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insomniasix · 4 years ago

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Chapter IX - Callings - Part I

@mzargentum

The boat ride would be some hours long. Everyone had found their place. With Cid on the captain’s seat and the boys sprawled out at the back, Six had found a seat in the middle in order to be able to both listen and speak with everyone, as the excitement of the journey and the view of a new land had everyone talking, not always in turns.

“Y’know, I’ve always wanted to go sailing like this.” Prompto breathed in the sea air, letting it fill his lungs.

“Not many opportunities living in Insomnia.” Gladio nodded, the first rays of the sun warming his skin.

“Out here, it’s just us and the horizon! It’s amazing -it’s life changing!”

“We’ve quite a ways to go until we reach Altissia, so keep gushing to your heart’s content.” Ignis smiled at the blond’s enthusiasm, eyes traveling to the sound of Six’s laugh at something Cid had said.

“When we step off the boat, we’ll be in a foreign country.”

“The anticipation alone is a foreign sensation.” the Advisor agreed, back finally touching the back of his seat as he let himself get comfortable.

“And to think this is where we were headed to begin with.” Gladio made his way to sit next to Prompto, spreading his legs before him and his arms on the back of his seat.

“We’ve been through a lot.” Noctis nodded, letting his arms unlock from his chest, head turning to stare at the unlimited blue around the boat.

“And there’s still more to come.” Six joined their conversation, moving closer and leaving Cid to drive in comfortable solitude for a while after he playfully whined about her taking too much space of his periphery vision.

“So, next on the docket is Leviathan.” Prompto smiled at her, eyes slightly asking.

“What sort of deity are we dealing with?” Gladio raised his eyebrows at her as well.

“A serpent,” she explained, “said to embody the roar and rage of the sea.”

“We’ll have to ‘sea’ for ourselves.” the Prince snorted, eyes traveling back inside the boat.

“Can’t let Lady Lunafreya do all the heavy lifting.” Prompto smiled teasingly at his royal friend, “You must be so psyched to see her.”

“Luna?”

“Yeah!”

“Well, we need to make sure she’s alright before anything else.” Noctis said, but his cheeks told another story.

“Indeed. Her well-being is top priority.” Ignis agreed, crossing his legs.

“Don’t like this going down on imperial turf.” Gladio made his way to stand next to Six, hand grabbing on the ship’s edge above her head.

“You think Lady Lunafreya’s in danger there?” Prompto’s eyes shot up, darting between the Prince’s back and the Glaive.

“The empire did invade Lucis for the ring.” she thought out loud.

“I have no faith their ruthless ambitions will stop short of harming the Oracle.” Ignis did the same.

“Without the ring, the Crystal’s no more than a rock.” Gladio noted.

“Hmm… I suppose… Does anyone know how Lady Lunafreya came to have the ring?” the blond continued after a couple of seconds of thinking about everything.

“It seems likely His Majesty entrusted it to her safekeeping back at the Crown City.” Ignis fixed the glasses on the bridge of his nose.

“So she’s held onto it this whole time, all the way to Altissia.” Gladio let his arm down to find its way to the Glaive’s lower back.

“The ring is important,” Noctis spoke again after a while, “and so is Leviathan -but Luna comes first.”

“You know, I was thinking back to our encounter with Ravus.” Ignis got up from his seat next to the Prince, hands on his waist as he stared out to the sea while speaking, “Do you recall apparatus in place of his arm?”

“Yeah, I remember.”

“Seems he lost his old one in the invasion.” Gladio and Six joined his line of thought. “But in its place, he seems to have acquired new power.”

“Power?” that got the attention of the younger members of the company, as well as the captain’s, who seemed interested enough to keep listening silently, making his own assumptions.

“That would explain how a son of Tenebrae suddenly came to command Niflheim’s army.” Gladio thought out loud.

“Now that you mention it, his strength did seem sorta… supernatural.” Prompto stretched his arms, thinking back to their meeting at the Base, “I just chalked it up to the Oracle lineage.”

“His ancestry may be part of it, but that alone wouldn’t account for his freakish strength.” the Shield answered.

“I wonder what could’ve happened to him?” Noctis’ mind traveled further back, remembering a younger, happier Ravus, back when he visited Tenebrae with his father.

“There’s a disturbing rumor about: Lord Ravus has taken to brandishing His Majesty’s sword.” Ignis sat back down, this new information making Six take a step forward at the uneasiness it created.

“My dad’s?” Noctis felt the same.

“And what’s the big idea behind that?” she asked, eyebrows frowned.

“That his power’s the same as the power of kings?” Prompto asked absentmindedly, taking pictures of his surroundings.

“I cannot say for sure, but I have my doubts.” Ignis was quick to reason, “Ravus wears the sword, yet does not wield it.”

“For all his newfound powers, he’s still the chancellor’s lapdog...” Gladio found his way to his seat once again, after Six made her way inside, standing against the wall next to Cid, listening close to the conversation the boys had but needing to hide how uneasy the Empire having Regis’ sword made her, “… holding on to the enemy king’s sword is like some badge of honor.”

“It might help if we knew what he was after.” Prompto thought out loud, drawing Noctis from his thoughts, “Who can say?”

“What are the odds the empire will crash the pool party with Leviathan?”

“Consider it a guarantee.” Ignis looked back at the blond, “They felled a god to prevent Noct from receiving his blessing, and they’ll do so again.”

“But we beat ‘em to the big guy… thanks to our friendly ‘guide’.”

“Never know which way that one’s gonna move next.” Gladio was quick to answer Prompto’s words.

“The chancellor has an agenda all his own.” Ignis agreed.

“Sometimes it helps -like when he called off his army and let us escape.”

“But he was still a creep about it.” Noctis was the one to answer his friend this time around, Ardyn’s personality making goosebumps run up and down his arms.

“Well, it feels like he’s only helping us because he wants something… I just don’t know what.”

“Reckon we’ll see him again?”

“Certainly hope not.” her voice was heard intervening from the inside.

“Not your type?” Prompto almost yelled back at her.

“No love lost for phonies.” Gladio commented, getting up and finding his previous spot, looking out onto the sea. The mountains looked closer now. They were almost there, he thought.

“As Gladio said, his actions are motivated not by altruism, but by self-interest.” Ignis agreed. And when he does come to our aid, I see only condescension in his eyes.”

“Yeah,” Noctis nodded, “can’t argue with that.”

“Ever think you think too much?” Prompto snapped a picture of the Advisor before he answered him.

“Sometimes, but it’s always preferable to the alternative.”

“So,” Cid’s voice almost made her jump, she hadn’t heard it in a long while, “soon you’ll have yer old man’s ring back.”

“Yeah, when we arrive in Altissia.” Noctis walked closer to them.

“Good thing. To him, it was his heritage.”

“Is that what my dad said?” the Prince looked straight ahead as the mountains got closer by the minute.

“Carrying a royal line ain’t a task to be taken lightly. For a small thing, that ring can sure weigh heavy. After he became king, I only ever saw his face in the paper.”

“Wait,” Gladio joined in, “weren’t you at the coronation?”

“Nah, I was long gone from the city.” Cid sighed at how things had turned out.

“Must’ve been invited at least.” Noctis crossed his arms to his chest.

“Had a fallin’-out o’ sorts with your old man. Right at the end of the trip.”

“You did?” Prompto raised his eyebrows at the information he was receiving.

“I was given to understand you stayed in touch.” Ignis joined in as well.

“They buried the hatchet years later, but never talked face to face again.” Six spoke so Cid wouldn’t have to explain himself anymore than he already had.

“Shoulda paid a visit while I had the chance.” Cid thought out loud, a dark cloud covering his features for a few seconds, “Well, no use dwellin’ on it now.”

“You reckon he actually did it?” he spoke to her again once the Prince joined his friends, voice lower than before so only the Glaive would hear his thoughts.

“What?” she moved closer.

“Ya think he used the ring’s power to drive you out here with ‘em?” he nodded to the back, turning his head to look at her staring at him, eyes wide as she tried to convince herself he wouldn’t do something as cruel as that.

“He wouldn’t just take my will away...” she breathed. She had thought of it as a possibility, but she’d always push the thought back as quickly as it had come, “He wouldn’t!”

After seeing her expression, Cid dropped and changed the subject, turning his attention back to the boys and raising his voice again so they would hear him, “Got the Regalia in the hold, but y’all gonna stay in Altissia for a good while, right?”

“Yes, we believe so.” Ignis was the one to answer.

“In that case, I’ll tune her up for y’all. Not that I’ll have much to do, though, what with Cindy lookin’ after the old girl.”

“If you say she’s good, she must be great.” Prompto perked up at the sound of the girl’s name.

“She was never afraid o’hard work.” Cid continued proudly as Six made her way to the rest of her company, dark cloud leaving her as she got closer to them, “Heaven knows she had a hard childhood.”

“A hard childhood?”

“He means her parents.” the Glaive answered, finding her way into Gladio’s arms.

“Lost ‘em both when she was little.” Cid thought back, “Was big enough to understand, though… an’ to hurt. But ya wouldn’t guess that, seein’ her now.”

“Not at all. She’s always so cheerful.” Prompto smiled at the thought of her.

“Well, that oughta tell ya how far she’s come.” Paw-paw Cid smiled proudly as well.

“Man, you must have seen your fair share of Altissia by now.” Gladio turned both of them to face Cid, making her giggle at how he just didn’t want to change the way he was holding her.

“Yeah… only done been the once. Stayed a good while, thought.”

“What’s it like?” Prompto chimed in, camera never leaving his hands as he kept snapping pictures left and right.

“Big ol’ city.”

“Big. Okay.”

“Well, it ain’t the Crown City.” Cid smirked, making Noctis huff a laugh at him.

“Different. Got it.”

“You’ll see for yourself.” Six laughed at his reaction.

“Foreign lands seldom lend themselves to trite explanations.” Ignis continued her thought as she nodded.

“Change of scenery oughta do you good.”

“Well,” Gladio stretched his arms, “I’m all talked out. Can’t be far to Altissia now, right?”

“We’ll be there in no time.” Cid reassured him, “Nice having the wind at our backs.”

“Lodgings are our first order of business.” Ignis instructed.

“All work and no play.”

“Makes Ignis a dull boy.” the younger boys laughed with each other.

“Someone has to babysit you two.” Six smirked, covering for her friend.

“And you’re welcome to sleep in the wild.” Ignis added.

“Ain’t no hotel, but I know a fella has a place.” Cid joined in.

“Wes?” She turned to walk closer to him, knowing that Altissia was close now.

“Weskham -ran with Reggie and us way back when.” Cid continued toward the boys.

“Oh,” Prompto got up from his seat, slowly making his way to them, “was he the other one in that photo at the garage?”

“Yep. Runs himself a diner or cafe or somethin’. Go and see for yourselves.”

“Sure.” Noctis agreed, seeing the smile forming on his Glaive’s lips at the idea.

“Does this place have a name?” Gladio asked, seeing the same smile.

“Magee? Or Magoo? Or-”

“It’s Maagho.” Six smiled at his failure to remember.

“That’s the one!”

“We can count on ol’ Wes.” She thought out loud, patting her old friend’s shoulder.

“He’ll chew your ears off.” he laughed back.

“The government issued a statement promising that the reasons behind awakening the Hydraean would be clarified in the ceremonial address.” the lady on Prompto’s phone’s radio said once the boat was close enough to civilization to get a signal, “Delivering the address will be Lady Lunafreya, who was previously reported dead. This will mark her first public appearance since the violence that befell the signing ceremony.”

“Lady Lunafreya’s gonna give a speech?” Prompto asked once the rest of the company made their way inside the ship as well.

“Sounds like it.”

“Lord knows -this world cold use some wisdom.” Cid commented.

“Won’t be much longer now, Noct.” Six placed her hand on his shoulder. She could tell he was nervous to see his betrothed.

“Yeah.” he breathed with a warm smile.

“We’re here.” the Glaive announced once the Guardian statues appeared in front of the boat, “Altissia. The floating city.”

Everyone gawked at the beauty of the waterfalls covering most of their vision. The city seemingly build inside them. She was right all along. This was the most beautiful place they’d ever seen.

“Does this vessel have an entry permit?” the gatekeeper asked once the boat was brought into a halt next to the entry gate.

“Uh, entry permit?” Prompto got nervous right away.

“Relax.” Cid smirked, “I got one.” showing the permit to the gatekeeper as the man laughed in surprise, “That’s as old as they get. Seems in order. You may pass.”

“Prepared in advance?” Ignis asked once the ship was on the move again.

“Could say that.” Six laughed, recognizing Cid’s permit as he continued, “Thirty-odd years old.”

“That’s what the guy meant by ‘old’.” Gladio smirked.

“Lucky us, huh?” Six shook her head at how nonchalant her old friend was about it.

“That could’ve ended badly.” Noctis commented before she tagged on his elbow, “Mouth closed, eyes open. Look around you.” she calmly instructed, her own eyes sparkling at the beauty that surrounded them.

“Phew! Finally back on land.” Prompto almost danced once his feet touched the wooden surface of the docks.

“Barely. They call it the ‘Walls of Water’, but it ain’t just the walls -it’s the whole damn city.” Gladio stretched his arms out.

“Which is why we can’t traverse the town by conventional means.” Ignis fixed his hair now that the breeze didn’t pull it back, “We’ll need to rely on gondolas instead.”

“Yayyy. More boats.” Prompto run next to him, mocking excitement clear as day behind his tone.

“Hey, Noctis -catch.” Cid threw the key right in the Prince’s hands, “Key to the boat. What -don’t you wanna go sailing again?”

“Are you sure?” everyone’s eyes fell on the King’s vessel.

“Why not?” Cid locked his arms before his chest, “Old girl oughta be sturdy enough. Not even an awful driver like Reggie could sink ‘er.”

His comment made Six laugh at the accuracy. Regis was a worse driver than his son, “Well, he’s right there.”

“A king can’t rule with wisdom alone: he needs perspective. So get out there an’ see the world, y’hear? Take that old crow with you as well.” he laughed, pointing at the Glaive’s direction.

Noctis nodded as she laughed at the playful insult she had been waiting for.

“What’s next?” Prompto asked, seeing the officers in their way to the city, “Immigration?”

“What do you mean? There’s still more?” Noctis sounded exhausted just by the thought of it.

“Sir! What is the purpose of your visit?” The gatekeeper asked once the company moved closer.

“Purpose? Uh… Six, a little help?” he raised both his eyebrows at her, using the only thing he knew she couldn’t resist. The puppy eyes.

“Utterly hopeless.” Ignis sighed at both Noctis’ need for her help and Six’s helplessness when it came down to that look.

“We are scholars of the culinary arts, and we’ve come to study the renowned cuisine of your fair nation.” Six mimicked Ignis’ voice just to spite him, remembering him saying it was unnerving when she first did it.

“Is that so?” despite everyone knowing she was lying and Ignis’ goosebumps at the imitation, the gatekeeper seemed to be entranced, blushing and smiling at her, making Gladio frown his eyebrows in anger and Cid laugh at his reaction, “I wish you an enlightening stay then, miss.”

“Thank you.” she smiled as the man ordered for their way be opened.

“Another one you owe me.” she teased Noctis before officially stepping foot inside the floating city.

��You wanna check Weskham’s place out?” Gladio made it clear she was with him when he placed his hand on her lower back, almost touching her bottom while the gatekeeper still looked at her.

