[Rolo is probably recognizable as someone who lives and goes to school here, but he doesn't stand out much. He's just...ordinary. Kind of meek and not very social. If he has a reputation at all, it's for being that kid with no friends that mostly hangs out with his older brother's social circle. Lelouch is definitely the memorable one between the two of them, anyway – smart, attractive, popular, etc etc. In comparison, Rolo's just kinda...there.
Or rather, here, at least right now, in whatever random shop suits you. It's not at all crowded, but there's at least another customer or employee around that he isn't paying much mind as he idly browses. And then he comes across something that doesn't look like it belongs on this shop's shelves. Without a label or price tag, just tucked between actual goods like someone left it there by accident, is a heart-shaped locket.
Rolo freezes. It's not at all familiar, but he's struck by the sudden feeling that it's his – not just his, but his, something to be guarded jealously. It has him reaching for it on instinct even as his stomach turns with sudden unease. And then–
Lelouch's furious expression as he throws the phone with the locket charm on it. Rolo isn't sure if it was aimed at the floor or if his brother just missed hitting him in his rage. And Lelouch is shouting at him–
"Haven't you figured it out yet? I hate you. I loathe you. I despise you! I've been trying to kill you but I just keep missing the chance!"
With a strangled gasp, Rolo drops the locket as he staggers violently backwards – perhaps into a person or one of the shop's displays? He hasn't even noticed yet, eyes wide staring at nothing.]
closed to lelouch
[When Rolo gets home that day, he's shaken and doing a poor job of hiding it. Still, he's trying. It's such a stupid thing to be stressed out by, isn't it? Like getting upset over something that happened in a dream. That's what it had to have been, somehow. That he'd been awake or that it'd felt real didn't matter. It doesn't make sense, and thinking on it just leaves his guts in knots and his chest feeling tight.
He already has a weak heart as it is. It's better to avoid that kind of stress, right?
That kind of rationalizing lasts until he turns the corner into the kitchen as actually sees Lelouch, and the not-memory suddenly rushes back to him with such force that he can't help but flinch, a soft gasp escaping him as he goes pale.]
network
[Rolo's been avoiding most of the Wrongness going around as best he can, everything in him railing at the very thought of it. But there's one strange memory that sticks in a way that others don't. Maybe he just doesn't outright reject it because, curiously enough, it doesn't really seem like his.
He finally turns to the network late in the month after it's been bugging him for days.]
Does anyone know what Tresed is?
wildcard
((ooc: Hit me with a starter of your own! Feel free to prod me on discord @ orbynit or plurk @ tinybro if you wanna plan anything specific!))
[ Toph doesn't really know what to do with herself apart from restlessly practicing her brand new ability to tell where she's going. As she gets more confident with it, she deliberately chooses more challenging places, like busy shops with a lot of objects and people to navigate. She's bumped into a few things herself, but when Rolo backs into a store display and causes a ruckus, she immediately thinks it might have happened to him, too.
It's not just her and she knows that by now. It's happening to other people. Which means it must be real, it must be that she's supposed to be this unstoppable force to be reckoned with that she is in her memory flashes.
Because she just can't be this person, dependent on others. ]
Hey-- hey, it just happened to you, didn't it?
[ Toph sounds a little over-eager as she hustles over to where Rolo is presumably picking himself up. She is a tiny girl wearing worn-out clothes and shaggy hair over blank eyes. Her bare feet are covered in dirt and callouses, and she leans in closer to him assertively, straining to see what she can pick up with her new hearing. ]
[He's still reeling, not even noticing the grumbling of the employee that comes over to start picking up the mess, and then suddenly there's a little goblin of a girl in his face speaking to him excitedly. Rolo blinks, glancing back to where the locket had been – dropped reflexively – but it's nowhere to be seen.]
Wh-what?
[He shakes his head, finally regaining the presence of mind to fully process the whole scene – the mess he'd made, the irritable employee, the barefoot little girl far tooo eager to ask about–
Wait.]
How did you...?
[The weird sudden vision was bad enough, why is this strange child apparently aware of it???]
It's been happening to me, too. And it was either that or you were having a heart attack, and--
[ For some reason it feels too much to talk about her new abilities to a total stranger. But Toph could swear she can hear heartbeats of those around her if they're close enough, and especially if they're excited or anxious. Or, presumably, having a heart attack. ]
--and you seem fine, [ she finishes lamely. Her own nerves are shooting through the roof, antsy and impatient to get answers or at least clues that might eventually lead to answers. ]
Come on, let's get out of here. I want to ask you some things. [ Where they won't have an audience. ]
[A heart attack wouldn't be an unreasonable assumption where he's concerned. He almost wishes it was just his heart fucking up. Just thinking about that vision makes him feel like his heart's in a vise, enough so that he isn't even sure if it's just anxiety or if he's actually having a cardiac event.
