Gundam Seed Destiny Fan Fiction / Gundam SEED Fan Fiction ❯ Play of the Fates ❯ I: The One Where Cagalli Disobeys ( Chapter 1 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: PaolaAdara 
Anime/Manga: Gundam Seed Destiny Fan Fiction / Gundam SEED Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 11.25.2006 | Updated On: 04.16.2007 | Pages: 3 | Words: 3.9K | Visits: 846 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: Gundam Seed Destiny Fan Fiction / Gundam SEED Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 11.25.2006 | Updated On: 04.16.2007 | Pages: 3 | Words: 3.9K | Visits: 846 | Status: Work In Progress
Title: Play of the Fates (1 of ?)
Author: Paola
Disclaimer: Play of the Fates is based on characters and situations that belong to Sotsu Agency, Bandai Studios, and TV Asashi (and other production affiliates that have the right of ownership). No money is being made, and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Considerations: Similarities to other stories/events/passages are purely coincidental unless otherwise cited.
The idea to make the chapter titles begin with “The One…” is from the TV show, F.R.I.E.N.D.S
This may, in all possible intent, be differently written compared to any of my previous literary ventures.
Rating: Rated M for language and adult situations. You have been warned.
Play of the Fates
Chapter One
Athrun Zala had been staying in Orb for a week already due to a business sellout concerning one of the top car brands, and the company he represented, the Genesis Motors, which produced the automobile make Justice, was one of those huge car companies that were vying for the sellout. It would be highly beneficial to their company if they could buy the rights from the Nazca Corporation to produce the automobile make Vesalius. So far, he’d only succeeded in meeting one of the executives because there were three other car companies contending for the right of ownership, and from what they’d talked about, he’d known how tough the competition he was in.
Athrun adjusted his sunglasses and waited for the traffic light to turn green. He wasn’t exactly worrying. He’d handled tougher competitions before, and he hadn’t lost a single one yet – he wasn’t about to begin now.
He gingerly plugged the earphones of his port-free mobile in his ears and pressed the tiny button on the small pad suspended from the thin cable. “Yes?” he answered.
“What time are we meeting again?”
Athrun shook his head at his best friend’s voice. “If, for just one second, you can keep your hands off Lacus, maybe you can remember a few minor details.”
“Funny, Zala, I remember she hasn’t come back from her trip to the PLANTs yet. Now, my anti-social friend, if you learn to quit being incommunicado for once a while, maybe you’ll know what’s been going on in your friends’ lives.”
Athrun laughed, shifting gears as the road before him was quite empty of vehicles. “Fair enough.”
“So?”
“Ah, yeah, around twelve. I still have to visit the Onogoro Branch of Justice.”
“Good timing. My schedule’s free at that time. Anyway, I’ve to jet. I have a class to teach in ten minutes.”
“See you, Kira.”
“Of course, especially since I know I’ll be getting free lunch!”
Before Athrun could articulate a response, his best friend had already disconnected. Athrun shook his head of midnight-blue hair again, chuckling at how easily he’d been had by Kira when no other men in the business world had ever done it.
He and Kira had been best friends since they were kids, and even when they’d separated paths come college graduation, they were lucky to have never really drifted apart. There’d only been one occasion when he’d almost wished he had never met Kira, but that was a long time ago, and he’d been going out with Lacus then.
In retrospect, maybe he shouldn’t have been so surprised or angry when Kira hooked up with Lacus even when knowing that the pink-head had just ended a relationship with him. Although a lot of people said that Athrun and Lacus were the perfect couple, he’d always had this feeling that there was something missing. It wasn’t until much later did he realize that what he and Lacus shared was more of a friendship with sibling love than a romantic affair that had them craving for each other.
Kira had profusely apologized, but he’d also boldly told Athrun that he wouldn’t let the blue-head stand between him and Lacus. Athrun had surprised him then by laughing, and Kira had never looked so confused in his entire life. That had ended their fight because he’d finally admitted, both to himself and to Kira, that his relationship with Lacus had been doomed from the beginning.
He hadn’t been involved in a serious relationship since then. A few romantic affairs here and there, but none had really gotten so far as to get him to commit, which he couldn’t decide whether it was good or bad. He was a busy man – just today he’d be in another meeting after meeting with Kira – and marriage was a dangerous path for him; he hardly had time for himself, let alone another person who’d probably demand all his attention. On the other hand, whenever he looked at Kira and Lacus…. Well, there was just something there that was so relaxing, he couldn’t help but consider that settling down might not be so bad.
