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☄ XXXIV - Backdated to 2/14

1 Action - Locked to Haman

[ There's a bouquet of flowers left in front of Haman Karn's door as she awakens that morning. The flowers are red, white, and purple, with a gold, glass vase. The card attached simply reads: "Happy Valentine's Day. Come find me in the arboretum later. - Char" ]

2 - Arboretum - Action

[ There's a bottle of wine out in a bucket of ice, on the only picnic table there with a tablecloth and a 'reserved' sign.

Sure. It's out in the open, but while the ship is in transit, it's the closest thing they can get to a fancy, romantic setting while Mineva is awake. So... here they are. In the Arboretum. In a setting that is just begging to be crashed and/or interrupted in the rudest way possible.

Dare ye? ]

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[ Definitely not in a rude way, but guess who peaks his head through the door. The noobie Zeon looks awed, or maybe confused? ]

[ Thankfully, he hasn't noticed. He's more focused on trying to see if Haman is coming, so Bernie may just be slipping passed his Newtype senses for now. ]

[Bernie looks around at first] "Uh...C..captain?"

[ Char blinks repeatedly, as if snapping out of a daydream. Ahh... well. Haman isn't here yet, so he doesn't mind. ]

Yes, Wiseman?

"Are you...having lunch?"

It's supposed to be a date.

"OH! Then, Lady Minerva is..."

She's with her handmaid, and the rest of the Royal Guard.

"And Lady Haman?"

On her way here.

"Oh!" Then it hits him. A lunch for the Captain and the Lady. Of course it was that kind of day.

"Then, I probably shouldn't be here!" His disappears behind the door for a quick second, then he comes back.

"Oh wait, Captain one more thing."

"About the Federation. Sort of." Or was it?

[ Char sighs. ]

Yes, Sanders?

"What?"

Bernie clears his throat, "Um, I mean. Since the Federation haven't been in good terms with Zeon, or with us, does that mean...I mean, no. Captain, how would you feel if you had to fight a friend in the Federation? Would you forgive him or her?"

Char sighs. And then shakes his head. "Bernie, is this about Christine?"

"I'm sorry Captain! I couldn't help it because of what today is. You seem to really care about Lady Haman too, so those feelings...they're just important."

"Christine isn't a Titan. And frankly, after Gato destroyed more than half of the Titan fleet with that nuke and they switched to using Mobile Dolls, I doubt they'll start getting into the Federation reserves." Char was just trying to be reassuring. He knows exactly how Bernie feels; except Haman was almost certainly going to participate, and there's nothing he can do about it.

"Hmm.." Bernie cupped his chin to think, and he came to conclusion that things were not going to turn out for the worst. Least not now? After a while, he stiffened his body, and gave a salute.

"Thank you sir! Captain, enjoy your lunch!"

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Haman yawned as she undid her curlers and teased her rose pink hair up to it's proper volume. Mineva sat on the edge of her bed and watched with the intensity of a fascinated child. She gave it one last spray, and a deft little bump, and seemed satisfied. Haman turned to Mineva and held out her hand.
"Let's go eat, we've both got work to do today don't we?"
Mineva nodded, and took her hand. She palmed open the door and-
nearly fell over.
"Hey!-oh." As a matter of instinct the Regent was about to start shouting, but then she looked down and-
"Look! It's a present!" Mineva smiled as Haman bent down to pick the positively beautiful bouquet, holding it to her face, and breathing deeply of it's calming scent. She had always loved that smell above all others.
There was only one person who could have done this, and that part was beyond question. But it stunned her for a second. This was holiday she had tried had since her teenage years to ignore, and had more or less banished it existence from her mind. And this time last year they had been in bad shape, the very idea of it had slipped away... but to wake up to something like this, from Char, was a bit overwhelming, she stepped back in her quarters and let the door close.
"Aren't you happy?" Mineva seemed confused by the way Haman covered her mouth with her hand. "They're so pretty."
"Yes they are." Haman put the fine vase on the table, and left the little card beside it. "I'm very happy, don't worry." She patted the child on the head and swallowed her shock. "I had better get to work then, or else I'll be late to meet him, won't I?" They shared a smile, warm and resonate. "Our Duty must always superseded our desires, Mineva. But we can work hard, and efficiently, so we can take time for the things we want as well."
It had already been over a year Mineva had been living in this way with Haman, and it was strange, and wonderful to see how much the cold iron grip Haman had held over the girl before, had shifted into a protectent adoration. Char's warmth, radiant as the sun, was surely melting the permafrost of Haman's icy heart, and these things where only the blessed byproducts.

