Steven had been glaring out the window for the past five minutes.
Apparently five minutes was all it had taken for this ship to be well on its way through space. Homeworld hadn't been in sight for a while now, but he couldn't stop staring out the window. The hybrid was furious, angrier right then than he thought he'd ever been in his whole life. Of course, to him, his whole life was pretty much stretched over the span of a few months then, but he figured that if he could actually remember everything else, he was still angrier right then than he had ever been regardless. And he wasn't about to go digging through memories to find out. He'd taken a seat, only for the promise of an explanation, but nobody had explained anything; Agate was pacing, Lemon Lime and Candy were sitting together, Sage was holding Tangerine and Clementine's bubbles in her hands, and Berry was at the front of the ship, piloting as usual. Honestly, Steven knew very well that he was about to snap. It was only a matter of time now.
He turned his head, glancing toward the front of the ship, and narrowed his eyes toward Berry. The thing was, he wouldn't have been so upset if they hadn't chosen this moment - this day, of all the days, to pull something like this. Right when there was an attack launched on Homeworld, they had all decided to come together and pull this. And, yes, Steven was well aware that the timing was far too convenient, far too well-thought out, for there not to be any connection between the attack and the escape plan. And that pissed him off even further. The fact that his planet was back there, his fellow soldiers were back there, fighting for their lives. And he was here. He was on a ship. Because they were kidnapping him to who-knows-where.
Steven scowled, twisting his mouth sharply, and turned his head to look over at Agate. She was just making him dizzy at that point, with her seemingly endless pacing. She looked anxious, and she had every right to be. Good. She was with them, she was condoning this. Steven honestly would have figured that she'd be the one gem who would actually be against something like this. He watched her for a moment, as she paced back and forth. Tried to imagine the kind of trouble they'd all get into. Steven knew that there was probably no chance now that his friends wouldn't be rejuvenated - he wasn't even worried about the punishment he would receive, whether it be a shattering or something even worse. He didn't even care about that at that point. He did, however, care that his whole planet was back there under attack, and he was stuck in a ship unable to do anything about it. A soldier who couldn't fight - yeah, he was gonna go off.
The hybrid finally slammed his hand down against the windowsill and turned in his seat to face the others. He didn't care who jumped at his outburst, he didn't care who he startled right then. "What the shards?!" He spat, watching Candy and Lemon Lime flinch in response - and even Sage jumped slightly when he yelled - but Agate only paused and turned to face him again. "We just got attacked by the rebels- and you guys- kidnap me- to space?! What, are you fissured?!"
"I like to think we un-kidnapped you," Lemon Lime commented nervously. "Um-"
Agate sighed and lifted a hand, rubbing it down across her forehead and pinching the bridge of her nose with a frown. She was stressed. Good. "It was a strategic removal-" She began.
"Oh, oh, is that right?" Steven huffed out a sharp laugh at that, stretching his arms out across the empty seat in front of him. Again, he respected Agate. He wouldn't dare argue with her in any other scenario. But for the love of Homeworld, this was the most idiotic thing he thought any of them had ever done, and he'd be damned if he wasn't going to speak his mind about it now. "Well, then, I'd like to remind you of the war we just abandoned Homeworld to fight alone! I'm sure they could use a few commanding officers for battalions right about now, and the soldiers that are supposed to be fighting!" He yelled toward the front of the ship, but Berry didn't react. She simply stayed still, hands hovering over the control panel, completely calm and collected.
"We're aware of the war, Rose," Agate told him stiffly, and Steven whirled his head back around to glare up at her, quirking an eyebrow quizzically and tilting his head to the side as if to say are you really? And she narrowed her eyes right back at him firmly in response, crossing her arms. "So we could either turn the ship around now and, oh, risk being punished immediately once the battle is over and not be able to do anything anyway, or you could actually let me explain."
"I asked for an explanation before we even-!"
"Would you have listened before we had the chance to leave?" Agate asked pointedly, scowling, and Steven paused with his mouth open. No, no, he probably wouldn't have. He'd wanted an explanation, and he would have stopped to let them explain, but the chances of him actually listening back there had been pretty slim for the most part. He was more concerned with the battle going on, and why in the name of the stars everyone had just up and decided to abandon it simultaneously, and the fact that he'd basically been tricked into getting onto a ship. Not even tricked, not really! It wasn't like Berry had lied to him, or anything, she just hadn't said a thing while she led him away! "'Hey, Rose, we're going to leave right as the battle starts!'" Agate mocked. "Now, how would you have responded to that? Because I'm thinking, mm, not good."
