"Wait, wait, we're doing this now?!" Lemon Lime was close to hysterics, but Steven was oddly happy to watch Berry marching around her lab, grabbing necessary tools to take with her and some little devices he had asked about before but she wouldn't really go into detail about yet. He stayed still, glancing toward the door every so often and furrowing his eyebrows, thinking, while Lemon Lime trailed after Berry uselessly, not really trying to stop her from gathering her things, but definitely trying to catch her attention long enough to talk to her. "Berry- Berry, I don't know if this is a good idea just yet I mean you just got back from war and the Diamonds are angry enough as it is and if we get caught we could totally get shattered and I'm too young to-"
"Chill it out," Berry ordered, spinning around to face the Peridot and causing them to stumble back in surprise, still looking panicked. "Trust me, this is the best time to do it. The Diamonds are busy; Yellow's still chewing Blue out, they're locked away in the palace, worrying over the war and practically at war with each other now at this point. If there was ever a time to hatch an escape plan and get the heck outta here, this is it. Now quit flailing around and help me find my ability enhancers, I know they're around here somewhere…" The Ruby swept her gaze around, frustrated - and while Lemon Lime whimpered, quite obviously not at all comforted by Berry's firm reassurances, they did turn around and walk away to look around on the other side of the lab. Steven let his gaze trail after them, furrowing his eyebrows and biting the inside of his cheek. Then, rolling his shoulders back, he slid himself off of the metal panels he was sitting on.
"And where in the name of Homeworld do you think you're going?" Berry demanded, rounding on him, and Steven held his hands up defensively, moving the mechanical fingers around and arranging them both to form two arrows, a trick he'd learned from Lemon Lime early on, and he aimed both of them toward the door while he shot Berry a sweet, somewhat sarcastic smile.
"Out." He hesitated, running his tongue over his lips, then spoke again, "Candy… told me a while back that she wanted to know when we were planning something else." At this, Lemon Lime seemed to startle a little - if the surprised squeak and the way they scrambled with a pile of wrenches they were holding was any indication - but Berry, after processing what Steven had just said, almost looked somewhat smug. "And I wanna see if Clementine and Tangerine wanna come along, too," he added after a moment, biting the inside of his cheek. "Just… you know, just in case. I know it can't be easy, staying around here after…" He trailed off, sighing.
"Well, hurry up, then," Berry sighed through her teeth. "And don't waste time trying to spit explanations out if you can't, just bring 'em to me and I'll fill 'em in. After I find my ability enhancers- Lemon Lime! What are you doing with those-?!" The Ruby shrieked, abandoning Steven and dropping the stuff she'd gathered in favor of rushing over to the Peridot. "Those are my new wrenches and I just had all of them cleaned so you'd better be careful with them!" Steven paused for a moment, glancing back to watch Berry carefully take the wrenches out of Lemon Lime's hands, since the Peridot was definitely close to doing just that; after a moment, he shook his head and turned away again, heading to the door now that he had gotten 'permission' from Berry to leave. Now he just had to figure out how to find the Jaspers alone… he'd never actually wandered Homeworld by himself before… The hybrid slowed to a stop.
He hesitated, knowing full well he was about to annoy the crap out of Berry, but knowing that there wasn't any way around it. He felt five years old again, turning to face the two once more, like a child about to be lectured. Sheepish and apologetic, but still determined to see it through. "Uh, Berry?" Steven rolled his shoulders back, twisting his mouth into a grimace as Berry turned her attention away from Lemon Lime to turn back to him, quirking an eyebrow as if to ask him why in the name of Homeworld he was even still there. "I can't, uh… I don't know my way around…" He trailed off with another apologetic glance when the Ruby groaned and let her head fall back, reaching up to rub her hand down her face before turning to put the wrenches down, while Lemon Lime glanced between the two of them with wide eyes. "Sorry…"
"Just- stay here and keep an eye on this big lug," Berry grumbled, marching forward. "And you keep an eye on him, too, Lemon Lime! Since I have to do everything myself!" She spared Steven a glare, but while definitely guilty, the hybrid knew she didn't really mind either. She was Berry; she was as temperamental as they came, but in the long run, she was a huge softie. "Then when I get back, I'm going to find my ability enhancers and we're leaving, understood?" She reached out and pressed her hand against the panel, opening the door while Steven retreated back to Lemon Lime, somewhat relieved he didn't have to go out and do it himself.
