Chapter 42: Vent
A/N: Have now officially hit 9,000 views on this story in total. Thank you so much to all my readers. And sorry for the delay in posting this, work has been slamming me lately.
"
"Alright. Here's what it's like," Zoisite said slowly, kneeling down on the floor of Prince Endymion's bedroom, right in the middle of the carpet, a couple of stuffed animals and glass jars filled with marshmallows in front of him and behind him. Princess Serenity was kneeling on the floor on the opposite side of the arrangement, watching carefully.
Zoisite picked up a stuffed rabbit that was holding a small orange carrot. "So, this is Augustus. Augustus a full-time black market imperium dealer." He then reached to his left and grabbed a jar of marshmallows. "And this is the money that he makes from dealing imperium." He dumped the contents of the jar out onto the floor in front of his knees. "So, Augustus starts doing what everyone does with money." He started removing small handfuls of marshmallows from the mound that he had created and scooping them off to the side. "He buys a house, a speeder, food, goes out at night to gamble and party. There's just one problem. Augustus doesn't have any other job. His work on the black market is, obviously, off-the-record."
With that, he set the rabbit down next to the pile of marshmallows and reached to his right to grab a stuffed bear. "So, in comes Felix. Felix works for the Department of Treasury, and he's noticed that Augustus is spending a lot of money that he shouldn't have, and he isn't paying any taxes." He slammed the bear down on top of the rabbit. "So, Felix investigates Augustus, finds out that he's making his money illegally, and Augustus goes to prison for felony tax evasion." Zoisite picked up the rabbit and placed it behind him, then putting the bear on top of the marshmallows. "Meanwhile, Felix takes every last cred to pad the pockets of the treasury."
Serenity slowly pointed her right index finger up towards her face. "But we're the treasury, the treasury works for us."
"Well, they work for the High King," Zoisite corrected. "And either way, we can't just tell the treasury to completely ignore obvious Class B felony tax fraud."
She then pointed over towards Zoisite. "W-what about the carrot?"
"What?" Zoisite reached back behind him and picked up the stuffed bunny, bringing it back in front of him to look at. "O-oh, that...nothing, the carrot isn't anything. Uh, anyway." He put the rabbit back down next to the marshmallows, grabbing the bear and putting it over to the side. Quickly, he scooped the sugary treats up in his right hand and began dumping them back into the glass jar. "Now, what can Augustus do to prevent this?"
Serenity watched in silence as Zoisite quickly refilled the jar, closed fist propped underneath her chin.
"Well, first, he doesn't spend the money he makes on the black market, he keeps it hidden." He screwed a tin lid on top of the jar. "Next, he obtains a significant sum of money that he can explain having through legal means. Maybe he gets a real, above-board job, maybe a friend or family member extends him a loan, maybe he fakes a large gambling win." He took a smaller glass jar of white marshmallows from behind him, unscrewing the lid and dumping out a portion of the jar on the left side of the rabbit doll. "The point is, he can justify having it, and Felix suspects nothing." He tapped the top of the teddy bear.
"Next, he uses this money to purchase a business. In his case, probably something fairly modest. A speeder wash or reupholstery, an arcade, a convenience store, something like that." He quickly swept most of the pile of marshmallows to the side, and replaced them with a much larger jar. This one was partially filled with marshmallows already and was labeled along the front 'BUSINESS' with a taped piece of paper. "Now, he has a legitimate business that generates taxable, legal income, and people like Felix won't look twice at him." He scooped up the remaining remnants of Augustus's legally obtained marshmallows up in his left hand, used his right to unscrew the top off the business jar, and dumped them in. "Augustus has to invest more money into the business in order to keep it running, and if some of that money happens to be his illicitly-obtained black market imperium money, it'll be pretty hard to notice as long as he's careful. Plus, he can falsify a few receipts here and there, creating imaginary sales that are paid for out of of his dirty money." He re-opened the initial jar, grabbing a handful out and placing them into the large container.
