Code Geass: Kallen of the Revolution

[Corwin]

<--->

Babel tower. A wretched hive of villainy, her brother often jokes, but this would be the first time Kallen lays her eyes on it. Stanley Stadtfeld is an absentee father for the most part. Usually, it is because he spends his time doing business in places like this, but today he made a special exception for Kallen to accompany him. Perhaps it is guilt for not spending enough time with her, or for missing her sixteenth birthday a week ago, when he was out of the country. Whatever the reason, Kallen finally has her chance to be out of the house and experience Britannian culture at its finest.

Despite that, Kallen dresses quite casually, favouring denim shorts and a form-fitting top. Babel tower, a symbol of man's inability to communicate- both classically and literally, to her mind. Even without her brother's stories, she's read the papers and even some illicit magazines, spread about through the ghettos, and they've clued her in to what goes inside that place.

If her father feels guilty, she reflects, he has an odd way of showing it. When she finishes preparing, she heads out of her room and down to the elaborate foyer of their house. "Dad! I'm ready!" she calls. Even so, it has been a while since she got together with her father, and she won't begrudge him (this time.)

"Kallen, what are you wearing?" her mother gasps, hiding her shocked expression behind her hand. She had been waiting just outside Kallen's room. "That's not how a proper lady should dress," she scolds quietly, throwing worried glances behind her back to check whether anyone has seen her.

"Then I should be just fine in Babel Tower," she replies, confidently and with just a hint of foolish pride. "What's the problem? It's not like I'm there to do business or anything."

"You can't embarrass your father," Kasumi Kouzuki tells her, looking reproachfully at her rebellious daughter. "Not in front of his business partners."

"Hmph, I'm just there to get shown off, am I?" mutters Kallen, with a black look. She likes these shorts, dammit! It's hard to run in a dress. Those proper lady clothes never really facilitate athletics.

"Don't be like that," her mother says, her eyes pleading now. "You need to be ready soon, if you want to be on time. And you want to impress everyone, don't you?"

Using that trick isn't fair at all, thinks Kallen. How can you say no to eyes like that? Ever since simply scolding her failed to get results, her parents have been resorting to dirty tactics like that, and they work almost every single time.

Maybe it's a sign that she's not fifteen any longer. Fine, just for today, she'll play the proper young noblewoman. "I'll go change," she mutters, admitting defeat.

Kasumi pats Kallen on her head, just like she used to do when the redhead was still young, before it became too embarrassing and she demanded that her mother stop.

"Mum!" she complains, as her justifications for feeling mature plummet and become a damning indictment of her all too obvious youth. She stomps back inside her room and slams the door in a very unladylike fashion, before rooting thorugh the more disused segments of her wardrobe for a dress.

Emerging in a slightly less daring outfit (less leg, a little more clevage), she nonetheless draws the line at wearing heels.

When Kallen is reunited with her father, he looks her over, seeming to approve of her appearance. He makes no comment on her tardiness, almost acting like it is expected.

A limousine driven by a local servant Kallen had not seen before takes them through the Tokyo settlement. Babel Tower looms ahead, located near the border with the ghetto, and Stanley looks dispassionately outside at the fenced off area where Elevens struggle to make ends meet.

Kallen is somewhat less dispassionate, but takes at least some satisfaction that she and her brother's efforts haven't gone entirely to waste over the past few months. It's unfortunate that if her father knew, helping would suddenly become much, much harder. For now, at least, access to her allowance gets more done than being grounded but vocal about her misgivings.

Getting her mind of things, she decides to talk. "So... what're we doing at the tower?"

"I'm meeting a few scientists," he responds, being unusually open with Kallen. Often, the best way to ensure her father would close up and act indifferent is to ask him about his work. "They are looking for investors, and the Stadtfeld family may yet sponsor them."

"What kind of scientists?" asks Kallen, willing and able to pry. The core details of business would be what her father looked at, of that she was certain, and so he'd be looking at the probability of a good return.

Kallen, for her part, was mainly interested in what they were producing.

"Pharmaceutecals," Stanley says curtly. Though his expression never changes, something in his posture makes Kallen think that he's waiting for something. His next words support that feeling, when he asks, "Would you like to see their brochure?"

"Sure," she replies, shrugging. She already doesn't like them, however. Pharmaceutecals need test subjects, and there's no shortage of those in Japan so desperate for money that they'd subject their bodies to all sorts of odd things. After all, it's often more accurate to test on humans than animals.

The brochure doesn't go into the testing methods, instead featuring glossy diagrams and graphs of progress, indicating successes which look entirely too inflated. Even with Kallen's limited knowledge, she doesn't believe that it is possible to achieve such results in the amount of time that is shown for development. The projected payoff is likewise off the charts. This is the first time Kallen is confronted with the amount of wealth her father holds, if he is getting involved in business ventures such as this.

"What do you think?" he asks, and it doesn't sound like a casual question.

"It stinks," she replies, candidly. "They're too desperate for support."

"They do seem that way," Stanley agrees. "And still, knowing this, I am headed to meet them. What does that tell you?"

"If the venture receives enough capital from other sources, then it could still be profitable? Besides, the company itself could present other opportunities. And there's always seeing who else is interested in their product."

"All true," he agrees, nodding. "But above all, I've had the Holy Grail Foundation run through an extensive background check, and its results suggest that fantastic as the numbers seem, they might actually be underestimating what they are sitting on. A true panacea, existing in the modern age of sakuradite and knightmares. It would revolutionize the world."

"By panacea, you mean a kind of universal medicine?" asks Kallen, suddenly interested. "That.. that would be incredible! If they could produce it in sufficient quantities..."

"From appearances, they are actually trying to weaken it, creating different strands specifically tailored for various inflictions and ailments to boost the potential profits," Stanley continues, shaking his head. "Incredibly, this seems to be what they seek funding for, as they've run into technical difficulties while their current source of funds is having second thoughts."

"That... doesn't seem right. Wouldn't that make it harder to access for those who need it?"

"Those who need it are the ones who can afford the treatment, as with everything else in life," he says.

"How expensive is it likely to be?" asks Kallen, dubiously. Not everyone is born into wealth, and most people can't help it when their nation gets invaded. Life isn't fair naturally, but when the means to make it so is discarded...

"Astronomically so, at first. Then, once competition catches up, prices would drop, but the acquired brand name would ensure they continue to sell well."

He pauses briefly, before adding, "You would be provided for, of course, should you need anything."

That's Stanley Stadtfield for you, as awkward as ever. It irritates Kallen. She doesn't get sick to begin with, and there are too many out there that do.

"I'll try and avoid putting it to the test," she defers, glancing out the window at the oncoming tower.

He shifts, perhaps in discomfort.

"You are the Stadtfeld heir, Kallen, and no longer a little girl," Stanley Stadtfeld says at last. He lays his elbows on his knees, leaning forward. "You are true nobility, and as such, have a great duty. To Britannia, to the crown, to your family name. It comes above all else. Getting involved in the business world will help you learn all you need to do to make me proud."

That catches Kallen rather off-guard. It's not like her father to be this frank, and she's momentarily silent. But there's something missing.

"I thought Naoto was to be the heir," she replies, cautiously. "He's older, after all."

"Someone who runs off to play resistance in the ghettos can't be the heir to the Stadtfeld name," he says, a note of something Kallen can't easily identify in his voice. Is that disappointment? Anger? "He has too much of his mother in him."

Stanley's eyes bore into Kallen. "Your grades are excellent, and despite your naivete, so is your mind. You have all the qualities one needs to make it in the real world. To succeed me."

It's the moment of truth, isn't it? Learning the trade and then succeeding in the business world would certainly put Kallen in a position to get things done. In a decade or so, maybe. If she's willing to ignore people who all need help right now.

But it's rather too late for her father to try and put his values into her. "The real world? What's that? Hiding in limosuines and glass towers?"

He sighs, and the eye contact breaks. "Perhaps you are too young to see beyond instant gratification, Kallen. It doesn't matter. You still have two years yet to mature, before you have a real responsibility to uphold. That time might be what you need to go past empty rhetoric."

"It's not me who needs gratification," retorts Kallen, staring back at the Eleven- no, the Japanese ghetto. Did her mother really marry this man? Was she always that meek?

"If we're talking about the responsibilities of nobility, what about those 'beneath' us? It's two-way, isn't it?"

After giving it a moment's though, Kallen doubts any sort of marriage actually took place between her parents.

"We hold a responsibility for those under our command," Stanley agrees. "Be that in combat, business or other aspects of life, that remains true. Beyond those working for the Stadtfelds, however, the responsibility falls onto the other noble houses, with the crown caring for those left."

"Well, they don't do a very good job," replies Kallen, petulantly. "Someone has to pick up the slack."

"The proper way would be to lead by example," Stanley tells her patiently, now reclining in the limo's leather-covered seats. "It is also the most effective, except when it comes to royals. But realistically, Kallen, you would not have many direct dealings with them."

"Who'd want to? Just looking at Prince Clovis on the television is enough to make me sick. If the others are anything like him..."

"Be that a teenage outburst or your true feelings, you would do well to keep them strictly to yourself," he says sharply. "If you are tried for Lese Majeste, even I won't be able to do anything about that."

"Of all the.." mutters Kallen. Lese Majeste? That such a law exists is surely proof of inequity. Some can't stand up to criticism, so they execute the voices responsible? That's not justice.

But no matter what she wants, Kallen can't refute the truths of this world. Some people are born into power and stay there, and that's just how it is. All the people who could change the world have no reason to want to do so. It's just luck. Could she be different? It's a nice thought, but it doesn't seem likely from her position.

"People are not equal," Stanley says, as if having read Kallen's thoughts. "The personal motto of Charles di Britannia. One might say it's one of the key truths in our world, one you can't go against no matter how much you try and struggle. But after accepting it and finding your place in the world, you can start to exercize your influence in earnest."

"People are the same," replies Kallen. "Everyone wants the same things, don't they? Food, family, happiness. There's enough in the world to go around. If people aren't born equal, then it should be the job of those with power to make it so. Otherwise, what's the point?"

"Whenever people are artificially made equal, stagnation occurs," Stanley tells her. "Look at the EU, or the Chinese Federation. Social stagnation. Financial stagnation. People stop going forward. Humanity halts. Rather than working harder to provide better for their family, to gain prestiege to feed their egos, for whatever reason -- people start putting in the least amount of effort into their jobs. Why bother? They would be provided for equally just the same. More and more would live on welfare, inevitably, taking this theory to its logical conclusion and resulting in the total collapse of the system. The same holds true for other systems than economics, of course."

"That's all theorizing," retorts Kallen. "You can't judge people by that."

She sighs, moodily slouching in her seat. "Besides, it ignores the individuals. When people aren't equal, the top might be very nice, but those at the bottom have no hope without help, no matter how much they fight. It takes luck and circumstance if you go it alone. Or did the Stadtfeld family truly climb by itself, from the beginning?"

"It does allow for certain movement, mostly within the social class but sometimes beyond it," Stanley accepts. "The Honorary Britannian system is the best example of this. However, it is pure arrogance for an Eleven to hold hope that he would become the next Emperor of Britannia. If you accept this statement as truth, you are in fact embracing His Royal Highness's motto. As for the Stadtfelds, our achievements go back to the time where the new continent which was to become our homeland was discovered. The conditions were different, allowing for an opportunity for us to move up. An opportunity, perhaps, like the one dangling before us right now."

"I don't deny that there his truth in his motto," retorts Kallen. "It's an unfortunate aspect of society. I don't accept that if it was no longer true, people would crumble. That's all I'm going to say about it.

"As for this opportunity, tell me, what really changes if we seize it?"

"We are neither Pendragon sycophants nor highly-placed enough in society to affect events on a truly global scale. In this Area 11... perhaps, but not beyond it. These medical developments, however, are years -- even decades -- ahead of anything else currently in development, not to speak of what is publicly available. Control over that would translate into power even more than the revenue would."

"And then what? We have power, but where does it go?" asks Kallen, frowning. "What's the Stadtfeld plan for the world, Dad?"

Stanley looks conflicted for the first time since the conversation started. He looks outside, finding something in the distance very interesting all of a sudden.

"It's Babel Tower," Stanley tells his daughter. "We're about to arrive. This conversation would have to wait for another time."

And he is right. The tower is just ahead, its majestic appearance concealing the acts that take place within for the amusement of Britannians.

<--->

[Corwin]

<--->

Opulence greets Kallen from every corner, as exaggerated and decadent as they come. This must be how Prince Clovis lives, her mind supplies spitefully. But the Governer-General of Area 11 does not rub shoulders with the kind of people that frequent Babel Tower.

The crowd is mixed, and the difference is always easy to spot. The Britannians are the smiling, the fat, the pleased. The Elevens all serve them, their eyes downcast. A man is fighting a lion with nothing but a sword and shield in an arena below. He must also be Eleven. His arms have gashes, but the lion is chained, and seems to be losing as a result. Britannians are cheering; not everyone for the man, Kallen notes.

Her father walks past all this, straight past the kowtowing serving girls and into a back room. Several men are there, including a particularly obese one. His baldness only accentuates that fact. A dark-skinned man with bleached dreadlocks who carries himself no less arrogantly than a noble is seated across from them at the oval table. Stanley Stadtfeld moves to seat at the same side, albeit at a distance from the other man. He gives Kallen no visible cues, but she feels that she is expected to follow him.

Kallen doesn't act rashly, but nor does she make an effort to hide her disgust. Viewing the surroundings with contempt, she wonders if people will assume she's merely another arrogant noblewoman. Certainly a number of the other ladies she saw had such expressions, though their context is certainly very different.

Unspeaking, she takes a seat next to her father, already wishing she hadn't got out of bed today.

The Elevens she passed closely by flinch, so Kallen's mask, if that is what it is, seems to work.

"Good, you're here," the man with dreadlocks says loudly. "And you even brought a date. Wish I'd thought of that."

Stanley doesn't acknowledge him. "Mister Asprius," he speaks, and the bald man starts. "I believe we're here to listen to your presentation." His tone makes it clear that he wants to proceed swiftly.

Kallen's brief glance at the man speaks volumes.

As for the Elevens, perhaps they, too, deserve her contempt. Do they think that working here could ever improve their lot? There's no bright future for people who debase themselves like that. She tries not to think about what that makes her, right now.

And yet, not everyone has a Britannian father to give them another option.

Asprius struggles out of his seat, and one of his aides dims the lights, as a presentation appears on screen descending from behind them. As Kallen watches, the same glossy pictures from the brochure scroll across. No questions are asked; the presentation progresses quickly.

"Why one should invest is obvious," Stanley states when the lights come back on, the screen remaining hanging in the background. "Yet, why you would beg for funds is not."

Asprius looks uncomfortable, wiping the sweat acquired on his forehead with a large handkerchief. Kallen catches the hint of a family crest on it; the man must be nobility himself, albeit likely of far lesser standing than her own.

The higher nobles get to be blunt to those beneath them, who in turn harbour grudges and seek to raise their status. This isn't just a business meeting, but a reaffirmation of rank. It's all terribly pointless.

So why does she feel so smug when her father puts the man in his place? Kallen places her elbows on the table, leaning forward in anticipation of the man's response. It doesn't seem like a simple case of nerves at meeting such influential figures.

As her father raises an eyebrow ever so slightly, Asprius throws a glance at Kallen. Unlike those the man seated on her father's side had been throwing her none too discretely, this is hardly a leer.

"Kallen will be heading the project, if we decide to involve ourselves. She needs to know everything," Stanley says, brooking no disagreement.

The dreadlocked man whistles, eyeing her speculatively, now.

Kallen is surprised despite herself. The first, stupid thought that leaps into her mind is that between her ghetto escapades and this new project, there's no way she's going to have any time to get schoolwork done.

"Please, go ahead," she urges, attempting to mask her feelings on the matter for the sake of proprietry. If she really is in charge, then she's wonderfully poised to make a difference.

Given her age and her father, though, that remains a pretty big if.

"R-Right," Asprius says. He wipes at his brow again as a futile way to gain some time to think, the act transparent to Kallen. "We have made many advances at the facility we currently have, but with more space and better equipment, our effectiveness would rise considerably."

"This means hiring more staff as well?" the dark-skinned man speaks, being on topic for the first time since the meeting started.

"Ah, no," Asprius responds. "We feel it is, umm, imprudent to train more men at this time. Our experiments are very, ah, specialized."

"Doesn't that have implications for when we go into production?" asks Kallen, trying to think back to what studies she's actually accomplished in the field of business.

"Well, true...." The handkerchief makes an appearance again. Asprius's hand is shaking.

"Why don't we cut straight to the chase?" a woman asks. She seems to be in her mid-twenties. Her skin is dark as well, though of a different shade than that belonging to Kallen's admirer. She is briefly reminded of her history lessons, of when the Holy Britannian Empire made an effort to civilize the savages that had illegally occupied the land that was to become Dallas eventually rather than crushing them as they only deserved for the impunity. "The reason you two are here is because we can trust your discretion."

As Asprius stares at her in shock, the woman continues. "It is a manner of permits. Some of the equipment and perishables we require need them, and we don't want to answer any questions why we would like to acquire them. Bribing our way all the way up to the Governor-General's office is also an unappealing option."

Acting illegally isn't something that automatically garners Kallen's ire, not anymore- it's about who's doing so, and why. She wonders how much of the Statdfeld's wealth rides on decisions made in places like Babel Tower. They wouldn't have been invited if such dealings hadn't been made before, after all- never mind their trustworthy discretion.

When she thinks about it, she's almost amused. Perhaps, if she'd been a more straight-laced daughter, she wouldn't be here today.

"What sort of materials are you referring to? Regardless of your feelings towards the state office, I would like to see a projection of where our funds will go."

Perhaps Kallen is right; an outsider wouldn't be invited so casually. Yet her father did claim that this opportunity was unique, on par with that which centuries ago placed them where they are now.

"Very well," the woman says, and pushing her slipping glasses further up the the bridge of her nose, begins to explain. Her speech is almost too rapid to understand, but Kallen feels relief at it, as most of the terms go over her head. Asprius was not lying when he said that the field of study was quite specialized. The only things that seem to not belong are a set of drugs Kallen recognizes from her ghetto excursions; she believes them to be suppressants or anti-depressants -- something to do with the mind. Additionally, an unreasonably large sum of money, in her understanding, is going for something under the generic name of 'containment protocols'.

"What's the purpose of the anti-depressants?" asks Kallen, taking an interest in the details she can understand. "Furthermore, are these containment protocols a stand-in for material necessities, or a more emphereal set of policies?"

The woman looks surprised briefly, before shaking her head. "They're not anti-depressants, although that is a possible, though unintended, use for them." She gives Kallen a curious glance, before proceeding. "Both. Clearly, a facily must be tailored to contain foreign elements if certain events were to occur. Extensive planning must go into that, and the upkeep is quite considerable as well. The figures I've provided would suffice for a period of two years."

"What sort of scenarios will be provided for?" asks Kallen, frowning. It is medicine development, and given that they need to test it on all kinds of illnesses, there might be the possibility that something goes wrong, releasing unusual bacteria into the air.

But she's no expert in this, and the cost seems rather excessive.

"Beyond the standard containment for airborn and other virii that might be the unintended products of our research, the facility will also require a special unit custom-made to handle Patient Zero, Lilith--"

"You're saying too much!" Asprius exclaims, looking extremely worried as he glances between his three guests.

The woman stares him down coolly, despite being half a head shorter than him. "Any halfway competent man who made it where they are would deduce as much from the materials alone. There is no need to be coy. Instead, we should do what we can to proceed with the experiments without delay."

Stanley remains silent, but Kallen feels his gaze bearing down on her.

"Explain," replies Kallen, curtly.

"Without Lilith, we cannot proceed," the woman responds, equally curtly. "She is essential to our research."

"Bah, you always treat it as a person! Nothing good will come out of humanizing that-- that thing," Asprius exclaims, sputtering.

The woman chooses to ignore his outburst, staring at Kallen as if having sensed that the success or failure of this meeting depends on her.

"Who, or what, is Lilith? I'm not interested in allusions. Only facts," the teenager returns, similarily ignoring Asprius' whining.

"Lilith is a codename," the researcher explains patiently. "The mother of all demons; it felt appropriate. She is Patient Zero, as I've already stated." She then launches into an extensive explanation of what the term means. The gist seems to be that it is a patient that spreads a particular disease while remaining immune to it due to certain antibodies in their blood.

During the description, Kallen sneaks brief glances at the other participants at the table, in order to try and gauge their feelings on the matter.

"Is she a voluntary participant? What sort of condition is she kept in?" asks Kallen, slowly.

The dreadlocked man seems bored, while her father is impossible to read.

"Insensate. In a permanate vegetative state, for everyone's safety, including her own."

"How dangerous is her infection, exactly?"

"It strikes at the mind. The infected have to be put down. We've lost two men that way with the first generation containment unit."

"Will your treatments be able to purge the infection from her once completed?" continues Kallen, somewhat unhappy. Grim necessity of medical futures? Or a callous abuse of human dignity?

Something new -- is that scorn? -- shows in the woman's eyes. "It's not impossible to achieve, one day," she responds.

