Week 7

[airlockedmods]

[Well that weekend sucked. The Champions are down a dad and a bean and shrinking their numbers smaller and smaller, less and less.

There's no sign of life in the spaceport aside from PAL's omnipresent voice and SIS, the helpful asSIStant who has some control over certain heres and theres in the spaceport. She (and PAL) are available at all times and can appear anywhere if called. There is, however, a new floor to explore. Just hop in the elevator and pchoo.]


Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday

(( Don't forget to check in, check your memory regains! and put in for item regains))

Comments

[nightcure]

Do you want me to kick your ass?

[motherfucking_ghost]

...

...

...

Is this a trick question?

[nightcure]

If the answer's "no," open the hell up.

[motherfucking_ghost]

[It takes a bit, and might take more knocking, but eventually the door cracks open.]

The fuck. do you want.

[nightcure]

[ He's sticking his foot in that tiny opening, oops. ]

What the hell do you think you're doing, putting all his stuff out here?

[motherfucking_ghost]

[Well o-fucking-kay, the door swings the rest of the way open.]

You can't have it, if that's what you're asking.

[nightcure]

Good, because I don't want any of it. What I'm asking is why it's out here when it should be in there.

[motherfucking_ghost]

He's not here.

He's not going to be here.

[nightcure]

That doesn't mean you don't just throw his stuff out. If he could see this--

[ Noctis takes a breath, and from his pocket, he pulls Ardyn's letter. Suddenly, part of him is back in Insomnia, kneeling down over Ardyn's prone body. Ardyn's voice, heavy with the weight of countless centuries.

What will you do? Banish the daemons and bring peace? Erase me from history once more? ]

He didn't want anyone to forget him. Ever.

[motherfucking_ghost]

I'm not forgetting. I don't want to forget anything ever again.

[nightcure]

Then don't keep putting his stuff out here.

Did you even read the letter he left you?

[motherfucking_ghost]

I don't need the reminder that he's not here. [He slams the door all the way open, clattering into/against the wall (depending on if it's a swinging or sliding door /shrug) and stalks away. The relentlessly burning, quiet anger has faded into dying embers come the memories, but he still channels the pain right into anger because--because it makes sense. It feels familiar.]

[nightcure]

[ He doesn't move for a while. Really, Church wouldn't be at all to blame to think that Noct won't follow him. But he's... he's thinking back to after Altissia. The weeks afterward, when he had been unable to do anything but sit and dwell on his grief.

Even now, he's not sure what the right reaction is. But damn if he won't try to help Church.

Noctis steps inside, closes the door behind him. ]

The more you turn away from it, the more it'll hurt in the end.

[motherfucking_ghost]

And what the fuck do you think I'm running from? All the fuck I've been doing since yesterday is sit here and think about him.

Him. And Nishi, and Kip, and Queenie, and Tex.

Maybe it's me. Maybe I'm not supposed to have this. Maybe I'm not allowed to be happy with someone.

[Iota. Attribute: Happiness.]

[nightcure]

Like hell that's true. He's gone, but what you shared isn't.

[ Gone, but not forgotten. Not meaningless, far from it. The kind of love he and Ardyn had shared... ]

None of this was a fluke, Church. You both deserved so much more than being shoved into this again.

[motherfucking_ghost]

Yeah, well. You don't always get what you deserve.

[There's not a lot of room to pace, but he does anyway. Maybe if he moves, he'll be less likely to put a hole in the wall.]

[nightcure]

Doesn't mean it doesn't suck.

[ And there is an edge of bitterness to his voice that even he can't tamp down. Noctis takes a breath. ]

I'm not... gonna tell you how you're supposed to feel, because that's not fair. But I think it's worth it to read the letter. Bring the stuff back in, even if you have to shove it somewhere else.

[motherfucking_ghost]

...Schroedinger's letter.

Like the secrets.

If you don't open it, it could say anything at all.

[nightcure]

... Right. Well.

Mine asked me to keep an eye on you. So you're kind of stuck with me, big guy.

[motherfucking_ghost]

It'll probably be really touchy and sappy and he'll say all kinds of things that I won't know what to do with. It'll feel final.

[The anger seems to just slough off him, and he all but collapses into the corner pile of stuffed animals. He lives here now. But he picks up the letter along the way, staring at his handwritten name.]

Feel like goodbye.

[nightcure]

[ He shrugs lightly. Maybe so. But maybe... ]

Maybe. Or maybe he didn't say goodbye because he knows you won't be separated for long.

[motherfucking_ghost]

Yeah, I mean, I probably won't fight either if someone comes and murders me.

[nightcure]

Then I'll just have to fight whoever tries to kill you, big guy.

[motherfucking_ghost]

Think the letter helped you out any? At least you're rid of him now. For whatever that's worth.

[nightcure]

Yeah, it did.

[ He raises both eyebrows. ]

"Rid of him."

[ wow, alright. ]

You feel like elaborating on that?