IV: MARS

girl talk.

A/N: yes hello I have still be writing this, just in a google doc, so now that I've finished Act I, I'm transferring it onto here. I have like 14 chapters to post asjdkflwz surprise!

"If I fall I'm suing you." Gaia shouted from the tree.
"Don't worry! You're almost there!" Mercury shouted back from the ground.
It was his fault she was even doing this. Mercury had a knack for flying his remote controlled drones into trees. It's quite terrifying when he's supposed to be the one leading the aviation fleet of our solar system. Thankfully he hasn't flown solo yet. But when that day comes, Gaia will be far, far away from him.
She pulled herself up on a branch and shimmied her way over to the little aircraft wedged in the leaves. Mercury and Neptune cheered from below.

Upon her return to the ground, she was greeted with a hug from the boy and a shower of praises.
"You really are the best I promise I'll return the favor thank you thank you thank you!!!"
"Okay okay take your drone and get off of me before I throw it back in the tree!"
Mercury skipped off to go rejoin the other Mercurial members he was goofing off with before. Gaia rolled her eyes but kept looking in his direction until he was out of sight.
"Pluto said we should make him get them out of trees himself." Neptune spoke.
"I don't want him getting hurt up there. He's not exactly the most graceful."
"Well he also said if he falls it'll teach him not to keep getting his drones stuck in trees."
"Yeah, well, Pluto is the last person I'd be taking advice from." Gaia scoffed.
Neptune started running his mouth again but Gaia couldn't bring herself to argue with him today.
"Go join Mercury. I need to have some girl time with Venus." She interrupted.
"If you're painting nails I want to come!" He whined.
"We're not, I just need to talk to her about girl stuff that doesn't include you."
Neptune pouted some more but Gaia refused to give in and shooed him off.

***

"Thank you for coming over to fix my flowers."
Gaia stood up from where she was crouching with her hands buried in the roots. She shook her hands of the loose soil and wiped them on her overalls.
"It's no trouble. That's what my powers are for!"
Venus stared at her with that look. She was waiting for her to open up.
"What?" Gaia said, pretending to be oblivious.
"I don't know. That's why I'm waiting for you to tell me." Venus smiled and led her over to the gazebo to sit down.
"Okay, look. It's not a big deal it's just been weirding me out. You can't tell anyone though, not even Abel."
Venus nodded eagerly and mimed zipping her lips.
"The other day those Andromeda researchers were poking around my lab, just looking at some of my plants and whatnot. But then the short guy started asking some nosy questions and I don't know..."
"He started asking about Malakai. And I might be reaching, but it seemed like...he was looking for something. Like he was trying to get me to say something. He wanted to know if he'd ever hurt me, or committed any crimes. Some really violent crimes, too."
Gaia shivered and Venus reached out to hold her hands.
"What did you tell him?"
"I told him he's never done anything of that sort and to get lost. But in a nice way so I wouldn't get a complaint sent to HR. Apparently, that wasn't the answer he was looking for."
"That sounds really shady. Shouldn't you tell somebody?"
"Well, that's why I'm telling you."
"No, I mean like someone of real authority; does Sol know that they're doing this?"
"Probably. It could be a part of the experiment, I dunno." Gaia said leaning back.
"I don't see what Malakai's personal life has to do with his blood."
"Do you think they're doing the same thing to theirs?" Gaia asked.
"I'll ask him. And I've told you, his name's Dakota."
"Yeah, yeah. He still killed that mouse right in front of my eyes." Gaia scoffed.
"He brought it back to life though!" Venus defended, almost screeching.
"That's not the part that bothered me. It's the way he killed it with no emotion. It's like it didn't even phase him. Makes you wonder how many times he's killed something and just brought it back."
"I really wish you hadn't said that. Now that's burned into my brain. Can we talk about something else?" Venus groaned.
"Yeah, I don't want to talk about men anymore." Gaia added.
"That's it!" Venus jumped up.
"We need to have a girls night! No boys! Not even Neptune!"
"Girls night? What do girls do at night?" Gaia said, wrinkling her nose.
"Well they do mud masks and talk and eat food and stuff. It's more fun than it sounds!"
"I'm not really a girls night kinda girl but..." Gaia sighed, "I'll never say no to putting mud on my face."
Venus almost broke her face from smiling.
"I have one condition!" Gaia asserted.
"You have to invite Uranus and Saturn."
Venus' excitement quickly dissolved.
"They won't want to come and hang out with me. We don't ever talk, it'd be weird." She said awkwardly shifting in place.
"C'mon it'll be good to expand our circle! I'll even ask them for you."
"You will?"
"For sure! This will be fun, right? Girls night!" She cheered, but her words had a tang of unconfidence.

***

VRSCOM:
To: (2) contacts
GC ID: Ladies Night
SisterEarth: Venus is hosting a girls night at her place on Friday. We're going to put mud on our faces n stuff so y'all should come
Ur Anus: Ohhh like a team building retreat! Let me check my schedule :D
SisterEarth: sure I guess? Saturn wby
Sadurn: I'll show up if I want to
SisterEarth: damn ma, k
Ur Anus: she's just upset Venus didn't text her directly
Sadurn: I am not you wench
Ur Anus: there's no need to get angry
Sadurn: UR MAKING ME ANGRY
Ur Anus: I can see that... -.-
Sadurn: whatever. I'll be there.
Ur Anus: :>
SisterEarth: okaaaay next time Venus is doing this...