Author Note: A lot of the reviews generated from my question of last chapter have included the opinion that the Seraph gundam is "underpowered". I say that it is merely "underflashy" compared to the Vorpal, Warmaster or Phoenix King. I put this in some review replies, but do consider this... re-read, if you wish, the chapter in Chaotic Cosmos where Ysak faces off against the three BCPU's in Panaman, right after the escape from JIHAD. See what Frost does with only six shield pods, and wire limited ones at that. Now imagine what Kira can do with thirty six wireless pods. Underpowered? I was afraid to make it MORE powerful.
Another thing. If you ever want to use a creation of mine, whether it be event, Gundam, technology, Person, Place... whatever... in your own fiction, by all means, I would be honored if you do. Just tell me, so I can know to look forward to reading it in one of your own stories. I really should read stuff other than my own, buts its just hard to find the time, while also making progress that I want. I'll work on that.
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Kira had a call waiting for him on his cell phone when he returned to Mare-Town Upper, the harbor and support platform that served as the primary portal for people and imported supplies for Mare-Town Depths below. For security reasons, cell phones were not yet allowed in the Depths, and especially weren't allowed into the MAST-F facility below the town, no matter WHO you happened to be. Even Cagalli and Athrun had been forced to relinquish their cell phones. Not because someone thought they would take pictures and sell them to foriegn powers, but because cell phones were relatively easy to hack into, even with modern information security, and a competent hacker could turn on the speaker in someone's phone without them noticing and use it like a microphone to listen to conversations held nearby. Which could prove... problematic... especially if you were discussing the technical merits of five new Gundams, built in quasi-violation of standing USN law.
It wasn't a violation to build Gundams... everyone did it anyway, as much as they could afford to anyway... since no nation-state wanted to run the risk of being seen as technically backward by their peers and rivals. However, only the USN and USN sanctioned groups, were supposed to use nuclear powered Mobile Suits. Cagalli had of course applied for the permits pretty much as soon as the USN formed the laws, but the licensing process was extremely slow and difficult... especially when you refused to show your mobile suits to the inspectors, either because they had not yet been built, which had been the case before... or because you were afraid of causing a major incident, like Cagalli was now. The Spear of Ares had really bothered her... it was a point and click nuclear weapon, tactical or otherwise, in scope. Never mind that it couldn't be used on Earth, it was sure to make the PLANTS, if no one else, quite nervous. And since the PLANTS were Orb's closest allies in the USN... that was something she did not want at all.
Kira was also less than perfectly sanguine with the idea of the relativistic mass driver, but he had faith in Dr. Simmons... she wouldn't build a weapon like that unless she thought it might prove necessary, and could be tightly controlled and even circumvented if by some twist of fate it fell into the wrong hands. He was willing to let the situation play out some more, though he would be quite ready to step in if he was needed... or if he decided he was needed. Kira didn't have much official power in Orb... but people who did listened to him, which was often more than enough. After agreeing to meet up with everyone again later in the day, for an early dinner followed by a night out so that they could all catch up with each other, since it had been more than a year since they'd all been in the same place at the same time, Kira had caught a ride back to Orb's Capital, which had been reneamed Nara-Attha City during the reconstruction following Purgatory Day.
"Kira, I met a friend at the mall and went back to her place with her for tea and biscuits. Meet me at her address when you get done with your item appraisal? Love you, see you soon, bye." Kira checked the address Lacus had attached in text to the end of her typically brief phone message and consulted the map of the city he carried in his head. He could take public transit to a sea side park near the address, which was in the suburbs along the beach just outside the military harbor area. He could have borrowed any number of cars from Cagalli and Athrun, even Athrun's custom built sports car, which instantly belittled the ego of every other male on the road whenever it appeared, but that really wasn't his thing. He was used to walking everywhere on Serenity Island, where he lived with Lacus and the Malchio's and their orphange most of the time, and a walk outside in the pleasant afternoon would not trouble him in the slightest.
He took the time to admire the layout of Nara-Attha City, named for Cagalli's father, which had been redesigned almost from the ground up after so much of it had been heavily damaged during the Second Valentine War. It was a lot cleaner and neater than most cities of its size, almost eight million people, making it Orb's largest city, both because much of it was new construction and because much of the older buildings which grew like semi-rotten teeth in most major cities were almost non-existant. Instead of multiple city designs made by multiple people over multiple decades, almost the entirety of the city was built on the same plan, with four lane streets laid out in as much of a grid as the terrain allowed to ensure that traffic was almost never backed up except in the Harbor and Government Districts during rush hour. The city was comprised mostly of commercial skyscrapers and businesses in the downtown, with encircling rings of residential suburbs dotted with more commercial and business centers. The only industrial presence was down by either the commercial harbor or the Military Port. Located between downtown and the outskirts of the Harbor District was the Government District, where the new Orb National Palace was built, along with the Parliament Building and the Supreme Court.
Villa Terra, the traditional home of the current Orb monarch, was about a ten minute drive away from the Government District, though Cagalli and Athrun actually lived in the Palace itself as often as not, since the Villa Terra was open to the public twice a week as a museum. Kira had been forbidden by Cagalli to go there without her, since much of the displays were about Cagalli's younger years, and she didn't want the staff there, who were usually in awe of him, letting him dig around in her mementos without her permission. Not that he'd ever do that, but Cagalli wasn't always reasonable along those lines. Girls were still weird, even in their twenties, even if they were family, Kira felt. Lacus assured him that the opinion was felt mutually by girls with regards to guys. Kira reflected on that and other inconsequential thoughts as he strolled away from the Government District towards a bus stop. Again, he could have caught a bus directly from the heliport, but he was in no particular rush, and it was a beautiful day out.
Orb's architects had gone to great pains to make their capital feel more like a garden park, that just happened to have a city within it, rather than a city which tried to pretty itself up by having garden parks in it. Trees, whether they were palms along the beach roads, oaks and elms in the midtown residential areas, or conifers along the inland districts, were planted everywhere. Not just in ones or twos, but in lines and groves that broke up the visual outline of the city most spectacularly, especially in autumn months. Green grass grew almost year round, and businesses seemed to compete to have the largest lawns on their properties, along with the most flowers and ornamental greenery. Some buildings, even small skyscrapers, were almost entirely covered in such displays of environmental one-upmanship. Several large scale desalinization plants by the harbor provided all the fresh water the city could use and more, and much of the excess went into fountains, waterfalls and other decorative landmarks.
