dorks at the water
Who: Weiss, Ruby, Jaune, Prompto, Ignis
What: Exploring! Combatting heat exhaustion! Hardtack for dayyyyyyys!!
When: August 19th
Where: Enso, C4 & D4
Warnings: None probably. Will update if necessary.
Nice to Beach Ya (D4)
[ It'd been long enough on this island that Weiss felt reasonably comfortable that she could figure out how to get back to where they'd be staying if they left. They had an OK amount of food and they were doing acceptably. It was time to further explore. Preferrably before they found out if and when this place's winter started.
Staying along the coastline would likely be the easiest to bring Prompto's friend along too, and if they were lucky, Weiss would certainly be interested to see if there were any unoccupied grottos, ocean views, like the kinds they put in travel pamphlets. Or an estuary, perhaps, to see if there's any fresh water available. Because there's a huge chance that's going to become an issue soon too.
That said, outside of some pretty gorgeous views, they hadn't found much yet. Weiss glanced over to the cliffs in the distance. ]
If we don't find anything on the beach, maybe we should check the cliffs.
Hell on Sand (C4)
[ Getting further along the beach had just progressively made Weiss's day worse. She had been in Atlas for nearly a year, a snowscape that basically had winter as the default season.
No trees. If you weren't under the water it just felt like you were cooking alive, and they couldn't find any clean drinking water. Weiss felt like she was going to pass out, both hands on her knees as she panted before finally standing up straight and stabbing her sword into the sand. While most people would just scream "WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT THAT'S GOING TO DULL YOUR SWORD THEY ONLY DO THAT IN THE MOVIES BECAUSE IT LOOKS COOL," Weiss did it with intent.
A quick pull of the trigger on Myrtenaster and a spike of ice shot up from the ground. She'd only needed it deeper in the sand so it would stand up instead of falling over on the shifting sands. She hated having to waste Dust on this- especially when she hadn't even mentioned that she had it to Prompto or Ignis really. ]
Ignis, don't walk into the ice spike.
[ Weiss rested her forehead against it, cupping her hand against the side. This section of the beach was inarguably the worst. The ice probably wouldn't stay frozen for long, but with it melting quickly, that was fresh water they could work with. ]
Who's carrying those pots? [ That'd be the best way to gather the water as it melted off the ice shoot. ]
What: Exploring! Combatting heat exhaustion! Hardtack for dayyyyyyys!!
When: August 19th
Where: Enso, C4 & D4
Warnings: None probably. Will update if necessary.
Nice to Beach Ya (D4)
[ It'd been long enough on this island that Weiss felt reasonably comfortable that she could figure out how to get back to where they'd be staying if they left. They had an OK amount of food and they were doing acceptably. It was time to further explore. Preferrably before they found out if and when this place's winter started.
Staying along the coastline would likely be the easiest to bring Prompto's friend along too, and if they were lucky, Weiss would certainly be interested to see if there were any unoccupied grottos, ocean views, like the kinds they put in travel pamphlets. Or an estuary, perhaps, to see if there's any fresh water available. Because there's a huge chance that's going to become an issue soon too.
That said, outside of some pretty gorgeous views, they hadn't found much yet. Weiss glanced over to the cliffs in the distance. ]
If we don't find anything on the beach, maybe we should check the cliffs.
Hell on Sand (C4)
[ Getting further along the beach had just progressively made Weiss's day worse. She had been in Atlas for nearly a year, a snowscape that basically had winter as the default season.
No trees. If you weren't under the water it just felt like you were cooking alive, and they couldn't find any clean drinking water. Weiss felt like she was going to pass out, both hands on her knees as she panted before finally standing up straight and stabbing her sword into the sand. While most people would just scream "WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT THAT'S GOING TO DULL YOUR SWORD THEY ONLY DO THAT IN THE MOVIES BECAUSE IT LOOKS COOL," Weiss did it with intent.
A quick pull of the trigger on Myrtenaster and a spike of ice shot up from the ground. She'd only needed it deeper in the sand so it would stand up instead of falling over on the shifting sands. She hated having to waste Dust on this- especially when she hadn't even mentioned that she had it to Prompto or Ignis really. ]
Ignis, don't walk into the ice spike.
