4016/The Extraclodorial and I

The Extraclodorial and I
Date of Scene:	16 April 2016
Location:	Strait of the Americas
Synopsis:	The earthbender and a gem meet again and catch up.
Cast of Characters:	20, 836

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Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Some might see it as a perilous place to explore. Then again, Toph has never been known to be a coward in her explorations in search for new materials to test her bending on.

    At the moment the teenager is busy making her way up a metal tower, long since abandoned and left for nature to reclaim. Parts of it is overgrown by vines that climb skyward, giving some colour to the partially rusted beams that still support the structure even as it creaks in protest at times. Toph herself seems quite at ease, easily able to tell that the tower isn't about to collapse, that it's still structurally sound and safe enough for a curious soul to investigate. And investigate it she will.

    Parts of the walls have been torn off, and the girl is holding some metal in her hands as she seems to concentrate. Now this... this is a new alloy she hasn't encountered before. Just what did the people who made this tower use? It's not that easily bended, she notes. This is something that is easily resistant to rust, most likely. Not entirely pure, but still not like normal steel. Maybe it could be useful for something, so perhaps it would be good to bring home. All in all she's quiet and deep in thought as she is sitting on a high beam, her feet dangling as she's busy reshaping the sheet of metal.

Peridot (836) has posed:
It was a useless move to try and sneak up on Toph, being as she was at her core, a gemstone. However Peridot was not sneaking to avoid detection by Toph. Namely, to avoid detection by anyone or anything else as she crept behind walls. Rarely darting out in the open. She had been waiting to approach Toph for some time, but only now saw an opportunity to do so with a measure of safety. She had already scrutinized the area for security risk.

    Finally, she steps out onto the beam from the relative safety and shadow of crumbled metal and stone. At this range Toph can sense very little of the strange gem metals that Peridot once adorned herself with. She half her normal size. No metal boots, or gloves. But there was a trace of her old life there still.

    Slung at her hip under a green cloak, Toph can make out the distinct sense that one of Peridot's old arms hung there on a belt. But it was twisted, gutted and intertwined with the more familiar metals that were part of the earth she knew. Refashioned into a hand gun that Peridot could hold rather than wear.

    "I uh..." She started in an uneven tone before raising her hand in a small wave. "Hey."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    The moment Toph senses vibrations through the beam she's sitting on, she halts her bending of the metal sheet. Instead she turns her head just slightly, a sign to the approaching gem that yes, the earthbender knows she's there. As for the greeting, it appears that Toph isn't exactly sure what to think at first. And it should be easy to hear so in her tone and see it on her expression.

    "Cloderella?"

    It had been a curiousity on what had happened to Peridot, with her escaping from the safe house, being all freaked out and whatnot at the time. It seems like ages ago, really.

    The teen rises to her feet, clearly not being afraid of falling down from the beam. Not that Toph is known for being unsteady. "What kinda greeting is /that/?" Toph huffs, almost looking slightly annoyed. "What happened, and why are you here?" she asks, getting straight to the point as she rests the metal against her side, standing where she is at the moment.

Peridot (836) has posed:
Peridot lowers her hand some. "A lot has happened really. I've been somewhat busy." She averted her eyes for the moment and folds her arms. "I apologize for disappearing like that. I've never been a particularly brave gem. And.. well... I was in a strange place surrounded by alien beings I didn't know who had plenty of motivation to make it not such a safe place for me."

    She cleared her throat. "So.. I panicked and successfully escaped."

    "That's the short version. The long version is a bit more involved. I wanted to let you know that I am.. or that for the time being I'm okay. For now, at least." She takes a few careful steps towards Toph, though seemingly less willing to go to far away out of this particular limb. Her gaze shifting to the expansive distance to the ground. Granted falls from tremendous heights were not fatal to a gem, they still hurt.

    There were other things she wanted to discuss, but opted to bite her tongue for the moment.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Well, that doesn't sound farfetched at least. So Toph nods her head a bit, seemingly satisfied with the explanation.

    It's not that hard to tell that Peridot is uncomfortable with the height they are at, and the blind teen reaches her hand out... and part of the floor rises up next to them, the concrete shifting to make a ramp. "Glad to hear you're okay," Toph comments, then walks off the beam and onto the raised floor, sliding down it before she stops, waiting for the gem to follow her. Clearly there must have been a reason for why Peridot sought her out, right? And right now she's curious to learn /why/. If it's something Peridot is, it's cautious. And not willing to draw too much attention to herself.

