kaisou | [closed] i'll sing you songs until the darkness does recede

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[closed] i'll sing you songs until the darkness does recede

WHO: Noctis, Caleb, Wei Wuxian, and Harumasa aka the D&D gang
WHERE: their DM's place!
WHEN: uhhh sometime in early February?
WHAT: white boy beatdown go! or: Wei Wuxian and Caleb found out about a few key aspects of Noctis's past life he kept under wraps. Harumasa is about to find out.
WARNINGS: FFXV spoilers, mentions of canon major character death, very likely mentions of war and violence and parental death. will edit if there are more warnings that come up.

[The DM calls for a break, and steps outside to have a lunch somewhere nice. Noctis yawns, stretches his back, and looks over his character sheet with a critical eye and a sigh.]

Right, if we're headed out of the hell dimension after this rest, I should take Plane Shift...ah, how many charges is the sword again? [He rolls some dice, notes it down in his sheet with the slightest wince. Then he starts rolling dice again, and carefully puts the lower-rolling dice into a box labeled Dice Jail (do not touch unless you want cursed dice rolls).

You know, business as usual.]

So how're you finding the city? [absently addressing Harumasa.]

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[Harumasa stretches and goes to immediately lie down on the couch nearby like the lazy cat he is. He's got his sheet memorized, so no big deal there. Maybe he can take a little catnap while the DM is out....]

I'm pretty sure you only used it twice so far. Glad I didn't have to use my Oathbow ability in that last fight 'cause it sounded like the next one's gonna be a doozy.

[At the question specifically targeted at him, he hums softly.]

A lot livelier than the other places I've lived in, that's for sure! Not bad, though. I found out some family members I lost contact with years ago happen to live here, so I've been reconnecting with them.

[He glances over at Caleb and Wei Wuxian. Harumasa's been sensing tension from those two all day, but at the moment he's just playing it cool. With the DM out of the room for a bit, he's curious to see if this is the moment they've been waiting for.]

I dunno, maybe I'll be able to use some of my actions on things that aren't Bardic Inspiration.

[He knows that's unlikely. And Harumasa wouldn't be wrong. Noctis has a storm coming that the guy is none the wiser about. Granted, things about Harumasa were also setting Wei Wuxian on edge. Massively. They've only talked over Discord before this... but this kind of energy...

Well, one thing at a time... right now, Wei Wuxian is just going to turn to face Noctis with just the sweetest, most sinister smile.]

Hey Noooooct~? Caleb and I wanted to ask about something.

Don't look at me, I'm spent.

[Caleb is bad at resource management sometimes, okay?

But anyway.]

Yeah, we did. So, when were you gonna tell me more about the ring?

[Noctis, who's just been rolling dice this whole time and sorting out which ones get to stay for the session, looks up at that at last, alarm flashing on his face.]

The ring that's in a locked safe for a reason? If you're worried about it, don't be, I don't even use it much. Scares the shit out of me.

[Also he'd like to live to see thirty-five thanks.]

Why do you want to know more about it?

[Ah, there's the sudden spike in threatening aura around those two. Harumasa's going to stay quiet, but he's absolutely listening in very attentively. He has no idea what this is about a ring. However, just from this brief exchange, Harumasa can tell that it's dangerous enough to warrant protection and fear from Noctis while making Caleb and Wei Wuxian concerned about him.]

[He'll apologize to Harumasa being caught in the middle of this later. Or get him some popcorn for the beatdown that's about to happen.

He's still smiling as he started:]

Well, you see!

[And then crossing his arms, smile tapering off.]

Isn't it better to hear the whole truth about it from someone in the long line of kings it's passed down from?

And about how the weapons aren't the only things that can kill you?

[Caleb sounds...kind of hurt, actually, because Noct is the only family he really cares about anymore, and he was just hiding this.]

[Noctis briefly pictures finding Ardyn and strangling him a little bit. God-fucking-dammit. He's the only other person who knows that particular detail.]

Not if I don't use it as much as I did then. And I don't have to, because the circumstances I had to use them under don't exist here. Did Ardyn mention he had a hand in those circumstances, by the way?

[A quick glance at Harumasa.]

You wanna stick around for this? [Who is he kidding, it's Harumasa.]

