#THAN IGNIS WITH THAT SMILE AND IO BY HIS SIDE

[zetsubou--artsu]

Forgot to upload this one last night loLOLOLOL

//okay I'm still kinda salty at Noct, who mind you, can not only use he fucking Ring of Lucii and drain your life, he uses the fucking royal arms/armiger as well. And when he Armiger Chains??? HE LINK STRIKES WITH GLADIO AND PROMPTO jshkgjhl,;l,n;lg thaT IS COMPLETE BULL I TELL YOU!!! So in retaliation, Ignis can also link strike with Io once players finish Episode Io and links it up with Episode Ignis. ALL'S FAIR IN LOVE AND WAR, YOUR MAJESTY AHAHAHAH OC + Art (c) Me Ignis Scientia (c) SE

[avi-stella]

Breathtaking | Ignis Scientia x OC

》 RATING: General | GENRE: Fluff | 1,272 words 》 SUMMARY: Ignis and Io go shopping in Altissia. 》 A/N: My part of a trade with @zetsubou--artsu. It took me forever and a half, but I finally finished it! I'm not exactly certain on Io's timeline of events, so uh...take this as you will. I'm also really hoping I got her character okay. ;; Thank you for trading with me!

A collective sigh of relief is heard from Noctis and his group as they finally enter Altissia. As nice as the sea breeze feels on their skin with the lull of the waves underneath them, it feels good to be back on land, especially on one so breathtaking in sight.

“Noct, a moment?” Ignis speaks up, and even though the royal advisor was meant to address the prince, the other three members of the party end up gathering around him as well out of curiosity.

“Yeah?” Noctis asks with a tired breath. He wants nothing more than to find a place to rest at after such a long journey, both literally and figuratively.

Ignis pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose to adjust them. “We’re running short on curatives. I suggest stocking up on them while we have the chance in case of emergencies.”

The royal heir does little to hide his yawn behind his hand. “You go do that,” he replies, turning on his heel and dismissing his advisor with a casual wave as he takes his leave.

Ignis directs his attention towards Gladio and Prompto, but the two flash him apologetic looks as they give their own reasons as to why they’d rather do something else than accompany him. Ignis’ shoulders rise and fall with a heavy sigh of reluctant defeat before he feels a gentle and caring hand on his arm.

“I can come with you if you’d like,” Io offers with a smile that reaches her eyes.

The young man mirrors her expression, though his is laced with some relief that he doesn't have to do all the shopping by himself. Of course he's perfectly capable of doing it, but company is always nice to have. “I’d appreciate it.”

The group then goes on their separate ways with Io sticking by Ignis' side. The Pacem princess rocks between the balls and heels of her feet, hands laced neatly together behind her back as Ignis goes through a mental checklist of what they need to buy. Her eyes glance around to take in the sights of Altissia, and her heart flutters at how beautiful everything looks. An idle thought of how perfect it would be to have a date in this place goes through her mind before Ignis' voice rings in her ears and brings her back to the present.

"Shall we head on our way?"

Io's lips curl into a smile. "Yeah."

Both the princess and advisor start walking through the busy and narrow streets of Altissia. Without even realizing it, the two have fallen into a steady rhythm of matching each other's footsteps, and they walk side-by-side in a comfortable silence. Every so often, their arms and shoulders would brush against one another's, but neither of the two take the initiative to link themselves together.

In her attempt to stop herself from accidentally bumping herself into someone, Io shifts herself over but gets her foot caught in a crack, and she stumbles for a second. Ignis is quick to act, his hand shooting out to hold hers and keep her steady.

A nervous laugh clumsily tumbles out from the woman. "Thanks..."

The advisor hums in response, a hint of amusement tinged in his tone. Io's eyes glance down at their connected hands, and she waits for Ignis to let go, but to her embarrassed surprise, he instead laces their fingers together and gently tugs her closer towards him, wordlessly resuming on their way.

Surprisingly enough, the two are able to find the shops they needed to go with relative ease with Ignis guiding them. He still hasn't let go of the princess' hand, but she isn't complaining, and neither is he.

"We seem to be making quick time on our errand," the young man comments as he notes the sun being still high up in the sky.

"Well, it is you," Io answers with a tone like it's supposed to mean something, her voice playful.

Ignis chuckles. "I suppose so. If you were the one in charge, we'd probably still be missing more than half of what we need," he quips.

The Pacem princess raises an eyebrow at that, her features turning into a small smirk of sorts. "Is that a challenge?"

Ignis says nothing, but his smile widens by just a fraction which is more than enough to have Io take it upon herself to prove herself capable. With a determined huff, she tightens her grip on Ignis' hand and starts to lead him to the next location.