"And there you have it. Augustus gradually filters his dirty money through his clean business's cash flow, and it all comes out above suspicion, taxable, and most importantly, spendable." He concluded his demonstration by pouring a small portion of the business marshmallows on the carpet next to the stuffed bunny. "Felix has no reason to suspect anything, Augustus gets to spend his money as he likes, nobody goes to prison."
"Did the carrot represent anything this time?"
Zoisite looked over to his right, where Jadeite was seated on a stool.
"N-no!" Zoisite snapped. "No, the carrot means nothing, I...I just can't…" he grabbed the bunny and began trying to pull the orange piece of fabric out of his hand, but it wouldn't move. "I can't take it away, it's sewn in."
"Who would have thought spending money was so complicated," Serenity muttered under her breath.
"Alright, Jadeite, you got it?" Zoisite asked, staring down his colleague. "Really?"
"Yes, yes, I got it, it's...it's good, we're good," he muttered.
"Because if Nephrite was able to get this, you really have no excuse. I can't make it any simpler than this," Zoisite said sternly.
Jadeite scoffed. "What's the difference? We're all just going to be doing what you tell us to do."
"I'd prefer to avoid that," Zoisite responded tersely. "A little bit of agency on your part would go a long way in making this work."
The main door firing open snipped the budding argument before it could blossom, a slumped-shouldered Prince Endymion entering. Jadeite and Zoisite sprung to their feet, squaring their postures up towards their charge.
"Your Highness," Zoisite said. "I was just going over some...uh, remedial money laundering instructions."
"Or, maybe, he was compensating for previous instructions that were unclear and poorly dictated," Jadeite retorted.
"Uh…" Endymion slowly took a glance around at the odd collection of stuffed animals and jars of marshmallows. "If you say so."
"Oh, uh...sorry about the mess, Your Highness," Zoisite said, bending down to start scooping the arrangement of loose marshmallows up into a singular pile. Serenity picked up both of the stuffed animals, holding one in each hand, focus on her husband.
"Are you alright?" she asked, noting his slouched posture and indifferent demeanor.
"Oh...long day. Tired," he replied lazily, turning to lumber off towards his bed.
"We'll be out of here shortly," Zoisite said, making quick work of the confectionary pile and collecting his assorted jars.
Endymion sighed. "It's fine. Just a little worn out. Can't believe that working-class people are expected to do this for their entire lives."
Zoisite was tempted to make a comment about the additional stress the Prince was under, given the current status of his relationship with Cronus, but with Serenity present, could not.
"She's picked up three new words today," Serenity said proudly, crossing her arms over her chest as she followed her husband over to the bed. "Should, have, and bear."
"And the shit you miss when you're working," Endymion added. "I feel bad, not being here to watch her grow and do things like that."
"W-well, Endy…" Serenity pushed one of her long pigtails back over her shoulder. "Maybe you should start considering an exit strategy?"
Endymion, with a huff, sat down heavily on the side of the bed, gripping the edge of the mattress on either side of him in his hands. "I'm working on it."
"After all, if we can manage to dig our way out of debt, there's not really any...need for you to keep working for this guy. You said you were committed for a year, but, after that, maybe it'll be time to put this all behind us."
Endymion nodded. "That's what I'm working towards."
"Your Highness," Zoisite said, marching off towards the door, marshmallow jars in tow, after finishing the minor cleanup. Jadeite followed right behind him, leaving the royal couple alone.
"Where is she?" Endymion asked as the door clicked shut behind his two generals.
"Delia's got her," Serenity answered, running around the bed towards the table right by the leftmost pillow. A circular device was emitting a blinking blue light. "Oh, how did I not notice this?"
As Endymion started to remove his vest, Serenity quickly manipulated the communicator with a few button presses, prompting it to replay the recorded message on it.
"Uh, Serenity, sweetie, it's me."
Just as he was about to start unbuttoning his undershirt, Endymion froze, recognizing his voice being played back on Serenity's communicator. Of course, she recognized the same, turning to look over at her husband as his voice came through loud and clear on the recording.
"Um, I just...I just wanted to talk to you real quick, but, uh...well, I just wanted you to know that...well, I love you."
The communicator clicked off, leaving the young couple staring at each other across the large bed.
