Chapter Text
Lazuli . Lisa never imagined she would hear that voice say that word ever again. And yet her neighbor, some strange doppelganger of her lost love, had called her that immediately upon seeing her. And now, the doppelganger was chasing her. She could only hope the little gremlins short legs impeded it on the stairs.
Logically, Peridot knew this wasn’t Lapis, couldn’t be Lapis. Lapis was shattered and sat bubbled above a circle of toilets in the dining room of her new apartment. Yet she felt compelled to pursue the mysterious human anyway.
Lisa practically flew down the stairs, taking them two at a time and Peridot followed, eventually jumping on the railing and sliding down the banister.
“Wait!” Peridot called after her. She stumbled off the banister just before Lisa reached the landing. She recovered quickly and stood square in front of the human girl who came to a screeching halt in front of the alien.
Lisa tripped on her own feet and started to fall down the last two stairs onto the landing but Peridots quick reflexes kept her from making an unfortunate meeting with the hard floor.
“Lapis! It's me!” Peridot couldn't think of anything else to say, so at a loss of what to do. It wasn't the same, but she never thought she'd get to see that face again, yet here it was, right in front of her.
Peridot, was all that ran through Lisa's mind and it took all her willpower to not whisper the name out loud. They may have shared a voice and a face, but the girl in front of her, holding her, was so different, so alien, Lisa could never mistake her for her Peri Dot.
After a moment of awkward silence, Peridot realized she was still gripping Lisa tightly in her arms. Lisa must have realized the same thing as she straightened, and Peridot released her. Lisa cleared her throat.
“Am I,” she began, “Am I supposed to know you?” She tried to play it cool, like she hadn't just turned and ran down four flights of stairs.
Peridot’s face fell but she quickly recovered. “I suppose not.” She held out her hand, firm and confident and Lisa tentatively took it. “I am Peridot, the great and lovable, savior of the Earth.”
Lisa's throat went dry. Peridot. She took a deep breath. It was just a name. It wasn't even Periwinkle’s real name; she could do this. “Lisa,” she introduced. “Lisa Lazarus.”
The handshake went on a little too long, and when Lisa pulled away her hand moved to grip the Lapis Lazuli pendant that hung around her neck.
“Lisa,” Peridot tested the name on her tongue. It was unfamiliar and yet not at the same time. Steven had gone on for many hours about the Lisa from his book, but it was her first time encountering a real living human with the name. In fact, it was her first time encountering a human that wasn't from Steven’s circle of friends. “Well, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance,”
“Likewise,” Lisa replied. Peridot’s voice was so similar to Periwinkle's but different at the same time. Sure they sounded the same, but Peridot was louder, more confident and her word choice was strangely formal.
A new silence came over them, only to be broken by Lisa’s aunt Margo reaching the landing several floors below their apartment.
“There you are, Lisa,” she said, relief evident in her voice. She glanced over and noticed Peridot, rocking back and forth on her socked feet. “Oh and you must be the neighbor. Is everything alright? You both ran off rather quickly.”
Peridot answered before Lisa got the chance to, “Yes, yes everything is wonderful. Lisa and I were just getting acquainted.”
“Well,” Margo began, “Why don’t we all head back upstairs. The pie may be ruined but that doesn’t mean I can’t whip up a quick lunch for us all. Or maybe some tea?”
Lisa wanted to object, say that no, they were both fine and Peridot really should be getting back to her apartment but just as she opened her mouth, Peridot was already responding. “That sounds wonderful. While I’m afraid I won’t be ingesting any food , as my body is incapable of digestion, I would love the opportunity to get to know you both,” at this Peridot’s eyes moved to stare behind Margo, directly at Lisa. She added, “And Steven has explained to me that social eating is a very important human activity.”
Margo just smiled, somewhat confused at their odd neighbor, but glad she had accepted the invitation.
Peridot, Lisa, and Margo had opted to exit the stairwell and take the elevator back up to their floor. Peridot was excited. She had wanted to greet her neighbors, but just hadn’t gotten around to it yet, too wrapped up in watching all the special features on the anniversary edition Camp Pining Hearts box set Steven had gotten her as a parting gift. It stung, a little. CPH was her and Lapis’s thing , what they always did together, and now she was gone. Peridot wondered what Lisa would think of the show. Maybe she had more in common with the Gem than just a face? Peridot was filled with a new determination to find out. It was a new mission, something to focus on whole heartedly, instead of wistlessly waiting for fanfiction to update, or fellow users on the sparsely populated CPH reddit to reply to her theories.
Margo and Lisa’s apartment has much the same layout as Peridot’s own. There was a dining room just as you entered, and open kitchen with a breakfast nook, and a living room with a fireplace. Peridot noticed that throughout the house were vases of silk flowers, something she could identify as periwinkles, and on the mantle above the fireplace was a green pyramid. Lisa watched Peridot take in the apartment, and smiled sadly when her eyes landed on Periwinkle’s ashes. Peridot noticed the look and found it odd. She had seen that same look reflected on her own face in Lapis’s gem, and she wondered what about an object would cause a human to have the same reaction.
She was quickly distracted when Margo lead her to the breakfast nook and pulled out a chair for her. She sat down, and Lapis sat across from her, keeping her attention on her aunt.
“I know you said you have digestion problems,” Margo began, addressing Peridot, “But would you like something to drink? Some tea, perhaps?”
Peridot considered the offer, and accepted. She couldn’t drink tea, but she enjoyed the smell of it. “Wow, thanks,” she said, almost automatically, as two cups of fragrant chamomile were placed in front of her and Lisa.
Margo sat down with a cup of her own and began to make small talk. “I never did catch your name. Mine’s Margo, and you’ve already met my niece, Lisa.” She took a drink from her mug and Peridot picked hers up, enjoying the aroma and the feeling of warmth in her hands.
“Peridot,” she replied. Margo gave a subtle glance to her niece who was listlessly stirring sugar into her tea. While Margo had never met Periwinkle personally, she had seen pictures, and she couldn’t deny the similarities between her and the girl that sat next to her. The similarities in face and name were probably hitting Lisa harder than she was letting on.
They chatted and made small talk for a little while. Peridot asked a few questions about Margo and Lisa’s relationship, which lead to the older woman explaining family trees and the like. Eventually the matter of Peridot’s strange appearance arose, and Peridot explained that she was a gem and a protector of humanity. Margo remarked that she always knew they weren’t alone in the universe, especially after hearing about all the weird things that went down in a small Delmarva town.
After about an hour, Lisa excused herself and Peridot decided to do the same. “Steven usually calls around this hour anyway,” Peridot said. “I wouldn’t want to keep him waiting.” While technically true, she knew she wouldn’t be receiving a call from the boy tonight- he was staying the night at his friend Connie’s place for the evening and had promised to call her when he was finished with their training the next day.
When Peridot returned home, she noticed the remnants of the pie had all been cleared away- probably Margo’s doing. She was glad, it was one less thing to tend to before she plopped into a green bean bag chair and began browsing her tablet. She had a hard time keeping her mind off Lisa for the rest of the evening.