You can see the future, whoa. [ she runs a hand through her hair. ] I went on a jog this morning, and there's a room that simulates stuff. It's pretty cool, and I thought - you could show me your gauntlet runner?
[ a beat. ]
Just so - if it works out, I won't be totally clueless on the layout.
[ pfft. that sounds like a plan - a smile spreads on his face, and he nods. hours before getting decimated in the groupchat. there's a feeling in the back of his throat that's a little heavy, a little guilty, but he lets it be. ]
...Yeah? Sounds good to me. I've a 'mission' to show someone something from home, anyhow. Let me grab my coat.
[ turning to just that! and as he does, vi can see through the fabric of his shirt, his weekly effect tattoo - the phrase Failing them. in black ink.
and then his coat's on, and it disappears under halia gold and red, and he comes trotting back out, gesturing with his free hand. ]
[ she sees that - it makes her chest feel all crunchy and bad, honestly, and for a second, she thinks, maybe she should bring a bottle of booze with her. but. she shakes that off. deep breath. rolls her shoulders. ]
Works out, then. We can come back after and you can feed me.
[ teases, as she elbows him on his way back over to her. she's sort of trying to hide her tattoo, but it's glowing just as bad, and it's on her forearm. he'll see the LAST ONE STANDING pretty clearly.
Oh, I can, can I. [ teasing - easy as anything, because, yeah, of course he will, and he jostles her shoulder hard as he comes through the doorway, playful and light.
his eyes catch, when he looks down, on the tattoo. last one standing, huh. it's - he thinks about that little argument they had the other day, and for a moment, he's got that same, crunchybad awful feeling, like swallowing glass. guilty. who left her alone, remember?
... but. he'll pay her that same respect - he shakes his head, jostles her again, halfway down the hall, and off they go! ]
[ there's something so - it's just a normal morning, it's just a regular day, and there's so much bad and good around all of this, and she shouldn't get in her feelings about it. but he jostles her shoulder and it feels like the bar, it feels like dropping down on the couch next to mylo and shoving his face with her hand and laughing when he shoved back. it feels like draping over powder's shoulders as she worked, it feels like snapping claggor's goggles against his forehead playfully, it feels like taking ekko's hand and hoisting him up to the roof.
it's not affection week anymore but she sticks close. the tattoo on her arm fluctuates and shudders, flashes through a couple of words rapid fire, before settling back on what it was.
but they get to the sim room, and she holds the door open for him. ]
Think you can figure out how to use this room, grandpa?
it is nice. it kind of reminds strohl of hanging out with basilio, actually. the ease of contact is something nobility rarely affords, but it comes in shades here. the friendly close-knit nature of his team, even though they will roast him to hell in a few hours, is much the same. no titles or tribes, just camaraderie - just how he likes it, really, noble portents and all.
ducking into the room with his hands in his pockets, he looks around. what is this. what is happening. ]
his bloody hell gets her, too. idk how it works in here but she sort of just... pokes around, looking for a way to do it. she's not terrible with tech, even if they don't have phones and stuff at home. there's a certain amount of sci fi nonsense going on in arcane that she can figure out how to make the room work.
and once she has, she nudges him. ]
Just do this. And picture what you want, and it should appear?
Every day, I find something new here that Neuras'd lose his mind over...
[ strohl says, shaking his head - this technology stuff? fucking wild. but since vi figured it out, he follows instructions diligently, plays around with the controls in imitation... and after a moment, the scenery in the vr room begins to change!
instead of starting inside, the scenery changes to the green hills somewhere outside of martira - lush and bright, the sun shining overhead. pastoral, as opposed to the wastelands outside of grand trad. it's... nice, for strohl, to see home like this as it ought to be - the sky the right color, things, even if simulated, at peace.
of course for vi the most exciting thing is probably this massive thing. different than the image, she can see a pair of wings tucked to the side of the runner, neatly folded. mechanical wonders, and also probably fucking weird to see from your ye olde friend.
strohl gestures at it, sort of a halfhearted 'tada' motion. for him, the runner is old hat, though he peeks to see vi's reaction. ]
Royal gauntlet runner. [ then grins at her as he start to stride off towards the door. ] Coming?
