Another day, another chapter to write. Yeah, the changes I made are really starting to get to me, as the flow of things largely remains the same, but I find myself thinking, 'What else did I miss?' It's silly, and I know I'm overthinking it, but still.

The first part of this chapter was meant to be the final bit in the last one, but I saw the word count and had to remove it and place it here. This means I need to be a little more creative with scene management to ensure I get what I want done.

Chapter 8: White Knight to the Gallows

"I didn't even know this place existed," Kallen noted as Lelouch led her through the school grounds to the student council building where he and Nunnally resided. Still, she didn't need to know that.

Lelouch chuckled. "It's not surprising, as this area isn't frequented by students who don't have business here. It's the clubhouse for the student council; they built it as a ballroom for various special events."

"Still, it must be so odd being so far from the rest of the campus," Kallen stated that she was happy with that as fewer people around would make it easier to question him by force if needed.

"I wouldn't say so. It's not like it's barren, see?" Having suspected that she was just as eager as him for answers, Lelouch pointed towards the shrubs to the side. Kallen wondered if he was talking about the flora before she noticed something sticking out from it, the head of red and brown Miniature Pinscher that seemed to be watching them-her intently.

"Is that a dog?" she asked, surprised to hear that pets weren't allowed on campus. What was a tiny dog like that supposed to do besides incessant bark?

As if he heard her mind, Lelouch smiled at her over his shoulder, the gesture nonthreatening and more amused than anything else. "That's Henry. He patrols the grounds around the building and acts as an early warning."

"For what?" she asked before Lelouch pointed deeper into the shrubs, where her eyes widened when she noticed the heads of two huge dogs watching them. Both looked like they ate smaller dogs for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The Rottweiler was covered in scars, which didn't paint it as a dog that stuck around to be pretty.

Unknown to her, Lelouch enjoyed her surprise and fear. He appreciated how his dogs could elicit such a response from people. "That would be Gustavus and Blue Hammer; the former is the Tibetan Mastiff, and the latter would be the Rottweiler. Word to the wise, they're part of why people don't just wonder her without invitation."

"Gustavus! Blue Hammer! Relax, she's a guest of mine!" Lelouch called out to them both, and to Kallen's slight relief, they obeyed without a word and vanished, though she also noted that he didn't call off Henry, the one who would call back the rest. Did that mean he was wary of her? Was this just how he handled visitors in general?

"You…have a lot of pets." She kept things civil between them as they approached the building.

"What can I say? I'm an animal lover, so be prepared to see them and plenty more, as this place might as well be a menagerie." Lelouch shrugged as he had been like that for as long as he remembered. His mother once told him that doves would flock around him as a baby.

Once they reached the door, he opened it for her and allowed her in first, Kallen taking in just how large the foyer for the place seemed. Just how much money did Ashford have to build this place? Was it used just to house the student council? What a waste; half the funds used for this could have been used to feed and clothe who knew how many Japanese were trapped in the ghettos. Yet, the Britannians would rather spend it on monuments to their arrogance.

"You said people don't just come here because of the dogs. Has that happened before?" Kallen asked, keeping her anger in check so she couldn't make a mistake.

"Once. In our freshmen year." Lelouch didn't explain more; he didn't need to for Kallen to understand that whatever happened wasn't something pretty.

"Listen, you said you wanted to talk, so are we alone here?" Kallen asked.

In response, Lelouch whistled, and from the upper floors, she heard wingbeats. A moment later, two birds came flying down. One was a cockatoo, the other an African Grey. Both landed on Lelouch's shoulders. "One is never alone in her. Besides, I brought you here for a reason; isn't that right, Milly?"

Having been so boldly called out, Milly popped out from her hiding spot, and the rest of the council, along with their president, looked especially miffed with Lelouch. "Oh, come on! How'd you even know we were here?"

Lelouch pointed towards his African grey.

"Party for Kallen, Party for Kallen!" The bird repeated, with Milly snapping her fingers as she tried to discuss things where they wouldn't be spotted. Looks like Lelouch's little feathery friends were as sneaky as he was.

"Well, if the surprise is ruined, we might as well explain things." Milly sighed as she stood up, and the rest followed suit as they started taking the food out and placing it on the tables.

"I would like that," Kallen stated, acting meek but confused by the situation.

"We're inducting you into the student council, Kallen," Milly explained as she quickly left the ballroom to fetch a food cart with soup and other side dishes.

"Wait, the council?" Kallen asked, looking towards Lelouch, who remained silent. He offered her a smile and a shrug, as this was just how Milly operated. One would need to accept it.

"It was my grandfather's idea. It's a rule that all students have to be part of a club. Still, with your health being so fragile," Milly turned to pick up another dish, which meant she missed how Kallen's gaze hardened in rage at being referred to as fragile. Still, she got back into character before she saw it, though Lelouch saw her slip-up but remained silent.

"Grandfather thought it would be great if you joined us. Our workloads aren't too bad, and if you need time off, we can pick up the slack, no problem." Milly explained, with Kallen finding that she was trapped. She had heard about the rule but had no interest in spending more time at school. She had managed to consistently avoid recruiters because of her sickly act. Still, it seems she's landed in a situation that wouldn't fly.

