The loudest part about New York City was during its nights. Car alarms went of, stray cats were meowing at windows, honks were heard throughout the night by drunk drivers, and sometimes, even a few gun shots could be heard. That's just all in the sound of the Big Apple.

Then you see everything you didn't hear. Public urination, bar fights breaking out, police nit giving a damn about the safety of everyone else as long as they were in the clear. The worst of it was the prostitutes lining the streets. Young men and women, putting their bodies for sale so that they could attempt to live, and pretend they weren't surviving instead. Some get lucky, and get arrested, others… not so lucky.

A lot of bad stuff can happen in this city, but that does not mean the good things are overshadowed.

Anyone who cares to listen would hear friendly conversation between strangers on a bus. If anyone would look, they would see the grateful smiles of the homeless to the people who used their own money to help then live. If anyone took a sniff, well… they would mostly smell car exhaust and cigarette smoke.

Putting all of that aside, the good and the bad, it just means that this city is alive. There is never a dull moment, never a single hesitant thought. There is no such thing as "just another day".

One citizen in particular had discovered this as soon as she entered the city. She had gone through so much in her previous travels that she never thought anything could surprise her. To her delight, New York had proven her wrong.

This particular women used to be a prostitute. She enjoyed giving people pleasure, earning her way through the world. Every cent she earned went directly to the soup kitchen she lived beside, and whatever she didn't give to them, went to her rent. She was content with that, for a while. Then she was arrested.

Her life took a downward turn, but she didn't mind. She got three meals a day, had a place to live rent free, and got regular visits from one if her clients: a stranger who had quickly become her friend. Eventually, she had come to realize that this stranger was her best friend from her orphanage. Tragically, she had forgotten about her friend when the girl was adopted. But in these days, she got her memory back, and the two had become a loving couple.

This former prostitute's best friend, then stranger, then girlfriend, was the light of her life. She couldn't imagine living another day without this beautiful angel. She intended to make her love known as she caressed her girlfriend's sex between her fingers.

"Amethyst…" Peridot groaned through her teeth, holding on to the railing of her bed. "Please~!"

The couple were on Peridot's bed in her house. The morning light was shining through the window, onto the bed. Peridot was on her knees, her knuckles white as she gripped her bed rail. She wore a light green night dress, and her white panties were pulled to the side at the crotch while Amethyst played with her. Amethyst was leaning over Peridot, gently kissing the back of Peridot's neck, one hand fondling her breasts down the front of her night dress, the other hand slowly, almost painfully, sliding it's fingers up and down Peridot's drenched cunt.

"You are such a horny bitch, you know that?" Amethyst said in Peridot's ear. "I feel you up a little as a bit of a wake up call and you're begging me to fuck you."

Peridot opened her mouth to respond, but was cut off when she felt Amethyst's fingers enter her, her nipples also being squeezed to the point of being painful. She bit her lip, feeling her hips buck backwards, trying to feel more of her girlfriend's digits. To Amethyst's point, she was right. Peridot didn't know why she felt so hot, but she didn't care. She needed a release.

"You are so fucking wet." Amethyst whispered. "Tell me what you want me to do to you, babe."

"Fuck me…" Peridot said, her voice barely audible. That wasn't good enough for Amethyst.

"Come on, Peri." Amethyst pulled her fingers from Peridot, deciding to tease her hole, rubbing just around the entrance. "You can do better than that."

Peridot was in utter agony. Her breath was quick and shallow. She felt as if her heart would beat out of her chest at any moment. Why was her body on so much fire?! She turned her head to look at her girlfriend with, not a desperate look, but a demanding one.

"If you don't let me cum soon, I swear I'm gonna force you down and ride your fucking face until I do."

Amethyst felt her face heat up. She felt herself getting excited. She chuckled, pulling Peridot into a standing position on her knees. "That's not a threat, baby. That's a treat." Peridot attempted to reply, but Amethyst cut her off. "I'm gonna lay down. You get those panties off."

Peridot excitedly stood from the bed, and reached under her nighty, quickly sliding her underwear down her legs. Amethyst, taking her night shirt off to reveal her bare upper body, couldn't help but notice the trail of liquid between Peridot's underwear and her nether region. Amethyst was getting hornier by the minute, knowing how turned on her girlfriend was.

