"I'm glad," Gaia responded with a smile, returning the girl's kiss. It was wonderful to be around Echo, to be so close to another who was connected to the Earth. It grounded her, lifted her from the haze of sludge and oil that still darkened her shores. Some of the lingering sickness, that had lifted only half since the well was plugged, may have been psychosomatic; all that mattered was that the great Mother still felt pain and still resorted to drastic measures to soothe it.
She leaned in closer to Echo, holding a hand cautiously at the level of her stomach. "May I?"
Far be it from her to just paw at a pregnant belly without permission. Gaia had herself been the pregnant woman countless times, and had burned more bridges chewing people out for not respecting personal space.