faesphere | Call Me Out / Open RP Post

[Noctis accepts the jacket, pulling it on over the dark, formal Astral garb he'd been reborn in, fire-scarred arms disappearing beneath the sleeves. It still leaves his face and hands uncovered, but he'll need that to work his magic, so he doesn't mind the rest for now. It's at least lowering the chance that he'll draw too much attention. He rolls up the extra-long sleeves just enough to not look so silly, and leaves them like that.

Weapons, next... daggers. He'll look at the stock before he makes any decisions for himself. The glovebox reveals some funds, just as Ignis had said, which he pockets and heads over to the shop. The daemons may be gone, but monsters still roam the world, so ways to protect oneself will probably always be necessary.

A set of daggers are easy to acquire, but it takes Noctis a moment to pick out something for himself. He tries a few of them, and all of them seem right while he's holding them, but actual memories of wielding them are slow to surface. He settles on a longsword at last, paying the man and slinging it at his side with a belt (which also feels weird, but what is he expected to do otherwise?) and carrying the daggers with him back to the car.

When Ignis returns, the daggers are resting in the driver's seat for him, and Noctis has his sword unsheathed and is swinging it carefully in the air, focused like a new trainee scarcely a few sessions in on learning how to use it.]

[ It takes Ignis a little longer than he thought he would, the clothes are looser fitting on him than he expected. He's lost a bit of weight so he really shouldn't be too surprised. The belt helps really.

He had gotten a look at his back, somewhat. Studying himself in the bathroom mirror for a second. He pulls his shirt on after that and tries to decide what to do with his bloody and tattered clothes. Trash them or take them? He weighs his options for a moment before he moves to grab them and finding a bag to stuff them into.

Before he leaves, he picks up the blankets off the floor and lightly tosses them back onto their respective beds. He checks elsewhere to make sure that they got everything, but he discovers Noct's half eaten sandwich and gives a little shake of his head.

Bag and sandwich in hand, he steps outside spying out Noctis swinging a sword. He quietly walks over, studying Noctis as he makes his way to the trunk of the car, stuffing his old clothes in the far back. Giving the trunk a final glance over, he shuts it with his free hand. ]

Noct? How does it feel?

[ He finds his daggers in the front seat. He's careful as he leans forward a little to get the sandwich on the passengers seat. Breakfast doesn't sound like a bad idea right now really. He makes a note to get Ebony before they go too. ]

[Noctis offers just a vague hum in response for a moment, holding the sword horizontal and parallel to the ground after a lunging attack, feeling out the weight of it, the stretch of his limbs. He draws back and idly spins the blade around in one hand, looking... well, not entirely satisfied, but not unhappy either.]

I used regular swords a lot, right? I remember swords. And I'm right-handed.

[Not an entirely fruitless attempt, but he has a feeling that a proper practice session might be needed before his mind and body catch up with one another. He tugs the extra gil from his pocket and offers it out to Ignis- weapons are expensive, so there isn't a lot, but it should be plenty to get them started on supplies for a while, especially with what's already in the car.]

That's right.

Gladio is the one that trained you for combat capabilities, but I'll see what I can do to help you. [ he takes the offered gil back, they should have enough to get breakfast and his coffee.

He doesn't see Cindy or Prompto anymore, they must have taken off while Ignis was changing. He knows Cindy well enough that where she won't take "no" for an answer if he tried to repay her back. He owes her regardless.

He looks to the diner. ]

I wouldn't mind breakfast. [ and repaying back Takka after last night, but he has a feeling that'll be a "no" as well.

He picks his his daggers and slides them to the back seat of the car, on the floor. ]

[Oh right, food. He glances around, and- ah. His sandwich is in the car.]

I can just eat the leftovers... want to eat in the diner this time before we take off?

[Might be nice to sit down someplace familiar, see if it stirs anything up before they hit the road properly.]

[ He walks around to rub at Noctis' back, mostly his jacket. ]

It suits you. [ he comments idly. ] Will you be comfortable in the diner?

[ He does wonder if Takka has any hunts on the table to. He makes a mental note to check once they get there. ]

You can put your sword in the car for now.

[Noctis smiles faintly at Ignis' hand on his back, tugging idly at a sleeve. He's glad Ignis approves, even if it is too big for him. He'd like something that fits him better, but he also doesn't mind wearing what is obviously a jacket that belongs to Ignis.

