Summary:
Very dangerous
Kiki tasted the latest Pizza. "Wow, this is pretty good." She said, swallowing the delicacy. "I think you might be ready to try out the more assorted ingredients like ham and pineapple, Boscha."
"Pineapple, really? But isn't that a fruit?" Boscha asked. "Something that sweet on one that's supposed to be savory and salty? Won't the flavors clash?"
"You'd be surprised at how things that don't look like they go together somehow manage to make a decent taste." Kiki shrugged.
"Huh…when you put it like that, I feel like this would be the perfect pizza to make for Luc-for Steven on date night." Boscha's blinked, before rolling out the dough.
"Right…how did that happen again?" Kiki had to ask. Not just because she thought Steven and Connie showed more ship energy, but because…she felt like she needed some advice.
"I honestly didn't expect it to happen either if I'm being honest." Boscha explained. "I used to be a top dog of the school and never thought about hanging around low lives … but when he showed off the raw power and constant bravery, it really clicked, you know?" The girl's face got swoony. "The confidence, the lack of caring what other people say, the way they go out of their way to prop you up….it's alluring in all the best ways."
"Yeah…I can see what you mean." That's how it was with Cherry. Their complete confidence, the fact they took no shit from anyone, they way they defended her…how could they not be attracted to that. "So…when did it start?"
"When I realized that the thought of them with anyone else made me want to go on a murder spree, so I took my chance and asked them out before anyone else could make a move."
"Ah …" Now she wondered what a nice guy like Steven saw in that. "So … can I ask your advice on-"
Ding
"We'll talk later." She sighed, walking to the door. "Hello there …" She frowned. "Kevin."
"What, can a guy just see pretty faces whenever he wants?"
"...Nooppe." Boscha walked to the back with a phone in her hand. Understandable after the last time.
"Seriously, surprised you're even showing your face around town after getting humiliated at the rave." Kiki snickered. "No one respects you or your money after you went crying home with your tail between your legs."
"Baby, why can't we just let bygones be bygones and start all over?" The creep still kept staring lecherously.
"You know, Nana's in the bathroom. Do you really want to see what happens when she gets out?" She asked the boy.
"I'm more interested in getting you in the passenger seat of my new ride." Wow, this guy had a death wish.
"And now I'm going to blatantly tell you to screw off or else." Kiki said with a glare.
"Seriously, this would be so much easier if you just respected me as the superior."
"Respect? Respect for what." The door opened again, showing off a MUCH more welcomed presence. "Respected for a spineless, dickless loser that's all talk and no action." Cherry burst in.
"Well if it isn't the perfect girl." Kevin smirked. "I'll be happy to show you I have plenty of action."
"So you want me to step on you again?" They smirked. "I'm not sure. You're already dickless, me taking away your last sack of balls might be too much.."
"Listen…"
"Then again, it's not like you're ever going to use them for anything." Cherry laughed. "So how are we doing this? Another dance off? Do you want to try and prove you at least have a single ounce of respect with that skinny body that can barely run?"
Kiki laughed as Kevin fumed. "Alright, your sarcasm is officially not cute anymore."
"Bitch, I'm adorable." Cherry snapped. "Also, sarcasm? I've been spitting nothing but truth. Ain't that right Kiki?"
"Solid truth bombs." She gave a thumbs up.
"So if you got nothing here to do other than prove just how spineless, dickless, and worthless you are, I suggest you walk out the door before I kick it out." Cherry promised. "And trust me, I will make it so painful you won't feel how sexy my leg is when I do it."
"Shocker, the jockey punk thinks with their overrated muscles rather than common sense."
"Oh, we can do something intellectual if you prefer." They smirked. "Rap off, chess match, guessing game of how much mommy and daddy never tucked you in at night?"
"How about drifting?" The asshole grinned.
"Ha, jokes on you. I can float." Cherry responded smugly.
"Wow, guess you're more brain dead then I thought." Kevin scoffed. "Outside of Gravesfield, your ride vs my ride. First one to the top of Graves hill wins."
"A chance to humiliate you in an actual competition, count me in." Cherry snarled. "I'm going to run your face all over the pavement." The man merely flipped her off as he walked out. "Well, I trust you to cheer me on, Kiki?" They gave a confident smile to her.
