» 001

[leansoneveryone]

Who: Gino Weinberg and YOU! ♥
Where: Skipping around Espoir somewhere.
When: Sometime in the afternoon.
Style: Preferably first.
Status: Open~

... Well what do we have here? This certainly isn't the Ashford I remember. [ A dry, but lighthearted chuckle. ] I hope this doesn't count as skipping any classes.

[ There was a little coo to his voice,

Comments

[zerointegrity]

[Lelouch is on his way back to his newly-renovated home when he hears a familiar voice behind him (though he is unable to make out what's being said). It wasn't one he'd heard in Somarium, so the possibility of it being another resident has been eliminated. So, he quickly goes through a list of people he's familiar enough with to recognize their voice - people from Ashford, members of the Black Knights, people who served under him during his reign as Emperor, some of the men he gambled with on a weekly basis with Rolo and Rivalz...

Ah, it must not be important.

However, it became important when the voice was much closer (right behind him, to be specific. Without turning around to address the newcomer, he replies:]

Are you looking for anywhere in particular?

[And that's when he turns around, eyes widening when he saw the familiar face of the Knight of Three smiling down at him.]

1/2

[leansoneveryone]

[ Alright! It was nice to know there was a helpful hand around here- he could of been wandering around for ages! So pushing forward the bright smile, Gino then lifted a hand to address the male in front of him. ]

Actually, I was just looking for a way ba--

[leansoneveryone]

[ When the figure turned and blue orbs caught the sight of purple, they instantly widened. No, that couldn't be. He was-- ]

... Lelouch?

[ The reply was caught painfully in the back of his throat. Almost as if the name was starting to become taboo to the lips. No way, this is impossible!

Lelouch was dead... wasn't he? ]

[zerointegrity]

[Lelouch looks up at the shocked face staring back at him and immediately knows that the last thing Gino expected to see was to see Lelouch vi Britannia walking amongst the living when he should be seated comfortably at the right-hand side of the Devil in the depths of Hell.

He raises an eyebrow, smiling ever so slightly]

You look as if you've seen a ghost, Gino.

[The shock smeared across gino's face is the exact same expression both Kallen Kozuki and Milly Ashford had when they first saw him in Somarium.]

[leansoneveryone]

[ Alright, so it was pretty clear he was looking at a ghost, or something around those lines. Best to stay calm and figure out what on Earth was going on.

So cue the awkward clear of the throat! ] I just wasn't expecting to see you here. [ Alive. ]

[zerointegrity]

[That seems to be the general consensus amongst those from Britannia. Most of them were shocked at the fact that he was alive except for the few who had gone before him (meaning the two who had their lives taken from them by the hand of their brother). Each one needed to be handled differently - Nunnally and Suzaku needed comfort, Kallen needed proof, C.C. was relieved in her own way, Milly was shocked.

But Gino, how should this be handled? They were enemies on the battlefield and awkward acquaintances at school... and too much was out in the open, too much had happened since their brief time spent together at Ashford. They were no longer simply Vice President of the Student Council and class-mate.]

You're not the first that's said that to me.

[He turns from Gino and motions him to follow, not really wanting to stand in the middle of the street and chat.]

Has anybody given you any information on your current whereabouts?

[leansoneveryone]

[ And he wonders why. It's not everyday you seen a walking dead person roaming around in a place... well, he doesn't quite know what this place is. Gotta give him points for being curious, at least.

It was hesitant at first, but Gino managed to nod in he other male's direction to follow along. It was best to just take this one step at time, even though the pit of his stomach was swirling with uncertainty.

He wasn't dreaming, was he? ]

Ah, no. You're actually the first person I've bumped into. [ Go figure. ] Any idea where we are?

[zerointegrity]

[He takes a seat at a table situated outside of one of the cafés in Espoir, one that happens to be located uncomfortably close to his own home. It crosses his mind that he has never actually had a decent conversation with Gino, likely a result of several factors, factors that all have absolutely no significance in Somarium... So, this should be interesting.]

Somarium. [A beat] Do I have any idea where Somarium is located? Not the slightest.

[How many times have I had this conversation already? And now with Gino Weinberg of all people? Why do I keep ending up in situations like this?]

It's a dream world... But residents aren't necessarily asleep before they arrive here. Some have claimed they were dead, others arrived after suffering some sort of trauma. I don't believe anybody truly knows how we find ourselves here and what this place really is.

[leansoneveryone]

[ As Lelouch takes his seat, Gino also sides into the nearest open seat at the table. Well, maybe on the other side of the table. He's still trying to get use to see the dead Emperor, and as of right now doesn't want to make his suspicious clear by touching him.

Only one better way was to sit and listen to what he had to say. ]

So you're telling me that we just all randomly ended up in this world- dead or not? Ha, I knew I was dreaming! [ If this was a dream world, then it surely pulled the pieces together as to why Lelouch was sitting across from him in a coffee table.

