Ch. 17: The Skilled Crew Part 1
Pearl watched Steven sleep softly into the night. She smiled at how innocent and carefree he looked. Sometimes in certain lights he looked like his mother. She like other gems did not need sleep or did not understand why someone needs too anyways, but ever since Steven was a baby, she loved watching him sleep.
"You know this is creepy, even for you." whispered a voice, right behind her.
Pearl covered her mouth before she let out a small scream, not to wake up the boy in front of her. She turned to see her male gem teammate Onyx, with a curious look on his face.
"Onyx." she whispered a bit loud not to wake up the boy. "What are you doing?"
"I can ask you the same thing." replied a whispering Onyx, who knew he was not in the wrong.
"I'm watching Steven."
"Why? He seems safe. I don't think something going to happen to him. What, you think he's going to be kidnapped and eaten by Centipeetles."
A sound came from Steven, as both became quiet and look to see the boy turn in his sleep holding tight a stuff bear.
"Come on." said Onyx, pulling her by the hand towards the crystal door.
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"Alright, Oyster. What has gotten into you?" asked Onyx, as they walked into his room, letting go of her hand. It was two days since Connie, but so far this week Onyx had picked up on a few things, mostly with Pearl and her actions around certain things, like with trusting Steven.
"Don't call me that! You know I never liked that nickname." she said, a bit miffed and blue to the face.
"Hey, I calling you that cause I know it bugs you, that's why I never use it unless I have to get your attention." said Onyx, pointing a finger towards her. "Now spill. You were never like this back in the day. Sure uptight and over-analyzing things and thinking you were always right, but this is like to an extreme."
"I want to make sure Steven is ok."
"How? By smothering him?"
"I do not smother him."
"I was thinking more figuratively. Still what gives?"
Both were now close together and staring both in each other's eyes. Unlike the rest of their teammates, they were fortunately they were almost the same height, with Onyx only being a inch or two taller, so neither of them had to look up or down.
"Look things change after you left! I promise myself to look after Steven for Rose Quartz's sake!"
"Yeah, and you doing a good job on that, but you are not letting him spread his wings."
"Humans don't have-"
"Expression, Oyster. It means to have his own freedom that you believe in him. Don't you believe in Steven?" he asked, after which he realized that the last thing he said sounded a bit too corny, like a catchphrase for a tv show or something.
"Yes!" shouted Pearl, blue now in the face, and furious. "But, he is still just a child!"
"Who is going to become one of the world's greatest protectors, if you stop gripping on his leash!"
Both began to breath heavily, and took a few steps back.
"Sorry." muttered Onyx. "Just wondering where is my skilled buddy is these days? The one who when we went on missions was more relax, calm, and who listen to others opinions. Not to mention can strike furiously." he added with a chuckle.
Pearl smiled slightly, remembering those times. When the two of them were sent on missions together, they did it with suck skill and stealth that a ninja would be jealous. They were quick thinking and worked together went well when fighting monsters, especially with their "scythe-and-spear combo".
"I know I know, just, Amethyst and Steven and trying to-"
"How about we go on a mission?"
Pearl stopped talking and blinked. "What?" she asked.
"You heard me. How about it? Like we use too. Come on, I know three-eyes has a few that she might want us to check."
"Well…." said the creamy-color gem, looking down as if to see that her feet was the most important thing in the world.
"Come on, it be good for us. Besides, as much as I like having Garnet watch me twenty-four hours a day." said Onyx, with a hint of sarcastic in his voice at the mention of Garnet. "It would be nice to just hang around with my other friends, like you and Amethyst."
"I don't want-"
"Don't worry I'll tell Amy not to come." he smiled, as he put his arm around her shoulders and brought her in. "However, if we do go on a mission, I think to say that I do want to bring one more with us."
Pearl's eyes widen, knowing whom he was talking about. She bit her lip and put her hands together. She knew it might be dangerous, but he wouldn't bring it up if he knew it might be good for all of them...
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"Aw man, this is unfair!" exclaimed Amethyst, as all four older gems walked out of the temple door.
