hadriel | video;

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[Once Ignis finds his way out of the coliseum he gingerly, with one hand out in front of him, walks until he finds the side of a building and stands quietly with his palm flat against it for several seconds. Then, with the other hand, he checks through his pockets. One phone is familiar, and the other is not.

He pulls it free and examines the shape, and memories ten years forgotten come back in a rush through the initial fog of confusion, tearing his breath away from his lungs in a sharp gasp.]

Hadriel. [He murmurs across the edge of an indrawn breath, and he fumbles through dusty recollections as he slides his thumb over the screen of the phone until he hears a confirming beep.]

This is-- This is Ignis Scientia. [His voice is low and assured after the first brief stumble, for as much as his fingers are shaking. He could have been gone for days, or months... or even years. Would there be anyone left to remember who he is?] I would appreciate someone telling me how long I've been gone, and... where in the city I am relative to the coliseum.

[Briefly, the transmission flicks to video and the camera pans around. He's quite close to spire four, though not beside it.]

I'm afraid I lack the ability to accurately confirm it for myself.

[Then, the camera pans up to his face. Older - by about ten years - and heavily scarred. Behind the dark glass of his shades, his eyes are pale and glassy. He gives a wry smile.]

As you can see.

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( When he disappears this time, Kate decides to wait. It takes the gritting of her teeth and the digging of nails into her palm to resist the urge to give into the anger that builds in her gut — really? Now, of all times? — at the unfairness of it all and keep working, but she does.

And then she checks her phone, and she doesn't even need to hear beyond the first word to make her decision, already looking up his location on the GPS, her chest a hollow shell as her heart all but drops into her stomach and a wave of relief courses over her body. Waiting was the right choice, and he remembers this place, right?

...Some don't. She knows that. And the thought of that is one she pushes away, not listening to the whole message to be sure, too busy with that dot on the GPS which signifies him to bother with such trivialities as listening. She runs and the whistle of the wind in her ears is enough to block out any thoughts about what could have been.

They don't matter. The only thing which matters is— )

Need a hand?

( Or, perhaps, a pair of eyes? )

[While he waits for a reply - and in all honesty, he could work out the answer for himself with a little exploration - he rids himself of the heavy black coat he brought along with him and unfastens the top button of his shirt. It feels like the same place he left... he thinks... but that's no guarantee of anything at all. For all he knows, the Null invasion is already over, and he's talking to static.

He's leaning casually against the wall he found when he hears footsteps approaching, and he cocks his head minutely towards the sound. Over the years he's become proficient at identifying people by their footfalls, and this one..? This one he knows as well as the rhythm of his own heart.

Ignis straightens up as the absence of someone he hadn't even remembered comes crashing down across ten years of memories. He looks her way like he can see her, and he might as well be able to for how clearly her face is suddenly seared into his mind.]

From you? I wouldn't object.

[He's different. Ten years alone can change a man, let alone ten years of what Ignis has been through. He's different, but Hadriel has held this one part of his life static and given it back to him with the simple sound of her voice.]

It's... [It isn't too often he finds himself lost for words. He takes off his glasses, slowly folding the arms in against the lenses.]

It's been a while.

( You can never quite be sure what to expect when someone leaves and returns in Hadriel, even with the weight of knowledge which comes with being told this would happen, that he'd eventually go blind.

Being blinded changes a person, yes, but so does... years, she's guessing, by the change to his hair, the aged scarring, the slight changes in physique. If hearing his voice on the network left her ribcage hollow with relief, seeing him in person fills it with unshed breaths.

A while— )

Three days. ( Three days here, but certainly not for him, she guesses, closing the last few steps of space between them and brushing her fingertips over his wrist. ) How long?

[The moment she touches his wrist is electricity up his arm. He heard her coming, how did he not sense how close she'd got? But then he smiles, faintly, and moves his hand around to grasp her forearm.]

Ten years.

[Three days... It's almost a relief to hear it, and yet so difficult to align against the time that has passed in his life since he last set foot here.

And here she is. The only person he'd ever fallen in love with. Still the only person he has ever fallen in love with.]

Kate. [He draws her hand up, kisses the back of her knuckles as if testing out what she'll allow.] I'm glad you're here.

( ~~Because she's always been good at getting past his radar? :D~~

Ten years and three days. Even after her own disappearance and reappearance in this city, the discrepancies in time still confuse her if she thinks about them. How does that even work? But, right now, the answer to that question doesn't matter so much when he's here and the weight of the last three days has all but evaporated in response to the familiar presence. )

Where would I go? ( Home, she thinks automatically, but that feels as though it will never really happen. Not again. Her fingers tighten around his hand and pull it to her waist, stretching to brush her lips against his. )

Missed you.

