Why don't you let yourself just be somewhere different?

[comesofar]

It could be worse. They could have broken down in the van. Greg would've been very upset if they'd broken down in the van.

The station wagon had been in the Crystal Gems' possession for decades, such an unremarkable item that even Pearl could barely remember how they'd obtained it. It had certainly seen better days, even with as little use as it got. She wished it had given out closer to Beach City, of course, but compared to some of the things she'd worked on - robots, the drill, Peridot's old ship - it was incredibly primitive.

"In fact," she murmured to herself as she peered inside the hood again, "I wouldn't be surprised if I had it fixed before Steven gets back." She'd sent him off on his own - reluctantly, but he was far older and more mature now - to get himself food. Steven was only half-Gem, after all, and his stomach had been actually rumbling. It must be quite the inconvenience, she mused as she poked around, to have to stop and consume things so often.

Comments

[beingthecreature]

Though most people would consider this the middle of nowhere, there was still someone else out this far. Creatures could be found anywhere after all, and that is exactly what Chris was here for. Oh sure, he might look odd crawling along the ground on all fours, but since when has looking odd concerned him?

"Let's see... A little bent grass here, some disturbed dirt- ah! Tracks!" Nose practically to the dirt as he went up and over a little mound, and on. "Now if I could only find... Ooh! Perfect!"

He came to a stop, glanced around, then reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of tweezers. Carefully, OHHHH so carefully, he plucked the object off the ground- a long crinkle of snake shed, an errant breeze gently buffeting the left skin.

"Nearly intact, too! This was a very healthy snake. I wonder if it's still around...?" On glancing around he happened to look toward the road, first noticing it was there through the trees in the first place, then realizing he could hear sounds of clinking and clanking. Carefully putting the shed back where he found it, he pocketed the tweezers and brushed his hands off, heading up to the road. Oh, it was a car, and in the hood...

"Hey!" Leaning a little, he waved a hand to catch her attention. "Do you need any help?"