Author's note: First things first, answer an ANON reviewer,

Reviewer Omni Spectator: No, this was originally set to be around the Steven Universe episode "Future Boy Zoltron," so that reveal is not yet present. As to why, this fic was originally made before that reveal, and it was set at this moment to avoid the big events that came before and will proceed it. This fic itself is meant to be pretty light in that regard, so I hope you will continue to enjoy!

That's all, and as always,

Read, Review, & Enjoy!

Meeting of Loud Minds

Written by Hotspot the 626th

Characters from: Chris Savino & Rebecca Sugar

Directed by -STOP THAT!

"Never!"

At Steven's house, we find the three children inside. Lisa was walking around in the "house" part of Steven's home, analyzing everything curiously. As for Steven and Lincoln, the older boy was getting his younger friend a towel so he could dry off. Once Steven gave the cloth to Lincoln, and the boy began to dry himself, the white-haired child then turned to the audience.

"Oh hi, everyone," Lincoln greeted. "We're now on day 2 of our vacation."

"We're currently in my new friend Steven's home, and I have to say, it is beyond cool."

Lincoln looked out to view the home. Despite it being relatively small compared to his own, it definitely had more space than his house. Within just one room there was a kitchen, living room, and bedroom, separated by a difference of flooring and a stairway for the latter. It was a stark contrast to what the other half of the room was like. While the wholesome and familiar home setting made up the front half, the back half was something entirely different and foreign to both Loud siblings. From wooden and tile floors to smooth crystalline rock, the back of this house looked like a secret cave that one could see in a video game. Its architecture was astounding despite being not much compared to the house. Here, one could see a large and wide crystal platform in the middle of the cave section with a single door with a five-point star – and a gem at each point – at the back wall of the cave.

"It's like Ace Savvy's mansion, and his headquarters rolled up into one!" Lincoln exclaimed.

Lisa also commented, "Indeed. Your domicile, Mr. Universe, is quite an architectural feat."

Steven chuckled. "Please, Mr. Universe is my father…"

"Yes. As you told us earlier," Lisa states intelligently, "and as we saw when we arrived yesterday."

Caught off guard for a moment, Steven quickly recovered and retained his goofy grin. "Just call me Steven."

"Very well," Lisa said in agreement.

From there, the little genius walked over into the cave section. Lincoln and Steven joined her, and Steven began to explain the area; the Temple. The sanctuary of Earth's protectors, as Steven explained, this base housed three of the remaining original Crystal Gems, a group of rebels fighting against the tyranny of their homeworld. Through the door, each Gem, Steven included, had a room that only they could reach through the use of their gem or gems. And finally, the crystalline rock outcrop in the middle of the cave was actually a device called a "warp pad." It can only be used by Gems and can teleport anyone anywhere that has a warp pad.

And while Lisa could care less of wars and morals, the concepts of which Steven described peaked her interests significantly. "Are you saying at this crystalline platform can transport living matter seamlessly across space?" she questioned quizzically.

"Yeah," said Steven.

"How?" Lisa asked as her follow-up.

Steven was about to answer, but no voice exited his open mouth. The teen had instantly realized that he had absolutely no idea how the warp pads actually worked. He then began to think to himself about how to best answer Lisa's question.

Watching this, Lincoln felt a little concerned. "Steven?"

Steven finally replied, "I think it has something to do with wrap space."

Intrigued, Lisa further pushed for answers. "But what does that mean, Mr. Steven? On what theoretical mechanics do these work on? How does it teleport matter? Come on, man, I need answers!"

"I-I don't know," Steven said panicky. "The Crystal Gems barely explain anything technical. I don't think they really know themselves."

"Hey, it's okay, dude," Lincoln said attempting to ease his friend. "We understand…"

Lisa gasped. "What are you saying, brother unit, how can he or any of his guardians not-" The girl soon found her mouth covered by Lincoln, looking none too pleased by her attitude.

When he turned to Steven, however, he became more sympathetic. "In comics, alien technology is always difficult to understand unless the alien is an actual mechanic or genius. So don't feel too bad about it, Steven. Lisa's just annoying."

