[4xD] 5/7 "The most noble of weaknesses" Chapter 4

[Darkwing]

Standard disclaimers: See first chapter.

?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?

The most noble of weaknesses
By Darkwing
Chapter four

To say that they had a dream day was an euphemism and this was why the only acceptable way to end with a flourish was a good dinner.
Quatre relaxed at the driving place, letting the wind blow away his hair while the dying sun brushed against his reddened skin. Dorothy, by his side, seemed finally free from her enthusiasm and was sitting in silence, completely enchanted by the dry and wild landscape of the coast. The rosy light of the sunset created what Quatre called a magical glow on her hair.
He felt his heart sink within the chest. He thought that she was beautiful.
Quatre recalled the thoughtless hours that they just spent together. They didn?t talk about anything indeed, but they easily built a certain rapport. He relived with a smile the moment when she insisted to make him taste the oysters that they caught. He had never tasted one and, to be honest, even if the best gourmets all around the world considered them a deliciousness, he now knew that could have gladly lived without them. The mere thought of eating a practically alive animal had made his hair stand on the base of his neck, but Dorothy didn?t listen to any of his arguments. She had opened the shell and had poured lemon juice inside ? claiming that they didn?t need anything else to exalt the taste ? and then she had offered him the shell, as if it could be a common spoon. To tell all the truth, even after tasting it, he couldn?t confirm or deny the girl?s statements, because he just gulped it down.
On the contrary she could manage to turn into something sensual also that simple operation. He still had his eyes filled with her soft lips, as they bit the wet pulp, held captive into the pearl-shell; the rosy tongue that brushed against the perfectly white teeth; the tapering and quick fingers that handled the heavy sub knife with unexpected ability?Man! If to assist to a similar view again he had to eat a whole basket of alive oysters, he was going to comply without a second thought! ?Oh, God!? Quatre thought, suddenly worried. ?I?m starting to think like Duo!?
?We are almost arrived.? Dorothy broke the relaxed silence, beckoning to the lights of the harbor of the town of M?rter.
It apparently was just slightly bigger than Jezera, but one could tell that the small town lived following more worldly rhythms. The promenade along the sea was crowded with tourists and, even if the evening was still young, many places were already open, their signs shining.
In a few minutes they crossed the entrance. ?Now we have to find a good place to dock.? Quatre said, a bit worried since the traffic of boats was surely intense.
?Over there.? Dorothy pointed her finger. ?We can find a place in the second row.?
Quatre raised an eyebrow. ?Second row??
?Don?t worry. We can do that. We just have to place ourselves so that we don?t damage the other boats. Then to get off we can jump from a boat to another. Nobody takes offence for this, it?s normal.?
Following the girl?s advice, Quatre strove to moor in a proper way. We was sure that a real sailor would laugh at how he fastened the boat, but after all he was also sure that he didn?t do too bad for ?someone that has seen the sea once or twice in a life?.
Quatre preceded Dorothy onto the ground, helping her to jump onto the wharf. She accepted his hand, even if he was sure that she could have perfectly made it by herself.
?Where can we go, then?? He asked. ?Any idea??
She settled her light summer dress, judging her attire with a not really convinced expression. ?I think that the best would be something simple. I can?t figure where else I could go, dressed like this.?
?I?m sure that nobody could contradict me if I said: everywhere.? Quatre dared a compliment, hit by a sudden attack of boldness.
She smiled, lowering her gaze. Finally, for once, she was the one feeling uneasy and Quatre the one that pretended to ignore it. He offered her his arm. ?Can we go??
She hesitated before accepting, then she smiled and assented with a nod.
?I believe tomorrow it won?t be as good as today.? She begun, trying to turn the speech on a general topic.
Quatre raised his eyes to the sky. ?Why do you say so? I can?t see a single cloud.?
She shrugged. ?It?s just a feeling, but I?ve always been a bit sensitive about the changes of the weather.?
?Really?? Quatre was just partially surprised. ?Me too! I can?t explain it, but when I was in the desert, together with Rashid and the other guys, I could always foresee the sand storms. I don?t know, it was like I could feel it inside my bones.?
She looked at him furtively. ?I must say I find hard to picture you in a ?battle in the desert? attire. I?ve always thought that you were more for the ?theoretical strategies?.?
?I actually have always been more inclined for reflection than for direct action, but circumstances often don?t let us any choice and request us a certain flexibility.? He admitted.
With a slight hint of sorrow she nodded. ?That?s true.?
The melancholy vein that he recognized in her voice immediately alerted him. He didn?t want her to sadden for some reason due to him. He thought to a quick solution.
?Hey, look over there.? He pointed to a stage that was mounted along the promenade where it widened forming a small square. It was crowded in front of it and the tables that were closest to the stage were already taken. An attractive smell of barbecue filled the air. ?It looks like they are preparing something. Do we ask for information?? He proposed.
She nodded, letting Quatre approach a man that belonged to the organization?s staff. A minute later he was back. ?It?s a rural fest. The menu is based on grilled fish and then there?s a local musical show. What do you think of this??
Dorothy raised her eyebrows smiling. ?I think that we couldn?t have been more lucky than this.?
?Perfect.? While escorting Dorothy to their table, Quatre hoped that his happiness wasn?t ridiculously evident.

