Plans for Rolo
Oct. 9th, 2008 06:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
empiricaljewelWHO: Jeremiah and his sister
WHAT: The siblings Gottwald have dinner and Jeremiah discusses his plans for Rolo Haliburton, the small orphan boy he was mentoring.
NOTES: This was written by![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
sidecharacter who deserves much love and such for coming up with such a fun Jeremiah concept for this AU and for playing him against my Luluko at ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
geass_alterna.
Four years ago.
"I think that I will adopt that Rolo-boy." The dinner had been relatively formal even though they were siblings. Conversation light without any real depth to it. It seemed like the distance between them had made it a bit awkward to say much to one another. But that was to be expected. They just had to get used to one another again. It was why Jeremiah felt that he should tell his sister his plans for the future. He left out his growing desires for the Princess Luluko. She was still too young, in his opinion, to understand his feelings and properly accept them.
"Eh?" Her eyes widened slightly before she started to laugh politely into her hand. "Jeremiah, you say the most candid things. You should be careful about that."
"I'm speaking honestly." He knew that despite he was trying to sound serious and calm that her laughter had hurt his feelings just a little. Instead of what he wanted to come across, he sounded more like a kicked puppy. Straightening his shoulders, he tried again, "It is what I want to do. That child, I feel some kinship with him."
"And what about me?" Her tiny fists slammed on the table, shaking the plates just a little. "My name will be tarnished if you adopt someone of such ... questionable background into our family. For all you know, he could have Eleven blood in him." Even though what she said was cruel in hindsight, Jeremiah could not ignore his sister's concerns because they were his own. If Rolo turned out to be an Eleven -- even by 1/16 of his blood -- he would be considered an invalid by the Gottwald's name.
"Then, I will help Rolo to become a knight."
"What?"
"If Rolo can become a knight of the Royal Family," His hands folded on the table neatly. He hated to argue with his sister like this. But he also could not allow himself to be steamrolled and told to forget his feelings on the matter. "Lineage will be disregarded for the honor and prestige of his title. Would that make it more acceptable to adopt him?"
"He'll be too old for adoption by then." She sniffed in a manner that meant that it would be fine, but she did not like having him go over her head as he was.
"Still..." Jeremiah wanted her approval of his plan. He cared quite a bit about her feelings on whatever matters that he did bring to her.
"This seems like some misplaced desires."
"Excuse--"
"Misplaced desires of wanting to procreate." And she said that he was candid. However, no flush came upon her face on speaking to her brother about sex. Instead, her gaze remained even and calm. "Simply because you are the age that you are, and you want to leave something behind."
"I'm not that old."
"No. But you are always scheming--"
"I do not scheme." His hands were trembling slightly. He was not sure if they were from anger or nervousness.
"Planning for the future, then." A sip of her drink. "Why aren't you more upset that he could be an Eleven? Weren't you worried that Empress Marianne would have been assassinated by them?"
"I was. Yes. But Rolo is ..."
"I don't care." The tone of her voice sounded like the matter was over. "If you can make him a knight and keep your own title intact, I'll have no issue with you adopting him into our family. But you shouldn't adopt him if you somehow shame yourself in this endeavour. It's tainting his name with your failures as well."
In her own way, she was looking out for Jeremiah -- who tended to act rather impulsively if it was for the good of those around him. He wasn't quite as selfish as people took him for, but she thought him to be something of a fool as well. His loyalty to the Royal Family was admirable, but it made him forget about his own happiness at times. He would counter that he was quite happy when the family that he protected was happy -- specifically Princess Luluko. But she took that as more of his loyalty rather than his own real happiness. She'd rather that he settle down with a nice Britannian woman and make his own family instead of adopting some questionable child, but Jeremiah had somehow been moved by Rolo's story. She sighed as she went over the facts.
"And you are fine with that?"
"I am."
"... good." His smile was not quite a smile; it was one to ease the tension of the moment than anything else. Something that a nervous man would do. She would laugh if she didn't know that would completely break Jeremiah -- being far more sensitive than he let on about certain things. The dinner returned to as it was soon enough without much of a hitch. Adoption and knighthood were ignored like some elephant in the room and would not be brought up until Jeremiah was able to make his dreams for the future a reality.