Since Lincoln still had her mouth covered, Lisa could only roll her eyes at the inane logic – and opinion of her – her brother was perpetuating.

As for Steven, the analogy had helped him calm down. He was glad that Lincoln had his back in this situation, and his friend was right. Steven knew it would probably take some sort of Gem-world technician to explain how the warp pads worked.

And instantly, an answer came to Steven. "Of course! Peridot!" he shouted joyfully.

"Peridot?" repeated Lincoln curiously.

"What does a silicate mineral have to do with understanding this technology?" asked Lisa reservedly.

"Just follow me," Steven told his friends with a grin.

Watching as the older boy walked onto the short crystal outcrop, both Loud siblings decided to follow him. Lincoln stepped on first and then helped Lisa up after. Now, with all three of them on the platform, everything was ready for Steven to show his friends something cool.

With his arms crossed in front of him, Steven told his friends cheerfully, "Hang on!" He then swung his arms out.

Before either Loud could question what the teen was doing, they quickly noticed that the crystal beneath them began to glow. From around the edge of the platform, a light began to surround them. Once the column of light was formed, it started to lift the group and – from the outside – they began to dematerialize into the light itself. In an instant, the light was gone and so was the group of three.

"Woah!"

As Lincoln expressed out his amazement, Lisa was looking around utterly stupefied; a first for her. All three were still in the column of streaming light now flowing seemingly endlessly upward. Lacking the platform from before, they were now floating where they once stood. While they ascended, Steven told them that there were warp pads all over Earth, made by the Gems for quick transportation. He also told them they could even exit the stream midway and enter a space called Warp Space, which is dangerous as it has little air, is very cold, and appears very chaotic. Out of curiosity, both siblings took a quick peek outside the stream. They were once again amazed as they saw nothing but space, clouds, and the occasional burst of lightning. The cold soon got to both siblings, and they returned back into the stream where they warmed up instantly. Before either one could ask any questions, they soon reached their destination.

From the outside, a stream of light burst through a similar crystal platform. The three forms of our group descended down through the light and once on the rock, the light disappeared. All of them stood on the warp pad now, and all are appearing okay. While the two siblings took a moment to process what had happened, they also took in their new surroundings. No longer were they in a cave/house but a grass field with a forest nearby. Also nearby, they could see a barn; at least, they thought it was a barn. It had a pretty odd shape for a barn with the silo sticking out slanted from the building. That, along with other unique design choices like a tent, the back of a pick-up truck sticking out above the barn doors, and a weird antenna tower. It was interesting.

"Welcome to the Barn," Steven told his friends. He then steps off the platform, heading towards the barn, and waves for them to follow. "Come on! She's over this way!"

Lincoln quickly followed. Lisa needed a bit of prodding as she was trying to figure out how they were able to teleport so easily. Steven though assured her that all her questions, he hoped, could be answered by his friend in the barn.

Once the reached the barn, Steven began calling out. "Peridot! Peridot! It's your friend Steven, and his friends, here for answers about Gem-tech!"

"What?!" screamed someone from within the barn.

No sooner after, a lot of commotion began to erupt inside. Most of it sounded like various metallic objects crashing into each other with the occasional shouts from Peridot; either a scream or an apology to someone named Lapis. Eventually, the noise and sounds stopped, and finally, the barn doors opened up. Neither siblings were prepared for who they saw behind the doors. There was a little, to Lincoln, a green person wearing an orange visor and had their hair in a triangle shape. The two Louds could only come to one conclusion of this person.

"An alien?"

"Steven!" cheered out Peridot excitedly. "I am so glad you finally came around to learning about our technology. There's so much I can teach you!"

Steven chuckles at his friend's enthusiasm. "That's cool, Peri. I also have a new friend that really wants to learn too."

Surprising Peridot, she looked around to see who Steven was talking about. She first looked at Lincoln, who smiled and waved, and then Lisa, who remained more stoic. "Who? These humans?" she asked confusedly.

"More specifically, I," Lisa spoke to affirm.

