Well, the readers have certainly spoken... looks like we're continuing. If you have any ideas/desires of where Lapis and Peridot should go, or what they should experience, please do let me know. But for now, let's check in on them, and see if they're REALLY doing better than the canon timeline...

For several days, Lapis and Peridot walked, making their way north along the highway leading out of Beach City. Several days of endless road broken only by the traffic and vegetation that lined either side of the paved ribbon. Even creatures that don't need food, water or rest can feel monotony, and the two aliens were feeling that this was not the best means of exploring their new – if reluctant – home. Somewhere near the state border, Peridot grunted, walking off the highway.

"Peridot, what's wrong?" Lapis called after her.

"This is a foolish endeavor. We are no closer to understanding humans or Earth than we were when leaving the Crystal Gems."

"Well… at least we know humans really like… cars, I think Steven called them. They seem to be everywhere."

"Planet Earth consists of over seven billion humans on multiple continents. Bipedal travel will be insufficient, even with our agelessness, to get a proper sampling of the species and culture," Peridot replied. "I propose using warpgates to speed the process. We will set them to random locations and explore the surrounding area."

"Works for me," Lapis shrugged. "You're the tech person here, not me."

"Very well… there is a functional gate approximately two miles from our location. I have its location locked. Follow me…"

Lapis shuddered as the two of them emerged from the gate.

"Have you never warped before? I find that hard to believe…" Peridot said.

"No, it's just… been so long… I'm just rediscovering everything. Sorry."

"I see. The surface is this way," Peridot replied, pointing up a narrow path. Lapis gulped.

"We… have to go up there?"

"Yes, it is a short climb," Peridot said as she began scaling the shallow incline. Lapis timidly followed her. "I will illuminate our path," the engineer added, holding one of her arms aloft as a torch. The two made their way through the rocky path, slowly but surely. As daylight began leaking through a crack ahead of them, Peridot noticed that Lapis was making strange noises. If she had had lungs, it would be classified as ragged breathing. "Are you all right?" Peridot asked without looking back.

"I'm… I'm fine, yes," Lapis gulped. "Are we almost out?"

"In a moment," Peridot replied. She shifted her other hand, the fingers forming a pentagon around where her "wrist" was. A ball of green energy erupted from the stub, crashing through the crumbling rock. Lapis sighed with relief as daylight poured over them, and the two made their way to the surface.

They were atop a cliff face, facing what appeared to be a river. What took their attention, though, was on the other side of the water. A massive construct of buildings, each seemingly taller than the next, loomed ahead of them. They were all different sizes, colors and heights. The buildings either tapered into points or stopped abruptly, gleaming in the sunlight.

"What IS this place…?" Lapis breathed. Peridot consulted her pad.

"If my readings of Earth tracking software are correct, we are on the Hudson River. The construct across from us is known as Manhattan. It is part of the largest nest of humans in this sub-section of Earth, New York City. Population: 8 million."

"I didn't even know humans could build things like this!"

"Nor did I. If we wish to understand humans… we should start here. There is a means across the river down there." She pointed to a small boat idling near the shore. "Let's go."

"What does it mean, 'no ticket'?"

"How should I know? You're the tech person here, not me."

"Hmmm. So, you have foiled us this time, Tickets Please… but we will find a way across this waterway to your nest!" Peridot warned the rather unhappy-looking man at the top of the gangway.

"Look, lady, they don't pay me enough for this… you wanna get into the City for free, ya walk on the Gee-Dub," he replied, pointing to a large, gray object further down the river. Peridot scowled.

"Apparently, we must find more pay for Tickets Please so that he will allow us aboard his vessel. That or we will have to brave this Gee Dub he mentioned."

"Ugh, I think we've had enough blind walking… and I don't want to go anywhere near that river," Lapis groaned, sticking out her tongue. "Water is not supposed to be that color!"

"Then we will have to find another means of crossing. But I do not know how we can—"

"Cool costume, dudes!" The aliens turned to see a group of people in strange clothing admiring them.

"I'm sorry?" Lapis asked.

"So, what are ya? Sailors? Pokémon? Something new and exciting?" asked a woman in a black and blue jumpsuit with pointed ears.

"What are you saying, human?" Peridot asked. The woman burst out laughing.

"I love it! OCs with attitude, and fully in character!"

"I fail to see any characters in full here."

"Oh, you're right." The woman cleared her throat. "Fascinating, Captain. A totally unknown organism," she said in an emotionless voice.