"Ah, don't worry, Amy." said Onyx, giving her head a shake. "I promise next time, it be you and me, just want to help Pearl here relax and to prove a point."
"That her squawking will help her attract a mate?" joked Amethyst, who got a glare from Pearl and Garnet, and a small chuckle from Onyx.
"No, of course not don't be rude." he said, but after the other two left to the kitchen area, he bent over and whispered "We will deal with that problem later." he added, causing her to snort as a laugh so the others wouldn't find out what he just said.
"Hi everyone!" Steven shouted, coming out of the bathroom. "What's going on?"
"Good news kid, you, Pearl, and I are going on a quest." replied the black gem.
"Really? Awesome! What is it?"
Onyx opened his mouth, but no words came out. He closed it again and then scratched his head, turning to Pearl, who then looked at Garnet.
"The three of you will be going to an old tower, that appears every fifty years, to find the artifact inside it."
Pearl's eyes widen, which at the same time Onyx's smile widen as well.
"You don't mean-"
"Oooooh yes! This is going to be fun!"
"Garnet! Steven can't go there! He will be in harms way!"
"Why not? I told you he has to, besides better for him to learn out there than on the streets of this city."
"Um, there is nothing wrong with the streets of Beach City." replied Steven, a bit confused.
"I know, which is why you need danger and excitement." said the black gem, then looking at the others. "And as well educational purposes to help defend the Earth and some of Gem kind."
"Onyx is right." said Garnet, who once again died a little inside saying that. "Steven needs to learn, Pearl, and I trust you will watch over him."
"And me too, don't forget."
"You I'm worried about trusting." answered the dark red gem, with the short purple one laughing out loud.
"Sooooooo….where are we going?" asked the boy, who got the response from both creamy and black gems at the same time.
"The Cloud Tower."
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"Uh, wow look at the view from up here!" shouted Steven, as the three gems appeared on a warped pad on the high mountain, with evergreens and gigantic boulders down below them. "So is the tower so important? Do we have to climb down? Why does it appear only ever fifty years? What's so important-"
"Shush Steven." said Pearl, walking off the pad with the other two. "We just have to wait until it appears which should be any time now."
"Appear?"
"Well Steven, you see the Cloud Tower-"
"Don't ruin the surprise Pearl." interrupted Onyx, with a smile, who also received a glare from his female teammate. "Kid, when you see it your going to be amazed and in awe. I guarantee it."
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"Ah, how much longer?" asked Steven, as he sat in between the older gems, all three siting crisscross, meditating. Well the two older ones were mediating, while Steven tried too, but was getting bored.
"Any minute now kid. I can feel it." replied the older male gem, with his eye still closed.
"Aw but its been an half an hour already."
"Steven, we need to be patient. Things take time." said Pearl, with her eyes closed as well.
Just as Steven was going to speak again, a thunderous sound was heard above them. Steven looked around, but so no thunder clouds in the sky. Instead, he saw some green and purple clouds coming together. "Um guys? What's happening?" he asked.
Onyx opened his eye and smiled. "That my Steven, it how to get to the tower." he said, as all three got up, him and Pearl dusting off the dust on their legs.
Soon the green and purple clouds came down towards them, forming into a shape of a staircase, right in front of them. Onyx looked over to Steven, whose mouth was wide-open and little stars appeared in his eyes, in which Onyx made a mental note ask if that happens regularly. "So, are you in awe or what?" He got a slow nod in response. "Go on kid, run to the top."
"Absolutely not!" shouted Pearl. "Our gems can walk up those steps, but Steven is half-human. What if his organic side causes him to fall?"
"Uh?" respond the boy, a bit confused.
"Well then there is one way to find out." said the older man, before shouting. "Last one up the stars has to clean Amethyst's room!" and ran past both of them and went up the cloud stairs.
"Hey no fair you cheated!" shouted Steven, as he ran to catch up to the black gem.
"STEVEN!" shouted Pearl, terrified until he saw him walking up the first few steps, and let out a breath of air, she realized she was holding in. "He's ok. He's ok." she said to herself, with a weak smile on her face.
