Disclaimer: *Disclaimer implodes* Usual applies.
I have a dedication this time, hurray! *Boogey boogey boogey*
Dedication: To every single soul that has read and reviewed -
it all means a great deal to me.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
"Relena, focus." Io said firmly.
"I am." She sounded earnest enough, although her forehead
was pressed to the table surface to keep from looking up at anything.
"Would you look at this then?" Naturally, he was getting
impatient.
"No." She repeated. Davis gave a nonsensical swat at
Io's arm and he looked at her warily, the corners of his mouth
drooping.
"Leave her alone, Io."
"I would appreciate more of your help at any other time,
Davis, but not at this moment - Relena, would you look up from
the table?" He ordered.
"Not if it has anything to do with that settlement pact."
She replied with a small shake of her head.
The door to the room opened quietly, given away only by high-pitched
creak of unoiled hinges. Davis, watching her charges expressionlessly,
was the only one to turn at the sound. Disdain marked her eyes
as they narrowed at the newcomer now seating herself at the table.
"Am I interrupting something?" Davis shook her head
at the question.
"No."
"No?" Came the mild remark. Davis lay her hands on the
desk they were gathered around, feeling irrationally cramped by
the new presence in the room.
"What are you doing here?"
"This is my area of expertise and I was ordered to come."
"Then don't look so smug, we were not argueing."
Dorothy set her mouth into a straight line, her eyes digging into
Davis' with her own form of malice. She set what she had brought
with her onto the table before leaning on it toward Relena. Relena,
forehead on the backs of her hands, refused to sit up correctly
and Io was looking a little peeved.
She grabbed the settlement from his outstretched hand and looked
it over. After reading what must have been no more than a page
and a half she laid it down with an inaudible little gurgle.
"Oh, Miss Relena, the possibilities!" At that point
Relena did raise her head, staring up squarely into Dorothy's
expectant face.
"No," She said flatly, "This is exactly were an
unchangeable error could occur." Io slumped a little farther
in his seat, the paper now in his lap where Dorothy had let it
fall.
Dorothy, unaware of the uncomfortable strain she had caused among
the others, sat down directly opposite Relena and lay her hands
over the girls'.
"It will give you room for negotiation! Why not, Miss Relena,
give this country a chance?" She asked tonelessly - almost
so much it seemed like she was teasing. Relena indicated the papers
in Io's lap with a quick tug of her head.
"You know very well why, Dorothy: Nigeria would never settle.
It wants some sort of supremity under militaristic rule. I cannot
let that happen!"
Dorothy's smile tilted, proving that the underlying meaning of
her prodding was of personal accord. Her eyes peered at Davis
and Io each before settling on her Relena again, who now sat perfectly
straight again with her fingers bent crookedly. Dorothy intertwined
their fingers imploringly.
"Come now, Miss Relena, must I coax?" Relena gave a
bitter smile, her mind on the appeasement contract rather than
Dorothy's joke.
"You would never make a fool of yourself in front of anyone,
Dorothy - and you would not lie." Relena slid her fingers
from Dorothy. "Especially to me."
Davis looked from one to the other in bewilderment, discontent
with the ease with which Dorothy handled Relena and feeling upset
with their odd relationship. She quickly took her cue in the pause
that followed.
"Would you be direct, Darlian?" She grumbled. Dorothy's
head cocked to the side nearest her.
"Read between the lines, Minister Davis. Relena will not
give in." Dorothy murmured loudly, spelling the words out
with irritating precision. Davis curled her arms across her chest.
"I am glad to hear this, although I would like to know in
which way she will tell the Earth Sphere she is set against this."
Relena's breath whistled out between tightly-held lips.
"That should be easy enough, most of the Earth Sphere United
Nations is against this. I am just another member on their side."
"A member with much dependence of the public in her favor!"
Io mixed it with a crushed expression, expasterated. Minister
Davis waved him off with her hand to stay him. Then, she turned
towards Relena again.
"Each has to give a solid reason: list yours." Davis
prompted readily.
Relena nodded, rubbed her knuckles together quickly, and took
a short breath.
"This breach of contract is illegal as well as not in sync
with Pacifist laws. According to the Disarmament plan set nine
months ago Earth has twenty years before all forms of arms are
irradicated: the Colonies have twenty three because of recent
problecations in the system. When this was set and proposed, Nigeria
had agreed to its terms and began the first steps of disarmament.