[He's piecing things together over here up until Noctis actively calls him out. Harumasa sighs and rolls over to lie on his stomach instead so he can more properly face them. Using the throw pillow to prop himself up, he rests his head on his hand with a smile.]

What, and miss your come to Wuxian and Caleb moment? You'd do the same if it was me in the hot seat.

[Harumasa waves his hand somewhat flippantly.]

Listen, Noct, I'm not gonna judge you for keeping secrets even from your own family. However, they've found out the truth on their own from someone who wasn't you. This isn't about their source of information. This is about you. You've got a choice to make right now, and I'm not gonna interfere unless it gets outta hand or unfair.

[Noctis and Caleb grilled Wei Wuxian when he nearly fucked things up irreparably, this is just fair play.]

Harumasa's right, don't try to turn this around even if Ardyn was involved before.

[Which is a note to ask about later down the line, god knows Wei Wuxian must never leave a stone unturned.]

Even if the circumstances of your past life don't exist in this world, you were still hiding things from Caleb and I, things that could have an impact on your body and your soul. Did you expect us to ignore that?

You promised not to use the weapons, but you didn't tell me about the ring or what the hell they actually did. I don't want to lose you next, Noct.

[He's about to snap back at Wuxian when Caleb says that, and the words die in his throat. Quietly:]

You aren't going to lose me.

[He hopes.]

I didn't tell anyone because it wasn't worth worrying over. I... [He lets out a breath, runs a hand through his hair.] The kings of Lucis didn't live long because they were actively guarding a Crystal of great power, and they would draw on that power to protect the kingdom, maintain its defenses. In turn, though, the Crystal would draw on their very lives. The ring was—a channel, I guess, through which that power would flow.

But, and here's the thing, the Crystal isn't here. Doesn't exist anymore. The ring works fine on its own, but it's not half as powerful without the Crystal. [God, he hopes it isn't. He hasn't tried to access any of its spells.] And that's a good thing, because then it won't kill me.

[Harumasa hums softly at that. He's reading between the lines, here.]

It's not as powerful, but that doesn't mean it doesn't affect you. Right?

[He then sighs deeply.]

For the record, I have zero idea what you guys are specifically talking about with this ring. I'm piecing things together, but what exactly does this thing do? I mean, if you wanna keep it been the three of you, that's fine. I'll just take a nap and throw a shoe at whoever raises their voice first.

[That sounds like a joke, but is it?]

It still affects him, and he's been so worried about the situation with Sam that he's not thinking about himself.

[Hello, my name is Wei The Pot Wuxian, and what I'm cooking is hypocrisy.]

It's like Noct said, the ring we're talking about is something that lets him channel the magic from his world, likely from this Crystal he's talking about. And through a short connection he can share that power with people like Caleb and I to access a hammerspace and warp.

That last bit is the only thing we knew before I asked someone else for more information. I felt something off about it from the start, it turns out the ring's haunted by that long line of kings whose souls were absorbed by it as they carried out a prophecy.

Noct, if you told us this we'd have still worried but at least you would have been honest from the start. And don't think "it's my business alone", because it became ours too as soon as you allowed the pact.

[To demonstrate, Caleb pulls his bat out of Noct's hammerspace and puts it back in.]

I just wanna know why you hid it. Yeah, okay, maybe it's not going to kill you here, but what if it does? What if something happens?

I thought he was dead once. If I don't do all I can to make sure that doesn't come true—well, I have to.

[All that he can, and then some that he can't. But that he doesn't mention, instead settling for letting out a tired breath. For a moment he considers trying to dodge around it, anyway—trying to keep this quiet, something he's been doing for a year, now.

But he can't, can he. He glances at Caleb, then at Wuxian, then at Harumasa. Sighs.]

Because the prophecy ended in my death. All right? The line of kings in that ring gathered power for me, specifically, to bring back the dawn to a world that was fucking covered in darkness. The magic of the Crystal, the power of the Ring of the Lucii, the strength of the Royal Arms, the—the connections to gods—all of that was so the King of Light could sit the throne and sacrifice himself to save the world from a never-ending, daemon-infested night.

