A/N: Hooray, you clicked on the next chapter! I can only assume that you liked the previous one. Or maybe you're still curious on how I justify shipping a fourteen-year-old with a space rock whose age has twice as many digits? All things considered, that's probably what got you to click in the first place. I don't mind either way, heh. Anyways, shall we continue this tale? Remember to have a good day!

(I don't own Steven Universe)


II: Hypocrisy

So many things could be useful to them right now. Some kind of sentient flood light, like the one used on search helicopters attached to the brain of a bloodhound. A cell phone plan between all four of Gems, along with some magical permanent bars. Basic walkie-talkies would achieve the same effect. Or telepathy. Perhaps a very, very long piece of string tied to each of them; the safety would surely be worth the loss of dignity. Maybe they could each have a loaf of bread, to use as an ample supply of bread crumbs for this specific situation. The point was, any form of creating some kind of connection to Pearl and Garnet that would inevitably help in finding them was invaluably important.

But probably the most useful thing would be a sense of direction.

"Are you sure they went this way?" Steven asked his companion, scouring as many edges of what walls he could. He toyed with the idea of bringing out (or at least attempting to bring out) his shield, both for the extra precaution and for the light that its summoning would generate as a byproduct. Finding Pearl and Garnet with the very shield he assured them he was able to create with ease had a certain charm he didn't mind admitting as a little smug.

Much as Steven would've loved to show off his shield, though, the Gem's inherently scattered mind was too dispersed to focus on any sole task. Being divided across his and Amethyst's search, imagining what could've happened to the two other Gems, and still lingering on what his nearby friend had said despite the situation, Steven assumed his brain's failure to produce some magical defense was justified. The desperate hope that he wouldn't end up needing it countered the tense knowing that he probably would, so without any immediate cause to defend, it would stay sheathed.

Looking back to his current partner for the mission, Steven made a subtle "ahem" in an attempt to politely reinstate his inquiry's relevance.

Eventually, a groan met his question after a hesitation he found impossible to ignore. "Yeah, Steven," Amethyst tiredly answered for the fifth time, looking irked at her constantly having to repeat herself. Once for each minute that passed, seemingly on the dot. Her irritation most likely stemmed from his lack of trust (though it wasn't very misplaced, honestly) at her ability to walk forward, but his persistence was transforming the cause into something less personal.

"We'll find 'em," Amethyst said more to herself than to Steven. The slightest increase of force was applied to her hand, and she witnessed an encouraging nod on the edge of her vision. Sighing, she pressed forward while presenting the idea that he was just worried about the others to her mind. That wasn't the greatest revelation, but now that she recalled her friend's sympathetic worry for others, Amethyst's frown of vexation abated easily.

Knowing that the frown came from worry instead of annoyance in the first place, Amethyst reassured herself by dealing with the present tense. Stepping over a fragment of a boulder and half-consciously leading Steven over it, she thought it best to focus on what was currently happening instead of the much more daunting concept of what could've already happened, so she did. And what that changed her thought process to was…

…shortly after, the realization that a whole lot of nothing was happening occurred without much help. Silence settled back in in any way but comfortably, only ever impeded by the sound of feet hitting rock and the occasional sharp gasp when paranoia had gotten the best of either Gem. Amethyst mentally counted the seconds until Steven inquired on their directions for minute number six, then became surprised when it was in the negatives. Hoping that his untimely manner was from confidence in place of fear, she gave an unsure cough, trying to melt the ice that had so quickly appeared.

Unfortunately, the absence of sound in such a dark place didn't allow her to have some topic to reliably jump to. Flattering as it might've been, talking about herself simply didn't seem like the appropriate course of action at a time like that (despite her doing just that only minutes ago). And simultaneously, looking in the gloom for any sign of either Garnet or Pearl was as devoid of attention as the blackness was of color. Sure, it was an important task, but that didn't necessarily equate to an interesting task. Possessing only a generously estimated ten feet of murky sight ensured that they'd only see all of their friends or none at all.

