lifeaftr | The Haunted Sound... (2 Closed & 2 OPEN)

Entry tags:

The Haunted Sound... (2 Closed & 2 OPEN)

Who: Ignis and Ardyn, Ignis and Jules, Ignis and OPEN!
What: The aftermath of almost becoming a dragon snack! Treasure, repairs, and napping in no particular order.
When: First couple of weeks in October
Where: Mostly Islet 1 (Cottage 2) and the Farming Islet
Warnings: Mention of injury and violence because of a certain dragon. Watch subjects for warnings should anything else come up.

A.) A priceless glory... (Closed to Ardyn)

[In a way, the severity of Ignis' wounds work to Ardyn's favor. If the advisor is sleeping off his pain, then he is not trying to fight Ahidalga again. It also means there is no one there to be a restraining factor.

RIP Ahidalga.

About the time the looting starts, Ignis is finally starting to regain a little of his strength. Just enough to be annoyed at the fact that both Ardyn and Leo are several steps ahead of him, because he's not going anywhere with a tigerlily's head resting on his chest. Leo might have twitched when the last of the little dragons got too near the cottage, but as none actually attacked it, he never moved from Ignis side and appears bound and determined to remain there until his partner in crime returns to make sure Ignis stays put and rests.

It's really not fair.

Ignis' first clue that Ardyn has returned is when Leo finally lifts his head slightly from his chest, ears turning toward the bedroom door. Ignis huffs softly, trying not to breath too deeply and then calls out to the redhead.]

Have you come to release me from my captivity?

B.) Memento mori... (Closed to Jules)

[If it had not been for Leo, Ignis might have missed the little gifts that start showing up at the cottage. A bit of food here, some supplies there, but the tigerlily seems to enjoy bringing him the little tokens everyday. At first, Ignis is puzzled. Who would be leaving things for him when so many of those he once knew are now gone? Finally, he realizes it can only be one person.

Well, at least that is confirmation that Jules is still around. As much as the man keeps to himself, Ignis had wondered.

Once he feels up to meeting with someone, he sends a very messily written note with Leo in hopes that Jules will come back with the tigerlily to speak with him. He's not really surprised when Leo returns alone, though.

He gives the tigerlily a scratch behind the ears with his right hand, careful not to jolt his injured left side.]

He didn't feel he could trust a note, hu? Maybe in a week or so, I can try to track him down myself. I need to thank him for all he has been leaving.

C.) All for nothing now... (Open!)

[This is a bad idea. Ignis really shouldn't be up and moving around already, but he also needs to now how bad the damage to the resources on the farming islet are. So many people worked so hard to get these resources--Gladio worked so hard to set up so much over there--that he wants to know what will be needed to get things up and running again. He won't be able to fix it all himself. Not with how hurt he is, but someone has to take the first steps. Perhaps another call for help across the crystals is in order? He'll have to see how much damage there is first.

It is going to take days to make note of all the losses, but during those days Ignis can be found leaning heavily on Leo and doing his best to catalog the state of the buildings, fields, and animals Not an easy task when one is blind, but he's determined to do it anyway.]

D.) I know... (Open!)

[Even with Leo and Ardyn trying to make sure Ignis doesn't push himself too hard, it's inevitable that he will over-extend himself. That is why he occasionally will be found outside the cottage, fast asleep with a tigerlily curled around him, both to keep him warm as the temperatures start to drop, but also to make sure no one threatens him while he rests. Whatever his current task is--be it preparing seedlings for replanting, trying to find the best way to cook dragon meat, or maybe working on simple repair tasks--it has been forgotten. Now is time for naps in the sun.

It's not a horrid way to spend the afternoon.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[A teasing grin crosses his face.]

Watch out, I'm half-tempted to take that as a compliment.

Damn. Now I understand why we're actually friends. You'd fit in well with the rest of the Gort idiots I hang around with.

[Ignis grin fades into something less teasing and more genuinely happy. Is this the first time Jules has called him a friend out loud? He's not certain, but it makes him feel good to hear it nonetheless.]

For what it is worth, I am sorry I worried you. I will try to be more careful in the future.

