rakuen | Notification

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Notification

On the second evening of Round -2, the following notice is broadcast on the Utopia online network, and also displayed on the video screens in the lobby with an accompanying voiceover.

"Please be aware that the following facilities are off-limits to Weapons without the permission of their owners, or unless required for classroom use: The library, computer labs, swimming pool, gymnasium, and boathouse. Repeat: Be aware that the following facilities are off-limits to Weapons without the permission of their owners, or unless required for classroom use: The library, computer labs, swimming pool, gymnasium, and boathouse. A written permission slip is acceptable.

"Tonight's after-dinner dessert will be chocolate fudge cake. Please note that Weapons may only have dessert with the permission of their owners."

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Hiyo nodded for a moment as she recalled that list of Players... She really didn't know any of the names that came up in her mind unless it was... Ah, that was a name Hiyo was vaguely familiar with. One of the other princesses that was also under Sora-sama's protection. That made sense.

"Izaki-senpai, is it?" she guessed, seeming as if she took a long time to guess who it was.

"That's right," Reiko replied. So she remembered who Koharu was, too... She wasn't like Sora and Yuki, who'd forgotten everyone. What all, exactly, did Hiyo remember?

"What do you think of this version of Utopia?" she asked in feigned innocent curiosity.

Suzaku nodded at the girl, he did agree that the whole being 'owned' by someone was a little creapy, at least the wording of it was, but there was not much they could do about that until they worked out what was going on, and the only way they could do that was to do as they were told, until they could work out how to beat the system, from the inside.

He nodded at her again, glad that she agreed with at least one of the things he had said, the bit about working together and all getting home. "I am Suzaku by the way," he said with a smile and a polite nod, it felt really strange to only give half his name, but he could not remember his family name, it was one of the holes in his memory.

Nodding, Grenn smiled.

"I'm Grenn," then she looked around, and spotted at least one upset younger teen, or child. She was bad at telling ages.

"I feel sorry for the kids though... Being told you can't have dessert," she tried to stifle the giggle, it wasn't really funny, considering the context, but.

"Nice to meet you Grenn," he said with another polite nod, and then looked around as she did. There were a lot of very young looking people, some younger teenagers and others even younger. Suzaku felt a surge of anger that the poeple who had taken them and brought them here had taken children. It was not fair, they were only young and did not deserve to be in such a place as this.

The fact that at that age Suzaku had watched his country being invaded and had killed his own father, a fact that still brought him sorrow and shame, was beyond the point. He did not like to think of these children who had been taken from their homes, and whose lives were now completely thrown into confusion.

If he thought about it, for them telling them they couldn't have cake was only adding insult to injury. "They shouldn't be here at all," he said in a determined and slightly angry tone. "Who would be twisted enough to kidnap children and bring them to a place like this, wipe their memories, force them to fight. It is bad enough they did it to us, but," he gestured one girl who looked very upset at the notice, "She cannot be more than ten!"

Grenn shook her head and rubbed a hand over her face.

"Who knows. I don't understand..." Grenn looked around. "In terms of actually playing... how is a child going to do as well as someone who has at least finished growing?" Grenn awaved a hand. "Even if they, for whatever reason, had training..."

"Children shouldn't..." An image of a girl, perhaps five, no more than ten, washed in cold blue light swam up in Grenn's mind. She looked like a doll, hanging in the air, strung up by thin cables to machinery. There was no context, only that it reminded her of the dreams... That was from a dream, wasn't it?

Children shouldn't... Lyra had been so angry. Angry at what? Grenn's mind flailed, but nothing came. It was important. Tugging harshly on her hair, Grenn suddenly realized where she was, and felt her face heat.

"Uh... Sorry. I mean..." What to say? There was nothing to say.

Of course Mei was the jealous type! It's just that Gino wasn't her man. If it had been certain other blondes vowing to strange, beautiful women, then there would have been trouble...

"Of course he will!" She interjected. "Why else would he have asked at all?"

Well, that decided it then.

"In that case... I'll protect you, and - ah," he paused, not particularly wanted to add the vow of ownership. It was inherently wrong for him to say something like that to a princess. Smoothly, he made a decision and continued, "I, Gino, vow myself to you, Euphemia." He bowed his head, then looked back up with a half-smile, "At least until you find your knight."

Until then, it looked like he was the servant of two princesses.

She had a point, the younger ones would not be able to weild a large weapon, and most would have never have fought before in their lives. It was unfair and Suzaku felt anger building in him but he stayed calm, he knew there was no point fighting when he didn't even know what he was fighting.

