Notes:

Pretty sure this is the longest message yet. I did not expect it would be Connie of all choices, but... I guess it makes sense. The following logs will have a slightly different message structure, since we're down to the teammates, with one notable exception. I'm not sure how well I handled this, to be perfectly honest. Hoping for the best, here!

Connie's eyes lit up as the beach house came into view. Amethyst made good on her word, and Greg was more than happy to give Connie a lift. He admitted in a self-deprecating way that he was just living out the life path his "boss" had chosen for him… and Greg was joking, of course. Honestly, all he had been doing since returning to Earth was sleep. And cry a bit, too. His stay on Homeworld was significantly less eventful than the others, but in all honesty, that was a good thing.

It still made the man feel the need to be more a part of this particular operation, though. The loss of Peridot hit him pretty hard – a lot of that was due in part to getting to know her for the duration of their time on Earth since her regeneration.

"So, you're holding back until you're ready to see yours too, huh," Connie acknowledged. "That's fair… I felt I needed to be here to see mine properly. I don't think my parents would really get it if they overheard this… Amethyst warned me hers got a bit loud towards the end."

"Well, based on what I've seen, being loud means she cares that much more," Greg assured. "I haven't been awake for very long, to be honest. And I think you oughta get some rest yourself soon. I figured just to pace myself so I don't get shaken up for the rest of the day… or watch it too late and fall asleep in a crying heap. Did that with Rose already; enough for grieving ten people at once. I'm no stranger to this kind of thing, at least."

Connie nodded in understanding. "So at least this is something you're a little prepared for going in, right?"

"Aw, Connie… you're never prepared for anything like this, no matter how many times you go through it in life," Greg sighed. "I'd say I hope you never have to, but that's kind of thing us mortals will always end up dealing with it some way or another. I mean, if you don't think really think Peridot's dead, I guess you can consider this a test run, but that's…"

"… A terrible way to phrase it," Connie finished with a solemn look. "Yeah… none of us can say for certain. It just makes more sense right now that she wouldn't be, but I've come to learn that with certain gems, and especially the Diamonds, common sense doesn't really seem to be their thing."

"Pssht, I could've told you that from the start!" Greg said with a chuckle. "Don't forget how long I lived around 'em. That many years in, you pick up certain things about how they do their own thing. But, like us humans, no two gems are the same. I'm learning that every time I get to know a new one."

Connie smiled. "I can understand that; I'm learning the same thing when it comes to our more recent arrivals. I admit I'm looking forward to getting to know Bismuth better, since she's only been with us since the wedding."

"Ah, true… guess I should get better acquainted with her soon enough myself," Greg realized. "She's been very friendly, very easy to work with, and hooboy, she is a funny one."

"Speaking of, there she is!" Connie pointed out to the large gem at her workbench, the same place she spent most of her time helping with building their space ship. "Do you mind dropping me off here? Amethyst said she had a surprise for me."

Greg stopped his van. "Not a problem at all. You could use a nice present before getting into the depressing stuff. Take care, Connie. I'll meet up with you guys when it's time to get serious again!"

"Don't forget to report to Amethyst!" she called back after hopping out of the van. "Once you see your message, that is!"

"Will do; thanks for reminding me!" Greg looked gleeful as he drove off, but really, he was forcing the positivity just as much as any of the Crystal Gems.

"Well, well. It looks like a certain gem spoiled you on a surprise I was tryin' to keep hidden until the perfect time." Bismuth smirked at the young teen before her. "Good to see you back so soon, Connie."

"H-ha, likewise," Connie returned in kind. "And really, all Amethyst said is that you had a surprise. Then again, with the context it wasn't hard to figure out what you were making me… but I probably would have figured out what it was even without it. A legendary blacksmith giving me a surprise present just a few days after I lose Rose Quartz's sword? That's really easy to figure out. But it doesn't make the gesture any less meaningful."

"Glad you're taking it in stride, then," a relieved Bismuth said. "Considering what you had before, I wanted to be sure I made you something just as great, if not better than that. And I didn't think it was possible at first! It's a pity we can't compare them side-by-side, but what is a certainty is that even a Diamond won't break this thing." She turned around and presented the new sword she made for Connie. "I had to go through a lot of prototypes stress-testin' that specifically. But it's necessary; we're heading off a Diamond directly this time, so anything less wouldn't be worthy of a knight like you."

