Chapter Twelve: Foreshadowing
The Student Council had taken Area 11 by storm.
A few weeks ago, they'd been mere eccentrics to be scoffed at. Now, however, the moderates were holding them up as icons, and everyone was talking about them. Kallen's presence in the Student Council kept the group anchored in the status quo.
A member of the Purebloods in training provided a kind of legitimacy.
Personally, Kallen found it all disgraceful. The media weren't hailing them because they believed in what they were doing. They were doing it because it was the next big thing, and their attempts to crush them hadn't worked. And she thought; more power to Milly and Shirley for refusing the limelight. Those parasites would hail them as messiah's one day, then stick the knife in for a quick buck later.
Several reporters had been pointedly forced off campus as well.
"Ms. Stadtfeld, I have your clothes laid out," said Mom.
Kallen turned to her and nodded, seeing them there. Before she'd made a point to dress by herself, but indulging in the luxury let her speak in private. "Yes, thank you, Mo-Ms. Kozuki."
"You've been much more eager to go to school lately. Making any friends there?" asked Mom, who'd seemed in a better mood.
"Several, actually," said Kallen. "People aren't nearly as bad there as I thought they were. I mean, some of them are pretty bad, I guess. But others just don't realize what they're doing, and a lot of them are changing.
"The Student Council has taken the world by storm."
"What about Alan Spacer?" asked Mom, looking to her with a knowing eye.
"Oh, everyone knows about him, but he's a ghost," said Kallen. She suspected Mom had figured out much from their conversation. "Nobody has been able to find any record of him, so they ended up focusing on my friends instead.
"Especially with Black King dead. Everybody attributed it to him."
"Ms. Ashford has declined all interviews, hasn't she?" asked Mom.
"Yeah, which is pretty serious," said Kallen. "Milly is usually the kind to love the limelight. Probably smart not to, though, especially since Lelouch ordered not to talk to the press. Everyone obeys when he gives an order."
"And your time at the Purebloods?" asked Mom.
"Oh, I'm really advancing far," said Kallen, beginning to get dressed. "I mean, I thought I was pretty at using a Knightmare, but Lady Nu has taught me things I'd never figure out on my own. It's really amazing how much they have all this down to a science."
"Have you talked with any of your friends from the old days? Any problems there?" asked Mom, voice more serious.
"They've been keeping me at arm's length," admitted Kallen. "It's security stuff. If people notice I'm always calling someone, it could raise questions. And we've got a bigger media presence now."
"You should call him, Ms. Stadtfeld. You don't want to lose touch with your roots," said Mom.
She said the Britannian name like an accusation. "...Right, of course.
"Just don't speak like this to me outside of this room. It's paranoid, but..." Kallen halted. How could she say that they could never show what they were outside it?
"I understand," said Mom. "Being an Honorary Britannian teaches you the value of discretion."
Kallen got her clothes on, packed her bags, and headed out for school. However, as she walked out, she was surprised to see Ms. Stadtfelt and her Father intercepting her. She halted in place, realizing they wanted to talk to her.
What was this about?
"Oh, there you are, darling," said Ms. Stadtfelt.
"Mother, Father," said Kallen. "I was just on my way to school."
"Yes, we wanted to say how proud we are of you joining the Purebloods and all," said Father. His voice was imitating Fatherly pride, but it was fake. He'd been distant, even before Japan was invaded.
"Oh," said Kallen, remembering not to flare-up. "I wasn't aware."
"We have something for you," said Father, moving forward. He drew out a letter. "It's an invitation for us. We've been asked to attend a ball at the Viceroy's Palace. All three of us were invited to attend."
Wait, what? Why would she rank that? "I see."
"Yes, they asked for you, Kallen," said Ms. Stadtfeld, doing a good job of keeping the envy out of her tone.
"Right, that's a true honor, thank you. When do we go?" asked Kallen.
"Tonight, of course, after school. There will be all the most important people at it," said Father. "You've become the talk of the higher circles. What with the events with Alan Spacer."
"You must tell me about it some time," said Ms. Stadtfeld.
"Oh, I see," said Kallen. "I've very honored, of course. I... um... I should get to school."
And she hurried out.
