It had been the best night that Lapis Lazuli had experienced in her life. Not to say that it had much competition mind you, seeing how the past 5000 years or so had awful tragedies in store for the blue Gem every night. Whether it was being trapped inside of a mirror for a majority of her life, being set free and trying to desperately flee the planet she was trapped on with a broken gem, being captured and tortured by the ones that she was supposed to be safe around, or having to imprison herself in a fusion with a sadistic thug for months on end to protect the only person she cared about... saying that Lapis wasn't a stranger to bad nights (and days, for that matter) would certainly be underselling it.
And yet, this was a genuinely fun night indeed. After being freed from Malachite, Lapis had been dead set on leaving Earth. The lush blue planet had caused her nothing but grief and misery, and it didn't help that it was home to the so-called heroes known as the Crystal Gems who allowed her to remain imprisoned inside that mirror. But where could she go? When she tried to return to Homeworld last time, she was captured, interrogated, and tortured under suspicion of being a Crystal Gem spy. And if she showed up without Jasper and Peridot in tow... she didn't even want to think about the punishment that would be in store for her.
So while she wracked her brains on what to do, she spent the day hanging out with that one friend of hers, who she carried as they flew across the countryside and briefly visited the locations known as Empire City and Jersey. But it was late at night, and she still didn't really have an answer as to if she wanted to stay on Earth, or fly off to some obscure corner of space. If she stayed on Earth, she had to remain on the same planet with the Crystal Gems, who would likely try to hunt her down and shatter her for escaping the mirror. But if she flew off to space, all bets were off. She'd have to flap around the infinite collective of stars, planets, asteroids, and other such things and hope that Homeworld wouldn't catch her. The mighty empire was always efficient at colonizing planets, and after being stuck in that mirror for 5000 years, god only knew how far it spanned now...
However, there was one big plus to staying on Earth. She'd be able to regularly visit the one person she could ever trust: Steven Universe! A peculiar boy who seemed to be half-Gem, half-human, she had met Steven about a year or so ago when one of the Crystal Gems by the name of Pearl entrusted him with Lapis' mirror. And unlike all the people who callously used the mirror without wondering about who could have been inside, Steven actually talked to her! Using a limited amount of communication, she successfully befriended him to the point to where he was willing to defy the Gems' orders and freed her from the mirror, and even fixed her cracked gemstone with his healing powers! Ever since that day she's looked out for him, and done all she could to keep him safe: warning him of an impending Homeworld invasion, lying to Jasper and Peridot about his abilities, and even trapping herself under the ocean to keep Jasper from hurting him... it was sad because the two usually only got to meet under awful circumstances.
But tonight? The two were flying high above the sky, with Steven clinging to her back while she soared above the clouds. Now, they both truly got to hang out together with no strings attached. For once, they got to have fun! But Lapis still felt an odd clenching feeling deep inside her core. That deep uncertainty that even while playing around with Steven, she still wasn't quite free as long as she was still on that planet...
"For a moment," Lapis stated sadly as she flapped her wings, "I really felt like things were different. But they're not. No matter where I go, I'm trapped."
"But you're not!" Steven cut in, the concern heavy in his voice, "You're not underwater, you're not in a mirror! This time, you're free!"
"But I'm still on Earth!" Lapis protested, but Steven wasn't having any of that.
"Yeah, but nothing is still on Earth! Everything's always changing: leaves, cities, even Jersey changes! My dad says the rest stops used to be pretty gross, but now they have sushi!" He then chuckled slightly before continuing, "This isn't the same world that held you prisoner! Not anymore, and I know it doesn't feel like home, but maybe that can change too!"
'Change, huh...'
Lapis glanced away, but smiled as she did so. She may not have had any earthly idea what rest stops, sushi, or even dads were, but she could see where Steven was coming from. 5000 years after her imprisonment, the Earth had changed exponentially. What she had initially seen as a dull, primitive planet was now a beautiful, diverse landscape with pretty cities of lights, forests that shifted colors when seasons would pass, and rough yet oddly likable industrial cities of smog and hatred. And who knows? If the world changed that much over time, maybe all those changes included one that could let a Lapis Lazuli live a quiet life away from strife and discord...
The starry sky was now shifting from deep blue to pinkish-purple, with the stars themselves fading from view one by one as the duo approached the barn Steven and the Crystal Gems had been staying at. Lapis touched down, and let Steven drop back onto the ground.
