Chapter Text
“Crop circles!” Peridot declares triumphantly, standing at the closest corner of the concentric squares punched into the grass. At its centre, a crater shaped by the Rubies’ Roaming Eye Lapis had unceremoniously slapped into the ground the day prior.
Lapis, sitting atop the silo, watches as Peridot did… whatever she was doing. Peridot lifts her right hand, and proudly speeds through the recordings on her new tape recorder. Despite the other, less stupid events of yesterday resulting in the destruction of her previous tape recorder, Peridot still picked up where she left off in the logs.
Peridot reaches the end of the recorded section, and quickly presses the record button.
“Log date: 7 18 2. I have reserved this recording for after I had corroborated the necessary data. During date 7 17 2, Lapis crushed my previous recorder, but this cassette remains intact. I spent the arduous early hours of the next day acquiring a replacement, which is what I am utlilising at this moment. Despite Steven’s suggestion, I shalln’t’ve accepted anything less than an identacle replacement.” Peridot says the last part like it’s obvious. Lapis doesn’t quite understand the significance.
“Regardless, much has happened in the interim; homeworld returned to search for the leader of the earth mission!.. Jasper, that is.” she says, regretfully. The tone almost doesn’t make Lapis uncomfortable at the reminder.
“Then, my re-retreat into the barn spurred the chain of events leading to Steven’s masterful plan of playing the human sport of “baseball” to ward off the ruby squad! Utilising the crop circle – a cloddy term, considering these are concentric squares – as the “diamond” of the sport – which, for reference, is also a square, not a diamond. Anyways, following that, despite the fusion’s failings in remaining unfused, my self-sacrifice was for not for naught, and the Rubies are off to Neptune. Neptune!” she exclaims, giggling, “Even I know what Neptune is, I read about it before recording this. There’s no surface to find her in, and thus those clods will fly directly to their doom in terapascals!.. Ahem; after that, Lapis seemed tenuously willing to remain at this place of residence, and I am proud to present that she has finally understood that I have changed since our previous encounter. Peridot, facet five, out.”
Peridot concludes her recording, and presses the button. Lapis listening to her record like this would be weirder, if she didn’t speak it so loudly, and record right infront of her. She doesn’t know whether Peridot is oblivious, uncaring, or just being herself. The latter seems most likely.
Peridot inspects the pattern in the grass oncemore, looking critically at the size, making thinking noises. Thinking noises, one of the many things Lapis had never seen before Peridot. Not that it made Peridot more or less pleasant to be around, she thinks to herself.
Peridot looks up for a moment, and spots Lapis. Lapis sighs, knowing she’s going to try to talk to her.
“Hey Lazuli!” she calls, to which Lapis begrudgingly leans forwards, to peer directly at her. Peridot continues, “Do you like altitude? Is that why you’re always up there?”
Lapis couldn’t help but chuckle, deploying her wings, and landing right infront of Peridot. She does it with some force – mostly due to the chuckling – causing Peridot to lose her balance for a moment. Lapis looks at Peridot – more accurately, she looks down at Peridot. “What?”
“Well, Lapis Lazulis, such as yourself, are partial to flying. You have spent extended periods upon both the roof of the barn, and moreso the roof of the silo. Overall – only accounting for the periods of my data – you have spent 13720 metre-minutes altitude, which far exceeds my 442.” she explains. Lapis honestly doesn’t know what she’s talking about.
“It’s nice to be alone and watch the sky.” she replies, simply “Didn’t you say something about that?”
“Negative.” Peridot replies, “Though, given the approximation of the local area as semiflat, altitude would causate to both increases in sky field of view, and ground observation range. I suppose it makes sense, though it doesn't explain the flying.”
Peridot always tried to analyse things since becoming stranded on earth. It’s her forehead-gem way of making sense of all the strange things on its surface.
“Sure.” Lapis answers, flatly, only half listening. If she tried to listen to every one of Peridot’s observations, she’d go crazy.
Peridot continues, “Gemetically speaking, such an observation drive would be secondary to the autonomic functioning of your flight, as-”
“Is that all you wanted to ask?” Lapis asks, ready to fly back to the top of the silo and ignore whatever else she had to say.
“Oh!- Negative.” Peridot replies quickly, fidgeting with her tape recorder. A pair of darker green splotches rise to her cheeks. “I, also wanted to ask you, if you would, be in agreement with watching some of my previously-recorded entertainment?” she asks, with an ever-rising tone.
