Garnet knew frustration.
When you have the power of precognition, what-ifs tended to be intimate friends.
Unwantedly intimate friends that enjoy leaving you grasping for answers.
Because right now Garnet felt plenty frustrated as she stood against the back wall of Steven's bedroom, arms crossed. In the bed to her right lay Steven himself, comatose, not a single stir coming from the boy.
The fusion had been teaching a class when she had received an urgent call from Connie, pleading her to come get Steven at the ice cream shop. One super-flying leap had been enough to take her to the place in question, though once she'd gotten a good look at her boy's condition, she bade Connie and her new companion to follow her since the shop wasn't far from the temple.
Their walk here had given the youths ample time to settle down from the recent fright, a good thing since Garnet had preferred the girls be calm enough to explain.
"So…," the maroon fusion spoke at last as she lifted her face to meet the eyes of the two girls standing before her, "he fell unconscious?"
Connie nodded with a concerned frown, eyes shifting to her fallen friend. "Yeah, one moment he was right behind us, perfectly fine; the next there's this stumbling sound, then this groan of pain, and we notice him clutching his chest right before he falls flat on the floor."
"We tried waking him up," added the blonde girl standing next to Connie – Ann, as she'd introduced herself, "but nothing worked. Then there's his eyes…"
On cue, Garnet turned and walked up to her boy. With a gentle hand, she took two fingers and pried one of Steven's eyelids open. Instead of the usual warm black, his pupils had disappeared in favor of absolute white.
White. The fusion resisted the urge to scowl at the implications of this single word as she didn't want to upset the girls any further than they already were. Besides, Garnet needed to save her patience for when Pearl and the others found out about this.
"Is this normal for him?" Ann asked in an anxious tone, inciting Garnet to look her way. "The guy who drove me and my parents to Beach City said something about Steven 'standing in both worlds'. I just thought Ronaldo meant Steven's used to Gems because he grew up around them. But when I asked Peridot about it afterward, she said flat-out that Steven's both Gem and human. Is that true?"
Connie blinked at Ann in slight surprise. Did Steven not have a chance to tell her yet?
Ann noticed the other girl staring and blushed, rubbing the back of her head. "He never brought it up, and I-I thought it might have been a little invasive to ask him."
Garnet regarded Ann for a few moments before giving an affirmative hum. The girl appeared harmless enough; no harm in telling her. "Steven's existence is unique: the first and currently only Gem-human hybrid. Because of this, raising him has been…tricky for us. I can tell you this much – whatever happened today is not normal, even for him."
Connie crossed her own arms, mirroring the fusion. "Any ideas what caused it?" Like Garnet, she had her suspicions as well – or rather one suspicion – but didn't want to risk jumping to conclusions.
To her dismay, the fusion shook her head. "Not yet, but perhaps your mother can shed some light on the matter." She gave Connie a brief smile. "Thanks for calling her by the way."
Connie waved off the gratitude with a halfhearted smile. "I just thought it'd be smart to have our bases covered." Steven's physiology always had a funky way of operating after all. The Indian girl regarded Ann next. "Sorry we had to cut today short like this, by the way. We'll have to hang out some other time."
In haste, Ann shook her head. "Oh no, it's totally cool! I mean, whatever's happening with Steven isn't, but you get I mean." She perked when a sudden idea occurred to her. "Hey, would it be alright if we exchange numbers," she continued while pulling out her cellphone from her shorts' pocket, "that way you can let me know when he gets better?"
"Sure thing!" Connie easily agreed as she did the same.
A quick exchange of numbers and goodbyes later, Ann had left Steven's house and was now trekking out on the warm sands of the beach en route back to town. She paused and looked over her shoulder at the massive, multi-armed stone temple in whose grasp Steven's wooden adobe stood. Admiring the titan hadn't been possible on the way here due to everyone prioritizing around Steven's condition, but now Ann had time to admire the imposing yet beautiful statue, especially in the light of the early afternoon sun.
Only as she stared did it start to dawn on her how different of a life Steven led (and perhaps also Connie by proxy).
Before she could ponder further, a ring from the phone still in her hand rung, prompting her to check. An indication on her text messages?
Oh right, Ann realized before typing in her response.
AT: Hey, Futaba.
FS: FINALLY! Well, c'mon, don't leave meh in suspense! Tell me about the space rocks!
Ann sighed in fond resignation. Yeah, she expected this after texting her nerdy friend earlier this morning after meeting Peridot and Nephrite. She'd figured if anyone would have gotten a kick out of hearing about real-life aliens, it would have been the team's resident sci-fi enthusiast.
AT: Yeah, about that. I'm gonna need some help with something.
