ofargentum:

              _{A  FELL  VOICE  —-  ONE  THAT  CAN  ONLY  BE  ARDYN’S,  swiftly reaches the blond’s ears;  prying,  probing, causing  DOUBT  within his mind  (  which he had been so sure before  )   no.  prompto could not let the chancellor get under his skin. though, something about the way those  EYES stared at him,  as if he could see straight through him. it festered an  UNSETTLING  sensation within the pit of his stomach.}  

             <sub>❝    ——-  no….  i  said  SHUT UP,  alright?!   ❞  the gunslinger takes an  IMMEDIATE  step back,  his stance  WAVERING  upon such circumstances. an outstretched arm  CEASES  in its attempt to hold up his firearm  —–  the boy’s troubled mind holding him back,  ❝   just  —–  l-let me think for a second…  ❞   but time was not a  LUXURY.  prompto did not have it.  in fact,  he was living on  BORROWED  time,  at this point.  the sooner noctis destroyed the airships,  the better.   SURELY  the prince would see to reason,  with the blond holding ardyn up at gunpoint.

                                     ‘   ——   you   T R U S T   me  ‘

                     those words are what  RESONATE  with him the most.  what shakes him to his very core. the blond stands upon the train,  the wind smacking against his ears  —-  the  NOISE  too much to bear.  all these  noises….  

                      ❝    you  SERIOUSLY  expect me to believe you didn’t have anything to do with this?!   why  noct  —-   ❞
                                                            ‘  prompto  –  !!  ‘

                       the voice of his best friend  RISES  to the blond’s ears in hope,  for the tone is that of  CONCERN  for his well being.  though,  such thoughts are cut short when the prince swings upon the other’s arm,  which was  OUTSTRETCHED towards the chancellor. the force is a chain reaction  —  which causes the young rook to drop his firearm;   PAIN  surged through his arm,  a cut formed from the blade which had struck him.  there’s a  FLASH  —  of  eyes that normally were coloured of the ocean;  instead were filled with  FIRE.  hatred.  LOATHING.  eyes that hated him.  it choked him up  —  allowing a lump to rise within his throat.  a feeling in which he wouldn’t wish upon anyone.  the feeling of everything you thought you knew about a person…  WAS A LIE.   ‘  noct…  do you   REALLY  hate me that much  –  ?  ‘  

                       it isn’t long until the forceful palms of the prince shove against prompto’s chest,  pushing him off the moving train.  &&  everything went black.</sub>

_{collateral damage of limbs’ bewilderment tightens a snare about the pallor of prompto’s neck ( all the better to fall with ). his executioner, not the disputed allure of the chancellor, but the sightless retaliation of his beloved noctis. deception transfigures reality, a smear of compelling illusions counter the wrathful descent of their future king. footwear lands; the boy stumbles and charges — onyx features suspending all manipulative interjections from ardyn ( “ prompto ” ). identities reversed, sentences overturned — “ ardyn ” assumes submission of the pistol before him yet again. ‘ noctis help me , ’ his eyes plead; irreverence for the duo painted over by layers of exterior, artificial fear ( of “ himself ” , how comical ).}

“ prompto — !! ”

<sub>certainty fractures, and within the last instance of opportunity — a passing retreat — ardyn bows beneath noctis’s projected assault. to underestimate the boy’s ability to “ see ” inspires swift curvature of a height not his own, as perhaps the caelum had overcome his crafted, fraudulent visions. no such luck allayed the little gunman. he fell for it. this was only the beginning of your suffering.

the prince dishonours himself, taking the offensive against that of an innocent — an ally. the incursion of pain to possess the blonde’s body as armiger meets flesh, a fortune most familiar to the accursed in observance, rivals that of the mind’s capacity to damage. ‘ yes —— well done , noct . you make it so easy for me . it is astounding , how naïve you are to our world’s dishonesty . you have far to go , before you will ever be king . ’

ruinous judgment elicits poise of dominance ( the act is his , draw the curtain ). ardyn shifts within leisure, a method of gratified ankles, to the proximity of noctis’s trauma. only now as the mirror to authentic perception ruptures before him — gazing at the plummeting grief of a lifelong companion — do the roles return.

