Chapter Text
It was hard being the queen of Grassley House…but it was a role that Sabina Fardin had accepted with little regrets.
It was mainly because she had been gifted that task by the boy who’s program had given her a spot within the hallow halls of the Asticassia School of Technology…it had given a simple street orphan like her an escape from the streets of Earth, where she would have simply died a cruel and horrible death…a simple stain on the street like so many other children who weren’t lucky like her…either getting stomped to death by a massive mech of steel…or just simply run over by a car. She could have experienced even worse…she could have been taken and sold into slavery…forced to do the bidding of people who would never have her best interests in mind…
That’s why, while he was a massive simp for a girl who would never return his affections, she did own Shaddiq Zenelli a massive debt. He had gifted her with a new life, a new name, and a task that she could dedicate herself to. And she wasn’t alone. She was one of five girls, all vastly different, but all brought together under the Grassley banner to bring a combined goal to fruition.
There was Henao Jazz, the silent zen-master who was often silent, but could always be counted on when things got difficult, she was the only girl amongst their quintet who was a third year, just like she was, and thus the purple-haired girl had grown to feel an immense amount of trust in her. Though the other three young pups had gotten a small soft spot within the normally taciturn girl’s heart.
Renee Costa, the bratty princess who often looked for excuses to exhibit her skills while also stealing and breaking the hearts of all the boys in this school. There was Maisie May, who was either an eternal optimist or maybe a little cuckoo and unhinged. And there was Ireesha Plano, who was usually either sleeping, snuggling with her stuffed bunny, or hanging onto Maisie’s arm. Those two seemed a bit more friendly then just simple buddies…
They were the Grassley House girls, strong and proud, and formally undefeated in team battles until an unfortunate duel with Earth House. But even if they lost the ability to take control of Gund-ARM, there was always something that Shaddiq was planning. He’d have a new task for them soon…but for now, it was simply time to relax.
Sabina had been the last to arrive to their sweet little abode, bringing with her a basket of sugary donuts that she knew Renee and Maisie would kill each other to eat…but thankfully Sabina had managed to find a way to calm them down after the last time they had a mobile suit duel over the last donut…there would simply be an even number so they could each have an equal share.
Once the purple-haired girl had entered, she’d be greeted by the all too familiar sights of their clique in their usual positions. Henao and Renee were on one couch, with the blue-haired girl in her usual zen-like trance, strangely at peace, while the blonde was on her phone, likely texting her boyfriend of the week while being completely oblivious to the world around her. Ireesha and Maisie would share the other couch, being within a few inches from one another, with the green-haired girl being her usual bouncy self and being the first to greet her with an energetic wave. The brown-haired girl had only turned back around a little…offering a smaller wave of her own…she was likely snuggling with her rabbit…so today was simply another day within Grassley…another day of gossip and another day of just enjoying their free time until it was time for the next mission from their patron.
And so, Sabina would set the donuts on the couch, taking a seat on Sabina and Renee’s couch, opening the box and reaching down to take the first treat before anyone else could kill one another for them…
And that would be the first time she noticed something that was vastly different than usual. Something that caused her yellow eyes to widen for a fraction of a second before it returned to its normal gaze…and that was because her assumption over what Ireesha Plano was cuddling was wildly off the mark…
“Ireesha…where did you get that kitten?”
Indeed, on the lap of the brown-haired girl sat a tiny, white kitten, barely bigger than the little teacups that the girls would drink from. A tiny little meow would leave its mouth as both its gaze and Ireesha would glance up to see the look Sabina was giving her, and she’d softly blink a couple of times while the little one would gently nuzzle its little head into her fingers. “Oh…we found it outside…”
“Isn’t she just the cutest!?” Would beam out the more cheerful voice of Ireesha’s closest confidant as the green-haired girl would motion over to the sudden new duo. “And the cat’s really cute to!”
At this point, Sabina would hold her hand out, taking a soft breath as she just…needed a second to process what she was hearing. “You…found it outside?” Another soft breath, this…was certainly new, but the queen was not going to freak out over this situation. It was a simple matter that could be taken care of rather quickly. “Is it chipped? Have you made contact with the owner yet?”
To this, Ireesha would softly shake her head, before softly patting the kitten’s head. “No…Maisie and I spotted it in a box…with a note asking for someone to take care of it…” The smallest and faintest smiles would appear on her face as she would softly lift the little one to her cheek to nuzzle with it. “And…I couldn’t leave something so cute alone…”
Maisie would take the chance to lift her hand to get their queen’s attention. “So Iri and I decided to prepare for our future parenthood and adopted the little…guy? Gal? We’ll figure that out when we take em to the vet!” She’d giggle, brush those lovely brown locks she loved so much, and used her free hand to gently brush the fur of the kitten with her finger. “This is just too cute! Look how happy my Iri is!”
Sabina would remain speechless for a few seconds, holding the bridge of her nose and taking a moment to sigh. “Ireesha…Maisie…” Another pause, before holding out her gloved hand with the palm held out towards the two. “Stop.” At this point, she’d stand up, one hand on her hip as she spoke with utter clarity. “You cannot just pick up a cat from the street and own it.” She’d lift up one finger. “First of all, a kitten is a lot of responsibility.” Another finger. “Second, there is a chance that it might carry a few diseases.” And one more. “And third, if that cat is chipped, then it belongs to someone else and needs to be returned to its owner.”
