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Mm... me too. I think- [He hesitates, looking thoughtful for a moment.] I think that was the first queen of Lucis. Not through marriage, I mean.

[He doesn't have much to go on, but... instinct, perhaps. The way she carried herself despite her child body, dancing through the myriad of bodies moving through the castle halls. The rarity of Lucian royal siblings, ever since the disastrous first two. The nickname. It's a feeling he can't shake.]

[ The first queen of Lucis by birth. ]

Oh. [ She blinks again, understanding dawning upon her face. ] Then... her brother at the time? He... had no heir?

No, he didn't.

[The truth of it as far as he knows is a lot more grim, but he's content to leave it there. They were happy, for a while. Better to leave the memory at that.]

[ He had no heir, and so the crown went to her, making her Lucis' first queen. She imagines it's a rare sort of story among royalty, where there are plays at power struggles among those in line. At least, that is how Addam's own tale went even when he hadn't want to participate.

In any case, his shorter reply indicates that he's not going to say much more on the how or whys of the crown passing to her, and so she focuses on something else: her reign. ]

Was she a good queen? Inspired by her elder brother, I'd like to think.

I think so, too. She's really famous- the Rogue. Her weapon was the giant shuriken I got. She's one of the most well-known rulers, in name at least, even though she ruled from the shadows, so they say. I don't think she'd be as well known as she is if she wasn't good at it.

[ That makes sense enough to her. ]

...Ah. Well, did the dream show you how she used her weapon? Any tips and tricks?

[ It's partly a joke-- the Rogue in his memory was still young-- but she can't help but be curious if such a thing is possible, that he could learn how the old kings and queens wielded their weapons themselves, and use that knowledge for himself. ]

Hmm... I think... she was armed with some very effective cuteness.

[Which is admittedly a very good weapon, for very cute people.]

[ She giggles softly, looking up at him, admiringly. ] Something you wield perfectly well, too.

[ After that, she closes her eyes and exhales, simply enjoying the presence of him. A memory like that, coming during a time of mourning, isn't so terrible a stress. Perhaps it even helped him a bit, but that might not always be the case in the future, of having dreams of family and running into old brother's arms for comfort and affection.

...She wonders what it'd feel like, to have a sibling like that. It must have been an experience for Noctis, too, as he has no blood-siblings. She's grateful he told her of this. In a way, she's able to live vicariously through the memory as well. ] ...Thank you for sharing that with me.

Mm... no big deal.

[It is, a little bit- maybe not so much in the telling, but he suspects it could be for her. He doesn't know exactly what her relationship with her sibling was like, but the hints he'd gotten so far are mixed, based on his nature and appearance. Maybe a happy memory of a sister being loved by her big brother is some comfort to her. He hopes so, at least, and that's the impression he's getting.]

Just... seemed like the kind of memory you'd enjoy.

[He doesn't only want to end up shoving the grim or unhappy memories on her. Balance is as important with this as with anything.]

It--....It is. [ Her reply is delayed, as if she's still gathering her thoughts on the memory.

After a few more bell tolls, she speaks up again. ]

...My brother and I... We didn't have something like that.

[ She neither say this mournfully or enviously. Her relationship with Malos (and her other brother) is complex in ways she has trouble putting into words. But she going to try. ] Truthfully, [ She pauses, trying again. ] ...I use the word "brother" so that it may make sense the most sense to others and not raise questions. It's also a more distant term to use.

[ ... ]

Mythra and him called each other partners. We're... [ She struggles a bit, putting her thoughts into words in ways she hopes make sense, because all of this feels muddled to her, blurry, as if she can't quite remember it, but it feels right. ] It feels as if we're part of the same entity. A trinity. Because there's one more of us.

[He waits and listens, still stroking her hair and paying careful attention to her tone. Again, she offers this part of herself freely; he won't interrupt, and he'll try not to derail. This is one more important step.]