“ how long were you in the dark —— ? ” as though history sneers upon them, accenting the blunder of the crystal’s second choice, ardyn belittles. with revolver in hand, a token of punishment collected from the depths of noctis’s oversight ( the platform beneath their feet ), he clouts its rigidity over tenderness of the upper neck.</sub>

<sub>paralysation concludes their skirmish; limbs holding no ground to the kingdom, only weight as the heir drops. ardyn neglects catching him, for what purpose would it serve to ease his pain? he was not the one to have been shoved off a train.

“ —— we will meet again , your majesty . ” a nudge from solitary boot is the extent of his civility in departure. “ i must be off collect your abandoned toy . if he survived your little push without so much as a scrape on his knee , i will be sure to give him a few cracks for you . ”</sub>

arvious:

   – – One walked alone, yet beside herself. Entangled in a miserable construct build out of own, haunting thoughts. Indeed, she was thoughtful; brooding. Leather-clad palms ran over cold steel, generated heat within marred skin easily blending out what chilling sensation gelid metal should have  t r i g g e r e d . Attention is fixed as keys sunk into the side pocket of the crow’s kitbag, helmet & motorcycle now locked & parked beneath provided lot. It would stay behind; left in the wake of obliteration & corroded memories. Epitomizing the final, abandoned KEEPSAKE of a life eventually lost.

          There was a spark; a petite glint of tangerine crawling over robust leather, leaping across protruding knuckles – burn it. Let it explode. Let it combust into a thousand pieces. Mark the beginning of yet another restart. Cross the border, dear crow, & never wager to look back for what looms beneath heavy boots was but harrowing grief; baring its ugly teeth; venomous. Pure TOXIN to porous sanity

         what if THEY would need it?

          Tenebrae was not save; no haven meant to shelter them but a PRISON instead. Protector & royal would be compelled to elope; to mayhaps return here & head to the South? Cue the balling of dominant left; a single gesture there to quench invoked cast. Oh arsonist, don’t you know that you will soon have enough targets to burn – ?

          Black bird boarded the train with habitually striding gait, right digits digging deep into drapped strap. Her belongings were  s p a r s e . Mostly consisting out of medicine, bandages & the leftovers of a far too minimalistic lifestyle. && one was not meant to be missed, nothing left to hint at the crow’s pointless existence – for in the end … had the glaive’s noble sacrifice not been in vain?

           Oh indeed, 
           alas one was hellbent to fulfill a King’s plea
           – for hearth & home, or so they said.

            “ a traveler. “

          Firm words slipped from parted lips with a brittleness unmatched by many – irises twitched, seething gander resting upon odd figurine close by. One quirked a single brow; in thought, in a quizzical manner – he stroke no familiar pulse; neither similarity nor distinctness. A mere entity meant to  p a s s  by or one there to further raise war-honed suspicion? The crow is wary, figurative wings fluttering as the train jerked into motion, gloved fingers clinging to stanchion close by. Be careful, be on guard. Expressions sung of militant neutrality; aloof & stoic – yet one’s posture appeared at ease; oh ….never would her composure falter.

            “ – what do you want? “.    

_{had an accretion of the media’s venom failed to reach the veins of this passenger? left to float about their anonymity — ignorant of history’s grim defeat — deprived in absenting all broadcasts? a pitiable abstinence, should obliviousness prove causal of their journey. fear does not climb, grasp, or teach this persona — a miscarriage in calibrating propaganda. the solemn dignity of man scrambles at the mercy of the empire, but it appears not all are aware of this. take my hand in yours — stranger of wanderlust — and i shall feed you to the lions if only to see your identity flayed.}

<sub>night gathers, deriving shadows of those housed within ribcage stepping aboard. they prickle along flesh, clamped within stillness of palms as composure resonates ( tell me i am sane , lie to me mercilessly ). recurrence of daemons, drawing along the cracks of his poise with jaded parchment and putrid ink, takes an upsurge within the late hours. mutated escalation provides necessity of seclusion. he sleeps alone ( if at all ), he travels alone, and exhausts all remaining patience with liberal self-loathing ( a revulsion to burden mankind ). all to indulge the scorn of the moon. what a travesty to behold the façade of ‘ the chancellor ’.

