hugtopia_logs | Open + Closed prompts/ Catch all

[ It's clockwork by now for him to awaken at dawn. Tucked in so closely beside him, he easily stirs from her slumber with his voice, her hand upon his chest pulling over his front but not parting from him. In the haze of waking, it takes a moment, then another, for her gaze to slowly come into focus, blinking as her eyes adjust to the calm light of daybreak that filters through his curtains. When it does, she smiles at him. ]

Good morning, Somnus.

[ Tone appreciating, soft as a whisper for their closeness, this is always her greeting for him if they happen to wake at the same time. Her hand lingers upon his chest; she can feel the rise and fall of his steady breaths. Alive, here. He's alive and here. He exists, it is amazing that he exists.

Knowing they must rise, however, she stirs further, adjusting how she lies as she looks at him. How close he is... and his expression is as neutral as ever. ] Have you rested well?

[ The appreciation never leaves her expression or tone. She cherishes life, so she values these moments of contact.

He closes his eyes and tucks his chin for a small nod. Often, he goes to bed with many a thought, most of which he can (and must) set aside. On the nights that Pyra joins him, she promises purpose by lying beside him for the gods, and that purpose eases some of the urgency that drives him to rise at dawn. She's here, and she has yet to leave; knowing that they're doing their part together, he can rest at night.

He lays his hand over hers on his chest. Soon they'll get out of bed and attend to the shared item on their agenda, but first he gives her a moment to collect herself. His eyes are lucid and sharp, but not cold, as he regards her. ]

The time for us to rise has passed.

[ With his hand lifting to lightly drape over hers, her fingers spread to allow his to lace between. She closes her eyes, breathing in slowly but in time with the own rise of his chest beneath her palm. He has lungs there, a heart. She does not, but she breathes with him all the same for a few more moments, letting the rest of her drowsiness slip from her in each passing moment. She becomes more aware-- of him, easily, and his warmth beside her.

Opening her eyes to meet his, she gives him another quiet nod upon his shoulder. He does not answer her question, he notes the time to rise has passed, but he hasn't gotten up, either... ]

Mm... [ She is the first to rise from how they lie, lifting her head from his shoulder and sitting up. Hair tussled slightly, the shoulder of one tunic slipping off, she doesn't seem to correct either. Instead, careful that they still remain in contact by hand, she completes one small stretch with her body, arching her back and lifting her opposite arm as if she might expand out the energy within. Pyra finishes with a satisfied exhale, turning to look back down at him.

It's another beautiful day in a dying world. If only he could have been brought to a far more peaceful one. She is sorry for that. ] When you're ready... I'll meet you in the living room.

Edited 2020-01-06 07:42 (UTC)

[ Their fingers lace together. He, too, sits up and glances at the loose shoulder of her tunic before he lifts the sheets with a nod. He swings his legs over the edge of the bed. Their hands part as he heads for the dresser, leaving her to get out of bed at her leisure.

For this, he'll don his usual attire. It doesn't take long. Once he's changed and prepared to set out, he joins her in the living room, where he reaches for her hand per usual. Predictably, she was ready first. ]

[ She's back in her ~~stupid~~ normal outfit as well. Shorts and all. A little bit more awake and prepped as her hand slips into his again, her eyes lift to his and--

A soft giggle follows, as if she's amused by something. Not at his expense, but in a more whimsical manner. ] Mm... One moment. [ She steps forward, lifting up her hand to his head.

His hair is a case of constant bedhead regardless, but this cowlick is sticking up more than usual. No one will be there to watch them so this shouldn't matter, but it when they're done there is the chance they might run into others. ]

[ Somnus blinks. His question answers itself when she reaches up and tames the cowlick. He isn't so vain as to be concerned about the state of his hair, but this is just as well: It's contact, if unexpected (though it shouldn't be, coming from her), and more won't hurt the world. Her eyes are attentive, such that he asks: ]

Is that all?

[ If it is, he'll lead her by the hand to the door. ]

[ Have an unsolicited compliment as she attempts to adjust that fickle lock of hair, her voice soft. ] You... are very handsome, so I doubt this one stubborn strand will matter. [ Still. Working! He’ll feel her fingers brush over the side of his head. She lifts upon her toes. ] But...

This one lock seems to be especially wayward today.

