tampered | [ log // ongoing ]

[ log // ongoing ]

When; Evening of March 25th.
Rating; PG.
Characters; Lockon Stratos (

haroicsacrifice) and Lelouch vi Britannia (

lel0uch).
Summary; Lockon decides to finally meet this rebellious mastermind that Setsuna's so taken with.
Log;

The sun had only just set, and the lights of the gardens were just starting to flicker on. One--the last lantern before the cemetery--cast a light over a figure sitting casually on a bench just a few feet away.

Lockon was waiting patiently. As casual as it looked, he'd taken his seat on the bench carefully, so that there wasn't quite enough room for Lelouch to sit down. He wanted to be able to stand to greet him as he approached.

There were a lot of things he hoped he could plan out for this meeting. Lockon was a socially adept and perceptive person, but not a very deliberately manipulative one. Something from their brief conversations on the Network gave him the feeling that Lelouch was a different story. Maybe that was the kind of person they needed for the rebellion, but he still bore watching if he was going to be working so closely with Setsuna.

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The leader of sorts? Naturally, Lelouch hadn't thought Setsuna was the type to actually lead, but it was a bit of a surprise to know that his "superior" was in the city. It made Lelouch curious, and as such, the moment he left his apartment, he was already planning how he would go about getting as much information on Setsuna from this person. Subtly, of course.

Following the directions Lockon had sent him ensured that he would get to their assigned meeting place without delay. He spotted Lockon easily, and was quick to employ the use of a friendly smile.

"Your directions were accurate," Lelouch began as he drew closer. "Where do we start?"

It wouldn't really be accurate to call Lockon Setsuna's superior, either--but Lockon intended to tell Lelouch as little as possible about Celestial Being's operation back home. Just because he was done there didn't mean that there weren't secrets to keep.

As Lelouch approached, Lockon pushed himself easily off the bench and rose to his feet. He met the friendly smile with his own--a fairly impressive one, since if there was anything he could craft, it was a friendly smile.

"Let's start with introductions," he said. "I know you're Lelouch vi Britannia, and you might know that I'm Lockon Stratos, but it's good to hear it for sure all the same."

He held out a hand--gloved, but not so heavily that it would mask the warmth of his grasp. If there was any warmth to be had. Which there wasn't.

For a split second, a very brief moment, Lelouch hesitated to take that hand, but as he reached out to meet the extended hand with his, he rationalized to himself how foolish that moment of failure had been. To begin with, his death was far from something he was ashamed of, and keeping it a secret and skirting around the topic would yield him no special advantage. If any, it was likely the revelation could, in fact, be used as a tool. He'd leave that for later.

With his bare hand, Lelouch took Lockon's and gave it a reasonably friendly grip. He noticed the lack of warmth from the other man, but while he opened himself up for the possibility of this man being dead like him, he merely kept up the friendly smile.

"It's nice to meet you... personally, Lockon," he said simply.

And Lockon had his answer. Something serious flickered across his smile as he went through the handshake, but it wasn't very recognizable, and then it was gone.

"It does make things easier," he said. And then he sat down on the bench, this time leaving plenty of room for Lelouch, and gestured for him to sit down too if he wanted.

"We should get to business," he said. "If you could call it business. The others don't know I'm here, and I want to keep it that way. This is just between you and me."

He took a deep breath. Unnecessary, of course. But that was one habit that was hard to shake. "So, Lelouch, what do you think of Setsuna F. Seiei?"

The question made Lelouch look at Lockon questioningly. It was such a simple question and yet Lelouch knew this was quite obviously a test. Well, it wasn't as if he was going to tell Lockon plainly what he really thought about Setsuna.

"In what way?" Lelouch asked first. "As a comrade, or as an individual?"

"I guess that was kind of a vague question, huh?" Lockon laughed a little. "I'll try asking you something more specific."

It only took a few seconds, but his smile faded into a ghost of what it was.

"How much are you willing to put him through for the sake of your rebellion?"

But though Lockon had obviously shifted into a more serious stance in their conversation, Lelouch kept on smiling calmly. "You're worried that I'll send him to his death while I lounge comfortably in the shadows, aren't you?"

There was no use dancing around the subject, and in asking this, Lelouch intended to cement a few suspicious, and find more about this friend.

