Get in time traveller

[warmgaze]

[Altissia. The ring, burning into his finger, burning into his skull, and he knows the price without asking, knows before it's paid. The thing you value most, isn't that always how this works in fairytales?

Ravus. Noctis. Ardyn, and that little revelation barely enters his mind at the time, the familiar glowing signature of a warp in an unfamiliar color. The prophecy, the visions that hang in his mind, a last wish from a woman who spent her life to ensure it, Lunafreya's final message to ensure that Noctis would survive.

The last clear words he can remember clearly, You've a calling to fulfill, and then Prompto and Gladio's voices, concerned, in a blur...

And then nothing. Just the feeling of a ring's power, setting him alight from fingertips to crown -

It's still in him, that power. The ring of the Lucii binds to its wearers for life, knotting strands of light into their souls, be they kings or anyone else.

(He had expected to die. Living is harder.)

And in the depths of his unconsciousness, in the place where he knows the things that he hasn't had time to consider, Noctis and Ardyn and prophecy and all of that terrible weight -

From there, from the connection of the fire in his soul that will never go out, that can only be smothered and locked away in the dark, a voice says, what would you give to change fate?

And, of course, he answers, Anything.

----

In another world, Ignis Scientia wakes in Altissia, his face scarred, his vision burned away, and continues on.

In this one, Prompto Argentum enters the room just in time to see a flare of purple flame lick along his friend's body and leave nothing behind, not even a char mark on the wrinkled sheets.

And Ignis?

Ignis wakes, with a groan and a hand pressed to his face, in the back of a cart that trundles to a stop to pick up another passenger, a young healer with cheeks not yet sunken by pain and eyes not yet yellowed by plague. He wakes bereft, on some fundamental level, of the touch of magic that bound him to Noctis, the hum of energy that bound retainer to prince...

He wakes with the imprint of a ring on his finger, the memory of agreeing, and not the damnedest idea where he is.]

Comments

[burninglight]

[meh]

Oh--right, of course. [That, he pulled out of the Armiger in a quick flash of red.]

...don't tell Izunia I had that.

[ardyn, what the hell.]

[warmgaze]

[He should have realized, of course, after Izunia's trick with the sandwich last night, but it still startles him a little. Thankfully, it will probably pass as surprise at the casual use of magic, rather than at the Armiger in particular.

That will take some getting used to.

(He misses Noctis.)]

Of course. But dare I ask why, if you don't cook?

[burninglight]

...Reasons.

[And that came with the telltale look of 'ridiculous things that I will be lectured for'.]

[warmgaze]

Do tell.

[And that in turn comes with a telltale look of 'I'm not going to forget this conversation so don't even try to dodge it.'

The frying pan, meanwhile, goes onto the stove to get warm.]

[burninglight]

Oh, you know. Experimenting with new and unconventional forms of weaponry.

...I did make sure to clean it after the fact.

[warmgaze]

...I almost feel I should have expected that.

[Just from knowing so much about the usual nature of Armiger users -

It doesn't occur to him, until after he's said it and once he's started pouring egg into the bowl, how strange that comment would sound from someone who has no reason to know of the Lucis Caelum tendency towards martial skill. Ignis is practiced enough at politics that it doesn't show on his face, and he continues to scrape the last bit of egg out of the bowl, but internally he's just. That was stupid.]

[burninglight]

...?

[Ardyn tilted his head in curious acknowledgement of the statement, but for now chose to approach it from another angle.]

Astrals, I should hope not to come off as so violent that such a thing would be expected. Makes for a terrible healer.

[warmgaze]

Ah, no, of course not. I was simply reminded of a story I heard once of a housewife defending her family with such a 'weapon.'

[A thoughtful pause, as though making some effort to remember.]

Or perhaps it was a barmaid. Or perhaps there were multiple such stories. It's been some years.

[Nailed it.]

[burninglight]

Well, I'm certainly glad that's all it is.

[he's not convinced.]

[warmgaze]

[As long as he's too polite to call it out, that's fine. The truth is far too unbelievable to guess, after all.]

If you're experimenting with weaponry, I take it you have some ability to defend yourself, at least.

[Starting to smell like egg in here.

Better find out what he fights with when he isn't just kicking people in the gut and throwing scourgey magics at them.]

[burninglight]

I'm quite a capable hand, actually. I prefer two-handed swords.

[Ardyn seemed to light up a little, eager like the child he still was on some level.]

Would you like to see mine?

[warmgaze]

Much as I'm capable of seeing anything, it would be a pleasure.

[Two-handed swords... There aren't many of the known Royal Arms, even the lost ones, that fit that description.]

Though perhaps wait a moment, this is almost done.

[burninglight]

I suppose I can wait.

[He said that cheerfully, obviously having touched upon one of his several favorite subjects.]

[warmgaze]

I'm sure I'll be better able to devote my attention to it after breakfast. And perhaps another cup of coffee. Plates?

[Where do you hide your flat ceramics my boy.]

[burninglight]

[Ardyn nodded quickly, crossing the room to another set of cabinets to produce a set of plates.]

Silverware's the drawer to your left.

[warmgaze]

My thanks.

[And a couple of forks and some serving later, they have eggs! And Izunia's muffins, and that second cup of coffee.

Breakfast accomplished.]</small

[burninglight]

[the only thing a lucis caelum likes more than sleep? food.]

Goodness, you're quite the astounding cook.

[warmgaze]

Years of practice, that's all.

[But he does smile warmly at the compliment. It's always nice to be appreciated.]

This is hardly anything special, but it's probably about what I'm capable of at the moment.

[burninglight]

Even so, it's quite good all the same. I must admit I'm impressed.

[warmgaze]

I suppose I'll simply have to pull out all the stops sometime.

[Ideally, after he finds out if there's corrective lenses here of any sort that will actually help with what remains of his vision.

For now, he pauses to take another drink of the coffee. It's not Ebony, but it's certainly nice and strong - no doubt because Ardyn wouldn't be able to feel it otherwise, with how much cream and sugar Ignis saw him dumping in.]

[burninglight]

Oh, I do genuinely look forward to seeing that.

[warmgaze]

Perhaps to celebrate our mutual recovery.

[A forkful of eggs, which, honestly, they're rapidly disappearing. He still hasn't gotten nearly enough to eat in the last 48 hours, and has to work to pace himself.]

[burninglight]

An excellent idea. [said ardyn in between inhaling breakfast.] My, we'll make a proper celebration of it, that might be fun.

[warmgaze]

[They're sucking up breakfast like the college-aged boys they are, it's perfectly normal.]

Some sort of small get-together, at the very least.

[Oops, there goes the last of his muffin. He sets the plate to the side for now and nurses the end of his coffee.]

[burninglight]

I can scarcely wait.

[for two skinny kids, they sure do eat like black holes]