Notes: The idea for this came to me about an hour ago and it just wrote itself... or however much of a self it can have. I think I like it. Enjoy.
Denied now are the Fruits.
"Denied now are the fruits freely offered but never taken." The rich, velvet tinted voice that could only belong to the infamous and prestigious woman that is Lady Une spoke softly. "Ever in rapturous heat yet never chanced a calm, cool resolve." The woman, bathed in the luminous glow of the moon and her children continued her mantra. "But I suspect you already knew that."
"Lady, I am afraid I am at a complete loss to what your meaning exactly is." The voice of diplomatic reason; the voice of sweet, heartfelt eloquence; the voice of a trained leading official sounded, cutting through the silence as a heated knife would cut through butter. "Come now, explain to me what it is you mean."
The lady in question laughed a laugh that didn't quite reach her throat, nor the heart behind it.
"Playing the confused party never suited you, so I would ask you not to attempt it again." Soft footfalls urged closer to the cool steel railing of the bridge that over looked the Lake-Victoria square. "And do not patronize me for I am no more a child than your daughter is an adult." Her words were met with silence, as she expected. Her lips curved upwards into a rueful smile. Her glittering brown eyes shone with awe as they stared at the skies.
"Lady..." Her companion rose from his seat at the bench not 10 feet from where she stood but wisely did not approach. "Perhaps it would be best for us to return to the base."
"Is that an order? If it is not, I would very much wish to remain here." Lady Une replied, unconsciously winding her arms around her midsection in a vain attempt at keeping even the smallest element of heat within her body.
"Of course it isn't an order!" Her companion sounded almost shocked but seemed to mask it with practised ease. "It is merely a suggestion. You are obviously chilled and the air this eve is doing nothing to aid in reserving essential body heat. Please Lady, come back to the base and we can continue our conversation there."
The Lady sighed.
"I sometimes find myself unintentionally envying the relationship between Lieutenant's Noin and Marquise." Her tone of voice was near wistful. She heard her companion approach and tensed, smiling slightly when the movement behind her ceased. "The reasons for why should be clear but I am beginning to think your mind is only open during times of dire leadership need."
"Lady..." His voice almost sounded outraged but again, it was easily masked. "Please, I do not know what you-" But whatever he was about to say was cut off when the Lady herself suddenly spun around to face him. Her hair fanned out in the night air before falling loosely over her right shoulder. The dress she wore wavered subtly in the wind.
"That is correct!" She cried out. "You know nothing! You know nothing past the next battle! And that, no matter who may tell you different, is absolutely no way to live!" She fumed. "My god, how can you stand it? How can you stand the blatant lack of emotion your job entails? I feel next to nothing when we work side by side. I have to feel nothing because otherwise, I would not function at all! And you sit there in your high-backed chair sipping red wine, talking in riddles to all and sundry!" Her breathing was harsh and her eyes flashed dangerously.
"What is this about Lady? Because I am none the wiser after that tirade!" The man folded his arms elegantly over his chest and waited for her to answer him.
"You are none the wiser." She scoffed. "That does not surprise me. Do not even start to act superior with me at this time! Do not dare! Because I swear to whatever god is looking down on us I will knock that self-absorbed smirk right off your face. Do not tempt me because you know I will do it!" The man stood there, shocked at Lady Une's words.
"Why are you acting like this? I thought tonight had been a pleasant affair."
The Lady clasped her hands together in front of her and brought them to her mouth so they shielded it as she let out an upset laugh. "You thought! You do not know how to think! Tonight was filled with you chatting away to your bureaucratic friends, sipping your wine while I sat at your side smiling when it was appropriate and nodding my head when it was needed. Tonight was a farce! And I hated every second of it!" The man, now wide-eyed and shocked, took a tentative step towards the Lady but she held up a hand. "No. No, you just stop right there! Don't come near me."
"Lady please! Tell me what's wrong!" He begged her and she laughed a hollow laugh that held no mirth.
"I should not need to tell you what is wrong! You are not blind! You are a full grown adult male! You should not need me to hold your hand through every emotional trial you face! Especially this one!" The man looked helpless and Lady Une knew it.
"Come back to the base please! I need to know what's wrong but I can't do it out here. It's too cold and you're shivering." He shrugged off his royal blue jacket and held it out to the Lady. She eyed it for a moment before stepping back.
"No. I am not going back to the base yet." She declared vehemently. The man sighed.
"I won't pretend to know what runs through your mind Lady Une but I want to know. I want to know what troubles you into such a state." He said and as soon as the words left his mouth he knew they were among the worst words he could have spoken at that moment.
But instead of commenting on the words, Lady Une simply took a deep breath to calm herself.
"Go back to the base, Colonel. I will see you at 0600 hours." With that said, the Lady turned on her heel and stalked towards the end of the bridge.
The man cursed and ran after her. When he finally caught up with her she was at the foot of the stone staircase that led off the bridge.
"Lady!" He called out and watched as she froze. Out of the corner of his eye he saw three teenage boys eyeing him and the Lady but chose to ignore them for the moment. He held out his jacket and slipped it over his companion's shoulders. "At least take this, I do not wish for you to become ill."
Lady Une sighed and ran a hand over her tired face. She turned to face the man she'd walked away from not a minute before and felt her heart clench. She reached a hand up and traced a line from his brow to his chin. She let two fingers fall over his lips and remained there for a number of seconds before falling away.
"I will see you at 0600 hours Colonel Kushrenada." That said, she once again walked away. And he watched her go, powerless to stop her but aching to take hold of her and never let go.
"0600 hours Lady." He whispered before turning back towards the bridge and walking up the steps.
x-x-x-x-x
"Mr Trieze, a battle is most beautiful when it's being fought." The image of Lady Une resting against the palm of his Mobile Suit's hand sparked something inside Trieze's soul. What he saw in the eyes of the woman he had last seen in a hospital bed ignited something he thought he realised he'd known since that eve what seemed like years ago that she walked away from him.
He smiled at her.
"To all units! Shoot down the Libra!"
Written by Diluted Industry.