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Birefringence
noun / bi·re·frin·gence \ˌbī-ri-ˈfrin-jən(t)s\
1. The phenomenon whereby a ray of light shone through a gem is split into two rays taking slightly different paths.
SEE: Double Refraction
They can’t keep letting Peridot sleep on the couch. There are many reasons for this and Pearl has a neat list of them stored in her room but for now if asked she can name a few off the top of her gem.
For starters it’s not fair: how were they going to tell her that she was a crystal gem but make her bum it out on the couch while they all had their own private rooms in the temple? Peridot has come a long way from being what Pearl lovingly referred to as the ‘awkwardly antagonistic gem they occasionally had to deal with’ and to slight her even in this small way sat wrong with Pearl.
Second of all; Peridot took a page out of Amethyst’s book and actually liked to sleep. Pearl will never understand how someone could want to sleep, it seemed like a bad way to waste a third of the day. But if sleeping made it easier for the green gem to adjust to earth then who was she to stop her? Sleeping in the living room of the house, the main hub of the entire temple, was nearly impossible.
And last on Pearl’s short list of reasons why Peridot needs to not sleep in the living room anymore; it was incredibly uncomfortable for all of them when she did.
Like herself, Peridot’s forehead gem had a slight tendency to project her dreams when she slept. They were mostly nonsense dreams, just shy of nightmares: the green gem’s normally analytic mind was surprisingly turbulent when she wasn’t putting it to use against some problem or tech work. The twisted images her mind spit out were mostly warped things she didn’t quite understand on Earth, it was often a very confusing hologram to watch. When she asks Peridot doesn't want to talk about those dreams.
For the other dreams she projects… Pearl doesn’t ask.
Sometimes the dreams weren’t so abstract in their subject matter. It was quite clear what they meant and it felt voyeuristic to watch them, even accidentally.
Often, Peridot dreams of Pearl. Of them. Together.
Even though it’s hardly sexual by any standards if Pearl was being completely honest, and she tried to be, she didn’t want the others to see them.
This desire to protect Peridot's vulnerability often led to her shooing out any children or gems that loitered in the living room past hours, which more often than not led to her waking up the very gem whose modesty she sought to preserve.
After about the fifth time of this happening Peridot puts her foot down. “Pearl you are actually driving me crazy!” In more ways than one apparently. “I’m not staying another night on that couch, no don’t give me that look, I’m done. You clods need to find me somewhere else to sleep. Today, or I’m going to take my chances sleeping on the beach!”
An impromptu family meeting was called and at the insistent glare of their newest member all five gems agreed that for the sake of Peridot’s sanity (and unknowingly Pearl’s modesty) they’d rework Sapphire’s old room to be Peridot’s, while Garnets made do with Ruby’s.
The problem was Peridot refused to go back to the boxy couch until her room was done, not that she could blame her.
Somehow, and don’t ask her how, the problem is solved with Peridot crashing in her practically unused bed until she has finished designing her own room.
And wouldn’t you know it, the green gem was being very, very, meticulous with her planning. ‘Very subtle everyone.’ Pearl thinks towards her fellow gems not for the first time. It’s night thirty-five of what could easily turn into a thousand and thirty-five nights until Peridot was satisfied.
She has a feeling that she’ll never be satisfied.
Pearl doesn’t sleep, not unless under extreme duress or by special request by Steven, and just because Peridot was crashing in her bed did not mean she had to be there with her. She wasn’t going to sleep, her time would be better spent training or researching. She’d told Peridot as much. ‘
'Of course you are.’ She’d quipped setting her visor on the table. ‘I’m sure you’ll get a lot done.’
Pearl had huffed and stormed out of the room to the sound of Peridot’s cackling, doubly vowing not to return.
Sinking deeper into her pillow, Pearl sulks. ‘So much for that.’ Beside her Peridot is sprawled half over and under the sheet, decked in one of Greg’s old band t-shirts that Amethyst may have borrowed and/or stolen for their companion to sleep in.
She’ll never understand the fascination that humans had with constantly changing their clothing. Doing it several times a day seemed a bit obsessive, but Steven had assured her that the light blue sleeping dress that she currently wore was absolutely necessary for ‘Her sleepovers with Peridot’.
If she wasn’t as sure as she was that Steven didn’t have a devious bone in his precious little body, Pearl would think he was in cahoots with Amethyst and Garnet about this whole ordeal.
Even though it’s her own room it feels strange laying here staring at a ceiling made up of millions of synthetic stars, waiting for the gem at her side to fall deep into slumber.
Pearl tries not to stare, she’s been told that it is rude and off putting several times by several different humans, but Peridot isn’t human and she’s really not conscious to tell her off for doing it so stare she does.
It’s amazing how even in sleep the younger gem is constantly in motion; her hair ruffles with her breathing, her fingers tense and untense in the pillow, her mouth opens and closes every so often as if to say something and her eyes dart behind her closed lids like she was computing calculations even in her dreams.
