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[sparkstrikes]

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[sparkstrikes]

[The invitation out comes as no surprise to her – in fact, she's quite happy to accept. Even if she was busy, it's rare that she would decline or not make time for him some other way.]

I've got time. Where to?

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Our usual?

[There are a number of cafes that they visit, but there's one in particular that they've come to favor over the last year, not far from the Hearth in Merchant's Square.]

I'm certain our table misses us.

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[She knows just the place he means – out of all the cafes in the city, that one had grown to become her favourite. The Hearth was her number one choice always, for obvious reasons, but it didn't create the same kind of atmosphere a small boutique shop could give so easily.]

I'm sure it does, it's been a while. I can be there in half an hour.

[She's already going for her coat.]

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Perfect.

[There's a brief pulse of warmth, and she can certainly hear his smile in his voice.]

I'll see you then.

[Likewise, he'll be seeking his own coat and gloves, as well as his cane.]

[sparkstrikes]

[She's there a tad earlier than the half hour mark, the bell on the door giving her a merry jingle in greeting once she swings it open. It's a little packed in here today, with the chillier weather beginning to settle in the city and people seeking refuge with hot cocoa and cozy teas, and she takes a look around for Ignis, eyes wandering to their usual table that seems to be occupied by someone else.

Well, guess it's time to find a new one.

Except Lightning doesn't go to find a table just yet. She wanders up to the counter and orders their usual drinks in to-go cups - it makes them easier to hold - and waits for Ignis to arrive by the door instead once she's prepped the coffees.]

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[She doesn't have to wait long. Just as Lightning tends to be early, Ignis has always considered 'early' to mean 'perfectly on time,' and so he walks through the front door less than a minute after she takes up her post by the door, cane in hand. The jingling of the bell above him is pleasantly familiar, and he smiles to himself as he inhales the intermingled scents of coffee and pastries.

Aside from the Hearth, this place had become something of a home-away-from-home.]

[sparkstrikes]

[Once she sees him, Lightning pushes herself up from against the wall to maneuver over to him so he can be sure to avoid most of the crowded café. Before she says anything, she skillfully laces an arm and a coffee through Ignis' and nudges him to the left.]

Hey.

[She'll lead him to one of the tables near the back corner, isolated from most of the crowd lining up to get their drinks, kicking a chair out for him to sit in before she takes the seat across. Setting their cups down, Lightning folds her arms.]

This was a bit sudden.

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[He smiles warmly; her offer of direction is both discreet and welcome, and he allows their arms to link together comfortably before starting in the direction she'd indicated, letting his cane inform him of whether or not the way is blocked.]

I see you're as punctual as ever.

[Lightning has always managed to beat him to their appointed meeting places with some regularity. He offers her a brief nod of thanks as she pulls out a chair for him, easing himself into it and letting his cane rest against the table before he carefully reaches for his cup, closing his hands around it a moment later. He's getting better with regards to spatial awareness, his ears growing sharper.]

I hope that doesn't mean it was unwelcome?

[Of course, he knows it wasn't.]

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You think if it was, I'd be here right now?

[There's an amused lilt to her voice, and Lightning lets her arms unfold so she can cradle the warm paper cup between her fingers. There's a chillier breeze that sneaks into the cafe anytime the door opens, so the extra heat is a treat for her hands.]

Just wasn't expecting it is all. Something on your mind?

[Not that she doesn't think he would invite her to have coffee just because, but she sees no harm in asking to be sure.]

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You know me too well.

[He laughs softly, pausing to take a first sip from his own cup. The first taste of a cup of coffee is always exquisite in its own way, and he exhales a moment afterwards.

There were plenty of instances of them taking the time to get coffee or lunch just for the sake of enjoying each other's company, but those outings had always been planned ahead. She's right-- this is different.]

I was hoping we could... catch up.

[sparkstrikes]

[Lightning opens her mouth to give him a soft protest to that – "we see each other all the time" – but her intuition makes her close her mouth and she pops the lid of her cup off to hide behind a sip. She doesn't have much to update Ignis on that he doesn't know already, so whatever he needs to say, she's there to listen.]

Something bugging you?

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[He exhales a bit, and it comes out as a soft huff.]

I'm that obvious, am I?

[He smiles faintly, but it fades a moment afterwards.]

There has been something weighing on me for some time, in fact, that I've been unable to speak of until recently-- and certainly not openly. Beyond you, only Steven knows, and I don't intend to tell anyone else. I trust the both of you with my life.

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You're not exactly subtle.

[She fixes him with an intent stare when she sees his smile fade and, shifting slightly, she lifts her cup to her lips without taking a sip, her eyes not leaving Ignis' face once. Her voice turns delicate, lacking any of the humour or amusement from earlier.]

If you wanna talk, then talk.

[And she will listen. Lightning has a couple of ideas on what this could be about, but she isn't going to make any assumptions... not out loud.]

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[He grimaces, though only slightly. It's not quite that simple, and he's certain this must seem out of the blue to begin with, but he'll do his utmost to handle this situation with grace and tact.]

When I first returned from my trip home, you asked who did this to me.

[She'd been quite intent on finding out, if he recalls.]

What happened wasn't so clear-cut as all that. We were fighting against the Empire, yes, but I wasn't attacked.

