You may ask, but I will make no promises of helping until I know what it is you wish to ask of me.
[Which is not in the slightest anything personal, but that aforementioned lack of jerking around. Ozymandias needs to be clear on what is being asked before he agrees to anything even when it comes from Giorno.]
I don't believe this to be Aefenglom, [Ozymandias says with a shake of his head.] It's somewhere else entirely.
[Whether it exists in the waking world, however, is a different question altogether and not one that either one of them will have an answer for until they wake up.]
[On the morning of Modranicht, Ozymandias will have a box delivered to his mansion's doorstep. Andersen has plans for the day and, as much as he'd like to pay a visit to everyone and make a grand scene, he opts to go for a courier service instead.
Within the plain box are two things: slabs of dried meat for the sphinxes and a pair of gloves. It seems he's taken the liberty of sewing with golden thread the name "Οσυμανδύας" on the cuff - no doubt a way to personalize the gift but also to show off his literary knowledge. Even when he isn't there in person, he somehow manages to give off an aura of desperate eagerness to perform. . .
Ah. It seems there's also a brief note inside.]
Your Majesty,
I humbly present to you an offering for your celestial children and a token of my thanks for the night at the ball. You were willing to put yourself within spewing range of my puke and I greatly appreciated your kindness.
What need was there to sign if you could determine the sender on your own? It seems it was easy enough for you to determine! Besides, I do not always gift others for the sake of acknowledgment. Appreciating the gift as is would be enough for me.
Regardless, you're quite welcome. If any of the measurements are off, feel free to return it at your leisure and I will see to it that it is corrected.
[Ozymandias will receive from Zelda an absolute fucking cornucopia of cat and cat-adjacent toys. There are noisy rolling balls, there are feathers and bells on strings, there are little pouches of fluff that smell vaguely of mint that probably won't get a sphinx too terribly high, but hey the shopkeep said her furbabies love the stuff.
... Honestly there is also a vague sense of overcompensation as well with the sheer variety stuffed into the bag, like rather than risk getting the wrong kind of thing Zelda just decided to get all of them, but well, it works out for the sphinx baby, at least.]
[It certainly does work for the sphinx, but not yet. Ozymandias is able to look into the bag before the sphinx can catch sight of it and hides it out of place. Of course, he's tempted to dig into it and start playing with the sphinx himself, but there is a better use for her gift than his own use.]
[Not that he's going to be all that transparent about it. If he were, Ozymandias is certain she would refuse or find any excuse not to. So.]
I'd like your help with something if you don't mind stopping by when you have the chance.
[There is a variety in this gift. Not only are there cat toys made from her fur and feathers, and various sweets made fresh that morning-he likely smelled it before dawn-but he also got a sweater with a hoodie.
The difference with this one compared to others she's made is this is pattered to look like the sphinxes he so loves. There's no note, but she knocked and dashed after leaving it on his doorstep.]
[ Chariot's gift for Ramesses; a charm depicting Kochab and Mizar. Like with his gift to her, the explanation was left away, having full faith he could figure out the symbolism without her needing to guide him to it. They were the star of his people, after all, the ones she'd been named after, at least to an extent.
The Guiding Stars of Heaven, representing a place she had guided him to, and found rest within. Heaven, for them, was each other, and those stars would forever symbolize such. ]
i was wondering if you might have time to share your insight on the recent updates from dorchact? either this way, or we can meet. i don't have a preference. thank you in advance.
Pharaoh is a title, not an adjective, and "pharaohness" is simply not a word! If you wish to address me using that title, O Mighty Pharaoh would be more appropriate. But you could just as easily address me as you would any other who might call themselves king and say Your Majesty or Your Excellence.
[Second and more importantly,]
I imagine this is a conversation better conducted in person. You may stop by at your leisure. I am merely in the process of assembling one of those "towers" for my sphinx.
[Caren suggested a cat tower, so he's...making one happen. His house is littered with cat toys at this point, send help.]