Peridot had just climbed back onto the bed, gripping Amethyst's hair to pull her into a fiery kiss, when someone knocked on her door.

"Miss Diamond?" Lapis was the one speaking. "Amethyst? Are you awake?"

"Nnoooooo…" Peridot groaned sadly against Amethyst's neck, silently praying she only imagined Lapis's voice. Amethyst sighed and rubbed Peridot's back.

"Come on, Per Bear." Amethyst said. "We'd better greet the day."

Peridot groaned and pushed Amethyst away. She stood from the bed and collected her underwear, removing her nighty as she walked to the bathroom. "You're a cock tease. Tell Lapis I'm taking a shower. A cold one."

"I could join you?" Amethyst played around, and the last thing she saw before the door was shut in her face was a middle finger. God, Amethyst loved that woman.

Another knock sounded. "Hello?"

"We're awake!" Amethyst answered, sliding her night shirt back onto herself. She had showered the previous night, so she didn't think she needed one this morning. Peridot was easily more heated up than she was, anyway. She stretched her arms over her head and opened the door to reveal Lapis wearing her usual stereotypical maid outfit.

"Good morning!" Lapis greeted brightly, practically beaming.

"You sound happy." Amethyst commented, leaning on the door frame. The two could hear the shower starting in the other room. "What's the occasion? Jasper give you the orgasm of your life last night?"

"You could say that." Lapis said mysteriously as she waltzed inside the room to take care of her morning duties, collecting Peridot's sheets and bedspread. Obviously, Lapis was playing a game, and Amethyst wanted to get to the bottom of it.

"Tell me." Amethyst persisted. She looked Lapis up and down, trying to pin point why she was being so overly happy. The only thing that seemed different about her appearance was a new ring. On her ring finger. Her left ring finger. Amethyst grabbed Lapis by the hand so that she could study the ring more closely. "No fucking way."

Lapis bit her lip behind her smile, leaving Peridot's bed sheets in a pile on the bed. "Yes fucking way!"

"Dude!" Amethyst exclaimed, pulling Lapis into a crushing hug. "That is so awesome!" She let go of Lapis and the maid practically bounced in excitement.

"I know! You and Peridot are gonna be my bridesmaids, of course."

"Hell yeah!"

"I'm gonna ask Miss Diamond to be our wedding planner. Jasper agreed. We're gonna send invites to all of your friends. God, I can't fucking wait."

"Don't get all your excitement out now." Amethyst warned. "I've talked with a good few women who got the wedding sickness right before their big moment."

"I can't help it!" Lapis spun in a circle, dancing excitedly. "I'm gonna get married!"

"Where is Jasper, anyway?"

Lapis shrugged. "I think she's taking Miss Diamond to a magic show that recently came to town. It's gonna be in New York for a couple weeks."

"Didn't expect her to be the magic loving type." Amethyst commented.

The noise of the shower stopped. Amethyst and Lapis took a sit on Peridot's bed, waiting for her to come out of the bathroom. When Peridot exited, wearing nothing but a towel and an annoyed expression with her normally upright hair wet and weighed to her body, she felt even more annoyed and confused at Lapis and Amethyst's excited looks. They sat like that for several moments, just… staring at Peridot.

"What?" Peridot finally asked. Lapis couldn't hold her tongue.

"I'm getting married…"

Peridot didn't say a word. Instead, she just stood there. Silent. Unmoving.

"Uh…" Amethyst said. "Peridot?"

Peridot reacted at Amethyst's voice. She tied her towel above her breasts so that it wouldn't fall and she opened her arms to Lapis, inviting a hug. "Come here." Lapis took the invitation, practically springing from the bed to wrap her arms around her best friend, bouncing.

"I'm so happy!" Lapis exclaimed.

Peridot hugged Lapis back, sighing. "Please give Jasper my condolences."

Lapis pushed Peridot away. "Pfft, you bitch. You're happy for me."

"Hell yeah I am!" Peridot laughed, fixing her towel. "That's a big fucking step! How long has it been, a year?"

"Year and a half." Lapis corrected. "Some people might say it's a bit soon, but I say fuck it. We've known each other for like, six years."

"When's the wedding?" Amethyst asked, crossing her legs on the bed.

