Chapter Thirty-Two: Opening Up
Amethyst paced around in a tight circle on the boardwalk, her heavy steps causing the wood to creak and groan beneath her. There were some humans not-so-subtly watching her from a distance. Amethyst didn't mind. In fact, if this were any other day, she'd probably use the opportunity to mess with them by doing weirder and more outlandish things. But that was the furthest thing from her mind. Today was a day for no funny business- something Amethyst had never thought she'd consider.
Amethyst reached down the front of her shirt and pulled out her phone. She tapped the screen and it flared to life, showing a picture of a delicious cheese pizza she'd had the other day.
She looked at the time. The numbers still didn't really mean much to her, but they meant a lot to Connie and it was the easiest way for Amethyst to determine when Connie would arrive.
10:58
Connie had said she'd be here at eleven.
(At the daytime eleven. There being two elevens was pretty stupid to Amethyst.)
But regardless of how nonsensical the human time system was, Connie stuck to it closely. Meaning, she'd be here soon. Which was good. The sooner she got here, the better. Amethyst was already starting to second guess her plan…
Amethyst stopped pacing long enough to shove her phone back into her pocket, only for a familiar voice to chime behind her:
"Hey, Amethyst."
Amethyst suppressed her urge to jump, and instead turned and grinned. "Heya, Crushed. What's up?"
Connie shrugged nonchalantly. "Nothing really. We had an algebra test at school yesterday."
"Yeah? Was it a good one?"
Connie chuckled. "I don't really know what a 'good' test would be like. But it was pretty simple. We were allowed to use notes so I had all the formulas and stuff."
Amethyst nodded, even though she didn't fully understand what an 'algebra' was exactly. "Well, as long as it didn't give ya too much trouble." She snorted. "So ya got any plans in mind?"
"Besides hang out with you?" Connie asked with a lopsided grin. "Why? Do you have something in mind?"
"Kinda… Come on, let's walk." Amethyst began down the boardwalk, Connie quickly following behind her.
After a bit, they came to the park. People were walking and loitering around. Not that many though, which Amethyst was thankful for. This was going to be weird enough. She really didn't want an audience.
The two of them stopped in front of the statue of some person Amethyst couldn't really give a toss for. Amethyst leaned against its base, folding her arms as she tried to screw up some willpower.
When Connie had first arrived, she'd been perky and excited, probably expecting Amethyst to drag her into one of their usual adventures. Now, however, she looked concerned. "Amethyst? Is everything alright?"
Amethyst hesitated, before sighing. "No. I mean- Maybe. I dunno."
"Well, you can tell me whatever you need to," Connie said earnestly. "That's what friends are for, right?"
Amethyst pressed her lips tightly together before saying, "Yeah. 'Bout that… You and me… we are friends, right?"
Connie blinked at her. "Of course we are, Ame," she said. "I mean, what- I didn't do anything, did I?"
"No, no! Course not!" Amethyst quickly said. "It's just-" She sighed again. "I dunno. Ever since you met Steven…"
"Steven? What about him?"
"I dunno, dude," Amethyst said, perhaps a bit sharper than she intended to. She tried to say more, but the words wouldn't come, leaving her only to shrug her shoulders.
A beat of silence, before Connie spoke again, voice hushed. "Is this about-" she pointed to her chest "-his gemstone?"
Amethyst shook her head. "Nah, it's not. If it was, it'd probably be a lot easier to talk about." She pushed off from the statue, preparing herself. It was now or never. "It's just… ever since the two of you met and started hanging out and stuff… I dunno. Maybe you don't want to hang out with me anymore…"
With the words finally out there, Amethyst felt like a huge weight had been lifted off her chest... only for that same weight to land with a thunderous 'thud' between her and Connie.
"Amethyst, I-" Connie started. "Yes, Steven and I are friends. And yeah, Steven's great, but... You're my friend too, Amethyst. And you are awesome." Connie chuckled. "I mean, you saved my life, after all."
Amethyst laughed, embarrassed. "Yeah, I did."
"And you were also my first real friend," Connie continued. She was staring at the ground now, eyes looking misty. "Before I met you, I never really hung out with anyone. Unless we count my parents."