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Uh, being a woman was challenging sometimes, but Haman was always ready. In the back of her closet there where at least a few tricks still up her sleeve.
She looked herself over int he mirror one last time, it was to good an excuse to not dress up a little. Tonight was obviously meant to be special. She had chosen a structured black dress, with deep plum accents, and black pumps tied around the back of her slender ankles. All of this was quite striking against her hot pink hair, that curled in around her chin and face now (after much convincing with a curling iron).
"What do you think, Mineva?" Why she was asking a 8 year old for fashion advice, Haman would never know.
"I like it alot! You look very pretty!" She child smiled up from the table, where she was doing her lessons.
Haman leaned over and kissed her on the top of her head. "I'll send your maid and guards in. If you need us, just call." Haman tucked her little communicator into her handbag.
"I'll be good." Mineva promised, and watched Haman leave.

She could feel him waiting, and made the trip in determined long strides, dodging the glances of anyone who might look at her crossways in such an ensemble. The click of her heels announced her presence as surely as he felt her draw near.
"You." Haman was already smiling softly. "Something, I think I know you well, and then you surprise me."

Edited 2013-02-23 21:41 (UTC)

Haman did indeed look absolutely stunning. He hadn't seen her dressed this well since... well, ever honestly. Even better than her usual Zeon regalia. The dress fit her perfectly, and he honestly liked what she did with her hair. He knew this would mean a lot to Haman, but to see her like this proved it meant even more to her than he thought. That was... quite impressive.

Char smiled as she approached, an effortlessly uncorked the wine bottle, pouring a glass for each of them. "It's Valentine's Day," he replied quietly. "Does it really surprise you that I'd remember?" Last time it rolled around, he was bed ridden and undergoing surgery after being shot.

"You look beautiful," he casually states.

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"No it's not like that," She started, "I honestly forget it's a thing, it was just surprising that's all. Unexpected." But if the smile on her lips meant anything it was a pleasant one.

"I had hoped you would think so." She sat down carefully, smoothing her tight skirt carefully under her, crossing her ankles. "I do the best we can with that I have. As I see you have done here," She looked at with, feeling quite filled with the bliss of it. Prehaps a simple gesture, but in a world of grandeur, these little things would mean the very most.
"This is better than a thousand state banquet halls." She wrapped her fingers round the stem of the glass, and tipped her chin down, looking ever so slightly coy in curls as she did.

"If it bothers you that much, we can go shopping the next time we make port," he answered, though God only knows when that would happen. It was difficult to find a place that would mean anything; the lounge and cafeteria were constantly packed, they weren't allowed on the bridge unless invited, and another round in the showers wouldn't do for something romantic like this. And you could hardly have a romantic dinner with someone in the cockpit of a mobile suit.

"I've been to several very lavish banquet halls," he answered, just as coy. "Though with you here, this is hard to compete with." He's trying to ignore what she's doing with the stem of the glass. Haman always knew how to tease him; after all, that was the entire point of wearing a short skirt in zero-G. At least, it had to have been. Every man in Axis had to have been looking at her.

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Haman remember the last time she had tried to go shopping in a place they docked at and the awkward and enlightening afternoon she had spent with her young subordinate, Kamille.
And as for the skirt, there was a reason Haman had taken wearing pants shortly after coming into power.

"No, I didn't meant it like that." She laughed, the idea of Char in tow on a shopping trip seemed, well frankly hilarious. "I could hardly make you carry my purse. I have people for that." It felt nice to unwind a little bit, the moment was intoxicating and she had not even tried the wine yet. The stress has been so high for so long, it was nice to release the tension in a moment of safety.
She did not fail to notice the way he was looking at her, it was always a reward to receive it. All those years of longing, and every day these where the rewards for her piousness to him.
Desire and Devotion.
Albeit, perhaps not complete, but enough.
"You know your flattery will get you no where with me, but do please go on." Haman sipped from her glass and made a playful gesture with her hand to show her easy sarcasm.
Her kiss left an iridescent plum lipstick stain on the rim of the glass.
"It was funny, even Mineva was excited by the roses this morning. it means alot to her to see us getting along. I never though a child would care so much about these kinds of things, but she is very receptive."

