Nostalgia has a tendency to set in on the old. As for the tremendously large man, he had been around enough to stop living on the past, though it seemed the past didn't forget about him. Obsidian trudged across the sand of Beach city, huge footprints left in the sand by large, blocky boots. Grey skies made his already pale skin look ever so ghostly, with dark eyes set in deeply into his face. His leather coat draped upon wide shoulders swayed lightly in the brisk wind, huge blocky hands tucked into the pockets of his old jean pockets as light drops of rain trickled onto his face. His expression was that of any Gem who knew the things he did, and lived as long as he had. But he was not one to dwell on the past... Beach City seemed perfectly pleasant as usual. The people here were perfectly fine with the light rain and cool air, and even though it wasn't so bumbly about, people were still perfectly fine. The ocean calmly swept the shore. The Crystal Gems in their home doing who-knows-what. It would seem rather strange, due to a fair amount of strange incidents going on over the past weeks. But the Crystal Gems were always there. Thus, Beach City could always sleep easily with its own superheroes that only they knew about. Yet, for the past few days, things were perfectly quiet. And Obsidian couldn't help but wonder....... will the peace last?
Moonstone drove slowly down the hill leading to Beach City and turned right towards the Boardwalk. It had been almost thirty years since she'd last been to the hometown of the infamous Crystal Gems, and her blue and white 1957 Chevy Bel Air was just as pristine today as it was back then. She parked by the Big Donut and made a beeline for the ice cream shop, which to her delight was still there. Ten minutes later, as she walked down the beach with a half eaten triple-scoop cone, she found herself face to... thigh... with an astonishingly large man wearing a leather jacket that must have taken several cows to make. She smiled at the oversize stranger. "Hello. Nice day for a walk, isn't it?"
Tektite walked along Beach, just thinking to himself as the Gem's coat blown about in the wind. He didn't really mind being alone, and in some cases, preferred this company other then anything else. He just traveled alone until a glimmer of something appeared to the left of him. He completely stopped dead in his tracks as his eyes focused at what appeared to be in the Big Donut.... Two gems....surviving gems.... He grunted before retaining his cool composure and headed up to the store, as the sound of the bell rung as the gunslinger walked in.
Cobalt walked up to the peak of the hill, and sighed in relief. Civilization. Ever since he reformed three days ago, he had been wandering around on an Earth different from the one he had known. "The architecture is surprisingly primitive. Human." He had no indication before of which side one, and the existence of a human settlement answered his questions. It was no gem spaceport, but it would suffice. He walked down the winding path to the town, and past a large sign, which, based on his knowledge of the human languages, read, "Beach City." Not sure how humans would react to seeing a blue skinned humanoid with a gemstone fused to his chest, he decided to shift forms to that of an unassuming Earth fauna, what the natives called a "bird" His body became solid blue light, and retreated into his gem, before bleeding back out in a new form, one capable of flight. He glided over to the roof of a nearby shop, and observed the passerby's...
The big guy looked down to see the other Gem. "Well, I'll be a son of a gun. I'll bet you're a Gem, huh? Didn't know there'd be anyone else around besides the Crystal Gems." His voice was deep, low, and resonant. There was definitely some age behind it, as well as his eyes. But his composure stated that he was ready for anything, which he was. Inside his head, he noted the era-specific attire of the other Gem, and remembered the era himself. The activity back then was off the charts, and he was part of it, active in the Civil Rights movement that reminded him of the plight of the Rebellion, back in the day. That, plus the old style Rock N' Roll that he had grown fond of, the motorcycle crews, and when Mr. Harold Smiley actually had hair. The large Gem put out his large hand for a shake. "Obsidian." He stated in a warm, friendly voice. He was one to make friends.
Moonstone's hand was dwarfed by the larger Gem's as she shook it. "Moonstone. Nice to meet you." Hearing his name confirmed what she already suspected about the man. "I'm rather surprised to see another Gem around as well. The Crystal Gems keep to themselves, from what I've heard."
Meanwhile, a slim figure watched from the rising hill with a lighthouse on top. Lepi had been traveling again, and had heard about this place before, finding it interesting that gems lived here. She had sensed them... But also others at the time. The purple gem's knee-length kimono fluttered slightly in the breeze, and her long hair ruffled. She was on the side of the cliff, using her keen eyesight to observe the others, though it was quite far, she only had a small trouble seeing. Lepi sighed, an emotionless look on her face, and debated whether or not to approach the strangers. After a few moments, she began making her way down the hill, but stopped at a distance, thinking of future possibilities both good and bad. She shrugged it off and continued.
