The Search
He came to again for the third time. He still hurt. Something told him that he should move. He needed to run away. But he couldn’t. He groaned, letting his head fall back to the ground.
The grassy cage he was caught in was loose. He could easily get free if he wanted to.
But sleep sounded good right now, too.
He let himself drift off into another dreamless sleep.
The shop of Fish Stew Pizza was moderately warm, the smells of pizza sauce, cheese, and cooking bread filling the air (along with what Doug thought was salmon). It was still dark outside, the moon having just finally come up over the sea and filling the night with a silvery glow. It was a half-moon tonight, so the light wasn’t much, but it was still better than nothing.
The dragons had finally, finally decided to leave, taking a bunch of assorted foods and materials with them (why did they always take wood? Did gems eat wood?). The flock flew back out to sea, back from whence they came, and people were starting to get to their feet. Doug could hear names being shouted into the night, along with “I’m fine”s and “I’m right here!”s and “Over here”s. No name was repeated more than five times.
Priyanka was finishing up wrapping her patient’s leg, having put a temporary splint on it, and had washed away the blood. He was out cold, having been barely conscious when he came into the building about an hour before, and dozed almost peacefully as the doctor finished her task. She sighed in relief, taking her gloves off and standing.
“He should be okay now,” she murmured, mostly to herself. She then turned to Doug, giving him a firm (but not unloving) look. “I’m going to go clean up. I’ll be back in a minute. Could you let this man’s family know he’s alright? They’re standing outside.”
Doug turned his head to look out the window. Sure enough, there were three people watching them through the glass, all with scared yet hopeful eyes. “Sure,” he replied, not looking at the doctor as he stood up.
Only a few steps brought him to the door. It opened easily, bringing the sulfur and smoke to his nose as soon as the seal was broken. One might think he’d gag, but that was the thing; he was used to it by now. Pretty much everyone was at this point.
“Well?” A taller woman with medium-dark skin and blue eyes asked. Her accent seemed to suggest one of the many tribes of Native Americans, though it was one he didn’t recognize. She crossed her arms nervously. “Will he be okay?”
The rest of her family wore similar looks of hope and curiosity.
Doug nodded. “He’ll be fine. Dr. Maheswaran can’t officially diagnose him without proper equipment, but she believes he only burned himself, along with the cut of what appears to be a human weapon. Do you know what weapon he typically wields?”
The woman nodded. “A sword.”
“Then there it is. He accidentally got himself with the sword. The doc put a splint on him and got his leg all wrapped up, after disinfecting the wound, of course, though we suggest taking him to the hospital just to be sure.”
She and her family all breathed sighs of relief. “Thank you.”
Doug nodded. “You’re welcome. Would you like to come see him? He’s free to go if you can help carry him.” Doug gestured an arm inside, and the family of three gratefully took the offering, heading inside next to their fallen loved one. The woman, who appeared to be the head of the family, began shaking the patient awake, speaking softly to him.
By now, Priyanka was done in the bathroom. She came back down from the hallway off to the right of the main dining area, holding her posture high and surveying the scene in front of her. Doug could see her smile from a mile away- she was pretty bad at hiding how happy she usually was once someone under her care was taken care of. She made a beeline for Doug, placing a hand on his shoulder as the two watched the family reunion together.
She was the first to speak. “So I saw Connie out and about last night,” she declared disapprovingly.
Doug sighed. “So did I. I told her to get somewhere safe, then as soon as I turn around, she was helping a guy get into Fish Stew Pizza since he couldn’t carry himself.”
Priyanka looked to her husband in surprise. “Connie brought him here?”
Doug nodded. “She did.” He shook his head fondly. “Once she wants to do something, it’s pretty hard to stop her.”
Priyanka hummed in agreement. “It’s going to get her seriously hurt one of these days,” she commented.
“That’s true,” Doug replied. “Be a real shame if she suddenly knew how to defend herself so we’d stop worrying about her.”
Priyanka blinked, not sure she heard her husband right, before shooting him a quizzical look. “Say that again?”
