#corderis

the  length  of  ebon  cloth  that  drifts  from  his  waist  billows  with  each  gust  of  wind  ,  casting  through  the  midnight  sky  that  mimics  his  attire  .  he  feels  weariness  in  his  muscles  from  days  spent  sword  to  sword  with  terra  ,  forcing  magic  forth  with  aqua  ,  and  learning  to  counter  ventus  with  fast  -  paced  dodges  .  all  actions  ,  hardly  any  words  .  a  few  exchanged  here  and  there  ,  but  he's  not  really  one  for  chatting  .  not  unless  he  thinks  it  necessary  .  still  ,  he's  not  spent  much  time  with  kairi  ,  and  he's  not  sure  if  it's  because  she's  chosen  to  avoidant  him  with  purpose  or  because  he's  simply  instilled  no  effort  to  chase  her  down  .  so  ,  when  he  finds  her  sitting  alone  beneath  the  sky  ,  a  million  stars  looking  back  at  them  ,  he  sits  near  to  her  .  not  beside  her  ,  but  not  far  from  her  either  .  he  lays  his  wrapped  fusion  sword  before  him  ,  guessing  there's  no  need  to  use  it  here  ,  but  keeping  it  close  in  case  the  need  arises  . 

he  thinks  to  start  a  conversation  ,  both  of  them  acknowledging  each  other  with  all  but  glances  of  their  eyes  .  he's  not  sure  what  to  say  ,  and  usually  he'd  opt  not  to  force  anything  that  means  nothing  ,  but  he's  almost  certain  that  anything  ,  in  this  moment  ,  could  mean  something  .

she peeked over noctis' shoulder where he sat, eyes skimming the article before focusing on the picture. ❛ that's her? lunafreya? ❜ noctis' fiancée, from what she had gathered. ❛ she's pretty. ❜ kairi perked up a bit, hands on noctis' shoulders so she could lean a bit further forward, turning her head to look at him. ❛ can i meet her? ❜ in truth, she was just excited to possibly get to meet someone who meant so much to him, but she wasn't going to let him know that. ❛ i mean, someone's gotta tell her all the embarrassing stories about you from the trip! ❜

                                      ⸻ @corderis

the  moon  shines  outside  the  window  of  a  hotel  lobby  where  noctis  sits  ,  one  leg  crossed  over  the  other  ,  skimming  an  otherwise  boring  magazine  if  he  had  not  come  across  an  article  featuring  luna  exclusively  .  he  takes  the  time  to  scan  it  from  each  edge  of  the  page  ,  taking  in  the  details  and  laughing  to  himself  when  the  journalist  misses  the  mark  .  it's  like  he  still  knows  her  ,  despite  all  the  time  that's  passed  .  knows  her  enough  to  know  that  he  loves  her  ,  but  not  quite  enough  to  know  how  she's  changed  over  these  many  years  spent  apart  .  can't  be  sure  if  he's  in  love  with  her  ,  which  still  sits  like  guilt  heavy  against  his  heart  ,  but  he'd  commit  to  her  regardless  .  he  doesn't  have  the  audacity  to  complain  about  his  engagement  to  her  ,  and  yet  some  part  of  him  wishes  that  if  they  were  to  be  married   .   .   .   it  might  be  under  different  circumstances  .  perhaps  one  in  which  they  both  get  a  choice  in  the  matter  . 

still  ,  his  hand  is  drawn  like  a  magnet  to  the  page  as  his  fingers  glide  over  a  photo  of  her  .  he's  overtaken  by  nostalgia  ,  and  isn't  much  surprised  to  be  ‘  interrupted  ’  by  kairi  ,  but  she  certainly  does  something  to  bring  him  back  to  the  present  and  center  him  from  his  thoughts  .  he  hasn't  a  clue  how  long  she's  been  sitting  there  watching  him  .

❛  yeah  .   ❜   he  answers  ,  his  single  word  breathed  more  as  a  sigh  than  a  response  .  it's  an  affirmation  that  it  is  luna  on  this  page  and  that  she  is  indeed  very  pretty  .  every  day  he  wishes  to  have  the  chance  to  see  her  once  more  before  him  ,  though  ,  in  the  last  several  years  ,  such  occurence  has  only  managed  to  come  to  life  in  his  dreams  .

" from another world, you say ---- " while lunafreya's eyes widen and her tone employs one of surprise, her reaction seems all too mild. the existence of other universes is one known to the oracle, though she is wont to disclose such fascinating information.

she believes it. a teenaged young girl dressed in outlandish garb, wielding a key of light ---- all of which most ridiculous is the fact that she stands unscathed in the middle of her bedroom, the niflheim guards posted outside seemingly none the wiser.

❝ someone's feelin' lively t'day. you feel up t' playing deliverygirl for me since you got all this energy?  ❞ he had an errand to run but didn't really feel like leaving the shop by himself. it would draw too much undesired attention from the heartless that were lurking near by. he had a rather uncomfortable encounter with a sniper wild the other day that left his back sore from him trying to get away from it in the 2nd district.

it wasn't fun when he wasn't allowed to fight back- so, he needed someone who could, with him.

