[Encased, and sunk… that doesn't sound safe so much as buried and forgotten, like a piece of treasure instead of a person. But even if it doesn't sound safe in his mind, it isn't up to him what makes her feel safe. If being hidden away doesn't hurt her, if she feels better like that rather than exposed and at risk of being used, that isn't his call to make. Even so, it… doesn't sound much at all like living.
He's glad if he can give her even a fraction of that feeling of safety just by being here. There's a moment of uncertain quiet, and then he shifts his hand impulsively to touch her hand- not to take it, as she'd pulled away, but to create a point of contact, should it happen to reassure her the way she so often reassures him.]
If I do anything to change that, will you tell me? I won't mean to, but...
[He's young and impulsive and reckless and occasionally very stupid, and his usual handlers aren't always around to rein him in and remind him of how he ought to behave. He'd rather ask this honesty of her and be corrected than damage whatever reassurance that his presence offers to her now.]
[ Even now, he thinks of her. In truth, she worries for his safety more than she does her own...
Pyra inches closer to him. That she's lying beside him should be proof enough, shouldn't it? --No, she knows. They've done this before. But here and now, it feels different, somehow. More meaningful.
Or perhaps that's just her. She knows how she feels, after all. The great ache of guilt and fear with her chest serves as a surrogate for a human heart, but it also beats with hope, affection. And if the future of either of their worlds contains those with such endearing traits that he shows, she believes that... the future will be just fine. ] You have my word.
...And you, too, mm? You'll tell me, if... If I ever hurt you.
[He's not always the best at sharing how feels, especially when he's hurt and it might hurt someone else to know about it, but he can hardly expect openness from her and not give the same in return. At the very least, he can make the attempt to be more open when he's struggling, though it's rare that such feelings are sourced from her. She's actually helped him feel good these days. Much, much better than he would otherwise feel. That in itself isn't unusual, but even so, it feels as if something has changed.]
I guess... I just want both of us to feel safe. Here, at least. [In this little house they share.] It's been a while.
[ She wants to bring her hand up to his cheek. She wants to run her fingers through his hair. She wants to tell him everything will be okay.
They're safer here than they are in their respective worlds, perhaps, although Pyra is not entirely convinced that this world is safe with her in it either. She grapples with how to describe this feeling, of feeling safe yet anxious at the same time-- or, perhaps, cautious to feel safe in the face of that anxiousness. She's sure he can understand. ] It's... tense. As if, we bring these feelings from our own world back with us, to this one. [ Even if the danger is not present, in Noctis' case. ]
Perhaps in the meantime-- it could be a home. A place where one is safe, comfortable, loved.
[Safe, comfortable, loved. It sounds wonderful, a distant dream. How long had it been, before this place, that he was able to feel so at ease? Months, most likely, at least until his arrival here. And even in this world there are times when he feels ghosts of those same fears echoed in his heart, cold memories of the dark driven to the surface, unwanted anxieties reminding him of who he is and where he's meant to be. He dreads those moments, a cold splash of reality to wrench him away from the joyous and carefree life he's craving. It makes sense that these feelings would linger- being away from home would not stop them from experiencing whatever they carry with them from one world to another.
And yet, she can smile at him. And yet he can feel a warmth rushing through him at the sight of her smile directed towards him. And yet, even with everything he feels and knows and has seen... he can smile back at her, tentative as ever, but grateful, directing that same warmth towards her in turn. Home is here. With her, with Prompto, with family.
Strange, but… he doesn't dislike it, not a bit.]
Home sweet home, huh? That sounds pretty good to me.
[ If nothing else, she hopes that this conversation will reassure him that he's free to speak with her if he needs to, since he's still working through his intended future... ]
And you've made it such a lovely home, too. [ She reflects, softly. Safe with him, comfortable in this place-- she has two criteria checked off. As for love, she has that from him in the form of friendship, family. She hopes he feels the same way, safe in the sense as either of them can be, comfortable here. But if he were to leave... ]
I think, Noctis... that you're the one who makes this a home. [ Like a keystone to a bridge, the central part where everyone comes around to. Except, others come to him, she believes, not for his function, but for his personality, who he is. If that is too heavy, though, she sighs out through her nose in a short laugh, ] Even if it can be a little messy.
