♥ September (Ohnir) Event Log

[hugtopiamods]

September (Ohnir) Event Log
The month of Ohnir brings with it a slow but steady relief from the heat, as summer gives way to autumn and the city begins to change with it. Plants are slowly deflowering, leaves are starting to fade and fall, and while the season is not yet in full swing, all the signs are there if you know where to look. The city is abuzz with new energy as the residents realize that for the first time in centuries, they have some actual nature clean-up ahead of them: raking leaves, pruning branches, protecting young wildlife and fresh plants from the incoming chills of winter. Such work used to be relegated to those who cared for the botanical gardens and zoos, but now everyone who's been enjoying this year's garden harvest has to learn how to future-proof their treasured flowers. Offworlders are encouraged to do the same, lest all of the growth be lost over the winter.

---

❥ PROMPT I: A Clean Getaway

With all of the work to be done, it's no surprise that some are looking for new ways to refresh themselves and relax, and what better time would there be to open up the Public Baths! All the volunteer work cleaning the place has paid off, and the facilities are officially open and available for use. It is technically free to use, as a public facility, but those visiting are encouraged to tithe a small donation once in a while to pay for upkeep and freshen up the place, provide new soaps, etc. No judgment if you can't! It'll just make everything that much nicer in the long run.

The baths are separated into a few sections: oil baths for the native residents, and water baths for the offworlders. For obvious reasons, offworlders are encouraged not to enter the robot-residential sections! Though they are not strictly forbidden... it would be quite messy and bad for your health.

The offworlder half has additional separated sections that may interest characters when they visit:

1) Hot Springs Style - Clothed or Unclothed: there are 3 available rooms for each, one for separate presented genders, and a shared bath for those comfortable with the concept or don't wish to use either male or female. Each room has one larger pool and a few smaller sets, so you can sit by yourself or with others as you please.

2) Pool: a shared public pool! The water is nice and cool, which should be a comfort to those still struggling with the lingering summer heat. There is some water game equipment available for open use if people want to play and get their sports on.

3) Sauna: similar to the springs, once again, there are 3 rooms for gender splits so everyone can enjoy the place at their own comfort level.

It all seems very nice and relaxing for everyone, but this wouldn't be a proper event without some shenanigans now, would it? There are a few effects that may occur within the baths, and these effects are somewhat random. Some characters may experience them to a powerful degree, while others feel nothing at all. Players can decide for themselves who and where these will affect, so feel free to mix, match, and go wild. The effects are:

• The spring water is so relaxing that you feel free and more willing to talk about yourself, or share your feelings more openly.


• The swimming pool is cool and energizing, making you want to horse around and play with others nearby. You may also feel inclined to drape yourself onto others, like a cool, comfy pillow.


• The sauna has you dishing up spicy hot takes, releasing negative emotions or complaints, and makes you a little more inclined to gossip.

All effects can either be nullified or emphasized according to player discretion by physical contact. For some characters, holding hands or something will stop the effects, but for others it'll intensify them - it should keep characters guessing!

❥ PROMPT II: REM Stands for Realistic Emotional Memory in These Parts

Characters who were around last year might remember a bout of strange and sporadic dreams that plagued the town around this season, along with the sensation that they were being followed. This year, dreams once more enter uninvited to one's mind, but this time, it occurs as a random daydream while they are awake, and it is very different from person to person- instead encouraging you to do the following. All visions start out hazy, like a grainy old movie where details and figures are difficult to make out, but there is something both familiar and alien about it. It feels like a memory… but it is not your memory. Over time, the visual begins to clear the more often the dream repeats, until slowly the images grow more distinct, offering clearer faces, the addition of voices, discernable quotes or expressions. The memory will provide hints as to who it might belong to, though the subtlety of those hints will likely vary. Before too long, if you have not found a way to rid yourself of the dream, you will experience an entire memory of another person in town as if you were witnessing it from their perspective!

Now, how does one rid themselves of these strange visions? You could wait it out, if you're patient enough and not inclined to seek the answer, but those who've been here long enough can wager a guess: you must find the source of that memory and "send" it back to them through physical interaction of some kind. Some memories may take longer to transfer than others, and it may depend on the person, the memory itself, how clear the memory has become in the time you carried it… no two experiences are likely to be the same.