'Dude, are you crying?!' was what Amethyst would normally have said, but instead she just sighed and mumbled, "Yeah, I know what you mean. Before you, I mostly spent all my time with Garnet, Rose, and Pearl."
"So I guess we're both each other's first real friend," Connie said, smiling. A little taut, but genuine.
Amethyst returned her grin. "Yeah. I guess we kinda were."
Another silent beat passed, before Connie spoke again, "I'm friends with Steven, and I really enjoy hanging out with him. But I mean it, Amethyst. You're my friend too. I'm not like, replacing you or anything. I love the times when we're hanging out, having fun."
It was exactly what Rose had said. Exactly that. Now Amethyst felt ever more stupid for not listening to her.
"Yeah. Same, Crushed," Amethyst replied, before shaking her head. "Sorry for dropping all this on ya at once," she said. "Just kinda been... stewing in it for a while."
"That's okay, Ame," Connie said. "I'm glad you felt comfortable enough to say anything about it, really."
"Yeah?"
Connie nodded. "Like we've both been saying this whole conversation: we're friends. And friends should be able to be comfortable around each other to talk about things. That's how it always works in books and TV, at least. "
"Yeah, right," Amethyst said.
They both stood there for a moment. Amethyst was just about to try and change the subject, maybe ask Connie if she was interested in some pizza, when Connie leaned in and wrapped her arms around Amethyst, hugging her snugly.
"You're my best friend, Amethyst. Don't forget that."
Feeling her lips quiver, Amethyst returned the hug, burying her face in Connie's shoulder while silently wondering to herself how one human could be so amazing.
Thick powder dusted up around Steven's nose, forcing it to wrinkle as he fought back a sneeze.
Fought, and failed.
Too sudden to stop himself or cover his mouth, he sneezed right in the face of Jenny Pizza.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he sputtered, wiping his nose.
Jenny was going to be furious with him, he knew it. Her face was pulled back in a disgusted grimace, and she and the other teens would never want to talk to him again-
Then she laughed, face relaxing into something less-shocked, though no-less disgusted. "Guess I overdid it, huh?"
"I, uh," Steven stammered.
Buck came over and silently passed Jenny some tissue paper. She wiped the snot off her face, making loud noises of revolt.
Steven grimaced at his lap as he felt felt the sense of embarrassment wash over him, apologizing over and over. "I must be the worse make-up, uh, subject ever," Steven said.
"Nah," Jenny said with a laugh, as she tossed the used issues into the trash. "You're better than Kiki, at least."
"Kiki?" asked Steven.
"My sister." Jenny returned to her make-up kit, and much more lightly and gently restarted applying the powder to Steven's face. "She won't even let me get near her with the stuff. She think it's a waste of time."
"That's cool," Buck said. "People should be able to feel comfortable in their own skin."
Jenny waved her free hand dismissively as she started with the lipgloss. "Sure, sure. I'm all about girls being able to reject patriarchal beauty standards or whatever, but when it comes to TV, ya gotta be practical. The lights throw every single blemish and pimple into relief."
"This is gonna be on TV?" Steven said, once his mouth was free.
"No," said Buck.
"The internet is the TV of the future!" Ronaldo cried from the other side of the lighthouse. "How long are we looking at, crew?"
"Ten minutes-ish!" Jenny cried. Ronaldo heavily sighed, and she added, "Ya can't rush beauty!"
It didn't take that long, really, and thankfully nothing worked out as disastrously as the blush. When Jenny finished, she let him look at himself in the mirror-app on her phone.
It was… weird. His familiar face changed slightly, almost as if he'd been practicing his shapeshifting. The bluish hue of his skin was still visible, but muted, leaving him with a tone similar to his Dad's, only several shades darker. The bags under his eyes had been covered up, his lips were a shinier pink, and a touch of mascara made his eyelashes seemed to pop. He blinked at himself.
"So? Like it?" Jenny asked.
"Yeah," he said. He looked… Awake. Vibrant.
He wondered if Dad had felt this way every time he'd gotten made up for an interview or show.