this pair, unacquainted — they are detained by similar motives; to find the oracle ( capture her , imprison her ), and levy an impertinent dominance over her movements. she escaped, but not for long. her torments will catch up with her, among the skeleton of her fate. only this figure — a contour of flesh and audacity — holds not the same abhorrence for the girl. but that is a tale of glorious tragedy, to be exposed and carved beneath the smothering madness of ardyn’s charade. save yourself the tongue of a leech, and set the lake afire ( before it is too late ).

a rhapsody of sway filters the potency of balance. the engine gorges, consuming flawless motion of accursed height. the jolt of speed does not last — a fleeting binge of hasted departure — and permits the imperial guile of curst limbs to meander the slender hall of compartments. ‘ come out , come out , ’ his intellectual company sniggers and chortles, abrasive if their eagerness to discover, locate, and trap this party member. ‘ i saw you come aboard … he must be — ’ valorous disbelief counters his esteem. a woman. how unexpected. she recognizes his presence as swiftly as he regards hers, if not sooner. her expressive detachment articulates she had been watching him for a time, but how long?</sub>

“ what do you want ? ”

_{her words are terse; impassive. she has the spark of a lit match yearning for a pyre ( look no further , he shall provide ). the sheep becomes the shepherd, and he the blade to bring rise to a butcher. an underlying familiarity grunges her features. it was never a ‘ blessing ’ for the chancellor to recognize you, certainly not in territories now conquered by his employer ( an incompetent pawn ).}

<sub>“ you’re a blunt one , i see . i was only curious as to who i may share this rather long travel with , and as you boarded alone —— it is a courtesy of mine to introduce myself . you are far more — striking in fairer lighting , i must admit . i mistook you for a outlaw prior to departure , hmhm … but i was mistaken , no — ? ” mauve were his words, a hue of deceit — yet charming in their audible stimulus. there was something more to her, hidden as the layers of magma beneath the earth.

who are you, really?</sub>

caelitis:

    _{Expression subtly contorts ; unease creeps along his spine – & brow raises as realisation gradually sets in. No way. This guy didn’t look the oblivious sort, nor had he proven himself to be thus far. Surely – Ardyn would pick up on how Noctis had not implied for his jest to be earnestly considered  ( in any way ) – well, he’s fairly certain. Never has been very good at expressing himself – & his humour can be quite blunt ; easy for another to perceive in the wrong light.}

    _{Even so, Noctis can’t help but feel he’s been played – & tragically, there's none other than himself to blame. Not like he wouldn’t still try to blame Ardyn if the others so happened to snap at him later – but he digresses ; for the time being, there’s little he can do, asides from begrudgingly follow through with his own suggestion. Lips part so as to counter the discreet dig taken at his driving capability – but purse awkwardly ; warily, though Noctis is uncertain why.}

    _{For once, he’s left speechless ; dumbfounded, and with an unpleasant sense of foreboding. Damn – this guy still gives him the creeps. But alas, he utters a halfhearted, “ Uh … yeah, thanks, ” and cautiously manoeuvres his way around Ardyn – & into the car. Well, at least it’s not uncomfortable. After adjusting some, he swings the door closed behind him. Fingers clasp together in his lap, and gaze curiously skirts across the car’s interior ; quiet – & patient.}

    _{Noctis doesn’t think to turn – & fleetingly glance over toward his companions ; he’s already painfully aware what particular expression each of them ( most likely ) bear. Instead, he slouches back – in attempt to alleviate discomfort and anxieties, to some extent. All the same, his eyes betray him ; skittishly trail toward driver’s seat & alertly flicker unto the face of the man sitting himself down. “ … So, uh, ” he starts, “ you never explained why you’re helping. ”}

_{twitch of scenario and severance of entourage places ardyn in monitor of noctis’s discard; his companions’ guidance a disposable luxury, or so it would seem. taking directive of his ‘ gullibility ’ with conniving hues, the immortal’s features are ominously pleased. ( step into an enemy’s territory with minimal pause , that’s our future king ). a remarkable spark transitions between that of the accursed’s mysterious air and the likes of the prince’s primary advisor, the scientia of the capital. elaborating their smoldered rivalry ( an emergent danger ), ardyn’s lips near arrogance, upturning in their graces to protective, affronted spectacles. ‘ if looks could kill , ’ he savors , ‘ i would allow you the pleasure , ignis . ’}

