Chapter Text
Raleigh had felt his shoulders tensing, his brow furrowing, as Herc briefed them in the Shatterdome yesterday. The PPDC had rented a conference room in one of Hong Kong's most opulent hotels. He and Mako would stay in the room, lights in their eyes, as reporters from around the world shuffled in and out with their camera crews and microphones, in roughly 10-minute intervals. And they would sit there, answering the same questions over and over again in different words.
Like movie stars on a press tour. A necessary evil, apparently. Herc wanted to to show the world how relevant the PPDC was, and would continue to be. The first step to funding was exposure, and if the world wouldn't forget them, then certainly the UN would start to pay attention again. They started at 0800 hours, and with that, Herc dismissed them.
The time wasn't a problem, as far as he was concerned. Raleigh was chipper in the mornings, able to wake up with little grogginess. Mako was a different story, usually having stayed up too late with her tablet, punching in endless numbers and facts to have enough sleep for high spirits in the morning. So, before the car came to escort them at 0800 hours, Raleigh detoured to the mess hall, and returned with two cups of coffee in hand. Mako, habitually punctual (even in the mornings) was already in the car, eyes shooting him daggers for being late. It was only 0807.
"Here, I brought you a coffee." Raleigh said, climbing into the car and handing her a cup. "Black, two sugars, the way you like it."
For a moment she looked surprised, eyebrows raising slightly, but her face quickly settled into a look of comprehension. Her taste in coffee was yet another thing that had wafted into his mind through the Drift.
Raleigh buckled in, and the car sped off to the hotel.
Five hours in, and Raleigh was at the end of his rope. His back ached from the stool he was sitting on, his forehead beaded with sweat from the camera lights, and no matter how much water he drank, his throat was always dry when they asked him a question.
"Thank you for your time. Ladies and gentlemen, this is CNN, speaking with the-" the reporter paused, inflecting her voice for emphasis " - heroic pilots of Gipsy Danger, Raleigh Becket and Mako Mori."
Stiffly, Raleigh rose to shake the reporter's hand, which the reporter responded to a bit too vicariously. Raleigh was already worn out from repeating himself to so many people, but Mako seemed to be getting progressively more pleasant and vocal with each interview. She put down her coffee, and joined Raleigh in bidding the reporter farewell.
"What's next?" Mako asked, reaching for the schedule on the table between them.
Raleigh leaned over her shoulder, looking at the schedule. He checked his watch, 12:30 p.m. 1230 hours, and responded "Looks like we have a lunch break."
As if on cue, a knock at the door revealed a cart with sandwiches and juice. Raleigh decided to eat standing, stretching his legs in a slow walk as he drank some orange juice.
As they settled back into their seats in for their next interview, at 1:00, Mako put a hand on his arm, causing Raleigh to cock his head towards her. She looked up at him through her dark bangs, and a shyness rippled through his mind, a small ghost drift. Raleigh furrowed his brows, unable to pin why she pressed for his attention, only to be bashful. Suddenly, she stood from her chair, not moving her hand, her face quickly close to his. She slowed for a moment, then landed the softest kiss on his cheekbone.
"Thank you for the coffee this morning - I really needed it." and with that, Mako retreated, that same upwards stare through her bangs tracking his face as she sat back down.
Raleigh tried to concentrate during the interview, but just as they'd ask him a question, he'd relive the moment in his mind, resulting in a confused "huh?" as he drifted back to reality.