ALL READERS: Well, first of all, we want to thank all you guys for all those wonderful reviews! Both DarkDragon and I are really amazed at how well this story is doing. Thirty-one! Wow… Second of all, please forgive us if the format of this chapter is a bit wacked. I tried uploading it about ten times and the format wouldn't go back to normal. So if you there are a few font changes, or if you have to scroll horizontally, it's all FF.net's fault! Thank you!!!!!!!!!! ^^ Chibodee: So you went into the announcing business because you had nowhere else to turn?
Stalker: That's right.
Chibodee: You poor, unfortunate man.
Stalker: You're telling me!
DarkDragon: *dusts off hands and pulls knife out of pocket* Well, Stalker, it's your turn…again.
Stalker: *gulp* Can't we talk about this?
DarkDragon: *obtains Sora's (Kingdom Hearts) Keyblade* I'll kill you good this time…
ShadowTide: MINE!
Renee: MINE!
George: Is that all you can say?
ShadowTide and Renee: Shut up! *looks at each other* HE'S MINE!
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Mobile Fighter G Gundam: Promise of a Rose
Chapter VIII: Of Coolers and Heat
It was an extremely hot day out. You could see the roses wilting as the sun shined down mercilessly. No one went outside. No one dared. Everyone was glad for the air conditioning system installed in the basement, cooling the whole palace down. I heard the servants talking
"Over 100 degrees out there…"
"—Wouldn't dare do anything in this heat…"
"You could sit at a window and watch the roses die…"
And then I got an idea. A horrible, cruel, completely evil idea that would definitely make Frenchie think twice about ever dying my hair. Oh yes, I was still sore from that, despite everything that had happened. During the lunch hour (where did that good grammar come from?) I slipped into an elevator, pressing the "B" for "basement." The doors opened and I stepped out, making sure no one was there. I hid behind a valve as I heard voices.
"—Their Majesties would have a fit if the cooler broke," someone said.
"I wouldn't like to be on the receiving end of their wrath," another answered.
"No, no one would. Did you hear? I heard that Sir de Sand almost got excused," the first said back.
"No! You don't say…"
A moment of guilt took me before I crept from my hiding spot. I walked over to the air conditioning and looked at it. I found the pipe that led to my room, and then the pipe that led to Frenchie's. I rubbed my hands together in evil glee. I took toolbox and made sure I knew which pipe was mine. Then I began to unscrew bolts and took apart all the pipes save mine. With another evil smirk, I returned to my room.
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I looked out of my window. Was it just me or was the room getting slightly hotter? Yes, it definitely was hotter than before.
It was two hours later. And there was NO doubt that it was hotter. Much hotter. I could have sworn that the outside was cooler than in here. I unwound the violet scarf from around my neck and set it neatly in a chair before going to see what was wrong. I asked a passing servant.
"The mechanic says that all but one of the pipes have been completely taken apart," the servant answered me.
"Which pipe, may I ask, stayed in tact?" I asked, with rising suspicion.
"The one, I believe, that led to Miss Bishop's room," she answered. I thanked her and made my way to Renee's room. As I expected, the doorknob was ice. I opened the door and was greeted by the much-welcomed blast of cold air. I stepped into the room, momentarily forgetting my anger as I let the cool air wash over my sweating body. It felt so nice.
"Her George? What right has she to call him her George?! She's engaged for crying out loud!"
These mutterings snapped me out of my basking and I looked down at Renee. She had yet to notice my presence. I cleared my throat. That got her attention. She put a sickly-sweet smile on her face when she saw me.
"Yeah, Frenchie?" she asked me, feigning innocence.
"How, why and when did you break the cooling system?" I asked harshly. I was over being polite and kind. She didn't answer me immediately, just looked me over. "Well?" I demanded. She continued to scan me. I was getting impatient. "RENEE!" I shouted. She looked up at my face, startled.
"Eh?" she asked.
"How. Why. And. When. Did. You. Break. The. Air. Conditioning?" I asked, my patience thinning.
"Oh, that…"
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I stared up at the ceiling, muttering. "Her George? What right has she to call him her George?! She's engaged for crying out loud!" Then I heard someone clear his throat and looked up to see George. How long he had been standing there, I didn't know. I hoped he had just come in, I didn't want him to hear me.
"Yeah, Frenchie?" I asked, making my voice as innocent as possible.
