Dark with Enlightened Intentions (Steven Universe

Arsen would turn around when he heard the door entrance bells, noticing Alena as she walked in. Alena.. She was probably just waiting to rub the lack of business in the shop in his face, but.. at this point, he had given up trying to defend or justify himself. Completely.

"Business is.. It sucks." Arsen sighs, defeated and putting a hand over his face. "You're looking at the only employee here. The boss. Everyone's gone. Everyone. And I don't have an excuse this time. It's all me."

Arsen was about to continue beating himself up, until another commotion in the storage room made him turn his head. "..I don't know what the hell that is, but.." Arsen blinked. Those barks. He remembered them. Didn't they come from..

Oh, no.

"Alena, you need to leave." Arsen looked at her-- not with anger or a grudge, but with urgency. However, knowing him, it was going to be mistaken as the former anyways. He made tons of mistakes today and the days before, but now, he was not going to screw this up for himself and all others involved. "Now."

~

Onyx bitterly wiped away the tears streaming down her face as she ran further and further away from the town, having no business being there anymore. She failed her mission. No, not even. More than that-- she failed Pyrite. She failed Pyrite and there was no way to make up for it. She was gone. By herself. She had to accept that and move on, in order to do what she came here to do..

She kept on telling herself things such as this as she ran, eventually tripping on a sturdy rock in her path and rolling abruptly onto the ground.. and she couldn't even push herself to get up. Her tears fell to the ground below as she cried silently to herself, managing to pick her head up and look ahead of her at the path she had yet to proceed on.. But there was still no sight of..

..Pyrite?

Onyx blinked in surprise as she saw the gem simply sitting there, at the very plains they met-- her pod was there, so she knew for sure. "Pyrite, is that.. you?" She asked, though mostly to herself. She couldn't believe it. It had to be a cruel joke. Suddenly finding power in her body to go just a little bit further, she picked herself back up on both legs and ran ahead, towards her partner. For the first time in a while, a hopeful smile came right back to her face. Pyrite didn't see her (yet), but Onyx could see her. It had just been one day, but for Onyx, it felt like an eternity since she'd seen her friend. Now, she got her wish-- when she least expected it, too.
 
Alena blinked. This didn't sound like normal Arsen... but considering the state he was in right now..., "Arsen... look. I know you wanna be alone and wallow in your self pity. You fucked up. So how's about you be an adult and fucking stop acting like a child about this--"

Another loud, banging noise, and the sound of something, like a shelf, falling over. Immediately after it ran out, claws scrapping across the linoleum tile. It looked up, an eyeless gem gleaming in Arsen's direction... and it turned towards Alena, barking.

"What--"

The creature charged towards her.

Alena only had a moment to react. She dodged out of the path of the creature, gripping the counter with white knuckles.

Unfaltering in where it was running, it effortlessly shattered the already damaged window and leaped out of it. It ran away from the shop until it became a grey speck in the distance, howling faintly.

Alena stared at Arsen with wide eyes. She never let go of the counter, "What the fuck was that."

--

It was like the world around Pyrite didn't exist, at least for a little while. She spent countless moments like this, gazing into nothing with only her thoughts to keep her company.

It was real funny how she was so concerned about others fooling her, when she only fooled herself here. It wasn't her time anymore, the cowboys she'd bonded to and made her new identity on were... gone. All gone. That time seemed to last forever, but it ended so quickly. She didn't belong anywhere, not with humans, never with her own kind...

She got up. Might as well have a last look at this town before she left-- for good this time. She promised herself she wouldn't go and turn her back again, or get 'lost'. Not even if... Onyx was coming towards her? Pyrite rubbed her eyes, certain she was hallucinating. She... she came back! Pyrite found herself grinning, her legs moved on their own towards Onyx. She wanted to run-- she stopped herself, frowning and remembering why she had to leave.

"Don't get any closer!" Pyrite swallowed, "I... I don't want to see you anymore!" she yelled, voice cracking, "Th-that's why I left!" She held her hat down. If she didn't look at Onyx, it might be a little easier, "Ah'm sorry, Onyx... You can't be stuck with me." Pyrite mumbled to herself, her tone heartbroken.
 
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Arsen's face grimaced. Alena didn't listen; she wasn't listening. Why did he expect this? Maybe because she was so insistent on believing there was something wrong with him (and there was), but that wasn't the point right now. "Alena, would you please shut the hell up and get outta here before--"

Arsen flinched the moment the sound of a shelf collapsing reverberated, then hit the deck away from the counter the next moment when the creature bashed through the door, jumped in the path of Alena, who was lucky enough to react accordingly and get away, and then shattered through the damaged window to escape.

In all of that time, Arsen was lying on his side, looking up at Alena in a half-defeated, half-deadpan manner. "The unfortunate result of swamp gas inhalation." He replied with a sarcastic statement. "What the shit did you think I told you about the other day..? About the creature that sure as hell didn't look like an animal.. The one that.." Arsen sighed. He didn't even believe his own truth anymore. Pyrite clearly had her reasons. "The one that Onyx and Pyrite was trying to fend off."