[ Weiss rested her forehead against it, cupping her hand against the side. This section of the beach was inarguably the worst. The ice probably wouldn't stay frozen for long, but with it melting quickly, that was fresh water they could work with. ]
Who's carrying those pots? [ That'd be the best way to gather the water as it melted off the ice shoot. ]

Hell on Sand (C4)
As soon as Weiss stopped to rest, she would find a shadow overcast right above her, as he put down his armor for now and expanded the shield over her head. She was the most at risk of burning-- they all were, but he had a feeling she would be the worst off.]
Weiss, we need to get you in the water. You need a break, and we can't keep going like this. We should head back.
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[They'd probably walked too far on this endless sand in this humidity. It seemed to go on forever with nothing in sight.]
Is there anything we can use to shade her? My vest wouldn't be big enough.
[He was most concerned about protecting Weiss from the sun. They would deal with any sun-related consequences later, but he didn't want to see her get burned. He'd happily hold something over her to provide shade on the way back if he could.]
I agree with Jaune. Going forward anymore right now is probably a bad idea. Maybe we can set up some sort of stations for people to get relief and try again in the future, but we should make a hasty retreat right now.
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[ There was a slight irritation in her voice. As if she was the only pale person here... She was definitely the only one who people were trying to baby over it. Ruby's almost as pale as she is, she just has dark hair so people don't think about it!
Weiss wanted to sit down on the sand, but with how hot it was she was sure that would be even less comfortable than standing up. The burn of sand kicking up into her heels already was more than enough to tell her that sitting down would just leave her with regrets.
But the ice spike was here, even if it was already melting, and she could still squat, so that's what she did to set her bag down and get her hammer out. A quick swing of it with the claw facing the ice and she was able to hit off a chunk of the ice. One that she was absolutely going to put against her lips so she could suck some of the water off while she waited for pots. ]
I'll be fine, I just need a minute and some ice cold water. [ Because as much as she hated this, she knew she needed to worry about was the serious risk of dehydration right now. She was already barely getting enough clean water as it was. ]
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H-Here...
[She quickly unfastens her cape and holds it over Weiss like a shade.]
That should cool her off... oh, I'm going to burn real bad...!
[But, this is for her BFF! She HAS to push on!]
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None of us are fine, we're all at risk the longer we stay out here. [Maybe taking some of the attention off of her would help? Then again, Weiss was stubborn. He eyed that water enviously and then looked back at the ocean. He couldn't drink it, but he wanted to run in and cool off.] If we do decide we wanna come back this way again, we can bring more water and supplies next time. [He nodded, widening his eyes at Ruby.]
No you won't! [If Ruby is going to sacrifice her cape for the greater good, he'll use his shield to shade her instead!]
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[Prompto was really wishing they had something that they could carry for shade. He should have been worried about his own completely exposed arms, but for the time being he would prioritize the two ladies here. Ignis could call him an idiot later - in his own words. Rarely was the advisor quite that blunt.
Taking hold of one side of the cape, he glanced over at Jaune.]
Maybe if you hold up the other side it'll be enough to shade them both?
[He wiped his forehead, but tried to play it off cool.]
It was pretty hot back in Hammerhead and such, too, so I'll be fine. [So long as Ignis didn't out him for declaring himself deceased in Hammerhead's heat.] If you guys are used to colder weather, you should get the shade first.
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[ Weiss lets out a frustrated noise. and turns away from the ice spike finally. She just needed a second and some water and everyone's making a big deal about it and she's not the useless princess who needs to be treated like she can't handle herself. Her tone is curt when she speaks again, cutting off any yelling for now at least. ]
Prompto I can understand worrying about this, but you two have literally watched me handle being in the middle of an explosion. Twice for Ruby. I'm far more concerned about dehydration than wasting my time on something I can just heal from. The sun is just a much slower burn.
[ Why do you think she never complains about wearing heels all the time? Weiss is wholly willing to waste energy healing from things she really doesn't need to as long as it fits her aesthetic. That includes sunburns. If she gets knocked in the head or has her aura run down, it might be a different story, but..
Honestly, she's mostly getting annoyed that everyone seems to be babying her. ]
Ruby, but your cape back on. Jaune, get your shield away from me. Prompto, don't encourage them. You're all nearly as pale as I am, I'm just the only one willing to do something reasonable about the actual problem at hand. [ The dehydration. That's a little more concerning. Which is why she made the ice spike to begin with. ]
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You're pretty pale too.
