⚔ // once upon a dream

[discutio]

[You all know the drill by now. Ignis and Camilla have taken over the nearest kitchen, and there's going to be food in the Pokemon Center soon enough; a warm and comforting vegetable curry. Highwind's even out now, welcoming any and all who might need a large cloud bird to hug after everything that was.]

[It's been a long night. Everyone needs a good meal and a long rest, and luckily one of those things is being seen to immediately.]

Comments

[discutio]

[Ignis was used to having vision in dreams and dreams alone, but this had been a special case. No subconscious sleeping mind could manufacture all of that, and it was as real as the world they were in now, the one he saw only through every other sense.]

[A small sacrifice in the greater battle.]

[That was alright. He had been this way for a decade, and Ignis was hardly going to lament the matter after this long. Once he'd finally left the kitchen he took a slow breath, closed his less damaged eye, and slid his silver visor back into place over the scars burned into his skin. Even though Ignis was keeping to himself as the night wore on, he didn't look upset or downcast about the evening's events. He'd be concentrating in silence for a long time, Hemera curled up at his side.]

[...There was a lot that had happened, and so much he needed to make sure he kept in his memory with total clarity.]

[eudaimonikos]

Need a hand?

[No worries, Ignis, you seem okay enough right now that Michael isn't actually attempting to banish you from the kitchen again.]

[discutio]

I wouldn't mind it, if you're offering.

[you know all told he actually seems like he's in a pretty good mood. go figure.]

I've just about got the kitchen's layout, but I could use an extra pair of hands chopping vegetables.

[eudaimonikos]

Sure.

[He'll move over to start in on it, without even making some kind of garbage comment about how he's used to chopping human limbs or something. He's learning!]

So - out of everyone, whose appearance surprised you the most? [he is not learning fast enough to peg this as a possibly sensitive topic]

[discutio]

[Luckily, it didn't seem to bother Ignis in the slightest--he actually paused for a second and looked thoughtful about the question.]

Hm...Zelda's shorter than I thought she was, and I'd expected you to look a bit younger even considering the immortality.

[eudaimonikos]

[Michael lets out a bark of laughter.]

Man, everybody's a critic today! [He actually sounds amused this time, not the slightly-wounded he'd been before.] I like it. Doesn't move like a real old human would, and I can really sell the kindly old man schtick.

[discutio]

It's not a terrible look. You do seem to wear it well enough, at least.

[eudaimonikos]

I'd feel silly looking much younger, now. Used to report to this one guy - his body was maybe mid-twenties, but he looked like a middle schooler. No gravitas.

[Michael's not the most serious person on the regular, but he can have gravitas. It's possible.]

I'd have the authority to requisition a custom body now, if I were still working there.

[discutio]

That does seem a bit ill-suited, doesn't it?

[sure this is just the topic right now]

It sounds odd to simply switch bodies so easily.

[eudaimonikos]

Well, it's a privilege reserved for senior staff. Kinda like getting to...I don't know, swap out the company uniform for some nice business casual? That wasn't really one of the reasons I wanted the job, though, don't know if I even would have done it.

[It's growing more and more difficult to put himself back in those shoes - a demon, enthusiastic about his work, zero qualms. He's got so many qualms about all sorts of things now.]

What are we making, here?

[discutio]

Just a fairly simple curry; I've most of it handled, it's just a lot of vegetables for so many people.

[Sure enough, he didn't seem too bothered by the demon stuff anymore. That or he just wasn't going to ask for details if Michael was going to change the subject like that.]

Doesn't take much thought or effort, and I find both in short supply tonight.

[eudaimonikos]

Fair enough.

[From the sound of things, he's extremely quick and efficient with a knife, at least? Those vegetables won't take too long.

Michael's more than content to let the subject drop; it's not one he's entirely bothered by, but...this just doesn't feel like the time to deep-dive into Demon Stuff. Later, maybe.]

I can do dessert! I spent last week working on a 61-point plan for executing the ideal chocolate chip cookies. [This is nine more points than when Sena encountered The Plan, and yes it's insane]

[discutio]

[...what]

[WHAT]

You...did what, sorry?

[eudaimonikos]

I drafted a plan for cookies.

[absolutely no awareness that this is insane]

[discutio]

That's not...really a thing people do, Michael. A recipe for cookies isn't remotely complicated, what kind of plan did you have?

[eudaimonikos]

Well, first I cross-referenced all the different recipes. [You know he means, like. Literally all that were accessible to him.] I thought it was a very standard human dessert, but there were a lot of differences from source to source. There weren't any clear indications of which was the correct one - most of them claimed to be "the best", but that's obviously unreliable - so I realized I was going to have to conduct my own research.

[He just has no fucking cultural context for how baking works, huh]

[discutio]

...

[Immediate conclusion: immortals are just goddamn weird.]

That's...definitely not how baking works, Michael.

[nightcure]

[ And here's Noctis, as usual. He takes his seat at Ignis's side, before placing a kiss to his cheek. ]

Hey.

[discutio]

Your Majesty.

[The title was said with a bit less gravity than usual, Ignis answering with a light smile and a hand brought to Noctis' face--backs of his fingers trailing light from temple to jawline before leaning in for a kiss of his own.]

Are you feeling alright?

[nightcure]

Sir Scientia.

[ There's more than a touch of affection in the way he says it. Noctis closes his eyes and leans into the touch. ]

I'm alright. A little shaken still, but I'll be fine.

[ As long as you're here with me. ]

[discutio]

Good. I'm glad to hear it. [He leaned his forehead against Noctis' own with a gentle and calm tone to his voice; now he had a far more solid impression of how his king looked, more than in just brief flashes of the future.]

...It's going to be fine. You know that, don't you? I won't let anything more happen to our home.

[nightcure]

[ And that, more than anything, puts Noctis at ease. He closes his eyes, hands resting gently on the sides of Ignis's neck. ]

I believe you.

We won't let anything more happen to it.

[discutio]

Of course.

[noct don't be sad or ignis will walk up to cyrus and break his nose, then give arceus a stern lecture in which he's Not Mad, Just Disappointed.]

...You look good, you know. Dignified, I might call it.

[nightcure]

[ Oh. Geez, he's a little flustered, but it's fine!! ]

You think so, huh. [ There's a hint of a laugh in his voice. ] No slack jaw?

[discutio]

Not at all.

[The truth was that seeing Noctis had called to mind a very old memory, one that Ignis could recall as clearly as if it had happened yesterday and not over two decades ago.]

['Should he stand still, I ask you to stand by him and lend him a hand--as his friend, and as his brother. Please, take care of my son.']

[...He'd keep that to himself, for now. After seeing Insomnia in such a state, perhaps leaning on matters of the past would only be further upsetting tonight.]

Why, you even look mostly presentable for a change.