"That's it… stay there…" Peridot slowly removed her hands from the plank of wood she had stuck on top of the splintering edge that was the hole in the wall. Her narrowed eyes were glued on the piece of wood, searching for any signs of movement. After a while, she let out a sigh of relief.
"Well, that's done and dusted," she said, satisfied, brushing the dirt from her hands. "Looks like Peri's earned herself a brea-"
BOOM!
"WAAH!"
She lost her balance on the pile of boxes she was standing on, and found herself toppling over the edge, then met the ground below with a loud thud. She took a minute, her face flat on the floor, before groaning. Following her groan was the feeling of a wooden plank hitting her on the head. She lifted her head up from the ground and spotted the culprit, and recognized it as the plank she had just stuck on the wall. She let out another groan of frustration, and allowed her head to flop back onto the floor.
She stayed in that position for a little while longer, unmoving.
BOOM!
She immediately sat up, throwing her head back so far that she hit the pile of boxes just behind her. Her knocking them caused them to wobble, then start tipping over in her direction. She stared up at the pile as it began to fall right on top of her. She let out a screech and covered her head with her arms, waiting for the painful impact.
She waited a little while longer, but it didn't come.
She sheepishly blinked open an eye, followed by the other. A blue shape was standing over her, or was more leaning over her. She still held the same unamused gaze she had maintained for almost two weeks now.
"Uh…" Peridot then looked behind her, seeing that the gem's hands were on the pile of boxes, holding them in place. "Oh." She turned back to her and grinned. "Thank you, Lazuli! I was very close to being crushed."
Lapis didn't reply, and instead just held Peridot's gaze for a while longer. Peridot could feel sweat drops rolling down her forehead at this point. She broke the silence by clearing her throat.
"Anyway, what brings you back to the barn?" she asked, scrambling out from underneath Lapis and stood up next to her. "I thought you were gonna go for a flight."
"I was." She let go of the pile and folded her arms. "But it looks like it's about to rain."
"It is?" She glanced towards the open door, seeing the grey clouds covering any part of the sky that would be blue. "Why would some drops of water falling from the sky stop you?"
"I'm still taking a break from water," she stated, before walking over to the steps that led up to the next floor. Peridot followed close behind her.
"I was wondering what that loud rumbling sound was." She glanced over her shoulder to look at the half-finished wall. "You know, I can see the reasons behind many things on Earth, but there is literally no purpose for there to be thunder." She stopped herself from walking into the ladder, then proceeded to clamber up the steps. Once she made it to the second floor, she saw Lapis pulling out a mattress from a pile of random clutter. "Uh… what are you doing with that?"
Lapis dropped the mattress in the middle of the floor, in between the couch and television.
"Sleeping," she replied dryly. She kneeled down onto it and brushed off some dust, before settling on her side.
"Sleeping?" Peridot echoed. "Why?"
Lapis stared at her with one eye open. "What else do I do in a storm?"
Peridot tapped her chin before opening her mouth to reply, but a loud clap of thunder interrupted her, and all that could be heard from her was a weak yelp. She jumped onto the couch and rolled into a sitting position, forcing a grin on her face. She looked at Lapis, who had a brow raised.
"Eheh…" she laughed nervously, before slipping off of the couch and scurrying over to her pile of Camp Pining Hearts dvds. She one at random and ran back over to the TV. She kneeled down and pushed it in the slot, causing static to appear on the screen. She glared at the blurry mixture of black and white, then hit the side of the TV a couple of times.
"Come on…" she muttered under her breath. She then shook it, searching for some sort of image to appear. "Why aren't you working?" Her voice grew louder and more irritated.
"Peridot," Lapis suddenly spoke. Peridot spun around to see Lapis lying on her back and glaring at her.
"Do you know what's wrong with it?" she questioned. Lapis narrowed her eyes.
"I can't sleep with you screaming at a block of metal," she grumbled, then rolled over, her back facing Peridot.
"It's not just a block of metal!" Peridot retorted. "It's a 'television'. I've told you this numerous times." She turned back to the TV and continued to tap, hit and shake it, longing for it to respond correctly. "Besides, if you really do need quiet in order to do the sleeping activity, I doubt you're gonna get it with this thunder."
On cue, another loud rumble of thunder sounded throughout the barn. Even Lapis could be heard gasping, along with Peridot's squeal and the static on the TV being replaced by a black screen. Peridot broke out of her startled state and stared at the blank television.
"What?" she exclaimed. "Oh, come on!" She threw her arms up in the air, then stormed over to the couch and sat down, a snarl plastered on her face. "See, like I said! Thunder's nothing but trouble!"
Lapis' head was resting on her hand, which held her up so that she could look at Peridot straight in the eye.
"So… you're scared of thunder?"
Peridot paused and locked eyes with hers, then folded her arms and scoffed. "Of course not! I just find it to be… a nuisance."
"Sure thing." A slight smirk could be seen on her lips, to Peridot's surprise.
"Hmph." She sank in her place, staring at the blank TV and listening to the rain hit the roof.
"Why are you afraid of thunder?" Lapis questioned. Peridot's eye twitched.