~

Onyx could feel the existence of everything she knew and loved regaining their color, their life, the moment she finally found her in what seemed like a chance event.

Whatever it was she did, Onyx forgave her! And whatever it was Onyx may have done, maybe Pyrite can forgive her as well! They can pretend nothing ever happened, maybe try and get a new job again, and start anew! It wasn't over, they could still do this! She may have been seeing things for a moment, but she could have sworn that Pyrite was smiling as she approached, even coming closer..

And then, she told her not to move another step, at which point Onyx froze right where she was. "..Pyrite?" She said in confusion, and rekindled sadness. When she told her she didn't want to see her, she didn't want to believe it. It was a lie; it had to be. She just wanted to believe Onyx was better off without her. "..No, Pyrite, I.." She swallowed whatever possible tears she had left, instead replacing it with a bright smile. "I quit the job! It wasn't working out! What happened was a long story, but.. The work environment was too oppressive." She pouted a bit. "One jerk too many. But what I'm saying is, forget it! We can find a new job and earn value there!" She approached Pyrite inch by inch, getting closer and closer. "We can help each other! You help me, and I help you! You're the first gem I've met here, and it'd be a shame if we don't get to work together again! Right?" Onyx's smile seemed to look more and more forced, as if failing to hide her sadness. "Let's do our best this time! Okay?"
 
"It's clearly some kind of fucking animal." Alena slowly let go of the counter, picking up the phone that she'd dropped on the ground-- fuck. The screen was badly cracked, "Like... A wolf or a coyote, and some asshole went and put some dumb gem on its face. I'd be pretty pissed too if someone went and put shit on my face." That was Alena's explanation for whatever it was. Sure, it startled her, but there was always some logical explanation.

"... Fuck. Come on, work..." She mumbled, the touch-screen unresponsive, "You have a phone, here, right? I wanna call animal control, so they can, you know, get this thing under control. And maybe stop breaking windows." She looked at the damage, "... I guess we didn't do any better in stopping that thing. Didn't you say that Pyrite let it happen or something?"

--

Pyrite was forced to look at Onyx after hearing her heartbroken voice... Seeing her force a smile was worse. 'Work environment too oppressive'? She had a good hunch about who caused that. She furrowed her brow. If that Arsen guy was here right now, boy, would she give him a piece of her mind... But she was the one who left Onyx in that situation, "Onyx ah'm... I'm sorry. I should have never left you alone w' that bully of'a human. But don't ya' see? I ain't any good fer ya either! Th' reason why we went an' both lost our jobs is my fault!" Pyrite put her hand on her chest, "A-ah'm sorry, Onyx. Ah went an' fooled ya' int' thinkin' ah'm a far better gem than ah' really am. It's..." She sighed, "It's better if we... if we were t' be apart. So that's why..."

Pyrite peered into the background, suddenly noticing something that was rapidly coming closer to them from the town. It wasn't a human, but it appeared... grey... and animal like... Oh no, "Onyx, you have to--" It was extremely close, and in her panic she couldn't find the right words, "You have to GO! " Pyrite lunged forward, pushing Onyx down, right when the creature was pouncing up.

Its jaws clenched on Pyrite's arm. She grit her teeth at the pain, but knew that she'd poofed from worse, "Onyx, y--" She winced as it bit harder, "You have to get away! I-I'll try and distract this thing for as long as I can! F-find some other place, I'll be fine! Go!"
 
"Alena.. If there's one thing about you that gets annoyingly unreasonable, it's your ability to annoyingly, unreasonably reason with things that clearly look fucked." Arsen was slowly beginning to become his old self again, though he still looked somewhat shaken up-- from the previous argument, and from what just happened. He picked himself up from the floor and propped himself against the counter.

Arsen looked up at Alena when she asked for his phone, quirking his eyebrow at her like she was crazy. "There's one on the wall, but.. what the hell do you plan on telling them when you get them on the line? That there's a wolf twice their average fucking size, without eyes and with a gem on its face, parading around town? And even if you leave out the specifics, what the fuck makes you think they'll manage to keep it under control..? That.. that thing clearly wasn't.. normal." Arsen sighed. "By now.. I stopped convincing myself of that. She was doing her damn job. And I ran her off thinking otherwise. Now she's gone." He put a hand on his face, clearly looking like he was giving up. "If that's true, we're screwed. She and Onyx were probably the only ones here who could deal with it."

~

Onyx struggled to keep her smile on her face as Pyrite tried convincing her that it was a bad idea to tag along with her to begin with her. She didn't want to hear it. At all. "No, it wasn't! Why are you so intent on putting the blame on yourself?!" Onyx's smile finally fell, slowly descending into anger and then very subtle sadness. "Where'd all this come from? You keep on saying you're not a good gem-- that I don't deserve to be around you! That's not the truth, and I can't believe you're accepting it like it is!"