* * * * *

Half an hour later they were sipping a local white wine, after having honored a generous helping of grilled fish. A background of flutes, violins and tambourines created a joyful atmosphere, in perfect tune with Quatre?s mood.
?So don?t you tell me anything about you, Quatre? What did you do all this time up there in space?? Dorothy brushed a well-groomed finger along the edge of her glass.
In front of such a direct question, Quatre couldn?t avoid the personal subjects that he evaded the whole day. He tried to be vague. ?Nothing special. I guess that you could consider my work boring, after all.?
?Liar.? She stated, as if that was a simple matter of fact. ?I can?t believe that the CEO [3] of the Winner Corporation finds his work boring.?
Quatre shrugged. ?It?s not something that you could call thrilling. I must say I?d really be a liar, if I denied the economical implications, but too often I find myself missing some of the concrete situations that I had to face in the past.?
Dorothy laughed. ?You?re an awful liar. I can tell by your eyes that you?re proud of your company. Besides?? She made a pause sipping some of her wine. ?Don?t tell me that you?re opening your business to the Mars? market just because you miss some adventure, because I can't believe you.?
The young man widened his eyes. How could Dorothy know of the deal that he was discussing with the Mars Mining Enterprise? They kept the negotiations on a strictly confidential level, to avoid the dangerous fluctuations that a similar alliance would cause on the raw materials? quotations.
?Don?t make that face, Quatre. The world is a place smaller than you believe and the Planet of Law is even smaller or we wouldn?t be obliged to enter our offices with well sharpened claws.?
?Planet of Law?? Quatre recovered his composure. ?I hope that you could forgive my surprise, Dorothy. I didn?t know that this business had such a high circulation.?
She waved her hand displaying carelessness. ?Don?t worry, it hasn?t. But my colleagues like chatting.?
?You mean you also work in the financial sector?? Quatre was really surprised since he never heard her name. He would have remembered.
She shook her head. ?No. I?m a lawyer specialized in civil cases, but as I told, we chat and?Well, the L4 ?Golden Boy? is usually a good subject.?
Quatre was well aware of being a tasty prey for magazines of various nature, starting from newspapers specialized in financial topics to magazines dedicated to frivolous society news, filled with gossip. Sometimes he happened to read about scabrous details of his romantic life of which he didn?t know anything. He was rather curios to know to which category belonged the rumors Dorothy was mentioning now. ?Indiscretions or gossip??
?When did you start to find interest in the others' opinion?? Dorothy bluntly asked. ?I thought that you always acted without paying too much attention to that.?
Quatre nodded. ?I admit that you?re right, but when you pass most of your time in a certain company you learn to be careful.? He showed a half smile that on another face could have looked cheeky. ?And especially you learn the value of caution, when you must daily talk to lawyers.? He added.
The girl laughed heartily. ?Touch?!? She acknowledged, miming a toast as if her glass was an imaginary foil.
?So you win where I miserably fail.? Quatre started to talk again after a minute. ?I'm not ashamed to say that the last thing I did before leaving my office was cursing the classical clause at the bottom of the page. At last, after arguing with myself the whole day, I decided that it was time for a holiday.? He told, without mentioning the mail that he got from Duo.
?It?s just experience?? Dorothy deemed, wanting to dismiss the problem and Quatre didn?t say anything more.
He could surely see Dorothy practice a forensic activity. It was a profession that perfectly suited her and that obviously gave her the opportunity to keep on facing her opponents. A perfect battlefield, where she could give vent to her combative temper. He was sure that she was an extraordinary orator.
?Experience?and necessity.? Dorothy surprisingly added, as if talking to herself.
Quatre?s sensibility didn?t miss the bitter tone in her words. ?There?s something wrong, Dorothy??
She stared at him with the look of someone that was nearly killing herself to keep control. He felt the urge to take her apparently frail hand, but he repressed his instinct.
?No, everything?s fine.?
Quatre didn?t give voice to his thoughts and avoided to say that, if her daily life included that feeling of contrariety, it was far from being fine. He just remained silent, waiting. He didn?t want to push her to talk about unpleasant topics.