There wasn't really any doubt, not in a place like this. Did her father know this to begin with? It's impossible to tell. If the girl is truly infectious, though, she can't be let into the public. Yet...

"How is her own safety at such risk that she's kept unconscious?"

"The conditions she is being kept in would break the strongest of minds. They are necessary for our safety, but remaining insensate... you may call it kindness."

"The spread of this infection can't be contained in any other fashion?" queries Kallen, somewhat dubious. "How is it transmitted, exactly?"

The woman falters, slightly, before firming up and responding, "The main agent is of a psychosomatic manner."

Kallen instantly recognizes the reason behind the woman's brief hesitation. What she had just said is ridiculous. The word would normally apply to the causes of stress, from everything she's learned in school.

"I'm not sure what you mean by that," replies Kallen, disbelief tinging on her words.

"Mind over matter," the woman states. "Except... exported outwards at a certain range."

As she speaks, Kallen notices the long faces on the research team, to the last. One is even cradling his head in his hands.

"That is only one theory," Asprius interjects, throwing the woman a glare. He looks at Kallen apologetically. "We have yet been unable to determine the true nature of this infection, only isolating the requirements for containment. We will, of course, continue this venue of research."

"One moment, please. You're saying she's transmitting a psychological affliction?" asks Kallen, frowning. "And no physical component is involved? No bacteria or the like?"

"No, Lilith deals direct physical damage without--"

"That's enough, Jean!" Asprius snaps, wiping at his bald head furiously. "Miss Kallen," he continues, turning to face the redhead once more. "I apologize for the outburst. All we have been able to observe is that closeness to the specimen inevitably results in those near developing terminal symptoms. We can't tell as of yet whether the first level of containment had been breached -- we have several, naturally, to prevent it from spreading on -- or if something we have not taken under account has occured. We are, however, investigating the matter. Rest assured that we take great care to protect those under our employ."

To her side, Kallen's father nods in approval. The gesture is slight, but it reenergizes Asprius. "Unfortunately, recently, we have neglected this field of study due to our dwindling resources. However, it will most certainly receive a high priority once we are back on track!"

"I'd like to see the details of what occured during these breaches, as well as the methods of containment," replies Kallen, attempting to emulate her father's steely gaze. "Firsthand, if possible. Along with the history file for this patient. I'm curious to know how you were able to recover such a dangerous woman. Clearly, you must hold several other theories for this... phenomena," she adds, the word ringing with slight derision.

"I would like to see them, as well. There's also the matter of how this particular study relates to that seen in your presentation." Steepling her hands on the table, she lowers her voice just a slightly, and carefully watches the man's face, judging whether or not he's suitably impressed.

"Make no mistake, the Stadtfeld family is interested in your proposal, particularly if the applications are as broad as you've suggested. But it seems there are risks involved beyond the financial, and I will not abide our name being tarnished."

The dreadlocked man lets out a snort at that.

"We can provide all that," Asprius says cautiously, "but we cannot divulge such technical information before a committment on your side. Regarding the relevance, the antibodies Patient Zero is capable of producing have a wide variety of applications. It is as simple as that."

"And these antibodies? Can they be replicated?"

Jean starts to say something, but Asrpius speaks before she does. "To make a long story short, effectively yes."

"I will hear the details sooner or later," Kallen promises, turning to her father. "Any concerns?" she murmurs, deferring the next play to him.

"How long would it take to prepare the new facilities?" he asks, taking the reigns.

"Once we have all the proper permits--"

"You do. How long, then?" Stanley repeats, sounding less patient this time around.

"A month. Another month for the special containment module. Then--"

He cuts off Asprius again. "Let's take three months, then, with plenty of time to spare and account for incompetence." While the overweight man flushes, Stanley continues, "Three months from now, we will tour the facilities and receive the full technical briefing at that time. You would leave nothing out."

Asprius looks relieved. "Then, it means--"

Her father does not quite glare, but the effect is the same. "We will provide the finance for the next two years. If you fail to show results outside a laboratory during that time...." He trails off, and an uneasy silence remains in the room. For the first time since arriving at the meeting, he turns to acknowledge the man Kallen assumes was the other potential investors. "The Stadtfelds seek no partnerships in this venue at this time."

His words produce a deep scowl, but no retort.

Kallen spares the man another glance, more than a little relieved that she won't need to interact with him beyond today. Looking back at the scientists, she raises an impatient eyebrow, awaiting their response.

They are a strange study between humiliation and relief.

Stanley nods, standing up. "We'll handle all the little details on our end. Within twenty-four hours, you would be ready to proceed." His words carry the weight of finality behind them.

<--->

[Corwin]

<--->

On the drive back from Babel Tower, Stanley Stadtfeld remains silent, something in his posture warding Kallen off from starting a conversation. She's left to admire the scenery and muse on what she had learnt during her first business meeting. Thus distracted, it comes as a surprise to Kallen when her father speaks to her.

"The Britannian Areas are governed by royalty as a rule," Stanley says. "But there have been exceptions to this; it is merely a way for the Emperor to reward his children and test their skills rather than writ into Britannian law." After a brief pause, he adds, "You asked me what we could achieve, Kallen. What the Stadtfeld plan for the world was." Stanley's posture stiffens ever so slightly. "I intend to take us all the way up, as high as one outside the royal family can go. And once there, I would need a vice governer I could trust."

The limousine arrives to the Stadtfeld estate then, and he opens the door, walking into the house without waiting for an answer.

Tight-lipped, Kallen steps out the opposite side, slowly walking around the car to follow several metres behind her father. Is he serious- he's always serious.

Stanley Stadtfeld no doubt thinks he is doing a good thing for his daughter. In a single day, he's done more than any amount of pleading or berating ever could to change her mind. The issue remains, however- he's still thinking about the Stadtfelds- status, prestige, power- as if they're ends in and of themselves.

That's not what Kallen stands for. But would it be better to go along with it, and see what she can do from such a position? Or is the Brittanian way inherently flawed, no matter what ones intentions are?

She thinks about it as she heads to her room to get changed, but no easy answer presents itself.

Kallen's room has been cleaned in her absense, but otherwise remains the same. Her eyes are drawn to the pictures proudly displayed on her dresser, of her mother with Naoto and herself, and of Naoto and his best friend, Ougi, standing with their arms around each other's shoulders, grinning stupidly at the camera. Kallen had teased her brother a lot about what she called his 'special friendship' with Ohgi, which is why she keeps the picture prominently displayed along with the other one.

Naoto. What would Naoto say?

Her brother is an infuriating specimen. That he's dedicated to the plight of the Japanese is quite clear, and he's assembled a group of like-minded individuals. They're small, but determined.

So why does he sometimes seem so reluctant for Kallen to come along? And what would he think of this? The route Kallen could step onto might put the siblings into conflict with each other, which she wouldn't be able to stand. Doing things in half-measures, too, is an attitude that can leave you with nothing.

Well, there's no sense wondering about it when he's not so far away. Kallen gets changed into the clothes she started with this morning before reaching for her phone, quickly sending off a message to her sibling indicating her request to meet up sometime.

A reply comes a few minutes afterwards. Naoto is busy at the moment, but could swing by some time in the evening. His message asks if nine works for Kallen.

She sends one back, stating that whenever is fine- but she'd rather meet in a park nearby than at home. Experience has shown her that putting her brother and her father within sight of each other can lead to some very foul tempers, and now isn't the time for that.

That done, she sets out her room in search of food and refreshment.

The foul tempers tend to be on her brother's side. For the most part, her father alternates between ignoring his presence, dismissing him like a particularly disgusting insect or outright frowning if he is truly angry about something Naoto had done that might 'bring shame to the Stadtfeld name', in Stanley's words. Still, if Kallen wants her brother to be in any mood for a serious discussion, meeting him outside is certainly the right move.

He accepts, and when she's out there to meet him at a bench they sometimes use as the rendezvous point several hours later, Naoto doesn't disappoint, showing up on time. Except he brought Ohgi. Why does he always have to bring Ohgi?

"Nii-chan, why do you always have to bring Ohgi?" queries Kallen, with a smirk, giving a short wave. "With him and his dumb jokes, we'll never be able to have a proper discussion."

It's not a serious rebuke, of course. Ohgi would find out everything, anyway. The two of them are truly inseperable, hence the ribbing.

Ohgi gives Kallen a hurt look that looks so genuine that had she not known the man for years might have fooled her.

"He's my designated driver," Naoto tells her with a smirk. "I heard about your trip earlier today. Since you wanted to talk right after returning, I figured I'd need to get smashed after listening to your insufferable teen angst." He spreads out his arms dramatically. "So, lay it on me. Your brother is here."

"Bastard," replies Kallen. Technically, it's actually true, but the word long-since lost it's sting. Between each other, anyway. Heaven help anyone else who decides to use that word.

"Dad was really serious about this one," she begins, pursing her lips. "It came out of nowhere, really, but he's putting me in charge of this.. this weird project. We spent the whole time listening to a pretty shady presentation. It's the next big thing, they told us. It might even be true."

"So how is it going to help Britannia subjugate more lands?" Naoto asks, taking a seat. Ohgi frowns, but keeps to the background as she siblings speak. "Did they find a way to make Knightmares fly?"

"If they did, I would've been on board like a shot. You could use that, couldn't you?" remarks Kallen, testily. "No, it's less about Britannia. More about the Statdfelds. Medicine- really strong stuff. They reckon they've got a cure-all on their hands, above and beyond the stuff on the market today, and all the other projects in development."

She spreads her hands. "Guess what! If it works, we're rich...er. Dad is pretty confident. He's never talked about becoming a governor before, but he thinks that this is the first step on the way."

Naoto shows disbelief at Kallen's words, which only grows into incredulousness as she mentions the full extent of their father's plans. "If he is saying that much... and he's serious, you said?" He frowns, matching Ohgi. "It must be damn revolutionary. Money alone won't get you the job this far from the seat of power. There has to be something else, a way to blackmail the existing order, either indirectly or...." Naoto trails off, shaking his head. "Is that even possible?"

"Like I said. Cutting-edge. The scientists were really dodgy types, you know, the kind who like to dodge the ethics commission. The other guy at the bargaining table- another investor, I think- he was like that, too. He looked like a real thug. Dad shut him down- it was pretty funny, actually."

Kallen chews her lip. "I think it's possible. They've got a patient on their hands- Lilith, they call her. She's apparently highly infectious, but her body produces natural antibodies that resist even the strongest diseases. Hell, the scientists didn't even know exactly what virus she's spreading. But the results seem real."

Naoto's eyebrows shoot all the way up to his hairline. "I won't bother asking you if this is legit or not. That man wouldn't have wasted his time, right? But why take you along? What could you possibly contribute to running research like this, shady or not?" Perhaps sensing he had said too much, Naoto quickly adds, "Nothing personal." It doesn't sound particularly convincing.

"It's not about what I contribute. It's about what I learn," replies Kallen, thickly.

"To each their own, I suppose," Naoto says with a shrug, beginning to deal with what she had told him. "Good luck with your venture into the field of edgy medicine."

"Don't be like that," snaps Kallen, suddenly angry. "Even if I'm meant to be a figurehead, there should still be something I can do to help from there. The group needs money, right? And the medicine itself?"

She clenches her fists. "Besides, I don't support their methods, and this could be the best way to change them."

"You can't seriously think they'll let you take any with you. Do you have any idea what would happen when -- not if -- you get caught?" Naoto asks, raising his voice. Ohgi puts his hand on his shoulder, and when Naoto agitatedly jerks his head to look back, Ohgi shakes his slightly.

Sighing, Naoto continues in a somewhat calmer tone. "If this really is a dodgy group of scientists skirting their ethics, you can't get involved. This is just the sort of thing I've been trying to keep you away from, for your own good!"

"You've been trying to keep me away from everything!" retorts Kallen, furious at her brother's hypocrisy.

"As if it's better to just sit and stew at school every day, doing nothing! Helping the Japanese, and now this- what, you want me to become like those vapid idiots Dad wanted you to marry?"

"I want-- dammit!" Naoto runs a hand through his hair in anger, messing it. "I want you to stay in school like a good little girl and get your Britannian diploma and then make something with your life. You know people like us can't get the same opportunities. Even the schools we have are not on the same level, and that's got nothing on what we can do with the rest of our lives."

"It's because I'm doing that that Dad wants me to do this! And I think this aparthied is bullshit, and you know it!"

Kallen clenches her fist. "And if I just stay in school, do things the proper way, that just makes me part of that system. You know, that one you're trying to change? If I'm doing that, and you're doing this, where does that leave us, huh? Or don't you care?"

Naoto laughs, with equal parts incredulousness, self-deprecation and pure anger. "Change the system? Kallen, you really are still a little girl. We can't change a thing. We can't win. All we can do is keep on trying to hurt the Britannians for having hurt us, because we can't let go. Because we can't forget what it was like before, and how the invasion happened."

Ohgi looks uncomfortable at Naoto's outburst, though at least no other park-goers are remotely in the area to overhear.

A crack resounds throughout the park, and a furious Kallen stares down her brother, eyes narrowed. If looks could kill...

"Then what's the meaning of everything we've done so far, huh?" she growls. "'If you're gonna fight, fight to win.' That's what you told me, once. I never forgot it."

Withdrawing her hand, she snorts. "Nii-chan, I never thought you'd become so pathetic. You don't deserve the name 'Kouzuki'."

Turning on the spot, she starts to walk away, leaving her anger on high boil and showing no signs of turning it down.

"How fitting that a Stadtfeld heiress should try to take everything from me, even my mother's name!" he shouts back. A stomping sound suggests that he's doing the same as Kallen, walking away.

Kallen continues stomping away, shutting away the tears in her eyes, and doesn't stop or slow down until she storms back inside the house, reaches her room, and slams the door.

<--->

[Corwin]

<--->

[13:11] Kallen tears the brush through her hair, wincing slightly as it pulls a little too hard. She hates this, but it's become habit, ever since she started working with the Japanese resistances. Don't let others see your true measure, and all that. But after her confrontation with Naoto, maybe that won't be necessary. Maybe the face she puts on at school will become her true face.
[13:13] Maybe people will take this version of her more seriously. Who can tell? She's already decided she's going through with this medicine business, and looking like a rebel won't help there. Grabbing her bag, she waves a quick goodbye to her mother before running out the door and heading for the train that'll take her to school. She could probably get driven, but that's just too ostentatious.
[13:17] It's already visible enough that she doesn't stay at the dorms. Being driven to school would surely portray her as a snob, ruining any chance she might have of mingling with all students but the most sycophantic ones. Kallen has a strong suspicion that her father approves, or he would have had her driven regardless of her own wishes on the matter.
[13:19] Not unless he hired at least three strong men to drag her into the car every day. Kallen enjoys it when she's given things or asked for her thoughts. Outright ordering her leads to teenage creativity, something all parents wish to avoid. Still, she has to force herself not to run when she reaches the campus, instead affecting the demure posture she's been practicing for months.
[13:19] Naturally, the first thing she does when she arrives is look for her friends.
[13:22] Irene and Teresa are already in class, although only the former would really qualify as a friend. The other girl is too cold even to those close to her. A better example that what Kallen finds while walking into the classroom could not be found; as Irene chatters excitedly about something, Teresa looks disinterested, only nodding slightly once in a while as her eyes stray about the room.
[13:24] "Good morning~" greets Kallen, setting her books and stationery and assorted other school things by her desk, taking her own seat shortly thereafter. "How did the weekend go?"
[13:26] "Alright," Teresa responds, after a brief greeting of her own. Irene is more vocal, instantly bombarding Kallen with questions ranging from her health to the latest fashions and whether Kallen would like to go shopping after school lets out.
[13:27] Kallen is fine, thank you, and blue is clearly currently in, except when the D'Arcy family is wearing it. As for shopping, she doesn't have any particular plans that can't wait this evening, so why not? She also asks Irene how things are progressing with her latest crush, and if she's sure that this time it's the real thing.
[13:30] Irene merely sighs dreamily in lieu of responding. Following her rather obvious stare, Kallen sees a boy enter the classroom. He's cutting it a bit close; although the bell hadn't rung yet, it would any moment now. He turns to look at her briefly, and Kallen can't help but think he has striking purple eyes. Then, the moment is broken and he moves towards a seat near a window.
[13:31] A girl with long orange hair throws him a glance when she thinks he's not looking, Kallen also notices as she follows the boy's journey.
[13:31] "Isn't he dreamy?" Irene sighs again, leaning over Kallen's desk.
[13:32] "Maybe so, but competition seems to be fierce," replies Kallen. He was pretty good-looking, but seemed a bit haughty. Not like Kallen's type at all, really.
[13:34] "He's not your type," Teresa casually comments. Her eyes linger on him briefly. Irene stands up, balled fists on her hips as she glares at her other friend. "And I suppose he is yours?"
[13:34] Several of the nearby students turn to look curiously.
[13:35] "Hey, calm down! He can hear you," hushes Kallen, putting her hand on Irene's arm.
[13:37] If he does, the boy in question is certainly ignoring the proceedings, staring outside the window, chin propped on his hand. Irene, for her part, behaves unreasonably, pulling back petulantly. The force necessary to pacify her before the teacher's inevitable arrival -- there went the bell -- would be beyond that of a meek, sickly Britannian girl.
[13:38] Far be it from Kallen to prevent Irene from fighting for what she believes in. Irene finds herself easily able to slip free, and Kallen affects a hopeless shrug. There are more important things to embarrass yourself over, honestly....
[13:40] As her friends continue to bicker in their familiar way, Kallen can't help but feel a bit of jealousy. But they had been together since junior high, while she had spent that time in a school with other Japanese. With Elevens, her new friends would say. There is a part of their history she is simply not privy to.
[13:44] And her old friends from back then had trouble seeing her as anything but a noble heiress, now. It was hardest when they let their eyes drop around her, out of habit. Because of that, she started seeing them less and less....
[13:49] Such is the nature of existing in both worlds. It would be so much easier to immerse herself entirely into one and forget all about the other, and Kallen enterained such thoughts before. But while she might have chosen her mother's side if it came to that, the way Kasumi keeps on encouraging Kallen to become more involved in the Britannian system only serves to sow more confusion.
[13:49] The teacher enters, order is swiftly restored with a few carefully-placed words, a show of the mysterious power that adults have over adolescents.
[13:50] Classes proceed, teachers coming and going. This, at least, was kept from the Japanese system, although Kallen suspects the real reason behind the scenes is to avoid forcing the more haughty nobles going to Ashford from, heaven forbid, walking too much between their classes.
[13:53] Over lunch break, Kallen learns more about Irene's crush. Lelouch Lamperouge, apparently the vice-president of the Academy. Top grades, standoffish, projecting casual disinterest at everyone and everything. It feels a bit strange that she doesn't know who serves as the student body representatives, but Kallen hasn't been going to Ashford long.
[13:53] Classes resume. It is during sixth's period that Kallen's routine is interrupted. The intercom broadcasts, "Kallen Stadtfeld, please come to the Principal's office." The message repeats, a female voice behind it, and then the system turns off with a crackle of static.
[13:55] Thoughts on what exactly the student body will do for her flee from her mind. What could this be? Nothing untoward has happened at school, so- no, she has good grades, and it might be something about that. Sliding out of her chair, she feels the eyes of the entire class on her as she leaves the room.
[13:58] They are, with a single notable exception. Irene looks like she wants to come with her, sitting at the edge of her seat, but prudence apparently wins over. Teresa merely nods reassuringly at Kallen, and then the redhead is in the corridor. The Principal's office is somewhere she had only been once, with her father's secretary when he signed her up.
[13:58] Kallen had been furious when she wasn't allowed to come with her mother, but it was Kasumi herself who ended up talking her down.
[14:01] Kallen loves her mother. Loved. It'd been her who unknowingly put Kallen on her original path in the first place- she couldn't stand to see her mother's name and heritage besmirched. Then Naoto had galvanised her even after her mother seemed to become.. meeker. And now he's just spending his efforts in useless rage. It made her feel powerful, once, to help him.
[14:02] Now she sees their efforts for what they were; useless rage, aiding nothing. And that leaves her powerless. And that, in turn, makes her angry again. Everything she sees today seems to put her in a blacker mood, and so when she reaches the office, a slight scowl crosses her features.
[14:05] Inside, Ruben Ashford is seated behind his large mahogany desk. His sombre expression throws Kallen off for a moment, before she realizes that they are not alone. Kasumi Kouzuki is seated on one of the chairs facing the desk, holding her head in her hands. She turns around in the chair as Kallen enters; there are tears in her eyes.
[14:06] "Mum," calls Kallen, softly, walking quickly over to her and putting an arm on her shoulder. "What happened? What's the matter?" She hasn't seen her mother cry like this in years. Not since the war. Kallen swallows. She's not going to like this.
[14:08] "It's Naoto," Kasumi says. Her voice is very quiet, and her shoulders shake as she struggles to talk. "He was drinking. There was... there was an accident. Oh, Kallen...."
[14:11] An arm on the shoulder won't do. This demands a hug, and Kallen finds herself repressing her own tears. "N.. Naoto? An accident? What... I don't," she manages, gripping as tightly as she feels guilty.
[14:14] Kasumi gasps. Kallen must be hurting her with her strength; her mother had always been frail. "He's dead, Kallen," she sobs, her voice piteous. "I had to go and-- I saw--"
[14:17] "Sshh. Be strong," whispers Kallen, slackening her grip. That's right. Kallen is the strong one, here. No matter how much it hurts, she can't just break apart in front of her mother, she can't rely on her mother, but her mother has to rely on her. "I'll... let's go home," she whispers, glancing pleadingly at the headmaster.
[14:21] The principal nods. "We'll take care of everything else when you are able to return, Miss Stadtfeld," he says, and Kallen feels her mother stiffen slightly in her arms.
[14:25] Stadtfeld. Kouzuki. The names are tightly tied together, though an impassable gulf seperates them. Gently, Kallen helps her mother up, and escorts her out the room. "Are the police still around? I can talk to them," she says, heading towards the carpark- her mother have better been driven here for this.
[14:29] Through tears, Kallen manages to get the full story. Apparently, Naoto was driving under the influence in the dark of night, and ran his car off the road. Her mother had to identify his remains at the morgue; no matter how she tries, Kallen can't get her to talk about that. She did, however, drive over to the Academy. Her car is parked across two spots precariously.
[14:31] Ohgi. Wasn't Ohgi supposed to be driving? Would he have let Naoto drink and drive like that? Especially after what Kallen just did? It stinks. Kallen wants it to stink. She doesn't want to be responsible for her brother's death. "I'll drive," she whispers, upon seeing the car.
[14:32] Her mother protests, as she always does whenever Kallen does something irresponsible. And as usual, her feeble protests fall on deaf ears.
[14:34] With her mother in a state like this, there's no way Kallen is going to allow for a repeat accident. Indeed, she could be accused of driving like an old woman, with the caution she applies to the car. "Does Dad know?" she asks, wincing at her own words.
[14:37] Kasumi truly does not seem to know, having rushed out of the Stadtfeld estate as soon as she got the call from the police. Naoto was identified as a Kouzuki, so their mother was the one notified. There is no record of the relationship between her parents, Kallen can't help but think bitterly.
[14:39] It's sickening to think of her last words to Naoto. If she'd known this would've happened, she'd have said something nicer. Then maybe it wouldn't have happened. What if, what if, what if... it strikes her that she will have to be the one to tell Stanley, if he hasn't found out on his own. If he will even care.