"
Serenity let loose a contented moan as she settled her nude body against Endymion's under the covers, Endymion wrapping his thin left arm underneath her. "Woo," she huffed. "So much going on lately, I haven't even had a moment to think about stuff like this."
"Mm," Endymion grumbled. "Maybe this is what I've been missing."
"First time since the...you know, Jadeite thing," Serenity mused, almost immediately feeling herself get squeezed against her husband's body by his left arm. "Hey, hey! Ow!"
As soon as he had started squeezing hard into her, he relaxed the pressure, sighing. "Sorry." With a frustrated incoherent mumble, he closed his eyes. "But, please, don't bring that up anymore."
"So, this...this person you're working with, how long has it been now?" she asked, settling in against his side.
"Eight cycles, coming up on nine," he answered.
"Think about how nice it'll be when you put it behind you in three cycles," Serenity suggested, drawing a tiny circle on Endymion's chest repeatedly with her index finger. "Get to see your daughter start to...string sentences together, count to a hundred, maybe do some puzzles, build some block towers. Won't that be nice?"
"Mm."
"So, what was up with that call?" she asked. "What brought that on?"
"Oh...nothing in particular," Endymion answered evasively, lifting her small body up on top of his before she could press the point any further.
"Ohh...ah!" she yelped. Just as Endymion started pressing his lips into her neck, a series of knocks at the door broke Serenity's focus. She turned her head and looked up towards the door, simultaneously reaching up over her head with her slender arm to flip a small switch above the headboard on.
"H-hello?" Serenity called out, Endymion completely unfazed by the interruption and continuing to trail kisses down her neckline and towards her chest.
"Your Highness?" The aged, yet feminine voice emitting from the vented speaker right above the door clearly marked the person on the other side of the door as Delia, royal midwife, kept around even now with Chibiusa approaching her first birthday, to assist in the early growth of the young Princess. "Are you ready for her?"
"O-oh, I...ee!" Serenity squealed. Endymion was not deterred by the budding conversation, and in a sudden movement, rolled Serenity over onto the bed, his arms wrapped around her body. "N-not right now!" she managed to yell out. "E-Endy, hold on, gimme a second!" she whispered, grinning nevertheless as Endymion put her on her stomach and started kissing the back of her neck.
"I'll keep her, then?" Delia asked.
"
Delia, left index finger pressed into the small black button right next to the royal bedroom door and mouth up close to the wall right by the button, raised her eyebrows quizzically at the sounds coming out of the small speaker above the door. Chibiusa was strapped in a harness to her chest, wriggling her arms and legs back and forth, gurgling out assorted noises.
"Y-yes! Maybe a minuta or so more," Serenity answered. "I-I...maybe I'll just come get you when I—ah! Hey! No butt stuff!"
Delia's eyes widened, and she immediately reached her hands up to either side of Chibiusa's head, plugging her ears gently and running off back down the large, opulent hallway as fast as she could with the child attached to her chest.
"
Endymion gently manipulated the joysticks on The Bastion, spinning the starship on its Y-axis as powerful thrusters fought the force of Earth's gravity to keep the vessel hovering high up in the sky.
"It's all here," Kunzite reported from the back of the ship, down on one knee and examining the contents of a large leather sack. "Just like last time."
"Well, that's got to mean something," Endymion said quietly, a dull little smile on his face. "He wants to kill me, he won't let me anywhere near him, but he's not stiffing me."
As he spoke, Endymion glanced over to the right side of the view out the front windshield. Just a few hundred haplouns away, a massive black freighter ship was slowly coming out from behind a cloud. Easily dwarfing Endymion's personal ship many hundreds of times over, the ship was marked with a large horse as a logo on the side of it, signifying that it belonged to Aerotyne Foods. The Crown Prince tapped his finger lightly on the left joystick, getting the ship to rotate towards it.
