Noctis Lucis Caelum
Final Fantasy XIII Versus
Thighs of Steel
"It doesn't matter. It's just a fairy tale."
Posts: 183
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Post by Noctis Lucis Caelum on Aug 6, 2012 7:27:15 GMT -5
What would Noctis do if his father somehow managed to find out, though? He needed to consider all possibilities in this instance, and though it was slim, there was always a chance the king could incidentally discover Stella if she was at the mansion for more than a few days. If he wasn't already paranoid enough...finding Noctis offering shelter to a daughter of the "enemy" would definitely have him chewing on his fingers. He might go so far as to think Noctis was planning to overthrow him, considering his penchant for overreaction. Noctis' hands shifted in his pockets at the thought. He'd be in the same situation as Stella was right now, though at least he had his own power sources he could call on to talk his father out of his foolishness should he start lashing out at every little non-threat that presented itself. Still, it was going to be hell if Noctis didn't keep this...this...whatever it was under wraps. Hopefully Stella would be just as cautious to do the same...
Noctis almost felt himself on the brink of jerking back from the touch of his arm pulling him free of this thoughts, but he managed to almost completely catch himself. His eyes fell on Stella's hand planted there again. Was he really that unused to having anyone touch him? It was starting to seem like it. He took in a breath, though, and found himself half-meeting her gaze when she thanked him. Noctis wasn't supposed to have the capacity for doing this for another, if a part of him had its way. That part, which he couldn't completely blame on his father, would have had him thinking he was the weakest individual in the world right now for not playing the "tough guy" card and sending Stella off to fend for herself while he dropped himself down before the crystal and resumed his duties. Now, as disgusting at that sounded to him as he looked at her, he was starting to loathe that part of him he hadn't been happy with for years, but had tolerated because he thought it was his greatest weapon to defend the crystal. That was a miserable excuse for being cold to people. His eyes fell for a few seconds, but he finally managed to bring them back up. "It's worth the trouble," he responded to her before his eyes fell again, pretty sure he believed his own words.
It was only a short walk further when Stella spoke up again, stopping Noctis from guessing how close they'd be to the mansion once it started raining. The storm was basically on top of them now. In fact, he was sure if he glanced over his shoulder he would see the line of rain approaching. Noctis was pretty well-covered from the rain with his coat...Stella was not. He gave her attire a glance, noticing she was looking past him before she ultimately did speak...sarcastically. His gaze followed off to where she was looking, seeing lightning reaching the ground on the opposite end of the city. Not the kind of storm anyone would want to be walking in, though Noctis doubted he could be blamed if a storm was the last thing on his mind this evening. What did he even say in reply to that? "For the ducks, maybe," he ultimately decided on, the closest thing he could muster to good nature evident in his voice and his eyes turned back to the blond to see if his comment had worked any at all to match her humor.
Then it came, with a vengeance. Noctis squinted into the rain, taking a glance at Stella. They'd both be drenched in seconds, with the mansion still a couple miles walk away. Noctis just stopped, knowing walking was going to be a completely miserable endeavor the rest of the way. Now what?
He blinked at her a few times when she spoke up. Teleportation? It had always seemed fickle to Noctis to use it any time other than when he needed it, and that was almost strictly in battle. He was starting to think now, though, that he was going to need it now, seeing how Stella was getting drenched before his very eyes. Taking in a breath, he stepped around in front of her, wrapping a hand around her wrist and giving a nod to hopefully prepare her for what was to come. He gave a single glance over his shoulder, picking a target. With a willful thought and flash of red from his eyes, they blotted out from existence on the street, and Noctis immediately felt the rain cease from beating against his head and shoulders. His eyes adjusted to the change in scenery - underneath the shelter of a fuel station, the quickest destination he could find that was still in his range. "This is as far as I can go in one jump," Noctis felt the need to explain before he even looked back at Stella, his shoulders drooping along with his wet hair. Immediately, he felt compelled to unzip the front of his coat, pull his arms out of it, and hand it over to her so she could put it over her shoulders. And without thinking about it too much, he did just that. What was he even thinking anymore, if at all?
