[ dreamscape ]

[lel0uch]

At first, there was the feeling of standing at the edge of wakefulness. There was the sound of ticking in the distance; an ever-present sound Lelouch has become acquainted well with. It was yet another day in the state between life and death, a place that was arguably worse than hell itself. Lelouch had resigned himself to awakening to yet another

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[haroicsacrifice]

It was enough. Lockon didn't want to see anymore; he knew all he needed or wanted to, and letting it keep playing out like this was only hurting Lelouch. For all his caution around the self-proclaimed Emperor, Lockon didn't want to see him hurting like this.

"Lelouch," he called out, his voice clear and calm. And he reached out to settle a hand on his shoulder from behind.

[lel0uch]

The sudden touch had Lelouch spinning around and slapping that hand away by instinct. That wasn't supposed to--

Even his thoughts were cut off as he realized who had, somehow, appeared in his dreams. Lockon Stratos. The man's presence told him that this was definitely no ordinary dream.

"You!" he hissed angrily, before regaining his composure, and, after a short pause, continuing in a much more dignified manner. "A curse has brought you here, hasn't it? Or am I to suppose that you are a part of my imagination?"

There were many possibilities and, after all that he had experienced, Lelouch was loathe to eliminate too many... too soon. The chances of this being the real Lockon Stratos were very high.

The only course of action left for him was to evaluate the possible effects this could have and if Geass was necessary.

[haroicsacrifice]

It hadn't occurred to Lockon that Lelouch would be unhappy to be pulled from his dream by a near stranger. Not because it was such a remote possibility, but simply because he hadn't bothered to think. He'd seen Lelouch hurting over things that, despite their foreignness, seemed far too familiar to him in the ways that mattered. So he'd acted to stop that hurt.

Of course, in retrospect it seemed obvious. He opened his mouth, then shut it, then opened it again and said rather ruefully, "I'm sorry. I didn't come here on purpose. As curses go, this is a particularly invasive one."

His voice softened. "And I don't see the need to tell anyone else about it."

[lel0uch]

"Aah--" Lelouch responded evasively, while searching the area behind Lockon for any other uninvited guests. "A particularly invasive one, indeed," he murmured finally when he was satisfied with his search.

He studied Lockon then, silently weighing his options then and there. He could-- He could Geass Lockon. That was an option, a logical one, but, Lelouch acknowledged that he needed that Geass for something else entirely, something in the future. The man was still a volatile aspect of his new rebellion, and the Geass was something he should not waste on something like his pride at the moment.

He smiled confidently then, easing into the proud posture of the Holy Emperor of Britannia. "I doubt anyone would believe you, in any case," he said, waving a hand idly for emphasis.