Connie marveled at the details of her new sword for a moment before accepting it and the sheath. "Wow, that means a lot coming from you. I-I mean, we haven't had much of a chance to talk much yet, but your reputation precedes you. I'm not sure if I would've had the nerve to directly ask you for a replacement…"

"Whaaat? Now that's nonsense!" Bismuth dismissed the notion with ease. "What's a warrior without her weapon? It's a blacksmith's responsibility to make sure her fellow soldiers are armed to the best of their ability; it's a creed dating all the way back to even before the war. If I had the time to set aside, I would've made you one before we left Earth to get you."

"I heard the PeriLuck's the first space ship you ever made," Connie noted. "Which I didn't expect… then again, I guess an arms specialist wouldn't really have a reason to create modes of transport…"

"Well, keep in mind us Bismuths weren't made to be blacksmiths," Bismuth informed her. "Our function was construction; buildings, to be more specific. The gems who I knew back in the day knew I could make just about anything. I think the main reason my first ship came out as well as it did is thanks to my natural Bismuth know-how; namely structural integrity. Those are every bit as important to buildings, armor, and weaponry as they are to space ships."

Connie nodded in understanding. "I'm not that knowledgeable on the subject, but that makes perfect sense to me. Poor structural integrity means we run the risk of the ship coming apart while we're out in space."

"Exactly," Bismuth pointed out. "But I can't take all the credit here; I wouldn't have known where to begin or what kind of pieces to smelt if I didn't have the specs Peri made me." She sighed after mentioning her former leader's name. "We put way too much on that kid… but you saw some of that yourself."

"I was meaning to ask," Connie murmured. "What exactly happened to her back then. But there was never a good time to ask during the mission, and after that… well, none of us were much in the mood to talk. Is it okay if I ask you to tell me?"

"Of course it's okay," Bismuth assured before she took a seat on the sand and invited Connie down with her. "You gotta know from somebody, and at this point it's either me or Lapis. And I haven't seen Lapis since we landed, so… guess it's Bismuth's turn to pick up the slack. We can't have anyone in this team uncertain about anything when we go out there again."

"Very good point," Connie agreed as she sat down beside the blacksmith. "So… how did all this happen?"

"It was the first incident in a chain of events that led us to getting Yellow Pearl as a key," Bismuth explained. "But I had no idea that was Peri's goal or that the Diamonds' Pearls could even do that in their gemstone form. Lapis didn't, either. So everything that happened, neither of us knew why it was happening, and it… made us really concerned for her. We weren't sure Peridot knew what she was doing, but she proved us wrong big time… and paid a big price. This all started when Peridot split up from us for a second to head into a store. She didn't say why, but she had me hold her tablet while she was gone. Me and Lapis peeked in a bit, but we pulled back when another Peridot walked through the place. Looked so much like our Peri… just slightly different hair, a different kind of visor, and had those limb enhancers. Peri was gonna get new ones because they were necessary for her next step… again, we didn't know at the time. It made Lapis so mad…"

"As I understand it, Lapis was once Peridot's "informant"… and her prisoner," Connie recalled. "Evil Peri is pretty distinct from the Peri that became a Crystal Gem; once she lost the limb enhancers, she wasn't a threat to anyone and Steven said that's when she started to turn around, once she accepted that she couldn't escape Earth. So, I'm thinking Lapis' bad first impression of Peridot comes from how she appeared in the limb enhancers," she hypothesized. "They became friends after they were long gone. So it must have triggered her… she really should have told you both about her plan before she went about doing it."

Bismuth nodded. "You're right; she should have. But none of us are perfect… and this was Peri's first job as the Crystal Gems' leader. She'd been nervous almost the whole time, up until Steven healed her. But Peri was dead-seat on not lookin' weak to us. She pushed herself way too hard because she didn't want us thinking even for a second that she couldn't handle the job."

