Scene #2795: Trouble in Paradise?

Owner	Pose
Peridot	Perdiot had busied herself to trying to tidy up the command bridge and get more wreckage out. She hadn't had a moment to clean things up since she unified nearly a month ago and it had been driving her crazy. Even now she still had things to do, important things. She had many many hours of repairing injectors and their delicate innards over the next few weeks. But, in her studies of fusion, she had learned the importance of emotional control and balance. Her mental health, an aspect she had completely neglected since arriving here, was a factor and therefore she could ignore any longer. She now had a reason, related to her work, to improve it. She chose to improve it by removing clutter. She walked around the room using her gem-tech tractor beam to lift debris and toss it onto a bed of robonoids, which would then walk it out of the bridge where it would eventually be dismantled and recycled into something else useful. Waste not, want not. Though her expression was one of boredom, it was because her task was mindless. She welcomed the opportunity to simply not think for a while as her brain was usually overclocked. For a brief period, she was zen.
Guest Lapis Lazuli	Lapis had been gone for a while. Peridot knew that Vega had attacked her, but Lapis didn't know that Peridot knew. Despite this, she still want and did more recon work. The elvis robonoid had been missing, as well as some other gem resonance technology. Lapis didn't quite have the ability to create something new, but she was apt enough to get the robonoids to help her in modifying Elvis. Elvis had found a warp pad. One of the monolithic structures capable of contacting one of the max warp hubs, if such things still existed. Lapis knew now that they did. After an eventful meeting with Sunstone, Lapis still had this feeling of catharsis. This is something she hadn't really felt for hundreds of years. Maybe the last time was during the crystal gem wars, except not totally. Sunstone had her points and views, but so did Peridot. How was she going to broach any of this? Upon reaching the ship, Lapis takes some time to settle in and return Elvis Robonoid to her room. It's not until a bit later that she finally makes it to the bridge where Peridot is cleaning. The door to the bridge opens with its 'woosh' sound and beep of affirmation. Lapis has returned, with the familiar sound of her barefeet against the bare floor. Her skirt is torn, dirtied, and she's bruised and cut in a few places. A combination of vega but mostly that crystalline jungle. The change in surroundings is night and day, and for a moment Lapis seems surprised. Examining the room, she looks back at Peridot. There's so many things she could say, and there's a lot to talk about. A lot of heavy, rather important things. Instead, Lapis puts her hands up to her mouth, inhales, then blows out the most bodacious of fart noises. "Pffffffffbbbbbbbbbbttt!"
Peridot	Peridot had heard the door open with its typical woosh and beep, and even heard Lapis's signature barefoot shuffle. But she didn't turn and greet her, she was so tuned out of the world. These were all noises Peridot had grown accustomed too, not just since unification but she had lived on the same ship with Lapis since they originally departed from Homeworld, so long ago. Back then, with the intent on wiping out the crystal gems, and checking on the cluster. if Peridot only knew then, that she was possibly leaving Homeworld never to return... a most ill-fated of trips. At the large fart-noise; this was an alien sound on the ship. For more than one reason. Peridot blinked as she set down another piece of heavy wreckage with her tractor beam and looked up toward Lapis. Her bored expression remained largely unchanged initially, as she surveyed the state of her tattered clothes. It was easy to pin that on the troublesome human, Vega. Then, after a moment Peridot gave Lapis a very small smile. It was perhaps the first time Lapis... or any gem, saw Peridot experiencing a moment of humor. That is, a moment of humor that wasn't because she was gloating over having out-smarted an enemy. There was nothing maniacal in this expression. "I can see someone has been keeping busy." She said in a dry tone, raising her brow and promptly returning to her work of clearing wreckage. "I was forced to endure taking Steven to an... arcade, in your absence." The memory of the games, and flashing lights flashed through her memory. She had took particularly to the games which offered complex puzzles to solve. They were easy to be sure, but somehow therapeutic in their simplicity. She didn't hate it. "It was horrible."
Guest Lapis Lazuli	After making that sound, Lapis freezes and watches Peridot expectantly. Her hands remain over her mouth until Peridot looks at her and smiles. With that, Lapis can't really hold back and just starts laughing. She honestly didn't expect Peridot to smile at that. You can get some good mileage on fart jokes. Humans are so gross and silly. After collecting herself again, she begins to walk towards Peridot while listening to her go over her recent activities. The arcade catches her attention, and Peridot's response forces her to stifle another laugh. She stops when next to Peridot, and folds her hands behind her back while leaning a bit. "That's.. the place with all the video games, right?" She seems a little curious, but then trades her own information, "I found a warp pad."