"Even once Zoisite gets everything running, we're still going to be acquiring money much faster than we can launder it," Kunzite said. "I've reviewed his plans. We're still going to have some work in front of us convincing the investors to agree to accept delayed—"
As Endymion slowly squared the ship up so that the nose was pointing right at the side of the massive freighter, he tuned out Kunzite's words, his deep voice being replaced by a constant ringing. He blinked a few times, forehead starting to sweat as he steadied the ship.
Slowly, he began to tap his fingertips along the touch screen console in front of him. He was barely even looking down at what he was doing, going through the motions without even thinking about them. As if he was in a dream, not in full control of his actions, he unlocked some hidden menu options on his ship and deactivated the jump lock.
He became less and less aware of what was around him as his right hand reached up above him to move a lever forward. The moment he did, a very loud alarm started blaring, rising above even the dull ringing that was filling his ears. The control panel in front of him was flashing several violent red lights up at him, but he ignored both of these blaring warning signs.
With a single push of a lever and button on the right side of the panel, The Bastion would be sent screaming through the atmosphere, right into the side of the massive freighter, doubtlessly blowing a giant hole through the entire thing as well as disintegrating the Prince's own ship into a billion tiny pieces in an instant. Endymion had turned off the safety measure that wouldn't allow for the jump to engage in the event of an obstruction in the ship's path. A couple ounces of pressure, and would all be over practically instantly.
Endymion closed his eyes, right hand closing down on the lever as his left hand went across his body to rest against the jump button. The alarms kept screaming at him, protesting against every single movement he made, and the flashing red lights felt like they were boring through his eyelids. Nevertheless, he slowly brought the thin, silver lever back towards him.
He was snapped from his trance-like state as Kunzite's large hand grabbed his left wrist and ripped it away from the button. He opened his eyes just in time to watch his white-haired guardian yank him out of the pilot seat and spin him over towards the right side of the cockpit, with more than enough force to get him to let go of the silver lever.
Frantically, Kunzite pushed the lever back into a forward position, then pulled back on the one above the seat. The audible and visual alarms deactivated, instantly easing the environment of the cockpit by eliminating the red tinge that filled the entire compartment. As if racing against the clock, he zipped through menu options on the ship's main control panel to reactivate the jump lock, making sure that the ship would only accelerate to maximum speed if the route plotted was obstruction-free.
With the immediate danger sated, Kunzite turned to face his charge, mouth slightly open as he looked him over. Clearly too shocked to say anything, he just slowly let his eyes scan the Prince up and down, as if expecting him to suddenly morph into a demon, with the real Endymion tied up somewhere in a bathroom.
Endymion sighed, reaching up to wipe off his sweat-covered forehead, and somehow put his wan smile back up. "I'm sorry. Not...not fair for me to involve you in this."
"Your Highness?!" Kunzite asked, bewildered.
"I was just thinking...wouldn't be such a bad way to go," Endymion continued, looking back out towards the freighter in the distance, which was now moving purposefully to the east. "Would look like an accident or a malfunction. Nobody would be wondering what happened to us. Be instantaneous, we wouldn't feel a thing. And, hopefully, nobody would ever find out about all the things we've done over the last year."
Kunzite's forehead knitted together as Endymion slowly put his hands behind his back, clasping them together.
"That wouldn't be such a bad thing. You know, I had sex last night?" He turned back around to face his guardian. "I felt it, too. For a few minutes, we loved each other again. All the shit from the last year just...melted away, and we were just husband and wife again. Not a bad final memory to leave. I wouldn't mind going out on that note."
"Endymion, I...I—"
"It's better than just...waiting," Endymion interrupted. "Waiting for Cronus to decide he doesn't need us anymore...waiting for my father to peel back the layers and drill down to the truth...hell, waiting for our billion dollar money laundering scheme to get exposed. Honestly, I don't know which way I'd rather go down anymore." He shrugged. "At least this way, it'd be on my terms. I'd see it coming. Just...seems like it'd be better."
"Uh…" Kunzite stammered, no idea where to even start addressing what his charge was saying. "I, um…"
"But, I mean, not fair to just include you in all of this without even talking to you," he mumbled. "Sorry, I...silly idea. But, really, it'd be nice if it could just all be over with." He moved towards the pilot's seat. "Alright, alright, forget it, let's just...go home."