FS: Oh crap, don't tell me one of them's faking being good to pull off an invasion.
Ann needed a moment to blink at that statement. She sincerely hoped that wasn't the case, although given how trouble loved to follow her and the others around, she had a bad feeling there might be something deeper to whatever happened to Steven. After all, his eyes had reminded her too much of Haru's father's during his mental shutdown. Minus the black blood of course, thank God.
That couldn't be a coincidence.
AT: No clue. All I know is that something happened to this guy I just met. Something that apparently isn't normal even for this place.
A few moments of inactivity in the messaging passed before Futaba's next answer.
FS: Whoa, you're not wrong! I'm listening to the recording my spy program took of your talk. It does NOT sound pretty!
Oh right, Ann had forgotten Futaba had surveillance tech. In fact, she'd forgotten to take her phone out during her time with Steven so Futaba could see through the camera. Given the techie wasn't bringing it up, though, Ann could only assume she'd been preoccupied at the time. Most likely napping.
Ann made a mental note to have the younger girl meet Steven and Connie once the former recovered. That way, the blonde didn't have to feel so icky having a fly on the wall.
In any case, Futaba needed a full update, as much as Ann didn't look forward to telling her. With a grimace, she continued.
AT: It looked even worse, too. For a moment, I'd thought he'd had a psychotic breakdown.
No response at first. Until…
FS: Crap.
AT: Ditto. You don't think this is Akechi again, do you?
FS: After everything that happened with Shido and Maruki, I seriously doubt it. Check into this ASAP, ask around about anything sus. I'll let the others know.
Ann smiled despite knowing the younger girl couldn't see.
AT: Thanks, Futaba.
FS: No prob. Alibaba signing out!
A put-out sigh escaped Ann as she put her phone back into her handbag. Ask around, right, she mused. Would be nice to know how I start off doing that.
As she cleared the beach at last and reached the boardwalk, she regarded the storefront. The human locals here were accustomed to Gems living nearby, so there had to be someone around here who could give some answers about any weird goings-on. And even if not, Ann could at least find evidence of anything suspicious.
But where to ask first?
Panning her eyes at the various shops, Ann eventually shrugged and decided to pick at random. In other words, she picked the place with the most out there look, the winner being the restaurant with a (no joke) giant fish and pizza sign. Once inside, she approached the counter where a dark-skinned girl with her curly hair in a high knot was cleaning the counter.
Right away, she lifted her head at the sound of the door opening and greeted Ann with a customer-ready smile. "Hi, welcome to Fish Stew Pizza! What will ya have?"
"Uh" – Ann took a cursory glance at the menu – I'll have a small pepperoni pizza and a small lemonade? That's pretty much it."
"Quick and easy, huh? Alrighty then! We'll be right back out with your order!"
After giving her thanks, Ann took a seat by one of the windows where she could scope out the other customers, see who she should ask first. Didn't take her that long considering there weren't that many people here at this time of day.
Ann noted a chubby guy with thick blonde curly locks and glasses in one corner, tapping away at a laptop. She recognized him as the guy who drove her and her parents here as well as the one who told them about the presence of Gems here. Best make a note to talk to him first.
The blonde then noticed out of her peripheral a slightly shorter pink figure who sat a few seats ahead of her, decked in ripped jeans and a black shirt with a skull on it. Seated around this person were a menagerie of Gems judging by the rocks in their bodies, including (Ann had to do a double take) a massive caterpillar being peering in from outside.
How the heck did I miss that on my way in?
Just then the pink figure happened to look up and notice Ann staring. The girl, blushing at getting caught, hastily shot her view to outside in an attempt to not come off as nosy. A noble effort but no dice.
"Hey."
Ann jolted around in her seat to discover the person take the empty seat from across her table, their expression unreadable. "Uh, hi?" she asked in an awkward tone. "Can I help you?"
"You're the girl that was with Steven earlier, right?"
The point-blank question took Ann off-guard completely, leaving her wary in turn. Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Yeah…how do you know that?"
"The Rutile twins saw you two walking off with Garnet earlier," the person explained with a cool shrug, thumbing over their shoulder.
Before Ann could ask which twins this person meant, their Gem posse moseyed on over with their owh seats so that they sit down with their companion. The giant caterpillar merely shambled along outside until their face reached Ann's table.
"We saw her carrying Steven too," the left half of the conjoined red Gem to the person's left explained before the right half finished with, "You all looked really worried."
Ann blinked before eying the entire group, curious. "Are…you guys all friends of his?"
"Not as close friends as the captain here is," answered the reddish Gem in a black and pink leotard on the person's other side, "but yeah. We know Steven well enough. I'm Rhodonite by the way."