<sub>ankles track inoccupancy of driver’s seat, turning the chancellor to the fledgling opposite the vehicle’s glove compartment. a little bird of patience; noctis’s chirps are silent as the dawn. ardyn advances, accompanying the regality of his passenger and purposely overlooking the daggers now piercing his neck from behind ( thank you , trio ). materials of lavish complexity cushion his descent, heights at incline with the support of ruby leather interior. ‘ precious girl , let’s have some fun with him . ’

conversation initiated by the portrait of destiny ornaments calmness of palm as it shift gears of their ride; pronunciation of motion elicited by a discreet rumble of the engine. probing at his charitable nature sooner than expected, the youngling staggers the accursed’s preconception. nevertheless, speech impediments discredit noctis’s inquisition. a very minor tarnish, though it must be corrected if he is to be followed ( as the immortal once was ).

“ aaah , consider me an enthusiast for lending a hand . i couldn’t allow those migraines of yours to outlast you . ” dubious was his knowledge, problematic in its encroachment. noctis never mentioned his visions, burdensome in their throb. bypassing this anomaly, as he is nothing more than a ‘ kind stranger ’ — ardyn solicits an opinion of the heir. “ are you a fan of music ? most your age are — but i’m not to assume , lest i turn on the radio in vain . ”</sub>

caelitis:

_@daemonizing

    _{‘ Nursery rhymes are curious things, my ass. ’ Expression shifts with subtle displeasure – & gaze follows every movement, but Noctis holds his tongue. It’s tasking to repress scepticism when the guy freely talks of Kings crawling in pain, but already the others have decided it’s worth chancing ; following the stranger to the Disc of Cauthess. He supposes, there’s little use in arguing – & cautiously, agrees to go along with it.}

    _{The group follow behind “ Ardyn ” steadily – at least, that’s what he’d insisted they call him. Noctis falls a good few steps behind, just for safe measure ; the sake of his own comfort, above most else. Although he struggles to place what’s so disconcerting about the man’s presence ( save for the tacky attire ) his irritable suspicions are no more quelled. Uncertain Noctis may be, but alas – it’s likely too late to change his mind.}

    _{Acceptance comes begrudgingly – & eventually, they’re gathered about the stranger’s car. Before Noctis is given the opportunity to decline, the choice is made for him ; the decision that he shall drive the Regalia, and follow Ardyn’s car to the Disc. Brow raises to this – & subtle ( retrospectively ) badly timed smirk twitches at the corner of his lips. “ What if I ride with you ? ” Humour, albeit blunt ; not like he’d expect affirmation.}

<sub>an alluding foreshadow traces his lips, a limerick of inducement to the naivety of youth before him. ‘ you need only heed the call … visit the archaeon , and hear his plea . ’ their eyes gossip over his forbearance, resist his proclivity of nearness, yet fall victim to his proposal. to depart from lestallum — a dispersal of trust — so as to allow the chancellor ‘ a window ’ to educe confidence from the prince. a notable recreation, playing with the minds of others. such a leisure to be found in maintaining a façade; though arrogance within the act often develops in persons other than the immortal. to play the game right, you must not only forge your players, but manipulate the opposing forces into submission of your maneuvers. let us practice.

sheepish pace keeps ‘ minorities ’ at his heel, persuasion of gravity approving flaunt of fabrics along broadened arms. a discouraging fumble of pitch affixes itself to the blonde of the quartet, escorting ardyn’s sinuous vernacular into silent converse. it appears the air is deficient of reciprocation, sociability exclusive to ardyn’s verbose nature. ‘ well , you aren’t a very chatty lot now , are you — ? ’ doubtful that the prince will be anymore responsive when disconnected from his … ‘ companions ’ … pulls at the corners of ardyn’s smile. a tug of expressive concern, eliciting a foreign desire for alleviation. if noctis is to follow in pursuit to the disc, he must feel relaxed. curious that he should offer to carpool in ardyn’s vehicle ——</sub>

<sub>“ — well , i never considered it ( a lie ) … but perhaps it would be in our best interest , seeing as your chauffeur would prefer to hold the wheel . that is not to insinuate you drive poorly , only that i don’t share a recklessness with your —— generation . ” appendages disregard the other three’s reluctance of their travel arrangements, taking hold of door’s handle and unfastening its lock with modest click. particularity of cleverness opens it with guided motion, inviting in noctis’s eagerness of accompanying their ‘ tour guide ’. forgo the regalia, and you shall receive.

