tick tock, tick tock

[treno_nobleman]

Who: Kuja and whoever is interested!
Where: The
When: Now-ish
What: An adventure surrounding the big clock at City Hall!
Warnings: None so far


Time in this world seemed to pass at a leisurely pace, permitting its inhabitants to do what was necessary when it was needed or when one wanted to take advantage of such thing. The arc of the sun curving over the sky marked the hour well enough, but where classes and punctuality were concerned, precision became mandatory.

Thus, without much else to remind him of the exact hour and minute of the day, time pieces had become a necessity for those who could and would pick up a pen and take it to paper with the intent to write letters or take notes for classes and the like. That the clock at City Hall had been frozen in time, it seemed, for longer than he had been Sundered, and it bothered him.

City Hall was the centerpiece of the township, was it not? The structure had been kept clean and otherwise in excellent condition, clock included, one would have thought. So then why did the hands not show the correct hour? It hadn't been left that way on purpose. That, he could have understood. Kuja stood, hand on one hip, staring up at the towering face as if he might simply will himself there, to its inner workings, to see if he could find what others in this world had not.

Not that he expected he would - he was certainly no expert in these matters - but a look wouldn't hurt. He shook his head, turning his gaze to the grand front entrance. First things first. "May as well begin."

Comments

[treno_nobleman]

Something about that had Noctis's interest, and Kuja took note of it immediately. Like so much else, it took no real attention of his own, and so he left it be without too much address. Theirs was simple conversation, not much more.

He most certainly was not giving in to the bait that was that smirk. Oh no.

"I care about its representation as a symbol of this part of the world. Everything around it is meticulously well kept, from the lawn where students roam to the state of the classrooms themselves, and yet something this grand is left to sit in disrepair, useless. An odd metaphor for the status of this academy, is it not?"

[fatedsacrifice]

His blue eyes kept a steady gaze on the clock as Kuja went on. He really had no idea what the other was getting at, other than the thing was broken and he didn't like it. Geez, he really did sound like Ignis at times. What was so great or rather to be despaired over about a clock that didn't tell time?

Cecil's words spoken to him long ago about that warior guy suddenly ran through Noctis as he stood there with Kuja. 'Ever have someone you didn't understand... And yet, you find that what is important to them... suddenly becomes important to you?'

The king smiled briefly and put his hands on the back of his head lacing his fingers together just as he did when he'd understood the Paladin's words. He didn't speak for awhile as the memory went through him, but then he repeated his own spoken reply that day as he turned to his companion, now putting his hands down.

"Nothing's gonna get done if we just stand here."

Another moment passed as he thought a moment. 'Thank you Cecil.'

[treno_nobleman]

As little as the clock actually meant to him, it was the presentation that bothered him more than anything. Appearances meant worlds to him, having come from a life where first impressions were what one saw and judged before ever a word was spoken between two individuals. The monument could not speak for itself any longer and had not been able to for some time, as far as Kuja knew, but it stood now as an irritating reminder that while the campus was accepting and somewhat understanding of the circumstances haunting some of its students, the problem still existed.

He didn't like it any more than he could change it at the present, and though he had given some alternate thought as to his own predicament, he liked the clock's no less.

Noctis surprised him, so said the look he turned to the man for the implications in that statement. "True. You said 'we,' so I can only assume you would like to venture and see what might be done about this, yes?"

[fatedsacrifice]

He waited in silence as the other seemed to ponder something that was beyond Noct's scope of understanding. Even with having died and all that time passing there were still things and people he would never understand, Kuja being one of them.

Finally (and it had seemed like a really long while to wait in silence from one so verbose as his companion) the other spoke and Noct looked over at him with a smile on his face. And here he figured he would've gotten a verbal beating or something, but he didn't. So the king was going to run with this.

With a shake of the head, Noctis looked right at Kuja with his words coming out conversationally. "Maybe you didn't hear me that night because you were too busy walking away. But I told you that I'm on your side and I have your back."

[treno_nobleman]

There seemed to be something of a tease in that, something that didn't come to him lightly but that once flew from his lips like lashes from a whip. Now, no more, not in the nature it once had. But what Noctis said, how he said it, kept the Genome's gaze longer than he wanted to consider it.

It held deeper meaning, he knew somewhere, and he was tempted at first to redirect the man to something - someone - else. Why would Noctis want to stand with him on something? Clearly, the man just didn't know what it was he was getting into with Kuja, but he thought he might string the king along a little anyway, to see what happened.

"I remember, but I didn't think you were so serious about it. You may regret that later." He turned to the clock again, tail flicking. "If you intend to follow me, we're going up as far as we can to see what makes this thing tick... or not. I'd like to see it working again."

[fatedsacrifice]

Kuja got a look from Noctis about not being serious. But he shook his head at the regret part. "That sounds like a challenge." And it was one that the king wouldn't be backing down from, and so his gaze didn't leave the other's face either until Kuja turned away first.

Once their locked gazes broke, Noctis looked up at the clock. "Wonder if they have an elevator." That was said as he lightly clapped the other on the back and started walking towards it.

They weren't going to find out anything standing around and pondering.

