Tangled Up

Posted on Mon Mar 4th, 2024 @ 4:27am by Caeda & Major Sacha Lavigne & Crown Prince Paolo Orsini

Mission: Historiae Terrae Et Imperii
Location: Terra
Timeline: Date 2371-09-02 at 1900
3921 words - 7.8 OF Standard Post Measure

ON

Sacha Lavigne was a former Marine, and he hoped that meant something. He’d made lots of friends in his life, but he wasn’t sure if this particular one had the access he needed to get him some wheels off this damn planet. Seeing as she was an ex girlfriend, he also wasn’t sure if she had the will to help him. But he had to try. Giana’s life was in danger.

He stepped into the hangar complex of the Marine base where he had served since he was transferred back to Terra and walked to where he suspected she might be.

Erin Schaefer was no stranger to the hangar complex given it was where she spent her astoundingly average career. She never went above and beyond, merely did the bare minimum that she could to stay in the service while the rest of her time was devoted to living her life without care or regret. She was of an average height with a bit too thin of a build for a marine and blonde hair complimented by blue eyes. There was a certain prettiness about her, though nothing overly memorable. What had been memorable was her love of a good time.

She was standing nearby one of the shuttles on the deck checking the large tablet style PADD in her hand. She gave it a few taps and then suddenly let out a drawn out sigh, tilting her head back to look up at the ceiling then closed her eyes.

“Something wrong, ma bichette?” Sacha asked in a soft, tender voice as he approached. On his face, he had the same attractive and boyish smile he wore last time them were together, though his features were decidedly more manly.

The amount of feelings that voice brought to her in quick succession was staggering. A blip of warmth and excitement brought her head down and made her turn to him, her eyes softened and a small smile tugged onto her lips when she regarded the man standing before her. Then, remembrance and realization hit her, and that soft look and smile evaporated like a drop of water in a desert. Her pretty face hardened into anger, a frown, and she turned away from him and back to the shuttle.

“The fuck do you want?”

“Why do I have to want something?” He asked, seemingly unperturbed by her coldness. He approached her with a slow swagger and stopped next to her, placing his hand on the shuttle and leaned there; close enough to smell his expensive cologne and to feed the warmth of his body. “Can’t a guy just drop by to say hello?”

“We haven’t seen each other in like eight years so no.” The anger softened slightly, but the frown remained. She took a large step back from him. “So what the fuck do you want, Sacha?”

“You’re so dramatic.” He said with a teasing smile. “It’s only been seven years. But, who’s been counting?”

He placed a hand gently on her wrist and gave her a wink.

“I never got to apologize to you for the way I ended things. Leaving abruptly..ignoring your calls. It wasn’t fair. Take your lunch break and let me make it up to you.”

“I’m busy. Some of us have jobs other than appearing in gossip columns.” She pulled away from him and lifted her tablet up, facing the shuttle. “And I don’t want to hear your bullshit apology. You’re a piece of shit.”

Though the words were angry, and she was still angry, she looked sad more than anything else, maybe ashamed.

“Well, that’s nothing new.” He said with a chuckle. “Come on, Erin. There’s no harm in it. I take you somewhere insanely expensive, you order everything on the menu, and you let this piece of shit apologize to you.”

“What part of I don’t want to hear it do you not understand? Why are you here? Just spit it the fuck out already or leave I don’t have time for these shitty games from you.” She snapped at him, looking more distressed with each moment.

Sacha watched her, the smile on his face only waning a bit. He sighed then and leaned his back in the shuttle.

“I missed your fire, Puppet.” He said, crossing his strong arms over his chest. “You look great, by the way. Do you remember that time we took leave together on Luna and I ate your entire meal while you were in the bathroom? You were so fucking mad.”

He sighed again, the smile disappearing, replaced by something quiet; something real.

“I was a huge dick to you, Erin. I know I hurt you. I’m sorry.” He said, warm and intimate. “Even if you say no to what I’m going to ask you, you at least deserve to hear that. I was fucked up..taking out my problems out on every girl who looked at me. There’s no excuse, and I’m better now.”

“Yeah, well, story of my life. Whatever.” Erin gave a dismissive wave of her hand, looked pointedly back down to her PADD for the span of thirty seconds, then sighed loudly again. “I’m off in like fifteen minutes. Where do you want to go?”

Sacha smiled and offered a light-hearted chuckle.

