Tori: I started and I couldn't stop. *sheepish grin* Don't let the chapters deceive you; this is a one-shot. A re~eally long one-shot. This is NOT a "new pilot" thing or a "pilot x OC" thing. I was just wondering how a normal person would see the Gundam pilots at first glance, then second, and third, and so on as he or she learned more about them and dug deeper into their pasts. Basically, Cassie meets them in a totally neutral way. She judges them as humans tend to judge each other and as she gets to know them, sometimes her opinions change and sometimes they don't. I just wanted someone people could identify with. ^____^ I just want to bring you closer to the people you loooove!
Awa: *drags a grinning Tori away from the computer* You. Need. Sleep.
Tori: MAKE WAY FOR THE QUEEN! *starts singing the New Found Glory hidden track* …everyone has toothpick on their ta~able… They like the shishkabob cuz the beef has good fla~vor…
Kegawa: Oooooh, yeah. She's definitely lost it.
Civilian
Eighteen and fresh out of high school! I thought I had it all figured out. A great boyfriend… An athletic scholarship for college… My own apartment on a completely different colony from my folks… Life was good. It was so simple…
I had an easy job that paid well, a waitress at a local street restaurant. My boyfriend was the concierge (or the "bouncer" he jokingly called it since he couldn't possibly pronounce 'concierge') , so even at work I enjoyed myself.
The day began like any other. I got up, showered, dressed, and headed to the café for my breakfast before they opened to the public. My boyfriend, Jake, met up with me half-way there and we finished the trip hand-in-hand, like always.
When we got there, the manager mentioned that there was a health inspector coming some time today. I laughed quietly. He always said that when he knew there was half a chance of anymore ranking higher than civilian stepping into the foyer to use the phone.
Imagine my surprise later that day when four older men and a younger woman accompanied by a bodyguard stepped through the French frosted-glass doors and right up to Jake. He calmly acknowledged their reservations and led them to a table in one of the more private corners of the room. The other guests were wary of these new arrivals.
Jake flicked an eyebrow at me and I approached, my electronic notepad in my hand, prepared to take their drink orders. This was a great opportunity for a tip, so I resolved to be my swiftest and most courteous (not that I'm not always, right?).
"Can I get you anything to drink to start off with? We have a wide selection of fine wines and-" The woman raised an elegant hand to silence me.
"California Red. Any year before you were born will do," she said curtly and I nodded. I didn't bother to write it down; that was an order I wouldn't soon forget.
I sent a runner down to the wine cellar for a 170 and leaned against the counter. I glanced back at the table and saw that the bodyguard, a tall, lean boy with long bangs (he couldn't have been more than seventeen) was still standing, stock-still. I shrugged and continued to gaze around.
A new arrival, a couple, greeted Jake at the door, and he led them to another table, near the front window. Something about them intrigued me, but my attention was drawn instead to the bottle of wine thrust into my line of sight.
"All we had was a 172," the runner frowned, still heaving a bit from the sprint up the stairs.
I took the bottle, thanked him, and returned to the table. Their conversation stopped when I approached and the bodyguard was instructed to open the bottle for me by one of the men. Chauvinist pig. Anyway, the boy also took over the task of pouring. Oh well… There goes my tip. Maybe I should bounce a bit more when I walked.
Still smiling as sweetly as I could manage, I pulled my electro-pad from my pocket and said, "Have you decided on anything yet? We have some lovely special listed on today's insert."
"You'll have to give us a few more minutes," another of the men smiled. He seemed kind enough and I decided I'd exploit him for the big, fat tip I'd suddenly decided I'd try my damnedest to earn. I nodded and, instead of joining my boyfriend for a leisurely chat, made my way to the table of the new couple.
As customary, I stopped at a few other tables to inquire about their needs along the way, but finally I reached them.
I held back a minute to study them. The first thing I noticed was that they weren't the identical siblings I'd thought they were. The boy's expression made him seem much older, but still they both looked about fifteen or sixteen. He wore all black and she only a small black sleeveless shirt and jeans. The only other similarities I could pick out were their creamy caramel complexions and, of course, their hair; long chestnut braids and bangs that fell into their eyes.
His hand rested carefully on hers and they were grinning and carrying on happily. I felt all warm and fuzzy inside, seeing two people so obviously in love at such a young age. I suppose these days there wasn't much time to waste. You could be dead tomorrow.
Smiling, I took a step in their direction, but the notepad at my hip buzzed. I pulled it out and "Table 12" blinked at me angrily. I glared right back and spun on my heel, shuffling around chairs and tables to find where the higher-ranking people were sitting. I suppose I would have felt a bit more confident if I had known that the braided pair had been aware of me the entire time I was watching them and that now they were following my path with their eyes, and that they had no intention of letting anyone from that table lay a hand on me and such… But I only learned them later and at a less convenient time.
"Have you reached a decision yet?" I forced my lips into what I believed was a pleasant smile poised my pen above the pad that had been buzzing the hell out of my hip only moments before.
They rattled off their orders and I sent them to the kitchen, certain to label it 'TOP PRIORITY" as the manager instructed when dealing with officials. I felt like tacking a "spit in it" at the bottom, but that probably wouldn't fly.
I was ready to return and take the orders of the two teenagers when the woman's bodyguard caught my eye. He was staring at something, and when I subtly followed his gaze, I spotted my destination.
