sparkstrikes | empatheias IC contact. (archive)

[ something in Eos house has been going bump in the night, and it's starting to bother Steven. he hadn't given much thought to the slight noises waking him up at first, but now that they're happening consistently, he's starting to wonder who could be making them at such a ridiculous time of night. he's been experimenting over the past week with slipping out of his and Ignis' bedroom on the pretense of getting a glass of water to hone his senses and try to find an answer - his first few attempts yielded no results but a couple of nights ago had revealed two familiar, hushed voices speaking at the top of the staircase. that much is enough to confirm it, and a brief bout of eavesdropping a few days later all but confirms it.

so, as is natural upon learning information about a friend that could be used to tease them, he plans to have a bit of fun.

on this particular night, when Lightning heads to the kitchen on her way to leave the house, she'll be greeted with a flick of a light turning on. ]

Good evening, Ms. Farron.

[ leaning on the door frame is a certain Steven Stone, looking uncharacteristically casual in a housecoat and lounge pants. he's being stiffly courteous on purpose, and it's not without a coy smile. someone's been caught..... ]

Or should I say "good morning"? I can't say we were expecting company this early...

[As soon as the light flicks on, the glass she's trying to very quietly fill with water drops into the sink with a loud clatter that could wake even the sleepiest behemoth, and she whips around like she's ready to fight whoever it is that's found her, only to find herself face to face with none other than Steven.

Her hair is tousled and messy, like she'd just rolled right out of bed, and the buttons on her shirt don't quite line up.]

S-Steven.

[Her voice has gone up several pitches, surprise getting the better of her, but she quickly composes herself with the clearing of her throat.]

Good, uh... What're you doing up so early?

[Lightning reaches behind her and turns off the tap.]

[ he cringes a bit when the cup hits the sink, but doesn't move. most of the house does tend to be deep sleepers, so hopefully he isn't bringing on something more than he intended. he looks her over, silently taking note of how she looks. it doesn't take an ace detective to connect the dots. ]

Fortis has been stirring from noises it's been hearing around this time over the past week or so. I thought it would be prudent to finally humour it and investigate.

[ he's not accusing her of anything, but his smile does speak volumes. ]

I could ask you the same thing, of course.

Oh...

[She combs her fingers through her hair, feigning shock and pretending like everything is A) normal, and B) she isn't the source of said noise. Her hands are a little wet from the splash of water in her glass when she dropped it, and when her bangs stick to her forehead, she wrinkles her nose.]

Noise, huh...? That's weird.

[But she's not going to ask him any further questions about that because she has a feeling she knows what Steven is going to say.]

I was just heading out, but I was... thirsty. [Well, that much is true. She picks up her empty glass from the sink. Still totally normal.] Drink?

Yes... very weird.

[ that is to say, he doesn't believe a word that she's saying, but he'll feign as much for the sake of seeing her reactions. his knowing smile remains, and he joins her at the sink. ]

If you wouldn't mind.

[Lightning should know better that no one would buy anything she's saying, but that tiny part of her that hopes he believes her prevents her from telling herself that she's being ridiculous. She'll just keep on denying it until she can't wiggle her way out anymore!

When he approaches the sink, Lightning takes a step away, although she smiles at him before turning on the tap and filling it with water. As if being in close proximity of Steven will somehow reveal her secrets further...]

You an ice kinda guy?

[The water keeps going and going and going, and she's yet to realize that it's spilling over the top of the glass and down the sides.]

[ though Steven is naturally observant, it doesn't take an ace detective to see that Lightning is very off. that could also be phrased as "being ridiculous", but he'd much rather give her the benefit of the doubt. he watches her silently for a few moments, turning off the tap for her when he realizes that she isn't noticing the overflow. ]

Regular is fine, thank you.

[ he's biding his time, of course. unfortunately, it's very obvious as to why she's here, and he has to wonder how long they can keep up the dance around the subject. once he has his glass, he hands her a nearby tea towel for her wet hands. ]

You seem distracted.

What?

[Oh dear, her throat is dry. Cue some quiet, nervous laughs. She isn't sure how much longer she can dance around it, either – she was caught red-handed in what she thought would be a triumphant escape once again... but really, how much longer could it have been before someone found her? That question was answered tonight. Or this morning? It's morning.

Lightning accepts the towel but doesn't dry her hands on it. Instead, she starts wiping down the already impeccably clean counter.]

What makes you think that?

[ at this point, he's simply waiting to see how long it takes for Lightning to crack. he knows that her strength of will is no doubt on par with her strength on the battlefield, but an awkward moment is enough to make most people falter. ]

Just a hunch. I take pride in my intuition; it's rarely wrong.

[ he takes a sip of his water, innocently. :) ]

[As strong as she likes to think her outer shell is against in any situation, Steven is well on his way to cracking this egg... if he hasn't already. The tension that seems to loom in the kitchen as she continues to wipe the counter is enough to press down on her until she inevitably breaks.

Which is in three... two...]

Don't tell anyone you saw me.

[UGH, SHE HATES THAT IGNEOUS ROCK INTUITION. >:(]

Edited 2018-10-07 00:38 (UTC)

[ there we go. he maintains his innocent expression as she all but confesses, but there's nothing malicious behind it. as enjoyable as teasing a friend can be, he knows the limits. ]

You know I wouldn't. What you do in your private life is no business of mine.

