Chapter 46: Scene 40 – Humbly Presenting, Stargarden Sol

Were you to look atop Willis Tower this day, you would see a woman in her forties. She was tanned and muscular, wearing a pair of flower-patterned overalls and a bright yellow gingham underneath. Her long, curly black hair was stuffed unceremoniously under a hat, flowers seated over every inch of space and forming a natural canopy. By her side, various high-tech gardening tools hummed with energy, and small magitech drones buzzed about and landed on flower pads.

Sol nervously fidgeted about her garden. It wasn't required that a Stargarden have a garden; most Stargardens were obsessed with art or theater. Sol had been obsessed with agriculture from the time she had discovered the Passion Seed until now... so she had a garden. Under normal circumstances, this garden would be her sanctuary, where she could clear all the pesky thoughts from her brain. Sol had more significant thoughts on her mind today after that disastrous mistake she'd just made.

Oh, why had she signed that contract without reading it? N/AS would have her head for that; she'd messed it all up! Sol beat herself up over a mistake caused by her terribly one-track mind. She'd been gardening the petunias and-- well, the petunias were being blocked by that pesky window, so who can blame her if she skimmed? Mercury would never do her wrong. Mercury never did her wrong. Can't exactly say that was true anymore, not after she just signed away the planet Venus to Amanda.

Two tall rabbit ears poked out of the straw hat atop Sol's head. They were stiff and artificial, something she wore out of pleasure more than anything that represented her personally. She'd liked the moon-elves, even wanted to be one. Those rabbits were so soft and cuddly, not unlike the moon-elf knocking on her office door. If she had one right now, she could get her mind off all this... erm...

Knocking on her office door?

Sol panicked, trying to straighten out the bed of asters she was tending to and leaning on a pole. Clearing her throat, she called out for guests in her sternest voice. "Come in!" Wouldn't want to look unprofessional in front of her priestesses. That would be terrible! What if N/AS demoted her? Decided they didn't need a Stargarden like her anymore? Maybe, if she buried this whole mess under the rug...

Nebulossom Luna poked her head in, her glamour dissolving in the presence of the Stargarden. Something about the strength of her magic tended to revert Nebulossoms to their natural forms; the creature that spilled forth from Nebulossom Luna was a cross between an elf and a cat. Grey fur was matched with darker grey markings, and her signature boa had turned into a mane of neck fluff. Her ears were long and pooled around her back like a rabbit's might, fluffy earmuffs built into the cold-weather kittens. A long tail with a poofy ending twisted and curled as the strawberry blonde rushed to Sol's side.

"Sol! You're, like, totally never going to guess what happened! It's the total worst!" Luna sobbed and nuzzled the more imposing gardener. "I have to reschedule everything! Venus got popped right after we'd planned a cam stream and everything!"

"Again...?" Sol muttered, trying to hide her flustered expression with a gloved palm. "We've had to replace her every other year..."

"Aye, and she brought trouble too." A rocky creature stumbled in, moss and grey stone giving way to deep green fluorescent lights and colors engraved on their surface. Mercury was a golem of some kind, invented by Celtic druids before they were all stamped out; now, her kind were known as the Last Druids. Sol had suggested 'Andruid' instead, but Mercury started bellyaching at her and made her regret that pun.

"Tha' right bugger offed 'erself and wiped Gaia clean. She's lost most of her skills." Mercury's stony exterior made clinking noises as she folded her arms. "An' you won't like what she did keep."

"...her hair? Her hair was always my favorite part." Sol muttered, trying to pet the inconsolable Luna as the girl sobbed her heart out. "Oh. Did she remember to keep the artifact skill?"

"She brought back the dang cat. Calico's with her," Mercury huffed, noticing Sol freeze and reach for her trowel in fear. "Calm down. She ain't the Calico we know, not anymore. She's the old Calico, least far as I can tell."

"That can't be possible..." Sol muttered, relaxing and holding Luna close. "I've been keeping tabs on the only Retcon around. We haven't had an instance of time travel in centuries." 

"Not that old. I mean t'say she can't remember anything, ye dense ball of helium." Mercury let her arms fall to her side. "None of our feud. She's a complete blank slate. I'm havin' Doctor Light look'r over in the lab, make sure this ain't some trick, but N/AS confirmed it. God split her in half."

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Sol wasn't sure how to feel about the news relayed today. On the one hand, she wasn't being accosted for losing control of the planet Venus. One of her closest allies had potentially joined their side after a long few centuries of plotting and scheming. If that were true, things were on the up and up! On the other hand, learning that N/AS had personally cut Calico in half put the Stargarden on edge. Sure, Venus dying was terrible for morale, but she could replace the missing member as soon as she got a handle on Venus. The planet, not the Nebulossom; the Nebulossom could be written off like many before her.

On the other hand, she didn't have a handle on Venus-the-Planet, and she'd never seen N/AS angry before. The goddess had always seemed patient, if not impassive; she would make small requests and never take sides. Was she angry now? Oh, divinity. She was furious, wasn't she? Sol would have to handle this situation carefully and covertly to not direct that ire at herself.

"Take me to see her," Sol commanded, her tone hesitant. Both Nebulossoms felt their eyes widen, and they exchanged a glance.

"Yer gonna leave the garden? Fer real?" Mercury was the most skeptical of this declaration. "I kin take you, but I'm surprised."

"Sniff..." Luna rubbed at her eyes, still teary-eyed. "Yeah! You're such a hikki. Are you sure you didn't forget to walk and stuff?"

"I know how to walk!" Sol hissed, her hair glowing brightly before calming down. "I mean. I walk around my garden all the time, do I not? I walked plenty when we were building Sears Tower." Sol's body language pulled inwards, hesitant and unsure of herself.

"An' you haven't left since the seventies." Mercury rubbed her face. "We ain't even funded by Sears no more. Now we've got some risk management company sittin' in the lower levels. Somethin' about making a fortune off the property damage we cause while fightin' Malice and selling Malice insurance? I ain't keen on the details."

"Oh! And it's called Willis Tower now," Luna sniffed and clarified.

"That's what I just said, you rock-kicker! Fine. We kin leave the gardening to the drones fer now." Mercury took Sol by the hand and tugged her along before she had the opportunity to change her mind. "Let's go on a quick tour, missus. Furball? Stop clinging."

Luna hissed, but she wasn't about to part from Sol, dragging the woman by her other hand. "You're right... a date might make me feel better." Luna looked back at her prize, weakly smiling at the dumbfounded human.

"Wait. Date? I didn't agree to a... no! My garden, what if I leave it and something bad happens? Luna? Mercury? I take it back, I don't want to leave! Stop dragging me! Nooo!" Sol squirmed and struggled, but it was too late. She was scheduled for a tour, whether she ordered it or not. 

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