[ oooough. pretty, she likes it here. she likes outside - she likes when the sky is clear and the air feels fresh and bracing, like she could drag in a whole lungful and not cough. for a second it looks like she's going to go climb a tree or something, and then she sees the runner itself, and like. holy shit! whoa!
strohl gets to see her light up a bit because it looks fucking weird. it reminds her a bit of home, even - the way everything in the undercity is just a little mutated. she's not one to get obsessed with tech like neuras - wrong sister for that - but she's intrigued, and she practically hops forward to follow him in. ]
Holy shit, it's huge. What makes it royal, the wings?
[ cute. it's nice, actually - he likes seeing vi in the context of home, though it's a here and there observation, not lingering long enough to feel as much crushing guilt (or at least not wanting to). that, and the outside's wonderful to him too. as usual, they are the same. ]
It's the prince's. Was even before we knew Will was who he was - we've always been fighting for his cause one way or another, so we were able to use it. The wings're the invention of the bloody madman who engineered the thing.
[ FOND but also neuras is a fucking weirdo. affectionate fond. ] We'll head up to the main floor, let you get your bearings, and then we can check the rest.
[ with that, he swings easily up the stairs and holds open the runner door - the weirdest thing about being here in the simulation is how quiet it is without the rest of the crew running around, but that's set aside for now.
up the ladder they go, to the main area! etc. there's a large table with a map pinned to it in the open space, and a long hallway with bunks, and a few rooms. strohl easily makes his way up and heads over to the table, leaning both hands on it. ]
The runner's sort of our home away from home. This floor's got a kitchen, a library sitting area, the water closet, and most importantly, the strategy room. [ tap taps the table. ] Up the ladder behind me takes you up to the cockpit. Up the ladder on the other side gets you on the deck, and the one at the end of the hallway goes down to the engine room.
she follows him up the ladder to the main area - looks around the hallway, the bunks, the various rooms. peers into the sitting area, pokes through the books, listening to strohl talk. it does feel homey. it feels lived in, is the thing, and she likes that.
when she comes back into the stategy room, she flops down in a seat and looks over the room. ]
It's bigger than I thought it was going to be, based on how you talked about it before.
[ ... ]
You travel on this thing a lot? [ GRINNING: ] Don't you get sick?
Ha ha. Brilliant observation. [ yeah he is usually dropped face first onto this table and dying when they're in motion but VI doesn't need to know that. yet.
... he's having feelings about seeing her hang out at the table - he comes up behind her to peer at the map over her shoulder. unbeknownst to him, an NPC heismay appears just behind his back, hanging upside thoughtfully off of one of the railings. ]
Maybe it just feels smaller to me when we're moving. [ considering, ]
[ the npc heismay says, you think yourself equal to a eugief's agility? with a twinkle in his eye - it makes strohl laugh, soft, a little surprised, instantly fond. ]
Must've been thinking about what was missing - that'd be Heismay. Friend of ours. Notorious bed thief. [ no ]
[ good to hear they have something similar, honestly. he doesn't seem to mind this - he's used to vi's affection, now, so it's easy to let her into his space, and... well when we go back...
as she says the name, the simulation flickers, in tune with strohl's thoughts. familiar figures appearing to mill about - in the order she says them, at first. basilio, tall paripus yawning and stretching, waving over his shoulder as he walks towards the kitchen. eupha, hands clasped together, looking at the map. a hulkenberg npc filters in, leaning against the wall, too, and the place feels warmer by the moment, more filled in, more lived.
he nods along, confirming, voice softer - and adds: ]
Junah. [ in filters a beautiful nidia, sitting on the table, chatting with eupha and idly kicking her legs. ] Neuras, too, though... I imagine if he's in this thing, he'll be up in the cockpit.
And... of course, His Highness and Gallica.
