[007 | public | Japanese audio | text translation]

[ceiling_cat]

So we've got earthquakes again... I haven't felt any tremors over here, though. Anyone know what might be goin' on over there?

That aside... I've been stuck in here more'n long enough. Gotta keep myself entertained somehow. Anyone up for a card game? Poker, blackjack; anything but solitaire. I'm settin' up in the front hall of Latimir.

Comments

[Commentlog] And Nil?

[eyesofgeass.livejournal.com]

Sighs and puts down his cards. "Two fours..."

And a flicker to meet those sunglasses on the older man's face. Oh so serious Lulu. "Why wouldn't I? I threw my title in my father's face for a reason."

[Commentlog] Says "I will be on later to kill you with my love."

[greatcuppajoe.livejournal.com]

"Not your day, is it?" Hanekoma reached out, taking the deck and tapping the cards back into it before he began to shuffle. "And I hadn't heard this about you throwin' your title anywhere." He considered, neatening the cards' edges before shuffling once more.

"Let's see... think you can get your hands on any paint for me, or give me a location likely to have any?"

[Commentlog] Might have to ask Steph for the AIM I'm on atm

[eyesofgeass.livejournal.com]

Oops.

"That means Joshua hasn't said anything to you about me really... But when I go to the museum, I'll get paint. Any specific colors or will just the primary do?" A sigh and he's watching the shuffling. Uncomfortable, but really there's no reason not to say anything. It's not like there's a reason to stay silent.

"I was the eleventh prince, seventeenth heir to the Britannian throne. When my father did not investigate my mother's assassination, I threw away the title. It didn't sit well with him and my sister and I were used as political tools."

[Commentlog]

[greatcuppajoe.livejournal.com]

"The primary'd be great - and if you can get any others, so much the better." He dealt out another round of cards to each of them, setting down the deck and picking up his hand. Lelouch's discomfort with the subject was obvious in every line of his face-- he might have a good poker face with the cards, but he didn't seem to be bothering with it for the conversation.

Not glancing at the cards just yet, he tilted his head, regarding the young man.

"So what good is a prince who's resigned as a political tool, Catnip?"

[Commentlog]

[eyesofgeass.livejournal.com]

"An artist, are we?" A little smirk and then it fades to a frown. "It means he didn't accept that I would choose not to be his son. Instead we were sent to Japan. Hence how I met Suzaku, who is also here. He was the Prime Minister's son. It was a peaceful time, really. Until Britannia invaded. Nunnally and I faked our deaths and my friend's family sheltered us."

He picks up the cards. Frown remains, but oh so much better of a hand. A queen, ace, two kings, and a three. Setting down the three now.

"Of course that only lasted until recently."

[Commentlog]

[greatcuppajoe.livejournal.com]

"Keeps me entertained," Hanekoma said, smirking and glancing down at his cards. Junk. Three, five, eight, ten, ace, covering all four suits. He pulled out the lowest three, setting them face down, and dealt new cards to himself and Lelouch.

Another three, and that was the best he had. Looked like he'd be owing Lelouch a favor this time... too bad they weren't playing a variant that made bluffing useful. Smirk unchanged, he looked back up.

"You've had an exciting life, Catnip." He arched an eyebrow at the other man. "So if that only lasted till recently... what happened then?"

[Commentlog]

[eyesofgeass.livejournal.com]

"I much prefer chess or the violin personally..."

A king. Perfect. Though now his eyes took on a rather burning tone that had nothing to do with cards. Everything to do with the events that lead up to what this is all about. What he has to do when he returns. The promise. The future. For everything he has ever done.

"I killed him and her and took Britannia for myself. Led the army against the rest of the nations and seized them."

Puts his cards down. "Three kings."

[Commentlog]

[greatcuppajoe.livejournal.com]

Hanekoma smiled. "And what did you do then?"

He set down his hand, showing the two threes.

[Commentlog]

[eyesofgeass.livejournal.com]

A bitter chuckle. No dice. Apparently Sanae isn't too different from Joshua after all. He's smiling, he really is as he takes up the cards to shuffle them. "There's a symbol of Justice among all the nations. A being that stands against evil, no matter the source. Suzaku is to take up that name and drive a sword through my heart for the world to see. His punishment and mine for everything."

He wins this round. But does he really. "Seems pointless to ask a man for a favor in such a state. Perhaps a painting, whenever you finish one. Should I win the next round... It will be different."

[Commentlog]

[greatcuppajoe.livejournal.com]

"Hated your father enough to take yourself down with him?" Hanekoma said, folding his hands on the table. Or was it that Lelouch had wanted to take himself down too?

There was more than enough guilt there to justify the latter suggestion. He left it unspoken. This was Lelouch's own choice.

"I'll be glad to paint you something," he added, resting a hand on the back of his head. "Want it to hang on your wall, or should I just paint on the wall?"

He spread his other hand invitingly. "Your deal."

[Commentlog]

[eyesofgeass.livejournal.com]

"If you just want to on the wall, I'm fine with that. It's bound to be better than what's already there," says this with a little huff. "Whichever at this point."

But he has the cards and starts dealing them out again. Answering it... It's so complicated.

"It's complicated. I explained it to Joshua once, but I think it bored him. I'm no better than my father, really. Using war and other people for my own goals. I wanted to crush Britannia and give Nunnally a peaceful world. One she deserved. But to do that..."

Lelouch sets down the deck and picks up his hand. Tides had turned. A royal flush.

"My methods were, are questionable. For that, even I have to pay the price. It has nothing to do with going down with my father, but everything to do with facing the consequences for my actions."

[Commentlog]

[greatcuppajoe.livejournal.com]

Hanekoma looked at Lelouch for a long moment, then shrugged. "You chose your own methods, Lelouch. I think you're smart enough to see what you were doing in advance... and you chose to do something for which you felt the consequences should be death."

