EVENT #1: FAE FESTIVITIES

[diceofthegods]

INTO THE WOODS

Click Clock Wood (Spring) by Grant Kirkhope

2:05 / 4:59

▶︎

Click here to listen.

Grant Kirkhope is a Scottish composer and voice actor for video games and film. Some of his notable works include GoldenEye 007, Banjo-Kazooie, Donkey Kong 64, and Perfect Dark, among many others.

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After making your way through the tiny farming town of Ich and out towards the rim of a massive raised crater, you will find yourself being led through a narrow split in the canyon wall. Inside, glow worms cling to the ceiling and create the illusion of a thousand twinkling stars above the moistened rocks.

When you finally emerge, it is into an impossibly lush landscape of massive, redwood-sized tangling trees and a soft moss carpet. Life abounds here. It feels like an oasis of birdsong and animal activity.

A short walk leads you to the prepared party-grounds. A large clearing with quaint huts all around decorated with strange flowers for partygoers to rest or otherwise entertain themselves.

There appear to be several games and stalls set up, the sweet and savory scents of delicious food fills the air, and so do the patrons of the forest. Seemingly hundreds of Fae folk zip around and greet the newcomers excitedly by placing garlands of vines and crowns of flowers atop their heads.

Glowing flowers and toadstools light your way here. It also seems that even the animals get in on the festivities! Really, just about everything talks here. Almost everything, anyways! Talking to a tree stump might not yield many results but you're welcome to try.

Each entrant is also provided upon arrival a copy of The Rules. A rolled parchment that resists water or any other damage. It also prevents you from writing on it so you can't just do what you want.

The rules read as follows:

DO:
⁂ Accept gifts from the Fae.
⁂ Sample the food provided at the party ONLY.
⁂ Play games with the Fae.
⁂ Feel at ease to rest in the provided huts.
⁂ Keep tabs on your shadow lest it wander.
DO NOT:
⁂ Make a TRADE with the Fae.
⁂ Provide any personal items as gifts or otherwise to the Fae.
⁂ Provide your true name to the Fae.
⁂ Wander away from the designated party area.
⁂ Ascend any staircases you find in the woods.
OTHER ITEMS TO NOTE:
⁂ If you see an old woman hiking through the area, feel free to stop her and lie to her. The more brazen and obvious the lie the better. She appreciates this!

GAMES & ENTERTAINMENT

Amongst the games and attractions are a variety of fun possibilities!

GAMES

⁂ Battleship! (Fae Style!) A number of Fae will be hiding on a large grid of flowers. You guess the locations and if you are correct then you will win a small prize! It is a cup of nectar that refills endlessly, and numbs any pains you may have. This works even outside of the forest and can be taken home.

Every time you miss though, you receive a small 'curse.' Nothing harmful! Maybe you’re just rotating in place for the next hour, your ears become daisies, or you grow a tree out of your head? (Feel free to come up with your own silly ideas!) All of the curses will dissipate after a time or upon leaving the forest and none will do any harm or cause pain. The Fae are all about fun tricks, not hurting anyone!

⁂ Dress Up Darlings! You enter a booth and allow the Fae to decide your outfit! Upon the agreement that you'll wear it the rest of the party, of course, no matter how silly or ridiculous it is.

⁂ Bobbing For Onions! Yes, you read that right. Bobbing for onions. There are onions floating around... in water. You have to catch them with your teeth. The prize for success is a Bag of Onions. This bag never runs out of onions. They are always fresh and always onions. Not always the same kind of onion, but always onions nonetheless. This bag works outside of the forest and can be taken home.

⁂ What's In The Box? There is a box. There is something in it. Maybe it's frogs. Maybe it's slugs. Possibly bugs? Maybe apples. We don’t know. Stick your hand in the box and take a guess at what you’re touching! If you’re right, you win the contents of the box!

We'll let players decide via coin flip, rolls, or however they want if their guess is correct! Any items won though will be common, every day items like mentioned and nothing especially exciting. Unless you're really into frogs. Then it's your lucky day, apparently!

