Keemew2: Now that chappie one is done here is a chappie two.
MK: Every chapter updated at once is nicer then waiting forever for each one, isn't it?
K2: Yeah, yeah, don't count on it happening a lot.
MK: (winks) I'll see what I can do.
k2: Disclaimer is the same as before peeps. I refuse to do the same thing for every chapter. Every story is another matter though.
MK: You should prolly use this chap to add in the Newtype Theory in the disclaimer though.
k2: WHY'D YOU HAVE TO GO AND MENTION THAT! I could've gotten away with that one!
MK: Not with the vultures hounding oyu like dogs!
K2: Oh, good point. DRAT! The Newtype Theory I have developed, explaining Quatre, was derived from Toei animations Gundam series, Mobile Suit: Gundam and all it's spin offs. The theory will later be elaborated on in the next story which several of you should remember. Gundam Wing Generations. Happy now?
MK: Yes. Very. No lawsuit is a good thing.
K2: (grumbles irritably)
111break111
Blind Valentine
Ch. 2- Surprises
General….
Rated PG-13
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Quatre drove the convertible down the road silently. No one knew quite what to think about his or her current situation and it kind of bothered them slightly. Relena had told Quatre to head for the nearest gas station then proceeded to hand each of them a small parcel from the bag she held. When they reached the gas station (which was, thankfully, empty of customers at the time) they were then told to go into the Men's Room and change their clothes. Relena then drug Dorothy into the women's room with her, leaving the boys alone. They exchanged brief glances with each other but left it at that. Neither dared to ask 'what could it hurt' and they both chose, instead, to remain silent about the matter.
Quatre slowly unwrapped his parcel and examined each piece accordingly. He could only assume she had decided to spend the rest of the night on the town, amidst people who would surly recognize them, due to the fact that he held a pair of blue jeans. Quite common really, everyone seemed to where them. Duo and Trowa being no exception.
Quatre pulled out the white pair of sneakers that lay within the parcel and checked the size, seeing with interest that they were only half a size to big. Other then the sneakers and jeans there were a pair of socks, a black T-shirt with the words 'Wild Thing' (Quatre could only think it was wry humor on Relena's part) in wild lettering, and a black hat. Upon double-checking the outfit piece by piece he couldn't help but think of Duo as he did. Once the outfit was on he even felt like Duo. This was defiantly something Duo would wear.
If I find out Duo was in on this and had given Relena tips on wardrobe…. I may have to severely hurt someone.
As he walked out of the stall he saw Trowa leaning against the wall, his own parcel sealed up in his hands where Quatre could only assume his evening wear now lay. For instead of the nice three piece he had worn before he now sported a bright red short sleeved shirt with the words 'Cool Machine' written in a bold black curvy format, a shadow extending from the words at the bottom. Aside from that, and the fact that his cap was red, Trowa's outfit was the same as Quatre's. The two boys looked at each other for a long moment, neither one speaking. As Quatre took in his best friends appearance, Trowa took in Quatre's.
"You look that same." Quatre murmured
"You look like Duo." Trowa observed
"This is something Duo would wear." Quatre replied.
"Incredible coincidence." Trowa stated, "Duo had nothing at all to do wit this venture. I wonder when the last time Relena saw him was…."
"Inadvertently is my guess." Quatre stated as he crossed his arms.
Trowa hid a smile behind his hand and the two of them walked out of the room together.
I must admit though," Trowa, murmured after a moment as they walked, "You do look good in that outfit. Really."
Quatre felt a slight blush come to his face; it was nice to hear Trowa compliment him like that.
"You should dress casual more often."
This, however, irritated Quatre.
"I do dress casual." Quatre replied with a sniff, "It just so happens my form of casual is much different then yours." Quatre shifted uncomfortably in the jeans as he felt the amusement level in Trowa's mind rise slightly. The fact that Trowa was enjoying this only made his irritation on the matter grow. It probably wouldn't have been so bad if it wasn't for the fact that the jeans were so tight; not to mention stiff. He couldn't under stand how people managed to where these things so often.
When they made it outside Quatre saw the girls already out and was rather startled, expecting to end up waiting for them instead of the other way around. After his initial reaction to seeing them already out he did a second double take as he took note of their clothes.
Relena, her hair put into a ponytail and stuck through a white cap, wore a loose yellow T-shirt with kittens playing with yarn and tangled in mounds of it, white jeans and blue tennis shoes. She was laughing as Dorothy twirled in a circle whose hair, placed in a slightly high ponytail, wrapped around her as she spun. When she was done she bowed and stood in a flattering pose. Quatre's throat caught as he saw her, awed. She wore a pink form-fitting shirt with roses embroidered along the bottom edges and a silver tiara glued on with some sort of glitter, the words princess written in a curvy red lettering. Tight black jeans showed off her long slender legs and her feet bore a pair of sneakers. She wore no hat of any sort.
Relena caught sight of the boys and smiled appreciatively. She walked over, examining them with the same smile. "I'm glad I chose right." She murmured after a moment. "You look good, Trowa, in something other then a green turtleneck. As for you, Quatre." She turned to the blond, "Black is something I have always wanted to see on you. You look better then I had expected, seriously!"
