the next day Stan wakes up, leaving Aphrodite sleeping, he goes outside searching for mason, he finds him nowhere and a soldier shows up from behind him "your friend is resting in one of the barracks, do not get in trouble going to meet him, we keep them inside for the time" "is it something serious?" The soldier make a small grunt and clear his throat.
Stan feel a pain in his chest, like strings pulling his heart tight, he grab the soldier from behind his head and says with a cracked voice" tell me is it serious?" the soldier stare at him and suddenly a smooth hand touch his head, Stan then takes his hands from the soldier and Aphrodite says "we are sorry for that sir, he just cares about his friend" the soldier look at them silently, Stan and Aphrodite try to see his eyes inside the mask but it isn't worth.
The soldier then says "they are fine, we just don't want more people to get sick" Stan feel his heart the same way, and the soldier leaves, Aphrodite whispers to Stan's ear "with some rest he will be fine.
Out of nowhere, Jorogumo comes with some men, wearing masks and holding more in a metal box, people swiftly encircling her and Asking her two questions "is our settlement in the brick of a plague?" Or where are thir people, with some pulling her uniform.
Jorogumo responds to their questions "no, we are entirely healthy, the people are having a common flu and are confined in the barracks until they recover" the people make more questions but she keeps speaking " to be entirely sure that we will not have more ill people, we insist you wear these mask, we know they are not the ideal masks but it will only last for one to two days, we also want to inform everyone that we found where the energy source is" she point her finger to the faint white sands in the east,
A crowd of voices start speaking, simultaneously taking the masks, Jorogumo ignores them, only saying "tomorrow morning we will leave this place and we would only take the necessities"
An uranian ask loud "what would happen with our sick kin? Would you carry them in the vehicles defenseless?" "I would protect them myself with my best soldiers" "Jorogumo with all respect and as I speak for every uranian here, we prefer if we first wait until they are fully recovered" "it would have pleased me too and the sick if we can wait, but we calculate the distance and it seems we need twelve suns until we reach the energy source" "you said the USS will come in nineteen or twenty suns, we can delay the search for two suns" "alright then, however if they have not still recovered I have no other option beside carrying them on the vehicles" the uranian close his eyes slowly and nod his head.
Jorogumo departs and Stan says to Aphrodite "wait here" he shout to Jorogumo and she stops, saying to the other soldiers to continue "about what subject do you want me to inform you?" "Tell me how is Mason?" "He is in normal conditions like everyone else, pain in the chest, feeling hard to breathe and too exhausting to form words" "so he will be alright in five to six days?" "Yes, now go back to your routine and get prepared for tomorrow" Stan goes back with his wrist twisting and says to Aphrodite with a massing smile and a sound of hope "you were right, he is alright" she smirk and says "you should listen a bit more when I talk" they spent the rest of day together and when the darkness comes and all surround in the fire, Aphrodite sing to them a song with an ambiguous tone and a much more energetic
"A crew to the endless sea of stars
We sailing far and beyond
from parent's hands we left
Searching for the future of our children
In the hardships we come and go"
After she ends the song, Stan rise up and says "everyone, can I have you attention?" Most of the people stare at him and others continue chatting with each other, Stan look at the crowd and Aphrodite and clunch his palps, feeling his sweat running down to his shoulders "I will not take much of your time, I just wanted to say something probably most, if all of us never heard, mercury had a civil and USS had kept it secret from us" a jupitarian voice is hesrd from the crowd with the people hiding him behind their backs "and what about that?" Stan massively sign "we speak about a whole civil war on a planet that went without us not even knowing it, shouldn't this trouble you?" "why should be? I don't care what happens on the other planets, I only care about mine" a martian pops from the crowd and reply "I mean who would even care for your planet?" "What did you said paper boy?" The martian leaves a loud laugh for his final reply and everyone starts repeating almsot identically what the jupitarian said.
Stan leaves and let the people chat and their faint memory of mercury civil war slip from their minds, he let his mind into deep thought and abruptly he find out he went to the woods, he makes leaves the mask down and makes a loud scream and hits the tree, making his knuckles to bleed but he continues for another three times, Aphrodite comes with silent steps behind him and let herself in his back, holding him tight "I know you are feeling angry that neglected you but you don't need to care for them" he punch the tree again with more force "like how they neglect to hear me about mercury?" She look at him with narrow eyes "maybe you should just let it slip away" "why am I the only one here who cares about what is happening on the other planets?" "You are not the only one, people just don't express their opinion about it" "please leave me" she reply with a smile and a loving voice "I prefer to stay here" Stan push himself some steps away and with a swift turn he extend his arm and punch Aphrodite on the chest "leave me alone for fucks sake" Aphrodites eyes glistening from the shock, she tries to breathe with quick inhales and exhales, Stan stare at her with his eybrows up and his hands still in the form of fists.
Aphrodite with slow moves gets up and look him in his eyes, gathering enough strength to say with an aggressive tone "fine, sit alone, let's see what you would get from that" as her figure faints away Stan turn back to the tree, hitting it again and again until he feel numbles in his fingers until his forearm, he stops and star felling his thoughts more clear, he drag his hand to his forehead, he tenderly close his eyes and murmurs "why, why again?" He opens them again and see on the ground a sharp piece of wood.
He takes and Move his sleeves up " why I can't control it? Why I make them leave?" he pierce the wood on the surface of his skin and starts cuttibg himself "please don't leave me with myself" sweat starts running through his body and after he fills his forearms with cuts he put the sleeves back and goes to his house, passing the people without them or him trying to gaze each other.
As he opens the door he notice aphrodite resting on the bed and looking at him, Stan falls to the bed and says "im sorry, I dint want to do it" she lay her hands on his pate "I know, but we can work on it" "do you still want to stay with me?" "Yes, you are one of the few people who haven't judged me from what I've done and even risking their life for me" she start moving her hands up and down on Stans pate "I hoped I could control it more" "maybe one day, but we can still live with it" he lay his body on the bed and Aphrodite mimics him, holding each other and closing their eyes.
