★ // king and lionheart

[scourgingstars]

Who: Ardyn + open
What: Camping back on the desert.
When: 1/14 and onward
Where: Monsun C4, possibly more added later
Warnings: None yet.

[He'd gone willingly this time, for whatever reason. Maybe he just knew he'd end up in the desert sooner or later, and it wasn't worth arguing.]

[But the longer Ardyn spent under the canopy Gladio had put up with a giant black chocobo at his side, the less he really cared about that. Sure, occasionally he had to step out into the oppressive sunlight to handle the curious and antagonistic cactus population, but...was that really so bad? The people would need whatever safe haven they could get in a chaotic desert, and he more than had the power to provide as much. That--that was right, wasn't it?]

[By the time night fell, he'd taken off his hat in favor of simply tying his hair back into a short ponytail, idly petting Hresvelgr with the hand not currently holding a red-toned greatsword as she nudged at his shoulder.]

Comments

[want_to_belong]

[Prompto had long yearned for Monsun's desert and the soothing emotions that it produced, but there was something else he had long put off. What better time than when things were good and everyone was at their best?

Coco was with them as well, partially trained, resting comfortably by the edge of the canopy. Prompto pushed himself away from using his bird as a mattress and walked over to Ardyn. It was conspicuous, considering he headed right for him and quietly plopped down, legs crossed next to him. He just didn't drag up the nerve to say anything at first.

With a small clearing of his throat, he finally spoke.]

So, uh. I think we should talk.

[scourgingstars]

Oh? [Ardyn tilted his head slightly, pausing for a moment in petting Hresvelgr who had planted her head in his lap.] It must be important, for you to want to speak with me.

[want_to_belong]

Uh, well, ah...

[He stared straight ahead, a flush covering his cheeks. It was awkward enough talking to Ardyn. Moreso trying to start a conversation about this.]

I mean, I was just thinking. Like, you have a girl chocobo, and I have a boy chocobo, and if we, like... [He held his hands out in front of himself, moving them like he was patting together an invisible snowball.] If we, umm... put them together, maybe we could make more chocobos without using wishes?

[scourgingstars]

Hm...well, I suppose that isn't such a terrible idea, so long as they like one another.

[you see prompto, when a boy chocobo and a girl chocobo love each other very much...]

I think I'd prefer that to asking anything more of the Storyteller, surely.

[want_to_belong]

Really?

[Don't mind how shocked he sounded. He expected Ardyn to be against this. Not sure why, but he did. Perhaps an expectation of Ardyn being extremely protective of Fressy. His speech quickened as if he was trying to get it out before Ardyn changed his mind.]

I-I mean, I know there's an age difference, and yours is bigger, but it should still work, right? It's going to be a long time before any of the others are adults.

[scourgingstars]

It...should, I think? I don't know an abundance on the matter of chocobo breeding, just how to raise one.

[yes but consider: baby chocobos.]

1/14- late

[piercetheheart]

[Gladio didn't like leaving Ardyn here alone but it was better that than asking him to come back with him. So he made the best time he could, going back to the Chococottage to pack up some more long term supplies. Leo trots along ahead of him, bounding through the water quickly enough, trotting up to poor Ardyn still covered in mud.

His owner isn't too far behind but he is cursing up a storm at his prissy little girl, the chocobo now half grown and plenty tall enough to clear the water without getting her feathers all ruffled and yet she is determined to pick her way across the river, crying and complaining the entire time, especially when dad doesn't want to let her hunt through the muddy bank for bugs.]

You've gotta be fucking shitting me, Ti. COME ON.

[Logically he knows he's more short tempered because of the jungle side of the island for the moment but that doesn't make it easier to calm down.

Leo just slams his head into Ardyn's shoulder, nudging at him. Clearly you should go help dad, Ardyn. Do it. Do iiiiit.]

[scourgingstars]

Very well, I'll handle it.

[He patted Leo's head before walking over, placing a light hand on Gladio's shoulder.]

Snapping at her won't help anything. Chocobos are prey animals, you're just as likely to scare her as anything. [Ardyn knelt down and took some spare greens out of his coat--he'd brought a fair amount for Hresvelgr where he expected to be in the desert a while.]