[The wicked smile that crosses Jules' face can probably be heard in his words.]

Try as in the same level of try that Thraix and Trajen always use?

[Admittedly he uses the word to the exact same degree, but hell, Ignis doesn't need to know that. If he doesn't already know...]

I know how far that will get you.

[He has a fairly good idea. It's why he used it like that. Ignis own smile widens again and he carefully spreads his hand in front of himself.]

We never know what this place will throw at us next. I figure 'try' is the best anyone can do.

Try is the best most of us Tavali can pull off even when we aren't somewhere that likes to screw with us quite as badly as this place.

[Honestly, they barely manage to pull off try in a "normal" world.]

You came out ahead of me this time. I would say 'trying' worked out for you pretty well.

[He sighs, letting his hands drop back to the bed. Honestly, that simple gesture should not have taken so much out of him.]

I dearly hope we aren't going to have to deal with anything like that again anytime soon. How bad is the damage out there?

[For obvious reasons, he's not been able to go take stock himself.]

I don't have to try to not get involved here. There's absolutely nothing in it for me to go venturing out and playing this places' games.

[He's a master and making plans that will probably result in his death to take his grandmother down or protect his family. This place doesn't have any of those things, so he has no real reason to be reckless.]

'Course we are. They minsid gods love their games and abusing their playthings.

[He shrugs even though Ignis can't see it.]

Could be worse.

[Ignis lets out an amused snort.]

Aren't visitors suppose to help raise the injured person's moral not low it? I think you owe me some kind of pep talk now.

What do you want me to say? Whoo hoo, you survived? Good for you. The gods will get to play with you some more. Whoopee.

You know,you're lucky I'm in no shape to throw something at you right now. I have two new blades that Ardyn picked up for me and I haven't even gotten to try them out yet.

You really need to scrounge up the energy and throw one at me so I can get a new blade. Have you seriously never heard of the rule that the last thing you ever want to do is thrown a weapon at your enemy? That's basically just handing him one and leaving yourself one short. But please, go ahead. Like I said, I'd love a new blade, and I'll have no trouble catching it.

[Ignis snickers at that.]

Oh, I am thinking of a very specific blade, but I'm not certain you will be so happy to have it as you think. Unless, of course, you happen to be craving cake at this very moment?

[Jules' eyes absolutely light up and he starts chuckling.]

You don't know me very well if you have to ask that question. Literally the only person who would tolerate me as a child was the palace chef. I spent nearly all my time there as an incredibly overweight child, and had a profound love for all things sweet, particularly cake. It will always be my profound weakness.

[He doesn't realize in explaining all of that that he might have given away more than he wanted to with the palace comment.]

[The palace comment does catch Ignis' attention, but only in that it reminds him of the dream Bliss had dropped Jules into. The one Ignis had managed to stumble into, so long ago. He doesn't really have the mental capacity to ponder the new information now, which is probably for the best since Jules seems to be in such a good mood. It would be a shame to ruin that. More will undoubtedly click together later, though.]

There is a dresser against the wall to your left. On it is a very grim looking knife decorated in skulls. My medical kit shouldn't be too far from it. Can you bring them both here?

The hell would you want to decorate a knife with skulls? Seems like a waste of a good knife to me.

[He grumbles the whole way over but grabs what Ignis asks for and brings it back. It's too bad he doesn't have the skill with healing that Trajen and Thraix do. Of course he's not sure he'd even want to try it here considering how exhausting using any of his abilities is.]

They are one of the symbols of the royal family from my world, though I think this knife's creator took it a little too far. Surprisingly enough, it is still well-balanced.

[Which is amusing considering it's most certainly not meant for battle, but who makes a knife that turns things into cake anyway? Obviously someone with a unique mindset to begin with.

Once he has what he's asked for, Ignis pulls a square of canvas from the medical kit and then carefully slices it in half. As he does, the unmistakable sweet smell of cake fills the room.]

Sounds like your royal family is about as fucked up as mine is.

[His grandmother would probably adore having a skull as one of their royal symbols. A severed head would probably be preferred, but a skull would likely be a close second.

