A/N: Thank you princess_shayera, Minch THE Mighty, Thawn716, Xx Meisha xX, nequam-tenshi, Rickrolled, LittleBlueNayru, Star, FIRE LADY OREN, Rinhail, and G. Wings for leaving a review. Honestly, It really surprises me that this fanfic would attract this much readers and reviewers.
To Xx Meisha xX - thank you for pointing out my grammatical errors. :)
To Rinhail - oh, I wouldn't worry about that. :D
To G. Wings - lol. That's the funny way to put it. XD
I finally decided to make a rough outline of 'Redemption: To be family' the other day. Turns out that this fic has approximately five more chapters to go (excluding this one) before it ends. I'm hoping not to drag the updates longer than it already has, but then again maybe I'm hoping too much... I am, after all, a helpless slave of procrastination. T_T
Again, I apologize for bad grammar and errors. This chapter was doozy one to write. ' made up a whole lot of stuff. It actually got my head spinning. Please don't sue me. Wonder whether its any good though.
REDEMPTION: To Be Family: Chapter 10: Unspoken Influence
Once they were done with lunch, being the few ones left in the area, three engineers- David, Jeremy, and Marc crossed the mess hall together with every intention to leave when dark haired Marc decided otherwise after catching a glimpse of a familiar face on a certain someone's computer screen.
Wanting to share this interesting discovery, he immediately nudge his fellow mates who soon enough witnessed this as well.
All three males grinned sheepishly at each other in unison.
Marc acted first by leaning in forward behind the poor lad who, apparently, has not noticed them behind him yet. He tilted his head with a tiny smirk on his face.
"Oh hoho. Seems like somebody has a crush."
Yzak nearly choked on pork. And once, he was done recovering from this almost fatality, he quickly reached for his laptop; hid the evidence by turning the lid close then tuck it under his arm to secure it before coughing some more.
"That was Former Vice Foreign Minister Allster's little girl wasn't it. Flay Allster." Jeremy said, deciding to join the little fun.
Yzak felt himself flush red. He looked away, avoiding eye contact. "I don't know what you guys are talking about!"
"Oh, come on... We're not blind. We know who that was." Marc said rolling his eyes..
Jeremy nodded. "Flay Allster isn't exactly a commoner, you know."
Yzak shrugged, still protecting his laptop.
"It wasn't Flay..."
"Oh?" Intrigued, Marc took the empty seat next to Yzak while Jeremy and David lowered themselves onto the seat across them. "If it's not Flay Allster... who was it then? your girlfriend?" Marc teased, watching Yzak's cheeks turn from mild red into a brighter shade of red in seconds.
"It's not Flay Allster and I don't have a girlfriend!"
All three engineers exchanged suggestive glances.
"Hmmm... we could of sworn it was a picture of Flay Allster though. Maybe we should have another look at the picture." David laughed causing Yzak to narrow his eyes viscously at him for even suggesting such a thing. But fortunately for Yzak, none of the males had tried to relieve him of his portable computer.
"Young adults these days." Marc chuckled at Yzak's desperate expression to protect. "Cute."
"I am not cute! And why don't you people just mind your own business!" Honestly, Yzak furiously wondered- why on earth was he even still there taking all this nonsense from them when could really just stand up and leave?
Marc gave him hard slap in the back. "You're still pretty cute to me, kid; especially when you were ogling at her picture."
Yes. Outright nonsense. "I was not ogling at her picture!"
"Sure you were... You were practically drooling." Marc said causing the other two to laugh in agreement.
"I was not!"
Marc rubbed his chin, thoughtfully. "Okay... If you weren't, then you would have heard the whistle announcing the end of lunch break, ten minutes ago." The man pointed out, which brought about Yzak's pale grave expression.
He hadn't heard the whistle...
"Shit!" Yzak got up to his feet and scrambled with his food tray. It was clean as you go around here. "Why didn't anyone warn me?!" Yzak growled. He left to deposit the empty dishes back to the counter. And as he returned, he found himself three snickering men who were still lounging at the table. Yzak's eyes narrowed. "What are you three still frolicking there for? The whistle blew already. Time to get back to work!"
"Actually... It hadn't blown yet." Jeremy explained in between snicker.
When what had just happened finally managed to sink in... Damn it! Yzak cringed.
Alright. At this very moment, he felt like a total idiot. And unconsciously, his fist tightened at his side from the urge of wanting to beat someone to a pulp. If he was not working with these three, he would have strangled them by now, seriously!
