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secret-engima · 5 years

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What if the Nox Verse Dissidia nabbed an extra person for each side on accident? I mean, Noctis and Nox being two people but also one, mystically speaking, leaves an opening for a really mind breaking issue. Two-is-one-is-two, brothers-but-not, new-and-old-remade, WTH? Well, if things are going to go sideways ANYWAY, might as well make it Memorable. So it nabs Ardyn. And Regis. See? Another mindbending mix of brother-but-not and new-and-remade should even things out. Maybe. At least it's funny?

Pffft THAT WOULD BE HILARIOUS??? That would be HILARIOUS.

-Noctis and Regis are, of course, called by Materia, they are both equally confused and so very relieved to see each other in this strange place, though Noctis is freaking out a bit because DAD IF YOU’RE HERE WHO’S RULING THE KINGDOM and the Champions are very surprised to see a dad-son pair here that AREN’T on opposite sides like Tidus and his dad.

-Regis totally gives Materia a Dadly dressing down on kidnapping people from their worlds and homes without warning or permission, because some of us have kingdoms to run thank you, and the rest of the Champions just stand their being surprised and impressed that this newcomer is LECTURING Materia like she’s a wayward teenager out past curfew. They still end up agreeing to help, mostly because Materia admits she has no clue how to send them back yet.

-Regis takes control of the situation as best he can and keeps Noctis with him when they all go out searching (and is more than a little exasperated because what is, this a story book plot?) and things are going well-ish when suddenly a large red sword slams down at the feet of Regis's group and Noctis and him look up in shock and dread to see Ardyn leering down from above with Nox lounging nearby. Both of them have identical maniacal expressions on their faces and Regis feels a swoop of dread when he realizes his half-brother and eldest son are on the opposite team. He’s seen their spars with Cor. He knows what’s about to happen.

-“Ardyn....” he warns as he pulls a sword free and Noctis curses softly under his breath (and in any other circumstance he would scold his son for that kind of language but just this once...).

-Ardyn’s grin gets bigger and he sweeps his arms out theatrically, “Well, well, well. Look what we have here, Dearest Nephew! Lost, royal relatives! All alone! Without their bodyguards! On the opposite side of yet another conflict! Whatever shall we do?”

-“Ardyn,” Regis grits through his teeth as Warrior and Cecil look between the four in alarm, “do not even think about it.”

-Nox tilts his head and there is Mischief in his son’s gaze as he drawls, “I don’t know, Uncle, whatever SHALL we do?”

-Ardyn adjusts the hat on his head and hums in thought and Regis feels like groaning in exasperation because CLEARLY his half-brother is hamming it up for the unknown audience. CLEARLY. Ardyn is such a drama queen, honestly. Then Ardyn grins, “You know, Dear Nephew, this is an opportunity don’t you think? The two Scions of the Royal house, unguarded out here where no one else from our world is around to know what happens while the two of us, the forgotten, illegitimate children of our generation are also here with a perfect excuse to do battle?”

-Regis can see Warrior and Cecil putting the pieces together in all the wrong ways and sighs, “Ardyn, Nox, I swear to the Astrals-.”

-Nox just laughs and begins tossing one of his kukri up and down, “You thinking what I’m thinking, Uncle Mine?”

-“That I would look quite fetching on my half-brother’s throne? Yes, yes I am.”

-And before Regis can do more than sigh at them, the fight has started.

-Regis is proud to say he holds his own pretty well against the pure manic energy that is his half-brother and eldest son, and he and Noctis work together remarkably well for having never been in the training grounds at the same time before.

-They still lose, because Ardyn is a whirlwind of pure magic energy and Nox is a striking viper and Regis’s knee hasn’t been up for this kind of idiocy since he was twenty-one. Ardyn spots his knee giving out and calls a stop to the fight with a PAINFULLY melodramatic and cliche excuse. Regis isn’t sure what he’s more appalled at, that Ardyn actually said it with a straight face or that it was clear their new comrades BELIEVED IT hook line and sinker.

-Astrals Regis needs a drink.

-Ardyn and Nox casually saunter off and Regis has no energy to explain that no, his half-brother is not actually after the throne and ... debatably not crazy. Neither does Noctis, because poor Noctis had been targeted by Nox almost exclusively and his eldest always did seem to do things overkill.

-Needless to say, by evening, all of Materia’s Champions have heard that their two newest comrades are dealing with an evil uncle that wants to steal the throne and an embittered illegitimate son that the uncle found and has groomed as his weapon and heir against poor Regis and Noctis. Nothing the two say will convince anyone otherwise.

-When the alliance is made and both sides are tentatively ignoring each other for the sake of peace, Ardyn comes over and happily flops down next to Regis, ignoring the way the younger champions all bristle protectively over their new friend with the bad knee. Regis glares at Ardyn, who pouts, “Oh, come now, it was only a little playful attempted murder.”

-“You tried to set my hair on fire.”

-“I knew you were skilled in ice! Nothing would have happened!”

-Regis pinches the bridge of his nose, “Everyone is convinced you’re trying to stage a coup.” There is conspicuous silence and Regis eyeballs Ardyn angrily. The man gives a sheepish smile, “If it helps, I abandoned that plan after Nox came into my custody?”

-Which meant that Ardyn HAD at one point been planning a coup. Lovely. That is not a thought Regis ever needed in his life, “I’m going to pretend I never heard that. Where is my eldest anyway?”

-Ardyn gestures lazily over his shoulder, “Making friends, I do believe we’ll be having company on the way home.” And Regis looks over in dread to see his eldest happily braiding the hair of the extremely deadly, not entirely sane swordsman with long silver hair that Regis has already seen fight once and never wants to actually fight himself. Regis groans and hides his face in his hands, Ardyn pats him on the back with false sympathy, because unlike Regis, Ardyn is having the time of his life.