A story she'd have to tell him sometime.

"I love you, Haman, but nothing would make me carry your purse for you." That was humiliating, no man should be subject to such emasculation. He took a sip of his wine, before reaching out for the silver tray. It was put on a hot plate set to its lowest setting to keep the food inside warm.

Inside was a roast big enough for both of them, garnished with various fruit and spices. For a side-dish, there were two salads, and a bowl of relatively simple noodles with Neo-Italian parmesan sauce. It was the best he could do without stopping at a dock.

"We're all she has left, Haman. There's nothing you or I could say to each other that would hurt one of us worse than it hurts her." That's not another attempt at guilt-tripping her; it was the truth. "She loves us. She only wants us to be happy."

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"Nor would I make you. That's what I have Kamille for, or Cello. Never you. It would be absurd to even dream of." She couldn't help but beam at him,this had all taken some doing, and she was rather flattered he went to so much trouble for something that seemed so trivial until his moment.
But hadn't a person once said 'nothing is trivial'?

"I can only see how now unprepared I was to raise a child. I had no idea what I was doing when she was younger, and only now can I say I honestly regret it. I failed her, and my duty. But that's changing, and I hope day she'll forgive me for those things." Haman shook her head, she was no point getting upset about it now. "It's nothing something they briefed me on."
She looked over the fare with delight, she wondered why he had conned to cook all this? Surely the Red Comet didn't spend all day over a hot stove.

"I don't think I was prepared for how easy it was to love her, when i finally allowed myself to do so. I did not think I would like children so much."

[Haman, I love you, but I'd sooner design a Titans superweapon than be brought to the same level as that moron Mashymre.]

Edited 2013-02-25 03:18 (UTC)

"Kamille should have seen this coming when he joined us," Char replied. Secretly, he never wanted Kamille to join Zeon, and still didn't. But it was Kamille's choice, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

"We'll never make up for that, Haman. But what we can do is give her the life that you and I never had, and a Zeon worthy of her rule. I don't want her to repeat the mistakes of the rest of her family." That would honestly break his heart.

"You're the closest thing she has left to family, Haman. Of course she loves you. And it's only natural to do the same."

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"Kamille's a genius, but he'll have to learn everyone has to pay their dues in the beginning." She paused and rested her chin on the back of her hand.

She sipped off her glass as her spoke, this heavy conversation felt good to share, instead of keeping them bottled inside all the time.

"Everyday these are the things we work for. For her happiness, and for the people who look to me for answers. Although lately it feels quite hard to tell how effective we're been at this. It feel like ages since I've been back to Axis."

"I suppose that's true. Unless he has a chance to show off, like the Battle of Loum." Five ships battleships sunk within two minutes of each other. He went up four ranks in one day, and became the stuff of nightmares for the Federation.

"Soon, Axis will be coming to us. The Council is intent on war, Haman, and I know you aren't exactly opposed to it either. I just can't lose anyone else. Not you, not Mineva, not Kamille."

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"I'm never apposed to military action when it is just and required for the Independence of the people." Her pretty smile got flat, and cold. Arguing with him over politics at a time like this was no what she had in mind. Haman was about tried of being questioned by Char about her tactics. If he wanted to make the decisions, 'wear the crown' so to speak, he certainly could, and rightfully so. But there was more to it than that, as there always seemed to be.
"It will be good to be back there. Although there is some terrible music I am certain to have to face, it is a fair price to pay to be back home." She looked at him with a steely calm. "If we do not wish to loose, then we must fight hard to win. Only in victory can the things we love be protected. We have made many strong alliances here, the tides of fate have shifted in our favor thanks to this place. Victory is almost with in our grasp."

"Haman..." Char reached out for her hand, and squeezed it. "I'm not trying to argue with you. I just don't want to see anybody else die. We've lost too many people this month as it is. I can't lose you, Mineva, or Kamille."

She was right. They had to fight, and he would. It seemed like no matter what he did in life, he always managed to end up behind the controls of a mobile a suit at some point. "Just as long as you promise me that we'll both come back alive from this."

