riverviewlogs | (open) why is he like this: the log

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(open) why is he like this: the log

who: Noctis and u, new and old CR welcome!!
what: some prompts feat. Noct and also Noct, but 8 years old
when: June
where: around
warnings: doubtful

A. not a literal child

[Not by age, anyway. When Noctis isn't on his shift at the petting zoo, he can be found out and around Riverview, usually with his nose in what appears to be a strategy guide for a Riverview-equivalent of the wildly popular!! (not really) board game Kingmaker. Nerds and children might be familiar with this game, but besides them: there's Noctis.

Every so often during his intense study, he checks something on his phone, scoffs in disappointment, and looks at the book again. Occasionally he makes a note with a pencil. This is the most studying he's ever done in his life, for the record.

Eventually he'll stick a finger in the book to hold his page and flag down a passerby, complete stranger or not.]

Hey, can I ask you something? I need a second opinion for, uh, work stuff.

[it's fucking board games, he's full of it]

B. actually a literal child; after June 14

[Once 8-year-old Noctis has slipped cleverly away from the clutches of his various babysitters, he quickly realizes something very important: it's hard to make a daring escape in a wheelchair. Thankfully (uh, maybe) he doesn't need it for more than a slowly healing injury, so he makes the wisest choice an 8-year-old child could make:

He just abandons it, because an empty wheelchair just sitting in a public space isn't a concern, or anything. The boy himself doesn't make it far—in fact, he's quite literally up a tree nearby. Not very high - he is tiny - but he sure did get up there.]

Whoa—this is higher than I thought. [genius]

C. still a literal child; still after June 14

[Other fun things kids do: make a lot of noise and a lot of mess. Noctis isn't as rowdy as plenty of 8-year-olds, certainaly, but he's bored and when you're a child stranded in a weird place with no friends to keep you busy, you make a lot of noise and mess.

He appears to be playing with fireworks because he is literally playing with fireworks; little round ones that seem to go off not because he's also playing with matches, but just because they... go off after he tosses them high enough in the air. After a few he gets bored of just tossing them and takes to batting them higher and further with a giant, squeaky rubber mallet.

Surely this is not annoying.]

D. choose your own age-defying adventure

[hit me up via pm or @ melodrama if you'd like a starter! Nocts of all ages available!!]

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[Let Dave live. Noctis looks Deeply Unsure of his ability to draw cushions, but he'll color this couch in... It'll be blue, because why the hell not.

He draws some circles for cushions. Endure.]

How's this?

That looks presentable.

[Presentable... Circles on a rectangle.] Now, what shall they do next?

[Presentable is one of those words Noctis has only heard in conjunction with dressing up for boring events he hates sitting through, so that's disappointing. His couch sucks.]

I dunno. What do you do with friends?

I wonder... I don't have many friends, myself.

[Hmm, that isn't what he would say if he was from current time and not stuck in the past like he is now, but his memories tells him there's only Tsumugi, and he's using Tsumugi so it's not real. It's based on Tsumugi needing his money, right?]

Don't you exchange things with one another...? The princess will do something for Dave-kun, and in return, it's expected that Dave-kun will do something for her?

[This seems right.]

You don't?

[What kind of adult is this...?? Noctis is disappointed in him in the way that only children can be, sighing and coloring his awful couch in more fully.]

I don't think giving people stuff is the same as being friends...

Fufu, have I disappointed you with that news? I'm sorry. I was in the hospital for a large portion of my life, and even at home I wasn't allowed outside due to my health.

[Like, he's met people, but friends? He's not sure.] I'm disappointing after all, aren't I? What do you think being friends might mean? I'm sure Noct-kun would know better than I would.

[Should this be the thing that piques his interest? Likely not, but he's a small child in a wheelchair, he will bond about whatever he can.] Did you get hurt, too? But you can still dance.

[Since he has no friends, let's talk about this thing instead.]

Is that what happened to you, Noct-kun?

[He wasn't going to ask because it's rude, but if a child asks first it's okay to return the question.] I was born with a weak heart, and a body prone to illness. I'm sensitive to changes in temperature and I can easily overexert myself, so even that dancing you saw just now was me pushing myself a bit too much. I'm still very tired from it, you know? I was starting to feel dizzy, so it's a good thing you came and stopped me.

[See, that all sounds very scary and dangerous, and he's looking at Eichi now like he really shouldn't ever do those scary dancing things ever again. He doesn't even know what "weak heart" really means, but it doesn't sound like it goes away, so what kind of sickness is that??]

Oh—you're welcome. [uHHH] I'm stuck in this chair but only 'til my legs get better. Monsters tried to kill me, but my dad was there, so they couldn't.

[But more traumatic than it sounds, trust him. He's looking down at the table and fiddling with the colored pencils while he... explains.]

[Jesus christ, small child...]

What a horrible experience that must have been. I'm glad your father was able to save you. He must love you very much. [He assumes that's how parental love works, it makes sense...] But going through pain like that... I think I would have died right away if it were me. You're very strong.

[What is wrong with Eichi, of course his dad is the best??]

Yeah—my dad's great. I wish he was here. [But not enough to draw a children's book about him, don't judge him about this. Noctis looks up from the pencils to give Eichi a look, apparently disbelieving.]

