Pure Autism

Lapis was laying on the roof of the grain silo, gazing at the night sky. A dim crescent moon faintly illuminated the area. She had come up here for a few nights now to stargaze. The sky looked so different than the one she knew on Homeworld. At first she tried to find constellations that she remembered, but she quickly realized that was pointless. Now she just blankly watched the sky trying to avoid-

"Lazuli! Hey, Lazuli!"

She groaned. Peridot had found her. Why couldn't she take a hint?

Lapis heard indistinct muttering and then an "Aha!" Maybe Peridot finally had an epiphany and would leave her alone.

The silo began to jerk a little and Lapis banged her head against the metal roofing. Peridot had found the ladder that went up to the roof of the silo. Honestly, Lapis was surprised it took her this long to realize there was one.

"Why do humans have to make everything require physical labor?" Peridot said in between pants. She heaved herself up onto the roof with one final grunt and as she did the ladder ripped off the side of the silo, landing on the ground with the sounds of snapping tree limbs.

"Uh, I can fix that." Peridot sheepishly said. Lapis ignored her, eyes fixated on the night sky.

Peridot sat down next to Lapis and followed her gaze. Peridot said nothing for a few minutes while she stargazed. 'Maybe she's waiting for me to say something?' Lapis thought.

Peridot shifted uncomfortably, and broke the awkward silence. "So...the sky here is really different than the one on Homeworld, huh?. I mean, you can't even see the other planets in this solar system very well. And don't get me started about that tiny moon!" Peridot waited for Lapis to respond, nothing. "Oh, did you notice that you can see Homeworld's galaxy from here? Garnet showed me that." Lapis had deliberately been avoiding that section of the sky, and being reminded of it put a sneer on her face.

Peridot tried different ice-breakers, as she had heard them called by Steven, but nothing worked. Even the one about the brief atmospheric conditions didn't elicit a response from her.

Finally Peridot gave in to her frustration.

"Come on you can't just ignore me! Say something, DO something, acknowledge that I'm here at the very least!" Peridot shouted. The green gem made a frustrated noise and muttered "No wonder they put you in a mirror, at least then you would respond when you're talked to."

Lapis' hands tightened into fists and she finally opened her mouth, "You said you're an Era Two Peridot, right?"

Peridot immediately lit up, 'Finally!' she thought.

Peridot cleared her throat and begin speaking in her expository tone. "Yes, I am an Era Two Peridot. With Homeworld low on resources they had to give us limb enhancers to make up for our, uh" Peridot hesitated, searching for the right words, "vertical deficiencies. The fact that I'm here shows how much Homeworld needs me. After all, they used their limited resources to produce me to oversee Kindergartens."

"So then you hadn't emerged before the Crystal Gems fought Homeworld?" Lapis said in a clipped voice.

"No, Era Two began after-"Peridot looked over at Lapis and made a startled sound.

Barely visible in the moonlight was Lapis' face twisted in anger.

"Do you know how long I was held prisoner on this planet?" Peridot opened her mouth and started to say something but Lapis cut her off. "More than five thousand years. Five thousand. You haven't even existed that long. I was trapped in that mirror," Lapis practically spit the word, "because of this planet, because of those Crystal Gems. Just because I'm stuck here with all of you doesn't mean I'm going to make nice and be friends!"

The last word echoed off the countryside; Lapis hadn't realized she'd been shouting. Peridot gave her a hurt look and fell silent.

Eventually Peridot broke the tense silence, "I know this isn't how you want things to be. I'd be happy to go back and be in charge of Kindergartens again. Instead I'm here, without my limb enhancers and hanging out with a bunch of traitors." Peridot was talking to the air more than to Lapis. It had become a habit for her, even if she had no way to record her thoughts. "Every day I felt like i had to prove that I was worth the cost of making me. If I wasn't the most efficient Peridot then I was wasting the resources that Homeworld had used to make me.

"Laz-"she stopped and corrected herself and looked directly at the blue gem, "Lapis, when I brought you back here to Earth as my informant I wasn't thinking about how you felt about it. Earth taught me how important it is to consider that."

Lapis looked at Peridot with some surprise. She had thought her shallow and self-absorbed, but even she had some depth to her it seemed. Again silence fell over the pair.

Lapis was the one to break the silence, this time in a much softer tone."For so long I was treated like an object, no one cared about who was trapped in the mirror. After Steven freed me I thought I could finally put this planet behind me and move on, but when I returned to Homeworld I was dragged back here again without a choice. I was so angry at everything that anyone I could blame I hurt."
Lapis let out a long sigh, "Being in a position where you can go anywhere, but the one place you want to go is the only place you can't, is like being a prisoner all over again." Lapis laid limply on the roof, her eyes fixated on Homeworld. "You aren't the one I should blame for me being here, not really."

Lapis turned to look at Peridot.

"I guess what I'm saying is, I'm sorry."

Peridot beamed her a smile and Lapis looked away, embarrassment coloring her face.

Peridot's enthusiasm shattered what would have been an awkward moment as she jumped on her chance to bond with Lapis.

"I read in an Earth book that after two people bond by sharing secret feelings they go do something fun." Peridot had gotten her vigor back and was practically bouncing off the roof. Lapis gave her a confused look. "Oh, ok. What does that usually involve?"

Peridot's eyes were practically shining with excitement. "We'll watch Camp Pining Hearts!" Peridot squealed. "It's this television program Steven showed me. It's, like, the best thing ever!" Peridot got up to leave and moved towards the ladder, but then realized something. "Uh, Lapis? Could you maybe, help me get down from here? I forgot I broke the ladder."


LAter they scissored. Or not. This is a free country.