Summary: Peridot decides to research the strange feline...with...mixed results.

Use the Lion to Connect the Dots

Several months had passed. At this point, Lion would come and go as he pleased. Everyone now knew he had something to do with Rose - her stuff was stored in his fluffy pink mane.
Steven had figured out the feline's strange ability to create portals, and walk on water.
In addition, the cat's love for Lion Lickers Ice Cream was certainly an indication that he wasn't a normal Earth lion. The creature would often hunt his own game which made feeding him less of a chore.

The gems now had other things preoccupying their minds. At this point they were attempting to deal with a completely different type of animal of sorts…
…the Homeworld gem, Peridot.

She had recently betrayed her own Yellow Diamond authority, which meant that the Crystal Gems were pretty much stuck with her. Peridot, who had only spent a few months on Earth, was more inept when it came to social taboos and speaking "proper" English. She had told the party of something called "The Cluster" with which Homeworld was planning on destroying the Earth. The green gem had reluctantly decided to assist her new "family" pretty much because she had no other choice.
Steven gave her a tape recorder to help her remember things about Earth culture. In between working on the drill device that would ultimately save them all, she enjoyed learning about the planet's different customs.
They had recently taken a trip to the moon using Lion's ability to create portals. While the ride had been fast and bumpy, Peridot now had a new interest in the large feline. Certainly any common Earth creature was not capable of these feats? After the trip, she decided to do some research on the subject.

Her first few attempts to document the creature were quite unsuccessful. The cat would freely roam, and was surprisingly difficult to find when needed. Peridot figured that brains could conquer brawn any day. The green gem set up a makeshift trap consisting of a Lion Licker, a rope, and a blanket she had found in the barn. She went about her normal business, knowing that waiting for the feline would be long and tedious.

Upon return to the barn at the end of the day, her eyes met a sight that was most disappointing. The rope and blanket dangled from the barn's roof. The blanket had been either ripped or torn through. On the ground lay a discarded ice cream wrapper. It seemed the creature was too strong to be trapped by a mere warming square. She would have to try something else…

The next day, Peridot managed to find more Lion Lickers in a nearby decorated vehicle. The car seemed abandoned, but still functioned fine. The wheeled menace played an ungodly tune, as the alien shifted through its contents. There was a strange human sign on the window, which stated "Be Back in 5 Minutes". Peridot did not know how much a "minute" was, but she figured the sign was meant as a sort of "help yourself" statement as the human that owned the vehicle was obviously inconveniencing people from receiving the "food".

She placed the large pile of ice cream inside the barn. Certainly this much confection would attract the pink one? Her new plan was much more simple. Wait until the creature came into the barn, and then close the door. It was a basic plan, but it would have to do for now.
Unfortunately, the Pearl broke her concentration. She wanted more help on the drill. Frustrated, Peridot quickly went to assist. She would have to rush back before all of the creamed ice was gone.

A minute later, the green gem returned with the realization that the animal had entered the barn! She could see movement in the darkness of the shadow that the roof created over the various equipment. She went inside quickly and gave a shout of triumph, as she closed the door behind her. What excitement! What joy! What…Amethyst?

The purple gem sat in the middle of the pile of eaten confections. She turned to Peridot looking quite guilty.

"What are YOU doing here?"
"I found ice cream."
"Yes, but that was for the big pink creature, NOT you."
"Lion?"
"Yes! Yes! Now OUT! WHAT A COMPLETE DISASTER!" Peridot shoved the purple gem out with a sting of annoyance.

She stood in the barn now surveying the damage. The green gem was plum out of ideas. She obviously could not use "food" again, the Amethyst would get to it first. She sat. Thinking….thinking…what else could be used as a lure? What did this creature want? What did it like? Hmm…perhaps Steven would know?

"So you just want me to stay up here and call Lion?"
"That is the prime objective."
"…and what is the point of me being on the roof?"

Steven was currently clinging onto the barn's roof. His feet were tucked underneath to prevent any misstepping. The boy looked slightly nervous as he glanced down over the building. Peridot had coaxed him up here, before removing the tall ladder. She decided to only explain her plan after the fact.

"It's simple really. The mammal seems to respond much more quickly to perilous situations. If it sees you up there, perhaps he will arrive sooner."
"Lion is kind of spontaneous. I don't think this is going to work…"
"It will work fine. Now call his name."
"Why the roof though?"
"Because."

Peridot was reminded of the pebble's father, and the fusion getting incredibly upset when the green gem decided to test her theory to see if humans could fly. This was certainly a good spot for such events to occur. Besides, she knew better now. If the boy began to slip, she could certainly catch him.

Steven shrugged, and began to call the creature, again, and again, and again...

Thirty minutes went by, and still no animal.

"WHAT IS WRONG WITH THAT PINK MENACE?! HEEEY YOUR STEVEN'S IN TROUBLE!"
"Peridot…my feet are falling asleep."
"Negative. Gravity connectors do not have a separate unconscious state."
"No…I mean I can't feel them anymore."
"Oh…very well Steven. This plan doesn't seem to be helping with my research anyway."

