This next arc is gonna be a recovery arc, but still with action, drama, character dev, etc. Quote taken from the song snowblind. Tnx k have fun reading so tired augh sdfhadsfl;khas;l
Lapis: I feeling something press against my gem. "What are you doing, Steven? She's trying to sleep." I think that was Peridot. "You said that she was messed up, so I tried to heal her." Steven replies. Oh. Was that how they saw me? Whatever. I didn't care. "Steven, that's not how it works. She's not physically hurt, she's mentally hurt. We just have to give her time." Peridot gently explained. I slowly blinked my eyes open, trying to feign waking up. "Oh! Good morning Lapis!" Steven said, beaming at me. I managed a weak smile. "Morning, Steven." I replied. I glanced around, and found myself inside Steven's house. I'd fallen asleep on the beach last night, so I guessed that Peridot had carried me home. "Are you feeling better today, Lapis?" Steven asked, a hopeful smile on his face. "Yeah, a little." I replied, wanting to make him happy. His smile widened. "Good! It's so great to see you happy again." He replied, beaming. I stood up and ruffled his hair. He laughed. "Hopefully you'll be seeing me happy a lot more often." I replied. I wasn't really feeling much better, but I was getting better at faking it.
Amethyst: I was walking in the forest, when I heard a twig snap behind me. I whipped around, trying to find the source. "Come on out. I know you're there." I yelled. A blushing Pearl walked out from behind the trees. "I'm sorry, Amethyst. It's just… you keep sneaking off into the woods with no explanation for where you're going. I just wanted to know." She said. I sighed. Luckily, I wasn't close to the pool yet. "It's fine. Do you want to head back?" I asked. Pearl looked to the side. "I wanted to know where you're going." She murmured. "No, I'd rather go back to the house. Spend some quality time with Steven and Lapis." I replied. I'd said Lapis' name scathingly. I hated her for ruining everything. Pearl narrowed her eyes. "You're hiding something, Amethyst." She quietly said. "Wha- No I'm not!" I responded. "Then why won't you tell anyone where you're going?" Pearl scoffed. I sighed, and stomped back to the house. I could feel Pearl's eyes watching me leave, but I didn't care. Let her try to figure it out.
Lapis: I sat down on a moss covered log in the forest, sobbing. Why was I so horrible? I scream out to the sky. I can't take this anymore. I can't lash out at anyone else. I summon the water from my gem. I usually use it to make my water wings, but today I use it to form a crystalline ice knife. I extend my left arm. The skin there is blue and soft. I hold the knife out in my right arm, trembling. I know what I have to do. I press the tip of the knife against my skin. It feels cold to the touch. No, I can't do this. With tears spilling from my eyes, I drop the knife onto the ground. My arm is unharmed. I refuse to hurt myself. It's not even an option, I refuse to let it be. "Why am I so weak?" I yell. No one answers. Am I too weak to hurt myself, or am I just too strong? I walked back to the camp, struggling to wipe the tears away from my eyes.
Peridot: "So, Steven. You're a human. How does that work?" I asked. I heard Lapis scoff behind me. I conveniently ignored her. Steven laughed. "I'm just like a human, but with gem powers." He explained. "Yeah, I know all of that, but I don't care. I meant what's it like to be a human?" I asked. Steven laughed. "Oh, that. Well, I have to eat, and-" he starts, but I cut him off. "Where are you getting food from around here?" I ask. "Oh, no one's shown you? Come with me." He replies, walking towards the fields in front of the house. "Hey, Lapis, do you want to come along?" I asked. She sat on a log, blankly staring into space. "No." she said. I didn't think that she was getting better, despite what she'd said earlier. "Alright! See you later." I replied, following Steven.
