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Noctis woke up in a dream.
He knew it was a dream because the bright sky was impossibly blue and dotted with perfect white clouds, clear of The Wall’s translucent shimmer.
The wild lush green plains stretched far beyond the single dirt road he was on, curving past a gentle bend of short shrubs and tall grass dotted with tinkling purple flowers.
The smell of something sweet permeated the air, enticing him with the promise of dessert; perhaps a decadent stack of waffles, or a fluffy souffle…
He was alone. Of course he was. His dream adventures with Carbuncle were always a solo journey, but this time his messenger companion seemed particularly mischievous about it with a game of hide-and-seek.
Noctis didn't mind the silence. With a renewed spring in his steps, he set down the path without a second thought.
-
Noctis ambled through the plains, following the little path that brought him past idyllic fields of flowers and the occasional towering tree.
He hasn’t seen Carbuncle so far, and it was rather odd that the fox hadn't shown itself to Noctis yet. Still, Noctis wasn’t too worried about it. Perhaps Carbuncle merely wanted Noctis to go on a walk. In any case, he was bound to come across Carbuncle when it wanted him to.
Still, Noctis was taken by surprise as he rounded the next corner to a large clearing surrounded by swaying sylleblossoms. A large ornate iron-wrought table stood in the middle, heavily laden with little cakes, puddings, waffles, and even a platter of delicate ulwaat berry pastries.
And just right then, Noctis spotted another person headed towards the clearing as well: a familiar figure with blonde hair.
“Luna?” The word carried over the largely quiet meadow despite being meant to be a whisper to himself. Lunafreya Nox Fleuret, the current Oracle and Noctis’ childhood friend turned her head in response. Her face split into a smile as soon as she spotted him.
“Noctis!” she greeted, changing course to bypass the table and come towards him instead. Noctis answered her smile with a small one of his own as he came forward to meet her. They came to a stop a few steps away from each other. Noctis hesitated, suddenly uncertain and feeling painfully awkward, at an odd loss of how to greet her. It wasn’t like with the guys, where the greetings came naturally. Luna wasn’t one of the guys and while he’d longed to see her again, to meet her, now that he did, he found he didn’t really know how to act. It had been easy when they were children, but that wasn’t the case anymore. Now, she was the Oracle and he the Prince of Lucis, not just Noct and Luna. And while they had been in contact over the years, it had been ages since they last saw each other.
Noctis resisted the urge to fidget. He also resisted the urge to straighten his shoulders and stand as he’d been taught. He didn’t want their first meeting after so long to be formal.
Luna noticed his uncertainty, but she didn’t show it. Still smiling, she reached out to take both of his hands in hers, squeezing gently.
“I’m very glad to meet you again, Noctis. It has been too long,” she said, her words as much the truth as it was an attempt to ease his discomfort. She was relieved when it seemed to work and he answered with another genuine smile.
“You can say that again,” he agreed with a nod and a gentle squeeze of her fingers. “How did you find me here?”
“I had some help.” Luna turned to look over her shoulder just as her helper trotted up to them, calling Noctis’ name in greeting. She turned back to Noctis, eyes twinkling. “Though it would seem he’s a mutual acquaintance of ours.”
Noctis followed her gaze and there was no denying the recognition in his expression when his eyes fell on the Messenger. He released Luna’s hands and knelt down on one knee to be closer to the smaller creature’s eye-level.
“Carbuncle. I was wondering where you were.”
“ Hi, Noct! I’m glad we got to meet in happier circumstances this time, ” the Messenger said and Noctis frowned slightly before glancing down at the phone Luna hasn’t noticed him pull out.
“Weird… Why am I not getting your texts?” he asked. Luna blinked.
“Texts?” she inquired, and Noctis looked up at her from his crouched position.
“Yeah. That’s how he usually communicates with me.”
“Oh.” Of course. Chosen though he might be, Noctis hadn’t been taught the Astral Language, so he could not understand the Messenger like she did.
"Well, this is absolutely delightful," a new voice added, a touch of sarcasm adding arrogance to the words. "Lady Lunafreya, could you introduce me to your new friend?"
Loqi was— confused.
