|
"Alternative Directions: Options "Written By: Karina Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or the lovely
boys and their girls in the series. Wish I did. Please don't sue me.
I haven't even got a brass razoo to give you. Rating: Definately PG in Australia, at the moment,
but probably safer to say R for later chapters. Not sure about international
ratings Warnings: It will be 6x2, even though it does
not start out that way. After all, Zechs and Duo never met in Gundam
Wing and only spoke briefly over a com line in Endless Waltz. I've
tried to keep them in character as I saw them in the series. A bit
of language creeping in under stressful conditions. Pairings: eventual 6x2, past 2xH, 2+H,6x9, 1+R
Summary: Directions is set post Endless Waltz
and roughly 2 years have passed. Zechs and Noin are on Mars and Duo,
after spending some time with Hilde in a relationship leaves L2 to
join Preventers. Hilde was not happy about his decision. I guess enough
said. Here t'is, and I hope you like it. This is also AU for the standard
setting, as well as the series and Endless Waltz. Spoilers: Gundam Wing Series and Endless Waltz Many thanks to ShenLong for volunteering to beta this. //... // thoughts
"Alternative Directions: Options" Chapter 202 2nd March AC 198 Sanc Stephansbourg The Coachman's Rest Time: 14:15 Sally Without a doubt it was the most wonderful bed she had ever had the pleasure of sleeping in. Snuggled deep, cocooned between the luxurious warmth of the eiderdown and the over stuffed mattress… and medical journals claimed such wonderfully soft things were bad for the back? What more could anyone ask for given a blizzard raged beyond the solid walls of the Inn? She had slept like the dead, or so it seemed to her. She felt rested but too comfortable to move. Quite content to snuggle and soak in the unaccustomed comfort that was so different from her ultra modern apartment's central heating and Queen sized ensemble with its orthopaedic approved mattress. Really there was no comparison; this rustic old fashioned bed beat hers hands down. It seemed to be too much of an effort to make herself concentrate on more than the luxury of the moment, but much as she loved revelling in this comfort she really needed to remember her place; who and what she was. She was Sally Po, Preventer Agent, Chief Medical Officer for the Preventer Organisation and, at this particular time, head of the detachment that had spirited Relena Darlian safely out of New Port City. And to compound her difficulties she had Mariemaia Khushrenada in her custody and there really was no time to laze away the day simply because of a comfortable bed. She could not have slept long otherwise the guards she had left on post would have been in to roust her out for her turn standing sentry over their charges. Beyond the Inn she could hear the roar of the wind; it appeared not to have dropped at all which was another indication that she had not over slept her watch. Friendly as the people who ran this establishment appeared to be, nothing could change the fact that they were not `known' to her. They had not been vetted by security and there was additional complications given there were an unknown number of guests also resident in the inn. She had no idea of identities or if any of the guests might hold political views that might be cause for concern, particularly where the young Mariemaia was concerned. It was only the unexpected turn in the weather that had forced their presence at the inn at this time, and there was nothing to stop subversive elements from being caught in a snow storm either. She should at some point venture out of her haven and take up her duty-but there was time for a few more minutes of luxuriating in rare comfort. Just a few brief minutes surely would do no harm? She was to be woken to stand her watch and to be honest she could not feel less like moving. Just a few minutes to enjoy the unaccustomed luxury of snuggling was preferable to finding out if the air outside of her cocoon was anywhere near what she would term `tolerable'. She had an idea of what would await her when she stirred herself and she was not particularly looking forward to it. She might have been feeling unaccountably lazy, but just because a blizzard had the poor grace to trap them in a country Inn it did not mean there was not work to be done. Riding herd on the Princess of Sanc, and particularly on the daughter of Treize Khushrenada, came with a select set of responsibilities she would rather not shoulder, but circumstances being what they were it had fallen to her to carry the responsibility. If the satellite reception was still pathetic there would be no means by which she could have even a cursory security check performed on those now at the Inn. There was a Santa Clause look-a-like and an unknown number of guests and Mrs. Clause to be vetted, somehow, and potential assassins could be hot on their trail. Still, if said assassins were on the hunt for them she hoped their collective arses were frozen until the thaw hit and spring warmed the lands. If one could only be so lucky! Blowing an errant lock of hair out of her eyes Sally moaned softly. She was a Preventer and one had one's duty to cater to and, whilst she was not alone in that duty, she was still ostensibly the Commanding Officer of the detail assigned to their protection. She really had to stir herself. Relena might still be asleep, Sally could not say that she had heard any movement out of the other occupant of the room, but Mariemaia was