There are a few specifics about these memories that are worth noting:

• the memory should be of a single event, not a series of events that span a long period of time. For example, you could witness the stretch of someone's day at a wedding or long party (sped up to skip insignificant moments so it doesn't play in real time), but not a memory of an entire war that goes for months. How long the memory goes for is up to the player that the memory belongs to, as long as it falls within these guidelines.


• you are not limited to a single memory from a single person. Once you have solved one vision, after a certain amount of time, you may find yourself plagued with another.


• you will not necessarily end up having the same memory partner! You won't always have the memory of the person who has your memory. Characters are encouraged to pair up and try to piece together clues that might lead you to your intended partner. Help each other out and guide one another in the right direction if you can.


• those whose memory has been borrowed may find it difficult to recall it; it can seem fuzzy and indistinct, missing entirely or simply missing choice details. Through physical contact, that memory will fully return to them and both participants can experience it together.


• you can find your partner accidentally! If you're still searching for clues and happen to touch your partner through other circumstances - such as shake their hand at first meeting, or hug a friend - you may find both of you are suddenly experiencing a memory together as it is transferred! Aren't you lucky, to have found your partner so easily?

!!! IMPORTANT !!! The contents of the memory shared is up to you, but please be mindful of harmful subjects and tag/mark your comments and toplevels accordingly! Triggering memories should be noted with content warnings. Be kind to your fellow players! If someone asks you to tag something and you have not done so, please correct it as soon as possible. Untagged comments that aren't adjusted and are reported to us may be subject to mod screening until the issue is resolved.

❥ PROMPT III: I Shall Fight With My Bear Hands

Closer to the tail end of the month, one of the research facilities distributes a "Help Wanted" advertisement through the network, requesting the aid of offworlders. The advertisement reads:

"Calling all offworlders! Havenwell Research and Development is seeking volunteers for both physical prowess and supernatural ability testing. All are welcome! Even if you have no combat skills and feel only a desire to learn, we have a job for you. Those who already possess some form of self-defense or combative powers will be partnered and asked to "spar" in a partially digitized facility, or proceed with a simulation that will gauge destructive capabilities. And for those who possess neither, don't worry! Our program is specially designed to help you discover just where your talents lie.

No harm should come to any volunteers, as this is strictly simulation-based, similar to the virtual reality technology already widely used throughout the city. However, in case of any accidents, medical staff is on site to treat injuries as needed. Additionally, there is no need for you to wear any of the VR headgear typically required in our cafes, so if these devices cause you discomfort, this may be a simulation that better meets your needs.

Please contact us ASAP if you are willing and able to help. A monetary commission will be awarded upon completion of each session."

Any volunteers or inquiries will be provided with more information, and invited to one of the research towers located in town. They are guided to a floor that is abuzz with activity, partnered with whoever happens to be scheduled at the same time or a partner they themselves opted to bring with them, and taken to a room akin to Star Trek's holodeck. There, they can input "powers" or "no powers", and a simulation will be created for them based on their selected guidelines.

With Powers:
The console invites characters to select one of two options- their own abilities, or temporarily gain access to the elemental powers offered via AC Rewards (point levels 50, 100, and 200). They are able to choose a particular power level for the duration of the simulation, which can either dampen their natural abilities to a more fair level for the test you're undertaking, or remain normal. While in the simulation room, rather than actually using any real abilities, the room will materialize whatever ability you choose without causing true damage to either the room or your opponent. Science, or magic? It's probably both. Feel free to go wild and have fun, maybe try some powers you've never experienced before or vent your frustrations on being stuck here!

Without Powers:
The console invites characters to select a type of weapon and skill level, and said weapon will materialize in a basic form; while held inside the room it moves and feels real, but it cannot be removed from the facility. Those who are skilled in utilizing said weapon are free to wield it as if it were the genuine article in their chosen simulation. Those without much or any skill will be walked through a tutorial on basic techniques from a variety of styles, old or new, most unfamiliar but well suited to the body type of the person using the program. It's quite intuitive, though it is by no means perfect, so characters might end up being guided through a stranger workout than intended.