"I'm not afraid of thunder!" she yelled desperately. A distant clap of thunder could be heard, not at all as loud as the previous sound. Peridot gained a proud grin. "See? Not scared at all!" She blinked, then saw Lapis had gone and fetched a blanket while she had been listening to the storm. She curled up on the mattress, the blanket tightly wrapped around her body. Peridot found herself slightly envying the gem for a split second, but soon after broke away from that state of mind.
"Keep telling yourself that," Lapis murmured as her focus drifted from Peridot.
The barn then fell silent, with the exception of the sound of rain running off the roof and dripping down the walls. Peridot leaned over the edge of the couch to look at the door to the barn, seeing that it had been left wide open. She sighed, then hopped onto the ground and climbed down the ladder. She walked over to the door and gripped onto it, but got distracted by the thousands of raindrops falling from the clouds above. She may not like thunder, but the rain was a different story.
She then let one hand slip out of the shelter of the barn and held it outside, allowing the droplets of water to fall onto her fingertips. The feeling was very… soothing, if she were to guess the correct term used. The touch of the cold water drops running down her-
BOOM!
"AAAH!" Peridot screeched and stumbled backwards and tripping onto her hind as she watched a bright electric bolt of lightning shock the ground, and the booming voice of the thunder calling after it. She immediately scrambled towards the door to slide it shut, a loud slam heard from the door being almost thrown across the open space. Finally Peridot could breathe, leaning on the now-closed door for support, since her legs were far too weak to hold her up. She took several shallow breaths, before allowing herself to slide down the door until she was on the ground.
She stared at her feet, which were stretched out in front of her, before she got the urge to look up at second floor to the barn, seeing Lapis now sitting on the edge, her legs hanging down and her dark blue eyes staring right at her. The corners of her mouth were also doing something they rarely did around her, and that was being raised up into a smile.
"Ah, yes, Peridot, the one who imprisoned me and dragged me back to Earth, scared of some loud noises that evaporated water makes," she belittled. A scowl grew on Peridot's face.
"Actually, the water itself isn't the one making that dreadful noise," she pointed out. "Granted, I may not know what does, but it can't be the water itself." She paused. "Um… can it?"
Lapis shrugged, clearly uninterested. "I don't know how Earth works."
Peridot gave a huff of amusement. "Well, I do!" Her shoulders then slumped. "Uh… well, I used to. Kinda." She pulled her knees closer to her, covering her mouth.
"Really?" Lapis asked, though clearly not convinced.
"With my screen, yes, but I don't have that anymore." She could hear the thunder from outside still ringing in her head.
The other gem didn't reply, just blinked once while she sat completely still. Peridot was still getting used to not having such a talkative friend, considering all but one of the Crystal Gems would be speaking non-stop. Peridot would've found herself to be in an awkward situation, if she hadn't heard and felt a strong gust of wind coming from the hole in the barn. She quickly shut her eyes as the sudden gale had surprised her, but didn't expect anything else but wind to hit her in the face. Her expectations weren't met - and she found her herself being sprayed with scattered raindrops being carried along the gust.
She let out a startled yelp and attempted to spit out the liquid that had managed to find its way into her mouth, while also trying to dry her visor with her already wet hand. She opened her eyes, and all she could see was blurry shapes of objects scattered around the barn. The sight earned an agitated grunt from her, and if she didn't know any better, also allowed the sound of a stifled giggle to be heard from Lapis.
"Maybe now would be a good time to fix that wall," she suggested, probably with a smirk on her face. It would be nice if she could actually see something more than a distorted blue object looking down at her.
"In a storm like this? No way." Peridot had her hands out in front of her, searching for the feeling of the ladder, which she was pretty sure was what she was looking at. Her fingers soon found the feeling of its wood, and she began to climb up, travelling on all fours.
"Having fun there?" she heard Lapis say.
"Yep. Tons," she replied, finally reaching the top of the ladder. She crawled onto the wooden floor, her vision still blurred - that is until her visor suddenly slipped off of her face and onto her hands that were still on the floor. The blue shape in front of her became clear again, and she was surprised to see Lapis gazing at her, not with a pretentious glare, but rather with an amused expression. However, as soon as her visor hit the wooden floor, her grin immediately dropped, as did her warm gaze, though Peridot could still see hints of darker blue on her cheeks.
They both kept their eyes locked with each other, until Lapis spoke up,
"Why are you staring at me?"
Peridot fluttered her lashes, then shook her head in order to break herself out of her trance. "Why are you staring at me?"
"Because you're staring at me," she replied dryly.
Peridot narrowed her eyes. "Actually, from my observations, you were staring at me before I was."
Lapis' face scrunched up and her cheeks darkened.
"No I wasn't," she snapped, crawling back to her mattress and making sure to keep her eyes from looking at Peridot, who scoffed.
"Sure thing." She mimicked Lapis' tone from before. She then grabbed her visor and rubbed the wet surface on her dry clothing. Once she was sure they were clear, she slipped them back on her face. It was only at that point did she realize how much her visor desaturated the colours around her, and she couldn't help but take another peak without them.
"Woah…" she murmured to herself. Everything was so… dark, and yet, clear. She lifted herself off of the floor and took a couple of steps forward with her visor raised with one finger, and she admired the slight change of colour of the TV, the room, and…
"What are you doing?" Lapis asked. She was once again sitting on the mattress with her legs folded backwards and holding herself up with one hand. The smaller gem let go of her visor and allowed it to fall back over her eyes, causing the colours around her to be slightly washed of their brightness.