And I didn't want to tell anyone because the prophecy is done. The King of Light already sacrificed himself, I did my duty. The darkness is gone. Hell, Lucis is gone, and the Crystal with it. I thought—if I told anyone, that would be the only thing they'd think of: that I died, and that it was painful up until the last moment. That it might happen again. And I didn't want that, because I know that it won't, not that way at least.

Caleb—I can't guarantee that nothing will happen to me, because we live in a city that has a habit of going to hell in a handbasket, but I can guarantee this, the ring won't kill me. Because there's no more reason for it to.

[Harumasa gives a low whistle when Caleb gives a demonstration. That's impressive!

He can't have you.

It's only through sheer, ingrained habit that Harumasa's expression doesn't change in the slightest (16).

I'm sorry?

That man, Noctis. He can't have you. You're my pact bearer and I'm not sharing you.

He feels a headache coming on. Harumasa puts a pin in that to talk with Apollo later. Right now, he's focusing on this conversation. And he listens attentively.

What a cruel fate to have been given. Not that Harumasa can talk. He gets up off the couch, stretches, and walks over to Noctis.]

Man, Noct, that's tough. Can't say I blame you for wanting to bury it and keep it in your past life. Goodness knows I definitely want to do the same with my own! I mean, I can't say it's amazingly positive to talk about a world on the brink of annihilation.

[Harumasa's tone has been light, joking, and carefree as he says all of that. However, once he reaches Noctis, his energy shifts. The young man gently taps his friend on the top of his head. There's a small, somewhat bittersweet smile on Harumasa's face.]

You don't need to be a hero or one man army around us, y'know? Even though that crystal is in the past and allegedly can't hurt you anymore, you still made a pact with Wuxian and Caleb without telling them the whole truth just in case something does happen. That's not fair to them.

It's not about the ring or the prophecy, Noct. Keeping that information from them made them feel helpless, or that you're treating them like kids that need to be protected from a harsh truth they can't handle. I know that's not your intention, but that's how it comes across to me as an outsider.

[Then, Harumasa steps away from his friend with a lazy wave.]

Anyway! I've said my piece. I'm gonna grab myself a donut and a cup of that Georgia Peach Coke I saw in the fridge~!

[There's a lingering side glance at Harumasa, but Wuxian kept his attention on Noct largely.]

It's not like I can't handle when the truth hits me hard. I'm older than all three of you, I see it all the time. Ardyn told me the end result of the prophecy. He even told me about Bahamut, how it was all orchestrated by him. All of that is in a world that's been gone for a long time. The origin of that ring isn't the only thing you should've hidden.

The ring can't hurt you as badly, but the Royal Arms can. And you've used them before, haven't you?

[From the kitchen:]

They do WHAT TO HIM?

[Over his shoulder:]

They hurt him!

[Back to Noct.]

I...I mean, I get it. You don't want that hanging over your head--I get it! [There's a reason he doesn't talk about the Stellaron, not that he has it here.] But...I dunno. You kept all this from us--from me. You're basically my brother, Noct, and I had to find out third-hand that so much of your shit could possibly seriously hurt you. Third-hand. I don't even know what Ardyn is to you! He's just some weirdo you housed!

Ardyn's...complicated. [It's a long story, but he's going to try and sum it up anyway.] He was on the opposite side from me, but at the same time—I guess you could say he was supposed to be the first of the line. Except that wasn't the role the prophecy, and Bahamut, wanted him to play.

[Angelgard had been a dark, lonely place, when he'd woken up there. Just a couple of hours had been enough to give Noctis the creeps—what would a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand years do? No wonder Ardyn went insane.]

—the first time I used the Arms I wasn't even the one doing it, that was the king. Don't eat magic fish while in Fae territory, by the way, they mess with your head. The second time, I don't regret, because you were in danger and I'd do it again if I had to. You're my goddamn brother, Caleb.

[Harumasa's...not wrong, though, that in keeping these very big secrets from them, he ended up treating his friends, his family, like children he was trying to protect. Not wrong to point out that he fucked up in not telling them when he'd made pacts with them.

So he lets out a breath, as in the back of his head, his POKEGO-assigned therapist says something like, You're so hell-bent on protecting those you love that you don't see when you're the one hurting them.]