"Aye aye, captain." He sat back down on the panels, leaning forward and crossing his arms over his legs. Admittedly, he was still pretty anxious about leaving - and while he'd already planned to inform Candy and the Jaspers of the plan anyway, he certainly wasn't going to complain about the fact that it was slowing him down. He assumed part of Berry's irritation had to do with the fact that she probably knew he was using the chance to stall while he had it, as well… but, she was getting what she wanted, and Steven was going back to Earth with her and the others. And yeah, he knew they had to go fast, so he didn't exactly want to slow them down too much, but he certainly wasn't about to object to having at least a few more minutes before they left to be able to get his thoughts in order and prepare himself completely, however short it might be.
"Stars, she really wants to leave…" Lemon Lime sighed as they watched Berry walk out, the door hissing shut behind her. After a moment, the Peridot moved over to sit down on the floor, keeping their arms close to their lap and trying not to touch anything after the lecture they'd just received. Lemon Lime probably knew as well as Steven did that Berry was harmless when it came to the two of them, but it didn't mean either of them liked being scolded by her either.
"She's excited," Steven agreed, biting his lip. "I guess I can understand."
"I guess," Lemon Lime echoed. They fell silent for a while, staring at the door with a frown, and Steven propped his arms up slightly so that he could rest his chin in his hands, lacing his mechanical fingers together and resting his head on them silently. "... can I ask you something?" Lemon Lime asked suddenly, and Steven glanced over, arching an eyebrow. He pushed himself to sit up completely after a moment and dropped his arms, at full attention now. "Berry told me about how 'male' humans… you know, like you, they go by 'he' instead of 'she' or… 'they'."
"Mhm." Steven nodded, forcing himself to keep his mouth shut. As much as he wanted to talk to Lemon Lime about this, he knew it probably wasn't worth the risk of getting shocked, and definitely not worth the risk of Blue Diamond knowing he was talking about it from that. So he just offered the nervous Peridot an encouraging smile and hoped that they would continue.
And they did, thankfully, after a few moments. "Well, you know I'm not like the other Peridots…" Lemon Lime trailed off, offering a hesitant smile. "I'm not even like other gems. Which I guess isn't so bad in the long run, y'know, Berry understands, you understand… I just try not to pay attention to the rest of Homeworld." They shook their head and lifted a hand slightly, running their fingers through their hair carefully and curling it upwards. "Berry's been calling me 'they' and stuff ever since I told her I didn't think I was… like the other gems. And at first it felt right, but now I'm starting to wonder. 'Cause, I mean- I don't know, really, but I think I might be…" They trailed off, eyes flicking around the room, and Steven furrowed his eyebrows silently. When they finally gained the courage to look up at Steven, they continued carefully, "I think I'm a 'he'."
Steven just blinked at the Peridot for a moment, staying silent for a few seconds as he processed that information. "Yeah?" Lemon Lime nodded slightly, somewhat hesitantly now, and the hybrid offered a small, understanding smile in response. "Well, I'm glad you figured that out. And I'm glad you're comfortable enough to talk to me about it, too." Honestly, he reveled in it, cherishing the fact that one of his friends on Homeworld trusted him enough with this, with being able to talk to him about his identity. Especially from someone as cautious and anxious as Lemon Lime was - it was a big deal, especially to Steven. "So, you haven't told Berry, huh?"
"No, not yet." Lemon Lime paused, leaning back and lowering his hand after a moment. "I'm not really worried about telling her… not that I was worried about telling you," he added quickly, and the hybrid cracked an understanding smile. "It's just- it's Berry. I just wanted you to be the first one to know, y'know, since… I mean, I was only able to figure this stuff out 'cause of you." Steven took a moment to let that settle in, unable to keep the smile off of his face when it did. "I mean, it's not like I knew there was another… option, I guess. I thought it was just 'her' or 'they', and 'they' felt more natural so when Berry suggested it, we just kinda stuck with it. Then she told me about what you said about male humans, and that you were a 'he', I started thinking…" Lemon Lime shrugged his shoulders and leaned back again, glancing back over at him. "Honestly, I think Berry already knows," he admitted, cracking a smile. "But I guess she's waiting for me to say something. I'm a pretty lucky gem, you know, having friends like you two around."
