#Verse;; FFXV

[ravusnightblossom]

TRACE] The sender leans in, delicately tracing the outline of a scar with their lips.

Scar Meme || @dragcnlxrd

Sleep had been gripping at him, lulling him into a comfortable drift from consciousness. He wasn't so far gone to not feel the press of lips against his chest, however. A small smile bloomed and his right hand raised to slowly comb his fingertips through Lysander's hair.

When he realized precisely where he was focusing his affections, Ravus' eyes opened. Ah. His lips pursed, but only for a moment. As self conscious as he was about his scarring, he was grateful that Lysander still found him beautiful enough not to let them mar his view of him. Or so he certainly hoped.

"Mm. That tickles," he whispered, not untrue, at least. Shifting just a bit, he placed a soft kiss on top of the other's head.

[ravusnightblossom]

⋞⁘♔⁘⋟ The level of need and want in that kiss was mutual. Ravus couldn't even recall how long he had felt such a way for Lysander; it had seemed like his whole life. Or at least since he was old enough to has such emotions. And now that what had always been unspoken between the two of them had developed into what it was, he almost felt as if he had to make up for the years of lost time. He wondered if they would have still ended up like this by their own accord, if everything hadn't been devastated as it had. As he watched Lysander undressing in front of him, he knew that was a thought for a different day. There were far more important matters to focus on.

He leant forward to scoop Lysander's shirt off the floor, tossing it by the door of his room. Their room at the present, it seemed. Locking the door behind them, the handle and the deadbolt, he dragged his own shirt off over his head (briefly grateful that he hadn't bothered with redressing into his raiment) then laid a palm on Lysander's chest.

The lightest kiss was pressed to his lips before Ravus pushed him onto the bed. "Somehow it sounds different when you call me that," he said quietly in intrigued observation, a small grin on his lips. "I like it." He shouldn't. Not in the way it felt when Lysander called him that in that voice.

Deft fingertips undid Lysander's pants and practically yanked them away, working them off the other man with clear intent in mind. They were flung onto the floor beside the bed as he leaned down for another heated kiss.

@ravusnightblossom continued from x ⋞⁘♔⁘⋟ The two of them, seated there on the landing of the grand staircase, it felt so natural. How many times had they sat there before, or at least until one of the staff had ushered them away from the footpaths? It was surreal, yet comfortable. “Somehow, I do not doubt that.” Maria already doted on him. If Lysander contributed to that, he could hardly predict how it would be. Of course, it was a bit difficult to focus on that while his hand was being kissed in such a tender gestures. Oh. His brows raised and the tops of his cheeks flushed slightly at the suggestion. No one had been around to hear it, but Ravus wasn’t quite used to such a direct suggestion. He chewed on his bottom lip before averting his eyes and moving to stand. Hopefully that alone would be enough of a solid answer to that question.

Would anyone hear them? Though, did that truly matter to him? It was almost shocking how his anxiety and confidence shook his maintain when it wasn’t being encouraged by the moonshine that Lysander had given him. Without even waiting for the other to stand entirely, Ravus grabbed a handful of Lysander’s hair, giving it a tug to encourage him. Maybe it was still a lingering gesture for youth, though now it meant something far different.    

Seeing Ravus blush was always something that had Lysander laughing. Even in their youth he'd found it easy to make his liege blush. It didn't take very much it seemed.

The feel of fingers in his hair and the way it was tugged brought a soft gasp from his lips. His eyes fluttered shut for a moment as he bit his lip. It was a thrill to see Ravus like this. Where he had seemed shy and blushing the way he tugged Lysander's hair now only brought a thrill to him, a prelude perhaps of what may come.

"Easy there your majesty," he mused as he stood now.

Closing the gap between them his lips sought Ravus'. He was greedy with the kiss, almost as if he were starved. Slender fingers slid over the broad firm chest behind the raiment.

He wondered if any of the staff would hear them. That was something he'd never cared for before, the staff hearing him on his conquests but this... This was different, Ravus was not a conquest, he was something more than that.

His lips savored Ravus' once more before he broke away. He knew the way to his prince's quarters by heart and so there he made his way teasingly unbuttoning his shirt and allowing it to slid off his slender form on the way to the room. The quicker he could disrobe the more time they would have to enjoy one another before being summoned for meal.