"Nothing," she replied, jumping onto the couch and lying on the soft surface. Her head was supported by the arm while the rest of her took up about half of its space. One leg freely hung, close to touching the floor. Lapis seemed to copy her actions, also lying down on her back, her head settling on her arms holding it up, while she crossed one leg over another, the one on the top occasionally bobbing up and down.
They both listened to the sound of the rain and wind dancing with one another, accompanied with the distant rumbling of thunder. It put Peridot on edge, but it seemed like it had finally blown over.
BOOM!
She screamed at the sudden clap of thunder and lightning mixed into one. The flash was clearly visible through the gap in the wall, and it sounded as if the cluster itself was only a few feet below the ground, shaking the barn until it would collapse right under them. The thought made her clamp up into a ball of terror, and she gripped onto her knees as she lay on her side and squeezed her eyes shut, whimpers escaping her until the thunder calmed and the room darkened. Peridot blinked open an eye, seeing the lightning was finished flashing and the thunder could no longer be heard, and let out of a sigh of relief. Her grip on herself loosened, and both of her eyes opened. Her tensed up body relaxed as she saw that everything was still in place - nothing had been knocked over or even moved the slightest bit.
That is, except for one thing.
"Uh… Lazuli?" Peridot used one hand to push herself up from the cushions until she was sitting up straight.
The slim gem was covering most of her face with her hands, and she was now lying on her side, curled up in a similar position she had just been, except less tight. When she spoke, fingers that covered her eyes parted, revealing that her pupils had shrunk and looked as if they were trembling. Peridot blinked a couple of times, surprised by what she was seeing.
Lapis clearly saw Peridot's confusion, and instantly removed her hands from her face. Her expression had returned to the grim glare that she usually wore. And yet, this only intrigued Peridot all the more.
"Say… Lazuli…" She squinted. "You wouldn't happen to be… afraid of thunder, would you?" She edged forward.
Lapis glared at her with those dark pits she had for eyes, until she simply flipped over onto her other side, her back towards Peridot, who gave an annoyed sigh.
"I was just asking," she said, slipping her legs off of the couch so that they'd hang over the edge. She leaned forward, as if she were about to get up, but she stay seated. "I mean, if there's something you wanna talk about, Steven's always saying that talking to a friend can help."
Lapis didn't move.
"Okay, okay, maybe you don't consider me a 'friend' yet," she lifted her hands up and used her fingers as quotation marks, "but I'm the only gem here with you."
She still didn't stir.
Peridot sighed. "Alright, fine. Keep it to yourself." With that, she flopped back onto the couch, staring up at the ceiling and staring at the dents in the wooden planks, counting how many on average were in each individual plank. She was in the fifties when Lapis' voice broke her away from her focus on whatever number she had gotten up to.
"Malachite."
Peridot stopped and glanced to her side. Lapis was still facing away from her, however she had clearly just spoken. She thought for a moment, wondering what she was referring to - then she remembered.
"Malachite?" She sat up once again, looking down at the other gem. "What about her?"
"This storm." It was hard to tell if she was actually speaking to her or to the wall. "The sounds. They're so similar."
Peridot arched a brow. "Similar? To what?"
"Her escape."
The smaller gem was lost in what to say. She stepped off of the couch and kneeled down on the floor next to the mattress.
"Uhh… that's a good thing, right?" Peridot forced a grin. "I mean, that's when the others got you both to unfuse, isn't it?"
Lapis suddenly tensed up, causing her to cringe.
"No. It isn't."
"Why not?"
She tensed up even more. "Because I lost control," she snapped, causing Peridot to jerk away. Still, she continued to listen.
"I thought I'd lost. I thought she'd have full control, and do more damage than I could possibly imagine." She clenched her lower body as her legs began to fold."It was awful. The feeling of losing all control; the sounds of us both climbing out of that tomb, the seabed erupting as the chains were wrenched from the ground." Her shoulders became haunched as she carried on. "The crashing of waves, the shaking of the earth-"
Yet another thunder clap drowned her voice out. She clamped her hands over the sides of her head.
"...I hate thinking about it."
Peridot sat there, stunned. She pondered on how to reply, what to say. Thoughts about lessons on 'how to be nice' from Steven flashed in her mind, but nothing of use came up. Then, she just blurted out,
"It reminds me of the cluster."
She clamped her teeth down on her lip, regretting her confession, but she calmed as she saw Lapis loosen her grip on her own hair. Peridot grinned.
"Yeah, the thunder reminds me of the cluster," she repeated, this time louder. "I mean… not that it scares me, but…" she gazed towards the hole in the wall, staring at the dark grey clouds. "I'll admit… it startles me."
She looked looked back at Lapis again, hope filling her eyes. The gem didn't respond at first, but her hands slowly released the sides of her head and were lowered to their usual position. The smile on Peridot's face only grew.
"It's just… when I first arrived on Earth, as in, with no limb enhancers, I wouldn't tell the Crystal Gems anything about the cluster," she began. "One of my first experiences with Earth's 'weather' was a thunderstorm. And at the time, I thought the sound of thunder was actually the sound of the cluster emerging." She then chuckled. "Ha! You should've seen me! Darting out of Steven's bathroom, right into a wall." Her eyes rolled as her mind played the memory. "I was so terrified! I was gripping onto Steven like a lost gem!" Her smile then faded, and she stared at the floor. "Probably because… that's what I was. A lost gem."
