the one au where everyone's adopted and nothing hurts

[warpspammer]

OVERVIEW:

- Kingsglaive Nyx Ulric, Crowe Altius and Libertus Ostium are present as newly minted 'glaives on the Tenebrae mission.

- Regis attempts to stop Glauca from slaying Oracle Queen Sylva, which results in both their deaths, as well as that of Clarus Amicitia.

- In a panic Nyx, Crowe and Libertus take Prince Noctis, Lunafreya and Ravus with them and get them out of Fenestala Manor.

- With the death of Regis and the claiming of the Ring, the fall of the Wall, and Noctis' whereabouts unknown, Glauca leads a force into Insomnia.

- Cor Leonis manages to get Ignis Scientia, Gladio and Iris Amicitia, and his own (adopted) son Prompto out of Insomnia before the rout becomes too great. In the meanwhile, the Imperials claim the Crystal and occupy Insomnia.

- King Regis Lucis Caelum and his son Noctis are pronounced dead by the empire.

- Cor relocates the four children to Cape Caem, which is still an unknown location to the Imperials. Dustin Ackers and Monica Elshett survive, but move to more populated locations to try and coordinate resistance efforts.

- Nyx, Libertus and Crowe make their way back to Lucis via ground and train. They disguise Noctis, Lunafreya, and Ravus as Galahdian children, cutting and braiding their hair (and having Luna and Ravus dye theirs).

- FIVE YEARS PASS. MUCH HIDING, MANY FERAL AND SURVIVING OFF THE LAND. Cor works towards getting information to take back Insomnia, believing both King and Prince dead (until the return of his armiger at some indeterminate point). He raises the three other children alongside his own in the manner of hunters.

- Nyx, Libertus and Crowe informally adopt the three royals into their fold, teaching them how to hunt and track. They generally avoid settlements out of a fear of the children being recognized. Lunafreya informs them of the prophecy and destiny of both Oracle and Chosen King. All three agree there must be another way to defeat the Accursed.

- Travelling from haven to haven, the Galahdians come upon Cape Caem. Assuming it abandoned, they attempt to make away with supplies and come face to face with Cor again.

(This requires some changing of ages, aging the Galahdian trio up a bit)

Comments

[warpspammer]

Noctis, for his part, immediately laughs when Ignis starts to fuss over his hair. "Imperials aren't looking for Galahdian kids," he tells his Advisor with a smug little look on his 13 year old face.

Crowe shakes her head a little, waving Nyx and Libertus off as they head back to get their stuff. She keeps her hands on Lunafreya and Ravus' backs, wanting to support them. She knows this is a big change, and as much as Luna had professed respect for all of Noctis' family - well. It's Noctis' family, and not theirs, so there's always a bit of worry there. Nevertheless, Ignis fussing makes Ravus raise his hand to his own hair, as if he can smooth out the sides a bit to be presentable.

The house is certainly something that makes Crowe a little homesick. It's Noctis who again zips away from Ignis to launch himself at Prompto with a laugh. "Prom!" Despite herself, Lunafreya gives a small giggle at the sight of Noctis all but knocking the blonde boy backwards.

Crowe shakes her head a little, fondly, as she looks around. "I'm one of the Kingsglaive, Crowe Altius," she offers instead. "This is Lunafreya and Ravus.. and Prince Noctis. Glaives Nyx Ulric and Libertus Ostium will be joining us shortly."

[immortalmarshal]

Ignis sighs and shakes his head at that reminder. "Yes, well, we'll just have to adjust, then...perhaps you can teach me how to do all these braids?" Surely, these seem like they would be difficult to do all by one's self...and it's a compromise on the young Advisor's training on having his royal charge groomed in a certain manner.

Prom, however, is blown away by the apparent revival and reappearance of his old bestest friend in the whole world. "Wha--you--Noct, it's really--!?" He looks up at his Dad hopefully, his heart beating fast at what he prays to be true.

Cor smiles and nods in confirmation. "I saw him use magic...it's him."

The blonde then promptly starts breaking down into happy sobs all over Noct's shirt, bawling over how he missed his bestie and how part of him never really believed that he was truly dead and all that wonderful friendship sappiness. The gun lies completely forgotten in his lap for the next few minutes. Cor takes a shaky breath as he fights back more tears of his own. Gods, to see his son actually happy-crying, for once...!

