diatu | August Event Log

Noctis had been eating and he was handed several free things which reminded him a bit of the vendor in Lestallum way back when. But now he had something resembling pretzels and plentiful amounts of (what he hoped was) gooey yellow melted cheese. So he kept wandering around, memories coming rushing back here and there of when he was here before.

But then a play seemed to be happening and since the king had nothing better to do, he sat down in an empty seat along with a small crowd. People around him were excited and chattering noisily about who was playing what role and how long they'd been looking forward to seeing this traveling theatre of sorts perform.

Wiping his face with a napkin, he picked up the orange liquid he'd been given in a cup and took a drink. People were still chattering as he set it down and then he just stopped as he saw a long silver haired man take the stage and his dark blue eyes grew wide, as he shifted to make room for his little armored tank platypus buddy.

The king's voice felt as if it had been taken away as he knew that face and spoke in a whispering tone. "Kuja?"

Having been given a supporting role, while not his favored place, worked out well enough in his favor. Whatever story this performance was telling, he had heard little of it and even less of what the character whose shoes he was filling meant to it. But if nothing else, he could improvise when needed, and exceptionally well to boot.

And he did just that. Cowardice had no place in his own person, and yet to see him on stage, one would thought that was all of who he was. He found himself rather enjoying being in an act, not a face in the audience, but soon enough, for better or worse, the curtain fell. The audience was pleased, applause and cheers to their efforts.

Pleased, Kuja took his bows, returned to change back into his own clothing, and found Califleur mrrping her own approval. He chuckled softly, offering out a hand for her affection. "Did you enjoy that, too, love? Seems I haven't lost my touch after all."

The soft head butted into his hand, pressing softer ears against his fingers, but the affection was short lived. The Oh leopard padded away again after a moment or two, rumbling gently, leaving Kuja to his surprise.

"What? Bored of it already?"

No, Califleur had other things on her mind. Mid step, she paused and looked back over a shoulder, tail tip flicking, as if to beckon to him to follow. Having no other way to communicate, Kuja had learned to understand her some time ago. He sighed bodily, making a show of disappointment that she hadn't praised him as he thought she would, and stood to oblige.

"Well then, on with it, I suppose. Clearly you are not easy to please."

People around him kept commenting on the beautiful silver haired man and Noctis just kept his words bottled up as per usual. Was this some sort of chance or fate to be back here with this guy? Truthfully he didn't pay much attention to the story being told, or even the other characters. The only part he really cared about was when Kuja performed.

It made him think about how much of an audience the man could draw back home if he could somehow rebuild Lucis. The king had no doubt he'd be a star in no time flat with how much emotion he seemed to put into his characterization, though of course Noct had neglected to notice who the character even was that Kuja was playing. But both men and women alike commented on how gorgeous he was and those comments always made him hang his head a little though he cheered along with the crowd when the play was over.

But soon the performance was over and the king picked up his new found platypus friend and headed towards where the actors were. They'd been here before, but no one was here when they'd visited. Still, his memory served him well and suddenly he realized he had a cat sniffing the ground before them.

Wait.

Noctis knew that cat..what was its name again? It was something like a vegetable. Oh right Califleur. And it made him cringe as he thought maybe he should've bought flowers before showing up here.

Flowers. What the hell was he even thinking? They weren't on that level but..performance..damn it.

Though disappointed in Califleur's lack of enthusiasm, he set it aside easily as he trailed after her through the audience, fielding praises and admirations as he went. Not many stopped him for very long, some to the Oh leopard's insistence if she felt they lingered too long. It was easy enough to make excuses and depart when she became restless, but in short time he grew

"Califleur, what has gotten into you? You're being terribly needy right now and I do not appreciate it one..."

Kuja's words trailed off as at that moment, his familiar stopped and sat down, gaze directed toward a familiar tall and dark fellow. Her tail flicked back and forth as she looked back over her shoulder to make sure Kuja had seen the man as well, and if he had to put a word to the look on her face, it would have been smug. Because yes, Kuja had seen Noctis as well, and after a moment's surprise, he folded an arm across his chest, elbow from the other arm resting upon its wrist.

"Well, well. Your majesty. It has been a long time, has it not?"

He turned his gaze back to his Oh leopard, noting the look on her face again, that it hadn't changed, and shook his head at her in his bemused exasperation. Well, she did have her reasons.

Dark blue eyes immediately locked with Kuja's. And Noct just stared almost as if stricken to come face to face with the man he'd..well they hadn't gotten involved, but he'd been sort of working on it. He'd just left before it all happened. And now here he was, face to face and still feeling like a schoolboy which was ironic considering their placement right now.

Of course Kuja had the first words and Noct's mind worked them over in his mind trying to come up with something intelligible. And nothing was forthcoming.