“There she is.” He said, and then tempered his happiness with an obvious humility. “Private is better, obviously. I’ve got a place where I can clear the room for us. It’s in a secret spot by the Sato Palace in Okinawa. The best food in the area, and I remember how sushi makes your toes curl..”

Erin shot him a baleful look at the mention of her toes curling then rolled her eyes. “Yeah, sure, whatever. Just let me know where and then fuck off before you get me into trouble again.”

“It's the Azure Dragon.” He said, reaching out, grabbing her hand, and giving it a quick squeeze. I’ll meet you there.”

He released her hand with another wink and stepped away, heading for the nearest transporter pad.

—-

It was around thirty minutes later that Erin finally arrived outside the Azure Dragon. She was almost unrecognizable having changed out of her uniform and into a sexy short red strapless dress with a sweetheart neckline that made the best of her modest assets. Her blonde hair was down and held a loose curl and she had applied makeup to bring out her pretty face. A pair of gold heels completed the look. She drew attention immediately as she walked up to the host area and looked at the woman there. “I’m looking for a Mr. Lavigne?”

The petite hostess behind the black desk raised her brows, surprised to see the woman standing in front of her. Sacha was a public figure, incredibly famous, and was famously taken. This woman looked like she was on a date with her shirt dress, long legs, and fuck me heels. She had some calls to make.

“Yes, of course.” She said in a thick Japanese accent. “Please follow me.”

She led the woman through the crowd of various dinners who sat at tables, sharing their meals. The place was clearly upscale, with all of the good and the comfortable seating. The hostess took Erin through a black door and down a red-carpeted hallway, running only when she got to the end, through a thick red velvet curtain and into a room with a single table,two hand-carved chairs, and a golden statue of a dragon.

Sacha stood. He too had changed into a dark gray suit with a forest green tie. Incredibly handsome, he looked more masculine and strong than when they had dated so many years before. As the hostess left, he stepped around the table and approached Erin, opening his arms for a hug.

“Erin, you made it. And godsdamn, you look fucking amazing.” He said with a smile, confident and clean.

She greeted him with a sigh, but at the same time she returned his hug, her thin form pressing up against his much broader body for a moment but she kept it brief. “Yeah you don’t look too bad yourself. This is quite a place.”

“Isn’t it?” Sacha said, grateful for the lack of warmth from her. He was concerned it would be seen as a date, which could certainly complicate things with his incredibly jealous and powerful fiancé. “I think you’ll like it. They might put drugs in the food, it’s so good.”

He pulled back her chair and waited for her to sit in it, displaying a behavior he had honestly shunned his entire life.

Erin lifted a brow at the gesture and with the expression of someone who was humoring another, she took a seat in the chair he had pulled out for her and crossed her legs once she was settled. “Well if they do all the better. What are we having to drink? Because I definitely need something with alcohol to deal with any of this. I can feel it.”

“I didn’t know my presence stressed you out so much.” Sacha said with a neutral look. “I ordered some sake for us.”

He poured one of the glasses and slid it over to her and then poured the other for himself.

“Well then you’re fucking stupid.” Erin rolled her eyes, picked up the glass, downed it, and slid it back to him to refill it before he had even finished pouring his own out.

“So are you ever going to tell me what you actually want?”

“I want you to help me steal a runabout so I can sneak Prince Paolo off of Terra.” He said simply, ignoring her insult. He couldn’t expect her to like him now.

“Uhhh you know what I’m just going to skip all the questions and just say that’s a hard pass, Sach.” Erin’s brows lifted and she shook her head. “Absolutely no way I’m doing that. So if you want to get out of here and just pay for the sake, whatever.”

“That’s a shame. I was really hoping you could help us.” Came a youthful voice from behind them laced with an Italian accent. There Paolo stood, in a midnight black suit, a white shirt, and a light blue tie. He approached the table and stood on the side between them.

Erin looked back and her eyes immediately widened, watching stunned as Paolo came forward and stood next to the table. She opened her mouth to say something but couldn’t figure out what, then immediately she snapped back to Sacha, angry again. “What the fuck, Sacha? You say you were taking me to lunch to make up to me for being such a complete shit stain and now you’re ambushing me with this? What the actual fuck is wrong with you?”

Sacha rose as Paolo entered, following the royal protocol. Paolo looked more concerned about her anger than he did.

“Please, it’s not his fault.” The Prince said. “I asked him to contact you. He said you have the power to help us under the radar. If you’re worried about your career, don’t. Obviously those kinds of things can be taken care of. There’s something terrible going on which we can’t tell you, but we need your help.”

