Author Note:
So, in an attempt to get this story moving along (it's only been like what? Nearly 2 years since an update...), the chapter might be a little longer with more details.
As always, thank you for reading and/or reviewing.
Chapter 4: Amaurosis
In a sense, Athrun was grateful she couldn't see him staring. Instead, her gaze appeared to be focused on the arguing group a few feet away.
"I apologize for the commotion my friends are causing," she replied.
"Oh, not at all," Athrun had forgotten all about that. "It's actually pretty entertaining," he added with a soft chuckle.
Lacus smiled. "We recently arrived in ORB, but unfortunately the agency is booked this week and we won't be able to get a tour. My friends are trying to see if we can fit ourselves in one way or another," she explained.
"Ah, well it seems you came at the perfect time," Athrun claimed as Lacus tilted her head in interest. "You see, I just got into ORB too and am filling in as a temporary employee. As long as you give me a few hours to get caught up, I should be able to give you a tour. It may not be the most professional, but I'll try to make it worth your while."
"That would be wonderful!" Lacus exclaimed, clasping her hands together. "But you should certainly take as much time as you need to rest," she quickly added, eyebrows knitting together.
Athrun smiled at her concern. "It's no problem at all." She opened her mouth to interject, but he cut her off. "If it were, I wouldn't have offered. And I couldn't possibly refuse to help out a lovely damsel in distress."
Lacus' eyebrows rose in mild surprise before she smiled softly. "We truly appreciate your offer. My name is Lacus," she added, extending her hand to shake.
"Alex," he replied, taking her hand in his before lightly tugging in the direction of the group. "Shall we head over and inform your friends? I'm afraid of what may happen to our clerk. "
Lacus laughed before nodding and allowing him to lead her.
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"Yes, I completely understand that you've taken quite the trip and only deserve one of ORB's finest tours," Nicol said sweetly.
"See, now we're getting somewhere," Cagalli mumbled, earning a glare from the clerk.
Nicol smiled. "Ah, and here comes our solution," he added, tilting his heads towards the approaching duo.
"Good morning, ladies," Athrun greeted.
"Well, that's about the best looking solution I've seen in a while," Flay blurted, to which Cagalli face-palmed.
"Ladies, this is Alex. He just flew into ORB and will be filling in as a temporary tour guide." Nicol turned his attention to Athrun. "These lovely young women are looking for a tour, but unfortunately we're booked. Would you be able of help out?"
"Certainly," Athrun replied with a nod. "I've gotten the basic gist from Lacus and should be available this afternoon if it works with your schedules."
"Yes!"
"Um, Flay. This is usually where some sort of discussion takes place," Kira reminded as Cagalli rolled her eyes.
"Are you guys really going to turn down his offer? Don't blame me when we have to get out our hiking boots and march all over ORB on our own because you people couldn't agree right here right now," Flay retorted.
"I guess she's kinda right. It's not like we have much else going on today," Cagalli said hesitantly. "What do you think, Lacus?"
"I'm fine with a tour later today."
"And you? Any objections?" Cagalli directed at her brother.
"Why would I have an objection?"
"I don't know. You're just weird sometimes." Flay laughed at Cagalli's comment and Kira scowled. "Anyway, let's get to our hotel and then meet back here around… what time, Alex?"
"Four should be good."
"Actually, there's no need for you to come back. We'll arrange for you to be picked up at the hotel," Nicol interjected.
"Oh my god, I love this place!" Flay exclaimed.
"This is gonna be awesome!" Cagalli joined in.
"Try not to get too out of hand," Kira reminded, only to get a mock punch to his arm. He turned his attention to Athrun. "Seriously, these two can be a handful," he gestured to Flay and Cagalli.
Flay puffed out her cheeks. "I resent that. I'm actually quite wonderful," she said with a wink. "But Cagalli, she's like an untamed beast."
"I am not!" She turned to glare at Athrun when he chuckled. "Watch it, pretty boy, or you'll regret it," she warned.
A mischievous smirk played across Athrun's lips. "That sounds like a challenge."
Cagalli's eyes narrowed even further.
