At last: after that fiasco in the bar and losing her ship to a towing company, the Cosmic Dynamo was currently sailing through the cosmos at warp speed and Lapis was on the move once again. Granted, she wasn't too fond of doing so in what may as well have been a small, portable landfill... but beggars can't be choosers, as they say. In order to keep her mind off the mountains of trash and the milk-curdling scent of Hurley's ship, Lapis thought back to the songs she liked best from the CD's Steven gave her and pretended to listen to them. And in spite of her lack of a CD player, she could clearly hear the lyrics of a particularly catchy psychedelic rock song playing in her head.

"Home in the valley, Home in the city,"

"Home isn't pretty, Ain't no home for me,"

"Home in the darkness, Home on the highway,"

"Home isn't my way, Home I-"

"I tell ya Blue," Hurley interjected, his booming voice throwing off Lapis' concentration, "It's really nice to have company on this ship for a change! You have any idea how lonely it gets, traveling through the cosmos with no one to talk to?"

"What?" Lapis asked irritably.

"Ha ha, lost in your own little world today, huh?" Hurley chuckled warmly, "Well Blue, all I was saying was that I'm pretty happy to have you onboard. I dunno how long this arrangement's going to last, but I'm going to cherish every second!

"...yeah." Lapis stated as she rolled her eyes and retreated back into her mind, the stench of garbage slowly becoming more unbearable. She could hear guitars blaring once again, but before she could re-visualize the lyrics Hurley piped back up.

"So Blue, while we're here-"

"What?!" Lapis snarled as her train of thought was derailed.

"Hey now, let me finish before you cut in like that!" Hurley scolded Lapis playfully, who in return gave him a look of disbelief.

'Only one person's "cutting in" around here, and it's not me.'

"Heh heh, but anyway Blue, I'm curious: What brings a Gem like you all the way to this part of the galaxy? I get the feeling that you've got one heck of an interesting story to tell!"

Lapis recoiled and stared awkwardly into her lap, as this was exactly the kind of question she had hoped he wouldn't ask.

"What's the matter? Felit got your tongue?" Hurley asked coyly, causing Lapis to shrug.

"I have no idea what a Felit is, and nothing's got my tongue. I just don't want to talk about it."

Hurley rose a curious eyebrow. "You don't?"

"I don't. Now can you just drop it?" Lapis asked harshly. The crestfallen Hurley simply pouted as he stared down at his control panel.

"Well that's a bummer. I may not get them very often, but I love hearing the stories of the hitchhikers I pick up! Their reasons for ditching home and starting fresh elsewhere, the sights they've seen, the lives they've lived... and shucks, a Gem hitchhiker to boot? I bet you've seen all kinds of amazing things, what with your fancy planet and scary technology..."

"Will you cut it out?!" Lapis groaned, "For crying out loud, no means no!"

"Okay, okay, I'll drop it! Scout's honor!" Hurley promised while Lapis gave an exasperated sigh of relief.

"Thank you!"

And for the next few minutes, an awkward silence permeated the Cosmic Dynamo, with the duo going about their own business: Hurley piloting the ship while Lapis was content to stare at all the little baubles that decorated the control console of the bridge. The majority of them appeared to be toys: little plasticine figures of bizarre monsters and aliens while others were huge, plush creatures with exaggerated cutesy features. But among all the toys and playthings, two very different objects caught Lapis' attention: they were small metal discs that projected holographic images of what appeared to be another member of Hurley's species. Given the pronounced eyelashes and thinner eyebrows, Lapis assumed it was a little girl, as she was a good deal smaller and less rotund than Hurley, with light blue skin and dressed in a white and pink full body jumpsuit with a hoop skirt-like attachment around her waist. In one image she was seated on a cube-shaped pedestal grinning widely, and in the other? She appeared to be laughing, and was being held close by a younger, trimmer Hurley. Lapis couldn't help but notice the unbridled joy in his face, the shine in his eye and ear-to-ear grin as he held the smaller alien to his chest... it was different than the friendliness he had displayed towards her. Lapis didn't know what to make of it, and was interrupted by Hurley before she could analyze it further.

"Hey, Blue?"

"What do you want now, Hurley?" Lapis answered with an exasperated sigh.

"I'm really sorry for getting all pushy earlier." Hurley apologized with the utmost sincerity. "I wasn't doing right by you. I get it: if you're headed out so far from home, you've definitely got your reasons, and it's none of my business."

