MENTAL LINK.

[somnifacient]

KING to sacrifice	DUTY to bear
KINSHIP to cherish	LIGHT to cast

( CODE BY WHAMBAM )

Comments

[somnifacient]

[Ifrit's gone blind, but there will be no love lost from Noctis. He only frowns down at the sketch, then looks at Annie, judging her profile.]

(I know, but that's not what I meant. I'm not saying you shouldn't worry. I'm just saying that you can't take everyone's problems and hope you can fix them.)

[If that's hypocritical of him, he doesn't seem to realize it.]

(We're all in over our heads here. We're all just trying to make do and survive whatever mission comes next. But if you need someone to listen... or you want me to help you with anyone, you know I will.)

[sistershoggoth]

( I can fix everyone's problems. Can't fix my problems, so that should make everyone else's a fucking piece of cake. )

[ Bitter sarcasm with a kernel of truth. Your own problems always feel the most insurmountable. The most intrinsic, like who would she even be if she wasn't frothing with poisonous thoughts. ]

( And I am not in over my head, this is the absolute usual bullshit. I just don't get to drink myself into not giving a shit about any of you this time. )

[ She twists the pencil in Ifrit's eye mercilessly. ]

( So here I am taking my complaints to the prince himself. I may or may not have punched Nyx first though. )

[somnifacient]

[He just watches as the pencil continues to twist through the paper, right through Ifrit's eye.]

(You know it's not that easy, you can't just glue people back together and hope they work the same way afterwards.) [Even if she is being sarcastic, he can see that tiny, crystallized piece of truth lying in the center.] (I can't even hope to understand what others here have been through, and I'm sure the same applies to you.)

[The next question, though, is one he will obviously ask.]

(Why'd you punch Nyx?)

[sistershoggoth]

( Because I got fuckin' upset and it was either punch him or fuck him and we settled on punching, this time. )

[ She gives him a dry sideways look. ]

( You're too pretty to beat up on. You just get the whining and shrieking and shit. )

[somnifacient]

(Too pretty to beat up?)

[The rest of Eos sure didn't get the memo on that.]

(Tell that to all the people back on Eos who've tried to beat me up. And all the monsters. And all the daemons.

Glad you could work it out with Nyx, though.)

[sistershoggoth]

[ Her mood lightens at this, her aggression curling under the surface; so many muscled appendages flexing in their eager way. ]

( What, you wanna get hit? )

[somnifacient]

[Instead of figuratively stepping back from that not-quite-threat, Noctis of course just lets an eyebrow raise. It’s playfully conceited and exasperated at the same time.]

(You could try to hit me; you'd just miss.)

[He’d totally phase through it.]

[sistershoggoth]

( What's the fun in that. )

[ The whole point is the meat on meat on meat, the rise and fall of breath and stress, until both break. Not significantly different from sex. All about snapping something immaterial. ]

[somnifacient]

(Are you really looking for another sparring match? Kind of hard to do in these robes we're supposed to be wearing, isn't it?)

[He's been through the training regimens before. He knows all about straining one's body to meet the expectations of someone else trying to pummel you in the face; but Noctis is also inherently lazy, and it's easy enough to avoid pain and punishment when you can just magic your way through it sometimes.]

(Might have to wait until the mission's done. Then I'll let you hit me if you really want to.)

[sistershoggoth]

[ She closes her eyes with a sigh. At least her furious fiddling is done with, but now she's just kind of tired and sad instead. ]

( I'm not making any plans for after this mission until we're actually boots down in the Station. )

[somnifacient]

(I know. I'm not telling you to get ahead of yourself, it's just-)

[It's just what?]

(I'm just here to help if you need it. Or if you need help with anyone else. All right?)

[It should go unsaid, and yet he feels the need to reiterate it regardless. He hates feeling restless, feeling useless. He's spent too much of his life like that already.]

[sistershoggoth]

[ Her face wrinkles in a grimace. She wants to slap all that shit away, tired of feeling vulnerable. She had started out well, like she was used to the offers for help, and support, but she's maybe hit her peak agreeability for the day. ]

( Yeah, and what about you? You just gonna be a helper, or are you gonna get some of your own shit going on? )

[somnifacient]

(I'm not ever going to say 'no' if someone needs my help.)

[Though he realizes he's not sure if that what she's asking him.]

(What else should I be doing?)

[sistershoggoth]

( I dunno. Do I look like your mother? )

[ Bitchily raised eyebrows. ]

( I mean, what're you mad about? )

[somnifacient]

[Slight sarcasm back:] (No, you don't look anything like my mother.)

[But there is an actual moment of consideration before he adds:]

(In general? Nothing that can be fixed here, apparently, or not anytime soon.)

[Poor, crumbling Eos.]

[sistershoggoth]

[ What's she supposed to do with that. She frowns at him, her nose wrinkling. If he'd successfully saved his stupid world he'd be dead and then who the fuck would she even have here now? So instead he just gets to mope about it indefinitely like a big mopey ass. ]

( Somebody else will have to take care of it. )

[somnifacient]

[He gives her an impressed look. Don't ask him, he thinks, if you plan on dismissing it a millisecond later.]

(There's literally no one else who can. That's the whole point of me even being alive.)

[sistershoggoth]

( Just have to get me pregnant and send your son off to do it for you. )

[ She manages to keep a straight face for like three seconds. ]

[somnifacient]

[Meanwhile, Noctis:]

Wh-

I'm not getting you pregnant!

[(He says out loud, for everyone to hear.)]

He's not even sure it works like that? Would it? He shakes his head, wrinkling his nose. Gods, Annie.]

[sistershoggoth]

[ She chokes with laughter, covering her nose and mouth with one hand. She can't believe he actually said that out loud. ]

I think-- [ No, she can't do it, she's laughing too hard. ] I think it's a great idea.

[somnifacient]

[He looks equal parts horrified, embarrassed, and confused. He exhales through his teeth, though, when she sees her crumple into laughter.]

Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. Real funny.

[They were trying to have a serious conversation, but that’s absolutely dissolved into nothing.]

Gods, I thought you were being serious.

[sistershoggoth]

[ She grins at him, total self-satisfaction with herself. She will laugh it up, thank you kindly. She flops over when she's finished breathing heavily and smiling. ]

Don't worry about it, we'll find you a princess or something so you have a proper heir.

[somnifacient]

I don't need a proper heir.

[He crosses his arms, looking at her. Noctis huffs a bit.]

My line dies with me, blah blah blah. You know the story.

[sistershoggoth]

Uh, that was when you had to die imminently. Now you got a whole universe full of princesses who could help you out with that end of the line thing.

[ She might be edging into insensitivity, but we hope he'll just take it for the joke it is.... ]

[somnifacient]

[He does. A weird, insensitive joke, yes. But a joke regardless.]

They'd still be born just to die. Why would I do that to anyone?

[Then again, why was it done to him? He should be more angry about that, but he can't ever bring himself to be.]