The war veteran sighed at the attentive girl next to her. "On the other hand, me and Lapis should've been more daring to peek in. By the time we finally had ourselves a second look, we saw Peri strung up with her right arm suited up but hangin' like a dead limb, and the Peridot that serviced her instead turned it into torture… outright tryin' to mangle and cripple Peri! We saw her twisting her left arm and laughing like a maniac! That tells me Peri knew this one… and there wasn't any good history between them. I think they called her Facet-2F5L Cut-9FC… so she's from the exact same facet as Peri. I just didn't realize those little gems were capable of being that cruel."

Connie felt sick just hearing about this. "But… why this?! Why was Peridot tortured like that?!"

"To incapacitate her; make her usefulness as a Peridot plummet so she would be the one that ended up shattered. I forgot to mention that Peridot got her left leg mangled up by the time we came with reinforcements. Lapis and I couldn't dish out vigilante justice in Homeworld; that'd blow our cover entirely. So we found some Era 1 Peridots who thankfully did their job," Bismuth grumbled. "That meant shattering the savage Peridot… and I think the fact that she was still mounted on Peri beating her face in might've traumatized our poor friend. She was still conscious that whole time… but when 9FC shattered all over her, well… Peri had to have seen that. She's not a properly-trained solider like me; she was never made to handle disturbing stuff like that. She was frozen on the floor… and only "got better" once she was pumped full of meds to dull out her pain." Now Bismuth looked irate. "And the Peridots that helped us, they said by law Peridot had to go back to work before she could get any rest! I just wanted to punch 'em into dust after they said that!"

"I know now… how there's just an evil vibe to this planet," Connie admitted. "But I had no idea about life in the working class… that sounds like such a savage, toxic environment. Peridot couldn't have known that would happen to her."

"Mm-hmm. Those painkillers did somethin' to her, though. She could walk and talk… mostly coherently with us. She remembered her next phase after all that, while me and Lapis completely forgot. Peri was determined to see her mission through… so we just went along with it. That's when she got into her work station and Yellow Pearl was there… by that point, Peridot was talking and posturing so professionally… but when she spoke, Peri sounded like someone else. Lapis thought she was talkin' and actin' more like her old self… her Homeworld self. We weren't allowed inside, but we saw it was really just a bunch of Peridots all stationed side-by-side doing some kinda work on their consoles. Yellow Pearl was near the back up some steps monitoring the whole thing. I think Peri used the excuse of 9FC being shattered and needin' a replacement at her terminal to distract that little tyrant while Peridot did something… she was actin' like a teacher instructin' a class. She said some kind of code, then a second later all the terminals went nuts and exploded. Me and Lapis nearly became collateral damage! It definitely poofed every Peridot in the room, and Yellow Pearl too. That's how we acquired her as a key. When we finally came in to confront Peri, she got really… vicious. First she sounded so proud of the over-the-top way she got Yellow Pearl."

"She poofed that many gems all at once…." Connie was struck with disbelief. "That really is going too far. She easily could have shattered them using a method like that!" She really didn't want to believe it. "I just can't see her doing it that way!"

"If I had to guess," Bismuth said glumly. "I think what just happened to her before had a hand in it. Peri had no love for these gems, anyway. When we tried to calm her down, Peri snapped at us big time, and seriously led us on thinkin' she was gonna finish the job! But that stopped when we called her out for it… that's when I saw the instability on her face. She lost it a little while later. Peri even gave us a warning shot to leave her alone, so… we did. She was bashing those metal limbs of hers against her own console, and by the time me and Lapis checked back in when the sound died down… we saw nothin' but powder where the console once was. And Peri had fallen over, fully lost it, and was desperate to get out of her limb enhancers. She couldn't do it herself, so we had to help… that's when we saw what you saw on her arms. Then she passed out… but since she was still under the effect of the painkillers, it just looked like she was asleep. So I carried her, Lapis used our new all-access key… and right around the time the painkillers wore off is when we met up with you and Steven."

"So that's it… no wonder no one wanted to tell me in detail before," Connie said with a shudder. "I… I admit I didn't have many chances to hang out with Peridot more, so I can't say I know her. But… from what little I do know, now I'm doubting it. And that scares me…"

"Maybe you should see what Peri left you, then," Bismuth calmly suggested. "I'm set to look at mine soon enough, but it looks like you could use a good dose of our little friend speaking to you, and only you, candidly. Go on… get to know her."

