All warfare is based on deception. Lelouch was obviously familiar with this axiom. He had utilised this very basic principle in most of his strategies. Of course he had. It was very difficult to win otherwise. In order to defeat your opponent, it is often required that you trick them into making disadvantageous moves. His personal preference lay in audaciousness and goading. Infuriating his opponents until his mere continued existence was an affront to their character. It made drawing them into traps so much easier. He had more subtle means at his disposal alongside that, of course. Another necessity. If all warfare is based on deception, the last thing you want is for the opponent to become wise to your tricks.
And this, incidentally, was the conundrum he now faced. He had employed subtler means this time. He had placed an agent in the enemy camp as it were. And she supplied him with a drip feed of useful information, though nothing actionable. It seemed she was growing closer to more worthwhile fare, but in doing so she had gotten wind of something interesting. The first truly significant piece of intelligence.
Asia Argento was a Sacred Gear wielder. Not one of the prized Longinus like the one belonging to Kallen, but certainly one of worth. Twilight Healing. A rare power of healing. Not quite universal, but close enough for most purposes provided the wielder was skilled and capable. Asia Argento was not just a nun and the next best thing to a saint if not for what Diodora had done, she was also valuable in the more traditional sense. And somehow, for what seemed to very much not be a coincidence, she was coming to Kuoh. To meet Fallen Angels who had been here the whole time without Lelouch's notice.
Asia Argento was valuable. But was she valuable enough to blow Hiroko's cover?
... No.
Diodora knew more of the Fallen's activities in Kuoh than he should. That was valuable information. Far more so than one girl or her Sacred Gear. It would not be the last piece of information Hiroko would be able to feed him. But if Lelouch took Asia for himself, there would be no saving the former coven leader. Even if Diodora wasn't certain of foul play, his fury at his new toy being stolen would let him believe it regardless. Lelouch's informant would die, and he would go back to being blind to his enemies' movements, with them even more suspicious of his actions than before. He couldn't take Asia, and ideally, he couldn't be seen interacting with her in any way. Rias and Sona would be less suspicious, but not above doubt. And so, Lelouch needed an outsider. He needed a patsy.
The rating game had been useful. It had highlighted a flaw in his thinking. If he hadn't realised it already, it might have proved damaging for him now.
"Mister Lamperouge," Yui Katase said as she looked at him, glancing for a moment at her girl crush sat beside her. Paying no attention to Kaori Murayama sat on her other side. "Was there something you needed? I don't think we're supposed to be in here."
"It's fine," Kallen said as she sat to Lelouch's left. "And you don't need to look so worried. You're not in trouble or anything like that. We're just having a talk."
"Is it about those perverts?" Murayama asked. "They're not getting away with it again, are they?"
Lelouch sighed. "That remains to be seen. But I can say some important figures have started to get tired of their shenanigans. I should hope the two of them are aware of that by now. No, this isn't about them. I brought you both here to ask you a question. What do the two of you want, more than anything?" He hid his smile as Katase's eyes almost instinctively flicked to Mash again. How adorable.
"You mean like, money, fame, power, that kind of thing?" Murayama asked.
"If that's what you want. It could be anything at all."
Katase was clearly too insecure to say it out loud, not with Mash right there. So the darker-haired kendo practitioner continued to lead for her. "Why are you asking?"
"Because you might be in a circumstance where such a wish might be granted." It was cryptic, and confusing, but he couldn't help himself sometimes. Acting the part of the charming devil was always fun.
But as confused as she was, that didn't change her disbelief. "I don't think anyone can give me what I want."
All at once, three pairs of black bat wings burst into existence. Lelouch smiled. "Try me."
"Wh-What are you?!" Katase asked, stunned out of her lovestruck dithering. Inevitably she saw that Mash too was adorned with the same wings. "Mash, you too?!"