For versus mode, each participant has an HP bar displayed above their heads, and everyone has the same HP unless both players select an unbalanced mode, and the goal is to force your opponent to hit zero HP. Characters can also choose how realistic the simulated violence is and how the process feels: in low realism, it's similar to laser tag, where characters flash a colour when hit and take damage without feeling anything more than some uncomfortable vibration. In high realism, pain is genuine to a certain degree depending on how high a level they choose, though it is artificial and will fade as soon as the program ends. Hitting zero HP will not result in a knock-out, but characters will feel dizzy and be forced to sit down, unable to rise again until they surrender. All effects wear off as soon as the simulation ends.

For demonstration mode, participants are given a selection of virtual targets to practice on using whatever method of combat they've chosen. It could be moving targets, such as creatures that have invaded the barrier previously (via the Wild Wild prompt), or simulations of the more dangerous beasts in the museum/zoo areas of town. It could be simple targets built to take a beating without providing much challenge in return. It could be a collection of buildings that characters can break or explode as they please. This mode is designed to gauge just how strong a person's destructive potential is, either with their own powers or with powers granted to those who have been blessed by their patron god.

Characters are welcome to volunteer as many times as there are available partners and/or slots! So feel free to try a few times using different options.

❥ PROMPT IV: A Bonus Trip Down Memory Lane

Last year, some offworlders might remember the tradition of sharing stories in the temple of Ohma, to offer small tributes to the god on their first month of devotion. It is that time of the year again, and everyone is welcome to return and share more stories, or perhaps retell an old favourite to a new audience. Here is the event as described previously:

Ohma's temple is particularly lively during Ohnir and the priests are busy cleaning and sweeping, decorating it with rolls of parchment and digital inkwells and quills that write as if they were actually fountain pens. The natives, especially adherents of Ohma, start to make pilgrimages to the temple in little processions, some playing music, others flying banners.

Anyone who chooses to follow can observe the natives going up to the altar and sharing stories with one another. They talk about things they did over the past year or things that are far, far in their past. Some of the stories are happy and result in the procession laughing and some are...well, not everyone returns safely from certain disasters that befall the city throughout the year. The priests diligently write every story down on those parchment rolls and deposit them onto the waiting altar, where they're summarily lit on fire to the cheers of those present. The more emotional the story it seems, the brighter and bluer the flame that it emits and the louder the procession cheers.

As the file out, they notice you watching and urge you to go up with someone else in the temple to clear your heart and offer up your own stories. They can be stories of home, information about your worlds, or stories about your life.

---

This event will run from September 14th to 30th. Click on each prompt's title to see the text. If you have any questions, feel free to direct them to the FAQ or to the Mod Question thread.

Comments

wildcard memories go

[nyxly]

[ Nyx is minding his own business when he feels his mind become clouded. It's different, he realizes, from the intrusive flashes of his memory that come and go during random and inopportune moments, moments that he can brush aside with a blink of a shake of his head. This feels more akin to a nagging sensation, a invisible fly buzzing at his ear, a memory at the periphery of his consciousness.

He stops in his walk, inclining his head like a mutt within an alley, as if he's been called by someone from far away. He waits. ]

[carbungle]

[The vision that comes to his mind, before too long, is intense and disjointed-

He looks up to greet the massive eye of the Hydraean, soaring through the sky together amidst a backdrop of endless blue. He screams for her aid over the thundering wind, but her response is a language he can only guess at, and he's grown so tired of their games and riddles and demands that he has no patience for them anymore. Before long he is thrown off, and her meaning is made immediately clear: like with Titan, he must fight a god. This time, though, he is alone.

He tries- truly, he does. The water chokes at his lungs and fogs his vision, his balance off-kilter in the hurricane she's created to stop him. His stamina wanes as he warps over and over just to reach her or evade teeth longer than he is tall, nevermind go on the offensive. It isn't long before a lash of her enormous body swings too wide for him to evade, and he is sent flying, landing hard, the shrapnel of a broken building the only thing keeping him from being lost to the sea. He lies there, stunned and on the edge of consciousness, and wonders: is this it? All of his struggles, all of the hopes that his loved ones have placed in him, and this is the best he can do? Some king. Some Chosen. Luna did so much for him... he needs to do better for her.

