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| Chapter 1: Too Perfect The waiting room was designed for comfort. Sun poured in through wide windows, drowning warm oak paneling and genuine suede covered chairs in a sickeningly cheerful light. Dorothy hated it. She sat perched on the edge of a chair in a pose of artfully arranged discomfort, one leg crossed decorously over the other, her blond hair falling elegantly over the back, the upturned corner of her lips resembling more a smirk than any expression of contentment. Only her eyes moved, scanning the room with an air of bored indifference.
'So this is the result of total pacifism.' She almost sighed. 'Sank remains a ruin still, merely a retouched memorial to a dead dream.' she thought, glancing through the window at the perfectly manicured gardens and evenly mowed lawns. The stagnancy was suffocating. Even the birds were well ordered and quiet. It was all she could do not to throw herself from the chair, rip the pen from the hand of the ever bustling, smiling secretary, break it, do something, anything besides wait. But the battle would be coming here soon, she reminded herself. 'Even now mobile suits are gathering outside your borders. All the gardening in the world won't change that.' For an instant her smirk turned feral, her blue eyes lightening from their glassy haze.
"Lovely weather, isn't it dear?" The secretary spoke, her voice once again jarring Dorothy from her thoughts.
"Yes."
Ten minutes of short, one word answers to inane comments about the school, the secretary's young grandchildren, her cats, even the quality of the coffee in Sank, and still the woman refused to allow her more than a moment's peace. 'Never again.' Dorothy promised herself. She didn't want the confidences of strangers.
The intercom buzzed. "Miss Relena will see you now." the receptionist said, her attempt at good-natured efficiency worn down somewhat by the girl's persistent disinterest.
"Of course." Dorothy stood with practiced grace, her smile almost completely disguising the annoyance behind her eyes. All lies. This pitiful pretense of peace was merely another illusion of mirrors and shadows, attempting as always to hide the rot underneath.
"And thank you, miss..." Dorothy inclined her head, quirking one forked eyebrow. Most considered the brows a deformity, her grandfather had certainly tried hard enough to have them tweezed, but Dorothy liked the slightly intimidating effect they commanded when she called attention to them.
"Just Rose child. All the new girls call me Rose." The woman beamed, completely missing the intended effect, immediately chalking Dorothy's former sullen manner to nervousness. "Now don't be worried child, she's really quite wonderful, very sweet, not at all intimidating."
Dorothy's nod was curt; kindness annoyed her, it made her wonder what the other person wanted.
*****
"My name is Relena Peacecraft, Chairman of the Board of Directors. Welcome to the Sank Kingdom." The girl stood behind the desk, her lips turned up in a smile that didn't quite belay the tension in her body. 'As though she is letting a coyote in the chicken coop, hoping it will change its nature when given its fill of vegetables.' Dorothy thought, amused.
"I didn't know that the Sank Kingdom's very own Princess is also the Chairman of the Board." Dorothy could feel the sarcasm leaking into her words, baiting Relena, but couldn't bring herself to hide it. Though she had known Relena was her age, it was hard to rectify the girl sitting in front of her with the image of the great threat that Dermail had sent her to find out about. 'Still, I am usually better at this', Dorothy noted with some concern.
"My name is Dorothy Catalonia. It is a pleasure to meet you." She said, making certain to force her expression to one of polite interest.
"I'm still unable to do anything on my own yet. I'll be learning about Absolute Pacifism together with you." Relena responded, catching Dorothy off guard. Usually this was the time for a show of power. Either the girl was as inexperienced with politics as Dorothy had been lead to believe, or perhaps she actually followed the drivel she preached.
'She is a fool.' Dorothy decided. Only a fool would throw around her ignorance as if it was some sort of virtue. Thinking back to the secretary's remarks though, it was no wonder. Everyone around here seemed to treat Relena as if she was the second coming of some pacifistic deity. 'She is playing with fire, playing at politics like a kitten with yarn.'