[ last but not least, next to hulkenberg - a short elda with pale blue hair appears, with a tiny fairy fluttering over his shoulder. like a family. like home. ]
[ she watches all these people fill in, and her heart clenches in her chest a little. makes her smile, even, though she doesn't quite realize she's doing it. vi leans forward a bit, looking over junah and eupha - glances back over her shoulder to see basilio making his way to the kitchen. for just a second, strohl might see people he doesn't recognize, too.
a little girl, tinkering with something on the floor nearby. two boys, chattering about something in npc tones.
well, he can put at least one of those together immediately - the tinkering little girl, one plus one makes two, and that must be vi's sister. the rest... unfamiliar faces, for the most part, but he watches them too, attention falling back on jinx.
he can't really help himself - reaching over as they come by, he pats her on the head, npc or otherwise, an easy little interaction for someone who is, in fact, really good with kids. like she belongs on this little runner, like she could. and it's then that he glances over and hears the bit about will. ]
Yeah. [ fond. ] He's a menace with that sword of his though, more than people'd be expecting. And far more than that with his archetypes, too.
[ fun fact - vi's eyes are near the same color as her sister's hair. faded, but the same tone.
the little girl glances up at him, grinning shyly, and then goes back to playing with her toy. a little - well. actually? he might recognize it. it's a toy monkey, like the one they'd found on the stage near vi's murder. huh! weird!
anyway! ]
That's right, he's got all that too. [ a beat. ] Think you can show me those, too? The archetypes? We could spar proper, that way.
[ oof. his hand lingers on her head when he sees that - the word on the back of his shoulder remains, unbeknownst to him, but his thoughts stay with it, too. failing them. failing halia, failing his people, every person on this gauntlet runner, failing vi, failing vi.
strohl shakes his head, and leans a little into vi's shoulder, taking in a breath to himself as he promises himself, promises himself with all of the fire he has remaining, that he has to do better.
the breath comes out, and he hears the question. ]
...Be glad to. I think there's one that'd probably work pretty well for you - Will was able to help someone utilise an archetype, even though they weren't familiar, once. I can't imagine you wouldn't. We can try up on the deck, if you like.
[ it's almost like she can hear what he's thinking. he's so entrenched in it, in protecting, and it's not like she can say anything because she is too. but he's so hard on himself, and the older sibling in vi makes it so that when he leans, she shifts up and one-arm hugs him. ]
Sure. Stop thinking so hard, though. You're stressing yourself out. [ she says, with a little half-grin. ] Let's go. Show me.
[ rrgh. shut up!!! because she's right but that's not the point. he sighs, claps her on the shoulder in a half-return of the hug (and a half thanks, too) and nods. ]
Right. Come on.
[ and up the ladder they go! the air out here is fresh and cool, the breeze from martira like the countryside. it's familiar, a fond memory - even being out here, picking up the archetypes, brings back shades of fighting with gideaux and, ugh, helping glodell. complicated feelings about that one.
but, well. ]
...Archetypes are heroic virtues. The idea is that you face your own anxiety, and harness that determination to utilise them. According to Will, everyone's got the potential to use one - it's just a matter of if they're brave enough to do so. Will's the one who helps us use more than one, but everyone's got one that's theirs. Engraved on their hearts, so to speak.
You saw mine before - Warrior. [ setting his hand to his heart. ] Though it's gotten stronger, since then.
[ she stays for just a bit more when he claps her on the shoulder - and then follows after him.
off they go! off to the deck, and vi takes a second to just stand and close her eyes and enjoy it. it feels nice. it feels... different. this is not what zaun is like at all, there's no fresh air like this, there's no miles of green, there's no clear skies. it's something she thinks she'd like to get used to. don't be too eager, she tells herself. but. it's hard not to be, sometimes.
strohl starts speaking, and vi glances over at him, hands in her jacket pocket as she listens to the explanation. evreybody's got one, he says. she does wonder what her own would be as he explains, head tilting just a bit to the side.
face your own anxiety, huh. ]
Bet it has. You said it's been a minute between these things. [ ... ] Show me?