[raven-6-10]

tell me the cursed ffxv idea. I was asleep when you posted about it

So it was like 11 PM when my brain decided to remind me that according to what little we have on canon timeline:

Ardyn was broken out of Angelgard in late March/early April of 721 ME, and

Iedolas has his son at the end of the same year.

Brain: I bet we could make an AU out of it

Me: no.

Brain: could totally connect those dots

Me: don't.

Brain: Iedolas was totally willing to make Ardyn his High Chancellor despite knowing him for all of five minutes and the guy being a Scourge-infested menace.

Me: not. the. point.

Brain: you won't convince me the Aldercapts never tried to add some magic to their dynasty. if Ardyn was in any way capable of getting pregnant, Iedolas would definitely offer the spot as a royal mistress.

Me: . . .

Brain: with bonus points, because Ardyn has a claim to the Lucian Throne. which is arguably more legit than the one of Mors and Regis.

Me: I hate you.

So, anyway, it would require a female, a transmale or an omega Ardyn, but is definitely doable.

By somebody other than me.

@sparklecryptid hey Moose! you like wacky aus, right?! have a plunny!

*yeet*

[a-world-in-grey]

You might not need another au but do you want it?

Think of how much fun it would be, Sola and Ardyn snarking at each other in the middle of the throne room and before the entire court.

The resemblance is uncanny.

You can track which of the nobles noticed it by how much they pale, their polite masks turning a little bit tense.

You. Are an enabling gremlin.

Plopping this in the Combined Retinue Nox/Sola au, because this is what my brain finally decided to spit out at 2 in the morning.

@secret-engima have an early Christmas present, I guess?

.

“If I have to dress up, Uncle,” his niece tells him fiercely, “then so do you.”

Ardyn raises a brow from the bench he’s languidly lounging on, watching his Tailor circle Sola with sharp eyes as she tugs on the black fabric of the dress she’s wrangled Sola into wearing for her upcoming Coming of Age, unfazed by the equally black scowl on the princess’ face.

Beside him, Nox is firmly pretending to nap on his Shield’s shoulder. Axis has his gaze glued to the book in his hand.

It seems he’ll have no allies from that quarter.

Admittedly, Ardyn had perhaps been enjoying Sola’s irritation too much, and hadn’t bothered to smother his growing amusement with every dark mutter Sola had made about protocol and where the court could shove said protocol.

He gives Sola an indulgent smirk. “I highly doubt I’m on the guest list, my dear. Given the current state of international politics.”

Not that he’d let the lack of an invitation stop him from attending his niece and nephew’s birthday party.

From the glare Sola levels at the mirror, and the minute stiffening of Nox’s spine, Ardyn has the feeling his niblings will ensure he is invited, regardless of anyone else’s feelings on the matter.

Nox’s eyes actually open a sliver when Sola’s magic abruptly curls, all mischievous glee with an edge of bared teeth. His nephew warily eyes his twin and the grin growing on her face.

Ardyn does not share Nox’s apprehension. He rather thinks his niece should smile like that more often.

“A suit for your Uncle, then?” Penelopeia asks archly.

“If you would be so kind.” Sola replies before Ardyn can protest. Sola’s blue eyes narrow on him through the mirror. “Black for the shirt, instead of the suit, I think. Gold as an accent color, but otherwise I have full faith in your judgment.”

To Penelopeia’s credit, his Tailor pauses for but a moment. “Of course, Your Highness.”

Ardyn gives Sola a long look. His niece knows very well protocol prohibits him from wearing black. He is neither a (known) member of the royal family nor in sworn service to them. Sola cares little for protocol and tradition, especially when it gets in her way, but even she can’t get away with flouting such an old and respected tradition. Not like this. “Niece.” He warns.

Sola raises her chin, defiant. “Do you trust me?”

Ardyn sighs. Smiles reassuringly at the fierce girl who’s been Nox and Ardyn’s staunchest supporter these past near three years. “Yes.”

Sola nods, and that is that.

.

Copia Egestas adores her Queen.