Steven was lead to The Beach City Explorers' studio. Or at least what passed for their studio. There was a desk in front of a hanging green curtain, with a couple of spinny office chairs positioned nearby. Some old standing lamps were directed towards the setup, for lighting. Their 'main camera' was an old phone perched on a 'tripod', jury-rigged from selfie sticks. Steven's gaze kept being drawn towards it. He'd look away, only to fiddle with the sleeve of his nice green blouse. He suddenly wished he was wearing his hoodie instead, so he could put the put the hood up and hide himself.
"Don't even worry about the camera," Ronaldo advised. "Ignore it. Focus on me, Universe. We're going to give an awesome show!"
"Okay," Steven said, nodding.
He still couldn't help but glance
From behind the camera, Buck gave him a thumbs up.
Steven smiled and sat straight. He recalled all the times he's sat in the Palanquin's throne, pretending to talk to his subjects, and tried to summon that same confidence.
The camera started rolling.
"Beach City!" Ronaldo boomed. "I'm Ronaldo Fryman, your host! I'm here today with Steven Universe, son of our city's own Mr. Universe!"
Steven waved shly at the camera.
"His father may be a famous rocker, but Steven's got a talent of his own. Not with a guitar, but a paintbrush. Steven, you recently won the Budwick Library's 'Familiar Magic' art competition, didn't you?"
"Yes, I did," said Steven.
"Can you tell us a bit about it? What inspired you to sign up?"
Steven shrugged. "Oh, well… I was just being shown to the library with my friend Lars, the librarian mentioned it, and we thought it would be fun."
A frown flickered across Ronaldo's face for a moment, but was quickly replaced with his interviewer grin. "Do you hear that, viewers? So humble. Steven, tell us a little about how you got into art in the first place…"
The interview went on, and gradually Steven's nervousness retreated. It felt less like he was being filmed, and more like he was just having a cheerful conversation with just a regular- if admittedly, extremely inquisitive- person. Ronaldo asked about his art, what his favorite styles were, what his thoughts of Beach City were since moving there. It was even… fun, after a time.
"So," Ronaldo said eventually, "Tell us a bit about your piece. A very stunning depiction of the Sneople Goddess Statue."
"The- the what?"
"You know. The giant statue constructed by the snake people, fenced off from the rest of the town lest we mortals wander too close and have our minds melted by its cosmic power."
Steven glanced towards the camera again- this time, for any sign from the other teens that this was a joke. Buck's expression was stoic and unreadable. Next to him, Jenny mouthed 'just go with it'.
"Well, actually, it wasn't the focus of my piece. It was the docks…" He gave the explanation about how they were the place he'd met Connie. He heard Jenny let out a little 'awww', only for Buck to immediately press a hand over her mouth to shush her.
Steven's face felt hot He was glad for the makeup hiding any blushing.
Ronaldo nodded. "Very profound. An important reminder that we cannot let our fear of the sneoples' powers rule over us."
Steven finally let his curiosity get the better of him.
"Uh, what exactly do you mean by 'sneople'?"
"Of course, you're new to the town. You might not be aware." Ronaldo leaned forward, steepling his fingers together. "Sneople, or snake people, are powerful, near-immortal beings that have been controlling human society since time immemorial. Their ruins and technologies have been found all over the globe, but Beach City is one of their most central bases of operations."
Steven stared. "You mean… Gems."
"Is that what they're called in Korea?"
"No, that's just what they are."
Ronaldo smiled. There was something kind of aggravating about it. "Yes, well, I am an expert on this subject."
"No you're 're just-" Steven shook his head. "I know what I'm talking about. I actually am a Gem."
In demonstration, Steven pulled down the collar of his shirt. Or tried to- blouses weren't as flexible as t-shirts. He had to unbutton it to display.
Buck and Jenny gathered in closer to see, which Ronaldo groused about not being proper interview protocol, but didn't really make any effort get them off screen. Now all the questions were about Gems (or "Sneople"), and Steven's connection to them. Ronaldo was obviously skeptical, but Jenny pointed out his Gem did look like those things the magical ladies had.
So did he have any powers? Yes, Steven said. He could talk to animals… not that he had any way of demonstrating, since there were none present. He could change people's emotions… but he had little interest in using that, even if he could trigger it on demand. He ended up showing off his shapeshifting. It wasn't anywhere as easy doing it under pressure as when he was just hanging out with Amethyst, but he did manage to stretch his ears out like a rabbit's.