Currently, though, he was unattached. Kira and Lacus found it funny to tease about how he would supposedly much rather fall in love with his work and than any woman who might just be the right one for him. It wasn’t that he’d rather work his ass off when he could go gallivanting with the opposite sex; it was just that no one had caught his eye recently. There was this woman in his workplace that was quite obviously taken to him, but there was just something wrong with the sway of her hips, the stretch of legs that enticed his other co-workers, and the pouty mouth that always shone with lip gloss. Besides, she disturbingly resembled Lacus that he’d probably have nightmares upon waking up next to her. Add that to the fact that although she just worked in the next division in their office floor, he couldn’t seem to remember her name.
Athurn rounded a curb. There had also been this redhead Dearka, his fraternity brother, had once made him go to a blind date with. That was around the time he’d been a media magnet due to the very much publicized end of his engagement with Lacus. He hadn’t wanted to go, but Dearka could be really persuasive at times. It had been all right at the beginning, but after she’d gotten over the initial shyness usual in blind dating, he’d discovered just how much that girl knew about him. It was disconcerting, to say the least, and he hadn’t been flattered to know that she’d had a crush on him, not when she’d practically relayed to him everything the media made public about his life.
Athrun fought the urge to sigh. When had dating been such a pain in the ass? Oh, right, when he’d realized he wanted something more than a great fuck, and that what he wanted was something he couldn’t commit to either. He’d slaved to climb the success ladder independently, and where he was now took most of his free time away, not to mention his thoughts. For all his realizations, he couldn’t quite afford being deeply involved with someone. That left him with two stifling choices: one-night stands and convenient flings. Gods, sometimes he hated his life.
He slowed down as he reached his destination, a two-story building that packed a huge floor space horizontally. Shifting to the reverse gear, he backed his shiny silver Maserati up towards the empty parking slot. Kira had once asked him why he drove cars of another automobile make, and he’d only shrugged then. The Justice was an exceptional brand, heavily demanded by those who could afford it, but he just wasn’t keen on getting his own Justice automobile, not even the latest GAT-X series that had Dearka drooling.
Killing the engine then stepping out of the vehicle, he adjusted his sunglasses as he studied the glass-and-steel architecture in front of him, the sun glinting off the smooth, shiny surfaces. Applying a slight pressure on his car key button, he locked his car. He crossed the street and jammed one hand inside his pocket when he reached the door.
“Good morning, Mr. Zala,” the concierge greeted.
o-o
“You ought to get laid,” Miriallia calmly suggested, following the pacing of a certain irritated blonde who’d been restless and agitated since she got to her apartment. “Again.”
“What?” Cagalli had to pause as she gawked at her friend.
“When was the last time?”
“Excuse me?” Cagalli couldn’t stop staring at the brunette like she’d suddenly sprouted little devil horns on the top of her head.
Miriallia rolled her eyes. “Go ahead, Cagalli, pretend you’re some holy virgin who hasn’t explored the other uses of a bed one too many times. Whatever makes you sleep at night.”
“Miriallia!” Cagalli exclaimed, still unable to comprehend Miriallia’s approach to that certain subject. It was as if the brunette were discussing the weather. Really, when had her sex life been so talked about that her friend spoke of it like it was some ordinary topic they usually spoke of. Her life wasn’t Sex and the City, and Miriallia ought to know that. And, as far as she was concerned, she’d kept her tiny escapade to herself. For some unexplained reason, she didn’t feel like telling Miriallia about that night at the Freedom Metropolis.
Miriallia chuckled, amused by the highly scandalized expression on Cagalli’s face. “I’m kidding! Jeez!” She took a while to smother her laughter. “But really, you’re wound up so tight that you’d probably come undone if the phone so much as beeps. What gives?”
Cagalli almost sighed in relief. That Saturday, Miriallia had asked her where she’d been the night before. Apparently, Miriallia had wanted to visit this newly opened bar at the 54th street in Downtown Orb and was trying to contact her to no avail. Cagalli had easily told her that she had gone home right after she got out of the office, and had promptly fallen asleep due to exhaustion. The brunette bought the story, thankfully.
“It’s just work problems. Some proposal for a draft that’s been a subject of debate between the other secretary and me. Dammit, sometimes I wonder why I hadn’t taken a job at my father’s company instead of running away.”