His eyes are drawn to the altar, and that's when he sees it: the approach of the Imperial Chancellor, moving confidently towards her. They're far enough away that any words exchanged are lost on him, but even in his fading state, he can see all too clearly the glint of a blade in the man's hands. He can hear the pained gasp from Luna as it strikes her.

"Oh prince! Your bride awaits!"

Those words reach him seconds before consciousness leaves him, before he can even think to move; it comes and goes, and he wrestles stubbornly to keep it. Get up. Get up. His head throbs, his heart aches. Her name is an echo in his mind, over and over. Luna, Luna, Luna. He needs to save her, he needs to heal her. He has potions left, surely he must have at least one. One might be enough. It has to be-

He wakes again to the scream of Leviathan, and a bright light in the distance. The light passes over him, reaching towards him like the hand of a god, only kinder than any he's known before. It feels like her, he thinks, as the soft light forces the chill of the ocean to leave his body, instead filling it with warmth. Heat. Power. Seconds later the Armiger takes over- he is lifted into the sky, and the more that light floods into him, the more clarity he feels, understanding immediately. To receive the blessing. To destroy the Imperials. To save Altissia. To save Luna... he'll end it.

He raises a hand, and the weapons of his ancestors come to him: thirteen glaives, those he's collected and those he's yet to find. Luna's trident. His father's sword. Each and every one of them bound to him in this moment, borrowed and enhanced by the call of the Oracle. He can do anything like this. It's incredible, breathtaking. Leviathan screams her murderous rage at him, and he feels nothing. Gone is his anger, his reckless confidence, his anxiousness and fear. He's going to win, and nothing can stop him now.

Nothing does, until Leviathan falls, conceding defeat with an outraged shriek that rocks the heavens and quells the worst of the storm. He'd danced through the air around her, untouchable and overwhelming her with a million tiny cuts until she fell to pieces into the sea below. The power leaves him then, and his body remembers that he is wounded, exhausted, drained of everything he had to give. Unconsciousness rises up to swallow him as he falls from the sky. His final thought as the light winks out around him, abandoning him to the dark, is Luna's name...

...and then, fleetingly: I used the last potion.]

1/2

[nyxly]

[ Noctis receives the following memory in return: a voice cutting clearly through the whir of engines, alarms blaring from the dropship's panels, and a shaky perspective as the cabin jostles violently during their rapid descent. They are moving too quickly, and his hands are strained upon the wheel and throttle in front of him, desperately attempting to salvage their plummet.

"Not all miracles are made by magic."

The attention of the vision turns towards the voice, catching the clear words of a woman with the west behind her shoulders. The sun sets upon her like a crown; she's haloed in its light as she speaks in a calm voice. She is trying to reassure him, when it is herself she should be most concerned about.  Disbelief, frustration, that she may be merely posturing at being noble rise within the memory-holder. Those thoughts cease within the next instant when she speaks again with that same tone, resolved and gently urging him to believe the same. The thought of this woman posturing is excised then and there, for the determination is unmistakable in her eyes when she speaks again. "I do not fear death."

They pass one of the towers of the Citadel, casting them in shadows.  Yet whether in darkness or light, her resolve does not waver.

"What I fear is doing nothing... and losing everything."

Then she leaps from the ship.

"...Oh come on--"

Scrambling from his seat, he warps to catch her fall. ]

[nyxly]

[ Leviathan. The princess. Ardyn. Power, the Armiger--  

Nyx's head snaps upward, his shoulders heaving as if it was he himself who had just fought the Tidemother. His hand trembles upon the countertop, knuckles stark white in support. He's unsettled, thrown off guard and nearly off balance, and the frustration and desperation to fight ripple like an aftershock through his mind. He inhales sharply through his nose, attempting to quell the storm that, unlike Leviathan's fall, does not quell.

Lunafreya is dead.

Ardyn murdered her. That-- daemon--

He tears himself from the counter, storming out of the house as his mind becomes clouded with anger, and boiling resentment, frustration at ever having believed he was anything but the person capable of killing someone so innocent and good.