She'd continue to rant at Pyrite, even when her attention focused on the creature from before running towards them, which Onyx was completely unaware of. "You are a better gem than you think you are, Pyrite! That's why.. That's why I'm--"

She stopped suddenly as she was shoved to the ground immediately, briefly getting the wind knocked out of her. When she looked up, she saw a frightening sight-- Pyrite's arm, in the rather excruciating guillotine of the gem monster's jaws, putting more force on it as she stared, getting right back up. In the back of her mind, she actually was debating leaving Pyrite to get somewhere safe, perhaps hope she'd get out fine. She'd be fine! She knew how to get out of a jam by herself, right?

..Wait. No. This wasn't right. She wouldn't let this happen. She couldn't. Pyrite may have left Onyx, but she would never leave her. Not even on her worst days.

"..Pyrite.. Do you remember what I said back at our campsite?" She asked her almost calmly, calling out her weapon from her gem and gripping it tightly, before pulling the band back as far as she could. The light forming around it began to get bigger, and bigger, and bigger, and with it, Onyx's expression got more and more fierce. "I meant it. I do what's best for the both of us. Because we're partners, aren't we?" The light was almost blinding, Onyx had to shut her one eye as it grew. "And I can't leave you behind just to keep myself safe! What kind of partner would I be?!"

She finally let go, firing the blast of light at the gem monster to get it away from Pyrite.. and the knockback it received was tremendous indeed. "What kind do you take me for?!"
 
"... Well, fuck me for trying to help." Alena said, staring at her broken phone. Maybe she could get some cash back on this thing or something...? It was like everything was conspiring to make things as fucked as possible.

"..." She sighed, leaning on the counter towards Arsen, "... You shouldn't blame yourself. Not entirely. You have to give me some credit for contributing to this clusterfuck. I just..." her hand covered her mouth for a moment, "... I didn't want her to get hurt, you know? But..." She laughed, bitterly, "I guess I went and did that anyways. And now I... I think she won't talk to me ever again." she looked at her phone, mumbling a weak, "Fuck." under her breath.

--

Pyrite struggled to get her gun out as the creature held its grip on her arm, not helped by that the arm the creature was biting into was on the same side as her gem, "Onyx! Y' need t' get away!" She could handle this beast on her own... even if she couldn't, Onyx didn't need to get hurt by her actions again.

But Onyx didn't go, "Onyx..." She trailed off at Onyx's words, letting them finally hit her. Pyrite was forced to look away, but still, she listened, "..."

What kind of gem did she take Onyx for? This was the last thing she contemplated before the blast hit the creature, hitting it so hard that they landed several feet away, whining at the pain of the hit. Its teeth scrapped against Pyrite's arm, but despite this she kept telling herself that she'd been through worse.

"... Onyx." Pyrite slowly propped herself up with her other hand, "Y'know what kind of partner I take ya' for?" She looked Onyx in the eye, stepping forward, "A better partner than I am. I'm sorry, Onyx. I should'a never left ya', not with Arsen, not by yerself. I... I shoulda' at least given' ya' th' right of given ya' a goodbye face t' face!" she looked away for a moment, "This is th' first an' last time ah'm gonna leave ya' Onyx, y' hear me? Ah'm not gonna go an' pull anymore disappearin' acts on ya' anymore." she held out her hand, showing the wound she'd gotten from the creature, "Ah promise, partner."
 
Arsen took his hand from his face, then stared up at the ceiling. Was this really it for the shop? And did Malka just flat out.. stop talking to them? Because she stopped caring? No.. He had to keep himself from having those thoughts. Malka would never give up on them, but.. He had to wonder if that only applied to Alena. It.. might not be too late for him. He was too harsh on her, and he cracked under the pressure trying to prove he was right. This was what he deserved.

Deserved..

It's been a while since he's repeated that word to himself in that context.

"We.. we both didn't want her getting hurt. That was the whole point I was trying to tell her, but I.. Like always, I acted like a dick to her. Sure, she was soft in certain places, but.. she had her reasons and I just.. ignored them." Arsen frowned deeply, pressing his back against the counter as he'd weakly pick himself back up. "At least you''ll be forgiven at some point or another, Alena. You're her sis. Me, though.. I really screwed the pooch here. I don't have a damn reason to be forgiven so easily, and not even by her. I just.." He walked away rather robotically, continuing to speak as he approached the entrance. "I want another chance. No.. I need one, but there's only one thing I can think of to get that chance." He shut his eyes and clenched his fist so tightly that blood rushed in and turned the pale skin a pinkish-red. "Damn it all.."

Suddenly, his head raised up and his eyes shot wide open, before he ran back to toss his baggy coat on the hanger and then run back frantically to the entrance, only stopping when he had it halfway open to look at Alena, taking out his cell phone and tossing it her way. "Alena, do whatever you can to talk to Malka-- text her, call her, say it's me-- whatever the hell you can think of. I'll.." He gulped subtly when he paused. "..I'll be back. I gotta do something to get this set straight, something to.. make things right." He nodded at her, his face falling slightly.. and his expression turned into one of remorse. "Tell Malka that.. I was wrong. And I'm gonna make things right again."

