CHAPTER EIGHT
Lion wasn't in the most cooperative of moods, so as soon as Steven had retrieved Amethyst and got them both back home, they left him alone with a steak and a large box to amuse himself with, and warped over to the battlefield, where Steven spent the next hour returning to the basics by sending the floating islands to wherever Amethyst directed. It was definitely not as much fun as practicing with Peridot, but by the time Garnet called to let them know they were done with the drill, his confidence had returned in full and he had no doubt that the Cluster would go exactly where he wanted it to.
"Nice work, Steve-o," Amethyst said, clapping him on the back as he returned one of the islands back to its original position. "Looks like the desert was just a blip after all. But," she added hopefully, "just to be sure, why don't you see if you can send me to my room?"
"Ha, I knew you were gonna use this as a way to avoid walking!" he laughed. A thought popped into his head, but before he could examine it, she replied and distracted him.
"Guilty," she admitted. "But hey, it works, so why not?"
"Because I want the pleasure of your company?" he suggested. She raised an eyebrow and he grinned. "OK, I just don't wanna walk back to the warp pad by myself again."
"All right, fiiiiine. Oh, you can have your phone back, by the way," she added, falling into step beside him. "Did you know you have twenty-seven pictures of Peridot with a flower in her hair that are all basically the same except taken from different angles?"
"And she looks adorable in every single one of them," he said happily.
"You also have more than a hundred pictures of Lion trying to sit in boxes," she continued.
"Also adorable."
"Fifty-three pictures of variously decorated donuts, thirty-two pictures of weird, fancy coffee drinks-"
"That's mostly hot chocolate," he corrected.
"-And two hundred and eighteen screenshots of your avatar catching fish in Animal Crossing," she finished.
Steven nodded slowly. "So... I should definitely take more pictures of Peridot. And set up a screen lock."
"Whaaaat?" She gasped theatrically. "Are you saying you don't trust me not to go through all your pictures and messages- oh, that reminds me, Connie says hi. I said hi back for you, you're welcome."
"Thanks."
They walked in silence for a while until Steven remembered what he'd wanted to ask her. "Hey Amethyst, you said you got to choose what your room in the temple was like, right?"
She nodded. "Yeah, that's right."
"So why didn't you go for one like mine, that could do whatever you wanted?"
Amethyst shrugged. "Didn't know it was an option, did I?" she said simply. "Then again, it was probably for the best. Can you imagine me with a room that did what I wanted? I'd never leave!" she laughed.
"Right." He nodded slowly. Of course she didn't know. She'd been alone in the Kindergarten for years until his mom had found her. But... "So why do you think Garnet and Pearl didn't go for a room like mom's either?"
"I dunno. Never really thought about it before." She tapped her chin as she considered the question. "I guess... maybe they thought 'cause Rose was in charge, she deserved it the most?"
"Maybe," he conceded. Now that he thought about it, that definitely sounded like something Pearl would do. Something about the whole thing still bothered him though, but before he could figure it out, they'd reached the warp pad, and the moment they reappeared in the house, Peridot launched herself at him.
"Well? How did it go?" she demanded. "Do you feel able to proceed tomorrow as planned?"
"It went great," he assured her.
"He landed me in the middle of desert," Amethyst butted in.
"But I'm pretty sure I know why, and it won't happen again," he hastily concluded, and leaned down to give his girlfriend a quick kiss before she could question him further. "What about the drill, how did the test run go?"
"Oh, it went perfectly," she boasted, turning to Garnet and Pearl, who nodded in confirmation. "I drilled down to the the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary with no problems. I didn't even encounter any fusion experiments."
"That's good," he said with relief.
"That doesn't mean there won't be any around tomorrow," Garnet warned him. "Our tests may even have attracted their attention, so be on your guard."
"I will," he promised.
"We'll be in radio contact the whole time this time," Pearl added. "And we'll be stationed in the Kindergarten, so if you have any problems-"
"We won't be able to do anything to help you because there's only one drill, so we'll be forced to sit there helplessly and listen to you die," Amethyst finished cheerfully.
"Nobody's going to die," Garnet said firmly. "Now, we have a busy day ahead of us tomorrow, I suggest we all relax for the rest of the day."
"Great idea," Steven said at once. "I was thinking pizza and a movie?"
Amethyst's expression brightened. "Oooh, can we watch-"
"No," he said at once, remembering the horrible alien film she'd made him and Peridot watch. "Nothing too long either, me and Peridot want a little time together before I have to go to bed."
"You're going to be spending four hours alone in the drill tomorrow," Amethyst complained, as Pearl nodded in agreement behind her.
