★VIDEO - EMERGENCY DORCHACHT UPDATE

[starseedling]

Name: Steven Universe (SN: Steven U)
Date: August 20th (Backdated)
Format: Video

[Steven appears on camera, looking nervous but determined, like he's just stumbled upon something that he feels the need to tell everyone right now. So, here he is! Steven is very obviously a fae, complete with antennae and slightly too large, pink irises. Behind him, wings will occasionally flutter with agitation.]

Hey guys, Steven here! So - I told Nessie and Mhairi about that whole... dream... thing... we just had...

And it turns out neither of them had any idea that Dorchacht was doing things like that?? Nessie made it sound like their leader, Morgana, just seemed kind of racist at Coven meetings... not that they were enslaving an entire city's worth of monsters?

So... I think this is going to be a pretty big deal. They said they were going to get in contact with the Parliament about it, to see what they could do next. It didn't sound like they were okay with just letting them keep doing those things so, um... phew!

Aaaanyway... I thought you might want to know. I know I've been thinking about it a lot. Haha.

[He signs off, awkwardly.]

[OOC: This isn't massively relevant to this post, but Steven is currently wearing earrings that are charmed to tell him what the truth is when someone knowingly lies to him. So, if your character does that in the post, the earrings will probably tell him. Magic~!]

Comments

[alienwear]

[ There's plenty of space, and she feels him approaching. But before he can touch her, or even sit down next to her, something... Unfortunate occurs.

It all happens in the span of just a few seconds. Peridot's shoulders seize up again, and the holes she has poked into the upholstery become canyons as her grip tightens, her claws carving furrows into the fabric that bleed white cotton stuffing in their wake. But there's another tearing noise that doesn't come from the poor piece of furniture she's currently maiming.

With the motion of her arching upper back, a ruff of vicious looking spikes, almost like a cluster of icicles, erupts through the fabric of her shirt at the very base of her neck. She squeals in pain, gritting her sharp teeth as what appear to be two even larger spikes stab out from next to her shoulder blades quickly after that, one after the other. The true significance of these two peculiar shapes quickly becomes clear, as they twist and extend and flesh out into jointed shapes, the tips of them splitting off into odd little branches. It looks almost like she's growing an extra set of arms... Because she basically is.

It stops as quickly as it started. Her tiny new wings heave up and down with each exerted breath. Trying to reject her wrathful nature in it's entirety, rather than accepting it and working with it, has only pushed her further down the path towards becoming the monster she doesn't want to be. She whimpers, but doesn't look up. ]

[starseedling]

[That's... unexpected. He's personally never had a change happen so fast before - it's usually while molting, or gradually over time. Granted, he has seen it happen like this with Peridot before. Maybe as a Gem she just isn't used to changing like this?

He backs up when it actually happens, but when it seems like it's done, he'll come close again, carefully laying a hand on her back as he takes a look at the damage. Thankfully there's no blood or anything, even with how weirdly physical her body is here.

It seems like it didn't leave wounds.]

I... I think you just grew wings? [He tries to keep his tone gentle.] Do they hurt?

[alienwear]

[ Peridot sags over the ottoman, flopping down with her chest and chin flat over the top of it and her arms draped over the sides. She doesn't flinch when he touches her. ]

Wings...? [ She echoes the word faintly, a touch incredulous. ] Hah. Hah... If only Lapis were here to see this... [ She sounds amused, and wistful, and perhaps a little bit punch-drunk. Apparently this particular change has sapped a lot out of her. ]

[ Peridot heaves another sigh, new wings drooping limply across her back. Her eyes are closed ] They hurt while they were forming, but the intensity of that seems to be decreasing by the second.

[starseedling]

[As alarming as it was, it seems like this sudden transformation has sapped some of the tension out of the air. Steven finally manages to sit down with her, relieved to hear that she isn't still in pain. He looks at the wings with wonder, gently brushing a finger along the top of one tiny wing.]

They're cute. [He's smiling now, both to be comforting and also because he thinks there is just something beautiful and worthy of appreciation about them. Even if they were never asked for.] I bet you'll be able to fly with them one of these days! We could go together!

[alienwear]

[ Peridot finally opens her eyes, though her eyelids are still sort of drooping unevenly. The wing twitches again when Steven touches it, but the dragon attached to it doesn't protest. ]

I guess if I can't levitate around with my metal powers anymore, this is an okay trade-off. Even if flying with wings sounds exhausting...

[ Pumpkin finally comes back over at this point as well, nudging one of Peridot's dangling hands with her entire face. Peridot feebly lifts it to pat her. Truthfully, she still feels pretty nasty and angry about everything, but she's so emotionally exhausted it's hard to dive back into this argument about whether killing is ever justified. She trails off into silence, some of the tension creeping back into the moment. ]

[starseedling]

[He doesn't really know what more there is to say. It's a commitment he's made, and has been making, ever since he was thrust into the conflict that has since defined his life. He knows that not everyone has looked it that way. Not even all of the other Crystal Gems. Even though it ended up not being the truth, they had accepted it as necessary when they thought that Pink Dimond was shattered.

It had never sat well with him, but when Garnet told him about the assassination, he couldn't condemn her for condoning it, even if he'd always wondered how Rose Quartz could do such a thing. At the same time, Garnet had always respected his patience.