Come along, dear. Your father's just irritated, that's all.

[piercetheheart]

[The hand on his shoulder startles him, makes him jump a little. And then Ardyn's being perfectly reasonable which only grates on his nerves more.

The fact that Tiana sees what Ardyn has and merrily trots over to see him, snatching up a leaf and then busying herself with attempting to groom Ardyn's hair, gets an annoyed huff from the Shield.]

Traitor.

[Then he flashes a little glare over at Leo for good measure.]

You were supposed to be helping.

[scourgingstars]

Oh, don't be cruel. She's just hungry.

[Reasonable and also petting the nice chocobo, of course.]

[piercetheheart]

[Good she is the best chocobo and deserves all of the pets. Her! Not her sister!

Iggy should be along with Leilani any moment.]

No she's just spoiled.

[Whose fault is that, Gladio? Huh? He's at least coming down from pissed to just grumpy, flopping onto the sand beside Leo in exasperation. Ti and Ardyn will come back to the tent eventually. He's just going to bury his hands in Leo's fur and work out some of his annoyance in the form of aggressive scritches.]

[scourgingstars]

Come on, little one. [While Hresvelgr nuzzled at Gladio's shoulder, Ardyn led the younger bird back over to the canopy.]

She's lovely, you must be proud.

[shatteredlenses]

[Monsun's return is usually something that Ignis celebrates, but this time he finds it hard to feel the excitement he usually does. It doesn't help that their wild evacuation of Ziziphus had so unbalanced the island--something they really should have at least tried to account for--but that isn't the main reason he is so leery to go over there this time. No, the main reason is the pain in his own heart.

His relationship with Ardyn has never been typical. It never would be, but he'd thought they'd made some progress over the last few months, even if some of it had come in the form of truths forced out by flowers choking the very lives from them. Then, New Years had happened and it was like all that had been swept away. Ignis still doesn't know exactly what happened during Ardyn's trial, but every time his mind repeats the words 'pet daemon' in Ardyn's voice, he can't help but flinch and feel his heart ache.

Was all that progress gone now? Were they really back to where they had been all those months ago when they first arrived? If so, did he really want to submit himself to seeing Ardyn at his best when he knew it wouldn't last?

Honestly, Ignis is embarrassed he even has to ask himself these questions. He just knows his heart aches whenever he thinks about how happy he'd been to have time to with Ardyn when he could actually see him, only to find his happiness met with bitter accusations instead.

Eventually, though, he can delay visiting no longer, not without raising questions from Gladio that he doesn't really want to answer. It's hard not letting the worst parts of his nature twist the pain in his heart as they trek across Monsun, but after the trail he faced on Maati, he's become better at recognizing and resisting outside influences on his mind. It's still an exhausting process, so once they arrive at the canopy, Ignis finds an empty corner and settles into it, Leilani wrapped around him as best as she can while also resting her head in his lap.]

[scourgingstars]

[Ardyn hated many, many things, but above most others he hated the idea of being replaced.And what was the point now? All four of them were together now, and there was no longer any place for Ardyn. If there ever was. But worthless gods, what did he have left if not that single fleeting place to return to? ]

[You're aware he doesn't actually care about you, right? The advisor's just keeping a pet daemon-]

[No matter how he feared and hated being kept around only for how useful he was, Ardyn had nowhere else to go and no one else to turn to.]

[I wouldn't hate the idea of replacement so much if I hadn't valued the place I thought I held in some measure.]

[So he took a slow breath, curled his restless hands into fists for a brief moment, and crossed the short distance over to Ignis.]

...Could I sit here?

[shatteredlenses]

You can if you wish, should you not find the company too distasteful.

[Ignis keeps his voice carefully neutral even as he twists his fingers into Leilani's feathers. For her part, the young chocobo takes the abuse to her feathers in stride, cooing softly in an attempt to calm her owner. Unfortunately, it's going to take more than that to settle Ignis. He's trying hard not to let the hurt show, not to bring down the good mood on this side of the river, but no matter how logically he approaches why Ardyn acted like he did, it still hurts.

It doesn't help that the Ardyn here is the one that first wormed his way into Ignis' heart. Yet, if they are one and the same, why should this one want to be any nearer to him than the other?]

