agogelogs | [OPEN] what kingly dreams

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[OPEN] what kingly dreams

WHO? Noctis and you (and some other losers maybe)
WHAT? Dreams
WHEN? Whenever both our characters are asleep during this event
ANYTHING ELSE? Possible violence and trauma

[ Dream A ]

[ The decorations on the Citadel almost seem like physical impossibilities, great waterfalls of fabric draped over towering architecture and what feels like a never-ending amount of petals or confetti catching the light as they fall. It's not really all that consistent. It is a dream, after all.

Maybe that's why the crowd that chokes the plaza feels so indistinct, fuzzy background faces cheering for the wedding they're about to witness. Noctis takes a deep breath as he gathers his composure, unable to adjust his collar because fidgeting is inappropriate but it's so itchy. Nevertheless he turns his head from where he's standing at the height of the stairs, looking to what should be his bride climbing the last few. Except... ]

Wait, this isn't right. [ You are not Luna. ]

[ Dream B ]

[ The indignant cheeping of the chocobos in response to their beautiful plumage getting wet is louder at least than the steady rainfall against the rooftop of the Wiz Chocobo Post. Louder still might be Noctis's scoffing at his own hair getting wet, trying his best to smooth it down even as he ducks under the railing of one of the bird pens. ]

Easy, easy... You think I want to be out here either? [ Why is he here? He doesn't know beyond that it's definitely his job to feed these animals; that's a certainty. Did he take up a part-time job or something? One gloved hand smoothes feathers as he calls out to the other presumed worker on duty. ]

Hey, can you pass me that bag of greens?

[ Dream C ]

[ Students are whispering behind him, he can feel it. They always do. He looks younger, feels younger, and the school uniform he's wearing is as uncomfortable as it ever was.

He stares at the board, a complex math equation he's never seen carefully scrawled onto its face as his teacher tuts disapprovingly. "How can we have a prince that can't even solve something so rudimentary? You're so unlike your father," she says, and his discomfort only grows.

This is like a nightmare... How could anyone know the answer? ]

[ closed to Achilles ]

Come... on! Stay down already!

[ The bark of a frustrated yell comes from a visibly irritated Noctis, sword vanishing in an array of crystalline light before being replaced in his hands by a vicious-looking spear. He's facing down a monstrous beast that seems all too intent on slashing him open with swipes of its claws, narrowly dodging each hit. ]

Gladio! Where's-- Prompto, Ignis! Where are you?! [ That spear is hurtled at the behemoth's head as he warps in for an attack of his own, getting in a few solid strikes before he tumbles back down onto grass. Help's always appreciated. ]

[ closed to Midnighter ]

[ Noctis is unused to spending much time in the throne room of the Citadel these days, and it's even harder to remember a time when he's been in here alone. Fingers drag over the smooth surface of one of the throne's armrests before abruptly jerking back, as if he's suddenly remembered it should only be his father's right to place his hand there.

Where is he? He should be here. It's too quiet and Noctis has always loathed coming in here as an adult; there's no reason for him to linger when he expects an advisor or guard to show up and chide him at any moment.

The sudden sound of footsteps has him turning his head, however, the only warning he's given before the doors at the far end of the room burst open and another young male who looks to be close to his age -- but in much, much worse condition -- runs through them. Has he ever seen this person before? No, his mind says, but he doesn't belong in here. ]

Hey! Hey, are you okay? [ Noctis is taking those steps two at a time to move to his side. ]

[ closed to Hei ]

[ It's night.

The starscape in Lucis is stunning, too, a totally unique beauty that he could never appreciate in the metropolis of Insomnia. Out here, away from civilization... everything seems to slow down a little. Everything feels more real.

And it isn't what he wants to see; it's not his friends, or Luna, or the place that he'd most call "home". But it's what he needs to see, his world and the lands he's destined to rule over. Noctis exhales as he drags his fingers through cool grass, head turning to see the shadow of another figure only illuminated by starlight. ]

... ah. Hey. [ Again his gaze turns skyward, even if he feels a greater sense of unease now. ] It'd be good if this lasted, huh?

