shatteredlenses | LifeAfter Inbox

Hey, could've been worse. At least I never tried to boil frozen pizza.

[ Sorry, Captain Yurika.

Noctis listens to Ignis, and he falls quiet. It's been... difficult, to say the least, to not blame himself for Ignis's eyes. He knows Ignis would do it, again and again, in less than a heartbeat, and that's what kills Noctis the most. ]

Hah, either way, I'll be taking someone's job from the sounds of it. Until food's ready, I can keep you company.

Pardon? Did I just hear you say 'boil a frozen pizza?'

[Ignis isn't exactly fond of the things, but they occasionally serve a purpose--a purpose that doesn't have anything to do with boiling.

He is torn between wanting to know the story for sheer horror factor and realizing sometimes the horrors really should be left unknown. In the end, he decides to leave it to Noctis if he wants to tell the story as it's most certainly tied to his time in that other world and Ignis has no idea how many bad memories may be drug up by telling the whole story.]

You're always welcome to keep me company. No matter what happens, that will never change.

It's been my honor and my pleasure to help you. All of you.

[Ignis falls silent for a moment then, head tilting down as if he is looking at the package in his hands.]

I've done this all my life and never needed reward for it. Seeing others happy, safe, and comfortable has always been enough.

[After a very confusing and painful start to his day Gladio is finally using this stupid stone thing.]

Ig? Iggy? [Fuck, he only just left. This is so fucking stupid. He sounds mad and scared and his breathing is high and sharp.]

So... you only just left but... something happened. I uh...

Y'know how I haven't wanted to let you guys heal me? I'm not gonna argue this time.

[Ignis has only just stepped into the Storyteller's temple when he hears Gladio's voice. His intention had been to leave a small offering for their harried local god, but that plan is abandoned as soon as he realizes how bad the Shield sounds. He's halfway back to the mana pool before he even has the communication stone in his hand.]

Gladio? What happened? Are you still at the cottage?

Yeah- urgh! [A sharp, hissed breath, the scrape of metal on stone. ]

Wasn't planning on leaving. [He hesitates, still not entirely sure what the fuck just happened but he's hurting and he's mad and godsdammit.]

Laurent he- fuck he pulled a knife on me, Ig. Quick son of a bitch too.

Laurent?

[Ignis opens his right eye wide in surprise. While he and their neighbor have had a very interesting relationship since coming to the island, the last thing he expected was for blonde to lash out at him or any of the others for that matter.

What happened?

A question for later when Gladio isn't bleeding and in obvious pain. Right after speaking, Ignis steps into the mana pool, appearing back on the islet and immediately making his way toward the cottage.]

How bad? I'm almost back.

Clean in and out. 's low, though... and deep. 5 inches maybe?

[He hisses out another breath, the sound of his shield hitting the floor, a little scraping so he can try to shimmy his pants down to clear the wound.]

FUCK! [And this time when he curses it's loud enough for Iggy to hear it echoing from the cottage across the islet.]

Bloody hell, will you just sit still! I'm almost there!

[And those last words will almost echo as Ignis' voice comes through both the stone and the door to the cottage. A moment later he comes through the door, tossing the stone onto the nearest flat surface and making his way toward Gladio.

He frowns at how strong the smell of blood is, magic itching under his skin aching to be released. However, he doesn't dare do so until he's cure the wound is clear.]

Guide my hands. What clothing needs to be moved?

[Since, you know, 'low' still leaves a lot of ground to be covered.]

[By the time Ignis is inside the cottage Gladio is panting through the pain, the glove that protects his dominant hand marked with imprints of his teeth already. He reaches out, fingers light on the back of Ignis' hand, guiding him to his belt buckle.]

Too much blood- I can't- [He's losing blood quickly and he his hands are shaking. The buckle is slick with blood on top of that and he just doesn't have the dexterity at the moment to unfasten his pants.]

Just under the waistband. Closer to you. [Because his pants are leather it's a pretty clean wound. If anything came apart beneath the blade it would be his boxers.]

Just leave it to me.

