"Woah," Greg said, as the warp faded and dropped him on the ground.
Steven looked at him anxiously. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, nothing" Greg laughed, hopping down. "Just forgot how humid Korea could be, is all."
"Heh. It has been a while since you've been back, huh?"
It had been, Greg thought wistfully. He thought about that as he and his son took the long route through the underbrush to the Palanquin. He still remembered the path, but let Steven take the lead, listening as he told stories about stuff that had happened here while Greg had been gone.
He'd missed Korea. He'd missed these mountains. Its flowers, its trees, its birdsong. As much as he loved the beach, there was a peaceful elegance to this place, all of its own.
Maybe he should write a song about it.
Something he hadn't missed was the rain. It was monsoon season, and Greg had almost forgotten how sudden they could be. He and Steven were about halfway to the Palanquin when the sky turned dark. A few minutes later, the first drops were coming down. By the end, they were both running for shelter, although it felt more like swimming.
Greg was grasping for breath by the end of it. Steven, younger and healthier than him, grabbed towels to help them both dry off.
Once that was done, they got to work collecting the next batch of stuff for Steven to bring over to Beach City. His son's 'temporary stay' there was looking more and more permanent with each passing day, and Steven was starting to get antsy for some of the stuff he'd left behind. He practically threw himself at his toy collection, attempting to hug them all at once. Greg watched with mixed affection and worry. It was gonna be hard fitting all that stuff in the van.
Maybe he should start renting a storage locker? Or buy a second van? Or heck, even get an actual place in Beach City…
Greg sighed internally. That would be the easiest thing to do right now, of course. Especially since they were planning on staying close to the Crystal Gems for the time being. But he knew Steven still had his heart set on them moving back to Korea at some point.
He mulled all this over as he and Steven carried stuff over towards the entrance, stacking it or putting it into bags as necessary. There was absolutely no question of bringing it back now, though. The rain was falling in sheets.
"We should've brought Lapis," Steven said, sticking out a hand into the rain and giggling as the cold water hit him.
"Eh, ya live and ya learn, buddy," Greg said. "Well, no harm if we have to wait a bit. We've got a deck of cards here. Wanna play a few hands with your old man?"
"Sure-"
Steven cut himself off mid-sentence, staring off into distance, brow furrowed.
"What's up?" Greg asked, straining to see anything in the thick rain.
Steven didn't get a chance to answer before there was a loud 'CAW', and suddenly there was a giant bird perching on his hand. Greg startled, but calmed himself quickly. He'd had to get used to animals cozying up to his son.
Still. That thing was nearly half as big as Steven was.
"Nari!" Steven cried joyously. "I'm sorry, I missed you too-"
Greg got on with shuffling the cards, as Steven caught up with his friend. Greg didn't understand most of what the kid was saying, being mostly in squawks and coos and other bird noises. He did gather, from its ruffled feathers and Steven's calming tones, that the hawk must have been frightened by something.
"Spooked by the rain?" Greg asked.
Steven rolled his eyes. "Nari's a wild hawk, Dad. She's not gonna be scared of a little storm."
"You used to be, once upon a time."
His cheeks flushed purple. "I was like three!"
"Five," Greg corrected with a chuckle. "But never mind. She tell you what's got her all nervous?"
"Not sure," Steven said, stroking her feathers. She cooed, and nipped at his fingers affectionately. "A predator, I think. But I don't understand the specific word she's using."
Huh. That was weird. It wasn't often Steven couldn't properly translate something in animal.
Greg shrugged. Not sure why he should be surprised. There were enough things in human languages that didn't translate properly; there were bound to be a few cross-species things too.
He dug through the canned foods they still had at the Palanquin, bringing out a thing of tuna. Hawks ate that, right? As he rummaged around for something to open it with, he said, "Well, nevermind. For now, she can stay here, safe from the rain or whatever else is out there."
Rain.
Smell strong. Wind cold.
Rain good. Like rain.
Water on back. Water in eyes. Shake water off.
Mud. Squish, squish, squish.
Sky getting darker. Not night dark. Rain dark. Rain rain rain, so much rain.