Peridot	"They are large portable versions of what we stole for Steven. The things he used to contact the rebel gem." she answered as she lifted another particularly big hunk of wreckage. She momentarily formed her holopad and input a few commands with a single digit. Within seconds several robonoids sprang into action and began cleaning and sucking up the yellow goo which had partially dried there into a sticky residue. The later news gives her pause. "You found a warp pad?" She puts down the chunk of gemstone. "Where? What sort of condition was it in? Did you see where it connected to?" She rubbed her chin. "And what does this mean...? Did all the old tech we left on earth unify as well? Nothing about this earth looked the same, so I thought it was a completely different variant."
Guest Lapis Lazuli	Lapis nods, momentarily watching some of the scrap float on by. Peridot is always busy doing something on the bridge. The space and cleanliness is certainly welcome, though. Looking back at Peridot, Lapis tilts her head slightly before nodding. "It was broken," she recalls the state of the warp pad. Cracked. The power pedestals were crumbling, and the vines and plants had overgrown on much of the technology. Whether or not that meant it was still viable or not would be Peridot's discretion. She was the engineer with the technology to potentially fix these things. "I brought one of the robonoids with me, it should have a scan of the pad." She's of course referring to the Elvis robonoid. At Peridot's latter questions, Lapis seems to hesitate a little bit. Peridot is clever, so very clever. She goes on to explain, "I met Sunstone there. I found out everything from our universe has likely unified over. The warp pads, the galaxy warp, the crystal gems.,," She pauses, "..Yellow Diamond.. Jasper." This could have substantial meaning on their operations, it also could mean that the gem race is, in fact, not in endangered. Maybe. "I couldn't activate the pad, I don't know where it led." she finishes with softly, having quickly glazed over the fact that she spoke to Sunstone. She goes on to say, "Earlier in the day, I was also attacked in the plains by this evil.. thing. A human looking man with purple fire."
Peridot	Peridot rubbed her chin and listened carefully as she slipped into 'gem business' mode. She absorbed the words carefully and went over their meaning before she continued. "Sunstone again?" She narrowed her eyes. Though, she couldn't give Lapis too hard of a time for simply... not trying to kill Sunstone everytime they met. Peridot herself was guilty of spending casual time with the strange gem. Granted, it was largely because of Steven that she didn't attack. It was simply a logical thing to do. "We need to be careful about getting too.. chummy with Sunstone." She proceeded diplomatically. "If she finds out we're building kinergartens, she will attempt to take advantage of you." She doesn't bother telling Lapis she should never tell Sunstone the location of Kindergarten. That much was obvious. "Don't forget what she's capable of." On the topic of Homeworld, Peridot looks up. "The thought has crossed my mind several times. I want Homeworld to be out there. in the research I've concluded there is no exact science to this.. unification thing. But, let's assume it's true. If Homeworld is out there, It could be anywhere. Space is too big, and it's even bigger here. We could search for a million years and never find it... never even come close. And believe me, I drafted plans for self-replication robonoid scouts that could cover an entire galaxy in four hundred million years." "I could under go that. I could search that long, but I don't want to. I don't.. want to wait that long. And it might not even be out there. No one can know for certain. I will go insane if I'm forced to be among the humans that long. I want gem kind here. If we aren't endangered in the galaxy, one thing is certain. We're endangered on earth. We're stuck, on earth." She concluded. "As for the human. You have me to thank for your rescue on that one. I convinced him to cease his attack." She folded her arms. "And, that's just one other reason you need to stay away from Sunstone."
Guest Lapis Lazuli	Lapis tilts her head a little bit and folds her arms. "You've said as much before." Peridot has been on about not getting too friendly with Sunstone. She's not quite ready to reveal her cards yet on the status of her relationship on Sunstone just yet. Peridot has more to say, as well, so she just listens. 'Don't forget what she's capable of'. Is she really that much of a threat? That wasn't the feeling that she was getting. Peridot's explanation of the situation makes her appear more sullen, but it's that last part that really grabs her attention. Sitting up a bit stiffer, she stares Peridot in the eye. "You spoke with that monster? How is he.. it.. related to Sunstone?" Getting a bit defensive, Lapis finally says, "I think we should stop attacking Sunstone."
Peridot	"We don't have to attack Sunstone anymore. She will be far too busy to interefere." Peridot continued. "During his assault on you, one that would have ended poorly I assure you. He took the time to brag about it on a confederate radio channel. I over-heard him, and was alerted to the situation." She explains, moving onto to another pile of wreckage. "As you know, I've aligned myself with the confederates in order to achieve my ends. Meaning we were technically allies. I asked him to cease. He refused initially, unless I had something to trade him. The only thing I could think to do in order to save you from across the world was to give him a different target. Sunstone made the decision to align herself with the union making herself an enemy of Vega. The confederates and the union are at war. So she as his preferred target." "And If I am forced to choose who he assaults, I would prefer it not be you. So I made the call." She grimaced. "And before you get flippant that I traded her life for yours. You should know that I included Steven under this umbrella of protection because I anticipated your concerns."
