"Is there no word from her?"
"No Kira, not yet."
"NO!"
"Cagalli," pleaded Afhmed in a wheelchair nearby, his leg wrapped in bandages, "just this one time. You'll look really nice in it!"
"I DON'T CARE IF I LOOK NICE OR NOT! FOR GOODNESS SAKES AFHMED, THIS IS A BLOODY PRESS CONFERENCE, NOT SOME SICK FASHION SHOW?" Poor handicapped Afhmed had to dodge the pair of new stilettos that were thrown by the enraged princess.
By the time Sai and Kisaka entered the room again, poor Afhmed was reduced to tears. "He put up a good fight." Sai sighed as he wheeled him out. "A whole fifteen minutes of verbal and physical abuse. A record, surely." He shut the door behind him, leaving the bodyguard to deal with the fuming girl.
"Cagalli, it's not as bad as you think." Kisaka tried to reason with Cagalli. "Not as bad as you think?" Cagalli hissed venomously, picking up the wrinkled white skirt. "You're not the one that has to wear this thing! Talk about impractical!" Kisaka nearly chuckled at that.
"It's no doubt that you certainly have the intellect to go through such a major plan," Kisaka started, "but you also have to look the part." When all he got was a firm glare, he tried another point. "Cagalli, most of these people working for you are men. Do you know how much trouble they went to find these articles of clothing?" Imagining Sai and Afhmed stepping in such a feminine boutique just to purchase those items of clothing made Cagalli feel a twinge of pity.
A twinge.
Amber eyes narrowed, Cagalli replied flatly. "No."
Kisaka sighed and wondered for the millionth time why he hadn't retired early. "Cagalli, please realize that while you are fretting over what to wear to the press conference, everyone here is working their hardest to get everything set up, making everything run smoothly, and in the meantime worry about your safety every second. Everyone here is in no condition to be inconvenienced by your fashion tastes." With that, Kisaka calmly strode out of the room and closed the door behind him.
Cagalli dropped into the nearest chair and sulked. She knew she was being selfish and unreasonable, but this was not the way she had imagined it. She had hoped she'd be climbing in ventilation systems to overhear the Chairman's plans, or crawling into windows on the 17th floor. But what was the fun of standing around (in a skirt no less) while listening to the Chairman's son talk?
But she bit her lip when an image of the blue-haired boy chased into her mind. She hadn't told Kisaka and the others about their accidental meeting, and she didn't plan to. 'I mean, among all those people, why would he recognize me?' she mused assuredly.
Although, Kisaka was right. She had already caused enough trouble, and an Attha would never back down from a challenge! Swiveling so that she faced the wrinkled skirt, she picked it up and grimaced. As she slipped off her jeans and zipped up the skirt, she chanted, "Do this for ORB, do this for ORB…"
Sai and Kisaka were leaning against the door, smirking as the dulcet (not) tones of their leader floated out of the wooden door. Kisaka whipped out a handkerchief and wiped his forehead. "Well that's one problem solved." as Sai nodded. Afhmed was already off in his own little world, drooling slightly as he pictured his childhood friend change into the little white skirt.
"WHAT?"
Athrun ran his hand through his hair, feeling dangerously close to ripping it out of his head, "Why didn't my father tell me of thi – no, never mind. I don't want to hear it." He said hastily, as the frightened papergirl opened her mouth to speak, clutching files to her chest like protection between her and the angry Athrun Zala. Anger bubbled in his chest and a series of R rated swear words rose in his throat. Breathing deeply, he fixed his face to show indifference with difficulty. "You may go." Athrun said in a sigh at last, and the girl was only too happy to comply.
Half watching the girl scuttle out of the office, he sifted through the many thick files, banging them each onto the polished surface of his desk with unneeded force, mumbling venomously. 'This is just like him…. inconsiderate…tyrant…his own son…old man…'Just as he dropped down into his seat, a knock sounded behind the door, followed by a series of whispers. Half hoping that it would be another papergirl he could scare and cross off his pay list, he said grudgingly, "Come in."
No such luck.
Cheery and smiling, his best friend Kira Yamato strode into his office. "Hey Athrun! How's it going?" His question was answered by cold green eyes and manila files being waved in his face.
"Guess what my own father changed to my no-hassle, straight forward, clear schedule I made up for the foreign ambassadors conference?" Athrun spat, sulking like a teenage. Taking the folder, Kira flipped through the itinerary, confused. "He," Kira squinted to see if he was right. "-Extended it by four days?" He had an odd look on his face. "How long does he expect your speech to be?"
