Giving her long purple hair one final brush, Cornelia gave herself a final once over before standing up from the chair in front the small desk in her bedroom. Normally, she'd have had one of her personal maids do her hair and what little make-up she wore or even have Euphie do it for her, but on the occasions where she needed to be alone with her thoughts, she felt it was the perfect time and place to think. Over the past few days, the Princess had spent several mornings alone with her thoughts.
Her talk the previous night with Ciaran was still playing on her mind. The young man's reaction to her revelation that she considered him a brother was something that made a sad smile come to her face. The fact that Ciaran had been reduced to tears showed how vulnerable he truly was in this world.
Looking at the small clock on the table, she let out a sigh at the time.
7:45
Leaving the table behind, Cornelia departed her bedroom. She wore her regular dark maroon outfit, although she forewent the cape this time, as she made her way down the hallway to the dining room. The various maids, butlers and guards she passed bowed in respect, Cornelia nodding her head in return. Reaching the dining room, the two butlers opened the door soundlessly. Walking through the threshold, her indigo eyes settled on the man sitting in the chair with his back to her.
"Good morning, Ciaran." Cornelia said as she made her to sit at her chair. "You're up early." With a start, the young man turned his head to look her in the face, a half-eaten piece of toast held in his hand. She couldn't help but furrow her brow at what she saw. The dark circles around his eyes had deepened slightly and his eyes were bloodshot, showing that he hadn't managed to sleep well during the night. The square of gauze on his right cheek from last night had been replaced by a fresh one.
"How did you sleep?" The Princess asked. "Although, if you don't mind me saying, I think I can already guess."
The young man shrugged resignedly. "As well as you'd imagine. I think I only managed about... three or four hours, to be honest."
Cornelia nodded in understanding. "I know this might sound clichéd but you will eventually come to terms with what happened. Trust me."
"I do, Cornelia." Ciaran said with a smile before taking another bite of his toast. A maid approached the table, a single glass of orange juice balanced on a tray, which she placed next to the young man. Ciaran picked the drink up, but before he could put it to his lips, Cornelia's hand shot forward, taking the glass away from him. Bringing it up to her lips, she took a quick sip.
"All right then." She said after swallowing the liquid, putting the glass back down on the table top. Ciaran's eyebrow was raised in confusion at the scene that had just played out before him.
"What was...? Why did you test my drink?" He asked, picking the glass up and looking in to it like he expected to find the answer in it. Cornelia looked away from the man to look across the room.
"I was just... making sure my suspicion wasn't correct." She said, not wanting to actually admit the truth of what she had thought.
"Did... did you think I had them put alcohol in this?" Ciaran asked, his voice coming out in a shocked tone. Cornelia could only shrug in embarrassment. Mentally, she prepared herself for a retort of some magnitude. So she was surprised when she heard Ciaran begin to chuckle, which morphed in to a full blown laugh, his back colliding solidly with the back of his chair.
"I think it's because of the lack of sleep, but that's fucking funny!" The man said, pounding his fist on the table, making the cutlery jump slightly. Cornelia was aghast for a few seconds before her face too morphed in to a smile, a small chuckle coming to her lips.
A few seconds later, Ciaran finished his laughing fit, wiping a tear from his eye as he calmed down.
"Oh, I needed that laugh." The young man said absent-mindedly before taking a small swig from his glass.
"It's good to see you laughing, Ciaran." Cornelia said, reaching over and putting her hand on top of his, giving her young companion a soft smile, which he returned. "It's always good to have a proper laugh now and again."
"It is, Cornelia." Ciaran said with a nod of his head, moments before the large door opened, and the form of a very tried Euphemia walked in, rubbing the sleep from one eye.
"Morning." The young princess yawned as a greeting, Cornelia and Ciaran responding in kind as she made her way to sit down on Cornelia's left, the same butler from their first breakfast together coming to take her order.
Soon, the others began to trickle in. First was Darlton by himself, taking his customary place on Ciaran's right hand side, before Guilford followed in a few minutes later. Normally, Cornelia's knight would be seated next to Euphemia however, with the arrival of Nonette and Dorothea, his seat was now next to the scarred general. Lastly, came in the two Knights of the Round, an obviously sleep Nonette, seeming to do her best impression of a zombie, following Dorothea as they moved around the table.
"G'morning." The champagne-haired woman mumbled out as she took her seat. Cornelia couldn't help but smile slightly at the seating arrangement. Barring herself, all of the women were seated on her left while all the men were seated on her right.
"How are you this morning, Captain?" Guilford asked after taking a sip from his coffee.
"I've been better, my lord." The young man replied before taking quickly finishing his piece of toast. Glancing over, the Second Princess' gaze met with Darlton's, the large man giving her a barely noticeable nod.
"Actually, Captain, that does tack on to what something I wanted to discuss with you." Cornelia said, using the young man's rank to draw his full attention.
"Cor... My lady?" The man catching himself from saying her name, but Cornelia ignored it and carried on speaking.
"After a short discussion with General Darlton, I have decided that in light of your exemplary performance during the drug raids in Kitakyushu, you've been granted a week of leave to recover and recuperate yourself."
Everyone at the table turned to look at the princess before looking at the young man seated near her. Cornelia knew that her words were far too textbook, although she was certain that Euphemia wouldn't have noticed, but she knew for certain that the others did.
"A full week?" Ciaran asked, obviously confused by the situation, as he shifted uncomfortably on his chair.
"I'm afraid so, Captain."
"So..." Ciaran said, falling back in his chair, a look of slight disbelief on his face. "Where does that leave me?"
"You've got a holiday, you lucky sod." Nonette drawled out before taking a drink from her coffee, causing Cornelia to narrow her eyes at the outburst.
"A bit blunt, but Lady Nonette is correct. It essentially means you have a holiday." Darlton spoke up.
"Oh, how lovely!" Euphemia called out, clapping her hands together. "You'll be able to go out in to the Settlement properly now."
Cornelia nodded, and for everyone at that table, that seemed to be the end of the conversation. So she was surprised when Ciaran leant towards her slightly, gesturing minutely for her to listen. Leaning down, she moved her head as discreetly as she could to avoid the others getting suspicious.
"There's one problem. I've got no money." The young man whispered, causing Cornelia's eyes to shoot open in shock. Outwardly, she didn't show it, but inwardly, she was mentally berating herself.
'The one thing we didn't discuss...'