With that, he ran off, both of his eyes looking down to follow the creature's footsteps. His feet would slam down, one after the other, to propel himself forward as he followed the monster's lead. Arsen had a feeling that, wherever the path led, he would find the creature.. along with the gems, as well.

~

Onyx's face softened after spilling all of her feelings to Pyrite. Her anger somewhat fueled her attack on the creature, part of it from Pyrite's actions, her words, towards her, implying that she had the audacity to believe that their time together was nothing. But then, when Pyrite got up and walked over towards her, it all stopped. Her face was pure sorrow and forgiveness all at once. "Pyrite, I.." The hand that held her slingshot was plagued with trepidation, and her eyes and voice made it clear that she was fighting back tears in her eye. However, she wouldn't dare show sadness to her here, of all places. Not yet. Instead, she would give her a bright smile, grabbing her hand with her empty one and shaking it. "..You better see to it that you don't break it!" She would finally form the words she wanted to say in her head to speak to Pyrite, still smiling at her.. But even one with the slowest of reaction time would noticed that her lip was quivering. Even in the outdoors, with tons of sources of noises around them, Pyrite could still hear her whimpering a bit. Even her eye was starting to mist over, not quite tearing up..

And then, suddenly, the shorter gem would pull her close for a tight hug. She was in danger, but she didn't know what came over her at that point. All she knew at that point was that.. She needed it. They both did.
 
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"Arsen..." Alena listened to him as he went on. What worried her is that it made sense-- it's what she would do, after all. If she was in Malka's position, she'd sure as hell forgive her own sister, but tell Arsen to fuck off. But Malka wasn't her, it's why they fought in the first place, "Look, Arsen, I'm sure she'll come around, alright? This is Malka we're talking about. She'd apologize to a table for stubbing her toe. So just... hang in there, and--"

Before she could finish, a phone was thrown her way, juggling it in her hands before she got a grip on it, dropping her own in the process, "Arsen, what the fuck are you doing?" She tried to rush towards him, "Don't do anything--" Too late. He already ran off, "... really fucking stupid." Fuck.

"Arsen!" She ran out, "Arsen, come back! Where the hell are you even going?!" She chased after him, running until she had to stop for breath. Fuck. He was way gone. She felt his phone buzz, looking down to see that the caller ID was... Malka.

"Arsen I... I'm sorry, I really want to talk--"

"Hey, uh. Malka. This is Alena."

"Alena? Why do you have Arsen's phone?"

"Well... for one, mine's broken."

"Oh. I guess that's why you're using his. That explains why you weren't answering me earlier... If you want, we can still talk. And maybe tell Arsen some things for me if he's with you..."

"Uh, yeah... about Arsen." Alena said, "He's... not with me, but... it's a long story."

"... Alena." Malka spoke with some trepidation, "What happened? Is everything okay over there...?"

"Malka... " Alena paused, pinching the bridge of her nose, "... Okay, so, you know that creature he told us about earlier? It came back, and I actually saw the weird fucker this time."

"Oh my god." It flew out of Malka's mouth, "Are you okay? Is Arsen okay? H-how's the shop? And Onyx?"

"I'm fine, don't worry about me. It damaged the same window again and got out. ... Onyx wasn't there when it happened."

"I'm glad she's okay, but what about Arsen?"

"I'm getting there. Apparently Arsen's the only employee left. Something happened with Onyx, I dunno, I guess he fuckin' fired her too or something."

"... Oh." Malka sounded crestfallen.

Alena continued, "Only me and Arsen were there. He's fine." a pause, "... But..."

"But...? He's hurt, isn't he?"

"No he's not hurt. Not after we saw the creature. But now he's... he just ran off."

Malka paused, "... I should have never left. Now he's gone and--"

"I meant like he actually ran off. He ran out saying he was gonna 'make things right again', whatever the hell that means." Alena looked at the footprints, both Arsen's and the creature's, "It's like he..." a look of realization came on her face, "It's like the stupid fucker actually went after the creature." It slipped out.

"He-he's chasing after them?!" A wave of panic rushed over Malka's voice, "I'll get there as soon as I can. I-If Arsen comes back and he looks injured, call an ambulance, alright? Don't follow them yourself, I don't want you getting hurt. M-maybe call animal control if you can?" She spoke quickly.

"Malka-- Calm down. Trust me when I say I don't think I can call animal control, but--"

A beep indicated that Malka hung up. She gave up trying to call Malka again after she didn't pick up three times. Knowing Malka, she must have left her phone after she panicked, after she had to go and make Malka freak out. It was her time to fuck everything up, wasn't it? ... She called Malka's phone again, knowing that she wouldn't pick up, "Hey Malka... I forgot to mention something when you called my-- Arsen's phone. I was wrong. Arsen wanted me to tell you that he was too. He was actually worried that you wouldn't want to talk to him. Anyways, love you, sis. ... And I'm sorry."

Beep.