“Let me think. Oh yeah, because you said you can live on your own,” Miriallia deadpanned. “I swear, if I had your father and his finances, I wouldn’t even think of stepping out of my comfort zone!”
Cagalli snorted. “And therein lies our difference.”
“Point.” Miriallia retrieved her wine glass from the coffee table and downed a few gulps. “Aside from that. I know there’s something else.”
“Really, am I such an open book?” Cagalli exasperatedly sighed. She looked at Miriallia who arched an eyebrow at her, almost asking her if she really wanted the brunette to answer that. “All right, all right, I am! Damn, I gotta learn to stop being so damn readable.”
“That wouldn’t be fun for me, but stop digressing, Athha. No matter how much you stray off topic, I’d just get back to what we’re originally discussing.” She finished the last drops of her wine, deposited the glass back to the coffee table, then settled deeper into Cagalli’s comfortable couch.
“Meh.” Cagalli mildly glared at her friend before deciding to plop down on the empty space beside her. “Father’s called and has been asking me to reconsider his offer. Believe me, it’s getting tempting.”
“Oh? How so?”
“An apartment at the Upper East Side and a Justice!” Cagalli cursorily surveyed her modest one-bedroom apartment. It wasn’t bad, and despite how her salary didn’t exactly compare to what she’d be getting when she worked at her father’s company, she was doing fine on her own. She got an apartment – with a yellow, white, and orange finish, much to Miriallia’s delight – she owned a nice, red Mazda, and she could afford night-outs at expensive establishments, even though not on continuous nights. But she had no complaints; after all, she worked most of the time and usually only had Friday and Saturday nights to herself.
“Did you say Justice?”
“Oh, yes, I suppose I did!”
Miriallia grinned like a Cheshire cat. “Then what are you here dawdling away for?”
Cagalli rolled her eyes, though she couldn’t help but smile at Miriallia’s enthusiasm. A lovely flat at the Upper East Side and a Justice didn’t come by everyday. Even as a teenager, she wasn’t one to splurge just because her daddy had too much money in his hands, but she’d grown up with money surrounding her. Now that she’d had a taste of how it was to live simply and by working her ass off to be able to buy the littlest of things, well, an offer like that was kind of hard to resist. Add that to the irritating fact that she was not getting along well with the other secretary. Why’d her former partner have to quit? Damn, if only she didn’t have her pride, which, she recalled, was also the reason she’d snapped her credit cards in two the day she ran away from her father’s shelter.
“I’m kidding, all right. I know your pride won’t let you be swayed by that. So, what now?”
The blonde sighed, ruffling her hair in annoyance. “I’m gonna have a talk with my old man. The sooner, the better.”
o-o
When Cagalli said she’d do something right away, she meant it, and that was why she was now standing in front of the great double doors of the Athha Mansion in a hurriedly put together combination of a faded red pullover, threadbare jean shorts, and a mulish set of her jaw. If truth be told, she hadn’t been in such haphazard fashion in a long time, and even if she hadn’t exactly thought of it, this ought to grate on her father’s nerve. Damned if she walked in his house the way he’d want her to: accomplished and businesslike. She could almost imagine her father gritting his teeth as she talked of how she was doing fine with her job and supporting herself when she was dressed like she couldn’t even afford a decent outfit to visit him in.
Steeling her nerves, she raised her hand and pulled the thick twisted cord to trigger the chimes that served as a secondary doorbell, the first one being the security mechanism at the gates. As a child, she loved hearing the musical scale ring, but that was way before she’d decided that getting out of this house was something she needed to do to prove that she could stand on her own two feet. And besides, she was a grown-up now, not some innocent child that laughed at the mere flutter of a butterfly’s wings.
To her surprise, Mana, her old nanny, was the one who opened the door instead of his father’s trusted head of security, Kisaka. For as along as she could remember, Kisaka greeted visitors first before any of the butlers they’d had.
“Lady Cagalli!” Mana enthused, glad to see her charge and, at the same time, scandalized to see what Cagalli was wearing.
Cagalli winced when Mana clucked her tongue in disapproval. “Nice to see you, too, Mana.”
“Don’t tell me you went here on your motorcycle! Oh my lords, my poor heart!” Mana began to hyperventilate, causing Cagalli to worry as she fumbled for words to assuage her nanny’s upset.
