Upper Class 7/?
Posted: Thu Sep 09, 2004 5:25 pm
Chap 7, whee! I hope you guys are enjoying this. Let me know!
Disclaimer: I do not own GW, FMP!, or anything else that gets tossed into this fic. No profit is being made.
Upper Class ? Chapter Seven
By Gundam Girl
Relena was just tying the end of the braid she worked her hair into the next morning when Heero unceremoniously burst inside her ? his ? bedroom. ?You have five minutes,? he declared.
Relena?s gave him a slanted look. ?Five minutes before what? Have you decided what price I am worth??
He might have winced had her tone been any colder. ?I might have,? he said evenly, his eyes giving away nothing, ?but it isn?t the time yet for me to tell it. We?re getting you new clothes.?
?You?? Surprise dwelled on her face for a moment, followed by wariness. ?I don?t believe I can trust you enough for that.?
?Trusting a person has nothing to do with letting them spend their money instead of yours.?
Her eyes flashed. ?The money you spend is not yours.?
Heero merely grinned at her. ?There?s one point of view.?
Like a bullet from a pistol, Relena longed to shoot out a retort, but the ship suddenly jolted horribly, and she was knocked backwards straight towards the wall. Heero, who was holding onto one of the nailed-down chairs, grabbed her around the waist and held her closely to him as the ship righted again. In those brief few moments, something akin to a lightning bolt shot through Heero to Relena and both tensed from the impact.
He released her before she could begin to struggle and snorted. She only continued to glare at him.
With a small sigh, he clicked his tongue once and started up the stairs that led onto the deck. ?Rather graceless docking, wasn?t that, Trowa??
Relena pressed hand to her chest in hopes of slowing the race her heart was running. The heat had risen in her stomach again and her cheeks were flushed. She was so dazed by the memory of being pressed to the pirate captain?s chest that she did not notice right away when Wufei paused in the doorway.
?Are you coming?? he questioned, his dark eyebrows arched in expectancy. ?I?d have thought you?d want to get off this ship for awhile.?
Relena blinked at him. ?Yes,? she murmured.
?Well then,? the Chinaman huffed, ?get your ladyship out here.?
---
The island the Ivory Damsel had chosen for its port was virtually unknown to all but those who required its services ? namely, pirates, gypsies, and other criminals. It was hidden from view of the usual courses by large rocks that jutted out far enough away from the island to completely block it. Only a sixty-five foot space allowed passage. Known simply as Diablo from the Spanish thieves that had first opened business on the spit of land nearly fifty years ago, it really was a devil.
Duo hefted the large sack full of the better items of their recent plunders and grinned. ?I?m off to see G,? he called out to them. ?We should get plenty for these.? Jewels and expensive lamps, fine cloths and fabrics filled the sack. ?How about I meet you later at the normal place??
?Sounds fine,? Heero nodded. As Duo walked off, he turned to Hilde, Sally, and Catherine. ?I have a special assignment for the three of you. I want you to take our lady here and get her something more suitable than that fluff of silk.?
?No joke,? Hilde smiled. ?Another day or two, it simply would fall off her.?
Sally looked a bit more disappointed. ?Shame such a nice thing?s been wasted, though. Sure we can?t sew it??
?It?s finished,? Cathy announced, shaking her head at the mistreated threading and stains on the dress as Relena blushed darkly under their scrutiny. ?But don?t worry!? she said cheerfully. She directed Relena away from the men with an arm around the lady?s waist. ?We?ll buy something just as nice!?
?Do you want me to go with them?? asked Trowa. ?It?s seemed the girls are a bit too fond of Miss Peacecraft if they?re going to be proper captors.?
?Wouldn?t that go for you?? Heero returned, nearly snapping. He watched Trowa move in a way that would have been a squirm if done by anyone else. Irritated, he shoved hand through his hair. He honestly wanted to follow them himself. There was an odd feeling of wanting to protect Relena that he didn?t much care for. He told himself it was nothing more than wanting to defend what was his. The truth was, he couldn?t expect himself to be a proper captor either ? not anymore.