That got some applause from Jenny and Buck… and blew Ronaldo away so much he nearly fell out of his chair.
He collected himself quickly, or at least made a good attempt at it. "Can you do anything else?" he pressured. "Can you shed your skin? Release mind-controlling hormones? Access your spirit weapon?"
"... spirit weapon?"
"Yes, yes. Every snerson has one. A sword, a spear, a whip-"
"Gauntlets," added Buck.
"Yes. Of course, the sneoples' main weapon in the modern era is the media, but I'm still extremely fascinated in their ancient traditions."
"Uh…" said Steven. Pearl had told him that warrior Gems were capable of summoning weapons to fight with… but then, Pearl-ssi could make a spear too, so maybe it wasn't limited to just proper fighters after all. He was a Diamond, which of course went beyond being a simple warrior, but…
"... I don't know," Steven admitted.
"You don't know," Ronaldo repeated, that skeptical tone returning.
Steven gave a helpless shrug. "I'm still… learning a lot of my powers."
"Hmmm," Ronaldo said.
It had looked like he had wanted to say something else, but just then, there was the pounding as someone rushed up the lighthouse's staircase and flung the door open. It took Steven a moment to place the person as Peedee, the fry-kid he'd rescued from the seagulls.
"Ronaldo," Peedee panted, "you're late for your shift."
"I'm conducting an interview Peedee!"
"Yeah, well, I'm conducting 'peeling 500 potatoes', and Dad's going to be really mad if we don't finish them…"
Ronaldo sighed and rubbed his temples.
"It's okay, Ronnie. We got the footage we need for the art competition piece already," said Jenny.
"But we were just getting to the heart of the real story!" Ronaldo wailed.
Buck patted him on the back. "We'll do a follow-up piece." He looked at Steven. "What d'you say?"
"Uh... We'll see," said Steven. He got up. "I'm pretty busy so…"
Ronaldo nodded. "We'll keep in touch."
"Thanks so much for coming today, Steven!" Jenny said.
"Yeah. Thanks," added Buck. Ronaldo nodded agreement.
They all smiled at him, and Steven gave a genuine smile back. Nonetheless, it faded pretty quickly once he'd left the lighthouse. There was a curious, uncomfortable feeling in the pit of his stomach.
It had gotten… weird, at the end there. He wished Ronaldo had just stuck to questions about art.
At least when he got back to the van, Pearl said he looked very nice. That made him feel a bit better. He at least got to enjoy explaining make-up to her as they prepared dinner.
Lapis flew over an expanse of greenery and saw the ocean peeking just below the horizon. Finally. She didn't know how long it'd been since she'd left that morning, but the flight had been long and she was growing tired of seeing only land and humans and... more land and more humans.
While the view may have been uninteresting, she didn't mind flying all the way from the Kindergarten. Normally she'd just take the warp pad, but it had been a while since the last time she got to stretch her wings.
Besides, she didn't like warping to the Crystal Gem base if she could help it. Even if Steven had formed a truce with them, and even if Lapis had complete trust in her Diamond's judgement, she couldn't take any chances. So she remained constantly vigilant, to protect herself and the Court she belonged to.
Any Gem loyal to her home would do the same.
She slowed down as she approached the shoreline, coming to a halt near the boardwalk. All the other times she'd hovered above the city, it had been to keep an eye out for Pearl or Steven. But neither of them were around, and the Crystal Gems were nowhere in sight, so Lapis decided to simply relish the moment. She smiled as she breathed in the familiar scent of the ocean breeze and listened to the waves softly crashing against the beach.
CRASH!
Lapis frowned. That was not the sound of ocean waves. She flew over to where the noise had come from, and found a round purple thing spinning circles on the sand while giggling.
Amethyst.
Lapis didn't want to deal with her at the moment, so she simply kept flying, hoping the other Gem hadn't noticed she was there. But soon, a low noise cut through the air behind her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a large strange shape. It was flying after her.