Lapis mulled it over and her irritated frown softened into a guilty one. Yes, he was overbearing and a tad annoying, but isn't it normal to want to know more about someone you just met? She could have easily been gentler about getting him to leave her alone. "It's okay, Hurley. I just..." she crossed her arms before leaning back in her chair. "I've been through a lot: bad things happened to me, and... well, I did some pretty bad things myself. My life is a mess, and I needed a fresh start to get away from it all."

"Ah, I see where you're coming from," Hurley replied with a solemn nod, "I've been there before, believe it or not."

"Really?"

"Oh yeah: I've made my fair share of mistakes, and... well, I'm still paying for them, even to this day." Hurley's eyes were drawn to the image of him and the smaller alien and he simply stared at it for a bit, taking a deep breath before facing the cockpit. "Look, Blue: if you don't want to talk about your past, then that's fine. Last thing you need is some dumb slob sticking his nose where it doesn't belong!"

"Hey, you're not dumb, and you're not a-" While honest about the first part, Lapis couldn't lie in the face of the overpowering odor of Hurley's landfill of a ship. "Well, yeah, you're a slob. But at least you seem like a nice slob!"

Lapis' playful insult was exactly what was needed to break the heavy atmosphere: Hurley cracked up, and Lapis got a case of the giggles as well as his joyous laughter rang out through the Cosmic Dynamo. And when it died down, the Dynamo's speed went from blinding all the way down to a crawl as a planet came into view.

"Well Blue, here we are! What you're looking at is Dizmol: the most distant of the Nova Veluti system's nineteen inhabited planets, and home of the Hopkoblin species!"

Lapis frowned and furrowed her brow at the sight of the planet. Now one shouldn't judge a book by it's cover, but by looking at it from outer space, Lapis could tell that Dizmol was... well, dismal. It was a dinky little planet that looked to be quite a bit smaller than Earth, and was colored in all sorts of shades of grey: whitish grey clouds obscured most of the planet's surface, while darker grey patches of barren land and charcoal-colored oceans could be seen in the gaps. It didn't inspire any confidence in Lapis, so she didn't feel the need to sugarcoat it.

"That is one crappy planet."

"Well you sure don't mince words, huh? Ha ha, ha ha..." Hurley chuckled sheepishly, "Yeah... believe me when I say that a ton of people agree with you. In between the near-constant rain, dreary landscape, and the corrupt politicians propped up by organized crime? You've got one heck of a miserable population! Thankfully, it's not all bad though: Krapton's got something of a rugged charm to it! You'll see for yourself in just a second..."

Hurley played around with the ship's control console for a bit, twisting dials and pressing tons of buttons, until he finished by hitting a large blue button with a satisfying *SMACK!*

"Now hang on tight, Blue. 'Cause we're in for one heck of a lan-DIIIIIIIIIIIIING!"

The Cosmic Dynamo suddenly blasted forward at a breakneck pace, causing Lapis to abruptly jerk forward and back into her seat with a cry of "WHOA!" while the pair broke through the atmosphere. And after making their full entrance, Hurley slowed back down while Lapis found her bearings and steadied herself. Now that the ship wasn't going so fast as to almost hurl her into the depths of space, Lapis was able to truly observe the world outside the cockpit. And now that she had a closer look at the planet Dizmol? It... looked even worse than she thought.

While she knew the planet would look drab, she didn't expect it to look so miserable: the landscape for the most part was a ton of sweeping, vast plains with steep hills, and the ground was cracked, grey, and barren, as if all the life had been sucked out of it. Every now and then the Cosmic Dynamo would fly over patches of plant life, but they didn't look any better: the grass was an unpleasant shade of black that gave it the appearance of being heavily charred, and these strange towering plants that looked like grey fungal growths grew in large clusters that Lapis could only assume were this planet's equivalent to forests. And way out in the distance, Lapis could see neon lights and spiky skyscrapers that signaled the presence of cities in this drab hellscape. While her experiences in Empire City left Lapis with a fondness for cityscapes, she couldn't get over how depressing they looked due to the backdrop of deep grey skies and torrential rains pouring down from above.

"Heh heh... yeah, this place sucks." Lapis chuckled dryly, her remark almost completely drowned out by the din of the rain slapping against the Cosmic Dynamo. "Hurley, what's up with this planet, anyway? It looks... depressing."

