"THAT WAS AWESOME!" A boy possibly around the age of ten stood before the two. His eyes shined with excitement and awe, there were practically starts in his eyes and he smiled from ear to ear. "That was so amazing how you fought that monster! Oh, and how you turned into a human! How is that even possible!?" He practically flailed his arms as he pointed at the weapon and acted out the meister's movements during the battle.

Riley leaned onto her right side, stuffing her hand into her pocket while her other was still placed behind her head as she messed with her hair nervously. She wasn't used to getting attention from civilians (or anyone for that matter) especially children. She was somewhat uncomfortable. She tugged her hood on to cover her face. It made her feel less awkward somehow.

Her partner, on the other hand, blushed a bit at how the boy imitated her fighting style. It was a bit messy and rushed, but she preferred to get the job done as quick as possible. She did smile at the child's enthusiasm.

"Well, that's what we do! We go to school and learn to fight monsters like the ones from before and save people!" Lily took pride in her duty and loved to talk about it with others who haven't seen a meister or a weapon. It wasn't unusual for someone his age or older to not see one in action, and many have heard about meister and weapons and kishins, but of course, since they've haven't seen one, they sometimes assume it's a myth, usually when they are younger.

"Lily, we should get going." Riley interrupted.

"We can't just leave him alone. What if there's more kishins?"

"I'm sure his parents are nearby."

"But what if they are not and his home is far away, too?"

Riley huffed. There are several things she loves about her partner, her caring nature being one. She sighed. There might still be kishins around and he was probably safer with them.

"What's a kishin?" The boy asked, his curly dark hair bounced as he tilted his head with a confused look on his face.

"That's what we call those monsters back there." Riley answered.

"Really?!" The boy gasped. "I fight monsters, too, although we don't have a name for them!" He rocked back and forth on his feet.

Lily giggled at his enthusiasm. She thought it was cute how excited he got when he spoke. She found his energy contagious. She squatted down, so she was about his height, and wrapped her arms around her knees to keep herself balanced.

Riley felt uncomfortable for reasons unknown. There was nothing unusual about a child to believe that they can defeat monsters, but the way he said it, felt like he had some "experience" with fighting creatures. But that can't be possible! The boy looked no older than ten years old.

"Are you gonna defeat monsters when you grow up? Like my friend and I?" Lily asked.

"Lily, the kid has to be a weapon, or at least a meister, to do what we do." Riley reminded her. It is possible for the child to have the ability to transform himself into a weapon, but it's a 50/50 percent chance. And Lily hasn't been able to practice sensing weapon and meisters' souls since their primary objective was to hunt down kishins.

"What's a meister?" The boy asked.

"A meister is a person who is able to wield a demon weapon, like Riley back there." Lily pointed to her partner.

"A demon weapon?"

"A person that can transform into a weapon at will." Riley explained bluntly. "Anyway, it's getting late, kid. Shouldn't you be home by now? What if your parents are worried about you?" It was obvious that Riley didn't want to linger on one place for too long and was eager to get back to their crappy motel.

"My dad lives in a van and the Gems are on a mission, at the moment. Hey, can I try the meister thing? Please?" The boy cupped his hands together, in a prayer gesture, and gave the girls the puppy dog eyes. Although, Riley was practically immune to it, Lily was not. She looked back at Riley with the same look in her eyes.

"Lily, I don't think this is a good idea. I'm a dangerous weapon! I can't let a kid try to wield me!" Riley tried to reason with her partner. But all she got in response was the puppy dog eyes, this time a bit intensified.

Riley groaned and shooed her head as she facepalmed.

"I can't believe I'm doing this!" She muttered. The other two cheered as Riley glowed a bright red. Her weapon form laid on the ground motionless. The boy awed at the scythe and almost immediately went to grab it.

"Hey, kid!" Riley's voice stopped him, "Before you start, make sure the blade faces down! The last thing I need is an injuries child and a lawsuit." She muttered the last part.

The boy nodded and tried to lift her up. However, due to their wavelengths being completely out of tune, she weight like a ton to the poor boy. His face went red, beads of sweat rolled down his face as he tried harder. He let go and huffed. Riley transformed back.

"How come...she can...lift you up...without breaking a...sweat?" He said in between gasps of breath.

"Because, she's my partner." Riley smirked a bit as she rapped an arm around Lily's shoulder. Lily blushed a bit, but didn't push her off.

"Anyway, we should really go. Do you want us to walk you home?" Lily asked.

"No thanks, I live close by."

"Ok then, bye." Lily waved.

"By the way," the boy shouted as he walked away. "My name is Steven Universe!"

"Hi, Steven! I'm Lily and she's Riley! Bye, Steven! See you next time!"

"Bye, Lily! Bye, Riley!" Steven waved until the girls couldn't see him.

"What a nice kid." Lily said thoughtfully.

"I guess..." Riley said.

Lily giggled. "You know he's growing on you!" She was practically clinging onto Riley's arm.

"...nope..."

"Oh, c'mon!"

"Fine, the kid wasn't as bad as I thought he was, ok?!"

Lily laughed.

"Ok."