Captain? Ann immediately thought of Ryuji and his Persona, although she doubted this person(?) held a similar occupation. Were they in the Gem military perhaps?
"We just go by Rutile," the left red Gem stated, her right counterpart following up with, "it's easier to refer to us both."
"Fluorite," the giant caterpillar kindly greeted in a slow ponderous pace.
The tiny orange Gem next to Rhodonite remained silent, smiling into space even as she faced forward. Ann could only furrow a brow at her in concern.
"Padparascha tends to space out due to her powers," the pink person explained while casually gesturing a hand. "It's normal for her. Anyway, name's Lars – and yes, I am in fact a guy."
Ann held back a smile. Of all the names, Lars? "I'm Ann," she returned with a hand to her chest. "Are you a Gem too?"
Lars snorted in amusement. "Nope. Flat out human." He paused, thoughtful. "More or less anyway." He waved off Ann's curious stare. "Long story. Anyway, how's Steven?"
Ah, right. Ann scratched her head in an unsure manner. "It's a little too soon to say. I just got back from dropping him off at his house." She narrowed her eyes for a moment as a thought occurred to her. The blonde shifted her gaze up to the others. "Hey, has there been anything weird going on with him lately?"
A moment of silence passed as Lars and his apparent crew exchanged significant looks.
"That depends," Lars finally answered in a wary tone of his own, "what happened to him earlier?"
Figures that question would come up. "He fell for some reason," Ann explained with a sympathetic frown. "When me and Connie picked him up, his eyes had rolled into the back of his head."
Various expressions of shock and horror swept across Lars and his crew.
The captain, wishing to break the spell, cleared his throat. "Then…he didn't glow pink at all?"
What? Ann had to blink at the question. "Uh, no? Wait, has that been happening to him a lot?"
Lars shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. He and I don't hang out as much as we used to; plus, I'm often up in space with my crew nowadays." His eyes shifted downward, heavy in thought. "That said, there was this one incident at graduation."
Graduation? Oh, he must have been talking about Little Homeschool. Ann leaned forward on the table, all ears.
"It was the first one here ever since Little Homeworld got established, including for my crew here. Steven kept getting all up in people's faces with this whole passive-aggressive bit, mine included." Lars raised his head back up, face soft with concern. "Then all of a sudden, he trapped himself, us, and a good chunk of our peers in this big pink dome that started closing in on everybody."
Then Steven does have powers of his own? Granted, Ann didn't get a chance to see much in the away of super-abilities from any Gems in general yet (Ronaldo had been surprisingly vague on that part), but the thought did not surprise her in the least, especially considering her own non-Gem experiences.
"Turns out," Lars continued in a somber tone, "he had no idea how so much here had changed without him knowing. The thought of everyone moving on without him really got to him. That's how his powers went haywire."
So, Steven lost control because he was afraid of his friends leaving him? A saddened expression came over Ann at this fact. Suddenly the way he'd been panicking earlier from missing Connie's call seemed far more distressing.
Without warning, the orange Sapphire gasped and clasped her hands together in delight. "Friends, I have most wondrous news! Steven will soon recover from whatever befell him, albeit a bit dazed and confused."
Hearing that revived Ann's smile. "Really? That's awesome!"
"Actually," Rhodonite casually stated, "it means he's already gotten back up."
At the human girl's confused stare, Fluorite gestured a hand to their seer friend. "Padparascha…only has visions…about things…that just…happened."
Oh. Well, hey still awesome! Honestly, Ann was more surprised that Steven gotten back on his feet so fast.
Despite this news, though, Lars and crew (save for Pads) still wore anxious expressions.
"Guys," Ann asked, "what's wrong?"
Lars sighed. "It's not that we're not happy Steven's OK, but the fact he's better's now doesn't mean whatever happened to him can't happen again. In fact, that's why my team and I have been investigating into the incidents."
These guys had been investigating too, huh? Ann furrowed her brow, the need for more information clear on her face.
"Ever since we came back to Earth," Rhodonite explained with a spooked frown, "Padparascha's been having visions about a few Gems blacking out –or whiting out?—only to come back…different."
"Wait…," Ann gasped in shock, "this has already been happening to Gems?!"
Both Rutile twins nodded. "We already told the Crystal Gems about this./But they made us swear not to tell any of the tourists."
"They don't want a panic to rise up," Rhodonite continued before raising both hands up. "Not that I don't see where they're coming from, but sooner or later word's gonna get out the more Gems this happens to."
"Especially…if it starts…happening…to other humans…as well," Fluorite added.