Quatre adjusted the jeans again, not really liking the stiff cloth. "Why jeans?"
"Their the most
common worn of course." Relena replied. "I asked several people
about attire and Duo said-."
"Duo." Quatre stated, silently
swearing a death note. "Therein lies your problem."
"No, Quatre therein lies my answer." Relena waggled her finger at him, "You are actually the only one that doesn't wear jeans. Therefore, your opinions are invalid."
Quatre stared at her for a minute, his face perplexed. Then, slowly, he shook his head. "I still don't have to like them."
"Never said you had to."
"Why is Dorothy the only one not wearing a hat?"
"I say Quatre," Relena responded in exasperation, "your curiosity is worse then a kittens. I couldn't see her in one. Can you?"
Quatre blushed a little as he thought about it. Relena was right in the fact that there was asking a lot of questions, he just couldn't help it. But as he did think about it he also couldn't see Dorothy wearing a cap, though he could see her in a few different types of hats….
"Certain hats would actually enhance her natural beauty." Trowa stated as if reading Quatre's mind. Quatre stared at Trowa for a moment while the girls looked at each other. Dorothy's cheeks reddened and Quatre could feel her take the compliment gracefully and vainly. The blush was only for show, she knew she was beautiful. Modesty was not something one could just act out.
So, are we all ready to go? I also have some normal coats." Relena asked
"Where to, exactly?" Dorothy asked her friend, the false modesty melting away as if it had never even been there. Which it hadn't. Quatre was quite tempted to tell her so, but that would mean hinting out his empathy. That was one thing he refused to let her know about. That was the only thing that kept him a step ahead of her, one step ahead of the predator that lurked within, hiding behind all her false facades.
"To the carnival!" Relena cried triumphantly. "I haven't been to one in quite a while now. I haven't had the time since the war started and ended. To long of a wait for my tastes. I miss it all! The rides, the games, food…." Relena trailed off with a look of utter joy, the feelings cascading out of her like a fountains mini waterfall.
"I don't think it's a good idea Relena." Trowa said suddenly, dampening the mood.
Relena looked at him, slightly pouty (A look Quatre wasn't sure was intentional or not), and asked; "Why not?"
"I don't feel like being blamed if you get hurt." Was the blunt, and rather tactless, reply. "You dragged me into this. I don't want Hiiro or your brother breathing down my neck about it."
"Oh, nonsense." Relena brushed the thought off as if it was unimportant. "Nothing will happen."
"I agree with Miss, uhh…I agree Relena." Quatre corrected himself before the excitable young woman before him could. He wondered, briefly, if she had some sort of cabin fever. She was acting quite odd….
Quatre found Trowa looking at him questioningly, then, to which Quatre could only shrug a reply. He couldn't really help himself. Relena's mood was highly contagious to an empath, though explaining that to anyone would be rather difficult.
Dorothy grinned devilishly and pointed to Trowa. "Looks like your out voted Deary."
Trowa responded by staring enigmatically at them, his mind hardening against Quatre's empathy again.
"Please don't start that Trowa." Quatre said when he saw the look and felt the hardening. Hardening himself to feelings was the worst thing Trowa could do for himself. It was like taking a step back in all the progress he'd made and it really hurt Quatre to see him do that.
"Start what?" Relena asked, confused.
"Never mind." Quatre replied, "Let's go just go. Hopefully Trowa will lighten up while we're there."
It took them a short time to get to their destination and after he parked his car Quatre got out and looked around. The carnival was year round and was carefully maintained to keep snow from harming anything. With technology at the level of today it was pretty easy to do, but accidents still could happen.
A hand on his shoulder brought Quatre's attention to Relena who was looking at him softly.
"Have you ever been to a carnival Quatre?" she asked him.
"No." He replied softly, his head nodding a fraction. "Father never had time to take me and only two or three of my sisters lived with us at the time. None of the servants were allowed to take us anywhere. My father was quite protective, if not overly so."
Both Relena and Dorothy looked at each other and, exchanging similar looks, and grinned.
"Looks like we need to show him a good time." Dorothy said
"When was the last time you two were at a carnival?" Trowa asked them. Dorothy smiled while Relena rolled her eyes.
"I only just mentioned that fifteen minutes ago Trowa." Relena replied, "I've been to busy since the war started, but before then I went quite often with my parents."
"I haven't been to one in about a year or two." Dorothy replied, "I think. The last time I went was before I enrolled into Relena's school during the war. My grandfather took me. I have been busy as well doing multiple things since. But now I am focused on one thing and one thing only. Rebuilding my grandfather's corporation to be one of peaceful relations and not one that promotes war. I am really looking forward to the merger with Winner industries. It will really help with my plans and the end results will be supremely effective, don't you think Quatre?"
"Please, let's not talk about work." Quatre replied, a little pink cheeked. She had been absolutely honest in every word she said; there was no reason to doubt her words at all. Quatre was amazed. "I am supposed to be on a vacation, remember?"
"My apologies Quatre."
"Don't worry about it."
"Come on!" Relena shouted, "I want to start!" she looked as if she was about to run off with out them, something Trowa took very seriously. He headed over to her to make sure she didn't and looked over at Quatre and Dorothy expectantly. Dorothy giggled and headed over, Quatre following, and they walked to the ticket booth.
