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Owner Pose
Lapis Lazuli Lapis Lazuli glided through the air, a small notebook in her hand. It had the strangest marks all across it. Gem writing was odd. She scanned the area, circling around the city as she tried to find the girl. Her new friend.

The moment she caught sight of her, she'd descend on the child, landing down besides her. "Hello, Tomoyo!" she said all peppy like. "Are you available to talk?"
Tomoyo Daidouji     Tomoyo is to be found quite a way away from where the two first met. Within the walls of a fabulous piece of property, dominated by a Western-style mansion with gardens in full bloom in spite of the time of year. It's the gardens themselves in which the girl is spotted, sitting in a pavillion with a cup of tea.

    When Lapis suddenly descends, four women in suits seem to emerge from nowhere, regarding the Gem cautiously. But when Tomoyo says, "Hello Lapis~" they all relax and back away into their inconspicuous places. "I'm free, yes. What is it?"
Lapis Lazuli Lapis Lazuli looked around, then a brow slowly creased her brow. The four there. The large walls. The big building. She was aware of what these places are. "Tomoyo, are you being held captive? Do you require assistance?" She held out her hand. "I can take you to freedom?"

She had absolutely no clue. At least she wasn't offering to level the place.
Tomoyo Daidouji     Tomoyo blinks slowly, taking in what is being said. "Oh! No, not at all. This is my home, those women are my bodyguards~" She speaks in that calming voice again. "My mother runs a toy company you see, so we can afford to live in a big place like this."

    She gestures at the cair opposite from her. "Please, take a seat. Would you like some tea before we talk?"
Lapis Lazuli Lapis Lazuli blinked a few times. Then her eyes went wide. "AH! Toys! Yes, we are very familiar with them. Peridot and I once went to one of your stores and took many of them." She paused. "We... found out later we were supposed to pay for them. Steven told us they were required for life, however. This planet is weird. I can understand, however. Controlling a well spring of life must make your mother very powerful." She paused. "I am quite fond of the squeaking ones. Water would be fine."

She smiled to the woman and put her notes on the table. "I'm here to help you, actually. I have studied camp pining hearts and, now knowing the information I've gleamed from it, as well as my first hand experience with fusion, I am prepared to offer you aid in your desires for romance with.... whoever that other person was." Oh by the stars..
Tomoyo Daidouji     "She certainly is~" Tomoyo says with a giggle, letting all that other stuff sail on by. Lapis' life is... complicated, and at least she understands that was wrong now. A maid walks up to the table and pours Lapis a glass of water as the Gem explains her reasons for being here.

    "Oh, Lapis... you're very sweet, but I gave up on that years ago," she says softly. "They're very happy with the person they're with. And if they're happy, so am I."
Lapis Lazuli Lapis Lazuli stared at her. Intently. After a few moments, she shook her head. "I don't believe you. I think you're lying to me. I think you're like Steven, you just try to be... nice. Far too nice. But don't worry, I have studied for many, many hours. Now, first thing. To determine how properly compatible you are."

She pulled out the notes. "Both of you must be of different colors." She looked her up and down. "You are wearing two colors. you'll want to switch to one." Says the full blue girl. "From then, you must engage in a large number of confrontations, to determine who is the dominant member of the pairing." Oh by the stars. "The colors help with that. By being on opposing sides, you'll often fight amongst yourselves in somewhat brutal games such as the dreaded obstacle course or cannoeing."
Tomoyo Daidouji     Tomoyo rests her hand on her cheek. This is why she tries to avoid this topic whenever it comes up out in the Multiverse. So many jaded cynics who might not be able to understand how she feels can be so straightfoward... oh no, and what i this now?

    "Lapis," she interrupts in a polite tone. "I'm a human, remember? We don't... 'fuse' like Gems do. How we have relationships are entirely different, and they certainly don't involve contests. Or at least, they shouldn't." She smiles at the Gem. "Would you like me to try and explain it? It might help you avoid any misunderstandings later."
Lapis Lazuli Lapis Lazuli shook her head. "Oh, I am aware! After all, I have watched almost the complete first four seasons of camp pining hearts and I am seeing that there are some similarities between fusion and human relationships. Now, I believe you have competition, yes? So your first goal must be to eliminate the competition. according to my research, making them appear weak and vulnerable does not work. I believe this is due to the desire for dominance. Instead, you must prove yourself superior in ever facet, but not superior to the other human."