Having finished setting things up, the rest of the council approached her, each showing a friendly and open expression. "Oh, how rude of me, I didn't introduce myself. I'm Milly Ashford, I'm the president of the council." Milly introduced herself, which helped Kallen to realize who Milly's grandfather was.

"Oh, thank you, the pleasure is all mine." Kallen bowed a little regarding the Ashford name, which was expected of her.

"I'm the council secretary, Rivalz Cardemonde. If you need anything, I'm your man." Rivalz gave her a thumbs up and a wink, though it seemed goofier than him making a pass at her.

"Welcome. I'm Shirley Fenette, and I'm also a member of the swim club." Shirley went next, and finally, Nina spoke up.

"Hi there, my name is Nina." Kallen got the impression that the girl was nervous, but either she worked up the nerve to be here or was compelled by the rest, but she didn't know enough to be sure either way.

Before she could respond to any of that, she heard the sound of a small motor and wheels. Turning her head, she saw a newcomer rolling in, their uniform putting them in the middle school division. But what stuck out the most was that the girl had her eyes closed and sat in a customized wheelchair.

The sight was stranger as the girl had three other dogs at her side, all large, if not as large as the monsters she saw outside. "Shirley, sorry to bother you, but could you help me put these pizzas on the table?" the girl asked, as on her lap sat two boxes of pizza and a plate of chocolate snacks.

"Oh, of course, Nunna." Shirley turned and went over to help, and Milly noticed how out of her depth Kallen was.

"You've probably figured it out by now, but the Lamperouge siblings here really like animals. A few of them were wild when Lelouch found them and just had to bring them home like a kid," Milly explained as she pointed towards Lelouch, who rolled his eyes.

"You say it like it's a bad thing." Lelouch started as his cockatoo squawked in agreement.

"It is an odd habit," Nina noted.

"Yet, he's worked with magic with all of them. Pedro used to be a fighting dog, and Dorthy was one of those strays that would bite at anyone that tried to get close, and yet, look at them now, sweet as sugar." Rivalz stated as he pointed toward one of Nunnally's dogs, who seemed to be watching them from around the corner.

"And yet, you always find reasons not to take them on walks." Lelouch raised his eyebrow as he smirked at Rivalz.

"Because they seem to think I'm their stupid toy. I don't know how you can control any of them. They see even a squirrel and take off, dragging me like a kite." Rivalz complained as he had no clue what sort of feed Lelouch gave his dogs, but whatever it was made them all stupidly large and jacked. And they seemed to love messing with him as he's seen them behave when with their masters, but with him? It was like they were playing a game, and he was the only one uninformed.

"It's a little crazy here, but we hope you'll enjoy your time at the Lamperouge Menagerie," Shirley told her, returning with Nunnally.

The wheelchair user smiled in Kallen's direction. "Greetings, Kallen. My name is Nunnally. I'm still in the middle school group, so I'm not a real council member yet."

"You're as real as you can be in our eyes, Nunnally!" Rivalz cheered, with Shirley and Nina verbally agreeing so that Nunnally knew she had their support.

Despite her misgivings, Kallen couldn't find it in herself to dislike the girl as the middle schooler just had an air of compassion to her, a friendliness that made her smile. "You already know my name, but it's a pleasure to meet you, Nunnally…you have quite the wild clubhouse." Kallen complimented as she eyed the golden retriever, especially the Doberman and Akita, who walked at their master's side.

Nunnally detected her apprehension and knew what the issue was. "Don't worry, they're all really friendly. If you like, you can touch Doby and Luluko?" She offered, as while her two seeing eye dogs were also meant to be guard dogs, they were some of the sweetest creatures she'd ever met and would never hurt someone without reason.

"Luluko?" Kallen asked, looking towards Lelouch, who looked grumpy about the name.

"Well, with everyone here, why don't we kick things off with a toast?" Before she could question him on that odd name for the Akita, Rivalz brought out a little surprise from underneath the table. A large bottle of champagne.

Even Milly was surprised by it as she didn't recall ordering any. "Wait a minute, is that alcoholic?" She didn't see any labeling that would say otherwise.

"Why wouldn't it be?" Rivalz's retort got Shirley's attention, and not in the way he would have liked.

"We can't drink that. We're minors!" She rushed him to take the bottle and pour its contents down the drain, but Rivalz fought back against her.

"Oh, don't be a stick in the mud!" Rivalz argued, but Shirley was undeterred. She would ensure that not a drop of alcohol was consumed, as they were minors and members of the student council. They couldn't be seen drinking.

"What's going on?" Nunnally asked as she could hear the commotion and guess, but that was all.

Milly handed her a glass of orange juice. "Rivalz is trying to break more rules again, and Shirley's trying to stop him." She explained, with Nunnally nodding in understanding. As she had been present more than a couple of times, she wondered if Rivalz just liked to get under Shirley's skin with his antics, as she always had the same reaction.