"I know you can't go back to Homeworld, but if you stay here, it'll be your choice to stay here." Steven promised. He reached into his pants pocket and placed something in Lapis' hand. It was a leaf, specifically a dry, brittle, yellowed leaf from the forest the pair visited during their trip together. Lapis held it up to her face and studied it, memories of the beautiful forest and it's seasonal color-changing leaves flooding back. It was rather small, and even a little insignificant, but it was oddly amusing nonetheless.
"It's funny, for all this time I spent on Earth, I barely saw any of it!"
"That's not funny!" Steven cut in, "That's super sad."
'Always the empathetic one, aren't you Steven?' Lapis giggled internally. She took a long glance at the horizon, and watched the sun creep into the sky. A new dawn was approaching, not just for the planet, but for an indecisive Gem looking to start a new life. One where she could live in the countryside, away from the Crystal Gems and away from Homeworld, but at the same time, would always be available to hang out and play with a boy who shared her love for fart noises...
"I... I wanna see it."
"Yeah?!" Steven asked, with an ever-growing smile on his face.
"I wanna stay here!" Lapis stated with confidence, also with a rare smile on her face.
"Here?! Like, here here?!"
"Yeah!" Lapis responded cheerfully, "Here here!"
"Yes! Hear hear, everybody!"
'No... Oh NO.' Lapis thought, 'Don't tell me that was-!'
"Uh, what are we talking about?"
It was exactly who Lapis thought, alright. After being interrogated for information about the Earth by her, how could Lapis mistake the high, nasally voice for anyone but Peridot? Just the mere sight of the tiny green Gem rounding the corner of the barn and approaching the duo caused every bit of happiness and goodwill she had built up that night to come rushing out of her, like helium from a deflating balloon. She seemed to be lacking her limb enhancers for whatever reason, but Lapis was too infuriated to care.
"YOU?!"
"Lazuli, nice to see you up and about!" Peridot replied casually, as if she was greeting an office buddy during a coffee break as opposed to addressing a Gem she had previously hurt and locked up.
"What are you doing here?!" Lapis angrily demanded. And it wasn't a question that was devoid of merit, either. She was an enemy of the Crystal Gems, so what was she doing on their territory? And why wasn't Steven attacking her?!
"This is my home away from Homeworld!" Peridot stated confidently.
"No it's not! It's mine! Right, Steven?!" She turned to the small boy for affirmation, with high hopes that he'd stand by her side and shoo the little gremlin off the premises. But for whatever reason, he wasn't saying anything. He was just awkwardly glancing at the ground and twiddling his thumbs.
"Uh... oh boy." Steven sighed and swallowed before looking up at Lapis. "Lapis? I'm uh... well... oh man, I totally screwed up..."
"Screwed up how?" Lapis asked, her voice partly filled with anger, partly with dread.
"Well uh... I totally forgot to let you know that, uh... that we were letting Peridot stay at the barn, too..."
That was exactly the last thing Lapis needed to hear.
"Wh-WHAT?! WHY?!"
She didn't want to yell at Steven, but she couldn't help it: her emotions were bubbling up hotter than lava from a volcano.
"Lapis, please!" Steven protested, "I know it looks bad-"
"Well of course it does, SHE'S THE ENEMY! Sent straight from Homeworld to hurt you! Why in the world would you let someone like her stay here?!"
"Hey, just cool it down for a second, Lazuli!" Peridot cut in, a goofy smile on her face as she raised a hand in what Lapis assumed was supposed to be a calming gesture, "To quote Amethyst, chillax! I'm not aligned with Homeworld anymore, so just calm down!"
"No, I'm NOT going to calm down! I'm not giving up the barn to someone like you!" Lapis spat. Peridot then frowned, her casual cheerfulness replaced with annoyance.
"Oh, don't be such a whiner, Lazuli!" Peridot protested, "I was here first, so I get the barn! That's completely fair!"
"NO IT'S NOT!" Lapis screamed back, "You don't deserve it!"
"Guys, GUYS!" Steven cut in desperately. He stood in the middle of both Gems in an attempt to keep a potential fight from breaking out, which he fully expected given Lapis' intense body language. "Come on, you don't have to fight over the barn! Can't you just share it?!" Lapis looked less than amused, but Peridot lightened up considerably.
"Share the barn... of course! I like the cut of your Gem, Steven Quartz!" Peridot grinned with a smug look on her face as she playfully elbowed Steven's arm. She strolled up to Lapis and did the same to her, this time doing it multiple times as opposed to once with Steven. "So what do you think about that, Lazuli? Neither of us have to miss out on a nice, comfy abode far from civilization! We can live together out in the countryside, just the two of us! We can watch the sun rise, spend hours pouring over the old movies and shows I've stockpiled, grow a few plants... come on! How can you say no to being Barn Mates?"
