Student Council Room
"Man, I've only seen my dad use one of these. I thought it was just an old person's thing." Rivalz said as he examined Joseph's Walkman
"He has a lot of music too; I'm surprised he's able to carry all these cassettes in just his coat." Shirley said looking at the tapes.
"It was his mother's actually. He inherited it after she passed, same with her coat." Milly happily explained.
"Coat?" Rivalz asked.
"Yes, the coat he was wearing was Lady Rebecca's." Milly explained further.
"…So he's wearing women's clothes?" Rivalz asked bluntly.
"Rivalz!" Shirley scorned while pinching his ear.
"What?! I'm just asking!" Rivalz tried to explain.
"I think it's nice he keeps mementos of his mother, a way of keeping her memory alive." Suzaku said as his mind drifts back to his father's watch.
"Oh yeah, I forgot to ask. How do you know Joseph, Suzaku?" Rivalz asked.
"Indeed, I am also curious about this. And as your president, I demand you tell us!" Milly ordered.
"Uh, well…" Suzaku started to explain, surprised by the sudden attention.
But before he could go on, he heard the doors open. It was Lelouch and Joseph, who was tugging Kallen by the hand.
"Old training buddy!" Joseph answered as he let go of Kallen and went over to the sitting Suzaku.
"Taught under same sensei. Get here you!" Joseph exclaimed as he wrapped his arm around Suzaku's head and gave him a noogle.
"Noogle, noogle, noogle…" Joseph chanted
"Okay, okay, it's good to see you too Joseph." Suzaku said in muffled breath, and was happy to see Joseph in good health(so to speak.)
The student council couldn't help but laugh at Suzaku's playful predicament. Nobody seem to notice Kallen's confused expression though.
"Joseph, how about you meet the student council." Lelouch suggested with a small smile.
"Sure." Joseph said as he let go of Suzaku.
"You already know Milly, she's the president of the student council." Lelouch said as he gestured to Milly, who smiled gently at him.
"It's good to see you Joseph, I missed you." Milly said as she hugged Joseph, which he gladly returned, not too tight like before.
"You too Milly-Billy." Joseph said, which made Milly giggle at the nickname he gave her.
"How Reuben?" Joseph asked.
"He's good, he'll be happy to know you're okay." Milly answered happily.
"Cool. Still balding? Bald people cool." Joseph casually said. Which Milly couldn't help but laugh at.
"The top of his head is completely smooth, and I'll be sure to give him the compliment." Milly said.
"This is Shirley Fenette, captain of the school's swimming team." Lelouch then gestured to Shirley.
"A pleasure to meet you, your highness." Shirley courtesy like one should in front of royalty.
"Nah, nah. No "highness." Joseph brushed off before pulling a surprised Shirley into a tight hug.
"Good ole cup of Joe! Friend of Lelouch, friend of me!" Joseph said with affection.
"You're very kind." Shirley under strangled breath.
Joseph put her down and examined her for a moment, which confused Shirley. To which Joseph then looked at Lelouch.
"Good girlfriend Lelouch." Joseph said, giving him a thumbs up.
"WHAT!" Lelouch and Shirley exclaimed at the same time, making Milly bawl with laughter.
"Nononononono, we're just friends!" Lelouch and Shirley exclaimed at the same time again, red in the face.
"…You sure?" Joseph asked, not quite believing it.
"Yes!" Lelouch and Shirley exclaimed at the same time again. To which Joseph shrugged and said "Ok." with a dopey smile. Lelouch just sighed.
"Hey, I'm Rivalz Cardemonde, the Secretary! You need anything, I'm your guy!" Rivalz chimed in, putting his hand out for Joseph to shake. To which he did, in very fast motion.
"Joseph Du Britannia, pleasure to meet Riv-alz!" Joseph said. This confused Rivalz.
"It's Rivalz." He corrected.
"What I say?" Joseph asked confused.
"Riv-alz." Rivalz answered.
"Right. Riv-alz." Joseph said happily.
"N-no, it's Rivalz. Like 'Rival" but-eh, nevermind." Rivalz said defeated, while Milly had to hold back a giggle.
"This is Nina Einstein, she's basically our scientist." Lelouch gestured to Nina while also holding back his own laughter.
"H-hello…" Nina said in a shy, quiet voice.
To which Joseph walked over to her and bent down so he was at the same height as her.
"Nice to meet." Joseph said in a gentle voice and stuck his hand out to her without being forceful about it.
This surprised Nina but she took his hand and shook it with a smile.
"And you already know Suzaku and Kallen, they're the newest members." Lelouch gestured to them, Suzaku nodded and Kallen did a small wave.
"So, you mentioned Suzaku was your old training buddy, and that you had the same 'sensei'?" Rivalz asked, as it was clear he never heard that term before.
"Sensei Tohdoh Kyoshiro!" Joseph exclaimed happily.
This surprised the student council, including Lelouch.
"You mean Tohdoh of Miracles, that Tohdoh!?" Kallen asked surprised. Suzaku was surprised himself that Kallen was aware of who Tohdoh was.
"Yep-per-rooni! Great guy! Wonder what up to?" Joseph thought to himself.
"Guess he's not aware of the Four Holy Swords either." Suzaku thought to himself.
"When was this exactly?" Lelouch asked.
"Long before the invasion, he was 12 and I was 8. He with us at The Kururugi Shrine for a month while he trained with us." Suzaku reminisced.
