warpspammer | INBOX (noctiumrp)

[And then, following a short timeskip but in the same continuity as this thread...]

All right. Let's see this so-called "entering without breaking" magic trick of yours.

[A little dinner and unwinding looks good on Edgeworth; once they'd eventually untangled from each other, he'd gone to grab a quick shower and a change of clothes while Nyx (with Pess's devoted supervision, of course) dealt with getting food on the table for the both of them. As the hot water beats down on his work-sore muscles, he tries not to dwell on notions of just how...nice it feels, knowing there's another person adding some life to his house, clunking around through his pristine perfect magazine-ad rooms, cluttering up his kitchen like a kitchen is supposed to be cluttered instead of leaving it orderly and untouched like Edgeworth usually does.

It's weirdly comforting. It's not as though he's ever really been one for constant companionship or extroverted behavior, but it's a little surprising just how easily he's taken to it, lately.

And so, time passes uneventfully. Dinner is eaten, dishes are done, some water may or may not be thrown at each other in the process of cleaning up. He catches himself laughing more than once. It's soothing, and eerily fun.

And now, with the dishes put away and a pleasant warmth settling into their stomachs after a satisfying meal, he's ready to entertain whatever nonsense it is that brought Nyx into his house (past his locks) to begin with.]

Do I have to do anything special to assist? Pick a card, check up your sleeves to ensure they're empty?

[ Nyx is glad, to help Miles unwind even a little bit. He'd been happy to reheat the food he'd brought over - enough for two servings, which were now a shared meal - while Pess followed him around. She may have been given a bit of the roast as a treat, after Nyx had put her through a few commands.

He'd have been happy to clean up on his own, but Miles insisted on helping, and that had been enjoyable, working around each other. Another set of steps to learn, and Nyx enjoying the dance in figuring it out.

Now Miles was asking about his 'magic trick' - which got Nyx rolling his eyes, but there wasn't an ounce of annoyance in it. Instead, he reached out to pick up a butter knife - the weight of which would be more familiar in his hand. ]

Nope, just need to borrow this. What you can do, though, is check to see if your bathroom window is still cracked open.

[ Miles had showered, after all, so it might be closed. Nyx gives him a wink as he heads out the front door. ]

A butter knife. And — the bathroom window?

[It's bizarre, but by now his curiosity has gotten the better of him; ludicrous or not, he's got to know how all this plays out. He'll drive himself up a wall with wondering, otherwise.

But Nyx is out the door before there's really time for those questions to be anything but rhetorical, so he merely casts a skeptical look at Pess — who looks right back at him, entirely unsympathetic to his plight, and wags her tail in cheerful oblivion — before heading to the bathroom as directed to check the window.

Still open a crack to let out the steam, yes. The last thing he wants is for damp walls to encourage peeling paint or worse. And he assumes Nyx will be somewhere outside the window and within earshot by now, so he ventures uncertainly: ]

Still open, yes.

[ Nyx knows he's not giving Miles much of a chance to ask about what he's about to do - but in this case, showing is better than telling.

He hears Miles confirm that the window's open a little. ]

All right. Don't stand in the middle of the bathroom!

[ He gives Miles a moment to readjust, and then, with practiced ease, he flings the knife like one of his kukri's - but far less able to damage anything within if he missed, and then lets the item pull him into a warp.

From Miles's perspective, the butter knife comes sailing through the crack in the window, tumbling, and then there's a bright flash of light, a loud crack and a smell adjacent to smoke - and then Nyx is standing in the middle of the bathroom, flecks of what look like fire and ash falling away from his body and disintegrating as well, leaving no trace of the action.

Nyx absolutely has a shit eating grin on his face, still holding the butter knife in his hand. The scars on the side of his face also appear to glow, just for a faint second before they fade back to normal entirely. ]

See? No breaking.

Edited 2021-11-21 06:17 (UTC)

[At this point, it seems fairly obvious that Nyx is going to somehow use the butter knife to enact some sort of clever means at getting the window open that doesn't technically constitute "breaking" but still allows for the "entering", and play on a technicality written into the letter of the law instead of adhering to the spirit of it. And being a lawyer, Miles can certainly admit to some grudging appreciation for that, but still that doesn't mean he's technJESUS CHRIST THAT'S A TELEPORTING MAN.

WHAT.

