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Entry tags:
mental link // S72
DIASPEIREIN To scatter, spread about. | MELIORISM The belief that the world gets better. |
ORIFLAMME A symbol or standard that inspires confidence, devotion, or courage. | VANGUARD The troops moving at the head of an army. |
Okay.
[ Literally no one has ever fought her that vigorously about it before. She puts her hands up in surrender. ]
You win.
[ Literally no one has ever fought her that vigorously about it before. She puts her hands up in surrender. ]
You win.
[Nyx will indeed find Noctis seated at a little table nearby. He's still dressed in all black, but has managed to keep comfortable in nothing more than a shirt and plain pants. There's no way he's going to continue wearing the same suit he arrived in. Sentimental value or not, it just isn't as comfortable as some of his "lazier" choices in clothing.
He seems to be pulled out of his thoughts whenever Nyx slides into his seat across from him. He scoots an unopened soda can, still cold, towards the Glaive, a crooked smile on his features. He has one of his own in front of him, opened and fizzing.]
...Yeah, we have sodas. [To answer his question from before.] It was one of the first things I found, when I had time to explore the Station. I wanted to see if all my magic worked properly.
[He wanted to turn it into something that would heal, if he could. Needless to say...his magic definitely does not work properly, all the way out here.]
He seems to be pulled out of his thoughts whenever Nyx slides into his seat across from him. He scoots an unopened soda can, still cold, towards the Glaive, a crooked smile on his features. He has one of his own in front of him, opened and fizzing.]
...Yeah, we have sodas. [To answer his question from before.] It was one of the first things I found, when I had time to explore the Station. I wanted to see if all my magic worked properly.
[He wanted to turn it into something that would heal, if he could. Needless to say...his magic definitely does not work properly, all the way out here.]
[ Huff. ]
You don't have to look so smug about it.
You don't have to look so smug about it.
With sodas?
[Nyx looks incredibly dubious, but then again, his magic wasn't anything close to the royal's use of the magic.
But he's definitely sure using magic on soda was never on the list of things to use magic on.
Still, he takes the soda, not quite moving to open it yet.]
[Nyx looks incredibly dubious, but then again, his magic wasn't anything close to the royal's use of the magic.
But he's definitely sure using magic on soda was never on the list of things to use magic on.
Still, he takes the soda, not quite moving to open it yet.]
Yeah, well unless you're stuffing that look between my legs I'm leaving it here to go get some coffee.
[ She rubs her temple. She does seriously have a headache, the headaches unsurprisingly come about when she's actively rejecting her own emotions, causing a floor of tension and constricted blood vessels. Shocker. ]
[ She rubs her temple. She does seriously have a headache, the headaches unsurprisingly come about when she's actively rejecting her own emotions, causing a floor of tension and constricted blood vessels. Shocker. ]
[listen stop judging our stupid canon okay]
Well, yeah. Or anything that you can drink, I guess. If it's in a container, it's easier to carry around.
[This makes sense to him, at least. Lucis Caelums and their magic.]
It's a life-saver on the go, basically.
Well, yeah. Or anything that you can drink, I guess. If it's in a container, it's easier to carry around.
[This makes sense to him, at least. Lucis Caelums and their magic.]
It's a life-saver on the go, basically.
I wish I had the kind of magic to support the entire Glaive with healing sodas. [Healing potions, really. That sounded better.] But I'm pretty sure I'd pass out from exhaustion just from trying.
[Or maybe he would have, once. Imbued with the power of the Crystal, anything was possible.
That's gone too, now. Faded and far-away.]
But, uh. That's not why I asked you here. There's a lot that you don't know, about what happened between your last memory and mine. A difference in years.
[A fingernail taps against his soda can.]
I figured it's only fair for me to answer any questions you have about the... future.
[Or maybe he would have, once. Imbued with the power of the Crystal, anything was possible.
That's gone too, now. Faded and far-away.]
But, uh. That's not why I asked you here. There's a lot that you don't know, about what happened between your last memory and mine. A difference in years.