-“Look at it this way,” Ardyn consoles half-heartedly, “At least we are all together? And in my experience nothing makes for a better father-son or brother-brother bonding experience than facing down the end of all life and reality as we know it and slaying said end of all life in a dramatic and bloody encounter.”

-Regis ... has nothing to say to that really. All he can do is stare at Ardyn through his fingers in the silent wonder of WHEN, exactly, Ardyn faced down another end of all life for the sake of family bonding. Ardyn just grins and doesn’t answer. Because that’s just his half-brother. The other half is troll.

#SE asks #talisward asks #Nox verse #dissidia!#Secret Engima Rambles

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kumeko · 5 years

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A/N: For the Eos Compendium zine! I’ve been dying to write Nyx/Luna since I’ve seen the movie, and took this as an excuse to just do it.

Summary: Nyx wasn’t sure if the past kings had something else in mind for him or if he was still clinging to life out of sheer stubbornness (sheer stupidity, Crowe would have called it). Either way, Luna was here and he was alive and this time, he wasn’t going to let her out of his sight.

…

“Nyx.”

A voice flowed over him like water, soothing the burns and lacerations that crossed his body. Every part of him felt like it was on fire, as though he was lying on a bed of coals. No, that wasn’t right—it was more like he was burning on the inside, a flame simmering just beneath his skin.

“Nyx, wake up.”

A heaven-sent balm, the voice continued to call his name. His eyes fluttered open, the bright light of the sun searing into his retinas before he squeezed them shut again. Fuck, he swore, but his throat was parched and the only sound that escaped his lips was a dusty cough. There was a tingle in his fingers and toes as he tried to wiggle them.

“You are alive.” A soft sigh of relief. Something warm and wet hit his skin. Cracking his eyes open an inch, Nyx slowly took in his surroundings. As his eyes adjusted, he could make out smouldering fires, jagged rubble. Hell, now that his body was awake, he could feel the cracked rocks beneath his back. The sharp points poked into his skin everywhere except for his head. A hand brushed his forehead, soft fingers hesitantly pressing into his skin. “Though I am not sure how.”

“Your Highness,” he managed, opening his eyes now fully to make out the bent figure of Lunafreya Nox Fleuret. His charge. She shouldn’t be here. He shouldn’t be here. Dozens of questions ran through his mind and Nyx closed his eyes once more. Taking a deep breath, he started with the basic steps. Was anything broken? Not his ribs, at the very least. Nothing felt cracked, just bruised.

And his skin, his skin felt like fire, like ash, like it would burn into nothing and flake apart at the slightest breeze. It was a strange feeling. An imprint of the ring was permanently scorched onto his finger and even though it wasn’t on, he could still feel the weight of it all. He breathed in. As he exhaled, Nyx opened his eyes and shakily started to rise.

Luna quickly grabbed his shoulders, helping him up. Closer now, he could make out the dirt on her skin, the tear streaks on her face. “Be careful, I do not think you have recovered yet.”

“As much…” His voice cracked. Nyx swallowed, his mouth still too dry. “As much as I can be, your highness.”

Not the response she was expecting, he was sure. Luna stared at him for long ten seconds, her eyes blinking owlishly, before she cracked a smile. “I suppose if you can talk like that, you are better than I expected.” Her slim fingers ran down his arm, leaving a trail of ice in their wake, before curling around his hand. Inspecting his fingers, she murmured, “Truly, it is strange. The ring has left barely a mark on you.”

“No, it definitely left something.” Nyx winced—his body still felt like it was on fire, ever smouldering. What had the kings said? He’d have their powers until the dawn had risen? He had taken it to mean the next day, but here he was. Maybe there was some other dawn they wanted him to live to. Or maybe he was alive purely by willpower, his body kept together by the shear strength of his stubbornness. Crowe would have called it idiocy.

She was probably right. He was too stupid to know when to die.

ii.

There were certain aspects of life that Luna had resigned herself to accept: her death, the fate of the world, the fact that her struggle would be a long and lonely one. The second she had summoned the trident, had connected with the gods, she had known all of these things to be true, whether she willed them or not.

The man following her like a loyal dog was not one of those things. Stopping in the middle of a muddy path, Luna turned around to face him. “You do not have to follow me.”

“What else am I gonna do?” Nyx’s lips quirked into a smirk and she didn’t know if his expression or his tone was more infuriating. A mix of both, most likely. “I’m a dead man walking.”

“Live your life, however much left of it there is,” Luna entreated, focusing on his scarred hand. Even now, she did not know how he bore the pain. His right arm was a mass of burns, thin flakes of skin chipping off here and there. The price of the ring was a steep one indeed, though not as high as she had feared. He had lived, at least. He should not be throwing his life away like this. “Meet your friend.”

At that, Nyx flinched. His eyes lowered and he shook his head. “Liberatus would understand. It’s dangerous out here and I don’t think your trident will cut it.”

“What I am doing is dangerous,” Luna corrected. “Whether you are here or not, my path is a difficult one.”

“I can make it slightly less difficult.” Looking more serious now, Nyx pulled out his Glaive knife. A knife that was now useless to everyone but him. He balanced it in his hand before slowing wrapping his fingers around the hilt. “I promised King Regis to keep you safe.” Gripping the knife tightly now, he tossed it behind her and burst into a million refracted lights as he warped to the wild beast behind her. “It’s the only reason I’m still standing.”

Luna spun around, watching as he killed monster after monster, his knife hurtling from one direction to another. It was a futile task. Even if they injured her, they wouldn’t kill her. Not yet. It wasn’t her fate to end here.

It was her fate to die across the sea, in a watery grave. You can’t save me, her lips refused to form.

Some part of her knew that he would try anyways.

iii.