WHAT: The siblings Gottwald have dinner and Jeremiah discusses his plans for Rolo Haliburton, the small orphan boy he was mentoring.
NOTES: This was written by
sidecharacter who deserves much love and such for coming up with such a fun Jeremiah concept for this AU and for playing him against my Luluko at geass_alterna.Four years ago.
"I think that I will adopt that Rolo-boy." The dinner had been relatively formal even though they were siblings. Conversation light without any real depth to it. It seemed like the distance between them had made it a bit awkward to say much to one another. But that was to be expected. They just had to get used to one another again. It was why Jeremiah felt that he should tell his sister his plans for the future. He left out his growing desires for the Princess Luluko. She was still too young, in his opinion, to understand his feelings and properly accept them.
"Eh?" Her eyes widened slightly before she started to laugh politely into her hand. "Jeremiah, you say the most candid things. You should be careful about that."
"I'm speaking honestly." He knew that despite he was trying to sound serious and calm that her laughter had hurt his feelings just a little. Instead of what he wanted to come across, he sounded more like a kicked puppy. Straightening his shoulders, he tried again, "It is what I want to do. That child, I feel some kinship with him."
"And what about me?" Her tiny fists slammed on the table, shaking the plates just a little. "My name will be tarnished if you adopt someone of such ... questionable background into our family. For all you know, he could have Eleven blood in him." Even though what she said was cruel in hindsight, Jeremiah could not ignore his sister's concerns because they were his own. If Rolo turned out to be an Eleven -- even by 1/16 of his blood -- he would be considered an invalid by the Gottwald's name.
"Then, I will help Rolo to become a knight."
"What?"
"If Rolo can become a knight of the Royal Family," His hands folded on the table neatly. He hated to argue with his sister like this. But he also could not allow himself to be steamrolled and told to forget his feelings on the matter. "Lineage will be disregarded for the honor and prestige of his title. Would that make it more acceptable to adopt him?"
"He'll be too old for adoption by then." She sniffed in a manner that meant that it would be fine, but she did not like having him go over her head as he was.
"Still..." Jeremiah wanted her approval of his plan. He cared quite a bit about her feelings on whatever matters that he did bring to her.
"This seems like some misplaced desires."
"Excuse--"
"Misplaced desires of wanting to procreate." And she said that he was candid. However, no flush came upon her face on speaking to her brother about sex. Instead, her gaze remained even and calm. "Simply because you are the age that you are, and you want to leave something behind."
"I'm not that old."
"No. But you are always scheming--"
"I do not scheme." His hands were trembling slightly. He was not sure if they were from anger or nervousness.
"Planning for the future, then." A sip of her drink. "Why aren't you more upset that he could be an Eleven? Weren't you worried that Empress Marianne would have been assassinated by them?"
"I was. Yes. But Rolo is ..."
"I don't care." The tone of her voice sounded like the matter was over. "If you can make him a knight and keep your own title intact, I'll have no issue with you adopting him into our family. But you shouldn't adopt him if you somehow shame yourself in this endeavour. It's tainting his name with your failures as well."
In her own way, she was looking out for Jeremiah -- who tended to act rather impulsively if it was for the good of those around him. He wasn't quite as selfish as people took him for, but she thought him to be something of a fool as well. His loyalty to the Royal Family was admirable, but it made him forget about his own happiness at times. He would counter that he was quite happy when the family that he protected was happy -- specifically Princess Luluko. But she took that as more of his loyalty rather than his own real happiness. She'd rather that he settle down with a nice Britannian woman and make his own family instead of adopting some questionable child, but Jeremiah had somehow been moved by Rolo's story. She sighed as she went over the facts.
"And you are fine with that?"
"I am."
"... good." His smile was not quite a smile; it was one to ease the tension of the moment than anything else. Something that a nervous man would do. She would laugh if she didn't know that would completely break Jeremiah -- being far more sensitive than he let on about certain things. The dinner returned to as it was soon enough without much of a hitch. Adoption and knighthood were ignored like some elephant in the room and would not be brought up until Jeremiah was able to make his dreams for the future a reality.
