lucian royalty takin over here

[carbungle]

♥ Who: Noctis Lucis Caelum + Open!
♥ Where: Just a catch-all for some stuff
♥ When: Now! + January catch-all
♥ What: The prince of Lucis has Things To Do
♥ Rating: PG? will update as needed


( a. have you met my emotional support scarf - Open to All! )

[At first glance, it's just a normal guy walking down the street, nothing to pay any mind. Getting closer however reveals that he appears to be... talking to himself? Or at least having half a conversation, glancing at the empty space by his shoulder and speaking, then looking down at his communicator for a silent response. It probably looks kind of weird, and he's quite preoccupied with it. Maybe try getting his attention?

Those who can sense magic might notice not just his, but a secondary presence at his shoulder, small and invisible. Those who can't sense magic might just hear it... squeak?]


( b. friendship is magic...? - Open to Family/CR he's inevitably harassing )

[Noctis is venturing out to find… people! People he knows. And likes. Or just wants to know and like better. Basically he's trying to visit his friends and family, in part for a very specific question but also just to try that whole open affection thing he keeps getting told to work on.

If he knows where you live, he's paying a visit! Otherwise, mayhaps he'll find you in the street or in a shop somewhere by chance.]


( c. girlfriend? girl! friend!! - CLOSED TO LUNA )

[Going out for a date is all well and good but for Noctis a night in is just as (if not more) enjoyable, and the fact that Luna feels the same and had suggested it makes him appreciate her all the more; thus, the only thing on tonight's agenda is a meal at home and each others' company. He'd helped her prep whatever dish she'd opted to make, but once it's ready to be cooked and he has nothing to do, he parks himself at the table with his tablet out, opening up the design doc for King's Knight 2.0. Prompto's not around so he can finally ask her without spoiling the surprise.]

So... if you were gonna pick a character to play, what kind would it be?


( d. those ding dang head whispers - CLOSED TO REGIS )

[A little later into the month, after weeks of stressing about it and hiding and wishing he was a hell of a lot stronger, Noctis at last makes a decision. No more putting it off- it's time to face his future, his responsibilities. Time to learn about what the hell he's meant to do going forward.

He sends a message to Regis, requesting a one-on-one meeting, while the house is otherwise empty. He's late to arrive once a time is decided, pacing and circling the house first, anxious and hating it. Coward, his mind is scolding him. Just do it already.

Finally, he steels himself for the last time and steps up to knock on the door before he can change his mind again. No going back now...]

Comments

[carbungle]

...You know, I don't think I've ever actually gotten a message from the gods via Carbuncle? Not even at home. It's more of a guide, to keep an eye on me.

[He accepts her hand, though at the next yip and one more rub at her ankles he crouches again so the little fox can climb back up to its spot on his shoulders.]

[iustaegis]

[ Her brow knits, even he lowers to let the Carbuncle climb back up.

If it's a messenger of his gods that guides him, and his gods are all pulling him towards some supposed fate...

Good job, Carbie, keeping him in line? ] I suppose this means that... it cannot commune with the gods here. [ Hm. ]

[carbungle]

[Man wouldn't she like to hear about all the dumb fun shenanigans Carbuncle actually got Noct into. Almost like its priority is Noct's wellbeing rather than the Astral's plan.

He glances at his shoulder again, questioning, then shakes his head.]

Looks like not. It doesn't know anything about these gods.

[iustaegis]

[ Time to hire better messengers, Bahamut, ones without sentimentality or emotions—

Although disappointed by his answer, it doesn’t quite surprise her.

She adjusts her weight, looking to the side. ]

I have a secret I would like to share...

[carbungle]

[Nope, this is the one he gets.

He glances at her, his head tilting as he tries to decipher her expression.]

Sure, what's up?

[iustaegis]

[ Her expression is more cautious, and she leans in as she lowers her voice. ]

Ah— I’m sure we aren’t the first to have done this, but... Honerva, if you have met her, and I went to the barrier to investigate its energy.

[ In this, she will tell him how because she’d used a similar method with him: ] I lent her my power, as I did with you, and we... divined and confirmed a few things about it.

[ What, did you think she’d actually tell you a secret about herself— ]

[carbungle]

[His eyes widen. That's not the kind of secret he'd expected!]

Seriously? What'd you find out?

[iustaegis]

We discovered...

[ THIS, from the mods:

"This energy is indeed from the gods and there is a power imbalance in it. The imbalance reflects the current OOC power ratio with Rawna currently the strongest and Ohma the weakest (as of December 2019).

The energy in this world does not have an opposite, but instead relies on complements and balances. The energy generated by the opposite of positive physical contact (meaning negative ones) simply doesn't exist in Havenwell. All energy produced goes exclusively to the four gods of Havenwell. It doesn't have a physical direction it travels, however, but is absorbed by the gods wherever the contact occurs."

After telling him all of this, she brings her free hand to her hip. ]

So... even though there are four signatures to it, the barrier appears whole overall. It still remains stable and uniform, despite one situation being far greater than the rest.

[carbungle]

[That's... a lot. That's quite a lot. Certainly more than he'd heard before.]