"Well I pretty much got that memo without needing an explanation," Steven snapped back, curling his fingers against the back of the seat in front of him with a scowl. "But, no, I wouldn't-"
"Then shut your mouth," Agate hissed. "And listen." Steven paused, at that; he continued to glare up at her for a moment, wrinkling his nose and searching her gaze silently. But, alas; he slumped back in the seat after a moment and jerked his chin up a little, gesturing his other hand toward her to continue. He might as well hear her out; he was already on the ship, and they were already too far out in space now. Besides, she was right; turning around and going back would risk punishment, and as much as he wanted to fight in the war with the other soldiers, he knew trying to go back right then would be as stupid as could be. "Thank you," Agate growled, then took a deep breath and cleared her throat. "Okay. You've seen- first hand, might I add," she reminded, and Steven arched an eyebrow. "The kind of mess Homeworld is in. We're not equipped to handle a second rebellion, especially one on such a massive scale. This isn't even just a rebellion-" Agate huffed. "It's a full-on war, and it's being fought everywhere. We have to face the facts; Homeworld needs to change, before we even have a slim shot at winning."
Steven was already shaking his head, opening his mouth. But Agate held a finger up, and the hybrid bit his tongue again, furrowing his eyebrows with a scowl to let her continue on carefully. "I'm not saying we should stage a rebellion of our own. That would be idiotic." She rolled her eyes, and Steven resisted the urge to mention that this in itself was even more idiotic than that. They might as well go ahead and stage a rebellion, it wasn't like it would make a difference. "But we need the space to actually breathe and think before we can do anything else, and we can't do that while we're in the middle of a war." Agate fell silent for a moment, and Steven faltered. The hybrid narrowed his eyes, studying her silently, then glanced away, out the window again.
"I don't know what it is about you, Rose," Agate finally muttered. "But from the second you set foot on Homeworld, you started something…" She trailed off. "... something good."
Steven faltered again, but he didn't move his gaze.
"Blue Diamond is trapped in grief and rage," Agate continued. "She can't look past her own little bubble. White Diamond hasn't left her own damn head in eons- and she rarely even has anything to do with Homeworld anymore." His mentor paused, and Steven closed his eyes for a moment, ducking his head and shaking his head. "And yet, you got through to Yellow Diamond."
"I didn't-" Steven began, tiredly, as he blinked his eyes open and turned to look up at her again. He was offered a reproachful look in response, enough to render him silent for a few seconds. 'Got through to' was… a pretty strong choice of words. He hadn't gotten through to a Diamond. He had just talked with her a little bit, engaged in a brief conversation he hadn't even meant to get into in the first place. He hadn't even intended on talking to her for as long as he did, and he was practically a nervous mess the entire time. She had been patient, lenient with him, but he wouldn't exactly say that he'd been able to get through to her during their one conversation.
"She offered you the chance to lead a battalion of your own. That is an honor she only bestows to those she respects," she told him firmly, and Steven bit the inside of his cheek as he stared at her, silently searching her gaze again and shaking his head, but he stayed silent after that now. "And considering how you're - supposedly - the gem that shattered Pink Diamond," she added - and Steven tried not to flinch as she held his gaze, searching his face just as intently in response - as she lifted her hands, palm up, and leaned back. "I believe that speaks for itself." Agate sighed, leaning back, and Steven sank back against his seat with a grimace. "Rose…" His mentor shook her head, and tore her gaze away from him to look out the window, sighing. But he watched her expression soften, watched the gears turning in her head. "You've started something amazing. Each and every one of us… aside from Berry, perhaps," she added, rolling her eyes. "Would have never dared leave Homeworld without the Diamonds' permission."
"You can say that again," Lemon Lime piped up with a weak chuckle, and Candy huffed out a quiet giggle from beside him, but she nodded her agreement as she looked out the window.
"And this isn't calling our loyalty into question," Agate sighed - and she and Steven both rolled their eyes when Berry snorted. "Well, at least not mine," his mentor added hastily, shooting a glare toward the Ruby over her shoulder before she turned back to face Steven again. The hybrid just glanced up at her, narrowing his eyes with a frown. "But for the first time, we actually have something to fight for, rather than just obeying orders. You started something, Rose." She lifted a finger to point at him, and the hybrid leaned back slightly, twisting his mouth into a scowl. "And you're going to finish it. Homeworld needs to change, and you're bringing it."
