[He doesn't resist her hand, allowing her to pull it away from the grasp on his arm and clutch quietly at her instead. Maybe the others have a point, maybe there is some benefit to learning of the future after all. Even just knowing his potential options is... comforting. So much of his life has revolved around not knowing that he'd begun to wonder if it was a requirement of the prophecy that he be kept in the dark, too.]
Besides him, there's three. I was on my way to see Leviathan when I was pulled here. Shiva... I don't know where to find her, I'd heard Niflheim killed her years ago near the capital. That just leaves Bahamut, and he's missing too, but he's so connected to the ring and the Crystal that once I find both, maybe he'll be there too.
[It's all guesses, unfortunately; at this point that's the only thing he can really do. Maybe five is enough. Maybe four is enough. Whatever he gets, it has to be enough or the world is screwed.]
I know it seems like a lot for one person, but the Astrals combined has never been enough to get rid of the Starscourge or the daemons. To make this happen we probably need all of that and more- all the gods, all the kings, all the Crystal. It's not my power, I'm just a conduit.
[ A lot is an understatement. Has he grown used to all of these gods and power and prophecies for so long, that he doesn't know that others wouldn't even be able bear a quarter of what he's carrying? There's something epic and romantic about the notion that to beat the Scourge, it takes a combined effort of both gods and mortals to defeat it, yet--
It's not my power, I'm just a conduit.
Oh. "Just." ]
No, you're not.
[ The words escape her without a thought. She had asked him in their second conversation, that he would not think of himself as a tool. She's not sure if that is what is happening here, subconsciously, or it's just his phrasing, bu regardless, she wants to even entertain that idea. That he is Just a conduit. Just a channel for the energy of the gods through which to flow, just the one who was chosen. ]
[It takes a second, and then it clicks- oh. Right.
His expression shifts to a small, sheepish smile.]
Sorry, that's not- I didn't mean it like that. I just mean... none of the power I have is really mine. It's all been given to me, by my family or the Crystal or the gods. How I use it kind of makes it mine, but if I make the wrong call, who's to say they can't just take it away from me? A conduit still has to, you know. [He gestures with his free hand, weaving it in the air.] Find the path, make the connection. Go the wrong way and everything blows up.
[ Her relief is visible. Shoulders relaxing as she sees his smile, she nods once with a breath. ] Every day, Noct. Every day I'm surprised at how much power you have, but even more in the way you choose to use it. And how you wield it.
[ Finding a path, too, he states with a wave of his hand with a smile. Others, she believes, would be blinded by the power they hold, obscuring that path. He doesn't realize how he's understating so much of what he does.
She shakes her head, moving back to the topic. ] Leviathan, Shiva and... Bahamut. [ Three more to go for him. ] ...When they meet you, I think they will be blessed ones, to be able to form a covenant with you.
[ In truth, she's-- ah, she can't believe it. Envious of gods of a different world, to have a certain human, (a whole family of them, truly) with whom to share their power. That's a new low for her. ]
[In general he thinks he's pretty okay, as far as people go. But it's nice when others say it.]
Are you... okay with this? I mean, you keep ending up stuck with our problems, or helping us work through this stuff... you must have enough on your plate already. You can tell us to deal with it, you know.
[ “Stuck with our problems”— Whose? His? His world? She’s not actively helping them solve anything!
No, it she understands, and in that understanding she quickly shakes her head as if she could tell him to banish the thought. Her insistence causes her words to tumble out quickly— ] N-not at all! [ Before she reels her reaction back in.
Smiling shyly, she nods. ] I mean.. no. I... feel... [ She brings a hand up to her chest, her eyes softening.
She feels like she is his friend, when she’s able to talk to him like this. She feels as if he does appreciate what she has to say, and that’s— really significant. ] ....grateful, that you confide in me. I’m more concerned that what I’m saying isn’t, ah, making you too happy.
[ And, privately, she does look forward to each time they practice with their magic together or meditate with it... It’s a nice, warm connection that they make that brings her some peace, too. ]
[Her words make his smile soften a little, and he shakes his head.]
I don't know if there's a way to talk about what's going on back home that'd make me happy. If there was, there'd be something seriously wrong with me.
[He's made it pretty clear that things are not great back there, after all. Still a war to be fought, a lot of things to get done and quick. His life hadn't been totally easy street, but he'd still been spoiled and sheltered for a long time while those around him or outside the city struggled. A bit of hardship is hardly unwarranted.]
Anyway, that's not on you. I'd be a lousy friend if I didn't appreciate the help no matter how it makes me feel.