Ann could already see where this was going. She angled her head in a questioning manner. "Wait, how could that be?"
At this point, Lars sighed in reluctance and opened his mouth to speak—
"Allow me to explain."
Only for the space captain to facepalm with a groan at the all too familiar voice.
Ann by contrast greeted the source with a friendly smile. "Oh, hey Ronaldo!"
The chubby male bowed to his fellow blonde. "Ms. Takamaki, a pleasure seeing you again! I couldn't help but overhear the conversation and decided to offer my own expertise."
Expertise? Did he actually have an idea about what was happening then? Ann straightened up in her seat, now at full attention. Lars, on the other hand, gave the taller male a very tired look, not stopping him but not encouraging him either.
"You see, I too have been hearing about the fainting spells happening to Gems around here," the theorist elaborated before sitting down in his own borrowed seat. "I even happened to witness a few myself. However, there's a certain extra detail about them that, hopefully, hasn't happened to Steven."
"And that would be…?" Ann asked.
"After the victims woke, their behavior would take a complete one-eighty. In terms of appearance and personality, they'd virtually remain the same but for some reason they started acting like they were back on Homeworld before Era 3 started!"
The place Little Homeschool was named after then…? Ann pressed her lips, not quite getting the point.
"Era 3's what they're calling this whole new phase of Gem history Steven started," Lars explained with a flippant handwave. "Before that, Homeworld used to be this whole intergalactic empire that kept draining the life out of planets to make more Gems."
Oh whoa, what? Ann could not help but gawk at hearing this. Hang on, were they saying Steven found a way to stop all that? Suddenly, Ann found her respect for the boy skyrocketing.
"Peridot never mentioned any of this to me," she murmured in wonder. Or maybe the green Gem would have had she gotten a chance to give Ann a tour. Either way, she intended to get answers from the tech about her people's history.
Come to think of it, Ann realized, Steven never mentioned any of this either.
The Rutile Twins shrugged. "She probably wanted to ease you into it./Not that we blame her."
Ann set her face downcast with a pondering frown. "Was Homeworld…really that bad before Steven came along?"
"Bad enough that we Off-Colors had to hide to avoid getting shattered," Rhodonite sighed, melancholy marking her face from having to remember less than pleasant memories. "That's how we all met. I almost dissipated my form when a Quartz screamed at me to defuse the other day."
"Or…when this one Pearl…," Flourite added with a pitying expression, "flew into a panic…when told she no longer…had to serve…anyone."
"A lot of those affected Gems had even started fights," Rhodonite stated in a tremulous voice. "Fortunately, the Crystal Gems always come to dissipate their forms before they cause any serious damage."
Ann tried to hold back a shiver at the imagery. "Where are all these Gems now?"
"My guess," Lars supplied, "Garnet and the others are keeping them bubbled in the temple at Steven's house 'til they can figure out what's going on."
Ronaldo hummed and tapped his chin. "A valid effort though I doubt they'll be able to solve this themselves." He regarded everyone's curious stares. "Especially if this is anything like the psychotic breakdowns from last year."
Lars screwed his face in skeptic confusion. Psychotic what? Oh God, he sincerely hoped this wasn't another one of his ex-best friend's conspiracy theories.
"Wait, you know about those too?!" Ann blurted out in utter shock, though she paled in comparison to Lars who shot a gaze of disbelief at her. Wait, so Ronaldo wasn't speaking nonsense? What exactly did Lars miss out in space?
A knowing chuckle left Ronaldo who readjusted his glasses with a gleam as he sat down in his own pilfered seat. "Oh, very much so. After all, you can't know about the Phantom Thieves without knowing how they got their start– and I happen to know a great deal thanks to certain connections."
Then without warning, Ronaldo pulled out cartoonish bobblehead versions of Joker, Skull, and Panther from his pants' pocket. "That and I'm a massive fan."
"Huh cool," Ann noted with a nod, feeling oddly flattered. "So, how much do you know about them?"
Ronaldo crossed his arms with a huff. "Only that they change the hearts of criminals and scum otherwise untouchable to society – and that they do so with impeccable style! In fact, if you pay attention to international news, you might recall an incident last year in Shibuya, Tokyo, that involved incidents similar to what we'll have been seeing. The Phantom Thieves were responsible for putting an end to that."
The Rutiles raised their left hand like a student in class. "Quick question! When you say they change the hearts of criminals/what do you mean by that?"
"I'm glad you asked!" Ronaldo confidently boasted before clearing his throat. "Allow me to clarify. The Phantom Thieves don't change literal hearts. What they do is essentially make the culprits confess their crimes."