Oh, so now she was a priority. Now she was convenient because she was a ticket to get into high circles and hobnob with royalty. Not when Kallen was struggling in school or when she had no friends. Or when she was being an antisocial jerk, then nobody cared.
Kallen considered one of the ideals of Japan she bought into. And she realized she didn't understand or know them all that well. She'd been living as a Britannian longer than as a Japanese. And the resistance groups weren't exactly top culture sources.
Had she only pursued resistance fighting because of her terrible home life? Or because she wanted to spend time with people who treated her decently? It was a somewhat petty interpretation of her own actions. She didn't like thinking about it at all, especially since she'd treated Mom just as bad.
Either way, she waited by the bus stop and drew out a phone.
Was there some kind of option for going to this meeting? Well, she could probably assassinate Clovis or something. But that would cause a lot more problems than it was likely to solve, so it'd be better for information gathering. How had she gotten the invitation anyway?
Best to make a call.
"Great. Just how I wanted to spend my day," said Kallen, feeling very bitter.
"Hello?" said Villetta.
"Lady Villetta, I'm sorry to say, I'm not going to be able to make it to the Purebloods this afternoon," said Kallen. "My parents sprang something at me; I've got to go to the Viceroy Palace for a party or something."
"I know, I'm the one who got you your invitation," said Villetta. "You don't sound enthusiastic."
"I'm not really one for networking," admitted Kallen. The bus arrived and Kallen paid her fair.
Villetta laughed. "You should learn. It can be a very useful tool for getting what you want. There's a difference between socializing and liking someone.
"You have had training in it, haven't you?"
"Oh, of course. Yeah," said Kallen, sitting down in an empty place. There was only one other person on this part of the bus.
"That's why you were feigning sickness," said Villetta in sudden realization.
"What?" asked Kallen.
"You're not a people person," said Villetta. "You dislike other people's company, and being sick lets, you walk out whenever you want.
"And here I was hoping for something sinister."
"I am too a people person!" said Kallen. "As soon as I run into someone worth socializing with, I'll be social with them!"
That just made Villetta laugh harder, and Kallen found herself blushing. "Take my advice. Take what friends you can get when you can get them. Looking for a paragon of perfection is only setting yourself up for disappointment.
"Still, I'm surprised your parents didn't tell you about the invite earlier. I got Lord Gottwald to recommend you days ago.
"I'll see you there."
"You got invited?" asked Kallen.
But Villetta had already hung up. Kallen clenched her phone. "Why you... that jerk!"
"Trouble with a boyfriend?" asked a voice.
Kallen hung up. "Superior officer in the Purebloods." Then she looked around and noted the stairs of everyone on the bus in her general direction. "Don't you people have anything better to do than glare at someone in condescension! Do something to improve yourselves!"
They looked away, and Kallen looked to see a tawny-haired, Japanese guy sitting next to her. "You uh... don't really buy into the Pureblood ideology, do you?"
"I'm a Britannian. I despise weakness," said Kallen, coming up with her persona. "The time people spend focusing on an inferior species could be spent productively. Sneering at elevens is a waste of effort when you could be composing a great symphony or blowing up our enemies."
"Well, I guess that's one way to reject racism as a concept," said the boy.
"What?" said Kallen. "No. I am racist. The Japanese race is inferior in cultural, religious, and military accomplishments. They are comparative in terms of economics, sometimes. But that doesn't change the facts.
"Japan failed on the world stage and lost everything because of it.
"That doesn't mean I'm gonna waste my time twirling a mustache or kicking puppies to show how evil I am. I've got actual work to do. Elevens are inferior and therefore not worth the time of tormenting."
"You're a soldier?" asked Suzaku.
"Yes, I'm training to be a knightmare pilot," said Kallen, distancing herself a bit. "I'm actually quite good. Some people tell me I might be an ace."
"Huh?" said the boy. "I gotta pretty good scores in the simulator myself."
"You used the simulator?" asked Kallen. "I didn't know they trained elevens in that kind of thing."
"Well, Prince Clovis has made it so Honorary Britannians can train to be pilots," said the boy." The catch is that we never actually get assigned to one. We also have a different scoring system from you."
"That seems like a complete waste of resources," said Kallen. "What's the point of creating a system for training pilots if it doesn't produce any."
"Well, you'd have to ask my superior," said the boy.