He picked up his cards. Trash again. Five of diamonds, six of clubs; jack of hearts, king and ace of spades. He discarded all but the spades, sliding them face-down across the table for replacement.

"That make you the acceptable sacrifice?"

[Commentlog]

[eyesofgeass.livejournal.com]

"Shouldn't they be?"

He's not putting down any cards, but hands Sanae his. "I murdered my siblings in cold blood. My parents too. Euphemia, the only girl I ever loved and my half sister, being among those I killed personally. She doesn't... She doesn't know that. I robbed my best friend of everything. Thousands have died either at my hand or by my command. Millions, indirectly. It isn't my life that is a sacrifice, Sanae. I became the evil that the world needed so that Euphy would be forgotten in the history books. My life isn't my price for robbing so many of their free will. What I am really taking from myself is what I want: to live with Nunnally in peace. That's my price. My consequence."

[Commentlog]

[greatcuppajoe.livejournal.com]

"That's your choice," Hanekoma replied, almost gently, and set his hand down face-up without looking at it. "You made it. If you aren't happy with it, maybe you ought to change it instead of justifyin' yourself to strangers."

He glanced at the cards. No useful combinations, which gave him ace of spades high.

[Commentlog]

[eyesofgeass.livejournal.com]

He's laughing now. "It's not about my happiness. Never was."

And Lelouch starts coughing, but also shows his hand. "Royal Flush."

[Commentlog]

[greatcuppajoe.livejournal.com]

"Name your favor," Hanekoma said, scooping up the cards and shuffling once more, "but catch your breath first, Catnip."

He waited until Lelouch's coughing fit had ended, then cut the cards and set them on the table. A smile, gentler than his usual, flitted across his face.

"Course it isn't," he said. "It's about punishing yourself. You said." Picking up the cards again, he began to deal, paper flowing smoothly through his fingers. "But your happiness is the only happiness you can control. You wanna stay closed in and give up on it... like I told ya, that's your choice."

"But if you don't want to, why are ya doin' it?"

[Commentlog]

[eyesofgeass.livejournal.com]

"Ask Joshua what my ability is," Lelouch mutters, voice a little hoarse. "What I have done with it. Why I have such a hard time accepting another chance at things..."

Now... Here it goes. His mood suddenly shifts. Lelouch's eyes go sharp, as if he's analyzing every little bit of the situation at hand. "My favor is information. Who told Sho about Taboo Refinery? Before you ask, yes. I know all about it and what exactly Sho used it for. I just would like to know who taught him something like that."

[Commentlog]

[greatcuppajoe.livejournal.com]

Hanekoma's poker face slipped at that, just for a moment. He'd relied on Minamimoto's disdain for others to keep him quiet about his new information; it only made sense that the person he'd formed a bond with here, no matter how strange, would have heard about it. Bragging was a bad habit of Minamimoto's.

On the other hand... if Joshua already knew, as his comment had made clear he did, and since Lelouch was from a different world and arranging his own death in his home plane, there was nothing that the information would affect for the moment.

Lelouch was liable to pry more, but all Hanekoma had to do was end the game before the nosy kid got too much more out of him.

"I did," he said, picking up his hand and glancing over it. Two tens, three fours. After the last few, he'd been due for some decent luck.

He smiled.

[Commentlog]

[eyesofgeass.livejournal.com]

"That tells me quite a bit already, you know."

And it's true. It means that no, he is not a Reaper. No, he is not quite adverse to having Joshua erased, though the relationship that the two seem to have has not gone unnoticed by him. It also says that Sanae is much much more than what he appears to be.

"I hope you had good reason, knowing what Sho was going to do with information like that. It's not like he hides that fact," and that is that. What he wants to know now is something entirely different and unrelated as he picks up his cards. Another crap hand. Argh.

Setting down three cards.

[Commentlog]

[greatcuppajoe.livejournal.com]

"You'll have to win another hand if you want to know my reasons." Hanekoma smiled, dealing Lelouch three new cards.

"How did you get Sho so friendly with ya, anyway, Catnip? Sounds like the two of you've had a whole lot of heart-to-hearts."

Commentlog]

[eyesofgeass.livejournal.com]

"You'll have to win this hand if you want to know that, Sanae," Lelouch chuckles, but cursing at his hand. Mentally, of course.

Killing time... Oh so killing time.

[Commentlog]

[greatcuppajoe.livejournal.com]

"Hardly a fair trade," Hanekoma said, laying his hand down face-up. "Full house. What about you?"

[Commentlog]

[eyesofgeass.livejournal.com]

"Actually, quite the fair trade," he mutters...

Lelouch lays down his hand. Two ones and nothing else that can give him points.

[Commentlog]

[greatcuppajoe.livejournal.com]

"Well then." He chuckled, collecting the cards and handing them over to Lelouch for the deal. "Tell me, Catnip, how you and Sho got to be so friendly."

[Commentlog]

[eyesofgeass.livejournal.com]

Sighing... Really... Luck? Why have you forsaken him? Lelouch takes the deck and starts to shuffle and cut.

"It was when I first arrived. Sho actually openly mocked me first several conversations. Then I assume he found out I essentially took over the world. We made a deal, since he told me about the chip's location. I would help him should he need it and vice versa. Assets. Nothing more. Sho told me of what he was and mostly of what he was capable of doing. I, on the other hand, told him very vague details. I lied about my power, telling him it stops time. He didn't realize until it was too late that my ability crushes free will completely. Oh he decked me for it, but otherwise... We're not friends. Partners at best, but very loosely."

A little smirk while dealing out the cards. "After all... I told Joshua where the chip was located shortly after Sho murdered him and he revived. Personally? I think it's mutual entertainment in the end."