Steven couldn't help but huff out a laugh at that, but he'd be lying if he said he wasn't flattered. He'd forgotten how nice it was to be around Lemon Lime, if he was being honest. How soft, and careful, and genuinely nice the Peridot was. Just being around his friend relaxed the hybrid. "And I'm a pretty lucky hybrid abomination, having a friend like you," he replied warmly. "You're a pretty cool guy, Lemon Lime. Don't let anyone else make you think any differently."
Lemon Lime chuckled at that, smiling at him. "You too, Steven."
Steven cracked a grin, but he paused and looked up when the door opened again. Berry was the first to enter, but Candy practically dashed inside after her, with Clementine and Tangerine following; it was the first time Steven had seen the Jaspers since the battle, and it was the first time he'd seen them with any kind of light in their eyes. They both definitely looked a little better than they had before. Of course, Clementine still seemed somewhat hesitant, and her eyes were still cloudy with grief even as she smiled at him. But Tangerine seemed oddly excited. Nowhere near as excited as she used to get, mind you, but still excited. "I heard we're leaving," the smaller Quartz declared as the door shut behind them, folding her arms over her chest.
"That's the plan." Steven hesitated for a moment, pushing himself up and walking over to the Jaspers, while Berry made a direct beeline for the other side of her lab to continue rummaging through her stuff and find the device she was looking for. Steven paused, glancing at Candy and offering her a small smile before he turned his attention back to Tangerine and Clementine. "So… uh…" He trailed off, furrowing his eyebrows and studying them. "How've you two been?"
"Adjusting," Clementine replied honestly, but the smile she offered him was genuine despite the grief still clouding her eyes. "It's been hard the past few days, but… I think this might help."
"It'll definitely help," Tangerine insisted. She already looked uncomfortable with the conversation, shifting slightly where she stood and turning to flick her gaze around wildly. "Any chance I get to get off this star-forsaken planet, I'm definitely taking now. You were right," she added, throwing a glance in Steven's direction, and the hybrid bit the inside of his cheek as he looked down at her. "Homeworld is bad. And I…" She sighed through her teeth. "I can't be here. Not anymore." Clementine reached out to clasp a hand over the smaller gem's shoulder, kneeling down slightly beside her, and while Tangerine didn't push her away, she didn't seem to lean into the touch either. Steven just sighed, glancing between them silently for a moment before stepping back and turning his head to look back toward Berry and Lemon Lime again.
"You haven't healed yourself," Candy said suddenly, and Steven grimaced slightly despite himself as he turned his head to glance over at her, frowning. The Pearl walked toward him, and Steven couldn't help but tense despite himself. The resemblance between all the Pearls was something he had adjusted to rather quickly at the beginning, but now when he looked at her… the hybrid rolled his shoulders back sharply, forcing himself to relax again. "Are you okay…?"
"Yeah." Steven offered a small smile. "I'm fine."
Candy offered him a doubtful look, but before the Pearl could press, Berry abruptly let out a gleeful shriek and jumped to her feet, spinning around and lifting a circular device over her head. Steven stared at it, arching an eyebrow silently at the Ruby. "I found it! Finally!" She didn't give anybody else a chance to respond; she rushed back over to the pile she had gathered before, dropping the device on top and reaching down to bubble everything at once.
"Does that mean we're leaving now?" Lemon Lime asked nervously, but he was already heaving himself to his feet, tense but ready to go the moment Berry gave the order. The Ruby paused, holding a hand up to him for a second while she sent her stuff away to her gem, and she took another quick look around, seemingly to make sure she hadn't missed anything. Steven, himself, let his gaze trail around the lab, feeling oddly… nostalgic, but he wasn't sure why. The fact that this was probably the last time he'd ever see Berry's lab again actually made him feel kind of wistful, almost… homesick. And he hadn't even left. And it wasn't even his home.