"And whose that?" asked Kallen, surprised he had to ask.
"At present?" asked the boy thoughtfully. "Jeremiah Gottwald. Honorary Britannian units generally get shifted around to wherever they are needed. We're assigned to an officer, and they put us where they want.
"Right now, that's providing security for a bombing site in the ghettos."
"What kind of jobs?" asked Kallen, curious despite herself.
"Usually searching for persons of interest in the ghettos," said Suzaku. "Sometimes we do search and rescue, though. Because we grew up in the ghettos, we have a better idea of how to survive there."
"Really?" said Kallen, voice dripping with contemptuous sarcasm. It wasn't entirely feigned; that was classic Britannian stupidity. "So you're telling me you've memorized every single ghetto in Area 11?"
The boy laughed at that. "Nope. Not at all.
"It's uh... not a very safe job. We usually get put down at a specific location and sent to fan out. Once we find whatever we're looking for, we send out a signal. Then we wait for the actual soldiers and officers to arrive."
"Then why do you do it?" asked Kallen.
"Well, it lets us get homes in the settlement with running water and electricity," said the boy. "And it is a paycheck, so you can live off it. It also is the last, best hope for elevens to find a place in Britannia."
"And why you say that?" asked Kallen.
"Well, I mean, the liberation of Japan speaks for itself," said the boy. "We were completely crushed; nothing we could do stopped them. And Britannia is militarily dominant over the other nations.
"All these terrorist actions aren't helping anyone. They kill people that had nothing to do with what is being done to the elevens."
"Are your actions helping the elevens?" asked Kallen.
"I like to think I'm setting an example for how an eleven could advance, despite adversity," said the boy.
"Is that helping the elevens?" asked Kallen, making sure her voice was slightly mocking.
"Well, I may not be able to do much," said Suzaku. "But if I can save even one life, that can make all the difference."
"What if that one life goes on to murder lots of elevens?" asked Kallen.
"Why are you asking these questions?" asked the boy. "I'm on your side, aren't I."
"I find you kind of pathetic, to be honest," said Kallen. "You beg for table scraps like a dog instead of risking it all for glory."
"Are you saying you'd rather I was a terrorist?" asked the boy.
"I'd probably respect you more if you were," said Kallen before looking to the others. Many of them were whispering among themselves. "So would they actually. Or do you think they'd have the guts to give you a death glare when you had a gun at their head?
"You people are pathetic. You honestly think that your DNA makes you better than this eleven. But he could kill every single one of you right now, and after he was shot, it would hardly make the tabloids. So you sit in your helpless, hateful little bubbles and whisper. You don't have to think there.
"You don't even have the guts to sit within ten feet of this supposed inferior creature. And you still have the nerve to feel superior to him."
"You don't like anyone, do you?" asked the boy.
"I'm a true Britannian," said Kallen. "I hate everyone equally."
The boy actually laughed at that. "Well, as long as it works for you." He pulled the thread on the bus. "This is my stop.
"I've got orders."
It dawned on Kallen that he was wearing a flak jacket and gray jeans. "Wait, you're moving to your area of operation by mass transit?"
"They don't provide us transportation," said the boy. "If we can't hitch a ride, we have to get there ourselves. They generally don't expect us to come back.
"Nice talking with you. I'm Suzaku Kururugi."
"You want my name?" asked Kallen, playing her part. "Look for me in the papers. You'll see me someday."
The bus pulled to a stop, and he got off.
Overall, Kallen was beginning to enjoy her Stadtfeld person. Kallen Stadtfeld was a bitter girl who had been seeking a purpose in life. She'd found it in the Pureblood ideology and Social Darwinism. Now she hated the pretenders around her. It worked, and it gave her an excuse to speak with whoever she wanted.
Pass it off as information gathering out of pragmatism.
Unfortunately, the bus was late, and Kallen arrived at school a little after the bell rang. She met Milly at the gate, and she wondered if she'd been waiting. Milly and Shirley had been doing a lot of double dates with Lelouch. Kallen had to admit; she was impressed at how smooth an operator Lelouch was.
Not that she cared or anything.
"Kallen, you're here," said Milly. "Glad you could make it."
"Yes, definitely. Sorry I'm late; the bus was late," said Kallen, adopting her meek persona.