"Devils," Lelouch said as Mash smiled weakly in apology. "I've had my eye on you two for quite a while. Mash is very fond of you. And so you're here to be offered a choice. If I may reintroduce myself, I am Lelouch Bael, heir to the House of Bael. And I would like to invite you into my service."
"What happens if we say no?" Katase asked, trying to seem brave.
"If you refuse, you will remain unharmed if that's your worry. We mean you no harm in either case. Nor anyone else. You will simply be hypnotised to forget this conversation ever happened and go about your human lives as you were. However," he continued with a tempting smile, "if you agree to enter my service, you will be turned into a devil, much like Mash and Miss Stadtfeld had long before you met them. More powerful, with a life of luxury, a life expectancy somewhere in the range of ten thousand years. And on top of all of that, whatever you like. One favour, from me to you. Whatever you like."
Once again, Katase glanced at Mash. Well, it was good she wasn't able to spit it out. It would be so much less fun if he had to refuse her exclusive rights. He wanted Mash to tell him what she wanted. His staking a claim over her would spoil it.
"Can you heal people?"
Turning his eyes away from the byplay between his Knight and her not so secret admirer, Lelouch focused on the other girl. "Yes, though it depends. What kind of malady?"
She glanced away. "My dad. He got in a workplace accident a few years back. A railing gave out and he fell almost thirty feet. He... Uh..." She swallowed thickly. "He can't walk. He says he's okay, that he got used to it but I can tell he's lying. Is that..." She looked at him with hope in her eyes. "Is that something you can...?"
"It is."
"... I accept."
"Murayama!" Katase exclaimed, looking at her, but her friend didn't look back.
With a gesture at Kallen, she pulled a folded sheet of paper from inside her blazer and unfolded it on the table between them. A contract, already filled out with the details of Murayama submitting herself into Lelouch's service. What she would receive, and with expert penmanship, Lelouch added his obligation to heal her father. It would be simple enough. With the terms written out, he let her read the contract. With her satisfaction he turned it and signed it, handing her his pen afterwards.
With a moment of hesitation, she too signed the document, sealing the contract. "Is that it? Am I a devil now?"
"No. We'll get to that." His attention turned to the still undecided girl who seemed to have realised just what was on the table.
Katase struggled. "I... I don't know what I want."
"You can always say no," Mash suggested 'helpfully'.
"Though the simpler benefits of becoming a devil are significant on their own," Lelouch added. "And if you can't choose what you want now, we can write it into the contract as a favour owed until such time as you decide what you want. I'll need to put in certain stipulations for what that favour could consist of, however." Pre-emptively, he gestured at Kallen again and she handed him the second contract.
"I... Then I accept too."
He wondered whether it was still her desire to get into Mash's panties, or if she had realised the scope of what she was signing herself into. In either case, "Please give me a moment to update the contract." He wrote, and wrote, and wrote, the page extending as more details were added for precisely what Katase could ask of him in future. Preventing him from being trapped in a difficult position.
Once again he let her read it, Mash reading it over her shoulder. "Does not permit the impinging on the freedoms of other peerage members– Master, what do you think she would do?!" Mash asked in disbelief.
"Oh, I can't imagine," the King answered dryly, observing the human girl's blush at him calling out her crush in the contract. She handed it back and he signed it, smiling at her as he did, before handing it back.
Both girls now contractually bound, Lelouch felt a tension loosen. The first step of his plan was complete. "You are now officially in my service, but you won't become devils just yet. As it happens, the very first task I assign you requires you to remain human."
-(-)-
Yui Katase was having a very emotionally charged day. The night before, she hadn't been able to sleep knowing what was coming. She couldn't tell if it was the anticipation, the excitement, or the fear that kept her awake.
She fought not to nervously check her bag. But as she walked with Mash, as the girl of her dreams graced her with a smile that told her everything was going to be okay, she felt her fears settle. Even if it just inflamed her nervous excitement at the same time. She was on a date! WithMash!This was the best plan! Probably! Kind of! She would probably change her mind about it later, but for now it was the best!