Sola’s last minute changes to the twins’ Coming of Age gave her a solid week of extra work to do - with help from Ignis, who volunteered on account of her being nearly six months pregnant - hunting through the Archives and preparing her arguments before she and Sola sat down in front of the King and finally told him exactly who would be presenting his daughter at her Coming of Age. Presenting both his children, in fact.

Unsurprisingly, Regis was not pleased. But between Sola’s staunch refusal to change her mind and Copia’s presented precedents, he reluctantly conceded.

Now, eyeing everyone as they wait to enter the ballroom, Copia can only feel a vicious anticipation.

Nox and Sola make a striking pair in black and gold. Both of them have their hair carefully pulled back, decorated further with gold. Nox still wears his usual earrings, the only silver on him as he’d declined the offer for golden versions, and Sola has mirrored him with a set of earrings arranged in the opposite ears. Not the same earrings, but the studs and climber are similar enough in shape to achieve the desired effect.

Copia’s sleeveless black dress is cut to flatter her pregnant figure, a gold shawl for her shoulders because six months pregnant and she gets uncomfortably warm now that the summer months are upon them, which also why she’s elected for an updo instead of letting her thick curls tumble loose. Unlike Sola, Copia is in comfortable flats instead of heels, again on account of being pregnant.

Axis is in a black suit jacket with gold details, and his Clan’s purple and green tartan. His hair’s been styled back from his face, but otherwise remains free.

Axis isn’t the only one wearing purple and green. Nox has the shifting purple-green galahdite in his ears, hair, and decorating his cufflinks. Sola’s chosen a selection of amethysts and emeralds to decorate her gold jewelry, while Copia had been gifted a pair of ebony hair sticks topped with amethyst and emerald carved cabochons.

(Copia knows just enough about Galahdian culture to know to tell Penny the goal, and follow the woman’s instructions on how to support Axis without overstepping cultural boundaries. The result, she is told, is a careful blend of Lucian and Galahdian color codes, but Copia has never seen Axis struck speechless before so she makes a mental note to commend Penny and her recommended jewelers for their hard work.)

With Ardyn, however, Penny has evidently decided to take refuge in audacity.

The suit is a lovely shade of dark purple, decorated with an intricate pattern of - much to Copia’s amusement - peacock feathers. At a glance they could be mistaken for phoenix feathers, certainly, but Copia knows her birds, and those feathers belong to the phoenix’s non-magical dramatic cousins. Studded at the eye of each feather are small galahdite stones to match Nox and Axis.

Under the suit, Ardyn’s shirt is black, which will no doubt give the Court conniptions and the press a field day, despite them following protocol to a T. Instead of a traditional tie, Ardyn’s kept his usual scarf, but in a rich green. How it doesn’t clash with the purple, Copia doesn’t know, but she knows Ardyn’s vest is a matching shade of green. Ardyn has a gold and galahdite lapel pin, linked by a fine gold chain to a paired piece on the front of his breast pocket.

The master of ceremonies glances over at them, expression half-expectant, half-despairing.

It turns to resignation when Ardyn and Sola gift him identical smirks.

Nox sighs.

Copia hides a grin behind her hand. Oh yes, tonight is going to be so very entertaining, with uncle and niece actively working together.

She wonders how many people will notice the family resemblance before the end of the night?

[ertrunkenerwassergeist]

I imagined Regis or Cor or anyone from the Citadel asking Drautos if he knew about the Conqueror going to Galahd, and. Drautos would say no. Because he didn't know.

And for the Insomnians that's reasonable, this happened centuries ago, not everyone is interested in history, for all they know the fleet never made it to the islands.

Except Drautos is pretending to be one of Galahkari. One of the people who hold grudges like it's a national sport and discuss historical events like it's yesterday gossip. Whichever Glaive was nearby to hear this would realise that the Captain is being honest about not knowing - and that he's definitely lying about his past.

Axis did not want to be here. His youngest was sick again and had both him and Librita up for most of the night. Thank the spirits for his wife's ability to work from home. Otherwise one of them would have had to quit their job a long time ago.

He supressed a yawn and did his best to ignore Captain Drautos, who was doing some sword drills not too far away from him. Blearily blinking down at the clipboard in his hands, Axis distantly wondered which style of pildura the Captain would prefer. Gekkan maybe? Certainly not puhna. He shook his head. This was not the time to think about it. If he could get his work done in a timely manner, maybe he would be able to go home sooner and help his wife look after Isoro.

