Karina
Title: The Beautiful Things
Author: Karina
Rating: PG
Pairing: Duo + Milliardo
Notes: Challenge 193. Baby Series 4 #37. Takes place following Protests of Neutrality.
Spoilers: None
Warnings: Extended Length.
Many thanks to ShenLong Deb for her work betaing this set of fics.
Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or the Characters from the series but the baby is mine.
Title: The Beautiful Things
"Stone Age? As in before history, Neo-whatever-the-hell it was time and before, Stone Age? Dinosaurs type Stone Age?"
"Oh yes, Stone Age as in Neolithic, possibly even pre Neolithic, but no, no Dinosaurs. Dinosaurs were long extinct before we walked the Earth."
Duo looked decidedly disappointed. "Ah. No dinosaurs."
Milliardo barely breathed as he studied the figurine. "It's a Mother figure. They are presumed to represent a Fertility Goddess. Very, very old. Owing to the destruction caused by past wars through the centuries, there are few known to exist now. This one… Where the hell did that bastard get this? And to just throw it up here… ! I really don't understand the man."
Duo scratched his head and shifted his weight, discarding his disappointment over there being no humans when dinosaurs ruled the Earth and scanned the dim reaches of the attic. He could only wonder what other treasures might be found in its dim and dusty depths.
"A Collector? Maybe?"
"A collector, a true Collector, would have these treasures hidden away, secure. Vaulted, with state of the art air controlled systems to slow deterioration. They would not have been thrown into the attic to sit and gather dust."
Duo stuffed his hands in the back pocket of his jeans and pursed his lips, shaking his head slightly. "A wanna be Collector then? No real idea what he had, or how to look after it? Maybe he was waiting until he could sell the stuff on and make a killing on the private markets?"
Milliardo straightened and brushed the loose hair from his face, considering the younger man for a long moment. "Feasible, I suppose. He would have needed to wait a decent length of time before he could start to put the Sancian spoils of war on the market; be it an open market, or the more secretive private market for antiquities. There is always some bastard who does not care about the previous ownership of an item willing to buy."
"Peace coming when it did, how it did… Well, you sort of booted out the Alliance, didn't you, when you first got Tallgeese up and running. He would not have had time to move anything much, if anything at all. Sanc was given back its independence and how many people would the Governor have trusted to know just what was in the attic? No locals I'll wager, and it was more important to them to start putting the country back together and enjoying the peace."
"I suppose. For him, peace came at the wrong time. He had delayed too long to sell it on… or else… What did he have in here if he had already sold antiquities on?"
Duo winced slightly. He knew the shadier side of civilisation and the nasties that lurked in shadows. People would pay a great deal of money for what they wanted, if they were not too choosy about how it had been acquired. "To get the best possible prices it pays not to flood the market, so he probably had not sold much."
Milliardo sighed and slumped against a sheet shrouded cabinet. "What does Peace really mean to people, Duo? I have to wonder some days. How many people consider it just an opportunity to advance themselves and make money? War is no different, the arms dealers and heavy manufacturing industry does very well out of war. So much so that some make every effort they can to continue the conflict. They see peace as a threat, discounting the loss of life and property in favour of lining their own pockets."
"But more people see peace as a chance to really live. To do more than just struggle to survive. I know we all see it in a different light, but to me, Peace," he placed emphasis on the word looking into the distance and not really seeing the attic, "is the chance to stop and look around me. To see how beautiful this Universe is, and to really take the time to appreciate it. To learn more important things than how to kill somebody, or how to blow up a building or take down a mobile suit. There is so much more to life than that."
"How many lives were lost in the taking of this treasure trove? How many people had to die for one man to gather this together?"
"Well, it won't be measured as a cost in lives to see it find the light of day again. Beautiful things need to be seen and admired, otherwise they are just things that might as well not exist. Only peace can give you the chance to stop and admire the beautiful things in life."
End
Karina Robertson 2012