Garnet had always known humanity to have a dark side.
That didn't mean she liked being reminded of it because stars how she wished she could unlearn everything Peridot just read off to all of them (and the fusion could tell her smaller friend had not enjoyed doing so either).
Now everyone either stood or sat around the room in stark silence, digesting everything they'd gleaned about the Phantom Thieves' origins.
Bismuth, seated on a stool by the breakfast bar, ran a hand through her rainbow locks with a deep sigh. "OK. So…that was a lot."
Lapis, from her spot on the floor next to Peridot, eyed the larger Gem with an exasperated 'no shit' gaze.
Pearl sighed as well from her place beside Greg on the couch. She'd been rubbing comforting circles into the man's back, the ex-musician hunched over with his hands covering his face. The poor man in particular needed some time to emotionally recuperate after everything he'd heard.
"It would certainly explain why this group established itself in the first place. I just…I can scarcely imagine how any of those children found the strength do the things they've done after all they've been put through."
That story about the reprehensible gym teacher had been horrifying enough to hear – and it had only been the tip of the iceberg. Abusive con artists, mafia, staged incidents, murders, a corrupt politician behind it all: it was like an unhinged mystery novel brought to life.
And now Connie (and perhaps Steven as well) was in the thick of something potentially similar.
"I can hardly imagine they pulled off the things they did," Lapis commented. Even considering her scarce knowledge of human society, the water Gem could tell those kids had to have been against some overwhelming odds.
"I'll say," Amethyst voiced from the window where she'd been lounging on her back, finger-quoting as she continued. "And apparently, it's all thanks to this 'change of heart' stuff."
Peridot paused in the middle of whatever research she'd been doing on her laptop to regard the Quartz with an arched brow, curious. "I'm a little surprised you didn't know about them, considering your intimacy with human culture and all."
Amethyst shrugged. "I'd heard about them from Ronaldo fangirling around town about them once. You know how he is, so I just ignored him."
Big egg on her face then.
The purple Gem then frowned when a sudden thought came to her. She rolled onto her stomach to regard the others. "We're…not gonna have ta shake him down for details, are we?"
Pearl rolled her eyes at the question. "Oh please, Amethyst, we're not that desperate for answers on this group."
Not yet at least.
"Still," Lapis spoke up again in a meditative tone, "would it really hurt to ask him? It's not like we know anyone who's an expert on all this cognitive science stuff that Shido guy was killing people over."
The mention of Shido gave Pearl a shiver she tried hard to suppress. To think a human could commandeer such disturbing abilities…
"Cognitive psience with a 'psi'," Peridot corrected in a matter-of-fact tone, attention back on her screen. "Appropriate considering it seems more supernatural than any science I've ever heard of. I'd even daresay it comes across as more of some bizarre logic-breaking hybrid."
Steven would relate, Garnet thought as she finally leaned away from the wall, arms crossed. "Speaking of which, what have you been able to learn about it so far?"
"Quite a bit," Peridot answered in a fascinated tone. "It's just a little difficult for me to wrap my mind around. If not for all the information I've been able to pilfer from those government files, I would think it's all that occult nonsense humans get so up in arms about."
To be fair, a lot of the ideas presented by the research she found did come across as occult-like, yet the mere fact there was legitimate research at all still made for a strange juxtaposition.
"On the bright side," the green Gem continued, "there's thorough enough research to connect the dots between the concepts presented here and these Phantom Thieves."
Or at least enough to get a general idea to understand how these kids operated for the most part.
"And its link to what's been happening lately?" Garnet pressed.
Peridot hummed, bobbing her head as she brought up a different newspaper article alongside the research document she'd been reading. "There are definite parallels between the incidents in Japan and the ones here. Based on the testimony of the Phantom Thieves' leader, turning an individual's 'Shadow' berserk is what triggers a psychotic breakdown."
Lapis narrowed her eyes. "So, what, were people going crazy because their literal shadows were getting hijacked or something?"