"Scan it for life signs," the man next to her in a yellow jumpsuit replied. The woman ran a small box up and down Peridot, causing the Gem to recoil as if the human had waved a torch at her.

"What are you doing?" Peridot snapped.

"Captain, the life form appears aggressive and confused," the woman continued. "I suggest we attempt to communicate with it."

"Agreed," he replied. "Look, girls… those costumes are amazing. We're going to Comic-Con, and two of our friends bailed… we'd love it if you came with us. You can have their tickets."

"Comic Con? What's that?" Lapis asked, cocking her head.

"…wow, you're not gonna break character for a minute, are you?" the man replied. "C'mon, let's go…" He handed the Gems a lanyard and a ferry ticket each.

"Aha! A means to defeat Tickets Please!" Peridot grinned. She pointed at the man with a sneer, waving the small piece of paper as if it were his one weakness.

"…I am not paid enough for this," the man sighed.

"What fresh madness is this?!"

Lapis could only respond with a slack jaw. This massive, crystal structure… this… Javits Center… was full of all manner of creatures, human and inhuman alike, all scurrying, laughing, and yelling at the same time.

"Welcome to New York Comic Con, ladies!" the man in yellow smiled. "Heck of a ride, I know, but once you've done your first, it gets easier!"

"It's so… overwhelming," Lapis managed, recoiling from the assault on her senses.

"You just gotta get into it," the woman in yellow said. "But, hey, just stick with us and… no… way. Scott Bakula is signing today?! Archer's signature is mine!" She vanished into the crowd, her friend following shortly after.

"We have been abandoned," Peridot said dryly. She frowned, hearing Lapis make the same mysterious sounds from earlier. "Are you all right?"

"Um, let's… let's keep to areas that are open, okay?" Lapis said with a weak smile.

"Very well. There are fewer… humans, I suppose, in this direction. Follow me." The two Gems picked their way into a less populated area of the con, and Lapis' breathing calmed again.

"What do you think all this stuff is?"

"Hmmm. The information bank I have connected to shows several of the names here… these are all forms of entertainment. They appear to be played in the home or something called 'theaters' for humans to enjoy. Apparently, some enjoy these shows enough to dedicate an inordinate amount of their lives to worshipping them, including discussions online, drawing, and even writing their own stories."

"I wonder who would do that…" Lapis wondered.

"Clearly, it's clods with too much time on their hands. This would never be tolerated on Homeworld."

"I don't know, Peridot… it's… kind of nice to think of a life outside of what I saw there."

Peridot was silent.

"…Peridot?"

"I am… curious as to the disturbance to our right," Peridot said suddenly, pointing to a large crowd gathering nearby. She walked towards the group, Lapis following behind.

"…and we're back again, at KTU, live from the Javits Center, here at New York Comic Con, looking for the Ultimate Conner!" a man with a microphone said from a small booth. "We're looking for the best, brainiest and bravest cosplayer out there to step out of their comfort zone and accept two free tickets to tonight's Yankees game against the Bo-Sox! Boo! Take the 'ship, Yankees! And… who do we have here…? Is that someone from Planet Dorito?"

"I beg your pardon, human?" Peridot asked.

"And what's your name, ma'am?"

"Peridot. What manner of clod are you?"

"Ooh, you got spunk. So, whattya say… wanna win tickets to tonight's World Series game?"

"I fail to see what you are doing here."

"Hey, even geeks gotta diversify and see some sports, am I right?" the announcer grinned. Peridot's scowl remained. "…ah, all right. So… let's see… our categories are… Lord of the Rings… Battlestar Galactica… Star Trek…"

"I have trekked far more stars than you ever will."

"Star Trek it is! So, for challenge 1… let's hear your best Vulcan!"

"I find this line of questioning highly illogical."

"Ha! Perfect!"

"What's perfect?"

"Challenge two… if the Borg assimilated Alex Trebek, what would he say?"

"Your resistance is futile; you must comply with my question."

"Great! Now… how about giving us your best Klingon battle roar?" Peridot growled.

"Stop pestering me!" she roared.

"You are a natural, Peridot!" the announcer cried. He held up a picture of Data from the Next Generation. "Now, suppose I called this fine gentleman Dah-Tah…"

"Dah-Tah? It's 'Day-Tah,' you clod!"

"Boom! And finally, for World Series tickets… which was the one with the whales?" Peridot blinked.

