18 December 2019 @ 02:12 pm
[OPEN] EVENT.010  
SNOW WAY OUT

[Maybe this little trip to Nevei Forest was just what Regis needed to help take the edge off. While the former monarch is still quite uneasy, the lush evergreen backdrop of this lovely forest is more than enough to lift his spirits. It's much better than tolling away in the awful snow back within the city. News of this lush destination came to him in the form of an advertisement he seen on his phone. It didn't take much for Regis to pitch the idea to Noctis and the others, especially Cor.

Most Lucians are quite averse to snow after all.

Nevertheless, Regis decides to rent out a room within one of the more rustic villas in the resort. The architecture here is quite a far cry from his days in Insomnia but the villa is still quite fetching. He settles by the fireplace nursing what seems to be a cup of tea while dressed quite casually in a black shirt, dark slacks, and sleek black leather shoes. For this particular ensemble, Regis chose to wear his newly purchased off-gray waistcoat for that hint of formalness.

Even though he's no longer a king, Regis is still royal. He can't exactly get away with just wearing jeans and a t-shirt, unlike his son.

The lack of room service at this villa is a bit of nuisance but Regis doesn't seem to mind all too much. His gaze drifts as he watches the slow trickle of tourists wandering about within the main hall. Eventually, he grows bored with people watching and starts searching for conversation. Despite his grim expression, Regis is quite sociable.
]

Enjoying yourself?

[He questions a random passerby with a pleasant smile.]




Firialia Eve Ball

[The expression upon Regis's face is cross in between absolute rage and devastation. Who would've guessed that Regis would suddenly be transformed into a fairy during the middle of the performance? Certainly not Regis but that's beside the point. The former King of Lucis cannot help but huff indignantly at his current state. Had he not been reduced in stature to that of a fairy, he would've been relatively fine with the thought of sporting a colorful pair of translucent fairy wings and elfin-like ears. However, Regis wasn't so fortunate and is now at the mercy of the giggling guests surrounding him.

He gives them a frigid stare that is colder than Shiva's teet while idly fixing the cuffs of his handsomely elaborate suit. Regardless of his fairy-like form, Regis still looks very much like a king. He's just tiny and adorable right now much to his displeasure. While he does his best not to look bothered, Regis is considering how flustered he looks.
]

This is not quite how I thought I would enjoy my evening.

[He grumbles under his breath while wishing he could have a cocktail.]



AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT!

[A wistful look settles within Regis's gaze as he watches others enjoy themselves at the ice-skating rink. While he's a little too old in his years to enjoy such festivities anymore, Regis certainly possesses some fond memories of his youth. He was never particularly good at ice-skating but Aulea was. His late wife was as graceful as the wind despite her razor-sharp tongue and even sharper wit. He cannot help but think of her as he watches the other patrons on the ice. Regis spotted a few familiar faces in the crowd. No one particularly noteworthy but many of them where guests who joined the ball the other night.

He's back to normal size again, folks! It seems that horrid fairy dust finally is worn but how?

Regis certainly won't say how anyone on the savvy might be able to figure out in two guesses. Still, Regis is quite relieved to be back to normal size today despite his forlorn expression. He's a less decadent in style unlike last night choosing to wear an all-black ensemble with a dark wool coat with a slight militaristic flair. The old king lingers by the ice skating rink lost within his fond memories.
]



WILDCARD

{feel free to make your own prompts!}
 
 
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[personal profile] lucere on December 22nd, 2019 03:45 pm (UTC)
Your entourage....?

[It honestly hasn’t dawned on Regis yet what she means by ‘entourage’. He’s thinking of the more literal sense of the word and keeping an eye out for others. However, the more she speaks about her ‘entourage’, the more it dawns on him it might be some kind of robotic life form. Robots and androids are rather uncommon in Lucis and its neighboring territories. The Niffs are more likely to use such tools in their capital city but not Lucis. Their interest rests within the magical arts despite their fondness for tablets, touch-screened phones, and fancy cars.]

I see! You would truly be within some trouble without electricity. Perhaps more so than myself.