"Of course! I-I'm mean, yeah, sure, I'll cheer for you." She responded. "You really think your car can beat his?"
"…My what now?" That wasn't a good sign.
========================================================================
"We signed up for a contest we need a car for!?" Boscha shouted as she and Lucci stormed into the cabin."Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid! I pulled a complete Luz!"
"Hah! In your face!" Said girl shouted.
"Shut it you!" Boscha shouted. "We have serious problems!"
"Other than building a portal?" Gus asked.
"Or taming the Centipeetles?" Hunter questioned.
"Or stopping Moldavite." Amity brought up.
"Or keeping our jobs so that we don't starve in the human realm?" Willow rolled her eyes.
"Or having fun?" Spinel smiled.
"Or a breach in our lives that compromises the Demon Realm and gets us all dissected by the government?" … They all turned to Vee. "What, it's plausible."
"I really miss your innocence." The glasses human sighed, before turning to her. "So, what are you going on about?"
"Cherry accepted a challenge from this creep named Kevin to a drift, not knowing it was a car race." Lucci grumbled.
"Kevin." Willow, Luz, and the glasses human growled.
"Wait, Willow I get, but you two know him?" Boscha asked.
"Rich kid who does whatever he wants?" Luz asked. "At least Amber knows to respect some people in her life."
"Kevin does full blown assault and always thinks he's in the right." Glasses human grumbled. "There's no girl he's come across that he hasn't tried to get into the pants of."
"He tried to do it to Kiki and Jenny last time, but Cherry intervened and humiliated him." Boscha explained.
Amethyst looked around. "You know we could always scare him straight with a Christmas Carol."
"But who's gonna be the first ghost that warns him about the three others?" Vee asked.
"Guys, Kevin is the last person on earth that deserves the benefit of the doubt. The only reason he avoids jail is because he throws his money around." Luz groaned.
"Then why doesn't Lucci just steal it?" Willow asked. "You've gone lower before."
"I'll save that for plan b." Boscha shook her head. "This is personal. He got into my head the first time I met him and made me feel small. If I'm going to get this bastard to back off for good, I need to beat him at his own game and show him he's not in control of the situation."
"Which is why we're going to race him into the ground." Her boyfriend growled.
"How. None of us have licenses, let alone a car to use." Gus pointed out.
"The answer is simple." Lucci said. "We steal one and no one will be none the wiser."
"Not that simple dude." Amethyst answered. "The police around here get pretty picky whenever I steal something fast."
"Like I'm going to care about the police." Her crystal rolled his eyes.
"Guys, street racing is a serious offense." Luz pointed out. "If you're going to do anything, you need to be smart about it."
"We are being smart. By using an identity that doesn't exist so the cops can never track us." Boscha nodded. "Cherry already gets me and Lucci off the hook."
"There's still the matter of people reporting a stolen car. The police would be on your tail before you even get off the road." Glasses human nodded.
"Okay, then we'll use Ms Noceda's car." Lucci said.
"No." Luz growled in a dark tone that made anyone freeze. "Just…no."
"…Alright, that rules that out. " Lucci said. "I guess Cherry could ask Kiki or Jenny …"
"I think Greg has a spare car laying around somewhere." Amethyst piped up.
"…Is there any chance we can just use an iou on somebody else's car?" Lucci asked. "Because at that point I'd just rather take Kevin's money instead of race him."
"Lucci, please." Boscha pleaded. "I know facing that bastard is the last thing you want to do, but I need…WE need to show this creep we are not backing down. I don't want him to just lose, I want him to feel the burn of utter defeat and dejection for years to come.
The boy looked at her, before sighing. "Fine … fine, I'll ask him."
"Thank you Crystal, you're the best!" She kissed his face.
"I'm just glad this isn't a bet where I'm the prize for once." Her boyfriend groaned.
========================================================================
Greg focused on yet another dirty car. Cleaning trash, what irony life decided to put on him. He was focusing on this latest ride when he heard a cough from behind him, turning to see Steven accompanied by a couple of friends. "Hey there … Mr Universe."
"Steven." He instantly stopped hosing down the car, smiling. "What brings you over here?"