“Yeah. Let’s all go to Maagho!” Prompto agreed.

“Perhaps we’ll even make it in time for tea.” Ignis did the same.

“Then we better start looking now.” Noctis placed his hands on his waist.

“We won’t have to look. I know where it is.” Six placed her own arm around her Shield, feeling his anger fade away immediately, “But… let’s go the long way around. See the sights first, whatdaya say?”

Everyone agreed with her before making their way to Cid, standing just a few feet away from them, taking in the sights, colors and flowery smells of the city he hadn’t seen in thirty years.

“You’re not staying at a hotel?” Six asked while the boys looked around.

“Ya know fancy rooms were never my style, kid.” Cid smirked at her worry.

“Need food?”

“Managed to stay fed all these years.” he laughed, “Not gonna starve to death now. An’ ol’ Wes’ll see that I don’t go thirsty either, so don’t worry your pretty little head ‘bout it.”

“Alright, alright. We’ll see you there, then.” she laughed at the unfamiliar praise.

“Taking yer boys for a little stroll around town?”

“Yeah. I think they’ll like it.”

“We sure did back then.” old Cid smiled at the memory before waving her off and starting for Maagho.

“My lady.” Six turned around at the sound of his voice, only to be greeted but the blue gladiolus flower he bought for her.

“Why, thank you kind sir.” she answered playfully as he folded the flower, placing it inside her shirt’s pocket, a couple of the lotuses lightening the darkness of her outfit before giving her a soft kiss on the lips and lacing their fingers.

“They are extending the exhibit for Lady Lunafreya’s wedding dress.” a couple of ladies caught Noctis’ ear, “The Vivienne Westwood? But wasn’t that a memorial for her passing?”

“Well, now it’s a memorial for her safe return. Let’s go see it while we still can!”

“Could that be the dress we read about in the papers?” Prompto asked, making his friend turn to face him.

“Doubtless.” Ignis joined, “The designer’s name is the same.”

“Wanna check it out?”

“That depends on the groom. Might still be a sore spot, what with his wedding getting called off.” Gladio walked closer to them.

“Who says we can’t call it back on?” Six raised her eyebrows, making the Prince blush a little, “It can still happen.”

“True enough.” Ignis agreed, turning his attention to a silenced Noctis, “Let’s keep an eye out for it.”

It didn’t talk long for them to find their way to the dress. Everyone was talking about it. Both men and women asking directions on how to find the exhibit. The company found their way around twilight.

“One helluva crowd.” Prompto commented on the people standing outside the store, gawking at the dress he had just taken a picture of. It was truly beautiful, he thought, it would look amazing on Lady Lunafreya and Noctis would’ve stood tall and handsome next to her.

“And that’s the dress. My word.” Ignis breathed, thinking the same thing.

“Everyone looks so happy. And it’s all because of this one dress.”

“Yeah.” Noctis followed in his friend’s movements and let his lips curl up into a proud smile.

“Real glad for you that Lady Lunafreya is safe and sound.” the blond hit Noctis on the back lightly.

The Prince only smiled, staring at the picture behind the dress. Luna smiling…

“That settles it.” Gladio butted in, watching him, “You gotta make it happen -become a symbol of the peace. After we tie up all the loose ends, let’s think about the ceremony.”

“A fine idea.” Six agreed.

“Yeah. I’ll think about it.”

“So… how do we get to Maagho?” Prompto asked once he heard his stomach rumbling.

“It’s right under us, actually.” Six smiled as the boy almost hung the upper half of his body to look down before catching himself, “What?!”

“Yeah, come on.” She led the way, “We’ll catch a gondola. That’s the only way you can get it.”

The boys seemed to enjoy the gondola ride, short though it may have been. Maagho looked and smelled amazing.

“Welcome to Accordo, lads. Cid mentioned you’d be dropping in.” Weskham welcomed the boys after moving outside of his bar and hugging his old friend tightly, telling her how good she still looked even after all the years that had passed by them both.

“Were is the old guy?” she asked once the boys moved closer.

“I lent him my room so he could sleep.” he reassured her she needn’t worry. Cid was taken care of. “Weskham Armaugh, as you’ve gathered. My word, you’ve grown little Prince.” he took a closer look at Noctis, smiling at the resemblance he had with his father, “Ah, but of course -you were only a babe at the time.”

Prompto’s stomach rumbling was heard louder now, Six giggled and ruffled his hair before asking Wes to make something for them as they spoke.

“Lasagna di Maagho.” Noctis read the menu after she had ordered their meal, having a small friendly argument with Wes as to who would fit the bill when they were done. Weskham, as a good friend, wouldn’t accept her money but the Glaive didn’t like it. Sure it was a little over-priced but she knew, Wes’ cooking was worth it.

“It’s veggies.” Noctis made a face of slight disgust at the idea.

“You won’t even notice it,” she laughed at him, “trust me.”

The Prince sure didn’t. He was entranced by the plate just by the smell of it.

“So, this is your maiden visit.” Weskham spoke when everyone had their own plate, “Enjoying it so far? You doubtless have many questions, so ask away.”

Noctis wanted to be polite in front of his father’s friend but he couldn’t stop eating, speaking when his bite was done but bringing the fork to his mouth every time it was Wes’ turn to speak. The man laughed, brown eyes darting between the Prince and the Glaive a couple of times when he noticed. They were the same. He remembered when Six used to do the exact same thing back when they were traveling together.

“This country is a part of the empire, isn’t it?”

“You’re wary, I understand. But there’s no need to jump at every shadow.” Wes explained as Noctis and his company continued to enjoy his food, “Just be aware that the terms of our independence grand the empire free rein to come and go as they please.”

“We’ll bear that in mind.” Ignis nodded, taste buds savoring every different sensation the new recipe inspired.

“It’s admittedly a one-sided arrangement.” Wes continued, “Most everything we do requires Niflheim’s permission, and they wouldn’t knowingly permit the Oracle to appear before the public. How our government spun that is quite a mystery.”

“You really think Luna will make an address?” Noctis asked.

“If every recent radio broadcast is to be trusted, absolutely.”

“Do you know where she is?” Six asked, being the first to finish up with her food.

“In the city somewhere, but no one has caught so much as a glimpse of her. The media has been conspicuous in its silence on the matter, which speaks volumes of government intervention. That’d certainly explain the rumors of disgruntled imperial officers leaving the city.”

“So you see lots of Niffs around here?”the Glaive asked, getting Ignis’ and Gladio’s plates and placing them above her own once they were done as well.

“We do. Sometimes even at my place. Theirs is a familiar presence, and the citizens don’t think much of it. Though, the high commander did cause a stir when he showed up the other day.”

“Ravus...” the Prince breathed the name, the thought irritating him at the spot.

“So soon after they felled the Archaean in Lucis, his arrival fuels rumors that they will next come to Altissia. The empire’s not content ruling all the land -they want the heavens as well.”

“Is anything changed with Leviathan?” Noctis asked once him and Prompto were done as well, mirroring Six’s movements and placing their plates on the pile before Weskham took all of them, placing them in the sink behind him.

“For now it’ business as usual at port, but word is the government will soon open the Altar of the Tidemother.”

“In preparation for the rite.” Gladio thought out loud.

“Ah, but on the other hand, they’re scrambling to stockpile emergency provisions.” Wes continued, crossing his arms before his chest, “This begs the question: if they’re anticipating that the Hydraean will wreak havoc, why would they allow the right to proceed?”

“Well, if you need anything else, you know where to find me.” the man spoke again after a couple of minutes of silence. Everyone thinking on the new information and the upcoming rite with the Goddess of the Seas.

“Thanks, ‘preciate it.” Noctis nodded with a smile and everyone thanked Weskham for the meal he prepared for them.

“My dear Camelia, it’s been a while.” Six turned as her old friend’s voice changed, getting higher at the sight of the First Secretary, though seeing her she sat back down on her stool.

“I heard about your distinguished guests.”

“Ah, you’ve an ear for gossip.” Weskham teased playfully, making the woman’s lips curl up into a faint smile.

“Gentlemen, Miss Ulric, I won’t waste your time. My name is Camelia Claustra.”

“First secretary of the Accordo Protectorate.” Six explained, not sure anyone other than Ignis would know of her.

“You should know we have Lady Lunafreya in our care. And the empire demands we surrender her.” the woman cut straight to the chase with a serious tone covering her voice.

“What?” Noctis breathed, not believing his own ears.

“Yet I am loath to acquiesce unless we stand to profit.” the First Secretary continued, palms locked at her elbows as she spoke, “Hence I’ve come to discuss terms… with the King of Lucis. If you’ve a mind to talk, come to my estate.”

“She can be oblique at the best of times, but I assure you her heart is in the right place.” Weskham spoke once the First Secretary and her guards were out of Maagho.

“Oh.” Prompto let out a breath he was holding in since she appeared, “Okay.”

“At any rate, you must be weary from your journey. Might I suggest you seek your beds for now and ponder matters anew in the morning?”

“Yeah, think we’ll do just that.” Noctis agreed with a nod.

“Right.” Six got up from her seat and stretched her arms in the air, “Off to the Leville we go, then.”

“You know you’re always welcome here, right?” Wes asked while walking with them to the gondola.

“I know.” she smiled, hugging him again, “Thanks for everything.”

Once the gondola reached the Leville station, the company made a straight line for the hotel, all of them being tired and knowing there’s a lot more to do the next day.

#ffxv #ffxv game rewrite #final fantasy xv #ffxv oc #oc #six ulric #gladiolus amicitia #ignis scientia #noctis lucis caelum #prompto argentum #cid sophiar #game rewrite #ffxv fanfiction #final fantasy fanfiction #final fantasy 15

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glitter-bucket · 6 years ago

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Drew another of my pathfinder characters, my Ratfolk Samurai (Warrior Poet)! Her name is Kinnin and she is pretentious, melancholic, thoroughly selfless, and a devoted artiste of Shelyn.

Also by rat-standards she’s BUFF as heck, that glaive ain’t just for show. She could trip a rider’s horse to get them eating dirt no problem. Or an ogre. Or basically anything way larger than a rat should ordinarily be able to humble and lay low.

Also this was my first time drawing anything really like an anthropomorphic animal and I blame Final Fantasy IX for inspiring me to play a rat. Was a fun step out of my comfort zone artistically speaking tho

#d&d #pathfinder #ratfolk #also the color choices arent coincidental #yknow what they mean #my ocs

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xadoheandterra · 6 years ago

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Series: The Burning of Solheim Title: The Path Untrodden Fandom: Final Fantasy XV Chapters: I | II | III | IV | V | VI | VII | VIII | IX | X | XI | XII | XIII Characters: Prompto Argentum, Ignis Scientia, Cor Leonis, Gladiolus Amicitia, Noctis Lucis Caelum, Gilgamesh Tags: 10 years older!Prompto, Prompto the BADASS, Prompto and Gilgamesh play fighting, Gilgamesh’s shitty flirting, Cor doesn’t understand how this is his life Summary: Solheim was the height of civilization long enough that their ruins were ruins over 2000 years ago, and still had the power to function in the time of the King of Light. They should’ve realized something was very wrong the minute Prompto remarked on the lights being on, and yet no one was home.

The two gravity wells petered out as their magic fully dissipated. It left the battlefield quiet aside from the heavy breaths of Ignis and Gladio—but Prompt had eyes only for the armored form of Gilgamesh that straightened up a full seven feet tall and whose chest heaved in the way mortal men’s did. Prompto tracked his gaze to the missing arm, and then to the six spectral arms that held aloft Gilgamesh’s six secondary blades. Prompto sighed and dropped the machine into the dust and dirt. His eyes narrowed and his right hand lightly traced the knives that lined his belt as he waited.

Gilgamesh took a step forward and swiped the blade in hand downward. Prompto watched how the man rolled his neck to unstiffen his spine, and the way the behemoth of a man loosened his gait just the slightest bit. “Who bade me come hence?” Gilgamesh uttered, and his voice struck through the air like a firecracker.

Prompto grinned and danced lightly back on the balls of his feet. He raised his left arm up and waved. “Hey, Gil!” He watched how Gilgamesh cocked his head, and Prompto’s grin held just a bit more teeth than to be polite. “How ya’ve been, cowering away in a cave?”

Gilgamesh tilted his head forward. He said, lowly, “You.”

Prompto leaned back and tugged a knife up into his hand and twirled it between his fingers. “Me,” he drawled back, entirely too pleased with himself.

Gilgamesh moved forward with a speed that Prompto could remember from their time sparing at the self-made Haven’s of Ardyn’s. He crossed the thirty feet in mere seconds, a speed that Noctis or the Glaives could only achieve through a warp and Gilgamesh did it with a simple, forceful push of his booted feet into the dirt. Prompto laughed and danced out of the way just as quick so that when Gilgamesh swung his blade where Prompto stood the blond easily stood behind him and lightly spun on his feet.

“Missed me!” Prompto teased, and then ducked out of three more swipes of the blade as Gilgamesh spun around. He forced himself to jump, used the small well of magic that he’d been taught to enhance the movement with a well placed thrust of gravity so that Prompto’s jump turned into what could’ve been a Dragoon’s leap—except Prompt twisted the leap into a flip and flung three of his knives to be deflected by three of Gilgamesh’s auxiliary blades.

Prompto landed on the balls of his feet once more behind Gilgamesh. He bounced for a moment with another laugh, and faintly he could hear Gladio whistle in shock behind him. Then, with the wide grin on his face Prompto darted forward. He threw three more of the knives from his belt, each deflected, and then slid on his knees underneath the other three that swiped at him and waved cheekily at Gilgamesh as his momentum dragged him past the impossibly tall man. Prompto kicked out a small aero with one hand into the dirt to curve his trajectory and then pulled out the crossbow from Ardyn’s armiger and raised it up, bolt aimed right at Gilgamesh’s face.

Gilgamesh stopped his sword at Prompto’s neck and both stared at one another for a moment before Prompto dismissed the crossbow and collapsed backward into peals of laughter to Gilgamesh’s sudden, drawn out sigh. Like that the short minutes worth of a fight left the two of them. Gilgamesh dismissed the spirits that held onto the extra swords and they broke apart into wisps that vanished into the sun’s rays. Gilgamesh tilted his head back and laughed, a deep booming sort of sound that brought Prompto’s cackles into a higher sort of fever-pitch in response.

A second later Prompto found himself choking, not from laughter, but from the tears that wanted to gather at his eyes. Everything hit home all at once with the sort of emotional hammer that the blond hadn’t wanted to think about. Gilgamesh, Ardyn, time travel—everything. One hand came up to cover across his eyes as the laughter continued tied up in the choking that wanted to swallow him as the tears gathered and then fell. Prompto pressed the hand into his eyes and kept his grin up because what else could he do?

Years ago Prompto had consigned himself to never getting home. With that realization he’d begun to build a life with Ardyn and Gilgamesh. He trained, and eventually he took the Oaths. Ardyn may not have been his King—Noctis would always hold that title in Prompto’s heart—but he’d been someone Prompto could follow, could bind himself to. Back then Prompto had missed it—missed the feel of Lucis Caelum magic nestled next to his core. He missed the feel of being wanted that Noctis made him—he missed the smiles and the lazy days of playing Kings Night.