The vision could only belong to one person. But that is not the person who he seeks as he storms past buildings. ]

[carbungle]

[For a long moment after receiving the vision, Noctis is not pushed into action; instead he is frozen, hands lifting to press against his face, wholely unprepared to see that. To see her.

Luna... alive, and well, and as strong as he remembers her. Steadfast and sure of her destiny in a way he'd never been, brave beyond measure. That was... Insomnia. Through the motion blur and shaking he'd recognized the Citadel's architecture. Powerless, she'd jumped from a dropship. Incredible. She'd always been incredible, from the moment he'd met her as a child. His heart aches just seeing it, imagining what must have happened in the minutes and hours that followed: how hard she'd been fighting, not just that day but every day. How much she believed in what she was doing, right to the end. She suffered so much without complaint, using her voice to encourage others instead.

Fists clenching tightly, he barely manages to shake off his grief enough to march out the door, seeking one person in particular- the only one who could have been with her at that time, who'd protected her in his stead until the city fell.]

[nyxly]

[ It occurs to Nyx that he does not know where that monster is-- but he's certain that Ardyn has responded to the network before. It would be a simple matter to look him up and contact him through there. He takes out his device just as he's turning a corner-- ]

Wh--

[ --And walks right into someone. Instincts, heightened by anger and alarm, cause him to immediately lift up in defense to shove him against the nearby wall.

It's then that his memory of the dropship and Lunafreya return to him, causing him to immediately release him afterwards. Nyx takes a step back, lowering his hands, and looking at his palms in disbelief. That-- what was that? How could he have forgotten that? Hers words, her actions that followed...

He snaps at Noctis. ] The hell.

[carbungle]

[Distracted as he is, Noctis can't react in time before he's shoved, gritting his teeth as his back hits the wall. He reaches his hands up to defend himself, but before anything else can happen he's hit suddenly and unexpectedly with the memory of- Leviathan. The rite. That fierce battle, and- Luna.

Had he forgotten? He'd thought of her with such grief, remembered her words, waking up days later... but how she died had been-

Gods. He exhales a shaky breath, hands dropping to his sides, and he can barely hiss in return,]

The hell yourself. Why did I see that...?

[He doesn't even know which memory he's referring to. Both, probably. He's confused by either. Just what are the gods of this world doing...?]

[nyxly]

[ It occurs to Nyx that Noctis does not know the reason why these visions have been granted to them. The return of the one involving the princess fiercely defying his expectations of, well, princesses painfully contends with the one of seeing her being struck down before his very eyes.

Lunafreya did not trade her life like Nyx did for the power of the ring. She was slaughtered by a daemon at the altar; a monster robbed her of that choice. He's not a particularly religious man, but something about that strikes him as uncanny, sickening enough to twist his gut. He spits to the side.

This whole time, she had already been dead. ]

You didn't even make it to her.

[ Whoever took the Ring from her to pass it to him, did so taking it from a cold corpse. ]

[carbungle]

[Noctis flinches at that; he opens his mouth to respond, but nothing comes. He has no defense against the truth. He didn't reach her, couldn't save her, the one thing he'd wanted more than anything since he left home and lost everything. All he'd done is lay there as she was wounded, and she hadn't stopped despite death clawing at her. She'd used the last of her strength to give him power, and instead of using it to reach her, to save her life, he'd been too focused on the task at hand to think about how much time she had left.

His eyes lower along with his hands, clenched tightly into fists at his side. He stares silently at the ground. No one had blamed him for Luna's death except himself, but here it comes at last, and he knows he deserves it.]

[nyxly]

[ In the memory, Noctis had lamented the lack of potions-- potions? There was water all around him, he had ample power, hell, instead of fighting the sea goddess he could have turned the entire ocean into one giant potion--

Silence isn't good enough. He wants to hear it.

Nyx is unable to help how his voice raises as he demands, ]

Well?

