Tumgik
#crownsguard fatigues
lunarlegend · 1 year
Text
Tumblr media
oh...i...kinda wanna incorporate this into Stella's design now 🥺💙
7 notes · View notes
primamchorus · 6 days
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media
I saw that Prompto's Crownsguard Fatigues were ported into FFXIV, so naturally, I had to get my Prompto alt on Brynhildr spruced up appropriately.
Link to outfit port mod. Link to FFXV Pistol pack mod.
14 notes · View notes
altrxisme · 1 year
Note
RIP
Send “RIP” and I’ll write a drabble of my Muse dying.— have a Jackson!
While the Prince and his retinue were in Altissia, a some of the Crownsguards were sent to infiltrate Tenebrae to lend some assistance as there were whispers of an attack happening there. Their numbers may be thin, but Jackson insisted in leading a team to look into it. He pulled out every single reason he could think of to justify it, and eventually one had finally landed that had the other Guards reconsider.
The sheer force of the attack was worse than they had anticipated and for once, Jackson was thankful for the small group they had as opposed to the larger number of Guards he originally had in mind. The burning of the Manor itself brought back memories he thought he'd long gone past. Childhood memories relived by the screams of people and the growl of daemons; his shoulder ached from the reminder of when he nearly met the Astrals.
Another explosion brought him back to where he was, his cover nearly obliterated by the machine he'd been hiding from. It was a feat that he'd survived that long whilst lost in the memories of the past. Jackson was quick to run for more cover, shots grazed him and he hissed from the sting, barely anytime to take care of them.
The others did their best to evacuate the rest of the Tenebraen residents alongside Aranea's forces, surprised that she had renounced Niflheim despite her long standing service to them. Still, they'd heard that she had assisted the Prince some time ago and she seemed like someone who's been waiting to leave the Empire.
At least they were in good hands.
Fatigue plagued him and he could feel it in his bones. He shut his eyes for a moment, trying to will himself to get back onto the train with the others but there was something keeping him from moving.
Maybe... Maybe coming back to what was once home was all he wanted.
Jackson's brows furrowed as he opened his eyes, reloading his gun. No. That couldn't be it. He didn't want to die there. He had so many things to do. His family was waiting for him. There were people that needed him.
The Crownsguard picked up his gun and made his way to the train, dodging shots made for him. He had gone farther than what was planned, the need to sweep the place and make sure everyone was accounted for simply too strong for him to ignore. The price was that his communicator lost signal and he had nothing but himself to rely on.
Just a little more and his communicator should—
Bang!Bang!Bang!
Jackson gasped and fell on the ground hard, his gun spun far out of reach and he curled in on himself. He could feel the blood rush into his lungs while another different bullet wound spilled it. His body seized in pain and he struggled between wanting it to stop and letting the release of it take him away.
Help. His eyes fought to stay open, a blur of dark and silver glinted in the remaining daylight. Someone. He couldn't get up, the pain was too much and his body wanted rest. The barrels of the machine's gun pointed directly at him.
Someone help me, please. I don't want ta die.
4 notes · View notes
Photo
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
FAT FETISHISTS LEAVE THIS FUCKING POST okay. now that that's taken care of. I worked really hard on this piece and I'm very happy to be sharing it with everyone. I did this piece for twitter.com/FatPromWeek (Fat Prompto Week) on twitter! very glad for fat prom week cause it pushed me to finally edit these guys. for once the credits aren't gonna be super long cause i did most of the work myself: -made in blender cycles -all texture/sculpt edits by me -all models/characters belong to square enix
this is also now available as a mod also made by me! (only crownsguard fatigues at the moment): https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2791488989
21 notes · View notes
firefallvaruna · 2 years
Text
FFXV Fanfic: First Light, Chapter 1
Summary: Defying destiny comes at a heavy cost, but one Noctis Lucis Caelum is willing to pay. Now they need to cross the giant crater that had been the crown city of Insomnia with no magic. (Rated T for teens)
Also Available on AO3
Next Chapter ->
----------------------------------------------------------
“Stop,” Prompto stammered loudly from the rear.
Noctis paused, panting. A break was fine by him. The fight with Bahamut had taken everything he had. He was gripped by a profound, almost visceral exhaustion and had been on autopilot following Gladio since they left the Citadel’s former courtyard.
They’d sent Aranea, Biggs, Wedge, and Sol to evacuate Lestallum ahead of their battle with Bahamut. So they were on their own, at least for the moment. Though someone had to be looking by now. According to his friends, Cor had teams regularly in the ruins of Insomnia or stationed just outside in Leide.
“Is something the matter?” Ignis called back, still a few steps behind Noctis and Lunafreya. Prompto had fallen behind, which was unlike him.
“I don’t know,” Prompto answered, sounding stressed and more than a little tired. “I want my cameras out.”
“Prompto!” Gladio barked from the front, “We’re at the bottom of a damned crater! There’s nothing to see here! Move your ass!” They were in one of the many smaller craters inside the giant crater, to be exact. A narrow strip of compacted debris was their only way up.
Ignis stepped close enough to murmur to Noctis, Gladio, and Luna without Prompto hearing, “I believe he’s having an anxiety attack. Let him retrieve his cameras. His reasons may not be logical, but they are valid to him.”
Noctis could completely understand. Prompto hadn’t been a “plebe” in over a decade. Not when you wind up best friends with a crown prince. But he had grown up poor, and you just didn’t shed some concerns in only ten years or even fifteen years.
“Yes, of course,” Luna replied immediately. “He’s tired.”
Noctis blew out a breath and leaned heavily on a quieted Gladio. The fatigue was just awful, but then again, he did just fight a god and win. He was grateful for the steadying hand on his shoulder and grounding warmth against his side.
Fortunately, the sun was still high, and the giant, bright blue bowl of the sky was unmarred by clouds. With any luck, they could make good progress crossing the city. With more luck, the bridge to Leide would be intact.
And if they were fortunate, someone would find them before then.
“Shit,” Prompto was chanting now, followed by “No, no, no.”
“Prom,” Noctis called, alarm chasing the edge off his exhaustion. “You okay?”
He could see the blue sparks that said he should have his cameras by now. Both of them. It should be instantaneous.
“Is he a touch confused, perhaps?” Luna asked.
“I don’t think that’s it,” Noctis had known Prompto since they were fifteen. Sure, Prompto could be flighty. Even prone to panic, though his loyalty always overpowered his fear. After all, he was a regular civilian before his Crownsguard crash course – and his formal training had been more to ensure his own survival. He didn’t have the lifelong training or the mental conditioning the three of them did.
Learning he had developed a full-blown anxiety disorder from all the trauma of the last ten years made complete, heartbreaking sense. Yet, at the same time, he seemed like he was doing well. He’d been rock solid the entire time they’d been in Insomnia, fighting daemons, Ardyn, and even Bahamut.
Something must have been wrong to rattle him like this.
He carefully brushed past Luna and Ignis down the steep, narrow path back to Prompto.
His best friend finally pulled his newer, far more expensive camera free from the Armiger just as he reached him. It appeared sluggishly, forming in his hands after several long seconds. Finally, he hung the strap around his neck and tried for his original camera with clenched teeth.
Noct reached out and put his hands around Prompto’s. He pictured his friend’s older camera, a Lokton LX-30, and added his power. It was like the camera was stuck somehow. It came slowly with enough resistance he felt like he was trying to reel in a fish rather than a digital SLR camera.
It finally came free, settling in their hands.
Prompto was sweating and pale. Trembling as he hung the camera strap around his neck. He flexed his hand like it had fallen asleep and was trying to recover sensation. His teeth clenched, hunching over himself. He blinked eyes that seemed determined not to cooperate with him.
Stasis.
Noctis recognized the signs and symptoms and knew what the results would be. He was going down hard. This shouldn’t be happening. This was the kind of Stasis typically only experienced by Kingsglaive after too much direct magic use. The Armiger was set up entirely differently; so long as the King was alive, they could reach the dimensional space.