"I didn't start anything," Steven insisted. But he faltered again after a moment, staring at his mentor for a few seconds, before he sank back again and looked away. Yeah, he didn't even know if that was the truth or not. He couldn't remember what he'd done the first four months, not really. Most of the memories were still hazy, still somewhat out of his reach. "I didn't mean to…" He trailed off, squeezing his eyes shut for a moment, and shook his head again with a frown.
"Maybe. But it happened anyway," Agate conceded. "And it's not a bad thing."
Steven shook his head again, but he blinked his eyes open to glance back up at her. And he watched her expression soften again, finally looking back down at him and arching an eyebrow. "It's a great thing," she told him, quietly, and the hybrid faltered. "What you've done for us. So sit back, shut up, and let us return the favor so that we can all finish what you've started, because I have a feeling that once this is all over… Rose, Homeworld is going to be different. Very different. And you're the one that gave us the hope that we could change it." She leaned back, and Steven furrowed his eyebrows for a moment, then let his head fall back with a quiet groan. His resolve had wavered, and she knew it; he wasn't completely convinced, mind you - he still didn't think this was a good idea, he still felt like something bad was going to come out of it. But for the moment, he was ready to give it, and them… at least a bit of a chance, if only a slim one.
"Okay," he finally mumbled, watching the corners of her lips tug upwards, just slightly. The hybrid shook his head again and rolled his eyes to the side, staring out the window again.
"So, right now, the plan is simple," Agate hummed. She finally moved over to sit down in the empty seat in front of him, turning slightly to sit in it sideways so she could lean herself back beside the window and turn her head to look over at him again. Steven kept his gaze where it was for a moment, watching as they passed a cluster of meteors, but he rolled his shoulders back and turned his gaze away again after a moment to meet Agate's gaze, listening. "We get you somewhere safe, and then we're going to begin a… different kind of training," she began. The idea of training cheered him up a little, but he still wasn't completely sold on the situation. "And, if everything goes well…" Agate leaned her head back. "We might have new recruits."
Steven arched an eyebrow at that. "Who?"
Agate turned her head, glancing ahead to where Berry was. The Ruby glanced back, if only for a second, before shrugging and turning away again, and Agate sighed. "The Crystal Gems."
"What remains of them, anyway," Berry called over her shoulder, with a sigh.
Steven glanced between them, but he didn't say anything. The Crystal Gems. The name brought a flicker of some emotions, some guilt, some grief, some pain and anger and sorrow. He fought against the memories that came with the feelings, shaking his head furiously and glancing out the window again. He knew he was supposedly the leader of the Crystal Gems; he was Rose Quartz, after all, former leader of the rebellion. So the fact that there were memories connected to the former rebels didn't surprise him, but it did leave him somewhat unsettled. The hybrid shook his head and fell silent after that, closing his eyes and leaning his head back. He supposed there was nothing to do yet except to wait at that point, wait until they got there.
"We're almost there," Berry said suddenly, and Steven blinked his eyes open in surprise. He wasn't the only one; Candy leaped to her feet with a gasp (though she seemed less startled and more excited), but he did see Lemon Lime's jaw drop, leaning forward to stare out the windshield, while the Pearl moved from her seat beside him to rush over to where Berry was.
"What?" Lemon Lime choked out. "What did you put in this ship?"
"Oh my goodness," Candy breathed, leaning forward across the dashboard beside Berry, despite the Ruby's protests as she reached over to push the Pearl toward the part of the control panel that didn't have giant red blinking buttons on the front. "I'll finally get to meet her!"
"'Her'?" Agate questioned, while Steven leaned forward to lightly smack his forehead against the back of her seat. Great. They were there. They could die happy and he could die miserable.
"Pink Diamond's former Pearl," Candy gushed - and Steven lifted his head sharply - as she spun around to face them again. Her eyes were practically starry, rocking back and forth on her feet. She was about to start bouncing, and they all knew it; Berry was grimacing now, Sage was grinning, Agate looked curious and Lemon Lime still looked baffled. "She's a legend!"
"Calm down," Berry grumbled. "She's not that big of a deal."
Candy smirked, turning her head. "Oh, no?"
"Nope. We've met. Nothing special."
"She's the reason why the first cross-gem fusion exists, Berry," Candy sang.
"I love her," Berry declared simply.
"And she's a legendary warrior!" Candy squealed, turning around again. Steven glanced up at her, arching an eyebrow silently. "She proves that Pearls aren't just servants. We can fight, too!"