WHAT.

oh lordy he's gonna have to work triple overtime trying to figure out how to continue denying the existence of magic in the face of something like this]

You —

[also he's going to need a moment because he probably was not supposed to find that incredibly hot and yet here he is

Before he quite knows what he's doing, he steps forward a bit, hand coming up to lightly press against Nyx's cheek, testing like he's not altogether convinced there's a real physical man standing in front of him.]

...No breaking. Just entering.

[...]

You...used the knife? Threw it and somehow carried...yourself...to wherever it landed?

[ The touch to his cheek surprises him; he's not sure if Miles is touching the scars out of worry or to reassure himself Nyx is actually here. Either way, he leans into it, smug smile sliding into something more indulgent.

Then again, Miles looks like he just told him gravity wasn't real, so. ]

That's the basic idea of it. Though the first time I didn't use a butter knife, I used one of mine.

[ Nyx sets the knife down, then holds his hand out. There's a smaller flash of light, and one of his kukris is in his hand, held apart so there's no chance of them startling each other into it. He dismisses it again after a moment with a similar flash of light. ]

It's one of the King's powers - he called it warping. Using your weapon to travel across a space quickly.

Edited 2021-11-23 04:18 (UTC)

...Ah. Magic powers.

[He looks a little uncomfortable, but not with the veracity of what he's just seen; rather it's the look of someone struggling with the cognitive dissonance of trying to reconcile an ironclad belief with irrefutable proof offered up to him, courtesy of his very own eyes.

He swallows hard, then seems to fumble with what to do with his hands, first crossing them before letting one hang at his side while the other holds on to his elbow.]

Show me again. The dagger you just had. Can...can you do it more slowly?

I can throw a fireball, if that'll help you feel more traditional about it. Though I didn't believe in this stuff either until I met the King.

[ He knows Miles comes from a world where magic isn't as real as it is for Nyx now. He lets Miles sort himself out, doesn't press him until he asks to see the dagger again. ]

I can't really make it arrive slower, but.

[ More comfortable that Miles is expecting it, he holds up his hand, curled like it's already holding the dagger. Once he's sure Miles is watching, he summons it into his hand, and doesn't dismiss it. ]

Nothing magical about these; just your standard Galahdian kukri.

[He nods slowly, and makes himself watch. He can almost pretend it's simple sleight-of-hand, especially given the flash of light and other fanfare that any stage magician would properly use to misdirect from the workings of the illusion, except that there is no illusion, because it's just — magic.

He exhales slowly.]

I suppose it goes without saying that I don't...have a particularly positive relationship with the notion of magic. It must sound ridiculous, living in a place like this for as long as I have. I know the plants wilt when I isolate myself and they flourish when you...kiss me...and. To say nothing of the things I've...turned into, but...

[He pauses. Reaches for the kukri, carefully, and runs his fingers along the handle in a similar gesture to the way he'd touched Nyx's face.]

It was always just easier to categorically deny it. But the truth is, there's one instance of magic that I needed to convince myself wasn't true. And the easiest way to do that was simply to...reject the whole idea of it, outright.

[He presses his lips together.]

But this is important to you. Part of you. Meaningful to you and your king. So I refuse to deny it. I won't deny this...thing of significance to you.

[ Nyx is careful as he listens to Miles. He doesn't try to interrupt him to ask questions; by this point he knows that Miles needs to get all the words out in order to explain the situation.

There's still a lot they don't know about each other, as much as there is a lot they do know. And if there's one thing Nyx can understand, it's denying the existence of a thing in order to cope with something.

He waits until Miles has finished before he dismisses the knife, the weight of the handle vanishing from under Miles's fingers. In its place, Nyx gently pushes his hand up so they're palm to palm. ]

I get it. Maybe not your exact thing, no, but I understand that... when a thing isn't true, it's easier to live with.

[ He takes a deep breath, lets his forehead dip down to rest against Miles's, since he's so close. ]

It isn't a part of me, is the thing. It's something the King gave me originally, and this isn't even a part of him. It's from his... ancestors or some bullshit like that, and it came with a price. To fix something he'd messed up. And at the time I pretended it wasn't something he'd done.

[ A dry laugh. ]

So, magic is bullshit. Just maybe not in the way you were imagining.

Well. I...suppose I'm always glad to be right. Even if it's not in the way I'd originally thought.