"Speaking of Flay Allster..." Jeremy started. "Didn't she enlist in the Military four years ago?" He asked to both Marc and David who both nodded at this.
"Shocking right? A girl of her age to be joining the military..." Marc commented.
David nodded again. "It was right after the Vice Foreign Minister died... but you know... Her decision for enlisting was what moved me into serving the military; and I haven't regret this decision yet."
Yzak unwrapped his fist, listening in on their conversation from the sidelines.
Marc's eyes lit up. "Oh, so you're one of them huh. I was stationed at the California base back then when several new recruits claimed to have joined the military for the very same reason. Due to the unexpected volunteer rates, the military was suddenly understaffed of Senior Officers and had to send in some hotshot Lieutenant Commander from Alaska who never made it to base."
The whistle indicating the end of lunch hour blew.
Marc looked up as if trailing the sound. "Well, there goes the whistle."
All three men stood up, ready to head back to the armory.
"Yzak, you coming?" Marc asked upon turning around.
Yzak nodded once and followed them out on their way to the hall.
"... wonder if anyone knows the reason- why she suddenly decided to resign from the military..." David said, picking up from where they had left off...
"Beats me. The cabinet seems to be all hush about it, but then... maybe she's better off not fighting on the frontlines." Jeremy replied.
"Hmmm... I guess you're right."
Misinterpreting Yzak's unusual silence, Marc laughed, throwing yet another hard slap on the Coordinator's back as they walked. Ouch.
"Don't worry about your little secret, okay? Me and the guys won't tell a soul, though you really don't have be all shy about it... Flay Allster is indeed a pretty one, and I'm sure there are plenty of young men out there who is attracted to her one way or the other. Why, if I was twenty years younger I would actually go for her..." He shared half jokingly which made Yzak winch unconsciously.
"Pffttt... keep dreaming old man. Like someone like Flay Allster would want to go out with a dirty old man like you." The two laughed as they ventured closer and closer to the armory.
"Hey! I did say, if I was twenty years younger, didn't I."
Yzak shrugged as he and the guys continued to make their way down the hall. "I honestly don't know what's all this fuss about Flay is for. So what if she's pretty or she volunteered in the military or whatever. She's nothing but a common civilian now."
Both Jeremy and David immediately stopped on their tracks while Marc raised a skeptical eyebrow at Yzak.
"What world did you come from? Everyone here knows Flay Allster. She's former Vice Foreign Minister George Allster's little girl!"
Yzak rolled his eyes. "I know she's the former Vice Foreign Minister's daughter, but what does that have to do with anything?"
Marc placed a chummy hand on Yzak's shoulder, giving it a little shake. "Think of it this way. If the PLANTs you are so proud of has Council Member Lacus Clyne; Orb Union and their Chief Representative Cagalli Yula Athha; Kingdom of Scandinavia with their Princess-..."
"Alright already. I think he gets it. You don't have to go into it with so much detail. Just get to the point." Jeremy interrupted.
"Oh sorry." Marc said, getting back to the point. "For the most part, Flay Allster is sort of like Atlantic Federations' princess figure though she has not, thus far, dramatically involve herself into politics."
00000
Yzak didn't get it. He honestly didn't get it.
There was no denying George Allster was a prominent figure on Earth. But Flay?
If she was indeed as notable as they said she was then why can't he find much information about her on the internet? He had been searching for hours- visiting web pages, browsing years worth of news archives- both videos and articles on George Allster's daughter, but he could not find anything about her that were of any real value.
Damn. Why is that?! Had they been exaggerating about her?
Yzak leaned back on his sit.
Or worst. Was he actually duped by them? Again!
"Hey. Hey. Are you feeling all right?"
Yzak instantly felt a smooth hand touch his forehead then flush, knowing exactly whose hand it belonged to.
"You have been on your computer for hours; and Kaitlyn has began grumbling about it because WuFei refuses to get up and play."
Yzak turn to his side, noticing Flay smile at him. And for a second, he had this crazy nag of wanting to just ask her about it. Right. Wouldn't that be hell a lot easier? but then- What if this turned out to be a sensitive topic? Will she tell him? Yzak shook his head clearing it. Without a reliable basis to back him up... Flay could easily mislead him as he was doing to her right now.
"Oh, you are looking up on Foreign Minister Grant?" Flay asked, stealing a glimpse at the screen.
Foreign Minister Grant?
Yzak turned his attention back to the computer screen- to the link slash name- he had reflexively click on as soon as she had snuck up behind him.
"Ah. I was just following the current events."