That was the other thing Kira had noticed, and noticed again as he walked. Orbites liked to remember things. Important events, important people, important times, dates, locations, changes... if it had in some way impacted the lives of even a small group or sect of people in Orb, there was bound to be a statue or monument or piece of dedicated outdoor artwork for it SOMEWHERE in Nara-Attha City. Unsurprisingly, many of these monuments were about the still recent Valentine Wars, and the people who fought and died, or fought and lived in them. Kira never failed to be embarassed when he would find himself admiring a new statue from a distance, only to realize that it was dedicated to him or Lacus or some of the things the Clyne Faction had done. Not that he wasn't proud of what he'd done, mostly... but to have statues made of him was a little more than his sense of humilty was comfortable with.
The bus wasn't crowded when it arrived, and Kira knew that it wouldn't become much busier for at least another few hours, which was good because it would otherwise be a considerable hassle getting back to their temporary quarters in the National Palace. Kira was recognized and approached more often than he was comfortable with when he was by himself... with Lacus in tow, he was always at the center of a near media frenzy. She was much too distinctive to go unnoticed long... even if you could hide the hair and change the clothing style, her voice was an instant giveaway. Everyone, or so it seemed, knew what Miss Lacus sounded like. It was annoying at the best of times, and could really ruin his day quickly if it was already headed that way. By traveling at a non-peak time, he hoped to avoid most of the headache for as long as he could, because he was certain tonight he would not be so lucky.
Kira took a seat near the front of the bus and stared out the side window, not really looking at or paying attention to anything, as he turned his mind back to the problem of what he was going to get Lacus for her birthday. He couldn't really turn his perceptions fully off... but he'd learned how to ignore the deeper depths of sensory imput his Ultimate Coordinator senses constantly bombarded him with. Really, if he could drop the Ultimate part off, he'd be willing to PAY to let it go. It was helpful in a very few, select situations, none of which he ever willingly wanted to be a part of ever again, and made regular life a constant battle against all sorts of problems. Such as maintenance... he needed to eat much more than other people, which was both time consuming and somewhat expensive. He didn't sleep very much, which was a stress on Lacus and other people who spent a lot of time around him. He was aware of EVERYTHING that happened within about twenty feet of him, whether he wanted to be or not.
A different problem was his libido. Before the traumatic experience with the Pulsar and Frost outside of Orb, five years and some months ago, he'd accounted himself as not particularly horny. Oh, he loved Lacus VERY much, and he had had absolutely no complaints about his sex life, which he knew was considered a dream by ninety nine percent of his male peers and men in general... but it had been something he was able to turn off then. Now it wasn't. He got pissed off and irritated if they didn't sleep together at least every few nights or so, and he didn't know why. Lacus never complained about it, though she sometimes did get sharp with him when he wanted to, and she didn't. He also couldn't stop himself from appraising other women. He had no intent behind it, but he just couldn't seem to stop himself from sizing up and admiring pretty much every girl or woman even CLOSE to his age, regardless of their marital status. God help him, but he'd had to concentrate at times, very hard, on not sizing up Katie and Miriallia earlier that day. Lacus was mostly understanding about this problem too... certainly more understanding than he could reasonably hope for, and probably more understanding than Kira would be if the problem was reversed.
He'd been surprised by one solution that Lacus had suggested to him some time back. Markov Ashino, the reformed BCPU that had proven to be a "friendly enemy" of theirs during much of the Second Valentine War, was also encountering many difficulties in adjusting to regular life after so long in thrall to the top secret Blue Cosmos experiment that he was a product of. Many of the things Kira was having problems with were also things Ashino found difficult, including diet, sleeping habits, sensory overload and even, to some extent, sex drive. Lacus had suggested that perhaps he and Ashino should trade correspondence, become "pen pals", as a sort of mutual therapy. The only problem was, Kira himself was not overly fond of Ashino, not least because of the several times they'd battled each other during that war. Ashino was working for the USN now, not the Isolationists, but he'd never been an actual ally to the Clyne Faction. Also, though Kira hated to admit it, the fact that Ashino was a BCPU, an artificially and chemically enhanced Natural designed to kill Coordinators, made Kira uncomfortable talking with him. Kira had had too many bad experiences with other BCPU's to want to socialize with one, even one Lacus vouched for.
But what to get Lacus for her birthday? Clothing was right out... he had some sense for Lacus's clothing tastes, but he didn't feel like dropping a few thousand dollars for one or two outfits, especially given that she already had more than she could easily wear anyway. Jewelry was also pointless, not to mention trite... anybody could buy jewelry, and Lacus had enough to fill a not too small safe in their house as it was. He wanted to do more than just take her out to eat at a nice resteraunt, or cook a special meal at home... he'd done that several times in recent years and it was losing its novelty. Haro didn't need any maintenance, if anything the blasted pink ball robot seemed to be running better than even Athrun had expected it too. And no matter how much Lacus loved them, he wasn't going to get Athrun to make another robotic pet... Birdy and Haro together was one more robot pet than he wanted as it was. They didn't have the time in their lives for a real pet either... though neither of them held an official job, they were rarely at loose ends.
Kira was on semi-constant call for his technical expertise at Morganroete Armories. Not always for projects related to Gundams or Mobile Suits... in fact more than seventy percent of the contract work he did for them had to do with electronic and internet security programs, rather than anything actually military. Information warfare and espionage were big worries at MA, since it was considered the top military technologies company on Earth, and maybe even the top such company in the entire USN, even beating out the PLANTS. The price of being the best though was that everyone wanted to copy or steal your work, so that they could be the best instead, without putting in all the time and money that you did. Preventing people from hacking into the MA systems was a full time job, though Kira was only called in for very specific, high priority threats. His computer skills were second to none, and though infrequent, such contracts paid extremely well, considering that they usually only took him a few hours to complete.
Lacus had her charity organization, The Clyne Foundation, to manage, and that was a huge workload because TCF was actually about two hundred smaller charities combined into one. The finances hurt Kira's head at times, keeping track of all the different donations from different people throughout the USN, dividing the money fairly as needs demanded, making sure everything was legal and accounted for and properly taxed... it ate time in big bites. Not to mention all the other personal stuff Lacus was required to do, like attending meetings, hosting fundraising events, meeting with the chairpeople of other major charities, and the few concerts or media events she was able to squeeze in as well. Lacus didn't make any money from most of her TCF activities, since it was a non-profit organization, though she did have a credit line she could use for travel arrangements when she needed to, which was rare... few people were anything but overjoyed to have Lacus Cylne herself come to visit them, and room and board was often free for her.