I'm not gonna claim to be any kind of expert on shields, but... shouldn't an imbalance be bad? The wall around Insomnia had amplifiers set up around the city so it would be uniform, otherwise an attack in the wrong spot might bring the whole thing down. The barrier here's already broken once...

1/2

[iustaegis]

[ There is a bit of a brow knit at that, a grimace.

She is not the only one paying tribute to the gods, but she is doing what she can, wherever she can. If-- if it turns out that any of her efforts in the end have only caused a disruption of the barrier's integrity....

She would be absolutely, positively crushed. ]

[iustaegis]

[ But she continues evenly: ] I hope the phenomenon of the barrier is like... a city's powersource.

[ She'll use the same example she gave his ancestor. ] A city can by powered by many different means: wind, geothermal, nuclear, solar. The city can receive most of its energy from one of those sources while the other give little, but in the end all sources of energy contribute without disrupting the city itself or its energy grid.

[ Meaning. ] Imbalance may not necessarily mean instability... I hope. [ In the end, it's just a theory. ]

[carbungle]

...Hope so, yeah.

[He wished he felt less useless in this, but shields falls in the category of magic he should learn yet can't, so his expertise in this is lacking. Her logic is sound as far as he can tell, but it's not as if they understand everything about this place's magic or gods, either.]

You should talk to my dad. He's the one maintaining the Wall back home in his time, and when the barrier broke here he was able to seal it for a while. Maybe he noticed something while the magics were smashed together.

[iustaegis]

[ ....Ah. That could help.

But also. Shouldn't that be something he could talk to his own father about, regarding wall-making and barrier magic, not her? ]

Do you not wish to pass this information onto him, yourself?

[carbungle]

[He sends her a quizzical look.]

I could, but I wasn't there- I haven't felt the barrier like you have. I wouldn't know how to start describing it to him, and once I told him, what's next? No reason for me to be some kind of middleman.

[If she or his dad had questions about either experience, he'd be no help.]

If you've never met him before, I can introduce you.

[iustaegis]

[ Because family! That is why! ] If you insist, I will contact him myself.

[ Moving on, she brings her free hand to her chin. ]

...If... you have not heard, there were apparently two more gods in this world. We only detected four signatures within the barrier.

[ Maybe it means the other two don't exist? Or maybe it means that only four of these gods' powers were used for the barrier. There is no real way to tell. ]

[carbungle]

[She's so weeeeeird.

That bit of info is a sobering one, though, and he frowns tightly.]

Six, huh.

[Uncomfortably familiar, there. His bracer hand carefully clenches into a light fist, subconsciously pulling at the covenants, but as usual nothing responds. Except Carbuncle, of course, who bumps its head gently against Noct's. Someone gets it.]

...Maybe they're dead.

[iustaegis]

[ At that suggestion, she shakes her head. ] There is only one god in my world...This is all very new to me.

[ And she definitely could not conceive of him dying, let alone being vulnerable in any way. ] But if gods may perish... it would be unbearably sad for the world.

[ Assuming, ya know, those two were good people. ]

[carbungle]

It's possible, though I don't know how permanent it is. Niflheim's been killing the gods of Eos whenever they can manage it, they've got at least two so far.

[And Ifrit's been turned into a daemon, but he's not sure what that counts as. Still alive? Just a monster? Can Astrals recover from that?]

I don't think it sticks, though- it might just be their physical bodies that die. They destroyed Titan, but he still came when I summoned him.

[iustaegis]

Do you think they might be still out there?

[ The two whose names were basically redacted from what others have found in the archives. ]

[carbungle]

They could be. Though if the people here went so far as to erase them from their own history, I don't think it would be a good thing.

[When's the last time someone brought up Ifrit in a positive light on Eos? Fallen gods end up erased for good reason.]

[iustaegis]

[ At that, she just smiles. They can theorize all they want, but it not might help them. Playfully, ]

Any ideas, Carbuncle, Messenger of the Gods?

[ She looks to either of his shoulders, unsure of which one it sits upon. ]

[carbungle]

[He turns his attention to his left shoulder, which promptly yips in her direction.

💀 💀 😔

Is that helpful? Who really knows.]

[iustaegis]

[ Two dead gods make him sad, maybe? If so, she agrees. Otherwise, she has no idea how to interpret its message. Best not to try, she is no messenger herself.

She giggles anyway. In her world, only one man could ever claim to speak for the Architect, but it simply hadn't been true. Now knowing that there is a world out there with both Oracles and Messengers that deliver gods' messages? It's baffling--

"....running towards oblivion like blind rats. They see the divine flame of life and piss over it... That flame is wasted on them. So I want to give them a little push in the right direction, as the benevolent servant as our wise father should."

--She's reminded once more that she ought return from whence she came. ]

Why, Carbuncle, your divine wisdom is worth more than gold. How ever shall we thank you?

[carbungle]

[Carbuncle barks, and while there is no message Noctis reaches up and brushes his hand over the grey-blue fur of its neck, the texture as soft and silken as it's been since he was a child and permitted to touch for the first time.]

I know that one. It says, "you should pet me!"

[iustaegis]

I... can?

[ She blinks, dumbfounded for a moment before she smiles pleasantly, curiously. ] Er... where?

[ And how?! She doesn't want to hurt it! ]