[A fingernail taps against his soda can.]
I figured it's only fair for me to answer any questions you have about the... future.
[Nyx sighs, playing with the can in his hand. Sure, he wanted to know about the future.
What good is the future if he didn't know the past, the way things really happened?]
I think I need to tell you first what happened the day Insomnia fell. Or as much as I know of it at least. It's pretty obvious Insomnia didn't make it out by your time.You know I was there when the city fell, and I was helping the Princess get the Ring back to you.
[Nyx scrubs his face. He doesn't know where to start. It's a lot to unpack.]
I think you should ask me first. Start from the beginning, work our way up to where you are.
What good is the future if he didn't know the past, the way things really happened?]
I think I need to tell you first what happened the day Insomnia fell. Or as much as I know of it at least. It's pretty obvious Insomnia didn't make it out by your time.You know I was there when the city fell, and I was helping the Princess get the Ring back to you.
[Nyx scrubs his face. He doesn't know where to start. It's a lot to unpack.]
I think you should ask me first. Start from the beginning, work our way up to where you are.
[It's a reasonable request, but Noctis can't help but cast his gaze to the side anyway. Start from the beginning, wind their way to the end in all its darkness. But for some reason, he had thought that talking about his own experiences would be easier than listening to what Nyx had to tell him. The loss of Insomnia, the loss of his father, and so much more.
But one way or another, they need to have this conversation. So he nods, looking at the Glaive directly again.]
All right. Tell me... how it all went down. [A sweeping generalization, so Noctis attempts to specify. Might as well stop dancing around the one subject that'll hurt the most.] Were you there when dad... [He frowns, but pushes through.] When dad was killed.
But one way or another, they need to have this conversation. So he nods, looking at the Glaive directly again.]
All right. Tell me... how it all went down. [A sweeping generalization, so Noctis attempts to specify. Might as well stop dancing around the one subject that'll hurt the most.] Were you there when dad... [He frowns, but pushes through.] When dad was killed.
[There's a pause, thoughtful, somber. He's trying to arrange the events as best as possible, trying to gloss over insignificant details and trying to put together what mattered.]
Drautos had been working with the Empire. I don't know how long, but long enough that some big promises had been made to him. If you ever met a General Glauca, that was him. He was the one that killed your father. [His eyes flicker, does his damned best to not think about what happened and simply speak of them without the pictures to go with the words.] He tried to protect us. He did protect us. He made a wall between us and himself. He told Princess Lunafreya to take the Ring, and for me to go with her. Drautos stabbed him with his sword and killed him. King Regis knew it was the end for him. Your father knew that day wouldn't end well for him or the kingdom.
[He fishes out from his pocket the duplicate Ring, dead as can be, gleaming black and deceptively inviting on the table he sets it on. The Ring of kings, the Ring of power, the Ring that undid so much, and was meant to save them all, too.] Princess Lunafreya had meant to carry this to you, you know that. I put it on and it was the last of anything before I got here. The Empire had overrun the city by then, releasing daemons into the city to track us.
Drautos had been working with the Empire. I don't know how long, but long enough that some big promises had been made to him. If you ever met a General Glauca, that was him. He was the one that killed your father. [His eyes flicker, does his damned best to not think about what happened and simply speak of them without the pictures to go with the words.] He tried to protect us. He did protect us. He made a wall between us and himself. He told Princess Lunafreya to take the Ring, and for me to go with her. Drautos stabbed him with his sword and killed him. King Regis knew it was the end for him. Your father knew that day wouldn't end well for him or the kingdom.
[He fishes out from his pocket the duplicate Ring, dead as can be, gleaming black and deceptively inviting on the table he sets it on. The Ring of kings, the Ring of power, the Ring that undid so much, and was meant to save them all, too.] Princess Lunafreya had meant to carry this to you, you know that. I put it on and it was the last of anything before I got here. The Empire had overrun the city by then, releasing daemons into the city to track us.
