It didn't take long for Pearl to realize that Peridot didn't like weapons. As the monster ran towards her, panic crossing her face, it didn't come to mind at all that Peridot wasn't going to summon her weapon. After all, it was basically a reflex for her after all of these years. The thing ran towards the green gem, teeth rotating in its mouths. The thing rose up on it's hind legs as Peridot cowered, hands covering her gem. She shrieked.

Pearl stabbed one attacking her before turning to help the newest Crystal Gem. She raise her spear just as the monster lunged, managing to bite her left arm and shoulder. Her screaming was heartier now, inspired by pain. Pearl's aim was on target though, managing to kill it before it could strike twice. It fell limp beside Peridot before poofing, it's gem falling to the ground.

Pearl bubbled it before kneeling over her. Peridot hid her face in her good hand, the other one flickering in and out of existence.

As Pearl placed her hand on her shoulder, she jerked away. Her eyes were wide again with fear, tears simmering as if afraid to fall.

"Poof me, Pearl! Do it quick!" Peridot cried. Pearl nodded, standing up and thrusting her spear deep into her chest. Her mouth opened, though she didn't scream and then she was gone. Retreated into her gem.

Garnet ran over, Amethyst not far behind.

"What happened? I heard Peridot scream." Garnet said, the question already answered by the small gem cradled in Pearl's hands.

Amethyst frowned, pulling down Pearl's arm so that she could see. "Wonder if that was her first time though. You think she knows what to do, P?"

Pearl frowned. "She should, she asked me to…" He voice trailed off. Though they had done so for each other many times before, it hadn't been easy to finish off a teammate. "She asked me to 'poof' her. One of them got her before I could kill it, got her arm badly."

Garnet nodded. "At least Steven wasn't here to see it. Let's bring her back to the temple, keep an eye on her until she regenerates."

Amethyst nodded, satisfied and starting walking back before shapeshifting into bird. As she disappeared into the distance, Garnet put a firm hand on Pearl's shoulder, stopping her from following the younger gem.

"You didn't finish." Garnet said, crossing her arms and waiting. Pearl shifted her weight, eyeing the shining gem in her hands.

Quietly, she spoke. "She didn't even try to defend herself from it. Just stood there and let it attack her. I don't get it. She's so...spunky; It's not like her to just roll over without a fight."

Garnet didn't reply right away, instead starting to walk again. After a few minutes of silent contemplation, she replied. "I think you'd have experience with it. Consider that you both were from similar castes and backgrounds. I think that will supply your answer." She stopped at the door, slipping inside her room before Pearl could think of a reply.

OoOoO

It was nearly a week before Peridot regenerated. Pearl did not sit by and watch her eagerly as Steven might have done. But that didn't mean that she wasn't on Pearl's mind. She considered her own experiences back on Homeworld. As a servant, a pretty plaything. She hadn't really expected Homeworld to change all that much in that aspect. She was a plaything for her owner, whoever her Diamond deemed worthy of possessing her at a given moment. Generally a quartz who had done well received her.

Her fifteenth owner was Rose, the first to ask her for permission, the first to make her feel like she was someone instead of something. She had taught her how to do things that few in her caste knew how to do, like use the data instead of just processing it, or summoning her weapon. Had anyone taught Peridot how to do that?

Just then, the room was enveloped in light as Peridot reformed. She did not come peacefully. She came with a scream, stopping abruptly as she realized that she was okay. She fell to the ground with a sob, barely giving Pearl time to notice the new stars on her knees or the small star on her chest where a diamond used to be.

She looks good with stars. Pearl thought as she dropped the book Steven had asked her to read.

Peridot lifted her head suddenly, shying back from Pearl's touch before allowing herself to be enveloped in a hug. Pearl softly patted the young gem's hair as she calmed down. Finally she pulled back, sniffling.

"I am...sorry for the trouble I have caused. I'm just a stupid peridot; I should not have gotten in the way." Peridot said, all signs of her distress gone. Pearl wanted to say something else, wanted to ask her if what she thought was true, but said nothing as she walked outside, ready to bombard the returning Steven with questions and requests for more Camp Pining Hearts tapes.

OoOoOo

Steven had the amazing ability to corral all four of them into watching a movie together, even though it was incredibly cheesy and stupid, if Pearl was to say so truthfully. She was painfully aware of Peridot, curled up as small as she could be between Steven, who was in Garnet's lap and Amethyst, who was snuggling into Pearl's side. She asked questions throughout the movie, questioning the logic of certain characters and their decisions. As Dogcopter started to fight the villainous Blimpcats, his obviously impossibly large guns shooting at them, Peridot shied away, hiding her face in Amethyst's hair.

