A/N: And once more, with feeling! For the most part, if I'm taking a while to update, then I'm probably busy drawing or writing for one of my other fics, mainly Butterflies. At the least, you'd be safe betting on me doing something vaguely artistic-like on any given day, and probably still safe on that artistic-like thing being Steven Universe related.

(I don't own Steven Universe)

VI: Momentum, Part II

Warping didn't take much time. Barely any more than a handful of seconds after being enveloped by the bright light of the warp-pad, the light cleared away, and a familiar heat returned to Steven's skin. The surrounding grass was even more familiar, yellowed blades waving ambiently from the breeze. Even though their location might've been a tad far off from where the Temple was, it still seemed early in the morning. The sun could barely be seen above the tall grass.

For a moment, Steven looked around, trying to find his sense of direction. Amethyst did the same, lifting a hand to her eyes in trying to block the sun's rays. Her hair still did its best to shine a defiant black. Even in the clear morning's light, her skin seemed unsaturated and grayed. Steven tried to not let that bother him too much as he did a quick scan of the sky. Then, he snapped his fingers, satisfied.

"There's the island," he pointed upwards. Amethyst followed his eyes to the distant chunk of land. From so far away, it seemed like the perfect vacationing spot. The lack of clouds in the sky added to the image. Scratching his chin for a moment, Steven looked around again. "So, they should be…"

He drew out a lengthy hum, turning purposefully. After another glance at the floating island, he pointed a finger forwards confidently. "This way."

Amethyst eyed the tall grass he indicated, probably noting how identical it was to every other direction Steven could've picked. Still, she had enough trust in his judgement to avoid doubting him. Out loud, at least.

"Ladies first," she granted, giving Steven a dramatic bow and spilling some of her hair over in the process. Steven chuckled a little. He strode past her, not offering a rebuttal as he walked off the warp-pad. In his experience, the less he could give something to tease about, the better. Hopefully Amethyst wouldn't notice his brief stumble from the change in height.

She followed after him quietly, meaning she probably didn't notice. Though the grass was dense, Steven retraced his footsteps as best as he could, trying to recall exactly what he'd seen the first time he walked through. Then he realized he didn't log what he saw in his memory. Instead, the majority of what he remembered about walking back yesterday was being worried about Amethyst.

The Gem was quiet as she followed him, probably waiting for him to speak up about something. Nothing he thought of would be very good topics of discussion, though. All that came to mind was the state of his companion. As a result, Steven didn't say much as he led the way, only glancing at Amethyst. The sight of her abnormal coloration didn't help him forget about his concern either.

"You alright?" Amethyst eventually spoke up. Her voice was surprisingly quiet for someone who joked around as much as she did. Hearing his friend's concern, Steven slowed his pace a little, stepping on the dirt underfoot a little more carefully.

"Yeah," Steven answered. He was fine. It was Amethyst's current state that wasn't. Still, talking about something would probably make their walk a little more bearable. The silence yesterday was much more mandatory than today's, so Steven did what he could to disperse it. "Sorry for letting you sleep yesterday, though. I know you said not to let you."

Even without turning around, he knew Amethyst had paused for a moment. Steven turned around anyways, seeing a contemplative pout on Amethyst's features. She shrugged, waving like yesterday was far in the past.

"It's cool, Steven," she told him. Her voice had returned to the casual tone she usually held, but there was some degree of earnest sincerity that caused Steven to look back at her just a little longer. "I needed to nap. Just… didn't really want to."

Steven nodded, understanding his friend. As much of a conversation could be found in her previous reluctance, though, discussing a more serious topic probably wasn't the best idea at the time. There was already the serious topic of Amethyst's condition to worry about; a second helping of candor didn't currently feel warranted. Instead, Steven settled on trying to learn more about the former topic.

"Wonder how the whole human thing makes you tired," he asked openly, both to himself and Amethyst. He assumed there was some connection. Amethyst pondered the connection as well, humming thoughtfully while she followed his steps.

"No clue," she told him honestly. The Gem rubbed her shoulder for a moment, eyeing its discoloration. "Just felt drained, both times. Like all the energy just got smacked outta me."

Abruptly, Amethyst hummed again, getting him to turn around. A look of suspicion adorned her features.

"Don't think you stole that, did you?" she questioned, placing her hands on her hips. The action was deliberate enough for Steven to know he didn't need to take her all that seriously. However, her accusation nullified her intent, ironically enough.