[He ponders about that briefly before blinking in surprise at her second answer regarding the greenhouse.]

Not fond of plants, I take it. [He doesn’t mean to pry but he’s curious now.] During my residence at the Citadel, we had a greenhouse. I commissioned it for my wife as a late wedding present. She used to love the greenhouse so much but her allergies used to get the better of her.

[He chuckles slightly as he thinks of Aulea and her sneezing fits.]

It was a poor gift but she loved it nonetheless. Aulea liked flowers but couldn’t deal with the pollen but she asked for flowers regardless. I guess she just liked looking at them but not smelling them.
[personal profile] realimperfect on December 22nd, 2019 04:09 pm (UTC)

Maybe some. Surviving off protein bars can only maintain me for so long. At least it isn’t beans, though. [ Her dislike for beans spawns out of many repetitive meals featuring them, to be fair, but if that was the option other than starving, Re-L wasn’t foolhardy enough to starve either. ]

Thankfully he can handle the cooking for me, now. Of all the things I’m good at that is not a talent I’ve picked up.

[ for a moment she debates how much detail to give about flowers and greenhouses. At the very least she’s experienced grass and flowers, albeit very small varieties of such thanks to the fact that only certain species had been archived prior to Earth’s calamity. Or so she assumed. It could just be that Proxy One has an affinity for those certain varieties and in his creations chose to stick to those certain styles.

She’ll never be sure, now. ]


It was thoughtful, in its own way. I used to play in fields of flowers as a child, but they never bothered me.

It’s ... the dome. My home before was contained in a Dome and it .. didn’t end well. I thought grandfather might never take me back for leaving.

Granted I came back almost dead, the first time, so maybe it removed him from being Regent for a moment.

[ hooray being sheltered from outside viruses until your protective suit becomes compromised, huh? She speaks about this brush with death in an almost removed, bored type of tone, still staring upward. ]

At least in this dome you get real sunlight.
[personal profile] lucere on December 22nd, 2019 04:29 pm (UTC)
As someone who finds beans quite lacking in taste no matter the seasoning, I share in your dislike of them. [He announces almost proudly as he takes a sip of his tea.] They're dreadful in every sense of the word.

[Regis falls quiet once the topic is changed. He drinks in the sight of the young woman beside him, his green gaze filled with unasked questions when she speaks. It seems that the young woman comes from a place similar to that of both Lucis and Lunatia. That much seems to be the case but he still has trouble painting the kind of world she's from. However, that bit about her grandfather catches his attention.]

You're the granddaughter of royalty, aren't you? [He questions with a raised brow.] Ah, I understand now.

The dome represents something like a cage for you, doesn't it? A gilded cage where all ambitions come to die under the false pretenses of protection.

[He lets out a quiet sigh as he sets his teacup upon the table.]

I know that feeling all too well.

[The Citadel became his cage after living a life free from the convoluted politics of the Senate prior to his father's passing. When Regis became king, it was not only his ascension to the throne but also the death of his youth. His world became grimmer and darker the second he put on the ring. Even though the Ring of Lucii is in Noct’s possession now, he can still feel it's haunting presence upon his finger.]

We share too much in common, young lady. [He announces with a faint smile.] Except I actually did die.
[personal profile] realimperfect on December 22nd, 2019 04:45 pm (UTC)

My dislike comes from a steady diet of them to subsist on. But it’s better than starving. [ and Vincent had been kind enough to get ginger ale for her, even if it wasn’t necessary and took up more storage room than regular water, so. If that’s what he’d found she had been willing to overlook it in exchange.

She gives a confirming nod as he correctly connects the dots about herself and Donov Mayer, though with something of a correction. ]
It wasn’t .. royalty in the way that others perceive it from what I’ve heard here but, yes. I am His Excellency’s Granddaughter, for better or worse.

I’m only his granddaughter in term alone, though. Fellow citizens of Romdeau dome are created in tubes instead of carried like other people and beings.