She held up her notes. They looked like squigly lines.
Tomoyo Daidouji     Oh no, Tomoyo finally puzzled it out. Lapis is drawing from some TV show for all her cues on human relationships... oh, this is going to be a mess. "Lapis," she interrupts again, a bit more firmly this time. "Television and the like often depict a simplistic view of romance, so it's easily enjoyed. In real life, matters of the heart are complicate-dominate?"

    Well, if that really were how things were, Tomoyo would stand no chance. "Fighting for someone's affection would just make everything worse... the person you care about would become unhappy either way. In love, it doesn't matter what your station in life is, or how strong you are. What matters is how muc you care about each other."
Lapis Lazuli Lapis Lazuli blinked a few times and then cocked her head. "What? Truly? But I thought you said what Pearl and i had was love? And neither of us care that much for the other. In fact, sometimes I feel she wants to destroy me just as badly as I sometimes wish to destroy her. I don't think I understand any of this..."

Probably the first thing she's said that made sense. "Why would you care what the other wants? This is for your own happiness, isn't it? All it is is a constant struggle to beat down and control the other. So why does it matter if they're happy?" She had a grim look on her face.
Tomoyo Daidouji     "Feelings are... complicated," Tomoyo says. "I know that's not a satisfying answer, but they are. Maybe it's not love. Maybe you're just a little obsessed with her. No one can know how you feel but you. And it sounds like you don't know your feelings well enough to understand."

    Oh dear. Oh no, this is terrible. "Lapis... I care, because I wouldn't want to be with them if they weren't happy with me. Most humans would agree, they wouldn't want to make someone stay with them if they were unhappy... where is this coming from? Is that what you were taught? That only your happiness matters if you're strong enough to subjagate the one you want to be with?"
Lapis Lazuli Lapis Lazuli stared down at the water. "That's how it was. How it is," she whispered softly. "Fusion. I mean. I just can't... get it... out of my head. I think about her all the time. I hate her," she mumbled, the water in her cup beginning to swirl. "We were... fused for so long. Jasper and I. We always fought. I constantly had to beat her down. I..." She blinked and slowly looked up. "I didn't want to, at first. I just... I just wanted to protect the others. I wanted to protect steven. Protect Pearl. But then..." She kind of smiled. "I... I wanted... it started to... feel good. I started pushing it, more and more. Even when she was beaten, I wouldn't stop. I couldn't stop. That feeling of power, control. For the first time in... in so long, I wasn't a prisoner. I wasn't a... I wasn't the one being held helpless. For once I held someone else. And it felt so... so good. I thought... I thought I was over it. But then... but then the volcano and now I..." She shuddered and hugged herself.

"I can't stop thinking about her. Imagining what it would be like to... fuse with her again. To be able to crush her again. I thought... I thought she was so cruel. So evil. but I'm... I'm so much worse, aren't I? I did so many... many terrible things and... and I want to do so many more. To Pearl. To Jasper. To Rose..."
Tomoyo Daidouji     Tomoyo listens, her tea going cold now. "Oh dear..." she murmurs, before rising from her chair to walk around the table. She gives Lapis a gentle pat on the shoulder. "I understand now, I think. You spent so long as the tool of someone else, with no power to call your own. And then you were in a position of absolute power, with no one to teach you restraint."

    She takes that glass of water and offers it to Lapis, something to drink to calm herself while Tomoyo explains. "I've heard that when someone who never had any power over others has the chance to claim some, they don't know where to stop. Multiply that by the centuries where you've not even had the ability to move about on your own... it's easy to understand why you acted like that." She really does understand a lot, for someone barely older than Steven.