"Lelouch, heads up!" Rivalz tossed the bottle at Lelouch to get it away from Shirley. The taller boy caught the bottle quickly enough, though he frowned all the same.

"Don't involve me in your…" he started, but the bottle being tossed about. Rivalz already loosening the cork could only lead to one outcome: it popped right off, shooting towards a surprised Kallen, who displayed a remarkable reaction time as she battered it aside before it hit her. Unfortunately, that didn't save her from being doused in the beverage. "Schemes."

After a somewhat awkward accident, Rivalz was put on cleaning duty while Lelouch went to fetch her a change of clothes. Milly and Shirley offered to take Kallen's champagne-soaked uniform to the girls' laundry to be cleaned.

Kallen needed to hold her act even as she was steaming in anger. She wanted to have socked Rivalz in the face and Lelouch for getting her doused like some stupid party girl. She just knew he was staged. There was no way that could just be an accident, and when she got her payback, she'd make it hurt.

"Dammit, this is why I hate Britannians. They throw a party, and I end up covered in booze." She scrubbed at her body to ensure she got every trace of it off her; the warm water from the shower helped.

Her angry shower was interrupted when she heard a knock at the door. The girl instinctively pulled the curtain to cover herself. "Ms. Stadtfeld, it's Lelouch. "I brought you a change of clothes while Milly and Shirley cleaned yours," Lelouch spoke through the door, the girl narrowing her gaze but deciding she couldn't tell him to leave them outside.

"You can come in; I've drawn the curtain already." She gave her permission as she went back to showering. Lelouch entered, and while she had indeed drawn the curtain, her shadow could be seen through it. He immediately looked away, as was proper manners.

He kept his gaze on the wall and floor, using that to guide him closer. "I must apologize for how things went. They mean well, but sometimes…well, I can't blame you for not being in a particularly cheerful mood after all that."

Kallen had much more to say about it but bottled it up. She was pissed, sure, but she was a little calmer than before and could direct her anger towards the idiot that brought the drink to begin with. "It's fine. There is nothing wrong with cutting loose now and then, right?"

"Let's hope it doesn't always end with impromptu liquor showers. Oh, and I brought some of my clothes. They might be large for you, but they should do for the moment." Lelouch placed the pants, shirt, and jacket on the counter close to the shower.

Kallen paused while cleaning, as Lelouch didn't seem athletic. "I can manage. It was pretty fast, rushing back to the boys' dorms to get them and returning."

Still looking away, Lelouch leaned on the countertop. "Actually, Nunnally and I live here. The dorms would be challenging for my sister, so the principal made an exception for us. Our rooms are just on the other wing of the building."

"I see." Yeah, Kallen could understand that. A girl who was blind and in a wheelchair would have special needs that other students wouldn't. She couldn't imagine what would happen with things like bullying either. She had 'friends', yeah, but they cared a lot for her family name than her as a person. If they didn't, she wouldn't have been shocked if they didn't give the sick girl the time of day; it had to be much worse for Nunnally.

"Well, I've taken up enough of your time and never let it be said that I hang our maidens as they bathe. There's a phone by the bath if you need any-" Lelouch turned to leave.

"Wait!" He stopped when Kallen called out to him.

"Is there something you need?" He asked, though his gaze wasn't as clueless as one would expect as he had been wondering when she would make her move.

Indeed, Kallen realized this was her chance as before; they were witnesses, including his little sister. She needed privacy if she was going to get the answers she sought. "Could you hand me my purse? I have some…scented soap in there I like to use." Her hand reached out from behind the curtain, pointing towards the small pink purse next to the clothes he had set aside for her.

"Can't be much in such a tiny thing, but all right," Lelouch noted but still picked it up and walked over to hand it to her; his gaze never went close to her, which meant he never saw her grab him, but certainly felt it.

'Oh? So she's finally making her move.' Lelouch smiled. "For a sickly girl, you have a strong grip, quite a strange thing, wouldn't you say?" Lelouch noted, as her grip was pretty intense, the type he couldn't just shrug off.

"Shut up, what did you mean by Shinjuku?" Kallen told him, dropping the act as she bent and picked up the drop purse, squeezing it, revealing that it also had a hidden blade. Nothing too big, but enough to defend herself, or in this case, deliver a fatal strike.

"Shinjuku?" Lelouch asked.

"You said yesterday not to mention it, why? Did you get the ceasefire?" Kallen asked him, eager for answers.

"I would think that was obvious." Lelouch's response only angered her all the more.

"Don't play coy with me!" Kallen yelled at him, her blade getting closer to drawing blood from this ass that seemed to think this was a game. "I want an explanation, and it better be the truth, got it?"

Before Lelouch could offer another retort or finally give her answers, the phone started to ring, though neither moved to answer it as it kept going.

"If it's not answered, someone will come," Lelouch told her, with Kallen debating whether that would be a wise idea. She could easily play it off as her refusing to answer what could be a private call. Still, while it could be the set-up where all the landlines were connected, that also meant that someone from in the building could be calling her. It could be Milly or Shirley with news on her uniform, and if they came looking for her…

"Fine, but no funny business." Kallen relented, but her grip only grew tighter to make sure he knew she wasn't letting him just escape.