Damn, he really hoped she didn?t try to pull anything over him. He wasn?t sure he?d be able to keep from falling for any tricks. After this morning with Relena flush up against him, he hadn?t been able to stop a flame from flaring inside him, heating him like the kitchen furnace.
?Let?s get a drink,? Heero suggested. Anything to cool the burning that was going full-force again as he watched Relena disappear into the crowds. Wufei and Trowa agreed and they headed off.
The hut with the long, oak bar was far cooler than beneath the sun outside where multitudes of connivers stumbled along on the sandy beach to the various huts and stands. There, they could buy and sell anything from seashells to real estate to a person?s virginity, and, if one was suspicious enough, human souls. Relena was no doubt jittery, Heero thought as a server woman clad in fishnet stockings brought him and his companions their beer. The server, a tall girl with her shocking red hair caught up in a bundle on her head with strands of hair falling here and their, shot him a slick smile.
?Hungry?? she asked in an accent that sounded French ? fake French.
?It?s too early for my appetite,? Wufei said quickly. Trowa merely gave his full attention to his drink.
?How about you?? the woman said to Heero. ?Surely a tough guy like you can take something this morning.? Her green eyes flashed invitingly.
Heero realized with some surprise that the cute dimples at the corners of her mouth had absolutely no effect on him. ?I?m good with my beer for now, honey.? The words came out so easily that he thought for a moment some other guy had said them. But no, he?d definitely been the one to speak because the redhead?s look changed from sultry to annoyed.
?Well then,? she huffed, setting her hands on her hips. ?I hope I can at least expect a good tip from you gents.? Turning on the high heel of her boot, she stalked off.
Wufei spoke first. ?Odd, Yuy. Wouldn?t normally turn one like that down, would you?? He narrowed his eyes. ?Or ones worse than that one.?
Trowa, on the other hand, was more understanding. ?It seems we?ll have to suffer the service of a scorned worker. There?s nothing more disappointing than getting turned down from a job.? He added with a small smirk, ?Now don?t you just feel terrible, Captain??
?I?m trying to cool down,? Heero defended sharply, ?not heat things up even more. I?ll leave that to the sun outside.?
?It certainly is blazing today. I bet your lady hostage was cooking like Trowa?s sister?s chicken in that English dress.? Wufei drained the rest of his beer in two fast gulps. ?I suppose the girls will take care of that. But now.? His voice grew serious again, in true Wufei nature. The man could be amusing and grave in one breath. ?How long do you think it?ll be before one of her loyal friends catch up to us??
?I?d say we still have at least another day,? Heero said. ?The Governor and the Baron have quite enough money for a fast ship. And that Navy?s already out. They?re too difficult to predict, but they won?t be upon us too quickly. Full of morons is that group.?
?Then there?s our everyday bounty lovers,? Trowa added. ?It?s a joke to even think they?ll catch us, however. If my head?s worth money, I want to be the one who has it?the head and the money.?
?Your head?s too pretty, too,? Heero mocked. ?I?m sure there?d be a lady who?d rescue you from your hanging.?
The words were just out of his mouth when the hut?s doors opened and the girls returned with Relena in front of them like a convict going to jail. With her face as red as it was, some could have thought her one. But it was the clothes that might have made them sure.
Her hair, long and brushed, was loose around her shoulders. She wore a long skirt dyed burgundy that began at her hips and ended at her ankles. On either side of the skirt were long slits in the fabric, leaving a tempting view of strips of flesh. Her shirt, if it could be called that, covered her well as the cut hid any cleavage, but it had no straps, and if Heero presently had the ability to think, he?d have presumed it clasped or zipped in the back. The slimness of her neck was emphasized by a ribbon the color of her skirt and from it hung a gold medallion with a plain circle engraved it on. Smaller, matching medallions hung at her ears. Lastly, Heero noticed with a shocking cloud of temper, that she still wore the Governor?s ring. Yet it didn?t diminish her beauty in any way, despite its symbolism. If Quatre had called her radiant in the gown she had been wearing, Heero would say the same in these island peasant?s clothes.