"If your having money troubles," Darlton's bass whisper caught both their attention, "I'll help you out, Ciaran."
"What are you three whispering about?" Nonette asked, her voice causing the three people to turn their heads as they sat back up straight.
"Nothing of concern, Lady Nonette. Just ironing out some details for our young friend's holiday." Cornelia replied as various maids came in with breakfast trays.
Breakfast was eaten in relative silence, the only words being spoken occasionally something from the still sleepy Nonette. Their meals finished, everyone began to disperse, Dorothea agreeing to help Euphemia with the paperwork in Ciaran's place, which meant leaving either Cornelia or Darlton at Nonette's mercy for the rest of the day.
Gesturing for Ciaran to follow, Darlton excused himself and the young man from the room before making their way to the general's office. Entering the room, Ciaran wasn't too surprised by what he saw inside: both walls were lined with numerous framed photos of men in uniform standing next to various vehicles, some framed medals and several different weapons hanging from the wall. Sabres, swords of various makes and periods and even a few rifles.
"You've got quite a collection here, sir. I have to say, I'm a little bit jealous." The young man said in amazement as he walked further in to the room, Darlton taking his seat behind his desk.
"Really?" Darlton asked in surprise, to which Ciaran nodded in reply.
"Really. I always did like swords and such."
"I'll make sure to remember that in the future," Darlton said as opened one of the drawers in his desk. "But I believe we have a problem with your pay that needs sorting out."
Reaching down, the general removed a thick brown envelope, holding it for Ciaran to take. Taking it in his hand, the young man opened the paper before reaching inside. Gripping what was inside, he withdrew his hand, taking out a brown leather wallet, a fresh new debit card, and several light blue banknotes bound together by bright orange bill strip.
"It's your wallet. Sorry we didn't return it to you earlier, but circumstances didn't really allow it. I'm afraid we destroyed the money and cards that were already in there." The large man said as Ciaran opened the wallet to look inside.
"And I was so close to getting that twenty percent discount too..." The young man muttered, a slight laugh in his voice, Darlton then replying with a chuckle of his own.
"Yeah, sorry about that. But to make it up to you, we've given you a new debit card, with a bank account set up personally for your own use, plus you've got about two-hundred pounds in ten pound notes in your hand."
"You're shitting me?" Ciaran said in disbelief, looking at the seated man in shock. "Two-hundred quid?"
"For a man of your rank, it's only fair," Darlton said, leaning back in his large chair, "Plus, myself and Cornelia have also... shall we say, pulled a few strings to get you in to the system. You're on five years backdated pay as a lieutenant."
Ciaran's jaw practically dropped. "S-so, how much money is that?" He stammered out.
"It's a comfortable amount, that's all I'll say." Darlton replied with a shrug, before standing up from his chair. "Plus, it means you'll able to buy a good amount of clothes and what not over the week."
Regaining his composure, the young man shot the scarred general a smile.
"Thank you, sir."
Turning to leave the room, Ciaran stopped before turning around.
"General. Are there any regulations on wearing uniforms outside of barracks when not on duty?"
"Why do you ask that, Ciaran?" Darlton asked in confusion.
"Well, it's just with the fact that there are still terrorists active here, and we don't know whether the Black Knights will try anything. I'm thinking that a member of the Royal Guard walking around in his uniform might be a bit too conspicuous, if you get my drift."
The large man put his hand under his chin in thought for a few seconds before finally speaking.
"The dress-shirts are still white, correct?"
"Pretty much, sir."
Standing up from the desk, Darlton moved around to a large cupboard at the side of the room. Opening the doors and reaching inside, he knelt down to withdrew a sizeable steel trunk which he proceeded to open. Looking over the larger man's shoulders, Ciaran's eyes opened wide.
"Why do you have my clothes?" The young man asked in shock.
"Well, I did say they were in a secure locker. And I don't think there's a more secure locker than the one I have in my office." Darlton replied with a chuckle as he took out a pair of brown leather boots and a pair of dark blue jeans, holding them up for the young man to take. "I think you should be able to blend in well enough with these."
"Thank you, sir." Ciaran said, taking the offered clothes as the general replaced the trunk and closed the doors.
"I hope you have a good holiday, Ciaran." Darlton said with a genuine smile, the action twisting the scar on his face, as he watched the young men leave the room.
"I'm sure I'll manage, sir."
Walking down the hallway from his room, Ciaran finished rolling up the sleeves on his shirt above his elbows. Dressed in his jeans, leather boots and white shirt, he drew stares from a good number of the staff in the palace, although he paid them little mind as he made his way towards the exit.
A low wolf-whistle drew his attention as he stopped walking.
"Lady Nonette." He said, a thin smile on his face, as he knew who it was behind him.
"Looking sharp!" The Knight of Nine said as the young man turned to face her the woman flashing a toothy grin at the young man as she put a hand on her hip. The young man smiled before her simply shrugged.
"I do the best with what I can, my lady."
Nonette's smile faded from her face as she walked towards the man before her.
"I heard you talked to Dorothea last night, after the operation."
"Indeed I did, my lady." Ciaran replied, wondering where the conversation was heading. "Who told you, if I may ask?"
"Dorothea." The champagne-haired woman replied flatly. Ciaran let his eyes roam around the corridor, not meeting the woman's gaze.
"I'd rather not talk about what happened last night, my lady." He said somewhat testily, turning to walk away. He got no more than a few steps away from the noblewoman before he felt a hand grip his shoulder. Turning his head, he was surprised by the steely gaze Nonette gave him.
"My lady...?" He began before Nonette shot her hand up, her index finger raised.
"First off, start calling me Nonette. I bloody hate being called 'my lady'. Secondly, I want to ask you something: what did Dorothea say to you last night?"
"She said that... that I shouldn't feel bad about what happened last night and that I did my duty. Nothing more." The young man said with slight shrug.
Nonette removed her hand as she looked him straight in the eye.
"Nothing else?"
"Indeed." He didn't want to say anything about the kiss Dorothea had put on his cheek. It was short but sweet, nothing more than a peck. But the fact she did it...
"All right then." Nonette said, looking at the young man. Moving her hand from his shoulder, she swept her arm around Ciaran's shoulders, pulling him in to an lopsided hug, a large smile plastered on her face.
"Sorry if I worried you, Ciaran," She said, sincerity plain in her voice. "I like you, is all, and I didn't want to find out that Dorothea freaked you out."