Crouching down to inspect the damage done to the stone wall of the training ground, Axis nearly missed the Lord fucking Marshal himself approaching. Suddenly he was wide awake, tracking the man's movements out od the corner of his eyes, while trying to look like he was still concentrating on his work.

"Titus, a word please," the Marshal said once the Captain had stopped his current moveset.

"Has there been an attack?" There was an undercurrent to that question Axis couldn't place.

"No," the Marshal said and something within Axis relaxed. "Regis, Clarus and I are just curious about something."

By the spirits, Axis had never heard the Marshal say so many words in a row.

Captain Drautos rolled his shoulders and sheathed his sword, stance relaxing. Axis couldn't see his expression, but for someone who often insinuated that the King and his men didn't really care for the Glaive beyond their capabilities to be a meat shield, his everything seemed awefully friendly.

"If this is about Shield Hearts again, the answer is still no."

Axis nearly did a double take. Like, what? What by Pitioss was Shield Hearts? The Marshal honest to the spirits snorted. Axis noted down the need for five new stones for this section of the wall and started to search for non-existant cracks in dirt floor.

"Clarus still hasn't given up on it, but no. Do you know about the diary they found not too long ago?"

"The one that mentions the Conqueror? Hard not to have heard about it."

"We were wondering if you know something about it. Do you Galahdians have any records about it? It would be interesting to know if the Conqueror really made it to Galahd or not."

Now Axis wasn't even pretending to work. What would the Captain say? Would he actually tell this outsider the story? Hopefully not. He chanced a look at the two men. Captain Drautos looked contemplative.

"I'm sorry," he said, and if not for his next words, Axis would have sighed in relief. "I don't know anything about that. This was also the first time I heard about it. And with Galahd's conquest I don't know if any records survived."

"I see. What a pity."

Fuck. The Captain was serious. He was actually serious about this. He did not know. How could he not know? Every Galahkar grew up hearing about the Black Ships, the attempted conquest and the murder of Perses Ulric.

What the fuck?

He scribbled something on his clipboard - he had no idea what - and marched out of the training ground as inconspicuously as possible. He needed to talk to Luche.

[madeofthreads]

@housetummelt | x

Ji-eun exhaled a slow breath. The tension was still there, but it wasn't quite as explosive as it had been before... she didn't want to shout, and she didn't want to assault him with questions after all. She simply needed a moment to gather herself back together.

Following his guidance, she pulled back from the hug, and it was then that she realised his was the first familiar face that she had seen in the aftermath. Of all the people she had ever known, Baldur Tummelt was the first she could confidently say 'he survived'.

"It is good to see you Mr. Tummelt." Ji-eun meant to apologise to him. To dismiss her reaction in some way, but really, she wasn't sorry about it at all.

"I... am alive." It almost sounded like she questioned that, whether she truly was alive, whether this could truly be called living. It felt more like surviving. Her parents had both been listed as dead, according to a security database they were both swiped into their non-military work, and both placed at the epicenter of disaster. Even if it were a lie, even if they somehow survived the initial assault from within Gralea, they would not survive the cold and the dark that was to come.

When asked whether she needed anything, she gave a small pause. Yes. Yes, but a secret need. "Perhaps..." she couldn't get out the words. "That is, I do have a favour to seek, but I wouldn't ask for it until I see for myself the state of this Nifen base. There has been so much that has gone wrong. So many people in greater need. I can wait."

Then she managed a very weak smile. Barely a tug of her lips, and it was gone just as quick. "Mrs. Tummelt. I would very much like to see her as well. People have been slowly arriving, and I haven't seen any faces that I recognised until now. I'm... I think I'm in need of familiar company. The Lord Hi- former- Ravus." It felt strange to use his name in a setting that wasn't private. "We arrived together, but we were made aware of intel concerning a Tenebraean escort that needed assistance. He left to receive them but I... well, I'm here, unfit to deploy." That was her favour, but Baldur was a smart enough man to put two and two together.

Ji-eun maneuvered to stand at his side. She followed his lead, hoped quietly that the lower decks weren't as depressing as the image that came to mind. Not a sad and decrepit slum where the Nifen had been dumped. "... and how are you?" she dared to ask after she herself had spilled her troubles upon him. "Are you well?" Or was he also surviving.