Relena had an agenda. She knew exactly what she wanted and exactly how the night would be planned out. At first she took them on several different rides, a lot of fast spins and a couple of high rises. Those ones through your equilibrium into vertigo. One in particular, called the Terraheaven, that started out on the ground and then slowly began to rock side to side, getting higher and higher with every rock until it was completely vertical when it would then plummet down to the ground and then continue the rocking motion. A sort of build up of momentum and then it's sudden release being the only thing that really made the ride work in the first place.
"That was…interesting." Quatre said after he got off the ride, wobble kneed and more then a little off balance. He had ended up falling into Dorothy who had held him by the shoulders, her lips so close to the side of his head that he could feel her breath on his ear. Something that made his stomach flip flop and his groin swell with pain. With the added sense of desire emanating from her Quatre had quickly thrown himself forward, panicked, to fall into Trowa who held the other steady, having to lean against the rail to keep from falling since he also was unsteady.
"You okay?" Trowa asked softly.
Quatre had nodded in reply and managed a quick glance at Dorothy who had looked nonchalant, a façade to hide how putout she really was. Quatre could feel the disappointment stir within her and a sad longing touched him.
The thing was, he couldn't tell if the longing was coming from he…or himself. Mixed emotions were once again tearing at him and he had to force himself to release Trowa who seemed to feel like a security blanket.
Presently, however, they were standing at the foot of what appeared to be the climax of the evening. The event that Relena had been leading up to the whole time. The ride that had her quivering with delight. The Terra Storm.
With six arms stretching up out and over, each one holding up to six people (with a weight limit of 250 lbs. at max and 100 lbs. at minimum), it didn't look all that intimidating. When they were seated Quatre found Trowa and himself placed on the ends while the girls were placed in the middle. Dorothy, though, didn't like the idea. In the end it was him and Relena in the middle due to the fact that Dorothy was heavier then he was. A feeling of relief seemed to be settling over her when the ride began and Quatre didn't have time to ponder her motives as he and the others began to move in a circle with the ride, lifting up and down as it began.
And then it just rose. And rose. And rose. And stopped. Quatre looked around him at all the excited faces, at the people around him that were talking and holding on, white knuckled, with anticipation. He glanced at Relena, one of those many, at Dorothy, calm and excited as well, at Trowa, as stoic as ever.
And then it jerked. Quatre held on tightly as the ride jerked again and then began to turn. He didn't like this. It was different then being in a cockpit. At least he had more security around him, not some half made harness barley holding him still.
As the ride continued to turn Quatre felt the rush of excitement hit him, the rush that came with approaching the unknown advent. He held on more tightly as the ride went faster and faster still. By this time it was going so fast that Quatre was leaning into Relena, who in turn was leaning into Trowa. Dorothy was leaning into him, but he didn't have time to think about that as the ride began to tilt. While turning! Quatre made a grab for his cap, which felt as if it was going to fall off at any minute.
The ride slowed at about that point but that didn't help matters as they suddenly found themselves on their heads. Quatre felt surges of fear as he felt himself about to fall out of the ride, but the harness kept him securely trapped within the ride, even if his tushy was no longer part of the security. He kept himself from crying out as the initial rush of fear hit him, the sensation of falling off the ride at such a speed was over whelming for him.
From there the ride reversed itself, going backwards through the steps until Quatre felt his feet touch the ground. When the harness was lifted off he slowly placed his hat back on his head as he swallowed the bile threatening to spew from his stomach; he stood slowly, more wobble kneed then before. He and Trowa held onto each other for support, but Quatre had the impression that it looked more like Trowa was supporting him then they were supporting each other.
When they got away from the ride, seating themselves on a nearby bench, Quatre turned to face a pink faced Relena.
"I…am never…going to trust you…again," He gasped. "That was not safe! For goodness sakes! That was worse then spinning out of control in a Gundam! At least I know I won't fall out!" Relena smiled at him.
"I thought it was rather fun. Didn't you?"
Quatre gaped at her. He worked his mouth, trying to talk, but couldn't find the right words. He closed it, stared at her, then shook his head in frustration.
"Yes, but that isn't the point! Are they safe?"
"You rode on it."
He only stared at her, then shook his head in surrender.
"Oh, never mind."
"Come on Quatre." Trowa murmured, "You won't be getting a straight answer out of this princess."
"Hold it!" Relena cried out, "We still have a lot of tickets. I have at least one more ride I want us to go on. Follow me." She took off without giving them a chance to answer, Dorothy close behind, and Quatre was left looking after her suspiciously. He didn't like the sneaky feeling he got from her, a sensation that didn't suit her. It was disturbing.
Of course, Quatre didn't really know Relena in the way that would allow him knowledge of her true personality. All he really knew of her was what he learned during the war and after it, mostly during publicity stunts and business expense and other formal interventions. He never really had a chance to get to know her personally.
Just as he never got the chance to know the others 'personally' either.
Like Dorothy.
Quatre felt a pair of hands on his back and he was shoved forward by Trowa. Sighing in exasperation the two young men took of after the two giggling girls before them.