Cagalli held up her hands, seemingly to wave off Mana’s conclusions. She’d almost forgotten that the last time she’d seen her nanny, she’d been cruising around in her motorcycle, savoring the feeling of being free as much as to annoy the old man – that was almost a year and a half ago. But she’d given up that stint not long after. She’d gotten a job, sold the motorcycle, saved the money, then bought a car. It was one of the wisest decisions she’d made in her lifetime, not just because it would appear highly inappropriate to be riding a motorcycle in her office clothes, but that she’d matured from the rebellious girl of her past. It hadn’t been too long since she’d run away, but her time alone taught her that it would help a lot if she acted her age. She was twenty-five now, and though there were still times when she’d acted childish – like now, for example, wearing something she knew her father wouldn’t agree with just to get on the old man’s nerves – she was, more or less, a real grown-up.
“No, Mana, I came in a car,” she said, pacifying her nanny when she gestured behind her to reveal a newly washed car.
Mana placed a claming hand on her heart. “Oh, thank God!”
Cagalli squinted when the passing breeze swept her hair in a messy tumble. Tucking the stray locks behind her ears, she took a step forward and spoke, “Can I enter now?”
Mana’s eyes widened as just now she realized she’d been blocking her charge. “Of course, of course, love.”
Cagalli had to smile at that. Love. Mana always called her that, no matter how naughty she got, no matter how much she had misbehaved, no matter the failures she’d stacked. If there were one thing she missed during her absence from the Athha mansion, it was that endearment.
Mana took a deep breath a smiled understandingly at the blonde who hadn’t grazed the marble floor of her father’s house in a very long time. “I’m sure you came to see your father.”
The blonde gave an almost weary sigh. “It never changes, Mana. He’s just– He doesn’t– I can’t–” Cagalli frowned at herself, the realization of what she was babbling about precluded the need to justify her reason for being there to resurface. Dammit, she wasn’t getting emotional, was she? She came here to settle one thing, and by Genesis, she wouldn’t walk down some memory line just because the threshold she was in now held lots of memories for her.
Mana just smiled sympathetically at Cagalli, not quite knowing what to say. In the end, she kept her silence.
“Where is he anyway?” Cagalli asked casually.
“He’s in the study. He’s meeting with someone.”
“Damn.”
“Language,̶ 1; Mana sounded a warning note. “I don’t think it will take long.”
“I don’t really want to stay long either. Do you think you can, um, fetch him for me?”
Mana looked amused. “You should know better, Cagalli. Your father isn’t to be disturbed when he’s in a meeting when it’s anything short of an act of God.”
“Meh,” Cagalli expressed distastefully. “My being here is more than an act of any god.”
Mana chuckled softly as she led Cagalli to the second-floor parlor. “Maybe, but I doubt you’re father will be pleased if we disturb him.”
“Meh,” Cagalli repeated, following the elderly woman up the stairs. “Really, Mana, I still know my way around, you know.”
“I know, but I want to be sure that you’ll wait in the parlor until your father is done.”
“Again, Mana, meh.”
They walked in silence until they reached the room Mana wanted her to wait in. Stepping inside, she cursorily surveyed the parlor, noting if anything seemed different, if her absence made her unknowledgeable to things she used to be privy to. The same heavy curtains hung by the window, the different shades of blue a nice play of colors. The same upholstered couches on opposite sides of the room. The same lighting.
Cagalli inwardly rolled her eyes. What the hell was she expecting? That somehow her father thought of painting the wall purple in her absence? The room didn’t hold much significance even before, and it seemed that nothing had changed. Same old, same old.
“Now wait here, all right?”
“Yeah, yeah. I’ll be a nice little girl and sit quietly over here,” Cagalli replied, walking over one of the couches and sitting on it demurely, provoking Mana to laugh.
“I mean it, Cagalli. Do not disturb your father.”
“All right already!”
Mana continued to chuckle as she left her alone in the room.
Cagalli glanced at the wall clock on the opposite wall, taking note of the time. She really didn’t want to wait. She was as impatient as she had been before, and it only took a second before she was up and pacing the length of shiny parquet floor.
She looked at the clock again then checked her wristwatch, as if she didn’t quite believe the time the wall clock displayed. She winced. Not even a minute had passed. She stomped her foot. Ah, fuck it! With the abandon of a teenager and the sudden desire to further aggravate her father, she crossed the room and stepped out of the door. Walking the short distance to the study, she grinned at the expression that would mar her father’s face the moment she threw open the door.
