XI. Alliances

71. Seminal

'I think it's time we get some things straight.' Relena turned around to face the enemy as soon as they were out of sight.

Dorothy raised her eyebrows. The perfect picture of innocence. 'I have no idea what you're talking about.'

'Me and Quatre? Friends. Me and Heero?' she paused, fighting a blush. 'Something more… Well, at least I want us to be.'

Dorothy's eyebrows rose even higher. 'You're serious.' She half-stated half-asked sceptically.

'Yes.'

'You are serious.' Her eyes widened in realisation.

'So? Would you, please, leave him alone?'

'Mmm…' Dorothy tapped her chin thoughtfully. 'Fine. On one condition.'

72. Diaphanous

He had always been a master at being invisible… It was ironic that now, right when he wanted to be solid, he was anything but.

'So… Heero, huh? Your surname wouldn't happen to be Yuy, would it? Because I hear there's this top notch assassin… A hired gun, you see…that goes by that name.' Quatre both acted and sounded nonchalant, but Heero could see right through him too.

He raised his eyebrows in his best 'so-what-if-I-am' look, wondering – internally – how bad it would be to kill a Winner. He supposed he would be in jail before he could say 'jail'.

73. Pleonastic

'Wait.' Relena raised her hand. 'You want me to help you get together with Quatre?'

Dorothy gave her a bored look. 'Isn't that exactly what I just said?'

'You have a thing for Quatre?' she was having a hard time wrapping her mind around it. 'I thought you only wanted to antagonize me.'

'That was fun too…' Dorothy conceded.

'But…Quatre? Really?'

'This is getting as old as your outfit.'

Relena scowled. 'It's just… You're so different! He's… Well… Sweet and innocent and you're…'

'Evil? Mean? Perverted?' Dorothy smirked proudly at her self-description. 'But that's why I want him.'

'Opposites attract?'

74. Inspissate

He very discreetly reached into his pocket, pulled out the earpiece he had on earlier and put it back on. Relena had looked a little creeped out by it, though he had been subtle, so he made sure Winner wouldn't see it.

'Are you alright?' the blonde frowned suspiciously.

'Headache.' Heero countered, hoping Trowa was paying attention. Surely the man could not be so thick as to not realise he was in trouble.

'So… Who's your target? Is it me?' he was curious, but calculatingly cold. It was intimidating.

'There is no target.'

'Why did you omit your surname then?'

75. Pendent

'There're black clouds looming over us…'

Trowa frowned. Heero was in trouble and what was Maxwell babbling about? He put down the binoculars. 'What are you smoking?'

'Just some weed. It's college, man.'

'If you get us in trouble…'

'Trouble? Why? Are you an assassin too?'

'No. I just…assist.'

'That's it?'

'I work at a circus.' He confessed.

'A circus circus?'

Trowa sighed exasperated. 'A circus circus.'

'Do you fly over people's heads?' Duo was as excitable as a child.

'Sometimes.' He shrugged self-consciously.

'Wait. That Winner?'

'Yeah… And he knows who Heero is.'

'Oh, man… We gotta do something!'

76. Vertiginous

'I don't think that's a good plan, Dorothy…' Relena commented cautiously, holding a bag of ice against Dorothy's leg. 'Getting him drunk and then… Oh, I can't even say it. What kind of person do you think I am?' Dorothy saw the suspicious rise of the other woman's eyebrows and turned discreetly away, distracted by a very interesting box of Band-Aid's. 'Dorothy!' Relena chided.

'Oh, fine. I think you're a prude who knows nothing about men.' An insulted 'ha!' was all the other woman could come up with. 'Do what I tell you and you'll turn his world upside down.'

77. Parochial

'I don't want trouble.' Heero assured him.

'But you want Relena.' It sounded sceptical, almost like a question.

'I…' he cleared his throat, buying himself some time. There was no way he could tell Winner his plan was to keep Relena away from him. 'I want to…date…her.'

'But… You're an assassin…' the blonde looked conflicted.

Heero raised an eyebrow, seizing the opportunity. 'And you are narrow-minded.'

Quatre gasped. 'Narrow-minded?! I am most certainly not narrow-minded.'

'Conservative then.'

'Absolutely not.'

'Then what do you call it? Prejudiced?'

'No.'

'Intolerant?'

'Fine! I'll lend you my support, but if anything happens to her…'