Event: Abort! Part Two (day 25, Egret). Luggage carriage

[voidtreckermods]

They are on world world#27462947582 for about five hours, helping, ushering people out of the city, fighting monsters, keeping guard. All seems well in the city itself, peaceful even except for the slight panic of people being told to move south.

Wherever they are, north in the desert, travelling through the countryside to the south or still in the city itself they will notice from their peripheral vision a darkening of the sky. Looking up they will see clouds. Strange clouds, appearing in the blue sky out of nowhere.

Their SCA’s start beeping, rapidly, flashing red. The clouds are too weird to be clouds, dark shapes in the sky. It might be that the Voidtreckers heed the warning and tap their SCA to evacuate to the train. It might be that they do not.

If they don’t then there is a moment, a moment of absolute stillness as those around them notice the shapes. A confused pause. Children stop their chatter, people stop their complaining, even the monsters seem to sense something and pause in their attacks.

The remaining voidtreckers are yanked away, even without pressing their SCA, they glow gold and disappear.

They all appear in the luggage carriage and not even a second later, with no warning the train lurches, flinging everyone off their feet as it enters the void.

It’s not really easy to tell speed in the void, but they will get the sense that they are moving fast. Faster than before, leaving that world and whatever those shapes were behind.

(OOC: Information on this event is here and part one is here)

Comments

[sonoflucis]

Noct laughed softly. "Yeah, you're right. And knowing me, I would have forgotten it was hurt and tried to jump down..." He watched Gladio prop his knee up and nodded. "Yeah, I can wait here."

[callmegladio]

"You would have." Gladio grinned as he pushed himself up to his feet. "Don't go anywhere, alright? I'll be back before you know it."

He knew Noct would be safe in his cabin. He wasn't afraid of leaving him, not really, he was concerned about the knee and how hurt it actually was. But until they eased the swelling some he couldn't know for sure.

Gladio smiled again and left to go and get the ice. The sooner he went, the sooner he could get back.

[sonoflucis]

Noct nodded, relaxing into the pillow below him. The bed was more lived in than his own, and it smelled like Gladio. It made Noct's heart race a little as he laid there. While he waited for Gladio, he closed his eyes.

[callmegladio]

Gladio wasn't long at all. He had ice wrapped in a tea towel which he hoped would be good enough. He thought about looking in the medical carriage for an actual ice pack but didn't want to waste time when he already knew where the ice was in the kitchen.

He stepped back into the cabin and closed the door behind himself before he went to sit at the bottom of his bunk. Gently he placed the makeshift ice pack on Nocts knee. "... How're you feeling now?" He asked, wondering if just resting would have helped with the pain any.

[sonoflucis]

Noct slowly opened his eyes, giving Gladio a little shrug. "Feels about the same, but it is nice to be laying down." The ice burned, but he knew he had to endure it. "Fifteen minutes, right?"

[callmegladio]

Gladio nodded and offered up a gentle smile. "That's right. Think you can endure it til then?" He knew it wasn't the nicest of feelings and he hated causing Noct any more hurt than he already felt. But if it helped, he knew it was worth it.

[sonoflucis]

"Yeah, if you'll stay with me." Noct said. He immediately realized how desperate that sounded and flushed. He tried to play it cool, though. "I don't understand all that really happened just now. I'm on the red team, but no one made me go do what red was assigned.... What's the point of the teams if no one is enforcing anything?"

[callmegladio]

"I'm not going anywhere, Noct." Gladio promised easily, and to prove it he settled himself back against the wall at the foot of his bed. At the next question he gave a low laugh. "As I see it, not many are satisfied with what team they were assigned. Or don't agree with the mission they were given. So they go where they'll be more helpful, or where their friends are to keep them safe." Or if they were him, completely abandoning them to sit on a damn hill. ... But he wouldn't have changed that experience for the world.

[sonoflucis]

Noct nodded. "yeah. I went with the blue team because I thought I would be more useful there. I know I can fight well enough, but I still thought evacuating was a more suitable task for me." He smiled gently at Gladio. "I do prefer knowing where you guys are."