Yet there was something about Relena that caused her grandfather concern. 'Even kittens have claws.' She could hear her grandfather's words in her mind, his subtly patronizing tone of voice as he would pat the top of her head as though Dorothy herself were a pet. It was his imitation of affection. Even as she grew older, his voice still held the quality of mockery, whether he knew she hated it, hated him, he probably didn't care, possibly enjoying it. Dorothy still didn't know. She didn't recall that tone from her father, but he had died when she was almost too young to remember while she had never known her mother. Dermail had taught her most of what she knew about duplicity.
Her eyes narrowed imperceptibly, he would do better to heed his own words. She wasn't here for him. Better to find out what the girl was made of, what part she would serve in the upcoming battle. It made no sense to make a pawn of a bystander. She would be damned if his words would wreck her plans.
"As you know, I come from the Romefeller Foundation." Dorothy stated, choosing her words carefully, taking care to project an earnest facade.
"The Foundation itself possesses a huge military arsenal." She continued. "I am truly interested in this policy Sank Kingdom has. What would you do if they were to invade your country? All of this wonderful scenery would be destroyed in seconds... I can't imagine such a terrible thing happening... No one wants to let such idiotic people conquer this country. What would you do if such a devastating and tragic thing were to happen to this place?"
Dorothy stood, poised with expression of wide-eyed expectance, hoping she had kept her contempt of the scenery from her voice, waiting for her moment to strike. These small victories were nothing compared to the glory of honest battle, in fact it disgusted her even more than the soft faced girl sitting in front of her, but they were all she had.
"I don't believe anyone is stupid in this world." Relena's face was still pleasant, but Dorothy could hear the snap in her words. It made Dorothy look closer. In spite of Relena's tone, her blue eyes shone with passion for the subject. "We can understand each other through discussion. I believe that in doing so, there can be peace."
'Discussion? What does that solve? Grandfather was wrong, this will be easy.' Dorothy waited for the feeling of exultation to flow through her, the thrill of victory in her grasp with only a few more well chosen words. These moments were the only thing besides fighting that made her feel alive. What leader could respect themselves if they couldn't defend their kingdom? Who would follow them? This stance had failed Sank before, and it would fail them again. A mere reminder of that broken past would be enough to send people scattering. But the emotion was a trickle instead of a flood, leaving Dorothy feeling somehow cheated, as though she had missed some important nuance.
'She believes it.' Dorothy realized after a moment's thought. It was unnerving. Usually the words of these discussions were of little consequence, merely a vehicle for both sides to figure out each other's actual motives. Her words, however quickly she had come to them, were sincere. Relena was ridiculously nave, but now Dorothy could see why grandfather had been concerned about the girl. This girl had something her grandfather burned to possess but would never understand, and it would draw people to her like lambs to the slaughter.
Of course, Dermail had treated this like he would any other threat. "Give me the keys to destroy her." Dorothy wasn't a very good spy, hardly polite, but her love of destruction was one thing that could be depended on. However, even Dorothy occasionally realized the need for subtlety. Relena's naivet was as important to maintaining the will to fight as the passion of the opposing side. People needed the illusion that they were fighting for or against something. Without extremes, there would be no conflict. Honing Relena for a time, Dorothy noted with an inward smile, would put her closer to the center of the battle than even her failed attempt to run away to military academy.
"Lady Relena, I am stupid. I like war. I love it." Dorothy didn't hide her enthusiasm, instead showing it completely. "I shouldn't be staying here with such ideas in my head."
"No. The first stage of our country's policy is to bring such matters into discussion. Let's talk about these things, Miss Dorothy."
Yes. She was perfect.
The words slipped out before she could check them. "Please, call me Dorothy, Miss Relena."
"Call me Relena." The girl immediately responded, her eyes losing some of their wariness, for a moment open in the belief that a new connection was forming.
Too perfect.
"No, I can't."
"What?"
"Miss Relena is the heroine of this era. Miss Relena, I admire you a lot."
Dorothy's lips turned upwards, baring her teeth in the impression of a smile. It was her only warning. 'I am not your friend.'
Comments? Flames? Fools and Followers: Chapter 2 Fanfic Main Page Posted: 10/10/01 |
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