"Something like that," Lockon agreed, smiling once more. If Lelouch wanted to keep up the pleasant air, then he'd oblige as well. "I didn't think you'd lounge in the shadows, though. I hope I wasn't wrong."

He paused for a moment, then added, "Setsuna has things he still needs to do back home. This rebellion can't interfere with that."

Lelouch laughed, and finally took that moment to take a seat beside the older man. "I don't intend to lounge in the shadows," he explained calmly, staring ahead. "A king has to move after all if he desires action in his subjects' part."

He paused and then sat back. "And I've taken into account Setsuna's unfinished business, so don't worry about that. I'll take extra measures to ensure he finishes whatever obligation he has in your world. That's a satisfactory exchange for his participation in this rebellion, isn't it?"

"A king, huh? I thought you were an emperor." Lockon's tone was casual, bantering. "But then I don't really know the difference."

He fell silent for a moment as he processed that answer. "It's all right with me. Whether it's a 'satisfactory exchange' is up to Setsuna himself, I think. The same goes for Allelujah, too, you know, and Tieria when he does decide to join."

"A reference to chess pieces," Lelouch said with a dismissive wave of a hand. "I happen to enjoy chess," he glanced towards Lockon. "And in my world, chess gambling was a common hobby for the rich and privileged."

"Do you play chess?"

Lockon shook his head. "I'm not really an intellectual guy like that. I fight, and I try to take care of the people around me. That's all the hobbies I have time for."

He turned slightly, to look long and hard at Lelouch. "I hope you're not thinking of my friends as chess pieces."

Of course, he had a suspicion that Lelouch was, and if he was that kind of person, nothing Lockon could say was likely to change that. But he needed to say something about it anyway.

It was so easy to read Lockon, so easy to trace what kind of motivation inspired those words. It reminded Lelouch vaguely of Suzaku, but only vaguely.

"Humans can never be like chess pieces," Lelouch said, part to assure Lockon, but more to state a fact. "For one, chess pieces don't have thoughts or wills of their own, and are bound by the laws of the game. Humans are much more complicated." He smiled and continued explaining, elaborating, but only slightly, with his hands. "They have the power to bend the rules, to go against the rules, and to, obviously, change the atmosphere of the conflict in an instant."

Finally, he finished with the statement, "No, Lockon. I don't think of your friends as chess pieces alone."

Edited 2009-03-26 07:42 (UTC)

Silence from Lockon for a long moment as he weighed this over. It was all rather more philosophical and intellectual than he usually preferred. But he could tell that beneath it all was someone who did see people as chess pieces, or something like them--but at least he seemed to know some of the problems with that.

Lelouch wasn't the ideal leader to follow. But they weren't in ideal circumstances, and for now, he'd have to do. This still could be good for Setsuna and the others, Lockon decided.

But what he said was this: "Well, you can think of me as a chess piece if you want, so long as you protect my friends." He smiled. "It doesn't matter what happens to me here; I'm not going back."

A small part of Lelouch was aware of how ineffective his speech had been--there were flaws in it he could easily pick out moments later-- but he waved that thought off. It was of little consequence; he'd fix it if it came to it.

What really caught Lelouch's attention was Lockon's final words. I'm not going back. That was all the confirmation Lelouch needed. It made him sneer almost, but only because of his own situation.

"So, that wasn't just a cold handshake," he stated.

Lockon almost laughed--no, he did laugh a little, but it was a brief and self-deprecating noise. He looked down at his hands. "No. It wasn't."

He straightened back up and glanced back at Lelouch, again with a smile. "It doesn't bother me," he said, quite sincerely. "But it bothers them, so if you put me in danger it should be where they don't see it."

He was aware, of course, that Lelouch could just as easily put Setsuna in danger where Lockon couldn't see it. But he intended to make that as difficult as possible. To wit: "But in return, I want to know what's going on with this rebellion as much as possible. I don't mean tell me all the strategic details. I'm not too good with that stuff anyway. I mean don't hide what you're doing with the people in it from me."

The smile had faded as he spoke, but now it returned, with that same charming quality as before. "I can help you with that, after all. I get the feeling that in some ways, I can do a better job of watching out for them than you can."

The warning was said in advance, Lelouch noted as he didn't really have any plans to use Lockon in that manner. It worked as a double-edged sword for Lockon, however, as the same warning let Lelouch on the value he had to his teammates. He'd surely have a use for that one day.