A large part of him wants to just shrug her off. Everything in him says to just leave this subject alone. But he's still frazzled, and increasingly embarrassed as the irate employee continues picking up toppled merchandise around his feet, so all he manages is an absent nod as he mumbles an apology to the employee and picks his way out of the mess to head for the door.]
[ Since he's coming willingly, Toph doesn't feel the need to drag him along physically, and she strides out ahead of him. It's not quite her normal confident march; Toph is still learning that kind of confidence in herself and her ability to detect what's around her, and there's some hesitation and faltering to her steps that keeps frustrating her.
She knows she should be better than this.
Once they're out on the street, Toph swings around to face him without delay, already peppering him with questions. ]
Was that the first time it happened to you? It started happening to me last week.
[He's barely paying her any attention as they head out, quick to fall back in deep in his own head. Following honestly might be more about just escaping the awkward scene in the shop than truly indulging her. After all, whatever this girl thinks is going on here, there's no way he can really entertain the idea. He can't attribute greater meaning to that vision without casting his brother in a bafflingly awful light, and that's unthinkable.
Settling into that certainly does something to settle his unease as well, so he clings to it. He flinches back as the girl whirls back at him as soon as they're outside, but he forces himself to shake his head.]
I-I don't know what you're talking about. Nothing really happened, it was just...just some kind of weird dream.
[It has to be. That's the only explanation that eases a bit of the tightness in his throat. Just...some kind of magic or something giving people strange waking dreams. Hell, maybe it's related to those fairies that've been causing trouble lately.]
[ This pisses her off immediately. Toph is trying to figure out what's going on, needs to have validation that what she's remembering and what she can do isn't going to be taken away from her again. ]
You're really going to try to just sweep it under the rug like it didn't happen? [ she asks in disbelief. ] We're all just getting crazy hallucinations in the middle of the day, oh well, moving on?
[Her insistence grates at him in the exact opposite direction. He doesn't know what that vision was, but something in him is screaming to leave it be. He doesn't need to know. Pursuing this will only make things worse.
His jaw sets firmly and he straightens up.]
It didn't happen. That wasn't real.
[He at least sounds a little more sure of himself in that. It's harder when it's himself he's warring with, but if it's someone else suggesting Lelouch would ever actually do something like that – however indirectly they might be suggesting it – then he can ignore any hint of doubt to just push back against an external threat.]
I don't even know you. Do you get like this every time you have a weird daydream or whatever?
It's not a weird daydream! [ she insists, voice rising. ] I'll show you!
[ It doesn't help her earthbending to get emotional, but it doesn't exactly hurt it, either, as long as she can concentrate. The anger at being disbelieved sharpens her focus; Toph stomps a bare dirty foot onto the ground like she's a child having a tantrum, except a ripple echoes through the cobblestones under and around her like a miniature shockwave within the rock itself. ]
I have more where that came from if that's not enough.
[ The memories plaguing Claude is the whole reason why he's in the bookstore in the first place. He has a sinking feeling that whatever's wrong with him is nothing that could be researched - past lives? vivid hallucinations? drugs in the food, mold in the walls, lead in the water? - but he feels driven to at least give it a shot anyway.
Until someone bumps into him, some kid who goes vacant and blank before recoiling as though he'd been struck. Claude's eyes dart between the kid and the shelf as he catches him by the shoulders, making the tenuous connection. If he's right, he has someone else to talk to. If he isn't, he'll be seen as mad. ]
Whoa, there! You all right? You look like you've seen a ghost.
[There's nothing on the shelf but the books that are supposed to be there. The locket's gone, and Rolo stares bemusedly for a moment at the place it'd been. He doesn't even seem to have fully registered the hands steadying him yet, barely recognizing the fact that he was being addressed at all.]
That was–
[...He doesn't know what that was. That...vision, or whatever it was, simply doesn't mesh with anything he knows, and yet it'd felt so real. But just thinking about it has his stomach in knots, an instinctual dread in him warning not to pursue this. Rolo shakes his head just a little too emphatically to seem natural. Tense and pale as he is, it's probably not super convincing. ]
N-no, it was nothing, sorry....
[It's taken him a few seconds too long to recognize that he'd bumped into someone. Normally, he'd have been more flustered and apologetic, but this inexplicable horrror is doing a solid job of distracting him from the embarrassment.]
[Lelouch on the other hand, has been greedily grabbing whatever strange items he can on the off chance that it was a memory. the anger of being mind wiped again simmers deep in the back of his mind, but he has to keep up appearances. he'd been testing some people to see if they'd remembered, but very few had taken the bait so far.