--

... Even a fool could tell that Onyx's smile was hiding a flood of tears, "Onyx..." Pyrite had so many things that she wanted to say to Onyx. It's okay to cry, you don't need to pretend in front of her, neither of them did. Pyrite thought Onyx was a brave gem, a stronger gem than she was... not just literally, as Onyx showed when Pyrite found herself pulled forward into Onyx's embrace. Pyrite accepted it, wrapping her arm around the other gem. It was an act of confirmation, solidifying the promise that Pyrite made.

The creature would recover soon, and they'd have to fight it off again, but for now, they had this moment. Pyrite closed her eyes, squeezing Onyx a little harder, like nothing could tear them apart. The gem on her hip began to softly glow, as did Onyx's.

Their bodies melded together into light, forming something that steadily came into being. Light sparkled around the new gem, revealing them to be dressed similarly to a wild west showgirl. They sported a fairly frilly dress that they seemed to delight in, twirling around with their legs covered in fishnet. They patted the very big feather on their head before their eyes spotted the creature slowly getting up, backing away a bit at the unfamiliar sight.

"Oh, hellooo there!" She spoke with a southern drawl, "You'll have't' forgive me, ah didn't notice y' there at first. Ain't cha just th' cutest lil' thing?" They set their hands on her knees, crouching to look at them.

The creature growled in response, barking at them.

"Yes, yes yoou are!" They cooed, before they cleared their throat, standing back up, "Anyways, ah just know you're rarin' t' get this show started."

This only elicited more barking.

"Oooh, you're wonderin' what ah'm called now, aren'tcha'? Why, jus' call me..." they patted their chin, one pair of arms crossed, "... Tiger's Eye! But ah ain't as feisty as those critters are... 'less y' want me t' be. Rawr." They formed one of their hands to be a 'paw', pretending to swipe it.

Evidently having enough, the creature gave one last bark before running forward, teeth barred.

"Oh? Y' want th' tiger side?" They giggled, "Then les' dosey-doe! Be sure t' keep up, darlin." Tiger's Eye winked. She was more than ready to get this show on the road.
 
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"Fuck, fuck, fuck, goddammit, shit.."

Arsen was cursing under his breath as he ran as fast as he could, following the trail of footsteps the creature left with pounding footsteps. He didn't know what he was doing; he didn't even have a plan to fight against the monster if it was there with the two of them. All he had was a box cutter in his pocket that he had taken with him from the store (it was his own; he would certainly get an earful from Malka if he stole from the store). Hopefully he'd be able to make a good distraction for the both of them while they take care of it.. If he wasn't already too late. But he trusted them to be able to handle the situation.

..Trusted? Yet another word he thought he'd never say. What caused his change from being so irrational? Was it something Malka said before she ran off? Something Alena said as she shunned him? Perhaps what Onyx said to him as he attempted to reason with him? It could quite possibly be the latter-- it was almost as if her speech patterns reminded him of.. Her.

No, he couldn't focus on that right now-- right now he had to help out his employees for the last time.. If they'll even accept his help.

~

...What.. happened to her?

Onyx only remembered her gem and Pyrite's beginning to glow in unison before they started to shine brightly and meld together, and then.. what next?

Wait. She seemed to be much taller than she remembered, and.. was she seeing through two eyes, too? Not only that, but she felt more lively, with an even bigger spring in her step somehow. This new feeling washed over Onyx like a new personality, as she and Pyrite seemed to speak in unison to tease the creature that seemed way less threatening now at this point.

..No, not Onyx. Not Pyrite, either. Like their new form would say, they were something else entirely: Tiger's Eye.

Right as the creature charged at them, they simply raised one leg and planted it to the ground, casually pivoting away from them as if it was an afterthought. "Whoa there, hun! Yer jus' a lil' bit too slow fer me! But hey, it don't seem like y'got two left feet.." They stopped for a moment as they heard another bark as it came towards them again, much to their pleasant surprise. "..'Specially since y'haven't been tripped up yet. Upsy-daisy!~" They took a casual hop upwards, avoiding the creature once again. They were pretty much having some fun with it before they'd get serious. They floated gracefully to the ground, while the monster seemed to aimlessly search for their target after their maneuver.. and then whipped right around when it noticed them a few feet behind it, barking in what seemed to be irritation.. at least, for a feral gem creature.

"Still got the energy to square with me, sweetie?" They brought the back of their hand to their lips to let an amused giggle slip. "Alright, y'caught my attention. I'll be havin' ya twirlin' like a whirligig by the end of this!"
 
The creature kicked dirt behind it, seeming to prepare for a big attack. They growled before rushing forward, snapping their jaws with guttural barks.

"Hold yer horses!" Tiger's Eye called out, "Ah'm not gonna keep a cute lil' mutt like you waitin' any longer, darlin'!" She reached into the gem on her side, sticking her tongue out of the corner of her mouth and a hand on her hip in concentration as she searched, "Now, it's gotta be in here somewhere, ah know Pyrite has that ol' weapon-- there we go!" she had a look of delight as she pulled out Pyrite's gold colored gun.

"One fer th' money," another arm reached into the on one of her eyes, pulling out Onyx's slingshot, "two fer th' show..." she juggled them between her four hands, before she tossed them to her upper arms and twirled them together. In a flash of light the two items combined, forming... a canon! Well, wasn't that nifty!