"For…?"

"The Voyage Home, that is right… you and a friend are goin' to Yankee Stadium tonight! How do you feel right now?"

"Infuriated."

"Ooh, might wanna keep the Beantown pride bottled up when you go, Peri… enjoy the con, and we'll take you to the stadium. And before you go, tell us, what's the station that made this all possible?" Peridot stared blankly at the announcer. He pointed at the sign on his stand.

"Kit-tu? What gibberish is that?"

"Ha! I hope you never change, Peri."

The Gems were unsure they wanted anything to do with these Yankees that Kit-tu spoke so proudly of. However, they were escorted by friends of the strange man through doors out onto the street, and from there they were loaded into a car bound for the Bronx.

"What is going on, exactly?" Lapis asked.

"I am as confused as you," Peridot replied.

"Who are these Yankees that we are going to see? Are they more cosplayers?"

"They appear to be some sort of team whose job it is to whack a small ball away from each other with a stick and run in circles," Peridot mused as she consulted her pad. "Perhaps this is what humans do with defective members of their species, in order to render them harmless from the general population?"

"I guess…" Lapis shrugged, peering out at the unending cityscape around them. "I still cannot believe humans have built things on this scale…"

"It is nothing compared to Homeworld, you know that."

"Yeah, but… Homeworld seems a lot colder than this place… It's so… technological."

"I do not see anything wrong with that."

"It doesn't feel… alive. As insane as this place is, at least people are having fun and living. What are we doing on Homeworld beyond honoring Yellow Diamond's vision of a galaxy of Gems?"

"Is there something wrong with that?"

"We used to be so much more… and I think you know that."

Peridot said nothing as they continued through the manmade canyons.

"So… this is what humans do for fun."

"It appears so."

Lapis and Peridot frowned, looking down upon the distant field and the dots scurrying about it. Maybe humans thought this… baseball was fun, but…

"Perhaps we should turn our attention to other matters," Peridot said, turning the food voucher over in her hands. "It was said by Kit-tu that this would give us unlimited food. Perhaps we should sample human cuisine."

"Sure. I'll try a drink, you try food?"

"Agreed."

"Great. Uh… how do we… uh…" Lapis watched as a man nearby put up his hand, and a second man gave him a golden, foamy liquid in a plastic cup. Ah. Lapis smiled and waved at the man. The man with the liquid approached her, frowning.

"…yes?" he said suspiciously.

"May I have one?" Lapis asked, pointing at the liquid. The man's eyes ran over the petite being in front of him.

"Got some ID?"

"ID…?"

"Yeah, kid, you want a beer, you gotta have ID…"

"Oh, uh, I just have this…" Lapis mumbled, handing him the voucher. The man frowned.

"Yeah, this doesn't tell me how old you are. Tell ya what… how about a Coke instead?"

"A Coke…?"

"Yeah. Hey, Larry! Coke for the sweetheart." A co-worker nodded, tossing him a bottle of black liquid. "Here ya go, kid."

"Thanks…" Lapis cautiously opened the bottle and sniffed it.

"…you never had a Coke before?"

"No, but Steven told me about it…" Lapis sipped it. She grabbed her nose, giggling. "Ooh, it tickles!" The beer man chuckled to himself before continuing on through the stands. As she took a heartier swig, Lapis watched Peridot's attempts to order food.

"…I would like your finest consumable, please."

"Come again?" Larry asked.

"I wish to have food," Peridot repeated, slightly annoyed.

"Ah. Okay. What'll ya have?"

"What is most popular?"

"Nuts, pretzels, franks…"

"Franks?"

"Hot dogs. What, you not from around here?"

"…hardly."

"Tell ya what, have one of each…" the vendor replied, handing the alien a hot dog, a soft pretzel and a small bag of nuts. Peridot frowned as she looked at the various items. "Hey, listen, lady, this ain't the Four Seasons, all right?" he added as he walked away.

"Beginning sampling," Peridot said more to herself as she scanned the items. She recoiled. "This… hot dog… how can humans eat this… garbage? This does not seem edible!"

"I'unno," Lapis shrugged. "Steven likes them."

"Yes, and notice Steven's body type? This is likely why," Peridot replied, shoving the hot dog away. "I do not wish to consume such disturbing material."

"Try this, then," Lapis said, handing her the Coke. Peridot frowned at the bubbling liquid.

