Ep 4 Suzu meets late series Gino, shenanigans ensue

[swordofzero]

"Thank you though, for saving me." Suzaku left the mysterious masked figure behind and walked back out into the destroyed ghetto.

Except it wasn't the destroyed Ghetto, it was a city Suzaku had never seen before. Not in Japan at all and not even like the images of Britannia he had seen on the television. He turned back but the destroyed building was gone, replaced with a large office block, glass windows sparkling in the sun.

Where was he? He walked down the street looking for someone who might know a way back.

Comments

[trollofthree]

"Suzaku!" If the delighted way his name was called didn't alarm him, the subsequent embrace would have done it. It had been months since Suzaku - this guy or otherwise - had shown up in Manhattan. To be the one to run into him on a patrol of the roads was his luck. And Suzaku's loss. "Man, s'been a while."

[swordofzero]

Suzaku turned round at the sound of his name being called and panicked slightly as he was hugged. What? He wriggled out of the embrace and looked at the man, a Britannian wearing what seemed to be part of the Knights of Rounds uniform...

Suzaku snapped to attention not understanding what was going on at all. "My Lord?"

[trollofthree]

"Huh?" Gino peered down amiably at him. Was he that surprised that he'd forgotten months of good-natured de-formalisation? "It's Gino. Gi-no. Hey, did Suzaku get shorter? And what's with that outfit..."

[swordofzero]

Was this some kind of trick? Suzaku stood even straighter if such a thing was even possible and studied the knight suspiciously. That he knew his name wasn't as big of a surprise as Suzaku would like it to be. After all he had been on every news program in Britannia over the last few days.

Outfit? He forced himself not to tug at the uniform, nor to look down so that the knight couldn't see the bruises on his face. "It's prison clothing my Lord and no as far as I know I haven't gotten shorter."

A trick or not until Suzaku knew for sure he would answer each question as asked by this strange knight.

[trollofthree]

Standing up straighter might have worked for someone who wasn't two metres tall and already slouching to grin at you, but at it was.

"Prison--? Hey, no wonder it looks terrible. You got anything more fashionable?" He actually straightened to look around, as though a set of clothing would manifest out of thin air for his express convenience. When it didn't, Suzaku became the unfortunate focus of attention again. "What'd you do this time?"

[swordofzero]

"More fashionable?" If Suzaku sounds completely confused it's because he is, from being on the way to his trial only a few hours ago to this...

This time? This was the first time he had ever been in trouble with the law... He had kept his head down for the last three years in the army. "I was to stand trial for the murder of Prince Clovis, my lord."

[trollofthree]

Oh, hey. He was a younger Suzaku! He grinned almost wolfishly as the pieces fell into place, and patted the guy's shoulder again, companionably.

"For the murder of Prince Clovis, Gino," he repeated, with the infinite patience of someone who has absolutely nothing of value to contribute to anything anytime soon, and isn't really going anywhere.

Well, except for 'to a clothes store'. He glanced around again, this time for street signs, and used the hand still on Suzaku's shoulder to start steering him towards another road. "That means you should turn yourself in to the knights, doesn't it? And this knight has decided you need clothes, or people are gonna start talking."

[swordofzero]

"..." Suzaku let himself be dragged down the road because really he had no choice. He supposed this strange knight was right. He had no idea where he was, he was supposed to be on his way to his court martial and so he supposed he should put himself in the custody of the highest ranking Britannian he could find.

A Knight of the Round was definitely that. He just wished he would let go of him but after the last few days he was pretty used to being manhandled and this Gino was being much gentler than the army had been. "Can I ask where we are, my Lord?"

[trollofthree]

"Permission granted!" Gino beamed down at him for a moment, as if waiting for Suzaku to ask again now he was allowed, then added before he actually could, "Short answer is, we're in Manhattan. Not ours, though! So I can do this..." he had picked up a brick from the pavement as he talked, and now hefted it thoughtfully. At the stressed word, he limbered up and threw it with force through the window of a likely-looking clothes store across the street.

No alarms sounded, the electricity for the block having been out for some time now, and it was with great cheer that he steered Suzaku relentlessly over the broken glass and into the shop before he could object. "See? No one's been here for a while, so pick what you like."

[swordofzero]

Suzaku opened his mouth to ask... but the strange knight answered before he could. Manhattan? They were in Britannia?

Not theirs? Suzaku was brought up short from his confused thinking when Gino threw a brick through a shop window.