"It's easy." Lapis responded coldly. Peridot stopped nudging her arm, and Lapis could see a tiny little frown on her face when she did so. "I don't want to be "Barn-Mates" with someone who USED AND ABUSED ME!"
"Lapis!" Steven desperately scolded, "Come on! Just wait, and-" But Lapis wasn't having any of it. In a literal flash of light, watery wings sprouted from the gem on her back. Without a word and a scowl on her face, she flew off into the sky and soared away, absolutely furious with this recent development as she made her way towards a cluster of trees...
"LAPIS! Lapis, don't go! Come on, Lapis!" But it was too late: Lapis made it perfectly clear that she wasn't coming back, and just kept soaring further and further away, until she was a small blue speck on the horizon. He noted that she was flying past the distant train tracks and heading in the direction where the forest they flew through was...
"AGH! That dumb, ruddy, doltish... CLOD!" Peridot spat. She was hopping up and down, all flustered and peeved, while her triangular hair was all bristly as if she was an angry cat. "Seriously, what's her problem?! I was being NICE! I was offering to divide the barn, I made it clear that I'm on your side... what more could she want?!
Steven's only response was to sigh while he glanced down at the ground. Peridot wasn't the only one disappointed by the outcome of these events: he thought Lapis was happy! He thought that after their trip through the Tri-State area, he'd be able to help her move past the rather nasty conga-line of trauma she had experienced! But it was as clear as the sunny sky that Lapis still had a lot of issues that needed resolving: some with the Crystal Gems, others with the Earth itself, and even some with...
"Peridot," Steven sighed, "Look, I know you mean well. You want to see her happy, so do I! But she's been through a lot."
"So?!" Peridot snapped, "That doesn't give her an excuse to act so rude to me!"
"Yeah, I know," Steven sighed again, "But... well, you DID keep her captive on the hand ship. And she said something about using and abusing her, what did she mean by that?"
Peridot yelped in shock and stood there wide-eyed for a second. She then narrowed her eyes and did a little growl of annoyance. "Well... she uh... Hey, look, why're you jumping down my throat like this? Lazuli's the one being melodramatic! It wasn't like I WANTED to make her feel bad! I'm not going to disobey a Diamond's orders!" Her eyes then bulged when she realized that she was caught in a contradiction. "Well uh... I mean yeah, I helped you with neutralizing the Cluster and became a Crystal Gem, so I DID disobey a Diamond... GAH, that's not the point! Lazuli is being rude, and I demand an apology!"
"Whoa, Peridot! You shouldn't demand an apology! Just ask her nicely!" Steven corrected her, as it was a certainly important distinction to make. In most cases, it made all the difference in the world.
"Yes, but she was rude when I was nice to her!"
"Well, why not give it another shot?" Steven suggested, "She wasn't expecting to see you here, so you kinda caught her off guard! Now that she knows you're here, she's had time to let the surprise wear off!"
Peridot simply gave Steven a look of disbelief.
"Are you sure it's going to work?"
"Does it really hurt to try?" Peridot furrowed her brow at Steven's question, but ultimately came around.
"Hmm... I suppose not. But what if she never comes back?"
"Then we go after her!" Steven replied cheerfully as he pointed in the direction he saw his blue friend flee, "I saw her head over that way! There's a forest far over there that we visited yesterday, I bet she's in there! And if she isn't in there, she could be further ahead, like in Empire City! I sure hope she didn't fly to Jersey though..."
"Well, how are we supposed to get over there?" Peridot asked, "The Greg and the Crystal Gems took the only working vehicle back to Beach City!"
"I'll just call them!" Steven cheerfully announced. He whipped out his cellphone... only to see that it wouldn't turn on. "Oh yeah, the battery's dead." He sighed, not liking the only other option he had left. "Well, that means we're gonna have to walk!
"Wait, walk?! How far out are we walking, exactly?"
"Well uh... if we powerwalk and don't stop for any breaks, I think we'll get to where she could be in about... 4 hours? Maybe 5? And if she isn't in the forest, then that'd take a lot longer." He chuckled kind of sheepishly when Peridot blew up.
"Wha- but that'll take forever! I don't want to walk for that long!"
"Well, we're just gonna have to deal with it!" Steven shrugged.