Truthfully, Suzaku was very jealous of Joseph when he came to train with them. He took all his training without ever getting tired or angry while Suzaku felt like he could collapse at any moment at the end of the day. He thought Joseph was cheating somehow in his exercises but it seemed like it was his ball of energy that kept him going 24/7.
"Apparently it was part of this six-month trip his mother was taking him on." Suzaku explained.
"Ah, good time." Joseph chimed in as he sat down.
"Oh yeah, I forgot about that trip Joseph and his mother took to help him with "self-defense and mind-broadening" as Lady Rebecca put it." Lelouch thought to himself.
"Is that how you learned Japanese." Milly asked.
"Masani(exactly)-mundo." Joseph said with a-ok sign.
"Speaking of which, how long have you been in Japan exactly, Joe?" Lelouch asked.
"Hmmm…" Joseph thought to himself as he started counting his fingers to try and come up with the number.
"Three weeks." Joseph answered casually while holding up three fingers.
This confused the Student Council.
"Then…where were you before?" Lelouch asked.
"Here(points in one direction), there(points in another direction), everywhere(spins around his chair)" Joseph explained nonsensically.
"Define 'everywhere'?" Kallen asked.
Joseph put his finger on his chin, as if thinking of a way to best explain it. He looked around before his eyes set on a world map on the wall. He smiled and strutted his way towards the map.
"Here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here…" Joseph repeated as he pointed to different countries on the map.
While the student council was astounded that's he had made so many travels. They could see this was going to go on for awhile. Lelouch decided to step in.
"Uh, Joseph…" Lelouch spoke up.
"Here, here, here, here, here-" Joseph continued
"Joe. We get it." Lelouch said.
"Oh, cool."
"That's pretty amazing you traveled to so many places. How did you do it?" Shirley asked.
"Walking." Joseph casually said.
The student council looked at him as if they didn't hear him correctly.
"No, really. How did you do it?" Rivalz asked.
"Walking. Sometimes boat, hitchhike, buffalo. Mostly walk" Joseph said as he sat back down.
The council looked at him as if he grew a second head, especially at the mention of a "buffalo".
"You went from country to country by walking?" Milly asked in shock.
"Yep. Got footsteps in!" Joseph exclaimed as he lifted his foot up to gesture so.
The council couldn't believe it.
"How-wha-why you would do that?! You could permanently damage your feet doing so!" Lelouch exclaimed.
"Nuh-uh. Strengthening. Saw on TV." Joseph came back with as if it was obvious.
Lelouch could only sigh.
"Wow. That's pretty impressive. I can only imagine how much you've seen. Of course I'm sure you've seen plenty judging from your…" Rivalz started to drop his statement when he realized he might have been asking a sensitive question about his scars and the missing pinkie finger, especially from the look he was getting from Shirley.
Joseph looked down wondering what he was gesturing at.
"Oh, scars and finger?" Joseph asked casually as he brought up the hand with the half missing pinkie.
"Y-yeah…" Rivalz said ashamed.
"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to." Shirley said gently.
"Nah, no big deal. Crowbar, bat, knife, knife, gunshot, burn…" Joseph said as he pointed to each scar and wound explaining the weapon of choice. When he got to his missing pinkie, he said 'Machete."
He lifted up his up shirt to reveal more of his scars and wound and went on explaining how he got them with single words such as 'knife', 'axe', 'rock', 'sniper'. Then he turned his back around to reveal even more scars.
"Whip, whip, whip, another whip…" Joseph said as he pointed to the scars on his body.
The council could only looked in shock and sadness. Shirley started to get tears in her eyes while Lelouch started to seeth in anger that his brother had to endear this torment and he wasn't able to do anything about it.
Finally, after showing more wounds, Shirley couldn't take it anymore and rushed over to Joseph and hugged him tightly, which surprised Joseph. Milly came over and hugged him too.
"You poor thing. How could this world treat you so cruelly?" Shirley said as tears went down her eyes.
Milly could only nod in agreement as tears were in the corners of her own eyes.
"Damn it all! We should have done more to persuade him to stay!" Lelouch argued in his head.
Kallen herself looked at him with pity. While she wasn't a fan of Britannians, or royals for that matter, she would never want someone to go through that.
"Hey, hey. A-Ok." Joseph gently said as he patted the backs of Shirley and Milly.
"Got health, music(grabbing his Walkman), and mom's coat." Joseph said with reassuring glee.
The council couldn't help but be surprise with how okay Joseph was with his physical condition. But before they could continue, the door opened with Sayoko entering with a much cleaner version of Joseph's coat.
This caused Joseph to jump in glee, surprising Shirley and Milly.
"Coat!" Joseph said with glee as she rushed over to Sayoko and grabbed his coat. Hugging it with all his might, then he notices a scent coming from it and took a sniff.
"Blossoms." Joseph said happily.
"I took the liberty of patching up the holes and steam pressing it so it's more comfortable for you to wear." Sayoko explained.
Joseph put it on and wrapped himself in a hug. The coat sort of gave him that homeless look again but at least he looked cleaner.
"Like mom…" Joseph said quietly with a smile.
He came up to Sayoko and gently hugged her, which surprised her, but then she smiled and returned the hug in kind. She could tell he was a warm soul, like her Mistress Nunnally. They pulled away and she turned to look at Sayoko.
"Let me know if there's anything else you need Master Lelouch." Sayoko said.
"Of course, Sayoko, thank you." Lelouch said with a smile.
She took her leave, and Joseph went back over to the table to put his stuff back in his pockets. He took the picture of his mother and kissed it again.
"Love you." Joseph said to the photo before folding it again and putting it back in his inner coat pocket.
