Nobu's concern whilst sipping from a margarita caught his attention. Though she appeared to be enjoying all the amenities the establishment provided for them, as well as enjoying their evening together, the tense air about her had yet to truly relax. He decided to ease her worry.
"Nothing much apart from our future plans, my dear." Shutting the television screen off with a remote, he stood up to approach their room's balcony window. Pulling the curtains aside slightly, his gaze moved to the western side of the city. Beyond the horizon, dark skies, remnant smoke of the pyre, was barely visible from the penthouse suite. 'With a signal that big, no doubt all the players in the magical world would've taken note by now.'
A few headlines this morning mentioned foreign aid coming in to help with investigating the disaster. The fact that their origins came from halfway across the world was already alarming enough for the conspiracists. Having picked up some knowledge of the Church and Clock Tower during his stint with Kayneth, it was pretty clear who the arrivals truly were.
'Really now. Ten days after our victory and then they would send dignitaries?' Lelouch scoffed at their tardiness, closing the curtains as he returned to sit back on the bed. It didn't take long for a certain someone to hop behind him and wrap her arms around his neck.
"What's the matter, darling? That doesn't look like the face of someone planning a honeymoon."
He retorted to the tease by pulling on her cheek. When that earned him a tug on the ear, he surprised his attacker by going along with it and pushing her down back on the sheets. Ambushing her lips with a playful peck and smirk, he caught sight of flushed cheeks before a pillow was thrust into his face once again.
Horsing around bought him time to think.
'Our old hideout is no more. We've left no evidence of our stay there.' An easy thing it was to start another fire when the whole city was in a panic with the larger blaze. Their disappearance from Fuyuki thereafter had been set into motion. 'Luckily, it seems my status as a Servant has given me… more than a couple of useful talents.'
No money and no connections outside of that city would've spelt trouble for a teen on the streets. More so when he was accompanied by a half-naked woman with an attitude. But upon attempting to book a stay at a hotel, their fortunes were overturned in an instant.
'To think we'd be offered room and board, as well as top class food and services with just a word…'
In the past, he may have used Geass to enslave the necessary pieces for a time. Little did he expect requesting help from the bellboy to lead up to the manager of the esteemed hotel itself to be serving him like a VIP. But it didn't stop there.
Almost every word of his was heeded with reverence. A request for a room was met with the best suite. A question about the nearest restaurants was answered by housekeeping delivering a delicious dinner in bed. A slight comment about lacking spare clothing had the evening shift manager herself offering Nobu her best available suit. Undergarments included.
Needless to say, it was as though everyone he'd conversed with would treat them like royalty. The sole exceptions were other VIP guests they'd yet to meet personally. It seems they've been complaining incessantly about the loud moaning they'd been subjected to through the walls every night since his and Nobu's arrival. Not that Lelouch cared to mind.
'The power of a Servant's charm-type skill…' Lelouch couldn't help but feel a bit giddy at the newfound tool. 'Truly, even without Geass, my power so easily overwhelms the common folk. This could help us out in the long run—!'
Lelouch's thoughts on the matter were muted upon realizing Nobu got the drop on him and had flipped their positions. Her knees on either side of his stomach, she planted her naked self on top and forced another kiss. This time, he felt her tongue cheekily snake down his throat. A sly gleam shone in her eyes upon noting his surprise at her counterattack.
"Pah!" she inhaled heavily, cheeks red and a smile curled in victory. "You're quite tenacious, aren't you, daaaaaarling?!~~~ Perhaps another round and I can finally break you in, no?"
"Though you say that, we both know I now have the stamina to keep up with you, you cheeky devil."
"Oh, is that so? Big words coming from what was a mere cherry boy not too long ago!" She kissed him again but did so playfully this time. "So? What do you say? Another go before we tour the city again?"
Lelouch couldn't help his eye twitching slightly at the redhead's libido, deciding to not mention the fact this kind of activity was new for both of them. It was one thing to break his hips the first night, it was a whole other issue when she made it a competition of endurance. Even if he wasn't one to boast about sexual prowess, there had to be a limit to letting one's self drown in lust.
That aside, another tour didn't sound bad. Having spent a good long week in the city already, they'd made sure to take in the sights of the capitol.
With Nobu's interest of what had become of her legacy, they'd gone on long walks around and about. Dining in the finest of restaurants, taking ferry rides here and there, even taking a trip to Tokyo Tower to see the vast metropolis in all its glory. They'd even drop by at a nearby casino, Nobu's curiosity of his past tendencies to go to such places being the main encouragement. Granted, he wouldn't have been let in without an ID, more so as a normal teenager, but with the power of a Servant's charisma automatically wooing the masses, blending in as a son of some wealthy yet nameless businessman was simple as breathing.
Still, Lelouch hadn't idled by just playing around.
He'd spent the better part of their little vacation by also studying up on the present. Though lacking an advanced mobile terminal to look up detailed data on the net, it wasn't too difficult to gather what he could on the geopolitical and economic state of the world through the daily newspapers.