"I'm more interested in the Amethyst, myself," Agate commented. Steven leaned back, making a face at the mention of an Amethyst, but he didn't say anything. Again, there was no point in voicing his disdain for them. He just hadn't met one yet that he could tolerate, that was all. "Sure, she's not an original Crystal Gem- but I've heard that she's quite the fighter," she added, flicking her gaze toward Berry again, and the Ruby glanced back at her with a shrug. Her eyes did, briefly, trail in Steven's direction, but she rooted her gaze forward again almost immediately. "Of course, with that…" Agate abruptly pushed herself up and turned to head over to Sage, and the other gem smiled as she held up one of the bubbles for her to take, which she did gingerly. Steven pushed himself away from the seat in front of him, leaning back silently to watch. He watched as Agate popped one bubble, and Sage popped the other, catching the gems.
Tangerine was the first one to reform, almost immediately. At first, she stumbled, staggered, and Steven guessed it had something to do with the fact that she hadn't expected to reform inside of a moving ship. But it didn't take long for the smaller Quartz to regain her balance, to register her surroundings; her eyes widened, flicking her gaze around frantically - then she blinked, paused, and swept her gaze around the ship again with a more confused look than a startled one now. Steven lifted a hand slightly to wave at her, turning in his seat to face them all again. "What…?"
Clementine took a little longer to reform, but it only took a few seconds for her to do so after her gem had started glowing. Tangerine hadn't changed much - but Clementine looked different. Her hair was longer, pulled back into a ponytail now, but she was, otherwise, the same. Like Tangerine, she took a quick look around, clearly startled, before snapping her gaze up to Agate. Then she blinked, tensed, and leaned back slightly in surprise, pupils shrinking slightly.
"Welcome back," Agate murmured. Steven glanced over at her as Clementine's gaze flicked downwards, watching the other gem reach out to take Sage's hand; Sage curled her fingers with Agate's immediately, and Steven couldn't help but soften, watching her give a gentle squeeze.
"And welcome to Earth," Sage added with a smile.
Tangerine sucked in a gasp, realizing it at once, but it took a little longer for Clementine to register it. She paused, and blinked, looking around with wide eyes. "But- we were caught-"
"Oh, that was forever ago," Berry commented idly - and earned a smack on the back of her head from Candy, much to Steven's amusement. He might be willing to give this a chance, and he knew Berry's heart was in the right place, good intentions and all that, but he certainly wasn't going to be getting over the fact that they - and she especially - had kidnapped him to space in the middle of a battle. They could have at least waited until after the fight. He still certainly had a lot to say to his best friend after this, and he wasn't so sure he'd be thanking her just yet, either. "We'll catch you up later," Berry added with a growl, rubbing the back of her head with one hand and reaching out to swipe the other one over the control panel as she looked up again, staring ahead through the windshield and arching an eyebrow as she continued quickly, "we're here."
Steven reluctantly let his gaze flick forward. The planet was coming toward them fast; he saw mixtures of green, and blue. Despite himself, he couldn't help but falter. Homeworld was colorful - but there was something about the colors of his planet, it was almost… overwhelming, to him. But as they watched the planet, Earth, come into view, Steven's irritation steadily dissolved, if only for the time being. There was something peaceful, just the sight of it; it was enough for him to push himself to his feet and wander forward to stand beside Candy, leaning forward over the control panel - and being careful not to touch anything - as he stared at the planet ahead. The closer they got, the easier it was to see, and the clearer everything became; the colors, the views, just… everything about it. For the moment, just taking it in was enough to stun him. "This…" He began quietly, to nobody in particular, as he stared at the planet. "This is… Earth?"
"Yep," Berry sounded almost smug, but Steven couldn't bring himself to care right then. He just stared, eyes widening even further as he flicked his gaze over the planet. Candy leaned forward beside him, keeping her gaze rooted ahead for a moment before she turned her head to glance over at him, and he finally tore his gaze away just in time to catch the smile on her face.
"What d'you think?" She asked quietly.
Steven answered honestly, all irritation gone. "It's… beautiful." He looked ahead and pretended not to notice the glances Berry and Candy exchanged, the grins on their faces. Just… stared.
Berry reached out, pressing her hand to the control panel. "Welcome home."
For a while, they just drifted. Steven, anger completely diminished by that point, stayed at the front of the ship to watch where they were going. More than once, the others would point out something; they'd mention buildings, they'd mention the creatures there. Humans, Berry commented as they soared over their heads. Some of the humans looked up to point at the ship as they passed; some looked surprised, some of them looked anxious. Others looked… grim. Grim, as if they'd seem something like this before; as if they were expecting it. Steven tried not to pay too much attention to those humans - because those were the ones that made the back of his mind shift, made the box he'd sealed his memories away in loosen just a little.