"Hey Pearl! Are you coming?" shouted Steven, as both male gems stopped to look at her.
"Yeah." she said, walking calmly onto the steps. "I'm coming."
Steven smiled as he ran still up the stairs, passing Onyx, who was waiting for his thin teammate, with a shark-smile on his face.
"That was sneaky of you, Onyx." said Pearl, a bit miffed. "Suppose he falls through the clouds once he gets there."
"Eh, I doubt that, he seems like he can get up these stairs pretty well." he replied, as both began to walk with each other to the top, where Steven was now waiting for them. "Just have to have a little faith in the boy…Oyster."
Blushing blue, Pearl mutter some words as they reached the top, with Steven, again looking in awe. On top of the strange clouds was an old stone tower over shadowing them.
'Wow, so cool." said Steven. "Wait, how does a tower of stone can be sitting on a cloud?"
"These are not your average clouds."
"Indeed. You see Steven, this shrine is special because it only appears every fifty years due to the clouds in this area are able to merge with each other to form a more physical and structure settlement." explained Pearl.
"Uh?"
"The clouds turn into solid rocks for some reason." muttered Onyx, to put it into terms so Steven could understand. "Anyways we better hurry. The structure only last a few hours at most before it slowly falling apart again." He looked down at Steven, and smile. "Better keep on your toes kid." And took off, towards the tower, with Steven running behind him, followed by a panicked Pearl, who was afraid that the youngest gem would fall through.
"So how do we get in?" asked Steven, as the three finally stopped and saw that they couldn't find an entrance into the tower.
"Simple, we make one." replied Onyx, as he took out his scythe from his eye. "Where should we strike Pearl?"
Pearl smiled as she took out her spear from her head. "Hm, judging by the circumference of the tower, and the force we must use in order to penetrated-"
"Just get to the end already, Oyster."
Pearl glared at the taller male gem as the smaller one looked confused. "Right there." she muttered, point to a spot right above and off to the side. Both taller gems jumped up and slash though the rock, with Onyx's scythe first then Pearl's spear, as the debris from it evaporated into air.
"Whoa." said Steven, as the two older gems came back down.
"Shall we continue?" asked Onyx.
"Yes, but I'll take lead incase of dangers."
"Fair enough, go ahead I'll get Steven."
Pearl nodded and smiled before jumping up and landing inside the new hole, walking inside a bit.
"Hey Onyx? How come you called Pearl 'Oyster'?" asked the boy, being picked up by the black gem.
"Eh many reasons. I used to call her that when she needed to relax and not over think. Believe it or not, when I first met her, she always had her guard up. In a way, I was begging her to come out of her shell and be a bit humble." replied the black gem as he jumped up with Steven, landing inside the tower. "Now, I use it when I need her to get to the point." he added, putting the boy down now.
"Oh, so it is for encouragement?"
"Eh...sort of. Just don't call her that ok?" asked the black gem, smiling.
"Ok!" said the boy, smiling back.
"Will you too move already?" shouted Pearl a few yards away. "It is safe but I can feel the ground around us slowly loosening up."
"We're coming Oyster, we're coming!" shouted back Onyx, getting a grumble from the creamy gem as both males caught up to her.
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"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit's all for me grog! My jolly jolly grog!" sang Onyx, off-key as he carried Steven on his back, as he and Pearl ran quickly, up the spiral stairs before they vanished.
"Will you stop singing that!" said the female.
"Fine." muttered the older male.
"Hey Onyx, what's a grog?" asked the boy.
Pearl, who was in front of the group, glared back Onyx, who was took up end, before replying, "I'll tell you when you're older, kid."
It was already probably ten minutes to the tower and so far, besides the stairs below becoming clouds again, no real challenges.
"When is there going to be real excitement?" asked Steven.
"I'm wondering the same thing myself."
"This is a recon mission! Also I think its great that it is safe, but I still think bringing Steven was not a bright idea."