I wondered briefly what a government bodyguard could possibly have to do with two American teenagers but dismissed the thought as an error in perception on my part. He way probably just looking out the window. …but then why were the two looking back?
A brief memory of an old newscast about the soldiers in the war flashed through my mind, but it was shoved to the back when I stepped up to their table and pulled out my notepad.
"Drink to start with?" I chimed. The individual words has lost their meaning, blending into a phrase I repeated constantly.
"Aaaaa… Sprite," the boy replied cheerily, glancing at me knowingly before returning his gaze to the menu he had so informally propped up in front of him, completely perpendicular to the tabletop.
"And I'll have a Pepsi," the girl smiled and toppled the menu-wall with a sharp poke. We both laughed as the boy jumped in surprise and I walked off to retrieve their orders. I decided I liked them. You had to have some respect for people who went on with their day-to-day lives in the midst of a war. Ahhh, hindsight is always twenty-twenty. I should have given them a bit more credit than most.
I grabbed two glasses off a newly-washed stack by the soda fountain and filled them accordingly. When I returned once again to the table, I was reminded exactly why I enjoyed this job so much. You do meet some great people.
"Thank you-" his eyes flicked to the name embroidered on the top left corner of my white apron, "-Cassie," he said as I placed the drinks down. I hugged the tray to my chest and bowed halfway.
"A pleasure. Are you prepared to order?"
They did, and I scribbled down 'a pasta w/ vodka sauce & a chicken parmesan' and sent that to the kitchen also marked "TOP PRIORITY"…just because. The kitchen staff was going to have my head later. I bowed again and left to take make my rounds to the other customers when the notepad buzzed again. A quick glance at it confirmed my suspicions that Table 12 was once again in dire need of my assistance and sighed.
"Yes?" I asked, my voiced tinged with malice. I imagine I must have looked quite different from the "happy" girl from before. I had given up. Table 12 was a table full of pricks and that was that. Even the bodyguard seemed exhausted of them.
The wine had run out. How five people (the bodyguard neither ate nor drank while on duty apparently) in constant conversation had finished off an entire bottle of wine so quickly mystified me, but I nodded and sent another runner to the cellar.
While I waited, Table 12's orders were filled and I snatched up the first tray with three plates on it. Again, picking my way through the other tables, I reached theirs and placed the meals in front of two of the men and the woman, and I hurried back for the other two.
Sitting on the tray was also another bottle of California Red (164, just to shut them up, I suppose) so I rushed it to them and scampered off as quickly as I could to hand another group their bill.
"Tough day?" a voice came from behind me and I turned to see Jake rubbing his face with his hands and leaning against the wall between his podium and a tall potted plant. He raked both hands through his hair light brown and flashed me a smile.
"More than you know… I-" I closed my mouth as something caught my eye. The braided boy near the window was waving a hand at me. I nodded at Jake and went to see what was the matter.
"There's a buzzer on your table, you know…" I arched an eyebrow and put my hands on my hips.
"Ehooo…" He scanned the table for it, looking a bit confused.
"No matter! What can I do for you?" My smile returned and so did theirs.
"Um, we had a question…" I nodded for the girl to continue and she did. "You see that kid with the funny hair?" She nodded slightly in the direction of Table 12.
"The bodyguard?"
"Yeah. Is he the only bodyguard that came in with them?"
"Yes." I nodded in double affirmation and bit my lower lip. Something was up. Again, the newscast pushed its way to the front of my mind again, but I quickly subdued it. "Anything else?"
She glanced at the boy who was resting his head face-down on his knuckles, staring at the tablecloth. He shook his head no and I nodded.
"Alright. Oh, and the buzzer is here if you need me again." I tapped the small silver half-circle with a red button on top nearly hidden by a rogue napkin and rewarded myself with another zap. Ouch. Stupid.
The people at the table I had given the check to had left, so I went to clear up and collect my tip. Whoo! Ten whole fricken dollars! Now I can get that pack of gum I've had on layaway since I was seven! Normally I wouldn't be so cynical, but a praty of twelve is hard to cater to.
No sooner had I set up a stand, rested a plastic tub on top, and started placing plates and utensils in it than Table 12 buzzed me. Someone wanted a glass of water. Easy enough, but when I returned I once again saw the bodyguard looking off in the direction of the two teenagers. Relentlessly curious, I followed his gaze.
The boy had his hand in his pocket and was smiling sinisterly while the girl was looking a question at him while sipping through her straw. He drew something dark and metallic forth and the bodyguard nodded silently.
I predicted the buzz from the pair's table and thunked the glass down in front of the Table 12 customer. Not to look suspicious, I grabbed the pair's orders and rushed to their table. As I leaned down to set the plates in front of them, the boy spoke up.
"Cassie." A chill ran up my spine at the sound of my name. It sounded too familiar on his lips. "Cassie, listen to me." I looked at him, then at the girl. She offered me a look of sympathy and turned to her partner.
"You need to clear this building of civilians."
~*~*~*~
Tori: …zzzz… mumble… mutter mumble… zzzzzz…
Awa: Awww… She's talking in her sleep!
Kegawa: What's she saying? *ear twitches*
Awa: I dunno… *leans in closer to Tori*
Tori: …zzzz…must kill…zzzzz…bring death to all…zzzzzzz...we like the shishkabob…