That... had never happened before. There had been one other case in which someone had tried to resist his Geass (Lelouch tried very hard not to remember the exact details of that incident), but no one had ever managed to throw it off completely. Was this another one of the limitations the institute had imposed on his Geass? Was Porky's will simply that strong? It was easier to believe the former, but if the latter were true, Lelouch's enemy had to be even more formidable than he'd thought.

... No, it had to be the institute. What was he thinking?

The way in which Porky had reacted while resisting was interesting, too, but as Lelouch had only one other example to use as a reference for what was "normal" for Geass rejection, he didn't think too hard on it. Being called a "snot-nosed punk" and "devil-child" were cause for some amusement and more than a little indignation on his part, but he could hardly address the insults now that Porky's memories of saying them had apparently been sealed away. At least that much remained consistent.

Instead, he masterfully hid his surprise, let his Geass fade, and said nonchalantly, "Don't get me wrong, Mr. Minch. I would like to put this behind us, but I'm afraid that at this point, I don't know you well enough for an alliance to work. I'm sure you understand." He gave him a small, plainly insincere smile. "Instead, I'd like to propose a truce. We won't work together, but we'll stop attacking one another. How does that sound?"