At the suggestion to put away his sword, he hesitates, not really wanting to let go of it while those sporadic half-memories are still milling around in the back of his mind. There'll be time for that later though, and it would be silly to cart it around just for lunch, so he nods and sets it in the passenger seat, fetching the sandwich bag.]

I'll come with. No point in either of us sitting alone. Plus, I need to get comfortable with other people sooner or later.

[It does help him feel a little better to be more covered up, though. He's starting to hate the stares, and it's only been a day. Already he feels more invisible, and he finds that he likes that feeling. Something familiar about it as well.]

[ Ignis falls into step with Noctis, sliding his hand into Noctis' free one and curling his fingers around it. He doesn't care what people make of them, especially after Noctis hugged him from behind already in the Regalia. Hell, let them talk. Just as long as people leave them alone.

It's a short walk to the diner from where they are and once they get inside, Takka is happy to greet them. As expected, Takka is taking no for an answer for repayment, after hearing what he did last night. Ignis' capture and how battered he looked.

They work out a deal, the meal in exchange for a hunt. An easy one just so Noctis can get used to his combat skills again, outside of his magic that is.

Ignis just grabs another sandwich and pays for that. ]

We got our first goal. A hunt. They're good to do since they pay well.

It won't be a difficult one to help you get used to combat abilities. [ They'll be going up against a group of Anaks, only appear in the daytime though. Ignis is considering on a campsite as well, depending on how well the hunt goes and how much daylight they have left when they get there. ]

[Takka was kind enough to re-heat the leftovers for Noctis, and he settles in to examine the mark, reading the description while munching.]

"Anak"? I've heard of that one before, I think. [He pauses, his head tilting to try and chase that memory. Or is it just ingrained knowledge of the world? Hell, who even knows. He's still figuring this out.] Really tall. Antlers? I remember the antlers.

That's correct.

They only appear during the daytime hours. [ What time is it now? Ignis had slept in a little longer then he usually does.

Again, he's quick to finish off his food, still feeling the hunger post his capture. oh, speaking of: ]

I did happen to notice you take off the vegetables off your sandwich last night, Noct. Some things never change. [ Teasing lightly, he didn't say so last night since the conservation itself had gotten a bit serious. ]

[Hell if Noctis knows, he didn't reincarnate with a watch on.

He makes note of the time requirement, glancing towards the window to check the daylight. Seems closer to midday than morning. Might make this lunch, rather than breakfast, then.]

Guess that's true. I didn't want an Ebony again, either. [He lifts his soda bottle in a mock-salute.] Maybe I'll only eat them if you cook again.

[ Ignis snickers a little at that. ]

You do realize that's a challenge. [ He's already plotting on what to make here. You've doomed yourself, Noct. Doomed. ]

Are we ready to go?

[If Ignis can mask the taste of vegetables enough to get Noctis to eat them like the old days, he deserves to win that challenge.]

You're in charge- I'm ready when you are.

Let us go then. [ He stands up to go, taking Noctis by the hand again and shuffling to walk out. Takka wishes them well and to have a safe journey.

Ignis only lets go of Noctis' hand when they reach the Regalia. He slides easily into the drivers side seat. He'd forgotten that he gave the keys to Noctis before he went to change. ]

You got the keys on you, Noct?

Oh, uh- [Noctis pats awkwardly at the jacket pockets until he finds them, passing them over. He'd forgotten about that.] -right, sorry. Wonder if I'll have to learn how to drive again?

[He likes the idea of Ignis driving everywhere, but it's not very fair. Still, if that memory is slow to return, he won't be much use regardless of what he wants.]

We'll see, one thing at a time. [ He takes the keys and pops them into the ignition, feeling the Regalia come to life. The top is down since it's a really nice day outside. ] I believe it'll come back to you naturally.

[ He gets the car into drive, shifts both of his hands onto the steering wheel as before, then he looks around Hammerhead a final time.

This is it, the start of their journey together. They'll be back here of course to turn in the bounty later. Ignis just hopes that they don't have any problems on this journey, but that isn't to be.

