Lapis and Peridot

How To Annoy, Lapis-Style

[Peridot's POV]

Ignore her, ignore her, ignore her. The words ran through my head again and again, like a chant. Ignore her, ignore her, ignore– Oh my stars, what is she DOING? She, she's touching me! Without my permission!  

"Stop that!"

"Why should I, Peri?" Her voice was light and cheerful, even though a minute ago it had been filled with rage. And did she just call me Peri?

"Because I told you so, that's why!"

Lapi– No, Lazuli; I had to think of her as Lazuli – didn't move her fingers from their resting position on my shoulder. I turned my head to look at her, glowering. She smiled impishly back at me.

"What, Peri, do you mean to tell me you don't secretly enjoy this?" Oh no, I wasn't imagining it. There certainly was a flirtatious tone to her voice. And I didn't really mind the hand on my shoulder. It was just the principle of it.

"Don't call me Peri! You do not have permission to call me by a nickname, nor do you have permission to touch me!"

Lazuli just laughed.

"Oh, so you're trying to get me to notice you by being annoying, now, are you? Well it's–" I stopped. It was actually working, wasn't it. "–it's not going to work." I turned my head back to my touchscreen. Lazuli's hand still hadn't moved from my shoulder, but now her other hand reached over in defiance and snatched one of my touch stumps (one of the ones on the hand that wasn't forming a touchscreen). I pulled it back towards me, but the blue gem was surprisingly strong. She finally took her hand off my shoulder, but it was only in order to hold my touch-stump with both hands. I couldn't help but turn to her then, closing my touchscreen so I could use that hand to grab my touch-stump back. Lazuli saw that I was noticing her, and her smile widened. Then she seemed to see how I was controlling my facial expression (neutral, act neutral), and for a moment her eyes flashed. Then they went back to normal, leaving me wondering if I had imagined it – but I wasn't left to think for long, because Lapis was speaking again.

"Aw, Peri, do you need this finger? Because I'm not giving it to you until you listen to me!"

I hissed in anger. She was still calling me Peri. And even worse, the nickname sounded almost acceptable coming from her.

"Give me back my 'finger' or whatever you called it and go away!"

"Only if you stop acting like a robot, and listen to me!"

"No! Give my touch-stump BACK!"

"Not until you listen!"

"I need my 'finger' and I need you to stop touching my things without permission! What you're holding in your hand right now is a very advanced scientific touch sensor and I designed it myself! It's not a toy or a ransom object, so give it back!" I must admit, I did lose my temper.

"No, I won't give it back until you listen to–" Lazuli was interrupted by a beeping sound coming from my arm.

"Jasper is coming!" I panicked. "Lazuli, get in there!" I quickly swiped open a storage cabinet and switched on the light inside. Lazuli hesitated but slipped in anyway. I knew the light would go off once I closed the door, but there was nothing for it; if Jasper was coming, anything was preferable to her finding Lazuli in the control room with me.

It was only after the cabinet's door was closed that I realized Lazuli still had my touch-stump clutched in her fist. And by then, Jasper was already entering the room.

[Lapis' POV]

Oh my stars no no no no no no it's dark oh please it's dark get me out of here it's dark it's dark it's DARK.... wait. I still have Peridot's finger. And it's glowing. Wow, it's glowing. I took a deep breath. It's not dark... it's not dark. Calm down, Lapis... it's okay... calm down. I focused on Peridot's finger, and only on the light coming from it. All the same, despite the tiny bit of light, I felt like I was being squeezed in from all sides. I hated the dark. All those years in the mirror, in the dark... Torture. I shivered, then tried to distract myself with the only object I had: Peridot's finger.

Can she feel what I'm doing with her finger, even through the door of the cabinet? I wondered. How does this thing work, anyway? She said something about advanced science, so I guess I couldn't understand even if she was willing to explain. It's pretty cool. Thinking about Peridot's finger soon led my thoughts to Peridot herself. I think my 'be-annoying' trick is working, at least. Or it should. Everything ought to work itself out once she agrees to listen to me. But maybe I should be a little less pushy. Take it slow. After all, it took me years to adjust to the idea of caring for someone... The darkness was pushing against me, making me feel smaller. I fought against it, clutching Peridot's finger like a lifeline. It was really nothing more than a glowing cylinder. When I had been next to Peridot, the finger had been fighting and trying to pull away from me. But now it was stiff and still, unmoving. But I think– ah, the dark– no, can't think about the dark – maybe Peridot can come around – augh, it's so dark – maybe I can help Peridot see what it's like to be good – dark, oh my stars, it's so dar–

The cabinet door flew open and Peridot's face appeared, a pale green. "Jasper's gone," she whispered in a frightened voice. "I need to get you back in your cell. Now."

"No!" the word flew out before I could help myself. "Please don't put me in that cell again! I, I can't bear it... I can't bear being alone, cooped up in there for so long!"

"But..." suddenly Peridot's expression softened. She sighed. "Lapis," she began again, in a softer tone. "I, I saw you before. You were... you were crying."

I must have looked at her oddly. "I... yes, I... I was crying. I wasn't exactly happy. I'm not happy now, either."

"Listen, Lapis. I– I felt sorry for you, then. I feel sorry for you now. But I can't protect you. I would be shattered along with you, and it would help nobody. If you go along with everything – if you cooperate – maybe I can help you out of this. But if Jasper finds out that I'm being weak, that I'm succumbing to my emotions, then everything will be over for both of us."

"...Peridot," I said at last, "I– Alright. I'll let you put me back into that cell... but please, could you come by and visit me every day? I think I might go insane otherwise. And would you please just listen to what I have to say?"

"Okay," Peridot replied. "I'll listen..."

~~

"Can I have my touch stump back now?"