Post by dj1678 on Jun 13, 2010 1:24:42 GMT -5
Lt. Max Reaves paced impatiently behind the desk in what was both his quarters and his office. Each time someone passed in the hall, Max stopped his pacing, held his breath, glanced up to see who it was, and breathed a tense sigh of relief before resuming his pacing. There was only one man he wanted to see right now, and that was Aurem. Max was sure that Aurem wouldn't like what he was going to have to do, but bets were bets and Max owed big time now. Another person passed in the hall and Max tensed again. Still not Aurem or his other guest. Surely Aurem would forgive him for this? Of course he would, Aurem was dependable and forgiving if what he'd read in the reports was true. Max's own experience, however limited it might be, also told him Aurem would probably forgive him... He hoped... Maybe...
Another person passed in the hall, this one wearing heels. Max let his breath out loudly when he saw it was the wrong woman. Sweat was beginning to develop on Max's forehead.
Where is Aurem? He's late! Max thought.
Max checked his watch, Aurem still had several minutes before he was supposed to be there.
Calm down, Max, you're just getting impatient, Max said to himself in his head while continuing to pace.
"You wanted to see me, sir?" A voice said from the doorway.
Max nearly leapt through he ceiling in surprise. He quickly gathered his composure once he realized it was only Aurem standing in the doorway, holding his salute. How had Aurem snuck up on him like that? Max decided that the EF must be hiring ninjas to pilot their giant robots into battle. The thought made him chuckle a bit inside and helped calm him down.
"Didn't anyone ever teach you to knock when entering an officer's room?" Max asked quickly saluting so that Aurem could finally drop his.
"It was one of the protocol rules you threw out to distinguish us from Lieutenant Gerard's team, sir. Did you want it back?" Aurem asked in a much calmer voice than Max could have managed at that moment.
"What? Oh, right, I had forgotten. Keep it up then, I hear it's been working wonders for Sergeant Slater." Max replied somewhat distantly.
Max was trying to re-think of way to tactfully explain to Aurem what was about to happen. Aurem's surprise appearance had made him forget what he had been going to say. Nerves were what Max considered one of his few personal weaknesses. He was by no means a coward, just that under certain stressful situations, thinking suddenly became very difficult. Max knew this well and usually tried to delegate the task to someone who could handle it better than he could, and repay them later two-fold. Aurem was the unfortunate victim this go around.
"Is everything alright?" Aurem asked after a long, somewhat awkward pause.
Max heard heels clicking their way down the hallway again and checked his watch. It was time. He wished he had more time to explain to Aurem how to handle a situation like this properly, or to explain how he'd gotten into this situation at all, or anything really, but there wasn't time for any of that.
"Listen carefully, someone from the press is here. You can probably guess that I'm in no shape to talk to anyone, much less her right now, so I need you to handle this interview in my stead." Max said quickly, trying to recall any of the advice he had been going to give him. Aurem looked nervous. Max was grasping at straws.
"Just do your best and keep your wills about you. You can't win a battle like this with wits."
A tall woman with dark framed glasses stepped through the door. She looked every inch a reporter, one that cared not one bit about how she got a story, truth or not. Max's eyes went wide. Aurem swallowed a lump in his throat.
I'm sorry Aurem, but you're in a much better position to handle her right now than I am. Max thought, patting Aurem on the back as he made toward the door.
"Aurem, this is Nadia DeComox," Max paused behind her, out of her sight, to make devil horns out of his fingers and snarl a bit. He put them away as she turned around to investigate the pause.
"And this is Private Aurem Senaiha. He'll be doing the interview in my stead, as I have an urgent meeting to attend to right now. You understand." Max finished nervously backing away slowly toward the door. The urgent meeting was a sudden need to help with Arieta's already much slimmer paperwork load. Arieta was going to cream him, but it would be better than the bloodbath Nadia would turn this into with him around.
"I am sure he vill do fine." Nadia said with a slight Russian accent and smiling toothily at Aurem like a wolf about to sink her teeth into her prey.
When her back was turned, Max mouthed "I'll make it up to you," before bolting down the corridor at a dead sprint.