"Now, they want to build on militarism and this is just what
we have all worked forward to in order to prevent. I cannot let
them get away with annexing neutral countries and inhabiting their
land by force and - and intimidation!" Breath in, breath
out. A very blunt tone took to her voice during what she spoke
next.
"And frankly, neither can you." She slapped the palm
of her hand against the surface of the table, caught up in her
own, private moment. "How can we be for the people and peace
if this slides by? We cannot unless we're willing to call ourselves
violators of their trust and liars!"
The heat with which she had said this made Io sit back. The papers,
as though it were acting as a foreshadowing, slipped from his
lap onto the ground unseen. From her chair Davis leaned forward,
a strange, anxious grin on her aging face. Her hands formed fists,
squeezing together, but she seemed extremely glad. Relena's outspoken
tendencies was one of the things that enabled her to do her job
the way she did.
The only other person in the room seemed dissatisfied but in agreement.
She bobbed her head lightly, eyes closed somewhat tightly, lips
pressed together in a straight line. She seemed to have a headache
and pressed five fingertips to her skin.
"She's right." She whispered. "We cannot expect
her to agree to something that is wrong." Io turned to her
in distraught annoyance.
"It is not wrong, she just does not agree." Relena pulled
in closer to the table, glancing from Io to Dorothy and prepared
to begin another onslaught on the distainful settlement.
Dorothy stood up and planted her hands on the table with a 'smack'
type of sound, head bent and hair falling around her face as the
tension around her peaked.
"Yes, she is." She gestured toward Relena, now still
and frozen where she was opposite the others. "Minister Io,
with all due respect, this is the one politician who cannot lie
and will not disappoint anyone if she can help it. And what she
is saying is correct.
"She will not change her mind and she won't bend. Although
I, as War Tactics Specialist, find my being here unnecessary I
seem to be the one responsible for convincing you of this. She
is right. Unless you want the faith everyone has put into the
organization to drop, listen to her."
"But if we don't compromise somehow this might turn violent."
"Pacifist ways are not something learned easily, Minister
Io." Dorothy reminded in a catty way, now eyeing him from
behind her wall of blonde.
"This settlement can be negotiated, as you said beforehand
- "He replied promptly, "And Cinq is the model of compromise
and peace. We must show we that we mean to keep this peace at
all costs!"
"And that is why I am making this decision and why I am not
going to change! We must show that Cinq will not fall to old tricks
simply to patch together a form of peace!" Relena cried,
her fingers cramping and uncramping as she gestured.
"Miss Relena, although I understand the truth of what you're
doing - "
"No Dorothy, I know how you feel about war, or how you once
felt about it." She said curtly, interrupting Dorothy with
the flat of her hand held up in the air. "And no. War will
not come. I am flat set against it."
With a sigh the blonde retreated back to her seat. True, Miss
Relena was doing what the world needed - that time after peace
was such a confusing, belittling period in which people needed
rest. But, as she held onto the belief that people could not help
but fight, but rile against each other and cry for the other's
blood, the excitement of war would come if not then, maybe in
a few decades.
As was the fashion these days she agreed. Even during the war
she
had agreed that peace was necessary - in her own way. Although
war was, without a doubt, more exciting and filled with many purposeful
possibilities for people like her, the chance for it occur so
soon again with talents such as the Earth Sphere United Alliance
around was highly doubtful.
Her livelihood for the arguement ebbed. Davis, finding this loophole
in the conversation a lucky chance, edged in and set her elbows
on the table.
"As much as these forewarnings and alarms are needed, we
cannot say that war is going to break out if we don't sign this
settlement." Io gave a dreary sigh, feeling the pang of defeat.
"But it is a start, an excuse."
"One which we will have to meed head-on." She sucked
in her breath when she added, "I suggest we meet them head-on,
as well."
Relena, quiet before, perked her ears in interest.
"In what way?" Davis licked her upper lip quickly.
"The end of May could be scheduled as a nationally-wide held
conference of powers - we could meet with representatives of the
Nation of Africa and go from there. It would take some planning,
especially on such short notice - "
("They didn't give anyone much of a warning themselves."
Dorothy muttered thickly).
" - and remember, each of us has a different opinion whereas
only a few may talk and speak the state of mind of the Earth Sphere
United Alliance. We are going to have to choose our own diplomats
in the situation to represent us."
Relena reached across the table hurriedly, grabbing the planner
from Davis' suitcase and leafing through it. It was the agenda
for general events to come in the next three with given dates.
Finding the page she was thinking of, she turned it around so
the rest of the party could read the slot she was keeping a finger
on.
"How about then?" Davis forced back a grump.