"No," Pearl spoke up in a thoughtful tone, finger tapping her chin. "I believe he was borrowing a term from human psychology. Oh, what was that one human Garnet and I talked to once."
"Carl Jung?" Garnet offered.
"Yes, him!"
Peridot hummed in interest as she regarded her search results once more. "Come to think of it, the research on cognitive psience does include several references to human psychology."
Though only human psychology, which begged the question of how the culprits were able to apply any of this to Gems.
Amethyst shuffled in place, uncomfortable. "So…does all that stuff apply to us too? Like, can we even have Shadows?"
Silence returned, tenser than before, as everyone took in the Quartz's valid question and shared looks of disquiet.
Pearl took a deep breath. "Considering what's been happening so far, we shouldn't rule out the possibility. If it is the case, though, I imagine the effects at the very least differ for our kind."
"Uh huh, and what's to stop the jerks responsible from pulling a mental shutdown on us like what happened with that Okumura guy?"
That question made Pearl go pale – or well paler. The recorded video of that CEO's death had been nothing short of nightmarish and made her desperately hope it didn't happen to Steven or Connie, let alone anyone in either Beach City or Little Homeworld.
"Right now, let's focus on what we can do here and now," Garnet suggested. "Namely, making contact with these Phantom Thieves first and foremost."
Pearl and Amethyst shot looks of surprise at their leader, but Bismuth merely shrugged.
"Calling in the experts, eh? Fine by me. We just gotta get in touch with that girl Connie's friends with, right?"
Pearl and Amethyst shared an uncertain gaze, not forgetting that moment of tension back at Greg's carwash after Steven fled. The team would have to put in some serious effort to convince the Takamaki girl that they meant neither her nor her team no harm.
At this point, Greg finally lifted his face from his hands and regarded the Gems with worn-out eyes, red from both tears and anger. Despite himself, he'd heard everything the others had been discussing.
"Garnet?" he spoke up in a ginger tone. He waited for the fusion to regard him before continuing. "Promise me you'll be patient with those kids, okay? It sounds like they're used to people treating them as if they don't matter."
Garnet opened her mouth to assure Greg, only to shut it on second thought and look away in thought.
It's not like the ex-musician didn't have a solid point. The Crystal Gems essentially counted as a form of authority in both Beach City and Little Homeworld, even if they didn't consider themselves one in an official capacity. Still, they had all been rebels in one form and another, so they could relate with these Thieves on distrusting authority figures.
In short, being gentle and steady would be the best approach.
The fusion only hoped it stood a better chance of working.
"So, what's the plan then?" Amethyst asked. "Do we wait for Connie to get back so we can talk things out with her?"
Pearl nodded. "Yes, that would be best. At least that way we could break to her gently how we found out and ease her into the idea of vouching for us. From there—"
Distant screams echoed from Beach City, cutting her off.
Amethyst threw her head back in aggravation, groaning. "Oh, come on! Now?!"
Garnet gave a resigned sigh before adjusting her glasses. "Let's take care of things in town first. Pearl and Amethyst, you and I will handle the commotion. Lapis, Peridot, Bismuth: ask around Little Homeworld if they've seen Connie or her friend Ann Takamaki. We'll be doing the same in Beach City once we've settled things there."
Every other Gem present shared a collective gaze before nodding in agreement at Garnet, who returned the gesture before facing the only human in the room.
"And Greg—"
The Universe elder gave a weak chuckle and waved Garnet off. "I know. I'll keep the fort down in case Schtu-ball turns up."
Garnet offered a grateful smile before ushering the rest of the team out of the front door.
She sincerely hoped wherever Connie was, she was doing alright.
XXX
Connie was doing awesome!
Even though she only had a vague idea of what just happened, this girl knew she'd become something greater, more herself than ever before.
And she was about to wreck some serious shit on the hapless Shadows before her.