<--->

[Corwin]

<--->

[16:00] Keeping to the road, Kallen manages to drive herself and her mother home. There is no way she'd be able to park the car properly in the underground garrage, certainly not in her state, but plenty of adult Elevens are on the grounds. Any one of them could handle the menial things while she goes to look for her father.
[16:03] Kasumi comes first, however. After leaving the car in the hands of a valet, she makes sure her mother can sit somewhere comfortable and rest for a short while. The lounge would do, especially if it's not occupied at the moment, and proprietry be damned.
[16:04] Cleopatra is there, and the scorn in her eyes as she looks at Kallen and Kasumi is unmistakable.
[16:05] Ah, a target for Kallen's anger. "Where's Dad?" she asks, shortly, not leaving her mother's side just yet.
[16:07] "Skipping school?" the woman asks, making a show of looking at an ornate clock hanging proudly next to a large picture frame. It is one of her father's wedding with her step-mother.
[16:09] Kallen never did find out if the marriage was of love or out of convenience, but she wishes for the more amoral choice with every fibre of her being. "Where is he," she repeats, straightening up. She'll be damned if she tells Cleo what happened like this. The little bitch will probably glow with joy.
[16:11] Kallen doesn't recall ever seeing her father show anything that might be seen as love. "On another business trip," Cleopatra says, forcing the words out. She must be clenching her teeth behind that fake smile of hers. "Did he not tell you?"
[16:13] "I suppose that makes two of us," retorts Kallen, heading into another room to find a phone. God, she's pathetic, she suddenly thinks. Can't even let go of a grudge, just for a short while. Naoto would be disappointed.
[16:15] Her father's voice answers after one ring. He has always been prompt answering his mobile phone like that. "Yes?"
[16:16] "Dad, it's Kallen," says Kallen, before suddenly freezing up. How should she break this news? Will he care? What will he say? "Something happened," she stutters, her voice suddenly choking.
[16:18] "I'm listening." A loud announcement sounds in the background, like Kallen would expect to hear at an airport or a train station. "What is it?"
[16:18] "It's.. Naoto's dead," she replies. "Car accident," she adds, too quickly, her voice starting to tear up.
[16:19] "I see," he says, after a brief pause. Stanley's voice sounds as unflappable as always.
[16:22] Kallen is silent, and the phone trembles slightly in her hands. God, it was harder saying it than she thought.
[16:24] "Was there anything else?" Stanley asks. Boarding to a flight Kallen can't discern begins, she hears being broadcasted. "I have to go."
[16:24] "No. That was it," replies Kallen, hanging up.
[16:26] At least he didn't gloat, a small corner of her mind says. There was no love lost between the two even before her father pronounced that he had no son during one particularly bad argument with Naoto.
[16:28] If only giving up ties of blood was that easy!... Kallen heads back into the lounge, somewhat more sombre than before. "Mum, do you want some tea? I'll get some," she offers, in a small voice.
[16:30] Kasumi is alone in the lounge when Kallen returns. She raises watery eyes to look at her daughter, before nodding piteously.
[16:33] Kallen handles it herself, instead of having a maid do it, as Cleo would've done. Life goes on, with all it's petty trivialities, she thinks, sullenly. She brings the cup and saucer back to her mother, setting it on the coffee table before sitting next to her. Somewhere along the way, she wipes her eyes.
[16:35] A crashing sound brings her attention back to her mother. The cup had been dropped, shards lying broken all over the floor. At least it was only tea that spilled over the rich carpet below, or that stain would never have gotten out.
[16:36] Kasumi's hands are shaking.
[16:39] The stains. There's nothing Kallen can do but whisper nothings into her mother's ear and take her hands, holding her steady. There's nobody else, nobody her mother can grieve with, nobody who she can expect to understand her pain.
[16:44] <--->
[16:44] The funeral is a quiet affair. Only her mother and Ohgi attend it along with Kallen. She herself was forbidden to go by her step-mother, who claimed those were her father's orders, but even if that were true Kallen had no intention of obeying.
[16:46] At least he was buried as a Kouzuki. She couldn't really take that name from him. A Statdfeld funeral would no doubt have a hundred attendants, each one less a friend than the last. Kallen thought she would cry here- but she well and truly exhausted her tears in the earlier days. Only numbness remains.
[16:48] Her mother is crying. She never seems to stop, lately. Ohgi looks the saddest Kallen had ever seen him.
[16:50] Is it wrong to block out the tears? It's habit, lately, and Kallen curses herself for those traitorous thoughts. She approaches Ohgi, offering a simple greeting. "Hey."
[16:52] He nods at her. It is also the most aloof Kallen had ever seen him.
[16:54] Nobody is really approachable at a time like this. "Nobody else came," she murmurs. Didn't he have other friends amongst the elevens? Or had they lost their respect for him, too?
[16:57] "The others will stop by later," Ohgi tells her, an unreadable emotion in his eyes. He looks away. "This could have been a trap. Naoto wouldn't want us to risk it." His voice breaks as he says her brother's name.
[17:02] Ah. That was a lie. Ohgi was always the levelheaded one, not Naoto. Though it's not like he'd want them to get caught or anything, he'd just... be too busy. "Ah. I'll miss you all, then," she replies, softly, glancing at her mother.
[17:04] He nods stiffly, moving away.
[17:05] "Hey, Ohgi," she manages, swallowing. "Weren't you supposed to drive him home? Especially after... after that."
[17:08] That stops him cold. "That was just a joke," Ohgi says, not turning around. "But I offered. He insisted, though. Wanted to be alone. I... I couldn't deny him that, not the way he was. It was my fault."
[17:08] The last sentence is said so quietly Kallen has to strain her ears to hear it, and even then she's left wondering whether it is instead the result of her imagination, making up things she wants to hear.
[17:09] "No it wasn't," she whispers back, pressing her eyes into her hands. "It wasn't."

<--->

[Corwin]

<--->

[17:17] Scandalous! Outrageous! Horrific! The tabloids would spit out their ridiculous headlines if they saw where the Statdfeld heiress wandered about- if they even recognized her. Heiresses do not dress the way Kallen does, they do not receive brief greetings from rowdy eleven youths, and they certainly don't carry a concealed knife or wander into possible rebel hideouts.
[17:18] Yet Kallen is doing all these things, a few weeks after her brother's funeral. It's time to determine what her place in this world is. With her brother gone, who's in charge? What's happening? She wants to know.
[17:22] The place is a dump, and Kallen knows it's not just a front; it looks even worse on the inside. It does, however, serve as the headquarters for Naoto's resistance group, based out of the Shinjuku ghetto. Ohgi and five others are there when opens the door, but they don't draw weapons on Kallen as she enters. The scouts must have relayed that she was coming.
[17:24] They did, the first time she came along. It was rather terrifying then, but she can look back and laugh about it, now. "Hey. Are things better or worse?" she greets, walking in with easy confidence.
[17:26] "Hey, just because we had a few setbacks doesn't mean things are worse!" a short man -- Tamaki Shinichiro, Kallen thinks his name is -- calls out. He slams a palm against his chest. "I am a natural-born leader!"
[17:30] "Right, right. Seriously, though, what's happening?" asks Kallen, addressing Ohgi- the natural leaders are nice and all, but the ones who actually learned something about the deal are surely a better choice.
[17:31] "We haven't regained our prestiege," Ohgi tells her. He's being more blunt with her than she's used to. "Membership is low. Funds are scarce."
[17:33] "Is it the same for the other groups?"
[17:33] "No."
[17:38] "Well. I can't do much about the former. But in a few months, I could do something about the latter," continues Kallen, glancing at Ohgi. "You know what I'm talking about."
[17:40] Ohgi doesn't seem to, at first, but then his eyes light up with recognition. He shakes his head. "It's too dangerous for you."
[17:41] "It surely is," replies Kallen, shrugging. "Got a better idea?"
[17:43] His silence answers that. "We can't do anything about that place. Not with our current members, not with the equipment we have."
[17:49] "That's not what I meant," replies Kallen, shaking her head. "The budget we're allocating to the place goes towards a number of shady permits. If I cut some off the top, the scientists can't threaten to tell anyone. Leave the experiments to one side for the moment- the money is what we need, right?"
[17:51] Ohgi frowns, but Inoue Kikuko, the only woman in Naoto's core group, nods thoughtfully. "So there's something going on with shady scientists?" she asks.
[17:55] "Yeah, the Statdfelds are backing them. I'm getting put in charge of the project from the investor's end, so it's a good opportunity," replies Kallen.
[17:57] "So we have to accept scraps off the Stadtfeld table to survive," Yoshitaka Minami says in disgust. Kallen does not know much about the bespectacled man; he usually prefers to remain silent whenever she is around.
[18:00] "It's theft," replies Kallen, suddenly. "We've done theft. Only the details are different." She glances at the others in the room, attempting to gauge their reactions.
[18:03] Inoue is intrigued. Ohgi is frowning, but there's too much baggage there for Kallen to see what he really thinks about the plan on its own merits. Minami's opinion is clear as day. Sugiyama and Yoshida look undecided, while Tamaki just looks confused.
[18:03] "There is more of an opportunity here than mere theft," Inoue declares.
[18:04] "What do you mean?"
[18:06] "If they can't threaten to tell anyone about being ripped off, there must be more at stake than just your average look-the-other-way bribe to the local cops," Inoue states, looking at Kallen for confirmation. "That itself is the opportunity."
[18:09] "Yes, that's true," replies Kallen, frowning. "The scientists are developing medicine, powerful medicine that goes beyond what's presently on the market. A panacea of sorts. That's part of it, but there's also the methods they're using. We can't condone them..."
[18:15] "...but we can't easily stop them, either. I'll have more information on exactly what it is they're doing in three months, when I tour the facility, but I know it involves a variety of illegal permits, to the point where they would be expelled by the governor himself, were it discovered. And their backers, too."
[18:18] "Way to burn off your bridges," someone says appreciatively. Turning around, Kallen sees Nagato enter the warehouse. The core group really is together, now, and Naoto's empty spot has never been so glaring. "Alright, I think we should do it. What have we got to lose?"
[18:22] "What I'm hoping," continues Kallen, "Is that the scientists will complete their project. I don't think anyone is gonna argue that better medicine is a good thing. The distribution, well, that's something else."
[18:24] "It's a risk," Inoue says, "but the rewards justify it." She sends Tamaki a glare, and he almost jumps, before nodding frantically. "Yeah! That's right! Let's do it, guys!" Yoshida frowns briefly, before nodding. Sugiyama does likewise, except without the frown.
[18:28] "I'll have more details in three months, like I said," replies Kallen, grinning. "I'll work out a way to get some money across to you by then. We should use that time to make inroads with the other groups. The facility won't be located near here. If we're going to take action nearby, we'll need help getting through the suppressed zones."
[18:29] Ohgi nods heavily. "We still have the old contacts. For something large enough, the others will cooperate."
[18:33] "Alright. I'll be pretty busy once it gets underway, so I won't be able to contact you like this so easily. There's just one thing." Her voice takes a sharper quality. "Whatever we do, we can't afford to unleash an epidemic across the settlement. ANY action we take will have to be precise. If this is handled wrongly, we won't be supporting the Japanese. We'll look like enemies of humanity."
[18:34] Minami shifts at that. "You mean that they would have samples of deadly toxins stashed away in their lab? Lethal viral strains?"
[18:38] "You can't study medicine without knowing what you're up against," replies Kallen. "As I said, whatever they're developing is exceptionally powerful. I know they have some seriously heavy-duty stuff there- stuff that there may not yet be a cure for." She frowns. "For that reason, I don't want this information to spread too far."
[18:39] "Once it's time to act, we won't be able to keep it to ourselves," Ohgi says, seemingly accepting the plan. "Kallen, this would be too big for just our group."
[18:42] "I know. We'll let the others know before we begin, but I don't want anyone acting before the time is right. If we pull this off properly, the others will follow our lead, but if someone else strikes first... someone who just wants to cause damage, then we're all finished."
[18:45] "Don't worry about it," Tamaki says, coming up to Kallen with a swagger and putting an arm around her shoulders. "This plan would work! I know it!"
[18:47] After the meeting is over, Kallen corners Ohgi out the back of the meeting shack, where nobody else is around. "Should I have told them about Lilith?" she asks, sighing.
[18:49] "I don't know," Ohgi admits honestly. "I just don't know, Kallen."
[18:51] She sits on a rickety chair, abandoned long ago and used only for important talks, where nobody can hear. "When it's all said and done, what are we standing for?"
[18:52] "I think it's different for everyone here," Ohgi responds, brushing a hand through his messy hair. "There is a lot of anger without any other outlet for it around here."
[18:56] "That won't take us anywhere... say, Ohgi, where can I do the most good?" she asks. "As a Statdfeld, or as a Kouzuki? Don't just tell me what's safest for me, I don't care about that." She laughs. "I never cared about that."
[18:58] "If not for yourself, then for whom?" Ohgi asks her suddenly. "What is the yardstick for measuring this 'most good'?"
[19:01] "For the Japanese. For anyone living in an unfair world," replies Kallen, steadfastly. "I don't want to be like Naoto, just looking for something to hate. So..."
[19:04] "You... didn't know him like I did," Ohgi says stiffly, looking away. "For the Japanese? There are two paths, trying to protect them from Britannia, or using influence within Britannia to help them. Naoto chose the former. You...." He shrugs. "I don't think someone can walk both paths. You know what your brother wanted for you. That's all I'll say on the subject."
[19:08] "This plan of mine could easily be given up," reflects Kallen, sadly. "Did you see the way Yoshitaka looked at me? He thinks I'm still just a spoiled kid..." She stands up, shaking her head. "As promised, I'll contact you in two months. By then, I'll... I'll know what to do." She starts making her way out of the alley, beginning the trek from the ghetto to the settlement proper.
[19:08] If anyone can walk both paths, though... it would be someone like her, wouldn't it? Someone both Britannian and Japanese....

<--->

[Corwin]