    "I think that, before anything else, you need to figure out who 'Lapis' is. Not Lapis the Tool, nor Lapis the Dominant Fusion Partner. Figure out yourself, independent of anyone else, and I think you'll begin to understand everything more. Okay?"
Lapis Lazuli Lapis Lazuli shuddered. "But... I had to," she whispered softly. "If I slipped up, even for a moment, she would have gained control. She would have come back. She would have killed them all." She shuddered. "I just... I fought her for so long and..." She shook her head. "Who... Lapis is? I... I don't... gems.... aren't that, though. We aren't... we aren't made like that. when we are made, we become grown with our purpose in mind. Created with that task in mind. I was a--" She then froze.

She couldn't remember the task she was made for. What she was supposed to do. What she was supposed to be. She began to shake, dropping the glass and holding her head. "W-what... what if... what if I-I was made to just be a tool? We are all subjects. Were all subjects. But what if I was... what if I was just supposed to... to be like that. To be a mirror. To be a..." The water was bubbling a lot now, swirling in their jars and cups.
Tomoyo Daidouji     "I understand that you had to. No one can fault you for wanting to protect others," Tomoyo says softly. "But anyone can be scarred by that kind of thing, especially in a high-stakes situation like that. But now that you're free of it, you should try and move on with your life, not go back and do it all again."

    Everything starts to rattle. The maid and the bodyguards all look on edge, but Tomoyo waves them off behind Lapis' back. "Lapis, listen to me," she says firmly, gently gripping the Gem's face in both hands and meeting her eyes. "Maybe you were created to be just that, maybe not. It's possible we'll never know. But the fact is, you're not in that mirror, and you're questioning whether or not that was your purpose. That you can question at all means you can find your own answer, your own purpose. Not the one someone else had in mind for you, one that you discover, one that you want to do. You're subject to no one, not anymore and never again. Do you understand?"
Lapis Lazuli Lapis Lazuli stared up at her. She blinked a few times, her eyes watery and wet. She looked like she might start crying. which would probably lead to another flood. "I... I don't... know. You sound like... Steven," she mumbled softly. "But... I guess... Steven is usually right. I don't know what I want to do, though. I don't know why... who I could be. I've done... I've done so many horrible things and I want to do so many more but.... but I don't want to and I..." She closed her eyes.

"A part of me... a part of me wants to go back. Not to the mirror. never to the mirror. But Homeworld. I want my diamonds. I want orders. I want... I want commands. I want to feel like I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing. Doing what I'm told. Not... not this. How do you humans do it? How do you live without someone telling you what to do?"
Tomoyo Daidouji     "If you don't want to, you don't have to," Tomoyo says simply, taking a napkin and gently dabbing away at the forming tears. "Everyone has that nasty, spiteful side of them. The saide that wants to get their way, to hurt others. It doesn't make you a bad person. Indulging it at every turn does. And the fact that you're sitting here rather than going around and doing just that? It makes you quite a good person in my eyes Lapis~ It doesn't matter what you've done in the past, it's what you will do in the future that defines you."

    That follow-up question can only be explained by something that upset Lapis yesterday, which delays Tomoyo's answer significantly. "We humans... we try and find our own purpose. Sometimes, that does mean taking orders, sometimes it means giving them. I suppose, to put it in your terms... any one of us can choose to be a Lapis, a Peridot, a Pearl, a Rose, or a Diamond. And because we get to choose, we can find the role that suits us perfectly. We're not forced into them, most of the time."

    She offers Lapis a fond smile. "But it's nothing to do with us being different as a species. It's a difference in culture, and that's much more mallable. You can find a new purpose for yourself Lapis. But the first step is discovering yourself, and discovering what's out there for you to do."
Lapis Lazuli Lapis Lazuli nodded slowly. "Everyone has that side? That desire to hurt?" She stared up at her. "Even you? Who is it you want to hurt? How do you suppress it? How do you stop yourself from... hurting the ones you don't want to hurt?"