"Still feel like underestimating me?" the newly transformed warrior mocked in a strong voice as brandished her blade at her opponents. Her steed huffed and stomped a hoof against the earth, ready for battle. "Big mistake!"
At this point, the remaining Shadows had rallied into a wall formation in between the Phantom Thieves and Shadow Steven and the Cognitive Crystals. At the forefront of the formation stood the Quartz leader, shaken but not deterred as she pointed an accusing finger at Connie.
"Such ingratitude will not stand! You will beg the prince for forgiveness this instant!"
Then in a splash of red and black, the leader and her troop all transformed into an army consisting of Mandrakes, Obariyon, and Kelpie.
Connie was not impressed, although she had to take a moment to stare in disbelief. These Shadows were just going to get weirder and weirder, weren't they?
By then, Joker, Panther, and Mona had already taken positions beside her, weapons drawn and ready.
"You ready for this, rookie?" Mona called out. "Since this is your first time with your Persona, we'll let you have the first strike. First things first, take a moment to focus inward and delve into your moveset."
Moveset? Connie eyed Mona for the vague advice but focused as suggested anyway and whoa did she have her own menu?! Holy shit, she did, and it had all sorts of moves, like two with these purple symbols that resembled mountains: Tera and Matera.
Those rock attacks used by the puppets from earlier flashed in her mind. Could these be…?
While Connie deliberated, the Shadows took that moment to attempt another frontal assault, figuring they could catch the horse rider off guard this time.
They were sadly mistaken.
"Let's shake things up, Nachiyar!" Connie shouted as she pulled on the reins, signaling her intentions to the steed. Nachiyar lowered her head in turn, hooves stomping eagerly.
Connie focused her thoughts on the Shadows in front of her and by pure instinct selected her move, its name echoing in her mind.
Matera.
"How's this?" she taunted while raising her sword high.
As she did, Nachiyar reared back on her hind legs, flowery mane and tail blowing in an unexplainable wind, and released a mighty neigh as a line of purplish-grey earthy spikes erupted from the ground, not only hitting the frontline of charging Shadows, halting them in their tracks, but even staggering all of them.
"Whoa-ho, nice!" Oracle cheered. "And it looks like they're all weak to your element too! Convenient!"
"So, All-Out Attack then?" asked Panther, itching to try one after so long.
Connie eyed the girl in red with curiosity at the attack name.
Mona hummed in thought at the suggestion. "Actually, with these many Shadows, it'd probably be smarter to dial it back bit. At least in theatrics, just to save everyone's energy."
Joker smirked in agreement before twirling his knife. Panther and Mona leapt back from their opponents and readied themselves as well. Only Connie, having dispersed her Persona to be more up close and personal, eyed the others in wonder.
"Follow our lead," Joker suggested.
"And don't hold nothing back!" Oracle added.
Hold nothing back? No problem. Connie braced herself into a similar pose, ready for the signal.
"NOW!" Joker shouted before leaping into the air, the other Thieves following suit.
In the blink of an eye, the four fighters unleashed a barrage of continuous dash strikes on the Shadows before landing back right as all the cumulative damage caught up at once, not only destroying the targeted Shadows but greatly damaging those nearby enough to get caught in the attack.
Wow, Connie marveled. For something dialed back, that really did the trick!
"Nice!" Oracle complimented. "Keep it up!"
Indeed, as the battle continued and Connie kept getting more chances to show off her new abilities, the Shadows lessened further and further in number, some even trying to run away to escape their fate (not that the Thieves let them get that far).
The Cognitive Crystals couldn't fathom any of it as they watched from afar in the sidelines, gobsmacked.
"I-I just don't understand," Cognitive Pearl murmured in near-hysteria, gripping her face. "They're only humans. They shouldn't be capable of these things!"
"THEN HOW THE HELL DO YOU EXPLAIN ALL THAT?!" Cognitive Amethyst snapped, gesturing a hand at Mona who expertly dodged all swipes from a large group of Naiads and Pixies inflicted with the Burn Status courtesy of Panther and landing a Wind move of his own for big Technical damage.
