Chapter 3: Preparation
Disclaimer: All claims to Geass belong to Sunrise, Bandai, etc.
A.N. Very sorry about the huge delay, unemployment's been more of a job than a job. This one's quite a bit longer than the others, though, enjoy.
The night couldn't have been any more cruel to her; first it had revealed feelings best left ignored (which she promised herself she would), and second, it, so far, had not permitted precious unconsciousness that would assist her in her goal. As she lay awake in her bed, cursing her foolishness for not knowing sooner, she wondered how it happened to begin with. She... she didn't really want to say it. He wasn't a bad guy by any standard, but she wasn't about to let herself fall for an arrogant Britannian noble. What was worse, her excuses sounded increasingly hollow each time she recited them. She knew she liked him (she wasn't about to say that other word yet) and she knew she wanted to be near him. He was one of the few people that could make her smile at anything besides a memory. He was the only one who understood the way she felt. He was the only one who made her forget she was some war hero, if only by instilling blinding rage in her. She just had to smile a bit at that. Best of all, his unrelenting attention made her feel important; and not because what she'd done, but just because who she was.
She realized, from the warmth in her cheeks, that she was not only smiling like a fool, but blushing too. She sighed to herself, for once not because she was depressed. She decided it'd be best to try and relax, and just let her thoughts wander. There really wasn't much of a hope of her brain quieting any time soon. Fortunately, this was just what she needed to get to sleep, even if she had to live with thoughts of that blond fool. Of Gino.
She woke the next morning feeling better about the situation, though she found herself walking to school alone. She supposed that she might have been better off though. She'd at least have some time to herself to figure out just how she was going to talk to him without making a total idiot of herself. As she walked she fiddled with Guren's activation key as it dangled from her neck, thinking of various ways she could go about doing so; knowing full well that she'd forget as soon as she laid eyes on him. When she eventually reached the gates of the school, her train of thought having not been interrupted since leaving home, she wished that she had asked her mom for a bit of advice before leaving, having been too embarrassed at the time to even mention her new situation.
She hurried along to the school building hoping that she wouldn't have to see him until after classes when they had club activities, though this was to be short lived. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw him waiting for her just inside the building. Much to her dismay, he noticed her shortly after her entrance and was now walking over to greet her.
"Hey Kallen, manage to get here without a fight today?" He was all smiles, just like always.
She smiled, far too happy to see him for her tastes, "Yeah, though it was a bit less interesting without you around." Her face showed none of the mental tirade she subjected herself for being really obvious. Though, she told herself, it was all Gino's fault in the end.
Gino quirked an eyebrow, "Well, then maybe it'd be worth the risk to come by tomorrow."
Kallen blushed bright red but managed to look mostly at ease. "Really it's fine; you don't have to. I'll be fine."
Gino knew full well she'd just asked him to come over in the mornings, but thought he'd wait a couple of days jut to mess with her. He was really beginning to enjoy it. "Ok then, I'll guess I'll have to find something else to do with my mornings." He caught the barest change in her manner, sensing that the comment did just what he'd intended. Then he remembered what Kallen was supposed to be doing. "Hey, shouldn't you be giving the announcement about you-know-what," using the vagary so as not to spoil the surprise for the couple of people he'd noticed listening in on their conversation. "You'd better get moving or you'll be late."
She looked up at the clock in the hall they were standing in, realizing that she did, in fact, have somewhere to be. Inwardly, she thanked Rivalz for the perfect excuse to get out of the awkward moment she'd found herself in. She quickly excused herself and hurried down the hall.
When she arrived at the PA room Rivalz was already waiting for her. He greeted her and said, "So are you ready?"
"Well, am I going to be saying much?"
"You are my Festival Chairman."
"Hm, I thought you were just going to tell everyone about the festival and that'd be it."
"And who better than you to explain exactly what the festival's all about?" With that, Rivalz picked up the microphone and hit the chime to draw everyone's attention. With as much exuberance he could muster, Rivalz began, "Good morning Ashford Academy, or should I say Ohayou minna-san!" He paused for a moment, no doubt letting his use of a Japanese greeting sink in, then continued, "Today I, Rivalz Cardemonde, your student council president would like to announce our first ever Ashford Academy Cultural Festival! To explain just why we're having one, here is your vice-president and resident expert on all things Japanese, Kallen Kozuki!"
As Rivalz handed her the microphone, she felt a bit more anxiety than she normally would have. She'd never had any of her Britannian friends refer to her last name as Kozuki before, and definitely not as loudly as Rivalz had. She silently held the mic for a moment before beginning to speak, "G-Good morning..." she trailed off as she heard her uncertain voice drift through the halls of the school.