Running a hand through her slightly unruly hair, she pushed open the door. Her rebellious grin, the misplaced feeling of achievement for disrupting her father’s meeting, the disobedient glint in her eyes, everything was quelled the moment a familiar pair of emerald eyes turned towards her even before her father’s surprised look registered in her mind.
Oh fuck…
x-x-x-x-x
Reference/s:
The idea on the chimes for the doorbell is from Susan Elizabeth Phillips’ book, Ain’t She Sweet?
Author: Paola
Disclaimer: Play of the Fates is based on characters and situations that belong to Sotsu Agency, Bandai Studios, and TV Asashi (and other production affiliates that have the right of ownership). No money is being made, and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Considerations: Similarities to other stories/events/passages are purely coincidental unless otherwise cited.
The idea to make the chapter titles begin with “The One…” is from the TV show, F.R.I.E.N.D.S
This may, in all possible intent, be differently written compared to any of my previous literary ventures.
Rating: Rated M for language and adult situations. You have been warned.
Play of the Fates
Chapter One
Athrun Zala had been staying in Orb for a week already due to a business sellout concerning one of the top car brands, and the company he represented, the Genesis Motors, which produced the automobile make Justice, was one of those huge car companies that were vying for the sellout. It would be highly beneficial to their company if they could buy the rights from the Nazca Corporation to produce the automobile make Vesalius. So far, he’d only succeeded in meeting one of the executives because there were three other car companies contending for the right of ownership, and from what they’d talked about, he’d known how tough the competition he was in.
Athrun adjusted his sunglasses and waited for the traffic light to turn green. He wasn’t exactly worrying. He’d handled tougher competitions before, and he hadn’t lost a single one yet – he wasn’t about to begin now.
He gingerly plugged the earphones of his port-free mobile in his ears and pressed the tiny button on the small pad suspended from the thin cable. “Yes?” he answered.
“What time are we meeting again?”
Athrun shook his head at his best friend’s voice. “If, for just one second, you can keep your hands off Lacus, maybe you can remember a few minor details.”
“Funny, Zala, I remember she hasn’t come back from her trip to the PLANTs yet. Now, my anti-social friend, if you learn to quit being incommunicado for once a while, maybe you’ll know what’s been going on in your friends’ lives.”
Athrun laughed, shifting gears as the road before him was quite empty of vehicles. “Fair enough.”
“So?”
“Ah, yeah, around twelve. I still have to visit the Onogoro Branch of Justice.”
“Good timing. My schedule’s free at that time. Anyway, I’ve to jet. I have a class to teach in ten minutes.”
“See you, Kira.”
“Of course, especially since I know I’ll be getting free lunch!”
Before Athrun could articulate a response, his best friend had already disconnected. Athrun shook his head of midnight-blue hair again, chuckling at how easily he’d been had by Kira when no other men in the business world had ever done it.
He and Kira had been best friends since they were kids, and even when they’d separated paths come college graduation, they were lucky to have never really drifted apart. There’d only been one occasion when he’d almost wished he had never met Kira, but that was a long time ago, and he’d been going out with Lacus then.
In retrospect, maybe he shouldn’t have been so surprised or angry when Kira hooked up with Lacus even when knowing that the pink-head had just ended a relationship with him. Although a lot of people said that Athrun and Lacus were the perfect couple, he’d always had this feeling that there was something missing. It wasn’t until much later did he realize that what he and Lacus shared was more of a friendship with sibling love than a romantic affair that had them craving for each other.
Kira had profusely apologized, but he’d also boldly told Athrun that he wouldn’t let the blue-head stand between him and Lacus. Athrun had surprised him then by laughing, and Kira had never looked so confused in his entire life. That had ended their fight because he’d finally admitted, both to himself and to Kira, that his relationship with Lacus had been doomed from the beginning.
He hadn’t been involved in a serious relationship since then. A few romantic affairs here and there, but none had really gotten so far as to get him to commit, which he couldn’t decide whether it was good or bad. He was a busy man – just today he’d be in another meeting after meeting with Kira – and marriage was a dangerous path for him; he hardly had time for himself, let alone another person who’d probably demand all his attention. On the other hand, whenever he looked at Kira and Lacus…. Well, there was just something there that was so relaxing, he couldn’t help but consider that settling down might not be so bad.