"You know, just walking the beach, admiring how…not terrible it is." The boy said. "I just love the beach, all the sand getting everywhere and monsters nottrying to eat you."
"It's okay to hate the beach. I know there are some days where I'm tired of looking at the same ocean everyday." Greg reassured him.
"Oh thank titan someone said it, the beach is the worrrrst!" The bulky girl with glasses let out a long breath. "Why anyone lives by it baffles me."
"The salty air's kinda nice actually." The fake Steven smiled lightly. "And the sunset is lovely for couples to watch."
"So you're going to introduce me to your friends?" Greg asked, doing his best to ignore the snake in disguise.
"Not important. What's important is …" The boy sighed. "I need to borrow your car."
Greg remembered being in this exact same position years ago with his own parents. He remembered asking in the exact same way, which could only mean Steven was going to do something he didn't want people to know about. "Alright, what's the story here?"
"At least give him that much." Fake Steven said. "It's his ride after all."
His real son groaned. "Look, there's this big jerk who insulted my girlfriend a while ago and he's back doing the same jerk shtick to someone else. Normally I'd beat him up, but apparently I'm supposed to have restraint on humans, so that's a no go."
"We challenged him to a race we didn't know included cars." The pink skinned girl with three eyes sighed.
"And the three of us are gonna beat him and get first place!" A stretchy pink arm wrapped around Steven.
"Oh..that old story." The kid definitely had Greg's younger rebellious phase. "I live in my van, but I do have an old dondai in storage.." It set him back ten thousand dollars, but he'd rather be prepared for anything. "I guess I can lend it to you guys."
"Thank you." The kid sighed.
"On one condition."
"And I'm leaving." Steven instantly turned around and began walking away.
"Lucci." The three eyed girl grabbed the boy by the collar. "Proceed with your demands."
"I don't want to demand anything, I just want one day." Greg asked. "Just one day together. You can decide what you want to do afterwards, but give me just one day."
It looked like the boy was shaking in rage he could barely contain. "Hey, are you making my friend mad!?" The pink stretchy gem shouted.
"Spinel, don't ruin this!" Three eyed girl yelled.
"...Fine… but.." Steven breathed out. "You have to say my name."
"Of course S-"
"Say that name to me anytime, and I'm cutting off all ties." The kid growled. "Use my real name. Use it, or nothing."
"... Lucifer?" He responded.
"Good. Guess you have a deal then." The boy sighed.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you Crystal!" The three eyed girl kissed his son's face.
"We better win than." Steven groaned.
"Don't worry, the three of us are gonna win this race for sure!" The pink gem shouted with excitement. "Thank you older, fatter, and hairy version of Lucci!"
"..." Greg felt a bit twitchy, but held it back. He'd finally get to spend time with his son, so that was a win.
"Why do you keep saying the three of us?" The three eyed girl asked. "It's just me and Lucci."
"... If it's just two people then I guess me and Lucci can race instead, right?"
"Guys, it's Cherry that's going to race, that's who Kevin challenged." Lucifer sighed. "Spinel, you can come along in the passenger seat, keep an eye out for cops."
"The most serious game of eye spy ever!" The lanky gem saluted. "You can count on me, Captain!"
========================================================================
Gus stood with the other kids as they cheered in excitement. "Wow … racing must be universal in terms of fun." It wasn't for him, considering the barf in his face, but it was weird there was this much fanfare for two separate events.
"It's street racing. There's a lot more at stake here for humans." Luz explained as they wiggled their way through the crowd. "There's no official track, no support team, pedestrians constantly getting in the way, and it's illegal."
"How did you get your mom to let you come to this then?" Willow asked.
"I didn't…she thinks we're all having a sleepover at the cabin right now." Luz explained. "She's actually gotten along with the palisman pretty well. A bit ironic really."
"Blegh." Emeline stuck her tongue out at Luz. It has something to do with the fact she hasn't taken any of us on a joyride and cracked us.
"...So how does this work?" Amity asked.
"Jenny's up there now, she'll give the explanation when they start." Luz explained. "You know, after they drive up."
They watched as a very futuristic looking car drove in, breaking as it spun around in a three sixty, before parking perfectly, the window sliding down as some guy grinned. "Kevin has arrived."