[But the cape would make a better shade, as reluctant as Jaune was to admit it. He puts his shield away and approaches one side when Weiss's yelling cuts him off.
Did she think they were doing this because they didn't think she could handle it? Immediately he became more closed off, folding his arms. Prompto could either struggle with the cape or let part of it fall on Weiss.]
Well I'm sorry if I'm not equipped to handle the problem at hand. You want me to do something reasonable?
[Fine. He gently places his sword and shield down, walking backwards until he feels the cool touch of the water. Once he's about knee deep, he flops back into it and shouts.]
ENJOY YOUR MELTING SNOW!
Hell on Sand (C4)
[Well, that explains the sudden cool breeze that washed over him. Ignis honestly had passed it off to momentary wishful thinking. Not that an ice spike in the middle of a sweltering stretch of beach makes that much more sense than feeling a cool breeze due to wishful thinking does. Nonetheless, he's not going to look a gift cool breeze in the mouth.
Why did black have to be such an important color to Lucians? Oh right, death. As in Ignis feels likes he's about to roast to death even with his sleeves rolled up. In a case like this, Gladio would just go without his shirt all together, but Ignis knows he will roast to death even faster if he takes his shirt off. Pale skin tone be damned. He still looks like he spends most of his time in a library despite the all time they'd been on the road before he was brought here.
At least he can be useful as he's roasting to death. Ignis swings his pack from his shoulder and digs out the pots, holding them in the direction Weiss' voice came from last.]
Here you are. Be sure to knock any remaining sand out of them before you collect any water. I think we've already had our fill of sand today. It doesn't need to be part of the refreshments as well.
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The magic Prompto was familiar with was different, but he did know it existed. And this was probably better than Noctis throwing an ice bomb on the group and freezing their legs in a pond. He was so inconsiderate sometimes.
This was one time his fashion actually helped. He often wore tank tops and dressed for relatively warm weather. That didn't mean he wasn't sweaty and hot, but at least they had some experience with it. A lot more than with snow. He left his snow gear behind and went with his normal vest. The main drawback was that his outfit was dark. No doubt he'd have some clear tan-lines later.
Walking around in this heat on dirt didn't seem to be getting them much of anywhere.
He trotted up to bask in the cool air surrounding the ice spike, sticking a hand out to prevent Iggy from walking too close.]
Man, everyone has magic.
[Except me. Not that he was going to complain about getting any ice water.]
We haven't seen anything good out here. Why don't we just get the water and start heading back? Somewhere where we can enjoy the sea breeze. Maybe with a little bit of shade.
[He thought of it more for comfort purposes, not thinking as much ahead about sunburns.]
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[ She's got a limited supply of it, the last thing she needs is people realizing she's in possession of portable elements-- particularly given that not knowing how to use them could result in the entire island catching fire or someone summoning a lightning bolt right into their skull. ]
Ignis gets the first cup for carrying these around and also being sick of sand.
[ She takes the pots from him, hitting the first one on her leg while holding it upside down to knock any sand out. She probably did it a couple of times more than necessary, but honestly, she was so sick of sand she'd rather be sure. Weiss already had her hammer out and was trying to use the claw to chip ice out into the cup. It was probably going to take a while, but she didn't exactly have an ice pick. ]
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[Wrong kind of dust, Genius.]
We will certainly respect your wishes, but I don't suppose I could trade that first drink for a little explanation on how it works?
[Curiosity killed the coeurl...err or the advisor, anyway. He never will be good at putting care of himself ahead of things that catch his interest.
Speaking of things catching his interest, his brow furrows slightly as he listens to her work.]
Are you using a hammer to chip at the ice? Would a dagger be more useful?
[It just so happens...]
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[As much as he'd been fussing a bit about the girls with them, he was still concerned about Ignis, too. They were out in the heat and Ignis had on a good amount. If Prompto felt like a stinky pile of goo, he could only imagine how Ignis was feeling.
At least the ice was helping to soothe some of that, though. It was getting a small amount of air conditioning. Some temporary relief in this wretched weather.]