Fortnately, it was just the word school that triggered her. "Be... whatever I want to be. I... what I want to be... to do is... ummmm..." She looked confused, then perked up. "Oh! I do like watching the tv! Perhaps I can do that from now on? Have you tried doing that? Do they have those here? Maybe that's my purpose, to watch, rather than be watched?"
Tomoyo Daidouji     Tomoyo rubs the back of her neck. This is getting a little personal now. "Well... yes, me too. But I just remind myself that me acting on those feelings won't make the world better. They won't even make me feel better." She nods resolutely, her words having strengthened. Clearly, this is no lie. "We can all do something to make things a little better. For everyone, not just ourselves."

    That question brings a smile to her face. It's a start, at least. "I think you deserve some leisure time, certainly. But there's so, so much out there to discover. The television can be a way of learning about those things, but nothing beats actually doing them~"
Lapis Lazuli Lapis Lazuli fortunately didn't notice the full questions weren't answered. Then again, we all knew who she longed to hurt. The guy working the photo development station at the local cash mart. How DARE he go on break right as she was about to develop those Sakura photos. "Doing them? Doing what?" Then blinked. "You think I should go to camp and try to fuse with humans? Or... try to love them?" ... Oh gosh. "I'd honestly rather stay away from fusion, even strange human fusion, for a while."
Tomoyo Daidouji     Less that, more seeing the injustice in the Multiverse, and the people who would try and hurt Sakura. "Well... things like..." She considers things that might set Lapis off. Deep sea diving, hiking (too close to volcanos)... "Oh! Did you know that humans wrote and created the things you see on TV? We like to create stories, poems... those are like short stories with rhyming schemes... perhaps you can try your hand at it sometime. You have the whole Multiverse at your fingertips now. Just go out and explore, like you were when you met me~ You're sure to find something fun. And by doing new things, yuo can figure out what you like the most, and make that your purpose."
Lapis Lazuli Lapis Lazuli nodded, looking thoughtful. "Very well. Okay, Tomoyo, I shall do that very thing. I will try something new." Then pointed a finger at her. "Tell me, what is it that you like to do?" Right, teach the gem how to stalk someone. THAT'LL go well. "I... don't know if I'd like to create, however. I've never... done it. Aside from copying things."
Tomoyo Daidouji     "Me? I like making clothes~" Yes, Tomoyo does have other interests thank you very much. "There's something very satisfying in making something that suits someone else~ Both their appearance and personality... I also enjoy singing. I'm the head of my sc-er... I'm at the head of a choir, a group of singers. I dabble in drawing and painting too~"

    She nods along with what Lapis says. "A lot of great creators got their start by copying others. It's how you can find your own style, what works for you! But it can be taxing, so it's best to find something you really care about to base it on..."
Lapis Lazuli Lapis Lazuli blinked and then looked down at the girl's clothes. "Really? Why would you desire to make clothing? I mean, I know Steven changes his clothing often, but even then he only has the one shirt and pants." She then gave a shrug. "But yes, let us try to make clothing!" This would not end well. "Do you have a large body of water I could use?"
Tomoyo Daidouji     "Hmm... I've noticed that a lot of people out there seem to find a single style and not vary it much..." Tomoyo muses, sounding a bit despondant at the fact. "But it's nice to have different looks~ It's another way to try new things." Hmm... a large body of water? "Well, I can make one. Come inside~"

    Tomoyo goes to take the Gem by the wrist and guide her into the house, up some stairs... into a bathroom, with a large porceline tub. She plugs the hole and turns on both taps to make it start filling up. "Will this be enough water when it's full?"
Lapis Lazuli Lapis Lazuli nodded. "Indeed. I don't need that much water to create things." She glanced down. "I suppose. I think this is the same dress I wore when I was first born." She'd been wearing that exact. same. Dress. For over six thousand years. "It might have been a few inches longer?"