Erin’s eyes had become watery with angry tears. She did Paolo the respect of looking at him as he spoke and listening to him, but she didn’t answer and instead just stared at Sacha expectantly.

“You knew I needed something in the first place.” Sacha said with a calm expression. “The only thing that’s changed is that you now know what. It’s very very important that the Crown Prince and I get off world today. A matter of life, death, and war. Please help us.”

“Yeah, yeah I did, and yet like every fucking time I believed your bullshit. I believed you were actually sorry and that you’ve changed.” She looked at Paolo again then, frowning, but resolutely looked back to Sacha. “I really could not give less possible fucks for whatever your problem is, Sacha. You’re a dramatic little bitch and always have been, why is this going to be any different? Where’s your fucking girlfriend? Are you taking her brother up to some brothel for some good clean fun for both of you?”

She picked up his sake glass and threw it at his face. “Stay the fuck out of my life.”

“You crazy bitch.” Sacha said under his breath, frowning but maintaining his composure. “You think I’m taking a 15 year old to a brothel? How dare you?”

He spat the words, but Paolo was intent on making things worse. He looked up at the taller woman, an almost desperate look on his face.

“What do you want, money? I’ll give you my entire allowance for the year. 6 Million Golden Crowns. Is that enough for you?”

“Paolo, don’t offer her any money.” Sacha said, frowning. “We tell her we have a real problem and she makes it about her personal feelings. I’ll find another way to get us off.”

“Fucking rich coming from you, Sacha.” Erin rolled her eyes and looked down at Paolo, studying his face for a moment. “Ten million and I’ll help you. Also I have a question for you.”

Paolo considered the offer. He had over 60 million in savings over the course of his life, much of which had been invested with judge returns, so it wasn’t like he couldn’t afford it. He would need a parent's permission to access it however. He needed time to think.

“What’s your question?”

“Do you love your sister? Hell, even just like her. Giana, that is.”

“Yes, I do.” He said, nodding and answering without hesitation. “But love and like aren’t the same thing, are they? I love my sister, which means I want what’s best for her. So does Sacha. For the record, I used to hate him too. But he is different now; he’s a man, and I actually look up to him as an example of strength and bravery. I love him as well. Do I like him?”

The two men made eye contact and there was a smile there despite the tension in the room. It was obvious that Paolo was good, far more obvious than whatever Sacha was.

“Gods, you think Sacha is an example?” Erin suddenly laughed and shook her head. “Oh my fuck we are doomed. Absolutely fucking doomed. You know what, I’m not even going to bother. Ten million transferred to me and I’ll help you.”

She turned to Sacha then, still smiling though it was anything but joyful. “You know, I think I’m really going to enjoy watching you fuck this entire thing up Sacha. Ruin your life, your girl’s life, see all that public humiliation that’s going to come with it. You haven’t changed one godsdammed bit. You never will; you aren’t the type. You’re going to fall dick first into oh… what the fuck was her name? Selene? Selena? Susie? Who the fuck ever or some other slut like her again. You just can’t help yourself. You’re going to get back into the drugs, the parties, the whores. I’ll be really interested to see how much scrambling these poor royals are going to have to do because some bimbo princess bought your charming smile and cheap cologne.”

“You’re a piece of shit and that’s all you ever will be, and you’re going to fail.”

By the time she was done, Paolo’s mouth was hanging open. He was sheltered from this kind of behavior most of his life, and the person who had come closest to it had been Giana. But even she had shown restraint and moderation in her insults.

Sacha’s heart was thumping in his chest so hard one could see his arteries jumping in his neck. He was angry, for sure, but as he watched and listened to her, he started to see the truth: she was sad and broken herself, abandoned by every man who had ever made her promises including him. Not only had he cheated on her and left her, but now his life was going amazingly, and publicly so. He couldn’t be mad at her.

“I’m sorry I hurt you.” He said in a low voice, where he would have yelled in the past. He would have insulted her back, and he would have said things which were twice as hurtful as she had. But not now. “I can see how angry you are, and you’re right not to trust me. We'll find another way. Just forget you ever saw me. I won’t bother you again.”

Erin scoffed. “You aren’t fucking sorry, Sacha. You never were and you never will be. You don’t have it in you to be sorry; you do exactly whatever the fuck you want to do when you want to do it and fuck everyone else. You know, I think I’m going to feel sorry for poor Princess Gigi when she finds out exactly what you are. It will be too late I’m sure, you’re really fucking good at that part.”