Flay tipped her head to the side, eyes still looking at the pages Yzak was at. "Alright then. I'll just tell Kaitlyn that you're busy. I'm sure she'll understand."
Yzak growled inside. See, too darn easy to cover up!
"Alright. Thanks."
Hmm... Jon Emerson Grant... Yzak thought for a moment.
00000
Once Saturday came, Yzak found himself seated on a leather couch at a visitor's lounge inside the third largest federal building at Atlantic Federation Capital, waiting for his turn to be called.
Bored for what seemed like an hour, he watched as the line behind him slowly build up until he saw the woman who came in before him finish what she had to do at the counter.
"Next, Please."
Finally. Yzak went straight to the help desk, filed up a couple of forms, and hand over his driving license when asked to present an ID. With that out of the way...
"May I help you, sir?" asked the woman at the desk.
"Yes. I would like to speak to Foreign Minister J.E Grant."
"Do you have an appointment with the Foreign Minister, sir?"
"No. But I would like to set an appointment with the Minster. Hopefully, between today and next week?"
"What for?"
"I need to talk to him."
"About what?"
"I just need to ask Mr. Grant a few questions."
"Oh, so are you from a News Agency, sir?"
"No." Yzak said again, suddenly wanting to rip someone's hair off.
"So would you like to set up an appointment with the Foreign Minister, sir?"
"Yes!"
"Hmmm..." The woman typed on her computer. "The Foreign Minister is a very busy man, but lets see what we can do for you..."
About twenty minutes later...
Three months huh, Yzak crumpled the useless piece of slip given to him as he exits at the east entrance of the Main State building. He knew the Foreign Minister was a busy man, but waiting three months just to have a quick conversation was just absurd.
At the pedestrian lane, Yzak shift his head both ways looking out for passing cars then crossed over just in time his mobile phone rang.
Picking up right after the second ring, "Dearka."
"Hey, Yzak. I need to tell you something..." Dearka's voice trailed off, and that was the last thing Yzak heard when he stopped walking. Slowly, he removed the phone away from his ears, catching a glimpse of a special plated automobile pull up at the south entrance of the building he had just left.
Four casually dressed men and one woman stepped out from the vehicle, but Yzak recognized the Foreign Minister immediately. The rest Yzak presumed were the man's bodyguards from their attentive looks and from the disciplined way they carried themselves.
Yzak quickly lifted the phone back to his ear. "Hey, Dearka something urgent just came up. Is this important?" Yzak said quickly.
"Uhh... maybe?... Weren't you listening?!"
Hadn't heard a thing. "Look. Could you just leave me a voicemail? I'll call you back."
"Errr... Okay...?"
Yzak quickly turned his phone off.
Three months his ass.
He made a fast yet decent ran for it, hoping he could catch the Foreign Minister in time before the man reaches his office or, better yet, before he makes it through the front desks.
"Mr. Grant!" Yzak called.
The old man did not turn around at once, but the rest did as he had gotten closer. And at the struck of luck, four M9 pistols were instantly pointed at his forehead causing him to halt on his track. Yzak cursed inside. He had observed right.
The Foreign Minister peered through the box formation he was suddenly enclosed in. The man raised both eyebrows at the scene. He opened his mouth and thankfully vouched for him. "It's all right, men. Put the guns down." The man waved. "I know him. He's a good kid."
00000
Jon Emerson Grant, the Foreign Minister of Atlantic Federation was a tall, slightly stout with genteel looks, his features strong if not precisely chiselled for a sixty-two year old man. He was currently the eldest among the Atlantic Federation Cabinet and, surprisingly, who Yzak thought to be the most approachable one, at the moment.
He was one of the few who had stayed in position after the extermination of Logos and when Atlantic Federation President Joseph Copeland fell out of power.
Yzak glanced over at the slightly balding, now sharply-dressed dark-eyed man as the sixty-two years old re-entered his office after a quick change of clothes.
"I can't believe someone as important as you would leave the office at office hours." Yzak said, standing on one side while glancing around the well-furnished room without touching anything.
"... Went out for a little stroll. It's bad for the health to be cooped up inside the office for long hours, you know." He told him, fiddling with his tie before pressing it straight down. And once the old man thought he looked presentable enough, he took a seat on his office couch and gestured Yzak to do the same.
"Come. Don't stand, Mr. Joule... Sit. Sit." The man insisted, at the same time the secretary from outside came in and set down a couple of drinks on top of the coffee table found in between couches. "I rarely have unexpected visitors, you know." The man began sounding a little disappointed.