The last thing he recalled was turning in for the night, and then he'd opened his eyes in the middle of Leide, clad in armour as though he was ready for another battle with the Kingsglaive.
Except that he was alone, with nary a Glaive nor battlefield to be found.
And while the landscape did resemble Leide at the first glance — the clear skies were nothing new, of course, but the temperature was oddly pleasant — his eyes soon landed upon a forest (had that been there before?), with an open, inviting path. He hesitated, half before the obvious trap and half before the obvious road to a faerie realm.
Not that he believed in such things, but both his mother and Rubicon liked to share Tenebraen folklore…
Well, if it was a trap he was armed, and if it was faeries he was armoured, so with little other choice, he followed the path into the woods.
There was no telling how long he walked before his nose caught scent of sweet and delicious things in the air, and he changed his mind from faeries to witches and candy houses.
The path became more obviously cultivated, with blue flowers he thought might have been sylleblossoms, until at least he came across a young couple, one blonde, one dark-haired.
At least the Oracle's was a somewhat familiar face.
He strode to the pair, noting as he drew closer that they had a curious animal with them, something akin to a small fox but with a crystalline horn on its forehead.
What on Eos was going on?
At last, finally, he noted the expression on Lunafreya's face — mild apprehension, which he supposed was fair. Her companion, at least, looked as confused as Loqi himself felt, despite his apparent familiarity with the foxlike creature.
At last Lunafreya said, "Noct, this is— Commander Loqi Tummelt. Commander, this is my friend, Noct."
Apparently discretion was the name of the game, though Loqi was well-aware that he and discretion were rarely on speaking terms. "Noct," he greeted the young man, a touch awkwardly. "A pleasure."
Noctis couldn’t remember having ever met a Loqi before, though he trusted that Luna was familiar enough with the stranger to not immediately draw his sword. He guessed from her hesitant manner and the other man’s sour look that there was tension between the two. Luna was not often on her guard around the people– not unless she had good reason to. If he had to guess, Luna would only act this way around those she couldn’t trust fully. Judging from his appearance and the shiny armour, Loqi was likely a Niff, perhaps assigned to imprison the Oracle in her home.
Still, he seemed relatively harmless at the moment, with a general air of awkwardness that showed on his surprisingly young face. Plus, he appeared to not have recognized the Crown Prince of Lucis at all, which is of course always a bonus.
“Uh,” Noctis said eloquently, immediately choosing to ignore his many years of etiquette training. “‘Sup.”
Loqi seemed to stiffen slightly at the casual greeting. Not surprising, as Noctis remembered their military operated on the strictest of hierarchies. Loqi probably hadn’t heard anyone not call him by his title in a while.
Noctis deliberately slouched his shoulders lower, sticking his hands into his pants, trying to look as far from royalty as possible. Besides, this was a dream. No one (including Ignis) should judge him for slouching in a dream.
Instead, he turned his attention back to Luna. “Hey, Lu. Everything good on your end?”
Lunafreya watched the two men exchange greetings a touch apprehensively, but was relieved when neither immediately recognized the other and no swords were drawn. She doubted any one of them could truly die in a dream, but it was better to be careful. Noctis seemed to think the same given his decidedly not royal behavior. She was glad they agreed, and even gladder that Loqi followed her lead and didn’t correct the her introduction like most other generals would. Her gaze wandered briefly to the Messenger at her feet in askance - why would he invite Loqi into this dream along with her and Noctis? - but he remained silent and curled up on the ground, the picture of insouciance.
At Noctis’ question, Luna blinked and turned to face him again, the additional shortening of her name throwing her off for but a split second before she recovered and answered with a smile.
“Yes, everything is well. You needn’t worry about me, Noct.” It would be more accurate to say ‘everything is as well as it can be expected’, but she was certain she needn’t spell it out. “I hope you and your father are doing well, too.”
Loqi tried to hide a wince at how casually Noct spoke to Lunafreya — he'd hardly expect a friend of hers to use her full name and title, of course, but… Lu?
Then again, for her to inquire as to his family, they had to be particularly close. Odd that he'd not heard of one so close to the Oracle; her handlers were unduly… diligent… in keeping her safe.