The young man's face took on a look of mild shock before he began chuckling in disbelief. "No, it's all right. Dorothea really said some things I needed to hear, that's all."
"Good to hear!" Nonette said happily as she began walking the young man towards the exit of the palace. As they walked, the duo chatted amicably, Nonette asking her companion about his plans, or rather his lack of plans. Ciaran's admission that he had no plans for the week drew a laugh from the Knight of Nine, the sharp, barking noise filling the space.
"So, what were you going to do? Just wing it?" Nonette asked, trying her best to keep her laugh out of her voice.
"Basically." The young man replied with a shrug, causing the woman beside him to roll her eyes playfully and pull him in to a headlock.
"You are hopeless! How did you ever become an officer?" She said with a kind hearted smile. Although from Ciaran's angle, he couldn't really see much of her face as he was almost fully pressed in to the side of her breasts.
He was aware, however, of her reaching in to one of her jacket pockets. He heard her typing a small sequence on, what he guessed, was her phone before she started speaking.
"Nellie!" She called out, her voice as chipper as always. "Hey, just to let you know: I'm taking the day off."
The hallway fell silent as Nonette listened to Cornelia's response.
"Well, after talking with our young friend, he revealed that he has absolutely no clue where he is going to go today. And, since technically I'm on holiday too, I thought... why not?"
Silence again filled the world.
"All right then! Yes, no worries. I won't get him in to too much trouble. Oh, come on! That was a joke! Okay, bye, Nellie. Love ya!" Nonette made a kissing sound before she pocketed her phone. "Well, looks like you and me are spending the day together! What's with the look?"
The look the Knight of Nine was referring to was the look of absolute concentration Ciaran had on his face as he stared at one of the buttons on the woman's jacket.
"Just wandering what I did in a past life to always keep winding up so close to your chest." The young man said flatly.
"Is that really a bad thing?" Nonette asked him in a mildly offended tone.
Ciaran was quiet for a few seconds, obviously wandering what to say. "I really do not think that I can answer that one way or another, my lady."
Nonette was silent for a second before she burst in to a bout of laughter again, pulling the young man closer to the side of her bust.
"I like you, Ciaran. Have I said that yet?" The woman didn't wait for a reply before she pulled Ciaran up, patting him on the shoulder. "I'm going to get changed. Wait for me, I'll be back in about five minutes or so."
Ciaran couldn't help but grin and shake his head slightly as he watched Nonette walk off, the older woman sashaying as she walked away.
Exiting the black taxi, Ciaran couldn't help but feel a little self-conscious of who exactly his companion was. Scratching the stubble on his chin in a nervous habit, he looked away as he heard Nonette thank the driver of the taxi after she closed the door and paid him.
"Ready to go?" His companion asked him, the sound of the receding taxi fading to join the other sounds of the city in life in the late morning. Turning, the young man was certain he could feel his cheeks flush with colour slightly at the sight before him. Nonette was wearing a pair of low cut white trousers, coupled with a light blue, low cut top that showed off her stomach and a fair amount of her cleavage. The ensemble was completed by a pair of black flats, although Ciaran had to honestly admit that there was little chance anyone was going to look at her feet.
He had to admit it; she was drop-dead gorgeous. Sexy even.
"Yeah, I'm ready." Ciaran replied, keeping his voice level as he turned away from her and started walking. After taking no less than a dozen steps, his back straightened as he felt Nonette slid her arm around his, linking their hands together.
"You're nervous." The champagne-haired woman said, smiling sweetly.
"To tell you the truth, I've never walked arm in arm with a beautiful woman before." Ciaran admitted as he took in his surroundings. They had stopped by a large park near the middle of the Tokyo Settlement, and were now walking towards what Ciaran assumed to be the main shopping mall.
Nonette chuckled at Ciaran's admission as they walked past several people in the park. "Well, thank you for the compliment. And if you're worried about messing up: relax. You're doing well."
The disarming smile she flashed him did have the effect of making Ciaran soften, his stance becoming more loose as the duo continued their walk to the shopping centre. Walking through the park was a very pleasant experience for the young man. It was hot, as befitting a day in the middle of July, but fortunately it was a dry heat. Coupled with a soft seaborne breeze and the abundant shade, the weather was far from uncomfortable.
Making their way around the park, Nonette leading him with gentle nudges and tugs to direct him in the right direction, Ciaran couldn't help but let his mind wander. The park was so pristine, so much unlike the inner-city parks that he had visited in Britain. Always so much rubbish just left on the ground. But the constants were still there: old couples walking together, families sitting on the grass, the occasional jogger speeding past. The young man and his companion even said hello to the odd dog or two as they walked along the main path.
"Hey?" Ciaran felt his body rock slightly, Nonette nudging him bodily with her shoulder. Looking around, the young man was startled by the concerned look on her face. "You zoned out a bit. Is everything all right?"
"Yeah, no, sorry." Ciaran replied, turning to look at the path ahead. "Just... just noticing the differences between the parks here and the parks back home."
"Nellie said you were from Britain. I imagine this must be a bit of a culture shock for you."
The young man shrugged. "Not as much as you'd think. It's all just cleaner here, is all."
Nonette simply 'hmm'-ed in response as the duo continued their journey.
The pair continued their walk for a short time before they entered the Tokyo Settlement's premier shopping centre, the Omotesando Mall. Immediately, Ciaran was reminded of the shopping centre in his home-town: a large building, with a large sloped ceiling made of glass panels in geometric patterns to let the natural light through. It had to be at least two or three stories tall, with the ground floor and first floor being given over for shops. In the central avenue, trees were planted in large terraced gardens, alternating about ten or fifteen feet apart, with arches filled with flowers spanned the width of the avenue.
"So?" Nonette said, letting go of Ciaran's hand and walking in front of him, giving him a view of her, and he was very ashamed to admit it, very shapely rear. "What's the plan? Which shops are we hitting first?"
The young man shrugged, as he tried to look nonchalantly away from the woman standing before him. "Well, clothes would probably be a good place to start-"
"All right then!" Nonette called out, interrupting him mid-sentence as she spun around and gripped his hand tightly. "Let's get started!"
Channing Blackwell, corporal in the Britannian Military Provost Guard Staff, patrolled the hallway of the Tokyo Prison, his footfalls echoing down the corridor of the maximum security wing. Apart from him, he knew there were only four other people in this particular wing, A-wing: His fellow guard, Patrick, the two gate wardens on either end of the corridor and their prisoner. He didn't know the actual identity of the prisoner. Only that they were a high-value individual and that was enough for his commander.