[carbungle]

[It's such a far cry from the blunt and polite conversation he'd gotten from Nyx before; just goes to show how much influence Luna can have over someone, to incite such anger after knowing her so briefly. This, he understands. He's pretty sure he'd loved her from the moment they met- a child's love back then, but one that grew stronger as he did. She was just... like that. Kind and vibrant and deserving so much more than what life handed her.

It isn't fair, and-]

You're right. I didn't... I didn't save her. I wanted to, but...

[The rite. Leviathan. The city was falling to pieces all around them, the power his ancestors had imbued in him would only last so long. If he'd gone to her when Leviathan was targeting him, he could have made things worse. He could have failed to defeat her, when he'd only barely managed it with the choice he'd made. And later he'd learned... she was dying already. She wouldn't have been able to wake Leviathan again, and he'd be another covenant short. The gods demanded he act like a king, not a child longing to rescue a loved one. Even if he'd wanted nothing more in the world than to do just that.

Excuses, all of them. The blame is still his to bear.]

She did it so I could live.

["My prayers have been answered. My calling fulfilled."]

[nyxly]

[ "She did it so I could live."

And that's what it all comes back to. Regis had done the same, sacrificing a city, a kingdom to spare Noctis.

"The world." Luna said. Something greater, something grander. Noctis is their hope for the world, and she too understood that Noctis' life was more important than hers. Doing nothing and losing everything.

His anger is breaks to understanding. Noctis may have chosen to fight Leviathan instead of rushing to Luna, Luna may have chosen to lend him her power instead of sparing any for herself, but it was Ardyn that killed her. He should know better than to pin all the blame onto Noctis; that would have been no better than his brethren Glaives for blaming Lucis when it had been the Empire's fault. And if it was the Empire's fault, then it was undeniably the Chancellor's.

He tears his eyes from him, unable to stand how Noctis cowers and-- does nothing. ] I expected godsdamn better. Doesn't matter if you live if everyone starts dying for you.

[ Truthfully, he doesn't know if he should have expected better, or if part of his frustration is that he had expectations of this power Noctis has, with only now learning that's still not enough to have saved her. ]

[carbungle]

[Noctis flinches again, unable to help it. Nyx is not wrong, and it's something he'd felt plenty of times himself since his failure in Altissia. He'd been so confident at first, so sure. But day after day things got harder, and he felt like he was constantly chasing after a ghost. Luna was always ahead of him, never waiting, never faltering in her duties. She wanted to see him as much as he wanted to see her, but she was following her path when all he could do was follow her, wherever she guided him. He'd never committed to his fate the way she had. Not until the end, when the gods had forced his hand. Not until the choice was him or the world.

Nyx doesn't know this. He doesn't know Luna either, not really. A day on guard duty can't come close to 12 years of longing to stand at her side again, only to have her violently ripped away by a knife and his own ineptitude. The bitter words of a near-stranger couldn't come close to the sort of loathing he'd rained down upon himself since she died.]

You think I like it? [His voice is sharp, pitched with grief.] Having to watch people suffer and die for me, over and over? You think I want to be anyone important enough to sacrifice for? If I could trade my life for hers I'd do it in a heartbeat. She deserved the world more. The world deserved her.

[Someone kind and good and selfless to the core, who took in a silent, crippled child and gave him a reason to live again. Someone who surrendered to a life of captivity so he could escape death and Ravus wouldn't be alone. Someone who knew that every god she awakened stole more of her life away, who wanted so badly to be with the one she loved but understood the importance of her role in their world's fate. Someone who believed in him with her whole heart, that he'd do the right thing when the time came. A healer, loved by all the people whose lives she touched.

His eyes burn, but hell if he's going to cry now. He doesn't owe this man his pain.]

I'll pay back every sacrifice when it's time. I'll make sure their lives weren't lost for nothing. But it won't be worth it. Nothing's worth it.

[nyxly]

[ Ultimately, an affirmation that Noctis is actually capable of bringing it about. The fight against Leviathan is something Nyx would never have been capable of accomplishing on his own, or even with an entire squadron of Glaives at his back-- they had struggled against the Diamond weapon, after all, what hope would they ever have in taking down a god? If it had been him, Luna would have died in the very same manner...

