"Peridot," came Steven's muffled call through the bathroom door. Two gentle knocks on the wood followed.
Peridot sat with her legs curled underneath her, clutching the metallic foot that previously would have made her current position uncomfortable. She was pressed into the corner where the tub met the wall. The room was dark except for the moonlight streaming in from the single window. Steven's voice caused her to flinch only slightly; she'd already gotten all too used to his frequent intrusions in the short time she'd occupied the space.
"What, Steven?" she replied coldly, but not unkindly. Steven cracked the door open just enough to see her shadowed form.
"Hi. Would you maybe...want to see the moon?" Steven asked.
"The what?" Peridot asked, raising an eyebrow.
"The moon! You know, the big rock floating in the sky at night?" Steven clarified.
"Ah, so that's what you call it on this planet. How original," Peridot said, disinterested. Steven decided against pointing out the originality of a planet called "Homeworld." "Anyway, why would I want to look at your moon?"
"Because it's going to turn dark and look all red tonight. Pearl told me it's called a lunar eclipse," Steven explained, "It doesn't happen all that often. It sounds really cool."
"Lunar eclipse?" Peridot straightened up and sounded a little more interested. "That...that's something that happens on Homeworld frequently. They can be beautiful."
Steven's face brightened up. "So then, will you come watch it with me?"
"W-Well, I…" Peridot hesitated. "Are the other Crystal Cl - er, Gems here too?"
"Oh, no, they're not. Apparently gem activity increases during an eclipse like this one, so everyone else is out patrolling for trouble. It'll just be us." Steven answered.
"...Fine. I'll come out. Just for a little while." Peridot said. She shed the blanket wrapped around her shoulders and stood, but still clutched her mechanical foot close to her chest.
"Yay!" Steven exclaimed with a wide grin. He ran ahead of Peridot and out the front door. Peridot stepped out of the bathroom and felt woozy as her eyes adjusted to the brighter lights of the living room. She resisted a small smile tugging on her lips at Steven's enthusiasm.
Peridot stepped out onto the porch after Steven. He stared at her in the full light for a moment; he hadn't seen her standing outside the dim bathroom for a while. Her short stature - although adorable - still looked unnatural compared to what he was used to. He barely had to look up anymore to meet her eyes. She looked so scared, vulnerable, and constantly on edge without consciously meaning to. He knew she was a greater threat with her limb enhancers, but even so, seeing her like this made Steven a little sad.
"What?" Peridot questioned after enduring his stare for a few seconds.
"Oh. It's nothing." Steven answered simply. The wide smile returned to his face. "Come on, let's sit down here." He turned and dashed down the steps onto the beach where two deck chairs sat. A short table sat between them with a glass of some sugary drink on either side.
Peridot followed more quickly this time. Her feet hit the sand and as she walked towards the chairs, she stared up at the perfectly circular orb in the sky. Nearly three-fourths of it was obscured in shadow, creating a red rim along its dark edge to define the sphere. It seemed bigger than the last time she cared to notice it.
"Ohh," she breathed as she took her seat next to Steven's, keeping her eyes locked on the moon.
"Pretty, isn't it?" Steven said.
"I mean, yeah, it's not so bad." Peridot replied. She spared a glance at Steven.
"Yeah! I told you Earth has some nice things," Steven said, leaning back in his chair.
Peridot sighed. "I suppose. The ones on Homeworld look a little different. And the light shifts a lot faster."
"I guess this one just wants to take its time," Steven mused. He took a sip of his red food-dyed drink.
They sat in silence for a time, quietly observing the red rim's progression across the moon's surface. The bright white edge grew slimmer and slimmer by the minute. A little collection of mosquitos buzzed about Steven's legs and he brushed them away occasionally; they avoided Peridot altogether. Instead, she began to ponder the foot she held in her lap. To her current stature, it felt so foreign and bulky, even though it might as well have been part of her own projection not even a week ago. She longed for the security of her previous form. If not to escape the Crystal Gems or to contact Homeworld, she only wanted a sense of normalcy. A sense of union and direction and never any uncertainty. All she had for now was the exact opposite, and it frustrated her to no end. But mostly, it scared her.
"Do you think we could see Homeworld from here on a night like this?" Steven broke the silence gently. Peridot let the question go unanswered, yet her eyes shifted from the moon to a twinkling star to the left of it. The silence between them resumed and Peridot stared and stared. She felt over the smooth plastic and metal components of the foot that sat in her lap. If she focused only on the starry sky and the feeling of her gem tech on her fingertips, she could almost feel it. Yellow Diamond...her home...
"Hey, look at that!" Steven exclaimed suddenly, startling Peridot this time. The last little sliver of white was disappearing from the moon's edge. "There it goes…" Within a few seconds, it was gone entirely, leaving a fully blood red orb in its place. "Woohoo! Eclipse!" Steven threw his hands in the air and finished off the last of his drink.
A second later, he glanced to Peridot's glass and noticed it was untouched. "Hey, are you going to finish your Awesome-Aid?" he asked. He received no response. "Peridot?" He stopped when he looked at her face.
Peridot still stared up at the star. Her lip twitched and her eyes squinted in a pained expression. Her fingers jittered over the foot in her hands and her toes dug at the sand. Despite her best efforts, a few choked sobs escaped her throat.
Steven's eyes widened, horrified by the sight. He reached over and pulled her into a hug. The armrest of his chair jabbed at his side, but he ignored it and held her as tight as he could manage. She didn't flinch or resist, her eyes never shifted. After a moment, Steven spoke.
"I'm sure they're thinking about you too."