Aurem didn't like where this was going one bit. The lady reeked of something, but he wasn't quite sure what. Certainly none of Thorvald's various concoctions. She sat down in the chair behind the desk and gestured for him to sit opposite her. When he complied, she produced a small tape recorder and set it on the desk.
"You do not mind if I make a recording of zhis conversation, do you?" She asked, referring to her tape recorder.
"Well, I would rather you-"
"Do not vorry, it is only so zhat I can remember what you vere saying, OK?"
Aurem made a mental correction, noting that her 'slight' Russian accent was going to get really annoying soon. She was as pushy as she was hard to understand sometimes.
"I guess that's alri-"
"Good. So let's get started zhen, yes? Tell me a bit about yourself."
"Uh... Well... What would you like to know?" Aurem said feeling a little stupid about not knowing how to respond to the question properly. It did feel nice to finish a sentence though.
"Hmm, too hard a question for you I guess, yes? It's OK, I have plenty of research done on you already. I zhought zhat Max vould svitch someone in his place anyvay. Nobody really expects zhe Earzh Federation peons to zhink eizher."
Too hard for me? Research? Peons? Aurem's mind swirled in self-doubt and confusion. Her terrible accent only made it harder to think.
"Nozhing to say to zhat eizher? Truly sad," She said shaking her head with a look of false concern. She noticed a chain around Aurem's neck as she did so. While it wasn't visible, the ring Lieutenant Ferdinand had given Aurem hung on that chain. Aurem carried it with him in case the right moment came to use it when he least suspected it. So far it 'hadn't.'
"How about something easier, like... your vife."
"My what?" Aurem asked incredulously, worried about where the conversation might be going if he had heard correctly.
"You vife, the girl you sleep vith at night. Arieta I believe her name is, yes?"
"We aren't married yet! How do you even know about-"
"Not married and sleeping togezher anyvay? While bozh in zhe military, zhe same unit even? Vhat a scandal!"
"We're not sleeping together either!" Aurem said his temper starting to get the better of him. Nadia covered her mouth in false shock.
"Oh! So, you are not man enough for her? Or vere you just too afraid of vhat she might say if she did not like zhat ring around your neck? Or maybe her fazher does not approve of you? No matter, I vill just vrite about zhem all."
She started taking a few notes, dictating to herself quietly.
"Earzh... Federation... hero... coward... failure..." Were the only snatches Aurem managed to actually hear.
"What exactly are you writing for anyway?" Aurem asked suspiciously. Max may have set up the interview, and Aurem trusted Max knew what he was doing, his plans had always worked before, but what Max didn't see couldn't hurt him. Or so Aurem thought he could reason if he decided he need to 'accidentally damage' the tape recorder and her notepad. More of Max's influence at work.
"Oh, just a magazine. I heard that zhere vas a sniper hero vho saved General Revil, a close friend of mine, from a nuclear bomb. Max said he knew him, but he never said he was in command of zhat sniper." She said eyeing him.
How did she know all that? I thought she said she didn't expect me to be in the interview. Did I remember that correctly? Or did I mishear? Aurem's thoughts whirled in a million different directions, and none of them good. Aurem also doubted that General Revil would want to spend 5 minutes in the same room as this woman, let alone be her 'friend.'
"I did not expect to see you in such good condition zhough. I vould have zhought zhat a close encounter vould have killed you. Or perhaps zhat is vhere zhat scar came from?"
"The scar came from a different battle, another one I nearly died in."
"Oh! So you did nearly die! And zhis is not zhe first time you have nearly died? I am impressed, I did not zhink zhere vere any vho vould return to zhe battlefield after nearly dying once, but tvice! You must really be stupid."
Aurem really began to hate her, but decided that every time he opened his mouth it only caused more damage. He fantasized about destroying the tape recorder. Violently. Nadia shifted gears.
"So how does it feel to nearly lose zhe woman you love, but be unable to do anyzhing about it?"
"Tvice." She added later as an afterthought.
Aurem broke.
