Title: Decisions
Author: Karina
Rating: PG
Pairing: Relena + Alice Darlian
Notes: Challenge 201. Baby Series 4 #61. Takes place at approximately the same time as Sustainable Living.
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: Decisions
"Some days I feel so... so... green."
Alice Darlian arched an eyebrow and studied her daughter curiously. They had been looking over proposals, enjoying a relaxing cup of tea. The outburst from Relena rather surprised her.
"Green, dear? With jealousy, envy...?"
"Green as in useless."
"Excuse me?" She set aside her cup of tea and focused entirely on Relena. "Useless?"
"Sorry, mother. It's just that I never seem to fully understand the depths of these development proposals. Things I tentatively approved of, pending investigation into the full impact studies, Milliardo will dismiss out of turn, after one brief read. Its annoying. He's invariably proven right after the study is carried out, and he's mumbling about wasted funds during the process. It makes me aware of how green I am when dealing in business circles. It was bad enough when I started out in politics, but I improved. Sort of like sink or swim, I suppose. But business... I'm hopeless."
"That, my dear, is what we employ advisers and consultants for. We can not be expected to know everything, and to make informed decisions we need accurate and trustworthy information. The developer has one view, conservation groups and people opposing the proposed development for any number of reasons have another side. The actual decision maker, of course, is stuck in the middle of the entire mess. Advisers are vital and you do not pick someone with less knowledge than you yourself possess to fill an advisory capacity. I admit to finding it strange that, in this day and age, a country must go through the sovereign for building approval. It's... odd. Anyway, sometimes, my dear, its nice to be, as you term it, 'green'. A quick look, and then turn to those who do know and a discussion or three," Alice coughed delicately with a wink to demonstrate what she thought of dealing with such a matter that quickly, "And poof, one is supposed to know the 'right' thing to do. The simple truth of the matter is that no matter what decision you make, you can be guaranteed someone will be unhappy about it."
"I just find it so annoying that Milliardo seems to be able to call which way the dice will fall before he even hands the proposal off to the consultants."
"Some people have a knack for it, I suppose."
"Anyway, I am just confused as to why he insists I look over these proposals. He's already read them and sent them off to be investigated. He obviously has a better grasp on exactly what they mean than I do."
"Perhaps, dear, he values your input."
Relena sighed softly and flipped her hair over her shoulder. "I feel guilty, you know?"
"Guilty? For what, dear?"
"For arranging matters so that he took over as King. I know he didn't want to; he did not, and does not now, consider himself to be appropriate material to be the King. I took the decision out of his hands."
"He could always have said no, dear." Alice dismissed the comment with a flick of a finger.
"Could he? Really? The way we boxed him... Could he really have refused?"
Alice Darlian considered her daughter for a long moment, considering the past years from the young woman's birth to the present day. The years had not been easy for any of them, and Relena had no idea of the history she shared with the much younger Milliardo. She had left that little boy to die...
No, she would not go down that path. They had spoken and somehow come to an understanding and, surprisingly, were at peace with each other. She had been so proud of the toddler she had taken in, made her own, and watched grow to be a fine young woman. Green was a relative term, something that only applied when one was new to something.
Relena had done well as a politician and she had no doubt that the brother would do as well on the throne as her daughter would have. Was she jealous that it was the brother who ruled? Was she angry it was Relena herself who had acted to place him there? Did it really matter?
"Yes, Relena, there is always choice. Taking no action is a choice in itself just as saying yes or no are choices. There is always choice."
End
Karina Robertson 2012