The council couldn't help but "aww" at that.
"Your mother is very beautiful Joseph." Shirley said.
"Beautiest, bestiest." Joseph happily replied.
"Milly and Lelouch told us what happened to her. We're really sorry." Rivalz said sadly, Shirley nodded in agreement.
"…Yeah…" Joseph said as he looked down sadly but then he quickly perked up.
"Ok though, in Heaven, watching." Joseph said in a reassuring tone as he looked up and pointed at the ceiling.
Again, the council looked at him surprised by the sudden mood change of his, but decided not to push.
Joseph moved over to his cassettes and started to grab those and put them in his coat pockets.
"So…Lelouch told me you used to do little dances for him and Nunnally when you were kids. What did he mean exactly?" Shirley asked, wanting to change the subject.
This caused Joseph to jerk his head towards her and a wide smile grew on his face. Shirley was little freaked by it to be honest.
"Here we go…" Lelouch said with anticipation but also hint of fear. This confused the student council(except Milly) as they had no idea what was about happen.
Joseph turned back to his cassettes and grabbed one that said "Music with Moves" and inserted it into the Walkman.
To which they started to hear piano music, which Joseph was intimating on the table. When more beats started to chime in, he started walking towards Rivalz, a small kick in each step to go with the beat. The council was looking at him curiously while Milly was starting to quietly snicker and Lelouch just shook his head with a small smile on his face.
And that's when the first lyric kicked in.
"I went to the Moped store, said ***k it"
(Joseph was now lip-syncing to the lyrics and crouching down next to Rivalz, as if talking to him)
"Salesman's like: 'What up, what's your budget"
(Joseph went to RIvalz's other side and continued to lip-sync as if he's talking to somebody on the other side.)
"And I'm like, 'Honestly I don't know nothing about Mopeds."
(Joseph lip-syncs back to Rivalz's other side.)
"He said, 'I got the one for you, follow me!"
(Back to Rivalz other side, pointing at Rivalz's nose and then sticking his thumb out in a different direction and walking away from him. Leaving Rivalz with plenty of WTF thoughts.)
"Oooooo, it's too real.
Chromed out mirror, I don't need a windshield.
Banana seat, a canopy on two wheels
Eight hundred cash, that's a hell of a deal"
(Joseph stands up again, acting out as if he's looking at an actual Moped and talking about it.)
"I'm headed downtown, cruising through the alley
Tip-toeing in the street like Dally
Pulled up, moped to the valley
Whitewalls on the wheels like mayonnaise"
(Joseph then started to dance around the table of students, striking a pose every time a new lyric started)
"DOPE…
(Joseph bends backwards where he's inches away from the ground before quickly whipping back up towards Lelouch's face, mere inches away from his face, surprising him)
My crew is ill, and all we need is two good wheels
(Joseph slowly backs away and turns to address the council)
Got gas in the tank, cash in the bank
(Imitates putting gas into a car then put his hands in his pockets to gesture he has a lot of money)
I'mma lick that, stick that, break her off, Kit-Kat
(Closes in on Shirley, then Kallen, then Nina, and then finally Rivalz all while lip-syncing as they were surprised by his quick speed to approach them and the breaking of their personal space.)
Snuck her in backstage, you don't need a wristband
(Joseph spins around and moves backward, not realizing he heads right out of the shattered window)
"Joe!" Lelouch shouted as the student council rushed over to the window to see if he was alright. To which Joseph got right back up and right into Lelouch's face again.
"Dope
Cut the bullshit
Get off my mullet
Stone washed, so raw
Moped like a bullet"
(Joseph grabs Lelouch's uniform and pushes him back as if interrogating him while lip-syncing the lyrics.)
"You can't catch me
A po-po can't reprimand me
(Joseph then quickly runs around Lelouch, pointing at himself in a cool fashion, continuing to lipsync)
I'm in a B-Boy stance, I'm not dancing
I got your girl on the back going tandem
'Cause I'm too damn quick, I'm too damn slick
Whole downtown yelling out who that is?"
(Joseph keeps strutting out the moves while the taking the rest of his stuff off the table and making his way out the door, leaving the student council behind in a very confused matter.)
"We should probably follow him." Lelouch suggested as he started walking towards the door.
"Where is he even going?" Kallen asked, probably not even sure what is normal anymore.
"Who knows." Lelouch was all said tiredly.
They make their way out the door to see Joseph continuing to dance and lip-sync towards the front doors.
"I got one girl, I got two wheels
She a big girl, that ain't a big deal
I like a big girl, I like 'em sassy
Going down the backstreet listening to Blackstreet
(Joseph moves around the council in a funky fashion, even putting his arms around Shirley and Rivalz looking at them back and forth while continuing to lipsync. Shirley and Rivalz are less freaked out by his behavior and just more confused now)
Running around the whole town
Neighbors yelling at me like, you need to slow down
Going thirty-eight, Dan, chill the fuck out
Mow your damn lawn and sit the hell down"
(Joseph dances his way towards the doors and at the word "down", he kicks the front doors open, surprising the council and the students outside.)
"If I only had one helmet I would give it to you, give it to you
Cruising down Broadway, girl, what a wonderful view, wonderful view
There's layers to this shit player, tiramisu, tiramisu
Let my coat-tail drag but I ain't tearing my suit, tearing my suit"
(Joseph hops on the stairs one step at a time at the words: "you", "view", "tiramisu", and "suit".)