"You think that you can answer her questions?" asked Steven.

Peridot immediately let out an arrogant laugh. "Oh, Steven," she said before wiping a tear from her eye, formed from her laughing.

"I understand that we should be coexisting with this planet's prominent species, but there are just some things that cannot be helped. For instance, despite how marvelous a lot of Earth's culture is, their technology is so primitive. Gem technology is a millennium ahead of any human understanding. It would just be a wasted effort."

Having heard all that, Lisa looked visibly peeved. Before Steven attempted to dissuade the Gem, to rethink her opinion, she walked out in front of the teen. "I'll be the one to decide that, Ms. Peridot," she stated seriously.

The green Gem looked at the child discerningly. How this human – a child, she realized – spoke far above those of her age group. Even better than the older humans she's met. From how the child held her presence it was familiar to her. Like she was an intellectual too. It intrigued her.

"Okay, human child,"

"I prefer to be referred to as 'Lisa,'" the little girl stated.

"Whatever," Peridot said with disinterest. She then waved the girl inside. "If you think you can understand the complexity of Gem technology, then I shall hold nothing back."

"Thank you," Lisa said gratefully. She then proceeded inside.

Peridot soon followed behind Lisa. After her, the two boys followed them. Before the could go a few steps further in, they were suddenly greeted by another person. She was blue and wearing blue-colored clothes, but the most unique thing was she was floating down with wings of blue liquid.

"Hi, Steven!"

"Hey, Lapis," greeted Steven cheerfully back.

"Woah," Lincoln said amazed, a blush forming across his cheeks.

Lapis Lazuli then noticed Steven's friend, and she became less enthused. "And, who is this?" she asked evenly.

"This is my new friend, Lincoln," Steven said.

"H-H-Hiya, ma'am," Lincoln said nervously.

"Hey," Lapis Lazuli said coolly.

Then, Peridot's loud voice echoed over them. "Okay, Lee-sa," she began saying while in front of a chalkboard. "Prepared to be educated by one of Homeworld's most intelligent technician of Era 2."

Lisa looked unimpressed. "If you could skip on the ego, it would be greatly appreciated."

Now a little peeved, Peridot continued with her lecture regardless. "Ahem. Anyway, first off, you'll probably want to forget any human concepts as I find most don't even come close to scratching the surface of understanding our technology."

"I'll be the judge of that," Lisa stated skeptically.

Again, Peridot became peeved. She continued, "Then we'll start at the most basic level. Even a newly formed Ruby could understand it."

Squinting her eyes, Lisa did not know what her lecturer meant by what she said about 'Ruby,' but she could sense that she was being belittled. She immediately prepared to use every ounce of intellect she could to not only understand but also potentially to undermine this arrogant humanoid gem.

Meanwhile, Steven and his group had watched on. All of them could tell there was some friction between the two intelligent beings. Even more problematic, none of them understood what Peridot was explaining to the young child. It felt very dull for them.

Luckily, Lapis Lazuli had an idea. "You wanna go play Steven…" she paused a moment before she realized that there was also his friend here, "…and Lincoln."

Both boys gasped. "Yeah!" they said in unison excitedly.

From then on, the group split into two and did their own activities. Lisa began her learning of Gem technology from Peridot, and Lincoln and Steven had fun with Lapis Lazuli. They had their fun outside while the two geniuses stayed inside. For the next hour, the two groups did their tasks utterly oblivious of the other. Only the open barn doors connected their two worlds.

While Lincoln was flying with Lapis Lazuli and Steven jump and floating along with them, Lisa was heavily criticizing the design for body-shaped interstellar ships which Peridot argued against. All of which was displayed on the chalkboard.

When the boys decided to cool off, Lapis created a floating bubble of water for which they could swim in. The boys even playfully pulled the blue gem in to join their fun. To the contrast, inside the dry barn, Lisa was currently trying to prove that her new designs for various Gem technologies were better than the old ones. Of course, Peridot was arguing against her plans. Now, papers were scattered everywhere around the two and some sticking on the chalkboard.

