Alone at the bar [Open log]
Who: Lelouch Lamperouge catstolemyhat, open to anyone
What: Some much needed alone time
Where: A high class bar
When: Nighttime
Warnings: ...angsty!Lelouch
It hadn’t been easy, but Lelouch was no stranger to difficult situations. Of course his current one had to be the epitome of difficult, to the point of absurdity even, but being the mastermind behind one of the biggest terrorist threats to an Empire, Lelouch was quick to adapt to foiled plans and unexpected surprises. Yes, even though he was holed up in an apartment for an unknown amount of time with a woman who expected him to deliver miracles at a moment’s notice, an imposter of a brother who wouldn’t hesitate to slit his throat at the first indication of going back on one of his many false promises, and his archrival bent on destroying him and everything he’d worked so hard for by any means possible, including employing the one person he held as the motivation for his entire rebellion against him, he still somehow managed to sneak away from them all for some much needed isolation in the foreign streets of the random world Yuuko had sent them to.
Had Lelouch been in a more forgiving state of mind, he may have been inclined to give the witch some credit. She had picked out a nice world for them. It was relatively modern, had plenty of beaches, and the red sky above was a sight to behold no matter the time of day. But the former Britannian prince was in no such mood. His thoughts were everywhere and nowhere at the same time. So much had happened so fast with almost no time in between to regroup and reformulate. How he’d managed to keep his usual calm and collected façade from faltering this long, he had no idea. But it was obviously strained now and a new piece seemed to break off with each hurried step he took away from the tall apartment building behind him.
The current circumstances were in desperate need of assessing. Now that he had the necessary peace he needed and could stop pretending to be who everyone else wanted him to be, Lelouch needed to formulate a plan, something, anything, to make things right again. He was only half paying attention to where he was going, and nearly crashed into at least five people along his trek but that was miniscule compared to the maelstrom of thoughts brewing in his taxed mind.
The best place to start was the beginning. He was not in his home world. Not just in another city, or another country. No, he was somewhere where Britannia didn’t exist, where the Black Knights weren’t needed, where the Ashford Academy wasn’t there to welcome him. Somewhere where he couldn’t, even with all of his best efforts, find a way to see Milly again, or Rivalz, or Shirley, or C.C.. Or Nunnally.
'Nunnally...’ It was the sole thought that had made him stop in his tracks numerous times and made his heart drop to his stomach. It was almost...too much. He didn’t want to face the reality. Nunnally...his dearest, precious sister..to first find out she was being used a political tool by his former best friend over the past year she’d been taken away from him, then to find out that she’d willingly volunteered for her political position within the Empire, to know that his persona of Zero and everything he’d done in her name accumulated only to work against her will... And now to know that there was no way to see her again until the witch deemed it safe for them to return. He didn’t even have the reassurance that Suzaku would be able to protect her where he couldn’t anymore. Nunnally was all alone within enemy territory and he had no indication of whether or not he’d be able to see her again before...
Before what? It was impossible to tell. Would there even be a war to return to when they were finally allowed back?
Lelouch stopped again, only now noticing the different, sinking texture beneath his shoes and what would normally be considered soothing noises of waves crashing in the distance. The teen had somehow found his way onto a beach. As hazy violet eyes took on a red hue, that wasn’t because of Geass for once, when they gazed distantly out at the horizon, a rare expression found its way upon his effeminate features. Lost. He was completely and utterly at a loss. What could he do? Where could he go? And how? Yuuko was his only source of useful information and not only did everything come at a price with her but he couldn’t even contact her directly. Gracefully long fingers curled into tightly clenched fists at the audacity of the woman. She almost reminded him of C.C. only she wasn’t dependent on his survival. But it wasn’t just her that caused this mess. It was also this...Fei Wong Reed, whom he had even less of a chance of ever eliminating as a threat.
He had no choice; he was stuck until more developments took place. There was no way around it. But that wasn’t the only issue. After all, what would even be waiting for him when he finally returned? Was all this agonizing even worth it? With Nunnally in a position to try and create the world she’d always wanted...was it even necessary to return? As Zero or as Lelouch?
The once mighty terrorist felt like dropping to his knees in his helpless defeat. He might as well have been eternally caught within the milliseconds it would have taken for a fatal bullet to strike him right between the eyes. There was no way to avoid it, and moving forward only spelled certain doom. It was enough to drive a person mad but other than the highly disturbed grimace on his face, there was nothing to outwardly show his trauma.