You're sick all the time but you still dance. Isn't that strong enough?

[Aww, that dad comment... He won't continue on that, since it might just make things sad. Leave it at great dads, that's a good idea. As far as strength goes, though...]

Is it strong if I can barely finish a routine without collapsing? For a long time, I could only watch videos and hope that by memorizing the moves, I would improve myself. It's true that I'm in a better place now, but it's a cycle with this body of mine.

[He remembers he's talking to an 8 year old, though, so pauses.] But I suppose it could be considered strength in some way.

["what the heck" - noctis probably]

I don't know how to dance. [He shrugs, like, his ignorance of the world of dance is obvious proof that it's a cool skill to have. Not that he's eager to start twirling around, or anything, not when that would probably pop his knee out of its socket or something- but still.]

It sounds like enough to me.

Thank you, Noct-kun.

[That's sweet, at least. He taps the back of his pen against their little drawing collection so far.]

Now, what should happen next, do you think? Once we finish this, I can fold it into your own book, and we can see about having something to eat, if you're hungry.

Can you cook? [That's even better than dancing, judging by the straight up glow of admiration in his tiny face. Food, yes, feed him??]

We can finish the story later. I'm starving!

Cook? It's not something I normally do, but I'm certain something can be figured out.

[Like takeout.] What would you like to eat? Are you craving something, Noct-kun? Let me hear your dreams of food.

[Time paradox: it's actually Eichi's fault that Noct eats such shit as an adult!!! No, but really, he's 8.]

Cake? [PLEEEEASE CAKE]

Fufu, now is the time when I should say "cake isn't a meal, so eat something like vegetables and protein" right? But you know, I was rebellious as a child myself, and since I'm nothing like your guardian, those aren't rules that we have to obey.

[What is he even going on about... In the end, he's being a horrible influence.] Cake does sound quite nice. I'm unfortunately not very skilled in baking it myself, but why don't I go purchase one for us? Is there a flavor you'd like?

[That's so many words that boil down to CAKE FOR DINNER, thanks Eichi. Noct's expression goes from timidly requesting cake back to confused about this boy and his many words, again. But... yes...?]

Um—as long as it's sweet, it's fine. And not carrot cake.

So, something like chocolate or strawberry?

[He can do that. Chuckling, he gathers the papers they've completed so far and sets them aside on a table, leaving the rest with Noct.] If you'd like to continue this while I'm gone, then when I come back, I'll write more of the story to your pictures. I shouldn't take too long, so please wait here patiently.

[Let's count the ways in which Eichi is excelling at child care:
- Leaving a child alone at home
- Getting cake for dinner
- Too exhausted to be out walking in the heat to get a cake but he's gonna do it anyway, might die
- Literally everything in this thread]

Those are good. Um—I'll wait, I guess?

[To be... fair, he doesn't want to go to the store and watch Eichi buy a cake. How boring. He seems content to sit right here and doodle more dogs for his "story," nodding at Eichi as he leaves.

When Eichi comes back, however, the scene is slightly different: there's Noct sitting in more or less the same spot, coloring furiously, looking completely normal aside from the way his ears are burning red with tiny shame and there are pieces of shattered ceramic all over the floor. Only one plate made it from the cabinet in their tiny kitchen to the table- there is also a chair from the table over there, where he had to climb on it and then left it during his plate-breaking panic- and it sits there, guilty, surrounded by forks and napkins.

An effort was made.]

[Eichi is immediately shocked at the sight, even if he does look a bit tired. He sets the box with the cake inside of it aside on the table, and then steps over to the mess with a confused glance from the chair over to Noct in his wheelchair.]

Noct-kun, did you drop one of the plates?

[It's not as scolding as it could be, but it's still a little stern. Why is he hiding from it?] Are you hurt?

[While waiting for that answer, he tries to step carefully to move the chair out of the middle of the mess, but that only seems to spread the mess further.]

[No... don't look at him... Noct hunches his shoulders over his drawing, which he is very busy with, thank you, so busy that he must have been here the whole time and someone else must have busted all those plates. Indeed!!!

Or, no,] It fell. I was trying to get everything ready...

[He's never set a table in his life, on top of being so small. The sound of Eichi trying to deal with the chair makes him cringe guiltily all over again, but he looks up from behind his drawing paper, which he's holding up to, obviously, half-hide behind.]

I'm not supposed to touch dishes when they break so I came back over here and I didn't mean to do it but it just fell?

Ah, no, you don't have to look so worried, you know? I'm simply glad that you're unharmed. It's true that you shouldn't touch these things once they're broken, so...

[Umm... He sort of tiptoes around this spot, trying to get things to help clean it up. A broom, a dust pan?? He is so clearly unused to this.] Once I've gotten it all out of the way, we can have cake. You were trying to set the table, is that it? How sweet, Noct-kun. Next time, you can simply wait for me. I don't mind.

The plates were too slippery. [Obviously this wasn't his fault, he was set up... He watches Eichi poke around in the mess, torn - he clearly has no idea what he's doing, but if they do something rash like call Ignis, then Ignis will know he broke plates! It's lose-lose!

He'll just pretend Eichi isn't totally hopeless.]

Do you know how to do that...?

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