<--->

[15:31] It is not often that the student council president pays one a visit, and even less frequent when she merely asks you to accompany her without a clear reason. Even Lelouch is intrigued by Milly Ashford's presence in class, Kallen briefly notes, and then her attention returns to the voluptious blonde as the latter repeats, "Would you please take a walk with me, Miss Stadtfeld?"
[15:33] "Eh? Ah, certainly," replies Kallen, setting aside a slightly old, dusty book she's been reading. Tiny letters on the cover indicate that it's an introduction to accounting. Lately, she's had to cram in a lot of stuff, and there never seems to be enough time. A break is certainly appreciated.
[15:35] Whispers all around them set the stage for their retreat, Milly leading the way. She's heading outside of the school building, Kallen realizes, not breaking her stride. "I'm sorry for taking you away from your dusty old books," Milly says, without a trace of sarcasm in her voice. "I'm certain this won't take long."
[15:35] "No, I'm glad for a break," replies Kallen, and curiosity soon gets the better of her. "But what's this all about?"
[15:37] "My grandfather asked me to talk to you," Milly responds, glancing back at Kallen. They are headed for the student council building, and not for the first time, Kallen wonders just why an entirely separate complex is required for that purpose. Surely, a room or two in the school proper would suffice.
[15:39] "Should I be worried?" replies Kallen. She reaches the same conclusion she's reached before- if it's Britannian, it has to be big!
[15:41] "Only if you've done something wrong," Milly responds with a laugh. They arrive, and upon stepping inside, a woman in a maid outfit stands there by the stairs to the second floor. She bows deeply, saying, "Welcome, Miss Ashford."
[15:41] "This way," Milly tells Kallen, waving her along, after greeting the maid, Sayoko, back.
[15:43] Kallen bows shortly to the maid herself, in greeting (certainly not what one would expect of a Britannian), and sweeps after Milly, becoming more intrigued as she does so.
[15:46] The second floor holds a large open space sparsely populated with a large oval desk and several chairs, dedicated for student council activities that escape Kallen for the time being. Milly allows Kallen to step inside, closing the double doors behind her.
[15:46] "Like I said, my grandfather asked me to do this, so it's official," Milly starts with. "But at the same time, I could've refused, so it's nothing too bad."
[15:47] "Too bad?" asks Kallen, raising an eyebrow. "Taking me away from campus, into a secluded building, nobody around but us two... clearly, you are a suspicious person," she decides, but she smiles as she says it.
[15:49] "I'm not here to have my way with you," Milly says, sounding strangely disappointed as she speaks. But then she looks at Kallen, who can see that the blonde is about to get serious. "We want to know why you lied on your application, Kallen. Until we know the reason, it seemed like a good idea to ask in a safe place. Sayoko won't allow anyone to come up, so you can speak freely."
[15:51] "Lied? I didn't..." begins Kallen, before pursing her lips. "Are you referring to my ancestry?"
[15:51] "Your mother is listed as dead," Milly tells her. "But that is not the truth, is it?"
[15:53] "No..." replies Kallen, clenching her fists. "She is very much alive. I suppose I have my father to blame for this. Since I'm half Britannian, half Eleven, and he's so very concerned about status..."
[15:55] "You didn't know," Milly states. "That was unexpected." She sighs, throwing her hands up. "I had this whole speech prepared about how we Ashfords didn't care about status and you could confide in us. There go two hours I'll never regain again. I should just have you take responsibility for that...."
[15:56] "If you deliver it, I can listen attentively," replies Kallen. "My father doesn't tell me much about his dealings. I should have guessed something like this would happen, but, well.. the headmaster met my mother only a few weeks ago. I just assumed he already knew."
[15:57] "Grandfather was quite surprised," Milly informs her, hopping onto the desk. "But he knew better than to approach you right away."
[16:00] "Pass on my thanks," replies Kallen. "Um... I don't feel I should have anything to hide, but all the same, if some of the other students were to find out, it could get a little hard."
[16:03] "I suppose so," Milly agrees. "We Ashfords might be radicals, but look where it brought us." The words feel like they should be delivered with bitterness, but Milly doesn't sound particularly regretful. "Still, we do have to follow the Empire's law. It might be best if we just pretend to be ignorant of your ancestry."
[16:04] "I know that most couldn't hope to afford it, but are Elevens really barred from attending the school?" asks Kallen, frowning.
[16:06] "In practice, yes," Milly says bluntly. "You wouldn't think that with just a cursory knowledge of the laws, but the entire bureaucracy is drafted into stopping them at every turn. It would take... oh, I don't know, a royal or someone of equal standing in Area 11 to cut through all that red tape and get an Honorary Britannian accepted."
[16:06] She pauses. "Your case is different, of course, but presents other problems."
[16:08] "It would be embarrasing for father, but I'm a Britannian citizen. It's about what people think more than anything, really."
[16:09] "Forgery is still a crime," Milly points out. "But it is your life, after all."
[16:10] "The Ashfords don't seem the type to press charges on something like this," replies Kallen, gratefully. "I just wish things didn't keep working out this way, but there's not much I can do about it. At least, not while I'm still in school."
[16:14] "On the contrary!" Milly exclaims, pulling herself up to fully stand on the desk. "While here, one can influence all those impressionable minds of the new generation of Britannians!"
[16:14] She poses, gesturing grandly. "Those poor lambs yearn for a leader to teach them how to live life to the fullest without regrets! Someone to teach them how to treat their fellow men and women! Here, in high school, this honorable institution of learning!"
[16:17] Kallen applauds from her chair, rather impressed by the president's declaration. "Before they're set in their ways! You're right, the opportunity is here before me. Where do I sign up?"
[16:19] "Right here!" Milly pronounces from her high perch, before continuing in a stage whisper, "Actually, if things worked out to our satisfaction, I was supposed to tell you to get yourself in a club by the end of the week." Straightening up, she continues loudly, "But there's no need for it now! For I have seen your spirit, and it is fit to be on the student council!"
[16:22] "Ah- the council? Well... I can't really do any of the sports clubs, and I'm not that interesting in chemistry, so actually, yeah, that'd be great! It's compulsory, isn't it?"
[16:23] Milly's eyes acquire a hard glint. "Yes. No one can escape being in a club as long as they are Ashford students." She looks like she wants to cackle.
[16:26] "I remember reading the brochure. The selection is rather... diverse. Seriously, aren't the students too young for a winery club?"
[16:27] "It's okay, it's okay!" Milly waves at Kallen dismissively. "Everyone should be free to explore their limits and enjoy their youth~"
[16:30] "Right! So what's the first order of business?"
[16:33] "We must have a party to welcome you into our ranks!" Milly announces. A mobile phone appears in her hands, as if by magic. She dials it, and once the line is connected, cries out, "Get to the club house right away!" before hanging up.
[16:36] "Extravagant! What are the other members like? I only know about Lelouch, and he's a bit..." Kallen tries to finagle the right words, and gives up. "Is he a womanizer?"
[16:38] Milly jumps down nimbly. "He only has room for one person in his heart," she says, sounding amused, though Kallen feels there's something off. "But he's very popular, isn't he, that boy? We also have Rivalz and Shirley in our ranks--"
[16:40] "Nunnally!" The doors slam open, Lelouch standing there and breathing heavily, covered in sweat. He leans on the wall for support. "Did anything--" Lelouch stops abruptly, taking in the room's inhabitants. "President," he says in a low voice. "What was this all about?"
[16:40] "Ah, good that you've made it here so quickly!" Milly says in a businesslike manner. "Meet Kallen Stadtfeld, our newest member! She already knows all about you, of course."
[16:41] "Yes, yes. Make sure to thank Irene for introducing you, day after day," adds Kallen, before raising an eyebrow. "Um, are you alright?"
[16:42] Lelouch twitches.
[16:42] "You will be on cooking duty," Milly proceeds, appearing blissfully ignorant. "We'll require a cake as well."
[16:45] Milly is a true inspiration, and Kallen takes careful notes on how to deal with the resistance next time she speaks to them. "A man who can cook? How rare," giggles Kallen. "No wonder the girls are all over you."
[16:47] He gives Kallen a glare that loses some of its shine due to the way he's wheezing. Is he actually struggling to stay upright after what must've been a brief run?
[16:47] "You'll have to start right away," Milly says. "There's not much time left before classes let out, and I would like to start then."
[16:48] "And we should be among those attending them," Lelouch says through gritted teeth.
[16:48] "Don't be silly!" Milly objects. "You're already top of your class, what more do you need to learn there?"
[16:49] "Woah, rival," mutters Kallen, narrowing her eyes.
[16:50] Lelouch is back to glaring at Milly fully, but before he can protest further, a smile comes across her face. It could be best described as wicked.
[16:50] "Nunnally will be there as well," Milly says, and her voice carries a hint of warning in it. "I could just have Shirley cook if you want to go back to class."
[16:50] Lelouch blanches.
[16:51] "Is Nunnally your girlfriend?" asks Kallen, innocently.
[16:51] Milly laughs so hard at the question tears come to her eyes, and she clutches her sides to stay up.
[16:51] Lelouch can't seem to decide between glaring at Kallen, gaping and blushing furiously.
[16:52] Kallen tilts her head in wonder, bemused by Milly's expression. "Ah, just a crush, then?" She gives Lelouch a light punch on the shoulder. "Fight-o~"
[16:54] Milly collapses, draping herself over Kallen at the last moment to prevent herself from falling to the ground as she very nearly goes into hysterics. Lelouch sniffs, and stalks out of the room.
[16:55] "Ah, you're heavy," lies Kallen, attempting to feign discomfort with Milly's sudden weight, tempting as it is to pick up the president by the waist and swing her around.
[16:56] It takes a bit of time for Milly to recover. "Their love is as beautiful as it is dangerous," she says, launching into a fresh set of giggles.
[16:58] "But he seems rather shy for something so... racy," remarks Kallen. "Do you think he needs inspiration, or something like that?"
[16:58] Milly grins widely, wiping away her tears. "Yes. That just might be what he needs!"
[17:01] "He just needs the perfect opportunity, doesn't he?" asks Kallen, musing to herself. "Isn't it Valentine's day in a few weeks? We could stage something..."
[17:02] "An excellent idea," Milly announces, placing her hands on the redhead's shoulders. "Kallen! You must work together with Shirley on this very important project. I leave it all in your capable hands."
[17:04] "Alright- uh, where do I start?" coughs Kallen. It's a very real concern that she might think too small, and with the president so enthusiastic, that just won't do.
[17:05] "You know about our themed festivals, don't you?" Milly asks, and Kallen does, as it so happens. Every month, it seems, there is one ridiculous event after another. Some persistent rumors abound that the president is planning a reverse-gender cosplaying event in secret.
[17:06] "I think the entire district knows."
[17:09] Milly pulls herself up at that, visibly proud. "Our Valentine's Day event will have people pair up by capturing the opponent's flag!" Milly tilts her head, then. "A flag actually seemed like a good idea at first, but now it has the wrong sound to me. Just come up with something better!" Nodding as she considers the issue resolved, Milly continues.
[17:09] "And everyone will dress as the other gender. But since we can't make things too easy on everyone, the school would be transformed into one huge obstacles course!" Milly grins wickedly. "Those who have, at the end of the festival, failed to secure a token, will have partners for the After-Festival Dance randomly assigned to them by yours truly!"
[17:12] "Woah, the rumours were true. How will you force the student body to comply?" asks Kallen, deepening her voice and attempting to emulate the more devious people she's met over the years.
[17:14] "You show the proper initiative," Milly says, her own voice deepening in return. "And that's a silly question, Mister Stadtfeld! The rule of the student council is absolute! Why, if anyone were to go against it, their entire club's funding might dwindle to nothing, which would be a terrible, terrible shame."
[17:16] "You are truly a dangerous man, Mister Ashford. Even the names of those who have crossed you have been erased," replies Kallen, steepling her fingers. "Very well. We have an accord."
[17:18] "A wise choice," Milly says curtly, and then surprises Kallen by smiling brightly. Kallen is hard-pressed to believe that the blonde remains single. There are even rumors that she keeps on declining marriage invitations from nobility left and right.
[17:19] "So. Who is your bride-to-be?"
[17:20] "Hmm. Perhaps I'll have my prospects fight over me," Milly muses.
[17:20] "An interesting choice. I'll inform Shirley. Will she be coming by?"
[17:22] "I'll formally introduce you at the party," Milly promises, back to her old self. "You might even know her -- you're in the same class. I know you haven't been in much due to your circumstances, and you've just started here, really, so it wouldn't be strange if you hadn't."
[17:26] The party is being held in the very room Milly had cornered Kallen, as it turns out. Kallen can barely recognize it, however. Banners abound, and Milly shows up with party hats and confetti, making the occasion an even livelier one.
[17:26] A blue-haired boy is introduced as Rivalz, while Kallen finds that she does recognize Shirley, at least peripherally. She often spends her time observing Lelouch covertly, and Kallen has to wonder what the president was thinking when she assigned the special project to the two of them.
[17:30] "Ah, Shirley, hi!" greets Kallen, going on the attack. "Did Milly tell you the news, yet?"
[17:31] "Ah, excuse me?" Shirley asks. She seems a bit absent-minded, looking around the room for something.
[17:32] Well, she should certainly know who Kallen is (frankly, the marquee is rather embarrasing). "Hello? Earth to Shirley?"
[17:33] "Yes, I'm sorry!" Shirley does look apologetic. "This is your welcome party. So... welcome!"
[17:35] "Many thanks. Let's have a good working relationship," decides Kallen, offering Shirley a slice of cake.
[17:36] Shirley accepts it, giving Kallen a warm smile. "I'd like that," she says, but then her eyes focus on something behind Kallen.
[17:37] Kallen tilts her head backwards to assess this new- er, no, not a threat- situation. Yes.
[17:39] A girl in a wheelchair is at the entrance. An older girl with two pigtails and glasses is pushing her chair. "Nina-chan! Nana-chan!" Shirley waves at the two. "Here, come meet Kallen!"
[17:41] Which one's which? It's hard to see either as Lelouch's type, especially when he has so many other options. Maybe he's a bigger man than she thought? "Hi! Want some cake?"
[17:44] As the two approach, Kallen is able to study both girls. The one with glasses and freckles and an all-around shy attitude seems to be Nina, a grade below Kallen and Shirley, which along with her uniform would place her in junior high.
[17:44] The girl in the wheelchair is very pretty, and as the distance between them shortens, Kallen realizes with a start that she is blind. Nevertheless, she directs a smile towards the redhead. "Cake? I would love some."
[17:45] "Lelouch made it. He's a very talented young man," describes Kallen. "Though, you'd all know that much better than me, I'll bet," she adds, dextrously producing a slice of cake on a paper plate, along with a plastic fork, and carefully handing it to the chairbound girl.
[17:47] She accepts it with what must be a practiced motion, even as her face lights up at the description. "I see you've met Nunnally," Milly says, appearing behind Kallen and startling Shirley. "She and Nina are our future comrades! We have spots reserved for them on the council for when they start high school!"
[17:49] "You don't leave anything to chance, do you?"
[17:49] "What is this chance you speak of?"
[17:49] "Some might say it's what makes life interesting!"
[17:53] "That's just silly," Milly dismisses, before kneeling in front of the wheelchair, taking Nunnally's hands in hers. The younger girl is lucky she had just placed her fork on the saucer holding the cake, Kallen notes. "Do you need anything?" Milly asks. "There's plenty of food to go around."
[17:53] "Ah, no, a cake is fine," Nunnally responds awkwardly.
[17:53] "Don't be shy!" Milly insists. "After all, Lelouch did his best making a feast just for you--"
[17:53] "Hasn't the joke gone far enough, president?" Lelouch interrupts her, walking up to them. Unlike a few hours previously, he is calm and collected, his stride confident.
[17:56] Kallen glances curiously at Lelouch- the Lelouch she's used to seeing in class seems to have returned, leaving the effortlessly teasable individual somewhere in the closet.
[17:58] He seems the same, right until the moment he throws a brief glance at Nunnally. Having watched him, Kallen spots a tenderness in his striking purple eyes that she wasn't sure he could feel.
[17:58] "Lulu!" Shirley exclaims, stalking up to him. "Where have you been? You need to properly welcome Kallen!"
[17:59] "We're well acquainted," interrupts Kallen, stepping up next to Shirley. "Though, he's recovered swiftly," she adds, thoughtfully. "Qualities necessary for working closely with the president, I presume."
[18:01] "You learn quickly!" Milly exclaims, letting go of Nunnally's hands and standing up. She pats the girl on her head, before placing a party hat over it.
[18:01] "We are," Lelouch agrees evenly. "Welcome."
[18:01] Shirley does not seem satisfied with such a greeting.
[18:02] "Thank you," replies Kallen, rigid and formal.
[18:04] "You could at least try to make an effort," Shirley berates him. Lelouch rolls his eyes.
[18:07] For the puppy eyes Shirley keeps giving Lelouch, she's certainly hard on him. Clearly he needs a little defending, and Kallen does this by pointedly eating her own slice of cake. It is quite delicious, after all.
[18:10] "It really is quite delicious," Nunnally says, and Lelouch starts.
[18:10] He looks down at her, a soft smile on his face. "Really?"
[18:10] "Yes!" the blind girl responds enthusiastically.
[18:11] It really doesn't feel right to tease the two of them when they're so adorably sweet, so Kallen lightly tugs on Shirley's shoulder. "I need to talk to you about something," she whispers. "Privately."
[18:13] Shirley snaps out of glaring pointedly at Lelouch, and nods at Kallen. "Alright. Did you mean right now?"
[18:13] "Sooner the better! I think it's an important matter to you, though," she replies, conspirationally.
[18:14] "Why don't you come over today, then?" Shirley suggests. "Daddy isn't home, and he took my mom with him this time. We could order out and talk!"
[18:17] "I'd like that!" agrees Kallen, a little enthusiastically. Home life is getting unbearable. Cleo is one thing, but it's been weeks and Kallen's mother still has not improved. Sure, it still stings Kallen... it still stings a lot, but isn't there a limit? "I'd like that a lot. Let's rent some movies, too."
[18:18] "Alright!" Shirley's face suddenly falls. "But we can't have popcorn. Daddy strictly forbids it." Shirley looks away, muttering quietly, "Because it requires a microwave." She looks rather embarrassed.
[18:19] "Didn't you say he's not home?"
[18:19] "But! He would know when he returns!"
[18:19] "He would?"
[18:20] "Because, because maybe it would blow up?" Shirley fidgets.
[18:20] "Well, if you put it in too long... ahaha, no way! Popcorn is totally easy to make."
[18:21] The look Shirley throws Kallen is envious, annoyed and anxious all at the same time.
[18:22] "Ah, well, there's always pizza," continues Kallen, though she does prefer food she can throw without consequence.
[18:23] "Yes, there is!" Shirley brightens up. "Daddy is always very happy when I use the credit card he gave me to order out!"
[18:24] "He must trust you! That's what you need out of parents."

<--->

[Corwin]

<--->

Shirley lives in a two-story house, with the second level apparently all for her use. A brief tour of her house reveals that out of the three rooms available, two are pretty much guest rooms. She prefers to spend as much time with her parents as possible, Shirley explains, sounding embarrassed, and the two find themselves downstairs in the living room. There are no servants, Kallen finds; they truly are alone.

"What kind of movies do you like?" Shirley asks her, grabbing the remote. Her phobia of electronic devices does not extend past the kitchen, it seems.

Most of the films Kallen likes are censored, sadly.

"My dad makes me watch a lot of documentaries," she puts forth. It's not a lie! They're the only films he bothers to buy, and she's not interested in anything Cleo watches by default. "But I like foreign dramas a lot, and, well, action films are one of my guilty pleasures."

"We can watch action films!" Shirley agrees. She flips through the channels with practiced ease, reaching the right one and ordering a movie. "This is one of my favorites, and I think you'll like it too because it's sorta like a documentary except there's action, too!"

The movie in question is Joan of Arc. "She was a really strong woman, and a true role model!" Shirley gushes. "I always cry at the end when she dies...." There is an awkward silence, before she asks quietly, "I just ruined it for you, didn't I?"

"It's fine, I read the book," replies Kallen, referring to the textbook in her bag. "But y'know, I love those brave people who stand up against impossible odds. Boudacia, Odysseus, you know, those heroes who fight fate."

Shirley recovers almost instantly once Kallen reassures her that they can still watch the movie, and soon, it comes on. This must be a remake, because everything looks very authentic, and Kallen thinks she saw the lead actress somewhere. Perhaps in a commercial?

"Yes," Shirley agrees. "You must love the story of King Arthur as well, don't you? Of how he stood firm against Roman imperialism with a handful of men and after winning against the odds went on to build Britannia?" She blushes. "Well, he started it, at least."

"And it continues to this day, the greatest and most long-lasting empire in history," reflect Kallen, deciding to count the historical inconsistencies she can spot within the film. "Although they seem to have forgotten that story, lately."

The movie starts with the tale of a peasant girl in the Britannian province of Lorraine who receives a divine geas to protect the Holy Britannian Empire from French aggression. She grows, training in swordplay -- an inordinate amount of time is dedicated to teenage Joan prancing around in skimpy peasant clothing with a sword, all sweaty.

"Yes, there hasn't been a remake in over a decade," Shirley agrees, sounding sad. "But there are rumors that Joan-- I mean, Isabella Augustine, would play Lady Guinevere in a reinterpretation of the story!"

Movie swordfighting is great fun to watch, though these scenes are probably more interesting to the guys.

"She's so typecast as the unfortunate heroine," complains Kallen. "I think she'd make a better Morgana."

"A villain?" Shirley gasps.

"Sure! She's got the cheekbones for it," decides Kallen, watching a fight scene involving a lot of yelling from the protagonist. "I mean, she plays strong types, doesn't she? But Guinevere isn't a fighter or anything, it'd be hard for her to portray the Lancelot/Arthur relationship with her record."

"I suppose that's why they would 'reimagine' the story," Shirley suggests, as Joan survives a dastardly French attack on her village, which is burnt to the ground. When Joan returns from her daily training, all she finds is scorched earth and a dying child with an adorable rag doll begging her to avenge them.

The next scenes depict Joan rallying together an army.

"I wonder if it'll be cringeworthy," replies Kallen, eyes rooted to the TV. "These scenes really get to me," she adds, turning silent.

Shirley doesn't respond. A sidelong glance at her reveals that she is tearing up, biting on the tip of a handkerchief.

Joan's army proceeds to win many engagements through what appears to be a combination of her leadership and blind luck. Things go awry, however, when she goes to participate in a cease fire summit. It turns out to be a ruse by the French, who use the chance to rout most of Joan's forces. She herself receives a deep wound, but still leads a small vanguard against the massed French army to allow the rest of her forces to retreat safely.

Joan does indeed die at the end, Kallen finds, unrepentant and praying for a victorious Britannia.

"It was nice, but they got some details wrong," reflects Kallen, speculatively watching the credits roll. "Though the last battle was very accurate."

Shirley nods, turning teary eyes towards Kallen. "Where Joan single-handedly fought through two dozen men, already wounded, just to save the viceroy," the orange-haired girl says, sniffing. "I always thought there was something between them. It was all so tragic!"

"Well, love gives you power! Whether it be for your country or for a man," declares Kallen, nodding firmly.

Shirley wipes at her eyes with the handkerchief, before glancing at Kallen, as if unsure whether to offer it to her as well.

Kallen holds up her palms in refusal. "I'm fine! Wanna get that pizza?"

"Oh, sure!" Shirley jumps to her feet. "You must be hungry, I'm sorry, I didn't think--!" She rushes off, and Kallen discovers the reason when Shirley begins thumbing through a booklet. From the cover, it contains the menues to various takeout places.

Kallen doesn't feel particularly hungry after her welcome party, but she has the distinct feeling Shirley would take it the wrong way if she told her as much.

She lets Shirley pick the food, making appropriate affirmative gestures when necessary, While the order is taking place, though, she channel-surfs on Shirley's moderately impressive entertainment system. The Britannian stations aren't really her thing, although recently she's taken to watching the news (edited as it is.)

Though one wouldn't notice, if it is their only source of information. The Britannians are nothing if not experts at propaganda.

A segment on the news has the Governor-General, His Royal Highness Prince Clovis declare that he would make Area 11 a safe place for all, Britannians and Elevens.

Tall, blonde, handsome, and able to woo noble ladies on the one hand and order a slew of executions on the other. Kallen hates the sight of him, and turns the TV off.

"Hey, Shirley, how long have you been living in Area 11 for?" she calls, when the girl gets off the phone.

"This is actually just my second year," Shirley responds as she turns around, phone clutched cutely between her shoulder and ear. "We travel with Dad's work a lot, so this is the first time in over a decade that we could stay for more than a few months. It's been really great because I can make friends here!"

"You had to move that much?!" asks Kallen, surprised. "Don't you keep in touch with people over the net or anything? It'd be great to have friends across the world."

"Well, it's just not the same," Shirley says sadly. "When you're a transfer student coming in the middle of the semester and know that you probably won't be around for the next one, it's kind of difficult-- Ah, yes, I would like a large pepperoni pizza, please!" Shirley glances at Kallen. "Extra cheese?"

Kallen makes a face. "I like my heart, thank you."

"Yes, please!" Shirley says brightly, and hangs up after confirming her address.

"...no, that meant no. This pizza is gonna be lethal," mumbles Kallen, putting her hand on her chest. Breathe, girl.

Shirley grins. "I know, I just confirmed that we would like some soda along."

"Meanie," complains Kallen, smiling despite herself. "Ah, yeah! Milly-chan said she wanted us to run a Valentine's day festival thing. It's um really drastic oh god the boys are going to complain so much."

"They always do when she announces things, but not at the end," Shirley says, placing the phone down and returning to the couch. "So what's the plan?" She suddenly looks apprehensive. "It's not Naked Apron Day, is it? Milly promised never to bring that up again!"

