Title: Never Ending Cycle
Author: Karina
Rating: PG
Pairing: Milliardo + OC
Notes: Challenge 228. Baby Series 4 #140. Takes place a few hours following Fear
Spoilers: None
Warnings:
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: Never Ending Cycle
He could feel eyes on him. The focused stare was quite... intense was probably the appropriate word for the force behind the stare. He ignored it, or at least gave the appearance of ignoring it, his head inclined over the documents and folders stacked neatly on the red case resting across his knees.
The never ending cycle of paperwork did not give way even to this natural disaster wreaking havoc in Sanc. Indeed, it was because of the disaster that he now gave his attention to the documentation he had ignored in favour of preparing to face the storm. There had been too much to do to attend to the daily rituals of life and, after the storm, there would be too much work to initially worry about this paperwork.
In the aftermath there would be enough paperwork to make this stack look like a single paragraph letter in comparison.
God, he was tired of paperwork, but it was part and parcel of his day. Preamble after preamble was read, the introductory synapses allowing him to judge the urgency of each document. Some he set aside, some he dealt with immediately. At the end of the day, or what he judged to be the end of the day by the numerous clocks scattered about these few heated rooms, he would return to those of lesser importance.
He had expected the little girl to approach him first, but it was Jamie, her self appointed protector, who edged closer. With the innocence of youth the boy jockeyed himself into a position where he could quite impolitely read over the King's broad shoulder. Milliardo waited, hearing the gasp from one of the officials when they noticed what the child was doing and subtly flicking his fingers, informing the man to stand down when he would have moved to draw the child away.
It was really the first time Jamie had freely moved to interact with an adult other than Duo. Jessica had quickly gotten over her fear of so many strangers and the grandeur of the palace, and set too with a will to play with the other children. Jamie had watched her, too tense and alert for any untoward move to relax and play.
Milliardo suspected it had been a long time since Jamie had acted his age. How long they had lived as they had he wondered? How long had they fought for every scrap of food, for the clothes they wore and the warmth they had heated their small shelter with? Why was it they had abandoned the city for that shelter in the first place?
Sanc had been in a shambles for far too long, New Port City had too great a distinction between the returning refugees struggling and the influx of new citizenry related to new businesses.
This storm would likely level the playing field and, instead of adding to homeless numbers he somehow needed to ensure that everyone had a decent roof over their heads.
End
Karina Robertson 2014