The orders had come down from high up, all the way from the desks of General Darlton and Princess Cornelia themselves, so the fact that his colonel had chosen him and Patrick as the chosen guards for this task filled him with more pride than he had when he had joined the army.
Walking down the corridor, Channing passed the numerous empty cells. The fact that there was only one prisoner in this wing was nagging on him. Although they had to be important if the two highest ranking generals of the army had signed off on the orders for their detainment.
The burst of static from the radio on his belt coming to life startled him.
"Blackwell, come in. Blackwell, do you hear me?" It was Patrick on the radio.
"Rogers, I hear you. What's up? Over."
"Heads up. I just got word we've got an important visitor coming to see the prisoner." Patrick's voice was a mix of expectational awe and fear, so whoever it was, they must be one of the high-ups.
Channing was about to answer when he heard a loud electric buzzing sound come from the end of the hallway behind his back, signalling that the security door was opening. Turning around, his eyes widened in surprise, nearly dropping his radio as he saw the solitary figure walking down the corridor towards him.
"General Darlton, sir!" He called out, snapping his hand up in salute as the large man drew closer. Channing had heard about the General's large stature, but now meeting the man in the flesh, he couldn't help but recoil slightly at the man's size, even flinching slightly as the General drew his hand up in a salute of his own.
"Which cell is the prisoner being held in, corporal?" General Darlton asked, his deep voice seeming to fill the space.
"Right this way, sir. Cell A-7." Channing replied, keeping his voice professional as he gestured down the hallway. The large general moved past him, the man's long legs easily carrying him the distance to the indicated cell. When he had reached the cell, the general stopped as he raised one of his large hands to rest against the protective glass.
Channing followed the general but stopped when the higher ranked officer opened his mouth.
"You're relieved for now, corporal. Wait outside the security doors." The man's tone didn't give any room for Channing to argue, so he simply saluted before turning to leave the corridor.
His large hand resting on the reinforced glass, Darlton's gaze was fixed firmly on the figure of the young girl sitting on the edge of the bed inside the cell. Even the sound of the provost walking down and then exiting the corridor didn't draw his attention away from the person before him.
The girl inside was dressed in an off-white straitjacket, her arms tied behind her back, leaving her bright red hair the only source of colour in the colourless room. She seemed to be staring off in to space, her eyes unfocused, looking at the bottom corner of the cell directly in front of her.
"Kallen? Kallen, can you hear me?" Darlton asked, trying to get the girls attention.
Turning her head, Kallen looked blankly at the general. The general couldn't help but frown at the look in her eyes: bloodshot and red, her blank stare was downright depressing. Looking her face over, Darlton couldn't see any signs of any harsh treatment, which was reassuring.
"Kallen," The large man put a placating tone to his voice as he addressed the girl. "I'm going to ask you some questions, and I want you to answer them as best you can, okay?"
The girl nodded in a reply, her blank look never leaving the older man.
"I'm going to keep them simple, so you can reply with a nod if you have to. First off: your name is Kallen Stadtfeld, correct?"
A nod came in reply.
"And your father is the Earl Joseph Stadtfeld?"
Another nod.
"Your mother is the Lady Josephine Stadtfeld, correct?"
"Stepmother." A weak voice rasped out, catching Darlton by surprise before he realised it was Kallen's voice.
"Stepmother, right." Darlton said, keeping the surprise from his his voice. "So who is your mother?"
The prisoner was silent, her face turning to look away from the general.
"Kallen. Who is your mother?"
No answer.
"Is she that woman that you protected in Kitakyushu?"
The girl was silent before she spoke softly. "Yes."
Darlton let out a small sigh as his suspicion was confirmed: she was a half-breed. Half Britannian, half Number. It wasn't that uncommon a thing to happen. Usually the result of a Britannian noble who couldn't keep it in his pants around one of their local maids. But the General knew that even if the noble did take the child in as their own, they'd still face persecution in some form or another.
Looking at her, Darlton knew that Kallen was one of the lucky ones. Her soft features were close enough to a Britannian noblewoman than an Eleven, but if one discounted her red hair, it wouldn't be too hard for her to pass as a native.
And Darlton felt that he was getting closer to knowing the answer to his next question.
"Why were you in the Kitakyushu docks last night, Kallen?"
The teenager didn't reply, letting her gaze drop.
"Kallen." Darlton said, kneeling down to get a better view of her face. "Answer me. What were you doing in the Kitakyushu docks last night."
No answer was coming, so Darlton decided to try a different tact.
"Listen to me, Kallen," the man said, his voice becoming softer, "If you don't answer me, then I've been ordered to hand you over to some people. Now these men... they're experts at getting information from people. But they're not kind, in any sense of the word. They will hurt you, and they'll enjoy doing it. Now I don't want to see that happen. So answer my question: why were you in the Kitakyushu docks last night?"
Kallen's head hung low before her voice croaked out.
"Zero... Zero told us about the Refrain. We went in there to stop them."
Standing up, Darlton removed his hand.
"Thank you, Kallen." His voice was sincere as he turned to leave, but he wasn't prepared to hear the voice that called out to him.
"What... what's happened to my mother?" Looking down, Darlton was surprised to see that her blank look was overtaken by a pleading look.
Darlton was unsure of what to say. He hadn't been given any orders one way or another to divulge what had happened to the girl's mother. But seeing the look on Kallen's face, he couldn't help himself.
"Your mother is alive. She's being held in a prison hospital. Shell be held for twenty years, but she'll get the help she needs to kick her addiction to Refrain."
Kallen's lips morphed from a forlorn face to a broad smile, her eyes starting to shine as tears welled up in her eyes, as Darlton left the young girl in her cell. Behind him, he could hear the girl's soft but happy sobbing fill the hallway.
Sitting on one of the many benches in the centre of the Mall, Ciaran did his best to stretch out his sore feet, constrained as they were in his leather boots. With the time nearing midday, the temperature had also spiked, climbing quickly. Even though the mall had some of the best air-conditioning Ciaran had ever experienced, he could feel small amounts of sweat trickle down the back of his legs. Surrounding him on the bench was almost a dozen various bags, filled with various items of clothing and other things he needed.