[It's going to take longer than this short reintroduction to straighten everything out in his mind, but he can focus on one very important thing right now and that is the person standing in front of him. The way he leans down to meet the soft kiss she offers is like an instinct, muscle memory from something ten years forgotten, and quite suddenly he has both arms around her as he pulls her close against his chest.

To miss someone for ten years in the space of moments is a heavy weight, but one lessened considerably by the fact she's still here.]

I've missed you, too. Even without knowing it. [Ignis kisses the top of her head. Her forehead. So gently.]

You didn't break all of your windows again, did you?

( Oh, doesn't she know that? It was strange enough after a reasonably unremarkable three years to try and adjust, and by the looks of things... those ten years have been anything but unremarkable. Sheer relief has her curling into the embrace — one moment. One moment of weakness like this, even in the middle of the city, isn't too bad.

And then, just as she's relaxing, there's that comment and Kate presses her hands into his chest and pushes him away. )

Fuck off.

( That was one moment. And she's still got the wall dent to remind her why not to do that again. )

[He may have ten years of memory to fit around his time spent here, but he hasn't forgotten that.

It's harder to shift him than it used to be, and as she swears at him he catches her hands and laughs, squeezing her fingers. The mirth only lasts a moment before it simmers back into quiet amusement, but surely she'll excuse him that small jab at her expense.]

I'll take that to mean 'no', in optimism. [Ignis falls silent then, and he sighs slowly as he allows his still-working senses to reach out and take in the area around them.]

Can we find somewhere to talk.

( Next time she'll put some real strength into it. >| But Kate doesn't argue any further, instead choosing to step back and thread her fingers between his. )

Your place? ( It seems like the most sensible option, given their location. )

[Ah, yes... he does have a place here, doesn't he. That's nice.

There's a creeping sensation of being unsettled the longer they stand here together, as ten years tries to squeeze and condense itself down into three days, as the way time stretches and bends in this place fights against his understanding of it being (mostly) linear.

And then... then there's everything he experienced what feels like only moments ago, crowding into his mind and demanding his attention. He's been pulled away from it again, but it's so much more difficult to ignore it now.

He nods.]

Certainly. If you wouldn't mind leading the way, while I get my bearings.

( He does, and she hardly minds, not mentioning that her day has been mostly preoccupied with the question of whether he'd actually return.

He did last time, but when has that ever been a guarantee in Hadriel? Didn't she just watch Lup facing the loss of her husband not that long ago? Who can ever guarantee anything, especially here?

Her hand tightens around his and the walk is, unsurprisingly, quiet as they make the short(ish) journey back to his place. He hasn't missed much and she's never been one for filling silences with meaningless chatter. They can talk where it's more private, behind closed doors. )

You alright?

( Its the first thing out of her mouth after the door closes, her fingers unthreading from his as she leans against it. )

[He squeezes her hand gently in return while they walk, his expression softly troubled and quiet while they make their way to the lodgings he barely remembers, yet finds are comfortingly familiar the moment they step through the door.]

I'm alright. [An easy reply as he moves into the apartment, running his fingertips lightly over surfaces, furniture, refreshing the picture in his minds eye and locating everything, needing to do so only once.

Ignis remembers being far more open with Kate. He remembers being able to tell her almost anything. A brief frown flits across his expression, drawing his brows together only for a moment.]

A great deal has happened. I don't know how I could best explain it to you. [But he wants to.]

The darkness has been lifted from Eos... but at a great cost.

( He just got back, she's not sure she would expect anything else. It's difficult at best to deal with the return of all your memories, to fit all the forgotten things in among the time spent at home. She dove into work when she returned, it was easier than sitting still and dwelling on every strange flashback. But she didn't have to compete with relearning the city without eyes to help.

While he finds his way around the flat, she remains still, fingers drumming against the door and tongue running over her lips. He's back, but after ten years--

Just how much has changed? Beyond the loss of his sight, the change in hairstyle and clothing. How much of the man she fell in love with still remains and how much does he still feel for her?

Ten years without remembering a place, a person, can change a lot. )

What?

( What cost... eyes narrow and the drumming of her fingers stop, and ideas flit through her mind, each one equally possible. )

[She may think she's being subtle, but he can sense the signs of her worry and frustration in other ways than seeing them. The way she let his hand go, how she lingers by the door, the sound of her fingertips drumming softly against it. He can feel her eyes on him, even if he can't see them.]

