Zoicite and Her Series of Events
Disclaimer-I own nothing and currently only borrow a 'verse to find a happy in.
Prompt: Take your time
Rating: T, for sensitive issues and references to sex.
Couples: Generals/Shinettou
"Coward."
"Don't call him a coward. He fell off the horse. Hard."
"A horse can't be 2000 years. Old. We're all grown up now. He's a coward."
The King of Fire lifetimes ago, Jason now and once Jadeite argued with the King of Skies as Nick, or Nephrite, over their favorite hobby. Since Kunzite, the King of Stone, had practically forced them to find their star mates under threat of now inhumane corporal punishment, now they had the same right.
Tonight's setting was a bar. Kunzite, going by Kevin, concluded that they picked the worst spot possible because of his well-meant paternal urging since they reawakened in this lifetime. His only support was the former King of Earth and everything else he could marry into by finding Serenity in this life. Wealth or charm followed them, this time, her having the wealth and he having the charm.
Their female counterpart, Zoicite and King of Ice, recommended this place. Although her twin Jason and Nick had scouted the place earlier in the week, they hadn't gotten high hopes and viewed the Castle as merely a stepping stone in their grand master plan of revenge.
Tonight's theme was Country night. Luckily line dancing was a dead art in the city but a big enough threat to keep the locals who deemed themselves allergic to the sound and sight of it away
What Zoe knew and the boys didn't is that there was one woman in this bar who continually turned down every man. No obvious rhyme or reason surfaced without an exaggerated rumor and for better or worse, Zoe's job dumped her here for at least a nightcap before taking a taxi home.
Those rumors entertained her enough one night that she stuck around until closing, when every other patron except a blonde stayed, the elusive queen of the Castle, stirring a melted drink with a coffee stirrer. Now as the last songs were playing, Zoe dug deep for her courage.
Years ago she had realized she like girls over guys, and women over men, and her brother and his friends had been at her defense and support every step of the way and especially when she was bullied or fired for "unspecified" reasons. This blonde proved to be her personal mark of on this town, in this bar, even if it would end in failure.
This woman was nice enough to not tell Zoe she hadn't been as quiet as she intended to be. All alone, the two of them plus staff. With the music apparently now off.
"Hi", Zoe started off lamely. The woman laughed under her breath, but genuinely smiled at her when she turned in the bar stool to look at her.
"I wondered when you'd actually talk to me."
The next day, Zoe had to cancel their plans. A shooting a local university brought the Dr. Zoe Cirro, trama psychologist, in after the scene had been cleared.
The center point of the shooting spree had been the Medicine and Health Science wing. Security had arrived quickly enough to stop the body pile reaching double digits but leaders among the students had been the ones to organize and calm the more panicked into a reasonable course of action.
Interviews had gone from the nearest to the gunman and those who interacted towards the most rational. Everyone knew the most rational were either akin to the gunman and his plans in some way or suppressing everything in an air tight seal.
Zoe was pretty sure about what she'd be recommending for every other student while the last girl waited in the foyer just outside the crime scene. Her suspicion was that this one would stay strong throughout the interview and go home and cry.
"How are you?" Zoe began with more confidence than she ever did her love life. What some considered frivolous pleasantries often exposed more of the internal wrecks someone was.
"Exhausted. And Tired. And I know there is a difference, but I cannot explain it well enough right now to prove anything." The girl, Ami, was a teacher's assistant in her Ph.D program.
"I want to sleep and move on."
Amy's file didn't show a military background, in the traditional sense.
"Military", she finally explained.
Zoe nodded. The woman was no threat to herself, nor others in this situation. Most likely she had a therapist back home.
"Thank you for your time. I know you are tired." The girl stood first and bowed.
Oddly, Zoe noticed that this woman's hair was dark blue but barely not black and cut so practically it didn't seem dyed.
It was the sexiest and most inappropriate thought she had ever had at a crisis situation.
She had been obligated to remain on call for anyone who needed it for at least a week, but occasionally she had a call months afterwards about a PTSD episode.
During that week, Amy called her hotline number and requested her by name-Zoicite. Her parents hadn't had the wherewithal to rename her like her brother was, liking the accidentally ancestral name.
How she got her name, Amy had again turned on Zoe but terrified her enough to wonder if she was in too deep to get out now.
Amy's concern was also nothing about emotional trauma and everything about either getting her personal number or meeting at a place.
Zoe gave Amy her number after they met at Castle, where they predictably ran into the blonde, Mina. All of her lunch cancelations made sense to Mina ("Do not call me Minako.").
