[It seems she needs a different angle of attack for that particular barb to land, because - ]
They're the only thing I really care about.
[ - it bounces hard off the Customer Service Smile armor. He flips the sign around before turning back to her.]
It would be stupid on both our parts to pretend you do. I've been expecting a visit like this for some time, anyway.
[Ever since last week, but also, on some level, since he realized that Ardyn actually has a family, now, in those first muddy days when he heard of the show and the official versions of what went down. If Ardyn's the genuine article, then everyone else must be, too.]
[ She turns to face him and her posture is surprisingly loose and friendly -- she has her hands folded in front of her but she's still smiling that awful any-second-there's-going-to-be-a-knife-in-your-back sort of smile which really is worse than any threat she could spit at him. ]
Oh, so you already have a good idea of why I'm here then. I don't have to waste any time.
I'm not going to tell you it's nice to finally meet you because it isn't, and I think we're a little past formalities, aren't we? Mostly, I just have a few things I want to ask. And a few things I want to say to you.
[ Yuuri doesn't know which of the swords here are real or fake, which are replicas, which are plastic or some other fakery that won't get someone arrested for owning them. Right now, she doesn't really care. It's so childish, so immature, so antithetical to everything she considers herself but she's so angry that it's a little hard to focus on that.
It's very easy to be satisfied, though, when the hilt of the sword she flings at him bounces off the door with a tremendous clatter. ]
What the hell is wrong with you?!
[ She's not yelling -- not yet. But she's speaking in a strained sort of voice that makes it clear she's fighting with all her might to keep it at a level volume. ]
All this time! All this time you were right here, and did you never even once think to--?!
[Oh thank goodness that's one of the ones that'll snap if she uses it with any muscle -
Izunia tries not to flinch as it clatters into the door just shy of slicing his arm open, but it's taken some of his sleeve so close enough.
There's a lot of things wrong with him. He refrains from giving her an itemized list.]
It's not as though any of you are exactly easy to get into contact with, you know. I had no idea you were even on this planet prior to practically tripping into Church and my brother the other day.
[It's an excuse and they both know it, even if it's true. He shifts awkwardly.]
And... I was afraid. I've always been a coward when it comes to myself. Give me a nation or a brother to fight for and I won't balk even when at a blade against my throat, but if all that's on the line is me, I cut and run as soon as I can.
[ Oh look, here comes another sword. It bounces off the shutters this time with the cacophony of metal crashing against metal. She's not even aiming for or near him this time. It's just for the vindictive satisfaction of making noise and causing him inconvenience. She has no idea if it's working but at the very least it's making her feel a little better. ]
Of course you're a coward. Do you really think you have to tell me that?
[ The noise she makes isn't quite a snarl, but it's close. ]
You're his brother. Forget what you did and who you pretended to be for however long -- are you really trying to tell me there was nothing you could do to try and send a message, to at least let us know you were here? To let us know there was maybe someone else who could help us?! Who knew this was all really happening?
And how do you think he would have reacted to me of all people popping up out of nowhere, even if I could get in contact? I may be his brother but I'm also the person who hurt him most as a result, out of anyone who has ever existed.
[His hand goes up to clutch at his scarf, fisting in a trailing end.]
I don't want to hurt him any more. Not ever again.
Oh, that's enough. I don't want to hear your sob story.
[ Okay, that came out a little worse than intended. She grits her teeth, draws in a breath and tries as hard as she can to force herself to calm down. ]
So... what did you plan to do? Just sit here by yourself, playing along every time someone thought you looked like him and then... when all this was done, what then? Would you just stay here and keep living out another lie while we risked our lives trying to put a stop to all this?
Yes, he's a little too kind-hearted to give you exactly what you deserve.
[ Yeowch, Rii-san. She might not be a princess of Lucis by blood but that kind of bare-faced bitterness, said with a sardonic smile is certainly something that runs in the family. ]
But now we know you're here. So the question I suppose I should ask is what do you plan to do now?
[She's terrifying and made of knives and absolutely a princess. Actually, in the back of his mind, Izunia finds it kind of uncanny that Ardyn's adopted daughter would be so much like his own blood child.