He would have warned Prompto to sit down, but there simply wasn’t enough time between realization and the instant his friend’s knees buckled.
Instead, he caught Prompto under the arms as he went down and hugged him close.
Prompto was unconscious. Limp. Like a bag of pudding with sticks inside.
Behind him, he heard Gladio swear loudly and the sounds as his friends scrambled down the incline to them.
Noctis tried to sense his connection to Prompto. It should be a small, controlled conduit of magical energy connecting Prompto to him and then from him to the Crystal. But instead, what he felt was little more than a wisp of smoke connecting them.
And, of course, there was no Crystal at the other end of his connection. Not anymore.
Cold, bitter realization dawned. He was developing permanent Stasis. That was the exhaustion. It wasn’t like the harsh cutoff as it had been with the Empire’s Wallbreaker Wave machine, where he still had magic but couldn’t use it. Instead, this was a slow, steady death of his magic altogether.
It made sense. His power came from the Crystal, and it was gone now. What was left was merely ambient, leftover magic in his system and what he had in his reserves.
“Get your things out of the Armiger!” Noctis yelled as he lowered his best friend to the ground. His bad knee and back ached ferociously at the awkward way he was forced to move and Prompto’s limp weight.
“What?” Gladio practically roared the question.
“I don’t know how to explain it, but the Armiger is failing!” Noctis yelled back.
Ignis slid to a stop beside them, Luna hot on his heels and moving in quickly to help with Prompto. 
Ignis swallowed, took a deep breath, and then knelt. Ignis had always had a better connection than any of them besides Noct. So good, it had perplexed his father and the Kingsglaive. He seemed to break all the rules, which only deepened as he grew older. But that was the way of things. Certain people were just better at Lucian magic – or specific branches of magic – than others.
Their potions materialized on the ground in front of him in a flurry of blue sparks. Slightly slower, elixirs and ethers. Then, with all the effort Prompto’s original camera had taken, their professional-grade first aid kit.
After the first aid kit materialized, he shook his head, pale and trembling, and stammered, “I can’t… I’m sorry.” He sat unsteadily on the ground.
“Shit,” Gladio breathed, trembling but not from Stasis. He couldn’t fight his way out of this or shield them from the effects. His connection had always been the weakest, and Noct couldn’t even feel it anymore. “Are we losing magic?”
“Looks like it,” Noctis confirmed as Luna stepped over to Prompto’s opposite side and helped roll him into a recovery position. “No crystal; no magic. Let me see if I can release the Armiger.”
“‘Release the Armiger?’” Gladio echoed, sounding confused.
“Make it barf. Everything right here.” Noctis translated as he stood and stepped past Prompto’s feet and took a seated position on the ground. Gladio quickly took his former spot.
Noct exhaled and then took a long, deep inhale through his nose. He held it briefly and then exhaled slowly. He closed his eyes and turned his focus inward to release Armiger’s hold on everything they’d ever placed in it over the years. No discretion; eject everything out on the ground before they lost access completely.
Prompto’s reaction had basically been their canary in a coal mine. So how long had he been trying for his cameras? Or was this his unique, genetically-engineered body freaking out at something it deemed out-of-the-ordinary? Or something else?
It shouldn’t work this way. It should be his magic being drawn and his alone. But Noctis’s magic was dying, and the conduit to each of them was gone or almost gone. So maybe the draw was strengthened subconsciously by their own reserves? Their vitality?
So much he didn’t know, couldn’t answer, and would likely never know. Only that it went against everything he had ever been told about how his magic worked.
Prompto groaned in alarm. 
Noctis opened his eyes, turned around, and saw Luna and Gladio help him sit up. One of their elixirs was open in Luna’s hand, and a trickle of the energy drink ran from the corner of his mouth to his chin and into his goatee.
Prompto was awake, groggy, and ruminating breathily, “Cameras… why? I’m stupid.”
“You’re not stupid,” Luna declared gently but firmly. Like she wouldn’t allow him to continue degrading himself. She pressed the open elixir bottle to his lips, “Drink.”
“Sorry I yelled, didn’t realize you were about to pass out,” Gladio said softly, rubbing his back. “Come on, bottoms up.”
The remaining elixir Prompto finally tossed back was barely glimmering, like it too was losing power fast. 
Another thing that shouldn’t happen. Once a Lucian King imbued power or a spell to an object, that was it. It was enchanted. He had found things bearing ancient Lucian magic in ruins easily thousands of years old. Older than Ardyn and the kingdom, but the spells were still potent and showed no signs of fading.
Noct turned back around and took another deep breath. He closed his eyes once more and attempted to settle himself. He’d learned how to do this when he was twelve. Just his dad and a suspiciously entertained Clarus Amicitia in his office. When Noct had asked why he would ever need to completely empty the Armiger, Gladio’s dad had responded, “because it beats being held by your ankles over a dumpster.”
Back then, the implication had neatly sailed over his head. Why would anyone hold him over a dumpster? As an adult, Noctis could vividly picture any number of potential incidents between his father and his retinue. Mostly because he could easily imagine his own retinue doing them to him.
Noctis tried to picture the technique to release the Armiger like the interior emergency latch of a car trunk. He just had to find it and pull it.
And it was not proving easy. The endless, perfect blue was dim. Faded. Dying. Approaching the colors of the night sky. This wasn’t meant to be a hurried process, but Noct felt they were quickly running out of time.
“If all else fails, you can always pick me up and shake me by my ankles,” Noct muttered in self-deprecating humor, trying to lighten the mood. “See what falls out.”
A weak chuckle from Gladio, then, “Don’t tempt me.”
“‘Tempt?’” There was humor in Ignis’s words, “I dare say that was a royal decree.”
Noctis could feel himself break into a cold sweat. The tips of his fingers were growing numb and spreading. Stasis was almost on him. This was going to suck if this was going to be his new normal. 
He reached deeper, past the point he knew was his limit – the “bottom” of the Armiger – and deeper still. He had to find the depth his father had shown him where he could feed his desire to eject everything, all at once.
Almost.
There!
There was a clattering crash. Startled yelps and gasps.
Noct opened his eyes.
Before him, the detritus of almost twenty years of Armiger mixed with their weapons and gear. Long-forgotten socks mingled with candy wrappers, bits of metal, shiny rocks, and broken things. Feathers and papers, buttons and pens – so many pens. Vintage coins from every nation of Eos and bottle caps. Monster parts and memory cards from long-forgotten game systems. 
For a few seconds, there was silence.
It was the perfect amount of time for Noctis to contemplate if he could dig a hole fast enough to crawl into and die.
Prompto was obviously feeling better because he appeared at Noct’s side, crawling on his hands and knees, his jaw hanging open. 
“What the actual fuck, dude!?” He stressed each word as he spoke, the pitch rising. He sat and detangled his revolver from an ancient rat’s nest tangle of corded earbuds.
Plainly curious, Luna leaned over his shoulder and took them from him, only to drop them instantly with a cry of disgust, “Why are those sticky?”
“The rubber is breaking down!” Noctis blurted out hurriedly.
“My apologies, Lady Lunafreya. Noctis,” Ignis stressed his name, taking a seat before the spread, an open elixir of his own held in his hand. “I’m afraid, has never quite learned what a ‘rubbish bin’ is. Regardless of my efforts to teach him otherwise.”
“Sure he has,” Prompto replied, sweeping his hand back and forth through the mess to locate his chest holster. “It was called the Armiger.” He placed hard emphasis on the final word.
“And every surface of his apartment,” Gladio echoed Promto’s tone, taking his own seat. Then, to Luna, he added, “His Most Royal Laziness is disgusting. Trust me.”
“Guys, can we not do this in front of my fiancée?” Noct begged, knowing they loved nothing more than giving him shit. “I’d like to have a few months before she decides I’m a slob.”
