At least he didn't seem to have caused the woman any further harm by jostling her wheelchair. Looking around, Subaru wondered why the ever-present staff had left someone wheelchair-bound all alone, sort of stranded in the middle of the park. "Have you been stuck here all day? Did you want some help getting to somewhere to eat, maybe?"
"I can move myself," Mele answered, no defensiveness or exasperation in her voice. Actually, she had been wondering where the nurse had wandered off to, but the city (town?) seemed to be teeming with official-looking people. The nurse had probably gone to a meeting to devise new ways of bondage, or something. Shame Mele couldn't have followed her. Even if she wouldn't have been able to get far, she at least would have a little more of a clue.
Now that someone had brought it up, Mele found that she was hungry. She pulled her paper bag from the side that it had gotten squished into and peeked inside. She'd put the slips of paper in there, and she remembered something about lunch...
Ah, there. "Twin Pines," she flipped through the slips, "...or Tasty Burger. Haven't you eaten yet?" she looked up.
Sheepishly, Subaru rubbed the back of his neck. "Oh, well. The last time I was here... it was a bit of a mess, so I haven't really gone near the restaurants. I can't eat meat, you see." Or at least, he didn't think he could. It was too risky to test it out and find himself with even weaker powers than this place already limited him to. "But I know where they are, so I can show you the way if you like."
"Aren't you hungry, then?" Mele fished out the uneaten apple from the bag and held it up to him.
"And yes, show me." After a beat, Mele thought that might sound too abrupt, so she added, "If you, uh...care to." ...That didn't sound right. Ugh, whatever. Mele reached to turn the wheelchair in the direction she thought the exit of the park must be.
The events of the last hour cycled through Nigredo's head, each segment resulting in a whiter shade on his face. He had done the unthinkable: he'd made a mistake for what was most certainly the second time. Furthermore, the power had forced them to commit an unspeakable deed, the kind lauded about in U.M.N. articles as the first sign to romantic engagement. Just how had his statement encouraged that? And for yet another set of brothers?
It was maddening to think about.
He inched closer to back of the bench, his hands lolling at his sides. Something about this consequence felt off, downright strange, and for the second time in twelve years, Nigredo questioned his ability. More specifically, the reasoning involved. The affected had all been the newly acquainted; using hypnosis to force a certain interpersonal result was highly unlike the youngest variant. He was nearing thirteen, wasn't he? Not threeA part of him, however, the one who claimed an age not twelve, thought that perhaps this was a cathartic attempt. For every time he
( ... )
Planning. Yes. This is what he had forgot. When he had first came to this place, Albedo had indeed created plans, depended on them. He knew his brothers, knew what both were capable of, and if he was serious about their demise (which, true to form, he didn't know), he knew that a straight-forward method would not allow him to achieve those goals. No. No, the best way to go about backstabbing a brother was as simple as that.
In the back. In the dark, in the shadows, when no one was watching and it wasn't expected.
The sunlight tearing through the gaps in the clouds and the rumble of conversation prevented most of that, but Albedo liked to think of himself, at times, as a last bullet in Russian Roulette kind of guy, rather than an empty chamber. This could work. He could make this work.
Once Nigredo was gone, things would be easier. It was so clear. (It was so covered in doubt.So he had cut into the trees right after parting with Yomi, slid widely around the back of the park, using the friendly 'taint' he carried and a
( ... )
Something soft caught the boy underarm, interrupting whatever entertained sentiment in his head. The world blurred, and Nigredo found himself falling, then landing on a patch of dusty ground. It must have been overlain with a few broken twigs; ground wasn't normally so sharp, he recalled.
The thought, as well as the careful mental trails he had built up moments before, then vanished as Nigredo came to realize what had occurred. In its place welled up an overwhelming sense of irony, as though the boy should have seen the object of his thoughts arrive a second sooner. Not while staring up at Albedo in bemusement, and certainly not pinned to the ground with what looked like a rock between them.
He opened his mouth--to do what, Nigredo would never know--before snapping it shut altogether. Gone, too, was the link, as though the child had caught the instability lurking on the other end and reeled back on instinct.
