Chapter Twenty-Nine: Prize
It was loud in the library.
That just seemed wrong. Libraries were meant to be quiet. Lars hated it. Hated the rows and rows of chairs filled with people, waiting, and waiting, to see all the pictures and evaluate them and judge them and-
Lars ducked behind the nearest bookcase, and sucked in a big breath of air.
Why had he even signed up for this stupid contest in the first place? Why had he wasted hours of his life scrawling stupid, ugly stick figures? Why had he worked for hours and hours making a multi-tiered cake that nobody would even get to eat? What kind of freaks would even care about a picture of a cake?
Then again, what kind of freaks would bother gathering in a public library for some stupid amateur kids' art contest for some stupid kids' book anyway?
His head thudded painfully into the shelf.
He could still leave. There was still time. He didn't have to be stuck here, like some loser-
"Alright, everybody," said some woman at the front of the makeshift stage area. "We'll be beginning in just a few moments, so if you could all take your seats…"
Lars blanched. If he left now, he'd stick out like a sore thumb. Everyone would notice. Steven would notice. He was sitting there in the second row, looking confident as anything…
He bit back a moan, and turned back.
Whatever. He could just… sit here and wait. No big problem. Whatever. Didn't matter.
Connie really enjoyed libraries.
Admittedly, on a scale of surprising facts, that was probably pretty low on the list. But it was still true. It wasn't just the books, although that was obviously a very strong pull, but it was also the calm, quiet atmosphere. Almost like she could get lost in between the rows of bookshelves and that would be perfectly alright.
Now though, while Connie wouldn't exactly call the library loud, it was certainly louder than it usually was. More crowded as well. Almost the entire center of the library's main building was full of contestants, spectators, or judges.
"A real turn out huh, Crushed?" Amethyst asked. She was leaning back in her chair, balancing it on its hind legs, much to the annoyance of the people sitting behind her. She shrugged before continuing, "I mean, ya know... Not gonna knock on anyone's hobby or nothin', but I'm still kinda surprised so many people showed up just for this."
Connie wasn't. Her eyes flicked to the center figure at the judges' table and reminded herself that this wasn't just another art contest. One of the judges was the Theresa Buddwick, the author of the Spirit Morph Saga and one of the greatest people on Earth.
Honestly, Connie was surprised there weren't more people. Stars knew if she could work up the courage, she'd be further up front.
But as it was, she and Amethyst were around the middle area, a little off to the side so they were still visible from the front, if you were looking for them. Which was good. Steven was standing near the judges' table with the other contestants. Even from the distance, Connie could tell he was nervous. The fidgeting, the shifting from foot to foot. It was all very familiar to her. What was less familiar was when Steven would look over his shoulder at the two them and offer a small smile, one that Conne would always offer back.
She hoped Steven did well. He was a good artist. Great, even. He certainly deserved it.
Connie heard tapping over the PA system. At the podium, the Head Librarian was adjusting the microphone, as the other judges gathered around their table. Behind them was a movable wall, all plastered with the artworks that had been entered into the contest.
"If everyone would give us their attention, please." The librarian's voice came through the speakers placed in front of the table, quieting the crowd. "Before we announce the runner-ups and the winner, we'd first like to thank our special guest, Ms. Theresa Buddwick for joining us today."
Applause started from the crowd, and Ms. Buddwick smiled and nodded kindly. Connie made sure she was among the last to stop clapping.
"Now then," the librarian continued with a knowing smirk, "since that seems to be why most of you are here, let me turn over the time to our guest of honor."
She stepped aside and Ms. Buddwick made her way to the microphone, another round of applause following her.
"Thank you, Mx. Gonzalo," she said. "And thank all of you for coming out today, either to show off your own little spark of magic or to encourage it in our fine contestants." More applause, though it didn't last long as Ms. Buddwick held up a hand, silencing the crowd. "And make no mistake, that magical spark is worth encouraging when it's lit. After all, mine was lit when I was a little girl, listening to the stories of my great-great-great-great grandfather's travels around the world."
She indicated the large portrait hanging above the bookshelves along the side wall. The portrait was of a middle-aged man, balding, bespectacled, and mustachioed. Connie wasn't sure who that was, exactly. She made a mental note to ask Amethyst later if she had any idea.