Do you want me to hold the pot anywhere?
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[ No offense to Nora, but Weiss preferred tools of much more precision. Myrtenaster was too precise for such a task (and she didn't want to blunt the tip- it and ice worked best in conjunction not opposition) and a hammer was too lacking. ]
Right here, Prompto.
[ She indicates a spot a small distance from her position. It's far enough that he's not likely to get hit if she slips (it is melting rapidly) but close enough that it should catch most of it. As she explains, she keeps her eye on the ice while she works slowly, waiting for the dagger. ]
Dust is an elemental energy propellent from my world. It's highly volatile in the hands of someone who doesn't know how to use it. Dust is made of four basic components: water, wind, fire, and lightning. The Dust I'm using right now is a particular combination of air and water Dust particulates used to make ice, and is in powdered state, which is the most dangerous in untrained hands- one of many reasons I'd prefer to keep that information from becoming widespread in case anyone gets any ideas.
[ There's a beat before she adds. ] I have ice, fire, air, earth, water, stone, and lightning on me. The most plentiful of which in my possession is ice, as it tends to be my specialty, though I have experience in all of them. My family is the number one producer of Dust in Remnant. [ For better or worse- she's not sure at this point. Dust itself she is happy to tl;dr all day on, though. ]
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So magic is mostly used in a physical form on your world? The energy itself is not manipulated, at least, not after the dust is made? How is that done?
[He can't help but wonder if the process works anything like elemancy does, but at the same time, he doesn't think it can work that way. After all, elemancy merely contains the magical energy within a flask. It doesn't give it actual physical form. In addition to that, it is only something Noctis can do. From the way that Weiss talks about dust...]
Am I understanding correctly that anyone can use dust then? There is no innate talent or special training at all needed to activate it?
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Does that mean it's kind of like potions? Anyone can use those!
[Distracted, he looked up at them and didn't pay attention to where he was holding the pot. Fortunately, and surprisingly quickly, he was chided by Ignis and dropped back down into place. Had he scraped the ice slightly when he moved? Was it the sound of his voice moving about? Whatever it was that had tipped the other man off, it seemed so reflexive that it could hardly be the first time they'd had such an exchange.
The temptation to move was still there, but the scolding was short enough ago that he watched where he was holding it.]
Can you make a building or something with 'stone'?
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[ At least not for their world. Weiss doesn't even think magic exists in her world, her people haven't informed her of the fairy tales are real bit yet. It'll honestly probably frustrate her more than anything because she likes being able to understand things. ]
That's the plan, but not until we find a place that's secure and preferably near an estuary and a reliable food source. That's half the reason I wanted to come out here so far.
[ There has to be fresh water somewhere here, right? She's trying to save the little pill Prompto gave her for emergencies if she can. ]
That said, you're right that anyone can technically use it, Ignis, but it's likely to get them killed. [ A beat. ] And truth be told, I'm really hoping no one gets the bright idea to go spear fishing because I'm definitely missing some of the Dust that was in my suitcase. [ She's just waiting for some kind of flaming maelstrom to erupt in the ocean...
Also she definitely stopped chipping to talk. Sorry, nerd things. At least she didn't notice Prompto's pot holding mishaps while she spoke animatedly about Dust. ]
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[There is a tone of awe in Ignis' voice. He's not even noticed he can't hear her working anymore, he's so caught up in trying to absorb all the new information.
Prompto might want to say something before the nerds die of dehydration...]
Obviously, from our reactions, what you did just now would be called magic on our world. Magic on our world is very limited, though. Only the royal family and those bound to them can use it. The source of that magic is the Crystal, but it is not the kind of crystal one would mine from the earth. It's a divine creation; one given to the rulers of Lucis by the Astrals to guard and protect. Indeed, it is said to have a will of its own.
[He laughs softly.]
I certainly would advise against attempting to chip pieces off it or attempting to grind it into dust for use. I'm fairly positive it would take a great deal of offense to such actions.
[A frown quickly replaces the amusement on his face when she mentions the missing Dust.]
Noctis doesn't spearfish, but he enjoys fishing a great deal.
[And trouble does so enjoy finding their dear Crown Prince.]
It may be wise to devise some way of warning him about the danger.