...Or so she thinks, and the royal retainer says nothing about how Io is going the wrong way. He trails behind her in an easy pace, a certain teasing and entertained look dancing behind his eyes as Io takes several wrong turns, winding her way through various narrow alleys in a stumbling attempt to reach their destination. Ignis can't blame her, though. The capital of Accordo is a confusing maze of streets, stairs, canals, and so forth. It's quite different from Lucis.

"...I'm lost," the woman finally admits with a meek tone, bowing her head down.

Ignis reassuringly squeezes her hand in a gentle manner, prompting her to glance up at him through her lashes. He gestures towards an open cafe nearby.

"Shall we take a break?" he suggests, and Io agrees with a nod of her head.

The two of them make themselves comfortable at one of the tables, their respective drinks and orders placed in front of them. A comfortable silence stretches over as they allow themselves to rest from all that walking.

Io shifts in her seat, and her foot ends up accidentally bumping into Ignis' underneath the table. "Sorry," she apologizes, and she's about to move her foot away when she feels the young man in front of her nudge it with his own foot.

A beat passes, and Io laughs with merriment before she nudges back. Ignis follows suit, and it isn't long before the two are playing footsies with each other and overall enjoying themselves as they talk about anything and everything while finishing up their snacks.

By the time the pair have finished with the last sip of their drinks, the sun has already started to set, painting the sky with beautiful shades of warm and cool colours blended together. Although there's still a couple more of items that they need to buy, they both decide to retire for the meantime and pick up where they left off tomorrow morning.

"Let's take a leisure ride on the gondola to get a better lay of the land before meeting up with the others," Ignis offers with a slight curve of his lips, and Io almost wants to smack herself when she realizes.

"We were supposed to take a gondola to get to the shop, weren't we?" she asks, although she's already aware of what the answer is.

"At least now you know," the young man chuckles, and the princess rolls her eyes with pink-tinted cheeks at her mistake.

Nevertheless, she takes Ignis up on his offer. Like a gentleman, he offers the princess his hand which she delicately takes, her heart thumping against her chest as he smoothly helps her into the gondola and sit across from each other.

Although their intention was to get a better understanding of the layout of Altissia, both Ignis and Io are unable to tear their gaze away from each other. In their eyes, the capital's beauty paled in comparison to how the other looked with the setting sun as the backdrop, a pleased smile painted on their faces and love in their eyes.

[faces-in-unexpected-places]

Do You Have the Time? Episode 013: Andre Ramone

Warning: This episode contains strong language that may be shocking or offensive to some readers.

[3rd Moon of Aestas, 13XX, 19:59]

You amble through the ethereal grove of Terrafron. The golden sunlight shimmers between the wavering leaves and branches in the peaceful evening of mid-Aestas. The grove was always lovely this time of year. You carry your lute and pluck the notes of a C major scale, as you have retired your sword for the day. You march with pride, knowing that the village you had just left was free of the nefarious troglodytaria that have been wreaking havoc in the Land of Ignis and Fumus for over a century. Bonavento, your long-time ally and friend, will meet you in the centre of the grove to escort you to the Archduke of Terrafron. You currently work under the Archduke as a mercenary for hire. The grove becomes gradually thicker, the grass taller and darker, and the air cooler as you head further into the forest.

“Aye!” a voice called from the top branch of a hawthorn tree. Bonavento fiercely aimed an arrow straight at you from his bow. “I hereby claim you a, uh, a traitor of the Archduke, and will thus have you—AH FUCK—”

The branch snapped beneath him and he tumbled from one limb to the next. His head hit the first branch of the fall, then his abdomen on the second. His funny bone, third, and groin last, before plummeting to the knobby ground that was disrupted by enormous tree roots. Bonavento groaned and slowly dragged himself up to his knees, holding his head.

“Bitch!” he cried, “That fuckin’ hurt. The Archduke doesn’t pay me enough for this bullshit, you know that? He’s—he’s not even paying me for this, I’m—I’m just, you know, framing you, as the enemy of the kingdom, so I can keep, you know, I don’t know. Doing whatever it is Celtic fuckin’ squire-ass traitor’s of the kingdom do? Embezzle I guess? Did they have that back then? And by then, I mean now? Oh, Jesus, I think I pulled something. Oh-HO,” Bonavento bent over backwards to stretch his back, “Fuck meeeeEEEE! AHHH. DID YOU HEAR THAT CRACK. Ugh, okay… phew… alright, enough dickin’ around, yeah, big reveal, long-time friend, actually huge traitor-douche, start the boss-fight already let’s goooOOOOO!”

*New Player has Joined Game*

[April 18th, 2018, 13:03]

“Madison, would you cut it out, already,” Jeremy called from the other side of the lab. Jeremy stood at the lab bench in the back of the room that almost spanned from one wall to the other. He was gathering various mechanical parts to construct one of the functional parts of their machine. 