The modest campfire flickered, just barely strong enough to survive the slight night breeze. Nyx quickly scanned the moonlit sky; with the bright full moon, anyone could spot them if they were looking hard enough. All it took was one magitech engine and while Nyx could take down a group, even he would have difficulties against that many.

“Is something wrong?” Luna asked quietly. On the other side of the fire, she hugged her knees to her chest, her eyes half-closed, and she looked more like a lost child than a fierce, stubborn princess.

“Nothing yet.” One last check and Nyx tore his eyes away from the sky. The embers flickered in and out of existence, the fire on the verge of dying, and he added another log to the pile. At least the smoke wasn’t too visible. “You should sleep.”

“As should you.” Luna eyed him now, looking slightly more awake. “I do not understand how you are still standing. When was the last time you slept?”

“…properly? Weeks ago.” Nyx shrugged, leaning back. “Maybe it’s the ring.”

“Perhaps so.” Luna pulled out the chain from under her dress, holding it up in the dim light. The fire flickered on the dull silver, casting reflections that looked like omens of the future. “Though I do not know of any such properties. Moreover, only the king should be able to draw out the ring’s power.”

“Prince Noctis,” Nyx mumbled, resisting the urge to spit out the name. Even now, he felt a surge of bitterness over all that was lost so the royal heir could survive. Over all who had died so a single boy and his entourage could make it to the next day. “When’s he getting the ring?”

The wrong question. As soon as he asked, Luna’s expression darkened and she let go of the chain. With a guarded look, she answered, “Not yet—there are still some tasks before he is ready. He must connect with his ancestors and gain powers of old. He must form convents with the gods.”

“And you won’t meet him till then?” Nyx clarified, though he already knew the answer to that before she nodded. This was a woman who had jumped out of a flying vehicle to help her king, a woman who kept pushing and pushing forward for a duty that wrapped around her thicker than any chain.

“Yes. There is much to be done.” Luna paused before softly adding, “And not much time to do it.”

iv.

“Your highness,” Nyx softly started, watching her from the corner of his eyes as she slowly picked her way down steep mountain path. It had been hard to find an opening where the empire had no eyes, a path that only the wild animals knew.

Before he could continue, Luna shook her head and cut him off. Firmly, she corrected him, “Luna.”

“That isn’t—”

“Insomnia is no more. Tennebrae was annexed.” Luna’s eyes lowered as though she was remembering some place, some time long ago, when neither of those were true. Her hand grabbed onto the nearby wall, keeping her steady as she found her footing forward. “All that I have left now is the trident and my name. There are not many who can still call me by it.” When he didn’t respond, she added, “Have we not travelled together long enough to drop such formalities?”

Despite her light tone, her eyes were just as determined as they had been when they’d raced through Insomnia. Rubbing the back of his neck, he nodded. “Fine. Luna.” In his head, Nyx could already hear Crowe and Liberatus laughing. Quickly, he amended. “Princess Luna.”

“Not quite what I was hoping for, but it is sufficient.” Luna smiled.

“Anyways, about your brother...” Nyx trailed off. There was no easy way to say this. Biting the bullet, he forged on, “He’s alive.”

“Ravus?” Luna almost stumbled over a rock, shock colouring her expression. Grabbing his arm, she stared up at him. “Are you certain?”

“Yeah.” If there was one thing that remained true even after all that they’d been through, it was that news travelled fast and gossip even faster. The small towns that they had carefully bypassed were full of stories about a one-armed general and the rag-tag team that Noctis had managed to scrounge up. “He lost his arm, but he’s still there.”

For once, Luna was like an open book. Joy and sorrow warred in her expression, her hand slipping off his to clasp her other one. “He is truly alive.” Her pace slowed, her foot scuffing the earth as she digested the information. “The old kings were very generous then, allowing both you and him to survive. Though, perhaps it would have been better if he had not. He will only obstruct us in the future.”

“You don’t have to say that, you know.” Nyx looked away when she turned to him, staring instead at the center of the large crater they were heading down. “You can be happy about it.”

“Can I truly?” Luna murmured, her hands squeezing tighter together. Her nails dug into her skin. “Even now, he is still with the empire, is he not?”

“I was hoping he’d died.” Nyx shrugged. “It’s fine if you’re happy about it—no one else will be.”

“Is that so?” Luna squeezed her hands one last time before finally dropping them to her sides. “I am happy, but also a little sad. I do not think he is my brother anymore.” She smiled ruefully. “I think my brother died long ago, I had just hoped otherwise.”

The Archaean roared. It took all of Nyx’s strength not to fall backwards at the sight of this god towering over them, at this angry being who looked ready to smite at a moment’s provocation. As it was, the heat was terrible enough without this added fear. Wiping his brow with his free hand, Nyx tightened his grip on his dagger.

In the middle of a stone ledge, Luna regally stood with her trident. He was never sure where this courage came from, where all that strength fit inside of that tiny, frail body. Even as the Archaean glared her down, Luna didn’t back away. Determined, she held up her trident once more and beseeched, “Remember the covenant. The chosen king shall arrive soon to claim it.”

A massive hand took a powerful swipe, his fingers just barely missing the young woman. Even then, she didn’t flinch, and Nyx raised his dagger. A god. He could take it on. Maybe. At least, it would give Luna enough time to flee. “Princess, I think it’s time to go.”

“Stay back.” She didn’t turn around as she ordered him, her gaze steady on the god’s.

“He’s—”

“This is my duty.” Those words again. Her duty. Her sacrifice. What visions of the future did the gods send her that she had completely forgotten self-preservation? “I will see it through.”

Nyx gritted his teeth. “Fine.” Crouching slightly, he kept his hand steady in case he needed to quickly drag her away. He could be stubborn too.

vi.

