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Lalah watched Char and the young man they met, named Amuro Ray, fumbling to get Amuro's buggy out of a ditch. She sits in boredom on the trunk of a Zeon-issued car, hands on her face. Lalah wanted to tell the two that they are doing it wrong, but Char is too stubborn to listen to her.
Amuro, the one that they call the White Devil, and a boogeyman tale told to recruits, is not a scary man, but a meek teenager who can't seem to stop staring at Char's thighs like a pervert as he ties the pulley to the car. The attraction, the pull is there, a strong Newtype bond.
Lalah wants to tease Amuro and his developing crush. Char has been warning her not to be so playful among others, especially around his men and the brass, but she can't help it. Away from her previous life, Lalah is free, much like a swan, with her own salary and destiny to control.
Lalah rubs her temples. She's been having headaches, close to a migraine, since encountering Amuro. Again. Lalah wonders if Amuro is a Newtype like her and Char. Newtypes are a phenomenon being researched by the Flanagan Institute on Side 6. Lalah has the ability of precognition, where she can see future paths in visions and dreams. One vision is Amuro, Char, or herself dying in battle. She doesn't know when it will happen, but seeing Amuro again, similar to her vision, means the future is slowly coming true. She frowns. Lalah doesn't want Amuro or Char to die. Yet, she doesn't know how to prevent it.
While mentally battling with herself, Lalah notices how pale Amuro is. He's been ashen since the start of their encounter, extremely nervous and sweaty. Char seemed to be reacting strangely, too, moving slowly and fidgeting, almost as if he wanted to remove his mask and helmet. It is odd because Char never takes off his helmet unless he's around Lalah, whom he trusts.
'Wait...' Lalah's eyes widened as she figured it out too late. Dr. Flanagan told her that when Newtypes first encounter each other, they can feel nauseous, experience headaches, and other symptoms. The more powerful the bond, the more intense the symptoms are. Lalah didn't feel anything but a nagging, painful headache the first time she saw Amuro in the rain, as well as Char at the brothel, but the connection with Amuro and Char could be possibly stronger, strong enough to make them both sick.
Amuro attempts to open his mouth and stands still, almost perfectly still in place. She watches in amazement and mortification, a ping noise going off in her head, as Amuro's skin takes on a greenish tint. His shoulders shake and he heaves suddenly, vomit spraying out in a stream, murky white and pale, tinted with bile. It splashes on his pants and impacts the ground, making a mess everywhere. Amuro attempts to hold it back with his hand, but it only pours out harder and faster, like a water hose. One hand is held against his stomach as he takes wide steps back to not get sick on Char, the liquid leaving a visceral trail.
Char barely avoided getting it on himself, jumping up and backwards. Lalah is concerned when, after standing, Char stumbles a bit and lurches forward himself, a harsh, wet burp pushing out of his mouth. It's loud, noisy, and nauseous. Lalah hears the vomit gurgling up from his throat before coming out of his mouth.
The sick is thick and lumpy, the regurgitated lunch from Macdaniels they had earlier pushing back up. Char covered his mouth fruitlessly as it sprayed through his gloved fingers, messing his red Zeon military uniform. It quickly forms a puddle under him, staining his white boots brown and red.
Lalah jumps off the trunk of the car, worried, and hurries over to help them. She freezes when she takes in Char's appearance.
Char removed his hand from his mouth, panting, gasping, and attempting to breathe. He takes off his mask and helmet with his clean hand, and it falls to his side. He's a mess, his skin sweaty and grey, tears from the force of it all running down his cheeks, wetting his face alongside flecks of brown vomit. His lips are glistening and dripping with drool and bile. Char swallows convulsively, Adam's apple bobbing as if he's holding back from being sick again.
No, what surprised Lalah the most were Char's eyes. They are half-lidded, dazed, with a blissed-out expression in them. He's moaning in between his gasps for air, and there is a wet spot that's not puke on Char's pants with a tent. It's the first time Lalah has seen him like that. Char usually wore expressions of stress or worry. He's always on edge because of his Deikun background, as if death is around the corner. He's set on his revenge, not even fully trusting Lalah despite what they have been through together.
Lalah covers her mouth, her eyes shining. She's going to tease him about this discovery. Is Amuro getting the same sensations? Is it only Char? If Lalah ends up sick, would they feel it through their Newtype connection? So many possibilities.
