It is official! Rolo is the most fucked up character I have ever written POV from. Haha. And that's saying a lot, no?
~~-R-~~
Rolo awoke with a sense of dread. The cool dank cell that was the stage to his awakening did little to alleviate his fear. Soft female voices argued right outside of his door, probably discussing how to interrogate him. He was a prisoner; obviously, a captive of war. Rolo knew what that meant, and for someone as himself suicide was a simple as turning on his Geass and not turning it off again. Easily done, no messy poisons or tools required.
But at the same time, he felt torn. Did he not at least have to obligation to find out what had become of his brother? Rolo reasoned that even the Order could not disagree there, as keeping an eye on Lelouch had always been the primary mission. And as his brother did not have the luxury to opt out himself, Rolo could at least cut his throat for him. Yes; Rolo felt he owed the man that much.
"Just try, C.C.." Rolo could make out one of the two voices; she sounded exasperated but businesslike at the same time.
The second voice just sounded bored: "hmmm…won't even ask me himself though."
But then the door opened, and Rolo recognized the source of that second voice as the woman with green hair. The woman that was not affected by his Geass. The woman that had taken his killing blows with little more than an annoyed grunt. The woman that had touched him, and whose touch had left him bereft or reason. In short, a woman just like his Lord and Master. Thus, a woman that was not a woman, but a Goddess.
All thoughts of suicide and such foolish procrastinations were forgotten and Rolo did what he had thought to put off until the afterlife: drop to his knees and beg for forgiveness. There was a silly, rebellious voice back in his mind that reasoned that it was unfair of God to ask a simple man to know and do His biddings, when it turned out the will of God was not just one Divine Child's, but a Divine Woman's as well. He quenched it, opting for the face of God in front of him instead of one far, far away.
An emotion passed through those golden orbs, and Rolo was about to lose his precarious hold on sanity over its implications when the Goddess did something beyond his expectations: She dropped down next to him, on that dirty dusty floor. And then she took his head into her hands and pressed it against her chest. "There, there." She said in a tone that was cool, but thankfully free of wrath. "You did only what you could, after all. And I am happy."
Rolo tried to still his breathing as this amazing, kind Goddess started stroking his hair. "You did well, and I am happy. I should be thanking you…"
~~-L-~~
Lelouch stifled a sigh as he walked into the planning room. It looked like some kind of classroom, two men –one of which Lelouch instantly recognized as Tohdoh – where at the head of the room, discussing in front of a large view screen. The Agent did not know why they wanted him there, beyond perhaps the fact that the dumb Japanese girl had convinced herself that he was Zero incarnate and his presence alone would somehow assure them of a winning strategy. At least Kallen had agreed to put that silly mask away. At least she promised him she and the immortal were the only ones privy to their crazy Lelouch-is –Zero theory. Lelouch shuddered: as if he didn't have enough troubles without considering such. No; that had better just be a lie thought of by that immortal witch. That was it: a lie to throw him off balance. Wasn't going to work.
Lelouch personally would have preferred delaying meeting with these people until the latest possible moment; meeting with Tohdoh in particular of course. Still, it seemed a small price to pay for the freedom to go where he pleased anywhere within the base. – Not to mention, they had promised to take Rolo there too, as soon as the notgod girl was done with him.
This was, as it appeared, some time before the Kallen had thought to release Lelouch. He stifled another sigh, finding his baby brother already in the room. Standing to the side, way in the back at rapt attention like he was about to be debriefed back at the Order, one arm bandaged to his chest to protect his broken bones notwithstanding. Well, Lelouch considered, throwing the witch an only slightly accusing stare as she lounged back in a chair close to Rolo, it was the best he could expect under the circumstances.
Any outcome with Rolo not dead was probably the best he could expect under the circumstances.