[It feels strange to hear someone else say that; he's had a handful of different homes over the years, from the Citadel to his private apartment to the Regalia itself on the road, and what made it home was never his own presence. He was just what existed there, the one constant presence he could rely on as others floated around him living their own lives or drifted away to leave him alone. They were home because others were there, or because it was his own space, or because it was all he had left of his true home.
With that logic, it stands to reason why someone else would feel similarly towards him. Still… unusual. Has he ever made somewhere a home for someone else before? He could ask Prompto, but that sort of sap isn't usually their thing. And he's not sure if his father's had enough time with him to feel that way yet, considering how much he may have avoided the child who reminded him of his lost wife in the early years. Ignis… Ignis is complicated.
His shoulders drop with a bit more eased tension, accepting her subject shift. This sort of thing is probably better left without overthinking it.]
You want to leave a mess for us to clean, too? I think you've earned a turn.
[BIG OOF. Weird enough when Ignis was still trying to do his laundry when he was a full-grown adult, nevermind a lady who has no business or obligation to be looking at his underthings, or he looking at hers. He knew better than to touch Luna's laundry, too, and they were technically still engaged.]
I… think I'd rather keep our laundry separate, actually. Though- can you make them all vanish and reappear, or just the one outfit?
[It would be pretty cool to have the closet equivalent of an armory. Never without something cool to wear.]
[ She giggles at his reaction, then sifts her upper half in response to his question. ] Just this outfit. [ To demonstrate, she lets the fabric that covers her skin vanish just from her shoulders, as if to make a halter top out of her outfit. ]
[His eyes widen of course, pleased and impressed. He'd known she could reform them, but he hadn't seen its design changed before, and in general he likes seeing what she can do, new or old.]
Whoa, you can be that precise with it? That's awesome… best I've got is this.
[He reaches up to tap at his chest, and the dark jacket he's always wearing vanishes into his magic armory in a burst of the same familiar blue crystals like always. Nothing she hasn't seen before.]
He's called it right. Basically, her form is a facade about the crystal.
Her eyes flutter with the display of lights and crystals as his jacket vanishes. If the armiger is the best he has, she fails to see how her own clothes work is any impressive. Nevertheless, she nods. ]
...Er. I don't send my clothes to a pocket dimension, Noct. [ She says, partly in disbelief. Wherever he puts his items, that's tiers more impressive. ] They only dismantle and reassemble as needed...
"Only", she says. Being able to change your outfit on the fly sounds really useful, you know. I'd love to not have to waste Armiger space on an extra pair of socks.
[Even if it were just sleeves or no sleeves, that would be amazing. You'd never need a jacket!]
Socks are an upgrade from eggplants, aren't they? [ She laughs softly again. ]
Ah, you know... it was my first time wearing real clothes, when you gifted me them. [ First modern clothes, truthfully. She had worn togas around Somnus. But do togas really count? ] And your jacket was comfortable, too. The skulls are a nice touch.
[Well, okay, they're not that subtle. And he does sort of wear them all over the place.]
Lucian black clothes with skulls usually means a Crownsguard, or someone with royal favour, back home. Ignis would say, "wear it with pride".
[Assuming she ever needs to borrow the jacket again… though maybe in light of what he's learned, "need" no longer factor in. Still, if she wanted to, he doesn't think he'd especially mind.]
Six, I hope not, or we've been doing it wrong this whole time. Technically Gladio ranks higher than Ignis, but Iggy's got loads more on his uniform. I figure it just comes down to preference.
[Though if that were the case, it might explain why his shirt had a million skulls all over it. Hard to rank higher than the crown prince. Prompto would definitely have more skulls on his, though.]
Why, you want some skulls on your clothes?
[It's half in jest, but he's watching closely. He hasn't taken their connection seriously in that direction - it's not her job to protect him, and he hadn't intended to recruit her for that - but it's different if she wants it. She certainly has his favour already, if it wasn't already obvious.]
If I say you are. Who's going to say no to a king?
[Aside from maybe his queen. That's his understanding of how that sort of thing goes. And he… doesn't have one, so that's fine. He can do whatever he wants.
He does take note of that expression at least- something to think about, in the future. Something that requires the sort of talent he doesn't have.]