Obviously aware that he could be heard by the rest of the school, Rivalz gave her some prodding, "C'mon, is that how Japan's Ace pilot talks?"
At Rivalz's mention of what had been her alter-ego, she remembered she didn't have to the meek, sickly Kallen Stadtfeld anymore. A smile swept across her face and she continued with the confidence she hadn't gotten to show at school yet, "Right, sorry everybody. Before Japan was liberated from Britannia, none of us were ever taught anything about Japan and because of that, only a few of us know what it means to be Japanese. I only learned exactly what that meant when Zero took all of us into exile. Now, there are a lot of Japanese people who think all Britannians should leave. Rivalz and I know that none of us want to go anywhere, so we decided to hold a festival celebrating all things Japanese." As she said this she was amused that she was accepting her Britannian lineage more than ever with the statement. She thought for a moment, looking for a good line to end with and decided to paraphrase a master, "With a little help, all of us can build a Japan that accepts us, regardless of where we come from or what we believe." In her excitement, she just barely managed to suppress one of Lelouch's trademark hand flourishes. Her piece finished, she handed the microphone back to Rivalz.
He finished their announcement, saying, "There you have it folks. Couldn't have said it better myself. Watch the bulletin boards for more info and have a great day." Then, after switching off the PA system, he turned to Kallen, "Great job. I had no idea you were a good public speaker."
She smiled at the compliment but responded with humility, "I wish I could take all the credit, but I basically just copied Lelouch, I did watch him give a lot of speeches."
Rivalz looked puzzled, "I don't remember him making a lot of speeches. He wasn't emperor for that long. Besides I was too busy freaking out about him being emperor to begin with."
Kallen immediately realized her gigantic slip-up. She fumbled for an excuse, all confidence and fluency gone, "Well, maybe I was just paying more attention, that's all."
Rivalz, she could tell from the incredulous look on his face, believed none of it. "Do you know something I don't?"
"No, of course not. Come on we've got class to get to right?" She hastily moved to the door and left the PA room.
Rivalz sighed and followed her out. It had been Rivalz's experience that when his friends, Kallen especially, wanted something hidden it was for a good reason. Not that it would stop him from trying to find out anyway, he just wouldn't try to force Kallen to tell him.
Fortunately, Kallen's day got better from there. It looked like Rivalz was going to let her mistake go without further questioning and it was evident that her fellow students were actually excited about the festival. It seemed like every other person was congratulating her for coming up with such a great idea and a few even asked what kind of Japanese stuff they'd get to learn about. As she walked to the clubroom to start hammering out some of the finer details, some of the energy that had begun to permeate the halls started to affect her as well.
When she entered the room Rivalz was the only council member present. He, however, was conversing with the two sisters in charge of Black Parade, the student band that, like Alec had guessed, was there to discuss performing at the festival. Aria McPherson, her sister Clarice standing behind her, was suggesting various locations for their stage and Rivalz was sitting with a map of the school doing his best with the logistics.
Aria's emerald eyes casually drifted to Kallen's and proceeded to stare right into her. Her grin and the look in her eyes behind a lock of her wavy light brown hair would've been downright creepy if it wasn't for the rest of her face having an eerie beauty that would put you completely at ease; at least under any other circumstance. Kallen then noticed that she'd been staring into Aria's eyes for a good second or so and Rivalz had since noticed.
Aria was the first to speak, raising an eyebrow as she did so. "See something you like?"
The insinuation snapped her out of whatever trance she'd found herself in. "What? No," the idea unsettled her just a bit. She mentally revised her supposition that Aria wasn't capable of creepy.
Kallen almost came unhinged when Gino spoke behind her. "Come on Kallen, couldn't be that bad."
Aria replied, all creepiness gone, "I knew you'd agree with me, Gino; nice to finally meet you," her Irish origin barely evident her voice.
Kallen had heard the story floating about the school since she'd gotten back. The two sisters, obviously adopted given great differences in appearance between the two, were said to have come from the European Universe, from the area formerly known as Ireland, before their mother sent them eastward, the reason never having been questioned by those that had gotten the story.
Gino returned the sentiment, "Likewise. So, Mr. President, what's on the agenda today?"
Rivalz looked up from the map of the school. "Well, while me and Aria go over this," he gestured to the map, "you and Clarice can talk about how they want to handle the publicity. They're going to one of the main events at the festival. They're pretty well known outside the school, so they'll attract more than just students. Also, they can probably be heard across town so we'll get the curious too."