"All right, all right. You're quite the livewire, Ms. Stadtfeld." Lelouch grumbled as if he didn't see the danger, but after a quick peek outside, she saw his head still facing away. Had he not seen the knife? No, He wouldn't have, or he would have acted a lot more scared. Sighing, Lelouch answered the line. "Hello, Ashford Academy student council, how may I…oh…why yes, I know her, she's right here…"

His words grew confused before he relented to whoever was on the other line and held it to her to pick. "The call is for you. He says he knows you." Kallen's brow creased. For her? Who could that be? She didn't tell anyone she would go to the council building because she hadn't known until Lelouch brought her. Even if she had, she didn't have their number, and no one she knew would.

It couldn't be Shirley or Milly, as outside Lelouch's response to the person not matching what would otherwise have been a call between friends, he said the caller was him. Unless Rivalz was playing games, she couldn't think of anyone else.

Still, she couldn't lie and say she wasn't curious about who he was, so she put her purse down, took the offered telephone, and brought it to her ear. "Hello?"

"Glad you're still alive, Q-1." Her eyes shot wide at that voice she could recognize anywhere.

'Wait the hell…he's right here, he can't be calling me.' Kallen asked herself, looking out at Lelouch, but he had no phone or other mic. Even if he did, his lips remained sealed as the voice from Shinjuku, who had somehow tracked her down, continued.

"I'll skip through the pleasantries; we must meet to discuss things. 16h00, two days from now, at the observation deck of Tokyo Tower. Come alone." Their instructions were short and to the point, and Kallen did not even have time to reply before the call was cut.

"Hey, wait, don't just hang up on me!" Kallen yelled, pulling on the phone, which caused its line to go taught. She then pulled the curtain open as she lost her temper.

"Ceasefire? What are you talking about?" That temper fell away with Lelouch's question as now she realized she was in deep shit.

"Oh well…" Kallen started but had no way to explain any of it. She hadn't considered the idea that she was wrong; worse, she had lost her cool. "You see." What was she supposed to do now? He was innocent? Kill him? She couldn't do that; it was her mistake. Worse, she couldn't do that to Nunnally.

Having released her hold on him in her stumbling attempts to explain her behavior, Lelouch threw her a lifeline. "Let me guess, you're a gamer. Something online?"

One that Kallen was eager to think, not realizing that it was thrown to begin with. "Oh, yeah, that's right. Since I'm always sick at home, I must find ways to keep busy." She hurriedly explained.

Massaging his wrist, Lelouch mused that she really was a strong girl. "And that, right there, is why I told you not to mention Shinjuku. It was a tragic time, and some students seem to think it's appropriate to pass along pictures and videos of it, and someone like you could easily faint if she saw those grime pictures and videos."

Kallen bit her tongue before she blows her top again. It was downright insulting to think her response something like that would be less than yelling and possibly knocking the teeth out of the bastards that dared do it, but that was the persona she played. "Yeah…thanks for the warning."

"If someone tries, just let me or another council member know, and we'll sort them out." Lelouch looked over his shoulder at her, only to gaze down momentarily and immediately turn around again. "And…could you please draw the curtain? It's rather improper for me to see…well."

Kallen blinked, confused, before she realized that the curtain was opened…by pulling on the phone cord, meaning she had been presenting her entire form to this guy for almost a minute. "Oh, crap!" She cried, kneeling to cover herself up with her knees and arms, her face flushed with embarrassment. Made all the worse as it was all her doing.

She wasn't the only one embarrassed by the situation. As 17 as he might be, Lelouch couldn't and wouldn't take any joy out of this. "I'll make my leave. You have my word that no soul will ever hear of this." He quickly exited, the door closing behind him, leaving Kallen embarrassed but at least safe from being perved on.

"Dammit…I was wrong, nearly blowing my cover for nothing…and flashed some Britannian pretty boy." Kallen blushed even harder.

Outside, Lelouch leaned on the wall next to the door. He scratched at his head as he had pulled off his ploy masterfully. Still, he hadn't predicted that he would get an eyeful of Kallen's naked form, with the boy finding that his capacity to quickly observe and break things down was working against him as he had seen it all, from her soft skin, her curves which could only get better with age, same with her muscles which her uniform did a fantastic job hiding.

Shaking his head, he banished such observations to the mental pit, where he threw away many things he didn't like to think about. 'She's far from winning any rewards for acting or convincing lies.' Lelouch sighed, as he was starting to wonder how lucky Kallen had been not to break her cover till now; perhaps her spending so much time 'sick' and out of school worked in her favor, less time for screw-ups like today.

'But it's a good thing she didn't immediately go for violence; it would be troublesome to handle things.' Lelouch padded his side where his jacket concealed his pistol, as Kallen thought she had the upper hand with her little purse blade, but he hadn't just picked up clothes from his room.

