Why not let someone else be king? Fuck it, and fuck prophecy. Your gods already had a bitchfit of a war that, y'know, fucked everything up. It ever occur to you maybe they were wrong?
So the adviser knew more than I thought, did he? I should have realized you had as much of a hand in that as the others.
[Sighing, he gestured to Church with his right hand to indicate the ring he was wearing.]
In summary, there have been two not of Lucian blood to wear this and control its power. To do so, one must be judged by the souls of past kings. Including him. And the last person to do so may or may not have used its power to fight me and live.
Of those who were unworthy to wear it, the lightest any of them got off was Ravus, and we still took his arm. Of the worthy, Ignis is the only one to have lived. It's not something to be done lightly - even if the fact that I exist bodily indicates that its power is probably spent.
[He shrugs and fixes Ardyn with something of an 'are you kidding me look.]
Ardyn, dear brother - you warped into his face. Surely you didn't think that went unnoticed.
We're like five hundred billion lightyears and actual years from your stupid doomed crystal anyway, and if it was still connected, you'd have lit up like a Christmas tree, so it's not gonna do anything to me!
...Technically, he's very much still of the blood, and if there are no kings in the ring to judge, it'll let any Lucis Caelum wear it by default. The Crystal rejected him for the Scourge, not for any of his other, numerous, unquestionably-Ardyn questionable traits.
By the same token, it'll burn anyone who isn't of the line, because there's no dead kings to tell it no.
In other words, I have marginally less chance of getting set on fire, while you have a one-hundred-percent-absolute-certainty of blowing the fuck up if this damn thing ever works again.
Idiot.
[beat]
What the hell do you mean 'unquestionably-Ardyn questionable traits'?!
He was all scourge-ified when he first put the damn thing on, and given how most shit out of that dumbwaiter was a fake plastic version, I'm still convinced it's fake as hell anyway. You and Noctis can't both have it!
...I mean, if you're willing to pass it here, I can tell you for sure. I was in the damn thing for two thousand years, I'm the closest thing you're going to get to an expert.
[Also his business is literally looking for counterfeits these days, that also helps.]
I'M NOT GONNA GET SET ON FIRE THAT'S LITERALLY THE POINT I'M MAKING! [fandom likes to paint wash as the only screechy yeller, but no, church came first]
I've been training with him I could fight him. [church no] You know I was gonna try and take it off him to figure out his stupid ring size and be all sneaky about it? Didn't fucking take!
A fair fight is the only one you stand any kind of chance in, and that's not likely to happen. The only person in our family who actually believes in those is Noctis.
[Completely casual, but also like. Dude the Lucis Caelums are a bunch of underhanded cheaters, they're in politics.
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[And, before either of them asks - ]
Ignis, at Altissa.
[This will mean things to Ardyn, anyway.]
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[Sighing, he gestured to Church with his right hand to indicate the ring he was wearing.]
In summary, there have been two not of Lucian blood to wear this and control its power. To do so, one must be judged by the souls of past kings. Including him. And the last person to do so may or may not have used its power to fight me and live.
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[He shrugs and fixes Ardyn with something of an 'are you kidding me look.]
Ardyn, dear brother - you warped into his face. Surely you didn't think that went unnoticed.
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[POINTING AT CHURCH like the 2000 year old child he is]
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By the same token, it'll burn anyone who isn't of the line, because there's no dead kings to tell it no.
...Probably.
[This is his best guess, here.]
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Idiot.
[beat]
What the hell do you mean 'unquestionably-Ardyn questionable traits'?!
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[Also his business is literally looking for counterfeits these days, that also helps.]
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[actual child.]
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[izunia please be the adult here]
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He just sighs.]
Ridiculously perfectly matched... Unless you're literally going to fight the ring off him, which I don't advise, it's clearly not going anywhere.
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[someone stop these two]
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[Beat.]
He always did like playing with his food.
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[smiiiiiiiiiiiiile]
Leonard, darling, if Xander can't beat me, you don't stand a chance.
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[Completely casual, but also like. Dude the Lucis Caelums are a bunch of underhanded cheaters, they're in politics.
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[says the guy who kicked noctis in the ribs like a soccer ball]
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