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He listened with more interest in the fact that Weiss was making noises with her mouth than with the overall content of their conversation. Not that he didn't get any of it, but it wasn't quite his field. Put a video game in front of him, however, and he'd happily get into all the details of that.
When the constant chinking of the knife stopped he glanced up from his spot, quietly waiting for Weiss to continue again. But she seemed caught up talking to Ignis. Biting his lip, he didn't really want to butt in to tell her to do something, but that ice was pretty important.
She'd already weakened it a bit with chipping. Maybe he could just break a piece off? He reached up to see if he could snap off some with his hand and put it in the pot.]
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[ But she really doesn't want to tell people about Dust before she trusts them. Prompto she trusts, and Ignis Prompto trusts so Weiss does by extension despite having only recently met him. ]
So what exactly is magic in your world's context? Because it sounds to me like it's a sourced energy from a species with higher capabilities than your own, one which you consider a deity--
[ Prompto moving to try to get the ice on his own at least catches her attention. Boy, this is her personal space. ]
I was getting it. [ She says it as if he's the one being impatient now, despite that she was the one who made it in the first place because she couldn't stand it anymore. ]
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[The Shark-man is more certain to run into trouble with them in that case. Casting a fishing line is not very likely to damage a vial; swimming around running into or even attacking things out of frustration? That is totally another story.]
That summary isn't too far off. The Astrals, along with the assistance of a few other beings, created our world. Once it was formed, they all left aside from the Six. They are our gods and they are the ones who gifted the Crystal and the powers it grants to us.
One of the Six, Ifrit, grew angry and released a plague upon the world. It is the duty of the Lucian Kings to protect the Crystal and the power it provides until enough power is gathered to banish the plague once and for all.
Much of the magic we can use will seem similar to what your Dust can do, just in a different form. However, there are other schools of magic we can access as well.
[Ignis pauses then when he hears Prompto move, a puzzled look crossing his face at Weiss' sudden words.]
Is everything all right you two?
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Right.
[He dropped back down into position.]
Yeah, no problem here.
[Ignis probably recognized the tone well from times right after Prompto took a scolding. He conceded readily because, really, what else was he going to do?
Forget Ifrit and Noct being a special butterfly, he just wanted a drink of some cold water and to go back to a cooler area of the beach.]
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Weiss you need try and to chill. [Nailed it. He pushes his hair out of his face to look cooler but it just flops back down. Darnit.]
So Astrals are some sort of important god or something? I thought they were flowers...
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[ The way she says it seems like if she wasn't moving back to chip the ice properly she would've definitely huffed and crossed her arms. But she knows she's the one who wasn't working how she was supposed to, she's just very good at concealing that she's the one who needs to be paying attention to something other than learning from Ignis.
Look, multitasking isn't a real thing. You just go back and forth between two tasks and lose proper focus on both. Weiss was just focusing properly on listening. After another few seconds, she appears to start trying to focus on both again though. ]
Prompto, you thought I was from a place called Crown City when you saw my glyphs. You clearly have magic in your world and you said "we" so why did assume I was from there?
[ She's just trying to put this information together here. A pretty hefty chunk of ice plops down into the pot Prompto is holding as she finishes her sentence. ]
Prompto, set that in the sand so it melts faster. Jaune, you hold the next one while he does that.
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I believe what you are thinking of are astra flowers unless you have a specific flower called that on your world that we don't have on ours. You are correct, though. The Astrals--there are six--are our gods, or at least, the closest we have to them.
[And there he goes, answering questions as if he hasn't just cast a magical spell over all of them. It's almost as if it's something Ignis is very used to doing. That could be because it is; this group is just a slightly different one than the one he's usually taking care of.]
When Prompto mentions the Crown City, he means our home, Insomnia. It's where the royal family makes their home as well.
[Or was, but now really isn't the time to talk about all of that.
As he finishes speaking, Ignis turns his head in Prompto's direction with a nod. He doesn't want to answer all of Weiss' questions for the blonde--it would be rude--so he will let him pick it up from there.]
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That was good.]
You got your powers back?
[It was a soft question, an aside, tinged with a hint of excitement for the other man. Even if Prompto didn't seem to be having as much luck, he was happy for Ignis if he was. If anyone deserved a break it was him.]