The grin widened, his eyes copying the effect as the whites of his eyes shown. Despite this, he gave an impression of anger mixed in with his amusement, some tone overriding everything. Or perhaps it was simply the rock in his hand, shaking now from some unknown effort.
"Silence, then?" the boy shot out, giggling a moment after. The last was a gasp, and Albedo leaned down over Nigredo--not close, no, no, never close, but.... "How familiar, how fitting. Like last night, hm? You were so silent then, weren't you? Couldn't be bothered to answer me."
What had been his question then? Albedo couldn't remember. Fading fast were the causes and effects of the night, the sudden fear, overriding panic; the loneliness that swallowed him whole, made him move in bursts inbetween stagnation to something still there despite it all--and wasn't that what he was supposed to fix?! Nigredo was supposed to have died, then, wasn't supposed to be, but weren't they all?! None of them should ever have
( ... )
[From here]Sho might have recognized the significance that the Composer was aiming for. Or maybe he had tracked the boy to the easternmost area of the town, recognizing the East as the source of the sun, life and light. It was possible, had he known anything about the town's layout or the names of its locations, but as it stood, he had arrived here simply because he was retracing his steps and planning on systematically flushing the boy out area by area until he found him. So it was to his complete surprise when he saw his target idling at the origin point of the park, obvious as anything
( ... )
And there the Reaper was, just as Joshua had anticipated. Really, he had to find Sho Minamimoto's display of emotion to be complimentary. He normally showed no concern whatsoever with what other people thought, but here he was, off his usual mindset from the very start. No wonder he kept losing his Games.
Compared with that harsh breathing, Joshua was calm and collected, and he idly ran his hand through his hair. Truly, this was what Landel's had been missing- something concrete, a face to put upon all of the ills. For the moment, Minamimoto's would suffice. "Mm, I could ask you the same thing. Using a Level i Flare isn't like you at all... and then, of course, the last time I saw you I left you buried under a vending machine, a convertible, and at least three bicycles."
Still, he couldn't help but goad the Reaper, just a little bit. "But as for that question... you didn't honestly think that such an underpowered Psyche would bother me at all, did you?"
Minamimoto struggled to get his breathing under control - he hadn't run that fast, had he? - but found that it was a losing prospect when the very sight of the kid made his blood boil
( ... )
"Bravo. I knew that you'd get it once you had the right data." Joshua giggled his usual creepy little giggle, ironically rather pleased that Minamimoto managed to figure it out so quickly. He was right, of course. A Level i Flare wiped out everything simultaneously, crossing dimensions and wiping out everything in that same wavelength. But as he so easily pointed out, Minamimoto's Psyche didn't hit across those waves. Simply by switching to a parallel dimension, Joshua had evaded something that otherwise could well have erased him from existence
( ... )
Apparently Brainiac 5 had been incorrect when he'd thought earlier that he was bored. Earlier he'd still had the opportunity to correct the error-filled coding covering his shirt before his nurse had noticed, taken the pen from him, and wrapped him back up in his coat, lecturing him on the risks of getting a cold while she did so. Earlier he'd been 'taken for a walk', which meant that the nurse had pushed him around town for a bit, which would have been equally boring (but with different scenery) if it hadn't been for the interesting conversation offered by the noticeboard in the grocery.
But now? Now he was back in the park and his nurse had left again to go find him something to eat for a late lunch that he wasn't particularly fussed about. Leaving him alone with his thoughts again.
He was beginning to get sick of this pattern of events.
Suzaku walked around a bit after lunch to let himself digest before heading towards the park. He'd decided to take Lelouch's suggestion, however much in jest it had been, and he wasn't stupid enough to do it on a full stomach.
He didn't feel like doing pull-ups, however. Suzaku found an unoccupied corner of the park, where there was an open stretch of grass, and began to roll out his joints. He really shouldn't have gone so long without doing anything to keep himself in shape, as important as it was to make contacts among the patients. His primary duty was to defend Lelouch, and he could hardly do that if it took him this long to loosen up.
