As Peridot sat down near a desk to gather her bearings she found herself still in hiding the light house. She would have liked to try and move to another safer location farther away but the fear that the crystal gems could return at any moment and catch her stopped her from even being in the outside view of a window. Needing something to do, out of plane boredom and necessity, Peridot decided to tinker with the gem technology that Ronaldo had so generously provided to make it more appropriate for her situation. After grabbing some items from the chest, Peridot used one her of her fingers as some sort of welding tool and began to modify some of the equipment she had. Although Peridot was generally grateful towards Ronaldo for finding the gem technology, she started to get irritated when she felt Ronaldo's eyes staring at her as she worked.
"Is there something you need?" Peridot asked Ronaldo, turning her head to look back at him.
"Oh uh, sorry it's just... uh what are you doing exactly?" Ronaldo asked, a little embarrassed on how creepy he must've looked
"I'm just tinkering with the technology to make it more appropriate for the situation I find myself in at the moment." Peridot told Ronald, explaining what exactly she was doing.
"Wow cool, do you need a hand with anything? Because I have tools around here...somewhere." Ronaldo asked, trying to make himself useful to his new space companion.
"Uh no, that won't be necessary, I have everything under control here." Peridot told dismissing his offer. "Plus this is highly advanced gem home world technology, I doubt that you'd be able to even comprehend how any of it works." She added, turning her head back to continue her work.
"Oh right." Ronaldo said, realizing Peridot's point. "Are you sure there's nothing I can do to help, the fate of earth is at stake and I want to do everything I can to help." he said determined to at least do something to aid Peridot's plan to "save" the earth from the crystal gems.
"Uh... How about keeping an eye for the crystal gems, that would be very helpful." Peridot said, trying to give the human something productive to do.
"Oh yeah, that seems like a pretty good idea, I should really get on that." Ronaldo said as he got up from his chair and began moving towards the window to survey the area for anything that looked like the crystal gems. After a few minutes of awkward silence, the only sounds being that of the occasional buzzing sounds from Peridots tinkering, Ronaldo tried to break the silence with some small talk. "So uh...Peridot, what's it like back on your home world?" Ronaldo asked, wondering what exactly it was like back on the gem home world.
"Eh, it's all right, it's the most advanced planet technology wise in the galaxy, but it's just not as diverse as a place like earth when it comes to geology." Peridot said not taking her eyes off the peace of gem tech in front of her.
"Alright, what about the people or "gems" what are they like, are they nice?" Ronaldo asked, still keeping a look out for the crystal gems. Hearing this Peridot felt a little uneasy due to the fact that she'd have to pick her next words very carefully.
"Uh... Other gems are usually alright I guess, a lot of them are old meat heads who don't usually see uses in a tactician gem like me but it's fine." Peridot said hoping that would be the end of it.
"Really? Ha, I can relate to that." Ronaldo said with a chuckle, not even noticing the slight uneasiness in Peridot's voice when she answered the question. Hearing that response, Peridot became slightly curios on how this simple human could ever find a way to relate to a gem like her, in anyway, shape, or form.
"Oh really, how so?" Peridot asked, curios on what Ronaldo had to say.
"My dad's always on my case "get back to work", "take out the trash", "stop playing on your phone" it's almost like he thinks that the research I do for my blog is meaningless or something, it's like he thinks that it's a waste of time for me to document what goes on around here. He doesn't know that people that research and document what happens in a society are some of the most important people in that society." Ronaldo explained, mostly complaining about his father like most teenagers do. As Peridot listened to this she was surprised at herself when she realize on how relatable she found Ronaldo's story.
"I completely agree with that statement, I find nothing more stressful then when you're doing a job that is so important that society would probably crumble without it and still get treated with disrespect, it's like, hey, without gems like me, you wouldn't even have that new fancy ship of yours, let alone know how to fly it." Peridot said, recalling the times back on home world where she'd still be treated with disrespect even when helping others with their technology.