[Part of Ignis' mind wants to panic because there is so much blood--just like when he'd come across Mira blinded and alone by the mana pool--but just like then he forces himself to focus, setting aside emotion for efficiency and clear thought. He's tempted to just cut the cloth away with one of his blades, but clothes are not exactly something they have an excess of. Fortunately, he manages to get Gladio's belt undone before his gloves become too slippery with blood. He then unzips the Shield's pants, folding back and down the side nearest the wound.

Ignoring the blood, he pauses to pull one of his gloves off so he can more carefully pull Gladio's boxers away from the injury.]

All right. Focus for me a little longer, Gladio. I need your eyes. Is it clear?

[He's still half slumped against the wall or he wouldn't have the strength to push himself up and look down. Even propped up it's a difficult angle and there's really so much blood. He doesn't have any water remotely clean enough for this shit yet.

There's a moment of grit teeth and hissed breaths forced out between his teeth. It hurts but there's a couple strands of fabric still attached to the main piece of cloth that are clinging to the wound.]

G-good... It's- It's good. [And then he falls back against the wall again, breath coming in strained and increasingly shallow bursts.]

Then brace yourself.

[It's the only response he gives before making one last careful pass with his fingers to find any threads or small pieces of cloth that Gladio may have missed seeing in or near the wound. Satisfied it's as clean as it's going to get, Ignis pulls as much magic into himself as he can at once, hoping it will strengthen the power of the spell he's about to cast. He then lets Regroup wash over them both.

At the back of his mind, he wishes there was a way to exclude himself from the spell. It feels like a waste of magic that would be better off helping to close Gladio's wound. Unfortunately, this is all they have and it's much better than having nothing.

As he feels the spell begin to wind down, he pulls magic to himself once more, ready to cast again.]

Let me know when you're ready for the next cast. I'll give you a moment.

[The shiver of magic, the soothing coolness of it, the way the bleeding slows. It all ends up with him slumping more heavily against the wall. Not for the first time he curses himself for not taking more interest in the magic side of things. This would be so much easier if he could share the burden with Ignis, or not have had to bother him at all.

He shifts, reaches out a hand to settle over Ignis' wrist. His hands are bloody but he needs to touch him. It won't help he knows that, not really, but he needs to show Ignis that he's okay, they both are.]

It's okay. Just do it.

[Ignis nods, bringing his gloveless hand up to give the one of Gladio's on his wrist a squeeze. He then triggers the next cast, frowning as he already feels the weariness setting in. Is Noctis able to feel him pulling so much magic at once or does the alterations this place makes to their powers prevent that? He never did get around to asking about it before.

He takes a deep breath and pulls the magic to himself again, letting a third cast go just after the second has ended. This time, he can't help but sway a little, pausing, not for Gladio's benefit, but his own.]

How does that feel?

[The way things are going, he probably has one more cast in him before he's going to have to recharge at the mana pool. Hopefully, it will be enough.]

[Gladio's hand tenses on Ignis' wrist. He feels him sway, tries to offer what little support he can. The question is immediately answered with a hurried reassurance.]

Enough. It's enough. [Was it really? He wasn't entirely sure but he wasn't about to ask Ignis to contniue, not now, not like this. His magic was so limited. He'd normally be able to do this many regroups in a single battle and now it's about knocked him on his ass with nothing else going on.]

[Ignis stubbornly shakes his head.]

I can do one more. We don't have the same access to curatives here. We have to be sure.

[Before Gladio can object, Ignis pulls the magic to himself once more. He has to grimace as he does it though, for it feels like he's dragging the very life from his body. It hurts almost as if someone were raking something across his soul. Casting the spell is a relief then. One that he's certain would send blackness across his vision if he could see. In desperation, he pulls his wrist free of Gladio's grip so he can use it to steady himself. It's either that or collapse into the wounded man.

He sits like that in silence for a few moments and then slowly gathers himself as if he's going to rise.]

Stay there. Let me get my medical kit for whatever's left.

[He tries to sit up, worried for Ignis but even the action of tensing his muscles to try to sit up has him gasping in pain, falling back against the floor with a strangled noise.]

Wait! [Fuck it hurts but the worst of the internal damage is healed, now it's just deep and fleshy, still seeping blood slowly. The regroup can't close the wound entirely, not with how deep it runs, it has to heal inside before the surface closes up. It's going to be a bitch keeping it clean.]

