Disclaimer: I own nothing of GS/GSD. R&R please
"Fortunately, analysis is not the only way to resolve inner conflicts. Life itself still remains a very effective therapist."
Horney, Karen
Chapter 3: Face-value for peace of mind
Despite her best efforts to fit in with the dress code, Cagalli wasn't sure that she belonged here.
The men were wearing suits, and the ladies sported beautiful feathered hats and frilly sorts of dresses. There was champagne floating at elbow levels everywhere and every person present seemed to be part of a larger circle of friends.
She whistled low under her breath, but of course, the bouncers already knew that she didn't fit in. Even in a dress that she was wearing on Kira's instructions and more significantly, insistence, Cagalli was certainly not one of the privileged who were flouncing their evening away.
She had no hat or flowers, and was secretly wearing her brogues beneath the long skirt. While that fact remained hidden, she seemed lost, staring at everything that she could possibly lay her eyes on.
"Raise your arms please, Miss."
She obliged, her eyes still glued to the other guests in the distance.
Some others were stepping carefully over the boardwalks that had temporarily been nailed over grassy banks, feeding some swans that Cagalli had never seen in the quay before. Those had probably been planted in, she thought, her lip curling.
Still, the quay was looking festive and lovely today, and Cagalli swallowed at its splendor. In the meantime, the bouncer doing the checks was taking every opportunity to dig through her things and simultaneously insult her intelligence. He opened her bag, drawing out a water bottle. "Is this flammable?"
She gave him a funny look. "You mean the plastic?"
"No. I meant the clear liquid inside. Is this petrol?" The bouncer asked again, a bit thickly.
She kept her face straight, wondering if terrorists ever admitted to being terrorists. "I could drink it to prove that it isn't."
"And what is this?" He proceeded to pull out a stress ball that had somehow ended up in her tote.
"Oh that?" Cagalli looked at him directly. "It's a bomb. Pull the stray thread and it goes off."
Her growing impatience was not lost on him, but he could not find anything more to accuse her of carrying. So the bouncer gave her one last disapproving look before jabbing a finger to indicate the already obvious direction she was to head in.
While there were at least five white structures that probably housed the more important guests and acted as a contingency plan, it was fairly obvious which tent Lacus Clyne and her entourage were occupying. The tent was the largest, was decorated with streams of silvery chiffon, and had the most number of bouncers outside holding off the guests that walked by and tried to peek in.
She would have declined the invitation, except that it would have been rude to a person that she had not met but had every intention of getting to know.
While Kira didn't talk much about Lacus and hadn't quite expressed whether he was actually serious about her, they'd been going around for slightly more than a month now and usually as privately as they could. Generally, Kira never expressed much about his private relationships to Cagalli, for he much preferred to talk about other things if at all.
The overhead fans spun busily as Cagalli wandered in. She stared as a troop of people swarmed past, ignoring her. They were holding up all sorts of glittery things and arguing about which one was better.
Around them, a bunch of colorful, noisy orb-things were bouncing and shouting suggestions with voices like robot children. Cagalli could only assume that those were digital planners too, given that the orbs were shouting various things as some kind of reminder.
"Haro!"
One orange one flew towards her, its ears spinning lazily, but she caught it and lobbed it back to the crowd of people passing. Digital planners came in all sorts of shapes and sizes, and Kira's own was a small green bird that hopped on his shoulder whenever he went to work. These though, were noisier than she'd expected.
Another— a blue one this time— bounced to her. "Haro!"
Somewhat amused by the chirpiness, she wondered if the programmer thought that accents made for good humour. Still, she went along with it. "Hello."
It seemed to be satisfied at her half-hearted attempt at courtesy, and it rolled back after the retreating crowd who were about to exit the tent. But the whole bunch of people were so busy in their discussion that they scarcely noticed her presence.
"What is that supposed to be?" She asked the last person left in the tent.
Standing right before her, Kira laughed. "So you made it here then. Lacus, unfortunately, got called off just ten minutes ago."
She sighed. "I got a lift from a colleague, but I'm still a little late—sorry about that." Distracted, she looked around. "This is really something." Cagalli told her twin. While empty of the key person she'd been expecting to see, the tent was still rather impressive. "I really didn't expect to be invited to Lacus Clyne's personal tent."
"She thought it would be nice if we could all meet here." He told her.
As far as public persona was concerned, Lacus Clyne was a wildly-received pop star and quite a well-known humanitarian. She was also a rather eloquent spokesperson for various wildlife conservation boards. While Cagalli was not sure of how Kira had met, seeing as Kira had never offered much information on this, Cagalli was sure they'd met because of Kira's involvement with marine biology and his work in general.
"She was planning to meet you privately," Kira told her, gesturing to the exit of the tent. "But there were some problems with the schedule and she had to leave to get some briefing done. She promised that she would find us later though. Shall we go around first?"
"Well, why not?" Cagalli stepped out, wondered what Lacus Clyne would be like in person. The daughter of a Plant one-time politician and businessman had always cut a glamorous figure. No doubt, the many bouncers were proof of that.
She studied Kira now as they moved towards the quay. Like the other men, he was wearing a suit, and looked every bit the strapping lad even if he could never look exactly sophisticated. He'd always been slightly awkward, never mind that he was twenty-eight and had come into his own. But even with his boyish clumsiness and willingness to fade into the background, he seemed to attract the high-maintenance kind of girls.
"So what's Lacus Clyne like in person?" Cagalli was curious.
"Oh, she's a nice person." Kira said vaguely, as was his usual way. They made their way to a tree, enjoying the way the willow's fronds dipped in the wind.
Granted, Kira had never said much about this person that he'd met or the circumstances of their meeting. But this was Lacus Clyne, for crying out loud! She could not be anything less than high-profile. Yet, Cagalli was somewhat familiar with his previous girlfriend and had decided that anyone would be an improvement from her.
But as she stared at her twin, he looked back at her and immediately, she could sense that he'd always had more on his mind.
She squinted. "What?"