Words - 943 Muse - Excellent! Notes - I've never been this proud of a Noctis post. XD[/size]
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Post by Stella Nox Fleuret on Aug 25, 2012 8:39:54 GMT -5
Though he had assured her that it would be fine with his father, there was some doubt that was still there. Perhaps she just lacked faith in Noctis. She hated to say that was the case, but it probably was. It wasn’t, of course, that she doubted his word necessarily, but odd things took place even if you were sure that they wouldn’t do so. Even if he had the best intention of everything being okay, things could go wrong. And for that very reason, Stella would be as cautious as she could possibly be. The last thing she could possibly want was for his father to find out. That would create a mess of trouble, especially since she only planned to accept his invitation for the time it would take for her to get her feet underneath her and a plan of action. That shouldn’t take longer than a day or two, especially if she could get an idea about his world more and what she could do in it. What she could do in regards to making a living and obtaining an income. Of course, it wouldn’t be as grand as her fathers, she was sure, but Stella had been conditioned to be prepared for that. Her hand maid had never allowed her to be spoiled, even if her father had tried, and had taught her many skills ‘normal’ people needed to survive. Yes, she would be okay by herself, she was sure of it. Thanks to Noctis and allowing her a place to stay for the night so that she could get her feet underneath her.
Reaching to touch his arm and thank him, Stella watched closely to see his reaction, feigning watching the lightning behind him at times. He didn’t pull away from her touch, which was a good thing obviously. Still he seemed to struggle to look at her completely, glancing at her hand and then looking back at her in smaller glances. Was she so intimidating? Perhaps she should try to put him at ease. How one did that, she wasn’t sure, especially to a, in all appearances, somewhat shy prince. Coming from a family not afraid to speak their minds, Stella wasn’t sure how to go about putting this poor young man at ease. But she removed her hand as quickly as she had placed it on his arm, her earnest gaze shifting so that she wasn’t piercing his. And his answer…that it was worth it? He perplexed her. Whenever she thought she had him pegged, he would shift just enough that she was left to her guessing game all over again. So she just looked away. “I hope that turns out to be true.” She wondered if he was even confident in his own words.
She couldn’t handle this complete serious nature the whole trip though. Glancing across and at the lightning, she made a comment with humor in mind, looking at him to see how he would respond to it. She still had to feel him out, try to see just what he was like. Which came with that ‘every time I have you pegged, you surprise me’ thought. And he did rise to the occasion, even giving her a comment back that caused a smile to lift onto her face. She wasn’t sure if she was light hearted because of their humor, or if she was just immensely relieved that he could actually lighten up a bit. That caused a huge weight of concern to be lifted from her shoulders. Perhaps these next hours or days to come wouldn’t be quite so nerving.
Funny how that bit of humor made the rain, when it came, much less stressful to deal with. Actually, she almost had to laugh at it, as she instantly became drenched, her hair blowing around her face as the wind picked up as well. Still, they couldn’t just stand out here and get drenched. Something had to be done, so she had to speak up, asking him why he wasn’t using his teleportation abilities. That seemed to get him thinking, and the next minute his hand had wrapped around her wrist. Stella looked up at him, trying to prepare herself. This, after all, wasn’t something she had ever done before, and naturally she was curious, as well as a little bit apprehensive. Subconsciously she moved closer to him, her back to the wind and rain. What happened was surprising, but before she could think about it, they were back on solid ground. Blinking in surprise, Stella steadied herself by holding onto his arm for an extra second.
Before she could ask why they weren’t at the mansion, he explained it. Actually, it made complete sense. Reaching up to comb at her hair, Stella almost gave up. It was a tumbled mess around her face from the wind and rain. She had to look like quite the sight right now, but that didn’t matter. Patting his arm before she released him and stepped away, Stella watched the rain pour down from the heavens. With the wind still blowing, even with their shelter, she shivered lightly, before rubbing at her arms. It was slightly chilly with the wind and being wet. But something drew her out of her state of thinking. Turning, Stella noticed the jacket that was being held out to her. Blinking, she looked from Noctis and back toward the jacket, surprise written on her features. Reaching out a delicate hand, she took it graciously, sliding it on over her shoulders. Instantly she felt heat that had radiated from him now warming her. “Thank you Noct,” she said softly, glancing up at him with a smile.
He continued to surprise her.
Wondering more about him, Stella passed it off as good manners and looked out at the rain. It was then that she decided she would like to learn more about him. Really who he was, not just what others portrayed him to be. It might take a bit to crack him, or…perhaps that wasn’t the right term to use. She didn’t want to get in his head, just…learn who he was. She hoped even after she left that they could be friends. Though she wasn’t sure that’s what they were right now. But it was the closest thing she could think of in terms of their relationship. “Are we going to wait out the storm?”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Words:; 1242 Muse:; Great! Tagged:; Noct :3 Location:; Protecccteeed bai the wiiind Outfit:; That one I linked! Notes:; I love muuse! Listening To:;[/b] --
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Noctis Lucis Caelum
Final Fantasy XIII Versus
Thighs of Steel
"It doesn't matter. It's just a fairy tale."
