2022-06-02: No Self-Respecting Britannian
Cutscene: No Self-Respecting Britannian Cast: Emilia Eschonbach Where: Ashford Academy, Nagoya, Area 11 Date: 9 May 0096 Summary: Emerging from her grounding and illness, Emilia finds herself with desires to meet without the means to meet them. A moment of casual carelessness shows her a way to gain those means.
It had been a little over three weeks since Emilia had left her room for more than classes, food and to be evacuated to the shelter. An operation she should have been helping on.
But if they stopped that giant, what chance would her tiny Burai have had? What chance would an amateur like her have? Mazinger Z was there! Helping the Britannians!
And a few days before her grounding ended, she found herself with the flu, and the way she found out was collapsing in the middle of PE. For the next week, she was not in a state to leave her room, barring a brief escort to a doctor. Mostly she slept, under thick blankets she didn't remember owning.
She'd be woken up for meals brought to her room, far more gently than when she had been sick growing up. She couldn't always keep them down. Most days the television was on in her room in the background, some random BTV channel, just for a voice to keep her company.
She thought she had visitors, briefly, but frankly she was too out of it to really take it in. But the fact that she'd had visitors at all… That was a nice feeling all on its own. But it felt bad in its own way… They were risking catching her illness, and Emilia wasn't worth that. She felt angry, too, but she couldn't put clear thought to that.
The only one she remembered particularly clearly was Milly walking in in a nurses outfit and Rosalie from the Fantasy Seduction Club too. That HAD to have been a dream, hadn't it? After all, no one would actually care that much about her.
The fact that Milly came back with the tea she said she would, the fact that she had checked on Emilia when she said she would… that was a clash with her life experience she wasn't sure how to deal with.
And then she had walked out of her room to discover the posters, plastered all over the school:
Emilia, in an idol costume- frilly skirt and a top with an integrated corset, mostly white with a pink accent and white ribbon on the waist. It included a single stocking that had a gradient going down of black to pink, white block heels and white gloves. She had a cute expression, and a mild blush on her face and a stage green screened in behind her.
It also had, in giant text: EMILIA ESCHONBACH FOR STUDENT COUNCIL TREASURER. In smaller text in the corner of the poster. Authorized by Milly Ashford.
And then after that, Kallen and Lelouch had come to her, and convinced her she had to win. People were betting on her, and she didn't want to fail them. And… Milly thought she'd be good at it. She didn't want to disappoint her, either.
But there were still problems. She still had to report to Zero, to convince him she was still worth keeping around. Convince the knights that she hadn't just run away when they were fighting. That she wasn't useless.
There was another problem she had approaching zero: Her personal finances. Her work with the Hobby MS Shop wasn't going to be jeopardized by not being available for a few weeks- but there was going to be a lot of scrutiny on second hand sales for a little while- the Britannians looking for anyone who needs to mend after the attack, or someone making sudden divestments- which means her particular role of running diagnostics and test runs wasn't going to be in high demand. That was just how it was.
The bigger problem was her job at the dock warehouses. After the 'Behemoth' attacked, most of the docks were unsafe, and she didn't have a license for construction, just driving a Petit MS Loader. And the rebuilding would take months at the very least, and only that quickly because the docks were essential for Area 11. But the warehouses had too many workers and not enough work, and they'd focus on the legal workers first.
And that meant Emilia, in the short term, had no income and not a lot of savings- she could use the card Grandfather provides her for a very limited range of things, and his people would know every single purchase assuming the store was even whitelisted. Anything she wanted that her Grandfather didn't want her to have was rapidly becoming out of reach. Even little things like credit for the phone Milly had given her were adding up.
So she was now going to have less time, and less income, while having more wants and needs. More things she wants to do. Places she wanted to be. It was almost easier before…
Emilia walks through the school halls, these thoughts running through her head. Three students walk ahead of her, talking loudly, one of them carrying a flier..
"A maid cafe, hm? It looks like that important Eleven culture is preserved after all." The voice was snooty, and young. A third year, Equestrian club maybe? He had the look of a boy whose parents owned stables. There was a girl next to him, her arm wrapped around his. With them, another, taller boy.
"What the devil is a maid cafe?" The girl's voice was extremely upper class. Emilia was used to her type, and generally tried to avoid them."Some sort of reward for the help?"
"No no, Susie!" The taller boy responds, with an unearned cockiness. "It's a cafe where the numbers go to get an experience of what it's like to be a real person. They have maids serve them, call them master, etcetera. Quaint little experience."
"You talk like you've gone, William." The equestrian lad comments. Derisively.
"Club business, club business, you know what it's like." William responds, waving his hand dismissively.
"And what's wrong with the maids at home, dear brother?" Susie gives a pointed look up at William.
"Mother doesn't dock my allowance if I get handsy with an Eleven playing dress up, dear sister." He gives an equally pointed look back. There's a long pause, before both start laughing with the cruelest laughs one could hear. "Oh I do like seeing Elevens that know their place. I might have to pay a visit myself. What do you say, Ken?" Susie has switched to giving her apparent boyfriend a seductive glance. Ken sighs.
"I say you're both incorrigible. Still, surely they can't expect to attract more than a few desperate scholarship Elevens." He crumples up the flier and throws it over his shoulder, where it makes a perfect arc towards Emilia's head. "No self respecting Britannian would be caught dead working for Elevens."
Emilia, focused on not being noticed, feels the flier bounce mostly harmlessly off her head, and flinches back badly, dropping her bag and bumping into someone who gives a sound. The three ahead look back, take a moment to sneer at the young women and continue on her way.
"I'm sorry…" Emila mutters to the person who bumped into her. The student, Japanese she thinks, glares at her coldly.
"And I'm sure you think I'll believe that." He stalks off past her, and Emilia gulps. Hurriedly, she picks up her things, flier included. The other student looked like a second year, so she didn't have to worry about sharing classes.
But she'd have to be extra attentive and keep an eye out for the rest of the day. Apologizing for something as petty as this, to a Japanese student no less, reads like a sign of weakness to half the school, and a sign of false pity and contempt to most of the rest.
She steps quietly into a corner, and waits for the hall to clear and herself to calm, make sure no one who saw that is sticking around. There she unfolds the flier.
Maid Cafe ~~MASTER'S CHOICE~~ Now Open In Nagoya!
Staff Wanted! Good Looking Girls Who Want Good Pay And Tips!
Excellent For After School and Part Timers!
Apply In-Store! Ask For The Manager!
Quietly, Emilia smoothed out the flier as best she could, and placed it in her bag.
No self respecting Britannian would ever work there, huh?
Well. That fit her just fine..