Blinking, Pyra’s cheeks color softly as she looks to the side. Wow, she’s appreciated. Wow. She has to give that feeling back, so— ]
Knowing you is like... knowing a little piece of your world. [ And his world seems fascinating, is what she’s about to say, but that feels too distant, or reserved, as if she is a scientist looking in. His world is fascinating to her because he (and others) come from it. She wants to know more because of them. What kind of world did their gods create, that it could produce such wonderful people? ]
And... ah, you know, when we connect— I don’t feel some... distant god or crystal, or only that. I feel you, too.
[ She clears her throat. What is she trying to say, here? ] I... want to be a good friend to you.
[He sure did! And it wasn't even to intentionally tease her. Her words have a similar effect on him, his own cheeks going a bit pink, so they end up even, there.
Is it really possible, that some of the magic is from him, too? She'd probably know, being an outsider looking in, someone well-versed in magic enough to decipher the pieces. He'd like to believe her, at least, whether it's genuinely true or just perception. It's... nice to imagine. To be more, even if he's fine with being a channel through which it flows.]
...W-well... I think you're doing just fine with that, so don't worry about it.
[ Oh, he looks so pleased, like she's said something he like! She's happy for that, really. Her words had been sincere, even if she had stumbled over them.
She wants to be a good friend, and he believes she already is. That's nice to think about, but... it can't be true. Not with how much she withholds with telling him. Shouldn't friends be honest with each other? Even she knows this. ] Then... that leaves only something else to worry about. [ She says, adopting a softer, coyer smile.
Without waiting him to ask what it is, she answers: ] How can I help you more?
[He'd pretty well forgotten, with all the serious conversing they'd delved into, but her question reminds him that he did come over here for more than just the Besithia drama. Crouching down, he picks up the bag he'd dropped and holds it out towards her.]
I know you don't technically need it, but you don't seem to need much of anything, which makes you kind of hard to get gifts for? Anyway, if you like them, these are yours.
[It is by no means fancy or wrapped or anything, but at least it's a nice bag, soft canvas with a draw-string for easy carrying. Should she accept it and look inside, she'll find a handful of outfits-worth of clothes piled neatly together, meeting the style and colour specifications acquired by way of Era... with a bunch of black items peppered in there, snuck in when he was left unsupervised.]
[ Her hand leaves his when he steps away to bring the bag between them.
Gifts? For her, after she just asked how she could help him? She looks at the bag for a moment before hesitantly reaching out towards it, pulling at the drawstring to loosen its top. Within it are... clothes. A good amount of clothes, actually. She pulls out one of the pieces, a black shirt, holding it up to herself. ]
Oh, I... Don't know what to say... [ Era just gave her some clothes, too. Now she has even more. ] This is really kind of you.
[ The burning questions of why?? gift?? are clearly written upon her face. ]
[He almost rolls his eyes, visibly amused. Her unasked questions are obvious, and not especially surprising, but she shouldn't have to ask them at all.]
You really have no idea how much you've done, do you?
He's trying to thank her for helping him with... probably how much they've been training his warp magic together, and then what they are doing more recently with attempting to meditate through all 100+ souls in his ring.
Her smile returns, and she gives him a level look. ] Sounds like you really don't know how much you've accomplished, either. [ Really, it was him who has to manipulate all of that energy! Or endure the trial of bearing the ring! She's just... there to help facilitate it. ]
[Though it's only because of how much they've accomplished that he can say that with a (mostly) straight face. He's never felt confident with magic like this before. And he still struggles, can still look at people like his father or Cor or Somnus and see real power, real skill, with him limping along behind them with the power of the Chosen as a crutch. He still has so far to go. But he's getting better, and he owes a lot of that progress to her.]
It's not just the training, though. King's Knight is almost finished, too, and I couldn't have done that without you.
[ She looks down at the shirt in her hands. It's black, just like the one he wears, but there's a faint pattern upon it...
She can use the excuse that helping him become more refined with his power means that he may be better able to help this world. But what of the virtual reality she's building with him? It might give him some respite from training, but that, too, is an excuse. The real reason is far simpler: she's happy to see him when he is happy. ] I... I see.
[ And selfishly, she has enjoyed those moments when they had been brainstorming at the cafe together, with him designing armor or weapons or characters, and her coding away... While she doesn't say anything, her expression is especially fond. ]
[Kind of, sort of, maybe. It's not a very uniform uniform.]
Hmm, can you really say that? You showed up to work without any pants on.
[Though there are probably some Crownsguard who've managed the job with booty shorts at some point. Once you hit a certain rank (or go on a world tour with the crown prince) you can wear whatever you want so long as it's black and bears the insignia.]
[ More like, no bra on. Because there ain’t nuthin’ beneath that shirt now. ]
Not fair! [ She laughs. ] This— [ Meaning, her booty shorts and those absolute territory stockings. Have a bit of a turn to show off the look of the shirt draping over the top of her shorts. Also, look at that ass, look at it! ] is perfectly fine, if Gladio can go practically shirtless!
