2022-01-30: Getaways and Averted Spirals

• Log: Getaways and Averted Spirals
• Cast: Suzaku Kururugi, Euphemia li Britannia
• Where: Johannesburg
• OOC - IC Date: 2022-01-30 - 27th January, 096
• Summary: In which Euphemia and Suzaku take a narrow window of opportunity to explore Johannesburg.<Summarize!>

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<Pose Tracker> Suzaku Kururugi has posed.

Britannia's delegation is housed in a predictably ritzy hotel's most private accommodations. In this particular case that is less a suite so much as a villa set among a trio of like facilities dedicated to extremely high-end customers. That isn't excusively foreign dignitaries, but that IS the trend. There are a few reasons for this-- Britannia doesn't own a particular property that is suited to accommodating the size of the delegation, or the number of actual Princesses that are -- or were -- a part of it.

A series of bedrooms encircle a common area and a kitchen which has its own dedicated butler and chef service, looking out onto a small private pool. The bedrooms are pointlessly luxurious, even those taken up by the relative peons like the support staff. A small security detail is operating in the vicinity, though after the incident with Bridget and Veronique most surveillance and protection has been re-oriented towards them in particular.

It would be difficult to screen one's self more from actual reality.

The particulars of the security detail re-focusing on the two belligerent Princesses has, however, created some convenient gaps for anybody on the inside looking to get into mischief.

It's only a short while after everybody has gotten settled that Euphemia's phone chirps with a trio of messages...

Suzaku -> Euphemia: We could probably slip out, if you wanted to.

Suzaku -> Euphemia: I'm pretty sure we got our fill of ice cream, but I'm sure we could find something interesting out there.

Suzaku -> Euphemia: Are you doing ok after all of that?

<Pose Tracker> Euphemia li Britannia has posed.

Euphemia, of course, is perfectly aware of how Britannian security details move. She has slipped them on multiple occasions for a variety of purposes, after all, so when things shift to accommodate an incident-causer, she's already mildly considering how to sneak out.

And conveniently, she's almost immediately indulged by someone else having the same thought. (Truth told: Euphemia could eat a *little* more ice cream.)

Euphemia -> Suzaku: I'd like that! I don't know if we'll get another chance to see Africa for a while.

Euphemia -> Suzaku: At least, not without a mobile weapon test.

Euphemia -> Suzaku: I'm okay. Dr. Mass was very understanding about the situation. I don't think it'll be a problem for us.

Then comes actually slipping out -- a task that is slightly harder for Euphemia than Suzaku. Fortunately, Euphemia has wasted no time in assessing all of the windows and determining which one has no one outside it. (Conveniently, no jumping, this time -- she can slip out through the first floor.)

One discarded oversized maid's uniform and one gratuitous stealth sequence later, Euphy has comfortably positioned herself all the way over at the main hotel lobby, where she looks to reunite with Suzaku.

<Pose Tracker> Suzaku Kururugi has posed.

Suzaku -> Euphemia: Okay. Let me know if you need a distraction.

Suzaku -> Euphemia: I'd say I can't believe Lloyd got in front of her after that, but that's pretty normal for him.

Suzaku -> Euphemia: See you soon.

The exchange is capped off with a waving nekomata.

Slipping loose is a lot easier for Suzaku-- he'd have helped if he thought he needed to! It mostly involved clearing a privacy wall that nobody normal has any business clearing by themselves, and then just... carrying on. It occurs to him, as he walks down the street towards the hotel's main entrance, that he should've specified a place to meet...

... But by that time he's reasonably certain Euphy is at least in the middle of figuring out her own way out, and texting her would be a disaster, so he just has faith that it'll work out-- and it does!

Suzaku arrives in the lobby dressed in a very familiar fashion. It's pretty much the same light brown t-shirt, jeans, and light blue overcoat combo that he was wearing on the day they first met. The main difference is that instead of a brutally practical duffel, he has a messenger bag hanging at one side.