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[She licks the taste of coffee from her lips and purses them together, nodding, even if Ignis can't see it. Lightning remembers the day he returned well, like it was yesterday. The panic that had set in upon discovering him, and in the state he was in...

She remembers feeling angry for him, and at the Empire who dared hurt him. She remembers thinking that if she could reach through the divide between their worlds, she would bring her wrath down on them...

... Which is why she sounds so confused now.]

What do you mean, you weren't attacked?

[Had she misunderstood it all?]

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Not directly.

[There was certainly combat involved, and he'd cut his way through countless MTs and other imperials in order to reach his goal, but no attack had been responsible for how he had changed.]

Noct was in danger. Lady Lunafreya, I fear, was beyond saving, but it wasn't too late for him-- he was in Chancellor Izunia's grasp.

[It's not often that he speaks of Ardyn, but the same low, seething tone always threatens to surface when he does.]

Ever since I was a child, my sworn duty has been to remain alongside Noctis. To protect him, no matter the cost.

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[Lightning continues watching him, setting her cup down on the table as quietly as she can so as not to interrupt. She holds her breath, anxiety and worry getting the better of her as if this is something that hasn't already happened. She has no idea where this is going, or what protecting Noctis has to do with all of it. Sworn duty or not, hearing that makes her churn on the inside, even if she would have done anything to save Serah. It's hypocritical, but she hates seeing the people she cares about get hurt.

After a few more moments of silence, Lightning lets out that breath she's been holding in, sounding more troubled than she intended.]

What was the price you had to pay?

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[He shifts in his seat slightly, lifting one hand with his fingers spread, gesturing vaguely towards his own face. Of course, that much goes without saying, given the way this conversation had started, but his lips pull into a thin line as he considers how to explain the rest.]

Noct's bloodline has been entrusted with the Ring of the Lucii-- a weapon to be used by the chosen king in order to save our dying star.

[He has to tell her that much before he says the rest.]

Izunia sought this ring, considered himself to be the rightful bearer. To keep it from falling into the wrong hands, I seized it in a moment of desperation. [Though he wishes that he had been that altruistic. In truth, it had been somewhat more selfish, panic driving him to do whatever it took to protect the person he cared for most.] To protect Noctis... I attempted to wield its power. Even those who are favored by the ring and the past Kings of Lucis lose themselves to it, bit by bit.

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[Her jaw tightens and without realizing it, her drink begins to heat up and the steam thickens, but she's paying far too much attention to Ignis now, watching for any signs of his expression shifting, and her eyes fall on the scar along the side of his face.]

And so that's what that power did...

[It's not a question as much as it is seeking confirmation that she's following along.]

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[He nods stiffly. Yes-- precisely.]

There are worse prices to pay. Countless people have already given their lives for this same cause. I was willing to give mine, as well.

[And yet, though he's ashamed to admit it, there are times when he feels like this is worse. That being cut off from his world and denied being whole made living so much harder, but he's grateful to have escaped that particular conflict with his life. He very well may not have.]

... Noctis doesn't know. Nobody knows that I took up the ring.

[sparkstrikes]

[Lightning reaches across the table and snatches one of Ignis' hands up in her own in a firm hold. She wants to scold him, and tell him that he shouldn't be out there risking his life because there are people who care about him, but not only is it selfish, but she quickly realizes that if it had been Serah, or even Ignis, she would have done it in a heartbeat, consequences be damned.

There's one important detail, though.]

Are you gonna tell him? Or anyone?

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[He shakes his head slowly, his expression somber, and he allows her to maintain her hold of his hands, curling his fingers slightly.]

No. He can't know. He already feels responsible for what happened, even without knowing how. If he were to learn that this was the direct result of my attempt to protect him— he would never forgive himself. I can't allow that.

[Noctis bears enough guilt and weight on his shoulders already. Ignis could never bring himself to heap more on top of him.]

I've told you, and I've told Steven. I needed to unburden myself, and I trust the both of you implicitly.

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[She's glad, even appreciative, that he trusts her enough to share this information with her, except she disagrees. Noctis has a pair of real broad, strong shoulders, and Lightning is of the belief that he at least deserves to know the truth about what happened.]

I'm not telling you what you're doing is right. Or wrong.

[Here it comes...]

But you ever think it might be harder on him not knowing how it happened?

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[Of course, here it comes. As surely as he knows that Lightning won't tell betray his trust and tell Noctis herself, he's equally confident that he can expect her to remind him that she doesn't quite agree with the way he's chosen to handle the situation.]

He knows that it was suffered in the line of duty.

[It was an omission of the whole truth, but certainly not a lie.]

To tell him anything more than that would be cruel.

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[Silence follows while Lightning shifts, her fingers sliding out from between Ignis' so that she can take another sip of her coffee, but not without a reassuring squeeze first to remind him that she's not upset with him. It could definitely be taken that way, given her tone and the lack of immediate response, and a part of her is a little disappointed, but she'll get over it.

She's in no place to tell any of them what is and isn't right.]

We do what we have to to protect the ones we care about.

[That much, she gets. It's always been something she's carried a mutual understanding for with them. Just as they would do anything to protect Noctis, Lightning would do anything to protect Serah... and if it came down to it, she probably would have made the same decisions Ignis did.]