When they were not dealing with those "jobs", they helped out with the Malchio's orphanage and political retreat, teaching the children, repairing the buildings, tending the gardens and performing hundreds of other small daily tasks that the small time operation required in order to keep running smoothly. Their friends and most of the guests that stayed at the political retreat, often marveled that Kira Yamato and Lacus Clyne could be so happy working as basically unpaid janitors, handypeople, schoolteachers and gardeners. Didn't they want anything "more" out of life, they were often asked? Their answer was almost always the same. "No". They had peace. They had satisifaction, with themselves, each other, and the course their lives were taking. What "more" could people ask for than the chance to be happy like that? They didn't care about money, they didn't care about being famous, except as either of those two things could help improve the lives of others... they knew what they wanted, achieved it... and that was that. Apparently that was strange, because very few people seemed to understand, despite polite pretence.
Kira got off the bus, flicking his eyes over a pair of girls about his own age as they boarded. They giggled at each other and eyed him back coyly, though he barely noticed. Young, fit, healthy, one short and blond, the other taller and redheaded... probably off duty military, headed out for the night. He put them out of his head as he strolled along the beach road. Just statistics, thats all. Just the primal, caveman side of him acting up again. It was such a lucky thing for him that Lacus could FEEL his emotions, because otherwise he'd probably be permanently injured in one way or another because of his wandering eye syndrome. He lost himself in his thoughts again, until his internal GPS monitor pinged at him and he realized that he'd almost walked past the address Lacus had given him. He wondered which friend it was... Lacus had a lot of friends, though not too many she'd feel comfortable just hopping over for tea and biscuits with. For that matter, not many of her friends were the tea and biscuits sort... Cagalli and Miriallia sure didn't socialize like that, and neither did Katie, and they'd all been with him all morning anyway. Murrue maybe, but this was not Murrue's house.
It was actually a pretty nondescript place. One of those places that seemed to blend in with the houses on either side of it, and the hillside behind it too for that matter. It didn't stand out... in fact it seemed almost deliberately designed, in terms of its landscaping, exterior decoration, and paint scheme, to not stand out. There was a single sedan in the drive, mid sized, mid priced, as bland in its dark brown color as the rest of the house was. The lawn was neither too long nor too short, the gardens just wild enough that you could notice where they had been tended... it was very serene, actually. Very calming. Meditative even, a study in Nature only frugally contained.
It was also highly secure, Kira noticed as he headed up the walkway towards the front door. He could not help but notice tiny optical and audio pickup devices hidden all over the front of the house and its grounds. They were all but invisible, and in the middle of the day even a trained professional would not likely see them... at night you'd probably never find them. Kira did his best not to look at them very directly... someone had gone to considerable time and expense to plant such an external security network, and exposing it would probably be impolite at the very least. He rapped his knuckles on the door once, and was just about to do so again when the door opened and the owner of the house looked out at him. Kira met the man's gaze and stiffened involuntarily.
"Mr. Yamato is here." Cyprus Finch called over his shoulder, speaking to people further inside the house. He returned his gaze to Kira, who hadn't moved to enter the house, still getting over his initial shock. Of the people whose houses he'd expected to find Lacus at, Lieutenant Finch's was just about the last. Cyprus had come to work for Orb about three years ago, showing up quite unexpectedly along with his two friends and subordinates Corporal Richard Ramierez and Sergeant-Major Thomas Glory, offering their services, such as they were. Disappointed with the political leadership of the FNE and ALU, and not particularly enamoured of the PLANTS, Cyprus and the other former Hellhounds had a choice between Orb and the USN, and Cyprus had indicated that he trusted Orb more than any joint multinational Government.
Which was all well and good, but Kira didn't particularly trust Cyprus! And he was far from the only one... no one had forgotten that these men used to be staunch Isolationists and direct enemies of theirs not too long ago! Not too many years ago Cyprus had held a gun to Kira's head in a hospital bed and used him as a hostage against Lacus... and now he was supposed to trust him to guard Cagalli and Athrun? Alkire had vouched for them, which hadn't meant much to Kira... it wasn't until Kisaka also gave his vote of approval that Kira grudgingly backed off. Kisaka could be relied upon to do what was best for Orb and for Cagalli... if he was okay with retaining the Hellhounds, Kira supposed he could try to ignore them. They were very good at remaining out of sight and mind... all part of their job, actually. Along with Alkire... who nowadays went by his original name, Robert Jones, as often as his alias... and Raine, Cyprus, Ramierez and Glory formed a new Orb special forces unit, responsible for Royal security and "diverse tasks". They were called the Stormhounds, after much clashing of wills between Cyprus and Alkire.
"Take off your shoes when you enter." Cyprus directed, his unreadable grey eyes delving deeply into Kira's. Kira had discovered, to his discomfort, that you could stare Cyprus in the eyes for as long as you wanted and the man wouldn't flinch. Or even blink, or so it seemed. And at the end of it, you still wouldn't have a better handle on him than before. He was a blank mask, as far as Kira could discern. Lacus couldn't tell much more than that... Cyprus was one of a very rare few who were for some reason, whether intentional or accidental, invisible to the extra senses of Newtypes. Cyprus wasn't immune to psychic influence, but he was very resistant, and "hitting" him with power in the first place was like trying to pick up a piece of greased ice with numb fingers, or so Lacus and Katie said. Maybe that was also why he was so hard to read normally... his mind was locked away where no one but him could reach it.
Kira complied, tearing his eyes away from Cyprus. He could still feel Cyprus studying him though, and he resolved not to let it bother him. Cyprus was like this all of the time. Intense. Focused. Directed. Dedicated. He was the only Natural Kira had ever observed displaying a SEED, and probably the most dangerous man Kira had ever sat down and had a cup of tea with. Kira did not delude himself into thinking that Cyprus couldn't kill him pretty much whenever he wanted... though Kira had defeated Cyprus in a brief physical altercation once before, and could probably do it again, Kira knew that it was a pointless example. Cyprus would, now that he knew of Kira's physical abilities, never strike at him from that angle. As he'd so much as said, one time when Cagalli had challenged him on what he would do if someone like Kira were ever to become a threat... "Even a so called Ultimate Coordinator can't do much against a supersonic sniper round, fired from a kilometer away at night. I'd like to see his metabolism regrow a decapitated head. I might be concerned then."... which was chilling, even now, to think about, because Kira realized that Cyprus was right. If he couldn't see the rifle aiming at him, or hear the bullet, there wasn't much he could do, regardless of his reaction time or physical strength.