"That would be a little rushed."
"Doesn't matter. The sooner - "
"Fine." Davis turned in her seat to regard her partner
in cabinet expectantly. Io sighed. "Well?"
"I'll see to the preparations." He picked up the dismal
packet of papers near his feet. "Quite frankly, though I
found this predicament somewhat unreasonable, I agree. There are
better alternatives."
Relena smiled, most likely for the first time in the last hour
if not ever since she had come from Canada. Dorothy watched this
expression curiously, finding Relena oddly spirited that evening
- what with her break-out of arguements. She was usually more
reserved, sometimes even detached. To know that such a tongue
lived in her mouth was...pleasurable.
Dorothy picked up her things and shook hands with the members
present.
"It has been a joy, surprisingly. Thank you for the entertaining
vigor tonight, Miss Relena." She spoke sincerely, although
her tone was wry. Relena gave a shrug.
"Of course, Dorothy, anytime."
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
With but three days before his shuttle left, Duo found his new
student a very uncooperative pupil - coordinated, technically
good on his feet and talented in learning the steps quickly, but
otherwise spiritless.
He had been everything from instructor to fellow classmate to
dancing partner: Heero told him on multiple occasions that he
had mastered ballroom dancing some time ago and that, considering
their limited time for practice, he thought it wise to move on
to other subjects.
Duo was simply stalling: he wondered what difficulties they would
come up against when they began the art of 'boogying.' Heero's
mechanical and even simple moves were made solely from much practice
without any real feeling in any of it.
But at one point, it became obvious that Heero's lagging was due
to boredome. Duo prided himself on being a very spontaneous, fun
character whose jolly qualities gave him a kick others lacked
and envied him for. The second day, he urged Heero out of bed
at an unusually early hour, a small radio at his feet. Upon turning,
giving Heero a somewhat snide remark on being slow, he tripped
over the little machine and landed on his knee caps with all his
body weight.
Bow-legged, and carrying the radio, he walked Heero down the hall
to the fencing court. Setting the radio off to the wall and fixing
the controls on it, he explained the lesson while Heero glanced
around. The court was spacious and he actually felt some regret
at never having bothered to come.
The sound of abrupt music so early in the day made him tense.
Behind him, he heard the pad-pad of Duo's stomping to the rythm.
With an energized whoop he threw his arms around Duo's shoulders
and twisted him in a circle, hanging on the whole while.
"This is what boogying is all about!" Unlatching himself
from Heero's neck the boy trotted offk, his braid now whipping
against his back with extreme force. "Fast-paced and foreign!
There isn't much better!"
Heero stretched his arms over his head, reaching, reaching...
Settling back into a normal stance, Heero set his fists on his
hips and watched Duo take a place just a few steps from him.
"Okay, Heero, show me what you got."
Heero glanced over at the radio, and back at Duo.
"Is this the correct pace with which to dance to?" He
sounded concerned and Duo's shoulders drooped.
"If you want to cop a feel, yes." Heero glared. Duo
grumbled, upset of his distrust. "Of course it is - just
never mind the jokes, you wouldn't understand the humor anyway..."
"Fine. But I need a partner." He said this while advancing
with his arms held out.
To him, it did not matter. Dancing was like a sport, if less of
an exercise than one. As long as he was learning he could have
been dancing with a Giraffe and been just as content with any
progress made. Duo, on the other hand, shook his head: he had
had enough of being in the female position.
"No, Heero, this does not require a partner. You dance on
your own opposite someone." Heero stopped, retreated, and
planted himself squarely across from Duo with is arms crossed
and legs splayed sturdily.
"In that case, how exactly does this work?" Duo squelched
his face together, almost sneering.
"What, you want me to show you?" He bated, unsure.
"Yes, that might be informational." Snorting, Duo bobbed
his head disarmingly.
"Stiff." Duo jerked his chin in the direction of the
radio. "Turn the knob back and increase the sound."
Doing as he had been directed, Heero stood off to the side while
Duo concentrated. Seeing as how this type of dance did not require
any set rules, he did not think to see his friend in such a state
of concentration. Really, he had thought this to be easier - but
underestimation did everyone in.
Duo was much better at...this, then he was at Heero's specialty.
Keeping time to the music with his feet and movements, Duo seemed
to stray to every corner of a forty foot square piece of area
in a matter of seconds. After some thinking Heero turned the knob
to the sound to its highest level: the walls were more or less
soundproof and none of the Preventer staff had their rooms nearby,
ensuring enough time for him to learn something new.