And now, he couldn?t deny the way his heart beat even as his libido heated.
?If I am to be rescued,? Trowa said lowly, ?I?d like it much to be her who does it.?
Though Heero was stony-faced, Wufei took pity on him and gave him a few seconds to recover by greeting the women first. ?I see you?ve got business taken care of.? He tipped his empty glass toward Relena. ?As I man, I admit you clean up well, Miss Peacecraft.? His smirk was successful when she blushed even more brightly.
?And you?re probably thirsty,? Trowa added, enjoying the game as well. There really was nothing more fun than poking fun at a lady. He?d been able to do it to Catherine for years before she finally broke out of her sociality. ?Sit, girls, and get a drink. I don?t s?pose you?ll have beer, Miss Peacecraft??
?I shall!? Hilde declared. Sally and Catherine ordered rum, but Relena murmured out a request for water to the same redhead who had served them before.
The server sneered at Relena?s clothes. ?I smell rich blood,? she said, her thinly-shaped eyebrows lowered. ?And this one colors far too easily.?
Heero snapped out of his daze at that comment and glared at the redhead. ?I believe I dealt with you before,? he said to her.
The redhead jutted her chin into the air. ?Dealt nothing. I think I found the little wench ya refused me for, didn?t I, Cap?n?? In her irritation, her false accent slipped and revealed Southern United States.
Relena set her eyes downcast, but Heero rose from his chair to tower above the waistress. Calm, he told himself. Keep the hell calm. ?Ma?am,? he said warningly, ?if you still are gonna be wantin? your tip before we leave, I make the suggestion you get your tail-end outta here and get us our drinks. Or we?ll leave you nothing.?
She gave an enraged exhalation, and her cheeks puffed out unbecomingly. She turned.
?And remember one thing,? Heero added. ?The only wench in this place right now is you, sugar.? He sat down again as the redhead gave him one last incredulous look before leaving them alone.
?Bitch,? Wufei finished coldly. Sally smacked his shoulder.
?Soooooo, Heero,? Hilde said after a moment to break the ice that had settled over the table. ?What d?ya of Relena?s new look? Sexy little thing, isn?t she??
Catherine grinned. ?We found out that she has legs.?
Heero forced himself to keep his eyes on Relena head instead of flicking down to her skirt again. In the chair beside him, she was staring at the table very determinedly. ?So I see,? he replied. ?Nice ones too.?
As he?d hoped, her eyes shot up into his, flames behind them. ?If you think I?m going to be flattered by such a?an impertinent observation, then you??
?You seem to think that everything I say has intent to flatter you, milady.? He didn?t like to think about it just now, but she had burned him a bit with her dangerous fire. ?If you?d prefer, I?ll just ignore you the whole time.? When Relena only continued to scowl at him, he went on. ?Besides, I wasn?t trying to flatter you. All you little British girls have scrawny figures. Which is why you?re going to have a steak. Bring meat!? he called out, overpowering Relena?s instant protest.
Relena crossed her arms and gave Heero a sidelong look, although he was now in conversation with Hilde about where they had bought her clothes and for how much money. English manners prevented her from interrupting.
She blushed again, recalling the redhead?s words, but she pushed them out of her mind. She was who she was, after all. Relena Peacecraft of the easy blush.
Relena Peacecraft who actually had been flattered by Heero?s comment ? and would die before she told him so.
---
?Listen, Dorothy.? Alex smiled as they pulled into a port. ?Although you know I?d never doubt you?why Diablo? If they?re going to ransom the Baron?s sister, don?t you think they?d try to avoid public places? And wouldn?t Singapore be the better choice if they meant to sell her off??