He didn't trade his life with the want that someone would somehow make it up to him. That's half-assing it. That's weak. That's not good enough a reason to push someone forward, for Nyx. It's futile to fight for the past-- they're all dead, after all-- Noctis should fight for the future. 

...Nevertheless, Nyx can take some comfort that Noctis promises that their sacrifices won't be in vain.  That's a start. ]  You got the whole world depending on you. You better start fighting for that more.

[ And do a damn better job than letting more die for him, if he doesn’t want anyone else to sacrifice themselves for him.

His jaw clenches. Unwittingly, his mind brings back the borrowed memory of a twisted man plunging an equally twisted knife into her, reminding Nyx it is not Noctis who he ultimately must contend with. 

So he pivots, pointing a shoulder at Noctis, ready to leave. ] 

[carbungle]

[Noctis almost - almost - says nothing. He wants this conversation to be over just as badly, to let them go their separate ways and be done with it. He doesn't need the words of someone who barely knows him hanging over his head like they're meant to push him forward. He knows what he's supposed to do, and he'll do it. But the truth is that his final duty is to stop fighting, something he doubts that a soldier already disappointed in him would understand.

It's like Gladio all over again, pointing fingers and twisting daggers reminding him of things he already knows and doesn't want to hear. Coming from someone who, despite any pledges or promises made to the crown, is free to walk away at any time, who didn't grow up with a noose around their neck just loose enough to give the illusion of freedom until it was time to drag him back and strangle him to death. What does he understand about fate and gods, about holding lives in his hands and having to watch them slip away, about sacrifice?

...Nyx... did choose to sacrifice for Insomnia, though. He remembers that, Luna's words and gentle scolding when she'd misunderstood what he had to say about the man he knew only through rumours. He could have walked away but he didn't, instead saving her life and allowing her to hand over the ring to Noctis. Out of respect for her and her faith in this man, he grits his teeth, straightens up, and moves to follow.]

W... wait. [His voice sounds too pathetic, too small, so he swallows hard and forces it louder, as he'd done with Cor months ago, trying to sound commanding and strong like his father. Like a king.] Wait. Where are you going?

[Where was he going before Noctis ran into him? He looked like a man on a critical mission, and he still looks it now. It's... worrisome. Luna's dead, she's not here, and he's walking away from Noctis without any more fighting. The only other one involved was-]

[nyxly]

[ His first call only earns Noctis a glare over his shoulder. His second has him... not quite stop, but slow in his pace. Shoulders straightening, brow furrowed in quiet anger, he utters through clenched teeth: ]

Ardyn.

[ What he's going to do or what he's going to say if he finds the man, he doesn't even know himself, but it sure as hell would be incredibly satisfying to punch him in the face--

Sonofabitch, even that wouldn't matter. He's immortal, he probably has some healing factor. Now Nyx stops in his tracks, bringing up a hand to run it through his hair. He's growing increasingly frustrated. ]

[carbungle]

[He really hates to have his suspicion confirmed. Quietly cursing under his breath, he picks up the pace and pushes ahead of Nyx, hand lifted in case Nyx starts moving again and won't be budged.]

No. No way. He hasn't done anything- he doesn't even know about it.

[It's one thing for Nyx to blame him- he gets it, it was his failure that let her fall. He was there and he could've done something. But Izunia killed her. The daemon, not the man he was before. Noct isn't about to let him be punished for a crime he hasn't - and won't - commit. As if he doesn't carry enough guilt already. Hell, he'd probably let Nyx beat the shit out of him, and Noctis doubts it'll make either of them feel better in the end.]

[nyxly]

[ Noctis doesn't even need to step ahead of him, he would have reeled around always. Now, all he can do is take another step forward with his scowl. He's used to pushing past people, disobeying the orders of his higher-ups to get where he needs to go. He even made it all the way into the throne room at one point, forcing his way past any other soldiers and guards in the process.

Getting royalty to step aside, however, isn't in his expertise, which is why he doesn't simply barrel through Noctis. ]

What do you mean he doesn't? How long have you known?

[ What else is this kid not telling him-- ]

[carbungle]

[Noctis hesitates, reluctant to answer because he knows how it'll sound, but he pushes past it stubbornly, straightening his shoulders.]

