While she doesn't move closer, her head cants from one direction to its opposite, pausing there to continue to look at him. ]
Not just any face, Noct. [ Noct, said gently. And yes, although this has all started with a bit of playfulness, she means what she says. She doesn't want him to assume that her compliments are mere jokes-- falsehoods, or things said simply to fluster him. He is beautiful, and the physical handsomeness of his face is but a mere shadow of what lies within him, his strength of heart, his character, his goodness...
But in the meantime they're talking about his face, so that is what he will get. ] A very... soft one. [ Her palm presses to his cheek; he's warm, but her touch carries that inhuman warmth to it as well, complementing his own. ] A very handsome one, too. [ Her hand moves, fingers sliding down his cheek towards his ear, brushing back some of his hair. It reveals more of his eyes, which she meets with a fond gaze. ]
[Was her intention to get him absolutely gobsmacked? Because it's working. Oh boy is it ever working. Blue eyes wide, his mouth opens, shuts, opens again. He tries to respond but there are no words. Will it ever stop amazing him that she can just say these things, just openly and earnestly, like it's as true as she believes it to be? Dazzling. What a word to use. He can't even say that she's wrong, either, it's just not the kind of praise he normally gets.]
...I... thanks...?
[His voice is somewhat strained, as if every word is struggling to even exist, he's that much at a loss for what to say. Hard enough to respond when Luna does it, when they have all that history, but this...!]
[ His dumbfounded expression— the way his lips part, close, then part again only to give a brief word of thanks... Yes, this is exactly the reaction for which she had been striving. ]
[He knows this, absolutely. With a defeated exhale he reaches up to take her hand, gentle but unsubtle, and pulls it away from his face- only to pat her palm against her own cheek.]
Focus on this one instead. You're red all over.
[Red hair, red eyes, red outfit... he may not be as effective at getting her to blush (understatement of the century there) but that's not the only game to play. He knows when he's beaten at that.]
[ With her own palm resting warmly against her cheek, she... Noooo, this doesn’t get her to blush at all; calling her red is like calling the sky blue. She wonders if this is his attempt at retaliation— ]
Oh, you caught me red handed!
[ —Or. Or maybe that’s it. That’s all he has to say. She doesn’t know. Either way, one of her brows are raised to denote that she’s not impressed, her tone a bemused, yes, and...? ]
[And... that's it, he has no retaliation that can compare to hers. Trying would just put him in the same corner, and he ought to know better than to trap himself. Although, on that note-]
You must've killed it at that ribbon thing the priests have been doing all month.
It was nice, ...except for being tied up unexpectedly.
[ ....Ah. All of these compliments remind her. She can say them as needed, and she truly believes them and hopes that others believe them, but actions speak louder than words. ]
Oh! Before I forget— I have a gift for you. For all of these holidays and celebrations.
[Being away from Eos, and the lack of normal shops around town, he hadn't given much thought to the winter holidays here. He figured he'd go the route of "let's go somewhere on my dime" sort of gift, if anything.]
Wait right here. [ She breaks contact when she stands, going into one of the adjacent bedrooms and returning with a parcel wrapped in silver ribbon.
Taking a seat beside him once more— again, so that either their shoulders or legs may touch in a respectful lean to resume touch— she offers the present with two hands and a glimmering, happy light in her eyes. ]
For you.
[ Encouragingly, ] Please, open it.
[ ....Time to ruin his day part 2: surprise, it’s a toga!
To her credit it’s a very well crafted one, complete with the black chiton-fashioned tunic beneath and the pleated dark blue pallium-styled cloak above. It’d make an overall sophisticated, but casual look.......... if he would ever wear it. ]
That... sure is a toga, yep. He holds it up to let it unfurl into his lap, staring down at it for a long moment. It does look and feel quite nice, a cozy fabric and a dashing cape. Just. Kind of a shame that it is what it is.]
...Are... you sure that box wasn't for Somnus?
[Because it's a toga. Pyra, did you know that box had a toga in it.]
[ HE'S.... HE'S OPENING THE PRESENT. She holds her breath, appearing nothing but both anxious and hopeful as he lifts the fabric from the parcel, and....! ]
Hastily he tugs himself free of her and stands up, holding it out in front of himself to get a full body view. ...Still a toga. Very Somnus-esque. He's pretty sure if he wore this in public, with his face, Ardyn would give him that same distressed, haunted look again and-
...ah, geez. That's not the sort of excuse he wants to be giving her.
It's just them here now, and the least he can do is try, so with a quiet exhale he lifts it up over his head and tries to wriggle into it. It's not as easy as it looks, so it takes him a bit, and it's probably a little lopsided, and the cape is halfway falling off, and his hair's fluffed up in the wrong directions...
