[Noctis accepts it easily - it's getting easier each time they do this - and checks around the room before leading them to... the closet. Yep. And in they go, disappearing into the dark.
The Leville fades away, and the world rematerializes itself into a familiar sight: a high hill on the fringes of Insomnia, still technically in the city proper and well within the limits of the wall. Insomnia looks like it always used to, before the fire and the daemons moved in and took over, a brilliant, glittering horizon, never asleep, true to its name. It's the middle of the night, but thanks to the distance from the city, the sky is bright with millions of stars, and the moon is full and glowing above them, giving their surroundings a soft light to guide their path.
Noctis pauses for a moment to quietly drink in the sight, then smiles over at Ignis, squeezing his hand.]
Thought it would be nice to look at the stars, one more time.
[The sky back home is dark, the stars smothered by the cloud of whatever it is that the scourge expels into the air thanks to the daemons, and Ignis is blind there, anyway. After the days and nights of the past return to normal, the stars will come back, but Noctis will be gone and Ignis might never see again. This is their thing, their escape from the Citadel and all the responsibilities of the crown, a way to allow them to be free for a few hours, once in a while. It can still be their escape now.]
[ The closet, Ignis can't help but let out an amused laugh. But again, he's patient as the world goes into darkness then returns to his senses.
He's surprised at where they end up, memories of their childhood come back. The stars, but of course. It's a moot point back home these days cause of the ever lasting night and he's blind, but it's been well over ten years since he's seen the stars.
He squeezes Noctis' hand back, looking to the stars. ]
I... it's wonderful, Noct. [ His own breath feels like it's been taken away at the sight. Now he gets why Noctis wanted to grab a blanket with the chill in the air. Ignis slowly releases Noctis' hand. ] Let's get comfortable. [ He wants nothing more now than to cuddle up with Noctis while they poke at the pastries, Ebony and take in the beautiful sight before them. ]
[Noctis spreads out the Leville blanket in the grass near the edge, but with enough room to stretch out comfortably, and sits down on one side, leaving the other for Ignis. He tugs the Ebony from his pocket and sets it in the dirt, leaning back on his hands with his legs out in front of him, gazing up at the sky.]
...Huh. The stars look different.
[It's the same sky that's ever been above Insomnia, isn't it? Late spring, judging by the weather, so it ought to look the same. Is he remembering it wrong?]
[ Ignis gratefully takes the other side, sliding close to Noctis so that their legs are touching. He carefully takes the box out from underneath his arm and places it half on his lap and the other half on Noctis' lap. He flicks open the lid of it, looking down briefly to see that the treats made the trip okay. He too, sets his own Ebony down beside him for the moment.
He looks up back to the sky at Noctis' comment. ]
... How do you mean? [ As he picks out a pastry. After being in the dark for so long, he can't remember the sky, all he knew was darkness. ]
[Noctis studies the stars for a bit, scrutinizing the arrangement of what should be constellations, until after a long moment it clicks, and he exhales a burst of near-breathless laughter.]
Gods... that might be someone else's memory. From the- from the Crystal. The sky looked different thousands of years ago.
[He shakes his head at the absurdity of it and reaches over to take a pastry for himself.]
Bahamut's lucky I didn't come back with a memory so messy I forgot what I was even meant to do here. Can you imagine? We show up in Insomnia and I end up asking the "Accursed" who the hell he is.
[ Ignis blinks as he studies the sky further, they're looking at a sky from thousands of years ago? He laughs himself, shaking his head. ]
No wonder I couldn't place it either. [ he looks back at Noctis, giving him a smile. ] We would've reminded you. The three of us, we wouldn't let you forget.
...Yeah. I don't think even the Draconian would have let me lose those memories. Ardyn wanted me to hate him enough to kill him, but the Crystal wanted me to know his history, so I'd set him free from his curse. I probably need both to end it all.
[Without those memories, would he have the resolve he needs to see it through to the final blow? To survive whatever Ardyn sends his way? Who knows. He's just grateful that at last, he has all the tools he needs to finish the prophecy, fulfill his duty, and save everyone. It's been a long enough road for all of the people waiting on him.
He doesn't want to spare Ardyn any more of his thoughts now, though, so he shrugs it off and takes a bite of the pastry. He closes his eyes immediately, making a soft, appreciative noise. That... that is the one.]
