Coral talks to the Goddess with as much tenderness as she can summon up. The sky grow dark with a brewing storm.

DEBATE START!

Coral
* I understand how you feel, Goddess...
* You just want your home to be a lovely place for everyone!
* So, why don't we start by defining what it is we mean by "lovely"--

—Goddess of Love—
Ohhh, I KNOW what lovely is, Coral-- it isn't this...
Instead of having fun and playing games, all the girls are just marching up and down, and making such a terrible racket, and watching the seas, and--!!
Where is the LOVE!?

Coral
* Ah-- okay! But don't you see, Goddess?
* There's love all over, if you know where to look!
* Like, if you consider Rilly's new hat--

—Goddess of Love—
No, no, no!!!! Love is smiles and joy and laughter!!!
Love is laying on the beach together in the sun, not, not--
Not this awful WALL!!!

—Polyta—
G-- Goddess!!

—Goddess of Love—
To have to wake up, every day, and look upon-- upon this! Ohh, you must all be so so so sad!
I want to just-- TEAR IT DOWN! TO PIECES!!!

—Polyta—
My Goddess, wait!
The wall-- I know it's not the prettiest, but this wall is helping us feel safe!
Knowing we're protected against Proteus--

—Goddess of Love—
Ohh, you're too kind, Polyta, but I know you're just miserable, you MUST be!!
How could ANYBODY stand to bear to live upon my island now?!
This beautiful island, it's meant to be a place where all your troubles can wash away...
Where you can RELAX! Where you can bask in the joy of LOVE!!!

Coral
* ...

—Goddess of Love—
I just...
I want everyone to be happy again...

Coral
* You know, Goddess... I know how you feel.
* The way things are... shifting, all the time.
* I can never seem to find my feet.

—Goddess of Love—
So you agree...? That everything is THE WORST!!!

Coral
* O-- okay, well--

—Goddess of Love—
The island is a MESS, and everyone is SAD and--
JIRO!!! Oh, Jiro, my beloved champion!!
He's been gone for so, so long!! Without any of us to help him! To LOVE him!
Ohhh, he must be so, so--!!

Coral
* We're gonna fix it!!

Coral explains her new master plan, carried by the kind of fresh mania you only get under diamond-forging pressure. Polyta watches with tentative concern.

Coral
* Things are tough now, sure.
* They don't have to stay that way!
* So we're gonna fix it! We're gonna bring out the love around here again, easy!

—Goddess of Love—
We... we can...?

Coral
* Yeah!! Yeah, we can!
* We'll bring back the sunshine, and the games, and the cake--

—Goddess of Love—
But... but... what about Jiro?

Coral
* Jiro? Hah! Don't you know?
* He's on a secret mission!!!
* Yeah! An undercover operation, with, uh, with Sunny!

—Goddess of Love—
Oh-- oh! I... I didn't know that!
Ha ha... why didn't you girls tell me earlier?

Coral
* It was just sooo secret, Goddess, we wanted to keep it under wraps!
* So you see? You don't need to worry! Jiro's gone for now, sure...
* Bu he's gonna be right back here before you know it!!!

—Goddess of Love—
Ohhhh, that is just wonderful news, Coral!! Thank you, thank you!!!

—Polyta—
Uh.

Coral
* And even while we wait, there's plenty we can do to lovely this place up a little more!

—Goddess of Love—
Yes!! Oh, yes!!!
We can put up decorations!!
And get rid of that wall, and also all those "gun" thingies everyone has now that are always making such an awful racket!

—Polyta—
Uhhh!!!

Coral
* Um, okay, haha, well we can do that, yeah...
* But we need to, uh, handle a couple things first!!

—Goddess of Love—
A-- aww... like what...?

Coral
* Like, you know...
* All that stuff is meant to protect us against Proteus, right?
* So...
* We just need to go and talk things through with Proteus!

—Goddess of Love—
...!?

—Polyta—
We WHAT

Coral
* Ha-- haha!! Yeah!!! It just makes sense!!!
* We just go over to his castle, and we announce our intention to parley!
* He's like a, philosopher king type guy, right? He won't be able to resist!

—Polyta—
Ah, Coral maybe we should--

Coral
* Just-- trust me. Okay?
* If anyone can convince that guy to stand down, I can.
* I've done it a million times before, right?
* This is my element!

—Polyta—
Coral.

—Goddess of Love—
Coral... that is...

The Goddess nearly explodes with joy, the overcast sky already parting overhead to reveal the shining sun once more.

—Goddess of Love—
Ohhh, that is just LOVELY!!!
You're so so smart, to think of such a wonferful plan!!!

Coral
* Haha! Well.

—Goddess of Love—
You're such a clever little creature!
Ohhhh, I just can't wait!!! Everything is going to be so so so so LOVELY again!!!
Thank you so, so much!!!

DEBATE WON!



Coral wipes her brow at yet another job complete. Meanwhile, Polyta is consumed by dread.

Coral
* Haaah!
* Glad that's worked out.