[He sounds a little breathless as he says it, but the human contact helps, and not just because of the Synchrony. What a small and easily-overlooked gesture it is, to simply hold someone's hand when they've been vulnerable. What a tender thing, to bring two foreheads together just for the sake of finding comfort in the touch.]

Let's go somewhere more comfortable, so you can tell me about it. I want to know.

[Now it's his turn for a huff of a laugh.]

It's the right time of year for men who should've done better by us.

[ If nothing else Nyx is a man of actions and not words, usually. The hand and forehead are deliberate - not to manipulate but to remind himself, and Miles, that they are both there for each other.

Miles's comment gets another rueful laugh from him, and Nyx pulls back just to duck in and press a soft kiss against Miles's lips. Not seeking anything, just another moment of comfort. ]

Sounds like there's a story there, too. The one you were gonna tell me eventually?

[ He won't press for 'now'. He knows some people find it harder and he's.. honestly never spoken to anyone about his feelings about the king. Not even to Libertus.

But he takes Miles's hand and tugs him gently out of the bathroom, then pauses, unsure if he should go for the couch or the bed. ]

Edited 2021-11-25 02:44 (UTC)

Bedroom.

[He says, without an instant's hesitation, because it's true that the couch is comfortable and cozy and would probably result in them being joined by Pess, leading to a pleasantly cuddly evening in — but his intentions come through much more clearly by the alternative.

Stay, it suggests implicitly. This evening in isn't one they'd planned by any stretch of the imagination, but he's loath to let it end. And so he nudges Nyx in the proper direction, still letting him lead while guiding him toward the bedroom.]

And...yes. I think you've heard bits and pieces of it. Not the whole thing. Though...it would be better if you did, I suppose. Sooner rather than later.

[ Nyx takes the nudging with good humor. Truth be told outside of checking on Raben - which he can easily text a neighbor to do - there's not much reason to return home just yet. ]

If I'm gonna stay over I'm gonna start bringing my cat.

[ A half serious statement. Miles mentions sharing it and Nyx leads him to the bedroom, which is familiar in the best way. ]

Whenever you feel like it. Doesn't have to be tonight if you don't wanna.

[ He lets go of Miles's hand, if only because he flops himself backwards onto the bed with a sigh. ]

Should I start with the King's story, I suppose? Or with my Commander?

Edited 2021-11-25 06:26 (UTC)

We can make room for a cat. Pess isn't territorial.

[He actually has no idea how Pess would take to a cat, but she does well enough with Miles and he's practically a cat as it is, so it's probably fine.

Regardless, they make their way into the bedroom and he lets Nyx get himself situated first, circling around to the opposite side of the bed and pulling back the top layer of blankets far enough for him to slide underneath them and re-tuck them over his legs. Might as well get cozy, he reflects; likely they'll be here a while, and it's probably not going to be an easy conversation.]

Tell me about the king, I think. Or — whichever makes more sense to start with. You'd know better than I would.

[ Nyx doesn't comment on the cat or Pess, mainly because the statement returned in kind makes a warm, fond bubble of emotion happen in his chest. He knows Miles may have said it casually, but he's not the type of person to say something he doesn't mean, either.

It's something to examine another time. He rolls over so Miles can get his legs under the covers; boldly, when Miles is settled, he shifts back so that he can rest his head against his thighs, mirroring their earlier position a little. ]

Mmm... I think the commander started before. [ A short sigh. ]

Captain Drautos was the man in charge of the Kingsglaive - we didn't have a traditional ranking system, but he was the one herding all the cats, as he'd put it. He was taken in by King Regis Lucis Caelum the 113th, when Nifelheim, the enemy empire, took over his homeland.

[ Yes, the 113th. And a name that belongs to Miles' own viking legends of Asgard. ]

That's a story that'd repeat a lot. It's what happened to Galahd, too. The King was at war, and slowly but surely he was losing it, until he had to draw in a magical wall to cover only his crown city. Drautos decided the King was weak, and he joined with the Nifs. Became some asshole known as General Glauca.

[ Another pause. ]

A double agent. When Glauca first showed up, I wasn't even out of basic training, wasn't even on the mission. But it resulted in the Oracle Queen of Tenebrae being murdered, and her children, Lunafreya and Ravus Nox Fleuret, being kept under occupation.