[lunarlegend]

"That's right.

A man who was supposed to be the King of Lucis, until my younger brother killed me."

[enokvirkow]

@heartxandxhome X

This nightmare didn’t end. No matter how hard he screwed his eyes shut. No matter how much he prayed to Mahasra. 

He recognized no one of those around him in the dim light. They must have accidentally separated him away from the other prisoners taken from his small island… or they were dead. Where were his Ma? Pa? Rika? Bo?

Enok cringed when  bump against his rm tore him out of his state leaned against a wall debating how to wake up from this. 

The woman. Who had been beside him on the ship. 

Looking to her, he didn’t feel much like answering her first question. It was obvious. 

Glancing to where the old man had walked along, Enok shook his head.

“He’s the devil. Like the seaserpent-death.”, he cited one of the many legends he had been raised on. A shadowy monster of the depths of the sea, looking like a human made from oil and sand with eyes like those of a long dead fish. 

“He kills those he takes… he surely will get every single one of us… the Empire has no soul. They only have machines. They know no nature or respect of it and not even for each other… he will-“

His voice choked up at this, bitter and angry but also fearful before he looked to the woman again. She was his mother’s age.

“Why do they do this to us…? Why isn’t the King stopping them?”

[secret-engima]

Future is Blurry verse

It'd be hilarious to see Glaucus storming the lab when he's looking for Besithia from one of the other newbies. Like, this menace breaks in, is ready to kill them all, but he's.... looking for that showboating, arrogant, infuriating jerk from college. Like, their new boss is right there, he's been sciencing for decades and... this LC wants this new guy. Besithia, the most annoying guy to ever live and keeps dodging his sabotage attempts, is the one that this LC thinks is the smartest in a room full of Niflheim's best.

Also, does Glaucus kill the rest of the scientists? Like, there's no point in letting Nif have smart people? Or did he just kill off the ones he knows Did Things?

gosh it's been so long since i played in this au

That is a hilarious mental image though. The other scientists are so incredulous and to a certain degree INSULTED? Like- of all the people. You want THAT ONE???

Honestly I can see Glaucus only killing anyone who gets in his way, maybe one or two he knows for sure did stuff, and then the rest just have to fend for themselves when he sets key things in the facility On Fire. If they made it out of the flames, whatever, if they died, he's not going to spend any time crying about it that's for sure.

[agent-jaselin]

If Eos can have Audi's Eos can have a dodge ram. Ruby in the back of Tredd's pickup truck, by way of @darkpuck's headcanons

[ravusnightblossom]

@dragoonxdive moved from here because of Legacy.

“What a picky man!” Aranea teases before she takes the dessert menu. There’s cheesecake on it, so she’s glad. And from the image, there seems to have fruits on it. She smiles, satisfied, before she deposited the menu, ready to tell the waiter about her choice once he comes back. She loves eating at a restaurant so damn much. It’s different than staying in Niflheim and only work. She hates the Empire so much; it feels like she could change her mind, even if it’s for a short moment. She laughs at Ravus’ question. “I’m sure they are gossiping, but you know what ? I prefer if there are rumors about you and me than about me and anyone else from the Empire.” She assures, a PLAYFUL smile on her lips. She knows Ravus is awkward, but he’s her friend, one of the rare real ones she has. She raises an eyebrow. “A tabloid header ? It would be a bit crazy. On the other hand, you’re so important to them as the Prince of Tenebrae. Maybe we will.” 

⋞⁘♔⁘⋟       “Ah, yes... I am so important," he mumbled sarcastically. "The perfect doll to flaunt about." He rolled his eyes and sat back in the chair, idly watching the other patrons moving about the restaurant or enjoying their meals. The area they had been sat in had more purveyors in suits and with briefcases than the other side. Clearly they had been seated on the 'finer' side. That was fine by Ravus, as it likely also meant faster service.

Frankly, he would much rather prefer rumours about the two of them than anyone else in the Empire's employ, as well. He enjoyed her company, fortunately. Perhaps it could be something amusing to puzzle the public with.

The waiter returned then with two glasses, pouring from a bottle of white wine into each after placing them on the table.

