[ DEPARTURE ]

[sheriffexe]

DEPARTURE

It's time to go. Most people are on the train by now. Settled into their cabins and among friends and loved ones. There are only three new arrivals left to board and once they do, Hal pulls a conductor's hat out from underneath the bar, tugs it on, and steps around it to the middle of the train. He opens his mouth to talk, voice filling the train. "It's time to go. Stops happen once a day until everyone's departed and I already have your stopped listed. If you'd like to be prioritized, let me know, otherwise we'll go in order of death. Settle in and enjoy the ride. If there's anything you need, don't hesitate to ask, folks." This, of course, means that those who died earliest (Manfred, Higekiri) will depart first while those who died latest (Barnham, Damian, Percy) will depart last. There's a stop for everyone, though those who want to get off together are more than welcome to. Hal pulls a notepad and pen out of his pocket later and people will notice that he goes around the train confirming stops with everyone. Whatever feeling Hal may have had to a character back in town isn't noticeable here -- he is simply a robot assigned with a job. After that, it's all a matter of settling in and enjoying the ride. If that's possible for you, at least.

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Comments

[elemancy]

[honestly, there are going to be a lot of ways to find noct along this journey.

he's tired. of course, he's so, so tired after everything, so first and foremost, he wants to rest more. to just... take it easy. nap, eat, and try to just get his energy back, because he still has so much to do on the other side.

but all the same, he also wants to see everyone, and spend as much time with them as he can while they're still around—it's important, because he cherishes the people he's met here. so he'll definitely be seeking people out, for apologies, attempts at last laughs, and goodbyes, when it's time.

this has been a long, arduous journey, but he's going to miss everyone a lot. in a end, underneath all his carefully gelled hair and that stoic expression, he cares so much for everyone that it's only natural it would be like this to the very end. he's still a jrpg protag, after all, even if he didn't do a very good job of saving anyone here.]

[alcobrawlic]

[ Sara's... sitting, well, at the bar when Noct finds her-- and as he approaches, she tilts her head and waves to the seat beside her. ]

One last drink for the road?

[elemancy]

May as well go out on a high note, right?

[he's well past the point of refusing a drink, which is probably a long way to have come in just seven weeks, but you know. it's fine.]

[alcobrawlic]

That's the spirit!

[ And she'll push a mug his way. ]

Before you go back to Milla's arms, I figure I can hog you for awhile.

[elemancy]

Gotta give her time to get used to it... not like I'm always going to be there to hog her time.

[but he seems pretty okay with it. he's... strangely happy about how things worked out, in that regard.]

[alcobrawlic]

Look at you! With a reaction like that, I'm not going to be able to tease you anymore.

[elemancy]

[no, there's still room for embarrassment when she calls him out like that, which is why he's pulling the drink up to his face real quick and clearing his throat before chugging some of it down.]

I'm just... trying not to waste what we've got left.

[moraled]

[A FEW DAYS LATER FOR SHENANIGANS BECAUSE I CAN nobody can stop me!!!

A few days later, Barnham looks... well, a bit more human, and less like a shambling shell. He's ditched the armor again for more comfortable clothing, and he's been able to clean up and sleep and eat.

He's still haunted by what he did, of course. A few days won't fix that.

But he at least looks a little bit better than he did. And when he sees Noct, he steps towards him because he can. People have begun to be dropped off--and slowly, their numbers lessen again, though in a much less heartwrenching way.

... Barnham's getting a bit better at not feeling nothing but guilt every time he sees Noct, too. It's slow progress.]

... Noct. Good day.

[elemancy]

[it's good to see barnham looking more alive and not constantly wrangling so intensely with his guilt.

noct too, has been recovering over these few days. it's not like some of those things will ever completely leave—he'll undoubtedly live with the nightmares of his own death and other atrocities he saw for the rest of his life. but he can push them aside...

and he looks casual as ever on this day. it's probably funny, when he's going back to be a king, but until that point, he wants to embrace being able to live pretty normally and peacefully. things are slowly getting quieter, and noct is grateful that the people who matter most to him—he won't have to deal with being on the train for too long without them. but for now...

he's okay.

okay enough.]

Hey, Zach. [he'll get a bit of a wave of acknowledgement, but he seems pretty content to just hang out for now.]

[moraled]

[Hanging out is nice. Peacefulness is nice! Barnham's pretty sure that he may never recover, but the days go on and he continues onwards, and it's...nice.

It's not perfect, but it's an immense improvement, and he'll take that.

Quietly, he nods to Barnham, before joining him. He's not quite as casual--and probably never will be--but there's no real standing on ceremony at this point.]

... It is rare to see you without Miss Maxwell at your side.

[... just saying]

[elemancy]

[he... well, more or less expects that barnham will never be totally casual, unless enough time with sara could somehow sway that.

but.

you know, one thing at a time.

and the first is... well. his cheeks flushing out of embarrassment for being called out on that.]

Ye... yeah. I guess things... are kind of like that with us lately.

[he got a hot deity girlfriend somehow??? ]

[moraled]

"Like that".

[He quirks an eyebrow at that, and his lips twitch in amusement. Honestly...]

So. In the end, You were able to capture Miss Maxwell's heart, were you? Rather impressive.

[elemancy]

I...

[no, this is embarrassing!?]

I think it might have been the other way around.

[just let him die, though barnham could probably realize what a big deal that is, considering he knows pretty well how noct feels about luna.]

[ceded]

[ When Xion finds Noctis, she won't say anything at first.

She'll thread her way over to him and find one of his hands with one of her own. With that, she'll thread their fingers together and give his hand a gentle squeeze.