ENTERTAINMENT

⁂ Slayd & The Possums! Slayd is here and he’s throwing down the banjo tunes with his possum pals. Feel free to join him if you are musically inclined! The Fae will provide any instrument your heart desires! They can't grant you the ability to play it though if you don't know how.

⁂ The Crowning of the King of Misrule! Randomly chosen by the Fae, enter a lottery to be chosen as the King of Misrule for the evening. You will be dressed in a stupid outfit and granted Fae wings for the night! You also have the insatiable urge to play harmless pranks on people. The Fae will also give you a "Special Gift" at the end of the party...

FOR THE FOOLISH

Ahh, but there are rule breakers amongst us aren't there? If you choose to sneak away from the party, chances are nobody will stop you; however, you are now on your own in the Talahee Forest.

FIRST LAYER

Rak'tika Greatwood Theme ( Civilizations ) by Masayoshi Soken

4:34 / 5:15

▶︎

Click here to listen.

"Civilizations" prominently features a female vocalist. The lyrics are in the Ronkan language, and has not been officially translated.

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The first layer of the forest is very much similar to what you have already seen. Everything is coated in a thick mat of moss and trees wind away like a massive birds nest to form the canopy above. The faint sounds of animals can still be heard. Up here, you may encounter Fae who did not attend the party. They'll ask you your name and other personal details.

Best that you lie.

SECOND LAYER

Click Clock Wood (Autumn) by Grant Kirkhope

1:12 / 4:11

▶︎

Click here to listen.

Grant Kirkhope is a Scottish composer and voice actor for video games and film. Some of his notable works include GoldenEye 007, Banjo-Kazooie, Donkey Kong 64, and Perfect Dark, among many others.

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The further in that you head, the darker the forest gets. It seems you are following a downward slope. The trees get bigger here, as do the insects and toadstools. Bioluminescence rules down here it seems. You may encounter stranger creatures here. Ones that will try to make very tempting trades for your personal belongings. Things that will seem like an amazing deal to you. They offer magical items of great power, or even personal effects from home.

Don't be fooled though. These objects are cursed, and are not at all what they seem. You have the distinct feeling of being watched at all times here.

⁂ Possible Encounters: Owlbear, Displacer Beast, Giant Badger

THIRD LAYER

Saint Mocianne's Arboretum (Hard) by Masayoshi Soken

2:50 / 5:10

▶︎

Click here to listen.

...hordes of aggressive plant life exposed to the strange substance stand between you and the information you seek.

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Are you getting smaller or is everything else getting bigger? Were Slayd here, he would have told you about the concept of Deep Forest Gigantism. The deeper you go - just like the ocean - the larger that the flora and fauna get.

You are dwarfed by the mushrooms here in the pitch darkness and only guided by the latent glow of the creatures and fungi that dwell here. Bugs the size of house-cats skitter in your wake. Are you sure you want to be here? Should you encounter anything larger, you’d best stay silent. Or run!

⁂ Possible Encounters: Giant predatory Elk (RUN), Rodents of Unusual Size, Extra Large Bugs

FOURTH LAYER

Poison Tree by Grouper

0:30 / 3:16

▶︎

Click here to listen.

'Poison Tree' is a meditation on the complexities of anger and the internal conflict it causes. It draws inspiration from William Blake's poem of the same name.

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The trees seem to clear out here as you reach the bottom of the forest. There is no light here so hope you brought a match. The landscape down here is a blanket of moss dotted with countless shallow pools. Looking into one of these pools, you will see your reflection... though it may look different in some way.

You will feel extremely compelled to reach down and touch the reflection in the water. Should you give in, you feel as though your world is turning upside down. You could receive memories not quite your own. Memories of a different version of you, even! (CRAU, Canon Update, or Canon AU!)

Yet, you will be experiencing them as your own. A long time could pass in your mind while only seconds have only elapsed in reality. Upon waking, you will find that you have been ejected from the party and the forest entirely. You find yourself at the entrance to the crater. Disoriented, and compelled not to re-enter, you have only yourself to blame as you must shamble your way home with this burdensome knowledge.

Notes

⁂ For the game prizes, we're using the honor system here! So long as you clear the roll then you can receive a prize with no mod permission needed.

