Battles and Snowflakes

[skyward_eyes]

Who; Nida, Mono, Open
What; Mechanical Menace Battle, Wandering in the Cold, Bonding Time with Mono
Where; Market Streets, Beyond the Chocobo Ranch, The Scientia Household
When; December
Warnings; N/A

I. Safe City Streets | Open; Aterat Markets

Patrols are always a thing at night, and sometimes Nida finds himself taking a more leisurely path home from his shift, back through areas the guards don't cover as much. The chance for stumbling on crime wasn't high, but the presence every now and then could dissuade it. Which was why Nida did it.

And this time he turned a corner to see someone cornered by a variety of small figures. Siren shouts a warning in his head of magic charging and Nida doesn't think. He just pushes her aside, reaches for Carbuncle, and calls. Calls and thrusts his hand out before him, pushing power forth. It's slow, slower than he'd like because his bond with Carbuncle is not nearly as strong as it is with Siren. And she's annoyed at him for turning toward Carbuncle and not her. But this is the right choice and Nida knows it.

He calls and he pushes and a pit opens in the ground between the cornered person and the little attackers. From it springs a little green figure. It looks around curiously at the gathered, then does a jump into the air, somersaulting as light gathers on the ruby jewel on its forehead. The light flashes out just before the spells of the creatures do, and a glimmering wall appears over the figure and Nida both. The spells, bursts of fire and shards of ice, seem to bounce from the light and strike back at their casters.

"This won't be so hard at all," Nida notes as he swings a weapon loose. "Hold for the guard!"

II. Not All Who Wander Are Lost | Open; West of Town, near the Chocobo Ranch

For once the weird thing doesn't happen while he's on patrol. There are a lot of things that have gone wrong while he's on patrol. Maybe it's luck. Probably it's just that he ends up out in the streets at night that way. But this time he'd been out to do one last load up of their feed and the like for the chocobos for the winter. Well, actually he'd been going to order, there was too much to get for two, and had been walking back home because they were going to load up the cart with Hibiscus to pull it in a day or two to haul it back.

Which of course wasn't the important part. The important part was that it was cold, it was overcast, and somehow, Nida was lost. It made no sense. He knew what he was doing. He'd always known the way between these places, and he was good at navigation to boot. That he didn't know where he was or how to get back didn't make sense. What the fuck?

"I passed that tree ten minutes ago," Nida grumbles as he comes to a stop. There wasn't many trees between the western hills and the city. Maybe he was wrong. "Dammit."

He had to get home, or back to the ranch. Because if he doesn't, he might freeze out here.

III. Snowflake Celebration | Closed to Mono, Scientia Household

When the husband is away, the boys can come out and play. Though, well, this was hardly 'playing' in Nida's book. Sure he had come to enjoy the way they celebrated this 'Christmas' thing in their home, but sometimes you wanted something a touch closer to home. Which was what he had been working with Mono over the last weeks to achieve. And today was to the the culmination of his magical plan.

"Alright, do you have your wire? Your cleaning cloth? Your sling of ornaments? And of course your socks off and feet clean?"

All of the tricks they were going to use to get into all of the high places in the house they normally didn't go meant they'd get feet on the walls. And Nida didn't want yelled at for shoe or footprints on any of the walls. Which he would of course clean after anyway. That was secondary to Operation Snowflake Festival after all.

Comments

Lost

[faithfulsupport]

Ignis had dinner ready. It was a roasted chicken dinner with vegetables and dressing that he had made himself. He sighed, looking at the time. Nida should've been home an hour or two ago and there was no answer on the Tellphone.

That in itself was odd. Now he knew the schedule that his husband was keeping, but so far hadn't heard anything. Folding his arms across his chest, he looked out the window behind the sink, still half expecting his husband to come home. More minutes ticked by and Ignis had nothing to keep his hands and mind busy, as the dishes had been done as he was cooking because it saved time.

Giving his husband another fifteen minutes, Ignis fought not to pace, and he gathered together his heavy coat and boots in preparation to go out. All the while he hoped that he wouldn't have to, hoping that Nida would come home. With that not happening, he grabbed his keys, made sure that he had his Tellphone and headed out to saddle his chocobo in the warm stable.

Trying to call again and it going to voicemail, he sighed and looked at his chocobo, giving it a quick scritch under the chin. "Alright, let's go find him, shall we?"

