[ENTRANCEWAY] IC CONTACT

[slapfight]

 

You've reached Peridot, leader of the Crystal Gems. I can't get to your call right now, but you can leave a message, and if I'm not too busy being a great savior and all-around wonderful gem, I'll get back to you.

[pause]

...Is that all I do? When does it- [BEEP]

Comments

[sslillappy]

Why would I be upset with you?
Other than the ego problem, of course, but that's normal.

[slapfight]

Things were tense, but they're okay now! I just wasn't sure how to... bring it up again.

I'm glad you're not upset.

[sslillappy]

Well, you should be! Since we're friends and all.
You know I'd have to check up on you SOONER or later.

[M'Lapis draws a little tongue-sticky-out smiley face, so everything in this message should definitely be interpreted in the least concerning way possible. That's how it works.]

[slapfight]

[This seems totally legit and in no way suspect.]

Good. I'm actually really excited to hear from you, because things are going great over here. I know that Wonderland turning itself inside out was a total bust for reconnaissance, but I may be working on a top secret plan that could expose every secret Wonderland's been keeping from us.

[and yeah, anyway how's your life, M'Lapis............

She's not great at small talk.]

[sslillappy]

[M'Lapis will allow this. It presumably should be amusing, after all. That's the point of all this conversation and friendship and junk, right?]

Wow, every secret? That's a lot!

[slapfight]

Isn't it? I obviously can't talk about it in great detail yet, but it'll knock the shirts right off of everyone.

[sslillappy]

You'll have to let me know ahead of time so I can put one on. I'd hate to miss that.

[slapfight]

Actually... Maybe there's something you can even help us with.

[This is Peridot's way of apologizing, in a sense. HERE YOU CAN FEEL USEFUL.]

[sslillappy]

[M'Lapis doesn't give a shit about feeling useful and may or may not register Peridot's intent at all, so honestly, that doesn't improve anything. Peridot must be awfully excited about this plan, though. It had better be good!]

Is that so?

[slapfight]

We need to make sure our equipment is passing through to the Mirror Side unhindered, and Entrapta's Mirror is not very bright... and shy, which means she's probably going to get bullied by some other Mirrors who want to mess with our work.. Like my Mirror. I was just thinking you could... Protect her.

[sslillappy]

[That sounds lame.

But having an in to whatever this silly project is might be worthwhile, even so. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to meet this person and see what's up with her. Maybe M'Lapis can get something out of it. You never know.]

Are you sure that's a good idea? You know how Mirrors who aren't me can be.

[slapfight]

That's another reason to watch her. The shyness could be an act! She could be plotting against us, but acting as her bodyguard keeps you close to her. You could learn everything.

[Yeah, okay, maybe that's her real reason.]

[sslillappy]

Haha, I see. How clever you are.

[Here's the other thing: no, indeed, she does not give a shit about feeling useful, and therefore does not think being put to use is any kind of an apology. Not unlike some other people, she doesn't like to feel used. And she thinks it's ridiculous that Peridot is asking for favors immediately after worrying about M'Lapis being upset with her.

But she's not going to say that.]

I'll see what I can do.

[slapfight]

[Have we mentioned that Peridot Is The Best. Somewhere underneath this there's some logic in getting M'Lapis more friends and having her reach out, but unfortunately that is... also a Real Lapis problem, not a M'Lapis problem.

But there's been a definite imbalance in her relationship with M'Lapis from the jump so why should anything change when she hasn't been explicitly told what she's doing wrong?]

Thank you. And if you need help with anything from this side, I can help you. Or we could just keep talking about what's going on in our corners of Wonderland and pretend like that whole business at Christmas didn't happen.

[because that's not backsliding or anything.]

[sslillappy]

Can I ask you something?

[slapfight]

Sure! Anything you want.

[She has no suspicions that this could backfire at all.]

[sslillappy]

Let's say, just hypothetically, that there really is something in the way I was made.
I know you're alllll about casting off shackles and expanding beyond limitations and all that, but just imagine it. You know you can't change everything.
Let's say that no matter what anyone does, I'm always going to hate her, and I can't help it.
What would you think about that?

[M'LAPIS WILL MAKE HER OWN DECISIONS ABOUT WHEN TO ACT LIKE NOTHING EVER HAPPENED THANK YOU]

[slapfight]

[Um.]

Well. Hypothetically, I would want to keep you apart so not to cause any kind of conflict. You two don't have to get along for me to be friends with both of you, right?

[IS THIS HOW IT WORKS, STEVEN???]

[sslillappy]

[Through the mirror, M'Lapis watches Peridot write so attentively that she then has to go back and actually read the words a couple times. Not that the words aren't also an important part of the package; in both cases the awkward discomfort is palpable. It's not fair at all to be put on the spot like that, of course, not for anybody, and certainly not for someone in so far over her short little head. But who cares about that? The Mirror takes her time writing her own response carefully, and if she couldn't fully explain why she's doing this, well, it's still what she wants to do.]

You're sure you wouldn't be worried at all? That something else might happen?

[slapfight]

[Peridot feels very much like she's not fully grasping the situation or that she's undercomplicating it, so she pauses, starts to write, erases words with the back of her hand, and then tries again. This process repeats a couple of times with her growing increasingly more agitated until finally she seeks the clarification she really needs to make an informed decision.]

Like what?

[sslillappy]

[M'Lapis enjoys the show. Whatever this is, that's probably a good place to call it enough, though. Even if she is a creature of whim it probably wouldn't do anyone any good to ACTUALLY give Peridot ideas.

None of this is satisfying in the same way it used to be. She really was dumb letting herself get so hung up on Peridot for so long. Sometimes there's a different kind of satisfaction, though, weird and paradoxical, in going back to revisit that kind of thing. It just goes to show that she's moving on.]

I mean, I can't really say. They'd be your worries.
Of course, it's all hypothetical anyway, so I guess it doesn't matter, does it?
So what does this Entrapta of yours or mine look like?

[slapfight]

Then I'll sorry about it later. Right.

[She still feels wary, but she'll shove it off later and forget about it. She's good at that now. Better at dealing when she needs to, but still brilliant at pushing off hypotheticals until they can be solved.]

he has prehensile hair. It's impossible to miss.

[sslillappy]

Then I'll keep an eye out.