- Battleship: If you roll a d20 above a 13, you can receive one of the nectar cups.
- Bobbing For Onions: If you roll a d20 above a 10, you can receive one of the bag of onions. En...joy...?

⁂ To sign up for The Crowning of the King of Misrule, comment here! We'll RNG the winner likely within a few days to a week to give folks time to participate if they want!

⁂ The plotting post for this event/November is up!

⁂ Additionally, we have a state of the game post available to people read about updates, clarifications, and a poll to participate in!

⁂ If you have any further questions or feedback about this event specifically, please comment here!

⁂ Full Navigation ⁂

Comments

[heliographic]

Prompto giggles as he's briefly blinded by a towel, and his hair is ruffled up only seconds after one of those perfect chips melts in his mouth. There goes Ignis,

Prompto leans back on Ignis a little more, but not too much. The feeling of his hair being preened at naturally relaxes him. As much as the blond is a tactile sort, he's actually quite shy about being touched himself. He was fully unused to any of it at all besides the stray, rare hug from his folks- that was, before Noct came into his life. Gladio came next, as his training partner and friend, when things eventually got more playful and physical between them. Fast forward to being on the road and exchanging touch with Ignis, in small, playful, familial (and perhaps shy) ways became just as normal to him. Plus something much more supportive and caring when the retainer lost his sight.

Ignis' hands work deftly and with a precision Prompto has come to expect, but there's no mistaking the gentleness and intent with each motion either. It really does make his heart flutter and his eyes drift shut. Being cared for is pretty nice. He lets out a sunny laugh at the comment about the party. "The trees have ears. And the flowers. And the grass, probably. Craaaazy stuff! Bleh, you're right though. No way to powder any onions in the boonies like this."

He pauses at the question, thoughtful. "Well, onions are pretty great on meat just about any way. Caramelized is my fave unless you use em raw in something like salad." Mm, yeah, that's the spot, right on his scalp. He lets out a pleased, sighing breath. "I'm guessing it's a keep it simple sorta deal out here, until we get creative with how far we can push simple kitchen tools, right?" There's only so many ways one can work a knife, though.

[parer]

"Ah, spoken like someone who is not a chef," Ignis drawls, gently patting out the last of the moisture. "Most of cooking has, truly, already been perfected. It is the rare invention which has made any great strides - such as blenders." Better than absolutely decimating your arm muscles from constant chopping and stirring.

"But knives, graters, long cook times... They're all perfect as is. So I have found myself still with a plethora of recipes to try from, and which come to mind whenever I peruse the marketplace Charlie has provided for us."

Satisfied that this is as good as he can get for now, Ignis leaves the rest to simple drying air, and sets the towel to the side. It's some of the flowers which he picks up next, fingers working nimble and quick. "For example... I've seen some others exploring the capabilities of their own bags, and have seen spring onions be pulled forth. In that case, they will make a wonderful component of a sort of egg roll which I think you would rather enjoy. All it needs is eggs, those onions, and ab it of carrots... And done. I think you'll like it."

[parer]

Honestly... If he didn't know better, then Ravus's - everything in this moment might give his heart cause to flutter. The shining adoration in his gaze as though Ignis is a herald of the divine bespeaking some sort of prophecy, his absolutely knight-like declarations to him in a way that could truly be so easy to abuse...

The only thing that would make this all the more difficult to deal with is if Ravus were on his knees for him, really.

That would require calling Gladio over, he thinks.

Then again... Ravus slipping forward, pressing their foreheads together, breath intermingling, is a trouble all its own. Ignis is fairly certain it's because of being drugged. "Oh, you are quite silly, on account of being intoxicated, at the very least," Ignis says dryly, trying to nudge this ridiculously top-heavy man upright a little more. For his own heart, certainly, if nothing else. "Now, since you've properly promised, let us get you somewhere out of the way. I think the party is quite done for you."

[abyssalflames]

It is as it sounds. A magic whose purpose is to create things from the aether itself. One which is limited by imagination alone.

[There are, of course, still rules involved. And a process for what to actually do with anything that happens to be created.]