"Yes," Berry finally replied, turning back to them. "Let's go. I already prepared a ship."
"Then let's get outta here!" Candy had already stepped back to open the door, and Steven took a deep breath and turned to follow her and the Jaspers out, keeping his gaze rooted ahead now, knowing that the moment he decided to turn and look around, his resolve would waver. He had already gone too far to turn back and change his mind now. He was getting them out of there.
The worst part, Steven decided, was how nauseous he felt the moment they were on the ship. He couldn't explain the dread curling in his stomach, he couldn't explain the pressure against his chest. Everyone had piled inside quickly, shutting the door behind them, and Steven and Lemon Lime were keeping a careful eye on the windows while the others took their seats. The ship they were on was identical to the one the Rubies had arrived on Earth in, he recalled. One of them had thrown them out, but he couldn't remember which one it was now; he couldn't put a name to the face in his mind, just that it had definitely been a Ruby. But he kept his mind busy by rooting his gaze through the window and letting his eyes flick across the buildings as Berry started the ship, lifting it up into the air the moment it rumbled to life and typing something in. The moment it really set in - what they were doing, what was going on, where they were about to go and what they were about to leave behind - then the nausea really got bad. It curled and twisted and churned in the hybrid's stomach, and if he had anything to throw up, he would have.
He leaned against the window and closed his eyes for a moment, feeling the gentle movements of the ship as they set off. Berry didn't even stop to count down, but he felt the ship jerk as they took off, and he heard Tangerine and Candy whooping quietly from behind him while Clementine tried to shush them, telling them they still needed to be careful and try and be quiet. Steven finally cracked his eyes open, just in time to look down through the window and watch the buildings get further and further away, watch all of Homeworld seeming to shrink before his eyes. He couldn't take his gaze off of the planet, lifting a hand to press his mechanical fingers against the window and still fighting a losing battle with the odd, irrational homesickness.
"I can't believe it," Lemon Lime whispered, staring through the window. He looked mesmerized, watching everything drift away; Steven shot him a glance, then rooted his gaze back to the planet before them, biting the inside of his cheek silently. "I can't believe it… we might- we might actually… get away with this…" Lemon Lime breathed, sounding excited for the first time.
"Wow, Lemon Lime, I can't believe you doubted me," Berry commented idly.
"I didn't doubt you-"
Steven sighed, sinking down into a seat after a moment and leaning his head back silently. He couldn't watch the planet anymore, he couldn't keep his eyes on the buildings. The ship was going faster, picking up speed, and the hybrid finally let his thoughts shift in the direction of where they were going, rather than what they were leaving behind. Earth. Back to his home. His family. Back to the Crystal Gems. He was already wondering how much they'd freak out, how horrified Pearl would be by the state he was in, how his father might react to finding out he hadn't eaten or slept in almost four months now. How angry Amethyst would be, how much she and Garnet would probably want to absolutely destroy Homeworld for what they'd done. And he had no doubt Pearl's anger would exceed even theirs - she had been the one that wanted to show it to him, he remembered. He thought… she had tried once, but he couldn't remember…
He stared at the ceiling of the ship and let his thoughts drift again. Connie. Stars, how would she react to how much he'd changed? Maybe… maybe none of them had to. Maybe he could put on a smile by the time he got there. Maybe he could even muster some genuine enthusiasm. He knew it certainly wasn't going to be easy with the fear and desperation and guilt and grief and pain still churning through him, the homesickness for a planet he'd never wanted to go to in the first place, for somewhere he never thought he'd be able to think of as a 'home' at all - but for their sakes, maybe he should at least try. Maybe they didn't have to see him like this at all.
Yeah, it would never work. They'd all see right through it.
The hybrid squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, breathing in shakily. Well, he had… however long it would take for them to get to Earth to be able to figure out a set plan, so until then-
Candy suddenly let out a shriek, and Steven's thoughts cut off rather abruptly.