This one, at least, is easy to answer.]
Whatever you need of me.
[He's no good at finding a direction on his own, always letting Ardyn lead until it was too late. But give him a cause and a reason, and the determination that created a kingdom from rubble will suddenly appear.]
[ Oh. Though, for a moment, Yuuri says nothing, it's clear by the way her expression settles into cautious confusion that he's caught her off guard. Izunia Lucis Caelum's cowardice was just a concrete fact in her brain by now. So when she posed that question, she'd expected his reply to be the verbal equivalent to turning tail and fleeing. But here he is, offering anything they might ask for him. It doesn't make sense.
Some of the tension's gone out of her posture but she's still squinting at him suspiciously. ]
[Which, perhaps, is proof that she doesn't know him at all, in spite of all her ideas about him - for himself, yes, he can be an utter rat, slipping away into corners to fight another day.
For his family? His country? Then, like any other Lucis Caelum, he walks tall and steps forward unflinchingly to put himself on the line.
He no longer has a country; no longer any family, save Ardyn and Noctis and the people they've gathered around them. For them, no price is too high.]
If it's within my power, it's yours, with the exception of coming along with you. Ardyn's made his feelings on that quite clear.
[And Ardyn's wishes kind of are the highest priority he's operating under these days.]
[ She scoffs and her expression once again becomes that snide little smile. ]
Don't worry. Having you come with us is the last thing I'd want.
[ But within his power makes her realize something. For as ridiculous as Ardyn's powers seem, he's still under the PIP's influence. There's plenty he can't do. But here, suddenly, is a Lucis Caelum without any of those limitations. Who knows what he might be able to do?
Who knows just how useful he might be? ]
But I do want something else. A promise. You already know, don't you? That they must be looking for us.
[In his opinion, even people who don't know that the people in the show are real should have been able to figure out that much. The official story is something about respecting their privacy, but there's still the fact that none of them give interviews, or go to press events, or even interact with the fandom on Space Twitter.
In short, they disappear off the map as soon as a season is finished. That alone is suspicious, and speaks more of going into hiding than retiring with their fame.]
I may not have a map, but I can follow a trail of breadcrumbs perfectly well.
[He leans against the door, folding his arms. It's an intentionally reclaimed gesture of his own - Ardyn in the same position always puts his hands on his hips.]
Oh, absolutely. That shouldn't even be a question.
[ you've seen how angry and punchy this little space family is, good sir. Do you really think they'd just let the Network get away with a stern warning? ]
I don't know how hard they're looking. I don't know if they're even really looking at all, or if they're just letting us run around when they could find us any time they want. We've still got the PIPs, after all.
But however it happens, we're going to be taking the fight to them. And when it does... There's always a chance things won't work out the way we want them to.
[ And that makes her hesitate. Just for a moment. Because, as much as she loves her family and make no mistake that she does, is this really her grudge to hold? Is it really right for her to all but order this man to walk into the line of fire for them, for a hurt that isn't hers to feel?
How would Ardyn feel, she finds herself wondering, if he ever found out what she was doing here? ]
I don't want you dead.
[ If only because she thinks, if anyone should make that choice, it should be Ardyn. He's certainly earned it. ]
But more than that, I don't want to lose anyone else. Not anymore. All of them are so... stupid and headstrong and reckless. But I love them very, very much.
[ There's no more scorn in her words or on her face anymore. Just an earnest sincerity, wide-eyed and almost uncharacteristically straightforward. ]
And I'm just as stupid and headstrong and reckless as they are. So if asking for your help is what it takes to keep them safe, then I don't care about doing it.
[In some ways he doesn't care much one way or the other. In others - he can't even begin to make things right if he just goes and gets himself killed, can he?]
But I won't flinch back from the possibility, either. It was always pain I feared more than death.
[And that sincerity... From Izunia, it earns a small smile.]
I'm afraid you'll find the whole family to be like that, if you haven't already. Me as much as any other. Why am I not surprised that Ardyn settled among his own kind...?
[ It still seems surreal how well they'd all seemed to be matched to each other, for a group of strangers tossed together just to kill. She has to wonder if that had been the Network's intent all along. ]
Just... promise me one more thing, then. Don't tell him I was the one who asked you to do this.
