Lelouch felt the same disquiet looking at the head of the Rosenkreuz magician guild as he had on the first occasion he had met her. When Ana had first told him of the little cabal of novice witches using the name, he had of course immediately gone to Rosenkreuz directly, spoken with her to establish a cordial relationship. It was a perfectly sensible thing to do for a devil. Contracting with magicians was part of their way of life and of the multiple guilds, Rosenkreuz had the best relationship with devils. Their founder having become one would have that effect. Of course, that being the case, most magicians of the guild already had contacts and contracts with devils. The Bael themselves had a longstanding agreement with them. It could have been explained away by Lelouch introducing himself personally out of respect.
Even then, even on their first introduction, this woman was already looking at him like she knew his ulterior motives. Like she knew more than she should. If she had been the first person he had met in his new life who resembled his old, he would have assumed from that very moment she was the same person. It was a lucky thing she wasn't. From that one meeting, he knew if he had spilled more knowledge than he should, she would have taken it for all it was worth.
Celia Cartier.
He had looked into her history after that meeting, of course. Who she was, past and present. She in fact predated the Rosenkreuz guild by a couple of decades. A magician contemporary of Rudiger Rosenkreutz, the founder of the guild. One who even then had discovered a secret of longevity that would never run out. One that she refused to share with the man himself to his ire and her amusement. In the century or so of him leading the guild, she refused to join. She remained polite, worked with them on occasion, but kept herself distant and aloof. A year before Rudiger gave up his humanity to accept an evil piece, she finally agreed to join. And of course, the moment he did, he entrusted the guild to her.
There was discord in the guild at such a decision. Of course there was. But while guild members jockeyed for prestige and position since the guild's founding, Celia had stayed entirely outside such politics. Therefore, when disagreements arose, she handled them with an even-handedness that cut through much of the cronyism that had arisen. It wasn't a popular approach with the old guard, but one they could respect. And newer members loved her. She still had a reputation for that detached attitude and even-handedness unless she felt someone was wasting her time. At which point, a playful sadism would emerge as she toyed with that person for her amusement.
As Lelouch read through this history, talked with various magicians and Rudiger himself, he couldn't help the sinking feeling in his gut at the familiarity of it all.
Also... The never-ending supply of pizza boxes was a bit of a giveaway.
"We need information. In confidence."
"Oh?" She continued to sit, smug and appearing disinterested as was her way. A very different response to his first appearance before her, but familiar to his second when he delivered most of Hiroko's little coven. "Information is it?" She yawned, took hold of a pizza box and placed it atop her hand. The hint of a mandala appeared between hand and box and suddenly the office was filled with the greasy scent of reheated pizza.. "Well, out with it then so you can go bore someone else," Celia prodded, opening the box and taking up a drooping slice of pizza.
"Can I have some?" Kallen blurted out.
"No," Lelouch denied before Celia could, looking at his Queen like she was mad.
"What?" the redhead asked defensively. "It smells good. And it's not like she hasn't got enough to spare. What is that, chicken and mushroom?"
The guildmistress scoffed. "This isn't ordinary pizza. This is a culinary delight, a freshly baked dough base, topped with the finest chopped tomatoes and select cheeses. Made from free-range chickens fed on the most nutritious–"
"It's from the Pizza Hut in town," Lelouch cut in flatly.
"There's nothing preventing both our words from being true," Celia said without shame, lowering the drooping end of the slice to her mouth to take an overly enthusiastic bite.
The pillar devil shook his head in disbelief. "Excalibur Ruler."
The verdette chewed slowly, lowered her slice and stared at Lelouch. "Well," she spoke, not swallowing, "That's a little more interesting a request than I expected. But I'm sure devils have learned more about the Excaliburs out of necessity than a guild like mine might know."
"You're telling me you don't know the wielder of Excalibur Ruler is active?"
"I'm telling you nothing at all," Celia countered with a smug smile. "After all, we haven't come to an agreement yet."
"A fair point," Lelouch conceded, crossing one leg over another in his chair. "The favour you owe is of course on the table."
"Oh yes," Celia replied with a roll of her eyes. "We of Rosenkreuz are so grateful for your handing over those you could have dealt with yourself, for a situation you knew of well in advance before informing us."
"You should know better than to judge a devil for being an opportunist."