Lapis's frown deepened. She could've accelerated and left Amethyst behind, if she wanted to. But then word would get back to the other Crystal Gems, and Lapis didn't want to give them any reasons to be suspicious of her. She paused in her flight, flapping her wings to hover in place.
Amethyst had shapeshifted into a human contraption to fly. She had a round body with seats inside, a thick tail with a set of rotating fins near its tip, and a larger rotating fin on top of her... head? The form was too strange for Lapis to make any sense of it.
"You're not here to mess up my hair, are you?" Lapis asked as soon as Amethyst had caught up.
"Well hello to you too, sunshine," Amethyst said. "And nah, I just wanted to see what you were up to."
"Flying."
"Yeah, I got that," said Amethyst, a grin forming on whatever part of her form that still had her face. "You saw me roosting in Connie's hair back then, huh?"
Lapis made a noncommittal grunt.
"Didja also see me doing cartwheels on the beach just now?
"What's a 'cartwheel'?"
"It's a thing humans use to..." Amethyst tried to gesture, but only managed to wiggle her tail end. "You know what? It'll be easier to just show you, but we should probably do that on the ground."
Lapis stared at her. "Doesn't that tire you out?"
"What? Flying?"
"Shapeshifting into... whatever that is."
"Nah. I'm used to it. 'Sides, it's fun." Amethyst flew circles around her companion. Lapis wasn't amused, but she didn't tell Amethyst to stop either. "How about you? Don't ya get tired flying around all day?"
"I'm used to it." Lapis shrugged. "And I guess it could be fun sometimes."
"So where're ya headed?"
"I don't know. I didn't really have a destination in mind."
"Just flying. Gotcha." Amethyst tipped forward, which was probably a nod. "Ya don't mind if I tag along, right?"
Lapis minded very much, but didn't say anything. She just made another noncommittal grunt before gliding forward. Amethyst must have interpreted that as a yes, because she followed right behind.
They were just far out enough to still see the coastline from a distance. They flew high above the clouds to glimpse the edges of space, before diving until their toes almost skimmed the ocean water. Sea creatures swam just beneath the surface, reminding Lapis of the dolphins she met with Steven the other day. Which, in turn, reminded her of another Earth animal she'd recently been introduced.
Lapis slowed down to a lazy glide, turning around to look at… whatever counted as a face in Amethyst's strange form.
"You know a lot about this planet, right?"
"Yeah, I guess so," Amethyst said. "Why? Wanna know about something?"
Lapis nodded. "What's so special about frogs?"
"Frogs?" Amethyst frowned and seemed to ponder her answer carefully. "They're easier to eat than chickens, but taste about the same. Bones're smaller though, so they're easier to get stuck in your teeth. And I guess they're kinda cute when they hop around ponds and stuff? Oh, and they come in really cool colors! And if a human touches them they die."
Lapis rubbed her forehead and sighed. She didn't know why she had ever expected a straight answer from any of the Crystal Gems.
"Hey, so is it my turn to ask a question?" Amethyst asked, seemingly bouncing up and down in midair. Lapis didn't answer, but Amethyst didn't seem to need one. "Okay, uh, so... What's Homeworld like?"
Lapis furrowed her brows. "What do you mean, 'what's it like'?"
"I mean, Earth is cool and all, but I kinda still wanna know. Ya know?" Amethyst said. "The others don't really like to talk about it."
Lapis had almost forgotten that Amethyst had never fought in the war, that she'd emerged late and spent centuries alone before the Crystal Gems had found her. She'd never served under a proper commander. She'd never developed the keen sense of duty any loyal Gem would've had. She'd never felt that unique sense of belonging a Gem could only experience among her own type.
She'd never been to Homeworld.
But considering she was off-color at best, that was probably a good thing for her. And for Homeworld, at that.
"It's... very different," Lapis said. "Nothing on Earth can compare to how elegant and majestic a sight Homeworld is. I'm not even sure how to begin to describe it."
"For starters, maybe you could tell me what you like best about it?"
"What I... like about it..." Lapis slowed to a complete halt, save for the regular wingbeats keeping her in midair. No one had ever sincerely asked her what she liked about Homeworld before, probably because no one had to. Everyone knew they were made for a specific purpose. Whether an individual liked their job or not was irrelevant to their performance.