[treno_nobleman]

He had barely started toward the building when he found Noctis's hand upon his back and paused there in his step to consider it, gaze darting to the king after a moment's hesitation. The look bore no malice, no wary suspicion as it might have a few months ago, only a quiet curiosity and a raised brow. It wasn't the first time Noctis had reached out to touch him, but it was the first time anyone had reached out to touch him. Physical contact, while not entirely foreign to him, came about so rarely without intent to harm behind it even now.

Yet with this man, a former king of whom he knew so little still, it seemed amicable in nature. Maybe it was just how Noctis was. Dewey had seen fit to tackle the king, after all. "We shall see soon enough."

[fatedsacrifice]

Walking up to the building, Noctis reached a hand out to try the door. Hearing a creaking loud enough to wake the local dead, his blue eyes winced at the sound. He took his father's sword out and looked around and finally up to see if there were any threats that he needed to be dealing with before they proceeded.

There was the sound of birds taking flight from high above but other than that it seemed almost kind of eerie and abandoned on the inside. Stone lined the floor the two men were standing on and after the danger (or lack thereof) was assessed, Noctis looked to his companion with a nod. And then the king started looking around for an elevator.

[treno_nobleman]

He wouldn't say the sight of the king's blade didn't bring out a hint of jealousy in him. To have his own powers back as easily as that blade would have done him wonders on any day, and while he did have Trance returned, it could only enhance the magic that he could wield in this world. All of that paled in comparison to his favored Flare and Holy spells, but he would take what he could get.

That and having to rely on a wand for said magic just seemed embarrassing. What good would a wand do him for something that had been taken away from his very core? He had groused over that time and time again, but now was not the time.

Letting Noctis take the lead, Kuja followed the king into the building, amused that he'd taken point. Was that what kings did in Noctis's world? Kuja had no idea. Royalty in his experience carried swords and cast spells, but from the safety of the back of the army standing in front of them. Part of him had expected Noctis to let him take the first steps in. Not that he hadn't wanted to do just that, but now he was curious.

Since the place seemed more or less abandoned, he thought to ask, voice quieted as he did. "Do you always step in front of the soldiers with blade drawn, your majesty?"

[fatedsacrifice]

The king was concentrating on finding an elevator, not sure this place even had one. He'd found some stairs and his boots echoed almost hollowly as he looked around. His hands touched the walls, trying to get a general idea as to how this place was set up and how it ran. So he was mainly quiet, searching around to learn what he could in case he needed it for later.

When it came to plans, this man wasn't good with them. Warp striking anything and having his men come up behind him to back home up was more his style. Noctis would normally stay in the back and let the other three go ahead of him. But they weren't here and he'd made a point to say to Kuja that he would protect him. And this one was notorious for keeping promise.

So hearing the majesty startled the dark haired man out of his focused search and his blue eyes turned to the silver haired man. It took a moment to process a response, hoping that wasn't going to come in between them being friends.

With a smirk, Noct nodded. "Yup, especially if I promised I'd protect them."

[treno_nobleman]

While Noctis worked his way around one side of the room, Kuja went to the other, looking not for an elevator and a faster way up, but stairs, something he could feel beneath his boots and trust more than he trusted the workings of a structure that couldn't maintain its own clock. He had his own magic to boost, should they need, but he hadn't yet mastered the fine art of teleportation without Terran technology behind it or portals that appeared at random to direct him between lands.

No, the stairs would do just fine. And anyway, they led in the direction he and his companion eventually wanted to go. He had one foot on the first of many steps, prepared to start the climb, when Noctis's response caught him, and he turned to look at the man.

His first thought, response there on the tip of his tongue, was that he did not need protecting, but it wasn't the words that kept him in hesitance. It was the tone behind them that he realized he was going to use before he ever said it. Something like this might have offended him once upon a time, but now... it almost had him charmed.

He would have to muse on that later, once this clock business was dealt with well and truly.

"I do not need protecting, but you are welcome to try."

[fatedsacrifice]

Noctis kept his ears open for danger though he doubted they'd get much trouble from anything they couldn't handle. For some reason he had the distinct feeling that he was being stared at and so he turned to look at Kuja.

Ok what was with the look that he was getting? It almost felt as if he was being sized up or analyzed or something. Seriously, what was going on? Feeling a little weirded out, the king was about to ask but then he got an answer.

Seeing that the silver haired man was on the stairs, Noct headed over. He could warp strike his way to a point, but that wouldn't work the entire way as he doubted there would be much to go on the further up he got.

The dark head shook and he sighed. "Never said you needed it."

[treno_nobleman]

The lack of warp striking around was appreciated more than he could say; Kuja rather liked not having sharp weapons flung in his direction whether or not he himself was the intended target. The way up looked clear enough, and certainly too quiet for his liking, but he hadn't a want to stay silent as they had a better look.

"You didn't, but you take it upon yourself anyway. Why the interest in keeping me safe, I wonder?"

And he did. In another world, they had been enemies before they were even strangers. The time passed in Noctis's world cleared that palette to allow them the chance to start over again, but the change of mind had his interest. He couldn't help it.