"... I was never that bad as the Golden Guard, right?" Hunter asked.
"No, you were a jerk, but you weren't a slimy creep." Willow answered. "Honestly, I'm more on board with the 'stealing all his money' idea. Physical possession seems to be the thing he loves the most."
"Well we always have that alternative." Luz pointed to … well, when Mr Universe offered a car … he didn't say anything about it being 'brand new'.
"Mr universe knew this was the kind of car he was going to give us … I am going to stranglehim." Cherry grumbled as she drove up.
"Honestly, I'm just surprised they managed to learn how to drive a car so fast." Amity asked.
"Mario Kart was surprisingly informative." Gus answered.
"Take em down Cherry!" Willow shouted.
"Don't worry Willow, we're gonna win!" Spinel shouted from the passenger seat.
"Wow, you felt so underconfident you got yourself a side chick. How sad." Kevin spoke.
"Spinel, it's time to play a quick game of smack the moron." Cherry told the lanky gem.
"Ooooh, my twenty-second favorite game!" Spinel stretched her arm out and hit the older teen in the face.
"Owww! Seriously!?"
"That pain you're feeling right now…that's the feeling you're going to be having everyday after I beat your butt to the ground and grind your skull into dust." Cherry threatened. "Now are you going to gawk around like a dead fish or are we actually going to be doing this?"
"I'm going to make you eat your words after I make you eat my dust." The teen growled, getting into his car.
"Alright races!" They watched as Jenny made her way to the road, in between the two cars. "First one to go down the mountain and cross the finish line wins! Racers, Start your engines!"
The motors began revving up as both people stared ahead at the road.
"So on a scale between veggie Lucci and Belos, how dangerous is this going to be?" Amity asked.
"Given the people involved and scaling down for earth physics…I say around as deadly as a grudgby march against Boscha." Luz confirmed.
"On your marks…" Jenny raised a flag in the air. "Get set …" She dropped the flag. "GO!"
The two cars instantly raced forward, with Cherry lagging behind just a tad. "See you at the finish line, lovely!"
"You won't see anything when I run over your face!" The fusion shouted.
"... Do we walk down?" Hunter asked.
"Nah, I brought binoculars." Luz handed over a few pairs. "Of course we can always plan to figure out how to rob Kevin's house while we wait."
"I'm in." Amity nodded. "Let's wait to see what happens first … you know, if there's a place to rob." True, Lucci may burn it down prematurely.
========================================================================
Cherry shifted into second gear, moving forward as they tried to get closer to Kevin. Damn it sperm donor, you couldn't give us something faster? Figure the old lazy fat human would give us something outdated, if we were using our palisman we'd smoke this bastard without a problem. "We need to catch up and catch up fast."
"Say…this is a race using these metal moving doohickeys, right?" Spinel asked as she stuck her head out of the window. "So that's the only rule? Have a car and make it their first?"
"That's what the lady with a flag told us." Cherry nodded.
"Okay; so I can do this!" Spinel twirled her head around like it was a lasso, and hurled it onto a nearby ledge, sending the car flying above Kevin's and placing them ahead.
"It seems someone likes to play dirty." Kevin said with a smirk, instantly pulling up behind them. "Kevin loves playing it rough." And began ramming them from the back.
"Oh, is that why you're so good at being a footstool!?" They shouted, trying to keep steady. "Spinel, distract them!"
"Rogger!" She threw her arm out, into Kevin's wheel. "Wheeeeee!"
"Hey, hey, hey!" Kevin began swerving in a zigzag motion. "Are you crazy!?"
"You're the one that rammed into us first, you're the one that keeps talking creepy, and you're the one who won't leave people the hell alone!" Cherry yelled at the bastard. "Where the fuck do you get off!?"
"I don't know … maybe my brother constantly taking the attention away from me as my mom and dad praise him?" He asked, sounding almost serious.
"Uh huh.." Cherry narrowed their eyes, keeping one hand on the wheel and taking a potion out in the other. "Keep talking…"
"I'm always in the shadows. Everything I do is because I want their approval, but it's never enough." Bullshit, wanting approval does notlead to assaulting people, not how this bastard is wording it. Does he really think anyone would feel sorry for him?