"Yoo-hoo! Ciaran!" Nonette chirped out, as she approached the young man, a small red bag held in her hand. "Sorry for making you wait."
"No, it's no problem at all, Nonette." Ciaran said tiredly. He had to admit that the last few hours had certainly been fun, if a bit taxing. Nonette seemed to have a near inexhaustible supply of energy, which was a good thing since she was dragging the confused youth around the various clothes shops in the mall. She also had a pretty amazing ability to immediately recognize which clothes were best suited for Ciaran and which ones weren't. Although that abundance of energy did come with a price. The young man had sworn that he would vehemently deny any line of questioning about Nonette walking in on him while he was getting changed.
"What's in the bag?" He asked, leaning back on the bench, although the cat-like smile on the woman's face sent a cool shiver up his spine.
"I can't tell you that, Ciaran." She replied, playfully holding the bag behind her back. "Anyway, you ready for lunch?"
"Yeah, I could eat." The young man said, pushing himself off the bench. "Any ideas where we can go?"
Nonette pulled a quizzical face as she looked around her. "I don't really know. Depends on what you're in the mood for."
Ciaran was about to open his mouth, when a shocked gasp sounded from his right side, causing him to turn and face the wide eyes and mouth of a familiar looking young boy with blue hair, his arms weighed down by several large shopping bags, while behind him were three girls of similar ages and varying looks, who Ciaran had a feeling he had seen in passing.
"Lieutenant Forsyth?" The blue-haired boy asked while Ciaran racked his brain for the name, although thankfully the link clicked as he remembered who he was talking to.
"Rivalz, hey!" Ciaran called out, walking over the group as the young boy advanced towards him, the duo quickly grasping hands in a hearty handshake. "I'm glad to see you again, mate. And please call me Ciaran. I'm off duty."
"Oh, right. Sorry, Ciaran," Rivalz said, chuckling as he let go off his hand. "But, yeah. I'm just out shopping with my friends." He gestured to the trio of girls behind him as Ciaran looked past to get a better look at them. As he had seen, two of the girls were the same height as him, while the third was a full head shorter than either of the two girls she was sandwiched between.
"Rivalz, aren't you going to introduce us to your friend?" The first girl, a tall, thin girl with long, straight ginger hair, soft green eyes and a pleasant expression, wearing a long tank skirt with a matching white, short-sleeved jacket and white high-heeled shoes said, causing Rivalz to flinch slightly, before she moved past the teenager, her hand held in front of her. "Hi, I'm Shirley Fenette."
"A pleasure to meet you, miss Shirley." Ciaran said with a smile, as Shirley reached behind her and pulled her smaller companion forward, softly but firmly.
"Umm... hi," The shorter girl said shyly. Her curly hair, a dark shade of green, was done with two small pigtails that hung above her shoulders, framing her small round face. A pair of wire frame glasses covered her purple coloured eyes. Her outfit consisted of a khaki jacket over a short white skirt with a pair of red shoes. "I-I'm Nina. Nina Einstein."
Ciaran could tell that she was uncomfortable in her current situation, so he didn't press for a handshake, acknowledging her with a nod of his head. "Hello to you, miss Nina."
That left the final girl. She was about the same height as Shirley and Ciaran, with long blonde hair coming down to her shoulders, a pair of youthful blue eyes which seemed fully at odds with her very curvy body. She had to be older than the other two girls. Her outfit, a simple light green top, with a matching light blue skirt and blouse definitely gave her an air of adulthood.
Which was immediately shattered as her face turned from a look of surprise to wide eyed joy.
"Nonette!" The blonde squealed out, before rushing headlong at the champagne-haired Knight of Nine, who's face lit up in joy too.
"Milly!" The older woman replied, swinging her arms wide in turn as Milly collided with her before hugging her close and swinging her around and around, the teenage girls legs coming off the ground as the duo laughed happily.
"I'm so glad to see you, Nonette. When did you get here?" The blonde asked as she was put down on the floor, her hands grasping Nonette's hands tightly. The Knight soon began regaling her with the details of her holiday and what had occurred during her stay. Not that Ciaran paid any attention to what was said.
One thought was going through her mind: 'Oh, dear God. There's two of them."
"... so we were just deciding on where to go for lunch. Isn't that right, Ciaran?" Nonette's voice drew him back to the world, the young man nodding in response, although he didn't wholly hear what was being said.
"Oh, what a coincidence!" Milly said happily. "We were just about to get something to eat too. Care to join us?"
The young man didn't get a change to open his mouth before Nonette burst out happily. "Of course we would!"
Taking off, the bubbly duo paved the way for the group, Shirley and Nina walking behind the pair while Ciaran and Rivalz trailed behind, looking like human pack-mules.
"So how do you two know each other?" Ciaran called out from the back, as he shifted the bags in his hand the best he could to avoid the pain of the handles cutting in to his palms.
"Oh, me and Milly go quite a ways back," Nonette called back, looking over her shoulder. "Whenever I used to visit Lady Marianne at the Aries Villa, I would always find this one fawning over her eldest."
The young man couldn't help but chuckle at the idea, although he doubted that Milly was alone in her fawning, chuckling softly at the mental image.
Soon, they came to a small Italian restaurant, Nonette using her rank to net the group a small private room, letting the two males deposit their bags on the floor without having to worry about anyone tripping over. A waiter came shortly after they sit down for their drink orders before leaving the group to choose their meal from the menus.
Perusing over his menu (although he had already chosen the lasagna), Ciaran happened to glance over the top of the board before him, he was surprised to see Milly fix him with a sharp glare.
"You've forgotten about us, haven't you?" The blonde asked.
"Eh?" Was Ciaran's only response, as all eyes in the room turned to look at him.
"Prez, what are you talking about?" Shirley asked, just as confused as Ciaran was. But Milly didn't respond as she continued talking.
"Do you really not remember? Lake Kawaguchi?"
"To be honest, Milly, that whole night was a bit of a blur," Ciaran said, putting his menu down on the table, "So I don't really remember much of it."
"Oh really?" Milly replied, her voice taking on a hint of something theatrical, as she clutched her hands over her chest. "So you don't remember how you pushed the raft filled with three young, traumatised girls as you waded through the lake while crying 'Euphemia!' ?"
The young man was confused for a moment before the penny dropped. "Oh. Oh! That was...?"
Milly smiled quite triumphantly for some reason only known to her while her two female companions nodded demurely.