"Ok that's enough!" Flay dramatically dropped her hand on Cagalli's shoulder, thus preventing her friend from lunging. "Any more of this and we won't have a tour guide anymore. Come on Cagalli, let's get back to the hotel." She spun her friend around before leaving Athrun with a wink. "Kira and Lacus will catch up with us."
Kira let out a sigh. "I swear that girl is going to give me more gray hairs than any stress at work." He turned his attention to Athrun. "She means no harm, but that kid sister of mine is like a firecracker. Watch out for her."
"Noted," Athrun replied.
"Kira, that isn't true! Cagalli has a big heart," Lacus corrected.
"Yeah, and it's filled with explosives," he muttered.
"Sir, if you don't mind, could we get some information from you so that we can arrange for the tour?" Nicol gestured to the information booth. Kira agreed and walked over after telling Lacus he'd return shortly.
Athrun had a feeling he'd really enjoy the tour this afternoon.
"Alex, I'm afraid you're going to tease Cagalli excessively," Lacus commented, as though reading his mind.
"She seems overly hostile towards me, don't you think?"
"It's nothing personal. She tends to be on edge around unfamiliar men," Lacus explained. "She's also very protective of the people she cares about."
"That's an admirable quality," Athrun replied, to which Lacus nodded. "But I promise to behave myself for most of the time. Besides, there's someone else who'll likely be taking most of my attention."
Lacus frowned. "I hope you are not too obviously distracted. She may not take it very well…" Athrun couldn't suppress the smile at her missing his subtle hint.
"All the paperwork's taken care of so they should arrive at the hotel by four like we talked about," Kira reiterated as he approached the two.
"That's wonderful. Thank you again, Alex."
"It's my pleasure, Lacus. So it will be the four of you?" Just as Athrun asked, Kira's phone rang and he excused himself.
"Kira won't be joining as he'll likely have to go back to work."
"It's too bad he can't take a day off to spend with his baby sister and friends," Athrun commented.
"It's only natural given that he plays an integral role in helping ORB. We're lucky that he was able to make any time for us at all, actually."
Integral to ORB? Now Athrun's interest was piqued. What exactly did that mean?
"Certainly a government employee has some time off. Unless he's—"
"Sorry about that," Kira interrupted as he returned. "I'm going to have to get back to work after dropping you at the hotel. Sorry, wanted to spend more time with you."
"Not at all," Lacus said with a shake of her head. "We'll have more opportunities throughout the week," she assured.
"Yeah, I'm looking forward to it," Kira said with a smile.
Athrun watched the exchange, clearly picking up on some sort of atmosphere between the two. That was somewhat irritating.
"Alex, we will wait for you at the hotel then," Lacus said as she waved at him with a smile.
"Of course."
"Here, I can't hold your bag for you, Lacus," Kira said, reaching out for her.
She quickly pulled away. "Kira, I'm fine on my own," she replied gently, but firmly.
The three stood in silence for an uncomfortable few seconds. Lacus apparently wasn't too fond of people being overly involved.
She smiled. "If I need help, I'll be sure to ask for it."
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"What took you guys so long? It was so hot waiting for you outside the car!" Flay complained. "Ah! Lacus, you were flirting with our hunky tour guide, weren't you?!"
Kira nearly choked.
"Flay, I was only talking to him as Kira was filling out some paperwork," she corrected.
"Yeah, there's no way Lacus would fall for such an arrogant jerk anyway," Cagalli assured.
"Cagalli, he's not like that at all! He's quite charming," she corrected again.
A quick swerve to the next lane.
"Kira, what's wrong with you!? You're going to kill us before we even get to see ORB!" Cagalli yelled.
"You know," Flay started, dismissing Kira's driving mishaps. "I don't even want to see ORB. I just wanna hang out and wander the city. I hear they have amazing shopping and pubs."
"We're not old enough to get into a pub," Lacus reminded.
"Yeah, yeah, I know," Flay said with a wave of her hand. "But for the future. For now I'll just shop till I drop!"
"Figures you'd travel all the way out here for a shopping spree," Cagalli complained.
"Well, why are you so interested, Cagalli? Your family basically writes the history of ORB," Flay commented.
"I think it would be nice to hear the history from a third party," Lacus casually mentioned.
"I guess you're right. No bias from the honorary heir of the Athha family, I suppose."
"Very funny, Flay," Cagalli said with a roll of her eyes.
