all i want to be is someone who gets to see

[tigermillionaire]

Who: Steven Universe and YOU.
Where: Various places.
When: June 16th and onward.
What: Steven Universe has been left in LA while his assorted moms save the universe or something. He brought a lion.
Warnings: TOO CUTE TO LIVE.

[FIRST DAY: ALPHA FORCE TOWER]

He's already said his goodbyes. A few times, in fact. In between the crying and the pleading. He'd initially insisted that it was no big deal and that he was a big kid who could handle himself just fine, but being actually faced with the Gems just vanishing for who knows how long...well, Steven had always been an emotional kid.

His tears have dried by now, and he is finally certain that he's been left to his own devices. The Gems had to talk to some of the Alpha Force before leaving, but Steven had scarcely participated, feeling uncomfortable and wary of the whole thing. His natural sense of curiousity and wonder at being in a new place could only do so much in the face of such a totally drastic change in circumstances.

He wanders around the tower, prodding at things that he probably shouldn't, and generally moping in all the expected ways. His tummy hurts, and it's not because he's hungry.

[ON THE TOWN: AND ON A LION!]

As expected, Lion deigns to show himself a day or so after Steven arrives, and he immediately takes the opportunity to frolic with all his might. Staying still is making Steven feel nervous and worried, and so he decides what he really need to do is give himself a tour of the city. You know, without really telling anyone. He never had to in Beach City, so why should he here?

Especially when he is literally riding around a massive pink lion bareback.

He can be found in various parts of the city with a ukulele strapped to his back, and some kind of map he has probably picked up from a gas station. Unfortunately he has no idea how to read it, and despite spending quite a bit of time discussing it with Lion, his mount appears to have few answers for the boy.

[AUTOBOT CENTRAL: THE SMALLEST HUMAN EVER]

It doesn't take long for someone to let the fact slip that CONDOR is also hosting a selection of giant robots, and once Steven knows about it, it is impossible to stop him. It takes some doing to beg and nag the information out of people, but eventually someone caves and escorts him there, if only to make him stop asking.

Steven sneaks into the massive botcave, looking positively astonished, even before he sees any aliens. He stands somewhere near the entrance, gawking shamelessly.

"Whoaaa..."

Comments

on the town/lion

[hellacold]

Jon is walking Ghost, in that Jon is walking next to Ghost, who more or less goes where he wants. Where he wants to go is currently, towards the magical lion, who he sniffs curiously. Jon follows along behind him, giving Steven and Lion a faint, apologetic smile.

[tigermillionaire]

Lion stared at Ghost blankly for a few moments of he gets sniffed, and then very lackadaisically raises a massive paw to bap at the dog's face. This is enough to get Steven's attention.

"Oh my gosh, that is a big dog!" he gasps, practically climbing up onto Lion's head to get a better look.

[hellacold]

Ghost backs away, faintly offended. Jon raises his eyebrows.

"That's a big cat."

[tigermillionaire]

"His name is Lion, and he's...a lion!" Steven beams, rolling around in the beast's mane. Lion seems totally unbothered by this. "He's my best friend! What's your name?"

[hellacold]

"Jon Stark. This is Ghost." he inclines his head in Ghost's direction, who moves slightly forward. He doesn't appreciate being bapped by strangers but his magic wolf instincts are telling him this lion is all right. "What's yours?"

[tigermillionaire]

Lion keeps passively staring at Ghost, hardly acknowledging the dog's presence passed that initial bap. He does notice that Steven doesn't seem to be going anywhere, though, and decides to flop onto his belly and sleep.

The movement sends Steven rolling right off of Lion's head, plopping down gently at Jon's feet.

"Oof," he says, and then laughs, looking up at him. "I'm Steven Universe! I'm a member of the Crystal Gems."

That last part sounds like it needs to be written in some kind of flowing cursive.

[hellacold]

That sounds pretty familiar. Jon assumes from the magic pink lion that this is a superhero team and not some kind of west coast band.

"I think I've heard of them," he says. "Are you hee on a mission?"

