azume | ⚔ // once upon a dream

⚔ // once upon a dream

[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.]

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Never trust a demon, Camilla~ [Michael advises in a sing-song tone.] You never know when there might be raisins.

[He considers the batter, then shrugs.] They can be Aya's. She had a rough day anyway. Who's Elise, relative of yours?

Keep that up and I may simply have to be a touch rude in kind~

[On one hand, getting into a prank war with a demon doesn't sound like a good idea.

On the other, she's just not about to let that stand.

...Of course, him mentioning Aya does get her look to shift less toward joking and more toward worry.]

My youngest sister, actually--quite like Aya, if I might be frank. [...] Is she going to be alright?

Is that a challenge?

[His grin's sharp, but it does fade a little as the conversation moves to Aya.]

Oh, I'm sure she'll be alright. She was very upset when she first came out of it. You heard about how it started with our friends replacing us with somebody else? [His voice is quite even when he brings it up, though his back's turned as he goes to put the cookies in.] The dream people dissolved into nothingness wherever we touched them. I think that was probably more upsetting for her than the first part.

But, you know - we all know it wasn't real now.

[Oh, gods. Camilla has to mask a bit of a gasp when she hears that, hiding her mouth behind her hand--that sounds utterly horrifying. Really, Camilla honestly couldn't blame Aya for that...]

...We do, but I can scarcely imagine that such a thing wouldn't leave some sort of hideous impression. [Like, it's obvious, but she can only imagine that it was really traumatizing. Hell, Camilla could see why the whole situation would be upsetting.] I suppose there is a bit of solace in such a thing, however, knowing that it won't come to pass. Her friends will be fine, and she'll be able to look past it. I'm certain.

Those dreams...they truly were hideous things, weren't they?

...yes.

[He turns back around, folding his arms and leaning back against the countertop.]

I didn't mind this one as much as the first time. But that's the difference between a tailor-made torture and something off the proverbial rack. Using the same dream for groups of us was...clumsy, if he were really trying to hurt us.

[...Yeah, that is a good point.]

That creature does seem powerful enough to give us our own individual hells to dream up. Perhaps it was simply too lazy to go into such depth; I wouldn't put it past them to think that it was a waste of their time.

Rather strange, after some of the observations it made.

I'm not sure how much you learn from something like that. Less than if we'd been allowed to come up with our own, I think. Like Ignis and I.

[...it's been long enough that he shouldn't still be so unwilling to talk about that. Maybe he's just embarrassed? Is that what this is?]

I mean, I can't say that I've ever particularly worried about my friends replacing me. Demons aren't exactly lining up for a chance to hang out with humans. So this one wasn't entirely applicable.

It apparently gave that creature enough of an idea of us to trust us. Perhaps blindly, but...

[Mmm. Camilla doesn't really want to talk about it, and it's clear in how she bristles up, but...]

Our dream was that of Cyrus's reach extending to our own homes. Seeing those we care about in such a state of soullessness. I like to think that it lends some credibility for such a thing...

[...]

You're certain it wouldn't sting even slightly, however, Michael?

[That's...kind of a contrast in how he talks about those people. Sort of? Kind of.]

[He draws himself up a little, adjusting a cufflink.]

It wouldn't happen to begin with. Like any of those other scrubs could fill my place. They can't even imagine torturing people in a slightly different way.

[read: it would sting a whole fucking lot so we aren't going to acknowledge it as a valid scenario, thanks]

I'd say your group got the much shittier deal.

...Of course.

[...Yeah, she's going to just nod her head at that. Michael, sometimes she wonders about you, she swears.

Still...]

I would agree, if only because seeing my brother without any life in his eyes...it's an experience I'd like to try and forget. The others didn't seem all that keen, either.

That would've really sucked.

[He doesn't want to dwell on this subject, either.]

What's your brother's name?

His name is Xander; he's my older brother. Quite stern, but it's to be expected of the crown prince, really.

[Camilla sighs a bit, her look seeming at least a tiny bit distant.]

He's the distant older brother to my supportive big sister, to our little siblings. That's simply the way it's always been, but even he has great spirit within him. Passion, for making Nohr a better place.

Sounds like a big project.

[nohr sounds super shitty!]

You have a lot of siblings?

Oh, more than one would ever dream.

[Truer words have never been spoken, jesus christ.]

I have three others, as a matter of fact. All younger; my dear Leo, my darling Elise, and my sweet Corrin.

[Beat.]

...I suppose there were the others, but only the gods know what's become of them now. They're the ones I truly consider family, at any rate, however.

[Michael takes a moment that's probably less considering whether this question is acceptable and more realizing that he can't figure the answer himself.]

...why?

[...]

I don't wager that it's an answer you'll like very much. It's something I only briefly touched upon with Mesprit for a reason.

[She knows he's a demon, and all, but the stuff that happened there is...kind of a Lot? Nohrian court-life is really a Lot.]

You may have a higher opinion of me than I deserve.

["Like" is a relative word, but he can't imagine it's anything he'd find disturbing. Beside the point, though.]

We don't have families. But surely anyone you're related to is part of that...?

[That gets a slightly aggravated sigh.]

That's the textbook definition, I suppose, but... [How does she word this?] Most of us were never really fond of one another; all of us except for Xander were born of Father's many mistresses, after all. And our mothers were rather unfond of one another, and even less fond of the other's children. It rubbed off on us rather effectively, at the time.

[...]

It really wasn't until much later that we were able to bond like so.

Huh.

[He can't relate at all, which means that he really doesn't have the tools to have an emotional reaction to this, sorry.]

I mean, I'm certainly aware of families who are shitty to each other. Don't have some kind of idealized picture of it.

[She wasn't really expecting it, anyway. It kind of gets a smile out of Camilla regardless.]

That's why I've metaphorically excised those hideous presences in my life. A family...they shouldn't be the people who are so crummy to one another that one would wish to be somewhere else. Blood certainly helps make family, but it isn't the only deciding factor.

The blood of the covenant is truly thicker than the water of the womb, I've found.

Hmmmmm.

[Michael still doesn't really seem like he gets it. But the timer beeps, and he turns to get his cookies out of the oven. First he reaches in to grab the pan with his bare hands, and then halfway there he reconsiders and uses a cloth instead.]

It's so inconvenient how easily you burn.

...We usually have oven mitts for that, Michael.

[Camilla seems at least a little amused, though, and goes to dig through some stuff.]

We aren't indestructible, after all.

Human weaknesses suuuuuuck.

[Just let him whine for a second, he can't even get the cookies off the pan without a spatula.]

[Oh my god, Michael. Camilla actually chuckles at that.]

Would you like some assistance in taking care of those?

Sure, if you want.

[He's not all that bad at it, just. He wants to use his magic fireproof hands that he doesn't have right now.]

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⚔ // once upon a dream

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