"Apparently, they shut down some of the lanes to look into who blew up the soup kitchen," said Milly. "They'll be doing an investigation now."
"I noticed," said Kallen, remembering Suzaku. "Any news?"
"Read it and weep," said Milly, drawing out an invitation with speed to make her large breasts bounce.
"...Invitations to the Viceroy's palace?" asked Kallen.
"Yes, my family are having me network among Prince Clovis' friends," said Milly. "He's been sending out all kinds of invitations. I'll have to be on my utmost best behavior and pretend to like a lot of people. Lelouch is likely to turn his down, of course."
"Lelouch got one?" asked Kallen, surprised. She hadn't thought his bloodline was anything special.
"Someone sent him one from the Purebloods," said Milly. "From what I hear, Leila Malcal from the EU expressed an interest in meeting us. My family jumped at the chance. And that means we have a problem.
"We'll talk after class."
Kallen made her way into the school and was greeted by some of her friends. None of whose names she could remember. She really should have learned their names; it was useful information. And she'd basically refused to do it out of spite.
"Hey, Kallen, is it true you got accepted into the Purebloods?" asked the girl.
"Yeah, um, I had this new treatment, and it's working out really well," said Kallen. "I'm actually really good at piloting knightmares."
"That's so wonderful. I'm really happy for you," said another.
"Oh, thanks," said Kallen.
She was being congratulated by total strangers who thought of her as a friend. It was a truly miserable experience because it was entirely her fault. But she did her best to pick up their names in idle conversation. One or two of them she got, but she thought she'd forget them soon.
To Kallen's surprise, though, Lelouch seemed more agitated than ever in class. Where usually he was focused on the lessons, now he kept looking out the window. Shirley seemed as confused as her, and Kallen noticed Milly did as well. She decided to approach him before either of them could.
"What's eating you, Lelouch?" she asked during lunch.
"There's a storm warning from the weather reports," said Lelouch. "Apparently, we may get hit by a very large storm very soon. Several, actually."
"So what's being done?" asked Kallen.
"The weather seems to think it'll branch off and hit further down that coast, that the site where Tohdoh won his miracle. But I'd rather not take any chances," said Lelouch. "I'm afraid my garden will be wrecked. And Nunnally hates storms."
At that moment, Milly came from behind and wrapped her arms around him from behind. Kallen felt a bit angry that they were having a conversation, and she was derailing it. "Oh, come on, Lelouch, why not admit it's about that new friend Nunnally has?"
"Friend is a word to be used carefully," said Lelouch, biting from his sandwich.
"Wait, did Nunnally get a boyfriend or-" Kallen halted as she saw Lelouch tense. "Uh... no?"
"Definitely not," said Lelouch. "She wanted to have him over today, and Sayoko will be there."
This was awkward.
"I haven't heard anything about this storm before, Lulu," said Shirley. She moved forward to grab his hand in a protective fashion. Kallen took a bite of her sandwich. "My parents haven't changed any of their schedules or anything. I mean, there wasn't anything in the news?"
"There isn't usually," said Lelouch. "People stop buying stuff when they think a crisis is happening."
"Is it me, or have there been a lot more natural disasters lately," said Milly. As she spoke, she ground along Lelouch to stand beside him.
"Do you think it might be divine judgment?" asked Shirley. "I mean, I was reading my bible lately..."
"Don't be absurd," said Lelouch. "China has deforested vast stretches of terrain in that time. So has Britannia and the EU. Cutting down trees in vast numbers likely had ecological consequences. They probably spiraled into the increase in storms."
Kallen moved a bit closer if only to prevent Milly and Shirley from eating him alive. "I don't see why I didn't hear anything about it. My parents have to know. Why wouldn't they do anything?"
"Would you cancel an invitation from Prince Clovis?" asked Lelouch, as Shirley clustered a bit closer.
"No, obviously not," said Kallen, noticing Milly getting closer. "It'd be an insult to Royalty." She moved a bit forward and stopped realizing they were very closer.
"Right, and Clovis is holding a ball," said Lelouch, finishing his sandwich. "Anyone who makes plans to prepare for the storm is tacitly admitting they might decline. Appearances are everything when it comes to nobility."
"How would you know? You're a-" began Kallen before deciding not to bring up him being a commoner. "Nevermind, sorry. Shouldn't have brought it up."