"I won't ask. No, it's gender-role-reversal day! Everyone dressed as their opposite. Hence the complaining, though I suppose naked aprons would be worse if everyone-"

Kallen slaps herself on the cheek, shaking her head. "Anyway, the idea is that everyone has some kind of token, and you try to steal the token from the target of your affections!"

Shirley blushes, though whether from the image Kallen's words manage to conjure up or the mention of a 'target of affections' is hard to tell.

"Get it and you go to the post-festival dance with them. Fail to get any and... Milly picks."

Kallen leans in close to Shirley and grips her by the shoulders. "*We must absolutely not let Milly pick our partners.*"

"R-Right!" Shirley agrees wholeheartedly, despite her stutter.

"So I'm thinking we assign people to groups," decides Kallen. "And give them all a particular starting position. Since we pick where they go, we can set it up so we can catch whoever we want."

She chews her lip thoughtfully. "Though I don't have any particular preference."

Shirley is looking away, her blush flaring up once more.

"How about you?"

"Well, you know--" Shirley leaps to her feet. "Maybe I should check up on that pizza? They're sure taking their sweet time delivering it!"

Kallen's eyes stray to the phone that's already in Shirley's hands. "Really?"

"Probably?"

"I'm sure it'll be here any second!"

Shirley drops back to the couch. She still can't bring herself to look at Kallen.

"Ah, come on, it's no use keeping this secret! Otherwise, your chance will be gone!"

"Chance? What chance?" Shirley sounds panicked. "There is no chance!" She suddenly looks sad. "Maybe that's true...."

"There's always a chance," replies Kallen, seriously. "But if you don't have any hope, you lose before you start. If you're fine with that, though, then there's still the matter of who you don't want to get caught by. That's very important. Possibly the most important thing."

"That's true!" Shirley agrees, her head whipping to face Kallen, even as a fire starts in her eyes. "We must absolutely protect ourselves before all else!"

"Very well. We must select a suitable starting position!"

"How about the student council room? It's normally off limits to the regular students."

"Excellent. It's got a good view of other parts of the campus, too, so we can follow people. Or lock the doors. Though we still need to watch out for Milly."

Shirley nods enthusiastically. "Just this once, she won't get what she wants! We'll outsmart her!"

"We'll beat her at her own game!"

The words somehow sound foolish to Kallen as soon as she says them, but Shirley doesn't seem to notice, pumping her fist in the air enthusiastically. "Yeah!"

"Which means we need to pick decent guys!"

"Well, there are a few in our class," Shirley muses, tapping her lips thoughtfully. "Rivalz would also make a safe match, but it would be just too cruel to do that to him. He has an enormous crush on Milly!"

"We pretty much get our pick, because I have a feeling every other girl in class is going to be going after Lelouch. As long as we put him somewhere hard to get, they'll be kept busy."

It is the first time Kallen can't easily read Shirley's expression.

"Why would they want to?" Shirley asks. "All Lulu ever does is ditch classes to go gamble!"

Kallen's eye twitches. "And he's still top of the class. That's.. that's not right."

"It's not!" Shirley goes into full lecturing mode. "Lulu should pay more attention to his studies, and-- and-- not be so cold to his classmates! He should participate more!"

"Is he a nobleman?"

"He sometimes acts like one, doesn't he, but I heard from Rivalz that he actually despises them," Shirley confides, before a horrified look comes over her face. "Umm, Kallen, I didn't mean--"

She ends up ducking her head. "Please forget that," Shirley requests quietly.

"Uh, no, it's fine," replies Kallen, glancing away. "You can speak freely about that stuff, it's not like I don't understand that viewpoint. A lot of nobles are pretty... despicable."

"But he shouldn't generalize like that! It's stereotyping and that's wrong!" Shirley insists suddenly. "That's like... that's like looking down on elevens just because they're elevens!"

Kallen eyebrows shoot up. "You're right. It's disgusting either way," she replies, hesitating slightly before plunging ahead. "Actually, I grew up in Japan. Before it was called Area 11, and so when I see nobles treat the people like trash, it.. it makes me pretty angry."

Shirley doesn't seem to know what to say to that. Kallen easily sees that she wants to ask -- quite a lot, if her intuition is spot on -- but can't bring herself to do it.

"Not quite what you expected to hear out of the Stadtfeld heir, is it?" asks Kallen, self-disparagement evident in the name.

"I didn't know there were nobles living in Area 11 before... well, before!" Shirley blurts out.

"Well. Not so many living, no. But there were always business trips," replies Kallen. "Intermarriage was uncommon, but..."

Shirley looks scandalized. "You mean it actually happened? You know someone like that?"

"Yeah... I do," replies Kallen, "But I'm not supposed to tell," she adds, hurriedly looking away. "Actually, forget I said anything."

"Marrying a number..." Shirley says quietly, not completing the sentence. She doesn't need to, however. Kallen is all too aware of the discriminating laws created to 'preserve the purity of the Holy Britannian Empire'. One example is that no child of a union from a Number and a Britannian may inherit the Britannian's hereditary title, although money, funneled into bribes, can always resolve such matters. It's hard for a Britannian to find the incentive to 'marry down', as it so happens; perhaps inconceivable.

You'd have to be a real idiot to go around and spread rumours like this, then, muses Kallen. A real idiot.

"You travelled around a lot because of your dad, right?" she asks, changing the subject. "What exactly does he do? What were the other areas like?"

"Well, Dad's in the military," Shirley says, as a silent agreement is formed to put the previous topic behind them. "But he's not a soldier or anything like that. He serves in logistics; that's the fancy name for making sure everyone has the right supplies and such." She laughs to herself. "Not so glamorous, right? But he's my Dad and I love him-- and I can't believe I said something so corny." She drops her face in her hands.

Is that jealousy, Ms. Statdfeld? It won't do. "Your secret is safe with me," she replies, gravely. "Getting food to people is important. Speaking of which, it actually has been a while, now."

"I did want to call them!" Shirley protests, just as the bell rings.

Armed with a box of pizza and some soda Kallen had never seen before, Shirley returns, all smiles. "Yeah. I'm actually really proud of my Dad! He works so hard just so that everyone would be safe and taken care of!"

"Did you tour around a lot? See all the cool sights?"

"We went to thirteen of the fifteen areas!" Shirley exclaims, before laughing in embarrassment. "Well, it's seventeen areas, now, since we've settled here. I really liked Area 7, but it didn't have as many Britannians my age in the settlement, and we weren't allowed to leave it."

Kallen thinks it's one of the African areas, though she's hard-pressed to recall more details.

She should. She had old textbooks, back from before the war (before they were all put out of circulation) that talk about Britannian expansion from the viewpoint of a free Japan. There was a list of names, there, of states that were conquered. You can't even find that on the net anymore.

"Not being allowed to leave is a pity, really," she opines, reaching for the box of pizza and setting it on the table. "I'd love to travel more, myself."

"You have your whole life ahead of you!" Shirley pronounces, before dissolving into a fit of giggles. "I sound like an old man."

Kallen hits Shirley with a pillow. "None of that! We are teenagers, and we demand instant gratification!"

Shirley squeals, before lunging for a slice of her own.

<--->

[Corwin]

<--->

[14:57] A crash coincides with Kallen's return home, as if to welcome her. Incompetence is harshly punished in the Stadtfeld estate, and no hired help had survived being laid off after even a single mistake. Her father's ideology is that they must give their all if they want to keep on serving the family; whether the Elevens truly understand or even identify with what is expected out of them is irrelevant. The pay is higher than what one might expect of their positions, however, that much Kallen knows. Perhaps this is why such an approach is made sustainable.
[15:00] Whatever they need to do to survive, isn't it? There's no shortage of willing replacements. It's a wonderful way to greet Kallen, and she considers turning around there and then and going somewhere more palatable. She doesn't, however, and instead heads through the front door. It's possible nobody else is home, and she might be able to cover for the unfortunate servant.
[15:05] Heading into the kitchen, Kallen spots her mother on her knees, staring at a stain on the ground. Her hands are shaking. There are two cooks in the kitchen, but they pretend not to see anything, tending to their dishes while keeping their heads down.
[15:10] Or it could be the usual suspect, thinks Kallen, unreasonably spiteful. "Fetch the dustpan," she orders, curtly. She tried to be indulgent, before, but it's getting ridiculous.
[15:13] "Kallen," Kasumi says, raising teary eyes to her daughter. "I'm sorry! It just... it just...." She can't explain beyond that, but that at least is also just like what happened so many times in the past weeks. The closest cook -- the junior one, Kallen briefly notes -- stammers a hasty, "Right away, Miss Stadtfeld!" and rushes to execute her orders.
[15:17] "You, you can- you're sick. You can go to bed," decides Kallen, glancing at her mother's shivering fingers. "Just don't break anything else on the way. Please."
[15:21] "Break anything else?" a familiar voice asks. Cleopatra enters the kitchens, and Kallen can't help but think that this woman had never set foot inside in the entire time she had known her. She certainly looks like she stepped into a cesspool, judging by the expression dominating her face. As the cook rushes to sweep the mess, Cleopatra stops him with a gesture.
[15:21] "No. Let her clean it up. That's the only thing she's good for now, isn't it? Making messes. She might as well prove marginally useful by taking care of them." Cleopatra stares at Kallen the entire time she speaks, looking haughty and spiteful all at once. Ever since Stanley's business trips extended, becoming more and more frequent, Cleopatra had been testing her limits more and more.
[15:28] Cleo is correct, in Kallen's estimation, and the day she admits that is the day she slits her wrists. Her limit, it seems, is close at hand. "This kitchen is not a theatre of humiliation," she snaps. "Have you lost your way?"
[15:30] "Not so far to show such blunt favoritism, where others would be long gone for their incompetence," Cleopatra responds, attacking from another angle rather than accept Kallen's charge.
[15:36] "You've already spoken to father about this," recites Kallen, staring daggers back at Cleo. "As much as you enjoy depriving someone of work, this angle is closed. Don't you have something better to do, like ogle that young noble with the red car? Oh, sorry- does he come by at three or four?"
[15:38] Cleopatra seethes, her hands balling into fists, and takes an angry step forward. For a moment, Kallen thinks her step mother is about to slap her, but she manages to reign in her anger and turns on her heel, marching stiffly outside the kitchen without another word.
[15:41] Just let her try. *Just let her try*, thinks Kallen. She doesn't get many opportunities to demonstrate just how fit she is. Cleo's wrists look very slender, as if they'd break if gripped hard enough. She'd love to try. Glancing at the servants, she smooths over her expression. "Clean it up," she orders the cook, again. "Take a break after you finish in here. As for you- just go. Please."
[15:42] Her mother nods tearfully, and leaves through the service entrance.
[15:47] The next morning, as Kallen readies to leave for school, she passes by two men she had not seen before. They don't seem like guests, being clearly of Japanese descent. An unfamiliar woman approaches her, then, holding a wrapped package in her hands. "Your lunch, Miss Stadtfeld," she says, bowing deeply. The entire time, her eyes are lowered.
[15:49] Kallen glances at the two men with odd curiosity, taking the package shortly after and dropping it in her bag. "Thank you," she offers, sounding rather confused. Do the men look like servants?
[15:52] Giving them a second, more thorough look, that seems likely to Kallen. They wear white uniforms with the Stadtfeld crest, she discovers on closer inspection.
[15:54] "Did you start work here today?" asks Kallen, rather curiously. True, servants come and go, but she's not blind to such things. With only three actual residents on the estate (of which generally only two are present), there aren't all that many servants on the grounds.
[15:58] "Ah, yes," she responds, still not looking up at Kallen. "I am very lucky to work for Baroness Stadtfeld and the Stadtfeld family." The answer sounds rehearsed.
[16:00] "You two," she mutters, glancing at the men. "Cooks, right?"
[16:02] They startle, exchanging a nervous glance. "Was there a problem with your meal, Miss Stadtfeld?" the older one asks. "If you would prefer something different, we would be happy to comply."
[16:04] "That bitch!" mutters Kallen, tossing her bag into a corner and marching off back into the house. She wouldn't dare! She decides to check up on her mother first, storming to her room and knocking on the door.
[16:06] The servants look frightened as Kallen marches past them, but none dare question her. As she knocks loudly on her mother's door, a crash sounds from inside, followed by shuffling. Kasumi opens it afterwards, dark circles around her eyes.
[16:06] "Did Cleo do anything to you?" demands Kallen, pressing her hands against the doorframe.
[16:07] Kasumi shakes her head quickly. She seems frightened.
[16:07] Past her, a picture frame lies broken on the floor.
[16:09] "Good," mutters Kallen, losing a little of her fire. Her eyes slide towards the picture on the floor; her mother only has a few of them.
[16:10] It is upside down, but judging by the others she can see on her mother's desk, one of the few pieces of furniture in the rather spartan room, it must be the one with Kallen and Naoto when they were children, taken before the war.
[16:12] Her mother had been more lively, then. It's hard to believe she's the same person. It's hard to believe *Kallen* is the same person. She shakes her head. "You have savings, don't you? You need to take a holiday or something. Get away from this.. this.. this place for a while."
[16:15] "Where can I go?" Kasumi asks with clarity that is sadly lacking from her more and more lately. Her mother is an Eleven, Kallen knows all too well. It would take more than money to leave the Tokyo settlement for another, and a single frail woman wouldn't make it out on her own in the ghettos.
[16:21] "I don't know. Dad can-" begins Kallen, before her face winces and she clutches her temple. It's foolish to think that her father will go any more out of his way for Kasumi than he has already. Helplessly, Kallen looks away, and her body moves shortly thereafter. She should check on the other cooks, as well. So what if it's not befitting her station, it's not like they didn't all already know-
[16:21] -what Kallen is like!...
[16:22] Kasumi remains there by the doorway, looking after Kallen sadly as her daughter leaves.
[16:22] The cooks are gone. The entire kitchen staff has been replaced, in fact, Kallen discovers.
[16:26] Of course. After blurting out what she did in the kitchen, the gossip would have spread. She can't afford to have father find out, so she fired the lot of them on the spot. And she'll be more circumspect in the future, no doubt. It's her fault. No, it's Cleo's fault. And the bitch doesn't care about anything but looking pretty-
[16:27] -it's not like there's anything Kallen can strike back at! Fuming impotently, Kallen grabs her bag and storms out the house, leaving a trail of terrified maids in her wake. It's not their fault, she reminds herself. Someone elses loss was their gain. And if all the Elevens think that way, they'll be too busy fueding amongst themselves to do anything meaningful.
[16:32] The vice-president is absent when Kallen storms into class, causing a few raised eyebrows at the sickly girl. Shirley acknowledges her with a smile and a wave, but she seems to be frowning a lot as she glances at Lelouch's seat. "You look down," Irene comments, settling herself on Kallen's desk. "What's wrong? Your allowance ran out?"
[16:32] "That can't happen," Teresa states clearly. "It is only the beginning of the month, and most of us aren't like you."
[16:32] "But those shoes were so dreamy, and then I just had to get the matching dress!"
[16:35] Allowance? Run out? Except when she goes out with her friends, Kallen never even spends it. Lelouch is always late, anyway, if he even shows up, and in any case Kallen hasn't spoken much to him. "My stepmother is what's wrong," Kallen mutters, darkly. "Yes, everything wrong in my life can be traced back to her."
[16:37] "Ooh!" Irene gasps, sensing a delightful story behind it, while Teresa rolls her eyes. "Girls not getting along with their stepmothers. I'm shocked, shocked I say."
[16:41] "When Father is home, she's all demure and quiet and sweet and saccharine," rants Kallen, glowering angrily at the desk. "But when he goes away, which is roughly all the time, she's a real harpy. If a maid looks at her wrong, bam! Fired. She has some recruitment agency on speedial and can replace the entire kitchen staff in an afternoon if there's a bone in her fish. Or if they dare to smile."
[16:41] Her head drops on her desk. "She makes me sick, frankly."
[16:42] "Yes, truly a tale I have not heard before," Teresa says sarcastically. "Has she gotten to the part where you're forced to dress in rags while home?" Irene pats Kallen's back sympathetically, for her part, throwing Teresa a glare.
[16:49] "Oh, yes, woe is Kallen, I'm sure you're thinking," replies Kallen, uncharacteristically (for school) returning the sentiment and wanting to scream. "I don't even know why I'm complaining to you. Whether it's this, that, or the other thing, Teresa has heard this one before, and boy, is she not impressed!"
[16:50] "They're just servants, right?" she asks, showing a bit of surprise. "And your stepmom isn't executing them, is she? So what's the big deal here?"
[16:50] "It isn't fair!"
[16:51] "Welcome to life," Teresa says with a snort, returning to her own desk. "That's supposed to be 'welcome to real life', Teresa!" Irene corrects her, before throwing Kallen an apologetic glance. "Even though it's not right," she adds lamely.
[16:55] "I'm sure she'll be saying the same thing when fate comes around to her. It's just.. ugh. That stupid cow has only a single accomplishment to her name, and that is marrying father, so she can use his." 'Ours' is the proper term, Kallen reminds herself. "She's never done a single useful thing."
[16:56] "Well, have you tried talking to her? Telling her how that makes you feel?" Irene suggests.
[16:56] Kallen stares at Irene.
[16:56] "How do you expect to resolve your problems if you can't communicate?"
[16:57] Communicate? With her fake mother? While her real one is in the house, and both of them are equally useless? "It's complicated," she mutters, looking away.
[16:59] Irene shuffles uncomfortably. "Well, it always helps me when I buy stuff?" she voices. Too loud, apparently, as a snort comes from Teresa's direction.
[17:01] "That'll help me with the rags problem, I guess," mumbles Kallen, glancing over at Lelouch's desk. "So. Think your crush is going to show up today? The guys have a betting ring up on this, you know."
[17:02] "He doesn't ditch first period or anything!" Irene protests, going on the defensive. "It's just that Lelouch often has prior engagements. Like during the last two classes."
[17:08] "Oh? It sounds like he's seeing someone," drawls Kallen, lazily.
[17:11] Irene shoots up. "That's not possible! There's no way Lelouch would be having a secret rendezvous with some girl after school!"
[17:11] The outburst gets more than a few interested looks. One of those belongs to Shirley, who is pretending not to listen.
[17:12] "That's why he must leave during school, Irene," replies Kallen, patiently.
[17:13] "Do you know something?" Irene grabs Kallen by the shoulders, shaking her. "You must know something! Was there anything he said during those council meetings?!"
[17:16] "Eh? I must? There was? Wait, no there wasn't. Actually, I don't speak to him much." Kallen frowns. "Keeps to himself, really."
[17:18] Irene does not seem to have heard anything past Kallen's first words, an agonized look taking over her face. "No! How could that be?!"
[17:19] "If only you'd approached him all those months ago?" guesses Kallen, raising both eyebrows.
[17:20] Irene collapses on Kallen's desk, completely defeated.

<--->

[Corwin]

<--->

(12:02) February the 14th. The school is in a state of anxiety Kallen had never witnessed previously, although she can understand her fellow students to a degree. They, after all, have not been privy to the design of the traps laid out across campus which presence Milly had so cheerfully announced before classes started. Even without that, however, Kallen doubts anyone could possibly learn anything that day. Not with the way some boys fit better into a dress than their female classmates, a fact which does not escape their notice.

Lelouch is absent through the first two classes, and Shirley, dressed dashingly as the brilliant Britannian detective Sherlock Holmes, is quickly losing her composure. Only two periods remain during this shorter-than-usual day; Milly had wanted more time to play before it is time for the evening festivities, and none argue with the student council president, even if they happen to be on staff.
(12:08) If Lulu doesn't show up, all of Kallen's preperations will go to waste! Could it be that he's attempting to dodge the show? No, he's the vice-president. Milly won't let him.

Kallen isn't doing her meek schoolgirl image many favours with her own outfit; the open black coat and pants, combined with the headband and bindings have her looking like a gangster. Her mean glare was perfected many months ago, but it's not often she breaks it out at school.
(12:14) Quite a few of the girls are sneaking looks at Kallen, in fact.

Lelouch does not show up as the third period ends, and Shirley looks quite worried. There are also hints of anger, and Kallen doesn't need to be close to the orange-haired girl to pick up on them.
(12:15) There's nothing for it. Kallen will have to call him. And force him into his outfit, if necessary.

Sneaking out the room for a moment, Kallen pulls out her cell, and gives the obviously recalcitrant vice-president a ring.
(12:17) The phone rings, and rings, and rings.... Kallen gets Lelouch's voicemail.
(12:19) For all the good leaving messages on THAT has ever done. Kallen isn't sure he even checks it.

This could be a problem, but there's always the backup solution. Lulu's loyal tagalong, Rivalz, should know where he's gone, and he can certainly be persuaded, one way or the other.
(12:19) Hence, Kallen wanders back into class to find the shorter guy.
(12:22) Finding Rivalz isn't a problem; Kallen knows which class he goes to, and she'd even visited it a few times before.

Finding Rivalz in a white and blue dress with heavy makeup and a blonde wig, complete with pigtails is another matter entirely. He seems to be dressed as Dorothy, the costume complete with a plush puppy that looks stapled to his right shoulder.
(12:24) Rivals looks far better in it than any members of the athletics clubs look in... anything, really.