Then he imagined her brother's reaction to such a nickname, and had to conceal a smirk.
Mentally he hauled himself back to the present. His thoughts usually weren't given to wandering off in such a manner, and he'd missed Noct's answer entirely.
"I don't mean to interrupt," he interrupted, "but do either of you know where we are or how we came to be here? This can't possibly be Leide." He waved one gauntleted hand at their surroundings, leaving his left hand free in case things went south.
Leide? Why would Loqi think… No, it’s likely a good thing that this Niff Commander didn’t realize they were in a dreamscape. Noctis tried to put on a politely bemused look, as if this meeting in an unknown place was not something to think too hard about.
“I try not to think too much about the hows and the whys… Especially not when Luna is involved. In any case, Leide is quite beautiful this time of the year.”
To distract them all, Noctis waved a polite hand over the table still laden with desserts. An extra chair had appeared– or had there always been three?– and quite honestly, half of Noctis’ attention had been on the ulwaat berry tarts the whole time.
“Tart?” he asked, offering the plate towards Loqi. No harm trying to make friends.
It was the right move, if Luna’s beaming smile was any indication. She had always worried over Noctis’ difficulties making friends… but perhaps seeing him try to make friends right now (and with an enemy Commander!) would help set her at ease.
And set her at ease it did. Luna could only smile and shake her head in bemusement, both at Loqi’s misconception of where they were - or would be if it wasn’t a mere dream - and at Noct’s innocent exacerbation of that misconception. On one hand, she could understand his being careful. On the other hand… this was still a dream and it shouldn’t really matter whether or not Loqi was corrected.
Then again, maybe she was the one who should be more wary. Just because Loqi wasn’t the worst person from the Niflheim military who could have been brought here didn’t mean he was a friend. No one from Niflheim truly was, she knew that better than anyone.
“You always did like these tarts,” she allowed herself to comment with a smile, plucking one from the tray Noctis was holding out. “Did your friend manage to replicate the recipe?”
Feeling very much like a third wheel — and obviously he was, seeing how close Lady Lunafreya was to this Noct — Loqi awkwardly accepted the offered tart in his right hand. He needn't fear poison, not with the star pendant he wore below his tunic, but he didn't take a bite until he saw Lady Lunafreya do so. It was, after all, basic manners.
He held his tongue rather than interrupt the reunion of old friends. (How old? a part of his calculating mind wondered. And why was Noct so familiar?)
Blue eyes fell on the little fox with the crystal horn, and narrowed. Something here was off.
Carbuncle lay at Noctis’ feet, seemingly asleep. If Carbuncle was able to relax and close its eyes, surely the place– and by extension, the Niff commander– was safe enough? After all, Loqi’s presence here appeared to be a surprise to himself too.
Noctis gave Luna updates about his life with as little identifying details as possible, quite aware that the Niff Commander was listening intently even though he put on a good show about eating his tart.
It was hard to figure out what was going through the blond man’s head. He wore a hint of a scowl, eyes flickering ever so often towards Carbuncle and Noctis.
Did he recognize Noctis as the Crown Prince of Lucis? Was he suspicious of Carbuncle? Was the permanent scowl just part of his face? Did he not like the tarts?
No, impossible, Noctis thought idly as he munched on his third ulwaat berry tart. These tarts are perfect.
Luna, for her part, seemed completely at ease, as if this was a regular occurance with friends. Of course, Luna naturally had that sort of comforting vibe. Noctis often wondered if it was Oracle magic. Something about her presence just made him unwind and chat more than he ever usually does, just like with Prompto.
“-so yeah, Prom was super hyped for the yearbook picture- I think he had his entire themed outfit planned out a week in advance, he dragged me everywhere to shop for this chocobo backpack- anyway, he was super hyped, and then on the day of the photoshoot he had this huge pimple on his nose. Prom was inconsolable, even makeup didn’t help much. Eventually, Iggy helped him draw these little chocobos dancing across his face, which was actually cute, but Prom was so upset about it, he named it the Unfortunate Zit and now calls everything bad an ‘Unfortunate Zit-show’...”
