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[ Hello Ardyn, are you getting sick of random photographs from X’rhun? Hopefully not, because here’s another. This time, the red mage himself is absent from the photo, which instead shows a white chocobo of all things. It’s sitting, legs tucked beneath it, in the grass somewhere, head tilted curiously at the strange device being used to capture its likeness.

This is a Hydaelyn-brand bird, since it looks like a smaller version of the one that was at Alisaie and Prompto’s wedding. ]

The Natha brought be a friend, it seems.

[Oh. Oh no. Why is everyone except him getting a chocobo? Is fate conspiring against him again? It's hardly fair, and his eyes go over the picture several times before a response goes through.]

It's hardly fair.

[A more Ardyn-like response follows:]

Does your friend have a name? When did this happen?

She was given to me but recently. I've decided to call her Valiant.

[ She also has red barding, much in the same style of X'rhun's usual mode of dress. A red mage chocobo for a red mage miqo'te. ]

Would you like to meet her?

She certainly looks like she belongs to you, have no doubt about that.

[In reference to what his chocobo is wearing. It's delightful, really.]

And yes, I would. Would you prefer to visit, or shall I?

[YES HE WILL VISIT ANOTHER CITY JUST TO SEE A CHOCOBO]

[ Wait until he sees the helm that came with that whole getup. ]

Why don't you come here? For the moment, I'm unsure of how trying to bring her across borders will go, and I doubt she'd take well to teleporting.

[If only they had such an array of chocobo clothes for their birds on Eos!]

Then give me a bit of time, and I shall meet you there. Shouldn't take terribly long if one avoids the roads.

[In other words, if he teleports the heck over there.]

Don't wander off too far, now.

[There was an exchange of direction and instruction regarding where to meet his friend, thankfully, before Ardyn completely darted off. Easy enough, it being near X’rhun’s home, and he keeps true to his word: the other doesn’t have to wait long. When Ardyn approaches, he has that sharp smile on his face, but his eyes have the glimmer of eagerness to it this time.]

I wish to see the valiant Valiant!

[ X’rhun and chocobo both are seated in the grass beneath a tree, a spot of greenery somewhere around the upper edge of the city but close enough to X’rhun’s home not to be a bothersome walk, the former with a book in his lap. Valiant had curled up to doze, but Ardyn’s approach has her perking her head up, making a soft noise of curiosity.

X’rhun rests a hand on her neck, offering a word of assurance, before he regards his friend. ]

You needn’t look very far. She’s right here.

So it would seem.

[X'rhun will be thoroughly ignored for a moment as Ardyn strides over to the chocobo, crouching down next to her. The grin has not left, and while this is not the first he's seen such a bird in this world, he can be a bit more open about his enthusiasm around X'rhun. The man has seen far more personal sides to him than this, after all.]

And what a fine creature you are. Hm?

[He reaches out the gently place a hand at her neck, fingers sliding through feathers.]

[ Valiant lives up to her name, apparent immediately in the way she regards Ardyn with open curiosity rather than caution. He pats her neck and she instantly shoves her beak at his chest, as though to rifle through his pockets for treats.

X’rhun watches the display with a grin and a laugh. ]

Ah, she is quite forward.

[And then suddenly he has a beak against his chest, almost as if she has a mind to see what's in his coat pockets. Nothing resembling treats, unfortunately.

Ardyn leans back, putting his hands in the air. He finally turns his head to look at X'rhun.]

She must like me. I do have a rather magnetic personality, so I'm not surprised.

[Magnetic is one word for it.]

She's smaller than the one at the wedding.

My friend, I believe you're taking the term "animal magnetism" a bit too literally.

[ Finding no treats (alas!) Valiant lets out a soft kweh, likely of disappointment, drawing back away from Ardyn's pockets. ]

Ah, yes. Chobi is a draught chocobo. They're bred to be larger, for pulling heavy cargo or bearing multiple passengers. Valiant here is more of a standard size.

[ Kweh kweh! ]

[Alas, if only he had some greens to feed her. Perhaps next time he shall come better prepared for it.

Ardyn reaches out once more to give her a nice pat or two, pushing away the sting of nostalgia creeping up in his chest.]

It makes sense, when explained in that way. And yet the chocobos of Eos were all relatively the same size. They look a bit different, too, in subtle ways.

[Ah, but X'rhun's already seen one, a ghost of a thing in his memories.]

So I have seen.

[ They are the same creature, at their core, but it's true, the one he saw in Ardyn's memory looked different indeed, and not just in color. ]

There is a race of peoples from Hydaelyn called lalafells. At most they grow to be a hair above three fulms in height. On the other side of the scale we have the roegadyn, who are upwards of seven fulms at the least. Chocobos are bred in all sizes to accommodate any rider.

[ With no treats, Valiant finds this all very boring, and lays her head down again to resume her nap. ]

[He'll certainly not stop her from taking a nap, and instead Ardyn decides to properly settle into a seated position, next to X'rhun in the grass.]

So you're telling me that your world possessed miniature chocobos.

[He's imagining it in his head, and finding it unfair Eos did not have them.]

In essence, yes.

[ He grins a Knowing grin at his friend. ]

You're picturing it now, aren't you? I assure you, it's as adorable as it sounds.

You know me too well. I am indeed trying to picture it, and finding it endlessly amusing.

[He leans back, palms pressed into the grass, looking up at the sky, feeling the sunlight in all its uncomfortable glory. If only it were an overcast day today.]

I wonder if I shall be granted a friend, too, someday. It seems to be the on-going trend.

‘Tis always possible. I don’t know what possesses the Natha to bestow these odd little gifts upon us, but I’ll not complain. The trinkets they hand out are fascinating.

[ And sometimes, they’re not a trinket at all, but a full-grown chocobo. ]

Hmm.

[A shrug of broad shoulders.]

Beyond the mercilessly slow return of my glaives, I've only received one other gift from them thus far. Biscuits. It made for an interesting experiment; with heightened emotion, eating one would cause hallucinations.

[ He blurts out an incredulous laugh, mostly because what the fuck, Natha? ]

I daresay mine own gifts have been tame in comparison to that. Did you find out the effects on your own, or did some other poor soul partake first?

[It had been an actual experiment, in which Rosalind decided to test it on him first after he told her about them -- he agreed, out of curiosity and little else. But he gives the simplest answer.]

I tried it, knowing what it might do.

[It was, ah, not particularly pleasant.]

It was certainly a very detailed hallucination that ensued.

Edited 2018-05-08 21:01 (UTC)

You brave soul.

[ But, he supposes Ardyn is the very definition of a man with nothing to lose, so why not, right? ]

Dare I ask what happened?

I saw Bahamut looming above me.

[He purposefully makes his tone utterly casual, fingers flexing in the warm grass.]

Lecturing me, as all high-and-mighty gods do. And then he tried to bring his blade down upon my head, to cleave me in twain. You can imagine how I might've felt about that.

Quite honestly, you could have stopped at “Bahamut”.

[ Though their respective versions of Bahamut are as different as can be, he still can’t help his reaction to that name. ]

I imagine you did not react favorably, no. Nor would I.

No. Though you would likely not have threatened to blow a hole in the station with your incredulity. I am quite fortunate that someone had awoken me from my hallucinations at the time.

[Ah, but he waves a hand. ]

But my point is that the Natha sends us the strangest things. I suppose a simple fruit basket is too banal for them to even consider.

[He brings a hand up to scratch at his chin, then reaches out to idly pet Valiant another time.]

Speaking of gifts, I have something for you. If you plan on retiring to your home at any point today, I can present you with it then.

text; un: crimson duelist

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