Cognitive Garnet assessed the scene with a calculating grimace before looking down at Shadow Steven, who still hadn't gotten up from where she'd dropped him, gazing at the scene before him in both disbelief and awe.
She returned her eyes to the fight and hummed. "Steven, you realize what's wrong here, don't you?"
Shadow Steven gasped at being addressed, snapped out of his stupor, and regarded the pseudo-fusion in wonder.
"These people aren't Gems at all and yet they have abilities their species shouldn't have. And now even Connie does as well." Cognitive Garnet turned her eyes back to Shadow Steven. "Doesn't something about that seem suspicious to you?"
Suspicious? Then again, now that Shadow Steven looked closer, he could tell there was a sense of newfound anger in Connie's movements and expressions, like a predator finally free of its chains. Sure, Connie tended to be more aggressive compared to him, but this…
Was it because of that horse she kept summoning? Or perhaps her new friends?
That's when he noticed Connie and that guy with scruffy black hair land back-to-back, weapons at the ready and smiling, followed by Ann and that strange cat landing beside them in a cross-formation.
Shadow Steven balled his hands into fists and bit his bottom lip in anguish, as he tried hard to hold back tears.
By then, the battle had ended, all Shadows defeated and the Phantom Thieves standing triumphant.
"Oh, hell yeah!" Skull cheered with a fist bump as he and the other Thieves rejoined their teammates to congratulate them.
"An absolutely stunning performance!" Fox agreed.
"Especially you, Connie," Queen added with an impressed smile. "You're getting the hang of fighting as a Persona user quite well."
Connie blushed at the praise but smiled as well. She hadn't expected these new powers to be so intuitive. She opened her mouth to give thanks but instead let out a groan as she found herself falling to her knees in exhaustion.
Fortunately, Noir caught her by the shoulders from behind. "Connie-san?"
"Huh, I guess that fight took more out of me than I thought."
"Nah, that always happens after an Awakening," Oracle assured her. "Just a day of rest and you'll be back to 100%!"
Wait, a day? Connie frowned at the suggestion. "No…no…I can still—" she tried to protest, only to fall down to her knees immediately, Fox barely managing to catch her.
"You're in no condition to continue," he chided. "It's best we retreat for now so you can recover."
"But the others…Steven—"
"Will be fine for now," Queen assured her in a soothing tone.
"Yeah," Panther added in an empathic tone. "You won't be able to help anybody if you keep faceplanting."
Once again, Connie made a face as though she wished to keep insisting, but then remembered her Shadow's words and wisely ceased her struggles. Still, she sighed, unable to help but feel as though she was dragging everyone down again.
"We'll be back," Joker promised her with a soft smile.
"He's right," Mona agreed. "Now that you've your own Persona, coordinating the infiltration route will be way smoother. C'mon!"
Except when the group made to leave, a massive wall made of pink translucent hexagons came down and impeded the path back towards the waterpark.
Panther gawked in shock at the sudden structure. "What the—?"
Then another such wall crashed down beside the group, perpendicular to the previous. Everyone swiveled their heads to discover Shadow Steven in the distance, stretching out a hand at them in a clawed fashion and with a face of fierce determination. The Cognitive Crystal stood further back, faces ranging from manic glee to stoic satisfaction.
Violet jumped when a third wall came down in front of the Thieves. "Wait, is he trying to…?"
"RUN!" Mona shouted as he and the rest of the gang barreled out right before the final wall could come down. Skull had to resort to carrying Connie bridal-style to keep up; the girl had picked now of all times to conk out.
Unfortunately, no matter how far the kids ran, pink walls kept slamming down to impede them, forcing them to take detours everywhere. Joker shot his eyes skyward to discover Shadow Steven flying after them, now donning a pink neon glow.
"SHIT!" Skull screamed as he skidded to avoid meeting a pink wall face-first.