Something about the story must have piqued Loqi’s interest, because he was now looking directly at Noctis, looking as if he wanted to speak.
Luna couldn’t help but smile at Noctis’ stories. It was good to hear he’d made a friend outside the Citadel and Prompto was truly good for him. Luna could still remember the young, lonely prince who’d first come to Tenebrae in need of help - not just of the Oracle, although Luna had been too young then to truly understand the kind of help Noctis had needed, much less to understand that she had unknowingly given it. But she was glad she had.
Her gaze shifted to Commander Tummelt. It wasn’t really because he’d done anything to call for her attention. Not really. But while his expression shifted slightly at Noctis’ story, he didn’t insert himself into the conversation. Luna raised an eyebrow at him and decided to at least attempt to help him out - assuming help was required in the first place.
“What is it, Commander Tummelt?”
He took two quick bites of a tart to keep himself from asking What on Eos is a year book ? Lunafreya seemed to understand what one was; maybe he could ask her later.
…no, that was not something he'd send to her official email, and he certainly didn't know her private one.
…did she have a private one? She must, or how else would she remain in contact with this Noct?
Grappling desperately for something else to ask, he landed on, "What sort of product does your friend normally use for his skin? I had to change my entire routine when I was assigned to Leide; the air's more humid than at home. Less moisturizing, more balancing of the oils in the skin. Drinking a lot of water helps, too."
He saw surprise on both Lunafreya's and Noct's faces, and felt himself flushing. "Skin care is important," he said defensively, even though nobody had questioned his advice. "And pimples suck."
He took another bite of tart to shut himself up, sipping at a cup of tea that had— surely it had always been there. It hadn't appeared when he'd realised he was thirsty, that was ridiculous.
“Er,” Noctis replied intelligently, running his hand through the back of his hair. “I don’t know. Some kind of foam? And then also this black scrub. And like a kind of green paste he keeps on for a while before washing off.”
Lunafreya raised an eyebrow at him.
“What? Prom brings his stuff over during sleepovers. He also likes to do face masks together, he has a bunch of different ones all the time.” Noctis paused. “I kind of like those, actually.”
“Well,” Loqi sniffed, “It sounds like your friend is using too many products too often, which stresses out the skin.”
The table settled into a silence as Noctis and Lunafreya digested this information, then-
“You know a lot about skincare,” Noctis blurted out, the ‘ for a Niff military Commander’ went unsaid.
“Indeed. Had I known that before I might have asked you for some advice, Commander Tummelt. While my travels haven’t taken me to Leide, Tenebrae and Niflheim have a wide range of different climates as well.” She didn’t point out how part of the reason for that was the folly that had led to Shiva being killed in Ghorova’s Rift. Her body still remained there, and it had turned what was previously a desert into a snow field for miles. The difference in climate between there and the surrounding dry deserts of Cartanica just wasn’t natural. But it remained regardless. “Do you have a routine you’d recommend for the hot and dry deserts of Cartanica? I heard the towns there had been struck by sickness recently and had planned to make that my next destination.”
There was little point in trying to be secretive about her travels. Everyone knew where she was and where she planned to go next, especially Niflheim. She wasn’t naive enough to think they didn’t always keep an eye on her, even if they allowed her the supposed freedom of wandering Eos to fulfill her calling as healer of the people.
Loqi shrugged a little at Noct's comment. "I went into the military at fourteen," he explained. "Having to deal with acne and official functions with high ranking nobility and military? Absolutely not."
He drummed his fingers on the table, considering Lunafreya's question, and made a face at the sound his gauntlets produced. With a faint sigh, he removed the offending armour. "If you're expecting to be in the sun for long — even under a tarp or something — put on sunscreen before the rest of your makeup," he advised. "I know some makeups have SPF these days but it's not enough to deal with Cartanica, or even Niflheim on a sunny day. We both know how dry it can get out there, so make sure your moisturizer is up to the task. And if the idiots in your PR team insist you need dark eyelashes, get some waterproof mascara. Oh, and setting spray so you won't sweat everything off."