How could she possibly explain it to someone who hadn't experienced it?
She couldn't. But she could show it.
Lapis raised her arm, and the ocean's water's rose with it.
Amethyst's already large eyes became even larger as the water formed a cylinder around them. Power surged through Lapis's gem as she focused, visualizing images in her mind and projecting them onto the walls.
Or trying to. The force from Amethyst's fake-mechanical form was making the surface rough and distorted.
Lapis glared at her.
The little quartz seemed to take the hint. There was a flash and Amethyst transformed back into her usual shape, falling and splashing into the ocean below. She treaded the water, staring up as Lapis made the walls darken, filling it with orbs that made up Homeworld's planetary system.
"Whoa. That's so cool!" Amethyst called from below.
Lapis shrugged and continued filling the image with tiny figures. They were stylized and simplistic, but recognizable as Gems. They travelled to and from different planets, seemingly busy, as Lapis explained, "I like how Homeworld made me feel. Secure. Safe. That no matter where I go, I'd always have a place in the hierarchy... a place where I belong." The view shifted, and some of the Gem figures flocked together. All in varying shades of blue. All winged. "I was always among like-minded company, with the other Lapis Lazulis. We took care of each other. We did almost everything together. We made sure none of us got into trouble or stepped out of line."
'Not that there were many opportunities for things to go off the rails when Homeworld always kept a watchful eye on everything,' Lapis didn't say aloud.
She raised the water higher, forming a dome above their heads. The 'sky' above turned a rich, deep blue, filled with a pattern of stars unfamiliar to this galaxy. "I also really like my job. I got to visit a lot of star systems, and they were all so different from each other. Not all planets had bodies of water as vast as this one, but the sights were beautiful. Each had different gravitational pulls too, which made working on each one a fun and new challenge."
Images of entire flocks of Lazulis, flying in formation across the sky, raising up waves that would tower over even a Diamond. Exposing vast tracts of previously submerged land, now perfect sites for fertile Kindergartens. Transforming the water into vast, glittering ice sculptures.
"It never was dull," Lapis continued. "Not that my job was boring. But then again, there's some comfort in knowing that no matter where I go, my purpose would always be the same..."
"Your purpose?" Amethyst tilted her head.
Lapis stood a little straighter in the air, stretching out her wings. "I'm a terraformer."
"What's a trerra... terrafarmer?"
"You know how I can move water, right?"
Amethyst nodded, still grinning at the water show around them.
"When Homeworld colonizes a planet, sometimes they need to drain out all the water to build something better in its place. That's what Lapis Lazulis are made for... what I was made for."
Amethyst stared at the ocean all around them. It seemed to sparkle in the setting sun. Below, its surface rippled every so often, a small sign of the life it held in its depths. Amethyst was frowning when she looked at Lapis again. "Sorry, but that sounds terrible."
"It's not. It just... is," Lapis lamely explained. "Every Gem, a duty; every duty, a Gem. That's just how things are back in Homeworld."
"Well, that's boring," Amethyst said. She leapt out of the water, instantly resuming her strange-flying shape. "I think I'd rather be whatever I wanna, when I wanna. Like how I was a cartwheel on the beach before, but now I'm a helicopter!"
That was all well and good for her, Lapis thought. Amethyst would never have been considered a strong enough warrior. But Lapis was one of the finest of her entire cut.
The 'helicopter' blades were disrupting the water's surface again. Lapis let go of her control on the dome, and it fell down around them like rain.
"Yeah, well..." Lapis shrugged. "It was home."
"But now?" Amethyst flew in front of her, curiously peering into her face.
"Now?" Lapis shot Amethyst a quizzical look, before realization hit her: She had used past tense in her previous statement. "I... don't know. I've been far from home for a really long time."
"Well you're here now." Amethyst gave her the widest, warmest beam Lapis had ever seen that wasn't from Steven. "Maybe Earth can be your new home!"
"Yeah. Sure." Lapis looked away, not at all enthused. She flapped her wings once, putting distance between her and the ocean. Between her and Amethyst. "It's getting dark. We should probably head back."
Lapis shot into the sky towards Beach City, not even bothering to see if Amethyst was following or not.