Peridot (836) has posed:
Peridot follows her down the pedestals daintily. "I do also have some good news. I have rediscovered the location of my home planet." She says with a measure of satisfaction and an uneasy smile on her face. "Therefore, my kind is not endangered like I theorized. In this case I am very glad to be proven wrong."

    "Of course, the bad news is.. Homeworld is not very happy with me." She rubs the side of her head, tugging idly at her diamond shaped hair. "In fact, I believe I am currently the most hated gem on my planet!" At this she laughs a bit. A slightly unhinged laugh. Before she inhales and calms herself down. "Logic did very little to aid me on that day."

    "But, that's not exactly why I came to see you again either." She turns to Toph. "I made a mistake. A big one. I only did it because I was afraid at the time, and it wasn't the right thing to do."

    "I need you to give me Jasper back." She finally says, holding her breath.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    So... Peridot has been out and about travelling. The earthbender listens intently, bending another nearby beam into a place for her to sit before turning around to face Peridot again. "Well, good to hear there are more of you." Imagine more Peridots and Jaspers. Ugh. She can practically imagine the Jaspers butting heads all the time! And the Peridots talking.

    So... her planet hates for. "For zapping Jasper?" Toph inquires curiously where she sits, canting her head. Hmmm, Peridot still sounds nervous. "If you ask me you did the right thing. Because if you hadn't stopped Jasper, then I would have had to." Could she have stopped her, though? Toph might talk big, but... at the moment, the large gem had been a serious threat and danger.

    Which is why Toph looks honestly gobsmacked when Peridot makes her request.

    Silence reigns for a few seconds as Toph sits there, her expression one of pure surprise before she raises one hand, index finger extended. "Okay, there are several things wrong with that statement. One, I'm not the one who has her. Two, it's not my call to make. And three, the last time she was trying to /kill/ me. Even if I could, I honestly wouldn't be really eager to hand her over. What makes you think that /I'm/ able to give her back to you anyway?"

Peridot (836) has posed:
Peridot doesn't sit. Most likely unwilling to take such a vulnerable position. She looked off to the side and makes a concerned face. "I reestablished contact with my supreme leader, Yellow Diamond. And when I gave my report, and suggestions on how to proceed in a manner that would not harm earth. My irrefutable logic fell on deaf ears...So I kind of lost my temper and called her a clod."

    "You may not be able to fully appreciate the magnitude of that, but it's a crime on galactic proportions. I've poofed a Jasper and called a diamond a clod. I'm public enemy number one on Homeworld." More unhinged laughter. "I've practically become the face of rebellion and anarchy to an empire and populace that spans multiple planets." The way she announced it, it almost sounded like one big joke; given how very much she seemed to hold rules, safety, and structure up on a golden platform. But there it was. Nerdy, weak, cowardly Peridot; the symbol for revolution and chaos.

    "By now this planet has to be teeming with hunter killer drones that want to shatter me to reaffirm the might of the diamond authority. Hence, I've been utilizing the very same planets massive size to my advantage, and staying off the grid. Off the airwaves."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    A heavy sigh leaves Toph, and she moves her hand to rub at her forehead when Peridot shares the story of how she reestablished contact with her superiors. "Man, you really don't think before you open your mouth, do you...?" She certainly seems to regret her actions quickly, too. No, Toph might not understand all the consequences Peridot's actions will bring to her, though she can understand that it's left the gem nervous and rattled. That much couldn't be clearer.

    Being hunted is never good though, that too Toph knows. When she lowers her hand, she doesn't look like she doesn't care about Peridot's plight, but she also seems like she's got some choice words coming up.

    "Take it from me... if you plan to insult somebody, you gotta be ready to accept that it will piss people off. To be a gem you sure are hotheaded..." she mutters, then sits up straight. "So you found me, hoping that you could get Jasper back and hand her back to this Yellow Diamond in order to be welcomed back to Homeworld?" Toph guesses.

Peridot (836) has posed:
"I've been trained from birth to see the perfection that was my Diamond. And when I saw her behaving not out of logic, but pure petty spite. Acting.. imperfect. It.. something in me snapped." Peridot admits. "So, not giving into my emotions in that moment did not serve me well." Peridot could not deny she was hot headed.

    At Toph's suggestion that would be welcomed back for handing over Jasper, Peridot laughs. Though this time it wasn't an unhinged laugh. But, one of actual jovialness. Genuine amusement. "Ha! oh boy, you really don't get it. I'm sorry, I don't mean to laugh. Humans really don't get what the diamonds are to us."

