-The next day-

"Peridot..."

I grip the steering wheel firmly with my right hand as I hold my cell phone up to my ear with the right.

"...does this really mean I won't be able to see you that often anymore?"

"No, no, of course not. You can still come over to my apartment occasionally, and we can still go places. But my mom did end up following through with the mentor thing. So I now have to be Spinel's mentor. Which means..."

"Which means...?"

"I have to go to work more often now. A lot more often, possibly. I can't let my mother down."

"What?!"

"What?"

"Peridot, the amount of work you do is already unhealthy! Now you basically have ANOTHER job?"

"I can handle it, Lapis! It's not like I'm new to this."

"Oh I definitely know you're not new to this."

"Great. Glad we're on the same page."

"Hey! Don't be like that with ME."

I had slightly flinched at the sudden harsh tone she had, but kept my composure through my voice.

"I'm just looking out for you!"

"I don't need anyone to look out for me, Lapis. I have my own back."

"Your own back?"

"It's pathetic to depend on other people so heavily. So yes, I have my own back. I'm fine."

"You're going to burn yourself out. What if you just collapse?"

"I'm not an elderly lady."

"You're gonna age a lot faster if you're working like this for how young you still are."

"Stop thinking you always know what's right and wrong for me! I already get that enough from my actual mother!"

"I'm not telling you what to do, but I am telling you what's gonna happen if you keep going down this path."

"Then I guess we'll have to see what happens then, hm?"

"Peridot...please care more about yourself."

"JUST STOP IT! I finally found my calling and all you do is try to hold me back!" I snapped.

There was silence on the other end.

"...sorry. I just really...need this job. This means everything to me. I can't let anything get in my way." I stated coldly, hanging up before she could reply.

I huffed loudly as I pulled into the parking lot of my work building. As I exited my car, I could already see the building busier than any Barry Benson I've seen. I smoothed out my shirt, and calmly entered the building, silently greeting my coworkers. I then spotted Spinel, who was back in her formal apparel, and she immediately saw me. She slightly waved at me with a small smile, and I nodded back as I slowly approached her. "So, looks like you got your wish, huh?" I asked, folding my hands behind my back.

"Yes! Th-this is one of the best things I've ever received in work! What an opportunity...my mentor...none other than the founder's daughter!" Spinel beamed. She has quite a lot of energy. "Your self expression is quite different from outside of work." I stated, continuing to walk as she quickly followed me. "O-oh, you mean my clothes?!" she asked, and she looked down at them. "Well this place kinda has a strict code of conduct...I'm not even supposed to have this." she nervously chuckled as she gestured to her dyed pink hair.

"Are those contacts?" I finally asked, not being able to hold back anymore. She seemed taken aback by my question at first, but then shook her head. "No way!" she said, crossing her arms and turning away. "The only way for anyone to have their eyes that vibrant of a pink is if they're albino." I added, arching an eyebrow. I knew for a fact she most certainly did not look albino in the slightest. She had tanned skin, her eyelashes AND eyebrows were a dark brown, along with her roots indicating she naturally had dark brown hair.

"...it adds effect for when I'm performing at birthday parties..." she murmured with a blush. I only chuckled in response, shaking my head. "So what color are your eyes actually?" I asked, immediately changing my tone back to serious. Spinel then huffed, and reached up to her own face. She quickly popped out a lens, and looked at me with a pouty expression. One eye had a bright pink contact, and the other eye was now such dark brown that it looked black. "Ah. Nothing wrong with brown eyes." I commented, closing my eyes and turning my head back to the front.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see she was struggling to put the contact back in. "That's very unsanitary, you know." I added, rolling my eyes. "A-ah! S-sorry I didn't e-even think..." she stuttered. "Anyways! What's your schedule like?" she changed the subject. "I'm working very often, every single day." I replied shortly. "How many hours a day?" she asked, and I took a moment to think. "Most likely around...10 or 11 hours a day. Depending on how many clients are on the line." I explained . "Whoa! 11?! You take your job really seriously..." Spinel replied in awe, and I held back a prideful smirk.

"Absolutely." I deadpanned. "Do you come here every day?" she asked. I paused for a moment. "Well...I usually don't...but now that I'm your mentor I'll be coming in every day." I explained, turning away. "I-I hope it's no trouble!" she anxiously replied. "It's not." I huffed, lowering my eyelids a bit. "Say...how old are you, Ms. Greene?" she then questioned after a bit of silence. I side-glanced her and bit the inside of my cheek. Very formal. Should I allow her to continue calling me that?

...yes. Keeping formality is key. I wonder if she'd call me that outside of work? "23." I replied flatly, adjusting my tie. "23?! You're younger than me?!" Spinel gawked at me, and I simply stared blankly back at her. "Yes. Is there an issue?" I asked. "N-no! It's just surprising to me...you act much older and more experienced than me. I'm 25, as you prob'ly already knew..." she explained, and I hummed. "I've been working towards this field for a very long time...I invented my very first robonoid when I was...maybe a freshman in college? Senior in high school?" I was attempting to recall. I was then startled by the ding of a notification on my phone.

I looked down at it, and read the reminder atop the screen. Conference: 8:00 AM. I read the time, which said 7:57 AM. FUCK. I cleared my throat, and shoved my phone back into my pocket. "I-if you'll excuse me, I have a conference to attend. I'm a bit late." I said quickly, and Spinel tilted her head. "O-oh! Yeah, of course, sorry. Go on!" she replied. "Please forgive me, we'll continue this conversation. Yes?" I raised both eyebrows. She then nodded and gave me that huge grin. I nodded back, and whipped around to speed walk towards a conference room.

My chest was aching...I was still thinking about Lapis.