He stifled them back and turned his attention away quickly, staring around at everything else; he couldn't stop watching the sky. It was a beautiful blue, painted with soft, fluffy blobs of white up above. He swooned with the others, and he almost hated to admit it. He almost hated to admit the awe he was feeling, the excitement, the enjoyment. Every so often, he would remind himself that he was here, happily exploring the Earth with his friends, while his planet was still under attack. While other soldiers had probably been shattered during the fight. And every so often, he would let it sour his mood, until one of the other gems drew his attention away, back to the Earth. Back to watching the sky, back to the humans and the other creatures they saw.
He squealed with Candy when one of the creatures flew at them, soaring over the ship at the last second. He had only gotten a glimpse of beating wings; Berry, herself, had freaked out at the sight of it. Steven honestly couldn't say why. One second, she was calmly steering the ship - the next, that thing was coming at them from out of nowhere, and the Ruby screamed as if she was being shattered, jerking the ship to the side and diving downwards. Admittedly, Steven couldn't help but laugh, pressing himself forward against the dashboard, and Candy dissolved into giggles at his side as they gripped the control panel and pressed their hands against the windshield to hold themselves steady. Even Sage and Tangerine had started laughing behind them; he could picture Agate and Clementine rolling their eyes, and Lemon Lime was probably just as scared as Berry… the hybrid chuckled to himself, ducking his head and looking ahead.
"I changed my mind," Berry gasped when she finally steadied herself - and the ship - again. "I hate Earth. I hate Earth and I hate the tiny- the tiny little creatures on it. I hate it. I hate it all." And Steven just laughed again, sweeping his gaze around and pausing. At that point, they were hovering over what… looked like a large stretch of blue liquid. Water. Steven leaned forward, crossing his arms over the control panel in silent fascination as he stared, and Candy breathed out a quiet 'whoa' from beside him as she leaned forward with him to get a better look.
"Look." Steven pointed ahead of them, toward a structure floating along over the water. As they passed, he also saw there was a human standing there - or at least, he thought they were human. They stared at the ship as they passed, and Steven and Candy lifted their hands to wave just before they had completely flown over them; the hybrid couldn't help but chuckle at the bewildered look on the human's face as he slumped back again, leaning back with a sigh. Okay, so maybe this hadn't been so bad. He still didn't like the circumstances, but he wasn't going to lie and say he wasn't fascinated by the Earth, and everything he had seen so far. Even if everything about it made something in the back of his mind stir, made those empty, blank spaces ache for something to fill them. And yet, he still found himself shying away from them. The hybrid sighed, watching the white splotches reflected in the water below them.
"What's that?" Agate said suddenly, moving forward to stand on Berry's other side. Steven paused, lifting his gaze again, and he furrowed his eyebrows as he stared ahead of them.
The very first thing he saw was the giant structure ahead of them. It looked like it was carved out of the hillside that was behind it, stretching far and wide across where the water met a chunk of yellow land that looked almost white with the Earth's sun beating down against it. The structure, he recognized immediately; he wasn't sure how, he wasn't even sure why. He didn't know what it was, but it didn't even stir up anything in the back of his mind - he just knew, the moment he rested his gaze on it, that he had seen it before. He knew exactly what it was, too. And so did Berry, if her soft whisper of "fusion…" was any indication. The Ruby only took a moment to compose herself again, rapidly flicking her hands across the control panel, almost frantically. "I'm going in for a landing now. I think I know where we are," she declared excitedly.
Steven had no objections, watching the structure come into view. He also noticed the one that rested just below it, a little smaller; it didn't look like it quite fit with the giant stone gem ahead of them, but Steven still couldn't help but stare at it. This time, there was something tugging at the back of his mind again, something aching to remember. And he almost wanted to let it; for just a second, he forgot about all of the pain that the memories usually brought, the terror and agony. For a moment, the excitement and awe he was feeling was almost enough for him to let the memories flow through - but as soon as he considered it, the thought was gone. Just… gone.
So he stayed silent as Berry lowered the ship again, and as they finally slowed to a stop. They slid a little bit at first - much to the Ruby's confusion - but she got a handle on the ship quickly. For a while, they just stood there; just staring. Then, finally, Berry whirled around, finally pulling away from the control panel for the first time since they'd left Homeworld. "Open- the door-!"