It didn't take long for him to jump to his feet, even before he'd completely opened his eyes. He whirled around, searching for the danger, summoning his scythe - only to freeze right where he stood, eyes rooted ahead through the windshield of the ship. Berry was moving her hands frantically across the control panel, the ship shuddering and jerking to a sharp stop - which almost threw Steven forward, but he used the scythe to catch himself before he could go flying forward into Lemon Lime - and the others, unfortunately, weren't lucky enough to be able to keep their balance. Candy fell forward with a gasp, and Lemon Lime stumbled a bit at first before he fell backwards, himself. Steven wanted to look back to see if Tangerine and Clementine were okay, but he couldn't take his gaze off of what was in front of them to do so.
It wasn't hard at all to recognize the ship in front of them. The giant blue arm made a sharp turn and pinched the little red ship between two fingers before they could start moving again.
He hadn't even really wanted to go, but he hadn't wanted to get caught.
"Oh, shards," Berry whispered, backing away from the control panel after a moment. Lemon Lime was pushing himself to his feet, groaning slightly as he did so, and Tangerine was helping Candy up now while Clementine moved forward to stand beside Berry, tense and silent. Steven couldn't move; he just stared at the ship, still trapped between the blue hand's fingers as it moved again, abruptly turning over; the hybrid had little time to brace himself before they were released, vaguely seeing the palm of the ship's hand through the windshield. But then their ship was rolling down one of the fingers, and Blue Diamond's ship was rumbling, humming, buzzing.
Steven managed to hook his scythe around one of the chairs to hold himself steady at first, and tried to catch the other gems as they jerked and slid and rolled while the ship moved, but it wasn't long before he lost his balance and crashed forward with them, slamming into one of the windows and falling forward with a shaky gasp. When the ship did, finally, come to a stop, his friends simply let themselves flop forward with collective groans, but Steven remained still, even when the ship started moving again - not as violently this time, and it didn't take long for Steven to see why they were being moved, as the ship slowly turned to reveal Blue Diamond through the windshield. Steven's scythe diminished the second his gaze met hers, angry and cold, and it didn't take him too long to shove himself backwards against the front of one of the seats.
"And just where," Blue Diamond hissed, baring her teeth. "Do you think you are going?" Steven flinched slightly despite himself; whatever anger he'd had toward her, right then, was replaced with absolute terror. Not just for himself, but for the gems unlucky enough to be trapped inside the ship with him, unlucky enough to have gotten caught trying to escape. And he knew she was going to punish them for it - and he knew if she did, it was going to be solely to punish him.
"We're cracked," Lemon Lime whimpered.
Steven, honestly, didn't doubt that sentiment for a second. He breathed in, opening his mouth to speak, but he froze when the ship abruptly jerked - and then cracked - in Blue Diamond's grip. At first, he didn't realize what was going on. He heard the creaking of metal, which was enough to get Berry to lift her head and look around frantically, because she seemed to realize it before Steven did. The hybrid only figured it out when, as quickly as the creaking had began, it stopped. With a sharp, audible snap, Blue Diamond ripped the ship apart, clean in half. Lemon Lime was the first one to fall, with a shriek - and Candy practically threw herself after him. Steven fell not too long after, scrambling for a grip on one of the seats, but he couldn't grab on in time. Tangerine and Clementine followed him, and then Berry, who looked absolutely livid.
They each landed in the palm of Blue Diamond's hand, much to the hybrid's horror. He didn't bother trying to scramble to his feet, just held his breath and stared up at the blue gem. She just glared down at him for a moment, flicking her gaze from him to the others. "Oh, of all the days you could have tried this…" She reached her other hand down, curling it around Steven.
"Steven-!" Berry and Lemon Lime shrieked.
Tangerine and Clementine yelled with them, sounding absolutely horrified. "Quartzy!"
Of course, Candy joined in with a furious scream of her own, "Rose!"
