and the hope of morning

[founderinglight]

Who: Izunia and you! And a kitty. (First prompt closed to Ardyn)
What: TWIN FIGHT TWIN FIGHT and general catchall. And a kitty.
When: Twinfight: Morning of Tues the 1st. Everything else, whenever whenever after that.
Where: The beach; around the Station
Warnings: All the hecking warnings on the twinfight.

Closed to Ardyn

[It takes some time to find his brother; as a result, people might see Izunia doing the "think murder and walk" thing for a half an hour or so around the Station before he concludes that Ardyn isn't there and heads elsewhere. Those with a careful eye will notice more than just his stance being different; he's clean-shaven and decked out in full black coat and boots, including a black tricorn hat with an impressive plume and a bird skull of some sort attached to it. If the growing heat of the mid-to-late morning bothers him, it's hard to tell.

Those who are more used to the casually-dressed, laid-back man usually seen around the Station could well be surprised to see this side of him. Today, the Founder King walks.

And so it is eventually out of the Station that he roams, and there spots the figure down on the beach from the cliffside. A thrown dagger hits the sand, leaving behind it the blue trail of a very long warp, and Izunia plucks it from the sand before crossing the last few yards to his brother.]

Ardyn. If you have some time, might I have a word?

[menacing]

May 2-4, aka the Heat Wave, around the Station

[Come the heat wave itself, however, Izunia is dressed at least a little more practically for the weather, though still in teeshirts and black pants. He can be found in all his usual places - the low-numbers kitchen, the deck, and the library - during the day, as well as sitting in the Annex underlevel on a blanket to enjoy the breeze in the cooler underground cavern. He's not completely immune to heat, only mostly.

Those who hang around the outside of the station at night, when things have cooled off a little more, will find him either on the deck still or out on the sand behind the stables, working with some sort of light magic as he turns it into different colors from his usual blue, and, eventually, into the shapes of letters and simple symbols. It seems like he's having quite a bit of fun, at least.]

Also May 2-4, also around the Station but more common room/kitchens/his room

[What's that sound? What's that flash in the corner of your eye?

It's a cat - the size of a full grown feline already, though her proportions mark her as not yet an adult - with a dark blue collar and a ringing bell.

And she is having the zoomies around the residential floor after escaping her dad's room. Nyoom, off she goes!

Or perhaps you're sitting in the kitchens or the common room when she finally wears herself out a bit, and you've been approached for Pettings, Please. Or perhaps you have food. Or perhaps your shoelaces have just become her new toy in place of randomly zooming around.

However it is you encounter this fluffy little monster, you can be sure that Izunia is not too far behind, led by the sound of her bell.]

May 5th, Night

[Once the heat wave breaks, it's finally time to make use of one of the Station's new features. With all the windows open to the breeze and the sound of the storm, Izunia is sprawled out in the hot tub in a pair of black trunks and nothing else. The way his head is tipped back, it's easy to mistake him for asleep, but the sound of someone else arriving makes him glance in the direction of the door. It's still fairly easy to tell him apart from Ardyn, though, if you know what to look for - blue eyes, still clean-shaven, and a black tattoo on his chest, the majority of it blurred by the bubbling water except for the two crows flying highest in the direction of his neck.]

Evening.

Comments

[photoshooter]

[He throws the dirtied napkins away in silence.]

There were a lot of things my parents didn't do, that maybe they should have.

But they did keep me safe. They kept me safe until there wasn't anywhere safe left for anyone to be, and I understand enough now to know that couldn't have been easy.

[He holds his own elbows tightly, blinking down at the floor like the tiles will resolve into the right answer.]

I don't feel that way here.

[founderinglight]

Yes, well, giving you somewhere to live other than the wilderness is one of the few things I can commend them for.

[He's sorry about a lot. But he's not especially sorry about that. And if Prompto is being passive aggressive about it then he will be too.]

[photoshooter]

You--

[Prompto whirls to face him, fists balled, teeth gritted, but manages to hold most of himself in check. He bites his tongue for a second; as hard as he tries to keep it low and level, his voice still wobbles a little.]

You're doing it again. You're deciding for me, what's best for me without hearing the thing I'm actually trying to tell you.

[founderinglight]

I hear you fine, Prompto. I know you're terrified of Ardyn.

But I am just as terrified, myself, at the thought of something happening to you out in those woods because you ran off alone where no one could get to you in time to help you.

[photoshooter]

Who said anything about living in the woods? The beach is just fine, I run there every day--and, and that isn't even the point!

You don't get to make that decision for me. Especially--especially not the way you did.

[founderinglight]

[A pause, and then a sigh.]

You're right. I was scared and used any weapon at hand to try and quell my own fears.