"You wouldn't know the first thing about how hard our life is! You sit back here with your tape recorder, your shitty accent, and point fingers like it's your job, like I'm sure it is. You don't care about the truth, you don't care about people in general, and I'll be damned if you have any friends besides the devil, whom I'm sure you traded your soul to for the chance to get places other reporters couldn't. You want answers, fine! yes it hurts to nearly lose Arieta, yes, I'm afraid of what she'll say, and damnit, yes I hate not being about to do anything. It's not my fault, I do the best I can with what I have, and unless you have something better than the GM Ground Sniper, then I suggest you shut the hell up and get out. If all you want is more blood in the water, then stick around, and I'll be sure to show you so blood. Last warning!" Aurem practically yelled, prepared to absolutely cream the woman if she didn't leave immediately.
"I see zhat I may have upset you. I have vhat I need anyvay. I vill leave you now." Nadia said gathering her tape recorder and notes before Aurem could protest.
As she left the room, she turned and added, "I vill send you a copy when it is finished." And then stalked off down the hall laughing to herself about what a great story this would be.
When he was sure she was gone, Aurem quickly left for his own room where he could be alone and not be bothered by evil fake Russian witches, should she decide to return.
"You did what!?!" Arieta asked threateningly, as Max attempted to better explain himself.
"I... I sent him to an interview with a magazine... erm... 'friend' of mine." Max said backing away slowly with his hands up ready to ward off her impending attack.
"Look, you really shouldn't be hitting me. Not right now anyway. Besides it being assaulting a superior officer-"
Arieta scowled more fiercely at him.
"Assaulting a superior officer who deserves to be assaulted," Max corrected, "It would also not be doing Aurem any favors right now. If the interview isn't over, I suggest you finish it for him. He'll appreciate that by now more than anything. And if he's already finished it, then he's going to need... well, you."
Max had the training to deal with the sort of situation Aurem was in, but that didn't mean it would help. It was counted a victory if you fought to a draw in those battles. Max always lost. Surely Aurem could do better, even without training. It would still be a loss though.
"I'll make it up to him, you, both of you! Later! Just go, and I promise I will be in my office ready to order you to beat me up, or whatever it takes to make it up to you two as soon as Aurem is stable again."
Arieta grunted, pushed him aside roughly as she left through the door and headed toward Max's office.
"I hate the media..." Max said from the floor.
An hour later, Arieta gently poked her head through Aurem's door. She found him sitting on his bed, looking surprisingly under control, though his head was still in his hands, and when he looked up, she could see in his eyes that he was still hurting.
"How are you feeling?" She asked as she closed the door behind her.
"Miserable." Aurem noticed that Arieta's Right cheek was a lot redder than usual. "How are you feeling?" He asked motioning toward her cheek.
Arieta touched her face lightly and winced. "It stings a little, but I think it was worth it." She said grinning, which made her wince again.
She held out what Aurem thought was the remains of a tape recorder with the tape still inside. But it was hard to tell, because the whole thing was pretty badly mangled. Some pieces were only being held together by the tangled ribbons of the tape itself.
"I found the Russian wicked witch of the west on her way out. We had a little chat, and at the end she decided that she could remember what she needed without a tape recorder. I also mentioned that she might want to chose her words carefully if she doesn't want a mobile suit 'accident' to happen near her office." She continued, still grinning and wincing. Max had apparently rubbed off on her some too.
The hurt in Aurem's eyes lessened and was replaced by the normal look he had in his eyes when he as
"I love you." Aurem said, meaning every word, and surprising himself by saying it.
It didn't feel like the right time to give her the ring right then. He just wanted to spend time with her, just the two of them for now. It had been a while since the last time. People just kept interrupting. But at least now he felt like he was ready to give it to her. Aurem decided he would talk to her father again soon, and have Max help him think of a special way to give it to her. Max owed him.
Outside Aurem's door Max sat cross legged with arms folded wincing in occasional pain and glaring at every passerby. Both of his cheeks were swollen red, both eyes were black and half swollen shut, and there were numerous other bruises in places he cared not to mention. He thought of all the ways he might be able to make it up to Aurem. Arieta had already gotten even with him with his new 'body art' as she called it and a single request. Perhaps this 'protocol' was worth looking into if it would keep Arieta from picking up any more of his habits.
