Messenger
"Lucrezia!" One of the commanders yelled over the din in the large room. She instantly spun away from her screen and paused only to make sure her replacement had sat down there before running to the commander.
"Yes, sir!" she yelled back walking over to him.
He was one of the new ones here, who thought they had to yell everything to get it done, instead of asking her over the intercom. And besides being new he was younger, an anoying combination; which, in the past, had led to commands for dates or other 'favors' that higher ranking officers thought they deserved...He proved himself to be that type by pausing to look her up and down as she approached, judgeing her. And from his look, finding her sufficient as a woman but lacking as a soldier of any rank above 'Recreation'.
"I need you to deliver this message to LT. Zechs Marquess!" He shouted loudly as if to tell everyone in the room he was giving her some important task. No one even noticed. "Can you do it?!" As if she couldn't find him in this base.
"Yes, sir." Noin responded stoically.
"What?" He demanded. Noin cursed under her breath, he was trying to make fun of her!
"Yes, sir!" she snapped grabbing the sheet of printouts and turning away, but not fast enought that she didn't see him cock his head to admire her behind, causeing her to grit her teeth togther.
"Oh, and Lucrezia?" he said. She turned back knowing exactly what he'd say. The entire room hushed a little allready disaproving of him. "I've heard about the formal ball this Saturday, I don't suppose you need an escort do you?" The entire room was silent. Frowning she turned and stalked away.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Whats her problem?" The officer asked his commander. The commander glared. "I mean who does this Lucrezia girl think she is? She should be someone's secertary, not some two bit warrior; I mean we all know women can't fight."
"Maybe you're just not looking deep enough." The commander answered.
"Whats there to look for? Obviously shes just someones spoiled daugter, who can't fight worth a lick and has pride enough for some high warrior." He answered. " Lucrezia. Hmmp. Whoever heard of her?"
The Commander glared and began to turn away, but he paused.
"By the way her name is Lucrezia Noin." He said clearly.
"Lucrezia Noin?" The man gulped. "Noin?"
Suddenly realizeing exactly who he had insulted.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Noin smiled as the elivator opened into the command center. She quickly scanned the roster and realized LT. Zechs was on down time, which she could have guessed. Smiling at the door guards, who smiled cheerfully back, remembering her from the academy. Back in the elivator she decended four levels to the barracks for the common soldiers. When the doors opened she was startled by the lines of bunks and soldiers in fatigues. Smiling at them she punched the elivator door up to the next level where the officers were accomidated. Here the halls were pale beige, instead of the institutional green in the barracks.
Walking down the halls she nocked at the door to Zech's quarters. The nock echoed back to the hall and she frowned. Noin waited patiently before nocking again, giving him his time to get to the door. Thinking back to their days at the acedemy she smiled, remembering their friendship. Givin his outrageous good looks he'd shied away from everyone except her, forming a strong bond between them. Of course he was only more outrageously gorgeous by now, pale platinum hair cascading down his back, his blue eyes sparkling behind that silver mask that hid emotions that his eyes couldn't. She'd become very good at reading his cobalt blue eyes.
"Looking for Zechs?" Someone said behind her. Noin froze for a second, hearing the ice and threat in that voice. The only voice that scared her. Her, OZ's best Mobile Suit pilot and trainer, Lucrezia Noin.
"Y-Yes, Sir." She said turning and saluting Trieze Khushrenada. He smiled trying to be congenial, and failing miserably. The fact that he had even tried scared Noin; what was he trying to calm her down for?
"You look absolutely raveshing in your uniform, Lucrezia. A model soldier and warrior." Noin shivvered. "What did you need to see LT. Zechs for?"
She didn't like the way he said that. Like she could be coming to see him instead, like it was her fault for not coming to see him.
"An urgent message, sir. It has to be delivered now." she answered.
He snorted and pointed down the hallway before walking away. Noin slouched against the door frame momentarily to regain her strength before heading in the direction Trieze had pointed her in.
Startled, Noin stoped, stareing at the end of the hall. The only room left was the showers. The men's showers to be more specific. Listening carefully she could just barely hear a shower running.
"You'd have to be in the shower..." Noin murmured, blushing. Seconds later the shower cut off, allmost like some sort of blessing. She sighed. It wasn't like she haddn't fantasized about catching him in the shower-or anywhere else for that matter- but the thought of walking in on him, just out of the shower, and scantily clad to deliver a message was entirely out of the question.
