Snippit Six
"You know I used to dream about having you draped across my dining room table but never like this." Lucrezia Noin smirked down at him "Though I must admit it IS a memory I'll be happy to take back to Mars.
Zechs snorted from where he lay fully clothed with his spectacularly green hair splayed out like a fan across said table. "I do love you Lu but…"
"Yes, but…I know. Where do you want me to put the fox?" she asked fingering the intricately carved wooden stamp,
"Left side, down near the hip, medium green, please," He explained. She dipped the wood block in the appropriate hair dye and pressed it firmly into the curtain of hair near the bottom edge. Zechs knew the patterns would be lost when he stood but the overall dappled effect was what he was going for, camouflage patterns not highlights.
"Where did you find these anyway?" She rummaged through the cardboard box to find another stamp.
Zechs closed his eyes remembering. "Pagan had them in his cottage. The old man is one of the worst packrats I've ever seen. Always has been. I'm grateful for it now though. If it wasn't for his little idiosyncrasies nothing I remember from old Sanc would have survived the burning. Theese were mine. I came up with the characters and Pagan carved them from my drawings. Then we used them on the walls of Relena's nursery. The palace had plenty of staff and professional decorators could have probably done it better. But my father wanted me to feel involved in mother's pregnancy without getting underfoot. She had a very difficult time of it, both before and after the birth. I didn't learn just how difficult until long after they were both gone." He frowned then sighed in regret. "The King thought I needed a positive outlet for my energy. He was probably right"
"You? A rambunctious child? The lightning count? I never would have guessed." Lu said feigning astonishment in a play to distract his darker musings, and then turned back to the task at hand. "Oh, this one with the bow around its neck is cute." She pulled one of the stamps from the box. "Just Ducky in fact…" she sang a bit off key, and playfully danced a little two-step. "Rubber ducky you are the one… let's forget the rest and use this one."
Zechs mentally struggled with the rapid shift of gears. "No, Lu I want them all to fit besides, there can only be one short-duck." He admitted, thoughtlessly, then specified, "Light green right-shoulder or above."
"Short duck?" She caught the slip and raised an eyebrow as she put the stamp on the hair so the mark would fall where he had indicated. "That would make this one…" she took out the next stamp, markedly larger than 'short-duck', with a decidedly elongated neck…
"Shut-up Lu." Zechs challenged. Even at Victoria academy she had been entirely too perspective for her own good. He should have known better say to say anything at all. Admittedly this was his idea, though he never would have thought to do it if not for Maxwell. The Former Deathscythe pilot kept his memories tied up in his braid. Zechs thought it might be nice to have his a bit more…near at hand as well. He had known Lu was both available and crazy enough to help. Unfortunately he had forgotten just how 'quick on the up-take' Miss-Fire had always been. Now it was clearly too late.
"Your favorite Mobile suit was called what now?" She taunted playfully. "I'm sure you remember it. It is a known fact, written into history books and everything. No one seems to know why it had such a name though. Many have asked but Zechs Marquis never gave anyone a straight answer. Could it possibly be because it was a Princes secret to keep. Hmmm."
Zechs could feel his cheeks burn and imagined the color was all the more prominent in contrast to his green hair. That had been one of the few things he had liked about wearing a mask all those years. Even Treize noted how the thing concealed his blush. "Just, just…" he sputtered. Goose always protected Duck. That was just how the stories went. Princess Relena might act like a regal swan now, but he would never forget his lil short-duck, waddling around in yellow footie pajamas, forever getting in trouble. It was a brother's prerogative. One of the few he had. Noin made the connection without him having to say anything. She knew him that well. It was one of the reasons they found they couldn't be together as a couple on Mars. She didn't press the issue, and he loved her all the more for it.
"One Tall Goose, Dark green, dead center so it will sit between your shoulder-blades?" She suggested.
"Oh, go ahead," He sighed. No one would be able to tell what it was anyway. And he supposed it was fitting. Still he was lucky he and Lu would have most of earth-sphere separating them in a few short days time or he'd never be able to survive the teasing.