Peridot walked from her room, letting out a low moan, and rubbing at her gem. It was an action Lapis had seen her do many times before, but one she hadn't bothered to question it. But she figured, if they were going to be in close proximity long term, she may as well find out what it was all about.

"What's wrong?" Lapis asked, as if this was the first time she'd noticed Peridot's odd habit.

"My gem just hurts." Peridot said, as if this was an annoyance she was used to.

"Is it damaged?" Lapis asked, looking concerned. She couldn't think of any activity that would have caused Peridot to crack her gem, but she couldn't think of any other reason why a gem should hurt.

"No. It just-" she rubbed at it some more, grunting as she tried to stifle the pain. "Argh!" she stomped about the house, irritated.

Lapis pondered how she could help. "Say, Peri?"

"WHAT?!" she shrieked, not caring if she hurt Lapis' feelings. The throbbing of her gem was irritating, like a human bug bite might be. Only Peridot's gem was larger than a simple insect mark, and it wouldn't go away over time.

"Go sit down." Lapis said calmly, ignoring Peridot's attitude. She went to the only sink in the house, turning it on for a few moments and forming an orb of water from the flowing liquid. She and Peri hadn't seen the point of having plumbing, but Steven had insisted it was necessary. Something about sleepovers and vacations. She could have just as easily grabbed water from the ocean, but thought that perhaps salt water was not the best solution to this problem.

Peridot stomped over and sat on the couch, continuing to rub at her aching gem. All the while she grumbled, but her complaints were suddenly silenced when Lapis placed the water bubble around her forehead. "Wha-" She instantly relaxed, her gem soothed for the first time in her life.

"Better?" Lapis grinned, taking a seat next to her.

"Y-Yeah." Peridot breathed. "That's- woah." Her whole body started to relax, melting into the couch as she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Do you know why it hurts?" Gems didn't normally feel pain. Though their bodies could be damaged and force them to retreat, anything done to their physical manifestation wasn't much of a bother. Gems could be cracked, too, but it wasn't so much painful as it was incapacitating.

"Yes." Peridot said simply, closing her eyes.

Lapis waited for several moments before realizing that Peridot was not going to explain more without provocation. "Why?" she asked curiously.

Peridot's eyes shot open, and she looked wide eyed at Lapis. She couldn't decide if Lapis was being rude by asking, since she knew that Lapis was only asking out of concern for her well-being. Yet, no one had ever cared to ask if or why she was in pain. Peridot found herself at a loss for words, debating whether or not to share this vulnerable piece of her history. Then again, it was just the two of them, out here, alone, and with Yellow Diamond coming they probably wouldn't survive much longer anyway. What did she have to lose?

"Thanks. For helping out with my gem." She pointed at the water bubble. "So, you really want to know why my gem hurts?"

"Of course! That's why I asked, silly." Lapis smiled, the same way she always smiled. It was a smile that conveyed how glad she was, not just to be here with Peri, but because she was finally free. Free from the mirror, from Homeworld, from any imprisonment. Every day she treasured that.

"It started when I failed a previous mission." Peridot stared up at the ceiling as she recalled the tale. "I ended up becoming injured and retreating into my gem. I made a stupid mistake!" she balled her floating fingers into fists as she remembered the blunder that had caused her current state. "My mission comrades brought my gem back to Yellow Diamond. She... was not pleased." Peridot turned her eyes to Lapis. "Are you sure you want to hear this?"

"Only if you're okay telling me." Lapis reached out a hand to squeeze five of Peri's floating fingers.

Peridot squeezed back, then continued. "My gem... was reformed. It was sanded down to the shape and size it is now, as punishment for failure. I didn't always look... like this." she gestured to herself. Her story wasn't pretty, and she was scared of driving Lapis away now that she knew about her deformities.

Lapis remained silent. She'd been to Homeworld. She'd seen all the new technology there, all the new kinds of gems that had been created. But she never would have suspected that Homeworld was capable of such horrors as Peridot was now describing.

Peridot decided to just spill the whole story. "When I tried to regenerate, I couldn't recreate my normal body. And my gem still hurts, a lot. Often." She reached up to touch it, forgetting the water bubble was there until her fingers slipped into it. She quickly pulled them back, shaking off the moisture. "So now you know." she said, turning to look at Lapis since she was still quiet.

Neither of them spoke for a few minutes. Peridot was waiting for a reaction from Lapis, but Lapis was too shocked at what Peridot has just revealed to say anything. Her mouth kept opening and closing, as if she wanted to form words, but was unable to produce any sounds.

Finally, her mind registered the silence that was lingering between them. Lapis tries to speak, but her voice came out in a whisper. "So that's why..." she trailed off, recalling the one time she had seen Peridot without one of her enhancers on. She'd been longing to ask about it since then, but Peridot had been so defensive, Lapis had been afraid to.

Lapis knew from her time in the mirror what it was like to be unable to regenerate. But Peridot had been permanently damaged, never able to recreate her limbs fully again. "How could they do that?" Her voice was so low, Peridot almost missed her question. Lapis was in so much shock that she could barely form the question, but she managed to push it from her lips.

Peridot just shrugged. "I failed one too many times. It was… what I deserved." she paused. "A constant reminder that I only exist because Yellow Diamond wishes it. She didn't have to be merciful. She could have ordered my gem be smashed, my existence snuffed out. I would have deserved that, too."

"Peri, don't say that!" Lapis burst out. "Yellow Diamond can't just control lives like that! It's not fair-"

"Lapis, it's fine. I'm fine." Peridot said calmly. She ran her fingers through her hair, her gaze moving to the ceiling again. She missed Homeworld, she missed serving Yellow Diamond, she missed having a purpose. The lazy days spent with Lapis were nice, she supposed, but they were not productive. She sighed, lost in her own thoughts.

Lapis desperately wanted to say more, to convince Peridot that she was worth more than Yellow Diamond had led her to believe. But she knew that Peri had been on Homeworld for far too long. She'd been conditioned to follow orders, to take punishment without complaint. Here on Earth, she was free, but Peridot still seemed to long for Homeworld, with all its unjust rules and punishments. Lapis couldn't understand her reasoning, but perhaps she would once she got to know her.

For now, Lapis was content to live here, with Peridot, in their secluded hideaway. No humans and no gems bothered them out here. They were free to live as they pleased, and make their own choices. No one controlled them or held them captive. Though Peridot acted as though she were still under the command of Homeworld, hopefully she would come to accept her freedom, and be able to make decisions for herself.

Lapis leaned over and placed a peck on Peridot's cheek. Peridot seemed to be startled out of her thoughts, and turned to look quizzically at Lapis, rubbing her cheek as she did so. Lapis just grinned back, amused by her own antics.

And then, Peridot smiled back. It was perhaps the first genuine smile that Lapis could ever recall seeing from her. The realization made her grin wider, and a soft, bubbly giggle escaped her lips. She gripped Peridot's hand in her own, suddenly growing somber as she said, "No matter what Homeworld says, you matter more than you think."