Chapter Text
Peridot grumbled under her breath as her boots crunched against the dry dirt path. Two days of hiking through endless stretches of forest, surrounded by nothing but trees and rocks, and she was beyond irritated. The forest had become her nemesis—a clod-infested wilderness she had no choice but to endure.
"Cloddy trail, cloddy trees," she muttered, swatting at a mosquito buzzing around her face. “Who designs a trail that lasts two days? Clods, that's who.” She kicked a rock in frustration, watching it tumble down the hillside.
Peridot wasn't built for this—her legs ached, her back was sore from carrying the pack, and her pristine shoes were now a mess of mud and dust. The isolation had started getting to her too. Sure, she'd signed up for this—an entire summer as a fire lookout. But no one had mentioned the hiking . Not this much, anyway. Maybe one day of walking, fine. But two? "Clods,” she mumbled again.
As she trudged up the final stretch, the sky had already dimmed into hues of deep purple and fading orange, signaling the impending nightfall. The last rays of sunlight disappeared behind the towering pines, casting long shadows across the landscape. She pulled out her flashlight, its beam flickering weakly as she aimed it ahead.
Finally, the silhouette of the tower loomed in the distance—her salvation. She almost cried at the sight of it, its sturdy structure rising above the trees like a beacon of hope. The metal stairs spiraled upward, and she could already imagine the comfort of collapsing into the cot, away from all this... cloddy nature.
“I swear, if there's one more hill...,” Peridot growled as she approached the base of the tower. Her legs were wobbly by this point, and the stairs were another cruel joke. "Couldn't they have built this on flat land? But no, that would’ve been too convenient , wouldn't it?" She gripped the railing, cursing the engineers under her breath.
By the time she reached the top, the moon had risen fully, casting a pale glow over the treetops. The forest stretched out endlessly beneath her, a sea of shadows and distant rustling sounds. She unlocked the door and pushed it open, the familiar smell of old wood and dust greeting her like an old friend.
"Finally," Peridot huffed, tossing her backpack onto the floor. She flicked on the overhead light, illuminating the small, cramped space that would be her home for the next few months. It wasn’t much, but it had a radio, a map, and a bed, which was all she cared about at the moment.
Just as she collapsed into the worn-out chair by the radio, the device crackled to life. Static filled the small space before a voice, drenched in sarcasm, broke through.
"Well, well, well. Look who finally made it to the tower. You must be so excited."
Peridot jumped, startled, and narrowed her eyes at the radio. "Who—who’s there?" she demanded, her voice sharper than intended.
"Relax, it’s just your neighbor," the voice replied smoothly. "I go by Lapis. I’m stationed at the tower a few miles west. Lucky me, huh? Looks like we’ll be stuck keeping each other company. Not that you seem like much of a conversationalist."
Peridot scowled. "Great. Another clod. Just what I need after hiking for two days. Do you want something?"
Lapis laughed softly through the radio. ""Oh, feisty . I like it already," the voice teased. Welcome to the glamorous life of staring at trees all day and hoping nothing catches on fire."
. So, what’s wrong with you?"
"What’s wrong with me?" Peridot snapped, her fatigue turning into irritation. "I just spent two days trekking through the wilderness because some clods can’t place a tower in a sensible location. My feet hurt, my back hurts, and now I have to deal with someone who thinks they’re funny."
"Wow, you really are wound up, huh?" Lapis teased, her voice brimming with amusement. "I didn’t know they made firewatchers with sticks permanently lodged up their—"
" Don’t finish that sentence," Peridot growled, rubbing her temples in frustration. "I’m in no mood for this."
"Oh, come on. You’re out here alone in the middle of nowhere, and you can’t even handle a little teasing? Seriously, what’s wrong with you?"
Peridot groaned, sinking lower into her chair. "You’ve got to be kidding me. I don’t need to justify myself to you, Lapis."
"Hey, it’s just a question," Lapis replied, her tone softening ever so slightly. "I mean, why’d you even take this job if you’re going to complain about every little thing? No one just… ends up out here for fun. So, what’s your deal?"
Peridot was silent for a moment, staring out the window into the vast darkness beyond the glass. She hated that the voice on the other end was right, hated that the isolation already felt heavier than she anticipated.
Lapis’s voice broke the silence again, this time with a note of curiosity. "Tell you what, I’ll make you a deal. I’ll stop bugging you… if you ask what’s wrong with me."
Peridot sighed deeply, her annoyance mixing with the creeping realization that she wasn’t getting out of this conversation. "Fine. What’s wrong with you?"
There was a pause on the other end of the radio, and for the first time, Lapis didn’t have a quick retort. Instead, she spoke quietly, the sarcasm gone from her voice.
"More than you think," Lapis replied, her words carrying a weight that Peridot hadn’t expected.
Peridot sat in the quiet aftermath of Lapis's answer, caught off guard by the sudden shift in tone. The sarcastic, playful banter was gone, replaced by something rawer, something heavier.
Lapis let out a small sigh, her voice cutting through the crackling static of the radio. "Look, I didn’t mean to get all… weird on you. It’s been a long day. You’ve had a long hike. I’ll let you get some rest, Peridot."