Jeremy, Leslie and Leopold had all agreed on a schematic that illustrated how the cosmic strings would be formed, and he began his work on a piston. Essentially, the one end of the cosmic string would stick to the piston; then the piston would quickly spin and connect the other end of the string to the first to form a loop. Afterwards, the loop would be pushed upward so that it would rise into the air; a test-object would sit on a platform above the loop and in the middle of its trajectory. Thus, the test-object would experience the space-time distortions of the loop as it passes around the test-object.

It was a difficult concept for Jeremy to concentrate on with the incessant cursing coming from Madison’s game.

“I just got to a cool part, though!” she complained and set her controller down on the lab meeting table. Leslie stiffly sat at the meeting table near Madison, trying not to get involved. She quietly typed the methods section of their scientific paper; they had finished their introduction the previous week.

“I don’t care what part you’re at,” Jeremy snapped, “The screen that animate’s IO’s facial expressions isn’t meant to play those annoying, never-ending, online games.”

“Oh, I guess you’re right,” Leslie interjected, “IO’s face and personality mostly comes from pixels on that screen! I’m not sure if I ever entirely… registered that in my head.” She tried to direct attention away from the conflict. 

Madison spoke back to Jeremy immediately, completely ignoring her attempt at restoring peace.

“That doesn’t make any sense, dude! I saw you play games on IO’s face all the time, when we were kids. Your games are still on here, I can see them right now!” she cried out.

“Kids?” Leslie asked.

Jeremy stepped away from his lab bench and strode over to Madison and IO, becoming increasingly irritated. Leopold glanced up at the commotion and removed his earbuds. He was sculpting a crude prototype part of the machine that would spin heat into the strings. He was at the same lab bench as Jeremy, but on the other side of the room. Jeremy leaving the bench in a hurry caught his attention from the corner of his eye.

“That’s because when I played games, I actually played simple ones with IO. I never made him run those monster-sized games that take a ton of CPU and just make him sit there and watch me the whole time. He’s not your personal play-thing,” he hissed.

Madison furrowed her brow and leaned back in surprise.

“Him?” she enunciated, “What do you mean ‘him?’ It’s a robot!”

“What’s the problem over there, kids?” Leopold called, unaware of the tension.

Jeremy stifled in shock at her response. To avoid embarrassment, he quickly unplugged her controller. The game powered down, and IO’s simple, pixelated circle eyes and macaroni shaped mouth reappeared on the screen. IO seemed relieved to have quit the program.

“Hey man, what the hell!” Madison blurted out, “I didn’t even get to save my progress!”

“So, build your own robot,” he said coldly, “Come on, IO. We have errands to run.”

Jeremy stormed out of the lab and turned down the hallway in the direction of the lobby. Madison looked between the two remaining lab members with an opened jaw and a look of disgust on her face. Leslie was visibly distraught, and Leopold sauntered to their table carefully.

“What a jerk!” she yelled.

“Okay, okay, everyone, let’s try to take a breath,” Leslie suggested, “We’ve been working really hard on this project lately; I’m sure he’s just stressed out and didn’t mean it, Madison. I’m stressed out, too, you know?”

“Yeah, well, that was one way to handle it,” she scoffed.

“Maybe since you don’t have that game to play anymore, you can focus more on your own work like us? Maybe study for your final exams. They’re just a few weeks from now, right?” Leslie offered.

Madison groaned.

“Dude, I was playing that game to specifically avoid all that stuff. All you ever want to do is work.”

“Hey kiddo,” Leopold said assertively. She spun around to face him. “How about you cool off with me for a bit? You can help us figure out how large of a chemical reaction we’re going to start with, when we’re testing our machine. We can test the reaction and watch it light up.”

Madison let out an audible sigh.

“Guess I’ve got nothin’ else to do now, anyway. Alright, Leo, let’s do it. Gimme your best explosives or whatever,” she said and rolled her eyes as she dragged herself in the direction of his work bench. 

Leslie exhaled her own stress out as she sat alone at her meeting table. Despite her efforts to bring everyone together, she somehow felt as if nothing would be enough. Perhaps she wasn’t as good of a friend or coworker as she thought.

[April 18th, 2018, 13:20]

Jeremy treaded through the lobby without batting an eye at Martha and B-lined for the robotics lab. He had been getting fed up with working on the piston, anyway; he didn’t have all the parts to keep it functional. The robotics lab often had pieces and parts to spare. Sophia wasn’t exactly a friend of his or anyone else’s in the Looney Lab, but she seemed to treat them fairly, in an economical sense. In a personal sense, she obviously had her opinions. But a few spare parts shouldn’t stir up that much trouble. As Jeremy approached the lab, he became confused at the sound of music. It sounded familiar. He peered into the robotics lab. It was a chaotic mess like it always was. Papers all over the tables, machines in mid-function, and a plethora of metallic limbs lying around. They were separated from their parent machines, and added to the clutter of the lab. 