Currently, though, he was unattached. Kira and Lacus found it funny to tease about how he would supposedly much rather fall in love with his work and than any woman who might just be the right one for him. It wasn’t that he’d rather work his ass off when he could go gallivanting with the opposite sex; it was just that no one had caught his eye recently. There was this woman in his workplace that was quite obviously taken to him, but there was just something wrong with the sway of her hips, the stretch of legs that enticed his other co-workers, and the pouty mouth that always shone with lip gloss. Besides, she disturbingly resembled Lacus that he’d probably have nightmares upon waking up next to her. Add that to the fact that although she just worked in the next division in their office floor, he couldn’t seem to remember her name.
Athurn rounded a curb. There had also been this redhead Dearka, his fraternity brother, had once made him go to a blind date with. That was around the time he’d been a media magnet due to the very much publicized end of his engagement with Lacus. He hadn’t wanted to go, but Dearka could be really persuasive at times. It had been all right at the beginning, but after she’d gotten over the initial shyness usual in blind dating, he’d discovered just how much that girl knew about him. It was disconcerting, to say the least, and he hadn’t been flattered to know that she’d had a crush on him, not when she’d practically relayed to him everything the media made public about his life.
Athrun fought the urge to sigh. When had dating been such a pain in the ass? Oh, right, when he’d realized he wanted something more than a great fuck, and that what he wanted was something he couldn’t commit to either. He’d slaved to climb the success ladder independently, and where he was now took most of his free time away, not to mention his thoughts. For all his realizations, he couldn’t quite afford being deeply involved with someone. That left him with two stifling choices: one-night stands and convenient flings. Gods, sometimes he hated his life.
He slowed down as he reached his destination, a two-story building that packed a huge floor space horizontally. Shifting to the reverse gear, he backed his shiny silver Maserati up towards the empty parking slot. Kira had once asked him why he drove cars of another automobile make, and he’d only shrugged then. The Justice was an exceptional brand, heavily demanded by those who could afford it, but he just wasn’t keen on getting his own Justice automobile, not even the latest GAT-X series that had Dearka drooling.
Killing the engine then stepping out of the vehicle, he adjusted his sunglasses as he studied the glass-and-steel architecture in front of him, the sun glinting off the smooth, shiny surfaces. Applying a slight pressure on his car key button, he locked his car. He crossed the street and jammed one hand inside his pocket when he reached the door.
“Good morning, Mr. Zala,” the concierge greeted.
o-o
“You ought to get laid,” Miriallia calmly suggested, following the pacing of a certain irritated blonde who’d been restless and agitated since she got to her apartment. “Again.”
“What?” Cagalli had to pause as she gawked at her friend.
“When was the last time?”
“Excuse me?” Cagalli couldn’t stop staring at the brunette like she’d suddenly sprouted little devil horns on the top of her head.
Miriallia rolled her eyes. “Go ahead, Cagalli, pretend you’re some holy virgin who hasn’t explored the other uses of a bed one too many times. Whatever makes you sleep at night.”
“Miriallia!” Cagalli exclaimed, still unable to comprehend Miriallia’s approach to that certain subject. It was as if the brunette were discussing the weather. Really, when had her sex life been so talked about that her friend spoke of it like it was some ordinary topic they usually spoke of. Her life wasn’t Sex and the City, and Miriallia ought to know that. And, as far as she was concerned, she’d kept her tiny escapade to herself. For some unexplained reason, she didn’t feel like telling Miriallia about that night at the Freedom Metropolis.
Miriallia chuckled, amused by the highly scandalized expression on Cagalli’s face. “I’m kidding! Jeez!” She took a while to smother her laughter. “But really, you’re wound up so tight that you’d probably come undone if the phone so much as beeps. What gives?”
Cagalli almost sighed in relief. That Saturday, Miriallia had asked her where she’d been the night before. Apparently, Miriallia had wanted to visit this newly opened bar at the 54th street in Downtown Orb and was trying to contact her to no avail. Cagalli had easily told her that she had gone home right after she got out of the office, and had promptly fallen asleep due to exhaustion. The brunette bought the story, thankfully.
“It’s just work problems. Some proposal for a draft that’s been a subject of debate between the other secretary and me. Dammit, sometimes I wonder why I hadn’t taken a job at my father’s company instead of running away.”
“Let me think. Oh yeah, because you said you can live on your own,” Miriallia deadpanned. “I swear, if I had your father and his finances, I wouldn’t even think of stepping out of my comfort zone!”
Cagalli snorted. “And therein lies our difference.”
“Point.” Miriallia retrieved her wine glass from the coffee table and downed a few gulps. “Aside from that. I know there’s something else.”