"Yes, but that's for work," Steven said patiently. "Not for fun."
"Just think of Steven's mental health," Peridot spoke before the gems could start questioning just how much fun they planned upon having. "He may possibly need to use his psychic powers tomorrow for the first time after a significantly traumatic experience! Surely it's a good thing for him to be in a- a pleasant state of mind first?" she argued. "In fact, a date could be crucial to the success of the entire mission!"
"All right, fine, you win," Garnet laughed. "We'll watch a short movie and leave you two alone."
In the end, they chose an old House Of Mouse movie to watch with a pizza made by Pearl and Amethyst and cooked to perfection by Ruby, and then after the credits had rolled and the kitchen had been tidied, the three elder Crystal Gems said their goodbyes and disappeared into the temple.
"Alone at last," Peridot said happily, looping her arms around Steven's neck and leaning up on tiptoe to give him a kiss. "I shall go and change into something more comfortable," she said in a sultry tone.
"Ah, that won't be necessary," he said, smiling at the quizzical look on her face. "I have something special planned. Just wait here a minute," he said, stepping out of her embrace with some reluctance. "I'll let you in when it's ready."
Inside his room, all traces of their date the night before had vanished and once again all that could be seen were fluffy pink clouds and Lapis's boxes. "All right room, same again," he declared. "You are only to obey my verbal commands, and only when I use the keyword 'clod'. Is that understood? Clod."
The tiny pink whale popped into existence. "Understood."
The thought briefly crossed his mind that the room must still be reading his mind somehow if it was using the whale to communicate rather than just replying with a disembodied voice, but he decided not to worry about it. It worked, after all. "First of all, you are not, under any circumstances whatsoever, to force Peridot to do anything she doesn't want to do. Clod. Can you confirm your instructions for me?"
He waited. There was no reply. "Oh, sorry, clod."
"Peridot must not be forced to anything she doesn't want to do, not under any circumstances whatsoever," the whale said at once.
"OK, good. That's good." He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to remember the other instructions he wanted to give the room. "Right. Next, I don't want the other gems to be able to hear us or disturb us in any way. Soundproof the whole place and don't let them in. Clod. Confirm? Clod."
"The other gems will not be able to hear you or enter the room to disturb you," the whale confirmed in a monotone.
"Good." He relaxed and flexed his fingers. Now the ground rules had been set, he could start getting creative.
xxx
Several minutes later, he poked his head out of the door to find Peridot had vanished. "Peri?" he called, wondering if he'd lost track of time in the room. He looked back into the room and bit his lip, debating whether or not to step outside and go find her and lose all his hard work, but when he turned back, she was jogging towards him.
"Sorry, I know you said I didn't need to change, but there was Kindergarten debris upon my previous attire," she explained, stopping in front of him and smoothing down her skirt.
"You were wearing my sweater and your regular jumpsuit," he reminded her.
"And there was Kindergarten debris upon it," she replied at once. "So! Shall we proceed?"
"Ah! Yes!" He stepped aside and bowed deeply as she passed. "Behold!" he said proudly.
Peridot's mouth dropped open. They were standing on a gravel path in front of a magnificent castle. The enormous gates stood open to allow them entry and just beyond, she could see the courtyard. She turned around in a slow circle, taking in the beautifully maintained parkland and the lake just visible in the distance. "It's incredible!" she gasped.
Steven grinned with pride. "I tried to think of something to do with the hammock," he explained, taking her hand as they started walking to the gate. "But all I could think was like, tropical beaches or a forest, y'know, with trees to hang it from, and it just didn't feel right, I kept thinking I wanted to treat you like a princess. And then I thought, why not literally? So, castle."
"I love it, I love it!" she said, bouncing on her toes with glee as she took another look around. "Is it based upon a real castle?" Some of it did look rather familiar.
"Bits of it, I think," Steven admitted, confirming her suspicions. "I have no idea how to make up a castle myself, so I let the room do it from ones I've seen. Like..." He narrowed his eyes and pointed at a tower. "I think that might be from Camelot? And that bit over there's definitely from Hogwarts."
"Heh, Hogalot Castle. How romantic," she snickered.
"Eugh." He screwed up his nose. "Then again, Camewarts isn't much better. Or Camehog. Oh dear."
"Wartsalot!" she exclaimed and laughed harder.
"Nooo, that's even worse!" He bit his lip and tried to think of something that didn't sound like an STD. That would definitely be a mood-killer! "How about..." he said slowly. "Periven Castle?"
"Periven Castle? As in, our names?" She mulled it over and then smiled. "I like it. Periven Castle it is."
"Then let us proceed to Periven Castle," he declared. "I believe the King and Queen are expecting us."