Then... I would be honored to be anointed with a skull.
[ Where she would put it, she has no idea. Does that matter, however? No.
...However, this does remind her of her previous conversation of gifting him one of her crystals. If not an earring, she wonders what else she can craft for him. It's food for thought, at least. ] Maybe I'll look as tough and-- and bad as you. [ The way she says 'bad', it's clear it's a substitute akin to 'punk'. ]
[More used to sleepy or scrawny descriptives, courtesy of his well-meaning roasters- except in combat, he gets his fair share of compliments then. He kind of likes the idea of being a real badass, though. Like Gladio, like the Kingsglaive, someone strong and fearsome and unstoppable.]
Feel like looking like a badass now? I thought you already looked pretty cool.
Oh-- ah, really? [ Is that. A compliment? For her? Goodness, she feels she might blush. ] Me, cool... like you?
[ Pyra, for one, has always thought of him as looking like the cool type. Dressing in all black does help... that, and she wouldn't have guessed he was royalty from first meeting him, either.
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He's glad if he can give her even a fraction of that feeling of safety just by being here. There's a moment of uncertain quiet, and then he shifts his hand impulsively to touch her hand- not to take it, as she'd pulled away, but to create a point of contact, should it happen to reassure her the way she so often reassures him.]
If I do anything to change that, will you tell me? I won't mean to, but...
[He's young and impulsive and reckless and occasionally very stupid, and his usual handlers aren't always around to rein him in and remind him of how he ought to behave. He'd rather ask this honesty of her and be corrected than damage whatever reassurance that his presence offers to her now.]
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Pyra inches closer to him. That she's lying beside him should be proof enough, shouldn't it? --No, she knows. They've done this before. But here and now, it feels different, somehow. More meaningful.
Or perhaps that's just her. She knows how she feels, after all. The great ache of guilt and fear with her chest serves as a surrogate for a human heart, but it also beats with hope, affection. And if the future of either of their worlds contains those with such endearing traits that he shows, she believes that... the future will be just fine. ] You have my word.
...And you, too, mm? You'll tell me, if... If I ever hurt you.
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[He's not always the best at sharing how feels, especially when he's hurt and it might hurt someone else to know about it, but he can hardly expect openness from her and not give the same in return. At the very least, he can make the attempt to be more open when he's struggling, though it's rare that such feelings are sourced from her. She's actually helped him feel good these days. Much, much better than he would otherwise feel. That in itself isn't unusual, but even so, it feels as if something has changed.]
I guess... I just want both of us to feel safe. Here, at least. [In this little house they share.] It's been a while.
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They're safer here than they are in their respective worlds, perhaps, although Pyra is not entirely convinced that this world is safe with her in it either. She grapples with how to describe this feeling, of feeling safe yet anxious at the same time-- or, perhaps, cautious to feel safe in the face of that anxiousness. She's sure he can understand. ] It's... tense. As if, we bring these feelings from our own world back with us, to this one. [ Even if the danger is not present, in Noctis' case. ]
Perhaps in the meantime-- it could be a home. A place where one is safe, comfortable, loved.
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And yet, she can smile at him. And yet he can feel a warmth rushing through him at the sight of her smile directed towards him. And yet, even with everything he feels and knows and has seen... he can smile back at her, tentative as ever, but grateful, directing that same warmth towards her in turn. Home is here. With her, with Prompto, with family.
Strange, but… he doesn't dislike it, not a bit.]
Home sweet home, huh? That sounds pretty good to me.
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And you've made it such a lovely home, too. [ She reflects, softly. Safe with him, comfortable in this place-- she has two criteria checked off. As for love, she has that from him in the form of friendship, family. She hopes he feels the same way, safe in the sense as either of them can be, comfortable here. But if he were to leave... ]
I think, Noctis... that you're the one who makes this a home. [ Like a keystone to a bridge, the central part where everyone comes around to. Except, others come to him, she believes, not for his function, but for his personality, who he is. If that is too heavy, though, she sighs out through her nose in a short laugh, ] Even if it can be a little messy.