"Let him help you." Kira insisted right away, cutting straight to the chase.
"What?"
"Athrun's a good person. He's not one of those sharks."
"Oh." She smiled irreverently. "That."
"He's harmless." It was strange that her twin was using this kind of adjective, but then Cagalli attributed it to how he worked with all sorts of poisonous, viciously-evolved sea creatures on a day-to-day basis. Besides, Cagalli thought, the context wasn't incongruent with the average solicitor in her opinion.
She raised an eyebrow in response. "This is the guy who basically ripped your then-girlfriend's father to shreds in court, if I heard correctly."
Kira paused, clearing recalling Fllay Alster, and Cagalli immediately regretted what she'd mentioned. There had been plenty of nasty episodes without Cagalli having to emphasize those.
Shaking her head, Cagalli muttered, "Sorry. Didn't mean to bring it up."
"It's fine." He told her quietly. "Like you said, we're not together anymore. Besides, Athrun's very professional. He's always been a friend, even when he found out that Fllay's father was his then-client's opponent. He was very decent about it when he called me up to explain, even though I never needed an explanation. Believe me on this one—he's not a shark."
"All of them are sharks, Kira." The conviction she said this with made her feel even more justified for having left the way she had on the first meeting with the solicitor that Kira had convinced her to visit. "It's the nature of their job."
"But he can help you. Trust me on this." Kira was unwilling to give up. There was always that mild countenance about him, but there was stubbornness in his tone now.
"Look," Cagalli said as patiently as she could, "I understand that you're his good friend."
Dappled in the shade, Kira corrected her. "Best friend, actually."
"Well, yes, that. But he's in that profession and so he knows all the lawyer-jokes dissing the lack of ethics in there." She narrowed her eyes, shuffling one foot and hearing the leaves crackle beneath her shoes. "Clearly, he must be used to it—he's probably even fine with it."
"That's only because he's very mature and probably even drier than the month-old granola crackers that my colleague feeds to the birds." Kira pointed out. "And of course he appears impenetrable, but I'm sure he minded when you refused his help so flatly and—,"
"I appreciate what you're trying to do, Kira." Cagalli interjected. She shook her head. "But I'm telling you that I can handle it myself."
"Really?" Kira's voice could not be ridded of doubt. "I just want to help you, Cagalli. I don't get many chances to come down to Heliopolis and see how you're doing. I thought I'd do you a favor by introducing you to him, seeing as you're letting me camp with you." He looked at her quietly, smiling a bit. "Seeing also that we're twins and we're supposed to help each other."
Touched, she looked at him with a little sigh. "We did miss out on all those years, didn't we?"
He nodded. "We never hit it off at first too. That cruise was a disaster back then."
"You were on some kind of school trip right?" She made a funny face. "I was on holiday—a decade ago!"
He looked approvingly at her. "I was probably in a hurry or a bit blind back then, since everybody on board was screaming that the cruiser was going to sink." He laughed amusedly. "Weren't we all nonplussed when it turned out that it was only a safety-drill in the end? Well, at least I got to bump into you before we even found out a year later that we were related and twins."
"Well, for what it's worth, I'd let you in bunk in at my place anytime without thinking of repayment." She sighed, punching him lightly in the arm. "Just like how you insisted that I take the last life-jacket when we first met on the cruise all those years ago."
"You were a girl." He said matter-of-factly. "It was the right thing to do."
"I don't like your use of past-tense." Cagalli teased him. "I have to say though, I didn't think that my benefactor was coincidentally the twin that I was supposed to reunite with." She sighed, running a hand through her hair. "I don't think my father and your foster parents ever expected us to be on the same cruiser at any point."
"Same. But those were the good old times." Kira grinned. "Back then, I thought that the stranger I was trying to help was a boy before you took off your cap."
"Unfortunately, Kira, you weren't the last person to make that mistake of thinking that I was male." Cagalli shook her head, reminded of an unpleasant encounter earlier in the week.
"Well, I suppose overall, our meeting was a strange but fortunate one."
"Strange but fortunate." Cagalli echoed fondly. She looked a bit sad, Kira saw, and her cheerfulness did not reach her eyes. "My father did tell the truth in the end."
"He also asked me to look after you."Kira reminded. "Seeing that I'm your elder brother."
She scowled. "Nobody knows for sure. I still assert my seniority."
He laughed. "Well either way, Athrun can help you." He leaned forward, studying her. "Give me one good reason why you think he can't."
"Before I start arguing my case again, I'm going to need some ammunition." She glanced around, looking for the waiters who seemed to be floating and mingling amongst the crowd. "Where are those drinks?"
"Here, you can have this."
"Thanks." Cagalli took something that some passing waiter offered her and sipped. Beyond the tree, picnic blankets had been spread out and some guests were enjoying themselves with the usual wine and cheese. She cast her eye over the scene spread out along the banks, and decided that it reminded her of some Renoir painting. "I thought it would be stuffier than this, but this is quite nice."
Kira however, was preoccupied with something and was waving to someone in the distance.
She cast her eyes in the direction that he was facing, and spotted, amongst the many tuxedo-clad, suit-wearing people and formally-dressed guests, a familiar face.
Already, the solicitor that her brother had introduced this week was weaving his way through the crowd and he came to stand before them both.
With some shock, Cagalli involuntarily took a step back and only managed not to spill her martini over herself. The olive swam indignantly as she steadied her hand, but before she could protest, he had taken a step nearer.
Even as Kira greeted him happily, Athrun looked at her wryly, not saying anything. If Cagalli had felt slightly out of place here especially in her get-up, she wondered if the evening would get any less scintillating with someone she had not hit it off with.
"Hello, Kira." Athrun said. He seemed relaxed and rather languid as he spoke. "It's nice to see you again, Ms. Yula. Both of you had a good week, I hope?"
"Yes." Cagalli said defiantly. "Despite an unpleasant start, yes." She was quite glad that she looked like any other person in the place now— it would be easier to move off and fit herself into some circle of guests.
