#suau reshuffled

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Sorry that I haven't been active in a while, medicinal issues that I have been dealing with for a bit now.

Anyway, I made this. This is the fusion of Steven and Oaks, also known as Stoaks.

They're designed to be like a dog with a Lizard-like or snake-like tail (which is reference to Cerburus, a three headed dog sometimes shown as having a snake tail). This shows three things, how they bonded over not being human (if only partially in Steven's case, and even that's not there any longer), the fact that they are on the very edge of what Steven can fuse with (this can literally only happen because of how magic works in Collapsedverse, as they wouldn't normally be able to), and how much Steven and Oaks want to protect the other (they are literally a Gaurd dog).

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Connie jumped at the ringing of the doorbell. Priyanka was saddened, whatever her daughter had seen, it had really shaken her. Worse, Priyanka didn't even know what to do for her daughter for this, not so soon. If the problem persists without getting better, Priyanka was going to get her daughter into therapy, but doing that too early could make things worse.

It had only been a day or two, and Connie had been getting better, if slowly. She probably wouldn't need therapy, just support, but Priyanka was pained watching her daughter struggle through this.

Priyanka got up from her chair, and walked to the door. It was early, and the sun was rising, so it is a little odd that someone was ringing their bell.

Opening the door, Priyanka was at first confused. She didn't see anyone at eye level with herself. When she looked down, thinking it might have been a package of some form, she got her answer.

A familiar short, red figure filled her vision. Ruby, if Priyanka remembered correctly. The Gem didn't seem to register that she was there.

"Hello?" Priyanka asked eloquently.

The figure at her door turned upward in slight surprise, then seemed to blink it out of their eyes.

"Um, Hi Mrs. Maheswaren! I... uh, sorry. It's been a bit of a day. How is... How is Connie doing" The red Gem stuttered as she spoke, seemingly because of stress rather than a speech impediment.

"Oh, she's getting better. Would you like to come inside?" Priyanka said, noticing now that the Gem had a different outfit on then when she last saw her.

"That would be nice, thank you..." The Gem commented sorrowfully, before trailing off when she saw Connie.

Priyanka went to the kitchen to make some tea. She wasn't sure if it would help the Gems nerves, but it sure would help hers.

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(Surprise!)

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"Mrs. Maheswaren? Yeah, It's Amethyst... Uh, we had a mission go wrong... No, not really. Not more than we already know how to fix... Connie's with us... No, No, she's not hurt. Just shaken up. She kinda needs you right now... You're coming?... Okay, see you soon... Bye"

After hanging up the phone, Amethyst turned to look at Pearl's new student. She hadn't talked too much since the ambush, so Amethyst didn't know what had happened to her before the ambush, or after everyone else got poofed.

Amethyst knew too little about the situation to begin to make inferences. That troubled her, sense it meant that she didn't have enough information to make the right call. Not that she wasn't going to try regardless.

She hated this level of waiting. Connie held most of the information she needed, but she needed to wait until she was able to give it. She needed Pearl and Garnet to use any of her plans, and while Garnet was at least decently quick, Pearl usually takes weeks if not longer.

Amethyst trained herself to reform quickly and effectively. Being able to come back in minutes without messing with the integrity of her physical form. This was something she was glad she had done, especially today. She was the leader, she couldn't afford to be out for to long.

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(Apologies for the slightly nothing chapter, I needed some filler before Priyanka gets here).

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Ruby was not having a good day, actually, she was pretty certain she hadn't ever had a worse day. Even the day she nearly got shattered by Blue Diamond was also the day she first fused with Saphire. The only thing that came close was the day Rubicelle... left.

Thinking about it, that day might have been worse than this one.

Shaking her head to get that thought out, she looked to Connie.

"So... uh... Sorry that we had to meet?" Ruby said, before immediately regretting.

Who in the world apologized for having met someone? There are very few things that could have been more insulting to say.

"Uhg! Sorry! I'm not thinking right today."

Shaking her head once again in order to put her focus back on the task at hand. She then stuck her hand out to Connie.

"Um, I'm Ruby. Nice to meet you"

Connie eyed Ruby's hand, and then grabbed it. It was a bit of an awkward hand shake, mainly because Connie was rolled into a ball, her knees against her chest.

Connie mumbled something, but then began to seem scared, pressing her face into her knees.

Ruby panicked and went up next to her, giving her a hug. Connie didn't stop her, but didn't seem to be comforted by it. Not visibly.

Ruby stopped hugging her and just sat nearby.