It felt horribly bittersweet to have it all back now, only for Prompto to have lost the life he’d finally gotten himself used to. Life with Ardyn and keeping the princess’ ass out of trouble, of traveling from village to village and healing what little he could—of Ardyn crying over a dead baby Garula because they needed the food, of Gilgamesh herding their drunken asses to a campsite that Ardyn drunkenly blessed with magic and runes to protect from the night. Half of Prompto still thought this had been a dream; he survived under that mindset until he felt Ardyn’s magic at his heart, and even then he pushed the realization aside.

Except now here stood Gilgamesh, one-armed and slower, but just as dangerous from before. Here he stumbled into the same song and dance they performed for Ardyn, as entertainment, as a way to relax after a long days travel. Here was a tangible form of the life Prompto had made—a life that was gone and yet not and Prompto didn’t know what to feel about it all. He just knew that it hurt—that something hurt and he couldn’t explain it.

Prompto didn’t notice when Gilgamesh stopped laughing until Gilgamesh was suddenly at his side, on his knees, hand wrapped around his right wrist and over the glove that covered up the barcode. That arm tugged the hand away from Prompto’s face and Prompto blinked the tears out of his eyes to look at Gilgamesh’s face. Those dark eyes seemed almost impossibly wide, set in a face the color of dusk that seemed far paler than Prompto remembered.

“You live,” Gilgamesh said, voice a soft rumble. The golden-brown gaze searched Prompto’s face for a moment, almost as if he couldn’t believe it.

Prompto chuckled and quirked a wet sort of smile as he said, “What? Thought I died? Pssh, please, Gil. You know me better.”

For a moment Gilgamesh’s face was blank, and then he couldn’t look at Prompto in the eyes anymore and stared down at the blond’s cheek. Prompto couldn’t believe it, but Gilgamesh’s eyes actually watered a little as he pulled the blond’s wrist up against his chest and leaned down until his brow touched the dirt alongside Prompto’s face.

“I thought I failed in this,” Gilgamesh said, voice barely a whisper. “That I left you to fall into the cold embrace of the Gate alone.”

“I didn’t die, Gil,” Prompto said, voice tight. “I didn’t.”

“Ardyn did not…?” Gilgamesh said, and his voice trailed off almost afraid to voice the thought.

“Ardyn did nothing to me,” Prompto said, vehemently enough that it suffused his limbs with strength and he pushed himself up and pushed Gilgamesh back. “You seriously thought he—what the fuck, Gil?!”

Gilgamesh kept his hand tight around Prompto’s wrist, fingers dug into Prompto’s pulse point which Prompto registered the man used to keep himself grounded even as he refused to look at Prompto’s face. Prompto felt himself a little sick at the thought that his comments about Gilgamesh being a coward actually held merit. He hadn’t believed that Gilgamesh willingly abandoned Ardyn despite what he joked. He just couldn’t fathom it.

“You knew him!” Prompto said, and he knew he was screaming at the way Gilgamesh flinched. “He was your fucking best friend! You knew him better than anyone and you thought he—”

“He was changed,” Gilgamesh said. “He returned and you were gone. I called to the Gate but you did not answer.”

“I wasn’t dead!”

“Yet you never strayed from his side,” Gilgamesh said, and his grip tightened. “Not once.” Prompto swallowed heavily. “I strayed, too often, and yet you remained. What was I to think, then? Two months with no word, and he returned to me changed and the brightness in our lives gone? What was I to think, Silver?”

“You should’ve asked him,” Prompto ground out.

“Events were too far along,” Gilgamesh countered. “Little I could do to sway them from their Path. He from His, or They from Theirs. The time had come, the Draconian Spoke, and They Obeyed like sheep to the slaughter.”

Prompto swallowed and said, “Even Aera?”

“Even She,” Gilgamesh uttered, then sighed. “Especially She.”

Prompto hissed between his teeth and said a plaintive, “Fuck.”

Gilgamesh smiled bitterly. “Indeed.”

By the time Prompto had climbed to his feet and returned to Noctis with Gilgamesh at his side, both Gladio and Cor looked pale and on the verge of fainting in the heavy heat of the day. Prompto couldn’t be certain if it weren’t because of heat sickness or something, but the way Noctis grinned he doubted it was something so simple. At any rate Prompto stretched and rolled his eyes when Gilgamesh’s remaining hand followed his wrist, still clamped tight to it.

“Hey, guys,” Prompto said, and if his voice was a little hoarser than at least no one said anything. “Lemme introduce you to this jerkface.”

Gilgamesh snorted, and then coughed when Prompto slammed his right hand into the large man’s chest in response. After a second Gilgamesh sighed and dipped his head in the direction of Noctis as Prompto continued cheerfully.

“This is Gilgamesh Murus, the Lord Tenebrae.” Prompto glanced over at Ignis who seemed to choke at the semi-formal introduction even as Gilgamesh half-mumbled his greetings and then raised his head back up.

Cor—all six feet of the man—tried his damnedest to hide behind the five-foot six-inches Noctis Lucis Caelum when Gilgamesh’s gaze drifted in his direction. Prompto ignored the mess aside from a half-held in snort even as he cheerfully introduced Noctis to Gilgamesh with the phrase, “And Gil this is Noct, the guy I helped keep alive before I met the Princess.”

“You mean got into trouble,” Noctis said, although his smile looked a little bit forced and Prompto frowned just the faintest bit because—why was Noctis looking at him like that? He wanted to ask, but found the words stuck in his throat.

From beside Prompto Gilgamesh shifted, and then stepped forward with his focus past the young King. He spoke now, voice just on the faintest edge of amused, “I had not thought to see you again.”

Prompto glanced between Gilgamesh and the slowly reddening Cor Leonis, only faintly confused because he remembered how Gladio had thrown Cor under the bus in the early hours of the morning—yesterday, had it been only yesterday?—and Cor had admitted to facing off against Gilgamesh at the tender age of fifteen but—obviously the younger man had left quite the impression if the way Gilgamesh’s lips curled just faintly as he eyed the man from beneath his hood.

“You’re a man,” Cor said, voice verging on the edge of faint, and when Gilgamesh laughed, he shook his head and said, “I mean I—fuck.”

“Yes, I am a man, same as you,” Gilgamesh murmured, “although the touch of time may yet call me to her embrace, I still eat and breathe as a man born of flesh. You, I see, wear time’s changes well.” Gilgamesh tilted his head lightly. “You were such a curious thing, Cor Leonis. I am glad you have taken to life and not to the Gates that Called you.”

Prompto opened his mouth, and then closed it a second with wide eyes. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. After a second, slowly because surely he had to be imagining things, Prompto asked, “Gil? Are you…flirting with Cor?”

Gladio choked as Gilgamesh looked at Prompto with raised brow and an amused smile on his lips. “He bested me,” Gilgamesh uttered with a shrug toward his missing arm. “An awakening I sorely needed.”

Cor buried his face into his hands with a strangled sort of sound and Prompto, Prompto looked a bit stricken because that was a yes and not something he thought he’d see again. The type of people Gilgamesh tended to flirt with were few and far between, and Prompto hadn’t thought one of them would be Cor the Immortal but here he was, seeing the hero of his childhood being flirted with a close and personal friend. Prompto scrunched his nose up and then said, “Fuck, man, could you do that when you aren’t holding on to my wrist with a death grip?”

“I make no oath,” Gilgamesh uttered and Prompto groaned and leaned into the taller man’s side and mumbled something completely intelligible.

A second later Prompto pulled away from Gil, face pinched, and he uttered, “Have you even fucking bathed in two thousand years?!”

Gilgamesh stared down at him, then uttered a blunt, “No.” He kept a straight face for a second longer before his lips curled up into a wide grin at Prompto’s horrified and almost betrayed face.

The Chosen Last King of Lucis, His Chosen Shield, His Hand, the bright Silver, and the ever curiosity Cor Leonis rented a caravan for the night once the party finally finished the climb out of Taelpar Crag. The novelty of the sun wore off as the heat bore down upon his armored flesh and reminded Gilgamesh bitterly of a time when he traveled across the seas in search of Civitas Lucii. The heat and the salt of the water had bored upon him then as the heat of the sun and the dust bore upon him now. Yet Silver bade him to not remove the armor and sit within his modest tunic and pants as they traveled through the carriage of the times from the Crag into the barest sense of civilization.

Gilgamesh found himself fascinated. He’d seen technological marvels in his time, being in the service of Ardyn had shown him much of the word, but a carriage of the likes with which Silver traveled in now was beyond anything he could have imagined. He kept his hands to himself, even as he settled into the back seat with Silver placed on his lap, hand still wrapped around the blond’s wrist with his fingers still dug into that pulse point. The feel of the heartbeat and the scent of the Soul within its confines of Flesh were far more of a comfort to Gilgamesh then the familiar face and voice. They were comforts that two thousand years prior he found himself denied, and so to have time here and now to reassure himself that he dreamed not was much appreciated.

A conversation still owed between them, Gilgamesh and Silver. A conversation that would speak of what was and what is, of consequences and failures, but Gilgamesh thanked the Six that they felt merciful enough to grant him back a small bit of the light he thought long devoured into the Scourge. With reluctance Gilgamesh eventually parted from Silver, but when the blond bade him to bathe with yet another grimaced face Gilgamesh went without word. The waters that flowed over him were a luxury he lacked these two thousand years since he walked out of the Confirmation, and then out of Civitas Lucii with the knowledge that meant he left his duty and forsook his Oaths. He found himself comforted by the feel of it, the tapered warmth that turned towards burning eased at muscles he long forced himself to forget.

Gilgamesh leaned back under the spray and let himself settle with the feel of life around him, of Souls bright and not yet bound of the Gate, of water and warmth. For the first time in two thousand years he let himself relax and feel more than the dead that flocked to him, more than the memory and bitterness that often wanted to swallow him. Gilgamesh touched his hand to his breast and toyed with the idea to even reach out to Ardyn, to feel the warmth of the magic that never left him—yet he didn’t. He clenched his hand into a fist and ducked his head under the spray of water and closed that part of himself off once more.

A conversation owed between Gilgamesh and Silver—one that sorely needed to happen—stood in Gilgamesh’s way of that comfort. A conversation owed, and a guilt that spanned too many lifetimes that he denied. Two thousand years Gilgamesh spent at Guard, at the Gate, after that fateful day with nary a thought back to his decision then. He could wait hours yet before he dared reflect upon the mistakes of his past, the lies and deceits he allowed himself to believe wholeheartedly in. After all, Silver lived—what else could that mean, except that facts he believed so strongly in were not so strong in belief after all?

Gilgamesh cut the water off with a sigh and toweled himself dry. He felt looser, relaxed in ways he missed and longed for. That inevitable tie to Silver already once more strong as a heartbeat—and then the Chosen Shield to whom he gifted a fraction of himself, a Mark upon the boy to stand with the Chosen King that thrummed within the faint confines of his breast, another tie—and Gilgamesh wrapped the towel about his waist and tucked it close. The motion was once familiar, although he found it much harder with the lack of an arm which led to a faint huff of displeasure and the thought to draw upon the souls in his service to gift himself an arm to use, but he didn’t. First, Silver would call that ‘cheating’ which he’d heard plenty of two thousand years prior to today, and second, the action tired him in truth. He drained himself in that battle against the Chosen Shield which had turned from a battle of skill to one of attrition to one that he eventually lost but lost with a small joy in his heart since the boy was bound to the one to end the Night Eternal.

It took Gilgamesh to slam his hip into the wall to pin the towel in place before he got it wrapped and bound around his hips, but he succeeded. Cleaned for the first time in a millennia Gilgamesh opened the door to the privy and stepped out into the caravan, only to blink and fumble at the resounding shriek from the young and the clothes suddenly thrown into his face. Gilgamesh held the clothes out and then eyed the faces, red and flushed that they were, with faint confusion.

“Get dressed, Gil!” Silver said with a shriek, and Gilgamesh eyed the way his flush went down his neck before he shrugged and tugged on the offered shirt and eyed the offered breeches with a faint raised brow.

Gilgamesh tugged the towel loose and heard a faint, “Oh fuck what is he doing Prompto?” from whom he thought was the Chosen King but he felt himself far more focused on the breeches and the determination of how to get them on one handed. He never had the best skill at dressing with an arm occupied, so to have one missing left him even more in a state of concern. Especially given these breeches were strange in material and form.

“He’s naked. Why is he naked,” Cor muttered. “Fuck I need a drink.”

“Here,” the Chosen Shield said hoarsely as he handed over a glass bottle of some sort that Gilgamesh could see from the corner of his yes. “Iggy don’t look.”

“…he’s rather nicely proportioned, isn’t he?”

“Iggy!”

Gilgamesh got one foot, and then one leg into the breeches before he resigned himself to the requirement of being seated to get the pants on. From the bed with which he sat upon Silver snorted, and then burst into a fit of giggles and Gilgamesh allowed his lips to curl up into a pleased smirk. That was the sound he aimed for with this entire brazen display even if most of it had been a truthful fight with the lack of arm and strange breeches aside.

“You are such a fucking tease, Gil,” Prompto snorted into a pillow, and Gilgamesh hummed once he finally got the breeches up and past his hips. “Holy shit.”

Gilgamesh, once the breeches were on, couldn’t quite determine how to tie them closed. The hand some button, and a metal trap, but beyond that he left them as is since they lacked the normal ties. Silver would clue him in if the blond knew, otherwise another outraged cry would give him the result he needed. It only took time, and Gilgamesh was long used to a patient wait of time.

“Your friends act as if they have never been to a bathhouse,” Gilgamesh uttered in the languid way of one of the truly indolent.

“They don’t have bathhouses anymore, Gil,” Silver said bluntly.

“Truly?”

Across the way the wheat-haired child pushed upon his face his spectacles, the Hand of the Chosen King if Gilgamesh understood matters properly, and began to speak aloud, “Public bathing houses went out of style nearly eight hundred years ago. While there are still public amenities in much of the outlying lands within the Kingdom they have privacy barriers following the more conservative mindset of today’s age.”

Gilgamesh sighed and uttered, “A pity. I shall have to find other means, then.” Gilgamesh watched how the Hand furrowed his brow and puzzled over his words when Silver cackled and nudged him into the side.

“He means he’s gotta find another way to be a tease,” Silver uttered, and Gilgamesh enjoyed the way the faces around him brightened even as he reached out a hand to clasp at Silver’s wrist again.

“Indeed,” Gilgamesh murmured. “You used to turn such an interesting shade of red.”

Silver waved his free hand, especially when the Chosen King looked between them interested. He said a short, “Not like that, Noct. Gil’s just…got a weird sense of humor.”

“I’ll say,” Cor Leonis uttered, face pinched, and Gilgamesh smiled in his direction. It held teeth and the curl of something vicious behind it, of a dangerous predator on the hunt, and Cor Leonis turned his head to the side and away with a faint dusting of his cheeks.

“Behave,” Silver uttered and smacked Gilgamesh lightly on the head, to which he rolled his eyes and said nothing. Silver knew his habits and his tastes truly well, after all.

#fanfic #ffxv #final fantasy xv #prompto argentum #noctis lucis caelum #gilgamesh ffxv #cor leonis #gladiolus amicitia #ignis scientia #fic: the path untrodden #fic: the burning of solheim

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mimiplaysgames · 7 years ago

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Why Lunafreya Can’t Be Fixed (Or... it would be very difficult to actually develop her character properly)

(A/N: Thank you guys so much for liking and reblogging this essay! It took a lot of labor. Please note that I wrote this a couple of weeks ago, before the reveal of the new DLC episodes. Here is a link to a new post that I wrote, where I discuss what I think Episode Luna is going to be about and why this creates new problems in the storytelling sphere. Warning - there be serious retconning ahead!)