...You did it... you finally did it. It's perfect, Specs.
[ He doesn't really want to talk about Ardyn or what's to come tomorrow either, so he just listens quietly, turning the pastry over in his hand.
Specs, now there's a nickname that he hasn't heard in a long, long time. Feeling pleased with himself though, he glances back at Noctis. ] I seem to recall having a bit of help. [ then he starts eating his own pastry. ]
I... wanted to give it a final go, whether we found the strawberries or not. It's been far too long since I've given it a try.
It's good to hear that it's perfect. [ finally, after all of these years. ]
You'd better remember the recipe. Gladio and Prompto will want to try it, too.
[Once the world is thriving again, at least. Once the crops begin to flourish and travel between Lucis and Tenebrae is safe, when he can pick wild ulwaat berries and waste resources on dessert instead of rations.]
Noct, it's me. [ He can't help but give Noctis an amused look at that, come on, he has this one memorized to the letter. ]
Admittedly, Lestallum wasn't for my sake, it on a blind faith that I could give the pastries another go. I wanted to, for you, Noct. [ he smiles before he looks back to the sky, snatching his Ebony can in his hand and finally takes a sip of it. ]
Ebony became rare after some time, it has been a while.
I was wondering about that. Already thought it was incredible how much everyone's survived these past ten years, but knowing you went without this stuff? I thought it was in your blood.
[He finally cracks open his can and takes a sip... and grimaces, leaning away from it.]
[To Noct's credit, he makes it about halfway through the can like this before he splutters, drawing it away from his mouth, and wordlessly offers his can over to Ignis, wiping his suit sleeve across his chin. He tried, man. This evil is too strong for the king of kings.]
[ He snickers quietly and takes the offered can, setting it beside his own empty can. He promptly moves the box of pastries off their laps, shuffling it to Noctis' other side. ]
Come lean on me, Noct. [ He feels bad really, but he won't let Noctis suffer alone like that. ]
[Noctis doesn't hesitate, just exhales a sigh at his defeat and slumps against Ignis' side, nibbling away at a pastry to get the coffee taste out of his mouth.]
[Not the most helpful answer, but sometimes he is admittedly driven by impulse. It's what leads him to fly headlong into battle without a plan, why his life is so often pure chaos in human form.]
Do you remember why you started playing King's Knight with us?
It... meant a lot, that you tried something new for me, even if it wasn't really your thing. Not a lot of people had the time to do that for me.
["Busy" was a word that described almost all of his loved ones, growing up. He didn't begrudge their priorities, considering the stakes, but that didn't make it any less lonely. Something so small as a friend joining him in a game on occasion made a pretty big difference, on a bad day.]
[After everything they've been through, everything sacrificed, all for the sake of his success, he has no reason to gripe. It was all to get him to where he is now, and it's not a bad place at all, really.]
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The Leville fades away, and the world rematerializes itself into a familiar sight: a high hill on the fringes of Insomnia, still technically in the city proper and well within the limits of the wall. Insomnia looks like it always used to, before the fire and the daemons moved in and took over, a brilliant, glittering horizon, never asleep, true to its name. It's the middle of the night, but thanks to the distance from the city, the sky is bright with millions of stars, and the moon is full and glowing above them, giving their surroundings a soft light to guide their path.
Noctis pauses for a moment to quietly drink in the sight, then smiles over at Ignis, squeezing his hand.]
Thought it would be nice to look at the stars, one more time.
[The sky back home is dark, the stars smothered by the cloud of whatever it is that the scourge expels into the air thanks to the daemons, and Ignis is blind there, anyway. After the days and nights of the past return to normal, the stars will come back, but Noctis will be gone and Ignis might never see again. This is their thing, their escape from the Citadel and all the responsibilities of the crown, a way to allow them to be free for a few hours, once in a while. It can still be their escape now.]
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He's surprised at where they end up, memories of their childhood come back. The stars, but of course. It's a moot point back home these days cause of the ever lasting night and he's blind, but it's been well over ten years since he's seen the stars.
He squeezes Noctis' hand back, looking to the stars. ]
I... it's wonderful, Noct. [ His own breath feels like it's been taken away at the sight. Now he gets why Noctis wanted to grab a blanket with the chill in the air. Ignis slowly releases Noctis' hand. ] Let's get comfortable. [ He wants nothing more now than to cuddle up with Noctis while they poke at the pastries, Ebony and take in the beautiful sight before them. ]
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...Huh. The stars look different.