"I hope you jerks appreciate having a mangled Second Lieutenant door guard!" Max shouted back into the room before shutting up and letting them have their time alone.
Another person passed in the hall, this one wearing heels. Max let his breath out loudly when he saw it was the wrong woman. Sweat was beginning to develop on Max's forehead.
Where is Aurem? He's late! Max thought.
Max checked his watch, Aurem still had several minutes before he was supposed to be there.
Calm down, Max, you're just getting impatient, Max said to himself in his head while continuing to pace.
"You wanted to see me, sir?" A voice said from the doorway.
Max nearly leapt through he ceiling in surprise. He quickly gathered his composure once he realized it was only Aurem standing in the doorway, holding his salute. How had Aurem snuck up on him like that? Max decided that the EF must be hiring ninjas to pilot their giant robots into battle. The thought made him chuckle a bit inside and helped calm him down.
"Didn't anyone ever teach you to knock when entering an officer's room?" Max asked quickly saluting so that Aurem could finally drop his.
"It was one of the protocol rules you threw out to distinguish us from Lieutenant Gerard's team, sir. Did you want it back?" Aurem asked in a much calmer voice than Max could have managed at that moment.
"What? Oh, right, I had forgotten. Keep it up then, I hear it's been working wonders for Sergeant Slater." Max replied somewhat distantly.
Max was trying to re-think of way to tactfully explain to Aurem what was about to happen. Aurem's surprise appearance had made him forget what he had been going to say. Nerves were what Max considered one of his few personal weaknesses. He was by no means a coward, just that under certain stressful situations, thinking suddenly became very difficult. Max knew this well and usually tried to delegate the task to someone who could handle it better than he could, and repay them later two-fold. Aurem was the unfortunate victim this go around.
"Is everything alright?" Aurem asked after a long, somewhat awkward pause.
Max heard heels clicking their way down the hallway again and checked his watch. It was time. He wished he had more time to explain to Aurem how to handle a situation like this properly, or to explain how he'd gotten into this situation at all, or anything really, but there wasn't time for any of that.
"Listen carefully, someone from the press is here. You can probably guess that I'm in no shape to talk to anyone, much less her right now, so I need you to handle this interview in my stead." Max said quickly, trying to recall any of the advice he had been going to give him. Aurem looked nervous. Max was grasping at straws.
"Just do your best and keep your wills about you. You can't win a battle like this with wits."
A tall woman with dark framed glasses stepped through the door. She looked every inch a reporter, one that cared not one bit about how she got a story, truth or not. Max's eyes went wide. Aurem swallowed a lump in his throat.
I'm sorry Aurem, but you're in a much better position to handle her right now than I am. Max thought, patting Aurem on the back as he made toward the door.
"Aurem, this is Nadia DeComox," Max paused behind her, out of her sight, to make devil horns out of his fingers and snarl a bit. He put them away as she turned around to investigate the pause.
"And this is Private Aurem Senaiha. He'll be doing the interview in my stead, as I have an urgent meeting to attend to right now. You understand." Max finished nervously backing away slowly toward the door. The urgent meeting was a sudden need to help with Arieta's already much slimmer paperwork load. Arieta was going to cream him, but it would be better than the bloodbath Nadia would turn this into with him around.
"I am sure he vill do fine." Nadia said with a slight Russian accent and smiling toothily at Aurem like a wolf about to sink her teeth into her prey.
When her back was turned, Max mouthed "I'll make it up to you," before bolting down the corridor at a dead sprint.
~~~~~
Aurem didn't like where this was going one bit. The lady reeked of something, but he wasn't quite sure what. Certainly none of Thorvald's various concoctions. She sat down in the chair behind the desk and gestured for him to sit opposite her. When he complied, she produced a small tape recorder and set it on the desk.
"You do not mind if I make a recording of zhis conversation, do you?" She asked, referring to her tape recorder.