[ with a grin - it's easy, brimming for a moment with anticipation, because - well, he misses it, when he doesn't have it. ]
[ face the anxiety. face the feeling of losing vi when he returne dfrom that train. face the feeling of danger. of not being able to be near them last thursday, of the approaching thursday night. of the future, of his highness, of basilio and heismay and eupha and junah awaiting, of louis and the horrors of what would happen in the face of failure. face the feeling of failure, take a deep breath, and - ]
Royal warrior! [ - forcefully, out of his mouth. from vi's point of view, she'll see the orange to his eyes, the streaks of light down his cheeks - she'll see that tattoo, failure abruptly reappear on his chest and flood bright orange, too. and then the armor clamps into place, lifting him up a few feet, massive sword in hand. eight feet tall and on top of the world.
his voice sounds a bit metallic from behind it when he speaks again, setting his sword on his back. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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he glance back, then up and down vi. ]
I've a feeling you're about to tell me I'm going to be. [ busy, that is. busy with vi!! ]
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a snort. ]
You can see the future, whoa. [ she runs a hand through her hair. ] I went on a jog this morning, and there's a room that simulates stuff. It's pretty cool, and I thought - you could show me your gauntlet runner?
[ a beat. ]
Just so - if it works out, I won't be totally clueless on the layout.
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...Yeah? Sounds good to me. I've a 'mission' to show someone something from home, anyhow. Let me grab my coat.
[ turning to just that! and as he does, vi can see through the fabric of his shirt, his weekly effect tattoo - the phrase Failing them. in black ink.
and then his coat's on, and it disappears under halia gold and red, and he comes trotting back out, gesturing with his free hand. ]
Lead the way.
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Works out, then. We can come back after and you can feed me.
[ teases, as she elbows him on his way back over to her. she's sort of trying to hide her tattoo, but it's glowing just as bad, and it's on her forearm. he'll see the LAST ONE STANDING pretty clearly.
... off they go! ]
Anyway, it's this way.
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his eyes catch, when he looks down, on the tattoo. last one standing, huh. it's - he thinks about that little argument they had the other day, and for a moment, he's got that same, crunchybad awful feeling, like swallowing glass. guilty. who left her alone, remember?
... but. he'll pay her that same respect - he shakes his head, jostles her again, halfway down the hall, and off they go! ]
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it's not affection week anymore but she sticks close. the tattoo on her arm fluctuates and shudders, flashes through a couple of words rapid fire, before settling back on what it was.
but they get to the sim room, and she holds the door open for him. ]
Think you can figure out how to use this room, grandpa?
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[ JOSTLES AGAIN
it is nice. it kind of reminds strohl of hanging out with basilio, actually. the ease of contact is something nobility rarely affords, but it comes in shades here. the friendly close-knit nature of his team, even though they will roast him to hell in a few hours, is much the same. no titles or tribes, just camaraderie - just how he likes it, really, noble portents and all.
ducking into the room with his hands in his pockets, he looks around. what is this. what is happening. ]
... [ muttering: ] Bloody hell.
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his bloody hell gets her, too. idk how it works in here but she sort of just... pokes around, looking for a way to do it. she's not terrible with tech, even if they don't have phones and stuff at home. there's a certain amount of sci fi nonsense going on in arcane that she can figure out how to make the room work.
and once she has, she nudges him. ]
Just do this. And picture what you want, and it should appear?
[ gestures. ]
no subject
[ strohl says, shaking his head - this technology stuff? fucking wild. but since vi figured it out, he follows instructions diligently, plays around with the controls in imitation... and after a moment, the scenery in the vr room begins to change!
instead of starting inside, the scenery changes to the green hills somewhere outside of martira - lush and bright, the sun shining overhead. pastoral, as opposed to the wastelands outside of grand trad. it's... nice, for strohl, to see home like this as it ought to be - the sky the right color, things, even if simulated, at peace.
of course for vi the most exciting thing is probably this massive thing. different than the image, she can see a pair of wings tucked to the side of the runner, neatly folded. mechanical wonders, and also probably fucking weird to see from your ye olde friend.
strohl gestures at it, sort of a halfhearted 'tada' motion. for him, the runner is old hat, though he peeks to see vi's reaction. ]
Royal gauntlet runner. [ then grins at her as he start to stride off towards the door. ] Coming?
