Ambassador Alighieri's Arrival

SinfulSoul · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **SinfulSoul** on Fri May 12, 2006 5:09 pm

The orchestra concluded their performance shortly after Zeke had returned. Once they did, the lights lit up once more, and some of those who had finished their meals began to leave. The main exit was blocked off because of the blood stains in the lobby, and therefore a side exit was used. The Generals all simultaneously turned towards Seraphina before Chamberlin began to speak.
Chamberlin:"I'm sure you must be tired after your trip to the Colonies, what with your injuries and responsibilities. With your permission, we shall retire and allow you and your party to rest. The limo is available 24 hours, however the driver and his partner are switched out every 8 hours. You'll find the Aid list slipped under your door at the artificial sun rise. You'll have all morning to see the non-restricted areas of the Colonies. We'll contact you in the afternoon to see if there is anything else you require."
The Generals stood to their feet in proper posture as they awaited for the approval to leave. Several of the other VIPs around them stood to their feet as well.

OOC: The "Red Zone" restricted areas include the following:
All military training academies.
All mobile suit factories and major mobile suit part factories.
All military mobile suit hangers.
L01's Military Intelligence Station.
L01's main Colony control room and all of it's sub-rooms located in the center of the colony.
Any prison.

Suggested areas of interest:
Any of the malls.
Any of the parks.
Any of the markets.
Any of the non-military locations, however if not found in the list above you are not restricted from looking around.

Seraphina Alighieri · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Seraphina Alighieri** on Sat May 13, 2006 12:41 am

When Zeke whispered in Seraphina's ear her eyes shot open, and a maelstrom of emotion began to rise to the surface. She turned and looked him, her eyes wide. Desperately she wanted to ask what happened, but that could wait until they had returned to the suite.

She nodded as General Chamberlain spoke, trying to suppress the roaring sea within her. When they stood up she did as well. She cringed when Chamberlain mentioned and artificial sunrise.

"Thank you Gentlemen for the wonderful reception it was lovely and the Orchestra fantastic. I appreciate your willingness to work with me in these negotiations. You are quite correct however it is time to retire."

She extended er hand and shook each one of theirs firmly. Before turning and exiting with her entourage around her.

As she walked back to her room, she began to plan for Dante's funeral, the body would return with her to Florence if possible so that he could be buried in the Nuvello Family tomb. The raging emotions with in her rose closer to the surface with each step she took. As they walked to a secondary elevator she turned to Svetlana.

"Has the room been examined for listening devices?"

She turned and focused her eyes straight forward on their ultimate destination.

Once locked into the security of her room she motioned to Zeke For him to follow her to her private chambers. He followed her in and shut the door behind them. She took her sport coat off and tossed it on the bed. She picked up a pen and notepad from the nightstand beside the bed, and scrawled a quick note on it before turning to Zeke. Despite the physical pain which she had ignored throughout the reception she remained standing. Her voice was calm and she looked him square in the eyes.

"Dante is dead of that I am sure, but what happened?"

She Handed the Paper to Zeke, on it she had written.

"I am sure Mr. Faille sent you, do you have any means of contacting him on our return to Florence?"

Tears welled up in her eyes and collected on her lashes. It was pure will alone that stopped them from falling.

Grimbold Theoman · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Grimbold Theoman** on Sat May 13, 2006 2:29 pm

On their return to the suite Grimbold and Alan set about sweeping what they could of the place for bugs using EMR scanners to search for radio transmitters and physically checking the phones and other electronics for anything obvious. Finding nothing more than was expected they discussed the watch. Grimbold took the first asking Alan to relieve him in 7 hours. Grim had slept on the shuttle on the way up and also needed to call room service for something to eat.
He had been to plenty of Ambassadorial receptions and was aware of how good an opportunity they presented. Which was why he never ate or drank at them he would remain alert even if everyone else was too busy with food and relaxation. In any case it meant he would now need to order something to make up.

It also gave him a chance to consider his reaction to the news of potential peace. It was not long since the Einhardt research and development facility had been attacked and his wife killed. Since then he had been working and finding many other things to distract him from the reality of the loss. Now something about this whole job was bringing her back to him, in a way that also put her for ever out of his reach. Sara! She had worked developing Earth's new mobile suits but always talked of peace, of a time without war and death. She had died and never seen the possibility come to pass, now Grimbold was going to make sure that, for her memory, peace would happen!