The green gem picked up the large ladder, and wobbly propped the thing against the barn so that Steven could get down - just in time for Pearl and Garnet to turn the corner and witness the entire scenario.

Peridot was now on her human leash again. The clods had tied her to the fence for a "time out". Apparently, even putting a human on a roof was discouraged, and considered quite dangerous.
"I don't understand! Steven wasn't in danger! I was there the whole time! CLODS! How am I supposed to continue my research no-"

Peridot stopped in surprise! She could see a big pink something trotting over the next hill. Could it be? YES! The creature! He was right there! The green gem flailed with excitement, and charged forward…before the tied leash stopped her dead in her tracks.

"NO! NO! Stupid thing!" The green gem attempted to tug at her restraint with force. It did not budge. Lion stopped, his focus on the strange scene in front of him.
GET….OVER….HERE…." The small green alien flailed her arms in a desperate wave toward the beast.
The cat gave a mighty yawn and lied down in place.
"NOOOO….it's no use. My research, my attempts, all for not!" The green gem dropped down in a depressed stupor. Her goal was so close, and so far all at once.

Steven came out to offer Peridot a beverage. He found her in a somewhat shameful state. She was lying on the floor, face on the ground. Her hand outstretched as far toward Lion as she could muster.

"OH! You found Lion!"
"I can't reach him. My touch stumps aren't long enough." Peridot's statement was somewhat muffled through the grassy ground. It sounded as though she had just given up on everything.
"Well, I can call him over! LIIIIIIOOOON!"

The cat's ears perked up at the familiar sound. The creature turned and faced the boy. With a slightly annoyed grunt, the animal got up, and began to trudge toward the duo.
"OH MY STARS! HE'S COMING!"
"See? I told you!"

Lion stopped directly in front of Steven and sat down. He noted the drink the boy was carrying, and began to lap it up with his gigantic tongue.
"NO! That's for Peridot!" the boy whisked the drink away, resulting in another annoyed grunt.
"It's ok. He can have it." The gem was now able to touch the beast quite easily. She was in awe, her eyes filled with stars. His fur was surprisingly soft. Steven put the drink on the ground and Lion grabbed the cup with both paws. As he drank, Peridot walked around the massive animal in surveillance. She attempted to guess measurements in terms of the creature's size, and questioned the boy on any intel he had about the animal.

"What is this for?" She carefully poked at a long stump with a tuft of hair at the end.
"That's his tail. He uses it for balance and stuff."
"A rudder?"
"Yeah. Kinda."
"Fascinating." She observed his giant mane. "Why is he so…"poofy" here?"
"Oh! That's his mane!"
"His main what?" Peridot looked at Steven, confused.
"No…no…his mane! They call it a MANE."
"Is it because it's the main part of his front quarters?"
"Uh…I don't think you understand…I guess he has it because he's cool?"
"I thought mammals are warm blooded…"
"No. "Cool" is another way of saying "neat."
"He's making a mess though. He's not neat at all." Peridot gazed at the creature getting sugary liquid all over his face.
"NO! NO! "Neat" is another way of saying "interesting"."
"Ohhh! His main is…interesting." The gem understood…sort of.

She noted as the creature slurped the puddle that had formed on the ground she could see giant teeth for several seconds.

"Carnivore…" she mumbled to herself. "I wonder why he hasn't eaten the Steven?" Lion's whiskers caught her eye. "What are those face strings?"
"Whiskers Peridot. They're called whiskers…"

…and thus, the conversation went far into dusk. Peridot would record this information later…after she had been untied from the fence.

Short chapter is short this week.
I hope I did Peridot justice. Remember how I said earlier that Sardonyx was difficult to write for? Well, Peridot is almost equally difficult to write for! Yikes!
I had to look up different mannerisms, and attempt to write a narrative in her voice. It made this chapter seem very short and blunt. I don't normally write like this, but I wanted it to kind of sound like a log. That's why the sentences and paragraph structures are so...strange.

It's definitely different from my normal style or writing. I hope I got my ideas across at least…writing from the point of view of an alien that knows nothing about Earth life is HARD.

On another note, someone should create a Peridot / Homeworld dictionary! While "face strings" and "warming square" were my own, I had to look up Peridot quotes to figure out the "touch stumps" and "gravity connectors".
Seriously though…there should be an entire Peridot thesaurus with words universally used by the green gem in the show, fanfictions, and comics. If we all agreed on being able to use certain words for specific objects, it would make writing Homeworld gems SO MUCH EASIER! LOL!

I had a lot of fun with that last back and forth dialogue between Steven and Peridot. I was cracking myself up as I wrote that...

By the way, I'm going to start uploading on Tuesdays only. Life has gotten rather busy lately, so I'll only be able to upload chapters once a week until further notice. I'll still read and adore all of your comments and support though! Yay!