"Hmph. Well... We did find a good use for them at least. We should have new centaur chimera foals a year or so from now. An interesting thing came up though," she continued, affecting a bemused tone. "When the purple one first met her new husband she said some very interesting things. About a very interesting book. A book I should quite like to take a look at."
"Oh?" A flicker of concern rose in the devil's mind, one he didn't let show on his face. "What's so interesting about this book?"
She stared at him as though looking through him. But visibly let it go. "Hmph. Just the book they were working from. It's always interesting to see materials that slip through the cracks. Especially ones that allow novices to make such swift progress." It was obvious she knew more than that. But also that she had decided they weren't negotiating at a level where she could request the book. Or even to see it. "Well, you ask for information on Excalibur Ruler and its wielder, in confidence. Anything else?"
"Any information on his allies or compatriots. In particular, an asian man wielding a spear. Information on his current activities. Something as powerful as Excalibur Ruler leaves behind traces and as a guild dedicated to studying mystical phenomena I know you're able to find them."
"Quite the list," she noted with curiosity as she munched on her mid-meeting snack. "And just how valuable is this information to you?"
"The favour–"
"Pays for barely any of it," the guildmistress interjected before he could take that thought very far. "In confidence, you said. That's clear enough from you coming to me, to Rosenkreuz. Even if you thought the favour would pay for it, Excalibur Ruler is known enough for you to already know the Pendragons have ties to a magician guild. But not this one." Despite her lackadaisical attitude, she was still a head of one of the most famed magician guilds in the world. No fool. "You don't want your poking around to get out because the Pendragon boy is up to something, isn't he? You're looking to pick a hell of a fight. Worse if he were still in his house's good books. Lucky for you."
"So it's just Arthur, then," Lelouch concluded.
"And possibly his sister," the verdette allowed. "The Pendragons aren't exactly advertising this but it seems the children absconded with the blade and struck out on their own. Consider that a freebie." She tapped her chin, leaving a shining grease stain behind. "In fact... If we can't come to terms with what you really want, consider that favour spent for not offering you up. I can be kind sometimes."
"Yes, your magnanimity knows no bounds," the devil responded facetiously. "And if we do come to terms? What is it you want, Celia?"
"Hmmm... I think that's for me to know and for you to lie awake at night wondering about."
"Typical," Lelouch muttered under his breath. "If I don't know what you want, it makes it rather difficult to provide it to you, you know."
"Not at all. I just want you to answer some questions, that's all." She looked between the two devils, seeming overly amused for some reason. "What can I say? I'm an endlessly curious woman."
"I'll bet. And if there are questions I refuse to answer?"
"More questions answered, more help. Does that sound fair?"
It did. For better or worse, it seemed an entirely fair compromise. She had already given them an out. And of course, every question she asked would be another piece of the answer to what she was really after. "Very well. Consider me a heavily redacted but open book."
"How accommodating. The Prince of Bael is also a kind and magnanimous soul." With a kick, she knocked the stack of pizza boxes off her desk and onto the floor still in a perfectly tidy stack. Taking advantage of the greater space, she took on a lounging position, open pizza box to one side that she continued to pick at. "What to ask first... You're such a fascinating specimen... Hmm... We should start simple. How old are you?"
He offered her a flat look for such an absurdly simple question. "Eighteen."
"Hm. Young. Impulsive. And no doubt a deviant skirt chaser."
"Was that a question?"
"Oh there's no question about that. A young devil like you? With all the privileges of your position? And with such a cute Queen at your side..."
"Could people stop assuming he's fucking me?! He's not!" Kallen bitched angrily, glaring at the smugness in Celia's amber eyes.
"Kallen," Lelouch warned. She had fallen into the other woman's trap.
"Aww, I'll play fair and consider that another answer," the smug witch offered. "Admirable restraint on your part, Prince of Bael. But tell me, Kallen Stadtfeld, was it? Just between us girls, do you want him to?"
The redhead blushed hotly. "How is this between us girls if he's sitting right there?!"
The Bael's hands slid down his face in frustration. "Kallen... If you're going to be this obvious, you might as well answer her outright."
"Don't worry, Red Dragon Empress," the evil witch pretended at consoling her. "I'm sure right now he's considering it just so you won't be so easily flustered by the subject."