Still, that didn't mean he had to look pleased about it. With deliberate sloth, Lelouch walked over to his brother and took up a lazy perch against the wall, as farthest away from the witch-notgod as possible. The two men at the front of the table discussing tactics with the help of a large view screen paused only a second in their debate to watch him. The second next to Tohdoh he identified after a moment as Oughi. Some of the men and women at the little student-tables turned their heads with curious stares, the Kallen girl in particular. But he ignored them, finding a scratch on the floor to scuff his foot over as soon as the 'teachers' continued their debate. And also to hiss a few words to his brother in the useless hope to get him to relax.
The debate centered around the possibilities of their main army getting attacked from behind during their next battle. As soon as Lelouch got a good look at their map however, he let out a derisive snort. Considering the lay of the land, it was a pointless discussion. "I imagine the Britannian troops at home would be happy to hear that out here, too, stupidity is a prerequisite for becoming a commanding officer." He whispered to Rolo.
A little too loudly it seemed. The whole room went dead quiet, and all eyes turned to him.
"Brother…" Rolo groaned, but the elder brother hardly registered it.
A guy with reddish brown hair and a goatee all but jumped up out of his seat. "Boy, we're allowing you in here because Kallen and 'the mistress' vouched for you, but you'd better respect you betters or you I'll be coming for you!"
Lelouch watched un-amused as the burly Japanese flexed a biceps at him. Then decided he had taken more than enough crap for one lifetime already. He pushed off his perch and took a few menacing steps closer. "I am sorry. I didn't know just being old made them better than me."
The japanese was out of his desk and putting his face way too close to Lelouch's face in a second. Shouting out generic taunts like "want to go right now?" and "you born a hundred years to early to…"
Under his bandage, Lelouch's Geass eye ached to do something nasty to this upstart. But this was not the time; not with a notgod-witch watching.
"It is okay, Tamaki. I'd like to hear what the Uragirimono has to say." It was general Tohdoh that had spoken.
Uragirimono. Lelouch translated it easily: turncoat, or: "Traitor? Is that what you are going to call me?"
The older man's eyebrows furrowed, but his face was smooth: "Do you object to the characterization?"
"Oh no. Not at all." Lelouch bared his teeth at the man, moving around this unimportant Tamaki. "I think it's funny; especially coming from you."
The general shook his head. "You'll have to excuse me. I am an... old-fashioned man. Even with all the atrocities committed in Britannia's name, I could not imagine betraying my country, had I been a Britannian by birth."
"Ah, that's okay. Maybe you will understand. One day."
The general looked dubious at that, but continued without missing a beat. "So tell me then, Kallen tells me you used to be in her class. She says you're smart and very knowledgeable on strategies."
That caught him off guard a bit. Questioningly, he looked over toward the girl, but she was suddenly very busy examining a spot on her desk. Her ears were beet red though; likely due to getting caught on a fib. "She does tell the most amazing stories, does she not?"
No one even seemed to even pick up on the fact Lelouch was suggesting the girl was anything but truthful though. "Were you a commanding officer, in your origination?"
Oh, right: experience. "No. not really."
Now Tohdoh did throw him a pejorative glare: "But then you were least in charge of your unit?"
Of course, Lelouch knew he was making a mistake before he uttered the words; his brother's eyes were pricking his back in warning so strong he almost turned to look. But he supposed he had at least hoped Rolo would take his side when they were clearly facing enemies. Not that he and his brother ever seemed to agree who the real enemies were. "Sure…"
He knew; but it never stopped to amaze him as the next moment he experienced had him sliding down one of the little tables with an arm pinned behind his back. Out of his peripheral vision he saw the occupant of the table play out his own shock as he jumped back from his table and out of his seat.
"Rolo…" called a female voice from far away.
But his little brother was not listening; completely intend on this general and the perceived slight that had to be rectified. "I am in command of this unit." Rolo announced calmly as he continued to lever his brother to the ground with his one free arm. "And I accept full responsibility, thought I assure you it won't-"
That was as far as he got, because Lelouch had had enough a long time ago. And not even for his little brother would he kneel and grovel for some rebellious upstarts Numbers like these. The moment Rolo's grip slipped, Lelouch turned and elbowed him in the jaw mercilessly. The boy went down wide-eyed and yelped loudly as he hit the ground on the wrong side – his injured side. But the elder brother was not sorry: in fact, he straddled the boy and pulled back to rain a whole world of hurt down him.
