2. Changes
Someone was calling him. Eagle stirred and pulled his blanket over his head. "Mr. Vision," the soft, girlish voice said. "Mr. Vision, may I come in?" Feeling groggy and as if he had not one moment of sleep from the previous night, he mumbled an incoherent reply.
The door slid open. Sounds of approaching footsteps pitter-pattered closer and then further away. He blinked himself awake as white light entered the room and illuminated the surroundings beyond his bed curtains.
The maid regrettably informed him that breakfast was being served and that everyone was in the dining hall, awaiting his arrival. "Thank you," he said thickly, from the other side of the curtains. She bowed and walked in the direction of the door. He listened for the "sh" sound confirming her departure before sitting upright against the headboard of his bed. He felt ill at ease. The gentle ambience of the rain outdoors and the coolness of his room lulled him back to sleep for a short time, before his conscience nagged him awake.
Reluctantly, he swung his legs over the edge of the bed and staggered toward the bathroom.
-o-
Breakfast was an uncomfortable and unnerving experience due to the awkward exchanges made at the table. President Vision had already left for an early meeting, leaving only Corolla and their guest to keep Eagle company.
Eagle became conscious of his lack of appetite not long after he sat down. Seated opposite of him was the childhood friend whom he had no recollection of. He still could not get it through his mind why she was his bodyguard or why he needed one. Despite his efforts to be mild-mannered and fixate his attention on the half-eaten plate before him, he could not avoid meeting her eyes. She smiled pleasantly each time before picking up the conversation where she left off.
Alas, forty-five minutes later, breakfast was over and he was resolved to leave as quickly as his legs would carry him. Unfortunately, Corolla caught her son before he exited the room. Pulling him aside, she whispered, "Mika doesn't know where anything is. Perhaps you'd like to show her around?" He consented, knowing that it was of no use to refuse her. "Remember to—"
"I know, mother," he interrupted, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry." Walking past their guest, he mentioned, "I'll be at the gate in a few minutes. Wait for me."
-o-
As he neared the gate, he spotted his bodyguard peering through the glass door and at the men standing guard on the other side. A familiar figure stood beside one of the officers.
He tapped her on the shoulder and watched as her eyes grew wide with surprise. His hair was no longer sandy but azure, and his eyes were now emerald green in lieu of their original gold. "Why are you disguised?" she asked, keeping her volume low. He stepped forward toward the exit and whispered a quick explanation: The disguise was to prevent any unwanted attention from the media and the public. She followed him and nodded silently, still eyeing his changed appearance.
The doors slid open at their approach and Geo Metro stepped forward. "Terrence!" he said, clapping a hand on Eagle's shoulder. "How are you doing?"
"Terrence," Mika repeated, not quite adapted to this newfound knowledge. She studied the two men, trying to determine their relationship.
"Just fine," Eagle replied with a grin. "I've myself a new girlfriend." From his peripheral view, he saw a small blush creep on her cheeks. "This is Mika," he said, gesturing his hand toward her. "Mika, this is Geo."
Geo looked down at the female correspondent. "My apologies, Miss. I didn't know that you were together," he amiably said and offered his hand. As she and his friend were better acquainted, Eagle surveyed the room. It would be best to take the bike, he decided. "I'll come by your apartment later, Geo," he said, walking through the door. "Coming, Mika?"
"It is good to meet you. Good-bye, Geo," she said, heading out after him.
-o-
They had an overall pleasant excursion through the estate grounds, visiting monuments and observing the experimentally-grown vegetation in the greenhouses. She relaxed and loosened up after they negotiated the expectations of her role and wandered onto the subject of mechas and his travel abroad.
He spoke with amusement of the two princess of Chizeta, Tarta and Tatra, and the young ruler of Fahren, Aska, before finally touching on his country of interest. She was like a child, unable to conceal her enthusiasm as she avidly inquired about the landscape and the creatures. He smiled to himself, attributing her fascination of these foreign places to the fact that they neither had landscapes nor any creatures. Their atmosphere and earth had become too unlivable for anything else besides them. Lantis once remarked on the odd silence of Autozam and the absence of birds' twittering. It made him consider how strange it must be to someone who had grown up in the presence of birds to not hear them at all for three months.
They were still actively working with their allies to remedy Autozam's situation. It will take time but he had faith that his country will be saved and renewed. The sky made him hopeful. They did not see the sun often but its light has touched the land, promoting the growth of grass and small shrubbery. The daily rain, though it seemed inconvenient to many, was necessary to purify the earth.
Just as he finished this last thought, rain began to fall from overhead. It was nothing but a slight drizzle at first but it soon grew into a heavy downpour, which the he and his companion had unsuccessfully attempted to evade as they took shelter in a nearby gazebo.
"Are you all right?" he chuckled, wiping the water from his face. She shook the droplets from her hair and shivered. He grinned and, sitting down on the white marble bench, suggested they wait for the rain to lessen before heading back to the manor. She sat on the floor beside him and they recounted their most memorable moments of the day, one in particular was their being chased by a renown, temperamental security officer. "I wouldn't have gotten away with it if I was Eagle Vision."
She laughed and said, "I never expected to see this side of you."
He winked. "It's just a little harmless mischief," he whispered. "Geo and I played there when we were children." She asked how long they've known each other. "10 years," he replied. "I met him a little after my family moved here."
"He seems like a nice person," she surmised. Eagle looked at her. Was there an attraction already between her and his friend or was she simply commenting?
The wind blew through the pillars, causing her hair to whip in the breeze. She gathered it into a ponytail and swiftly moved outside, where it had stopped raining. "Oh, the sun is out," she murmured, staring up at the barely visible orb in the sky.
He came to her side and turned to where the sun's vague outline glowed from beneath the clouds. It was beginning to appear more frequently, he realized. Glancing down at his attendant, he saw the brilliancy of her eyes and her face alight with awe as she beheld the sight. "It's beautiful," she whispered, smiling. Turning to him, she laughed. "You must think I'm strange because there's hardly anything there."
He grinned. "Not at all," he said. "It is just what I think. Shall we make our return or would you like to see more stone replicas of dead men?"
She sauntered down the steps. As they raced one other back to the bike, Eagle came to a decision that it wasn't such a bad day after all.
A/N: Thank you for reading!