Neither of them spoke for several moments, until Lapis suddenly flipped over so that she was facing Peridot, who looked up in surprise.
"Peridot?" she asked.
"Yeah?" She leaned forward a bit, awaiting a reply.
"...What's a bathroom?"
Peridot's face dropped. "Uh…" She clenched her teeth. "I don't think you wanna know."
Lapis arched a brow. "Yes I do. That's why I asked."
The small gem slapped a hand over her forehead. "Alright, fine. Basically, it's a room that humans use after a process called, 'the digestive system'. There's other uses, but the main use is-"
She proceeded to lean over closer to Lapis and whisper the different uses of the bathroom to her, while her face noticeably dropped with each detail explained. Eventually, Peridot finished and leaned backwards, looking down at her with a face that said 'I told you so'.
"...Why did you tell me this," she uttered..
"You told me to!" she retorted. Lapis groaned and buried her face in her hands.
"Did you have to go into so much detail?"
"I'm just telling you what Amethyst told me."
Lapis narrowed her eyes at her, which only caused the gem's grin to spread even wider across her face. They both stared at each other, until Peridot was suddenly hit by a large amount of liquid. The force pushed her over, soaking her entire body in rain water. She sputtered as she once again, spat the water out and shook any droplets she could off of her face.
"What was that for?" she yelled, yet again wiping her visor with her hands, except this time she only made it more wet.
Lapis didn't say anything. Peridot grumbled inaudible words, before snatching the blanket Lapis was half-sitting on top of and wiped her visor dry. She shoved it back on her face and glared at Lapis, and saw that she had a wide grin plastered on her face, paired up with a mischievous look in her eyes. This time, though, the expression didn't change.
"Why did you do that?" Peridot asked again, crossing her arms and pouting. Lapis shrugged.
"It was satisfying."
"Hmph." Peridot scrunched up her nose, her shoulders hunched over. Her position didn't last long though, since yet another clap of thunder could be heard by them both. Peridot yelped, while Lapis froze. They both waited until it faded and Peridot could finally relax. But when she glanced at Lapis, she saw she wasn't so willing to do so.
"Lazuli?" she questioned, leaning forward. Lapis actually responded to her name, unlike usual. She lifted her head up to look at her.
"Say… should I leave to this 'sleeping' buisness you were planning?" she asked, shuffling backwards.
The gem's lids drooped. "I can't."
"You can't?" Peridot echoed, confused.
"Closing my eyes and listening to thunder will just take me back to memories of Malachite…" Her hair flopped over her eyes, any playfulness disappearing.
Peridot frowned. "So… you're just gonna lie there?"
"What else can I do?"
The small gem pursed her lips. "We could just… talk." She shrugged and grinned nervously. "I find it creates the illusion that time is speeding up as we do that, which means this storm will fly by much quicker."
Lapis blinked slowly. "Okay."
Neither of them spoke.
"Go on," Lapis prompted. Peridot jerked out of her thoughts and cleared her throat.
"Right. Uh…" her eyes darted around the room, looking for something to discuss. Her eyes landed on her own reflection in the black screen of the TV. She snapped her fingers as the idea came to her.
"So… what exactly was it like being trapped in a mirror?"
Lapis' eyes darkened, one twitching, and her arms folded tightly around her torso. Beads of sweat immediately started to roll down the side of Peridot's face as she realized that the question she had asked wasn't something the gem would want to start a conversation on.
"What's it like being so small?" she suddenly shot back, catching Peridot off guard.
"Wha… who are you calling small?" she gasped.
"You." Her voice was monotone.
Peridot scowled at first, however she spotted the corners of Lazuli's mouth begin to rise, albeit very slowly. She bit her lip once she finally had a full smile, then returned it with a smirk of her own.
"What's it like being stuck on Earth in a barn with yours truly?" She leaned backwards, catching herself with one hand while settling the other on her chest proudly. Lapis arched a brow, but kept her smile.
"What's it like having no tape recorder?"
Peridot's egotistical image collapsed. "Kinda lonely…" She frowned. "Now I have nothing to talk into or to record my findings."
She stared at the hole in the wall, unfocused, before turning her gaze to Lapis. She then tilted her head, which earned a confused look from the gem.
"Then again…" she murmured. "I do have something else to talk to."
Lapis looked even more confused, and slightly lifted her head off of the mattress to look around. "What?"
"Well… you." Noticing how emotional she had become, Peridot blushed at the thought of saying something so… sappy. She guessed the same could be said about Lapis, whose cheeks had become a darker shade of blue. Seeing that only pushed further into embarrassment, and she buried half of her face behind her knees, which she held up with her arms firmly wrapped around them. Her clothes were still wet from before, but the water now had a rise in temperature.
"Still, though," she added, looking away from the gem. "It would be nice to have something to record any discoveries I make about the Earth."
Lapis didn't reply, and instead just rolled onto her back so that she was staring up at the ceiling. Peridot stared at her as she did so, then her pupils moved to the space next to her.