She probably sees him before he sees her. Suzaku isn't entirely certain what sort of get-up to expect, so he's looking for pink hair ahead of anything else. It's only really once Euphemia catches sight of him that he scopes in properly, lips curling into a smile and one hand lifting into a wave.

It's only once they're underway and he's cast a glance back through the doors that he speaks more than a quick greeting.

"I liked Ms. Mass and Mr. Crocket. I think Mr. Crocket might be able to offer some useful perspective on rebuilding in Area 11. It was a little strange seeing Hathaway there, though. He can be kind of cynical," he begins, conversationally.

"I heard a stand sells some kind of pastry a couple of blocks away," he adds, off-handedly. "If you didn't have anything in mind, we could see what that's about."

<Pose Tracker> Euphemia li Britannia has posed.

Today's casual Euphemia: black dress with white polka dots, with a matching shirt on underneath. It looks a little uncoordinated, but that makes it perfect for tourist-adjacent activities. It's also one of the least stuffy things Euphemia owns, which is a tremendous burden off her shoulders (debatably literally) after a series of Event Dresses.

Besides -- it's summer in the Southern Hemisphere. Might as well take the chance to appreciate it.

She forms up with Suzaku with a genuinely happy smile, eager to talk. "I felt the same way," she says, with a firm nod. "I'd like to set up a meeting with Dr. Mass soon. Mr. Crocket is --" Euphemia takes a moment to find the words for a very complex feeling. "He's a thoughtful person, and I'd be glad to have his help in Area 11."

Hathaway, though, catches the real meat of her attention. "You go to school with him, don't you... I didn't get to speak to him, myself. What kind of person is he?" Euphemia has preconceptions about the son of Bright Noa, of course -- she imagines a thoughtful, gloomy, isolated person who misses his captain-turned-flag-officer father a lot -- but she'd rather hear from Suzaku before she either commits to or dispels them.

"Let's start there!" Euphemia scoots in toward Suzaku, taking his arm. Of the two options Euphemia ever presents, this is at least the easiest one to manage from a security perspective. (... If she knew what *direction* the pastries were in, she might have torn off in that direction immediately, though.)

<Pose Tracker> Suzaku Kururugi has posed.

"He's lived in a much different world than we have," Suzaku says, regarding Chibodee. "But not so far off that we can't recognize the common points. The place he positioned himself is what impressed me the most, though. If I had to describe him in two words based off of just our interactions at the party, 'surprisingly innocent' might be what I'd go with."

A fact that makes Suzaku feel a little sad, but not so much as to even come close to overwhelming the positive feelings he has about this outing.

"Hathaway? He's..." He trails off for a moment, collecting his thoughts. Complicated is the short version. "His sense of humor is kind of sardonic, and even though he doesn't always say so, he has a vibe of not really expecting the best out of... people, or the world. I can't tell which. I wouldn't describe him as lonely or introverted, but he's definitely one of the students that is sort of a standalone fixture."

"He's not an easy person," Suzaku concludes, "to boil down to a few statements."

This isn't the first time that Suzaku has been pulled around in a similar fashion to this, and he takes to it readily, a bubble of light laughter meeting Euphemia's enthusiasm. Helpfully, he provides, "One block ahead, right at the crossing, and then another block down that way. Should be close to the corner."

<Pose Tracker> Euphemia li Britannia has posed.

"I'd agree with that! Despite the long road he's faced to get where he is, he hasn't lost motivation *or* kindness," Euphemia reflects, on Chibodee. Innocent is hard for her to say; she felt some degree of natural connection with him... but she's often called innocent, too, so she supposes it would fit.

Too gloomy! Not fun enough. She scoots a tiny bit closer to Suzaku, listening to his take on Hathaway instead. It seems she wasn't far off the mark in some ways, but in others maybe missed it -- which is about right, for a casual encounter. "I think it'd be good for you to try to be closer to him at school," she says, though her tone doesn't suggest a lot of pressure on this. "I think you two would support each other very well!" That part, at least, has her all smiles.