"Yui? Are you okay?"
"Yes!" First name! First name basis! They were on afirst name basisnow! "Everything's fine! I'm just... A little nervous!" she laughed, doing her best not to let it turn into a demented, manic giggle.
They walked through town. Casually headed in the direction of the train station in a way that would only be obvious to someone looking for that pattern. But Katase was happy to let Mash worry about that. She had her own worries. Like keeping herself from broaching topics she wasn't supposed to talk about in public. She was supposed to be completely clueless about what Mash really was. That was the point.
And that was the problem. She mostly was. She had so many questions she was itching to ask! About being a devil. About Mash's real name. 'Galahad' wasn't exactly inconspicuous! About why she called Lelouch 'Master'. She had some worries and speculations about that last one, and she kind of wanted them refuted as soon as possible.
But she wasn't allowed. She couldn't be seen as aware. Not today.
It was fun, almost like a real date. But it had to come to an end as they 'happened' to reach the edge of town to find a little lost blonde girl wearing a white hood marked with crosses, the same as her dress. A nun. It was strange to Katase, they had been introduced to devils and the first thing the devils wanted to do was protect a nun.
This... This was the plan. It took all her effort not to check inside her bag.
"Excuse me," Mash said to the girl, voice full of kindness as it always was. "Are you alright? Do you need help?"
"Uh! Um! Mi dispiace! Uh... Chiesa? Er, church?" First in what Katase assumed was Italian, then in English.
"Ah! Italiana! Va tutto bene! Hai bisogno di aiuto?"
"Haa!" the blonde girl squealed! "Che meraviglia! Tu parli italiano? Grazie a Dio per avermi fornito aiuto nel momento del bisogno!" Mash winced slightly for some reason. "Potresti per favore indirizzarmi alla chiesa?"
"What's she saying?" Katase asked.
"She... Wants to go to the church?" Mash responded, confused.
That didn't make sense. In any context. "There is no church. I mean therewasone, but it got demolished ages ago." Not many parishioners in Kuoh... Which... Suddenly made a lot more sense with the things she had recently learned.
Their side-conversation was ended by a pronounced gurgling sound.
"Hai fame?" Mash asked the suddenly embarrassed girl.
"Starò bene! Non vorrei imporre! Ah–!" Suddenly she was being walked with them.
"Non è un'imposizione. Come ti chiami?"
"Uwah! Um, Asia Argento."
"Mettiamoci un po' di cibo dentro, poi possiamo capire cosa fare da lì."
Helpfully, Mash translated the conversation for Katase as they walked, filling her in on the context. Not that there was much more than she could figure out on her own. They were getting the girl some food, which neatly tied into their plan. Asia was supposed to meet some bad people in town, apparently at what was left of the old church. So, they needed to interfere, keep her busy and away from them for a while longer. A visit to a fast food restaurant seemed like a good way to do that. All while Mash asked the girl questions about what was supposed to be going on. Relaying the answers to Katase.
After spending a good long time in the restaurant, letting Asia eat her fill and try all kinds of foods, they left. Mash making some phone calls in hopes of figuring out what to do with this very suspicious situation.
Eventually, getting a call back. This was the signal. They had been followed for a while, and it would no longer be suspicious if she suddenly left. She nodded as she listened to the voice on the other end. "Vado a chiamare qualcuno che possa aiutare. Lo risolveremo." Nodding to a very confused and worried Asia, Mash turned to Katase. "I'm going to fetch Miss Stadtfeld. She knows what to do. I'll be back in a few minutes."
"Okay." While she said that, her heart thundered in her chest, conveying her true feelings that it was anything but okay. But Mash took her hand, and squeezed, and smiled at her, and...
Right. She could do this. That was what she told herself as she watched her crush disappear into the distance and around a corner.
They didn't even wait thirty seconds. "Ciao Asia! Dove sei stata?" It was the male of the pair who spoke, exuding a friendly energy despite dressing like a weirdo in his heavy coat and fedora.