Rolo was one of those people, though from what Lelouch knew about his "little brother", he figured he wouldn't be so inclined to learn more if it led to him remembering home. but would that mean his Geass would always be locked, if he didn't get his memories back?
but he's going to play along with the farce, for now.
when Rolo gasps, Lelouch looks up and over at him, frowning a little. he crosses the room and tries to put the back of his hand against Rolo's forehead, as if trying to gauge his temperature.]
Whoa, Rolo... are you okay? You don't look so good.
[Lelouch's hand checking is forehead is a warm, familiar gesture. It quells the instinctual anxiety, at least a little bit. The echoes of the yelling still ring in his ears, but no matter how real they'd felt, he needs to get his head on straight. It's just nonsense, right? This is Lelouch, the one person who'd always cared about him more than anyone. The fussing got a bit embarrassing sometimes as they got older and he developed the normal self-consciousness of such things of a teen boy, but deep down he still always appreciated the constancy of Lelouch's love.
He should just shrug it off, this ridiculous stress over...just a dream, or whatever it was. If only to assuage his brother's worry.]
Do you hate me?
[...That's not what he'd meant to say, but it just spills out of him before he can help it.]
[surprise crosses Lelouch's face, before he schools his expression into something that wouldn't give anything away. he can look surprised, of course... but he can't act as if he knows what he's talking about until he knows exactly what's happening.
he remembers that memory. yelling so loudly at Rolo, tossing the phone...
he blinks, forcing it back as he puts the hand that was on his little brother's forehead on his shoulder.]
Now I know you're not feeling well. Why would you think I hate you?
[Even if it helps to soothe the sting of that not-memory, Lelouch's concern only makes him feel worse somehow. Guilt rushes in to replace the unease. Bad enough he'd had any doubts at all, but to throw those doubts in Lelouch's face, like all his care and attention over the years still wasn't enough...
He wilts, gaze dropping to the floor.]
S-sorry, it's nothing. I just...had a weird dream. And I guess...it'd make sense if you did resent me, since you've always been stuck looking after me...
[sometimes Lelouch wishes he didn't have a heart. that way, conflicting emotions like these wouldn't plague him like they did. because why does his heart hurt when Rolo looks like that? it shouldn't. he's fake.
it's all fake. again.
but he can't bring himself to hate him.]
You're thinking too much. What have I told you about thinking like that?
[he knows he's told him. in both fake memories.]
You're my little brother. It's no problem at all to look after you.
[He shuts his eyes like it might shut out that awful not-memory. Whatever it was, whatever's causing it, it's fake. Doubting that means doubting his brother, and Lelouch doesn't deserve that.
Rolo reaches up to squeeze the hand on his shoulder just briefly. Reassurance, or maybe just soothing his own guilt.]
Sorry. It's just...been a weird day. You haven't noticed anything...off, I guess? People have been acting crazy in town.
[Rolo takes a breath, steadying himself. It's alright now. It doesn't matter what nonsense that girl in town or anyone on the network spouts. He knows what he saw is absurd, no matter how real it felt. And he knows his brother wouldn't fall for something like that either. If Lelouch says all that is fake, then it has to be true.
Rolo nods belatedly and attempts a smile.]
O-of course. It's...probably something to do with those fairies, or something like that.
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expiationlogs2024-03-09 08:37 am
rolo lamperouge | code geass
closed to lelouch
network
wildcard
((ooc: Hit me with a starter of your own! Feel free to prod me on discord @ orbynit or plurk @
the first one <:
It's not just her and she knows that by now. It's happening to other people. Which means it must be real, it must be that she's supposed to be this unstoppable force to be reckoned with that she is in her memory flashes.
Because she just can't be this person, dependent on others. ]
Hey-- hey, it just happened to you, didn't it?
[ Toph sounds a little over-eager as she hustles over to where Rolo is presumably picking himself up. She is a tiny girl wearing worn-out clothes and shaggy hair over blank eyes. Her bare feet are covered in dirt and callouses, and she leans in closer to him assertively, straining to see what she can pick up with her new hearing. ]
Did you see something?
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Wh-what?
[He shakes his head, finally regaining the presence of mind to fully process the whole scene – the mess he'd made, the irritable employee, the barefoot little girl far tooo eager to ask about–
Wait.]
How did you...?
[The weird sudden vision was bad enough, why is this strange child apparently aware of it???]
no subject
[ For some reason it feels too much to talk about her new abilities to a total stranger. But Toph could swear she can hear heartbeats of those around her if they're close enough, and especially if they're excited or anxious. Or, presumably, having a heart attack. ]
--and you seem fine, [ she finishes lamely. Her own nerves are shooting through the roof, antsy and impatient to get answers or at least clues that might eventually lead to answers. ]
Come on, let's get out of here. I want to ask you some things. [ Where they won't have an audience. ]
no subject
A large part of him wants to just shrug her off. Everything in him says to just leave this subject alone. But he's still frazzled, and increasingly embarrassed as the irate employee continues picking up toppled merchandise around his feet, so all he manages is an absent nod as he mumbles an apology to the employee and picks his way out of the mess to head for the door.]
no subject
She knows she should be better than this.