[berriedmemories]

"Come on, Ravus. You look and act and talk like a knight out of a historical romance novel. You're loyal and earnest and honest- Things most people these days are fucking allergic to. Just the way you phrase the most mundane things is like.... I dunno like you're trying to make someone swoon but you're not and that just makes it more charming?" He shakes his head a little, almost like he can't believe it.

Maybe he can't.

How is this man so unfailingly honest and sincere and does not understand that there's anything appealing about him? And that's not even talking about how gorgeous he is. (Perhaps it should mean something to him, that Noctis even thinks that much. He so rarely does think like that about others.) "And before you say anything about.... y'know... things you've done-" He pauses, taking in a breath, swallowing down the lingering pain of what those actions wrought. He has to bring it up though because he knows how this argument goes. He's had it a thousand times with Prompto and even a few times with Gladio and Ignis over the years though... not so much about the kissing thing just the whole... being a good person part of it.

"Everything you've done has been in the worst possible circumstances! And all of it fueled by love and loyalty and... there's an appeal to that too. The idea that someone would go to such lengths for someone they love." His expression softens, a silly lovestruck sort of smile tugging at his lips. "You and Iggy are a lot alike in that. Maybe he hasn't had to do anything as terrible as what you've been through but... he does so much for the people he loves." It's really ridiculous that he didn't realize sooner how deep Ignis' feelings for him went.

[errant_knight]

Ravus makes a low, whiny noise that's probably a continued protest to being called silly. He is not silly at all, thank you very much. And he's only a little intoxicated, he swears! The little flickers of pure clarity keep convincing him of it. The fact so much of it is surrounded by haze, and slight headache, and feelings he's no name for don't seem to factor into his consideration.

At least when he's nudged, he takes the cue. It's difficult to find his balance, but he uses Ignis' shoulder to keep himself anchored, and manages to stand. Naturally, he's a gentleman that helps Ignis to his feet as well. While his claws are gentle in that he's sure not to curl the points in, keeping his strength under control proves more difficult for his impaired motor-skills. Assisting Ignis may be a bit more like lifting him.

"Apologies," he rumbles, claws skating carefully down from Ignis' shoulder to his side, looking to ever-so gently find his wrist again. There's no small measure of guilt for overusing his strength more than once tonight. He just wants to make sure he hasn't left bruises-

Except, somehow, his magitek hand presses past Ignis', behind him. Ravus could almost swear he hears a chiming little laugh from somewhere, but it's certainly not his dragon.

The next moment, before he even has the chance to consider his own impending doom, Ravus' claws quite suddenly grab a meaty handful of Ignis' ass. And squeeze.

The giggling in his brain turns to raucous peals of laughter. Except to Ravus even that is drowned out by the sudden panicking tempo of his heart kicking up. He's frozen in place, gawking with a dumbstruck expression that rapidly devolves into horror.

What in all the hells is happening?

[errant_knight]

Perhaps the worst part of all this is that while Noctis goes on, Ravus has no idea what to say. He manages to mumble a confused, "...charming?" under his breath, but little else. Not while Noctis practically volleys a lifetime's worth of praise he's never heard before. Things that go counter to all the jeers, and cruel, isolating coldness of being an outsider in a place that thought him subhuman.

But it always comes down to what he's done. Ravus has defined himself in what he's had to do, and what he was always willing to do. There is so much of Ravus, as a purpose, and so little of Ravus, as a person to his own consideration. Yet Noctis wants to look past that, digs beneath arm's length armor he wears, to tell him he's somebody, instead of something.

Ah, but to be compared to Ignis with that soft, besotted look? It's too much. There's a want in him that's aching and cautious. The grounded, leashed part of him knows better though. The part that isn't sure he can shoulder the burden of trying to be as wholy good and deserving of that love as Ignis, after everything.

He can't take it. He has to tell Noctis to stop, but the words are caught in his throat. So near, so close, the next best thing is to follow a new impulse. Ravus presses up into those hands that rake through his hair, and crashes their lips together in a firm, but quick kiss. Just long enough to settle the ache, and keep this too-forgiving boy from saying more.

"I suspect," Ravus says softly, breathing just as quietly against Noctis' lips where he barely pulls away. "There is little Ignis would not do. But to compare us? You should not lower him to me."