[ ....Anddd done. Pyra retreats a half-step to analyze her work, and then she withdraws her hand from his head. Her tone is pleased, melodic. ] There!

[ Her gaze lingers upon his face before she turns to the door, taking his hand. Time to head out. ]

[ He averts his gaze from her face to the side while she works on his hair. How he presents for the day isn't important. Besides, what they're about to do will tousle his appearance if he works at it in earnest. The warmth leaves him, signaling the completion of her efforts. Her attentiveness to life is wasted on him here.

Together, they head out to a more remote, spacious section of the city, which isn't difficult to do at this hour. They've already discussed the gist of the exercise: he'll go through his techniques, and she'll—contrary to what she might think, once again—be his support. When they at last arrive at their designated area for training, Somnus steps away and forward from Pyra and looks over his shoulder.

He nods. When she's ready, they'll begin. ]

[ They’re here in preparation to potentially travel beyond the barrier, and they must see if they are compatible. Knowing that she’s already once transferred her power to Noctis, she assumes it will work with him, but it would be best if he is not startled by what she gives. Better yet if he might become accustomed to it.

With her hand still in his, she offers her other one as well. Then, looking around them to confirm that no one else is here, she speaks. ] My abilities mostly lie in support... [ Definitely not the full truth, but she continues effortlessly. ]

Close your eyes, [ Beat. ] Or do not, whatever is most comfortable for you, and I will let you... have some of what I can give. [ So that he might know what it feels like to have hers. When he’s ready, she begins.

His hands warmed by hers, the transfer initiates with a breath inhaled, and then upon exhale a wash of light begins to emerge from her, alighting her skin in a faint but crescendoing white-gold. This glow then begins to travel from her hands into his....

With this small bit of power, it may feel not warm like her, not in the physical sense, but instead like that of a blanket or a wool cloak draped over his shoulders, then his torso, then his body as a whole, secure and lifting. It’s a friend’s touch upon his back, a father’s secure arm about his shoulder, a mother’s hand upon his cheek, ....and a comrade’s shoulder beside his, ready to support him throughout. She has him, she’s here. These sensations will feel as if they are ever-present once he becomes open to this connection. It is meant to be lifting, easing away the weariness of years and the morning away.

And then he will feel the first wave of her power flow from her to him, crashing like the tide against rocks. The boon of her power becomes obvious as soon as he might accept it: heightening his senses with a vicious whip of power into the core of his mind and being. For a few moments he might feel the earth turning beneath his feet, the call of the stars above, the lights of the city humming in a song of particles; there is no such thing as emptiness, all is either force, energy, or matter. What follows is the gift of focus to temper this sudden awareness of the world, a shutter to bring this heightened sensitivity down from the overwhelming to usefulness.

He’ll be able to see weaknesses in the structures around him, he’ll have the sudden accuracy to pinpoint them without a delayed thought, and although he has not used any of his power this day, he’ll be able to feel the revitalizing gift that is her own, flowing to him, transferring to him, melding to his, becoming his own— whether that means it adapts to his own light or the energy his body naturally needs, it is his to use. Any of her power that washes off from the funnel to him evaporates from his skin.

It is painless, however, pure and caressing and as if someone or something is doing the subconscious work of breathing and labor of living from him, that he might bask in this light as if one with it.

Her own seal upon herself prevents this power from being truly perfect, although he might feel as if it is nearly that. It is not weaving and integrating into his to control him, but to support, letting him have this, trusting him to have this. This power is divine, overwhelming of a foreign nature, but not overriding. He is his own being, and may exert his own will over this power. ]

[ Support and fire, he recalls. In Chroma, she called the former an affinity link.

But the power that washes over him now is little like what he felt back then. It wraps around and within him, and he accepts its presence in the darkness behind his eyelids. He opens his eyes and the world is whole. He's whole. Reaching into himself where the Light of the ring dwells within his being, Somnus throws a hand out and releases this newfound wealth of energy.

There's the paradoxical sound of cracking glass as the Light adopts the shape of smaller, imperfect pentagons and hexagons that map a dome around them. The seams between the pieces vanish, leaving behind an impregnable barrier that's far larger and stronger than anything he's ever managed on his own. And still there's more. The shield peels away piece by piece from the front with the same sound as when it formed, and Somnus flicks his wrist to summon a ball of vibrant fire.