Clarice spoke up for the first time since Kallen had entered the room and unlike her sister, her accent was obvious, rather than reserved to invoke a sense of mystery. It was obvious that, in addition to her being from a much different location originally, she was much more open about herself than her sister; something that Kallen appreciated in a person. "Come on, we can go mee' wif Pe'e an' Sef. I'm sure dey'll ave plenny of ideas. Sef's always wan'ed t' play publicist."
Gino took a moment to process what Clarice had said while Aria responded, "Mostly because he likes talking," then, to Gino, "In case you missed it, Clarie said she's going to introduce you to Peter and Seth."
Gino said, confusion still plain on his face, "Um, sure."
Clarice walked around the table to Gino's side and said sweetly with a smile on her face, "Don' worry, you ge' used t' me af'er a while."
Gino said, "Well, I guess I'll have to trust you on that one," and left with Clarice.
Kallen leaned out into the hallway and watched the two walk away, having been put slightly off balance by how quickly the conversation had gone. She'd been looking forward to this, given that club time was the only point in the day where she could actually talk to Gino without seeming like she was trying to. She'd decided that she was going to play it cool for the time being so that she wouldn't be obvious with her attentions. After all, she had no idea whether her feelings were that serious yet. For all she knew, she'd be over this in a few days; though the sinking feeling in her chest was beginning to say otherwise.
Rivalz brought her back to the present. "So, Kallen," he paused for Kallen to pull her head back into the clubroom before continuing, "Once Alec gets here, you two can start running numbers. You know about what we'll need for the festival. You and Alec make sure that we've got enough money for it. That is if he shows..."
Almost as if on cue, Alec walked in, expressionless as usual. He looked to Kallen and asked, "Has Rivalz filled you in on what we'll be doing today?"
Rivalz was the one to reply first, "Wasn't sure I'd filled you in," confusion on his face.
Alec responded, a questioning eyebrow raised, "What else would I be doing?"
Rivalz shrugged, not having a response of his own.
Kallen spoke next, looking for something to occupy her time. "Well, if we're all up to speed, let's get going." Kallen reached a hand out to Alec's arm, leading him out of the room.
Alec however, simply looked down at the hand, clearly annoyed by the intimacy inferred by the contact.
Kallen withdrew the hand and laughed nervously for a moment. "Um, how about we go outside, I've never really worked well indoors."
Alec looked her in the eyes and inquired, "Are you sure you won't just go looking for your boyfriend?"
Kallen immediately went on the defensive. "What? What are you talking about, that moron's not my boyfriend."
Kallen missed the knowing looks from Rivalz and Aria.
Alec shifted his gaze to the hallway and began to walk out. "Have it your way. Come on, the least we can do is get a feel for the scale of the festival."
She bid Rivalz "See you," and followed Alec out to the grounds.
She and Alec walked around the school, Alec occasionally making notes in a small notebook, talking numbers for the various events and booths they'd decided upon. Kallen's mind was elsewhere. Being in this close a proximity to Alec, the similarities in his face and manner to a certain somebody were beginning to get to her. Sure he wasn't Lelouch, but she just couldn't help staring at him and silently wishing that she was talking about logistics with her former commander.
This was also getting on the nerves of the less than princely young man she had been fixated upon. He abruptly halted in both speech and action, catching Kallen by surprise. "See something that bothers you?" his eye's boring into the girl accompanying him.
She quickly and anxiously tried to cover up what was obvious. "Uh, no of course not."
"Of course not," he repeated in an aggravated tone, "there's got to be some other reason you've been staring at me for the last twenty minutes. I know who I look like, Kallen, don't bother with the pathetic puppy dog eyed looks. I'm not your lost tyrannical lover," seeing that his words had hit home, he decided to add insult to injury, "Though, I'm sure I could be a whole new one." He gave her a malicious grin to punctuate the comment.
Kallen gave him a fist to punctuate his face.
Looking up from the ground, Alec gave a humorless laugh and wiped the blood that began to seep from his nose. "Since, I'm pretty sure you'd never have done that to Lelouch, I'll take that as a good sign." He stood up and took the two steps toward her that'd he'd lost a moment ago.
Kallen began to speak, but Alec put up a finger to silence her. "Look in my eyes Kozuki; I know you haven't managed to do it yet."
Kallen found herself ignoring the finger demanding her silence and instead focused on his eyes. The pale blue eyes before her were empty but for anger born of futility, something she knew well. Lelouch's eyes hadn't had any more hope in them when he and Kallen met, but Lelouch had never had the anger the man before her did.
"Do they hold any of the departed in them?"
Kallen took a step back, taking his face in as a whole once more and found now that all she saw before her was Alec Keane, discontent son of a noble family; no trace of the familiarity she had found before.