a youngster who she had learned from experience was never idle for long. Blizzards were not her favourite weather phenomena at the best of time, and this was far from being the best of times. Sally by far preferred a long golden beach, a baking hot sun and a long laze by the ocean. Why could they not have been somewhere where her biggest problem would be getting a suntan? When she braved the air beyond her cocoon she would likely discover the meaning of the word `cold'. Banked as she recalled the fire to be the night before, it would not have burned through the night, but then the agents had not come to call her... and that was beginning to concern her. How long had she slept? Might there have been trouble? No, she certainly would have been roused by trouble and Heero and Quatre were light sleepers and they would certainly have woken her if there was any hint of trouble. It was still dark… but that was no real indication of time considering she had the eiderdown firmly over her head and her eyes were more closed than open. She would have to get around to doing something about that, but acknowledging that thought with action, namely movement, would mean she could no longer ignore the world. It was rare she had the opportunity to laze the morning away and she could not have slept for more than a few hours. What time was it anyway? Listening carefully, even going so far as to raise the eiderdown a little from her ear, she could just make out the measured stride of one of the agents on guard. She could tell the stride of a Preventer on guard patrol, rather like a London Bobby could recognise the stride of another beat cop. They were trained to walk at a set pace and with a measured stride that was regulated, designed to cover a prescribed distance without appreciable strain. Every Preventer agent assigned on a regular stint of patrolling as security for the rich and famous was taught that measured cadence. His stride was easy, unhurried. Casual. For there to be that `casual' feel to the man's pace there could have been no trouble in the Inn throughout the time she had been sleeping. She felt well refreshed, rested, uncommonly so, which suggested she should stir herself to see what the actual time was. Marie was sure to be the first awake and active and it would not do for her to try to slip past the guards and face the Inn's patrons unsupported. //Well, it's unlikely I'll get any more sleep. They'll be in to roust me out soon enough.// She was sorely tempted to try, just for a few more minutes, just until they came to wake her, but if four hours had passed she needed to relive the guard so that they could rest and she could see to preparations for their days travel. If she just wiggled a little, pushed up a touch… "Shit!" The expletive was forced out of her in a hushed hiss as chill air invaded her warmth and sufficient light seeped in to her nest to enable her to see the clock face of her wrist watch. She froze, staring at the miniature hands of the clock, watching the second hand inexorably ticking away the time until somehow the spell was broken and she closed her eyes and grasped the eiderdown, pulling it tightly about her. That had to be a mistake. If she kept her eyes shut for a few precious seconds and looked again then she would see the time… the real time. There was no way she could have slept for almost ten solid hours! It simply was not possible! She had been tired, exhausted actually, from long shifts and little sleep between, but she had never slept more than a six hour period at one time since she had become an intern; and that was more years in the past than she cared to admit. Certainly since she had become a Preventer she had rarely found the opportunity for six hours of uninterrupted sleep. And when she did manage to sleep for such an extended period she never slept restfully. There were the nightmares that always ripped apart whatever she might have been dreaming about. She could only ever recall the nightmares. Taking a deep breath to prepare herself she dared the Arctic chill invading her warm nest. Peering at the revealed clock face served only to inform her that a full minute had passed and, yes, she had not been mistaken. Approximately ten hours had passed since she had settled down to rest. The room was quiet; she could hear the wind howling beyond the inn. Was that a little less fierce than it had been in the early hours of the morning? Or stronger? A rustling…? Blue eyes flashed to the other bed, forcing her to strain upwards to see over the bulk of the eiderdown. "Relena?" "Mmph?" Well, small grace that it was, at least she was not the only one still in bed! Taking a deep breath Sally steeled herself to push her head above the warmth of the eiderdown, peering through mussed locks of unruly blonde hair to survey the room. It was dim, there was little light coming through the curtains but it was enough to suggest daylight dimmed by the blizzard. In the bed across from her Relena was nothing more than a bump in the eiderdown, not a single strand of blonde hair escaped her own personal cocoon to be seen. //Smart girl. Why stir if you did not have to?