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[Shinobu pauses when she finds herself at a desk, already suspicious that this classroom really didn't look like Santa Destroy High School at all. What really drove it home that this was different, though, was that her own outfit was definitely a whole lot different from those of every one else. However, no one else seems to notice when everyone seemed focused on gossiping about the guy trying to answer a problem that, well.. no one in their right mind would probably know the answer to.

The quip about not measuring up to his father, though, hits a bit of a sore spot for her. While she tended to keep quiet at her own school, to avoid drawing more attention to herself than necessary, this was not her school. Maybe she still had to worry about other assassins finding her here too, but right now she felt too annoyed to not say anything.]

If this is so rudimentary, do you think the rest of us could answer it? [Scowling, she leans back in her seat a little.] Pretty sure the problem is in the teacher, not the student.

[ The sense of dread that accompanies the dream is familiar so he assumes it'll play it like it has in the past. The mockery will continue, the pressure will grow, and the--

Out of place girl will interrupt to defend him? His hand hesitates, gripping chalk as he glances over his shoulder. His gaze is focused on her just like everyone else's is, blinking once. ]

Hah? --I never said I couldn't answer it. I just have to think it over one more time... [ He doesn't want to fuck this up, but he's going to. He always does in this dream. ]

[Shinobu knows that everyone's attention is focused on her and while that'd be a huge problem at her own school, it feels almost liberating here, as she really didn't give a shit if people focused on her here. If somehow anyone here figured out her profession here, it really wouldn't be a problem at all to take them out, if she had to.

However, her intent wasn't violent here, it was just to try to draw some of the attention away from the guy that was clearly getting burderned with expectations that would drive anyone nuts. Shinobu looks a little doubtful as Noctis assures her that he can solve this problem, but she wasn't going to stop him if he felt like he really needed to prove himself.

Her lips scrunch in an expression that's akin to a shrug before she leans a cheek against a hand, while the nails of her other hand tap on the desk.]

You sure? That shit looks pretty tough. [No, she was never ashamed to swear, even in high school.]

[ He doesn't get it.

He doesn't get why she's speaking up or why the teacher isn't saying anything; shouldn't the teacher be saying something? Shouldn't any of the students be reacting by doing more than just whispering? It's weird. This whole situation is weird. ]

Do you want to try to answer it? [ Now he hears the groans. "The prince is trying to wriggle out of his duties again." ]

[Shinobu was never an exceptional student – straight Bs at best, utterly average at worst. So, looking at the problem on the board, she grimaces as there was no way she knew the answer. Normally, she'd refuse, but what the hell. What was the worst that could happen?]

Sure, piece of cake.

[She pretends to study the board, making her way up to the front, eventually. Taking a piece of chalk, she writes down an answer: 42. She absolutely just made up a number.]

Easy.

[ All Noctis can do is stare when she actually agrees, when she gets up, when she walks to the board, and when she actually scrawls down an answer.

The wrong answer, but that's not what his mind tells him and thus not what the dream registers it as. So instead of confused jeers there's an awed silence from the class and the teacher, interrupted only by the chime of a bell. Their classmates start to scramble to their feet but he's stuck standing there, still only able to stare.

What an idiot he is. Everybody's gonna' be whispering again. ] ... how'd you know that? Geeze, what a pain in the ass for me...

[Shinobu is just as stunned as everyone else is, in the classroom, that she apparently got this right? At the very least, she's glad that everyone isn't staring at her wide-eyed expression before she can quickly recover from it, brushing it off as she turns her attention back toward Noctis.]

You really want to know? [She glances around, making sure the rest of the students were gone and the teacher was glancing away before continuing.] It's still a bullshit question that no one, including me, is gonna know. Pretty sure I heard somewhere that forty-two is supposed to be the answer to everything, so I just went with that. Guess it worked that time.

[She shrugs as she leans back a little, putting both hands behind her on a nearby desk to steady her position.] Why is everyone pressuring you so much anyway?

[ 42? The answer to everything? Give him the manga version of this story and he will read it, okay.