Luckily Mina had been happy for them. To lessen the awkwardness, by request either woman, Mina joined them with a "friend", purple haired, tall, and quick to fix any problem that could be solved by a quick snap to the manager. When that failed once, Lita showed up, tall and built like an amazon.
That was how they managed to pull off Serena's husband's birthday party nearly last minute.
Lita owning a catering company and Darien already coming home to a mansion helped everything line up magically.
Rei, the friend, hadn't taken off her wedding ring but again for Zoicite, Amy had confided that she had a similar friend who would have been there if Rei hadn't been.
Amy's friend Serena joined them then one weekend and dragged Mina out to the dance floor who then forced all three off them to follow.
The back hallway of the Castle is where Zoe and Amy "spoke" on many occasions, one of them whispering into the others ear, someone leading the other off after their "bathroom trips" were debunked.
"Dude, they are perfect for each other."
Amy was mid-nibble on Zoe's lower lip when Zoe pulled herself off of the smaller woman in complete detachment.
"Why'd you call me a dude?" Amy's question fell on deaf, retreating ears.
That night Zoe had confirmed that Mina was single because she was waiting for one, idealistic guy. If he never showed up, she had no push to settle. Rich from early modeling careers and a fantasy novelist, Mina had no need to.
Again on the dance floor, boyfriends, brothers and husbands drank at the table, apparently giving Kevin a hard time. Mina was getting tired. Her flight had left that morning and came back at dinner, and a cab dropped her off at the nearest hotel.
"Go get us refills please? A coffee for you. You're about to fall over."
Almost, Mina was too tired to argue. Instead she waved in acceptance, reordered their beverages, and waited.
"Kevin, you aren't going to sit there all night listen to us talk domestication." Kevin snorted. "You had something about golf in there."
Jason and Nick looked at each other, then laughed. Nick could talk first. "I was making fun of you. You're too young to golf. You work, you bring work home, and then you sleep. Any woman who can outwork you or make you not work would be great to see, but reasonably we'd leave you alone if you get back on your training horse."
"Your star mate will be that one to whip you into a normal human being. Don't worry. We set the bar low. Look where we are at?"
Kevin looked around and all he saw were grinding people who couldn't walk straight but dance like they were born on a pole. Except Rei, Lita, Zoe, and Amy of course. Zoe didn't know the guys knew nearly everything about Amy, but a computer hack on their personal and individual work computers supplied by Mercury, Inc made them suspect that Amy knew.
Proof had been a pair of mercury shaped earrings and a televised press conference featuring Amy displaying the newest medical center in the area.
Perhaps he was born in the wrong lifetime. Lawyers were simplistic in ways one never realized. Everything could be solved by organized paperwork.
Females, including an aunt, were not organized paper work.
"Sir are you looking for someone?" A pleasant, ponytailed server in worn cowboy boots and a football jersey stopped as she was bussing tables for used glasses.
"Uh." The girl smiled. "Those your friends?" She peered around Kevin and gestured. Slowly Kevin nodded. "Those your friends' wives?" He followed the server's gesture and nodded, clutching the glass tighter. His lack of wedding ring plus their less than quiet urging gave her huge clues.
"If you wanna hit on someone and get shot down, she's your girl." She wished him good luck and told him to get a refill on her tab when he went over there to satisfy his kidnappers demands.
Sighing, Kevin accepted that his ego and liver would get a hit in the next five minutes.
"If you want a bad pick up line I can google one for you." The blond leaning on the bar turned once but then turned around fully as she processed his awful introduction. His ballsy move alone attracted attention.
"That is a spectacularly awful tag line."
She stood up and looked at him. Amusement faded to confusion, and ultimately stayed confused.
"I thought you killed me."
He realized who he was looking at and remembered all too quickly but none to clearly.
"I don't remember."
The space between them became heavy. Awkward tension fueled by confusion and panic escalated quickly.
He walked away before she could look away. Those who waited and watched this guy to be shot down were so unsatisfied, grumbles spread, but neither cared.
"Wait."
Again, Mina drew attention by standing leaving her bar stool of rejection.
He came closer to her, the better of the three options and least attention getting. At this moment, he didn't want a disco ball to focus on his pride.
She was close enough to him that she could put something in his button up shirt pocket and he could smell hairspray and exotic flowers.
Lightly, she leaned on his shoulders and whispered near his ear.
"I've waited a long time for you and your monsters. Call me when you're ready for them, too."