[ She’s assuming that Gladio is a Crownsguard, since he has referred to him as a Shield. ]
[He does look at it. It's a nice ass, though it's more the fashion turn that nets her a bit of playful applause. He doesn't care what Era thinks of it, full black is totally great on Pyra, and she wears it well.]
Okay, you got me there. I'll take short-shorts into consideration for the official Crownsguard uniform when I take back Insomnia.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Besides him, there's three. I was on my way to see Leviathan when I was pulled here. Shiva... I don't know where to find her, I'd heard Niflheim killed her years ago near the capital. That just leaves Bahamut, and he's missing too, but he's so connected to the ring and the Crystal that once I find both, maybe he'll be there too.
[It's all guesses, unfortunately; at this point that's the only thing he can really do. Maybe five is enough. Maybe four is enough. Whatever he gets, it has to be enough or the world is screwed.]
I know it seems like a lot for one person, but the Astrals combined has never been enough to get rid of the Starscourge or the daemons. To make this happen we probably need all of that and more- all the gods, all the kings, all the Crystal. It's not my power, I'm just a conduit.
no subject
It's not my power, I'm just a conduit.
Oh. "Just." ]
No, you're not.
[ The words escape her without a thought. She had asked him in their second conversation, that he would not think of himself as a tool. She's not sure if that is what is happening here, subconsciously, or it's just his phrasing, bu regardless, she wants to even entertain that idea. That he is Just a conduit. Just a channel for the energy of the gods through which to flow, just the one who was chosen. ]
no subject
[It takes a second, and then it clicks- oh. Right.
His expression shifts to a small, sheepish smile.]
Sorry, that's not- I didn't mean it like that. I just mean... none of the power I have is really mine. It's all been given to me, by my family or the Crystal or the gods. How I use it kind of makes it mine, but if I make the wrong call, who's to say they can't just take it away from me? A conduit still has to, you know. [He gestures with his free hand, weaving it in the air.] Find the path, make the connection. Go the wrong way and everything blows up.
no subject
[ Finding a path, too, he states with a wave of his hand with a smile. Others, she believes, would be blinded by the power they hold, obscuring that path. He doesn't realize how he's understating so much of what he does.
She shakes her head, moving back to the topic. ] Leviathan, Shiva and... Bahamut. [ Three more to go for him. ] ...When they meet you, I think they will be blessed ones, to be able to form a covenant with you.
[ In truth, she's-- ah, she can't believe it. Envious of gods of a different world, to have a certain human, (a whole family of them, truly) with whom to share their power. That's a new low for her. ]
no subject
[In general he thinks he's pretty okay, as far as people go. But it's nice when others say it.]
Are you... okay with this? I mean, you keep ending up stuck with our problems, or helping us work through this stuff... you must have enough on your plate already. You can tell us to deal with it, you know.
no subject
Whose? His? His world? She’s not actively helping them solve anything!
No, it she understands, and in that understanding she quickly shakes her head as if she could tell him to banish the thought. Her insistence causes her words to tumble out quickly— ] N-not at all! [ Before she reels her reaction back in.
Smiling shyly, she nods. ] I mean.. no. I... feel... [ She brings a hand up to her chest, her eyes softening.
She feels like she is his friend, when she’s able to talk to him like this. She feels as if he does appreciate what she has to say, and that’s— really significant. ] ....grateful, that you confide in me. I’m more concerned that what I’m saying isn’t, ah, making you too happy.
[ And, privately, she does look forward to each time they practice with their magic together or meditate with it... It’s a nice, warm connection that they make that brings her some peace, too. ]
no subject
I don't know if there's a way to talk about what's going on back home that'd make me happy. If there was, there'd be something seriously wrong with me.
[He's made it pretty clear that things are not great back there, after all. Still a war to be fought, a lot of things to get done and quick. His life hadn't been totally easy street, but he'd still been spoiled and sheltered for a long time while those around him or outside the city struggled. A bit of hardship is hardly unwarranted.]
Anyway, that's not on you. I'd be a lousy friend if I didn't appreciate the help no matter how it makes me feel.
no subject
Blinking, Pyra’s cheeks color softly as she looks to the side. Wow, she’s appreciated. Wow. She has to give that feeling back, so— ]
Knowing you is like... knowing a little piece of your world. [ And his world seems fascinating, is what she’s about to say, but that feels too distant, or reserved, as if she is a scientist looking in. His world is fascinating to her because he (and others) come from it. She wants to know more because of them. What kind of world did their gods create, that it could produce such wonderful people? ]
And... ah, you know, when we connect— I don’t feel some... distant god or crystal, or only that. I feel you, too.