Yzak made his way to the parallel chair then shrugged. "Maybe because it's impractical." He said, completely aware of how inappropriate it had been to suddenly barged in on him like this.
Mr. Grant scoffed at this. "Nonsense, I am a grown man. I can handle my own schedules. I am the Foreign Minister for Pete's sake, I should be doing more of these things. So what brings you to my humble office?" the man said, accommodatingly changing the subject. "How long was it since we've last seen each other? Have you been on earth long?"
"I have been on earth for a while. I was a part of the few who was assigned to the DTW project." Yzak replied. And as for why he was in his office... He just came here looking for the Foreign Minister on impulse, thinking that the man would be able to give some answers to his questions, though he had not quite figure out- what type of questions he needed answering yet. Yzak figured he will just have to wing it until then.
"Ah... yes. The DTW. Yes. Yes." Mr. Grant leaned in; reached for a cup containing some kind of herbal tea and took a sip. "How is it by the way?"
"Operations have been running smoothly. Quota will be reached by the end of April. Next year."
The Minister nodded at this. "Mmm... That's good." He placed the cup back down. "News has it that Council Member Lacus Clyne has given birth. How is she?"
Yzak nodded once, "A baby girl. I haven't had the time to pay her a visit, but I believe she's doing very well. Although I'm a little embarrassed that that's been the highlight of PLANTs news for the past three weeks."
"Hmmm... If you ask me. PLANTs' concrete support for Council Member Lacus Clyne is something Atlantic Federation should be envious about, don't you think?"
Yzak glanced away and looked around; he did not want to answer that. He was a certified fan of Lacus Clyne himself, but he thought- the media featuring Lacus' personal life for three consecutive weeks was a little over the top.
"Lacus will be returning to the office after another three weeks." Yzak said plainly.
Mr. Grant bend over for his drink again while Yzak left his share untouched.
"So I've heard."
Eventually, Yzak's cool blue eyes made its way to the a bunch of wooden frames that was hanging on the walls behind to the Foreign Minister.
"Who's that on the picture with you? The one on the top left." Yzak asked. "I mean... if you don't mind me asking."
The man turned to his back, taking a glimpse at the pictures behind him.
"Oh, that's my son." He said then frowned. "He passed away in a car accident nearly twenty years ago."
"I'm sorry."
"You don't have to be sorry. It wasn't your fault."
"What about the second one, bottom left?" Yzak asked, this time eyes shifting to another picture of five men posing in front of a what seemed like a nightclub.
The old man turned around again.
"Ah. Those... Those are my college associates; lost their lives serving the military during the First Bloody Valentine War."
At the news, Yzak frowned and scanned the rows of photograph hanging on the wall with quick calculating eyes. It wasn't surprising that he was unfamiliar with most of them, but what bothered him was the ones he did recognized... Yzak cringed... were all of deceased politicians.
Suddenly, Yzak felt an unwanted gloom in the air, and he shifted on his seat somewhat drawing up an uncomfortable conclusion about the photographs that hanged on the wall.
"I can tell what you are thinking..." Mr. Grant said. And Yzak figured this was probably due to the expression on his face.
The man began by pushing himself to his feet. Yzak followed by taking his butt of the couch as well. But unlike the Foreign Minister, he decided to stay where he was while the elder man slowly made his way the wall with frames behind him.
The Foreign Minister sighed. "You are wondering- why would an old man like me put up such a depressing wall inside his office, right?"
Yzak shrugged. "I wasn't thinking- old."
"The missis been pressing me to take them all down. Too many sad memories, she said. Nonetheless, I still keep them up anyway. Do you know why, Mr. Joule?" Mr. Grant asked, pausing for awhile, though it was obvious he wasn't really expecting Yzak to answer. He tucked both hands behind his back and deeply gazed into one of the pictures. "They serve me as reminder that- War isn't worth it as life's too short."
There was a momentary silence after that.
As much as Yzak felt sorry for the Minister for his lost, Yzak reminded himself that he wasn't there to grieve. Yzak regarded the Foreign Minister for a moment, seemingly considering something, and stated.
"Mr. Grant, I was wondering why you haven't appointed a new deputy to succeed you since Vice Foreign Minister Allster... Despite the fact that you are planning to retire soon." Yzak trailed off then shrugged when Mr. Grant simply stared at him with a neutral expression. "I... read about it." He added.
Neither of them spoke right away. Finally, when the silence became strained, Mr. Grant frowned.