She looked at Paolo, thought about saying something, then thought better of it given the boy thought this man was some sort of pinnacle of virtue, then looked back at Sacha.

“I hope you get exactly what you deserve out of life.”

Finally, she did turn and look at Paolo directly. “The deal still stands, ten million and I can have you off the planet in the next two hours.”

Paolo’s surprise had waned. As he’d watched Sacha apologize and take responsibility for his actions only to have this woman take a few more shots at him, it stoked the boy’s keen sense of Justice. His desire to get along and his longing for peace were overwhelmed as the image of his father’s bloody, motionless body lying on the floor of the Secretariat Room came back into his mind. Then he spoke.

“I wouldn’t give you a dime.” Paolo said, finally, his eyes large, making him look more like his father than ever. “You are a vengeful, sad, ridiculous woman. I may not know what he did to you, but he apologized and you just keep hitting. You vile, weak creature. I’m so FUCKING tired of everyone being so GODSDAMN difficult all the time! It’s increasingly clear to me that violence is a better solution to political problems than I thought.”

Paolo stepped up to Erin, standing close to her.

“Guards!” He yelled, his shoulders heaving. No more than a split second later, the two men he’d allowed to follow him if his 60 man unit rushed into the room, weapons drawn. Looking up at her, he paused for a breathing space before speaking slowly and clearly. “I’m not your colleague, your equal, or your friend. Now, apologize to Sacha right now, or I’ll have your filthy tongue out right here.”

Erin didn’t respond, just watched Paolo’s tirade, not exactly with fear, just with some level of near disgust. She was used to men and boys acting like animals, and here was another one, heir to the empire. “Sacha has given me a thousand sorries that he never meant. This one isn’t really any different. He wouldn’t even be saying sorry if he hadn’t needed something from me, Imperial Highness, he would have never darkened my door. But I shouldn’t have said all of that” She looked up to Sacha then and shook her head slowly at him, completely disgusted and disappointed. She hadn’t hated him until now.

“Sorry for saying all of that, then.” She said with about as much meaning behind it as any one of Sacha’s usual sorries.

“Yeah.” Sacha said, trailing off as he waited for more words to come. The truth is that her words were the ones echoing in his head. The things she had said had cut deep, and he wondered silently how true they were. Would he fail in the end? Would this curse she had put on him, in her hatred, prove to be true?

“Good.” Paolo said, calming down and looking slightly ashamed. He came down immediately from his rage, seeming much more relaxed. “A word of advice for you though. You shouldn’t talk to anyone who asks you about this. What you say to friends or family can get to the media. What gets to the media gets to the Department for the Glory of the Fatherland. Whatever gets to them inevitably gets to Internal Terran Security. I’ve read reports of people disappearing for less. And, if not that, your career will be ruined if you talk. Sorry about that, by the way.”

Paolo looked at Sacha.

“Let’s get going then. It’s my turn to get us to Axanar.”

“I didn’t plan on talking to anyone.” Erin shrugged slightly. Not like she would have to, this was a private area but the staff was still around and Paolo’s meltdown wouldn’t have gone unnoticed. As Paolo and his guards left, she reached up to catch Sacha by the shoulder, speaking quietly to him.

“I’m really glad you came back to ruin my life one more time, Sacha. Really appreciate it. Have fun on Axanar.” With that she let him go and moved to sit back down at the table, grabbing the sake which she knew she would end up having to pay for now, but she really didn’t care.

“Get whatever you want. I’ll let the hostess know to charge my account..” he said, knowing her heart was closed to him, probably from the moment they had bet in the shuttle bay. There was nothing he could say; nothing he could have said. In that moment, just as he was starting to feel bad about himself, his old defense mechanism kicked in again. He smiled and gave her arm a squeeze. “I’ll give you a call if I ever decided to be a fucking failure and cheat on my royal girlfrined. Until then, have a nice life.”

He let her go then, and then he and the heir to the throne left the room along with the Imperial Guards.

“Yep. Just as sorry as I thought you were.” Erin said to no one after Sacha had left while she poured herself more sake. “Kid thinks you’re a role model. I really wish you were… but he’s going to end up being a piece of trash just like you the rate he’s going. I really just hope you never fucking come back since you don’t seem to understand the words go the fuck away and leave me the fuck alone.”

With a long sigh, she tilted her head back and closed her eyes, slumping in the chair. “Fucking doomed as a society.”

END