?The tale is Heero Yuy?s a good pirate,? Dorothy told him. ?And every good pirate knows that if you want something sold at a high price and still have it bought, the first place you try it on is Diablo. You should know this, we?ve done it countless times.? So many times in fact, Dorothy thought now, that it was of supreme coincidence that she had never run into Yuy himself yet. ?D?you think we should try to bargain while we?re there??
?If nothing else,? said Alex, ?let?s at least get a drink. You?ve no idea how restless the men are getting. They need something with a bit of a punch, ya know??
Dorothy chuckled. ?Go ahead and say you want a woman, Alex. I?ll not take offense at it. I?m not the foolish girl spreading her legs instead of taking up a gun.? Her ice-blue eyes laughed coldly. ?I?d take up the gun as I spread my legs, naturally.?
?I daresay no man would want you in his bed ever again.?
?All the more handy then, as I?d get their money without the work.? She grinned as the ship docked. ?Let?s go, Alex. I?ll buy you your first drink.?
The two led the crew of the Belladonna to land and Dorothy shook her head and laughed as all of them made a clumsy path on the sand up to the paved brick walks. A man was either good on the land or on the water, and the same held true for a woman.
Most of the men scattered to go trade in trinkets or see friends that worked on Diablo, but a few stayed with Dorothy and entered the pub. They chose a table near the door, and Dorothy called for beer and food as loud as her men. With an amused face, she scanned the other people taking advantage of the afternoon hour.
She saw an old colleague, an ebony-skinned man who went by the name Ragere. In his fifties, he was in piracy retirement and now ran a tattoo parlor here on the island. His form of advertisement was the hundreds of designs and pierces that covered his body. When her drink came, she rose her glass to him and smiled. She?d gotten a letter from him not too long ago that business was getting shaky. Perhaps she?d convince one of her men to get a little ring in his nose or the like ? while she looted the shop next to Ragere?s.
She was listening to a joke told by Otto when the hut?s door opened again and a single man walked in, a broad smile all over his face that looked as if he had been born wearing it. She wondered briefly what had made him so happy and would not have bothered thinking about it for another moment?if she had gone without seeing the long, brown braid that swished behind his back.
Duo Maxwell. The name entered her mind in an instant and stuck there like a seal. She?d met the fellow once in her lifetime, but he?d been so entertaining that she?d scarcely forgotten him. And hadn?t she mentioned him just last night?
She had come upon Duo when he and has wife were celebrating their first wedding anniversary in Barbados almost nine months before. She?d been at a bar early for breakfast. He had come in with intention to bring some food back to the inn before his lady woke up. They had taken time to talk, pirate to pirate, for a while about how nice Barbados was at that time of the year. She?d told him she was captain of a newer ship, and Duo admitted he had recently become first mate of the Ivory Damsel. He had described a man of supposedly great valor, and Dorothy learned later that it was Heero Yuy himself. She could still recall laughing at how she?d never made the connection.
Aye, she remembered Duo well. She ducked her head a bit as she drank from her glass of wine and followed the grinning man with her eyes. Those eyes narrowed when he stopped at a table occupied by seven other people. She took note of the Chinese man, the almond-eyed woman beside him, the brunette man and the auburn haired girl with identical British chins, the slim shorthaired woman with amused eyes, the Japanese figure with the tanned skin?and the golden haired beauty who looked like the most delicate person on Diablo.
Slowly, she stood up as Duo was sitting down. She left her wine with Mueller, warning him to guard it with his life ? for if the glass was gone, so would be the life ? and made her way to the large table that so held her attention.
Plastering a smile on her face, she opened her mouth. ?Crew of the Ivory Damsel,? she said, standing next to Relena?s chair and seeing Duo?s jaw drop out of the corner of her eye. In a way that was almost casual, she slipped a dagger out of a scabbard at her thigh and set it just above Relena?s necklace. She felt the blond?s throat tighten against her hand, and several of the pirate jerked. ?Hold your hands by your head and move away from Miss Peacecraft. And I promise,? she looked into Heero?s cold Prussian eyes, ?she shall not be hurt.?