Noctis allowed his mind to wander while the other two engaged in a surprisingly passionate discussion on skincare. Years of etiquette training meant that he could seem focused on the topic at hand while he was really wondering about what Ignis was going to make for lunch.
Hopefully it was his favourite mother and child bowl. Ignis always manages to make even the rice smell wonderfully fragrant.
At one point, Loqi started raising his voice, seemingly distressed at something Luna had said. The commander's strained tone snapped Noctis back to attention, his protective instincts kicking back into gear.
"Lady Lunafreya," Loqi ground out in a tone of voice Noctis might have assumed was pained , "you can not be seen putting raw egg whites on your face while you do a homemade mask."
Noctis would have jumped to Lunafreya's defense, even though he agreed with Loqi's bewildering statement about the raw eggs, but Luna remained as relaxed as ever. In fact, she wore a mischievous little grin that Noctis hadn't seen in a while. Clearly she was enjoying herself.
“Oh? And why is that?” she asked calmly, ever the proper Oracle even as her eyes twinkled with mirth. “Raw egg is good for your skin, Commander Tummelt. Eggs can hydrate and enhance its elasticity, and the proteins help repair face tissues. They’re also relatively easy to come by whilst traveling. It’s perfect for a homemade face mask when one is on the road, as you know I often am.”
It was part of her duties as the Oracle, and Luna took all of her duties very seriously. Although to be completely honest, she would have insisted on those travels even if it wasn’t an official duty of hers. If she had the means to help people, she wanted to do her best to do it. In time, she would help Noctis as well. But until that time came, she wanted to help anyone within her reach, too.
"Because it's unnecessary!" Loqi protested. "It's like using willowbark tea for a headache when aspirin exists. Science has determined what it is in an egg white that's good for your skin, and produced several products so you don't have to waste a perfectly good egg that you could— well, eat. I'm not trying to say that you're above a homemade mask, but there's no need to spend the time, energy, and food when there are products readily avai—"
His eyes narrowed.
"Unless they've been forbidden to you?" The tone was mildly incredulous, but Loqi knew damn well that some of Lady Lunafreya's handlers relished any small power they had over her.
“You know,” Noctis interrupted. “I could always send you what you want, Luna. Just give me a list.”
Since Noctis was always happy to help others, particularly his friends, he didn’t even really think twice about it. As far as he understood the situation, not only were the Niffs keeping her essentially a prisoner, she wasn’t even getting appropriate skincare.
She had to resort to putting eggs on her face. What sort of life is she living under the thumb of these oppressive Niffs?
Noctis will make sure she doesn’t have to do that, even if she’s in the middle of the desert. No one should be putting raw eggs on their face. Perhaps it shouldn’t have been so surprising to agree with Loqi on something .
“You know it’ll be super easy for me to get it done.”
Sure, Noctis was referring to the magic dogs who can travel through space and time and enemy lines at the drop of a hat, but Loqi didn’t need to know that .
“I appreciate the offer, Noct. But I couldn’t ask that of you,” Lunafreya responded, although admittedly part of the reason for her response was sheer habit. She was not used to having others help her. Most of the time, there was no real way for anyone to help in the first place. Ravus tried, or so Luna liked to think, but his methods… well.
Noctis just waved a hand at her dismissively.
“It’s no big deal. Really. Just tell me what you need,” he said, and maybe it was the off-handedness of it that made Luna smile and nod her head. Or maybe it was the genuine desire to help, no matter in what small a way, that Noctis never quite managed to hide.
“All right,” she acquiesced. “Thank you, Noct.” That earned her a light flush as Noctis rubbed at the back of his neck.
“It’s nothing.”
Loqi looked from one to the other in utter disbelief.
How on Eos could Lady Lunafreya receive any sort of gift from random Lucians? Oracle or no, gifts intended for the Oracle were thoroughly scrutinized, checked for explosives, poison, and all other manner of traps — at least that was the official excuse.
How could this Noct expect to so easily circumvent such strategems, even for so benign a gift as makeup?
"How do you two even know one another?" he asked incredulously.
Right. Loqi was still at the table, staring at them with wide eyes.
Briefly, Noctis wondered if he could still pull the 'this is just a dream' card, but Loqi was admittedly too sharp to fall for something like that.
