Sagittarius And Gemini: 5A The Event

Part One: The Wobble Table

Summary: Experience a time when the Gold Saints are not fighting each other and got along, as they are united in their hatred for a piece of furniture.

Five Years Ago

His ten-year-old gloved hands gripped the helmet as he took the soft cloth and buffed the two medium-sized horns that protruded from the headpiece of the Cloth of Capricorn. It was a habit, one that he acquired from his duty as the Commander of the Guards. A pearl white uniform coat, with an equally illustrious virgin helmet that made him appear like a king among the typical dull cured leather and earth browns of the foot soldiers. Unfortunately, the helmet was notorious for attracting fingerprints like a hummingbird to nectar. When he was speaking to his men, he was buffing his helmet. When he must place his headgear on, he would follow it up with a good polish. The ritual of constantly keeping anything metal spotless was as habitual as the tourists checking their Tele-cams.

Shura would admit it was a pain, but he must look his best and as sharp as his blade, for it was difficult to earn the respect of men when he was but a child himself. A Gold's physical size and features did mature far faster from training with the cosmos. Many mistaken him to be a good ten years older. But once he opens his mouth, the men could see that he is still young, his voice giving the occasional crack. It didn't help that he openly declined their invitations to participate in the brothel or the bar due to not being of proper age. He didn't care if they said that he could pass for an older teen or the ladies would happily allow it to slide, those were the established rules and he must obey them.

His eyes turned toward the blue glyph at the side of the door, it was a solid ring to indicate that anyone could walk on through. He followed the line of pre-lit torches that formed the path that would lead to the large meeting room.

Inside, was a large elaborate circular table, trimmed with real gold along the sides, with each of the zodiac signs in corresponding order. In the center was the almighty symbol of Athena.

To the Capricorn's surprise, he wasn't first this time around. Sitting at the nine o'clock spot was the Saint of Sagittarius and right next to him was the Gemini, both studying some bill while the two were taking notes on the document.

Aiolos' eyes didn't even shift. He knew who he was, not due to the cosmos but the rhythmic sound of marching down the steps. "Early again, Cap?" The Sagittarius used Shura's nickname, one he earned from being both in charge of the Sanctuary soldiers and from the first letters of his Zodiac sign.

The Spaniard slightly smiled. "I actually slept in. If we weren't ordered to avoid physical training on these days, I would be up and honing my blade three hours ago, " Shura spoke as he walked between the Sagittarius and the Gemini. Despite the age difference, physically, one couldn't tell the older of the trio, except through gestures and speaking styles to indicate their maturity level. "I wonder why we aren't allowed to do that?"

Saga turned away from the set of papers and turned around to face the curious Capricorn. "With other duties, it's a lot harder to get together. The last thing we need is someone being unconscious or treated for a serious injury." The Gemini turned to the paperwork. "Sorry, I didn't mean to take your spot. We have to get this repealed and fast before noon."

"Is that a map? What's this about?" the Capricorn pointed out.

Aiolos looked down. Normally he and Saga don't like to bring paperwork outside of the Chambers due to privacy concerns or fears of it being lost or ruined. "Apparently there was an old building permit for a house that was approved to be built. Well, the owner then sells the house to another person who decided to place a tanner on top."

Saga recognized the look since he was in charge of helping the Spaniard learn Greek. "A tanner is a place that takes animal skins and turns them into leather," the Gemini spoke through the cosmos.

Shura gasped and nodded. "But that's good. It provides work for that town. They are going to need it since the mine shut down," Shura spoke. He may not be as politically savvy as the two candidates, but he's heard a lot of grief from the soldiers about how some of their family members lost the much-needed work.

Saga raised a finger. "Yes, they do. Normally it would be okay, but those places use a lot of chemicals and create a lot of pollution. I decided to examine some of the geographic features and discovered there was a small, but usable aquifer beneath it."

Aiolos smoothly took over. "So, if it gets built on top, the town's going to lose an important source of water."

Saga pointed down at the map. "But, if we hurry and find a new location and renegotiate a deal, we keep the business there too. Everyone wins, but only if we get this done on time." He gestured over. "You can take my spot if you wish," he said as he pointed to the three o'clock section of the table.

Aiolos watched Shura purse his lips. As a Capricorn, he's a bigger stickler for organization than Saga was, especially since their meetings are typically arranged in a way where everyone is in their proper order according to the Zodiac. It looks like he should at least sweeten the deal. "His Holiness should be sitting between Gemini and Cancer, this week."