Then Priyanka came back into the room, holding a tea kettle and some cups.

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(Shout out to Dakota over at @nightmerghost! They pretty much single handedly saved this AU yesterday.

They have an AU of there own, the Fox Gems AU. Check it out if you're interested!)

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Connie and Steven (she still couldn't believe that that was actually his name), wandered around Beach City looking for something to do. This turned out to, in it of itself, be something to do, as Steven would ask what something is or does, and Connie would explain. Of course, Connie had questions of her own.

"So, I've been wondering?" She said, trailing off to give him the ability to agree to be questioned, or disagree if he needed.

"Yeah" said Steven.

"You're from Mycenae, right? So why are you speaking English?"

Steven looked confused.

"Are you asking why I seem to be speaking the same language you are?" He inquired, clearly asking for clarification.

"Uh, yes? What else would that mean?"

Steven seemed to calm down, she hadn't noticed how tensed he had gotten. He snickered, then he looked amused as he answered.

"Oh, well I'm half alien. The language of my mothers species just transfers meaning directly through sound. It doesn't matter what the sound actually is, it will be heard based on the intent. Sometimes, like here, being too specific in your intent can mess with things, and over translate them. I asked because the last word of your question came out as "talking of the fish hooks" and I didn't think that made any sense" Steven said, while clearly trying to stop himself from giggling too much.

Connie just burst out laughing, Steven joined along pretty immediately. The Gem language was a translation software? Well, it answered her question, if anything else. Now she was wondering how "English" got turned into "talking of the fish hooks"

She pulled out her phone and began to try and look it up. Steven pointed at her phone screen.

"What's that?"

Connie looked at him and began to explain, Steven actually cut her off.

"I know it's a phone, you explained that earlier, remember? I was wondering what you were doing with it? I understood that it was some sort of long ranged talker, but you don't seem to be talking into it"

Connie blinked, then forcefully set up a meeting between her thenar eminence and her occipitofrontalis.

"Right, a phone is a type of computer, so can do some of the same things. Currently, I am accessing the internet, which is digital storage of almost the sum total of current human knowledge"

Steven affected going wide eyed.

"That... that sounds powerful. Does everyone have access to this?"

Connie nodded, and then something occurred to her. It wasn't a new idea, she'd just been distracted. Now that they were back on the south side of town, she thought she might take Steven to the Crystal Gems.

Steven needed to be set up with what was going on on Earth, and the Crystal Gems were probably the best people for that. Plus, it was getting late, and Connie was tired. Better to dump him on the people that actually knew what they were doing.

So, they headed over to the temple.

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This was an interesting chapter. We are also nearing the end of "ab antiquo", should only have one more chapter of this.

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Oaks was tired, not that he'd been anything else for a long, long time. The last time he'd so much as moved at least six hundred years ago, possibly. Oaks had stopped counting.

People had come by to the remains of his house, not that anything stood there any longer. Time had weathered and rotten away the wooden hut, till nothing remained but him. And really, they never noticed him.

He could have saved it, but that didn't feel right. It wasn't like he needed it, he never stayed in the house anyway. Being indoors made him uncomfortable.

He didn't think he could have saved dad though, not after Steven went missing. He was wrecked for years after that, he tried to move on, but he couldn't. Oaks could understand, Grēgòrios Sýmpan was a great man, but he is still human. 500 years of life can weigh hard on the mind, more so after the loss of loved ones.

Not that Steven was dead, as their father had thought. Oaks could feel his pull. He didn't know where Steven was, but he was pretty sure it wasn't in Hades.

Grēgòrios Sýmpan may have been a powerful alchemist, but the power to change lead into gold, transform life, or bring someone back from the brink of death, couldn't heal his mind.

Truly, Oaks wasn't sure he'd do any better in the same situation. But he simply wasn't the same emotionally. He loved his father and brother, but things don't last forever. Oaks' had seen his own children live and die at his feet, and it didn't really effect him.

Though it helped a bit that his saplings were, of course, non sentient. And his reaction to his losses WAS sitting around doing nothing for thousands of years. So he wasn't doing that much better.

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(Yes, I know that the hellenistic religion hadn't actually come into being by this point, so Oaks shouldn't be talking about Hades. It's both simpler to research, and more fun.)

(Also, yes, I switched Greg's name to Grēgòrios. He does actually go by Greg, but he isn't Gregory. That name came later. Though by that logic Steven should really be named Stèphanos, but I can ignore that due to Greg having named him).

(Anyway, hope you liked this bonus chapter!)