[skyward_eyes]

Finding wouldn't be the easiest thing. Perhaps it was because there was something magical going on. The longer he wandered, the more he could feel it in his head. A quiet ringing of magic in his head, grating on Nida's senses. It's a delight, actually, to know that he isn't the fuck up himself.

This, though, is so much more complicated than that.

"Whoever is doing this can go fuck themselves," he says.

[faithfulsupport]

Ignis saddled his chocobo and out they went. Of course he started with the usual places that Nida would travel to, and attempt after attempt was made to connect over the Tell-phone to no avail of course.

So he put his intel gathering to use and began asking questions. Nida was in the town guard so he would be known, but to how many people exactly was the question. Diligently Ignis began his inquiry and as he did so, there were times he would dismount his chocobo in order to let it rest near a street lamp to get a little bit of warmth.

[skyward_eyes]

The problem, of course, was that Nida wasn't exactly in the city at the moment. It was hardly like anyone could speak to where he was. One of his patrol mates does note that he had seen Nida heading out of town with Hibiscus all hitched up to a sled though. Perhaps that might be clue enough to guide the man to find his husband.

As for Nida, he had found his way amid trees? But there weren't supposed to be any trees here. The man curses and starts hauling together some wood to build a fire. Good thing he has spells on him for that.

"Fucking magic pranksters."

[faithfulsupport]

Ignis took the advice and remounted his chocobo and headed out to see if he could find anything else. The blinding snow would no doubt have covered the man's tracks and he didn't like to think of the worst case. No, he was determined to find his husband and bring him home.

So he steered his chocobo to head out of town and hunched down into his warm clothes as they set off.

[skyward_eyes]

The problem with setting up a fire, it turns out, is that Nida keeps losing his way back to the fire he's trying to build every time he walks away for more wood. It's messed up enough that he ends up, loudly, cursing Hyne and any other god he can come up with the name of. The next time he finds vaguely dry wood he just settles it immediately into a pile and unleashes fire after fire spell onto it, until finally it makes a bright and cheery blaze.

It's something.

"I'm so damn tired of these fucking magic messes coming for us," he grumbles as he holds his hands out to the fire to warm them. Soon he'll have to see if he can't set up some sort of beacon, to try and direct someone to him for help. "When I get my hands on whoever did this, they are going to pay."

[faithfulsupport]

It was cold, windy, wet and miserable. But the thought of Nida being out here alone or in perhaps dangerous company kept him going. The chocobo was doing his best too and Ignis knew he would have two to take care of once he got home. Both his husband and his mount were going to be in need of warmth and TLC.

Thoughts of getting the two warm, dry and fed kept his mind going as he continued his search. He didn't try the tell-phone again because he figured it simply wouldn't work in this weather.

Stopping his chocobo, he looked around and even shielded his spectacles, but he could see nothing and pressed on.

[skyward_eyes]

Perhaps he can see nothing, but finally Nida is hearing something. Siren brings the sound to his ears and Nida lifts his head. With shaking hands he stands. What does he do now? How does he get attention? After a moment of thought he calls on his magic.

There's no lightning anywhere else in the storm. Some people might flee it, but maybe, just maybe, someone will want to investigate. So he calls for lightning, and has a bolt strike near him. Once. Twice. Three times.

It's using up magic, perhaps needlessly, but he's going to try.

[faithfulsupport]

Ignis is tired and cold, and he knows his chocobo is as well. He really needs to turn around, but Nida is still out there. So he decides that if he notices nothing in the next few minutes, he'll send the bird back.

But then he sees lightning and hurries the bird forward to investigate. Was there a battle perhaps? Urging it on, he then stops, and makes out his husband's form.

"Nida!"

A few more strides from the bird and Ignis hopped off and hurried to his husband's side.

[skyward_eyes]

There he is. Nida sees an approaching figure and he sighs in relief. Throws himself away from the first and into his husband's arms.

"Ignis. There's something happening. Magic. Siren can sense it, but Carbuncle can't block it."

He's been lost for so long.

[faithfulsupport]

The first thing Ignis noticed was how cold his husband was. "I've sensed it too darling. But let's get you and the chocobo warmed up and back home. Is Hibiscus with you?"

He just wanted to get them all home safe and warm. Then they could worry about the rest.

[skyward_eyes]

"No. I intended to leave her at the ranch, which of course I did. And now this."

Maybe he would have been better with her. Maybe he wouldn't have been. Hard to tell. Hard to even guess.