Suddenly, an unfamiliar sound underfoot tore Amethyst away from her thoughts. She stopped momentarily to investigate whatever object was unlucky enough to be trodden upon, and jerked back a small distance upon recognizing it as a newly cracked bone. A bone frighteningly similar in length to Amethyst's forearm, which, by proxy, was close to Steven's. Frowning, she turned back to him, both of them looking more than displeased at the reminder of whatever was nightmarish enough to reside here.

"Stick close," she stated unnecessarily. Steven didn't need to be told twice. He gave her an affirmative hum, subtly nodding in a vaguely serious manner. Amethyst returned her attention to the little scrap of visible world in front of her, with more reluctance than previously. It was one of these times when she'd recede into her thoughts, much like when Pearl was in the process of lecturing her or when she pretended to understand one of Steven's weird cartoons. Only this time, she felt more of a need to avoid the starkness in front of her rather than a want to avoid something inconvenient.

Presented with the idea of inconvenience, Amethyst's mind linked the term "avoiding" with what she was supposed to be doing, that chiefly being avoiding Steven coming into contact with their secretive target. Maybe the connection was out of habit, maybe out of some urgent subconscious thought, but either way, Amethyst was regrettably reminded of her initial task. Which, in a technical sense (Amethyst's favorite kind, no surprise there) she was still doing. Just because they weren't sitting around in one spot able to be plucked off like a seagull's prey didn't mean that Amethyst was failing her duty to watch over Steven.

However, Amethyst having to keep Steven from danger and maintaining his well-being were two separate tasks. Pearl's command to "keep him safe" was easier to follow than both she and Garnet seemed to realize, and not just because of Amethyst's own reliability. Granted, that reliability was admittedly questionable, but that wasn't the point. Being the only one to realize Steven's aptitude was one of the many unique aspects Amethyst didn't enjoy possessing.

For as often as Steven was supposed to be protected, he didn't really need as much protecting as everyone assumed. Judging by the stories of his "escapades" with that Connie girl he was so infatuated with, he could hold his own and then some. For a moment, Amethyst ignored the black gloom that took the majority of her vision, and recalled how Steven would always be so excited to tell the Gems about what he did, or how easy it was to do whatever magical action he recently discovered. More so when he was in his friend's presence.

It might've been short-lived, but the world around Amethyst seemingly brightened into a darker grey instead of jet-black in turn. The spectrum grew even less clouded when she accounted for Steven's pride, which Amethyst had no problem reciprocating. From what she's heard, that grin that managed to illuminate the cavern was well deserved, and then some. Even if Amethyst ruled out every one of the many, many adventures he took part in on almost a daily schedule, she still found his progress nothing to sneeze at. Heck, now he didn't even bat an eye at being able to make his bubble on a whim.

And yet despite hearing and even seeing the same exact Steven as the others, Amethyst was evidently the only one to consider him not needing a babysitter every other mission.

"Behold!" Amethyst suddenly heard in her mind as an apparition of herself momentarily appeared. The ghostly glow seemed to suck any increase of light that once held itself against the darkness. "'Tis I, the ghost of hypocrisy's past!"

"Go away,"the real one grumbled, attracting Steven's attention in the process. Amethyst half-consciously waved him away, saying that wasn't directed at him. That might've been enough to satisfy his curiosity if there was another potential target visible. Either way, he unsurely returned his eyes to the hunt for their companions and left whatever Amethyst was thinking to herself.

Yes, she was aware of essentially contradicting herself. Well, not essentially; she did contradict herself. Here she was, complaining that Garnet and Pearl didn't give Steven a shred of the credit he wholly deserved, and only moments earlier, she hesitantly jumped at the chance to be that guardian he didn't need. Oxymoronic as it might've been, it wasn't entirely without reason. Sure, Amethyst knew he could face off with most anyone and emerge victorious, but that still didn't rid her of the persistent worry that was known as "concern." Came with the territory. Mentioning her worry about him to the very boy in question somewhat softened the blow of regret, though it was still present. Evidently, caring about Steven's well-being wasn't a bad thing, and even more evidently, being open about that care wasn't either.

