Turn 10 (Phase I) Results Part II:
The Briefing Cont: 85+15= 100 // Crit: 15+0= 15
Jaeger was laughing.
Because of course he was.
In the face of learning that your
entire species had been reduced to a second stone age, an entire
epoch of their history wiped from the face of their planet and reduced to little more than myth and legend, it took a special kind of human being to laugh in the face of that revelation. Kenshin Jaeger undoubtedly possessed whatever quality was required to do so in
abundance compared to weaker and saner men.
Kaguya winced as another echoing belt of laughter rang out from down the hall, the man in question having been removed from the august assemblage of your advisors by his ever-faithful attendant. Madison Hashima herself had been more than a little shaken by the revelations you had dropped on those present and had seemed greatful for the chance to remove herself from the proceedings.
Milicent Ashford, specifically, was thankful for the fact that the man had been removed. The two of them had hit it off fairly well in the past few months, feeding off each other in a cycle which had givven you no small number of headaches. The difference this meeting had highlighted, however, was that Milly understood when it was appropriate to be playfully crazy. Jaeger, on the other hand, was
actually insane and saw the prospect of worldwide civilization's utter annihlation as a fair price to pay as long as he was proven right.
Kallen was rubbing her palms against her eyes, apparently trying to scrub what she had seen in the last few hours out of her visual cortex. Euphemia, who had taken a seat by Kallen's side, had already taken a pair of painkillers and was apparently fighting off a visible headache as she slowly leafed through documentation supporting your explanations. It probably boded ill for you that she would look up to glare at you every now and then.
Jeanne, in direct contrast to the other redhead and the pinkette, was obsessively looking through the various dossiers, likely in an attempt to find some flaw or hole in the wall of proof that would let her deny the reality of what was being revealed to her. You'd predicted something like this would happen, though, and made sure to have files for each of the members of your group. Even if you were going to have to destroy them after the meeting, Jeanne specifically would need an impressive amount of proof before she'd accept something this wildly outside her frame of reference.
Nunnally, contrary to the rest of your advisors, simply leaned against the wall of the briefing room silently, her expression all the confirmation that anyone needed to know she'd been informed prior to this occasion. She was taking the time to gently pat Gino Weinberg on the back even as he slowly came to terms with the information that had been laid out before him as he rubbed at his forehead. Truthfully, you'd hesitated on involving him here, but he had a very high political stature and was perhaps the least formal 'friend' you had. It had been something of a compromise given that Greta Romano had been left out. By her own request, actually. You had yet to decide whether it was heartening or disturbing that Greta placed so much confidence in yours and Jeanne's competency that the sum total of her requests was to be told when and where to shoot.
Kaguya took a deep breath. "You have a non-governmental spy agency operating out of my country."
You snort lightly as you pour yourself a glass of wine.
Another thing you'd ensured was that alcohol was in ready supply for when things finished up. God knew you'd rather not be wholly sober when speaking on such things. "I'm surprised you don't want to talk about the aliens first."
The Sumeragi heiress closed her eyes and waited a moment before reopening them. "I can't deal with that right now. What I
can deal with is the fact that you-you've violated Japan's national sovereignty on a level that I can't even
begin to describe.
What the hell, your highness?"
You almost choke,
almost, when she curses.
Kaguya was not a woman lightly inclined to profanity.
Milly, on the other hand, looks relieved as she barely holds back laughter.
Thankfully, though, rescue from the visibly angry Japanese noble comes from an unlikely source. Kallen barks out a laugh as she reaches over the table for one of the dreadfully rough and boorish Japanese beers she enjoyed on the rare occasion she decided to get stinking drunk. They and their kind were unfortunately common among your shinobi.
"Oh, give it a break, Kaguya-
hime, you're just pissed Lelouch got one over on you." The redheaded pilot's words seemingly only have the effect of distracting Kaguya's ire, not quelling it.
"Yes, I am!" Kaguya yells back, going red in the face as you fail to hide your surprise. "
No one does this! It's insane! I don't really
care about the fact that you talked the clans into coming to the island after the government took their lands. In fact, I'm glad of it! Everyone with an ounce of reason knew they weren't actually a danger to the country and I'm relieved to see they're being taken care of. But..."
Kaguya heaved an explosive sigh and collapsed back into her chair, all masks fallen away and a riotous mix of emotions plain on her face.
"I hate you," Kaguya finally stated in a dull, lifeless tone.
You jerked as if struck, the verbal blow stinging unexpectedly. Shifting uneasily, you grope for an approrpiate response. Life at court and within the high nobility had not prepared you for such a blunt statement. "I-ah, apologize?"