"Couldn't tell ya if I wanted to, Blue." Hurley replied with a shrug. "Dizmol's been like this since the beginning of the planet's recorded history: the soil isn't kind to most forms of plant life, the wildlife is creepy and ornery, the seas are sour, rain's constantly falling... now if you believe the stories passed down by Dizmolan religious leaders, the crummy atmosphere is all because the planet's creation was the result of their god popping a squat right in the middle of space, and Dizmol's basically a... well..." the alien blushed a dark minty green, and twiddled his fat thumbs awkwardly while trying to find a family-friendly way to explain it. But Lapis proved again that she wasn't one for mincing words.

"Giant pile of crap?"

Hurley flinched, but didn't argue with the Gem. "Well... when you put it like that, yeah. But the way I see it? Some planets are just rougher than others, and Dizmol kinda falls on the "rough" end of the spectrum. But there are definitely a few smoother edges here and there... ha, and speaking of smoother edges, have a look over yonder!" Hurley then pointed out beyond the cockpit, where a humble, if somber little port town was coming into view. While the buildings were rather dingy, the multitude of neon displays and signs breathed some much-needed life into it, even if the execution was similar to puppeteering a corpse.

"Welcome to Krapton: the friendliest town in all of Dizmol! Which is... ha ha, not saying a whole lot. But still: it's a decent place all the same!"

Hurley flew the Dynamo towards a large steel building coated head to toe in rust, which Lapis could only assume was a public hangar of some kind due to the presence of a few other space ships among tons upon tons of empty parking spots. Hurley landed neatly in one of the many vacant spots, and rose from his seat while noisily popping his fingers.

"Well my girl, what are we waiting for? We've got us a ship to take back!" Hurley pressed a button on the control console, and the door to the outside world opened up, letting the horrid stench air out into the depressing Dizmolan atmosphere. Letting Hurley lead due to his familiarity with the place, Lapis followed him outside.

Since they arrived, the rain seemed to soften to a mild drizzle and felt oddly pleasant as it pelted Lapis' skin and hair. But it seemed to be the only pleasant thing about Krapton: now that she and Hurley walked away from the hangar and took to the streets, the town looked even more pathetic than it did from a distance. Up close, the neon lights did little to hide the fact that almost every building was marred by streaks of rust, with a few outright caked with the stuff. Mold, filth, and trash lined the sidewalks and streets, and while not freezing, the atmosphere had an unpleasant mild chill to it. And the people... good lord, the people. Lapis could feel depression set in just from looking at them: the short males and tall females alike were dressed in drab charcoal-color raincoats that felt more like funeral attire, and seemed to have one of three expressions on their faces as they walked around: a fang-baring scowl that bellied a deep-seated hatred for everything in life, a look of soul-crushing despair manifesting in welled-up eyes and horrifically comical frowns, or a completely neutral expression with all traces of emotion sucked out.

And Lapis felt an odd sense of discomfort and fascination from watching their interactions. They were never pleasant and only cropped up in a negative context: if two Hopkoblins bumped into each other, they'd yell something along the lines of "HEY I'M WALKIN' HERE!" or "What's your problem, A-Hole?!". If a hover car came close to hitting them while they crossed the streets, they'd flash what she could only assume was a Dizmolan obscene gesture while the vehicle's driver would blast the horn and swear at them. And sometimes?

"HEY, MOUTHBREATHER! WHADDYA LOOKIN' AT?!"

"I ain't lookin' at nothin', least of all your ugly mug!"

"UGLY?! Oh trust me, the only ugly thing here is your BRUISED UP FACE!"

Fights would just break out for no reason. Currently, a female and male Hopkoblin were tumbling around on the ground, beating the absolute daylights out of one another while a crowd of onlookers either cheered them on and took sides, or swore at them for making a scene.

"Wow." Lapis replied with a shocked little whistle. Hurley however furrowed his brow and rolled back his sleeves before stomping over to the fight and effortlessly pulling them off of each other, before setting them on the ground.

"Hey, hey, settle down, you two! There's no reason to be so ugly to each other!" Hurley scolded gently, prompting an irate snarl from the female combatant.

"Aw, butt out, tubby! This is between me and HIM!"