"Downtown, downtown (downtown)
Downtown, downtown
(Joseph then puts a rockstar persona, acting as if his Walkman is a microphone and pretend screaming into it.)
She has her arms around your waist
With a balance that will keep her safe
(He then comes over to Suzaku and wraps his arm around waist and put his cheek next to Suzaku's cheek in a romantic way that makes Suzaku go red and feel very awkward. Milly snickering from the side. Students are starting to gather around wondering what's going on.)
Have you ever felt the warm embrace
(Joseph then lets go of Suzaku and runs backwards and jumps onto the water fountain the school has.)
Of the leather seat between your legs
(Joseph pulls out his legs as if to emphasize there's something there.)
Downtown
(Joseph than raises his fist in the air in pure Freddy Mercury-style)
You don't want no beef, boy
Know I run the streets, boy
Better follow me towards
Downtown
What you see is what you get girl
Don't ever forget girl
Ain't seen nothing yet until you're
Downtown"
(Joseph moonwalks around on the fountain, striking a pose with his arms with each beat. Before circling back to the council. And finally ending the song with waving his arms out in the air as far they could go and bending his head back to drenching it in the fountain water that was pouring down and then snapping it back towards them.)
"Whoo!" Joseph shouts to the air.
He takes a few breaths after his "performance" and looks at the council with a huge smile on his face.
Milly immediately gives him an applause, as does Lelouch with a shake of his head and small smile on his face. The council is still a little shell-shocked by what they just witnessed. The students who were watching were wondering if he just came out of a looney bin.
Joseph gives small bow before jumping off the fountain.
"Well, I certainly never seen anything like that before." Shirley said, not quite sure what else to say.
"Cool." Joseph replied with a dopey smile.
"Freak!" Somebody yelled from a distance.
"Thank you!" Joseph yelled back.
"Hey! Don't be mean!" Shirley also yelled back.
The person who yelled that was a guy wearing a bandana with his sleeves up, he was being followed by a tall guy with blue hair in a ponytail. Suzaku recognized them from when he and Princess Euphemia visited the Shinjuku ghetto, and the slap she left behind on the bandana's guy's face.
"I think you made a wrong turn buddy. The retard facility is a block down that way." The bandana guy joked, getting a laugh from his ponytail friend.
Lelouch narrowed his eyes at them and tighten his fist. Really wishing he could use his geass to command these guys to go die in a ditch.
"Hey! Watch your mouth, man!" Rivalz angrily said to the Bandana guy.
The Bandana guy ignored him.
"What gives Milly? First you let this Eleven join your student council, and now you're letting this bum walk and dance around on campus?" Bandana guy asked.
Milly narrowed her eyes and was about to respond when Joseph stepped in.
"Excuse me. No-no word, please apologize." Joseph said casually.
"Apologize?!" Bandana man yelled, angry that he was asked such a thing.
"Yeah. Sorry." Joseph explained in a casual tone.
"Look you bum, I don't know who you think you are, but I don't I have to do anything I don't want to do. So I suggest you buzz off before I make you!" The guy said in a pissed off tone.
That's when Suzaku decided to step in.
"Guys come on, there's no need for violence." Suzaku said trying to water down the fire.
"Mind your own damn business, Eleven!" The Bandana guy said.
He was about to push him away when Joseph bent his head down in front of Suzaku's chest. Which led to the guy's hand pushing Joseph's face instead.
Except Joseph's face didn't get pushed back, instead the Bandana guy pushed himself back against Joseph's face. Ending up with him slipping on the ground and landing on his face.
Suzaku and the rest of the student council blinked at this, not sure what just happened.
"What the-? Why you!" The Bandana guy said as he got back up and threw a punch at Joseph in the face, who made no moves to dodge it.
The impact of the punch resulted in very bruised, possibly broken knuckles for the Bandana guy. Joseph however, wasn't fazed by it.
"OW! The Hell?! Is your face made out of steel or something?!" The Bandana man exclaimed in agony as he held his bruised hand.
The guy with the ponytail this time tried to kick Joseph in the chest, resulting in him clutching his foot while hopping on the other with Joseph still be unfazed by it.
The student council and spectators were surprised by this.
"You better watch your back, you retarded bum!" The Bandana guy said as he and the ponytail guy, who was limping, left.
"Hmph, no party invites there." Was all Joseph said as he crossed his arms like a parent would if they were scolding a child.
"Joe...how did you do that?" Lelouch asked, surprised by his brother lack of registration that he got hit.
"Do what?" Joseph asked casually.
"You took that punch and kick like it was nothing!" Kallen exclaimed, forgetting about her 'sickly' persona for a moment.
"Eh, built endurance. Also bad punch. No feel." Joseph said as if it was nothing.
"Now Suzaku. Good punch." He said as he pulled Suzaku over and patted him on the shoulder.
"I wouldn't say that, I just train frequently is all." Suzaku countered with awkwardly.
It's then they hear a stomach growl, which is coming from Joseph.
"Oop, hungry." Joseph said as he reached into his pocket and grabbed one of the plastic baggies that had unidentifiable material in it.
"Uh, what is that if I may ask?" Nina asked.
"Tree bark." Joseph casually as he opened the bag and took out a piece of said tree bark.
"Tree bark? Like actual bark from a tree?" Shirley asked in shock.
"Yep. Good protein. Grass too" Joseph said as he took a loud bite from the bark and made noisy crunching sounds from chewing on it.
The noises caused the council to grimace in disgust.
"Uh...Joe, when's the last time you've had...well...food." Milly asked as Joseph took another bite from the tree bark.