[parer]

Well, what he'd really planned on doing was getting up first so that he could help Ravus onto his feet, but it is what it is if he rises first. And... suddenly reaches down to haul Ignis upwards as though he were a small bag of groceries, grip on his body quite firm.

Ignis blinks a few times, hand along Ravus's flesh bicep simply to reorient himself. "I could have gotten to my feet, yes, but still, I do appreciate the sentiment-"

It's Ravus. He's not wholly sure Ravus knows what the act of sexual self-care entails, so to speak. So he's not thinking too hard initially when that hand skims down his side and then back around. Initially, Ignis even thinks that he's simply trying to reach around him in order to lean, intoxicated as he is.

And then his ass is squeezed.

A normal person might simply jolt, or be shocked into a freeze themselves. Ignis has not been normal for a very long time. So his first reaction, towards a rather intimate and public act towards himself...

Is to grab the offending arm with both his own hands and twist himself beneath its reach while his foot kicks out rather violently to Ravus's knee in order to bring him down onto it. Ignis pauses in place, still holding onto Ravus's arm while forcing it into an uncomfortable angle, before he frowns somewhat severely.

"Really now, Ravus. I hadn't thought that you would be either a terribly clumsy or lecherous sort of drunk."

[berriedmemories]

"Nope." He snipes immediately, especially with how bitter the redhead sounds with that admission. Noct doesn't know shit about this bastard and doesn't need to. As far as he's concerned he's just an annoyance. At best. And that Ignis knew enough to believe they would all be better off if he were dead. Which stings in it's own right. That Ignis, so much younger than he should be, has been told more of who the man is and what he does than Noct.

It's to protect him, he's sure. It's always to protect him. Everyone keeping things from him like it will somehow make the end result less painful. If anything it just makes it all worse, knowing the people he loves have been lying to him. There's a sense of betrayal there, no matter how well meaning. Something that shows in the hint of distaste on his features. For a moment those crystalline blue eyes dart to the side, a flush on his cheeks from the pointed way Ardyn says boyfriends, but something darker there because nothing else he says is true.

"I know enough to know I should've broken more than your nose." It's a sharp snap but there's enough of a delay to make it clear there's more going on than just his dislike of the other man.

[firsteditionbfs]

"I am wholly unsurprised to hear that you eat chocolate even knowing it makes you sick," Angeal says dryly. "Well, that just means I need to make things so delicious to hold up against chocolate." Not better than, because that's a whole different thing, but, you know.

A good rival that can distract Rosie from bad life choices.

"You're tasting the goods right now. Think we got a shot?"

CW: tipsy idiots kissing

[berriedmemories]

Noctis gasps softly against Ravus' lips, a brief moment of surprise before he's pressing back into the kiss, fingers tangling in silver strands. Even if only for a moment. Ravus barely begins speaking when Noct is already shaking his head, flashing Ravus one of those smiles that says you're so adorably stupid. Close as they are it is all too easy to follow up that first kiss with another, something soft and lingering.

"I think... he'd be rather touched." Noct even lets his voice fall into a slight accent, not quite mimicking Ignis' but clearly implying that those are words he'd use. "At the comparison and how much you love him."

Because it is so glaringly obvious now, that is exactly what it is. Ravus may not be fiercely jealous but there is a longing there that could only be explained as such. Enough to make Noctis wonder what else happens in the future that would draw the two of them so close. Not that it would take much, as far as he's concerned. Anyone would fall in love with Ignis, given half a chance.

[berriedmemories]

How could he not be happy with so thoughtful a gift and Ignis allowing him such leniency? Even if he does have to counter it with fussing, as is his wont. "If nothing has been able to heal it all these years I doubt some little fae nonsense would be able to." There's a faint sigh in his tone but he shakes his head dismissively, immediately ruining any small measure of order Ignis had managed to enforce on his hair.

He couldn't stop himself from returning that smile from Ignis, even if he'd wanted to. It makes the moment he takes to sniff the liquid in the glass seem more playful than he necessarily means it to be but he can't be bothered to care. There's an expectation with a word like nectar that it will be sweet, though he's not entirely sure that's correct. It's hard to tell just from the smell, too. So he just offers Ignis a slight shrug before finally taking a drink, not small enough to be considered a sip but only just. If it isn't pleasant he doesn't want more than he needs in his mouth but he wants to make sure he drinks enough for it to have the intended effect.

