The room fulls up with static from our radios, and there's another sound mixed in with the static but none of us can tell what it is, whether it's music, or talking, or some sort of sound in between.
Venus: The house radio...
Jupiter: Is it the Captain? Or Group South?
Venus: Is it god?
Neptune: It's not the devil, why aren't the sirens going off? What's wrong with it?
Jupiter: I can't tell.
Venus: I think the signal is too weak...
Jupiter: Let's boost it.
Venus wraps his radio around the house radio, and Neptune plunges hers into the wood. Jupiter lights the coil of incense nestled in the middle of her speaker. It turns red, for a moment.
Venus: I don't think anyone's signaling.
Jupiter: West, Group West. This is Group West. Who's calling me?
Venus: Even the devil can use radio, you know...
Neptune: The devil 'could' do 'whatever' and if you worry about every little thing that's just another way he can get you. Don't you read Lewis?
Venus: We're the only ones out here. There's no one else to come after.
Jupiter: I don't hear anyone. What should we do?
Venus: We could... We could ask god?
Neptune: Ugh.
Jupiter: That sounds kinda...
Venus: No, I promise, it's easy-we just need some extra wire, I just have to open up the radio box, and-
Neptune: Okay, as long as you do all the work I am fine with it.
Jupiter: Someone should go get wire. Venus can stay here and tinker and one of us should spot for him.
Jupiter: I guess I'm going? Scream if something horrible happens.
Neptune: Do the same pkease. As loud as possible.
Jupiter: Aaaarghhhhhhhhhh. Like that?
Neptune: The worst. Try harder or I won't save you next time.
Jupiter: Haha. See you guys later.
Neptune: She's okay I guess.
Venus: Does that mean you like her?
Neptune: Just work on the radio.
Venus: Oh. Um. Is that a no?
Neptune: Are you trolling me on literal purpose.
Venus: ...a little.
Neptune: Wow Venus I'm ALMOST impressed. You are, deep down, kind of a little shit.
Venus: I didn't mean it in a mean way. I wasn't teasing.
Neptune: That's so much worse, Venus.
Venus: I guess I just don't get it? I don't like being mean and I don't want to be mean so I try really hard not to be mean. I don't get any of the 'just kidding' because it's not just kidding. It's just mean. Does it really not bother you when everyone is mean to you?
Neptune: No. I couldn't care less. They are all just simply bad at it. What are they going to make fun of me for?
Venus: ...
Neptune: I DARE you to answer that question.
Venus: N-no I wasn't gonna say anything!
Neptune: Seriously, you totally can though. I'm an evil bad slut right? I'm a bitch and a flirt. I'm a bitch because I let people know when they walk over me. I'm a flirt because buys keep talking at me. And this is somehow my problem, because they can't get over themselves and leave me alone? How is that fair? Why should I get hurt by that? It makes me so mad! Why would I be anything but MAD about all this stupid obnoxious BULLSHIT.
Venus: Oh.
Neptune: Get it?
Venus: Yeah. I think so. I feel like I shouldn't get mad though. Like, you're supposed to turn the other cheek.
Neptune: Ever think people who love to say that just love slapping people?
Venus: Yeah...
Neptune: ...but you don't have to be like that, you know. You're the only boy here I can stand. So I guess, keep doing whatever it is that lets you stay that way.
Neptune: Ughhhhhhhhhh fine I'll go. Have fun fixing it, I hope I am killed in the woods.
Venus: This is kind of stupid.
Jupiter: It'll be fine. Anyway, you suggested it.
Venus: Yeah but... Wht won't the others just come help?
Jupiter: Because we can do it? I guess?
Venus: I hate... I hate being treated like this.
Jupiter: Like what?
Venus: Like a scapegoat.
Jupiter: I mean... that's not it.
Venus: But it totally is. If we were in the normal scouts, they'd rush to help us. They act like real teams and take care of each other and get crystodyne diodes and transformation sequences.
Jupiter: We can get them too. We just have to get through this.
Venus: Right, "try hard."
Jupiter: It doesn't hurt to try... I know it's no guarantee...
Venus: Not everyone in the normal scouts tried all that hard, you know.
Jupiter: Most of them did. Harder than I could.
Venus: Do you think everyone in the normal scouts tried harder than you ever have.
Jupiter: Well...
Venus: If that's true, that it's true. But if even one person who didn't try as hard as you got more than you, you have to say it isn't fair.
Jupiter: ...you sure won't budge on this, will you?
Venus: Doesn't it feel unfair?
Jupiter: It's just reality.
Venus: It's reality on purpose. Reality that's someone's fault.
Jupiter: You can still get better at this, if you try, you know? It's not fair, but it's not the end.
Venus: So?
Jupiter: So...
Venus: When someone rigs it from the start, and then says "try your best!" doesn't that make you mad? Doesn't that make you so inconsolably mad you never want to try it at all?
Jupiter: ...You're hard to figure out sometimes, Venus. Sometimes even more than Neptune is.
Venus: Really?
Jupiter: Maybe I just don't get it... If you put in the minimum you'll be fine. Right? That's what I do.
Venus: Does it work?
Jupiter: Yeah. Well, mostly. Well, better than nothing.
Venus: ...I don't know what's wrong with me. But I can't. Not when it comes to this.
Jupiter: What is "this"?
Venus: Whatever they want out of me that's not fixing radios. To be tougher? To grow up. To-what's that?
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
1 AM
Jupiter: Does it sound worse to you?
Neptune: You're imagining-
The room fulls up with static from our radios, and there's another sound mixed in with the static but none of us can tell what it is, whether it's music, or talking, or some sort of sound in between.
Venus: The house radio...
