♥ 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

But why???

[kingkingcxiii]

[Having not realized he'd shared a memory earlier, Noctis' memory hits him with the force of a truck. In fact, Regis actually stumbles, the color going completely out of his face. He wants to try and process it, to stop the flood of emotion that makes it hard for him to tell where he is in amongst it all, but what stops the flood is not his own understanding, but Noctis frantically backing away.

The memory is no longer overwhelming him with Noctis having backed away, but that may not be the good thing that Regis was hoping for. With the flood of new feelings stemmed, Regis suddenly can recognize the horror rising in him. Those feelings are so familiar, though more distant for him than for Noctis.

He never wanted his son to feel as he himself had felt toward his father, and yet here...here...

A shaky hand lifts to cover Regis' mouth almost, but not completely, muffling his whispered words.]

By the Astrals, what did I do?

[When... What had made him become so much like his own father? Why had Noctis had to face such distance and coldness during their last moments together?

Why? Why had it turned out like this when all he wanted was anything but that for his son?]

/VAGUE GESTURES

[carbungle]

[Noctis' express immediately floods with guilt, and he's torn for a moment between reaching out to his father or staying separate so he doesn't give him any more unpleasant memories. He knows he carries worse than that, and while so far he has yet to send or receive more than one memory with the same person, he doesn't want to risk this being the first.

He can't just do nothing, though. That would make it so much worse. So he takes a tentative step forward, half-reaching out, though he doesn't make contact.]

Dad- Dad, hang on. Don't- [Don't read so much into it, don't think badly of yourself for this-] ...At least let me explain.

[kingkingcxiii]

[Regis almost wishes that Noctis would reach out and touch him. It would give him something to ground himself with. Instead, it takes longer than he would like to force himself to respond to his son's words. Before all of this, he'd been the one who'd said they needed to trust his future self. That he had reasons for what he did.

Seeing his father's grim face so strongly in his own, though, makes Regis wonder if he hadn't been wrong about that.

He takes a deep breath and then nods at Noctis. Of course, he will listen.]

Please.

[carbungle]

[...Ah. He hadn't really considered the follow-through, so he hesitates before he tries to respond again. How does he explain the mess of emotions that he'd felt that day? The compiled bitterness and sorrow of a lifetime of ups and downs, coming to terms with having a king for a father- a king who struggled and suffered so he could live happily, who bore the weight of the wall and kept him at an arms length to protect him, who'd broken more promises than he'd kept because war did nothing but take from them for his entire life. How does he gloss over the fact that gifts and freedom and indulgences of living the rich life of a prince meant so little compared to what he truly wanted, which was the company of his precious family?

What should he do? What he always does, which is lie, lie, lie, and say that it's okay.

His hand drops to his side, both clenching into tight fists, and he bows his head. He opens his mouth (to lie, again, like always) and what comes out is:]

You... he... [He takes a slow, shaken breath.] He didn't tell me. He knew Niflheim was planning something, and he sent me away without saying anything about it. The day before... he called me to the Citadel to meet with him, but it was nothing but delays, all day. He was late, again and again, and by evening he canceled. I was left out of the treaty dealings, sent away for an arranged marriage, all while the city was overrun with a bunch of Niffs? I thought I'd screwed up somewhere, that I'd done something wrong or he thought I'd ruin whatever he was planning. But since he wouldn't tell me anything, I couldn't make it right. Of course I was pissed.

[...And it's weird, letting himself voice these thoughts. A year ago he couldn't do it, wouldn't have dared. Does this count as progress or weakness, that instead of enduring it all with the grace and poise of a prince who can handle anything, he's whining like a child that can't see his father whenever he wants? It feels wrong, saying any of it out loud. He wants to stop, but... the way Regis cried out after the memory left them... he recognizes that dismissing this as is wouldn't be enough. He'd never be able to make it believable.]

I was pissed, [he says again, more quietly,] But I'm not anymore. Cor said that you wanted to be my dad, not the king, in the time we had left. And maybe you couldn't face me and lie, the night before. I... he knew how important it was that I survive. So yeah... I get it. That isn't how I feel anymore. [He looks up again, eyes pleading, hoping desperately that his words are enough.] Dad, I never hated you. Even when I was a brat and said I did, or acted out, or didn't listen- not once. I was... scared... I wasn't good enough when it really mattered.

[kingkingcxiii]

[Noctis may not be able to give him the grounding touch that he needs so badly, but there is something in the tone of his son's voice that acts as grounding instead. It's hard for Regis to focus on the words at first, and yet there is something that helps calm him and rein in the emotions that make him feel as if he is about to collapse.