Zeke · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Zeke** on Sun May 14, 2006 10:58 am

Zeke looked her up and down. He took a seat in her chair and put a hand inside his coat before pulling out his black cigarette case. He cracked it open as he crossed his legs. His face dropped into a frown as he realized he was still empty. He snapped it shut and looked up at her as he put it away.
"Yes, Dante is dead. A bullet to his heart. I do assure you his suffering was limited. I could have done much worse, but family is family."
He opened the note and looked her up and down. He gave her a confused look. Before replying to the note. He scribbled it down and handed it back.
"Mr. Faile? I have never heard of such a man. I told you in Florence and old friend of mine tipped me off. Mr. Xavier Constantine."

Seraphina Alighieri · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Seraphina Alighieri** on Sun May 14, 2006 12:59 pm

She arched her eyebrows as she read his note. Obviously she had never met Xavier, but he was a Friend of Gabriel's. There was a piece missing in all of this that she wasn't fond of. What did Xavier know of her? And wasn't he dead? She scrawled a reply that was one simple word., and handed it to him.

"Sorry"

With that out of the way she turned back to the matter of Dante.

"Quick, that is too bad,"

Her voice cracked with grief, and the tears still clung to her lashes, but there was an air of disappointment that surrounded her. She focused her brown eyes intensely on Zeke's red ones. Behind her eyes it was obvious she really didn't know what to feel about the whole thing.

"Thank you very much for dealing with my cousin, I apologize for any trouble it caused you."

When she spoke the word trouble she pointed the note they had been exchanging. She walked over to the door and opened it.

"If there is anything i can do for you, please let me know. Thank you again Zeke."

He stood up and left the room, she shut the door behind him and sat on the bed in utter silence. She could hear the others mulling about in Living room. She picked up the phone and called the front desk.

"Yes Front Desk of Grand Sin, how may I help you?"

"This is Ambassador Alighieri, a packet will be arriving for me in the morning, when it is delivered could you please give a message to the Courier to take back to his employers?"

"Certainly, what is the message Ambassador?"

"I will be Leaving after my tour of the Colony most likely tomorrow morning if not earlier, I will take the body of my cousin back to earth with me. I apologize for any inconvenience that he has been and am willing to help in anyway possible to cleanup the mess. Thank you kindly."

"I will be more than happy to deliver this myself, My Condolences Ambassador."

Her voice caught in her throat. IF you had known Dante you would be relieved he was dead, she thought to herself, desperately trying to summon the rage she had felt earlier this evening, that justifiable rage, but it wouldn't raise its head through the fog of grief.

"Thank you,"

She whispered as she hung up the phone. Despite the beating he had given her, all she could think of was how he had once been a sweet child, and she had enjoyed his company, how he had been a source of strength for her before he gave himself over to alcohol and his mania. She looked back on his life and a wave of pity rose up and consumed her. Sophia's politics had destroyed him and she knew it, that whole house is rotten to the core, she thought to herself as the sobs came silently and in waves. I did love him, once, poor Dante, poor poor Dante. The sobs were harrowing as she stood there leaning up against the wall by her door, with the palms of her hands flat against the wall As she wept a sense of relief came through like a fragile sunbeam through a dark sky. He can't hurt Gabriel now, or me. She clung to that thought for a moment before it evaporated. She slid down the wall and wrapped her arms around her knees. It was fiercely painful to do so but she didn't care, she rested her head against her knees and let it all go through her. As the relief, the despair, the fond memories of joy, the joy, passed through her she was hit by a wall of rage. There was nothing for it to hide behind anymore. All of his political maneuvering, his move to Manhattan, His acquired condescending nature towards her, and of course his attack began to override her better nature and the fond memories she had for him. As she revisited these things he grew agitated and stood up and began to pace the room. All she could do was think of Zeke saying he died quickly and she felt robbed. She wanted to know his misery his fear, his last words. She began to clench and unclench her fist. Out of nowhere she punched the wall. The contact of her knuckles against the wall registered nothing, but the hard thudding sound. She pulled her hand away. She stared intently as the knuckles reddened, and hoped no one rushed in. With that one explosive act all of the rage had evaporated. She wiped the tears from her face, and with that a good portion of the make up. She washed her face n cold water, and took off the clothes she had warn to the reception and slipped on one of her nightgowns, and sat down on the edge of her bed. Again the tears came but the emotional pressure valve had been released. She was sobbing softly now. My sweet and poor cousin, tomorrow I will begin to make the arrangements. Il Mio Dolce, Dante.