Doug dropped the sarcasm, looking to Priyanka with undisguised worry. “Let’s take this somewhere else.” He glanced back at the family, who was now attempting to get the patient to stand.
Priyanka got the hint. She gave a singular nod and followed Doug outside.
The two walked down the boardwalk together, each surveying the damage. Buildings were on fire, and smoke plumed up in the sky, but in a few minutes, all fires would be put out. The people here were proficient like that. Some buildings lay in shambles, though it looks like most structures tonight were left alone. Funland was the heaviest-hit, the Ferris wheel somehow being the only thing untouched from what Doug could see from here.
The stars were blocked out entirely, except for along the horizon line and a singular break in the clouds directly above, where a familiar constellation everyone except Doug seemed to know gleamed down on them from above.
Priyanka followed his gaze, the look on her face indicating that she was searching for words. After a few seconds, she turned her head towards him, their brown eyes meeting. “So, you were saying about Connie?”
Doug shoved his hands in his pockets. “Yeah. Connie is an amazing young woman, Pri. She’s growing up to be smart, resourceful, and aware of what’s going on around her. All of that seems great, except the fact that she keeps using this to get close to corrupted gems and putting herself in danger.”
Priyanka made a noise of agreement, but remained quiet, allowing Doug to finish.
He looked up. “Connie’s determination is going to get her hurt or worse at this rate, and no matter how much we try to contain it, she’s going to continue doing what she wants to, what she’s passionate about. And if she wants to study these things, then that’s what she’s going to continue doing.” He looked Pri in the eyes, coming to a halt beside her. “It’s no secret that she wants to fight with us, nor that she genuinely enjoys being around these gem monsters. She also wanted to do everything she could for that Universe boy a few years back, even though she barely knew him. She’s only going to keep throwing herself in danger, and I don’t think there’s anything we can do to really stop her.”
Priyanka’s face turned to one of hurt realization before she looked away. “I know. She’s strong, Doug, stronger than we could ever hope to be.”
“I know. That’s why we need to get her into Pearl’s combat class.”
The doctor’s eyes went from hurt to alarmed in the flick of a switch. “Absolutely not! We need to keep her away from the fight. If you were talking about moving away, o-or getting her a job somewhere else that would keep her busy, then I’m all ears! But she’s not some monster-hunting hooligan!”
“No one said she was,” Doug agreed. “I’m saying that if she’s going to keep throwing herself into danger, then she should at least know what to do when worst comes to worst. Otherwise, she will get hurt or worse. I’m not sure how she’s made it so far without sustaining any real injuries.”
Priyanka dug for something to say back, but came up with nothing. She sighed in defeat. “I know. I just don’t want her to- you know. I worry about her.”
“So do I. But if we want to protect her, that means teaching her how to protect herself. She’s gonna be on her own one of these days, and we’re not going to be there to set rules. You know that.”
“I do. It’s just… hard to accept.”
“That’s why we have to.”
Priyanka sighed in defeat. “Okay. But she’ll be enrolling younger than the other teenagers in that class. Most of them are seventeen or older.”
“She can handle it.” Doug gave her a gentle yet confident smile. “Connie can do this, and she will. Besides, no one said she had to pass the class, only enroll in it. She’s going to fling herself into learning everything, you and I both know that, so even if she gets all Fs, we know she at least learned a few things.”
The doctor laughed. “There is no way she’s getting Fs, Douglas.”
“Exactly,” Doug grinned back.
Priyanka let out a puff of air, looking around for any last-minute reasons on why her little girl shouldn’t put herself on the front lines, but she came up with nothing. “Fine. If you think she needs this…”
Doug nodded. “I know she does. She’ll thank us, just you watch.”
The ghost of a smile crossed Priyanka’s lips as she imagined it. “I suppose. Though…” She looked up, her brows coming together in concern once again. “I don’t see her anywhere.”
Doug’s expression lifted in surprise that he realized that, too. He scanned the nearby streets and alleys, but also saw nothing. “Strange. There’s no way she actually listened to us earlier. So where…?”