"Say, do you mind if I sit there?" she asked, pointing to the space between them. Lapis gave her a blank stare.
"You're soaking wet."
"So?"
"It'll be really uncomfortable," she stated bluntly. Peridot rested her chin in her fingers as she thought of a solution, until the half scrunched-up and half flattened blanket came into view. She proceeded to pick it up and brush it over a small area of clothing on her thy. She removed it and felt for moisture with her other hand, and instantly noticed the difference. She grinned, then yanked the blanket off of the mattress, not noticing Lazuli, who had been lying on a small fraction of it and was clearly startled by the sudden movement from under her. Peridot practically threw the blanket over herself, clearing the leftover water drops on her visor, while also succeeding in drying her clothes. Once she was positive that every part of her body had came into contact with the material, she dropped it, satisfied. She looked back at Lapis, who was now glaring at her.
"I was going to use that," she said.
Peridot raised a brow, unclear to what she meant.
"For what? You're already dry."
Lapis lay a hand on her forehead. "It's not for drying yourself."
Peridot glanced at the blanket, then back at her. "Then… what is it for?"
"Steven told me it's for keeping warm," Lapis explained, snatching the sheet away from her and searched for any dry patches, only to fail in finding any. She sighed, then tossed the blanket to the side and shifted away from Peridot. At first, she figured it was an attempt to get farther away from the small gem, but she soon realized it was simply her making sure she could fit on the mattress along with her. A widespread grin appeared on her face, and she hopped onto the mattress, actually coming close to crashing into Lapis.
"Huh, I haven't actually tried lying down on this thing." She rested her head on her arms and grinned. "If I were to describe it, I'd say it's very…" she poked it with one finger, "...spongey."
"Um… okay." Lapis' eyes moved away from her.
They both lay there, staring at the ceiling and returned their focus to the rain and the wind, continuing their dance outside while constantly bumping into the walls and roof of the barn. And while there was the occasional drowned out sound of thunder, it wasn't like it was rattling the ground beneath them.
BOOM!
"GAAH!" she screeched, her arms scrambling to find something, though she didn't know what. She came into contact with something soft, and she gripped it tightly, hoping that it would keep her still and secure, that is if the ground would begin moving. She stayed in that same position until the thunder once again faded, and she could finally breathe. She opened her eyes, and gasped in terror as she realized what she had grasped onto.
"Ah!" She scrambled away from Lapis, releasing her arm. She felt her face heat up under the gem's gaze. "I didn't realize that- uhm…" She trailed off, and just sat there, tapping her index fingers together. She clenched her teeth and allowed her eyes to wander anywhere but Lapis' face, but with her lying right in front of her, it was a difficult task.
Her eyes flew just over her by accident, which caused her to look at her again, and saw she had one hand over her mouth, as if she were trying to cover something up. Peridot grew more curious, and stopped her nervous mannerisms. She observed her expression, and found that her mouth, behind her hand, was curling into smile. Along with that, her chest was jerking in a strange motion, as if she were trying to hold something in her throat.
"Are… you okay?" she edged closer, beginning to grow some concern for her, when she was taken aback by a loud snort. Her hand dropped, revealing that she was indeed smiling, and the weird jerking movement was simply her holding in her laughter. Peridot felt the heat in her cheeks increase in temperature, and it wouldn't stop until Lapis finally composed herself.
"Are you done?" Peridot muttered. Lapis nodded. The small gem finally let out a long sigh. "Well, at least you didn't break me."
"Actually, I was just thinking of different ways of doing just that," Lapis said flatly. Peridot's face dropped.
"Is that why you were laughing?" She shuffled away from her until she was almost tipping over the edge of the mattress.
She raised a brow. "No. I just think that the way you act is…" she gently bit her finger as she searched for the word. "...Amusing?"
Her face continued to warm up. "Wha…"
"Steven was right." She smirked. "You have changed."
Peridot squinted. "I have a feeling you don't mean in the way he was referring to."
Lapis raised a hand off the soft surface and leaned her chin on it, while also giving a shrug. Peridot exhaled, then flopped back onto her back. A fraction of her view of the ceiling was covered by Lapis gazing down at her.
"You don't look so good, Peridot," she commented.
"What do you mean?" She raised a brow.
"Your face is a much darker shade of green."
Peridot's face scrunched up. "No it isn't."
Lapis wasn't convinced. "It is. I can clearly see."
Peridot raised her hands to her face, covering it up. "No you can't."
From the corner of her eye, she could see blue fingers pinch her own, then dragging hers along with them. Lapis was almost right on top of her at this point, her face even more darkened, there being no light shining on it. It was honestly intimidating, and Peridot couldn't help but press herself against the mattress as far as she could go.
"Yes, I definitely can," she replied with a lopsided smile.
Peridot opened her mouth to shoot back some retort, but was interrupted by a gust of wind blowing throughout the barn. The breeze had a cold feel to it, one that sent shivers up Peridot's spine, and seemed to also ruffle Lapis, who gave up her position of towering over the smaller gem. She let out a sigh of relief at the sight of the ceiling.
"Did you have to soak the blanket?" Lapis groaned. Peridot glanced at her.
"What even is the purpose of the blanket?" she questioned. "Why is it Steven always wraps it around himself when he performs this 'sleeping' ritual?"