"But enough with the foreword," Ms. Buddwick said with a bit of a wry smile. "I think it's time we get down to why everyone is here."
Connie looked over at Steven, who was messing with the zipper of his hoodie. The pressure must be building. Connie silently wished Steven good luck.
"First, we want to take the time to thank everyone who participated. There were so many submissions that we didn't have room to put them all on the board!" She laughed a little. "It takes a great deal of courage to put your creations on display. To show a secret part of yourself to the world. It's that bravery, that creative spirit, that is needed to create the books which fill libraries like this…"
She continued on with the opening speech… which, admittedly, was dragging on a bit too much. A few of the younger kids in the crowd were starting to mutter and fidget, and there was a loud smacking sound coming from-
"Amethyst!" Connie hissed.
"Wha?" Amethyst asked through a full mouth of something.
"What are you eating?"
"Gum."
"Where did you even get any gum?"
"From the bottom of the chair," Amethyst said, her arm already lengthening to reach back under. "Want some?"
"No!" It came out too loud. People were glaring at them. Connie fought the urge to just melt into the carpet. She whispered, "Just- be quiet!"
"Ugh. Why?"
"Because Theresa Buddwick is talking-"
"Yeah, about a lot of nothing," Amethyst said, miming a mouth with her hand. A mouth with shape-shifted lips. "I thought we were here to see Steven's art or something, not listen to some old lady ramble-"
Connie clapped a hand over Amethyst's mouth.
By then, Ms. Buddwick had moved on to highlighting some of the pieces on display, and thankfully, most of the people around them had turned their attention back to the front. Amethyst squirmed under Connie's grasp, but finally settled down. She gave Connie a mullish look when the girl let go of her.
Connie would have to give Amethyst a talk about basic human manners after. For now, she was determined to pay attention to the highlighted art. There was one in crayon, clearly drawn by a toddler with no chance of winning, but was nonetheless adorable. Ms. Buddwick also pointed out some pretty photography, a redraw of a famous book cover, and a cute little anime-style comic. But it was clearly all just build up for the main event.
"Now then," Ms. Buddwick said, taking the microphone off its stand so she could step aside and give everyone a better look at the wall of entries. "Our first runner up: George Rivas, with his entry, 'Dusk before Dawn'."
There was some scattered clapping as the Head Librarian pinned a yellow ribbon on one of the drawings. The boy standing right next to Steven seemed to deflate, though whether with relief or disappointment, Connie couldn't tell.
"Our second runner up is Diana Lewis, with her entry 'Homestead'." Again, the Head Librarian came by and pinned a red ribbon to another of the drawings. Connie saw an older girl (older than herself, anyway) who did look visibly disappointed.
"And our grand prize winner, who will be getting a limited edition set of The Spirit Morph Saga, as well as a special mystery prize is… Steven Universe! With his entry "Magical Meetings'!"
The room erupted in applause. Connie herself was smacking her hands together so hard, they began to sting as she got up to give a standing ovation Meanwhile, Amethyst remained in her chair, although she did join in with her own clapping a few seconds later.
Steven glanced over his shoulder, a look of confused surprise plastered over his face. Connie smiled at him, but before she could get a smile back, Ms. Buddwick spoke again. "Steven? Why don't you come up here so you can accept your prize?"
Steven turned and hesitated before he stiffly made his way to the podium where Ms. Buddwick stood. All the judges congratulated him as he passed by their table, by taking his hand or patting his shoulder or back. Even from this distance, Connie could tell the attention was making Steven uncomfortable.
He made it to the podium and shook one last hand, Ms. Buddwick's, before he was handed what had to be an incredibly heavy, hardcover box set of The Spirit Morph Saga. Steven managed to carry it under one of his arms though, as if it weighed nothing.
"Congratulations, Steven," Ms. Buddwick said, "and congratulations to all our contestants!" She looked over to her side, where one of the other judges was pinning a blue ribbon to what Connie assumed was Steven's drawing. "You should all be very proud."
Steven was mumbling something, so Ms. Buddwick held the microphone to him and he repeated himself, "Thank you."
"I must say, Steven. Your choice of subject matter for your drawing was very interesting." She gestured towards the drawing, though Connie still couldn't make it out. "Beach City often feels like a place that has been touched by magic. And one of the places that encapsulates that perfectly is the old beach temple."