She hoisted the canon up, taking aim, "Three t' get ready..."

The creature ran at them, pouncing and ready to sink its jaws once it struck.

"An' four t' go!"
 
With a loud, deafening boom, the cannon fired off a round that connected directly at the creature's face, sending it flying in the opposite direction with a pained whine the whole way there.

Right behind the cannon, Tiger's Eye had two sets of hands over her forehead and the other two on her hips, watching it soar off into the distance before gravity eventually took over and sent it plummeting to the ground, the impact making the ground vibrate a bit.

"And nooooow.. Poof!" She mimicked the sound of the monster popping back into its gem, and also seemed to predict the very moment it would happen as well, since a smoke cloud appeared the moment she uttered the noise. She recalled her weapon and made a dainty little gallivant towards the place where the gem was, then swiping it up in one swift movement across the grass. "Hooooo-wee! Well, ah gotta say, ah ain't ever quite enjoyed m'self more than that in some time! You sure put up a fight, little critter, but it looks like our little rodeo's come to a close!" She turned right around, walking back towards the town. "And this time, you ain't goin' nowhere! Not while ah'm.. still in one piece..?"

Tiger's Eye stopped in her tracks as she spotted someone running towards her-- Arsen, holding his box cutter in one hand as if ready to use it to defend himself. "Onyx! Pyrite! I'm here! Don't worry, I'll distract the son of a--" He stopped with a skid, looking right at the fusion with wide eyes. It was clear that this new look scared the shit out of him. "..What the hell is this."

"You." Tiger's Eye suddenly took on another emotion that she hadn't had on her face until now-- anger. However, at that very point, her form suddenly began shaking around, as if struggling to stay together. It failed to do so, since the next moment she found herself cloaked in light before splitting into two-- Onyx and Pyrite-- and falling side by side onto the ground.
 
Anger was unnatural for such a playful fusion, to the point of where it tore them apart. Pyrite was tossed to the ground beside Onyx. Aside from the slight stumble she had from the fusion splitting apart, her furious gaze didn't tear away from Arsen, "You." She repeated, hands pushing into the earth as she got herself up.

Pyrite stomped towards him in an infuriated march, dust scattering away from her as if it were afraid of being in her presence, "Just what the hell are you doin' here?" she asked, continuing towards him, "We're sure as hell not workin' at that shop anymore, not after the way ya' went an' treated us." She stopped in front of him, "Now, if you think y' can just come here an' bully Onyx like you did before, you have another thing comin'." She glared down at him... before it seemed to soften, slightly, "Just... what dya' want from us now? Haven't ya' done enough?" She sounded defeated, wondering just what he was going to rant to them about now. Was it that they hadn't left fast enough?
 
Arsen stood there for a while, more or less confused about what he had just witnessed. He saw some sort of.. showgirl or something-- once again, in this century-- and they somehow split into the two gems he had been looking for. Why? How? Just what were these guys?! Are they-- No. No, he promised himself he wouldn't distrust them. Not now, and not anymore.

Onyx got up after falling on her rump, looking over at Arsen with a bit of a miffed expression, although not nearly as miffed as Pyrite seemed. Arsen could barely get a word in edgewise, with the very moment she asked her first question, she got into a very heated, very justified, rant. Near the end, she seemed.. tired. As if she was sick of dealing with this. Like she was used to this sort of thing.

"Listen, just.. hear me out, alright? And you can make your judgments, spit on me, or even turn me around and gimme a swift kick in the ass towards the opposite direction. You got every right to that, just as you do for being pissed." Arsen's face seemed to shift somewhat, as if he was unsure what would happen from here on in.. Yet, he still continued. He brought both hands up, as if to say he had no intentions of defending himself. "I.." He cleared his throat, trying to swallow his own pride for being incorrect. "..I'm sorry. Okay? For everything. For what I said, for what I assumed.. All of it. I mean it. I'm dead fuckin' serious." Arsen frowned deeply as he began his apology. "I'm not trying to make excuses or anything, but.. It's been a little hard for me, is all. Trusting people hasn't been my strong suit for a long time. Not after.. An incident." He sounded somewhat choked up mentioning that little tidbit, which prompted yet another throat clearing.

"That's why.. I'm asking you both to come back to work with us again." His face went serious again, although with another noticeable emotion-- remorse. "If I say anything else fucked up, starting from here on in.. I apologize if I make a mistake. I'm not a higher-up-- as much as I'll say otherwise, I'm still just a regular employee like everyone else. So just treat me like one." His hands slowly curled up into fists as he continued his apology to the both of them, and while watching him, Onyx's visible animosity towards him seemed to slowly unravel, as if she were ready to forgive him. She knew that what he had done was terrible, though it was precisely for that reason that she wanted to give him another chance.