"We don't know." Lapis said. She looked down at her ring. "It was kind of an in the moment thing for us. We were watching some stupid comedy on TV, all cuddled up on the couch and she was like," she scrunched her face and forced her voice deeper, giving her best Jasper impression. "Hey, wanna get married?"

"Then she just, held the ring in front of me, and it was just so… unromantic." Lapis held her hands together, almost caressing the ring. "But it was also Jasper. I couldn't help but say yes."

"I'm really happy for you." Peridot said again.

Amethyst nodded. "Me too." She put a finger to her lips in thought. "But now I guess a three way is completely out of the question, huh?"

Peridot smacked her girlfriend in the shoulder. The trio laughed and Lapis said her goodbyes. She left the room with intentions to wait on Yellow Diamond to get back from her magic show to share the good news and ask for assistance, though Jasper may have done so already.

Peridot closed the door behind Lapis and leaned her back against it, sighing. "My best friend is getting married."

"Didn't you crush on her when you first got here?" Amethyst asked.

"Yeah."

"Not feeling hurt, are you?"

Peridot shook her head. "Nah. It was just a crush." She walked toward Amethyst and bent forward, kissing her on her forehead. "I'm with you, anyway."

"Does that mean you forgive me?" Amethyst asked, pulling Peridot by her waist. Peridot didn't resist, and allowed herself to be pulled into Amethyst's lap.

"We both know you would have given me an orgasm sooner or later." Peridot said, wrapping her arms around Amethyst's neck. Their lips met, for just a second, then Peridot pulled herself away and stood up. "But that's gonna have to be later. A cold shower really kills my sex drive."

Amethyst shrugged. "Well I'm still horny as hell."

"Use that toy I bought you."

"Are you kidding?" Amethyst scoffed and fell back on the bed. "That thing will tear me to shreds."

"I didn't think it was gonna be that big!" Peridot laughed. She walked to her dresser and began pulling out her outfit for the day: a white pair of underwear and a yellow sundress. She started dressing herself in front of Amethyst. "I mean, I've never bought a dildo before."

"I swear, you probably just typed "kinky toys" and clicked on the first thing you saw." Amethyst accused.

"Well your favorite color is purple, so I got the first purple thing I saw." Peridot said, pulling a box from under her bed. She put on some neon green sandals and placed a bigger sized sun hat on her head. It was yellow, yet had a green stripe around the rim. "How was I supposed to know it was gonna be a "Horse Cock Pussy Destroyer 3000"?" Peridot asked with air quotes.

"By reading it!" Amethyst exclaimed, flailing her arms. Peridot laughed and joined her girlfriend on the bed, wrapping her arms around Amethyst's waist.

"Sorry, sweetie. I'll get you something different. How about a velvet rope?"

"That's kinky." Amethyst commented, trailing her fingers up and down Peridot's back. "What, you wanna try being tied up?"

"I'll try anything once, as long as it's with you."

"God I love you." Amethyst said. She sat up and stood from the bed, Peridot following suit. "Let's get out of here. Lapis said there was a magic show in town."

The streets of New York weren't quite as busy as Peridot and Amethyst were used to. As the pair walked down the street, under the summer sun, they enjoyed how quiet the city became. Most of the families had gone to the south for vacation, to enjoy the beaches and the summertime fun. Peridot in particular enjoyed having the city, and Amethyst, to herself.

Amethyst normally would have worn her usual sweater and baggy pants, even in the summer heat. Despite her confidence between friends, Amethyst tried to dress modestly when she went out in public. Though, since coming to live her healthier lifestyle and able to provide for herself, she felt more confident to the world, even her hair was returning to it's original brown color at the roots. She was proud that she had lost a few pounds since changing her eating habits. Who knew that eating more would help her metabolism? When she thought about it, she did eat hardly the bare minimum for one to survive.

Though she did lose weight, she would not consider herself skinny to any extent. Amethyst was still a rather plump woman, but was now proud of her body. She wore a pair of jean shorts and a black crop top, showing off her figure to prove it. Though, her footwear consisted of her regular sneakers.

"It's been a good year, hasn't it?" Peridot suddenly commented as they walked, arm in arm.

"Yeah, it has." Amethyst agreed. "Getting all sentimental on me, Per Bear?"