Jupiter: Is it the Captain? Or Group South?
Venus: Is it god?
Neptune: It's not the devil, why aren't the sirens going off? What's wrong with it?
Jupiter: I can't tell.
Venus: I think the signal is too weak...
Jupiter: Let's boost it.
Venus wraps his radio around the house radio, and Neptune plunges hers into the wood. Jupiter lights the coil of incense nestled in the middle of her speaker. It turns red, for a moment.
Venus: I don't think anyone's signaling.
Jupiter: West, Group West. This is Group West. Who's calling me?
Venus: Even the devil can use radio, you know...
Neptune: The devil 'could' do 'whatever' and if you worry about every little thing that's just another way he can get you. Don't you read Lewis?
Venus: We're the only ones out here. There's no one else to come after.
Jupiter: I don't hear anyone. What should we do?
Venus: We could... We could ask god?
Neptune: Ugh.
Jupiter: That sounds kinda...
Venus: No, I promise, it's easy-we just need some extra wire, I just have to open up the radio box, and-
Neptune: Okay, as long as you do all the work I am fine with it.
Jupiter: Someone should go get wire. Venus can stay here and tinker and one of us should spot for him.
Neptune: Ugh, I don't want to go back the shacks.
Jupiter: Rock, paper, scissors?
Neptune: Suuuuure.
♀ + ♆
Neptune: Do the same pkease. As loud as possible.
Jupiter: Aaaarghhhhhhhhhh. Like that?
Neptune: The worst. Try harder or I won't save you next time.
Jupiter: Haha. See you guys later.
Neptune: She's okay I guess.
Venus: Does that mean you like her?
Neptune: Just work on the radio.
Venus: Oh. Um. Is that a no?
Neptune: Are you trolling me on literal purpose.
Venus: ...a little.
Neptune: Wow Venus I'm ALMOST impressed. You are, deep down, kind of a little shit.
Venus: I didn't mean it in a mean way. I wasn't teasing.
Neptune: That's so much worse, Venus.
Venus: I guess I just don't get it? I don't like being mean and I don't want to be mean so I try really hard not to be mean. I don't get any of the 'just kidding' because it's not just kidding. It's just mean. Does it really not bother you when everyone is mean to you?
Neptune: No. I couldn't care less. They are all just simply bad at it. What are they going to make fun of me for?
Venus: ...
Neptune: I DARE you to answer that question.
Venus: N-no I wasn't gonna say anything!
Neptune: Seriously, you totally can though. I'm an evil bad slut right? I'm a bitch and a flirt. I'm a bitch because I let people know when they walk over me. I'm a flirt because buys keep talking at me. And this is somehow my problem, because they can't get over themselves and leave me alone? How is that fair? Why should I get hurt by that? It makes me so mad! Why would I be anything but MAD about all this stupid obnoxious BULLSHIT.
Venus: Oh.
Neptune: Get it?
Venus: Yeah. I think so. I feel like I shouldn't get mad though. Like, you're supposed to turn the other cheek.
Neptune: Ever think people who love to say that just love slapping people?
Venus: Yeah...
Neptune: ...but you don't have to be like that, you know. You're the only boy here I can stand. So I guess, keep doing whatever it is that lets you stay that way.
Venus: Thanks. You too.
♀ + ♃
Venus: This is kind of stupid.
Jupiter: It'll be fine. Anyway, you suggested it.
Venus: Yeah but... Wht won't the others just come help?
Jupiter: Because we can do it? I guess?
Venus: I hate... I hate being treated like this.
Jupiter: Like what?
Venus: Like a scapegoat.
Jupiter: I mean... that's not it.
Venus: But it totally is. If we were in the normal scouts, they'd rush to help us. They act like real teams and take care of each other and get crystodyne diodes and transformation sequences.
Jupiter: We can get them too. We just have to get through this.
Venus: Right, "try hard."
Jupiter: It doesn't hurt to try... I know it's no guarantee...
Venus: Not everyone in the normal scouts tried all that hard, you know.
Jupiter: Most of them did. Harder than I could.
Venus: Do you think everyone in the normal scouts tried harder than you ever have.
Jupiter: Well...
Venus: If that's true, that it's true. But if even one person who didn't try as hard as you got more than you, you have to say it isn't fair.
Jupiter: ...you sure won't budge on this, will you?
Venus: Doesn't it feel unfair?
Jupiter: It's just reality.
Venus: It's reality on purpose. Reality that's someone's fault.
Jupiter: You can still get better at this, if you try, you know? It's not fair, but it's not the end.
Venus: So?
Jupiter: So...
Venus: When someone rigs it from the start, and then says "try your best!" doesn't that make you mad? Doesn't that make you so inconsolably mad you never want to try it at all?
Jupiter: ...You're hard to figure out sometimes, Venus. Sometimes even more than Neptune is.
Venus: Really?
Jupiter: Maybe I just don't get it... If you put in the minimum you'll be fine. Right? That's what I do.
Venus: Does it work?
Jupiter: Yeah. Well, mostly. Well, better than nothing.
Venus: ...I don't know what's wrong with me. But I can't. Not when it comes to this.
Jupiter: What is "this"?
Venus: Whatever they want out of me that's not fixing radios. To be tougher? To grow up. To-what's that?
Jupiter: Hey, what's wrong?
Venus: Can you see that?
Jupiter: See what?
Venus: There. Right there.
Jupiter: I don't-
Venus: It's so bright.
Jupiter: Venus hey, stop.
Venus: It's close, I just want to see-
Jupiter: There's nothing there.
Venus: But...
Jupiter: Venus. I'm telling you, I don't see it.
Venus: ... ...okay.