The thing was though, that it was now part of Cyprus's mission to prevent exactly such things from happening to Kira. Or Lacus. Or Cagalli and Athrun and other major Orb Government figures. So far, his record was exemplary... if there even had been any attempts at assassination or kidnapping, Kira had never heard about them, though other governments, especially the ALU, had a real problem with "losing" various officials to radical groups, and often required USN assistance to recover them, which never failed to draw all sorts of unwelcome media attention. Still, that didn't mean Kira had to like the man, and he knew the feeling was mutual. Their philosophies were too different for them to get along. Neither could be happy with the other's lifestyle, and in fact was often bothered just thinking about living like that. Kira believed Cyprus to be a fanatic of sorts, dedicated to the point of obsession with being the best he could be always, with no breaks or time off, while Cyprus thought Kira was a lazy bum who was afraid to try and exercise his natural abilities until forced into action, content to just drift through life in a mediocre fashion. Both were right... and wrong... in their assumptions of each other.
Cyprus led Kira into a study like room deeper inside the house. Unlike the exterior, the interior was highly decorative and distinctive, with this particular room done in a traditional Japanese style, complete with hard wood floors covered with woven mats and several stands of authentic samurai armor placed around the room. Dozens of weapons, ranging from swords to spears to more exotic things like bladed chains and massive double headed axes hung on the walls, all brightly polished and maintained at the peak of performance. The martial decor wasn't to Kira's liking, but it fit for what he could see Cyprus wanting for a study... to be surrounded by tokens from the best and most dedicated of warriors from various cultures, all neat and orderly in their assigned places. Cyprus was an honorable man... if not a particularly moral one, in Kira's estimation.
Sitting in chairs obviously moved into the center of the room from the walls were Lacus and another woman, about five or six years older than Lacus. She seemed faintly familiar to Kira, with her black hair that was nearly as long as Lacus's and bright, cheerful eyes of silvery blue that contrasted with her nordic pale skin. Cyprus lifted and moved another chair over to where the other two chairs were, though he made no move to fetch a chair for himself. Kira bent over when he reached Lacus and kissed her, with great enjoyment, on the lips, placing one hand on her shoulder and giving her a hello squeeze in place of a hug before sitting down. He felt her mind envelop his in its uniquely warm embrace as Lacus re-opened her side of their pyschic link, which she had shut down to avoid intruding on his perceptions of the Gundams... she disliked them so much that she didn't even want to feel his admiration for them. "Mmm... hello to you to, Kira." Lacus said with a smile, her spirits lifted just a little bit higher than they had been previously, as was always the case when she and Kira were together. "Did you have a good morning too?"
"It wasn't bad." Kira replied with a shrug, knowing Lacus didn't want details. Nothing I'm too eager to remember, at least with regards to the machines. It was good to see everyone again though, and I can't wait to go out tonight.
Me either! Its been too long since we were last all together, and we have so MUCH to talk about! Lacus agreed with a wholehearted nod of her head. The woman with the dark hair and Cyprus watched the two of them nodding at each other silently, and traded a look of their own.
"You're right, Cy. It IS somewhat unsettling." The woman said with a grin to show that she wasn't being critical. "You two are really talking to each other inside your heads, aren't you?"
"Talking isn't quite the right term... OH, forgive my manners!" Lacus said, bowing her head slightly in apology. "Kira, meet my friend Wrenn. Wrenn, this is Kira... my..."
"Lover." Cyprus supplied dryly. He took a seat on the ground, a few feet away from the chairs but still within easy speaking range. He crossed his legs and laid his hands loosely upon each knee, closing his eyes and relaxing his muscles as he apparently went back into some sort of self meditation exercise.
"Significant other." Lacus replied, her cheeks coloring faintly. "We've never been married by an official ceremony but we're as good as..."
"I'm quite familiar with that situation, trust me." Wrenn rolled her eyes expressively at Cyprus, who may, maybe, grinned a fraction. "Nice to meet you at last, Kira. I'm Wrenn Nostaliviche. Lacus does little but talk about you, believe me. Even when she doesn't realize she's doing it. I can see that she has a lot to brag about."
"Oh, whatever!" Lacus did some eye rolling of her own, though Kira noticed her blush deepen, and he could feel her emotions twitter a bit in embarassment. "As I was saying though, talking isn't quite accurate. I suppose you could say that we... feel at each other... and have learned to interpret those feelings just about as easily as words."
"More easily in some cases." Kira added. He furrowed his brow in thought. "I've heard your name somewhere before, Wrenn."
"Not surprising. You ever listen to a rock and roll radio station?" Wrenn replied with a pleased smile on her face.
"Wrenn and I are both performing artists, Kira, which is how we first met. Although Wrenn is a lot more active than I am these days, and has a bigger fan base, if you can believe that." Lacus added. Different music appeals these days. Pop songs aren't "in" nearly as much as the goth-induustrial scene, at least among people our age and younger. Wrenn and I actually have a lot in common, we've found, both on and especially off the stage. She has such a great sense of humor, and so much patience! I'm always impressed.
She'd HAVE to have some serious patience, if she's with HIM! She must be some sort of saint or something, to put up with Cyprus Finch!
That's not very nice of you to say, Kira! Cyprus is... different from us in many ways... but he's not a bad man.
He's not a very good man either! He's coldhearted, rabidly obsessive about his work and I still don't trust him farther than I can throw him, which isn't very far at all! He's everything Alkire is, but squared! He gives me the creeps. He really reminds me of a tiger or something... they say the animal is as afraid of you as you are of it... but when you actually face one down you find that the animal isn't afraid of you at all... just disinterested at the moment!
Kira! I'm disappointed in you! I know you two don't like each other, but Cyprus does respect you for what you've done, the least you can do is give him respect for what he does. I would personally prefer it if his worldview was more similar to ours, but I can't make up his mind for him or change the person that he is. And though he is, at times, creepy... I feel safer knowing he is watching out for Cagalli and Athrun. I would not want to be the terror group that thinks to cause trouble in Orb with Cyprus on watch.
"Maybe so, but I've hardly saved the world two or three times." Wrenn replied with a slightly embarrassed shrug. "Record sales don't give you happiness... just lots of money. Now, giving that money to worthy causes... that gives happiness. I've got another check for you, before you go, Lacus." Wrenn turned her head slightly at a slight grunt from Cyprus. "Oh stop showing off, Cy. From what I hear, Kira is a physical... dynamo, and your exercises won't impress him much." Wrenn smirked and winked at Lacus, while both Lacus and Kira blushed red.
As for Cyprus, his eyes were still closed, even as he put his hands on the floor and pushed up, gradually staightening his legs until they were held out in front of him about eight inches off the ground as he supported himself on his hands. Slowly, grunting with exertion and concentration every so often, Cyprus raised his legs still more, leaning back as he did so, until he was at last in a backwards facing handstand. He spread his legs slightly and adjusted his balance, then lifted his left hand from the floor and held it out at a right angle. Kira stared, impressed despite himself with the show of balance and strength.
