hugtopia_logs | those crystal blues

[ She hesitates, but ultimately answers. ] I... was wondering, for a moment, about why such a thing would happen to him. Without a failsafe in place, or a god's power to shutter those memories, this would have killed him. [ But he had said it himself,

"I do not claim to understand what the Astrals sought to accomplish with this, primarily because I can't fathom the reasoning for it."

And that's just the thing, isn't it? Attempting to discern the divine's message or meaning is dangerous. ] Maybe there was a failsafe in your world. But here... It was too close. And it-- [ She struggles, attempting to describe how she feels. ] It makes me... [ He forehead knits again. What exactly is she trying to say? It's more than just being upset or worried on Noctis' behalf. It's something akin to anger, but with a want for righteousness attached to it.

Anger is not an emotion she normally feels, and with so little experience with it, Pyra ultimately fails to come up with a term.

She shakes her head. ] I don't know. I'm only sorry we waited to protect him.

[He glanced to the side uneasily, not wanting to say what his first thought was. Of course there was a failsafe; the failsafe was 'not living long enough for this to be a problem'.]

It was a mistake not to be more insistent on seeking out a solution; a mistake we can both share rather than laying blame solely on our own shoulders. But rather than linger upon it, I think it best to accept we misstepped and move forward with a touch more caution.

I don't know what it is you did or how that crystal of yours truly functions, but I trust that you did the best that you could. From here, we'll work together to look after him when he's in need of it regardless of whether he'll admit as much.

[ She mulls over his words. Comforting as they are, they redirect her confusion to something more functional. What can be done now, in the present, takes precedent. At length, she smiles, sighing out some of her worries. ] ....Yes.

[ And, because he's here, and he has a right to know: ] And, please rest assured, Ardyn, that he's safer now than he was before. This crystal he has is that failsafe. This won't happen again.

You need not tell me the details if you do not wish to. I trust your actions and judgment, especially when it comes to Noctis. I know his safety can be entrusted to you, and I'm grateful for whatever it is that you did.

[ After a pause, she answers. ]

I don't mind you knowing. [ A smile that's stronger, this time, and she reaches out to his hand. ] You're... my family, too. And in this case... I'd rather be a crystal that gives answers than leaves another guessing. That is, if you want to know.

Very well, then. [He gently clasped her hand in both of his own, in what he sincerely hoped would be a reassuring gesture.]

If you wish to explain, then I will of course listen to every word.

Memories of the world, of eons. ..It seems like a lot, doesn't it? Too much, for a single person to comprehend or bear. [ Mortals aren't made for such things. Her gaze lowers to their hands, and then she turns her head, looking at Noctis' slumbering form from the corner of her eye. ] He had needed an equivalent power that could contain and process such vast history.

[ Her eyes slide shut, then open. She looks back to Ardyn. ] That is me.

[ He's already seen her once before as a crystal, he's already known some of her other secrets, too-- such as the human-like shell she wears as a form, the bright, golden power just beneath her skin-- even if she hadn't outright explained them. He hadn't judged her, then. Or questioned them. ] So I gave him that protection, by giving him a part of me.

[ She looks at him sadly, some tension returning to her shoulders. She knows how much their family has been effected by their own crystal and gods, not always for the better. She knows she's effect others' lives in her own world, not always for the better either.

But she wants to do better, she wants to do better for others, for those she loves. It's playing favorites among mortals, she knows that, but in all of her existence, who wouldn't love him or his family? ] I... promise you. I don't mean harm, or--... or to give him some other fate, or to make him my own 'chosen'. That's not-- [ She shakes her head, drawing a breath that she doesn't physically need to take. Never would she want to give the impression that she's claiming him as some sort chosen to an entity like herself, as his gods have seemed to mark him. He isn't a possession. He isn't a tool in some fate to her, some part of some grander plan.

He's someone she loves. ]

This is because I love him, and I want to help him.

...Pyra.

[The tone in his voice was light--almost admonishing, except for the faint smile on his face. It was as he said; he hadn't needed an explanation, but didn't mind being entrusted with one.]

[He pulled her back into a hug, with a soft and exhausted attempt at a laugh.]

You've no need to justify yourself to me. I have little doubt you saved his life with that, and we're fortunate you were capable to. Don't feel you have to defend that choice. You aren't-...

[-our gods, our Crystal, not Bahamut-]

...you aren't going to hurt him. I have no reason to doubt this fact, and neither should anyone else.

Ardyn...

[ She's never one to shy from hugs, no matter how often or how little they're given by another. And to think that when she had first been getting to know him, he had seemed far more skittish about engaging in contact with another. Now he's hugging her. Ardyn Lucis Caelum is giving her a hug. She might feel guilty-- something she'll have to work on herself, later-- but moments like these remain untarnished memories. ] Thank you. [ She whispers, her voice weak. ]

I don't want to see him hurt. I don't want to see you hurt, either. You, or him, or Regis-- [ Or Gladio or Ignis or Prompto. ] ... none of your family, hurt.

You all deserve to have peace in this world.

I know you don't, Pyra. You're a kind and compassionate person, and I would trust that you want the best for all of us.

...So thank you, for helping him. You've done very well, of that I am sure.

[ She pulls away from his embrace so that she may look a him, and her smile is filled only with gratefulness as she holds the both of his hands.

Here he is, having run immediately to see his family when Noctis had asked for help. Here he is, comforting her. No one would ever say that Ardyn doesn't care for his family. ]

...Do you want me to pass on a message? As he sleeps, I mean. [ She drops one of her hands, reaching up to touch at her spliced crystal. ] I have him here, right now, as he recovers.

[ Or he can wait to say whatever he wishes to say when Noctis waits. It's simply feels right to offer, though. ]

...No, it's alright. I suspect we'll need to talk once he wakes as it is, so I may need a bit of time to sort things out. I hope we can rely on you to help look after him until then?

[He managed to give her a faint smile, squeezing her hand lightly.]

Will you be alright, with your crystal like that? You're not in pain, are you?

[ She shakes her head. ] Not at all, truthfully. I don't even feel the burden his crystal has put upon him. [ --One that undoubtedly effects him.

Pyra looks over to Noctis, specifically, where her other part of her crystal is set upon his chest. ] ...And it seems so unfair, for it to be that way.

[ She turns her head away from him-- and back to Ardyn. ]

those crystal blues

no subject

no subject

no subject

tfw you forgot to finish a tag last night

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject