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

[burninglight]

[Ardyn smiled hesitantly without understanding why, and it was miles from the look of someone who only heard of the gesture in concept. It felt at once completely foreign and yet familiar, like the reassuring smile of a centuries-dead and forgotten healer.]

[Or like someone who desperately wanted others not to be afraid of him.]

Very well, then. It...sounds like we’re in agreement. [Hesitating briefly, Ardyn offered his hand; that seemed the right thing to do, if they were going to make a deal of sorts out of this.]

[motherfucking_ghost]

Are you-- [He laughs, breathy and unsteady.] Are you making this like a business deal...?

[Which hand, bro, cuz once he gets over how weird this is, it's gonna be his left hand he extends. Fuck using righty for anything right now he does not want to move that arm. Understandably.] I mean, deal?

[burninglight]

Is...that wrong? I’ve not exactly, er...done this in a long time. Whatever ‘this’ is, which I’m still trying to determine.

[the contract is sealed]

[motherfucking_ghost]

This is us trying to figure out what the fuck is up with u--wow, what'd you do to your hands, man?

[thems is scars]

[burninglight]

...i did nothing to them. Do forgive me, I’d forgotten for a moment they were a miserable sight.

[Sure enough, strange as it was the question didn’t really faze him; Ardyn just lightly pulled his hand away and moved to put his gloves back on.]

[motherfucking_ghost]

Wait--no? They're--no? Scars are just scars, dude, not...miserable. [You're talking to a soldier, after all.

Though then he has to wonder. This burn will scar when it's healed. Is that what people will think it is, miserable?] Besides, chicks dig scars.

[burninglight]

[That faint and unsure smile came back, Ardyn faltering before coming up with an answer.]

I’m afraid they tell an unfortunate story not worth using to flirt with people.

[motherfucking_ghost]

That's why you make up awesome stories about them. Because nobody wants to hear 'yeah I rode my dirtbike down a hill and ran into a fence', you make up something with...bears and laser beams.

[burninglight]

That’s ridiculous and you’re an idiot for thinking of it.

[But...it was kind of funny.]

[motherfucking_ghost]

That's what people do when they wanna impress someone at the bar! Show off a scar and make up a cool story about it. So you can make up a cool story about yours if you want. How'm I gonna know it's not real?

[burninglight]

I’m liable to have more scars than tales I can make up, I’m afraid.

[motherfucking_ghost]

...More than just on your hands? I guess after a couple thousand years, you're bound to build up a lot, huh...

[burninglight]

[Ardyn glanced off to the side, as if silently debating something. But...well, he did just effectively say they should get to know each other and see who they were dealing with. So, wordlessly, he pushed back his sleeve on his left arm without the PIP, revealing a scattering of various scars from hand to elbow.]

[motherfucking_ghost]

[A low whistle. It's impressive. If he thinks Church is gonna be repulsed, then he don't know Church. (Which, admittedly, is the point.)] Good thing you know how to heal thyself.

[burninglight]

[He smiled bitterly, pulling his sleeve back down without comment at first.]

...I suppose so.

[motherfucking_ghost]

I don't have anything awesome to show off. Except my other tat on my chest, but it's nothing to do with you or with Noctis. [No nicknames still, so he's still feeling like shit despite this conversation.]

[burninglight]

You can't say something like that and expect one not to ask what it is, you realize.

[motherfucking_ghost]

You wanna see? Cuz it's-- [He's already half pulling up his shirt (no he did not wear the dress, and honestly the top of it could probably be seen with the dress but shh details), but he kinda needs two hands to really get it up high enough and that...is not something he cares to do right now. So he lets it slump back down.]

It's the flag of my team, my army.

[burninglight]

...hm. Pretty impressive.

[motherfucking_ghost]

It'll be more impressive once I can actually get my stupid shirt off and you can see it. Unless you wanna help undress me.

[He's joking. Or is he.]

I...don't know when I would've gotten any of 'em. Since I'm not supposed to be in a person body.

[burninglight]

[he tries]

...I'm not supposed to be in a mortal body at all, either. Much less one that's aged however slightly. [He reached up to push his bangs out of his eyes, frowning slightly.] This appearance hasn't changed naturally in millennia, but...now my hair's gotten longer.

[motherfucking_ghost]

[Church mirrors the move, a hand through his fluffy hair, then down over his scruff. He's seen his reflection, not bad, though he might want to think about getting some dye from the salon for the grey peeking in around said scruff, creeping up to his temples.]

You can always cut it. At least you're familiar with what you look like. I was...I was pretty sure this was someone else's, someone I knew. But he said this is mine. As far as he knows.

And I guess only a Blue would get a Blue tat, but that doesn't mean... [He trails off, because even if it doesn't mean, it's still his name on Ardyn's profile.]

[burninglight]

...I assure you, you'd not want to be my Shield anyway.

[motherfucking_ghost]

Maybe I'm Nighty-Night's shield. I'm still not taking a bullet for him. Or you. Or anyone.

[burninglight]

I assure you, you're not. I've met his Shield.