When he’d left the apartment, it’d been around noon. By the time the sun was setting, Lelouch hadn’t made a single attempt to go back. Honestly, as selfish as it was, he’d half pondered leaving all three of his “traveling companions” behind and finding somewhere else to stay. The only reason any of them would need him would be because of the cursed ring on his finger. Facing any of them would only remind him of his failure, and Lelouch wanted nothing to do with that.
Instead, the dark haired boy had wandered. Up and down streets, along the beaches, through little shops here and there... It wasn’t hard to lose himself in comparing the similarities and differences to this world and his own, but it wasn’t enough. Certainly not enough to jar him from his lowly stupor. But as the light in the red sky sank and plunged the world below into darkness, the nightlife he had yet to see stirred and seemed to possess the usual laid-back residents. Men and women alike with their groups of friends dressed with the intention of attracting companionship began flocking towards buildings that sparkled with neon lights and seemed to vibrate with the pulsating bass accompanying music meant to tune the natural world out. It wasn’t a phenomenon Lelouch was unfamiliar with, the desire to seek out momentary pleasure, or relief from the nightmares of reality, but he’d never been so caught up in the temptation before, himself.
That was how he’d found himself inside one of Depsina’s finest bars, seated at the far edge of the counter and merely observing the other patrons as if studying the art of how to drown one’s sorrows. It wasn’t until the bartender approached him, inquiring about his age, that he suddenly became curious about the colorful liquids everyone else couldn’t seem to get down their throats fast enough. Lelouch knew the properties of alcohol, knew the circumstances it was used under, and was aware of the dangers when too much was consumed, but just couldn’t fathom why he should hold back anymore.
Without much of a second thought, he removed the contact in his left eye and commanded the bartender serve him without question. The glass of dark red wine was brought to him almost immediately. Whether or not the wine in his world and this world were any different was insignificant as he brought the glass to his lips and drank without any of the elegance he would have normally savored the beverage with. Lelouch wasn’t looking to add to the taste of a fine meal tonight. He was impatient for the rumored numbing of his senses and pleasant haze he could submerge himself in, regardless of the consequences. Anything was better than carrying on as he was now.
What: Some much needed alone time
Where: A high class bar
When: Nighttime
Warnings: ...angsty!Lelouch
It hadn’t been easy, but Lelouch was no stranger to difficult situations. Of course his current one had to be the epitome of difficult, to the point of absurdity even, but being the mastermind behind one of the biggest terrorist threats to an Empire, Lelouch was quick to adapt to foiled plans and unexpected surprises. Yes, even though he was holed up in an apartment for an unknown amount of time with a woman who expected him to deliver miracles at a moment’s notice, an imposter of a brother who wouldn’t hesitate to slit his throat at the first indication of going back on one of his many false promises, and his archrival bent on destroying him and everything he’d worked so hard for by any means possible, including employing the one person he held as the motivation for his entire rebellion against him, he still somehow managed to sneak away from them all for some much needed isolation in the foreign streets of the random world Yuuko had sent them to.
Had Lelouch been in a more forgiving state of mind, he may have been inclined to give the witch some credit. She had picked out a nice world for them. It was relatively modern, had plenty of beaches, and the red sky above was a sight to behold no matter the time of day. But the former Britannian prince was in no such mood. His thoughts were everywhere and nowhere at the same time. So much had happened so fast with almost no time in between to regroup and reformulate. How he’d managed to keep his usual calm and collected façade from faltering this long, he had no idea. But it was obviously strained now and a new piece seemed to break off with each hurried step he took away from the tall apartment building behind him.
The current circumstances were in desperate need of assessing. Now that he had the necessary peace he needed and could stop pretending to be who everyone else wanted him to be, Lelouch needed to formulate a plan, something, anything, to make things right again. He was only half paying attention to where he was going, and nearly crashed into at least five people along his trek but that was miniscule compared to the maelstrom of thoughts brewing in his taxed mind.
The best place to start was the beginning. He was not in his home world. Not just in another city, or another country. No, he was somewhere where Britannia didn’t exist, where the Black Knights weren’t needed, where the Ashford Academy wasn’t there to welcome him. Somewhere where he couldn’t, even with all of his best efforts, find a way to see Milly again, or Rivalz, or Shirley, or C.C.. Or Nunnally.