Sounds of loud, distorted, punk-rock guitars strumming to rapidly beating drums filled the room. The only person inside was Andre. He was the one blaring music. He wore tight, black jeans, a striped burgundy and grey shirt with a solid, long-sleeved, black shirt underneath. Andre appeared to be preoccupied on a computer… playing that horrible game of Madison’s.

Jeremy sighed.

“Excuse me,” he projected his voice over the music. Andre turned to face him, smiled and gave a nod of acknowledgement.

“‘Sup, man!” he yelled over the music.

“Can you turn it down!?”

“Oh, yeah, yeah!” Andre agreed and lowered the music, “Sorry, sorry. Was playin’ this sweet game, and joined someone’s game nearby, but then they left. Guess they don’t want anyone else to know that they’re goofin’ off at work,” he laughed, “Whatcha need?” he asked, nonchalantly.

“I need a crankshaft for this piston that I’m putting together,” Jeremy replied, ignoring the rest of Andre’s commentary.

“Ahhhh, yeah, ya kinda need the piston to go up and down huh?” he joked, “So you’re really gettin’ that machine together? That’s cool, lemme see what I can find.”

Andre wandered all the way to the back of the lab, rifling through numerous cardboard boxes, kicking some out of the way. Jeremy rocked back and forth on his heels while he waited, hoping it would be over soon.

“Aha!” Andre yelled, “Here ya go!” he plopped himself in a desk chair on wheels and flung himself through an aisle in the lab, running over papers and bolts, until he reached Jeremy. Andre held a cardboard box full of crankshafts of various sizes in his lap.

“Any of these good for ya?” he asked.

Jeremy glanced through them, and, to his surprise, he did find one that would fit his piston. Eventually, he would need a piston with a circumference larger than most people, so that the cosmic loops were big enough to circle the person in the machine. For the time being, a small piston would do, because the test-objects were considerably smaller. Andre smirked and reached out to IO, who had been standing behind Jeremy’s leg.

“Hey there, little man, good to see ya again! Gimme some skin?” he posed, holding his hand out and palm up, “Or, I guess, gimme some metal?”

IO emoted a smile on its screen and gave Andre a high-five, after warming up to the environment again. Jeremy glimpsed between them, as his attention was torn away from the crankshaft.

“You two are… acquainted?” he asked.

“Oh yeah,” Andre said, “He was here for a long enough time for us to share a moment or two. He liked my other boys, too. Too bad I gotta perform a bit more maintenance on them right now, otherwise they’d be up and about.”

IO sounded a high-pitched, twinkle-like beep for Andre. He wore a goofy grin and pointed to IO.

“That mean he likes me?”

“Uh, yes, actually,” Jeremy responded, feeling entirely caught off-guard again. He felt his aggravation fading. “You call IO and your robots ‘he’, too?”

“Yeah! That’s just the way I see ‘em, though. But they don’t mind.”

“I always called IO an ‘it’ because he’s a robot.”

“You just called him a ‘he,’” Andre corrected.

“Oh…” Jeremy hesitated, “I guess I did. I haven’t been sure what to use, recently.”

“Just whatever feels right, man,” he said, “To you, or to IO, I should say.”

Jeremy hummed and kneeled down to IO.

“What do you think, IO? Do you like ‘it’ or ‘him’ more?” he asked.

IO flashed grey lights from the bulbs on its head. Jeremy smiled, having been surprised for the third time within the hour.

“You don’t care?” he asked.

IO confirmed.

“Huh… I didn’t know that. Well… maybe I’ll go back and forth then, if that’s okay.”

IO flashed blue lights, expressing contentment. Jeremy stood back up.

“Well… thanks. Maybe, uh, well, I’d like to meet your… robots—machines—when they’re operational again.”

“Oh, sure, I’d be happy to introduce you,” he waved away the request.

“…So I can just take whichever crankshaft I want?” Jeremy asked.

“Yeah, go for it, ya don’t see me usin’ them,” he chuckled, “Just keep this deal on the DL. Don’t want you-know-who findin’ out.”

Jeremy frowned and pointed to a crankshaft. Andre gestured for him to pick it up. He squinted at Andre and turned his nose up at him, suspiciously.

“You’re not like Sophia, are you,” he wondered.

“Nah,” Andre snorted, “Although, I will need something in return before you take the crank with ya.”

Jeremy sighed.

“There’s always a price,” he mumbled.

“I just need you to take this other box of junk to Martha in the lobby,” Andre said, “Sophia spring-cleaned her office the other day and put all the stuff she didn’t want in the box. Told me to take whatever I wanted and give the rest to reception.”

“Oh. That’s it?” Jeremy replied.

“Yyyyyup. That’s all. I just don’t wanna walk over there. So just do that, come right back, get your crank, and you’re good to go.”

“Huh,” Jeremy paused, “Okay. Can I take anything from that box, if I find something I like?”

“Bit of a glutton there, huh, Jeremy Brilliant?” he jested, “Sure, sure, makes no difference to me. Just, ya know, not to state the obvious, but don’t tell Sophia about this either. Ya know?”