"I am not showing off. I merely am." Cyprus replied, his pose rock steady, his breathing even, eyes still serenely closed. "Training of the mind and body and will never ceases. I am well aware that Mr. Yamato is my physical superior, even though appearances would not immediately suggest that. In all likelihood he is also my intellectual superior, judging from his school records, especially in technical matters. I decline to be discouraged or discomfited by these facts. If anything, Mr. Yamato is a source of constant motivation for me. His philosophic principles could use a great deal of real world adjustment, in my opinion, but then again he is very resistant to change, and I can respect a man who sticks to his ideals against all odds. If not like or particularly trust him."
"Cy, how could you say that!? They're guests in our house!" Wrenn reprimanded sharply. She leaned over and jabbed Cyprus in the side harshly with one fist. If this bothered him, he did not show it, other than through a slight wobble as he adjusted his balance. "You apologize or you're on the couch tonight!"
"What is, is." Cyprus replied calmly. "Sexual gratification is a reward made all the sweeter by delay and denial. Only through fasting can flavor be returned to the tasteless, only by sitting in the cold can one appreciate warmth fully. Desire is heightened by want, sharpened by need, controlled by will and expressed by love. In the proper time, at the proper place."
"DO NOT get philosophic with me, mister! I've heard THAT before! I KNOW you don't believe that! Denial is punishment by the self for weakness of the mind! And you, despite how you act sometimes, are NOT weak of mind! Lacus and Kira have sex almost every night and you don't hear them... oops, that slipped out." Wrenn trailed off, flushing with embarassment herself as Cyprus coughed to disguise a chuckle.
"Almost every night is... something of an exaggeration, perpetuated by people who don't know the full situation." Lacus said, shrugging as if it was nothing, but Kira could feel her embarassment roiling in her head. "Kira has... special needs, I guess is the best way to put it."
"Not to cause problems or anything, Lacus... but ALL men say they have special needs when it comes to sex. Or at least they do if they want to try something, shall we say, unconventional, yes? I really hadn't expected you and Kira to be into that sort of stuff... but who am I to judge, right?" Wrenn smiled at them, listening to more coughs from Cyprus.
'No, really, Kira actually has special needs. His body works..." Lacus tried to say.
"Believe me, dear, I KNOW how male bodies work. And minds too, for that matter. Don't mind me... I won't tell anyone. Cy and I have some fun with it too, sometimes. Most adults do, at one time or another. Its perfectly normal."
"WRENN!" Lacus hissed, squirming in her chair with embarassment. "Its not like that! Really! I mean, yes, we do some... creative things... but those aren't the special needs I'm trying to talk about!"
"Lacus!" Kira protested. "You know I hate it when you tell people about stuff like that! It's called private life for a reason!"
"The first rule of being a sucessful bodyguard is to never talk about your charges, to anyone. No matter what you learn or see." Cyprus said, by way of reassurance. "Guarding the Zala-Attha's for twenty four hours a day, I have seen many situations of which I can not ethically speak to others about that make this conversation seem tame. As it happens though, I already know about your problems, Mr. Yamato. It is my job to know, so that I can better protect you from those who may wish to do you harm. Intellectually, I wish them luck, because they will need it, with regards to you. You have the ideal human body, in the physical sense, Mr. Yamato... which is one reason why it upsets me that you will not put it to full use. You are a physical masterpiece left half unpainted." Cyprus opened his eyes to glare at Kira. "You honestly make my soul weep."
Kira didn't know what to say to that, and Lacus was currently too embroiled in trying to recover her poise from Wrenn's teasing to provide much in the way of support. "I'm sorry?" Kira said, lacking any sort of strong or witty comeback.
"Don't be. For one, you aren't, so don't dissemble in order to spare my feelings. For another, given who you are, you shouldn't be. Kira Yamato isn't the sort of man who changes his soul in order to spare others, despite what many believe. There is a great difference between being self sacrificing and sacrificing your self. In that difference lies much of your strength, I think." Cyprus slowly lowered himself to the floor, stretching his muscles as he ended his training for the moment. "We should talk again sometime... it makes for interesting training."
"Uhm. You're welcome?" Kira didn't know what to think. Was Cyprus criticizing him? Praising him? Both? This was way more than he was hoping for this early in the day... he'd geared himself to being intellectualy sharp tonight, because he'd be dealing with Ysak and Katie and Dearka and Cagalli in an unrestrained public forum... but he was still in "relax mode" right now, and this was complex at the best of times!
"Come with me a moment." Cyrpus asked. He nodded his head, just slightly, at Lacus and Wrenn. "You two should probably wrap things up as well. There is a long night ahead of all of us, and a longer day beyond that. There are some very important political events... the new USN appointments... taking place this afternoon and evening, the results of which could be of great concern to us all, if they go the way I'm expecting, if not hoping, them too." Cyprus led Kira back into the entrance hall. He reached into his pocket and withdrew a folded piece of paper, which he proffered to Kira.
"What's this?"
"Your birthday present for Lacus." Cyprus replied, as if it was ordinary for him to provide it to Kira.
"Why did you get MY present for Lacus? I don't recall asking you to do something like that!"
"You didn't. If you don't like the arrangements I've made in your stead, feel free to ignore it. However, you seemed troubled when you arrived earlier, and I cannot think of anything else that would be weighing on a man like you. As it happens, Ms. Clyne has to travel to that area of the world soon anyway, for a conference with the European Red Cross organization. I took the liberty of making some lodging reservations and travel bookings to extend your visit beyond the business aspect. My sources tell me that the skiing is very nice in the Swiss Alps this time of year. Lacus does not ski... perhaps she will when you return?"
"You still didn't tell me WHY you'd do this." Kira pressed. "Thanks, I'm completely stunned and grateful... but why arrange for a vacation for us? Is this a trap?"
"It would be a poor one, since several people know I have made these arrangements, including Colonel Kisaka and Major Jones, neither of whom would be pleased with your elimination." Cyprus answered with a shrug. "If I was going to kill you, Mr. Yamato, I wouldn't need to do anything near as elaborate as this. I'm doing this because you needed help, and it is my job to help you, regardless of my personal feelings. And if you have to go to that part of the world, far from my legal purview anyway, then I'd prefer you to do it under my arrangements, which I know to be safe."
"Lacus hasn't even told ME about this meeting yet! How did you know!?" Kira was definitely perturbed by Cyprus knowing Lacus's schedule better than he himself did.
"It is my job to know. You don't want to know more than that, Mr. Yamato, I assure you."