Kaguya shook her head as she slowly collapsed onto the table, reaching out to grab a disgusting Japanese beer for herself and cracking it with an ease that struck you as uncharacteristic. "Don't. I would have done the same thing." She took a long drag from the can. "Fine. You win."
You blink. "I'm sorry?"
Kaguya simply groans and flops her head down against the table as Kallen snickers.
"You win." Kaguya repeats, the sound muffled by the table, which she still hasn't removed her face from. The break in decorum is... strangely disconcerting, leaving you feel a bit unmoored. "Don't make me say it again."
You eyes flick around the table, desperately looking for some clue as to how you should interpret the situation. Euphemia glares harder at you, then pours herself a glass of wine and, when you go to object remembering the pain killers she's already taken, the words freeze in your throat at the look in your normally demure sister's eyes.
"I do not understand," you finally admit.
Kaguya groans in frustration and, seemingly taking pity on you, your pinkette sister clears her throat.
"Ms. Sumeragi wishes to ensure the security and prosperity of her homeland, dear brother," and your hackles raise at the tone of that address, the way the words are carefully clipped. "The same homeland you have constructed a peace-time intelligence operation within as an apparent
afterthought." Euphie takes another large sip, bordering on a gulp, of her wine. "It is readily apparent, likewise, that you are far too great a threat to the self-determination of her nation to be allowed to continue unopposed. At the same time, though, the magnitude of what you have done precludes any response save for the detonation of a particularly explosive international incident which could very well sour relations between Britannia and Japan for at least half a century were it to be revealed. Such a state of affairs would leave Japan bereft of able allies given the current state of the Chinese Federation and Europa United's still-isolationist policies. You have placed her in an untenable position wherein the most reasonable conclusion for her to draw is that she must join forces with you and moderate the power you wield over her countrymen."
Well, when you put it like that...
"Ah," you nod, distractedly. "Would it help if I were to state that such was not my intent-"
Kaguya groans loudly and downs more beer.
"No, it would not," Milly interupts, "because it would mean that you'd outplayed her politically without even considering her worth the attention to defeat."
There is a moment of silence around the table.
Jaeger's laughter echoes down the hallways, still.
You clear your throat. "Then it was entirely my intent to overcome Kaguya's current political power in such a way as to force her to wield her talent and acumen for my sake."
Euphemia li Britannia
rolls her eyes at you.
"Then it was entirely by design you engineered to have this political time bomb dropped into my lap?" Euphemia questions indelicately. "Lelouch, I should have been informed about this the
moment I was brought to New Caledonia."
You fidget with your collar, unsure of these grounds you now tread. "It was... still in progress at that time. I apologize for not reading you in at the earliest opportunity, but the situation with New Heaven last year was-"
Euphemia nods and sighs. "Still, expect a proposal from my office to form a planning committee to mitigate the worst should your involvement come to light in this-this, this
boondogle."
"U-understood," you reply shortly, having never before wished to hide behind the gauzy veil of courtly etiquette. Perhaps this is why it was created? To shield the mistakes of men from the anger of offended women?
"Euphie, lay off."
This time Milly comes to your rescue, and you love her all the more for it.
"Yes, he's a bit mad for doing it all," Milly nodded, which didn't help your case, "but I think you're all focusing on the political issues here instead of addressing the elephant in the room." She paused for a moment, there. "And you're using that as an excuse to get mad at Lelouch instead of properly processing it."
Euphie sighs and turns her frown on Milly. "You're just glad
you don't have to deal with this. Just wait until you start getting budget requests for inserting agents into foreign governments."
Milly grins widely. "We both know he'll just black-budget all of that."
You turn to look at Gino as the princess and heiress of a duchy begin arguing. The blonde notices your gaze and discreetly waves you off, his hand under the corner of the table making an urgent motion that you easily interpret as a warning not to involve yourself. Kallen shrinks back in her seat a little as Nunnally takes a small pivot to hide behind Gino.
With a lack of suitable obstacles to place between you and the dueling pair of Milly and Euphie, you decide to simply stay very still and hope things do not escalate to a point where you have to involve yourself.
...all things considered, this could have gone worse, you suppose?
Results: Lowest Social Links Increase by (+1), Gino Weinberg, Greta Romano, & Kenshin Jaeger All Increase to SL 4. Milicent Ashford, Nunnally vi Britannia, Euphemia li Britannia, Jeanne Rowe, and Kallen Kozuki-Stadtfelt receive 'Secret Keeper' Trait. Milicent Ashford receives 'Bound in Silence' Trait.
Your Personal Shadow (Cont.): 75+15 = 90 + 10 (omake) = 100
Sayoko is confirmed pregnant.
She will give birth by the year's end.
Now all you need is a name.
Results: Your first child is on the way. Sayoko Shinozaki SL increases by (+2) to SL 8.