Peridot gazes up at Lapis, expectantly. Lapis looks down at her for a moment, before answering: “No.”
Peridot seems mildly crushed by this, but pulls her composure back together. “Alright.” she says, simply, before turning, and walking back into the barn.
Lapis returned to the silotop, and gazed out at the setting sun, knees to her chest. A warm breeze flowed from behind her, out towards the ocean, which reflected the sun on its calm surface. She drew a deep breath, thinking about all the recent events. Despite her best efforts, she only mostly avoided the thought of Jasper. Some part of her hoped the Rubies would come back to earth, find Jasper, and whisk her away, so she’d never even have to think of her and what happened. The other part of her, she didn’t even want to listen to.
Being alone was comforting, and discomforting at the same time. No one around to be a threat, but that left her alone with her thoughts. She tries her best to focus on the trees swaying, or the sun setting, or the ocean glistening. Okay, maybe that last one should be avoided.
She sits up there, until after the sun has set completely. Only the faintest glow remains on the horizon, as the full moon shines down from the other side, painting the landscape just a little blue. The barn doors are open only to a small seam, where orange light pours out onto the dirt. Lapis takes a deep breath, and flies down from the silo, sliding open the barn door. It makes a characteristic scraping sound as it opens, which is soon added to by the slightly tinny sounds of human entertainment.
She steps inside. Peridot is above, to her left, sitting on the upper floor. She’s staring at the TV from no more than two inches away. There’s a warm light illuminating the barn, and the various components, machines and items that clutter the floor. She honestly has no idea why they’re there, or what the story with the half-assembled machines is. Whatever it is, clearly it has something to do with Peridot.
Lapis deploys her wings, and with a single flap, lands on the top floor a metre behind Peridot. Despite this, she still doesn’t notice her. Lapis sits on the couch.
“Hmm, Negative, camp clod DOES feature a somewhat capable swimmer, then. 4-by-10.” Peridot says, hastily scrawling it down in marker, in a surprisingly well-organised set of pages. Well, it atleast looks organised, Lapis has no idea what this even is.
“Hey.” Lapis says, gently. Peridot yelps in surprise, pausing the TV (on the fourth attempt at pressing the button), and standing to turn around to Lapis. Given she’s sitting, Lapis is only a little taller than Peridot now. The slightly dazzled green gem blinks twice.
“What brings you here?” she asks, unsure on what to say.
“It’s cold.” she lies. It’s warm, and Lapis doesn’t mind the cold. Well, didn’t mind the cold, before… She tries to push said thought out of her head again.
“Oh, right.” Peridot answers “Well, could I continue my ninth report on CPH?” she asks, trying her best to be considerate. Lapis distracts herself from her thoughts by asking.
“CPH?”
“Camp Pining Hearts! A sappy teen drama deep in the forests of BC.” she says, striking a pose with it.
“BC?” Lapis follows up, raising an eyebrow
Peridot pretends to know what it means, by deflecting. “Of course, BC! Anyway, this is the previously recorded entertainment I aforementioned!”
Lapis figured that out. Lapis also knows that’s not how that word is used, and can’t help but smile involuntarily, avoiding a snicker. “Yes, go ahead.” she says, forcing her tone distinctly bored. She didn’t actually care about what Peridot was talking about, and she definitely didn’t care about the show. Mainly, she was trying to distract herself.
Peridot resumes the episode, and returns to her two-inch observation position. Lapis has no idea how she could see more than just the centre of the frame from such a range.
Three episodes, and an equal number of attempts to explain the whole show to Lapis, Peridot extracts the VHS tape of the finished episode, and places another one in. Once it’s playing, she hesitantly approaches the couch, and sits all the way on the opposite side from Lapis, who is currently on the wall-side, with her legs outstretched across the couch. As Peridot approaches, she swings her legs down, and sits in a more standard position, to the mild displeasure of Peridot at implicitly disturbing Lapis. She sits cross-legged, and stares intently at the TV. As far as Lapis observes, she doesn’t blink for an entire three minutes straight, as the episode plays, before she turns to glance at Lapis. Lapis quickly averts her gaze, a tinge embarrassed for staring at her long enough to notice that. She was only doing it because Peridot’s hyperfocus on the show was absurd, she tells herself. They remained there for the night, Peridot watching CPH, and Lapis vaguely observing.