"I don't know if I'm going to be able to sleep tonight, now!" Kira shivered, trying not to think of where or when Cyprus learned the advance plans of Lacus, or he knew he really WOULDN'T get to sleep tonight. He could have sworn Cyprus smiled at him when he said that, but when Kira looked again, his face was once again a blank mask. Ugh... Kira REALLY didn't care for Cyprus Finch. Not one bit.
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Athrun heard the door to the dressing closet open and close behind him, but he didn't open his eyes just yet. That would have ruined the whole point of the exercise, which was to induce calm in the body and mind by shutting away all distracting external stimuli. He concentrated on taking slow, deep breaths, trying to listen to the rythyms of his body and adjust them into a more relaxed state. He could feel his heart rate slowing down, as well as the number of breaths per ten seconds. After several minutes, during which he heard Cagalli moving around the room as she finished waking up from her nap before she returned to the bed and did not move further, Athrun opened his eyes. As he did so he began his warm up exercising, which was really just him going through a routine of forms... attacks, defenses, throws, locks, dodges... that he'd learned while going through the ZAFT Redcoat Academy. When he really wanted to get a workout he went through them at full speed, or even pushed himself faster than normal full speed. Today he was just stretching to make sure he was fully awake, so he went through them at one quarter speed, which in some ways was harder than doing them faster.
Cagalli lay on the bed, lying on her front, her chin propped on her hands as she slowly kicked her feet back and forth in the air behind her and watched Athrun work out. Her hair was still damp from the shower, her habit was to briefly towel it to get most of the water out, then let it air dry into her now trademark loose touseled hair. Making a trademark fashion out of pure laziness appealed to her, and she never failed to smile slightly when she saw some other young woman with artfully arranged messy hair that had probably taken her hours at a hairdresser to achieve, while Cagalli just took five minutes in the shower and a brief toweling. They weren't due to go out to meet up with everyone else for several hours yet, so she'd just thrown on some loose, comfortable lounging pants and a T-shirt for the meanwhile. Zim, the lifelike robotic white mouse Athrun had made for her, years ago now, perched sleepily on the crown of her head, likewise watching Athrun. He was definitely worth watching, clad in his workout sweats and not much else.
Athrun watched Cagalli's feet kicking through the air out of the corners of his eyes as he put himself through his paces, never leaving the five foot square of space he'd mentally marked out on the floor no matter what sort of twists, leaping spins or tumbling dodges he put himself through. Really working out required an actual gym with a big open floor, but warmup could be done pretty much anywhere. He didn't stop his motions, but they were almost automatic for him by now, and he focused most of his mind on other thoughts. Such as Cagalli. Her legs were kicking in the faster, jerky, bouncy way that suggested to him that she had a lot on her mind, even if she looked sleepy and lazy and relaxed. If she was just lazing, her legs would barely be moving at all as she luxuriated in the softness of the bed... instead she was practically flutter kicking at the air. He had a good idea what she was thinking about too, and he didn't even have to be a pyschic.
In truth, other parts of his mind were turning over the same thoughts and concerns that Cagalli was no doubt worrying at. The USN was announcing the pending appointment selections for several major posts within the international Government, including Secretary of Treasury, Secretary of Public Works, and the one he and Cagalli were worried about, Secretary of Defense. The USN selected people from the governments of its four member-states every two years to fill positions within the international body, whether it was an honor to be selected for a USN post or not depended on the post, and on the person, since it was not legal to hold a USN post and a government job in a member-state at the same time. While working for the USN, your only concern was supposed to be for the USN, which meant for everyone equally. Of course, few people could avoid favoritism towards their member-state, since only a very few USN appointees had not already been long serving or prominent politicians in their home member-states prior to being appointed to the USN.
USN Secretary of Defense was one of the most highly sought after posts, since they were in charge of the USN armed forces, which was the largest armed force in Human Space. Nominally the best equipped too, though that was more a public facade than truth... the PLANTS and Orb had the most advanced militaries by several years of tech, but they didn't flaunt it nearly so much as the FNE or ALU tried to with their own military tech. In any case, the USN SecDef had enormous powers to regulate not only the USN forces, but also the militaries of the USN member-states, being able to control which nations could have nuclear powered Moile Suits, what weapon systems were considered legal for USN troops vs member-state troops, even how many ships or Mobile Suits the USN or member-states were allowed to have. The USN SecDef could commission new military units, could order the construction of new classes of warship or vehicles, including Mobile Suits and could even draft soldiers from member-state militaries into the USN as needed for "emergency situations", which weren't nearly defined enough for Cagalli or Athrun's tastes. USN SecDef was widely considered to be the second most powerful man or woman in the USN, and by extension, in Human Space.
The most popular canidate for the new USN SecDef was the one that Cagalli and Athrun, as well as moderate factions throughout the member-states, were hoping against hope wouldn't get appointed. He was a relatively new force in the politics of his member-state, the PLANTS, having ascended in a matter of a few years from the obscure position of Assistant Secretary of the Interior all the way up to Supreme Councilman, a process that normally took a decade or more. He was undoubtedly politically astute and charismatic, but he also seemed to be phenomenally lucky... every major political opponent he might have had was laid politically low by scandals or unfavorable media attention before they could really even contend with him. It had gotten to the point that people who were too vocal in their criticsms of him were sometimes politically shunned, so that when the axe inevitably fell on them it didn't hit "innocent" bystanders. No one had yet been able to prove that he was using dirty tactics or setting people up for falls, but no one was that lucky... he was just adept at not getting caught. And at staying in the good graces of the people while doing it.
His name was Gilbert Durandel. He'd only been on the PLANTS Supreme Council for a year, where he'd acquired a reputation for forging major alliances between the military and civilian business interests in the name of mutual strength. Gilbert Durandel was all about strength, and the supposed safety granted to everyone by having a strong military. His view was that a strong military trickled down into strengths throughout society... strong economy, strong morale, strong education, strong work ethic... basically a superior all around society. He felt that military science was the forefront for all other sciences, and his platform was built around increasing funding and benefits for people in the military, greatly expanding all current militaries and large scale economic stimulus packages coming in the form of business contracts for military technology firms. He advocated mandatory military training at the level of the Active Reserve for all people between high school senior and college sophmore ages, though he softened the blow by offering great pay scales at the same time, basically making being a Reservist an easy way to make a good bit of extra money each month and getting various sorts of on the job training experience, for only an extra weekend of work every month.