"I was confused why you didn't help us, until you called out the Princess' name," Shirley said sweetly. "You and her must be quite close, even if she is royalty."
"They're like the best of friends, if I've ever seen any." Nonette cut in, leaning forward on the table, a sincere smile on her face, which Ciaran returned as the waiter came for their meal orders.
Lunch was a simply but noisy affair,with Nonette and Milly chatting near constantly to each other, while Ciaran was engaged with Rivalz, Shirley and Nina. Mainly it was the two girls asking about the princesses, with Nina taking a lot of interest in what Euphemia was like. The end of the meal was nothing short of frantic, as Milly and Nonette began arguing about who was going to pay for the meal; Rivalz or Ciaran, although a short glare from Shirley had them splitting the bill six ways.
Paying the bill, and after collecting their bags, the group made their way out of the restaurant in to the mall.
"Well, I'm afraid we have to be off." The young man said, causing a shocked gasp from both Milly and Nonette.
"What?" Nonette said, rounding on Ciaran.
"He's right though. We need to go too, prez." Shirley said, causing Milly to round on her, although the blonde let out an exasperated sigh.
"Fine. Your dad's picking us up anyway, and if we stay out any longer, we'll have the paparazzi on us again." The blonde said sighing.
"If you want," Ciaran spoke up, "Me and Nonette can walk you to the exit. Just in case anyone tries to pester you."
"Oh, thank you!" Milly chirped out, her companions sharing her sentiment, before they began their journey to the exit. Luckily, the two soldiers didn't have to live up to their claim as no paparazzi came forward, so the group walked unmolested to the exit.
Passing through the entrance way, Ciaran was greeted with the sight of a large black car parked near the pavement. Standing beside the front, passenger side door was man, dressed in a tan jacket and blue jeans, with brown hair and green eyes.
"Daddy!" Shirley said, rushing towards the man who quickly embraced her, laughing as he did so.
"You're early, Shirley. I thought I'd have to wait a bit later for you and your friends." The man said, before looking up at the eldest pair of the group. "Are these two with you?"
"Yes they are, dad. They're... umm..." Shirley began, obviously unsure about what to tell her father.
"I'm Captain Ciaran Forsyth of Princess Cornelia's Royal Guard," Ciaran suddenly spoke up, gesturing to himself and his companion. "And this is the Knight of Nine, Lady Nonette Enneagram."
This surprised the older man who didn't know how to react to the information, so he just bowed slightly. "Well, uh, sir, my lady. I'm Joseph Fenette, and I have to say it is an honour for you..."
"Oh, save it." Nonette interrupted him with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Me and Ciaran are on holiday, so you don't have to stand on ceremony with us."
Joseph smiled slightly at the Knight's words, standing up straight. "Well. Thank you, my lady. Rivalz, you can put the bags in the boot."
The addressed teenager replied with a "You got it." before moving behind the car and opening the rearmost door, as Joseph opened the passenger doors, letting Shirley and Nina climb in. Milly stayed back though, turning to look at the two adults.
"It's been great seeing you again, Nonette," the blonde said before giving the champagne-haired woman another hug, which Nonette returned. Milly then turned to Ciaran after she released herself from the embrace. "And it's been a pleasure to meet you too, Ciaran. I hope to see you again soon."
"Same to you, Milly." The young man said with a smile as he relieved one of his hands of it's load of bags and offered it to Milly, who shook it gladly before leaving the duo to enter Joseph's car, Nonette and Ciaran waving them off.
The high-speed shutter on the camera clicked repeatedly as it took the necessary images of the man and the woman standing outside the Omotesando Mall. The observer and his team had been ordered to tail the pair as soon as they had left the Viceroy's Palace, their van trailing their mark's taxi as it followed the road to the central park. Deciding that following the duo through the park would draw too much attention, they decided to skirt around the park before stopping in the mall's car-park.
"The car's moving." The second occupant of the van said from the driver's seat, as the car in front to the mall rolled away, leaving the man and the woman standing out front with their bags, the duo beginning to talk between themselves.
"Looks like they're getting a taxi." The man with the camera said as he snapped off more pictures, focusing his lens on to the man.
"The male's the main target, right?" The second man said, leaning slightly to try and get a better view out of the window. The duo didn't have too great a risk of being discovered. Their matt grey van stood out a lot less than either a black or white van would, and the tinted windows didn't allow them to be seen.
"Yup." The first man said as he lowered his camera. "White male, early twenties, dark brown hair and stocky build. That's our man."
"So what do we do with the Knight of Nine?"
Raising his camera, the man snapped off some more pictures as he watched a taxi pull up next to the duo, with the two entering the vehicle.
"Until our order's change, we do nothing."
Seconds later, the black taxi cab sped off and the observer snapped the lens cover shut on his camera.
"All right. Let's go."
Raising the china cup to her mouth, Euphemia took a sip of the tea, murmuring happily as she swallowed the liquid.
"Lady Dorothea, this tea is lovely." She said to the woman sitting across from her. The Knight of Four nodded her head appreciatively at the compliment as she sat in her chair, one leg crossed over the other, a cup and saucer of her own held in her hands.
"Well, as Knights of the Round, we do get given some high quality gifts. Plus I'm always experimenting with different blends, just to see what fits."
"I understand fully. And this blend is exquisite." The pink princess said happily, holding up her cup slightly to further reinforce her point, bringing a smile to Dorothea's face.
She had to admit it to herself, but Euphemia was a little bit put off about the prospect of having Dorothea helping her. She had not spent much time around the Knight of Four, and the only she had met her was she wan she was several years younger, and those meetings were very short and terse, leaving the young princess with the impression of Dorothea being a bit too serious a woman.
But the last few hours had done much to assuage those thoughts. Yes, she was very thorough and professional in her work, going through all of the documents given to her methodically and carefully. But this did not stop her from talking pleasantly with the Princess at certain times. There were even times when Euphemia though the older woman was studying a document in silence, only to hear the faint sound of her humming a soft tune to herself. And the fact that Dorothea had made a pot of superb tea without being prompted, greatly increased Euphemia's view of the woman.
A short buzzing sound from her desk drew the princess' attention as her phone told her she had an incoming message. The phone had been her own idea, a way for her to stay in touch with Ciaran during his time in Area 11. Picking the device up, she flipped open the screen and read the message sent to her.