Grimbold Theoman · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Grimbold Theoman** on Sun May 14, 2006 1:37 pm

There came the sound of something hitting the wall of the Ambassador's private room, Grimbold dropped the EMR detector and his two small bore Desert Eagles were in his hands as he leapt across the room and crashed his shoulder into the door of her room.
The door burst open and Grim dived into the bedroom beyond and swung around the room taking in the Ambassador standing alone by the wall.
"What happened?"

Seraphina Alighieri · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Seraphina Alighieri** on Sun May 14, 2006 1:55 pm

Grimbold's sudden arrival startled her out of the reverie of her sore fist. It was quite obvious she had been crying. She wiped her eyes and her black eyes were very obvious. Her eyes glistened with tears, and her whole body had the look of one that is emotionally spent.

"Nothing, just me, little me."

Her five foot 6 frame had lost all of the posture and dignity she had shown since their meeting.

She walked over to the sink and washed her face. Once the make up was off the extent of her injuries were obvious and bruise was developing around the gash in her head. SHe looked in the mirror and shook her head. She came out of the bathroom and looked at Grimbold.

"You can put those away now,"

Her voice was flat and empty. She changed even with him in the room and her door open. It didn't matter who was their. He motioned to leave but she signaled for him to stay. She sat down on the edge of her bed, and hung her face in her hands. The sobs cam again only less violent. They still hurt her, but not as much as when she had tried to remain silent. It didn't matter anymore if she did or not. She raised her head and turned her bruised visage to Grimbold.

"Thank you."

She whispered her voice full of genuine gratitude though he had done nothing, there was no one to save her form but herself.

Grimbold Theoman · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Grimbold Theoman** on Sun May 14, 2006 2:06 pm

Even though he had seen her face without the make up in the small cafe in Florence he was still surprised at the extent of her injuries.
He was surprised to realise that he still had his guns in his hands, and that Seraphina had to remind him to put them away. He slid the guns away and was turning to leave when she motioned him to stay. When she sat on the edge of the bed he moved to face her and bent down in front of her.
"I did nothing, but if there is anything that I can do you only have to say."When he spoke his voice was quiet and his soft Irish brogue was more obvious than ever and his tone one of genuine concern.

Seraphina Alighieri · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Seraphina Alighieri** on Sun May 14, 2006 2:23 pm

She looked at him kneeling in front of her, and smiled a wry sarcastic smile, of one who is certain of a bleak future. Her eyes were distant much like they were when she ran into Maxwell at the airport.

"I can't imagine you can bring people back form dead,"

She shrugged her shoulders.

"It doesn't mater anyway he is not the boy or the young man that I remember loving anymore. Hasn't been for along time, he got what he deserved and shall go on to a final judgement. God have mercy on his soul, because I can't not after this."

She points to her face. Her conflicted soul poured out of her eyes. It was obvious that she had loved him once, that they had even been friends.

"He used to kind, believe it or not, very kind. He was always stronger than I am, it was all perverted somehow. He became a monster he really did, scarificing all nobility for gain."

The tears came again sliding down her face, and falling from her chin.

Grimbold Theoman · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Grimbold Theoman** on Sun May 14, 2006 2:34 pm

Grimbold found echos of his own pain in that that Seraphina was expressing. He reached out to take her hands in his, in doing so he was reaching out to himself, his own pain. He took her hands gently, almost reverently aware of her injuries.
"If I could bring back the dead I would have done so on my own account. But then what you are doing would not be as important to me."
There was a tear in Grimbold's eye too now he could no longer stop the feelings of loss and grief that he had denied himself.
"Just make sure we have an end to this fucking war!"

Seraphina Alighieri · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Seraphina Alighieri** on Sun May 14, 2006 2:59 pm

She let him take her hands and listened to what he had said. There was so much grief in his voice it made her forget for moment why she was crying.

"Just make sure we have an end to this fucking war!"

She looked away from him and and diplomatically removed her hands from his as she stood up. Duty, always duty. She thought to herself as she rolled her eyes. The hopes of millions are weighing down me, I just let my cousin be killed for my own vengeful satisfaction. She growled quietly, as she choked back all of her emotions, but one.

She turned and faced Grimbold who had stood up. Looking him straight in the eye the beginnings of her grace returning, and the demeanor of an ambassador surrounding her.

"You say that like I have the power to do so. I have no hope left for this even with the steps we have made today. I do this for one reason anymore,"

she twisted the Diamond on her left hand.

