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[aevitas]

[ACTION]
[ Within the room Lelouch and C.C. shared, there was a brief indention on the bed, that gave way to sparks of light. Within a few seconds a light that takes a human shape appears on the bed, slowly materializing into a figure--there was a woman with dazed amber eyes holding out her hands, her green hair casting a spot of color to an

Comments

[action]

[zerointegrity]

[After a long day and a short dinner with his sister, Lelouch is more than ready to lay down for a bit in his room. All of the doors are locked, Nunnally is safe in her room, and everything is quiet. It's too quiet, he thinks to himself, as he ascends the stairs. Life hadn't been the same since last Tuesday. He no longer had anybody to confide in, to bicker with over the pettiest of things, to get crumbs from pizza crust in his bed... With a frown and a shake of his head, he attempts to clear the thoughts from his head lest he become upset

[action]

[aevitas]

[she looks up with a slight look of surprise, and for a minute, it's safe. her tired, haunted amber eyes look up at his with a small, faint smirk. C.C. is pale. she opens her mouth, about to speak, when suddenly her hands are at her sides, her chin against his shoulder, blinking once or twice as she's enclosed in an embrace.

she had thought she was gone for good. she was really dead. she could rest, she could finally rest...

but here she was again with this boy. she closes her eyes with a resigned smile, her hands loosely around his waist, gently curling into his back ]

Wasn't planning on it..

[action]

[zerointegrity]

I thought I'd never see you again.

[His arms remain loosely wrapped around her, his hands sliding to her waist, as he takes a seat on the bed. A wave of relief washes over him - she's alive, her body is warm, and he can feel each breath she takes. Lelouch leans back a bit and makes eye contact with his accomplice, a small smile on his face. Thankful, comforted, relieved, slightly irritated, there are several words that could describe how he feels at the moment.]

Seems like you're not entirely immortal in Somarium... You were gone for a little over a week.

[action]

[aevitas]

[ C.C. doesn't look at him, eyes distant, her expression closed off. she lifts her hands, feeling the slight tremor as she presses them to her abdomen, closing her eyes. her voice is hoarse from a week of misuse, lifting dazed gold eyes to his face, the vulnerability in her posture, as she manages a faint smile, tired eyes closing again. that she would be ripped open in that spot..that spot that marks her different from a regular woman, regardless of personality or attitude--it's hard not to feel weak.]

..It's never dragged on like that before. It certainly seemed like the end, didn't it.

[action]

[zerointegrity]

It was selfish of me to wish otherwise, but I wasn't ready to let you go. Our time together is limited, and I want to make the most of what we have in Somarium, for we never know what will happen from day to day. [He hesitates] I never want to see you like that again.

[Thin fingers absentmindedly trace the length of her back, the other hand, situated at the small of her back, pulling her closer once again. The faint smile, the weary responses... Anybody as familiar with C.C. as Lelouch is should notice that she is weak. She hasn't fully recovered, mentally or physically, from the trauma she went through and that's understandable, most wouldn't be able to endure what she did.]

You need to rest, C.C.

[action]

[aevitas]

And you call me selfish. Cheating out of my own contract. [ said with a faint edge of mirthless humor, her eyes shutting briefly, lowering her head. her voice is soft, the same vulnerability she revealed in that cave is back again, her fingers spasming briefly over the spot where yet another mark was dealt to her body. ]

This place is cruel. Toying with me..of all people...--all that talk about making herself complete? How could you ever complete yourself with this ...

[ If her eyes were slightly damp, C.C. made no move to comment, instead, closed her eyes to hide the pricking behind them. ]

You're a fool, Lelouch. There is nothing that can be let go of..

[action]

[zerointegrity]

[They sit in silence for several minutes, Lelouch aware of the fact that she's upset, that something isn't quite right. This affected her more than he realized it would, it was just another death, right? She had been through this several times before... But he keeps his thoughts to himself, choosing instead to wrap his arms around her, letting her know that he was there for her and that he would always (as long as they remain in Somarium) be there for her.

But a fool? That he didn't agree with. Yes, he has done some foolish things in the past, but this man is no fool.

A single finger runs along her jawline and lifts her chin up so their eyes meet.]

I may act with reckless abandon at times, but I'm no fool, woman.