We lost a lot of good people in the last ten years. [He doesn't speak of his own sacrifices. That is long past for him now, and no longer relevant in comparison to more recent events.

Ignis takes a seat, and lightly taps the spot beside him with two fingers.]

Many, many more after Lunafreya's death. [And yet, she was never truly gone. It was as Ravus had said - even in death, the Oracle is not granted rest.]

... And most recently, Noctis.

( Any war costs people. That's the most basic fact of them all. Kate's lips press together, that question popping to the front of her mind once more - How many people will this war, here in Hadriel, cost them? Will Hope be able to revive everyone? Will he survive to?

They have to make sure he does, or isn't it as good as lost?

Her footsteps echo lightly as she accepts the invitation and settles down next to him, pushing loose hair back behind her ears and letting out the smallest oh of realisation as the last sentence settles in. Even if they never got to know each other, all Kate needed to know was how much he meant to Ignis to understand the need to keep him safe.

Her fingers brush against his knee and settle there, gentle and wordless. Sorry is a meaningless term, one that can't bring back those they've lost or erase the pain of having it happen, and god did she ever hate the soft touch of pity which coloured everyone's voices when she lost Marc.

What did they have to be sorry for? What did they have to pity her for, when his death was her own failing?

But this isn't about that old scar, it's about the fact that Ignis is holding himself together far better than she could imagine doing so at the concept of being brought here soon after losing someone that important, about the fact that he's processing that alongside years of memories of a city that feeds on their suffering. )

Do you want some time alone?

( As much as she wants to be here, as much as her heart aches with the need to make sure he's present and alright, there are things more important than her desires. Like letting him process all of this, and perhaps that's best done without her presence. Without anyone's. )

No.

[If it was anyone else? Yes, he might have taken that opportunity to tell them he would appreciate some time alone. He might have asked them to leave, and gently let them know that he would tell them when he was ready for some company. But this is Kate, and being with her feels as natural as breathing, even with the extra years he's still trying to pull back into some kind of order.

He places his hand over hers and pulls it gently into both of his, squeezing her fingers between his palms.]

I've spent enough time alone.

[Years, it feels like, fighting against the darkness overcoming his planet and the monstrous creatures that it brought along with it. He had rarely worked with a team, preferring to go up against whatever he found single-handedly.]

What happened... I always knew. I knew. That was what I could never tell him.

( The first time she kissed him — back on a planet hotter and drier than this, exhausted from a fortnight of fighting and high on god-spiked water — it was a thing of impulse, done without thought for the consequence, with only the urge of attraction and desire behind it. Consideration for where they'd be over a year later never entered into it, and when it did, it certainly didn't involve the warm flutter of her heart at hands wrapped around hers, or the swell of what can only be love in her chest.

Sometimes, like right now, it still bewilders Kate that this is where they are, that her emotions are a giant knot in her chest, mixed relief and aching pain, the exhaustion of loss and reunion and, more than anything, the desire to keep him safe, stupid and impossible as that desire is. )

You— ( knew... And it's not a question of why didn't you tell him, because after all of this, Kate knows nothing more surely than the fact that if Ignis says he couldn't tell Noctis, there had to be a good reason. Something more than a desire to avoid an awkward conversation. It's an echo of trying to imagine what the weight of something like that could possibly feel like, a moment to digest it all, the smack of her lips against each other as it settles into her stomach like a stone.

Her head lolls to one side and comes to rest on his shoulder for the briefest of moments; a wordless type of comfort, a language she finds easiest to speak with him and no one else. )

[He doesn't say anything in reply. All she gets is the smallest twitch of a smile. She can't place any more judgement on him over just how much he kept from Noctis than he has already heaped upon himself, and it isn't something that he has ever really tried to justify. It was always simply that... not knowing served Noctis better than being aware that his life was already forfeit.

One day, Ignis had always said, he would be the king that he was born to be.

One day.

And it had been a weight he had carried for years. Knowing what had happened to their friend and what he would face, never feeling able to speak of it to anyone. It had never felt right to. It was never his to tell.

She leans on him, so light, and he puts his arm around her shoulders. He draws her in towards him gently, and he brushes the backs of two curled fingers against the line of her jaw, finding the corner of her mouth with the very tip of his thumb.

Then, just as gently, he presses a kiss to her lips.]

You're still the only one.

( There's an immediate rush of relief, a strange, fluttering thing which doesn't make too much sense if she thinks about it. She can't keep him, and the pressure of The Null's impending advancement is a reminder of that.

