"So, Amethyst," Peridot began, thumb pressing hard against the button of her tape recorder, certain to catch her every word. If there was any chance she would miss one of the Crystal Gems' exposure to information without having, at the very least, an audio recording, she might as well resign herself from duty the second she arrived back at Homeworld. "When performing a… 'fusion dance', how does your physical form return to light?"
Amethyst's response was less than satisfactory. "Uh, I don't know, P. I guess it's just an 'in the moment' thing." Perhaps this was the wrong gem to interrogate about such manners… but, to be perfectly honestly, any chance Peridot had had with the other two were ripped to shreds by her previous banter. Her hand clenched a little harder around the recorder.
"Very well. Do you at least know how your molecular properties disengage to form-"
"What? Peri, you gotta start speaking in words I understand." Amethyst was taking this lightly, to even begin to describe her behavior. Indeed, even now, she lounged on the sofa with hair tumbling over the side like a tangled, white mess. Even her focus was drifting, not even making eye contact with Peridot, and instead looking to the high peaked ceiling. Already two minutes in, and Peridot was becoming infuriated.
"You Crystal Gems are so barbaric… I'm speaking in the most casual form of your language I know and it's still too advanced for the likes of you! Should I rather have one of your kind translating everything I say to you?" Though her words were dripping in venom, it was hard for Amethyst to comprehend true threats coming from a four-foot toddler with a temper just as fitting.
"I mean, you could, but I don't think Garnet would like our little chats, would she?" Instantly the lime-green flush on Peridot's cheeks alighted as if Amethyst had flipped a switch, and Peridot instead took to adjusting her glasses awkwardly. She had been put in the spot-light; it was true that Garnet would not be pleased with Amethyst talking with her, so loosely, about any information she could get out of the purple gem. Amethyst didn't see the harm in it, and luckily so. Other than The Steven, she had rebuffed nearly every other gem to the point of ignoring her when she walked past. Even though The Steven would talk with her, often, in fact, he did not seem to know much more about fusion and their operations than she did. Therefore, these conversations were vital to her collecting data, and she could not have any interference.
"I see… The, uh, perma-fusion will not know of this, correct?" Peridot asked slowly. To her relief, Amethyst nodded.
"Yeah, you're fine, dude. If I thought you were a threat, you'd be," Her arms suddenly spread out in a mock explosion. "Poofed!"
This did little to reassure the green gem, but at least Garnet would be kept out of her business. "Of course. Now, back to what I was-"
"Well, if you ask me," Peridot most certainly did not. "Your best chance at understanding it is through experience."
"What do you mean?" Her curiosity slipped through into her voice, and Amethyst chuckled at this.
"What do you think I mean?" Swifter than Peridot could have thought possible for the usually idle gem, Amethyst leaped up from her nest of cushions and grabbed her hand, interlacing their fingers almost on contact. Peridot started, dropping her tape recorder in her panic. Amethyst's earlier threats of 'poofing' her suddenly became painfully aware in her mind, and it knocked around in her skull. Were her motives too obvious and this Crystal Gem would eliminate her as a danger to their band of misfits? Just as quickly as she had begun to panic she was yanked to her feet and semi-dragged to the middle of the open living room floor. Instantly, confusion flooded her brain, and the endless stream of possibilities ebbed at her brain. But when she saw Amethyst's face, grinning and cheery, she knew this was not the face of someone about to break a gem in half.
"Peri, your grip is like spaghetti!" Amethyst exclaimed, and threaded her fingers even tighter around her own. "If you want to get this right, you gotta hang on."
"Get… what right?" The last syllable was drawn out in a squeal as Amethyst suddenly spun round, dragging her with the motion. To keep Peridot from flying across the room, she secured a tight hand around her hip, and they were almost thrown into each other. Peridot's disbelief was too strong to immediately realize that she was dancing. Yes, their movements were erratic, clumsy even, but it was definitely in tune imaginary rhythm they both eventually stepped to and a pace that could be classified as dance. Peridot was thousands of years behind Amethyst, millenniums, even, but even she was able to find the method to the madness, swaying in line with her. Amethyst was surprisingly well at this; twirling Peridot whenever she saw fit, keeping her to the beat, and showing off a few moves of herself when the chance arose.
Suddenly, Peridot could feel a warm glow spread across her body, strange considering she had no body heat because she had none of the organs necessary. She noticed Amethyst's face was suddenly bathed in a minty-green light, and with a start she discerned it as light coming from her own gem. Amethyst's shirt lit up with a bright white, and all too late did Peridot understand the events in motion. Almost immediately after, she could feel her limbs becoming like liquid, no control in any of her joints. Though she could not see what was happening, she could feel it. As her body dissipated, it just as rapidly melded with another heat; Amethyst, she thought, later on. And almost as fast as it happened, it was over, but everything was different the second she opened her eyes.
Straightaway, she noticed her vision was not just her own. It was like looking through two different telescopes, neither equally hers. A thought kneaded at her brain, and she tentatively thought, Amethyst?
"Pretty cool, right?" Thought it felt like her mouth, it wasn't quite her words. A gasp escaped their shared body.
"What is this?"
"Fluorite, I'm assuming." An arm outstretched, and though it wasn't her command she could feel herself responding to it. Instantly, she could see the arm was a blending of purple and green, a surprisingly gentle mix. The arm trailed up a leg clad in black leggings, with yellow diamonds cut into the knees. The coloring continued across the entire expanse of their skin, and eventually their fingers landed on their face. Through touch alone, they could feel the sharp, angular chin of Peridot's with the round supple lips of Amethyst. A covering over their eyes was thanks to Peridot's googles, and as they ran a hand down through their hair, it was noted it had the same cut as Peridot's but rounder and fluffier, with more of Amethyst's lighter shade.
Wow. So this was fusion. After centuries of shunning and disgrace towards the very thought, it was beginning to hit Peridot like a truck. But at the same time, she felt at peace. It was a nice feeling, she decided, all warm and full and comforting, like being enveloped into a hug. She could feel Amethyst's conscience prodding at her for a question, so she chuckled.
"What?"
"So how do you feel, P?" Amethyst's giddy question almost made her giggle, but she was silent for a minute, pondering the question. Finally, she decided.
"Big."