She seemed able to read his mind. ?It?s not nice, but everybody knows that necessity is the mother of invention, right? I didn?t choose this profession because I liked it.? She confessed.
Quatre nodded in sympathy. ?Well, I didn?t too. Just think that when I was younger, I wanted be a musician!? He gave her a sad smile. ?As you can see, I perfectly understand you.?
He noticed a second too late that he told something wrong: the gray gaze of Dorothy had suddenly become harder than a gundanium block.
?You what?? The calm voice of the young woman immediately put him against a virtual wall. He couldn?t understand what he said to upset her. He had the unpleasant feeling that he was experiencing the proverbial quietness before the storm.
?You understand me, do you say?? Dorothy almost panted in disbelief. ?How the hell do you think you can even vaguely understand me??
In that moment Quatre would have exchanged all his industrials to have a device that could turn him into a miniature of himself. He still couldn?t understand the reasons of that reaction. ?I?m sorry. I didn?t mean to sound offensive.?
She waved a hand in distaste. ?Always that goddamned kindness! Doesn?t this sound hypocrite to you? You hurt me and then you ask for forgiveness, as if this was enough to pretend that everything never happened!?
Quatre, that kept on not to understand what caused that fury, could just apologize himself again. ?I don?t think it?s hypocrite to be honest. I don?t know what I did or said to hurt you. I can just say I didn?t mean to.?
?You don?t know, hm?? Dorothy kept her voice low, but cold. It seemed like she didn?t need to raise her tone to intimidate her interlocutors. Her ice eyes were more than enough. ?If you don?t know, I will tell you in four words: you destroyed my life, Quatre Raberba Winner. And now, after that you and your friends ruined my existence, you tell me that you understand my position??
Quatre was stunned. He couldn?t tell how much of him was shocked, sorrowful or deluded. ?I?I don?t know what to say.? He could finally mumble.
?Well.? She stated. ?So shut up and listen, at last you?ll finally realize something.? She didn?t wait for his reply and began her story. ?When my father was killed, I was still a child. My mother had already left us after a terrible cancer and that meant that with my father?s death I became completely alone.
My father was a very wealthy man and, after his death, his belongings were rightly mine, even if I was too young to understand what that implied. In that moment the only thing that I wanted was to have back my family and my nest. All things that money couldn?t buy. But then, relatives that I hadn't ever seen before began to claim me for adoption, while my grandfather ? my mother?s father ? fought to keep their claws far from me and took upon himself the charge of my tutelage. Despite of his old age he was a man full of energy and he was the only one that protected me, without asking for anything in return.
He could never replace my parents in my heart, but time helped us to build a wonderful relationship. I could find happiness with him, even if the seed of suspect had already killed my innocence. Then, as you already know, he had been killed too??
Quatre found the courage to intervene. ?But it wasn?t our fault, Dorothy. White Fang killed him.?
She stared at him with hate. ?Tell me and be honest, are you trying to say that, if you could get hold of the leader of the Romefeller Foundation, you?d just shake his hand??
Quatre bit his tongue. He was well aware that, when those episodes took place, it would have been difficult, if not impossible, to soothe the question with a peaceful negotiation. But, even if he just had to thank a fortuitous circumstance, the death of duke Dermail didn?t stain his conscience. ?You should know better than me that not a single tribunal in the world could judge somebody for his intentions.?
?That was just the beginning of the end.? She retorted to him. ?With his death I lost everything. The most part of the possessions of my family were still his and, taking advantage of the confusion due to the war, banks and sharks didn?t waste time. They hadn?t to sweat too much to take a lone, young and inexpert woman in cheat. This is why, after his death, I had no choice left but leave Earth. OZ and the whole Foundation were going to the dogs and I needed to find support elsewhere.?
?Zechs.? Quatre said, now completely hooked by her story.
