hadriel_logs | [CLOSED]

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Who: Ignis & Carlisle
What: A chance meeting~
Where: Spire two!
When: Feb 8th-ish
Warnings: None yet~

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[It's early morning, though just how early is hard to entirely ascertain with the peculiar cycles of dark and light on this planet. Ignis kisses Kate goodbye at her door, lingers there for several minutes more, then finally tears himself away to take the many staircases down to the ground level.

As he goes, he hums softly to himself, idly straightening his jacket and shirt along the way. He passes each floor mostly unhindered, until he passes the fourth, where he meets someone who is familiar only in face and name, yet entirely a stranger otherwise.]

Carlisle.

[He greets him - it would be rude not to. It wouldn't be the first time that they had passed one another in such a manner. First impressions had not been stellar, to be sure, but there was certainly no precedent for rudeness.

And besides, he had no wish to make any enemies of any of Kate's friends, even if she would vehemently deny her fondness for them.]

I trust you're well.

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[Carlisle stiffens as he hears his name, nearly dropping his keys, his process of locking the door to the apartment he shares with Glacius coming to a halt. He fumbles, metal clanking together in his fingers as he gives Ignis a polite nod.]

Well enough, thank you, um.

[Cisth, what did he say his name was. Carlisle had been a little preoccupied with the part where Kate was injured when he'd introduced himself as—]

Ignis.

[And then he continues to stand there awkwardly, unintentionally blocking the stairwell as he tries to think of how one is supposed to interact with a fellow he knows only as 'the man who is either courting Kate or hopes to court Kate, given his previous observation.']

... My apologies, I didn't intend to startle you.

[He'd carry on along his way if... Carlisle was not now unintentionally blocking the route. Ignis, however, is not possessed of the same level of awkwardness and smiles very slightly, clasping his hands loosely behind his back. Not ignorant of the way his overall attitude can unnerve people, he does try to tone it down.]

I had been meaning to get in contact with you, in fact. [Something he had thought of, on and off without particular urgency behind it, but now that he's here.]

I ordinarily endeavour to give far better first impressions than I did on our initial acquaintance.

I don't believe that Kate's injuries gave us much opportunity to exchange pleasantries.

[His eyes flick to and away from Ignis, landing on his arms as he crosses them. He's well aware that he didn't exactly give off the best impression either, and with how things have been going with Kate—]

Do you live here, or...?

Nor anything else about the scenario.

[Point conceded, he nods and then shakes his head, glancing over his shoulder to the way he came from. From Kate's injuries, to the fact they were being attacked by Null, and then the unfortunate(?) condition that they found Carlisle himself in.]

I live in spire three. [So, no. Not here. His expression softens - subtly and in a way he has all but no control over.]

I was visiting Kate.

Ah.

[As he suspected. His brow knits in some hint of discomfort Carlisle himself can't quite place.]

I do apologize for my shortness last time. As you said, the circumstances were not the best, and I have known Kate for some time.

[If that last bit is supposed to be an explanation, he doesn't yet elaborate.]

No harm done, as they say. She clearly had her reasons for wanting to come to you, and her faith was not misplaced.

[It's a long-winded way to give a compliment, but in this situation Ignis is as given to talk as he was not the first time they met. He drops his arms, then offers a hand to the other man.]

A second chance at a first impression doesn't come often, but I hope you'll grant me the opportunity. Ignis Scientia. A pleasure to make your acquaintance.

[If the gloves and the fact he looks as Ignis' hand as though it might bite him are any indication, Carlisle doesn't do handshakes. He puts up one hand apologetically, offering a polite bow instead.]

Carlisle Longinmouth. The pleasure is mine, certainly when derived from the fact that Kate has someone else watching out for her. There is only so much my abilities can do.

[Fair, and smoothly taken as he brings his hand to his chest and returns the preferred gesture in kind. Rather than folding his arms again he clasps his hands behind his back and smiles politely.]

I would dare say I'm quite heavily invested in her safety.

[Not that he intends to tell her that she can't run towards danger... because he'd be right there running beside her.]

Your own abilities were oddly familiar to me, though I doubt they would match what I took them to be at first.

And what did you take them to be, if I might ask?

[Because mistaking his skills for anything other than healing would be news to him.]

For a moment, they looked like--

[Here, Ignis sighs, because this is speaking of home and of people who are not present and people who, even though he had never met them, are felt by their absence.]

There is a young woman - Lunafreya Nox Fleuret. Her healing powers as Oracle look... remarkably like yours. [The young man smiles faintly. He holds the same fondness for Lunafreya that many in Eos do, though his reasons slightly differ.]

It was the first time I had seen something that reminded me so sharply of home.

I see.

[Carlisle knows that look; despite his troubles at home, he's felt a longing for it so many times.]