The flame dances on his palm, gradually gaining in size until he snuffs it out with a fist. Even scaling the power back is so simple—nothing like when he first wrestled with the power of the ring. This is not a power that demands respect; curiously, shockingly, it seeks harmony. The hand that remains in Pyra's hold tightens around her as he releases his fist, and his blade and a katana magick into existence to rotate around him.

No matter how much he focuses, no other blades join the arms. He extends his hand again. Taking flight in the space before Somnus and Pyra, the blade and katana weave through the air as if guided by a pair of invisible hands. ]

[ What he does with the power she supplies is nothing less than impressive, and truly, it would have been just as impressive had he displayed all of those abilities on his own. His light crackles, inserting itself into the space before them as if shattering reality to make itself known, and the barrier manifests from crystals founded of solid light only to dismantle with a unspoken thought. She watches in awe as shards of his power both refract the light of the world and give off their own, suspended and slowed before winking from existence. Then the blades appear, phantom then rendered solid, spinning with far more precision than a weaver’s edge.

She feels his hand tighten in hers, and she glances at his profile as he exercises. No weariness betrays his visage; yet if any of his technique comes with strain, her power intends to ease it, and enhance his reserves.

Him wielding the duel blades appear as if someone dances with them, graceful and deadly as a siren, cutting through the air. It’s absolutely profound, beautiful, and powerful, like watching a lightning storm unhindered by any rain. She considers herself lucky that he is training with her, and not against, and her lips part as if in a smile. Through their connection, he will feel her wonder translated like a string’s melodic turn and trill, a fluttering lift in the energy, encouraging.

Pyra wonders to what extent his range might be. Knowing that he might be able to cross half the city in mere minutes, that sort of power will be useful for them to explore beyond the wall; and if she can extend that for him, to let him peer further than what he already naturally can, to throw that blade to a distant target and warp further than what he’s capable already, they could theoretically clear a great distance.

She does not know what he might show or practice next with his abilities, but if it will be testing a warp, she’s prepared to supplement his flight to test the limits. ]

[ The energy flutters within him and he can no longer keep his feet on the ground. The weapons soar toward the sky. Somnus wraps his arm around Pyra's waist and warps to his blade. He warps again as they begin to freefall, maintaining their altitude across the city as he alternates between the blade and the katana.

With her power replenishing his energy, he can do this nigh forever. He doesn't have to let it happen to know his reserves are vast, and drawing from it has no perceptible strain on his body.

Circling back to their starting point, he brings his free hand behind him. Concentrating his magic into his palm, he tosses it to the ground. A black-purple sphere forms and grows, and so does its gravitational pull below them. Somnus and Pyra, impossibly upright through their fall, descend faster and faster while the weapons whip around them in a seeming frenzy. ]

[ With his hand about her waist, he warps them to the sky. They take to the air with ease as the begins to exercise his fighting style with this blades. It that isn't impressive all on its own, then it's the way he uses them; she can't pinpoint a unique style of his, whether it's primary offensive or defensive, improvised or planned. Maybe that it seems like it's not one or the other is the intention, yet the fluidity of his strikes begs the question. It's magic woven with an steel arms, and she could easily be lost in a trance to it, content to play audience to watching the masterpiece he paints, mystified by his power.

The intermittent bursts through space as they warp from one portion of the sky to the other prevent her from remaining idle too much, lest the quick turns and falls disorient her. Her supply of power isn't infinite in this form, either, and she begins to ease the amount she gives so that he might become accustomed to different levels of what she may lend...

And then-- that.

Energy gathered into his palm then flung out where it halts at a distance, expands, and then it pulls with a great force towards itself. Air, particles, and everything in between taken into a finite point where they reach both oblivion and infinity. She spots a red aura at its event horizon, wild and chaotic; it's not perfect, there's excessive streams bleeding from it, but... ]

[ Her head lifts. ]

[ "Pyra--"

It's spoken as a warning. ]

[ Suddenly, he'll feel her arms tighten around him as they fall.

If that great well in gravity is what she thinks it is, even if only mimicking it, that's far more a dangerous spell than she had ever expected to see. ] Somnus-- [ She says his name cautiously. Could he do this all along? Can any of those of his line perform this? Just who is this man?