Jules' nose picks up on that smell instantly and he barely manages not to groan. Saying no to cake is a near impossible thing for him. Problem is, he doesn't trust any food he hasn't made himself - and cultivated or tested the ingredients for. The fact that it was made by a knife doesn't reduce his distrust. If anything it only increases his paranoia.]

You are a terrible person, you know that?

They have been molded and shaped since the beginning by the prophecy and their duty to it. The skull is a reminder of all that has been sacrificed and all that will be in order to save the world from the Starscourge.

[Which is all a long winded way of saying, yes, they are fucked up. Just in a different direction from the royals that Jules is familiar with.

Jules' last statement confuses Ignis for a moment before he realizes what prompted it.]

You just watched me create it. Is that not... Oh! It's the knife, isn't it?

[He frowns, feeling guilty. Ignis had hoped that Jules watching him create it would be enough to appease his paranoia. Obviously, he underestimated its strength.]

What if I try some first? Would that help?

Generally speaking it's not a good idea to trust an object with special powers that you don't understand or know where come from. It's a good way to get dead fast. Generally speaking it's also a good way to get other people dead fast, and I know enough to beings talented enough to create some terrifying stuff that looks normal.

[He would love to say yes. Really, really he would. It's been a long time since he's had cake. Baking isn't something he's mastered here. An open fire is much to imprecise.]

You're human. I'm Andarion. While most poisons would affect us both similarly at least, there are some that are designed for a certain species.

Blast it.

[Ignis' frustration isn't at Jules, but the situation in general. Hastily, he wraps the cake in another scrap of cloth hoping it will help to muffle the smell. It's too bad he can't just toss it into the Armiger...but maybe that is something that will be remedied in the near future.]

I'm sorry. I didn't mean to taunt you like that. If you can bring me some ingredients you trust, I will make you a cake in apology. You can watch to make sure I'm not doing anything you would consider suspicious.

[Open flame is hard to do any kind of baking with, but he's had a little more success with the stone oven Gladio built before he was sent away.]

Taunt me? You certainly didn't taunt me. You simply tried to do something nice without realizing quite how high my level of distrust and paranoia is. Really, it's an easy mistake to make since my levels the usual "off the chart" category look minimal.

[Jules shrugs. He really isn't perturbed by any of this. Not only had Ignis not tried to hurt him, he hadn't actually managed to either.]

I'd trust you to make something. You've never attempted to kill me, and there's no bounty on my head here so you wouldn't randomly decide to turn me in either.

I've had a bounty on my head. Oddly enough, that makes me think twice about even considering turning someone else in.

[It's not like any of them had actually done anything wrong. In fact, they were helping the people, but the Empire wanted their heads on platters and that was more than enough.]

Do you have any requests? I can't promise anything, but I can try.

I didn't do anything wrong either. In fact, I'm the reason Andaria is functioning again without a dictatorial psychopath on the throne. Problem is, that dictatorial psychopath realized I'm the only one who could have had the knowledge to help depose her and the rest of the populace has no clue I was involved. They think dear grandma and I are all close and cuddly when really my fondest desire is to cut off her head and hang it from the palace flagpole. Why she put out a thrill kill warrant for me, everyone just assumed I deserved it since they hated me anyway. No one even bothered to look into who'd paid for it or paused to think about why.

[That's probably way more details that Ignis wanted to know, but Jules couldn't help it. It's a big sore spot for him, and Ignis' thoughts brought that right up to the surface.]

I'm a former fat kid who lived off anything sweet. I doubt there's anything you could try that I wouldn't like.

[Ignis frowns, hand closing repeatedly over the knife handle in a way that very much adds credence to the words he is about to say.]

The more I learn about this woman, the more I want to help you do so.

[Not that the weapon he has at hand would do that much damage. That is easy enough to fix, though. It's not like it's the only knife he has. He could say more, but at the moment, it is probably best if the return to the lighter topic at hand. He doesn't think he has enough strength for a serious discussion.]

All right then, I will just have to surprise you. It will give me a chance to stretch my baking skills a little.

The Haunted Sound... (2 Closed & 2 OPEN)

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)