Eventually, he dropped his hands to his sides, as if finally relaxing all of the tension he had inside of him. "And that's it. I just.. I hope you understand and we can hopefully get along this time; get to know each other better.." Arsen's face looked around a bit, finding it hard to stare Pyrite directly in the eyes now. "...Or, you guys can just leave. I won't force you to do whatever you don't wanna do, so it's up to you. I just felt like all that shit needed to be said.." He sighed penitently. "..'Cause what I said to you guys.. That cut deep. No employee-- no person-- deserves that."
 
Pyrite crossed her arms, ready to say that they were fed up with whatever insults he thinks he'd throw at them now... but she sighed. Fine. Let him get it out. Besides he... admitted that he acted like one of them Earth creatures, a jackass. That was a start. Still, she expected him to deflect the blame from himself, not admit it was his fault, to...

... say he was sorry? Pyrite blinked. He continued, explaining that it was hard for him to trust others due to... an incident. She noticed the change in his tone as he said this, making her look away. Maybe, just... maybe, she could understand where he was coming from now. But she never... well, she /has/ acted that harshly before. But only because... she didn't know who she could trust. She was afraid. She didn't want to be taken advantage of, not again. ... So that's where that Arsen guy was coming from. And did that excuse how he how he treated them? How he treated Onyx? ... Did that excuse her own actions, and how she treated her partner?

... He asked them to work at the shop again, "..." Pyrite could see the regret in his face, yet she stood unsure. She looked back at Onyx, who was dropping the previous aggression held towards him. Should they give him another chance? Did she want to? He was looking away from her as he continued to apologize, admitting that what he said was wrong. No person deserved that.

Pyrite furrowed her brow, her hand brushing against the gem on her side. She wasn't a person. Sometimes it... it was hard to accept that. The wild west days were some of the best days of her life... and the quickest. She shook her head-- just how long has she been wandering? Doing nothing because she didn't want to face that loss again?

... If it weren't for Onyx, then she'd have been long gone, willingly throwing away the first contact she'd had in years. Yet, she also thought that Onyx was the one to be hurt the most out of this whole ordeal. "... Well, Onyx?" She asked, turning to her, at least as an excuse to not have to look at Arsen. She found his expression hard to view, "What d'ya' say? Should we go an' mosey on," she glanced at the landscape beyond, "... or d'ya' wanna give this 'gettin' value' thing 'nother chance?"
 
Onyx took a moment to respond, looking right up at Pyrite. She hadn't stood back up from their unfusing, sitting back and watching as Arsen addressed how he had acted towards the two of them. True, his attitude was unforgivable, but even she could see it in his face, his mannerisms, and his eyes the last time she saw him before she ran off. He seemed unhinged. Almost desperate in a way. Not to mention, he said someone's name completely by accident. Possibly someone he knew before? Then she noticed Arsen's face turn towards her, and while the two stared at one another, it was like they were thinking the same thing-- whatever Arsen said back there, keep it a secret from Pyrite. From everyone. Don't even ask.

After a while of trading glances between the human and her partner, Onyx took a deep breath.. And then looked up at Pyrite. "That's the whole reason why we worked there, right?" Onyx smiled up at her, looking rather forgiving as usual. "I know what Mr. Monitt said and how he treated us was wrong.. But he knows that, too, doesn't he? It sounds like he learned his lesson, so.. it's all liquid underneath the connecting crossing structure, right?" She asked, finally standing up, then looking at the gem that was still in one of her hands. "Of course, that's only if you agree with me.. Right, Rite?"

"Onyx.." Arsen sighed, as if lapsing right back into annoyance, which made Onyx look right back at him in shock. He tilted his head down, shook it, and placed his hands at his sides. At this point it seemed like his apology meant jack. "I haven't given you the say-so to address me so damn formally."

Suddenly, his head raised back up again, to reveal something utterly surprising; so surprising, in fact, that it made Onyx gasp-- a small smile, an honest-to-goodness and genuine smile, plastered on his pale and chronically fatigued face. "That's Arsen to you, missy."
 
Pyrite stood patiently, awaiting her partner's response. Her poncho slightly swayed in the wind. Onyx would be the one to decide what they should do... and Pyrite told herself that, no matter what, she would respect that decision.

When Onyx spoke again, it was apparent what her choice was: They'd stay. Not without reason-- she wanted to forgive Arsen. Not even Onyx's misinterpretation of a phrase made Pyrite's irresolute face budge. She needed to see proof of his apology, otherwise, they were just words as hallow as the barrel of a gun. Hearing the tone in his voice, Pyrite whipped around to Arsen's irritated expression. She scowled-- he couldn't wait until they were at the shop to back on his word, could he? "Now look..." she pointed a finger at him, before she realized what his scolding was about. His smile was so shocking that you could have said that it was another person entirely... She matched it with a playful grin of her own, "Well then, Mr. Arsen," she raised her thumb to make her hand a finger gun, "would y' say me an' Onyx are back--"

A car honked in the distance, before skidding to a stop, blowing dust in it's wake, "ARSEN!" Malka shouted as she threw open the door, scrambling to get out, "Arsen! Are you okay?! Just what you were doing?! What were you thinking of doing, oh my god," she ran towards him, "oh my god, are..." she stopped for a moment, seeing Pyrite and Onyx standing before them, "... Is everyone okay?" She asked, softly.