"N-no," he tried defending himself. Though he was anxious about the possibility, he felt like he had little to do with how tired Amethyst was after Smoky unfused. It wasn't as though he felt an abnormal amount of energy after the fact; it was more that he felt as if he didn't use any of it. "I don't think anything happened to me from unfusing."

Amethyst's look lingered on him a tad longer before breaking apart into an amused smirk. Her hands fell from her hips, and she moved to pat his back, like she'd just introduced him to an inside joke.

"I know," she said, standing beside him. Her proximity did help alleviate some of Steven's worry. The grin on her lips transformed into a curious pout as Steven continued pushing through the grass, taking a second to look back at the floating island and make sure they stayed on course.

"Kinda weird how nothing happened to you," she admitted to him, crossing her arms. "Feel like I got the short end of the stick."

Steven hummed agreement, feeling similar. He'd think that there would be some kind of symmetry of the effects Amethyst had undergone, but that didn't seem to be the case. Steven grasped a lock of his hair, pulling it in front of his eyes.

"Hair's still black," he confirmed. As the strands "bounced" back into place, Steven stepped over an out-of-place branch laying in the grass. It seemed familiar enough, so he assumed he was still on the right track. Focusing on their path allowed him to speak without much active thought.

"Maybe it's because I wasn't worried," he said openly. Maybe a bit too openly. After realizing his poor time for honest thought, he abruptly stopped walking, whipping around to Amethyst. Now that he wasn't focused on where he was going, actively thinking about his words was a lot more difficult. "Uh, I mean…"

A perturbed grimace forced Amethyst's eyes down for a second. She shook her head, but didn't seem as eased about her worry as she was yesterday.

"Yeah," she attempted to pass off, feigning a dismissive tone. She sighed, the breath of air itself sounding reserved. "Might'a had something to do with it."

For a brief moment, Steven considered trying to reassure her, but he didn't have much of an idea on how to go about that right then. It wasn't always the best when he made sense, and given Garnet's explanation on how Amethyst had ended up taking after his hair color, her being worried likely had a lot to do with how Steven didn't suffer any effects similar to her. Not that he really wanted that to be true, if only so he could comfort his friend.

Silence returned to both Gems. It was a far cry from comfortable, both of them reminded about what led to Amethyst's current state in the first place. Steven hoped he had placated her concern yesterday, but now she seemed to be treating her worry as a separate problem than being worried. Steven glanced at Amethyst's expression, trying to avoid being too overt. In one brief look, he could see a myriad of emotions on her face. The words seemed written on her features; "Just 'cause it's okay to be worried doesn't mean I wasn't."

That was beyond reading his friend, Steven found; it was as if he could hear what she was feeling. Definitely an odd occurrence, but not one he thought of talking about right away. The cross of Amethyst's arms ensured she wouldn't appreciate having her thoughts dissected at the moment. Amethyst's earlier humor had seemed like a good escape from the abnormal severity of their situation, so he did his best to shift topics himself. The situation's awkwardness forced him into repeating himself, though.

"Why are there so many floating islands, anyways?" he attempted asking Amethyst, hoping she wouldn't recall him asking Pearl yesterday. For the sake of his friend, he tried putting a bit more curiosity in his voice. Granted, he was already a little curious, and Pearl's lackluster answer didn't really suffice. Amethyst looked at him for a moment, dropping the regretful pose of her arms and glancing at the island again. Some moments of hesitation passed. Then, she shook her head, which hopefully translated to forgetting about her current predicament.

"Think the Diamonds used 'em," she answered plainly, sounding disinterested. History obviously wasn't something she was all that passionate about. Still, Steven counted the shift in focus as a good thing. Amethyst's pace picked back up to match Steven's as she spoke. "Something about height advantage or whatever. Maybe being so flippin' tall wasn't enough to look down on people."

That was a possibility. Most royalty Steven had read about tended to be the richer snobbish-type people. Blue and Yellow Diamond didn't entirely strike him as overtly superior (at least, not to any excessively defining point), but Steven reasoned a lot of time had passed since the floating islands first came about. Seeing the contemplative look on his face, Amethyst shrugged.

"Could probably ask Pearl," she casually told him. That likely meant she wasn't aware Steven already had. "She might know for sure."

After learning so much about his mother, Steven had agreed. Still, he thought it was a little odd Amethyst didn't have a certain answer.

"She never told you?" he questioned. Maybe floating islands weren't as important to people from the ground. Honestly, Steven feigned a portion of his own interest, but the sheer size of the island above them did seem a little important. Especially during those old Gem War times.