"Kindly sit down. Mr. Joule." The elder man requested with every ounce of seriousness in his tone as he made his way back to the coach; made himself comfortable and planted a hand on each knee. "Mr. Joule, I have been thinking of retirement for a long time. After all, I've been in service for eight years as I have been assigned by the President to fill this position time and time again." He explained. "And I can assure you that I have encountered plenty of capable- yes, very capable candidates- who would be delighted to assist and replace me at any time. But I'm sure this isn't why you came here today, is it?"
"Then why haven't you taken one of them under your wing yet?" Yzak continued neutrally.
Mr. Grant leaned back onto the backrest and grunted. "Well... you could say... It's been really difficult trying to find someone to replace the Vice Foreign Minister after all that he had accomplished."
...
"Earth Alliance is breaking apart and it is decaying as we speak, did you know?"
Yzak said nothing, but he did look surprised at the news, and Mr. Grant took regard of his reaction.
"Now, this isn't some kind of huge military secret; I assure you. The Nations Earth Alliance is consist of have always been struggling with each other for influence and power even before the war between Earth and the PLANTs grew all but inevitable."
Mr. Grant explained. He sighed deeply before finishing his tea.
"It was CE 68. I was in my second term as the Atlantic Federation's Foreign Minister when I nominated an aspiring political advisor, George Allster, as my deputy.
He was, as I recall- a smart, hard-working, and an ambitious man. He came to my office one day claiming he wanted to bring the Nations of Earth together. So I humoured him by assigning him to Foreign Diplomatic Affairs despite knowing his genuine interest would be nothing but a lost cause. Eurasia and East Asia would never pledge alliance with the Atlantic at all cause. I know. I've tried. It's fact. Regardless of this knowledge, George Allster just kept working desperately to find a way to end the war. That's how commendable that man was." Mr. Grant shook his head earnestly.
Yzak simply watched him in silence, eagerly waiting for the man to continue.
"It was not until CE 70. After the Tragedy of Copernicus that George Allster proposed a temporary solution to bring the Nations of the world together. That's when and how Earth Alliance was established.
Although the result of affiliation may have been merely a temporary ceasefire, the established alliance itself meant a lot to the people of earth. And George Allster's name was instantly recognized across the globe as Atlantic Federation's man of peace.
And just when I was ready to step down from my post, the most tragic happens... Allster died on an escort ship while on his way to retrieve his daughter in war.
Atlantic Federation of course was devastated. I was devastated.
And as the war continued without him, the strong undercurrent of mistrust went on with federation conspiring behind fellow federation without control. And this abomination happened all throughout the first and second war. And it had only worsened when Logo's decided to destroy Eurasia's Main Control." Mr. Grant shook his head. "Earth Alliance have never been the same. If a third war does not happen on PLANTs, war will happen on Earth."
The Minister took a deep breath and cleared his throat after his long narrative.
"Are you going to drink that, Mr. Joule?"
Yzak stared down at his untouched tea.
"Uh. No. You can have it."
"Thank you." The man took the cup and poured the entire content down his throat. "As I was saying... So what the Atlantic Federation Cabinet is doing right now is trying to find ways to prevent this madness from happening, but it's proving to be quite difficult now that the Former Vice Foreign Minister is gone." He said, setting the cup aside.
"Why are you suddenly telling me all of these?"
"Hmm... why indeed... Maybe because I think you are a good kid." He set the cup down next to the first one. "And you look like the type who would like to know these things, am I wrong?" Mr. Grant smiled. "or is this not what you came here for?"
Yzak said nothing, but it aggravated him a bit that the man was right both ways.
"You know what? Maybe I would like to share a secret with you. There is actually a very simple reason why I haven't appointed anyone as my deputy as of yet, and why the Board still wants me to stay. You see. The Board and I already have a person in mind whom we'd like to succeed me when I retire. Flay Allster, George Allster's daughter, you are familiar with her, right? She seems well-suited for the post, don't you agree?"
Yzak's eye lit up at the matter and Mr. Grant watched as it did.
It was like as those engineers had said.
"You are joking, right?"
"I do not joke about serious matters."
Yzak's eyes narrowed. "I'm aware she's George Allster's daughter, but why her when she has no political background of whatsoever?"
"And you are claiming Council Member Lacus Clyne does?"
Yzak shut his mouth and fell silent for a moment.
"I will be honest with you that- it's not how well-versed she is on Political Science that we are after. It's how she influences the people; how she can make them listen. Other than that, well... That is what I'm still here for. I'll be training her hands on through the entire course." Mr. Grant smiled at Yzak who opened his mouth to retort.