Connie stood up and nodded. "You're right. Thank you, Bismuth… for the sword… and everything else."

Bismuth smiled up at the girl. "I look forward to talkin' with you about happier things soon," she teased. "Now go on before I change my mind and gossip with ya all night! You can probably tell I'm not that good at… minding my own Bismuth."

That drew a laugh out of Connie. "Ohoh, that's good! Hey, from now on you should totally get some sunglasses to put on after you make your Bismuth puns… I swear, it'll make me laugh even harder if you do. See you later!"

"I'll think about that!" Bismuth promised as she waved Connie off. She then wondered to herself about that. "The heck are sunglasses, now…?"

Connie stepped inside the beach house to find it empty, save for a still-sleeping Steven in his bed. She was a little surprised; Amethyst had intended to meet her when she arrived, but she was nowhere to be seen. A quick text conversation later revealed Amethyst was working on a "Steven project" and would come out to see her as soon as she could. She also encouraged Connie to go ahead and find a place to take her own Peri-message.

Unfortunately, there weren't too many options Connie knew for sure would be secure. But then the perfect location came to mind and she rushed over.

To the bathroom.

Save for Greg, who had yet to even go inside the house since this all started up, no one had any reason to use this room at all. And it was Peridot's room… it seemed all too fitting. Connie made sure to lock the door and took a seat inside the bathtub. No place inside was going to be that comfortable, but Connie figured this wouldn't take too long. She could deal with a little backache if she could really, truly get to know Peridot and what she thought of her. She brought up the file on her phone, leaned back, and let herself get absorbed into this video.

This time, it was impossible to see the time of day, as Peridot chose to shoot this video… oddly enough, in this very bathroom.

"… Log Date TTC: 13 hours…

Nice to see you again, Connie. I just wish it wasn't the last… and I wish I could actually see you as I speak. But you're stuck on Homeworld now. And it's really too much for me to even imagine what they could be doing to you… I'm so sorry you got dragged into this mess. I probably would've tried to stop you if I hadn't been poofed. Not because I doubt your skills; don't get me wrong. I just don't want anybody to go to Homeworld. Trust me as someone who spent most of her life living there: you don't go there unless you're forced to. I don't know what the Diamonds are plotting – even I barely know about White Diamond, but what little I do know? It's nothing good at all. I'm sorry to be a downer about this, but I really don't think you're going to get the cure you're looking for just by talking to her. If our problems could've been solved just by talking to the Diamonds, we would have tried this ages ago.

Heck, that's exactly what I did. I contacted Yellow Diamond with the intent of persuading her to not destroy the Earth. I brought up so many sound and logical reasons that she refused to even acknowledge, because I'm just too low-class to be considered worth her time. Her reasons were based on nothing more than pettiness and an inability to move on from the past… and that's not the Diamond I thought I knew. She only paid attention to me when I finally stood my ground and told her "No". Even when she raised her voice, reminded me that I failed in every step of the mission she assigned to me, and ordered me to shut up, it didn't shake my resolve. Now that I saw for myself that my admiration for Yellow Diamond was just delusional and misguided, it became so much easier to stand up to her. I called her a clod, and… the rest is history. I really wish someone had recorded that moment. That was the moment I officially became a Crystal Gem. I bet it would've gotten like, at least 2 million views on TubeTube!

-Oh, right. I was saying all this to prove a point. Yeah, negotiating with White Diamond? Terrible idea. I just needed to let you and everyone else know how stupid you were for taking Yellow and Blue's word for it, because guess what? It just got a friend of yours killed. I hope it was worth it.

Uh… gah. These things sound good in my head, then I say them out loud and… wow, I'm a jerk. I shouldn't be guilt-tripping any of you. Really. I'm just mad I didn't have a say in this… thing that led you, Steven, and the others into the trouble you're in right now.

You do realize how short-handed us non-captured Crystal Gems are, right? Lapis, Bismuth, and myself. That's it. So it wasn't quite a full reunion, but the Crystal Temps are reuniting to save you! Yeah, Pumpkin's here, too. All we're missing is you.