She doesn't *quite* take off like a shot once she has directions, because she's content hanging with Suzaku -- but she does gently encourage him to pick up the pace by picking up her own. "Are you settling in at Ashford okay, yourself?" she asks, after a few moments' thought. "I know Britannians can gossip, and there aren't a lot of local students at the academy..."

<Pose Tracker> Suzaku Kururugi has posed.

Suzaku picks up the pace immediately. Regarding Hathaway, he says, "I think we're decent friends as-is, but like I said, it's a bit hard to say with him. It helps that we've lived through some very similar circumstances. Flag officer and Prime Minister aren't quite the same, but the resulting distance is close."

"I'm sure it'll be fine. We haven't known each other that long, yet."

He turns his head slightly in response to the shift of position. "What about Miss Espella? I hadn't really talked to her personally until the event."

His expression falters a little regarding Ashford Academy. It's subtle, and he pulls back on it quick enough that it's not much of a tell. He replies, "It's gone okay. My first little while was pretty bumpy-- some of them are just outright scared of Elevens. I accidentally helped somebody out in a really visible way though, and nobody's vandalized my belongings since."

It doesn't bother him a LOT, despite the momentary emotional hiccup. Actually, Suzaku is probably more concerned that the described bumpiness will cause more distress on his behalf than he actually experienced.

It doesn't take long to arrive at the stand. True to his word, it's selling something called amagwinya-- dough balls very similar to donuts with some choices of toppings. Sugar or jam seems to be the default, and tea is available as well. There's a respectable line, though.

<Pose Tracker> Euphemia li Britannia has posed.

The idea that Hathaway will have a friend seems to put Euphemia a little bit more at ease. She moves on from the topic easily, content that Suzaku will find a connection. (In truth, it's as much about him as about Hathaway.)

"She seems thoughtful, but there's something about her I can't quite put my finger on," Euphemia says. "I'd like to speak with her more, though!" She certainly carved right to the heart of issues in Area 11, even if she did so in a way that made Euphy feel... a little guilty.

Euphemia considers whether she's willing to wait in line -- and when she realizes it's local food, she decides, yeah, she can wait. It's a chance to speak casually, without feeling like they need to be on the move. ... Plus, it'll help them blend in -- a thing that can be quite difficult with a curtain of pink hair.

The idea that Suzaku was having his belongings vandalized for a *while* after transferring sits poorly with Euphemia, but she doesn't press. It's a thing they can move past. "I'm glad they're starting to treat you better," she says, instead. "Are you happy there?"

<Pose Tracker> Suzaku Kururugi has posed.

"I'll try to get to know her, too. If she's coming to events like Dr. Mass's, she probably needs an out from regular club activities anyway," Suzaku says, genially. It doesn't strike him as a particularly odd thing to say in the moment; already, the wickedness of the student council has seeped its way into his bones.

Seeming to intuit that Euphy's patience is being pressed just a little, Suzaku -- perhaps for the first time -- steps in closer on purpose, nudging her with his elbow and grinning down at her. As if to ask: Have I lead you astray when it comes to street food?

The memory of Japanese crepes and her reaction to them stands out strong in his mind.

'Are you happy?' she asks, and though Suzaku's expression hardly changes at all, there is a bittersweetness to it. He says, "I'm not unhappy. I have a good time there, and I enjoy learning. But it's all something that I'm not really connected to. If I told anybody there about what I actually do, I would just worry them-- and most of them wouldn't want to be involved in any of it."

"I have moments of happiness, and I'll have more moments still. Some, I'm sure, that I won't be able to recognize until they're behind me. Happiness can be hard to see, looked at straight on," he explains. "You made a good decision sending me there, Euphy, and I do appreciate it."