LIGHT
Remember the light, bad light, bad noise. Burning light, burning noise, in self. Too bright, too loud. Loud, loud, loud, too loud to think-
Light gone. Just rain. Only rain-
BOOM
Nonononononono
Bad noise bad light bad noise bad light
Run. Get away. Run. Stop it, stop it, stop it- now-
Now.
"Hello?" Steven called out into the forest.
"Who ya talking to this time, bud?" Dad asked. By now they'd moved on from cards, which was pretty dull with just two people, and were about to start a round of Battleboat.
Steven shrugged, drawing the curtain against the cool rain and wind. "Not sure. Just thought I saw something moving in the trees…" He bit his lip. "It's really coming down out there."
"Don't worry." Dad came over, laid a warm hand on Steven's shoulder, and lead him back to the table. "Animals know how to deal with rain. And besides," he chuckled, "if anyone wants to come in, they just gotta ask."
By now, Nari, who perched on the wardrobe, wasn't the only one who'd come to the Palanquin seeking shelter. There was a family of manguts huddled among the pillows of the reading corner, and a deer sleeping peacefully at the feet of the throne.
"Yep!" Steven grinned. He poked his head out of the curtain and called out another invitation into the forest, for whoever might be out there.
He thought maybe he heard a distant roar in response, but whatever it might have been saying was lost in the rain.
A couple minutes later (as Dad was just starting to sink Steven's largest boat), there was a bright flash of lightning. It was the third one they'd seen so far.
The pair paused in their game, and started counting elephants. It was something Dad had taught him, counting the seconds until the thunder, to figure out how far away the storm was. It was tradition.
The monsoon had been drawing steadily closer, and Steven had only been expecting to get out to about three-elephants before thunder rolled. They didn't even get partway through one-elephant.
Every animal in the Palanquin came to attention- the manguts letting out sharp barks, the deer waking with a start, Nari leaving her perch with a loud squawk.
"... Was that thunder?" Dad asked.
It hadn't been, because a moment later, actual thunder- much louder, much deeper- rumbled.
So what had been that first noise?
There was another strike of lightning, illuminating the landscape in burning white, and Steven saw it:
A huge, hulked beast. Massive paws, thick mane, horns where its eyes should be…
… and a jagged jaw formed into teeth-like spikes, prominently on display as it let out a loud ROAR.
Steven stepped backwards. A Gem Monster.
They were attracted to powerful sources of magic, and so monsters had found the Palanquin a couple times before. Always, Pearl had dealt with it. Never by fighting it- but by sending it chasing after one of the detector probes.
He couldn't help but spin in a circle, hoping to see one of those probes tucked in a corner. But no. Pearl always carried them in her gem and-
"Oh boy oh boy oh boy," Dad was muttering, while Steven's animal friends let out loud exclamations of fear.
Another low roar, and a huge, dark shadow circling the Palanquin, just visible through its lattice.
"It's okay," Steven said, not quite believing it himself. "We'll be safe in here, we just have to wait…"
Wait for it to… what? The monster to go away by itself? That seemed unlikely. Gems didn't eat, didn't sleep- it could stay there forever.
But it would be okay. Pearl would come find them, or Lapis, or even the Crystal Gems. Garnet would See they were in danger. Help would come.
Another flash of light, and twin roars from both thunder and monster.
The sound was no more a language than the kittens' mews. But Steven still understood it- pure, undiluted fear, which struck him to his very core.
The animals were terrified too; fur puffed out, wings flapping, eye whites showing.
"Shh, shh," Steven said, in a three different animal tongues, "don't worry, it'll be fine-"
"Twinkle twinkle little star
How I wonder what you are~ "
Steven raised his eyebrows at his Dad, the rock star's voice voice beginning to fill the Palanquin.
Dad just gave him a tight smile, then looked back at the assembled animals, raising his hands placatingly. His lullabye continued:
"Up above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky~ "
Lullabies weren't at thing for animals, or at least not as far as Steven was aware, but it seemed that a calm, even voice, was keeping them from teetering over the edge into outright panic.
So Steven took a deep breath, and began to join Dad. Not in English, or Korean, or Gem, but an combination of caws, clicks and barks.
Now the animals fixed him with (almost) their full attention.
They understood vocalizations, and Nari even understood music, but none of them could understand the song meant. Stars were just lights in the sky, something to see and navigate by. They weren't things to wonder after.