"Oh, I just remembered. You three are free tonight, right?" Kira asked. "There's a concert that I think you'll enjoy," he watched Lacus from the rear view mirror, knowing she'd be most excited when she found out what it was.
"What's it for?" Cagali asked.
"Better not be opera," Flay commented.
"How have you not learned better manners in school? What's wrong with the education system now? Normal people express gratitude," he said with a sigh.
"I'm sure we'll enjoy it, Kira," Lacus replied, attempting to cover for her friends.
"I hope you do."
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"I'm bored."
"Shut up." Yzak retorted as he lay on the couch staring up at the ceiling.
"You can't come over to my place and then tell me what to do! Wait, why are you here?" Yzak gave no reply and closed his eyes. "Don't tell me you're homeless!" Yzak gritted his teeth. "So you're jobless and homeless."
"What do I have to do to make you stop talking?"
Dearka grinned. "So you need a place to stay, right?" Yzak didn't like where this was going. "Remember how I told you I got a job at the bar?" He continued without waiting for a reply. "Well I can't make it tonight, so can you fill in for me?"
"You're bailing on your first night?" Somehow Yzak wasn't surprised.
"Come on, man! Something else came up, but it's not a legit excuse to skip out and the only way they'll let me go is if someone covers for me. And before you say no, it's not like you have anything else going on. Consider it part of the mission. And you'll have a head start on Zala, so that's good right?" Dearka was playing on Yzak's irrational competitive nature now.
And Yzak was voluntarily falling for it.
"Whatever."
"Yes! This is why you're my favorite, Yzak!"
"Don't ever say that again," he warned.
"Ok, ok. The address and number are on the kitchen counter. Thanks a bunch, Yaldo!"
Before Yzak could let out his fury at that ridiculous alias, Dearka was out the door.
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Lacus and the girls were most pleased with their hotel. According to Flay and Cagalli, the view from their terrace was mind-blowing and even lacus could appreciate the lush carpet and furnishings. She was currently in the lobby, leaning back in one of their arm chairs and simply enjoying the light background music. Apparently Flay was in a dilemma to figure out what to wear and though Cagalli thought it was dumb, she decided to help her.
"What kind of irresponsible person would keep such a lovely lady waiting?"
Lacus turned her head towards the voice, a smile in place. "Alex, you're already here."
Athrun took a seat next to her. "Hope I didn't keep you waiting too long."
Lacus shook her head. "There wasn't much for me to do so I decided to wait in the lobby while Flay and Cagalli got ready," she explained.
"What's there to get ready? It's just a tour of the city. Casual attire is fine." Athrun glanced at Lacus' outfit. "Do you always wear dresses?"
"Usually. I find them most comfortable. Is it weird?"
"No. They look good on you. I was just curious." Athrun paused a moment. "Don't mind my bluntness."
"I don't," she assured. "In fact, I actually appreciate it. Too many times people are overly cautious of what they say to me. I understand it's out of concern, but still…" she drifted off in her thoughts.
Athrun nodded in understanding. "Wanting to be independent, but knowing your limits," he mumbled more to himself.
Lacus tilted her head. "It's a balance.
"That's respectable. I'll be sure to give you your space, but don't hesitate to ask for help when you need it."
"Of course," Lacus replied with a smile and nod. Her hairclip loosened and fell onto the floor. She reached around for it on her lap to no avail. "Ah, um" she blushed.
"May I have the honor of putting it back in your hair, hime?" Athrun jested as he picked up the clip.
"H-hime?"
"It means 'princess'," he clarified.
"No, I know that. But why would you call me that?"
"It's just an aura you give off, I guess," Athrun shrugged as he gently placed the clip back in her hair. "Kind of like how your one friend—"
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"
In no less than five seconds, Cagalli was shoving Athrun away from Lacus and pointing an accusing finger.
"And the lioness has made her appearance," Athrun said calmly.
"Cagalli, stop having a cow. He was being a gentleman and helping Lacus, obviously," Flay said with a roll of her eyes. "Right?"
"Yes, I couldn't find the clip I dropped and he helped me put it back,"
"Don't fall for his good looks and fake charm!" Cagalli exclaimed.
"I'm quite flattered, Cagalli."
"Why, you jerk?" she asked angrily.
