The sound of a waltz drifted out the open windows of the Sanq Kingdom palace to the ears of a slight young woman stepping out of a car near the base of the palace steps. She gazed up at the brightly lit building with wide, sparkling eyes and allowed herself a small giggle.
"Hey, Duo, you think we can re-furbish the junk yard to look like this?" She pointed towards the palace.
The man who hopped out of the driver's side of the car glanced in the direction she indicated and grinned. "Hilde babe, I may be able to build a functioning gundam out of a pack of gum and a piece of aluminum foil, but turning the trash into a treasure like that is a bit beyond my abilities."
Hilde mock-pouted. "You sure? We'd probably get more business if the garage looked like that."
Duo shook his head, his long braid whipping about behind him. "No, we'd just get delegates asking for Ms. Dorlian." He said "delegates" like it was a plague, vermin, or some other sort of nasty thing one avoided. "Now, c'mon, the party's gonna start without us. You up for a race?" Not waiting for an answer, he bounded forward, taking the steps two at a time.
Hilde opened her mouth to yell at him, but closed it, knowing screaming would only make him laugh. Instead, she hitched her ground-sweeping skirt up far enough to run without tripping over the hem.
Just as she finished her preparations, she caught a glimpse of a tall man wearing a Preventers uniform. Although there were quite a few tall men wandering around in Preventers uniforms, this one held her attention. Whether it was the arrogant tilt of his head, or the graceful, almost dangerous way he moved, or maybe it was the way his pants tightened over his-
Hilde shook her head. Now was not the time to be admiring the backsides of tall men in Preventers uniforms. No matter how nice aforementioned backsides were. There was a race to be won, and Duo was nearly to the top.
For the fifth time in less than an hour, Wufei asked himself why he had come. There was so much he could have accomplished had he stayed at Preventers Headquarters, but Sally had threatened and cajoled him until he had become so aggravated with her that he had thrown up his hands and announced his willingness to go if only she would shut up and quit acting so much like Maxwell.
Now he cursed himself for his spinelessness, Sally for her uncharacteristically childish behavior, and Maxwell for... well, he never needed a reason to curse Maxwell. He continued to fume, caught so far up in his thoughts that he never noticed when a small woman walked up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder.
He became aware of her presence, however, when she tugged on his ponytail.
He glanced down at her and immediately thought she would look completely natural if she was perched on a leaf with gossamer-thin wings sprouting from her back. The top of her head barely reached his shoulders, and a long, midnight blue dress clung to her slight frame. Her eyes were a shade lighter than her dress, and he found himself drawn into their dark depths.
Several things to say floated randomly through his mind, disjointed and completely inappropriate for a first meeting. Before he could say something he hoped wasn't too stupid or embarrassing, the beautiful vision asked, "Doesn't that hurt?"
Wufei blinked. The question was certainly odd and entirely out of context with his thoughts.
At his blank stare, the woman clarified, "Doesn't having your hair pulled back so tightly hurt?" To illustrate, she gave another small pull.
Wufei grunted. "Only when people yank it."
Blushing, the girl lowered her hands and apologized. "Sorry, but why do you have it pulled back like that? It just looks so painful. And pain is stupid and pointless and entirely worthless. Unless," she clapped her hands to her mouth to stifle a shocked gasp, "you're a masochist! I'm sorry! I didn't realize! I've been insulting you, and I'm sorry! I didn't know! You should've said something! I'm sorry!"
Wufei's jaw dropped. No one had ever called him a masochist, and he had never heard anyone apologize so much in one breath before either. This fairy-woman jumped to conclusions rather quickly and illogically, and she talked faster than Maxwell with his braid on fire.
He held up a hand to stop the rush of words. "I am not nor have ever been a masochist. The only reason I have my hair tied back is not out of any sick pleasure I hope to gain out of it, but simply to keep it out of my face. You, Pixie girl, should learn to stop and breathe once every few sentences."
The girl reddened a second time, then giggled. "Pixie girl. I like that. It's better than the nickname my housemate has for me. He calls me-"
Wufei interrupted, "He?" With an unusual sinking feeling in his gut, he noted that the girl's dark eyes- the same ones he had earlier nearly drowned in- had lit up at the mention of her "housemate." She certainly was pretty with her sparkling eyes, but if she was already attached...
"Yeah, the guy I live with. He... oh." Suddenly realizing the implications behind her words, she added, "We run a garage together. I deal with the finances and the cooking, while he's the mechanic and inhaler of food. It works quite well actually."
Wufei nodded. Relief flooding through him. So she and her "housemate" were business partners, rather than lovers. For some reason still not entirely clear to Wufei, that arrangement pleased him. It also sounded very familiar. It struck him why a moment later.
Maxwell and that... foolish girl that had nearly gotten herself killed escaping from Libra managed a similar business. Though there was no way that scrawny, stupid, and downright foolhardy girl could in any way compare to the graceful, lovely sprite before him.
Wufei glanced back down at the girl and noticed that her gaze had drifted towards the large area in the middle of the room where several couples were elegantly swaying to the music.
With a smile, he held out his arm. "Care to dance?"
Hilde giggled at something her dance partner said and mentally kicked herself. She had tittered almost constantly since she had found the tall Preventer with the nice ass hiding in the ballroom's shadows.
From what Duo had told her, incessant giggling was the most annoying thing a man could hear, but tall, dark, and handsome didn't seem to mind. In fact, it seemed that he liked it, since the corners of his mouth quirked upward in a close approximation of a smile anytime a giggle issued from her throat.
Hilde now desperately wanted to see his full smile, not just a small smirk, so she racked her brain for anything that could elicit a laugh. Unfortunately, the only things that came to mind were Duo's tasteless jokes that were barely a step above bathroom humor.
Her companion would not be amused with those. Not that Hilde could imagine herself repeating anything that Duo found funny....
Her train of thought abruptly ended when the object of her affection tapped her nose.
"Where were you?"
Hilde flushed- for the umpteenth time this evening, she sourly noted- and stammered, "I-I was just..." The lack of music caught her attention, and she glanced towards the dais where the musicians were busy packing their instruments. "What time is it?"
"Around one."
Hilde inwardly groaned. She had been dancing for hours on end. Her feet were going to be complaining in the morning, but it was worth it. To have such a... perfect partner was like- She realized that her "perfect partner" was talking.
"... all right if I leave now? I have to go collect my partner." He gestured to a blonde woman who was standing near a bowl of what was supposed to be punch. From the way the woman was swaying unsteadily and singing off-key in a dreadfully loud voice, the punch was not just punch anymore.
Hilde was certain Duo had had a hand in spiking it; and, knowing Duo the way she did, he had also imbibed enough to make himself pass out. She would have to search under tables and in corners to find him. "Yeah, I'll be fine. I guess I'll see you around."
He raised her hand and brushed his lips against her knuckles. "Good night." He turned away and walked towards his drunken partner, supporting her as they left.
Hilde watched him, a foolish grin creeping on to her face. Oh, yes, tonight was definitely worth it.
A hand clamped on to her shoulder. "Hey, Hilde babe, how's it goin'?"
Hilde dazedly looked at Duo who wasn't quite as drunk as she would have thought. Although, at that moment she wasn't thinking of him much at all. "I think I found the perfect guy."
Duo snorted. "Nobody's perfect, babe, but when do I get to meet him? I really want to play the overprotective big brother."
Hilde's blissful expression vanished, replaced by one of panic. "Meet him? Oh no! I found my soulmate, and I didn't even get his name!"