Yes, this is lazy Ozymandias, but I don't know if you're home or not.
But do you know anything about the King of Knight's fashion choices? I've convinced her to come over and wear some of my old clothing, but I want to sneak in some choices she may enjoy wearing on a daily basis.
[When it comes to the King of Knights, it's not the Saber that's in the city now that Ozymandias has the most familiarity with. But... They do not seem to differ too much from one another as far as aesthetics are concerned from what he's observed. He feels qualified enough to speak on the matter.]
I would err on the side of solid colors rather than patterned fabrics. More suits and the like as far as style is concerned.
[Enkidu enters the livingroom rather late and in a way they feel a bit melancholic. But then again, they have a tendency to get melancholic quite quickly.]
Ah, it is good that you are here. [Despite the smudges on their shirt and their dirty hands they look well. Better than they've looked before.] I wish to speak to you, Ozymandias. [They move to place a small bag with groceries on the table before they sit down.]
[Ozymandias glances up at Enkidu when they enter but his attention remains otherwise occupied by paper cats made of dark blue and gold paper. A book lay open in his lap as well as pen and paper. Ozymandias wears a frown, but not purely out of concentration. Only one of the little paper cats is beginning to shudder to life, but it is a very shuddering and slow start. The only reason why the paper cat is not drawing unwanted attention right now is that one of the larger sphinxes Ozymandias has learned to summon once more has the majority of smaller sphinxes occupied outside right now. (Enkidu likely witnessed the 10 v. 1 match when coming inside.) Those that aren't outside wrestling in what remains of winter are napping in various places throughout the house.]
[A single word puts the spell to an end and the paper cat goes still once more. Ozymandias lifts his paper and pen, beginning to flip through the book in his lap.]
Can it wait? I am in the middle of something right now, Enkidu.
[As he so often is these days. Compared to when Enkidu first moved in, Ozymandias is actually rarely home during the day like this. Or at the very least, rarely home without company. It is even rarer to find him sitting idly.]
I recognize you have become quite busy as of late with parliament matters and all, and I would not ask you to neglect your duties - or your studies, for that matter - on my behalf, but when you have a moment, I would like to hear your thoughts on a personal matter that has been troubling me for a while. I would be very appreciative of your time.
[how the heck do you ask dads for help she doesn't know]
I eagerly await for when we may find time to gather together, it had been some time since we broke bread and shared tales outside of mere dreams. There is a matter I wish to discuss with you. One that I do not fondly bring to your feet, however.
i have used the key and entered your house for a short moment so i could spend some time with your cats. i have fed them and played with them. i also watered the plants and i broke a vase.
i hope you accept bread with cheese and strawberries as currency. they are in your kitchen space, safe from your cats.
i do not want to devote a network message to this but caren has left. she probably is back at her home right now. her real home, not this place.
[Ozymandias would likely take more of an issue over his belongings being broken under normal circumstances. But with Caren's...parting, it would be a mistake to mix up priorities like that.]
Clean the mess up if you haven't already, but set it aside. I shall see to it that it is repaired.
I thought it odd that I had not seen or heard from Caren in several days without warning. It was most unlike her.
[He doesn't know whether to call it unfortunate or fortunate that she returned home. Part of him feels that it is mostly unfortunate. It seems that nearly all of the people who care about Caren are here, not in her world. At least, that is what Ozymandias has come to understand and observe. But even he cannot deny that there is a degree to which others are fortunate to leave this world, too. To be free of the endless changes and no longer subject to the whims of forces beyond any of their control.]
[So, he passes no such judgment and lets it be. Instead,]
You are free to stay with the sphinxes as long as you like.
—what's so bloody hard to understand about chocobos.