"Stars," Sage mumbled, getting up and walking over to press her hand to the panel.
Candy was the first one through when the door opened. She was squealing as she launched herself out, and then - surprisingly - Lemon Lime was quick to jump to his feet and follow her. Then followed Tangerine, and Clementine, and then Sage and Agate. Berry was the last one to cross forward, after she had flicked her gaze around the ship rapidly as if to make sure she wasn't missing anything. Then, with one quick glance at Steven - and a small smile, as well - she turned away and rushed after the others; Steven took a deep breath, steeling himself silently, and rolled his shoulders back as he walked forward to follow his friends out of the ship. He was cautious as he stepped out, blinking in surprise as his limb enhancers sank through the soft, yellow ground beneath him. He lifted his foot, kicking up a few specks, but he made his way forward regardless to fall into step with Berry as they walked toward the stone gem.
"Look familiar?" Berry hummed, glancing over at him. Steven shook his head.
"That's not what we're here for."
"Actually, it is," Agate cut in. Steven flicked his gaze away from the giant statue in front of them, glancing over at his mentor in surprise. "Welcome to your new training. First order of business is to get your memories back - your real ones, mind you, not the fake ones Blue Diamond poisoned your mind with," she added sharply, and Steven leaned back slightly, genuinely startled. He then flicked his gaze over to Berry, who offered him an unapologetic shrug.
He didn't have time to respond. Lemon Lime suddenly let out a scream, and Candy shrieked not too long after in response; Steven whirled around at once, every muscle in his body pulling taut, and wasted no time in summoning his scythe. The Peridot and the Pearl had wandered quite a bit, having broken away from the group to head toward the structure connected to the statue. And they definitely seemed to be regretting it, because Lemon Lime was currently shielding Candy from two other gems - one of which was a Pearl with a spear, and the other - stars help me - was, of course, because it was just his luck, was an Amethyst with two, spiked whips.
"Hey!" He yelled, summoning his scythe. Agate and Sage summoned their whips, but Berry had paused, glancing rapidly between the gems, and abruptly sucked in a sharp gasp when they turned to face the rest of the group. They both looked startled, the Amethyst and the Pearl - and the shock written across their faces only intensified when their eyes locked with Steven's; for a second, the hybrid froze quite a bit, himself, glancing between them - and then upwards, to where another gem was approaching. She was taller than the other two; her hair took the block shape most Rubies had, but the rest of her… well, he didn't think he'd seen anything like it. She clasped her hands down onto the Amethyst and the Pearl's shoulders, seemingly to try and calm them down, but they had already long dropped their weapons in favor of just… staring.
"Hybrid, wait," Berry uttered quickly, but Steven had already lowered his scythe. But he narrowed his eyes at the three gems in front of him, just for a moment, as he stepped forward.
"I'd like to advise you against attacking my friends," he growled, but diminished his scythe when Agate raised a hand to stop his advances. He ran his tongue over his lips, jerking his shoulders back slightly, but he steadied himself and fell still once again while both Sage and Agate de-summoned their weapons, and Tangerine took a few steps forward to where Lemon Lime and Candy were, eyeing the other gems warily as she beckoned them over to their side again.
The Amethyst and the other gem were speechless, but the Pearl whispered, "Steven…?"
Steven stared at her for a moment. That was what Berry had called him, wasn't it? Back in the Room? That was what she insisted his name was. The hybrid curled his mechanical fingers tightly, clenching his fists, and he shied away from the memories prodding the back of his mind. He shied away, shoved them down, stifled them as much as he could while he was face to face with three gems he still recognized, even then. He couldn't put names to faces, and he couldn't remember his past with them - no, he didn't want to remember. But he did know them. He knew he knew them. He recognized their faces, knew he'd seen them before, felt every emotion… every bit of confusion, and fear, and desperation, and longing, and… and anxiety.
And he shied away. If those were the emotions he was feeling now…
… he didn't want the memories that came with them.
"No." Steven jerked his chin up, narrowing his eyes. "I am Rose Quartz, Facet-1 Cut-8BR." The Pearl's hand had flown up to her mouth before he had even finished his sentence, and the Amethyst had almost thrown herself backwards with a strangled gasp. The other gem's shoulders twitched, and she seemed to glow slightly, as if she was destabilizing. She was a fusion - and he watched as she recovered just as quickly, watched as she jerked her hands back and folded them around herself, as if she was trying to physically hold herself together.
That bad feeling was back - Steven didn't think it was gonna go away, not this time.