tampered | log; open

log; open

When; Monday, March 23rd, evening
Rating; G?
Characters; Lelouche Vi Britannia (

lel0uch) and Clow Reed (

i_themagician) and WHOEVER ELSE WANTS A PIECE OF THE ACTION
Summary; Two guys taking evening walks bump into each other and hold an impromptu contest to see who can be more manipulative.
Log;

Not real rain, but that kind of rain that's just slightly more than mist but less than drizzle, where the drops don't so much fall but float in a somewhat downwardly direction. It was warm enough to be without a hat or scarf but too cool to forgo a coat or cloak, and so Clow's face and hair were damp by now with little droplets having collected on his spectacles. He didn't seem to pay the rain any mind as he walked seemingly without purpose towards the center of the City, lost in thought.

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Lelouch was in deep thought as he walked quietly along the streets, an umbrella in one hand to shield himself from the rain. He had quite the list of things to do today, and right on top of it was the overseeing of the graffiti's he'd ordered some people to do. Of course, by overseeing, it didn't mean that he had intended to personally watch them as they did it, but he wanted to see just how everything was. The aftermath, that was, and if the deities hadn't erased them yet. So far, it seemed as if his calculations had been correct; unless the vandalism went to great lengths, he had surmised that the deities were more likely to ignore it than anything.

He stopped at a particularly big graffiti splayed on a wall... somewhat hidden, but definitely visible from where he stood at the street.

"THE DEITIES NEED TO BE SHOWN THE POWER OF MAN!"

It made Lelouch frown a bit, but he supposed the tastelessness added to its authenticity.

After he finished his rounds, he intended to go shopping; he did miss on the opportunity to return Miss Yuuki's Valentine's gift on White Day, after all. No doubt, Miss Yuuki was upset. He had to rectify that.

Distracted as he was with his own thoughts, Clow saw Lelouch stop to look at the wall since the other gentleman was not far ahead of him on the path - it's natural human instinct to look where others are looking. If what he saw made Lelouch frown, however, Clow had to keep from laughing.

"I hope people aren't getting the wrong idea from that," he remarks offhandedly, as though to no one in particular.

"And what impression does it leave to you?"

The Britannian royal regarded the older man with a warm smile; the kind a naive, and trusting teenager would have given the situation. For now, Lelouch intended to play the simple teenager wandering the city streets in search of the perfect gift to save his life. It was partially true, except, of course, there was a question of why a young man like him was doing his shopping in the evening.

However, he had a simple answer for that question, if it came up.

"It could mean a lot of things," he replied thoughtfully, carefully dodging the actual question. Not that it would have been so horrible to answer, but he simply didn't know how to do so truthfully. He just couldn't approach it in the same way as other people.

"What do you think?"

The man wasn't forthcoming with answers; that immediately had Lelouch's suspicion's up, if only because it had become second nature for him to be wary of everyone's true intentions. He waved a hand in dismissal, "I think we over analyze things too much, often times. Sometimes--" he purposely returned his attention to the graffiti, as if signaling for the other man to do so as well. "the literal meaning is enough."

"Which literal meaning, though?" Clow followed the signal dutifully; no reason not to. "'Man' could mean humans, or human males. More likely it refers to everyone in the City, but there are a lot of people here who aren't human at all. So the literal meanings are no good."

He shrugged, as if acknowledging his tendency to over-think these things. Words are important, however, and shouldn't be misused or thrown about willy-nilly. "Perhaps it's enough for most people that the intention is obvious."

"And perhaps energies are better spent on action rather than getting the right words and meanings across," Lelouch put forward helpfully. He paused, and then turned to give the other man a smile. "Your thoughts on that?"

Clow grinned back. "If it were possible I'd rather skip writing on buildings altogether and jump straight to the action."

Truthfully, Lelouch agreed with that; however, faced with such a great undertaking, he was also aware that there was power in numbers that could not be emulated by a handful of people. "But before there can be significant action, there needs to be numbers. A mass of like-minded people." He briefly glanced at the other man. "That, I believe, was the intent behind this."

He stopped there and allowed a few moments to pass before turning and approaching the other man finally.