Scratch that, he really was dreaming. ]

So this Somarium place, do I just wake up from this or is there some sort of exit?

[zerointegrity]

Yes and no.

[He pauses for a moment, eyes not leaving the Knight of Three now sitting across from him.]

Something, some person or some force, brought us here. And people from the same world, like you and I for instance, can be brought at different points of time during the course of their lives. [A beat] Pinch yourself; you're not dreaming, Gino.

[He folds his arms across his chest]

There's no way to wake up, no way to get out. You're stuck here, just like I have been for the past year. Others have been much longer I, some of them up to three years, if I'm not mistaken.

[leansoneveryone]

[ Don't ask him to Lelouch, he might actually pinch himself.

Brows knit together in a sort of confusion. All of this was a little too much to try to wrap his mind around, especially when moments ago he was roaming the school grounds for a lunch date. ]

That doesn't make much sense, but I'll believe it for now. So then, are you from a different time, Your Highness? [ The last part clearly had a ting of sarcasm wrapped within it.

Time to lean back and fold those long arms, too. ]

Three years, sheesh. That's a long time to take a nap, don't you think? So what are we suppose to do until then?

[zerointegrity]

It never will make much sense if you try to think about it logically, Gino. Nothing about this world makes sense, from the way we are brought here, to the strange occurrences that coincide with the new moon, to the way people vanish with no warning. But you get used to it. You learn to accept it since there's nothing you can do but sit back and watch as things happen.

[He tilts his head, raising an eyebrow at the sudden use of his title and hint of sarcasm in Gino's voice.]

I suppose I am, Sir Weinberg, as I've not yet seen Zero Requiem to its completion.

[He smiles.]

You make this your home is what you'll have to do. Get a job, attend to the local high school or university if you so choose, find yourself a place to live... You know, things like that.

[leansoneveryone]

You never seemed like the type to just sit back. [ To be stuck in a world you can't get out of? Heh, that must be hard on someone like Lelouch. Then again, Gino wasn't taking lightly to the idea himself. ] I don't intend to stay too long, if that's what you're saying. There's gotta be some way out. [ A beat. ] But what's this stuff about a new moon?

[ Wait, so he was before the time he kicked the bucket? Welp. That certainly changes things around. The blond's face still remains indifferent, but he doesn't comment. It wasn't in his place to tell him otherwise. ]

Sounds like a good plan for the meantime. How about you, Lelouch? What have you been doing all this time?

[zerointegrity]

You don't intend to stay too long? It's a shame you have no choice in the matter. As I told you before, there are some who have been stuck here for as long as three years. But, I look forward to seeing you try to find a way out, and I do wish for you to tell me should you discover anything that anybody else has yet to discover.

[He pauses for a moment before the corners of his lips curve upward into a wry smile.]

I'll let you experience the new moon for yourself, mustn't ruin any surprises.

[Lelouch leans back into the chair a bit, resting his chin in one of his hands, eyes never leaving Gino's. Was he comfortable sitting and chatting with Gino? Not particularly, though a conversation with Gino Weinberg is preferable to one with Clovis or Schneizel. Was he going to let his discomfort show? Absolutely not.]

Ah, I don't want to bore you with the things I've been doing in Somarium for the past year. I've been keeping myself busy, doing things with Nunnally. Nothing interesting.

[leansoneveryone]

Thanks for the support. I guess I wouldn't mind telling you if I found something out. One Ashford student to the next, right?

[ Lelouch smiling like that makes the world unsure. ]

Okay, that's fine. I'm more of a 'go getter' anyways. [ Gino will keep that same cool and composed smile on his face as he continues to converse with Lelouch. He'll admit that he wasn't the most pleased talking with him, but there had to be a point to get rid of the awkward somehow if what Lelouch said was true. ]

Nunnally? So then the Empress is here as well? [ A light and airy chuckle easing out of his throat. ] This sure does feel like home.

[zerointegrity]

[And there it is again - Empress. Despite the fact that he knows what Nunnally's current position in Britannia is (he arranged for it himself, after all), it is still quite strange to hear her being referred to as "Empress." Suzaku was the first to use the title, then Kallen, possibly somebody else (he wasn't quite sure), and now Gino.]

Yes, it feels a bit too much like home, if you ask me. [A pause] Nunnally and I live in one of the mansions in Espoir and Suzaku lives with Schneizel and Euphemia in a home on my property. Clovis has a large home somewhere in Somni, though I've not seen it for myself... And I believe Kallen lives in an apartment in Somni, if I'm not mistaken.

[It wasn't necessary he mention that C.C. also lived with him.]

I'm not sure where Milly lives, however...

[He trails off for a moment, mind going in thirty different directions, thinking of ways to either end or prolong this terribly uncomfortable conversation.]I suggest you make finding a place to live one of your top priorities since you will, likely