Through their connection he may feel the energy flutter jaggedly; not in fear, but... there is some apprehension that underlies the overwhelming awe. She doesn't let go or cut her power to him, however. It seems she trusts him in this. ]

[ The flutter in energy speaks louder than her saying his name. The weapons dissipate into a shower of particles. With his gaze still fixed on the pulsating sphere below them, Somnus' muscles tighten as his blade materializes in his hand. Like she around him, he tightens his arm around her before winding his sword arm back and hurling the blade aside, out of the range of the gravitational pull.

Although that pull interferes with the blade's torque, the warp lands them on the ground several meters away with Somnus' back to the magic. His cape lifts behind him, then falls to rest against his back when the spell soon depletes on its own.

Even if she didn't sever the link between them, it would've been foolish to ignore her opinion on this. He felt what can only be described as apprehension. Rising, he pulls Pyra up with him and looks down at her face with a neutral countenance, inviting her to speak frankly. ]

[ With him more securely holding her, he mitigates the wavering apprehension; he will feel the energy smooth out as if comforted and grateful in return, as if being steadied by his support.

Yet his exercise the spell continues, becoming more magnificent before fading. When at last they settle upon the ground with the final warp, her eyes linger upon the sphere before it vanishes as if consumed by its own gravity. Her gaze lingers on where it had been, and then she looks to him as she withdraws her lent power to herself. ]

...Th-that was.... [ Her voice is hushed, but there remains an excited, awe-struck tone beneath it all. ] Where do I even begin?

Your-- warping, and flight, and, and your light... That last spell, too. I-- did not think I'd ever see a-- star like that appear here. [ That last spell that had been dangerous to see in a plane like this, yet he controlled it, he had been unafraid of that power. Dear Architect, all of it is amazing. She cannot take her eyes off of him. ]

[ Finding her bearings, she smiles. ]

Somnus-- [ Smiles excitedly, at that. How grateful she is to know him, to be able to bear witness to what he can do. Breathless just as the first time he had warped with her, she repeats his name. ] Somnus, you are... blinding.

[ His arm uncoils from her waist so that he can reach for her hand while she gathers her bearings. He blinks at the mention of a star. For him, it's just been something he could do by tapping into his power ever since he donned the ring. The science behind it, if there is one, is beyond his understanding.

Blinding, she says again. But this was a team exercise, all things considered. ]

This link between us is what enabled all of those things to happen at once. What you experienced was more than just the power of kings.

[ Her hand easily accompanies his; the both of her hands do, lifting it up between them. ] Ah-- but that means you can use that spell all on your own?

[ She continues to gaze at him in wonder. Even if he can do only one of those things at a time, that doesn't diminish his talent at all. ]

Where, where did you learn something like that?! [ Yes, she's heard that the crystal is the source of his magic, but the application of using it for something like that makes him more than a creative genius. ]

[ Speed, consistency, and potency—all these aspects of his abilities are enhanced by the affinity link. But what really stood out while they were airborne was her presence. In the months he's practiced his techniques out here, he's done it alone. This time, he knew and felt that she was there.

Even now, he doesn't just see, but also feels, her at his side. All the spells he can throw around seem so trivial compared to that feeling. ]

I came by it once I was crowned king. Marching across the land, I required a means to gather the daemons swiftly.

[ A means to gather daemons swiftly.... by creating a black hole type of spell. Okay, does he even know--

She double takes. ]

You developed this spell yourself?!

[ ~~Yes, Pyra, he just said that.~~ She needs a moment to process this. ]

[ No, he doesn't know. ]

Each king has a power unique to himself. This was mine.

[ That more or less answers her question, though he wouldn't claim credit for developing something like the manipulation of gravity, of all things. ]

It... is like a core of the grandest of stars upon their collapse, found only... above. [ To think that she's holding hands with someone like him-- ] So dense, that it does not allow most light to escape it.

[ Her cheeks flush as she looks at him, awe-struck and eyes shining with the morning light. ] But you've reproduced that here! Of-- of all the things! [ Even though it vanished after a few moments, which is no matter, black holes may evaporate anyway.

She squeezes his hand, fingers running over his knuckles tenderly. What he's just shown her goes beyond all of what she's experienced in this world so far. Dangerous but extraordinarily beautiful, he's given her something like a gift here, although he may not know it. Hushed, grateful, and touched, she continues: ] That's the first true star I've seen in this world... [ A small, breathless laugh then escapes her, and she smiles again. ] Unique doesn't even begin to describe this talent you have, to exercise power like that!

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