Second Floor Common Room, Tuesday Afternoon

[angry_pie_slice]

There was a Camp Pining Hearts marathon on the television. Peridot had found out about it mostly by accident, and was now fixated on the television screen for what was probably going on the eleventh episode, now. She'd needed to break for class that morning, true, but that only meant that by the time she returned to the television, she had a rather

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[intotheout]

Tip had a yellow rose in one poof and a purple carnation in the other, and she went looking for Peridot the very moment she finally got off the phone with J.Lo and her mom.

. . . The Valentine's Day phone call took awhile. She filed that information away for next year.

"Hey Peridot." She came over to sit next to her on the floor and picked up a . . . cheese-covered marshmallow. Huh. Alright. "I see I wasn't the only one who sent you flowers for Valentine's Day, huh?"

[angry_pie_slice]

"That would be correct," Peridot agreed, sitting up and giving Gratuity a pleased little smile. "I also got them from Ada and Rufus. As well as one anonymous one that was... pleasant, if confusing."

She was loved? What did that even mean?

[intotheout]

Mostly that someone thought they could fix the world with generalized positivity.

"It's probably a friendship thing," Tip said, hand drifting up to the poof with the yellow rose in it. "Which you definitely identified correctly."

She was so proud of you, Peridot. So proud.

[angry_pie_slice]

Peridot beamed that little bit more. She'd figured it out? She'd figured it out! And Gratuity was wearing the flower she'd sent! Yes, victory!

"I've been paying attention," she replied proudly. "Human customs are still confusing but gestures of friendship are still... enjoyable."

[intotheout]

"I'm glad," Tip said. "Can I give you another human gesture of friendship? It's called a hug."

[angry_pie_slice]

Peridot considered that request carefully, and then she nodded, and held out her hand expectantly.

"Yes," she replied pleasantly, "I will accept your 'hug.'"

[intotheout]

Tip smiled and shook her head. "It's not an object," she clarified. "It's an action. An actual, you know, gesture. Something friends do to show they care about each other."

[angry_pie_slice]

"Oh." Peridot lowered her hand again, looked at it thoughtfully, and then looked back up at Tip. "Well, then how is this gesture performed?"

[intotheout]

"You wrap your arms around them and squeeze." Tip really should have put a strength modifier on that explanation. "Not everyone likes them so it's nice to ask first before you do it."

[angry_pie_slice]

That was fine, Tip. Most Gems had strength far beyond a human's capacity, but Peridot was an Era Two. Her tiny little arms were basically just little green noodles.

"Oooh!" Her expression lit up a bit in recognition. "I've seen that before!"

Steven liked giving them out. A lot. Generally without asking. And Peridot was suddenly very thankful that Tip had. She could appreciate the gesture more when offered this way.

"Then," she pulled herself to her feet and held her arms open, "yes, let us perform, 'hug.'"

[intotheout]

Tip grinned and popped up onto her knees, so they'd both be closer to the same height. She pulled her into a hug, giving her a nice, firm squeeze.

"I'm glad you're my friend," she said. "I didn't realize how much I'd miss having aliens around until I got here."

[angry_pie_slice]

Oh, hey. Peridot found that she did like 'hug,' especially when it was offered in advance and came with nice words like that. She really wasn't what anybody would call sentimental, but this felt... kind of warm. Safe.

Safe was good.

"Well, any time you need an alien around," she decided, unable to quite preen over it due to her arms being wrapped around Tip as far as they would reach, "here I am. And... I'm glad you're my friend, too."

[intotheout]

Tip gave her an extra little squeeze at that and then let go. "And that's a hug," she said proudly. "They don't last as long as flowers do, but they're pretty nice anyway."

[angry_pie_slice]

"They are," Peridot agreed, stepping back and looking down at her arms. Small, but apparently they were adequate for hugging. That was good to know. "I... think I actually liked that."

She'd come a long way from the Gem who had just outright dismissed most human gestures as frivolous time-wasters, hadn't she?

[intotheout]

"I'm glad." Tip tilted her head. "Just to let you know, you can ask for hugs from your friends, too. Even if they haven't offered them yet."

[angry_pie_slice]

Peridot tilted her head as she considered that revelation.

"How can you be sure when somebody is your friend?"

Sending out the flowers as she had done had been a bold move in several ways, including but not limited to assuming that she could consider certain people to be her friends at all.