Cagalli agreed with Durandel on some points... the need for member-states to be able to adequately protect themselves without having to rely on USN peacekeeping forces for instance. However, her definition of "adequate" force levels and his were wildly different... almost orders of magnitude different. Durandel also advocated lessening the current restrictions on weapons and power technologies for non USN militaries, to a ridiculous degree in Cagalli's eyes. It was like the man was trying to restart the sort of arms race that the world had seen in the early stages of the Isolation. Another thing that made her suspicious was the fact that Durandel, despite his hugely pro-military stance, had never actually served in a military, not even for a little while. He knew his stuff when he talked about military matters, plainly he had good schooling or great advisors... but why would a career politician from the Department of the Interior of the PLANTS be such a rampaging Hawk? What was his goal? Where was he trying to go? Why did they need such a huge military force increase anyway... there was no war on, no common enemy that required such a buildup? Scaling up your military was a proven way to stimulate your economy... but historically, it was also only done just before a nation planned to go to war with someone. Too much military with no war never worked out well.
Cagalli and Athrun had done everything they could, politically speaking, to stall Durandel's advance towards the SecDef post, but he carried enormous popular weight, especially in the PLANTS. He was one of those people that could strike to the heart of every matter you asked him about, speaking knowledgeably about it and assuring you that he was deeply, deeply concerned about it. He could lie so smoothly and easily that even Lacus had trouble spotting when he wasn't being entirely truthful on TV. Cagalli didn't distrust him because he lied on TV... every politician lied on TV. She herself lied on TV when she deemed it necessary. She distrusted him because he didn't lie very much at all in person, yet she still couldn't, for the life of her, figure him out. It was just a gut feeling... something with Gilbert Durandel wasn't right. Cagalli had learned to trust those kind of gut feelings. Initially Athrun had been sceptical of her, mocking her gently for not being able to trust someone who was being refreshingly honest after their first face to face meeting.
His suspicions had eventually been aroused too though, after several more meetings with Durandel. Athrun had noticed Durandel did a lot of promising... but his promises were worded in such a way that they could be easily exploited later on. And then there was the certainty. Durandel said more military force was needed to protect the member-states from "outside threats". He said it with utter conviction. You could not doubt, when looking into his eyes when he talked, that he was completely sure that these threats were real. But he would never say what threats he meant, exactly. He wanted to increase security, but as far as Athrun could tell from the best Orb Intelligence he could obtain, not to mention the intelligence network Waltfeld still maintained in the PLANTS, there was no threat no matter how hard they looked. Certainly nothing to warrent the kind of build up Durandel was advocating. Yet Durandel wasn't lying. He wasn't guessing. He didn't "think" there was a threat. He didn't "suspect" a threat. He boldly stated there was a threat, and he believed it... so what threat was he talking about? He would never say for sure, no matter how directly Athrun asked him.
Durandel definitely knew things he wasn't sharing... but what? And why? If there was a legitimate threat, that would only enhance his platform, make him seem even more right, vindicate him even in the eyes of the moderates. One would think that Durandel would be desperate to come up with a specific threat to rail against... but he didn't. "Threats" were out there. "Security" was needed. "More military strength was required for national protection against outside threats to peace and prosperity". It really seemed to Athrun and Cagalli that Durandel was just looking for a catch-all excuse to spend a truly astonishing amount of money on building up military force across the USN... but the nagging "why?" still bothered them. If all militaries were being increased, no one would suddenly become more vulnerable. No one was favored in his policies... they applied to everyone equally. It didn't make any sense. They were missing something, something big. But they only had their suspicions, no proof, and with only suspicions they couldn't do much besides worry.
Athrun finished his warm ups, his heart rate and breathing having returned to his normal levels. He was sweating, very lightly, not enough to need to hit the shower again, though he probably would anyway... there were few things that felt as good as a hot shower right after a work out, and the feeling of cleanliness afterwards as worth savoring too. He turned to face Cagalli and bowed slightly towards her, mocking her apparent fascination with his martial arts. "Like the show?" Athrun asked, noting how wide and somewhat unfocused her eyes were, almost dilated. Cagalli was very relaxed, like a cat sunning herself on a warm rock outside. Her eyes were still open, but her mind was a few million miles away. Athrun appraised her for a moment... slightly damp hair, loose black lounge pants, simple red T-shirt, no make-up, no jewelry, just pure, unfiltered Cagalli. With that dreamy, slightly vulnerable look on her face, she was almost unresistably sexy to him. Only the thought that they had a long night ahead of them held him back.
So instead of laying down with her, which would have turned into something a bit more active than laying within not too long a time, Athrun slipped on a T shirt of his own and instead sat on the bed alongside her. Zim perked up a bit as Athrun's body heat moved within closer range of his sensors, but his command program dictated a preference for Cagalli over all others, and the mouse stayed where he was, though his head did turn to contemplate Athrun. Athrun began using his hands to massage Cagalli's shoulders and back, searching for any knots of tension or stress. Fortunately he found few, and only minor ones at that. She leaned against him, arching into his hands a bit, and he could swear she purred, just like a cat. She denied doing it whenever he brought it up, and she only did it when she was in these supremely relaxed, half asleep states, so maybe she really wasn't aware she was doing it, but that didn't ring fully true to Athrun. Quite how she accomplished the sound was also something he couldn't figure out... he had decided not to question it though. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth and all that.
"Sleepy?" Athrun asked, whispering in her ear. She grunted noncommittally at him. So he tickled her side. That got a reaction, just as he'd known it would. Cagalli was very ticklish along her sides, especially when she wasn't ready for it. She jerked, half shrieked, and rolled instinctively away from him, tossing her head in a knee-jerk reaction that sent the equally unprepared Zim sailing halfway across the room, flipping around in mid air as his internal A-grav motor slowed his fall and brought him lightly to rest on his feet. Squeaking in indignation, the robot mouse hurried back across the carpet to the bed, scaling the sheets with ease and clambering up onto Cagalli's hand, since her head was now out of reach because she'd sat up, blinking her eyes back to their usual sharp, smoky amber color. Zim butted the palm of her hand with his nose, and Cagalli absently lifted her hand, allowing Zim to leap adroitly across to the top of her head again, his favorite perch. "Not any more, I guess." Athrun commented with a smile.
"I had a very pleasant daydream going, I'll have you know!" Cagalli retorted, skewering him with a look. He smiled at her, which only sharpened her ire. Few things could get under her skin... in good or bad ways... than Athrun's smile. Right now, it was much more the bad way... he was mocking her, teasing her, acting like he had one up on her... which never failed to rouse her to great efforts to make him stop doing it, which even occasionally succeeded before she had to surrender her precious bad mood.