"How, why and when did you break the cooling system?" he asked. I didn't pay him the least of mind. Instead, I let my eyes scan his body. He was sweating so much that his clothes stuck to his well-formed body. My eyes traveled upward and I stopped at his neck. For the first time that violet scarf wasn't wound around his neck, and his face and neck were both glistening with moisture. I let my eyes travel down again. "Well?" I didn't hear his demand. I was too caught up in his sculpted abs and highly-muscled chest. He had a great body, if I do say so myself. "RENEE!" he shouted. That got my attention. I looked up at him, startled.
"Eh?
"How. Why. And. When. Did. You. Break. The. Air. Conditioning?" he asked. I could tell he was on the brink of losing his patience.
"Oh, that…" I said. For the first time, I was nervous. Really nervous. "It's just a joke," I said, making sure to keep the nervousness out of my voice.
"A JOKE?!" he shouted. There. His patience had ended. But before he could fully blow up on me, two unexpected people walked in the room. The first was the King, the second was the Queen. I took one step back, just to make sure that I wasn't within range of anything should ANYONE lose their patience. By the look in his eyes, I could tell George would have slapped me if not for the fact that the King and Queen were in the room.
"Renee Bishop, could you kindly explain why your room is the only one that happens to be cooled?" the King asked.
"There's a good explanation for that," I said. I knew I wouldn't live through this. I knew I shoulda started looking through those "help wanted" ads yesterday. My job just went down the drain. See, my problem is that I act before I think.
"I would like that explanation, if you please," the Queen said. I gulped. I knew my nervousness was showing through.
"I—well, you see—" I sighed. There was no way to avoid the truth. "I just wanted to get back at F—I mean George—for dying my hair pink," I said finally.
"Yes, but you bleached his hair before that, am I correct?" the King asked me. I nodded. "Ms. Bishop, I'm afraid this is the last straw. You are—"
"Wait, Your Majesty!" George intervened.
"What is it George?" the Queen asked impatiently with a sigh.
"Please, do not dismiss her," George said quietly.
"And why shouldn't I?" the King asked.
"Mademoiselle Bishop is the best mechanic I have had besides Raymond. Her help is invaluable," George explained.
"Raymond was fine alone, last I checked," the Queen said.
"Yes, but he is quite past his prime and Renee has been doing a fabulous job of fixing the Rose. As I said before, her help is invaluable," George said. The King looked at him.
"If you still wish to have this…woman on your team, then so be it. But, as a warning, please do not take this practical joke spree too much farther," the King said. Then he and the Queen left.
"George, you—" I started.
"Consider us even," he said and left. I sat down on my bed, stunned. I had been saved—well, my job had been saved—by the last person I had thought would. I lay down, and was soon asleep.
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Why did I save her? Why? I don't even know the answer. Maybe it was what I had declared all that time ago. "I'll tame this shrew if it's the last thing I do." I guess my pride wouldn't let her go. I didn't break vows easily. But…didn't I want her gone? She had been nothing but trouble. Her name was the definition for trouble. "Trouble: Renee Bishop. See mischief." That was most likely in the dictionary. I sighed, and let my mind drift. For some reason I can't even fathom, it drifted right back to Renee and what she had said when I entered the room. What had she meant? "Her George? What does she mean by her George?" I couldn't get that out of my head. I wondered who Renee was referring to when she said "her." Ah, well. The human mind is the last frontier, it is said.
Marie's ship to Neo-Egypt was leaving in an hour, and I had promised her I would be there. I touched my lips in remembrance of our sweet kiss. Our first kiss. I sighed again. The kiss Renee had so rudely interrupted. I began to get ready for Marie's departure. First I stripped and stepped into the shower, letting the thankfully cool water run over my body, refreshing it. I turned the water off. I had been in there for a while. Then I stepped out and brushed my hair, my teeth, and so on and so forth. When I was done I was relieved to feel the room slightly cooler. I wondered why. Could the mechanics be finished already? I wondered. I stepped outside of my room and, to my surprise, it was cool.
"How is it that the cooler has been fixed so fast?" I wondered aloud.
"We had an extra hand, Sir," came a choppy voice from behind me. I turned to see one of the mechanics that often worked out these palace difficulties.
"Who?" I asked.
"I think it was that girl…mademoiselle Bishop. She was a great help. But if you'll excuse me, Sir, I have some other business to attend to," the mechanic said, and with a bow, left.
"Renee helped?" I asked, shocked. I had never heard of her doing any good deed before; usually, it was much the opposite. But…No, she could never change.
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I yawned and looked at the clock. Whoops, I thought lazily, missed her flight. Oh well. I really didn't want to see that bitch anyway. One less person I'd have to worry about. I yawned again and stretched. Then I walked out of my room. I hummed contentedly, walking down the hall with my eyes closed.
"Hey Pinkie!"
I whirled around to see Chibodee running for me.
