LOG 004 ♔ Uptight and Weird

[anelegantmyth]

| characters | Cynthia, Arno and Steven

| date/time | forwarded to 6/7 afternoon

| location | Gem Room

| rating | PG

| summary | A formal record of their first hug.



[ It would have been like any other day before Cynthia got an emergency message from Steven. Apparently the poor child had gotten his arm stuck in a crack in one of the gems and needed help getting out. Now she wasn't really sure why he'd ask her for help. Probably because Garchomp was strong and he was probably wedged in pretty good? She'll just have to find out when she arrives.

But really, shouldn't this be Arno's job? Steven IS his room mate. Not hers.]

Comments

[sirpisspot]

[I was just going to be a moment in the crystal floor, he said. It would be a quick trip he said.

Arno had a watch, it had been well over an hour. The boy is probably fine. But he is still just a boy. He can defend himself, you saw. Steven didn't say a word in the amber.

After about an hour and a half, Arno stopped and then made his decision. What if something attacked him or something? Arno actually couldn't bear the thought, he liked Steven enough to seriously look out for his wellbeing. Seek it out. He spread his wings and hastily made his way, not knowing Cynthia was on her way too.

The crystal room was too unknown to consider it safe completely after all. He arrived on the scene, actually with a bit of worry in his voice.]

Little man! Steven! Where are you?

[gempathic]

I'm over here! [ If Steven sounds really hyped up to hear him-- well, he is hyped up to hear him, so. This whole plan is sort of half accidental, half capitalizing on convenient opportunity, and that's exactly what makes it such a Steven-y design.

Maybe even kind of a Garnet-y design. Now to hope it all comes together as Garnet-ly planned. ]

I kind of... sort of got my hand stuck in a gem. That's never really happened to me before!

[sirpisspot]

[There are many ways one can take that tone, for now Arno took it as a thankful rescue gesture. He shook his head and maybe smirked a little, oh Steven. Oh kids.

At least he was still alive, good lord. He fluttered on down to his location, using sound Eagle Vision to track him through the thick crystal.

Once he was found, Arno still had the look plastered on his face. Oh Steven. Oh kids.]

Good to know you weren't in any real trouble there. Now what do we have here...?

[gempathic]

I'm a Crystal Gem. Real trouble is way different! Unless I stayed here forever and starved. But people are almost always coming in, right? [ And probably sticking their arms into cracks. Yes. Totally.

Actually... now he kind of has to wonder if other people have gotten really stuck in this situation. ]

[anelegantmyth]

Steven?

[Her voice came from the entrance of the room. Usually she'd just burst in without so much as a care in the world. But when you're five pokemon short and entering the most magic filled room in the entire tree, she needed to be careful.]

Steven? Are you in here?

[sirpisspot]

Right, right.

[Arno took a really good look at the situation here, looking at the arm in the crack? He pursed his lip, concerned in more ways than one.]

How did you even do this to begin with? So far in here too?

[He pressed his finger to his chin and tried really looking at it, gently then nudging on Steven's arm. Yeah, it was stuck. The tiny arm was stuck in the tiny crack.


Why??]

What were you even doing?

[Then he heard a voice. Oh.]

[gempathic]

Well, I used to have these healing powers? It's kind of a long story. I thought maybe if-- [ And hello interruption. Not that Steven minds. ]

Cynthia! Our backup's heeeeere! I can probably keep my arm!

[ You'd think by this age, with as much as he's done, he'd know better than to stick his arm into stuff. If it were only so. ]

[anelegantmyth]

[Well that was definitely Steven's voice, and he didn't sound hurt or dying so that's a plus. Of course, she wasn't expecting extra company when she flew down to the lower floor to check up on the boy. Really, she was planning on talking to the man eventually. Eventually, as in not today or ever. But, as much as she wanted to fly off before Arno could even get a word in, Steven needed her and she couldn't just leave him.]

What happened? And please tell me you didn't break the tree.

[sirpisspot]

[Yeah. For now, Arno wasn't touching his argument with Cynthia with a ten foot pole. Not in front of young ears, anyway. No, he had no clue that they spoke to each other about it.

His focus was on Steven, sorry. What the heck was that kid saying again? Arno shook his head.]

I wouldn't have suggested amputation anyway, Steven.

[Another small tug, and leering into the crystal crack. Seriously, Steven. Seriously.]

[gempathic]

I was just gonna try to heal this up, that's all! [ "Try" being the operative word. ] I'm pretty sure it's not more broken? It still seems really tree-ish in here. And my arm still feels arm-ish. Only I don't have the muscles to pull my arm-ish arm back out of the tree-ish tree.

... I guess I should've thought about that sooner.

[ It's all coming together. King of on-the-fly strategizing. ]

[anelegantmyth]

[So the two are ignoring each other. That works. If that's the case, she won't even bother to make eye contact with him. That's how fights work, right?