Steven looked like he wanted to say something, but another smattering of applause interrupted him as Ms. Buddwick continued, "And your mystery prize, Steven… is a brunch with me."
Connie gasped. Actually gasped out loud.
Brunch. With Theresa Buddwick. The writer of one of the greatest book series ever.
She could barely imagine it. How could you even focus on eating if given a chance like that? Connie would be so busy asking questions- How did Theresa first get started? Could she call her Theresa? How exactly did she come up with Lisa's character? Was the rumor that Archimedes was originally going to be a parrot true?
She wouldn't be able to ask those questions herself, but Connie was already creating a list to relay to Steven, when she felt a tap on her shoulder. It was Amethyst, pointing up towards the podium. Steven was waving at the pair to come join him.
Him, and Theresa Buddwick.
Connie wasn't entirely sure her legs remembered how to work, but thankfully Amethyst was there to help drag her through the dispersing crowd. In a moment, she was there. Standing in front of Theresa Buddwick.
The author greeted her with a warm smile.
"Connie, yes? And who's this?" she asked, turning to Amethyst. "I love your costume!"
"I'm Amethyst. And whaddya mean, costume?"
"The excellent purple skin paint, I mean," said Ms. Buddwick.
"Costume? This ain't a costume. This is my normal color."
"Oh, of course," Ms. Buddwick said with false-seriousness, giving an exaggerated wink. Amethyst snorted.
Before any explanations or corrections could be given, Ms. Buddwick had turned back to Connie. "Steven's told me a little about you. Like you were the one who introduced him to my books."
"Yes, ma'am," Connie replied, trying to sound as natural as she could manage. "I mean, I'd introduce anyone to them. They're- they're very good."
Connie sounded like an idiot. She knew that, but luckily Ms. Buddwick was a kind, merciful woman and just smiled along.
"That's why I wanted to ask you, Connie," Steven said. "I haven't read the books yet, so iIf I went to brunch with Ms. Buddwick, I wouldn't really have anything to talk about. So I wanted to ask if you wanted to go instead?"
Connie could feel her heart hammering against her chest. The chance to go to brunch with Theresa Buddwick and to pick her mind about everything regarding her books… Connie had literally daydreamed about this.
Before Connie could force a response, however, Ms. Buddwick spoke first, "I'll do one better," she said. "Why don't all four of us go to brunch?"
"Oh! Well, I don't want to impose-"
Ms. Buddwick raised her hand, cutting Connie off. "Nonsense," she said. "It's just brunch. Now, are you free tomorrow, Connie?"
"Yes I am!" Connie replied, perhaps a bit too quickly and too enthusiastically than she intended.
"And you, Steven?"
Steven nodded silently.
"Amethyst?"
The Gem blinked. "What, me?"
"Unless you know any other Amethysts." Ms. Buddwick laughed.
Amethyst opened her mouth, hesitated, and then said, "Nah. I'm busy."
"Are you sure?" Connie asked. She didn't remember Amethyst saying anything about a mission tomorrow.
"Yeah," said Amethyst flatly. A pink bubble blossomed out of her mouth, then broke with a loud pop!
"Oh, well, that's a shame," Ms. Buddwick said. "I'm in town for a couple more days. Maybe we could try the morning after tomorrow, or-"
"No. You guys have fun." Amethyst didn't quite leave, but she did take a few pointed steps backwards.
Connie peered after her, feeling herself a deflate. It would have been so cool to have all her friends at the same table with her favourite author.
Ms. Buddwick had some of the wind knocked out of her sails as well, but she rallied quickly. Smiling again, she said, "Well, in that case, shall we meet here around 9:30? Is that good for both of you?"
Connie and Steven nodded in perfect unison.
"Good. I personally can't wait," Ms. Buddwick said with a kind smile.
Neither can I, Connie excitedly thought to herself.
The Head Librarian tapped Ms. Buddwick on the shoulder. She nodded at the trio one last time and left them.
Connie's eyes drifted over to the wall where all the art entries were exhibited. While much of the crowd had dispersed, there were still a lot of people milling around and enjoying the art on display.
"Aren't you going to get your drawing?" Connie asked.
Steven shook his head. "Not yet. It's going to be shown off here at the library."
"Geez, ya don't even get your art back?" Amethyst asked, stepping between the two. "That seems kinda lame."