That's come up before, hasn't it? I remember you saying something like that. It was a long time ago...

[Or was that in reference to Mythra and herself? Maybe there's multiple third parties she has to discover. He can't help feeling curious about what any of it might mean.]

Mm. [ She moves her head slightly, as if she could nod while still resting it upon his lap. ] Both that I feel we're not fully ourselves, myself and Mythra, I mean. And that we're part of a greater whole, too.

[ She breaks her gaze from his, looking towards the branches and the sky above. ] Funnily enough, even though I say that... We don't want to lose who we are. At the same time, we're not scared of who we might be or what we might become, because it feels right to reach for that. It's as if we're incomplete....

[ Ah, she's rambling, and she's mentioned something like that before to him. ] A-anyways. Malos and us... We can enter each other's domains freely. [ Although rarely, because there's some strange understanding of respect. Pyra waves a hand, as if to symbolize the entirety of the realm they're in. It's greater than just this conjuring of Elysium. ]

...But if you're wondering, I haven't been able to access his, not since I've come to Havenwell.

[He doesn't want her to lose who she is, either- or to lose her, himself. Like, if she discovered this missing part of herself, would it change who she was at the core? Or would it be another fragment he could meet and befriend, like Mythra? He worries a little sometimes, when he remembers she'd mentioned it to him, what would be different and if there's anything they'd lose in the process. At the same time, he needs to have faith in her, the way she has faith in him that his new memories won't override who he is deep down. Even if she does change, he's sure that any part of her is one he can grow to love, in time.]

Huh...

[He was wondering, actually. And even though she can't access them, he's curious of what that domain might look like. Is it as grim and unwelcoming as Malos' face? ...Okay, yeah, he's gotta ask.]

Do you remember what it's like?

[ She closes her eyes, contemplative. ] Dark and primordial. [ She opens her eyes. ] All that emptiness, with just a flicker of...plasma or miasma or color to show some texture.

I suppose it was his own memory of something, too, or-- our memory. Just, one that the 'me' that I am isn't as connected to as he is.

Geez... sounds like what I remember of Niflheim.

[Just an empty, dead sea of darkness, when it wasn't crawling with daemons. He'd never seen such a miserable location.]

This might be a weird question, but... do you know why you were all separated?

[ Again, a thoughtful expression. She's not troubled by the question, and she doesn't feel entirely disturbed or a sense of angst from exploring the deepest parts of their pasts. There is some unease, but it comes from a sense of incompleteness.

But it's nothing that she can't handle, and the question is helpful in its own ways. ] I...

[ Her eyes shut, tighter this time. ] There was a third-- or, that's what I've come to infer, because it feels as if it wasn't just myself and Malos, and that there's another part of this place [ Another wave towards Elyisum. ] that's not connected. But as for when the separation happened...

It was not long after the world began anew, I think. That third part vanished, and without them, the two of us fell apart. I'm not sure why, though. [ She shakes her head, opening her eyes to look at him.

Thinking through this brings her back to an earlier thought, the one of discovering who she truly is, discovering that truth and those memories, and finding that wholeness, of who she is meant to be. But that's her-- rather, them. Herself, Mythra, Malos, and that one other, all supposed to be as one, as if she'd be returning to who or what she was meant to be, a reverse metamorphoses, compared to Noctis' own journey with the memories imposed upon him.

She hesitates before asking. ] Do you ever... feel as if you're incomplete?

[ Her situation and his own are different. She hopes that he doesn't feel incomplete; or that if he does, it's only an added layer brought on by the crystal. ]

[His brows furrow at that, gaze shifting away as he considers the question thoughtfully. Incompleteness is... a strange thing to consider for most people, he suspects. People aren't meant to be separated from parts of themselves; they grow and change, they learn, they create memories or forget things over time. They don't end up fragmented. That doesn't mean it's impossible or unheard of - he will never not think of Pyra as a person despite her origins or that sometimes she turns into a crystal or a lens flare - but it makes the concept a little difficult to parse. He's... himself. There are fragments of him being added due to whatever his crystal or the ring (or both) is doing to him, but he's not losing himself in the process. At least... he thinks he isn't.