"I intend to be as a forthcoming with the details regarding our campaign as possible," he said without a hint of secrecy. It was all true, in any case; he did include as possible in his speech. He was certainly going to keep information that would break down the rebellion from them, for example. "And of course, I'd appreciate your help. I imagine that someone from another world wouldn't know your friends as well to be able to effectively watch over them. Like a big brother. Are you perhaps the oldest?"

Unfortunately, while Lockon didn't have Setsuna's little problem with spilling secrets left and right, he also didn't have the same manipulative, calculating mind as Lelouch. It just didn't occur to him to hide from an ally, even a dubious one, that his friends cared about him.

"Well..." He hesitated. "I'm the oldest now. They'll get older."

For the first time, he showed a hint of vulnerability...of something troubling him. It wasn't quite regret over his death, as he'd meant it earlier when he said it didn't bother him. Something else. But he said nothing more of it for now.

"It's not just them, you know," he said instead. "I've made friends in this City--"

Insofar as Lockon Stratos really made friends at all. He didn't, not really; he became your friend, but he never let you close enough to be his.

"I'll help them out, when they're with your rebellion."

It wasn't an easy thing for him to say--not because of the deeper reticence that plagued him so much when discussing himself, but because being everyone's big brother, shaping himself to their emotional needs, was something that had become instinct for him. He used it to shape the team, yes, and sometimes consciously; but thinking of using it on a broader scale, and more deliberately, was difficult for him to frame.

But he thought he could try.

And like Suzaku, at least before their last partnership, Lockon would obviously have problems with deliberately using a natural trait for obvious gain. Or as a tool. Lelouch had no such problems, not anymore and especially not when he was confident in his goals, and his accountability in the matter. The last phases of Zero Requiem would have been difficult to carry out if it weren't for the surety that at the end of it all, he was to meet his end at Suzaku, no, Zero's hand. Likewise, in this place, he was no longer afraid of going to the extremes, and shouldering the consequences of that. Though there was certainly the chance, a small one albeit, of regaining his life in this place, there would also be gain in the other path. He at least meant it when he said he intended to make sure Lockon's friends were kept safe.

"Don't worry," he reassured Lockon with a smile, "I won't allow you to do it on your own, at least. Mr. Lockon." He purposely shifted into a more light-hearted tone, the same kind he would have used to Rolo before. Fake, but almost genuine, kindness. A lie. It wouldn't hurt to see what kind of reaction that would get. If he didn't have to live up to the name "Lelouch vi Britannia" and uphold the legacy Zero Requiem was supposed to have left, leading this rebellion would have been easier. But he was certainly up for the challenge. Lelouch was never one to step down from one, especially not when he could justify continuing with the existence of people sharing his same desires.

The rebellion simply had to go on, not for his sake alone, but for the others.

But it was certainly a benefit for him.

There was something to be said for being dead: it really freed a man from worrying about consequences. Of course, you had to have a certain kind of damage to appreciate the benefits.

Fortunately for Lelouch and his plans, Lockon had that kind of damage.

He studied Lelouch thoughtfully for a moment, trying to tell just how sincere he was. After a while, he came to the conclusion that it didn't really matter, because for now, their goals aligned. "Don't worry about it. My friends will be trying their best too, and I'm sure you'll find plenty of other allies. And so long as I know what's going on with them, I can help you."

He paused, then added, "Aside from that, I'm not really a whole lot of use. You can't exactly shoot the gods. I guess I could look after Setsuna, but that's about it."

So there was your choice, Lelouch: let Lockon in on what you do with the people under your command, and gain an ally who could understand and support them better than you ever could. Shut him out, and he would do nothing except second-guess every decision you made for its potential risk to Setsuna.

And Lelouch knew exactly how to play with people like that; people who wanted, and expected honesty out of people. Contrary to common belief, it wasn't difficult at all to be honest. Lelouch could be very honest to Lockon; and he intended to be. However, Lelouch's honesty didn't mean full-disclosure. It never did. Keeping secrets was a part of Lelouch's strengths. He valued and acknowledged the power of information.

"We'll find out if we can actually shoot the deities," Lelouch said with a smile. "And I'm sure you'll have a lot of us, Lockon. If I can be of use, then I'm sure you can be of use too." Certainly. "Especially in the carrying out of the next stage."

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