"You think I'm good looking." Cagalli's face heated up in an instant.
"N-no, that's not what I meant at all!"
"And now the lioness is flustered," he said casually, extending his hand for Lacus.
"Don't touch her!"
"Is the lioness jealous?"
"I'm not a lioness!" Cagalli retorted. "I just don't want Lacus to be tainted with your filthy hands!"
"That's not a very nice thing to say, Cagalli." Lacus reprimanded.
"He started it!"
"This conversation's getting more mature by the second," Flay commented.
"Actually if you're ready, we can continue this discussion in the car," Athrun said, gesturing towards the parking lot.
"Yeah, let's go!" Flay exclaimed. "Come on, Cagalli," she tugged her friend towards the exit before any more arguments could flair.
"Shall we?" Athrun extended his hand to Lacus once again as she took it and nodded.
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"What's that over there?" Flay asked, climbing over Cagalli as she pointed to some buildings.
"Get off!" Cagalli shoved her friend back to her seat. "And what kind of tour is this anyway? We're supposed to be in a bus, not a convertible!"
"Why are you complaining? We look so much cooler in a convertible anyway," Flay rationalized. "And the wind feels great!" she threw her hands up into the air.
"It's a nice change," Lacus added, leaning her head back against the passenger seat head rest.
"Since this was an impromptu tour, we didn't have much else available for use," Athrun explained. He turned his attention to were Flay had been pointing. "That's the monument that was constructed in honor of ORB's previous director."
"No not the pointy one," Flay corrected. "The one over there."
Athrun followed her gaze. "That's… the national mall."
"I want to stop there!"
"Flay, this is a tour of ORB and its historical importance. Not a shopping fiasco," Cagalli grunted.
"We have time for both, right?" Lacus asked, turning her attention to Athrun. "If we time things, we can manage to do both before 7."
"Sure," Athrun nodded in agreement. "We'll walk around the monuments, do some sightseeing and talk about the importance of the different places and fit in some shopping for the fashion queen."
Flay grinned. "I'm liking you more and more, Alex."
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"Whoa, look at that. It looks ancient!" Flay exclaimed, pointing over at some architectural buildings. Cagalli quickly jabbed her. "A-ah, sorry Lacus."
"Don't apologize," Lacus replied. "It's wonderful that you can appreciate the structures."
Athrun watched Lacus for a moment. "This isn't just a sightseeing adventure. We're going to experience history with all our senses."
"What do you mean?" Cagalli asked suspiciously.
"You'll see," he said discreetly. "Anyway, we're going to go up thirty or so steps and we'll reach the ruins."
As they climbed the steps and continued walking, Athrun kept an eye on Lacus. He noticed her friends alternate in leading her as they linked arms with her. But neither said a word about their actions—as though they wanted it to remain elusive and unintentional. But Lacus didn't appear to mind as they all talked and laughed together. So long as someone wasn't directly saying or acting like Lacus needed help, she didn't seem to mind. Athrun was mesmerized to say the least. Lacus wasn't so arrogant as to refuse assistance. For the little time that he had known her, she just seemed to want to live as normal a life as possible. And Cagalli and Flay appeared to want to fulfil this. He couldn't help but admire their bond.
"We made it!" Flay threw up her right arm in a triumphant gesture.
"It looks like a maze…" Cagalli drifted.
"That's exactly how it's used as a tourist attraction now," Athrun explained. "It was built over 100 years ago in an attempt to prevent invaders from entering the city. When enemies approached, they'd either get lost within or become easy targets for archers on higher ground. When an imminent threat was no longer present, it developed an aesthetic purpose as sculptures reconstructed the walls to give it an architectural beauty."
"So now tourists wander through to try and find an exit?" Lacus presumed.
"Correct. And all the while, they can appreciate the delicate work put into it," Athrun continued.
"I bet I can figure out this maze before all of you!" Flay challenged.
"Yeah right," Cagalli said skeptically.
"I think you're just too afraid!"
Cagalli clenched her jaw. "I'm not afraid of anything! I'd totally take you up on that, but we can't just abandon Lacus!"
Both girls turned towards their friend.
"Oh, don't worry about me!" Lacus waved her hands in midair. "I want you to enjoy this and it sounds like a fun challenge."