"Well, I would rather you-"
"Do not vorry, it is only so zhat I can remember what you vere saying, OK?"
Aurem made a mental correction, noting that her 'slight' Russian accent was going to get really annoying soon. She was as pushy as she was hard to understand sometimes.
"I guess that's alri-"
"Good. So let's get started zhen, yes? Tell me a bit about yourself."
"Uh... Well... What would you like to know?" Aurem said feeling a little stupid about not knowing how to respond to the question properly. It did feel nice to finish a sentence though.
"Hmm, too hard a question for you I guess, yes? It's OK, I have plenty of research done on you already. I zhought zhat Max vould svitch someone in his place anyvay. Nobody really expects zhe Earzh Federation peons to zhink eizher."
Too hard for me? Research? Peons? Aurem's mind swirled in self-doubt and confusion. Her terrible accent only made it harder to think.
"Nozhing to say to zhat eizher? Truly sad," She said shaking her head with a look of false concern. She noticed a chain around Aurem's neck as she did so. While it wasn't visible, the ring Lieutenant Ferdinand had given Aurem hung on that chain. Aurem carried it with him in case the right moment came to use it when he least suspected it. So far it 'hadn't.'
"How about something easier, like... your vife."
"My what?" Aurem asked incredulously, worried about where the conversation might be going if he had heard correctly.
"You vife, the girl you sleep vith at night. Arieta I believe her name is, yes?"
"We aren't married yet! How do you even know about-"
"Not married and sleeping togezher anyvay? While bozh in zhe military, zhe same unit even? Vhat a scandal!"
"We're not sleeping together either!" Aurem said his temper starting to get the better of him. Nadia covered her mouth in false shock.
"Oh! So, you are not man enough for her? Or vere you just too afraid of vhat she might say if she did not like zhat ring around your neck? Or maybe her fazher does not approve of you? No matter, I vill just vrite about zhem all."
She started taking a few notes, dictating to herself quietly.
"Earzh... Federation... hero... coward... failure..." Were the only snatches Aurem managed to actually hear.
"What exactly are you writing for anyway?" Aurem asked suspiciously. Max may have set up the interview, and Aurem trusted Max knew what he was doing, his plans had always worked before, but what Max didn't see couldn't hurt him. Or so Aurem thought he could reason if he decided he need to 'accidentally damage' the tape recorder and her notepad. More of Max's influence at work.
"Oh, just a magazine. I heard that zhere vas a sniper hero vho saved General Revil, a close friend of mine, from a nuclear bomb. Max said he knew him, but he never said he was in command of zhat sniper." She said eyeing him.
How did she know all that? I thought she said she didn't expect me to be in the interview. Did I remember that correctly? Or did I mishear? Aurem's thoughts whirled in a million different directions, and none of them good. Aurem also doubted that General Revil would want to spend 5 minutes in the same room as this woman, let alone be her 'friend.'
"I did not expect to see you in such good condition zhough. I vould have zhought zhat a close encounter vould have killed you. Or perhaps zhat is vhere zhat scar came from?"
"The scar came from a different battle, another one I nearly died in."
"Oh! So you did nearly die! And zhis is not zhe first time you have nearly died? I am impressed, I did not zhink zhere vere any vho vould return to zhe battlefield after nearly dying once, but tvice! You must really be stupid."
Aurem really began to hate her, but decided that every time he opened his mouth it only caused more damage. He fantasized about destroying the tape recorder. Violently. Nadia shifted gears.
"So how does it feel to nearly lose zhe woman you love, but be unable to do anyzhing about it?"
"Tvice." She added later as an afterthought.
Aurem broke.
"You wouldn't know the first thing about how hard our life is! You sit back here with your tape recorder, your shitty accent, and point fingers like it's your job, like I'm sure it is. You don't care about the truth, you don't care about people in general, and I'll be damned if you have any friends besides the devil, whom I'm sure you traded your soul to for the chance to get places other reporters couldn't. You want answers, fine! yes it hurts to nearly lose Arieta, yes, I'm afraid of what she'll say, and damnit, yes I hate not being about to do anything. It's not my fault, I do the best I can with what I have, and unless you have something better than the GM Ground Sniper, then I suggest you shut the hell up and get out. If all you want is more blood in the water, then stick around, and I'll be sure to show you so blood. Last warning!" Aurem practically yelled, prepared to absolutely cream the woman if she didn't leave immediately.