"We're-"
"Just old friends," Luna cut in with a smile, reaching out to pat Noctis' hand in a friendly way, much like how she would pet Umbra. "We have been pen pals for a while."
Loqi narrowed his eyes. Noctis really hoped that he didn't remember Lady Lunafreya's well-known, well-documented, and well-gossiped friendship with the Crown Prince of Lucis.
"I don't believe you two," Loqi said finally, scrutinising them. Luna's gentle pets turned into a tense squeeze.
"Niflheim protocol requires all communication reaching Lady Lunafreya to be investigated for potential threat. I certainly do not remember… a pen pal."
Noctis and Luna exchanged significant looks with each other. Their method of communication had to remain a secret.
"I gave her a, uh, pager." Noctis said as he visualized discreet matching black bracelets to appear on their wrists. They blinked into existence, nestled comfortably as if they have always been there.
"A what?"
"It's this new tech from Lucis," Noctis explained with deliberate casualness. "It lets us keep track of each other and send short messages, no matter where we are."
For as accepting of everything as she had been since meeting the Messenger Carbuncle (who was currently pretending to be asleep in her lap, out of sight and seemingly forgotten by her two companions), she had to make a conscious effort not to show her surprise when the black bracelet blinked into existence on her wrist. She gave the Messenger curled up on her thighs a discreet look. The fox-like creature seemed to sense her gaze because it looked up, large ears twitching. It spoke quietly and Lunafreya hoped it wouldn’t call the two boys’ attention.
“Why are you surprised? This is ultimately a dream world. You can make anything appear here.” The way he said it, it seemed as though it was supposed to be obvious. Luna had to swallow a sigh as Carbuncle returned to his previous position, pretending to nap once again.
Lunafreya turned her attention to the conversation again, just in time to hear Noctis’s explanation of their supposed ‘new tech’. Loqi didn’t seem all that convinced by it, and Lunafreya didn’t blame him. Lying on the fly – or rather, lying in general – had never been Noctis’s strong suit, for better or for worse.
“I understand the name must confuse you, Commander Tummelt. I was confused when Noct first offered it to me as well,” she said with a slight smile before turning to Noctis in order to explain. “Nilfheim used to have pagers, but they were nothing as fancy as this. Not that discreet, either. Phones have replaced pagers a long time ago. Though I admit calling this a pager is smart in its own way. No one would expect anything like this. It’s the main reason it’s remained unfound.” She glanced back to Loqi with a worried expression. “I hope you can allow me to keep this one secret and not report this, Commander Tummelt.”
There. That should be enough to convince him.
"...I took apart a few pagers as a kid," Loqi admitted slowly. "They were pretty clunky, but there was potential for…" His voice trailed off as designs flashed through his head. Something to ponder later.
He ignored this mysterious Noct (Why? Why was he familiar? Especially after the "old friends" remark?) to focus on Lunafreya and her worry.
"Given that neither of us should be here at all," he said, a little dry but trying a small smile to reassure her, "I can't see that there would be any evidence of this discussion. And for some reason, 'I had a vision,' only works for the Chancellor. Your secret is safe with me, Noct, Lunafreya."
He flicked his eyes to Noct. "Though I really would come up with another name for that device. I'm fairly certain the Power Rangers had pagers. Or something similar, at any rate."
Both Lunafreya and Noct seemed to relax at that, which only underscored the fact that something deeper was going on, something skittering at the back of his mind but refusing to make itself clear.
"Although… do they only come in black? Someone will eventually catch on," he cautioned them. "If they came in other colours, you could claim them as a friendship bracelet or something. I think."
It’s not that Noctis was surprised that Loqi would suggest them as friendship bracelets, but it was the way Loqi seemed deeply wistful as he was talking about them.
Loqi didn’t look that much older than them, though his military outfit and harsh expressions made it hard to imagine him as a youth. Now, though, the age fell away from his face as he peeked from the matching bracelets on Noctis’ and Luna’s wrist to his own empty one.
If Noctis wasn’t highly aware that Loqi was a high-ranking Niflheim military commander, he would have said that the other man was pouting .