"What, by threatening them?" Lars asked in a tone more skeptical than disbelieving. Even if he could buy into all this Thief stuff, it still didn't clarify one thing. "If these bad guys are so untouchable," he continued, "then what's to keep them from staying quiet once these Thieves leave them alone?"
Heck, for all anyone knew, those criminals could just as easily go back to being bad.
"Not merely threatening, my dear Lars," Ronaldo snidely countered. "In fact, what they do is exactly why I bring them up in the first place. For you see, the Thieves possess a special ability that allows them to alter the minds of their targets, break their will to not only withhold regret but also stay mum about their crimes, so to speak."
"W-Wait," Rhodonite gulped with suddenly widened eyes full of fright, "are you saying they…brainwash them? L-Like White Diamond used to?"
Similar stricken expressions struck the other Gems at the comparison.
Already panicked whispers permeated Lars' crew, the captain himself narrowing his eyes and appearing ready to tell off Ronaldo for spooking his team with such an obvious farce.
Ann would not let such a gross misconception about her team – her dearest friends – stand. With an incensed expression, she shot up from her seat, both hands slamming onto the table.
"It's not like that!"
A moment of stunned silence passed before she registered everyone's taken back expressions. Oh shit, now the spotlight was definitely on her.
She pulled back with a sheepish chuckle. "I mean…I didn't know too much about how they change hearts myself up until now," she hastily explained with a brief rub to her nape.
However, her composure and firmness returned as she continued. "But even if it is brainwashing, it's for a good reason. There are too many rotten people out there who get away with screwing over the innocent. What's worse, others often turn a blind eye and pretend nothing's wrong. Hell, they even go so far as to treat those scumbags like heroes."
Memories of Kamoshida and his atrocities came to mind, leaving a deeply foul taste in Ann's mouth. Yet just as quickly, so too did memories of changing that slimeball's heart and seeing him get what he deserved.
A confident smile lit up Ann's face. "That's why the Phantom Thieves exist: to give people hope." She shook her head. "No, not just hope; they give them courage. So that they can find the strength to stand up for themselves and maybe even do the same for others too."
By the end of her speech, her entire audience had been left awestruck.
Lars and his entire crew stared with widened eyes, utterly blown away by the girl's words. Even Padparascha was gaping, hands to her chest. Ronaldo meanwhile was wiping away a tear; clearly, Ann's brief speech had moved him deeply.
Ann herself, once she'd come off her motivational high, noticed and blushed even more this time, rubbing the back of her head once again at how into it she'd gotten. "Uh…that's how I figure it anyway."
"That was…/Wow," the Rutile twins uttered at last, completely impressed.
All of the other Gems murmured similar sentiments while Lars shifted his eyes downward in thought.
"What these Phantom Thieves do…are they…really the only ones who can help Steven?" He looked up at Ann. "Would it even work, what with him being part Gem and all?"
For a hot second, a nugget of doubt nagged at the back of Ann's mind. Would she and the Thieves be able to help Steven despite his hybrid nature? What about the Gems themselves that had also fallen victim?
After another moment of silence, she dispelled these questions away with an assuring smile. "Fight fire with fire, right? Besides, even if we – er, they don't know anything about Gems, you guys are still people. I don't see how changing hearts wouldn't work on you too."
Especially if these incidents are proof of Futaba's invasion theory. Wait, does it count as a theory if she only mentioned it once? Either way…
"Wait," Rhodonite spoke up as her four eyes expanded in realization, "how do these Thieves even know who to help and where? Wouldn't there be some way for people in need to contact them?"
Oh right, that tidbit. Ann put a hand to her head, knowing she'd need to explain it without giving too much away. "W-Well, they have this website where you can log complaints about anyone unjust, especially if you're a victim." She paused. "Uh, you guys know what a website is, right?"
The Rutile twins perked. "Yeah, we use a similar concept on Homeworld/Although it's nowhere near as varied in use."
Rhodonite furrowed her brow, feeling her question remained unanswered. "OK, but then how do these complaints even help the Thieves narrow down their targets? Is there like a specific set of rules of something?"
This part Ann felt safe enough to explain. "Not a whole lot. Basically, you just have to give the first and last names of the person causing trouble, and the Thieves do the rest."
Lars and his crew all fixed the blonde with a skeptical gaze. Clearly there was more to this shady group's modus operandi than that.
"It may all sound simple," Ronaldo butted in, "but remember, the Phantom Thieves have powers tied to the mental plane, similar to Steven. How else would their major targets wind up with changed hearts after receiving just a calling card?"
Similar to Steven? Did that mean he could enter the Metaverse without a Navigator? Ann shook her head. It wouldn't do to get lost in speculation.