“Really, am I such an open book?” Cagalli exasperatedly sighed. She looked at Miriallia who arched an eyebrow at her, almost asking her if she really wanted the brunette to answer that. “All right, all right, I am! Damn, I gotta learn to stop being so damn readable.”
“That wouldn’t be fun for me, but stop digressing, Athha. No matter how much you stray off topic, I’d just get back to what we’re originally discussing.” She finished the last drops of her wine, deposited the glass back to the coffee table, then settled deeper into Cagalli’s comfortable couch.
“Meh.” Cagalli mildly glared at her friend before deciding to plop down on the empty space beside her. “Father’s called and has been asking me to reconsider his offer. Believe me, it’s getting tempting.”
“Oh? How so?”
“An apartment at the Upper East Side and a Justice!” Cagalli cursorily surveyed her modest one-bedroom apartment. It wasn’t bad, and despite how her salary didn’t exactly compare to what she’d be getting when she worked at her father’s company, she was doing fine on her own. She got an apartment – with a yellow, white, and orange finish, much to Miriallia’s delight – she owned a nice, red Mazda, and she could afford night-outs at expensive establishments, even though not on continuous nights. But she had no complaints; after all, she worked most of the time and usually only had Friday and Saturday nights to herself.
“Did you say Justice?”
“Oh, yes, I suppose I did!”
Miriallia grinned like a Cheshire cat. “Then what are you here dawdling away for?”
Cagalli rolled her eyes, though she couldn’t help but smile at Miriallia’s enthusiasm. A lovely flat at the Upper East Side and a Justice didn’t come by everyday. Even as a teenager, she wasn’t one to splurge just because her daddy had too much money in his hands, but she’d grown up with money surrounding her. Now that she’d had a taste of how it was to live simply and by working her ass off to be able to buy the littlest of things, well, an offer like that was kind of hard to resist. Add that to the irritating fact that she was not getting along well with the other secretary. Why’d her former partner have to quit? Damn, if only she didn’t have her pride, which, she recalled, was also the reason she’d snapped her credit cards in two the day she ran away from her father’s shelter.
“I’m kidding, all right. I know your pride won’t let you be swayed by that. So, what now?”
The blonde sighed, ruffling her hair in annoyance. “I’m gonna have a talk with my old man. The sooner, the better.”
o-o
When Cagalli said she’d do something right away, she meant it, and that was why she was now standing in front of the great double doors of the Athha Mansion in a hurriedly put together combination of a faded red pullover, threadbare jean shorts, and a mulish set of her jaw. If truth be told, she hadn’t been in such haphazard fashion in a long time, and even if she hadn’t exactly thought of it, this ought to grate on her father’s nerve. Damned if she walked in his house the way he’d want her to: accomplished and businesslike. She could almost imagine her father gritting his teeth as she talked of how she was doing fine with her job and supporting herself when she was dressed like she couldn’t even afford a decent outfit to visit him in.
Steeling her nerves, she raised her hand and pulled the thick twisted cord to trigger the chimes that served as a secondary doorbell, the first one being the security mechanism at the gates. As a child, she loved hearing the musical scale ring, but that was way before she’d decided that getting out of this house was something she needed to do to prove that she could stand on her own two feet. And besides, she was a grown-up now, not some innocent child that laughed at the mere flutter of a butterfly’s wings.
To her surprise, Mana, her old nanny, was the one who opened the door instead of his father’s trusted head of security, Kisaka. For as along as she could remember, Kisaka greeted visitors first before any of the butlers they’d had.
“Lady Cagalli!” Mana enthused, glad to see her charge and, at the same time, scandalized to see what Cagalli was wearing.
Cagalli winced when Mana clucked her tongue in disapproval. “Nice to see you, too, Mana.”
“Don’t tell me you went here on your motorcycle! Oh my lords, my poor heart!” Mana began to hyperventilate, causing Cagalli to worry as she fumbled for words to assuage her nanny’s upset.
Cagalli held up her hands, seemingly to wave off Mana’s conclusions. She’d almost forgotten that the last time she’d seen her nanny, she’d been cruising around in her motorcycle, savoring the feeling of being free as much as to annoy the old man – that was almost a year and a half ago. But she’d given up that stint not long after. She’d gotten a job, sold the motorcycle, saved the money, then bought a car. It was one of the wisest decisions she’d made in her lifetime, not just because it would appear highly inappropriate to be riding a motorcycle in her office clothes, but that she’d matured from the rebellious girl of her past. It hadn’t been too long since she’d run away, but her time alone taught her that it would help a lot if she acted her age. She was twenty-five now, and though there were still times when she’d acted childish – like now, for example, wearing something she knew her father wouldn’t agree with just to get on the old man’s nerves – she was, more or less, a real grown-up.