Nonetheless, Steven and Dad finished their singing. It was only after that Steven answered his animal friends' questions- or as much as he could. Some concepts just didn't translate. A few times, the monster clawed at the outside of the Palanquin again, scaring the animals, at which point they'd just start singing a different song.
And so the routine continued- song, explanation, startling- as the storm began to pass. Eventually Nari even perched on Steven's shoulder, as if to show just how completely unscared she was.
But the storm wasn't over. It still had one last bolt of lightning to throw their way.
It struck so close that the clap of thunder was nearly instantaneous.
Startled, the deer jumped into the air, let out a startled yelp, and bolted for the curtain-
"No!" Steven cried. He didn't think, just chased after her.
This was a bad decision.
Cold rain hit him. The ground under his feet was muddy. He could barely see anything- just a flash of pale fur, bounding off into the forest.
The deer was fast. It had spent its entire life running from predators. Steven had not.
Roaring, the monster swung its massive head, and sent Steven flying.
The world spun. Steven fell heavily, half his body feeling like a massive bruise, all of it covered in mud. His ears rang with the roaring and the thunder and animal shrieks and Dad crying his name. He hefted himself to his feet.
The monster didn't have eyes, so emotions were hard to read, but it was rolling its head like a cornered animal.
More scared of me than I am of it, Steven thought. Which was pretty impressive, considering he was currently terrified.
The Palanquin was right there, warm light spilling out, beckoning. He wondered if he could run past the monster-
It stepped towards him. Unlikely.
Dad rushed out of the Palanquin, waving his arms. "Hey! Hey ugly, follow me!"
"No, Dad-" Steven croaked.
The monster reared, screaming, preparing to swat this new threat away. Steven saw it as if in slow motion, too far away to do anything-
But Nari wasn't.
She was a blur, a defiant shriek. Her talons clawed across the monsters face, who cried with pain, losing its balance and toppling backwards.
"Steven," Dad panted, rushing to his side, looking him all over. "Are you hurt? Come on, let me carry you-"
Steven pushed him away. "Nari!"
The bird was still attacking, aiming at the monsters' exposed underbelly. Nari was small, and she was fast, and she had the upperwing.
The monster, however, was big. It may have been confused and terrified, but as it thrashed in the air, it hit Nari by chance. She went soaring through the air. Thankfully, unlike Steven, she had wings. She caught herself before she hit the ground. Her shrieks of anger and pain and worry could be heard over the fading rain.
"GO!" Steven cried after her. "IT'S TOO BIG, GO-"
"NO! " Nari cried back, but there was a note uncertainty in her voice. She wasn't used to fighting against predators. She was a predator, and every one of her instincts screamed against this.
The monster rolled back onto its feet. Nari stayed away.
Steven felt terrible that he didn't feel much relief.
The monster clawed at the soft earth, and charged.
Dad grabbed Steven, and hefted him out of the way.
The monsters skidded to a stop, spun. Surveyed them, charged again. Again, Dad helped pull Steven.
His side still ached, it was hard to see with water dripping into his eyes, and Steven wondered how long they could keep this up.
A third time, the monster regained its footing, and charged.
Another bolt of lightning flashed over head.
Blinded and terrified, the monster flinched midrun. Steven and his Dad ducked to the side. Its momentum carried the monster forward-
CRASH!
It hit the side of the Palanquin.
Pearl had once told Steven that the Palanquin was stronger than any human building. That it had been designed to withstand attacks from anything an invading army could throw at it. Apparently, that included a giant monster hitting it with full force, because it barely teetered.
With one last groan, it collapsed onto the ground, and didn't get up.
Human, half-human, and bird watched warily from a distance. The monster didn't poof.
"Uhhh," Dad said. "Maybe we could try whacking it with a big stick…?"
Something flashed. At first, Steven thought it was lightning… but no, the storm had moved on now, the rain now nothing more than a drizzle. The flashing was coming from the monster itself.
Heart hammering in chest, Steven stepped forward.
Nari flapped furiously around his head, telling him to go away, cawing a litany of bird insults when he didn't. Dad, too, was trying to pull him back, but Steven pushed past easily, seized by a terrible curiosity.
