My first note is on valentine's day! Fun fact: The holiday is for the man Valentine who would help marry people when the government wouldn't. This day was the day he died, so we honar his work to love. This is just a consumer holiday now, but please let this day be special. This man deserves lovelyness. More at notes at the end of the chapture.
After that, Connie didn't salute, it was always, "Steven" and never did she ever mention Pearl's action to Steven. It went back close to how things used to be, except that they were almost always in Rose's room, She fought Bot-Stevens in said room, if they left Rose's room it was to go to the beach or town, and the only Gem they really ever talked to was Amethyst.
After a bit, Amethyst brought her friend over. (Pretty sure it was Onion's mom) She knew a bit about psychology, she helped Amethyst with Connie's issues. Connie got better, honestly a lot better. It took weeks to get back into a decent head place, but compared to what it could be, it was great.
She knew it was for her but, her mind still enjoyed Steven's relife at her progress. She knew this was for her to get better but, she only really did it for him. She'd never say it outloud of course, Steven would worry that she hadn't really made any progress in her idea of dependency and self worth at all! It wasn't true, she now fully grasped her understanding of why being dependent is bad (Entertainment really needs to stop making self-sacrificing characters, it's a bad influence), and she liked herself. She was a smart, nice girl, well admittedly she preferred Steven (Sue her for not being her own favorite person) she was a generally good human being.
She had also learned that at one point, this had started with a crush. At a point, she'd thought all of the knight to lord stuff had been romance advice. Gosh, she was slightly embarrassed to have forgotten. Her mind soon understood and started to think she'd misunderstood her emotions. All of this is just embarrassing.
Now the problem was, even if Steven liked her in that way Steven may believe that her feelings are more about her dependency then actuel interest. Well that feeling is more than understandable and sort of true (not more than her love but it was definitely an afterthought), she couldn't have him think that. She needed to convince Steven that she was over it. It has been a couple months now, so if Steven thought in between the times he saw her that she'd gotten past it then that first step would be good.
Which was easy to put into action. Well Steven is an amazing empath, even he can be blocked out with a well crafted mask and with the recent force fusion terrors, Pearl breaking Garnet's trust ( Steven himself had just cooled from the incident), Garnet being hurt, and then the gems making up, so he isn't on his A-game to seeing past her lie. A giggle leaves Connie's throat," Gosh you've been busy! I'm just doing homework with tennis, nothing to interesting though,"
Steven smiles whirly," So I guess we have to take you home now, Lion will take us! Connie is shocked by her fast placement. Lion isn't fooled, and Connie glares at the oversized cat with a warning and a finger to her lips.
Lion obeys with a look telling that it won't last. 'Well at least he can't speak, but in the end he can still communicate. So how long till Steven's obliviousness wears thin to his emotional intelligence?' Connie starts slipping deeper into her thoughts, her face unfaced by the world. That is until Lion jumped into a portal of his own making and brought Steven and Connie with him.
Steven smiled at the oversized cat, giving it a Lion Licker. Steven stepped down and gave Connie his hand, witch flustered she accepted. She felt sad for a moment,"I wish I could practice more," she mumbled then completed the thought,' being around you, gosh your just amazing,' wait.
Steven looked at her, "you want to practice more?" he turned. Connie panicked , 'NONONONONO-'," My mother's sword," Steven handed out,'-Oh.'
"Steven this is so nice but I couldn't possibly take this," Connie looked away. Relived that Steven was still unaware of her less platonic emotions. She needed a better explanation then that,"If my mother saw it, she'd freak,"
Steven gave his most cheeky smile,"She won't have to see it," he whispered. She led him inside to hide her blush,'Not fair, that cheeky- urgh. I will have vengeance!'
"I'll make sure nothing happens to it then" Connie decides, then hears the garage door, "That's the garage door. Mom's home! We have to hide the sword, there's no way Mom would let me have this in the house"
They hide it as a hatrack. Violin, okay use the propt given, " Hay mom just finished with my 6 o'clock violin practice,"
Connie's mother walks in, "You should've finished that 5 minutes ago. You're late for your 7 o'clock study hour. Hello, Steven,"
Steven nervously waves, "Hi, Dr. Maheswaran,"
Maheswaran gently rubbs her temple. Then she asks Steven politely," How are you?"