[ Regis is perceptive in the way of a man who knows, though, and she decides to settle herself in to a seat. After all, this seemed to be shaping in to a decent enough conversation. ]

Correct, mostly. Romdeau was protection in the literal sense as much as the stifling sense. Outside is ... cold, dead reality. But once I knew there was an outside, people outside, and that I was being lied to from all sides about it?

It became a cage full of people who wanted to control me, and who thought that I didn’t know of their manipulations. But I’m also very capable of playing chess with the pieces I have.

[ Donov and Daedalus had succeeded in stifling Re-L’s more wild personality to a point - old videos of a girl who could laugh and smile without a thought about it confirmed that much. But control her?

Over her dead body. ]


I feel that in a way I did die. His Excellency’s Granddaughter died when Romdeau fell and I just became Re-L Mayer.

Whoever that is.
[personal profile] lucere on December 22nd, 2019 05:16 pm (UTC)
[Perception is an art form seldom used by those unable to read in between the lines. Regis is quite practiced in such things after spending half of his life at the Citadel. He’s capable of deciphering what is hidden under half-smirks and half-truths. That’s why he’s able to understand the troubled woman before him better than most. He keeps his gaze fixated upon her as if staring at a painting at some grand museum. The sternness of her gaze is poetically beautiful despite being somewhat alarming. It’s not often that he meets young people with an old soul like her. Regis can tell she lived through something unpleasant enough to make that frown of hers seem so permanent.]

Once the truth made itself known to you, you dared to seek freedom. [’How brave,’ he thinks to himself. Courageous, even.] And so you took the risk and decided to play the game on your own terms. That’s mighty bold of you.

Even now, knowing much as I know, I doubt I would take the plunge and seek the freedom I yearned for in my youth.

[Everything he knew was a lie. That much is certain after hearing the truth from Somnus himself. Regis wonders if his younger self would’ve been brave enough to break the line of kings in lieu of redemption. He likes to think he would if he had known sooner but Regis will not fool himself into thinking that. He was a fearful boy as a child and a headstrong man as an adult. Regis doesn’t know which side would’ve won out in the end and it makes no sense to ponder it now.]

Re-L Mayer is whomever you decide she should become. [He states with a slight quirk of his lips.] It’s as you said, Romdeau has fallen and all of its nefarious influences with it.

You are free now, Re-L. Free to be the woman you desire without invisible hands guiding you.

[Regis falls silent as he looks over her with a unreadable gaze.]

This is the same freedom I desperately want for my son.

[He’s long and gone never to return to Eos but Noctis? Noctis still has a chance, doesn’t he? Regis thinks so.]

No parent who loves their child wants them to feel subservient to the powers that be. We want them to strive and find their own way in life free from our influence.
[personal profile] realimperfect on December 22nd, 2019 08:23 pm (UTC)

I wanted the truth. My ability to seek my own freedom came as a by product. [ she hadn’t walked in to the entire proxy mystery intentionally seeking Donov Mayer’s death and the fall of Romdeau Done, but that search had inadvertently brought all of that along. To be honest she still isn’t sure how she feels about all of that being an unintended (or intended) consequence of bringing Vincent Law back to the dome as she’d been asked to.

Just on her own terms.

But that is maybe too deep a subject for right now. ]


I always knew that because of my station I was as much a boon to Daedalus’ career as I was a pawn to it. Once I knew how much of a pawn he considered me, though - [ like replacing her with a newer, better version of herself once she defied what he wanted? ] - I just put everything he taught me to use.

[ still she narrows her gaze slightly as he says he might not have had the courage to do as she had - some part of her doubts that, but then again, she doesn’t exactly know him either. ]

Really? You don’t think you could find it within yourself even with what you know now?

Your son has to want freedom too. [ stated flatly, as if to say she knows that he knows this, but she will say it anyway. ]

Leaving behind what you know is not an easy task, though. Even for those of us without much ties to the traditions of the place we call home.
[personal profile] lucere on December 23rd, 2019 02:51 pm (UTC)
I don't know. [He remains silent for a moment in reflection.] But I do know I would try to move heaven and earth for my son.