So, with a final breath he gets his foot on the gas pedal and leaves Hammerhead, giving it a farewell... for now. ]

----------

[ They make it to the parking spot okay, conversation light, but truth to be told, Ignis had been rather distracted. He kept on glancing in his review mirrors, spying out a car that had been following them. Not close, but far, but close enough to cause him concern. Knowing what he knows about his life hanging in the balance, he half-way expected to be bumped off the road, but that wasn't the case here thankfully.

He's safe with Noctis. But Hammerhead provided even more comfort with people being around, now that it was just the two of them, Ignis isn't sure if he's being overly paranoid or not.

Both hands are gripping the steering wheel tighter than he needs to as he watches the car go by them. He doesn't even realize he's doing it until he exhales a sigh of relief. He peels his hands off the wheel and gets the car into park, shuts the car down and takes keys out of ignition. He leans his head back for a second.

He just can't shake off this feeling in his gut.

I'm in danger here, with a target on my back. Honestly, it makes sense for his next attack to be out of any city limits. Even though he was warned properly, he's still on edge about it all. He doesn't want to die, especially with Noctis next to him, with Noctis being real and here. ]

Noct... [ He turns his head to look at him now, reaching out a hand to take his, interlacing their fingers. ]

I'm on edge. [ fear lacing his tone. ] That car that went by us, I can't help but have a bad feeling about it.

... I'm afraid. [ tone a whisper as he admits that one, afraid for his life, for Noctis' safety, but he shouldn't worry, but he does. Even though he doesn't say it, his eyes are pleading for protection. ] We shouldn't separate for now, stay close by my side. [ He had no plans of letting Noctis out of his sight to begin with, but now he wants to remain closer to him. ]

[Under normal circumstances, Noctis might have been bored by the trip, preferring to doze or play with his phone until they reached the next destination. But for Noctis, this is a fresh new world, unexplored as it had been that fateful day they'd left Insomnia for the first time. His eyes are rapt and attentive, watching every bit of dusty scenery go by, vast cracked stones, winding roads, huge wildlife rumbling their way through the brush beyond the barriers. Leide isn't especially inspiring countryside, but Noctis watches it all, hungry for any sign of familiarity that might trigger a new memory, waiting to be reclaimed.

Because of this, he doesn't notice the car trailing them or Ignis' discomfort- not for a while at least. Eventually though he happens to glance over and spot it: tension in the man's body language, the way he holds tightly to the wheel. It doesn't feel quite right, and it makes him look around more carefully. That's right... this place isn't safe. he can't afford to relax and just enjoy the trip, as long as their enemies are still out there. After that the trip is quieter, with Noctis also keeping a careful watch on their surroundings.

Eventually when they park, and Ignis reaches out to him, he relaxes only marginally again and twines their fingers tightly.]

You don't have anything to worry about, Iggy. I'm not going anywhere.

[There's an air of unspoken danger in his tone, and a promise: I won't let anyone touch you. He hasn't forgotten the man from yesterday, with the gun at Ignis' head. How close he'd been to too late. Never again.]

[ It could be just him being paranoid, but he rather not take any chances here. He relaxes a little at Noctis' touch and words, hearing his tone.

Ignis being in danger as he is, is why they had gotten weapons. ]

Thank you. [ He's not letting go just yet. ]

Let us be extra cautious out here, I believe that they had someone in Hammerhead as a backup in case someone saved me. It makes sense really. [ Just in case if the job wasn't finished, they would want a back up. Plus, he had been in a shack not too far from Hammerhead itself.

He exhales a breath. ] I will not let that stop me from helping you get your memories back.

[ He squeezes their joined hands again. ] Let us do what we can here to do, the hunt. [ They're losing daylight out here. ] Perhaps we can get camp set up in the meantime.

[Noctis doesn't pull away, or even look like he'll make the attempt; Ignis is the one in need of reassurance, and he's happy to provide it as much as he needs. This journey is mostly for him, anyway- for Ignis, they could have gone back to Insomnia, surrounded him with friends and trustworthy allies to protect him instead of just Noct. Instead they're on the run, doing their best. A little comfort is nothing in exchange for that.]

If we do the hunt now, we can take care of the camp afterwards, instead of leaving everything here. At that point, maybe I can get the rest set up while you cook.

[He's really looking forward to Ignis' food again.]

[ Ignis takes one more look outside and seeing the sunlight slowly fading away from them. It had taken a little bit to get out here, after all. He lets out a hm sound as he considers it.