"Four days stretched over a series of a month. And it's not just speeches. Oh no, tours over the PLANTS, visiting historical sites, and all that jazz." Athrun snorted. "I say, throw them some champagne, let them sleep to a speech, stuff them into a shuttle and send them off for all I care."
"But think of it this way Athrun. If you do a good job maybe your father will trust you more." Kira said, throwing the folder onto the desk with a flick of his wrist. "Fine." Athrun said, disgruntled, "Then what did you come here for Mr. Optimistic?" The brown haired boy cleared his throat. "You're not going to like this Athrun…"
"Try me, I can't get more pissed off anyway."
10 minutes later, Kira emerged, damp with coffee and a mark on his head looking rather like a coffee mug. The employees all peeked over their cubicles, ignoring the purring of the phones or the scrape of the fax machine. Kira, not used to all this attention, cleared his throat and adjusted his collar in the most dignified way possible.
"You're not going to want to disturb Mr. Zala anytime soon."
"MISS YURA!"
Cagalli woke up with an unladylike snort and her half-lidded amber eyes were filled with sleep. "Wha - Kisaka?" Cagalli questioned to the navy blur in front of her. When did he get such a feminine voice?
"Ambassador or not, please be more dignified when the Mr. Zala comes." Snapped the waitress, balancing a tray of fluted champagne glasses filled with the drink. Blinking vigorously, she responded with a half-hearted, "Right, whatever you s-say…" ending in a huge yawn. A pink haired girl in revealing clothing giggled girlishly in front of her, and a stiff old man in a crisp suit frowned disapprovingly. Everyone else ignored her, or just pretended she didn't exist.
She glared at the girl in front of her, who was currently looking smugly at the empty podium. What she was wearing made Cagalli's white skirt and blouse look like a padded snowsuit, Cagalli thought venomously.
The lights started to dim, which meant that the speech was about to start. Cagalli quickly bent down under her chair and emerged with a glass of champagne she had hidden before she fell asleep. More disapproving glances were thrown at her, but she was too happy with her semi-alcoholic drink that she didn't care the slightest.
Athrun strode onto the podium, looking confident but really shaking with nerves. His black leather shoes echoed embarrassingly loud on the polished wood floor, but was thankfully drowned out by thunderous applause. A girl with pink hair and a huge star clip started to squeal and waved a big sign. Written in huge pink markers was:
I LOVE YOU ATHRUN ZALA!
Decorated with hearts and flowers. Athrun suppressed at grimace. Meer Campbell, his rabid fangirl. 'This is a political meeting for goodness sakes. Why can't you leave me alone then?' He stepped onto the podium and shuffled with his notes for a few minutes before he began…
"Welcome, to the PLANTS."
'Oh my goodness there he comes!' Cagalli panicked, not caring how much she sounded like the fangirl sitting in front of her. As he stepped onto the podium, Cagalli ducked down and prayed that he didn't recognize her.Sqqquuueeeaaaakkkk
Why did she have to get the bad chair?
'…and the stability of Aprilius Six's economy will not only benefit the economy of the PLANTs, but also…"
Cagalli silently yawned, pinpricks of tears appearing at the corners of the eyes. How dull. Even the hyped up fangirl's sign was bobbing up and down a little half-heartedly. Stowing her now-empty champagne glass under her seat, the plastic let out an ear-piercing squeak, ignored by Cagalli.
She fidgeted impatiently. How much longer was this going to be?
Squeak
Too long.
Athrun blinked , desperately trying to clear sleep from his eyes. His mouth was opening and closing, uttering the words he knew from heart while his brain wandered. And right now, he was in danger of falling asleep to his own speech.
There was a small rustle on the other side of the podium and Athrun risked a small peek to where the sound came from. When he saw the figure of Lunamaria Hawke, he smiled slightly. She and her 'good-friend-nothing-more' Shinn had stayed up all night in his office drinking coffee and running over documents with him. He was truly grateful for their help.