Guest Lapis Lazuli	Lapis' arms remain folded as she watches Peridot navigate the room. "Vega. That was his name?" Lapis asks with a tilted head. She can see why Peridot would think her decision was sound, but.. She doesn't even look angry, as opposed to what Peridot expected. Instead, Lapis just shakes her head, "Do you even care about her? She doesn't pose any threat to us." "If things are as bad as you make them seem, then we should be protecting her, not sending monsters after her." She pauses, staring at Peridot even as she moves around the spare parts and scrap. The idea of Vega hunting Sunstone down.. She was scared even when Vega was supposedly 'on their side'. "Call it off." She doesn't even mention Steven. How would Steven feel about this?
Peridot	Peridot squinted, stopping in her work. "Call it off?" She let the question hang in the air for a few moments. Lapis had never issued an order before, and Peridot was typically selective over who she took orders from, however diligently. However, she pushed that particular thought out of her head. Realizing it didn't particular matter for a specific reason. "Even if I wanted to. I'm in no position to give him any orders. I don't have the prerequisite power, nor do I have the resources to stop him once he sets his mind to something." "There is no calling him off. He's more of a force of nature, than a human. Our only option is to redirect him. If he is not attacking Sunstone, he will attack someone else." Her expression went neutral. "Who else would you send him after in Sunstone stead?"
Guest Lapis Lazuli	Lapis steps forward, looking a bit angrier now. "I would send him after no one. Peridot, what do you think he'll do once he finishes off Sunstone? Do you think he'll just leave us alone because he took down one of us?" Her rhetorical makes her stop a few meters away from Peridot. "He's just going to come after us again, and there will be one less of us to fight him." Pointing towards the door, Lapis continues, "If you want us to be stronger against the multiverse, we need to not be fighting each other."
Peridot	"We're reasonably protected." She answers, standing her ground. "He cannot go after me without due cause... and even if he chooses to, I can summon reinforcements from the confederates. However, I cannot summon help just to attack him- he has to break the rules first. Otherwise my fingers are tied." "Besides... Let's pretend for a moment that I agree with you. And that psychopath Sunstone wants to be all buddy buddy. What do you think is going to happen when she finds out we're building a new kindgergarten?" Her tone shifted to something more matter of fact. "No one here knows what enough kindergartens will do to this planet. But she knows. She doesn't care about our kind. She's satisfied to chip away surrounded by these stinking humans." Peridot thumbs toward herself. "But not me.... and not you either." "She won't be on board.. and if she says she is, it'll only be to stick a gem destablizer between our shoulder blades, and kill the unborn gems just like she did before."
Guest Lapis Lazuli	"Peridot.." Lapis says softly, her anger fading. "You don't even know her, how can you say that?" It would be hypocritical of her to act like the Crystal Gems. She didn't understand Sunstone before, and felt bad for attacking her under Peridot's orders. Now having had time to talk to the other gem, she realized that was a mistake, but Peridot is still at the point where she just doesn't even understand this other gem. She did promise she would never tell anyone else what happened with Sunstone, and she's not about to betray that trust. Twice Lapis was in combat with Sunstone, and twice Sunstone didn't attack her. "/You/ have protection," Lapis' eyebrows furrow angrily as she grits her teeth, "Not Steven or me. He could still come after either of us after Sunstone is.." Her words cut off. "I hope you're happy." With that she turns and starts to walk back towards the bridge door, making to leave.
Peridot	"You're wrong." Peridot grumbled, but otherwise didn't stop her from leaving. "Why don't you ask her about it then? Ask her if she's ready to take this planet down in order to save our species. Because Homeworld asked her to do it once, and she responded by torching everything!" "I'm already doing everything I can for you two while trying to keep this mission together. Protecting you from my own faction! Risking my objectives in the process. And instead of being grateful you ask for more!" In frustration she slams a piece of wreckage down on the robonoids tasked with carrying it to the refuse bin. Some of them end up popping under the weight, spilling their crystalline payload. As Lapis leaves, Peridot furrows her brows at the destroyed robonoid. It was one thing to break a robonoid that had outlived its usefulness, but accidentally destroying them out of anger felt wasteful. It felt more like something Jasper would do. She could only allow herself a moment to breath. She didn't need the oxygen, but breathing felt more pleasant than not breathing. Then sullenly, she picked the destroyed Robonoids and put them with the rest of the trash.
Guest Lapis Lazuli	When Lapis stops at the door, she looks back at the sudden loud noise. The doors swoosh open and she puts her hand on the doorframe. Her eyes turn to Peridot, and she takes a moment to appraise the situation before responding, "I didn't ask for you to save me from Vega." Then, she just simply walks through the door and lets it close behind her.