He hopes he isn't.

Regardless, he can't come to any conclusion except for that.]

I don't... think so. Maybe there's something missing, but it doesn't feel like the same thing, you know? More like I'm waiting for something to happen. [More memories, or that "Providence" thing Bahamut told him he would gain through his link to the crystal, or to wake up aged as he was when he sat on the throne in his visions. Those are just aspects of his future self, though- they weren't missing pieces.] ...Does it hurt?

[ She seems relieved to hear it, and her smile relaxes as a result. That he goes on to explain that his feeling is more as if he's waiting for something to happen makes sense, too, given what he's told her so far.

She wants him to remain him. She believes he will. She believes that even if not, he can be reminded of who he is, or that she'll love him all the same. Architect knows that he's changed in the time she's known him, and she still loves him. It won't be difficult to love a future version of himself, either, if it's something he naturally adapts to. ]

Ah, no, it doesn't hurt. It's only-- that. That incompleteness, or how strange it is to be separated.

[He can't help wondering what the final version of her (them??) would be like, if they were all together again: Pyra, Mythra, and her missing third. And then them, Malos, and the other missing third. It sounds dizzying, truly. He'll try to find some balance between hoping for the best for her (something he really does want) and worrying what that means for him (which would be a problem for future-him, like everything else, assuming it is one, if it were to happen here).]

Okay... that's good, at least. Or. Not worse. [He smiles cautiously down at her, fingers twisting curls in her hair.] Well, until something changes, you can dream about it. What would you want them to be like? That missing part.

[ She seems surprised at his question, as if she hadn't ever entertained the thought. Sure, she's wondered about these missing aspects of herself, but to picture them...?

Well, she'll start with that more complete part of who she and Mythra are. ]

Oh, um...

[ A pause. ]

I'd like her to... [ She thinks for a moment more, then smiles, almost shyly. ] have really, really long hair. Longer than Mythra's.

That's so much!

[He laughs lightly, brushing her hair from end to end. It's a short journey, but he can imagine it going much, much further.]

Bet that'd be pretty. You could do a ton with long hair. What about colour? You're red, Mythra's blonde...

[ "That'd be pretty".

Now she has to do it!! It's not as rare when he compliments her, but when he does... Yes, there's that blush, as rose-colored as her hair. All this, just for the prospect that she might look cute with even longer hair. ] M-Mmm. [ Her brow scrunches, but she's having fun even if she seems a tad more embarrassed. ] If we're going by primary colors...

Something blue, maybe?

I should have guessed.

[She does like blue a lot now. (Understandably biased; he does, too.) And he likes that red on her cheeks, too.]

Let's see... that much hair might be tricky to manage. Would she tie it back, maybe? [He pinches together a section of her hair at the back of her head, a tiny little ponytail.] Or a braid would be neat.

[ Oooh, she's definitely blushing now as he plays with the short crop of her hair. Not that she dislikes having short hair, but what would it feel like to have his hands play through longer strands? Probably, it'd feel as nice as whatever he felt when she was able to play with his hair, when it was made to be longer by the effects of this world. ]

You're right, if it's too long...

[ ... ]

Noct, do you like hair when it's done up?

Edited 2021-09-25 05:02 (UTC)

[He lifts his brows a bit at that. Hair that's done up? He's seen his fair share of it over the years, sure. Luna always had it up when he saw her in travel photos, girls in his high school did all sorts of hairstyles, long and short. Some were better than others.]

I guess, sure. It's not really a preference or anything... nice hair is nice hair. But change is cool sometimes, if you feel like it. [His hand pauses in her hair, releasing the ponytail and tucking back a bit of her bangs.] Not one to judge on that one either way, considering how long I've worn my hair like this.

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