Dorothy grinned to herself. ?I hope you have that reward ready, cousin.?
-----------------------------------------------
Review please!
Disclaimer: I do not own GW, FMP!, or anything else that gets tossed into this fic. No profit is being made.
Upper Class ? Chapter Seven
By Gundam Girl
Relena was just tying the end of the braid she worked her hair into the next morning when Heero unceremoniously burst inside her ? his ? bedroom. ?You have five minutes,? he declared.
Relena?s gave him a slanted look. ?Five minutes before what? Have you decided what price I am worth??
He might have winced had her tone been any colder. ?I might have,? he said evenly, his eyes giving away nothing, ?but it isn?t the time yet for me to tell it. We?re getting you new clothes.?
?You?? Surprise dwelled on her face for a moment, followed by wariness. ?I don?t believe I can trust you enough for that.?
?Trusting a person has nothing to do with letting them spend their money instead of yours.?
Her eyes flashed. ?The money you spend is not yours.?
Heero merely grinned at her. ?There?s one point of view.?
Like a bullet from a pistol, Relena longed to shoot out a retort, but the ship suddenly jolted horribly, and she was knocked backwards straight towards the wall. Heero, who was holding onto one of the nailed-down chairs, grabbed her around the waist and held her closely to him as the ship righted again. In those brief few moments, something akin to a lightning bolt shot through Heero to Relena and both tensed from the impact.
He released her before she could begin to struggle and snorted. She only continued to glare at him.
With a small sigh, he clicked his tongue once and started up the stairs that led onto the deck. ?Rather graceless docking, wasn?t that, Trowa??
Relena pressed hand to her chest in hopes of slowing the race her heart was running. The heat had risen in her stomach again and her cheeks were flushed. She was so dazed by the memory of being pressed to the pirate captain?s chest that she did not notice right away when Wufei paused in the doorway.
?Are you coming?? he questioned, his dark eyebrows arched in expectancy. ?I?d have thought you?d want to get off this ship for awhile.?
Relena blinked at him. ?Yes,? she murmured.
?Well then,? the Chinaman huffed, ?get your ladyship out here.?
---
The island the Ivory Damsel had chosen for its port was virtually unknown to all but those who required its services ? namely, pirates, gypsies, and other criminals. It was hidden from view of the usual courses by large rocks that jutted out far enough away from the island to completely block it. Only a sixty-five foot space allowed passage. Known simply as Diablo from the Spanish thieves that had first opened business on the spit of land nearly fifty years ago, it really was a devil.
Duo hefted the large sack full of the better items of their recent plunders and grinned. ?I?m off to see G,? he called out to them. ?We should get plenty for these.? Jewels and expensive lamps, fine cloths and fabrics filled the sack. ?How about I meet you later at the normal place??
?Sounds fine,? Heero nodded. As Duo walked off, he turned to Hilde, Sally, and Catherine. ?I have a special assignment for the three of you. I want you to take our lady here and get her something more suitable than that fluff of silk.?
?No joke,? Hilde smiled. ?Another day or two, it simply would fall off her.?
Sally looked a bit more disappointed. ?Shame such a nice thing?s been wasted, though. Sure we can?t sew it??
?It?s finished,? Cathy announced, shaking her head at the mistreated threading and stains on the dress as Relena blushed darkly under their scrutiny. ?But don?t worry!? she said cheerfully. She directed Relena away from the men with an arm around the lady?s waist. ?We?ll buy something just as nice!?
?Do you want me to go with them?? asked Trowa. ?It?s seemed the girls are a bit too fond of Miss Peacecraft if they?re going to be proper captors.?
?Wouldn?t that go for you?? Heero returned, nearly snapping. He watched Trowa move in a way that would have been a squirm if done by anyone else. Irritated, he shoved hand through his hair. He honestly wanted to follow them himself. There was an odd feeling of wanting to protect Relena that he didn?t much care for. He told himself it was nothing more than wanting to defend what was his. The truth was, he couldn?t expect himself to be a proper captor either ? not anymore.