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strohl gets to see her light up a bit because it looks fucking weird. it reminds her a bit of home, even - the way everything in the undercity is just a little mutated. she's not one to get obsessed with tech like neuras - wrong sister for that - but she's intrigued, and she practically hops forward to follow him in. ]
Holy shit, it's huge. What makes it royal, the wings?
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It's the prince's. Was even before we knew Will was who he was - we've always been fighting for his cause one way or another, so we were able to use it. The wings're the invention of the bloody madman who engineered the thing.
[ FOND but also neuras is a fucking weirdo. affectionate fond. ] We'll head up to the main floor, let you get your bearings, and then we can check the rest.
[ with that, he swings easily up the stairs and holds open the runner door - the weirdest thing about being here in the simulation is how quiet it is without the rest of the crew running around, but that's set aside for now.
up the ladder they go, to the main area! etc. there's a large table with a map pinned to it in the open space, and a long hallway with bunks, and a few rooms. strohl easily makes his way up and heads over to the table, leaning both hands on it. ]
The runner's sort of our home away from home. This floor's got a kitchen, a library sitting area, the water closet, and most importantly, the strategy room. [ tap taps the table. ] Up the ladder behind me takes you up to the cockpit. Up the ladder on the other side gets you on the deck, and the one at the end of the hallway goes down to the engine room.
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she follows him up the ladder to the main area - looks around the hallway, the bunks, the various rooms. peers into the sitting area, pokes through the books, listening to strohl talk. it does feel homey. it feels lived in, is the thing, and she likes that.
when she comes back into the stategy room, she flops down in a seat and looks over the room. ]
It's bigger than I thought it was going to be, based on how you talked about it before.
[ ... ]
You travel on this thing a lot? [ GRINNING: ] Don't you get sick?
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Ha ha. Brilliant observation. [ yeah he is usually dropped face first onto this table and dying when they're in motion but VI doesn't need to know that. yet.
... he's having feelings about seeing her hang out at the table - he comes up behind her to peer at the map over her shoulder. unbeknownst to him, an NPC heismay appears just behind his back, hanging upside thoughtfully off of one of the railings. ]
Maybe it just feels smaller to me when we're moving. [ considering, ]
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-- Whoa.
[ who the fuck is that, grabs at his arm and rattles him to make him look. ]
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Oh.
[ the npc heismay says, you think yourself equal to a eugief's agility? with a twinkle in his eye - it makes strohl laugh, soft, a little surprised, instantly fond. ]
Must've been thinking about what was missing - that'd be Heismay. Friend of ours. Notorious bed thief. [ no ]
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He reminds me of a vastaya. It's the ears. [ ... ] He'll be around, right? When we go back? It's... him, and Basilio, and Euphausia?
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[ good to hear they have something similar, honestly. he doesn't seem to mind this - he's used to vi's affection, now, so it's easy to let her into his space, and... well when we go back...
as she says the name, the simulation flickers, in tune with strohl's thoughts. familiar figures appearing to mill about - in the order she says them, at first. basilio, tall paripus yawning and stretching, waving over his shoulder as he walks towards the kitchen. eupha, hands clasped together, looking at the map. a hulkenberg npc filters in, leaning against the wall, too, and the place feels warmer by the moment, more filled in, more lived.
he nods along, confirming, voice softer - and adds: ]
Junah. [ in filters a beautiful nidia, sitting on the table, chatting with eupha and idly kicking her legs. ] Neuras, too, though... I imagine if he's in this thing, he'll be up in the cockpit.
And... of course, His Highness and Gallica.
