"This is a pecan orchard! Isn't it cool?" Steven said in a chirp.
Peridot looked up at the undersides of the pecan tree foliage. "It is cool. In fact, there was a significant temperature drop from when we walked from outside" –here she pointed at the mouth of the close set orchard-"up until now."
Indeed, the temperature was cool and pleasant; the air seemed to have become dry and cool, and a slight breeze wafted through the trees. Shade was abundant; a lovely place to be on a summer day. Steven suddenly wished for a watermelon.
He turned back to Peridot. "Right. But isn't this place nice?"
Peridot pondered for a bit, but Steven interjected: "Y'know, since this habitat hosts a lot of animals."
"It does?" Peridot took another look around her. "Interesting. This habitat has more value then."
"Right! And that's what makes it so great!" finished Steven with a flourish. Peridot nodded.
"But do you know what's even better?" asked Steven, leaning in conspiratorially.
Peridot took a moment to catch on, but then she leaned in enthusiastically and dropped her voice to a whisper. "What is it?" Her enthusiasm was starting to pick up.
"Pecans!" shouted Steven, flinging his hands up in the air.
"Amazing! What's that?" gasped Peridot. Surely, this was a new piece of technology, something rare and natural to this world. Perhaps it was not even to be found on Homeworld! Peridot craned her neck and stared at the trees, hoping to recognize the awesome technology that was a pecan.
Steven leapt up into the air, and floated up a few feet. Grabbing a handful of something off the tree, he descended, grabbing a few off the floor. "Ta-da!" He poured them into Peridot's outstretched hands.
Peridot inspected them. They were about the size of a thumb, fat but elongated, a dull creamy brown color. Some were striped with dark brown.
"Umm…" Peridot began.
"Crack them open!" encouraged Steven.
"Oh!" It made sense something good would be shielded from covetous eyes and avaricious hands.
Peridot squeezed one experimentally. Underneath her fingers, she could feel the shell's structure shiver, then withstand the force. Steven, grinning, took one from her, and shattered it with a tool. Giving Peridot the tool, Steven watched eagerly.
Peridot looked at the slightly oily pecan in her palm. "This is a pecan." It wasn't quite a question.
"Yeah! You can bake 'em in pies!"
Peridot felt the pecan with her thumb, wondering what she had been expecting from a tree.
Steven, sensing her slight disappointment, said: "Come on, Peridot! If you help me harvest some of these pecans, I'll give you the nutcracker to take apart!"
Peridot's interest was renewed, and the two of them collected a sack of pecans. Steven and Peridot returned to the Beach House, and Peridot watched Steven make a pie.
Peridot watched the pie bake, all the while telling Steven about the chemical and physical changes happening within. Peridot was more excited-she wanted to see what would happen to this pecan mush when subjected to extreme heat.
The pie had formed a solid crust of pecans and baked filling on top. When Steven cut the pie, still warm, Peridot pointed out the semisolid filling. Peridot kept craning her head around the pie, watching the semisolids solidify into a more solid filling as Steven ate his slice.
Peridot took one slice back to the Barn. "I'm gonna show this to Lapis! It's so cool!"
"OK!" called Steven. "Make sure to show her the semisolid filling!"
"I will!" and Peridot dashed off to the barn, thrilled to have observed such interesting physical and chemical changes.