But when he's done he glances over at her, arms out and trying to look politely neutral. Look! He tried!]
He did not ask for this gift, but she had given it to him anyway. He did not need to try it on in front of her when he clearly hadn't been thrilled to receive it, but now he has it on. ] You.... don't have to do this, either.
[ She giggles softly. Really, it's okay if he doesn't like it! ] But if you are going to keep it...
[ ....He doesn't have it on quite right, and she only knows that he doesn't because she had tried one on before as well, only for Somnus to fix it.
Pyra rises from the couch, extending her hand to adjust the abolla to drape in the elegant overcloak manner it is suppose to be, fastening it by the clasp and straightening it over his outstretched arm. ] ...There.
[ A pause, and then she reaches up to flatting out his hair (rather, attempt to). ] You wear it well.
[He reaches up, first to check his hair, then to tentatively tug at the robe, feeling weird and overdressed. It does feel nice, as far as the fabric goes, and as he rocks back on his heels he kind of digs the way the cape flutters in the air. It reminds him of his dad, of the royal raiment he used to bury his face in when he was little, drinking in the scent of Armiger ozone and aftershave, letting it carry him off to sleep. He can't even help the tiny, nostalgic smile that briefly crosses his lips at that old memory. Maybe with a bit of silver and gold lining by the clasp, he could-
-but the robe-
Looking down at it, it just... isn't him. Too loose, too open. He doesn't know how to move in it. And he must look so much like Somnus, more than ever before. He can't have that.]
Pyra, um... thanks. It was really nice of you.
[It's too kind, even if it goes against his fashion sense. He reaches down and tugs at the waist, bunching up the fabric so it's pulled more taut against his hips, testing how it could be sized down. Hmm.]
Luna likes to wear my clothes sometimes. I think, maybe with a belt- it could be a cute dress?
[Ungrateful, maybe, but she might feel better if she knows it won't be wasted.]
[ Of course she will be happy to hear he can re purpose it! Although she obviously is over-eager and excited to know another's reactions, hoping that they are happy with whatever she gives them, she is not an infant when it comes to their refusal. ]
Mm... [ Tapping her chin with a finger, she adds with a nod: ] I suppose this means we'll have to make you a better present.
Yeah. It's not exactly the same, but it's the sort of thing my dad wore on the throne, except with a suit. He had this shoulder cape that wrapped around and hung down. Like, part of the king's ensemble?
[In other words: sort of, yes.]
It's pretty much where I lived during envoy dinners when I was too little to know what the hell was going on.
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I-I'm not blushing!
[He says, while blushing.]
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[ HAND ON HIS CHEEK.
...She's tormenting him a little. She knows she is. But anything, anything is better than seeing him sad. ]
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[Stubborn, this one. He won't cave! Even if the touch and her lean-in has him even more red than before.]
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While she doesn't move closer, her head cants from one direction to its opposite, pausing there to continue to look at him. ]
Not just any face, Noct. [ Noct, said gently. And yes, although this has all started with a bit of playfulness, she means what she says. She doesn't want him to assume that her compliments are mere jokes-- falsehoods, or things said simply to fluster him. He is beautiful, and the physical handsomeness of his face is but a mere shadow of what lies within him, his strength of heart, his character, his goodness...
But in the meantime they're talking about his face, so that is what he will get. ] A very... soft one. [ Her palm presses to his cheek; he's warm, but her touch carries that inhuman warmth to it as well, complementing his own. ] A very handsome one, too. [ Her hand moves, fingers sliding down his cheek towards his ear, brushing back some of his hair. It reveals more of his eyes, which she meets with a fond gaze. ]
...Really, truly, dazzling.
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...I... thanks...?
[His voice is somewhat strained, as if every word is struggling to even exist, he's that much at a loss for what to say. Hard enough to respond when Luna does it, when they have all that history, but this...!]
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Do you wish for me to go on...?
[ Because she could, easily. So very easily. ]
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Focus on this one instead. You're red all over.
[Red hair, red eyes, red outfit... he may not be as effective at getting her to blush (understatement of the century there) but that's not the only game to play. He knows when he's beaten at that.]
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Oh, you caught me red handed!
[ —Or. Or maybe that’s it. That’s all he has to say. She doesn’t know. Either way, one of her brows are raised to denote that she’s not impressed, her tone a bemused, yes, and...? ]
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[And... that's it, he has no retaliation that can compare to hers. Trying would just put him in the same corner, and he ought to know better than to trap himself. Although, on that note-]
You must've killed it at that ribbon thing the priests have been doing all month.