Camp stuff can stay in the car for now, he supposes. He does want to set up camp regardless and see if that helps out Noctis with his memory. ]

Alright, we are running low on time for the hunt. [ He release Noctis' hand then makes a move to get out of the car, pocketing the keys. He opens the back door to pick up his daggers then shut both side doors, locking them on his side. ]

The hunt shouldn't be too far from here. I am curious what you can do combat wise.

[Oh, right. Combat. As Noctis retrieves his sword and straps it in place with the belt - which feels weird, but where the hell else is he supposed to put it? - he hesitates, glancing around to see if he can spot the target.]

What I can do... is it a good idea to just dive right in, then? What if I don't remember enough?

[Last thing he wants to do is trip up during battle and get one of them hurt. Especially not with Ignis already at risk.]

[ Ignis walks on over to Noctis' side, taking his hand in his. ]

I believe in you, Noct. Follow your instincts on this one.

[ It doesn't take him too long to spy out the target. ]

Ah, there. [ He gives Noctis' hand a squeeze before he lets go. Readying his own daggers. ] You go first, I'll be right behind you.

[Instinct... right. It's not especially confidence-boosting that his first instinct is to throw his sword at the first beast to teleport directly there, something he knows he can't do... anymore. Right, because he could do that.

Oh! He remembered a thing he could do! That's super not helpful right now, but okay, it's a start.

Instead, he ducks a bit lower, trying to stay out of sight as much as possible until he gets close enough. As they draw near, one of them spots him and moves to intercept, so he picks up his pace into a steady run, unsheathing his blade and taking aim at one of the legs before it can raise up to stomp him, slicing through something important enough to make it shriek and rear back. That draws the others' attention, and he has to quicly roll out of the way to avoid getting trampled. Off to a good start, he... thinks? Yeah! He didn't die immediately, so that's good. It's starting to come back to him, as he ducks and weaves through the fray.]

[ As Noctis leaps into the fray first, he can't help but watch for a few seconds, giving Noct a chance to get ahead of him first. Blades at his sides, Ignis leaps into the battle. He normally would be side by side with Noctis, but since it's just the two of them, they have to spread out a bit. Out of habit, he supposes, he chucks a dagger at one of the Anaks, and throws his other immediately right after it.

Oh bloody hell, he shouldn't have done that. Now he has to retrieve his daggers and not get hit by the anaks. One of them does hit him in the chest, causing him to stumble back out of the battlefield. An 'oof' escapes him and he takes a second to get his bearings together, but it's a second too long. A hand wraps itself around his wrists, yanking him further away from battle.

He starts, struggling against it, heart dropping. This is it, what he's been worried about since they parked here. The next attempt on his life. Before he can attempt to yell for help, a voice goes off in his head.

"He won't help you."

What? Where did that come from? Suddenly, he's taken back into the shack in his mind, seeing Noctis standing over him, seeing the hand that burns reaching out to him.

No! Noctis wouldn't do that, he wouldn't hurt Ignis, his memories gone or not. Noctis wouldn't kill him. Ignis refuses to give into that seed trap and snaps himself out of it. He doesn't have time to think as to where that came from.

Wrists are tightly tied behind his back and he can feel himself being pushed to the ground, landing hard on his stomach. A knee is driving itself into his back. A soft hiss of pain escapes him as the knee hurts his wounds from yesterday's beating he took. That's going to leave a nasty bruise that he doesn't care to think about.

Where's Noctis? Eyes scan wildly around the area, despite his face being on the ground. He can see the anaks. He thinks he sees a flash of a sword somewhere, but he isn't sure. ]

Why...? [ He asks quietly, why do these people want him dead so bad? The answer itself sends a chill through his body, as everything clicks into place now. He doesn't think about it, he can only focus on the blade pressing itself on his throat.

Green eyes spy out Noctis, but no, something's wrong. It's Noctis, but, he's reaching out to him again, just like in the vision. Ignis winces a little.

It's not real. It's not real!

Just a trick of his mind.

He's trembling, he realizes, though he doesn't know what's scaring him more. Being in danger or the mind tricks that's happening. ]

Don't kill me. [ Ignis isn't sure who he's talking to at this point. His attacker or the fake Noctis. The vision Noctis. His attacker snorts and lets out a too late.