Steven says," Sitting," Connie looks at him from the conner of her site, he is thankful that her mother is in a tired mood.
Connie hears her mother sigh, "I had a rough day at work and I'm not in the mood for any more surprises,"
Connie peeps up," What happened at work?" ' Please not notice the sword' Connie internally pleas.
The adult takes of her coat "There was a really strange case at the Hospital today." She looks tired, 'and she must be if she hanged her coat on a sword' Connie thought. The her mother continues "Straight out of a nightmare... Oh, don't worry, the rules of doctor-patient confidentiality keep me from sharing the graphic details but- Hang on a moment. When did we get a coat rack?" Connie's muscles tight as her mother takes her coat off the 'coat rack'.
Connie mutter's a, "oh no.."
Dr. Maheswaran yells at Connie," A SWORD!? Connie, where did you get this?!"
Steven tries to say something but Connie is way faster, "I found it! I just... found it outside and I wanted to show it to Steven,"
The mother cries out in frustration,"How could you possibly think this is okay?!" She looks away to breath, Connie barley get's out a word before the woman is back to scolding her daughter,"Do you know how many children I see everyday who've cut their faces off playing with swords?!"
Connie feels the heat come at her face. She is humiliated," None! Because they all have parents who love them, and who don't let them play around with deadly weapons like some kind of gang member! No playing with swords under any circumstances!" Connie is frustrated at her mother. 'How would she feel if she knew it wasn't playing?'
A cell phone suddenly rings and Dr. Maheswaran answers it. "This is Dr. Maheswaran. Yes. Calm down, Stromberg, another one?" The woman sighs before getting off. Connie blacked out Steven's words as the woman put the sword in her bag,"I'll have a talk with your father to calculate just how grounded you are," She turns back for a brief moment "And we're using the abacus!"
Connie starts mumbling hard. Steven tries to decipher it but Connie is quite, and angry. He stops trying and he stood there. Then Connie took Steven's hand and said,"My mother never goes back on anything, so we have to get it back," Steven looks at Connie's eyes and feels a knot tighten, this is not going to boad well.
*~-At the hospital-~*
Connie stated," No Lion," Steven nodded.
"No problem" Steven states. He gives ome Lion Lickers to Lion to keep him at bay. Then they go inside.
Connie looks at Steven," They turn lights off after Dinner," Conner started to use her training skills, and spots her mother. Then she ushers in Steven under a trolley.
Steven hears Dr. Maheswaran on the phone,"Yes- Yes I just got hear," he feels his gut tighten. Throughout this whole time, he really hasn't said a word. Not for lack of trying but.. Connie is acting strange. Intimidating honestly, but he is trying to see it from her view. She is trying to sneak past her mother, but there is something in Connie's eye that can't be explained.
'It can't be becuase of the training with- No Let's not think of that' Steven tries to reason, 'She is way over that.' he takes a deep breath and looks at Connie, her face is in a reconizible smirk. He relaxes. Becuase, 'Of course, it's just in my head.' he giggles softly.
Then his is pulled out by Connie," We she is out we can get in!" He nods. He wonders what she might have been doing. He looks at the trashcan to see a odd looking piece of equipment that looks like the letter 'Y' made out of rubber, with round metal bit at the end. He chocks his head.
He points at the equipment," What is that?" Connie blinks and shacks off the shock.
She simply answers," a stethoscope, made to check for heartbeats, you have never seen one?"
He shacks his head," No,"Connie chuckles. Stevens feels a bit of flush burning his cheeks.
Suddenly Connie's mom come's in her face is shocked," Connie? Why are you here?!" Suddenly the patient under the blanket is moving. Reaveling that it isn't a normal person.
Steven grabs Connie,"That's the mutant Gem-things,"
Suddenly the Sword is out of Connie's hand and in her mother's. Connie stares at her mother, and feels the tightness of her chest begined to twist around her," I need that sword,"
Dr. Maheswaran is shocked at the demand," No! I am not having my daughter near a sword of anykind!"
The monster throws the hospital bed, and a slam can be heared near the door and Connie looks behind to see a another mutant fusion. She looks at her mother with anger. She is feeling Angry. She feel's angry. She is angry. She's angry. Angry.