And yet the blatant hypocrisy didn't fade in the slightest.

Call her crazy (it wasn't as though she hasn't been before; anyone's guess on whether she's been called that or actually had been crazy, but that's not the point), but Amethyst had thought that her decision to "play babysitter," as she'd put it, was due, in a way. As if it somehow made up for her consistent flippancy. Being able to laugh was nothing to regret, but only being able to laugh wasn't exactly conventional nor needed 100% of the time. Hence the whole idea of being semi-serious about the situation. Simultaneously convenient and awful, their current shadowy environment provided the perfect prompt.

Just her luck, though, that her one opportunity to subtly show any kind of earnest resolution also involved accidentally bringing down Steven's spirits. Sure, she may've not been as generously loquacious in her speech as Pearl or perfectly concise as Garnet, but Amethyst still understood the concept of why protecting him was the number one priority even if she didn't explicitly state it out loud. Whatever Gem beast they were going after would undoubtedly be something dangerous, and probably just the least bit scary. However, what she couldn't fathom was not being able to understand that Steven could very easily keep himself safe. Half-consciously, Amethyst looked back to his chronologically present form, seeing the boy offer a calming grin along with some sincere words of encouragement.

Amethyst smiled back, agreeing with his faith in the competence of their companions. Turning back towards the direction where they most definitely were in, Amethyst's smile faded, making way for a surprised expression she barely managed to conceal. "Huh," she suddenly thought, eventually returning her eyes forward to the task that was supposed to be fearful. Or at the very least, unsettling. "Guess he's my distraction. Who'da thunk it?"

Further thought dissipated Amethyst's initial confusion at why her mind concerned itself with him; after all, it's not as though she didn't see him on a daily basis. Given the current predicament, it made sense. The only thing that wasn't a source of stress in the cruddy caves was, huge coincidence, the one thing that didn't worry her; the one thing she was unnecessarily told to watch over. Everything else either worried, bothered, or disconcerted her. Pathetic as it may've sounded, Amethyst didn't have many memories to fall back on, considering most of them involved the two (occasionally three) people she was trying to find.

Having a "go-with-the-flow" attitude prior to being presented a singular obvious option made an easy decision out of what to distract herself with, she guessed. Besides, she'd rather spend mental focus on nearly anything else instead of concern herself with the awful imagining of what could've befallen the only other people Amethyst could somewhat comfortably call family. Not much good could come from that, and though her hair couldn't get any less saturated, she'd rather not tear it out.

Interestingly enough, that also seemed to explain why she dissected her thought's to such an extent. Now actively aware of what exactly decided to present itself to her mind, Amethyst forced a conscious effort on her part to maintain her search. Steven didn't seem to notice, being preoccupied with helping her look instead of paying attention to any subtle impression of what she might've been doing internally. She didn't mind his failure to give interest. Which made it all the more ironic when the next topic that wanted to be contemplated was derived from his attention.

Whether the talk they'd shared minutes ago subconsciously influenced the tracks of her train of thought or it was an easy thing to think about, Amethyst's brain was drawn to it like a bee was to honey. Honestly, it hadn't strayed from her mind as far as she thought it should've. Then again, it had only been about seven or so minutes. And besides, it went along with what she learned a long time ago, that being the comparison of Steven to a "special case."

Not in any derogatory sense, mind, but rather a confusing (and somewhat pleasant) contradiction. Well, he was family in every sense of the word that concerned Amethyst, but he was something else in the sense that Amethyst wasn't even aware a personality like his could genuinely exist. Then again, she'd be lying in saying she hasn't met genuinely nice people, but at the same time… though, he had… specifically speaking…

For a brief moment, Amethyst glanced back at her hand's captor, hoping that the visual reminder would come with more accurate vocabulary to use. Steven, despite how glaringly dreadful the current situation was, offered a smile once more. Only this time, his lips moved instead of strictly forming a broad "u."

