Prelude - Long March Home

[comesunset]

His Royal Highness, Ardyn Lucis Caelum, took the chance to step onto the streets of Lestallum without the constant company of his retainers. Verstael had gone wandering off in search of information on the next tomb - a researcher to the bone, even at twenty, a year Ardyn's junior - and Gilgamesh had gone to meet with the Crownsguard. There were few threats in the city, the largest outside Insomnia itself, and after shedding his royal blacks in favor of a more relaxed ensemble, Ardyn practically vanished into the crowd, notable only for his red hair, his height, and the scarf draped loosely around his neck.

Three Arms down, ten to go. And the Lucian countryside hid them well - they'd found a fourth tomb, but with its relic missing, and information from the hunters pointed to a ruin that Ardyn's Shield had turned their trio away from. Ardyn, for once, hadn't argued, feeling the potency of the daemons within in practically the air itself.

For now, he takes his break wandering the streets, picking up a set of skewers from one vendor, a pastry from another, a locally mixed lemonade from a third, and making his way down to the overlook. They've only been in Lestallum a week, and he's already growing fond of the benches there, the view out over the meteor crater. The sunset provides the perfect backdrop as he recalls his meal from its brief time in his Armiger, careful to keep the royal magic out of the sight of any passerby before settling in to people-watch. It's not like he's totally reckless, Gil.

Times like this, with the crowd of the power plant's shift change bustling around him, are the times he most feels like he can relax. Rather than being the Prince, just another face in the crowd... With a smile, Ardyn sips his lemonade before taking another bite of the skewer held idly in his left hand. So refreshing.

Comments

[comesunset]

...I don't know. It doesn't yet seem as though it could be true.

[Surely there have been, over the ages, better choices for the Chosen King than a carefree prince with a limp and no experience.]

Tell me - who are you, to know all this?

[discutio]

A man of no significance.

[The answer came with a small, enigmatic smile, Ignis leaning back against the wall with clearly no fear of losing his balance.]

[comesunset]

Be that as it may, a name would be a great help, Seer.

[discutio]

Ignis, if you please. There should hardly be need for introductions from your side--you're Ardyn Lucis Caelum, of course.

[comesunset]

Ignis, then.

[And yes he's racking his brains for any 'Ignis' of significance, not that he expects to find one.]

Some match we are. Are you to be my Oracle in Lady Gentiana's absence?

[discutio]

Hardly anything of the sort.

[Quite sharply the opposite.]

It simply seemed an unwise choice to allow the future king to be unguarded on the ground whilst the voice of the gods rattled about in his head.

[comesunset]

Too much to ask them to speak in words, I take it.

[He rubs the side of his head with a sigh.]

I appreciate the thought, however. Might I take you somewhere more private to discuss this? I'm sure we're due to attract listening ears any moment.

[discutio]

Clearly.

[heavens forbid they make anything easy.]

Very well. Do lead the way, then.

[comesunset]

Can I get you anything as we go?

[He stands and immediately puts on his Business Prince face, all polite smiles, no weakness.]

My treat.

[discutio]

With the utmost respect, I think I'll decline. I certainly could never dare to ask royalty for a favor, after all.

[comesunset]

I daresay you've already done me one, with that hot tip regarding the Archaean.

[discutio]

All I've done is hand you a bit of information. It's scarcely up to me whether it becomes of value to you or not.

[comesunset]

Information that would likely have taken us quite some time to discover otherwise. There's not much scholarship on the gods outside Tenebrae, and that resource is... It's not available to us.

[He smiles weakly, but the reasoning behind that ought to be obvious.]

[discutio]

Hardly surprising that it should be beyond reach, all things considered. But if you've curiosity regarding the gods, then perhaps you merely need seek them out.

[comesunset]

Perhaps. But that is not a job to be taken lightly.

[He steps a bit closer, close enough to put his head more obviously those couple of inches above Ignis', though he stops short of taking the man's hand. They're moving back off the main road, now.]