Lapis shrugged. "It keeps you warm, he said."
"...It does?" Peridot raised a brow, intrigued. She turned to the blanket that had been tossed aside, and reached out for it. She observed the material, and saw that it was very similar to her own clothing. "But, wait, I thought that's what 'clothes' were for." She pulled on her broach and rubbed her fingers against the dark green collar. "Or, in other words, appearance modifiers."
"Steven told me that lying still makes it harder for your body to stay as warm as it does when you're moving," she explained.
Peridot dropped the sheet on the ground next to her. "Why would you want to lie still?"
"Because otherwise you can't get to sleep," she stated.
"Why not?"
Lapis shrugged. "Ask Steven."
"Hmm…" She brought a finger to her chin. "I think I just might try this… 'sleep'." She then eagerly flipped onto her side, fully facing Lapis. "Can you teach me?"
Lapis opened her mouth, but was interrupted by another clap of thunder, to which she flinched, before returning to her normal state. "Just close your eyes and lie there."
Peridot gave her a blank stare. "...That's it?"
"Yeah."
"Uhm… okay." She went to to shut her eyes and lie as still as she could. The she opened them again, and saw Lapis had done the same. "Wait, how do I know if it worked?"
"I dunno."
Her lids drooped. "That's useful."
She then shut her eyes again, trying to figure out just what she was meant to focus on. The darkness? The sound of the rain? The wind that would occasionally blow through her ruffled and still slightly wet hair?
Her nose twitched as she opened one eye. She was about to ask yet another question, but saw that Lapis was having a lot more success in 'sleeping' than she was. She was completely still, aside from the rising and falling of her chest, which confused Peridot. The only reason why that would be happening would be because she'd be breathing, which was something gems had no need to do. Then again, she could assume she was just copying Steven, since this was something his species had a need to act on, for whatever reason. Perhaps if she breathed, it would work?
Peridot shut her eyes again, this time absorbing the gases surrounding her through her nose holes. She gently felt her chest to see if it was moving, and it was. She laughed internally - this might just work!
She wasn't keeping track of the amount of time she lay there for, for that wasn't the focus of the activity. She really believed she was about to achieve her goal - she was so focused, so relaxed, so-
"Urgh…"
Peridot fluttered open her eyes. She didn't expect her vision to be so blurry; she had to slide her hand under her visor to rub her eyes, which somehow felt very stiff. She sat up, holding herself up with only one limb, and then looked at the gem lying next to her with droopy eyes. Though, once she saw her, her fatigue seemed to disappear.
Lapis was no longer still, nor did she look at rest. Now her hands were clenched into fists, and her face wore a scowl. But she still looked as if she were asleep. The sight flummoxed Peridot, as it was so different to what had been described to her. She also couldn't help but take note of her jerky movements, whether that be with her limbs or with her entire body.
"Lazuli?" Peridot pryed. She didn't respond. "Hey, Lazuli." She made sure to keep her voice lowered, as when she had tried yelling Steven's name during his sleep, it startled him as he woke. Though, here was no better. Lapis continued to squirm on her side, her emotions even becoming readable. Periodically her voice could be heard, though no audible words could be understood. Peridot sat there, stunned.
"What do I do?" she asked herself. "Will she be mad at me?" She searched the barn nervously for something. What that something was, she wasn't too sure. An answer, maybe.
Then, a distant rumbling gave her the idea.
"Maybe I won't have to!" she announced, folding her arms. "The thunder will do it for me."
She awaited for some loud clap of thunder to scare her awake, tapping her arm with a finger as she waited for it to come and startle them both.
"Come on…" she muttered impatiently. Her worries also increased as she watched Lazuli every so often thrash her limbs, as if she were trying to defend herself from something that wasn't there. In the search for the next clap of thunder, Peridot swung her head towards the gap in the wall, and her eyes widened. She saw the rain acting beyond abnormally. Instead of obeying the Earth's gravitational pull, she watched as the droplets of water swirled violently, some drops larger in size than others. She then looked back at Lapis, whose fists were trembling.
"Is she manipulating the water in her unconscious state?" she wondered aloud. Just then, a loud roar of thunder sounded. It wasn't loud as before, but she still looked hopefully at Lapis either way. The response she gave, however, wasn't the one she was hoping for.
The sound of thunder, rather than breaking her out of her frightened state, only dug her deeper into it. Her teeth were tightly clenched as she twisted and turned, her fingers unable to decide whether they wanted to tighten into a fist or stretch out and scrape the surface of the mattress.
"Lazuli?" Peridot called, shifting closer to her. "Lazuli!" She reached out and grasped her hand, trying to keep it still. Again, thunder sounded, which just encouraged the gem to fight more. At this point, Peridot could hear the rain being dragged and thrown. She let go of Lapis' hand and reached for her shoulders.
As she repeatedly cried her name, the thunder sounded as if it was becoming more frequent. Her mind began spinning, as the barn felt as if it was no longer made of wood. She couldn't tell, she was simply focusing on the gem she was calling out for, who was also beginning to sweat.
"Lapis!" she screeched, digging her nails into her shoulders, trying at all costs to somehow save her from the state she was currently in. The constant sound of crashing filled her mind, to the point where she could no longer hear herself. She began to feel dizzy, as if the room she sat in was losing balance on whatever string it was trying to settle itself on.