Oh, oh, get this: I'm leading this team. I am the leader of the Crystal Gems, and I can state that objectively now! I know you thought I was crappy for a leader, so… Connie, for you, I'm gonna really try this time. Now that the stakes are raised this high, I really can't afford to fool around. And I kind of have to be the leader by default. We're doing a rescue, not a counter-attack, so Bismuth's out of place for this. Lapis… wouldn't even join the cause until I proved myself to be worthy of leading the team. Luckily, I know my way around Homeworld very well, and I've got a feeling you're trapped in a tower. You must still be in the vicinity of the Diamonds' palaces. So the good news is, it'll be simple to find you and the others! The bad news is… if we get caught, we are so screwed.

You might be wondering, if I claimed to take this seriously, why am I in the bathroom doing this right now instead of helping prepare our ship? Honestly… I just have a feeling. What you humans call a gut feeling, or a sixth sense. It's telling me I'm not likely to survive this mission. I'm not getting that impression on Lapis or Bismuth… or even you, Connie. I tend not to put much stock into such flimsy occurrences, but I realized there's a lot of things I wanted to still tell my friends and family; all of my loved ones. And it's highly improbable I'll be able to get that out of the way while we're on the mission. So, I felt it was important to dedicate some time to each of you, because you've all played a role in changing my life for the better. Yes, you count, Connie. We didn't have many opportunities to hang out, but I really wish I could have. You're fun to be with, like Steven and Amethyst. Maybe I'll let you take my spot in the Shorty Squad so it doesn't die out with me.

What all have I wanted to tell you, you're probably wondering… that's actually going to be a bit hard for me to do even in this setting, so bear with me. You're a unique case and all… the only human besides Steven I've spent any real time with. I guess I can count Steven's paternal unit as of now, but still… I probably never told you how cool you are with that sword. I'm very interested in this "school" event you attend. I've been so excited to learn about everything there is to learn on Earth, and a place like that is all about learning! But I suppose no amount of that "affirmative action", as you called it, would ever be enough for me to even have a chance to earn a place there. Not that it even matters now anyway, given your present circumstances…

I'll admit, I probably learned more about you second-hand from Steven than I've learned from you directly. Guess that was something that I should have tried harder to rectify, but… nnngh, I don't even want to acknowledge this right now. N-not you, I mean! It's… something else. But it's not important. It's not relevant. I swear it's entirely superfluous. It's nothing that's prevented me from getting too close to you, hahaha… I can't see you, but I can see you're totally thinking that right now, aren't you? Well, feel stupid! Because you're wrong!

-Stars, I really need to watch my mouth. I want to at least try to be respectful to you. You've not… really done anything to earn my ire.

One thing I was curious about, I guess… and it's really something I could have only asked you about, is what it's like to have a family like yours. Maternal and paternal units that watch over you and raise you as you grow. Steven's paternal unit told me it's a lot like how I raise Pumpkin, but I don't really understand what that means. You're not a piece of produce, Connie. You're a highly intelligent sentient organic being who's meant to have a life that I'll never understand. I'm saying this because I want to understand… when I can't, it drives me crazy. I can't get it out of my head until I understand it! But I feared this really was going to be something even beyond my reach, and… it's sad, really. I don't like conceding to the notion that something is impossible. Especially when I don't feel I've tried yet. Just know that I deeply regret not trying for you, Connie. You were worth way more effort than what I ultimately put in for you.

Did you ever think I was… cool, or good at anything? You made your feelings clear with the Crystal Temp thing, and… I'll own up to the fact that I wasn't a good Garnet at all. And while I'm trying to lead using Garnet's example to go by, it's not like I'm trying to become her now. I'm trying to be the kind of leader the great and lovable Peridot would be in her own right. And if you're listening to this, that means I did something right… I just hope I was able to save all of you. I can deal with taking the fall if it means the rest of you can live happy and full lives on Earth. I owe you that much for everything you've done.