“Yeah. Okay.”

Andre spun in his chair, reached underneath a nearby desk and traded the crankshaft box for a flimsy box that was half filled with office supplies. Paper clips, pencils, erasers, a stapler, stacks of unopened paper, a pair of scissors, and various other supplies. Jeremy left Andre, IO, and his crankshaft in the lab. On his way to Martha’s desk, he shuffled the box around in his arms. He kept glancing through the contents and stole a permanent marker or two. There was a pack of sticky index tabs and a pack of orange Post-It notes. He set the box down on the reception desk. Martha glanced at him and smiled.

“Hey there, darling, how’s the research going? You sure were walking with a purpose earlier!”

“It’s okay,” he said, still looking into the box. “We’ve made progress. I just hope we’ll make enough of it to be worthwhile. I brought you this box from the robotics lab,” he said, distractedly. Jeremy felt as if something was happening. Some sort of vague… shift.

“Well, thank you, sweetheart! You’re not switching labs, are you?”

He couldn’t take his eyes off the sticky notes. He reached in, picked them up and held them up in the air to examine them.

“No,” he responded, simply.

Martha frowned and her eyes bounced left and right at the peculiar behaviour.

“Do you… use sticky notes a lot?”

“Not really.”

“Do… you want to take those ones?”

Jeremy shook himself out of a dazed trance. He didn’t want to let the pack go.

“Uh. Would you mind?” he asked.

“No, ‘course not,” she snorted, “You seem like you’d get more use out of them, anyway!”

“Huh… yeah. Thanks.”

“…You’re welcome, oddball!” she chuckled, uncomfortably.

The pack of Post-It notes felt indistinctly familiar. He couldn’t explain it. He rarely used sticky notes, and wasn’t particularly fond of the colour orange. Was it déjà vu? Martha tried once again to shake him back to reality.

“So, what were you doing in the robotics lab?” she asked.

It worked. Jeremy put the pack of sticky notes in his back pocket and refocussed himself onto her.

“Uh, right. I was, uh, looking for something to go with this piston that I’m reassembling in the lab. I’m trying to modify it so it will push up and down like it’s supposed to, but also spin at a high velocity,” he explained, sheepishly.

“Oh, so you’re making a new kind of tool?” she probed.

“Sort of. Mostly just making a few small changes.”

“Well, I’ll have to keep in touch for updates! You go on and get back to work, now. I wouldn’t want to keep you!”

“Thanks. See you around.”

Jeremy walked back into the robotics lab to find Andre showing IO the game that he was playing when they first walked in. Andre acknowledged him as he wandered up next to IO.

“You can take the crankshaft whenever you want, man. Thanks again for the favour!” Andre said.

Jeremy dug through the box again and retrieved the correct size. Seeing that Andre and IO were both absorbed in the game, he felt compelled to wait. He watched the game for a moment, and then his curiosity got the best of him.

“Andre,” he said.

“Yeah?”

“I want to ask you something.”

“I’m all ears.”

He seemed pretty agreeable for not even knowing what the question was.

“What do you think of Sophia?”

Andre paused the game. His natural half-smile, and carefree spirit seemed to subside. He took a deep breath, and spun his chair ninety degrees to face Jeremy. IO backed up so it wasn’t between them.

“Why are you asking me?” he cross-examined.

“Does it matter?”

“Is this for your own knowledge, or somebody else’s?” Andre pressed.

“It’s my own curiosity. I know there is something going on with her and Leopold. I don’t know what it is, and it isn’t necessarily my business. But it’s clear that she has a problem with him. Or a need to get under his skin. It’s almost vindictive. But you are nothing like that, from the looks of it. And yet, you work here. Why?” Jeremy laid his cards on the table.

Andre chuckled to himself.

“Well, I’m glad that I look non-vindictive. To tell you the truth, Jeremy, I don’t know much about it either. All I could really do for you is speculate. From my perspective, seems like Leopold and his lab are bad for business. Makes the university look foolish, and undermines everyone else’s work by association. Since Sophia is in a position where she is managing everyone’s work, maybe she holds a grudge to Dr. Looney for making her job unnecessarily hard?”

“Seems corrupted. Why hasn’t The Board of Research stepped in? Or human resources? Isn’t that technically a hostile work environment?”

“Yeah, probably. But the higher-ups hired Sophia themselves. Supposedly she’s buddy-buddy with someone up there. And honestly, she’s been a great manager for the rest of the labs. Not to mention that most other labs probably feel frustrated just like her because they feel that they are missing opportunities for funding because Dr. Looney works here. He’s been workin’ on that time travel stuff for a long time, and his last presentation to The Board really solidified the reputation he has now. At least that’s what I’ve heard from the people that still work here from back then,” Andre elaborated.

“And so… why do you work under her?” Jeremy reminded him of the original question.