"Damn it, we're getting nowhere like this!" Mona griped.
"Guys," Oracle shouted as she rode from atop Fox's back piggyback-style, "I'm getting a whole influx of Shadows from all sides, even in the direction we came in!"
Indeed, Joker could glimpse several Shadows converging further ahead, blocking the main path.
"But then how are we supposed to—" Panther began to ask before another pink wall slammed down in front of them, forcing the group to turn again.
"All we can do now is hide until they lose track of us!" Queen shouted under stress.
A place to hide. Wait a second, Oracle realized. "Joker, check the map that cat mascot gave you!"
Joker reached into his pocket and produced the map given to him earlier. He must have caught onto what Oracle was planning because he paused for a hot second, forcing his team to do the same.
"Wait, why are we stopping?!" Skull exclaimed.
Oracle looked over Fox's shoulder and then pointed a finger down an alleyway between some tents.
"Down there!"
At once, the Phantom Thieves raced down the side-path, the trees providing some cover, until Oracle noticed something.
"Everyone, hang on! The distortions here feel weaker…"
A glimmer of hope flashed in Noir's eyes. "You mean—?"
"Yes," Oracle cheered, pointing at a random tent. "There's a safe room!"
Without wasting time, the gang ducked into the tent and went dead silent for the next few minutes as they kept a close tense eye on the entrance, not even daring a single breath.
Nothing followed for the next few moments.
Once it was clear the tent wasn't about to be ripped from right above them, the team released a collective breath of relief.
"Phew, we lost them," Mona sighed. "Nice one, Oracle."
"Geez, though, that was nuts," Skull griped as he gently set Connie down on one of the benches before plopping down on an adjacent box, slumping. "She never said her boyfriend could do all that."
"I don't think even she knew he could do all that," Panther commented, well remembering the girl's shock at Steven's pink transformation and outburst yesterday.
"Well, I doubt safe room detection is one of his new powers since his Shadow's signature's heading away from us," Oracle confirmed after pulling out a holo-screen in midair and checking it. "I'd say we're in the clear for now."
Skull rubbed his nape with an annoyed groan. "Yeah, that's great but how are we supposed to get out now?"
Oracle pursed her lips at the screen. "Hmm…still getting massive reads of Shadows around our area, and Steven's Shadow is still flying all over the place. Given how far we are from the exit, sneaking out might not be the best idea for now."
"Then we are stuck here for the time being?" Fox asked with crossed arms. Oracle nodded with a grimace.
"Ugh, that sucks," Panther whined as she sat down next to Skull, face in her hands.
Queen, however, crossed her arms in a reflective manner. "Actually, since we won't be going anywhere for a while and Connie needs time to recover, now might be a good time to go over some things."
Violet fixed the biker with a surprised stare. "You sure? We haven't gotten that far into the Palace yet."
"I wasn't referring to the Palace per say, although that is something we should probably discuss as well."
"Ah," Fox spoke up. "You are referring to Connie herself."
"Huh?" Skull asked in initial confusion, but then he straightened up upon remembering. "Oh wait, you mean how she understood Mona so fast!"
"Right," Mona confirmed with a serious nod. "All of you could only understand me once you heard me speaking in the Metaverse. On the other hand, all Connie did was go into the Metaverse and apparently that was enough in her case."
"Then there's Spinel," Queen added.
"Oh right!" Noir commented. "She never even went into the Metaverse, and she understood Mona-chan right away!"
Fox shook his head in wonder, hands akimbo. "But…how is that possible? Is there a connection between this world and Gems perhaps?"
Mona shrugged. "Maybe. If there is, chances are it also ties to all the abnormalities Connie here's been exhibiting as a human going into the cognitive world for the first time. Assuming this is her first time."
Violet eyed her feline teammate in wonder. "Are you saying she's been in the cognitive world before?"
"Hard to say. It's possible she's been to places similar to the Metaverse thanks to her exposure to Gems. We don't know all their abilities after all."