Alec seemed to perceive her new mental image of him. "Now that we've gotten that cleared up, let's see if we can't get a normal relationship going." He smiled, still with no humor, but with a flicker of hope in his eyes. "Come on, we've got work to do," he said as he began walking again.
Kallen simply nodded and followed after him, now understanding exactly why Alec had pushed her the way he had.
Gino was having no less trouble with his companion, though at least it was just difficulty understanding what she was saying. Clarice, though, had gotten used to misunderstandings since she had come to what had been Area 11 at the time. "Originally, I'm from a ci'y in da norvern par' of wha' use t' be Britannia befo' da French came. Mos'ly dey leff us alone, so mos' of us stiw spea' Britannian."
Gino, fortunately beginning to get the hang of the accent, caught most of what she'd said and was able to respond. "I would think that they'd want everyone to speak French."
"Ils font, bu' we were far enough norf da' dey jus' lef' us alone. Also, da French aren' da' popular where I lived, fough' you migh've guessed da' alrea'y."
Gino chuckled, having just recently fought a war against the now non-existent EU, "I guess I do. So, you and Aria speak French too?"
"Yeah, dough Aria's be'er a' i' den I am. Fink my Britannian soun's funny?" She laughed at the thought.
Gino joined her in it. "How come your sister doesn't sound much like you do? I've barely noticed her accent."
"Wew, she's from wha' use t' be Irelan', so she's go' a differen' accen' dan I do. An' she's sor' of our spo'esperson, so she's tried t' ge' ri' of er accen'. Ma'es i' easier."
"I guess every band needs one, but wouldn't the accent give her some mystique?"
"I don' mean da ban'. Jus'... jus' for me an' er." Clarice, embarrassed at admitting just how uncomfortable she was around people she didn't know, let her eyes drop to the floor.
Despite how contrary this was to the way she had been acting toward him thus far, Gino immediately got what she was saying. He stepped toward where she had been standing in the corridor they had been exchanging words and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, you've been doing great with me; maybe she won't have to speak for both of you for long."
Clarice smiled and raised her eyes to Gino once again. "Fanks, bu' I reawy don' min'. Come on, le's ge' movin', Sef an' Pe'er are wai'in."
Not long after they were getting out of a cab (a first for Gino) in front of a large estate. Not many such mansions were still occupied, their occupants having returned to the motherland. Without free reign on their businesses and cheap, almost slave, labor, most with business interests in the former Area-11 moved elsewhere. Also, many other nobles in the country, for whatever reasons they had, had left due to the wave of anti-Britannian sentiment among the Japanese population.
The gates before them showed sign of this contempt for the former ruling class. Many of the bars of the wrought iron fencing had been bent or otherwise damaged; likely the result of, Gino thought, angry Japanese citizens looking for a scapegoat. His concern showed on his face as he examined the gate.
Clarice finished speaking to the guard in charge of the gate via intercom and now walked over to Gino. "I wou'n' touch da' if I were you. Anybo'y da' fel' li' climbin' da fence were in for a sho'."
Gino immediately took a step back as the gate slid past his face.
Clarice laughed as she began walking towards the mansion in front of them. While the scene before him wasn't one of the sprawling fields of green landscaping typical of his childhood home and the other noble families he'd visited, the lawn he currently walked thorough via a thin walkway paved in stone showed signs of very careful planning to take advantage of the, comparably, small space in which the landscapers had to work in. Curiously, the owners of the estate had not had Britannian foliage imported and had opted instead for plants and trees indigenous to the island they resided upon; this being curious for the simple fact that Britannian nobility, as far as he'd known, rarely lived in harmony with any place other than the mainland. Wherever Britannians went, Britannia went with them.
Gino's scrutiny of his environment was interrupted by a cheery voice from a man he had somehow managed to overlook. "Pretty isn't it. It's my personal oasis in the city. I don't get out much these days."
Gino turned around to face the man, a pair of brown eyes, a well ordered head of dark hair, and a set of aristocratic features greeted him. However, this face showed something usually lacking in a nobleman's manner, a humble contentment with his surroundings. Even in the height of luxury in the former Imperial Palace at Pendragon, the royalty and other nobility residing there somehow managed to be discontent half the time. The only person he'd ever seen that seemed grateful to be present was Princess Euphemia. Odd considering her choices at the end of her life, but, having seen footage of the massacre, he had begun to have doubts about whether she was even aware of her actions, much less in control of them. Gino responded, "Yeah it is, I don't think I've ever seen a garden like this." Gino had, thus far only seen most of the plants in the garden in pictures or from the few times he'd left the Tokyo Settlement while in Japan.
The head of the estate laughed, "You wouldn't have, though in the future you might see more of them. It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Weinberg." He extended a hand which Gino took and shook.
