[ main entrance, open ]

[stopwatch]

Characters: Rolo Lamperouge
Format: prose/action
This log is: open!
Location: Entrance
Summary: Rolo's introduction post! Come bug him.
Warnings: Will add as necessary.

He wakes with a start-- sits up with sweat down his brow and confusion on his face.

Where is he?

It's a train. He's sat on one of the seats, still in his pilot uniform. Was that some sort of dream? It couldn't have been; the feel of his Knightmare's controls in his hands, the motion, the desert heat-- dreams did not come in flavors so vivid. There was something after that, though-- something that was a dream. It'd told him things that were, somehow, relevant to this place-- yes. Maybe a geass. A geass also may have brought him here. But they'd decimated the Cult's headquarters, left none alive, but as someone who grew up there himself he knew there were places to hide. Some he may not even know of.

There's nothing more for him in this train, so Rolo takes the bag sat beside him. He slings it over his shoulder and walks cautiously through the train and out the doors, murmuring to himself: "Utopia Academy…"

Pausing at the front gates, because it's huge and impressive. Much bigger than Ashford.

Comments

[stopwatch]

And Rolo too is sure there's something better to be done.

"That's a good idea," Rolo says. "I'll do that." He steps into the school after Romeo.

[allurprincess]

As they step into the school, someone steps out.

Or rather, steps into them, since Sora, running to see who the tram had brought in now, wasn't expecting anyone to actually be at the lobby so fast.

Crash!

"Ah, my mistake-"

[defender]

Out of instinct, Shoujou snaps to attention even before he hears the newcomer's voice, all hint of formality and politeness gone -- the tight smile replaced by a bestial snarl, his hands balling into fists, nails digging into his palms.

Why? Why is she here now?

"Himoto-san!"

[myblueskies]

They walked into the main hall, which was so huge it was as big as the hall they had found themselves in when they had snuck into the castle to help Alfredo see the king. Then a woman appeared, she looked like she was in college too. She walked into the man who spoke in big words and apologised but the man was angry.

Romeo's eyes widened as he snarled and his fists looked like he was about to hit to woman. Without pausing to think Romeo stepped in front of the girl, facing the boy and spreading his arms in a protective gesture. "Don't hit her!"

[stopwatch]

Rolo is surprised at the girl's sudden appearance-- anyone would be-- and opens his mouth to apologize as well when Shoujou snaps at her. Yes. The tension earlier... he has enemies.

Rolo takes a step back and watches quietly, saying not a word.

[allurprincess]

"Shoujou!" There was not nearly enough animosity in her answering exclamation. That is to say, there was none at all, and she actually sounded happy. "You're-!"

She hadn't noticed his fists clenching as any kind of threat, so when the youngest boy ran between the two of them, she started and looked down at him. Then at the boy who had moved away from them. "It's okay," she said to them both, and to Shoujou too.

With him here, away from Iwahijiri, maybe she really could help him. Almost absently, she rested a hand on her small protector's shoulder, in case she needed to move him out of the way rapidly. "I'm not going to fight you."

[defender]

Don't hit her. The thought was almost laughable. With teeth gritted, Shoujou took in the scene before him: himself, Himoto Sora, the boy to the side, the 'protector' in between. What did he think he could accomplish like that? You couldn't do a thing just trying to protect people...

And her reaction! "Don't you dare call out my name like that," he spat. "Like we're - like we're - like you know me!" They were not friends; she was supposed to hate him; they had been fighting only moments earlier, hadn't they? But he didn't have a Weapon anymore...

He glared briefly at the boy who had stepped to the side (there had only been one person who had ever reacted to him so calmly, and that was Tsuki Aoi) before relaxing visibly, red imprints from his nails on his palms. "Where are we?" he asked. "This isn't Utopia Academy. This isn't our academy."

[myblueskies]

Romeo glanced up sideways at the woman who had put her hand on his shoulder he gave a small half smile before looking back at the man with a determined look on his face. What the man said didn't make any sense to Romeo but he didn't move, just in case the man decided to get violent, you could never tell and now Romeo had decided to protect this woman he did not want her getting hurt.

[stopwatch]

Rolo stays silent despite being addressed; he just nods. There isn't anything for him to say, and just listening could glean information. Let them talk, don't interrupt.

[allurprincess]

"It is and it isn't! It's an academy without Iwahijiri," she explained, her smile somehow both determined and friendly, "Without the oppression. So... you don't have to fight us any more. Without the threat of Iwahijiri, they take our memories to make us fight, but that means we're all on the same side, you see?"

Okay, so she wasn't the best person to ask for a coherent explanation.

[defender]

"Without Iwahijiri?" Impossible. Impossible. For Iwahijiri to simply disappear in one day -- impossible. El was supposed to change Iwahijiri. Only El had that right, because he was El and Shoujou was supposed to... what was Shoujou supposed to do?

He couldn't remember. So, at the least, Sora was not lying about losing memories.

"...I don't trust you," he snapped. "You think I'm just going to drop everything and join your side just because the circumstances are different? I hurt your friends, didn't I? I hurt you, didn't I?"

[myblueskies]

The man really was angry, Romeo glanced at the girl again and back at the man. He stayed silent but did not budge from his position of protecting the lady.