"Hey... Peridot? Are you alright?" Lapis watched the blonde-haired angel, noticing her companion's darting gaze and constant wariness. Peridot had been acting weirdly ever since they left the house. Was it because of the demon she had said there was? Or was there another reason? Maybe Peridot just wasn't used to life on Earth. That could be it, right? She had said that angels usually didn't appear to people who they weren't assigned to, so maybe Peridot wasn't comfortable among so many people. Maybe Lapis should tell the angel it was okay to go invisible if she wanted to. Yes, it would be weird to be walking with someone invisible – but it wasn't as if anyone would know.

"I– yeah I'm fine," Peridot replied absently, craning her neck to look back behind her. Lapis wasn't fooled.

"Are you not used to people?" Lapis looked around, trying to see what Peridot was searching for. She saw nothing except a few very innocent-looking people walking about. "Or is the demon nearby?"

"I'm fine, I said," Peridot repeated stubbornly, walking normally now, although her eyes still darted from side to side. "Let's just get home – that is, to your home already."

Lapis shook her head and sighed. Of course, she reflected, angels are probably SUPPOSED to be super aloof and perfect, and Peridot's been an angel for like, three hundred years, so I guess she's not comfortable with showing weakness – which makes sense because even if people ARE allowed to show weakness, they don't, so I guess I can understand her. She pulled herself out of her thoughts, shifting the heavy shopping bags in her hand so that the plastic wouldn't dig into her fingers as much. They walked in silence, Lapis trudging along slowly while Peridot practically floated beside her, eyes wide and wary. At last they got to Lapis's apartment and climbed the many stairs (the elevator was broken) before Lapis set the bags down to unlock the door.

"Here we are," she announced. "Welcome to my humble abode." Peridot, very obviously relaxing as she walked in the door, smiled mischievously. The door swung shut before Lapis could turn around to close it and the bags were snatched out of the blue-haired girl's hands before she could react. "Peridot, what are you–" she began to ask.

"Nothing, nothing," Peridot replied lightly. "Just helping you real quick." The angel pulled the fridge open and tossed food items into it randomly, ignoring all organization tactics. Lapis rolled her eyes, but she was in no mood for dealing with Peridot's antics so she simply walked across the room and sat down on her bed to watch as Peridot stacked juiceboxes precariously in the door of the fridge and carelessly dropped apples and pears into the vegetable drawers.

"Helping, huh?" Lapis smirked. "And this from the angel who spent hours cleaning up my house and making sure every pencil was in the right place!"

"Food doesn't matter," Peridot retorted airily. "It's just necessary to make sure that you stay alive, but it doesn't really matter if it's organized or not." She shoved the plastic bag into the fridge last and pushed the door of the fridge shut. "'Sides, this way we get to talk more and not waste time setting up." She frowned. "Speaking of talking, we need to talk."

"Yes," Lapis nodded. They did need to talk. About rules and privacy and why Peridot had been looking around so much. Peridot drifted over to Lapis, her feet not quite touching the ground, and seated herself on the bed next to the blue-haired woman. Lapis decided to talk first, and spoke her mind. "For one thing, what was up with you on the way to the store and back? You were super wary the whole time, like someone was watching you. It kinda creeped me out."

"That's," Peridot's eyes shifted sideways and she frowned, "nothing you need to worry about."

"Is it going to happen every time we go out in public?" This was important, Lapis told herself. That was her justification for asking possibly offensive personal questions.

"Maybe?"

"You know you can just go invisible if you feel uncomfortable. I don't mind." Actually I do mind, a little, but if she likes it better I can live with it.

"Okay," Peridot said after a minute of consideration. "I'll... probably do that." She ran her fingers through her hair, sighing. "So Lapis. Just because I'm here doesn't mean you have to rearrange your life, you know that, right? I mean–" she shifted uncomfortably, "you took a day off from work because of me, and I kinda disrupted your sleep, and... none of which was one purpose on my part, and all of which was probably inconvenient for you, but you know how it usually works is the subject goes about their day normally and I follow along and watch, and talk in the evenings at home or whatever... right?" For once, Peridot's voice had no hint of teasing in it. It was all seriousness, so Lapis decided to reply in the same manner.

"That may be so, Peridot, but really, I don't mind changing up my life a little. It gets boring. And don't worry about my taking a day off; it's totally fine. And as long as you don't invade my privacy and stuff... like, it's alright. It's just a little bit weird to think of having someone watching me all the time."

"All the time?" Peridot smirked slightly, the seriousness passing from her face as Lapis reassured her. "Like, even when you're in the shower?"

"No," Lapis glared, although she knew Peridot was joking. "No way. If you look at me then, I swear I'll call the police – no, I'll find a way to dial up God or something."

"Okay, okay," Peridot put her hands up in defeat. "I was kidding. Well so basically we're like room-mates. Okay. So we've talked, I guess. You got more to say?" She stretched and slipped off the bed, her wings appearing in a moment.

"No. I gotta make me some dinner now." Lapis got off the bed too, careful not to touch Peridot's wings (maybe they were delicate?), but before she could get too far, a hand was on her chin, icy cold but gentle. Peridot was lying on her stomach in the middle of the air, her body about head-level with Lapis, lifting Lapis's face up to face her own. She was close enough to– Lapis's breath caught in her throat, but she didn't – she couldn't pull away. From here she could see the golden-gray specks in Peridot's green eyes, the light-colored lashes, the–

"If you could only just see your face right now," Peridot laughed, dropping her hand. Something inside Lapis gave a twinge; she ignored it and grumbled something incomprehensible at the angel as she walked to the fridge. Living with a "room-mate" – even, or rather, especially if it was a flying magical tease-loving angel – was certainly going to be interesting.

She pulled the refrigerator door open and winced as a watermelon rolled out and dropped on her foot.

Yes, interesting.

Now, where in all this mess was the carton of eggs?