[Noctis may not be cognizant of it now, listening intently to Nyx, but later he'll be appreciative of how he's not flooded with the images and emotions of his father's death. Nyx's willpower is something of a bulwark against these memories, strengthened by how Noctis is also trying very hard to not let this news affect him outwardly.
(Internally, though, is another matter. Ten years ago, he was forced to come to terms with his father's death on the fly. No time to breathe, no time to mourn. Only to keep moving forward, pressing grief down further and further within himself to deal with it later.
Later's now, hilariously enough. But he refuses to unravel in front of Nyx, and so he only sits up straighter in his chair, hand still clenched around his soda can.)]
So the peace treaty really was just a sham. They never intended to see it through to the end in the first place. [He knew that, but hearing it from Nyx only reiterates this a hundred times over. Noctis eyes the ring that the Glaive sets on the table, a perfect, empty clone of the one around his finger. Both without their power.
He reaches out to pick up the ring, but his hand stops just inches above it. He lifts his gaze to Nyx.] Mind if I...? [Look at it. Copied ring or otherwise, it feels like it belongs more to Nyx than to himself.]
(Internally, though, is another matter. Ten years ago, he was forced to come to terms with his father's death on the fly. No time to breathe, no time to mourn. Only to keep moving forward, pressing grief down further and further within himself to deal with it later.
Later's now, hilariously enough. But he refuses to unravel in front of Nyx, and so he only sits up straighter in his chair, hand still clenched around his soda can.)]
So the peace treaty really was just a sham. They never intended to see it through to the end in the first place. [He knew that, but hearing it from Nyx only reiterates this a hundred times over. Noctis eyes the ring that the Glaive sets on the table, a perfect, empty clone of the one around his finger. Both without their power.
He reaches out to pick up the ring, but his hand stops just inches above it. He lifts his gaze to Nyx.] Mind if I...? [Look at it. Copied ring or otherwise, it feels like it belongs more to Nyx than to himself.]
[Nyx nods in regards to the Ring. It's not like it's his, anyway.]
King Regis knew they would never sign. He did it anyway, to attract all the attention to the city instead of to you. [A beat.] The Princess was kidnapped the day of the treaty. I don't know if the Nifs expected us to find her, or if they expected anyone to figure out how many of the Glaive had been bought out by them. By the end, I think it was just me with the Lucian crown. Everyone else was dead or defected. The Princess put up a fight of her own, I'll give her that. She damn well near killed us both on the way back to the city just so the Nifs wouldn't get the Ring or be able to use her powers.
[Throwing herself out of a falling airship, just to prove herself free, just to avoid the Empire getting the power they so wanted? He probably aged ten years in those two seconds she was in free-fall. If he'd had more time, he probably would've scolded her even more than he already had.]
King Regis knew they would never sign. He did it anyway, to attract all the attention to the city instead of to you. [A beat.] The Princess was kidnapped the day of the treaty. I don't know if the Nifs expected us to find her, or if they expected anyone to figure out how many of the Glaive had been bought out by them. By the end, I think it was just me with the Lucian crown. Everyone else was dead or defected. The Princess put up a fight of her own, I'll give her that. She damn well near killed us both on the way back to the city just so the Nifs wouldn't get the Ring or be able to use her powers.
[Throwing herself out of a falling airship, just to prove herself free, just to avoid the Empire getting the power they so wanted? He probably aged ten years in those two seconds she was in free-fall. If he'd had more time, he probably would've scolded her even more than he already had.]
[Noctis picks up the second Ring, turning it over in his hand. The detail and design were exactly the same, but it wasn't as if he expected anything different. It held weight in what it represented -- its symbolism something he had viewed as a burden for such a long time.
In a way, maybe, he still does. He only carries it with a modicum more of grace, now.]
All of that trouble... just for me.
[Guilt, again. It shoots through him, dull and cold. But Noctis doesn't bask in it, he only moves his eyes to look at Nyx directly.]
You said... you used it? What did you see?
[And did it hurt? It must have.]