Again, Rolo activated his Geass and moved. By the time Lelouch had a sense of time again, he was somewhere half across the room, a cluster of tables pushed out and to the sides. By the feel of his ribs, his little brother had used him for kicking practice.
"Fight fair, damn it." He bit in no particular direction as he used an upturned table to get back to his feet.
Black knights all across the room were only now getting to their feet; confused. Muttering words as they either found themselves or other people suddenly moved from their previous positions; quite a few tables that had been pushed aside had been occupied. One or two people had even fallen down from their desks as Rolo had pushed him through them. Muttered words like "what the hell?" and "some kind of magic?" could be heard all around.
But of course, only Rolo and the notGod-witch would have been conscious of the whole scene; the rest of them were just guessing at what had transpired before them. And likely, only Lelouch could grasp at the truth. Finally, Lelouch spotted both his brother and the witch together. She was pulling him along, back to her seat.
When she got there she sat down and pulled the boy agent's head down to her lap. She started stroking his hair and whispering words he could not make out. And he let her. Like some stupid, obedient, oversized dog. Just kneeling down at her side looking… happy.
That's right; he reminded himself, smoothening out his sneer at her meaningful glance. That was basically what I have told her to do. Or what he had told the Kallen girl to have her do. Still, he was shaking with rage. So he lashed out at an easier target.
With an angry finger he pointed on the projected map at the front of the room. "I don't have to be in command of anything to know what any three-year-old that ever played outside in the mud can tell you. You are discussing the way to protect the back of your main army, but the point is mute. Just look at the lay of the land, the way the hills swoop down to the ground behind your army.
"Keep in mind that it is half way through December and there has been quite a bit of rain already. Keep in mind that the bulk of both your army and that of your enemy still relies on landspinners to get around. Basically, you have nothing to worry about. All you have to do is pull in double flank and let your enemy traverse the ground between you. They will be stuck in the mud within a hundred meters. All you need is a few float-units nearby and you can pick off any enemy stupid enough to step into those grounds."
Lelouch took a calming breath, and spit to the side to get rid of the taste of blood. Then, completely ignoring the whole room standing there glowering at him he took out his papers with notes and walked up to the table. Once there, he was blocked from putting his notes on the table though.
"Now hear this, boy." The man he had identified as Oughi interjected. "You are not making a very good first impression on any of us, do you understand?"
"And if you make it to a second impression I can guarantee you'll hate me. Now." he stepped around the man easily enough, placing his paper on the table. "You have two enemy units around these positions; I'll have to make some calls to get their precise baring."
"Kallen get this maniac of your out of here so we can continue our meeting." Oughi had turned around to address the redhead, ignoring Lelouch's papers. It didn't really bother him; except to wonder who would be left in control of this organization after he bit off the acting head. Said acting head had been studying the map with a look of amazement on his face. Indeed, it might have been unfair to call general Tohdoh stupid.
"He's not though." the bulky general noted before had Kallen even got up to protest. Or concede. Whatever.
"Sorry?"Oughi, and just about everyone else in the room, looked appalled.
Tohdoh grunted. "He's not a maniac. Or maybe he is, but he's still right about the ground. It may still look solid, but as soon as we put a Knightmare over that piece of land it will sink. He's got insight; I'll admit that much."
You mean I've got the balls to say what anyone in this room with half a brain should have already seen. Lelouch thought to himself. Out loud, he just said: "I have intel too. Now if you'll please look here, we can discuss something a bit more meaningful."
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So that's it. Another chapter. So what do you guys think? Will the black knights be impressed by their former leader? Or just completely weirded out?
And what will Kallen's reaction be? Hehe. I have the basic plot done already but these things I'd like to leave up to your consideration for once. So we're now officially open for ideas and suggestions! - please make some ;)
