Her Smile- A Lapidot Human Au Fanfic

Zargun

The two stood in line at the reception desk at Zargun's work building, the county legal office, Peridot clearly more nervous than Lapis.

Peridot felt a familiar hand gently grasp her shaking one. She looked besides her to identify it as Lapis, who gave her a look of reassurance.

"It's ok. I get that it's nerve wracking, awaiting something like this. But, I'm right here. We're in this together," Lapis reassured, pulling her shorter girlfriend into a gentle embrace.

      "T-Thanks. I needed that" Peridot replied looking up at her vulnerably, a small smile forming on her lips.

      Soon enough, they reached the front of the short line and were sent to a small room upstairs. A fairly simple office with a wooden desk at the back, in front of a large window. The walls were decorated with large wall-to-wall bookshelves, paintings and plaques. Seated behind the desk was a fairly tall woman with pale skin, short, pointy blonde hair, and small, circular glasses that rested on her fairly long nose. The woman wore pale green-yellow pants, long black shoes, a white shirt, a small yellow vest, and a yellow necklace with a large, square shaped zircon at the center.

"Hello Peridot," she calmly stated, gesturing to the two chairs on the opposite side of her desk from where she was sitting, asking the two to sit down.

     "So the two of you are here for legal help, yes?" Zargun asked, deadpanning.

"That is correct, y-yes," Peridot replied, fiddling with her hands nervously.

"I see.." Zargun said writing something down.

"And the charges are being pressed against Ms. Jasper Quartz, yes?"

     Both Lapis and Peridot flinched at the name, obvious discomfort in both of their eyes as they nodded. Lapis looked over anxiously at Peridot and saw that she was just about as anxious as she was.

Lapis slowly intertwined her fingers with Peridot's, and brushed her thumb across her girlfriend's knuckles.

Peridot noticed and glanced over at her girlfriends and gazed softly at her, quickly humming in contentment.

      "I see. And the charges being pressed against her are rape and assault charges?" Zargun asked to confirm.

     Peridot flinched again, visibility starting to shake.

      "Yes," Lapis spoke up, putting her free arm around Peridot's shoulder to comfort her shaken girlfriend.

Zargun nodded and turned away, typing away at her laptop.

"You're doing great, Peri," Lapis said quietly to the girl next to her, who smiled slightly in response.

    Zargun turned back facing the two before adjusting her glasses.

     "And you have the written victims report?" she asked glancing back over to her laptop.

    Peridot nodded and pulled a vanilla file out of her satchel and placed it on the desk in front of her, sliding it in the direction of her older sister.

     Opening the folder, Zargun could see a flash drive, and a 4 laminated papers bound together with detachable binder clips.

     Peridot watched somewhat anxiously as Zargun took out the flash drive and plugged it into her laptop, reading the story about the way she was attacked. She never spoke about it in such detail, and quite frankly, she would have preferred for Lapis, who had been there for her the whole way through the miserable journey to recovery, to be the first to hear the details. But even so, she herself had trouble even thinking of anything remotely close to those god-forsaken details of what happened. It was too painful of a memory to relive or forget.

      Peridot noticed even her sister grow unsettled reading about what happened.

        Finishing the essay, Zargun typed a few things down and closed her laptop.

    "Good heavens," Zargun muttered, a hint of pain in her voice.

    Clearing her voice and straightening her back to get back into her more serious mindset, Zargun spoke up once more.

    "You know, you are quite lucky to have survived that. Many people have lost their lives being attacked like that. And as you've described, she was armed, so you have considered the possibility that she may have planned to have ended your life that night, yes?"

    Peridot nodded again.

    "Well, I'm glad you're here with us and alive, Peridot. I do not know if I would be able to cope with the loss of my baby sister. So what I believe we should take into account is the proceeding," Zargun started.

    Both visibly nervous, Lapis gripped Peridot's hand as Peridot placed her free hand on the arm of the chair, gripping it.

     Peridot could feel her stomach turn with a burning anxiety, her legs shaking, and her head hurting. She was quite clearly scared. She took a few deep breaths to little avail. She quickly looked over at Lapis, who was anxiously looking off into space.

    Lapis snapped herself out of her anxious daze and glanced over at her girlfriend, feeling the hand she was holding begin to shake.

    She held both of Peridot's hands to her chest to calm her down.

     Slowing her breath, she could feel herself composing, so she adjusted herself to sit back as she was.