After being banned from the Beach City carnival, Steven didn't usually get the chance to be at a carnival. But there was another one in another town that Lapis had flown him to, so that was okay.
"So this is a carnival," said Lapis, looking around at the various attractions. She held a corndog, having bought one as soon as she'd smelled the delicious aroma. Well, Steven had bought it for her, anyway, while explaining that humans had to pay for things with money and couldn't just take.
"Yeah! Isn't it great?" said Steven, grinning. Lapis had to smile at his enthusiasm. She bit into her corndog, grateful to Amethyst once again for explaining the digestive system to her.
"It's certainly noisy," said Peridot. She'd come along too, though not without Amethyst constantly teasing her about going on a date with her boyfriend to the carnival. But Lapis had invited Steven to go as her date, so it was a little confusing. For a human, anyway. Peridot just saw it as normal. And Steven did too, because he was just amazingly accepting like that.
"That's all part of the fun, 'dot," said Steven. "You can go on rides, try to win prizes for your date at the stalls, though Pearl always complains about them being unfair and then Amethyst breaks it and then we get banned..."
"And there is this delicious food," said Lapis. She licked the tomato sauce off her fingers, then looked longingly over at the man selling corndogs.
"I'll get you another one," said Steven, and chuckled as he walked over to do just that.
"I don't understand why he was banned from the Beach City carnival," said Lapis. "Steven is behaving very well."
"Apparently it was some weird situation," said Peridot. "Amethyst tried to explain it to me. Somehow he broke one of the rides."
"Oh yeah, that. Heh heh." Steven had returned and handed the corndog to Lapis, who immediately bit into it with great gusto. "Well, y'see, I got kinda dizzy on the tea cups and then I got sick and before I knew it, there was this huge mess."
"Sounds... interesting," said Peridot. "Though I fail to see how hot leaf water containers can result in a ruined fair."
"Oh no no no, the tea cups were a ride like these ones," said Steven, gesturing to the noisy, flashy rides blaring music all around them. "I always love the rides."
"Interesting. So which ride do you want to ride first?" asked Peridot.
"Hmm. That one," said Steven, pointing at Lapis. Lapis choked on her corndog. Why had Amethyst insisted on telling her about all of the human things?
"Why?" asked Lapis once she'd dislodged the bit of corndog from her throat.
"Because I get the best view of the carnival from up in the air," said Steven.
"Oh," said Lapis, and blushed. Then she laughed and took Steven into her arms after handing her corndog to Peridot. She flapped her wings once, sending a fine mist of water droplets over everyone in the area, and then jumped into the sky.
"I'm flying!" Steven cried, and laughed in delight. Lapis grinned as she flew him around over the carnival, keeping her grip on him tight but not uncomfortably so.
"See anything you like?" asked Lapis. She could feel in her chest when Steven laughed or spoke, and the feeling was wonderful.
"I see someone I like," said Steven, and laughed. "Go back down to the ground. Near the ground. Fly near Peridot."
"Okay," said Lapis, and angled herself so that she could dive down to the ground.
Peridot looked up at the sound of Steven screaming in delight. Her eyes widened as she saw the forms of the two gems barrelling towards her. A drop of water splashed on her visor, and then Steven's hands were under her armpits and she was screaming as Lapis swooped back up into the sky. The corndog plummeted to the ground.
"See, Peridot, isn't this ride fun?" asked Steven. Peridot just screamed at him, much to the amusement of both him and Lapis.