Ignis made a face as he began collecting all the candy wrappers, old receipts, and larger pieces of paper by touch alone and moving them to the side along with Prompto’s and his empty Elixir bottles. Prompto snatched a wrapped straw before it joined Ignis’s trash pile. “I believe you are too late.”
“Oh, come on,” Noct exclaimed. “It’s not that bad.” Then, on cue, Prompto blew through the straw he had rescued, and the paper wrapper hit Noctis in the side of the face. “You’re not helping.”
“Dude,” Prompto gave him a dubious look, dropped the straw in the trash, and plucked something up from the trash pile. “Dude. Really?” He thrust a movie ticket stub into Noct’s face. He had to lean back just to see enough to take it. The movie’s name was completely cut off, but the date was from their freshman year of high school.
Noct rolled his eyes and flicked it in the general direction of the trash, “So what? They sell picture frames with slots so people can keep them.”
“The Armiger doesn’t count!” Prompto gestured with both hands to emphasize his point. Gladio found his chest holster and tossed it to him.
“Some wingman you are!” Noctis shot at him and was saluted with Prompto’s middle finger.
This should be where Ignis told them all off and ordered them to focus. But, instead, he said with a dramatic flair, his tone dripping with sarcasm, “The holy armory of the Lucii reduced to a hoarder’s trove.”
“Don’t look at me with that tone of voice,” Noct said sharply in jest. Though the joke was more of a desperate plea than anything.
“Considering I have known you since you were three,” Ignis’s voice was prim and dry, but Noct knew him well enough to tell he was teasing. “I shall ‘look’ at you however I deem fit.” He moved spare weapons and more oversized items from the pile to uncover his lance from the bottom.
“Sorry, Noct,” Gladio gave him his biggest shit-eating grin. “Big siblings are honor bound to give the younger ones shit. It’s in the fine print.”
Luna was nodding sagely, though Noctis couldn’t even begin to imagine Ravus teasing her like this. 
“Lady Lunafreya,” Ignis’s tone shifted to serious as he freed his lance and held it up so she would easily access the grip. “Please take this until we return to civilization. It would not do for you to remain unarmed.”
“Thank you,” Luna took it from him, froze a moment looking down, and then carefully set it behind them. Then she crouched and plucked something that had shifted from the bottom of the mess with the weapon’s removal.
She held it up in front of Noct. An unused condom bearing the logo for one of the Crown City’s most notorious strip clubs on the wrapper. “Noctis, would you care to explain?”
Noct couldn’t make his brain work as he stared in horror. He had almost forgotten. Her mouth flexed into a smirk at his silence. Then into a wicked grin that would have given Ardyn a run for his money as he felt his face turn red.
“I presume there’s a story behind this?” she asked with an incredulous laugh, gazing at his friends, waving the condom back and forth by the corner towards the others.
Gladio started laughing, snorted, and laughed harder. Finally, he breathlessly tried to say something, but his words were lost.
Noctis hid his burning face in his hands. Here it came, one of his most embarrassing moments, and the sheer memory of it still made him squirm.
And, of course, Gladio thought it was funny as hell.
“Gladio got it for him as a joke for his eighteenth birthday,” Prompto offered with his biggest grin, and he glanced at Gladio for confirmation. The big guy nodded through hysterical laughter. “Pretty sure Noct almost had an aneurysm. He was sure everyone would see the Crown Prince with a condom from the sketchiest place in town.”
“I can’t believe he kept it,” Gladio wheezed shrilly and breathless, tears leaking from his eyes.
“Most likely, he tossed it into the Armiger to quickly dispose of the evidence,” Ignis suggested, his tone rising with unvoiced laughter of his own.
Luna’s mouth dropped into a wide, shocked smile as she processed the mental image.
“I don’t think he realized what he had immediately. But when he did? His drink went down the wrong pipe,” Prompt continued. “In a full royal ball type party. It was amazing!”
“Dad and Cor practically warped,” Gladio giggled. Actually giggled.
“And all the cameras,” Prompto lifted one of his cameras up to his face and pointed it directly at Noct. The shutter clicked.
“Hey! Quit it!” Noctis stammered through the shout, knowing his face must have been brilliant scarlet from the laughter that followed.
His fiancée pressed her hand over her mouth, eyes twinkling, her shoulders shaking with restrained laughter.
“Yes, it is truly the gift that keeps on giving,” Ignis said, raising his fist for the bump he must have known was coming from Prompto.
“Were you all fucking in on that?” Noct shouted, and Ignis and Prompto simultaneously disavowed all knowledge of the setup.
Luna leaned towards Gladio over the pile of their crap, her fist awkwardly extended in what may have been her first invitation for a fist bump, which Gladio gleefully returned.
“Incredible,” Noct breathed at the display. “Betrayal and treason after I just saved the world.”
Next Chapter ->
3 notes · View notes
proxnotxaxfool · 1 year
Note
“i guess you can’t escape your past.”
well shit.
she had sure as hell taken her time, but karma had certainly found her way back around to bury her foot deep in reno's ass.
the guard from the checkpoint into insomnia. the guard he'd taken so much enjoyment in tormenting while in the city - a captain too, if memory served him right. someone of rank and authority anyhow, that much had made itself clear when the turk had done a little digging and seen the tall prick toss his weight around to pull his little miss out of custody.
little had the turk expected to end up face-to-face with the city guard again. but with their world gradually shrinking, maybe it had been inevitable that their paths would cross again?
nah, karma was still a bitch.
leaning up off the wooden counter of the bar, reno held up his bottle and purposely clinked it against fortis' beer.
' i guess not. can't blame a man for tryin' though, ' taking a swig from his bottle, the turk let his gaze wander around the crowded little bar in meldacio, mentally picking out a few familiar faces among the crowd; glaives, crownsguards, city guards and even a few imperial soldiers in the mix. even now, with the identical fatigues of the hunters adorned by them all, they still carried their previous labels on them.
Tumblr media
' gotta admit, i'm surprised y'made it out of insomnia, figured you'd be one of those types to go down with the ship. '
@luciancityguard
1 note · View note
chippersweetbaby · 2 years
Photo
Tumblr media
they should have had cindy as a temporary party member who’d beat monsters to death with a tire iron
96 notes · View notes
mayhapitwasme · 6 years
Photo
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Prompto Pictures Take 9 - Prompto in that Chair - Crownsguard Fatigues Version
These took a long time. Much worth.
The Masterlist for the Collection!
9 notes · View notes
squishybons · 5 years
Photo
Tumblr media
✨☠️Certified Rowdy Boy ☠️✨
124 notes · View notes
imaginedsoldier · 7 years
Photo
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Crownsguard Fatigues type of looks. I’m super happy with this outfit and this look.
34 notes · View notes
floweringeclipse · 6 years
Text
i see your ‘chocobros wearing female clothing’ (for whatever reason) and raise you ‘ffxv ladies wearing any of the bros’ clothing’
8 notes · View notes
lunarlegend · 2 months
Text
Tumblr media
Asexual flag color palette made from Ignis' Crownsguard Fatigues <3
15 notes · View notes
noirbriar · 2 years
Text
FFXV AU: The Place I’ll Return To Someday
Tenebrae falls and the Lucians retreat back to Insomnia.
An injured Nyx gets abducted by an unpredictable father and son and finds himself a safe place to grieve and to accept the past.
Or also known as how a Lion and his Cub got a Galahdian Coeurl to stay in their den.
A short fic for the The Lion, the Coeurl and the Cub AU
Remember the promise in Kitten Kisses? Here it is.
(Nyx is 20 and a not okay mess so OOC still sticking around here. More on Nyx, Galahd things and Cor’s background here too.)
——
The first thing Nyx feels when he comes to, is utter pain. His head feels like its cracked open by a behemoth and his bones heavy like the Meteor. Everything is a blur apart from two shadows hovering over his side.
