week 7

[airlockedmods]

[For the first time in several weeks there is no new memorial in the garden. No new body in the morgue, no bloody mess for the roombas to clean. Choromatsu is still in need of time to heal and constant vigilance but he's alive. They're all alive for once on a Sunday and, even with the terrible realizations their returning memories may bring, there's a sense of hope for the first time in a long time.

There is no new floor this week.

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday



[ooc: Don't forget to to turn in your activity for week 6, submit your memory regains and put in your threads for the Benefactors!]

Comments

[serrata]

[ So, post feels jam sleepover and Ardyn actually being a functional real boy, Yuuri's feeling considerably better today than she did after all that on Tuesday. Not a hundred percent but comfortably in the range of 'not actively considering trying to stab at A.I. at every waking moment'. Acceptable.

She's on her way to the kitchen when she spots him and her expression brightens even more. ]

Ardyn-san, good morning! [ and over she comes, since having a conversation from across the room is a little rude. ] Are you--

[ -- and then she spots the swords and her eyes start sparkling. ]

What are those.

[scourgingstars]

Good morning, Yuuri. [He smiled slightly in greeting before looking from her to the sheet of paper.]

This? It's the Lucian line's royal arms--I was just occupying myself, I suppose.

[serrata]

They're all so...

[ She casts around for a word -- let it be stated for the record that if extra was part of Yuuri's vocabulary then it is absolutely the word she would be using here. ]

They're so ornate. They're definitely weapons for kings, that's for sure.

[ Don't mind her if she sits herself in the chair next to him. Much more polite than just hovering. ]

I can't even imagine how you'd use most of these...

[scourgingstars]

It's not that difficult at all. [He slid the paper over slightly, to give her a better look at it.] Most of it comes naturally to the bloodline, the rest simply requires a small amount of practice.

I tend to favor this one. [He tapped the pen lightly against the Blade of the Mystic, briefly looking distant again before realizing he should probably have said a little more than that.] ...I find it fairly easy to throw despite its size, which becomes something of a benefit for warp-striking something.

[Or someone.]

[serrata]

Warp striking... that's what you taught Junpei, isn't it?

[ She's a little envious, admittedly. Even with the thing sitting inside him instead of Ardyn that week, dulling everything to a faint muffle, there'd still been a faint hint of something like boyish excitement on his face when he'd told her. She can't help but wonder what sort of thrill it'd be for someone without all their feelings muted. ]

How does it work, exactly? He explained it a little but it might make some more sense coming from the person who actually taught him.

[scourgingstars]

It's part of the power of the Crystal; the same power that lets me manifest and use all of these. [He gestured to the page again, then paused.] ...Most of these.

[Whatever that meant, he quickly moved on.]

Warping is...a bit difficult to explain the specific process of. It's essentially throwing a weapon or object and using magic to follow its path at roughly the speed of light. It can be used to attack a target directly, or simply to move from one point to another that might be out of reach.

[serrata]

... So you sort of... physically let go, but keep yourself attached with magic? That sort of thing?

[ She's probably overthinking it. ]

It sounds like it'd be so useful once you got the hang of it -- you said an object, right? So you can do it with basically anything you can throw?

[scourgingstars]

You're close enough in concept; it's more like meeting the object at whatever point it may land. It's very simple to get used to, once you've managed to stop stumbling at the end.

[WHO THE FUCK KNOWS]

Weapons are customary as well as simplest; tracking the path of a thrown blade takes little concentration, even for something like a dagger. With enough practice, one could warp using most objects one can throw. The easiest to use would be something that would stick in a wall or the ground to present a stationary point; catching something in midair as I taught Junpei takes a bit more practice to master.

[He gestured slightly with the pen in his hand.]

I, however, could more than likely cross a room at minimum with something like this.

[serrata]

[ This sounds so cool. Like something right out of... well, a fantasy story. It's still so surreal to hear people talking their worlds so off-handedly when it sounds like they're spouting some chuunibyou ridiculousness.

... then again, Yuuri's story about the School Living Club's situation has probably sounded like the height of chuunibyou ridiculousness too, hadn't it? ]

It sounds like a much better way of getting around than just walking. Assuming you can do it without breaking both your arms, at least. Really, it's a shame there's no way for you to teach us while we're in here. It could be useful.

[ there's a beat and then she laughs. ]

Well-- no, I should admit, I'm interested less in it being useful and more in it sounding like a lot of fun.

[scourgingstars]

[Zombies, daemons, magic, robots--really, what was left to bother not believing?]

If I'm able to get enough of my powers back, you will. I'll teach as many of you that want to learn it. As long as you're able to practice the follow-through you won't break any bones like Izunia used to.

[Ardyn paused suddenly, like the half-second jolt one might feel if they missed a step on a flight of stairs.]

...The Crownsguard sharing the power of kings is all just a part of the role. That applies to the Kingsglaive particularly.

[serrata]

The Crownsguard... those are your knights? Or something like that.

[ She can guess from the context that it's probably close enough. Kingsglaive rings a bell -- she thinks they've talked about it before and she's sure she's heard Junpei and Church both tossing the word around between them. So, then... ]

Are the Kingsglaive something a little more important, then? Your personal guards?

[scourgingstars]

The Crownsguard are effectively the Lucian army, more or less. Among them, the ones kept nearest to the king are his glaives, ever at hand to guard and and fight with him.

[And sometimes, it came down to no more than three. He heard his own voice distantly, must be a fine feeling, having friends--felt a brief echo of something spiteful and envious.]

Among them the Shield of the King is a personal guard, as the name implies. It's a position that has existed since the founding of Lucis itself.

[serrata]

[ There's a pause -- and then she smiles, understanding gleaming in her eyes. ]

And that's what Church is for you. Your Shield.

[ A statement, not a question ]

When we were talking on Monday, just after I gave out all the bookmarks, he called himself your "Shield of the King".

[ it sounded gayer when church said it, she promises. ]

[scourgingstars]

[Ardyn laughed softly, running a hand through his hair.]

I was joking, the first time I called him that. But you're aware how foolish he can be--he simply took that and ran with it farther than I could stop him.

[Gladiolus petals. Of all things she could have chosen-]

...I suppose we both take it too seriously, now.

[serrata]

[ She shakes her head. 'Foolish' is the last thing she'd call it. ]

No, even if it was a joke, I don't think there's such a thing as taking it too seriously in a hellhole like this.

Everyone needs someone. I'm glad you've got someone like Church.

[scourgingstars]

[He just shrugged, smiling faintly and fidgeting idly with the ring on his right hand.]

...I have all of you, not only him. We're together in all of this, a true Crownsguard and Kingsglaive even for one who long since ceased to be king.