It is, indeed, sweet but also floral in the aromatic way that makes it stick in his sinuses, just shy of cloying. He wrinkles his nose a little but swallows it with little more fuss. "Not terrible? The flowery.... ness. Sorta makes it taste... like soap though."

[errant_knight]

Thul snarls in his mind loud enough to feel like it's physically reverberating in his skull. Ravus can't help the wince that accompanies both the teeth-rattling growl of a dragon between his ears, and the kick that briefly bends back his knee. At least the physical pain is a more familiar aspect, and he exhales sharply between his clenched teeth as he goes down. While clearly Ignis is not pleased, Thul is even less so. At Ravus? Or at the giggling fae that darts out to alight on a nearby stump? It's hard to say. But Ravus' gaze is forward, instead of on Ignis, despite everything.

"Oh, my poor knotweed! Or should I call ye a tumbleweed now with that little fall?" Sorcha practically falls off their perch laughing at their own joke, and maybe the look of dismay Ravus wears too. Which, he then promptly turns to Ignis, as if he's only just now registered what he's said.

"No! I would never-" Ravus tries to protest. "It was-" and he looks back to where his patron is kicking their feet with childish whimsy. That should say it all, right? Clearly the mocking fae will be clear as day, obviously the culprit of this terrible prank. And yet Sorcha doesn't seem to altogether care in acknowledging Ignis at all. Almost like, to them, he's no factor in this conversation. As if Ignis simply couldn't hear or see any part of this. Dismay flicks to dawning horror, and Sorcha is sent into another fit of giggles.

"Sorry, dearie! Only my saplings can see the magnificence that is Sorcha Bláthnaid. This is our pact, not his, remember?"

Ravus tries to twist around as much as he can, for as unsteady as he is, and with his arm wrenched back.

"Ignis, you must believe me: this is fae trickery." Which could sound convincing, if only it wasn't slurred, and Ravus' gaze didn't keep darting to-and-fro from some invisible object and then back to Ignis with a mix akin to confusion and ire.

[firsteditionbfs]

Alright.

So.

He sympathizes, he really does.

But Angeal can't help turning his head to the side and snorting a laugh into his hand hearing about the terrible fate that Themis has been bestowed with for the night. "Well, points for the creativity, huh?"

[firsteditionbfs]

Bye, little toad friend. Angeal will keep it in mind to ask about later, so he can check in on the toad come spring.

But it's still autumn for now, and he looks over the boxes thoughtfully. "I mean, there's no point in going to a party and not playing games, right?" Besides, this one seems pretty harmless. So far. A man can hope.

Well, that means pulling away from Themis, and rolling up his sleeve a bit. "Hope it's not another wild animal personally. I got chickens to take care of, they don't need a guest. Unless it's a puppy I can train, in which case, I'll give it a shot." But a puppy probably isn't in the box.

[firsteditionbfs]

No purple just yet as he pops one into his mouth! Just him being perfectly comfortable chewing it, taking in the flavors, before swallowing. No tipping over either, so he goes for another one.

"True," he chuckles. "It's probably a bit more work, unless they use magic, but the detail work they can do is probably out of this world. That's the tradeoff."

A brief grin to Popp. "So would you want to get that small?"

[snapp_crackle]

...Yeah, all right, watching other people eat delicious food is really good for the appetite. Popp starts in on the tiny pumpkin breads now that he has an excuse to do so. They're soft and rich and practically melt in his mouth.

"No way! I'm into combat magic, not any kind of crafting. At that size, I'd be fighting hungry frogs instead of the Dark Army!"

He'd have to ride around on Dai's shoulder or something... which wouldn't be terrible, but c'mon, his dignity!

[diceofthegods]

Sorry about missing this!

The spell scroll unfortunately cannot be written on to have secret messages. Like the rules list given by The Fae, the paper will seem resistant to having anything added to it beyond the original spell.