"Aww …" … They turned to Spinel, who looked sorry for him.
"So I act out, cause a fuss large enough and maybe they'll pay attention." The bastard continued. "Maybe, maybe I have taken it too far. We should slow down and actually talk.." Cherry slammed the car in the side. "What the-!"
"Youre saying sorry … you … have the gall…to justify your actions and try to sound sorry after what you did!?" Cherry rammed the car again. "I've seen liars before, I've seen the best bullshitters in the world…and you by far are the worst!"
"Oh come on, I spent a good thirteen minutes on-"
"CRAM IT!"
Krrreeeeee
They pinned his car to the rail as it sparked from the sheer friction. "Watch it you crazy bitch! The paint job costs more than you make in a year!"
"Oh, paint is the least of your worries." They glared, continuing to push against his car as the metal made a large groan. "You should worry less about your ride, and more about the jerk piloting it!"
"Oh like you would actually do anything, you're obsessed with me!" The creep yelled.
"Obsessed!? I want to forget every insipid brain cell draining moment of you!!"
"Oh really?! Then why are you going this far!?! I've seen it on a hundred girls before and I'm going to see it on a million more! I got in your head, and now you can't forget about me!"
"...." They felt the rage leave, flushing out of their system, staring straight at him. Cherry could see her reflection in a small mirror next to the door … the dead eyes. "You're right … I am obsessed … I spent so long holding back. For them." Wait, what?"Maybe it's time to do as I please." Cherry pushed the wheel forward, pressing further against his car. "And get rid of pricks who deserve it."
What are you planning on doing? What needs to be done. We're not supposed to do anything too crazy! We're not supposed to oppose the emperor, we're not supposed to have multiple limbs, we're not supposed to fight Homeworld, we're not supposed to be ourselves …I'm doing what you two aren't allowed to do, what you two WANT to do…what I want to do.
KrreeeeKLANK
The metal snapped, as the car went flying off the side of the cliff. "Whoa, hey, hey- Aggggggggggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhh!"
Craaaasssssssssh
Cherry looked down at the wreckage, gazing at the small flames with a smile, turning to a surprised Spinel. "... Did we win?" She asked.
"Yep. First place." We're so dead. You two didn't do this… I did. I'll take care of everything.
========================================================================
Luz stared with horror, dropping the binoculars as she gazed at the scene. "They … Cherry … I think…I think they killed Kevin."
"What!?" Most of the crowd yelled in shock.
"Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit.." Sour cream hyperventilated. "We gotta call 911!"
"So this is our cue to grab Cherry before the police come, right?" Amity whispered.
"Absolutely." Willow nodded quickly. "Sorry Jenny, we need to go check on the driver."
"Yeah …" They stared in shock with her sister, looking down at the road Cherry was driving on.
"Wait, if you're seeing Cherry…tell her thanks..for standing up for me." Kiki asked. "I didn't want them to go this far..but I appreciate it."
"Yeah no problem." Hunter nodded as he grabbed Luz, pulling her away from everyone else. "I'll try a series of teleports to get us close enough to Cherry and Spinel, then we run."
"Hurry up, I can already see police lights." Gus pointed down.
They grabbed onto Hunter, who began teleporting them down bit by bit, until they finally arrived at the spot near Cherry. "Yo guys." The fusion waved.
"Too … too much." Hunter hit the ground, flapjack snoozing on his head.
"Cherry, what were you thinking!" Luz yelled at them.
"I was thinking for myself, and concluded that my problems as well as everyone else's would be a whole lot easier if I derailed the bastard.
"There was a crash and a boom! It was like super cool fireworks!" Spinel shouted with glee.
"Not saying he didn't deserve it…like seriously, this was honestly the first plan that came to my head." Willow said. "But…wasn't it a bit too far?"
"Maybe, but I don't care. I'm not sorry." Cherry put their foot down. "That bastard was completely unapologetic. He shouted right into my face how much he enjoyed messing with people and how he would do it again! There's no sympathy for those kind of people!"
"That didn't mean you had to kill him!" Luz shouted.