"What good would that do? She's not her father."
"True, and we don't expect her to be. You see, Mr. Joule. What the World needs right now is something to calm people down. And it just so happens, Flay Allster fits perfectly for the cause. Her participation with us can turn Atlantic Federation towards the better and may actually help lower the chance of another war on both Earth and PLANTs."
"This... because of her father had brought about?" Yzak didn't sound convince.
"This sound unbelievably cliché, I know... But the girl has the talent for this and daughters' succeeding their father's will... Stories of this kind... moves people." Mr. Grant explained.
"So the result the Atlantic is after... is somewhat similar to what happened during the war? The sudden increase of Military Volunteers..." Yzak said, recalling what his co-workers had mentioned the other day.
"Exactly. However, I also would like you to know that Flay Allster had continuously turned us down. Would you happen to know why?"
Why she turned them down?
At first, Yzak thought Mr. Grant was again doing one of those monologues. Thus, he paid no real attention to this... However, when the room fell silent. Yzak realized only then that the last question had been intended for him.
The hell?! "How would I know why?" He said. Paused. Just after an afterthought hit him...
Yzak felt his stomach turnover. Maybe... Just maybe... He did know why she did. And somewhere in the back of his head, he felt guiltily responsible to have pulled her down from this eminent opportunity.
Shit.
"Mr. Grant..."
The man was actually studying his face.
"Yes?"
"Would it matter if... suppose that... Someone like Flay Allster were suddenly... to have a... dau-..."
"A daughter?" Mr. Grant decided to finish for him.
"You knew?" Yzak fell almost speechless.
"Of course, I knew. Sweet girl. I would not just randomly invite someone to join the Cabinet without thoroughly knowing who and what type of person they are, Mr. Joule." The Foreign Minister smirked in contrast to Yzak's frown.
And Yzak felt himself instantly tense up at the smug look Mr. Grant threw at him. Yzak doubt the Foreign Minister had not yet made the connection between him and Kaitlyn, but Yzak was actually relieved the old man had not brought up the obvious any further.
Yzak pressed both his hands together into a tight squeeze.
"Will she... cause problems?... because I... don't want her getting hurt or anything..."
"The little girl... cause problems? No. no. Certainly not." Mr. Grant shook his head. "The Broads and I predict the mass would be more baffled from finding out Flay Allster's a single mother than pay attention to what her daughter is. Be that as it may, if this Nation cannot even accept one innocent little girl then how does this Nation expect to find peace with PLANTs as a whole?"
Yzak bowed his head. He knew Mr. Grant was right, but he still felt uneasy about the whole thing.
"What if the unwanted happens? And this turns into a riot."
Mr. Grant frowned at this. "That's what we are trying to avoid. The best we can do is offer protection and desperately hope, a third war does not erupt from it."
Yzak said nothing and twiddled his fingers weighting the options in his head.
Sensing the Coordinator's distress, the man decided to add by waving the matter off. "But don't worry too much about it. Like what I have said, Flay Allster has declined my offer and expressed her sincere desire to stay clear from the media. So what else can I do but respect her request for privacy."
Looking at Yzak now, Mr. Grant's eyes softened.
"Tell me. Are you a family-oriented man, Mr. Joule? I know I am." He asked out of the blue causing Yzak to lift his head up, meeting the man's gaze.
Although Yzak was not sure what this had to do with anything, "I am." He nodded, and at his reply, Mr. Grant smiled, gently.
"Then I am sure you and I will get along very well."
00000
After the chat with Foreign Minister Grant, the next couple of hours was like something from one of Yzak's worst nightmares.
All day long, all he had end up doing was patiently wait for Flay. He had waited for her and Kaitlyn to return from their usual Saturday walk. He had waited for her before and after he took them out to dinner... Eagerly anticipating for the right time to bring up the one question that had been bugging him all day. This was proven to be quite a difficult for him to bear, of course, due to his impatient nature.
At nine, he watched Flay tuck Kaitlyn into bed. Somehow, this little act seemed to have turned into a consistent habit of his.
"Awww... but I'm not sleepy yet." The little girl yawned.
"Kaitlyn, do we have to go through this everyday?" Flay said gently but firmly.
Kaitlyn glanced up at her mother before she turned her gaze to Yzak by the door.
"But I want Uncle Yzak to tell me more stories about Eynshent Artifakts. Uncle Yzak said, he would..."
Wow. Yzak blinked at this. He had never been used by Kaitlyn as an excuse to get out of bed before.