She sprung back to her feet and sucker punched Hurley right in the eye, and as he staggered backwards and cried out in pain, she threw herself back at the Hopkoblin much to the hecklers' rejoicing. Shocked by the cheap shot Hurley had received, Lapis ran to his side and gently placed a hand on his shoulder while he grit his teeth and held a hand over his eye.

"Hurley! Oh my god, are you okay?!" Lapis' query was met with a nod from the friendly alien, and the small smile that formed on his face put her mind at ease.

"Ha ha... yep! I've taken worse hits than this! Still hurts like a bugger, though..." Hurley removed his hand from his eye, and Lapis cringed at the sight of the swollen purple bruise surrounding it. "Honestly, I should've expected that when I tried to stop a street brawl, but... hey, doesn't hurt to try, you know?"

Unwilling to stay near the fight a second longer, Lapis gestured away from the crowd. "Well just forget about them, okay? They're going to fight no matter what you do, so why don't we just focus on getting my ship back?"

Hurley stared forlornly at the ruckus on the street and breathed deeply before turning to face her. "Yeah, you're right..." But the frown on his face and the way his shoulders slumped made it clear he wasn't all too happy about just letting them duke it out. Hurley then led the way as he and Lapis made their way past gloomy, sulking Hopkoblins over near the center of town, where Lapis caught sight of a building with a large garage door at the front and a flickering neon sign hanging on the roof displaying runes spelling out "DUALITY TOWING". She grinned to herself, knowing that her brief time on this planet had finally come to an end.

"Aaaaaand here we are!" Hurley announced as he produced 5 milk cap-sized silver coins from his jumpsuit's chest pocket, each engraved with a rune meaning "10" on them, "Just a few seconds more, and you'll be reunited with your ship!" Hurley walked up to the doors, which slid open once he stepped on the motion-sensing mat. He bowed, and extended an enormous arm towards the open doorway. "After you, Miss!"

"Heh, thanks."

Lapis walked inside and Hurley followed. And Lapis had to admit: despite the nasty, grimy appearance of the building's exterior? It was oddly cozy on the inside. The half of the building she was in was a rather neat, well-kept waiting room with shiny polished steel flooring and walls, and a soft leather black couch and matching chairs seated around a monochrome checkerboard table where a few Hopkoblins in oil-stained pink jumpsuits listened to some slow, nostalgia-inducing muzak coming from what appeared to be a wall-mounted flatscreen projecting a rainbow-tinted image. For a few seconds, Lapis allowed herself to be mesmerized by the calming music before shifting her gaze towards the other half if the building. Over to the left was a garage with several impounded ships sitting neatly around green canisters of fuel and large carts full of power tools. And over in the bottom far-right corner sat a familiar round green ship...

"Hey sis!" A somewhat high, whiny voice barked from above them, "Wake up, would ya? Sounds like we've got some fines to collect!"

"Zzz-ugh, wha-?!"

As the speakers made their way down a flight of stairs leading to an upper level of the building, Lapis couldn't help but wonder...

'Why do I only hear one pair of footsteps?'

And once they made their way down the stairs, Lapis let out a little 'whoa' as she beheld an utterly bizarre sight: a top-heavy, broad-shouldered female Hopkoblin with two heads on her shoulders: a sunnier-looking one whose ebony hair was tied back in a somewhat scraggly bun while the other head looked like she was desperately trying to stay awake. The one eye not obscured by her longer hair's thick and messy bangs was a bit unfocused, and had heavy bags underneath it.

"Yo..." the tired sister greeted glumly, casually wiping the sleep from her visible eye, "Welcome to Duality Towing. I'm Pazz..."

"And I'm Razz!" The cheerier sister saluted with more fervor, "I take it you guys are here on business?"

"Indeed we are, ma'am!" Hurley confirmed, nodding while he gestured towards Lapis, "My friend here got her ship towed away, and I'll be footing her bill if you lovely ladies don't mind."

Pazz giggled, a bit of pink creeping in her cheeks while Razz rolled her eyes.

"You better hope you can afford it, 'cause flattery won't get ya anywhere."

"But it's certainly appreciated..."

Their right arm gingerly placed itself on Pazz's side of their chest, but their left arm hung loosely at their side as Razz glared at her sister in disgust.

"Really sis? Really? You're getting all blushy and giggly over an old fat guy?"

"No, it's just... most people don't call us lovely..."

"Hard to imagine why." Lapis scoffed under her breath, prompting Hurley to let out a hushed "Blue!" while Razz's eyes narrowed.