"Oh please, we've killed before, and those people weren't deserving." The fusion rolled their eyes. "Like, he was just asking for it over and over. And he was just going to keep doing it over and over. Why is THAT going overboard? Why is actually doing something to that scum of the earth going over the edge?"
"Because he's just a human being! No magic, no grand schemes of genocide, just a pathetic, worthless, human!" Luz shouted.
"We thought the same thing about Odalia, and look what happened there. Spent her whole life selling out to maniacs and ruining her family's life." Cherry count "Why should species matter when the cruelty stays the same?" Cherry turned her back. "And if what I did means less people like him in the world, then all the better."
"He's not dead!" Willow shouted, pulling out Kevin from the wrecked car. "By some miracle this bastard is still alive."
"Give me a minute." Cherry muttered, before freezing. "No, we're ending this before it gets out of hand … no, I'm in the right here." They talked to themselves. "Had we gone all the way back at that first rave, we wouldn't have to do it now..come on, you were bored with it then."
"Are they arguing with themselves?" Gus asked. "Shouldn't they be defusing if that's the case?"
"I guess they must be somewhat on point." Luz sighed. "We need to get out of here before-"
"NOBODY MOVE!" They turned to see two officers, one had a taser out, another a badge. "Who's the responsible party here?"
"I am." Cherry admitted without hesitation.
"Cherry!"
"I knew what I was getting myself into. I planned for this." Cherry responded. "So…do I just hold my hands up in the air or…"
"Behind your back mister … misses …" The officer trailed off, before shaking their head. "Just put them behind your back." He began cuffing the fusion.
"We're also going to need their license and registration. Insurance can be talked about with their lawyer." The other officer spoke, looking over Kevin.
"I don't have any." Cherry admitted.
"Why are you so honest right now?" Amity questioned.
"Eh, just feel like being in an honest mood. Don't feel like denying what happened." They admitted.
"Yeah, that's not going to go as well as you think." The officer said as he escorted them to the back of the car. "Hope you have a good lawyer at least. You're looking at attempted murder here on top of the driving laws.
"Sure I am." The fusion smiled. "Go ahead home guys, I'll catch up with you by tomorrow morning." The door shut.
"... Why did that sound so ominous?" Luz asked in muted horror.
========================================================================
Lucci sat next to Boscha in the jail cell, waiting for any officer to walk by. Just shouting would draw out too much suspicion for why two kids were suddenly shouting in a jail cell. "So this is what it's like to be in prison….huh. Never been locked up before…or at least long enough to be in a cell without escaping within five seconds."
"You think Spinel is gonna get bored and break us out with a chainsaw?" Boscha asked. "She's way too clingy in my opinion."
"She's going through a lot of stuff…though honestly I'm expecting her to come in with a wrecking ball." That was the kind of fun chaos he liked about her. "Man, last night got crazy. It was like we were still a part of Cherry…but they took the steering wheel for a second. Maybe we should actually talk to Garnet about it." He said. "I never really comprehended the 'third voice' thing before and someone going wild like that is …"
"I didn't mind." His angel said. "I accepted just walking away from the creep the first time I saw him…but then he just came back and tried the same schtick on Kiki. I couldn't allow it."
"Yeah, I get that." Lucci paused. "Wait..are you actually becoming friends with a human?"
"I don't know, maybe?" Boscha shrugged. "She's the only decent conversation at work and doesn't look at me too funny when I'm confused about earth stuff. I just didn't want her to deal with that bastard alone."
"Aww, you're learning to bond with people outside of our friend group." He cooed, giving the girl a hug. "I'm proud of you."
"Yeah, yeah, just don't make a big deal out of it." She laughed as an officer walked by. "Yo, blue suit. Mind letting us out of here?"
"What the-what are you kids doing in there?" The man asked
"I dunno. One moment me and my lovely girlfriend were out and about, and the next thing we knew, some punk looking person shoved us in here." In hindsight, it was a pretty good plan. Cherry took the fall, leaving absolutely no trace or track of Lucci or Boscha involvement.
"Great, now we have a runner. Just perfect." The man took his key's out and unlocked the cell. "Sorry for the hold up. Best be on your way."
"Thank you, good sir, have a wonderful day…" They waited until they were a good enough distance away. "Moron."