Shura turned to the spot. To respect the twelve, the Pope would simply sit in between a different pair of Saints each week and receiving a chance to be next to him an extra time was too good of an opportunity to pass. "Sounds good. You won't mind, Saga?" He watched the Gemini look up and waved a hand over to his spot, as if presenting the finest meal in the room. "Alright, I'll do it," The Spaniard said as he walked over and set his Cloth box inside the square shape recession that allowed him to use it as a chair without worrying about it sliding about. It felt a little strange with a different view. He wasn't used to seeing the Sagittarius in front of him since the two normally were next to each other. While he doesn't mind being in between Aldebaran and Deathmask, Aiolos had always been a pleasant neighbor.

"Great! Thanks, Shura.," spoke Aiolos as he gestured his pen while he pulled out a map. "Aiolia, how's your lunch?" he quickly asked as he examined a few locations.

The Leo, sitting at his normal five o'clock spot, merely smiled as he was devouring a few skewers of a boar that was freshly prepared this morning.

Shura tilted his head as he reached into his box and pulled a small container that his servant prepared, filled with peeled prawns with chili oil. "You really eat that a lot, don't you?"

The Leo turned toward him. "It's good.I'll eat it like this until the day I die."

The Sagittarius looked up and raised a brow. "That's the only way you're going to eat it since your punches send our wild pig meat all over the place. You're lucky I can fly and fetch the largest chunks in the branches and the canopies above."

The child shrugged, having grown used to his brother berating him on his hunting style. "I'm just skipping the step involving the cutting and tenderizing."

"Yes, but the work to clean it up is atrocious. Remember that 90 kg boar that you popped?" he pointed out.

Aiolia shrunk a bit. "Oh…yeah. I didn't think it would bleed that much or cover all those trees."

"...or that it would cause several guards to visit our forest thinking genocide took place," added the archer.

Leo rolled his eyes. "They were there for a day!"

"Yes, but they leave trash everywhere and it was mushroom season. They stomped all over a number of good-sized morels. One would've been the size of my hand, if half of it wasn't crushed by a boot."

"Stop, you're making me hungry again," groaned remembered that mushroom too. Each bite of it was like heaven. "I told you already, If I do it again, I'll go by the river and give a few splashes so it doesn't look like a murder scene."

"You better," tisked Aiolos before he leaned on the table and caused the whole thing to wiggle.

Saga's pen suddenly slid and tore a hole through the paper. "Oh, sorry about that." He felt bad. He was so worked up from Aiolia that he forgot. "Here let me rewrite that."

The Gemini shook his head. "Don't worry about it. It wasn't a lot and this table has been giving us problems for years," he spoke as he pulled out a new sheet of paper and began rewriting his previous work that was lost.

Shura finished chewing his prawn and gestured with his fork. "I know what you mean. Here that wobble isn't bad, but on that side, it's awful."

"Are all of you talking about how the table leans anytime you put your elbows on it?" spoke Aphrodite as Camus followed behind. He gracefully placed his Pisces box in its slot before taking a spot. "I feel like I am writing on a bush with how delicate I have to be." He turned his sky blue eyes toward the ice Saint as he took his spot. "Isn't it dreadful?"

"Quite," Camus spoke in his typical concise and neutral manner.

"Well, well, well, another week of the Rearguard bitching about the table again," called out Deathmask as he strutted down the stairs with Aldebaran and Mu. The Italian turned toward his neighbor and raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing over on this side, Shura? Got tired of the wobble as well and Big Blue offered some sympathy?"

Saga let out a deep baritone laugh. "No, we just switched for today so me and Aiolos can get this done quic-" he spoke before his pen tore through his new sheet just as the furniture shifted again.

Aiolos cringed. "It's not easy writing anything on this side."

Mu walked over and pressed ever so lightly. "It seems like over the years from pushing and pulling the table, it has grown off-center. There are perhaps some bolts that need tightening. We could create a compound that can level the base and adjust when necessary," he analyzed.

"Here, we used to have a wobble table at my old home in Brazil. I'll just climb under and put some napkins underneath," the Taurus spoke as he grabbed some from his spot and miraculously crawled underneath to tuck them in without bumping it. "That should take care of it."

"That's not true." Everyone looked up and turned toward Shaka as he slowly walked into the room. "The winds of time suggest that the wobble of the table still persists because you have merely shifted it from one side to the other and it will continue to persist."

