carbungle | IC Contact

lol one little lunch comin up

door's open just come in when u get here

[And sure enough it is! And she can find him in the kitchen, sitting up on the counter like a Goddamn Adult and tossing bits of grilled meat for Umbra to catch. It smells nice in here at least?]

[The door! Was open!! Here comes the thunderous (?) pitter pattering of tiny feet as a pink blur dashed into the kitchen at Full Speed, one (1) book held high over her head.

It smells good in here but FORGET ABOUT LUNCH--]

Noct! Look! Look!

[LOOK AT THIS BOOK.]

Hello Umbra.

[Umbra barks politely and wags his tail at her; his ears perk up at the sight of the familiar cover.

And Noctis of course has a whole half-second smile as a greeting for her before his whole expression shifts to one of surprise, sliding off the counter.]

Whoa, no way! You found one?

[It's slight, but she's definitely bouncing on her heels a little as she nodded vigorously.]

There were more books at the temple, and this one was with them.

[He crouches down, leaning in to get a closer look. There's no hiding the soft wonder in his expression at seeing an unexpected slice of home here. It looks just like it always does, albeit with a fresh-from-the-store look rather than the dog-eared mess of a text that on his shelf or at his bedside back home.]

...Can... can I see it?

[Looking at that face, Vianca knew that running straight here had been the correct decision. She held it out to him easily.]

That's why I came.

[He half-reaches, but Umbra barks again, bumping a nose against his wrist, and Noctis pauses as he realizes- oh, whoops, he's still got meat sauce all over his fingers. He holds up a hand with a sheepish look and quickly washes his hands first.]

Wanna sit down? The couch isn't bad and I can show you what it's all about.

[Oh, wow, yes, excellent save there, Umbra. Vianca nodded with big eyes, holding the book safely in one arm away from all evidence of meat sauce as she reached over to give the very good pupper an appreciative pet.]

Yes! I have not looked at it yet.

[It is time for a couch party, everybody get on the couch.]

[Umbra sits very politely and accepts the pets while Noct cleans up, and Noct himself gives the Messenger a scritch on the head as he walks past towards the couch and plops down in the center. The dog follows, hopping up and sprawling his front half across Noct's lap, leaving the other side for Vianca.]

Fair warning, a lot of it doesn't make all that much sense. It went right over my head when I was a kid.

[Vianca gladly joined them, shuffling up into her designated cuddle destination at Noctis' side.]

It is about the legends from your home, isn't it? I think every world decided these things should be cryptic.

Yeah- legends, prophecies, tales about origins and the gods...

[He finally accepts the book with clean hands, running a palm briefly over the cover as he quietly unpacks the notion of one being here at all. It's not as if they're uncommon; he's seen them scattered all over Lucis, and plenty of the stories within are well known. Still, it's been a while.

Holding it out between them, with the back rested on an ever-patient Umbra's head, he points to the illustration on the cover page.]

That winged guy's Bahamut, the Draconian. He's kind of the leader of the Astrals, he's guided the path of our world's history for thousands of years. And I guess you could say he's the guardian of my family?

[Truly the most patient and goodest of dogs.

Vianca studied the cover with rapt attention, nodding slightly as Noctis spoke. She wondered a bit idly if it was a coincidence that Noctis was aligned with a dragon in this world if one was a guardian of his family back home. Did gods take those kinds of details into consideration?]

Ohh... Did he make the other Astrals?

No, I don't think so. I do think he's more powerful, and a lot less is known about him, but I've never heard of him making the others. They predate any history we know.

[He taps the others on the page in turn.]

This is one of my ancestors being given magic by Bahamut. And back there's one of Luna's family, an Oracle. They speak to the gods for the people.

Your families must have always been very close.

[Which made sense, if one family spoke to the gods and the other was destined to a mission from them.

Vianca tilt her head a bit, reaching over to point at the trident in the Oracle's hand.]

Is that the same one Luna had with her?

Yeah, since the beginning.

[He follows her finger and nods.]

Pretty sure that's the one, yeah- the Trident of the Oracle. Originally it only had ties to the Fleuret family, but one generation the Oracle died, and the king of that era had to take over as Oracle until her successor was old enough. Because it became the weapon of a Lucian king, that made it a Royal Arm. [Wait. Unhelpful.] ...That's what we call the magic weapons passed down through generations in my family.

Does that mean it is passed down through your family now? [Squint.]

Does every weapon you use become a Royal Arm? Or does it have to be magic first?

[This system has a lot of Questions.]

I think it was just for that one generation- the Oracle uses it for rituals and speaking with the gods, so it wouldn't be right if our family had it. But the connection's there, anyway.

Royal Arms aren't just any weapon, it's... whatever weapon connects closest to the king's soul, if that makes sense? Like their favourite. When a Lucian king dies, their weapon becomes an Arm for the next king, and the power they had is passed on. That's the magic part.

[Sorry Vianca, his family history is stupid-complicated.]

[Stupid-complicated is another way to say 'fascinating.' Undeterred, she nodded along.]

So you have to form a bond with that weapon first. [One strong enough to endure the ages. How interesting!]

Have you found any like that?

[He grins and holds up both hands, all fingers stretched out.]

Uh-huh. Ten so far, three to go.

[Blink.]

Is it a scavenger hunt?

Uh... more of a destiny quest, I guess? Cor said I have to do it as part of my duty, so it's on the roster.

I see. [She pat his leg.] Good job. You will get to cross that off the list.

Hah, right? Feels like everything I do is just a collect-a-thon.

[Arms, gods, rings and crystals... gotta catch 'em all...?]

Inside's more interesting, though, this is just the cover. Wanna read some?

[He gestures; she can pick a page at random or start from the beginning. He's read it so many times it hardly matters to him.]

[Collect-a-thons is a very Relatable State of Being.]

I do!

[From the beginning! This adventure was a new one to her after all. She reached over to gingerly open the cover, and then reconsidered her plan of attack.]

Do you have a favorite?

Favourite? That's a tough one... there's a lot of them in there.

[He flips through a handful of pages, pausing at the prints of delicately painted landscapes, huge buildings crafted up towards the sky, giant men and women with strange features standing alongside Bahamut and watching over tiny humans living simple lives below. He passes over scattered and translated texts, bits of poetry and prose, stories and explanations for the illustrations. He finally stops on a particular page, the same man and woman from the cover being surrounded and greeted by a multitude of winged creatures or people, many bowing their heads. One looks suspiciously similar to the dog in Noct's lap, flying next to his white-furred twin.]

I always liked the legends about the Messengers... the gods felt so huge and far away, and no one ever saw them, so they just felt like old stories that might or might not be true. But the Messengers were real. Back then I was... going through some stuff, and it helped. Knowing what was real.

IC Contact | Hugtopia

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