Andre sighed.

“Listen, I’m not going to defend Sophia’s actions. But I don’t want to throw her under the bus, either. We met when we were both enrolled at the university, actually. We were both part of the Fellowship of Minorities in STEM. It was my first year, her last year, and she showed me around. Introduced me to faculty and showed me the ropes. Later, I came to work here with her, and when I got my degree last year, I was hired to be a full-time employee. And, well, I’m sure you know what happened after. She got promoted and now… I guess we’re lookin’ for a new Principal Investigator? One of the higher-ups used to be the PI, and it’s just kind of been handed down. Maybe since he’s still around, they’re trying to hold off on hiring someone else,” he snickered, “Maybe I can work an angle and get a raise.”

“So she’s done good things for you,” Jeremy summarized.

“Pretty much, yeah. I just feel like I owe her something. Some grace. I had no idea what I was going to do with my life… and she really helped me figure it out. I was the first in my family to even go to college. I wasn’t even sure it would work out, let alone graduate? Work in a laboratory? I mean, I’m workin’ on robotic prosthetics! How fuckin’ cool is that?!”

Andre’s eyes widened and he covered his mouth.

“Oh, oh, sorry,” he quickly interrupted himself, “That was unprofessional.”

Jeremy shrugged.

“I don’t care. I’m used to it.”

Andre relaxed after seeing how little Jeremy was phased, though he thought it peculiar. He tried to steer the conversation away from his mistake.

“Long story short,” he said, “she helped me make my dream of being a first generation college graduate a reality. And I’ve made it farther in life than I ever thought I could. So… that’s why I work here.”

“…Can I ask you one more question?” Jeremy said.

Andre laughed and leaned back in his chair with a sigh.

“What, you don’t want to wait until my life story comes out on DVD?”

Jeremy ignored the joke.

“Why did you answer all my questions? You could have just ignored me or refused. Why let someone you hardly know ask you so many things?”

Andre let out a humorous breath.

“What can I say, I’m an open book, man. I’m cool with hangin’ out with just about anybody. But ya have to tell people about yourself if ya want ‘em to stick around, ya know?”

“You do?”

Andre snorted.

“Uh, yeah! If people go years without knowing anything about you, you’re pretty much just a stranger. At best an acquaintance. So I tell people about me, especially if they ask! Ya never know who’s gonna like what they hear, and keep comin’ back.”

Jeremy furrowed his brow, nodding his head at the information. He hummed and cleared his throat.

“Uh, thanks… Andre,” he croaked, “I appreciate your honesty.”

“S’what it’s all about, man. Now get outta here, go do your fancy time stuff. I’ll see ya next time ya need a crankshaft!” he joked.

“O—Okay. Goodbye,” Jeremy said abruptly, and cued IO to follow him.

The two of them headed out into the hall and began walking back to the Looney Lab with the crankshaft. Jeremy had not expected… any of that to happen. The day seemingly never ceased to shock him. Still, for a reason unbeknownst to him, he felt a bit happier. Perhaps the time away from Madison did it. Although, Andre was quite bizarre. He would have never guessed he’d be so talkative. At least not to Jeremy. IO beeped to get his attention. Jeremy glimpsed down to see IO displaying a silly smile on its screen, looking up at him. He snorted.

“What’s that look for?”

IO blinked playful yellow and pink lights at him like a carnival ride.

“Oh hush,” he nervously laughed, “I was just curious. I only went there for the crankshaft, that’s it.”

The lights shifted to teal and orange.

“You can think what you want,” he sputtered, “But the only thing I got out of that was the crankshaft. Come on, we’ve still got lots of research to do.”

IO let out a high-pitched hum that sunk to a low one that resembled a youthful, disappointed “Okaaaay…”

As Jeremy advanced toward the doors of the Looney Lab, his raw feelings of relief began to fade. He remembered the unsolved issues with Madison, the quickly approaching deadlines for their research, and the mountain of work that was waiting for him. His body felt heavier and worn. The events of the day had already jerked him around through all kinds of feelings. He resorted to his most comfortable, neutral disposition once again.

[zetsubou--artsu]

A Ray of Light

Okay so I think I’m at the point wherein I need to look at my messy folders and start uploading some of these fanfics I wrote as a self-indulgent thing ahahahah ;w; Just a heads up: Oriana is Ignis and Io’s daughter and this follows through the Extra Verse timeline from Episode Ignis. THAT MEANS IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN/PLAYED EPISODE IGNIS YET AND ARE PLANNING TO PLAY/WATCH IT SPOILER-FREE, THEN YOU SHOULD BACK OUT NOW BECAUSE THIS HAS MAJOR SPOILERS!!!

Warnings: Spoilers for Episode Ignis, really tiny implied sexual thing at the end, lots and LOOOOOTS of family fluff ahahAH

"M-Mama!"

