Panic! at the barn
Lapis had tensed visibly, bending down slowly and picking the gem from the floor. Her expression hollow and she stared with wide eyes.
Peridot, on the other hand, shrieked, gasping and trying to see. "St-Steven?? Wh--But how'd he get in there?! Is he okay?! Lapis!" She cried, getting more worked up and worried by the moment, pawing at Lapis' hands and trying to check on 'Steven'.
Lapis pulled back. Wide eyed. "We need to save Steven." She suddenly blurted, grabbing one of Peri's hands and starting to walk off, it soon escalated into running. Poor Peridot was being dragged like an anxious mess, she babbled and tried to drum up logistics as to how and why 'Steven' was trapped.
Eventually, Lapis took off. One hand clutching the gem and Peri was lifted up into the air, the green gem shrieked and grabbed Lapis waist, not letting go as Lapis helped her adjust so she wouldn't fall. Steven's house was at least an hour away, and once they were stable in the air, Lapis figured; she try and calm Peri down.
A quiet sigh escapes the blue gem, she watches the ground below soar on by. "...Hey...you know...." She awkwardly started, "Things'll be okay. We'll get Steven home, one of the gems will help us sort this out...I'm sure Steven is fine." Her quiet, monotonous voice spoke.
Peridot listens, her chin resting on the other's shoulder as she was settled. Trying not to make make her complex battle of emotions known. 'Anxiety' was a new emotion she learned, feeling it surface in her mind and send shockwaves of fear through her.
"...and...I know it's scary...but like you said; 'You're not alone anymore.'" Lapis parroted early comforting words that Peridot had spoken. And the green gem felt a warm, agitating hue on her face.
"...W-Wow...thanks..." The green gem sighed, hugging Lapis tighter as they flew, watching the farmland shift into the sands and shores of Beach City, the temple on the horizon. Peridot's anxiety stilling, and Lapis' protective sense had still been haywire.
With a literal crash landing, had they flown through the screen of the front door and tumbled on the wooden floor boards inside the temple. Peridot again, ontop of Lapis. An awkward sight to behold at the least. New voices clouded their ears.
"Woah alright 'dot get suma that!" Amethyst snorted, lazily stretching her arms with hands behind her neck. Smiling childlike as she blew a strand of messy hair from her eye. Pearl, in turn, scowls at Amethyst's immature attitude, pushing her softly as though not to hurt her. Giggling.
Garnet grinned softly, her lips pursing into a smile. "...Hello you two." She greeted in that smooth tune, pushing up her glasses that caught the light in that 'mysterious' way, as Steven always says.
"...I-It's Steven..." Lapis huffed, scrambling to her feet and held out the gem for all to see, Peri peeked her head from behind Lapis.
Silence fell yet again as eyes landed on the pink artifact.