"Is this any better than the hot dog? I am also detecting absurd chemicals…"

"Aw, just try it."

"Very well." Peridot swigged from the bottle, and immediately choked, smacking at her nose. "What is going on?! What is happening to me?!" Lapis was too busy giggling to answer. "This is clearly the revenge of Tickets Please in some way! He must be spying on us!"

"Or… it's really sweet, and I bet you'll grow to like it."

"…or it's really sweet, and I'll probably grow to like it." Peridot drank again.

"Ahem."

"Very well. Franks Man! Another bubbly liquid."

Cosplayers, Larry thought as he tossed the Gem a Coke.

Having tired of the game, Lapis and Peridot left Yankee Stadium, deciding to see a little more of the city before leaving for a new location.

"I don't know if this is a living space or insane asylum," Peridot grumbled.

"The people here have probably just adapted," Lapis replied, polishing off her last Coke. "I think we're on our own… the car isn't here."

"Yes. We have been given this… MetroCard," Peridot replied, examining the small yellow card. "I believe we sweep it through these objects that guard the human warp system."

"Seems simple enough," Lapis said. They approached the turnstiles, watching people slip the card through the reader slot as they went in. Lapis managed hers on the first try, but heard an angry clunk and Peridot snarling. "Slower. Smoother."

"Cursed human tripe," Peridot grumbled. She couldn't get it a second, third nor fourth time. Lapis rolled her eyes.

"Allow me," she said. She took Peridot's fingers in her hands, and calmly ran the card through the reader. It clicked, and let the engineer through.

"Er… thank you," Peridot said, a slight blush in her cheeks.

"Don't mention it," Lapis said shyly. "I think we want to go to… Manhattan, was it?"

"Yes, that is the hub of the nest."

"Okay, so we go this way…" Lapis said, pointing to a sign reading "Manhattan and Brooklyn."

After some time, a train appeared heading south, and the two Gems followed the humans into it. It was already crowded, and the people surrounding them made it worse.

"Oh, this is… unfortunate…" Lapis mumbled, squirming.

"Yes, this is most unpleasant," Peridot replied, trying to keep her mouth clear from a sea of armpits and shoulders. The train vanished into a tunnel, smothering it in artificial darkness.

"Oh… oh, dear…" Lapis squeaked. She began to breathe in ragged gasps again.

"Are you all right?"

"I… I… no, no… too tight… too cramped… no…" Lapis said, her breathing coming harder and faster. Peridot frowned, watching Lapis' eyes dart around the uncaring crowd as she fought for even a sliver of space and found none.

"Lapis… stay calm… focus on me. Focus on my voice."

"…too much… no… can't…"

"Lapis. Focus." Peridot said, turning the watery Gem's head so they locked eyes. "Focus on me. Focus on my voice. We will leave the train as soon as we can. But you need to focus on me. Do not panic. Remain calm. Believe me when I say this will end soon."

"I…"

"Lapis."

"…yes. Okay. Yes."

"We will get off at the next stop, and get you out of this crowd. Do you trust me?"

"Yes. Yes, I do."

"Good." As Lapis' breathing calmed, the train pulled into 125th Street, and Peridot pulled her out of the train, ignoring the chorus of irritated New Yorkers. She pulled Lapis over to a bench and sat them down. The petite Gem's breathing calmed further until it became normal.

"…thank you," Lapis said, clearing throat.

"You're claustrophobic," Peridot observed.

"All those years in the mirror… whenever I get confined… it all comes back, like a tidal wave… engulfing me, taking me apart…"

"You are not in the mirror anymore. You are not surrounded now. Relax."

"Right… right, yes. I will relax." The two Gems sat silently for a minute.

"It's not."

"What?"

"Homeworld. It's not much more than Yellow Diamond's vision of dominating the galaxy." Peridot looked around the subway station, speaking more to herself. "Perhaps that is why I hate Earth. I can see it has more than that. And I am envious that such a primitive species has what we have lost."

"Maybe we can get it back. Maybe things can change…"

"Maybe, but we cannot engineer such change from here."

"For now. Never say never."

"Perhaps."

"I don't know how humans can stand this. The constant noise, hustle, and chaos…"

"It may not be for everyone. Perhaps there are humans like you. I sensed a great deal of discomfort on that warp vessel we were on."

"This place is exciting, sure… but I would hate to live here. I think I have seen enough of this New York City."

"Yes, I am satisfied as well… but first… a last place."