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With that logic, it stands to reason why someone else would feel similarly towards him. Still… unusual. Has he ever made somewhere a home for someone else before? He could ask Prompto, but that sort of sap isn't usually their thing. And he's not sure if his father's had enough time with him to feel that way yet, considering how much he may have avoided the child who reminded him of his lost wife in the early years. Ignis… Ignis is complicated.
His shoulders drop with a bit more eased tension, accepting her subject shift. This sort of thing is probably better left without overthinking it.]
You want to leave a mess for us to clean, too? I think you've earned a turn.
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Since he's taken her option for a subject change, she continues with it. ]
Oh... Is doing my laundry an option?
[ Now that she has actual clothes... ]
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I… think I'd rather keep our laundry separate, actually. Though- can you make them all vanish and reappear, or just the one outfit?
[It would be pretty cool to have the closet equivalent of an armory. Never without something cool to wear.]
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Like so.
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Whoa, you can be that precise with it? That's awesome… best I've got is this.
[He reaches up to tap at his chest, and the dark jacket he's always wearing vanishes into his magic armory in a burst of the same familiar blue crystals like always. Nothing she hasn't seen before.]
Is it because it's a construct, like your body?
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He's called it right. Basically, her form is a facade about the crystal.
Her eyes flutter with the display of lights and crystals as his jacket vanishes. If the armiger is the best he has, she fails to see how her own clothes work is any impressive. Nevertheless, she nods. ]
...Er. I don't send my clothes to a pocket dimension, Noct. [ She says, partly in disbelief. Wherever he puts his items, that's tiers more impressive. ] They only dismantle and reassemble as needed...
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[Even if it were just sleeves or no sleeves, that would be amazing. You'd never need a jacket!]
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Ah, you know... it was my first time wearing real clothes, when you gifted me them. [ First modern clothes, truthfully. She had worn togas around Somnus.
But do togas really count?] And your jacket was comfortable, too. The skulls are a nice touch.no subject
[Well, okay, they're not that subtle. And he does sort of wear them all over the place.]
Lucian black clothes with skulls usually means a Crownsguard, or someone with royal favour, back home. Ignis would say, "wear it with pride".
[Assuming she ever needs to borrow the jacket again… though maybe in light of what he's learned, "need" no longer factor in. Still, if she wanted to, he doesn't think he'd especially mind.]
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Does it go with rank? The more skulls you wear, the closer to Noctis Lucis Caelum you are?
[ She's joking, of course, but the imagery is cute: just how many skulls does Prompto have on his outfit... ]
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[Though if that were the case, it might explain why his shirt had a million skulls all over it. Hard to rank higher than the crown prince. Prompto would definitely have more skulls on his, though.]
Why, you want some skulls on your clothes?
[It's half in jest, but he's watching closely. He hasn't taken their connection seriously in that direction - it's not her job to protect him, and he hadn't intended to recruit her for that - but it's different if she wants it. She certainly has his favour already, if it wasn't already obvious.]
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Er... would I be allowed?
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[Aside from maybe his queen. That's his understanding of how that sort of thing goes. And he… doesn't have one, so that's fine. He can do whatever he wants.
He does take note of that expression at least- something to think about, in the future. Something that requires the sort of talent he doesn't have.]
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[ Where she would put it, she has no idea. Does that matter, however? No.
...However, this does remind her of her previous conversation of gifting him one of her crystals. If not an earring, she wonders what else she can craft for him. It's food for thought, at least. ] Maybe I'll look as tough and-- and bad as you. [ The way she says 'bad', it's clear it's a substitute akin to 'punk'. ]
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[More used to sleepy or scrawny descriptives, courtesy of his well-meaning roasters- except in combat, he gets his fair share of compliments then. He kind of likes the idea of being a real badass, though. Like Gladio, like the Kingsglaive, someone strong and fearsome and unstoppable.]
Feel like looking like a badass now? I thought you already looked pretty cool.
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[ Pyra, for one, has always thought of him as looking like the cool type. Dressing in all black does help... that, and she wouldn't have guessed he was royalty from first meeting him, either.
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[He might just blush himself. Even when he's trying to encourage her she can't help doing the same right back.]
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[ So she asks, all while lowering her voice in an attempt to do so, watching him slyly. ]
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Well… a few skulls would be a good start. Like an earring, or a shoulder patch. Somewhere people can see it.
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