And going by the peaceful nature of this reality, he found the underlying power balance quite intriguing.
"Hm. For an infamous general, you're quite the peppy child recently–MMPH!" A pillow immediately cut him off as she pressed her weight down behind it.
"Is it so wrong to be curious as to what my people have accomplished in my absence? Moving the capital from Kyoto was a great change in and of itself! Why would I not want to see more of their innovations, their ambitions, my legacy's own legacy unfolded before me?"
Such grandiose reasoning was upset by the fact she was being an excitable brat all the same. He didn't mind it though. Despite her haphazard maturity at times, the personality gap made for an interesting show.
"No need to be so impatient. Our new life has only started, Nobu. Plus, was it not you who preferred to laze about more often than not ever since we arrived here—?"
"Tututu." Nobu tutted with a raised finger and a wink. "Correction, Lulu: Neither of us wanted to leave the bed. Don't leave all the blame to me, darling! You're at fault as well. Don't forget! Our… dance these past couple nights takes two to tango." Licking her lips as she said it, she added sultrily. "Though… I won't mind if you wish to go at it again. Right here, right now. All~. Day~~. Long~~~."
It sounded appealing, Lulu wouldn't lie. Slowly, he made to caress her cheek. In doing so, it prompted her to lean in for another kiss. Only, he prevented her from getting carried away by giving it a playful tug.
"Patience, Nobu. We will always have time for that later. But right now, we need to discuss our plans."
"Tease!"
"Come now, don't be like that." Lelouch merely chuckled as he moved to the bedside drawer and pulled out his things. Newspaper clippings, several papers filled with his personal notes, and a world map he procured from the local library. All of which were cleanly laid out on a desk nearby. "After all, didn't you want to conquer this world with me?"
"I wish to do many things with you, darling~~~." Nobunaga leaned over across the table, giving him a good view of her still-bare goods. "For example, right now I just want to shut you up with my tongue and—"
"Business first, then pleasure Nobu. After all, I'm sure planning world domination would be just as exhilarating for you."
She didn't look convinced. In fact, Nobu seemed bummed to be denied. Lulu knew exactly how to nab her attention back.
Gently taking her chin between his fingers, the Demon Emperor leaned closer and whispered into her ear. "Don't you want to hear everything I have in mind? Every plot I prepared for our enemies, every scenario to start a war anywhere in this world that has yet to realize who owns it. Don't you want to know what I have in mind for you, my adorable daimyo? How do I plan to make your most twisted fantasies become reality?"
"Mhm! You know how to get me going, Lelouch!" Tickling her lips with a thumb, Nobunaga's smile turned feral. This left the boy unsure if she wanted to jump him or start a fire inside the hotel. Maybe both at the same time. "Very well, I shall listen. So long as it satisfies me, I'll behave."
"I shan't disappoint then." Relenting his grasp, he moved to the notes splayed on the table. "Now, onto the topic at hand. Our little vacation has been fun, but having analyzed our peculiar situation of awaiting the coming ritual, it seems there's more entertainment to be had."
"Hoh?"
"First, let us consider our standing. Specifically, our place in this world." Sweeping his hand over to the map, he brought his accomplice's attention to the city they were in. "As of now, Japan's capital—nay, this hotel building is all we have. While we may wield considerable power as Heroic Spirits, overall we have no foundation to stand on. In light of this fact, we are alone."
"Hmph!" Nobu was quick to scoff as she crossed her arms. "Two demons versus the world. Easy! We need no one but ourselves!"
"True. However, it's no fun to be a demon if there is no one left to fear you." He smirked, earning her raised eyebrow. "While I know you'd find it fun to eradicate all resistance, it'd be a bore if they fall all at once, no? To declare war on all with reckless abandon, it would end far too quickly. Wouldn't you prefer being challenged and extending our little conquest from a single battle to a hard-fought campaign? One where we slowly but assuredly occupy all who resist?"
"But that leaves us with a conundrum. As you said, we don't have a foundation. Therefore, where do we get the army we need to start our conquest?"
Nobu's postulation came from her experience as a Daimyo. Not just a mere warrior, she was a warlord. A clan leader who led her countrymen through war and famine, betrayal and conquest. Oda Nobunaga, a former peasant farmer that overturned the warring states on its head, knew better than most how difficult it was to lead an army. Even more than that, conscripting one out of civilians.
In a world like this, where not one but two world wars had already cowed the masses away from such violence, it was nigh impossible to rally troops to a cause, let alone take up arms.
"Hm. While it may be correct to say we lack severely in the manpower department, this world is not so peaceful as to have a lack of it." To Nobu's curious stare, he directed her attention to several points he'd marked on the map. "This world, though very similar to my former one, has marched down a different path in history. The conflicts, the politics, are not as grand and blatant as my former home. Though, it isn't lacking in complexity. And intriguing players."
"For example?"
Lelouch dragged his finger from Japan eastward. To land he once detested, took over, and destroyed out of spite. "This landmass here, do you remember what stood here from my memories?"
"Britannia…"