// But if the time really was nearing mid afternoon they had no choice but to stir, like it or not. "Relena?" A twitch of the eiderdown responded followed by the notable lump wriggling... working deeper and… rolling over?! Sally snorted softly, wishing she could have the luxury of doing that. How long had the girl lain awake worrying over what could not be cured? Cured? The blonde physician shook her head slightly, knowing making it sound like a disease or sickness would not change the facts. What they had been discussing with the Innkeeper was no sickness. They had talked of what they had learned from the Innkeeper before settling to bed, but Sally was well aware they needed to do a great deal more in the way of talking before Relena could become settled to the idea. The potential use for what was, as yet, an unconfirmed psychic talent was staggering. What the young woman might consider initially to be a curse, or in the same unwanted category as a disease, had the potential to be the greatest asset Preventer might ever have in maintaining peace throughout the ESUN. If a little influencing of a person's moods or thoughts could maintain calm and cool heads during `discussions' which all too often turned fiery, well, so much the better in Sally's view. One did not have to make people think as you wished them to think, merely help to moderate extremes of emotion; particularly if they could ease frustration. As a medical practitioner Sally was all too aware of the difficulties frustration caused in everyday life. Teamed with making decisions that could affect the lives of billions of people... The girl had the potential to make a difference if she could be coaxed into using the suspected ability that was a part of her lineage for the good of all. Was it real? Had that entire conversation with the Santa look alike been nothing but a dream? But she could not deny that the Inn was real, and the bed was gloriously real. The air was freezing cold, cold enough that she was extremely reluctant to get her sorry bones out of bed, but she was not going to hide here all day. Her body screamed at her that her cocoon was comfortable, warm and desired, so why the hell leave it? Not a good enough excuse for her to abandon her duty. She was a professional and she had a duty to perform to her charges, her employers and to her team... and why the hell had they not woken her up to take a guard stint? Ten hours?! She should have been woken after four so that they could rotate the guard, but they had not come. She needed to check on Mariemaia who surely would be up and active by now. Sally had spent enough nights at Une's house to know that Mariemaia was not one to laze about all day. She was inquisitive, demanding in that she did not like to be idle, and insatiable with her will to learn. The girl had shown herself to be fascinated by the old man and the inn and how long could Sally expect her to remain a detainee in the room she had been assigned? Mariemaia would not linger any longer than she needed to and would expect to be treated like an adult and given reasons and a briefing on expected results for any action that might be taken that directly, or indirectly, could affect her. She was too adult for her years, but she was still a child and children lost patience eventually. Mariemaia would be no different in the long term. Blue eyes turned back to the bed across from her and Sally considered the lump beneath the eiderdown. In deference to the information learned from the old man and his wife and how upsetting it had been to Relena, Sally decided to leave the young woman for the moment and, bundling herself into her eiderdown, she rolled herself out of the bed and into action. "God!" Dancing her way to the bathroom in a series of leaps and bounds interspersed with some fancy footwork; her bare feet protested every step on the highly polished floor and threatened her with frostbite once she left the luxury of the mat at her bedside. It was as well she had not roused the girl, Sally grumbled to herself, Relena would probably have split her sides laughing at her antics. While rustic in appearance, and undoubtedly it was a few hundred years old, and situated out in the country, The Coachman's Rest laid claim to modern conveniences that included, hopefully, hot water even in the teeth of a blizzard. The Santa look-a-like had mentioned something about a generator she recalled… yes! Miraculously-or through some miracle of modern engineering-the pipes were not frozen and it took only a few seconds before a hot stream of water lent steam to warm the atmosphere of the bathroom. Sally tossed aside the eiderdown, teeth chattering almost instantly, and she scrambled to place a towel where she could easily reach it. It would not do to waste the precious hot water; other people would be glad of it besides herself, and she could bundle herself in the eiderdown once again after she thawed herself out... And she would use the bathmat to slide-walk herself back into the bedroom instead of freezing her feet again. Live and learn, she mused. No need to freeze herself or her feet because she had not brought her clothes, not even a pair of slippers into the bathroom with her. It was a decidedly warmer and comfortable Sally Po who deemed herself prepared to exit the room and face the world some twenty minutes later. She was comfortably bundled in an oversized jumper with her Preventer jacket tossed over her shoulders and Preventer issue pants and boots closing out all drafts to her extremities. If the Preventer jacket would have fit over the hand knitted oversized jumper she had found in the wardrobe then she would have worn that too. The bulky knitwear seemed well able to defend her against the cold... and there was another there for Relena when she dug the girl out of bed. It appeared their hosts provided adequate clothing to suit the weather for the comfort of their guests. Her