riverviewlogs | semi-open; March catch-all

Entry tags:

semi-open; March catch-all

who: Various
what: Catchall
when: Throughout the month of march
where: Various
warnings: None yet. Will update if needed.

i. Aeacinos Ixocia - games, fights, and fish

(It's cruel to think of someone who had been friendly as an obstacle to overcome, but Noctis knows he has reservations that are hardly fair to Aeacinos. Likely, his appearance has caused him various amounts of trouble throughout his life. So, even if it's a learning curve, Noctis is going to learn to look past his appearance.

In time.

Step one starts today as he steps outside of the community house to look for a figure that could never be mistaken for someone else -- not someone in this world, anyway. He seems to lack a sword, a strange thing for the supposed spar. )

i. Edward Elric - i broke it, now fix it

(Had they belonged to anyone else, Noctis would have trashed the pan when he saw the blackened, mishappened surface, and he doesn't really place any sentimentality in items, at least not much. However, if he can get fixed, he would like to since they once belonged to the now gone Ignis.

Noctis approaches the repair shop, clad in all black, an outfit choice Ed may have once appreciated, though he has no flaming red coat to accent the clothes. Instead, his shirt and pants are as black as his hair and eyes.

Stepping inside, Noctis looks around.)

I'm looking for Ed.

iii. Yu Narukami - meeting the family

(As it turns out, they...live near one another. It feels strange that it had never come up in conversation, but when Noctis and Yu finally work out a schedule to meet the famed cats, it turns out Noctis has little distance to travel. Carrying a fish he'd had left over the day before, he tracks down the room number and knocks.

In all honesty, he's looked forward to meeting Yu's feline friends.

iV. wildcard

(ooc | More to be added soon. If you want to do something with Noctis this month, feel free to tag. If you'd like to plan, I can be reached via pm or at

wrinklesintimes)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Ignis is waiting by the elevator as agreed. While he waits for Noct to arrive, he's puzzling out their talk in his head. Does the prince really not remember anything after the Regalia broke down? It seems unfathomable, but Noct also says Ignis was here before and he certainly has no memory of that.

There will be questions, and he's still figuring out how to answer some of them]

(Somehow, he was spared the horrible memories they would have had should he remember what the others did. When he shows, he doesn't seem particularly burdened, he isn't carrying the weight of a fallen kingdom on his shoulders.

Noctis can't help the twitch of his lips when it turns out to be Ignis, just as promised. He's been here a few months now, and he's had to adjust to really being alone without any support. It's been a rocky road.)

You really did come back, huh?

[Ignis notices the difference immediately. Normally he would delight in seeing Noct less burdened, but in this case it troubles him. Knowing what is to become of the prince will have to be a burden he silently bears. So he clasps a fist over his heart and bows]

Forgive me for any distress I caused in my absence, Your Highness. I'm happy to see you doing well.

(Noctis could, should, tell him that he didn't have to talk to him like a prince, especially since his royal lineage means nothing here. Ignis isn't just someone who plays a role, he's become a friend, an ally. Noctis hasn't learned all the lessons he needs to learn yet, but being here alone did give him a new appreciation for those he left behind.

But it hasn't given him a way with words. Unable to say what he really wants, Noctis scratches at the back of his head in a gesture that makes his awkwardness a little too evident.

'Welcome back.' )

Yeah, it's been really weird without you guys. It's been a few months since you left.

(That didn't work out.)

I kept your stuff from before.

[typical Noctis response. Ignis smiles fondly, the look fading when he's told just how long the prince has been without him. Months. He was charged to look after Noct and he had been gone for months. On a logical level, he knows this is something he could not prevent. The coming and going from this land is not voluntary. Still, he feels the guilt of it, and the worry of all that Noct could've gone through and needed in his absence.

Ignis takes a breath and sets all that aside. He's here now]

What sort of "stuff"?

(If he could, Noctis would have wanted to tell him that he's right in that the disappearance isn't Ignis' fault. Aside from that fact, nothing horrible has happened in those months. He's slowly adjusted, but it feels like there's so much more to go.

No, he did suppose he saw a very disturbing dead body.)

Come on.

(Noctis motions for Ignis to follow him inside.)