"Wha–?!" The poor thing looked from the smug verdette to her King and back and forth again. Her face burning as red as her hair. "Wait, hang on! That's not–! I mean yeah, I s'pose I've thought aboat et but et en't... Ah mean yer 'andsome an' that innit but all devils are so it en't like–!" Her words devolved further and further into a thicker Welsh accent, eventually into sounds that Language couldn't even fully parse, suggesting she had stopped speaking any actual language and had fallen into completely incoherent babbling.
As accidental confessions went... This one not the worst Lelouch had been on the receiving end of... But that spoke more about the worse ones than it did about this one.
"OKAY!" As with anything she did, Kallen chose to recover via aggression over any other potential avenue. Standing from her chair with feet set apart, and pointing dramatically at her King. "You know what?! Yeah! Your eyes are too fuckin' pretty and your skinny limbs are weird but they make you look like an elf or summat an' I thought Legolas was well fit in them Lord of the Rings films! There!" With an upturned nose, she sat back down, body turned away from him as if she didn't care about his reaction in the slightest.
The centuries old woman who had prompted that entire tirade blinked slowly at the redhead. "... I barely know you at all. In fact I only met you today. But I say this for your own sake, you need to lose your virginity as soon as possible."
If it was even possible, Kallen's already stiff posture stiffened even further. Slowly, she rose from her seat, walked with rigid steps to the corner of the office. Squatted down facing the wall, hiding from... Everything.
Neither Lelouch nor Celia were aware of the sound of the cackling dragon ringing in the redhead's ears. Only the whine pleading for salvation from this cascade of humiliation.
"... I feel like we've somehow gotten a little off track."
"We have, but that was the most amusing thing I've seen in weeks so I won't hold it against you," Celia forgave with typical magnanimity. "As for you, I won't bother asking if you've thought about her like that. You are a devil, after all."
His eyebrows rose slightly, waiting for her to actually ask a question with a polite smile on his face. And ignoring Kallen's whine growing in volume and pitch.
"Hm." It wasn't quite a laugh, but it was an expression of amusement at the distinct difference between King and Queen. "What are your opinions of Pendragon?"
"The house?" he clarified, getting a nod and quirk of the woman's lips. "I have no particular feeling about them one way or another. I suppose historically they've had a number of... Disagreements, with devils. But that was all centuries ago, nearer a thousand years before I was born than not."
"I see. Very interesting. You don't hang on to any past grudges, then?"
He paused, considering his answer. "I can be a vengeful person. There are lines I will not tolerate others crossing, in general conduct or in dealings with me and mine. In terms of holding grudges... I prefer to settle them."
"Is that so? And how far would you take such grudges?" she pressed. "At what point would you decide that it would no longer be worth it to 'settle' it?"
He stayed silent. Taking the time to decide if he wanted to answer that question.
"Not above similar failings to your Queen after all then," the woman concluded. His delay in answering was an answer in itself. "Speaking of whom… She is an interesting choice of Queen. I'm curious of the reason for her taking pride of place in your peerage."
"Really?" he asked with a cocked eyebrow, glancing at Kallen still hiding in the corner, but clearly listening. "You believe the Red Dragon Empress is an unworthy choice for the Queen of any peerage? Or maybe you're feeling jealous?"
"Ugh no. I'm quite comfortable as a human, thank you. I believe becoming your servant would make my life far more complicated than I could tolerate," the verdette corrected in a drawl. "And I didn't say she was unworthy. I asked how such a thing came to be."
"It's a story we've told a dozen times. You don't need to ask me for it. I'm sure any number of devils would tell you the story for free."
"I imagine they would," Celia acknowledged, nodding. "I'm certain they would tell me the tale you told them. I'm asking for the tale you didn't tell them."
"You believe there's more to it?"
"I do."
"And yet you also asked me something so simple as my age."
"Indeed."
A suspicion was growing in the young devil's mind. He had dismissed the possibility that Celia knew more than she should. Kallen hadn't. This woman had given no indication of it. And yet… Something didn't sit right. "Happenstance," he answered, finally. "She happened to be in Cardiff while I was distributing contract seals, though there was every chance she would have been somewhere nearby while I was touring half the world with my peerage. As for anything more to it… She reminded me of someone I owe a great deal. That's all."
"Is that so?" she frowned heavily, leaned forward as she stared. Then smiled. "Ah, someone from the Gremory then. From what little I cared to hear, you've had some interesting dealings with them."
