Lapis and Peridot

[Lapis' POV]

There I was, standing on a pillow on a tiny platform that was floating a meter above the ground, and I couldn't have been more surprised than I was at that exact instant. Peridot was within arm's reach of me; her mouth was half-open and her eyes wide in an expression partway between shock and terror, but there was a certain something in her eyes which might have been relief. I was standing in the control room of her ship, completely free to do whatever I liked, and yet for almost an entire minute I didn't move a muscle. Wha- did she bring me here? It must've been her; it couldn't have been anyone else. But why? Why would she do that? And what am I supposed to do now? She looks just as shocked as I am, even though it must have been her who brought me here, but she probably just wasn't expecting me to reform so fast - or maybe I wasn't fast? I can't tell, what time is it? Oh Diamonds, just look at the expression on Peridot's face! She looks flabbergasted!

I broke the silence at last with a sort of high-pitched, hysterical giggle. Peridot responded by closing her eyes tight for a moment, as if collecting herself; then she mastered her neutral expression and just stared at me. I couldn't stop laughing; the pent-up emotion of hours and hours was just bursting out of me and even as I laughed I could feel tears on my cheeks.

My foot slipped off the platform as I shook with laughter and I wobbled, then slipped off entirely. Peridot , who had somehow jumped to her feet and come up to me in a second, caught me before I hit the ground. Within a moment she put me down abruptly, as if she couldn't stand to hold me any more. I couldn't support myself on my wobbling knees and I dropped to the ground. I remained lying there for a few minutes more before I got myself under control. Once I was calmer, Peridot seemed to find it in herself to speak at last.

"Are you ready for the interview yet?"

"Yes, I think so. My hand doesn't hurt anymore." I gathered the last shreds of my tattered composure and looked up at Peridot, who was standing about an arm-length away from where I was sprawled on the ground. In this light, her facial expression seemed almost compassionate. The look suited her. I went on to ask the first question that popped into my head, sitting up slowly. "But- Peridot - why did you bring me here?"

Peridot looked a little flustered, but gave what seemed to be an honest reply: "I wanted to keep your gem safe from Jasper, and she doesn't always obey my orders. If she came across your gem she might smash it."

"Oh." Does she care about me, then? Or does she care only about her mission? I have a feeling I'll never find out in this roundabout manner. Peridot's really good at hiding her emotions... maybe if I ask her right out, she'll tell me. But I have to be crafty about it. Maybe... "Peridot, if I answer your questions without any trouble, and don't try to run away, will you allow me to ask you some questions?"

Peridot looked taken aback. She didn't say a word, but finally nodded. I smiled, and she - very tentatively - returned the smile. Then, abruptly, she looked away from me and opened her fingerscreen, clicking around and apparently beginning a recording.

"Log date: five one three two. We are approaching the planet Earth at a steady rate. I have decided to interrogate my prisoner, Lapis Lazuli, for further information about the inhabitants of the planet. I am convinced she has concealed some facts. Beginning interview now." Peridot looked up from her fingerscreen and spoke to me now. "Lazuli. For starters. Is there any information you have neglected to tell me?"

I hesitated, weighing the options: answer honestly and get to ask her some questions, or lie, and possibly get in trouble for it? At last I decided to just say, "Yes."

"Why did you conceal this information?"

"In order to- well- I don't know. It wasn't relevant to the mission."

"What did you refrain from telling me?"

I wasn't going to say anything about Steven, no matter what. But maybe... "Well, I have some information about the Crystal Gems..."

"Please elaborate upon that."

"Well, all I told you before was the location of their base, right? But all I know is... they've lived on Earth for over five thousand years. Bear with me, I'll get to the information you don't know soon. But they don't know the Earth so well, and have minimal contact with the inhabitants of the little town near their base - their base is shaped like a giant woman with six arms, they call it the Temple. For a really long time, the mirror I was trapped in was kept in the Pearl's room. I could hear a little bit of what was going on outside, if I focused, though most of the time I wasn't focused." I was really getting into the swing of this story now. No mentioning Steven, I reminded myself. "Their former leader, Rose Quartz - she's gone now."

I could see Peridot's eyes widen slightly. I didn't wait for her to speak, though; I just pressed on. As I spoke my eyes dropped down to the ground. I really had no problem with giving away the secrets of the gems who had left me captive in that mirror for so many years. Sure, they weren't the ones who trapped me (I wasn't sure who did trap me, but I knew it wasn't them) - but they never even tried to free me. All the same, it felt strange to speak in such a knowledgeable way about the Crystal Gems. Really, I knew close to nothing about them.

"I don't know where Rose Quartz went, so don't ask me. All I know is - she's not around anymore. And the Pearl was especially attached to Rose. I could hear her crying about it, sometimes. Nowadays, the Crystal Gems spend their time warping around the globe - yes, the domestic warps still work - and destroying corrupted gems."

I looked up to see what Peridot's face looked like, but it was devoid of emotion and her eyes were dull without a hint of sparkle. "Very well. Do you have any more information?"

"...No." That was an obvious lie to me, but I hid my guilt and Peridot dropped the subject.

"Is there anything else you would like to mention?"

"No." I didn't hesitate this time.

"Very well." Peridot turned back to her recording and said something more, but my attention was drifting away. I was just so tired... regenerating was so energy-consuming... I could feel my eyes closing and my sitting position slumped down until I was lying on the ground again... my mind was... just... drifting... off.