In a way, maybe, he still does. He only carries it with a modicum more of grace, now.]
All of that trouble... just for me.
[Guilt, again. It shoots through him, dull and cold. But Noctis doesn't bask in it, he only moves his eyes to look at Nyx directly.]
You said... you used it? What did you see?
[And did it hurt? It must have.]
"To save the world." That's what Lunafreya had said.
[He'd very nearly gotten into an argument with the King and the Princess right then and there, in the elevator, just after he'd gotten into a physical fight with Drautos-as-Glauca. Nyx had sometimes wondered if all the sacrifice would ever end.
It's an anger that flares wildly, and an anger that he lets go of just as quickly. He didn't even care about himself. He just wanted the needless bloodshed to stop.]
I don't know. I had just gotten shot by one of my own, someone who'd sided with the Nifs. I was in a weird space, all black and purple. Time seemed to not even exist, but I was still on the floor. A woman showed up, I'd never seen her before in my life, but she somehow knew me. She wanted me to go with her, that I needed to go with her. It's how I ended up here. I don't know who she was but she wasn't anything I recognized. I don't think she was even human.
[He scrubs his face, trying as best to remember the Ring, sorting the events, sorting out how he felt weightless and yet heavy, a stranger in a strange place. A place he certainly didn't belong in, and a place that certainly wanted him out.]
[He'd very nearly gotten into an argument with the King and the Princess right then and there, in the elevator, just after he'd gotten into a physical fight with Drautos-as-Glauca. Nyx had sometimes wondered if all the sacrifice would ever end.
It's an anger that flares wildly, and an anger that he lets go of just as quickly. He didn't even care about himself. He just wanted the needless bloodshed to stop.]
I don't know. I had just gotten shot by one of my own, someone who'd sided with the Nifs. I was in a weird space, all black and purple. Time seemed to not even exist, but I was still on the floor. A woman showed up, I'd never seen her before in my life, but she somehow knew me. She wanted me to go with her, that I needed to go with her. It's how I ended up here. I don't know who she was but she wasn't anything I recognized. I don't think she was even human.
[He scrubs his face, trying as best to remember the Ring, sorting the events, sorting out how he felt weightless and yet heavy, a stranger in a strange place. A place he certainly didn't belong in, and a place that certainly wanted him out.]
["To save the world". Noctis knows what that really means; to give his own life for the sake of Eos. A sacrifice dictated by the gods, for his own existence to be crushed under the heel of destiny. He's too tired to feel angry about it these days. Too accepting to really feel anything other than guilty he hasn't completed the task, yet.
Even if the opportunity had been pulled out from under him, being brought here. Much like Nyx was, in the midst of his sacrifice. Because that's what it would've been, he's sure of it; none but a Lucis Caelum would be able to use the Ring, and that Nyx had even seen anything is surprising to him.]
That's pretty impressive, you know. That you lived to tell the tale, that you even saw anything.
[He sighs, setting the Ring back down and sliding it over back to Nyx. He leans back in his seat, then holds up his hand with his own Ring on it.]
It made its way back to me, in the end. So... thank you. For all that you did.
[All bittersweet sincerity from Noctis. The flash of gratitude is easy to read, easy to feel.]
Even if the opportunity had been pulled out from under him, being brought here. Much like Nyx was, in the midst of his sacrifice. Because that's what it would've been, he's sure of it; none but a Lucis Caelum would be able to use the Ring, and that Nyx had even seen anything is surprising to him.]
That's pretty impressive, you know. That you lived to tell the tale, that you even saw anything.
[He sighs, setting the Ring back down and sliding it over back to Nyx. He leans back in his seat, then holds up his hand with his own Ring on it.]
It made its way back to me, in the end. So... thank you. For all that you did.
[All bittersweet sincerity from Noctis. The flash of gratitude is easy to read, easy to feel.]