"Lazuli!" Peridot jerked Lapis towards her, so that her upper body was raised off of the mattress. "Wake up! What's wrong?" She tightened her grip on her shoulders, both trying to wake her from whatever she was suffering and also holding on, hoping that she wouldn't lose balance along with the land surrounding her. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block out the sound of the drill, the sound of the cluster, the gem's cries and pleads…
"Peridot?"
Peridot's eyes flashed open. Everything was now still, the sound of rain in its normal state, the thundering in her head nowhere to be heard. Most of all though, two dark blue eyes stared at her. They were wide, lost and unnerving, but thank goodness they were open.
"Are you awake?" she rasped. Lapis' faced twitched.
"...Yeah." Her pupils railed down to Peridot's hands. "What are you doing?"
Peridot followed her gaze, then immediately loosened her grip.
"I… nothing, I was just…" She clasped some of her hair as she tried to find her words. "I just saw that there was something wrong and I panicked a little, and-"
"How did you know?" Her face dropped.
"Well, how could I not know?" Peridot returned. "You were thrashing all over the place! And don't even get me started on the strange weather."
"Strange weather?" Lapis echoed, her voice croaking.
"Yeah! The rain, by the sounds of it, was swirling around the barn. It was out of control!"
The gem's tensed body slouched, and then she sighed. "I… I had a bad dream."
Peridot arched a brow. "Dream?"
"It's just something that happens while you sleep," she quickly summarized. "I… it's a blur now, but I was underwater." She held onto her wrists, gripping them tightly. "Except… I wasn't me. I was Malachite." Her eyes closed, which for a split second, concerned Peridot. But it quickly faded, knowing that she wasn't sleeping anymore. Lapis continued her description. "It was too real. The depths of that ocean… it was like I was being choked of all that I was worth." Her voice trembled. Peridot furrowed her brow as she listened intently.
"...Go on," she encouraged, once she didn't speak. Lapis gave a distrust filled look, then frowned.
"It's nothing… just…" She rested her head on her hand. "It takes me back." She sat there, motionless, until she lowered her arm and looked at Peridot. "What was wrong with you?"
Peridot gave a confused look. "Huh?"
"When I woke up. You were in some sort of trance, by the looks of it." Neither her tone or facial expression looked or sounded concerned in any way, but her words said enough. Peridot let her gaze fall to the floor.
"I don't really know what happened…" she admitted. "Just… the thunder. It took me back to when I was trying to destroy the cluster with the drill." She noticed her visor had slid down her nose further than usual, so she nudged it back up. "I was terrified… I thought Steven and I would perish down there…"
Lapis furrowed her brow, then rested a hand on her shoulder, jerking Peridot's head up so their eyes were at equal levels.
"Peridot," she spoke.
"Yeah?"
"You defeated the cluster. You and Steven," she told her firmly. "You shouldn't worry about it anymore."
Peridot pouted. "I know, but I still think about it," she whispered. "Along with all of the alternate possibilities."
Another clap of thunder could be heard. They both cringed.
"I… can understand that…" she murmured. Peridot felt her fingers up into a ball on her shoulder. She noticed Lapis' cheeks grow darker in colour. Before she could question anything, she found herself being dragged forward into a tight embrace. It wasn't like the hugs that Steven often gave her, it felt more… personal? She felt Lapis' fingers dig into the skin covering her back and her chin rest on her shoulder. It lasted about three seconds at most. Yet, despite that fact, she couldn't stop the wide, warm grin spreading across her face. And, this time, she could admit that she was indeed blushing.
After the three seconds were over, Lapis pushed Peridot away from her and returned to her usual bitter stare.
"So… I was… thrashing?" she asked. Peridot nodded.
"I was hoping the thunder would wake you up, but it only made things worse!" she recounted. "I had no idea what was going on!" She sighed. "But… you're safe now. So it's all good."
"Hm. I did hear loud crashing noises near the end of my dream. Maybe it was the thunder," the blue gem suggested.
Peridot blinked. "Wait, that can happen?"
She shrugged. Another sound of thunder, and she clenched her fists.
"I… I don't want to go to sleep," she confessed, cradling herself. "But I don't want to listen to the thunder either."
Peridot pursed her lips. "We could just… talk. Again."
Lapis flipped her fringe from her face. "And constantly get interrupted by that awful thundering."
"I don't see any other option." She shifted closer to Lapis and smiled. "Besides… I was having fun before."
Lapis fluttered her lashes. "You were?"
"Yeah!" She grinned. "I'm really glad I have a roommate. Especially since my tape recorder's broken."
"Hm." Lapis leaned forward and rested her head on her arms, which were settled on her knees. "Um… thanks."
"Why, you're welcome," she chuckled. Then she felt Lapis lightly touch her arm. She blinked.
"I mean, thanks for waking me up." Her voice was muffled, for her mouth was covered with her free arm. Her face was once again in the shadow of her own hair, her eyes no longer visible. Peridot paused, pondering on what to do. She warily reached for the hand that had made its home on her shoulder and held it there.
