[Definitely not the follow-up he'd expected- though in retrospect he hadn't entirely been sure what she'd say, just had an overly-emotional guess based on the word of a goddess weeks after her loss. Surprised or not, he gives her question the thought it deserves. He won't deny that he is happy, particularly these days more often than not, though he's impressed that she could tell with how immediately weepy and pathetic he'd been the few minutes that had passed since he first saw her. He has family here, more friends than he'd ever had in Lucis, found love. He knows the truth of his destiny and while there isn't much happiness to be found in that, there is some... peace, maybe. In knowing what he's meant to do, in learning the end of his journey. He's still wobbling between depression and acceptance on that one.
Her situation doesn't have to be any different from his own. He hasn't died, but he's as close as one can get to it without stepping over the threshold; she's only just passed, and is surely reeling from her own fate the way he had when he'd woken up here with the truth still twisting around in his memories like an angry snake. It takes a while to come to terms with that, and he well and truly understands it by now.
So... happiness. For Luna. He never thought he'd end up as any kind of guiding light for her the way she'd been for him, but hopefully his fumbling answer might give her some comfort.]
Um... I learned how to be selfish, is the short version. It's not very altruistic. [Certainly not for the Chosen King, anointed by the gods, hand-picked by the divine light of the Crystal, blah blah blah.] I decided that at least sometimes, I'd just live for myself. Do what I want to do, say what I want to say. It's a lot easier here. [He offers up a tentative smile.] I'm nobody here. Not a prince, not a Chosen anything. Just Noctis.
[And it's so, so refreshing. People don't know unless someone tells them. There's such incredible freedom to be found in anonymity. She could find that freedom too, if she wanted.]
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Her situation doesn't have to be any different from his own. He hasn't died, but he's as close as one can get to it without stepping over the threshold; she's only just passed, and is surely reeling from her own fate the way he had when he'd woken up here with the truth still twisting around in his memories like an angry snake. It takes a while to come to terms with that, and he well and truly understands it by now.
So... happiness. For Luna. He never thought he'd end up as any kind of guiding light for her the way she'd been for him, but hopefully his fumbling answer might give her some comfort.]
Um... I learned how to be selfish, is the short version. It's not very altruistic. [Certainly not for the Chosen King, anointed by the gods, hand-picked by the divine light of the Crystal, blah blah blah.] I decided that at least sometimes, I'd just live for myself. Do what I want to do, say what I want to say. It's a lot easier here. [He offers up a tentative smile.] I'm nobody here. Not a prince, not a Chosen anything. Just Noctis.
[And it's so, so refreshing. People don't know unless someone tells them. There's such incredible freedom to be found in anonymity. She could find that freedom too, if she wanted.]