"And who knows what kinds of wacky alien tech she's run into," Oracle added.
"You think something about Gems rubbed off on her?" Panther asked.
"At this point, it's mostly conjecture," Mona responded with a shrug before gazing at Connie's slumbering form. "We won't know for sure until we can ask her."
Skull sighed, head hanging low. "Welp, we're gonna be here a helluva long time then."
"Actually," Violet spoke up, "don't safe rooms let us travel faster?"
Panther brightened at the reminder. "Oh, that's right! We don't even have to wait!"
Oracle shook her head. "Eh, sorry. That's gonna be a no-go. I checked this room the moment we got in. The fast travel feature's being blocked by something, and whatever it is, it's powerful enough to cover the whole park."
All the other Phantom Thieves could not believe their ears.
Skull hung his head, bummed. "Seriously?"
"Could this perhaps be the doing of Steven's Shadow?" Fox pondered, hand to his chin in thought.
Queen crossed her arms. "Seems we're leaving the long way then. Oracle, how does it look out there?"
The navigator checked her screen again. "Mmm…not as bad. All the Shadows are way more distributed now, so they're not as congested as before, and I don't even see Shadow Steven's signature near us anymore. It'd still be tricky to get to the exit with Connie all conked out, though."
After all, any of those Shadows could still raise an alarm, which would only draw Shadow Steven to the group.
The Thieves all shared another collective sigh, this time out of resignation.
Suddenly, Mona grew a determined frown and started marching for the exit.
"Wait, Mona-chan," Noir called out in both wonder and concern. "Where are you going?"
"To do a little recon," the cat-like thief responded in a nonchalant tone. "Better than sitting around here."
"Watch yourself out there," Joker advised.
Mona tossed his leader a cocky smirk. "Heh, who do you think you're talking to?"
And with that, the team's veteran sauntered out.
"So…," Skull piped up after a few moments. "Anybody bring some cards with 'em?"
XXX
The front door of the beach house gently creaked open.
A nervous eye peeked through the crack, only to draw away a moment later. Then the door slowly opened further to reveal Steven Universe, who quickly yet stealthily slipped inside and shut the door behind him.
He noticed his father on the couch, fast asleep and head tilted back as the older Universe snored, one hand over his stomach and the other drooping off the couch. Steven, despite himself, smiled as he walked up and draped a nearby blanket over Greg, making sure not to jostle his father as he tucked him in.
He'd come here in vague hopes of apologizing to everyone for his outburst from yesterday, maybe even getting an apology from the others in turn for keeping this whole situation secret from him.
That and he'd gotten sick of eating nothing but wild berries and nuts.
Though now that he'd come back to the house, Steven couldn't help but feel relief that he wouldn't have to confront everyone immediately. Heck, maybe once Greg woke up, Steven could talk to him about all the stuff that'd been bugging him lately.
Steven put that thought on pause, however, after he noticed Peridot's still open laptop on the floor. He alternated his stare between the device, his father, the front door, and then back to the device.
Surely, Peridot wouldn't mind.
Taking care to avoid waking his father, Steven tiptoed over to the laptop with an interested gleam in his eyes and sat down to see what his green friend had been looking up.
Confusion set in immediately once he finished scrolling up the webpage.
"Wait, Ann?" Steven murmured to himself upon finding his new friend's name in some sort of list. Were the Gems looking stuff up about her? That was weird. And what was this about a gym teacher…
Steven had to rub his eyes to make sure he wasn't reading wrong. In fact, he reread the article to make sure he wasn't reading anything wrong.
Molestation? Assault? Even—? Steven halted his thoughts there, repulsed.
And Ann, the cool fashionable girl brave enough to stand off against Jasper, had been one of the victims?
Fighting back a sudden wave of nausea, Steven had to push the laptop away as though it were the gym teacher itself because dear God, what? Even Kevin had never gone this far!