"Why? Interested in coming?" He teases, lightly.

<Pose Tracker> Euphemia li Britannia has posed.

It doesn't take long for Euphy to scoot in just a bit more. To a casual observer, it might look like she's a little worried about the size of the crowd; for Suzaku, it's clear: Even if the line is a little long, she's happy to be there with him.

... okay, and maybe also that she really likes the taste of street food. She needed this, and she's very happy to be getting it -- even if she managed to turn the conversation a tiny bit heavy for a second. When she gets a remarkably thoughtful answer, it takes her a little time to sort out how she feels about it.

In the end, though... "I'm glad that you're at least finding some happiness there. You have a lot on your shoulders," she says, gently. "And I'm happy to hear that you're optimistic about it, too! It's easy to forget how much we miss in the moment."

Suzaku asks if Euphemia is interested in coming. "I *would* like to receive a more conventional education," she admits, "but right now, there's a lot in the way of it. I'm very busy as Sub-Viceroy -- especially since some amount of our work with organizations like NERV and the Photon Power Labs falls to me." Cornelia's there to be the militaristic approach, and everyone knows it. Keeping their uneasy agreement with Free Japan about the Photon Power Reactor at Mt. Fuji, though -- that's among her duties.

"I'm not unhappy with the way things are, though," she adds, after a second. "I don't want you to think I sit at my desk miserable every day!"

<Pose Tracker> Suzaku Kururugi has posed.

"The nature of happiness is something that I debated with a close friend of mine, before the war. It's something we both did a lot of thinking about, so recognizing that we take it for granted comes a little more naturally," Suzaku admits. He's evasive of the name in this case less because of the danger of outing anybody -- it is public knowledge that Lelouch and Nunnally were with the Kururugi family when war broke out -- but because he doesn't want to open any wounds just now. There's probably a time to have that conversation, but they've each had enough gloomy going-ons to be carrying on with for a bit.

"I compared it to glass. It's one of my observations he was actually impressed by," he adds, and even now there's a spark of pride in that fact.

They reach the front of the line. Suzaku orders a serving with the jam and a hot tea, allowing the conversation to fall by the wayside for just a small while.

As soon as they move out of the way of the other customers -- Suzaku leads the way towards a nearby fountain, around which a number of others have arranged themselves with their snacks -- he resumes.

"I think you'd like the student council at Ashford Academy. Milly can be a bit out there, but she's a lot of fun-- and since she always drags everybody else into her orbit, there's a lot of follow-the-leader fun," he says, dipping one of the dough balls into the jam and-- offering it to Euphy first, actually. "You have a lot of weight on your shoulders, too. But if you were actually miserable, I believe you'd do something about it."

<Pose Tracker> Euphemia li Britannia has posed.

Euphemia goes straight for the sugar toppings (though her tea is mostly unsweetened). The expectation of demonstrating a refined palate in public settings often leaves her voracious for sweets when she gets the chance to indulge.

As they get situated at the fountain, Euphemia replies, "That does sound fun -- she'd be graduating soon, so I guess I'll have to decide shortly if I want to get in on that kind of thing!" Euphy is *generally* aware of the names and ages of most of the nobility that actually operate institutions in and around Area 11. It's a necessity for the job -- especially since the Ashford name comes up for other purposes, too.

"There's an alarm on my office window now," Euphy replies, with a big, playful smile. It's impossible to tell if she's serious from her delivery -- she sounds amused, but it's hard to tell if it's satisfaction at the challenge or satisfaction at her execution of the joke. "But you're right -- I'd do something if I were that unhappy."

That brings her thoughts to the weight at her shoulders, though, and subsequently to a more serious line of thinking. "... I've been thinking about how much to commit to the Yumi Foundation," she says, with a little more seriousness. "I can't just do what my heart says, the way Bridget was... I'd like to give a lot, but I have to be strategic about it. Too small a gift and both Cornelia and I look vulnerable; too large, and we actually become vulnerable." Euphemia hates this type of calculus. It's not in her nature. She would rather just do something and let the world figure out how to react to it.