[Aefenglom was a city too large and too crowded, for Fang's tastes. It was as dense as the cities of Cocoon, but without the lightweight, open architecture and the engineering to efficiently build roads above ground level, it all clustered together claustrophobicly. This particular shop was as best as they'd probably get to open air within the walls—a tavern of sorts on the bottom two floors, and the roof converted to a kind of broad deck, framed with plants from its rooftop greenhouse. The harbor was still a ways off, but still made for a nice view with the candles seeing the ships off.]
[The turnskin sat on the ledge of the roof, lazily kicking a foot and gesturing with the hand not holding her cup.]
All these worlds, all jammed through the mirrors, and still like most of our lot runs with the same basic rules of their worlds. It's gettin' real old, tellin' people we don't have horses where I come from. Or the looks I get when I say the bird does the job better. Faster, smarter, capable of defendin' themselves... [She shakes her head.] Smell the same, just about.
[Ozymandias has probably a little more familiarity with chocobos compared to most of the Mirrorbound where they do not exist in their worlds by virtue of Caren's roommate. But he has to admit, it's a bit difficult to imagine a creature like the young chocobo in Prompto's care could be capable of defending itself. He tries, of course, because if Fang is speaking this passionately on the subject, there has to be a grain of truth to it. It probably wouldn't be pleasant to be bitten or pecked by a creature like that, he supposes, but surely that's not that difficult to avoid?]
I don't disbelieve they may possess noble traits of their own, but I could never betray my own steeds by declaring any mount greater than them, [he says with a firm shake of his head.] My success-- No, my very survival in the Battle of Kadesh can be credited nearly as much to my horses as to my own skills. Were it not for those two horses, my reign would have lasted a mere five years. Can you imagine?
[Ozymandias' laugh is sharp, as though what he's just said is the most preposterous thing he's ever heard. The alternate reality where is but a mere footnote and likely forgotten in the long line of Pharaohs clearly doesn't ring as a possibility to him.]
That is why I was certain to honor my horses just as much as the brave men of my army! They were deserving of such praise and glory.
But you make a valid point. That it is so difficult to comprehend that other worlds might have other beasts at their disposal or perhaps even possess a preference for those over what another might consider expected when they find themselves transported to another world seems absurd. [He pauses a moment to take a swig of his drink.] It's a limited imagination is it what it is.
[Well, Ozymandias can immediately rule this out as being a surprise friend of Fang's since he was not just addressed as "Ozy." So, he can only assume there is a question or request about to be made.]
[Nothing about her actions during recent situations weighed down on her in the form of guilt. She's certainly tired, both physically and emotionally, what with having been in Dorcht during that uprising. That was before she really showed much in regards to her monster changes.
This time? Well she combined teeth and claws with her skills with a bow, the latter of which were primarily reserved for the poor undead that were reanimated. It felt too much like the horrific parts of her home universe with none of the benefits. Several times she moved with muscle memory, searching for Chris or Josh out of habit.
Perhaps that weight is one of the reasons she lingers in her second shifted form that evening as she pads into Ozy's bedroom, announcing herself with a soft chuff that's followed by a yawn. She doesn't wait for an invitation from her Bonded, leaping with surprising grace onto the bed and navigating herself over to him, putting her front paws on his chest and leaning into headbutt along his face, chin, and neck. It's a bit aggressive, but it's mostly from her size given the fact that she's now flopping onto him with just enough care to avoid somehow hurting him with her size.]
[As the metaphysical volume of Sheva and her emotions grows a bit louder with her approach, Ozymandias is expecting her by the time she appears. He doesn't look particularly exhausted or tired himself despite already laying in bed at this hour, but it's the first time he's had the opportunity to catch his breath. Even with as deep as his mana pool is, he had to draw upon a great deal of it in Dorchacht and beyond, and he knows he's going to require time to recover from that. He's also still plainly frustrated that any of this had to happen at all. It could have been prevented. It should have been prevented.]