"Ah," Kunzite interjected, putting his right arm out in front of Endymion and pushing him away from the chair. "H-how about I pilot home?"
Endymion chuckled. "Right, I...sure."
Slowly, Kunzite settled himself down in the frontmost seat, his head still turned all the way around so he could keep both eyes on Endymion as the Crown Prince settled down into the passenger seat. It was several beats before he could even think to turn back around and take control of the ship, his mind far too clouded with what had transpired over the last couple secundas to give anything but the minimal-required attention towards guiding The Bastion back towards the palace.
After turning the ship back down towards the ground, Kunzite looked back over his shoulder at the Prince. "We're going to be fine. We're going to find a way to get to Cronus first. I'm working on it day and night, we're going to find a way."
"That's the spirit," Endymion mumbled, looking about aimlessly. With a clouded, conflicted expression, Kunzite turned back to look as he began to push the ship down through the cloud coverage.
"
Princess Venus barely acknowledged the glass door behind her sliding open, glancing over her shoulder just enough to see Kunzite stepping out onto the saltillo tile balcony before turning back towards the setting sun off in the distance.
The white-haired Earth general gave an exhausted sigh that was giving away a bit more information that he would typically give around someone not in his immediate circle of trust. Slowly, he came around next to the vacated lawn chair that was next to Venus's, and fell down hard into it. The blonde Princess jolted up in her seat a bit at the force with which Kunzite fell down into the seat.
"Tough day?" she asked, sounding almost amused at his visible exhaustion.
"Imperium's next to the couch inside," Kunzite said quietly.
"I don't recall giving you permission to sit down," Venus added wryly. Kunzite didn't even so much as twitch in response to her teasing.
"Since you have a vested interest in our operation continuing, I feel obligated to let you know that things are very unstable right now, and we may be deprived of our ability to provide you with product at any time," Kunzite said wearily, trying to maintain some level of professionalism.
Venus's smile faded a bit. "I'm not sure if I can accept that."
"It's out of our hands," Kunzite countered. "Cronus is looking to end our relationship as soon as he can. Being entirely honest, it's very likely that we'll no longer be working with him some time in the next few cycles, one way or the other."
The Princess quickly shifted into a more serious mood. "And...how many ways are there?"
Kunzite slowly licked his upper lip, tilting his head to the right slightly as he looked off into the distance. "He most likely intends to have me and the Prince killed as soon as he thinks he can."
Venus's forehead ticked up. "Well, I wasn't expecting to hear that."
"A-and, there are other considerations as well. There's no way around it, we're walking on a tightrope right now. I thought you should know."
"Huh," Venus said, leaning her head back on the rest of the chair. "Endymion is still the Crown Prince of Earth, yes? Last I checked, it's not easy to kill someone like that without suffering severe consequences."
"It's a complicated situation," Kunzite answered. "H-his father, the High King, is beginning to suspect Cronus as well, so we have pressure coming from his end."
"Well, you're opening up," the Princess said. "That's good, at least. Could hardly get two words out of you at first in these little meetings."
Kunzite rubbed his forehead. "I suppose we're in this together. Besides, I need to tell someone."
"You do?" she asked.
"I...I just, this job...it wasn't supposed to be like this," Kunzite said, now massaging the bridge of his nose. "I met the Prince when he was young, I...I was around him constantly when he was growing up outside of my two years on Venus. Practically been his shadow most of the time. I knew him. Probably only the High King could claim to know him better. Maybe not even that, and...I just, I can't figure out where this came from. How we ended up here. It doesn't make any sense."
Princess Venus kept quiet as Kunzite continued to pour out his frustrations, hand beneath her chin.
"My job was supposed to be setting up meetings, organizing security, training people...I was almost disappointed when I got to know Endymion at first. It seemed so obvious, he was nothing more than a sheltered royal on the straight-and-narrow. I didn't even think he'd have it in him to come up with a...trademark issue or major piece of legislation that he'd use to define his reign. Just...keep everything the way it was under his father, and run out the clock." Kunzite closed his eyes. "I...I don't even know how to process how we got here." He turned towards her. "You know, he actually tried to kill himself yesterday?"
