::mumbles:: Sorry about the horrible delay in updates. A few things came up and I was unable to write (doesn't help that my cursed writers block returned) but now I'm back in the game. So onward and upward!
Warning: Yaoi, oocness, massive bouts of silliness and utter randomness, so on and so forth.
Disclaimer: Don't own it, would like to, but never will. Blargh, blargh, blargh. ^_^
Plead: Reviews!
-Kate
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Chapter Four ; Table Manners
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Zechs was the first to notice the somewhat disturbing change in personality of the members of the cruise. All of the occupants of the boat had hand picked the foods that fit them best then moseyed their way over to an abnormally large table that Pagan had set up. Pagan truly was the God of butlers. Not only could he cook, clean, and do many house hold chores. He could also pilot airplanes, helicopters, space transports, drive a very hideous pink limousine, and even take apart a shotgun in 5.10 seconds. What more could a person want?
The seating around the table wasn't anything out of the ordinary, for this crew of people at least. The table was one of those horribly overdone oak numbers. God only knows how it was moved on board. Of course it was rectangle in shape and draped with the best linens possible. Though those poor linens were presently being covered in various messes of food and drink. At the head of the table sat Treize, who was feeling a tad bit rejected by everyone else. To the left of him was Trowa who sat next to his beloved koi. Next to Quatre sat Relena, who still eyed the small blonde pilot with much worry. Directly across the table from Treize sat Wufei. To his right sat a very giddy and excited Heero. He was presently being molested under the table by Duo who sat, of course, next to him. Noin, who happened to notice the slight fidgeting under the linen table cloth, sat in between Duo and Zechs. She, just like Duo, had a very spacious grin plastered on her features. She was presently sliding her bare foot up and down what she thought was Zechs' leg. Zechs was the only one at the table that seemed somewhat composed. He was too busy observing everyone else to bother adding his two cents to the conversations flying through the air.
The way people acted when out of their niche was absolutely amazing. Everyone, well almost everyone, seemed to be the complete opposite of their usual personalities. Zechs moved his cerulean eyes from person to person to observe how they were acting on this tepid night.
The first person he came to was Treize. He seemed to be completely silent for once. Not the norm for this very, very talkative young man. His eyes were plastered onto the Chinese pilot across the table from him. His cheeks were visibly flushed and his upper set of teeth were digging into his lower lip. Zechs could only assume what was running through his head.
Next was Trowa who was laughing and talking up a storm. Zechs concluded that Trowa must have ingested some sort of toxic substance. His conversations with the others were pulled completely out of no where. Though it caused much amusement to the others, it bewildered Zechs.
Quatre's mannerisms also disturbed Zechs. He seemed much too quiet. He sat next to Trowa with his eyes glued on Duo. Those bright Mediterranean blue eyes were as devious as the smile he wore. Zechs figured that more than likely he was thinking dirty thoughts of what he would do to Trowa once they retired. Zechs hoped with all of his being that he would not find out he was right later.
Next to be spotted was Relena. She was the only one out of the entire bunch that seemed to be somewhat normal. She was presently staring at Heero with an impassioned look. Her delicate hands seemed to find the food on her plate and place it into her dainty mouth without the need of her eyes for guidance. Those eyes were much too busy trying to burn a hole into Heero's skull to bother with anything else. Very, very disconcerting to say the least.
As Zechs came to Wufei he couldn't help but picture a giant ripping apart a small mortal. In reality he was growling and grunting as he tore the head off some poor, defenseless lobster. Quite an amazing sight really.
Zechs didn't have to look at Heero to know what he was doing. The stench of giddiness wafted on the light breeze from his direction. Heero was rouged like no other, his eyes bright and startled. His fork and knife were tightly gripped in each hand as if he were trying to break them in half. Zechs didn't even want to fathom what Duo was doing to the poor Japanese boy under the table.
That brings us to the next target of observation. Duo. He was probably the most amusing of the bunch. The look on his face was that of absolute joy and excitement. Those brilliant violet hues of his were dancing around the table as he tortured his counterpart. He was obviously trying to look as if he were engrossed in Trowa's discussion with Relena on the concepts of alternate realities. His wide grin told another story. The Cheshire Cat would have been put to shame.
Now Zechs came to the last person at the table; Noin. She was possibly the most puzzling person of the group. For some reason she wore a smirk similar to that of Duo's; malevolent and mischievous. What was more, it seemed to be directed straight at Zechs. He couldn't quite figure out why she had that expression on her face, since all she was doing was picking apart a small crab on her plate. Maybe she too had ingested some sort of toxic substance. He was a tad bit unnerved to say the least.
Zechs stared at Noin. Noin stared back at Zechs. Zechs began to sweat drop. Noin began to giggle like Satan. Zechs just about died of fright.
Trowa had begun to notice the silent state of the man across from him; Milliardo. A feral smile pulled its away across his features as he stopped his conversation with Duo on the concepts of out of characterness.