Posts: 183
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Post by Noctis Lucis Caelum on Sept 5, 2012 8:21:01 GMT -5
The close contact was anything but comfortable, but Noctis' focus on the jump and subsequent focus on keeping Stella from freezing in place fortunately distracted him from it. Mostly, anyway. He just wasn't sure if the slightly drawn feeling that crossed over him was from being wet or from the situation... It didn't matter much either way, leaving Noctis to just rub at his neck and make the decision about his coat.
Noctis wasn't quite sure he could read Stella's expression well enough when he stuck his coat out to her, but at the very least she seemed interested in it. He again made an effort to partially evade her gaze as he held it out, only finally looking her full in the face once she'd taken it, with no "Fleuret pride" or anything else evident. All these years Noctis had believed every one of them was the same, and here he was standing before one he would have thought was one of the most easy-going individuals in the world if he'd never seen her fight. Politics was a stupid game. He stuffed his hands into his pants pockets as she fit herself into it, providing a pleasant look at her thanks before taking in a breath and turning to face the storm for a few seconds. This rain needed to go away as soon as possible. Storms didn't last long in the kingdom, especially not at this time of year...not that there were storms commonly at this time of year, anyway. Ironic how tonight would be the one night it rained...
Noctis saw fit to pause when she asked him if they were going to wait out the storm. In the back of his mind, he was asking himself the same question. He thrummed his fingers lightly against his own arm. Making teleportation jumps through the middle of a storm wouldn't do any good, really, to get them back to the mansion in a timely way. It would be tacky and not much else. But the prospect of being out here in a tiny space, alone, in the rain and the cold, with a woman didn't seem to be the best course of action, either. Still, if things had been set to become awkward, they already would have, between their conversation and the close contact of the jump... Noctis wanted to shake his head at himself, but managed to do nothing more than turn around to face her. "We probably should," he had to say. "It's still a long way." It wouldn't be very comfortable for her, standing out here under a shelter when she was already wet, but he knew she'd just be more miserable when they'd have to start getting drenched all over again in between his jumps. He gave her one subtle glance of concern, trying to think of anything extra he could do to help, but he ended up sighing quietly to himself as he failed to come up with anything. He was more used to shunning women than trying to lend them a hand...
Well now what? They couldn't stand here in silence, and chances were they would be here a few minutes at least. They were both going to be uncomfortable with the offerings of the night, and conversation was really the only way to distract them from it... Noctis had managed to come close to holding a conversation with Stella the night of the signing, so he supposed he could managed to do the same now...especially now that he knew her. Knew her...and, he discovered to his surprise, actually liked talking to her.
He moved over to one of the shelter's supports where the actual fuel pumps were, crossing his arms over his chest. What to talk about? There was her conversation from her visit a handful of days before, but that could lead them back to the subject of her father and...her father probably wasn't a good subject now that they were both relatively at ease. There was...not much besides that yet. So...something mundane? Seemed like the only option. "Is Tenebrae anything like this city?", he asked with a shoulder motioning towards the street, supposing that was as safe of a subject as any.
Words - 758 Muse - Excellente! Notes - The length of this sucks. [/size]
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Post by Stella Nox Fleuret on Sept 15, 2012 0:02:41 GMT -5
The heat that came from the coat warded off the chill from being wet and the wind that whipped, but she was concerned when she saw his bare arms. Wouldn’t he be cold? Biting her lip, Stella zipped up the coat and thought about whether or not she should return it so that he wouldn’t be chilled. After all, he hadn’t been the one that had headed out under dressed, and she was the reason he was out here in the storm in the first place. Had she not caused such problems, he could be back in his home, comfortable and dry. Still, if he had given it to her, she doubted that he would take it back, but insist that she have it. Men were funny in that sense of feeling women’s comforts should be above their own.