Amethyst rolled her eyes, as if Steven had asked if she was short. "Of course she told me," she remarked, striding to Steven's side now that he had postponed his walk for a moment, "just never listened."

The once-violet Gem frowned suddenly. "Why? Think you missed a history lesson?"

Steven shook his head as he resumed pushing into the tall grass. "Nah," he answered simply. Telling Amethyst he just wanted to make small talk for the sake of small talk probably wouldn't be the best answer, so he passed over the fact as best as he could. "Just weird how they float for so long, though."

A brief hum from Amethyst told Steven she'd agreed. Whatever she knew about the islands evidently wasn't a substantial amount. She spoke after a brief delay, now walking next to Steven again as opposed to slightly behind him.

"Must be some of the usual magic Gem business," she attempted to explain. The Gem paused for a moment to shoo away some bugs near Steven's head. "Y'know, the usual. How d'you float?"

Swatting away some of the bugs himself, Steven thought for a moment. Explaining how his abilities worked had seemed to be a lost cause by now. "Magic" was usually enough to satisfy his curiosity, but he'd be lying if he didn't think there was more to Gems than that.

"Just kinda happens, now," he ended up answering. His explanation was as honest as it was lackluster, and judging by the disappointed raspberry from Amethyst, he guessed she understood that, too. An accompanying "boo" persuaded him to try again.

"I mean it's not really on accident." Steven glanced up at the island again, noticeably closer to the underside of it. He assumed they should've come by Pearl and Garnet by now, but just talking to his friend allowed him to be patient. "Before, it was a pain trying to do it on purpose, but now it's sorta… like walking."

That seemed to be a better answer to Amethyst. She let out an enlightened "Ah," nodding.

"Kinda like how I make my weapon," she returned. The comparison seemed apt enough. "You just kinda feel it."

"Right, like that," he confirmed. Amethyst seemed to understand him well enough, which he had to be grateful for. "Feeling is how I do most Gem stuff, really. It's like-"

Abruptly, Steven paused. Where were they again? He looked around, trying to piece together his surroundings as best as he could. Still, the constant grass forced him to use the floating island as the only real reference. He couldn't recall being that close to it when he'd been sent ahead with Amethyst the day prior. She tilted her head, curious about where Steven left off. A subtle grin broke out on her features when Steven turned around one more time for good measure.

"Lose your tail there, bud?" she joked. As glad as Steven was to hear the improvement in her once-perturbed disposition, he couldn't shake the befuddled frown from his features.

"They should be here," he told her, a degree of concern in his tone. If he was going off the floating island correctly (which he was certain he was) the the Gems had to have been about where Amethyst and he were now. At the very least, they should've passed each other on the way. Amethyst crossed her arms, looking up towards the floating island like he was.

"Think they got'em already?" she offered, shaking some of the bangs from her eyes. Steven mulled over the possibility for a few seconds. The plenty of time Pearl had to round up what Gem shards she could made Amethyst's assumption plausible, but Garnet's aid being necessary put a damper on that practicality. Plus, the earlier message from Pearl meant that they were still searching for shards by then. Steven shook his head, thinking.

Curious, he reached into his pocket, pulling his phone out. It didn't seem to turn on right away; then Steven realized it was still dim to match the earlier dawn he'd woken up in back at the Temple. Returning the screen's brightness let him see the usual image of Lion he used as a screen-saver. No messages dotted the screen this time, though.

Amethyst glanced at his phone, probably seeing the same lack of correspondence that Pearl had given him. Then she moved a bit closer, squinting.

"'No service,'" she read aloud, tapping the top of Steven's phone. He followed her eyes to the top of the screen, and sure enough, a disconcerting "No Service" message displayed in the corner. That only added to his confusion.

"But Pearl's phone was working," he recalled. If she'd come back to leave a note for him earlier in the morning, then she would've left a hand-written note. Not to mention Garnet was the one that came back to leave Steven's phone in front of him.

"Weird," Amethyst voiced for the both of them. She looked around again, now taking a bit more interest in the ground surrounding them. "How many shards were there, anyways?"

Since his phone evidently wasn't going to be much of a help, Steven pocketed it again, thinking. "Pearl said at least 11," he told Amethyst, scratching his chin. "But… if Garnet had been helping her since yesterday, probably a lot more."

Amethyst nodded dutifully. "Maybe even 12," she returned with a proud smirk.