"No, no! There has to be an easier way to go about this! How about that large pink feline that hangs around... Leon, I think he's called?"
"His name's Lion," Steven corrected, "And I'd ride him if I could... but I haven't seen him since the day before yesterday!"
"So he's lost then." Peridot sighed. "Wonderful."
"No! He just kinda wanders off to do his own Liony thing. It's what he does!" With that being said though, Steven did wish that he knew what exactly the fluffy pink enigma of a big cat was getting up to during his solo adventures. It was something he resolved to ask him some day... if he remembered to do so. And his memory would prove to be shorter-term than he thought when he heard Peridot cry out excitedly.
"Oh! OH! Steven, there he is! He's right over there!"
Steven turned around and saw Peridot pointing over to the old silo. And as she had said, Lion was right in front of it, curled up in a ball and napping like the lazy cat he was.
"Aw, Lion!" Steven scolded playfully, "Where've you been all this time, you little goofball?!" He and Peridot ran up to the slumbering feline, who took notice of their approach and groggily rose up on all fours. He took a second to stretch and yawn heavily, and fell back into position once they reached him.
"Hey, buddy!" Steven greeted, "Do you think you could do your pals Steven and Peridot a favor? Hmm?"
Lion just blankly stared at him. It was to be expected, since he is a lion.
"You see, we need help looking for a friend of ours. It's Lapis, you've seen her before! You know, that pretty blue Gem who took the ocean that time?"
Lion seemed to understand, maybe. It was at least how Steven interpreted a subtle twitch in his left ear.
"Anyway, she's feeling pretty upset, and we want to talk things out with her. She ran off to this forest that's a few hours away from here, so could you make a portal to the woods for us?"
Lion didn't really seem to pay attention, he was far more interested in a grasshopper he noticed leaping to and fro nearby.
"Aw, come on, Lion!" Steven moaned before realizing that he had a surefire way to make him listen. "Well then, I guess you don't want a Lion Licker!"
Lion's response was instantaneous, in a second he had turned right around and stared up at Steven's eyes, his own being wide with his pupils having dilated considerably. Steven couldn't help but smile as his motto was proven right: when all else fails, bribe him with ice cream! Rather cheap seventh rate ice cream, but ice cream none the less. "Yeah, now we're talking! You help us find Lapis, and I'll give you two of 'em when we get back! You got that?" Lion responded by chuffing and positioning himself in front of Steven and Peridot to where they could easily hop onto his back. Steven turned and bowed playfully. "After you, ma'am!"
"Why thank you, Steven!" Peridot thanked with a tiny cackle while she climbed on board, "It's always good to see someone who knows their place when traveling with the Great and Lovable Peridot!"
"Oh, you!" The pair shared a few laughs as Steven took his place on Lion's back. Both grabbed tightly onto his puffy pink mane while Lion turned his head to where Lapis had fled. With a mighty roar, a pink light shot out of his mouth and formed a portal in front of him.
"Alright Peri, hang on tight!" Steven laughed when Lion got in a pouncing position.
"That's what I'm do-IIIIIIIIING!" She thought she was ready, but Peridot was thrown for a loop when Lion lept forward into the portal. Their end closed, leaving them in a rather shiny, glimmery sort of "dimension" that Lion sped through on his way to a far-off portal, that glowed a faint pink and seemed to grow bigger and bigger as he approached. It was a matter of seconds until...
Lion made his arrival outside the other end of the portal, which dropped Steven and Peridot off inside of a rather peaceful, cheery looking forest. The sunlight was only able to shine faintly down through the thick layer of trees that provided a rather neat little canopy above, and their leaf colors ranged from green to orange to yellow to red, and even purple in some cases. All around them, the duo and their big cat could hear the calls of birds and the occasional chattering of nearby squirrels. It was nice and peaceful, but something more important was on their mind.
"LAPIS!" Steve called out as he and Peridot began to wander around where they were dropped off. Lion opted to simply fall over and curl up into a big sleepy ball while they called for the wayward Gem. "HEY LAPIS! LAPIS LAZULI! IT'S STEVEN, AND I WANNA TALK TO YOU!"
"St-Steven?" Lapis' rather soft, yet shaky voice could be heard calling from a nearby tree.
"Whoa, we found her already?! Lion, awesome job! That's gonna earn you a third Lion Licker back home!"
Lion began to chuff once more, quite content with this turn of events. Satisfied as well, Steven turned his gaze up to where he heard Lapis' voice, and saw the Gem carefully flutter down from a tree and land on the leaf-covered ground.