Especially that guy in the tutu.

"Treasurer! Do you happen to know the whereabouts of our illustrious vice-president, who is too cool for school, even on a day like this?"
(12:26) "Lelouch is skipping?!" Rivalz exclaims, jumping off the desk he had been perching on. The dress flutters. "We cannot allow him to miss out on such a valuable life lesson!"
(12:27) "I agree! He is badly in need of instruction. In many things," responds Kallen, slamming an angry hand on a nearby desk.

"The question is... could he be hiding? Or running?"
(12:27) "Did you try calling him?" Rivalz asks, taking out his cell.
(12:27) "Yeah, he didn't pick up."
(12:29) "Ah, but who could possibly know where Lelouch is hiding? His deepest and darkest secrets?" The words sound somehow rehearsed to Kallen's ears, however. "I know! The president! Wait for me, Milly!"

Rivalz dashes out of the classroom.
(12:30) Well, when Rivalz doesn't know something, the answer *tends* to be 'go and see Milly' when it's not 'ask Lelouch'.

Kallen follows after him, as curious as anyone to know what her fellow students get up to in clandestine ways (and taking careful notes on how best to conceal her own activities, if necessary.)
(12:39) The drama club members are the most impressive, and Kallen has trouble determining their true genders at a glance. The rest of her classmates can be easily divided into those having fun with the festival the way Rivalz is, having either overcome or embraced their shame or lacking it to begin with, and the gloomy students who have put only a token participation into the events. From the way Milly was smirking when Shirley raised the possibility of some students rebelling in such a way during their last preparatory meeting, Kallen somehow thinks the blonde would have the last laugh.

Following Rivalz, Kallen enters the classroom in time to see him make a beeline towards Prince Clovis. A moment later, and the illusion is dispelled. The clothes might be a perfect replica of what Kallen had seen their beloved governor prefer, but the figure adorned in them is without a doubt quite feminine.
(12:40) Of all people, did Milly really need to impersonate the prince? (Isn't that a crime? Well, on campus, Milly makes the laws.)

"There's a serious problem, your highness," states Kallen, coarsely.
(12:41) "Can't it wait?" Milly asks, sounding aloof. "I'm in the middle of my daily manicure."
(12:43) "Your nails are important, of course, and I do not mean to interrupt. Yet, the Queen has yet to make her presence known! We fear she has absconded!"
(12:44) There is a glint in Milly's eyes at that. "Oh, has she, now?" she asks dangerously. "How dreadful."
(12:44) "Indeed. Inspector Holmes is frantic with worry."
(12:47) Milly laughs hearitly. "And we can't have that." She marches out of the classroom, Rivalz picking up the hem of her cloak reverently and following. "So where has the good inspector looked already? Or is he using his formiddable mental powers to locate tonight's runaway bride?"
(12:48) "The good inspector made his feelings known by... his temperament, more than his words," admits Kallen. "The Queen does not answer her phone, but little else is known."
(12:51) "Use those daintly arms to actually do manual labor the likes of answering a phone?" Milly gasps. "Surely, you expect too much of Her Majesty."
(12:52) "Communication is such a heavy burden," agrees Kallen, folding her arms and frowning.

"Perhaps she still yet sleeps?"
(12:56) "We must find out at once!" A phone appears in Milly's left hand, and she calls one of the numbers on speeddial. "Alfred?" she asks. "Has Her Majesty left the premises? Ah, I see, I see. And the-- yes. Oh? Excellent."

She terminates the call, smiling. "Lady Luluko has not left the premises. Alfred was quite insistent about that."
(12:58) "We will be on schedule, then?" replies Kallen, cracking a smirk. "All the other preperations are in place."
(12:59) "With one adjustment to the plan," Milly says, her smile downright evil. "Rivalia, with me!" she commands imperiously, striding off.
(12:59) Rivalz looks all-too-happy to tag along.
(13:00) This is a problem. It could be a problem. Kallen's plans don't, and can't, account for the president's flights of fancy.

But adjustments could be made, if she's around to see them! She strides after them, throwing fake glares at anyone who dares to impede her majesty's way.
(13:07) Milly is headed for the broadcasting club. Its members's sense of style is lacking, Kallen discovers as she follows her inside. The Japanese woman she had met the day Milly recruited her is there in a butler's outfit, along with a fake moustache. So is Nunnally, easily recognizable by her wheelchair. Kallen briefly thinks she came as a mummy, before she decides Nunnally must be dressed as a ninja.

"I have a wonderfuly announcement to make!" Milly announces, once the equipment has been readied for her. "Tonight, a special rule will be in effect! The first to catch our runaway bride, the beautiful and matchless Lady Luluko, may win her lips over as their prize! So I, Clovis la Britannia, have spoken!"

A roar sounds from outside, made dull by the thick walls of the broadcasting room.
(13:15) Nothing can possibly account for this! Kallen expected Lelouch to be chased, no doubt about that, but this last-minute incentive...

Well, she'll just have to activate some of the traps near the council building a little earlier than expected. Ten to one says Lelouch will be kept on the run, and that should be easy to track! Which just leaves Shirley...

...who will definately chase him. Will she? If it's put to her the right way...
(13:21) "Before we start the festivities, is there anything you would like to share about your mistress?" Milly asks, placing a hand on Nunnally's shoulder as she leans closer to the microphone. "For all those amongst you who can't wait to compete for Her Majesty's lips, an inside tip from her most loyal servant and protector!"

"Ah, onii-neesama, I mean," Nunnally stammers. "She sounded like she was in a bad mood this morning, and the rustling of her clothes sounded like she had a cloak on. I don't really understand why Oneesama would hide herself. She is so beautiful."

"And there you have it!" Milly exclaims. "A cloak! Search for a cloaked beauty!" She turns towards Nunnally. "Can you tell us more about it?"

"I, uhh, didn't get a good look," Nunnally returns.
(13:25) The chasing will start any minute. There's clearly not a second to lose!

Kallen slips away from Milly whilst she's doing her thing, and pulls out a palm pilot. An overlay of the school pops up on her screen, and she rapidly begins sending signals to the electronic traps, and pre-defined messages to the operational staff intended to set up the rest.

In her other hand, she uses her phone to call Shirley.
(13:35) Shirley picks up after two rings. "Ah, Kallen, this is kind of a bad time."
(13:38) "It's a terrible time! Luluko is planning to flee from the campus grounds!" returns Kallen, heading to the roof of the school building. 
(13:41) "Luluko-- Lulu would never do that!" Shirley insists.

Sayoko had taken over the microphone at Milly's request, and is lamenting having to work for such a shy mistress. Nunnally interrupts her, stuttering as she extolls her brother's virtues, stumbling over gender pronouns a few times in her rush.
(13:44) "You heard the Prince's announcement. And you know how *so very shy* Luluko is. She is definately planning on escaping," insists Kallen, wondering why Shirley would possibly think such a thing when Lulu skips class, oh, every three days or so, running up the stairs (they're faster than the elevator!)

"But! I think I know what route she'll take. Can you make it to the east garden? Oh, don't go through the lawn, the sprinklers are on high power."
(13:48) "Lulu would never do that," Shirley says, pausing. She adds quietly, "Not after the one time he did it. Milly can be very scary." She squeals then. "Warn me about those first!"

It sounds like Shirley is already somewhere on the grounds. Meanwhile, Milly is considering capturing Lady Luluko all for herself after being convinced to woo such a fine specimen of humanity, as Nunnally panics in the background, attempting to dissuade her.
(13:49) "Yesssss but this time a kiss is on the line!" replies Kallen, finally making it to the roof and using the opportunity to get a good view of the school below her. If only she knew Milly's password, she could use the student council camera system...
(13:54) She easily spot Shirley, drenched but undeterred, make her way to the eastern garden. "Kissing... Lulu...." Although she can't see Shirley that well from her perch, Kallen is certain a heavy blush is adoring the girl's cheeks.

"And now it is time for the event to begin!" Milly's voice announces over the speakers. "A flower. Yes, a flower! The first to bring one to their destined partner secures their dance partner. And in one special case, even more!"

Across the dull roar of approval cuts a scream of such rage it may only belong to the gardening club, Kallen reasons.
(13:57) Kallen never did forgive them for that time when they dropped the lilies in her face. Faking hayfever was painful, dammit! Why can't they be more considerate! This is a suitable punishment.

Now, the question is, where would Lelouch be? The answer is obvious; away from all the people. They'll soon be surging across the grounds, and Shirley should be expertly poised to go against the flow.
(14:14) Shirley is certainly in a position to both arm herself with a flower and ruin the chances of others to do likewise, though Kallen doubts the girl would actually do the latter.

Over the PA system, Rivalz desperately confesses to Prince Clovis, which results in a demand that the peasant be thrown outside for trying to go agains the rules.
(14:17) Not to worry. Getting to that garden is fraught with peril. There are only two safe routes! She might need to temproarily disable the traps for Shir- no, that would be cheating even more than necessary.

Kallen can't help but repress a snicker for Rivalz, but she focuses intently on exploiting her bird's-eye view of the campus. Lelouch can't hide inside forever. Sooner or later, he must come out!
(14:20) It doesn't take long for the masses to rush out onto the grounds. The traps do their best, delaying some and adding to the chaos. The students of Ashford are nothing if not determined, however, and no strangers to such festivities. From her observation post, Kallen sees as Shirley is forced to flee from what looks to be the entire membership of the male tennis club, dressed as their female compatriots.
(14:23) "Shirley, run around the bell-tower!" orders Kallen. A number of tripwires should be set off past there, triggering a deluge of fog and streamers from the upper windows! As long as she's fast, Shirley should outpace them, and her persuers. Did she know she was that popular? Of course she must.

Still no sign of Lelouch, however. He hasn't actually escaped already, has he? It's a problem.
(14:27) Shirley is athletic and agile enough to escape her unwanted admirers, disappearing from view. She keeps her cool, however, reporting her position via her phone.

There is no sign of Lelouch, in or out of a dress. The bell signalling the last period for the day rings, while Milly does her best to entertain her subjects by speaking of potential pairings she might choose for those unlucky to find their date or catch the ever-elusive vice-president.
(14:29) Kallen can't help but keep her ears open to hear if Milly is suggesting anything for her fellow council-members. It would be bad if Kallen was assigned someone awful and had to catch her own date. Very bad.
(14:33) Kallen and Shirley don't feature as examples. Perhaps suspiciously so, because when Nunnally innocently asks about them, Milly laughs evilly, before responding that Nunnally should really worry over being a perfect gentleman around Rivalz.
(14:35) Ulp.

Lelouch clearly isn't going to come out, and Kallen's patience is wearing thin. There's nothing for it. He must be in the school building, somewhere. Perhaps the library? The underground section? She'll have to search herself, and flush him out! And find a suitable guy along the way, because she won't be able to handle Milly's choice. Not at all.

The library, first, then, she thinks, plunging back into the depths of the school. 
(14:47) Sneaking down the stairs amidst the chaos, Kallen makes her way to the library unopposed. Only once she's there, however, does she discover that she is not alone. Someone is whispering, almost too quietly to make out the words. There is a flutter of white and blue from behind one of the bookcases.
(14:49) Someone else is plotting? Kallen will... let that slide!

But that was the colour of Rivalz's outfit, if she's not mistaken. Into the bookshelves she goes, hoping to confirm her suspicions before the target gets away!
(14:51) "Your plan failed!" Rivalz protests quietly into his mobile. "I couldn't stay around Milly-- wait, what do you mean all conditions were cleared? Lelouch!"
(14:53) Oho.

Kallen remains hidden for the time being, allowing Rivalz to chatter away into the other line. She strains her own ears to try and hear the tinny voice coming from the other end. Hiding, eh? Thinks he can outfox Kallen, eh?
(14:54) Rivalz complains for a long time, sounding quite betrayed. It always keeps on coming back to some sort of plan that was sure to land Milly as his dance partner.
(15:01) Lelouch vanishes, nowhere to be found, and eventually Rivalz ends up with Milly in the broadcasting clubroom? It's a decent excuse...

There's no way to track the transmission, though, but there's definately an opportunity for blackmail, and thus Kallen lays a heavy hand on Rivalz's shoulder. "Oi," she intones, in a deep, husky voice.
(15:03) Rivalz stiffens. "I'm going to have to call you back," he says in a squeaky voice, hanging up the phone.
(15:04) "So, Rivalz. What's all this about a plan?"  asks Kallen, leaning close to the boy's ear. "To catch the president? My, how bold! She'd certainly be impressed to hear about it."
(15:04) "You think so?" he asks piteously, not even bothering with a denial.
(15:05) "Absolutely. If it was put to her in the right way. A girl could be flattered! Or mortified," she muses, chewing her lip.

"Of course, it wouldn't do if she found out you were keeping secrets."
(15:06) "Mortified?" Rivalz asks, hanging on Kallen's every word.
(15:07) "Absolutely. But I can put in a good word for you. It's all about the phrasing," remarks Kallen. "I just need to know one thing."
(15:08) "What is it?"

The idolizing look Rivalz is giving her would be mildly disturbing even without the running make up.
(15:09) "Where is the vice-president?" Kallens asks, surrepitously setting her phone onto loudspeaker to ensure Shirley hears.
(15:13) "I knew it," Rivalz says in defeat. "Everyone always wants him." A muffled coughing fit emanates from the cell's speaker and he looks around in confusion before shrugging. "Where else? The secondary control room."
(15:16) "Hmph! I only want him to take part, as befits his position," declares Kallen, clicking off her phone. Shirley should be able to handle the rest, if she's got the will.
(15:18) There is really no time to find out, as the weight-lifting club, dressed as one in unitards, barge into the library. Their beady eyes scan the premises, and almost instantly narrow in on Kallen. Lillies, freshly-torn out of the southern gardens, if Kallen's memory serves her well, peek from beneath their clenched fists.
(15:24) Kallen's eyes grow to comical proportions as she sees the most inappropriately dressed team array itself before her. There's no escape, and too many to fight at once without knocking over bookshelves and generally upsetting the literature club (which would have... consequences most dire for Kallen.)

Milly must be responsible for this, somehow. That thought lodges itself in Kallen's mind as she withdraws her flower and hands it over to Rivalz, looking away as she does so.
(15:27) They groan, and Rivalz himself does not look particularly happy at this turn of events.
(15:29) And why not? Kallen is an excellent catch! Just ask those boys over there!

Clasping her hands together, she makes a faux-bow. "I'm sorry. I had no other choice," she states, only slightly sarcastically.
(15:31) He sighs, taking the flower, before letting his hand drop. And then, Rivalz throws his head back and howls, "Curse you, Lelouch!"
(15:36) When it is time for the dance, Kallen gets to discover that the talk of runaway brides wasn't just a metaphore. Lelouch is dressed in a flawless, white wedding gown, a silver tiara adorning his head. The light blush on his cheeks only adds to the image, and Kallen is forced to admit, if only to herself, that he is easily a candidate for the prettiest girl at the event.

Shirley is by his side, her clothes looking slightly rumpled which gets a lot of remarks, some snide. She hotly insists that it's due to water from the sprinklers.

For her part, Milly is escorting Nunnally. Sayoko, still sporting her moustache, manages to scare away anyone who tries to cry foul somehow, despite not looking particularly menacing to Kallen.
(15:41) She is an adult amongst children, after all.

Both she and Rivalz look slightly disconsolate, but Kallen isn't about to give voice to her complaints! It isn't as if she had anyone particularly in mind when she set out, today. Certainly not Lelouch, who makes a better fit with Shirley, anyway.

"Don't worry. Nobody escaped unscathed," she remarks to her partner as she approaches the other council members.
(15:42) Rivalz drops his head listlessly. "Milly," he whispers sadly.
(15:46) Really, he shouldn't be so obviously desperate. It's.. clingy, doesn't he know? Guys can't be clingy. It's unmanly, even if this is the day that roles can be reversed.

"Hey," she waves, winking slightly at Shirley as she closes in to the others. "That really does suit you far too well," she adds, addressing both in the couple.
(15:47) Lelouch turns away in a huff, like far too many offended noble women Kallen had the dubious pleasure of meeting briefly through her father.

<--->

[Corwin]

<--->

(16:06) Kallen didn't dance very much; for a start, she never particularly enjoyed it to begin with, and as pained as Rivalz is, he could stand to spend a little more time focusing on his partner and a little less time craning his neck at Milly, losing the beat, and stepping on Kallen's toes.

It's almost a relief when the event is over, and Kallen has called a taxi to take both her and Shirley home. Most of the students have already returned to their dorms, leaving the two of them alone to chat.

"So, how was it?" asks Kallen, tired but happy for her friend, all the same.
(16:07) "I don't know," Shirley responds. Now that they are alone, Kallen doesn't think her friend looks as happy as she should be after a successful date. "I honestly don't know."
(16:10) "Well... would you do it again?"
(16:12) "I think... I think it's because I cornered him." Shirley turns to look at Kallen, her expression desperate. "You wouldn't want to be coerced like that, would you? He must think I'm awful!"
(16:15) The idea of anyone thinking Shirley is awful seems patently ridiculous to Kallen, though her second sentence does strike a chord.

"Well, he did go along with the event," allows Kallen, shaking her head. "I don't think he'd let himself be forced to do anything he doesn't really want to do."
(16:19) "Sometimes, you have to choose the least bad option," Shirley tells her. "I heard Lulu tell the president that, once before. He probably saw me... as that. His bad option."
(16:29) "I don't think you're being fair to yourself," replies Kallen, shaking her head. "Isn't shyness a better explanation? The president pushes these things a little.. roughly."
(16:31) "They're very close," Shirley says unhappily. Her jealousy is plain to see. "It's like the president knew Lulu all his life, the way she knows how to make him do everything she wants to."
(16:32) "That isn't exclusive to Lulu, though," points out Kallen, frowning. "Besides, if those two were to get together, then today would've been the day."
(16:35) Shirley seems to find that reassuring. "I suppose," she agrees. "And... it wasn't a total wash. I can admit it, now. I like Lulu!" Even though Shirley says the words, her voice is kept very quiet during her confession. She blushes heavily afterwards, too. "That's progress, right, Kallen?"
(16:36) Welcome to the day I met you, girl!

"It's progress, yep, but am I really the one you need to admit it to?" asks Kallen, coyly.
(16:40) Shirley's blush refuses to disappear. "I don't think I'm ready for that step, yet," she demurs.
(16:44) "Aww. Don't you get it, Shirley? This is your big chance!" exclaims Kallen, clapping the girl on the shoulder. "Look, I bet tomorrow, if he even shows up, he'll come to school all cool and calm and collected, like normal. But this time it'll be a front, and he'll be secretly wondering what you really think, just like you're wondering what he really thinks, and ten to one says he won't actually tell you unless you make the move, here. He's.. he's.. receptive! An investment opportunity."
(16:46) Shirley seems dubious. "It might seem easy to you, Kallen, but--" She stops suddenly. "No. I shouldn't talk like that. You must have things you can't talk about, so you know it's not easy."
(16:48) "Ah... well," replies Kallen, having no snappy comment for such an uncannily truthful statement. "Yeah. I haven't really.. thought about boys much, so, well, there's probably a lot I don't get."
(16:51) "I saw," Shirley admits. "I mean, you didn't look like you were enjoying yourself much with Rivalz."
(16:51) "Well... he kept stepping on my feet."
(16:51) Shirley giggles. "Yes, that would make for a bad date."
(16:52) "Don't get me wrong, he's a nice enough guy! Just.. not my type. Probably," allows Kallen.
(17:00) "Rivalz is a good friend," Shirley agrees.

<--->

[Corwin]

<--->

(15:14) Kallen knows the way to Shirley's place very well by now. This isn't the first time she's come seeking elysium (although she hasn't put it that way to the girl.) She often wonders if Shirley suspects there's anything wrong with her; it's only when home is too much to bear that she runs away for a night.

She arrives at the door soon enough, knocking politely.
(15:17) If Shirley has an inkling into Kallen's home situation, she doesn't show it. However, Kallen always finds herself welcome, even in the rare event when both of Shirley's parents are home.

The orange-haired girl opens after a few moments, during which Kallen overhears a thud. Shirley is rubbing at her left elbow absently, giving Kallen an embarrassed smile.
(15:20) "Hey!" greets Kallen, effortlessly masking her features and smiling back. "What didja break?"
(15:20) "Oh, I hope that nothing," Shirley responds, blanching.
(15:22) Kallen steps inside after that, dropping her light bag near the entrance. "Parents home today?" she asks, kicking off her shoes.
(15:24) "Mum should be back later. She got called in to work," Shirley responds. She doesn't mention her father, and by that very omission Kallen understands that his work has taken him away from home once more.
(15:26) "Aha. Then I shall order takeout for the three of us as repayment for your hospitality," declares Kallen, kneeling down near her bag and pulling out a few cases.