"The pleasure's all mine."
"Well, let's get inside, my son and Peter have been waiting for you Clarice," he turned to Clarice, motioning for her and Gino to follow him inside.
As they walked towards the building ahead of them, the Earl Edwards, whose name Gino learned shortly thereafter, tossed some minor conversation over his shoulder. "So, Gino, how is your family doing amongst all this turmoil."
Gino let his gaze drift toward the path he walked upon as he spoke, with something less than enthusiasm. "To be honest, sir, I wouldn't know."
Instead of backpedaling like an overly polite aristocrat, the earl just laughed. "Figures," he replied. "I'm guessing your parents are as stuffy as mine. Don't worry about it; I know where you're coming from. Oh, and don't bother with the formalities. I find them annoying."
The earl's casual disregard for his station and the trappings thereof, something that Gino's father had been near obsessed with, lifted Gino's spirits once again.
It was Clarice that spoke next however, "Yeah, da's li' tha'. Ha'es da aristocracy as much as we do."
Gino looked a bit confused at a certain part of what Clarice had said, which Earl Edwards elucidated upon shortly after Clarice finished speaking. "I insisted that the girls and their caretaker stay here, Clarie here's taken to calling me dad."
Gino was about to reply, but was distracted by entering the Edwards' home. Unlike the exterior, the interior of the estate was very much what one would expect of a nobleman's home. The entryway much resembling those in the 'homes' Gino resided at in his childhood; wood paneled walls painted white with gold trimmings, the marble floor with an ornamented red carpet running down the length of the room's center, paintings hung on the walls, and various heirlooms on pedestals along the walls. Though, like the earl himself, the traditional was tainted by tastes far from ordinary. Several of the paintings on the walls were clearly not of Britannian origin, one of which, that would certainly have caught Kallen's eye, was a simple ink on parchment rendition of a bamboo grove. There was even a vase one of the far corners of the room that appeared Chinese in origin; he had seen many of the same design in the palace of the Forbidden City. As it turned out, much of the house shared this curious trait. It was almost as if Earl Edwards was trying to annoy any other patriotic Britannian that came to his home.
Gino mused on what his father would think of such a place. Duke Weinberg would almost certainly despised the earl for his clear lack of respect for the empire and, although in the earl's company he'd have been pleasant, somehow Gino's father would have found some subtle way to make Earl Edwards' life difficult.
Presently, the three came to a room that was clearly for entertaining guests of Gino's age. Despite the traditional appearance of floor and walls, there hung on one wall a television of unnecessary size (Gino had never been a fan of electronic diversions), and nearby was a small alcove of shelves that held various pieces of audio/visual equipment and at least one device Gino was fairly sure was some form of gaming system, there having been a pair of peripheral devices with brightly colored buttons on top of it.
Earl Edwards turned to face his two guests. "Well, I'll see you around. Must return to the pressing duties of the nobility."
Gino was the only one in earshot to catch the irony, Clarice not having known many nobles. The two bid the earl farewell and walked into the room towards the red couch sitting in front of the television. It was then that one of the two heads above the backing of the couch turned to them. A younger version of the earl came into view. "Hey sis, what's up?"
"Same ole same ole. As if I'd be caugh' dea' doin' somfin in'erestin'." Clarice rounded the couch and joined the two boys. "Ow's i' goin' Pe'e."
The blonde sitting next to the other two spoke up, "About the same. Boredom rules our existence." He smiled despite the expression of ennui.
The young earl chimed in, "Stuff it Peter. Though, I hear you've got something for us to do."
"I do indeed. Our stu'en' counciw's pu'in on a festival, an' dey wan' us t' do a show."
Seth expressed a great deal of excitement at the prospect. It was obvious that he lacked the composure of his father. "Awesome." He tilted his head to rest upon the back of the couch to make eye contact with Gino, who had decided to stand behind the others. "Which is what brings you to our humble abode. Nice to meet ya."
Gino replied, "Likewise. So, shall we get down to business?"
Seth waved a hand dismissively, "Meh, don't worry about it, chill for a sec."
Peter cast a less than friendly look at Seth. "Could you at least try to act like someone with status?"
"Like you're one to talk, peasant boy," this clearly having been a joke between the two, as it was met with a smile from Peter. "You talk like some royal prince guy."
Peter just rolled his eyes, clearly used to his friend's lack of tact. It was likely more a gesture of tolerance tempered by amusement than anything else. "I'm Peter, the drummer. I keep these two in line." He extended a hand for Gino to shake.
"So what to you two play?" He turned his head back to the two occupying the other half of the couch.
"Sef's lea' guitar, I ba' 'im up." Clarice beaming with pride.