"Oh, Steven!" She sounded briefly pleased, but the hint of a smile on her face vanished when she saw his little green accomplice. Steven was rather taken aback, it looked like Lapis had stepped in something disgusting given the way she wrinkled her nose and narrowed her eyes. "And you."
"Lazuli," Peridot sighed, putting in all the effort that she could to make her voice as kind as possible, "Look-"
"Save it for someone who cares." Lapis growled, cutting off the meek Gem before she could even start.
"But Lazuli, I-"
"I don't want to hear it! You should head back to that barn you love so much, because you're wasting your time out here."
Steven turned and was sad to see just how dejected Peridot looked. She slumped over with the look of a kicked puppy on her face, and her triangular hair was drooping downward. He glared at Lapis, who in turn was glaring daggers at Peridot. As much as he loved his aquatic-minded friend, he also loved his angry little slice of pie. And whether it was justified or not, he was not going to sit idly by while Peri was being bullied.
"Lapis, will you stop it?!"
"Wh- Steven?!" Lapis was completely caught off guard: unlike her anger for Peridot, she was staring at Steven with a look of confused hurt and bewilderment.
"Look, I know you've had a rough time! And I know Peridot's done things to hurt you, but that's no reason to be so mean to her! She's trying to be nice to you, and you're not even giving her a chance!"
"W-well why should I?!" Lapis shot back, flustered and slightly irate, "You have no idea what she did to me, Steven! She hurt me! She used me! She's not entitled to any kindness from me!"
"But Lapis, she's changed! Don't you remember our talk about change?" Steven asked, which caused Lapis to growl in frustration.
"That had nothing to do with her! The world has gone on and advanced over several thousand years! But her? She's the same Peridot who hurt me all those months ago!"
"But that's the whole point, she's not the same Gem who hurt you! She's not with Homeworld anymore, she's a Crystal Gem now!"
"Feh. And that's supposed to make me feel better because...?"
Steven groaned in frustration. It was especially infuriating considering their conversation earlier, how could she have unlearned it in such a short span of time? "Lapis, you're missing the point! She's not fighting to hurt innocent people now! She's trying to fight in the name of all the creatures that call Earth home! Doesn't that mean anything to you?"
"No." Lapis replied coldly, "It doesn't."
"Lapis, you're not being fair-"
"FAIR?!" Steven was taken aback at her sudden shouting, "You wanna know what isn't fair, Steven? Fair isn't being arrested and detained by the people who were supposed to welcome you home! Fair isn't being accused of being one of those stupid Crystal Gems just because you returned from the same planet they were occupying! Fair isn't being tortured for information THAT YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE IN THE FIRST PLACE!"
"Lapis, I get it! Really, I do!" Steven argued, "All sorts of terrible, awful things have happened to you, and none of them were fair! But you know what else isn't fair? Not letting someone make it up to you when they want to apologize for treating you badly! I'd understand you being mad at her after giving her another shot, but you've been blowing her off without giving her a chance! That's not fair to Peridot at all!"
Peridot, who had remained silent for the duration of Steven and Lapis' argument, nodded enthusiastically and gave Steven a knowing smile of appreciation. Lapis however gave a furious groan of irritation. "YOU JUST DON'T GET IT! You may be willing to forgive her the second she starts playing nice with you, but I'm never going to forget the kind of torture I went through under her!"
"Lapis-"
"SHUT UP!" Lapis screamed harshly, tugging at her hair while doing so, "Just shut up, you... you IDIOT!"
It seemed the entire forest fell silent after Lapis' outburst. The squirrels and birds both had stopped making their noises, and there was no rustling of other unseen critters to be heard either. Peridot just stood there with her jaw opened wide and Lion had risen from his nap, and was also staring intently at Lapis with a hint of predatory menace in his eyes. Steven however just stood there, rooted to the spot. He felt like he had been slugged in the gut, and could feel his eyes welling up. The Gem he had been nothing but nice to and who in return loved him dearly had just brutally insulted his intelligence. He knew he wasn't the brightest bulb in the shed. He was used to completely flubbing things up. And yet, following his instincts paid off so many times! Because of that, he was able to find out what pre-Crystal Gem Peridot was up to, formed a bond with the formerly feral Centipeetle, learned about the Cluster, and even freed Lapis from the mirror! That all had to count for something, especially since you wouldn't think Lapis would be so ungrateful towards the one who saved her from a life of imprisonment!