"And his life is that reason. TO hell with the whole bloody human race for all I care, brutes every last one of them. I just want peace so I do not have to do this anymore so I can wake up next to him and know he isn't going off to do something that will probably get him killed."

She glared at him trying to drive home her point, searching him for any sign of emotion or surprise.

"I am sorry, I am sure you have your own motivations, your own reasons and I sure they are much like everyone else, but...I am only one woman with the most selfish of motivations. I am the definition of selfish altruism. Don't look to me to end this look to those that actually have the power to and convince them that it is a good idea."

Grimbold Theoman · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Grimbold Theoman** on Sun May 14, 2006 4:00 pm

"No it is I who am sorry, I should not have spoken to you like that. I forgot my position." He turned to go, then his anger took him over and he stopped and turned back to face her.
"But then why not let us all hang; the world is not so small that you and your husband could not hide for as long as any of us live. Why go through this farago of a negotiation with these people if you think we deserve only death anyway. And yes I am a brute I work as a hired gun, I am sure you would think me a thug unthinking and a life worthless and wasted. Maybe you are right, perhaps we are all as you paint us, and maybe we are not. But we are to burn anyway. You think I do not feel the same higher emotions that you do? That I have not known loss, not of a soldier not that of a friend, my wife died doing her job, no not even her job she was due to have the week off but a colleague was taken ill, she was at the Einhardt R&D facility when the MS attacked. She was killed when we were supposed to be in Paris, she was an scientist, an physicist, she didn't even work in there normally but was needed then to cover. Nobody knows or cares about her death, perhaps your loss is more significant because you are special you are not a brute you are above us all. I don't know I felt sorrow for your pain, your loss. Perhaps that makes me better than you as you care nothing for anything other than yourself. I hope when you wake next to your husband one morning you will remember Sara O'Brien's body lying broken and bloody on the ground almost unrecognisable as human when she should have been walking with me down the Champs Elysees."

The tirade at the ambassador over he turned again, this time he did not stop. In fact he didn't stop at all, he got to the suite door and shouted back over his shoulder

"Alan you have the first watch, call me if you need anything."

He continued out of the door and stormed to the lifts. He thumbed the call button but could not wait for the lift to come, instead he headed for the fire exit and down the stairs. He walked through the lobby and out into the night. Where he walked he did not know, didn't care. He needed air, wanted to feel the grass of the hills of home in Donegal under his feet not this old recycled air and hard roads. He wandered aimlessly about the streets just wishing someone would try and make trouble, give him a reason to work out his anger and give him the tools to hide his feeling of unbearable loss.

Seraphina Alighieri · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Seraphina Alighieri** on Mon May 15, 2006 12:45 am

Seraphina stared speechless at his back as he left, everything she had intended to say to imply had blown up in her face. She felt nothing but sympathy for him now. It wasn't that he was a brute, the whole race was brutish.

"Damn,"

she said aloud.she took off after him into the hall just as he stepped into the left, as the doors closed she said her voice wavering with emotion.

"I am so sorry, that is not what I intended."

The doors shut. She walked back into the room where everyone stared at her speechless. Their eyes searching her for answers.

"It doesn't matter. Nothing Matters."

She walked back into her room, calmly she shut the door. She laid down and the bed and cried she empty her very soul. All her feelings for Dante, Gabriel, and Grim were poured out in her tears onto her pillow. Finally she fell asleep entirely spent. Her soul was empty and exhausted. That night she dreamed of Paulo for the first time since she met Gabriel, and he told her that she was doing the right thing and that the world needed people like her. That he loved her still, but she was Gabriel's now, and he was happy for her. Be careful of what she says.

Grimbold Theoman · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Grimbold Theoman** on Mon May 15, 2006 1:37 am

Grimbold walked long into the night, the reused air felt stale and there was no night chill, after what seemed like many hours but was probably little more than two he found himself back at the Grand Sin. He had walked off the worst of his anger and some of the grief, all he had left was a black depression. He wandered back into the hotel and made his way to his small private room.

He got ready for bed mechanically and lay down on the bed. He didn't sleep for a long time and when he did it was a fitful sleep disturbed by dreams. A part of him regreted what he had said at the Ambassador, she was a victim of her circumstances as much as he was. He dreamed of Sara, but she had the ring Seraphina had so angrily shown him instead of her own plain wedding band.

He gave up the unequal struggle to sleep around six and returned to the Ambassador's suite. Alan was still doing his guard duty. They talked quietly together for a short while then Grim sent him off to get some rest.

He continued to watch, waiting for Seraphina to rise. He needed to appologise probably too late but he needed to say it anyway.

