"Hold still, Lelouch!" Guinevere ordered impatiently. She'd accepted that it was her turn to face the little monster's teachers, but she refused to do so at the side of a scruffy kid. In her experience Lelouch cleaned up well, generally, and if he'd just hold still, she could fix his hair and he'd be less of an embarrassment.

But Lelouch wasn't interested. To be fair, he hadn't been interested in much since his mother's death. But that had been months ago, and if he was over it enough to go back to school and bring his little friends home and get in everyone's way, he was over it enough to brush his damn hair.

Frankly, Guinevere didn't really see why her father had needed Marianne in the first place. True, she was certainly more vivacious than Cornelia and Euphemia's mother, but she was really just a step above the help, and had never really seemed to know her place.

And now she was dead, leaving her two children to be cared for by others. It was horrifically irresponsible. Not the dying part, Marianne could hardly be blamed for that, but she hadn't done a thing to prepare for that eventuality, leaving her meager possessions to be divided amongst her family and children, and the children themselves in the hands of their father's family.

The Lamperouges had attended the funeral, offered their condolences (to Lelouch, mainly, as if a child would be able to appreciate them) and left. So much for family supports.

The Britannia family, at least, had the decency to provide for their own, and it was important to demonstrate that publicly. In forums like parent-teacher interviews. You never knew who might be watching.

Which was why Lelouch needed his damn hair to look presentable.

"Ah, Lelouch!" Guinevere looked up at the tentative call, not recognizing the boy, but easily recognizing the woman with him. Katherine Halliburton. Socialite and trophy wife to one of the local oil barons. Guinevere racked her brain to remember if the boy was hers or from one of Mark Halliburton's previous marriages or liaisons. Either way, Katherine was someone Guinevere should definitely be making connections with.

She nudged Lelouch. "Answer your friend."

Lelouch sighed and pasted on one of his more charming smiles. "Rolo! Nice to see a friendly face."

Rolo walked over and Katherine followed, indicating that either his was her son, or she had some maternal instincts towards him. Guinevere placed a hand on Lelouch's shoulder and smiled, making sure to keep her eyes warm as she greeted them.

"Good morning! It's so nice to meet one of Lelouch's friends."

Katherine's eyes flickered as she tried to place Guinevere's face. "Indeed. Rolo so rarely has people over, I was beginning to worry about him."

Lelouch spoke up before Guinevere could. "I'm free after this." He turned a warm smile on Rolo. "It's been a while since we've just hung out together."

Rolo actually flushed with pleasure, shooting an anxious look at his mother.

Guinevere watched as Katherine tried to come up with a reason to say 'no'. It was kind of sad, watching her sabotage her own son. As much as Guinevere considered Lelouch something of a bother, she would never have tried to actively undermine his relationships. Lelouch reached out and took Rolo's hand, and Rolo very nearly clung to him.

Katherine sighed. "Oh, very well." She turned to Guinevere. "If you like, you should come over as well. Some of the girls get together on occasion for cards and gossip. Charles zi Britannia's eldest daughter would be more than welcome."

Guinevere smiled. Getting an invitation to a gossip party was quite the trophy, considering she'd only come to hear how Lelouch was coping in school after the death of his mother. "It would be my pleasure."

They walked into the school together, with the boys following behind them, chatting about inconsequential things. Guinevere made Katherine laugh a few times, and Katherine returned with her own brand of deceptively sharp jibes under the appearance of gentle humour. They were well on their way to being fast acquaintances, if not precisely friends.

Her father would be proud.

Guinevere and Lelouch parted ways with the Halliburtons at Rolo's class, planning on meeting up again as soon as they were finished.

Finally, Lelouch had proven some kind of worth.