Ignis, however, looks a little bashful as he remembers that there's other people now among their group. "Oh! My deepest apologies for my lack of proper manners," he replies to the introductions with a slight bow, being mindful of the knife still in his hand. "Ignis Scientia, at your service. Please, feel free to sit wherever you'd like; make yourselves comfortable... Would any of you like some drinks or snacks while we wait for your companions to return?"

[warpspammer]

Prompto crying makes Noctis start to cry as well. Not nearly as loudly, but clearly glad to see his best friend again. He immediately starts running his hands through Prompto's hair and telling him of course he didn't die. He's the prince, remember?

Crowe just barely keeps from rolling her eyes, though she keeps an eye on both kids regardless. Nyx and Libertus show up while Ignis is introducing himself, both of them carrying supplies on their backs. It looks like even with six people, they tried to travel light. The glaives aren't carrying a small amount, but its still equipment they can carry themselves alone if they had to.

They go about at least setting it down as Lunafreya smiles. It seems even her time amongst the others hasn't shaken her grasp of decorum loose. "Drinks would be lovely, as we've come quite a long way. Would you like assistance?"

Nyx glances up and motions to Cor. He knows the man is going through a log, but - well, Nyx has always been the pragmatic sort.

"Figure we're going to have to help you out with some kind of supply run. And I'm assuming this place doesn't have a ton of rooms." Which is an invitation to get that sorted out while the kids are reconvening.

[immortalmarshal]

Ignis begins stammering out a protest, but then a Look from Cor makes him remember an old argument regarding the need of informality. "Well, I wouldn't make you help, but if you insist...this way, milady." The young Advisor begins to lead Lunafreya towards the kitchen - decorated in a warm sunshine yellow color with chestnut wood cabinets, just as comfortable and homey as the living room. Even the glasses are of an older design, even if most of them have tasteful decorations involving flowers and birds.

Cor leaves those two teenage boys sobbing in each other's arms for the moment, quite content to let them cry their feelings of reunion out with each other. Instead, he finds himself shifting closer to Nyx and Libertus as soon as they returned with their supplies. A quick look confirms what he suspected - they're traveling lighter than they should in terms of food. They're clearly prepared on just about everything, but the lack of vegetables caught his eyes first.

"Most likely, yeah. Gladio and Ignis have started taking up any runs to Lestallum needed, and I have an old brother-in-arms help bring over anything else we need safely. We can always start planning for larger plots for the garden, too. As for rooms..." He frowns in deep thought. "...either you guys sleep on the floor, or we start sharing beds until we get the lighthouse cleaned out first. And I think my only guest room is the only one fit for Crowe and Lunafreya..." He would normally want Lunafreya with Iris, but...well, Iris is still 8, and a kid's bed might be too small for the teenage Oracle.

[warpspammer]

Food was definitely something they had to travel light on. They hunted fresh when they could, and preserved meat for lean times. But vegetables were harder to come by, and it was harder to justify carrying five pounds of Leiden potatoes or Aegir roots in case they had the time to use them. It meant a lot of protein, a lot of herbs more than proper vegetables. The kids showed - they were rangier, packed more with muscle than they'd been the last time Cor had seen them, much like the adults.

Nyx and Libertus, meanwhile, share a look before they shrug gently.

"Luna's been sharing the bed with Noctis and Ravus," Nyx points out pragmatically. "Not like that, but she won't care who she's sleeping with, if that helps. Lib, Crowe and I have slept on worse - we can take the floor if the kids actually get something to sleep on."

It's clear that Nyx has taken the role of leader - or father, or elder, or a weird combination of all three - quite seriously. The children come first, and it's not just because they're royals, either.

"As for Lestallum runs... we try to avoid towns. Kids are pretty recognizable," Libertus gruffs out. "If we have to go, we usually send Nyx and Crowe; less people recognize them." And less people would question a Galahdian couple gathering a bit more than they need for just the two of them.

[immortalmarshal]

Yeah, Cor could tell that they were living off the land, mostly. They had that kind of look, that rangier build that one would not normally find on kids who live in more stationary families. It makes Cor really regret not checking with the Messengers first regarding Noct's survival. Then again, who was to say that the Messengers would even let him know before now...?