"Leave the bottle," Ravus demanded, and when the waiter did, he pushed it closer to Aranea. "Enjoy."

[raven-6-10]

I think Ardyn and Kyrene would be wine besties in the Empress Ardyn verse. Ruining idiots, plotting treason and implementing reforms around Niflheim.

[a-world-in-grey]

I think I'm gonna need a list of Sola's relationship status in different verses because I'm lost.

Nox!Sola gets married at 20 and has three kids by the time canon rolls around.

Dyn!Sola is married but has only the one kid when she's 27.

Hanahaki!Sola is dating but not married?

And I have no idea what the rest of them are doing.

No problem!

In Shadows of Heaven's Light, Sola starts dating Libertus at 20, marries at 24, and they adopt their first kid during the Long Night when Sola is 27-28 (exact timeline on that is still TBD). For reference, Libertus is 5 years older than Sola.

For aus or crossovers where Sola and Libertus don't time travel, they end up adopting another four kids. Sola dies in her sixties from the strain using so much magic over the years had on her body, while Libertus lives into his eighties and gets to meet the first of his great-grandkids.

Take My Breath au (Hanahaki!Sola), Libertus and Sola don't start dating until she's 25 at the earliest, but I may push that back to when she's 26-27 depending what I plan to do with the plot. So she and Libertus are dating but not married by the time canon starts.

Sunshine Never Stops au (Nif!Sola), Sola doesn't meet Libertus until she's 19-20 years old, and while she does get a crush on him, she hasn't at all considered the idea of dating anyone while she's so focused on curing the Starscourge.

Nox!Sola starts dating Libertus when she's 20, like in SoHL, but she and Libertus have a whoops pregnancy when she's 21, resulting in twins when she's 21-22. Sola and Libertus marry Galahdian-style shortly after Sola finds out she's pregnant, but they don't have a Lucian wedding until after the twins are born. Then, during the Roadtrip Nox and Sola take Noctis on when Nox and Sola are about 24, Sola finds out part way through that she's pregnant again, resulting in kid #3 by the time she's 25. Which is all I've got so far for that.

Dyn!Sola again started dating Libertus at 20, only for Noctis to disappear a year later. Sola and Libertus married shortly before Noctis came home with Dyn, and Sola got pregnant about three months before Noctis' Coming of Age, shortly before she turned 25, so she'll give birth in the coming spring, a couple months before she turns 26. As for how many kids that'll be... I think I'll keep that under my hat for now. >:)

But general rule of thumb: if Sola's younger than 20, she hasn't started dating Libertus, and barring a whoops baby or other unusual circumstance, Libertus and Sola date for four years (traditional in Lucian culture) before getting married. And, barring extenuating circumstances such as time travel, Libertus and Sola eventually end up with a bunch of kids, biological and/or adopted.

Hope this helps!

[ertrunkenerwassergeist]

Out of curiosity - you've written Dreams au for Prompto and Ardyn kickstarting the Reunion, plus the Gladio version that became canon.

But what about Ignis? How would the verse where he finds Noctis first look like?

Not gonna lie. This one had me stumped. I never considered that Ignis might be the first to find Noctis (my mistake) and so didn't even have an incling about how it might happen. Until about half an hour ago, that is, when an idea fell from the sky. Or my shower head. Depending on the point of view.

(I wrote this really fast, so it doesn't fit stylistically into the Deep City verse. When I have time, I'll try to write a 'proper' version.)

***

You could say this starts around Noctis's 17th birthday. Ignis hasn't been doing well. Not at all. His friendship with Gladio is splintering like rotten wood and his uncle as been... distant lately.

Ignis does his best to bury his worries with work, but that's only helping so much. What with his work now being a glorified secretary for whatever ministry, board or committee will have him at the time. Still, Ignis does his best. What else can he do?

So, that one fateful day, on Noctis's 17th birthday, when the hurt is rubbed fresh and raw again and there is no work for him to do...

Ignis bakes.

He tries, once again his best, to recreate that one sweet pastry from Tenebrae Noctis liked so much and Ignis could never get right. Once he's done, he goes outside and somehow finds himself in a park in a working class area. Later, he will think is has been fate.

Right now, he doesn't care, strangely glad for being outside his usual haunts, and unpacks the pastries he has brought.