Aulea. He can almost hear her in his son's voice. All the time she spoke, so calm and controlled, knowing her words were all that stood between him and a mistake that would tarnish his reputation as king. Her words were not always calm and controlled, though. Often they were full of fire and frustration, almost a kind of desperation when it was just the two of them. Just like it is only he and Noctis now.

His son. Her son. The only one they ever loved more than they loved each other.

Slowly, his mind begins to clear and his heart slows. His hand stops shaking, though when he runs it through his hair before letting it drop to his side, it really makes more of a mess of it than it straightens it.

Perhaps it is fitting. He's still a mess after all, just a slightly more composed one.]

I swore to Aulea I would never treat you like my father treated me. I swore it to you over and over once she was gone.

[At first, it seems as if Regis's words are far afield, but as he continues it becomes clear he is trying to explain his strong reaction, even as he tries to process what Noctis has told him.]

And yet, you had to leave so uncertain. So angry. Rightly so.

[Everything he felt Noctis feel was valid. He doesn't want his son to excuse his feelings even if excuses exist.]

We will never know for sure why he did what he did. Cor is likely right. I cannot imagine myself being able to lie or even bend the truth had we been alone together that night. And, if you had known, you would not have left. We both know that.

[Regis pauses a moment and when he continues again, it is obvious he was trying to steady his voice and was only partly successful.]

I am so sorry, my beloved, my only son. You never lacked in anything, despite what I know you believe. I would take your hate a million times over if it meant you were alive, and I would curse myself everyday for the pain I know that it caused you.

[He said it before. Guessed that is what his future self felt, but now, more than ever, he believes it true. The distance had to happen and as much as he hates it, Regis knows no better way to create distance than to step completely into the shoes of his father.

After all, he never felt more alone than when his father used that look on him.]

Thank you for not hating me.

lmao you're lucky i'm slow then <3

[carbungle]

[It's somewhere between the words and the expression on his father's face that breaks Noctis, and while he's not sure which hits harder, he recognizes the need for what it is. It's what shatters his fear of making it worse by sending another memory, and what makes him close the distance between them, grab Regis first by one arm, then the other, and pull him into a tight and urgent embrace. Send him a kinder one, if you have to, he pleads at whoever is listening, the gods of this world or fate or the unknown that caused this effect in the first place. Give us a break already.

No memory is shared on either side, though, and after a handful of seconds Noctis tightens his grip and closes his eyes, shoulders slumping with relief.]

I don't hate you, [he says again. He'll say it as much as he has to.] I love you. Always have.

[He knows, whenever Regis promised him anything, he wanted to keep it, and it was everything else that got in the way. What they had wasn't perfect, but they were trying to be better than the generations that came before, and that wasn't nothing in Noct's eyes. His father was precious to him, and the thought of losing him had filled him with fear and anxiety for years just as much as the thought of taking the throne afterwards.]

I'm sorry. I know it was hard on you, too... and it will be in the future.

[So many things must make it difficult. His resemblance to his mother, the fact that she was lost to them after giving birth, even his name must have been a painful reminder of her. He could easily have banished the source of that pain and grief to one of the furthest Citadel towers with a collection of nannies and tutors, shunning him until he reached an age where he'd look and sound like a grown man and be useful to a king, rather than just a tiny, needy echo of his lost love. Instead Regis made attempts when the kingdom allowed it- little trips when he could spare an afternoon, presents to make his child smile, more freedom and chances to be normal than any prince could usually have indulged. He knows his father had faced criticisms in the past for how lenient he was with him, sending him to school instead of giving him expensive tutors, letting him move out where he wasn't surrounded by Crownsguard at all times, something he hated. He was so, so fortunate, wanting for nothing except the one thing that Regis couldn't grant him, and the one thing the kingdom would not allow: freedom to be whatever he wanted, and his father's undivided attention.

He did his best against insurmountable odds, and Noctis, through his loneliness, through his grief and that anger he'd carried quietly until he learned the whole truth of his life... he was proud of his father for all the burdens he'd managed to bear.]

You did good. Believe that, if nothing else. No matter what happened... I'm grateful that you're my dad.

LOL! You are HARDLY slow. (Says me, the turtle. :-P )

[kingkingcxiii]

[Regis returns the hug hard enough that it seems that he is afraid Noctis--and his comforting words--will both vanish if he doesn't. He opens his mouth to day something, but ends up just shaking his head and shifting his focus to keep his suddenly damp eyes from betraying him more than they already have. The relief is just so...strong and all encompassing. How can he even begin to explain it? To be honest, he probably can't, but maybe he doesn't need to. Noctis might just be able to tell through his actions.

