"Now that you can summon your weapon, we should work on some hand to hand stuff, in case you don't have your weapon, or can't get it." Amethyst began. "You wanna aim for the head, or between the legs. Those are the really sensitive spots." She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively, making Julianna chuckle.
"Definitely." She agreed.
"A kick to the abdomen is really effective too. You could probably manage that, with your height advantage." She studied her for a moment, then nodded. "Try it on the Holo-Pearl."
"Do you wish to engage in combat?" The hologram warbled, wielding a sword.
Juliannie ran and charged at the hologram, taking it off guard and kicking it in the abdomen. She swiftly landed as it stumbled backwards, landing on the ground on it's back.
"Challenger wins!" The hologram screamed, disappearing into a poof of air.
"That was awesome! How come you've never stood up to Peridot? With those moves, you could've destroyed her!"
"I loved her." She said flatly, agitation edging her voice. "And besides, I didn't know she was manipulating me until I learned it from Garnet."
"Right... Sorry. I didn't think-"
"Do you ever?" She blurted.
"What?" She stammered, more out of shock than anything else.
"I'm sorry... I shouldn't have said that.." Her voice cracked. "I'm too damn sensitive for my own good."
"It's okay. I shouldn't have brought it up."
Julianna shook her head. "It's fine. I don't care about Peridot anymore. Only you." She went back to fighting the holographic Pearl, ending the discussion. She easily defeated it multiple times. As a Diamond, she was a strong fighter, even more so now that she'd been trained.
Connie dragged the rag across the table in repeated circular motions, mind absent as she cleaned the crumbs off the bar counter in the center of the diner. She was almost done working for the day, unbeknownst to her. She would often work over her shift and not even realize it, her state of mind focused only on the work.
She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned around, looking up at the taller woman behind her.
"Twenty minutes until your shift ends, Connie." She smiled knowingly, removing her hand. "We can't pay you anymore overtime this week, kiddo."
"That's fine." Connie murmured in response. "Thanks, Cheryl."
She nodded. "Yeah, no trouble... Are you alright?" She studied the dark skinned girl in concern.
"What do you mean?" She questioned.
"You seem.. Out of it." Cheryl observed.
Connie shrugged lightly. "I guess I just get distracted... I won't let it happen anymore."
"Don't worry about it. Things are likely rough for you right now. Most kids like you that come 'round here, well, they don't make it very long before they head back for home." She shook her head, a small smile on her face. "God, you look beat... Let me buy you a drink."
Connie looked at her incredulously. "I don't drink..." She answered hesitantly.
"No, no!" Cheryl exclaimed. "Not like that, Connie." She laughed awkwardly. "That's not at all what I meant. I'm sorry."
"That's alright. Thank you for the offer, though." She turned to go back to her work, but Cheryl stopped her.
"At least let me get you some dinner." She insisted. "You look like you could use a pick-me-up."
Connie flinched at her words, Steven's voice ringing through her head. He had used that phrase often enough that hearing it made her think of him.
"Are you sure you're alright, kiddo?"
She shook it off. "Yes ma'am. I'm perfectly fine." She lied. As much as she hated to lie, especially to her boss, who had shown her so much generosity over the past week, it was necessary.
-Flashback-
Rain poured down in thick, frigid sheets as Connie huddled underneath a park bench. It had been her second night since leaving home, and the tears still hadn't stopped. Her head ached from exhaustion and dehydration, but she'd carelessly left her water bottle on the bus, and there was no telling where it had ended up, and now she was without water.
Someone gently shook her, and her eyes opened. She was confused and disoriented, not remembering having fallen asleep.
"You'll freeze to death if you stay out here." The woman murmured. "Come with me." Her dark hair, much similar in color to Connie's, hung in wet strings around her contrasting pale face, her clothing thoroughly soaked. "Relax. I'm not going to hurt you." She offered out her hand, which Connie unsteadily grasped. "There we go. Easy does it." She helped her stand and lifted the backpack off her shoulders, slinging it over her own. She held an umbrella over her shivering body, easing her along down the block, and into the motel.
She quickly unlocked the door to the motel room and ushered her in, cranking up the thermostat. She set her bag down by the door and hung up the umbrella. She dug through the closet and pulled out a grey hoodie and a pair of dark leggings, similar to what she wore now.
"The shower is in there." She said, motioning towards the restaurant. "If you want, I can run your clothes through the dryer, but you can have these for now. They might not fit too well, though."
"Th-Thank you.." Connie stammered, blue lips trembling.
"Get in there and warm yourself up." She ordered gently, setting the bundle of clothing in her arms. "I'll be out here when you finish up."
Connie exited the shower and quickly threw on the clothes, grateful for the warmth she'd missed for so long. She had been right, the clothes were slightly too large, but she didn't care. They were infinitely better than her previous adornments. Her eyelids were heavy with exhaustion, but she still walked out into the other room, fighting to stay awake.
"There you are. My name is Cheryl." She greeted her kindly, a thin smile across her lips. She was careful to be gentle with her, not wanting to frighten her.
"I'm Connie.." She said softly, her eyes not meeting her gaze.
"It's nice to meet you, Connie." Cheryl led her to the pullout couch, set up with blankets and pillows. "I set this up for you. Hopefully it'll be good enough."
"It's perfect. Thank you."
Cheryl nodded. "You look exhausted, you poor thing. Get some rest. We can talk more in the morning."
Connie gratefully crawled under the soft blankets, asleep before her head even touched the pillows.