Sandy-blond hair neatly and loosely braided behind her crying face, Oriana wiped her tears with her chubby little fingers as she called out for her mother.

Still in her favorite blue Catoblepass-patterned dress, she walked around clumsily, sleep and tears still lingering on her mind. When she stumbled upon the kitchen, there stood her mother, long hair braided loosely and her long sweeping mint green dress visible. Oriana whimpered, a sound caught on by the young Scientia missus. She turned around gasping at the sight of her ever-lovely and adorable daughter, bawling her tired eyes once again. Io knelt down and hugged her, then lifted her up in a warm hug. The smallest Scientia sighed in content, tears still leaking out somewhat but now calmer than she had previously. Io hummed a song, as she rocked her daughter back and forth to pacify her more. Though it failed to get her to sleep, Oriana instead clutched tightly to her mother's torso, sea-foam eyes reflecting back to her mother's own pair. "Ori, what's the matter dear?" Io smiled, wiping the tears away as she kissed her forehead. Oriana snuggled into her mother's bossom as she mumbled a reply. "Papa was hurt. Mama was hurt. I miss papa... Papa makes mama and Ori happy." Io tensed a bit before smiling sadly, as she gently caresses her child's head. "Ori... papa is busy, you know that. He's fighting out there to keep everyone safe." "And when papa is home, you leave. Then sometimes, you and papa leave Ori alone..." 'Oh, Ori...' Io mentally chided herself, realizing that her daughter longed for the company of both parents. While Ori was safe within the walls of Lestallum, Io knows that the reality outside is not as complacent as it is within the last safe haven. It's only been seven years, yet time swept away any notion of what was once the city of joy and life. Outside was darkness, eternally engulfing the sky and the light, leaving a dreary and dead atmosphere. That's not even counting the daemons wandering about. Though her husband may have had a hand in preventing the worst, not all was spared. The preparations helped most people to seek immediate refuge within the safer walls of the reinforced Lestallum. Former-Glaives and Hunters alike also began performing patrols and rescue operations, some provided relief while others searched for supplies. Having handing over the intense parts of maintaining the city, the last of the 114th King's retinue began their sweep over Eos. For most part, none of them were successful but the thought of a happy future for everyone kept them going. As the pairs settled down with their own kids, the sacrifice of their own time for a bright future bore heavy weight on everyone. Io and Ignis had spent years looking for solutions to Noctis' problem, as what was shown to Ignis in his vision within the Keep. The years when there was still minimal light already kept them busy from family but now that darkness truly fell and daemons roam the land without an end, travelling has become twice as dangerous, especially when massive hordes form. Io had agreed with Ignis that someone should always be with Ori, as should one of them fall in battle... Io shook her head from the awful feeling, kissing her daughter's forehead instead. She needs to talk to Ignis, about how their daughter needs them, that time is running out both for when Noct once again emerges and for their daughter's childhood to end. The former Princess of Pacem didn't want her only daughter's childhood memories to be filled with dread and hopeful anxiety, waiting for both of their parents to arrive safely once more. She wants her precious girl to have stories to share to her future friend, her future husband, her future kids. She doesn't want her to tell them veteran stories of being stuck within the darkness as her parents fight to let her see the beautiful sun once more. Io nods to herself, resolute and determined to let her daughter have the best in life. Just as she had resolved to give their daughter a chance of peace, Io felt Ori's body tremble, as the girl began sniffling and holding back tears. The mother felt her heart ache for her daughter's anguished cries, once again rocking her gently and smothering her with kisses. Io walked out of the kitchen and into the living room, sitting on the couch to help her cradle Ori more. After what it felt like hours, Io's daughter dozed off, tired from all the silent crying. The mother sighed sadly, wanting to give her daughter everything she wanted but Io knows it's almost impossible to do so, not with so many things to do in so little time. Still, she would try, for her lovely Ori. As Io was about to bring Ori back to bed, she heard the door open and close with practiced grace and eloquence. Footsteps echo the floorboard as Io is stunned with momentary surprise. That shock slowly turned into joy as she felt her heart swell at the sight of her beloved husband, hair slicked back and still all in one piece. His gloved hand reached for his visor, taking it off as green eyes stared lovingly at the presence of his gorgeous wife. "Welcome home, Iggy." Io smiles breathtakingly, taking in the sight of her significant other. Ignis walks with a stride, and gently engulfs his two beautiful ladies in one warm embrace. "My love, it is truly wonderful to finally be home." Ignis kisses them both gently, love and affection filling his every fiber of being. The continuous search for an alternative solution drained him and his other three companions--Gladio, Prompto, and Loqi. Just as when all hope is lost, Ravus, of all people, contacted them and told them to meet with him in Tenebrae. The former Niff General-now-King, told them of a possible solution, one that is hidden deep within the recess of their former home. Upon clearing the way, deactivating some MT-jammers courtesy of the blond former brigadier, they found a hidden safe from Queen Sylva's room. Within the safe is a stack