"Lacus…"
"And I'll be right by her side," Athrun chimed in.
"Now I'm definitely against it." Cagalli immediately put herself in between Lacus and Athrun, glaring at the latter.
"Cagalli, honestly it will be fine. I'm looking forward to seeing who wins," Lacus encouraged. "Really."
Cagalli glanced at Flay who hesitated.
"I'm sure Lacus appreciates your concerns, but she seems like she's fully capable of managing on her own. And worst case scenario, I'm here and I have a pretty good idea of what I'm doing. I am ORB's finest tour guide."
"I'm not so sure…" Flay started, feeling slightly uneasy leaving her friend behind, although deep down she did agree with Athrun.
"Please!" Lacus placed her hands together as though pleading. "It would really make me happy," she assured.
After a few moments, Cagalli and Flay nodded to each other.
"Alright, we'll conquer this maze and then meet up at the coffee shop we passed earlier in like an hour," Cagalli planned.
"Alex, we're counting on you to keep Lacus out of trouble," Flay said with a wink. "But seriously, don't bore her to death with too many facts."
"I don't know the definition of boring," Athrun countered.
"Let's go before I change my mind," Cagalli mumbled.
"Have fun!" Lacus called after them. "I'll treat the winner!"
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"The design of the area that we're in now was meant to replicate nature," Athrun described.
"How so?" Lacus asked, only to feel Athrun gently hold her hand and pull it towards something. He then placed her hand along the wall with his on top before helping her trace an outline. "Ah, it's a flower?" she asked before closing her eyes and following the pattern closer. "A rose garden," she said more confidently.
Athrun raised an eyebrow in surprise.
As though reading his thoughts, Lacus continued. "I wasn't always blind." Athrun said nothing. "It wasn't until elementary school after an accident." Lacus paused and Athrun waited patiently. "So before that I was blessed to have been able to see and appreciate so much around me. Even since then I've still been very lucky."
He wanted to ask more. He wanted to know more. Not just about what had happened, but how she had remained so strong. So independent. And overall, captivating. She took fascinating to a new level.
"Ah," a slight blush crossed her cheeks. "Sorry, I didn't mean to go off on an irrelevant story."
Athrun shook his head. "Not at all. I'd actually like to know more, but maybe now is not the time," he glanced up at the setting sun.
"You're right, it's getting dark." Again Athrun was surprised. "I still have some light perception," she explained, as though she knew what he was thinking again.
"I apologize for my ignorance."
It was Lacus's turn to shake her head. "I find it very relaxing to be in your presence, Alex."
That was new. He couldn't remember that last time that his name was connected with relaxing. But it had a nice ring to it.
"Since it's getting late we should probably go to our rendezvous spot. Otherwise that lioness will have my head," Lacus attempted to stifle her laughter at his comment. "We'll just go down this path and it'll take us straight there."
Lacus nodded and began walking alongside Athrun. For the most part the pathway was smooth with occasional jagged pebbles, but nothing too rough. Just as Lacus felt at ease, a jutting stone caused her to trip forward. She attempted to regain her balance, but squealed when she realized it wouldn't work in time. "A-alex!"
On cue, she felt his arms embrace her.
"I'm at your service, hime," he whispered into her ear, causing her to shiver slightly.
"T-thank you," she stood back up, but his arms remained around her. "I-I'm ok now," she assured.
"If you're alright with it, I'd like to accompany you down the pathway while holding onto your hand," he expressed. When she slowly nodded in approval, he reached for her hand, intertwining his fingers with hers. "Shall we continue then?" he gently pulled her alongside him.
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"You're Darien? What's wrong with your hair?" Yzak resisted the urge to punch the guy in the face. Apparently that would be considered improper etiquette. But more importantly, Dearka would never leave him alone if he got him fired.
"Darien asked me to cover for him."
"First day on the job and he's already relying on his pal. Well whatever, as long you gemme me the big bucks I don't care who's manning the bar. You got an ID?" Yzak flashed his fake ID, indicating he was old enough to bartend.
"Hah, that's a good one," the manager commented. "Maybe the best fake I've seen. But like I said, ain't got a problem if you make me money. Ask someone by the bar to show you around. Even if it's your first day, I have expectations. And if you don't meet them, you're out."