"I normally disguise myself as some loner Hunter taking care for some wounded relatives whenever I had to make the runs. Came from a family of them on my mother's side, so it didn't take much to adapt the clothes or the style of speech. Anytime it felt too dicey to go, Cid - my brother-in-arms - made the runs for me; he normally had to make runs himself for the outpost he mans, Hammerhead, anyway." Plus, he knows Cid to be a safe contact - the old man had been very willing to provide cover and misdirection on Cor's whereabouts over the years to help keep the children safe from harm.

Cor picks up on that feeling, and it makes it a little easier to be around the man for some reason. Being a father himself, and the automatic head of their own household, Cor's gotten way used to being protective of the children he's been raising here in Caem all these years. He can respect a man who has to deal with three growing children while being out in the wilds....

"Are you sure about that? I mean, we have enough blankets and pillows, but I'd rather not have any new members be stuck on the floor on their first night here..." It could be done, yes - having all three kids sleeping in the same bed for a few nights while the adults sleep on the floor. But somehow, the optics of having Galahdians sleeping on the floor while the royals get any spare beds left a bad taste in Cor's mouth. It reminded him far too much of some of the xenophobic crap that some of the nobility used to spout around the Citadel...stuff that, had he been younger, he might've punched them for it.

[warpspammer]

The optics from the outside might not look good. But Cor's not insisting that they sleep on the floor; rather, Nyx views it as being a little more uncomfortable for a bit in order to make sure that the kids (his kids, if he's honest with the little voice in his head) get something comfortable to sleep on.

"We've got rolls," Nyx assures Cor. "If you want to try to shuffle around, we can figure that out. But Ravus is going to want to stick close to Luna. Noctis may or may not care, but Luna will want to stick close to him too, no matter where he goes. And unless you want to pile two strangers into your kid's bed..."

Because Nyx gets it. He knows Luna and Ravus might be perfectly trustworthy, but there's always that worry, as a parent.

"I'll just sleep on Lib." Nyx says it with a light tone to ease the mood, and Libertus scoffs and punches his shoulder gently.

[immortalmarshal]

Cor can't argue with that kind of logic regarding the trio of kids (Nyx's kids, the tiny voice in his head tries to claim). And while Prompto would not have minded sharing his bed with Noctis at all, the poor blonde would find it most awkward to do so with anyone else, in Cor's mind...

"...alright, the kids can sleep in the same room until we get more of the lighthouse cleared out for all of you. But you and Crow can sleep on Libertus while you're on my bed. I'll take the couch tonight..." It wouldn't be the first time he's done that, letting a guest sleep in his bed while he himself slept on the couch. It likely won't be the last, either.

[warpspammer]

"....I realize I should probably play at politeness and try to tell you no, but it's been a while since I slept on something that wasn't a roll," Nyx admits after a long moment, Libertus shaking his head again with a small laugh, but seeming to agree.

"If nothing else, we can help you clear out the lighthouse. With six extra sets of hands, it should be a little easier to manage, right?"

"Plus, living in a lighthouse seems pretty badass," Crowe finally drifts over, having been listening to their conversation, keeping an eye on Noctis and Prompto, and also watching Luna, Ignis, and now Ravus fuss about in the kitchen. She also nods to the second story railing, where there seems to be a young girl watching them all. "Seems like you all have an observer, too."

[immortalmarshal]

"That's a fair exchange," Cor agrees to the offer of help in clearing out the lighthouse, pleased that they were offering it freely instead of waiting for him to drag their asses over to make them help out. "And it would be much easier and quicker with everyone involved, yes..."

Any quips he would have are suddenly banished by being alerted to the little girl's presence. "--Oh, Iris. I'm sorry, did we wake you...?" His tone is immediately soft, almost fatherly in the good sense.

She nods with a pout and a concerned look, but she doesn't move from the landing just yet. Instead, little Iris just stares at all of them, wondering who on earth are all these people and why they're here at her family's home.

Cor moves towards the stairs, consoling her even as he holds his arms up towards her. "It's alright, they're friends. Good people, who are going to stay with us for a very long time. Come on down and let me introduce you to them while Iggy feeds everyone."

Iris looks hesitant until she hears the Ignis mention. Then, she peeks towards the kitchen, where the bespectacled teenager is putting the final touches on drinks and snacks. "...so...they're here to help?" She asks, because she knows that Ignis would never feed bad people; it's her way of knowing good people from bad people sometimes.