Priyanka was already digging out her cell phone to call her. “Well, she can’t have gone far. We’ll find her.” She brought the device up to her ear, and the couple waited in silence as the first few rings came through without an answer.
The darkness amplified as Connie ducked around tree branches, the many leaves above her blotting out what little light the moon shed. Her eyes had long since adjusted to the dark, but it was still hard to see anything. She’d pulled out her phone’s flashlight, illuminating the way as she ran along. Her foot still managed to trip over bushes and roots though, no matter how much she continued to scan and make sure her way was clear.
The Night Snatcher had been shot from the sky near Funland, and so that’s where Connie was headed. She took the long way around town, through the woods, knowing that if she bumped into her parents again tonight, she would not be able to get to the dragon until morning. And by the time morning rolled around, any number of things could have happened to it.
It was better if she went immediately. She still had a few hours before daylight, it being the middle of summertime right now, and just needed to get to Funland quickly.
She had mapped the trajectory in her head. According to her rough guesstimate, the Night Snatcher would have gone down right around the Ferris Wheel, when viewed from the lighthouse hill. Connie supposed she had about a mile’s worth of grey area around that on both sides, plus a mile- maybe a mile and a half- in the crash zone itself. Plus, she had no way of knowing how far into the woods it went. It was too dark to see any clear trail. It was a daunting task, and she could begin tackling it as soon as she arrived near Funland.
She was almost there. Through a break in the tall trees, she could see the hill, and bits and pieces of buildings. Funland was about 10 more minutes in the direction she was heading, so she turned and started traversing deeper into the trees. This way, she’d be in the crash zone in about 15, maybe 20 minutes tops.
A twig snapped beneath her foot, then multiple at the same time on her next step, the wood breaking under her weight. Connie froze, aiming her light down. Beneath her, a whole flattened bush’s worth of broken branches flayed across her path. Moving the light up, Connie surveyed the rest of the area in more detail.
Of course! A break in the trees. She wasn’t standing in a clearing, and the breaks had been so much smaller before. This opening was wide and long.
Shifting the light along in the direction of the length, Connie noted immediately that trees were forcefully knocked over. Spikes of wood stuck up from fallen trees, part of their trunks still attached. The splintered wood stuck up like ominous warnings from the earth, rising above the multitude of broken and shredded branches littering the ground. Along the forest floor, dirt was revealed forcefully from beneath the grass, clumps of the little green fronds torn up and strewn around in random locations.
Moving the light more along that same path, she saw a hill with a round chunk missing from the top, like a boulder had shaved the top off while being catapulted.
This was a crash zone, alright.
Running now, Connie rushed up the hill. The wood protested loudly from beneath her, and the broken tree limbs threatened to tug her shoes underneath the top layer, but with a couple of well-placed steps and Connie’s sharp eye, she was able to avoid falling through completely.
She slowed down at the crest, stopping to peer over the edge. The fresh dirt felt soft, almost velvety between her fingers as her hands gripped the loose roots of the grass, betraying the tension in her form. Curiosity and excitement drove her now, however, and as she brought the light over the dip in the dirt, she gasped.
The Night Snatcher.
It was a dark magenta along most of its body, including its entire face. It had a lighter underbelly and two massive wings, the skin flayed across the bones like a bat’s. One wing was flayed behind it against the dirt pile the dragon managed to collect behind it, the other wing wrapped up to its side. It had four limbs like any other quadruped Connie had seen, though the were surprisingly short. The legs were wrapped up in ropes, just like its other features, pinned to its body. Spines poked up from the dragon’s back, and they rode along its spine all the way from its neck to its tail. It had a set of dorsal wings on its tail, probably used for steering and gliding, along with another set closer to its hips. Its neck was long, and on its head rested five main points, the two largest being on the top right and left, just above its pointy, almost elf-like ears. The other three were at the top center and on either one of its cheeks, framing its long muzzle that was undoubtedly filled with sharp teeth.
In a word, it was magnificent.
