Fourth Floor Common Room, Friday Morning

[seeks_truth]

Yesterday, Cassandra had made the terrible mistake of traveling across the causeway to explore the strange world that laid beyond it.

Today, she was paying the price.

She sat down on the floor in the common room, chunks of her armor in hand. She had some sticks and rags and other equipment, and there was determination and frustration visible in her brow. This, indeed, would be a daunting task; her first attempts at it made that clear. She sighed, picked up a small stick, and plunged it into one of the hinges of her armor. She wiggled it, nudged it, and finally produced-- a small sliver of rainbow-colored dirt and plant matter.

"Ugh."

She stared down at the many-colored grains all over her armor. This was going to take a while.

[[ open! ]]

Comments

[crimson_sister]

"It depends if I am wealthy enough to live an otherwise respectable life," Lucille replied. "And if that life is respectable."

[era_two_triangle]

"What do humans consider 'respectable,' then?"

Probably nothing like what Gems did, Peridot supposed.

[crimson_sister]

"To follow the rules of society and look down upon those who don't," Lucille replied, possibly giving Peridot a biased reply.

[era_two_triangle]

"... So... the same as anywhere, I guess."

Peridot, being somewhere on the lower end of the societal scale, had a bit of a bias, herself.

[crimson_sister]

"That is the same among gems?" Lucille looked a little surprised. "I didn't realize it was quite that universal." She had gotten the impression that gems liked rules.

[era_two_triangle]

Gems liked not being destroyed for disobeying them, mostly.

"Oh yeah. Just ask anybody who's ever been looked down on," Peridot replied, shrugging. "Whether it's for disobeying the rules, or just being inferior."

[crimson_sister]

That Peridot had had experience of this was rather obvious. "But doesn't this make you want to create a life for yourself free from those rules?"

[era_two_triangle]

"At the risk of having my mind ripped away from my body and being imprisoned and enslaved inside of it for the rest of time? Not exactly," Peridot noted. "I'd rather stay useful with my arms and legs and ability to communicate."

[crimson_sister]

"I find that staying on this island has been useful when trying to escape such consequences," Lucille observed.

[era_two_triangle]

"Sure, if I want to be surrounded by beings who have no idea what I am for all eternity," Peridot replied. "I've only ever met half of another Gem around here, and he's..."

She kind of spread her hands apart, and shrugged.

"The Steven is a bit strange, even by human standards, I think."

[crimson_sister]

Peridot had a point, Lucille supposed. "Half of one? I don't believe I have met this Steven."

[era_two_triangle]

"He's some manner of... hybrid," Peridot explained. "Half human, and half Gem. I'm not certain how that came to be, but he has his mother's Gem. I doubt she survived his creation."

All the better for Homeworld, Peridot supposed. Rose Quartz was the traitorous clod who had cost them the Earth, after all.

"He's very... friendly."

Shudder.

[crimson_sister]

"That sounds... unusual. Does he look like a gem?" So she could avoid him. Lucille preferred people who were not overly friendly.

[era_two_triangle]

"He looks human," Peridot replied, shaking her head. "Human, but with a Gem. He just... keeps it covered. Under his pants."

Under his shirt, actually, but Peridot hadn't learned the difference between pants and other articles of clothing, yet.

Thanks for teaching her about pants before all else, Dante.

[crimson_sister]

Lucille would advice Peridot never to listen to Dante.

"His... pants?" Lucille tried to imagine this and could only think of things that were, well, a little indecent.

[era_two_triangle]

If somebody would just teach her that not all clothing was pants, Peridot would be doing just fine!

"His pants," Peridot agreed. "Around..."

She waved a hand vaguely in the direction of her lower torso. Which probably didn't clear that up, any.

[crimson_sister]

No, that wasn't helpful.

"I wouldn't be able to see it, then," Lucille said. "I'm assuming he doesn't pull his pants down in public." By now she could say such things without blushing.

[era_two_triangle]

"I don't think so," Peridot replied, thoughtfully. Mostly because the 'pants' in question didn't seem like they'd pull down so easily. "Is there some reason why he shouldn't?"

Hi, welcome to 'Gems don't have genitals and their clothing is a part of their body' with Peridot.

[crimson_sister]

"It is... not common to expose one's private parts to others," Lucille said, not sure whether to laugh or be embarrassed. "I haven't yet heard of a place where there is, although some are more inclined to take their clothes off in the company of strangers than others."

[era_two_triangle]

"Oh," Peridot replied, clearly not understanding most of that. "Right. Of course."

She hesitated, and then ran those weird, free-floating fingers of hers through her hair.

"I should have known."

Clearly, if something was private, you hid it. But Peridot didn't have the faintest clue as to what constituted a private part on the human body.

[crimson_sister]

"You don't wear clothes." Lucille stated the obvious, but she hadn't thought much about it before. "Perhaps no one has explained them to you."

[era_two_triangle]

"Clothes are pants, right? The Dante explained pants to me already."

See, there was your first problem, Peridot.

[crimson_sister]

"Don't trust anything Dante says." Lucille looked quite unimpressed. "Pants, or trousers, are one kind of clothing, but not all kind of clothes are pants."

[era_two_triangle]

Peridot hesitated for a moment, and then she hedged, "There are also shoes?"

The Gratuity had taught her about shoes! She was on a roll!

[crimson_sister]

"On your feet, yes," Lucille replied slowly. "On your lower body you wear pants or a skirt." She gestured at her own. "And on your upper body you wear a shirt or a blouse." Lucille thought it best to simplify. "Usually there are different clothes for different genders, but that is of less importance here.