The monster raised his head towards him, but sluggishly. Horns were appearing and disappearing in random patterns on its head, like a glitchy computer game. Its body kept transforming periodically to static.
On its chest was its gem. It was hexagonal, like Amethyst's, but instead of purple it was covered in shiny patches of browns. There was also a deep crack running right through it, smaller ones radiating out like a spiderweb.
"Oh," Steven breathed.
The monster whined.
"It's hurt," he told Dad, who was still pulling anxiously on Steven's shoulder. "It's hurt, Dad, just like Lapis was-"
"Lapis never attacked you," said Dad.
Steven bit his lip. He knew that. He knew, and right now, he really wanted to get as far away from the monster as possible.
But the monster… it hadn't always been one. It had been a Gem, a she, until Mom and the other Diamonds had changed that. So maybe he kinda deserved it attacking him.
At the very least, the monster didn't deserve to be alone when it was hurting.
"It's scared, Dad," Steven said, as it seemed to stare at him from where its eyes should be.
"O… okay," Dad said. "I'll… I'll still go get that stick." A gulp. "Put it out of its misery."
Dad hurried offed. Steven hesitated, and sat down on the muddy ground, right next to the monster's leg. Exhausted, its head drooped down. It literally didn't have the energy to fight.
Still irritated at Steven's stupidity in refusing to flee, Nari landed on his shoulder. Her talons dug into his skin. Steven tried to ignore it.
"Hey. Hey," he said to the monster. "It's… it's going to be alright, okay? We'll… we'll poof you. I know it sounds bad, but when you're bubbled, you'll be in suspension. It'll stop hurting. It'll be like- like sleeping, I bet."
The monster groaned, uncomprehending.
"Shh," Steven said. With no other idea of what to do, he began: "Twinkle, twinkle, little star~"
He was sorry. Sorry it was like this.
"How I wonder what you are~ "
The monster sighed.
"Up above the world so high
Like a diamond in the sky~"
From beneath his shirt, Steven's gem began to glow.
Pain.
Pain pain pain.
Pain in core, in body, in everywhere.
Blue One is there. Blue One is scary. Blue One did something once. What? Don't know. Don't remember.
But Blue One is not making pain now. Only making noise.
Pretty noise.
Pretty blue light.
Remember light. Light in sky. So so bright. Yellow and white and blue and burning, burning, burning
This blue light not burning. Light is cool, like water. Light is pretty, like noise.
No- not noise. Music.
"When the blazing sun is gone,
When he nothing shines upon~"
Yes. The sun is gone. It is cloudy.
Pain. Pain in her core is strong, but she struggles to focus. Seems important.
"Then you show your little light
Twinkle, twinkle, through the night~"
Stars? She remembers stars.
"Then the traveller in the dark
Thanks you for your tiny spark
He could not see where to go
If you did not twinkle so~"
That's how she feels. Each new word seems to slot into her brain, lighting the darkness, scaring away shadows she hadn't even known was there.
She leans forward, straining to hear every note of the Blue One's song.
"In the dark blue sky you keep
And often through my curtains peep~ "
She… she doesn't quite understand that, but never mind. Something is wrong. The Blue One's singing is faltering. The Blue ones eyes are blinking, and the light is faded.
She noses him gently, worried. Don't stop.
(The movement hurts, but this is more important.)
"For you… never shut your eye
Till the sun is in the sky~ "
A cry, cutting through the air.
Her head jerks up, causing another stab of pain. Two Gems are coming, running, running right towards her.
Panic grips her, but she fights back. She has to stay.
"As your- bright and tiny- spark~"
She nudges the Blue One again.
"Lights the traveller in the dark~"
The blue light fades. The music stops.
The Blue One slumps backwards, the Pink Gem catching just in time. Good. Good. She's a Rose Quartz, isn't she? She can heal.
Not so good- the Red One is there. She looks angry. She's not a quartz. It's not clear what she is, or what she can do. But she had two gloves- gauntlets- out. They look painful.
Pain. No more pain, please.
But-
"Blue One- Blue One, what's wrong? " she asks.
The Blue One's eyes go wide. "You can talk?"
"Yes," Biggs Jasper says, joy and surprise flooding through her at the word. "Yes, but are you alri-"
Eyes closing, the Blue One collapses back into the Rose Quartz.
Biggs howls.