That got a laugh out of Steven, if only a minor one. "Maybe," he agreed. The only reason Steven could come up with for missing Pearl and Garnet was his sense of direction, but he was certain he had walked back on the same path as before. Garnet's imposing figure would be a little hard to miss against the tall grass, too. Steven took a preparatory breath, stretching his knees somewhat.

Amethyst raised an eyebrow at him, but seemed to see what he was getting at without any verbal explanation. He was too busy focusing to offer much of one. After another brief breath, he planted his feet firmly on the soft ground, and jumped.

With the aid of his aforementioned floating ability, Steven was able to reach a height much higher than physics usually allowed. Both the surrounding grass and his grayed friend quickly shrunk in his vision as he accelerated through the air. The rush of wind in his ears might've been cause for concern, but having enough practice by now helped calm any panic such a vertical speed might've been able to induce. After a few moments, Steven willed himself a little heavier, trying to slow down without completely restoring gravity's hold on him.

Admittedly, it took a bit more focus than Steven assumed it would, but his speed petered out in the air soon enough. He could see the expanse of grass stretch before him from a much better distance, now properly brightened since the sun had risen. Looking directly downwards let him see the dot of black hair that his friend possessed.

"How's the weather up there?" her recognizably casual tone echoed up to him. It was noticeably a few degrees colder than it was on the ground, but not to any frigid degree. The morning was warm enough where cooling off a little counted as a good thing.

"Not so bad!" Steven called back downwards. It was difficult to see if Amethyst had heard him that well, though he could worry about that later. Carefully, Steven turned himself in the air to the best of his ability, eyeing the direction he and Amethyst had first come from. Discerning the slightly barer patch of grass wasn't the easiest task. He found the warp-pad's location eventually, and he promptly raised a hand to his eyes to block the sun's rays.

Still, he couldn't find anyone other than Amethyst in the savanna. No tall figures of Garnet or Pearl stood out against the grassy landscape. Steven looked back upwards at the floating island to confirm where he was, and became a little surprised by how close he was to it. There was still a football-field or two's distance between him and the underside of dirt, but he'd expected around four or five fields' worth.

An abrupt ring shook Steven out of contemplating his altitude. Instinctively, he reached into the pocket of his jeans again, though previous experiences with being so high up in the air made him use both hands to grasp his phone. His eyebrows elevated when he saw the copious messages from Pearl on the screen. The first one he recognized read "Very strange. Taking care of her?"

Pearl must've been replying to the picture Amethyst had taken and sent earlier. The majority of the other messages were varying degrees of the word "Steven?" increasing in severity, probably due to Steven's inability to respond. That part made sense; what was difficult to figure out was why he was receiving all of Pearl's texts at once. Then he noticed that a couple bars had replaced the "No Service" icon his phone previously displayed.

Just like that, the odd frequency of messages made sense to Steven. Jumping high enough into the air must've cleared a sufficient distance to use his phone. While he still had the bars, he typed out a quick response to Pearl. "Yeah, see you in a second."

Steven resumed eyeing the path he and Amethyst had taken just in case, linking the warp-pad to his companion. Carefully, he willed himself a little heavier, still looking at the path as he descended. There definitely wasn't anyone else around, and now he had an idea as to why.

About a dozen seconds later, Steven returned to the ground below him, landing softly on the grass while he put his phone back into his pocket. Amethyst had taken to sitting on the ground as she waited for him to come back to Earth. She seemed a little bored, looking around absentmindedly.

"They're not here," Steven relayed to his companion. Upon hearing him, she visibly perked her head up with a burst of energy. Then she seemed to understand what he said. She placed a hand on the ground beside her, standing up and tilting her head in curiosity.

"Figured that," she answered honestly. The Gem crossed her arms, glancing at Steven's pocket for a moment. If he had to guess, he assumed Amethyst must've seen him use his phone. "Got an idea where they are, though? This place is gettin' kinda hot."

Steven nodded in response. Wordlessly, he rose a hand to his side, pointing upwards. Both Gems looked to the floating island above them. Amethyst let out a groan at the inconvenience, which Steven somewhat expected.

"There must be more Gem shards on the island," he reasoned. There was a good chance that the Gems that went after Pearl yesterday weren't the only ones. The populace on the island also explained why Pearl and Garnet were taking so long to finish collecting the shards. Amethyst seemed able to tell, mentioning that Steven had to be right. She wasn't that happy at the fact, though.

"So we heading back to the warp pad?" she asked, sounding impatient. Steven considered mentioning that she was the one that wanted to check on Pearl and Garnet, but decided against it. After a moment's thought, he looked back at the mass of dirt hanging above them.