"They're only showing it for a month," Steven said. "After that I can get it back."
Connie nodded along, when she had a somewhat sudden realization. She didn't know what Steven's drawing was. They'd arrived kinda late, and she'd been in such a rush to get a good view of the stage that she hadn't even-
She pursed her lips together, before asking, "Hey, guys? You want to go look at the entries?"
"Oh. Sure, Connie," Steven said, smiling a little. "Yeah, I'd like to see what everyone else came up with."
"Yeah, sounds good, dude," Amethyst added.
The three of them walked over the drawings and Connie was immediately glad she hadn't tried to enter herself. She had thought about it briefly, when she had heard about the contest. It was a Spirit Morph-inspired contest, after all. But even a casual look over the entries showed that, whatever skill Connie might have had, it was vastly overshadowed by the actual artists who had entered.
Connie looked at the entries. They were all rather nice, though beyond that, Connie didn't have much of an opinion. This was a contrast to Steven, who seemed to have something to say about each and every one of them. Whether it was commenting on the coloring, or lamenting that he wished he was able to get this kind of proportions or that kind of shading just right.
Amethyst mimicked Connie, not really having a lot to say aside from a few comments here and there. Connie noticed that Amethyst seemed a bit partial to the more abstract drawings though, a fact that didn't seem that surprising.
Finally, they came to Steven's drawing, the large blue ribbon doing a lot to let it stand out from the others. Connie took off her glasses and reflexively wiped them off on her shirt. She wanted to get as good a look as possible.
The first thing that really struck Connie was the sky. It had a gorgeous layer of clouds, the bright setting sun shining through them, painting the rest of the sky in a wonderful mixture of orange, purple, and red. This contrasted the vibrant blue of the ocean below. At the center of the whole piece, however, was something that reminded her of one of her own favorite places: the docks. Rendered in such loving detail, she could practically feel the grain of the wood, smell the salty wind, hear the boats rocking to and fro...
"This place is from Beach City, right?" Amethyst asked, in between chews of her chair-gum.
Steven nodded silently, and the image clicked in Connie's mind. She checked the drawing again, and indeed she could see the top half of the Temple in the corner, peeking over the cliffside.
"Wow, Steven," Connie said, once she had drunk it in. "It's so beautiful."
Steven shrugged bashfully and looked down at his feet. "Once I settled on what I wanted to draw, it just kinda… flowed out of me."
"Well it flowed pretty well," Amethyst said.
Connie nodded and was about to add some more thoughts when she felt someone bump into her. She straightened her glasses and saw that it was some teenager. One who looked more than a little put out.
"Are you alright?" Connie didn't really know what else to say.
"I'd be better if I didn't have all you nerds in the way," the guy muttered, still trying to push past.
Connie furrowed her brow in annoyance, but Steven cheerfully greeted the teen, "Hey, Lars!"
All color drained out of the teenager's face. He looked mortified.
Steven didn't seem to notice, and just asked, "Where's your entry?"
"I didn't have one. I was just leaving." He spoke hurriedly, and with another slight push, moved past Connie and headed towards the library's exit.
"You know him?" Connie asked.
"Sort of," Steven answered. "He works at the Big Donut. We signed up for the contest together. Or, I thought we did. I guess Lars changed his mind."
Or he'd come here to start trouble, which was Connie's guess. He seemed like that type of teenager. Mom had warned her a lot about them. The kind who would do anything to get a set of eyes on him. Whatever friendly terms Steven thought he was on with him was almost certainly one-sided.
"Hey, if we're all good at looking at the art, how 'bout we bail?" Amethyst said, pointing a thumb over her shoulder. People had started to gather again, both contestants and audience members. And they all seemed to want their own chance to look at the art wall. "I mean, if we stay much longer, we're likely to get swamped."
"Yeah, let's go before that happens," Steven said.
Connie nodded and, with one last look towards the wall and Steven's painting, she followed behind the two of them out of the library, a skip in her step.
"I still can't believe that was the prize," Connie said as she, Steven and Amethyst sat on the dock, their feet hanging over the edge. "I guess it makes sense for them to keep it a mystery. I mean, if they'd let people know, they probably would have gotten thousands and thousands of submissions. After all, who wouldn't want the chance to have a real conversation with Theresa Buddwick?"
"Someone who hasn't read her books yet?" Steven said with a lopsided smile. Amethyst snickered.
