Lapis and Peridot

...she wanted to leave this place...

[Okay, so I don't know if anyone even read this yet. But I'mma keep going anyway. So how about let's try this... I'll switch point of view in the middle of the chapter, but I'll warn you, so you won't be confused. We'll start with Jasper's POV.]

"Hey Peridot!" I called in my gruff voice, thumping Peridot on the shoulder. She was leaning back in her seat, working on her fingerscreen. When I greeted her she jumped and nearly fell off her chair, the screen forming an exclamation mark and then fizzing out. Wow, what a scaredy-gem. I huffed. I was always put to working with the weaklings. Peridot honestly looked almost horrified for a moment before she regained an expressionless face.

"J-Jasper," she acknowledged, quickly regaining control over herself. I decided to play it nice and chuckled.

"Scared, Peri~?" I teased her in my sweetest tone. She glared at me. I laughed again. I could have my fun, at least, regardless of how worthless my co-workers always were. Yellow Diamond ordered me to escort Peridot to earth and follow the green gem's orders, and so I was doing for the most part, but that didn't mean I couldn't amuse myself in the process. But enough laughter; business was important too. "Have you checked on our prisoner?" I asked her, composing myself.

"Yes, Jasper, I have checked on Lazuli. It's my job, and in case you've forgotten, I always do my job."

"Oh dear, Periii~" I snickered. "Did I interrupt your very important work?"

"Don't call me Peri," she responded with a frown. "And yes, you did interrupt me. I would appreciate your leaving me alone so I can work."

"Awww, you're no fun," I pretended to complain. "Fiiiine, I'll go 'check on' the little blue brat. Make sure she's... comfortable. After all, there's no fun in what I've been doing all this miserable day. Trudging the halls! Communicating with Homeworld! It's important, perhaps, but not interesting"Caring" for our prisoner ought to be fun... See you around, Peri!" The other gem looked as if she were about to say something, then snorted and turned her fingerscreen back on, spinning her seat around so her back was to me. I reached out and gave her chair a shove, sending her spinning, then left the room nonchalantly and grinning as her infuriated calls reached my ears. Ah, the joys of being annoying...! I set off toward Lazuli's cell, hunching my shoulders and glowering to look fierce. On the way I pondered how I could amuse myself... perhaps teasing her would do the trick... I couldn't get the barrier down myself, perhaps I would ask Peridot to do it for me.

[Lapis' POV:]

Darkness. Not a speck of light. I was lying in the darkness, on a hard floor. I put my hands out and felt them brush against a wall before I could even stretch them out. My feet were pressed against one wall, my head brushing another, and when I stood and stretched my hands up they brushed a roof before my arms were straight. I was trapped! Trapped in a box! Oh no oh no oh no, no, I was in the mirror again, oh no, oh no, trapped... I opened my mouth to scream and-

I jolted awake, clasping my hand over my mouth. Oh, thank the stars, it was only a dream- but it had seemed so real- I shuddered. No, being trapped in that mirror was too awful, I couldn't think about it, it would just terrify me. Why was I asleep anyway? Steven had told me about sleep, that afternoon on the beach. He had called me his Beach Summer Fun Buddy, and we had talked and made those strange pppppff sounds. He had talked to me and I had repeated his words in order to ask questions, laughing with him... Slowly I uncurled myself, my body stiff; I had barely moved a muscle ever since Peridot had left, goodness knows how many hours ago. What had awoken me? Was it just the horror of my dream? Or was it some sudden noise? I wasn't quite sure. I stretched my legs out in front of me and shook my arms a few times to get the stiffness out of them. Then I froze and listened. What I heard was enough to make me curl up and slide into a corner. Jasper's coming, I told myself. That's what woke me up. I could hear heavy footsteps in the corridor, and they didn't sound like earlier - not like Peridot's steps, which were metallic; these footsteps sounded dulled but somehow even scarier than the metallic sound, probably because I was so terrified. Oh no, Jasper's coming - what should I do - she'll hurt me - oh no- I froze in place as Jasper rounded the corner. Please let her be just passing by, please, please- my hopes were shattered as Jasper stopped in front of my cell.

"Oh look, it's the blue midget." Jasper called cruelly. She walked right up to the barrier and leered at me through it, mouth unnaturally wide and way too many teeth showing. That gem was really freakishly scary. I shivered and hugged my knees tighter, leaning so my bangs obstructed my view of Jasper. Please let her just go away, please... I begged, though I didn't know who I was begging. But no, I was out of luck.

"Don't worry, you pathetic lump," Jasper continued. "Once this mission is over, we won't need you anymore." I pressed myself into the corner, as far away from her as I could get. Please let her stay out of my cell. For once I was grateful for the electric wall that kept me trapped here; at least it kept Jasper out. "We'll just get rid of you." I shuddered at the thought. They'd get rid of me, huh? Probably crush my gem, not caring an iota. These Homeworld gems were just so heartless, I couldn't bear it... they destroyed the old Homeworld, my home, that beautiful place... ohhh... I couldn't bear it...

I buried my head in my knees and ignored Jasper. I couldn't resist against her tactics anymore, I had tried to fight at first, but... maybe if I went along with everything they said, I could survive? Maybe they wouldn't destroy me? Jasper was still teasing me in the background, but I didn't react. At last I saw her get out some sort of communication device from her belt. Wait, this could be important. I focused on her words, which were spoken quietly: "Peridot. Peridot, deactivate the barrier of Lazuli's cell. I need to... speak with her." Oh my stars. My very existence, or at least that of my physical form, was now at the mercy of Peridot, that robot. Jasper wouldn't crush my gem, not until I directed them to the Crystal Gem's base, but she could hurt my physical form all she wanted. I shivered. Please, please let Peridot not be the heartless gem she acts like. Aw, who was I kidding? I was definitely going to be destroyed again...