Slumping against the wall she let her mind drift back to that image. Her supperior wearing only a beige terry cloth towel that was just barely hanging on to his slim hips. His hair hanging limply down his back, damp and pale. She could only picture him with his helmet on though; she'd never seen him without it.
"Dammit." She murmured. "I have to deliver this message." Steeling herself and grinning wolfishly Noin opened the door to the men's showers and walked inside. The room was hotter and damper than the halls and she had to resist the urge to pull her coat off. Ahead were racks of lockers, painted navy blue and numbered. Walking into the long halls of lockers she scanned for Zechs.
"Noin?" She spun, blushing that she had been caught in the men's showers. The older man in full uniform and damp hair was Captain Tetsa.
"Captain." She said back nervous. He snorted.
"You're not doing anything I have to report you for, right Noin?" He asked. She blushed even worse.
"N-No sir. I was supposed to deliver an urgent message to LT. Zechs, and Treize said he was in here." she replied. Why did she have to stutter? It made her sound like she had done something bad, like she was guilty of something worse than sneaking into the men's showers and lusting after her ranking officer and friend.
"Ah," The Captain said. "His locker is over there somewhere, then." Waving a hand in a general direction, he turned and left the way she had come. Noin nodded and went where he'd told her to, still looking for Zechs.
Rounding the final corner of lockers she walked right into his arms. Wide eyed she stared, meeting his cobalt blue eyes through his silvery mask, surveying the blonde locks that hung limply under his mask and down the back of his neck. Suddenly realizing exactly whose arms she was in Noin jumped back a step until she was clear of his personal space. Zechs, for that matter, was still stareing at her as if fumbling to place her in his memeory, but in his eyes she could read shock. Finally he shook his head slightly and flinched looking away from her, stepping back behind the wall of lockers. Belatedly she realized that he was in the same state of undress she'd imagined him in; only a low slung towel, its only difference was that it was navy blue instead of beige. She felt herself blushing. She silently watched as he put on deoderant and he studdied her. Noin couldn't get over how his uniform had covered his finely chisled muscles.
"Well?" He asked. She looked up startled that he had said anything. For a second she couldn't remember why she was there and she felt the blush return. Zechs smiled charmingly watching her fumble to remember why she was there. "I really do hope, Noin, that you haven't lowered your entertainment values enought that wandering the men's showers on your breaks is the highlight of your day."
Just as he had intended she burst out laughing. And blushing.
"No." She answered. "I'm running erands for a new Commander."
Zech's eyes glimered in interest.
"I was sure messenger boy was above your rank." He smirked. "But with that hair length...Well, you just never know."
Noin was outraged. How dare he bring back his best weapon at the acedemy, her hair! He'd teased her about it every day back then.
"How dare you!" she snapped. He looked shocked, like he haddn't expected this from her. "Helmet boy!" she retorted. Ok, weak retort, but she was out of practice. It wasn't like she called her ranking officers bad names when they yelled at her after missions. Oh god! She'd just called a very ranking officer a name! Noin collapsed to her knees suddenly afraid he was going to fire or kill her or both, even if thay had been friends in the academy.
Zechs was startled. Noin was still as firey and feisty as he remembered her; honestly he'd expected OZ to hammer her into some beautiful but subservant soldier. He laughed makeing Noin jump. He reached down and held out a hand for her.
"Oh, get up." he ordered, laughter in his voice. She looked up and took his hand reluctantly. She was blushing again. "I haven't been called anything like that recently, though I'm sure some of the Gundams would like to." He dropped her hand and reached for his pants. Blushing Noin steped back several feet around the wall of lockers so he could change.
"So what did you come in here for?"
Noin gritted her teeth together, realizing she still hadn't delivered the message.
"I was supposed to be delivering a message to you. The new commander thought he was giving me a real honor by letting me do the leg work for him." She sighed, infuriated with the male species and them looking down on her. "Whats even worse is the new guy treats me like I'm just another foot soldier, battle fodder." She paused to glare at the wall. "So I had to track you down and deliver the message. You know Treize was the one who pointed me into here..."
"Hmmm," Zechs answered. "I didn't think he was keeping track of me."
"I didn't know he was either." Noin answered.
"So whats the message?"
Noin blushed and tried to sound indignant.
"I haven't read it."
Zechs snorted.
"When did you stop?"
"I have never read other people's notes and messages!" Noin yelped.
"Thats not what I remembered from the academy; especially that time you were in computer technology and accessed Mrs. Bomant's personal notes." He paused allmost listening for her to blush. "Didn't you print those files and, ah, keep them for-"
"Oh, shut up!" She said flameing. "You had your own copy as I remember!" The other side of the lockers was silent. Noin grinned winningly.