“Dad, will Nyx be okay?” A tiny chirpy voice…Prompto?
“He’ll be kiddo. Nyx’s just high as a kite now. Let him rest. I’m going to check who are the idiots that discharged him and let the dumbass wander back on his own with a damn concussion.” Cor? Sounds like him…
“Call me if anything happens, yeah? I’m heading out now.”
“Alright! Have a good day at work, Dad.”
Good day for Leonis. Not so good for whoever he tears into later when the Marshal reaches the Citadel. He actually discharged himself, but the Marshal probably does not need to know that fact, Nyx thinks in his delirium before he blacks out once more.
——
“SELENA!”
Nyx wakes from the clawing grasp of his nightmares. The sounds of his sister’s screams, the voice of his mother and his dying comrades follow him into the waking world. Astrals, he feels like throwing up, but he holds the bile in his throat back. He hyperventilates in his panic with a rush of scattered thoughts, before a hand rests on his chest and his shoulder. A low voice telling him to breathe and anchors him back into reality with gentle words. When the buzz around his eyes clears and he is able to orientate himself with his surroundings once more as his breathes even out slowly.
A roomy bedroom, a warm table light, soft grey sheets with simple furniture. A threadbare Crownsguard hoodie on him with fresh bandages. The quiet of the night accompanied with a gentle low music on the stereo system is clearer now that he is focused.
This very much, NOT his dingy one room apartment in Little Galahd.
It takes him some time before a mug of water touches his hand does he register the warm body behind holding onto him. The young soldier turns and is met by familiar cerulean blue eyes.
“Cor?”
“Nyx.”
——
“Is that a Galahdian song?”
Nyx jumps back, and no, he will tell you he was not spooked, just, surprised. Though the frying pan that had dropped from his hand and into the sink might disagree. The Galahdian insisting on helping around or he will feel like an invalid and free loader without something to contribute in this house. He sees Cor standing by the doorway of the kitchen, leaning against the fridge lazily in fresh Crownsguard fatigues.
“Fuck, make some noise why don’t you?” Nyx scowls at the older man. All while ignoring the injured muscle he pulled. Here is hoping that he did not rip the stitches. It would be a pain to get them done again considering how chaotic the military hospital is lately.
“Its my house, Ulric.” Cor walks closer and hovers over his shoulder, looking at the breakfast Nyx had made. The younger man had scrounged up well with whatever they had. Pancakes and some decently fresh salad he dug out. Some eggs and meat with rice in a yellow lunchbox for the boy to bring to school.
With the entire Citadel in a mess upon the King and Crown Prince’s return from an ambush, things have been too hectic. they got screwed over by Niflheim in Tenebrae. Fenestala Manor had fallen. The entire excursion was a bloody disaster. Just as he had rotated in for duty in Tenebrae, Niflheim sprung an attack and now the Oracle Queen is dead, Tenebrae in chaos, while they retreated back to Lucis.
Nyx suddenly finds himself living with the Leonis father and son. Ever since he was abducted by Cor from his own apartment in Little Galahd upon his return form that fuckfest of an assignment.
Last he checked the Marshal was on a classified mission. When did he get back? Also, how did the Marshal break into his building and get his delirious, drugged ass out out with little Prompto in tow? Heck, Libs lived right above him, along with other glaives in the same building, and his friend had heard nothing. The entire neighbourhood sleeping into the following morning without knowing he had been taken. They were trained Kingsglaives, damn it.
When asked, Cor Leonis casually shrugged and said that Prompto saw the news and was worried. Which really answered none of Nyx’s questions.
But then again, this was the Marshal, the Immortal Shogun, Lion of Lucis. One who commanded absolute respect even from the Glaives comprising of refugees. The Galahdian’s ego tries to find comfort with that reasoning to himself.
“I know Galahd has a lot of songs. That one sounded ceremonial. ” The Marshal pulls out a few mugs and prepped the tea for Nyx while he dug out his coffee. That meant Cor have back to back meetings again for today.
“It is, but more of my own Clan’s…each clan has their own songs. Not necessarily ceremonial. Our history as nomads who settled with the first residents of the Galahd Isles means there’s cross cultures at one point. This one is a little of both, and more like… a prayer? Not much meaning left in its words but it reflects our roots.”
“Ah.” Cor nods somewhat in understanding. “…Do you mind if I hear it again?”
Nyx is baffled but decides to indulge the older Leonis’ request without a thought. The Galahdian hums before starting to vocalise the lyrics, and in the second repeat he finds another voice humming along. Soon, he notices Cor trying to follow the Hymn of Old. Even though he stops and repeats some of the notes and vowels to the right pitch occasionally, by the third attempt, it sounded as tranquil and regal as it was meant to be.
“Did I butcher it?” Cor blinks after awhile when he notices how silent the younger man was being.
“N-no, I’m just surprised you could hold a note. You don’t …seem like the type?”
“Mother was a singer. So the habit rubbed off I guess.” The Marshal shrugs, handing Nyx his tea before sticking his head out to shout for his son to come on down. As if there was nothing unusual at all about holding a chord or two.
Nyx takes a sip of the drink just as Prompto thunders down the steps like the excited chocobo he is. The Leonis father and son settling down at the table with the Galahdian to partake in the morning meal together.
The tea tastes just like Selena’s.
——
With his injury and Lucis closing its borders due to the ambush, Nyx is placed on time off till the military medics clear him for light duty. Which makes Prompto happy since he adores spending time with the Galahdian.
The household starts early at 5am, due to military discipline, but Prompto is a morning child anyways. On certain days Cor brings him out for jogs as mornings are the only time for father and son to spend time. Prompto then heads to school after breakfast while Cor prepares for the day. Nyx’s meds knock him out usually, after either father or son makes sure he takes them, waking up later right before Prompto gets back with some groceries.
Prompto and Nyx will have dinner while watching silly cartoons or documentaries. Cor calls in later to check in, making sure everything is fine at home. The Marshal works late more often than not but he will try to make some days free to keep his son company. However, Prompto really is a fuss free child, does his homework and chores with equal diligence. The kind of kid every aunt in the neighbourhood will cry for, Nyx muses.
When Nyx is better, he brings Prompto around Little Galahd on weekends to show his kinsmen that he’s still around and kicking. Yes Libs, he is well, just living someplace for now. No Luche, not dead yet, so go away. Pelna is nice, he asks no questions. Just surprised Nyx seems better overall, healthier.
The blond child is loved by the community and the Glaives have practically adopted him as their own. Its general knowledge now that Nyx have taken in this ‘foster child’ he picked up as his own. Crowe, a new baby glaive training as a mage, adores Prompto, always showering the child with attention.
They would have a meal at Yamachang’s, Prompto watching balefully at Nyx if he tries to sneak a beer. Nyx swears he looks just like a tiny Marshal with that scrunched face of disappointment. Later they will pick up supper for Cor on the way home.
When Cor returns home, its usually to a quiet house, after Prompto has turned in for the night. The Galahdian re-heats the food and keeps the older man company over the dull droning of boring late night tv.
A normal life for some, but one that Nyx finds himself enjoying.
Its been awhile since he feels like he found someplace he could fit in.
——
Overtime, Nyx finds the nightmares have lessened though they still persist as he prepares to go back into guard duty. He is still unsure why he is still hanging around the Leonis’ but they have not chased him out yet. There is a strange greedy, self-indulgent part of him whispering he wants to stay, but Nyx stamps that irrational and selfish thought down each time.
When the nightmares do hit, he always wakes up to find Cor at his side, the older man’s ever protective presence a comfort.
“You will need a psyche evaluation if you want to stay in this line long, Nyx. Or find a healthier way of coping. As your senior, I’m saying this now.” The Marshal points out. He lets himself lean in his chair by the window after handing the Galahdian some water.
“I’m fine.” Nyx tells Cor stiffly, fiddling with the warm mug in his hands. “Don’t need it. Besides, its not in the required medical for Glaives.”