We stop at the edge between the field and the beach. "Wow." I murmured. Steven beamed. We were standing in front of a small farm field. "Yup! We found palm trees here, so I've been eating coconuts. We also have carrots, broccoli, and potatoes in the farm beds, and apples in the forest. I even eat some native plants." He says. "This is amazing, Steven!" I exclaim. He smiles at his crops. "So, do you ever bring them to life? I mean, you have the powers of Rose Quartz, so I assumed." I question. He looks at me with wonder. "Oh, yeah! I forgot that I could do that! Let me try!" He exclaimed. He walked up to a coconut tree, and started kicking it. A plump coconut fell at his feet. He gently licked it, and I had to laugh. He looked so sweet and innocent. After a moment, the coconut started to bark. Steven picked it up in his arms. "Aww, look, it's a little coconut dog! What should we call it?" he said, laughing. "What about coconut dog mark one?" I asked. He shook his head. "Peridot, we can't name him by his species name and… version? He's too cute for that." He responded, smiling. I sighed. "Alright then, what about Cocoa?" I asked. Steven smiled and nodded.
Lapis: I sit on the beach, staring out over the ocean. Water is supposed to be my forte, but yet I still feel powerless. Malachite made me feel stronger, but it hurt more than I could've ever fathomed. I was so confused… I commanded a wave of water to wash out over the beach. I let it flow over my feet, my legs, my chest, and eventually, it rose over my head. As a gem, I couldn't drown. The concept is still there. I let the torrent pull me down to the bottom of the ocean. I couldn't stop thinking of Malachite. I absent mindedly commanded water chains to my wrists. I gasped; I wasn't ready for this. I started to struggle against the chains. It felt too much like before. I screamed, but only bubbles arose from my mouth. I clenched my eyes shut, wanting to block it all out. A small part of me hoped that if I faced this, that I wouldn't be afraid anymore. It wasn't working. I flailed against the iron grip of the chains. I could feel my heart racing against my chest. My eyes started to grow blurry. Everything faded to black.
I woke up on the sandy ocean floor. The torrent had stopped, my hands were freed. It was like a nightmare, but I kept doing it for the thrill. My mind swarmed with images of Malachite. I shook my head. I had to let it go. It had only been an hour, but it felt like longer. It was like I was choking on my own agony. I hated being here. I wished that I'd never been born. I stared off into the ocean blue. I couldn't afford to think like that. Steven and Peridot seemed to care. I had to stick around. I let myself float to the ocean surface. The sun was finally starting to set. I drearily trudged back to camp.
Amethyst: "Good to see you're finally back, runt. It's been a while." Jasper said, looking down at her work. "Yeah, I know. I was being watched by the others. I had to make sure that I wasn't being followed." I replied. "Don't give me any excuses. Anyways, with all of that peace and quiet, it's finally ready." Jasper said, turning to me with a smile. "Okay. What do you want me to do?" I asked. Jasper's grin widened.
"Hey, Lapis. Do you want to… talk… about stuff? I mean… It's always been kind of rocky between us, and I thought… maybe we needed to talk it out?" I asked. Jasper had told me to lead Lapis alone to a certain place. She'd take care of the rest. Lapis looked at me suspiciously. "I never thought that you'd ask to talk. Maybe to fight or duel, but not to talk." She said, her eyebrow raised. I start sweating. "Yeah, well, I've had a change of heart. So do you want to do this or not?" I asked, trying to sound indifferent. She sighed. "Whatever, sure." She deadpanned. "Great. Hey, I know a great spot to go where the others won't hear us, in case you want to keep it private. Want to try?" I ask, trying desperately to sound casual. She shrugged. "Let's go. I say, awkwardly walking off into the woods.
Pearl: "Hey, Garnet, look. Amethyst's going into the forest again. But this time, she's taking Lapis with her." I whispered, watching the two trek into the woods. Garnet sighed. "And I suppose you want to invade their privacy and follow them?" she asks. I nod. "Amethyst is hiding something. Something big. I want to find out what." I say, squinting at their figures. Garnet nods, and we sneak after them.
Peridot: Steven, Cocoa, and I happily walk back to the house, ready to introduce our new companion. "Hey, Peridot, look." Steven says, pointing at the forest. We watch as Amethyst, Lapis, Pearl, and Garnet all head off into the woods. "We should probably follow them just to make sure they're okay." He says. I nod. "Let's go."