Zeke · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Zeke** on Mon May 15, 2006 1:37 am

By the time all this had gone down Zeke was lifeless again. He had shut down into quiet mode. Zeke then stepped out onto the balcony once again. He leaned over and looked at the colony. He reached into his coat and pulled out the cigarette container. He didn't even need to open it for the reality to hit him that he was out. He looked back into the suite and noticed that Svetlana was on the couch, and Alan was keeping a sharp watch.
Zeke wandered in and out through the front doors of the hotel. He started to make his way down town to find a 24 hour store to buy cigarettes. He needed them badly at this point.
Zeke quickly went into a shop, bought a pack and wandered out. He found himself wondering what the legal age was on L01. Shaking it off he found a phone booth and dialed and Earth number. He knew the conversation would be listened too, so he used no names. The phone rang once before someone picked up. They did not speak.
"Friend, I have done as you told and I will continue on this mission. As you know this is a public phone and I will use no names. But I will have you know that Prince Paris, who attempted to steal Helen has been put down by Achilles, as history tells. I will update you later Captain Odessyus."
As he spoke to the individual he called Odysseus he lit up a smoke. As he finished he hung up the phone and headed back to the suit only to be pasted by an infuriated Grim passed him. He did not take it to heart as he entered the hotel and made his way back up to the suite and back onto the patio without a word to anyone.
As he looked back over the colony in disgust he lit up another smoke and secretly hoped that Svetlana would come out and join him. He was really beginning to take a liking to her.

Svetlana_Popova · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Svetlana_Popova** on Mon May 15, 2006 7:31 pm

Svetlana watches Zeke come back into the hotel room. His shocking red hair and blazing red eyes make her catch her breath. She watches him silently walk out onto the patio, and light up a smoke. A small smile crosses her full lips. She walks over to a bag leaning against the wall, she opens it and pulls out a bottle of Vodka and a pack of cigarettes. With a wink at Alan, she walks onto the patio and sits down in a chair. She sets the bottle on the table, and packs her smokes. She lights one of the cigarettes, and opens the bottle. Without looking at Zeke, she takes a shot from the bottle and silently hands it to him.

Zeke · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Zeke** on Tue May 16, 2006 1:09 am

He looks over at the newly place Svetlana as she offers him the bottle of vodka. He smiles weakly at the gesture before raising his hand to block it and say no. He took the cigarette from his lips and took a seat across from her.
"I don't drink Miss. Anything that will take off the edge I don't do."
He looks down at the cigarette in his hand and grins.
"Except for these."
As he took another drag. His mind then wandered to food and water, he hadn't eaten since they left. Oh well, he wasn't hungry. He looked over at the table.
"And with Grim gone, and you drinking Alan and I need to be on our toes. And by Alan and I, I mean me, because I don't trust him. Too quiet."

Svetlana_Popova · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Svetlana_Popova** on Tue May 16, 2006 1:42 am

She shrugs and with a twinkle in her eye she replies.

"Your loss and my gain."

She then takes another swig from the bottle and sets it on the table. Her blue eyes narrow slightly at Zeke.

"Two things. One, never call me Miss. You can call me Svet or Svetlana. Two, you will find that even if I drank this entire bottle, my reaction time is still the same."

She takes a drag from her smoke and smiles superciliously at Zeke.

Zeke · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Zeke** on Tue May 16, 2006 2:21 pm

He took the chair in his left hand and spun it around so he could drop down on it backwards. Zeke then folded his arms across the top and couldn't help but smile as she replied to his comments. He hung his head with a bashful smile. He hadn't meant to call her miss, but since she caught it...
"All right babe. I'll never call ya miss again."
He replied. His eyes glinted mischeviously as she took another sip of the bottle.
"And we shall see if your reaction time does indeed stay the same."
His eyes seemed to wink as he rose again and turned back to the colony and the railing he stood by before she came out to him.

Svetlana_Popova · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Svetlana_Popova** on Tue May 16, 2006 3:22 pm

Svetlana laughs at his reaction to her comments. She takes another swig off the bottle and takes another drag of her smoke. She then stands up and takes off her coat, and places her tonfas on the table with a huge grin on her face. She untucks her black shirt and sits back down.

"You can test me anytime for my reaction speed."

Her eyes dance with mirth. She picks up one of the tonfas and twirls it absently.

Ambassador Alighieri's Arrival

a topic in Gundam Wing: Continuing Legend, a part of the RPG forum.

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