[But he still welcomes the closeness of his Bonded when she climbs onto the bed, her weight jostling the sphinx cub slightly where he is curled up at the foot of the bed. The cub stands up, shaking himself off a moment before sitting and observing. Ozymandias sets aside his book on the bed where he anticipates it to be out of the way as she flops down onto him, managing her size just enough to avoid winding him.]
Easy, [he says quietly as she headbutts at him.]
[Ozymandias presses a kiss to her forehead when she nuzzles at his face, tipping his head up to make room for her when she wants to nuzzle at his neck and beneath his chin. As she does this, Ozymandias scratches at the back of her neck in slow circles.]
[There's a long cloth-wrapped object left on his table sometime in the night, maybe four or so feet long, with a casual note beneath it.]
Since you're so big on celebrating anniversaries, thought I'd mark a special one myself. Since you love collecting new names so much, here's another one.
[Under the cloth is an unstrung bow. Fang didn't craft it herself, but the gold and blue decoration is all hers. On each end of the bow, carved in with gold lacquer is a string of symbols.]
i'm sorry this is a novel, but i needed you to come on this journey with him
[He doesn't really need to free it from its cloth wrappings to know what's within–the shape is rather unique in that regard–but he is still eager to see it. So much so like a child entirely enamored with the idea of receiving a gift, Ramesses is initially distracted entirely by it and ends up paying very little attention to the note. (Even at a distance, Fang no doubt can sense his earnest delight at least vaguely through the Bond.) Taking it into his hands, Ramesses spends a few moments inspecting the bow's craftmanship and admiring the small details of decoration. Even with the symbols, he doesn't entirely recognize, he can tell a great deal of care went into making it.]
[It is then that he finally takes notice of the note, and then he begins to frown. First, it's out of confusion. He knows the note (and clearly the bow) come from Fang (which he does pause a moment to pay a little more attention to the bow as he would never anticipate Fang to go to such lengths on his behalf like that), but he cannot recall anything that would constitute as an anniversary for the two of them. The month in which they met has already long-since passed and they have a ways to go yet before there is anything remarkable to be said about the length of their Bond... So what is she referring to? He reads the note again for any hint. Then a third time. Well a second and a half time.]
[His hand holding the note lowers as he frowns at the opposite wall for a moment, now not because he is confused. Oh no, now he knows. Ramesses releases the note, letting it sit precariously on the edge of the table. This woman is terrible and she has sullied such a fine gift with this nonsense...!]
[(She could probably be all the way in Dorchacht and sense this.)]
[Ramesses pulls out the chair and sits, setting the bow in his lap. Frowning at it as though it is the most offensive thing he's ever laid eyes upon. But... He sighs and the furrow in his brow more or less disappears as he traces a finger over the foreign script. She is aggravating, but this is truly a fine gift. One that shows thought and consideration. In the privacy of his own home, he smiles to himself, a sharp exhale of quiet amusement over her choice of occasion that he would never admit to.]
[Setting the bow back upon the table, he mutters a few grievances to the sphinx cub as he sets about preparing his coffee. He gets his Watch later and sends a simple message.]
Tell me you did not ruin this bow by writing something crude on it, or I shall never forgive you for it.
[More about the apparent ruining of the weapon than any potential slight against him. If this isn't character development, we simply do not know what it is.]
Hello, Mister Ozymandias! My name is Hitoka Yachi. I wasn't sure where I'd be able to find you exactly, and I didn't want to take up too much of your time.
I'd like to apply for the managing position at your establishment, Purramid Cafe. Would you rather we meet in person so I could leave my CV with you, or would you prefer I send it here for reviewing?
Best regards, 谷地 仁花
[ let it be known that she rewrote this for three hours just to get it sounding alright. rip. ]
[What a peculiar message! There are pieces of it that Ozymandias quite frankly does not understand. (What is a CV??? Why does he need it?) But the important part is that whoever this is, they seem interested in working at the Purramid Cafe. Normally, he would be tempted to redirect this person back to Sylvia since she has taken on the responsibility of acting as his hiring manager. But since they seem interested in something more managerial and they have gone to the trouble of contacting him directly...]