Eventually, Kallen finished cleaning herself up and exited the shower wearing his clothes which, as he had explained, were large on her frame, with the girl needing the tighten his belt to keep his pants from sagging as she'll be damned if she let him catch a look at her rear or worse.

She did take some appeasement in the fact he seemed just as self-conscious about the slip-up as she was, a point in his favor as she didn't need him acting all horny about it. But the mood relaxed somewhat as he led her back to the ballroom, explaining her new duties. "The council doesn't require much work…most of the time. The school's largely self-sufficient, and the same can be said for the clubs, so you'll find that we spend most of our time planning and organizing events."

"You mean like the culture festival?" she asked, as she had heard about such things from her brother when he was in high school. She wondered if Ashford had something similar.

"That, as well as numbers like swimsuit day, human duck hunts, and the Absolute silence party," Lelouch confirmed, as well as other…events that had Kallen looking at him like he had grown a second nose on his forehead.

"Oh…that sounds…"

"Weird, needlessly complicated, and absolute pains to plan and supervise? Yes, yes, they are. Blame it on our president. She is a woman controlled by her whims, and her whims can take her to some wild ideas." Lelouch sighed, as Milly…he loved her, he did, but dammit, did she work them like draft horses. It was easy to tell why she was the only senior in the council; the rest either knew what this was and avoided it or had long since quit and joined other clubs.

"Lelouch, it's awful!" Nunnally's voice cut through their conversation as the two entered the ballroom. Hearing his sister's distress, Kallen saw the immediate shift in Lelouch, who became as alert as one of the guard dogs, his eyes passing over the room for any threats.

"What's the matter, Nunnally?" Lelouch asked his sister, along with the rest of the council, standing by their TV, watching the news.

"It's Prince Clovis," Shirley replied, saddened by the news.

"They're saying he was murdered!" Rivalz added, which caught the two latecomers entirely by surprise, but for different reasons. Kallen was surprised that someone had managed to get close enough to do it and felt incredibly happy about it as she had wished him death since Shinjuku but had believed it would never come.

Lelouch, for his part, wasn't surprised by the death; he had been the one to put the bullets in his brother. No, he was surprised that they were announcing it. He would have thought they'd wait another 1 at least before making it public. It couldn't have been because of his little rumors; they couldn't have spread that far around Tokyo yet.

He kept his questions to himself as he and the rest watched the press conference that Jeremiah was given. The man was in full uniform with his Purist allies at his back, and the flashing of cameras hardly affected the man whose face had the perfect mix of resolve, rage, and grief. "Prince Clovis has been taken from us. He fought for peace and justice against all the Elevens," Kallen's lip nearly snarled at that description, as if that murdering bastard was for anything but himself. "He died a martyr!"

"We must all bury our sorrow and continue his work, as well as find the culprit who stole our prince from us so that they be brought to justice!" They weren't the only ones watching the broadcast. At their hideout, Kallen's allies crowded around their small TV, watching the news with a vested interest. Now that Ohgi thought about it, it had been off that Clovis hadn't seen since the purge attempt. Was he killed then? Was it the voice?

Lelouch, much like the rest, appeared worried about the report. Still, in his heart, he was laughing and lifting a cup of Irish whiskey to Jeremiah. 'Good luck, Jeremiah. You'll need that and aide from on high to ever catch me.' He left Bartley alive on a whim, but in hindsight, it was a perfect ploy to further disrupt, as he doubts the man spilled the beans on what they were ever or why he wasn't in the room when Lelouch slaughtered everyone inside.

"We interrupt this broadcast to bring you breaking news! The man suspected as the murderer has been captured." The press feed was shifted to a news station, with Lelouch hiding amusement at whatever scapegoat they had lined up.

"According to these reports, the suspect is an honorary Britannian who served in the Britannian military." That was expected if the Purists were pulling the strings; you can't have a Britannian be charged with this, but now they could.

His calm façade shattered when he saw the person being led away; Lelouch couldn't believe it; he had seen them die, and he had mourned them again.

"What the…it can't be…" Lelouch uttered, Kallen, being the one to catch his mask slip, as she wondered what was with this Japanese guy that could get him so ruffled.

"Private Suzaku Kururugi, a former Eleven, has been arrested on suspicions of the assassination of Prince Clovis." The newscaster reported that it seemed like Suzaku tried to plead his innocence, only for one of the soldiers escorting him to backhand him into silence.

Suzaku kept it to himself, but he was getting sick and tired. His day had started out well enough, better than usual, even as instead of being put through rigorous drills like the rest of his former Eleven comrades, he had been escorted to the trailer that served as the ASEEC's nerve center. Lloyd had him suit up and run drills with Lancelot, simply moving around or helping them design the interface to better suit the stresses of combat.

He had been about to head out for lunch with Cecile, who, bless her soul, offered to sit with him in the cafeteria so he wouldn't need to worry about harassment when Jeremiah had barged right in along with several soldiers and accused him of killing Prince Clovis and his entire command staff.

He and the rest had been shocked to learn that Clovis was even dead, and they had all been vocal about how Suzaku couldn't have done it. Cecile was ready to provide proof that Suzaku had been piloting the Lancelot under their watch and command the entire time or back at his barracks.