appearance was instantly noted by the red eyed Preventer pacing the length of the hallway and he changed his course instantly to approach her and greet her with a nod. "Ma'am. All's quiet. The guests are downstairs and Miss Mariemaia has not left her room. The Innkeeper has set the fire for Ms. Khushrenada but it was felt we should await your instruction before allowing fraternisation with the guests." "I'll speak to the Innkeeper before I decide what to do. And I will see to Marie shortly. Heero and Quatre?" "Have not put in an appearance thus far. There was a… disturbance… in their room last night. When we checked Yuy said he would attend to it." A disturbance? One that Heero chose to respond to alone...? That could mean only one thing. //Quatre had a nightmare? I'm surprised, he seemed to be the best adjusted of the pilots, but then we all have our nightmares stemming from the war.// She certainly had her share of sleepless nights and she supposed Quatre, well adjusted as he generally appeared to be, had cause enough to relive old horrors from the war following the events of the night. Whilst Heero was not the most sympathetic or emotive pilot in the group, he no doubt had his instances of nightmares and could understand something of Quatre's situation. Heero had come a long way since the war. The heavy tread of boots on the stairs drew her attention to the end of the hall and to the shadow dancing there. After a moment, his arms laden with wood, the Innkeeper stomped into view, an oversized version of her own knitted jumper giving testimony as to the origin of the one she wore. Sally suspected the old man's wife was the knitter of the inn's particular fashion statement. "I'll check on them shortly. Why did you not wake me to stand my watch?" The agent's bloodshot eyes blinked at her myopically for a moment before he sighed, glancing around the hallway to check all was well. "With respect, Ma'am, we will head down to bed as soon as you give us the all clear, and we will be ready to stand the night watch." Blue eyes narrowed dangerously. "I asked you why I was not woken to stand my watch." "We tried, Ma'am. Without disturbing the Princess…" he shrugged. "When you are ready to take over we will have something to eat and go to bed." "That will put our departure unacceptably late." Sally hissed quietly, not pleased with the circumstances which stranded them or with the news she had not responded to their call. If they had indeed tried to roust her out and she had slept heavily enough to not hear them; at best one of them might have put his head around the door and hissed at her for fear of waking the Princess. "With respect, Ma'am," She was quickly becoming heartily fed up with that form of address, "I am afraid we are going to be going nowhere today." Her hardening gaze was clear warning of what she thought of that statement, but then the Innkeeper was close, smiling jovially as he joined them. She could not help noticing that his armload of wood was dry and his clothing showed no sign of him having been out of the inn and exposed to the elements. "While the storm has eased somewhat, I am afraid the weather is far from safe for you to travel abroad today. It will be necessary to dig out your vehicle; the garage is almost completely buried in snow, and until a snow plough can reach us the roads will be impassable. I assure you we are well prepared for every eventuality the weather can throw at us, and we have everything we need to make you comfortable as you wait. We learned long ago to lay on supplies to last the length of the winter and a little more besides. You will be quite comfortable. We are receiving intermittent transmission via radio and television, though the reception is poor at best. Our other guests have retired to the lounge where they are endeavouring to entertain themselves with a card game. Would you prefer the young ladies eat in their rooms, or come down to the dining room?" They were going to be snowed in for another day? At least another day. That Sally did not like, but anyone in pursuit of them would also have the same difficulty... If they had not made it to the Inn ahead of them. She wanted to wrap both of her young charges up in cottonwool and hide them from the world, but that would not be possible and both of them would have much to say about the idea of secluding themselves in their rooms. And she was not fool enough to brave the high country of Sanc in a blizzard. "I will see which they prefer. Do you have a room for these men?" The second Preventer agent came around the far corner of the hallway where the two wings joined and ran south from their current position, his tread measured despite the exhausted slump to his shoulders. These men needed down time and Sally could not believe she had slept through their attempts to wake her. Had they decided on their own they would stand the watch, not expecting her to have slept so long? But that was her trying to relieve herself of the blame of sleeping so long, and such excuses was unbecoming of a Preventer officer. She had a responsibility to her people to accept the blame where it was her failure. "This load of wood is to heat the room I am preparing for them, and a meal is now being prepared. A hearty breakfast should be ready for them, and yourself, in fifteen minutes." "I will speak to Marie and stir Relena along and send word to you on their preferences. Thank you for your hospitality." "We are here to serve, Madam. It is an honour to host the Princess and her entourage." Lord, he