"….we have estimated that in the course of 3 years. The PLANTs…"
But he also constantly thought of that girl he saw in the park. Because of the monotony of his own life, he took a particular interest in the lives of others. Where was she from? Did she have any siblings? What did she do in her spare time? Did she have a boyfriend? She probably did, a pretty girl like her…
"…our financial growth is now becoming steadier in the areas of…"
'I kind of wish… I could see her again…'
SSSQQQUUEAAAAKKKK
Snap
"Ow… damn that friggen' cheap chair…"
Athrun's head painfully shot up as the snap of plastic rang through the air. But what surprised him even more was that in the midst of the chair wreckage, was the odd girl from the other day.
So much for inconspicuous.
Everyone was staring at her, even Athrun Zala himself. Heat immediately rose to her cheeks at her own stupid mistake. She painfully got up (accidentally scratching herself on the sharp edges of plastic) and stood, chin up and mustering as much decorum as she could in such a situation. There, Cagalli made her first mistake of opening her mouth:
"You have cheap chair. Get better ones."
She pivoted on her heel and stalked out, only half aware of all the trouble she probably caused. She could already hear Kisaka nagging…
'We ask you to be inconspicuous for only 2 hours and there you go, breaking things, drinking, and reprimanding the future Chairman about the chairs he uses? Cagalli…'
Cagalli took a deep breath and steadily said to herself, drowning out the Kisaka-conscience. 'Go to the washroom, freshen up, and get the hell out of here. Then, think about all this later. Or never at all.'
Leaving the washroom, Cagalli made a beeline towards the coat checkout counter. Determinedly ignoring the giggles of the assistants (how did word travel that fast?) she opened her (stupid, stupid, stupid) mouth to snap at the girl when a voice rang out in the quiet of the lobby, "Wait! Ma'am, please wait!"
Not used to being called 'ma'am', as she was usually referred to as 'hey you', her first instinct was to whirl around and see who the voice was calling. But luckily she caught herself in time, for wouldn't an ambassador be used to being called ma'am?
Cagalli turned around slowly, and plastered a smile on her face. "Hello, how can I help you?" The callers were a girl with short violet-red hair and a boy with unruly black hair and deep crimson eyes. They were both wearing uniforms, meaning that they worked here at the ZAFT offices.
The girl smiled, while the boy kept a face of indifference. "Don't worry about the chair Ambassador Yura," the girl assured as if Cagalli had apologized. "but Mister Zala would like a word with you." Cagalli was startled. I mean, besides breaking ZAFT property, what had she done that would make Mister Athrun Zala want to see her?
"All right. So, should I schedule an appointment?" Cagalli said weakly, trembling a bit but trying hard not to show it. Now the boy spoke up, and he said, with more authority, "No, ambassador. Mister Zala would like to see you now."
Cagalli sighed, "All right. Take me to him." 'I'm so sorry Kisaka, but maybe I can get more information this way.' Cagalli thought.
And maybe I'll finally find out who was the one who killed you, Father.
Who was it on the PLANTs that dared kill Head Representative Uzumi Nara Attha.
"Luna, Shinn, I would like some words with Ambassador Yura privately, thank you."
They nodded solemnly, and clicked the mahogany door shut behind them. The pair began to stroll down the carpeted hall at a leisurely pace basking in the sunlight glow penetrating the windows.
"I wonder what Mr. Zala wanted with the Ambassador?" Luna mused, placing a finger on her chin. Shinn let out a small snort, which sounded uncannily like 'A-stinking-Natural'. Ignoring him, Luna voiced another question, "Do you think that maybe Athrun is taken by the ORB Ambassador?" For she was an avid reader in romance novels.
With that, Shinn let out a laugh. "Athrun? I think not. That'll be the day you and I pilot those huge Gundams into outer space Luna. Impossible." At that, Luna began to feel a little foolish. "You're right Shinn. There is no possible way."
The two kept walking, enjoying a companionable silence and enjoying each other's company more than they'd admit.
Kaguya: Thank you for all the kind review that I've gotten! And yes, EmberRin, I got the idea of the title from a Chinese book that I had read. I love it and read it constantly, although I do think I've misplaced it somewhere in my room…. XD.
Thanks so much to mariad, Fukari, periodic-prose, asga, susan, anonymous, EmberRin, and ali. Thank you very much for your support!
Preview:
"Because, Ambassador, you might think I'm boring but I find you fascinating."
"Good Morning Athrun! Oh, who is this friend of yours?"
"This is what the next Chairman of the PLANTs does in his spare time? Pick up ambassadors and asks them to spend the rest of the month with him. Like a d- date?"
"I'm Meer Campbell. Please stay away from my Athrun or I'll rip your vital organs out!"