You took a glance at the handmade business card your hand held, and afterwards, looked at the building in front of you. A colorful, elephant-shaped sign with the words 'It's a Wash' was placed above the entrance, and next to the building stood the young boy you'd met just yesterday back at the beach.

He, currently busy wiping clean the passenger door of a maroon-colored Jeep, hadn't noticed your arrival. This lead for you to stand by awkwardly, while you pondered over whether or not you should interrupt his chores. To your relief, however, a seemingly middle-aged man in a white tank top had sensed your presence, and decided to greet you once closer enough to recognize your face. 

"Hey there, ma'am!" he greeted, whilst waving his hand in a friendly demeanor. "You're the photographer from overseas, right?"

"Yes!" you called out, giving a firm nod. "I was told to arrive here at three?"

"Yeah, it was Steven's idea! He asked me if we could all go show you Beach City's greener places by car, or in this case. . . Van."

"I see. . ." you mumbled, thinking the offer was just too kind of both he and the child. "Is that really okay with you, sir?"

"'Course it is! I don't mind having a new face joining in with us, and Steven's been wanting to do his ever since he found out about you."

"Well, then. . . Thank you, sir."

Having heard those words, a smile took over the man's bearded face, and he proceeded to lead you towards the boy with the red shirt. As he turned around, however, his son was no longer in his sight.

The yellow rag the boy had been using earlier was now laying on the floor, and the water hose had been turned off. Greg was about to venture inside the building, in search for his son, yet a yell soon interrupted his actions.

"Dad!" Steven eagerly called, as he ran all the way towards his father. "I found the camera!"

"Yes-- We just had to organize some of his drawers to find it." a gentle voice added, as you immediately recognized to whom it belonged to. "Oh, and I see our guest has arrived early!"

"G- Good evening!" you called, waving towards the one who'd spoken up.

Before you stood a group of five women, with Steven standing next to their side. They all waved at you, as you returned their gesture with a smile.

"Guys, this is (Y/N)!" Steven began, gesturing both his pale, chubby hands towards you.

All five women glanced a look at the young boy, and afterwards, they returned their intrigued gaze towards you. The short, lime-toned one gave you a big, friendly grin, and waved eagerly at you; whereas the blue one with cerulean, short hair waved lazily-- with an equally lazy smirk taking over her somewhat stoic face.

Afterwards, you recognized the purple-toned, chubby woman which you'd briefly spotted back at the doughnut shop. The other remaining two, which you knew as Garnet and Pearl, where now packing some items in a spray-painted Van nearby.

"This is Amethyst!" Steven spoke, as he began to introduce you to his what you assumed were members of his family.

The purple one acknowledged you once more, while Steven continued on with his eager introductions.

"This is Peridot." he continued, now pointing at the one with strangely-shaped hair.

She again smiled at you, and afterwards, left to help out the other two women at the Van.

"And this is-"

"Hi, I'm Bob." the blue one interrupted, though her smile showed the action was well-intentioned on her part.

"Lapis!" Steven exclaimed, disapproving of her small lie.

"Alright." Lapis chuckled, giving a brighter smile towards the boy. "It's Lapis."

"Nice to meet you." you spoke up, whilst nodding your head.

Finally well-informed of everyone that you would be traveling with, Greg, along with his son and the five women, mounted themselves on the Van. The man started up his trusty vehicle, while Peridot outstretched a hand for you to climb in on the back.

"I- I've been informed you travel the world! Is that correct, (Y/N)?" she questioned, once you were both settled down on the vehicle's floor.

"Yeah, I've learned of many cultures and places thanks to my job." you responded, while the other short, long-haired woman sat down, and joined in on the conversation.

"Does that imply you've traveled to other places besides the Earth?!" she inquired once again, this time with much more excitement visible on both her tone and features.

"Uh. . . no. The farthest I've gone is to India. But, I guess it would be pretty amazing if I could ever go that far!"

"India?" Amethyst intervened, cocking her head. "Do ya have any pictures with you?"

"I do! Only a few, though. . . Since I have to make up space in my cameras after the physical pictures are out."

With that, you took out your most favored camera from your bag, and began to show the two curious women the remaining pictures of India and all of its wonders. Eventually, both Pearl and Garnet joined in, whilst Greg started up the vehicle and drove off towards your first destination. Everyone around you watched with awe as you continued to press the 'next' button of your camera, and Steven had even managed to make Lapis join in on the moment everyone was currently sharing.

"Do you carry any other camera besides this one?" Pearl questioned, as she leaned over to meet with your eyes.

Yesterday night, you'd shown her a different camera, and seeing how there were more had left her amazed. Even with how much she'd seen of planet Earth from her many years of living, she hadn't the chance to admire her surroundings. For both her and the other women, it was simply astounding to see just how many wonders nature and human-made buildings carried within them.

"Y- Yeah. . ." you mumbled, mildly taken aback by the sudden closeness of her face. 

Seeing everyone so eager to see your photography made for a ghost of a smile to appear on your face. The amount of curiosity everyone around you carried made you wonder. It was as if they were just beginning to learn about this planet-- as if they weren't from this planet. Both the green and blue-haired women had even asked for an explanation as to what were volcanoes-- once you'd carried on your conversation about the different places you'd managed to visit during your career.

As you rummaged through your ___-colored bag, searching for another camera to show to everyone, your eyes wandered over Lapis, who was currently in possession of the other on. She carried a curious look over her blue face, and her eyes were locked on the small screen of your photographic equipment. Having noticed your staring, she looked up from the screen, and decided to question what was on her mind. 

"Have you always found a place to stay, once you arrive to these places?" the blue-haired woman asked, carefully handing you over the camera.

"Yes, I usually make a reservation on the most convenient place I find."

Finalizing those words, you realized just how different this travel had been. Usually, you would only manage to create one or two acquaintances by the end of your visit, yet here you were, sitting on the back side of a Van, accompanied by a friendly group of seven. Each one of them had become interested in your abilities, and they were desirous on hearing more about your travels. 

Despite that, once remembering this visit was to last only five days, and that you were already experiencing the third one, made for a small wave of nostalgia to reach your chest. Determined to enjoy these last few moments, you continued to speak with everyone around you, as the Van continuously came closer to you first destination farther away from the hotel.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Author's Note:

So, now that I've made a third update after a month-long absence. I'd like to apologize for the wait. I had hoped these two months wouldn't be as busy as the rest, and wished to be up-to-date with all of my works. Yet, with finals popping up, chores increasing, tutoring lessons, and the arrival of my baby cousin for the holidays... All of these together have caused for me to be unable to update frequently.

I, once again, apologize for any inconvenience.

I basically jinxed myself by saying I wanted to start this soon.

Same thing happened with last year's basketball practice. I had given eight dunks in a row, then completely ruined the last two shots by thinking I was doing well. XD

>>>Next Update: Either Saturday or Sunday morning.<<<

(I plan to keep a Wednesday/weekend updating schedule for this story.)