<Pose Tracker> Suzaku Kururugi has posed.

"I... suppose she is," Suzaku agrees, though he looks almost surprised by the statement. It hadn't really occurred to him that Milly was that imminent a departure. She makes herself such an ubiquitous element of the Academy that the idea of that place without her is stunning.

That, he supposes, is among the things that he's been taking for granted there.

He's taking his own first bite when Euphy makes her remark about the office window. For a moment Suzaku's expression is comically strained as he forces himself not to laugh so he doesn't choke. "Y-you can't say stuff like that when I'm eating something...!"

Evidently he chooses not to take it as a serious statement for the moment, but he wouldn't be all that surprised if it WAS one.

The return of the more serious topics underlying the event sobers him up quickly. Suzaku slows his pace measurably, looking out across the line of people at the stand they'd just been at. It hasn't really let up too much-- a steady flow of traffic. Maybe because of the hotels nearby.

"It's hard," he agrees, "deciding 'what I actually have to give'. For people, as well as for countries. You never know when you'll have the opportunity to 'give' again, or what the cause might be, or what you'll have left to give. I'm sure there are even people who will criticize giving anything because it's resources that won't go into handling matters in Area Eleven."

Suzaku looks back to Euphemia. "If it were up to me... to be honest, I'd probably always be giving too much. Everybody deserves to live a good life, and those people have had a lot of that stolen from them already."

Smiling, he concludes, "I have faith in your ability to find the intersection between your head and your heart, Euphy."

<Pose Tracker> Euphemia li Britannia has posed.

Suzaku's struggle -- ridiculous as it is -- brings a smile to Euphy's face. She continues to not answer whether it's real or not. Perhaps it's funniest if she *never* answers if it's real or not.

She moves on, instead. "That's exactly it," Euphemia agrees. "We have a lot of rebuilding to do in Area 11, and I'd like to actually do it. The state of the Britannian Midwest has always bothered me... and unlike that, this doesn't have to go through the Senate. I can do a lot -- but it has to come from somewhere."

Euphemia has had her eye on the Britannian culture spending in Area 11 for a long time. When she sees some of the things Clovis has built, though, it always stays her hand. There's too much of Marianne in what Clovis made for Euphemia to feel comfortable slashing its budget, *even if* the steady Britannification of southwestern Japan sits poorly with her.

"I think I'll meet with Dr. Mass to discuss logistical and in-kind aid," she eventually arrives at, by thinking about it hard enough. "It makes people less touchy than raw line items on a budget..." That'll do, for now. It at least pushes the boring, tedious types of thinking Euphy can't really orient on further down the road.

"Thank you for hearing me out," she says, after a bit. "I know worrying about our budget isn't the most exciting topic for our day out."

<Pose Tracker> Suzaku Kururugi has posed.

"And that 'somewhere' dominantly involves resource channels in Area Eleven that are being set back by insurgent action," Suzaku speculates, seeming to recall that a lot of the up-front concerns surrounding Cornelia's appointment had to do with quotas not being met. He doesn't have much to do with the drift of industry within Area Eleven -- anymore, at least -- but he can't help imagining that at least some of it is probably being hoarded rather than delayed.

It's an easy, vicious circle to go through, he supposes. Area Eleven misbehaves, productivity drops, and there are less resources both to send out and to feed back into the system. The people who see the most shortfall, though, are...

Suzaku smiles agreeably at the conclusion Euphemia arrives at. "This an element of bureaucracy I was never really exposed to directly. That... might just be because my father was a very inflexible man, though. He didn't really negotiate much if he could avoid it."

There's a little bit of mental whitenoise coming off of Suzaku while talking about his father. That's probably to be expected, though. What happened to him clearly left some marks that haven't gone away.