"Which leaves Aria singing."
Clarice just nodded her head, clearly glad to be talking about her two favorite people. Gino had also noticed that she was much more at-ease with these two. She had even been leaning against Seth for the past couple of minutes, whereas with Gino, despite having been friendly otherwise hadn't been within a meter of Gino, save their cab ride to the Edwards' estate.
Peter spoke next. "How about you join us?" He indicated the still empty space between him and Seth. "The news is about to start, and I need someone to help defending the remote from those two."
Gino took his place on the couch as the familiar face of Milly Ashford appeared on the screen. After greeting the viewing audience, she went into the first story of the evening. "Earlier today, Prime Minister Ohgi welcomed Empress Nunnally Vi Britannia of the Britannian empire. Empress Nunnally and her delegation are here to attend discussions on trade policies between our two nations and to speak on her plans for foreign relations between her empire, the nation of Japan, and the rest of the U.F.N. On this subject she had this to say:" the picture now shifted to Nunnally sitting behind a podium, Zero standing behind her.
"It is my sincere hope that in the future, all people of the world will be able to work together for the benefit of all. I charge all representatives of the noble empire of Britannia to endeavor to achieve this goal." Nunnally reached a hand back to place it upon the hand holding her chair.
"As my dear friend Zero once said of the United States of Japan, Britannia shall be a nation that accepts all peoples, histories, and ideologies."
After showing a few seconds of applause from the audience, the picture returned to Milly who continued, "However, her message of diplomacy was brought into question as First Prince of Britannia Schneizel proved to be..." She paused a moment, covertly repressing her objections to the words she was to use. Gino mused to himself that freedom of the press must still be a work in progress. "...less than agreeable in talks on sakuradite mining and trade. When asked about his unwillingness," she hesitated again, "to accept Japanese proposals he had this to say."
The picture again changed to show Schneizel standing amongst a group of reporters with several microphones pointed his direction. In a conversational and very polite tone, Schneizel said, "It is my opinion that because Britannian companies still own much of the mining rights to Japan's sakuradite deposits, a claim that has yet to be disputed by the Japanese government, it stands to reason that those companies and, by extension, the Britannian Empire itself should be the party responsible for dictating terms of any trade agreement pertaining to the mining and distribution of mineral sakuradite."
After this clip finished playing, Milly quickly moved on to other subjects, clearly eager to be done with criticizing her former prince. Gino and the others moved on to their official business, but Gino's mind lingered on Prince Schneizel's actions. In the time Gino had known him, Schneizel had always seemed a prudent man, very well versed in diplomacy and the art of negotiation. In this case however, he was making the novice mistake of thinking he did not have to make concessions. Even a warrior like Gino could see the problem with that mindset. Yet here Schneizel was, acting like a clichéd stuck up Britannian prince. Gino, before having his mind diverted to less confusing matters, found himself hoping that his prince knew what he was doing.
Kallen meanwhile was finishing up her business with Alec and watching the sun go down. Alec sat next to her on a stone bench at the main entrance to the Academy. Alec dotted a last period and said nonchalantly, "Which brings that to a close. Oh, and my driver is here if you'd like to join me."
At the last moment of Alec's sentence, a black car appeared at the gate. Kallen sat for a moment just looking at the vehicle. She turned to Alec and asked, "How do you do that?"
With a smile that showed actual amusement, a first in Kallen's experience with him, Alec replied, "Just a talent of mine I guess." He stood and began walking to the car. After a moment he stopped, looked over his shoulder, and called to Kallen, "Come on," as if she was a favorite servant of his. Warm, but condescending all the same.
While such a tone would have been fit for one in the young man's employ, Kallen bristled at it. She quickly stood to put herself on the same level. "What do you think I am, a dog?"
His smile took on a more dangerous character, "Only if you'd like to be." He continued walking toward the car.
Kallen watched his back for a few seconds, knowing she was going to follow but not yet willing to accept it. However, she soon found herself reluctantly climbing into the back seat with Alec.
Without looking toward her he asked, "So, where are we going?"
"I thought you would know," she said with a frown, challenging the omniscient air he put on.
He took the challenge with an amused chuckle; he was clearly enjoying his game. "I do, but I know you'd rather say it."
She spat out the address of Tamaki's to the driver. She wasn't about to go anywhere with Alec where there was any chance of them being alone.
Alec, however, had other plans, "We will only be a few minutes there. Afterwards we will return to the estate."
She was surprised and angered by his gall. "Without me you mean."
Sarcastically, "Of course."