reminded her of the stereotypical Santa Claus! It was uncanny just how like the legendary man, elf or Saint, depending on your view of the legends surrounding the individual who, in the dim and distant past, had given birth to the legend, he was. The man and his wife could make a creditable Saint Nick and Mrs. Claus at any children's function and have them believing in the fairytale in the blink of an eye. It was almost eerie... and he really did have a twinkle in his blue eyes. Stifling a shiver Sally nodded to the three men and made her way to Mariemaia's room, knocked briefly and slipped into the room. The girl was bundled up in a pair of jeans and an oversized jumper Sally knew could not have belonged to her. Like the one she wore it was hand knitted in a complex pattern of cabling and against its cream colour her hair looked almost too brightly red to be natural. "Good morning, Marie." A flashing grin responded and Mariemaia set aside the book she had been reading. "Good afternoon, Sally. I expected you to be awake hours ago." And so she should have been, but for the moment there were more important matters to be attended to. "How long have you been awake?" "A good three hours I would think. It was just too comfortable lying in this bed so I stayed there for an hour or so before I let anyone know I was awake. It's a wonderful old place, isn't it Sally? It's almost magical." The eminently sensible and too grown up for her own good Mariemaia Khushrenada thought the Inn was magical? What was the world coming to? Not good, not good at all, but Sally was relieved she had calmed down from the upset of the previous day. How many girls her age who had witnessed destruction and run from danger as she had, could be so totally `normal' a few hours later? This girl was made of stern stuff and Sally lamented that Mariemaia had never had a childhood. "Will we be leaving and continuing on to a safe house today?" Was she hopeful they would continue on their way… or would not continue? There was something in the girl's voice that suggested to Sally that Marie was hoping they would not be continuing. It must seem like a grand adventure to the young girl, despite the seriousness of the situation, and Mariemaia was entirely too old mentally to think as a child of her age would. You could not forget just whose daughter Mariemaia was, or that at the tender age of six she had been the figurative head of a coup d'état. This was no normal nine year old. One had to think of her as an adult and approach her as an adult, or very quickly you could find yourself wrapped around her little finger... and not in a cute `little girl' fashion. "It is doubtful we will continue on until at least tomorrow morning. Communications with New Port City are sketchy at best, and I have yet to contact Une. The roads are still blocked and it would appear that we have to dig out the garage to move our vehicles before we do anything. Our host assures me we are welcome and we will not lack for anything and be comfortable while we wait." Big blue eyes shone. Yes, Marie was pleased they would not be moving on immediately. "Do I have to hide in my bedroom all day?" There was a calculating glint to the child's eyes that was anything but childlike. If she said yes Sally knew there might, or not, be an argument but there would certainly be some level of resentment which could lead to any manner of rebellion at some time. At this point in time Sally had no idea how many guests there were resident in the inn, or how many employees the inn might have. They had no idea how these people might view the events that took place in the past and who, if any of them, might hold ill will toward the young figurehead who had threatened the ESUN's peace. Mariemaia might not be happy about being kept to her room, but she would obey should the order be given; and take every opportunity that presented itself to let dark looks and weighty silence convey her displeasure. "Possibly not, but you can remain in the room long enough to give us some time to find out how many people are here and judge the risk factor. I suggest you eat in here until we can determine your safety and I do not want you on your own with anyone when, if, I give you the go ahead to leave the room." A glowing smile rewarded Sally for her fairness and she knew, for the moment at least, that she would not have to deal with a Khushrenada who was bored and looking for amusement. Give her a normal nine year old girl any day, temper tantrums and all, over the more sophisticated amusements this girl found to entertain herself when she was bored and resentful. "I will send word to the kitchen that you will be eating up here for the moment and I will work on waking up Miss Relena. I will get back to you as soon as I can with a risk assessment." "I have a good book, thanks to the Innkeeper. Don't forget to eat yourself, Sally. If you lose much more weight you will be as skinny as Aunt Anne." She was an adult, a professional medical practitioner and Preventer agent and she would not bite to the jibe. She was above that and she was certainly not thin, merely slender. Of course she had been eating at irregular hours, that was part and parcel of being a Preventer agent and… Damn! No, she was not going to fall for that. A look, stern, no nonsense and she escaped out the door with nothing more than a cheeky grin from the girl. As Mariemaia grew she would be dangerous. It remained to be seen in the future if careful education could make Mariemaia useful to maintaining