And the fact that a teacher, an adult entrusted with other people's kids, would do such things, Steven couldn't fathom whether it horrified him or enraged him. He very likely would have gone into Pink Mode again if not for his father's sudden snoring, reminding the boy he wasn't alone.
Steven took a moment (okay, a lot of moments) to take some deep breaths and regain his composure. As awful as the contents here were, Steven felt compelled to read through the whole thing, at least for Ann's sake.
He needed to understand.
Except the more he read through everything, the more his disbelief mounted.
Psychotic breakdowns.
Mental shutdowns.
Cognitive world?
Did humanity really have this entire world literally in their heads? The research on this world seemed official enough, so it's not like Steven could disregard it like he could with Ronaldo's theories.
But then…that meant people like this Isshiki lady really had died over this stuff.
No, not just died. They'd been murdered.
Steven felt his stomach flip at this revelation. Was whoever behind the mess happening around here trying to do something similar? It'd be so easy for someone like Aquamarine after all with this sort of knowledge. Was what happened to him and all those Gems just a warmup then?
Suddenly everything felt so much more dangerous.
But if Garnet and the others really had been struggling to fix this situation, how in the stars could Steven hope to resolve it? He'd only just become aware of all these crazy concepts, none of which even required Gems at all, a fact that had been throwing him for a loop the hardest.
Wait, Steven thought as he sifted through the documents until he found his way back to the news article about the gym teacher. There he found the phrase that'd been puzzling him the most out of everything else.
Phantom Thieves.
These guys couldn't have been older than him if their leader, the only member with their identity publicly revealed, indicated anything and yet somehow, they were able to resolve all that madness. Then, could they somehow…
Something hot and bitter welled up in Steven's throat and forced him to swallow down with a grimace.
No. No, he was Steven Universe! He could handle this himself!
OK, granted, maybe getting some advice from these guys would be in order, but once he did, he'd fix everything, just like always!
Right. Right! Steven thought with a determined smile. I just need these guys to tell me how they…change hearts.
Whatever that involved. But hey these guys didn't need Gems to do all that crazy stuff, so once Steven figured out the trick, it'll be a cakewalk!
Assuming he could manage to contact them.
Fortunately, that part shouldn't be hard.
After all, Ann was either a supposed member of these Phantom Thieves or at least a close confidante of theirs, so Steven just had to contact her and convince her that he would like to talk with them.
Yeah, too easy!
In fact, just to prove it, Steven pulled out his phone and called Ann's mobile number.
Only to get a voice message.
OK, he'll just call Connie then! Yeah, she and Ann had been hanging out a lot, and having a friend in common could smooth things over even more now that Steven thought about it.
Except when he tried calling her next, he only got a voice message again.
His smile started slipping, only for him to shake his head even harder this time. Connie was probably out looking for him with the others. Yeah, that had to be it!
Yeah, Steven assured himself. I'll just wait a little bit and try again! I'm sure I'll get somebody…eventually.
Until then, perhaps he should follow his dad's example and take a nap.
XXX
With a groggy groan, Connie awoke from her nap.
"Oh, Connie-san! Did you have a good sleep?"
Upon hearing the familiar demure voice, she shielded her eyes from the nearby lantern light as she sat up from the bench she'd been sleeping on. All the Phantom Thieves were either standing or seated around her within in what seemed to be the inside of a sizable pink and white striped tent, various circus equipment scattered around them.
Connie shifted her head to Noir, the one who'd just spoken. The girl in pink was seated atop a box next to the bench.
"Oh, hey," Connie replied as she took a moment to yawn and stretch. "Did I miss anything?"
"Other than your boyfriend's Shadow chasing us all around the place, surprisingly not much," Oracle offhandedly commented. The tech girl was currently fiddling with a floating screen. "Still, we had to duck into this safe room to get him and all his cronies off our tail."
"This safe room is a place where the ruler's cognition is weakest," Fox explained upon seeing Connie's questioning gaze. "A blind spot if you will."