They rode in silence, Kallen still fuming. A short time passed and they arrived at Tamaki's. Alec instructed his driver to wait while they were inside. As the two entered, Kallen heard the beginnings of Tamaki's usual gregarious welcome that was cut off as he noticed the young Britannian standing next to her and the less than joyful look on Kallen's face. Alec paid no heed to their host and instead walked to over to the temporarily silent jukebox next to the wall.
Tamaki rounded the bar, moving to Kallen's side and speaking in quiet Japanese, "One word from you and they won't find him till next week."
Kallen sighed, annoyed by the inference, but realizing it was just his way of expressing concern. She replied, linguistically, in kind, "Don't worry, he's just a bit of a jerk." She joined Alec at the juke box. Something in the way he eyed the song catalogue made her a bit confused. He thumbed through the laminated pages as if looking intently for something specific. "Looking for something?"
He simply pointed a finger at one of the entries on the page, "No, found it." He punched in the identification number and the computer inside began the track.
Kallen looked down to see the title of the song; "Bullet with Butterfly Wings."
As the music began, Alec seemed to have fallen into some sort of hypnosis. He stood and listened intently to the heavy drum line, the harsh guitar, the singer proclaiming himself a rat in a cage. Kallen thought to herself that the song fit Alec perfectly.
Her question brought him out of his trance, "Is there something wrong?" Confusion, rather than concern, motivated the question.
Alec smiled, a real smile this time, however demonic it may have seemed, "No, it's just that I've never heard music like that. My father doesn't care much for music."
It was Kallen's turn to be surprised, "You care what your father likes?"
His smile fled, "Tell me Kallen, when you were at your father's house, how much of the commoner's world did you experience. I didn't have the luxury of a mother with ties to the outside world. Besides, my father is not one you simply ignore." The bitterness and anger were plain in his voice. His anger began to ebb after finishing his admonishment of his parents. He turned to Kallen and asked her in a contemplative tone, "Tell me Kallen, do you believe the gods conspire to have us experience something for the first time with the ideal partner to share it with?"
Kallen having completely misunderstood nearly screamed, "What?"
Alec laughed, "Not that," he shook his head, "It is my belief that I was to hear this song for the first time in a place my culture's influence could not touch, with the best person to guide me to a certain conclusion. Come, I have need of your assistance."
He led her out the door, Kallen waving off Tamaki's protests, out to the car still waiting for them. However, just before reaching the car, Kallen heard Alec mutter something that sounded like, "So this is why I couldn't see any farther."
A few hours had passed since Clarice had brought Gino to the Edwards' home and that which had brought them there had been completed. Aria, her business with Rivalz completed, and Seth were taking care of getting all their promotional materials together.
Clarice now stood with Gino on the balcony outside the room she shared with her sister. The confidence in his eyes reminded her of the brother her adopted mother had. He'd always been the one to find her when she'd hidden from everyone during the first few months after she'd been freed from those that had brought her into the world; this being the only good thing she could credit to the pair. Uncle Lu would always look in just the right spot just when she'd needed a smiling face to drive away the fears she'd had of being unwanted or of being too much trouble, or worse, the feelings of being completely alone. Now though, it looked like Gino was the one needing a bit of help. He hadn't been quite the same since watching the news earlier. She decided to bring this up. "Gino, is something wrong? You look worried."
"It's nothing, don't worry about it."
She just looked at him for a few seconds the same way her sister looked at her when she was hiding something, the one that always works.
Naturally Gino didn't last long against it, "Ok... It's just something that Lord Schneizel said. I'm worried the Japanese are going to take it the wrong way." His eyes drifted toward the lawn below.
"Oh," she tried to hide the disappointment from her voice. She'd been hoping for something she could help with... and something romantic, which she would've enjoyed. She decided to help nudge the conversation in that direction. "So what do you think Kallen would think of it?"
Gino looked surprised at the question, but honestly thought about it for a few moments. He laughed at what he came up with. "She would probably just call him a stuck up Britannian and leave it at that." The way he smiled and looked off into the starry sky was just the reaction Clarice had wanted.
"She is pretty cool right?"
"She's one hell of a pilot."
"And one hell of a girl too, right?" She attempted to goad him into admitting something.
He again thought about it for a moment, "I guess you could say that."
The noncommittal response irked her a bit, but she didn't have any longer to try and meddle as her sister spoke up behind them.
"So, this's been where you two've been hiding," her grin evident in her voice.
Gino's start almost made him jump over the balcony railing, despite it being chest high and very sturdy. "Where did you come from?" breathing heavily as he attempted to speak. Someone getting the drop on him was a new thing.
"Behin'dyou," she said conversationally, as if actually answering his question. "What've you been up to anyway?"
"Just talking a bit." Clarice tried to pass it off as small talk, though she knew Aria wouldn't believe a word of it.