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"No matter what we do, fight, or surrender, people will die. You should know this better than I." Haman squeezed his hand back softly, thankful for it, even now. "I could never make that promise to you Char. I will do what I can to make us victorious, but there is very little that can be guaranteed in life, and less so in War." She paused, it was hard to say aloud, but this was the truth of their perilous life choices. The life expectancy for Zeon mobile suit pilots was much shorter than anyone liked to admit to.
"I know it's not what you wanted to hear from me now, but I cannot lie to you about such matters. If you do not wish to participate in battle in your mobile suit, I can certainly find a safer use for you, if it would set your mind at ease."

Low blow there, Haman. That really, really hurt. Especially coming from her. But for now, he'll keep quiet about that. What she says next isn't much better. "Haman, I've lost so many people at once. You can't expect me to be okay with losing more."

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It wasn't meant to be, an honest gesture at least.
"You act as if I plan to throw myself out of my cockpit! Char, you have been a combat pilot nearly as long as I've been alive. What is this really about?" She sat back a minute, and pushed away the friction of politics. There had to be reason he was going in circles, after going to so much trouble to set up this wonderful dinner.

Edited 2013-03-01 06:52 (UTC)

Char sighed, lowering his eyes. It should be obvious, really. "I love you, Hamana," Char began quietly. "But losing Lalah and Natalie... I'm afraid of the possibility of losing you, as well. I know you're an amazing pilot, and you're a more powerful than I'll ever be." But then again, so was Lalah. And Lalah might have even had the potential to be even more powerful than Judau Ashta, let alone Haman.

"The very possibility terrifies me, though."

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"And fear is healthy, but you can't let it consume you." She leaned forward against and took his hand. "You are with out a doubt the bravest man I know. I understand the pain of loss, I truly do. But what would you have me do? What action could I take that would set your mind at ease?" She reached out and touched his face with the other hand. "I will do anything you ask of me, you know this. But I feel like there is something more you aren't saying." Haman looked at him with her endless eyes both soft, and fierce all at once.

Char shook his head, almost defiantly. "Sometimes I feel as if you think too highly of me," Char answered quietly, his hand closing around hers. If she really wanted to know... he'd answer.

"I'm not the hero Zeon needs anymore. I might have been once, but... if there is one thing I learned from Amuro Ray, it's that the future doesn't belong to us. It belongs to the next generation. Someday, Kamille will replace both of us, and then Mineva will replace him." He squeezed her hand. "That's why I will fight again, for both of their sakes."

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"And maybe I do." After all he had let her get captured once. Front right under his nose at that. And though it had shaken her faith in his skills, her love made her blind to it. "I don't disagree with you. Truly I don't. In these days of disaster anything could happen, and you're right to be concerned about it. If I or Mineva should die tomorrow, the squabble for control would be... disastrous to all of Zeon. I fear the Principality would fall under the weight of infighting, so many power hungry monsters." Haman frowned a little. "I'll be more careful if it will make you feel better. And I don't sortie on missions that have nothing to do with me either, for that very reason. I want to build the future we wish to give them, if I die, if any of us do, then I fear all of Zeon will fall too. Unless..."

Char smiles sadly. "I can't give up on them." His hand didn't release hers, for even a moment. "Thank you. That's all I can ask of you, Haman."

His eyes lowered. "We'll survive this, Haman. Win or lose."

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She sighed, feeling relieved. At least that was over, Haman was started to dread these outbursts of Char's worry. Although she knew they where no unfounded. If anything, if only showed her how much she really meant to him. And for that much at least, she was deeply thankful.

"I often worry about the consequence of my own death, and of Mineva. Without a line of succession she and I are both fragile representations of power. A woman and a child, to many, I'm sure, sees us as an easy target. I am not blind to the fact, Char. But I am thankful for the reminder. I often feel to safe these days, and worry my own lax attitude may be my undoing." Haman patted the back of his hand. "We can all stand to be a bit more careful, to stand together and keep close watch of our own. But this idea of succession other worries me." She stoked her chin with her other hand, thinking hard on all that had been said. "Until Mineva can be married, even our grip on power is tedious at best. And that is, blessedly, many years off."

"You don't have to worry about them, because you aren't going to die. Not yet." His fists tighten. He's determined. He will not let her die, not at the hands of the Titans. Or anyone else.

"I'm sure Mineva will find someone who loves her and cares about her when she's older. Maybe even an idealistic, young Newtype, like Kamille. And if I can, I'll continue to protect her until I die." Totally not ironic foreshadowing, why would he do that?

"I know you'll do the same, Haman. She's almost like your own daughter. I know you love her and want only the best for her."

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