“What?” Cor stares at the young soldier hard. Before he cusses and mutters something awful under his breath. The sky is cloudless tonight, a waning moon hangs over Insomnia lighting the dark bedroom in silent vigil.
“Will you be against it if I get you one? I’m not forcing you, but I don’t want it to hinder you, Nyx.” Or get you killed, but it goes unsaid.
“Its fine- Just! Drop it. Cor.”
The older man pauses for a moment before adding softly, “We want you to come home safe.”
We. Us. Me and Prompto.
The younger man bites his tongue at that. It is the first time someone had bothered to ask him at all how he is doing, but he still has his pride. The feeling of someone letting him have a safe space to feel and process these dampened emotions is foreign and frightening. Even Libs cannot make him unravel with so little words.
The Galahadian clings to every pieces of himself and holds it tight, refusing to stop and let the feelings hit and crumble. He stubbornly remains silent as the dull ache throb inside, pins pricking in the corners of his eyes. Nothing but weak and useless, as he always had been. 4 years since he left Galahd, and he realises now he is a mess. Still is now.
The want to repay his debt to the King while fighting to reclaim Galahd feels more like an excuse for himself really. Last of the Old Blood and Ruling Clans and yet he had all but abandoned his homeland and his people. Under all his bravado and playing a hero, he hid a bloody coward who is unable to save anyone despite his best efforts. His family, his kin, his comrades. To the point he knows he is taunting even Death with every fight. He was an escapist, running away and leaving everything behind after he had lost everything. Why had he survived? Is this his punishment for…living?
He does not notice when had Cor moved to his side. Nyx only realises when the older man pulls the mug from his hands, and his nails digs into his palms. Cor then quietly holds the shoulders of Nyx’s hunched form that is trembling before breaking into hacking sobs as he began to grieve.
“We’re here.”
Nyx lets go.
——
Come morning, he finds Cor spooning at his back protectively. The happy voice of Prompto singing the chocobo cartoon jingle down the hall makes him warm.
After drifting for so long out in the dark, Nyx thinks he has found a safe haven at long last. Like crashing waves in a storm that have found shore to ebb and fade into stillness once more.
Later, Prompto stops at the door on his way out to school, watching Nyx putting the last of his embellishments in place. He then tugs at Nyx’s sleeve. His round periwinkle blues taking in Nyx in his full Kingsglaive uniform quietly.
“Nyx?”
“Yeah cub?” The Glahadian lowers himself and blinks at the blond child he had long thought as his own.
“You’ll...come back right?” Prompto chews his cheek, a habit Nyx knows that his dad has as well after living with them.”I’ll still see you later at home?”
‘You’ll return home to us?’ was what the child trying to ask.
Nyx grins
“Course I will, Prom.” He pats his blond mop of hair, “I’ll be back.”
Unbeknownst to them, Cor, who was observing the scene, smiles.
——
“You know, my mam would have liked you.” Nyx starts as he swings his kukri down, which gets deflected quickly by Kotetsu. The late summer breeze blowing across the open training hall makes his sweaty neck cool in a way he relishes. “Both of you. No nonsense. Just, bam. Get shit done. Always a stab first, talk later policy only.”
“Sounds like a charming lady.” Cor replies calmly, kicking Nyx away before lunging at the glaive. Although Nyx is faster and tries to hit his blindspot, which was easily remedied with his other katana.
“She was. ”Nyx warps away, allowing himself to reminisce as they traded blows. “Absolutely wicked with her kukris and sabres. Selena too. You know, most of us grew up as hunters but its the women who are leaders in Galahd, trained to be her protectors. And my Mam, Thana, and Selena were one of our fiercest.”
Somehow over the couple of weeks, Drautos was forced to get Kingsglaive new health and psyche checks. Ranted something about damn higher ups being an ass and not to ‘fuck around with the health and welfare of our good Lucian men and women’. Nyx instantly knows which ‘damn higher up’ that was. Hence this little ‘spar’.
Nyx is not mad, just, being stubborn. Which they both know.
Initially, he was not too keen about the idea but the entire division is suffering together with him so thats a plus. He is trying to feel less hard on himself. Though there are still bad days, but he finds them manageable now. The nightmares rarely come and even they do, Cor and Prompto are always there to guide him into the new day.
The two soon come to a halt once Nyx knows he is pushing his barely healed body to the limits, which Cor notices as well. They trudge to the side, basking in the twilight glow on the steps. The advantage of being a Marshal, nobody will come near and be a busybody while you are training. Unless they find themselves tired of living.
“They were warriors to the very end of our Rebellion. They…kept our tribe safe even though we lost. Did all they could to protect us. Reminded us that we were nomads, and home was not a place but where its people are. That we must survive, for we were the future of Galahd.” Nyx adds wistfully, feeling like a weight lifted. Lighter.
“May they find rest.” Cor gives his condolences as he listens quietly, allowing Nyx to immerse in the memories.
“Yeah.” Nyx tilts back and lies on the cool surface of the stone floor, watching the drifting clouds and distant birds flying high. The quiet of the world sinks in between the spaces as they remember all the things they had lost in the safety of each other’s company.
“Selena would have adored Prom. She loved cute things and Prom’s a cute kid. Take him around Galahd and her festivals. Show him every cranny of the Canyon and how to swim along the River flow.” Nyx smiles at the thought.
“One day. One day when you return, you can show me and Prom around your hometown.” Cor quietly tells the younger man. Nyx hears his words clearly. Not ‘if’,but a ‘when’.
The Galahdian turns his head slowly, staring at the man beside him that he had come to known.
“I will.”
Another day. Nyx is doing alright.
——
A slow day as things started to die down in the Citadel meant that Cor can leave on time. Nyx who is on light duty is able to knock off as well. They messaged the blond child who has a cellphone on him for emergencies, telling him to wait around the corner of the school. Sure enough, as the familiar silver car drives down to the tiny playground nearby, Prompto is more than delighted, jumping up from the swing as they picked him up. For once, they head out to a family restaurant together, just a quiet place that is hidden in their neighbourhood and enjoy being with one another.
Once Prompto had gone to bed for the night, Cor tosses the younger man a can of beer. Finally giving in to the whiny Galahdian’s incessant demands now that he is off medication. A decent night to drink out on the Leonis’ tiny porch, both having a rare day off the next day.
Cor decided to go shirtless that evening as he opens his own beer and drinks, unlike Nyx who chooses to forgo one mostly out of habit. They were soldiers anyway, and being body shy was not a thing. Yet, the sight of the man in the moonlight makes Nyx feel warmer as he chooses to take a swig of his own beverage quickly. The younger man will not deny that he found the Marshal handsome when they first met. Nyx had always been attracted to the Lucian’s raw allure under the stoic mien. However, the Galahdian will address this another time once he feels he is ready.
Nyx leans against the wall and looks around the house he has become familiar with over time. Two old, but exquisitely maintained katanas hangs on the widest wall with a crossbow on a rack. A re-printed photo of Selena and his Mam framed beautifully now sits together in a spot with other precious keepsakes and memories of Galahd. Courtesy of sweet Prompto.
There are many photos that adorn the living room of the Leonis household, as well as scribbles and art by the Leonis child. Others are photographs and snapshots of life as seen by the little one’s eyes.
However, the ones that intrigued him was a blurry black and white photo of a family in a forest. A father with two katanas by his side, a gentle mother with a crossbow, and a tiny boy with a massive long blade. Hunters.
There is one other clearer photo of the gentle mother sitting in a small garden, albeit looking older. A blond toddler in her lap, a baby Prompto. That brings a smile to the young man’s face. Although, Nyx finds it hard to look at the woman’s eyes despite his brain telling him not to be fucking stupid. Its just a damn photograph. Cor has similar eyes, but the lady held a gaze that felt bewitching and otherworldly to the Galahadian.
There is a certain power in this woman, Nyx Ulric thinks.