"Guess so," he quietly answered. Still, his look lingered on the land-mass. "Could you helicopter us up there?"

Apparently, Amethyst didn't consider that. The notion seemed foreign to her, judging by the abrupt shake of her head. Then she dampered her surprise with a laid-back roll of her eyes.

"Maybe," she admitted. Her tone was too dismissive for Steven to pass it off as normal. "Don't… really want to risk it, though. Y'know, with all that's been happening."

The expression on Amethyst's features didn't match her voice all that much. Almost guilty. It was such an odd sight that Steven didn't push her, instead giving an understanding nod. She seemed to appreciate it. Then she returned to the contemplation she had earlier, eyeing the grass they'd walked through. To rid whatever doubts she might've still had, Steven spoke up.

"I can carry you if you don't want to walk," he offered. The less that could agitate his friend's condition, the better. Ironically enough, Amethyst seemed surprised by how easily he proposed his service. It took another few seconds for her to realize the offer's authenticity.

"Thanks," she waved off, "but I'm good." The Gem returned her gaze back to the floating island once again, then cleared her throat. "Appreciate it, though."

Steven shrugged. In all honesty, easing any physical strain from Amethyst would quiet some of his own doubts, but the effect was minor enough that he wouldn't lose sleep over it. Assuming that Amethyst's condition wouldn't worsen any further, at least. The Gem attracted his attention with a hum. The look on her face was anything if not suspicious, though Steven didn't get any sense of ill-intent.

"Bet you 10 bucks you can get us up there," she said, a smug smirk raising the edge of her lips. Her arms crossed in a matchingly smug manner. Steven raised a skeptical eyebrow, scratching his chin.

"That's a long way, Amethyst," he told her honestly. True, he had jumped higher than he initially thought he would be able to the first time, but clearing the rest of the distance to the floating island would probably need a lot more effort. More than Steven thought he could accomplish. Plus, as used as he was to timing and using his floating ability, he could never rid himself of the fear of over-shooting and ending up somewhere in deep orbit.

"15," Amethyst pushed, now looking excited. With her hair closely resembling a dark black instead of the silver most elderly people possessed, the grin on her features made her look younger. It was such an oddly interesting sight that Steven considered her wager again. She spoke excitedly, as if she was a younger person goading a friend into one of their weird-but-amusing talents. "C'mon, bet that first jump was a bunny hop to you."

Something about his friend's smile was pleasing enough for Steven to be convinced. He chuckled, glad that her usually enjoyable nature was ultimately unaffected by her current condition.

"Alright," he agreed. Shaking his head, he gave Amethyst a falsely begrudging shrug, even sighing to add to the effect. "I'm still going to have to carry you, though."

"Deal," Amethyst conceded. Now she seemed eager to take Steven's offer. Only a second after Steven bent his knees downwards, Amethyst hopped onto his back. The motion was so quick that Steven almost wasn't ready for the sudden weight of his companion. He staggered for a moment, but righted himself soon enough. Amethyst didn't appear to notice. She was surprisingly purposeful in making sure the charcoal of her hair didn't obscure Steven's vision.

Briefly, Steven paused, craning his neck slightly to get a better look at Amethyst's features. The excited expression on her face momentarily changed to one of curiosity. She raised an eyebrow in silence.

"Well?" she eventually asked. According to the genuine confusion on her features, she didn't seem to make a note of how exactly close she was. Then Steven remembered that was a prerequisite to being carried by someone. Why would he make a special note of it, then?

Shaking his head, Steven looked back up at the island determinedly. Amethyst interpreted that as him shrugging off whatever got him to pause, and settled back onto… well, his back. He didn't try to make that much a note of it this time. Steven took a few careful steps away from the island, hoping to position himself as best as he could. If he could jump that high, then Amethyst probably wouldn't appreciate face-planting into the underside of it.

"Ready?" he questioned her. After tightening her grip a tad (which Steven definitely didn't notice), she gave an affirmative hum, eyeing the floating island alongside Steven. He tightened his own grasp on her, and took a deep breath. Then, with a grunt of exertion, he launched himself from the ground as hard as he could.

Somehow, the first thing Steven noticed was Amethyst's arms tightening around him once more, not the abrupt rush of air on his face. That seemed to work to benefit his floating ability as opposed to its detriment, judging by how fast the grass they'd left had shrunk in his vision. The speed was definitely more impressive than that of his first jump. Having a goal in mind on top of carrying his companion probably helped. While he kept his eyes on the island, he could feel Amethyst begin to loosen her muscles a fraction. Still, he made sure she was secure on his back.