"I dunno." Peridot said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "We've just been through so much. I mean, especially when we first got together. That whole week was a living Hell."

Amethyst nodded. The whole ordeal with prison, Peridot committing manslaughter, and finding out her mom may have cancer was all pretty insane for someone in such a short period of time. And Yellow still avoided the topic to this day.

"It's just that, after so much shit…" Peridot continued. "We're able to live so happily. We can take walks whenever we want. We've lived for this past year as a couple, and it just feels so good."

"I hear ya." Amethyst agreed. She had the same thoughts.

"I'm just glad to be alive, and living that life with you."

Peridot paused to give Amethyst a quick kiss on the cheek before continuing forward. Amethyst felt her face heat up in a blush, and she hoped that she would be able to blame her reddened face on the sun. She knew that she was right when she said she was the luckiest girl on the planet.

Their walk was continued in silence, and they took in the nice day. Birds were chirping in single trees as they passed alleyways, some kids who didn't go to the beach were out on the sidewalk playing with chalk, and even the elderly were taking short walks with their service dogs. Of course, some of the same elderly would give Peridot and Amethyst odd looks, but the couple didn't care.

After a couple hours of walking, with a few breaks in between to sit and rest their feet, Amethyst and Peridot arrived in downtown New York. They believed it wouldn't be hard to find, considering it would most likely be the only crowded area in the city. All the couple did was follow the people, and soon enough, they came across a modest sized venue with a standing sign out front. "Come see The Lovely Sardonyx, and her Spectacular Performance!", it read. The picture was of a rather tanned woman, possibly even of an Indian origin, wearing a sort of tuxedo. Amethyst thought it was more "showy" than "fancy." The top coat was white, with black buttons all down the front. It had black sleeves and she wore white gloves, giving the top itself the illusion of being a vest. Two coat tails protruded from the bottom. In one of her hands was a top hat, which the couple assumed Sardonyx would be wearing. She had black dress pants, from what the could tell. Only Sardonyx's upper half covered most of the picture. Her eyes were a deep green, and her hair a bleached white, pulled back into a tight bun.

"Sardonyx, huh?" Amethyst said inquisitively. She raised an eyebrow at Peridot, and the blonde girl shook her head.

"There's no way."

"It's a small world, P-Dot." Amethyst said, taking Peridot's hand and leading her inside.

The inside of the building was just as modest as the outside. Thought the couple followed a crowd of people to get here, it was still a small one. They would count about eight round tables in all, with four chairs to a table. The stage in the back was like that of a school play, with a velvet curtain and a wooden stage. A man wearing baggy clothes, which could easily be considered the outfit of a jester, was juggling meat cleavers.

"Damn, dude." Amethyst whispered so as not to disturb anyone. "I betcha he worries about cutting his hand off."

"He's a trained professional, I'm sure." Peridot countered, though felt a little uneasy at my the site. It was still dangerous.

The couple was greeted by a well dressed, fair skinned woman. She had long black hair, and wore an actual tuxedo, bow tie and all. If Peridot ever had a butler, she would feel like they would have worn this.

"Table for two?" The woman asked.

"Oh, uh…" Amethyst stuttered, so Peridot took the initiative.

"Yes." She said. "Just out of curiosity, what's the fee?"

"The only fee is what you feel as if you should pay." The woman answered. "Of course, there is a minimum of ten dollars. Our show still has to make a profit somehow."

"Tell you what." Amethyst regained her composure, and fished her wallet from her back pocket. "Boss ma'am gave me an advance this week. Take it." Amethyst held out multiple bills of twenty in her hand for the woman to take.

"Oh!" The woman looked surprised, but eagerly accepted the bills. "Are you sure?"

"Ten bucks admission?" Amethyst scoffed, a hand on her hips. "Either you guys are rich or just nice. I'm gonna go with nice, so it's cool."

"Well thank you so much!" The woman ceremoniously wrapped her arms around Amethyst in a big hug, and before either she or Peridot could react, the woman let go. She gestured towards the table. "Please, sit anywhere you'd like!"

"Uh, thanks…" Amethyst said, smiling uncomfortably. She grabbed Peridot by the hand and lead her away from the woman. When she was sure they were out of earshot, she muttered. "Well she's a fucking weirdo."