[A father's love is boundless. Regis means every word. He would try to move heaven and earth to ensure that Noctis has a better future. The old king doesn't care much about his happiness as much as he cares for Noctis' wellbeing. The fate that has befallen upon his son is a cruel one. It's a fate preordained by the gods but Regis selfishly hopes it never comes true. He just wants his son to live. That's all. Just the thought of Noctis dying makes him so uneasy.]

Even if it seems utterly impossible.

[He peeks over at Re-L again, his gaze settling upon her eyes again. For a woman so young, she has such a deep soulful gaze. It's beautiful but also somewhat frightening.]

It seems neither of us were meant to be pawns. [A faint grin forms upon his lips as he regards the young woman.] At least not in our respective games.

[Everyone is pawn is someone else's game but it depends on whether you choose to stay a pawn or decide to become the king instead.]

The name's Regis. [He introduces himself with a grin and without any of his kingly allocates. It's not like he has any use for them now.] Regis Lucis Caelum.

It's good to pleasure you, Miss Re-L Mayer.
[personal profile] realimperfect on December 23rd, 2019 03:08 pm (UTC)

Then he is a lucky son. [ Despite being Donov Mayer's child, in a sense, he had hardly spared Re-L any rod he could have. She doubts she was even intended to take over for him in ruling Romdeau, despite the ironic genetics he had provided for her that seemed to deem her better suited.

She doesn't honestly spend much time thinking on that, though. Romdeau had been miserable and boring just as a highly privileged fellow citizen - she doesn't want to even know what she might have had on her plate as the new Regent other than the Creator's probable adoration, knowing what she knows now.

In usual form Re-L doesn't shrink under Regis' direct gaze - a bit of a scoffed laugh her answer to his statement. ]


If only I had realized earlier that I was more like the queen. [ She doesn't elaborate just how - that will take a lot of explaining and, really.. she's only ever eluded to these things with anyone here. Either way she thinks the connotation is fairly clear to a chess player. ]

King Light Sky. [ She's studied enough Latin to know that one off the bat, humming slightly in thought. ]

Fitting, I think.
[personal profile] lucere on December 23rd, 2019 05:19 pm (UTC)
You know Old Lucian?

[A look of surprise settles on Regis' face once Re-L translates the meaning of his name with such ease. Not many understand Old Lucian anymore. It's a long-dead language lost to the ages but Regis is well learned in it. Latin is the language used for royal documents and religious decrees. Regis had to learn it for the sake of his coronation years ago.]

Color me impressed! I don't believe my son is as fluent yet.

[There's a hint of regret in his tone as he admits this. While Regis certainly spared Noctis the proverbial rod, he somewhat feels guilty for not teaching him more.]

Besides the troubles that plague us both, it seems that language connects us more ways than one.

[He takes his eyes off Re-L briefly before gazing at her again with a smile.]

Would you like some tea? I managed to find something likened to Earl Grey here.
[personal profile] realimperfect on December 23rd, 2019 05:54 pm (UTC)

I know Latin. [ Granted, it would make sense that things may cross sometime. The human mind could only be capable of only so many languages and the lot, so she thinks. ] I had to learn it to read some philosophy pieces that grandfather and Daedalus gave me.

[ Of course, Donov had fed her philosophy that agreed with him, where as Daedalus had fed her his own version of the same. Over all, she's grateful for it, but, well... it had been conflicting, at one point in time. ]

I don't know what Earl Grey is but I'll try it. [ Might as well, right? ]

I've been doing a lot of that lately, so might as well keep up the tradition.
[personal profile] lucere on December 24th, 2019 07:15 pm (UTC)
[ Latin? Regis couldn’t help but give the woman a curious side glance. He never heard of his native language by such a name before. It’s a curiosity that’s easily explained away with the aid of technology but it still doesn’t quite explain how Old Lucian suddenly becomes Latin here on this world. The same could be for the common tongue spoken between them now. Some call it “English” and others call it “Westerosi”. It’s a baffling phenomenon that wins Regis’ curiosity. While he’s no scholar, Regis certainly has the interests of one.