None of us really knew the extent of it. The King... Ravus and Lunafreya were here, for a while. Ravus said that the King chose to save his son instead of going back for Ravus. Lunafreya said she chose to stay behind for Ravus, instead of going with the King.

[ It's clear there's... something in Nyx's voice when he talks about both Ravus and Lunafreya. A sadness, a fondness that's more present when speaking about the girl. ]

Edited 2021-11-27 10:08 (UTC)

[He makes an approving little hum as Nyx shifts around, letting him get comfortable before settling over his lap rather like a cat himself. It's...strangely nice. It also makes it easy to lower his hands to rest near Nyx's head, not quite petting, but following the curve of his head, skimming over his hair.]

Hostages, then. The boy and the girl.

[One hundred and thirteen kings all named Regis Lucis Caelum seems implausible, to say the least; even the Henrys and Louises of the world only got up to eights and fifteens. Still, a long line of kings. And a great deal of weight, he assumes, riding on the 113th, with the legacies of so many others before him to uphold with his own conduct.]

How did you find out about this Glauca? The truth of his identity.

Yeah. Though politically, Nifs made it seem like they weren't. A lot of people thought Tenebrae just let them in.

[ Insomnian and Galahdian alike. When Miles asks how they found out, Nyx gives a little wince, turning his head against Miles' thigh. ]

The short answer is Lib figured it out before I did. But that was after Insomnia had already been invaded and the King had been killed, because Drautos had convinced other Glaives to join his side.

[ Nyx looks back up. ]

Nifelheim offered a peace treaty years later, the condition of which was Lunafreya marrying his son, Noctis. The King knew it was a farce, but he accepted it always. He sent a Glaive out to intercept Lunafreya, hoping to prevent her from arriving and to take her to neutral ground. My friend Crowe.

[ A pause. ]

Glauca had her killed before she ever got there. They brought Lib and I her body and her things. Lib quit the Kingsglaive, ended up joining a terrorist group that was working with the Nifs, not that he knew it at the time. He just.. was angry at Insomnia.

Anyway, day of the signing happens and Luna's nowhere to be found. I figured out where she was, but there was no Drautos to command us either. I took most of the Kingsglaive out of Insomnia to rescue her... at which point the traitors turned on us as Nifelheim launched its attack, the same time as Lib's new friends did.

And so you discovered their betrayal at the worst possible moment, in the worst possible way.

[He knows nothing of war and combat, not in the way that Nyx does. His battles have always been fought with words in a courtroom, where imminent death was riding on reason rather than reflexes. But he does know something of betrayal. And he certainly knows the feeling of having the whole world drop out from under your feet as an unexpected treason suddenly comes to light.

This is the right place for a conversation like this. Someplace cozy and hidden away behind thick walls, tucked away beneath blankets. Someplace quiet. Someplace safe.

He wonders when it is he started equating safe with unobserved.

Maybe he already knows the answer to that.]

Drautos was with the attacking army, then. A twice-effective move, both aiding the enemy and leaving your Kingsglaive leaderless all at once.

Yeah. Didn't realize it at the damn time, but that's exactly what he was doing.

[ A discontent, angry noise - but an old anger. ]

The thing that got me was the King... knew. Not about Glauca, but he knew the whole signing was a farce, that they'd launch some kind of attack. He let it happen because the person he wanted to protect was already safe - he'd sent his son and the Crownsguard out of the city a few days before.

To hear Luna and the King say it, though, the Prince needed to live. Something about a prophecy. Fucking awful prophecy when a ton of innocent people die for it.

[ He closes his eyes - this is what makes him truly angry. That the King simply let it happen. ]

.... He paid for it, though. Glauca cut him down while I was getting Lunafreya out, not that I knew he was my captain at the time. Lib heard him on the radio with the traitors after he'd contacted me to tell me where to bring Lunafreya, as my commander. Got shot for it, Lib tried to save me but...

[ He inclines his head, like he's shaking it a little. ]

We weren't just trying to get Lunafreya out, but a ring, some kind of magical shit. When I realized he was going to kill us, I put it on, bargained with the King's ancestors - their power for my life. Managed to get Lib and Lunafreya out of the city and kill Glauca before they came to collect it.

Only, you know, I ended up here so jokes on them I guess.

