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[ It's an almost, because she values what he has to say. She admires him, even, and if he believes in her to be "amazing", perhaps she can allow herself some reassurance that... she's doing something right, to have gained his favor. Five hundred years had come and gone before receiving this reassurance. She wants to be worthy of all he's given her, his friendship, his time, his magic, his... trust. Still, she thinks-- has she done enough for him? She's not ready to share more of herself with him, but is there more she can do to help him through what he's going through, more she can do for him in general? ] What I mean is...

[ As for Noctis, he believes he couldn't even try to stop being so good. His power from his world's Crystal and his deities may make him grand, but it's that light, the one from his benevolence-- that is his power, the very same power that makes him... untouchable. ] Thank you, for saying that. It's the first time I've heard something so... sweet.

[ --Yet here she remains, hand with his, head upon his shoulder, comfortable. It's indulgent, wretched. If he knew the truth, he wouldn't share this light with her. She fears losing it; this is why she hides still. Her smile is complex but content, and she finishes as she always does, with something about him: ] Consider me dazzled by it, ...this light and goodness you have.

Hmm.

[It's a noncommittal noise, quiet and thoughtful as he focuses his eyes forward again. She's not flustered by his words, the way he gets sometimes with her showered compliments, but she's smiling, sounding content. Like she's taking his words to heart. Like what he says matters in the grand scheme of anything, to someone who believes in others so wholeheartedly. She feels confident in him, in the people she meets and cares about, but when it comes to herself, that certainty falters. ...ah. That's relatable, too.

Well. Well, then.]

I'll say it every once in a while. So you don't forget.

[Not in jest, not teasing or with that false bravado or cool-guy tone. He might falter and stumble with it later, he might shrug it off if called out, but these words, at least, he can say and show her that he means it. In the moment, she'll know.]

[ She has insecurities-- about not doing harm, causing harm, hurting others. What a sobering thought. It's like holding someone's hand. Five hundred years ago, she wouldn't have had them at all. Vulnerabilities are not something that weigh her down constantly; they come and go, tied to emotions, the moments, like a chain of rafts, pulling one down after the other after the first plummets over the falls. With what has happened recently, they're ever more present and weighing. But here with but a single reassurance, he's... eased one doubt for the time being. From someone so good, it's as if she's received a blessing. It's another sobering thought. People used to be in awe of what she was, worship her, or be in fear of her. She never gave any blessings, save for choosing one, and what a curse that had been upon him in the end. Receiving a human's "blessing" is far more merciful.

For a long while, she doesn't know how to respond.

It seems like in this case, she'll have to take a page out of his book. ]

...Is this... the part where I say to be careful with that, lest my head grow too big? [ Despite her more playful wording, her tone is soft and appreciative. ]

Edited 2020-04-24 03:31 (UTC)

Pretty sure you're not the one who has to worry about that, between the two of us.

[It's taken him this long to realize she needs him to be serious about this sort of thing, so... yeah, she's the champion in that department. He knows now, so he has some catching up to do.

And at the same time, if she wants to add some genuine levity, he can play. Doesn't make the words any less true.]

...But I'll try not to get ahead of myself.

[ Ahead-- ]

[ In truth she knows that he won't exaggerate any reassurance, there's nothing to worry about. Nonetheless this earns him a soft giggle from her.]

Promise? I'll toss another boot at you if you do.

Sure, sure.

[He did promise to try, that's as noncommittal as someone can get.]

...Wonder how viable it would be to warp with a boot.

[ ...He's joking right. ]

I believe a kick would be easier.

[well.]

What's that? Warp by kicking the boot off, you say?

[what a silly suggestion, Pyra!]

[ ...Pfft.

By now she's lifted her head off of his shoulder to look up at him.

(Ah, yes. She does like his hair like this, too.) ] Do you volunteer as target practice?

[Hmm... slightly less sure, now.]

Let's hold off until you can warp solo first, huh?

[That part is going to be work enough, if past experience is any indication. Links with his power is playing the Lucii game on hard mode.]

[ She brings her free hand to her chin, making a small show of her considering his words. ] ...Mm, point. I wouldn't want to damage your hair.

[ As for actual warping... sounds exciting, but she'll leave him to be the one to determine when she's ready for it, since it took time for both him and Somnus to learn. ]

[He nods as if her decision is one of utmost importance.]

There, see? That's what I call proper prioritizing. Good job, student.

---Ah, but in all seriousness... [ She looks back out towards the water. ] A boot can be used for warping?

I can't say I've ever tried it, but maybe. You don't technically need a weapon to trigger a warp, it's just that usually better overall for what you're trying to do.

[It's primarily a combat ability, after all. In a fight it doesn't do you much good to throw a boot at someone's head.]

[ She settles back against the edge of the boat, looking upward in thought, or
more accurately, awe. For some reason she had only pictured traditional weapons as being part of a warp! To think— ]

You could even use a fish against your enemies....

[ The possibilities, Noctis. The possibilities. ]

[Oh god. He has to cover his mouth to hide a laugh; the mental image is too great.]

Sorry, I've been officially banned from storing perishables in the armory since the Eggplant Incident.

Eggplant... incident?

[ A giggle bubbles between the two words. This already sounds like a fun story. ]

Uh-huh. Back when I was first learning, it was easier to put things in than take them out again, so I just started tossing in whatever I could get my hands on to see what I could get to come back. Cutlery, palace decor, political documents... food. Lots of things disappeared, made for a fun mystery the Crownsguard couldn't solve.

[Here comes that delinquent soul again; he looks about as pleased as he had when he told her about the egg-boot misadventure.]

The Citadel kitchens had imported this fancy Tenebraen eggplant around that time, and they got way too much so they just started tossing it in everything. Every dinner had eggplant. I did not like eggplant.

[It's a vegetable, so: duh.]

[ She finds that she likes it— hearing these stories of his youth when he had been mischievous. He still is that way (if his claim to pranks and jokes are any indication), but it’s also relieving that he can speak of some parts of his past with it not becoming too heavy.

She has a suspicion of where this is going: ]

Did... did they end up rotting...? [ In magical storage, at that. ]

Yup- the whole batch. I guess time catches up sometimes when it's drawn out again. One day in training I was trying to pull a practice sword out and the whole storage just kind of exploded all over the floor- everything that'd gone missing for two weeks. Including a big pile of nasty veggies.

[As if he'd needed a new reason to find vegetables gross!]

[ She makes a face, just imagining the putrid smell it would give off, and then laughs. As a child that might have been upsetting, but it makes for a good story in retrospect. ]

I don't think anyone would eat eggplants after something like that!

I sure didn't.

[And no amount of lectures could force him.]

[ She continues giggling for a moment after. While the sound is soft, it's different than it had been two weeks ago. More subdued, hesitant, just as her smile is. When at last the final staccato of her laugh finishes, she brings up her free hand to tuck a strand of wet hair behind her ear, breathing in as she relaxes against the boat.

What a respite this little fishing trip has been.

Is this enough? Unfortunately she can't do enough. Right now, she can only give words. Her using a small joke about her head growing too big had been to stall what she couldn't properly think of what to say before. So she can only repeat herself. ]

...But truly. Thank you, Noct.

[ She focuses on the future so often on moving forward, moving forward, protecting what is still left, knowing what she must do to ensure it... but it's nice, once in a while, to be grounded within the present. ]

Thank you. This was your idea, remember.

[If his company has helped her at all, though, he's glad of it. Gods know she deserves it, a bit of relief from everything that life's been throwing in her direction lately. The past is a den of misery and there's not much of a future for him anymore, but... right now, he likes the present, too.]

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