Luna pulled her jacket around her tighter. It was raining now, Ramuh sparking lightning and thunder across the sky, and they still had miles to go before they reached his location. In front of her, the meager fire Nyx had managed to make sputtered and died.

“Shit.” Nyx leaned forward, shielding the weak embers. Using the dry kindle he had saved, he tried to coax the fire back to life. It was too late; despite the small alcove they were hiding in, the rain was determined to get in everywhere. With a sigh, he sat back. “Sorry, princess. Looks like we’re in the cold again.”

Princess. She hadn’t liked the change in titles at first, but rolling off his lips, it sounded almost like a nickname. Curling up into a tighter ball, she sighed. “You tried your utmost. It is all I can ask for.”

“Still. Would have been nice to be warm for once.” Nyx leaned back against the wall. This close, she could make out the profile of his face, the rough scars that told stories she would never know. His usually neat braids were for once a little messy, unable to keep together in the constant rain. “I guess he got it?”

“Got what?” Luna asked, startled back into the conversation. “Who?”

“The Archaean. Noctis.” Concerned, he looked down at her. “You sick, princess?”

“No, I am fine.” Luna rubbed her cold arms. “Noctis did achieve the covenant, the Archaean was appeased. There is a reason all that heat vanished.”

“And then Ramuh had to sweep in and make everything wet,” Nyx commented blithely, a bitter expression on his face. “I guess it won’t go away till he gets here?”

“Not until the covenant is forged,” Luna confirmed regretfully.

“Then wouldn’t it be quicker if we just travelled with him?”

“Not entirely.” Luna buried her head in her arms, listening to the rain as it fell. The large droplets were comforting. “I had considered it. Unfortunately, the gods require ample preparation time and it would be too dangerous for both of us to travel together.”

Nyx said nothing. They sat in silence, listening as the thunder rumbled in the distance. Lightning flashed, crashing to the earth on a lone tree in the mountains. Luna could hear Nyx breath shallowly, his body tense and ready for a fight. He was always ready to jump into battle, to defend, to protect. She had almost forgotten what it was like to be with someone else and share a burden.

“Do you want to see him?” Nyx asked, his voice softer now. She didn’t look up to see his expression.

“Him?” She didn’t need the clarification, not really.

“The prince.”

“I do not know,” Luna answered truthfully to her knees. It was a little easier like this, when all she could see was darkness. She thought of the wedding dress she would never wear. “I have not seen him since we were children. I am not sure what difference it would make now.”

There was a small intake of air. Surprised, Nyx pressed on. “Then your engagement—”

“A ruse to ensure he left the city. To ensure I entered the city.” Luna closed her eyes, remembering the little boy who read stories with her. Who had left her notes in her exchange diary, the one small thing she had allowed herself to have. “At one time though, I think there could have been love.”

There was a long pause. She listened to the sound of him breathing. “And now?”

“Now there is no time for love, just duty.” Just a single duty. She had seen the images many times by now: Leviathan, a bloody dagger, a ring. A chance to save the world, to change its destiny in exchange for her own. “I am the Oracle, I must finish what I set out to do.”

“You know, it’s okay to do something for yourself. For once.” His voice was awkward, fumbling. His kindness more so. “If you want to see him…”

Did she? It was a question she both wanted and didn’t want answered. She feared what the result would bring. “Nyx? Thank you.”

vii.

A black dog darted out of the woods and Nyx resisted the urge to skewer the mutt. “It’s you again.”

“Who?” Luna broke into a smile at the sight of Umbra and kneeled down to pet him. “I take it he received the message?”

Umbra barked, his tail wagging proudly, and Nyx tried not to snort. A messenger to the gods? More like a magical dog.

Unwrapping the package on Umbra’s back revealed an envelope overly stuffed with pictures. The snapshots spilled out, revealing its contents, and Luna lit up as she started to flip through them. “So it was Prompto this time, I take it.”

Umbra yipped, laying down on his paws as he watched her.

Curious, Nyx picked one up. Two men were smiling at the camera, a woman in black standing just behind them. “They look like they’re on a road trip.”

“I am sure they did not want to send me sad photos.” Luna glanced at the one in his hand. “Oh my.” She raised a brow. “I did not know Gentiana could be seen like that.”

Gentiana. Nyx blinked. The other messenger to the gods. He’d seen Luna talk to her when she thought he wasn’t listening, her voice low and calm as she discussed their plans. Or rather, he’d seen Luna talk to the empty air, since apparently Gentiana was invisible to all. The only thing he noticed was the waves of sadness that saturated the air during each meeting.

“Maybe I should get a camera.” She was invisible to all but the lens, it seemed. He stared at her placid expression, her neatly clasped hands. She looked just as unhappy as he’d expected.

viii.

I’ll keep you safe, Nyx had sworn.

On a boat to Altissia, Luna stared into the waves, the Glaive’s words echoing in her head. Part of her wanted to believe him.

A part of her knew better.

viii.

There was a part of him that had expected this. Well, not all of this—it would take a prophet to anticipate the destruction of a city, the massive body of the leviathan, the endless troopers. And it had. And that prophet was now sitting in a pool of her blood, leaning on her trident as she struggled to stand.

It had taken him a second to warp to her side, his hands carefully cradling her to his chest. “I’ll find a doctor, it’ll be okay.” The words rushed out of him, an unfamiliar sense of panic rising within him. His fingers shook slightly as he held her. “You’ll be okay.”

“It’s fine,” Luna coughed, her voice already faint. A bloody hand rose up to cup his cheek, a soft smile on her face. “I knew this would happen.”

And so had he, no matter how much he had wanted to deny it. Her words had been laced with goodbye since the moment he’d met her. “A doctor,” he repeated, getting up. Maybe he could find an evacuation team. Or go to where all of the residents were taken to. His mind was a mess, thoughts tumbling out of him, and he froze indecisively.