[ She clears her throat. What is she trying to say, here? ] I... want to be a good friend to you.
no subject
Is it really possible, that some of the magic is from him, too? She'd probably know, being an outsider looking in, someone well-versed in magic enough to decipher the pieces. He'd like to believe her, at least, whether it's genuinely true or just perception. It's... nice to imagine. To be more, even if he's fine with being a channel through which it flows.]
...W-well... I think you're doing just fine with that, so don't worry about it.
no subject
She wants to be a good friend, and he believes she already is. That's nice to think about, but... it can't be true. Not with how much she withholds with telling him. Shouldn't friends be honest with each other? Even she knows this. ] Then... that leaves only something else to worry about. [ She says, adopting a softer, coyer smile.
Without waiting him to ask what it is, she answers: ] How can I help you more?
no subject
[He'd pretty well forgotten, with all the serious conversing they'd delved into, but her question reminds him that he did come over here for more than just the Besithia drama. Crouching down, he picks up the bag he'd dropped and holds it out towards her.]
I know you don't technically need it, but you don't seem to need much of anything, which makes you kind of hard to get gifts for? Anyway, if you like them, these are yours.
[It is by no means fancy or wrapped or anything, but at least it's a nice bag, soft canvas with a draw-string for easy carrying. Should she accept it and look inside, she'll find a handful of outfits-worth of clothes piled neatly together, meeting the style and colour specifications acquired by way of Era... with a bunch of black items peppered in there, snuck in when he was left unsupervised.]
no subject
Gifts? For her, after she just asked how she could help him? She looks at the bag for a moment before hesitantly reaching out towards it, pulling at the drawstring to loosen its top. Within it are... clothes. A good amount of clothes, actually. She pulls out one of the pieces, a black shirt, holding it up to herself. ]
Oh, I... Don't know what to say... [ Era just gave her some clothes, too. Now she has even more. ] This is really kind of you.
[ The burning questions of why?? gift?? are clearly written upon her face. ]
no subject
You really have no idea how much you've done, do you?
no subject
He's trying to thank her for helping him with... probably how much they've been training his warp magic together, and then what they are doing more recently with attempting to meditate through all 100+ souls in his ring.
Her smile returns, and she gives him a level look. ] Sounds like you really don't know how much you've accomplished, either. [ Really, it was him who has to manipulate all of that energy! Or endure the trial of bearing the ring! She's just... there to help facilitate it. ]
no subject
[Though it's only because of how much they've accomplished that he can say that with a (mostly) straight face. He's never felt confident with magic like this before. And he still struggles, can still look at people like his father or Cor or Somnus and see real power, real skill, with him limping along behind them with the power of the Chosen as a crutch. He still has so far to go. But he's getting better, and he owes a lot of that progress to her.]
It's not just the training, though. King's Knight is almost finished, too, and I couldn't have done that without you.
1/2
She can use the excuse that helping him become more refined with his power means that he may be better able to help this world. But what of the virtual reality she's building with him? It might give him some respite from training, but that, too, is an excuse. The real reason is far simpler: she's happy to see him when he is happy. ] I... I see.
[ And selfishly, she has enjoyed those moments when they had been brainstorming at the cafe together, with him designing armor or weapons or characters, and her coding away... While she doesn't say anything, her expression is especially fond. ]
no subject
Beneath it, her normal top has disappeared. ]
...What do you think?
no subject
It looks good. You look almost like a Crownsguard.
no subject
Am I... [ Pfft, another short laugh. ] doing it right? Or do you have numerals after your name?
no subject
Even if I do, I'm not telling you. That was almost as weird as if Prompto had done it.
no subject
...Is this what Crownsguard really wear. ]
no subject
Hmm, can you really say that? You showed up to work without any pants on.
[Though there are probably some Crownsguard who've managed the job with booty shorts at some point. Once you hit a certain rank (or go on a world tour with the crown prince) you can wear whatever you want so long as it's black and bears the insignia.]
no subject
Not fair! [ She laughs. ] This— [ Meaning, her booty shorts and those absolute territory stockings. Have a bit of a turn to show off the look of the shirt draping over the top of her shorts. Also, look at that ass, look at it! ] is perfectly fine, if Gladio can go practically shirtless!
[ She’s assuming that Gladio is a Crownsguard, since he has referred to him as a Shield. ]
no subject
Okay, you got me there. I'll take short-shorts into consideration for the official Crownsguard uniform when I take back Insomnia.
[Wouldn't Cor just love that proclamation.]
no subject
And you? You’ll be adopting this superior fashion change, too?
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
1/2
(no subject)
(no subject)
1/2
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
1/2
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)