Jeremiah soundly rejected their evidence and testimony, threatening to arrest them as well if only being stopped when Lloyd reminded them that their patron wouldn't take kindly to them trying to detain or charge them with crimes with no evidence. Suzaku didn't know who their patron was, but it had to be something with much power for Jeremiah to back down and only take him. When he was forced into a prisoner outfit and escorted off the base into a transport, cameras made it clear that Jeremiah was putting on a show.

And now, 3 hours into this interrogation, Suzaku wanted it to end as he had been denied a phone call, a cup of water, or a meal, even something as small as a bathroom break. No, instead, he had been seated across from a changing line of interrogators, all trying to get him to confess to a crime they all knew he couldn't have admitted. 'Why do they even need a confession?' He thought as Jeremiah walked in and looked at him in visible, palpable disgust before taking the seat opposite him.

Tossing a plastic evidence bag onto the table, Suzaku had to strain his eyes to see what it was, as they hadn't turned on the lights since he had been tossed in.

"Do you recognize this weapon, Private Kururugi?" Jeremiah asked him.

Suzaku ignored the man's apparent disdain for him; he wouldn't be the first. "Yes, it's a standard Britannian pistol."

"More than that, it's the weapon that robbed Prince Clovis and his command staff of their lives. The ballistics don't lie. Also, we found your fingerprints all over it." Jeremiah stated, with Suzaku instantly countering, keeping up the respect his superior's rank demanded even if he believed the man did not deserve a please and thank you.

"My Lord, that can't be true. Honorary Britannians aren't armed. And again, I was with the ACEEC the entire time. They can confirm it." Suzaku had been saying that for hours now, but just like with the last 7 interrogators, Jeremiah pretended like he both didn't hear him. That evidence existed to confirm his innocence.

"You could have easily stolen or purchased it on the black market; as you said, they're standard issues, which is common. We did our research on you as well, Private Kururugi. You're the only child of Japan's last prime minister. That gives you a motive to carry out the assassination." Suzaku bit his lip at the reminder of his father, a stew of emotions churning in his gut.

Jeremiah either didn't notice or took his silence as an admission of guilt. "Just save us all time and confess to the crimes, then at least you would be charged as a Britannian rather than a dirty Eleven."

"I will not confess to a crime I didn't commit-!" Suzaku's pleas were cut when the chair was kicked out from under him, leading to a painful landing on the concrete floor.

"Sorry that the party went sideways, Kallen." Milly apologized to Kallen back at Ashford. After the announcement of the prince's death and the arrest of the prime suspect, no one had been in a particularly cheery mood, so she called it off with Rivalz heading out to the dorms. Lelouch took his sister and headed to their side of the building to retire for the evening.

"It's fine. You couldn't have predicted the news, but why are we here? I already bathed." Kallen replied as she sat neck deep in the hot water of the pool-sized bath, naked as the day she was born, much like the rest of them.

Milly grabbed the girls of the council together and brought them to the girls' dorms' baths, which, like the rest of the school, were built to match the name of the school's founder and its wealthy student body. The Roman-style bath has hot and cold baths ready and waiting for anyone who wishes to use them at any time of the day.

"Well, that's easy, I wanted to keep the conversation going. How else am I supposed to get to know my latest minion?" Milly replied, enjoying the steam that seemed to always linger on this side of the bath thanks to the bath regularly being refilled with freshly heated water.

"That's not the thing here, I'm pretty sure she's asking why we're all in the baths? We could have stayed in the council building if you wanted to talk." Shirley was on the edge of the bath, a towel wrapped around her torso as she sent a half-hearted glare at Milly, who she had made sure hadn't been present when she had undressed and quickly covered up.

"The baths were an informal meeting place for Romans before us. Men and women could meet here and discuss all manner of things. Why not take inspiration from that and do the same?" Milly asked.

"So this has nothing to do with the fact you wanted to see us naked?" Shirley asked, deadpan.

"Oh Shirley, you hurt me with your words. Do you honestly think I would be that perverse?" Milly asked her, a hand on her chest, which was hidden from view thanks to the steam.

"Yes." Kallen couldn't help but laugh at that retort, as even Milly seemed to have been caught flat-footed by Shirley's words, though the redhead did take it as a hint to be wary of the president.

"Oh, relax, I meant what I said. I wanted to keep the talk going, and the baths seemed like a fun place to do it. We got some girl time while doing it." Milly decided to get some revenge on Shirley, eyeing both her and Kallen. "Besides, Kallen's clothes weren't ready yet, and if she went home dressed in your dear Lulu's clothing…"

The implication made both girls blush as Shirley turned towards Kallen. Her earlier sightings of Lelouch and Kallen came to the forefront of her mind before she banished them. "B-but they didn't do anything! She's just borrowing them."

"That requires an explanation, but a simple rumor wouldn't need it." Milly sang as she leaned back, enjoying how flustered Shirley could get. "You know, it's quite telling that you're insisting that nothing happened between Kallan and your precious Lulu."