"I brought a few movies along! A couple of them are old Japanese flicks- they're, um, censored, so don't tell anyone I have them. But I think you'll like them," she rambles.
(15:28) "Foreign-language films?" Shirley asks, looking dubious at the prospect. "Or dubbed? Though whether that's better...." She trails off, tapping her lips thoughtfully.
(15:30) "There are subtitles? I think?"
(15:31) "Oh, I can understand, umm, Japanese, but... well, it's just not the same? That doesn't mean we can't watch them, because you clearly gave this a lot of thought and oh just shoot me now."
(15:33) "How many langauges can you speak, anyway?" asks Kallen, as she heads towards the Fenette's recreation room.
(15:35) "I make it a habit to learn the local language," Shirley admits, looking away with a light flush over her cheeks. "It's such a geeky quirk, isn't it?"
(15:35) "Are you kidding? That's really impressive!"
(15:37) "I... kinda hope that by being able to communicate, I'll be able to make new friends easier." Shirley sighs. "But it's anything but easy. Or it was, until Area 11." She sneaks a peak at Kallen to judge her reaction, trying not to be obvious about it.

She fails.
(15:41) Kallen has long since gotten used to Shirley's mannerisms. It's a refreshing honesty that she needs to see from time to time to keep her spirits up.

"I think it's admirable," she replies, entirely truthful. "I do think it's a pity that you don't get much chance to use it in the settlement. I mean, I can speak both langauges, but I've never really sat down to learn either, you know? I just picked them up. Like, it'd be impossible for me to learn a new one from scratch, now."
(15:42) "Oh, I'm sure that's not true!" Shirley insists. "If you have one you're interested in, I could help!"
(15:43) "Eheh~ well, I'd be more interested in learning Chinese, or French," admits Kallen. "More than the langauges of the other areas. But, you know, you could really make a career out of that kind of knowledge."
(15:45) Shirley's dubious look returns, but she doesn't voice her objections. "So what did you have in mind?" she asks, glancing at the stack of movies.
(15:47) "Oh, well, there's this one movie about a blind swordsman, and-" replies Kallen, grabbing one of the cases. They're a bit dusty; she hasn't dug these out for a long time (and certainly hasn't watched them at home).

As she opens one of the cases to take a movie out, an old photo slips out of the box, but she doesn't notice as she heads towards the media player.
(15:49) Shirley is oddly twitchy, Kallen notices upon reaching her friend's media equipment.
(15:50) "Something the matter?" questions Kallen, turning the devices on and setting up tonight's home entertainment.
(15:51) "I wasn't looking!" Shirley immediately protests, jumping.
(15:54) "Hah?" asks Kallen, turning back at her friend and seeing the photo lying on the couch. A little confused for a moment, her eyes widen, and she lunges for the photo in a hurry, quickly tucking it into her pocket.

How could she have forgotten? She'd hit it there ages ago because she was scared someone would take it away, along with the movies. It was dumb and childish, but it was the sort of thing Naoto told her about. Of course, the Britannians didn't care about taking away an old momento of Kallen's time with her real family (as she thinks of it),, but paranoia does odd things to a person.
(15:55) Shirley swiftly moves out of the way as Kallen leaps at her wildly, holding her hands in front of her chest.
(15:57) "You.. weren't looking, right?" asks Kallen, flopping onto the couch. "Sorry."
(15:57) A whimper from Shirley is the only response as she shakes her head furiously.
(16:00) "Really! I shouldn't get so jumpy, especially not here. Uh. Want something to drink?" asks Kallen in a flurry, standing up abruptly.
(16:01) "S-Sure." Shirley seems shaken, but she manages a nod, starting towards the kitchen. As Kallen moves abruptly, she involuntarily shuffles back.
(16:06) The next few minutes pass rather awkwardly, and all of a sudden, Kallen feels like a stranger again. But after she and Shirley both mutely sip their drinks, she eventually sighs. "So, ah, Shirley. Think you can keep a secret?" she asks, fatalistically. 
(16:07) Shirley looks very worried, Kallen thinks.

"I wouldn't just go around and gossip!" she says, but rather than sounding offended, concern is the emotion coming through the most.
(16:11) "I know you wouldn't," replies Kallen, smiling. "I'm sorry for not trusting you. To tell the truth, the woman in that photo is my mother. I'm not supposed to tell people that, but... well. There it is. You get what that means."
(16:13) Shirley isn't quite sure what to say.
(16:16) Neither does Kallen, really. She feels slightly silly, all of a sudden.

"And that's that. You know what, just forget it, I'll, um, put something else on oh god now I'm the one who wants to be shot."
(16:20) Shirley watches Kallen's movies in silence. The one with the aforementioned blind swordsman is a captivating tale, and recent enough that the filming techniques are modern.

"I won't tell anyone," she says suddenly. The words are spoken carefully, rather than blurted, as if Shirley had spent considerable time formulating her response. A sideways glance at Kallen changes all that, and she adds in a rush, "But that's not what you want to hear, right? You're not ashamed or anything, or you wouldn't keep that. So. So. I'm sorry. It must be very hard."
(16:23) "It's... really not. I mean, there are plenty of people out there who have better things to complain about than me," replies Kallen, shaking her head. "My own problems are pretty meaningless, really, it's not like I'm dying or anything."

Just ask Teresa, she thinks to herself.

"But thanks. Really, I mean it."
(16:25) Shirley nods tersely, and continues to watch the movie. On even a cursory examination, however, her attention isn't on the film, and the girl seems edgy.
(16:28) Part of Kallen wants to just leave.

But if she does that, then Shirley will just be edgy the next time she sees her. And then probably the time after that, so..

Once the movie ends, Kallen ignores the subject entirely. "So. Homework. As discussed, I will do enough science for both of us in return for concessions on english. Are we agreed?"
(16:31) Shirley holds no objections. As they settle comfortably with their homework, she seems quite pensive. More than usually so, while working together. When she writes something in her notebook, Shirley seems almost absent-minded.
(16:35) Whereas Kallen focuses almost entirely on it with unusual drive.

"Pizza or noodles?" she asks, at one point.
(16:37) "I'll go order!" Shirley volunteers, making good on her escape.

Now unguarded, Kallen thinks she sees her name scribbled on the open page of Shirley's English notebook.
(16:40) Kallen sneaks a peak at the other pages in Shirley's notebook while she's out the room; the girl literally wears her mind on her sleeve. That can't be good.
(16:43) Most of it is filled with lecture summaries and drafts for homework alike. It is only over last few pages, those that had to have been written earlier that day, that Shirley deviates from that pattern. It is as if the assignment is to write an essay, and she starts doing so, but loses focus. Lines are crossed out; as are entire paragraphs. She even started the whole thing from scratch a few times.

Shirley wonders why Kallen doesn't trust her, whether she doesn't look trustworthy, and other variations on the theme. The entire thing reads fairly pessimistic.
(16:48) It's not that Kallen doesn't trust Shirley! But why would Shirley really want to know any of this? Speaking of it around her feels so selfish and, well, arrogant.

Leaving the book back on it's original page, Kallen drops her head on the table with a thump. That's not entirely true. No matter how much she trusts Shirley, she can't tell her everything. Lilith, for example. Or Naoto.
(16:50) Shirley returns, taking her seat. "I, umm, ordered both. It's okay, right?"
(16:51) "I don't mind," replies Kallen, lazily. "I won't get fat no matter how much I eat."
(16:52) "That must be nice," Shirley says with a hint of jealousy. "We work really hard at the swimming club."
(16:56) "You must enjoy it, though, since you're on the council as well."
(16:56) Shirley flushes scarlet. "It's the pervert president's fault."
(16:57) Kallen snorts. "Did she hand-pick everyone there? I was wondering why I never saw anyone ask about joining."
(16:58) Shirley mutters something about a demand for tribute. She hasn't been this embarrassed even while discussing Lelouch.
(16:59) "Ah, come on, let's trade secrets all night! Nothing spoken in these walls shall leave them," declares Kallen, forgetting about homework and turning her chair to face Shirley.
(17:08) "I-- I was the newest, in the club, and also had, she said, ah, actually, that was the only reason, really," Shirley rambles, squirming.
(17:09) Shirley ducks her head in shame.
(17:09) "I, I know I'm not qualified, but I try to work really hard!"
(17:12) "The only qualification necessary is squirming when the president tells you to," mutters Kallen. "I predict the school will be very different after she graduates, mark my words."

<--->

[Corwin]

<--->

[14:41] It is a rare day when Stanley Stadtfeld returns home during recent times, but Kallen knew this was one occasion he would not miss for the world. It has nothing to do with the family... and everything, at the same time, as this visit might set the tone for a relationship that would then push the Stadtfelds to higher status, breaking through the glass ceiling most nobles have over their heads.
[14:48] Status, over other nobles. But those distant from these games see it as all the same. You need to be close to a glass ceiling to see the boundaries it creates- those far away pay little heed to such divisions. The more Kallen thinks about it, the more these trials seem so frivolous.
[14:49] And yet, she might be the one playing them tomorrow. The point of it all, in the end, is power, and that's what's necessary to make change, regardless of where it comes from. After freshening up, she heads outside to greet her father for the first time in... how long, now?
[14:53] It must have been a month, at least. The Stadtfelds have many residencies, and the manor in Area 11 is merely one of them. Kallen's father had been busy with work ever since the original meeting with the Holy Grail representatives he took Kallen on,
[14:53] and from what little she had been able to piece together, Stanley's work had focused in arranging all the various details and making certain the firm's acquisitions went smoothly. A limousine awaits outside, and he sits inside, barely visible through the partially opened door.
[14:57] Kallen steps towards the car. She can see herself in one of the reflective windows; clad in an austere suit that she has never worn before, tailored for the occasion. It fits perfectly; a model Britannian, she is. Walking past the taunting mirror, she takes her place in the car. "Good morning, father," she greets, resorting to formality -- the only langauge she believes she can share with him.
[15:00] He nods, not speaking, but as Kallen turns to close the door, the reflection tells her that he spends longer than necessary looking at her, before nodding again, this time to himself.
[15:00] "You've made a list of the topics you wish explained, as well as questions that remained after the presentation?" Stanley asks, after giving the order to drive.
[15:01] "I've come prepared," replies Kallen. A notepad in her inside pocket exists to remind her, if necessary. "Will you be leaving it all to me?"
[15:03] "We'll be working together," he responds, a shift from the previous stance. "I will handle the financial matters; you would be in charge of operations at this phase."
[15:06] "Regarding that, where will the bulk of the responsibility for the distribution of any finished product lie?"
[15:09] "You shouldn't worry about that," Stanley tells Kallen, looking outside through the limo's tinted windows. "By that stage, you would have complete control over the project."
[15:13] A blonde looking only a few years older than Kallen is there to meet them when Kallen and her father arrive at the facility. Her nametag reads as Stephanie Miller, and she introduces herself as the head of public relations.
[15:13] "Well, now," Stephanie says as the initial greetings have been exchanged. "Who will be joining me on the tour?"
[15:18] After a brief pause, Kallen steps forward. "I shall be," she states, assuming her father would have already said as much if he intended to participate.
[15:21] He casts an approving look at her, although Kallen doubts anyone not familiar with the man would interpret it as such. A man exits the building, clad in a black suit, and Stanley heads towards him with a nod at Stephanie and Kallen.
[15:21] "Is there anything you would like to see first?" Stephanie asks.
[15:24] "A summary of how this facility is segmented to begin with," decides Kallen. "After that, I would like to inspect the primary containment unit first."
[15:30] Nodding, Stephanie gestures towards the entrance and begins walking. The building itself is several floors high, the only one in the barbed wire-warded facility. "None of us actually stay on the grounds," she explains, "and it was decided that concentrating the various departments around the main laboratory complex would improve efficiency and productivity, thus cutting costs.
[15:30] As a result, we make do with a single structure, some areas of it are shared, and as such, segments might be a wrong word to address the spaces each department has for itself."
[15:32] Kallen follows the woman with short, precise steps. "I see. What departments are present, and roughly how many people are on staff here during the main working hours?"
[15:37] "We employ eighty three people, although only half of them, forty two, are researchers. The rest fill other important positions, most of them in security in some way," Stephanie responds, matching her speed to Kallen's. "The scientists are divided into four roughly equal group, each studying an aspect of our product to find applications for it.
[15:37] The strategic thought committee examines their progress routinely and sets new goals for the department heads to meet or work towards, should a change become necessary."
[15:39] "Are the scientists divided based on their fields of expertise, or are they roughly equivalent to one another?"
[15:41] "As the fields of study overlap, the only real division a non-scientist might spot in the work the departments do is one between civillian and military applications," Stephanie confides in her. "Each department is more geared towards one of the two, and thus tends to have likeminded staff on its roster."
[15:43] "It sounds as though the clash of goals might cause some friction."
[15:46] "None at all!" Stephanie is quick to reassure Kallen. "As matter of fact, much of our society's current progress has been made as a result of wartime technology finally making its way to the general public in new and exciting applications! Here, we have a unique opportunity to skip past that slow step and utilize our resources properly to achieve this all that sooner."
[15:48] "It's good to hear we don't require an actual war to proceed," admits Kallen. "So, what projects are being worked on at present?"
[15:54] "We currently have only one department studying anything with military applications, which would be work on the V-series second generation nerve agent," Kallen is told. The insides of the facility where they pass seem rather drab and no decoration of note exists, though the grounds are kept clean, she can see.
[15:54] "Another, working closely with them, is trying to tailor a short-term innoculation to it which could be distributed ahead of time. Due to the importance of Knightmares on the battlefield, we believe both would find a use with specialized teams or the police, to put down riots in the most humane way possible."
[15:57] "Nerve agents? Knockout gas, I suppose?"
[16:02] "The second generation attempts to increase the potency without losing any of the properties of the original which made it such a popular hit with the armies of old," Stephanie responds. "Next, we have the cosmetics section -- we are about to pass it, in fact." Stephanie gestures to her left, where there is a door Kallen would not be able to tell from the rest.
[16:02] "It is the project closest to fruition. We have already found a way to encourage the skin cells to regenerate, making one look ten years younger with ease. The issue that must be overcome is the freshness of the cosmetics, for it to become a viable commercial product, but we are very optimistic about solving that last hurdle!"
[16:06] "If so, it would be popular across the empire." Normally, Kallen would dismiss such a statement as grandiose advertising. Given what she knows about this facility already, however, it seems like the claim might indeed be true, which makes it no less a waste of effort than if it wasn't, to her estimation.
[16:08] Stephanie beams at her. "We are diligently working to deliver it to them, rest assured of that."
[16:14] "Naturally. I'm glad to see that the work being carried out at present is more about the practical rather than the theoretical," responds Kallen, sounding rather severe. "However, I believe the final project is the one we're most interested in..."
[16:19] Stephanie's smile droops for the briefest of moments, but she recovers swiftly. "Ah yes, the Metushelah project. I'm afraid it is the theoretical one, headed by Doctor Jean Balsam. It is nowhere near practical stage yet." Her words sound as if she doubts it ever will be.
[16:21] "Is the good doctor present here today? I'd like to have a word with her later," responds Kallen, promptly dismissing Stephanie's nay-saying.
[16:23] "That's right," Stephanie responds. "All the department heads have made themselves available today."

<--->

[Corwin]

<--->

"Very good. I'd like to speak with them after I've had a chance to see the containment module for... Lilith, I believe she was called. This facility was established primarily with her in mind, yes?"

"Yes, you've mentioned a desire to observe the primary containment unit for the test subject, Miss Stadtfeld," Stephanie agrees, pausing. "However, it is in a restricted area, obviously, so you would need to undergo a briefing on the safety measures. Perhaps you would like to do that after you have examined our facilities?"

She seems to be waiting on Kallen to decide the next point of their tour.

"No, that can wait," replies Kallen, shaking her head. "I of course have an interest in the various projects, but this is the most important part of the facility. Let us proceed with the briefing."

She produces a notepad and flips through it to a page with a few notes scrawled down. "There have been problems in the past with containment of the subject. The measures taken to solve these issues are of most importance, and best discussed when they are close at hand."

Stephanie continues to smile, and leads Kallen through a long corridor towards a room. Though she hadn't contacted anyone during the trip -- that Kallen could see, at least -- an image is being projected over the white screen taking up most of the opposite wall. Comfortable chairs have been set up facing it, two in number.

The presentation is headlined with 'Safety'.

Kallen takes a seat, preparing herself for what will likely be a rather dull (but possibly important) lecture.

The lights dim, and Kallen is aware of Stephanie's presence behind her.

The presentation is brief, only taking up all of fifteen minutes. The basic information is detailed first concisely. Kallen learns that there are three relevant security perimeters, and that crossing the second requires special clearance that must be reissued periodically after exhaustive psychological and physical tests. Stephanie interjects quietly, saying that in Kallen's case, this otherwise rigid requirement was wavered by the management this once.

The last perimeter is not to be crossed except in emergencies. Kallen gets the idea that doing so would be hazardous to one's health, and was only planned with only imminent containment breach in mind as the absolutely last means of stopping it.

Next, she is shown the chamber. It is rather disappointing at first glance. A large see-through octagon is placed in the center of the room. Five elongated modules that remind Kallen of metal coffins, sleek and shiny, extend from what is identified as the core, forming a star. It's not real footage, but rather computer-generated animation.

The camera moves back, and Kallen sees that a circular chamber looking much like a donut goes all around the innermost room. She's struck with how there is no privacy; only the floor and ceiling block light. The walls, such as they are, happen to all be entirely see-through.

The bulk of the actual equipment appears to be behind the last layer. Here, sections are finally closed off from one another. There are four in number. Stephanie fills in, perhaps needlessly, that each is intended for the use of one department.

"All the departments access the subject through proxies? Am I correct in suspecting she isn't directly handled by any of the teams?" queries Kallen, scrawling her own diagram of the design in her notebook.

"That was one of the conclusions reached by our analysis of the accident you've mentioned, Miss Stadtfeld," Stephanie responds. "Right now, no one is allowed near the core itself."

"Can you tell me more about the accident? I'm not aware of the details at this time." Kallen pauses. "If there are reports or logs I can view, that would also be fine."

Stephanie hesitates. "I'm afraid that the logs have been accidentally destroyed during a routine systems check. The IT department head had been severely reprimanded for this oversight, and his wages were docked."

"Unfortunate," replies Kallen, her tone clearly disapproving. "Nonetheless, can you give me an account of what occured?"

The lights come back on, and Stephanie rounds the chairs to face Kallen. "Of course, Miss Stadtfeld. Two members of our security force identified a possible breach and approached the test subject's chambers. They were not trained in the use of specialized protective gear. As such, they did not have clearance to enter the premises, but our internal investigation revealed that they may not have been aware of that fact, being recently new on the job." She frowns ever so slightly. "As it happens, there was a containment breach in progress, but the two panicked as the automated security protocols engaged and attempted to correct the situation manually. Their actions damaged the computers in charge of the process, which alerted our researchers, but by the time they arrived it was already too late to do anything for the security men who had gone in."

"In some part, it comes down to a regrettable, but fundamentally human error," replies Kallen. "Even a short exposure is lethal, correct?"

"That is correct."

"What caused the original breach in question?"

"Regrettably, the systems in charge of containment were too heavily damaged. We've also lost several days's worth of data in the process, as we could not afford to keep an independant, secure backup facility at the time."

"You must have had some idea," responds Kallen, gesturing to the projection. "It would be difficult to compensate for future breaches without knowing how they have occured in the past."

"We believe that the materials we used for containment were themselves eroding over time," Stephanie responds. "We have since switched to a new alloy and have devised methods for oversight."

"What did you suspect was the cause of this erosion?"

"The liquid solution used to keep the test subject sedated and docile."

Kallen nods, and stands up from the (admittedly comfortable) chair. With a snap, her notebook closes and is slipped back into her pocket. "I see. I've no other questions for now. Let's proceed."

With a smile, Stephanie leads the way. There is no way to access the core without passing through one of the research areas, and the one she chooses is the cosmetics division. Stephanie gets more than her share of smiles and friendly greetings, and then they pass through and reach a metal door. Stephanie slides her magnetic card through a slot near the entrance, and the door raises into the ceiling.

A small, elevator-sized chamber awaits, and Stephanie steps inside, gesturing for Kallen to follow.

Kallen strides after her, briefly glancing aroudn the cosmetics section as she walks and favouring those inside with her own smile, small as it is.

Contrary to popular opinion, the scientists working on cosmetics are not in dire need of them. They return Kallen's greetings politely, but for the most part keep their distance.

"This is just a security procedure," Stephanie says, as the door slides closed. The main lights in the cramped chamber go off, as red emergency lights take over for them. Kallen can hear air compressors at work.

"Better safe than sorry, especially in this case," is all Kallen has to say to that.

The door onwards opens just as the lights return, and as Kallen steps out the inner chamber is revealed to her in all its sterile glory. There is the core, and the five modules connected to it, the donut-shaped corridor surrounding it, containing monitors and other equipment. A difference becomes apparent from the presentation, however. The core is not see-through, but dark red in color.

"The core is not transparent?" asks Kallen, with some surprise.

"We've found that this method of containment gets better results," Stephanie tells her.

An alarm sounds.

"This is routine," Stephanie immediately speaks.

"Is there a way to view the interior despite that? A camera, I suppose?"