"I know right, this one time my dad spilt a cup of water on his computer that had a bunch of important business documents on, it's like hello, it's just water, just take it apart, clean the parts, and just put it back together again, I mean what's so hard about that!? And you're suppose to keep a copy of all your important documents in a safe place, I tell ya, if it wasn't for me, my dad would have lost the restaurant years ago. Ronaldo said, recalling the times he single handily saved the family business.
"Yeah, it's even worse when you're dealing with someone who tries to do everything with blunt force, it's like it's just a glitch in the system, but down the battle axe and just restart the whole thing, some gems are just so barbaric sometimes you know?" Peridot said, thrilled that she had met someone she could relate to in some senses.
"Ah yes, but see Peridot, that's what we have to deal with. A burden we must carry, individuals like us where blessed with the know how on technology but cursed to have to deal with so many ignorant people who don't know a thing about technology and asked for our help, then when you explain what they did wrong, they cast you aside as if you where speaking gibberish. But it is our burden and we must carry it otherwise people won't be able to even help themselves. It is a hard and stressful life but it is our life either way." Ronaldo sternly said. Hearing this Peridot found herself astonished on how much sense Ronaldo was making and how much she agreed with him on his statement. After a few moments of silence Peridot stopped working on her gem technology and turned her head to reply to Ronaldo's little speech.
"I'll have you know Ronaldo, with the stress of losing my ship, being thrown out of orbit, and my mission being almost a complete failure, it is a huge relief to find out that there are other like minded individuals out there, even if they're all the way across the galaxy." Peridot said, with a smile, genuinely happy to know that there was at least someone out there that knows the pain of being "smarter" then everyone around you.
"Oh, thank you Peridot, coming from someone who's from an advanced alien race here to save the earth, hearing that really means a lot." Ronaldo said with a small blush, his already massive ego getting a huge boost from Peridot's kind words. Peridot, not noticing Ronaldo's slight blush, just went back to working on her gem tech, feeling a bit more relaxed then before, it wasn't everyday that Peridot had a conversation with somebody that didn't end up with her getting a headache out of annoyance. Finally after a good ten minutes, Peridot was finally finished with the modifications to her equipment.
"Well, that took longer then expected, but they're finally finished." Peridot exclaimed proudly.
"Wow really, can I see?" Ronaldo said, sounding like an excited child on Christmas morning.
"Observe." Peridot said, as her floating fingers carried a few pairs of what looked to be small little yellow button pins in the shape of a diamond shard.
"They look like normal buttons, what do they do?" Ronaldo asked, unsure on what purpose a few little yellow buttons could have in Peridot's plan to save the world.
"Ah yes, I didn't want to waste too much material making these, so I took the liberty of taking a few pieces off of some of the things around me, hope you don't mind." Peridot said explaining why her gem creation looked so primitive.
"The things around you, what do you mean?" Ronaldo said, looking over to the desk where Peridot had been working, only to see that she had destroy his custom made buttons to make her own."Oh man, my custom made "KEEP BEACH CITY WEIRD" buttons,they're ruined." Ronaldo said, sadden that his custom buttons he made himself had been destroyed.
"Oh come now, it was for the great or good of the earth." Peridot told Ronaldo, trying to cheer him up.
"Well I guess the state of the earth comes first." Ronaldo said, with a gloomy tone in his voice. "So what do these things do anyways." Ronaldo asked, wondering what exactly was the purpose of Peridots little pin buttons.
"Well you see, most gems can sense the energy of other gems and other life forms." Peridot explained. "What I've done here is I've made a few stealth devices, they cover the physical body of gems or others in an invisible force field that masks the energy making the wearer completely invisible to anyone who can normally sense energy."
"Wow, cool, but won't they still be able to just look at you and see that you're not human and, you know, "take you down"." Ronaldo asked, worried that the crystal gems would still easily defeat Peridot and conquer the world.
"Well I...yes." Peridot said in a defeated tone. "Most gems are able to shape ship their body's at will, I am...not most gems. I spent more time playing with my equipment and technology then I did playing with myself. I was never able to fully grasp shape shifting and I've only gotten as far as I have because it's never been needed." She explained
"That was a little weirdly worded but I see what you're saying." Ronaldo awkwardly replied. "But hey, what if you just wore a disguise with the stealth pin?" He suggested.
