tampered | log; ongoing

log; ongoing

When; March 8 [ Sunday ], Evening
Rating; PG
Characters; Lelouch vi Britannia [

lel0uch] & Setsuna F. Seiei [

denyurgod]
Summary; Curse days bring about more dissatisfaction than usual, and two chess pieces eventually find their way on the same chess board.
Log;

Lelouch was waiting by the fountain, sitting at a nearby bench with crossed legs, as he scanned the slowly dwindling crowds around the area in search of his new 'friend'. If it weren't for the fact that he had doubts about the networks' security, secure filters or no, then Lelouch would have been sitting tha comfort of his own apartment now, conversing with this Setsuna F. Seiei in front of the computer. However, such were things; they lived in a place, a city, that was held more tightly than Britannia had its territories. There were no people, humans, that he knew of that were connected to the deities; people that could make mistakes and, in turn, allow for a loophole or two for him to say his thoughts regarding freedom in the city more freely.

The only course of action left for him was to actually meet this person, however much he would have preferred not to. Then again, for success to be within reach, wasn't a King supposed to move as well? If the King did not move, the pieces would not as well...

The thoughts of chess brought his attention back to the chess pieces he had picked up from the set in his apartment. A King and a Queen. These were important pieces; the ones he absolutely needed... It was true that a Queen could be taken down, and the pawns and knights could still bring a player victory, but it was, nevertheless, a piece that could be single-handedly used to win. An extremely important piece.

The Queen signified strength, power-- no, it embodied it while the King signified those.

He rubbed the pieces in his hands against each other and then stood up. A rebellion. Here? What was he thinking? And yet, it was... tempting. He could feel it, the chance to do something and change the status quo within this place. Something big. He needed only to grasp it.

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During his stay in the City, Setsuna had only grown more and more frustrated not only with the curses, but for the fact that it had distracted him whenever he decided to learn more about the deities, time and time again. And yesterday, when Lockon had been cursed and his wounds reopened, he felt helpless and frustrated at not being able to do anything, just like those countless other times he wasn't able to fight against it. And taking away that very thing: To fight, the sole reason for his existence, had been consuming him with sheer anger towards those who continued playing with the citizens' lives, as if pain and suffering were something entertaining.

But Lockon was right; He couldn't launch an attack the deities if he didn't know where they were, and it's during these times he wished there had been a strategist as excellent as Sumeragi to assist them, thus ending the suffering of the people living in this place. And perhaps then, it would open up a way to get him and his comrades back to their world, where there had still been a lot to make right.

And then this person comes along, requesting to meet up with him. He didn't know exactly what he wanted—this person who claims to be an Emperor in his world—but it had been more of an impulse to accept his proposal to talk. And so Setsuna swiped the gun from his bedside table, tucked it inside his tunic, and headed to the fountains.

He spotted the one who introduced himself as the Emperor of Britannia seated on one of the benches that surrounded the fountain, holding something in one hand that he couldn't quite make out in the darkness. He approached as the Emperor stood up, eyes observing him with caution.

"Lelouch vi Britannia."

Edited 2009-03-10 15:42 (UTC)

They hadn't introduced themselves properly, out of the network, and yet, when this young stranger before him spoke his name, Lelouch knew who he was, beyond the knowledge of the name. This was no ordinary person.

"Setsuna F. Seiei," he said simply, stepping forward and pocketing the chess pieces in hands. Despite the introduction he had given Setsuna over the network, Lelouch knew that allowing himself to act the role of the cold Britannian Emperor would only intimidate the younger man. That role had been created to instill fear and hatred in people, after all. He decided he would deal with Setsuna normally, as Lelouch Lamperouge. He would inspire enough trust in this person, enough to ensure Setsuna's full support. It could never compare to what Suzaku could have offered, but that was a failure in his part; a matter of poor timing for both of them. If he weren't confident that the deities couldn't possibly be fully like gods, he'd have believed that poor timing in Suzaku and his presence in within the city was their doing. Anger gripped him momentarily. Injustice. Perhaps, it was the curse that was inciting him more than usual, but it had to be done. If there was dissatisfaction, it was only natural to move against it. There was also more reason to move against it now, wasn't there? In a place where even people's dreams were trampled on by senseless whims, something had to be done.

