Work Text:
After Steven's visit, Jasper slumped back into her cave, she wrapped her blanket around herself and collapsed onto the ground. The happiness she felt because of her fight with Steven quickly faded and she was back to feeling lonely, bored and glum. When Steven asked if he could see her, she wished she could tell him that he can come back anytime, but she felt like she didn't deserve his or anyone else's time or presence, so she had given him the blunt response that she did. After a few weeks of lying down while day dreaming with her eyes shut, she got up. She was bored and didn't know what to do, she had already punched every tree within the vicinity out of its roots and she was sick of training with her boulders, so she just sat upon her rock.
Meanwhile Lapis was flying high above the wooded outskirts of Beach City, she saw the patch of land with everything organic ripped out of the ground or chased away. She figured this was where Jasper was staying. She could make out a hooded figure sitting on top of a huge rock, she knew it was Jasper. Lapis landed just outside of Jasper's hideout and decided to approach her slowly with caution.
"Hold it!" Jasper snarled while pulling the blanket from her. Jasper's eyes widened at the sight of Lapis, she had thought it was going to be Steven back for another visit. Jasper was suddenly overcome with many feelings, a part of her wanted to spin dash into Lapis at full force and send her flying, another part of her wanted to embrace the gem and melt into her arms.
"Why are YOU here Lapis?" Jasper glared at Lapis before taking a huge jump from her rock to the ground, Lapis took a slight step back, she forgot how quick Jasper could be. This only made Jasper look more visibly annoyed, Steven at least didn't display any fear during his visits, and Jasper was his tormentor, unlike Lapis who was Jaspers.
"I...I came to check up you. To see how things are going with you, if that's okay."
"Why?" Jasper casually questioned. "I'm over you now."
"Yeah right, is that why you decided to live only a small distance from where I'm living?" Lapis said while rolling her eyes. "Why are you staying on Earth anyway?"
"This is my home planet, I can live anywhere I damn choose to. It is only fitting that a worthless gem stays on their worthless planet."
"Are you done feeling sorry for yourself?" Lapis asked.
"No, I'm not you brat, I'm going to stay here and wallow in my misery forever, if you have such a problem with seeing that, you should get lost." Jasper said harshly.
"I'm sorry, I can actually relate to you taking longer to adjust than all the other gems. After the mirror and our fusion, it took me long to adjust to this planet too. I even took the barn with all of Peridot's belongings to the moon and destroyed it later...so I can understand what you're going through, Jasper."
Jasper ignored Lapis and decided to throw some boulders into a pile, one by one.
Despite the Quartz being stubborn, Lapis smiled. "You're still as strong as ever despite your corruption scars. I'm glad."
"Not as strong as when we were Malachite, not as strong as you. Even Steven beat me up and he used to be a simple slap or headbutts work. I'm weak."
Lapis got flashbacks to the beach arrival and the boat, Jasper was right, Steven really did used go down with just one of Jasper's attacks in the past. "Steven told us that he couldn't lay a scratch on you until he activated some pink power, he is half Diamond after all. I'm glad you and he are actually starting to get along."
"He's my Diamonds kid, how could I not. Despite my Diamond being a double-crossing liar who pitted two sides of a war against each other, it is my duty to remain loyal to her" Jasper proudly said.
"Yeah I guess." Lapis didn’t really understand this whole loyalty thing. "I think you need a new purpose, maybe wrestling for sport at the school? Maybe even art? Regardless, I'd be willing to help you out...maybe you can stay with me at my house?"
"No. I'm staying here." Deep down Jasper wanted her and Steven’s help but believed she didn’t deserve anything.
Lapis frowned. "That's fine, it's your life. I've got to go as I have a Morp class to teach in 10 minutes...Can I come back to visit tomorrow night?"
"Sure." Jasper then turned her back to the gem and walked towards her cave. She quickly glanced over her shoulder to see if Lapis was still standing there but saw that her ex-partner was already flying away.