“ —— after y o u . ”</sub>

ofargentum:

                        <sub>WORDS  THAT  SLIP  FROM  A  FORKED  TONGUE  strike a chord with the blond  —  an  ADJUSTMENT  to his stance as brows knit together.  however, his aim does not  FALTER;  this man  — no…  this  REPTILE  would sway prompto’s thoughts;  corrupt him. leaving his mind  SECOND-GUESSING  all of this. his motives for this stand-off would become  UNNECESSARY.  why the gunslinger was even  LETTING  such  VILE  words hang in the air was unknown to him  —  the chancellor’s  SULTRY  voice creeping its way through prompto’s ears,  probing at his brain;  SELF DOUBT  was his worst enemy.

                    ‘  i’m here to  HELP,  as i always have.   you know this     ‘  
                                        ‘   young  noctis acts of his own accord  ‘</sub>

                    <sub>amidst ardyn’s words,  that now hindered the marksman’s aim,   LOWERED  his arm to  AVOID  a possible deadly strike,  ❝    no….  you’re  LYING  – !!   ❞   a new spark of  RAGE  fuels prompto to straighten his arm once more,  pointing straight for the chancellor’s  skull,  despite signaling his lack of  WEAPONS  by holding his hands up into the air,  ❝    noct would  NEVER….  not unless you  —-  ❞    (    please  ——  you’re not a  MURDERER  ) 

                        there’s a click when the blond pulls back on the hammer,  SOLIDIFYING  his intent to kill as the chancellor takes a step forward.  he couldn’t let ardyn’s words get to him.  TRICKERY  was his specialty;  prompto would not let his mind be so  EASILY  swayed,   ❝    ——-   just….  just  SHUT UP,  alright  –  !?   d-don’t come any closer  – !!  ❞  (  or what?  you’ll  SHOOT  - ?  as if you have the  GUTS  to take a human life  )  as if ardyn was even  HUMAN.

                       all of this…  this is all  WRONG.  the confrontation on the train,  the prince’s  CLOUDED JUDGEMENT,  ardyn standing before him — his life under prompto’s  JURISDICTION.  

                                when   did  the  whole  world  fall  to  MADNESS  –  ?</sub>

<sub>wind’s ferocity — a marauder of the senses — pilfers merit of attire and sophistication of locks ( BURGUNDY IN TINGE ). they frolic, blinding and disorderly amidst propel of engine. the train’s haste practices an unyielding severity, its contesting urgency lasting far beyond departure. ‘ if the prince is not swift , i’m afraid my opportunity will pass —— now is not the time to dawdle , noct . do hurry up . ’

arbitrary glare of sun etches flecks of resilience within amber manipulation ( IRISES OF A TRICKSTER , PUPILS OF A CASANOVA ), the chancellor unphased by turbulence of the environment. the innocent struggles, exerted by misgivings of wrists. gravity taunts, qualms within poise lowering the gunman’s weapon to transitory mercy. ‘ no no no , not yet —— prompto , you mustn’t . your prince is so close , now . fear me . detest me . for i must gather your remains from the gorge he will thrust upon you . ’ a mere glance to the smear of a valley below; velocity slandering its consistency. surely one of them will meet its coarseness, and shortly.

a click. the blonde readily primes execution, whilst consenting the heavens to surmise flaws in his audacity. bravery quavers, shuddering beneath hands absent of his frame. ardyn needn’t touch him to affect, yet he strangulates prompto’s fluency, utterances fractured upon vacillating anatomy ( DEPLORABLE , YET ADVANTAGEOUS ). lips roll upon substitutions, a discretion of rejoinder lingering within tactic. to stir the hornet’s nest, or nestle the cub. an expedient choice.</sub>

<sub>“ you won’t do this , prompto . you cannot do this . you must believe , beyond all reasonable doubt , that i am guilty for what is happening if you are to ‘ pass judgment ’ —— but how ? it isn’t possible . your mind accounts for my loyalties , yet your hands betray our memories . remember , prompto . remember —— ” tick tick. noctis is almost here.

