange-looking friends were making short work, shattering soldiers’ bodies and collecting their gemstones to bubble away.

O3J waved a dismissive hand. “Oh relax, O5K! We still got a whole bunch of Emerald Hands with extra troops waiting to drop down any moment now.”

Just then another familiar voice rang out.

“TORENZ MADRA!”

This time out of nowhere erupted a massive storm, black clouds coating the sky in a blink and releasing a barrage of blinding lightning that the Emerald Hands, huge and slow-moving, could not properly dodge. The ones hit twitched and convulsed before taking on limp poses and started to plummet towards the ground, forcing the Quartz and Ruby troops that had been waiting to jump out in haste.

Some of the lightning bolts even struck the land, instantly destabilizing much of the frozen enemy troopers, once again missing the rebels completely.

In the center of the dark storm, the clouds swirled to form a bird-like face with jagged “teeth”, the holes that formed its eyeholes and mouth glowing an unsettling white that added to its demented, manic grin.

All the Benitoites could only look on in various states of utter disbelief.

The sniper, O2L, shot a dirty glare at her stunned teammate. “You were saying?”

Then she narrowed her eyes at the sight of Stevonnie slicing through the remaining troops before regarding her leader. “We’re going to need to change tactics, O4M. None of our Peridots have reported on the status of the Cluster yet, and we can’t risk any more Spectral showing up.”

O4M sighed, rubbing a hand against her temple in frustration. “O1Q, you dealt with some of these Off-Colors back in the war. Any suggestions?”

None came.

“O1Q?”

The Benitoite with the whip and left deltoid gem had not responded, eyes focused on Stevonnie with intensity. Focused on the strange Gem’s sword specifically.

At that moment, Stevonnie used their levitation powers to leap high up to avoid an incoming tackle from one of the Amethysts. With a stylish flip as they came back down, Stevonnie beheaded the Quartz with a swift slice, poofing them.

O1Q stiffened and stepped forward, focus now razor sharp. “That ability…”

A massive Jasper fusion dropping down from one of the falling Emerald Hands tried to surprise Stevonnie with a surprise spin dash from above, only for the sword-bearer to twirl around and summon an equally huge shield, countering the Quartz and following up with another decisive swish of their sword.

O1Q felt her eyes widen. “That shield…”

Indeed, her fellow Benitoites could not unsee it as well – and in turn others.

“Forget the shield,” O3J exclaimed, pointing. “Look at her Gem!”

Because right now, the fusion’s navel gemstone was glowing a vibrant pink for all to see.

“Rose Quartz?” O4M marveled.

And Stevonnie, after bubbling an enemy Amethyst, only now realized the squad of blue Gems staring down at them – and the newly revealed shield, the fusion realized with stricken eyes and a panicked frown.

Uh oh.