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It was late in the evening, the sun just beginning to dip below the horizon, casting warm patterns of orange and gold across the land that Lapis had become so familiar with. Crickets chirped quietly in the tall grass, mice scuttled nervously across the ground, and, occasionally, an owl would call from somewhere in the surrounding forest area.
Sitting here, on top of the barn silo, looking out at everything, Lapis finally let herself relax. The peace of this world, the quiet it could bring, it made her feel safe. Like nothing would ever happen to her again.
Sighing, she leaned back against the cool metal on top of the silo, closing her eyes. She breathed in the scent of the ocean being carried on the wind, let herself feel the warm breeze brush against her skin, and let herself listen to the peaceful sounds of animals and plants living and changing- Wait. Were those… footsteps?
They definitely weren’t from any animal Steven had described lived around here.
Lapis paused, focusing on the sound of gravel crunching under shoes. It wasn’t Steven, that’s for sure. He would’ve called out Lapis’ name already. And it wasn’t Peridot, she was out training with Pearl. Garnet would’ve been beside Lapis without her even noticing, so that left…
Oh no.
Amethyst.
The loud one.
As if on cue, a scratchy voice from the ground called out to her. “HEY! HEY LAPIS, YA UP THERE?”
Groaning, Lapis rolled onto her side, holding her head with her hands and closing her eyes. She hoped the lack of response would deter Amethyst from coming up.
It did not.
There was a small sigh, before the purple gem spoke up again. “Well, damn, ignored. I’M COMING UP ANYWAY!” She called up, and the sounds of someone climbing up the ladder of the silo followed.
Sitting up, Lapis turned to come face to face with Amethyst, who wore an aggravating grin on her face. The shorter, purple gem waved as she carefully slid down to sit next to Lapis, who glared at her, seething slightly.
Unaware of this, Amethyst tapped the metal underneath her with her fingers, bouncing a tiny bit. She turned her head toward Lapis, beaming at her, before turning to look out at the setting sun. She inhaled deeply, closing her eyes. Her light lavender hair billowed behind her in the gentle wind. “Man,” She started, “It sure is beautiful up here.” She glanced at Lapis again, opening her mouth as if to say something else, but shutting it quickly.
Lapis frowned at her, narrowing her eyes at the purple gem, still glaring. Turning away from her, she stared out at the sky. Overall, her thoughts were swimming. Mainly with one question, although she didn’t want to get into conversation, so she didn’t ask it immediately. However, eventually, her curiosity got the best of her.
After about 10 minutes of silence, Lapis clicked her tongue in annoyance, turning and bringing her knees up to her chest, now facing Amethyst. She glared at the quartz until she noticed her, and gave her a questioning look. “Uh, dude? Are you good?” She asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Why are you here?” Lapis asked bluntly, saying it as more of a statement than a question. She tensed a bit as the words escaped her mouth, but she didn't break eye contact with Amethyst.
Amethyst stared slightly at the blue gem, although her expression wasn’t one of surprise. Instead, it looked like she was… thinking. As if she didn’t know the answer herself. After a few moments of silence, she let out a puff of breath, and leaned back against the silo’s top.
“I… don’t really know.” She started, staring up at the sky. “I kinda came over here because no one was available to hang out. Pearl and Peridot are training, Stevens off with Greg, and I have literally no idea where Garnet could be. So, I thought, why not come out here?” She paused, and turned her head away from Lapis.
“Why not get to know you better?”
Lapis blinked in surprise, her mouth hanging open slightly. That was not what she’d been expecting to hear. Carefully, she lowered her legs from her chest, and laid back against the metal, beside Amethyst. Those words made her… feel things. Weird things. A tight, nervous feeling in her chest, which was accompanied by an annoying fuzziness. Lapis didn’t know why she was getting those sensations, but she wasn't mad. She didn’t mind them, actually. They stayed in comfortable silence for a while, before Lapis decided to speak up.
“Why would you want to get to know me?” She asked quietly, keeping her eyes on the darkening sky.
Amethyst sighed, and shifted a little. “I dunno… Steven seems to like you, and so does Peridot, so I thought, maybe you’re pretty nice when someone gets to know you. Plus,” She coughed awkwardly, and Lapis felt the other gem reach her hand up to cover her face. “You’re kind of cool. And, pretty, and stuff.”
Lapis nodded, biting the inside of her lip. Those feelings were growing slightly stronger, making her limbs tingle. She sat up suddenly, and looked over at Amethyst. The purple gem had her face covered by her hand, but Lapis could see that her cheeks were a darkened shade of purple. The blue gem smirked, finding it funny. It faded quickly, however, and she looked down at the ground.
“...I see.” She spoke softly, frowning. Amethyst uncovered her face, and sat up too. She looked out at the horizon, and took a deep breath. “I’m sorry. For all the things we put you through.” Her voice shook slightly, and she exhaled slowly. “I- We should’ve released you sooner.”
Lapis nodded again. “I know.” Was her response. She let out a short breath, before smiling slightly. “I guess I should thank you for saving me from…” She trailed off, closing her mouth. The rest of the sentence was translated without words.
Her.
Amethyst waved her hands. “Dude, it's the least we could do.” She laughed a bit, smiling again. Lapis rolled her eyes slightly, a strange, new warmth flooding her head. It felt nice. It felt welcoming, and safe. Blinking slowly, Lapis stretched her arms over her head, closing her eyes. She felt tiredness sinking into her body, and she yawned.
Standing up, she summoned her water wings, ready to take off. Before she did, however, she turned and leaned down to tap Amethyst on the nose. “You should come here more.” She smirked at the purple gem, and promptly leapt off the silo back towards the barn. If Amethyst being around meant more of those happy, warm feelings, then Lapis wanted to see her again.
Amethyst stared after her, blinking rapidly. A huge grin crossed her face, and she leaned back against the silos roof, staring up at the sky.
She should come around more often.