"All of them." His lovely angel snickered as they made their way to the door.
"….So do you actually feel bad about almost killing the creep?" Lucci asked as they walked out of the police station.
"Not really. You?" Boscha responded.
"Not at all…more that I feel guilty for not feeling guilty." He admitted. "With Ivan and Triton, I do…but Kevin…I really can't bring myself to feel bad about it."
"It's like Belos. Some people are just really, really asking for it. Boscha sighed. "Cherry was right, we both wanted to do it."
"Then I guess nothing's wrong." He grinned as they made their way to the parking lot. "Now, which way is home from here?"
"I'll be more than happy to drive you." At that voice, they paused. Cautiously, they turned their heads to see Luz's mom glaring at them, right alongside some blonde woman.
"... I don't suppose you're here to visit an old friend?" Lucci asked hesitantly.
"Your friend Spinel gave you away." She said in a tone that left no room for jokes. "She went up to me to ask if she could use my car to break you and Boscha out of prison."
"Hey Lucci." The gem in question waved. "Wanna take another joyride around town?"
"...." This was the first time he considered being mad at Spinel. Sure with Hooty he got frustrated, but never mad. "Ah…so….lovely weather today, isn't it?"
"Has Luz been doing this?" Ms Noceda questioned. "Does she keep getting involved in dangerous, illegal things all the time in the Boiling Isles?"
"I-ah…" He needed to be careful here. One wrong word and he'd set back Luz's relationship with her mom.
"Calm down, Ms. Noceda. This isn't about your daughter, this is about them." Thankfully, that blonde woman next to her spoke up before he could say something stupid, walking up to them. "I take it you got into this situation because you either failed to understand how the laws of this world work, or chose to be ignorant of them."
Lucci blinked. "Wait, you're the other world girl Luz talked about." He realized. "How did you travel? We need a way to the Boiling Isles."
"Magic music box that turned to dust." ..He needed WAY more context than that. "I'd be happy to share my experiences, but the fact that you think you can go around doing whatever you want without consequences isn't acceptable. You need to stop."
The boy frowned at that. "Luz isn't involved in this conversation, right?"
"This is strictly about you and your girlfriend at the moment."
"Then besides her and Vee, and my friends, this entire planet can screw off." He responded bluntly. "All it does is set up rules to put pressure on people and let assholes get away with acting as they please. I'm not going to follow the laws of some corrupt system from my own world, and I'm not going to follow the ones here."
"Ah, now we're getting somewhere. You hate any form of authority because of your own past experiences giving you bad examples."
He blinked at that. "...Did you just psycho-what-it's on me?"
"I'm a psychologist, that's my job, kid." She handed him a card. "Ms. Noceda and I can handle the scheduling. I believe I'll be seeing you soon."
"Oh yeah, definitely getting the story out of you." He smirked. From one con artist to another, that was impressive.
"Good luck making me talk." She nodded. "I believe the rest is up to you."
"Yes." Ms. Noceda turned to them. "Boscha. You're doing all of the chores for the next two days, without any help. That includes all the outside one and all the cooking. I know you're a fast learner, you know how to do it right."
"Yes Ms Noceda." The girl groaned.
"As for you Lucci…I know I don't have to do anything. Your father is waiting for you outside the house.
"Right … the deal." He groaned. "See you guys tomorrow-"
"You now have to spend the whole weekend with him."
"FU-"
"Another thing. No more cursing. If I hear any of it in any shape or form, I'm leaving a bar of soap in your mouth for a week."
"Yes … Ms … Noceda …" Lucci grinded his teeth, which began to sharpen.
"... I know I'm punishing you, but the pink skin and fur … is that …"
"It happens when he stresses too much. His powers get more volatile the more emotional he is." Boscha explained.
"I see…so he's been holding that in the entire time." The blond lady noted.
"Apparently according to one sleep deprived week … I'm a walking nuke to Luz." He gave a grin, reaching for a street lamp as a stress ball. "But I can hold it in-"
A single squeeze popped the object hard enough to send it rocketing into the sky. "...Next week, earliest schedule you have." Luz's mom turned to the blonde woman.
"I'm on it." She nodded.