In the afternoon light, Loqi's face softened around the edges. As strange as it sounded, he reminded Noctis of Prompto, with his deeply hidden melancholy that rarely surfaced.
It was probably the reminder of his best friend that had Noctis feeling sympathetic towards Loqi. After all, he knows too how lonely and difficult military life can be.
"Hey," Noctis said before his brain could decide this was a bad idea. "Do you want one?"
Luna couldn’t help but smile softly at Noctis’s offer. It was just… so him. Kind to a fault and always eager to look past a person’s origins. Loqi was a Niff. Like any Lucian, Noctis had more than enough reason to hate and despise him for that reason alone. Maybe he even had more reasons than any other Lucian, depending on how one looked at it. And yet here he was, offering Loqi a sign of friendship, despite their being enemies in reality, bound to attempt to kill each other if they ever met on the battlefield.
It was moments like these that made Luna even more certain than she generally was that the Gods had chosen right. Noctis was the Chosen King who would deliver Eos from the blight of the Scourge, and no one else could have been a better fit.
Luna was proud she would get to help him fulfill that destiny. No matter the cost.
"...a pager?" Loqi asked, mildly flustered.
Obviously not the pager, that was between Lunafreya and her friend and—
He swallowed against a sudden lump in his throat. "I… I've never had a friendship bracelet. I was taught at home, so I never had—"
He glanced at his wrists, bared now since he'd removed his gauntlets. Who would see if he wore something so…
"...yes, please," he said, pretending he wasn't starting to turn red.
Noctis exchanged a quick look with Luna. The approval in her eyes warmed his heart, and her quick nod told him he did the right thing.
It didn’t take long for Noctis to magic another black bracelet into existence. A thin black leather band materialized in his pants pocket. At least it didn’t pop into being right in front of Loqi, because that would probably be too difficult to explain.
“Here, take it.” Noctis brought the bracelet out of his pocket and towards Loqi. “It’s yours.”
Loqi did not need to finish his sentence for Luna or Noctis to understand. It was probably one of the reasons Noctis gave him a bracelet so easily. As the Lucian Prince, he understood loneliness better than most. As the Oracle, Lunafreya did as well.
The bracelets had appeared out of nowhere simply because Noctis had willed them into existence. This was a dream world, and as the dreamers, the three of them had at least some measure of control here. That was what Carbuncle had said. With that in mind, Luna pretended to reach into the folds of her dress and focused until the felt the paper she willed into existence appear in her hand. She pulled it out and laid it on the table before unfolding it and revealing the pressed flower inside. It drew Noctis’s attention immediately.
“Hey, is that…?”
“A pressed Sylleblossom, just like the one I sent you all those years ago, yes,” Lina said with a smile and a slight nod. She glanced at Loqi then and tilted her head to the side. “Do you know what Sylleblossoms are believed to mean in Tenebrae, Commander Tummelt?”
She doubted it. Few Niflheim people bothered to learn about the culture of the places they conquered. Especially if they were in the military. Part of it might be genuine lack of interest, part of it might be lack of a chance to learn anything. So she didn’t really wait for him to reply.
“Sylleblossoms represent bonds. Bonds between family or between friends.” Sometimes lovers, but she didn’t mention that. “My people believe that if a Sylleblossom is gifted to someone, then the giver and the receiver are forever connected in some way, shape or form.” As she explained, Luna pushed the paper with the pressed flower towards Loqi with a smile. “Some say the meaning is lost if the flower isn’t alive, but I personally think it’s all the stronger like this. Because pressed flowers do not wilt.”
The lump in his throat only grew.
None of this was real, he'd realised that by now. It was definitely the best dream he'd had in awhile, though.
He accepted the paper with a gentle hand, gazing down at the blossom for a moment before his eyes moved to the thin black strip around his wrist.
Loqi swallowed again, and finally managed words. "Thank you," he said, forgetting to be appalled by the clear emotion in his voice. "Thank you both."