[ he'd expect her to offer him the same respect, of course. still, there's something oddly nostalgic about this context, in this space, at this particular hour. ]

To tell you the truth, it wasn't so long ago that I was doing the exact same thing.

[She breathes out a sigh, relieved, and finally – finally – goes for a glass of water for herself. It's as if that confession has flipped a switch and turned her brain back on! And knowing that Steven had been in her shoes before helps, too... although this is news!]

You? Sneaking around?

[She finds it a little hard to believe, but then again, he and Ignis have been together for a while now. Lightning can barely remember the time they weren't.]

You ever get caught?

Ignis reassured me that I had no reason to hide away, but I did feel anxious about making my presence known early on.

[ especially when the implication in "staying over" speaks for itself. it's more than a little embarrassing, especially for someone like Steven who puts decorum above most things. ]

Once, by Noctis. [ he sighs as he says it, looking a bit embarrassed. ] His memory of it was lost once he left and returned, but I'm afraid I remember it with perfect clarity.

[Lightning is silent for a while, blinking at Steven with wide, disbelieving eyes. Not only does it seem so unlike what she knows about him, but there's something more to it than that. Then, out of nowhere, she breaks into laughter – it's gentle and queit, so as not to wake everyone in the house, but genuine. At least it helps to relieve more of the tension.]

Of all the times we could've caught each other back then... and we never did.

[She would sneak in and out of the house back then, too, before Gladio left the first time and not once did it ever occur to her that someone else could be doing the same thing.]

Guess it seems kinda stupid to be sneaking in and out like this, huh... [She's so glad there is at least one other person who understands.] It's hard when his dad's around all the time.

[ her laughter makes him chuckle as well, even managing to bring a slight blush to his cheeks. it's something of a personal confession, but it's one that he feels comfortable in confiding to Lightning. ]

Such are the advantages of a bedroom on the main floor.

[ the memories are by no means bad ones, but he likes not having to sneak around at odd hours of the night. ]

I'd imagine so. His sister, too... [ he smiles. ] You have an entire family to impress.

[ though in a way, Steven did as well. he knows that Noctis, Gladio and Prompto are as close to him as brothers. ]

[It isn't so much that she's afraid of not impressing them – she likes to think she's done a good job of leaving a good impression on the Amicitias so far, save for the Great Coffee Mishap of 2018 with the Pops. She's more nervous about that family knowing she's canoodling the son/brother... which is a confession she is not even comfortable making with herself.

Which is why she turns it around on Steven.]

Don't think you got off the hook that easy.

[She raises a finger at him.]

You had to get through me first.

[ the chide makes his smile turn up into a smirk. though his friends from Eos were the most obvious to earn respect from, it's no secret that Ignis and Lightning had a friendship that was equally as strong. ]

Oh, I remember. [ their first meeting was tense, but it set positive groundwork for the friendship they have now. ] And did I not pass with flying colours?

[There's a long pause, meant to be suspenseful, while she takes a drawn-out sip of her water. Eventually, she'll answer with an entirely straight face.]

I'm still making a decision.

[Although if this conversation is any indication, he certainly has passed with flying colours. Honestly, despite being rather close with the others, she'd rather Steven be the one to discover her sneaking around than Noct, Ignis, or Prompto... even Crowe.]

I probably can't keep this up for long, huh... Everyone'll find out eventually.

[She says, as if everyone doesn't already know.]

[ he can read between the lines of that much, hence his smile remaining. they seem to understand each other in a way that's a bit different than others in the house, and he appreciates that relationship. ]

I have a feeling they won't be particularly surprised if you're forthright. It's clear from the way that Gladiolus speaks about you that you two are close.

[ translation: it's obvious, girl. get over yourself. ]

[Her water begins to bubble and upon drinking it to try and stifle the reaction, she discovers that it's warm and promptly spits it back into the glass. She tries to be discrete about it, but there is absolutely nothing graceful about how it looks.]

Ugh.

[She wipes her lips clean on the back of her sleeve. So refined.]

I guess so. Still having trouble coming to terms with the fact that we're... he's my, uh...

[DON'T MAKE HER SAY IT.

they're totally gonna kick Igneous Rock's asses at Newlyweds.]

[ of course he notices her oh-so-graceful reaction, but indicates nothing to acknowledge it. he's teased her enough for one night, and he'd rather have a proper moment rather than ruining it with flippancy. ]

But you're glad that you are, aren't you?

[ she gets a pass this time!! ]

[She's as sure about it as she knows Steven is about Ignis, even if they haven't made it quite as far. Lightning still has a long way to go before she can even admit that, but it's something that they both make known through actions rather than words. That's just her style.

The moment is appreciated because it's at least a push in the right direction. That, and thank you for not bringing attention to the fact that she spat out her drink.]

I am.

[And Lightning sounds certain about that.

She dumps her warm water out into the sink and sets it down.]

I should probably go... before the rest of the house wakes up.

Then that's what matters. You should move at your own pace, and not feel pressured to do otherwise.

[ he finishes his own glass, placing it next to hers. a part of him wonders if he should be lecturing on the values of pacing when his own relationship has been something of a whirlwind, but it feels like the right thing to say in the moment. ]

If anyone asks, I'll cover for you.

empatheias IC contact. (archive)

action; idk sometime before the player plot

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