"How could I not?" she murmured, slightly squeezing the blue fingers. She gazed at their interlocked fingers for a while longer, before she looked at Lapis again. Her face was still the same, as in, she could barely see it. Peridot frowned, gripping the hand slightly tighter, while also beginning to reach out for her shoulder. She, albeit nervously, placed her hand somewhere between the edge of the gem's shoulder and neck. She cupped her fingers over the edge that led down to her back, then began to pull herself towards her, closing her eyes so she wouldn't have to face her lifting her head up and glaring at her. She soon found herself leaning on the top of Lapis' head, and she was willing to admit that she was blushing. That being because, this was obviously because this couldn't be more embarrassing.
She quickly removed her hand from Lapis' and wrapped it around her, doing her best to keep her own body still, since she was practically stretching so that she could hold Lapis underneath her chin.
She then felt movement, making her flinch. She felt warm, slightly moist hands grip onto the back of her own shoulder and somewhere in the middle of her back. She let out a sigh of relief, as it wasn't an angry gesture.
"Hey." She heard Lapis' muffled voice speak up from below her. The feeling of her warm breath hitting her collarbone was alien to her, and she felt her insides tighten.
"Yeah?" she breathed.
"Get down here."
Peridot had to figure out what she meant, until she took a guess and allowed herself to fall, her hind landing on her ankles. Now she looked up at Lapis, and was both glad and nervous at the fact that she could see her face again. She also couldn't help but notice the blush that was spread across her face.
Lapis didn't say anything, and instead tugged her forward so that she'd crash into her chest, her arms still wrapped around her.
"Uhh…" Peridot hadn't a clue how to react. She stayed buried under Lapis' chin, and for some reason could sense the smell of salt coming from her skin.
"Thank you..." she heard her mumble. Her voice alarmed Peridot, since it was much more blaring than she had anticipated. She felt the vibrations of her voice ringing in her throat, making her cower under her embrace.
"For the hug or something else?" she questioned. She couldn't see, but did feel Lapis' shoulder's rise and fall. "Uh… okay." She calmed herself, then shuffled closer to Lazuli until her whole body was practically pressed against the other. Hopefully that's what Lazuli wanted. As she did so, she felt the back of her neck heat up.
Peridot settled there, up against Lazuli, then sighed.
"Um… thanks for breaking me out of my trance…" she uttered. Lazuli didn't give a reply. At this point she was used to it, and couldn't help but smile. She decided to accept her fate, and sank in Lapis' embrace, knowing that she'd let go eventually. Perhaps when the storm's over.
"Hey… wait…"
Peridot listened out for the dripping of rain or the distant sound of thunder, but heard nothing. She shifted in place.
"Lazuli, uhm…" she attempted to twist her head around to see if she could spot any part of her face. "I think the storm's over…"
She listened out for a response, but got nothing. She then realized that her chest had began to rise and fall again, and the realization hit her.
"Lazuli, are you asleep?"
She listened to the sound of her inhaling and exhaling, which was enough to confirm her theory.
"Does this mean you can let me go?"
She attempted to break free of her grip, but her arms just wouldn't move. She knew Lazuli was strong, but now she was exceeding all her expectations.
"Please say you'll wake up soon…" she muttered, her eyes beginning to droop. She felt the arm around her waist tighten, pushing her into Lapis and toppling her over. Peridot went down with her with a yelp of surprise. Now lying on top of Lazuli, Peridot could look see her face, at last. She shuffled forward, getting as far as she could without being pulled back down to her original position. She lifted her head as far as she could and could clearly see that Lapis' eyes were closed, making her positive she had fallen asleep. Peridot would've been concerned if it wasn't for the smile that had managed to creep onto her lips.
She sighed, and collapsed onto Lapis, closing her eyes. She prayed to the stars that the gem wouldn't start thrashing about, though she felt confidence in that she wouldn't. She listened to her chest as it motioned up and down, which was somehow relaxing. She felt her own corners of her mouth begin to rise as she payed attention to her breathing process, beginning to mimic the action herself.
"I think I'm glad you're my roommate too," Lapis suddenly whispered. Peridot was too drowsy to be surprised that she had been awake this whole time.
"You made that fact obvious," she murmured, dragging her arm down to hold Lapis in the same way she was to her. She slipped it between her and the mattress and used her fingers to anchor her hand in one place, then brought her other arm up to hook it around her neck. She felt her own conscience begin to slip away, her mind picturing nonsense, and yet it all seemed normal. Once in awhile she'd notice just how far gone her mind was wandering, but for the most part she had no idea how close she was to succeeding in sleeping.
"YES!"
Peridot all of a sudden sat up, her movement so sudden that Lapis jolted her arms away.
"WHAT."
A wide grin was spread across the small gem's face. "I could feel it Lazuli! I was actually sleeping!"
Lazuli glared at her, beyond annoyed.
"Yes. So could I." She scowled, rolling onto her side, which also caused Peridot to lose balance on her lap and rolled off with her. Peridot realized she had woken the poor gem up, this time with no good reasoning, and cringed. She stared at Lapis for a while longer, unsure what to do, when the gem lifted an arm and grabbed Peridot. Lapis pulled her close and settled her chin in the bush that was Peridot's hair.
"Don't do that again," she hissed. Peridot felt beads of sweat run from her forehead.
She shifted closer to the gem and buried her face in her chest, trying to enjoy the warmth emitted from her body.
"Duly noted."