"Oh, shut up," Blue Diamond snarled, as Steven wriggled slightly in her grasp. It was useless, he knew, with her entire, large hand clasped around him, pinning his arms to his sides. Her grip was tight, and it hurt - and he gasped when he was abruptly jerked upwards, away from the hand she was holding the other gems in; he looked down just in time to see her clench her fists around all of them, silencing their screams, but the hybrid couldn't bite back a scream, himself. She ignored his protests, turning around silently and opening her hand to let the gems drop onto the control panel of her ship, and Steven leaned forward as much as he could to see them. "Of all the days you could have tried this," Blue Diamond growled, bubbling the gems and turning away again, blocking them completely from his view. "You picked the worst one."
"Let them go," Steven pleaded, wriggling again and looking up at her with wide eyes. "Th- they didn't- I mean it wasn't- we were just-" He didn't know what to say, how he could possibly begin to explain the situation, how he could keep them out of trouble. He didn't think there was an explanation he could offer her that she would believe regardless; she had seen them with her own eyes, she saw the ship, she saw them leaving. She knew they were trying to escape. Steven faltered for a second, flinching as she raised her hand, but she seemed to just be directing her ship now, because he felt it move underneath them after a moment. "Please," he begged again. "Please, I'm sorry- just- just don't hurt them- punish me, but don't hurt them, I-" He gasped and fell silent when she tilted her head to roll him into her palm, but before he could speak, a bubble formed around him. And he yelped when a spike shot out from one side of it, coming within inches of his face, but somehow not touching him. The hybrid leaned away from it, breathing in shakily, but he got the hint rather quickly. She was mad. Talking wouldn't work. Not right then, anyway - no, right then, she was more livid than Steven had ever seen her.
The hybrid swallowed, blinking back the tears brewing in his eyes. When it came to talking to Blue Diamond, he knew it was more than futile, but it wasn't going to stop him from trying, before she had the chance to do anything to his friends. He could handle whatever she wanted to do to him, whatever punishment he was going to receive - but he couldn't let her hurt them.
Steven was screaming. He'd been screaming since they arrived on Homeworld, and he probably wasn't about to stop anytime soon. Blue Diamond had turned him in to a group of Amethyst guards the moment they'd landed, and when the hybrid had started pleading with her again to spare the others, she had ordered them to do whatever it took to shut him up.
So they were currently in the throne room, and the hybrid's arms were being held behind his back to hold him still, despite his struggles and screams. And he was screaming because there was a destabilizer pressed into his back, having long torn through the fabric of his uniform and broken skin the moment the Amethyst holding it had stabbed it into his spine. He could feel the electricity racing through him; every part of him hurt, every bone, every muscle, every vein. His back arched, bursts of electricity shooting up his spine every time the Amethyst twisted the destabilizer, tearing another scream from his lips, as long with a few sobs too. He knew it was only his human half keeping him from poofing, but this was undeniably worse. As another scream bubbled to his lips, a hand covered his mouth, muffling the sound; fingers dug into both sides of his face, and he choked a little bit at the pressure on his jaw, but he shut up quickly.
He felt a hand clamp over the back of his neck, causing him to stiffen instinctively, tears prickling at the corners of his eyes as his head was forced backwards, causing his back to arch with it, pulling him closer to the destabilizer pressed into his spine. But he still couldn't scream through the hand clasped over his mouth, the pressure the Amethyst was applying to his jaw rendering him completely, utterly unable to make even a single sound, aside from a shaky, silent sob.
He could see Blue Diamond and Yellow Diamond up ahead, near the thrones. Yellow Diamond was currently holding the bubble with the other gems in it, and it looked like they were arguing. Through the haze of pain, he caught little snippets of 'shatter' and then 'rejuvenate', but it wasn't enough yet to paint him a clear enough picture of what would be happening to his friends. The hybrid shuddered, and finally released a scream through the hand that was clasped over his mouth, arching his back again in a futile attempt to push himself away from the destabilizer. He had never felt such absolute agony before, not even during the battle. And this was undeniably worse; this, he couldn't fight back from. He couldn't break away and summon his scythe. He was forced still with the tight grips on his arms, the hands wrapped around his torso. They dug into fresh bruises, scars left behind from the battle, and he could even feel one of the Amethysts fingers digging hard against his gem. It was enough to knock his breath away, but he fought past that, as well as the tears in his eyes, looking ahead desperately to where Blue Diamond and Yellow Diamond were, praying that the latter would show some mercy to his friends.