'Nunnally...’ It was the sole thought that had made him stop in his tracks numerous times and made his heart drop to his stomach. It was almost...too much. He didn’t want to face the reality. Nunnally...his dearest, precious sister..to first find out she was being used a political tool by his former best friend over the past year she’d been taken away from him, then to find out that she’d willingly volunteered for her political position within the Empire, to know that his persona of Zero and everything he’d done in her name accumulated only to work against her will... And now to know that there was no way to see her again until the witch deemed it safe for them to return. He didn’t even have the reassurance that Suzaku would be able to protect her where he couldn’t anymore. Nunnally was all alone within enemy territory and he had no indication of whether or not he’d be able to see her again before...
Before what? It was impossible to tell. Would there even be a war to return to when they were finally allowed back?
Lelouch stopped again, only now noticing the different, sinking texture beneath his shoes and what would normally be considered soothing noises of waves crashing in the distance. The teen had somehow found his way onto a beach. As hazy violet eyes took on a red hue, that wasn’t because of Geass for once, when they gazed distantly out at the horizon, a rare expression found its way upon his effeminate features. Lost. He was completely and utterly at a loss. What could he do? Where could he go? And how? Yuuko was his only source of useful information and not only did everything come at a price with her but he couldn’t even contact her directly. Gracefully long fingers curled into tightly clenched fists at the audacity of the woman. She almost reminded him of C.C. only she wasn’t dependent on his survival. But it wasn’t just her that caused this mess. It was also this...Fei Wong Reed, whom he had even less of a chance of ever eliminating as a threat.
He had no choice; he was stuck until more developments took place. There was no way around it. But that wasn’t the only issue. After all, what would even be waiting for him when he finally returned? Was all this agonizing even worth it? With Nunnally in a position to try and create the world she’d always wanted...was it even necessary to return? As Zero or as Lelouch?
The once mighty terrorist felt like dropping to his knees in his helpless defeat. He might as well have been eternally caught within the milliseconds it would have taken for a fatal bullet to strike him right between the eyes. There was no way to avoid it, and moving forward only spelled certain doom. It was enough to drive a person mad but other than the highly disturbed grimace on his face, there was nothing to outwardly show his trauma.
When he’d left the apartment, it’d been around noon. By the time the sun was setting, Lelouch hadn’t made a single attempt to go back. Honestly, as selfish as it was, he’d half pondered leaving all three of his “traveling companions” behind and finding somewhere else to stay. The only reason any of them would need him would be because of the cursed ring on his finger. Facing any of them would only remind him of his failure, and Lelouch wanted nothing to do with that.
Instead, the dark haired boy had wandered. Up and down streets, along the beaches, through little shops here and there... It wasn’t hard to lose himself in comparing the similarities and differences to this world and his own, but it wasn’t enough. Certainly not enough to jar him from his lowly stupor. But as the light in the red sky sank and plunged the world below into darkness, the nightlife he had yet to see stirred and seemed to possess the usual laid-back residents. Men and women alike with their groups of friends dressed with the intention of attracting companionship began flocking towards buildings that sparkled with neon lights and seemed to vibrate with the pulsating bass accompanying music meant to tune the natural world out. It wasn’t a phenomenon Lelouch was unfamiliar with, the desire to seek out momentary pleasure, or relief from the nightmares of reality, but he’d never been so caught up in the temptation before, himself.
That was how he’d found himself inside one of Depsina’s finest bars, seated at the far edge of the counter and merely observing the other patrons as if studying the art of how to drown one’s sorrows. It wasn’t until the bartender approached him, inquiring about his age, that he suddenly became curious about the colorful liquids everyone else couldn’t seem to get down their throats fast enough. Lelouch knew the properties of alcohol, knew the circumstances it was used under, and was aware of the dangers when too much was consumed, but just couldn’t fathom why he should hold back anymore.
Without much of a second thought, he removed the contact in his left eye and commanded the bartender serve him without question. The glass of dark red wine was brought to him almost immediately. Whether or not the wine in his world and this world were any different was insignificant as he brought the glass to his lips and drank without any of the elegance he would have normally savored the beverage with. Lelouch wasn’t looking to add to the taste of a fine meal tonight. He was impatient for the rumored numbing of his senses and pleasant haze he could submerge himself in, regardless of the consequences. Anything was better than carrying on as he was now.