She flies over to Steven to take a much closer look at his arm. It definitely didn't call for an amputation. But she did have to wonder what would posses the boy to even think to stick his hand into a crack in the gem.]

Urgh, this all would have been so much easier if I had my Milotic. I could try and have Garchomp pull you out. But you're pretty wedged in there, so it might hurt.

[sirpisspot]

[Less "ignoring Cynthia" and more "ignoring that they had a fight right now". Mainly because Arno was still trying to grasp on why Steven thought this was a good idea.]

Not one of the brightest ideas you ever had, Steven, yes. But we can fix this, with all limbs attached.

[Then he looked to Cynthia, neutrally. Non emotionally. Not pissed or anything, just no emotion otherwise. Doing business.]

Or any other injuries.

[gempathic]

Uhhhh. I'm not so good with pain. But I guess as long as I get my arm back faster, I could handle it. You know, if we need to think about it. [ He tries wiggling his fingers a little to suss out his positioning. This is not at all like getting his arm stuck through the back of a kitchen chair that one time, probably. ]

Oh! And as long as nobody from home hears about this if they show up. I'll probably tell them anyway, but the Gems or my dad might tell me not to come back in here if they hear it from somebody else first. Which wouldn't be great, since this is probably the best part of the tree!

[anelegantmyth]

Oh sweetheart, you don't have to worry about that. This will stay between you, me and that guy over there. No one else has to know.

[She gives the boy a reassuring smile before landing on top of the gem and taking a hold of his arm. Hey, before she goes and brings her dragon into all of this. She might as well try pulling it out herself.

Stepping on the edge of the gem should be enough leverage, right? She starts pulling, and this would have actually been a good idea until she loses her footing and ends up on the floor.

Well...that make two embarrassing things that need to stay in this room.]

[sirpisspot]

[Arno also couldn't help but smile at the genuine attitude Steven had. No matter how silly he thought this all was.]

You have my word. This whole story will never leave this room.

[Arno made a side glance at Cynthia before suddenly starting to watch her try a hand at it, literally.

He was trying to not get annoyed at her for being so dismissive, mainly because he knew he also was.

He slowly blinked at Cynthia's failure, holding back his tongue from saying anything snarky. He had to try really hard not to. He wasn't an overly mean person.]

I think we have to be a little craftier than that. That arm is not going to come out like it came in.

[He surveyed the crystal, walking around Cynthia.]

...I wonder if the crystal is somewhat damaged.

[gempathic]

Thanks, guys. You're the best! [ If Amethyst is going to laugh at him for this later, it might as well be a controlled situation.

... he would have tried the same thing if someone else were stuck in a rock. Never hurts to try, Cynthia. He even does his part to help her in her efforts before she hits the ground. ]

I think so. That's what I thought when I saw the crack, anyway.

[anelegantmyth]

[Wow Arno, really? She knows they're fighting and all, but it wouldn't hurt to help the poor woman up. Rude. Really, she didn't think their fight was THAT bad.

Whatever, she sits up and rubs her head.]

Crafty...right.

[Give her a minute. Her brain may have blacked out a bit after she fell down. So simply pulling won't work. She could always have Garchomp try to enlarge the crack. But that was both dangerous a very unpredictable move. Maybe if they could find some sort of lubricant?]

If we could find something oily, it'll be easier to pull your arm out, or we could just try and break the crystal. Garchomp can use brick break.

[sirpisspot]

[It wasn't really intentional. He was annoyed, sure. But he didn't mean to leave her on the floor.

In fact, he caught himself on it, making a glance toward her just to look.

Yeah, he felt just a little bad.

Swell, Arno. You surely know how to handle your own simple pettiness. You're not a boy anymore, mon dieu.

Later, later. It was Steven time now, he really can't focus on it. But it was hard, admittedly. He was trying to be deadpan about it but it wasn't really making him good about it.

He thought some more again, honestly wanting to prioritize Steven.]

The altar may have nectar...or honey.

[gempathic]

IIIIII'd rather not break this if we can help it. It's not the gem's fault I got stuck instead of fixing it. Why destroy it for something like that? [ He gives his arm a few more casual tugs as he speaks, planting his feet on the the wall in front of him to counterbalance it, because damn if he's not going to put in a good effort to the very end. ]

Do you think water would work?

[anelegantmyth]

...fair enough, no breaking.

[She looks around the room. Next to tree, leaves and more tree, there really wasn't much to use here. Maybe if she went to the altar, she could find something there. Even better because it would mean getting away from Arno. This tension was killing her and she just needed to get away from it. Even for a little bit.]

I think honey might be a little too sticky to help. Not sure about nectar either, but we could try it or water and see how that works out.

[Cynthia gets on her feet and dusts off whatever small specks of dirts that got on her when she fell.]

I'll got to the altar and get some.