He laid the pressed flower down on the table, but only so he could reach for the pouch hidden by his capelet. He had nothing so full of meaning as the sylleblossom, or so natural as a friendship bracelet, but both Noct and Lunafreya had gifted him friendship with tokens, and nearly two and a half decades of etiquette and hospitality meant that he couldn't leave them empty-handed in turn.
He was flushing once more when his hand emerged, holding two miniature magitek armors — not the modern, streamlined Nifen ones that plagued the Lucian Kingsglaive, but ones based (loosely) on the ancient magitek of Solheim.
"I don't have anything— that is I— would be honored if you would accept these," he said, trying to pretend this wasn't extremely awkward . "As a sign of my friendship." They were two of his favourites, the ones he'd named Moon Flower and Night Sky as a child.
Noctis knew that military personnel had very little of personal items. Perhaps Loqi’s high rank would have afforded him some more belongings, yet regardless it was clear that these miniatures held much significance to Loqi. To have it offered so freely…
Noctis picked up the black miniature gently. It was dull around the edges from wear, but still in good shape for something handled frequently.
“I– thank you, Loqi.” Noctis replied with sincerity. “I will treasure this. As a token of our friendship.”
Carbuncle had gotten up from Lunafreya’s lap, stretching languidly and flicking its tail. The bright gem on its head flashed.
The dream was ending.
With a final look at his companions— no, his friends — Noctis smiled. Lunafreya seemed to be in better spirits than he had hoped, and Loqi… perhaps Niffs weren’t too bad, after all, if even their Commander is worth making friends with.
“I’ll see you again soon, Luna.” He promised, flashing her his brightest grin. Then, he turned towards Loqi. “Commander Loqi. It truly was a pleasure. I hope to meet you soon as well.”
And just like that, Noctis blinked out of sight.
Luna barely managed a nod before Noctis was gone. It was her cue to know her and Loqi likely didn’t have much time, either. She turned to him with a gentle smile, the silver-white figurine cradled protectively in her hand.
“I shall treasure it as well,” she assured him. “I look forward to our next meeting, General Tummelt. Hopefully outside of a dream next time.” Of course, in such an event, they wouldn’t be able to speak so freely. Lunafreya was well aware of that. Still, just knowing he didn’t view her the same as most Niflheim soldiers seemed to, that he might consider her a friend even if they couldn’t be open about it… in a situation like hers, even something like this made a big difference. It made her feel better to know there was someone on her side.
She didn’t get to hear Loqi’s response to her words, as the dream around them faded into nothing.
First Noct, and then Lunafreya disappeared. Loqi sighed, picking up the sylleblossom once more as tiny claws lightly pricked his back—
Loqi opened his eyes in his own bed, feeling the weight of a cat along the length of his spine. He groaned and pushed his face into the pillow. What a weird dream to have, of Lunaf— of the Oracle and some random Lucian man. No more skolebrød before bed, he promised himself, easing himself from his stomach onto his side so as not to abruptly dislodge the cat on his back.
Rather than annoyed meowing, he was treated to a whining sound of exactly the wrong timbre to belong to a dog but much higher than he'd ever heard from a cat.
With a yelp, he rolled too far to one side and off the bed itself, crashing to the floor in a tangle of sheets. He tried to spring to his feet, tripped, crashed again, and then rose to his knees, a knife now in his left hand as he stared at the bed.
A small, white canine with the longest ears Loqi had ever seen stared back at him, looking somehow smug. It chattered at him, which sounded enough like a cackle that the young general knew he was being laughed at.
"...what," he said, eloquently.
The creature had a horn , he realised a second later, tiny and reflecting the dawn light like a garnet.
It chattered again, then leaped from the bed onto his shoulder, and then away. When Loqi whirled to see where it had gone, there was no sign of it anywhere.
" What ," he said again, louder.
This was still a dream, he decided, replacing the knife and struggling to his feet to go back to bed.
Something fluttered to the ground when he picked up the top sheet, and Loqi huffed. How did trash end up on his bed? He was hardly ever in the room to accumulate—
There was pressed sylleblossom lying on his carpet. Slowly, hardly daring to breathe, he picked it up, then noticed, for the first time, a slim black cord circling his wrist.
Somewhere in the back of his mind, he heard that chattering laugh.