“ ———— you  t r u s t  me . ”</sub>

ofargentum:

              _{THE WORLD,  AS PROMPTO KNEW IT,  WAS MADNESS;  hate was all that filled the eyes of the person he knew as his best friend  —  the  DESIRE  to destroy him.  it was there,  atop the train,  where the ace  RECOLLECTED  recent memory in which the crowned prince chased him,  INTERROGATING  him as to  WHY  he was following him around all this time.  how it was all his  FAULT.  something was not sitting right within the pit of his stomach  —  appendages  TREMBLE  as they grasp the handle of his pistol,  now pointing at the cause of all of this.   THE CHANCELLOR  —  ardyn izunia.   it was all starting to make sense;  the reason why everything was going to hell.}

              _{❝    ————–  IT’S  YOU.   what  did  you  do  to noct  – ?!   ❞   courage does not seem to be the blond’s  STRONG SUIT.  it’s true,  that the prince would not have easily take up arms against his best friend  —  SURELY,  the chancellor did something to him to allow this  CLOUDED  JUDGEMENT.  the way he looked at prompto,  with such  DISDAIN.}

            <sub>‘  you can’t talk your way out of this one  – !!  ‘
                                                      (    you won’t even  LET  me   )

                    his fingers tremble upon the trigger,  brows knitting together as  FEAR  creeps up upon him.  never in his whole life had he ever held a person up by gunpoint;  with full  INTENTION  of ending their life. prompto needed answers  — he wanted to know WHY noctis would try to kill his best friend.  SHAKING  does not ease,  not until his other hand ASSISTS  in steadying his aim,  ❝    no  tricks.  i won’t let you  ESCAPE  —  not until you give me some  ANSWERS   ❞   (  starter  //  @daemonizing  )</sub>

<sub>a pitiable massacre, this juvenile ‘ friendship ’. so easily polluted — befouled — by dexterous articulation of spite. a facile warmth percolates tainted lungs, satisfaction of resonance to his voided core. observation insists, attentive interception deferred until brusque emergence of magitek enforcements rattle the train’s equilibrium. UNSTABLE. symmetric chaos guises ardyn’s illusion — a fantastical nightmare for the heir of lucis in pursuing what he perceives to be his ’ enemy ’. reality, enslaved to the chancellor, has different intensions. HUNT THE GUNMAN. presumptuous success in fortifying a haze of deception over gaze of young noctis is secured; endorsed by his physically assaulting who ardyn knows to be his closest friend. neither can attest their intentions above the other. the young prince would sooner asphyxiate the ( blonde ) chancellor between pressure of arm and solidity of wall. perfect.

donning the personality of an exuberant youth was not an easy task. an expendable façade, no less, as now the cub tempers his claws — flares his teeth — and absconds from the chancellor’s subjugation. TEMPORARY. the little one hesitates, finger inhibited by the fear of taking a life. a tremor of his slender appendages dissembles prompto’s reluctance, ardyn placating the boy’s role of incertitude by lifting palms aside shoulders. BLAMELESS. do not pull the trigger, not now.</sub>

<sub>“ prompto , you don’t really believe that —— ? after all i’ve done for you and your friends ? i’m not here to trick you , i’m here to help as i always have —— you know this . ” an infiltrating fallacy twists along his words, ambiguous. would the boy come to believe him, about his beloved prince? that the ‘ formidable ’ temper of his sovereign was a genuine outburst against his character? their friendship? if not now, he will.

“ young noctis acts of his own accord — i have yet to find him , amidst the disarray … ” a step forward from the chancellor lapses prompto’s anxiety, both arms readily fastened to criminality. MANSLAUGHTER. noctis’s combat of the skies nears conclusion, he mustn’t stall much longer. digits remain in linger, held away from his layered attire and adjacent to shoulders, so as to insinuate he is unarmed.</sub>

_{“ please ——— you’re not a murderer . ”
                                                   (    I AM    )}

<sub>( starter  ||  arvious )

capricious weather overhangs the autonomy of his vehicle as eyes peruse transitory scenery. fleeting bushes and tainted saturation of leaves flatter the warmth of amber gaze ( A COLDNESS HIDDEN WITHIN ), whilst lips amuse the tune of radio murmur. variable droplets of water patter across the automobile’s length; the chancellor unphased by nature’s dew. a precipitating dampness, hours earlier than predicted by forecasters, adorns the road in sheets intermittently swayed from linearity by grace of wind. moisture clings to animate flesh, yet his absent-minded humming elicits vague immunity.