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Quatre stood rooted to the ground, his eyes narrowed and his lips pursed together in determination. His arms were crossed and his focus was set on one Relena Peacecraft Dorlian who, in turn, was returning his current glare, as well as the glare of the tall blonde beside him (whose glare was far more menacing right now), with an expression of mixed exasperation and determination of her own.
"Come, on!" She said in the same calm, strong voice that held the attention of half the world when she made her addresses. "A date is a date. This is only part of it."
"I am not getting on that ride." Quatre replied firmly.
"I can't believe your doing this Relena!" Dorothy hissed.
"Oh, give me a break!" The exasperation had finally won out and she was tired of playing the diplomat. She didn't care anymore; it was time for the spoiled rich girl routine. "Stop complaining and just get in the boat! It won't last that long and Trowa and I will be right behind you!" Trowa looked at Relena quickly, his eyes wide, but she paid him no mind. "It's a charming and relaxing ride, the most relaxing one in the park! I just figured you'd want a break from all the thrills right about now so I planned things this way! It's just a ride, okay? Nothing is going to happen, I promise!"
Quatre set his jaw to the side, thinking. This would leave him alone with Dorothy, something he had always feared. He didn't know what would happen if they were alone together, what she would do. What he would do.
And yet…the scariest thing of all…he just may want to be alone with her. With the woman that haunts his thoughts when he isn't careful, the woman that dances into view when he's busy or secretly whispers in his ear the words she had spoken to him that night on Christmas.
Quatre glanced at Dorothy. She was still glaring at Relena, a feeling of deep hurt and betrayal interwoven with the same longing desire he felt before, the same sadness that floated in earlier.
Why is she so sad?
"Relena." Dorothy murmured, the glare still fixated on the young woman. "Why are you doing this?"
Relena's eyes flickered over to Dorothy for a moment, then to Quatre. She turned to look at Dorothy, then, and smiled.
"Well, I know you won't believe if I told you I was bored, so I'll just tell you the truth. It's for your own good."
Dorothy's glared hardened and she looked away furiously with her arms crossed. The feeling of betrayal getting stronger.
"Look. None of you are going home until you go on that ride."
"And what's stopping us?" Quatre demanded
"Easy." Relena smirked, her hand lifting to reveal a set of shimmering metal. "I got your keys."
"What?" Quatre frantically searched his pockets, but his keys were nowhere to be found.
"You didn't notice when they fell out of your pocket. I decided to hold onto them just in case you lost them again."
"You can't do that!"
"I can and I will." Relena replied, "Now get on that ride."
"Your nuts."
"No, I'm tired. I need to get back to Hiiro, but I need to finish this night out first. I promise you can go home after this, but only after this."
Dorothy looked back over to Relena, ready to argue, but Quatre didn't want to prolong the night any further. Relena wasn't about to give in; he knew that for a fact. And he also knew that when she was this determined she was going to get her way.
"Fine. But the night ends after this."
"Absolutely." Relena agreed.
"This is going to be humiliating." Dorothy murmured as she turned around to face the large artificial stream of water before her. She walked over to the ticket gate and handed two of her tickets over then looked over her shoulder at Quatre.
"Are you coming or not? I want to get this over as quickly as possible. The sooner this ends, the sooner we can forget it ever happened."
Quatre nodded, confused, and walked over, handing the third ticket over to the equally confused gateman. Quatre seemed to be getting mixed signals here. Did she, or did she not, want to be with him? Or was it the fact that she was about to step into the back of a boat that was shaped like a cloud with a ring of hearts around it? Either way, when she sat down, it was with a huff as she crossed her arms irritably.
Quatre sat down next to her and got the sudden impression, as the boat started off, of satisfaction. He glanced over his shoulder to see Relena standing next to the gateman, a big smile on her face, and realized he'd been duped. He felt a brief surge of anger rush over him, but it disappeared just as quickly as it flared and he flopped against the boat with a huff/sigh of his own, running a hand through his hair.
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"I refuse to get in that boat with you."
"Good."
Trowa glanced at Relena with a raised eyebrow, his suspicions more then a little confirmed. "You wanted them alone?"
"Of course."
"That wasn't part of the deal." Trowa responded, "Is that wise?"
Relena turned to look at Trowa and saw the concern reflected in his eyes, the only way to ever tell how he was feeling. She found it unnerving to be around a person who showed so little emotion, other then Hiiro of course, but knew that for Trowa showing even a hint of emotion was an improvement.
"You promised me we wouldn't get separated."
"No, Trowa, I promised that I knew what I was doing and that the entire night was mapped out. I told you not to worry and to trust me."
Trowa only stared at Relena with those green penetrating eyes of his, the concern in the emerald orbs intensifying. Relena could only guess at what was running through his mind and she figured it wasn't anything pretty. After all, he still remembered Dorothy as the woman that had run Quatre through with a sword. He didn't know the truth, that Dorothy had strong feelings for Quatre that had been growing inside her for a little over a year now. That inside she was broken confused, unable to discern truth from lies within her own heart. That everything she believed in was shattered and her icy walls were gone, replaced, instead, by an image of heaven. He didn't know that Dorothy didn't really know how to approach him about these feelings. And this entire night was her plan to help the two of them out. After all, it was Trowa who had come to her for help with Quatre, worried that Quatre was pursuing the wrong course. Relena wondered, understandably, if Trowa was only thinking that way because Dorothy was a woman.