Duly noting that his trip to the local library in Lunatia is long overdue, Regis smiles kindly at Re-L as he moves to fetch another cup. He wants her to experience the wondrous of this magnificent brew even though he’s certain she’s a more a coffee drinker. She somewhat reminds him of Ignis in the terms in her speech and seemingly mature nature. Re-L is nothing like Noctis in that regard but she also does remind him a little of Lunafreya too. Regardless, Re-L is a unique young woman with an admirable disposition.
]

Just a moment then. [ He says before heading towards the table ahead where the potluck is in full swing.] I’ll return with an extra cup.

[ The other tourists in his villa have some interesting goodies on display ranging from exotic pastries, fruit and of course food. However, Regis hasn’t had the chance to try much since he settled on tea. He pours Re-L a glass of this warm brew of Earl Grey set aside by one of the guests. It’s still nice and hot from earlier. Regis hesitates to put a cube of sugar in hers since he’s not even certain if she likes sugar. Usually one cube is good enough for him but this is coming from a man who typically drinks his tea plain.

Upon his return, Regis offers Re-L a dainty white teacup and saucer with the artistic golden airbrush of leaves upon it. It’s not one of his since Regis certainly would’ve own such a tea set in black but it’s rather fitting for this whimsical time of the year. The tea in question is a rich reddish brown hue and a deep fragrant scent.
]

Here’s hoping it’s too your liking.
[personal profile] realimperfect on December 24th, 2019 11:32 pm (UTC)

All I can guess is that it is reasonably similar to your Old Lucian. To be fair, had I not been who I was, I more than likely would've never even known that there were such old volumes from before Earth's destruction available. [ And, by that coin, very much unable to translate things like names. Still - it doesn't matter all that much in the long run other than she, somehow, has run in to Regis Lucis Caelum in this place, which in itself might be a one in a million chance if not fewer.

Lately, Re-L has learned that her chances for strangeness seemed to be exponentially higher than most.

At any rate, he labels her correctly as a coffee drinker, however with a taste for new things, these days. So she nods as Regis moves to stand, watching the older man move for his container of tea even as she wonders at the circumstances. Whoever could have called that she would run in to someone who so understands, who seems to know the situation, to a point, without her even having to divulge the ugly details.

Yet, anyway. Maybe she can be convinced, with time, to open up with more details.

Back to the real world she comes, though, as Regis approaches again, offering her hands for the tea cup with a soft sound of almost amusement. ]


I'm sure it will be fine.
[personal profile] lucere on December 26th, 2019 01:06 am (UTC)
Here's hoping. [ He states with a lighthearted chuckle before returning to the table to pour himself a second glass. Of course, he adds one sugar cube just because he prefers a hint of sweetness. ] Although, there's always water instead.

[ He's uncertain if there's any coffee available but still. ]

You brought an interesting possibility earlier. One involving the slim possibility that our two worlds could be linked through a familiar ancestry.

[ It was a throwaway comment of best but Re-L got him pondering about it. ]

It's a theory that doesn't seem too far out of the bounds of reason. [ He pauses briefly as he takes a sip. ] Considering our current plight herein Prismatisca.

Nevertheless, it would be wishful thinking on my part.

[ He sighs silently as he states into his teacup. There's something on the tip of his tongue but Regis is hesitant to voice it. ]

Tell me, do gods exist within your world?

Edited 2019-12-26 01:06 am (UTC)
[personal profile] realimperfect on December 26th, 2019 02:08 pm (UTC)

Water is where I tend to default. That or as close to ginger ale as I can get, here. [ That counts as an indulgence to her. There's no real scale of what that says about her just yet - though most people have already told her that she's had a lot of restrictions.

Learning a new way of life was strange.

Re-L sips the tea as Regis speaks, content enough with the unsweetened drink that there's no immediate inclination to go and get a sugar cube or maybe honey. Instead, she waits until that pause where Regis hesitates, ever placid and matter-of-fact as she at least clears one thing up that she thinks is important. ]


For full transparency, more than likely you do not want to be linked to my world unless you're on the side of Earth's recovery. Currently we're in the tail end of a nuclear winter.