At the thought of that, she lifted her chin, looking at him imperiously. She thought he narrowed his eyes, but then she wasn't sure. All the same, she had somehow noticed that he had curiously vivid, emerald eyes—eyes that seemed knowing and skeptical all at once.
"No more talk of work, Athrun. It was about time that you got here!" Kira told him. "Here, let's get you something to drink." He turned around, signaling to one of the waiters.
He was offered a drink by the waiter and he dutifully took one, although he did not seem keen on putting the glass to his lips at all. Instead, he looked at her. "It's good to see you again."
Staring at Athrun Reid, she found herself irrationally insulted that he had remembered her name and that he was bothering with niceties. A few awkward moments passed as Kira looked expectantly at her, as if expecting her to respond and prove that she could remember his friend's name too. Finally, she looked accusingly at Kira. "So why is Mr. Reid here at the quay?"
"Athrun, please." He said easily, even if he did not give an explanation that her question tried to provoke. Far too easily, Cagalli thought. "Mr. Reid makes me sound too old."
She looked at him mistrustfully, not offering the same option to him. Privately, she was recalling Kira mentioning that Athrun Reid had been featured in some manhunt of some sort. To be fair, she noted, he looked very sharp in his suited attire, even when he wasn't wearing a tie and he had unbuttoned the top two slots of his shirt to accommodate the sultriness of the afternoon air.
His tenor's voice was naturally smooth with a sustained kind of calmness to it, and she was sure that even if he mumbled or muttered, it would have come off more as a murmur or a caressing whisper.
He was the kind of fellow that she was particularly suspicious of.
"Now, Cagalli," Kira interjected hastily, "It's not like Athrun doesn't have an invitation too— show her, Athrun."
Cagalli watched mutely as Athrun drew the same embossed slip from his breast pocket. His voice was droll as he regarded her quite specifically. "I suppose the security guards can't throw me out now— regardless of the extremely useful and detailed security checks."
For no good reason that was known to herself, Cagalli flushed, and instantly, she cursed herself for it. Athrun Reid of course, picked up on it and his eyebrows lifted a little.
"Like I've said before," Kira said mildly. "He's a friend of mine, Cagalli. He was the one who gave me Torii. That got me interested in mechanics and animal patterns of communication, you know. Athrun's very good with mechanics, beyond his job."
"I see." Cagalli said helplessly, recalling the green toy that had been quite a clever piece of work in its original form. Some modifications had been done to it since then, and it was a handy planner for Kira now, as she understood it.
"It was a hobby in the past," Athrun qualified quickly. "All rusty now, of course."
"Right." She looked at Athrun, wondering what else he did in his spare time, if he had any. Curiously, he looked back at her, his face impassive and rather hard to read.
A bit disconcerted, she shook her head, taking a step away to move outside the tree's circumference. "If you'll excuse me."
"Where are you going?" Kira said, a bit puzzled.
Cagalli paused, not quite sure why she felt an urge to leave. But then she shrugged. "To explore."
"But the event's going to start!"
"I'll find you by then." She found herself eager to get away, suddenly uncomfortable for no good reason at all. "I'll see you in a bit."
But even as she moved away, she could sense her twin's friend staring at her back.
He spotted her in the distance. To be more accurate, he spotted her dress with its bright turquoise flashing out even from between the shrubs and hanging lichens from the thick trees.
Hurrying now, he moved over some thick roots and prepared to call her.
When Cagalli had left, Athrun had asked his friend haplessly, "Does she really dislike solicitors so much?"
Kira had been rather vague about the whole issue. But then, Athrun knew why she was so antagonistic towards him. He'd been rather rude to her in the first place. And so, when it had been five minutes to the start of the event, Athrun had volunteered to find her himself. Of course, he wasn't sure what he could do to erase the rather poor first impression she'd gained of him, but at very least, he wanted to help the situation.
As he got nearer, he noticed that she wasn't alone. Not sure if he was interrupting anything, Athrun paused.
She was there alright. Speaking to some man. The person was quite tall, and he was in a white suit that made Athrun wonder how he could sit down without fear of having a thousand people's traces imprinted on his back.
All the same, the man sounded very confident.
"You're looking fine tonight, Cagalli," He drawled, lighting a cigar. From where he stood, Athrun privately agreed. Even though the branches obscured most of everything, Athrun could see the dip of the dress' back that revealed a great deal of Cagalli's shoulders. All the same, she did not seem pleased at the compliment, and Athrun could see her trying to keep her fists from clenching. She did not even answer as her companion continued.
Athrun took about three seconds to decide. He had a few cardinal rules— he never intervened when it concerned strangers, and he never eavesdropped. In the third second, he created another rule for himself—if he eavesdropped, he would do it without being discovered. Having thought this, he got closer, but hid himself behind a tree.
The two were in something of a one-sided conversation.
"I didn't expect to see you here, but once I spotted you, I knew you'd come back." The man's voice was mocking.
She did not say anything. Athrun strained his ears, wondering whether it was just awkwardness or whether there was indeed a strained atmosphere that he sensed on Cagalli's part.
"You're a real lady tonight. Your father would approve." He blew smoke lazily into the air. "If I knew that you'd be here tonight, I would have sent a dress for you myself."
Athrun could not see her face clearly, but her tone sounded rather controlled as the man blew smoke was blown into her face. "I'd like to be alone, thanks."
Now this was strange for someone on a first-name basis with her. Athrun gathered that she was either in a very foul mood, or that she did not want to be addressed like this by whoever it was that had come along. The man who'd come by now grinned, flicking his wrist out and trailing the air with the cigar. "No can do. This is a public space."
Cagalli narrowed her eyes, although Athrun could not see this. "And that's why they don't allow public nuisances."
From where he stood stiffly, afraid to twitch his foot in case some twig cracked, Athrun stared, wondering whether it was his imagination or it was really dislike in her voice. Even though she seemed generally impatient, she hadn't even used such animosity towards Athrun. She'd seemed to want to ignore him, for sure, but with this man, she seemed more likely to sock him in the face.