[ she doesn't think she has to clarify just who she means. ]
You're not planning to go charging off for your revenge tomorrow, are you? Surely there's time to pick up something, just in case.
[He seems... surprisingly worried about it? Like, he is genuinely concerned about you guys with a nerfed Ardyn to serve as most of your combat power. The strength of the blood royal is not infinite.]
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They're the only thing I really care about.
[ - it bounces hard off the Customer Service Smile armor. He flips the sign around before turning back to her.]
It would be stupid on both our parts to pretend you do. I've been expecting a visit like this for some time, anyway.
[Ever since last week, but also, on some level, since he realized that Ardyn actually has a family, now, in those first muddy days when he heard of the show and the official versions of what went down. If Ardyn's the genuine article, then everyone else must be, too.]
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Oh, so you already have a good idea of why I'm here then. I don't have to waste any time.
I'm not going to tell you it's nice to finally meet you because it isn't, and I think we're a little past formalities, aren't we? Mostly, I just have a few things I want to ask. And a few things I want to say to you.
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I don't expect anyone close to Ardyn to have any favorable opinions about me. I'm not that much a fool.
[With the door safely sealed off, his Customer Service Act drops, and his shoulders hang heavily with all the years of age he actually has.]
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It's very easy to be satisfied, though, when the hilt of the sword she flings at him bounces off the door with a tremendous clatter. ]
What the hell is wrong with you?!
[ She's not yelling -- not yet. But she's speaking in a strained sort of voice that makes it clear she's fighting with all her might to keep it at a level volume. ]
All this time! All this time you were right here, and did you never even once think to--?!
no subject
Izunia tries not to flinch as it clatters into the door just shy of slicing his arm open, but it's taken some of his sleeve so close enough.
There's a lot of things wrong with him. He refrains from giving her an itemized list.]
It's not as though any of you are exactly easy to get into contact with, you know. I had no idea you were even on this planet prior to practically tripping into Church and my brother the other day.
[It's an excuse and they both know it, even if it's true. He shifts awkwardly.]
And... I was afraid. I've always been a coward when it comes to myself. Give me a nation or a brother to fight for and I won't balk even when at a blade against my throat, but if all that's on the line is me, I cut and run as soon as I can.
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Of course you're a coward. Do you really think you have to tell me that?
[ The noise she makes isn't quite a snarl, but it's close. ]
You're his brother. Forget what you did and who you pretended to be for however long -- are you really trying to tell me there was nothing you could do to try and send a message, to at least let us know you were here? To let us know there was maybe someone else who could help us?! Who knew this was all really happening?
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And how do you think he would have reacted to me of all people popping up out of nowhere, even if I could get in contact? I may be his brother but I'm also the person who hurt him most as a result, out of anyone who has ever existed.
[His hand goes up to clutch at his scarf, fisting in a trailing end.]
I don't want to hurt him any more. Not ever again.
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[ Okay, that came out a little worse than intended. She grits her teeth, draws in a breath and tries as hard as she can to force herself to calm down. ]
So... what did you plan to do? Just sit here by yourself, playing along every time someone thought you looked like him and then... when all this was done, what then? Would you just stay here and keep living out another lie while we risked our lives trying to put a stop to all this?
no subject
[She deserves honesty, at least. If that chance encounter hadn't happened -
Much as he likes to amuse himself with the idea of swooping in for a rescue at the end, he doesn't know what his plans were. Didn't really have any.]
Given the choice, I would probably have preferred to make contact with Noctis first. He's a bit less likely to murder me.
[He didn't get the choice, and while it's hard to deal with in its own way - it's relieving, too, to not have to make that decision.]
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[ Yeowch, Rii-san. She might not be a princess of Lucis by blood but that kind of bare-faced bitterness, said with a sardonic smile is certainly something that runs in the family. ]
But now we know you're here. So the question I suppose I should ask is what do you plan to do now?
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This one, at least, is easy to answer.]
Whatever you need of me.
[He's no good at finding a direction on his own, always letting Ardyn lead until it was too late. But give him a cause and a reason, and the determination that created a kingdom from rubble will suddenly appear.]