"I'm happy to listen," Suzaku says. "And getting away doesn't always have to be exciting. In a lot of ways, what we just went through was just not the fun kind of exciting. After something like that, you need time to slow down and process it. What matters is that what you're doing is at least close to what you'd like to do."

"And what I wanted to do, was spend time with you," he says. "But if you'd like to do something a little more big-f Fun instead of working through things quietly, I think that'd be fair. I picked the snack stand, and I doubt they'll be looking for us yet."

<Pose Tracker> Euphemia li Britannia has posed.

The situation with Suzaku's father is something Euphemia always feels just a little worried about touching. The negative gut feeling it gives her is faint enough that it mostly tells her she'd probably be better off turning both of them forward toward the future instead of dwelling there. Even if they've gotten pretty close very quickly, whatever lies at the heart of that...

... is probably less important than what they can do *now*. Euphy is generally more of a 'now' person *anyway*. "And I wanted to spend time with you, too," Euphemia says, brightly. "But I do think it'd be nice to see a few things while we're here..." She tries to remember what she read on the ship about things to do in Johannesburg.

"Oh! We could go to the Cradle of Humankind!" she says, excited. "It's a bit of a walk from the nearest linear train stop, and I think only the museum is open... I think they're doing a second loop to almost every excavation site, after the discoveries in Asia over the last few decades. But the museum might still be fun!"

They can *probably* manage a full day out, at least, before getting reeled back in. Euphy takes the time to appreciate her tea and pastries, though.

<Pose Tracker> Suzaku Kururugi has posed.

Regretfully, Suzaku is only able to offer an extremely localized picture of Johannesburg. He knows about the stand because he overhead some of the security detail talking about it; it was a convenient place to get a snack that isn't hotel food. Even the museum that Euphemia raises as a possibility is something he's only distantly aware of as a historic site.

For his part, Suzaku does not actually finish his snack and jam. What remains of it is packed carefully away in his bag for later snacking-- Euphy's also, if she troubles to leave any behind and needs somewhere to put it away.

His tea, however, he shows no signs of leaving alone.

"I can't remember the last time I've actually BEEN to a museum," he admits, a little astonished at himself. "I could probably guide you through every historic Japanese landmark that's still around. My teacher was really insistent that I have a hands-on view of history."

The memory brings a smile back to his features. "Sometimes too hands-on, actually. That was a long time ago now, though."

"It's a good idea," Suzaku clarifies, in case his reminiscing comes across as gloomy. "Actually, there are a few places in Area Eleven I could show you someday, too. I think Himeji Castle is probably one of the best-- it's been preserved for a really long time."

<Pose Tracker> Euphemia li Britannia has posed.

Conversely, Euphy does finish her own. She has a voracious appetite -- probably from all the trouble-causing she manages. "I'd love to see everything you could guide me through," Euphemia says -- though Area 11 is far from here and Johannesburg offers sights here and now. Sights that *neither* of them have seen. "Himeji Castle would be a great start!"

She collects herself, dusts herself off a bit, and nods. "Okay -- we're going to have to dodge most of the usual spots the Britannian delegation sets up -- I think we might get away with one, but if they see us more than once, they'll figure out where we're headed and we'll get penned in," she says, as if she does this a lot.

(It's because, at this point, she totally does.)

It... feels good, to get up to a little mischief, if only for a day or so before getting back to it.

<Pose Tracker> Suzaku Kururugi has posed.

Suzaku WOULD explain that the personnel spread is distorted because of what happened at the event, but just when the thought is about to reach his mouth from his brain he stops short. There's a momentary, almost indiscernible hum as a half-formed syllable terminates. Euphemia is having too much fun with the risk factor to underline that the risk factor is lower than usual.

He answers her, then, in a manner like to the first time they met: With a theatric bow to indicate his acquiescence.

So, the mischief proceeds as scheduled.

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