Once they're out on the street, Toph swings around to face him without delay, already peppering him with questions. ]
Was that the first time it happened to you? It started happening to me last week.
no subject
Settling into that certainly does something to settle his unease as well, so he clings to it. He flinches back as the girl whirls back at him as soon as they're outside, but he forces himself to shake his head.]
I-I don't know what you're talking about. Nothing really happened, it was just...just some kind of weird dream.
[It has to be. That's the only explanation that eases a bit of the tightness in his throat. Just...some kind of magic or something giving people strange waking dreams. Hell, maybe it's related to those fairies that've been causing trouble lately.]
no subject
You're really going to try to just sweep it under the rug like it didn't happen? [ she asks in disbelief. ] We're all just getting crazy hallucinations in the middle of the day, oh well, moving on?
no subject
His jaw sets firmly and he straightens up.]
It didn't happen. That wasn't real.
[He at least sounds a little more sure of himself in that. It's harder when it's himself he's warring with, but if it's someone else suggesting Lelouch would ever actually do something like that – however indirectly they might be suggesting it – then he can ignore any hint of doubt to just push back against an external threat.]
I don't even know you. Do you get like this every time you have a weird daydream or whatever?
no subject
[ It doesn't help her earthbending to get emotional, but it doesn't exactly hurt it, either, as long as she can concentrate. The anger at being disbelieved sharpens her focus; Toph stomps a bare dirty foot onto the ground like she's a child having a tantrum, except a ripple echoes through the cobblestones under and around her like a miniature shockwave within the rock itself. ]
I have more where that came from if that's not enough.
(no subject)
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open!
Until someone bumps into him, some kid who goes vacant and blank before recoiling as though he'd been struck. Claude's eyes dart between the kid and the shelf as he catches him by the shoulders, making the tenuous connection. If he's right, he has someone else to talk to. If he isn't, he'll be seen as mad. ]
Whoa, there! You all right? You look like you've seen a ghost.
no subject
That was–
[...He doesn't know what that was. That...vision, or whatever it was, simply doesn't mesh with anything he knows, and yet it'd felt so real. But just thinking about it has his stomach in knots, an instinctual dread in him warning not to pursue this. Rolo shakes his head just a little too emphatically to seem natural. Tense and pale as he is, it's probably not super convincing. ]
N-no, it was nothing, sorry....
[It's taken him a few seconds too long to recognize that he'd bumped into someone. Normally, he'd have been more flustered and apologetic, but this inexplicable horrror is doing a solid job of distracting him from the embarrassment.]
no subject
Rolo was one of those people, though from what Lelouch knew about his "little brother", he figured he wouldn't be so inclined to learn more if it led to him remembering home. but would that mean his Geass would always be locked, if he didn't get his memories back?
but he's going to play along with the farce, for now.
when Rolo gasps, Lelouch looks up and over at him, frowning a little. he crosses the room and tries to put the back of his hand against Rolo's forehead, as if trying to gauge his temperature.]
Whoa, Rolo... are you okay? You don't look so good.
no subject
He should just shrug it off, this ridiculous stress over...just a dream, or whatever it was. If only to assuage his brother's worry.]
Do you hate me?
[...That's not what he'd meant to say, but it just spills out of him before he can help it.]
no subject
he remembers that memory. yelling so loudly at Rolo, tossing the phone...
he blinks, forcing it back as he puts the hand that was on his little brother's forehead on his shoulder.]
Now I know you're not feeling well. Why would you think I hate you?
no subject
He wilts, gaze dropping to the floor.]
S-sorry, it's nothing. I just...had a weird dream. And I guess...it'd make sense if you did resent me, since you've always been stuck looking after me...
no subject
it's all fake. again.
but he can't bring himself to hate him.]
You're thinking too much. What have I told you about thinking like that?
[he knows he's told him. in both fake memories.]
You're my little brother. It's no problem at all to look after you.
no subject
Rolo reaches up to squeeze the hand on his shoulder just briefly. Reassurance, or maybe just soothing his own guilt.]
Sorry. It's just...been a weird day. You haven't noticed anything...off, I guess? People have been acting crazy in town.
no subject
Yeah, I've seen some weird stuff. It kind of makes me wonder if some people are on something...
[he shakes his head.]
Not you of course, though.
no subject
Rolo nods belatedly and attempts a smile.]
O-of course. It's...probably something to do with those fairies, or something like that.
(no subject)
network
HAVE U HEARD OF A HOLLOW FOREST?
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[ and why do you type like that... ]
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WHEN I PICKED UP AN PEN I THOUGHT ABOUT IT
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IT FELT AS THO I WAS IN THE PLACE