"Is something wrong, Amethyst?" he politely asked, hoping more to put her fears at ease rather than be given the opportunity to do so. "You keep looking back all weird-like." Amethyst's steps hadn't faltered, though her features contradicted the idea her feet might've implied. Either way, she looked slightly startled to hear his inquiry.

"Mh… nah," she drew out, feigning interest in one of the countless golden stones that apathetically attempted to illuminate the caves. The next hesitation felt excessively obvious to Amethyst. "Just thinkin'."

A small paused followed, competing with her own. "Oh," Steven eventually stated, putting on (or at least trying to put on) his serious face again. Again, his attention was diverted back to the area around them rather than the more appealing person in front of him. Really though, pretty much anything would be more appealing than the area around them. "'Kay. I'll be here."

"Yeah, ya better…" Amethyst mumbled, oblivious to her own smirk.

Look, it just didn't make sense to her. The concept of Steven being the way he was had seemed foreign to Amethyst. He should've been too sincere, too courteous to a point that was beyond realistic in every way. The current grip between them seemed to represent that excess almost perfectly well; tight, but not crushingly tight, as if it were more for her sake than his own.

It took a considerable amount of willpower to suppress her mini-ghost returning with a mocking "Daw, guess he's not the one who needs a babysitter."

And then there was how she visualized his motivation for holding firmly. It was an inexplicable exception of indifference from herself. Not that Amethyst was about to over-analyze something as simple as a grip (more often, the case was diametrically opposed) but she found that it represented her problem in the most conventional way. If anyone had done the same as he, then she would've (heck, should've) been insulted by a definite lack of faith. The idea of her being some damsel in distress was hilariously absurd, and Steven knew that well enough on his own.

If the fact that Steven had ignored her aptitude held any kind of humor, Amethyst didn't laugh. But at the same time…

Amethyst was not a trusting person, believe it or not. Her own personality dictated that most anyone with a behavior of generous consideration tended to have ulterior motives or some need for cover from their respective authorities. In Steven's case, the extent of naive, puerile innocence that reached far over where it should've been able to. Or at least, that's what Amethyst had learned about care such as his. And yet despite her extensive experience, Amethyst could never force cynicism onto anything he did; the talk they just had only minutes in the past had shown her why her previous attempts at doing so failed.

She trusted him, seemingly more than almost everyone she knew.

This revelation was swiftly met with skepticism, which was then swiftly met with a reminder of what exactly transpired only nine or so minutes before. Not only did the reference to that conversation counteract Amethyst's instinct to ignore the obvious, but it shed some light on why she trusted him in the first place. Because he wasn't faking it; Steven really did have everyone's wellbeing in mind, somehow. He seemed that considerate because he was that considerate. If there was anyone that knew how to help someone, much less Amethyst of all people, then it was easily him.

For a moment, Amethyst's mind went quiet, and she gave a little attention to the sounds of stone reverberating in a vacuum of noise. "What a guy," a delayed thought resounded. A small smirk at both Steven's authenticity and how easily she accepted the fact of his conciliatory nature inscribed itself on Amethyst's face.

Within a second, her smile then petrified into a troubled grimace when a yellow stone fell in the center of the vision she'd just been ignoring. The mere sight of it forced her back to reality, and subsequently the awful stress that came with it returned to her mind. As pleasant as thinking of the ray of hope that Steven was, Amethyst wasn't very pleased at the predicament she managed to get him in along with her. Not even a dozen minutes in, and she had managed to get both her and Steven utterly, completely, totally lost. There was no beating around the bush, considering that they could've been walking in circles and would've been none the wiser. Scratch inconvenient; that was just plain pathetic.