Venus nearly choked on her sip of a light pink drink. "Like, figuratively?"
"No, literally. I stopped him. Barely. And all he could say was that...if he's going to die, it may as well be on his terms, as if he's just resigned himself to it. So now I have to deal with that. I always thought that, whatever this job ended up throwing at me, no matter what challenges came up, I'd be able to handle it. But this, this is beyond anything I ever thought possible." He shook his head. "And I don't know what to do. I'm the one who's always supposed to know what to do, I'm supposed to handle everything, do the hard things so the Prince doesn't have to, and I just feel overwhelmed. I didn't think it could happen."
"Well, it helps to talk about it," Venus said.
"That's what they say," Kunzite said impatiently. "Can't say I feel much better right now."
"It's certainly in my interests for you to stay alive. Anything I can do to help?" Venus asked.
Kunzite exhaled slowly. "I doubt it." Suddenly, he looked up over his left shoulder. "Well, would you happen to have any of those cigars around?"
"I got rid of those," Venus said, face wrinkling up a bit.
"Why'd you do that?" Kunzite asked, almost looking a little disappointed.
"Because they're disgusting," she said ruefully.
"You were probably smoking them wrong," Kunzite countered.
"You actually want one?" she asked with a bit of a chuckle. "You're just full of surprises today."
"I have a craving," Kunzite said, voice just a touch neurotic. "For the first time in eight years. What can I say? Facing death every single day for the last cycle wears on you."
Princess Venus slowly nodded. "I understand."
"And through it all, I'm thinking about that thing you asked me last time," Kunzite continued. "Why did he get involved in this? I still can't figure it out. I-I don't know why he'd put himself in a position like this when he didn't need to." He pushed his fingers through his hair. "I'm not used to not knowing things. Not used to not knowing what to do. For the first time ever, I kind of wish someone else had this job. Feels like it might be too much for me."
"Hm," Venus muttered. "Not that I want you to, but ever think about just running away?"
Kunzite scoffed, though he was unable to keep a smile off his face. "That's funny."
"What's stopping you?" she asked. "I'm really asking. Just...think about it for a bit."
"I can't do that," Kunzite mumbled. "What, I'm just supposed to abandon the Prince of Earth to his fate? Without me, he's doomed."
"They'd never catch you. If you want to disappear, nobody can do anything about it." Venus crossed her arms over her chest.
Kunzite's face wrinkled up. "H-how do you know so much about me all of a sudden?"
"I'm not wrong, am I?" Venus pointed out. "I'm just saying, it has to be better than dying. When you're in an unusual situation, you have to consider unusual solutions to problems."
"Well, I'm not doing that," Kunzite affirmed, heavily rising up to his feet. "And you don't want me to, anyway."
"Leaving?" she asked. "Money is under the wash basin."
"Ten days?" Kunzite asked, surprisingly not feeling particularly anxious and concerned about how much information he was spilling to Princess Venus. And he could not deny that some of the weight that he felt bearing down on his shoulders was lifted, after finally getting to vent.
"Ten days," she agreed. "I'll bring some cigars next time."
"We all have to find ways to rebel from time to time," she commented.
Not wanting to re-engage with her and possible get involved in another extended discussion that would delay him, Kunzite held silent as he walked back inside.
"
Cronus closed his eyes, steadying himself by taking a deep breath. He was alone in one of his many offices, this one situated on the southern side of Neptune, surrounded by nothing but the stereotypical accoutrements of a successful businessman's workstation. Slowly, he opened the drawer built into the front of the desk in front of him, exposing the assorted pens and papers, as well as a black communicator disc. This disc drew his attention, and he scooped it up out of the drawer, and then used his right hand to withdraw the cube-contained green marble out of his jacket pocket. Quickly setting it down in the drawer, he slid the compartment shut. Dragging the outer rim dials around with his thumbs, he eventually got to the settings he desired and plugged his finger down on the center button.
Almost immediately after he set the communicator down on the desk in front of him, a male voice began pouring out of the speakers all around the disc.