She hears Steven cry and she stops thinking. She kicked, grabs the sword and slashes the mutant behind the door and it poof. She turns to go help Steven with the mutant infront of him, in the process losing her glasses. Just as he loses his shield she comes and poofs the mutant. She lowers to look at Steven," Are you hurt?! Scratched?! Bruised?!"
Steven is breathing hard," A little scared but I'm fine, are you okay?"
Connie Started to sense another presence behind her slowly coming in, with a swing of her sword they don't step a foot closer," It's rude to sneak up on an oponite like that, especially when you think their guard is down,"Connie sighed," You must have been trained with no honar, homeworld gem"
Steven," That's not a homeworld gem,"
Connie looked confused but didn't take look away," Who else would it be- Wait when did I get here?" She turned to see,"Mother? No, you can't be, if that were the case I'd be wearing my" She looks behind,"Glasses, witch are now brocken," She shacks her head," Why are you here?"
"Becuase I work at a hospital, When did you learn to use a sword like that? And why can you see without your glasses?" Dr. Maheswaran asks.
Connie's head hurts, She doesn't know when she hit it but it hurts. She shakes her head, and looks to see a cut, and finds one one herown hand," The glasses easy, Steven" Steven looks at it and as Connie nods, he kisses it. Dr. Maheswaran is shocked that it heals imminently,"has healing saliva,"
The mother then asks," Now explain where you learned to fight,"
Connie looks away," That is- That's something you don't need to know, but you can understand why, Steven has to live with this" Connie points to the now gem shard and continues,", and I like being around him so I was faced with a question, 'Do I want to be there for him when he has to fight?' and of course the answer to is yes,"
The adult feels a shiver at the dark situation," Why didn't you talk to me or your father about this?"
Connie states mater of factly," You and dad have full-time jobs, I had I high doubt you'd let it happen, meaning one less person to help in a war, I also need you to understand this is a aftermath of a war to save the earth and their might be another one coming, so I thought it better to tell my parents becuase in the end, it would be more harm then good, becuase you can't really help, Becuase you have important job, dad had a back problem, so both of you can't even train for this beyond basic selfdefence, and do you like the fact that me and my friend are likely to face war before were twenty?"
Dr. Maheswaran's face flushed," Maybe I wouldn't but I have a right to know that! It's not fair to me if you die one day and only then did I learn you were a soilder"
Connie shrugs," Life isn't fair, if it was this war wouldn't be happening and Steven wouldn't have to deal with it, or the fact people mistake him for his mother because of his gem, or have people blame him for his mother's stuff, but he does, and I chose to stand by his side, and I chose that you would hinder the chances for the Earth's fair"
Steven is shocked," Connie, that was harsh,"
Connie responds gently," If my mother didn't notice the fact my glasses didn't have lens for a year, it was always going to be harsh for her, it's better me then my death telling her, and I think it's time to go home"
*~-At Connie's home-~*
Tears are everflowing. Connie hadn't ment to be rude, but gosh she had been downright heartless to her mother. The whole drive had been silent, Connie's mom had shut down. Steven must think she's a monster, and how is dad going to handle this?! How is she supposed to tell him?! No, how is she supposed to do when he finds out and is heartbroken!? 'StupidStupidStupidStupidStupidStupidStupid-'
Connie hears the door open, Her heart is pounding and she is gross. She feels her mother hold herand her father on the other side. She whispers her apologies and she is crying harder. She can't get it to stop," It's okay, we forgive you if you can forgive us," Her father mutters.
Her Mother's hold tightens," We'll deal with this in the morning, but please, can we just this out of the way, I know that we can be strict, but please don't feel like it's a hinder to talk to us, we can help, but only if you tell us, your a kid, you don't need to deal with this alone, and neither does Steven, but he will come in the morning and we will talk, just please let us be here for you,"
Connie hears a chuckle out of her dad," Wish I had said that," Connie falls asleep crying in her parents arms. Tomorrow, she hopes still that tomorrow never comes. She is scared to deal with the downfall.
Well that's it! Okay well sorry for that… It was hard for me to. On the bright side, I have better transition stuff ~-Somewhere-~ looks better and tells you where the place is taking! Thanks for reading, I will make more soon! Up next is Chapter 4: Battle of Gardens
"How could you let your son live like this!? Having to fight living rocks! Do you have no care for your son's safety!" Doug Maheswaran exclaimed. His face almost as red as Ruby's.