𝐌𝐄𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐈𝐀 - TMR, Gally ¹

𝟢𝟥𝟥，𝐝𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐩𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫

CH. THIRTY - THREE
┗━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━┛

"You... what?!"

"Oh, boy," Fry mumbles.

"Listen for one second!" She starts, giving Gally a pointed look. "I—"

"What's the point in becoming a Runner if there's no way out anyways? Just leave the Maze alone and don't go on a suicide mission!"

Minho gasps at Joan. "Hey! You said you wouldn't tell anyone."

"I understand Camil and Gally as no one."

"Excuse you?"
"Sorry?"

"You know what I mean!" She hisses.

The three boys in command, Minho, Fry, Gally, and Joan are all standing in the Gathering Room.
Gally somehow heard what they were going to discuss and obviously didn't hesitate to take his place in this conversation, along with Fry.

"Why'd you want to do that?"

"Because Runners are quitting! Yet we don't want to cause suspicions and Minho already asked me to join the Runners before. So why not? He thinks I'd be able to do it."

"Why not? Well, I don't know— maybe the shucking monsters that sit inside there?! The moving walls? Also, what the hell, Minho."

The Runners holds up his hands. "I only asked her 'cause she's smart and fast, man."

"Besides, Gally, you don't own her," Camil adds, muttering under his breath.

"True," Gally admits, which immediately makes her more comfortable in the situation, somehow. "But I'd like to keep her out of unnecessary danger. You already got stung, Joan. Not fun to through that twice."

"Because back then, I didn't know anything about the Maze! I let myself get stung because of the Greenie," she explains, and then quietly adds, "and because I wanted to remember more."

"You shanks figure it out." Alby groans, followed by a sigh. Obviously, he's bored. "I don't give a shit. If Minho says Joan would be a good Runner, then fine."

"You're a Keeper. If you turn into a Runner, how are you gonna lead the Tool-Makers?" Newt wonders.

Joan scoffs. "My Tool-Makers are the calm and unproblematic. They'll manage on their own! Besides, I can multitask. Run through the day, work as a Tool-Maker at night and on my days off."

"You'll overwork," Gally warns, slight worry in his eyes. "I mean, I want you to be happy, but it might get too much."

She shakes her head. "I'll manage! Or are you against women's rights?"

"What? That's not what I'm trying to—"

"You're sexist!"

"I am not—"

How many times did he say those words in her presence by now?

"You're the bloody same as Jeff," Newt mumbles. "When he doesn't get what he wants, he pulls the 'is it because I'm black?'."

"And does he get what he wants when he says that?"