Yzak tucked a hand away inside his side pocket then shrugged. "Be a good girl and listen to your mother. I will tell you more about those tomorrow."
Flay smiled victoriously at her whining daughter. "You heard the man."
"Awwww..." Kaitlyn wailed for the last time; threw her head back on the pillow; and at some later time, fell asleep.
Careful not to make a noise, Yzak walked out first then watched Flay, who was close behind him, slip out of Kaitlyn's room and shut the door.
There was silence after that as both pondered what to do.
Eventually, Flay was the one who broke the silence first. She glanced up at Yzak. "I'll see you out."
Yzak frowned. Nonetheless, he lead their way down the stairs. Should he ask her? Perplexed, Yzak gripped a hand on the wooden rails hard. He wanted to ask her... He needed to ask her... Yzak knew this was partly none of his business, but he had to know!
Yzak whipped his head around. He paused a few steps from the bottom in effect caused Flay to stop at the steps right above him. "Actually, I wanted to ask you something..."
"What is it?" Flay asked, meeting his gaze before he broke the momentary connection.
"In private." He added immediately; hinting towards Frances at the adjoining dinning room, watching the news on television.
Flay was forced to raise an inquisitive eyebrow at him before obliging to his request.
"Frances, could you please give us a minute of privacy?"
"Ah. Certainly, Ms." Frances nodded, but didn't proceed right away into the back room. After a moment, she asked in a low voice, "should I turn off the television, Ms.?"
Flay shook her head. "No, It's fine. Just leave it on."
The mid-age woman gave another understanding nod before she exited through the back.
When Frances was confirmed gone, Flay smiled at Yzak and said quietly, "private enough for you?"
Yzak felt the blood rise to his cheek. It was a simple statement, but she spoke it with such quiet meaning that he felt strangely enticed by it. He considered that perhaps he was just more unrestrained than usual lately... But he still did not want to be in a place where he did not know, which reactions were normal and which were not.
So what if he had been caught looking at Flay's picture at work. He was not ogling at her! Most definitely not!
Yzak shook his head out of reverie. He nodded at Flay then stood aside so that she could go around him; down the stairs and into her own living room.
"Right, well... Do you want something to drink?" Flay offered.
"That wouldn't be necessary. I just wanted to clear up something before I leave."
"And what would that be?" Flay's eyes softened as she looked at him.
Her eyes were discreetly studying his face as though trying to read his expression. And he regarded her for a minute more as if contemplating the appropriate way to proceed. In the end, Yzak decided it would be best to get right to the point.
"Sources tell me you were offered the position of Vice Foreign Minister but you turned it down. Why?" Actually, he had already thought of a fair idea why she did it. All he wanted now was for Flay to confirm it.
Flay stared at him for a moment before blinking and replying flatly, "Oh, I see..." She inhaled slowly and cast her eyes to the top of a shelf, putting two and two together, her mind sinking into deep thought. "So this is what it was about. Did the Boards put you up to this?" She murmured darkly.
Yzak's brow furrowed. "Its not what you think. This has nothing to do with the board."
"Then why are you asking me this when clearly this has nothing to do with you?" She asked, her voice reflecting her immense disgust.
"I like to be well-informed." Yzak said simply in a low firm voice then crossed his arms. "I hate being left out of a conversation! Do you understand the ignorance I had to bear when I ran into a couple your fanboys at work. I was not aware you were so popular!"
Flay frowned deeply at this and opened her mouth, but Yzak decided he was not going to let her speak until he got his point across and went on.
"Look, I don't want to deduce my own conclusion. Nothing good seems to come out from it when you are concerned." He recalled his incident with her at the horse ranch, the coffee can at the park and several more other incidents. "All we end up doing is argue." He explained quietly, determined to hold back his temper. "I don't want an argument just an explanation." The last thing he wanted was another argument her.
Yzak watched the red-haired girl with contempt through narrowed eyes.
"You once told me you wanted peace to last. Yet when you were given the chance to make a difference, you turn away from it! You have the influence to make change at your grasp. So why didn't you take it?"
Flay walked off to the side; turned around to look Yzak in the face, and stifled a sigh. "So are you angry at me for turning them down?"
Flay did her best to concentrate on their conversations that had nothing to do with the demands of polite small talk. She could feel Yzak's eyes on her, following her as she turned. She could hear his voice, every word he spoke, even when he was on the other side of the room.
"Depends on your answer."