“Nyx.” Weakly, she pushed his jaw toward her to grab his attention once more. “Noctis must be saved. The ring must be delivered. It is too late for me, but the world still has a chance. You know this as well as I do.”

And he did, and he did, but there was a difference between knowing and accepting. Red blossomed all over her white dress, her skin growing cooler with every second that passed.

“Nyx,” she murmured.

“I know,” he answered, leaning down till their foreheads touched. His hand reached for his dagger.

It ended as it started, with fire and water. The ring slipped onto Noctis’s finger and Nyx closed his eyes as the coals simmering underneath his skin erupted into flames once more. The kings had come to claim their pound of flesh. His body started to flake apart, like ash, like dust, like petals in the wind.

Nyx, a voice called out to him, a voice like a soothing balm on his frayed nerves.

Luna, he thought, and he reached into the void.

#ffxv #lunafreya nox fleuret #nyx ulric #lunyx #kingsglaive #ff15 #nyx x lunafreya

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the-truth-will-light-the-sky · 6 years

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The Curious Observations of Young Ravus Nox Fleuret

Quick story for @ravus-week ‘s prompt: Ravus’ unexpected hobby :)

Set at a time before the attack on Tenebrae, young Ravus Nox Fleuret was free to be himself, curiously exploring his country armed with books, his trusty pen and other thingamabobs.

Of Ferns and Bird Song

Ravus Nox Fleuret was hunched over the oak table in the library, the sunlight glimmering on his glass apparatus, bouncing crystalline light all over the walls and the tall shelves filled with books both ancient and contemporary. His soft blue eyes were hidden behind the lenses of his magnifying gears, circular glasses that hover over a fern on top of a pristine petri dish.

The young man’s fingers adjusted the lenses to his content as sounds of both confusion and curiosity escaped his lips. Beside all his gears on the table were bits and bobs of whatnots ranging from shells to stones, feathers and strands of fur. He expertly reaches for his pen without taking his eyes off of his subject, scribbling down whatever discoveries he may have uncovered from the many spores from the moss green fern.

Ravus would have stayed in the same position the whole day, if no one would dare disturb him. The young prince can’t help it — there’s just too much to know and discover. Tenebrae is a place that’s wealthy not just in its value as a state, but also in its natural resources. Ravus smiles as he lifted the fern, tilting it against the varying angles of light cast from the outside. The perfect specimen, he thought. Perhaps he could use the leaves for pigment, the rich hue would make a lovely detailed illustration full of life.

If only you could draw decently, Ravus. Your illustration of a banana looked like a bee-stung hand. Ravus muttered to himself, surrendering the act of illustrating his finds to his sister, Lunafreya who was quite the natural with paints as she is with healing.

Ravus turned his attention to the shards inside the sealed jar, the contents shining brightly against the sun. He gingerly lifted one from the container and held it closer to the light.

As he scrunched his nose, absorbed by the sheer complexity of a mythril shard, Queen Sylva entered the library. The smell of books was mingled with a smell of natural preservatives. Such a curious item could only belong to her eldest child.

True enough, she saw him in the corner, his silver white hair cut short yet still managed to have a few strands sticking up. She smiled at her son, so intent upon doing his personal research that he had not even heard her as she lifted a book from its shelf nearby. She heard him mumbling his findings to himself, berating his supposed idiocy for not finding more specimens from the floating hills.

Queen Sylva listened to him as he read his notes, reading all his findings out loud as if committing them to memory. As soon as he spun himself around however, he nearly dropped his notebook in his surprise to find that he was not there alone.

‘Mother! How long have you been there?’

‘Ever since you scheduled your next trip to the floating vale, my son.’

The prince’s ears reddened in embarrassment, a good, cheerful color decorating his cheeks.

‘Well, what are you reading then? You seem quite transfixed with it.’

‘Songbirds of Tenebrae. I can’t quite recall, but there was this particular bird that hovered above your father’s study this morning. It was light yellow in plumage and its eyes were the brightest blue. The song however, was somewhat garbled. Like so…’

Queen Sylva did a little imitation of the bird song, but it didn’t quite resemble the song at all.

Ravus’ eyes immediately lit up, his feet stepping quickly forward toward his mother.

‘I believe it may have sounded a bit like this…’

He puckered his lips, whistling a tune that was both gentle and cheerful at the same time, something quite similar to a wake up call.

‘Ah, that! That’s a rather good impression, I give you that.’

Ravus took out one of the books from the shelf. He brought it upon a free table as his mother eyed the colorful illustrations. He flipped the pages and stopped, his finger excitedly pointing at an illustration of a Tenebraen Iora.

‘Yes, that’s it!’

‘I have both seen and heard it, Mother. It perched itself upon the tree outside my room. It sang the whole day, would you believe it? It was quite the feat, really. I felt sorry for the poor chap though. It must have been too parched after singing all day.’

‘It must have been looking for its mate, if that’s the case.’

Ravus’ eyebrows drew closer together, his eyes turning a slightly unfocused haze.

‘I suppose so. Come to think of it, males of the species have some streaks of green plumage about its wings. I haven’t seen any, recently. Perhaps there’s been some trouble?’

Before Queen Sylva could even react, Ravus was already on his way to the door. He paused for a second and then returned to his table to retrieve his treasured notebook and the pen that belonged to his father, Sonus.

‘Where are you off to? Lunch is almost ready, my dear. Maria made sure to make your favorite soup today.’

Ravus’ head peeked through the arch way, his eyes gleaming bright, looking almost as vivid as the summer sky.

‘I shall go and look for the iora. And while I’m at it, I shall decree that if one such male iora has been found, I must be informed of it immediately. I will be back just in time for lunch. Do not worry, mother.’

His footsteps echoed in the halls, slowly then turning quickly. Once again, Ravus peeked from the hallway. Only this time, he has a curiously agitated look on his face that was quite comical to his mother.