"Oh, but who can blame you? It's only a matter of time before some daring dame rides up on a white horse and takes our chaste, animal-loving, handsome, and smoothed-voiced vice president." Milly teased, which only made Shirley all the redder.

"Madam president!"

"Did…did anyone notice that Lelouch acted weird when the news played earlier?" The mousy Nina spoke up, the rest looking her way as the girl had taken a spot out of the way from them. "It was like he was in another world." Nina was often quiet and easily forgotten when put next to the rest of the council, who stuck out for one reason or another.

This wasn't a downside, as she would have probably developed a heart defect by now if she had half as much attention as girls like Shirley and Milly. However, all that time out of the limelight meant she noticed things about the others when they thought they weren't being watched.

She was the first to notice Rivalz's crush on Milly, the first to see Shirley's peanut allergy, and the first to notice how much Milly hated whenever she had to take calls from her parents. All that meant that Lelouch had seemed fine at first, but as soon as the news announced the Eleven's arrest, it was like he was seeing a dead man or maybe had got slapped in the face with a sick joke.

The other girls thought about it, as that seemed off to them, with only Milly knowing the truth about their royal status. "He was probably worried for Nunnally; she was listening, and she didn't seem all that happy with Clovis' sudden death." She couldn't outright tell them that both siblings were probably shaken by their big brother's murder, so she relayed on Nunnally's naivety and youth.

"He does act differently around his sister, doesn't he?" Kallen added, buying the explanation as she recalled how alert Lelouch had got when he thought Nunnally was in danger. Even when they left, he was doting on her the entire time.

"Nunnally is his sweet little cub. Of course, he's as gentle as silk with her, but that's bad news for a certain something," Milly's gaze shifted to Shirley. "If he hadn't developed into such a devoted mamma bear, he would have noticed those curves and acted on beastly male instinct by now."

"I hope he never does!" The girl yelped back, covering herself even more. She didn't want Lulu acting on 'beastly male instinct' around her, no matter how much the idea of him just grabbing her-NO, she shook her head to clear away those fantasies.

"Maybe you should be the one worried about boys getting handsy with, Milly." A little flustered from Milly's words, Kallen came to Shirley's aide.

"You know, Kallen, you're right." However, if she thought their president had even a hint of shame, she was sorely mistaken as Milly stood up, presenting her whole body to them and revealing that she was the most…developed out of them. A fact that Milly knew well and happily showed off as she reached for her own boson, taking both in her hands and shifting them about. "It's a miracle that I haven't had to beat the boys off me with a stick." The others looked away from Milly, fondling herself like she was alone.

"But I would say the same for the rest of you; we'll all be knockouts, with Nina being the surprise that no one ever suspects, a real tragedy, as look at her; she's just adorable." Milly approached Nina, hugging the girl, who only sighed.

"Milly…" She told her but didn't fight against it; she had learned a long time ago it was fruitless.

"She's right; you look so different without your glasses," Shirley added, as without them in the way, Nina could really let loose that beauty of hers. Shirley thought the girl looked better than she did, which, along with her grades, would make her a real 2 hit knockout for whoever was lucky enough to date her.

Milly let out a puff in agreement. "I keep telling her that, but she refuses to ditch her classes for contacts, although I already bought her a pair."

"I like my glasses. Besides, if I made myself look prettier, it would just lead to boys giving me attention, and that's tiring." Nina replied that the idea of guys wanting to hold her hand, kiss her, or worse, had never appealed to her. When she hit puberty, it started to outright make her skin crawl.

"It's not making yourself pretty, Nina. It's showing the beauty you already have. You do that, and you'll have plenty of options, including of the fairer sex." Milly retorted, as she had always had suspicions about Nina. Still, if she wished to remain in the closet, she'd wait for her to exit on her own terms. Besides, it wasn't like anyone would make anything of her mentioning girls. Milly was always saying stuff like that.

"You two sure act like you've known each other for a while," Kallen stated that Milly was friendly with all of them, but it was a bit too friendly with Nina. It was like it was something else.

"That's because we have been together since we were little girls," Milly said as she let Nina go. However, she did bring her closer to the rest of them and sat down waist-deep in the water. Nina moved deeper in to keep the others from seeing everything.

"My grandfather used to work for Milly's on knightmare development," Nina explained. Kallen snapped her fingers as she realized why the Ashford name sounded familiar.

"Like the Ganymede?" Her question got Milly's attention, and the blonde turned to her with an intrigued look.

"Like that, but I didn't expect you to know about it. it never went into full production, you know." Milly noted, with Kallen backtracking, as while they pioneered it, she had noticed that knightmares were rarely discussed on campus, so it would be weird for the sickly girl to know about them.

"Oh well, I spent a lot of time online and remember reading about it. it was piloted by the former knight of 6, Lady Marriane, right?" Kallen explained, which was partially true. She had read about it online, but she had been searching for stuff about current knightmares and looked up the Ashford, thinking they might have some fresh projects in the works, but found nothing.