I—really didn't want anyone to worry too much about me, when they probably already had so much shit on their plate. I know how that sounds, I know it's a stupid reason, but I just—I just—his fate isn't mine. And I thought if anyone found out that's the only thing they'd think of, in the back of their heads, when I'm not the Chosen King and I can't take that, from any of you, because—

[He swallows. Lets out a breath.]

His friends looked at him when he came back to them and they saw a dead man walking. Like they were already grieving him when he was standing right there. I can't take that, from you.

[Harumasa's listening intently to what Noctis has to say while rummaging around in the DM's fridge. He is digging through there to find the alleged Georgia Peach Coke, but their DM lied to him. All that's in there is a California Raspberry Coke! Disappointing, he'll be complaining later.

Anyway, drink in hand, Harumasa closes up the fridge again and cracks that open for a taste. It's not bad, but he's never had a "California raspberry," so he really has no idea if it's an accurate taste. It definitely tastes like raspberry-infused Coke, though.

It's... good that he's in the kitchen when Noctis says that his friends in his past life looked at him like they were grieving when he was still alive. He can't stop his expression from changing for a moment. Harumasa can absolutely empathize with that. The looks on the kids' faces back in the facility....

He sighs softly as he walks back out to the others. Harumasa puts a hand on Noctis' shoulder.]

I get that. It makes you feel like you're already dead when you're not. You're still here, you're still alive, and you just want to make the most of the time you've got left.

[Harumasa squeezes his friend's shoulder gently before going back to sit on the couch, drinking his Coke.]

DM lied to me, by the way. There's no peach coke, just raspberry!

[He says when he's still drinking it like it's good.]

[Prophecies this, prophecies that... how stupid is something like seeing the future or walking on a pre-determined path? Wuxian read the posts every month in case something dangerous would crop up, but it wasn't like he liked it. And for both Ardyn and Noct it seems to have been something that ruined both their lives.

History rhymes, Wei Ying, Lan Zhan and Jiang Cheng found each other again, Ardyn and Noct were drawn to each other. But it doesn't repeat. Lan Zhan and Jiang Cheng are friends. Ardyn hasn't gone against Noct violently that Wei Wuxian saw. Not yet anyway.

It wasn't like Wei Wuxian had any right to say anything against Noct's second reason for using the Royal Arms. His lack of a Golden Core followed him to this life, as if to say he'd make the same choice for his brother every time. But that's his will, a will so strong as to be woven into a path he and every other version of him paved for himself.

He shook his head, going to put a hand on Noct's other shoulder.]

I don't know any kings, Noct. I hear about them, but all I see is Noct who has his own life to live. The fate of the King isn't anything I can do about even if I did see it first hand. Even being told this, I'm not seeing a dead man. [Yet, proverbially cracks knuckles.] What I'm seeing is a regular person doesn't take care of himself when someone's in trouble. So it falls to us to know what happened before, if it might happen again, and what to do. And we wouldn't have learned that through you if you kept hiding it.

[A pause, as he looks at Harumasa's drink. Then pouts.]

Whaaaaaaaat? I was looking so forward to a peach drink too!

[Caleb's only response is to move and lean against Noctis, head on his cousin's shoulder.]

What they said. I'm still gonna kick your ass over this, but maybe just in Mario Kart.

[He is not a wordy sort of person. His friends--he has those now--are much better at it, so he does what he does best. Physical affection.]

I take care of myself. [He says having spent much of his free time in Hyrule mining for ore.] It's just that if someone's in trouble and I have the power to help, I should. You guys would too, I think.

[Noctis leans on Caleb as well, ruffling his hair and then just loosely hugging him.]

Yeah, I'll give you that free win, all things considered. [He never lets anybody else win at Mario Kart when he really gets going, so that's big.] Harumasa's not...wrong, that it was a dick move. But it made sense to me, at the time—everything in Lucis that made it so necessary to use the Arms and the Ring so often just...isn't the case here. And I didn't want you all to think I was living on a timer because of them—I'm not. That only happens with regular use. The Kings of Lucis wore the ring all the time to maintain the protection of the kingdom, I barely even break it out of its safe. The Arms...

[A breath.]