Once finished swimming, the boys were tried quickly as Lapis Lazuli directly manipulated the water off them. Inside, more papers were scattered, hanging, and/or sticking to the walls and pole around the two geniuses. Both appeared to be yelling at each other at the moment. Things changed, however, when Peridot picked up one of the papers, crumbled it up, and immediately threw it at the human. It hit, shocking both of them.

Moments later, the boys and Lapis Lazuli moved to head inside, but they instantly stopped just a few feet in. Everything that was once an orderly lecture had now become a chaotic warzone. Lisa and Peridot were furiously launching paper balls at each other, hurling them with great speed and determination. At the same time, they kept yelling at each other as they traded logical answers, numeric values, and similar theories. For the three non-geniuses, the scene looked ridiculous, but none of them wanted to be a part of it. So, they walked away with the intention to continue playing around.

After some time, the group returned. They stood in the doorway and looked into the barn, all of them looking baffled. The barn was covered with piles of balled up paper and no geniuses in sight. They immediately began to search through the mounds and found Lisa and Peridot sprawled on the floorboards tired.

"You guys okay?" asked Lincoln.

After a few breaths, Lisa and Peridot responded, "Yeah." Lapis Lazuli and Steven then helped the two geniuses up.

"So, did you guys figure anything out?" asked Lapis Lazuli.

Peridot nodded. "In a way," she admitted, "the various point of interests that Lisa had brought up over the flaws in Gem technology and their designs is actually very sound and worth looking into."

Both Steven and Lapis looked surprised at Peridot.

After Lisa brushed the dust away from her clothes and fixed her glasses, she too voiced her opinion. "And I have concluded that Gem technology is indeed quite superior to even anything I've built. At the moment, anyway. I will have to test the new concepts I've learned when we return back to our place of origin."

Now Lincoln looked surprised. "Wow, seriously, Lisa?"

"Of course, Brother Unit."

"Seemed like earlier you guys hated each other."

"We had our difference in scientific opinion, and we are passionate over our respective views. That does not mean, however, there is no merit in the other's idea."

"I concur," Peridot stated affirmingly. She then added with a small smile, "It is refreshing to know that, among the human species, there is at least one member among them that is capable of understanding Gem technology."

"Likewise, it is also pleasant to know that there is, indeed, at least one intelligent lifeform from the cosmos," Lisa stated also making a small smile.

Both geniuses eyed the other, flashing their smiles to the other. It was silent acknowledgment as well as respect that they both were giving each other.

Now, with everything settled, Lincoln felt it was best that he and Lisa returned back to Beach City before their family became worried over them. Lapis Lazuli and Peridot saw the group off with the former of the two being more friendly than earlier. Once on the warp pad, the group waved good-bye to them before Steven warped them away.

Moments later, the group arrived back at the Temple. To their surprise, they found the house, once believing it to be empty, now having three women in the room. One tall woman who had purplish-red skin with a square-shaped afro and wearing a visor. A shorter woman with pale skin with a sizable jewel on her forehead. And finally, the shortest woman, who had light purple skin with a gem on her chest. Of course, you know them as the Crystal Gems; Garnet, Pearl, and Amethyst. And all of them looked surprised at the group.

"Steven?" questioned Pearl. "What were you doing with the warp pad? And who are your friends?"

"Hi, guys!" Steven greeted back cheerfully. He then introduced his friends, "This is Lincoln and his younger sister Lisa. She wanted to know about Gem technology, so we went to see Peri and Lappy."

Steven then turned to his friends to introduce them to his family. "Lincoln, Lisa. These are the Crystal Gems, Pearl, Garnet, and Amethyst."

"What's up, dudes," Amethyst greeted back coolly.

Forming a smile, Garnet too greeted the newcomers. "It's nice to meet you."

"Likewise," Lisa greeted politely.

"Hiya!" replied Lincoln.

As the groups began to mingle, with Pearl being worrisome over Steven antic, Lincoln took this time to address the audience. "Wow, aliens, powers, and super advanced technology. No one back home is ever gonna believe this! This really is turning out to be one of the Loud family's best vacations yet!"

To Be Continued…