Work Text:
"-and when we're done making this stupid drill, I'm gonna go home and take the longest nap ever!" Amethyst said leaning back in the truck bed, "Like Steven's gonna be Greg's age when I wake up!"
"Always focusing on priorities, eh Amethyst?"
"Aw," the purple gem groaned "c'mon P, even you gotta admit sleeping's awesome."
Pearl rolled her eyes in that way Amethyst knew that she totally agreed, but was just too stubborn to admit it.
"Wait a sec."
The two gems looked on the floor and spotted something out of the ordinary.
"Hey," Amethyst said, picking up the object,"P-Dot left her recorder just layin' 'round."
Just then a mischievous grin formed on her face.
"You thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?"
"If you are implying we invade Peridot's privacy, then I can't say I am," Pearl retorted with crossed arms.
"Psh!" Amethyst scoffed,"You ain't even the tiniest bit curious about what ol' Perisnot has on this tape?"
"I will admit that I am,"Pearl sighed, avoiding eye contact,"but I also don't want to give her a reason not to trust us."
"She'll be fine,"the smaller gem laughed,"Plus, what if she's pulling another stunt like that communicator one?"
Pearl stayed quiet for a moment, once again upset because Amethyst convinced her into another of her wrong-doings. She sighed defeatedly.
"Then..." the pale gem began hesitantly "I guess that could justify investigating. Just briefly though!"
"You got it, P!"
Amethyst rewound the tape and after a moment pressed play
"Peridot: Log Date 7 19 8," came the familiar voice of the green gem "This entry will vary from previous ones."
"In place of a regular update, a colleague of mine has graciously joined me on a mission of information. Would you care to greet the listener?
"Yo," came the familiar voice of Garnet, surprising both Pearl and Amethyst.
"Now Garnet," Peridot said calmly,"Thank you for joining me here. Your knowledge and view on fusing will be a great asset to the future history of Gemkind!"
"Or the Homeworld soldiers that Yellow Diamond sends to kill us all who find this tape," she whispered almost inaudibly to the speaker.
"No prob."
"Now," the green gem cleared her throat,"Garnet, being a fusion and all, how would you describe the synchronization of your 2 host Gems?"
"Flawless."
"Yes," Peridot chuckled lightly,"I suppose they would have to be for a fusion of this duration and stability."
"How much would you say your strength is improved fused as opposed to being unfused?"
"Put it simply, Peridot, to save you a lot of questions: everything is much better while I'm fused."
"Oh...uh," the shorter gem hasn't planned for things to go off the list,"Skipping to the last question then. What is your ultimate stance on the practicality of fusion?"
"To be honest, the best reason two gems, or more I don't judge, to fuse is because of one thing: Love."
"Love," the word mulled on Peridots tongue, "I'm afraid I'm still fairly foreign to this concept. Could you sum it up please?"
"Sorry Peridot, I can't speak for everyone when it comes to love. Everyone experiences it differently."
"That doesn't really answer my question."
"Love doesn't need an answer," Garnet deadpanned, "Love IS the answer."
"If your vague answer is to be an indicator, then it's a concept with no right way to accurately describe it?"
"I suppose you can see it that way."
"However, upon my self-studying of Earth customs, Love to humans is a mutual connection of tolerance that leads to a far less professional rapport."
The recording went quiet for a couple of seconds.
"Normally, however, the opposite person in the party is drawn in by a desirable quality in their partner, such as kindness or concern or even physical attraction. I, for example, am incapable of love by that standard then."
"Why would you say that?"
Peridot was very quiet for a few moments, causing Pearl to think it was out of surprise.
"Well..." she dragged out, "I don't possess those qualities, ergo, I lack the parameters necessary to hold mutual attraction."
"Peridot. That's not true."
"How so," the green gem exclaimed in disbelief, "I was part of a larger plot to destroy the planet that you and billions of far less important creatures hold dear! If that isn't the ultimatum of negative traits, then what is?"
"It's not good to focus on just bad traits, Peridot."
Peridot was grumbling something under her breath. She wasn't quite sure, but Pearl could make out something about Peridot calling herself a clod.
"You've come so far from who you were before you trusted us. You were kind enough to help save a planet you had no interest in being on, you care about Steven and all of us, and you even betrayed your superior for what you believed was right."
Amethyst could almost hear Peridot wince through the recording.
"As far as I'm concerned, anyone would be lucky to have you."
"Well, I appreciate your kindness, Garnet. However, I have no desire to link myself romantically with a human."
"And such good taste too,"the fusion chuckled jokingly.
"I'm still not adept at this concept, though. Maybe you could...tutor me."
A strange muffled sound could be made out. What was it? Kissing, they both thought? Couldn't be. Could it?
"What was that?!"
"That was a kiss, Peridot."
Apparently it was.
"A kiss? How does that tie into what we were doing?"
"Well," the fusion started chuckling," The Humans normally put their lips together as a gesture that they care romantically for one another."
It went quiet yet again. Maybe Peridot was trying to piece this together.
"That means you decided to share that intimacy with...me? Right?"
"I sure did," Garnet chuckled, "Want another?"
The green gem seemed to be devoid of any words. But at least she wasn't screaming or talking too fast, so she must have took it pretty well.
"Okaymaybelaterthankyouverymuchbutpleasetellmewhyyoujustdidthat!"
Or maybe not.
"Well," the fusion spoke,"You're cute and I wanted to give you a kiss. Was I too direct?"
"No-nononono," Peridot sputtered out,"I-I think you made your point quite well!"
"So...umm," a pause,"Is that 'love'? I just go up to all my potential fusion partners and...kiss them?"
Garnets warm chuckle bubbled its way through the crackly speaker as she began to speak. "Maybe that wasn't the best example, but it warmed you up didn't it?"
"I don't see how putting me on the spot like that was supposed to prepare me for your lesson!"
"Well, you got the gist didn't you?"
"Y-yes?"
"Good," Garnet spoke softly,"Because the actual lesson is going to be much longer."
Peridot cleared her throat hoarsely and awkwardly. "Well, I guess we continue the interview...later."
"Of course," Garnet laughed. The recording abruptly ended.
Pearl and Amethyst were both full of questions. Why'd it end there? What did they do? How long ago was this?
All questions they'd theorize later for sure, but first they had to put the recorder back. Couldn't risk Peridot unleashing her incomparable amounts of obnoxiousness on them, after all.
"Geez," Amethyst chuckled walking out of the barn alongside Pearl,"Didn't know Peri had it in her."
"Yes. I honestly didn't see things going there."
A few minutes passed, and Peridot walked back into the barn. She walked back to her awning to indulge in yet another rewatch of season two of Camp Pining Hearts, when she noticed something...off.
Did someone touch my tape recorder, she thought, of course not, nobody would think to touch my stuff!
To affirm her suspicions, she decided to play her tape. What she heard was what she knew to be the end of the tape.
She was mortified to know that someone listened to the contents of her tape, but relieved that the assailants didn't hear part two of the interview.