"It sounded like it. I haven't heard you purr like that in weeks." Athrun replied, smiling wider. It bugged her. He could see it in every movement of her face. What was the fun of being married if you couldn't productively annoy your spouse to no end? She did it to him much more often than he did it to her, though she claimed the opposite... he suspected that this was often the case. It was okay... he knew what the truth was.
A faint color rose to Cagalli's cheeks. "I do NOT purr. I am NOT a housecat!"
"Zim continues to be fortunate in that regard. I could almost SWEAR though that we have a picture of you with cat ears and a tail and other circumstantial evidence that..."
"Halloween costumes do NOT count!" Cagalli blushed deeper as she thought of the picture in question. "Not unless you're really a vampire!"
"I seduce a beautiful maiden and drain her life force through erotic servitude almost every night, what do you mean I'm not a vampire? I may not drink blood, but really... that's so seventeenth century anyway." Athrun returned, stroking his chin to accentuate his toothy smile. "Fangs are in here somewhere... hold on... I think... no... don't go anywhere, maiden... I'll find em, eventually..."
"You're impossible." Cagalli pushed at him, but she was smiling now. He caught her up in a hug from behind, moving with all the speed his still warmed up muscles could lend him, which was far faster than she could compensate for in her still waking up mood. He clasped his hands around her stomach and leaned his head against the side of hers, resting his chin on her shoulder lightly.
"I was thinking more along the lines of "incredible"." Athrun prompted, touching the side of her neck gently. "Hmm... no bite marks. I guess you aren't seeing any other vampires at least."
"Imbecilic." Cagalli retorted in a breathy voice. "Perhaps you should... check elsewhere? Not all vampires are proper enough to only bite a girl's neck."
"Ah... insatiable, how's that?" Athrun began to do as asked, despite his resolution of earlier.
"More like int..." Cagalli was interrupted when the door to the Executive Suite of the Orb National Palace swung open without warning. Two men, clad in black and white camouflage uniforms, with the addition of dark blue spots as well, wearing full assault gear, including heavy assault rifles and grenades, with demon-dog faced helmets on their belts, came tromping into the room. Well, tromping was an exaggeration... even with all their gear on, the men actually moved more quietly than most people did when walking around in sneakers... it just seemed that much louder because of the intimate atmosphere the room had been acquiring.
The man on the right, tall, slim and latino in skin and hair color, sized up the situation with a stricken expression on his face. He turned to the man on the left, who was more muscular, with germanic features, blue eyes and short buzzed blond hair. "Goddamn it, Conrad! Didn't I tell you to knock before entering a private room!"
"Conrad", who was actually named Sergeant Matthew Kurtz, new recruit into the Stormhound company, looked distinctly uneasy, though not uneasy enough to be without a comeback. "Well, I was about to, Corporal, but then you practically kicked the door down ahead of me in your eagerness to complete our patrol sweep. It's almost like you have some place to be or something. Though I know that can't be true, cause we still have four more hours of duty time..."
"Don't get smart with me, Conrad. I'll kill you, see if I don't." Staff Sergeant Richard Ramierez, long time Hellhound and now a senior Stormhound, replied with a predatory grin. Quite why his nickname remained "Corporal", despite the fact that he hadn't held that rank for years, was something Athrun and Cagalli couldn't figure out. The whole nickname process in general confused them... they seemed so arbitrary. Some, like "Conrad" were obscure literary references. Others referred to observable physical characteristics, or to references to a person's background. Still others just seemed to appear one day and stick. Ramierez sketched a hasty salute in Cagalli and Athrun's direction, holding his gaze resolutely away from the bed. It wasn't the most awkward time he'd ever accidentally walked in on them, but it was never fun to step in on someone just as things were getting sexy. And from the look of things, sexy was about to have been an understatement. He'd have shot the first man through the door had it been him in the bed. "Pardon our interruption."
"I don't see how we have any choice in the matter." Cagalli replied, her voice frosty, pulling away from Athrun's embrace a little in sudden self consciousness, glaring at the two elite soldiers. Having a unit like the Stormhounds came in very useful, ninety percent of the time. People like Alkire, Raine, Cyprus Finch, Thomas Glory, Richard Ramierez and the soldiers they had recruited and trained didn't just grow on trees after all. There were only about thirty of them in the entire Stormhound unit, but they were the thirty deadliest men and women in the USN, at least outside of Mobile Suits. Cagalli didn't believe in assassination or other underhanded tactics, which was usually why governments had teams like the Stormhounds. She employed them to counter other governments "black" missions directed aganst Orb. They did that job very well. And incidentally provided extra security for important people in the Orb Government. But sometimes their inclination towards doing things their own way... such as random patrol times and an utter disregard for political protocol... rubbed her the wrong way.
"Just doing our hourly check in. Don't mind us. We are blind, deaf and dumb." Kurtz added hastily, going a bit pink in the face. This was his head of Government he'd walked in on after all. And her consort. And they'd been about to delve into the "consort" side of his duties from the look of things. Well, until the two Stormhounds had blown the mood. He smiled weakly in their direction, as he rapidly flicked his eyes over all the obvious... and not so obvious... possible hiding places in the room.
"I hope not, or else you really did interrupt us for no good reason." Athrun wasn't above being a little put out himself. He'd been on something of a roll there, after all. Still, he appreciated the thought, and he always slept better at night knowing they had people like Ramierez and Kurtz roaming the grounds as extra insurance. It was just... inconvenient when he wanted Cagalli to himself. He watched the Stormhounds finish their inspection of the room. "Satisfied? Or do I need to pull up the bed covers too?"
"No sir, that won't be necessary!" Ramierez replied, taking the question at face value though he certainly felt the sting in Athrun's words. "Room is secure. We'll be going now. Uhm... oops. Sorry. You can get back to whatever it was you were about to be doing. It looked very interesting..."
"Leave, before I go find a bigger doggie!" Cagalli growled.
"Leaving, aye, ma'am!" Ramierez and Kurtz left the room with professional speed, not hurrying, but definitely not dawdling either.
"Well damn." Athrun commented, as soon as the door was shut again. "I don't know about you, but I've got a case of the heebie-jeebies at the thought of getting intimate again."
Cagalli sighed heavily. "Yeah, me too. I'm too fully awake now anyway. Opportunity lost due to interference by outside factors. Twenty yard penalty, opposing team. No repeating the first down."
"A full twenty yard penalty huh? Going to be a fun morning tomorrow for the Stormhounds." Athrun observed.
"Entertainment can be found in the strangest of places. Even mucking out storm drains and hauling bulk fertilizer for the lawns. The regular gardeners seem to get quite a kick out of the extra help." Cagalli replied with a merciless chuckle. "Sometimes being the head of Government is so fun."