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Some of the tension's gone out of her posture but she's still squinting at him suspiciously. ]
... You can't really mean that.
[ Can he? ]
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For his family? His country? Then, like any other Lucis Caelum, he walks tall and steps forward unflinchingly to put himself on the line.
He no longer has a country; no longer any family, save Ardyn and Noctis and the people they've gathered around them. For them, no price is too high.]
If it's within my power, it's yours, with the exception of coming along with you. Ardyn's made his feelings on that quite clear.
[And Ardyn's wishes kind of are the highest priority he's operating under these days.]
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Don't worry. Having you come with us is the last thing I'd want.
[ But within his power makes her realize something. For as ridiculous as Ardyn's powers seem, he's still under the PIP's influence. There's plenty he can't do. But here, suddenly, is a Lucis Caelum without any of those limitations. Who knows what he might be able to do?
Who knows just how useful he might be? ]
But I do want something else. A promise. You already know, don't you? That they must be looking for us.
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[In his opinion, even people who don't know that the people in the show are real should have been able to figure out that much. The official story is something about respecting their privacy, but there's still the fact that none of them give interviews, or go to press events, or even interact with the fandom on Space Twitter.
In short, they disappear off the map as soon as a season is finished. That alone is suspicious, and speaks more of going into hiding than retiring with their fame.]
I may not have a map, but I can follow a trail of breadcrumbs perfectly well.
[He leans against the door, folding his arms. It's an intentionally reclaimed gesture of his own - Ardyn in the same position always puts his hands on his hips.]
You intend to fight back, I take it?
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[ you've seen how angry and punchy this little space family is, good sir. Do you really think they'd just let the Network get away with a stern warning? ]
I don't know how hard they're looking. I don't know if they're even really looking at all, or if they're just letting us run around when they could find us any time they want. We've still got the PIPs, after all.
But however it happens, we're going to be taking the fight to them. And when it does... There's always a chance things won't work out the way we want them to.
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[Well that's no fun.]
I am at your complete disposal for whatever you need.
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[Though not as difficult to kill as Ardyn.]
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How would Ardyn feel, she finds herself wondering, if he ever found out what she was doing here? ]
I don't want you dead.
[ If only because she thinks, if anyone should make that choice, it should be Ardyn. He's certainly earned it. ]
But more than that, I don't want to lose anyone else. Not anymore. All of them are so... stupid and headstrong and reckless. But I love them very, very much.
[ There's no more scorn in her words or on her face anymore. Just an earnest sincerity, wide-eyed and almost uncharacteristically straightforward. ]
And I'm just as stupid and headstrong and reckless as they are. So if asking for your help is what it takes to keep them safe, then I don't care about doing it.
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[In some ways he doesn't care much one way or the other. In others - he can't even begin to make things right if he just goes and gets himself killed, can he?]
But I won't flinch back from the possibility, either. It was always pain I feared more than death.
[And that sincerity... From Izunia, it earns a small smile.]
I'm afraid you'll find the whole family to be like that, if you haven't already. Me as much as any other. Why am I not surprised that Ardyn settled among his own kind...?
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[ It still seems surreal how well they'd all seemed to be matched to each other, for a group of strangers tossed together just to kill. She has to wonder if that had been the Network's intent all along. ]
Just... promise me one more thing, then. Don't tell him I was the one who asked you to do this.
[ she doesn't think she has to clarify just who she means. ]
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[The request for secrecy makes him blink, but then - well, far be it from him to judge others for their secrets.]
If that's truly all, then I feel guilty for not sending you home with a set of knives or a pistol or something.
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[ sir, you saw season three, why would you trust any single person on the fantasy sweet with a gUN ]
I think we'd do more harm to ourselves than anyone else.
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[He seems... surprisingly worried about it? Like, he is genuinely concerned about you guys with a nerfed Ardyn to serve as most of your combat power. The strength of the blood royal is not infinite.]
i feel like i need to apologize for this tag
okay I've recovered enough to come back to this
sorry did you say keep twisting the knife? ABSOLUTELY, WITH PLEASURE
right back at you though
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