Is healing common where you are from? Or magic?

It exists, but not commonly. The magic wielded by humans in Eos is bound solely to the Oracle, and to the royal line of Lucis, which I serve.

[He doesn't mind explaining this, though he could think of more charming locales in which to do it.]

Through that service I am permitted the use of the king's magic, to a small extent, for combat and defence. The Oracle alone is blessed by the Gods with the ability to heal.

[As Ignis talks, Carlisle's brow furrows, his eyes flickering with hints of recognition over certain terms. Eos? Lucis? Where has he heard those terms before?]

Is Eos a goddess of some sort, by any chance?

The planet. Though... some might revere it as a deity in its own right.

[In the same way some might revere the Crystal as such. It would be slightly misguided, but all power comes from somewhere, and the Astrals did not supply it all personally.]

Our ancient lore often refers to it as 'the star'.

Ah. There was a fellow here once who, um.

[Carlisle's train of thought gets diverted as he shifts with his usual nervous discomfort, only to realize he is blocking the stairs.]

Oh! Oh, I'm- I'm sorry, lad. I didn't mean to block your way, if you were, um. Headed out.

Edited 2018-02-14 07:23 (UTC)

I was, though in no great hurry. As a matter of fact I was more concerned that I might be keeping you from getting home.

[While polite, he is not so retiring as to not say anything when someone is standing in his way. And besides, he's more than relaxed enough to not mind in the slightest either way at the moment.]

I'd been somewhat looking forward to having the opportunity to speak with you.

No no, I was- I was headed out, actually. To my garden.

[His garden, that place he goes when he wants to think, that locale where he hangs out by himself that is nowhere near the orchard because he wouldn't dare mix his plants with those filthy ones from a false deity; that garden. Carlisle is also polite, perhaps too much when someone deliberately wants to speak to him. He assumes this must be about Kate, as people don't generally want to talk to him unless it's about someone else, or healing.

He clears his throat and turns to head down the stairs, his hand keeping his satchel close as he tucks away his keys.]

As I was saying, there was a king fellow who came through here once who said he was from an Eos. I thought they might be one and the same. The Door does that occasionally, drawing in people from the same world.

[And that's something he hopes never happens to him.]

[Easily falling into step with Carlisle, he doesn't miss a beat when the king is mentioned.]

Regis.

[The name comes out softly, with a hint of undeniable reverence. Regis had been there when he arrived, though not for much longer afterwards, but it had been an amazing opportunity to have conversations with the man that he had not had the chance to before he died.

He only wished they could have had more time, even if it wasn't outside of the realms of possibility that he'd show up again.]

King Regis Lucis Caelum, one hundred and thirteenth king of Lucis. If that was the title he carried, it was indeed one and the same man that I served under.

Right, that was his name.

[Carlisle remembers that it was lengthy, followed by an array of titles, and that he'd called him Mister before knowing his status. It is, in retrospect, a bit embarrassing.]

He had me heal a nasty magical wound for him.

Edited 2018-02-14 08:21 (UTC)

[While there are many ways that a magical wound might have been sustained while in Hadriel, Ignis doesn't immediately dismiss it out of hand.]

One he sustained before he arrived?

[The invasion of Insomnia is still fresh, and... perhaps it had happened before he perished.]

That's right. Something about a Crystal, how it aged him, and would have eventually killed him outright.

[The details of all Regis told him get a little hazy beyond that, as he was trying to focus on actually cleansing the wound. Carlisle had a lot on his mind then; he still has a lot on his mind.]

Such artifacts can leave residual magic within the body when used, and much like a physical wound, it festers.

It was a sacrifice he made to protect the crown city.

[Regis had sacrificed much to protect Insomnia, as the last bastion of a Lucis free of the Niflheim Empire. Some might have said too much, but Ignis had always understood as much as one not directly performing the act could.

Ignis falls silent for a moment, a small frown knitted between his eyebrows, then seems to dismiss whatever was troubling him with a small shake of his head.]

... Thank you for helping him, Carlisle.

[Though he has his eyes off Ignis as they descend the spire, Carlisle hears that quiet shift in the other man's voice. He recalls what the old king told him -- of his sacrifice, of his death, and of those he left behind, his son included. His own voice softens, but remains impassive.]

It was my honor and duty in the service of the Clarity to help him. Think nothing of it.

[Ignis wonders just how many similarities he might be able to draw between himself and this man, should they continue to converse. 'Honour and duty' sounds so much like something that could easily come out of his own mouth that it almost gives him pause.]

I have spent my entire life in service to the royal family. [He replies, not quite so impassive, but certainly with a hint of pride.] It would be difficult for me to think nothing of choosing to ease King Regis' pain, when you had no obligation to do so.