She read up on Marriane as Britannian or not; that woman was a badass by all metrics. She imagined that a younger version of her would have seen the woman as her hero, and if things hadn't turned so poorly for Japan, she might have followed in her footsteps.

Milly kept observing her as her gaze remained enigmatic and playful. She didn't buy Kallen's retort but ultimately decided against pushing for details, as it wasn't all that popular or wise to make one's admiration for Marriane public—even here at Ashford, a school named for and run by the same family that sponsored Marriane and her chief backers at court.

"She did, though the Ganymede's research costs just kept rising. Eventually, it was decided to cancel the program as mass-producing it would be financially impractical. Still, we sunk so much into the project that it bankrupted my family." Milly explained, making a pop sound when she mentioned the bankruptcy.

"Sorry about that, Milly. If my grandfather had been more aware of the budget…" Nina stated, but Milly brushed it aside.

"No, it wasn't his or the rest of the researcher's fault. Knightmare production is famously expensive. I heard that the development cost for the Glasgow ballooned 5 times to what it had first been proposed." She started, which left Kallen confused.

"Wait, if the Glasgow was also costly to research, how did they recover financially long enough for it to reach full production?" She asked as it sounded like the idea of knightmares in combat should have died in the prototype stage.

"That is because my grandfather, unlike the head of the Vulcan family, loved his parties. That's the bigger reason why we went broke, as he used to throw the wildest parties that could last for days. I can badly remember times when there wasn't some gathering around the estate." Milly explained that the Ashford and Vulcan families had long since been rivals in the industry. Going back to the days of her great-grandfather, the Ashford family was younger than the Vulcans by around half a century. They probably would still compete if her family's coffers weren't blown to bits.

"They must have been insane if they hit your purse books that hard." Kallen mused, as while her father wasn't the wealthiest of nobles, he was still a rich man from his dealings in the banking industry. So much so that as his heir, she was given a monthly allowance half as high as most commoners made in 3 months. If the Ashfords were as powerful as Milly was implying, she was probably rolling in cash growing up.

Milly smiled, thinking back to those days. "They were and more, but they meant that he made plenty of connections through them. It's why we were able to leave Pendragon behind and settle here in Area 11. We're setting up a school where dear old grandfather could be its principal."

"So, did you get your love for parties from your grandfather?" Shirley asked, as when she thought about the principal, he always had the air of a kind, wise but otherwise profound elder. In fact, he had scolded Milly a few times for her more outrageous ideas.

"I did, though I like to think I'm a little more restrained than he was; otherwise, our budget would never recover," Milly replied, as there were moments when she lost herself, only for her VP to bring her down to earth once more.

"It wouldn't be so bad if what we did now didn't just come out of nowhere; you spring ideas on us without notice," Shirley told her.

"It's not too bad; we're students, Shirley. Young and unbound by responsibility and boring adult stuff, they have the right to have as much fun as they can, and with this being my final year, she has some big plans for things to do." Milly crackled near the end, which unnerved the rest as they could only pray whatever was being cooked up in that head of hers wasn't too bad.

"Oh, before I forget, Kallen, are you free the day after tomorrow?" Milly changed the subject.

Kallen recalled the phone call from earlier, and despite the voice being an ass and hanging up on her, she guessed that he heard some respect from her. "I'm afraid not. I have plans then."

"To do what? Are you meeting with someone? Is it a lover?" Milly asked, fishing for juicy details.

"I'm just planning to visit Tokyo Tower, that's all," Kallen told her, with the blonde pouting at the lack of romance from their latest member.

"Well, if you're busy, then there's no choice but to move things up, Shirley; grab her!" Milly ordered, and Kallen let out a shocked gasp when Shirley grabbed her from behind.

"What the heck, let me go, Shirley!" Kallen yelled at the girl, their towels falling into the water as she kicked about to escape, but the swimmer held firm.

"Sorry, don't worry about it, Kallen. It's nothing too bad!" Shirley told her that Kallen was in great shape for a girl who was often sick; she was on the swim team and the fittest one there, and she struggled to hold the girl still as Milly brought out a tape measure.

"Then why are you holding me down?" Kallen yelled back, as this was just too strange for her blood.

"Because we need your measurements. We always do costume parties, and I'll need them when I place the orders," Milly explained. However, Kallen expected that the pervert just wanted an excuse to touch her a lot. If she had asked, Kallen could have given her those measurements. "And the best way to get them is hands-on."

And that is the chapter. I had expected to fit most of the evening's events into this, but that little scene at the end ran longer than expected. And if you're confused by it, don't be. It's based on scenes from the picture drama, as I'm using those, along with the audio dramas, to help fill in the story and the gaps in the background. I only learned about them recently and couldn't resist using them when I could.

If you did know, then you'll know that the picture drama was just fan service, so I cut that down here as it's mainly from Kallen's and Shirley's POV, and neither would be eyeing up the other girls. If I had written from Milly's…, well, this would have been lewd from start to finish. As for the makers of the Glasgow, they're an OC noble clan, as there's no info on who made the Glasgow and its successor units.

The next chapter will be out on Jaunaury 17th.

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