[ Sam doesn't know Nyx as well as he does some of the other Hosts, but he's still someone that Sam thinks of after talking to Cathaway about their mission. He's not about to go barging into Nyx's head, though, so when he focuses on their connection - he hovers on the outskirts with the faintest hint of a brush of feathers, something closer to a polite knock than anything else. ]
[He picks the Ring back up, running a coarse thumb over the black edges.]
They called me hero for a reason.
[He says it with humor, despite the truth. He hadn't expected a whole lot when he put on the Ring except some final attempt at saving the Princess and the Ring itself.
The gratitude is humbling, in a way, because he never really does anything for thanks. He does it because it's right and necessary. Because he knows that if he doesn't do it, no one else will. It's duty, in the end, not any kind of prize that makes him do literally anything.]
I wrecked your car in the process, though. Maybe you don't want to thank me just yet.
[He's not belittling the gratitude, not at all. There just needs to be some levity to this dark affair of their lives.]
They called me hero for a reason.
[He says it with humor, despite the truth. He hadn't expected a whole lot when he put on the Ring except some final attempt at saving the Princess and the Ring itself.
The gratitude is humbling, in a way, because he never really does anything for thanks. He does it because it's right and necessary. Because he knows that if he doesn't do it, no one else will. It's duty, in the end, not any kind of prize that makes him do literally anything.]
I wrecked your car in the process, though. Maybe you don't want to thank me just yet.
[He's not belittling the gratitude, not at all. There just needs to be some levity to this dark affair of their lives.]
[Having a proverbial knock on the mental door is still weird, given that there wasn't near as much courtesy for him when he was in the Glaive. Knock and barge in is how usually that went, even if it was a more physical instead of a mental thing.
He'd been practicing his shields for the past few hours, on and off. They're not as strong as Steve's shields, nor are they so imposing, either. Bricks and mortar had been for Steve. Nyx's has taken in the form of thick forests and greenery, sunlight pouring in through the canopy and reflecting clear rivers. Somewhere prowling is a beast, white with blue eyes, a coeurl that is the last to fade away from the scenery as it shifts into something more open, more recent and certainly more militaristic than the former grandeur of his home: The Citadel training grounds. To the Earth-born people, it looks like Rome's ruins, covered in scaffolding, bullet holes, and knife marks all around a central column, surrounded by a levels of broken arches and columns spanning upwards to at least 10 stories.
Galahd keeps him safe, the Citadel brings him back. And so, with this image of the training grounds standing quietly in the sun, Nyx answers the door.]
( You rang? )
He'd been practicing his shields for the past few hours, on and off. They're not as strong as Steve's shields, nor are they so imposing, either. Bricks and mortar had been for Steve. Nyx's has taken in the form of thick forests and greenery, sunlight pouring in through the canopy and reflecting clear rivers. Somewhere prowling is a beast, white with blue eyes, a coeurl that is the last to fade away from the scenery as it shifts into something more open, more recent and certainly more militaristic than the former grandeur of his home: The Citadel training grounds. To the Earth-born people, it looks like Rome's ruins, covered in scaffolding, bullet holes, and knife marks all around a central column, surrounded by a levels of broken arches and columns spanning upwards to at least 10 stories.
Galahd keeps him safe, the Citadel brings him back. And so, with this image of the training grounds standing quietly in the sun, Nyx answers the door.]
( You rang? )
[ Sunlight gleams faintly through the patches in the clouds that represent Sam's shields as he opens up their connection a little more, taking in the visualization of Nyx's shields.
Not bad, and the link hums with that thought - and with a hint of curiosity about the forest and beast and grounds - before he refocuses on what he contacted Nyx for. ]
( I spoke with Cathaway about the mission. She - well, she pretty much said we've got no extraction plan if we blow our cover and the Enemy finds us. They won't risk it following us back to the Station. )
Not bad, and the link hums with that thought - and with a hint of curiosity about the forest and beast and grounds - before he refocuses on what he contacted Nyx for. ]
( I spoke with Cathaway about the mission. She - well, she pretty much said we've got no extraction plan if we blow our cover and the Enemy finds us. They won't risk it following us back to the Station. )
[When he sighs, the images shudder slightly. A near-suicide mission. As if the past missions turning into shit hitting the fan scenarios and amounting to rescues weren't bad enough, now there's no option of going back.