Gladio left it to me when he disappeared after you, but I know the cooking gear and tablet was yours. He left a black Chocobo too, but I have to keep it in a stable nearby.

Edited 2018-03-10 21:00 (UTC)

[Ignis frowns at this. So he and Gladio were both here, but both had also disappeared. And as Noct hasn't mentioned Prompto, Ignis concludes that the fourth member of their party hadn't been here at all. Logically of course it's not really his fault that he left, or that the prince was alone, but the guilt is still there.

Luckily, their discussion is keeping his guilt from gnawing at him too severely. He smiles at the mention of cooking gear, wondering who had been doing that in his absence. And then nodded at the mention of the black Chocobo]

We rescued a black Chocobo chick during the course of our journey. I would very much like to see how it has grown.

(While Noctis leads him inside, he throws a curious look over his shoulder.)

Over the course of our journey? What do you mean?

(The previous two hadn't explained the difference between their time periods, and he has yet to experience it.)

You said you last recalled the Regalia breaking down. That was at the beginning of our journey. We pushed it to Hammerhead, where it was repaired. We made our way across Eos in the Regalia, on foot and by Chocobo.

Quite a lot happened along the way. Eventually we made it to Altissia, and that is when I arrived here.

[he knows he's summarizing but he's sort of hoping the others will arrive and they can all tell Noct together. Prompto's photographs will certainly help tell the story]

We made it, huh?

(The floor is open and shows rows of beds. The one belongs to Noctis is made up, a skill he learned after being here for months. There are no military corners, but it doesn't look as if a child had attempted the chore.)

I was almost married. Guess everything was going to Dad's plan. Typical.

(Regis wouldn't have been wrong.)

[Ignis presses his lips into a line, struggling between staying silent and telling the prince what happened to their kingdom. Even when it happened, he wasn't too thrilled about breaking the news. But that had been unavoidable.

He sighs]

Not quite. I think we need to sit down so I can tell you what happened after we left.

(Noctis kneels by his bed and reaches under in order to remove a box, not yet realizing the gravity of what transpired once they left the city. The box is wide but not overly tall.)

Did something happen? (His dark eyes narrows.) Did they withdraw the deal? What was the point of asking for it, anyway? If they're not serious about peace, it was a waste of our time and Luna's.

[just do it, Ignis. Rip off the bandage]

They attacked. Your father-- he was killed. A few made it out alive. Lady Iris, the marshall... But our kingdom is no longer safe for us.

(His movements stop. He'd been about to open the box to remove the pans he'd cared for as well as he possibly could as if they were Ignis' memories themselves, but now Noctis's hands freeze in place. It's a large detail to hear and absorb. For a moment, he's unsure how to react because it can't be true.)

What?!

(Turning quickly, the anguish is on his face; Ignis has seen it before when he'd been told the first time. It's no less painful now, especially since for Noctis, it had been months since he'd seen his father. The entire time, he expected there to be a home to return to.)

How?! They...can't be....

('Tell me it was a lie. It doesn't matter why you lied, tell me.')

[yes, that reaction is painfully familiar. It was hard to break the news before, but it was all over the newspapers and the radio, so were at least outside sources. Here, it's just Ignis. He swallows, bowing his head]

I'm so sorry, Noct.

[sorry you have to feel this pain again. Sorry that there's nothing we can do to change it. Sorry that Ignis can't make it go away]

Are you sure? Did anybody see it?

(The first time, they had to go back and confirm it was all true. It took seeing the occupied city for Noctis to really accept that it happened. Here, there is no way to get such proof, such closure. He has only Ignis' word, but his word is strong and solid. Had it been almost anyone else, he could have some deniability. His friends, however, wouldn't lie about something so painful.

Before giving Ignis a chance to answer, Noctis pushes the box away, his body drooping.) Damn it!

[he hates this. At least back home, they could take some sort of action when they heard the news. He rests a hand on the prince's shoulder, giving him a squeeze. Even if Ignis was the sort to do more than that, he doesn't feel like Noct would accept it.

After a moment Ignis moves his hand away and picks up the box, taking out the cooking stuff]

Where are all of the cooking ingredients?

[when in doubt, cook a meal]

How can you think about food right now?!