Their taste is warm and creamy and so sweet Ignis can practically feel his teeth rotting in his mouth. Was that the right taste? he wonders and hates that he will not get an answer.

"Yer usin' the wrong types of berry," an old, creaky voice says behind him.

Ignis whirls around and whom he finds fits the voice very well. It's an old woman, bent and with wrinkles deeper than he has ever seen. Her hands are bony and full of spots. Her dress looks more like it's been made from patches than proper fabric. The smell of freshly baked bread hits Ignis's nose.

"Excuse me?" he asks.

"Tha' pastry o' yer's," she says in the strangest accent Ignis has ever heard. "Them berries're too sweet. Yer'll need them from northern Ulwaat. T's colder there, so they need ta be more hardy. 'Too sweet' tha' prince o' yers would say."

Ignis feels ice cold dread creep up his spine. Does this woman know Noctis? Does she have soemthing to do with his disappearance?

"Now, now laddie. Get those thoughts outta yer head. Ah'm simply following the fire to where it'll lead me."

"What...?"

"Fire, laddie. It knows ye got to play a part in the storm ta come, and it likes ye. So Ah'll make sure ye know wha' ta do once the time is right."

"I'm afraid I do not know what you are talking about, Maselle. Excuse me, I have work to do."

Ignis turns around, intend to leave the obviously mentally unstable old crone behind him, but her next words make him stop.

"None o' tha', Ignis Scientia. There's no work waitin' for ye today. Yer uncle is teachin' yer cousin Paxil in the hopes he'll not be a disappointment, an' yer friend'll not get a diagnosis fer his sister t'day."

Slowly Ignis turns around. "Are you threatening me?" he asks, low and dangerous. One hand his inconspicuously reaching for the dagger he never goes without these days.

"Ye can leave tha' dagger where it is, laddie. Ah'm not threatening ye, simply sayin' things how they are."

"How do you know all this?" Ignis finds himself asking through the fog in his mind.

"The fire, laddie. Once ye know how ta listen, it'll never stop tellin' ye things," the crone says and waves her hand in a way that makes it clear that she wishes for him to follow. "Come," she says. "Ah'll show ye."

And against his better judgement - and the usually so large, but now tiny rational voice in his head baring warnings at him - he follows.

Nearly three years later, he stares at the fire burning between his fingers, and follows it's call deep into the ancient bowels of the city.

[madeofthreads]

@loqis | x

It was happening again. Loqi was trapped in another dream... no, a nightmare.

Ji-eun woke silently and rolled over to look to his side of the floor mattress, half laid down, half sat up with her neck craned as her eyes adjusted in the darkness.

Sometimes he settled himself back to sleep. As though, in his dreams, he found a way past the bad that was happening. Though that wasn't the case on this night. Her brows furrowed together, as her boyfriend- partner- father of her daughter uttered words out loud.

"Not her. Not her." It came as a strained whisper, tense, full of desperate emotion. She knew better than to leave him alone in this kind of nightmare.

"Loqi." Ji-eun flipped herself to face him completely, her hand coming to rest on his shoulder. She hovered, but kept a small distance. That had been a lesson hard-learned about waking in a panic. "Loqi, wake up."

He startled awake. Then, after a few moments of her giving him a comforting little shoulder rub, he even swore. That stole a sudden exhale from her, a gentle amusement that made her shake her head.

Good thing she could spring back with fast reflexes. One moment he was coming to, the next he was throwing himself to sit up, and he crawled to the makeshift cot. A small basket, that contained a smaller bundle inside. Serah was still asleep, safe and sound, though undoubtedly she'd stir and utter her hungry cry before too long.

"That didn't sound the same as usual." she commented, now sat up in their bed with her arms hugged around her legs. She spoke while looking to where Serah continued her peaceful sleep. "That one sounded... like one of the worst."

She turned her head and looked to him then. He was melted to the bed, and honestly, he looked wrecked. It was more than a new parent being exhausted. "Talk to me, Loqi." Slowly she lowered back into bed, laid on her side to look him in his eyes. "I have a feeling we're going to be awake a while longer, do you want me to bring some water?"

She almost offered to brew a pot of tea. Almost. That was out of the question.