Ig, just... a minute. Please? [Don't hurt yourself on his account.]

[Ignis almost snaps at him for being foolish enough to move while obviously still injured, but the desperate plea and the worry in Gladio's voice stops him. With a sigh, he settles back on the floor, speaking softly more to clear his head than anything else.

He really hopes Noctis didn't feel that. Otherwise, he's likely got one hell of a lecture coming.]

All right, but not for long. You've lost enough blood. I don't want you losing much more. And, we need to keep it clean. I don't want to imagine dealing with an infection here. Do you think it will need stitches?

[Mother hen mode: Engaged.]

I know. [He's well aware of the potential issues with something like this. The last thing he wants is to get an infection but if Laurent uses that knife for hunting and dressing his kills then he's screwed no matter what. Ignis falling over and breaking his face isn't going to change that.]

Too much blood, can't tell. Need to clean it up before... ugh. Before we can tell if it needs stitches. [And despite how much moving hurts he does reach out for Ignis' hand again. Blood be damned.]

[Ignis doesn't pull away from the hand that reaches for his, instead turning his hand to meet it and giving it a squeeze.]

We do have a little drinking water stored. I'll get some of it in a few moments.

[Once the world stops spinning and his legs don't feel like jelly anymore.]

The medical kit I got from the Jormun--ah, they are a friendly aquatic race who helped us when the sun died--has some gash treatments in it. They do have a magical healing aspect to them. Once we get it cleaned, it may be small enough now for that to cover it. If not, I will have to speak with Tataru about acquiring proper stitching tools.

[He hasn't had to deal with such a deep wound before. Honestly, Ignis probably should have thought to get the supplies before now, especially after losing his healing. How could he have been so careless?]

Okay... okay. It'll be fine. [He hated to use their drinking water but it was going to be the cleanest water they had available. Even without the threat of infection he was going to be laid up for far longer than he wanted to think about. Godsdammit.

And he was so tired, the adrenaline and fear winding down now that the wound was mostly treated and he had Ignis' comforting presence beside him. His eyes fluttered closed, two deep breaths and then he was forcing them open again.]

Laurent he- Ignis, all I did was touch his shoulder.

Of course you will.

[Ignis sounds almost insulted for a moment. As if he is going to let something like this take Gladio from him after they have finally been brought together again.

However, when he hears what Gladio did to prompt the attacks his head bows slightly and he frowns, thumb unconsciously rubbing over the back of the Shield's hand.]

You probably shouldn't have done that. He's had a rough life and even though you meant no harm, he may have seen it as a sign that an attack was coming. I wish I had more details, but he's far too much the politician to let go of information that easily.

[It will take a lot more than a knife to take him anywhere, even if the wound is in a horrible location.

Politician. Of course, why did Ignis have to surround himself with even more complicated people?]

He accused me of- gah [a pause to catch his breath, control himself so his breaths came shallow and high, trying to keep himself as still as possible.] Of treating him... like... a back alley whore and stabbed me because I touched... his fucking... shoulder!

[And Gladio had thrown Ignis to the ground and, had things played out just a little differently, potentially killed his pet because he forgot where he was for a moment. Was it really that different?

It was. Because Laurent knew where he was. There was nothing wild or panicked in his expression, nothing to indicate that he'd slipped into a memory of a different time or place. He had been fully aware and unapologetic for his actions.]

Gladio, please stay calm. You're going to make the wound worse.

[Without releasing the Shield's hand, Ignis rocks himself up to his knees, taking a moment to let his other hand find his friend's face so he can run his fingers lightly over his cheek.]

You've been prepared to fight and have fought all your life. You must know people who have been hurt and betrayed by those around them numerous times. Sometimes, after all that, a person decides they must start attacking first even at the barest hint of what they perceive to be a threat. It's the only way to survive.

[For a moment, Ignis thinks of all the times Laurent has compared himself to Ardyn. He still thinks the blonde is exaggerating, but...]

I say this not to excuse his actions. I've never harmed him and he should have realized a friend of mine would never do so either, however, I do think this may be the reason why he acted as he did. It makes sense that he would have been in a position to be betrayed, after all. For politicians and those they attend to, it is a constant risk.

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