the peace the ESUN currently enjoyed. If they could get her to work hand in hand with them... The girl had so much potential. "Notify our host Miss Mariemaia will be eating in her room, please. Have they stirred yet?" Sally flicked a finger toward the door of the former Gundam pilot's room. "No, Ma'am. Not a sound out of there for hours." That did not bode well, Sally mused. How long had it taken Heero to deal with Quatre? So long as they had not killed each other, and they would have made enough noise to wake the dead if they had come to blows, then she was content, at least for the moment. "I'll see to them shortly." She wanted a private word with the pilots and really she needed to check on Heero's leg. She should have checked the injury before they settled, but everyone had been eager to get to bed, even the young men, and she was well aware they were trained field operatives with a passable medical knowledge of the basics. Quatre would have done a basic assessment of Heero's status and if he was concerned, late night or not, he would have called for her. She had to trust in their training and common sense, but that was not to say she would ignore the injury and leave it to them. She would get to the former pilots but it would be best to deal with Relena first. She could stir the girl out of bed and get her to use her natural charm to ingrate herself to their guests, under guard of course. Until she could get Heero and Quatre active the agents already dead on their feet would have to watch Relena, but Sally was confident it would not be for long. Relena would need time to wake up properly and get herself ready to face the day, and during that time Sally could stir the pilots. Rousting out war veterans would necessitate care, particularly if those two chanced to still be asleep by the time she got to them. After a night such as they had had compounded by a bout of nightmares they would be, at best, twitchy. She would need to maintain her distance initially, until she was certain they were awake. She had no intention of getting close to a lethal weapon on first waking. Soldiers, not just former Gundam pilots, all needed their space first thing. Decision made and orders passed on to her subordinates Sally marched herself smartly back into the bedroom she had shared with the Vice Foreign Minister. "Relena! I have a job for you." Standing at the side of the bed, hands on her hips Sally watched as the bedding stirred. There was the chance, a very real chance Sally admitted, that the girl had spent the night tossing and turning after the more than interesting conversation they had had with the Kruger's. Had the girl spent the night unable to settle and sleep as restfully as she needed because of what she had learned of the history of her bloodline? Or was she simply as enchanted by a decent nights sleep in this place as Mariemaia and Sally herself? "Relena. Time to get up." "Hmmmpnph." Charming. Utterly indecipherable. A protest? A greeting? It might have been anything and Sally could not resist smiling. The palace staff no doubt had a set routine when it came to rousting out the princess after a long nights worth of socialising in the name of the ESUN and its continued peace. Sally had never been a delicate wallflower and was prone to more practical pursuits than catering to the whims of the rich and famous. She entertained a philosophy of direct action. Slender fingers reached to delicately grasp a good hold on the eiderdown. "Relena. Time to wake up." Rolling over was, at present, tantamount to a declaration of war as far as Sally was concerned. So was burrowing deeper under the eiderdown! Smirking, the Preventer Agent braced herself and gave an almighty yank and the eiderdown vanished over her shoulders, leaving the girl curled tightly in the foetal position and gaping like a fish at the sudden advent of frigid air. "Sally! Give… g-g-give that b-back!" "Ah, we are awake are we? Good," Sally practically purred. "You know where the bathroom is I believe. Up and at `em, Miss. The day is more than half over and you will never sleep tonight if you don't get up now." She made no comment on the very visible tear tracks trailing over flushed cheeks, or the suspiciously moist nature of the young woman's blue eyes. Lying in bed thinking about it, was she? Well, Sally would not allow that. It was time to give Relena something else to think about and ground her in reality, and Mariemaia and the needs of the moment was the perfect distraction. "I have Marie awake and restless in the next room and I need you to be your charming self with the guests at this fine establishment. I will need your opinion on whether or not you believe it is safe to allow Mariemaia to associate with other people while we are here." Huddling in on herself and with her teeth chattering from the cold, Relena's glare turned to blank faced astonishment. "You want me to decide if it's safe for Marie to go out in public? Me? How am I supposed to determine the threat level from these people? I'm not an agent, Sally. I'm a politician!" "You will not be alone. I value your opinion as a people person. You are not easily deceived and you have a natural ability to judge people that is supplemented by experience over the last few years. You are people oriented, Relena and I need that now when we are short handed. I will be with you as soon as I attend to a few other matters, including trying to contact headquarters for any updates on the situation. Take your time in the shower, I'll be a little while, and