"Oh, Zechs?" He cooed. Zechs snapped his head from Noin to Trowa.
"What?" He was actually pleased he didn't have to look at the demoniac aspect of Noin's countenance any longer.
"Do you agree with Duo or myself on this matter?" Trowa questioned matter of factly. He truly loved torturing poor Milliardo when he had the chance. Revenge is such a bitch.
"Uh. Duo?" Zechs brow rose as the entire table stopped what they were doing to stare at him. He wasn't sure what he had agreed on, but he now made the assumption it wasn't exactly something good. "What?"
Relena was the first to bust out laughing. Then came Quatre, Noin, Wufei and Duo. Even Heero bent over tittering like a little school girl. Trowa waited. He now knew for certain that Milliardo hadn't listened a word they were saying. If he had he would have known Duo had been debating whether or not it's possible to shove your head up your own ass. Fascinating what the great Shinigami comes up with.
"So do you think its possible?" Trowa was going to drag this on as long as he could. The rest of the table instantly stopped their sniggering. They all looked at Zechs intently.
"Yes..?" Zechs was very unsure of what to say. Yes usually was the right answer, but he had a sick feeling it wasn't in this case. Everyone's eyes widened as their brows rose on their foreheads. Even Treize was becoming amused. He decided to chime in.
"I believe he's proving it to us right now my dear friends." Treize bounced his brows at Zechs before setting his hands behind his head.
All was silent for at least five minutes. Most uncomfortable for the poor Peacecraft heir.
Then it happened, everyone started to laugh so hard they looked like they were dying. Duo slammed his head down on the table smack dab into his pile of garlic mashed potatoes, Relena looked to her brother with utter mirth as she produced a few short snorts, Wufei was the only one in the group that was only chuckling. He found it amusing, but not that amusing. Trowa was laughing low in his throat as he smiled to Milliardo. Triumph was his. Quatre laughed so hard he looked like he had been bawling for hours. Noin had covered her mouth in hopes that she would not snort as loud as Relena had. And Heero began to laugh so hard he tipped his chair. He landed flat on his back hard enough to knock the wind out of himself. It only caused more laughter to arise from the group and himself. Needless to say, Zechs had made quite the ass of himself. He wasn't sure how though, but he wasn't going to bother to ask. It would only add to the situation.
After about twenty minutes of painful laughter, it started to die down. Everyone's faces were streaked with tears and their throats were dry. Composure, if that is even what you can call it, returned to the mass. Duo removed the splotch of potato from his forehead, Relena drank an entire glass of water in one gulp, Trowa set his hands against his chin, Wufei began tearing apart what was left of his lobster, Heero put his chair up right and sat down as if nothing had happened, Noin too drank a very large amount of water, Quatre simply smiled while watching everyone else, and Treize threw his feet up onto the table. Not exactly the most polite thing to do. But who was being polite? At last someone decided to speak. It was completely out of right field, but that was probably a good thing at this point.
"Soooo.. what should we do now?" Quatre chirped. He wanted to try and ease the pain for Milliardo the best he could.
"I need a drink." Zechs muttered. He was trying to be quiet about it, but the word 'drink' seemed to jump right out and smack Duo in the face. His eyes instantly lit up as he jumped from his chair.
"I know! Let's play some games!" Duo practically exploded with excitement. Everyone sat still for a moment just staring at him. It was a well known fact that Duo was very good at thinking up games. They were very popular among his comrades, even if they did induce bouts of drunkenness and stupidity.
"Sounds good to me." Treize said intrigued. He had never actually participated in any of Duo's charades, but he had heard many hilarious stories surrounding the events they caused.
Everyone nodded their heads in agreement and made off for the lower deck. There they all took their places in a grand parlor area that was stationed next to the kitchenette/dining room. This section was as lavish as any Roman Villa. It had marble floors, giant oriental rugs that covered the hard floor to protect ones head if one tripped, redwood furniture, couches, love seats, two enormous chairs, a big screen TV that made most cinema screens look small, and a full service bar. Windows that looked out to the ocean cast an eerie light on everything and everyone. An incredibly large leather couch took up a good portion of the wall next to the windows. It was L shaped and perfect for a abundant group of people to occupy. They sat in what was becoming a very normal pattern for them. This time it formed a circle. On the couch sat Treize, Trowa, Quatre, Relena, and Heero, much to his chagrin. Instead of dragging over the chairs or love seats, the other four sat on the floor. They sat in the order of Duo, Zechs, Noin, and Wufei. Duo of course faced Heero while Wufei on the opposite end faced Treize (1). Once everyone was comfortable, they waited for Duo to think something up. Once he did his face lit up like a kid in a candy store.
"Let the games begin!"
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Hope that wasn't too long. Chapter five is up and ready. Don't forget to review. Sorry again for the delay! ^_^
(1) If you didn't catch that last order of or people. It goes clockwise from: Treize, Trowa, Quatre, Relena, Heero, Duo, Zechs, Noin, and Wufei. Thought I might as well explain that.