Connie’s eyes widened as she took it all in, her breathing growing lighter, but more drawn out in awe. The beast was probably three times her size, and there was no doubt about the strength it must hold in its joints. But any and all sense of fear was washed away.
The logical side of Connie began chanting that she needed to go back to town and get help. She was in way over her head with this one, and the town would be able to take care of it! She just needed to maybe weigh it down to keep it there for sure and make sure it didn’t walk off on her. But the logical side was quickly silenced by every other side of her all at once. She was not backing down now. She came out here to find a dragon and get answers, and that was exactly what she was going to do.
It was asleep. Perfect.
No doubt shining the light on it would eventually wake it up, Connie pulled her flashlight down. She shook her phone, which shut the beam off altogether. She then took a breath and slowly, deliberately, began to fully climb the hill and scale it down.
Now, Connie Maheswaran had approached dragons before. She had even gotten to pet one. She’d almost been burned or charred or even eaten by dragons before, but none of that mattered now. All other times she managed to get close had only prepared her for this meeting. All sense of fear was gone, only straight-minded facts and knowledge about how to approach a dragon, what to do, what not to do, and different things she’d picked up when reacting to them.
If it looks at you, stay loose to make it seem like you’re not a threat. Wave at it. Maybe even say hi. If it doesn’t chase you away, then you can continue to approach. Make sure the dragon knows all of your movements and has a clear way of knowing your intentions. Let it know you mean no harm. Keep a respectful distance. If the dragon wants you to come closer, it will go to you, not the other way around. If it leaves, let it.
However, everything was different now. She’d never caught a dragon asleep. This was all exciting and new.
First of all, approach. If she let the beast know she was here, that would mean waking it up, and she wasn’t very willing to find out if it was a grouchy morning bird or a drowsy one. So caution and stealth seemed to be the best approach.
She gently placed her feet down, calculating her weight and her movements with every step. This seemed to pay off, as she got within three feet of the creature, and so far, she wasn’t lunch. She sighed in relief, glad she made it this far.
Second, once the dragon knows you’re there, you have to make sure it knows you’re not a threat. Well, there was a major problem with that one. Connie realized quickly she was inexperienced here, no matter how many other dragons she’d approached in the past. They had all been awake. Awake dragons were becoming predictable and readable. Sleeping dragons were a whole new thing for her.
Should Connie wake it up? There was no telling what it would do to her if she did. No, it was better if the beast knew she was there on its own so she didn’t startle it. Startling feral creatures was never a good idea, they could breathe fire or not.
She had found the dragon. That had been her goal the entire time, and she had done it!
…Now what?
Connie brought a hand to her chin. She reeeeally should have thought this through more. She never even considered that it might be asleep. Something inside her felt that this was all off somehow, but she couldn’t put her finger on why.
There were still a few hours before daybreak. This was a relatively flat area. Maybe she could wait for it to wake up on its own? That seemed like the smartest option. The only problem with that was Connie was too tired to stay up all night waiting for it. She’d fall asleep, too.
Well, who said sleeping was a bad idea? She was just going to sleep anyway, no matter what she did. Plus, it would be better to have a clear head dealing with this thing than a drowsy one. Now she just needed to make sure she was in a spot where, if it woke up before her, it couldn’t get to her. Being breakfast for this guy wasn’t exactly on her bucket list.
She picked a spot on top of a nearby rock, which was easy to get onto from behind as it jutted out of another hill. It was flat on top and coated in moss, making it a cushiony alternative to the ground.
Inside her backpack was all sorts of survival necessities, including a sleeping bag, a canteen of water, some matches, a knife, and a thick book detailing all the edible and non-edible plants in Delmarva, along with a few other items as well. She pulled out the sleeping bag and spread it out, laying on top of it (since it was so hot) and stared up at the sky.
The sounds of the dragon’s soft breathing lulled her to rest soon enough, and she fell into a dreamless sleep.
The ringing of a bell drowned out the ringing of the phone. Priyanka looked up at it, sitting in the center of town just in front of her. It was loud. Instinctively, she brought her other hand up to her ear to block out the noise.