[What lingering poor impression he might have had of Carlisle is being quite handily wiped clear, just as he hoped it would be by managing to talk to the man outside of an active combat situation.]

I'm glad he could pass his time here in relative comfort. He... deserved that.

[~~He'll ruin that impression again eventually, Ignis. Just give him time.~~

Though a hair surprised Ignis is some sort of a servant -- he would be familiar with the king then, now wouldn't he? -- Carlisle says nothing of it for the moment.]

He struck me as a man with many regrets.

[Said as someone who can empathize, even if he'd rather not.]

We all have our regrets, don't we.

[Spoken softly, as if he didn't intend to say it out loud. Ignis would never seek to compare his life to that of Regis - he wouldn't do the man the disrespect of that - but even at so young an age he keenly understands regret.

Quickly, he shakes it off, bringing himself swiftly out of his own thoughts and back to the conversation at hand.]

I think he was, though he would need to be hard-pressed to admit it. He was a wise and just king, but the pressures of duty took much from him.

[More than his life, but his relationship with his son. Something far more precious to Regis, though Noctis had not realised it until it was too late.]

Did he tell you that he was only fifty years old?

He told me the magic had aged him. I could tell that much from my examination.

[He feels some of that himself, the initial signs of fatigue showing as they reach the bottom of the spiral. Carlisle steps aside so that Ignis can pass him, using the moment to cycle a breath through his lungs. His own curse might not age him outwardly, but it has undoubtedly taken a toll on his health throughout the years, even more so during his stay in Hadriel. The machinations of the gods have not been kind.]

[He takes the opportunity to step neatly around the man as they leave the spire. A soft breath is taken himself, too, though for an entirely different reason. Ignis finds he thinks of home little, in an active sense, and yet it's always on his mind in the background of his thoughts, like a soft hum of white noise over everything else.]

It did, and more pressingly so as the years passed. [As the offences and assaults from the Empire grew more frequent.] Magic takes its toll on all who make use of it.

[Within moments of stepping outside, he can feel the heat pressing down on him. The city moves, and he wonders how long they will remain here.

A quick glance catches those small signs of weariness in his companion, and he holds the door open to let him pass through after him.]

Are you alright?

[Carlisle's eyes flick to Ignis, and he offers the man a placating smile.]

I'm fine, thank you. Stairs, aheh.

[Not that that's much of an explanation, but he doesn't offer anything else as he steps outside. Despite the generally oppressive heat, he's dressed in his full layers: undershirt, jacket, tabard, full-length gloves (well, one glove, and one glove where the forearm portion has been replaced with a bandage), pants, leather boots. Despite his daily walks to his garden, the suns don't seem to have colored his skin even the slightest. A keen observer might realize there is likely more at play than his simply being cold-natured or an inside-person.]

You said you were permitted to use the king's magic. Does its use wear upon you? Or have you no access to such abilities in this place?

[Given time, the small observations that Ignis is already making about Carlisle's behaviours and habits will begin to coalesce into theories, but for now, he makes no outward signs of any assumptions. There are many reasons one might choose to dress like that even in this kind of heat, and if Ignis could stand it, he certainly wouldn't be as lightly dressed as he is.

It had taken some time to get used to wearing white shirts, after spending so long in black, but you'd still never catch him dead in shorts.]

I am a part of the Crownsguard - the royal guard of Lucis - and also personal advisor to King Regis' son, Noctis. The Kingsglaive - elite soldiers - have access to the king's power through their fealty to him, and my own, more limited abilities stem from my oath to the prince. [It's a rush of information, but an important distinction to make.]

Until recently I had, as you say, no access to that magic. But Noctis recently arrived here, and that has changed. [There's an undeniable warmth in his voice as he says Noctis' name.] Regis' aging was caused by maintaining the protective Wall around the crown city. I have no such burden upon me.

[Carlisle listens, his pace toward his garden moderate despite the heat. Noctis, right. The son Regis regretted leaving behind; the one who would inevitably bear the burden of his own lineage. That's a weight Carlisle knows too well.]

I see. Magic is passed only through the blood of royalty, then? And this, ah. Oracle person? What about those who are not the heir to the throne?

If they happen to be part of the Kingsglaive, they will be granted use of magic through their oath.

[Ignis keeps pace without complaint. It isn't too difficult, when conditions far more adversarial have been traversed through with a much quicker step before now.]

The magic used by Lucis' royal line, and the Oracle, are rooted in blessings from the Astrals. Our Gods. These blessings date back to the time of the first kings of Lucis.

Ah. Your king mentioned that.

[Or something along those lines. He idly wonders what would happen if one were to marry out of the royal family, perhaps into one from another kingdom. Or what if they were disowned? Would they simply lose their magic? What a strange world.]