Gamers today expect a substantial storytelling experience when playing JRPGs. Aside from immersive world building, a moving soundtrack, and compelling game mechanics, players are expecting a diverse cast and meaningful character development. This is definitely not the case for Final Fantasy XV‘s Lunafreya Nox Fleuret.

Character development assumes that a lead character, supporting character, and at times, even minor characters will undergo a journey of self-discovery of some level, or of some type. This, normally, should especially be true of a major character. In Luna’s case, she is heavily involved in the game’s advertising campaigns, and is assumed to be in a major romantic role with the main character, who undergoes his own extensive character development. She is therefore a major character, who is designed to forcibly tell us that she is important. So, why does she have no substance to her backstory, her character growth, and to her actual relevance in the story? And can she be fixed? This essay is an analysis on character creation from a writer’s perspective, and why she as a whole was not built for the character development that fans are expecting out of her - it is a perspective I feel is lacking in the all of the debates and discussions that are happening about this character. (Warning: spoilers for the Final Fantasy series ahead.) (Also warning: long.)

The essential main theme of character development in Final Fantasy XV is ascension. That is, the characters are growing to be better than they started out with, or are growing up in a physical, emotional, and mental way. For the four main Chocobros, this means growing up to be men, or from childhood/adolescence into adulthood (and for Noctis, becoming King). This is true for three out of the four main characters. The only exception is Gladiolus, who has already achieved manhood at the beginning of the game, and stays the same throughout. However, it can be argued that the Brotherhood anime has introduced some level of character development for him, going from a young teen who at first was displeased with protecting Noctis, into a young man who not only accepts Noctis, but accepts his role as a Crownsguard.

However, the same cannot be said for Luna. In all major aspects of the Final Fantasy XV Universe, Luna has not actually developed, nor was she really fully realized as a human being. What I mean to say is that she is the same in Brotherhood, Kingsglaive, Final Fantasy XV, and Royal Edition. While fans may notice behavioral changes between Luna in the film and in the game (and while many may prefer her in the film), her essential character actually hasn’t changed. Her goals are the same. Her emotions (and subsequent feelings for Noctis) are the same. Her commitment to being formal even in the presence of more intimate interpersonal relationships is the same. Her sense of duty is the same. Her obsession with Noctis is the same. Her lack of personality is arguably the same. The behavioral changes in this sense are mainly surface-level. This kind of personality quagmire is the same despite age differences throughout the timeline, as well. In other words, Luna is the same at 12 years old, and at 24 years old. She still is only interested in discussing her religious indoctrination, her duty, and her need to guide Noctis. This essentially means that there is no actual character development for a character that the game tries so hard to convince you is important. She is already grown up at 12 years old, and there is nothing left for her to personally explore. In other words, ascending to her role as Oracle is not symbolic of any character development, like ascending to be King is for Noctis. In the case where people argue she needs more screen time, YouTuber StoryTime** has explained it best: when you see one scene of Luna, you have seen them all. It is not that she needed more screen time - more screen time would just mean reiterations of old material. Case in point: she was given more time and more lines in Royal Edition, only for it to be the same old thing we have heard from her before (and at the cost of breaking one of their established world building rules). Expanding her emotions on the 1.16 update didn’t do anything different for her. It just beat the dead horse on what we already know: that she loves Noctis. What the problem really is is that she should have been planned out differently from the start.

Essentially, the main argument I am trying to make here is that the writers have effectively trapped themselves when it comes to Luna’s development. Let’s discuss the cuts that have been made from her development, and how she is problematically portrayed. There was a leak from a developer of the game who discussed that her childhood abuse story was cut due to anxiety over public backlash to her character. This backlash was assumed to come from a feminist perspective, being that her character would have endured the abuse for the sake of Noctis. This perspective is legitimate, which is another reason why she is problematic: she can’t be human, and be a full character, because her sole reason is to exist for Noctis. This is not just on an emotional level (where this kind of obsession is honestly incredibly self-sabotaging and unhealthy), but also on a plot development level. She is literally a plot device existing for the sake of Noctis’ development, and because of this her own development doesn’t matter. Her death was also for Noctis’ sake. She did not die out of her own convictions, or because her actions were conflicting with Ardyn’s goals. She died because Ardyn wanted to provoke Noctis. Luna’s death therefore does not hold significance for her development, either. This is largely different from Final Fantasy VII’s Aerith, who was murdered by Sephiroth because she posed a direct threat to his plans. Aerith, by comparison, died because she decided to take the world’s fate, as a normal civilian who wasn’t groomed to carry this burden, taking fate into her own hands, and without any religious brainwashing or indoctrination to tell her that she has to.

We do not know if this leak is true. Let’s assume that it is, especially since this abuse was teased in one of the trailers. Adding her abuse story wouldn’t actually add to her character development in a meaningful way. Why? Because she was already devoted to Noctis and to her duty before the abuse. Enduring the abuse for the sake of Noctis’ safety doesn’t change or enhance this devotion. It wouldn’t really be effective in changing Child Luna into Adult Luna. Also keep in mind that if we are to assume the leaks are true, then her motivation to endure the abuse was also supposed to be completely based on her devotion to Noctis. It was said that it was cut because people were going to argue against the notion of a young girl surviving abuse for the sake of a boy she barely knows, instead of for her own sake, or for the sake of the family she has left, etc. Any development that is meant for her is implied to happen for the purpose of existing for Noctis, just like the rest of her character development.

What this means is that from a writers’ perspective, she was created solely for Noctis’ development. Such characters do exist. They are necessary to develop main characters and to act as catalysts for a more natural plot progression. The problem here is that she is one of these throwaway characters, but fans are expecting more out of her role, or out of her existence - and Square is doing them a huge disfavor by advertising her as more than what she actually is.

All of this is exacerbated by the fact that she doesn’t really behave like a normal human being. If anything, she carries herself like Tolkien’s Galadriel, who is thousands of years old by the time the Lord of the Rings takes place. Her personality quirks are one of the reasons why people would argue against a romantic relationship between her and Noctis, and why she is unrelatable for many. Combining a human-not-human with the lack of character development, and exacerbated with a questionable role in the overall plot development creates a shell or a shadow of a human being that barely exists. I would argue here that if she was removed from the story, it would be incredibly easy to fill her void, being that Noctis can be easily rewritten to go after the Astrals and the Armiger weapons without her assistance. If we were to compare her to Final Fantasy IX’s Garnet, it is different. Removing Garnet would have a tremendous impact on the story, because suddenly there is no logical explanation for Zidane’s presence in Alexandria, and there would be no reason for him to go to Lindblum, and so forth. Removing her would garner serious rewriting of the entire game. Garnet’s contribution to the game is tied to the world building and politics that take center stage of the conflict, even though she is not the main protagonist. The same cannot be said for Luna. Her role as an Oracle is questionable: she is meant to be the voice between the people and the gods. But this is challenged repeatedly in the game. If she is needed to speak to the gods, then why can Noctis understand Leviathan during their battle? Why can Noctis exchange a conversation with Bahamut? If it is to be argued that he is also chosen by the Crystal, then what is the proper argument for Bahamut coming down and speaking directly to the Glaives in Comrades? Furthermore, as stated before, removing her would not constitute a huge rewrite. Since Noctis has shown to have no problem talking to gods, then it wouldn’t be a big task to write it so that he takes responsibility of waking them up, as well. It’s no wonder then that Luna has become such a contested character to debate over. If anything, it further deteriorates her character development.

I have to add here that proper analysis of literary characters need to use hard evidence from the primary source. Defense of her characterization from most of what I have seen rely on projection, which is not accurate of what is actually seen of her. This makes validation of her character in a meaningful discourse difficult (in other words, projecting ideals onto her character without seeing the forest for the trees will grant you the very least a “D” in your literature class). Furthermore, adding actual romantic messages on the notebook will not fix her either. The romance between her and Noctis, first of all, is flawed in and of itself, and is a different topic, although development here is necessary. Secondly, if you want to tie the romance to her character development, it cannot be argued that it does anything to *her* development. This is because the romance does not help her in any way, does not encourage her personal growth, and as it stands, does nothing to let us know anything different about her or see a another side of her either. Since she is already grown at 12 years old, the romance has nothing to do with her ascension, either. Giving her a scene with Noctis as adults is actually NOT ideal either, because Tabata’s entire goal for her was to achieve her as a trophy after hours of chasing her, only for her to be taken away. Her death is written to be devastating because of the amounts of effort that Noctis (and the player) have put into chasing her. Writing a scene for her and Noctis before her death would cheapen and backstab Tabata’s efforts - not that it would do anything for her anyway.

Considering that Tabata has expressed his commitment to making her “stronger,” his new track record in Royal Edition does not encourage any trust in his goals. Giving her speaking powers in ghost form (which conflicts with her previous appearances, where it seems like she cannot speak - this also conflicts with earlier design choices and artistic goals of creating a sense of permanence in death), and creating a non-problem that has no significance to the actual story which also contradicts Ardyn’s motivations (the wall over the Lucian citadel) for her to “fix” (when Noctis has no problem summoning Astrals), especially when there is no physical cost, danger, or threat to her well-being (since she is already dead), does not really do Tabata’s need to convince players that she is strong any justice.

So how can she be fixed? A realistic answer would be that she can’t. To elaborate on this, I will assume that the three episodic DLC’s were planned ahead, which is why there are major plot holes in the base game. This means that the free additions to the story, and including the Royal Edition, were not originally planned. This includes the 1.16 patch, where she was given a couple of more lines of crying, the Astral backstory (which has been argued to contradict what was previously known about the Astrals) and the Chapter 13, verse 2 patch update. These examples do not excel in the writing department (the latter was very verbose and awkward in dialogue that seemed unnatural to the base game, even for fancy standards - and it did not actually answer any questions about Ravus’ character development - this was clearly planned for Episode Ignis instead). Basically, from the new additions to the story, the designers did not do a stellar job in showing that they can handle the expectations that fans want, nor are the writers confident in bringing in new material, especially in a short amount of time.

A good example of this is her Royal Edition appearance. Many were disappointed that there wasn’t anything meaningful in her only adult interaction between herself and Noctis. Why is this? Why couldn’t they give us something? This is because the writers do not know what they are like as a couple. They never had to write or think realistically about what their dynamic would be like. The writers are also pressured by the severe time constraints that come with game development. It takes a lot of resources to create such a short scene between the two of them. Good writing isn’t just talent and effort - it is time consuming, which they do not have. Believing that they will create something substantial in such a short time period for previously unplanned story DLC is unrealistic of their abilities. Episode Prompto and Episode Ignis were satisfying because those stories were planned from the beginning, as shown from the deliberate plot holes that they have set up, knowing that they will fill them in. Or, think about it this way: they had an actual story to tell with Prompto and Ignis. This is something that we all knew, being that the base game has given us teases. (Episode Gladio couldn’t be as satisfying because, as stated before, Gladio didn’t have any development in the game.) What about Episode Ardyn? I do not believe that the designers were anticipating such passionate interest in Ardyn’s development, and have genuinely screwed up in his build-up, too (hence why different language dubs will have contradicting information during his reveal to Noctis). As a writer myself, I do not have the intuitive belief that the writers knew that Ardyn had a brother who betrayed him, or where the name Izunia came from. When developing characters, a rule of thumb that all writers must follow is to know their characters’ backstory. This is why when Ardyn’s new brother was introduced to be named Somnus Lucis Caelum, it comes off as retcon-y. No effort was put into studying more Latin terms, so they went with the first word that came to be associated with Versus XIII, as homage to the origins of this game (since he is Founder King). That may seem pleasant from a symbolical standpoint, although it is sloppy. Consider that all names in this games have symbolic meaning. Somnus (”sleep”) means nothing in the final game, so there is no symbolic significance in naming Ardyn’s brother this way (i.e., it wasn’t planned before).

Let’s take a quick look at Aranea, by comparison. She has far less screen time than Luna, yet 100 times more character development. In her first major appearance, she is an enemy, working for the empire. In her second, you find out she is just a mercenary, and that she questions her commitment to the empire. In her third, she has decided to dump the empire and provide help to the survivors in Tenebrae. Aranea has undergone three stages of character development in her only three scenes. This was planned well. They knew who Aranea was and what she will become.

What this means in the long run for a possible Episode Luna, which is previously unplanned, is that the writers will have A LOT to work with in such a short amount of time. We do not know yet how they will handle such a responsibility, since Episode Ardyn is not out yet. Now, Ardyn is a much easier character to flesh out by comparison. He would have to have been young once, idealistic and willing to help those in need. The descent into hatred and anger is, understandably and expectantly, tragic and dramatic. Writing these themes would be easy for the writers to adapt. In other words, his story is already written by assumption just because he is the antagonist of the story, and because he was previously anointed by the Crystal.

In Luna’s case, however, this is not true. As stated before, Luna is the same at 12 years old, before the Niflheim invasion, as she is as an adult. As stated before, adding her abuse story would not be effective character development because of this. If they add this abuse, they risk drawing the ire of peeved fans who do not want to see her as just a sex dumpster for Noctis. All additions added for her so far was meant to convince us that she loves Noctis, which is already obvious. So what is there to do? I do not have proper advice in this case. She should not have been published in this state. Getting her interested in things that have nothing to do with Noctis would be a decent start, so that she can seem human enough. But here is the new catch-22: changing her too much would then betray our existing knowledge of her.

What this means is that if we witness her acting like a normal human being, they risk undermining our understanding of her. Suddenly, it is not one Luna, but two (or, if you think she is that different in Kingsglaive, it will become three Luna’s). If she is not comfortable behaving less formal in front her brother, in front of Regis, and IN FRONT OF NOCTIS EVEN, then how are we going to accept her behaving differently in front strangers? New friends? Servants? And this is only if they decide to delve into her backstory. This is not guaranteed. The massive survey conducted by Square teased that Luna’s story would not really be childhood backstory. It was framed as seeing her actions during Noctis’ story (in other words, her duty to waking up the Astrals). What this means is that Episode Luna would, therefore, exist for Noctis’ sake, too.

And what kind of story, exactly, are they going to tell in Episode Luna when they have shown repeatedly that they do not have a story to tell? I mean, REALLY, IF THEY HAD MORE CONTENT FOR HER, THEY WOULD HAVE ALREADY SHOWN IT. The reason why we keep getting scenes that do nothing except repeat what we already know is because they don’t have more content. I am trying to express here that a natural character progression or outline for Luna doesn’t really exist. Let’s flesh this out. The only scene we see where she is directly at conflict with her inner goals is when she is at the brink of giving up, and asking Ravus to take the ring. However, we see this scene after her death, when her character progression has effectively ended which is a problem on its own. Furthermore, this scene serves her less than it does for Ravus. This scene was introduced specifically for Ravus’ development, not hers. It is the first time in the base game the audience was even remotely aware that Ravus has mixed goals. On her side, the effectiveness of this scene in making her seem human is questionable. Why?

