Library, Wednesday

[era_two_triangle]

The books themselves seemed to be fairly well-behaved today in the library. It was the Gem who was acting a bit oddly. One minute she'd be following something around curiously, and then, at the drop of a hat, she'd turn on it and start terrorising it with her teeth.

The books were hiding from her, honestly. Which was an interesting feat in a room that was more book than anything else. But the way she was just hunkering behind the desk come early afternoon, ominously bathed in shadows, was just too much for any one library to deal with today. So the books were noping out on this one and not a single person could blame them.

Give her ten minutes and she'd be up on the desk and singing or something.

[OOC: This event is the event that I have always needed in my heart of hearts. Open, OCD-free, and spamming that random icon button for all it's worth today!]

Comments

[giveherahand]

"Because I've been trained in self-defense since I could walk," she said, still smiling, "and I'm very good at it."

[era_two_triangle]

"Oh."

Well. Peridot had miscalculated gravely, hadn't she? She glanced around quickly, gauging her escape path, and then kind of shrank back a bit when she realized that her escape path was... through Mara, really.

"That would make that cute, yes."

Also, eep.

[giveherahand]

"That's right," Mara said, eyes narrowing. "So maybe don't pull weapons on people."

[era_two_triangle]

Peridot stared at Mara for a moment or two. Or three. Or four.

And then she simply threw her head back and laughed like an absolute maniac.

So, apparently she was feeling slightly less intimidated now?

[giveherahand]

Well, that was disturbing.

But so was suddenly being seven. In a tutu. "Are you okay?"

[era_two_triangle]

And for the first time in a long while, there was somebody in the room who was nearly as short as Peridot was! It did her heart good, and she broke into a pleased smile.

"Of course I'm okay," she said, proudly. "I'm a Peridot."

[giveherahand]

And Mara was back to her normal size. "As long as you're sure," she said, trying to pretend like she wasn't just a little kid two seconds ago.

[era_two_triangle]

"Pretty sure," Perdiot replied, and then sneered a little. "Are you sure?"

Peridot, that didn't even make sense.

[giveherahand]

"Of course I'm sure," Mara sneered back.

This was going well.

[era_two_triangle]

"Oh." Peridot's face fell a little bit. Which was odd, since they were talking about whether she was okay or not. Probably? Even she wasn't completely sure if she was sure or not, now. "Are you okay?"

There. Just turn that right around. That would work too.

She hoped.

[giveherahand]

"Yes," Mara said.

Except for now being a boy.

"...except for now being a boy."

[era_two_triangle]

"You should feel lucky you can shapeshift," Peridot decided, kind of leaning forward and trying to process the fact that, once again, humans could manage what she could not. "The best I can do is--"

Well. There was apparently a bow in her hair. That was about the best she had.

[giveherahand]

"Impressive," Mara said a little dryly. "I'm not really planning these transformations."

[era_two_triangle]

"The bow wasn't really anything I decided to do either," Peridot replied, a little baffled. "But if you still think it's impressive, I'll take it."

[giveherahand]

"It really brings out your skin tone," Mara said, nodding.

[era_two_triangle]

"... And that's a good thing, right?"

Peridot was still getting used to positive comments and such. Homeworld was not really big on asspats.

... And had actively tried to blow her up that one time.

[giveherahand]

Well, who hasn't almost been blown up by the people they work for, really.

"Sure," Mara said. "I'm not really one for accessorizing, myself."

Unless weapons counted?

[era_two_triangle]

"Oh, but accessorizing is great," Peridot enthused. Because weapons absolutely counted. It was just that all of hers were currently at the bottom of the ocean somewhere.

It was basically the worst thing.

"You can modify your appearance! And you don't even have to get poofed into a limbless cloud to do it!"

Humans had it so easy, except for all the being squishy and fragile that they did.

[giveherahand]

"...limbless cloud?" Mara repeated. "That sounds uncomfortable."

[era_two_triangle]

Peridot's eyes narrowed a little and she slowly sank back into the shadows, ducking behind a desk. Mostly.

"It is," she supplied, warily. "Right up until it isn't. But by that point you're already poofed and there's not really anything to be done about it."

[giveherahand]

"You're back under the desk," Mara pointed out.

[era_two_triangle]

"It's safer under here," Peridot replied, a bit testily. "In case of poofing."

She had no intention of being poofed into a limbless cloud today, thanks. The last time that happened, she'd joined a rebellion and gotten herself exiled from Homeworld forever.

[giveherahand]

"Random poofings can just happen?" Mara asked.

Back to being a boy. Siiiigh.

[era_two_triangle]

Peridot hunkered down all the more.

"Not randomly. It happens when something damages a Gem's body too badly for her to be able to recover from it."

So, like when Garnet had crushed her with her bare hands.

Garnet was something of a brute when she had a mind to be. But... she wasn't bad. For a fusion.

[giveherahand]

"Why would they do that?" Mara asked.