Joseph answered by waving the tree bark while continuing to chew.
"No, not tree bark or any other plant material. When is the last time you've had an actual meal? On a plate?" Lelouch emphasized as real concern was starting to build up.
Joseph thought about it.
"Six weeks." Joseph said casually.
The council was now shellshocked.
"WHAT!" The council all exclaimed at the same time.
"Dude! How are you even alive!?" Rivalz asked.
"Tree bark. Grass. Berries on bushes." Joseph said as if it was obvious while putting away his bark, wanting to save it for later.
"No, no, no, no, no, NO! That is unacceptable sir! We are going to get actual food in that stomach, right now! Come on guys!" Shirley exclaimed as she grabbed a confused Joseph's arm and dragged him out to the front gates.
"What about school?" Nina asked nervously.
"As student president, I declare us able to leave early!" Milly commanded.
...
Tokyo Settlement
After the student council realized that Joseph only had 37 cents on him and every restaurant didn't want to have "a bum" in their location, they decided the best thing to do was simply go to the hotdog vendor and all get some hotdogs, which Lelouch paid for. They insisted on giving him an "overflow", which is basically a hotdog with everything on it. They also insisted he eat two, which he did with no complaint, just a simple "ok" with a his dopey smile.
*BURP*
That was the sound that came out of Joseph's mouth after drinking down some soda, the council couldn't help but laugh at that.
"Better out than in I always say." Joseph says in a faux-sottish accent.
"I can believe all these years you lived on material that animals would eat." Lelouch said with regret in his voice. Joseph just shrugged.
"Here before us. Masters of universe." Joseph said dramatically, which made Milly giggle.
"You really have not changed a bit." Milly said sweetly.
"Nope." Joseph replied with a dopey smile.
"So, you lived in Area 11 before the Britannia colonized it? What was it like then?" Shirley asked curiously
"Hmmm. Good food. Cool religion. Interesting clothes. Awesome cartoons." Joseph answered with a smile at the last one.
"Cartoons?" Rivalz asked.
"Anime. Best ever! Dragon Ball Z! Cowboy Bebop! Bleach! Naruto! AMAZING! Now...pffft!" Joseph said making a fart noise with a thumbs down.
"I never heard of any those, but now you wanna make me check them out! Suzaku, are they still available?" Rivalz asked.
"I don't think so. Britannia chose to extradite any Japanese material that wasn't deemed necessary to the area." Suzaku said sadly, Kallen also had her head down in anger.
"Pssssh. Morons." Joseph said in an outlandish way, surprising the council by his blatant comment of his own country. He then took his walkman and put in his "Walking Music" again.
"Wait, you're going to play your music now?" Kallen asked.
"Why not play music now?" Joseph came back with a smug smile and pressing the play button.
The music started off with horns like someone was about to be introduced. Then violins started to kick in, Joseph bent his legs up and down with the beat of the violins. And the first lyric kicked in:
"IIIIIIIIIII've
got no strings
To hold me down
To make me fret
Or make me frown
(Joseph lip-syncs with each lyric while walking/dancing along the park, make precision steps on the squares of the ground and watching for any cracks. The council watches him more in amusement than bewilderment now.)
I had strings
But now I'm free
There are no strings on me"
(Joseph takes left turn out of the the park and gives a random guy, who was trying to hail a taxi, a high five. The guy gives him a WTF look while some of the council just snicker as they follow him)
"Hi-ho the me-ri-o
That's the only way to go
(Joseph slaps on some walls and newspaper carriers to match with beat of the music)
I want the world to know
Nothing ever worries me
(Joseph hops onto a city bench, tiptoeing on it. Then hopping off and doing a quick spin. The people in the city look at him like he's mad but he doesn't notice and the council choose to ignore them.)
I've got no strings
So I have fun
I'm not tied up to anyone
They've got strings
But you can see
There are no strings on me"
(Joseph continues to walk and dance while lip-syncing, making his way around people with ease. Not minding the looks he was getting.)
Suddenly Joseph stops out of nowhere as a quiet xylophone started to play. He turns around to look at the council and tilts towards them, putting his finger to his lips as if to shush them, while smiling. He looks at them for moment, making them confused.
Then suddenly he claps his hands as the sound of cymbals bang together, matching the impact they made, thus jump scaring the council. Joseph moves his arms back and forth in the air, matching with the horns.
Then suddenly the music becomes intense and Joseph starts to run away from them, surprising the council.
"Joseph, where are you going!?" Shirley yelled as she and the rest of council ran after him.
"Who knows!" Joseph responded with as he swiftly dodged people he ran past. The council was having trouble keeping up with him but he made sure not to run too fast as he didn't want to lose them in the city. The intense music caused Joseph to shake his head around like a rockstar and spinning around while still running, this time the people walking past had to make sure to dodge him.
He finally stopped at a crosswalk when the music turn into a soft single horn playing. The council caught up with him, Lelouch being the last of them, making sure to catch their breaths. For Lelouch, it was gasping breaths.
"Joe-" Lelouch tried to say before being stopped by Joseph, raising his finger, gesturing him to be quiet. He was staring attentively at the crosswalk light, which had the red hand symbol at the moment. The light then turned into the crosswalk symbol, causing Joseph to smile as he knew there was one lyric left in his song.
He walked onto the crosswalk, the council looking at him intent curiosity. Both parties not noticing the oncoming driver who was not paying attention to what was on the road.
"There are no strings on me!"
Joseph managed to lip-sync that last lyric with his arms in the air.