I have a hiring manager to handle such matters, and yet you would be so bold as to contact me directly? Ha! Very well. I shall allow you a moment of my time as you have requested to present this CV to me.
[He provides her with a date and time of when she might find him at the cafe, since he assumes she knows where it is located.]
[ Chariot rolled to her side, snuggling against Ramesses shoulder and resting her hand on his chest, letting out a long sigh. The whole night, she could tell there was a topic just lingering in the air between them, had been since Croix had arrived. Had been since those parting moments, when shades of an older reflection of herself had showed... ]
I can tell you want to ask about her... I guess now's a good a time as any, right?
[He hasn't pushed for a discussion. Although Ramesses has certainly been tempted from time to time to push for something, he opts not to because enough of him acknowledges that it would not be a particularly productive conversation if he did. Chariot would get too flustered, and he might get more frustrated than he necessarily means to be. It just wouldn't work. And so, he remains patient and he remains trusting that when she's ready, she'll talk. Nothing changes in the interim. Ramesses' affection and warmth remain. But it does linger there. The unspoken questions. Subtle fluctuations in Chariot's anxiety as she seems close to starting the conversation only to back away from it again. It's a bit of a relief when she finally does broach the subject.]
[And yet, when she does bring it up, Ramesses surprisingly finds himself feeling somewhat unprepared for the conversation. Almost as though he does not know where to begin for a change. It's something he can only really attribute to the novelty of the situation where Chariot has failed to tell him something.]
It is not that I do not have questions about her, but... [Ramesses pauses a moment there to likewise roll over onto his side. Ramesses catches the hand from his chest and drapes her arm around his shoulders as he wants to look her in the eyes while they have this conversation. He's not trying to catch her in a lie or seeking any sort of masked truth. Ramesses does not think for a second that Chariot would ever knowingly do such a thing because she knows she may always speak from the heart with him. But the look in someone's eyes is important to him, and it's the sort of connection he feels they need while talking about this.] I have been trying to understand why you waited to say anything.
[He brushes some of her hair from her face, running his fingers gently through in steady strokes afterward.]
It has never really been your way to hide anything from me, nor would I assume that to be the case even now.
[Because if that had been the intention, she did a really bad job of doing it by bringing Croix directly to the tea party. But... It is also true that Chariot has always been as forthright as possible. Not in telling everything all at once, of course. He's respected that there are some things incredibly difficult to broach and has found no fault in her sharing things in piecemeal as she's felt ready.]
[But Croix feels different. It is one thing to be slow to come forth with the whole of one's past–even he is guilty of such a thing–but it is another to wait on something as present as her arrival in the city. Never mind waiting until a more public moment in which Ramesses would have to yield from asking any questions; although he suspects that to have been a more coincidental side effect than anything else.]
But you waited until the last possible moment to say something and I cannot pretend as though that did not affect me in any way.
[Ramesses' tone in talking about all of this is gentle rather than accusatory; reflective of the benefit of the doubt he's more than willing to give her and any assumptions that he's made in the interim mostly having been favorable. And even those less favorable still remain not particularly damning of Chariot. There instead lies concerns that something has gone awry that he has failed to notice amid his own grief or pushing himself so hard and far into whatever work he can find distraction in. And for those, he does not feel so much guilt as regret that it continued for so long. And shortly behind that a willingness to find a way to pay better attention to such things in the future.]
[But he does not dive so headlong into such hypotheticals that he's entwined himself with such emotions. It serves no purpose and it is unfair to Chariot for Ramesses to make any assumption as truth.]
I want to be clear that I am not asking you to explain yourself. [He's not scolding her and she is not a child to be scolded. There is no need to be self-righteous, especially when he knows he lacks the leg to stand on for such a thing. Ramesses takes up her free hand in his.] I am only asking for your help in understanding what made you hesitate for so long.
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