"It's fine," said Lelouch. "We'd better focus on what is coming. We'll meet at the clubhouse to discuss our response."
Kallen nodded and tried to stand up quickly. Unfortunately, Lelouch ended up standing up at exactly the same moment. And Milly and Shirley did as well. In surprise at the moment, Kallen stepped back, only to trip over her own feet and fall with a cry. Lelouch reached out to grab her hand, only to be pulled down as well. Shirley and Milly then got pulled down with them.
And that was how Kallen ended up face to face with Lelouch, her breasts rubbing up against his chest. It might have been nice, but Shirley and Milly had fallen on either side of them. Shirley was blushing scarlet, and Kallen had the feeling she was as well. Milly, meanwhile, seemed to be loving every second of it.
Needless to say, it was an awkward scene later in the clubhouse, made worse by black clouds gathering. Nina and Rivalz arriving was a welcome relief because it meant they didn't have to talk about it.
"So, Lelouch, what exactly are we going to do about this?" asked Rivalz. "I mean, the invitation could be our big break."
Lelouch looked at the invitation. "... There's nothing for it.
"We'll have to decline."
"What?!" said Shirley. "But Lulu, this is a major opportunity for all of us. We'll have a chance to meet Prince Clovis."
"How is that an opportunity?" asked Lelouch.
"...Well, he could..." Nina halted. "We could convince him to put his support behind us."
"Do we want his support?" asked Lelouch. "Would you trust a drug dealer with medical supplies?"
"You're not serious, Lelouch," said Shirley. "He's a Prince!"
"Meeting with Clovis is an opportunity if we want fame and money," said Lelouch. "I'm sure we could use this meeting to get our a stunning and brave career. No doubt, get praised and be a hit sensation for a few moments.
"But our goal is to help people, and selling out to Clovis will destroy everything we have worked for."
"Now hang on, how is extra funding a bad thing?" asked Rivalz.
"Do you think that Clovis will give us the extra funding?" asked Lelouch. "By which I mean 'us' and not some other institution we are absorbed into?"
"Well..." Rivalz halted.
Kallen thought that was a pretty good point.
"Of course he won't," said Lelouch. "We're not in his pocket, and we can't give him anything we wouldn't have already handed to him. So he'll keep us as the face of the operation and give the administration to one of his pet nobles.
"Then either they'll embezzle the funds we're supposed to be using and leave us no better than we were before. Or, worse, they'll start trying to use our charity as a means of control."
"How would they do that?" asked Milly as the winds began to howl.
"All you have to do is suggest that books than the bible be presented," said Lelouch. "Nothing too harmful, at first, but when you give them an inch, they take a mile."
"Lord Kewell..." Kallen paused. "I heard he had an idea to hand out versions of a bible. Positive Christianity, it was sort of altering the book to be pro-Britannia."
"Right," said Lelouch. "And since we're getting all our funding from Prince Clovis, we can't complain. If they decide to swap out the books for a less problematic variety of holy text-"
And then something hit the window behind Lelouch. It cracked, and he stood up, whirling around with a gun in hand. To Kallen's surprise, Shirley and Milly also drew out guns. Rivalz and Nina followed suit a moment later.
Kallen fumbled for her gun and realized she didn't keep one on her. How was she the only person in this room not armed to the teeth?
"What was that?" asked Rivalz.
"Something cracked the window," said Milly, moving over to the window and opening it. As she did, the wind howled through her hair, spraying them with water. When she shut it, she looked down. "It's one of the deck chairs used by the seduction club.
"It must have gotten blown here by the wind."
Kallen saw the chair being blown around. This seemed pretty bad. "What were you saying, Lelouch?"
"My point is that once we accept funding from an outside force, we are controlled by that force," said Lelouch. "Right now, we are helping a lot of people and in complete control of the operation. When something needs to be changed, we change it.
"Even if Prince Clovis was well-intentioned, I would not trust him or his subordinates."
"You don't really mean that, do you? I mean, he's a Prince," said Shirley.
"Plus, you've never even met the guy," said Rivalz. "For all we know, Milner could be abusing his authority."