[action]

[aevitas]

[ C.C. is very still; very quiet. She can't forget those words..what are mortal words to her? Maybe it was that woman was as inhuman as she was..but that she had been cut open. The organ where life came from--even to her, stolen. It was wrong, it wasn't right..--

As he lifts her chin, she doesn't protest, her eyes are blank, a tear slipping from her right eye. ]

Then don't give me the illusion that I'm capable of leaving. [ slightly bitter, as her voice grows softer: ]

Did you find my body? Did you see it..?

[action]

[zerointegrity]

I did.

[Slowly withdrawing his arms, Lelouch turns away from her. There were several times in the past when he had seen his accomplice covered in blood, mortally wounded, looking like no woman should ever look... but none of those time have ever compared to this one.]

As did Nunnally, Naomi, and Miles Edgeworth.

[action]

[aevitas]

So I was unveiled in public. [ she sounds bitter, realizing how empty her arms are, she says idly. ]

Where's Cheese-kun.

[action]

[zerointegrity]

[He looks back at her, a slight scowl on his face.]

You weren't unveiled in public. I went to look for you, it'd been hours since we last spoke and it's not like you to forgo dinner with me, especially if it's pizza and I'm paying. [A long pause] I made a public broadcast asking if anybody had any information on your whereabouts, and Franziska von Karma gave me the location of the other victim's body.

[His eyes narrow, not straying from her face.]

What was I to do when I found your body, leave it there? You've always healed yourself, this has never been an issue. So, I brought you back to the house; I wasn't expecting you to remain dead for over a week.

[He breaks eye contact, looking instead to the empty wall.]

I asked Naomi to come because she's a doctor, I figured there was something she could do... And the Chief Prosecutor because he's part of the investigation on the murders.

[action]

[aevitas]

You know exactly what I mean. [ her tone is quiet, the amber in her eyes fading to a dark, unreadable gold. she analyzes him with hooded eyes, nothing the tenseness of his body, her ears skimming over the details with a memory too sharp for one lifetime. there's a selfish sort of pleasure that someone actually cares whether she lives or dies.

it's sobering, and what's the pricking sensation in her throat? guilt? when did she last feel guilt. this isn't an emperor, a man, or a revolutionary speaking to her. it's a boy. who was terrified for a week and had no way to show it.

involuntarily she finds herself slightly irked that he draws out these tendencies in her, to look after, to protect. it's not her fault she's the only one who sees how vulnerable he truly is.

she let's out a quiet sigh. her words thoughtful. ]

..Your emotions got the better of your logic, once again. [ she gathers one of the stray pillows to her chest, it's no Cheese-kun, but her arms need something to hold onto. ]Do you remember my words to you after

[action]

[zerointegrity]

[Glancing over his shoulder at his accomplice, Lelouch sighs before turning his attention back to the empty wall in front of him. She knows him more intimately than anybody, his thoughts and feelings, the reasons behind his actions, the meaning behind each little movement or every word from his mouth... So, it shouldn't surprise her that he let his emotions get the best of him, that he took the course of action he did and reacted in a way that was unbecoming of an Emperor.]

Promises, rules, wishes, those things mean little to nothing in Somarium. The truths that we held to be self-evident in Britannia are little more than a grain of sand in Somarium. Life and death? Mere constructs that have lost their meaning. Just look around you, think about the things that you've seen during your time spent in this place. I'm alive, Clovis is alive, Euphemia has been here only to return to Death's embrace. [A long pause] How am I supposed to react when your body becomes cold and your wounds persist?

[He reaches for her hand.]Your

[action]

[aevitas]

[ C.C. quietly bridges the distance with her smaller one, closing her eyes. ]

Until the very end, selfish boy. [ she offers a light squeeze of his fingers, as she looks ahead, out at the wall ]

Perhaps it's good that I didn't end my journey that way. I want it to be peaceful. Maybe that's too much to ask for a witch, isn't it?

[action]

[zerointegrity]

Selfish?

[The young emperor slowly turns and looks down at the witch seated next to him.]

You say that as if I'm unaware of the fact that I'm a horribly selfish man. [He leans a bit closer] Of course, I am. Everybody is. Everything to have ever walked the planet is selfish. You wanting your death to be peaceful, every single action I've taken in the past year of my life, things you did as a child, things I did as a child... You needn't call me selfish when you're cast from the same mold.

[action]

[aevitas]

[ she pushes his face away with the palm of her hand, ever so lightly, her eyes closing. ]

You really don't know how to speak to a woman, Lelouch. [ there's a quiet, small pause, and an even smaller:]

..I'm tired.