(It isn't fair. Ignis has had a lot more time to come to terms with what happened, it wasn't a new and bleeding wound. Noctis also knows that this is his way of caring for him, but this is the biggest news he's ever been given.

His dad is dead. Forever. They'd parted on such rough terms, and Noctis had just assumed he'd have a chance to get back to him. He'd come back, married and playing his role. Now, that's impossible.)

Forget about food. Tell me we've done something. Tell me we managed to strike back.

Of course we did something, Noct. But we couldn't-- the empire had taken over the city. The Crystal has been captured. We are doing all we can to get our kingdom back, I promise you. We have traversed the land of Eos, going into the tombs of the old kings. Lady Lunafreya is waking the Astrals from their slumber.

[his words are a bit more heated than usual. He knows that this isn't fair, and it's upsetting him. They all dealt with this together, had come so far, and it feels like a giant step backward.

Worse, there's no active thing Noct can do about it here. Ignis takes off his glasses, rubbing his eyes and putting them back on again]

But those experiences haven't happened to you yet. I can do nothing else to ease your mind, but I can cook a damn meal.

[he's frustrated with himself, not with Noct. He doesn't like having no plan of action for them, this feeling of uncertainty on what to do]

(His jaw hardens, tension running through his face and causing his muscles to lock. There's no one enemy to attack, no one he could use to vent. Here, he's unable to even fight back against the people who hurt his father.

Damn it. Damn it, damn it, damn it. His home, his people, all the people he'd grown up around, his dad...

Luna, Ignis, Gladio, Prompto, Cid, Iris...they were all okay. If any of them had been left behind, they would have perished in the city as well.

Noctis drops back.)

The kitchen. (He isn't hungry. He isn't anything besides angry and hurt.) In the center. (This much will give him a second to be alone.)

[he didn't mean to lose his temper, but this is the sort of thing he hates: things being out of his control. He turns to cooking because it's something he can control. The ingredients, making sure it's all cooked evenly, knowing it would make those who ate the meal happy.

Which may be why he's trying to gather ingredients for that Tenebrae sweet he's still trying to perfect for Noct. He will never stop trying to get it right.

Even if Noct won't eat it, Ignis hopes seeing it may lift the prince's spirits just a little]

(Ignis isn't at fault, and Noctis knows that, beneath the pain that was gripping at his heart. His father is dead, his kingdom fallen, and he'd lived for months without the knowledge. He was meant to be there, why wasn't he there...

Because his father sent him away. Because his father was sure he wasn't in the city. Noctis' neck snaps up, disbelief on his face. If he knew, and he'd died anyway...

But there's nothing Noctis can do. He drops heavily on the bed, his knee propped up on the mattress and his head resting on it. His fist slams down again, this time into the bed. It's just too much to suddenly process.)

[Ignis lets the food cook, taking the moment to sit down on the bed and lightly rest his hand on Noctis's head. He knows what the prince must be going through right now, what conclusions he's drawing in his mind. And what's more, he knows how all four of them had worked through it together. The absence of the other two is almost physical]

I'm sorry I raised my voice. I don't do well with uncertainties.

[he sits with Noct like this, trying to be a comfort to the best of his ability. And then the oven goes off. Ignis goes to take out his latest attempt at that treat, setting it close for Noct to see and smell.

Again, Ignis doesn't really expect Noct to eat it, but it's a reliable staple in their lives]

(At first, it's hard to tell if Noctis' waving away motion is asking Ignis to leave or to say the volume of his voice hadn't mattered, but it's the second. Normally, if there's an argument, it's himself and Gladio. If Ignis raised his voice, it usually means Noctis has done something wrong, but this time, it doesn't feel like he has.

Finally, he raises his head and looks at the dish. It's a dish most people would love, but the prince has no appetite right then. His dark eyes focus on the dessert.)

Why'd he let them in? If he knew what was going to happen, why the hell did he let them in?

[Ignis doesn't seem to mind that Noct has no interest in eating the food. He just made it so he could feel in control of something, even if that something was the creation of a dessert. It's also his way to express that he was angry at the situation and his lack of ability to fix it, rather than anything else]

It would have been worse if he hadn't. If for one moment they suspected he knew of their betrayal... No, your father understood it was better they meet him on his own terms.

iv

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