"No shit." Peridot agreed. That was a rather odd occurrence. Amethyst pulled a chair from an empty table and was just about to take a seat when Peridot spoke.

"There's my mom and Jasper." She said, and Amethyst followed Peridot's gaze. Indeed, Yellow Diamond and her chauffeur were sitting at a table on their own. Jasper wore her usual black attire typical of a driver, her arms crossed. Yellow, however, was dressed surprisingly casually.

Yellow wore a pair of skinny jeans, a pair of black platform sandals on her feet. She wore a yellow button up blouse, the top button undone. Her hair was short and wavy, with an undercut from the top of her ear, down. Peridot liked the new look. Yellow looked board, stirring her straw in what Peridot assumed to be a lime margarita.

"You look like you wanna get out of here, like, yesterday." Peridot commented and she and Amethyst approached the table. Yellow looked up from her drink and smiled.

"Hello dear." Yellow greeted. Amethyst and Peridot sat themselves, and Yellow continued, frowning again. "It has been a bit dull. I assumed it would be more extravagant."

"I don't think it's been that bad." Jasper commented. "There's been a few small acts, like this juggler, a dude that blew fire, a flexible woman. They're trying to build up the main act, I think."

"Well they're failing miserably." Yellow stated. Peridot could hear the venom in her voice. "It's been like this for over an hour."

"You're just not used to it." Amethyst said, leaning back in her chair. Her nonchalant attitude, as always, forced a smile to Yellow's lips. "I mean, that's what these things usually do. The main girl has to psych herself up, you know?"

"I guess." Yellow said with a sigh. She leaned back and crossed her arms, and Peridot assumed she crossed her legs as well. "I'll wait. I was about to leave, but I'll be patient since you arrived."

"Aw, for me?" Amethyst acted flustered, putting her hand over her heart. "I told you, Miss D, I'm with Peridot. Our love can never be." At this, she put the back of her hand to her forehead dramatically. Peridot shook her head, but couldn't help but smile at her girlfriend's antics. Yellow chuckled.

"Cheeky as ever. Let's change the subject. Has Lapis told you anything interesting this morning?"

Jasper coughed into her hand and leaned forward, resting her arms and head on the table. Peridot and Amethyst nodded excitedly.

"Hell yeah!" Amethyst exclaimed, lightly kicking Jasper under the table. "Congrats, girl!"

Jasper hid her face. Obviously, she want very good with talking about her romantic gestures in public. Though everyone at the table thought that Jasper was smiling behind her arms.

Yellow chuckled, taking a sip of her margarita. "She already asked me to be her wedding planner. I'm more than happy to accept."

"When do you want the wedding, anyway?" Peridot asked.

Jasper raised her head just enough to speak clearly. "I was hoping the Autumn after this next one."

"That could be pretty." Amethyst commented. "Totally suits you too, orange being your aesthetic and shit."

"I haven't talked it over with Lapis yet, though. She might wanna make it a different date."

"And now, for the main performance!"

The table was interrupted by a rather loud voice, and the lights became dim. Amethyst and Peridot looked to the stage to see the woman who had greeted them illuminated by a spotlight. She stood with her arms raised at her sides, and her legs slightly crossed. She seemed elegant, in Peridot's opinion.

"We apologize for the slow hum of our previous acts." The woman spoke, making small, though flamboyant gestures as she spoke. "I do hope you forgive us. Now most of you are probably wondering "Why the heck is the waitress up on stage?" Well I have an extremely good reason for such a thing."

At this point, the curtains began to descend. The woman started walking back and forth on stage, and the top half of her body was covered, only her legs visible.

"You see, the best tricks are played right under everyone's noses."

Peridot raised an eyebrow, and Amethyst swore under her breath. The atmosphere in the auditorium had completely changed. Most of the people were used to the members of the show just switching in and out of their acts without a word. But now, as there was someone who was actually addressing an audience with such an air of mystery, even Yellow Diamond paid attention, resting her elbow on the table, and her chin in her hand.

The curtain slowly rose, and the audience understood why only the woman's top was covered. When revealed, instead of the typical butler coat was the advertised top of Sardonyx, and instead of the fair skinned waitress was the darker toned Sardonyx, her smile wide and toothy. She had on rounded shades, and with such a wide smile, it was the first time Amethyst realized she had buck teeth.