"Excuse me?"

"Nothing, don't worry about it." Lapis crossed her arms and turned towards the repurposed escape pod. "Just give me my ship and we'll get out of here."

Razz and Pazz followed Lapis' gaze, and the former smirked. "So that's yours, huh? Should've figured, you rock people have a knack for super bright, weird-lookin' ships."

Lapis raised an eyebrow. "Rock people?"

"What? Gems are rocks that look like people. Thus, rock people!" Razz explained indignantly, only for Pazz to shake her head.

"Come on sis... the preferred nomenclature is People of Crystal..."

Lapis stared blankly at the well-intended twin, her mouth half-open as she couldn't quite find a retort. She eventually relented with a half-shrug and looked over at Hurley. "Alright Hurley, the money."

"Way ahead of you, Blue!" Hurley extended his hand and revealed his credits to the twins. "Okay ladies, I do believe the standard parking fee tends to be around... fourty, fifty credits, right?"

The twins looked at the money, and gave two completely different unexpected reactions: Razz clasped a hand over her mouth and snickered before doubling over and bursting into uncontrollable nasally laughter. Poor Pazz initially cringed, then cried out in surprise due to being caught off guard by their body's sudden movement. While Pazz tried to reestablish the balance of the pair's control over their body, Lapis and Hurley exchanged looks of bewilderment.

"Uh... guys? What's so funny about this?"

"Real sorry, sweetie," Razz apologized, wheezing heavily after all that laughter, "It's just... really? Fifty credits?! That's chump change for us!"

"Yeah... I'm really, really sorry about that..." Pazz apologized shamefully, unable to look Hurley or Lapis in the face.

"Whoa, excuse me but what do you mean by chump change?" Hurley asked while a tiny sliver of indignance began work it's way into his tone, "The fee for getting a towed ship back is usually around 50 credits or so!"

"Yeah, that's the key word there: usually! They probably run things differently in the rest of the galaxy, but here in Krapton? If ya lose your ship, then you're gonna have to pay 3000 credits to see it again!"

Lapis' stomach dropped like a stone. '3000 credits?! That's... WAY more than Hurley was expecting, wow.'

"Hurley?" She asked nervously, "Y-You can afford that, right?"

Now the dread was truly starting to set in as Hurley looked back at her, regret heavy in his eyes as he somberly shook his head.

"I'm so sorry, Blue. But I don't even have a third of that!"

"Oh no..."

Wanting to defuse the tension that began to build up in the room, Pazz chuckled nervously as she forced a smile on her face. "H-Hey now, look at the bright side... over here at Duality Towing we have a three day forgiveness policy! So if you don't have the funds to pay for it now, you've still got time to get 'em together! Yay..."

The way she rose her right hand and shook it around did little to brighten the mood.

"Well, you heard my sister!" Razz barked, "If you wanna see your ship again Bluey, I'd suggest ya start scrounging around for credits NOW! 'Cause if you can't pay me back by the deadline, your ship and anything inside is legally MINE."

Having already been severely angered two times today, Lapis didn't need much prodding to let her residual rage boil back up and explode. With a growl of frustration, Lapis violently gestured towards the sisters and clutched the air with her hand. On cue, a nearby water cooler exploded as she summoned it's contents and let the water shape itself into a series of violent, raging ribbons that swirled and coiled around them.

"No. I'm DONE with being pushed around today!" she snarled as she stepped forward, causing the twins to back up as the water surrounding them had practically turned itself into a miniature hurricane. Pazz's eyes were bugging out in fear, and Hurley gave a horrified cry of "BLUE, NO!"

"When I ran out of fuel and asked for more, people decided to humiliate me. When I GOT that fuel, I had to watch my ship get taken away! And now you're just going to steal it from me?! I don't think so." Lapis approached the twins, putting as much venom and hatred as she could into stomping across the floor, "My best friend left me a very special gift in that ship, so if you freaks know what's good for you, you're gonna give it to me. And you're gonna give it to me now."

Pazz and Razz bristled at her words, with Pazz in particular looking like she was about to burst into tears. But after her initial flash of anger, that smug grin returned to Razz's face.

"Hey Bluey, I'd dial it back a bit if I were you. Just so ya know, it ain't smart to pick a fight with a Kazkani on her home turf!"