Still... Selfishly, the fact that he's here, that she doesn't have to spend whatever remaining time she has left in Hadriel wondering and trying to distract herself from the pain, is a blessing. There is, at least, one place she can come home to while they attempt to make the Door work for them. )

Sounds like you were busy.

( Too busy to find anyone else? Well, Hadriel's proven that you never can guarantee that, strange as the concept seems. Her hand finds his, the one which isn't against her face, and slides her fingers between his. )

...It's been a while, for you. ( Hm. Bluntly: ) You sure?

( It wouldn't be easy to deal with, given the circumstances, but in this — if nothing else — she wants to try and be a better person. A less selfish one. )

[Fighting daemons for ten years does tend to keep one busy. Very few people had the time to form romantic relationships in those years, and certainly not those who were spending all of their time trying to keep civilians as safe from harm as possible. So, to that, he only smiles slightly again and allows her to move on to her next - almost predictable - concern.

How blunt she can be is something he always liked about her.]

I have never loved anyone like I love you. Not before, or since. Not a single person as known me as you have, Kate.

[The way he brushes the pad of his thumb across her cheek bone is slow and considered, almost like a thought.]

I am not the same person that I was, but I don't believe so much has changed that you'll find me unrecognisable. I know that I still love you... and if you can be a little patient with me, I don't want to lose you.

( Her cheek warms under his touch and Kate scrunches her nose and lips at the answer. Well. She asked, didn't she?

(Still... Does he have to say things like that?) )

Ah.

( The sounds of shifting, the couch underneath moving as she twists her body and presses a knee into the cushion. The first time they kissed, her arm was around his neck, pulling him in with no further thought than he's cute and she likes spending time with him, a shrug and a muttered curse and nothing more. This time she gives herself over with a smile and flushed cheeks, carefully climbing into his lap, fingers brushing through his hair and breaking what remains of the style apart before they curve down over the shell of his ear and across his jaw. )

I s'pose.

( Understatement. Clearly. )

[At least it's something about him that hasn't changed.

He follows the sound of her as she moves, the way her weight shifts, and he moves his hands as if anticipating where she will be when he places them down again. First on her thighs, then sliding gently up to rest against her hips. When he looks at her face, he finds her eyes with an almost uncanny accuracy.]

A ringing endorsement.

[Ignis slips his hands up her back, fingertips lingering on each rib, and he draws her in for a close, tight hug. Some of the tension he's holding in his body eases out into the contact, into the warm press of bodies, and he lets out the softest sigh into her shoulder.]

I think I always hoped I might be wrong. For as much as I said it was inevitable.

( Of course it hasn't. As though she should have expected anything else, really. And nor should she expect anything but that almost supernatural way he follows her movements and meets her eyes. He's always been irritatingly talented.

But that's just one of many reasons she's still willing to be here, in his lap, even when the end is so close.

He pulls her into a hug and her hands take a moment to figure out what they're doing before one runs softly through his hair, a slow, repeating movement punctuated by the brush of her lips against the side of his head. What can she say? She's never known her own future, never carried that burden or had to face a sacrifice quite like this. Losing her sight to Fear's ideas was a temporary, terrifying thing, a horror she hopes never to repeat. She didn't have to live with it, to rebuild her life and abilities after the fact, and she can't even imagine trying.

All she knows how to do is let him hold her, is to press kisses against his scalp and hairline. Nothing more. )

[They've developed into this. Into the kind of comfort that means they don't need words to explain what the other wants. Ignis holds on to her for a few minutes, his chin tucked against her shoulder and his eyes shut, until his racing thoughts calm and he begins to lightly circle his thumb against the base of her spine.]

I'm alright.

[He sighs softly and moves, letting her sit up.]

It's such a strange thing, to miss somebody for ten years all at once.

( She hasn't forgotten the strangeness of returning after three years back home, the disorientation of being thrown back into Hadriel and all it is after the normalcy of the world she's always known. The unceremonious dumping of a year's memories back into her brain, mixing and mingling with the ones she made back home.

All the people she missed while she was at home, never knowing they existed. The idea still confuses her if she thinks about it for too long. )

Need to make up for that.

( If the curve of her lips means anything, it's probably that Kate's idea of making up for lost time involves kisses. Lots of them. )

[And this is, no doubt, going to take no small amount of time to get over. He would have always chosen to see Kate first, out of all of this. She's always been his grounding in this place, the person he could always turn to, and even now she proves to be the very person that he needs to have near him to make all of this make sense.

He doesn't need to see her to read the curve of her lips in her voice and he hasn't forgotten this particular trait about her.]