❝  you help me with this an' when we get back, i'll give ya some goodies t'go fer all yer help. ❞

yuffie had been a bit brash, a bit too forward, and kairi had watched cloud retreat on himself under her words and the eyes of the others before she decided to take a different approach. she waited until they were alone, reminiscing on the day, so that the conversation felt more like natural progression and less like an ambush. ❛ that lady who came to merlin's at the end–––– are you guys friends? ❜

in truth, kairi was curious. their paths had never crossed before. the mystery woman hadn't seemed to be an official member of the restoration committee, but everyone had greeted her like an old friend. kairi hadn't gotten to spend too much time with her, hadn't even gotten her name in all the chaos, but she'd noticed how she had stuck by cloud, how they seemed to communicate without speaking.

❛ she was nice. ❜ kairi took a bite of her ice cream with a hum, letting the comment sit for a moment before she added, ❛ pretty too, don't you think? ❜

  @corderis

The  day's  been  decent;  no  long  hours  that  seemed  unending,  and  no  vague  reminiscence  of  hours  that  never  seemed  to  exist.  Average,  most  would  say,  but  it's  not  often  Cloud  experiences  any  day  averagely…  It  feels  peaceful.  Almost  relaxing,  if  he  would  absolve  the  guilt  that  sits  ever  -  atop  his  chest,  back,  shoulders. 

Kairi's  introduction  to  a  conversation  didn't  seem  peculiar  today,  while  most  times  it  might.  They've  been  speaking  more  frequently,  and  he's  begun  to  view  her  in  a  similar  light  to  Yuffie.  Someone  he  cares  for,  who  he'd  like  to  protect,  but  also  knows  just  about  every  way  to  piss  him  off.  Bearing  that  in  mind,  Kairi  seems  to  be  observant  enough  to  know  all  the  ways  to  get  the  truth  out  of  him  as  well,  like  her  understanding  of  others'  quirks  and  habits  goes  beyond  a  simple  note  in  her  head,  and  instead  tunes  itself  into  a  feeling  in  her  soul.  It's  no  surprise  when  she  begins  questioning  him  about  Tifa.  Well,  it  is,  but  it  shouldn't  be.  The  question  feels  vulnerable,  but  the  answer  feels  simple.

❛  You  could  say  so.  ❜   But,  you  could  also  say  they  go  beyond  such  a  simple  term;  an  understatement  to  the  bond  they  share,  the  home  they  find  in  each  other.  The  light  that  wraps  his  darkness  and  keeps  him  from  drifting  into  abyssal  night.  Eyes  drift  to  the  ice  cream  that's  melting  off  his  stick,  but  he  can't  be  bothered  to  adjust  it,  lest  the  sugar  become  sticky  on  his  hands.  He'd  rather  it  melt  off  completely.  Not  that  he  notices  presently,  as  his  thoughts  are  focused  on  the  singular  aforementioned topic. 

There's  a  decently  long  pause  that  separates  their  conversation,  like  perhaps  she's  giving  him  to  elaborate  should  he  wish,  but  he  only  spends  the  time  lost  in  his  thoughts.  His  gaze  never  meets  hers,  as  the  feelings  of  memories  associated  with  ‘that  lady’  consume  him.  He's  a  bit  out  of  it  when  she  asks  her  next  question,  salty-sweet  delectable  soiling  the  ground  beneath  him,  mind  clearly  fixated  elsewhere,  and  he  answers  without  much  thought.  ❛  Yeah.  ❜   His  admittance  is  casual,  like  he's  simply  stating  a  fact.  There's  hardly  a  feeling  to  be  seen,  despite  the  deep  and  almost  nauseatingly  complex  stir  that  bubbles  from  his  stomach  to  his  center  sternum. 

He  blinks  once,  squinting,  almost  glaring  into  the  distance,  like  he's  fixing  his  face  purposefully  to  remain  serious,  and  also  like  he's  a  bit  frustrated  with  himself  for  getting  caught  in  this  situation,  untrusting  of  what  the  girl  would  do  with  the  information.  Probably  nothing,  but  he  blinks  again  and  confirms  with  himself  that  had  he  been  paying  better  attention,  he  definitely  could  have  come  up  with  a  better  answer…  In  any  manner  of  fashion.

❛   that's  up  to  you  . ❜   there's  a  fire  alight  within  a  glacier  that  encases  her  softness  ;  warmth  devoured  by  ice  ,  protected  by  roaring  tempests  .  her  arms  fold  against  her  chest  and  she  peers  into  the  beyond  ,  masking  her  concern  with  soldier's  steel  .  she's  just  a  kid  ,  she  thinks  to  herself  ,  but  the  former  sergeant  can't  go  around  making  decisions  for  anyone  .  she'll  look  after  her  if  she  decides  to  follow  ,  from  the  sidelines  ,  of  course  .  silently  ,  but  protectively  .  if  she  decides  she's  untrustworthy  ?  that's  her  prerogative  ,  and  can  surely  handle  herself  .