He was not going to waste any time at the moment.

"Setsuna F. Seiei, would you like to rebel against the deities?" he asked, finally, and with a calm and confident smile.

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Setsuna blinked, eyes widening slightly at the straightforward manner of approach—although, perhaps, a part of him had already been suspecting such a proposal. After all, their conversation had been nowhere near innocuous.

His initial expression faded, and was replaced by the furrowing of his brows and a small frown on his lips. He held his stare for a while, doubtful as to whether he should trust this stranger or not. He had admittedly revealed classified information during their exchange, and he wasn't sure of the full intention of this person. Besides, he already had his comrades, didn't he? Fellow members of Celestial Being, people who he had fought alongside—and will continue to. And yet, they still hadn't been able to change anything...

He quickly shook his thoughts away and finally spoke up:

"Why me?"

The question was simple, made up of only two words even, and yet it carried such a weight that Lelouch knew he needed to answer this well if he was to have Setsuna's working trust.

"That's a good question," Lelouch said conversationally, waving a hand in emphasis as he began an idle walk around the younger man. "And the answer is simple." He stopped here and met Setsuna's eyes with his. The temptation to simply Geass was present, but Lelouch knew that that alone would not get him anywhere. What he needed were thinking people, not subservient pawns, as delightful as having them would be in some situations.

"Because you would," he began again, that smile disappearing as he suddenly switched into a more serious tone. "Arguably, there might be more capable people within this place, people who possess more powers in more ways that one... but the question to that is simple as well; Where are they, Setsuna?"

"It is not the capable who is called by duty," the former Emperor declared. "but the willing. And once you have enough willing hands to join in to your cause, the fact that those more capable people are not doing anything is irrelevant. With numbers come a certain degree of power. And yet, even if there were power to change the world, and no will do so... it amounts to nothing."

"I am willing. Are you?"

Edited 2009-03-10 17:35 (UTC)

The willing...

One thing was certain: There was no question about Setsuna's willingness to fight against the deities. As more curses affected the citizens, the more his determination to find a way to end the cause of all these troubles rose. And he would, he told himself countless times, with his Gundam. But repairs on Exia have been slow; Haro can only do so much by himself and with limited resources. Aside from that, the information about the deities was limited. Perhaps with someone else to assist...

"I am willing," he responded, not breaking eye contact. "But what can you do?"

Lelouch met the suddenly scrutinizing eyes with trained nonchalance. Of course, that question would have to be asked eventually. After all, what could he be capable of, looking the way he was? He was no Suzaku; he certainly had no physical prowess to prove his worth with, and neither could he go about flaunting the power of Geass. Even if that were no longer the same tightly-kept secret it was before, he still preferred to minimize the chances of his own self being targeted for manipulation. The only manipulation around him was supposed to go one way; his way.

"I consider myself a fairly gifted strategist, actually," Lelouch said confidently. "You obviously possess the raw power, I'll handle the finer aspects of this operation. For example, the organization." He turned away from Setsuna finally, stepping forward several steps before stopping again. He gestured with his hands. "As equally ambitious and willed we are, we're going to need a working force to mount anything against these unseen deities." The Britannian turned sharply and eyed Setsuna slyly. "I hope you weren't planning on taking on the deities by yourself, Setsuna."

An organization, like Celestial Being, he couldn't help but think to himself. A force to end conflict by armed intervention.

But were we right...? We wanted to change the world, but in the end, it was all the same...

Nonetheless, it didn't matter in this City. In here, the source of conflict was clear. And the only way out was to fight against it. Fighting was the only thing he knew.

He gritted his teeth as Lelouch asked if he had intended to take on the deities alone. He knew Lelouch was right, that he couldn't, at least, not without Exia at its full potential. And admittedly, like in his world, if they were to fight, they would need a strategist to plan their attacks.