They ascended in an awed kind of quiet for some time, not showing any signs of slowing down while the island drew closer. Briefly, Steven let himself glance at Amethyst. Her expression was difficult to discern underneath the turbulence of her hair, but it was even more difficult to mistake the excitement on her features. It was honestly a little pleasant to look at. Even though Amethyst routinely flew through the air from shape-shifting, getting such a dramatic view of the morning savanna was something she evidently appreciated. Subsequently, Steven appreciated her bet to jump towards the island, if only for getting her to smile so widely.

Then Steven remembered that he was supposed to land somewhere. Just after recalling to watch his height, a mass of dirt and greenery completely shot past his vision. The blur of the island was almost invisible, he'd been so caught up in his friend's expression. Immediately, Steven willed gravity back onto himself, not bothering to look at where in the air they'd end up. A whiplash of weight on his back incited him to tighten his grasp again, hoping that the sudden jerk in the air wasn't too bad on Amethyst.

Another couple of seconds passed when Steven saw the island underneath him slowly grow closer. The sight reminded him that gravity was still something to respect, and he tried to stop in the air again. Now that they'd lost all their upwards momentum, halting was a much easier process. At least, it should've been. Having Amethyst grip him so tightly made Steven jerk a little more in the air than he intended to. Finally, he halted in the air, still miraculously upright. The only thing that delayed his voice was the embarrassment from using his floating ability so haphazardly. He usually wasn't that bad.

"Still good?" he asked Amethyst. She'd buried her face into Steven's shoulder, so gauging her expression wasn't all that easy at the moment. All Steven could see was the mass of her blackened hair, messier than ever from the wind. Her grasp was so tight that Steven expected a panicked reprimanding on his poor air control. Still embarrassed, he offered a preemptive apology. "Uh, sorry. I kinda messed-"

"That was awesome!" Amethyst interrupted him, bursting out into excited laughter. Steven couldn't tell what her laughing was really directed at, or even why she was laughing. Her grasp shifted a little; not necessarily tightening, but she did move her arms into a position associated more with hugging than gripping. His companion leaned around his side, looking at him directly. "Can we do that again? Puh-leeze?"

Uncertain, Steven laughed a little himself. She definitely found more excitement in rocketing through the air than she did on some lazy flight as a bird. It was something else Steven appreciated about her, honestly. Plus, it probably meant that she failed to notice his ineptitude with floating.

"Didn't you want to check on Pearl and Garnet?" he reminded his friend, feeling his grin mimic hers. She paused for a moment, then recalled why they had warped back to the savanna in the first place. The Gem shook her head, forcibly clearing her throat.

"Right, them, yeah," she waved off, now trying to revert to a serious tone. Amethyst was probably the last person on Earth Steven could attribute any serious qualities to, and the Gem's comparatively younger appearance did little to help her case. The addend to her words had a similar effect. "But we have to do that again sometime. I'll even pay ya another 15."

Chuckling, Steven agreed, though mentioned that he didn't really need the money. Amethyst had made the simple act of jumping enjoyable enough without any fee. The two Gems looked back to the island, making a note of the distance between them and the landmass. Since Steven had been paranoid about smacking right into the island's underside (a paranoia he found justified) there was a bit of empty space between their current position in the air and the side of grass at the island's edge. Lowering further to match altitudes helped close the gap, but not completely.

"Can you get us closer?" Steven asked his friend, glancing at some of the closer trees dotting the island. Amethyst eyed them in a similar manner. Steven didn't have much control on where he was going when he suspended himself in the air, so hopefully Amethyst would have some way to move them across the few yards between them and the island. She hummed, sounding satisfied.

"I got this," she confirmed. For a moment, she loosened her grasp on Steven, who subsequently tightened his own. He could feel her lean away from him, as if she was trying to fall off. Thank goodness, she didn't, but Steven still panicked somewhat. Amethyst's weight stayed behind him for a few seconds. She didn't seem to move, like she was waiting for something to happen. A few more seconds passed.

"Uh, Amethyst?" Steven eventually asked. He'd assumed that "I got this" translated to Amethyst being able to do something now that they were so close to the island. Not much happened to support his assumption, though. Cautiously, he tilted his head to the side, glancing at Amethyst's features. She was staring down at her Gem, wide-eyed. It was a far cry from the enjoyably excited expression she had before.