Pushing the doubt from her mind for now, Flay cleared her throat and said quietly, "It's not like I turned Mr. Grant down because I did not want to help him advocate peace... He and my father had been upholding international affairs and establishing peace at this nation's international borders together for years. He is practically the next closest person I have for a father. If I could do something to help... I would. But there's nothing I can do..."
She paused here so that he could comment if he wished, but he only blinked once, frowned, and said confusedly,
"What are you talking abo-?"
"Because I am scared, okay?" Flay snapped.
For the past four years, she had been running; hiding away from the media. She had convinced herself so many times that if she keeps a low profile then slowly people would forget that George Allster had a daughter or presume she was dead and just end it with that... or at least she had hoped.
Flay shook her head sadly. "This influence people keep telling me I have right now is not mine... It's a privilege my father and his friend have worked so hard on over the years. I have no doubt in my mind that the influence my father had left could help bring about amity to this nation... His influence is not the problem. It's me..." she trailed off, letting her gaze wander around.
She picked up a tiny marble figurine on the shelves and run her fingers through its smooth cuts before she looked up catching a glimpse of the television screen that had been left on just in time to see Lacus Clyne on an interview after three weeks from her delivery.
"Everyone on PLANTs must love her... Lacus I mean." Flay said; her voice soft but clear.
"She's doing what she can to protect PLANTs from another war..." said Yzak flatly.
"She seems perfect..." Flay said gently, placing the figurine back down.
Yzak frowned as she looked at him, wondering where she was going with this. "Hardly."
Flay shook her head and allowed a faint smile to tug at the corners of her mouth, "Her father had been a notable Council Member in PLANTs. But despite that, she had earned her own fame and the people's trust through her own voice and actions. And although she may not seem like it for always being kind and respectful to others... She has enough courage to lead a ship and fight along side everyone in both wars."
Flay could feel her throat constricting as the deluge of tears threatened.
"I can't be like that... I can't do what she did."
Flay heard Yzak say her name, and it only made her more frantic.
"You don't understand!" Flay shook her head violently and tried to suppress her emotions, but it couldn't be done. She wasn't sobbing, but her heavy breathing and sniffling echoed in the nearly empty living room. "I can't represent Atlantic Federation... I'm not like Lacus and I'm not like you... I can't fight. I can't lead an army or pilot a mobile suit and I don't want to!"
Flay ducked her head, letting a curtain of hair hide her face as she continued more gentle now from the burning in her throat.
"I can't kill people... I'm not strong enough... neither enemy nor ally... I can't take someone's life knowing that that person's death will only lead to devastated loved-ones, similar to what war had brought about to mine." Flay felt her shoulders shake. "I would rather pretend to be dead than end up tarnishing my father's good name. I'd prefer to go into hiding to protect my family than risk them to harm... I really can't represent Atlantic Federation..."
Now, she was having trouble getting her words out, and Flay wished with all her might that Yzak would not make her talk anymore. She sounded pitiful.
Flay stepped back from the shelf and covered her mouth with her hand as her hazy eyes spilled hot tears onto her cheeks.
"I know Blue Cosmos and Logos are gone. But I'm still scared to think what the mass would do if they found out about Kaitlyn." Flay could not deny that there are still lingering traces of the organization's influence lingering at the park, at Kaitlyn's school, all around them; and she did not quite know how to explain to Yzak the fear she was feeling.
Yzak nodded before Flay could start again, his features softened a bit. "I knew you would say that. I didn't expect anything less." He said firmly, which surprised Flay who forced her teary gaze up to his face. "Still and all... What's wrong about wanting to protect family?!" Yzak raised before taking a quick breather. "Someday, when I have a family of my own... I wouldn't want my wife and kids running into the battlefield taking lives and gambling their own... I'll do that for them!" He declared; Flay's eyes widen.
He looked at her for a long time, shrugged, and then waited a beat before adding,
"Anyway, about representing Atlantic Federation... I know it may not be easy, but making a difference never is. I know you are scared. And I won't force you to consider it because this is your decision to make. But you know... I honestly believe you'd be great if you tried... No one will think any less of you."
Flay glanced at him then, and he returned it solemnly before taking his leave. But just before he walked out the door, Yzak stalled with his hand on the doorframe, "Don't worry. Like I said, I just wanted to confirm."
Telling Yzak what she could not share with anyone else, Flay could hardly believe how her heart felt ten times lighter for the moment, at least. "Thank you." She whispered, sending him a small smile. And Yzak nodded once and replied,
"See you tomorrow."
Flay rubbed a hand to her cheek, wiping the tears from her eye.
"Yes."