"Aren't you being a little dramatic?" muttered Aiolia.

Mu curiously crawled underneath and brought a lense that he used to repair the cloths and examined the base. "But his words are true! The wood near the bolt is very worn down and cannot be adjusted as I hoped for. We are doomed with the wobble until the day the sun becomes a red giant and swallows us whole."

Aphrodite rolled his eyes. "Goddess, now you both are being dramatic. It's just a table."

Shura sighed as he leaned his hand onto the side of his face. He had just earned his Cloth and the right to finally attend the gatherings of the Zodiac. He finally sent a mental message to Aiolos across the room. "Why are all of our meetings like this? I would think if we are rarely all together, we should be discussing ways to examine possible holes in security or strategies to counter Hades and Poseidon."

Aiolos smiled as he wrote while sending a message back. "This is peace and peace is good." He admired how dedicated the Capricorn was to protecting the peace. With how meticulous Shura was about training, he'd hate to be the enemy that the eager Capricorn fought first.

Mu closed his eyes for a few seconds before he flashed his cosmos lightly to quiet the small discussions and to grab everyone's attention. "My Master just indicated that he will be running a little late. He asks us to be patient, but he'll be arriving within the next half hour."

Shura's eyes continued to focus on the Sagittarius, but chose to use his words and not the cosmos since it was something everyone was thinking too. "Something wrong with the Pope?"

Aiolos paused. "He's been dealing with pneumonia," or at least the Lemurian equivalent to it. "He was told to move no faster than Mach 1."

Saga nodded. "Him being late is a good thing since it also means he is following the directions of his nurse for a change." People forget that while the Pope was infamous for being old, he was once a proud warrior and habits such as avoiding signs of weakness were still in his blood. If he had the luxury of getting access to a doctor, he would take it in a heartbeat. He felt a hand touch his back.

Aiolos couldn't help but notice the sadness that surrounded the Gemini's blue eyes. Even though Shion wasn't Saga's master, Saga always seemed ready to do anything to help and please the Lemurian just as much as Mu was. "He's gotten better over the past few days. If he's wanting to come here, than that's a good sign." Aiolos messaged Saga.

Saga nodded. "I'm worried. Especially when half the time I come up there to tend to the library and his food remains untouched. If the Old Man doesn't start eating it, I'm tempted to spoon it to him myself."

Aiolos chuckled. "You and me both," he messaged back. "How about we take a moment to pray to the Goddess for his health."

Saga nodded and the two placed their pencils down, leaned his head against Aiolos and began to pray.

O|============|O

An hour later, Milo came in, strutting with his pandora's box before inserting it into the hole.

Everyone else was quiet, but frankly Deathmask was sick of this shit. "Milo, why the hell are you always late to these meetings? We're all supposed to meet at nine o'clock sharp and it's 10:15 now."

The Scorpio shrugged. "I had stuff to take care of. Besides, why are you so angry. We've all been late before," he watched as Shura raised his hand glowing hand up high, before the Scorpio raised a finger to correct himself. "...except Capricorn."

The Gemini narrowed his eyes as he felt the same way. "Yes, nearly all of us have been late before for one reason or another. However, the problem is you're late every time and you fucking live here!" he darted the pen toward the painting of the dashing father of Milo on the wall before the table wobbled a bit and tore through the third sheet of paper.

"APPLE OF ERIS!" he cursed and his eyes became a slight shade of red before he turned his head and saw the Sagittarius lightly gesturing with his eyes to relax before he felt him put his hand on the space of his arm.

"I'll take care of it," the archer spoke through the cosmos.

"Please do." Saga took a deep breath and placed his hand over his eyes and rubbed them before they shifted back to blue.

Aiolos, seeing that Saga needed a second, continued the concern that also troubled him as well. "Milo, is there anything you want to add?"

Ten-year-old Milo shrugged again. "You guys haven't started, so what's the big deal?"

Aiolos sighed. This was really hard, but it had to be said. One thing he's learned was that if you were quick to anger all the time, people get used to it. So if you are pleasant all the time, the moment the anger surfaces, people take notice quickly. He folded his arms and his face hardened. "It's a big deal, because when Holy War comes and you aren't where you're supposed to be, you're going to get others killed. If you can't arrive at a meeting on time, what about later on when our lives matter?"

Milo slowly nodded, as if contemplating the words. "Of course. As with my main duty, if I am needed, I am there. I know the Pope isn't near this House so I know the meeting won't start without him." He darted his head. "Anyone know why he isn't here yet?"

