The night had been quiet until the frantic banging on their door. Peridot was the first to reach it, opening it to reveal a highly-disheveled Amethyst accompanied by some strange items.

"Amethyst? What's going on?"

Amethyst practically doubled over sighing so loudly. "Thank GOD you're home!" she heaved. "You guys are my last hope!"

"Your last hope?" Peridot repeated with a touch of alarm.

"Yes!" Amethyst cried. "Listen. You guys know how to not kill a plant, right? Because I need you to plant-sit for me for a little while. Nothing too dramatic, I swear."

Peridot gave her an exasperated look. "Plant-sitting? Really?"

Amethyst held up one of the weird things she'd brought, a pot full of leafy stalks.

"Lil' Phil here!" she introduced buoyantly. "He's quiet, not too messy, and pretty friendly once he warms up to you!"

"Then why can't YOU keep him?"

Amethyst groaned.

"Uuuuugh! Because Pearl's been going on a cleaning kick and I can't let her find him! And Vidalia said she couldn't cover for me after LAST time…"

Lapis appeared behind Peridot.

"Why, what happened last time?" she asked suspiciously.

"NOTHING," Amethyst shouted, shoving Phil in their direction. "Nobody got arrested, nobody got permanently injured, and we all had some laughs! Well, most of us."

Peridot unwittingly took the proffered plant, staring incredulously at Amethyst.

"Oh, loosen up!" Amethyst prodded. "No one's going to come looking in a BARN for him! It'll be totally fine!"

"Umm…" Peridot hesitated.

"Come on, I even brought you a present!" Amethyst held up a plate of little brown squares.

"They're… cute," Lapis said indifferently.

"No, they're AWESOME! You'll thank me later!"

"Why? What are they?" Peridot asked, buckling under Phil's weight.

"They're things that you eat. Try them, you'll like 'em." Amethyst picked one up and stuffed it into her mouth.

"I'm not so sure about eating…" Peridot hemmed.

"Well, *I* am," Lapis took the plate. "Thanks."

"Oh! No, thank YOU!" Amethyst kissed Lapis' hand with a crumb-covered mouth. "I owe you guys! I'll make you more brownies sometime if you want!" She started away, hands in the air. "YES! Saved by the weirdos!"

"I didn't know you were so easily bribed," Peridot turned to Lapis as Amethyst hurried off.

Lapis chortled.

"You would be too if you liked food."

Peridot lowered Phil to the ground. He plopped with a little thump.

"Food just seems so… unnecessary. Why should I waste my time and resources creating it when it doesn't benefit me?"

Lapis picked up a brownie.

"Well, the work's done for you this time."

Peridot eyed the plate.

"Are YOU going to eat one?"

Lapis' response was one of a mouth full of brownie.

"Well, okay," Peridot blushed. She reached for a square. "They look like clumps of dirt."

"They're better than that," Lapis wiped her mouth. "Amethyst is right, you'll like them."

Peridot nipped a corner off the brownie.

"So, what do you think?" Lapis asked as Peridot chewed experimentally.

"Oh, please, Lapis, I can't make a definitive statement based on such a small sample size," Peridot said, swapping out the brownie with a different one and biting off another corner.

Lapis snorted.

"Peridot… I don't know where I would be without you."

"Eating a whole plate of brownies by yourself," Peridot suggested as she tested a third.

"I'd actually rather not."

Lapis smiled down at her, but Peridot was preoccupied with the brownies.

"Well. You must not be as fond of eating as you SAY you are." Peridot licked off her palm. "In any case, it would appear that these "brownies" are thus far more palatable than dirt."

"I'll say," Lapis said, munching on her second one. "You ARE going to swallow that, right?"

"Oh. Yes. Of course."

"So," Lapis ran one of Phil's leaves through her fingers, "Do you know how to not kill a plant?"

"Oh, I'm sure it's easy," Peridot said, having partially figured out the swallowing thing. "Earth creatures sleep at night, so what he needs right now is rest."

"Right."

Lapis picked up Phil and set him in the cozier of the barn's corners.

"And, just in case he gets cold…" Peridot rummaged up a little pink nightcap. "You'd think Amethyst would have provided one, seeing how worried she is about him!"

"Maybe we're just better plant-sitters," Lapis shrugged.

"Lapis, we are objectively better than Amethyst at a LOT of things. Phil's going to love it here!"

"I just hope he doesn't want to stay TOO long," Lapis glanced over.

"Oh, but look, Lapis!" Peridot said, having successfully behatted Phil, "He's hardly any trouble! I'd say our work with him is already done for the night!"

"Well, I never said it wasn't WORTH it," Lapis said into another brownie.

"Surprisingly, I have to agree with you," Peridot took one as well. "These "brownies" are certainly an interesting sensory experience."

"I guess… we should be polite and offer some to Phil," Lapis sighed.

"Well…" Peridot's face took on a crafty smile. "He'll never know what he missed if we finish them all before he wakes up…"