‘Oh and please tell Lunafreya to save me some honey cakes. She finished the ones from yesterday and I never even had the chance to lay my hands on them. Tell her I won’t teach her any piano lessons if she keeps on stealing my share.’ With one last look around the library, he bid his mother farewell for the time being.

The Oracle chuckled to herself.

My, what a kind young man. Cheeky too, yet adorable all the same.

Her fingers caressed the silver band that wrapped around her ring finger, shining gently from the sunlight.

Specks of dust hovered golden in the air as Queen Sylva felt a tug on her heart.

See how he is much like you, my dear Sonus? I hope you could see just how beautiful our son turned out to be. Watch over him and guide him like bird song, just like you did with your own voice. How I and our children miss you so.

#ravusweek #ravus nox fleuret #final fantasy xv #final fantasy 15 #tenebrae #the truth will light the sky headcanon #msy the truth will light the sky stories #veritas lux seculum #ffxv ravus #lunafreya nox fleuret #sylva via fleuret

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captainvav · 2 years

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They as in Nox or they as in the boys lmao

the boys. i mean like nox can always come and do it again but like to Fix mars idiocy is, yknow

#answering

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the-worldtree-aegris · 10 months

Text

Dracoris, I do not have a lot on this one, it's a featured planet in future temp, aka Temp 2 Electric Boogaloo. Some small fun facts about what I have figured out about it so far is that ironically, despite its name dragons are actually extinct here. It is believed that some of the gods are dead and that the continents and islands are actually built up from their bodies.

This is also one of the few maps I don't have a secondary version of, I lack a lot of information on this world right now because this was made and then never developed since I lost a lot of interest in it.

Also another fun fact, Barbenheir was almost named Barbie land because I am impulsive and do not have a massive amount of impulse control.

#Dracoris #Temp 2 Electric Boogaloo #Temporary Future #homebrew campaign #dnd maps #dnd #Nox's idiocies

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inexcon · 7 years

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RSI Comm-Link: B0otyCall: Small Fish

<< ERROR………>>

<< COMM/SEC INTERRUPT //

// UNAUTH SIGNAL >>

< SIGNAL FOUND >

< START TRANSMISSION >

Listen up, miscreants, because Jester is back and ready to unload straight to your skull.

Let’s all start by celebrating that loudmouthed lout, Captain Bane.

< slow, sarcastic clap >

He’s the current top contender for “Inept Outlaw of the Year.” Seriously, gang, everyone should study what this trog did to learn exactly what not to do on your next raid. If you haven’t heard, this lugnut targeted a massive shipment of Nox coming in from slink space right before they went on sale. Besides the idiocy of attacking a shipment that many, many, many people had a vested interest in protecting, Captain Bane also failed to knock out the hauler’s comm system before it could broadcast a distress signal.

To make matters worse, he didn’t even have the necessary numbers to get the job done. There’s no sadder sound than an outlaw sending out a comm asking for help in capturing a shipment. No matter how they spin it, it’s not a rallying cry, it’s just crying!

Any outlaw with half a brain knows not to fly blind into an unknown situation. Talk about a one-way ticket to getting yourself blown to bits or snagged by the law.

Anyways, Captain Bane, I’m not sure if this signal will reach whatever cellblock you’re locked in, but thank you from the bottom of my heart for brightening my day with your escapades in idiocy. Not only did you give me a good laugh, but your blundering provided me the perfect chance to do some plundering. In fact, you ever get out, comm me and I’ll buy you a drink.

No joke. Folks like Captain Bane are an important part of the outlaw ecosystem. We need small fish like that flailing around to attract the attention of the law and other do-gooders, so us big fish have more room to maneuver. There’s no better time to go left then when everybody else is looking right.

See, I just so happened to be in Baker when Captain Bane staged his dumpster fire of a raid there. When I heard the distress comm from that hauler and Captain Bane’s cry for help in taking it down, I saw opportunity ripe on the vine ready to be plucked.

At the time, I was searching for this ship that did some work for me. It was a legit hauler with clean tags, a trustworthy captain that craved extra creds and a seriously sweet smuggler’s hold. A-plus operation all around, so it really ground my gears when it didn’t arrive at the rendezvous.

To make things worse, I get a ping hours later that the exact item I had so carefully hidden in that hold was now for sale on the dark, just waiting for the highest bidder. Guess they were hoping to sell it before I even got word that it was gone.

None of my contacts had the particulars on who hit the ship, so I decided to find out for myself. I coulda leaned on the fence selling it, but those bastards stake their reputation on acting all innocent and not squealing. He probably would’ve fed me some semi-believable story, and sent me down a path that would only lead to dead ends.

No, if I wanted to know what really happened to that ship and fast, then I’d need to find it and get my hands on its black box. Then I could check the logs to see who was owed my wrath.

That is, if the box was still there. It was a bit of long shot, sure, but you know me, I’m not the type to let go of a grudge over a little hard work.

I tracked down where the ship was last seen and hightailed it there as quick as I could. I followed its route, taking careful scans so I didn’t miss anything. Finally, I got to a sector of the system where the ECN was down — usually a sure sign of shady stuff. I narrowed my scans and finally got a hit that looked promising.

I was just about to blaze to the coordinates when my better senses prevailed. I took some wider scans and spotted a blip on my six that seemed to be on the same course. I killed all non-essential systems and went dark. I sat there, watching it for a bit and quickly became convinced they were looking for the same ship.

See, one of the drawbacks of using a legit shipping concern as a smuggling front is that a lot of straightlaced folks will come looking for the wreckage too. Sometime it’s scrapers, but more often than not, it’s the bloody vultures contracted by the insurance company. They’re always looking for the black box so they can claim that whatever mischief went down definitely wasn’t their fault and they’re not liable.