But any feelings of hurt and anger as well as any motivation to tear into Lapis disappeared when Steven took a good look at her face. The bitter anger-fueled Gem seemed to let her own words sink in, and was mortified by them. Both hands were clenched right over her mouth, her eyes were wide with horror, and her body was trembling like crazy.
"Steven..." Lapis choked, "I'm... I'm..."
"Lapis." Steven cut in firmly. Lapis shirked back at the sound of his voice, almost expecting him to tell her off... until she felt him wrap his arms around her waist, pulling her in close for a tight hug. "It's okay. I'm not mad at you!"
While Steven hugged her, Lapis returned the favor by scooping him up in her arms and hugging him as tightly as she could, her eyes welling up a bit.
"Steven, I'm... I'm so sorry!" Lapis whimpered, "I wasn't thinking, I was- I was just-"
"I know you didn't mean it, Lapis." Steven stated gently, "You were just angry, sad, and confused! It's okay to feel all those things!"
"But... but I insulted you!" Lapis retorted, "What kind of person lashes out at her only friend like that?!"
"One who's been through a lot of bad stuff." Steven reassured her with a pat on the back. "Now come on, it's gonna be okay! I promise!"
Now that she knew that no love was lost between her and her little buddy, Lapis set Steven back on the leaf-covered ground. While the leaves crunched underneath his weight, Lapis noticed streams of tears on her cheeks, and quickly rubbed them off.
"Steven..." she sniffled, "I... I really am sorry. You were just trying to stick up for a friend, and... well, I just..."
"Like I said, Lapis: you just kinda snapped after being pushed around too much! You don't have to apologize to me!"
"I just wish I didn't blow up at you! You don't deserve to be treated that way!"
"Hey, I'm a tough kid! I can take a few mean words!" Steven laughed. And it was true: this wasn't his first rodeo. Far from it, actually...
"I know, I just..." Lapis sighed and glanced to the side, "Look, Steven. I don't think I'm in any shape to talk about my feelings right now. I need some time to cool off and gather my thoughts."
"Yeah, I understand!" Steven approved with a nod, "I'll lay low while you find your happy place, okay?"
"Yeah, sure." Lapis agreed weakly. "Oh, but don't worry! Once I've got everything under control, I'll come back for you! Maybe even take you on a trip while we talk things out..."
Steven's eyes went starry at the sound of that. "Oh boy, another trip! Where should we go, though?"
"How about I sort out the details myself?" Lapis chuckled slightly, "Meanwhile, you go back to that barn of yours and wait for me! I promise I'll be back for you!"
Steven smiled back at her. "Got it!" He then suddenly caught himself yawning huge, and widely. It didn't really hit him until then: but he was exhausted. After all, he had spent the entire night hanging out with Lapis, and their interactions had gone on far into the morning. He could definitely use some rest back at the barn.
"Are you okay, Steven?" Lapis asked, who was concerned due to naturally not being familiar with the concept of yawning.
'Aw, she's back to worrying about me!' Steven internally gushed before reassuring his friend. "Yeah, I'm fine! I'm just tired, so I'm gonna take a nap while you stay here. Okay?"
"Alright then!" Lapis then stuck a hand on Steven's curly hair and gave it a good, affectionate ruffle. "I'll see you in a bit! You take care now, you hear?"
"Yeah, same to you!" Steven and Lapis hugged for one last time before the boy left Lapis to her own devices. While she flew back up and sat on a tree branch, he approached Lion, who had dutifully gotten to his feet while Peridot wandered back, awkwardly whistling an aimless tune.
"Gee, Lazuli sure is a mess." Peridot noted seriously, "Did she really take what happened at Homeworld that personally?"
"Like I said, she's been through a lot, Peri!" Steven said while they both climbed onto Lion's back, "Lots of bad stuff's happened to her! She just needs time to sort it all out, you know?"
"Yes... but I just wish I could make her understand that I want to make up for hurting her! I just want her to like me!" Peridot sighed mournfully, while turning a guilty eye to the ground. She was surprised however when she was grabbed from behind and hugged by an affectionate Steven.
"Aw, don't worry, Peridot! I still like you!"
"Of course you do. Who DON'T you like?" Peridot grumbled in an adorably grumpy way. She did smile and ever-so-slightly blush though, still happy that she was at least in someone's good graces. With a roar, the pair and their fluffy pink ride disappeared back into the portal to the Barn, while Lapis had some much needed alone time to herself. While things weren't perfect, they had settled down, and that was all that mattered.