She glanced down at the hem of her dress and did a little spin. Then the wings formed on her back and she frowned. "I like this dress, though. Why do you change yours? Does it affect some purpose in battle? Or is there some other reason for humans to do such things?" She leaned in a little closer. "Now that I mention it, you humans can't change your forms when you reform, either. Is that why?"
Tomoyo Daidouji     Tomoyo would be horrified, if it wasn't such a good look for her! "It might have gotten a bit tattered. I could make you a new one if you like~" She nods at Lapis' question. "It's fine if you like a particular style. But I love all different manner of clothes, and in my line of work, I get to make them all, try them with different combinations and colors... fashion is like water, it can be all different shapes~"

    That last question... oof. "Lapis... humans don't reform. Well, most don't. When we get... poofed, you called it? That's it, we don't come back. And it doesn't just happen in combat either. Sometimes, we just get too old and it happens naturally.""
Lapis Lazuli Lapis Lazuli blinked a few times. "Oh. Right. I forgot how delicate you are sometimes. You only last a dozen or so years, right? Such a shame." She shook her head. "If you wish? I've jsut never thought about it. My appearance has just never mattered." She turned to the tub.

After a few moments, she looked thoughtful. Slowly she held out her hand and things began to form in it. They looked like... two weird tubes with fingers on the ends, two weird boots? "I think... something like this would make Peri happy." Limb enhancers. Made of ice.
Tomoyo Daidouji     "About that long, yes~ Some humans out there have means to live longer, but I'm not among them." Se doesn't sound at all resentful about this. In regards to appearance though? "Hmm... I think I envy you on some level about that. Some humans put too much thought into appearance, until they consider it above all else. Which isn't fair at all..."

    Oh, but Lapis is making someting! Tomoyo watches as ice sculptures manifest with a little bit of awe. "That's amazing..." she murmurs, looking closely at the fake limb enhancers. "And so thoughtful of you~"
Lapis Lazuli Lapis Lazuli blinked and looked over. "Why would one's appearance matter? It doesn't affect your task." She looked down at herself. "Should I care? Whenever we poof, we can reform how we are. To an extent. just..." She frowned and gave a sigh, before holding up the enhancements. Her cheeks turned a blushing blue.

"I-it's nothing special. I just know she lost hers and so she might appreciate replacements. It's not as if I made them unique or anything. and they'll melt, anyway. Eventually."
Tomoyo Daidouji     "Because appearance is the first thing you see, so it's the first thing to judge," Tomoyo says sadly. "But no, you shouldn't care if you don't mind your appearance~" She steps up to lightly rub Lapis' back. "It doesn't matter how transient it is. What matters is that you thought of them and decided to do something thoughtful, something to make with them in mind. I'm sure she'll appreciate it~"
Lapis Lazuli Lapis Lazuli eeped a little as she was rubbed. "W-well... I guess... if she likes it. She's supposed to. That is its purpose." She lowered them down and then turned towards the other woman. she really did hope she liked it. She didn't know why. She then looked to Tomoyo. "Do you mind your appearance much? I notice there is very little uniformity. Your hair, skin, and garments all do not match. Is that intentional?"
Tomoyo Daidouji     Tomoyo nods. At least Lapis is starting to get it. When she asks about how Tomoyo likes her appearance, she nods. "Oh, I don't mind it~ I keep my hair like this because my mother knew someone precious with a similar hairstyle~" She plays with one of the curls at the tip of a lock of hair as she explains this. "And mixing up colors is an important part of fashion! Making sure they all complement each other... you have a lovely shade of blue, but using some purple and black would maker you far more striking~"
Lapis Lazuli Lapis Lazuli glanced down at herself, then looked back to the other girl. She took a slow, deep breath. "Can... you show me?" she asked softly. It wasn't that important to her, she knew. But... she wanted to try something new. This kept her thoughts off other things. Worse things. "I've never been purple before. I was... green once. But I don't like to be that." She paused. "I don't mind when Peridot is it, though..."
Tomoyo Daidouji     Tomoyo's eyes light up with a quiet glee. "Oh, of course. I'll be happy to~" Once again, she takes Lapis' hand and leads her down the hall, to her own bedroom. It's quite sizable and comfortable, with one side dominated by clothing racks, sewing machines, and mannequinns. She looks the Gem up and down critically, mentally figuring her dimensions before going through the racks to find something that might fit. "Ah, here we go~ Would you mind removing the dress?"