Aphrodite turned his head, his hand gently tugging a long strand of light blue hair. "He's feeling ill and will be late."

"Alright, I'm going to go to the bathroom."

"MILO!" snapped the Pope from a distance.

The Scorpio looked up. "I'll be done before you get here, Your Holiness."

"Milo, stay here!" Aiolos barked, only for the boy to wave and zip out. Aiolos rolled his eyes as he rubbed his head temples, his headpiece shifting out of place in the process.

Shura, the polar opposite of the Scorpio, turned his gaze. "How come nobody ever punishes him? If anyone else did it, they would have been forced to run the stairs."

"Oh, I know, Shura. Trust me, I know. Many generations of Scorpios have lived at Sanctuary, and it's not worth Milo fetching a noble and forcing a day-long meeting over the bathroom. As I told my successors, hopefully he'll grow out of it before they take over."

All the Saints in the room paused as they heard the Pope from afar through the cosmos, before he slowly came inside.

The Old Man, as he was lovingly nicknamed, gingerly took his time down each step, holding his robes with one hand while clenching the rail on the other, as Gigars followed behind, hands full of paperwork .

Mu immediately performed a telekinesis float over the table and the others and landed next to his master, grabbing one his hands and helping him down the steps before the two performed a Lemurian greeting of exchanging a bit of cosmos with the dots above their eyes.

Shion turned his head. "Oh, Shura, did you switch places or your birthday?" he joked.

Shura shook his head. "Saga needed to work with Aiolos. I would never think of switching my sign."

The Old Lemurian chuckled. "No, you're far too aligned with Capricorn to do that," he spoke as he sat next to him, while Gigars sat behind and prepared his space for notes. "Besides, there is less of a wobble over here."

It was rare for Aldebaran to hear the Pope say something. "It's not that bad, is it?"

"It is," Saga muttered as he massaged his temples to qualm his dark side. "I thought the same thing too, but it's so hard to get any writing done. If it's this bad, why can't we just get a new table."

Milo ran downwards. "I've been saying that for years! If you think the table is a pain to write on, imagine trying to eat breakfast every morning on it!" the ten-year-old shouted as he rushed to his spot.

Camus nodded. "The worse is when Mrs. Schafurwatt prepares soup and each time it tilts, we have to clean in between the cracks."

Deathmask took his helmet and slammed it on the surface. "You know what? Fuck it! Let's just get a new meeting table! It's bullshit that we have to talk about saving Sanctuary on this piece of crap!"

Gigars frowned. How could they be so childish. The advisor to the Pope and the representative to the nobility stood up. "I can't believe you all! Shame on all of you!" His nose wrinkled. "This is a priceless antique that dates back before the age of Alexander the Saint! Your predecessors and the past Athenas had used this fine table to discuss how to counter the enemy forces of Hades and Poseidon. It is history! It is an emblem of unity it is-"

"-it's a replica."

Everyone suddenly turned to the suddenly meek Scorpio.

Gigars gasped. "What do you mean it is a replica?"

Milo took his red nail and twirled it around his purple-dyed hair. "Yeah, apparently my Dad had it replaced when it broke."

"How did he break it?" asked Aiolia.

Milo nodded as he stood up. "Alright, so let me start from the beginning. So my dad asked these two ladies to bring a bungee cord and a plate of chocolate-dipped croissants..."

Aiolos quickly jerked his helmet off and slammed it on the table. "*cough* Alright, who motions that we replace the-" Before he could finish, the others promptly took their helmet and slammed it on the surface, causing half of the drinks to spill. "Wow...that was quick."

Saga noticed too. "And unanimous even. I do believe we have a Zodiac Clamation," he produced a rare smile.

Aiolos grinned back. "I think so too!" But then he placed his hand on his chin. "Although, the problem is, we had that recent fire over at the southeast corner of Rodario."

The Gemini nodded. "All the local furniture makers are stacked with orders."

Gigars scoffed. "You are the Twelve Houses. If they hear that you need a table, they will gladly start drafting a design the moment they see the seal upon the scroll."

Aiolia turned to his brother and then lowered his head downwards.

Aiolos shared his sentiment. Many of those that lived in Rodario were Prototypos and ninety percent of what they own had probably been passed on or crafted by hand. They don't have the time or the means to just purchase things which was why he was thankful that Saga managed to arrange it where Sanctuary footed the bill. "Many people here lost everything they had. Even if this table is annoying, I don't feel comfortable putting it ahead of someone needing a bed to be made."