“Hate to disappoint. But neither of my parents are Astrals and no we did not have a blood pact with any of the Six. Though I’m pretty certain my mother is a Witch.” Cor leans back and remarks idly.
Nyx chokes mid-drink.
“Wait what..?”
“Nothing. Just a family joke.” The older soldier smirks.”Also, I know the shit the glaives and guards talk about me. I can tell you everything is false except for my challenge with Gilgamesh. Despite what Clarus or Regis might add behind my back.”
“I’m sure they are astounding stories.”Nyx gives a sharp grin, eager to hear more about the secretive Immortal’s past.It was rare that he would be so open. “So, how are they like, your folks?”
“My father was a hunter who worked as a liaison for Lucis and Meldacio. Mother was a singer turned housewife once the conflict with Niflheim escalated.”
The younger man, casts a weary glance at the photo,“That her?”
“That’s her. Reena Leonis. She died some years ago.”
“Sorry.” Nyx quickly mutters something else in galah like a prayer.
“No. Don’t be. She left in peace. Think she had missed my father too, after he got killed in crossfire with Niflheim protecting a village. We knew she didn’t have long but she,” Cor takes a moment, “She helped a lot as I was settling in as Marshal. Looked after Prom and made sure I was well and ready to raise a young child with the time she had.”
“She’s seems lovely.”
“Don’t let her face fool you. The woman was a menace to society.”
Nyx stares at Cor blankly.
“My mother was from the upper middle class. She found Insomnia boring so she forged some papers and ran away from home. Had roamed around Lucis while singing in bars.”
“That ain’t too bad-”
“There was once she had angered a daemon horde and hijacked a truck of some hunters. Who were trying to dick around with a group of Tonberries near Steyliff Grove for shits and giggles. Left them there while they to chase all her down to Lestallum. The truck, which belonged to my dad, got blown up by her as well. Took all their gil too. See? Menace.”
“…”
The Galahadian takes a second to process everything wrong with that revelation. Still waiting for Cor to tell him its all a joke.Though unfortunately, the Marshall does not joke.
Hang on. if he were to put mother and son in comparison side by side…
The younger man looks upwards to where Prompto is asleep upstairs, the only sane Leonis he thinks he knows. His eyes then dart back at the older man enjoying his beer. Nyx thinks his Mam and Selena are laughing at him with Etro in the Beyond.
What in the name of Ifrit’s ball sack did he get himself involved with?
Cor eyes his incredulous face and laughs loudly and free.
Later, as the buzz from the alcohol makes them pleasantly warm, Cor feels relaxed enough to indulge. He sings an old song from memory and Nyx lets himself ease into the words and the company of another.
The moon is beautiful tonight.
.
.
.
——
Extra:
Nyx: So, between you and Madam Leonis- Running away from home, forgery, abduction, trespassing, theft, traffic violations, possible vandalism plus borderline arson… And people think I’m bad for insubordination??
Cor:…Well, not really-
Nyx: Oh good.
Cor: I mean- not really it. The list actually is much longer if you want to put me and my mother together. And then some, if we add my father in as well.
Nyx: …W h a t?
——
Wouldn't it be nice
If we could walk together
Hand in hand, side by side
And I'd like to go
Back to your town
And to your home
Into your arms
-FFX Suteki Da Ne ( Pat McCarthy Lyrics / CinnamonPunch ver )
——
Song for this ficlet: FFX Feel / Hymn of Fayth , FFX Suteki Da Ne
23 notes · View notes
altrxisme · 1 year
Text
[ memory ; ffxv ] - drive
Jackson thought it funny that most people believed Johanne was a hard read. He supposed it was advantage he had for knowing her since they were kids, but there were certain tells she couldn't help.
They were at a gas station loading up on snacks and supplies while they were on their way to scout an Imperial base near Cleigne. It was a Crownsguard and Kingsglaive joint mission, as it was one of the bigger bases, and Jackson insisted that Johanne join him. At this point it didn't matter that either Guard and Glaive knew that they were siblings and he wished that it had happened earlier, despite his older sister's apprehension. It was understandable, but he believed that if they all stuck together she would have less of a burden to bear. She might say otherwise, but he had a feeling their dad would've at least given it some thought.
"Psst!" Johanne blinked from her thoughts getting interrupted by the younger one, her attention turned to him with a raised brow. She had been leaning against the truck they borrowed from a Hunter friend of their dad's, putting gas into it for the next leg of their drive. "You're makin' a look, Annie. Whatcha thinkin' about?" He took the spot next to her, and looked at his sister with a raised brow of his own to match hers.
"Nothing. Just going over scouting details in my head."
"—Chocoshit."
"Eat it and die, Jacks."
He couldn't help but burst into laughter at the deadpan look of her face as she said that, never failing to find it hilarious and he tried to keep it to a minimum. Bright blues spotted the quirk of the corner of her lips as she turned her head, auburn hair briefly hid it after.
"All right, all right. Seriously though— what's up?" A gloved hand reached out to poke her a few times on the shoulder. The Glaive hummed, contemplating whether to voice her thoughts or not. "Don't got ta if ya don't want ta buuuut—" At that point, Johanne let out an exasperated sigh, although there was a hint of amusement in it.
"Fine. I was thinking of how nice it would be to just drive around here if I had my bike."
"... Oooh yeah, you and dad were basically travelin' around before settlin' in Galahd, yeah?" She nodded, humming in reply. "Can't believe ya can remember that much bein' so young..." He had told her of the difficulties he's had trying to remember other moments in his own childhood. The first time he told her about it, she seemed to be familiar with the cause of it as there were a few Glaives that experienced the same thing.
"It's one of the few things I can clearly remember before Galahd." Johanne sighed, eyes up at the clear sky, letting the sun's warmth sink into her skin. "Traveled haven to haven until we hit a town willing to give him work so he could afford to buy some sort of ride." There were a few times he'd been swindled, but that didn't stop him from finding them a home. "I remember this one time father got a bike with a sidecar. He drove it down a part of the road where it stretched for miles and miles..."
Jackson watched as her face softened from the memory; the dullness in her eyes from fatigue brightened as she spoke and the tightness on her shoulders dropped. "I got bored after sitting in that sidecar for so long, like any child would be, and he told me to sit up and stick my arms out. Like how a bird would when it flew." Johanne couldn't help but laugh softly, shaking her head with a smile she tried not to do. "Granted, father sped up once I did but to feel the breeze while feeling the sun on your face while watching the clouds slowly move along?" She closed her eyes, remembering clearly how that day long ago went. "—It was magical. One of the best memories I had as a child."
Opening her eyes brought her back into the current present, and her usual expression slowly returned as she reached over to lightly flick the tip of Jackson's nose.
"Ow. Rude." He huffed and theatrically rubbed the 'injured' spot with his thumb. The Glaive rolled her eyes and pushed herself off the truck, about to round the hood to get to the driver's side.
"Is the truck all gassed up?"
"Yeah, but wait— Hold on." The Crownsguard held his hands out to stop her, walking around her when she paused in her steps, and stood behind her with his hands on her shoulders. "I want ta drive. I haven't driven at all and I miss drivin'."
"... Are you insisting because you want to, or because I just told you of a memory I had as a kid and you're trying to recreate it for m— Hey!" The sniper lightly swatted the back of her head in reply.
"I'll call ya a passenger princess if ya keep tryin' ta thwart my plans here. Now, git."
He made no mention of the smile she had on her face throughout the drive with her boots propped up on the dash and the seat leaned back slightly as she let her hand dangle out the open window, her fingers reveled in the feeling of chilling wind that swept past them. It wasn't a perfect recreation of back then, but they were content with sharing this new memory together.
1 note · View note
dizzymoogle · 3 years
Photo
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Roen Logo on Prompto’s Crownsguard Fatigue’s
Both his shirt and pants have the Roen logo on them. (makes sense since it is the brand of clothing)
The logo on the shirt isn’t visible in game, only on the files of the clothes. The area where the logo is on his shirt is actually tucked into his pants so you normally wouldn’t see it.