Unsure of the change in his friend's demeanor, Steven cleared his throat. Amethyst's eyes shot to his in just the same second. Some kind of embarrassed blush rose to her cheeks. It wasn't a usual violet, probably due to the change in her skin tone. More magenta-like in hue. Before Steven could question what Amethyst's pause was for, her eyes grew even wider, which was a substantial feat.

"Bird thing!" was the only explanation Steven was given. That didn't exactly clear his confusion. Just as Steven opened his mouth, some frenzied caw in front of him attracted his gaze back forward. He looked back at the island just in time to see a blur of blue fly from the trees. The sight was so unrecognizable that Steven felt his battle-instincts involuntarily kick in. That promptly replaced his floating-instincts without accomplishing much else, since his arms were currently occupied.

Instantly, Steven felt the pull of gravity bring him lower in the air. The next couple of seconds blurred together; whatever had flown from the island grew closer, but the abrupt downwards momentum Steven felt kept its path off of his and Amethyst's. A familiar droning noise emanated from Amethyst, and she suddenly jerked forwards on Steven's back, throwing something out towards the island. Her own motion combined with their free-fall to create a disconcerting lack of contact between herself and Steven.

Using what instincts he could, the young Gem turned as rapidly as was able to in the air, only concerned with making sure he still had a secure hold on Amethyst when he threw his arms towards hers. Amethyst did the same with one of her arms, the other holding tight to the grip of her whip. All Steven could recognize at the moment was their shared grasp. After securing their hold on each other, Amethyst yanked on her whip, still holding tight to Steven (and vice versa). The taut pull of the cord reminded Steven he could lighten the load, and he tried resuming his floating to the best of his ability. This resulted in both Gems flinging themselves towards the island much harder than either anticipated.

Steven continued holding tight to Amethyst while they cleared the island's threshold, not once even considering if his grasp was a little too tight. According to the grip on his own arm, Amethyst thought similarly. They tumbled into green and foliage, the haphazard functionality of Steven's ability to float causing a sporadic path through the trees. At some point during their unceremonious landing, Steven found the grip on Amethyst's arms loosen before he clamped back around her body, shutting his eyes in a brace. In that same second, some warmth reverberated from her skin and into his arms. The heat was barely discernible among the impacts of dirt and wood. All that prevented Steven from glossing over it entirely was his focus on Amethyst.

Despite bumping around a fair amount, Steven was unable to feel any of the sharp stings he would've associated with whacking into tree branches and bushes. They did hit more than a few, judging by the *snaps* and *cracks* of wood breaking. It took a fair amount of time and bumping, but eventually, the Gems' speeds slowed down enough for Steven to recognize that they'd come to a grounded (more or less) halt. Still, he was hesitant to open his eyes, deciding to maintain his grasp on Amethyst for a little while longer. That unrecognizable warmth from her lingered on for a couple seconds before gradually fading away.

Amethyst didn't move for the duration of Steven's embrace. A pressured hold around him likely translated to her reciprocating his panicked grasp, and the added weight of her being directly on top of him did little to allow him to move. His head was far too buried into her shoulder to tell much of anything. Carefully, the young Gem opened one eye and leaned his head back onto the flattened earth he lay on. The first thing he noticed was Amethyst's braced expression, her features matching her hold on Steven perfectly.

"Are you alright?" Steven asked. It wasn't the most original inquiry, but it was still the most important to him. He relaxed his arms slowly, loosening to let Amethyst move a bit more. Her muscles took a little longer to relax. Eventually, she opened her eye, looking around for a few moments. The blue of her iris froze when it landed on Steven's concerned gaze.

"I'm good," she hesitantly let out, looking Steven up and down. "You?"

If he wasn't busy looking Amethyst up and down, Steven would've copied her answer with his nod. Shade from the surrounding trees made it hard for him to look over his friend. Amethyst sat up slowly, still eyeing Steven cautiously while he eyed her. Aside from the usual sores that accompanied such a rough landing, he didn't feel much damage himself. None that could've been permanent, at least. The most noticeable thing was Amethyst's weight as she sat on top of him, and that had become a white-noise amidst everything else.

After another quick assessment, Amethyst breathed out a relieved sigh, shaking her head as her tense posture melted away. She briefly slouched back onto Steven before rolling off of him to the side. Both Gems lay on their back, letting their adrenaline fade in tandem with their worry. Steven could only guess at which took longer to clear away.

"Okay, maybe-" Amethyst began, shaking her head. An inexplicable grin fell on her features underneath her mess of hair. "-maybe I should'a just helicoptered us up here."