He tried to even introduce his little platypus, but that didn't come out either. And the only thing that did come to mind was for him to shake his head at the formal address.

"You can call me Noct."

Stunned to silence, he noted. He remembered that being something normal for them before things had gone to the wind so suddenly. If he was perfectly honest with himself, he missed it, missed the banter, missed the almost playful comradery they had developed. It was nearest to what he maintained between himself and Zidane, worlds away from what he had been pushed into among the warriors for Chaos.

If he had a choice between the three, he would have taken what he had right here.

He waited quietly, head tilting, watching Noctis squirm and try to come up with a response, bemused. Like slipping back into well worn boots that he never wanted to get rid of.

"Noct? If that is what you wish." Nothing to do with the royalty side of things. In a way, he could understand. Nobility could be exhausting at times.

"How did you like the performance? It wasn't my idea, but it made for a nice way to pass the time."

As he stood there, Noctis recalled Kuja having moved in with him. Many were the nights he sat restlessly by the window, trying to drink tea and figure out what the hell he was going to do with the rest of his afterlife. And just as soon as he thought he figured it all out, he was gone.

And then he was back here, face to face with the same man in the same place. And still just as speechless. So he tried to just smile at the man and nodded. Fortunately, Kuja was verbal and allowed him the time to be able to reply.

"I thought it was great." And then the rest of the other's words sank in. "So..you just did it to pass time here?" How the silver haired man functioned in the world confused the deceased king.

He could just as easily recall where they had been, their raport in a former life. But now that things had separated them, now that things had created a new rift between them, Kuja knew immediately that he hated it.

To have everything he had worked toward, to have everything he had hoped for, even if it meant more to him than he was willing to admit until now, utterly destroyed, it was almost more than he could bear. He cast his gaze aside, sensing that the Noctis before him was not the one left to his memory, toward his familiar. Califleur had no better reassurance other than to share a gaze with him, then to look at the king once more. And Kuja wasn't sure what to make of it. He could just as easily ask, he supposed, and he knew he was losing his composure worrying over it.

But appearances. But his need to know. A war clashed within him, and he found himself tiring of the petty how-do-you-do's. He had once known something, something in himself that gave him a reason to feel, something more than this lonesome world had to offer, and every other one before it.

Visibly, Kuja was losing his composure, as much as he fought to maintain it. At last, he forced a smile, and made himself ask what was on his mind, what he hoped was on Noctis's mind. Oh, how he hoped. If this man wasn't the same he knew, he wasn't sure what he would do.

"We lived together once, did we not?"

Noctis remained quiet, trying to process that he was once again standing face to face with this gorgeous silver haired man. He wanted to throw out something witty but knew deep down that it would just fall flat on its face and he'd be risking what was here. He always tried to play it so cool but he was just a kid in the ways of being..well what he'd overheard some of his Glaives talk about that dark night.

And at the struggle on Kuja's face, Noct clenched his fist at his side. He did that so he didn't take that pale cheek in his hand when he had no damn right to. The man looked as if he was so lost or confused or something at the moment. And that forced smile had no place on that porcelain face.

But then the question came out. And it was a relief to hear it and he smiled even if he felt the smallest blush formed on his face. "Ya, we did. So you remember that."

That brought back so many memories and he had no idea how many cups of tea he drank staring out the window because he hadn't known how to break the ice of wanting more from their living arrangement than they'd had.

So Noctis did remember their previous time in this world. Relief flooded him, and though he tried to hold it in, something on his face did soften the sass he tried to throw there into his smile. Califleur had known. Of course she had known. He turned a brief glance to his side and his familiar to find her licking her lips at him, smug. He offered his hand out to scritch her head, and she obligingly ducked into it.

A silent appreciation. Few things in this world looked out for him other than himself and his suspicions were everywhere, but time had warmed him to his own familiar and he had grown to accept her presence and give her a little trust.

"Good, then. One less item to wonder over in this place. I have yet to come across a familiar face on these grounds, aside from Califleur here. It was plain from our reunion that she knew me, but I could not say for others."

The smile he turned on Noctis then had lost its softness, back to his usual charms. "Memories are such fickle things, after all, but I find I rather like mine where they are."

Noctis watched the exchange between the cat and their person. It was reassuring, but he couldn't say that he recalled having the companion that he now possessed. Still, his blue eyes looked over at it appreciatively. Whether they were here or not, the king had already grown attached to the little guy, even if it wasn't as cuddly as Kuja's pet.

"Mine are..pretty intact from this place." Noct confirmed with a nod at Kuja. "But they didn't house you with me automatically." This made him a little shy to try and come up with a delicate way to put that. It had been so nerve wracking for him to do that the last time along with how things had gone then.

Still.

"Are we doing that again? Moving you back in?"

And there went his nerves, so his hand went to his stomach.

August Event Log

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