One second later, he flips onto the car, breaking the windshield and then toppling down a few feet on the street when the car pushes on its breaks.
"JOSEPH!" Lelouch yelled as he and the rest of the student council ran over to Joseph's body.
"Joseph! Oh God, Milly, call 91-" Shirley shouted before being interrupted by Joseph suddenly sitting up, looking as if nothing had just happened.
"...1?" Was all Shirley could muster in shock, the rest of the council was just as flabbergasted.
The man driving the car got out, looked at his windshield, and then back at them with an angry look on his face.
"What in the hell!? Look at what your friend did to my windshield!" The man exclaimed.
"Excuse me!? You're the one who ran into HIM! You should be apologizing and be willing to take him to a hospital!" Kallen exclaimed, completely forgetting her "sickly" persona and getting into the man's face, surprising the council, even Lelouch, for he didn't expect her to come to Joseph's defense like that.
"Oh please! The only thing I'm going to do is call my lawyer and see to it that he pays every single-" The man didn't get to finish as Lelouch grabbed him by the collar and turning away to make sure the council didn't see his eyes.
"Sir. Do us a favor. Get in your car. Drive away. And never hassle anyone again!" Lelouch said as his eye flared with geass.
"Uh, sure." The man said relaxed, he got in his car and drove away.
This surprised the council, not Joseph though, he had a small smile on his face knowing what was up.
"Damn Lelouch, you sure can be intimidating when you want to." Rivalz said impressed by his friend's intense demeanor.
"It's just something I learned to pick up." Lelouch brushed off before going over to Joseph, who was being helped up by Suzaku and Shirley.
"Joe, are you alright?" Lelouch asked in concern.
Joseph cracks his neck back and forth and then puts up an "A-OK" sign and says "A-OK!" in a happy tone. Surprising the council.
"Dude! Are you some sort of superhuman!? You took that car head-on and you're up like it didn't even happen!" Rivalz exclaimed.
"Yes. Are you sure you don't want to go to the hospital?" Nina asked.
"Nah. Just need stretch." Joseph said casually as he started stretching in a yoga manner.
The council could hear bones cracking, which weirded them out a bit.
After the last bone crack, Joseph stands straight back up again with a smile on his face.
"All good." Joseph said giving a thumbs up.
"Well...okay. Still, what a jerk that guy was." Milly said in a disgusted tone.
"Eh, no whoop." Joseph brushed off.
"ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?" Kallen shouted at Joseph, confusing him and surprising the others.
"First you have all these scars and casually tell us how you got them, as if they're tiny scratches! Then you tell us that you haven't had a real meal in six weeks and been living off tree bark like it's an actual substitute, and when the managers at those restaurants didn't let you in because of your appearance, you brush it off like it's no big deal! Now you get hit by a car where the driver was willing to sue you, even though it was his fault, and you brush it of as 'No whoop."! Why are you treating your condition like it's no big deal, why are you acting like...(Kallen was quick to catch her tongue from saying "an Eleven") you don't care, you...strange...MAN!" Kallen ranted, not entirely sure how to end it, and completely throwing her "sickly" persona out the window.
The council, even Lelouch, looked at her with surprise. They had never seen her like this.
"Kallen..." Was all Milly could quietly churn out.
"Causssssee...I don't?" Joseph answered as if trying to guess the right answer.
This seem to piss Kallen off more as it looked like she was about to go on another rant before inhaling and holding her breath from saying anything she would really regret. She turns around and looks at the ground, thoughts whirling through her mind.
"How can he not care?! How can he not retaliate from how mistreated he's been?! How can he act like the Honorary Britannians here!" Kallen thought as tears started to grow in the corner of her eyes.
She then felt a hand on her shoulder, she looked and saw it was Joseph smiling gently at her, before taking her hand.
"Come." Was all he said before pulling her in his direction.
"Where..."
"Wait and see!" Joseph exclaimed as his pace picked up.
Lelouch could only sigh and started following after him, as well as the rest of the council with wonder.
...
Somehow, through circumstances of sneaking around and climbing, Joseph and the student council ended up on the top of a building that was centered around a bunch of others. Some smaller, some taller than the one they were on.
Joseph takes it all in with a deep breath, as if it he discovered a new fragrance.
"Sooooo...any reason why we're up here?!" Rivalz asked.
Joseph just smiled and then took his walkman again and fast-forwarded through a bunch of songs.
"***ked up-"
He fast forwarded, that wasn't the song he was he looking for.
"Shut the ***k up-"
Fast forwarded again, neither was that.
"Suck my di-"
"Man, it's hard to find the song I'm looking for sometimes." Joseph thought to himself, not noticing the council's awkward expressions from the explicit content they heard.
He finally found the song though as a jazz-style piano started to play.
"I just learnt some jazz today, its true
I just learnt some jazz today, and you
(Lelouch tried to speak up to see where this was going but like before, he held his finger up)
You gon' learn some jazz today, yes you
You gon' learn, you gon' learn, you gon'"
At these last two lyrics, Joseph got down into a runner's position, confusing the council. All of sudden he started to run towards past the council and towards the edge of the building.
"Whoa! Joe, what are you doing?!" Lelouch asked, trying to stop his brother.
He increases speed, ignoring the pleas of council for him to stop.
He reaches the edge of the building and jumps.
The council watches him shellshocked as Joseph flies in the air onto another building, and then another, and another, as he circles around the building they're standing on. Sometimes jumping off the walls of buildings taller than him.
"Oh my God!" Shirley yelled, putting her hand over her mouth.
"What the HELL!?" Kallen yells.