Just… uh… hmm. I did promise all of you I'd tell you everything. Everything I've wanted to say, and even the things I really don't want to talk about… because this is my only chance. If I'm gonna die, I want to do so without any regrets. So… please forgive me, Connie. I'm about to share some… very unpleasant things. O-one last thing I wanted to throw in before that… u-um, this is purely a subjective sort of thing, so take it or leave it… I kind of liked your hair when it was longer. It's not bad now… I'm just used to seeing you with it flowing like that. I suppose it is inconvenient for your method of combat, so that's understandable… I would have liked to see a nice middle-road approach, personally. Not too long to be cumbersome, but not too short to experiment with it. Really, though. Who am I to talk about how to manage your hair?

I'm… I'm really no more qualified to talk about Steven. But I have to talk about him. With you. I need you to know everything. Amethyst's the only other one who'll ever know about this, I'm hoping… so you can keep this between us if you'd like. It's not like I'm a factor in your life anymore regardless, right?

I'm… entrusting Steven to you, Connie. I was not clear on the nature of your relationship with him, and I really hate to assume things like this. Whether it's merely a close friendship or a mutual attraction… just take care of him; I know you will. I, er… stars, I really need to say this-!

Connie, I… I have… a very complicated viewpoint on Steven. You know he was largely responsible for taking me in when he didn't need to. He was the biggest part in how I ultimately defected from Homeworld… a-and we even saved this planet, just the two of us, from the Cluster that would have killed you all otherwise! I-I'm trying to tell you I see Steven in so many different ways, because he's been helping me rebuild my life every step of the way! H-he teaches me things… we have fun together… and he's as good a listener as he is a talker. I haven't been feeling like myself since I learned he was on Homeworld after I reformed. Thinking of Steven is the only way I can bring myself back together to focus on leading the team. It sounds stupid, right? But that's how it works. Nothing makes sense to me anymore when he isn't here, Connie! I-I really need him back… I need all of you back, but without him, I'd…

I don't know. I can't phrase it in a way that makes any sense. B-but understand, it's more than what you think it is! Steven's my first friend. He's been there for me when I needed a friend around for whatever reason. He's part of my family… the only family I really ever had. Without him, I'd be on my own, on the run in stars-knows-where on this clod-forsaken rock. I wouldn't know what to do, where to go, who to trust, what to touch, what to approach, what to avoid… I-I pride myself on being a genius, but I'm still a total idiot when it comes to Earth, Connie! I… I need the help. I still do, after everything I've learned.

I seriously can't imagine life without Steven. I don't want a life without Steven, ever. I don't want a life where he isn't part of it in some way. M-maybe I've grown too codependent… but I can't use that possibility to mask the truth. S-so you could say I even love him…. but I'm too afraid to do anything that might jeopardize the relationship I have with him and you. It isn't hard to tell he clearly has affections for you. How deep, I honestly can't tell you… I try not to find out. It's none of my business, and…

Finding out would only make me even more jealous of you.

If I do find you on Homeworld before I die, I'm not going to bring any of this up. It won't be the place or the time, obviously. And I hate putting either of you on the spot. Especially since you were avoiding him recently, I can't say for certain that I have a solid idea where you stand with him. Not in that regard, at least. But you have a right to know I'll die loving that little clod, in every possible way.

I'm going to confess to him in this format. He deserves to know, even if it won't be until after I die. But I haven't even gotten to that point… I-I really need to save him for last. Just disregard it; the confession won't mean anything if I'm dead, remember?

It's not like I'm some pure and innocent child like you two are. I emerged as a stoic technician who did whatever her Diamond commanded and did so without thinking twice about it. Even if that meant taking a life, or several. I have no right to intrude on your claim, assuming there is one. You met him first, as well. So I really don't deserve him in any sense of the word… Steven's too good for the likes of me. So that's why, even though I'm extremely jealous of you right now, you have my blessing regardless. Above all else, I want Steven to be happy. I'll gladly give up everything that I am to make that happen, because… I wouldn't be me without him. I'd just be a machine.

He's got a picture of you on his bed, you know? I may, uh… have slept in his bed the other night ago when I was trying to calm myself down. When I saw it, I didn't even think about how jealous I was of you, Connie. It just reminded me you were another person I needed to save; another reason I need to get my act together! Mmm… what was I even thinking, you know? He's only all that I am, th-that's all… he's someone I'd do anything for… at any time. Anywhere… any reason.