Even more pathetic, now that Amethyst applied the slightest hint of thought, was realizing how stupid the idea of moving from where they were left was only after they executed it. Sure, they worried about Garnet and Pearl, but the two "authoritative" Gems could take care of themselves much better than Amethyst and Steven could. And yet despite their obviously greater aptitude, Amethyst had thought it a good idea to look for them instead of dismissing Steven's suggestion for the sake of common sense. Maybe it didn't sound so bad if she worded the situation like that in her head, but wording it like that also left out the fact that the caves they were searching seemed specifically designed to get people lost.

And thanks to her prolonged realization, the window of time allowing them to simply return to where she and Steven were left (and probably supposed to still be) had passed. Who knew where that location lay. Right now, their best bet was to meet back up with a still-intact Garnet and Pearl, use Garnet's future vision to find the warp pad, get out of the cave, and forget about everything that remotely referenced its existence.

Despite not possessing any form of a mirror, Amethyst was aware of her frown diminishing slightly in tandem with her footsteps.

"Eh…" she thought, taking a wider-than necessary arc around a uniquely large golden rock. Its presence made her a tad more aware of whom she was grasping. "Maybe not everything."

A modest trip-up shoved her from the brief vacation of her mind and back to reality once again. Could anyone blame her for getting away from the harshness of the current situation so many times? For as often as she took part in it, though, Amethyst didn't think daydreaming was something she ought to do right about then. Whatever her future self would decide to do depended on whether or not everyone got out of the cave, preferably intact. Inwardly groaning at her turn of desperation, Amethyst glanced at Steven. Like it was now designated protocol, he pulled his lips into a smile before asking what the matter was now. Or, more specifically, what matter she was thinking about. There were plenty of answers to his first assumption.

"Yell?" Amethyst responded with an uncertain enunciation, torn between telling him to use those lungs of his and asking if it was a good idea. Maybe he'd be able to decide for her. Not that she was some mindless sheep, but… suffice to say, there was a reason that she wasn't the leader of the group.

Steven blinked, somewhat taken off guard by her suggestion. Or question? The look on her face told him it was meant as a question, though she still appeared divided on the matter. For good reason; after all, there was a Gem they were trying to find in the first place. The last thing either he or Amethyst wanted to do was alert the likely nightmarish beast to their presence. However, emitting any kind of traceable tag that reached farther than sight could also be extremely beneficial, depending on the results of doing so. Weighing possible outcomes, Steven drew a breath, answering her in the process. Then he promptly coughed from inhaling an invisible amount of something besides oxygen.

An unavoidable snort shortly resounded from Amethyst. She patted his back empathetically, mentioning how she knew the struggles of using lungs despite not really needing them. With how serious and critical the current situation was, seeing Steven cough from an excessively hefty breath was easily a welcome relief. Try as he probably might have, Steven couldn't manufacture a frown that appeared even remotely authentic. A small smile etched onto his features, and he laughed along with a slightly embarrassed blush. A fair amount of chuckling and good-natured pushes on shoulders later, Steven drew another (slightly less great) breath, and–

–went quiet.

As if spontaneously materializing from behind him, some unrecognizable thing clamped itself around his mouth, muffling whatever call he was about to give. Time blurred suddenly; in what might've been not even a fraction of a millisecond, adrenaline shoved itself into Amethyst's bloodstream, making her jerk the arm holding onto Steven. He was pulled free from the creature's grasp in an instant with an audible yelp, and the moment Amethyst gained the ability to identify he was out of harm's way, she followed up with the second thing instinct told her to do. Using the momentum from yanking Steven, she clasped her fingers shut in a tight fist, and swung.

If everything wasn't happening in the course of mere seconds, Amethyst might've been further disconcerted by the empty whoosh of air in the area she would've rather heard a solid strike.