"I told you not to call me that!" I told him. He grinned. "Anyway, what d'you want?"
"Just wish you had come to see the Princess take off. It was a great sight," Chibodee replied nonchalantly.
"Wha'd you do?" I asked, a grin creeping across my face.
"Oh, nothin' much. Just painted the words 'I'm a prissy bitch! Kick me!' on the back of her dress," he said, barely suppressing laughter.
"You did WHAT?!" I screamed.
"Just what I said," Chibodee answered.
"That must have given them all a laugh! Or maybe a scream, as uptight as they all are," I added.
"I dunno 'bout them, but it was HALARIOUS!! And the best part: she didn't notice. That is until she asked Frenchie why everyone was looking at her strangely, and he told her. Then she went into her plane and wouldn't come out," Chibodee said, smirking. I rolled my eyes.
"These people are just so rule-going they hate everything that doesn't fit into their tightly-knit society," I said. "Like me."
That gave him a good laugh. "Yup, you're right there."
"Anyway, why do they make alliances? Especially marriage ones. Those haven't worked in the past, why would they work now? I mean, alliances are part of what started tons of wars," I said thoughtfully.
"You did your homework," Chibodee observed.
"Some people don't take stupid kids for work. I had to study some," I said.
"To answer your question. You see, every since the defeat of the Dark Gundam, the nations have seen how weak they are as different peoples, and how we did it when we worked together," Chibodee started. "They figured that they'd be stronger if they had allies to depend on when the going got tough. Y'know, like a Shuffle Alliance type of thing."
"Yeah, but if one country gets angry with another country, then they might want to start a war. If they start a war, they'll drag their allies into it, making it several countries against several countries, not just one-on-one. That's how World War I started," I pointed out.
"Things like that are so far in the past, I'm amazed that people still remember them," Chibodee said.
"You learn from history," I said.
"But alliances also make people stronger," Chibodee inserted.
"True, I won't argue with that. Still, a certain risk comes along with alliances. And marriage ones aren't exactly the best solution. Especially when you've a lover," I said, some bitterness escaping in the last sentence.
"You think Marie-Louise'll be angry with her parents for taking Frenchie away from her?" Chibodee asked in surprise.
"She's probably fuming right now," I responded. "That's not good, 'cause she'll be bitter and hard to work with. I guess it would have been better if the French government hadn't had to take that risk."
"There's risk in everything," Chibodee said, solemn for a change. "Anyway, why're you so interested in the French all of a sudden? Do you like Frenchie?"
"NO!" I shouted. Chibodee smirked. "Goddammit, Chibodee!"
"So you do," he said.
"Yes—NO!…I don't know," I said helplessly. "I don't want to."
"We don't choose who we love," Chibodee told me wisely.
"How would YOU know, Mr. I-sleep-with-every-pretty-girl-that-I-see?" I asked angrily.
"No reason in particular," he said, but his eyes hinted otherwise.
"You like one of your crew," I whispered in sudden realization.
"Yah, I guess you could say that…" he said, kicking his shoe against the carpeted floor.
"Let me guess: Shirley, right?" I guessed, seeing how he looked at her it was the best guess.
"How did you—?" Chibodee started, but I cut him off.
"Did you tell her?" I asked.
"No."
"Well then, why not?" I asked.
"Because…she'd probably brush it off as another one of my jokes," he said sadly.
"Show her how you feel then," I suggested.
"But--"
"Chibodee," I said sternly. "I know that if I were in Shirley's place, I'd rather you told me."
"But—"
"Would it hurt to try?"
"It'd hurt if she brushed me off."
"What if I said she wouldn't?"
"You—you know?!"
"Well…you could say that. I know how a girl thinks, I am one after all."
"I just don't know."
"Give it a try. I'm sure you'll make a great couple."
"Renee—"
"Good luck."
Then I walked off.
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George: GET OFF OF ME!!
Renee and ShadowTide: *lets go* George, are you alright?
George: My arms are so sore…
Renee and ShadowTide: Let me help you. *glares* I get to help George!
DarkDragon: *licks blood off hands* Maybe he'll stay a bloodied corpse this time.
Chibodee: You make me sick sometimes.
DarkDragon: All in a day's work.
Chibodee: MURDER?!
DarkDragon: I save innocent people from hideous monsters.
Chibodee: Oh, okay. I'll go with that.
DarkDragon: Okay, peoples. If you want someone to be my next victim, tell me in a review. I'll gladly kill anyone that isn't Kyoji, Schwartz, Rain, Domon, Chib, George or any main character in the show.
Adios, amigos!
~*DD*~
and
~* ShadowTide *~