Damn, he really hoped she didn?t try to pull anything over him. He wasn?t sure he?d be able to keep from falling for any tricks. After this morning with Relena flush up against him, he hadn?t been able to stop a flame from flaring inside him, heating him like the kitchen furnace.
?Let?s get a drink,? Heero suggested. Anything to cool the burning that was going full-force again as he watched Relena disappear into the crowds. Wufei and Trowa agreed and they headed off.
The hut with the long, oak bar was far cooler than beneath the sun outside where multitudes of connivers stumbled along on the sandy beach to the various huts and stands. There, they could buy and sell anything from seashells to real estate to a person?s virginity, and, if one was suspicious enough, human souls. Relena was no doubt jittery, Heero thought as a server woman clad in fishnet stockings brought him and his companions their beer. The server, a tall girl with her shocking red hair caught up in a bundle on her head with strands of hair falling here and their, shot him a slick smile.
?Hungry?? she asked in an accent that sounded French ? fake French.
?It?s too early for my appetite,? Wufei said quickly. Trowa merely gave his full attention to his drink.
?How about you?? the woman said to Heero. ?Surely a tough guy like you can take something this morning.? Her green eyes flashed invitingly.
Heero realized with some surprise that the cute dimples at the corners of her mouth had absolutely no effect on him. ?I?m good with my beer for now, honey.? The words came out so easily that he thought for a moment some other guy had said them. But no, he?d definitely been the one to speak because the redhead?s look changed from sultry to annoyed.
?Well then,? she huffed, setting her hands on her hips. ?I hope I can at least expect a good tip from you gents.? Turning on the high heel of her boot, she stalked off.
Wufei spoke first. ?Odd, Yuy. Wouldn?t normally turn one like that down, would you?? He narrowed his eyes. ?Or ones worse than that one.?
Trowa, on the other hand, was more understanding. ?It seems we?ll have to suffer the service of a scorned worker. There?s nothing more disappointing than getting turned down from a job.? He added with a small smirk, ?Now don?t you just feel terrible, Captain??
?I?m trying to cool down,? Heero defended sharply, ?not heat things up even more. I?ll leave that to the sun outside.?
?It certainly is blazing today. I bet your lady hostage was cooking like Trowa?s sister?s chicken in that English dress.? Wufei drained the rest of his beer in two fast gulps. ?I suppose the girls will take care of that. But now.? His voice grew serious again, in true Wufei nature. The man could be amusing and grave in one breath. ?How long do you think it?ll be before one of her loyal friends catch up to us??
?I?d say we still have at least another day,? Heero said. ?The Governor and the Baron have quite enough money for a fast ship. And that Navy?s already out. They?re too difficult to predict, but they won?t be upon us too quickly. Full of morons is that group.?
?Then there?s our everyday bounty lovers,? Trowa added. ?It?s a joke to even think they?ll catch us, however. If my head?s worth money, I want to be the one who has it?the head and the money.?
?Your head?s too pretty, too,? Heero mocked. ?I?m sure there?d be a lady who?d rescue you from your hanging.?
The words were just out of his mouth when the hut?s doors opened and the girls returned with Relena in front of them like a convict going to jail. With her face as red as it was, some could have thought her one. But it was the clothes that might have made them sure.
Her hair, long and brushed, was loose around her shoulders. She wore a long skirt dyed burgundy that began at her hips and ended at her ankles. On either side of the skirt were long slits in the fabric, leaving a tempting view of strips of flesh. Her shirt, if it could be called that, covered her well as the cut hid any cleavage, but it had no straps, and if Heero presently had the ability to think, he?d have presumed it clasped or zipped in the back. The slimness of her neck was emphasized by a ribbon the color of her skirt and from it hung a gold medallion with a plain circle engraved it on. Smaller, matching medallions hung at her ears. Lastly, Heero noticed with a shocking cloud of temper, that she still wore the Governor?s ring. Yet it didn?t diminish her beauty in any way, despite its symbolism. If Quatre had called her radiant in the gown she had been wearing, Heero would say the same in these island peasant?s clothes.