"Even so," he said, hands curling into fists, "My Gundam had undergone extensive damage, and is currently in need of repairs. No one in the City aside from my comrades knows it exists..."

"And the deities," Lelouch cut in, though he quickly followed it with a wave of dismissal. "If they are as omniscient as most citizens of the city believe them to be."

He spotted the way those hands had curled into fists, and continued to do so. The Gundam that Setsuna spoke of; it was very clear that this was extremely important to Setsuna, and their cause. An important weapon, perhaps something akin to the Lancelot. "And this Gundam is something that requires to be kept under extreme secrecy," Lelouch said, trailing away, as he seemed to slip into his own thoughts. "That is what's preventing you from enlisting the help of other people, isn't it?"

The question was, of course, redundant. However, Lelouch required proof; he needed to see a confirmation of this fact, if only for his own satisfaction.

Setsuna's frown deepened at the suggestion of the deities already knowing of the existence of his Gundam, because he knew it was true. During one of the curses, Exia had been taken away from him, and with the nature of the items that disappeared during the curse, the deities also knew it was of great importance.

Still, he believed they had the upper hand. As long as he had his Gundam, he could defeat them.

"Yes," he confirmed. "Haro is already working on the repairs, but he is only one mechanic. I cannot involve anyone else."

Edited 2009-03-11 13:29 (UTC)

The former Emperor closed his eyes for a moment, thinking. When he opened them again, having come to some sort of conclusion to whatever it was that had required his pause, he did so with a wave of a hand. Then he spoke again. "I see. At the very least, I trust that this Haro knows your machine's in and outs? It would be a shame to have what is possibly our strongest asset in this movement... in a state of disuse."

A pause, and then then those lips of his curved into a small smile. "If I may ask, where are you keeping it, Setsuna? Within the city, or outside?"

Setsuna watched him closely as he talked, silently agreeing to what he had said, until he got to the question of his Gundam's whereabouts. At this point, his eyes quickly narrowed, and his response was quick and unhesitating. "You are not required to learn of its whereabouts."

"Oh?" Lelouch feinted innocent surprise. Deep down, however, he had expected this response. "I only wished to see it first hand to, perhaps, see what I can do for it. I, naturally, have no desire to divulge its location, or existence to anyone else."

And then he smiled. "Or perhaps, you do not trust me?"

One of the things to know about Setsuna is that the youngest Gundam Meister is brutally honest, which can be both a blessing and a nuisance, depending on the person on the receiving end. And he had little reason to lie, especially now; Lelouch needed only to hear what was on his mind. Even if the Emperor himself wasn't entirely truthful.

But whatever deception the Emperor has been concocting, Setsuna himself had not noticed.

"We have only just met. I do not have complete trust in you." The response that came from him was blunt and straightforward. "Even if you claim to not disclose its location to others, I do not wish for you to know where Gundam has been hidden."

Edited 2009-03-13 15:03 (UTC)

"Very well," Lelouch said simply, with a wave of a hand as if to show that whatever interest he had in Setsuna's Gundam could be so easily dismissed. "I won't push you, however--" he paused and made sure to make contact with Setsuna's eyes. "--if, by some chance, I am able to find it. Is it fair game, or should I stay well away from your machine?"

He added, "A question to satisfy one's curiosity."

He frowned. He was completely sure of himself when he concealed Exia; No one could find it easily, hidden within the Wilderness, no matter how intent their search was. Admittedly, Exia's camouflage ability was no longer functioning after the battle with the UN Forces, and he had to make use of a dark gray cloth to hide his Gundam away from view. Nevertheless, anyone with malicious intent who came across it in the City would first have to learn how to either maneuver a Gundam, or how to damage it. Neither was an easy feat.

"Stay away from it," he warned, nonetheless.

Edited 2009-03-17 10:21 (UTC)

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log; ongoing

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ooc;

'kaaay! also will be going to bed nao ffff. picking up tomorrow! :)

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