That was an understatement. With a persistently concerned grimace, Steven continued looking over Amethyst. Their spot on the ground now was definitely darker than the direct sun they walked in earlier, but no wound or mark of impact really stood out on Amethyst's skin.

"I think I trust the warp-pad more," Steven admitted, breathing his own sigh of relief. Amethyst chuckled in response. She gave a brief slug on Steven's shoulder, shaking her head again.

"Fair," she granted. Her mouth opened for some addition to her reply, but she stopped short upon looking upwards. Curious, Steven followed her eyes to the trees around them. They were much darker, actually. Then Steven realized he'd been looking through a filter.

"Nice call," Amethyst whistled, sitting up on the floor of their shared bubble. Steven looked at the barrier alongside her. That must've been what prevented the usual lashes of branches against them, but Steven couldn't recall putting his bubble into existence. In all honesty, he had been more concerned with protecting Amethyst with his body at the time; protecting his own body was an extension of thought he didn't consider. The shade of the trees seemed to darken the normally pinkish tint of his bubble.

Still curious, Steven sat up from the ground. Amethyst seemed able to read his expression, raising an eyebrow. He'd gotten such a purposeful control over his abilities by now that creating the bubble on instinct didn't feel correct, somehow. Steven strode to the side of it, placing a hand on its glassy surface. At least, Steven assumed it would've been glassy, based on past experiences with the bubble. Now it felt rough on his palm, almost jagged. Behind him, Amethyst stood from the ground herself, walking next to him. No reflection on the bubble's surface was offered, but he could still feel the curiosity in her features.

"What's up?" she asked, probably trying to keep her question general on account of Steven's silence. Amethyst stepped up beside him, glancing at the bubble like he was. After seeing the comparatively darker tint of the barrier, she placed a curious hand on its surface, just to the left of Steven's own hand. The moment Steven thought to tell her about how odd the bubble was this time around, it dissipated. Even that was different, the barrier seemingly peeling itself away into nothingness over a half-dozen seconds. The usual light of the morning flooded their now-empty space in the island's foliage.

Steven looked towards Amethyst, unsure of what he should've said. Most that came to mind were questions she probably didn't have answers for. Amethyst acknowledged his odd gaze with a tilt of her head, raising an eyebrow. She seemed to create a few of her own unanswerable questions as Steven looked at her features. Her skin had regained its color, but not the usual lavender she had before. A reddened sort of chestnut dominated her arms and face, almost like Garnet's color if it wasn't so saturated. On top of that, some undefinable marks on her expression kept Steven from saying anything a tad longer.

Though half of her face was covered by the black of her hair, the cheek he could see had become… spotted, in a way. The pattern was subtle; a little shade would hide them rather well, but in the rays of direct sunlight they now had, discerning the comparatively darker dots was a much easier task. Steven stared at the change in his friend, unable to say much. It was Amethyst clearing her throat that jolted him into action.

Without so much as a word, Steven reached into his pocket, his eyes glued to Amethyst the entire time. He grabbed his phone before holding it out purposefully. A few hesitant seconds later, Amethyst grasped the device, probably a little off-put about Steven's silence. Even without saying anything, she seemed able to tell what he was getting at. The Gem looked at the phone's reflection for a few moments. Then, she lowered the phone, looking at her arm directly in the day's broad sunlight. She turned it over a few times. Her expression was surprisingly calm, only a minor grimace on her features.

"Least it ain't gray," she remarked. One of her hands rose to her face before purposefully pulling her cheek away to get a better view of it. The spots on her face were only made more prominent as an effect. After another moment's hesitation, Amethyst handed his phone back to him. He let out an awed "Uh," as he pocketed his phone back into his jeans. Both Gems were quiet, each with varying degrees of concern. Aside from the second change in her skin, Amethyst appeared just as normal (her hair notwithstanding) as she usually did. No fatigued expression or pale complexion evidenced any deeper effects from her condition. Eventually, Amethyst cleared her throat.

"Should go and find P and G, now," she said, a forced seriousness in her voice. The only alternative tone was the mountain of curiosity Steven shared with her, and that wasn't really productive at the moment. Instead, Steven decided to follow after her lead, shaking his head and forgetting about the recent oddities for the moment. Unfortunately, he had the feeling Garnet would be less knowledgeable about those.

A/N: Ohhh man we're SO DARN CLOSE to the real good stuff now! It's gonna be pretty fly, ya dig? Hope to see ya around, my dude/dudet/gender-appropriate-application-of-the-term-dude!