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[ the video starts with a little black nose attached to a blue-furred face snuffling at the camera. ]

Carbuncle, no. I want you to hold it, like this -

[ there's some shuffling that goes around before the camera is rotated, and there's the sound of teeth closing on plastic. then the camera is turned to show noctis lucis caelum, from the waist up. he's a young man of twenty, with dark hair; he's wearing a black shirt with a skull pattern, with black pants and a black jacket. (there's a theme here in his clothes). ]

...Hey. I'm Noctis.

[ he waves the hand that has a glove on it, painfully awkward, but continues on. ]

I dunno how the rest of you feel about coming here, but I'm not too excited about it. It seems pretty clear if you wanna make it back home, though, we have to help save this place. The way to do that is learning how to use whatever magic you were given.

So, for those of us whose magic is more practical - like mine, which is Light - I'm gonna be hanging near Brocéliande Forest, to train. Not in it, I'd rather not get stuck in another time loop, but it's got some pretty open space between the city and it.

[ he steps back so that the camera can see the spot he's indicating. ]

... I'm also not like, the master of combat or whatever, but I can help with weapons training if you don't have any. So, yeah. Just... hit me up or show up here, whatever works.

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... Was it rigid because that's how he set it, or did he have people outside telling him how to run his house?

[ he reaches up to fiddle with carbuncle, conveniently not having to look at edgeworth as he asks the question. he thinks maybe ignis and gladiolus were like his siblings, except not quite. they were never on the same level. ]

I mean... [ here he finally sighs. ] My dad was the ruler of where I grew up, and I was his heir. So there were a lot of rules he and I had to follow.

Ah. No, it was all his own doing. He was a consummate perfectionist, and he expected the same of all those around him. Particularly his "children", who were essentially an extension of himself.

[And which would be worse, he wonders idly. To know that one's father could have changed things at any time and simply didn't, or that he was just as powerless as everyone else? Food for thought, indeed.]

You're a prince, then. Yet you don't insist on being regarded as such?

That sounds pretty rough. Nobody can be perfect; even the Astrals make mistakes, sometimes.

[ noctis turns back to look at edgeworth, expression serious and tone sincere. he only knows one person who grew up in a perfectionist household, and... yeah, he thinks he can see some similarities between edgeworth and ignis.

when he asks about being regarded as a prince, noctis wrinkles his nose a little. ]

My dad never wanted to raise me like one - and it's tradition that the prince know the matters of the working class. [ which in modern day, translated to noctis working at a sushi joint for a period of time while living alone. ] Not a lot of people know who I am back home, and it matters even less here, so - why pull rank?

I agree. The only real "perfection"...is the truth. And paradoxically enough, sometimes the pursuit of the truth necessitates imperfection — a relentless imperfection, willing to try and try again until all the layers of deception have been peeled away.

[Except that then he — pauses a beat, and abruptly looks embarrassed, having suddenly realized just how carried away he'd gotten without realizing it.]

Apologies. It's — something I've thought a lot about, lately. I shouldn't have pontificated.

[YOU KNOW WHAT LET'S JUST TALK ABOUT ROYALTY THAT'S EASIER AND SAFER HELL YEAH.]

I'm no sovereign, but your method seems a logical one. Certainly superior to the types of kings and princes that allow themselves to get out of touch with their subjects, and rule without ever really knowing them.

[ pontification aside, noctis seems to be listening to edgeworth seriously, if nothing else. sure, his eyes get a bit glazed over at the end, but the subject matter is somewhat dear to his heart so it's minimal.

instead he shakes his head. ]

You're fine. It's important to you, right? Pontificate away. I agree, for the record. Just because you fail doesn't mean you should give up... even if continuing is a little hard after that.

[ he's been guilty of just giving up, in a sense, after things went to shit. but he has a lot of guilt about people sacrificing themselves for him. about his father getting him to safety before his people, not accepting that he was more important because of the means of his birth.

he doesn't tell edgeworth that, but there's a little furrow of his brow as he thinks over that before he realizes they're talking about him again. ]

Ah - yeah. It's not a perfect solution but... it's what my father did before me, so he wanted to make sure I had that experience as well. It was.. eye opening.

[ his expression turns a little grim. he's not sure how to explain that a lot of what he learned came after his father died, after his crown city fell to ruins, and he felt like a prince of not much at all. ]

Anyway, uh, that's why I wanna help people here. Back home we're involved in a war so, I guess I can relate to needing to help others like the King of Camelot must have to.

Meaning you've put your own battles on hold for the sake of assisting in someone else's. That's certainly noble of you.

[Unlike Edgeworth, who just sort of YOLO'd into this mess, but you know what, that's what you get when a weird flaming bird presents you with a batshit nonsensical request and you call its bluff because you're certain it's kidding and then it turns out it's not.]

Ah. Speaking of assisting with the circumstances here — did you want to try an illusion, after all?

It's kind of an extension of my responsibilities, honestly.

[ he already knows he'll pay with his life to save his home. he hasn't quite come to terms with it but it's something he now has to deal with. taking some time to help someone else is almost nice. even if it's a world-ending kind of deal.

anyway, flaming bird nonsense aside, noctis blinks a little bit and then nods after a moment, considering. ]

I've never really done illusions before so don't be surprised if nothing happens. You good to go - er, observe?

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ps i keep laughing at his bailiff post and all the xv's popping in

what a way to meet the entire cast in a hilarious conga

he's so genre-savvy