Just then, Padparascha let off a happy gasp, clapping her hands. "Oh my! I predict that Ronaldo will reveal that the Phantom Thieves operate like the Gentleman Thief, Arsène Lupin!"
Ann reared her head back in surprise, not prepared to hear the original name of her leader's persona, never mind in this context.
Lars rolled his eyes, though fondly. "I took her and the others to a bookstore the day before their graduation to congratulate them. She's been hooked on the fancy thief stuff ever since. Anyway, someone just has to send these Thieves a text about Steven so they can send him a calling card, right? Is that only like for show or is there more to it than that?"
Ronaldo dug out a notebook from his pants' pocket and started flipping through the pages. Seems he had a theory or two to share on the subject matter.
However, Lars had eyes only for Ann, and not in the romantic way either. At this point, the pink human had started to suspect the girl knew more about the Thieves than she let on.
Shit, Ann mentally cussed. How could she weasel out of this one?
Apparently, a certain Sapphire for without warning, Padparascha shot up from her seat with a startled gasp. "Oh dear, Steven's friend, Connie, will be most upset with his family!"
Everyone cast looks of sheer confusion at the Sapphire – until Fluorite noticed out of her peripherals a brown figure dash towards the beach.
"Oh…dear…," the elderly caterpillar murmured in a concerned tone with a hand to her face, drawing Lars's attention.
"Flo? What's…," he paused and narrowed his eyes at the familiar person in the distance. "Wait, isn't that—"
"Connie?!" Ann gasped before bolting out of the restaurant at high speed.
XXX
Despite not being the track star of her team, Ann managed to keep pretty good pace.
Unfortunately, that also meant she arrived right on time to join Connie in spectating a fight taking place right outside Steven's house amongst Garnet and four other people.
One of whom was seriously beating Connie to the punch in the yelling department.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE'S NEVER SEEN A DOCTOR?!" shrieked an older woman with greying black hair and decked in a doctor's smock. Her similarities in appearance to Connie were striking. Her mother perhaps?
The very sight gave both girls pause, Connie even losing her scowl in surprise. What happened while she'd been out?
A chubby sunburnt man with balding hair and a green sweater held his hands up in hasty defense. Like with the woman, Ann noticed he resembled a certain someone else himself.
"Look I know it sounds bad!" A pregnant moment passed as he registered his own words and then rubbed his nape. Priyanka's withering glare did not help either. "OK, it's definitely bad, but hear me out! I was scared he might get taken away if I took him to a hospital! Even I know government agencies are as shady as they come!"
Not the craziest concern, Ann admitted to herself with an understanding grimace. Especially if someone similar to Shido were to get involved.
Garnet took this turn to respond. "Steven is also the only hybrid of his kind. Gems don't get hurt and heal the same as humans, so we weren't sure the effects medicine would have on him if any."
"Not to mention we have Rose's Fountain!" chirped a thin pale woman with a long nose, her face the definition of flustered. "It works on both Gems and organics, so any physical injuries he's incurred could be fixed easily!"
"Besides, we've got plenty of his healing spit on file," added a very short purple girl rocking a punk aesthetic and long white hair. "Easy fix!"
"And what about actual illnesses?" the doctor pressed. Greg and the Gems' answers clearly had not moved her. "Cold, flu, fever, typhoid, cancer?"
That, the man and rocks paused on answering, sharing disquieted faces. Even Connie cast her eyes to the ground in wandering dread, as she had quietly considered that question a few times herself in the past. How would Steven's body react to more serious illness – or perhaps it already had?
Eventually Garnet sighed in defeat. "I'll admit, the concern of greater illnesses had always been at the back of our minds." After all, Steven had never exactly been immune to basic diseases, let alone human ailments like exhaustion. "We assumed his hybrid nature would mean his Gem would render that impossible since he's never had anything worse than a fever."
The doctor pinched her nose with a sigh. "You just admitted that Gems experience injuries differently from humans. For all any of us know, his gemstone could possibly have adverse effects on his human half, like accelerating tumor growth or causing autoimmune deficiencies!"
Oh yikes, I hadn't even considered those, Connie thought with a cringe. She made an urgent note to have a talk with Steven about all this later.
This time, the long-nosed woman held her hands up, though in an attempt to placate the doctor. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves now, Priyanka! Garnet and I make a point to stay up to date on human health and medicine."
"Well, that's assuring," Priyanka responded in a dry tone and with crossed arms, "and I assume both of you have degrees in medical science, let alone proper certification to diagnose and practice medicine?"
Neither Gem replied, Garnet turning her head to the side to avoid eye contact while the lean Gem looked as though she'd sucked on a lemon. Their shorter companion likewise shuffled her feet.