?Exactly. Milliardo was a bit older than me, but when we were still children we always played together. He was perhaps one of the few persons that I could still call friend.?
Quatre took the liberty to interrupt her again. ?That was a reckless move of you. After all he was the leader of White Fang in that moment.? He avoided to mention the deep contradiction in her choice. They were those that shot the duke?s shuttle after all.
Dorothy lowered her gaze. ?I hadn't anything left to loose. If he killed me, I?d have left this world on the battlefield, like my grandfather and my father before him. If he accepted me, we?d have shared the honor of victory.?
?But things didn?t go as you foresaw.?
Dorothy?s tone turned into menacing again. ?It was all your fault!?
Quatre decided that in that moment it would have been pointless to remember her that, if Zechs completed his plan, now they couldn?t enjoy that wonderful starry night. So he kept his thoughts for himself again. ?War finished a long time ago, Dorothy.?
?Your war, perhaps. Since the day that my father was killed my war didn?t stop a single day!? The fierce gaze of the girl stole his words. ?And, to come back to the first question, do you still want to know how I started to practice this work? Well, you're done! When I came back onto Earth and I discovered that I really hadn't any place where I could go anymore, I had to fight with all my strength to recover something of what once belonged to my family. Nobody was there to help me, so I helped myself. I finished my studies with my few resources left and I immediately began to work without a proper legal training. I hadn't time to waste. What that the sharks left was now belonging to the ESUN, that confiscated everything from the deceased ?war criminal?, as a reparation and solatium for the material and moral damage committed against humanity.
It wasn?t easy to find concrete proof of my rights. Not every cause concluded with my victory, but I won some of them and in this way I also gained a good reputation as a law woman.?
Quatre sighed mortified. ?I hadn?t any clue that you had to go across all this. I?m really sorry. I?d just want you to know that I never wanted to hurt you.?
She bit her lip, more to stem a fall of curses than for real embarrassment. ?Again with your excuses! I don?t know what I could do with your excuses. What?s done, it?s done. Just?I don?t truly believe that you could understand. You can?t know how many times I dreamed to kill you and all your friends with my bare hands. You can?t know how much I hated you, Quatre Winner! You and all your comrades!
A bunch of rebels, former terrorists, were peacefully coming back home and I was left back empty-handed?And as if this wasn?t enough, while you could keep you past secret, I lived for months on people?s mouth, since I just was the niece of an evil man, responsible of a bloody war.?
From Quatre's point of view, Dorothy sill saw some episodes trough a deforming lens, but to be completely honest he couldn?t blame her. He now could easily understand where her feelings originated. Yet there was something that sounded deeply unjust in that hate that she still nourished inside of her. And he was sure that she knew it too.
?You can?t keep living like this, Dorothy. The tragedies of your past can?t control all your life. You?ve a future of success in front of you.
Your father left you and your grandfather too. It?s true, you?re alone, but you also gave proof of being exceptionally strong. Don?t allow to your hate to consume your soul. Let time flow again, Dorothy.? To see her with such a torment in her mind made his heart ache. He had hoped that time could heal some of her wounds. ?I beg you, Dorothy. You?re too good to give up like this?? He didn?t believe that it was the right moment, but the desire to hold the fingers of her contracted hand had the best of him. Trough the table he reached for her, gently brushing her clenched fist.
Dorothy suddenly drew back her hand. ?I already told you once, Quatre. Being good doesn?t make me happy! Kindness, as you call it, is completely pointless when you must fight to live.? Then she stood up.
?Where are you going?? Quatre worried immediately.
?I?m tired. I haven't any intention to continue this conversation.? She said in her resolve. ?And don?t disturb yourself. I can find the way home by myself.? She said before turning away.
?Dorothy!? Quatre hurried to catch up with her, but when he pressed his hand on her shoulder, she shook him away and kept on walking without turning back. ?Thank you for the wonderful day.? She said in a sad and rushed whisper. Then she run away, along the dark dock.