"Hmm, I presume that could work, but what disguise could I possibly use? I don't suppose you have any just lying around do you?" Peridot asked unsure if Ronaldo's suggestion could work.
"You know what, I think I have the perfect solution." Ronaldo said as he made his way to the other side of the light house and pulled another chest from under another table and began to remove some of its content. "Ah, here they are." He said to himself as he made his way back to where Peridot was sitting. "How about these" he exclaimed, showing in his right hand a black hoodie and in his left a pair of green baggy pants, both looking like they were intended for someone a bit "smaller" then someone like Ronaldo.
"I assume these will fit me but, why exactly do you have these?" Peridot asked taking note on the fact that the clothes he showed her were much too small for Ronaldo's size, therefore giving him no reason to have them.
"Oh...uh these were my mom's, from what I remember she was roughly around your body type and size, give or take." Ronaldo said, his voice going a little uneasy when he mentioned his mom.
"Well if these are your mother's then why are they here, wouldn't she want them with her." Peridot said, not really grasping the big picture.
"Well...uh...my mom left town after her and my dad got a divorce, we keep some of her old clothes in here for storage just in case she comes back for them." Ronaldo said, his body language and the tone of his voice giving Peridot a clear indication that the conversation was making him very uncomfortable.
"Oh...uh...well I'm sorry to hear that...anyways any ideas on where we should move so the crystal gems won't find us as easily." Peridot said, trying to steer the conversation back on track to avoid any uneasiness.
"Well yeah, the crystal gems rarely ever go into town." Ronaldo explained, his body language and tone going back to normal. "I say we could set up shop at my house and just build it there." He suggested.
"Hmm, that sounds like a good idea. We should pack all the gem technology and move there immediately." Peridot said, completely agreeing with Ronaldo's suggestion. Even though the temptation to build her new ship right under neath the crystal gem's noses was great, she decided against it due to the fact she didn't really want to test her luck anymore then she already has been. After packing the precious gem technology in one of Ronaldo's army grade backpacks, Peridot and Ronaldo made their way down hill to beach city. Peridot, now in "disguise" felt a wave of relief when she realized that the pink lion creature had left and was no where to be seen. After 15 minutes of walking, the only sound being their footsteps and the calming sounds of the ocean hitting the shore, Peridot and Ronaldo finally made it to his house.
"Ok, I have a bunch of old metal and stuff in a shed in the backyard so we could just set up there." Ronaldo said as he quietly open the door. "We just need to keep it down because my family's sleeping." He whispered as he tip toed his way through the hallway. Peridot following Ronaldo's lead also whispered.
"I doubt I'll be able to finish in one night, it may take a few days at minimum, but it be best just to start on it now." Peridot quietly told Ronaldo.
"All right." Replied Ronaldo.
"Start on what?" Said a loud voice that didn't belong to Ronaldo or Peridot. Peridot never hearing this voice, jolted up out of her little "stealth" mode out of fear, Ronaldo however, knowing this voice simply turned around with an defeated look on his face.
"Oh hey dad...sorry I missed curfew, I guess I just lost track of time. Ronaldo said shyly to his father Mr. Fryman, from the looks of it it just been woken up.
"Son, I thought I told you, if you don't come home by 10 o'clock then just sleep at the lighthouse, not going to have you going back-and-forth all night." Mr. Fryman said groggily, and from the looks of it had just woken up.
"I know, I know, but it's really important."Ronaldo said.
"And who's this?" Mr. Fryman asked, referring to Peridot who was still a little spooked and hiding behind Ronaldo, face still mostly covered by her hoodie.
"Oh...uh...My names Peri-" was all Peridot could mutter out before she felt Ronaldo's hand cover her mouth.
"Her names Perry, she's uh...one of my Internet friends from out of town and she's going to be staying with us for a few days." Ronaldo said nervously, trying to cover up Peridots true origins.
"Young lady, is my son paying you anything?" Mr. Fryman asked Peridot. After hearing that all the fear in Peridot was replaced with udder confusion.
"Wh-what?" Peridot asked, not sure on what Mr. Fryman meant. Ronaldo on the other hand, knew exactly what his father was implying.