"What are you doing?" He asked before realising who he was talking to and shutting up.

He was silent as he calculated whether he would get in worse trouble for shop lifting or disobeying a knight of the round.

He went for the latter, but still couldn't bring himself to actually take any of the clothes. "Um..."

[trollofthree]

"The doors are usually jammed or boarded up," He explained with a total lack of concern. Obviously this was something he'd tried first-hand. "It's faster to go through the windows."

He paused, glancing over at Suzaku from a rack of shirts. He'd already 'liberated' two of them, one a horrifying shade of pink and the other plaid. "Of course, if y'don't like the selection here, we can break into somewhere else!"

[swordofzero]

Suzaku felt ill but nodded and picked up a random shirt, he didn't even know if it was his size but he had a feeling they weren't getting out of here until he took something.

Which was fine for this knight, if they were in Britannia he wouldn't be the one to get arrested. "This one's fine, my Lord."

[trollofthree]

"Really?" Gino looked the choice over doubtfully. "Eleven fashion sure is weird--" oh, whoops. "I mean Japanese, right? or was it Japanish?" He checked the shirt again, and scooped several more in the size up from neighbouring rails.

"Suzaku's fashion is weird~" He compromised, now steering the poor guy towards jeans.

[swordofzero]

Blink Blink. Did this knight actually just say Japanese? Or well... Japanish but still...

A knight of the round saying anything but 'Eleven' it was too surreal. Had he fallen and hit his head? Or was this some kind of trick?

"I'm sorry, I will chose something else."

[trollofthree]

"We'll keep these," Gino decided, dropping the shirts into an empty sales bin. Suzaku's hesitation he took for disapproval, but hey. It wasn't like Suzaku had hung around to help correct his pronunciation of the areas. Guy had died.

Onto trousers! "What size is Suzaku? You're a lot scrawnier than I remember..."

[swordofzero]

He was no more scrawny than he had ever been and why did this knight claim to know him?

"Um, these will do," he grabbed some trousers that looked about his size, they had a belt so they would be fine.

[trollofthree]

"I guess food is different for the rank and file." Gino was totally ignoring Suzaku's expressions, but nothing new there. "I saw an Area 3 restaurant on the way here. We should go! Who knows, maybe the stuff is still good."

No way Suzaku'd be able to take on the monsters around here without getting some food in him, after all. Gino was a responsible friend! Speaking of, he added a pair of jeans and some shorts to the clothes in Suzaku's arms, fished into the bin for the shirts, and piled those on top. "Done~!"

[swordofzero]

"Area 3 restaurant..." Suzaku parroted, he hadn't had much food from other areas before.

"Um... alright..." He had no idea if he was supposed to be wearing these clothes or going somewhere else. He was completely confused but figured it was best to leave this place before they were caught so stepped back out of the broken window.

[trollofthree]

"Oops! Whoa there," his hand snaked out and caught on the collar of Suzaku's jumpsuit, and he tugged him back over the threshold. "Gotta change first."

[swordofzero]

Argh Suzaku flailed a little when dragged back but didn't fight it. He had made the wrong decision then. "Sorry my Lord..."

He got changed as quickly as he could, glad to get rid of the prison outfit. Not that stolen clothes were that much better.

[trollofthree]

"Not bad at all!" He'd paid no attention to the apology, and just held out a long jacket and a pair of sunglasses.

[swordofzero]

Suzaku took the jacket and sunglasses with a grateful smile. "Thank you."

Feeling a little more confident, though no less confused Suzaku looked at the window again, silently asking for permission to finally leave.

[brbdocumenting]

And outside that window would be Anya. She was walking by when she happened to see a new broken window belonging to some store she's pretty sure she's seen Gino look at before.

Suzaku was in the store, that's new. She picks up her phone and snaps a picture.

[trollofthree]

"We got Suzaku," Gino practically sang, as he caught the flash of Anya's phone camera. He'd missed the look for permission, busy as he was with picking several items from the rails for himself.

[swordofzero]

Another knight of the round? And he had got him? Had they been sent to arrest him?

Well this was the most bizarre arrest if so.

Um... he will just be here bowing to the small pink haired knight while you pick our clothes Gino.

[brbdocumenting]

Gino was being Gino and Suzaku was bowing to her? She looks from Suzaku to Gino, silently asking what was wrong with him before nodding her ascent to his clothing choices, it would make for good pictures later. Or something. Who really knew with Anya.

"Suzaku."