    Should the Gem do so, Tomoyo starts dressing her in what she's grabbed. It's a kimono, dyed purple with black snowflakes and a snowy sky-gray sash to go around the waist. Quite a bit of fuss goes into these robes, but Tomoyo helps with all the complicated foldings and knots.

    Once it's done, the Gem is shown to a full-length mirror to see how it looks!
Lapis Lazuli Lapis Lazuli nodded. In fact, the dress got absorbed into her gem. She let the girl do as she pleased, but she did have the gem equivalent of underwear. She looked down at herself, then at the mirror. Finally, she turned her attention to Tomoyo. "And... this looks nice, yes?" She glanced to her back. She couldn't use her wings with it, but she supposed she could always remove it in such a situation. She then looked back to the mirror and chewed on her lip.

Nervously she put a hand out, stroking along the reflection. She then took a slow, deep breath. "I have never seen these... things. What are they?" she asked, pointing to the snow flakes. She did, fortunately, have the body for a kimono. She wondered how the others would look in them.
Tomoyo Daidouji     Tomoyo looks pretty pleased with it at least. "I think you look lovely~" she says with a nod. "If you ever wanted something custom-made, I could do that for you~ Make sure there's a gap for your wings and everything." Certainly very perspective!

    "They're snowflakes! That's what they look like really close. No two are ever alike," she explains. "A lot of winter-themed kimono go with blues and whites, so I wanted to do a different take on them," she rambles.
Lapis Lazuli Lapis Lazuli nodded and then did a small half spin. "I see. No two are ever the same? that is so very... human. Hee hee." She gave a soft smile, before blinking and looking up. "Really? Custom made? If you wish. Perhaps..." She paused and then shook her head. "Nevermind. You should meet with Peridot. I believe she would like you. You're quite like Steven, you understand."
Tomoyo Daidouji     "I suppose it is," Tomoyo agrees with a smile. "And I'd love to meet your friends sometime. You can keep that kimono if you like~ It was just an experiment, and if you like it, I think it's a fine success."
Lapis Lazuli Lapis Lazuli nods, smiling down at it. Thank you. I appreciate it." She then frowned. "But... I have nothing to give you in return?" She frowned and crossed her arms. "Is there anything you'd like from me? Oh! I know!" She grabbed Tomoyo's hands and dragged her off to the bathroom.

Her hands lifted up and, very slowly, the water began to rise up, and up, and up and... soon... there was a giant ice bust of Tomoyo in the tub. Very giant. She'd have some explaining to do later.
Tomoyo Daidouji     "You don't have to repay me, it's noth-" And then Tomoyo is dragged away! Back to the bathroom, where the water is frozen once more. "Oh Lapis, it's lovely... Thank you very much." And she means it! But it's in a rather difficult place...
Lapis Lazuli Lapis Lazuli grinned and gave her a nod. "Thank you. It is the least I can do for this gift." Her mom would probably love it, at least. Until she had to take a shower. And watch her beautiful daughter be reduced to a puddle. Leh gasp, the shock might just kill her. At least it wasn't sakura, none in the house hold would survive.

She then nodded. "I'd best head back now,though. It was a delight to meet with you again, Tomoyo. You were a pleasure, as before." She looked down at herself. "and... I think... I will try. What you taught me. Maybe... find out what it is I want to be. Besides a... fusion and a tool."
Tomoyo Daidouji     Tomoyo is considering if she could get her guards to chip the bust free and store it in the walk-in freezer when Lapis bids her farewells. "oh, goodbye Lapis. Thank you for dropping in~" she says, like it was all pleasantries and not also Lapis opening up about her turmoil. "Now that you know where I live, feel free to visit anytime. And bring your friends too!"

    She offers a sincere smile when Lapis says she will think about things. "Please do. I'd love to hear what answers you come up with. I'll be happy to help however I can."
Lapis Lazuli Lapis Lazuli nods and then waves, turning to the window. "I will. It'll... take time, but I will hopefully figure it out. Whatever it is, I just hope it turns out to be good." She prepares to leap out the window. The kimono disappears into her gem, replaced by the dress. Ohhh, neat. She then forms the wings and takes to the heavens, disappearing soon.