"Alright, alright, let the past be!" Zechs answered. He really didn't want his past exploits in blackmail to come up now. "Just give me the damn letter." Zechs stalked around the lockers grumbling good naturedly and snatched it from her. Without letting her see it he tore it open and read it himself before smirking secretly. It did exactly what he had hoped; she blushed and gritted her teeth, infuriated. Of course there was nothing really pertaining to her in the letter, it was about that formal ball next weekend; his supperiors were allmost ordering him to be there. He hated these formal dinners and parties, all the stuffed shirts and old men from the very begining days of Romafeller wanting to tell him their stories of battle back when there were no mobile suits, or if you had one how thin its armor was, or fast it ran out of bullets, all of the old men trying desperatly to make him feel excessivly lucky because he had the Tallgeese, and why the hell haddn't he killed the Gundams yet? Tallgeese was more than enough to do the job, right? Unconciously Zechs gritted his own teeth and crumpled the paper in his hand.
Noin watched his reaction curious at the anger he showed. She guessed he was being ordered into doing something he didn't want to do.
"Well," Noin said. "Now that I've deliveered the message I have to get going...Bye Zechs." She turned away from her overly cute, but scowling LT.
Zechs watched her retreat and his eyes flickered from her to the paper he'd crumpled. An idea came to him.
"Hey Noin?" He asked and she stoped to look back. He instantly felt nervous. "Are you going to the formal ball?" She shook her head no.
"Don't have a date." she answered thinking back to her commander.
"They've ordered me to be there, and you know how I hate these things." He gulped, feeling like he was facing down all of the Gundams unarmed. "I don't suppose you'd go with me?"
Noin's heart fluttered. Not only had she seen Zechs in only a towel he was asking her to go to the formal with him. She blushed unconciously.
"Of course I will." Noin answered feeling much more elation than she let her voice show.
"Thank you." He answered, greatfully. Noin smiled charmingly and turned her heels to walk out of the showers and get back to work. At her work station Noin couldn't keep the grin off her face, which made the gossips whisper louder.
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In the locker room Zechs finished dressing and slammed his locker shut with a whoop of joy.
the end
"Lucrezia!" One of the commanders yelled over the din in the large room. She instantly spun away from her screen and paused only to make sure her replacement had sat down there before running to the commander.
"Yes, sir!" she yelled back walking over to him.
He was one of the new ones here, who thought they had to yell everything to get it done, instead of asking her over the intercom. And besides being new he was younger, an anoying combination; which, in the past, had led to commands for dates or other 'favors' that higher ranking officers thought they deserved...He proved himself to be that type by pausing to look her up and down as she approached, judgeing her. And from his look, finding her sufficient as a woman but lacking as a soldier of any rank above 'Recreation'.
"I need you to deliver this message to LT. Zechs Marquess!" He shouted loudly as if to tell everyone in the room he was giving her some important task. No one even noticed. "Can you do it?!" As if she couldn't find him in this base.
"Yes, sir." Noin responded stoically.
"What?" He demanded. Noin cursed under her breath, he was trying to make fun of her!
"Yes, sir!" she snapped grabbing the sheet of printouts and turning away, but not fast enought that she didn't see him cock his head to admire her behind, causeing her to grit her teeth togther.
"Oh, and Lucrezia?" he said. She turned back knowing exactly what he'd say. The entire room hushed a little allready disaproving of him. "I've heard about the formal ball this Saturday, I don't suppose you need an escort do you?" The entire room was silent. Frowning she turned and stalked away.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Whats her problem?" The officer asked his commander. The commander glared. "I mean who does this Lucrezia girl think she is? She should be someone's secertary, not some two bit warrior; I mean we all know women can't fight."
"Maybe you're just not looking deep enough." The commander answered.
"Whats there to look for? Obviously shes just someones spoiled daugter, who can't fight worth a lick and has pride enough for some high warrior." He answered. " Lucrezia. Hmmp. Whoever heard of her?"
The Commander glared and began to turn away, but he paused.
"By the way her name is Lucrezia Noin." He said clearly.
"Lucrezia Noin?" The man gulped. "Noin?"
Suddenly realizeing exactly who he had insulted.