[callmegladio]

"I'm sure you guys did a good job, before we were called back." Gladio returned the smile. He was happy that Noct was finding a path for himself, doing what he wanted for a chance. He could have gone with the Red Team of course, no one would have begrudged him that. But he'd a choice for himself and played to his strengths in that situation. Gladio was proud of that.

[sonoflucis]

"We were making some headway. Some of the people were really stubborn." He noticed Gladio's smile and blushed even harder. Gladio smiled a lot, but there was something really soft about this smile. "It was nice to do something I felt confident in."

[callmegladio]

"I'm glad, Noct." Not that the people were being stubborn of course, but that he'd felt confident in his abilities. That made Gladio very happy to hear. Though he was now wondering about the flush to Nocts cheeks and hoped he wasn't coming down with something. "... Are you alright? You're not feeling unwell, are you?"

[sonoflucis]

"I...I'm okay." Noct stammered. He really had to pull himself together, but it didn't help that he had all that stuff Prompto had told him running through his mind. "Just...thought about how much I missed your smile."

Well, shit, that was subtle, wasn't it?

[callmegladio]

"My smile?" Gladio looked confused by that. Didn't he smile enough? He supposed, when he thought about it, maybe he hadn't been smiling as much as he usually did. He hadn't really been feeling in the best of spirits after that last mission. He sighed, hating that Noct had actually noticed. "I'm sorry." He said and again allowed himself one of those gentle smiles. "I promise you'll see them more often now."

[sonoflucis]

Noct reached over and took Gladio's hand. "You did seem really down when I arrived. I imagine it has something to do with the last mission?" He smiled, a bit shy. "I do love your smile, but you never need to force it. Not that I think you are right now. Seems pretty genuine to me."

[callmegladio]

He looked down at the hand in his, smaller, paler against his own skin. Carefully he wrapped his fingers around that hand. "Something like that... But it doesn't matter now." Talking about it wouldn't help much and it was, he hoped, done with now.

When Gladio looked up at Noct and saw that smile, he couldn't help a grin. Was the King getting shy on him now? That was new. "Very genuine. Promise. I won't force anything around you, Princess."

[sonoflucis]

Noct understood. If Gladio needed to talk about it, he would. Maybe not with Noct, but he would with someone who could help. His smile widened, finding that he really didn't even mind the nickname, as it was said with fondness. "I know. You're the realest guy I know."

[callmegladio]

And now he was laughing. "The realest guy you know, huh? Those are some lofty expectations. I hope I can live up to them." Gladio was teasing, his smile said as much.

[sonoflucis]

Noct laughed heartily. "I think you can live up to them. You set the bar after all." Gladio was always honest with him, even when the truth hurt. "You got this, Big Guy."

[callmegladio]

Gladio liked that laugh. It made him feel good whenever he could make someone laugh like that, especially when it was someone he cared for. He laughed again, low and deep and happy. "Flattery will get you everywhere, Noct."

[sonoflucis]

"Everywhere, huh?" Noct smirked playfully. "I mean, I didn't even flatter you earlier and I'm already in your bed!"

[callmegladio]

"Being dumb enough to have a top bunk is what got you into my bed. Flattery is what'll keep you there." At least until the reset and Noct gets pinged back to his room. That was always an annoying part. Or until Noct drove him crazy and he had to drag him back to his own room. But someone Gladio didn't think that would be happening. He wanted to keep Noct where he could make sure he was safe. At least until he could hand him over to someone with better medical knowledge. Or Prompto.

For now he was happy to keep Noct company where he was.

[sonoflucis]

Noct hadn't experienced being pinged back to his room yet, so that was something he would eventually have to live through. "Then I guess I'll have to keep it up. Have I told you how great your hair looks lately?"

[callmegladio]

Gladio burst out laughing and patted Nocts hand reassuringly. "Relax, you're here. I'm not planning on kicking you out of my bed any time soon." He grinned and, not quite able to help himself, gave a little wink on top of that. "What kind of crazy guy would ever want to do that?"

[sonoflucis]

Noct shrugged. "I don't know maybe someone who doesn't want to be caught with a younger man in their bed." He wasn't that much younger, but it was pretty funny.