"Easy!" a voice suddenly emanated from the direction Amethyst was quickly shuffling away from, Steven in tow. She hadn't dared remove her eyes from the assumed location, though a faint familiarity delayed her urge to ignore the commanding plea. Whoever the surprise third party was, they sounded simultaneously irked and calm in a manner reminiscent of reprimanding excessive force. Also familiar. The accent of distant reverberations was what eventually tipped Amethyst off on who held the voice, mostly because of how actually hearing it was too bizarre to initially believe.

Another blur of speed rushed past Amethyst, detaching from her arm so quickly it threatened to dislocate her shoulder. Her now-empty hand was left lingering in the air for a brief moment, hovering in a way that appeared as though she was lazily gesturing towards the boy clamped onto a surprised Garnet's leg. Sighing with a roll of her eyes (and a small curve of her smile), Amethyst returned her arm to her side. She was surprised herself to find her eyes inspecting the hand in question in an inexplicable hesitation, still a somewhat deeper purple in the areas Steven had gripped.

"Weird…" Amethyst muttered, not referring to the change of coloration.

Ignoring its vacancy, Amethyst took a single step forward—then used the last trickle of her adrenaline to deck whatever decided to make contact with her shoulder.

She wasn't even aware of what just happened.

One pained groan later, Amethyst gave a regretful apology to the kneeling form of Pearl, halfheartedly shrugging. The taller of the two held up a hand with a particularly harsher wheeze that supposedly acted as a warning not to say anything whatsoever. This was met with another shrug, along with some internal words of irritation making note of Pearl being the one to instigate Amethyst's punch with her unplanned arrival.

While Pearl regained the functionality of her lungs, Amethyst crossed her arms and looked back to Steven and his new anchor. The greeting between either of them could've gone far smoother and probably less violent, but regardless, Amethyst was glad to find her friends unharmed. Asking Steven if he felt likewise was so unnecessary that Amethyst had to catch herself from grinning too widely.

Much like a koala, the boy clung to Garnet's leg like his lifeline, stating both his extensive worry and relief in doing so. Garnet tousled his bouncy hair, then rose her eyes to Amethyst's. It was difficult for her to not utter a compulsory "Uh oh," being so used to trouble's presence.

That most likely wasn't a very good habit to have, but Amethyst impressed herself with that fact nonetheless.

"Glad to see you in one piece," Amethyst said in place of what her guilty instinct wanted her to say. Taking note of everyone's undamaged forms, Amethyst gave Garnet placid thumbs-up as she received a stoic "Likewise." Thankfully, the leader hadn't appeared too irked at meeting up with either one. Maybe Amethyst would get off easy this time, for once in her extremely long life. Beginning to relax from the tension of an incoming lecture, Amethyst sighed, offering a hand to Pearl after an admittedly prolonged hesitation.

Scarily enough, the once-in-a-blue-moon offer wasn't taken advantage of. Deterred, Amethyst retracted her hand again and looked back to the more comforting image of Steven latched onto Garnet's leg. Then the increasingly desperate Gem's smile diminished with each of Garnet's approaching steps. Amethyst couldn't even laugh at every other footfall being greater from Steven's added weight, an irksome seriousness falling back into place despite the grin still adorning Steven's cheeks. Once within talking distance, Garnet put her hands on her hips, looking down at the short Gem with her stoic equivalent of reluctant disapproval.

For a moment, a tense silence fell onto the Gems, excluding the last inhalant gasps of Pearl. Steven looked up at Garnet confusedly before looking back at Pearl with a relieved smile he only stowed away momentarily. Then Amethyst sighed, already knowing how this was going to play out. Resigning to her fate, she begun the inevitable lecture by saying a knowing "What?"

Not surprisingly, Pearl was the first to speak up. Her voice was slightly distorted from spontaneously being struck in the stomach, though the trademark "overbearing mother" trait hadn't lost its quality.