"About time."
"Radburn! Sorry I couldn't take your call earlier," Cronus responded, trying to sound unaffected.
"Save the apologies," Radburn snapped back. "You'll need them for later. Given the money I've paid you, you really should be more concerned with making sure I'm satisfied."
"Are you unhappy with the rate I'm charging for munitions and supplies? Would you like to renegotiate?" Cronus asked.
"Not the rates, Titus," Radburn replied. "It's the goods you've provided me. Do you have any idea how many of your rifles get jammed up after firing through a few clips? Most of your rations are wet, barely edible. And don't get me started on those bombs. We may as well be dropping boulders."
"There's a lot of imprecision in weapon manufacturing, Radburn, I'm sure you know that," Cronus answered.
"This is beyond imprecision!" Radburn interrupted. "The Rings were counting heavily on you to deliver on your promises, you know. Surely you've heard, the war has been turning against us in recent cycles."
"Radburn, you contacted me, and you were aware I didn't possess the resources and funds of other weapon dealers," Cronus answered. "If you're unhappy with what I've provided, I can certainly refund you."
"Oh, shut up!" he yelled. "This is beyond money! Do you have any idea how big of a disaster the battle on Rhea was today?! You'll see all about it in the news soon if you don't believe me. Absolute slaughter. Crippling to the war effort. And my superiors are putting this on me. I'm the one who said I trusted you."
"I'm sorry to hear that," Cronus answered, glancing over at the clock on his desk.
"I don't think you are, Titus," Radburn accused. "No, I think this is exactly what you wanted. I'm starting to think that it was always your plan to disrupt our efforts by supplying us with with useless equipment."
"Radburn, I'm a weapons dealer, I take no sides in any war. My only interest is providing quality supplies to encourage repeat business," Cronus insisted, unable to keep the smile off his face, thankful that there was no way for it to be seen.
"A weapons dealer?" He scoffed. "I'm starting to not even believe that. Titus, if that's even your real name, I think you've been working on the side of the royal house of Saturn this whole time! No amount of incompetency can justify the shoddy munitions you've tried to pass off to us. Well, congratulations. You've accomplished exactly what you've set out to do. But rest assured, whatever the final outcome of the war is, there will be repercussions! The moment I clean up the mess you've created for me, I'm going to find you, and—"
Cronus could just barely make out a slight rumble through the audio connection.
"W-what?!" Radburn snapped. "What was that?!"
Another. And another following right after it. Soon, it was clear that a series of explosions were being fired off wherever Radburn was, each one louder and more cacophonous than the last. Cronus could make out assorted yelling and screaming from various voices, and suddenly, the connection was abruptly cut off.
Smiling and satisfied, Cronus unscrewed the outer casing on the communicator, exposing the circuitry and wiring within, and began to disassemble it, tearing the wires up.
"
With a labored sigh, Kunzite pushed the beaded curtain to the sides with both hands, spreading the strands of colored ropes out so he could step out onto the small balcony, this one functionally the same as all the previous ones, yet with it's own style and taste. Sure enough, Princess Venus was waiting, laying back on a reclined cushioned seat, turned away from the curtain and out towards the setting sun.
Again, Kunzite didn't even wait to be prompted. His weariness and exhaustion was worn on his face even more than it had been the last time. With a dull thud, he went over to the second chair, right by Venus's, and fell down into it. He gave a very soft little grunt, which seemed to be his version of a greeting.
Wordlessly, Venus held her left hand up in the air, holding a thick brown cigar wrapped in a plastic covering. Kunzite glanced over, and despite himself, he smiled. He reached over and took it, rolling it around between his fingers.
After a couple of silent moments, the two of them just staring off towards the setting sun, the Princess casually extended her left hand out towards the Earth general, resting her elbow on the armrest, her fingers just above the ground.
She left the appendage dangling there, wriggling her fingers around a couple times.
Eventually, Kunzite's right hand responded to the prompt, coming down towards hers. His long, thick fingers wrapped around her slender ones gently, clasping around them, as both young adults continued to silently contemplate the horizon.