"Is your chocobo cold? I'm sorry."

[faithfulsupport]

"It's not your fault darling. At least she'll be looked after at the ranch."

Ignis looked at his bird and shook his head, turning back to Nida. "Not to worry. Let's get both of you home, and warm you two up."

III. Snowflake Celebration

[monochromatically]

Mono had chosen to see this as a little of both. There was a certain element of fun to this presented challenge, because it involved climbing for the sake of decorating the place with the snowflake ornaments that Nida had asked if he wanted to help with placing.

On the other side, he was taking the presented task seriously. Mono did not have holidays of his own, and had taken to learning from the people closest to him how to celebrate the ones they did here in this world or had in their own worlds. So being able to help Nida with ‘Operation Snowflake Festival’ seemed like a pretty big deal to him, and he was eager to help the man as well as learn more about it if he could.

And it sounded like it would be really pretty when it was all said and done, especially after getting a good luck at the ornaments themselves. “Yup! I got the wire here, and the cloth here, and all the ornaments in the sling thing here.” He confirmed with careful little gestures and rechecks to make sure everything was secure. The follow up question gets a second serious nod. “Uh, huh! I made extra sure. Don’t wanna make a mess on the walls.” Even if Nida and he would clean up after themselves, it would still be best to not risk leaving the footprints on the nice clean walls in the first place. “So, where do we start?” He ended, tone as quiet as ever, but with a small note of excitement around the edges.

The boy’s moth friend (still nameless, Mono was taking that task seriously) had found a perch up in the higher rafters, overseeing the project with her own level of curiosity. She had soon realized that both Mono and Nida were quite adept at getting up to the higher perches than one would expect of wingless humans, but that was a delight concerning Mono and a small sense of approval of Nida given he seemed to take care of teaching her small human friend well.

[skyward_eyes]

"Wonderful," he says with a smile. "Remember, the idea is that we put the glass or metal ones really close to light sources so they bounce things about, and the stick and stone and other material ones should be spread around too."

He loved this part. Still smiling he reaches out to help Mono into the cloth ornament sling before checking his own as well.

"Back home they do this in a place called Trabia City. They pay all sorts of artists to add to the city's supply of snowflakes. The only rule is that they should be sturdy. We'll start in the shared rooms, like the kitchen and the living room."

Those were the spaces he'd be happiest to have these things.

"Ready?"

[monochromatically]

Mono listened to the instructions carefully, silent while Nida explained where each kind should be placed and the idea behind that. “Right, I’ll put the ones that can catch the light near lights to make em all pretty, and put the other ones around in good places, too.” He answered to show he had listened and understood the mission’s details!

Once Nida had helped him put the sling on and made sure it was secure, Mono tilted his head at the continued description. “So this is something special from where you’re from, huh? It sounds really nice.” He added, because it did. “Is there a reason they do that?” Because it didn’t hurt to ask while they were getting ready to get started, he wanted to know more about these things and the stuff that his family enjoyed.

The final question gets one of his clumsy half smiles and a nod. “Yup, I think so!”

[skyward_eyes]

"Yes," he says with a soft whisper. "I'm not Trabian myself, but I had a mission there during the festival once. It was... beautiful. It made me think of what life could be like outside of the gardens."

So he kept it in a special place in his heart. For now, though, he looks around.

"Okay, let's start with the main beam here in the kitchen. Think you can handle getting up to it from the cabinets?"

Nida was just going to do a standing jump with his GF reinforced leg strength. He should be able to catch the beam and haul himself up.

[monochromatically]

There’s a lot Mono doesn’t know or understand about the people in his life. His experiences did not relate to or compare in a lot of ways… However, this one he guessed he could understand to an extent. What it meant to Nida, what life could be like outside that ‘Garden’ place he came from… Kinda like how seeing what life was like here, what things could be like if he didn’t end up trapped in the tower and became that… person. So his experiences here were important too, and so would this. “It sounds really nice… I bet it will look really pretty here when we’re done, too.”

At least he would make sure he did a good job! The question gets a little, almost confident energy to his clumsy grin. “I think so. I got a good teacher that showed me the best ways to do stuff.” He added with a little tilt of his head before he turned and hurried over to the cabinets to start climbing his way up to get at the rafters better. He is true to his word, and doesn’t appear to have much trouble at all.

The boy was also relieved his ability had finally stopped acting up after the last accident he had. It meant he wouldn’t have to worry about something triggering without trying and making a mess of their pretty display.