...A... while. Look- I get it, okay? I needed some time, when I woke up and saw him here. I tried to kill him. If my dad hadn't stopped it, I'm pretty sure Ardyn would have let me hurt him.

[Not kill him. Even if he wasn't immortal, he can't see Ardyn just laying down to die. But flee, wounded- that he could see. He'd gone over that moment enough times in his own head to remember how it went, how Ardyn had summoned his blade not to fight but to defend himself from the Armiger Noctis had conjured that day. He'd looked every bit the startled animal that Noctis had felt like in the moment.]

[nyxly]

[ "I'm pretty sure Ardyn would have let me hurt him."...

And isn't that true of what Nyx himself knows of the man? Not the Chancellor, but an anxious, fidgety, unkempt man with scars upon his hands, who would take the injuries as some sort of penance. It's pathetic, and it would be pathetic to watch.

But so would Nyx be, should he continue to give into his anger and strike out at him. He should be better than this. He is better than this.

(And he realizes it then, that Noctis is already that better man, for not doing so, either.)

Nyx straightens and takes a half-step back, his scowl loosening into something that resembles frustrated defeat. This-- the memory, the Ardyn of the future, knowing that the ring must have come into Noctis' hands this way-- all leaves a bad taste within his mouth. So he spits to the side, frowning as his gaze remains distant. ]

You better tell him.

Before he finds out in this kind of way.

[carbungle]

[Noctis averts his eyes at that, visibly reluctant at the idea, but he has no argument. It's true that if the memory-share thing is becoming uncomfortably widespread, he really needs to have that conversation. And possibly a few more, should this keep happening for a while yet.

Closing his eyes briefly, he lifts his gaze back to Nyx and nods.]

...Yeah. I will.

[Soon. Somehow. When he figures out how the hell to convey this sort of heartbreak to a man already drowning under the waves of his future sins.]

[nyxly]

[ The memory was unpleasant. It was a harrowing battle, and it was done all while someone was left bleeding out and unable to be reached-- as if Nyx hasn't experienced that upon a battlefield before. The feeling of helplessness from losing someone and guilt of not doing more is too familiar, and not one he had thought he'd be reliving anytime soon. Doing better is something one can only accomplish in the future-- becoming stronger, becoming faster, becoming more powerful, and able to protect all one cares about, or sacrificing as need be.

The future is out of his hands, and Noctis knows that future. From how he doesn't tell more of it further, perhaps it's not the best. Despite his charged words and anger earlier, this remains true: the future lies with Noctis. No amount of frustration, from learning this or having died, will change that. ]

Then I'll you you get on that.

[carbungle]

[Noctis can only nod quietly. He expects Nyx to bail after all of this, and is fine with letting him do so now that it isn't in a more... Ardyn-focused direction. Before he does though, it clicks that there's another memory they'd shared, and Noctis raises his voice again.]

H-hey... thank you. For saving her... for protecting her when I couldn't. She was really grateful to you, for everything you did.

[He can recall the sad but admiring way she spoke of him, when those days in Insomnia had come up in their conversation. It's been in the back of his mind each time they interacted, as a reminder to try and get along with a person she'd obviously come to care for in the short time she'd known him.]

[nyxly]

[ So caught up in the young king's memory, he hadn't stopped to think of his own. With how determined she had been, it's likely that she would have been able to save herself from the city. And... It hadn't just been him. It was Libertus, too. It was the kings and queen of the Old Wall. Lastly, it was Regis who sent Noctis away to protect him. The city burned, but their hope remained beyond their walls.

Nyx stops before his turn, looking back at Noctis. ]

...It was worth it. [ The world was. Being part of all who protected her and the Ring. All of that, he doesn't regret. ] You savin' the world... it's going to be worth it, too.

[carbungle]

...Yeah. I'll make sure it is.

[And maybe, once the world is saved and the Scourge is gone, they can all rest. Luna won't have to follow him like a ghost awaiting her true calling. He won't have to suffer anymore. The world won't fear the dark, they can travel the world freely and watch the stars. All the lands that fell to Niflheim will be safe.]

You're... you're from Galahd, aren't you?