<--->

[Corwin]

<--->

[23:16] "Please wait here, Miss Stadtfeld," Stephanie requests, ignoring Kallen's question in the process, and makes her way to a red phone mounted on the outer wall near the exit.
[23:17] Kallen assumes her actions will answer her question soon enough, and turns to look back at the red-shielded core.
[23:19] The red is moving, as if following some sort of current.
[23:19] "Who scheduled this experiment?" Stephanie is saying, just barely audible from Kallen's position. She sounds agitated. "Everything was to be suspended for the tour!"
[23:24] It shouldn't be dangerous, theoretically, or Stephanie would already be heading back to the elevator. But Kallen isn't the type to stay put. Depending on the way Stephanie's conversation goes, she might just intervene and take the phone from her.
[23:28] "That woman!" Stephanie exclaims, the word sounding like a curse. "But with the third pillar in the state it is--"
[23:28] There is a thump, audible through the inner wall.
[23:30] Kallen doesn't lose her serious and collected mask as she approaches the guide. It isn't personal, so this much is simple to maintain. "The containment is complete, yes?" she queries, with a frown. "May I?" she adds, reaching for the phone.
[23:32] "Yes, of course," Stephanie says with practiced ease. Kallen can't detect a note of hesitation in the woman's voice.
[23:32] The thumping sound repeats. A hand is pressed against the octagonal core, chasing away the red.
[23:32] Stephanie's complexion loses a bit of its color.
[23:37] In that moment, Kallen takes the phone from her hands. "This is Kallen Statdfeld. Just what is going on in there?" she demands, as if commanding a maid at home. "Be precise."
[23:43] "Please hold," an unfamiliar voice informs Kallen, and it sounds as if the other side was muted.
[23:43] 'Are you there?'
[23:43] The words simply spring up in Kallen's mind.
[23:47] Kallen's mask drops for an instant, betraying her sudden fury at being dismissed so. Reminding herself that she is indeed here, she glances back towards the hand pressing against the window. "Well?" she asks, this time for Stephanie's benefit.
[23:50] "We're currently under lockdown, I'm afraid," Stephanie says, sounding accomodating. Her gaze falls on the hand pressed persistently against the core's envelop and she pales even further. "Under our revised security protocols, there are no overrides."
[23:53] "We can't get out, I take it," replies Kallen, irritably. "Normal procedure for experiments?" she adds, handing the phone back to Stephanie. "I thought she was meant to be kept insensate."
[23:56] "There is a slight malfunction within the pillar system," Stephanie responds, losing some of her composure. "It is minor and cannot affect anything past the second layer. Our technicians are working on it, trying to stablize the third's link--" She trails off abruptly, her eyes drawn to the core.
[00:04] "Incredible. You knew all this, and didn't think to inform me before we entered?" replies Kallen, more angry than scared. She shakes her head, and turns back to the glass. "What happens to us if the first layer is broken?" And the girl inside is awake. The hand on the glass tells Kallen exactly what she thinks of her own situation. But if she's that dangerous just by existing...
[00:06] Stephanie does not respond.
[00:06] 'You are there.'
[00:06] Another thought appears in Kallen's head, this time as a statement rather than a question.
[00:10] Kallen raises her hand to her head, backing a step away from the glass. Her thoughts aren't her own. What is this, that exportation of psychological illnesses- or something complex like that. She's certainly here, and she's definately not going anywhere. Does that mean she gets to die?
[00:12] Mechanically, Stephanie approaches the inner wall. Her hands ball into fists, arms raising, and then she slams them against the barrier. It doesn't seem to achieve anything, but she repeats the motion time after time.
[00:12] 'Help me.'
[00:12] Kallen realizes that there is a voice speaking to her, belonging to a young woman.
[00:16] "You want out?" Kallen finds herself saying. "I'll get you out!" she decides right there and then. She'd already decided this three months ago, but the matter of compensating for cirumstances still remained. She approaches the red barrier herself, hoping for a closer look.
[00:18] A sigil flashes through Kallen's mind as she closes the distance, reminding her of the letter V.
[00:18] 'I want out,' the voice confirms. 'Get me out.'
[00:21] The core would be sealed, making it difficult to get inside. The voice isn't natural, Kallen already knew, and that abruptly causes a lot of things to make sense to her. "But.. you kill people," she states, glancing around the second layer for a possible way to enter the first.
[00:24] As the presentation detailed, there is a single access point into the innermost chamber. A keypad is by its side, and a sequence of numbers appears in Kallen's mind.
[00:24] 'I defend myself,' the voice protests.
[00:28] That is, indeed, a viewpoint Kallen can understand. Not quite herself, she advances on the keypad, though most of her will does remain her own. Who wouldn't strike back when attacked, and who wouldn't want to break their imprisonment, anyway?
[00:32] The system accepts the code Kallen inputs, and the door opens. Off to its side, Kallen feels a sudden, strong pull as air rushes into the inner chamber. Her ears pop.
[00:34] She braces herself with a hand against the doorframe, before she swallows. She doesn't feel like she's about to die- but you wouldn't, would you, until it happens? A bullet, a knife or a shell can kill you in an instant when you don't know it's coming. Still, she walks inside the chamber, closer towards the reddish core.
[00:37] The air is thin. Kallen feels light-headed.
[00:37] 'You're close,' the voice tells her, sounding desperate and encouraging at the same time.
[00:38] The distance isn't far, she knows. But how is she supposed to open that thing? There should be a switch or a release, somewhere...
[00:40] There is no way, Kallen instinctively understands. The only controls in this chamber exist to purge the core.
[00:40] Kallen feels a very strong need to touch the core where the test subject's palm is visible, pressing against it from within.
[00:41] Brute force could work! If only she had a Knightmare, then matters would be simple. What a stupid thought to have, she wonders to herself, pressing her hand against the containment unit.
[00:45] "Hello." Why had she thought the voice belonged to a woman? What stands there facing her is a teenage girl Kallen's age. No, not quite standing. They both are floating in a black void. "Welcome," the girl speaks again. Her smooth green hair goes well past her feet, easily twice her height, while her eyes are a soft amber. "I've been waiting for you."
[00:48] "W-w-w-w-w-what is this?!" shrieks Kallen, her ordinary faculties snapping back full-force. "For me? Since when?"
[00:50] "Since I learned of you," the girl says patiently. It takes another moment to realize that all she has to preserve her modesty is her hair, floating all around her in the emptiness. She smiles, much like a child would. "I am very happy right now."
[00:52] This isn't the time. "Well, I wouldn't be too secure! I planned to free you eventually, but things aren't ready yet, and besides, it looks more like I'm the one trapped!"
[00:53] "I know." The green-haired girl doesn't sound worried. "I'm the one who trapped you."
[00:55] "Well, I can't do anything for you in here," replies Kallen, crossly ignoring her common sense. "And even if the core broke, somehow, there's the airlocks."
[00:56] "Everything you need is right here," the girl announces, pressing her hand against her chest. A sigil glows red on her forehead. "Because there is indirect contact, this is made possible."
[00:59] "Something strong enough to break through those doors? What is it?" queries Kallen, not quite comprehending.
[01:02] "Something strong enough to break through those doors. To break through the glass ceiling of the Japanese. To dethrone Charles di Britannia!" The girl's voice becomes more impassioned as she speaks. "It is a power I have, a power I can give you for my freedom. Such is the contract."
[01:03] "You really can read minds, can't you?" queries Kallen, frowning. "I'm fine with that, but what do you intend to do once you're free?"
[01:04] "I'll follow you, and become your ally," she responds. "Because I'm Lucille."
[01:05] "-huh. Yeah, that's not the kind of lie I'd expect. Then I'll do it, and worry about the aftermath later," replies Kallen, more calm than she can remember being. "But if you've toyed with my desires, I'll kill you myself."
[01:09] "I cannot die, even if I wanted to," she tells Kallen, the sigil glowing so brightly that it's paintful to look at. Kallen plummets into the void suddenly, and the girl's last words reach her, as she repeats, "Because I am Lucille...."
[01:11] Images flash by Kallen, appearing and disappearing without warning. Suddenly, her mind focuses on one scene, zooming in. Her father is there, as well as one of his aides.
[01:11] "How far does he plan on dragging the Stadtfeld honor through the mud?" her father asks, sounding angry, an emotion it is rare for him to show.
[01:11] "Don't worry, Baron," the man by his side says curtly, bowing. "The matter will be settled."
[01:15] It's Naoto they're talking about. Her father never gets angry at anything else. But what's this about settling things...
[01:18] Another scene is shown to Kallen. That same aide approaches Kallen's father, who is seated in a leather chair in his office, overlooking the Tokyo settlement from height.
[01:18] "It was a car accident. There were no witnesses. The police report will show that he had been drinking." Stanley moves in his seat, and as if anticipating that, the aide quickly adds, "That report would be under the name of Kozuki, as well as all official documentation."
[01:21] The possibility she didn't wish to consider is shown before her. It's not her fault, after all. It's her father's. And he dared to speak to her. A strange elation settles in her chest. There aren't any doubts left now, on any matter she can name.
[01:22] Knowledge flows into Kallen's mind as soon as her doubts disappear. Geass, the Power of the King. It is within her grasp, now.
[01:22] Kallen blanks out.
[01:25] <--->
[01:25] "Severe exposure--" "--no signs of genetic tampering." "This never happened before--" "--must have been the gas!"
[01:25] Fragments are all Kallen catches as she drifts in and out of consciousness.
[01:26] She can't concentrate on such things. What was this about power? That's why she was willing to endure this in the first place, because the powerless can't change a thing...
[01:32] Geass. That word allows Kallen to find focus. The Power of Absolte Empathy. With it, she can make others undergo the same suffering she had. With it, the Britannians in their shining towers can be made to understand the hurt, the anger, the resentment -- the pain -- that the Japanese went through, when they were trampled, shuffled off into run-down ghettos. Made serfs in their own land.
[01:32] Voices are arguing in the vicinity.
[01:33] "Risk of contamination?"
[01:33] "High. Her brain patterns are barely within tolerable levels. Lilith had to have come in contact with her! She cannot be allowed to live!"
[01:33] "We can't-- the funding for the project--"
[01:33] "The gas has a memory suppressant. This might prove unnecessary!"
[01:33] "What, pass whatever happened as a hallucination?"
[01:33] "Hallucinogens are being developed here, it's not beyond the pale!"
[01:36] A hallucinogen? Killing her? Killing Kallen, right when she has the very thing she's needed all this time? It's clearly time to wake up and hear out their lies. She murmurs, quietly, and starts to pull her body up.
[01:37] Kallen finds herself restrained. A face comes into view "Miss Stadtfeld? the woman in a white lab coat asks. "Do you know where you are?"
[01:40] "Where I... am?" she asks, twisting her head about.
[01:42] "You're safe at the medical center of Holy Grail, Miss Stadtfeld," the woman informs Kallen, who finds out she is in a white straightjacket. "This was placed on you for your own safety," she is told once the woman notices her realization. "What is the last thing you remember?"
[01:42] "I was... making a phone call, I think," she replies, dazedly. "Then I was put on hold."
[01:47] The woman looks beyond Kallen's field of vision, before smiling reassuringly at her. "I'm afraid that you've had a brief brush with what is called an anticholinergic agent, which made you experience a toxic reaction known as acute anticholinergic syndrom. It is completely reversible with the proper treatment, however, which we have already administered to you."
[01:48] "So I'm fine now?" asks Kallen, automatically. "My senses are clearing up."
[01:49] "Yes, any sensations caused by the disassosiative should disappear within a matter of days."
[01:50] "Can you get this thing off me, then?" she asks, glancing down at the straitjacket. She won't be staying here long, that's for sure.
[01:51] "Ah, of course," she says, hastily beginning to do as Kallen had requested. The tugging feeling is unpleasant.
[01:53] "What exactly happened?" asks Kallen, bearing it for now. "That tour guide was with me. Was she alright?"
[01:56] "Naturally," another person speaks. She comes into view as Kallen's arms are finally freed, revealing herself to be Jean. A hiss alerts Kallen to a door opening farther down the room, the view blocked by the woman.
[01:56] "The hermetic seal from the cosmetics lab failed for reasons we are still investigating. You two, who were farther from the epicenter, received a lighter dose and should recover completely in no time."
[01:59] "Were there other victims?"
[02:01] "The scientists in that lab are all being treated. Recovery will take longer, that is all. It wasn't a lethal dose." Jean sounds dismissive of them, as if those scientists were beneath her.
[02:01] There is the sound of footsteps. "Are you well, Kallen?" Stanley asks, coming over to the bed.
[02:02] "Yes. I'm fine," replies Kallen, sounding rather pleased to see her father. "I don't think I need to rest or anything."
[02:04] "Is this true?" he asks, addressing the woman in the lab coat.
[02:04] She nods hesitantly. "Miss Stadtfeld can be released, but I recommend bed rest for twenty-four hours to be on the safe side."
[02:07] Kallen disagrees with this prognosis, and she swings her legs out of the bed to demonstrate. "How long was I out?"
[02:08] "Five hours," Stanley tells her. Kallen's body feels perfectly fit.
[02:11] She nods to herself, checking out what she's wearing. "Right. Let's just go. There's obviously some things we need to talk about, later."
[02:13] It's not something Kallen would ever wear in public of her own will, but the straightjacket covers her body and, now that her limbs have been freed, she can move well enough in it.
[02:14] "Ah. Yes. Change of clothes, first," she adds, glancing angrily at the nearest doctor. "Geez. Was I convulsing or something? I'm not sore or anything, so probably not, but geez."
[02:16] "You--" Jean begins to say, but the other woman swiftly takes over with, "--it wasn't anything severe, but we felt the precaution was warranted."
[02:20] Kallen is supplied with a change of clothes, as her own have been contaminated, according to the explanation from the Holy Grail medical team. After that, a limousine takes Kallen and her father home. Stanley spends the entire trip in silence, although near its end, he asks her, "Do you really feel alright, Kallen?"
[02:22] "I am well enough. But I had no wish to remain in their care," replies Kallen, sounding rather cross. "I have some things I want to discuss with you at home, on that note."
[02:23] He nods, letting the conversation end there. Once at the Stadtfeld residence, he strides through the foyer. "You should have returned three hours ago!" Cleopatra complains, but Stanley does not even glance in her direction, proceeding straight into his study.
[02:24] Ah, the secondary target. She can remain an eyesore for a little longer, Kallen muses, giving her a bored look before proceeding after her father.
[02:25] The doors close after Kallen. Her father stands by the window, looking outside.
[02:26] "They are deceiving us," Kallen states, checking the door. They won't be disturbed in here, she knows. "Rather blatantly, if I may say so."
[02:26] He does not move. "How so?"
[02:29] "By all indications, the results promised to us originally remain a distant dream. Additionally, solid information surrounding the previous incident has vanished, in a variety of ways. It is clear they are hiding things from us." Kallen snorts. "Even I will notice when it is so obvious."
[02:31] "They are cutting corners," her father comments. "However, they can deliver on the medicinal front within two years. That much seems to be true."
[02:33] "How do you know?"
[02:34] "I examined the data, same as you. Kallen, what is your basis for stating that our newest acquisition is far from achieving our goals?"
[02:43] "Did I state that?" asks Kallen, raising an eyebrow. "It is a matter of attitude. The guide did not believe that project was of merit, and that doctor in particular is not respected. The organisation itself doesn't believe it's possible, and seek to use our funds for their other projects." She shakes her head. "There's also the matter of the test subject herself. If my hypothesis is correct-
[02:44] "-medicine is probably the last thing on their minds."
[02:45] "The matter of the test subject?"
[02:46] "Yes. But before we talk about that, I'd like to talk about our family," remarks Kallen, almost casually.
[02:48] Stanley remains silent, his back rigid, for almost a minute. "Go on."
[02:52] "Stadtfeld. Once it's under our name, it's also under our protection. Only the three of us are left, now... ah, what am I saying? It's been that way for years... but I never asked. Father, why did you come for us in the first place?"
[02:56] "One day, you will understand that, Kallen," he responds. "Was that all?"
[03:03] "No. Because I need to understand today," replies Kallen, shaking her head. "I just don't get it. You came out all this way to find us. Did it make you feel good to.. save us, I guess that's how it must've seemed to you." She snorts. "Rejecting that wasn't such an unnatural thing for Naoto to do, I guess. I'm not that stupid. But it makes me wonder if it was out of love or duty."
[03:04] "Consider it what you wish," he says curtly, still not facing her.
[03:08] "I won't leave until I receive a proper answer." Kallen's voice is rising, and she steps forward. "Was it because we were dangerous, perhaps?"
[03:11] "There must have been side-effects after all," Stanley mutters to himself, finally turning around. "Kallen, you are not yourself. You should get some rest. I'll call for Jonathan to take you to your room. We can discuss our acquisition afterwards."
[03:14] "No. We will discuss why you killed Naoto right now," replies Kallen, her voice rising slightly, almost heedless of the others living within the house. "But it's clearly meaningless to ask you with words." She has this power, doesn't she? Then now is the time to use it. Her Father never understood Naoto, or what he and Kallen lost. She'll show him why this sense of noblesse oblige is so fake-
[03:15] -she'll show him every reason Britannia deserves their hatred, how everything that was lost can't match up to what was gained!
[03:20] Stanley reaches for the phone, perhaps to make good on his... offer? Threat? He stops, however, as a red sigil in the shape of a bird taking flight appears in Kallen's right eye.
[03:26] Kallen recalls it all, now. How peaceful, how idyllic her life had been in Japan, with her mother and big brother. And how utterly crushed she, as a young girl, was crushed the same time Britannia invaded with its knightmares. The horror of seeing your world destroyed before your very eyes.
[03:26] The despair of struggling to survive, while watching others, far too many others, who don't make it. The shame of concealing who she is, no matter where she is. The uncertainty of not truly belonging anywhere, of being an alien, an outsider in both Britannia and Japan.
[03:26] The stabbing loss of one's name and identity, as Japan is renamed Area 11, as Kozuki Kallen becomes a Stadtfeld. The pain of losing a beloved older brother.
[03:29] Stanley's body spasms, as he backs away. His elbow smashes through the window, sending shards of glass outside.
[03:39] It resurges something in Kallen herself. She hadn't had the freedom to feel this angry for such a long time. The lies she was fed. The lies she had to tell. She had to live in this fake household for the sake of those who didn't survive, just waiting powerlessly for a chance to come- watching her mother was the worst. She couldn't even bear the same name anymore!
[03:42] A distant father who saw her and her brother only as tools. He couldn't see that he was a symbol of the thieves that stole everything from her. He told her lies about protecting the family, but all he cared about was a title! He'd even kill his own son to protect a mere name- no being like that deserved respect. True nobility could never be so cold! The hypocrisy of it is something to be scorned.
[03:46] A strangled scream escapes from Stanley's throat, and he collapses brokenly on the floor, his body continuing to seize. Over her emotional high -- now, Kallen can identify her state for what it is -- the redhead hears people rushing towards the study.
[03:49] What were the effects- Kallen isn't sure. Was it too overwhelming? Probably. Her eyes shoot up in panic, and she glances towards the door.
[03:51] The sudden panic snaps Kallen out of her high, sending her crashing. It's hard to breathe, her chest constricting.
[03:51] "Baron Stadtfeld! Are you alright, My Lord?" a voice asks urgently from the other side of the door.
[03:54] No, she's stronger than this! Kallen tries to push herself up, it'll be bad if she's not in good shape when they come in!
[03:55] The door flies open. Men clad in black. Security. Three of them are at the doorway.
[03:58] She can't think rationally in this state! Was it because this ability was reciprocal? She certainly looks shocked and speechless, and security doesn't know her like the maids or Cleo does, as long as she can masquerade as healthy in front of them...
[04:01] With a cry of "My Lord!" two of the men rush to Stanley's side. One of them kneels, while the other presses a hand against his ear, no doubt listening to instructions coming in through his earpiece.
[04:01] "Miss Stadtfeld," the remaining man speaks sharply, moving towards Kallen. "What happened here? We heard shouting...."
[04:02] "W-we were talking, and then he just started convulsing," stammers Kallen, looking up at the security officer. "He wasn't mad or anything, I think it might be a heart attack!"
[04:06] "The front yard, six minutes. Understood," the man standing by her father says clearly, kneeling next to Stanley as well. "We have to take the Baron outside. A medical helicopter will be here to evacuate Lord Stadtfeld soon." He adds something too quiet for Kallen to overhear, and the other man beside him parts Stanley's lips, placing something in his mouth. They pick him up.
[04:06] "Are you alright, Ma'am?" Kallen is asked. "You look a little pale."
[04:09] "Well, I'm- why do you think I'm pale?!" replies Kallen, her voice cracking.
[04:10] Her father is carried past her, outside the door. A small shard of glass falls from his suit, landing on the floor in front of Kallen.
[04:14] She doesn't feel regret. For the one who killed her brother for the sake of callow status, no amount of atonement would be enough. Her gaze lingers on the glass for a moment, before she clasps her fingers together. "I'm going to my room. Have someone call me when you know Father's condition," she instructs, starting to take steps back towards her sancutary in this place. Her place, really.

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