It was a heroic thought to say the least, sacrificing your own comfort for someone else, especially if that someone else was her. Life seemed to contradict itself. She had been taught from early childhood that the Caelum family was full of evil men that would stop at nothing to get the power they craved. ’How intriguing, coming from a man that thinks the same way.’. she thought in disappointment. This night had been full of disappointments really, or perhaps it was full of enlightenment. From that time during the signing, Stella had felt a good from him, but prejudice had its way of wiggling in, and she had thought for a time that she had simply been dreaming up a kind heart to match the good looking young man that she had met. Tonight had just affirmed what she had already thought to be the case.
Efficiently he answered her question, in such a way that she could understand exactly what he meant. Taking in a deep breath and glancing past his shoulder to glance at the storm for a moment, Stella turned and took the few steps over toward where there was a concrete slat that a trash can nestled into. Brushing it off slightly, she turned and sat, tucking her ankle behind her other foot. Somehow she still managed to look like a princess, despite the coat too large for her and the location she was sitting. If she was going to wait out a storm, then she was going to do so while resting. It had been quite the hell lately in her life, from trying to slip past her father’s defenses and coming up with a way to redirect the war into that of peace. A foolish dream, but it had been causing a lack of sleep and a worry that had robbed her of peace.
And now that she actually had a moment, she felt her shoulders slump a bit, her chin tucked down toward her chest as a weariness settle over her body that forced her to relax. How was it that she felt more relaxed in the middle of a Caelum town, with a man she had challenged to fight to the death only weeks before, than she had in her own home? It didn’t make sense, yet as the wind howled on and the rain beat down, she felt like propping her head on her hand and slumbering.
Instead, his quietly spoken question caused her to lift her head and blink her eyes to focus on him. Tenebrae? Glancing behind him at the city, Stella immediately shook her head, but then stopped herself. “It’s not quite so dark,” she mentioned at first. At first she had been about to tell him that it was nothing like this world, but that wasn’t entirely true. “It’s brighter there,” she said quietly, “And there isn’t as much technology there as there is here.” It was true. Noct’s country was known for being extremely brilliant in engineering. Unfortunately, they seemed to keep to themselves and didn’t make much contact with the outside world, so most of the inventions were supposed to stay right here, and they did. “A lot of Tenebrae is a bit…I suppose you could say uncultured, relying on old fashioned land use, rather than resources such as you have here in your kingdom. The cities within are neither so large nor grand.”
Shifting a bit on her cement chair, she scooted around to try and get comfortable, yearning to be at her home in her own bed, but refusing to complain about the circumstances. He was facing the same thing after all, and unlike her, he actually had a choice. He could have just left her to deal with things herself back there, but he hadn’t. She felt heat on her cheeks when she remembered how her father had shamed her, and how, in effect, he had shamed himself. Stella had never been more embarrassed in her life as when she had realized that Noctis Lucis Caelum had overheard everything. All the biting remarks that her father had spoken came back to her memory, and with that came a rush of emotion that caused her to speak without really thinking. “Noct, do you-…” Stella paused and glanced down at her hands on her lap. “…am I a traitor?”, she finished quietly. Blowing out a breath in frustration at her own question, she waved it away with her hand. “Forgive me, you don’t have to answer.” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Words:; 1067 Muse:; Great! Tagged:; Noct :3 Location:; You know where! Outfit:; That one I linked! Notes:; Notta! Listening To:;[/b] Save Me - Staind
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Noctis Lucis Caelum
Final Fantasy XIII Versus
Thighs of Steel
"It doesn't matter. It's just a fairy tale."
Posts: 183
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Post by Noctis Lucis Caelum on Sept 28, 2012 8:17:10 GMT -5
Noctis couldn't help but notice, with Stella having found herself a makeshift seat, that she might have looked downtrodden by something. He only glanced her a few times, not wanting to stare, and though he wasn't the best at reading people because he didn't particularly allow people to read him either, but he thought what he could see from her was something along those lines...or maybe...tired? Why was he guessing? He should be asking...but maybe she didn't want to hear it because, again, he didn't want to pile pity on her and she probably wouldn't want it either. The coat had probably gone far enough. The mansion would have been better, but dragging the both of them through rain and lightning with a few jumps would just make both of them miserable. This was better than coming down with pneumonia...which he wouldn't do because he wasn't the type that was bothered by the elements, and she probably wouldn't with the coat. A fuel station made for decent accommodation right now.