    "No, giving Jasper back to Homeworld would not solve anything or get me welcomed back." She goes on. "I want her back for more personal reasons." Peridot purses her lips. "It's not fair that she's a prisoner of the earthling government. She hasn't done anything that I haven't done, or wouldn't do if I were in her position."

    "I had the benefit of being a gem type capable of logical thought. She does not have that same advantage. I do not plan on releasing her myself but... I want to keep her in a bubble, not a human cell. I think with enough time, I can help her un-do the thousands of years of indoctrination she has underwent."

    "She will not be able to shake that off as an earth prisoner. She needs to be with her own kind. I want to make her understand what I have learned about our species and other planets... about earth and why it's resources should not be destroyed."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    At Peridot's laugh Toph arches an eyebrow, wondering what's so amusing about what she said. "No, I don't get what's so great about diamonds. Except that many people seem to think they are better than other gems. Just like how some people seem to think less of me for being young, female, asian-looking and blind." Not to mention she's always had a trouble with authority.

    Personal reasons, huh...? "That might be all well and good," Toph responds with a shrug, "But I still don't have her. And I'm not in authority to give her back to you either. Not I know much about indoctrination, but..." Sure, her own upbringing was strict, but still. "I really can't help you with that," Toph repeats with a heavy sigh.

Peridot (836) has posed:
"That's not the point. Though I've come to see they are not inherently greater, we're dealing with a species of some billions of sentient beings who view them as perfect and flawless, and have that drilled into their heads for thousands of years. If I insult one, I can't fix it by handing over a high ranking ceremonial guard."

    Peridot's lips pursed together and she raised her hand out to the side. "And what do you mean you don't have her?" Her brows press down over her eyes. "I saw you take her. I gave her to you."

    Her cheeks puff out. "Who did you give her to? Where are they keeping her?"

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Yeah, yeah, brainwashing. It's a nasty thing. "I get what you're saying... even if I don't agree with them for their dunderhead opinions."

    As for what happened to Jasper? "I gave her to Garnet, of course. You really think I could just bring a poofed enemy home and my parents would have been happy with that? I don't know, but having an enemy suddenly coming back in the middle of my gem, rock and metal collection would not really fit in with our usual morning routine!" Toph states firmly, her tone clearly sarcastic and suggesting that Peridot didn't think it through.

    With that Toph lets out a groan and leans back. "You have to ask the Crystal Gems, but I haven't heard from them in a while. Maybe stuff is busy in their own world or whatever..."

Peridot (836) has posed:
Peridot blinked a few times. The crystal gems. For a moment she felt ill. "The crystal gems." She laughs a few times, and then groans putting her hand over her forehead. "That's... That's..."

    "That's... actually okay." She murmurs. finally. She lets out a small sigh and all at once Toph can sense that that answer caused her to relax some.

    "I'm a rebel gem in the crystal system their name is derived from. That by the strictest of definitions technically makes me a crystal gem." Peridot then sits down with an uneasy smile, pressing her back into the structure of the building and letting her head drift up.

    "I'd rather those clods have her than some humans. There are fundamental differences in culture and gemetics that makes our two species have a difficult time relating to each other. I'm much more comfortable with her being a prisoner of other gems. I think they'll be able to the problem she represents with far more understanding. Which is what I wanted for her."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Peridot's reaction... well, at least she's not taking it badly. "What? You honestly thought I would hand her over the Union or the police? The Crystal Gems can bubble her and keep her safe, and they have no interest in harming her. I'm not stupid, no matter what Jasper thinks of me," Toph comments. It had been logical at the time, the best course of action to make sure no needless violence happened.

    "I myself like fighting, not killing. And I might not like Jasper, but that doesn't mean I want her dead or with people who would treat her poorly," the blind girl points out. Then she sighs a bit.

    "So what about you? What are you going to do now? Considering you're not planning on going back to Yellow Diamond..." she asks curiously.

Peridot (836) has posed:
"That's good.. it's not what I want either. I think eventually she can be shown what I've learned. It will just take more time and effort."

    "As for me... I don't quite know." She rubs the back of her neck. "I've been shifted from assignment to assignment for hundreds of years. I've never not had a job to do in my entire life."

    "For the moment I'm just doing what I can to keep moving and survive. I've hid the gem warship and loaded it with traps and several false leads about where I might be hiding or where I'm going and I even planted several falsified log reports under encrypted passwords. Of All the hunter killer drones that find it, several with be blown up and the rest will report back bad intel after they hack into my old databanks." Peridot cackles. Impressed with her own ingenuity.