"I may not have met Clovis, Rivalz, but I understand him," said Lelouch. "I've seen how he presents himself to the public, and I've seen how he manages his Area. He makes grand speeches of righteousness and understanding. Even as his royal guard trash private property for fun. His administration clearly rubs shoulders with organized crime instead of destroying it.
"And for all his claims of humanitarianism, he appoints the Purebloods to high office. Then he persecutes those who fulfill his ideals. Either Prince Clovis is malevolent or willfully ignorant of all that goes on in his domain. If the former would be unwise to ever be in his presence, save when all is finished.
"And if the latter, any help he might give us would be tainted by those he works with.
"He is completely untrustworthy as an ally. Being in his presence would only give his handlers the chance to take our measure."
"Alright, but refusing the invitation from a Prince of Britannia would be an insult," said Milly. "A serious one that has gotten people blacklisted, even killed."
"I'm planning to fall down a flight of stairs on my way out here," said Lelouch.
"Well, we all can't fall down a flight of stairs, Lulu," said Shirley.
"Shirley is right," said Kallen, who thought about how Villetta had pushed for her. "I at least have to go here for my family. Barring the party getting canceled, I can't-"
But the wind was howling all the harder now, and lightning thundered. The cracks on the window got worse as a stone hit it.
"The window!" said Rivalz.
"From the looks of things, the question has become moot," said Lelouch. "Let's get to my house. It should be more secure."
"In this wind?!" said Kallen.
"I'm not leaving Nunnally alone!" said Lelouch firmly. "Get the rain jackets and stay together!
"Link hands!"
"This is insane!" said Kallen.
But they all ended up doing it. Pretty sure they were rushing together through the pelting wind. It was a struggle to stay on their feet. Their rain jackets dripped water down onto their eyes. Little by little, they stumbled their way through the garden. The air was ripping at the planets, and Kallen looked to the settlement. She realized they had a lot of shelter from the wind.
How much worse was it on the shore?
The shore.
Naoto!
She hadn't called him! What if he was killed?!
Either way, Lelouch rang the doorbell on his door as they sheltered by the pillars. He was nuts coming out here. They should have stayed in the clubhouse!
But either way, the door opened, and Sayoko looked out. Quickly they barged through and soon were sopping wet on the front door. Lelouch shut the door with some difficulty as the wind howled.
"Master Lelouch, what are you doing out in this rain?!" said Sayoko. "You should have stayed in the clubhouse?!"
"Taking shelter and getting to my sister," said Lelouch.
"Right, yes, of course," said Sayoko. "I imagine responding to those invitations will not be a problem."
"You imagine correctly," said Lelouch. "I just hope my garden withstands this. Where is Nunnally?"
"He has demonstrated himself to be quite a gentleman and quite insecure," said Sayoko. "And at present, he and Nunnally are folding paper cranes. I did pull up his files, and by all accounts, he is of good family and name."
"I'll go and watch him," said Lelouch. "Get my friends some new clothes."
"I don't think you need to fear anything," said Sayoko. "Mistress Nunnally is generally a good judge of character. And I agree with her assessment, insofar as this visit goes."
"I'll go anyway," said Lelouch. "I'll make plans for dinner with Nunnally."
And he went off.
"What now?" asked Rivalz.
"Well, I imagine we'll have to just wait for it to blow over," said Milly, shedding her jacket.
Kallen, Shirley, Milly, and Shirley ended up changing together in one room. During this time, Kallen came to realize that Milly was... very well developed, to say the least. She'd known before, but not the extent. The uniform that had seemed to cling to her body had actually hidden it, so her form was downplayed. Shirley had more balanced attributes, and Kallen tried not to make it clear she saw it.
Kallen wondered if she looked better out of her school uniform than in. Then she crushed the thought in a vicelike grip.
Milly caught her looking as well and seemed to enjoy the attention. After that, Kallen kept her eyes on the ground. Shirley, though, seemed completely used to the fact that Milly was openly oogling her. She and Kallen.
"Why does Lelouch have all this clothing?" asked Kallen of Rivalz after they got out.
"Lelouch is kind of obsessed with being prepared," said Rivalz. "Also, he hangs on to some of the costumes for the student council. Though we haven't had a lot of use for them since Milly stopped with her crazy parties."
"I did not stop," said Milly. "I just had to put them on hold. We've had some pretty important stuff to do, Rivalz.