And awkward conversation. Noctis listened as Stella explained about Tenebrae. Heh, a few weeks before he'd been standing in that treaty signing, agreeing with her that he'd visit it sometime. Yeah, those plans had been crushed that very night... He knew about the technology thing...with the crystal, the kingdom had always been able to stay a step ahead of other countries with research and development of most things. It wasn't much of a surprise to him that Tenebrae was slightly antiquated, but he definitely wouldn't say that was a bad thing. "I would say we're a little uncultured...", he said, quietly, as his eyes shifted to the city. It really didn't occur to him that much, but he didn't like looking at a place like this constantly. The mansion wasn't bad, but having the city off in the distance kind of put a damper on things. "Living here this long doesn't make it seem all that impressive...and you get tired of the darkness." In all, what Tenebrae had going for them almost sounded better to Noctis. It could have been simply because of too much familiarity with his own kingdom and how different Tenebrae sounded, but having things be a little old-fashioned wasn't terrible...at least outside of kings and family leaders who were still convinced the old ways of holding onto power were the only ways. He would have mentioned to her he'd still visit someday, but considering what awaited her there now...it probably wasn't the best thing to bring up. "It doesn't sound bad there," he understated a bit with a glance to her, before his eyes went down to his feet. He checked the rain, too, just to be sure it wasn't dying down any. Maybe a little...not enough yet, though.
He kept his eyes out on the rain, a pleasant silence having taken them for the time being. He wasn't sure how much time passed - probably only a couple dozen seconds, before he heard Stella speak up again. Directing his gaze back to her, he waited a second after her pause, thinking something kind of uncomfortable was about to be asked. And once she finished...he knew he'd been right. Noctis let out a slight breath, sure his face fell a little at her question. He...wasn't sure he had a right to answer it, and when Stella told him he didn't have to say anything back, he was almost willing to take her up on it. He directed his gaze uncomfortably to the ground and stayed silent, but his mind was racing. The question...it made Noctis think about his own situation, too, and what he'd think he'd do in this situation that had faced and currently faced Stella.
He didn't totally get along with his own father. He almost never agreed with him, but he typically went along with most of his ideas and plans. But then, his father had never come up with something that Noctis knew he couldn't do. And he'd never come to chase him down in some foreign nation and treated him no better than a dog. Then again, Noctis had never done much of anything like Stella was doing...but lately, he was thinking he could. His father wasn't the same as he'd been before...he was like a different man, even from....a few years ago. Up until Noctis had become an adult, he'd been a tolerable and reasonably sensible man. Now, though, he just...most of what he brought up was unlike him. Or it was the same things as before, but with a different motivation behind them, maybe. But...was that change because Noctis, and his perspective, had changed, or because his father had changed? He thought the latter...but maybe both had occurred.
And maybe that was his way of answering Stella's question.
He looked back up at her, hoping he could word this all well enough to have it make sense. "Have you noticed lately that your father's...different than he was when you were younger? Different like he was tonight?"
Words - 934 Muse - Excellente! Notes - I actually...liked...this post...[/size]
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Post by Stella Nox Fleuret on Oct 2, 2012 7:32:58 GMT -5
Stella could recognize the need to keep things on a ‘safe’ topic. It was late, they were both wet and chilled with the wind, – though his coat had made her a lot warmer – along with tired, or at least she was tired, she couldn’t account for anything he might be feeling. The last thing he wanted to talk about, she was sure, was what had just happened minutes before. Had it only been that short of a time ago that things had gone so bad? It seemed as if days had passed since then. But no, it had really been that short a time ago. Didn’t…Noctis worry that her father, a Fleuret, an enemy of his, was going to do something else bad while he was here in the city? Glancing wearily over her shoulder, past the lights of the immediate area, she hoped he didn’t. He was still her father, regardless of what happened, and she didn’t want him to stay here. If he did and challenged the Caelum prince, there would be no question to the victor. She might be ashamed of his actions, but she still hoped that a thread of her father actually remained, and didn’t want him to meet his fate here…not if there was hope. Only then did she realize that she had been blindly thinking while she should be paying attention and keeping a conversation actually going.
She had to agree with him about being uncultured. “Even the most refined of people, when the underside is probed, turn out to be uncultured. Greed and jealousy seem most prevalent in society, and neither one of those traits incite a refined race of humans from any country.” Tenebrae included in that, after all. The darkness was another matter altogether. Lifting her head again, Stella glanced around the city, shifting slightly to look over her shoulder again. “The darkness is somewhat…different,” she commented finally, before pulling her legs up and glancing over at him in time to meet his eyes when he did the same to her. “I cannot complain about Tenebrae.”, she said calmly, hiding her emotions over that subject well. The possibility of her getting to see it again were lower now. If her father said that she wasn’t allowed back, than she wasn’t allowed back, and no doubt he would have tightened security by now.