"Trowa, don't worry. Quatre is 17 years old, not to mention an ex-gundam pilot. Heck! He's a member of the most elite task force in the world! A task force that you are also a member of, if I remember correctly. Now please, trust Quatre and trust me. Everything is going to be just fine. Dorothy would never hurt him, I promise."
"She appears to be stable." Trowa responded, a hint of exasperation falling off in a whisper.
"More stable then you." Relena murmured. Trowa raised an eyebrow to which she only smiled and tapped his for head. "You're getting better at it, from what I hear."
"How long, exactly, and how often did you and Catherine meet together when the circus was here last month?"
"Long enough to get all the information I needed." Relena replied, "And often enough to gain a new friend."
Trowa said nothing.
"Right then!" Relena stated, grabbing Trowa's arm. "Lets go on some more rides!"
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Now what? Quatre thought as he stared up at the night sky. This wasn't going to be easy, he didn't have the slightest idea what to do. Or what to say. This evening was a total rut. Relena had duped him-.
As the boat slowly made it's way into the tunnel Quatre found a foothold of conversation.
"Dorothy." Quatre sat up straight and turned to look at her, concentrating on keeping his empathy from straying into her feelings. If he was going to talk seriously with her, about something this important, he wasn't about to cheat. "May I ask you something?"
"You just did." She replied flatly. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and he caught a flicker of fondness, appearing and disappearing before the normal eye could catch it. "What?"
Perhaps she really does like me. But…is that really a good thing?
"What were you told about tonight? What did Relena say to you?"
"Nothing. At least nothing about what she had planned anyway. Only that tonight would end with my answers. Why do ask?"
"You seemed upset when you realized what was going on."
"As did you."
Quatre felt his cheeks brighten slightly. She was right, he had been upset. Still was too. He didn't like being duped, especially by someone he thought was inept at it. He should really try not to misjudge Relena anymore, she could be quite surprising.
"I don't suppose you know what time it is, do you?" Dorothy broke into his thoughts.
"Huh? Oh, of course." Quatre glanced at his watch, "About 10:30."
"Carnival ends at 2:00."
Quatre stared at her. His conversational foothold didn't seem to be holding anymore. It was ridiculous, really, that he was so unsure about things. It shouldn't be so complicated; he needed to work out his own emotions before he tried to think about someone else's.
The ride went on, but Quatre didn't pay any attention to it. He was to busy thinking, to busy to realize the woman next to him had dozed off until she collapsed onto his shoulder. Startled, he looked down at her, seeing the almost angelic face dozing peacefully. She looked so peaceful when asleep, but that was just a façade.
He nudged her awake when really he wanted to stay this way. Seeing her so peaceful was relaxing to him and he would have preferred to touch her soft skin gently then wake her, but the ride was ending. They got off the ride and Quatre looked around, irritated that nothing had been accomplished and angry with Relena.
"Where did that snake in the grass drag Trowa off to anyway?" Dorothy asked with a huff.
"Probably more rides. We'd best go look for them."
"I agree whole heartedly. I must speak with friend rather privately about something."
Quatre smiled as they walked but stopped when his stomach gave a soft rumble of dismay. He looked around and spotted a snack machine.
"Want something to eat?" he asked
"Do even know what they serve at these things?"
"Same thing they serve at the circus." Quatre replied, "I'm not ignorant of middle class pleasures you know."
"Very well then. Yes, I would love something to eat."
Quatre pulled out his wallet and checked the contents. Content he had something smaller then a hundred or a fifty he walked over to the snack shack with Dorothy and looked at the menu.
"Anything specific?"
"Cherry cotton candy."
"Alright. I will take a corndog and a bottle of water."
The tender nodded and handed them their snacks as Quatre set a twenty on the table, a little embarrassed he had nothing smaller. The tender didn't seem to notice, however, as he gave Quatre his change and the pair headed off into the thick of the carnival again.
"It appears the boat ride took us to the opposite side of the park Quatre." Dorothy murmured as she noticed how far away the rides were. "We're in the game section."
"Well, I think this was also part of Relena's plan tonight." Quatre replied with a huff. "Separate from us and let us fend for ourselves."
"Is that so bad?"
Her question caught Quatre off guard and he quickly sent a tendril of his empathy out. As he feared she had that predatory feeling and Quatre mentally kicked himself for relaxing.
"It depends, actually." Quatre replied tactfully, "On how things go."
"I see."
It is me, or does she seem icy all of a sudden?
They walked in silence for a moment, the sounds of the carnival filling their ears. They passed by game after game and finally Dorothy spoke, the ice gone.
"Care for a game or two?" She asked passively. "We seem to be in the thick of the games now, and I doubt we'll find Relena until the carnival closes anyway.
Quatre looked around, taking note of what he saw. They all looked fairly simple enough, nothing hard. It was all similar to target practice, really, among other things. Tests of stamina, strength….
"I suppose one or two wouldn't hurt anything." Quatre replied, "And we still have a few tickets left."