Luckily, there seemed to be only that one competitor lurking about, looking for the same ship. Of course, that didn’t mean that more weren’t inbound. I sat there, snacking on some Chicha’s and turning over options in my head. Quantuming to the location would only draw the ship’s attention to exactly where I didn’t want ‘em to be, so I nixed that plan.

A surprise attack could work. With the ECN down, I could strike quickly and knock out the ship without raising the alarm. But while I’ve got no problem taking care of business, I’d rather not create more mess than absolutely necessary. Plus, then I’d have to collect that ship’s black box to keep my trail clean. It’d work, but it wasn’t the fastest or cleanest option.

Instead, I sat just there, hoping the ship didn’t scan the sector as carefully as I did. As much as I love a good fight, I’ve learned that sometimes the right action is no action. This turned out to be one of those cases.

As this ship got closer, I prepped myself for a quick spin up, in case I needed to take matters into my own hands. My finger was nearing the switch when the distress call from that hauler full of Noxs came blaring across my comms. I watched the approaching ship quickly change its heading and quantum away, never knowing how close it’d come to meeting its end.

After that ship disappeared, I took a few more quick scans to make sure the coast was clear, then hauled tail to the coordinates I’d been waiting to investigate. Sure enough, there sat the wreckage of the hauler I was tracking. Took some looking to locate the black box, but I finally found it. I was long gone from the area before the dust settled on Captain Bane’s ineptitude. Once I cracked the box’s logs, it was plain as day who was behind the attack. All that’s left is for me get some well-deserved payback.

< sensor beep >

In fact, seems like I’m about to cash in. Never forget, folks, mess with me and it’s very likely the last thing you’ll do. Jester out!

http://bit.ly/2uggkjT

#RSI.CommLink.Repost

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coldairings · 8 years

Text

NEGO Pembina protecting Premier Wynne

I am reminded once again that the Pembina organization is far more of a non-environmental government organization than an environmental non-governmental one.

As Ontario’s Premier announced she’d push the cost of her generation’s electricity procurement idiocy onto future Ontarians Pembina, original members of the Green Energy Act alliance, were posting another vacuous piece associating clean air with the elimination of coal-fired electricity generation in the province:

Fifty-three to zero: this is the number of smog days in Ontario in 2005 compared with the number in 2014. Ontario had the better part of two full months of smog days in 2005, and none in 2014. It is undeniable that Ontario has seen pollution reduction and an improvement in air quality since phasing out coal-fired power plants — and that families have felt these health and environmental benefits across Ontario. As Ottawa and the provinces flesh out the details of a nationwide phase-out of coal pollution, we should bear this in mind.

Actual environmentalists should bear in mind 2 things:

coincidence is not causation

something really did improve the air quality - they might occasionally mention it.

Smog comes from volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) reacting to sunlight and forming ground level ozone.

I’ve collected the data from Environment (and Climate Change) Canada’s Air Pollutant Emission Inventory. Here’s the 2 key elements - for each showing the growing change from 2005 for the provincial total, transportation, and coal.

Coal was not the big factor in reducing the volatile organic compounds.

Coal was slightly more relevant to the reduction in nitrogen oxides, but still a tiny part of the picture.

Transportation achieved the majority of reductions in the particles that serve as ingredients for smog.

This is as much as you need to know to get the idea that people pitching exclusively the end of coal-fired generation as the cause of reduced smog days are asshats - and not because there’s any harm in pretending it is coal, but because there is harm in pretending it wasn’t cleaning up tailpipe emissions.

Before I show the remainder of graphics for the “what about” crowd, a reminder Ontario’s Ministry of the Environment (and Climate Change) still has on its website:

During periods of widespread elevated smog, it is estimated that more than 50 per cent of Ontario's ground-level ozone and fine particulate matter come from the U.S.

The U.S. didn’t ban coal, but they did reduce both its use, and the smokestack emissions when generating.

How about total particulate matter. It’s gone up since 2005:

Carbon monoxide?

Nope - not improved by coal’s absence.

The one area where ending coal accomplished a significant share of reduced pollution levels is sulpher oxides, although it is still not half of that total reduction.

I think Ontarians can be proud coal-fired generation was eliminated.

I also think they can attribute reduced smog primarily to cleaner vehicles. Pollutants from smokestacks and tailpipes were mainly reduced by cleaning up smokestacks and tailpipes - not substituting them.

Emissions were not reduced by some think tankers creating narratives to prop up the politicians most likely to hire them... or still bleating out the same old off-coal narrative 3 years after coal disappeared from the province.

I won’t again address in depth the other fables in Pembina’s latest work (I wrote this in 2011) , but I must address one more comment:

With the drop in the price of renewables and the adoption of more market-based mechanisms for incentivizing renewables, the cost of transitioning from coal to renewables (with a mix of other sources) has actually declined since Ontario started the phase-out.

Pembina was part of the Green Energy Act alliance that took control of Ontario’s policy after the coal phase-out planning was done and all relevant generation resources contracted (this occurred prior to 2009). Pembina, which did receive funding from the wind industry, was influential in not only the ordering of unnecessary wind and solar generation during a period of surplus supply, but at higher prices than were previously paid.

data

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secret-engima · 5 years

Note

Re-reading Nox for like, the seventh time, and I'm at the part where Mid and Melba died—and Cid and Nox are talking—Cid freezes at something he sees in Noxs face(?) Can we get that bit from Cids POV? Please and thank you.

oliverslewty said: Aso—did I mention in my last ask??probablydidnt—Cids reaction to Nox staying and helping while him and Cindy weren't in the right headspace, helping out around the garage n stuff??? I dont think I mentioned this but if I did—ignore this.

Me: Sure! Here- have a full fledged Drabble from Cid’s POV! Hope you like it!