On his pants it’s the “tag” on the back of his pants near the top, under his belt.
101 notes · View notes
Text
Book Two: Sapphire (Ignis x Reader) Chapter IX
As the sun peaked over the horizon the next morning, (Y/n) left the caravan to get some fresh air. She admired the rising sun as it gradually rose into the sky. She watched the light vanquish the dark before wandering over to Wiz. From what she learned yesterday, the man not only ran the outpost but also managed the eatery here.
"Howdy, lass!" Wiz greeted her with a smile. "What can these ol' bones do for ya?"
"You wouldn't happen to sell ebony, would you?" She asked.
"We do. Would ya like a freshly brewed cup?"
"Please. How much do I owe you?"
Wiz shook his head. "It's on the house! Consider it a small apology fer our chicks yesterday. My stablehand told me what happened."
"That's very kind of you, but the chicks really weren't a bother. They were a welcomed distraction," she smiled.
"Still, lemme get ya that cup o' coffee. I'll be back in a jiffy."
Wiz sauntered off and returned a few minutes later with a warm cup of ebony. She thanked him for the free coffee and returned to the caravan just as the door gently opened. She placed the styrofoam cup on the table and smiled at Ignis as he joined her outside. "Good morning."
"It truly is," Ignis replied. "You are up earlier than usual. Did you sleep well?"
"I didn't realize we were sharing a caravan with a snoring behemoth last night," she sighed.
The tactician chuckled lightly, knowing exactly who she was referring to. "A cacophony only possible by Gladio. He can be quite clamorous while slumbering."
(Y/n) grabbed the cup of coffee off the table, handing it to him. "I figured you'd be up soon and went ahead and secured your morning dose of ebony. Wiz was kind enough to give it to me for free, even though I insisted on paying for it."
Ignis accepted the cup with a gracious smile. "I do appreciate this, (Y/n)." He took a sip of the warm beverage before lowering the cup. "Would you indulge me for a bit?"
She nodded. "Sure. What did you have in mind?"
"Remember our talk yesterday before departing to dispatch the behemoth? I do believe scavenging would be a tranquil undertaking on this placid morning."
The guardian gasped, remembering their conversation from yesterday. "I completely forgot. But yes! It is a lovely morning to search for ingredients. Let me grab the basket from the car and we can take the chocobos."
She ran over to the Regalia, Ignis watching her as she did so. He figured they could save some gil if they located some ingredients in the wild and it would also provide him some private time to talk with (Y/n) without the fear of being interrupted by the other boys.
Returning with the wood-knitted basket, (Y/n) called their chocobos while Ignis finished his coffee. She hooked the basket to the saddle of her bird before climbing onto its back. The advisor did the same, allowing her to take the lead due to her senses being more enhanced than his. She could practically sniff out any ingredients that were nearby, which made her an excellent scavenger.
It wasn't long, maybe a few minutes, before they discovered a batch of wild onions. (Y/n) dismounted her chocobo and immediately picked a few, placing them gently in the basket. They moved on to the next location, where they discovered some beetroot. They added it to the basket and proceeded to their third destination. There, they found various nests filled with eggs. The girl giggled as she picked up a few of the birdbeast eggs. "You did mention eggs yesterday, Iggy."
"A fortunate guess on my part," Ignis responded with a hint of a smile at hearing her melodious laughter. "Alas, your comment was what led to such a thought."
(Y/n) gently placed the eggs in the basket. That's when she realized it was full. "We should probably head back. The basket can't carry anymore."
"Before we depart, may we speak of our conversation in Keycatrich Trench?" Ignis asked, hopping off his chocobo and approaching her.
She combed a hand through her (h/c) locks with a small, sorrowful sigh. "I was wondering when we were gonna have this talk..."
"What you said... Is it true?" He inquired.
Without hesitating, she stared into his emerald eyes. "Yes. My happiness does not matter, only yours. By guardian law, I am bound to protect you and do what makes you happy no matter what that may be. Many of my people deem the laws to be unfair and choose to undergo the rite of annulment, but one risks corruption doing such a dangerous act."
Ignis has been an avid learner of all things guardian ever since he was blessed with (Y/n). He read numerous of books and articles in regards to spirits to learn all there was about them, but not once had he heard about this rite she spoke of. "Is there a possibility of you sharing more about this "rite" you spoke of?"
"The rite of annulment is a ceremony a guardian can undergo if they wish to separate from their master. It unbinds their souls and lengthens a guardian's lifespan. However, the ritual has proven to be dangerous. Guardians risk corruption once their soul is severed from their master's. Those who suffer from corruption lose their minds and eventually...kill themselves. Some masterless guardians have also been known to slaughter humans once they've been consumed by madness." She hugged herself, rubbing her hands up and down her upper arms. "It's a dark side of my people that very few humans know about. The rite is still performed today, but the practice isn't known by many spirits. I only heard about it when I met a much older spirit in Insomnia one day while you were busy at the Citadel. He went through the rite himself and was happily living his life."
Ignis couldn't help but be curious. "Have you ever desired to undertake this rite yourself?"
Her eyes widen in horror at the question. "Never." A dark thought crossed her mind as she recalled the rest of her conversation with the elder spirit. She took a few steps back as fear courses through her veins, causing a chill to ricochet down her spine. "H-He also mentioned some humans have used the rite to get rid of their guardians once they've learned of it. Are you thinking if we went through with the rite, I could pursue my own happiness? Do you wish to get rid of me, Ignis?"
He felt a pang of guilt strike his heart at hearing her questions and watching her retreating form. He could see where the misunderstanding was and quickly tried to remedy the situation. He closed the distance between them and gently placed his hands on her cheeks, cradling them gently. His thumbs caressed her cheekbones, wiping away the few tears that had trailed down them. Peering into her sparkling sapphire eyes, he gently spoke. "I could never conceive the idea of your absence, (Y/n). The mere thought alone is enough to wound me."
She stepped closer to Ignis and collapsed against him the moment his hands were gone from her cheeks, winding her arms around his waist to hug him. "Thank the Six... I know I said I would leave if it meant your own happiness could be achieved, but I hope it doesn't come to that. I hope you can find your own happiness with me by your side. If you find someone you love most in the world, I hope I won't be in the way." Her cheek pressed against his chest as she clung to him like a child in need of love.
"Nonsense, (Y/n)," he whispered, snaking one of his arms around her waist as his other hand came to cradle the back of her head. His gloved fingers entangled in her (h/c) locks and raked through them gently. The motion was enough to ease her and release the tension from her body. "Although my duties to the crown may prove to be a hindrance, I do yearn for your own merriment and hope to provide such. You deserve your own jovial life."
She nuzzled her face against his chest, inhaling his scent. It was a mixture of his favorite cologne and blend of coffee, ebony. "Thank you, Ignis."
He held her in his arms, praying to the Six she too could find happiness. He didn't care whether it was with him or another man as long as she was content with her life. He just hoped he could preach his true feelings soon to prevent the latter from happening.
They remained in each other's arms until Ignis' phone rang. Reluctantly, he pulled away from (Y/n) and accepted the incoming call. Before he could even greet the person on the other end, they cut him off and demanded they return to the chocobo ranch.
The girl watched in amusement as he rolled his eyes and hung up. "Who was that?"
"Gladio," he replied, putting his phone away. "It seems we've been scavenging for quite a while and lost track of time."
She looked up through the trees and saw the sun was almost directly overhead. "Well then, we better get back."
"Undoubtedly."
They both mounted their chocobos and returned to the outpost. They hadn't ventured far, but it did take them ten minutes to get back to the chocobo ranch. As they returned, they spotted Noctis, Prompto, and Gladio waiting for them outside the caravan. Ignis went directly to their companions while (Y/n) stored their ingredients safely in the trunk of the Regalia with their other supplies. He dismissed his bird after he dismounted it and adjusted his dress shirt. Unlike previous days, he was wearing his crownsguard fatigues without the jacket.