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[ ....Ah. All of these compliments remind her. She can say them as needed, and she truly believes them and hopes that others believe them, but actions speak louder than words. ]
Oh! Before I forget— I have a gift for you. For all of these holidays and celebrations.
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Wait, really? You didn't have to do anything.
[Being away from Eos, and the lack of normal shops around town, he hadn't given much thought to the winter holidays here. He figured he'd go the route of "let's go somewhere on my dime" sort of gift, if anything.]
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Taking a seat beside him once more— again, so that either their shoulders or legs may touch in a respectful lean to resume touch— she offers the present with two hands and a glimmering, happy light in her eyes. ]
For you.
[ Encouragingly, ] Please, open it.
[ ....Time to ruin his day part 2: surprise, it’s a toga!
To her credit it’s a very well crafted one, complete with the black chiton-fashioned tunic beneath and the pleated dark blue pallium-styled cloak above. It’d make an overall sophisticated, but casual look.......... if he would ever wear it. ]
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That... sure is a toga, yep. He holds it up to let it unfurl into his lap, staring down at it for a long moment. It does look and feel quite nice, a cozy fabric and a dashing cape. Just. Kind of a shame that it is what it is.]
...Are... you sure that box wasn't for Somnus?
[Because it's a toga. Pyra, did you know that box had a toga in it.]
1/3
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Her smile returns a moment later, and she shake her head. ]
No, it was for you. [ Really, she's not offended if he doesn't like it. She appreciates his honesty. ] You'd look handsome in it, just like him.
[ And also it could be a way to connect with him since ~family~. ]
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OH NO
Hastily he tugs himself free of her and stands up, holding it out in front of himself to get a full body view. ...Still a toga. Very Somnus-esque. He's pretty sure if he wore this in public, with his face, Ardyn would give him that same distressed, haunted look again and-
...ah, geez. That's not the sort of excuse he wants to be giving her.
It's just them here now, and the least he can do is try, so with a quiet exhale he lifts it up over his head and tries to wriggle into it. It's not as easy as it looks, so it takes him a bit, and it's probably a little lopsided, and the cape is halfway falling off, and his hair's fluffed up in the wrong directions...
But when he's done he glances over at her, arms out and trying to look politely neutral. Look! He tried!]
...How's that?
1/3
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He did not ask for this gift, but she had given it to him anyway. He did not need to try it on in front of her when he clearly hadn't been thrilled to receive it, but now he has it on. ] You.... don't have to do this, either.
[ She giggles softly. Really, it's okay if he doesn't like it! ] But if you are going to keep it...
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Pyra rises from the couch, extending her hand to adjust the abolla to drape in the elegant overcloak manner it is suppose to be, fastening it by the clasp and straightening it over his outstretched arm. ] ...There.
[ A pause, and then she reaches up to flatting out his hair (rather, attempt to). ] You wear it well.
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[He reaches up, first to check his hair, then to tentatively tug at the robe, feeling weird and overdressed. It does feel nice, as far as the fabric goes, and as he rocks back on his heels he kind of digs the way the cape flutters in the air. It reminds him of his dad, of the royal raiment he used to bury his face in when he was little, drinking in the scent of Armiger ozone and aftershave, letting it carry him off to sleep. He can't even help the tiny, nostalgic smile that briefly crosses his lips at that old memory. Maybe with a bit of silver and gold lining by the clasp, he could-
-but the robe-
Looking down at it, it just... isn't him. Too loose, too open. He doesn't know how to move in it. And he must look so much like Somnus, more than ever before. He can't have that.]
Pyra, um... thanks. It was really nice of you.
[It's too kind, even if it goes against his fashion sense. He reaches down and tugs at the waist, bunching up the fabric so it's pulled more taut against his hips, testing how it could be sized down. Hmm.]
Luna likes to wear my clothes sometimes. I think, maybe with a belt- it could be a cute dress?
[Ungrateful, maybe, but she might feel better if she knows it won't be wasted.]
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[ Of course she will be happy to hear he can re purpose it! Although she obviously is over-eager and excited to know another's reactions, hoping that they are happy with whatever she gives them, she is not an infant when it comes to their refusal. ]
Mm... [ Tapping her chin with a finger, she adds with a nod: ] I suppose this means we'll have to make you a better present.
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[He gives the cape part another little tug.]
Gonna keep this part, I think. Don't know where I'd wear it, but it feels... home-y? Kind of? I can pretend it's formal wear.
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But, uh. ] ...Homey?
[ Like... it's stayed in style after how many millennia until Noctis' time? ]
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[In other words: sort of, yes.]
It's pretty much where I lived during envoy dinners when I was too little to know what the hell was going on.
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