Have entered Palace w/Nonette
ETA to office 2 mins
"Uh-oh." She said out-loud as she quickly pocketed the device and put her cup and saucer to the side.
"What's wrong, Princess?" Dorothea asked, uncrossing her legs and getting ready to stand.
Euphemia was about to tell her the news before the doors to her office burst open with a resounding bang, followed by the voice of Nonette loudly proclaiming, "Honey, I'm home!"
Both Britannians were stunned in to silence as the Knight of Nine walked towards them at a playful saunter, a smirk on her face. Looking past her, Euphemia saw Ciaran coming up behind, carrying nearly a dozen bags in both hands.
"Hello, Princess." He said tiredly, before letting the bags slip from his grasp to fall to the floor, flexing out his hands as he walked forward.
"Hello, Ciaran. Did you... did you have a good day out?" Euphemia asked hesitantly.
"No, it was a good day out. I'm just tired." The man said, turning his head slightly to the side before he spied the couch set against the side of the office. "I'm just... just going to take the weight of my feet for a little bit." And with that, Ciaran let himself fall on to the couch, stretching out his legs with a sigh.
"How much did you buy, Nonette?" Dorothea asked, standing up from her chair and walking towards the pile of bags on the floor.
"Believe it or not, Dorothea, but I didn't buy much. The majority of that is Ciaran's." The Knight of Nine said as she walked towards the desk. "Oh, by the way. I met Milly at the mall."
Euphemia's head snapped up so quickly, she was quite certain she heard something snap. "Milly? Milly Ashford? Here? In Area 11?"
"Mmhmm." Nonette nodded in response. "She's here, she's healthy and still the same as ever."
Euphemia smiled broadly at the memory of the blonde haired girl who she'd see in Aries Villa. Milly got on brilliantly with everyone, and she always had such fun new games to teach her, Nunnally and Lelouch. Although Lelouch was always a bit hesitant to play them...
A quite but hard thud drew everyone's attention as, turning, they saw Ciaran's head disappear below the arm of the couch.
"You okay, Ciaran?" Nonette asked, as Euphemia and Dorothea leaned forward to get a better view. The young princess was about to open her mouth to speak before a soft snoozing sound, bringing a smile to her face.
"Do you want to see what I bought, Dorothea?" The Knight of Nine said, leaning closer to her fellow Knight, a worryingly broad grin on her face, making Euphemia recoil in fear. Not waiting for an answer, Nonette spun back to her bags, rummaging through the myriad of bags before, with a short exclamation of glee, she found the bag she was looking for. In anticipation of what was to come, Dorothea had slowly began to move out of her chair.
"Here it is!" The champagne-haired woman standing up. Turning around, Euphemia's and Dorothea's eyes nearly bugged out of their skulls. In her hands, Nonette was holding, what was basically, a combination of string and three small triangular patches of bright red cloth.
"What is that?" Dorothea practically screeched out, forgetting the young man sleeping on the couch, although he didn't seem to have flinched at the noise.
"It's a bikini." Nonette said, matter-of-factly, her face unreadable of any emotion.
"Why did you think that's an appropriate thing to wear?" The Knight of Four continued, pointing at the article of clothing like it was something of pure evil.
"Oh, I was fully aware of that when I bought it," Nonette said, a mischievous grin on her face as she stalked forward. "After all, I bought it for you."
At that admission, Euphemia saw the colour seem to drain from Dorothea's face as the Knight of Four began to back away from her friend.
"K-keep that thing away from me!" Dorothea stammered out, trying to sound as commanding as possible in her current state, before she practically jumped to the side as Nonette lunged at her with the offending article of clothing, the Knight of Nine regaining her footing as Dorothea moved to put as much distance between the two as possible.
Euphemia tried to suppress the small giggle that came out as she watched Nonette practically chase Dorothea out of the office, the champagne-haired woman brandishing pieces of material like a weapon. The noise generated by the duo as they exited the door did little to wake up Ciaran's lightly snoozing form, his form tucked up on the couch.
So, as the door closed shut, it was to the young princess' surprise that the man's head shot up, eyes turned to focus on the door. He raised himself up slightly, his gaze still on the door before he turned to look at Euphemia.
"I need to talk to you." His tone was the same as someone who was slightly terrified.
"Umm... sure, okay. What's wrong?" Euphemia asked the man as he pushed himself off the couch and hurried over to her desk, sitting across from her. When he was seated, Ciaran cast one more look over his shoulder before turning to look at the princess before him.
"You spent the whole day with Dorothea, right?" He asked, his voice taking on a conspiratorial tone as he leant forward.
"Of course, I did." Euphemia replied, unsure of where the conversation was going.
"Did she mention anything about what happened last night? After the operation, I mean."
"No. Why? Did something happen?" The pink princess leant forward, her interest heavily piqued by the idea. For his part, Ciaran suddenly looked very guilty, like what he was to say next shouldn't be said. "Ciaran?"
He was silent for a few moments before he spoke, with a fair bit of reluctance. "Dorothea... kind of... kissed me."
Euphemia's eyes widened as her jaw dropped at his revelation. "What? When? How? Why?" She asked, leaning over her desk expectantly.
"It wasn't anything major," Ciaran said, sinking back in to his chair. "It was... just a little peck on the cheek, is all."
"But she kissed you!" Euphemia called out, standing up from her chair before clamping her hands over her mouth as Ciaran's body seized up like a cat ready to pounce. Quickly, both of their eyes focused on the door to the office, expecting someone to walk in following her outburst. When no one entered, Euphemia sank back down in to her chair, demurely putting her hands back on to the desk, looking every bit like the prim and proper princess she was.
"Sorry about that." Euphemia squeaked out, her face becoming a tinge of red.
"No worries." Ciaran said, turning back around. "Yes, she did, technically, kiss me. I just want to know did she say anything about it when she was with you at all."
"No, she didn't mention a thing." To Euphemia, this was bit of a revelation.
"Do you... do you think she's in love with you?" She asked the question with some hesitance, unsure whether or not to voice her thoughts. It wasn't too surprising that Ciaran's face became almost entirely red and he began blustering and stammering.
"Wha-what? Dorothea, in-in love with me?" He soon began to chuckle lightly, causing Euphemia to get confused.
"Well, why wouldn't she?" The princess asked, and the smile fell away from the young man's face, replaced with a look of apprehensive confusion.
"It's all right." Euphemia said, reaching forward and putting a hand on Ciaran's shoulder, giving him a smile. "If she does, I'm sure she'll tell you in time."