"Oh, you know 'what,' Amethyst," she stated accusingly. Right out of the gate and straight to the point. Normally, Amethyst would have some witty retort, considering she's had whole centuries of arguing experience excluding the time between each verbal skirmish to cook up a proper response. But as familiar as the situation was, what with Pearl's glare and Garnet's interest in how Amethyst would justify her actions, some alien aspect made forming a more universal response a challenge. The result was a genuinely confused "Not really?"

Amethyst was no psychic, but she had a feeling Pearl wasn't prepared for something that authentic. No fallible logic or insult in place of an actual answer. This time she was given an actual answer, and boy, she did not expect that. Unfortunately, Pearl managed to recompose herself before Amethyst could perfectly remember her stunned expression for later.

"You only had one task," she pressed on, ignoring Steven's look of intrigue at both of them. Pearl took a meditative breath, trying to calm herself. It would've been a trivial task had she not been suddenly struck only a few minutes before. "Just stay with him and wait for us."

If Garnet had anything to pitch in or say to the conversation, she kept it to herself. Perhaps it was annoyance growing exponentially, but the last statement from Pearl got to Amethyst more than usual. Growing irritated, she grumbled out an incoherent remark, crossing her arms. Pearl took advantage of the familiarity and testily asked her to repeat herself.

"I said," Amethyst began, turning back to her sparring partner, "that was a dumb thing to do, alright?" Out of the corner of her eye, she could witness Garnet now shrugging indifferently to the opinion, bouncing Steven in the process. It was confusing to see how that worked, but the effect made a lot more sense when Amethyst noticed that Garnet had put him on her shoulders at some point in time.

"Amethyst!" Pearl vehemently exclaimed, almost like an insult. That wasn't all the violet Gem wanted to say, but an irksome hesitation allowed Pearl to get more words in before she was able to. "I'd hardly think protecting him is a poor course of action!"

"Okay, okay," Amethyst tried defusing in response, hoping to find a way to reliably word her thoughts. Sighing, she threw her hands behind her head, asserting a languid pose in order to counteract her atypically willing accountability. "Cool your jets, I know it ain't, but…"

Above the far echoes of Amethyst's own voice of uncertainty, she could hear Steven mumble something before Garnet whispered something to quiet him. Focusing on the argument she was supposed to be taking part in, Amethyst opened her mouth to explain what she intended to get across. "Look, I meant—"

Pearl cut in, sounding more aggravated than what would've qualified as reasonable. "Meant what?" Heedless to the defensive hand raise from someone who'd more commonly form a fist than an open palm, she continued further with that mightier-than-thou scowl that always managed to get on Amethyst's nerves. "Do you really think Steven would've been safe on his own?"

It was the specific wording of the question that forced an answer out of Amethyst, given how conveniently it had been composed. Without any kind of mocking manner, Amethyst nodded seriously, saying "By now, yeah."

As the three words echoed out of earshot, Pearl's weapon of an expression fell away, being replaced by one of incredulity. A brief pause passed, shortly followed by Steven rather than Pearl. "Wow," he began, wearing a wide grin. He craned his neck over Garnet's cube of hair to look down at Amethyst from atop his sentient mountain, looking flattered (for a reason). "Thanks, Amethyst!"

The Gem looked up at his simper, and copied it without much active thought. "You are a-welcome," she proudly stated with an over-dramatized bow. In response, Steven chuckled lightly, and was joined in only seconds. Unfortunately, Pearl cut in before Amethyst could forget that she was supposed to be in trouble.

"Look, even ignoring Steven's own ability…" she halfheartedly trailed off, some of her irritation leaving her voice. If Amethyst was feeling particularly sour, she might've visualized the slight hesitation in Pearl's speech as desperation. But instead, a feeling of particular empathy had caused her to reason that the current mission was taking a toll on Pearl's inherently stressed mind. She never did take well to a challenge when it involved such dire stakes, and when Steven's well-being was involved, the total sum wasn't exactly relaxing.

Frowning, Amethyst blinked at the new tracks her train of thought decided to use. Speaking from experience, making excuses for other people didn't contribute to the reputation Amethyst had been establishing since… forever.