"Why not? Think of the exci...educational things on this mission he could learn. Well hopefully soon, besides running. Also kind of surprise there is no-"
Suddenly, a boulder from out of nowhere flew right in between Pearl and Onyx and Steven. All looked at the boulder, which was the size of Lion's head. All then turned to the direction seeing other boulders, in various sizes hovering.
"Now that what I am talking about!" shouted Onyx excitedly, as he threw Steven in the air, before ducking to dodge another boulder and catching the boy again, all this while running.
"Onyx! Don't throw Steven like that!" shouted Pearl, as she dodged a boulder as well.
"Well how else was I supposed to keep both of us safe?"
"Hey guys look!" shouted the boy, pointing to a doorway a few yards up but, with several steps in front of it missing.
Pearl looked and thought of the calculation as a boulder aimed for her legs as she jumped high across the air like a ballerina. "Oh, how are we going to get Steven acro-"
"LIKE THIS!" shouted Onyx as he reached to grab the boys shirt and flung him.
"WOOOOOOOOOOOOOAH!" yelled Steven, as he almost reaching to the opening. Just as he was getting closer though, a boulder was flying towards him.
"STEVEN!" shrieked Pear, but before any of them could react, Steven made it safely in, the boulder just slightly scraping his backside. With a deep breath of relief, she glared daggers at Onyx.
"Yell at me when after we jump!" shouted the black one, who pointed ahead, indicating they got at least five steps left. With that Pearl jumped in the air and landed, followed by Onyx, who got an extra boost due to jumping on a boulder that was a bit too low. When they both got in, Pearl frantically looked around.
"STEVEN!? STEVEN WHERE ARE YOU?!"
"Over here!" shouted Steven, coming up from the clouds, with a cloud beard that made him look like Santa.
"Uh, guess the clouds here are stable as a solid yet they still keep their shape...interesting." said Onyx, looking down and jumping a bit. "Uh, this gives us some time to think and-"SLAP!
There was a now hand mark on Onyx's left cheek and redness in Pearl's right hand as the sound echo around the room. Steven's eyes grew wide as he looked at a semi-stun Onyx and an angry Pearl.
"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!?"
"Before you hit me? I was thinking what we should do next." muttered Onyx, rubbing his stinging cheek.
"I mean what you did to Steven! Throwing him in here! You could of missed and he could of fallen! Or smashed by a boulder! Or the clouds here would disappear when he landed!"
"Yes he is fine!" shouted Onyx, pointing to the kid. "Come on Pearl! You were a risk taker too once!"
"YES! ONCE! When Rose Quartz was still here!"
"Sort of is, Oyster!"
"Don't be smart with me! You can't put him in danger that he's not ready yet!"
There was a small moment of silence before Onyx coldly stated "You can't hide him forever, Pearl...You three might be sheltering him a good deal, but the world, heck this universe even, there are dangers everywhere so you got to face them, no matter what. You can't protect him, no matter how much you want too."
Both stood glaring at each other, as Steven, now worried, walked towards them. He was just fixing up the relationship between Garnet and Onyx, now he had to make sure Pearl and Onyx's one didn't fall apart!
"I'm fine, Pearl! And Onyx only threw me so I was safe! So how about we go get that artifact Garnet asked us to get!" he said smiling and in a happy but worried tone of voice.
Pearl then sighed. "Fine...but no more risk taking with Steven, got it?"
"Fine, but only if necessary?" asked Onyx.
"Only if it is necessary." she replied, before looking down and blushing a bit blue. "Sorry for slapping you."
"Eh it's fine...Guess I did deserved it." said Onyx, scratching his head. "Besides, that's nothing compared to what Garnny does to me." he added with a smile.
Pearl looked up and smiled as both gave a light chuckle, which caused Steven to smile. Sure it was still intense, but at least he defused this situation bomb. He looked up to see the tower still going up higher into the darkness. He now just hoped this "skilled crew", as he decided to call it now, could still go strong till the mission was over
TBC
Sorry for the long wait was just hard to decide who to start out with but decided to go with Pearl first than maybe Amethyst 2 part mission or something happen in between the two missions? What you people think? Also thanks for all who are reading this, I'll try to update more soon I promise. And please review please, it keeps this fic going lol