Thinking of her father led to her asking a question she shouldn’t have. Instantly catching herself, she tried to shrug it off and let him off the hook, so to speak, by telling him he didn’t have to answer. Part of her wondered if she wanted to hear the answer anyway. Sometimes it was better to just things lay just as they were. Though she was used to silence when around him, and having to slightly draw him out for him to talk more, Stella knew that her question was a large reason for the discomfort in the silence that surrounded them now. She wished she hadn’t said anything, except that she did want to know the answer to her question. Was that a traitor? It hadn’t been her family that she would have betrayed…in fact, she wouldn’t have betrayed anything. Was it a traitor to simply desire an end to wars and conflict?
She had been simply going to wait out the silence until she could come up with some other appropriate ‘safe’ topic to talk about, but he surprised her by being the first to break the uncomfortable silence. Glancing up to meet his eyes, Stella hesitated at his question before nodding her head. “He was never like this. Not before mother died. After her death, he…became obsessed with power and greed seemed to fill his heart, whereas it hadn’t before.” Fingers fiddled with her skirt after she dropped her gaze from his. “I don’t recognize the man he’s become, so different is he from the father I remember. All these years, I’ve chosen to be blind, rather to admit what he’s become, but I can’t do that any longer.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Words:; 855 Muse:; Great! Tagged:; Noctis Location:; You know the place! Outfit:; That one I linked Notes:; I really do love Rping her Listening To:;[/b] Friends in Low Places - Garth Brooks
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Noctis Lucis Caelum
Final Fantasy XIII Versus
Thighs of Steel
"It doesn't matter. It's just a fairy tale."
Posts: 183
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Post by Noctis Lucis Caelum on Oct 18, 2012 14:12:19 GMT -5
It would have been so much easier for Noctis to continue to have the idea in his mind of the Fleurets as, he thought his father had called them, a bunch of "mangy dogs" who were "hovering around the bowl" to grab whatever they could get their hands on when it was dropped if Stella had actually said anything he didn't agree with. But on every subject, like a snap of the fingers, she dropped in with something Noctis found himself tempted to nod to in agreement. She was completely right about "probing the underside", as she put it, of a group of people. Noctis had only ever seen the underside of the people his father ruled, and it was almost an encouraging thing to be out on the streets with the people who had no idea a game of shadows was going on underneath the surface. From Noctis' position as a prince, everything seemed to be grimy and subtle. That most people weren't even aware of such goings on, nor did some of them care, sometimes surprised him. He thought it could be best if they did know sometimes, even if he realized it could turn whatever fragile periods of peace the Caelums, Fleurets and all the other powerful families experienced into anarchy. Noctis, of all people, could understand the need to be close-to-the-chest with most of the "underside." People didn't pay that much attention to a person, or a government, or anything when they didn't realize it had more than one side to it. Noctis had always put the intimidating side on display, and it had worked for him.
Worked to turn him into what he was as he stood underneath the shelter with Stella - a thing he wasn't proud of. He couldn't even use the excuse that he was a soldier anymore. He was just...a bully, almost.
But, again, another thought for another time. Stella answered, sending Noctis to thinking yet again as he listened to a story he knew pretty well. He thought it was slightly different for him with his relationship to his father. As Noctis grew older and looked back on his younger life, he was consistently realizing that his father had always been promoting the ideas that Noctis was now recognizing as ones he didn't share. Yes, maybe his father had gotten a bit worse with time and with how Noctis was older and more than capable of thinking for himself, but Noctis wouldn't say he'd completely changed, just...started showing his true colors a little bit more once Noctis could make judgments on his father as a man and king rather than simply his father.
But the comparison between his and Stella's powerful fathers hadn't been the reason he'd asked her the question in the first place. Her answer gave his speculation about her traitor comment from a few seconds before some validity, and after a couple seconds' pause, studying her for a few seconds, he turned his gaze away and looked off into the night again. Trying to look her in the face as he said this wasn't completely worth the effort it would take. "Then I wouldn't say you're a traitor," he concluded, saying it with some certainty to his voice. "If he wants to treat you as a part of the political puzzle, then you have a right to treat him the same way. And if he doesn't believe in the ideas that made you loyal to him before, you can't really be a traitor. That's the way I see it." He might have wanted to add something about her father possibly being a traitor to her if he really had changed so much and could treat her in such a way, but Noctis could tell she still respected him and, though he didn't have much of a sample size to judge by, he would say she probably loved him too. It wasn't his place to say that anyway. He didn't know if any of what he was saying was "his place", but she had asked the question, so she'd have to give him a little credit for trying to answer, and answering honestly.