Yzak grumbled. Really he just wanted to leave. If this was how the next couple hours would be, he wasn't sure how many people would be capable of walking out of the bar by the evening. A group of three guys walked into the bar, stereotypical loudmouths blurting how awesome their night was and how many girls they picked up. Idiots.
"Yo, there's a new guy?" Clearly they were talking about Yzak who chose to ignore them and busy himself with cleaning off a glass.
"Where'd they find such a weird looking thing?" Another laughed. "Gray hair already?"
Yzak clenched his fist, making sure not to break the glass in his hand. This was going to be a long night.
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"Sorry for the delay. I dropped Cagalli and the others off at the hotel and came straight here," Kira quickly straightening his shirt of any creases. "Matters sounded urgent. What new developments were you referring to?"
"It was intentional," the director's eyes never left the document he held in front of him.
"I'm not sure I understand," Kira attempted to read the fine print.
"Our presumptions on the anti-Angelus project have been confirmed. The undercover peace conference to be held was specifically targeted."
Kira nodded. The anti-Angelus project. It was established to investigate the ambiguity surrounding the attack on the team selected to represent ZAFT. After coming to power, Director Athha had wanted to address the tension between ZAFT and ORB and put an end to unnecessary fighting. Although many of his advisors were against it, he reached out to Chairman Zala. The response was not immediate, which was not unexpected, but finally the Chairman agreed. A date was set in which a select team excluding the chairmain himself would arrive in ORB and speak with Director Athha directly. However on the night of their arrival as the director waited in his office, he received a call that the transport vehicle had been attacked. It had been completely demolished, lost in flames. When ORB's agents arrived at the scene, no survivors were found. The director had immediately contacted the chairman, who had somehow already received the news. Tensions had never been as high. ZAFT blatantly accused ORB for the attack, but no formal declaration of war was made. Since then, Director Athha took it upon himself to ensure that no spies within ORB were responsible.
"So it wasn't someone from within ORB?" Kira paused in contemplation and mixed feelings of relief. "An outside terrorist organization?"
The director finally raised his gaze from the file and looked at Kira directly. "It was an attack by ZAFT."
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Dearka answered his phone.
"This message will be deleted upon completion. ORB is confirmed to have data on several ZAFT agents. The file must be eliminated on retrieval."
Well that was pretty vague. Dearka flipped his phone shut. No doubt Athrun and Yzak would be getting the same message. So apparently their chairman was worried that crucial agent info was leaked and would be targeted. He stared ahead at a large building—the main government office. Whatever file they were searching for would undoubtedly be secured within that building. Now all they'd have to do was figure out the best time to get in without getting caught or killed.
"You've got to be kidding!" Dearka turned his attention to the clearly distressed person. "Her dress hasn't come in so she's refusing to perform? That's not a reasonable excuse in any country. She's an international star and she's not going to perform because of this? Forget my company, all her fans are going to be disappointed!"
"We apologize for the inconvenience, but Ms. Campbell explicitly indicated what she required and her expectations were not met. There is nothing we can do."
"And there's no way to fix this?" Dearka watched the encounter in front of him. The girl was clearly frustrated, one arm was on her hip as she shifted weight between her feet. "This is ridiculous."
Whomever she was talking to didn't seem the least bit concerned and was reading something on his phone instead. "We will try to convince her, but it's unlikely to get anywhere. If you'll excuse me, I have a meeting to attend."
She let out a sigh.
"That was quite the sigh," she turned to face Dearka. "Ah, did you see all that?"
"Was kind of hard not to," he shrugged. "So what was that about?"
She let out another sigh. "So I work for the photography department of ORB's Orbit, the magazine. We're covering Meer Campbell's concert tonight, but turns out she's cancelling because her outfit didn't show up."
Meer Campbell. Dearka had heard of her. She had some catchy songs and a couple events in ZAFT too. He'd actually enjoyed her songs. Fast-paced and full of emotion.
"That's a shame," he started. "And kinda stupid."
She let out a bitter laugh. "Tell me about it. Just wish there was something we could do. It's not fair to everyone who's going to show up."
"We?"
"Oh, that just came out. Since you're standing here listening to me talk aloud. But do you have any ideas?"