He saw the man's jaw tighten visibly. When the man spoke, there was definitely a jeer in his voice. "I didn't think that you'd come back to Heliopolis." There was a smile lingering on his lips as he enjoyed his cigar. "Didn't your father promise that the first thing you'd do after finishing your education was to report to me? I thought you'd disappeared! How did you get to Heliopolis and how long have you been here?"
She wasn't answering now. Athrun wondered what was going on. Hadn't she lived here for all her life? Come to think of it, he realized, he knew little about her personally, even if he felt more than equipped to deal with the place that she lived in.
The man was moving around her, observing her. She stood still however, rooted to the ground, for perhaps she was too stubborn to leave the place.
"Where do you work now?" His voice was very soft and sneering, but Athrun could hear most of it.
She wasn't answering still.
He sighed. "Time really flies."
"Like my shoe at a cockroach."
Athrun raised a brow. That had sounded less than friendly, even if it might have been delivered with some humour.
"Well know," He smirked back. "You've really grown up since we played together, haven't you?"
Her voice was trembling with rage when she replied. "This isn't the place to be reminiscing or holding a conversation. For that matter—," Her fists were clenching. "There will never be a place or time wherein there's anything to say between us."
Athrun squinted, trying to see her expression. But perhaps he needn't have bothered. The sarcasm had gone out of her words and real anger had entered. Obscured, she still managed to radiate displeasure.
"My dear," He laid a hand on her shoulder. "I think you're mistaken. You can't get very far without me."
"I'm afraid so." She said viciously. "You always seem to be hanging around like a fly on a sticky horse butt. I can't seem to get far away enough from you." Her voice grew a little louder. "Weren't you supposed to be in the Earth Alliance?"
"Why, yes I was. Even now, I'm thinking of continuing my further studies."
"The further the better." Her tone was very sharp.
He laughed—a silly, affected sound. "That's why you're so interesting, Cagalli." He sighed indulgently. "You're a little wildcat."
Without removing the hand that was stroking her cheek now, she made a sound that Athrun realized was a hiss. "I said I'd like to be alone, Yuuna. If you're incapable of understanding that, then I'll have to leave first."
But Yuuna lobbed his cigar to the side, stamping on it. Athrun winced as the crackle of twigs shot into the air— there was a violence to the action that hadn't gone unnoticed. "You're too feisty for your own good, Cagalli." His voice was taunting as he placed both hands on her shoulders. "Where do you work now? Do you even have a place to live in?" He was circling her again. "Did those debts drown you in the end?"
She said nothing. Athrun did not understand anything, but it did not seem to matter anymore. The questions in his head had nothing to do with what Yuuna was talking about. Instead, Athrun was asking why Cagalli was still standing here.
Athrun stared, somehow praying for something; wanting her to throw a comeback, wanting her to throw a punch, wanting some kind of adverse reaction to the person that was invading her personal space. But she was silent, perhaps trying to control her temper.
The man that she'd called Yuuna was moving his face closer, and yet she seemed either too stubborn or petrified. Athrun could not be sure. "Who are you accompanying tonight to be here in this place?"
And suddenly, there was a violent shove from Cagalli. She pushed, an almost blind force, making Yuuna stumble back. But he lunged forward with an enraged cry, his hand outstretched and flying towards her cheek. "Wretch!"
Somehow, as Athrun flinched, he saw that Cagalli had reacted first. She'd hit Yuuna first, despite his preparation to hit her. There was a shout that echoed in the clearing, and Athrun only managed to control his body from flinching reflexively and creating some sound.
"You dare lay a hand on me?" She said. Her voice was quiet, but it was shaking.
"That should be my line," He retorted. He sounded like he was in pain, and Athrun could see that he was holding his palm—the same plam he'd intended as a weapon—against the cheek she'd made contact with. She hadn't slapped him— she'd punched him. "I could punish you for this—this is assault, if not battery."
She looked up. "Why don't you call for your bodyguards?" Her voice was still fierce, but it seemed to be cracking. "Why not seek redress? You'd have all the time and resources in the world."
Athrun heard her gulp, and suddenly, he knew he could not bear to watch any longer. If he had hesitated about showing himself in the face of her steadiness, he could not bear to watch as she fought back this way.
Within two seconds, he'd decided.
So he stepped out, clearing his throat. He forced indulgence— the same kind he'd heard Yuuna use— into his voice. "So there you are, Ms. Yula."
The man called Yuuna turned, a bit shocked at the intrusion.
Frankly, Athrun was surprised at himself. A cardinal rule he usually stuck to was that he did not intervene in fights between strangers, and another rule that he upheld was that if one ought never to eavesdrop, and that if one eavesdropped, should best remain undiscovered. He'd broken all those rules.
That, or he'd created another rule that superseded the other cardinal ones.
He looked at Cagalli, not even sure what his new rule was. The more functioning part of his common sense however, told him that it revolved around her and his sudden new willingness to interfere in matter that wouldn't have concerned him.
Cagalli, however was not looking at him. She seemed a bit unfamiliar with the place suddenly—her eyes were darting to the clearing as if there was an escape she'd wanted.
"I heard your voice from over there," Athrun said smoothly. Only his training stopped him from expressing his nervousness. She did not look up, but he continued as blithely as he could manage. "The boats are ready, I think."
"Who the hell are you?" Yuuna cut in rudely. Suddenly upset for a reason he could not put his finger on, Athrun ignored him.
"Come on, Ms. Yula." Athrun said firmly, taking her by the elbow lightly and pulling her a bit. Yuuna was staring at Athrun but Athrun could not care less. In fact, he found more insistence in his voice than what he thought he could muster. "The boats are this way."
A bit dazed, she stared but trudged after him as he pulled her along. She could see Yuuna glaring at Athrun's back, and she wondered if she ought to explain anything. But between a rock and a hard place, there was little explanation to be made, and unwillingly, she found herself standing on the deck, in a queue.