It is because we know that she is not realistic in her behavioral patterns. She shows no realistic reaction to her duties, which would logically come out in two ways: one, she would be angry at the gods for demanding such sacrifice from her when the entire Starscourge was their fault to begin with; and two, she would (AND SHOULD) be upset that Noctis, someone she supposedly loves, is going to die, too. But, she’s willing to allow him to die. Compare this to Final Fantasy X’s Yuna, who over the course of her journey, goes from a summoner who is willing to die to save the people from Sin, continually struggling to accept her decision to sacrifice herself as she forms a relationship with Tidus, and then becoming a warrior who decides to stop the cycle of abuse that keeps harming her people, while still maintaining traits that keep her familiar to us. In other words, Yuna’s development is about her being involved with religious and political conspiracies which lead her to then question her faith, only for her to stay steadfast in her own self-confidence and then risk her life to find a different method to save the world. Her refusal to sacrifice her friends is proof of this. There is a clear beginning, middle, and end to her development. Luna, on the other hand, decides to behave in all the ways the gods demand her to, instead of choosing her own fate. This effectively means that all chances the writers take at directly telling us that she “has a mind of her own,” or that her decisions are “her choices” (which is not what she actually says in the Japanese version), are basically smoke and mirrors, completely at odds with normal human behavior and previous world building efforts. She does not have direct will of her actions. Her will to give up temporarily, then, is an inorganic attempt to bring some character development into her, which happens only once, and it happens too late. At best, it is a weak attempt. At worst, it is disingenuous. Either way, this questioning of herself is not a proper method for character development, because her story has no beginning, middle or end. It’s a broken record throughout.

The writers therefore are going to have a difficult time logically creating a character outline for her progression and ascension for a possible Episode Luna. What exactly are we going to get here? What would her journey mean? Are we going to get repeated scenes of her questioning her strength when she wakes up an Astral because she is getting sicker? Rinse and repeat for every Astral she wakes up? What is the point here, when she didn’t even die because of her own pursuits, or because of her own deteriorating health? I would think that her DLC might be useful in learning more about the Astrals, about Tenebrae, or about the Empire. If that is the case, then that has nothing to do with her development, either.

That is not effective character development. There isn’t enough evidence to show any strong sense of optimism in this case. Maybe the writers will have some creative ideas to add to her story that will genuinely be surprising, although having her be a magical badass would then contradict certain elements of the Universe (such as her lack of magic in Kingsglaive). If she is only a healer, then that means that she needs another character to fight for her in her DLC (gee, poor Luna truly can’t do anything for herself). If she fights, then it’s a WONDER WHY SHE NEVER FOUGHT BEFORE, ASIDE FROM HER CONFRONTATION WITH LEVIATHAN. All in all, she’s messed up in general. I suspect that the reason they have not officially announced an Episode Luna yet is because they are struggling to create a proper character outline for her, as well as discussing ways to flesh out game mechanics without making her seem useless or terribly contradictory. If anything, the writers need to know her well before they can add anything. If they don’t even know how to get her to communicate with Noctis, when they have spent so much effort in building believable and meaningful dialogue and connections between the Chocobros, then I have no confidence in them knowing who she is, and therefore, no confidence that they will provide anything of value to her character in the future. TL;DR: Luna sucks and may not be fixable. No, I mean, really. I do not know, as a writer, how to fix her while still staying canonical to the published story, maintaining her relevance to the plot, and proving with little challenge that her actions are vital to the story’s development. **Please check out StoryTime’s video comparing Luna to Princess Zelda from Breath of the Wild. I have also noticed these severe similarities between the two of them. I would add that Breath of the Wild did much better in establishing symbolism in the silent princesses (the flowers). The sylleblossoms by comparison don’t have any significant meaning.

#final fantasy xv #lunafreya #finalfantasyxv #anti lunoct #antilunoct #character development #plot development #plot device #royal edition #ffxv royal edition #ffxvre #episode luna #lunafreya nox fleuret #luna critical #lunafreya critical #honestly fuck this character

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cha0ticmimzy · 6 years ago

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Chapter IX: A Car, a Torch, a Death

Author’s Notes: It’s spicy. It’s sad. It’s painful. It’s soft. This chapter is a mixture of a lot of things and I enjoyed writing it, so I hope you all enjoy reading it. Word Count: 5933 Warnings: It’s spicy from the get go. NSFW content (nudity, mentions of sex). Rating: Mature

“I began to understand why God died.”-Twenty One Pilots

“Don’t stop,” the blond gasped out, hands entangled within midnight locks. Teeth grazed along a freckled neck, threatening to pierce skin. The headboard of the bed thumped against the wall, echoing through the room, mingling with the sound of skin hitting against damp skin, of soft gasps and long moans.

“I don’t plan on it.” The vampire responded, bloody hues clouded with lust as his thrusts gained speed, pulling free a high moan from the human beneath him. He could smell him, could smell the blood pumping through his veins. Could feel how warm and soft he was, pliant. It would be so easy to feed from him right now. Just one little bite, that’s all.

“I’m gonna-” the blond choked out, gasping as he reached his peak, body tensing, shaking. The vampire stilled within him, reveling in the way he clenched and spasmed around his length. So warm, so soft. Rouge gaze met with not cornflower blue, but lilac rimmed with amethyst; such a riveting combination, such an inhuman color.

Inhuman.

“We’ll have extra security from Tenebrae coming in within the next few days, so we can go over the protocols then. Until then, however, we need to go over a few rules,” Drautos spoke, voice loud and clear through the training hall. They had all paused in the middle of weight training when he’d come in with not one, not two, but three large bags filled with the dreaded uniforms that they would be forced to wear. “Yes, we have different uniforms. Yes, you have to wear them. No, you cannot customize them, Furia.”

A round of soft laughter filled the room as the man called out slumped down upon the bench with a pout.

“Now, moving on: the King has announced that the Gallery will be open to the public during the day of the event. This is a rarity, and the public will jump at the chance to get inside the Citadel. This cannot happen.” There had been an incident once, years ago, when a human managed to get past security and wandered the halls of the Citadel.

He never saw the light of day again.

“Due to this, we will be spread thin. I won’t force you to work both the day and the night, however, should you choose to do so, you will receive compensation for your time.” A ripple moved through the group. Compensation could mean anything from a day off to extra pay. It was definitely worth the risk. “HOWEVER,” Titus’ voice boomed, silence the murmurs, “the king has asked for a select few to be assigned to the Gala to keep an eye on things. Ulric, Altius, Lazarus- you three will work the Gala, and you will keep an eye upon the crown prince and Lady Lunafreya. Lady Sylva has her own personal guard already, as does the Lord Ravus and his fiancé.”

“Sir,” Nyx spoke up, brow furrowing, “what is it that his majesty wants us to do, exactly?”

“Keep an eye on the prince and Lady Lunafreya; there’s tension between the two and given the disaster that happened nearly a decade ago at the Gala, we’d prefer to keep things as calm and non-dramatical as possible.” And to make sure that the prince didn’t have another slip up; that didn’t need to be said aloud, however. “You’re dismissed for the day to make arrangements with the Citadel tailor if your uniform does not fit.” With that, Drautos left the room, and barely a minute passed before the Glaive all but launched themselves at the garment bags.

Crowe got to it first, ripping them open and reading the labels out loud. “Wow, these are fancy,” she mumbled, holding her own up. It was similar in make to their normal uniforms; black and silver, jacket and pants. However, she realized that her own was lacking… Pants. “A dress. I have to wear a- Nyx, I swear to the Six, if you don’t STOP laughing I can and will punch you through that wall!”

“Wow, a dress? Regis really is going all out.”

“I’m not wearing a dress.”

“Yes, you are,” Nyx replied, holding his own uniform up. A deep violet band had been sewn into the left sleeve, showing that he wasn’t a shifter like the rest of the Kingsglaive. “If I have to wear a monkey suit, you get to wear a dress.”

“But-”

“And just think,” Pelna chimed in, coming up behind his mate, his arms wrapping around her waist, “I get to see you in a dress. And we get to dance. And you get to drink. And we get to dance.”

“Get a ROOM.” Tredd booed, grabbing his uniform and slinging it over his shoulder.

“We say that to you all the time and yet you’re still here.”

“Fuck off, Ulric.”

“You offering?”

“CHILDREN.” Libertus broke the pair up, keeping a steady hand upon Nyx’s forearm, keeping him from stepping closer to the redhead. “Calm yourselves. You’re both pretty.”

Nyx sighed, shaking Libertus’ hand off so he could grab hold of his uniform and hold it up. It was similar to their normal work uniform, only more… Dressy? He couldn’t decide what made it different. Perhaps it was the fact that the make was more delicate, the fabric being more akin to velvet rather than the rough leather. Silver threading took place of the metal normally in place, and delicate buttons lined the left side, each one with Insomnia’s symbol engraved into the metal. “Wonder how much this cost?”

“Don’t wanna know,” Libertus replied, pulling on the suit jacket. He made a face as he moved, feeling the strain in the shoulders. “Nope, nope, nope. We gotta fix this. A trip to Mister Scientia is in need if I’m gonna wear this monkey jacket.” He attempted to pull it off, only to pause, eyes widening as he realized his arms were stuck. “Nyx- Nyx, babe, help. I can’t- stop laughing you dick help me out of this before it rips!”

“Calm down, you oaf,” Nyx teased between laughs as he pulled the jacket the rest of the way off before holding it out, only to have it snatched away by Libertus. “C’mon, let’s go. I need to drop off some documents with Clarus, anyways.”

“Finally finish your report?” Luche asked, a brow raising as he folded his uniform over his shoulder. “I finished mine yesterday- didn’t really want to revisit that hell, but…”

“Yeah,” Nyx sighed, shaking his head. “The footage that my body cam caught… I still can’t figure out what that thing was.” A grave silence fell across the room as memories of their mission a week and a half ago. Even after watching and re-watching the footage, he couldn’t shake the feeling that whatever that creature had been, it was old and dangerous. “Either way, it was terrifying.”

“It looked like-” Axis began, only to be cut off by Luche.

“Don’t.” Luche interrupted, shaking his head at Axis. “That’s impossible, you and I both know that. We all know that. That isn’t possible because they don’t exist any longer. That was hundreds of years ago, before the last war, even.”

“Right…” Nyx frowned, brow quirking as he glanced between the two. Hooking an arm through Libertus’ own, he pulled his lover closer. “We’re gonna… Head up to see Scientia. Don’t burn down the rec room.”

“Damn!” Pelna cursed jokingly. “There goes my plans for the evening.”

“I always knew you were a hidden arsonist!” Nyx shot back with a wink before leading Libertus out of the room, their uniforms in hand. Once outside, the door firmly shut behind him, he paused. “That was weird, right?”

“Yup. But maybe Luche’s spooked, still. I mean, I know you couldn’t pick up the scent we could, but that thing was more of an Alpha than Drautos was. I wanted to roll over and bare my neck…” Shaking his head, Libertus let a shudder dance through him. “Whatever the Nifs are working on, it’s dangerous.”

“Right. Listen-… I need to talk to Clarus. About what we saw. Because we saw what that thing was, and I know it’s impossible-”

Libertus interrupted him with a swift kiss and a reassuring smile. “Go do what you gotta do. I’m gonna got get poked accidentally with some needles and complain about wearing a uniform.”

“I’ll walk you up?”

“Whatta charmer!”

Sunlight peeked through the curtains, dancing across his face. Noctis was already awake, sitting beside the blond. His freckles weren’t just on his face- they were all over. He’d tried to kiss them all last night, but… That would have been impossible. Hell, last night seemed impossible, but Prompto was still sound asleep in his bed. His hair was a mess of a blond spikes, and his neck was covered in bruises left from Noctis’ lips.

It brought a smile to the prince’s lips.

Yawning, he fell back against the pillows, listening the steady breaths Prompto released beside him. He didn’t wanna wake him, not yet. He needed rest- humans needed sleep, right? Or was it dangerous if they got too much? He remembered watching a news story about how too much sleep was dangerous- was Prompto getting too much sleep now?

… Where was Ignis when he needed him?

“If y’stare any harder I might turn t’stone…” Came the sleepy voice of Prompto, startling Noctis so bad he nearly leaped off the bed.

“Sorry,” Noctis apologized, cheeks flushing. “How do you… Are you okay? Does anything hurt?”

“Mm,” Prompto hummed, rolling over onto his back and stretching. “My back sorta does, but my back always hurts so that’s nothing new- is that breakfast? It smells wonderful!” Prompto rapidly changed the subject, sitting up and all but crawling over Noctis to get at the tray beside the bed.

A laugh bubbled free from Noctis as he held still, watching the blond in amusement. “They brought it in about an hour ago. It should still be warm…. I dunno what they made.” He got his answer right after as Prompto raised the lid to reveal a plate of French toast and berries. A moan slipped free from Prompto as he pulled the plate off the cart and onto the bed, settling it down between them. Silence fell as Prompto began to stuff his face, eyes closed as if he were basking in the taste.

“That’s it. I’m stealing your chef. I need this in my life every day all day.” Prompto moaned around a mouth full of food. Noctis hummed, stealing a strawberry. Sure, they couldn’t eat a lot of human food, but a few little bites here and there didn’t cause that much damage.

Prompto fell silent again, focused on eating. Noctis found himself thinking on the events that transpired; the kiss- which evolved into more kissing. The touches, the way Prompto looked beneath him, how he felt, how he sounded. It made his skin tingle, just thinking about it. But that tingle dissipated when the thought of Prompto’s eyes came to the forefront of his mind. Right now, they were their normal sky blue; gorgeous and light. But last night, they were lilac and rimmed with amethyst. They weren’t blue, they weren’t normal.

Did Prompto know?

Mouth opening, he was about to ask when a swift knock sounded upon his door. Groaning inwardly, Noctis sat up. “Enter.”

“Good afternoon, Noct, Prompto,” Ignis called as he made his way into the bedroom, closing the door behind him. “Noctis, you’re needed in the council. There’s been…” He faltered, something that was rare to see from the normally put-together man. “There’s been an altercation.”

A chill danced down Noctis’ spine. “What happened?”

“It’s better if-”

“No. Tell me before I get down there.” He all but demanded, already climbing out of bed. He silently thanked the Six he managed to put on underwear before falling asleep last night. “I want to be prepared, and since you’re so shaken up, it must be bad.”

Prompto shifted on the bed, pulling the sheets closer, sinking in on himself. The tension in the room had rose, putting him on edge.

“There was an attack in Tenerbae. The remaining members of the royal family were not in any danger, but…” Ignis sighed, running a hand through his hair, ruffling the carefully groomed brunet locks. “Lady Aurora’s parents were murdered.”

Noctis dropped the brush he’d been holding, his eyes wide as he stared at the mahogany top of his desk. Prompto wanted to reach out, to say something, anything, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it- not with everything in him screaming for him to run. Noctis’ back was tensed, anger flowing off him.

“Get a maid to bring Prompto some clothes.” He finally spoke as he pulled on a simple black hoodie and yanked on a pair of jeans. Turning to the blond, he gave a small smile. “I’m sorry- I… This- I gotta go. I’ll try to catch you before dinner, but…” Shoulders rising in a small shrug, he suddenly looked unsure.

“Noctis, we need to go.”

“Right-” clearing his throat, the prince straightened himself. He went to walk forward before suddenly changing his mind and walked to the edge of the bed. Soft, cool hands reached out, cupping Prompto’s cheeks, holding him in place as he placed one, two, three soft kisses against his lips. “I’ll see you tonight.”

“Alright…” Prompto sighed, smiling, as Noctis withdrew. The prince left quickly after pulling on a pair of shoes, the door closing behind him. And then he was alone.