He hasn't failed his son or his wife. He hasn't. It may take him a while to believe it, but at least now he can think back on the words of his son to remind himself of that.

For all his flaws and mistakes, he hasn't failed.]

I couldn't ask for a better son. I was first blessed by your mother and then by you.

[How many times can he say 'thank you?' How many different ways were there? Regis is pretty sure he could say them all and still feel the need to continue.]

I know hardship awaits us both, but I will face it with a lighter heart thanks to you. I hope that my memory will aid you sometimes as well.

trundles along

[carbungle]

Believe me, it does.

[Regis has helped plenty over the course of his journey, even from the grave. It hadn't started off well, as that memory had demonstrated, and Noctis had undeniably resented him despite Cor's attempt to set him straight. Now that he knows the full truth, so much more of his life makes sense. How he was raised, the indulgences given, the lies and subtleties alongside the numerous chances to be more than just a prince.

A lighter heart... his father deserves that. A chance to enjoy life and breathe easy for a while. He hopes that the future keeps its distance from the both of them for a long while yet.]

You could stand to give a few more memories of Mom to other-me back home, though.

[kingkingcxiii]

[Regis can't help but smile a little at that before giving Noctis another squeeze and stepping back. After taking another deep breath, he seems much calmer.]

That I can do, though I have to admit I am surprised you know so little. I love talking about her when I have the chance.

[Of course, having the chance might be the issue.]

I'm sorry you had to grow up knowing so little of her, especially when she loved you so much.

[carbungle]

[Noctis pauses at that, cautious again of what to say, knowing the answer is complex and alludes to the memory he'd already struggled to excuse. After a moment passes he shrugs.]

It's fine. [Not like it made his life any harder or easier. He'd wanted to spend time with his father; the topic or activity hadn't really mattered to him so much as the company itself.] Gives us something to talk about here sometimes, right?

[kingkingcxiii]

[Regis nods, his smile widening a little.]

Indeed.

[The expression doesn't last long, though, as something suddenly strikes him.]

You did not gain any memories from me during this whole thing, did you?

[carbungle]

[Noctis blinks at the question. Did his dad not even notice? ...Though, looking back, they'd gotten distracted quickly enough by the effect the ring had on him...

Noctis glances down at his hand briefly, debating whether or not to bring it up. But they'd talked about his memory openly, so... it's only fair to equalize the playing field, so to speak.]

Um... yeah, actually. When I first cast the spell, when you grabbed me- I saw you. You had the ring, and... it was the first time you were gonna put it on.

[kingkingcxiii]

[Regis can't help but be stunned that he'd not even noticed the exchange when it happened, but then again, his son had been burning to ash in front of him. To say he was distracted was an understatement.

The night he had first put on the ring, hu? He supposes the fire might have been what caused his mind to go back to that. After all, even with all the time that has passed, he still remembers looking at his face in the mirror and noticing how tired the flickering candlelight made him look.]

Sometimes I wonder how differently things might have gone if your mother had not been there to support me that night.

[His eyes drift to the side as if he is perhaps imagining her there with them now. The words are also a distraction since he is now all too aware that his own concerns about his father being in the Ring rather mirror the concerns that Noctis shared with him back at the beginning of all this.]

[carbungle]

[Noctis watches his expression quietly for a moment, trying to determine what there is to be gleaned from it; things his father isn't saying, memories left unshared. There's always been so many mysteries in between, and even with the extra time they're given here, he doubts he'll ever know them all.]

...It would've hurt more, [he says simply, quietly.] I know how much she supported you. She'd never have let you do it alone. I'm... really grateful she was with you, Dad.

[He didn't know her, and the pain his father experienced wouldn't have been the same kind he did, he's sure. But there was an agony in that moment, the rush of power and duty that overwhelmed him both body and soul, and he'd been alone when it happened. Desperate, terrified, worried for his friends and his own life. He'd thought a lot about that moment in retrospect, how much he wished he'd put it on in Altissia, when he was surrounded by family, safe and supported and loved.

His father hadn't pushed away his mother the way he'd pushed everyone away from himself, and Noctis is so, so glad. The memory is a gift, albeit one with jagged edges: he knew what it could have been like if he'd done it differently, what it felt like to experience the crushing weight of destiny fall on his shoulders and have someone else there with him to shoulder the load. He'd felt it here the first time, with Regis at his side to help as he put on the ring, and he's doubly glad that he made that choice, difficult as it was. Now he has two memories to help outweigh the bad.]