"Their main line includes my aunt and cousin. Naturally they're important to me."
"I admit, a less satisfying answer than I hoped. Well... Let me finish with this question and then we can see about your errant swordsman."
Lelouch nodded, confused and thus wary for it being mostly a simple series of questions. But perhaps this last one would explain why. He braced himself to not react for fear it would be something shocking.
The silence dragged on.
"Hm. No. I've changed my mind," the witch announced suddenly, sounding bored again. Not caring in the slightest for the great dramatic build-up she had created or the sudden and cruel deflation of it. "I think that's enough for me. So what was it you wanted to know again?"
Lelouch remained unamused, but he came into this room expecting to deal with a C.C, even if not his. And so expected a need to roll with the punches as it were. "Excalibur Ruler's wielder. His spear-wielding Asian associate. And what exactly they're doing, where and why."
"Well, Ruler's wielder is easy as I said. Arthur Pendragon. he would die before giving up the blade and I would bet against anyone attempting to take it, if I cared to gamble. His sister remains a member of Golden Dawn as far as I'm aware but neither of them are going to any effort to 'check in' as it were. A very talented pair. But I notice you haven't asked at all after Le Fay."
"No."
"Fair enough. Arthur Pendragon is, as one might hope from someone of that name, a highly skilled swordsman wielding one of the holiest of swords. My suggestion would be to not die pointlessly facing him." She moved away, behind the desk. "As for the 'Asian with a spear'... Do you have any idea how little that narrows it down? I have nothing for you there. As for what they're doing... Well, I assume you have something for me to go on?"
"This is in confidence?"
"That was the deal, yes."
Lelouch nodded and began recounting the tale. The information he had gathered thus far. The girl who had gone missing, the mother gone also, the town ensorcelled to forget them both, the trigger in the father to attack anyone who might undo it.
She listened attentively, even while pretending she was barely paying attention. Lelouch knew well enough how to tell the difference. "You were correct. For as far as they've gone to cover their tracks, they've also been strangely brazen. Casually using Excalibur Ruler's most potent ability for such simple things. Arrogance. It's possible to track such things, waving around that much holy energy. I'm not sure about where they are but I can guarantee finding most everywhere they've been."
"That's... Potentially helpful," Lelouch allowed. "Though far less than their current location. Time is of the essence."
"Desperate to save this girl?"
"Whatever they're doing is larger than abducting a couple of people. As you said, it's a lot of power to throw around for inconsequential ends. The discrepancy is telling. Whatever the reason, they don't want to be caught and seem to be in a hurry. Thus caution and covering tracks but by expedient methods."
"Well, if you're so distraught," she continued as though he had answered 'yes', "I'll see what I can do."
"And what do you suppose their aim is?"
Celia sighed. "There are many possibilities. I doubt I could narrow it down any more than you already have. Mother and daughter were 'of the blood', suggesting they hold some sort of hereditary trait. Logically that would mean they're gathering those with that trait. To what end I couldn't even begin to guess. There are too many possibilities to count."
He frowned, but couldn't argue. Ana had said much the same thing regarding magical purposes and Lelouch could imagine dozens more for mundane purposes. "Fine. When will we hear back from you?"
"I'll speak to the observatory. A few hours, I imagine."
"Good," he nodded, "Thank you." He looked to the corner and saw Kallen had at some point stopped moping and hiding. Had taken up position as though she were standing guard and that was what she had always been doing. He beckoned her over with a gesture and turned back to the guildmistress. "As soon as you can, please. I'd like to resolve this today."
"We'll see."
A yellow glow rose around the two devils, forming into a mandala beneath their feet. In less than a moment, the two disappeared leaving Celia Cartier in her office, alone. She stood from her chair, looked at the slice of pizza discarded on the desk, having missed the box. She shrugged, picked up the box and a fresh slice before reclining in the chaise lounge that sat against the wall.
"So many questions. So many answers. No lies, and yet so many half truths. I wonder. Should I have asked him after all?" she mused to herself with a sigh. "Perhaps I lost my nerve. Perhaps it would be better to never ask. Perhaps some doors are best left closed."
"Perhaps I'll never find the answer... Of why the snow is white."
-(-)-
A/N: This chapter voted for and seen a week early by my generous supporters on THE GREAT FORBIDDEN P! Fear the P! Love the P!