Quatre, having forgotten he had a tendril of his empathy focused on Dorothy, felt a sudden rush of giddy excitement. He turned a quizzical eye to his companion, but she stood as calm and collected as ever, the girlish feeling being bottled for her own image.
"Let's do this one." Quatre said as he walked over to the nearest target practice game. A shooting gallery, to be precise. Quatre noticed a row of mobile dolls moving on a belt from one side of the booth to the other.
"No fair, you'll be good at this!" Dorothy stated.
"It's not a contest, just a game." Quatre replied as he handed two tickets to the teller.
"Dolls are easy, they get you two points!" The teller stated, "Then you move up to federation MS and OZ MS. Three points each. But it's the gundums that give ya the gold. If ya can manage to shoot all of them down, even if ya didn't hit a single of the others you get a prize. Points give prizes; see the point's board at the side. Here is your weapon."
"Uh…yeah." Quatre murmured as he grabbed the toy rifle. He examined it for a moment, noted the shoddy workmanship, and noticed it used beebies. This may be harder then I thought.
He aimed the rifle at the dolls moving around and pressed the trigger. He managed to hit six of them, but missed three. The gun seemed to be rigged and it took him those three misses to realize the problem. Grinning he aimed at the MS that were now moving along and shot each of them down in turn, then turned his attention to the Gundums as they strolled along. It was a funny thing to be shooting them down with a little pee shooter when he was so used to doing this with an MS of his own, but now that he had the hang of it he found it quite easy. When he was done he had only missed a total of five targets. The dolls in the first round and two of the OZ MS, but other then that he had one of the highest scores and received a white giant kitty cat with pink highlights. A red bow with a silver bell was rapped around its neck, the boy having been tied in the back. He looked at it for a moment rather distastefully and glanced at the teller who was now serving the next customer. Had he given Quatre the prize expecting him to give it to Dorothy? That was how things usually went, after all.
Not that he wanted to keep a stuffed kitty anyway.
"You want this Dorothy?" He asked in an offhanded manner, keeping his link with her open.
"Me?"
He felt confusion from her; shock. A slight flighty sensation crept in and a hint of blushing. When he glanced at her, however, there was no pink in her cheeks, though she was looking at him in surprise.
"Yes, you. I don't need it, nor do I want it. I would, however, like to give it to you." He had sensed a wash of disappointment creep in when he began, but with his last statement he felt a leap of spirits. It made him smile outwardly and he handed her the 'gift'. Her expression softened and she smiled in turn, taking the cat from him and holding it.
"Thank you, Quatre. I appreciate that thought but I get to pick the next game."
"Why do I not like the thought of that?" the young man asked as he sensed a playfulness intermingle with her usual predatory nature.
"Because it won't be target practice, that's why." And before Quatre could say yay or nay she grabbed his wrist and pulled him along the rows and rows of booths until she spotted one she liked. At first, Quatre thought it was the strongman's test and he rolled his eyes, but she diverted her path slightly and he found himself standing in front of a booth filled with jars upon jars of water, each one filled with little odd ball items in each one. The jars were stacked in a sort of pyramid, three high, and from what he could see of it you had to try and get a bunch of ping-pong balls into the jars. Namely the center.
"Umm…this is target practice."
"Not quite Quatre. It's a much more specific game. No guns and a touch harder. See if you can get the balls inside the jars that are only halfway uncovered by the jars on top of them. Let's see how good you really are."
"Fine, though somehow I don't think the game was designed to go after those particular jars. How much is it?"
"Four tickets."
"I have plenty."
"You'll need every one of them."
"We'll see."
"Yes, we will, won't we?"
Quatre handed the man four tickets and he received seven balls. He tossed the first one, aiming for the third jar in the second row of the second pile to get a feel for the game but it bounced off the rim of the jar, bounced off four other rims and landed on the first flat. Dorothy laughed hard. Quatre scowled and tossed the next ball and the next and the next. By the time he threw the seventh ball he had missed every target he aimed for except the fifth one, which had been the fifth jar away from him in the fourth row of the top flat. Dorothy couldn't stop laughing.
"Hah, ha. I still have more tickets." He paid again and again until he had a pile of oddball prizes sitting next to him on the counter ranging from costume jewelry and plastic doodads to small stuffies and little action figures that came from the third flat. By this time Quatre was rather irritated, but mostly because Dorothy was having way too much fun with this. He was now on his last ball of the fifth set of seven. He had already promised himself this was the last time he was paying for a round and that he had to make it in the center jar. Otherwise he would never live it down.
Aiming carefully he tossed the ball and watched as it bounced off the rim of the center jar, bounced around two other jars, and land, smack dab in the center jar, a soft splish and a drop of water rewarding him with satisfaction.
Congratulations sir." The teller replied with a big fat smile on his face. "Nice try, nice try. You finally made it in. And just because you worked so hard I'm gong to let you pick out what you want to give the little lady."
Quatre looked at Dorothy quickly as the man turned around to take the little prizes out of the jars and set them on the table with the others, replacing the small plastic toys with others. She was smiling at him, quite humored.
"I'm satisfied with my kitten, Kitten." Quatre wasn't sure weather she was mocking him or laying with him. Probably both. She was certainly enjoying herself. "You keep the next one."