Are you sure that there is no hospitality I can offer you?

[discutio]

Flattered as I am to warrant a king's attention, I've no need of anything.

[comesunset]

...I'm hardly a king yet.

[A slightly melancholy tone.]

Not with throne, crown, and ring all beyond my reach.

[discutio]

[Ignis was far from stupid enough not to see a wounded anak gambit of sorts when he was confronted with one. But it was interesting to see where this might go--the worst that could happen was that it came to a fight and the unfortunate immortality of the first king and his retinue became apparent. But even that could be worked with--Noctis would understand, should it unfold that way. He always did, benevolent and compassionate to his three-man court as he was.]

Come now, such a dismal outlook is hardly suitable for the gods' blessed Chosen, now isn't it?

[comesunset]

Not dismal, merely practical.

[And Ardyn has few doubts that this seer, whoever he is, has some awareness of the possibility of an underhanded play, if not outright an expectation of it.

Which is why Ardyn himself thrives on the unexpected. At a particularly narrow pass of the alley, thus, he pulls a blade from his Armiger in a tinkle of crystal and immediately warps to the other side - hoping to catch Ignis off guard with the unusual direction in order to pin him into the wall. The dagger he used for warping remains in his hand, ready to test the other man's neck if he needs to make the point.]

[discutio]

[It was almost cute, in the way a newborn coeurl might try to bat at an elder's whiskers. No threat--at least no realistic one--and far too much posturing. Then again, the latter seemed to run deep in the Lucian blood.]

...That's hardly the hospitality of the Lucian crown, Your Highness.

[Ignis was, however, utterly unfazed. He hadn't even moved to defend himself, going along without a trace of resistance.]

[Yet.]

look just pretend it isn't fuckfaced

[comesunset]

And you're hardly all you appear to be, either. 'Ignis' is an old Lucian name, and even half the nobles don't use those nowadays.

[Whether it is his birth name or a chosen one, it's something of significance indeed.

Ardyn has one of Ignis' hands twisted behind the man's back, the other pinned between the man's body and the alley wall - not ideal, but it will do. His dagger scrapes - ]

Now, then, I'd dearly like to know where you really got your -

[ - and breaks skin - ]

...information...

[And Ardyn's demands fall suddenly silent.]

meh

[discutio]

[The carefree prince truly was smarter than he acted, wasn't he? Ignis hadn't truly expected to be caught on such a detail, but so it went.]

[The thin trail of evaporating black miasma told him that knife had scratched just a little further than he'd have liked. Ah, well. He remained confident that Noctis would think little of the secret getting out in a sense. Such things happened, in even the most perfect of plans. All it would take was a mere adjustment, and it was hardly as if things would end differentl-...]

[...wait, why had Ardyn stopped talking? Usually right about now he'd have expected some declaration of shock or disgust, and yet there was nothing at all.]

If we're to stand here in some manner of awkward silence, I might prefer to have my arm back. That may get terribly uncomfortable after a while.

[comesunset]

[At first Ardyn doesn't say anything, but after a moment the knife vanishes and he backs up a step, letting Ignis off the wall.

His expression - not that he expects it to be seen, because who would, even when faced with the black blood that vanishes under Ignis' collar (he'd been careful, at least, to mark a place that wouldn't be obvious, and though he doesn't realize it that works to his disadvantage, hiding the way the cut seals shut after) - is one of genuine pain, not quite pity but sympathy.]

...I'm sorry. You must be suffering greatly, aren't you?

[discutio]

...Excuse me?

[Ignis turned to face Ardyn again, completely at a loss for any other way to respond.]

[comesunset]

I'm not stupid. I know how far the Scourge must have progressed for your blood to be that color.

[Compassion, sympathy... Apology. All genuine. Even if he is mistaken about the exact nature of Ignis' infection.]

I'm sorry. I only wish that there was something I could do.