I don't want to fight with you over him, Connie. Never. W-we obviously won't be able to when you hear this… but I respect and like you too much to want to start a conflict between us when we've hardly gotten the chance to know each other. And I want to know you better… for reasons that have nothing to do with Steven. I hope I already expressed that sentiment well enough. But when it comes to Steven… trust me, there's no conflict and there never will be. I concede; I will surrender before a battle can even happen. I don't care if it hurts me; I'll get over it one day. You don't deserve the pain. So… just be happy, okay? I don't want a single worry or lingering doubt between the two of you.

And… if for some reason I way overshot this and this isn't the case between you two at all… I apologize for being the stupidest, most idiotic mega-clod of all-time. Y-you can just disregard all of that! Like I said, I hate assuming, but given the circumstances… I have to cover all the bases here. This, unfortunately, is a big one.

You're a good girl, Connie. Way better than I'll ever be. So, I want the best for you after I go. So please take care of yourself, and take care of him however you see fit. Learn everything you can… this planet is wonderful for offering new concepts and ideas. Become the greatest sword-wielding genius of the galaxy. I know you have the potential… the rest is up to you.

Respectfully signing off for the final time… Peridot Facet-2F5L Cut-5XG."

Connie couldn't find the words to speak. She came into this expecting something more… ferocious. Less than flattering. Perhaps even hateful. Those were the emotions that drove Peridot down a dark road in the moment Bismuth described to Connie. She clearly acted out of contempt and hatred then, but there was hardly a shred of that anywhere to be found in this message.

More than anything, Peridot was disturbingly subservient to the human girl she barely knew. Steven was the biggest part of that, but what a reason it was. Connie had her suspicions of Peridot feeling more for Steven than she let on. She was shocked so see that broken-down, nearly limbless Peridot somehow find the strength to tackle Steven straight off of Lion when they first reunited. And she couldn't deny that once she was healed, the girl didn't see a trace of instability from Peridot as the team's leader. As for the more blatant visual proof, Connie had long since run off into the concourse on the first occasion of the two sharing a kiss out in the open. And that was purely for a functional reason; at least it was for Peridot. She just didn't have the heart to slap the boy.

And Connie was far too preoccupied fighting for her life the last time Peridot and Steven kissed in the midst of their final battle. But even without catching any of these moments, much of Steven's behavior made more sense to Connie now. She saw that Peridot grossly underestimated the level of affection Steven could have had for the gem; she seemed completely convinced there was no way Steven would fairly choose anyone other than Connie. And if not Connie, Peridot still counted herself out as a candidate.

While Connie would be lying to say she never had those sorts of feelings for Steven at all, much of that cooled down a great degree when the two fell out over Steven's actions that resulted in his first trip to Homeworld. After having spent a good deal of time away from Steven and away from the bizarre situations that surrounded him, where Connie tried to be more like a normal teenage girl, she learned there was no need to rush into anything at this point. Connie understood she was entering a very tumultuous point in her life - one that wouldn't gel with the responsibility she had as a member of the Crystal Gems very well. That wouldn't stop her from trying, but to maximize her chances of being able to keep up with both aspects of her life, Connie knew she needed to back down and plan ahead… she was too young to know what exactly she wanted for the rest of her life.

But she felt she understood Peridot a great deal more, now. She had no idea the gem held her in absurdly high regard. Connie was very surprised by the vast majority of topics covered in this message.

"You're still there, aren't you, Connie?"

Connie also didn't realize the footage was still rolling. Peridot had been perfectly stationary and silent the entire time.

"I have a hard time ending these when I say I'm going to end them; I'll admit I'm very much an amateur when it comes to this sort of thing. I'm trying to think… what else I can say at this point. But… I guess I had something of a personal question to ask. Not that I'll ever get an answer, but… it's about fusion. It's about Stevonnie. I'm not at all upset that the two of you have fused, and so often at that. From a scientific standpoint, it's rather unprecedented… I've never seen or read a recorded event of a gem successfully fusing with organic life; especially such complex organic life. Since it's not something humans can do on their own, I assume it has more to do with Steven's… unique heritage. Still, I never would have believed it without the proof.