[recreator]

Emet-Selch returns the look with a blunt (if stubborn) stare of his own, carefully training his expression to its default sternness. And then he is freed from such scrutiny, which he punctuates by tossing the last morsel from his own plate into his mouth and chewing it slowly.

The response earns a shrug as Emet-Selch allows the now-empty plate to disperse back into aether, the only indication it ever existed being a few shimmering motes of magic that soon vanish into nothing.

"I'm not a fan of being pressed, but I look forward to news of your progress nonetheless." Not that it's of any consequence to him, really, but 'tis clear Byleth is keen to figure things out when it comes to matters of the heart. How unusual that someone so seemingly surrounded by people (being a teacher, at that), who has dedicated his time to academic service, could be so puzzled when it comes to expressing affection for and appreciation of others. Then again, much of his expertise has a more military lean, if Emet-Selch recalls their initial conversation correctly. Perhaps, following his father's passing, there simply wasn't opportunity to dwell upon more tender topics.

Huh?

Emet-Selch blinks.

"Would I care to?" he repeats, and it is immediately clear that this idea hadn't even crossed his mind for all that he has, in fact, paused to observe the musicians and those partaking of quick-footed merrymaking more than once over the course of his visit. "And what, exactly, left you with the impression that twirling about was even on my agenda for the evening?"

[fatedfinality]

Normally, someone wilting like that would please him. He - and nearly everyone - knows it. So, why then does it cause the slightest pinprick again of guilt instead...? Instead of completely withdrawing though, Ravus at least responds to his surprisingly vulnerable proposal. This might be salvageable after all.

(The voice in the back of his head nags at him again to stop thinking of this in such a way, like something to 'win' but- Does Ardyn know how not to? He's not so sure.)

"I was a much younger man," he says, "but somehow managed to have my charm." Granted, his 'charm' these days is mostly performative and manipulative. Back then though, with Aera, his charm points were much different in that he really didn't have any at all beyond his somewhat awkward fumbling. She had seen in him though something worthy and he... took it for granted. Didn't he? He likes to think he won't again.

But he likes to think a lot of things. He doesn't draw his hand back yet as he considers what's unfolding unexpectedly.

"That makes two of us, really," he admits though, to Ravus not knowing how to do anything by half-measures. Ardyn - then and now - feels so strongly, so intensely that he hardly knows what to do with all the emotions most of the time. On that note, what Ravus says does hit him... odd. Not enough, he claims, and Ardyn has to say: "Never let anyone make you feel as though you aren't enough. Least of all me." Anything he's willing to give is more than what Ardyn deserves, he knows, and yet here he is taking anyway. So, he doesn't have the right to ever believe what Ravus can provide is not enough.

[fatedfinality]

It is an anticipated stab, but one all the same as Noctis confirms he knows... nothing about Ardyn. That the man means nothing to him in any way that matters. To be reminded that he is an unknown by the one person who was supposed to be everything cuts again in all the worst ways. Forgotten, again, by fate's designs and cast aside so easily for those favored- That's the story of his miserable life, but Noctis was supposed to be different.

Yet, Ardyn can read Noctis just as well as before. He has that advantage over the boy, which he won't feel bad about using. He pokes further, sharpening his focus. "Is that so?" he asks, stepping in a little to test the limits both metaphorical and literal. "Well, I'm right here," he offers, opening up his arms slightly to encourage the boy to strike if he'd like. "You could do worse," the man continues, another step forward. One of his sheer-sleeved arms snaps to Noctis' side against that tree trunk to challenge him a little. He hasn't really registered the way he has claws now nor that they dig into and break apart a bit of bark.

"So why not? I can see that you want to, angry as you are about being kept in the dark." Yes, he's aware of just how much everyone in Noctis' life withheld from him. Interesting that even here, they're continuing to shield their king under the guise of protecting him. That's fine. Ardyn can easily say all that they don't want to, take that hate from Noctis if he must to help him become the king he needs to be- His king.

"I can tell you any and everything you want. All you need to do is ask."

[relativefugue]

"Didn't need one in the first place," Cloud huffs. "Not planning to run off again. You'd probably just foll-"

Another round of cackling rings out.