He didn't know whether or not he was going to get his wish, but he couldn't fight back the terror he felt when Blue Diamond turned away, clearly still furious, and stormed over to them again. The destabilizer twisted again, and Steven screeched, more tears forcing their way from his eyes and spilling down his cheeks, onto the hand of the soldier that was holding his mouth shut.
"Take her to my room," Blue Diamond ordered, gritting her teeth. She glared down at Steven, who sucked in a gasp of relief when the destabilizer was finally pulled away, but only so that the Amethysts could pull him back to leave the room. "It's time to show you, Rose Quartz, that I meant what I said when I told you I was being merciful. And it's time to show you," she added, reaching forward to open the door so that the Amethysts could shove him through. Steven didn't even have a chance to pick up his feet and walk along with them, but he didn't think he could have even if he'd tried anyway. "That I'm not going to tolerate any more disobedience."
Blue Diamond's room wasn't far. He dreaded what was coming, but he couldn't keep his thoughts from trailing in the direction of his friends, and Yellow Diamond, and whatever she might do to them now. They had been arguing for a reason, right? Maybe she wasn't going to shatter them. Maybe she'd let them off with a warning. Maybe she'd just punish them. All things considered, a punishment wasn't worse than them being shattered. At least then they'd still be alive. Of course, he'd also heard the word 'rejuvenate' get tossed around a few times, and while the idea of them being reset still definitely scared him, that also wasn't as bad as being killed. The hybrid clenched his teeth and swallowed, trying to breathe past the hand clasped over his mouth, as Blue Diamond opened the door to her room to let them in. "You see, Rose Quartz…"
His gaze darted around the room silently, but he couldn't really focus on anything. Blue Diamond continued to lead them forward, stepping around what looked like an empty pool. When she was finally satisfied with the spot they'd stopped in, she turned around and lifted a hand; Steven let out a muffled whimper when the ground shifted beneath him and the Amethysts that were holding him back, lifting them up to the giant Diamond's level. "Learning that you had survived on Earth was a surprise in itself," Blue Diamond began casually. "I never thought I'd get the chance to have my revenge on the gem that had hurt my precious Pink." She reached above her for something, but Steven couldn't tilt his head back to see whatever it was. "I remember how conniving you were. How so many gems fell for your tricks, your lies. How you made such a large army in such a short amount of time. Even now… you're still the same."
Steven shook his head as much as he could, struggling against the Amethysts now, but their grips were strong, and the one covering his mouth certainly wasn't going to let up enough to let him talk. He gasped when her fingers dug further into his jaw, and fell still again quickly.
"You've certainly made an impression, though," Blue Diamond commented. "On the gems you convince to join you, don't you? For instance, this one…" She lowered her hands after a moment, revealing the bubble she was holding between them. Gingerly, carefully; she was almost gentle as she displayed it for him, and the hybrid furrowed his eyebrows as he stared. "From what I understand, she flew all the way here to save her precious 'Steven'." She squeezed the bubble lightly and popped it, then dropped her hand to catch what had fallen.
It didn't quite register until she held it out for him to see.
"I have to admit." Blue Diamond grinned, watching the hybrid's expression shift. A scream tore from his lips, a pleading, desperate, muffled one, and he couldn't find words to accompany it. He twisted and writhed again, this time not caring how much pressure was applied to his jaw. He screamed and struggled and fought as hard as he could to break free. He couldn't take his eyes off of the gemstone pinched between Blue Diamond's thumb and forefinger, and it just made him struggle even harder, desperate to at least remove the hand from his mouth so that he could speak, so that he could scream, so that he could beg and plead with her to stop, before she did what he knew she was going to do. "Your friend here is very determined…"
Steven finally managed to get one arm free, and the hand around his mouth immediately moved so that the Amethysts could restrain him properly again. But it left him open to scream, and he did so the second he was able to, gasping for air. "Please- please don't- don't hurt her-!"
Blue Diamond ignored him, turning her gaze to the gem. "For a Lapis Lazuli, anyway."