[ Which would still be a long time to resolution if she understood everything correctly. Bits of sun breakikng through the clouds were not, after all, the type of thing to warm the Earth and bring it back to life.

The question of gods, though - it brings Re-L a bit of pause. She puts her tea cup down, clearly weighing how to approach this subject or how much she wants to divulge to Regis.

After a moment of pause,she nods. ]


Yes, they do, in a sense. They are called proxies.
[personal profile] lucere on December 30th, 2019 03:47 pm (UTC)
Proxies? [He arches his brow once he hears the word. ] That's a mathematical term, isn't it?

[ Or rather a terminology he often linked with mathematics in general. It can be used in other settings outside of calculations and mathematical configurations but he's focusing on the numerical idea of a proxy. ]

A proxy is a figure that can be used to represent the value of something in a calculation. It can also mean the origins of something abstract. [ He mutters to himself while trying to figure out the dubious meaning of this word in lieu of divinity. ] That's an interesting name to refer to them by.

A god would be the origins of all life if one believes in such beings.
[personal profile] realimperfect on December 30th, 2019 04:08 pm (UTC)

It can be, yes. [ Regis is sharp - not that she expected him to be a fool, or anything like that, but perhaps not quite so fast on the uptake.

It strikes her that this may be the most stimulating conversation she's had in quite a while other than Kristeeva. In a way she almost misses it, but it's also nice to not have to talk in riddles and chess games at all times as she did with Donov and Daedalus, sometimes Iggy.

Now that Iggy is irreparably parted from the surveillance structure, she's been able to speak more plainly to him. ]


I think origin would be the most correct term. If what I was able to glean from what information I could find, collect and overhear is correct a proxy is the Creator of the Dome they served.

Proxy One created Romdeau Dome. He also was the one to initiate its destruction, I think. Him or Ergo Proxy, but in the end the result is the same.
[personal profile] lucere on December 30th, 2019 04:30 pm (UTC)
[Despite being aged beyond his years, Regis is still sharp like a tact. His former profession demanded it. This is why he puts the pieces together so quickly but the man isn't omnipotent. There's still plenty of unknowns here that he cannot comprehend. However, he will do his best to understand them.]

What exactly does "ergo" mean in context to your world? [He questions a second later with a look of curiosity within his eyes.] I ask this because the word alone is an adverb at best and not an noun like "proxy".

Does the proxy you've mentioned move on its own volition without rhyme or reason? Does it act upon itself, therefore, it flows outside of the scope of your reality?

[A pensive look settled upon Regis briefly as he tries to compare the similarities of her world to his. In context to Eos, the only being fitting of such a term would be Ardyn himself. However, the man is still at the whims of the deities who watches over them all. Therefore, he's not what Regis would deem as a proxy. The villain isn't a God but he certainly possesses the powers of a Devil. The only deity who fits the idea of an Ergo Proxy would be Bahamut.]

Is this Ergo Proxy a threat to you and others?
[personal profile] realimperfect on December 30th, 2019 04:42 pm (UTC)
The same as cogito ergo sum - I think therefore I am. [ It doesn't exactly make sense - but she's also not really asked what the hell it all means. She isn't sure any of them really, fully, know.

She hums, then, perhaps having a moment of clear thought: ]


I do wonder if it isn't meant in terms of 'consequently' - Ergo Proxy as a consequence of grandfather's mismanagement of the Creators intention or.. a consequence of what he'd done. [ She means to Monad, but that's a deeper part of the story that doesn't completely make sense to bring in right now. ]

All proxies move with great intent and thought, I think. Even though they may seem like roaring monsters in the moment I've come to learn they are quite sentient. [ And human looking. Cough. Vincent Law. ] So far as flowing outside of reality I don't believe so. They are able to be killed, with the correct set of tools or.. extended experimentation.

[ The question about whether Ergo Proxy is a threat to her brings a laugh - she won't divulge that he claims to love her, though. Not yet, anyway. ] To others, yes. Especially if they threaten him or myself. To me, no. Not really.

Edited 2019-12-30 04:43 pm (UTC)