[He wasn't hard to track, really. Shadowstepping wasn't something to travel long distances, but short ones very quickly. Especially done as an instinctual reaction. As it was, the wisps of shadow reformed into a human shape not terribly far from the temple--Ardyn stopping under the shade of a tree and slowly sinking to the ground out of breath and looking as if he'd been punched in the stomach.]
[Gods, he hated this. He hated it and there was no one to blame but himself.]
[It takes a moment for Cor to follow where Ardyn's settled but once he does it would only be too easy to cross the distance quickly. One more warp. He almost does it, before he realizes that might just serve to scare Ardyn even more. His blade is dismissed to the armiger and he falls into a light jog instead, giving Ardyn a little time to catch his breath.
Ardyn might slump to the ground but Cor moves closer, pointedly keeping his hands loose at his sides, a small apologetic smile on his lips. Nothing that could be taken as aggressive as he moves to lean against the tree beside Ardyn.]
I should have thought to warn you earlier. I'm sorry.
[Cor sympathizes with that frustration, he does. This helplessness they all have here, knowing what is to come but unable to do anything about it, is maddening. But isolating is not going to fix anything for anyone.]
My friend, for one.
[They may not have any labels for whatever strange mix of man and daemon Ardyn is but there are a few things they do know with absolute certainty.]
And a far better man than what fate would have you become. That's all any of us can do to fix this, try to find a way to... out maneuver fate.
I...I wanted to believe that was possible. I still do, merely-...I can't accomplish anything without my brother, we've all seen what happens if either of us even tries.
[Logic and emotion could only truly function in tandem.]
And I can't do anything at all if I'm this horrendous thing even Noctis can't stand to look at.
[When Ardyn refers to himself as horrendous Cor flinches, he hates that the man has had no choice in what he's become for so long. All he can do is hope that the other man won't run from him when he steps forward, reaching for the redhead to gently draw him into a hug if he'll allow it.]
No one can solve this alone. We have others from Eos that want to change things just as much. We just have to work together.
[So it's somewhere in between the power of friendship and two heads are better than one.]
Trying to look into ways that we can return to Eos with the memories we have of Havenwell, knowledge of the consequences of actions not yet taken... that is something we all can work towards.
Even if that's possible...I can't simply reverse whatever it is I've done to him. The way he looked at me, I-...he must be in immeasurable pain from whatever's happened.
I've heard... some of the worst of it from Gladio mostly. Prompto... tries to make light of anything he experienced and Ignis has such a single minded focus these days.
[He's quiet for a moment, trying to gauge what would be the better response... then he puts an arm around Ardyn, rubbing soothing circles across his back.]
You are not the problem. And even Noctis will be able to remember that given some time.
It isn't his fault. Whether or not he decides he can ever stand to look at me again, that's his choice to make. I-I only-...I didn't want any of this. Whatever that thing is, whatever I've done to him--that isn't me any longer, but I know even that doesn't help anything.
It's not, but it's not your fault either. It does help. But so does time. I don't know how much he remembers now but... things get pretty tragic and that thing is at the center of it all. You have to give him some time to separate here from there.
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[Gods, he hated this. He hated it and there was no one to blame but himself.]
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Ardyn might slump to the ground but Cor moves closer, pointedly keeping his hands loose at his sides, a small apologetic smile on his lips. Nothing that could be taken as aggressive as he moves to lean against the tree beside Ardyn.]
I should have thought to warn you earlier. I'm sorry.
Are you alright?
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[He didn't flinch back or sound alarmed, just...tired.]
It...it's fine. Just...stay away from me. Noctis needs you more than I do.
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[That at least confirms that Noctis is awake.]
It's no more fine now than it was... before.
[When he refused to tell anyone of Aera's absence lest he detract from others' recovery.]
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[Don't start this again, Ardyn. You know how stubborn he is.]
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[Ardyn stood up again, looking somewhere between hurt and frustrated.]
What did I even do to him, and how am I supposed to fix any of this?
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My friend, for one.
[They may not have any labels for whatever strange mix of man and daemon Ardyn is but there are a few things they do know with absolute certainty.]
And a far better man than what fate would have you become. That's all any of us can do to fix this, try to find a way to... out maneuver fate.
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[Logic and emotion could only truly function in tandem.]
And I can't do anything at all if I'm this horrendous thing even Noctis can't stand to look at.
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No one can solve this alone. We have others from Eos that want to change things just as much. We just have to work together.
[So it's somewhere in between the power of friendship and two heads are better than one.]
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...I can't. I can't help anyone.
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I don't know about you... but I refuse to accept that.
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[He dropped his head onto Cor's shoulder, hesitant to do any more than that.]
I can't stand this. There's nothing I can do to fix the problem when I am the entire problem.
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You are not the problem. And even Noctis will be able to remember that given some time.
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[It would be all too easy for Ardyn to do precisely what he's done here. Separate himself from everyone else, isolate himself.]
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