Speaking of.
With little preamble Peridot’s triangular gem glows softly in the dark room before bursting into a tunnel of light. Pearl spares a moment to feel a bit guilty about intruding on Peridot’s private thoughts, but turns on her side and makes herself comfortable to watch nonetheless.
It takes a few moments for the images to become clear enough to make out. Pearl isn’t aware of the refractory time on her own dream projections, but she knows from other nights that this is normal for Peridot.
Tinted in pale green tonight’s dream feature Peridot and herself. These dreams were not only Pearl’s favorites but the main reason why Pearl didn’t want Peridot crashing on the couch.
No matter what Amethyst said this wasn’t a ploy to get their newest member into her bed. Well, not completely. She likes watching Peridot’s dreams, likes seeing herself in them, seeing the regard Peridot held her in. It was nice to be wanted.
Pearl didn’t want the other gem projecting this out for the world to see; Pearl wants to keep Peridot’s dreams all to herself.
Dancing above their heads Dream-Peridot is saying something that apparently makes Dream-Pearl flush teal and shyly look away. It’s funny, not in a mean-spirited way mind you, because in their everyday interactions if anyone was bold in their affections it was Pearl.
Pearl knows that about herself now; she’s a very touchy feely gem, always clutching at someone’s arm seeking physical touches to reassure her own nerves. Peridot, on the other hand, is not one for bestowing affection but under the slightest bit of positive attention she positively bloomed.
Pearl has always thought that she were humoring her need to touch, letting her do what she will; enduring it. But now watching the projection of the two of them, she’s not so sure.
Dream-Peridot takes Dream-Pearls’ hands in her own and lightly tugs her into her embrace. It’s a bold, smooth move that the real Peridot would never be able to pull off with a straight face. It makes Pearl smile.
Dream-Peridot brushes her bangs back and nudges her gem with her own, her dream counterpart grins and returns the gesture wholeheartedly.
Perhaps it was not a matter of not wanting to return affection, because if her dreams were any indication, she very much did. Rather it was a matter of being unsure how to, or if it was welcome.
It is.
Welcome, that is.
Pearl wouldn’t mind the gentle nudges and touches that Peridot is dreaming of, would like it very much so. It’s been such a long time since she’d really felt worth that kind of regard; she eager to feel it again. What’s more she’d like to be the person that the homeworld gem felt comfortable enough to do these things with.
Pearl would like to take that gentleness and care and give that affection back to Peridot tenfold if she'd let her.
“What am I going to do with you?” Pearl murmurs pushing an errant strand of Peridot’s hair from her face, echo her dream-self’s sentiment. To be frank, this was incredibly inconvenient; this having feelings for inappropriate people trend of hers, but at least time it wasn’t one sided. Pearl doesn’t think she could go through that again and come out whole.
With a sigh she wheedles her way into the other gem’s side. Instinctively Peridot moves her arm granting Pearl the ability to comfortably nest her head on her shoulder. “Rather, what are you going to do with me?”
Predictably enough Peridot doesn’t answer. Laying on her back, head cradled at the crux of the younger gem’s neck and shoulder, Pearl has the perfect view of Peridot’s dreams and that, she supposes, is all the answer she really needs.
Pearl thinks she’s subtle about perving on her dreams. Please. Peridot is sure that Pearl doesn’t have a subtle bone in her body.
Finding the other gem in the living room one or two times after she’s had a dream? Okay, Coincidence. Finding her there nearly every time? Definitely making a peep-show of her dreams.
Besides it’s difficult to be subtle when you literally fall asleep on top of someone. With one hand flung to the side and the other one warm and heavy on Peridot’s bare thigh, the tall gem snores softly next to her ear. “So much for never sleeping.”
Once Peridot would have minded but now not so much. Pearl was just being Pearl; which translated to bold breaches of personal space and awkward hovering when she was unsure of her reaction. And luckily for the older gem she was quite fond of how overbearingly affectionate she could be.
Stifling what she’s sure is an unattractive yawn Peridot turns and buries her nose in soft pink hair. “It’s too early to deal with your weird earth mating rituals.”
She’s too tired to be embarrassed about being felt up in her sleep and thanks to the lack of sunlight this deep in the temple it was painfully easy to tell herself that there was enough time before sunrise for her to go back to be unconscious.
Blearily, Peridot flicks a single eye toward the ceiling to gaze at the dream that the other gem is projecting. From this angle all she can see is moving shades of cool blue. For a moment she considers moving to get a better look, it’s not often that Pearl sleeps after all, it would be nice to see it their dreams matched.
Instead Peridot closes her eyes and curls further around her bed partner. She doesn’t need to see what what she was projecting. The fact that Pearl was here sleeping at all, head on her shoulder and hand on her thigh, was proof enough of what she was dreaming.