Again.

He fell back into the multitude of pillows, sinking into the soft mattress. The bed was easily three times the size of his back at his apartment, and far softer. And, he noted as he rolled over, it smelled of Noctis. Soap, of woodsmoke, of a sharp tang of ozone and something sugary sweet. A smile curled his lips as he buried himself beneath the sheets. Maybe a nap wouldn’t hurt…

“Don’t touch me.” Aurora hissed as soon as Noctis opened the door. Ravus took a quick step back, hands up. She was seething with rage; her normally sapphire eyes had deepened in color, resembling an angry ocean more than a gem. The anger was palpable in the room; even Sylva seemed to be put on edge. “They are dead and you refuse to do a damned thing. Sylva, I will not beg. I will not ask again. I am demanding that you retaliate against them!”

“Against who?” Noctis finally spoke up, flinching as Aurora spun around to face him. She still had tears falling, and her hair that was normally curled elegantly fell around her face and shoulders in dramatic waves. “Who did this?”

“Niflheim,” she growled out, hands- no, entire body shaking with the anger she felt. “Those damned bastards did this. They attacked Galahd, and now they strike at the holiest country? How can you sit on your-”

“Aurora!” Ravus interjected finally, and it was as if all her control finally slipped. She crumbled to the floor, falling upon her knees and leaning over, her hands curled into fists upon the floor. Ravus knelt beside her, his arm wrapping around her, pulling her to him. It hurt to see such a strong, happy woman completely wrecked. Her sobs made her entire body shake, and as Noctis watched, he could see tears trailing down Ravus’ face.

Attention turned towards the two coven leaders, he took notice in the way Sylva seemed to be made of stone- not reacting to what was happening at all. His father, on the other hand, looked ready to commit murder. “Within this room are the only ones who know of this tragedy.” Looking around, Noctis took in the faces: Cor and Clarus behind his father, Nyx beside the door, Ignis and Gladio behind him, Lunafreya and Drautos behind Sylva. Twelve people, total. The rest of the Glaive, the remainder of the council, Lady Sylva’s security- none of them knew.

Aside from Prompto.

“Tomorrow, we will make an announcement of this attack. During this, we will address the attack on Galahd as well. Niflheim will be brought forth for trial.” Regis paused, giving Sylva a pointed look. Noctis couldn’t help but wonder what that was about… “For genocide and for murder of a royal clan. We will seek justice. We will not stoop to their levels; war is not what we are searching for. We are looking for an answer.”

“I want blood.” Aurora muttered into Ravus’ chest, though it was loud enough for everyone in the council room to hear. “I want the one who executed my mother and father. I want to show them how it feels.”

“That’s the anger talking, love,” Ravus murmured, brushing his fingers through her hair. “… Though I agree. I’d like to see the one who gave the final killing blow brought to trial and persecuted-”

“Executed.”

“Executed.” Ravus finished, leveling his mother with a hard stare. Noctis watched as Sylva simply raised her wine glass to her lips and took a long sip.

“We can talk of that after tomorrow. You’re all dismissed. Noctis, come with me; we need to speak.” With that, the room cleared out relatively quickly, Clarus, Cor, Nyx, and Drautos being the only ones left behind to act as guards for them. “We cannot enter into another war, you understand this. You know how crippling the last war had been. Insomnia nearly fell had it not been for the surprise attack Tenebrae launched against Niflheim. I fear this is their retaliation for that attack.”

“But that was… What, over a hundred years ago? Before I was even born, so almost two hundred? And they’re still angry?” Noctis asked, confusion evident in his voice. “Why attack now?”

“They’re working on some sort of secret weapon. During our reconnaissance to Galahd, we were attacked by Niflheim airships. There was…” Nyx faltered, brows furrowing. “Something in the forest. It’s impossible, I know, but there was a shifter in the forest. One that wasn’t like us- now, that is. It resembled the original shifters. Like the werewolves of old.”

“How is that possible?” Alarm caused his voice to pitch upwards, much to Noctis’ annoyance.

“We don’t know,” Cor spoke up. “We’ve sent agents to Niflheim over the years, but none of them have ever returned. I assume they were taken hostage, defected, or took their own lives before Niflheim had the chance.” A grim silence spread through the room.

“I’ve reached out to Iedolas Aldercapt; he’s the president of Niflheim.” Regis broke the silence, voice soft. “He has agreed to meet during the upcoming Gala. It’s a risk, but that was the only way he would agree- if we did this during the Gala.”

“He’s planning something.” Clarus stated harshly.

“I know. Which is why I’m going to make sure we have our best on guard during the Gala. Drautos, I want you to remove your Glaives from patrolling the morning. The Insomnian police force can handle the public,” Regis ordered, magenta hues focused on the marble floor beneath their feet.

“Of course, your majesty.”

“I want Lazarus and Altius to be on the Gala floor at all times. Khara will be on the upper floor with Arra, Ostium and Furia in the gardens. Nyx will remain near Noctis or Lunafreya at all times- when Noctis is not with Gladiolus or Ignis, Nyx will be with him. Any other time, he will be with Lunafreya. We cannot have her injured.”

“Sir?” Nyx interrupted, brows raised.

“I fear they will attempt to strike at Lady Lunafreya. Lady Sylva is too much an obvious target, and Lord Ravus is an accomplished warrior that would be too difficult to fight.” Noctis shifted nervously. His father really had thought everything through already, hadn’t he? “We must be prepared for the worst. If an attempt is pulled, we will default to Alpha Phase One.”

“Which is?” Noctis asked, leaning against the edge of the oak table. “If I’m here, it involves me. What’s this… Alpha-whatever?”

“Alpha Phase One,” Regis began, shooting his son an amused glance, “is a plan of escape that only a few know. And I will keep it that way.” His tone was final.

“So I don’t get to know it?”

“No.”

“… Ouch.”

“You have your own escape route that Gladiolus and Ignis know and will take should something happen.”

“They know it?” Noctis asked in surprise. “And I don’t?”

“Exactly.” Regis replied smugly.

“Rude.”

“I think you’ll survive.”

“You shouldn’t be here!” Titus hissed as he closed his apartment door, quickly locking it. Ater shrugged, perfectly comfortable with sitting atop the counter. “Do you realize how much trouble I could get in? You aren’t supposed to be seen here.”

“And no one saw me.” She replied simply, sliding off the counter. “You stress too much, babe. No one saw me. I even went as far as using prosthetics.” She waved a hand to the mess on the kitchen table. “It was a pain in the ass to get on and off. Oh, and disposable contacts. And a wig. I made sure I wasn’t recognized.”

Groaning softly, the general ran a hand over his face. “You’re going to be the death of me, you realize this?” He muttered as he walked closer, hands coming to rest upon the vampire’s hips, pulling her close. “But that doesn’t explain why you’re here.”

“They sent me out before they dispatched the Gloriam clan.” Her voice was soft as she reached up to cup his cheek, his scruff scratching at her palm. Icy hues took in the dark shadows beneath his eyes. “I didn’t know what they had planned. I don’t even know what- or who- they sent out. It wasn’t me, or Highwind. I would know- I was out drinking with her when we got the news.”

“Well, shit.” Sighing, Drautos released her and began to work on removing his coat. “Regis is pissed. They do realize that they didn’t get the entire clan, right?”

“… They didn’t?”

His blood froze in his veins as he turned slowly, taking in the genuine surprise that splayed across Ater’s face. “… They didn’t realize Aurora was still here.” He whispered, panic settling in. His heart began a tap dance within his chest. “Who authorized the attack?”

“Aldercapt.”

“That idiot!” Hand banged against the counter, the wood releasing a groan in protest. “He moves without thinking and creates a mess that I have to clean up.” Drawing in a slow, deep breath, he forced himself to relax. It wouldn’t be good to shift in his apartment. “Regis is going to address the public in the morning about the attack on Galahd and the murder of the Gloriam clan.”

“Shit.” Ater mumbled, biting on her thumb. This managed to mess everything up. “What of the girl?”

“Aurora?”

“Yes.”

“She’s untouchable, especially now. She’s engaged to Ravus, and we all know what the Lord is capable of. He saw battle when he was a barely an adult. He killed. He’s ruthless and dangerous.” Drautos shook his head, jaw working. “Iedolas is coming to Insomnia in a week… Why are you here? Had he planned on coming here?”

“He wanted me to come and check in on you. Watch- since you haven’t been sending in your reports…” Ater trailed off, shrugging. “And to get familiar with the city.”

“Why?”

“Because he’s planning something. I don’t know what it is- I can’t ever get him alone to talk to him, that scoundrel of a man is always there, whispering in his ear. I don’t trust him, Titus. I don’t like him. He’s… Wrong.” Shuddering, she moved closer, her arms coming to wrap around his middle. Cold fingertips slipped beneath his shirt, nails just barely dragging across the skin of his back.

“Ardyn is dangerous,” Drautos agreed, fingers trailing down her spine, hooking in the waistband of her pants. “But now that you’re here, I don’t have to rely on phone calls or texts.” He murmured, leaning down to steal a fierce kiss. A surprised noise escaped Ater before she reached up, holding onto his shirt, pulling him closer. His teeth grazed her lip, and her fangs pierced his own. Blood welled up between them, the kiss growing far more messy, animalistic. His hands wandered lower, grasping her rear, squeezing, pulling her up. Her legs wrapped around his waist as he held her up with one arm. His free hand slipped beneath her shirt, preparing to unclip her bra, only to be met with bare skin. A laugh melted into the kiss from Ater.

“I didn’t bother with one.” She whispered, pulling back to lick at her lips. Blood smeared down her chin, across her lips. He could feel blood across his own chin, in his mouth. But a growl of approval slipped free as she pulled her shirt off, over her head. “I’m not wearing any underwear, either.” She added, watching as his pupils dilated. He leaned down, pressing a kiss within the valley of her breasts. A soft breath left her, her head tilting back as he pressed more kisses against the soft skin before pulling a nipple into his mouth. His tongue laved against it before he bit down gently.

“Good.”

“It’s late, my lord.” Cor murmured in lieu of announcing himself as he entered the study. Regis sat in a plush armchair before the wall of floor to ceiling windows, gazing out across Insomnia. “You need to rest. It’s been a long day…” The room was softly lit due to the fire burning within the large fireplace. It smelled of cinnamon and nutmeg; warmth.

Regis hummed in response, slowly swirling the remnants of his glass of bloodwine. “Sylva is planning a coup d'é-tat.” He spoke simply, listening to way Cor’s footsteps paused. Even from here, across the large room, he could hear the way his friend- no, lover’s- heart skipped a beat.

“Sir?” He asked, as if he hadn’t heard him correctly. “How do you…?”

“She isn’t the only one with spies within the ranks.” Came the soft answer as Regis rose from his seat. Standing there, back illuminated by the fire slowly dying in the fireplace- it brought Cor back to their first time together. So many years ago, he’d been so young, and Regis had been so very gentle and kind. Strong. Smart. Heartbroken.

“You have Aurora working for you, then.”

“Yes,” Regis replied, turning to face the human. Cor had changed out of his uniform and into a pair of sweat pants and a long-sleeved shirt. Ready to sleep, and yet he came to check on him. It warmed his heart. “I had made an agreement with her shortly before her engagement to Ravus. He knows, as well.”

“And Lady Lunafreya…?”

“Is a pawn in Sylva’s game.”

“That poor, poor girl.”

“A shame. She was once so gentle.”

“And now she’s the perfect blade for her mother to weild.”

Silence fell as Cor moved closer, stepping around the desk to stand beside his king. Glacier hues stared out upon the city below; it never stopped moving, never stopped advancing. Never slept. The feeling of Regis moving closer, stepping in behind him, made a shudder dance through his skin. He leaned back against the vampire, head resting upon his shoulder. Regis, I turn, wrapped his arms around his middle, leaned his head against Cor’s. Together they stood, watching the city, as the last embers died out.

“Take me to bed, Cor.”

“Of course, your majesty.”

Prompto had been playing a game on his phone when Noctis came back to his room. Dinner had been delivered three hours earlier, along with an apology from Noctis. Some sort of meeting happened, and he couldn’t leave until it was over. Which was fine! Prompto had plenty to do! Update his Instagram, play games on his phone, snoop through Noctis’ drawers (he was a boxer brief guy, apparently), and look through the books that lined the wall. Prompto knew that the Citadel had its own library, but Noctis had his own personal one within his bedroom.

He may have spent too long looking through the comic books.

“Is Aurora alright?” He meant to say hello, how are you, but he needed to know. She was such a kind, sweet girl. For her to be hit with this…

Noctis sighed, rubbing the back of his neck as he toed off his shoes. “No. She’s… Angry. Sad. Grieving. I spent the last two hours with her and Ravus. She tore up their bedroom- literally.” Prompto’s eyes widened in surprise. “Yeah, it wasn’t pretty. She’s mostly mad at Sylva for not doing anything. Or suggesting any action. Dad took it upon himself to decide to make a public statement…”

“Why isn’t Lady Sylva doing anything?” That was confusing. Prompto scooted to the edge of the bed, feet barely grazing the floor as he watched Noctis move about, pulling the hoodie off. “Isn’t Aurora Tenebraen?”

“She is. I don’t know why Sylva isn’t doing anything- she barely spoke during the council meeting. I dunno. The entire situation is just… Weird and bad.” Shrugging, Noctis slipped into the en suite. “I had them bring you dinner- did you eat? Did you like it?”

“I did!” Prompto called back, grinning. “I had to have that girl- Crowe? She was the one who came with the maid. I had to have her help me figure out how to eat lobster tail… I’d never had it before.”

“Really?” Noctis poked his head out, brows raised, toothbrush hanging out of his mouth.

A snort spilled free from Prompto as he nodded. “Yeah. But it was good! And that linguine was so good. I swear I’m going to steal your cook.”

“Nah, you can’t have Iggy.”

“IGNIS COOKED THAT?!” He hadn’t meant to be so loud, but he couldn’t help it. Finding out that Ignis cooked that entire meal was surprising.

“Yeah, he’s been trained to be my personal chef. Lowers the risk of being poisoned.” Noctis answered, coming back into the room with an amused smile. “Since that’s a thing that happens to royals.”

“Oh…” Right. That was a thing that Noctis had to worry about. “… You have a lot of books.” He changed the subject easily as Noctis pulled open a drawer, rummaging around before pulling a pair of sleeping pants out.

Tugging his jeans off (and nearly falling in the process), he glanced over to the book shelves that took up an entire wall. “Yeah- dad used to read to me as a kid, and it just… Stuck. I only like fiction. Like… Magic. That kind of thing.”

A sudden question popped into Prompto’s mind. “Have you ever played Dungeons and Dragons?” He asked, watching as Noctis paused, pants pulled back up.

“… No.”

“You’d love it! It’s sort of like… If the characters from Lord of the Rings clashed with Dragon Age.” Prompto attempted to explain, and received a laugh in response as Noctis settled down onto the bed before collapsing backwards. “I’m serious! It’s really fun, too. You can make your own character and there’s always detailed stories…”

“Prom?”

“Yeah, buddy?”

“… Stay the night with me.”

