Moira stared into the round, glowing face of a very pretty young lady. The lady reached out to touch her, but Moira recoiled behind the leg of Duo. Her safe haven. The girl frowned and looked up at Duo. "She doesn't seem to like me," she said with a nervous chuckle.
Duo shook his head. "No way, she likes you," he said as he looked down at Moira. "Don't ya?"
Moira scrunched her nose as if something foul had been waved under neath it. //How would you know? Maybe I don't like her.// Moira let it go however, and gave a unenthusiastic nod. Duo turned to the girl happily. "See, Hilde, I told you she liked you." He pushed on Moira's small back. "Hey, don't just stand there, kid, come in."
Quatre and Duo went back out to the rental and began unpacking luggage as the two girls sat together in the living room, Hilde in a blue chair and Moira taking up as much of the blue couch as she could. Hilde smiled. "So Duo tells me you're seven years old."
Moira bared her two front teeth like an obstinate rat. "He didn't tell me anything about you."
Hilde chuckled nervously again. Last thing she had expected when Duo called her yesterday was permission to house an OZ escapee. "Yes, well, Duo has told me a bit about you. So. . . What is it that you like to do?"
Moira lost interest in her vehemity and began to ignore Hilde's questions and asking her own. "So, when did you meet Duo?"
Hilde was taken aback, but replied, "Oh, a few months ago. He left here a while back, so it was unexpected when he-"
"So, are you two in love or anything?" Hilde stared down into the sullen chocolate eyes of an obviously peeved little girl with more than a tiny blush spreading across her face. "N-no, of course not. I'm only 15, Moira, it would be impossible for anyone so young to have such mature feelings and, uh, no. No, I'm not in love with Duo." She began laughing nervously just as Duo and Quatre walked into the room, having finished unloading their luggage. Duo swung an arm over Hilde's chair-back and said, "So, what're you girls talking about?"
Hilda looked down at her hands with sudden interest, avoiding the mistrusting eyes of the little girl. "Nothing, Duo." She ignored the confusion on his face and stood up. "Anybody hungry?"
Quatre stood up as well. "It would be rude of us to have you cook. Let me do it." Hilde looked at him.
"Do you even know how to cook?"
Quatre gave an exasperated smile. "Of course. Can you imagine any one else doing the cooking when we were holed up in that little house?"
Hilde smiled. "No, I guess not. Why don't you come with me, and I'll show you were everything is." She led him into the kitchen, whereas a clatter of cupboards openig and closing ensued.
Duo sat down in the chair where Hilde had been sitting and began to search for the remote. When he found it (it was under the coffee table) he said to Moira "Okay, squirt, what do you want to watch? I suggest wrestling." He absentmindedly turned it to the ballet of fools, ignoring the girl's silence. After an excruciating move on The Stonebrick's part, he said to her "Nice move, huh?"
Still no answer.
Duo looked sideways at her. "I said 'nice move, huh'."
No answer.
Duo looked at her with a confused little grin. "Hey, squirt, you listening?" She only crossed her arms and pouted. He stood up, suddenly very annoyed. "What is it?"
She didn't say anything, only pushed forward and landed and the floor. She began to walk out of the room, then as an afterthought, turned and said, "I lied, I don't like her!"
Dup watched after her as she trudged up the stairs, feeling as though a brain aneurysm may hit at any second. He shook his head and sunk back into his seat. //Kids.//
"Kids!" Marie turned towards the boy with wild blonde hair. "I told you once, I'll tell you one more time! Get your papers in order *before* the guards come, okay?"
Diez nodded vaguely. "Of course." He fiddled with the thin file folder in his hands. "Why do I have to do this?"
Rita turned her head to meet the two. "Don't ask, just do." As a dwindling group of soldiers made their way to the group of unofficial adults, Diez became aware of the reasons behind this. He gave a venomous glare to the soldier who requested his travel papers. Naturally they checked out, and Diez began to realize that if M8 and R9 could forge government documents then they were no amateurs. They would be a bit hard to manipulate.
Rita smiled as the soldier left, her aqua eyes laughing. "Good job, Diez." She patted his back and briskly turned back around.
Diez stood stunned as the images sunk into his mind. There was a flash of doctors surrounding him, the fast-paced pictures of sunken faces and the feeling of cold all around. //These are images from R9's past . . .// He lightly rubbed his forehead. He had hoped the images would stop coming. And they hadn't for so long . . .