He soon was distracted out of his own thoughts by the fact that Grenn did not look too happy, in fact she looked quite distressed and was pulling her hair. Suzaku frowned and came closer reaching out to touch her shoulder. "Grenn? Are you alright?"

He just hoped Grenn didn't start screaming like Yuki had.

Why was it always "are you all right?" Grenn didn't understand why people used that question, because when it was asked, most often it was quite obvious that whoever it was asked of wasn't 'all right'.

Taking a deep breath, Grenn leaned back against the back of the wheelchair and then shook her head,

"No." One would have to excuse her if it was a bit short. She didn't mind the hand on her shoulder though. The warmth was nice. "It's something important. I can't remember though," Grenn said with a very brief, frustrated smile.

She wasn't going to tell this random stranger about the nightmares.

Well yeah, that had been obvious. She was not alright and Suzaku really wasn't sure on what to do, he wasn't that great a comferter. At least she wasn't screaming. When she spoke he nodded with a frown, having parts of your memories missing was incredibly fustrating, and slightly scary. Suzaku realised that this must have been what it was like for Anya all the time.

How she hadn't gone mad he did not know. He did not take his hand off the girls shoulder but gave her a determined nod. "We will find out who has done this and we shall get our memories back I promise!"

Quite how he was going to keep to this promise he had not quite figured out quite yet. "I know its fustrating and upsetting but try not to get too upset, you need to stay strong!" He didn't think he was doing a very good job of making her feel better...

She blinked at him, "How do Players get Weapons?"

"Er... I'll do my best?" Grenn blinked and tried to smile. It seemed to be the most appropriate reaction.

And what else was there to do, than trying to stay strong? (Except breaking down somewhere, because nothing was as it should be?)

"Um... thank you," she wasn't exactly sure what she was thanking him for, or if she even should do it, but, well... it seemed like there needed to be something more said.

Suzaku felt that he really hadn't managed to make her feel better, but at least she wasn't looking on the edge of crying anymore. Still he felt increibly awkward and took his hand off her shoulder, standing upright he grimiced a little at her apology, he hadn't done anything to be thanked. It made him feel a little hopeless but he managed a half smile.

"You're er, welcome Grenn." People were moving around them and Suzaku guessed it was time for dinner. "We should probably go," he said politely. "I guess I'll see you around..." She had been interesting to talk to, even if their opinions had differed slightly.

"Well," she started, humming for a second as she went about her answer. "I think it's better than our world's, don't you think?" she asked Reiko, "The segregation and sexism isn't present, you know? The girls won't have to suffer as much. That's got to be good in some way, right?" And there she went, that slight optimism that she had came out and made it's way out of her lips.

Hiyo frowned slightly, though replaced it just as quickly with a slight smile. "What do you think Reiko-senpai?"

"Ah, well..." Directed at Mei. "It felt like the polite thing to do..."

At Gino's words, Euphemia smiles and holds her hand out to help him to his feet. "Thank you."

"Alright! Now let's go get cake!"

As least important as that really was, it was the first and best step to getting this all off on the right foot. In Mei's mind, anyway. She wasn't shy about grabbing for a hand of both Gino and Euphemia, fully intending to drag them along with her towards the cafeteria with a sudden burst of speed.

He took Euphemia's hand and let her pull him up with nothing more than a brief hesitation. It was probably best to stay close, anyway, and she was definitely one of the nicer members of the Imperial Family.

Up to a certain point, but his memory was cloudy around that.

No sooner had he let go of her hand than Mei had reclaimed it, and apparently they were headed to the cafeteria now. For a tiny girl, she was surprisingly strong. "Oi, are you trying to make me fall over?"

"According to the book, they're supposed to promise to own and protect the Weapon," he explained, pulling the details out of his mind. "And then the Weapon has to agree. I don't remember doing that with either of you, but I haven't even met Gino or Koharu or Grenn..."

Molly tilted her head, "I don't remember promising"

"Me eith..." He paused, thinking back to their first meeting outside. Wait, hadn't she... "Wait, um... did you say something like... you'd protect me from the bad guys?"

"Yeah! Because I'm a hero!" but then she realizes what he's trying to say, "You think that's the same thing?"

"It might be...!" he said. "And the symbol showed up on my hand after that!"

"Yeah!!" So that's what that was for!

"So you're my weapon! But if you don't wanna fight you don't hafta but you can still have dessert and go places!"

Fletcher grinned. "Okay! Thanks a lot, Molly. You're really nice."

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