What's it like, anyway? To fuse? See… I can't fuse with anyone. To my knowledge, anyway. But Era 2s like me are gemetically inferior to Era 1s in every possible way… and everyone else is an Era 1. I can't shapeshift, I'm not at all strong and I'm not that fast. I'm durable, sure, but Peridots are supposed to be. Until I discovered the metal powers, an even that's very weak and limited, I really had nothing going for me. But I thought… if Steven can fuse with a full-blooded human, shouldn't it stand to reason he could fuse with an Era 2 gem, too? I-I wasn't going to ask Steven personally… I can't bring myself to. It's too embarrassing. Even moreso if it's still impossible with my kind. But as a gem who's never going to know how that feels… oh, I wish I could just ask and get an immediate answer. Why am I even-"

There was a loud, banging knock on the bathroom door. Connie almost thought it was happening in the present, but Peridot's expressions indicated this was from her own time. She looked absolutely terrified.

"H-hey! HEY! Stop doing that; you'll break the door down! I'm coming, okay?! You don't have to be such a brute about it, you clod!"

That seemed to invite even louder, more irate banging and muffled noises. Peridot looked faced the camera again as she gulped.

"S-sorry; I can't let them know I'm doing this. Take care, Conn-"

It cut off before Peridot's sentence even finished, and that was the end of the message.

"When we get you out of there, you and I are gonna have a long talk." Connie decided after a moment of silence. "During a nice sleepover for just us girls; no boys allowed. I can't believe you've actually been too scared to face me all this time because of Steven… but you still used the last of your strength to free us from Homeworld, even if that meant that you may never see him again. You really did care for all of us."

She approached the bathroom door to unlock it. "You proved you could be a great leader after all… but just like you, I want to understand everything. I want to know more about your past, and how far you've come since then. I think I can help you… I know I can. So-" Just as she opened the door, Amethyst was right there waiting for her, "Oh, shoot! You scared me, Amethyst!"

"Heh, sorry," Amethyst said, although she didn't really look that apologetic. "I take it she spilled her guts out to you too, huh?"

"Aaah… I guess you can say that," Connie nervously admitted; she didn't think she'd be sharing the details so soon. "I can't believe I didn't find this out on my own. Sh-she did mention in mine that she'd only share the "secret" with me and you…"

"Yep," Amethyst affirmed. "She was crying super-hard by that point. She claimed she didn't even come close to crying in her past few videos; she said mine's the last one she shot while on Earth. So, was she telling the truth, Connie?"

Connie didn't expect a question like this. "W-well, it looked like she really wanted to, but I guess she wouldn't let herself slip that far out of respect. She was deeply upset in mine, but she didn't break out into tears… she filmed mine in this bathroom. Where was yours shot?"

"Out on the beach," Amethyst casually answered. "A good distance away from the house, 'cause she said she had a tendency to get disrupted by the others. Yours must've been recorded not long before mine. Really eerie coincidence that you decided to watch in the bathroom, heh!"

"V-very coincidental," Connie assured with a laugh. "You weren't kidding about Steven needing some intervention, though. How far along are you on your project?"

"As of now, since you confirmed the Steven-feels in yours, we're past the halfway point." Amethyst took a glance outside. "It's starting to get dark out, so I have a feeling everyone's gonna huddle up pretty soon. And yeah, Steven's been in the bed like half a day now. You can help collab with me on this if you want while we wait for the rest of the gang to report."

"I think I'll take you up on it… after I get some rest," Connie decided; her eyelids felt quite heavy all of a sudden. "Watching that took…"

"A lot outta you, huh?" Amethyst sighed. "I know the feeling. C'mon, I'll take you to the couch. You rest up good, Connie. We're happy to have you back."

Connie quietly giggled before climbing underneath a blanket already set out for her to get in a nice resting position. She desperately needed the rest now, and Connie had plenty to dream about. She smiled genuinely to Amethyst one more time before closing her eyes.

"Happy to be back."

[ NEXT LOG: BISMUTH ]