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Noin smiled as the elivator opened into the command center. She quickly scanned the roster and realized LT. Zechs was on down time, which she could have guessed. Smiling at the door guards, who smiled cheerfully back, remembering her from the academy. Back in the elivator she decended four levels to the barracks for the common soldiers. When the doors opened she was startled by the lines of bunks and soldiers in fatigues. Smiling at them she punched the elivator door up to the next level where the officers were accomidated. Here the halls were pale beige, instead of the institutional green in the barracks.
Walking down the halls she nocked at the door to Zech's quarters. The nock echoed back to the hall and she frowned. Noin waited patiently before nocking again, giving him his time to get to the door. Thinking back to their days at the acedemy she smiled, remembering their friendship. Givin his outrageous good looks he'd shied away from everyone except her, forming a strong bond between them. Of course he was only more outrageously gorgeous by now, pale platinum hair cascading down his back, his blue eyes sparkling behind that silver mask that hid emotions that his eyes couldn't. She'd become very good at reading his cobalt blue eyes.
"Looking for Zechs?" Someone said behind her. Noin froze for a second, hearing the ice and threat in that voice. The only voice that scared her. Her, OZ's best Mobile Suit pilot and trainer, Lucrezia Noin.
"Y-Yes, Sir." She said turning and saluting Trieze Khushrenada. He smiled trying to be congenial, and failing miserably. The fact that he had even tried scared Noin; what was he trying to calm her down for?
"You look absolutely raveshing in your uniform, Lucrezia. A model soldier and warrior." Noin shivvered. "What did you need to see LT. Zechs for?"
She didn't like the way he said that. Like she could be coming to see him instead, like it was her fault for not coming to see him.
"An urgent message, sir. It has to be delivered now." she answered.
He snorted and pointed down the hallway before walking away. Noin slouched against the door frame momentarily to regain her strength before heading in the direction Trieze had pointed her in.
Startled, Noin stoped, stareing at the end of the hall. The only room left was the showers. The men's showers to be more specific. Listening carefully she could just barely hear a shower running.
"You'd have to be in the shower..." Noin murmured, blushing. Seconds later the shower cut off, allmost like some sort of blessing. She sighed. It wasn't like she haddn't fantasized about catching him in the shower-or anywhere else for that matter- but the thought of walking in on him, just out of the shower, and scantily clad to deliver a message was entirely out of the question.
Slumping against the wall she let her mind drift back to that image. Her supperior wearing only a beige terry cloth towel that was just barely hanging on to his slim hips. His hair hanging limply down his back, damp and pale. She could only picture him with his helmet on though; she'd never seen him without it.
"Dammit." She murmured. "I have to deliver this message." Steeling herself and grinning wolfishly Noin opened the door to the men's showers and walked inside. The room was hotter and damper than the halls and she had to resist the urge to pull her coat off. Ahead were racks of lockers, painted navy blue and numbered. Walking into the long halls of lockers she scanned for Zechs.
"Noin?" She spun, blushing that she had been caught in the men's showers. The older man in full uniform and damp hair was Captain Tetsa.
"Captain." She said back nervous. He snorted.
"You're not doing anything I have to report you for, right Noin?" He asked. She blushed even worse.
"N-No sir. I was supposed to deliver an urgent message to LT. Zechs, and Treize said he was in here." she replied. Why did she have to stutter? It made her sound like she had done something bad, like she was guilty of something worse than sneaking into the men's showers and lusting after her ranking officer and friend.
"Ah," The Captain said. "His locker is over there somewhere, then." Waving a hand in a general direction, he turned and left the way she had come. Noin nodded and went where he'd told her to, still looking for Zechs.
Rounding the final corner of lockers she walked right into his arms. Wide eyed she stared, meeting his cobalt blue eyes through his silvery mask, surveying the blonde locks that hung limply under his mask and down the back of his neck. Suddenly realizing exactly whose arms she was in Noin jumped back a step until she was clear of his personal space. Zechs, for that matter, was still stareing at her as if fumbling to place her in his memeory, but in his eyes she could read shock. Finally he shook his head slightly and flinched looking away from her, stepping back behind the wall of lockers. Belatedly she realized that he was in the same state of undress she'd imagined him in; only a low slung towel, its only difference was that it was navy blue instead of beige. She felt herself blushing. She silently watched as he put on deoderant and he studdied her. Noin couldn't get over how his uniform had covered his finely chisled muscles.
"Well?" He asked. She looked up startled that he had said anything. For a second she couldn't remember why she was there and she felt the blush return. Zechs smiled charmingly watching her fumble to remember why she was there. "I really do hope, Noin, that you haven't lowered your entertainment values enought that wandering the men's showers on your breaks is the highlight of your day."