Dawn was approaching, and still, Connie had not answered her phone. Most of the time, it went straight to voicemail, meaning it was either dead or didn’t have a signal. Neither option sounded good right now. Doug had gone in search of Connie two hours ago, but hadn’t come back again other than to see if Connie had answered her phone yet or come back. The answer had been no both times, so out he went.
The phone was finally ringing now, but it was cut short. Was she ghosting them? Or did she just loose service again? Where was she that the signal was that spotty? Priyanka groaned, bringing the phone away from her ear once again.
As she did so, her own phone buzzed with a notification. The doctor swiped the top down to view them, the top one being a message from Doug.
DOUG ❤️: I haven’t found anything. She might be going to the hall
ME: Sounds good. Meet you there.
Priyanka sighed, hoping to whatever deity could hear her that Connie was sensible enough to head to the Hall. That’s what the bell had been for; someone called a meeting in the Town Hall, or in Beach City, the center square. People just started calling it the Hall since that’s where all meetings happened to take place. Priyanka was already there, and could see the statue of the great William Dewey, founder of Beach City, from the bench she sat on.
She didn’t need to wait long for people to get here. A lot of people already were. It was practically mandatory that a town meeting be called right after an attack. It was a good way to do a headcount, get a full scope of the damage, and touch base with the town leaders.
The Gems arrived shortly after. Priyanka could see Garnet’s large… was that an afro?- and Pearl’s short pointy hair poking up above the crowd. A third head also followed along, the multicolored dreads announcing Bismuth’s rare presence as well. She knew that Amethyst was more than likely with them, too, and noted she could see her purple physique through the legs of the crowd. The gems made for the center, the crowd parting for them as they went.
Bismuth was the town blacksmith, and her rainbow dreads could be identified from anywhere. She stood with her fellow gems, too, though at more of a distance, showing she was with them, but more out of power than they were. She was more closely aligned with the townsfolk. She had power over them, sure, but she was usually off in her forges making weapons and fixing already-existing ones, meaning she wasn’t as in-the-know as the other three.
Footsteps plodded along quickly behind the doctor. Turning, she saw Doug Maheswaran panting up to her, jogging so quickly it was borderline a run. He slowed to a stop behind her, letting out a “whoo” of air once he was able to breathe again, and placed a hand on the bench for support.
“Any sign of her yet?” Doug asked, meeting his wife’s eyes worriedly.
Priyanka shook her head, glancing at her phone sadly. “Not yet. She better pick up soon or so help me-“
“Citizens of Beach City,” a commanding voice called out. All sidebar conversations quieted as all eyes came to rest on Garnet. She stood upon a raised platform built next to Dewey’s statue, standing with the confidence only a leader could portray. “You know why we’re here. How many casualties do we have?”
A few hands raised in the air. The family for who Priyanka had helped earlier that night also volunteered someone to raise a hand in the man’s place, giving an accurate count even though he was currently not present. Scanning the crowd, Priyanka could see that several families were doing the same.
All in all, about ten hands were in the air.
“Would all who have been injured or represent a casualty come this way, please?” Pearl raised her hand, waving for the people to follow her. A portion of the crowd broke off, following the gem so they could detail what exactly happened and how bad it had been. She procured a notepad from her gem, along with a pen, planning to document everything.
Once the humans who raised their hands had split off, Garnet turned to the rest of the crowd. “Is anyone still missing?”
Priyanka raised her hand, then quickly noted that she was the only one who had done so.
Garnet looked in her direction, noting immediately who it was that had her hand raised. “Connie Maheswaran?”
The exhausted mother gave a brief but deliberate nod.
Garnet hummed in thought. “Did anyone see Connie last night?”
Both Pizza twins, Bismuth, and a few others raised their hands, along with both Maheswarans themselves.
“Did any of you see her get taken or have any idea where she could be?”
Everyone except the Maheswarans shook their heads no.