The man didn't say anything in immediate reply, which worried the young princess until she saw a thin smile come to his lips. "I'll hold you to that, Euphemia."
Smiling again, Euphemia pushed herself out of her chair and walked around the desk to stand near Ciaran as he pushed himself to his feet. "Do you want some help with your bags, Ciaran?" She asked sweetly.
"If you would be kind enough, princess." The young man said with a bow, before moving to pick up some of his bags, the young princess moving to copy his movements.
With night having fallen, the once vibrant, criminal night-life of the Tokyo Settlement became scarce as the word spread about what had happened in Kitakyushu. About how the Witch of Britannia was bringing the battlefield with her to Area 11. The raid in Kitakyushu, although to the criminal underworld, it was more like when God struck down Sodom and Gomorrah. They were running scared, even after one night.
And Lelouch, stewing in his private office in the Black Knights' mobile base, was pissed off.
It was supposed to be him who put the fear of God in to criminal scum, not his sister! It was supposed to his name, or rather Zero's name, they should be saying in hushed tones as they huddled in fear at the mention of the name of the Black Knights.
"Annoyed?" The bored voice of C.C. said, interrupting Lelouch's thoughts. The exiled prince turned around, fixing the immortal witch with a withering stare.
"Shut up, witch." He growled out, his voice flowing out from gritted teeth in to the open space. The green haired woman gave no reply as she lifted another piece of pizza from the box next to her and bit in to it. "I'm perfectly fine."
"Then why are you moping?"
"I'm not moping! It's called brooding." Lelouch said as he spun around in his chair to face the wall in front of him, mentally chastising himself for falling in to the witch's ploy. He was certain he could feel her mirthful, catlike stare burrowing through the collar of his cloak.
"I don't think I've seen you this angry before. Even when that soldier turned out resistant to your Geass." C.C. asked, surprisingly concerned at his anger.
"I'm angry because I've lost one of the most important members of my organization, that's why!" Lelouch roared out, surprising himself with the force in his voice.
The immortal was about to open her mouth to speak when a knock sounded through the door.
"Zero? Are you busy?" Ohgi's timid voice came from the other side of the door. Reaching over, Lelouch picked up her helmet, sliding it over his head as he stood up from his hair.
"What is it, Ohgi?" The teenage prince said in impeccable Japanese as he pressed the button to slide open the door. The pompadour haired Japanese man stood at a respectful distance away from the door, letting Zero exit. From the common area of the vehicle, he could hear raised voices in anger.
"The others want to know what we're going to do. About Kallen." Ohgi said, quite forcefully, surprising the Britannian youth.
The boy was silent in thought as he heard C.C. step out from behind him in to the small hallway. It was true that Kallen's capture had caused a gigantic flaw in his plans. The members of the organization he had so far were determined and skilled, he had to give them that, but Kallen was the only one who could pilot a Knightmare Frame with the same sort of skill as the pilots of the Britannian military.
"I'll talk to them now." Zero said as he turned to exit the hallway, moving to walk down the spiral staircase. Sitting in the space below him, sat the other five members of the Black Knights, Zero's inner circle.
Although Lelouch had to admit that 'sitting' might not be the right word to use since currently, Tamaki and Sugiyama were on their feet and looking like they were ready to brawl.
"And I'm telling you that we have to do something!" Tamaki said, his voice grating on Lelouch's ears, and he was sure everyone else's.
"Are you crazy, Tamaki?" Sugiyama responded, his voice surprisingly level but not masking his irritation at talking to his comrade. "Even if we were to do something, how would we be able to break in to the Britannian prison? I want to rescue Kallen as much as you do, but at least think it through, man!"
The bandanna wearing red-head looked like he was about to bodily lunge at Sugiyama, so Lelouch decided it was the right time for him to intervene. "Tamaki, Sugiyama. Calm down." His enhanced voice, sounding deeper than it actually was, helped draw everyone's attention, all eyes fixing on him as he stood at the midway point of the staircase, C.C. and Ohgi standing at the top, leaning over the railing.
"So? What are we going to do, man?" Tamaki called out, clenching and unclenching his fists.
Lelouch was silent in thought as he climbed down the last few steps, coming to rest on the floor and standing before the assembled group. Even if capture of the group's only good pilot had stymied his plans greatly, it had not been the end. Lelouch knew that in a secure location, several Burai units, Japanese made clones of the Britannian Glasgow, sat ready and waiting for use and he also knew that the Black Knights had gotten an influx of new members after the incident at Lake Kawaguchi.
'But could it work...?' Lelouch thought to himself, his hand unconsciously coming up rest against the chin of his mask.
"Zero?" The other, and currently only, female Black Knight, Naomi Inoue, spoke up as everyone held their breath, awaiting their masked leader's reply.
"How many of you are willing to rescue Kozuki?" The masked terrorist replied, and nearly instantly, all those present, save for C.C., put up their right hand.
"And far are you willing to go to rescue her?"
"As far as it takes." The bespectacled Yoshitaka Minami replied, the heads of everyone present nodding.
'Boy, I did hit the jackpot with these guys.' Lelouch thought to himself before speaking out loud. "All right then. I have a plan."
AN: Oh, Jesus. I can only apologise for the wait between this chapter and the last chapter. As I have recently lost my job, I have been spending a fair amount of my time looking for a new job and obviously that involves a whole lot of different things. Updating CVs, writing cover letters, etc etc. There was also a problem earlier in the writing of this chapter where my laptop went all screwy and I lost the first draft of this chapter, meaning I had to start from scratch. Ugh... it's just been a mess. So thanks to AD Fields again for the help he's given me on this chapter.
Anyway... yes, this is quite a long chapter. For some this might not be a bad thing, but for those who aren't too fond of it... you might not like future chapters since I think these chapters are going to end up quite long as this story progresses.
The scene with Kallen... yes, it is quite an odd scene considering what Kallen is like in the story, but I think that if she had been captured in the time frame she had been then that might have changed her tone a bit. Nothing major, yes, but something noticeable. Although to be fair, I have no idea where this is going to lead concerning Kallen. I don't plan things out to well.
As for the other bits... I'm not saying. I'll let you guys talk about those bits in the reviews. And I'm also open to PMs from you guys concerning the story.
So again, read, enjoy and do please review. I like hearing the opinions of you guys on this story, I really do.