They're powerful. It's the sort of power you don't bring to bear against anything but the worst of threats. So unless another apocalypse hits the city, or someone else gets dragged into the Spirit Realm, they're not coming out of my closet, either. [That should be a fine compromise, right? How many times does somebody get yanked into the Spirit Realm by murderous Black Order members in a year anyway?

A pause.]

Oh, yeah—DM ran out of peach Coke literally three hours before the game, something about, uh, an old photographer buddy swinging by and grabbing all of it? Sounded annoyed about it. I thought I texted it into the group chat. [He did! He was also so sleepy it came out sounding like absolute nonsense.]

And as long as we're talking about this: technically speaking Ardyn's my, uh, great-great-great-I don't know how many greats there are between us-uncle. At least he was in Lucis, anyway.

He was also the prophesied Accursed, bringing the darkness with him. But before that—he was a good king, just...not the one Bahamut wanted. [Noctis speaks about Bahamut as neutrally as possible, because if he doesn't he's pretty sure he'll curse out the god himself, and he's not exactly about to invoke his wrath any time soon, so.]

If I'm the one needed, I would hope I've got way stronger backup.

[D&D friends super don't need to know about how far he's willing to go to protect the people he cares about.]

So, your power from your past life will most likely kill you if you're not wise about how you use them. I'd settle for you never using them, but you may have your hand forced as you said. From the sounds of it, this city is good at that.

[Harumasa takes a swig of his coke before saying:]

You know what you need to do, right? Strengthen your own elemental power and rely on Caleb and Wuxian's strength to fill in the gaps?

So, that's the case with you and Ardyn.

[Ardyn's got a bit of explaining to do as well. That'll be something to grill him about later.

For now, Wei Wuxian just let out a sigh again.]

There's plenty of places around to practice that more. We're gonna be in the wilderness a lot too to find Everstone and the like.

[...]

And Caleb's being nice about it, but I'm still gonna kick your ass.

Oh I'm gonna kick his ass too, just in my own special way.

[He will interrupt your fishing trips for a month, sir.]

But yeah. I know I'm not your POKEGO mentor, but I'm a full member so...yeah. I dunno.

This city is great at it. You haven't been here long, you didn't see both times the big Crystal Tower in the middle of town was infested with monsters. [A pause.] Not counting when it first showed up.

[Which...huh, that was when Noctis himself had first gotten the app on his phone. Has it really been that long?]

...I do have—I don't know what they're called, one of those magic rock things? Not the one Sam has, or we'd be having a very different discussion. [And he pulls his Cryo Vision off his hip. It also glows a gentle blue, a different shade from Lucian magic.] I guess I could use that more.

[He thinks, suddenly, of what Cid had said, once. Those ain’t your bodyguards, they’re your brothers. Trust in ’em. Always. Even without the weight of his destiny or the crown on him, Noctis has always meant a lot to the people he loves, hasn't he. And he keeps fucking doing this to them. Gladio would be furious, by now, would be shaking some sense into him.

...well, least he's spared that, much as he misses the guy. He breathes out.]

Yeah, we can work on it in Hyrule and Kanto. And I know there's a fight club in the city.

[As for the ass-kicking, he just makes a face.]

Can we save the ass-kicking I'm gonna get for after we get that Everstone? [So at the very least Sam can also get in on it.]

Yeaaaaah, I heard about that... it's why I didn't choose that place as my current residence.

[No fucking thank you, dude. He's pretty sure even if he did choose the Crystal Tower to live in, his siblings would've made him move to literally anywhere else so that he wouldn't get caught up in the next Crystal Tower infestation. Given his condition, that might make it extremely dangerous for him.]

I dunno anything about those magic rocks, but if it's not dangerous to you then use it. We'll need every tool we can get to prepare for a flux in Spirit Realm activity. Plus, if it keeps you from needing to use the Royal Arms, then it's best to practice with it so you feel less need to go nuclear.

If we need to get some ranged target practice in, I can see what Wriothesley can spare.

[Harumasa grins and waves his hand when it comes to the last question.]

That's up to Wuxian! Give him one from me, won't you? I think I'd break my hand on his perfectly sculpted face.

[He's very much joking, though Noctis is very handsome. The man can cut glass with those cheekbones!]

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[closed] i'll sing you songs until the darkness does recede

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