[scourgingstars]

Your company is singular and unique in that I shall never find it anything of the sort.

[He settled in a little cautiously, quiet for a long moment before speaking again. It had been honesty that led to them making whatever progress they'd approached in the past months, and...it seemed right to be honest now. Here, where he could be more himself than anywhere in this world.]

[So, after gently brushing his fingers against Leilani's feathers, Ardyn spoke up again:]

I saw my little brother again. In the trial I and several others underwent. Somnus' every word ate at my own hatred and insecurities, and I-

[Ardyn broke off as though not knowing how that sentence would end, faltering briefly.]

...What use have you for me now? You have Gladiolus who loves you dearly, and even your own king safely back at hand. I have no place here any longer, and I...fear being discarded no that I've outlived my own usefulness once more.

[shatteredlenses]

[The words 'You could have fooled me' jump far too easily to Ignis' tongue, but he manages to bite them back. He can sense that there is an explanation coming, and while it won't make the hurt go away, understanding has always been important to him. It's the only way to make the hurt start to heal, so he listens, only to laugh bitterly once Ardyn's done.]

They made us solve puzzles while you spoke with the ghosts of your greatest fears.

[It doesn't really seem fair, does it?

There is a bitter part of Ignis--a little louder than usual for the amount of time it took to get here--that says he shouldn't bother answering questions he's answered how many times before, but if he shuts down these attempts to fix things, how is he any better than Ardyn was that night?]

I have the same use for you as I always have. I love you. You are not my pet nor are you my project. Do you really think I would allow you to continue treading upon my heart like this if you were of so little importance to me? The Astrals and your brother may have found you replaceable, but you are not replaceable to me. There are irreplaceable things in this world, Ardyn, and whether you believe it or not, you are one such thing to me.

16th

[antepone]

[ She's... already been to the other side of the island, and it had been incredibly not great. That jealous part of her, that insecurity she's been trying to get over--it had all come rushing back, and Mira hates thinking about it. It seems fair to assume that the other part of the island draws forth people's most positive qualities, right?

She hopes so.

It's terribly hot here, but she certainly feels better. A little bolder, more comfortable with herself. More eager to help people, to reach out. What she doesn't expect is to see Ardyn, and she hesitates a moment.

Ah, well, why not? She approaches slowly, watching him as if she's unsure of what to do around him. ]

Oh. Hello.

[scourgingstars]

Hello. [He greeted her with a small smile, Hresvelgr raising her head with a curious chirping sound.]

Was there something you needed?

[antepone]

No, actually. I was just... curious about this side of the island.

[ She seems a little--no, a lot sheepish. ]

It's much nicer over here.

[coincollection]

[Lunafreya has been on this island for a while - she's not much of an explorer or adventurer, no, but she's curious. She's been given an opportunity she doesn't want to waste, and if that means exploring this island and trying to figure things out...

So be it. It's no worse than travelling the world and curing the starscourge. In some ways it's better, because she doesn't have the eyes of the empire watching her every move. In some ways, she's actually free.

But while she doesn't know it, the island has been effecting her. Perhaps that's why when she runs across the man who's more than familiar to her, she doesn't try to draw a weapons or tense up. He's a tragedy, and she knows this, just as she knows the feel of a blade in her stomach.]

Ardyn.

[It's a simple greeting, for as much as it is one. She nods her head in acknowledgement, adjusting her grip on her trident.]

[scourgingstars]

Lady Lunafreya.

[She was greeted with a calm tone and a faint, tired smile before Ardyn turned back to his fully grown black chocobo. So she was here as well...better to just set aside all manner of awkward feelings and let her figure out how she wanted to deal with that. It was the kinder thing to do, after all.]

[coincollection]

Have you been here for long?

[Though whether she means this camp or the islands in particular is left up to Ardyn. He certainly seems different from the man she knew at just a glance, but...

Time can do things to a person, especially one that's spent so long not being a person at all.]

[scourgingstars]

...A fair span of time, to most. Did you only just arrive?

[coincollection]

Yes. I've only been here for a matter of days, it feels.

[Not quite true, but true enough.]