"Besides, all those parties were a way to pass the time because I had nothing better to do. When you've got real problems to solve, the filler moments are less important."
"So what do we do now?" asked Nina. "The winds have only increased, and we can't go anywhere until they pass."
"The television should still be working for now, if I might make a suggestion," said Sayoko. "We're liable to get a power outage with this wind, however."
"Right," said Milly. "Let's check the news."
And so they sat down in a living room which had been designed for many people and watched TV. Many of these chairs, however, had never been used. In fact, the TV looked brand new. There was something inherently sad about a huge, luxurious living room that no one ever used. But it made sense, Nunnally was blind and could not watch TV, and Lelouch wasn't the kind.
"Why does Lelouch even have a set if he never uses this room?" asked Kallen, looking at the brand new remote made years ago.
"Master Lelouch does have a television on the upper floors," said Sayoko. "As a point of fact, he only uses one or two rooms. He might have done just as well with an apartment.
"However, I believe he wants his sister to have the best."
Kallen turned the note on, thinking it all a bit sad. And she saw Deitard Reed out on a broken road, with a street covered in the water behind him. He looked to be standing on top of a rooftop, and his coat was blowing around him. So was his blonde ponytail.
The guy had guts.
"-we are seeing a storm surge of unprecedented levels," said Deitard. "The winds that are hitting us are far higher than was anticipated and seemed to have hit large parts of the coast. Some of the lower levels of the settlement are underwater.
"The Britannian section itself is the worst off. But in the ghettos, we've received reports that flooding is off the charts."
And other reports came in one after another, of cars bouncing down the streets in the wind. Skyscrapers, long decaying, fell over in the ghettos. Entire seaside areas were underwater, and it appeared to be happening everywhere. How many people were going to die in this? Not just in the settlement, but in the ghettos too?
The subway tunnels were sure to have flooded. That alone would drown a lot of people who lived out there. What kind of God would let this happen? And why was she even asking the question?
Then again, Britannia probably deserved it more than most places. But the people...
"...Naoto," whispered Kallen.
Going out into another room, she drew out her phone and cursed herself for forgetting him again. Ringing, she waited for him to pick up and prayed it wouldn't be too late. "Hello.
"Come on, pick up, pick up."
A familiar voice answered. "Kallen is that you?!"
"Are you okay?! Where are you?" said Kallen.
"Fine, we're got some higher-up shelters we set up before. But the flooding is getting pretty bad in Saitama," said Naoto. "The sewers are flooding over, and subway tunnels are underwater. But we managed to get most of the people out before the storm. The streets are going to be underwater, though.
"Saitaima has it really bad though, though. They didn't make any preparations. Huge numbers of homes are being flooded. And the Fierce Yamato didn't care so much about non-members."
"Are you somewhere safe?" asked Kallen.
"Yes, we're good," said Naoto. "What about you?"
"I'm with friends," said Kallen. "The good news is that I don't have to go to a party, now."
"Well, there's always that," said Naoto with a bitter laugh.
"I have to go, Naoto. I can't stay on this line any longer," said Kallen in a low voice.
"Right, see you," said Naoto.
There was a hang-up.
Hanging up, Kallen looked up and saw Nunnally coming around the corner. "Kallen..."
"Oh, Nunnally, you're there," said Kallen, moving up to her.
"Is your family alright?" asked Nunnally.
"Yes, I was talking with a friend from before the war," said Kallen. "My family should be fine; we're in one of the best neighborhoods."
"Oh, I'm glad," said Nunnally. "I made some friends in school recently too, to be honest."
"I heard," said Kallen. "I think your big brother was kind of jealous."
"Lelouch is a bit overprotective," said Nunnally. "He was actually visiting here when the storm hit. I'm kind of feeling awkward about introducing him to my brother.
"Especially since he kind of scared him."
Kallen laughed. "Oh, well, maybe I could smooth things over and make sure your boyfriend doesn't get crucified."
At that moment, a boy walked out of the hall, looking very ordinary and average. His expression was concerned as if playing a role and afraid he'd be found out. But he was trying to feign the concern being for a reputation. "I'm afraid there must be some mistake, Ms. Stadtfeld.
"My name is Rolo Haliburton; Nunnally and I are just friends."