as per iedolas’s ineptitude, he dispatched the presence of his chancellor against explicit counsel. no matter ardyn’s conviction, the emperor believed it wisest to send his ‘ leading representative ’ to tenebrae — shadowed by inferior cavalrymen — to forestall the opportunity lady lunafreya may retreat to familial territory. her eminent evasion of the imperial fleet following her escape from insomnia devotes macro resources to tracking her down, himself included. another’s time would have been better wasted for such a tedious escapade, contouring boredom into features inundated. perhaps it was time to activate the roofing coverage ——</sub>

_{advancement had taken its course, delivering the immortal to his intermediate destination: the train to luna’s resplendent birthplace. the platform was barren; its vacancy of dialogue pilfering comfort of eardrums. civilization, an ungrateful cowardice, cringes beneath the empire’s pitiless victory. thus, aside from the obligatory presence of its operators, it appears the vespers of the night air are all that will join him in his reserved compartment —— that is, until the silhouette of another climbs on board thirty or so feet away. as though a harbinger of their own misfortune — a rabbit announcing its presence to an emaciated fox — this figure invites.}

_{“ ——— and who might you be , i wonder ? ”}

Nuances 

onewingedrogue:

      The earth quaked beneath him, and then darkness came. It spat him out from the vast wilds to an elegant corridor. Simplicity scrawled across the walls out-shown the disappearing flecks of magic and rather than look at the closed doors, he made it his priority to look out the window and view the grounds. Nothing that he could remember seeing before. However.. It did give him memory of a time he shattered a throne room’s windows. Not entirely… his fault. 

     Gloved fingers ran along the sill as his thoughts raced. His feet took action and the ex-General stalked through the corridor, knowing there would either be a large room it began at.. Or a door to one. Perhaps an angry guard and loud Queen to sass him out as well. 

     Finding nothing of the sort to accompany the lonesome door, he turned back with the resolution to snoop look around the ones he passed. With just a touch, locked rooms unlocked and he would take the briefest of glances inside. Finding storage in the first few rooms killed his exploratory excitement but did give him what he wanted. A fast way to understand what building he was in. It wasn’t a base, but still retained aspects of information beyond what a normal library had. He pulled out the file of some mediocre mechanic but read what the woman was a part of, rather than her decease status. 

     Eos. 

     That sounded familiar. Just like Niflheim did. He had to reread it. It was odd. It provoked further exploration after he rummaged through a few more of the decease’s files. 

|| @daemonizing ||

<sub>imperial ambiance — reputable for its inertia — corrodes the walls and air with shadows ( A SILENT MENACE ). an accretion of whispers, jittering footfalls, and endearing whines of claws against steel fornicate with the impurity of an emptied infrastructure. EVACUATED. vulgarity of daemonic chatter indexed amongst the smooth cavities of its corridors, heartless shades of withdrawal splattered — smeared — amongst its daunting labyrinth of rooms, favors abject company of the chancellor whom perches within the vicinity’s uppermost quarantine.

spine of chair reclines — accommodating leisurely tilt of posture — whilst manner of gaze ascents bleakness of roofing. slated planks, austere in their simplicity, perturb his isolated monotony ( THE KING YET TO PURSUE ). segregation forebodes, discerning the advent of roused motion detectors as none other than a mortal entity. monitor communicates with succeeding bleeps — facilitating intrigue — as the chancellor returns tawny hues to contrast of display. expectedly, an intruder plucks uniformity from his fastidious arrangements ( THE HEARTBEAT MOVES ).

brows furrow, entrenching flesh of forehead. a contemporary sniffle displaces his nose — wrinkling in contempt — irises antagonized by an unforeseen assailant. VIOLATION. rhythmic poise surveys the counter — fingers expressive, motivated by a challenge — and encircles the waist of an over speaker’s microphone ( TAP TAP , SCREECH ).</sub>

_{“ HELLO ——— ! good evening , to you ! i don’t suppose you’re enjoying yourself down there — it is rather dark , on the lower levels . admittedly, i wasn’t intending on having company so soon —— perhaps i ought to smoke you out . hmhn — it would be wise to rid of any viruses with haste … shall we make a game of it — ? i simply can’t have you snooping about … ”}