Peridot blinked, surprised by the sudden retreat. “Wait—uh, you’re just going to leave me alone now?”
Lapis chuckled softly, but there was no bite to it. "Yeah, I think you’ve had enough of me for one night. Besides, I’m not a total clod. I can tell when someone’s about to pass out on their radio. So… get some sleep, okay? I’ll be here tomorrow."
Peridot hesitated, not entirely sure how to respond. She wasn’t used to people softening up, especially after annoying her so much. She felt strange, almost as if she missed the teasing now that it had stopped. But her body was screaming for rest, and she wasn’t about to argue with that.
"Uh, fine," she muttered, rubbing her tired eyes. "Goodnight, I guess."
"Goodnight, Peridot," Lapis said softly. And then, with a click, the radio went silent.
For the first time since arriving at the tower, Peridot allowed herself to relax. She kicked off her boots, collapsed onto the bed, and stared up at the wooden ceiling. The stillness of the night settled in around her, and exhaustion finally lulled her to a dreamless sleep.
Peridot woke the next morning—or rather, the next afternoon —feeling like she hadn’t slept at all. Her body still ached from the two-day hike, and her eyes were bleary with exhaustion. She groaned, sitting up in bed, only to realize her short blonde hair was sticking up in every direction, making her look like she’d been struck by lightning.
"Great. Just what I need," she muttered as she reached for her glasses, pushing them up the bridge of her nose. The lenses brought the world back into focus, though the view was still less than ideal. She was sore, cranky, and groggy, but there was one thing that might salvage the morning: coffee.
Stumbling over to the small stove, Peridot managed to put a pot of water on to boil. The smell of the instant coffee wasn’t anything to get excited about, but right now, caffeine was caffeine. She poured the dark liquid into a chipped mug and took her first sip, savoring the way it jolted her awake—at least a little.
As she sat at the desk, sipping from her mug and staring out at the endless forest, the radio crackled to life again.
"Good afternoon , sunshine," Lapis’s voice drawled with amusement. "Hope you slept well. Looks like you’re not much of a morning person, huh?"
Peridot nearly spat out her coffee. "Afternoon?" she sputtered, glancing at the clock and confirming Lapis wasn’t kidding. "It’s midday already?!"
"Yup," Lapis replied, the smugness practically oozing through the radio. "Guess that hike really wiped you out. Figured I’d let you sleep in, though. You seemed like you could use it."
Peridot grumbled, running a hand through her unruly hair in a vain attempt to tame it. "I wasn’t that tired."
"Sure, sure," Lapis said, clearly not buying it. "Anyway, now that you’re up, how about we do the whole ‘introduction to the tower’ thing? Since you’re technically supposed to, you know, watch for fires and not just nap all day."
Peridot rolled her eyes. "Fine. Let’s get this over with."
"Great! So, in front of you, you should see your trusty Osborne Firefinder, invented in 1914 by—you guessed it—Osborne," Lapis explained, her voice slipping into a playful tour guide tone. "It’s your best friend up here. Helps you spot smoke on the horizon. You know, if there’s a fire or something.”
Peridot glanced at the old metal device, a circular map with crosshairs in the center that pointed toward the horizon. “Looks ancient,” she muttered, unimpressed.
“Yeah, well, it gets the job done,” Lapis said with a smirk. “So, use the Osborne to locate any potential disasters, and then call them in using—drumroll—the radio. Me. You call me.”
Peridot sighed, leaning back in her chair and taking another sip of her coffee. "And if I don’t?"
"Then the whole forest burns down, and it’s all your fault. No pressure or anything," Lapis teased.
“Alright, let's teach you how to use the firefinder so you don't screw it up. That big metal compass-looking thing on your desk? Yeah, that’s it. You line it up with—"
Lapis’s voice abruptly cut off, replaced by a brief silence over the radio. Peridot raised an eyebrow, waiting.
"...Fuck me," Lapis swore suddenly, breaking the silence with a curse that took Peridot completely by surprise. She nearly dropped her coffee, her eyes wide as she stared at the radio.
"Excuse me?" Peridot blurted, completely caught off guard.
"Look, sorry," Lapis said quickly, the tension evident in her voice now. "It’s just… Look out your west window."
Peridot, still processing the sudden shift in tone, shuffled over to the west-facing window. The mug of coffee was still clutched in her hand as she squinted through the glass.
At first, she didn’t see anything, but then—there it was. A faint pop of light against the clear blue sky, followed by a trail of bright sparks. Fireworks. Someone was firing off fireworks in the distance.
Peridot’s stomach dropped. Even she knew that was probably not a good sign. Who uses fireworks in the middle of the woods anyway?
"Are you seeing that?" Lapis asked, her voice tense.
Peridot blinked, shaking herself out of her stupor. “Thats against the rules right?”
Lapis exploded into the radio "Yes, it’s against the rules! There’s a fire warning, for god sake! Get your map, figure out where they are, and we’ll deal with this together. We can't let them set the whole forest on fire."
Peridot set down her coffee, suddenly very awake. This wasn’t the leisurely morning she’d expected, but if there was one thing she knew how to do, it was follow procedure.
"Fine," she muttered, already searching for her map. "Let’s deal with these clods."