Priyanka spoke up. “Knowing her, she may be out researching the corrupted gems again.”
Garnet brought a hand up to her chin, then looked to Bismuth. “Remind me to get a team looking for her once this meeting is over.”
Bismuth gave a nod. “Sure thing.”
“Now, how many-“
“How many monsters did y’all get?” Amethyst interrupted her, jumping up on the pedestal with Garnet. The smaller gem brought her fist into her hands, grinning at the crowd.
Her energy was contagious, as the people gathered began to smile as they recounted battles they’d fought and won. Many hands went up, some with gems in their grasp, others holding up fingers counting the number of gems they’d poofed. Priyanka could see the gemstones gleaming in the moonlight and the dim light from the oncoming sunrise. They were a rainbow of prizes, with splotches of unnatural colors for that gemstone splayed on their surfaces, betraying their corrupted state. There were many, and the crowd whooped and cheered at the sheer number of enemies they’d taken on and defeated last night.
Garnet commanded to bring all gemstones forth, and all three remaining gems began to bubble them. The gem was placed in the guardian’s hands, and they would create a bubble around it. The color of the bubble told which of their leaders took care of that gem. Then, they’d touch the top of the bubble and it would vanish. According to Pearl, they were then sent off to the Temple, where they were put away and kept safe.
Thirty or more gems got bubbled, earning massive respect from the gems and meaning that the dragons were becoming less and less numerous. They couldn’t have children, and so there was a set number of corrupted gems in the world. It was only a matter of time before they had them all. The people of the world were now that much closer to being free.
Garnet stood back up on the pedestal, addressing the full crowd again. “Does anyone have anything else to say?”
There was a collective shake of heads.
Garnet touched her visor before looking back to the crowd. “Then this meeting is over. Bismuth, the Maheswaran family, come with me. Anyone else who would like to help out with the search to find Connie Maheswaran, also stay back.”
As people began to break off to go start repairing the town, the center emptied out quickly. Most people were ready to sleep the day away, or at least get a few more hours in, after such a rough night. Repairs to buildings would more than likely commence in the morning. Once the crowd had gone, it was only the Gems, the Maheswarans, a few others who wanted to assist in the search, and one other man standing in the center of town.
Pearl eyed the man with undisguised coldness. “Hello, Greg. What brings you here?”
Greg Universe was an odd one. Priyanka had only met the guy a few times, but she had always been far from impressed. He tended to keep to himself but was friendly enough. He ran a car wash, but could often be seen slacking off or sleeping outside during work hours. He didn’t seem the responsible type either, and usually gave advise that followed the lines of “if you’re in over your head, quit.” On paper, it wasn’t bad advice at all, but in Priyanka’s experience, a mindset like that could get innocent people killed.
Greg wasn’t a doctor, though, so she wasn’t too upset about it. He lead an easy lifestyle out of a van, and not everyone could live like that. She herself just didn’t think that was a very good lifestyle for anyone at all, but it was his life, not hers.
Greg took a few steps closer to the maroon gem and her companions, eyeing the paler of the four warily. “Hey, Pearl. I just thought I could help out with the search. I’ve got a bit of experience under my belt, so. Y’know.”
Pearl’s eyes narrowed, but she didn’t say anything else. Priyanka found herself not quite trusting his explanation, either. Greg was nice, but he didn’t seem like the type to volunteer for this stuff unless there was a specific reason.
Garnet touched her visor again, a tick Priyanka found her doing often. “Sure, you can head the mission,” the gem announced after a moment. “The team could use your experience.”
“Thanks, Garnet.” Greg looked over at the couple and gave them a sheepish smile. “If you don’t mind me taggin’ along, anyway.”
Doug shook his head before Priyanka could answer. “The more the merrier. Thank you, Greg.”
The other man visibly relaxed, letting out tension the doctor hadn’t even realized he’d had. Usually, she was really good at reading people, so the fact that she hadn’t noticed made her uneasy. Was it just the fact that she barely knew him, or had she not been paying attention?