"What? Why? Can't we go? I don't want to go on this warp vessel again!"

"It is a distance that can be walked. And I think you will like it."

Lapis gasped as the massive body of water came into view.

"The Reservoir," Peridot told her. "It is a large body of water in a place known as Central Park. According to the records I have scanned, most humans in this nest think it would be impossible to live here without it."

"Oh, this is so much better," Lapis sighed as she leaned over the railing. A playful smile appeared on her lips, and she built a staircase from the water. "C'mon. Let's have some fun."

"What?! No!" Peridot yelped, recoiling. "I'd sink to the bottom and you would be unable to extract me! I'd be stuck!"

"You asked me to trust you on the warp vessel. I ask you to trust me on my element," Lapis replied, extending her hand. Peridot hesitated before finally accepting it. The staircase lifted the Gems over the railing, and they were standing on the surface of the Reservoir. "Just hold onto me, and the only things that will get wet are your feet."

"Very well."

"By the way… you might want to hold me tighter." Lapis wrapped the engineer's arms around her waist.

"Er, why would I..." Lapis suddenly bolted ahead, causing Peridot to yelp and bury her head against Lapis' neck. The petite Gem giggled, picking up speed as she skated across the surface of the water.

"Peridot, relax! I've got you. Just enjoy the ride!"

The larger Gem hesitantly opened her eyes, seeing city and forest blur into a swirl of colors, patterns and designs. It was a bit mesmerizing. Peridot's tense hold relaxed and she began to smile.

"Feeling better?"

"A bit, yes…"

"Well… let's see what this lake's really got," Lapis grinned. She poured on the speed, now going so fast that the Gems were hydroplaning across the surface. Peridot couldn't help but be impressed by how fluid and natural her companion's movements were; although she didn't know the word, humans looking on would have dubbed her a skater of incredible grace.

"Well, anything else you can do?" Peridot yelled over the roar of the wind.

"Let's get some air." With a flick of her wrist, Lapis began to mold the water into a ramp. The two corkscrewed higher and higher into the air, until they were now far above the park. She made a cutting motion in the air, and the ramp collapsed, leaving only a small platform of water for them to stand on. She directed their flying water carpet south, and they flew into the canyons of Midtown.

"I did not think you a risk taker!" Peridot cried.

"I'm inspired!" Lapis yelled back. They zipped along Broadway; banked over Rockefeller Center; sailed through Times Square; and circled the majestic peak of the Empire State Building, spiraling around the tower until they reached the top of its antennae. Lapis put her finger on the tip, playfully spinning around it a few times before sending them careening down towards Fifth Avenue.

"Lapis!" Peridot cried.

"I thought you trusted me, Peridot. Tsk tsk," Lapis chuckled. She leveled out, bringing them lazily over Broadway. They followed the molten river of light until it terminated at the Battery, then sailed over New York Harbor, getting just low enough so a curious Peridot could trail her foot in the water. After banking to avoid the Staten Island Ferry, the two made a lazy course for the Statue of Liberty, coming to a gentle stop upon her torch.

"Well, that was… interesting," Peridot said finally.

"I haven't done that in… millennia," Lapis sighed.

"I gathered, the way you were acting. Thank you for sharing that."

"Thank you for coming with me," Lapis replied. She looked over the harbor, back towards Manhattan. "It has a charm. I can see why humans would want to go this place… a shame it's so brutally hard to live here."

"There are other places. Perhaps… we should see them."

"Perhaps we should. Maybe Garnet's right… we need to look at this as a new opportunity, as a second chance for both of us. Maybe we actually can have a life here?"

"I think it's too early to say that. But… I do think it is slightly more possible."

"Oh? How much more so?"

"Point six eight percent." Lapis snorted. "For a Peridot, that's a pretty big change.

"Whatever you say, Peridot. So… where's the warp from here."

"I… think we should use a different one. The passage was extremely difficult for us to navigate, after all." Lapis blushed slightly. "There is one a short distance away, in a place humans call 'Fair Lawn.' I can triangulate its location once we arrive."

"Sounds good. Just point the way… I'll provide the transport," Lapis said as she summoned a new carpet of water.

"Follow the river until I say, then head west."

"Sounds good, navigator." Lapis scrambled onto her carpet, and extended a hand to Peridot. After a slight hesitation, she accepted it. The two pushed off from the torch, and sailed over the Hudson, bound for their next destination.