Gladio, who was smirking like a child who learned a new secret, eyed him. "You and munchkin seem a little closer than usual. Did something happen?"
Ignis was already all-too-familiar with the way Gladio functioned. He knew why he was asking and wouldn't provide him the satisfaction of the truth, knowing it would only cause relentless teasing. "Nothing of the sort. We simply enjoyed each other's company while scavenging. (Y/n) did educate me on something quite eye-opening in regards to her people."
"Really? Like what?" Prompto, just like Ignis, was interested in learning about guardians. While he wasn't as invested as the tactician was when he was younger, he too had read plenty of documents and books about spirits.
"The rite of annulment, a ritual where the souls of a guardian and master are severed."
"Oh, that's pretty cool!"
"Something else happened. I can tell. You really gonna leave us to hang out to dry, Iggy?" Gladio sighed.
"My lips are sealed," the advisor replied with a hint of a grin.
"Lame."
(Y/n) walked over after storing the new, fresh ingredients and her chocobo returned to its pen. "Now that everyone's up, we should make our way to Lestallum. I think if our side trip lasts any longer, we'll worry Iris."
"Might be too late for that," Gladio muttered. "She started blowing up Noct's phone this morning. I don't even have a single message from her, and I'm her brother. Can you believe it?"
"You...don't want me to answer that."
Before Gladio could retort, Prompto hopped to his feet. "To Lestallum!"
The group piled into the Regalia and left Wiz Chocobo Post. (Y/n) sat in the front with Ignis at Prompto's behest. She wondered when the seating arrangement would be ideal so everyone was comfortable. She appreciated the marksman's kindness, but she felt as if there was another reason why he no longer rode shotgun.
Halfway to Lestallum, Noctis shattered the silence in the car. "Hey, (Y/n), Specs said you wanted to visit this place called Costlemark. What do you think you're gonna find there?"
From the prince's question, she figured Ignis hadn't mentioned the voice. She wondered how to respond and fabricated a lie on the spot after remembering what Ignis told her. "Costlemark Tower was once part of the ancient civilization known as Solheim. I was hoping to check it out and see if my people happened to have any presence in their ancient society. I figured what better place to check than Costlemark. I want to know more about my people." She turned around in the seat and met Noctis' gaze. "Is this a selfish request? If it is, please don't worry about it."
"Nah, don't worry 'bout it," Noctis reassured her. "If you're that curious, I don't see why not to visit. We can visit after we're done in Lestallum."
She smiled sweetly at him. "Thank you, Noct."
The rest of the drive was practically silent until they reached the outskirts of Lestallum. Prompto was chatting with Noctis as they traveled through the tunnel leading to the town. Gladio and Ignis didn't join the conversation until they exited the tunnel and Lestallum came into full view. The boys expressed their awe whereas (Y/n) looked around silently in astonishment. She was looking forward to see what the town had to offer.
When the Regalia was parked, everyone exited the vehicle. They made their way up a small spiral staircase, crossed the road, and wandered into the main thoroughfare. At that moment, Gladio called Iris and learned she was staying at the Leville. Now all they had to do was locate the hotel.
As they were walking through the main thoroughfare, passing the various food carts offering a variety of items, they were suddenly stopped by an energetic voice. "Hold on a moment!" The group turned around and spotted a man with shaggy sable locks, silver eyes, and glasses. He even had a beauty mark on his left cheek that stood out against his pale complexion. A camera hung around his neck, swinging back and forth as he approached them.
Noctis looked around before pointing at himself. "Uh, us?"
"Yes, you! Well, more like her!" He pointed at (Y/n).
Gladio eyed him suspiciously. "And who're you?"
"Name's Luca. I work for Meteor Publishing." He raises his camera and aimed it at the girl. "I may be a photographer for a major publishing company, but I've got my own dream project I'm working on in my spare time."
Prompto wasn't cautious like Gladio and was excited to meet another person passionate about photography. "What's your dream project?"
"To photograph my people."
"You're a guardian, correct?" Ignis asked after analyzing his appearance.
"I am," Luca smiled, rolling up the sleeve of his t-shirt to reveal the silver gemstone located on his upper arm. "And your friend here is the second spirit I've met since moving to Lestallum. Guardians are few and far between, which kinda makes us a minority no one really understands even with all the formal text across Eos. You'd be surprised how little those books cover. Most of them are repetitive and do us guardians no justice. I want to photograph the various guardians I meet so I can write a real book about my people in order for humans to truly understand us."
"This dream project of yours sounds admirable," Gladio confessed.
"It'll be a lot of work, but I know it'll pay off. I'm tired of people discriminating against spirits."
Noctis' brows furrowed together, displaying his bewilderment. "Guardians are discriminated against?"
"We are," (Y/n) chimed in. "There are many humans who see us as secondary citizens and have no real contribution to society. There were some establishments in Insomnia that banned spirits from entering."
"There are some here in Lestallum, too," Luca said.
"Why would people do such a thing?" Prompto asked with a frown.
"It's the fear of the unknown," the sapphire-eyed girl answered. "While guardians are vastly documented, many people still fear us for what we're capable of. It's mainly due to our connection to the mana that flows through Eos."
Luca nodded. "Exactly. People are afraid we'll walk into their establishment and use our magic willy-nilly to blow things up. But we work just as hard, maybe even harder, than humans to achieve our goals."
"You should've told me about this, (Y/n)," Noctis said. "If I'd known crap like that was happening in the city, I would've done something about it."
She lowered her head. "I would never use Ignis' position as your advisor to change politics. Even if I had told you and you did do something to change that, it's impossible to erase people's fears."
"Luca!" A voice shouted. A man with slicked back blonde hair, hazel eyes, and a pair of sunglasses on top of his head came bounding over. He placed his hands on Luca's shoulders before glancing at the others. "I hope he isn't causing you guys any trouble."
"Not in the slightest," Ignis said.
"Thank the Six," the man sighed. As he looked around at the faces of the group, he noticed (Y/n) and gasped. "Another guardian!"
Luca nudged the man. "Why do you think I ran off like that, Jasper?"
"How was I supposed to know you saw another guardian?" Jasper smiled at the girl. "It's nice to see another spirit wandering these parts. Luca's been hunting left and right for his own kind."
(Y/n) glances down at Jasper's hand, seeing a ring with a silver gemstone on his finger. Just below it she saw what appeared to be an engagement ring. "You must be Luca's master."
"That, I am. And who is...?" He looked around and spotted the skull necklace with sapphire gemstone eyes around Ignis' neck. "Ah, you're her master!"
One by one, the group introduced themselves to Jasper and Luca. The silver-eyed spirit snapped a few pictures of (Y/n) before lowering his camera. "Whenever you have time, I'd like to talk to you in private, (Y/n)."
"I would love to," she giggled.
"You can find me at the outlook. My boss and I usually hang around there and chat from time to time."
Jasper linked his arm with Luca's. "But for now, we're heading to lunch. You're paying this time, right?"
Luca groaned. "Fine..."
The two men walked off. Prompto glances between them. "Are those two...?"
(Y/n) smiled ear-to-ear. "They are. Jasper was wearing an engagement ring."
Gladio then smacked Ignis on the back and whispered to him, "Maybe you can ask that Jasper guy about your doubts."
The tactician adjusted his glasses. He had thought of the idea before the words had even left the shield's mouth. The main reason he had yet to confess his feelings to (Y/n) was because of their status as guardian and master. Jasper could shine a light and help him. "A course of action I am willing to take."
"That's the spirit, Iggy." Gladio shoves his hand into his pocket. "With that pushed aside, let's go meet Iris."
Previous Chapter || Next Chapter || Masterlist
15 notes · View notes