Finally feeling like he had stretched enough, Suzaku stopped and looked around, hesitating for a moment. The clothes he had been given might look decent, but he really didn't want to have to practice in jeans, especially not ones this tight. For that matter, he wished he could do some sword practice. . . Oh well. There was nothing he could do about it, and he did need to stay in shape.
( ... )
Lunch didn't taste so good, but it was free and she wasn't picky so she ate it, demanded for seconds and got nothing. After a walk down the streets and realizing that this was just a boring town with no local kids to bully, she headed for the park.
She could at least find a bench to sleep in or watch the people walk by. She yawned. Stupid little boring to-- HEY WHAT WAS THAT?
Punches. Kicks. Nobody was getting hit, it was just a boy, not much older than her, training. Maybe. She had nothing to do with him, and she wasn't particularly interested in making friends but she wanted to watch him train.
And soon watching wasn't enough. She wanted to train. The hospital was filled with monsters, and Chise and Evangeline can't fight worth shit so she had to be extra strong for them. Without saying a word, she stood next to him and copied everything he did.
For a split second Suzaku didn't notice, so absorbed in the exercises as he was. It was easy to lose himself in the feel of his body, not having to worry about anything but the proper weight distribution, the perfection of his stance -- but he was still a trained soldier, quick to observe anyone approaching him. He raised his eyebrows, watching the girl out of his peripheral vision even as he continued training. At first he'd thought she was just familiar with the same style, but no, he was pretty sure she was copying. Which was perfectly fine, because how else do you learn, but to start doing it without even a greeting, let alone asking for permission -- it was a little amusing. She looked pretty young, after all
( ... )
She nodded. She liked watching martial arts movies, copying the moves and using the said copied moves on unsuspecting people. When her family was still intact, she copied from her father and her brother when they were training. I guess you could say that she did martial arts, to some extent.
"It makes people strong." She wiped the sweat off her forehead with her coat sleeve. "I have to get strong so I could--" Protect people? Take care of her room mate and her friends? Not get mobbed by monsters and pedophiles in the dark of the night? "-- slap people around." That was what she ended up saying, a general but easily misinterpreted version of what she planned to do with her martial arts.
Comments 128
At least he didn't seem to have caused the woman any further harm by jostling her wheelchair. Looking around, Subaru wondered why the ever-present staff had left someone wheelchair-bound all alone, sort of stranded in the middle of the park. "Have you been stuck here all day? Did you want some help getting to somewhere to eat, maybe?"
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"I can move myself," Mele answered, no defensiveness or exasperation in her voice. Actually, she had been wondering where the nurse had wandered off to, but the city (town?) seemed to be teeming with official-looking people. The nurse had probably gone to a meeting to devise new ways of bondage, or something. Shame Mele couldn't have followed her. Even if she wouldn't have been able to get far, she at least would have a little more of a clue.
Now that someone had brought it up, Mele found that she was hungry. She pulled her paper bag from the side that it had gotten squished into and peeked inside. She'd put the slips of paper in there, and she remembered something about lunch...
Ah, there. "Twin Pines," she flipped through the slips, "...or Tasty Burger. Haven't you eaten yet?" she looked up.
Reply
Reply
"And yes, show me." After a beat, Mele thought that might sound too abrupt, so she added, "If you, uh...care to." ...That didn't sound right. Ugh, whatever. Mele reached to turn the wheelchair in the direction she thought the exit of the park must be.
Reply
It was maddening to think about.
He inched closer to back of the bench, his hands lolling at his sides. Something about this consequence felt off, downright strange, and for the second time in twelve years, Nigredo questioned his ability. More specifically, the reasoning involved. The affected had all been the newly acquainted; using hypnosis to force a certain interpersonal result was highly unlike the youngest variant. He was nearing thirteen, wasn't he? Not threeA part of him, however, the one who claimed an age not twelve, thought that perhaps this was a cathartic attempt. For every time he ( ... )
Reply
Planning. Yes. This is what he had forgot. When he had first came to this place, Albedo had indeed created plans, depended on them. He knew his brothers, knew what both were capable of, and if he was serious about their demise (which, true to form, he didn't know), he knew that a straight-forward method would not allow him to achieve those goals. No. No, the best way to go about backstabbing a brother was as simple as that.
