semi-open; March catch-all

[brotrips]

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)

Comments

[coquere]

[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]

[brotrips]

(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?

[coquere]

[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.

[brotrips]

His own terms?! He's dead!

(I'll never see him again, even when I get out of here.)

He was smarter than that. He just ga---

(Damn it. His hand shoots out and grabs the dessert and takes a bite, if only to shut himself up and hold back his emotions.)

[coquere]

It was not the mark of a fool to welcome someone under a banner of peace. Think of it, Noct: if he refused them entrance, when all believed that there would be talk of peace, what would have happened? Insomnia would have been seen as the ones to break the treaty. By welcoming them, your father exposed the empire as treacherous and dishonorable.

Furthermore, your father's actions allowed for people to escape the city safely. He died bravely in battle protecting his people.

[he falls quiet so Noct can process this. He knows that explaining the strategy of it won't ease the pain of Noct's loss, but he's hoping Noct can at least make more sense of why the king did what he did]

[brotrips]

(He knows. Beneath it all, Noctis was raised to one day take the throne. He doesn't possess Ignis' calm mind, not yet, but playing nice with the right people was among his lessons, but this feels wrong; it isn't the method, but the outcome.

If only all of this was some kind of lie, a test, but that isn't Ignis.

Noctis stands quickly, the food falling to the bed.)

Gladio left a Chocobo. I'm going riding.

(It may be hidden, but there's an invitation. The prince doesn't necessarily want to be alone.)

[coquere]

[he glances at the discarded food and can't help himself in cleaning it up. He'll stow it away for later, or for someone else to come by and eat. Ignis brushes off the stray crumbs before turning his attention back to Noct]

Yes. The black Chocobo, wasn't it? I would like to see it.

[he had no intention of leaving Noct alone anyway, but will take the poorly-hidden invitation]

[brotrips]

Yeah, the black Chocobo.

(Maybe he's hoping to get comfort from it as well. Since the others left, it was the one constant left behind that didn't involve Noctis learning a skill he'd far from mastered. The pans Ignis owns again are used, but they seem to be well cared for -- if only because he had to take one to an alchemist after a particularly careless incident.

His mind spins, caught without any real way to move forward. It's an emotional limbo that nonetheless revolves around pain and anger.

The prince quietly makes his way from the room, unable to express his emotions but hoping for an outlet. He has two now that Ignis is here, and he has made a friend or two while staying, but the Chocobo had been the most obvious link to home before now.)

He's not too close. I have to keep him in a nearby stable.

(It's only one of the reasons he'd planned on moving out.)

[coquere]

[Ignis, of course, follows closely after Noct. This place is much safer than Eos but he would still rather be nearby in case of any trouble]

Have you tried taking it to fly?

[there were rumors about that unique ability but the Chocobo was still very young back home. If it's big enough to carry a person here, maybe it's big enough to try flight]

[brotrips]

Fly?

(Despite the cloud that's settled over Noctis' life, he throws a glance over his shoulder to give Ignis a brief look.)

Those stories are real? I didn't think they could really fly.

[coquere]

We haven't had the opportunity to test it back home yet. The chocobo was still only a chick. But I imagine it's grown here. We should at least try it out and see.

[training the chocobo and working with it to fly would be a good project for them both]

[brotrips]

I just want to ride him right now.

(Training implies he think of the future, which he currently doesn't want to do. Noctis doesn't want to think at all because his father comes to mind, and he's simultaneously hurt and angry.)

He should have told me. He should have told me he was sending me away so he could die.

[coquere]

He sent you away so you could live, Noct. I know it's still raw for you, but please try not to cast a shadow on your father's choices.

[brotrips]

I know why he did it, but that doesn't mean I have to agree with what he did. If I was there, I could have done something. What's the point of making me go to all the treating if he's just going to send me away?

Why aren't you angry? It's your -- (family too, but the words are too harsh, and Noctis catches himself and turns away again.)

[coquere]

[he has no answers, and he feels like Noct isn't really seeking them. He's just talking out his feelings; Ignis will let him without interruption. Though he can't help the look he gives Noct when asked that question]

I thought you knew me better than to ask a question like that.

[of course he was angry when they saw what the empire did to their home. And he worries every time Noct takes on the power of one of the old kings or an Astral, but he would never say it.

He shows strength and calm because someone has to, and he feels that even more now that their group is out of balance]

[brotrips]

(The thing is... Noctis does know him better. Ignis' reprimands are few, but they're all the more poignant for how rare they really are. Now, Noctis feels the weight of his words sitting heavy on his shoulders.)

I... know.

(Damn it, this isn't how it was supposed to be when one of his friends came back.)

I'm pissed he's gone.

(I'm hurting.)

[coquere]

[he pauses to reach out and clasp his hand on Noct's shoulder, giving it a squeeze]

I know. It's all right to feel that way. We can find a place where you can take out your aggression if you need.

[brotrips]

(He doesn't pull away or otherwise reject the offer. His own words shamed enough that the anger wasn't leaving, but it was moving away from Ignis. It will take a lot more time for him to come to terms with everything.)

The Chocobo's waiting in the stables.

When I leave here...I'm taking it back.

[coquere]

[he nods, smiling a little at this. The chocobo should be with its own kind. Even though it's the only black chocobo in their land, being around other regular chocobos would still be good for it]

Have you come up with a name for it?

[brotrips]

Yeah. I didn't know if Gladio named it before he left, he just sort of vanished, so I named him Apela. He's gotten used to the name and responds to it if he's within hearing distance.

(Noctis swallows and pretends that he didn't just find out his father is dead.

He tries to pretend.)

I got a job selling fish so I take him with me a lot.

[coquere]

[he smiles at that. He's glad that Noct gets to fish, and that he's been able to make his way in this place]

I was assigned the Perimeter Guard. Perhaps you can join me on a patrol sometime. You can bring Apela if you think he's up for it.

[brotrips]

(It was a perfect setup, the job was he was offered when he came here. He knows, with his abilities, he should probably guard the wall, too, but he'd thought of it as a slight vacation. No one knew him as a prince, and when it came up in conversation, no one cared. Noctis assumed when he left here, he would marry Luna, and soon, it would be his role to keep the wall around the city. Wasn't it fine to take a few months to just enjoy himself?

Of course, Ignis' bombshell changed everything. He needs to get stronger, to get serious; he has a city to take back when he gets home.

Ignis is spared all of that.)

Yeah, it'll be good for his exercise. They have some things here I didn't recognize. I wonder if the dishes here can be a lot different than those from home.

[coquere]

[it's more or less how Noct reacted back home, so Ignis can guess what's going on in the prince's head right now. Noct mentioning dishes makes Ignis smile]

We shall have to try them out. I'm always looking for new recipes.