Still not looking at her, Athrun muttered, "Your brother asked me to accompany you. He met a colleague and went to say hello…" He trailed off, thinking of how he'd gone to find her but had ended up eavesdropping and watching what had possibly been a tiff between his friend's twin and someone else.
It was very strange, Cagalli thought, that she was standing next to a person she certainly did not want anything to do with, even while such charming tunes were being played and the music was filling the air. If she had come out of her daze, she found that she was being cornered by many other people now.
Next to her, Athrun stood stolidly, his eyes trained in the distance.
"Isn't this nice?" She heard some girl coo from behind her. The girl was clutching at her partner's arm, looking all excited about the prospect of being towed out into the lake. "It's all old-fashioned and the rowing's manual! We'll be alone together, darling."
"What is this?" Cagalli muttered. Her voice was still hoarse. She looked around as a hundred water-lanterns floated tranquilly, set off into the lake. In front of them, at least thirty boats were floating, giant, elongated flower petals in the water. She was glad that Athrun Reid seemed to be focused on the boats—his eyes were trained in the distance and she rubbed her eyes as quickly as she could while he didn't notice.
Everyone was murmuring their appreciation at the boats waiting before them. Some were already running forward to take their pick, although they were hustled back into the orderly queues. The boats were indeed, without motors, and those had been equipped with attached oars.
Cagalli blanched, taking a step back and bumping into another person who was queuing. The person made a sound of annoyance, but Cagalli was far too upset to apologize, seeing as she was cornered.
She mumbled, "This is a bad idea—,"
Next to her, Athrun however, deftly took off his jacket and began rolling up his sleeves.
Twenty minutes later, Cagalli was still looking at her hands in her lap. Athrun Reid, thankfully, was rowing busily and steadily and looking very preoccupied with the oars. He was handling those well enough, and it had not occurred to her to take one of the oars until he'd started rowing and worked up a steady rhythm.
At this point, she was somehow feeling awkward even though she had been prepared to ignore him for as long as the boat ride took. The little exchange with Yuuna had surely been noted by Athrun, and even if he did not say anything, she was upset that he'd seen anything at all. Even now, she wasn't sure if he'd been eavesdropping, but she was too upset to think or care about it.
But now he was looking at her, and she could feel the colour rise beneath her cheeks. As if to mock her, some stray ducks started squabbling from the nearby reeds. Feeling quite uneasy, Cagalli rubbed her face with her hand, biting her lips a little.
"Is anything the matter?" Athrun asked, a bit alarmed at how she was starting to look ill. Granted, she seemed rather rattled, but she was starting to look more disturbed than that.
Pausing with the oars, he leaned forward to study her. Now, their boat moved gently and further out into the lake—the other boats having made off further in the distance by now. The reeds they passed had seemed to become shorter as the water grew deeper, and there were dragonflies flitting and dipping slightly over the water.
And Cagalli broke her silence, looking blankly at her hands. "No."
In her heart, she cursed her carelessness. Yuuna had spotted her, after all. Why was he here at this event, if he was supposed to be travelling in the Earth Alliance, or at very least, stayed in Coppernicus?
Athrun was still staring at her, and all too late, she saw that she had been sitting slumped with her feet pulled up and the dress parting slightly to reveal her shoes.
She glanced at him briefly, and then dropped her eyes, feeling remarkably unsophisticated. A bit clumsily, she shifted her feet, conscious that he could see how she had been wearing brown and white brogues despite the long, elegant dress that Lacus had assigned her. He was staring, indeed, and she thought she saw his lips twitch at the obvious contradiction of her shoe wear and attire.
Sighing inwardly at how she'd been found out, Cagalli cast her eyes down. "Alright. Go ahead. But don't laugh too loudly in case you frighten the ducks."
"Laugh?" His eyes twinkled. "Why would I?"
Cagalli sighed. "You saw my shoes right?"
"I like those." He said casually. "I didn't think I'd see a girl wearing those— oxfords, are those called?"
"Brogues."
"Right. I didn't think I'd see those, especially not with a dress." He smiled a bit. "But I do like those."
"I did come dressed and prepared to row." She looked away, thankful that he was at least pretending that it was normal for one to wear an evening dress and walking shoes together.
Now, she tried to be fascinated with the dragonflies playing in the growing evening. "Maybe I should row a bit."
"What for?" He was clearly taken aback, for he had immediately assumed the task of rowing the oars upon their settling into the boat.
"It doesn't seem fair to make you do all the work."
He smiled, and she saw that it was a very quiet, slight smile.
For one, she'd never seen him smile like this before. For another, he seemed rather harmless, even if he was that brand of person she was always suspicious of.
"You're a lady—it's right that you're sitting back and relaxing." He studied her. "In fact, you should be holding a parasol like the other ladies on their boats." There was a slight dryness to his tone that she realized she rather liked.
"Oh don't be ridiculous," Cagalli scoffed, trying to mask her discomfort at how easily she was getting used to his presence. "There's not much sun now. In fact—," She looked at the sky. "It's going to get much darker and colder soon."
"I can see that the Victorian theme didn't inspire you at all." Athrun said wryly.
"No more than it inspired you." Cagalli pointed out. He was wearing a suit, but it was a stark black with a white shirt and had neither embroidery nor lace details that the other men were wearing for the night. Kira even, had done the minimum and put on a cravat, but it was exceedingly obvious that his friend had done all but pay attention to the theme.
He had taken off the jacket to row with more ease, and it was exceedingly obvious that he had been at work before he'd gotten here. They made a strange pair sitting there, she realized—neither of them really keen on the event and yet somehow stuck in the same place.
Biting her lips, Cagalli asked. "Were you eavesdropping just now?"
He looked at her straight-facedly. "No."
"How can I be sure that you're not lying?" Cagalli accused.
"You can't be." He kept his poker expression. "But you could save yourself from worrying by taking what I say."
She frowned. "Why would I take a solicitor's words at face-value?"
"It's good enough for some peace of mind." He did not miss a beat.
She looked down, not saying anything anymore.
