When they weren't together, Lapis and Peridot tended to keep to themselves. Well, mostly Peridot. She liked to do her research in private. Sometimes she left the door open just a smidge, and Lapis had taken a peek inside now and then. It looked very much like one would expect a laboratory to.

Lapis liked to watch Peridot work when she could, although if Peridot ever noticed her lingering in the doorway, she'd sneak off and pretend like she hadn't been creeping. It seemed like she didn't want to be bothered, so Lapis never asked outright if she could join in on her studies. Plus, she didn't want to seem rude if she got bored and wanted to leave. Some of the things Peridot did were very tedious.

But one day, as she peeked in, she didn't see Peridot at her regular spot at her desk. Usually the two gems would meet up in the morning and decide if they were going out together, or if Peridot was too busy to be bothered that day. Sometimes a project would keep the green gem busy for hours or even days, and as gems didn't need rest, she could always be found in the same place. The other half of the room that Lapis couldn't see was occupied by a bed, a furniture item Steven had insisted on for some reason. Both Lapis and Peridot had one, but they had yet to use them.

Lapis glanced toward the front door, wondering if Peridot had left without her. It wasn't like Peridot to venture out on her own, but perhaps she'd finally gained enough confidence to do so. Not finding her in her regular spot was unexpected, but it still worried Lapis that she hadn't been informed. Sure, her roommate was her own gem and could do what she wanted, but that didn't mean Lapis wasn't concerned for her safety.

She was about to check outside when she heard a loud crash come from Peridot's room. A stream of frustrated grumbles followed, which was Peridot's normal reaction to things not going her way. It happened a lot due to the abundance of Earth inconsistencies that she frequently discovered.

"Peridot? Are you okay?" Lapis pushed open her bedroom door without thinking. It wasn't as if Peridot had never told her to come in. Neither of them had explicitly stated that the other couldn't enter their space, it had just been a general unspoken agreement. Homeworld didn't have a reason for gems to have their own specific rooms, so privacy was basically unheard of.

Lapis expected to see tipped over furniture or broken glass, some kind of mess that peridot had been the accidental creator of. Instead, there was Peridot, sitting on the edge of her bed and reaching for one of her leg enhancers. Lapis had never seen her without them. She'd always thought it was a bit odd that Peridot never took them off, but she attributed it to being a nice reminder of Homeworld.

But as she looked from the leg on the floor to Peridot, she realized that at the end of her leg was just a stump. Well, it wasn't even a full leg. The other half, below the knee, Lapis quickly realized, was made up for by her limb enhancer. All three of her other enhancers were on, but the blue gem could only assume that the rest of her appendages looked similar.

As her fingers fumbled for the enhancer on the floor, Peridot looked up with wide eyes to see Lapis in the doorway. For a brief moment, neither of them said anything, before Peridot yelled, "GET OUT!" She used the beam in her arm to slam the door shut, almost catching Lapis' hand between it and the doorframe as she did so.

Lapis just stood outside the door, shocked. She hadn't expected Peridot to be missing a part of her body- probably multiple parts. She also hadn't expected the green gem to react so strongly. Why did Peridot feel that this was something she needed to hide? Was she formed like that on Homeworld? Gems were supposed to be perfect, and useful, and anyone who wasn't was simply crushed immediately. Were all Peridots made this way now? Lapis had too many questions swimming in her mind.

"Peridot?" she called out through the door. Inside, she could still hear scuffling. "Peridot, I'm sorry." She laid her forehead against the wood and waited for several moments, but there was no response. She slammed a frustrated fist against the door, the slamming sound being far louder than she anticipated. "I'm really sorry." she tried again. "I didn't meant to intrude. This doesn't change anything. I'm still your friend. I still care about you."

She sighed and abandoned her post at the door to settle down on the couch. Peridot had to come out sometime, right? She couldn't just live in her room forever. Well, she could, but Lapis suspected that she wouldn't. Once she'd given Earth a chance, she'd found it fascinating, and Lapis couldn't imagine that she'd lock herself away from all the discoveries available on this planet. Especially if it was over something so minor as Lapis seeing her without a limb enhancer.

Her theory proved to be correct. Awhile later, Peridot emerged. She immediately noticed Lapis on the couch, and hesitated in the doorway, before she came to join the blue gem where she was seated. She stared at her knees, and in turn, Lapis examined hers. The two were quiet, unsure who should speak first.

It was Peridot who broke the silence. "Perhaps I should not have reacted to harshly." she took in a deep breath. "I, too, apologize."

"It's okay. I'm sorry I barged in. I just got worried about you." she paused. "You know, you can tell me about these things. I don't know why you'd be afraid to. Maybe I haven't taken enough of an interest in you before. But I really care about you. If there's ever anything you want to know about me, you can just ask. I don't think either of us is really that great at this whole talking thing. Homeworld doesn't exactly foster bonding among gems. And I didn't exactly have anyone to talk to for about 4,000 years. I know things take time and maybe you're not ready. But I'll be here to listen when you are."

Peridot continued to stare downward, processing what her friend had said. "Homeworld doesn't exactly foster trust, either. I should learn to do that. To trust you. We're going to be here for awhile, after all."

Lapis grinned at that, and scooted over so she and Peridot were flush together. Quiet persisted between the two again, until Lapis spoke. "Were you born with- without..." she wasn't sure how to ask the mound of question that were running through her head.

"I don't want to talk about it. Yet. It's complicated." Peridot ran a few fingers through her hair.

The blue gem pursed her lips, dissatisfied with the lack of an answer but still wanting to be respectful of her roommate. "Okay. Do you still want to go out today?"

"I would like that, yes." she stood, and headed for the front door. Lapis followed after, and they resumed their almost daily ritual once again.