"If she's as high maintenance as she sounds I doubt you'll be able to convince her to perform, unless you can blackmail her," Dearka suggested.
"That's pretty malicious. Is that how you usually think?" she sounded skeptical.
"Hey, you asked for my thoughts," Dearka reminded.
"Fine, fine. But no. I'm not blackmailing her into performing," she stated.
"How about finding someone to fill in for her?"
She appeared to give this some thought. "Can't say the fans will be too happy since they paid to see her. And I'm not even sure how we'd find someone half as talented and on such short notice."
"Ever the pessimist," Dearka chided.
"I'm being realistic!" she corrected.
"Oh honey, Darien makes things happen," Dearka declared.
"So you think you can figure this out?" the skepticism had returned to her voice.
"As a matter of fact, I do." He paused a moment. "Actually, let's make this interesting." She raised an eyebrow. "If I can find someone and it turns out to be a success, you'll agree to let me take you out."
"W-what?" she was completely taken aback. "Are you insane?"
"I just might be," he admitted. "Do you agree?"
"This is crazy."
"So yes?" Dearka wasn't about to let her change the subject.
"Fine, whatever," she huffed.
"Great. So what's your number?"
"What?!"
He sighed briefly. "How else am I supposed to get in touch with you when I find the right person?" he explained logically.
"R-right," she pulled out a business card and quickly jotted down a number. "That's my cell. Only call me at that number when you've found someone or if you've completely failed," she instructed.
"I'm hurt that you have such little faith in me… Miriallia," he read off the card.
"You've gotta earn it," she affirmed.
Dearka nodded with a smile. This was so much better than being stuck in a stuff bar. He hoped Yzak hadn't broken anything—or anyone yet.
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"I've never had this flavor of hot chocolate before," Lacus commented, taking another sip.
"Do you like it? It's one of the seasonal specials; I've only ever seen it in ORB," Athrun explained.
"Have you traveled a lot?" she asked.
Athrun nodded. "My family moves around a lot, but I spent a good amount of my childhood in ORB actually."
"Because family's in the area?"
"Not quite," Athrun hesitated. "My mother particularly liked to visit."
"But you don't?" Lacus seemed to have realized Athrun felt uneasy. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to be nosy."
"No, you're fine. She passed away after some injuries from a car accident not too long ago, so it's difficult to talk about at times," he said softly, shifting his gaze out the window.
Lacus reached her hands out and placed them on top of his gently, bringing his gaze back to her. She said nothing at first. "If she were here, she would be proud of you," she said quietly.
Athrun let out a sarcastic laugh. "I'm not so sure about that. She'd probably disown me for some of the stuff I've done."
Lacus frowned and unconsciously held his hands tighter. "Alex, even when a mother is disappointed in her child, she never gives up on him," she assured.
"As her son, I should have been there to help when she needed me."
"You feel somewhat responsible for her death?" Athrun froze. No. He didn't. Did he? Was he? Of course he could have said something, done something else. Then maybe the whole situation would have changed.
Lacus's voice brought him back from his thoughts. "It may not be my place to say anything, but I feel it's very easy to think along the lines of 'if this had or hadn't happened, then maybe things would have turned out differently'. But it's not fair to put that burden on yourself. I'm a firm believer that what's meant to happen will happen. If something is destined to affect you, you won't be able to avoid it. I don't mean to say that you have no control over your future or that you should give up on trying—but there's only so much you can do and the end result is out of your hands," she paused. "I hope that didn't come across as rude."
Athrun said nothing, deep in thought. Taking his silence to mean she had overstepped her boundaries, Lacus shifted back in her seat and pulled her hands away. She was surprised when his hands stopped her.
"Thank you, Lacus."
She smiled.
"I will never understand you!" the familiar voice drew both of their attention towards the coffee shop's entrance. "You tell me it's a competition to see who can get to the end first and then you completely disregard it and start flirting with the first guy you see!" Cagalli yelled.
"I'm afraid we don't be able to stay in this café for too long," Lacus whispered.
"Yeah, yeah," Flay said, dismissing Cagalli's rage with a wave of her hand. She was too busy smiling at her phone's screen. "You should be happy you won. And I'm happy I got that guy's number. Win-Win," she offered.