"Italiano? Chi sei? Mi conosci?"
"Ovviamente! Perché non sei venuto in chiesa?" the woman asked, seeming to be the partner to the man in some fashion.
"Ah, mi dispiace, um–!"
"Who are you?" Katase asked in Japanese.
"Hmph," the woman scoffed. "Not that it's any of your business but we're Asia's host family while she's in Japan. I'm happy to see she's making friends already, but you should have at least let her meet us first before running around town, rather than leave us to worry. Eravamo così preoccupati, Asia!"
"Mi dispiace." The blonde stepped forward, as if to join the pair.
But Katase blocked her path with an outstretched arm. Did her best to suppress her shaking. "And you wanted her to meet you at a demolished church."
"It's a recognisable landmark. Even a foreign girl would be able to find it."
"Oh yeah, that's not creepy at all hanging out at an abandoned building," Katase snarked at them, reaching into her bag, seemingly for her phone. "I think maybe we should talk to the police about this."
The woman's fake smile became just slightly cruel, slightly impatient. "Little girl, I'll warn you now. You're only making life difficult for everyone including yourself. I'm here to take Asia home."
This was it. Her last part of the plan. "I'm calling the police."
The man sighed, shaking his head. "It didn't need to be this way."
He moved faster than Katase could see. One moment they were both there, the next... Katase was falling, her head tilted at a strange angle. Unable to breathe, a searing pain across her throat as she fell to the floor.
Asia tried to scream but the woman silenced her. "Foolish girl. Stumbling into trouble again." She pointed at the girl whose lifeblood was spilling onto the street. "She was a devil sympathiser. That other girl was a devil."
"But... But you didn't have to...!"
That was all Katase heard, as the next moment, the two of them were gone. And Katase was left to scrabble at her bag, praying, begging for Mash, or Lelouch, or anyone to save her. This was the plan! She wouldn't die! They wouldn't leave her like this! Right?! She didn't want to–!
Her bloody hand reached inside her bag, the opening glowing with yellow light. And then, there before her, was Lelouch. Looking every bit the devil he purported to be in his suit and cape. "Well done, Yui. Thank you. You can rest now. When you wake up, it will be to a different life."
-(-)-
Two new Pawns. He knew from experience that he could do far worse than them. And one of them had already proven herself in ways that genuinely surprised him. Ah, the things one did for love. He was very familiar with the concept, but somehow it still surprised him just how shallow it could be while still producing similar results.
But that was not the important matter.
"Shirone. You saw them?" he asked through telepathy.
"Mm,"came the affirmative response."Concealing my presence for this long is hard, nya."
"I'll make sure we get you a suitable reward for your hard work," he promised her, assuming it would be some sort of dessert. "Diodora isn't present?"
"Nyo."
Good. That was good. "Let me know if you sense any devils at all." For this plan, he couldn't prevent himself from being involved entirely. There were many goals he wanted to accomplish tonight. But one objective was imperative. He couldn't let Diodora know of his involvement.
He made his way to the address. Not the church, it turned out. There was always the possibility they would build a hidden base there or something along those lines, but it seemed they were choosing to hide within the general populace. It was a nice home in an affluent area. A place they could get away with their apparent ruse without issue. They really were playing house. A mother and father, and two daughters. Now playing host to an adorable foreign girl. If Lelouch were paying very close attention, he might have discovered something wrong here when Asia arrived. But he doubted it. It was a reasonable cover and they had evidently been here for years. He was impressed. Quietly furious with himself and them, assuming they were spying on him and his, but impressed nonetheless.
But. Time to fix that problem. A knock on the door, looking just different enough to not be immediately recognisable. Keeping his presence as minimal as he could.
The woman answered the door. Looked at him. "Shit–!"
"Give your undying loyalty to me."
Her anxious expression slackened instantly. "Yes, my lord."
Hm. it had been quite a while since he had heard that phrase in that particular intonation. "Good. Help me subdue the others."