Eyes shut and all he can see is that blasted vision. He opens his eyes back up again and sees Noctis there again. He's not real.

"He won't save you."

That blasted voice again, trying to plant a seed of doubt in his mind. Between that and the vision, he's shaking pretty hard.

Shut up, shut up!

You're not real, not real!

Noctis wouldn't hurt him, he wouldn't kill him. Noctis will help him, save him. Not this opposite of what his mind is trying to do.

He's scared, terrified. The blade nicks him a bit, spilling out a little bit of blood. But he can't focus on that. His attacker is forgotten, eyes wide, struggling within his mind to chase away the fake Noctis. ]

Noct! [ He needs Noctis, the real Noctis, the one who will help him out of danger. ] Help, Noct!

[ A hand clamps itself over his mouth, his attacker fed up with Ignis yelling for help. Beads of sweat drip off his forehead as he prays quietly that Noctis heard him. His Noctis and not the blasted vision that's before him.

He's rational enough to know that this is a trick of his mind, but he also knows that this is going to hurt him mentally no matter what happens here. He'll have time to think about everything later, if Noctis saves him....

Please. Ignis refuses to die like this, but he can't move again. He's in trouble yet again and yet again there's nothing he can do to save himself. If he only hadn't thrown his daggers then he wouldn't be in this mess....

His attacker removes his hand off Ignis' mouth, but his knee is driving itself harder into Ignis' back. Ignis lets out a yell of pain, teeth gritting. ]

Noct.... please... [ a quiet whisper this time. ]

[Noctis doesn't notice at first; he's focused entirely on staying alive, re-learning how to dance between the legs of the angered beasts, where to move and when to strike. He can't warp or phase anymore, so it's more risky to be attacking up-close like this, but he does have the benefit of some fire and healing abilities courtesy of the Astrals who revived him, so it balances out... somewhat. It's still difficult to keep an eye on the beasts around them, as well as Ignis.

As the fight progresses, he begins to notice it- how difficult it is. The anak are large and faster than they look, and there seem to be too many focused only on him. At some point when he twists around to avoid a particularly nasty hit, he notices an absence around him. Ignis. Where did Ignis go? He tries to get out of the fight, but he's momentarily surrounded and can't easily escape. While he's trying to maneuver around the anak, he spots a dagger discarded on the ground, and hastily retrieves it, ducking between a set of legs and booking it for a nearby half-collapsed building to get out of eyesight and perhaps shake off the anaks' interest. The hunt can wait, he needs to find Ignis right away. He's not on the battlefield, so he didn't fall... he wouldn't have left Noct like that, would he?

...Would he? Everything in Noct's memories says otherwise, but... it's not like he has that many memories to verify. It's not as if he could blame Ignis for not wanting to babysit his amnesiac self...

No. No! He'd say something, if it bothered him. Ignis isn't like that. Stubbornly he forces away such thoughts to the back of his mind. Once he finds Ignis, he'll see for himself what this means. There must be something wrong. Once the opening appears, he dashes away from the hunting grounds, ducking to keep out of sight as he follows what looks like a trail, like something - or someone - had been dragged away. The sight only fuels him to move faster. It hasn't been that long, they can't have gone far...

And then that shout of his name catches his ear, and he speeds towards it, spotting figures near a hidden outcropping, almost out of sight. He could have missed it, if not for the warning. And there's a man, standing over another, blade lifted-

It's all Noctis needs. He flings the dagger with all his might, catching the attacker right in the shoulder, the force of it knocking him off of Ignis. The man rolls, getting back up into a crouch, rips the dagger free and snaps some nonsense about revenge or justice or whatnot- Noctis barely hears it. He doesn't care. All that matters is the man on the ground, the blood in the sand, and the pain he's in.]

You'll regret this.

[As he approaches the man, unmoved by the sword the man points at him, his eye gleams an eerie crimson, the fiery glow in the crackling marks on his hand and face bright in the fading sunlight of dusk.]

Walk away from him right now, [he snarls, lifting his hand, fire between his fingers.] Unless you want to die.

[He's inclined to kill this threat to Ignis' safety regardless- one less person they have to watch over their shoulders for. What the man does next would determine if his death is slow and painful, swift and merciful, or a long time away after a hefty prison sentence.]

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