[kingkingcxiii]

I am too. I think it would have taken longer to feel ready. Lingering would have been too easy. It...

[Regis pauses, looking for the right words and then has to laugh at himself silently. Why is he searching so hard when Noctis has been there now? He knows.]

It's a lot. No matter how ready we think we are, when it is just you and the ring, you are not ready. There is no way to truly be ready until that very moment.

[He pauses again, once more considering his words before speaking. His words this time are softer and uncertain.]

I hope you weren't disappointed with what you saw.

[carbungle]

[Immediately, Noctis is shaking his head, brushing up against a horrified expression at the idea that his father might ever think that.]

No, no, I... [Heck, now he has to share how it felt, doesn't he.] For a long time, I... didn't know how I'd meet up to everyone's expectations. Or my own. I watched you and wondered how I could ever be king like you were.

[His father was a mighty and immovable stone, the protecting wall of Lucis, calm and composed but still kind-hearted. They'd had their differences as he grew up, of course, but Regis was still the one he'd looked up to the most, who he wanted to make proud and not disappoint.]

Is it weird that I felt kind of... relieved? Like- knowing that you hesitated. That you were scared, too. [Just like me.

He would never call his father a coward. That... made it less fair to consider himself as one, didn't it?]

[kingkingcxiii]

My father used to say that the only way that the king could protect Lucis was to be as solid and unmovable as the shield he held around it. He said my soft heart was a weakness that put that protective wall at risk, and I needed to be rid of it because if it caused the wall to break, the king behind it would be just as broken and useless to Lucis.

[Then again, Noctis knows this part of the story because Regis has mentioned it before. Mors had always thought his son too soft to be the king Lucis needed. Regis is still undecided on if that is wrong or right considering what he knows of the future.]

Sometimes, I wonder if that is why he faded as fast as he did once he had to pull the wall back. He broke and by his own logic that made him of no use to Lucis.

[Regis sighs and then gives Noctis a small smile that is partly guilty for straying a bit and partly relieved because it feels so good to know that Noctis feels as he does.]

Never forget that despite how it looks, there is a man behind the king. When your mother died, I thought that part of me died along with her, but being here and getting to know you has proven me wrong.

Thank you.

[carbungle]

Gramps kinda sucked, you know.

[He's allowed to judge. He never met the man but if he's really that much like his parents then King Mors wouldn't have approved of him, either. He's never tried chasing that soul in the ring, and everything he hears just makes him less and less inclined.

Regis, however, gets a proper smile, more calm and relaxed than before.]

Thank you. I... think it helped me realize a few things. [He doesn't elaborate, but his gratitude is genuine.] And I hope you'll feel like that back home sometimes, too.

[If he could have helped his dad revive some of that old love and humanity, even if it was behind closed doors, he'd be happy. He doesn't know - unlikely to know, as that would require an older Regis and he doesn't wish more bad memories on the man - but he's pretty okay with that fact. Here, it's enough.]

[kingkingcxiii]

[Regis can't help but chuckle softly at Noctis' blunt words because they are true. Every one of them.]

I am glad to hear it.

[Even if his son doesn't want to elaborate, Regis really means that.]

I hope I can as well. It...

[A thought crosses Regis' mind, but just as quickly as it does, it is gone. Perhaps it will return later, but for now they have both been through a lot of emotional upheaval. It is time for a rest.]

Never mind. Why don't we save that thought for later? I think we both have done enough heavy thinking for the day.

[carbungle]

[Noct's brows furrow a moment. He doesn't know what Regis trailed off about, but he can't help worrying over that hesitation.]

Are... you sure?

[His dad's probably right, they've covered... kind of a lot, but he'd hate to regret not asking later. They both can be awfully cagey about this sort of thing at the worst moments.]

[kingkingcxiii]

[Regis gives his son a smile followed by a certain nod.]

I am. I think it is something I need to explore a little bit more before I try to express it.

[He's pretty sure that is why it slipped away from him so quickly anyway. Some thoughts cannot be rushed.]

I will be certain to let you know when I have worked it out.

[carbungle]

Okay... I'll hold you to that.

[Well, maybe. He can hardly begrudge his dad for being evasive about problems when he does the very same thing. Still, he's... a little relieved again. Today really has been heavy enough without needing to add to it. He steps back at last, lifting a hand as a farewell gesture.]

Then- I'll see you around, Dad. Thanks for the training.