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To Connie's eyes everything seemed to slow down, the world becoming coated in viscous liquid that dragged everything down to her perception.

Steven charged toward the Crystal Gems with an odd, machete-like, pink sword in hand. The Crystal Gems got away from his attack and scattered.

Then Steven began a more intricate pattern of attacks, one Connie recognized as a standard Gem fighting tactic for one bladed swords. Everytime he striked, his blade became covered in sparkling pink energy. Pearl and Garnet went wide eyed at the sight of it.

Connie ran forward and got into position around Steven. She may not have been great at hand to hand combat, but she wouldn't have been able to hurt Steven anyway. What she could do is distract, and she was passable at that.

Steven just ignored her, and without a way to get his attention she was stuck. Attacking him head on would be suicide, and not a very good distraction either, she might have considered it if it was.

Though, she did have sand, perhaps if she threw enough of it she could disturb blind him, is he had any eyes to blind.

"CONNIE!!!" Pearl screamed at her.

She looked over at the pale Gem and, then saw throw Corundum's Greatsword over to her. Then the unthinkable happened.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Steven lept out of combat with Amethyst and behind Pearl. Then he sliced at her back with an energy covered blade.

He seemed to meet no resistance as he cut down from her right shoulder to the left side if her hip. Pink lines spread out from the injury, and the top of Pearl's torso drifted upward into the air.

Then, with a large popping sound, Pearl, her mentor, was gone.

Tears streamed down her face unnoticed as an uncontainable fury filled her. She sprinted forward, pain powering her steps.

Garnet got there first, and tossed Steven away from Pearl's discarded Gemstone, then charged back at him. This didn't work twice as Steven Dodged under her and on his way up, he sliced in half vertically. Pink lines spread across Garnet's torso and head as she floated up and bent backward. A large pop emanated into the air, and then Garnet was gone.

Barely able to see anymore, Connie charged toward the pink blob in her version, a voice that may have belonged to Amethyst yelling in her direct. Steven obviously expected this as he effortlessly plucked the seven foot long brown blade from her hands and tossed it at Amethyst, hard.

There was no delay, the second it made contact with Amethyst there was a loud pop and a puff of smoke.

Connie didn't have time to lament this as she was as Steven suddenly spun toward her, blade aimed at her neck. Connie didn't have anytime to dodge, and closed her eyes on instinct, accepting her fate.

But it didn't come. Opening her eyes, Connie saw that Steven had stopped his sword less than an inch from her neck. Odd text slid across his display screen. Then, his sword disappeared, and he stood straight. He began speaking in a heavily computerized, deep voice. Like an evil ai from a movie.

"Detected error in request given. Error number identified as 403. Request has been denied and a diagnostic request signal is being transmitted" the voice, obviously now not to belong to Steven, gave pause. "An exception has occurred in the diagnostic request signal transmission. Reason given: out of range. Returning home".

A humming sound filled the air as the dust underneath the robot began to move, as if being hit with a thruster. Steven then rocketed up into the air, and disappeared.

Connie turned to the battle field and saw the discarded Gemstones of the fallen Crystal Gems. She dropped to her knees.

She had no idea what to do now.

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(This chapter isn't over just yet).

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Connie didn't think that Steven could show excitement so well in his robot body, but she was proven wrong when she mentioned the Crystal Gems to him. He was surprisingly animated and could exude glee with seeming ease. His eyes acted as if a smile pushed them up, and he'd squeal like a school girl. It was evident that he really, really wanted to jump with joy, nearly skipping alongside her as they walked.

Not that Connie was okay with the way his body moved when he did this. Her mind constantly assumed he was wearing armor, but that simply wasn't the case. Even still, when Steven moved in a way that would cause his bones to snap had they been there, it made Connie internally panic. Skipping isn't something you can do in plate armor, not for very long and not if you value your joints.

Reaching the grey building in front of the temple, they found the door locked. Steven looked disappointed, but Connie shot Pearl a text.

"Hey teach! You won't believe what I just came across! I'll meet you, Amethyst, and Garnet at the bench in front of the Big Donut"

She relayed this information to Steven, and they headed off. He seemed excited again, but it was clear that without the tangibility of a time and or place that his willingness to show that excitement was lessened.

The sat on the bench, and they waited.

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And that was "ab antiquo"! Apologies for the last bit being so short and anticlimactic, this chapter is really about introducing Steven as a character to Connie and setting up the next, more important chapter.

Come in soon for the start of a new chapter, "The Other I".