Her thoughts are broken when Char's cheeks fill up and he doubles, a wet retching burp pushes out of his throat, bringing another wave of more thick brownish watery sticky vomit into his mask and helmet. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Amuro cries out, in between helping Char or gagging again himself.
Lalah sighs and finally goes over to help them.
Lalah is used to cleaning up vomit from drunks, high customers, other girls, or even herself in the past, so handling two sick men is not a problem. Char fainted after emptying his stomach, and she manages (with the help of Amuro) to get him to the Zeon car. Amuro, to her surprise, ends up opening the door and going into the passenger seat. It made sense because Amuro's car is still stuck in a mud ditch, but Lalah could get it out by herself.
"It's my fault that I puked on him and made the Red Comet sick," Amuro said with exhaustion in his voice. "And, something deep down tells me to come with you two."
"Just don't get sick again. This is a rental." Lalah teases. She starts up the car and attempts to drive as slowly and steadily as possible.
"I'm sorry, Miss..." Amuro coughs and wipes the back of his mouth with his hand.
"Lalah Sune." Lalah chirped out. "Don't worry, we're almost there. If you can hold on, we can make it to the bathroom for you."
Lalah is thankful that a motel is near where Amuro's buggy sank in the mud. It's a small local one, with only two floors. The front desk doesn't question why Lalah and two men covered and smelling of vomit are booking a room. Rather, they help get her one as fast as possible on the first floor.
Lalah, when settling down in the room after throwing the comatose Char on the bed, migraine comes back with a vengeance. She's swallowing rapidly the saliva that is gathering in her mouth. She ignores her queasiness and orders room service, mostly bottles of tonic water, ginger ale, and medication. She's going to ask for compensation after this. 'Too bad my Captain can't give me a raise,' Lalah mentally sighs. 'He could if he finally announced his birthright and became the leader of Zeon.'
Amuro, after helping Lalah put Char on the bed, gave her a quick bow and dashed to the bathroom as if he were on fire. Lalah found the entire thing amusing.
The items thankfully arrive quickly. She takes a headache pill and slowly sips on the tonic water first, not wanting to upset her stomach and make it come up again by drinking it too fast. Then Lalah knocks on the bathroom door and leaves the tray out for Amuro to give him a sense of privacy.
Char's sleeping face is normally relaxed, making him look handsome, but smelling like and covered in sour vomit makes Char resemble a cat that dipped its face into slurry. Lalah works on cleaning him up until he slowly opens his eyes.
"Lalah, where-" Char starts to ask, but coughs and gags from getting up too suddenly.
"Easy, Captain," Lalah says, guiding him back to the bed. She hands him a small bottle of stomach medication, which he quickly uncaps and drinks from. "I took you and Amuro to a motel, and I expect full compensation." She teases.
Char chuckles. "You're always one for jokes." The two sit on the bed together, relaxing, before Lalah asks Char the question that's been on her mind.
"Captain, no Char. Does getting sick turn you on?"
Char is speechless from the sudden accusation. His blue eyes are filled with fear and shock, his sticky lips parting. Lalah rubs his upper arm, patient.
He frowns, staring at the medicine bottle in his hand rather than answering her inquiry. Finally, he talks. "I..I can't explain it. The Newtype connection between Amuro and me is so intense that it made me lose control. I'm always the Red Comet, Char, the ace pilot around my men and others in Zeon. Perfect. But losing control like that makes me feel like any other man." He sounded utterly ashamed and defeated. "I'm sorry, Lalah, you must think I'm disgusting."
"Captain, that's not strange at all. Newtype bonds vary. The reaction you had with me doesn't change our relationship or make it less than the reaction you had with Amuro. I think it's a beautiful thing." She sighs. "I always see you burden yourself with so much. Losing control and seeing others lose control is fine. But I'm not into vomiting, Captain. I can't help you with your discovery."
Char frowns, "Lalah, I wouldn't ask you to do that."
"Why don't you ask if Amuro feels the same way?" Lalah says with a coy smile. The trempedition is gone, which means something has changed. Lalah is excited to see if the future is really different now.
The mood changes when Amuro pokes his head out, a flush on his cheek. The door pushes out steam from the shower he took. "Sorry, but do you by chance have a change of clothes?" Amuro says in a small voice.
Lalah gets up and heads towards the door, going down to ask the staff if any nearby markets or shops are selling men's clothing. "Lalah, where are you going?" Char asks of her.
She smiles and parts with the words, "To get you two new clothes. I'm leaving you alone, Captain, so you can ask Amuro if he's an emetophiliac like you."
"Lalah!"