[ last but not least, next to hulkenberg - a short elda with pale blue hair appears, with a tiny fairy fluttering over his shoulder. like a family. like home. ]
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a little girl, tinkering with something on the floor nearby. two boys, chattering about something in npc tones.
a woman, staring out the window.
vi... ignores them, and looks back at the elda boy. ]
Oh, that's him? [ ... ] Hah, he looks like he's never hurt anybody in his life.
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well, he can put at least one of those together immediately - the tinkering little girl, one plus one makes two, and that must be vi's sister. the rest... unfamiliar faces, for the most part, but he watches them too, attention falling back on jinx.
he can't really help himself - reaching over as they come by, he pats her on the head, npc or otherwise, an easy little interaction for someone who is, in fact, really good with kids. like she belongs on this little runner, like she could. and it's then that he glances over and hears the bit about will. ]
Yeah. [ fond. ] He's a menace with that sword of his though, more than people'd be expecting. And far more than that with his archetypes, too.
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the little girl glances up at him, grinning shyly, and then goes back to playing with her toy. a little - well. actually? he might recognize it. it's a toy monkey, like the one they'd found on the stage near vi's murder. huh! weird!
anyway! ]
That's right, he's got all that too. [ a beat. ] Think you can show me those, too? The archetypes? We could spar proper, that way.
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strohl shakes his head, and leans a little into vi's shoulder, taking in a breath to himself as he promises himself, promises himself with all of the fire he has remaining, that he has to do better.
the breath comes out, and he hears the question. ]
...Be glad to. I think there's one that'd probably work pretty well for you - Will was able to help someone utilise an archetype, even though they weren't familiar, once. I can't imagine you wouldn't. We can try up on the deck, if you like.
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Sure. Stop thinking so hard, though. You're stressing yourself out. [ she says, with a little half-grin. ] Let's go. Show me.
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[ rrgh. shut up!!! because she's right but that's not the point. he sighs, claps her on the shoulder in a half-return of the hug (and a half thanks, too) and nods. ]
Right. Come on.
[ and up the ladder they go! the air out here is fresh and cool, the breeze from martira like the countryside. it's familiar, a fond memory - even being out here, picking up the archetypes, brings back shades of fighting with gideaux and, ugh, helping glodell. complicated feelings about that one.
but, well. ]
...Archetypes are heroic virtues. The idea is that you face your own anxiety, and harness that determination to utilise them. According to Will, everyone's got the potential to use one - it's just a matter of if they're brave enough to do so. Will's the one who helps us use more than one, but everyone's got one that's theirs. Engraved on their hearts, so to speak.
You saw mine before - Warrior. [ setting his hand to his heart. ] Though it's gotten stronger, since then.
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off they go! off to the deck, and vi takes a second to just stand and close her eyes and enjoy it. it feels nice. it feels... different. this is not what zaun is like at all, there's no fresh air like this, there's no miles of green, there's no clear skies. it's something she thinks she'd like to get used to. don't be too eager, she tells herself. but. it's hard not to be, sometimes.
strohl starts speaking, and vi glances over at him, hands in her jacket pocket as she listens to the explanation. evreybody's got one, he says. she does wonder what her own would be as he explains, head tilting just a bit to the side.
face your own anxiety, huh. ]
Bet it has. You said it's been a minute between these things. [ ... ] Show me?
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[ with a grin - it's easy, brimming for a moment with anticipation, because - well, he misses it, when he doesn't have it. ]
[ face the anxiety. face the feeling of losing vi when he returne dfrom that train. face the feeling of danger. of not being able to be near them last thursday, of the approaching thursday night. of the future, of his highness, of basilio and heismay and eupha and junah awaiting, of louis and the horrors of what would happen in the face of failure. face the feeling of failure, take a deep breath, and - ]
Royal warrior! [ - forcefully, out of his mouth. from vi's point of view, she'll see the orange to his eyes, the streaks of light down his cheeks - she'll see that tattoo, failure abruptly reappear on his chest and flood bright orange, too. and then the armor clamps into place, lifting him up a few feet, massive sword in hand. eight feet tall and on top of the world.
his voice sounds a bit metallic from behind it when he speaks again, setting his sword on his back. ]
There you have it.
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