Unfortunately, Athrun did not take her cue to return her sullenness. In fact, he sounded almost gentle. "I suppose you already do have the worst impression of me possible, so this seems to be a terrible experience for you, Ms. Yula."
Cagalli didn't answer, although the better of her guts allowed her to look at him directly. He had picked up the oars again and begun to row, and the lights floating onto the water cast strange, darting glows onto their reflections.
"I'll try to keep this as painless as possible," Athrun said diffidently, rowing steadily still. "Seeing as you don't like all solicitors." He laughed, and she was surprised to hear something akin to a teasing delight in his voice. "And definitely not one who treated you so roughly and unnecessarily too."
Cagalli stared at him, realizing that he was trying to apologise for the rough tumble of their first meeting.
A tiny twinge of guilt crept at her as she recalled Athrun Reid. He had been Kira's friend, even if he had been a lawyer and had certainly gone off on the wrong footing by mistaking her as a thief and worse—a male. Besides, he'd helped her out of a sticky situation, and while she wasn't sure he had ought to be there in the first place or whether he'd intended to help her, he still had prevented anything worse from happening.
"So how are you acquainted with Kira again?" Cagalli asked slowly. She was suddenly glad that she was making conversation with him, for she was eager to keep his thoughts away from what he must have seen when she'd had that exchange with Yuuna.
If he was surprised by her question and her obvious try at making conversation, Athrun Reid got over it quickly enough. "I went to pre-school with him. In Coppernicus."
"Oh." Some moments of silence passed as she contemplated what he'd said. "So you've met Haruma and Caridad."
"That's right." He told her. His voice was soft as he rowed easily. "I can't remember much though—it was nearly twenty two years ago. I left for the Plants soon after that and we lost contact."
While he had spoken, Cagalli had been unconsciously assessing him.
In all fairness to the person sitting across her, he seemed competent enough. When she'd happened to mention the firm's name at some point in the week, all she had heard were good things about Elsman & Reid being very efficient and very reasonably-priced. Perhaps their prices were because they weren't very established yet, but the partnership had certainly taken on some very high-profile cases. Already, there was talk that Elsman & Reid was set on a very straight and sure path to success.
Cagalli, for one, trusted her instincts more than rumors and hearsay. She had seen Athrun Reid for herself, and objectively, he seemed to translate every breath and every word he took into a process of efficiency. There was a cool, even calculative rationality about the way he carried himself. That had been precisely the thing that had made her dislike him and feel mistrustful, but now, she wondered if those character traits were good after all. Certainly, he'd handled Yuuna without wasting a single word on him.
"So what is it that I can do to make you forgive me for manhandling you during our first meeting then?" Athrun asked offhandedly. He looked at her briefly, still rowing in that leisurely manner he seemed to carry all the time.
She paused, wondering what to say. But he seemed sincere enough and in the interest of the remaining boat ride, Cagalli decided to take his advice and accept his words at face-value.
"We definitely got on a bad start, but it's not really an issue." She looked at him directly. "I suppose anyone could have made that mistake. You wanted to help that person—you were too eager to."
"A bit too eager." He said wryly. "I jumped to conclusions—literally, perhaps."
She laughed, surprising both of them.
"Nonetheless," Cagalli hesitated, wondering how they'd even started talking. "You didn't mean to do more than help."
His eyes moved to hers, and she looked away, suddenly losing her nerve. Perhaps she was exhausted after that exchange with a person she hadn't expected to meet, but she found that she could not look at Athrun Reid in the eye.
The silence of the crickets and the occasional duck quarrel created a background less awkward than what it might have potentially been. He was taking a rest, and the oars were still for now. "Ms. Yula, may I ask whether you are serious about getting an injunction?"
She looked at him sharply. "I think I made it clear, Mr. Reid. Whether or not we got off to a bad start, and whether we're on a better footing now, I will be pursuing action against the relevant corporation and that will be without any solicitor's help." A bit pityingly, Cagalli kept her gaze on him. "I think it's best if I apologize for my behavior that day too, Mr. Reid. Regardless, I don't really need anyone to represent me."
He watched her for a moment or two, wondering how to begin explaining himself. And quietly, he said, "You don't have much of a chance."
"I don't think a solicitor should be telling me that," Cagalli said sceptically. "I understand that you are a very good lawyer, Mr. Reid, and that your firm is doing well. You don't need this case to meet the bottom-line, as I would imagine."
"No." He agreed readily. "It does seem ironic that the salesman should be trusted by a purchaser of goods." He shook his head. "But I'm saying this as your twin's friend, Ms. Yula. I don't deny that I am a salesman for my firm's services and that my firm can do a lot with the basic facts you're facing, but Ms. Yula, I am speaking in the capacity of someone who Kira asked help from."
She sighed, softening a bit, despite her better judgment. "You know, Mr. Reid, I appreciate how you treasure your friendship with my twin. But I'm twenty-eight, the elder of us two, and certainly not a child that needs his protection anymore than any other adult would."
"Well then," He said boldly, "It is true that we're all adults and make our own decisions. Kira knows that, and he wouldn't mind if I flatly refused to take your case. But Ms. Yula," Athrun looked directly at her, "I've prepared a file that I am willing to show you at any point in time. You're going to need some help if you want that injunction awarded to you."
"You gathered material?" Her voice registered her surprise. "Like, case authorities and all that?"
Athrun Reid was a tough nut, Cagalli realized. Other solicitors would have gotten the message and quickly declined her case with how unfriendly she had been. But Athrun had seemed to know what he was going on about— he'd even been able to surmise offhand what she was getting at even in their first meeting.
Even now, he looked at her with that slightly disbelieving, impeccably correct, polite smile, and Cagalli had wondered if he was a little too discerning for his own good. Still, Athrun Reid had rather good control over himself, a clear wit he'd used to barb her a few times within fifteen minutes, and he was particularly eye-catching too. A pity he was in a dirty line then.
"That's right." He looked fearlessly at her. "If you don't mind, I can pass it to you."
"Why?" Her expression registered how stunned she was.
