towerofanimus | and when you gaze long into an abyss...

"He knows." Suzaku shrugged, "Rolo told him, whilst I was trying to talk to him about Lelouch. I explained what happened to Lelouch though before we went to the non powered floor, he understands though he is angry I hurt Rolo."

Diarmuid blinks in surprise. Lelouch was angry, but nothing else? For some reason, he had expected Lelouch to have a much more violent reaction, "If that is true, perhaps I should take him up on that offer? Someone besides you really needs to try and clear this up. Time is too short to hold onto things..."

Though, even as he says this, Diarmuid shakes his head, unsure if at this point things can actually be resolved, but he is still willing to hold onto hope that they can be.

Well... for Suzaku and Lelouch, Lelouch marching Suzaku down a corridor at gunpoint was not a violent reaction at all, other peoples opinions may vary. "If you wish, though you do not have to. I would hate for them to become angry at you, when it was my doing."

He sighed, "But it needs resolved, for Rolo's sake. He needs to understand that Lelouch could turn on him, and he needs to have someone he can trust to go to when that happens."

Diarmuid is silent for a few moments thinking over things. When he finally speaks, his voice is contemplative, "Does he have anyone else he could go to? If not you and not Lelouch? I am beginning to think you may not be able to convince him of the danger right now. Those who do not wish to change won't no matter what you tell them. In that case, it might just be best if we prepare for the inevitable outcome."

"And then hope it doesn't happen..."

Suzaku frowned, "I don't know. He has never mentioned anyone. I know that... when we all believed ourselves to have been here years..." When Suzaku and Diarmuid had first met, "He was married then, but he was... afterwards he felt like he had betrayed Lelouch, that he would let anyone into his heart and though I tried to convince him otherwise I don't think he ever talked to the girl who he had believed himself married to, even if they had been friends before."

And that was the only friend of Rolo's Suzaku had known of.

"That...is not good..." And something Diarmuid had feared given the boy's timid nature, "Maybe, instead of arguing one side or the other, I should just go with Lelouch and talk to Rolo about...well anything. Just try to learn more about him so that there is someone he can go to?"

He looks at Suzaku, eyes conflicted, "You know that I wish to see the two of you reconciled, but I also worry about pushing so that he decides he cannot trust me as well. As it is, since I know all three of you, maybe I can act as a sort of mediator?"

Suzaku nodded, "As much as I regret what happened between us... it is more important that Rolo has people he can trust. I would not like that he stopped trusting you as well."

He looked down.

"Hey, don't look like that," Diarmuid reaches out to put a hand on Suzaku's shoulder. "We will find a way to work things out. Don't give up hope. Just keep fighting as hard as you can."

"I know." Suzaku sounded tired, but he nodded.

"Have you had the new collar fluid yet?" He assumed that since Waver was on the science teams Diarmuid would have volunteered as a tester.

Diarmuid shakes his head, frowning again, "My next change will not come until Saturday and even then I will be waiting. Waver insists on being in the first group and I don't want us both to be suffering whatever effects might come of this at the same time."

Someone is not happen he wasn't allowed to be the guinea pig instead of Waver. Not happy at all.

Suzaku nodded, "That makes sense." And he can tell that Diarmuid is not happy about it. "He is the scientist and it is his project, believe me, it is foolish to stand in the way of scientists when they put their mind to something."

"I know. It's why I haven't argued with him about it more, but that doesn't mean I have to like it," Diarmuid sighs. "I just wish all of this was not happening at once. Yes, it hides what is going on with the fluid change over, but at the same time who knows what Jason will do."

And how those who change fluids over will be at risk...

Suzaku nodded, "I know, but... we are running out of time. There will probably never be a safe time to do this."

He was used to everything coming to a head at once, so it wasn't that strange, this feeling of free falling and nothing being in control.

Diarmuid laughs, though it's a sad sound, "You're right, of course. I don't know why I keep hoping that some part of this whole thing will go smoothly. There is just not enough time and far too much to get done..."

"We'll get it done though, we just have to do lots at once." He shrugged, "At times like this... I really miss Lelouch." His eyes were sad, because he really does. No matter what Diarmuid thinks of him, no matter what Lelouch has done, what he did here, they were friends first and he has been a constant.

"This was what he was good at, gambits on top of gambits. Turning everything around when the other side thought they had won. Being ten steps ahead of everyone else."

"I assume you mean the one from back on your world and not the one here or the one who was here before?" While he might never feel comfortable around Lelouch, Diarmuid does understand the value of someone with those skills. Especially in a place like this.

"Do you really think he would be able to out think the Administrators?"

"Yes, and perhaps the one that was here before, if he could have gotten over his anger." Suzaku frowned, "Yes, perhaps. He would have at least been a help."

"But you don't think the one who is here now will be able to help?" A curious look crosses his face, "Because of the geass and how it's affecting his memories?"

Suzaku nodded, "He believes himself just to be a Britannian student, he has no drive. Though I believe he is still just as good at chess, so perhaps it is just the motivation and knowledge that he can make a difference that he lacks, perhaps his skills are still there."

Except his Geass, which Suzaku had to admit caused most of his victories.

"I suppose, if nothing else, one could speak to him about strategy, but if there is no drive..." Diarmuid frowns. It seems such a waste for one with a mind that keen to have no drive, but...

"Would his drive return if he thought it was helping Rolo? After all, putting his mind to work on Tower puzzles would help Rolo in the long run. Fix the worlds and then find a way so that Rolo could go with him..."

Okay, so not the best idea, but the theory was there. It is in finding some option where Rolo might be able to be happy after all of this...

"Yes... that might work." Suzaku nodded, "Though I am not sure we would have Rolo as an ally."

He sighed, "I haven't spoken to him about it," Obviously considering the boy wasn't speaking to him at all, "But I doubt he will be happy to aid in a plan that will send him back to a world where he is already dead, when he could stay here with a Lelouch who believes himself to be his brother..."

Diarmuid shakes his head, "Don't misunderstand me. That is why I specify more than just finding a way to fix our worlds. Rolo is like me. For him to be happy, he needs more than what most others hope for. Perhaps it is twisting things a little, but if Lelouch got the idea he needs to work on finding a way to fix the worlds and allow travel between them so that Rolo could find someplace safe to be... Someplace safe besides this dreadful place..."

Maybe this is a little selfish of Diarmuid, but he is well aware that there are many in the Tower beyond himself who, if the 'happy ending' everyone else wishes for is reached, will be left behind because returning home--even to a restored world--is a death sentence. To be happy they need more, but when it is going to take so much to reach even that base happy ending it is hard to expect people to look for that more.

But maybe if Lelouch looked for Rolo's sake...

"Perhaps." Suzaku nodded, "It would be worth a try, and it would hopefully make Rolo agree to help as well." He frowned.

"The least we can do is try."

Suzaku's frown doesn't exactly fill Diarmuid with confidence, "Do you think trying might make things worse in this case? You know them better than I do..."

"I don't know." He shrugged, "I am good at making things worse. But it might work. We would just need a way to convince Lelouch that is for Rolo's best interest."

"I will help as much as I can, I know that that is a solution that you wish to have as well." To go back with Waver. Diarmuid may not have said so much outloud, but it made sense, that he would not wish to go back to his own world.

and when you gaze long into an abyss...

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