[photoshooter]

...Right. Well. ...And you wonder why you keep hurting me.

[What else can he expect, pulling 'weapons' on a guy?]

You made me feel unsafe. Here, where I've been living. Every time I leave my room I have to ask myself, am I prepared to deal with the possibility of running into the person who--who tortured me, because it was fun, because he could use my, my--me, and how hurt I was, and wh-where I came from to hurt Noct--

[He has to break off to gulp down air. Not even the presence of two sweet baby animals can soothe him now.]

You used Noct. As your weapon. To make me stay here, like I'm trapped in that cell all over again, on. On that cross. That's how you made--how you make me feel.

[founderinglight]

[...He doesn't say anything. Because it's not wrong, not at all. Even if he was coming at it from trying to help.

But he does nod, an acknowledgement. Because he's listening, and he wants to fix it, but that also means letting Prompto get it all out before he can even try.]

[photoshooter]

[It takes Prompto a couple beats to realize Izunia isn't going to say anything. He looks up, startled, and then wraps his arms around himself again, rocking on his heels, trying to figure out what he wants to say next since he didn't think this far.]

I didn't ask for any of this. You keep telling me what I deserve, what I should have had, but you never... not even once asked me if I want any of it. You act like you know all these things about me, but to me, you came out of nowhere two months ago to start making decisions about where I should be and what I should know...

[What the hell made Izunia think telling Prompto Noct was going to die was a good idea five minutes after they met? Five minutes after Prompto tried to shoot Izunia right in the face because he thought he was Ardyn?]

I get that you're a good person trying to do good things. But I told you really clearly that I wasn't okay with being here, that I'm not okay with being here, that I couldn't... You agreed with me. That I couldn't trust you when it comes to him. And I can't trust you when it comes to me, now, either, or Noct, or Iggy, because you'll do whatever you want to us if you think it's "for" us. And you won't ask. And if we say no, you won't care, you'll find a way to do it anyway.

[founderinglight]

...I'm not going to tell you you're wrong or try to justify it.

[There are a lot of things he could say, but sometimes being an adult and caring about someone means taking your lumps.]

All I can do is try to do better.

[photoshooter]

Meaning what?

[Because "better" could be a lot of different things to different people.]

[founderinglight]

Listening more. Beyond that... Don't know yet. I need more time to think about it.

[He's not making any promises, yet. Not until he gets shit figured out.

Verity bonks her face into his. Hey, where's the petting, sad man?]

[photoshooter]

...I really don't want you making decisions for me anymore, either. Even if you are the Founder King. That wasn't okay on so many levels.

[founderinglight]

I know. Consider yourself to have full permission to hit me if I start again.

[photoshooter]

Ugh, why is that your answer to things? When I told you I didn't want to stay around the station you were all, "Oh, if he does anything to hurt you, I promise I'll kill him myself." Like, dude. I don't want to hurt you or anyone.

[founderinglight]

...Because I have a vengeful streak a mile wide and no better coping mechanisms?

[Self-deprecating but honest???]

Slightly less tangled in my emotional problems, I respond very strongly to physical sensations in general. It's not a matter of hurting me, I'm not concerned about that, I don't think you ever would. It's... trusting you to interrupt my thought patterns when they start to go that way. I'd rather take a smack or two than hurt you any more.

[Izunia.exe is having an error, smack it until it works again.]

[photoshooter]

--Is that why you keep throwing pens at my head?!

[founderinglight]

...Maybe.

[photoshooter]

Stop, it's annoying! It doesn't make me think, oh, bad thoughts, it makes me think why the hell is Izunia throwing stuff at my head!

[founderinglight]

Okay, point taken.

[But if it interrupts the bad thoughts, isn't it working?]

[photoshooter]

[Huff! ...Yes. But huff, anyway!]

So can't I nudge you instead? Kick you gently in the ankle or something? Hitting people is--I just don't do that.

[founderinglight]

Oh, no, that's fine. I didn't mean... Anything's fine.

[Communication lets be good at it.]

[photoshooter]

Then, okay. Poke you when you start doing the thing and I need you to back off. I think I can do that.

[Yaaaaay communication.]

[founderinglight]

[Thumbs up. Good talk.]

Keep an eye on this one for a moment, would you? I think that chili is about done simmering.

[photoshooter]

[And that perks him right up.]

Don't have to tell me twice.

[Kitty! Kitty. Prompto comes back to the table and kneels at it again instead of using a chair, because when Sunshine hops along after him, he lets her have the chair.]

Hey again, little lady...! [ฅ(≚ᄌ≚) ฅ(≚ᄌ≚) ฅ(≚ᄌ≚)]