"Hey!" Marie looked at him with vague concern. "You okay?"
Diez nodded. "Just fine."
Duo shook his head. "No way, she likes you," he said as he looked down at Moira. "Don't ya?"
Moira scrunched her nose as if something foul had been waved under neath it. //How would you know? Maybe I don't like her.// Moira let it go however, and gave a unenthusiastic nod. Duo turned to the girl happily. "See, Hilde, I told you she liked you." He pushed on Moira's small back. "Hey, don't just stand there, kid, come in."
Quatre and Duo went back out to the rental and began unpacking luggage as the two girls sat together in the living room, Hilde in a blue chair and Moira taking up as much of the blue couch as she could. Hilde smiled. "So Duo tells me you're seven years old."
Moira bared her two front teeth like an obstinate rat. "He didn't tell me anything about you."
Hilde chuckled nervously again. Last thing she had expected when Duo called her yesterday was permission to house an OZ escapee. "Yes, well, Duo has told me a bit about you. So. . . What is it that you like to do?"
Moira lost interest in her vehemity and began to ignore Hilde's questions and asking her own. "So, when did you meet Duo?"
Hilde was taken aback, but replied, "Oh, a few months ago. He left here a while back, so it was unexpected when he-"
"So, are you two in love or anything?" Hilde stared down into the sullen chocolate eyes of an obviously peeved little girl with more than a tiny blush spreading across her face. "N-no, of course not. I'm only 15, Moira, it would be impossible for anyone so young to have such mature feelings and, uh, no. No, I'm not in love with Duo." She began laughing nervously just as Duo and Quatre walked into the room, having finished unloading their luggage. Duo swung an arm over Hilde's chair-back and said, "So, what're you girls talking about?"
Hilda looked down at her hands with sudden interest, avoiding the mistrusting eyes of the little girl. "Nothing, Duo." She ignored the confusion on his face and stood up. "Anybody hungry?"
Quatre stood up as well. "It would be rude of us to have you cook. Let me do it." Hilde looked at him.
"Do you even know how to cook?"
Quatre gave an exasperated smile. "Of course. Can you imagine any one else doing the cooking when we were holed up in that little house?"
Hilde smiled. "No, I guess not. Why don't you come with me, and I'll show you were everything is." She led him into the kitchen, whereas a clatter of cupboards openig and closing ensued.
Duo sat down in the chair where Hilde had been sitting and began to search for the remote. When he found it (it was under the coffee table) he said to Moira "Okay, squirt, what do you want to watch? I suggest wrestling." He absentmindedly turned it to the ballet of fools, ignoring the girl's silence. After an excruciating move on The Stonebrick's part, he said to her "Nice move, huh?"
Still no answer.
Duo looked sideways at her. "I said 'nice move, huh'."
No answer.
Duo looked at her with a confused little grin. "Hey, squirt, you listening?" She only crossed her arms and pouted. He stood up, suddenly very annoyed. "What is it?"
She didn't say anything, only pushed forward and landed and the floor. She began to walk out of the room, then as an afterthought, turned and said, "I lied, I don't like her!"
Dup watched after her as she trudged up the stairs, feeling as though a brain aneurysm may hit at any second. He shook his head and sunk back into his seat. //Kids.//
"Kids!" Marie turned towards the boy with wild blonde hair. "I told you once, I'll tell you one more time! Get your papers in order *before* the guards come, okay?"
Diez nodded vaguely. "Of course." He fiddled with the thin file folder in his hands. "Why do I have to do this?"
Rita turned her head to meet the two. "Don't ask, just do." As a dwindling group of soldiers made their way to the group of unofficial adults, Diez became aware of the reasons behind this. He gave a venomous glare to the soldier who requested his travel papers. Naturally they checked out, and Diez began to realize that if M8 and R9 could forge government documents then they were no amateurs. They would be a bit hard to manipulate.
Rita smiled as the soldier left, her aqua eyes laughing. "Good job, Diez." She patted his back and briskly turned back around.
Diez stood stunned as the images sunk into his mind. There was a flash of doctors surrounding him, the fast-paced pictures of sunken faces and the feeling of cold all around. //These are images from R9's past . . .// He lightly rubbed his forehead. He had hoped the images would stop coming. And they hadn't for so long . . .
"Hey!" Marie looked at him with vague concern. "You okay?"
Diez nodded. "Just fine."