Ireesha would respond to each point given by her senior by shrinking further and further into her seat, her soft, purple eyes unable to really find the strength to really say anything…instead continuing to nuzzle into the kitten’s fur. “But…I…”
“Ireesha…just because you take care of a stuffed animal, doesn’t mean that you can safely take care of a real one.” Another sigh. Sabina knew her words were harsh, but it was important to establish that this wasn’t the kind of thing that she was ready for. She was essentially the baby of their house, being rather meek and silent…though not in the way Henao could be. She wasn’t ready for the responsibility of taking care of another living creature…
But unfortunately for the queen, she had one obstacle that would make this whole task impossible…and that was the fact that Ireesha Plano had a green-haired guard dog who would protect her, regardless of how the last thing she wanted to do was to frighten her. A call of “Yoo-hoo!” would instantly make Sabina sigh as her stern gaze turned over to the rather uncaring posture of arguably the most dangerous member of their group.
“I don’t think it’s gonna be that hard…I mean, all you need to take care of an animal is love, right?” She’d motion over to her partner once more. “And Ireesha’s just full of love! I don’t think there’d be a better person to take care of the little guy!” The words brought a bit more light to Ireesha’s eyes, even if they made Sabina’s own gaze that much deeper. But before she would even say anything, Maisie would continue with a big grin on her face. “Plus, it’s not like we’ve never let a wild animal in here before…just look at Renee!”
After being on her phone the whole time, the calling of her name would summon the golden-haired piloting wonder like a genie from a bottle, her own gaze turned away from the phone as she looked towards Maisie with a rather pointed glare. “Who the hell are you calling a wild anima-”
And then she saw the cat. Her eyes nearly fell out of her head.
“WHERE DID THAT COME FROM!!!?” A fingerless glove would raise up as she wagged her finger in the direction of the duo and their newfound adopted child. “No! No! Hell no! I don’t want a hairball spitting creature like that around me! Get it out of here!”
“Oh?” Maisie would tilt her head to the side. “You don’t like cats Renee? What’s wrong? Allergies? Did you get scratched by one? Are you jealous that they have more committed relationships than you’ve ever had?”
That would cause the girl to stand up, hands on her hips and now pointing that finger in the direction of the sass machine that was Maisie Mae. “Bite me! There’s only room for one super cute thing in this House, and that’s me! I am not going to play second fiddle to an animal!”
The kitten would meow, Renee’s response was to his back at it, swiping in the kitten’s direction as if she were trying to establish her territory. Neither Sabina nor Maisie were impressed, and Ireesha would just pull the little one closer to her as a form of protection.
“Well, look at the brightside Iri!” Maisie would turn to her friend, completely ignoring Renee at this point. “If there’s only room for one cute thing, we’ve just gotta toss out Renee and it’ll all be swell!”
“I AM NOT REPLACEABLE!!!”
“Y-You’re not Renee…” The meekest of the quintet would speak up once more…softly sighing as she would try (and likely fail) to play the role of peacemaker. Sadly, she lacked any of Sabina’s authority. “No one needs to be replaced…I just…wanted to take care of them…” She’d continue to softly run her hands against that soft white fur as the kitten began to purr.
After that, Sabina would slowly approach the side of the couch, putting her hand on the brown-haired girl’s shoulder to silently show that she wasn’t angry, unlike the raging inferno that was Renee Costa. “I know your heart’s in the right place. But this isn’t a responsibility you’re ready for. It’s far too sudden…”
Ireesha would go silent once more, as she turned the kitten over, looking into a pair of soft, dark eyes that just seemed to peer into her soul. She just…couldn’t give the little one up…they were so soft…and adorable…this must have been what mothers felt when they held their babies for the first time.
“Aw…Sabina…” Maisie’s time to speak was at hand and the queen could already feel her stomach churning. “Isn’t her happiness enough? Why don’t we do something like…a vote? Wouldn’t that be the fair and democratic thing to do?”
“Well I vote NO!!!” Renee would slap the table, before grabbing a donut and shoving it into her mouth in one go while staring daggers at that cat with puffed out cheeks.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea either.” Sabina would shake her head, crossing her arms. “And I don’t think it’d be fair to have Ireesha vote, given that she’ll have a clear bias in this situation.”
The green-haired girl would pout, this time she’d also copy the cross-armed pose of their unofficial leader (even if she tended to be given a bit more respect as the resident den-mother). “That’s not fair! Iri’s vote should count for two points cause this directly affects her!”
A sigh would leave Sabina once more. “You can’t put it to a vote and then change it just because the vote doesn’t go your way.”
Renne would join the cross-arm game in an effort to show off her superiority, and even going so far as to cross her legs because even something as simple as a pose the group was making was a competition as far as she was concerned. This time she also turned her nose up and mocked Maisie with a rather nasty tone. “Well too bad! Neither me, nor Sabina want that furball here…” A shrug. “And you know Henao’s gonna vote with us to…so you might as well find the box that flea-bag was found in and-”
“I’m fine with keeping it.”
It was five simple words…five simple words spoken from someone who only ever needed to speak when it was time to do so. From someone who wouldn’t mince their words, and it was a voice that would silence the whole room as all of their eyes would slowly turn to the dark-blue eyes of a Henao Jazz…who had completely cut off the energy with those five little words.
“My vote…is to keep them.”