"Of course!"
One by one, they were brought low. The man first as he was in the next room. Then the other shorter woman with dark hair. She got so far as revealing her battle attire and charging a light spear before the fight was compelled out of her with those same six words. The blonde girl got the farthest. Leaping out a window and winging away, only for Lelouch to chase her down and give her the same treatment.
By the time he returned, Asia had been confined to her room. She didn't need to know about what was happening. In fact, it was best she didn't for both of their sakes. In the meantime, he gathered the Fallen into the living room. "Names."
"Kalawarner."
"Dohnaseek."
"Raynare."
"Mittelt."
"Who's in charge?" he asked next.
"I am," the woman with dark hair and an aggressive streak answered. Raynare.
Good. So he would focus his questions on her. "Were you working with Diodora Astaroth?"
"Who's that?" she asked in turn. "We only answer to Lord Azazel. Well," she continued with a smirk, "They answer to me. I answer to Lord Azazel. And Shemhazai, I guess."
Kalawarner coughed. "Dickrider."
"Wanna say that again, bitch?!"
"Ladies," Lelouch said warningly before it could devolve into a stupid argument. He didn't have time for that. So they weren't even aware of Diodora, but he was aware of them. Which... Could have meant a lot of things that he would unpack later. Though, "What were your orders regarding Asia?"
The buxom Fallen hesitated to answer. "To look after her."
All three of her supposed underlings looked at her in shock. "What?! You said–!"
"Quieter," Lelouch ordered.
"You said we were going to steal her Sacred Gear!" Mittelt hissed.
The Fallen could do that? That was concerning news. "Decided to do that on your own?"
"It would be worth more to Azazel in better hands. Mine!"
"Then here are your new orders, not to be ignored or undermined in any way. You are to protect Asia Argento with your very lives until I tell you to stop. Am I understood?"
"Yes, my lord..." The fallen angel who must have been decades if not centuries old at least, pouted as if he scolded her like a misbehaving child.
"What were your orders before Asia? What was your mission in Kuoh?"
"Observe the Sacred Gear users, particularly the wielders of Boosted Gear and Forbidden Balor View."
"... No one else?" Raynare shook her head, as did Mittelt. So it was just the Sacred Gears. No one, at least not the Fallen, seemed to care about the devil heirs in town, or about Mash. "Why?"
"Why no one else?"
"Why the Sacred Gear users?" he clarified.
"Sacred Gears are a danger to the Fallen. They need to be controlled or eliminated."
The Bael heir scoffed. Of course Sacred Gears were dangerous to the Fallen. They were dangerous to everyone. That was thepoint. "And what did you intend to do?" Raynare had already proven the discrepancy between her orders and her intentions. Best to make sure.
"Observe, like I said," as if it should have been obvious she'd follow orders. "I'm not about to pick a fight with the Red Dragon Empress. Maybe the little dhampir crossdresser but I doubt even that would go well for us. Even if we succeeded we'd be dead soon after. We sometimes kept an eye on the rest of you devils, but that's about it."
"Alright." For now, he had control of the situation. It even seemed most of his concerns were unfounded, at least so far as these fallen angels knew. There was no grand conspiracy, just an abundance of well earned caution. So the only sticking point remained exactly how Diodora had managed to discover the Fallen's intentions for Asia. "Once again, you are to protect Asia Argento, even from yourselves if need be. Keep her alive, in good health, and good spirits if you can." Once again, Raynare looked disgruntled, but the geass had taken hold. She couldn't betray him, even though she wanted to. "You will continue to serve the Fallen, and give no indication of my involvement whatsoever. I will be in touch."
"Yes, my lord," all of them answered at the same time.
Yes. This would work out fine. If Diodora tried to steal Asia, he would have no idea what would be waiting for him.
-(-)-
A/N: This chapter seen very very early on THE GREAT FORBIDDEN P! FEAR THE P! LOVE THE P!