His hands fold together, squeezing tight and thumbs twiddling. Looking down at his lap proves far easier than looking at her.

"Those gems... they were all monsters. Like the one you..." He winces at the memory. "...helped with. Gems who lost their minds and turned into stuff like that."

His throat hurts. "I'm not a Crystal Gem. But Steven is. He's protecting the Earth from monsters and... other gem stuff. Things left behind from before. I'm helping him learn."