“No, Mana, I came in a car,” she said, pacifying her nanny when she gestured behind her to reveal a newly washed car.
Mana placed a claming hand on her heart. “Oh, thank God!”
Cagalli squinted when the passing breeze swept her hair in a messy tumble. Tucking the stray locks behind her ears, she took a step forward and spoke, “Can I enter now?”
Mana’s eyes widened as just now she realized she’d been blocking her charge. “Of course, of course, love.”
Cagalli had to smile at that. Love. Mana always called her that, no matter how naughty she got, no matter how much she had misbehaved, no matter the failures she’d stacked. If there were one thing she missed during her absence from the Athha mansion, it was that endearment.
Mana took a deep breath a smiled understandingly at the blonde who hadn’t grazed the marble floor of her father’s house in a very long time. “I’m sure you came to see your father.”
The blonde gave an almost weary sigh. “It never changes, Mana. He’s just– He doesn’t– I can’t–” Cagalli frowned at herself, the realization of what she was babbling about precluded the need to justify her reason for being there to resurface. Dammit, she wasn’t getting emotional, was she? She came here to settle one thing, and by Genesis, she wouldn’t walk down some memory line just because the threshold she was in now held lots of memories for her.
Mana just smiled sympathetically at Cagalli, not quite knowing what to say. In the end, she kept her silence.
“Where is he anyway?” Cagalli asked casually.
“He’s in the study. He’s meeting with someone.”
“Damn.”
“Language,̶ 1; Mana sounded a warning note. “I don’t think it will take long.”
“I don’t really want to stay long either. Do you think you can, um, fetch him for me?”
Mana looked amused. “You should know better, Cagalli. Your father isn’t to be disturbed when he’s in a meeting when it’s anything short of an act of God.”
“Meh,” Cagalli expressed distastefully. “My being here is more than an act of any god.”
Mana chuckled softly as she led Cagalli to the second-floor parlor. “Maybe, but I doubt you’re father will be pleased if we disturb him.”
“Meh,” Cagalli repeated, following the elderly woman up the stairs. “Really, Mana, I still know my way around, you know.”
“I know, but I want to be sure that you’ll wait in the parlor until your father is done.”
“Again, Mana, meh.”
They walked in silence until they reached the room Mana wanted her to wait in. Stepping inside, she cursorily surveyed the parlor, noting if anything seemed different, if her absence made her unknowledgeable to things she used to be privy to. The same heavy curtains hung by the window, the different shades of blue a nice play of colors. The same upholstered couches on opposite sides of the room. The same lighting.
Cagalli inwardly rolled her eyes. What the hell was she expecting? That somehow her father thought of painting the wall purple in her absence? The room didn’t hold much significance even before, and it seemed that nothing had changed. Same old, same old.
“Now wait here, all right?”
“Yeah, yeah. I’ll be a nice little girl and sit quietly over here,” Cagalli replied, walking over one of the couches and sitting on it demurely, provoking Mana to laugh.
“I mean it, Cagalli. Do not disturb your father.”
“All right already!”
Mana continued to chuckle as she left her alone in the room.
Cagalli glanced at the wall clock on the opposite wall, taking note of the time. She really didn’t want to wait. She was as impatient as she had been before, and it only took a second before she was up and pacing the length of shiny parquet floor.
She looked at the clock again then checked her wristwatch, as if she didn’t quite believe the time the wall clock displayed. She winced. Not even a minute had passed. She stomped her foot. Ah, fuck it! With the abandon of a teenager and the sudden desire to further aggravate her father, she crossed the room and stepped out of the door. Walking the short distance to the study, she grinned at the expression that would mar her father’s face the moment she threw open the door.
Running a hand through her slightly unruly hair, she pushed open the door. Her rebellious grin, the misplaced feeling of achievement for disrupting her father’s meeting, the disobedient glint in her eyes, everything was quelled the moment a familiar pair of emerald eyes turned towards her even before her father’s surprised look registered in her mind.
Oh fuck…
x-x-x-x-x
Reference/s:
The idea on the chimes for the doorbell is from Susan Elizabeth Phillips’ book, Ain’t She Sweet?