Prompto froze, cheeks flushing at the request. “I… You sure?” He asked, fidgeting with the hem of the pajama top that had been brought for him. It was too big, but that was perfect. “I mean, I can go back to my room-”

“I’m sure.” Noctis replied, reaching out to tug on the edge of Prompto’s shirt. “Not to… Not to have sex. But just- I don’t wanna be alone. And I sleep better with someone beside me.” He explained almost shyly, not meeting Prompto’s questioning gaze. “If you don’t want to, I won’t force you, but-”

“I do!” Prompto exclaimed, before quickly backpedaling. “I mean, I’d love to. I’m good. I like it here. I like… I like being with you. Near you.” He wiggled in place for a moment before falling back on the bed beside the vampire.

“Good.” Noctis nodded, pulling Prompto closer. “I just wanna lay here. Today was… Rough.”

“Alright,” Prompto hummed, lacing their fingers together. “Then we can just lay here- as long as you want to, Noct.”

Noctis nodded, eyes closing. Prompto shifted, tucking his head into the crook of the other’s neck. It was nice, to just lay with one another. Prompto hadn’t realized how much he wanted, no, craved this. This softness, this warmth. Slowly, he tangled his legs with Noctis’, who hummed and cracked open an eye. He pulled his hand free to clap twice, and the lights dimmed by themselves.

“… That is so cool.”

“I know, right?” Noctis grinned as he took Prompto’s hand into his own once more, giving it a gentle squeeze. He felt the blond yawn against his shoulder and answered it with one of his own. “I’m glad you’re here, Prom.”

“Me, too.” Prompto murmured, pressing a tiny kiss just below his ear. Within minutes, the pair had fallen asleep.

Neither one noticed the way the bedroom door opened slowly, letting in the shadows of the hallway.

Her breaths came fast, panicked. Running, running; why did the family have to put in a maze in their garden? She could hear the water lapping against the shore; she was so close to finding the exit! The sound of growls behind her made her run faster, ignoring the way her feet bled, the way her dress was torn to shreds. She’d been there when they arrived. She’d hidden, contorting herself to fit into the hiding hole in the Lady of the house’s closet.

They thought they got everyone.

The little Lady was not here. She was gone, in Insomnia. They didn’t know that. They couldn’t know that. They wouldn’t know that. She wouldn’t tell them.

She thought they were all gone. She came out, and it was quiet. She went into the sitting room and found their bodies there. She didn’t scream; she couldn’t scream. Her vocal chords had been damaged when she was little. She couldn’t make a sound, even if she tried.

Then she saw it. It was big, and scary. Its fur was dark brown, and it smelled bad. Like rotting bodies. It had seen her, and it stared at her, golden eyes seeming far too human like. It was big, too; easily reaching her shoulders. And then she ran, and it followed, crashing through the house.

It hunted her through the maze, and it was still hunting her. Right, left, right, and she should be out!

No. No, no, no. No, this couldn’t be. There was supposed to be the exit here, not a dead end! Turning, she looked about frantically. She couldn’t climb through the bushes; the thorns would tear her to pieces before she even made it to the top. The sound of a growl made her freeze, her entire body shaking.

It was here.

She turned, slowly, coming face to face with the beast. It was… Smiling. Smiling in a far too human way. No shifter should look that human, like it was a human sewn into bear skin. Tears spilled down her cheeks as she backed up against the hedge, feeling thorns press into her back. It advanced. For the first time since she was three years old, she managed to make a noise.

She screamed as its teeth closed around her throat.

#bis vivit qui bene vivit #bvqbv #final fantasy xv #final fantasy xv fanfiction #ffxv #nsfw-ish #prompto argentum #noctis lucis caelum #ignis scientia #aurora mane gloriam #ravus nox fleuret #regis lucis caelum #cor leonis #nyx ulric #titus drautos #libertus ostium #tredd furia #luche lazarus

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raiko-exe · 7 years ago

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Equinox [Part 2/End]

Summary: Shadows cannot exist without light, and if not for her he would have been consumed. [Vignette Collection] Characters: Kayn/Irelia Rating: T Tags: Friendship, Romance Tumblr: 1 2 FFN: 1 2 3 AO3: 1 2 3

viii.

"This is unnecessary," Kayn mutters. He's dressed akin to how he was in Pallas, only this time he attempts to hide his visage under a hat. "I could have easily slipped through and slaughtered them all by now."

"We're trying to attract as little attention as possible," Irelia remarks beside him in her normal garb, but with her hair tied up. "Do try to be patient."

But despite the collected voice she presents with, there's aggression in her stride that hints she wants a fight.

He sighs and rolls his shoulders under the uncomfortable layers as they continue to walk through the orchard behind the manor. It appears to be maintained, but might not remain that way with the new Brotherhood having taken control of her old home as their command center.

Just like the Noxians, she thinks to herself with quiet fury. Only this time, she knows it's personal. They wouldn't have selected this location otherwise.

They stop when the outer walls come into view.

"I need you to circle the grounds and count the guards," she reminds Kayn as she remains hidden among the trees. "Return with the head count and we'll divide between east and west."

"I remember," he says, passing through the wall with ease. Quiet moments pass until his return, feet landing on the ground with a soft thud.

"Twelve on each side. Most are moving through the grounds, but three are posted in the watchtowers," Kayn reports after his short observations. "The courtyard will be harder. but there should be enough cover to manage."

"Take the west, then." she instructs him. "There should be a few things I can take advantage of in the east."

They approach the wall together now and Irelia gives him a sidelong glace. The twitch in his fingers suggests he's overeager, and she knows that might cost them.

"Kayn?" she stops him suddenly.

"What?" He raises a brow, wondering if she harbors any hesitation.

"Be careful," she tells him, though its not that part that concerns her. "And quiet."

ix.

By the time Irelia reaches the courtyard, the grounds are still and there are no guards left in sight.

"About time you showed up," Kayn mentions, revealing himself from one of the pillars. "I had so much time I even cleared your share."

"I was trying to be thorough," she responds, but she cannot argue against his effectiveness. She scans the courtyard for any sings of movement and deems they are safe to push past the front gates. The entryway stands before them, and she takes a moment to compose herself before pushing past its old woodwork.

A small army of rebels greets them as if their arrival had been predicted, and Irelia's eye twitches.

"You clearly missed one," she remarks flatly.

"I would never be so sloppy," Kayn insists, looking almost offended.

"Did you hide the bodies?"

Kayn says nothing and she resists the urge to roll her eyes.

Ignoring the small misstep, Irelia looks to the hoard in front of them. The manor was adequately sized to house troops, and most of them look to be gathered here with more coming from the upper levels.

"Please, stand aside," Irelia urges them as a last offer of mercy. "I only wish to speak to your leader."

"We will not allow you to pass," A voice from the front answers her. The man looks resentful, even if she does not recognize his face, "Should you have chosen to fight with us instead, things might have been different."

Angry voices rise along with him, and it does not take her long to realize that negotiation is futile.

Kayn has appeared bored at the exchange until he feels her hand on his back and sees her eyes harden.

"Carve a path," she says simply and watches the grin form on his lips.

He lunges and forward to sweep a wide arc before them. Unable to react, a handful of soldiers fall to the ground with their innards spilling from their torsos. The rebels flood the hall in an attempt to surround them but Kayn continues his assault, cutting them down far too easily with Irelia pinning those out of his blade's reach.

A few minutes brings their fight to the bottom of the stairway. The boardroom is on the upper level, and Irelia's gut instinct tells her that's where she needs to be.

"I leave the rest to you," she tells Kayn before bounding up the steps. She thinks she hears something from him but cannot be sure through the sounds of agonizing screams and metal on metal.

"Shinn!" Irelia calls as she flings the boardroom doors open with fury. Her former second in command sits at the head of the meeting table – the place meant for her father – with two guards at his sides

"Irelia," the man addresses her, unmoving from his chair. "I figured you would come."

"Why are you doing this? Taking by force is no better than what the invaders sought to do." Her eyes narrow and her blades ready themselves, "And to take my home, you have some nerve."

"I am doing what this country needs," he corrects her, unfazed. "And what you were too weak to do."

"Ionia should not be ruled under an iron fist!" she exclaims. "Destroying the diversity of the land – This is not what we worked to achieve for so many years."

"And that's exactly the problem, Irelia." Shinn says, folding his arms in agitation. "You regard the Brotherhood as something that is still yours when you relinquished it, too weak to take advantage of an opportunity. Which that brings us here."

"Some of the leaders do not acknowledge me as they did you, Hero of the Placidium," he continues, rising to pace across the head of the boardroom. "I knew in order to draw you out I had to get under your skin."

The smile he wears mocks her futility, "And when I kill you, all of Ionia will be forced to recognize me as not only the leader of the Brotherhood, but the one who will unite them all."

"You believe your warriors can defeat me?" she questions, seeing only an empty threat. While leading the resistance fighters no one had been able to oppose her, and from the fighting outside that had not changed.

"They won't have to," he says with calm malice. It has Irelia on alert, but not even she is fast enough to stop him from pressing the buttons on the device that had been hidden in his pocket.

A burst of heat, smoke, and splinters hits her all at once, and though her blades are able to protect her from some of the damage, they cannot save her from the fall when the floor collapses under her feet. Her fall is broken by something hard that splits down the middle on contact, and when Irelia opens her eyes the entirety of her body hurts and is pinned down by the wreckage of the floor.

Through the haze she can make out the distinct sound of Shinn's laughter and sees his unharmed silhouette leering at her demise.

"You coward!" Irelia cries, only to feel a stabbing pain coming from her chest. The flames flickering around her grow larger by the second, and though she tries she cannot find the strength to free herself.

"Rest with your ancestors now, Xan Irelia," he tells her before disappearing towards the servant's corridors to escape.

xi.

The explosions catch Kayn by surprise as the second floor and the staircase buckle, dooming those who had been underneath. The note of panic in the air changes completely as the men now brush past him to withdraw. But he can only think of what has happened to Irelia as flames begin to spit from the direction she had gone.

The mission was supposed to be for fun on his part, but Kayn is now indignant. He slays the few that remain around him and advances towards the destruction.

"What are you're doing?" Rhaast protests in his mind. "The woman is probably dead."

"I won't believe it until I see it," Kayn says determined; he knows Irelia will not die so easily and tries peeling the crumbled panels aside.

"I will not allow such foolishness!" the Darkin demands. The weapon glows with rage, harnessing the power to become wholly sentient and leave his wielders grasp.

"I have been waiting for the moment where you might be so distracted." Rhaast speaks in a sinister tone before attempting to strike. "And with the souls reaped on this night, I have enough power to take your body as my own."

Kayn is barely able to evade the attack, finding a stray glaive to deflect the subsequent blows. But with no man behind the rival blade, he is unable to predict the opponent's movements.

"Stop this, Rhaast!" Kayn insists, but only has the glaive knocked out of his hands, staggering until his back hits a wall.

"Looks like this is the end for you, human," Rhaast declares, readying a decisive blow. Kayn has known all along that this day would come, but never imagined being the one to fall against the Darkin entity.

A familiar feeling comes over him in the face of death – The same feeling he experienced on the banks of the river as a child.

He sees his master alongside Syndra and his fellow brothers of the order.

He sees Irelia, cheeks full of tang yuan and an annoying smile on her face.

He needs to live.

The scythe swings forward to pierce him, but Kayn catches it with one hand on the grip and the other around the curve of the blade. His arms shake as he anchors his feet to hold the pointed edge away from him.

"No, Rhaast," he declares through gritted teeth. Darkness enshrouds them like a thick mist as Kayn channels his own energy into the weapon. "You will heed to me!"

The cloud dissipates with a burst of energy and Kayn finds the scythe silent in his hands, examining the blade with caution. The demonic eye at its center no longer pulses with life, and the Darkin skin on his arm is no more.

Rhaast has been expelled. It's something he's wanted for a long time, but he cannot dote on the thought now; he still needs to find Irelia.

Kayn turns back to the collapsed stairwell and ghosts through the rubble. His senses have become sharper, it seems, as he can hear voices from afar. He hastily proceeds towards them, but he only finds three men after emerging from the walls, and one fits the description of Irelia's target like a glove.

"Oh good, you survived," Shinn says, mistaking Kayn for one of his own spldiers. "I've finished her off, now we can–"

His sentence remains unfinished as Kayn severs all three in a single swoop.

xii.

After calling her name until his voice runs hoarse, Kayn spots a sash of magenta under destroyed slabs of ceiling. The flames have not touched her yet and he rushes to her, desperation coursing through his veins helping to heave away the debris. When he can finally see her, he is relieved to find that she's still breathing.

"Kayn," she manages shakily. She is barely able to see him as he gathers her in his arms. "Are you hurt?"

"Me?" He can hardly believe the words she speaks to him, "You should be worrying more about yourself."

He examines her quickly – She's certainly wounded, but it's hard to tell where as they are both been plenty stained with red.

"Shinn, he–"

"I killed him," he informs her briskly. "Now stop talking, you'll only strain yourself."

She gives a weak nod and rests her head on his shoulder, exhausted but content with the fact for now. Kayn hurriedly makes for the back exit he'd passed earlier. When they reach the outside, it's as if half the city has surrounded the manor after seeing the smoke.

"A medic," Kayn demands, scanning the citizens for such an individual. "She needs one. Now."

But instead of aid, the people avert their gazes.

"She is one of your own!" he exclaims in disbelief as Irelia continues to sag against him.

"We never asked to be liberated!" an older man yells from somewhere near the gates. "That girl has been nothing but trouble every time the city has fallen."

Irate voices resonate with him, but Kayn cannot stand for the farce. It's no wonder Irelia wanted to leave this part of her past behind her. He senses her urge to speak before he lashes out himself.

"So you are all too stupid to think for yourselves and would rather be overrun?" he glowers, but the angry cries only grow stronger until a woman pushes her way through the masses.

"I will take her," she says, ushering Kayn away from the crowd and ignoring the burdens wished upon her. "Come with me."

The woman tells him she has always supported the daughter of Xan and her ideals, even if the majority thought otherwise. She also proclaims herself a studied healer though Kayn has little objection at this point, following her into a nearby neighborhood where the houses are packed together.

The doorway of her home is narrow, and as soon as he lays Irelia down he is surrounded by children who buzz about him like flies.

"I'm sorry the house is so small," she apologizes and urges them away. "It would be best if you stayed elsewhere. I can send word when she has healed."

"Very well," Kayn says, unable to argue even if he wanted to make sure of Irelia's recovery himself. They relay the directions to the nearest inn, and he is leaving through the screen door when her voice reaches his ears.

"Don't go."

The words are so quietly he can't be sure if she'd said anything at all, but for her sake he knows he cannot stay, and the door slides shut.

xiii.

Kayn hates staying in one place for too long, and after three days of waiting for Irelia's recovery, he was reaching his limit. The people in this part of Navori were too accommodating, and it was making him antsy.

So when the healer's daughter appears and tells him that Irelia has awoken and is recovering well, he considers his options only for a moment before deciding he should leave altogether. He packs his belongings and pays the inkeeper, heading straight for the city gates. But his footsteps feel sluggish and heavy like he's forgetting something, only he knows full well what he's forgotten.

It's better this way, he keeps telling himself to quiet the small urge there is to see her. Even with those against her, the people need her now more than ever and Kayn does not belong here like she does.

The restless feeling remains after passing the city's borders. The main road ascends upwards into a small grove, and Kayn stops for a moment to view the city over his shoulder.

"Leaving so soon?" a voice from nearby calls to him, and the semblance of it is enough to have him on alert. But before he can pinpoint the source, Irelia has already appeared from behind one of the trees.