"Lelouch, did you know he could do that?!" Suzaku asked.
"No!" Lelouch said. Not a complete lie, while he knew Joseph was capable of acrobats, he didn't think they were on this level!
Joseph meanwhile was having the time of his life as he was hoping up and down buildings like it was child's play for him, making sure to touchdown with each beat of the song.
"Fake is in season, but me nah pree dem
Cause nowadays
You couldn't find me pon di BBC-CTV NBC dem cyah program we"
(Joseph jumps at a nearby flagpole, grabbing the flag and spinning around until the flag was completely wrapped around the pole.)
"Better them try fi go and see
Take in the heights like Andes
And these man wah step to me
Couldn't get the best of me, couldn't beat the rest of we"
(Joseph then proceeds to get closer to the council, who were looking at him in awe and made a quick salute at them)
"I think I lost touch with what reality is..." Kallen said meekly, as clearly kidnapping Joseph was never going to work.
"Yeah, I punched out as well." Lelouch replied in a defeated tone.
"Go to lengths to win then me a flex me wings and
Dem a try fi swing, but couldn't I me sing
(Joseph jumps over to a building under construction and grabs one of those hooks used to lift things up)
Pon any riddim they feeling it now
High pon the ceiling and not coming down
Fighting the feeling that life is a dream
(He swings back and forth on the hook, smiling, not a care in world)
But then living is death when it comes back around
So we just live for the sound"
(Joseph swung in the direction of the building the council was on and threw himself in the air, doing a backflip)
As the council continued watching, they couldn't help but be amazed by what they were watching.
He looked so happy, and so free.
He landed on the building the council like a cheerleader would when they stuck the landing at their rally.
The council applauded and cheered, minus Lelouch and Kallen who just looked in awe.
"Joseph, that was amazing!" Shirley exclaimed in excitement.
"Yeah, I've never seen anything like that! I doubt that Zero guy could top anything like that!" Rivalz exclaimed, making Lelouch narrow his eyes a bit.
"Eh, who knows." Joseph said casually, he then walked over to Kallen and put his hand on her shoulder.
"That...is why." Joseph explained.
"...Huh?" Was all Kallen could ask, no idea where this was going.
"Bad things people do at me. Afterthought. No pettiness needed. Happens, then ends. Why hold grudge? Much life to love(waves hands in the air). Do that(pointing at the buildings he just jumped around on) all time, amazing, can't take away. People don't like(points at himself)? Pssssh, deal with it! Like me(pumps a fist at his heart), friends, family like me(points at the council and subtly at Lelouch when he says "family"). All I need. Don't like, boohoo for you." Joseph ended his "speech" with a wide smile as he puffed out his chest and put his hands on his hips.
Though it was said with a broken speech pattern, Kallen and the rest of the council couldn't help but be amazed with Joseph's attitude towards himself and the world around him. Lelouch couldn't help but have a small smile.
"Joseph..." Lelouch thought to himself.
Kallen was about respond when another voice broke their thought process.
"Hey! What the hell you kids doing up here!? This is private property you know! And shouldn't you be in school?!" A man, who looked like some sort of security guard, yelled at them.
The student council froze, not sure how to explain the situation. Lelouch was ready to use his geass when Joseph approached the man.
"Well officer, we-DEAR GOD, WHAT THAT!?" Joseph exclaimed as he looked up and pointed at something in the sky, taking the guard and student council by surprise.
"What's what?!" The security guard asked fearfully as he turned around to see what Joseph pointed at.
Only to have his shirt pulled over his head and his pants pulled down to his ankles by Joseph.
"RUN! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!" Joseph screamed at the council, grabbing a surprised Lelouch, who yelled a "Hey!" when Joseph hurled him over his shoulders and the rest of the council were sure to follow his lead.
"YOU LITTLE SHITS! GET BACK HERE!" The security yelled through his shirt and trying to get his pants back up while trying not to trip over himself.
Joseph was laughing maniacally as the council was just trying to keep up with him, starting to question the man's sanity.
...
The council took their time to catch their breaths on a stairway.
"Oh man, I don't think I've ever ran that fast in my life." Rivalz said in exasperated breath.
"Good thing Joseph was carrying Lelouch, otherwise he would have dropped dead 30 seconds in." Milly joked, taking a few breaths herself.
That got a laugh from the council and an even bigger laugh from Joseph, who received a glare from Lelouch, and a small smirk from Kallen.
"More jokes like that, and you'll have to find someone else to balance your budget." Lelouch said in a playful manner.
"Oh, a threat I hear? Then I might just have to tell Joseph and the newest members of our council about the 'crossdressing' incident won't I?" Milly asked with an evil smile, causing Lelouch's eyes to widen in fear.
"Milly, don't you..." Lelouch trailed off as he heard music coming from Joseph again.
It was, of course, coming from Joseph's walkman. It was some sort of guitar riff and chanting coming from a group of men. Joseph started to dance to it.
"What song is that?" Shirley asked.
"Gary Glitter, Rock and Roll Part 2" Joseph responded gleefully, continuing his dancing. Kicking his legs up as he walked down the steps in fashion.
"Man, you're a 24/7 radio aren't you Joseph?" Suzaku asked with a smile.
"Yep!" Joseph responded with enthusiasm as he jumped the down the last couple of steps, still dancing.
The council watched him as he moved his body around as if he ruled the world, and perhaps he did in his own mind.
Lelouch could see that his brother truly was happy, all these years and hasn't lost touch with himself at all. So he shrugged and thought about doing the other thing he could do in that moment.
