rakuen | Round One start: Conquest School

When characters wake up the next morning there will be an announcement on all the screens. "Please report to the lobby at 12 noon for important information about this round." Anyone who is not in the lobby by twelve noon will most likely be found by the prefects and taken there by force.

When the characters turn up in Conquest Lobby they will see the woman they saw battling yesterday, and perhaps talked to before that, on the small raised podium. she is eating a piece of bread. Santana is next to her.

"I hope you slept well," she says when she finishes her bite. "Today the first battle round of your time in Rakuen begins, please listen carefully because I am not going to repeat myself.

I have here the list of students chosen to be Players for this round. Listen carefully, these are the people who have rights this week. The rest of you have no rights, the rest of you can be granted rights by these people if you agree to be their weapon.

Now I am going to assume that none of you bothered to read the manual so apologies if you actually did. There are rules to be followed and they are on page nine, failure to follow them will result in consequences and I'm sure no one likes consequences." She pauses to eat some more.

"The most important rule is that if you are a Player battling is not optional. You will not like the consequences of ignoring that rule at all," yes you should be very afraid of the smile that crosses her face.

"To own a Weapon you must vow to them. Vowing to own and protect them, when the Weapon has given their consent a mark appears on their hand." Here she held her own hand up to show the sword that marked her own hand.

"Players may give their Weapons permission to access the school facilities, and to eat from the full cafeteria menu among other things. If you haven't got a Player then you are a Discard, make sure you know all the rules and do exactly what Santana tells you to."

She paused to eat more bread, really these lot looked like they wouldn't even understand what she was saying. She paused to see if Santana wanted to add anything there. Santana for her part just scoffed and sarcastically wished everyone good luck.

"Today is Sunday, every round starts on a Sunday, Saturday is your free day, no one is a Weapon or a Player on Saturday so I suggest taking advantage of it. Anyone who wants to take on a Saturday job for extra Raks is allowed to. There is no school on Sunday but I suggest you take the time to vow to Weapons if you are a Player, or find a Player if you are a Weapon. School starts tomorrow 8am sharp, breakfast is from 7 until 8."

She grins again, "So since I am sure you are all desperately excited to find out who is a Player, they are as follows.

1. Lithuania
2. Homura
3. Golbez
4. Aqua
5. Feferi
6. Aisha

If you have any questions please come and ask them. If not, follow the rules, don't get into trouble and Battle well!"

She grins again.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"That's it in an oyster shell. It's terribubble." Feferi sighed, folding her arms over her chest. "I had hoped to have a little time to adjust, but it seems that's not in the cards for me. Play their little game, or..."

She didn't want to think about it. If she didn't play, then there were consequences. She knew that.

He blinked at her, both for the words she used and for what she was saying. "Oh you were one of those that they called out?"

"Yeah, I am. Feferi Peixes, the girl who dreamed of unity, being the first to start a fight. I'd cry if I wasn't laughing at the irony." The words were sarcastic on the surface, but she meant every one.

Suzaku blinked at her and nodded slowly understanding that she meant the words, even if they sounded light hearted. "Sometimes the only way to make things better is to change them from the inside," he didn't sound too sure about that, like something had made him change his mind... But when he thought about it he just felt like he was getting a headache.

"Work with the system to change it and bring unity." No he had no idea how she would manage that, but he didn't have any other advice.

"You're right. A change from the inside...if I knew -- " Her knees buckled a little, and she buried her head in her hands. "Ow...when I think of it, it's like a lightning bolt in my head. Like I'm not supposed to remember it."

She shook her head a bit, trying to clear it. "I'm sorry. I hardly met you and I'm rambling about my problems at home. That's rude of me."

Suzaku reached out to catch her as she buckled but turned the movement into just steadying her as she buried her head in her hands. "According to Lelouch," who actually read the manual unlike Suzaku, "They have stolen memories off us and we must buy them back." He nodded at her, but didn't quite smile.

Nothing to do with her he just, didn't really smile anymore. "It's not rude, I don't mind."

"Thank you. I should have figured it out before now. The same thing happened with a friend. I knew we were friends and who he was, but he remembers things differently than I do." Feferi sighed. "But that's definitely a way to get even the most reluctant of us to fight."

"I might be asking too soon, but...do you have a player? Anyone who feels as I do on that has to be a good person. "

Suzaku nodded, "They seem determined to have us all fight..." For what purpose, he had no idea. Her words made him blink sadly.

"I don't... but I'm not really a good person..." It had been a very long time since anyone had thought that of him, and that was because they saw the best in everybody.

"You got what I was trying to get at before I could even explain it clearly. It takes a really good person to do that," Feferi explained. "Besides, you didn't freak out when you saw I was a troll. That happens far more often than I would like. And you just have that vibe to you that says you mean well."

A troll? So that was what she was. Suzaku shook his head again but didn't argue further. There was no point, she seemed like the sort of person who was determined to see the best in everybody no matter what.

Hopefully he would not prove her wrong, but somehow he doubted that.

"We all have our flaws. But those don't mean we're terrible people. Maybe I just try to see the best in everyone, but I don't think it's just that. I really do think that everyone has good in them. And I think the only way to change this system is from within."

She paused. She'd asked once, but the final decision had to be his.

She sounded so much like himself before... a headache started to pulse, before what? He still believed that right? The headache just got worse and he pulled himself away from the thought.

She reminded him of Euphemia as well, seeing the best in everyone. He nodded at her, "If you wished to work together I would like that," she was someone who he wanted to help even if her ideals seemed a little naive for some reason.

"The honor is all mine," Feferi answered. "So. Let's do this."

She took Suzaku's hand in both of hers, and whispered the words she preferred for her own vows.

"I promise to protect you, to treat you with the utmost respect, to give the same rights as I have, so long as I am a Player. Do you agree?"

Suzaku nodded and blinked as she took his hands, he nodded again at the words, they seemed more than the book had said, when she said them. Focusing more on the protection and respect, he wondered if this system would allow it.

"Thank you, I will serve you to the best of my ability whilst I am your weapon. I agree." He watched as the sword symbol appeared on his hand, so it had worked after all.

Round One start: Conquest School

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