Like I want to?
A little disturbed, and strangely attracted, he turned back to the teller who had just finished replacing the last doodad and was now looking at him.
"So, what'll it be buddy?"
"Uh…." Quatre looked at the row of prizes for the center jar. They were medium sized stuffies and arranged in a small line. There weren't all that many of them so it wasn't that hard to pick, if he had been actually interested in getting something of course. Of the prizes, which consisted of a solid red bear, a solid pink one, a big red and pink patchwork dog, and a white cat with black on its right eye and left ear along with splotches here and there. The front leg looked like it had stepped in a can of paint and it wore a blue bow around its neck, quite similar to the bow on Dorothy's kitten.
"I'll take the cat." He stated, finding it the least feminine of the bunch. If he had to take a prize, one that Dorothy wasn't going to keep, he may as well get something that didn't look gay. He could always chuck it out later. Maybe give it to Iria or something.
"Good choice buddy. Here ya are!"
"Thanks Quatre murmured as he accepted the bear. The man put Quatre's other prizes in a bag as Quatre looked at the cat (though Quatre absently made a grab for the last prize he had won, not wanting to loose it among the many. He had, after all, spent so much time trying to get it). He had to admit it was kind of cute. About three times as small as Dorothy's but that suited him just fine. He didn't need a giant stuffie to lug around for the entire night.
"It's a nice memento of tonight." Dorothy replied as she accepted the bag for Quatre and they began to walk off. "And incredibly cute too."
Quatre didn't think she was talking about the cat.
"So, what do we have here?"
Quatre glanced at her and saw that she had her cat stuck under her arm, which was a rather big feat considering it's size, and was now digging into the bag. Unsure why he did it Quatre took that cat from her so she could dig better watched as she rummaged through the plastic jewelry with a clever grin. She was thoroughly enjoying herself and Quatre was having fun watching her. As she pulled something out that she thought was cute she would put it on and continue digging. She even looked at the small toys that were won on the third flat but not he center jar. Only about four or five, but she still thought they were cute.
Quatre shifted the large kitty in his arms and stuffed his white and black one in his coat pocket so he could look at the tiny little prize he had worked so hard to get. It was a cheap plastic gold ring with a little sequin in the center to resemble a diamond. On it her side of the diamond were two green tinted leaves, a pink sequin n one and an aquamarine one on the other. The leaves were designed to make it look as if the leaves were the ends of the ring connecting together with the diamond. It was very pretty, but wrong for the time of year. It looked more like a spring time prize, probably left over from the previous year. Unless the teller didn't really think of that sort of thing and just stuffed it in there.
As they walked Quatre stuffed the ring in his pocket and looked around the booths. He was going to pick a game for Dorothy to play this time, and she was going to play it. Fair was fair after all. And when he spotted a particular game he grinned and nudged Dorothy.
"Your turn."
"Excuse me?"
"Your turn to play one. And I got the perfect one."
"Oh, really?"
"Yes, really."
He took her by the elbow and directed her to a game, grinning all the while and set her in front of a booth with a paint gun connected by a piece of twain. The object of the game: to shoot the center of the heart shaped target ten feet away.
"Let's see how good your aim really is duchess."
Dorothy's face lit up brilliantly as she realized Quatre was finally starting to relax and enjoy himself. And he decided the name 'duchess' was perfect for her, just as she had decided to call him…yeah.
"You sure about this?" she asked softly
"Defiantly."
"Okay then. Let's get started."
Quatre grinned and paid the two tickets to play as Dorothy grabbed the gun. She hiked it to her shoulder, aimed, and fired. The shot hit off target. She looked up and blinked in surprise as Quatre chuckled. He had figured this gun was just as rigged as the other one. And Dorothy was nowhere near the level he was in identifying such things and compensating for the lag.
Dorothy lowered the gun and looked at Quatre, her eyes narrow. "I should have found this game for you Mr. Winner." Going back to the game she shot two more times, but each time she still didn't get close to the center. On the sixth and final shot she managed to hit on the third inner line and looked up at the grinning Quatre. "Care to see if you can do better?"
"Not really."
"I insist."
"I already played two, this is your turn." Quatre replied
"Being a baby about it?"
"Baby!" Quatre cried indignantly. He dug two tickets out of his pocket and slapped them on the table. The teller reloaded the gun for Quatre who took it, aimed, and fired the gun. It hit off mark of where he sighted and he adjust his angle again. It still hit off mark and grinned, catching the flaw in the gun.
And then he froze. He slowly put the gun down and turned to face Dorothy who was grinning that little grin of hers, her arms crossed in that smug manner that she had.
"You sly, sly girl." Quatre commented, "You tricked me."
"Didn't." She replied
Quatre turned back to the target, lined up the sight, and shot a perfect bull's-eye. He set the gun down and turned to look back at Dorothy, a grin on his face. "I think that settles that."
"How did you-?"
"After the second shot I got a hang of the alignment. The games are al rigged. You just need to know how to identify the problem and readjust your performance to compensate."
"You have three more shot sir." The teller stated, clearly not happy with the way Quatre was talking.