"And speaking of under everyone's noses, I hope everyone enjoys their complementary autographs of yours truly!"

A collective murmur ran throughout the tables as everyone looked for the supposed autographs. Finding none, the attention soon reverted back to Sardonyx.

"Ooh ho ho ho!" Sardonyx laughed, covering her mouth with the back of her hand. "Believe me, I'm good, but I'm not that good!"

Sardonyx reached behind her back and pulled out her top hat. From inside, she pulled a deck of cards. "Now I say we get started. Obviously, magic is a tad tricky." Sardonyx shuffled her deck after placing the hat on her head. She set off a few simple tricks, such as flicking and catching cards, stringing them in a ruffle from one hand to the next. Though, as she continued and spoke throughout, the tricks began getting more and more astonishing. "But with enough practice, you can turn even the simplest of showmanship into a true art."

"Kinda full of herself, isn't she?" Yellow commented.

"Nah." Amethyst replied. "That's just how she is."

Sardonyx pulled thirteen seemingly random cards from the deck and placed the rest into an inside jacket pocket. She fanned them and began shuffling them around. "Of course, no magician is truly complete without her audience!" At this point, she threw the cards, one after another, to each table. The venue was small, so some tables got more than one card. One of those tables was where Amethyst and co. sat. Amethyst and Peridot offered their cards to Yellow and Jasper, but they refused.

"I'm just here because I have nothing better to do." Yellow said.

"I'm here because I'm the driver." Jasper added.

Yellow tutted. "You can go home if you'd like. I can walk on my own."

"You're rich and we're in downtown New York. I'd rather drive you."

"Now everyone!" Sardonyx exclaimed. "Anyone who has an even number, an Ace, or a Joker, please come to the stage! It is entirely optional, so please don't feel pressured."

"I've got a three." Amethyst admitted, showing her card to the table.

"Mine's a queen." Peridot said. "Guess we're not going."

"Fuck that, get your ass up there. That's totally Sam."

"It can't be that small of a world."

"I will legit let you beat me in Mortal Kombat if you go up there."

Peridot sighed. "You never even owned a game console, how can you kick my ass every time?" Amethyst shrugged, and Peridot sighed again and stood from the table. She made her way to the stage.

Yellow sat up in her chair, clapping as she watched her daughter stand up. "You got this, sweetie!"

Peridot smiled shyly and waved at the audience. Normal twenty year olds would be embarrassed of their parents, but Peridot missed out on being a family. She enjoyed Yellow's excitement.

"Well hello, dear!" Sardonyx greeted Peridot. "I was hoping it'd be you."

"Really?" Peridot asked, thinking that this woman might actually be her friend from the orphanage.

"Of course! Your donation was generous, and I wanted to thank you and your companion again."

"Oh." Peridot smiled. She figured it would be too good to be true. "So, what do I need to do?" She asked, placing her hands on her hips.

"First of all, darling, keep the hat." Sardonyx stated. "Your outfit is absolutely lovely!" She turned to the audience. "Wouldn't you all agree?"

The loudest one of the crowd was obviously Amethyst, Yellow and Jasper being a close second. Whistles and hollers and claps rang throughout the auditorium. Sardonyx was just that charismatic. Peridot felt heat rise to her cheeks and gripped her dress. She smiled sheepishly, giving the audience a little curtsy.

"Secondly," Sardonyx continued, walking toward the left of the stage. Some show workers moved a rather large wood circle onto the stage. Sardonyx draped an arm around the circle, smiling at Peridot. "… I will need you to stand completely still."

"Oh, stars." Peridot whispered under her breath. She hugged her arms and coughed. "You're, uh… not gonna throw knives at me, are you?"

"Knives?" Sardonyx laughed. "Oh ho ho, no darling. Knives are dangerous." Peridot slacked her shoulders in relief. Though, even the audience, and especially Amethyst, tensed up when they saw Sardonyx pull what looked like to be a hand gun from behind her back.

"No, sweetie." Sardonyx said, now pointing the gun at a terrified looking Peridot. "Guns are much more accurate."

Author's Note: I'M ALIVE! (though probably not for long after this)