"Are you even well enough to be up?" Is the first thing he says to her, seeing the cuts and bruising on her cheeks. The robes she wears allow for more comfortable movement, and the lining is a similar color to the clumps of leaves alongside the road.

"I have been," she informs him with a keen look in her eye hinting she'd predicted his means of departure. "I was in a meeting with the elders before sending Miya to you."

Kayn remembers the adversity they had been met with. "They were responsive?"

"They are working towards a provisional government after the fall of the Brotherhood," she confirms.

He is surprised at the developments, but is more surprised that she's actually here.

"You've learned to control it," she says suddenly after noticing the lack of Darkin limb and the unfamiliar appearance of the scythe.

He nods, "It happened during the fighting." The ashy remnants of the manor can be seen from here, and now it bears importance to them both.

"Does he still speak to you?"

"No," he responds. He realizes it's the closest thing he's ever felt to grief, "It's very...quiet now."

She cannot fully understand but the look in her eyes softens anyhow, and only now does Kayn realize how blue they are. They're not like the sky, but like the ocean, where one could become lost.

"I always believed in you," Irelia says with reverence, and that alone puts him more at ease.

She steps closer and takes his changed hand into her own to study. The pads of her fingers gingerly graze over his palm, then move to the thinner skin over the veins just above. The sensitivity to her touch is unlike the dulled sensation of the Darkin; it deems human.

She wraps her fingers around his wrist and examines his face. He does not flinch, but there is something in her gaze that he can't quite place and he finds himself anxious for completely different reasons.

It dawns on him suddenly that it looks like she's about to kiss him.

And after a moment, she is kissing him after rising onto her toes and it feels nice.

Despite her injuries, Irelia's lips are soft and sweet and Kayn is eager to respond. He clasps the hand that guides him, only to find her pulling away as quickly as she'd started.

"What was that for?" he asks her, slightly winded. His hold has not released, but it is not demanding.

"A thank you for saving my life," she responds in practicality, but the way he arches his brow expresses his doubts.

She takes a breath.

"And because I've grown fond of you, Shieda Kayn," she says with honesty now, and admitting the thought is freeing.

A smile forms on her features, and it's not only because of the sheepish look he has adopted.

"I want to help the cities that were under the Brotherhood's control," she tells him, for her job is far from finished. "Will you join me?"

There is a brief period of contemplation.

"Alright," he concedes, even if he had no real qualms to begin with. "Up until the monastery."

Her smile grows as she attempts to lead him, but Kayn's grip is firm.

This time, he's the one who pulls her in.

#league of legends #irelia #kayn #kayn x irelia #shieda kayn #xan irelia #league of legends fanfiction #fanfiction #fanfic

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alia-turin · 7 years ago

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Fic Title: Broken Bonds [Chapter IX] All Chapters: Master List

Rating:M (This chapter has some NSFW moments) Characters: OC, Libertus Ostium, Cor Leonis, Luche Lazarus (mentioned), Titus Drautos | Glauca (mentioned), Nyx Ulric (mentioned), Gladiolus Amicitia, Crowe Altius (mentioned), Iris Amicitia, Prompto, Ignis Summary: Ignis finally gets the restaurant they all have been planning for him and Ada has to face Cor. Notes: There are two songs mentioned in that fic. First one is The Best is Yet to Come, second one is sea shanty known as the Trooper and the maid. Just fyi if you were interested. Tagging: @birdsandivory @yourcoolfriendwithallthecandy @jojopitcher @fromunseeliecourt @lazarustrashpit

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Three days had passed since Ada’s little chat with Ignis and here they were. Galdin Quay was witnessing the opening of its new restaurant. Prompto had come with a brilliant idea, make the first night ‘free’ where everyone can come and eat whatever Iggy has prepared, but they had to pay entrance fee. Since Ada and Gladio had taken care of all the ingredients the day before they agreed that they didn’t need any reward for that. However, everybody who visited had to pay a fee, the amount depending entirely on the patron. The income collected from these fees was going to be used to helped orphaned children. Everybody loved Prompto’s idea so here they were.

Gladio was standing at the entrance, directing people and collecting the entrance fee, Prompto was having hard time in the kitchen following Ignis’ instructions and literary being his eyes. Ada had agreed to help Iris with waitressing, they even managed to find (almost) matching black dresses which actually was harder than finding all the things Ignis had requested for.

“Prompto!” Iggy roared and Ada rushed to make sure the kid wasn’t being massacred with kitchen knife. “I said tea spoon of sugar not table spoon. Table spoons are big ones, tea spoons are the small ones.”

“Hey Prom, why don’t you help Iris, I think I have more experience in the kitchen than you do.” Ada suggested as she grabbed an apron. Prompto was more than eager to escape from the kitchen.

“I might have pushed him a bit too far.” Ignis said after the blond man was gone.

“He needs to learn to work under pressure.” Ada smiled and Iggy did the same. “What do you need me to do.”

“Everything is prepared in the boxes right behind you.” It still amused her he knew where exactly was she standing and what was behind her. “You just need to help me put them in the pans and pots whenever ordered.”

That was easier said than done. Ignis was strict in the kitchen and as brutal as that sounded a pedant. Everything had to be perfect, which she appreciated but his lack of sight had made me way more cautions. At some point Prompto came back to apologize for being clumsy, and Ignis was kind enough to give him second chance. Ada was happy to give him the apron and run from the kitchen as fast as she could. Even Titus Drautos wasn’t as scary as the prince’s adviser.

“Is Prompto going to live?” Gladio asked passing her a glass of wine. She had no idea where or how he had found the wine, but she was grateful for it.

“That remains to be seen. He is at round two right now.” Ada finished her glass quickly and could feel it hitting her harder than it should. Of course, she hasn’t touched anything alcoholic in more than one year probably just the smell of wine could make her tipsy. “You have any more of that?” she pointed at the glass.

“Of course, I do!” Gladio reached behind the bar and poured her another glass. Ada decided to go slower with this one. “So, you and the Marshal?” Gladio smirked as he said that and she suddenly regretted for not just grabbing the bottle.

“How do you know?” she could feel panic creeping in her mind.

“I didn’t. You just confirmed it.” His smirk has turned into a very wild smile. “I had a suspicion. You seem to be very eager to stay away from Lestallum, and even if you are not the only person who goes away for days, you are the only person he ever asked me about.”

“I’m not trying to stay away from Lestallum.” Ada said in her defense but realized she sounded a bit like a child who had just made terrible mess and was trying to deny it to her parents. “It’s just complicated.”

“Well don’t make it more complicated that it already is.” Gladio gave her reassuring smile and she knew he was right, but it wasn’t that easy. “I would kill for some music.” He randomly added. “There is a piano there, and Iggy is so good at it but….” He didn’t have to finish that sentence.

“If you help your sister with waitressing, I can sort out your music problem.” Ada winked at him.

“You can play the piano?” Gladio seemed pleasantly surprised.

“I haven’t been slashing and hacking at demons all my life. My mother used to be music teacher and she insisted I learn.” Ada was literary tortured as kid to play the piano, but she learned. “Help your sister.”

“I can do that” he offered her his fist for a fist bump and she hit hers gently against it. “By the way, the Marshal is here.” He just pointed with his head.

Ada followed his gesture and could feel her heart beating faster her eyes finally located Cor. He was chatting with Libertus and the moment she turned towards them, the Marshal’s eyes fell on hers.

“I need another one of these.” She drank her glass on one go and poured herself another one. “I will sort out your music problem.”

Gladio just chuckled as he saw her walk toward the piano. Ada knew she had to speak with Cor, but she also could use some distraction and time to arrange her thoughts before doing it. After all she wasn’t just avoiding him physically she was trying to think about him as little as possible which wasn’t working very well.

She sat in front of the piano and ran her fingers over the white keys without actually pressing any of them. It has been too long since she had played so that might turn out more embarrassing than she thought. She regretted not grabbing the whole wine bottle. She took a deep breath and exhaled loudly, pressing one key, then another. She let her fingers roam freely on the keyboard, the song she was thinking about just magically coming from under her fingertips. She didn’t sing but the lyrics of the song were running in her head as the sounds were coming from the piano.

It was a song from Galadh, ironically a love song, about lost love and heartbreak. Very fitting.

Once she finished that song she could hear Gladio cheering from somewhere behind her. That made her smile.

“Are you taking requests?” Libertus sat next to her.

“I can try.” Ada smiled. That felt a lot like the past. When things were way simpler. Or complicated, depending on the point of view.

“It’s an old shanty. I don’t recall the name however. It’s about a soldier and the girl he was trying to get laid with.” Libertus tried to explain as best as possible.

“That one?” Ada played few notes from the song she was thinking about.

“Yes!” he sounded way too excited.

“That is highly inappropriate song!” it wasn’t even a song it was just a shanty the sailors in Galahd would sing.

“Do you think anyone here cares about appropriate?” he pointed toward the people around. Galdin Quay might have been nice and fancy place some time ago but now was gathering of hunters, refugees, crownsguard and glaives. Maybe the song was appropriate.

“Fine. But you will sing with me.” Ada started the beginning of the song and Libertus gulped the content of his glass which seemed like whiskey or similar.

“A trooper lad came here at night, with riding he was weary, a trooper lad came here at night, when the moon shone bright and clearly.” They both sang together and it felt strangely good and familiar. Libertus had terrible voice so that was making her feel a bit better about herself. “Bonnie lassie, will you gang with me, bonnie lass, will ye lie near me, I'll get all your ribbons reel, in the morning ere I leave ye.”

The song went on and on, for Ada’s surprise she could see the people around enjoying it. She didn’t expect that a dirty shanty from Galahd’s docks would inspire such…positive reaction. Once they were done everyone clapped and laughed someone even whistled loudly.

“Know your audience.” Libertus laughed.

Ada didn’t even want to look at Ignis who was probably on the verge of killing both of them and she had no doubt he was capable to do so.

“You can continue entraining your audience, I have something to do.” She finished her wine and got up. She wasn’t drunk but there was pleasant buzz in her head. Good, that was going to make things much easier.

Cor was sitting at the bar chatting with Gladio who seemed like he was keeping an eye on Ignis and Prompto and probably making sure the latter doesn’t get stabbed with a kitchen knife.

“Can we talk?” Ada asked the Marshal as she approached them.

“Weren’t we supposed to talk three days ago?” he said with absolutely no feeling in his voice.

“Please?” Ada knew she fucked up, she didn’t need him to be a dick about it even if he had every right to act as one.

“Marshal, if you don’t talk with her, I will and that song was highly inspirational.” Gladio chuckled but his smile froze quickly on his lips as Cor fixed his eyes on the younger man. “It was a joke.” He added quickly.

“Come.” Cor grabbed her hand a walked her away without saying anything else. They went past the hotel down to the dock where it was dark and quiet. She could still hear the laughs and Libertus’ terrible singing but it all seemed muffed by the waves below them.

“First.” Ada started. “Let me apologize. It was childish of me, and if I said I will talk with you I should have done it.”

“Ada, you cannot continue like that.” He didn’t seem angry which probably was good thing, but at the same time she couldn’t even guess how he was feeling by his voice. It expressed…nothing. “One day you are in my arms, then you are gone with not even a ‘goodbye’, then you are back again offering me support and then you are gone again. I don’t have the patience for that. I like you, you are pretty, you make me laugh and the sex is great, but I am not fifteen.”

“Right.” She has been worried that her behavior might have pushed him too far away and seemed like she was right about that. Subconsciously she had done what consciously he didn’t want to do. “Can I explain? When I am done you can go if you wish. The Astrals know I deserve it.” He didn’t say anything but nodded for her to continue. “I like you. I’m attracted to you and you are right the sex is great. But I’m scared and I’m hurt.” Admitting that to him was terrible. She had admitted some of it to Libertus but she knew Libertus for more than five-six years now. It was easier. “The last person I trusted the way I want to trust you almost ended me.” She saw him opening his mouth to protest, but she didn’t allow him to continue. “No, just listen. He didn’t just betray me.” Technically he probably didn’t betray her, judging by the last test message he sent her, but she didn’t want to think about it. Ever. “It’s not about him turning against me. He betrayed everything. My friends, the place I was starting to call home, the things I thought we both believed in. It wasn’t just about some stupid relationship. I have lost my home twice now. That makes losing friends, family and everything I know, twice. The first time thanks to the empire, second time was more personal. How do you trust people after that? The Kingsglaive was my family. My second family. Turns out daddy was just cosplaying as Titus Drautos and half of my siblings killed the other half. I fought next to the people who betrayed the king. I have saved their asses multiple times same way they have saved mine. We bled, we laughed and at times cried together. You said it yourself when we met, your trust towards the Glaive has to be earned. But you trust the Crownsguard, you trust Monica, Gladio and the rest. I trusted my family. Didn’t work out very well.” She realized she barely had breathed while saying all that. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want to avoid you or mislead you…I want you. I’m just terrified.”

“Are you done?” he asked and Ada just nodded sure he would just walk away now. “I didn’t trust the Kingsglaive. I didn’t trust Libertus when I first met him, but trust is earned not given. Don’t trust me. Let me earn it. But you have to allow me to try. I cannot do it if you disappear every time I attempt to do so.”

Ada looked in his eyes and knew that she was completely lost. She was happy he didn’t walk away, but what he wanted seemed so…difficult. She had opened to him more then she had to anyone else in the past twelve months, and that was freaking her out at the moment.

“No more running.” She finally said very quiet.

“Good.” He stepped closer to her, Ada had to lift her head up in order to be able to see him. “Now that’s out of the way can we just go to the pleasant part?”

She looked at him puzzled but the Marshal didn’t allow her to ask anything. He pushed her gently against the wall behind her and pressed his lips against hers. Ada opened her mouth allowing his tongue to touch hers. That was when the very familiar click from a camera’s flashlight came. They both turned towards the direction of the sound to see Prompto standing on the stairs, holding his camera and grinning.

“Prompto!” Cor roared, but the young man was quick to run up the stairs. “I will kill him.” He groaned. “In a bit.”

“In a bit?” Ada laughed.

“Don’t know where you found that dress, but getting under it right now seems more pleasant than killing a kid.” Cor chuckled and ran his hand up her leg and under the dress. He leaned forward and started kissing Ada’s neck.

“Cor, somebody might come.” She protested but a moan escaped her lips as she was doing it. His hand had already reached between her legs and was teasing her.

“So? We are not doing anything.” He grabbed her underwear and yanked it down.

She looked towards the stairs to make sure nobody else was standing there. It was just the two of them and the waves crushing against the docks. Ada stepped on her tiptoes and kissed him, her arms wrapping around him.

Cor didn’t seem to be in mood for any further teasing and playing. He bent down a bit and placed his hands on her ass, lifting her up. Ada wrapped her legs around him, her arms still around his neck. He kissed her fiercely barely allowing her to take a breath. She never heard him undoing his belt or zipper, but apparently, he had done it since next thing she felt was his full length going all the way in her. Ada almost screamed with pleasure and surprise in their kiss.

“Don’t make a sound, someone might hear us.” He whispered in her ear as his hips were moving almost violently against hers.

At the pace he was keeping it didn’t take too long for both of them to finish, Ada was grateful he didn’t drop her down when he came, that would have been embarrassing.

“No more running.” He warned her as he was buckling his belt.

“Where is my underwear?” Ada pulled her phone out for some light.

“You don’t need it.” Cor chuckled.

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