Queen turned in her seat at the central table where she'd been conversing with Joker, Violet, and Panther. "It would normally also allow us to teleport to the entrance, but it won't work for some reason. That's why we're waiting on Mona to come back with intel on an escape route."
The biker put a hand to her chin. "Although, knowing him, I imagine he's also looking into the layout of this place so that we're better prepared the next time we infiltrate it."
When Connie furrowed her brow out of worry for the feline, Skull waved her concern off. "Eh, don't worry. Mona's pretty good at keeping his head down."
"In the meantime," Fox added while leaning against the wall, "we have been talking about you as well."
Connie had to do a double-take. "Wait, me?"
Joker shifted in his own seat to face her. "You and the Gems, actually."
"Right," Queen agreed with a nod. "You may not be aware, but your acclimation to the Metaverse and everything else has been odd."
Connie cocked her head at the biker, curious. "Odd how?"
"Well, for starters, you already look well-rested for someone who awakened to their Persona only a few hours ago," spoke a familiar voice. Everyone shot their eyes to the entrance to discover Mona strolling back inside.
"Oh, Mona-senpai!" Violet exclaimed, happy to see he'd come back alright. "How did it go? Did you find out anything?"
"Quite a bit, to say the least," Mona responded with a satisfied grin. "There're still Shadows patrolling the streets, but nothing a little stealth can't solve. There's also something else I figured out, but that can wait for now." He then turned to Connie. "How you feel, rookie?"
Connie cocked her head, curious due to the tone of that question. "Um, great actually? What, should I not be?"
"You should, but not so soon," Mona affirmed with crossed arms and a serious countenance.
"Yeah," Skull agreed. "It took the rest of us a whole day to recuperate from our Personas waking up."
"Not just that," Panther added. "We all had to hear Mona speak in the Metaverse first for us to understand him in the other world, but you only had to enter the Metaverse."
Oh right, Connie realized, remembering their conservation prior to entering this world. "You mentioned that before. And Spinel understood you right away despite never being here, too. Any idea why?"
"Maybe because she's a Gem," Joker answered, much to Connie's confusion.
"We don't exactly have concrete proof yet," Oracle explained, "but we've got this working theory that Gems have a special connection to the Metaverse, maybe one even they're not aware of."
"And if this theory is to be believed," Fox added, "then this connection could explain the abnormalities you've been exhibiting as well. Since you have spent so much time with Gems, we were hoping you might have a better idea."
Noir set her hands in her lap. "Like, for instance, if there were times you were exposed to something Gem-related that other humans weren't."
"Heck, we'll even believe you falling into a vat of crystal water at this point," Oracle joked.
Exposed to something Gem-related—oh. What if…
Connie felt her eyes widen as she suddenly focused an intense thinking gaze on the bare dirt floor. No, it couldn't be that simple, but then again…
"Connie-san, are you alright?"
Violet's concerned voice and question jolted the other girl out of her deep reverie. Connie blushed and rubbed her own arm out of embarrassment.
"Y-Yeah, I'm fine! It's just…I might know the reason why I've been adjusting to all this cognitive stuff so fast, although it might take a while to explain."
Panther scratched the side of her head in confusion. "How come?"
"Well…"
BOOM!
Without warning, the ground quaked beneath everyone's feet, rattling the tent and everything inside it, including its occupants!
"What the—?" Panther managed to exclaim before another tremor cut her off.
The shaking only worsened, forcing everyone to cling to either each other or the nearest stable object to avoid falling to the floor.
"Dude, what the hell's happening?!" Skull shouted.
"Come out, come out, wherever you are."
Oh crap, Connie realized in absolute dread at the familiar booming voice as she shot from the bench and peeked her head out the tent's flaps.
Hunched over a nearby street, back to the tent Connie and Thieves were hiding in, was a massive multi-armed technicolor giant with wild teal hair.
Cognitive Alexandrite.