Lapis suddenly heard a trio of electronic noises from behind, and when she turned her head she was met with the sight of the three Hopkoblins from earlier training ray guns on her. Their trigger fingers were visibly itchy while their long, pointy ears stood erect, making the prospect of attacking the twins a very dangerous one.

"Come on Blue, it's not worth getting hurt over." Hurley gently urged. She wasn't impressed by the meager resistance she was faced with: a bit of careful dodging and she could easily turn the tables on these "Kazkanis", whatever they were. But she thought back to the reason why she came here in the first place: a quiet life away from strife and needless conflict. And if she pressed the attack, she could kiss the chance of living that quiet life goodbye. So after taking a deep breath, she let the water splash to the ground with a frustrated growl.

"FINE!"

The Hopkoblins in the back lowered their weapons, and Razz nodded triumphantly while Pazz merely sighed in relief. "Good job, Bluey. I guess you're not a TOTAL bozo after all!"

Lapis shot her a glare that actually caused the smile on Razz's face to go slightly limp from sheer ugliness alone. But before things could escalate again, Hurley stepped in and threw his hat in the ring.

"So... the Kazkanis own this business, huh? Guess that explains why you can charge such ridiculous fines..."

"Yep!" Razz confirmed cheerfully, "So you better mind ya manners around us! 'Cause if you don't, then you're gonna have five hundred guys coming after ya!"

"Well... can't say I'm real happy with this turn of events," Hurley grumbled, placing his hands in his pockets, "But I'm not gonna give up: Blue will get her ship back, and someway, somehow, I'm going to get the money we need. Either way though, we'll be seeing you girls later."

"Heh, get your ship back, eh? This oughta be worth a laugh..."

Smug as Razz was, Lapis was surprised to see just how apologetic Pazz looked. She fidgeted with the fingers on her right hand and went deep red in her cheeks.

"Sorry about all of this, guys. Really..."

"No need to apologize, Miss Pazz." Hurley promised as he gestured towards the door. "Come on, Blue: looks like we've got a lot of brainstorming ahead of us!"

Lapis took one last glance at her ship, and felt her eyes water at the prospect that she would never see it or Steven's gift ever again. "Sure..."

And with that, Lapis left the building with Hurley close behind. And once they stepped into the rainy, dreary streets of Krapton, Lapis screamed and kicked up a puddle of water.

"GOD! I HATE those... those FREAKS!"

A slightly rusty can caught Lapis' eye, and she gave that a kick as well. She did the same to a large fuzzy arachnid that was unfortunate enough to skitter up close to her. She then set her sights on a metal waste container that had stood up to the torrential rains, and vented her frustrations on that as well. Unlike the other things though, the can stood strong to her kick and left Lapis crying out in pain as she fell down and grabbed her aching foot. She huffed, puffed, and growled as she held it close to her chest, and thankfully the pain didn't take long to subside. Now, all she was left with was an uncomfortable mix of residual seething anger as well as shame for losing her cool in front of Hurley like that. The lumbering alien handled it rather well though, given the sympathy in his eyes as he took a seat right next to Lapis.

"You okay there, Blue?"

Lapis rubbed her shoulder, and gave something of a half-shrug. "Kinda. At least I got the anger out of my system."

"But I can imagine it didn't do much to put your mind at ease, right?"

Lapis nodded, and Hurley put a sympathetic hand on her shoulder.

"Gosh Blue, I'm so sorry for letting you down like that. I had no idea they'd charge that much but... well, this is Krapton: one of many cities dominated by mobsters who'll bleed you of every credit you have. I really should've been prepared for that."

"Hey, it's not your fault," Lapis replied, looking Hurley right in the eye, "You did what you could to help! It's my own fault for getting it towed in the first place..."

Indeed: even though it ran out of fuel, it was Lapis who left in a hurry without giving Peridot a chance to give her a steady supply for her full trip. Not to mention that looking back, she had carried Steven on her back multiple times on Earth. Wouldn't she have the upper body strength to push the ship into place if she could carry a moderately chubby kid? Of course, it was too late to find out...

"God Hurley, what are we even gonna do? I don't know much about money, but... from what I learned elsewhere, I can't imagine that it's easy to come by."

"You'd be right about that. Unless you want to break the law and just steal it, money's pretty much the kind of thing you have to earn. And it takes quite a bit of time and effort to get 3000 credits... but we can't give up!"

Hurley balled up a fist and triumphantly gestured.

