Debbie sighed as she picked through the enormous pile of metal bits and parts. After working on her aunt and uncle's farm for so long, she'd come to learn how to repair the farming equipment as well. So she tasked herself with sorting the bits into piles.
Useful pieces went on one side while scrap for melting went into another.
"At least I can still be useful…" She muttered, briefly wondering what Peridot was currently up to.
"DEBBIE!"
The woman flinched as her name was screeched. Scrambling to her feet, she dashed out of the barn to find Peridot running around screeching her head off...with a cat chasing after her.
"Oh my," she chuckled and rushed to her small friend.
Slipping between the cat and the alien, she swiped at the stray and shouted. "Get! Get on! Go home! No!" She blurted loud and angry, watching as the calico hissed and scampered away.
"Pissy kitty…" Debbie grumbled and turned back to Peridot. "You alright?"
"What was that thing?!" She snapped, giving a suspicious glare in the direction the cat had retreated.
"It was just a stray. They're normally pretty harmless. Stray cats are pretty common wherever you go." She shrugged, "A number of them sneak in the fields at night to catch the mice."
Peridot just grumbled but soon ducked away. "I'm...sorry about the other day."
Debbie sighed, "It's...I know. It's fine. It happened three days ago, anyway."
"It's not fine!" Peridot yelled, "You're my only friend here! Well...I mean…"
The redhead softened her gaze. "Amethyst seems to like you. Steven too."
"Not anymore." She grumbled, though there was a twinge of regret in her tone.
"Let's go sit, you can tell me about it."
"...okay."
"I saved her life!" Peridot scowled, "But I still feel...small."
"You made her feel bad." Debbie sighed, "Look, I don't know Amethyst's story, and I doubt she'd tell us if she asked. But if what you say is true, that she's not as good as she could have been...that's going to hurt. A lot."
"But...I was just stating the facts!"
Peridot gulped as Debbie steeled her gaze. "You've lost all of what little intimidation you had because you're actually much shorter than you led me to believe."
"Hey! I-!"
"I was just stating a fact." Debbie shrugged.
"...I see your point." Peri brought her knees to her chest. "But, what do I do?"
"Well, I've found that an apology is a pretty good way to start." Debbie smiled gently.
"But...but, what would I say?! I could barely speak to her when I was face to face with her!"
"Well," Debbie furrowed her brows, "You're pretty articulate with that recorder Steven gave you."
"...Debbie, you're a genius."
"Heh...I have my moments."