"Malka, slow down, I'm sure--" Alena climbed out next, looking at Arsen, as if she were checking him, "See? He's okay!" Her voice sounded shaky, trying to reassure herself, "... Are you okay? Arsen? Malka, why'd you..." She trailed off, seeing Pyrite and Onyx, "... Oh."
 
Arsen turned as soon as he heard the honking of a car, then Malka's, and soon Alena's, voice. And just when he was about to make up with the two, as well. "Well, it definitely took you guys long enough to show up." He placed his hands on his sides, still smiling rather proudly.

He pointed to both Pyrite and Onyx, the latter of whom, despite being confused by what had occurred, was smiling away along with him. "We've made up." Arsen simply concluded. "They're both coming back with us. And don't worry about that monster-- I think they took care of it."
 
A look of relief spread across Malka's face at the news Arsen told her, "I'm so glad, Arsen!" Malka said, overjoyed, "... But is everyone else...?"

"Y'don't have t' go an' worry 'bout me, ma'm." Pyrite tipped her hat, "Jus' glad t' have gotten yer critter problem taken care of." Pyrite looked to Arsen, giving him a grin, "An' t' be back on th' job. Ah'd love t' start again as soon as possible-- a store always needs some good security, don't it?"

Malka nodded, "I'll put you and Onyx on the schedule right away!" she paused, looking at Arsen. Her smile faded slightly as she thought of the events that happened over the last few days. He made up with Pyrite and Onyx, but... she hadn't had a chance to really talk with him, "... Arsen." Malka stepped towards him, throwing her arms around him in a tight hug, "... Promise me you'll never do anything like that again."

"... Hey, uh. Hate to ruin the moment here, but," she crossed her arms, "you said Pyrite and Onyx took care of the monster? So did they... run it off or something?"

Pyrite grinned, "Ah'll tell ya' that we did even better than that." she gestured to Onyx, "You have the critter-- don't cha', Onyx?"
 
Arsen looked back at Pyrite, his smile going from lackadaisical to.. touched, it seemed. Or, at least, something resembling that. Not that he'd ever admit it. "..Yeah. Yeah, I guess it does." He simply replied to her with a nod.

It was at that point that he turned to face Malka as soon as she called his name.. and by the look on her face, he wasn't expecting anything good. "..Malka, I, um.. I realize everyone else had their due talk with me, but.. I didn't really get a chance to talk with you after.. that whole situation." He huffed, just barely being able to look her in the eyes with how much he averted his own. "I guess what I'm trying to say is.. uh.. I'm--" Arsen was quieted by a sudden hug from her, arms raised up in alarm.. and a humorously rosy face. He kind of wished this could be done in a more private setting, but this would have to do. "..Erm.." He started, cracking another wry grin. "..Yeah. I promise."

Arsen blinked and let go as he looked over at Alena, pointing out a more important matter of where the monster went. He.. wasn't too sure how to explain, but thankfully Pyrite did it for him.

Onyx smiled brightly, holding up the gem of what previously was the monster. "Yup! Here it is-- poofed and rendered unfit for calamity-causing!" She turned her head to Pyrite, using her free hand to give her a thumbs-up while winking at her. "It didn't stand a chance-- we beat it together!"

"Literally." Arsen chimed in with a cheeky remark, still unsure of what the hell he had witnessed back there. "But, uh.. that crap's for another time. My head kinda hurts as it is right now.."
 
"... Poofed?" Alena raised an eyebrow, wondering if it's just... weird terminology they were using.

"Yup!" Pyrite said, "Retreated t' its gem so it won't be botherin' y' folks no longer... In fact, we oughta tell you jus' how we got that critter taken care of!" She beamed at them, taking off her hat and not letting her grin fade for a second.

"Uh... huh." Alena said, putting her hands on her hips for a moment... before shaking her her head. Not worth it right now-- let bygones be bygones and all, "Well... it's... good you're back. Nice to know that the store won't be robbed or anything." She gave a wry smile, happy to know that everything seemed to be going back to normal... Maybe not normal, but the drama was over.

"Maybe not now. Like Arsen said." Malka said quietly, gently pulling away from him and looking over him, "All of us have been through a lot these few hours-- physically and emotionally." she said, adding, "I think it'd be best if we all got some rest, yeah? Just tell me if any of you need tomorrow or a few days."

Pyrite shrugged, "Don' bother me none t' come in tomorrow-- does it bother you some, Onyx?" she asked her partner, looking over to her, "... Speakin' of which, are y' doin' alright? Really shoulda' asked y' earlier." she said, slightly guilty, "Ah mean, ah know Malka did, but... y'think ah would-- since ah'm yer partner 'n all."

"I know there's some damage that went on at the store..." Alena said, "... I'll help clean up."

"You don't have to." Malka said, "You don't work at the store."

"I was part of what started this shitstorm." Alena said, shrugging, "So it's the least I could do. I think one of the window's broken, so we should board it up so no one decides it's a free shopping trip..."
 
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