But it was probably best he not say too much else on that subject.
Words - 764 Muse - Excellent! Notes - Guess we can have the rain die down maybe in your post so they can start jumping back? [/size]
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Post by Stella Nox Fleuret on Oct 20, 2012 23:59:50 GMT -5
Stella answered his question without being sure as to why he asked it. After all, what did he care about her family history? She was sure that all he had been given for information was about the same as what she had been given…which was that the Caelum family was full of greedy, self-centered people that cared not about anything but their own glory. Well…perhaps that was true, and perhaps what he had heard being told about her family was true, especially lately. She didn’t know her father anymore, and with the rest of her immediate family being gone, she really couldn’t say that she was very close to anyone. Her personal maid was her one ally in the mansion, and perhaps the person she was closest to. That, she realized, was extremely pathetic, but there was nothing she could do about that now.
Really though, she wouldn’t be denying him any truth, not after this night. He had chosen to shelter her for a night that just might be the worst of her life, and for that she would be in his debt. Whatever he wished to know, within reason, she would try to be honest with him, which relieved her. After all…well, she hated lies, despite her lies recently to various people. The least she could do was answer a few questions honestly, right? Tucking her legs up beneath her, she folded her hands in her lap and looked down at the pavement instead of at the prince that was standing close to her. She needed to think, and it was so hard to do so knowing that he was near. Why, she had no clue, but he was a rather intimidating aura. Not that she thought he would hurt her without reason, but he confused her, and that didn’t allow her to have a clear mind for thinking. This night just needed to be over with. She would love to rest her head somewhere that she would be safe and not think about this mess for a few blissful hours of rest before she would be up to face the challenges that life had thrown at her. All she needed…a few hours of rest.
For a few moments she was left alone to her thoughts, but again he pulled her from that by beginning to talk. Though she kept her focus on the pavement, she heard every word that he said. She couldn’t quite explain why it meant so much that he thought, or really, someone in general thought that she wasn’t a traitor, but it mattered…boy did it matter. She felt the wetness form on her eyes even as gratitude filled her heart, though she didn’t trust herself to speak for a few moments and continued to hold the cement as the only thing she would look at for the time being. She blamed the night and the emotions sparking on why she so easily seemed to tear up, even when she didn’t normally do so.
She forced herself to recover quickly, and tried to secretly wipe her eyes before she managed to say anything. “Thank you.” Stella wasn’t sure why it mattered, but it gave her another little bit of relief that he didn’t see her as the traitor that her father did. She was torn still…after all, she loved him as any daughter should, and perhaps even more than that, but his actions went against her own ridged code of morals and integrity. This war couldn’t continue…too many lives had already been lost as it was. No more. Stella didn’t want any more families to miss their father…their brother, or brothers. Their uncles, their nephews. Anything that could be done to stop the war, she would do it, even if it meant sacrificing her own family ties.
And still she felt slightly intimidated by his quiet presence. Even while she chided herself, Stella lifted her eyes to look at him. He had been nothing but understanding of her, even kind…so different than what she would have thought he should be. It really did confuse her, so much so that she wasn’t sure what to make of him. Perhaps she was simply making this out to be more than it really was. It shouldn’t be so complex. What if he was just a nice person? Why was life so confusing?
Dropping her eyes to the side, Stella noticed the rain slowing. Apprehension became like a knot in her stomach again, quickly forced down and replaced with a serene look. This entire situation was somewhat frightening, along with being in the Caelum mansion for an entire night. Noctis would be alright, but what about the rest? How was he going to keep this a sec-…well, there was no use worrying. Unwinding her legs, Stella slowly scooted off the cement and stood up straight. “It doesn’t seem to be raining quite so bad.”, she commented softly, her violet gaze directed toward him while she tempered her apprehension. Her entire life she had been that of sticking up for what she believed in, why should this be any different? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Words:; 1029 Muse:; Great! Tagged:; Noct! Location:; You know where! Outfit:; That one I linked! Notes:; DO I DELIVER OR WHAT?! Of course I do! Listening To:;[/b] Rush - Tom Sawyer
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