Garnet looked down at Amethyst, who was still standing next to her. “Amethyst, go with them. You can search from the skies while also keeping a lookout for trouble.”
The purple gem lazily brought a hand up to her forehead in a mock salute. “Aye aye, captain.” Her form suddenly began to glow white, and after just a second, her entire body had changed shape into that of a purple barn owl. She spread her wings and flapped up to perch on Garnet’s shoulder. “Just tell me when we’re goin’.”
“If I may,” Priyanka spoke up, holding her phone above her head. “I’ve been calling Connie all night since the attack ended, and most of the time it goes straight to voicemail. She may be somewhere with low or zero phone service, which tells me she’s out in the woods somewhere.”
“Hey look! She does have brains!” Amethyst declared suddenly, pointing a wing in the doctor’s direction. “Quick, someone get ‘er a prize!”
Priyanka felt a flicker of anger in her chest at the gem, but kept her face neutral.
“Amethyst!” Pearl glared daggers at the smaller gem. “Don’t make fun. She’s giving us valuable and helpful information we can use to track Connie down.”
“I know that, P. I’m just havin’ a little bit of fun.” She scoffed. “Killjoy.”
Pearl growled at the smaller gem, opening her mouth to make some kind of snappy comeback, but was silenced by a raise of Garnet’s hand. In her palm sat one of her two gemstones, the other on her opposite palm. “That’s enough, you two. Thank you, Priyanka. The search will commence as soon as everyone is ready to go.”
There wasn’t a lot of people here, Not counting the gems, Maheswarans, or Mr. Universe, there were only two people left.
“Do you need to get everyone gathered again?” Doug asked, eyeing the bell warily.
Priyanka had to agree that their numbers were small, but she wasn’t sure how many other people would be willing to risk a good night’s sleep over finding a stranger they barely know. Not to mention, Connie didn’t have the best reputation, either, what with her always going in search of the beasts and dragging them back to town with her when they inevitably chased her.
Garnet shook her head. “No. If this were a bigger or more urgent problem, then maybe. But Connie hasn’t been taken; someone would have seen it or heard it. Therefore, she is more than likely off messing with dragons again, as Dr. Maheswaran suggested. We just may need to defend her, but other than that, she’s in no danger.”
Priyanka placed her hands on her hips, glaring with all the mistrust of a mother. “How do you know that?”
Garnet smiled, placing her hand near her visor. “Future vision.”
Ah yes. She kept forgetting Garnet had that. That was what made her the leader- she had the ability to view different timelines and futures heading forward, giving her the best idea of what choices were good and which ones would only result in disaster. It was a powerful ability to have.
The doctor relaxed, but only just. “Okay. So we just wait for the word to head out?”
Garnet nodded, giving a hum of affirmation. “In case Connie comes back, I’d like someone to remain here. Pearl, you’re on lookout duty.” The gem in question gave a quick nod, looking to her leader with purpose. “Bismuth, you start helping out with repairs where you can.” Bismuth gave a thumbs up. “Greg, you and your team decide where to focus the search. I will head into the Temple.” Garnet got down off the pedestal, heading in the direction of the hill that overlooked the town. “If anyone needs me, come to the beach house.”
The gem leaped into the air, vaulting over buildings until she landed somewhere beyond the doctor’s watchful eye.
Greg put his hands on his hips, gaining a determination Priyanka had never seen from him before. “Welp, you heard the gal,” Greg smiled. “Let’s head out! Though, Mr. and Mrs. Maheswaran, could I have a word with you two for a sec first?”
The couple looked at each other, a silent conversation carrying between them for only a second. Doug won, turning to Greg with a small, welcoming smile. “Sure, come on over here.”
Priyanka crossed her arms, watching the other man stride over. It was only when Greg was closer to them did she see the stress lines carving bags under his eyes, or the tiredness in his expression. His brows had a slight crease to them, betraying his worry, and his form was still relatively tense. In short, the man looked like he needed a good night’s rest.