[It's the same sky that's ever been above Insomnia, isn't it? Late spring, judging by the weather, so it ought to look the same. Is he remembering it wrong?]
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He looks up back to the sky at Noctis' comment. ]
... How do you mean? [ As he picks out a pastry. After being in the dark for so long, he can't remember the sky, all he knew was darkness. ]
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Gods... that might be someone else's memory. From the- from the Crystal. The sky looked different thousands of years ago.
[He shakes his head at the absurdity of it and reaches over to take a pastry for himself.]
Bahamut's lucky I didn't come back with a memory so messy I forgot what I was even meant to do here. Can you imagine? We show up in Insomnia and I end up asking the "Accursed" who the hell he is.
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No wonder I couldn't place it either. [ he looks back at Noctis, giving him a smile. ] We would've reminded you. The three of us, we wouldn't let you forget.
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[Without those memories, would he have the resolve he needs to see it through to the final blow? To survive whatever Ardyn sends his way? Who knows. He's just grateful that at last, he has all the tools he needs to finish the prophecy, fulfill his duty, and save everyone. It's been a long enough road for all of the people waiting on him.
He doesn't want to spare Ardyn any more of his thoughts now, though, so he shrugs it off and takes a bite of the pastry. He closes his eyes immediately, making a soft, appreciative noise. That... that is the one.]
...You did it... you finally did it. It's perfect, Specs.
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Specs, now there's a nickname that he hasn't heard in a long, long time. Feeling pleased with himself though, he glances back at Noctis. ] I seem to recall having a bit of help. [ then he starts eating his own pastry. ]
I... wanted to give it a final go, whether we found the strawberries or not. It's been far too long since I've given it a try.
It's good to hear that it's perfect. [ finally, after all of these years. ]
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[Once the world is thriving again, at least. Once the crops begin to flourish and travel between Lucis and Tenebrae is safe, when he can pick wild ulwaat berries and waste resources on dessert instead of rations.]
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Admittedly, Lestallum wasn't for my sake, it on a blind faith that I could give the pastries another go. I wanted to, for you, Noct. [ he smiles before he looks back to the sky, snatching his Ebony can in his hand and finally takes a sip of it. ]
Ebony became rare after some time, it has been a while.
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[He finally cracks open his can and takes a sip... and grimaces, leaning away from it.]
Oh man... that's strong.
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[ He smirks a little at Noctis' reaction to it. ]
I can take it off your hands if you don't want to finish it.
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[He takes another sip, clinging to his can (with another grimace). It's a challenge now, and he's very stubborn.]
This is one more daemon to overcome.
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[ And he'll just calmly sip at his own Ebony, watching the poor King struggle with his own can. ]
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[Look at him. He's trying to chug it, hating every gulp. This is your king, Ignis. Prophecied hero chosen by the gods.]
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[ He's looking at Noctis alright and he can tell that the poor guy is just torturing himself at this rate. ]
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Come lean on me, Noct. [ He feels bad really, but he won't let Noctis suffer alone like that. ]
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There's literally no sugar in that, is there.
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Indeed there isn't. Why did you push yourself to do it?
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[Not the most helpful answer, but sometimes he is admittedly driven by impulse. It's what leads him to fly headlong into battle without a plan, why his life is so often pure chaos in human form.]
Do you remember why you started playing King's Knight with us?
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... I seem to recall a young prince slowly talking me into it. [ says in a teasing tone ]
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[Looking back, it had taken a while.]
It... meant a lot, that you tried something new for me, even if it wasn't really your thing. Not a lot of people had the time to do that for me.
["Busy" was a word that described almost all of his loved ones, growing up. He didn't begrudge their priorities, considering the stakes, but that didn't make it any less lonely. Something so small as a friend joining him in a game on occasion made a pretty big difference, on a bad day.]
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I always tried to make time for you, Noct. [ have an affection squeeze at the waist there, Noctis. ]
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[After everything they've been through, everything sacrificed, all for the sake of his success, he has no reason to gripe. It was all to get him to where he is now, and it's not a bad place at all, really.]
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