[tigermillionaire]

Steven finds it extremely complimentary that Jon would assume he is in LA on important business, and it's hard for him to admit that that is not really the face. He screws up his face indecisively, trying to figure out how he can not sound like a loser.

"Well...not exactly..." Being babysat is so not badass. "I mean...there's no specific mission...yet." Ah, there he goes. He leans back, looking more confident. "I'm here for precautionary reasons, of course!"

[hellacold]

Jon was kind of assuming a crystal-themed supergroup would be here to check out LA's recent crystal problems. He's a little surprised to hear that isn't the case.

"You guys know about the crystals," he says uncertainly. "The ones they found at the sinkholes, and the warehouse where they found Swansong."

[tigermillionaire]

Steven blinks, staring up at him.

"The what?"

[hellacold]

That is not promising. Jon furrows his brow.

"They found extraterrestrial crystals at the sinkhole where some of Alpha Force disappeared," he says slowly. "And again at the sinkhole by the Fowler Museum. Later on they turned into crystal animals. Here--"

He unzips his messenger bag to show Steven a large crystal bird like a raven or a crow with a crested forehead, nestled around some old t-shirts. The bird tries to burrow under the shirts, so Jon closes the bag.

"A few weeks ago a former vigilante turned LA County into a musical theater production. Some kids recovered her at a warehouse covered in crystals like the ones at the sinkholes."

[tigermillionaire]

Steven is listening, but he gets seriously distracted by that crystal bird. Even after Jon has closed the bag, he is leaning over and trying to see inside.

"Whoa...they're so cool! Hello Ms Bird!" He looks up at Jon, dazzled. "Are they nice animals?"

[hellacold]

Jon's a little bit thrown by this form of address--he had always thought of the bird as male, but he supposes Steven is the crystal expert. He's not 100% sure he remembers exactly what the Crystal Gems do, but he's pretty sure they're called that for a reason.

"He is--she is," he blinks, correcting himself. "He's--she's shy. Her name is Ice. She doesn't like to be left alone."

He shakes his head as though it will somehow help him to adjust his cognitive schema for his bird.

"Some of them are vicious. They're all different. Some of them attacked my friends when I was gone."

[tigermillionaire]

Steven actually has no idea what sex the bird is, but most Gems he knows of use female pronouns, and his present assumption is that this bird is something similar. Jon's explanation causes Steven to take on a more contemplative expression.

"Hmm. Do any of them have a gem piece in them like this?" He lifts his shirt to show off his own gem.

[hellacold]

Jon frowns, and Ghost wanders a few feet away, bored now that the lion is asleep.

"The animals were solid crystal," he says. "They did hatch from smaller crystal pieces. We found them at the sinkhole. I didn't see the warehouse."

Swansong did have a fair amount of crystals on her costume when she was with Nightforce, but he's pretty sure they weren't responsible for whatever had happened there. Were they? Were they even real crystals? Sansa might know.

[tigermillionaire]

"Hmmm." Steven strokes his chin, thinking about that for a long few moments, which sort of conceals the fact that he doesn't actually know anything about what Jon is referring to. He still assumes its related, though.

"Well, sometimes gems get corrupted, and turn into big monsters, and then we have to go capture them so they don't hurt anybody! But your bird seems really nice." He says despite not really interacting with it, but whatever. "Maybe they are some kind of different gem creature I don't know about." His face falls. "I wish I could ask the the other Gems."

[hellacold]

Jon raises his eyebrows.

"They aren't here?"

[tigermillionaire]

Steven is quite caught off guard. He immediately looks really insecure about that question.

"...No," he admits, slowly. "It's...just me."

[hellacold]

"Oh," says Jon. He didn't mean to make Steven feel bad and now he feels kind of bad himself. It takes him a little while to think of something helpful to say. "Sorry."

[tigermillionaire]

"It's okay," Steven says, fidgeting with his hands a little as he stares down at them. "The other gems had to go do something really important, so...they said I should stay here until they come back."