    "But now that that's done. I've just been kind of... existing."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Well, probably smart to be ready for any drones that might be looking for her, Toph agrees with a nod. "So... you have nothing to do for now, huh?" The blind girl muses on this, looking pensive where she sits, reaching up to pick her nose. "Most of us find a purpose to do once we manage to find our independence... you'll find yours too. Maybe you can host seminars and teach your fellow clods how to insult your boss or something..."

    "I would suggest making some friends though. I mean, I can't be there to bail you out every single time, you know," she adds seriously. Peridot might not be the kind of person most might want as a friend, but at least she isn't horrible, right?

Peridot (836) has posed:
"As I recall." Peridot began snarkily. "I bailed you out of the bad situation last time we met. And all I got for it was a massive price on my head and the vitriol of my peers. And now I hide in hollowed out logs and abandoned automobiles by river banks instead of the sterilized climate controlled environment of my ship." That turned a little real at the end, but Peridot kept the sense of humor in her tone.

    "I'm not sure if this friend business is working out in my favor. Current data is trending towards worse outcomes and darker horizons."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    "Yeah, and I never helped you out to earn some help from you," Toph snarks back and rolls her eyes. "I was your freaking escort. /After/ you stole my reading glove, remember? Or whatever you called it..." Though she does look quiet. "Maybe you could hide out in my world. It's not that technologically advanced, and there are some quiet places there," Toph suggests.

Peridot (836) has posed:
"That might be a start." Peridot says after some thought. "Am I still disallowed from visiting?" She looks sideways at Toph. "I feel as though your Kindergarten tech should at least be somewhat more welcoming. I do not believe there is much more I can do to earn their trust than the complete abandonment of everything I've ever known and loved."

    "Though I must continue to move from place to place, there is some inherent value in creating a safe place that I may fall back to in the event of a catastrophe. If anything is to be my demise, I don't wish for it to be poor planning."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    It's clear there is some things that need to be explained, and Toph looks almost tired. "The world I live in now with my... adoptive parents isn't my original world. The world I come from is not the one I spend most of my time on." Great, having to explain family drama to somebody who doesn't really get it to begin with. "My biological parents, the... ones who made me, I don't live with them anymore. I ran away from home, and while they might know where I am, I left them so I could be independent. And then my adoptive parents took me in because they wanted to give me safety. It's a weird human thing, I guess, but... that's the short gist of it," she explains, her tone a bit more quiet than usual. "I can give you the coordinates to my original world. I... don't think it's a good idea to bring you to Malibu, Goldie was a bit annoyed when you stole my reading glove. Mostly because I was pretty damn upset at the time. But... I can try talking with them." It's worth a shot at least.

Peridot (836) has posed:
"Oh come on." Peridot grimaced. "That's what I'm talking about when I say Humans don't get gems. We don't have things like... kids. Gems emerge from the ground as what you would call an adult. I still barely understand the concept of a multi-phase life. And we choose our forms, so we don't have things like blindness or reading gloves... the very idea of reading for entertainment instead of education was strange to me before I knew better."

    She points. "How can he possibly be angry at me for not playing by the rules of the human world when I had no way of understanding them? These were all clearly innocent mistakes born of ignorance that I freely admit to and have made tremendous effort towards correcting." Her arms fold. "You're not just trying to foist me off like I'm someone else's problem are you? The last time you did that I ended up scared and alone in a building full of armed aliens."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    And gems think humans are frustrating? "Oh sheesh, don't tell me I have to tell you how humans are born... find a book or something!" Toph snorts. "Humans grow, and we learn... and there are laws and other stuff in place. I'm kinda in-between being a child and an adult, I'll be an adult in 3 years but until then I kinda need legal guardians for many reasons, even though I'm capable of taking care of myself. If you're not going to stay with just gems you kinda need to learn more about other species, you know!" Because she can't expect all the races around the multiverse to act like gems.

    Trying to explain human emotions is also rough, Toph realizes. And she rubs at the bridge of her nose. "No, it's not like that... Goldie doesn't want bad things to happen to his family, most humans are like that. And since it's his house, I don't really have a choice but to follow his rules while I live there. Not as long as he's treating me well... I asked him if I could bring you with me there that day, he said no. I'm sorry you were scared, but they weren't going to hurt you."

    All in all, the blind teenager does look like she's genuinely sorry. And her tone isn't all that loud. "I... can bend you a safe place somewhere if you want."

Peridot (836) has posed:
"I'm not a threat to him or his family." She answers with some measure of strained patience. "I know I used to be a threat." She goes on in a softer tone. Which she couldn't deny. Where Jasper was a big threat to a single indivual on the ground or even mulitple individuals, Peridot was a threat to entire planets. At the helm of thousands of automated systems and machinations that could uproot trillions of sentient lifeforms from any given planet if they weren't sufficiently avdanced enough to protect themselves. ".... But I'm not anymore."