Connie giggled. "Right. Good point." She paused a moment, before saying, "I'm going to have to spend all evening coming up with questions to ask her. I mean, there's so much I want to ask her, but… well I don't want to spoil anything for you."
"I'll go to the bathroom if you want to ask anything super important," Steven said, with mock seriousness.
Connie grinned. "Well, you might be trapped in there for a while…"
"I'll bring a book to read." Steven pulled on the straps of his backpack, where he'd stored his shiny new hardcover book set. "I think I might be able to find something to read…"
"Enough yammering about boring ol' books," Amethyst said, elbowing Steven in the stomach hard enough to make him wince. "I'm just glad you won. "Ya really blew 'em out of the water with yer art."
Steven's smile wavered a little. "Yeah. I guess."
"Is something wrong?" Connie asked.
"Yeah. Ya got the blue ribbon and the books. Isn't that the point?" Amethyst added.
"I guess," Steven repeated. "It's just... nothing."
"Alright. So, both ya taken tomorrow morn-"
"No, what is it, Steven," Connie broke in. "It's okay. You can tell us."
Steven shrugged. "It's just… I dunno. I guess I feel like the judges missed the point of my drawing."
"Missed the point?" Amethyst cocked her head to the side. "How do ya miss the point of a drawing? It's all right there."
"Well, they thought the point of the drawing was the Temple. But I was just using that as part of the background. It wasn't the focus."
"So what was the focus?" Connie asked.
"It's, well... I wanted to do something… like magical, you know?" Steven was stammering over his words, a blue blush rising from his cheeks.
"Well, the Temple is pretty magical." Amethyst puffed out her chest, as if to display her gem.
"Well, yeah, but..." said Steven, "Actually, I drew the docks."
Connie blinked at him while Amethyst provided the question, "The docks? I dunno what kind of magic stuff you've seen before, dude, but the docks ain't really that magical."
But Steven shook his head and focused down at his feat. "It's not just the docks. It's... I mean…" He trailed off and was quiet for a few seconds before he began again. "That day was so terrible. Everything I learned about Pearl and… and about Mom… But it was also a good day too." He looked up at Connie. "It was also the day we met. There, under the docks."
Connie could feel her face warm underneath those two bright blue eyes. Steven blinked and then looked away. "That's why the drawings name was 'Magical Meeting'. 'Cause it's… where I met you."
"Steven- I-" Connie tried her best to form a coherent sentence, but talking seemed a bit beyond her at the moment.
"Well why didn't ya just leave the Temple out?" Amethyst asked with a shrug.
"It was a landscape drawing. I couldn't just cut the Temple out and put some weird void in the background," Steven answered. "And besides… How was I supposed to know everyone was going to miss the point?"
"Oh, Steven…" Connie said, finally getting control over her words again. "I- I'm sorry the judges missed the point of the drawing. But… the docks were really the focus? Because they were our first meeting spot?"
Steven nodded. "I mean… you're kinda my first friend, Connie," he said. "Or, at least my first non-animal friend. And… I like you. A lot."
"Oh," Connie said simply, feeling like her face was about to catch fire. "I… I like you you a lot too, Steven."
A moment of silence held between them, both of them just looking at each other, the only sound being the waves lapping against the shore. Connie felt like she wanted to say something and Steven looked like he was trying to find something to say too, but neither of them spoke.
"Yeeaah, not to break this up or anything," Amethyst said dryly, "but, Crushed. We had plans for after the contest, yeah?"
"Oh!" Connie blinked, her thoughts being brought back to the present. "Right, we do. Steven, do you want to tag along?"
Connie saw Amethyst shift around, as if she was going to speak, but Steven spoke first, "No, it's alright. I need to get back to the RV. I've got lessons."
"If you're sure, dude," Amethyst said very hastily, before grabbing Connie by the shoulder and beginning to pull her away. "C'mon, Crushed. Got this cool tower in the middle of the ocean we can scope out."
"Yeah, okay. I'm coming, Ame," Connie said. She looked back over at Steven and paused, before saying, "Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow for brunch, Steven."
"Yeah, we will." Steven waved as Connie felt herself getting pulled away at Amethyst's behest. "I'll see you tomorrow, Connie."
"Yeah, see you," Connie said.
She could barely stand to wait.