Tektile just coldly moved into the store and looked at what the humans seemed to enjoy as food nowadays. It seemed all so...dull, so lifeless. All of the food that he had seen since he returned to the planet was just plain boring. He hadn't seen color of this variety for such a long time, that these "Donut's" seemed to disappoint him. Just a glaze, with sprinkes on some of them, where nothing really took his eye. He just sighed deeply, looking at the extensive menu. He had hoped to try at least one Earth delicacy before he left, despite the fact that he only wanted to eat for pleasure instead of plainly for the biological state that humans seemed to have.
Cobalt turned his head to see two odd people talking. One was a behemoth, only a little bit shorter than Blue Diamond herself. The other was more petite, and had pale blue skin. After realizing the gem on the blue one's hand, he realized that they were his kind. He couldn't hear their conversation, however. Deciding to eavesdrop, he used his avian form to glide in close to them. When he landed, he wanted to act as much like a bird as possible, as he wasn't sure how they'd receive another gem appearing out of nowhere. Besides, maybe he could overhear some information that they wouldn't say to his face.
The huge man chuckled. "Yeah. Me and them go way back, but we haven't really talked for a while. Been nearly fifteen years. Last thing I knew, Rose Quartz was... Well... She was certainly doing something incredible. Not sure if I can describe it fully. But she was making a hybrid. With a human. He was a cool guy, too. But frankly, I'm hoping to see them again, but they weren't at the Temple, so right now, I'm just enjoying the city. Lot's of faces have changed. It's kind of cool to see humans age." He shifted his massive frame. Of course, it wasn't just nostalgia that brought the veteran Gem here. Recent events over the months had him traveling cross-country from the western states to investigate. He thought about admitting his findings, though he did not, as he didn't quite know this Gem. Besides, perhaps she might already know some of the facts, though Obsidians extensive knowledge allowed him to make some theories, though he wasn't quite ready to share...
"A hybrid... with a human...?" Moonstone's initial confusion at the concept was quickly replaced with shock, as she realized what it implied. "But how? Human and Gem reproduction processes are completely incompatible! Unless... Well, no, she wouldn't do that. It would end her!" She shook her head in frustration. None of it made any sense. "I've never much liked how fast humans age. It doesn't seem fair that creatures so much like us have such short lives."
"A hybrid with a human? She'd have to give up her physical form to accomplish that!" Cobalt thought to himself. With the leader of the rebellion dead, that made his quest for redemption much harder. There must be another way. He took off, and observed the city from the air, trying to find anything out of the ordinary. Built into a cliff face was a massive temple, built in the shape of a four armed gem. Time had eroded the outside, but perhaps he could find something on the inside that would be of use to him. He swooped down onto the porch, and gazed in through the window. Everything looked new, and the presence of human technology confused him. However, one thing stood out, the presence of a warp pad near the back of the building. Realizing that the building was occupied, he decided against breaking in, as the occupants could warp in at any time. He took off again. "If those two gems I saw were any indication, this place must be full of others like me."
"Hybrid?" Tektile raised an eyebrow, his concentration turning to the conversation nearby. By the looks of things, these were clearly Gems. But...for what purpose were they on Earth for? Were they just like himself, travelers wondering the cosmos and taking in the sights? Or surviving Crystal Gems. Whatever the reason, he finally made his presence known to the others in the Donut Shop. "I'm clearly not alone" Tek thought to himself, before finally deciding on what "Donut" to buy.
Meanwhile, Lepi had changed her mind once more and sat at the bottom of the hill, refusing to make herself go further and think more. She was unaware of the others current conversation, but she could sense feelings that would eventually lead up to her ultimatum of a decision.
The large man nodded. "I eventually made contact with Greg, the human male. We're good friends. Rose did sacrifice herself for the hybrid, but I think she was happy to. After all, she believed all life was worth protecting, and I firmly believe that her own life was worth the creation of the hybrid... Steven. Personally, I haven't met the child yet, but all good things come to those who wait." His gaze seemed to wander into the air, even sniffing about with his nose. Understanding came to his eyes. "Now, how about we find out who these other Gems are?"
"Gems? There's another besides the gunslinger over there?" Moonstone had noticed the other Gem when he had wondered aloud about the hybrid. She motioned for him to join the conversation. "Why don't you come over and introduce yourself? It's not often I meet other Gems."
Tektile smirked, this gem clearly had good hearing. He turned himself around after looking at the menu and offered to shake hands, despite it almost being in a much more human way then expected. "Tektile, or Tek for short."
Moonstone shook his hand and introduced herself. "So... does it seem like an odd coincidence that three Gems would all suddenly decide to visit Beach City on the same day? You're obviously not from Homeworld, so... yeah. Strange."
"I left during the rebellion, the Diamonds were going to have me shattered" Tektile told Moonstone before looking at the other Gems in the room. "We just showed up in the same place on the same day, all the Gems to my knowledge on Earth in the same building....good grief."
"They left me behind when they abandoned the colony. I was alone for over fifty centuries. Any loyalty I once had is long gone." She turned to Obsidian. "What about you? What's your story?"