    "That's all I want. A hidden structure might serve me well. I don't need a permanent place to stay. But I don't want to be shuffled off to some backwater world full of cave dwellers who can't tell a lightbulb from a transmagnium conductor either. I would do poorly in an environment where I cannot make useful jury rigs such as my arm blaster. I no longer have near limitless access to resources, and I have long been out of my robonoids to do my bidding." She looks to Toph. "I am for the moment short on friends and allies. I will try to correct this but... please endure my close proximity. Exercise some of that rebellious nature you boast of if you must. Malibu has technology that I can work with, but isn't so advanced that I would find it difficult to stay hidden."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    In addition to looking sorry it also looks like Toph is tired, especially when she lets out a long, suffering sigh. "Peridot..." It's not often she's referring to most people by their names. "I'm not afraid of you, but Tony... he sent a trespasser skidding along the ocean. And he hadn't done anything besides trespassing. If you want to go there, you have to clear it with Tony yourself. Or stop by on his birthday next month. He has his reasons, and..." Again the blind girl rubs at her face. "I don't wanna go back and forth and argue between you two. For that matter, I don't know what a transmagnium conductor is either." Seriously, how pissed would SHIELD be at her if she brought Peridot to hide on their Earth? Really pissed, she guesses. Especially if the Homeworld gems are looking for her...

    "There are other worlds where there's technology, but wouldn't they expect you to hide out there? And please," Toph adds with a serious look on her face, even if she doesn't turn fully towards Peridot, "It was different rebelling against my birth parents who didn't allow me to do anything for myself. Don't ask me to rebel against the two people who've given me a home. Besides, there is no way you can hide at the house, not with the security there. Believe, I've tried."

Peridot (836) has posed:
"I don't want to hide in your house." Peridot answers. "As touching of an offer as that would be." She looks forward. "I am fine with gaining visitation clearance on my own. If he is an engineer with a grasp on logic and rationality, I can plead my case. Otherwise it is of little loss. Your mansion is likely too closely monitored by other humans to be of interest to me. Part of me simply wants to clear my name."

    "As to whether or not the Diamond authority may find mere. I believe the answer is no. Your city was one of my top choices for a place to hide, therefore I have planted evidence that I am anywhere but there or even at a place like it. Because I am a Peridot, the Diamonds will expect me to be hiding in the most technologically advanced places on earth. And they aren't completely wrong, it is a logical place to go and my false trails lead to such places. Far away from malibu and beach city."

    "I simply wish to be close to a friend." She looks back at Toph with her own serious expression. "If you will not aid me directly, then do so indirectly. I will make it simple for you by inserting myself there in secret. All you need to do is not report my location. Because of my past actions I will not be openly welcomed wherever I go. Therefore it may as well be somewhere where I can count on at least a single ally."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    It probably would be for the best if Peridot cleared up things with Tony on her own. And Toph does seem less tense when Peridot makes it clear she doesn't expect Toph to be there all the time, which would be hard with all her other duties that she needs to tend to. "Yeah... no offence, but gems seem really picky and tend to look down on stuff they regard as inferior," she asides to the gem.

    Though... being called a friend? Somehow she wasn't sure if Peridot even knew the meaning of that word, but hey... it shows that she isn't as dense as she used to be. And while Toph does smile slightly, she does adapt a serious look on her face. "If you do something bad though, then I make no promises. Keep your nose clean, don't break any laws and I won't have a reason to do so. There are agencies on that world who /will/ want to know what's going on in that case, and those people are kinda tough to reason with," Toph warns.

    With that she rises to her feet though, not without punching Peridot in the arm slightly. "Time to get moving then, otherwise I won't make it home in time for curfew."

Peridot (836) has posed:
"A fair deal. Considering I have gone out of my way to not be discovered. It would be unwise to violate the terms of this agreement." Peridot likewise raises to her feet. "Hopefully this will not explode in my face the way kindergarten did."

    Peridot grins nervously, and gently rubs the spot where she was punched. She pulls her cloak up, the hood forming a weird large-diamond shape as she pulled it over her hair.

    "Thank you again." She nods, unsure what a curfew was. Humans ate food around this time right? And eating food sometimes was phrased as 'having it'. Contextually she concluded that to be the case. "I hope your curfew ends up being delicious. I will contact you later."

    She then turns and disappears into the night, off to find her perfect hiding place.