Do you like magic, Ignis? Or did you find it to be a detriment to be without it?

I find it has its uses, and my life would certainly not have been what it was were it not for the protection it offered to Insomnia.

[But he frowns, just slightly, giving the smallest shake of his head.] But... I have seen the cost of it. What it did to King Regis, and-- [A sigh.] What it will do, to Noctis, and to me.

[It seems like an easy question to answer. Is life easier with access to magic, however small that access might be? Yes, or no, but the answer just isn't that simple.]

My ability to use it is limited to enchanted weaponry. Personally, I have managed well enough without it. Overall... I have often wondered if it causes more problems than it can solve.

[Enchantments, like Kate. Hm.]

How so? Aside from the cost it drains from the users of your world, obviously.

[As if that wasn't enough. Forgive him, Ignis -- his world has a plethora of magic, and he can't imagine his own life without it.]

[As if that wasn't enough, indeed. Ignis is used to magic being held by only two or three people in the world, and has seen first-hand the grief it can cause to those who care for those people.]

That, and what that cost means. To watch someone that you care for slowly destroyed by the use of something that they have never had any choice in wielding. [And Ignis knows he has been privelaged in that position. Not many people would get to know the king personally.]

And then there is the Niflheim Empire's twisted use of it. Magitek.

[Carlisle paws idly at his chest at Ignis' words. To be destroyed by something they never had any choice in wielding. They resonate in his head, a near perfect description for himself.

Kate now knows, but he wonders just how secretive she will be with such information. Better her than Faith.]

I can already tell I would not like this 'Magitek' from the word alone, if it is what the name implies.

[Carlisle's voice is flat, resigned. Mingling practices he adores with something he abhors is a recipe for disaster if you ask him.]

[No doubt Ignis' disgust of the concept is clear simply by his tone when he speaks the word. It isn't his knowledge of the practice that drives that distaste, as much as the way it has been used against his country and his king for as long as he can remember.]

Centuries ago, magiteknology was used by a now lost, but formerly powerful and advanced civilisation. Through research into that, and in the pursuit of recreating the 'glory' of Solheim, the Empire discovered a way to weaponise the daemons that plague Eos thanks to the scourge infecting our planet.

[There is a tightness in his voice as he goes on, as much as he tries to keep it objective for the sake of Carlisle's curiosity.] They use them in their armies. It took only two years for their most powerful developments in infantry to overcome Lucis entirely.

[Yep, the godforsaken union of magic and technology. That is exactly what Carlisle figured it was, and he's just as disgusted by the concept as he anticipated he'd be. His nose wrinkles as he mentally takes note of more terms, some familiar due to his chat with Regis, others as foreign as a world with very little magic.]

I'll be honest, lad. Your world sounds just awful.

[The candor is enough to break any tension that might have built and Ignis chuckles, a small smile breaking into his previously stony expression.]

I have only told you the worst of it, I'm afraid. Eos has many redeeming qualities, but the realities of war and the Starscourge shouldn't be ignored.

[There is so much good he could speak of, too, but Carlisle asked about magic, and sadly, magic is the cause of much of the planet's suffering.]

It is unfortunate that many worlds can be judged upon their worst qualities, even my own. This place has, albeit unintentionally, given me some perspective regarding my home, and how much worse it could be.

[And that is saying something, given his status in relation to his own world and his peculiar condition. He'd rather be ostracized and with magic than without it, though. He's damned even if he doesn't use it.]

But it has also revealed how it could be better, and what I have never known I was missing, for better and for worse.

Edited 2018-02-15 10:27 (UTC)

[There's a thoughtfully wistful edge to Ignis' expression. 'What I have never known I was missing' is a phrase that can be applied to a great deal of things that the young man has been able to do since his arrival in this place.]

Hadriel does grant a level of removal from our usual lives that gives an entirely new perspective not offered by simply moving elsewhere in our own worlds, I agree. [It's given Ignis a great deal to think about, especially in the last few weeks.]

And insight into others that we would have ordinarily remained unaware of. Even the worse qualities of those places could offer a valuable frame of reference.

Indeed.

[Carlisle sighs, falling silent as he gets mired in his own thoughts, still walking toward his garden -- it hasn't yet crossed his mind to question where Ignis is headed.]

[Ignis is content enough with silence. There's no need to push for conversation where it is neither needed or wanted, and he walks quietly by Carlisle's side until they reach a point where their paths diverge.]

I'll see you again.

[Not so much a promise as a statement of certainty. In a place like this, they're bound to see each other again.]

It's been good talking with you.

Of course.

[Much as he did in greeting, Carlisle gives a polite bow before heading on his way.]

Until next we meet.

[Hopefully not in the stairwell again. He doesn't want to think of why Ignis would be there multiple times. He really doesn't.]

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