Cloud goes rigid at the sound, glancing about more fully as he tries to figure out the exact direction it is coming from. Not so easy- it nearly seems to be coming from above, in front, and behind them at the same time. Definitely some manner of Fae nonsense. Which, he still doesn't fully believe in, mind. At least the arbitrary rules. They're written like a joke at the expense of those who don't know better.

The cackling, however, is very much real. As is the tall, spectral shadow that appears to flow through the trees ahead. She looks like a ghost, a gaunt woman fading into swirling fog and shadows, long hair suspended around her. The cackling starts to become something else- a soul-piercing wail. Cloud's hands fly up to his ears as he grits his teeth.

[sugar_freed]

Ardyn would be correct, and Dirk is a little annoyed about it. Not that Ardyn can tell he's powerful and godly--or should be. That part is fine, really. It's a reasonable and correct read on him. It's a good first impression to make, and a good conclusion to feel him draw.

It's just that the fact that Ardyn he thinks he knows anything about Dirk at all is irritating in the way saltwater residue is irritating. The sensation of being perceived, of being 'read' clings to him in a way he should have been free of and now is not.

So, while he's not personally spattered by blood and brain matter and conjunctival goo, he feels begrimed anyway. Which is the actual reason behind the face he pulls, watching Ardyn draw a blood-slicked blade out of a deer's forebrain. It's certainly not squeamishness.

"Don't mention it," he mumbles.

The tail end of some embarrassment ghosts the back of his brain. That was pathetic. A pathetic excuse for a response. And a pathetic display of 'strength' before it. Can't even kill a deer. What is even the point of you?

"Seriously. Don't mention it. To anyone."

[errant_knight]

Ravus scoffs. For lack of something more poignant to say about something like that accusation of love. That's a scary word. Love There's so little in their world that Ravus has ever loved, and it's all been taken from him. Violently. Always in blood and ash. But the longing has never really stopped, despite knowing better.

"That was a terrible impression." Except he did know exactly who Noctis was trying to tease him about, so was it really that bad? And his voice is somber where he should be exasperated. In that melancholy way that is all long shadows where most would look to light.

Usually, he's not altogether fidgety, but with something so steep to suddenly dwell on, he wrings his fingers into the thick fur along Noctis' lower back.

"I am not so certain," he says after a moment, "then again, I am not certain of anything any longer." No. No, he doesn't want to fall into this trap again. The one that makes him think living in the woods is still a better idea. He wants to keep kissing Noctis and talking about Ignis and riding out this ridiculous high that actually makes him feel good if he just stops dwelling on every mistake.

Wait- the kissing part might need addressing. There's already been one sudden, unprompted kiss in his night prior. That's not supposed to happen, his addled brain ever-so helpfully supplies.

"Err, my apologies about the sudden kiss. I should have asked." With his face flushed, he actually looks sheepish about the whole affair. "You're not upset." Is it a question? An observation? Hopeful? Unsure? Ravus wishes he knew, but thinking is so terribly, terribly difficult right now.

[errant_knight]

If he's left a bit struck by the comment, it shows in the way Ravus is quiet a long moment. His only initial response is an owlish blink that betrays the surprise in hearing such a kind sentiment. It's not that he doesn't believe Ardyn is incapable of it, because he wouldn't be giving Ardyn these sorts of chances otherwise. But that perhaps he hadn't expected to hear it towards himself.

Ravus knows he has never been enough. It's not with self-pity or wallowing, but in the fact that one man could never hope to accomplish everything he'd tried to do. He'd doomed himself to failure, but couldn't force himself to stop either. The paradox of an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object. But that is Ravus as he sees himself. A concept, a goal, a shield. As a person? He's never been quite as sure, and offering this sort of vulnerability to Ardyn makes his heart do funny things in his chest.

So perhaps he's a bit smitten. Can he be blamed after the gentle shock of his first kiss?

"Perhaps you are already showing your supposed lost charm," Ravus says, voice dipping low and appreciative. "I will try to hold fast to that kind sentiment. If not for myself, then because you have asked it of me." And with that kindness, Ravus offers his own back. The addition of, whatever it may be, 'you need only ask it of me.' For he has always been the sort to find satisfaction in the service of others. Dangerous and damning? Perhaps. But what else can he do?