"It didn't take that much time." Athrun assured her.
But privately, Athrun was feeling a bit guilty and he tried not to think of how he'd been supposed to be working on Dullindal's case. All the same, he noticed that she was impressed, even if reluctantly, and he congratulated himself on having scored one. But if he had originally hoped to silence her apparent disdain for solicitors, now he wondered what she thought of him.
"I—," She seemed to lose her eloquence. Speechlessly, she shook her head, her amazement spreading onto her face. He had been right then, Athrun realized, when he'd seen her for the first time. She was the sort who'd always lose at cards—the sort he never wanted to have as witnesses because they always collapsed while being grilled on the stand.
But why, why did she have to look so attractive in that strange revelation of menswear shoes instead of what should have been dainty heels? She'd even done something rather unlady-like and rolled up the sleeves of her dress to her elbows, revealing fine honeyed forearms. He came to the conclusion that she did not care much for porcelain skin as much as the sun. Sitting as she did, she did not look entirely elegant but came off as natural and rather appealing still.
"I—," Her voice sounded a bit hesitant. "Did Kira put you up to this?"
"He did ask me to try and help," Athrun told her, hiding his other thoughts.
"But I already have my evidence that the construction will be too much over the next month to fit within the required regulations the Heliopolis council for area five has specified." She said finally. The sharpness was back in her tone, and she was looking rather defensive again.
"It isn't enough." Athrun told her honestly.
"Why isn't it?" She retorted, going slightly pink in the cheeks.
"You might not have realized this, but the solicitor is always fronting the claim his client makes as a matter of strategy. There's a lot that goes into preparing for those few hours or sometimes even minutes you have in the courtroom. There's research, there's time spent finding supporting cases, there's time spent on tweaking the arguments. That's why solicitors get paid so much."
She said nothing, but he could tell that she was thinking about what he'd said.
"If you don't mind me asking," Athrun said cautiously. "Is it the issue of legal costs that's putting you off the option of hiring solicitors in general?"
She shook her head, looking a bit distracted now, her voice fading and becoming small and soft. "I made inquiries a long time ago, Mr. Reid. I saved up for the day when I would bring an action." She bit her lips a bit. "Back in the day when I thought legal advice from solicitors' was beneficial, of course."
Athrun frowned, not really understanding. What did she mean when she had mentioned saving up? And back in the day? How long ago had that been? He looked at her, trying to decipher what she had murmured.
Now, Cagalli flinched, looking upset. From where he sat, he could see her expression, and he realized that it had probably been the same one she'd shown when Yuuna Roma Seiran had been taunting her. While he wasn't quite sure what that or even what this was about, Athrun wondered what was really getting at her. She looked trapped, and there was tension in her hands. He half-expected her to run, but she had no way of marching off, given that they were in the middle of a lake. He watched her chew her lip, and he was suddenly aware of why those had looked a bit chapped the first time he'd seen her.
She was a very stubborn person, Athrun realized suddenly, someone who fought even when she knew she would lose. She had been petrified back there, and he had sensed her fear and dislike, but she'd still stood there and refused to back down. Perhaps, that was the inevitability of any stance that Cagalli Yula took. If she'd been someone less interesting or less compelling, he'd have left her to rot already. At the same time though, he wanted to convince her to trust him for reasons he wasn't quite so sure about anymore.
To calm them both down, Athrun took in a deep breath. "How would you know if your evidence proves the things you need to establish in court?"
"Nobody knows that." She shot back.
"But I know." He said. He was surprised by the confidence that bordered on desperation in his voice. He wondered what on earth was making him sound so fervent, but there was no mistaking the conviction in his voice. "I know how to help you get that injunction."
Cagalli narrowed her eyes. "I can get it on my own. I know what I need to prove."
"Well, I give you credit for knowing about what you want to do, but how are you going to achieve that without help?"
"I think I've made it very clear," Cagalli said, looking visibly unhappy at the sounds that were echoing around them now. There were frogs singing in the distance, filling the air with soft, strange sounds. "I know that I'm the only one in this apartment suing, out of six occupiers. But even if I'm alone, I'm going to make sure I win. And being alone in this is fine— it doesn't mean that I can't win."
He studied her, wondering what it was exactly that could drive her to do this.
"You might be able to win," He countered. "But with legal counsel, you have a much higher chance of winning." He looked at her, and suddenly he didn't know where his words were spilling out from. "I'm making you an offer that you can't refuse, Ms. Yula. I'm not doing this for any payment—I just want to help my friend."
She smiled wryly, beginning to shake her head and create a comeback. But he cut in before she could.
"Trust me." He said softly, surprising himself for the umpteenth time that day. And before he knew what he was saying, he was uttering, "I can help with this."
They stared at each other, and he could see her fine jaw tightening with clear stubbornness.
"You can't possibly be getting anything out of helping for free." Cagalli said. She shook her head. "I'm not sure what the structure of your firm is, but I'm sure you have a partner who'd mind you taking a case that you're not getting paid for."
His words again, were moving faster than he could keep up. "This is a favor to Kira—this is a personal undertaking that doesn't need my partner's approval."
Inwardly, he prayed that Dearka never found out about this.
But then she burst out laughing suddenly, and he stared at her. Her laughter made it clear that she was highly amused and relaxed at this point, and what a difference it made! The peals of her voice were sounding in the somewhat stagnant air above the river, and he watched the way her eyes crinkled. Somehow, he was transfixed by her voice.
"I still maintain that solicitors are better off being hired by the suckers." Cagalli added finally, bursting the bubble that had nearly swelled for him. "But maybe you're convincing enough to make me one. I'll take your offer, Mr. Reid, but—," She looked at him squarely. "I'll pay."
"What makes you so against us solicitors?" Athrun demanded, more curious than privately offended. Even on that morning of their first meeting, Athrun realized, he'd been more taken with how defiantly a complete stranger had looked at him, and that had blotted out the insults he might have taken. "Isn't that a bit unfair to assume everyone is a crook or incompetent until you find one that isn't?"
Now, Cagalli laughed humorlessly, looking at him. "Don't get me started, Mr. Reid. Let's just say that 'innocent until proven guilty' is a less pragmatic approach than 'guilty until proven innocent'."
He wondered what to say, but then she was already continuing. This time, she surprised him even more.
"Say I do engage your firm's services." She looked at him carefully. "Will I be able to settle this fast?"
"Faster than if you were to try to get an action by yourself." He told her. "At very least, the firm can represent you and negotiate with the developers' in-house lawyers to see if the noise can be adjusted." Athrun shook his head. "But my initial offer still stands. I'm doing this to help a friend, and I don't expect payment."
There was a long pause before she spoke.
"Fine then." Cagalli seemed more determined than ever. "I'll believe you. But I should state now that it's also because of Kira that I'm using your firm's services."
"You won't regret this." He said, his voice nearly modulated with his surprise and even enthusiasm. "We'll do our best." He knew he would—with or without Dearka's support. Dearka of course, would not be finding out about this if Athrun could help it.
"I know the chances of solicitors abstaining from wasting their clients' time to extract every cent they can get is nearly non-existent," Cagalli muttered. "But you better not do it more than you have to. I know you will though, so I'm prepared."
"How do you know?" He challenged her.
She laughed. "Do you really want me to answer that?"
"I think it's a matter of prejudice." He said quietly, looking intently at her.
"It's a matter of principle." Cagalli said strongly, glaring back at him.
"Then fight for it." Athrun said boldly, surprising himself. "Fight with everything you've got."
She paused, looking at the person before her. He was the epitome of soberity, Cagalli realized, and it was unlikely that he'd fool around and fluff this up when he was Kira's friend and she could rat on him at any moment.
Besides, Cagalli thought privately, he'd made some convincing points about why taking on a solicitor made sense for her, and the new projects she'd taken on would mean that doing her own case-research was going to take a big chomp out of her. She was no professional there either.
"Fine then." She looked at him a bit reluctantly. "Only because you were so persistent, Mr. Reid. And only because Kira will have your internal organs made into a necklace around his neck if you do anything that displeases me." Her eyes regarded him coolly. "Childhood friends or not."
"He wouldn't do that," Athrun protested. "I helped him get his girl, you know."
"You know Lacus?" Cagalli said, rather surprised. ""Oh, you know Lacus Clyne too?" Then she grinned. "Right. Everyone knows Lacus Clyne."
"No, not because I've seen her on the screens or appealing to people to join her on missions to rebuild places for needy people," Athrun returned her smile, picking up the oars once more and beginning to row. "It's less superficial than that. We dated briefly when we were in college— back in the Plants, anyway."
"Interesting," She noted. That certainly, should not have surprised her though. People like Athrun Reid and Lacus Clyne must have all been in the same social circles back in the Plants. "And you helped them both get together?"
"Well," Athrun explained. "Kira and I actually met again through Lacus. She'd invited him to a concert she was holding, and obviously, I was invited too. So we met again while sitting in the same box during the concert, and he told me he had a crush on her without realizing I was dating and engaged to her. So that's how we er— got in contact again." He looked sheepishly at Cagalli, who'd clapped her hands over her mouth. "There were some other incidents too, but maybe those are better left in the past."
"That is so screwy," Cagalli said, laughing. And then she sobered a bit. "Sorry. I didn't mean it the way it came out."
"No, you're absolutely right." He sighed, looking ruefully at Cagalli. "Kira knew someone even at that time, and some of those incidents involved threats to Lacus while I was dating her."
Cagalli stared. "What?"
He shrugged. "It's all in the past now. Anyway, we broke up after we got bored with each other and we played a game of rock-scissors-paper. She won and she wanted to break up, and I agreed."
"Do you regret that?" Cagalli said soberly.
"Don't be ridiculous." Athrun said simply and with no trace of bitterness whatsoever. "Nobody who was trying to save a relationship would have played a kid's game to decide whether to continue or not. It was just a way of keeping it in good humor and light-hearted. She eventually started dating Kira and we've remained friends."
He decided not to rake up how their relationship had taken a turn for the worse when her father had died. "Anyway, that's all in the past now."
She looked over her shoulder as a dragonfly moved swiftly across the water. At the same time, she stole a glance at the watery reflections that dissipated and then reformed as the boat dragged its path lazily across the water.
And Cagalli wondered why Athrun Reid was such a closed, unfeeling-looking person. Admittedly, he had smiled and looked annoyed at times, of course, but it was always a mild kind of reaction and he didn't seem to ever get riled up, despite her best attempts to blow him off. Even when dealing with Yuuna, he'd been polite and impeccable with his manners, and he'd dealt with the whole situation so efficiently that Cagalli hadn't noticed that it had already blown over.
Overall, she had to acknowledge that he was a persuasive speaker, Cagalli thought doubtfully, precisely because he seemed to be so careful about letting other see what his thoughts were. No wonder he was best friends with her twin, who was equally mild-mannered and had never really flown into a rage before.
"I suppose," Cagalli muttered, "You are my brother's best friend, after all. Only a friend would bother so much with his friend's twin's efforts to sue some mega corporation."
He laughed. "Think of this as an agreement with mutual benefits. You get legal help, I get karmic points."
"I do think of this as that kind of agreement," Cagalli answered him definitively. "That's what this is all about, Mr. Reid."
He looked directly at her.
"Athrun." He said, rowing those rhythmic strokes over the water. There was insistence in his voice, and she shrugged.
"Athrun then."
He didn't seem satisfied. With a persistence that she noticed, he said, "May I call you Cagalli?"
She turned back to him, looking at him unsurely. Then she shrugged again for lack of an option. "Do as you please."
"Cagalli." He said softly, as if testing the name on his lips. She could hear the smile in his voice and she was surprised to hear the sincerity in it.
For some strange reason, she felt a need to look down at her shoes. Had she looked at the water, her reflection would have revealed her slightly hesitant eyes and a small smile that was threatening to become quite visible on her face.