[ The last part is shared quickly, almost hurriedly. It's not something Nyx thinks about too often - that if he's not here, he's as good as dead. ]

[There's so much to unpack that for a fleeting second he almost wonders if it wouldn't be better to just throw out the whole suitcase, figuratively speaking. Listening to the story about this Drautos — Glauca — reminds him eerily of how it'd felt to unravel the full horror that was the reign of Damon Gant, all the truths behind the lies, all the sacrifices made for the sake of protecting others.

He hadn't handled it well when it was Damon Gant, either. Wright still probably hasn't forgiven him for that, not altogether.

But there's no running away, not here. And he's a little startled to find that he doesn't really want to, even if he could. For once, being at a loss doesn't make him feel hunted and defensive, just...lost.]

It isn't often that I end up speechless.

[This isn't about him, but there's a little breathy hiccup beneath the words that suggests he's trying to make a joke, even knowing it's a feeble one.]

There's no chance of it going differently, is there. No possible other path waiting for you back there, it's — it's just.

[It isn't often he ends up speechless.]

If you were to vanish again. The ancestors would have their chance to catch up with you.

[ There's a truth to the fact that Nyx simply hasn't been handling it. The way his thoughts spin to anger and away again when he'd talked about the king before. He owed Miles this conversation for a while - all the complicated, magic bullshit that he'd had to deal with. ]

They don't even have to catch me, I just have to go back.

[ He lifts his scarred arm, with the odd, silvery scars, some larger and some smaller. Most of them spindle out from the palm of his hand. ]

Didn't get these just because I'm pretty, you know.

[ I was already falling apart is too hard to say. The fact that Lunafreya died too is too hard to consider as well. They weren't close but - well, he's been around Miles long enough to know there was something there, doomed as it was from the start. ]

It's just.. unfair, y'know? What happened. What the King did, what Drautos did. Even if the King had his reasons. He was a good King; it's the only time I've ever felt betrayed by what he did.

Glauca asked, if I would join them. Almost thought about taking it up but... I've got my pride, my loyalty. He wasn't any better than those that took my home away. I just gotta hope it all counted for something in the end.

Edited 2021-12-01 06:15 (UTC)

It burned you...

[It's the only thing he can think of, looking at the scars; he's seen plenty of them on Nyx's body before, has traced them with his fingers and mouth, but it's different to see them and realize that they're a bargain written out on the canvas of Nyx's flesh, placed there by supernatural loan sharks just waiting to collect their due.

He closes his eyes, lowering his chin a minute. There is no right thing to say; any attempt he makes will only fall flat, rendered disingenuous at best and offensive at worst.]

I wish there were such a thing as a world where fairness mattered. Or where good intentions were enough. I'm sorry I have...so little to offer you, in consolation.

[ He reaches down the bed for Nyx's hand, twisting their fingers together as he adds halfheartedly: ]

You could always argue to the ancestors that your bargain is unenforceable. They neglected to write it down, so it's not legally binding.

[ He could explain it's not really a burn, not in the traditional sense. But he's also heavily aware he's admitted to Miles he's got an expiration date, sooner or later. Instead, he lets himself stay where he is, watching Miles; he shifts his hand to help twine their fingers together. ]

You and I both know there isn't, but that's one of the things you fight for, yeah? Making things fair. Making sure Justice's served for big or little things.

[ A soft laugh, though. ]

Yeah? You gonna argue with some old Lucian dudes for my soul? You might have better luck than me, cause I only convinced them not to incinerate me on the spot.

The truth. I stopped fighting for justice, and started fighting for the truth.

[He gives Nyx's hand a squeeze.]

I know it sounds like a hair-splitting distinction. But justice is...subjective. And should be. But the subjective needs something objective to rest on. A community can't decide what's just without first knowing the truth.

[He's doing that thing again, where he goes off on a truth bender, but at least this time it's mostly quiet and reflective, rather than bold and impassioned. It fits the tone of the moment.]

I was trained that the truth came handed to me in manila folders with mugshots paperclipped inside. And it was always the same truth: this is evil, so vanquish it. Defeat it. To win is to achieve justice.

Now, I leave justice to people like you. You and your reckless heart. Truth and justice: one finds what "is"; one sees what "should be". It takes both kinds.

[His tone turns a little wry, and a touch smug.]

And yes. I will argue every last one of them into submission for you. I'm very good at my job.

INBOX (noctiumrp)

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