This way, they were alone without anyone to interrupt them and
Duo could display his skill without intervension.
Duo's hips swung and he sidestepped neatly. He had on clothes
much like Heero's, exchanging the sleeveless top for a loose shirt,
this allowing him to move freely. His head bowed, he began to
arch and dance on the palms of his feet: at a peak in the song
he leaped and Heero watched with deepening interest.
The practiced focus of being that activity and not simply performing
it was, admittedly, a capturing sight. Duo shook out his shoulders,
threw his head, shook his shoulders, twisted. His braid often
slammed him in the side and Heero, being a reasonably good visionary
learner, imagined a girl dancing along with him to complete the
effect. Unknowingly giving her long hair in his mind, he had her
stand just two feet across from his friend - this seeming to be
the appropriate distance.
With some difficulty he managed to conjure up some sort of likeness
to dance opposite his friend. Each gyrated motion or pranced stepped
she did as well to keep in time. Duo gave himself over not just
to dance but to his body: the sheen of sweat brightened under
the ugly, harsh light above them and his eyes were squeezed shut.
Heero frowned; although he had nothing to trip over, was dancing
without seeing at all sensible?
Duo crossed his arms over his torso while Heero mused from the
sidelines, stepping up onto his toes and dancing to the left.
The imagined vision of the girl followed; Duo's shirt, upon his
jump to spring around in a full body twist, was seen clinging
to his shoulders and lower back.
The music, he noticed, was getting quieter. Duo's ragged breathing
become louder in the waning of the song but he continued the wild
arching, jerking and spirited spinning that marked his style of
dance.
Whoever was singing gave one last yell and Duo stopped in mid-spin,
on his toes again, hands pinned behind him, head rolled to the
side. He gave a sputter, shook himself loose again, and dried
his hands on his pant leg. The vision of a girl disappeared once
Heero caught the eye of his friend. Long hair fluttered and left.
With a grin Duo trotted over to Heero, asking him to pause the
tape for further instructions. Heero did so, after which he stood
waiting for Duo to tell him how to do what he had just done -
surely that only took a needed amount of concentration, something
he could certainly make work.
"Now then," Duo clapped his hand and pointed to the
court, "Show me what you learned from that."
Heero stared at him expressionlessly. After what seemed to be
thoughtful hesitance he stepped out, pondering on just where to
start. Coming to a point on the floor where he deemed it well
to start, Heero turned around with his hands behind his back and
stared at Duo expectantly. His hair, yet unbrushed, still shadowed
most of the upper region of his face and Duo could not make out
much above the tip of his nose. He cleared his throat: one finger
was about to press on the button to start the music up again and
he was waiting for Heero to take on some type of stance to start
with. Yet, without any sign of moving from his position, Duo was
feeling some impatience.
"Well?" Heero's head bent down a little as though he
were trying to catch Duo's words easier that way.
"What should I do?" Duo staggered, stricken with disbelief.
"Are you really that helpless?" Heero turned his face
to the ceiling, baring his throat, his hair brushing the nape
of his neck.
"I am not used to this freelance pattern of dancing,"
He said, loudly enough for the sound of his voice to carry over,
"Helpless, no, uneducated in the field, though, yes."
Rasping a small growl of discomfort Duo started the music with
a jab of his finger, twisting the sound to its highest placement
once again and marching to stand beside Heero some two feet away.
"Fine, I'll teach you step by step."
"Synchronization?" Duo straightened and lifted his chin,
Heero copying him studiously, eyeing him severely.
"Sort of." He said slowly. "Now, listen to the
music and try to give this your own style. We can't do this if
you act robotical." He swung his hips around and held his
arms out in front of him again. "Got it?"
Heero did not reply, rather considering the strange hopping of
his friend. The music was brought to the foreground in his conscious,
as Duo said he should do, and he hoped to learn something from
that beat. Otherwise, the past two days of this odd studying would
not be worth much.
Duo had a life to him that Heero could only manage through much
concentration. Here was not the problem. While Duo knew what to
do Heero floundered around, his motions halted by inexperience,
thoughts fettered with watching Duo and performing the stunts
correctly at the same time.
At some point down the line he gave that up, leaving Duo to his
peripheral vision while he stared at the wall. The music, now
different from the former to which Duo had first moved to, was
slower but at least more understandable. Now more gibberish of
lyrics. (Farther into the lesson Heero thought Duo to have taken
a ballet course, as well, seeing the fluidity of his movements.
It irked him more than he thought wise).