[skyward_eyes]

"It will," he agrees. There will still be decoration to do later with Ignis, but this? This mattered to Nida specifically. "Maybe we can talk Ignis into sugar cookies later too."

Snowflake ones, of course.

He watches Mono just long enough to make sure the kid is doing alright before he shifts his junctions around. A curl of wind magic at his feet to throw him up with the strength of his jump, and he's reaching the beam overhead with his outstretched fingers. From there it's a matter of hauling himself up. It's a little strain, but he's still happy. Once he's seated on the beam he smiles.

"Alright then. I'll start from here. I've got a special one for over the table."

A beautiful shimmering steel star made at Bay Blades, with little shining beads of glass hanging from the points.

"So it can shine over us all. What do you think?"

[monochromatically]

The kids’ eyes light up a fraction at the mention of sugar cookies, because of course they would. “Yeah? That would be really good after we finish decorating. I bet we’ll be hungry at the end of our mission.” He agreed with a serious little nod. If ignis did want to bake, Mono might even try to help. Otherwise, the boy would undoubtedly be happy with any kind of snack that they decided on, since he didn’t tend towards being fussy even if he liked some things more than other things.

Mono looked over his shoulder as he climbed, curious about what he meant by a special one. He waited until he was up and sitting securely on a beam to begin hanging his own sling of ornaments before he got a better look at the centerpiece, though. When he did, the boy actually looked rather awed to see something so pretty in the middle of the room. “Wow…! It’s so shiny, and it looks really nice there! It’ll kinda reflect all neat around the room and maybe off the other ones we got.” He commented, before finally hanging the first snowflake carefully, making sure it was secure and wouldn’t fall.

[skyward_eyes]

"Oh yeah, missions always leave you really hungry," Nida agrees. So he would probably need to text Ignis about it too.

For now he just takes a moment to smile at the ornament he's just hung.

"I bought one like this, back home. I paid special to get this made. I'm really glad you like it."

[monochromatically]

Mono carefully moved along the beam to hang his next snowflake, sometimes pausing to look at the big one Nida had made. “I really do! It’s nice, kinda makes everything prettier and makes ya feel happy to look at, right?” He commented, observing how well the next he was hanging would catch the light before he decided to place it there.

“We don’t got stuff like this where I’m from.” He tilted his head thoughtfully. “Or I guess we kinda do; it just sits in boxes in closets I find sometimes. So, they don’t get put up.” Sometimes you found stuff when you’re rummaging around old buildings. But he never really knew what to make of that stuff before. Now he supposes maybe they were for celebrations of some kind, at one time or another. “So it’s really nice to get to help with stuff, and to learn about how stuff like this works in other places!”

[skyward_eyes]

"Exactly why I like Trabia's snowflake festival," Nida says with a smile. It makes him happy to look at it. Now he finally moves and starts to find places for other ornaments to hang.

"I'm sorry they don't put it up. Winter is... a hard time. We should always have little things that make us joyful when there are less hours of light in a day. But if you want, I can tell you about other things like this back home. I don't know many, I didn't grow up with a lot of people that celebrated."

[monochromatically]

“You don’t gotta be sorry.” The boy shrugged slightly at the comment, shaking his head a little. “It’s not the people’s fault either, I guess. It’s just kinda how it is.” If there were blame to be laid out for the lack of holidays and festivities… Well, Mono would say the entity, or by extension of that… Himself… Or at least the older him. That’s not a topic the boy was keen to pursue, and he really hadn’t thought of it until Nida apologized… So he was quick to latch onto the next thing the man said.

“I’d like that to hear more about other stuff while we decorate? I had fun learning about the Christmas thing when I got here. It’d be neat to hear about other things like this from your home. Even if there’s not many, it’s still more than I know.” And it would go well with the task at hand, decorating and putting themselves in the spirit of things.

Mono himself was still paying close attention to the task at hand, though. Carefully climbing across beams and hanging the next snowflakes after checking to see how they’d look there. His moth friend delicately fluttering to get out of his or Nida’s way once in a while if they happened to be nearing her current perch.

[skyward_eyes]

"That's a plan," Nida says with a wide smile. Yes, he could do that. Pass the time with stories.

"I can't promise they'll be any interesting. But sure. Let's finish the kitchen first though."

ANd it's not something that will be easy for him.

"Guess I'm not used to coming up with stuff like this."