"DAD! It's not at all like that." Ronaldo told his father, his face becoming red with a mixture of anger and embarrassment.
"Haha, I'm just messing with you son, anyways, it's a pleasure to have you over young lady, make yourself at home." Mr. Fryman said as he made his way back to his bedroom. "Oh also son, you and your little girlfriend better get some sleep, we have to get up early, I'm gonna need your help fixing up the shop. He said as he closed his bedroom door and before he could get any glares from Ronaldo. After a minute of silence Peridot simply asked.
"What's a Girlfriend?" This question catching Ronaldo off guard he stuttered to find the right words he was looking for.
"Well...er...a girlfriend is when...uh...two people...and ones a girl...and...uh never mind, let's just make sure we have your new alias down so we don't forget it. Ronaldo said, his words sounding a little flustered.
"Hmm, I suppose that an earth identity would be very useful." Peridot said, her attention becoming completely focused on learning her new earth identity. "For my name I guess we're going with, "Perry" now was it? Is there any other information I should remember." Peridot asked, wanting to know everything she needed to fit in.
"All right if anyone ask say that...uh we met on a message board around 3 months ago and...uh you came to visit from out of town because you wanted to...collaborate with me on a project to...um...prove a theory of yours? Yeah, that sounds believable enough, right." Ronaldo told Peridot, unsure if she would agree with him or not on the story he made up.
"Does that sound like something that could happen?" Peridot asked Ronaldo.
"Around here, Something like that sounds really tamed." Ronaldo responded.
"Then it's settled, I'm an Internet friend from out of town who came to visit and wants to collaborate on a project to prove one of my theories." Peridot proudly stated, happy with her new earth alias. "So, what should we start building now?" She asked, wanting to start a new her ship as soon as possible.
"Actually." Ronaldo said, in a tired voice. "It's pretty late and my dad is going to need me to help out at the shop, so if you don't want to raise suspicion we can't work on it right now." He said, trying to sound apologetic.
"Ah but...I...er...just...ah fine." Peridot muttered under breath.
"Well I'm gonna get some sleep, do you want me to make you a guess bed or anything?" Ronaldo asked as he walked towards his own room.
"Gems don't sleep." Peridot replied as she followed Ronaldo into his room.
"Seriously? That's honestly the weirdest thing I've heard, and I know weird." Ronaldo told Peridot as they entered his room. As Peridot entered Ronaldo's room she took notice on how his room resemble the light house, reason being posters and charts covering the walls each promoting a foolish conspiracy or some cartoon character Peridot had never seen before. What took her especially by surprise was the fact that the room was much more organized then she had expected. Keep in mind it was still messy mind you but Peridot could just look at the room and notice that he had some sort of organized system.
"Here, since you can't sleep I figured while you wait you could learn a little bit more about earth culture. Ronaldo said as he handed her a laptop.
"Ah, good idea, it would be nice to have some information just incase." Peridot said as she reached for the laptop. But before she could grab it Ronaldo pulled back and opened it then began to type on it with a worried expression, as if he had forgotten something. "Wait, what are you doing?" Peridot asked.
"Oh nothing, just clearing my history." Ronaldo said with a nervous look on his face.
"Why would you need to do that?" Peridot asked unsure on why Ronaldo would do that.
"It uh... Makes the computer run faster, wouldn't want you to get stuck with slow internet." Ronaldo lied.
"Oh, well thank, that's kind of you." Peridot said, believing him.
"There now you can just surf the web and get all the knowledge you want, also here's some head phones, you can use them to listen to the audio and not wake anyone in the house up." Ronaldo told Peridot as he handed her the laptop.
"Thank you, hope it's not slow anymore" Peridot said as she sat down beside Ronaldo's bed and began typing.
"Well, good night Peridot." Ronaldo said as he got into his bed and started to dose off.
"Oh uh, good night Ronaldo?" Peridot replied back, not completely sure what the phrase meant. After a few minutes had passed and she was sure Ronaldo was asleep, Peridot quickly began typing on the laptop, one of the first questions she wanted to know was-
"What's a Girlfriend?"