Cid found Nox in his garage. He found the boy pressed up in the farthest corner of the garage, wheezing and shaking, eyes glazed and magic spitting tiny crystalline shards from his fingertips in a way that could only mean a very bad panic attack for a Lucis Caelum. Swallowing back his own emotions —grief, rage, his son and daughter-in-law were dead because of their own stupidity and it hurt—, Cid focused on Nox and slowly talked him down.

He didn’t expect the boy to apologize past the tears drying on his face, and at first he didn’t understand what Nox was apologizing for —everyone got panic attacks, and a kid Nox’s age, as badly scarred as he was, was more entitled to them than most—. But then the boy said Mid’s and Melba’s names and Cid understood. The boy was blaming himself for their deaths. Blaming himself that he hadn’t been able to fix it with the magic he didn’t realize that Cid knew he had and it was such a Reggie mindset, so in character for stupid Lucis Caelums that Cid wanted to cry.

As he always had since he was a boy, he got angry instead, “Don’t ya dare.” He stomped closer, intent on hauling the boy out of his corner and physically dragging him out of his idiocy like he always had with Regis, but in the breath he took to continue, Nox’s face twisted, froze, folded into something broken and resigned. An animal braced for abuse it couldn’t escape, a martyr waiting for a blow that could not be escaped.

He thought Cid was going to hit him. He thought-. All this time Cid had been so careful around the boy and he still thought Cid was going to hurt him and the fury at himself —for slipping up around Nox, for putting that fear into him, for giving him any reason to think Cid would do more than cuss him out for his stupidity— made his shoulders square and his spine straighten even as he kept his hands in view and away from Nox and spat, “Don’t ya dare blame yerself for what happened to Mid an’ Melba.”

Nox started to say something, but Cid already knew what he was going to say —stupid, self-sacrificing Lucis Caelums, always trying to take on the weight of the world, he was too much like Reggie—, “Ya couldn’t have known what was gonna happen and ya couldn’t have helped even if ya had.” And that was the truth, it was a truth Nox needed to hear and know because if he started blaming himself for everything that went wrong, he’d never survive to his twentieth year, “It was their fool decision to be out on the roads that late without the proper tools to stay safe an’ nobody else’s.”

Nox stood up, but there was a set to his jaw and a darkness in his eyes Cid couldn’t chase out, “I could have helped-. I should have-.”

“Should have nothing,” Cid spat, grief knotting up in his gut and adding fuel to his anger —anger was so much easier than grief, safer, more productive when grief would rob him of even the will to move—, “Yer a kid with a pair of banged up old knives and twig arms. Mid and Melba were adults who had lived here all their lives. They knew they was being stupid the moment they got in that car and there wasn’t a thing ya could have done to stop them-.”

Nox snapped. Shouted with a voice of thunder that rattled bones and cracked windows and sent his toolboxes crashing to the floor in his self-recrimination, only to freeze with a look of devastation on his face when he realized what he’d done.

And Cid knew that Nox was going to run. He was going to run away and never come back, and Cid would have lost both his son, his daughter in law, and Reggie’s boy —his boy, his scrawny idiot with a heart too big and secrets too heavy— all in one week. Because Nox would run away and throw himself into all the dangerous things Cid had been trying so hard to keep him away from and he would just keep going until it got him killed or worse.

Nox twitched backward and desperation gave Cid speed as he grabbed Nox and pulled him into as tight a hug as he dared and didn’t let go. Not until the boy had dragged a promise to keep Nox a secret from Reggie out of him, not until the boy had shattered quietly in his arms and cried all over his jacket while Cid squeezed his eyes shut in a failed effort to keep from crying himself.

In spite of everything, he hadn’t expected the boy to stay. Not for as long as he did, not with a steady, all consuming dedication and … almost calm that kept Hammerhead going and Cid from losing his mind. Anything that needed to be done, Nox was already there doing it. Anything that needed to be fixed or handled or somehow dealt with, Nox was there. On the days Cid felt more like a ghost than a man and couldn’t bring himself to function —not even to help Cindy, his poor granddaughter who needed someone after losing both her father and mother—, Nox was in the background, holding Cindy close as she cried or gently taking the bottle out of Cid’s hand before he could drink himself into the hospital. Cid couldn’t bring himself to react, but he saw everything Nox did. Supply running for Takka, helping Cindy, cleaning the house and the garage, stocking the store, dragging Cid up to his bed after he’d drunk himself into a lethargy or was just too deep in his own head to make his limbs move.

Cid eventually crawled his way back to functionality out of spite and desperation, for the sake of Cindy and Takka …

And Nox. Nox who stayed. Nox who helped with far too much experience in his eyes and age in his movements. Nox who was grieving for their sakes, because he had only known Mid and Melba in passing, but he cared for Cid and Cindy and their pain was his pain. Nox who’s magic slipped out and coated Hammerhead in a thin, ever-present mist of regret-sadness-determination-love-care-sadness that Cid could feel —could recognize— only because of his connection to Reggie.

It was the longest amount of time the kid had stayed in one place for as long as Cid had known him, and it wasn’t until months had passed that he was able to shake off his own grief enough to appreciate it. To work again and function again and look back on his memories and realize just how much Nox had done for them.

Astrals. Astrals that boy had too much of Reggie in him. Too much love and stubbornness and care toward the people he had picked as his own even if they didn’t deserve it —Cindy deserved it, even Takka deserved it, but Cid? Cid was an adult, he shouldn’t have had to rely on a teenager to keep his home together or comfort his granddaughter—.

Astrals, Cid didn’t deserve the time of day from that boy.

Words would never express how grateful he was that the boy gave it to him anyway and so much more.

#SE asks #oliverslewty asks #Nox verse #Melodies and Manuscripts #Secret Engima Rambles

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