"I'm Lelouch. And you?"

Clow had figured as much, that's why he had said 'if it were possible.' But he didn't mind, and it needed to be said even if they both already knew it. Openings needed to be created.

"Clow Reed." He gave a slight bow, acknowledging the atmosphere that Lelouch's dramatic pauses created. "And I agree, but how are all those people to know how to get involved? A mass of like-minded people does little good if its energy is not focused."

At this, Lelouch smiled knowingly; on purpose because he recognized this man from the network, and because the man seemed sufficiently interested. There was also the fact that Lelouch was confident in his ability to charm his way out of compromising situations, change perceptions and the like with a few well-timed smiles and carefully chosen words. If this man wasn't going to yield anything profitable for him and the rebellion he was fostering, then he could walk away cleanly.

"In life, there are always opportunities--" Lelouch began. "Fleeting chances that need to be grasped at that very moment. If they are ignored and left to slide past then life goes on as it was meant to for you at the beginning; but when grasped, when taken and accepted--" He made a grasping motion with his hand to put emphasis into his words. "--you open yourself up to possibilities never before available."

"Perhaps, Mr. Clow, this 'fleeting chance' will come to them, and they will be offered the choice to take another path... or not. But, I ask you, Mr. Clow... were you presented with this opportunity, what would you do?"

"I'd take it," Clow replied after a split-second pause, although his voice and manner were confident enough. It was as if this were the only choice that existed for him, and in at least one sense it was. "I might find myself at odds with that decision in the end, but I would never know what lay down that path without at least beginning to walk it."

Those were the words that Lelouch wanted to hear; and no matter the depth of this man's sincerity, at this point of time, there was no bar set yet for recruits, no connections to deities to consider and the like, after all, for the moment the enemy was a simple group of people wielding otherwordly powers; the deities. There were no organizations, no factions, no other people directly in support with the deities... as of yet. If this man, this Clow Reed, would allow himself to be used, then Lelouch was going to do so, and to whatever lengths he needed to. And when Clow Reed reached the point where he was finally "at odds" with his decision, then Lelouch was sure he'd have made good use of him already.

He smiled and extended a hand towards Clow. "Will you accept my opportunity, then?"

Clow almost chuckled, amused at the little facade they'd both been playing at. There was a decent enough chance that he saw right through Lelouch's from the start, but he couldn't tell if the reverse was true. Whatever the case, although the magician had danced this dance before he had never attempted to ally with his partners. He would almost certainly be used, he realized, but he might also be able to use Lelouch in turn and if he could do that effectively enough he would never find reason to leave whatever group the younger man was organizing. This could be the beginning of a fulfilling alliance for both of them, and the notion that it was starting out of the sort of seduction and flirtation that was usually associated with enmity excited Clow.

He returned the smile and took the offered hand - one assumes that it was for shaking, but as far as Clow was concerned it was an invitation to further dancing. He'd even let Lelouch lead. "I'd be glad to."

For a few moments, words were not required as they simply held hands; at least, for his part, Lelouch was content to smile calmly at Clow. He knew that the man before him was, without a doubt, someone to be reckoned with. That response was almost instantaneous, and not as a result of ignorance and superficiality. This man had, to some extent, known his intent from the beginning -- or a certain point during their fateful meeting. Even if it nagged at the back of his head and incited a healthy dose of paranoia, Lelouch was, once again, content to let it be. He reassured himself that regardless of whether or not this man had intentions, and the ability, to use him as well, then they would only be giving and taking. After all, wasn't that the way of the world? To accept what it is that you yourself deign to give out. To be shot at and to shoot.

Yes, this line of thought was perfectly satisfactory. Lelouch could easily dismiss the tiny paranoia with this. And it wasn't as if he had been completely ignorant as well of the man's nature.

Finally, Lelouch let go with a small sigh and a smile, effectively slipping back into the casual role he'd began this meeting with. "How about I contact you shortly? A chess match in the near future sound good, Mr. Clow?"

Edited 2009-03-26 01:41 (UTC)

Clow nodded, still smiling and slipping back into a less calculating frame of mind himself. "I'll be looking forward to it, Lelouch."

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