Priyanka simply massaged her own temples. As much as the mother in her wanted to tear Steven's family a new one, the professional side reminded her of who held priority. "Look, I'm not to going to feign full understanding of the circumstances surrounding you and Steven, but the fact you all neglected to provide your own child with proper healthcare all these years still stands. Human laws won't look favorably on that."
Pearl puffed her chest, reminding Ann rather heavily of an insulted peacock. "Excuse me, but I happen to possess plenty of literature on the matter of human health and medicine, both ancient and modern, and make a point to regularly review them!"
The words did nothing to change the grim expression Priyanka had. If anything, they worsened it. "I see. And what about his mental health?"
This question caused Pearl to deflate somewhat, taken back. Garnet and Amethyst similarly shared a look while Greg cringed, knowing what would come next.
Like I thought, Priyanka mused as she gave a grim nod. "Physical wounds may heal, but wounds of the mind are a whole other beast entirely." She softened her face with a sigh. "Unfortunately, that field's outside my jurisdiction. I can give you recommendations for therapists, though. As soon as my schedule allows, I can find you some cards with their contact info."
She paused to tap her chin in thought. "Better yet, I can do so during my appointment with Steven." The doctor noticed the surprised looks on Steven's family's faces and resisted the urge to roll her eyes, settling instead for a droll yet stern gaze. "I trust none of you would be opposed to that?"
Greg held his hands up again in haste, pasting on a nervous smile. "No, no, course not! I guess Schtu-ball is a little overdue for a check-up, huh? Heh, heh…" He trailed off and shrunk under the doctor's unamused gaze. "Can we at least wait until Steven wakes up, so he can put his two cents in about this?"
Those cents are probably going to come a lot sooner than they think, Ann noted, remembering Padaparascha's retro-vision.
That suggestion seemed to placate Priyanka for she nodded and moved to head back into the house. As she did the latter, though, only now did she notice her daughter and Ann standing off in the back. "Connie! You're already back? How…long have you been standing there?"
Connie shrugged with an awkward smile. "Long enough, I'd wager."
Priyanka blushed and did a brief clear of the throat. "Ah, well then…sorry you wound up seeing that, maari dikri."
Her daughter waved off the apology. "It's fine, Mom. How's Steven by the way? Is he any better?"
"Well, his vitals all appear stable, and his eyes have returned to normal." Priyanka crossed her arms before continuing. "Aside from some light mumbling in his sleep, he's making a firm recovery. I'd advise giving him a little more time to rest before we try waking him up. In the meantime," Priyanka turned her head to regard Steven's family, "I'm going to see if I can't contact some connections of mine. It's still lunchtime, so someone should still be available."
Connie nodded with a relieved smile, happy to hear the news. Behind her, Ann wore a similar expression, happy to hear Steven was going to be alright.
However, the smile proved brief when something suddenly occurred to Ann. Connie must have realized the same because she suddenly tossed a suspicious glance at Steven's house of all places. The adults hadn't noticed since their attention remained on each other.
Before any of them could, Connie snapped back to face her mother with a practiced smile. "Hey, Mom, is it alright if we bring Steven some dried apple slices from the convenience store in town? Me and our new friend, Ann, wanna bring something to cheer him up."
Priyanka smiled in return, no doubt approving of her daughter's health-minded choice in snacks. "I don't see why not. Just make sure you came back before evening so we can leave together. I'd like to have a leg-up on making dinner. Your uncle is visiting tonight, and you know how he is when it comes to food."
"I will!" After sharing a brief hug with her mother, she gestured her head at Ann to follow her, her eyes insisting.
"Uh, yeah! Totally!" Ann pulled off a friendly smile at the older woman. "It was nice sort of meeting you, Connie's Mom!"
"Please, call me Doctor Maheswaran. If Steven wakes up before you get back, I'll give you two a call."
Connie thanked her mother before she and Ann walked back towards town – until Pearl called after her.
"Wait!" The Gem waited until the girl paused, though without facing the others, before continuing. "Did you find out anything?"
Ann, the only one who could see Connie's face, noticed the other girl's face harden for a hot second before the Indian girl shifted to face the Gems with a perfectly schooled 'apologetic' smile. "Afraid not. I'll see if I can't try one more time."
When Pearl genuinely returned the smile, Connie turned away immediately to let her face fall into something melancholier (perhaps twinged with guilt). No more words left her besides a hurried 'see ya' before she started powerwalking towards town, hoping to make some distance between herself and the adults as soon as possible. Ann rushed to match her in stride and avoid being left behind.