Just as he had intended she burst out laughing. And blushing.
"No." She answered. "I'm running erands for a new Commander."
Zech's eyes glimered in interest.
"I was sure messenger boy was above your rank." He smirked. "But with that hair length...Well, you just never know."
Noin was outraged. How dare he bring back his best weapon at the acedemy, her hair! He'd teased her about it every day back then.
"How dare you!" she snapped. He looked shocked, like he haddn't expected this from her. "Helmet boy!" she retorted. Ok, weak retort, but she was out of practice. It wasn't like she called her ranking officers bad names when they yelled at her after missions. Oh god! She'd just called a very ranking officer a name! Noin collapsed to her knees suddenly afraid he was going to fire or kill her or both, even if thay had been friends in the academy.
Zechs was startled. Noin was still as firey and feisty as he remembered her; honestly he'd expected OZ to hammer her into some beautiful but subservant soldier. He laughed makeing Noin jump. He reached down and held out a hand for her.
"Oh, get up." he ordered, laughter in his voice. She looked up and took his hand reluctantly. She was blushing again. "I haven't been called anything like that recently, though I'm sure some of the Gundams would like to." He dropped her hand and reached for his pants. Blushing Noin steped back several feet around the wall of lockers so he could change.
"So what did you come in here for?"
Noin gritted her teeth together, realizing she still hadn't delivered the message.
"I was supposed to be delivering a message to you. The new commander thought he was giving me a real honor by letting me do the leg work for him." She sighed, infuriated with the male species and them looking down on her. "Whats even worse is the new guy treats me like I'm just another foot soldier, battle fodder." She paused to glare at the wall. "So I had to track you down and deliver the message. You know Treize was the one who pointed me into here..."
"Hmmm," Zechs answered. "I didn't think he was keeping track of me."
"I didn't know he was either." Noin answered.
"So whats the message?"
Noin blushed and tried to sound indignant.
"I haven't read it."
Zechs snorted.
"When did you stop?"
"I have never read other people's notes and messages!" Noin yelped.
"Thats not what I remembered from the academy; especially that time you were in computer technology and accessed Mrs. Bomant's personal notes." He paused allmost listening for her to blush. "Didn't you print those files and, ah, keep them for-"
"Oh, shut up!" She said flameing. "You had your own copy as I remember!" The other side of the lockers was silent. Noin grinned winningly.
"Alright, alright, let the past be!" Zechs answered. He really didn't want his past exploits in blackmail to come up now. "Just give me the damn letter." Zechs stalked around the lockers grumbling good naturedly and snatched it from her. Without letting her see it he tore it open and read it himself before smirking secretly. It did exactly what he had hoped; she blushed and gritted her teeth, infuriated. Of course there was nothing really pertaining to her in the letter, it was about that formal ball next weekend; his supperiors were allmost ordering him to be there. He hated these formal dinners and parties, all the stuffed shirts and old men from the very begining days of Romafeller wanting to tell him their stories of battle back when there were no mobile suits, or if you had one how thin its armor was, or fast it ran out of bullets, all of the old men trying desperatly to make him feel excessivly lucky because he had the Tallgeese, and why the hell haddn't he killed the Gundams yet? Tallgeese was more than enough to do the job, right? Unconciously Zechs gritted his own teeth and crumpled the paper in his hand.
Noin watched his reaction curious at the anger he showed. She guessed he was being ordered into doing something he didn't want to do.
"Well," Noin said. "Now that I've deliveered the message I have to get going...Bye Zechs." She turned away from her overly cute, but scowling LT.
Zechs watched her retreat and his eyes flickered from her to the paper he'd crumpled. An idea came to him.
"Hey Noin?" He asked and she stoped to look back. He instantly felt nervous. "Are you going to the formal ball?" She shook her head no.
"Don't have a date." she answered thinking back to her commander.
"They've ordered me to be there, and you know how I hate these things." He gulped, feeling like he was facing down all of the Gundams unarmed. "I don't suppose you'd go with me?"
Noin's heart fluttered. Not only had she seen Zechs in only a towel he was asking her to go to the formal with him. She blushed unconciously.
"Of course I will." Noin answered feeling much more elation than she let her voice show.
"Thank you." He answered, greatfully. Noin smiled charmingly and turned her heels to walk out of the showers and get back to work. At her work station Noin couldn't keep the grin off her face, which made the gossips whisper louder.
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In the locker room Zechs finished dressing and slammed his locker shut with a whoop of joy.
the end