week 1

[airlockedmods]

Week 1

[After the reveal of their handsome and well-dressed but stern-looking Overseer on Sunday, the Champions were left to their own devices in investigating the mall to their hearts' content. At around 10 pm every night the lights in all the shops will go down and the sturdy metal grates over the doors of the restaurants will go down. The stores will remain unlocked, though.

On Monday morning, a buzzing alarm chirps at them again from their PIPs at 7 am on the dot. There's also a pop-up message waiting for them: a notice announcing Xander will be holding office hours

Enjoy your week, Champions.]

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

Comments

[nightcure]

[ i mean look it's there

... ah. ]

... Worth a shot. [ He glances at Church's arm. ] Why the hell in that place?

[scourgingstars]

[Ardyn's thought processes slowed just enough to register the question and realize what was missing there.]

[...And that strange desire to make things personal and strangle Xander with his own two hands came back without warning. He scowled at the realization, struggling to keep the sudden anger out of his tone.]

...There was another tattoo there. We were talking about it only the other day.

[nightcure]

He burned off the--

[ Noctis actually looks a little nauseous. Urgh. ]

I guess Xander thought it was something sentimental.

[scourgingstars]

...I think it was.

[He lowered his voice enough for the others not to hear; it wasn't something he wanted to mention to anyone, but with how he was losing grip on the sudden autopilot it was talk to keep himself focused or lose composure entirely.]

'Auroram videre potest mane tempus expergiscendi.' It was in my handwriting.

[nightcure]

[ Ah.

Ah.

Yeah. There's something going on with their memories. The profiles. The fact that they're physically changed. Noctis has a little more muscle on him, and Alpha had tattoos... and then there's the Kingsglaive tattoo Ardyn has. Alpha, as the Shield of the King... ]

And only you'd know those words well enough to write them.

[scourgingstars]

Unless you speak ancient Lucian and memorized a two thousand year old hymn without me realizing it? Yes.

I don't know who the hell he is. But I think I should. And I think I'm going to break Xander's neck before we get out of here.

[nightcure]

It seems like a lot of us should know one another.

But mass amnesia? Do you think something like that's possible?

[scourgingstars]

I think that 'possible' was thrown sharply out the window the second I realized I was human, Noctis. Next to that, mass amnesia practically sounds simple.

[nightcure]

When you put it like that, it's hard to argue.

Just have to figure out how.

[ The why is easier to figure out. ]

[scourgingstars]

I think we can likely save the strategic and logistical discussions for later.

[He tied off a loose makeshift bandage; it wasn't exactly ideal burn treatment, but at least it wouldn't constrict enough to make it worse. By the time Ardyn started pulling his gloves back on his hands had started to look slightly unsteady.]

...It's unlikely any of this will make sense anytime soon, even once we've the chance to talk about it.

[nightcure]

It's still worth it to figure things out best we can.

[ He notices the unsteadiness, and Noctis is... still having a hard time with this. He's conflicted, torn between openly offering help that might be rebuffed, and ignoring someone's suffering.

In the end, compassion wins out. It wasn't much of a struggle, anyway. ]

You need anything?

[scourgingstars]

What? Of course not.

[He hadn't even noticed the slight tremor in his hands, glancing briefly to Noctis in obvious confusion.]

This is hardly the time to be concerned for me of all people.

[nightcure]

Your hands are starting to shake, Ardyn.

[burninglight]

What? That's ridicu-... [Ardyn trailed off as he looked to his hand to prove Noctis wrong, only to find that he obviously couldn't.]

...oh.

[nightcure]

Yeah.

So, you need anything?

[burninglight]

N...no. I can keep myself together well enough. At least until these two idiots are taken care of.

[nightcure]

Alright.

But if you need anything, I'll do what I can.

[scourgingstars]

Spare me your concern--keep the others from panicking instead.

[nightcure]

[ He gives him a two-finger salute. ]

Got it. [ He sets his jacket down, placing the remaining bandages on it. Just in case.

Then... he leaves. But he very much wants to talk to Ardyn later. ]