Ah, always your first thought. [Ignis says, though he doesn't sound particularly put-out. Doesn't seem it, either, as he pulls her in for a soft, warm kiss and holds the length of her body flush against his.]

( Look, she isn't going to even try to pretend she knows a way to deal with what he's going through. She went through less and dealt with it in the only way she could even think of: running straight into the clinic and hiding in a return to work rather than try to understand it.

And sure, she could advise that, but she doesn't doubt that the idea has probably crossed Ignis' mind already anyway — in that respect, they're just as bad as each other. )

You're not complaining. ( Or is he...? )

Shit.

What happened to you?

A complicated question. I assume you're referring to the blindness.

["Complicated."]

... Is that you, Lup?

Yeah, it's me. Got it in one.

[It's not just the blindness, it's the obvious age too, but no reason to go there immediately.]

Need a hand or is Kate already there scoopin' ya up?

I haven't heard from her, but if she's still here... I'm sure she'll be along shortly.

[He remains somewhat neutral in his tone, but it disguises the way his chest clenches at the idea. Of course Kate would be coming. He'd left her again, and it won't be so easy this time...]

I take it I haven't missed a great deal.

[She doesn't know him enough to hear through that neutral tone, but Lup has a feeling what he must be thinking. How he must feel. Leaving, especially so soon after he'd only just left...

It's tough. Especially on the folks left behind.]

Oh, she'll be there. I can guaran-fuckin'-tee. And nah, didn't miss much at all. Just a few days.

[It wasn't something he'd anticipated happening so soon, that's for sure. But, here he is, and he's glad he'd already made some preparation for this eventuality.]

It feels like it should have been longer. [Ignis says, a little absently, with a sigh and a small frown.]

It's been ten years.

Shit.

[For the longest time, Lup's fully believed she was the only one who has ever left Hadriel for a too long extended period - sixty-some odd years between visits - and still returned with all of her memories intact. But ten years for a human is just as long as sixty is for an elf. So she gets it. Fuck, she absolutely gets it.]

Lots happened back home? Lots of changes?

Mm... you might say that. [He seems to recall he never told Lup too much about what Eos was like when he left it. With that in mind, he keeps things fairly simple.]

Those who were able spent ten years fighting daemons under an eternal night, until the Chosen King returned to us and put an end to it. I had to learn to cope without sight very quickly.

[They'll have time to talk more another time, if he wants to go more in-depth. Lup is always up for learning about other worlds.]

Sucks. [it does. she's run blind before for a few months. didn't suit her much.] But glad shit worked out otherwise, like, could'a been way worse, right?

[Hmm. That can't be good. She didn't realize he was gone, but she's gotten worse at checking up on her friends.]

You're by the spires. Are you alone? [She's pretty sure Kate will get there soon enough.]

Ah, thank you, Jo.

[Someone actually answering his question instead of remarking on his appearance. How novel. Though he supposes he did invite it.]

For the time being, I am. I doubt it will remain the case.

[She'll ask Kate about it later. He's still readjusting.]

I'm sure Kate's on her way. Do you need anything?

If you're not opposed, I'll take a few hours to get my bearings then we can meet to catch up.

[It's a lot to deal with all at once, and he's mostly wanting the company of some familiar people... but first thing's first. He has a lot to explain to Kate.]

[That's unexpected. She won't say no to the meeting, but she didn't think it would be asked for.]

Yeah, sure. Just let me know where. You can call me when you're ready.

[ He looks and sounds different, but those who have gone and come back usually do. There's a tightness in her chest at the broadcast, but...at least he seems to remember Hadriel. ]

Ignis? Have you been offered any help yet?

[ Blind. Scarred. Definitely aged some. A definitive bit of fear licks at her insides at the possibilities of what might have happened to her friend in his absence. ]

Not directly.

[He does sound slightly amused by that fact. Clearly he isn't giving the impression of someone in trouble - at least, not enough that anyone feels the need to leap to his rescue.]

I've had repeated assurances that Kate is no doubt on her way, which I have complete faith in.

[Complete faith in her, that no matter how she feels about his repeated absence, she'll still be here.]

But if you'd like to meet with me later...

Of course. Kate now, anxious friend Cecily later.

[ It's good that Kate's already on it (of course she is). But, she has a feeling she won't be reassured as to his health until she's able to see him with her own eyes. ]

...You're sure that you'll be-...you know, safe and sound until then? Not in need of immediate medical attention? You've got to remember, I came back once with one less limb, so I'm predisposed to worry.

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