Quatre turned around shot the center target twice more, missing the second shot but getting the first and third. The second was close enough to the center, however, to still receive a prize, if only a small one. So had his second get-the-feeling-right shot. Dorothy was informed she also got to pick two prizes out of all her six shots.
Quatre chose bright crimson bear with black highlights a pink 'Kiss Me' heart in it's grasp, a pink and white patchwork dog quite similar to the one he passed up earlier (the patch over it's eye was shaped like a heart), and a two foot tall Sandrock replica (plastic of course) that caught his eye for his three Bulls-eye shots. For his two smaller prizes he chose smaller versions of Shenlong and Heavyarms, the only two they had. Apparently all the Deathsythe and Wing Zero's had been picked up over the past three weeks and they hadn't restocked yet. Quatre was quite humored by the pop0ularity of some versus that of others, but it didn't bother him. He was, though, quite flustered when he called them by name on accident and the teller wasn't exactly sure what he was referring to. The official names of the gundums had never really been public knowledge, after all.
When Quatre glanced at Dorothy he noticed she had chosen a little Talgeese figure for herself as well as a Sandrock figure that she swiftly stuffed in her pocket, not realizing Quatre had already spotted it.
"Now then, duchess." Quatre grinned, "Do we continue to play games? Or do we go drop these things off at the car?"
Dorothy seemed to contemplate the matter for a moment, staring at their armload of carnival prizes. She picked her own kitten up with a grin and replied, "I think the car would be a god idea. "I'm going to have to help you carry some of those."
Quatre looked at the pile of prizes he had, then looked at Dorothy. She was probably right about that….
He began picking up his prizes but the sound of giggling stopped him. He looked up at Dorothy, his arms loaded, and saw that she was trying, in vain, to hide her giggles.
"What's so funny?"
"You look simply adorable holding all those toys like that!" She replied, "Almost like an overgrown child!"
Quatre, startled by her comment, looked down at himself, then at her again, slight irritation building.
"Oh, thank you so much!" He growled, "Like I don't get enough of that from everyone else around me, now I'm getting it from you!
"Oh, Quatre, don't be so touchy!" She giggled
"You'd be mad too if it was you they always talked whispered about, being to young to carry on in my fathers stead. The only thing they worry about regarding you is weather or not your going to find someway to steal their companies. Your reputation is cold, mine is too young."
"Well." Dorothy murmured, "I see. I apologize, I didn't realize. People usually try to keep me out of the loop. As you said, they fear me. I won't joke like that again, alright?"
"No, it's okay. You did nothing wrong, I should not have gotten irritated at such a simple joke. I'm sorry."
"Must you apologize for everything?" Dorothy asked, amazed. "Its almost as if you find every little thing your fault!"
"Huh? No! I don't-."
"Yes. You do. It seems to be a bit of a nasty habit."
"Really?"
"Yes. You never noticed it before?"
"No really…."
"Oh, never mind about it. It isn't that important. Let's go, I'll gab a few of those for you." Dorothy bent over and picked up a few of Quatre's prizes and the two of them began walking again. They had to stop and ask directions though, they had gotten a tad lost inside the park. As they headed on their way again Quatre got the distinct impression they were being followed. He sent out a feeler, just in case he wasn't being paranoid, and waited for results. When nothing happened he began to relax again and he looked up into the night sky. It was clear for February, and the stars, what you could see of them, twinkled dimly against the glare of the carnival lights. He was about to comment to Dorothy about how he missed looking at the stars more clearly when he felt the sudden presence of danger looming in the air. He froze on the spot and looked around, trying to determine where the source was coming from. When Dorothy realized he had stopped walking she back tracked a little and looked at him curiously.
"Quatre? What s it?"
"Huh?" Quatre looked at her, startled by her sudden intrusion. "Oh. Nothing. It's nothing; I just thought I heard someone call my name. Just my imagination." He smiled reassuringly, but he had the feeling she wasn't buying it. In fact, he knew she wasn't buying it. But she nodded her head nonetheless and began walking again, checking to make sure he was following. Checking over his shoulder once more, just in case, he hurried up to Dorothy and nudged her forward, not to hurriedly.
"C'Mon, I think we should hurry up and find Trowa and Relena."
"Huh? Why?"
"I think it best we leave now."
Quatre felt a sudden sadness set over the area and he cursed himself a little. Dorothy was getting the wrong idea, but he didn't have time to worry about that right now. Something was wrong; something was directed towards the two of them. He wasn't sure if Trowa and Relena were in the same dilemma, unaware.
They finally reached the parking lot and Quatre quickly unlocked the trunk, stuffing the prizes inside and allowing Dorothy to do the same. When done he began to walk back towards the rides and lights, but the ominous feeling came back in full and he whipped his head around, clearly catching the direction now that they were away from all the people. He managed to catch sight of a dark figure hidden between the cars, a slight glint shining off what was unmistakably a gun. His adrenaline racing, Quatre quickly turned around and lunged at Dorothy, knocking her to the ground just as a bullet passed by and embedded itself in the car. Dorothy, shocked, looked up at the bullet from where she now lay and gasped.
"What in the high heavens was that about?"
"I don't know." Quatre replied just as another bullet shot out at them.