of books, hand-written by the late Queen herself. Ravus chokes up a bit, realizing these were hand-written styled diaries were the last pieces of memories his late mother took care of. In addition, an entire book is addressed to him. Quickly skimming the books, they had all found salvation. Queen Sylva was already given this vision of the future, one contrast to the bleak future her own daughter saw. A turning point, she calls it, would determine the fate of the King and his people. Conditions must be fulfilled to prevent the dark blight from ever winning. First, the king must head on willingly, seeking Providence within the crystal of his own choice. Second, the Usurper must be weakened to avoid bleak paths from forming under his free reign. Lastly, a bloodline of the Oracle must be present during the hour of the reckoning. Ignis clearly remembers the resolve and will Noctis wore as he stepped into the crystal, making the first condition valid. With the second one, he didn't know if it was enough, but Ignis tried his might to best the living starscourge as the royal adviser sacrificed all to the Ring to grant him unimaginable power. Lastly, all four looked at the silver-haired Tenebrean, hope forming and consolidating. Ravus stares back with fierceness and determination, finally realizing that his sister's work now falls onto him. Ravus promised them that he will do what it takes to bring back the light with them. They all returned home to their loved ones, heart full of hope and good news ready to be assimilated. Ignis removes his coat with swift ease and places it on the hanger. Suddenly, a muffled groan escaped from the young girl followed by a yawn and her head slowly rising from her mother's bossom. Her pudgy finger rubbed her crusty eyes from the tears earlier, earning a affectionate smile from the father of the family. Suddenly, Oriana's head snapped into rapt attention, realizing the newcomer from her sleepy daze. A joyous scream escaped from her lips as she quickly raises both her hands to reach out for the adviser. Ignis pampered his young princess as she squeals in delight within his hand. She clings to him with her entire body, refusing to let go despite the need for air. Ori calmed down after a while settling herself upon her papa's broad shoulders and nestling herself in his arms. Io looked at her family with a fond gaze, her heart settling from Ori's earlier mishap. Realizing that Ignis came home earlier than usual, Io couldn't help but ask her husband the status of the search. "More than great news, my dear. Queen Sylva had already detailed accounts of what must be done should the future she foresaw be the path chosen from our actions." "Then, that means..." "Darling, there is no longer any need for us to go forth and search for alternatives. The preparations are done, and we must simply wait for his Majesty's return." No more long nights of waiting due to the search around Eos. No more painful cries of Ori asking for both of them. Most importantly, their goal of averting Noctis' fate has been reached. Soon, Ori could grow up in peace and safety, without the curse of daemons plaguing her. Io covers half her face with her hands, tears leaking from the side of her eyes. She runs up to Ignis and hugs him along with Ori within his arms. Relief and delight oozed off of her as she laughs in bliss not found since their days spent before Eos turned to bare ruins. Ori worriedly looked at her mother's crying form and panicked, realizing that her papa might leave again or her mama might leave this time. She grips onto her papa's shirt, catching his attention. Near crying like her mother, Ori wrapped her arms around his neck as she begs him not to go again and to not let mama venture off. Their daughter's sudden change of emotions snapped the two rejoicing parents out of their reverie as they now try to comfort her. "Ori, my dear, your mother and I would no longer venture into long months without going home." "That's right. Your papa and mama's work are now done and complete." Io smiled lovingly, as she holds her daughter's small hands with her own. Ignis used his other free hand to wipe away the tears off of her daughter's charming face heart once again filling with warmth and tenderness as he observes their interaction. Ori sniffled, her face turning hopeful and eager, asking herself if she's dreaming. "Sweetie, you aren't dreaming. Your papa and I promise you would see us both more often now." "Listen to your mother, dear. Perhaps we could start planning for our adventures tomorrow, what do you say?" Ori bounced excitedly at the idea, babbling away and basking in the attention of both of her parents. The next day, she was not the least disappointed to find out that her parents were awake and not away just as they promised. As she led them to sit down with her on the floor to play 'Princess', Ori noticed her mother wincing a bit before waving her off, claiming she was just tired. The young Scientia felt shame creep up on her, thinking that it was her tantrums that made her mother tired. The sandy-haired child quickly hugged her mama, apologizing for making her feel tired. Ori glanced up and saw her mother's half-amused and half-blushing face as she reassures her that it wasn't her fault.

A quick cough from the man of the house distracted them all and immediately caught Ori's attention instead. She gave her mother one last worried glance before running towards her father's position asking to be held up. The tactician lifted her up and let his gaze stop at his wife's form. He smirked a bit, spotting one of the marks he left her from last night's joyous celebration. Io caught on to what her fellow tactician triumphantly smiled about, her lips forming into a pout. The intense gaze and amused light glinting on her eyes told otherwise, however. All this took place as Oriana hummed and bathed in the comfort and love of her now complete family.