[no one gets (air)left behind]

[founderinglight]

[The police have taken your Mastermind, and the spaceport is yours, it seems, for the time being, without any further interruptions.

Except...

Why is there another ship parked at the door? (The door, it should be noted, furthest from the police cruiser.)

There's one more person who intends to put on an appearance today, it seems.

-> Investigate?]

[[Welcome to the Airleft Bonus Continuity CMO and catchall post! For those who aren't familiar, the TLDR of Airleft is "Airlocked, but a bit to the left." The short version is that this one time, at Space Mall, Church and Ardyn ran into someone very familiar... Running basically the shittier version of Armigod. Wanna meet space dad's actual bro? Now's your chance.]]

Comments

[burninglight]

...what do you want from me?

[Even though it was half-muffled against Church's shoulder, the question was directed at his brother.]

I don't want your help. I don't trust you. I don't-...I don't believe you.

cw: suicidal ideation probably

[founderinglight]

[It takes him a minute, to put together that the words are directed at him - ]

...Then there's no point.

[motherfucking_ghost]

[He doesn't know what is going on, what Ardyn is wearing, or anything except that Ardyn is upset and it's Izunia's fault. And because today has been A Fucking Day, and Leonard Church is by no means the sanest one in the room, go fuck yourself, he pulls his arm back to lob the molotov into Izunia's face.

It's not a gun, he (probably) won't miss.]

[burninglight]

Stop--

[Ardyn caught Church's arm, more out of autopiloted desperation than anything.]

Don't. Don't. I-...

['I don't want to hurt him' didn't quite make it out, mostly because Ardyn didn't understand why not.]

[founderinglight]

[Just... slow, owlish blinking. He doesn't move, because Izunia.exe has not booted up, FounderKing.exe has been permanently exiled from the hard drive, and all other systems can only be operated through the Izunia.exe operating system.

Well, okay, his hand is no longer hanging sadly in the air and drops across his knee, but that's it.]

[motherfucking_ghost]

Okay well someone fucking say coherent words or I'm gonna either set him on fire or beat his skull in.

[burninglight]

[Slow, deep breaths. Focus.]

...he says he came to help.

[founderinglight]

[despair.exe it's still running but okay we're going to. put face in hands and try. try to look like we have self control.

just. over here. face. hands. deep breath. sob.]

[motherfucking_ghost]

I DON'T SEE ANY FUCKING HELP.

I HAVE A LOT OF PENT-UP ANGER AND SO HELP ME I AM NOT AFRAID TO LET IT LOOSE.

[burninglight]

...please stop. Leonard, just--I'm alright. Stay here, don't hurt him.

[your fiance is tired and wants none of the yelling please.]

Izunia...I'm not...I'm not your king. I never was.

HMU if u rather i delete this!!

[press_start]

Do you want… drinks?

[she has some spacebucks and some alcohol and oh what’s this.]

[motherfucking_ghost]

Something strong, please and thank you.

[press_start]

I heard you shouting from inside.

[booze? booze. here.

she also seems very unaffected by the twindrama over there.]

[motherfucking_ghost]

[He can drink with one hand and threaten people with a molotov in the other, it's called multitasking.]

So who are you supposed to be? Do I have to get angry at you, too?

[press_start]

... I don't know. I'm from the same organisation as Togami-san and Fukawa-san but... it's more relevant that I'm Izunia-san's friend. I think.

.... I can also fly this ship if you want it and don't want Izunia-san to pilot.

[founderinglight]

[Finally, words, ragged and rough - ]

You should have been.

[motherfucking_ghost]

Nothing about this seems all right.

[burninglight]

But I wasn’t. [He kept right on clinging to Church, at this point as much for Izunia’s sake as his own.

Why should I—why should we trust you, after what you did?

here let's underlatin instead

[founderinglight]

...In my heart, you were.

[And that's too tired to be anything but the truth.]

I can't make my words reach any further now than I did before. I love you, I have always loved you, I will burn for you at a word, but I have nothing more I can give.

[burninglight]

You tortured me, Izunia. [He broke away from Church to glare at his brother, hand still gripping his fiance's tightly.]

Drowning, burning, crucifixion, firing squad, hanging, decapitation, did you think I forgot? You tortured me and then when you grew tired of trying to kill me you left me to rot on Angelgard for eternity.

And now you say you love me. You dare insist that...that you...

[He bit his lower lip hard, sight blurred by tears of either anguish or rage.]

What do you want from me? Forgiveness? An apology for so inconveniencing you and your bloodline?

[founderinglight]

Of course you can't forget. I can't forget.

[One thing you have to acknowledge, Ardyn - at least he never averted his eyes, unlike some of the murderers here.]

What I want...

[He reaches up and touches the crow on the side of his neck. Fifteen for my heart's last desire - ]

...Is for you to use the dawn you've found to pull back that curtain of night and see. To look upon things in the sun's light and understand that I never wanted any of this - not the throne, not the kingdom, and never to hurt you.

[ - A new day's dawn, reborn in fire.]

Only to stand by your side.

[burninglight]

I never wanted this either! I never wanted the throne, the Crystal, I never wanted to turn into that thing--! I just-...I just...

[His voice faltered and cracked, Ardyn letting go of Church's hand to fall back against the wall and sink to the floor.]

...I just wanted to help. I wanted to save the family I loved more than life itself, and you killed me for it.

[founderinglight]

[A pause, and then -

Izunia's head tips forward, and his shoulders shake, with silent laughter - silent hysterics.]

Ardyn - Ardyn, I -

You forgot, didn't you? All these centuries, my very worst memory, and you -

[He wipes at his eyes, and finally lifts his head to look Ardyn in the eye.]

I didn't kill you for anything. The first time - the one that made you into that... It was an accident, Ardyn.

[burninglight]

...wh...what?

[Ardyn swallowed hard and forced himself to stand, yellow eyes widened by distrust and confusion. He was far from hiding behind Church especially for how much taller he was, but he still gripped his fiance's sleeve like it was the sole anchor to sanity.]

Explain yourself. You were sick, and I-... [He shook his head, free hand raking through his hair.] ...I can't...I can't remember, there was a blade and all that noise in my head and then I was just dying over and over and over--

[founderinglight]

Late-stage Scourge infection can cause fever dreams and delusions, remember?

[He lifts a hand to his hair, running fingertips through what remains in a gesture that's inherited from Ardyn himself.]

I was... You were probably almost too late, when you arrived. I was out of it, unconscious and trapped in those horrible dreams. When you healed me, I - my body moved before my mind caught up to the fact that I wasn't there anymore.

[How many horrible accidents has Ardyn seen over all these weeks, months, especially from those with even the slightest bit of supernatural powers losing control of them?]

So I was half-panicked and suddenly I could move again, and you were still standing over me, and I just... struck at what I thought was a threat. And my blade went straight through you.