“Hey, so uh, I don’t really know how to start this, but I just wanted to say I’m sorry,” Greg began. His hand came up to scratch behind his head, probably out of nervousness, and his eyes darted to look at anything but their faces. “I never took the time to get to know you guys or your daughter at all, but I know how it can feel to worry about your kid’s safety. My son used to be the same way.” Nostalgia flashed across his eyes, his mouth lifting in a smile as he recalled memories of a time long ago. He looked at the couple now, bringing his hand down to grip his opposing arm. “The gems always get into crazy stuff, and Steven was always along for the ride. It was hard, knowing he was always running into danger and I couldn’t do anything about it. So if there’s anything I can do, you let me know, kay?”
So that’s what this was about.
Priyanka had only formally met Steven twice, though she’d witnessed the kid in action several times. He had been able to create a shield out of thin air, encase himself in a solid, near-impenetrable bubble, and supposedly had spit that could heal people(?). He was all smiles and joy, but took other’s emotions and injuries very seriously. He hadn’t been that old, either, when he vanished. He’d been only 12, maybe 13. Much too young to be getting into the stuff he had been doing.
Greg understood them and wanted to help them. Priyanka felt her heart lift, her suspicions beginning to melt away. She didn’t suddenly trust his every move or come to like him, but she couldn’t deny that she was grateful for his willingness to help make sure no child was ever taken from their family again.
Doug got the same message. He reached out and took Mr. Universe’s hand, meeting his eyes. “Thank you, Greg,” he said earnestly. “We’ll let you know.”
“This means a lot to us,” Priyanka chimed in, bringing her own hand to rest on top of the pair’s.
Some cloud seemed to lift over Greg’s head, as his smile turned more genuine, turning into a grin. “Then we don’t have much time to loose.” He looked over at the other two people, waving them over, then turned back to the couple. “If you’re right, then Connie will be in the woods somewhere. Does she have a preferred spot she likes to go?”
The pair thought for a moment. She often ran off near the residential part of the town, as when she came back with a dragon in tow, it seemed to always be near someone’s house, convenient for catching on fire. She also liked to head off along the beach.
“Near the residential area or along the beach,” the doctor answered.
“She also tends to go far in,” Doug added. “She’ll probably be pretty deep back there.”
Greg nodded, bringing a hand up to his beard in thought. “Then we split up. Amethyst will be in the sky above us, so she’ll be able to keep an eye on both groups at the same time. I’ll head one team. Do one of you want to head the other?”
Priyanka raised her hand halfway. “I’ll do it.”
Greg snapped his fingers at her, forming a finger gun. “Gotcha. You wanna take the town or the beach?”
By now, the other two people and Amethyst had gathered around, too. Doug took a step forward ahead of their little circle. “I know the beach pretty well. You and I could do that.”
Priyanka hummed in agreement. “Then I’ll take my team behind the housing.”
“Sounds good.” Greg put his hands on his hips again, looking almost proudly at the group gathered before him. “Alright, y’all, here’s the plan!”
As Greg began to restate what they’d just established, Priyanka found herself wondering what else she didn’t know about this guy. She must have seriously misjudged him if she’d never expected to see him take control of something like this. She wasn’t about to organize a hangout or anything, but she found herself relaxing around him. When did he get to Beach City? Why did he stay? How did he manage to make it work with one of their protectors, a gem she’d never gotten to meet? What made him special?
She realized with a jolt that she’d never put two and two together until just now that this was Steven Universe’s father, and therefore this was the man who’d had an affair with Rose Quartz. Rose was supposedly the most powerful of the gems here, and the town leader before Garnet had been. She knew all those facts, of course, but she’d never really made it connect that the guy who’d fallen in love with what was practically a goddess could also be the dude who ran the car wash.
What a world to live in.
Once everyone else was filled in, the team split. Amethyst, still shapeshifted into a barn owl, flew up and ahead of the two groups as they began heading in different directions. The goal was to search until either 8 AM, whenever their legs got tired, or until they found Connie.
The mother could only hope her daughter had an amazing explanation for why she had gone dragon hunting in the middle of an attack.