Quatre stood still like a statue for a reason that he couldn?t explain himself. She was crying. She didn?t turn because she wanted to hide her tears! If he could, he would punch himself. Dorothy, the cold, inscrutable Dorothy, literally run away from him in tears!
The heart sank deeper in his chest, but this time he knew that it was for his own despair. He wanted to run after her, to hold her tight against his chest, and tell her that she hadn?t any reason to be ashamed of him, because he was just a fool that turned a wonderful day into a living hell. But what could he gain from this? Why should she care of his opinions, if the only bound that she felt toward him was the regret for letting him alive?
The dull noise of a starting engine suddenly awoke him from his state of trance. ?Dorothy??
He run along the dark dock, following the noise?s direction. A couple of red and green lights were blinking on the sea, now black like coal oil, signaling the imminent departure of a little boat.
?Dorothy!? He shouted. The golden hair of the girl swirled when she turned her head to him in the darkness. ?Quatre, please. I need to be alone.? To prevent him from giving an answer, she gave power to the engine and left, heading the motorboat out of the small harbor at the top speed.
?Damn! Dorothy! Don?t do anything foolish!? He yelled and frantically searched around for something that he hadn't. He needed a boat to pursue her?
?She dumped you, eh??
Quatre started, taken in surprise. Than he noticed the dark silhouette of a man that sat on the dock. He was fishing.
The young man ignored the comment. ?I need a boat. Could you help me??
The fisherman quietly turned toward him. A red-hot cigarette end fluctuated in the night, following the movements of the man?s lips. ?I could, but it would be useless for you. Trust me, kid, I know women more than you.? Then he focused again on his fishing line.
Quatre didn?t surrender. ?You don?t understand. She?s out there alone?what if something happens??
The man giggled. ?With all the due respect, kid, but I saw the way you moored and you don?t look like a sea captain. On the contrary, and again don?t take this as an offence, the pretty lady there seemed perfectly competent. For me it?s better for you if you take a taxi and go home.?
?You don?t understand??
The fisherman laughed again. ?No, you?re right, I don?t. But who can really tell to be able to understand a woman? The only thing that I learned after almost forty years of marriage is that, when they?re really angry, their strategy is always the best. Listen to me, if you run after her now, you?ll make the situation worse. When tomorrow things will be over, you?ll buy her a beautiful bunch of flowers and everything will be back better than before.?
Quatre was sure that neither an entire field of roses could resolve the question, but perhaps the fisherman?s advice was wiser than he thought at first sight. After all he had to admit that, even if he had reached her, he couldn?t do anything if she didn?t allow him.
?Perhaps you?re right.? He admitted with a sigh.
?Of course I?m right.? The man reassured him. ?But let me tell you another thing, kid. You chose a beautiful wild kitten, you know? I?m not surprised that you?re loosing your sleep for her.?
Quatre inwardly thanked the darkness of the night that hid the blush suddenly appeared on his cheeks. ?Well?I?ll try to follow your advice.? Quatre said, and spoke his quick goodbye.
The wrinkled gaze of the fisherman followed him in amusement. He sighed. ?Ah, love!?The most noble of weaknesses!? He told himself, chuckling. Then he turned again his eyes to the sea.

TBC?

?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?
[3] Chief Executive Officer.
?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?

[takisha16]

awwwww....they had a fight
Hopefully they can talk it out and work things out.
I loved the way you portrayed Dorothy! I could literally imagine her saying
those things to Quatre!
Rough childhood indeed!
Although, Quatre did not know all her past and maybe Dorothy will realize
this soon and they can have a long emotional talk and maybe make out later! jajajja.....just kidding, the story's progressing wonderfully!
They definitely need some space and then get back together to clear things
up when Dorothy's ready.
Nice chappy!
Keep it up!

[GundamVixen]

woah! talk about angst! I didn't see that one coming! lol!

the ending part was helirious!! that guy knows what he's talking about! LOL

but it also depends on the situations I must say. LOL!