"Mu, can't you just make one?" Aldebaran turned to his Lemurian neighbor. After all, he could craft a nuclear-powered toaster, surely a table would be a simple task.

"I can, but unfortunately, this is the time of the year when Bronze Saints are bringing their Cloths for maintenance. The time to grow square-shaped wood to the specifications of our old table in my swimming pool of a Petri jar would delay the Cloths for at least two months."

That was when Aphrodite began to glow. "I have a wonderful idea, let's go to IKEA and buy one ourselves! We can all set aside some of our pay and pick out something splendid."

"What's IKEA?" asked the Brazillian.

"It sounds like something the lady guests would scream at my Dad when I'm trying to sleep," Milo spoke in confusion.

Shura turned his head. "It's a huge store that sells furniture. My family took me once when we needed a new couch. They sell meatballs too that are really good."

"Brother, I want to go!" cried Aiolia.

Mu nodded. "I too wish to come. The cheap compounds used in mass-manufacturing smell quite soothing."

Even Camus dropped his stoic face. "I...heard about the meatballs being quite good," he spoke.

Gigars shook his head. "All of you are being ridiculous! You can't leave Sanctuary unguarded to go...shopping. It is a furniture store! There is nothing special about it! They are meatballs! Your caretakers can make you thousands if you so desire. If the people find out that the guardians of Athena are out wasting time when they should be training and meditating-"

"Gigars!" Shion warned with a rare raised tone. Everyone stared hard at his Holiness. Beneath his mask, he could see the absolutely stunned face of the advisor. But he always found the advisor to be a sour grape and it would be nice to be able to talk back at him for a change. He raised his hand and performed the holy sign of Athena. "By the power granted by my hand, I, the Grand Pope, declared that all forms of training and meditation be canceled for the next two days, in order to traverse to the lands of Sweden and acquire a new meeting table."

Nearly everyone just roared with excitement. Even a light blush appeared upon Shaka's face. Unless they were heavily injured, they trained and meditated. Anytime there were festivals, they had to either appear for crowds or march all over that actually left them more exhausted than a typical day of training.

But a pair of Saints, the two oldest of the group, were a little divided. Saga raised his helmet. "Your Holiness, while I agree a table is needed," especially after ruining several papers trying to write on it. "But me and Aiolos need to take care of this," he spoke as he gestured toward the papers. "Even after we fill it out, we still have to discuss it with those involved."

The archer agreed. "It's not that we don't want them to go, but we need to tend to this first and they won't have anyone older to watch them." The others may look like teenagers, but they all had the mentality of small children.

Gigars nodded. "Very well, I can escort them."

Shion turned his head. He could watch over them, but he suspects that he may be a bit too controlling for something that the others see as a holiday. "Of course, you two take care of your business, and whatever spare time you have, do something special. As for the others….I think it will be fun and I would like to visit this...mythical IKEA as well," the ancient Lemurian chuckled pleasantly.

But Gigars was not finished. Why was his Holiness acting like this! He was such a fool, and he will be grateful when the Old Man croaked. "But your Holiness. It will take at least two days to assemble enough bodyguards and to close the area off for such a visit and…"

Shion raised his hand once more to silence the advisor. "I shall have nine fine warriors with me. I think I will be fine." Besides, Saga was going to attack him in a couple of weeks, so he might as well go for one last trip. "You may stay here, and tend to the pile of complaints left on my desk, Gigars. It would….serve Athena quite well." He turned to Deathmask. "We do need to get rid of the old one and I can't see us donating such a defective product to charity."

The Cancer's eyes widened in delight. "OH HELL YEAH!" He screamed as he raised his hand and a dark purple gateway to hell opened up and swallowed the wobble table whole.

O|===================|O

Coming April 5 or sooner(pushed back a little bit )

Nine brave warriors and an Old Man venture out to the mythical land of Sweden where delightful mass-produced furniture and the promise of delicious Sweedish meatballs await.

Meanwhile, a pair of saints take their friendship to the next level.

Author's notes: This came out sooner than expected. Like I said, I figured a bit of lighter reading during this time is in order. While it may not seem important, it's good to create a contrast over how the Saints acted before together versus what they are currently going through, as well as depict how different the curse was for Saga versus Aiolos. If you don't mind, expect shorter chapters for this short but necessary arc.