Library, Wednesday

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Peridot took one step into the library today, paused, and then had to dive to avoid being trampled over by a stampede of books all heading her way.

Or, rather, a stampede of books all racing along what appeared to be a makeshift track fashioned out of carefully placed index cards, which Peridot was quite certain she was going to need to sort out and put away herself, since the books seemed intent on just zooming around in circles. They weren't hurting anything, really, just so long as nobody stepped onto their race track, but it was a little bit vexing all the same.

She still wasn't completely certain why Earth's intelligent species insisted on using such an impetuous method of data recording.

[OOC: A purring cat ate the OCD.]

Comments

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Peridot leaned down as far as she could without falling off the ladder, squinting down at the ID badge and, yes, reading the entire thing as thoroughly as she could from up there.

"You humans are all so new," she muttered, shaking her head, and then climbing up the ladder a little more and looking, first, to see if there were any books that had the corresponding logo on the spine. "I'm going to pass down anything that looks even close, just to be certain. Does that work for you?"

[somethingwithturquoise]

"That sounds fantastic," Summer said, holding up her arms to show she was ready to receive whatever Peridot managed to find. She was blushing just a bit at the 'new' statement, thinking it referred more to her brain capacity than her supposed age, for not thinking of something so simple, and it sparked her to ask, conversationally, as they searched, "So, you're obviously not human, then; can I ask, uh, what....species? you are, then?"

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"I'm a Gem," Peridot replied, plucking a few books down from the shelves one after the other and holding them down for Summer to take as she did so. What she wouldn't give for her limb enhancers in situations like this; she'd be able to hold so much more, and wouldn't even need to balance precariously on the ladder in order to manage it. "We're a non-organic race of... sentient minerals, I suppose, would be the easiest way to explain what we are."

She pulled another book from the shelf and looked at it thoughtfully.

"I'm a Peridot. I suppose a human could consider me a... a Gem subspecies, to put it in organic terms."

[somethingwithturquoise]

Summer took the chance to set a few of the ones Peridot had handed down on the floor, freeing up her arms for more if needed. "A whole race of Gems? That's so cool; I've never heard of something like that before."

Which really was saying a lot.

"What would bring a Gem to a place like this?"

She kind of wanted to ask if there were, like, Diamonds and Rubies and Emeralds and all the really pretty ones. Ooh, Opals, Aquamarine, Topaz! But it seemed a little...rude? She didn't know, so she always felt it was better safe and silent than sorry in these instances.

[era_two_triangle]

"Initially, science," Peridot replied, casually, because she saw little need to lie given her current situation. "I was sent here by Yellow Diamond to check on an experiment that was left behind thousands of years ago. Unfortunately, there was an... incident... and the ship I arrived on was destroyed beyond repair."

And her escape pod wasn't doing much better.

"So now I'm... stranded. Sort of. I'm not exactly looking for a way to leave, either."

Because she enjoyed being whole and alive, thank you.

[somethingwithturquoise]

"Why not?" Summer asked, finding it interesting that her whole point in being in the library today was to help her get out of here. "Do you like it here?"

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"More than I thought I would," Peridot replied, after a brief pause. "More than I should. Earth is so full of... life. It's like nothing else my people have ever known. It's no wonder there are those who are willing to fight for it."

[somethingwithturquoise]

Awwww. That was such a great answer, one that definitely helped bolster Summer's own ambitions, too. That's right, things meant fighting for, and one of those was an Earth with her Grampa Rick, one not ruled by dumb bugs.

"Maybe that's why you like it so much," she mused. "Because it is so different. Now you have me wondering what your home is like, if it's really that different."

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"It's... home," Peridot said, turning her attention back to the books on the shelf. That question was a loaded one, whether Summer knew it or not. "It's hard to think that I can't ever go back there. But Earth is... what's the thing you humans say? A decent consolation prize?"

It was also less likely to get her shattered. So. There was that.

[somethingwithturquoise]

And Summer thought she could recognize that tone, that shifting of attention, that hesitation, so she halted the questions. For now.

"Thanks for helping me out, by the way," she said instead. "I really appreciate it."

[era_two_triangle]

The gratitude was something else that Peridot was working on wrapping her head around. They weren't exactly big on thanks on Homeworld.

"Well, it is my job," she pointed out, passing another book down toward Summer for good measure. "But I suppose you're welcome, anyway."