And now, he couldn?t deny the way his heart beat even as his libido heated.
?If I am to be rescued,? Trowa said lowly, ?I?d like it much to be her who does it.?
Though Heero was stony-faced, Wufei took pity on him and gave him a few seconds to recover by greeting the women first. ?I see you?ve got business taken care of.? He tipped his empty glass toward Relena. ?As I man, I admit you clean up well, Miss Peacecraft.? His smirk was successful when she blushed even more brightly.
?And you?re probably thirsty,? Trowa added, enjoying the game as well. There really was nothing more fun than poking fun at a lady. He?d been able to do it to Catherine for years before she finally broke out of her sociality. ?Sit, girls, and get a drink. I don?t s?pose you?ll have beer, Miss Peacecraft??
?I shall!? Hilde declared. Sally and Catherine ordered rum, but Relena murmured out a request for water to the same redhead who had served them before.
The server sneered at Relena?s clothes. ?I smell rich blood,? she said, her thinly-shaped eyebrows lowered. ?And this one colors far too easily.?
Heero snapped out of his daze at that comment and glared at the redhead. ?I believe I dealt with you before,? he said to her.
The redhead jutted her chin into the air. ?Dealt nothing. I think I found the little wench ya refused me for, didn?t I, Cap?n?? In her irritation, her false accent slipped and revealed Southern United States.
Relena set her eyes downcast, but Heero rose from his chair to tower above the waistress. Calm, he told himself. Keep the hell calm. ?Ma?am,? he said warningly, ?if you still are gonna be wantin? your tip before we leave, I make the suggestion you get your tail-end outta here and get us our drinks. Or we?ll leave you nothing.?
She gave an enraged exhalation, and her cheeks puffed out unbecomingly. She turned.
?And remember one thing,? Heero added. ?The only wench in this place right now is you, sugar.? He sat down again as the redhead gave him one last incredulous look before leaving them alone.
?Bitch,? Wufei finished coldly. Sally smacked his shoulder.
?Soooooo, Heero,? Hilde said after a moment to break the ice that had settled over the table. ?What d?ya of Relena?s new look? Sexy little thing, isn?t she??
Catherine grinned. ?We found out that she has legs.?
Heero forced himself to keep his eyes on Relena head instead of flicking down to her skirt again. In the chair beside him, she was staring at the table very determinedly. ?So I see,? he replied. ?Nice ones too.?
As he?d hoped, her eyes shot up into his, flames behind them. ?If you think I?m going to be flattered by such a?an impertinent observation, then you??
?You seem to think that everything I say has intent to flatter you, milady.? He didn?t like to think about it just now, but she had burned him a bit with her dangerous fire. ?If you?d prefer, I?ll just ignore you the whole time.? When Relena only continued to scowl at him, he went on. ?Besides, I wasn?t trying to flatter you. All you little British girls have scrawny figures. Which is why you?re going to have a steak. Bring meat!? he called out, overpowering Relena?s instant protest.
Relena crossed her arms and gave Heero a sidelong look, although he was now in conversation with Hilde about where they had bought her clothes and for how much money. English manners prevented her from interrupting.
She blushed again, recalling the redhead?s words, but she pushed them out of her mind. She was who she was, after all. Relena Peacecraft of the easy blush.
Relena Peacecraft who actually had been flattered by Heero?s comment ? and would die before she told him so.
---
?Listen, Dorothy.? Alex smiled as they pulled into a port. ?Although you know I?d never doubt you?why Diablo? If they?re going to ransom the Baron?s sister, don?t you think they?d try to avoid public places? And wouldn?t Singapore be the better choice if they meant to sell her off??
?The tale is Heero Yuy?s a good pirate,? Dorothy told him. ?And every good pirate knows that if you want something sold at a high price and still have it bought, the first place you try it on is Diablo. You should know this, we?ve done it countless times.? So many times in fact, Dorothy thought now, that it was of supreme coincidence that she had never run into Yuy himself yet. ?D?you think we should try to bargain while we?re there??