"I promised that I'd help you get your ship back and darn it, I'm not the kinda guy to go back on a promise! You WILL get your ship back, I guarantee you!"

Though initially taken aback by that sudden outburst of optimism, Lapis smiled gently knowing that she at least had someone in her corner.

"Well I appreciate the optimism. But... well, how exactly are we gonna get my stuff back?"

"Well Blue, it's like I said back in the shop: we just need to hold ourselves a little brainstorming session: swap ideas for a bit, weigh our options and find the best way to get the money we need! And heck, we can start right now if you want: do you have any ideas you'd like to share first?"

"Um... well..."

Suddenly, Lapis' stomach growled ferociously, causing her to hunch over and press her arms against her midriff as Hurley let out a brief "Whoa!". Lapis sat in awkward silence as her gaze shifted from her stomach, to Hurley, then back to her stomach.

"...sorry about that..."

Hurley doubled over, laughing so hard that his booming voice carried down the streets of Krapton and echoed off the rusted surfaces of all the metal buildings. "Well I know one thing for sure: it's hard to brainstorm on an empty stomach!"

"Yeah, ha ha..." Lapis chuckled sheepishly as she stood up, with Hurley following suit.

"Alright Blue, I'm not gonna let you go hungry: I know a place nearby that serves some mean seafood, the Rainbow Reef! Let's get some food in you and in the process, work out just how the heck we'll get you out of this mess!"

Lapis perked up, and felt herself salivating a bit. Thanks to her brief adventures with Steven on Earth, she had been exposed to plenty of delicious food, seafood included.

"Sounds like a plan! Thanks again, Hurley!"

"No problem, Blue!" Hurley replied as he led the way to that delightful sounding eatery, "Oh, and speaking of the Rainbow Reef? I'm on good terms with the head chef! Helped him out with an unreliable whipped ice machine and ever since then, he's always been willing to slash the prices on my meals! So if you feel like going a little crazy with your food... well, feel free to do so! We'll still have plenty of money left!"

Despite not actually thinking about it posing a threat to her ship funds, Lapis still felt relieved. Eating was still a relatively new sensation for her, but she remembered that it felt good to do so back on Earth. And given this stressful new development she could use all the good vibes she could get...

XxXxXx

Author's Note: As the title would imply, Lapis definitely got Krapt-on here, ha ha. There isn't much to say about this chapter other than that the planet Dizmol had a bit of a weird history. I originally conceived it as a dull and lifeless planet like it is here, and planned on having it be ground zero for Homeworld invading Nova Veluti centuries back as mentioned by Peridot. When Hurley and Lapis flew over they would have seen abandoned Gem kindergartens and injectors, and the locals would really hate Gems for messing up their planet... but I didn't want to hit Lapis with big drama right from the getgo and changed it. The second incarnation was a heavily polluted hellscape clogged with towering hills, mountains, and valleys made of trash and skies choked by smog thanks to corrupt politicians allowing the planet to be used as the galaxy's biggest landfill/pollution hub for industries not wanting to abide by economic sanctions. However, I thought it was generic and realized I wasn't milking it for its true potential as I was still sticking with generic mafia goons as the villains. Then, I changed it back to grey and lifeless Dizmol sans Gem baggage and I think it worked out for the best.

Anyway, want to know another fun fact? This version of Chapter 6 is WIDELY different than the original. I'll talk more about that at a later date but people who've seen this chapter's past incarnation on Ao3 would know what I'm talking about. ;) But I changed it up enough to immediately introduce a conflict in the form of the Kazkani family owing the towing industry and charging ridiculous fines for people who lose their vehicles. And with that conflict comes the conjoined twins Pazz and Razz Kazkani! They're nothing more than glorified roadblocks but I liked writing for them all the same since I've never really tried my hand at writing conjoined twins. I guess good twin/bad twin is cliche but hey: it's a good dynamic and it works! If you need a good voice to match to them, I visualized them both being voiced by Arleen Sorkin: Razz would sound like her doing her Harley voice complete with slightly psychotic ditziness and enthusiasm while Pazz would sound more like Harley back when she was just Dr. Harleen Quinzel. No reason, I just love Arleen's Harley voice and think it's sad that she's gotten too old to do it anymore.

Also: This chapter is a week late and I'm sorry about that. To make up for it, you guys get two chapters today! The second upload will happen later today, so stay tuned!