Noctis again looks at the board while trying to mentally plug in that answer and quickly finds himself giving up. This isn't his skillset; he's had constant tutoring to get him where he is, to stay at the top of the class. It's what's expected of him.

And so when he's asked that question he ends up bemused, smothering a quiet scoff. ]

Is that a joke? No one wants their future king to be second best, Shinobu. I guess I get it, anyway. [ Her name comes to him out of nowhere, a spark of vivid remembrance. ]

[Shinobu glances at the board as Noctis tries to work through the problem, trying once again to try to make any sense of it herself to no avail. Once it seems like he's done attempting to figure it out, though, Shinobu lets out a breathy sound of amusement.] I told you that shit's hard.

[At the bit of the bombshell he drops on her, though, Shinobu initially stares at him with a piercing look, trying to figure out if he was just making something up. However, from how derisive the response was, she was actually getting the feeling he might not be.]

You're actually not fucking with me, are you? [The name "Shinobu" makes her flinch a little, as that was her assassin name, but it might be okay if it's just this guy, right? If the other students hadn't have left already, it would be a far more serious problem that she herself would have had to deal with. However, before she could say something about there being no kings in the US, she also gets a bit of an epiphany.] You mean of this Lucis place?

[ He would love to be making this up, honestly. If this were a reality that stayed fully within this dream then he could duck a lot of responsibility that seems like it's trying to chase him even in Agoge.

He takes a moment to let sink in the fact that she's still disbelieving, trying to access a feeling of indignation at being doubted but really he's just confused. Everyone here knows who he is. Everyone always has, anyway. ]

Ah... of where else? That's where we are; am I supposed to be the heir to some other throne? Geeze... Maybe I should be getting you to a doctor or something instead. Are you feeling okay?

I'm a transfer student, give me a break!

[From a different world entirely, but since he's already accusing her of being nuts (more than usual, considering her actual profession) she's just trying to minimize the confusion for him.

In any case, even if she's trying to remain calm, Shinobu still feels her temper flare up a little more than usual – her younger self was pretty bad at that, unfortunately. The irritation is obvious on her face, but as she still tries to converse reasonably.]

Who cares about some math problem anyway? Assuming you're good at something else.

[She is genuinely trying to be helpful, but it might not come out that way.]

[ ... why ]

Hah? Of course I'm good at other things... Just it matters that I'm good at this too. You ever heard of a prince not being top of the class? [ He pauses, seeming to catch himself as he crosses his arms and leans against the window sill. Ah. Right. ]

Never mind, if you're a transfer student... I can just tell you that that's how things are. Getting shown up like that looks pretty bad for me. Not saying you can't know it, just... Well, whatever. It happened.

I don't know any other princes, so hell if I know. I highly doubt knowing the answer to every math problem in existence, though, is going to be much of a benefit to anyone.

[There's nothing even close to a prince in Santa Destroy, but not even royalty could save just how fucked up that town was anyway. The way Noctis explains his situation, though, he makes it seem like she caused more problems than she solved. However, she was never the type to outwardly apologize for her actions.]

That's stupid. If you're that concerned about it, show me up next time. Or just drop this class and sign up for something that's more relevant to you.

[Because look, she's going off of American school rules, okay.]

Don't worry, it's in my plans. I'm not gonna' be second to a transfer student. [ Even saying this he doesn't sound especially vicious; there's nothing vindictive about his tone. If anything it's put-on hubris mixed with a genuine competitiveness, squinting up at the ceiling as he crosses his arms. ]

But I can't really drop my math class, either. It's required... Did you think it was an elective or extracurricular? It's math. [ It's math, Shinobu. ]

Good, you've got some fight in you after all.

[Even if Shinobu was completely average at math and expected to get her ass handed to her in the subject regardless. Though weirdly, if this dream were to continue for a while, the challenge alone would almost be tempting to get her to try to learn more.]

I know that. I meant switch to an easier class, so you can focus more on subjects you're into. [Granted, Shinobu was pretty much at the average tier for most of her classes herself – she had to be when her focus was split between school and her profession.]

