Take these stars from my crown

[flawed_immortality]

♥ Who: Lucis Family + SOs
♥ Where: The food testing area
♥ When: Late Nov/Malom
♥ What: The Eosians getting together for a family gathering.
♥ Rating: Probably just PG?

Cor made a point of getting to the tower early so he could make some preparations, setting the table for the full family. Even Will is coming and that is so strange. Cor has never once in his life had a +1 for any kind of event. Yet here he is setting a table for nine instead of eight.

The prep work had taken weeks of going over the correct textures and tastes with the research team, something Ignis had taken on the bulk of the work for while the others worked on the wall. Still he was confident that they were close enough to get a solid match on many foods, leaving some of their bet recipes only very slightly off from the originals. Cor had taken over rolling a large selection of sushi as well as a light starter soup. Some of the more robust recipes had been Ignis' purview but, if nothing else, Cor is an efficient prep cook.

All in all there's a pretty spectacular spread when everyone arrives, something for everyone and a familiar Altissian berry cake for dessert.

Comments

[carbungle]

[Noctis arrives at the party with his household retinue in tow, including probably the dogs, because they go where he and Luna go these days, so deal with it. He's also, curiously enough, wearing what counts as formal wear for him these days: a lovely dark button-up shirt and a pair of sleek black jeans. There are embroidered skulls peppering the cuffs, because of course there are, and he wears a solid-looking silvery chain around his neck, tucked down into the shirt. Surprise, he cleans up nice! Mostly when he is coaxed in that direction by a certain princess.

He also arrives with a large, steaming covered platter that smells amazing, and once it's on the table with the rest, it is revealed to be steaks! Big, thick, juicy steaks unlike almost any meat the other guests might be familiar with, peppered with whatever array of spices are available in this world. While it might not be immediately obvious what kind of steak it is (especially considering the normal limitations on the food replicators) one can safely assume that Ignis was involved in helping to cook it. They look far too delicious for it to be Noct's handiwork alone.

Still, he does look stupidly proud of this accomplishment, and will happily regale the story to anyone curious enough to ask: just what is that delicious-smelling mystery meat?

He's also mingling around trying not to be an awkward wallflower otherwise, but some things just can't be helped.]

[kingkingcxiii]

A.) Beginning of the Party: The dance of flames and shadows in the street; make poetry nobody's ever heard

It's probably not surprising to anyone that Regis arrives to the tower only a short time after Cor does. He's not the one who suggested this whole thing, but he has taken it upon himself to make sure everyone has a good time. That means defusing any tense situations should they arise--which he doubts will happen since the ones most likely to cause those are not here--making sure that no one feels left out, and making doubly sure that Cor takes at least some time to relax and enjoy things with Will.

His outfit is undoubtedly the bastard child of a suit and someone's weekend mall wear, but both Will and Cor agreed it looked okay, so Regis put his misgivings to the side. It's not like he knows much about casual wear. He's pretty sure there's some law somewhere about kings not being allowed to own such things. For Astrals sake, Cor had to talk him out of wearing the crown!

Come to think of it, though, he should probably see about overturning that law at some point. It would make his life so much easier even if it did give the traditionalists on the council heart attacks.

As soon as people start arriving, Regis sweeps into action greeting them, giving hugs, directing them toward food or whatever else may strike their fancy. Anyone watching him will quickly see why he so easily charms crowds at the balls back home, only here the smiles, embraces, and well wishes are all real and not a mask meant to woo the favor of ambassadors or wealthy families.

Woe be to those who wish to be wallflowers. He's not going to allow it for long.


B.) After Dinner: The weight of loneliness stands on your feet; the cage already there around the bird

It isn't unusual for the excitement before such a dinner to calm afterward. Everyone is full, more ready to settle with loved ones than mingle as they were before. Regis is no different, though anyone who is watching close enough will notice that his smiles are not quite reaching his eyes anymore. In fact, when he is fairly certain no one is watching, he slips from the room, wandering down the hall until he finds a window he can stare out of.

It is good to see everyone so happy. It is good to have the chance to meet people he may never have or may have to wait years to, but it all also creates a hollow ache in his chest because despite it all, the person who means the most to him is not here. Noctis may hold his heart in the future, but right now, it is the boy's mother he misses enough to make it feel as if his heart has been torn from his chest.

Unconsciously, he begins fiddling with the wedding band on his finger. If the impression Will got from his Hypno when it returned to him is correct, then Aulea will be waiting for him when he returns, knowing nothing about him being gone, ready to scold him just for risking himself so foolishly instead of that and running off to some unknown world and not taking her with him.

Astrals, he misses her. As much as he respects and loves Cor, there are things the man will never understand about him. Things she does. Times she can just look at him and know.

Regis takes a deep breath and then rests his forehead against the glass, closing his eyes. He's going to need to return before someone realizes he's snuck away, but for now he just needs moment.

Oh, how he wishes she was here.


C.) Post Party, Closed to Somnus: S'like the sun's gone down; sleeps in the hallowed ground now

Once everyone has departed and the clean up is done, Regis draws aside one of the natives who has been around to help them and asks them if they can set up one more plate so he can take it to one who wasn't here. It was, perhaps, for the best, but leaving any member of the family out of the festivities sits uneasily with him.

Plate in hand, Regis makes his way to the house he knows Somnus has taken up residence in. He doesn't know how welcome the visit will be. He doesn't even know if the Founder King still needs to eat or, if like his brother, that is no longer necessary. Still, he wants the man to know he's been thought of this night, for even if he disagrees with his actions and the suffering they have brought upon the family, Regis understands the need to make hard decisions for the good of those who look to you for protection.

The crown is a heavy weight to bear and always has been.

D.) Wildcard!

(Feel free to hit Regis up anywhere between these prompts too!)
(Will match format, so go wild!)

[scourgingstars]

[a; earlyish; someday somewhere somehow you'll love again]

[Ardyn, to his credit, put slightly more effort than usual into his appearance; long violet hair in an only somewhat unkempt braid, still in the usual off-white tones and loose-fitting clothes paired with a comfortable-looking sweater. Generally he was subdued compared to Aera's...being Aera, though he could early on be awkwardly stumbling through a polite refusal to Cor's slightly insistent suggestion of who should have been at the head of the table. (If they were going to be formal, Ardyn's argument went that it should have been the only one of them that was currently actually king in their timeline.)]

[...In perhaps the most obvious mark of being the family's black sheep, he did in fact lean heavily vegetarian.]

[b; later on; you just need to find someone]

[Eventually, much like Regis he did need a bit of space himself, sneaking out to a quiet and dark corner to lean heavily against a wall. Gods, this was exhausting. But...it wasn't bad by any stretch of the imagination. Was this what normal family gatherings were supposed to be like?]

[c; wildcard; someone who wants you around]

[whatever else, whenever, idc hit me]

[this_loser]

[Thanks to Kaname, Prompto actually owns a nice, button-down shirt, and pants without animal print. The sleeves are rolled up, and by the end of the night, the shirt will surely be tucked.

Despite arriving on Noct's heels, he feels a bit like an impostor. This feels like a family thing, and, well, he never really did get the hang of doing family things. Fortunately, he's familiar enough with most here that his unease is fleeting. Plus, the dogs are here.

He's happy to put on a smile and chat with anyone who looks willing. And of course he has his camera. What better time is there to get multiple generations on one memory card?]