Cagalli grunted before quickly scanning the room. Her eyes fell on Athrun and Lacus and they quickly narrowed. "Why are you coming on to Lacus?!" she accused, marching over to them.
"What?" Athrun looked at Lacus and suddenly realized his hands were still atop hers. She attempted to pull her hands out of his, but he didn't let her. Lacus's expression changed, as though she knew what Athrun was about to do. "Oh, this?" he gestured to their hands. "We were actually having quite the romantic evening before you arrived," he taunted.
Flay squealed in excitement. "This is the best vacation ever—we're all finding our soulmates!"
"Flay, be quiet," Cagalli growled.
"You're just upset you haven't found your prince in shining armor yet," Flay suggested. "But don't worry. Match-maker Flay will come to your rescue!"
"I don't need your match-making!" Cagalli retorted.
"Maybe we should start getting back," Lacus suggested. "Kira mentioned he had plans for us tonight, didn't he?" she attempted to change the subject.
Kira. That had been Cagalli's older brother. The one who seemed to like Lacus. And Athrun didn't like that. Athrun's phone suddenly rang.
"If you're on the job, isn't your phone supposed to be off?" Cagalli scoffed, still irritated.
"Ignore her," Flay muttered.
"This is Alex," he answered.
"Athrun, I need a favor," he recognized Dearka at once and also noted some anxiety.
"Is everything alright?" Athrun received curious looks from the girls in front of him.
"No, I need help." Before Athrun could ask, he continued. "You know Campbell?"
"The soup?"
"No, the singer! Meer Campbell. She was supposed to have a concert tonight, but turns out she can't do it and we need a replacement."
"Who's we. And what does that have to do with me?" Athrun had a feeling he was being dragged into one of Dearka's ludicrous ideas.
"Miriallia, this photographer chick." Now things were starting to fall together. "I told her I'd find someone to replace Meer."
"Darien," Athrun started. "It's your fault for making that kind of promise. How would you find someone to cover for something as big as that on such short notice?"
"That's what she said!" he sounded shocked.
"That's because that's how normal people think," Athrun said with a sigh. "I don't have that many connections in ORB and certainly not to any famous vocalists."
"You're useless." Athrun didn't even want to argue with Dearka. "Well, I'm gonna find someone so you'll both be apologizing to be shortly," he added before hanging up.
Athrun slipped his phone back into his pocket.
"Is everything ok?" Lacus asked.
"Eh, it'll be fine," he was quick to realize that wasn't a good enough explanation. "Apparently Meer Campbell is having a concert tonight, but something happened and it's going to be canceled because she can't perform."
"And you're trying to find someone to replace her!" Flay said in excitement. Athrun raised an eyebrow. Why was she so pleased to hear this? Most girls at this age were fans of Meer and hearing that her concert was canceled would be a disappointment. "Lacus!"
The girl quickly shook her head.
"It's true you know all her songs though," Cagalli started, clearly calmed down from her earlier anger.
"I couldn't possible perform in place of Meer! She's famous and everyone would be expecting to see her. And she's much more upbeat than me. My versions of her songs are much slower," Lacus justified.
"And better," Flay pointed out.
"It wouldn't be fair to her fans and there's no way I could perform in front of so many people," she continued.
"Well it sounds like the alternative is no concert at all," Cagalli reasoned. "That sounds pretty unfair to fans too, don't you think?" she turned to Athrun, hoping for support.
Athrun was a little too surprised and excited himself to take part in the conversation. He could only imagine how Lacus's sweet voice would sound. He had actually been assigned to protect Meer during one of her ZAFT concerts, and while she was a nice girl, she was too forward and a bit challenging to handle.
"It would be wonderful if you would agree to help," Athrun finally said.
"B-but what about Kira's plans?" she asked, turning her attention to Cagalli.
"Um, I think Kira would much rather watch your performance," her friend replied, somewhat exasperatedly.
"Ditto," Flay muttered. "Though I think Alex might be a close follow," she said, winking at him.
"I'm definitely looking forward to it," he assured.
Lacus blushed slightly. "Okay, I'll try my best," she agreed.
Athrun pulled out his phone to call Dearka back.
Author's Note:
Thanks for reading. Not sure when the next chapter will be ready, but I'll try to keep you updated via my profile.