Peridot giggled happily and allowed herself to be led to the wide, stone steps at the front of the castle, where an ornately dressed gentleman stood. "Greetings, I am Fotheringhay," he said formally, and bowed to them. "Prince Steven and Princess Peridot, I presume?"
Steven nodded. "Yep, that's us."
"This way, please." They followed him into the entrance hall, where he stopped and gestured towards two more elaborately uniformed people who were waiting, one male and one female. "Allow me to introduce Mott and Bailey, your servants. They will show you to your rooms and help you prepare for the ball."
"Ball?" Peridot repeated in a breathless squeak as she finally realized why Steven had told her not to bother changing beforehand.
"To welcome you as honored guests," Fotheringhay explained.
"This way, if you please," Mott and Bailey said in unison, and turned and walked towards a large and looming central staircase. The couple followed them upstairs and down a series of hallways until they stopped outside a set of heavy, wooden doors. "Your rooms, Princess," Mott-or-Bailey said (neither Steven nor Peridot were entirely sure which one was which), standing aside to let Peridot pass. "I have unpacked your cases as instructed, if you would like to choose a gown."
"Wow, thanks." Peridot's eyes fell upon the dresses hung over a large screen in the corner of the room, and lit up greedily. As she made a beeline towards them, Steven stepped forward, only to find his way barred.
"Ah, Prince Steven, your rooms are this way," the other servant said politely, gesturing towards the door on the other side of the hallway.
"Oh. Right." Steven bit his lip and looked at the door, then back at Peridot. "Of course," he said, but he couldn't quite bring himself to leave the room.
"Steven?" Peridot finally noticed he hadn't moved. "Is something wrong?"
"No!" he lied. Then he sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "OK, yes, sorry. I know I'm probably just being paranoid, it'll be fine so long as I don't make any dumb 'I want' statements, and it's not like I'm going to accidentally say the keyword..." He trailed off, seeing that he was only making her more confused. "The two Connies thing. She was choosing a costume, and I wasn't looking and I said I wanted to see her, and that's when it made a second Connie."
"Ah." Peridot nodded slowly. "Well then... why don't we take the screen and the clothes into your room? And we can converse while we dress so you know I haven't been duplicated?"
"Hmm..." Steven considered the suggestion and eventually decided that would be enough to put his mind at ease, and so Mott and Bailey carried the screen and clothes across the hall and into the room opposite. "That's better," he said happily, seeing that the top of Peridot's pointy hair was just visible over the top of the screen.
"Are you sure?" Peridot stood on tiptoe, trying to see over the top. "I could sing a song if that would help."
"I wouldn't mind a song," he admitted.
Behind the screen, Peridot grinned and inhaled deeply. "A long, long time ago, I can still remem-"
"After careful consideration, I have changed my mind!" Steven yelled.
Peridot laughed and held up her arms to allow the female servant to take off her dress; she could do it herself, but it was rather fun having a servant to do it for her. "I can take requests," she called back, her voice slightly muffled as the dress was pulled over her head.
"Really?" Steven slipped his arms into a shirt and pretended to consider this offer. "How about The Sound Of Silence?" he joked.
Peridot snickered and quickly covered her mouth with her hand. She could already tell where the joke was heading, but she played along anyway. "Helloooo darkness my old friend-"
"Nooo, I meant no singing!"
Both of them started laughing, and then Peridot yelped as her servant began lacing her into a corset. "Well it appears you're going to get your request," she grumbled. "Because I can longer breathe."
Steven blinked and tilted his head slightly to look over the screen at her (or rather, her hair). "Do you actually need to breathe?"
"No," she admitted. "But I find it much easier to sing when I do."
"All done." The servant stepped back and smiled. "Would you like a mirror, your highness?"
Peridot hesitated, wondering if a mirror would even work. Best not to mess with the room any more than necessary, she decided. "No, thank you."
As it turned out, she didn't need a mirror. Steven was waiting for her when she stepped out from behind the screen, and the stunned look on his face was all the mirror she needed.
"Wow! You look- wow!" He took her hands in his and gazed down at her in adoration. "We have got to find an excuse to go to a fancy dress-up thing in the real world some time."
"I agree," she said, casting an admiring eye over his own fancy outfit. "Although first we would have to purchase formal attire."
"Hmm." Steven wrinkled his nose up slightly as he tried to mentally calculate how much his posh military jacket and sash and Peridot's dark green silky ballgown would cost. Hundreds of dollars, probably. Not including the additional cost of attending a fancy dress-up event in the first place. "Well, until then..." He held out his elbow for her to take. "Allow me to escort you to the ball, my Princess."