[ More on subjects he's into? ]

Maa... Maybe if they offered a few extra classes at the arcade. Or a couple in anime, or comics... Pretty sure I'd nail all of those. But it doesn't matter too much. [ And he raises his shoulders in a brief shrug, still avoiding any eye contact out of habit. ]

It's not like I'm the one that picks out my schedule.

Huh... [She passes a judging look over to him. It was true that she liked at least one anime series (to the point she had three charms of the three main characters of a magical girl show hanging from the scabbard of the katana at her hip), but it by no means defined her skill. Shinobu was trying to stick up for Noctis, but she was starting to lose her ground here.] Are you any good at fighting?

[Because for some reason, she got the feeling that having those sort of interests could somehow translate to a pretty damned good fighting ability. Wonder why...]

Who the hell picks your schedule? Tell them to fuck off and have a bit of freedom.

[ Somehow, he feels ill at ease. As if he's being mentally compared to a pizza-eating, wrestling-loving, chronic masturbator. He doesn't know why. Weird. ]

My advisors and my old man. Trust me, this is what I've gotta' stick to. [ However... ]

My fighting skills can't be beat. Now that I've mastered my magic too? Yeah, everyone else can keep dreaming but they're all fighting for second place.

[Shinobu was going to comment that he should really try to gain some more independence, but puts that on hold as he went on about his fighting skills. The part about magic doesn't even really faze her, as she was pretty sure there was an assassin higher ranked than her that was supposed to be a magician – the concept of dealing with magic wasn't entirely lost on her.]

Don't be too sure about that, just be glad you're not fighting me. [Which, from what he's saying, he didn't seem like the type to be interested in entering the ranks of assassins,] But there, tell your advisors that and tell them to chill out.

[ Fuck that magician and wiggling out of his traps tbh. ]

You... really don't get how royalty works, do you? [ But he likes that, honestly. He likes that there's someone who knows less about his duties and responsibilities in a world where people only view him as the sum total of those. Feels... good. ]

Sure, sure, I'll tell them to chill out. So you're pretty tough?

[A bit of a wry expression passes through her brows as she crosses her arms, as if some guy telling her he's basically a prince is not that big of a deal.] Not in the least. That's not really a thing, where I'm from.

[Smugness fills her face as Noctis moves on, though, moving her head a bit to the side to cover up the smirk that formed on her lips.] You've got no idea. Maybe it's not to your level, but I've also got big shoes to fill.

[Even though she still struggles with the fact that she's not sure if her father would actually approve of her career choice, but it was the only path she saw available that could fulfill her quest of vengeance.]

[ He thinks to ask about the political intricacies of a non-monarchy... and elects not to. That sounds like it would get complicated and/or boring quickly, and just because they're in a school building doesn't mean he wants to bring that on himself.

Especially when they could be talking about fighting instead. ]

Whose shoes are that big? Your dad's too? Or maybe like a fighting teacher... I've got a couple.

[He wouldn't have found out much from her anyway – Shinobu could not give less of a shit about politics when they seemingly had no reach in her lifestyle.

Fighting was by far the more interesting topic to her as well anyway.]

I only need one, my dad was the best mentor in the world, where I'm from. ["Was", she kind of accidentally let that slip, along with forgetting that the two of them were not from the same world, in that instant. A bit of melancholy crosses her smile, though she soon shifts it to something more serious.] And only I can come as close to understanding the blade like he could.

[Ah yes, the thing about her being younger in this dream is that she was also more melodramatic back then too. "Straight out of a samurai film", some might say.]

[ He doesn't miss her verb choice, attention snapping back to her a little awkwardly after it's gotten lost somewhere in an idle gaze out the window. "Was"... Yeah, that's tough. But why does it feel so much worse than it should, right now? There's a weird pressure in his chest that he can't define, brow furrowing. ]

Guess we have something in common. That sounds like my old man too... I still get stuck hearing stories about his "fighting days". [ Complete with lazy air quotes. ]

He sounds pretty cool. Your dad.

C

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