we can eat together while you engage the other guests in conversation and I check out the best options for security protocols." "I am freezing here, Sally!" "A steaming hot shower does wonders for that." Hooking the eiderdown over the far post of the bed she had slept in Sally grinned at Relena and marched herself out the door. The girl would have no other choice than to get up with the eiderdown that far away from her reach. Sometimes one had to be cruel to be kind and Sally did not mind being cursed at if it got the girl's mind off what worried her for a while. "I'll be ready in half an hour or so. Take your time." Was that cussing in a delicate whisper she heard as the door closed? Snickering softly to herself Sally inclined her head to the Preventer agent stationed nearest to the Princesses door and made her way down the hallway to the door that separated her from the Gundam pilots. Two sharp raps on the door should stir them she decided. She was not inclined to walk in on the young men. First of all it was impolite to simply waltz in, and it was not done for a female, that she was a Doctor was beside the point-they were not her patients, to enter the room of two males unannounced. There was also the little matter of her valuing her life. You did not surprise an elite soldier and expect to walk away unscarred. She personally liked breathing. Frowning Sally eyed the door fully having expected at least a verbal enquiry by now, if not a young man staring at her through a crack in the door... or more likely Yuy and the barrel of his gun glaring at her while she could see in those Arctic baby blues the debate raging on whether or not to pull the trigger. They would sleep light, on alert even as they rested, though neither had been informed they would be expected to stand watch. Quatre was Mr. Personality and she needed him. She could trust him to entertain, evaluate and assess the guest's resident at the Inn at this time. The Winner was, potentially, the most `people person' she was ever likely to meet and his presence was an asset in their present circumstances. Sally repeated the knock, a little louder this time and waited, leaning her ear close to the door to catch any response. Yuy would be the perfect deterrent to anyone getting up close and personal with the Princess once Relena's presence was known. There was always someone who wanted to get too close, who would not take the warning implied by the presence of security, who just had to push themselves forward. One look from Yuy's Arctic blue eyes and Sally had little doubt Relena would be safe and enjoy some breathing space. Between Yuy, Winner and herself, both Mariemaia and Relena would be safe enough for the day and she could only hope they could escape the Coachman's Rest the next day. Was that...a response? Uncertain what it was she had heard Sally hesitated. It had been low, not a voice, she was sure, but something else. Discretion being the better part of valour the doctor decided the solution was to knock a third time; harder. Just to be sure. Yes, definitely a response, though it sounded more like a groan than anything cognisant. Certainly it had not sounded like words more like a... well, not exactly a groan, somewhere between a groan and maybe a curse? Lips pursed Sally considered the door and what might lie beyond it. If it had been Trowa and Quatre in there she would have thought twice about entering the room after hearing that particular type of sound, it might have been construed as being `suggestive' of certain adult activities, but it was Heero in there, not Trowa. Quatre was well and truly enamoured of Trowa and Heero was, according to Mariemaia, developing feelings for Relena. Now that, she reminded herself, was something she could not leave alone. She would have to investigate and report to Une if there were any grounds for concern that the two might be getting a little closer than they needed to be. They were worlds apart in birth and training, and they had to see how the world would view their relationship. The general consensus was sure to be that any relationship the two might consider would be doomed to failure, be it from incompatible lifestyle or the weight of public opinion and pressure. It would not be considered fair by Relena but the girl was a seasoned politician by now and would be sensible enough to see how the wind would blow. The real question would be if she could control her hormones and not make mistakes that would ruin her reputation and usefulness in the public arena. But that was for later, and right now there was a definite moan coming from beyond the door. There was no way those two would be doing anything... inappropriate. Not Quatre with Heero. Feeling as though she was taking her life in her hands Sally tried the door and found it to be securely locked. Snorting softly the Doctor hammered on the door. "Open the door, will you?" That was definitely a groan followed by a thud and a brief spate of exceedingly colourful metaphors. Sally snickered as the door shuddered, the sounds of the lock and latch rattling suggesting they were resisting efforts to unlock and open. "Language!" Sally laughed, "I can speak Japanese you know!" She almost expected Yuy to rip the door from its hinges and if it had not been so well made Heero very well might have, but suddenly the door was thrust open and a very bleary eyed Heero Yuy glared at her. "What?!" "And a fine good morning it is too, if you like being stuck in a blizzard. You do realise the time, don't you?" t.b.c.
|