Which was to join his brother in the dance and show off his own moves, surprising the council immensely. Joseph on the other hand, happily welcomed his brother into the fold.
"Lelouch?" Suzaku asked, mouth agape. He had never seen Lelouch do this before.
"Hey, can't beat them, join them." Was all Lelouch said as he continued dancing.
Shirley's surprise turned to acceptance as she smiled, as she joined Lelouch and Joseph in their dance party.
"Aw, what the Hell." Rivalz said with acceptance as he joined in.
Followed by Milly with a shake of the head. And Nina, though nervous, did a tiny dance of her own.
Suzaku looked at them with surprise but then a small smile came to his face and joined in as well.
Kallen on the other hand, looked uncomfortable, not sure what to do.
"Come on Kallen, get in the groove." Rivalz said, showing off his moves.
"Yeah! Groove!" Joseph said in agreement.
"Lay off guys, she has health problems remember?" Shirley lectured.
"She does?...Ooooooooooohhhhhh." Joseph said in realization, looking at Kallen, knowing what she's up to.
"Part of the secret identity. Smart." Joseph thought.
Kallen took a deep breath and "Okay..." and then finally joined in on the dancing group that formed randomly out of nowhere.
People passed by with WTF looks, but none of them cared. For awhile, they lived in the moment, and that was enough.
...
Some time later in the late afternoon, Joseph and the rest of the council finally made it back
"I have to say, going gambling with Lelouch does not even come close to how much fun you made today." Rivalz told Joseph.
"Yes, it was certainly nothing like I've ever experienced, I'll say that much." Shirley said with a smile.
"W-will we see you again?" Nina asked shyly, hoping not to offend him.
"Abso-toda-lutely!" Joseph replied, he still had to see Nunnally and Lady Marianne after all, no reason he can't stay for another couple of days.
"Wonderful! This school gladly welcomes you with open arms!" Milly exclaimed, happy to have her old friend back.
"Awesome!" Joseph replied.
"For now, how about you come with me to where I live. I'm sure Nunnally would love to know that you're here." Lelouch said with a smile.
"Sure!" Joseph replied happily, though he wondered why he didn't include Marianne in the sentence.
"Suzaku, how about you come with us? You can help explain some things when he sees Nunnally." Lelouch suggested to Suzaku with a telling voice.
"Oh, uh, sure, no problem." Suzaku said in understanding, this made Joseph more confused.
"It was, uh, nice to meet you." Kallen said meekly, not sure how to feel about this individual anymore.
"You too." Joseph said gently before gathering her and the rest of the student council in one big hug.
"New friends!" Joseph said in glee. Surprising the council.
"Onward, to Nunnally!" Joseph proclaimed, grabbing Lelouch's hand and tugging him towards a building, Suzaku following close by.
"Joe, that's not the right way!" Lelouch said in annoyance.
Joseph then went in the opposite direction, which wasn't the right way either.
"Look, can you just let go and follow me!?" Lelouch said in exasperation.
"Right-eo man! Right-eo!" Joseph exclaimed, getting a laugh out of Suzaku.
The council could only watch in amusement.
"I think Joseph just might be a little crazy." Rivalz said with a smile.
"A little? The man is completely bonkers!" Milly exclaimed with a laugh.
"Guys don't be rude. But yes, he is...out of this world." Shirley said in a polite manner.
"He's just like a kid..." Kallen said quietly.
"And Lulu seemed a lot more lively too. Usually he's more reserved, but Joseph seems to have put a spark in him that I've never seen before." Shirley added.
"Indeed...still an actual Prince considers us his friends. I never thought that would ever happen in my lifetime." Nina said in awe.
"I know right! How cool is that?! Imagine all the perks we could get now if he goes back to the Viceroy palace!" Rivalz said in excitement.
"Rivalz, don't you dare think about using Joseph in that way!" Shirley lectured.
"I'm not! I'm just saying, there's a lot of benefits to having a prince as a friend." Rivalz argued.
...
As they continued arguing, Kallen had her own thoughts going on.
Here was a man, not just any man too, a Prince! Who willfully chose to get down in the dirt and let himself be stomped on by others. And does it bother him? No! He continues to smile that same dopey smile of his like it doesn't affect him, and it really doesn't!
Some might think he was hiding under a mask, but she could make no such distinction. Here was someone, who despite everything he went through, that was truly happy with who he was and what his circumstance was. He still carried his pride on his sleeve and didn't have any signs of breaking.
And it truly put Kallen in a turmoil. Just how was she suppose to deal with a person like this? A person who was probably more innocent than a lot of people and yet was the child of the same man who turned her country into ashes and rebuilt into his liking.
With time, Kallen would have to decide how to deal with him.
She just hoped it was decision she wouldn't come to regret.
And that takes care of that. This one I was really looking forward to writing because it let me dive into a detailed description of what Joseph does on a daily basis. As for how Joseph receives damage to his body, he doesn't feel average human punches and kicks, no problem, his body has built up that endurance. It's melee weapons and firearms that will leave scars. Depending on how hurt he is will depend on what type of weapon it is, for instance, the car crash he received will result in result in major bruising in his chest, knifes and gun will definitely cause him to bleed. He'll take it like a champ though, because he's built himself able to do so. Also, the shorten version of "I've Got No Strings" is from the Dr. Dre Beats Commercial that came out a couple of years ago. And the stairway scene, was definitely inspired by Joaquin Phoenix's dancing in Joker. Anyway, please comment and leave any thoughts behind, see you later.