Peridot used her power of manipulating metal to knock down a stack of paint cans, grinning proudly. Lapis simply gave a little giggle before taking some water from the nearby lake and knocking down another stack with it. Steven looked on, wondering how all of this had happened. For once, he was visiting the barn by himself, for himself. After being cast into outer space and almost shattered inside his own bubble, he felt he needed some leisure time to ease his mind, and what better way than by spending time with the two misguided gems he ended up saving? They were a good reminder that not all is lost for Homeworld, plus they're fun to hang out with. But it was only now that he realised just how well the two seemed to be getting on with each other.
"Are you impressed yet Steven? Tell me I'm the superior paint can destroyer!" Peridot said.
"I-I don't know. You're both pretty good at doing that, but what about stacking them up again?" Steven said, sporting a smile of his own. Peridot couldn't help rushing herself and began frantically building up the cans again one by one. Lapis took a more laid back approach, surrounding the cans in water and rearranging them all at once. With both stacks complete, it was pretty clear who the winner was this time. Peridot's stack was uneven and threatened to fall over again, while Lapis' was built in half the time in near symmetry. This time Lapis gave the smirk of triumph.
"I'm afraid Lapis has this one, Peridot," Steven said.
"No fair! She's had her powers for thousands of years! I only just got mine," Peridot said.
"I've spent most of that time trapped in a mirror, you know," Lapis said.
"You probably still had more time to master your powers than I have..."
"You'll catch up soon."
"Really?"
"I'll give you a tip right now:" Lapis said, before taking a ball of water and splashing it right into the unsuspecting green gem's face. She responded with a look of shock, while the attacker herself laughed lightly. Soon, they were both laughing, having forgotten the stacking incident already.
"I have a tip of my own!" Peridot yelled. With her powers, she swiftly took the lid off a paint can and threw the contents inside right at Lapis. This only seemed to prompt a full on battle of paint and water between the two as they pelted each other relentlessly, laughing all the way.
"Guys take it outside! You're getting the barn and me wet," Steven said. He was just a helpless bystander in the war, coated in various paint stains but still standing strong. Whether they heard his complaints or not, they were taking the fight outside and into the fields, seeming to have the time of their lives. He was definitely glad to see them get along all by themselves, but much like a cat, he was all too curious to the how of it all.
As their fight travelled further and further away, he was left with the barn to himself. It seemed his chances for bonding would have to be put on hold for now, but he was sure they would be back soon enough. As the minutes went by, waiting led to boredom, and boredom meant he had to find something to do. He looked around for entertainment, scanning the various "meep morps" for anything interesting. There were a couple of new ones depicting the five Homeworld rubies, but apart from that things seemed to be more or less the same.
His sightseeing tour was close to an end now, and he was just about ready to find Lapis and Peridot again, regardless of the watery consequences. However, that was the moment he found something on a far away table, or rather two things. He walked a little closer to make out what they were and felt a wave of excitement rush over him. On the table laid two tape recorders: One with the name "Peridot" written in green, and the other with the name "Lapis Lazuli" written in blue. Maybe these could hold the answer he was looking for...
It may have been a massive invasion of privacy, but he was just dying inside to know how his two Homeworld heroes learned to get along so well. As he faintly heard them still water fighting, they sounded like the best of friends. Surely if they never found out about it, it wouldn't matter, right? Steven found it hard to argue with this, and against his better judgement, he took the "Peridot" recorder and pressed play.