In the back. In the dark, in the shadows, when no one was watching and it wasn't expected.
The sunlight tearing through the gaps in the clouds and the rumble of conversation prevented most of that, but Albedo liked to think of himself, at times, as a last bullet in Russian Roulette kind of guy, rather than an empty chamber. This could work. He could make this work.
Once Nigredo was gone, things would be easier. It was so clear. (It was so covered in doubt.So he had cut into the trees right after parting with Yomi, slid widely around the back of the park, using the friendly 'taint' he carried and a ( ... )
Reply
The thought, as well as the careful mental trails he had built up moments before, then vanished as Nigredo came to realize what had occurred. In its place welled up an overwhelming sense of irony, as though the boy should have seen the object of his thoughts arrive a second sooner. Not while staring up at Albedo in bemusement, and certainly not pinned to the ground with what looked like a rock between them.
He opened his mouth--to do what, Nigredo would never know--before snapping it shut altogether. Gone, too, was the link, as though the child had caught the instability lurking on the other end and reeled back on instinct.
Reply
"Silence, then?" the boy shot out, giggling a moment after. The last was a gasp, and Albedo leaned down over Nigredo--not close, no, no, never close, but.... "How familiar, how fitting. Like last night, hm? You were so silent then, weren't you? Couldn't be bothered to answer me."
What had been his question then? Albedo couldn't remember. Fading fast were the causes and effects of the night, the sudden fear, overriding panic; the loneliness that swallowed him whole, made him move in bursts inbetween stagnation to something still there despite it all--and wasn't that what he was supposed to fix?! Nigredo was supposed to have died, then, wasn't supposed to be, but weren't they all?! None of them should ever have ( ... )
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Compared with that harsh breathing, Joshua was calm and collected, and he idly ran his hand through his hair. Truly, this was what Landel's had been missing- something concrete, a face to put upon all of the ills. For the moment, Minamimoto's would suffice. "Mm, I could ask you the same thing. Using a Level i Flare isn't like you at all... and then, of course, the last time I saw you I left you buried under a vending machine, a convertible, and at least three bicycles."
Still, he couldn't help but goad the Reaper, just a little bit. "But as for that question... you didn't honestly think that such an underpowered Psyche would bother me at all, did you?"
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But now? Now he was back in the park and his nurse had left again to go find him something to eat for a late lunch that he wasn't particularly fussed about. Leaving him alone with his thoughts again.
He was beginning to get sick of this pattern of events.
[free, after all! xD]
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He didn't feel like doing pull-ups, however. Suzaku found an unoccupied corner of the park, where there was an open stretch of grass, and began to roll out his joints. He really shouldn't have gone so long without doing anything to keep himself in shape, as important as it was to make contacts among the patients. His primary duty was to defend Lelouch, and he could hardly do that if it took him this long to loosen up.
Finally feeling like he had stretched enough, Suzaku stopped and looked around, hesitating for a moment. The clothes he had been given might look decent, but he really didn't want to have to practice in jeans, especially not ones this tight. For that matter, he wished he could do some sword practice. . . Oh well. There was nothing he could do about it, and he did need to stay in shape. ( ... )
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She could at least find a bench to sleep in or watch the people walk by. She yawned. Stupid little boring to-- HEY WHAT WAS THAT?
Punches. Kicks. Nobody was getting hit, it was just a boy, not much older than her, training. Maybe. She had nothing to do with him, and she wasn't particularly interested in making friends but she wanted to watch him train.
And soon watching wasn't enough. She wanted to train. The hospital was filled with monsters, and Chise and Evangeline can't fight worth shit so she had to be extra strong for them. Without saying a word, she stood next to him and copied everything he did.
Reply
Reply
"It makes people strong." She wiped the sweat off her forehead with her coat sleeve. "I have to get strong so I could--" Protect people? Take care of her room mate and her friends? Not get mobbed by monsters and pedophiles in the dark of the night? "-- slap people around." That was what she ended up saying, a general but easily misinterpreted version of what she planned to do with her martial arts.
"You're strong, aren't you, bro?"
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