"You don't want to join the party?" Debbie prodded as Peridot ambled away from the party with a protective steel mask.
Debbie chuckled to herself as Peridot climbed into the base of the drill with a bit of difficulty due to her size. One flutter kick later, Peridot fell in with a triumphant whoop.
Debbie raised an amused brow as the little green gem peered back at her.
"No, if we're going to be kept on schedule then someone has to keep working. Besides, I don't quite understand what they find so special about birthdays anyway." Peridot huffed and ducked into the machine.
Debbie actually laughed. "Y'know. That's actually pretty common on earth."
"What? Not liking birthdays?"
"Yeah, exactly. Though our reasons are probably a little different than yours." Debbie smiled.
"The probability of that is astronomically high."
The ginger woman snorted. "You think so too?"
"After spending so long with you it would be impossible not to." Peridot grumbled and popped her head up to give Debbie an impassive look, "You understand your species better than I do."
"Even so…" Debbie shrugged, "It's funny to me though. You gems live for such a long time I'm not surprised that birthdays don't mean very much to you."
"So why would humans celebrate their already short existence?" Peri snorted.
"I think it's more about the responsibility." She shrugged, "We grow older, we're exposed to more of the world and what other people can offer...and Steven, I don't really know much about this...Rose Quartz person…"
"Rose Quartz is Steven's mother."
Debbie's eyes widened. "Okay...then where is she? She's the gem side of him, clearly-."
"Exactly."
"Huh?"
"Gems don't do live birth like humans. But somehow Rose did. It would seem that she had to forgo her own form to create a suitable body made from a combination of her Gemetics and Greg's Genetics." Peridot murmured, "There's nothing else like him. He's part Gem and part human, but it shouldn't be possible…"
"Good god…" Debbie hugged her arms, "Maybe that's why they celebrate?"
"Huh?"
"Gems don't age, right? But humans do. If he's a part of Rose...and he'll age normally...hmm."
"What are you talking about?" Peridot prodded.
"He might age slower due to his gem half, but still. Compared to a gem, he's not going to live nearly as long. They would want to celebrate each year they have with him, wouldn't they?"
"Oh…"
"...y'know, at the very least you should go and try some cake."
"Why?"
"It's sweet. And by the looks of it it'll taste pretty good too!"
"I dunno…"
"It's nothing like the lemon, I promise."
"Sh-shut up!"