?If nothing else,? said Alex, ?let?s at least get a drink. You?ve no idea how restless the men are getting. They need something with a bit of a punch, ya know??
Dorothy chuckled. ?Go ahead and say you want a woman, Alex. I?ll not take offense at it. I?m not the foolish girl spreading her legs instead of taking up a gun.? Her ice-blue eyes laughed coldly. ?I?d take up the gun as I spread my legs, naturally.?
?I daresay no man would want you in his bed ever again.?
?All the more handy then, as I?d get their money without the work.? She grinned as the ship docked. ?Let?s go, Alex. I?ll buy you your first drink.?
The two led the crew of the Belladonna to land and Dorothy shook her head and laughed as all of them made a clumsy path on the sand up to the paved brick walks. A man was either good on the land or on the water, and the same held true for a woman.
Most of the men scattered to go trade in trinkets or see friends that worked on Diablo, but a few stayed with Dorothy and entered the pub. They chose a table near the door, and Dorothy called for beer and food as loud as her men. With an amused face, she scanned the other people taking advantage of the afternoon hour.
She saw an old colleague, an ebony-skinned man who went by the name Ragere. In his fifties, he was in piracy retirement and now ran a tattoo parlor here on the island. His form of advertisement was the hundreds of designs and pierces that covered his body. When her drink came, she rose her glass to him and smiled. She?d gotten a letter from him not too long ago that business was getting shaky. Perhaps she?d convince one of her men to get a little ring in his nose or the like ? while she looted the shop next to Ragere?s.
She was listening to a joke told by Otto when the hut?s door opened again and a single man walked in, a broad smile all over his face that looked as if he had been born wearing it. She wondered briefly what had made him so happy and would not have bothered thinking about it for another moment?if she had gone without seeing the long, brown braid that swished behind his back.
Duo Maxwell. The name entered her mind in an instant and stuck there like a seal. She?d met the fellow once in her lifetime, but he?d been so entertaining that she?d scarcely forgotten him. And hadn?t she mentioned him just last night?
She had come upon Duo when he and has wife were celebrating their first wedding anniversary in Barbados almost nine months before. She?d been at a bar early for breakfast. He had come in with intention to bring some food back to the inn before his lady woke up. They had taken time to talk, pirate to pirate, for a while about how nice Barbados was at that time of the year. She?d told him she was captain of a newer ship, and Duo admitted he had recently become first mate of the Ivory Damsel. He had described a man of supposedly great valor, and Dorothy learned later that it was Heero Yuy himself. She could still recall laughing at how she?d never made the connection.
Aye, she remembered Duo well. She ducked her head a bit as she drank from her glass of wine and followed the grinning man with her eyes. Those eyes narrowed when he stopped at a table occupied by seven other people. She took note of the Chinese man, the almond-eyed woman beside him, the brunette man and the auburn haired girl with identical British chins, the slim shorthaired woman with amused eyes, the Japanese figure with the tanned skin?and the golden haired beauty who looked like the most delicate person on Diablo.
Slowly, she stood up as Duo was sitting down. She left her wine with Mueller, warning him to guard it with his life ? for if the glass was gone, so would be the life ? and made her way to the large table that so held her attention.
Plastering a smile on her face, she opened her mouth. ?Crew of the Ivory Damsel,? she said, standing next to Relena?s chair and seeing Duo?s jaw drop out of the corner of her eye. In a way that was almost casual, she slipped a dagger out of a scabbard at her thigh and set it just above Relena?s necklace. She felt the blond?s throat tighten against her hand, and several of the pirate jerked. ?Hold your hands by your head and move away from Miss Peacecraft. And I promise,? she looked into Heero?s cold Prussian eyes, ?she shall not be hurt.?
Dorothy grinned to herself. ?I hope you have that reward ready, cousin.?
-----------------------------------------------
Review please!