He knows that he never wants to have to see Peridot kill someone. He doesn't really know what he'll do, if it happens. But... he knows it won't change how he feels about her.]

I love you, Peridot.

[He says it quietly, leaving his hand resting on her back. Maybe it seems random, but he just doesn't want her to think there is any room for doubt.]

[alienwear]

[ Her eyes get all wet and shiny for a moment, and she sniffs audibly. This is the part where she'd normally reply with a "wow thanks", being practically physically incapable of saying "I love you too" to anyone, but...

She laughs shakily. ]

Wow. Even though this place is slowly turning me into an acid spitting vengeance hungry murder reptile?

[starseedling]

[He's gradually making himself more at home on the ottoman, sharing the space in a way that is hopefully less tense in favour of something more intimate. He's not afraid of her, he's afraid for her. And he's afraid that he'll do something to make her feel worse.]

If you're not trying to murder me on purpose I think we're still in a pretty good place. [He laughs softly, showing that he's not being overly serious about it. Some of this is just out of their hands.] Besides, Centi - I mean, Nephrite spits acid too, and she's the best.

[He'd only gotten to spend a few days with any of them before ending up here, but he loved Centi even when she was a nearly mindless centipede monster.]

[alienwear]

Oh. [ She snorts. ] Wow. I share a super power with a Nephrite. Thank you, Steven. That is so incredibly comforting...

[ It's kind of a mean-spirited and sarcastic joke, but at least she is joking. That's still an improvement over the towering temper she was experiencing before.

Hesitating a moment, she lightly scoops her tail behind him to return the gesture of platonic affection, rather than putting a hand on him. There's a bit of an embarrassed teal tint to her cheeks, underneath her scales. ]

[starseedling]

[Steven seems intent on just making it worse, the gateway for lavished affection opened wide. He notices the tail, and it bolsters him into doing something he's been wanting to do for a while.]

Hey... Peridot, there's something I want to give you.

[Steven has taken to wearing a faux gold star pin on his vest, ever since he found one in the market. It's meant to replace the Crystal Gem symbol he usually would have worn on his shirt. Except, now, he carefully removes it, cradling it in the palms of his hands.

He seems to focus his attention on it, closing his eyes and imagining vividly as he clasps his fingers over its form. His antenna, wings, and gem glow all at once, and a light forms between his hands and then vanishes. When he opens them, the pin is still there, in the same general shape, but its form has changed. Instead of cheap jewelry metal, it has taken on a perfect rose gold sheen, part of its pattern shimmering with all of the colors of Steven's scales.]

Here.

[He holds it out for her to take.]

[alienwear]

[ Peridot watches the whole thing with rapt attention, eyes wide and glittering with the reflected light. When he offers the star to her, she hoists herself up properly with a grunt and takes it, holding reverently between two claws so she can peer at it more closely. ]

W-wow... Thanks. [ Her voice is small. Awestruck. She blinks, looking up from the gift and cocking her head at him. ] What was that you did to it just now?

[starseedling]

It's this thing I figured out I can do. [He grins, obviously pleased with the realization.] If I want to give someone a gift... I can put some magic into an object, and it will help them. I think they call them 'blessings'?

[The pin he's given her has become the Star of Affirmation. When Peridot touches it and focuses, she will feel a comforting presence that bestows a sense of being valued and loved. If this were D&D, it would probably give her a bonus to Willpower checks.]

[alienwear]

Cool...

[ She breathes the word, staring at the little pin appreciatively for another moment, before decidedly pinning it onto her own lapel. She cranes her neck to look down at it, looking pleased. ]

I wish I could do stuff like that. [ She sighs. The sentiment is wistful, not spiteful. ] All of my changes are just... destructive.

[starseedling]

[He leans into her side, akin to an encouraging nudge. His antennae boop against her hair, curling and uncurling as they sense her presence.]

You've done all kinds of cool stuff, even without powers. You should try building stuff with the technology here! Hiccup and Entrapta have workshops... I bet you could figure it all out in no time.

[alienwear]

[ Peridot cocks her head a little, considering that. ]

You're right... I definitely could... [ She sighs heavily. ] I don't know why I haven't tried yet. I'm usually so proactive about these things!

[starseedling]

Well... there's something we could be proactive about.

[His tone is just a little cheeky, like he's gotten excited about something and wants to follow through. He smiles at her.]

We should get Bonded!

[alienwear]

[ That's... Not what she was expecting him to say at all. She sits up a little, the surprise written across her face. ]

What.

[ Not an overtly negative reaction, but. She does look slightly dubious, her brow creasing lightly. ]

But... Neither of us are witches.

[starseedling]

Monsters can get Bonded, too!

[His brow creases at her skepticism, but he understands it at least. He knows it's isn't as ideal, but...]

I know it's not the same, and you'll still probably have to find a witch anyway... but it could still help you! And I don't want you to be alone

[alienwear]

I knew that already... [ About monsters getting Bonded, that is. ] I just...

[ She glances down at the floor, looking anxious, one hand squeezing her opposite shoulder lightly. The flush creeping into her cheeks is telling, that she's embarrassed or ashamed about something. ]

Steven it's not you, this just... It... Scares me, in a way that I can't really... Figure out the words for...