Priyanka shook her head. That daughter of hers really knew how to pick the oddest friends.
Or at least find friends under the strangest circumstances.
XXX
Ann, if she could read Priyanka's thoughts, would have felt a kinship with Connie on both.
If nothing else, she had to give the girl props for being slick and discreet in how she gave the adults the slip, although the why still eluded her, Connie's furious rush to Steven's house still on her mind. The blonde spared a glance and noticed Connie had her face focused on the ground, eyes heavy with thought.
"You lied to them," Ann stated point-blank, tone of voice frank but not accusing.
When Connie looked up at her in surprise, Ann continued, tone matter of fact. "You lied to them." She gestured her head towards Beach City. "I know you were eavesdropping on me back at the restaurant. Me, Lars, and his friends all saw you running away."
Connie broke eye contact with a guilty sigh. "Sorry about that. I swear I wasn't following you. I only meant to look around the towns for some lead on what could have caused Steven to faint like that." Perhaps not the most productive course of action in hindsight, but considering the incident with her best friend lacked a good deal of precedence, what else could she do?
"I couldn't help feeling…useless, doing nothing but watch him sleep." Connie shook her head with a scowl. "I mean, I finally see my best friend face to face after so long, and this happens?"
Feeling her agitation rise, Connie took a deep calming breath. She knew this wasn't Steven's fault, she simply couldn't help feeling gipped. "Even if I don't know what's going on, I know something rotten has to be up."
It wouldn't be the first time Steven had been targeted after all.
Ann gave an empathetic nod, showing the other girl she had her full attention.
Connie shrugged. "I'd barely asked a few people before I noticed you and Lars talking in Fish Stew Pizza. Couldn't really come close until Fluorite moved up." A dark blush colored her cheeks. "I can't believe it didn't occur to me that someone Steven and I know would have noticed us earlier with him and Garnet."
Makes sense, Ann observed, we were both so focused on Steven at the time. A part of her, however, couldn't help but be amused at the idea of the other girl showing a sneaky side. "That reminds me. If you were eavesdropping, then you must have heard Padparascha's vision about Steven too."
When the same anger from before resurfaced on Connie's face, the girl averting eye contact, Ann cocked her head with a searching gaze. By then, the pair had reached the boardwalk.
"Yeah," Connie answered at last, pausing her steps. Ann stopped beside her. "I know how Padparascha's visions work. I used to hang around with the Gems all the time, so it hurts that they never gave me the heads-up about all these incidents." Her expression softened. "That's also how I know Steven faked being asleep."
Ann screwed her face in confusion, although when she aligned the timing of the vision with Priyanka's words, yeah, she could see where Connie got that implication. "But your Mom's a doctor, right? Wouldn't she have noticed?"
Connie shook her head. "She's never had a patient who can astral project. At least that's what I figure Steven's done." At Ann's taken back expression, she pulled a brief smirk. "Yeah, that's a thing he can do. His body's still alive when he does it, but I've never seen him make it still do things while he's out."
At once, her face fell again. "If Mom thinks he still needs to 'rest', then that can only mean Steven is buying himself time to figure out what happened earlier. Either that or at least digest it."
"So then, why have us leave instead of getting your mom to let us keep Steven company?" Because Ann was pretty sure Connie could have whipped up an excuse for that. The other girl clearly had a knack for whipping out spiels on the spot. Besides, it would help to have Steven's two cents.
"Because if I'm right," Connie responded, "then there's no telling when Steven could decide to actually wake up. Besides, if he did recover just recently then that means he probably still needs time getting his thoughts back together. As for the biggest reason…well, it wouldn't help to discuss it where the others could hear us."
Something the way the other girl's tone shifted by the end caught Ann's attention. "And by 'it' you mean…?"
Without warning, Connie shot her head to Ann, eyes as piercing as any blade. "Is it true?"
Ann started at both the action and the question, caught off guard. Mentally stumbling, she managed to stutter out, "Wh-What are you talking about?"
Alas, just as Ann could tell plain as day what Connie was referring to, Connie could tell Ann was playing dumb. And yes, Ann could tell Connie could tell.
Sure enough, Connie's sigh brimmed with annoyance at the flagrant ruse. Perhaps it'd be best to cut to the chase. "That your friends can help Steven"- she intensified her gaze on Ann, searching, almost pleading – "Can they?"
"Uh, I can't see how they could," Ann answered in a cornered tone as she averted eye contact. "They live all over the world, so – "
A firm hand on the shoulder stopped her cold.
"Ann." Connie waited until the other girl looked up at her no-nonsense tone. "You're one of the Phantom Thieves, aren't you?"
