K-BOOM!
.... what Releena's father was about to say was suddenly cut
off. The upper floor of the hotel exploded into a fireball, pieces of
stone and glass falling rapidly towards them. Releena froze, looking up
in shock as the entire floor was consumed by the flames.
"Look out," Juri cried out as the orange haired girl all but
threw Releena, Une and herself behind a nearby building even as Hilde
and the ambassador ducked behind another. Debris fell around them,
secondary booms rattling their ears until finally there was sweet
silence.
"You saved my life," Une managed to get out, her round glasses
catching the light. Her long brown hair was tied back, but her self
control seemed to be failing against her surprise.
"Reflex," was Juri's short answer. Releena felt safe, held there
in Juri's arms as the other girl asked her, "Are you all right?"
"I think so," Releena answered, her cheeks flaming. The long
brown haired girl enjoyed the sensation of being held then finally had
to say, "Ah, Juri? You can let me go now."
"Sorry," Juri blushed, helping Releena get up from their place
on the ground. She pulled Une up smoothly, the officer still looking
badly shaken.
They soon emerged from their improvised shelter, the group
looking up at the now badly burning building, the sounds of sirens
wailing off in the distance. "It seems someone doesn't like us,"
Releena's father finally said dryly, his short brown hair badly messed,
his suit dusty.
"Dad," Releena looked over at him scoldingly.
"Colonel," Juri looked over at Une with an oddly calculating
look on her face, "other than the Specials whom would want the
ambassador dead?"
Une met Juri’s eyes directly and Releena could feel a dangerous
current leaping between the two women. The Colonel’s voice was calm as
she said, “Other than the Specials? Well, the Colony rebels have no love
for the ambassador.” A grim little smile as she tried to brush her
uniform off, “The faction called the White Fang are especially militant,
I understand.”
“But why would these White Fang want my Father dead?” Releena
said, feeling all the blood leaving her pale face.
“There are those on both sides of the conflict that want to see
a war,” her Father sighed, “for reasons of profit or personal gain.”
“Or for a cause they may believe in,” Une said dryly.
“Either way,” Juri said, “we certainly can’t stay here tonight.”
She looked over at Hilde and asked, “Know a good hotel that can put us
up for the night?”
“I could suggest a few,” Hilde answered softly.
Releena swayed a bit, feeling light headed, and her Father
quickly grabbed her arm. “Thank you,” she murmured then asked, “how can
you take this all so calmly?”
“We’re not calm,” he gave her a gentle smile as he quietly
explained, “just trying to carry on as best we can.”
“We’d best get moving,” Une said crisply, “there’s no way to
know if who did this is in a position to take another shot.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Juri said as the group headed back to the
car. She tossed a look at the ambassador as they all climbed in, “Do you
want to carry on with your meetings?”
"The situation is so unstable that I think I have to," he said
seriously. He took a deep breath, "But I want Releena and you on the
first available shuttle back home."
"No," Releena blurted out.
"I'm not leaving either," Juri said firmly. Releena looked over
at her in surprise as Juri continued, "I couldn't forgive myself leaving
you here in the line of fire."
"He won't be alone," Une settled into her seat across from the
other three as she smiled dangerously, "I'll be here."
"An even better reason for me to stick around," Juri shot back.
Hilde gulped nervously then the young woman started up the car
and said, "I'll just take us over to the hotel, all right?"
The group in the back seat ignored that, the drama there
occupying their interest. Une and Juri seemed oddly evenly matched
despite the officer's advantages in age and experience, meeting each
other's eyes directly. Une smiled slightly as she asked, "Are you
implying that I was responsible for that explosion back there?"
"No," Juri shook her head, "unless you're a better actress than
I think you are you were as surprised as the rest of us. I just don't
think you'd mind someone succeeding."
"Juri," Releena looked over at her in surprise, mildly shocked
that she would say something like that. She realized, with an instant of
clarity, that she didn't really know Juri as well as she might have
thought she did.
"This isn't the time...." her father tried to jump in.
"I think I may have to demand satisfaction, Arisugawa," Une said
crisply, pulling off a glove and striking Juri across the face with it,
her rose signet gleaming on her bare hand.
Juri put her hand up to her face, touching the redness. "Not
quite the way I'm used to," she said mysteriously, "but I accept."
"What's going on?!" Releena demanded, looking at them in pure
confusion.
"Nothing that concerns you," Une answered crisply.
From the front seat Hilde called back tentatively, "Ah, we're
here."
"Right," the ambassador sighed. The four of them got out of the
car, pausing a moment as if expecting another explosion. When everything
remained quiet the group headed inside, Hilde trailing along behind
them.
"I'd like to stick around for awhile," Hilde offered as they
checked in, "just in case something else goes wrong."
"Thanks," Releena sighed.
Juri and Une were pointedly ignoring each other as they went
upstairs, her father looked oddly intrigued and she was completely lost.
Later on that evening Releena drew her father aside to ask, "You know
what's going on between them, I know it."
Her father puffed out a breath, the suite they were sitting in
comfortably quiet. "I don't know much," he admitted, and much of it's
pure rumor. It seems that there is a certain dueling club, one that both
Juri and Une belong to."
"Duels," Releena looked up at her father in shock, "like with
swords?" She got to her feet, "We've got to try to stop them."
"I doubt they've started yet," he offered when there was a knock
on Releena's door.
Releena walked over to open it, blinking in surprise to see Juri
standing there. "Yes?" she asked, eyes widening at the costume Juri was
in. It was military styled, a black jacket and red pants along with
gleaming black boots.
"It isn't too much, is it?" Juri asked with a slight smile.
"No," Releena smiled, feeling her cheeks warming, "you look
good." She shook herself, remembering what her father had just said and
asked, "You're really not going to duel her, are you?"
"I have to," Juri answered firmly, one hand reaching to twist
the ring that she wore, the rose signet that had once dangled around her
neck. She took a breath, "I wanted to ask if you'd be willing to stand
as my rosebride in the duel."
"Rosebride?" Releena raised an eyebrow curiously.
"My second, sort of," Juri answered, "you carry my sword for me
before the duel starts." She smiled wryly, "I'd feel better having you
at my side."
Releena knew she should object, knew she should protest the
danger that Juri would be putting herself in.... "I'll do it," she
surprised herself by saying.
"Thank you," Juri flashed a smile, "we're doing this up on the
roof."
Leading Releena from the bedroom she passed her a sheathed
sword, one that was heavy in her hands. "You brought a sword on this
trip?" Releena asked in surprise.
Juri shrugged as they took the back stairs up, her voice oddly
regretful as she said, "I don't know why, but I thought I might need
it."
The taller woman opened the door and Releena stepped out in the
partial darkness of the roof, a gentle breeze blowing across the tiled
surface. Colonel Une stood at the far corner, her hair tied back in it's
normal style, a slim rapier at the ready. A rose was in her breast
pocket, the color an odd green.
"I'm glad I picked up the rose from the shop downstairs," Juri
murmured, holding up the slim orange flower.
Releena reached out to gently take it from her, "Let me." She
slid it into Juri's pocket, settling it into place carefully before
stepping back, "There."
"Thank you," Juri smiled.
"Are you ready?" Colonel Une asked, her glasses catching the
moonlight.
"Let's go," Juri answered.
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