"I see zhat I may have upset you. I have vhat I need anyvay. I vill leave you now." Nadia said gathering her tape recorder and notes before Aurem could protest.
As she left the room, she turned and added, "I vill send you a copy when it is finished." And then stalked off down the hall laughing to herself about what a great story this would be.
When he was sure she was gone, Aurem quickly left for his own room where he could be alone and not be bothered by evil fake Russian witches, should she decide to return.
~~~~~
"You did what!?!" Arieta asked threateningly, as Max attempted to better explain himself.
"I... I sent him to an interview with a magazine... erm... 'friend' of mine." Max said backing away slowly with his hands up ready to ward off her impending attack.
"Look, you really shouldn't be hitting me. Not right now anyway. Besides it being assaulting a superior officer-"
Arieta scowled more fiercely at him.
"Assaulting a superior officer who deserves to be assaulted," Max corrected, "It would also not be doing Aurem any favors right now. If the interview isn't over, I suggest you finish it for him. He'll appreciate that by now more than anything. And if he's already finished it, then he's going to need... well, you."
Max had the training to deal with the sort of situation Aurem was in, but that didn't mean it would help. It was counted a victory if you fought to a draw in those battles. Max always lost. Surely Aurem could do better, even without training. It would still be a loss though.
"I'll make it up to him, you, both of you! Later! Just go, and I promise I will be in my office ready to order you to beat me up, or whatever it takes to make it up to you two as soon as Aurem is stable again."
Arieta grunted, pushed him aside roughly as she left through the door and headed toward Max's office.
"I hate the media..." Max said from the floor.
~~~~~
An hour later, Arieta gently poked her head through Aurem's door. She found him sitting on his bed, looking surprisingly under control, though his head was still in his hands, and when he looked up, she could see in his eyes that he was still hurting.
"How are you feeling?" She asked as she closed the door behind her.
"Miserable." Aurem noticed that Arieta's Right cheek was a lot redder than usual. "How are you feeling?" He asked motioning toward her cheek.
Arieta touched her face lightly and winced. "It stings a little, but I think it was worth it." She said grinning, which made her wince again.
She held out what Aurem thought was the remains of a tape recorder with the tape still inside. But it was hard to tell, because the whole thing was pretty badly mangled. Some pieces were only being held together by the tangled ribbons of the tape itself.
"I found the Russian wicked witch of the west on her way out. We had a little chat, and at the end she decided that she could remember what she needed without a tape recorder. I also mentioned that she might want to chose her words carefully if she doesn't want a mobile suit 'accident' to happen near her office." She continued, still grinning and wincing. Max had apparently rubbed off on her some too.
The hurt in Aurem's eyes lessened and was replaced by the normal look he had in his eyes when he as
"I love you." Aurem said, meaning every word, and surprising himself by saying it.
It didn't feel like the right time to give her the ring right then. He just wanted to spend time with her, just the two of them for now. It had been a while since the last time. People just kept interrupting. But at least now he felt like he was ready to give it to her. Aurem decided he would talk to her father again soon, and have Max help him think of a special way to give it to her. Max owed him.
~~~~~
Outside Aurem's door Max sat cross legged with arms folded wincing in occasional pain and glaring at every passerby. Both of his cheeks were swollen red, both eyes were black and half swollen shut, and there were numerous other bruises in places he cared not to mention. He thought of all the ways he might be able to make it up to Aurem. Arieta had already gotten even with him with his new 'body art' as she called it and a single request. Perhaps this 'protocol' was worth looking into if it would keep Arieta from picking up any more of his habits.
"I hope you jerks appreciate having a mangled Second Lieutenant door guard!" Max shouted back into the room before shutting up and letting them have their time alone.