Yeah, the royal family are the only ones who have magic, and whoever they allow to use it, so I figured maybe you lived in Insomnia? It was a huge city, and the Kingsglaive and Crownsguard and a good amount of people used magic.
[Was.
Doing as he was told with the pot, he glanced up at Ignis real fast as if to add a bit of info for the other man, though he wouldn't be able to see him look.]
It had a kind of blu-ish tint, like...
[He just barely stopped himself from mentioning Noct. They weren't advertising that he was Prince Charming around here.]
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Was that you?
Oh... So that's why you said it when we met. [He wasn't particularly accustomed to religion, but he was used to gods simply being called 'gods'. The explanation clarified a few things. Holding the pot out for Weiss, Jaune continues to listen, much of it going over his head.]
Why is your city named after sleeping too much?
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[ She clearly has no problem correcting Jaune the second he makes a mistake. Or calling names. In fact, this is probably the first time that Prompto or Ignis has seen her really started acting crabby, and it has very little to do with the heat. It exacerbates it, sure, but Jaune has a special brand of speaking that brings it out.
That said, she feels like she's learning a lot. It means a lot that not everyone in higher social circles is a bunch of selfish, inconsiderate, ignorant fools like they were around her family. Even if it took being kidnapped to a whole other world to find them. She hits the ice again, hard, trying to decide if she should ask about Ignis's present switched to Prompto's past-tense of the city. It's probably better not to- not in a group setting like this anyway. The last thing they need to do is end up in a shared sobfest in the middle of the hottest beach in the multiverse. She'll ask later, when survivability is less in question. She hits it again, harder, until a few more shavings then finally a chunk come off in Jaune's pot. ]
Everything in my family is blue. White, or blue, or purple, with red lining. From our eyes and hair to my sister and my glyphs but it's got nothing to do with social status.
[ Or else she'd be throwing around every color of the rainbow at this point. ]
I'd like to see more of that magic sometime if you do have it "back" though. Particularly if it's not wasteful to use it. [ And it's very interesting. Like, she wants all the details give it to her and let her take notes. How do you lose your powers and then get them back? How do you use magic? is it learnable? Is this something she could ask for when her feet ache because she literally has no shoes other than these heels and frankly despite that she's used to them they're also more of a indoors and flat-surfaces situation? She'll go on about the details for hours in a more appropriate setting. ]
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[Another nod in the blonde's direction along with a small smile shows Ignis both understands where he was going and is grateful for Prompto not mentioning who Noctis is. Not that he believes anyone here would use the knowledge against them, but they also can't control information slipping out by accident to the wrong people.
Ignis turns to Jaune then with a smile.]
What you felt is the Regroup spell I just mentioned. It heals for a short time and also helps to raise morale. It's more tiring to cast here, oddly enough, along with the aforementioned differences in how the spell actually works, so it's a little wasteful to use it just on a demonstration, but as long as it's only once or twice, I think everything should be okay.
[Though, he needs to talk to Noctis about this actually. Since his magic usable only his because the prince is here, is the exhaustion shared? Does Noctis feel it at all?]
Weiss is correct in her definition. As large and busy as Insomnia is, it is often called the city that never sleeps. Someone should pass the memo to the prince, though. I've heard from the rumor mill more than once that he has a tendency to sleep more than any one person should. Perhaps, he's actually part cat.
[Rumors only, of course. It's not like Ignis knows the truth of this first hand or anything.]
While our magic has a bluish tint to it because of the Crystal, if I were going to assign important colors to Lucians as a whole, the most important color would be black.
[Which of course, might help explain why he and Prompto are wearing so much of it.]
Skulls are also an important symbol to our people due to the sacrifices the royal line has made for us over the years.
[Which would also explain the skull on the dagger he gave Weiss, the skull on his necklace, and if they have happened to look close enough, the skull on the back of his shirt.]
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Prompto had to swallow some laughter. Was this make fun of Noctis secretly behind his back time?]
Why bother waking up? I heard he has a 5 star maid who does everything for him.
[Ha, he got both of them. All jabs were said with love, though.
From where he was kneeling and melting the ice on the ground, he glanced up at Weiss eagerly. At least he wasn't getting railed on like Jaune was.]
If I can ever summon my gun again, I'll let you see it all you want!