She didn't look up until the movie was over, nearly half an hour later. Pearl stayed behind as they slowly separated, Garnet putting Steven to bed, Amethyst going to her room. Peridot stayed still, not moving her position from how Amethyst had softly pried her off.

"You don't like weapons." Pearl asked quietly, watching Peridot carefully.

The green gem slowly uncurled, looking up apprehensively. "That's not a question. How do you expect me to respond?"

Pearl gazed back at her, noting the timidness in her body language, the subtle quietness in her voice. She crossed her arms, unfazed. "Why?"

Peridot glared back, though she relented quickly under Pearl's unblinking eye. "For what reason would I like objects made to hurt others? My job is to use information. I am a data clerk, I emerged into a caste of thinkers. Logically there is no reason for me to like them."

Pearl quietly listened, watching Peridot's eyes and the way that they avoided meeting hers directly. Her green hand fidgeted as she answered, a small gleam of sweat covering her face.

"I think both of us know that's not true." She replied. "When you and Jasper first landed here, you shied away from the gem disrupter. And when you moved into Steven's bathroom you continually asked if things were weapons."

"I do not understand your line of reasoning." Peridot replied, standing up. She stretched and waited for Pearl to dismiss her before leaving. Her manners were improving to a point, but Pearl knew that she'd leave if she didn't get to the point.

"You were a toy."

Peridot's expression changed, hardening, and pushing any civility out of it. She tensed, her form puffing up in a primal way to make her look bigger. Pearl recognized this as one of the programmed instincts that gems of her caste had to make them...more fun to use. This small amount of backbone would have been beaten out of her by now if she'd have been at Homeworld longer. The thought made Pearl cold to think that the small crystal gym would be like she was, with no one to save her.

"And? I was a toy. I was used and abused and taken. So what? I can't change what happened in the past and neither can you!" Peridot yelled, hurt in her eyes as she backed out of the room. As soon as she finished, she ran away towards the barn.

OoOoOoO

Pearl considered what had gone wrong. It was simple in hindsight. She was too blunt, with no real objective. Normally it was who had no tact.

Garnet said nothing at their awkward confrontations. Peridot refused to speak more than necessary, keeping her replies short when Pearl asked a question. Steven was oblivious thankfully, but the other two members of the Crystal gems were not. Amethyst cornered Pearl one day as they were on a mission together.

"Is there a reason why you and Peri are bein' awkward, because it's really awkward." She had said as she crossed the gorge. Pearl followed behind her, preferring to jump gracefully over the gap than swing across as Amethyst had done.

"What do you mean? We're not-" She paused as she crossed over the next one. "Nothing is wrong."

No one said anything else about it.

Pearl, however, was getting tired of it. She walked up to the barn, not announcing her presence as she walked in. Peridot was laying down in front of the tv, head in her arms. She was so focused, she didn't even notice Pearl walk in, through the floor was awfully creaky.

"Peridot?"

The green gem jumped, the movement causing her to fall from the loft onto the ground. Pearl reached over to help her up, causing Peridot to shy away from her touch, a scowl on her face.

"I don't need your pity Pearl." She growled.

Pearl froze, anger bubbling up inside her. She had only been trying to help this whole time. Why did she have to make it hard for her to simply tell her that she'd been in the same place? That she too could defend herself. That she was safe now. But instead of doing the logical thing and simply saying it, she found herself giving into her 'heart'.

She leaned forward, one hand reaching behind Peridot to support her, the other one beside her on the wall. Their lips met for a brief moment, gems touching together with a small tap. Pearl shivered at the unexpected cool of her skin and the heat of her gem. And then her face was stinging.

Peridot pushed the stunned Pearl away from her, her face a darker green. "And what the diamond was that for?"

Pearl blushed. What she did was uncalled for and definitely not the answer. The only passion Peridot had likely experienced was at her expense and not fun. Pearl cleared her throat and continued with what she should have done all along.

"I actually came to apologize for being so blunt. I only meant to tell you that I know how it is...was for you. You know how to regenerate, but you've never even summoned your weapon. The day you poofed...I realized that….I don't want you to get hurt. I came here to offer to help you learn to summon your weapon." She averted her eyes. "I'm sorry for kissing you. That was uncalled for and-" Pearl was cut off as a pair of cool lips pressed to her own, small hands tugging her down, even as Peridot stood on her tip toes.

She let herself melt in the kiss, letting that eternity become a bigger one as she moved her mouth slightly, allowing a small space for her tongue to slip through. Peridot fell down slightly as her legs grew tired, finally breaking the kiss.

"It's not the kiss that I minded. Perhaps I might even enjoy performing that action again." She said, the blush still fading from her face. "And thank you Pearl. I would like to learn."