Oh man, was Steven rubbing off on her? Already?

"This mission is obviously more dangerous than many of our others," Pearl eventually continued with a shake of her head. Right, Pearl was talking. "I would say that it's already proven a challenge so far, and we haven't even discovered what kind of opponent we're facing yet. If we're struggling, then Steven…"

The thin Gem sighed in a combination of frustration and repentance, looking at Steven apologetically. She obviously didn't want to say any more for the sake of avoiding anything that could potentially break Steven's spirit, but the message was still present. It didn't appear to have too much of an effect on him, only causing him to halfheartedly shrug in reluctant agreement. "Yeah," he sheepishly said, finding their current surroundings as evidence enough.

Having received the message, Amethyst gave a hum of the same nature of Steven's shrug. She exchanged a silent look of concern with him before admitting that maybe this specific mission didn't exactly offer the coziest opportunities for anyone. Any Gem left alone in the cavern would have more than a little trouble making it out on their own, even Garnet. Regardless of who was capable of doing what, Amethyst tried wrapping up the conversation for the sake of both convenience and survival.

"Fine, I guess I can… see where you're comin' from," she said, attempting to wave off her irritation for the time being. Getting the others to realize Steven's strides was a separate objective from their target, and one just seemed a bit more important than the other. Amethyst looked at Garnet, still unable to read her expression accurately. A little unsettling, to say the least. "Can we just find this Gem thing and be done with it?"

Garnet finally showed some indication of sentience and nodded dutifully, reaching up to place Steven back on the ground. His small smile diminished at this. As he sulked back towards his assumed place beside Amethyst, Garnet gave a quick look to Pearl before stating that the creature's close proximity was growing nearer.

"Oh, for real this time?" Amethyst sarcastically stated. Rather than another apology (which in Garnet's case was a placid shrug of her shoulders) the leader nodded again, turning around to face some direction in the darkness. Without warning, her gauntlets appeared around her hands, now closed in tight fists. It didn't do much to alleviate the tension, instead strengthening it. Steven gave a small "Oh," and transformed his expression into a forced frown of seriousness. It didn't accomplish what Amethyst assumed was his intended purpose.

"Alright," Pearl said, doing the same as Steven, only successfully. She quickly drew her spear, following Garnet's example, and took behind the fusion. The argument between her and Amethyst had ended before it could get worse, but at the same time, not being able to state what she wanted to at an ideal time for intervention had left Amethyst somewhat unsatisfied. Hopefully the topic wasn't buried forever, and she could return to it at a more opportune time. Sighing, Amethyst decided to join the crowd, and brought out her whip with an unenthusiastic flourish, gripping it with reluctance.

She examined her hand for a moment, then looked back to a curious Steven. An unusual quiet was brought about for a moment before Amethyst took the first step towards her teammates. "You comin'?" she rhetorically asked, walking backwards.

Steven looked thoughtful for a second, obviously pondering something. Amethyst didn't jump at the opportunity to guess what, a bit confused by what thoughts currently bounced around in that noggin of his. After a small hum, he shut his eyes purposefully. Some seconds of nothing passed, but a few more let Amethyst observe that they'd never been nothing in the first place. The few steps she'd been taking slowed down to a halt as she noted how pink and yellow seemed to counteract each other perfectly.

It took an admittedly impressive amount of will power for Amethyst to avoid calling Garnet and Pearl back from the edge of gloom. The way she saw it, Steven deserved his smug pride, not her. At least, not for now. Steven's eyelids parted, and he grinned at Amethyst with both appreciation and satisfaction. "Yep," he stated happily, gripping his shield. A few steps forward, and the two of them resumed walking behind Pearl, ready for whatever threat faced the four of them.


A/N: Hey, second chapter down! Thanks a ton for even reading this much; I know not everyone really enjoys this ship, but I'd like to think you do, since you read two chapters already. See you in the next chapter, yeah? Have a good one!