"I'm sure," Aria said, still grinning, knowing full well what Clarice was up to. "Well, c'mon downstairs, Seth wan'ed to watch something until Michael, our bassist, get's here."
"Oh, alright." Gino began heading down to the T.V. room.
Aria, however, stopped Clarice, saying, "Interfering huh? You'know what mommy would say abou'that."
"It's not interference if it's supposed to happen," her eyes moved downward, breaking eye contact with her sister, "besides, it wasn't going very well."
Aria laughed and drew her sister into a hug, "As crazy about romance as mommy, you're cute. They are adorable though."
The other half of 'they' sat in Alec bedroom now, asking herself why every few seconds. His bedroom was very much what you'd expect from a noble son whose father was dedicated to tradition. Kallen sat on Alec's four post bed while her host sat at his computer desk some small number of meters away. He had been looking through an online music store for several minutes and had not, as yet, said anything.
"If this is such a big thing, why didn't you just try listening to this stuff earlier?"
Alec gave her the amused chuckle that was really beginning to piss her off. "If Gino's so important to you, why didn't you try to make a move sooner? Simple, I had no idea it would affect me this much. Think about it though, it's perfect. I can obey most of my father's rules, and drive him insane with something passive."
"You're actively driving me insane. Can I go home?" coming mostly from boredom, this lacked her usual aggressive edge. She wasn't about to deny his comment about Gino, she was quickly learning that keeping something from Alec was futile.
"No, you'll be staying the night in guest quarters down the hall. They've already been prepared for you."
This pissed her off. "How the hell do you always know what's going to happen?" Kallen was surprised that this came out as a question rather than an accusation of him being a know it all.
"I'm a forceful person, and I know how to get what I want. Let's talk about you for a while though. Gino, what exactly does he mean to you?"
"What is this some kind of interrogation? I'm not going to tell you anything." She looked away.
Alec realized his error and, to Kallen's surprise, admitted it. "Sorry, I forget feelings are a sensitive subject for most people."
Kallen found herself able to believe that. After all, she hadn't seen anything but seething anger in him since she'd met him. "It's alright."
"Heh, I'm not much for feelings myself. I've been a nihilist as long as I can remember. But my story is not one for tonight." His bravado returned.
"Fine," she sighed and thought about how she'd answer Alec question. However, a question of her own came to mind. "Why do you care? It's not like it's something you'd be interested in."
"The question wasn't for my benefit." He nodded, indicating that Kallen should continue.
"Well, I don't know, honestly. Most of the time I can't stand him. Sometimes though, I can't help but want to be close to him."
"If I could make an opportunity for you to be close to him, would you take it?" the look on his face made it obvious that he meant what he said.
Kallen made to answer right away, but couldn't. She asked herself what she would do once she was. Alec answered for her, "In the interest of time, as we have to be at school in the morning. I will assume your lack of refusal means you'll eventually accept." Kallen merely nodded in response. "Good." He turned around in his chair and stared into space for a moment or two. When he turned back to face Kallen he stated, as if he were simply reporting a fact, "You will ask him if he would like the spare room at your home, give him the rest of the school day and he will accept. Now then, I believe it's time we slept. My servants will take you to your room." He motioned to the door.
This was when Kallen caught the glint in Alec's left eye from a contact lens and the pieces clicked into place. The only way he could know so much before it happened, geass. She had him pinned to the desk behind him before he knew what was going on. He shouted in protest, "What the hell do you think you're doing?"
"Take out your contact lens, now!"
He lifted a hand to his eye and removed the lens, revealing a perfectly normal blue eye.
As Kallen let him up he said, annoyance brimming over, "I'll chalk that up to a life of paranoia and fighting, but would appreciate it if you would refrain in the future."
Kallen gave a muttered apology and hurried out of Alec's room.
She was escorted to her room, after calling her mother and asking if she could spend the night, which her mother happily agreed to, by a pair of servants in French maid uniforms; uniforms which did not cover overly much. Kallen sighed and dismissed this as a rich boy being a rich boy. The guest room was very well appointed and very comfortable for an unfamiliar room in the house of someone she less than trusted. Her sleep, however, was made disconcerting by a dream of Gino wearing much less than befitted a knight of the Round. The next morning she availed herself of the Keans' shower; scrubbing herself a full ten minutes longer than she would have any other morning.
Final Note: I attempted Clarice's accent with only a Wikipedia article and the Arctic Monkeys to guide me. If anyone knows where on the internet I can listen to some conversational Yorkshire dialect from the Leeds / Sheffield area, I'd appreciate it. Also, for those of you looking for a break from the talking we'll have a bit more action in the next chapter.