Except that's what Drautos told him, and he went back for Libertus anyway.]
( So we need to make sure everyone does what they have to do and don't deviate too much from the plan. )
[He's already thinking, already trying to work out some basic skeleton that can be filled in with the mission parameters.]
( Do they know? They're going to hate Station orders and whoever tells them to not wait for anyone to come save them. Probably hate the idea of forcing everyone into teams, too. )
[On his end, he's scrubbing his face. This isn't unusual for him, but it could be to most people here. Even if it's not, he can literally hear everyone protesting in his head. We don't need your team work. You're too new. You haven't been on a mission before. You haven't earned everyone's trust. You're going to get excuses for our fear and distrust. We're all too paranoid to hear you.
It makes his eyes roll into the back of his skull. He doesn't even bother to mask the annoyance of the future and what he hears in the excuses that everyone's thrown at him. It's what has to be done, and he'll make himself enemy number one if it means getting out without abandoning anyone.]
Except that's what Drautos told him, and he went back for Libertus anyway.]
( So we need to make sure everyone does what they have to do and don't deviate too much from the plan. )
[He's already thinking, already trying to work out some basic skeleton that can be filled in with the mission parameters.]
( Do they know? They're going to hate Station orders and whoever tells them to not wait for anyone to come save them. Probably hate the idea of forcing everyone into teams, too. )
[On his end, he's scrubbing his face. This isn't unusual for him, but it could be to most people here. Even if it's not, he can literally hear everyone protesting in his head. We don't need your team work. You're too new. You haven't been on a mission before. You haven't earned everyone's trust. You're going to get excuses for our fear and distrust. We're all too paranoid to hear you.
It makes his eyes roll into the back of his skull. He doesn't even bother to mask the annoyance of the future and what he hears in the excuses that everyone's thrown at him. It's what has to be done, and he'll make himself enemy number one if it means getting out without abandoning anyone.]
[ If they were all professionals here, people like Nyx and Clint and, well, everyone who agreed to doing team training or at least didn't call people stupid for trying it, Sam'd barely blink. The people who're used to this kind of thing, to life or death and knowing you got one shot and that's it.
But that's not what they're working with. They're working with people who're used to calling the shots and unwilling to follow others' advice, people who have too much to prove and want to show everyone what they're made of, people who just don't give a shit.
It makes things complicated in the best of times, and there's an echo of Sam running a hand across his own jaw. ]
( Yeah, I know. It's like people here've got some kneejerk aversion to people trying to make suggestions or get everyone in the Nest talking about something. But I'm telling everyone I know, or at least the ones that I think might listen. And if everyone I tell shares it with the people they trust... )
But that's not what they're working with. They're working with people who're used to calling the shots and unwilling to follow others' advice, people who have too much to prove and want to show everyone what they're made of, people who just don't give a shit.
It makes things complicated in the best of times, and there's an echo of Sam running a hand across his own jaw. ]
( Yeah, I know. It's like people here've got some kneejerk aversion to people trying to make suggestions or get everyone in the Nest talking about something. But I'm telling everyone I know, or at least the ones that I think might listen. And if everyone I tell shares it with the people they trust... )
[Humor for humor. Well, sort of. Noctis's voice is tinged with both disbelief and that intonation of of course you did, I'm not surprised, lingering in the air.]
You did what?
[Not that it mattered, and not that it made him less of a hypocrite by looking so surprised. The Regalia had become nothing but a smoldering wreck, as well; he can hardly judge Nyx for what had basically happened to himself, as well.]
And what's the story behind that?
You did what?
[Not that it mattered, and not that it made him less of a hypocrite by looking so surprised. The Regalia had become nothing but a smoldering wreck, as well; he can hardly judge Nyx for what had basically happened to himself, as well.]
And what's the story behind that?
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