rakuen | Knightly Honour Demands...

Dinner was a noisy affair even with so few students, as people mingled amongst those they'd met already or discovered old friends they hadn't had the chance to meet already. The general furor with the chocolate fudge cake had claimed at least an hour, too. Sora had been bouncing from table to table, as she went to talk to someone, then returned to her table, then back to someone else she'd spotted, and so on. Now it was Suzaku's turn. She'd felt bad about her attack the moment the situation had been explained, but the penalty had removed most of her ability to focus on that for long enough that she felt he deserved a proper apology, Knight to Knight.

She'd located him fairly early into dinner, but he'd been deep in conversation with some of the others. Now they'd all gone to get dessert or talk to other people, and she seized her chance. With a smile to her friends, she indicated where she was headed, and slid into the seat opposite the other Knight.

"Suzaku? Um, about this afternoon. I should really apologise..."

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"Seven? I thought his name was Suzaku."

Suddenly, a tiny girl. Well, not really suddenly. She had been sitting at the table next to Gino the entire time, but someone like Mei was easy to miss when sitting beside someone as tall as Gino.

The most likely reason she hadn't spoken up right away was that she was busy finishing up dinner's dessert. With the cake now gone, she set the plate back on the table and leaned over the tabletop to get a look at Suzaku.

Suzaku stood stiffly still not relaxing. He tensed up even more when Gino called him "Seven" and gave a small glance towards Euphie, hoping she hadn't realised. He blinked again at the small child that popped up from behind Gino but concentrated on the Knights question for now.

He was still wary, but Sora had been right, he needed a player in order to get anywhere. This way he was able to be close to Euphie also and make sure no harm came to her, not that Gino would let any harm come to her either.

He nodded stiffly, "Yes," he said simply, quietly but formally.

Euphemia blinks at their new addition. "Hello, Mei!" she says, coming to sit next to the girl and to also get out of Gino and Suzaku's way. She isn't sure why Suzaku is being called Seven either, and lets Mei's question hang in the air before she adds her own.

"Is your cake as good as you imagined?" She smiles small.

Gino swivels in his seat and stands as Euphemia sits down, so he's facing Suzaku with his back to the others, and kneels, again. The vow is easier with an equal.

"I'll own and protect you," he says, simply. Without a name, the rest seems a little pointless, and without memories, well... He gets to his feet. In that brief moment, where they're both blocked from the girls' view, his expression shifts to one a lot darker than his easy-going smile. One that distinctly promises that Gino is not happy about something, and it's going to be Suzaku's job to explain all about it. Later.

"We're talking after this," he barely moves his lips; the quiet words are lost in the general noise of the hall, "Pale entrance. Eight o'clock."

And then his expression shifts back as if nothing happened, and he takes a step to the side, turns, and drops an arm around the knight's shoulders. Back to normal volume. Normal exhuberance. "It's a nickname, Mei. D'you want to be Eight?"

"Hi, Miss Euphemia!" Mei turns to look up at the other girl and smiles. "It was! I haven't had cake in so long, it was so good!" There is a list of things like that. She may as well cover all those bases before she figures out how to escape.

She turns back to watch Gino and Suzaku again. So another Weapon joins the team. That guy sure is collecting a lot of them, isn't he?

"Huh?" Mei blinks. "Eight?" She considers it, but shakes her head and declines. "No thank you. I already have a number, though not as a nickname, I think." At least, she wouldn't consider it a nickname.

Feeling awkward Suzaku nodded, it felt very strange usually he was the one vowing to protect others. He shifted slightly and nodded, but it felt strange to accept the vow in silence, "Thank you, and I promise to serve you as best I can as long as you want me," there that made it slightly less weird. At least the vow was two sided now.

At the knights dark look and request to meet him at the Pale dormetories Suzaku nodded, he didn't want to talk. This was awkward enough as it was and once Gino found out what had happened and how Suzaku had joined with Lelouch he would hate him all over again.

He looked at the little girl, and she really was little, as she spoke. He felt a surge of anger again at this system that had stolen even this little girl and brought her here. She was right in one thing though, why was Gino calling him seven? Suzaku thought back and realised Gino hadn't called him by name at all since they'd arrived, maybe he had forgotten it.

"Hello miss," he said with a polite smile towards Mei.

She claps her hands together and smiles wide. "There we go! All of us are now joined. I hope we can get along and work hard through this round." And she stands, taking Suzaku by the elbow. "Are you okay?" she asks quietly. He's been tense as a bowstring, and it hasn't escaped her eye.

"Hello, Mister Suzaku. I'm Mei!" She smiles back at him, then looks over to Gino, then at Euphemia. These three definitely know each other from before the school. There's too much familiarity between them for Mei not to notice that.

With everyone else standing up, the tiny girl followed suit, swinging her legs around to the other side of the bench in a turn and hopping down.

"I don't really mean to pry," though she will anyway, "but have you three met before this place?"

Suzaku smiled at her cheariness, it was quite amazing that such a little girl could be so cheary and calm when she had been brought somewhere against her will. It showed strength. "Hello Miss Mei, it's nice to meet you," he smield at her and gave a small reasuring smile to Euphemia who had came to stand with him.

"I'm fine..." he said, it was not exactly the whole truth but he was trying to make it so. He had vowed to Gino and now they could work out what was going on and start beating whoever had them playing this game.

Mei spoke again and Suzaku gave a small smile, "Yes we have all met before, I... am..." he had almost said was but checked himself for Euphemia's sake, "Euphemia's knight and me and Gino..." well he couldn't say they had worked together, because Euphemia did not know that either, "are friends, he's a knight too," he had almost said were friends there as well, but he was trying to keep things friendly and as unconfusing as possible. "Do you know anybody here Mei? Apart from Gino and Euphemia?"

"Yes, that's right," she confirms after nodding at Suzaku. "Though it was only a tiny bit, I knew Gino back home. And Suzaku is my knight." She sighs a little; a happy, light-hearted sigh. "Ah-- I'm sorry, but please excuse me for now. I want to go eat my cake... thank you so much, Gino! I appreciate it. It was good talking to you too, Mei." And with a tiny wave she hops off to do just that.

"You're knights?! Eeee, that's so romantic!" It is. Knights are always saving princesses and defeating evil. That's totally romantic! "Euphemia, you're so lucky~!" But wait, doesn't that make Euphie a princess? Oh. She's gone before Mei can bring that up. Mei does wave a farewell to her, nonetheless. She can ask later!

The tiny girl looks thoughtful for a moment before answering Suzaku's question. "I've met Fletcher. I think he's my age! And Miss Yuki. But..." Mei shakes her head and clenches her hands into determined little fists. "I'm not going to dwell on who isn't here. I need to think positive!"

That's right! No sads for Mei!

Knightly Honour Demands...

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