It mimics the squeeze in her heart, a little. Thinking she might not ever see him again. There's pride in her face, too, and love in spades. ]

Are you ready?

[elemancy]

[she's not wrong, in that she'll probably never seen him again, given his own circumstances—but he doesn't yet know what they are completely.

still, he's much less awkward than he once was at the contact, squeezing her hand in return as a gesture of understanding.]

...Ready as I'll ever be, I guess. What about you, Xion?

[ceded]

... I think I feel the same way, [ she says with a bit of a laugh. ] Actually, I'm a little scared.

[ ... the admission seems to surprise her, too, and she has to think about it. That Noctis of all people would be the one to draw it from her isn't really a surprise in itself; he's managed to be the one right there for a lot of her darkest moments, and she feels safe around him. Safe enough, apparently, for this kind of thing to escape her. It's just that... she was trying to tell herself it was just nerves, so realizing she's actually a little frightened is... well, she'd rather be strong. ]

I've never had the chance to live my own life before, you know? To make my own decisions, and ... do anything I want! [ She gestures with her free hand before letting it fall. Noctis, more than most, might understand where she's coming from. ] I'm not really sure what it even means, to do something like that. But... I guess I'll have a long time to figure it out.

[ softly amazed. ]

[elemancy]

[noct seems faintly amused by her surprise at her own answer—but it's all very endearing. he can see her excitement and amazement at her opportunities, and for a moment, all he can do is nod and smile softly at it.

he's amused, but definitely okay with it.

besides:]

...You know. This means you've gotta have enough freedom for the both of us. [it's sad fondly, though, not bitterly. noct has too much he has to do and very little freedom beyond that anymore...

but he's accepting it just fine. but now that xion can live life and make her own decisions to do as she pleases, he doesn't want her to squander it for even a minute.]

[ceded]

[ He's gonna make her cry. She's been trying very hard not to, because she told herself she wouldn't cry while she was saying goodbye,

but what can she do when he comes at her with requests like that?

It occurs to her for the first time that Noctis has changed, too, since the day they first met. The boy she saw when she disembarked from the train ... is a little different from the man now beside her. ]

That's a pretty tall order, you know! [ With a somewhat wet laugh, as she presses the heel of her free hand to the corner of her eye. ] But I guess now I have to figure it out, huh? I won't let you down, Noctis. That's a promise.

[elemancy]

[they've all grown and changed quite a bit—and even noctis can't deny how much that applies to him.

xion has too, now that she seems to have a bit more assurance and purpose in who she is—regardless of what she may be, human or not.

(and obviously, to the end, he hasn't cared about what people are. that's why he likes xion, it's why he's letting ash come home with him, it's why he kisses milla a whole hell of a lot these days. none of them are human, but they're all people he cares about immensely.)]

Good... I'll be counting on you for that. Gonna... be kind of busy when I get back home. [you know. doing the things that canon does.]

[thatsthespirit]

[it's been a long journey. over a month's worth of time actually, considering both Milla and Noctis died pretty late in the game. but even long journeys have to come to an end]

[Noctis's stop comes first, which is something Milla had prepared for over the course of the past few weeks. she knows hers isn't far behind (only one day, perhaps), so some of the cabin fever she may have exhibited near the end of the ride has settled down into wistfulness]

[she stands near the train's exit, arms crossed, head tilted back, eyes closed, as she waits. there's no way she's letting him off without saying her final good byes first. or perhaps. . . it's better to classify it as a final "see you later."]

[elemancy]

[there's a mix of feelings in knowing that he's come to his journey's end with her—and the few that still remain on the train.

there's an excitement that comes with seeing his friends and the familiar, and the dread of knowing that he has plenty of hardships to face before he can sit upon his throne. so many he's not even aware of—though at least the last month has given them time.

so much time to talk, to learn more about each other—their worlds, their friends, their hardships and everything in between. a month in a confined space is a lot of time for a lot of things, and it's only served to solidify to noctis that he made the right choice in what to do with himself once he's expended his life.

but of course, there's also one more thing that he feels as a result—the bittersweet feeling of knowing that he and milla will be parting ways for what should be decades, unless things go terribly wrong. though despite that, and even if his heart and footsteps fall heavy, he makes his way to the exit once he's rounded up umbra, stopping to stand in front of her.]

I guess... this is really it, huh. [this.

this is really hard, harder than he thought it would be, and they've barely even begun these goodbyes.]

[thatsthespirit]

[she opens her eyes and relaxes her stance when she hears his voice, arms falling away at her sides. she stands tall, head tilted up and shoulders squared, her posture conveying the full authority of her position]

[this is hard, and not just for him, despite how much she had steeled herself for this moment. but she knows she needs to hold her head up high and keep moving forward]

. . . yes. I suppose it is. [a small hesitation as she searches for the words, which aren't coming easily. it's not like it's the first time she's ever said good bye to someone she cares about, so why is she faltering now?]

Would it be in bad taste for me to say "welcome home?"

[elemancy]

... "I'm home."

[it feels strange to say. he's not even going home, to the crown city. he's just going to be on eos again, and yet... that's really more home than anything else in these last couple of months.

he knows that.

and yet, there's something he knows will be distinctly missing once he steps foot off that train. and onto the train he was originally on before this whole mess started. he's a changed man now, far different than he was way back at the start.]

Feels kind of funny to say. Probably not in bad taste... as long as I make it back to the Crown City when I'm through with my business.

[and he will.

eventually.]

[thatsthespirit]

[inclines her head slightly, a smile quirking up the corners of her mouth. it's only a half-smile, but it's a lot better than the stern expression she was forcing just a few seconds earlier]

I'm certain you will. [eventually, however long it takes him] Perhaps, then, I should withhold my "welcome home" for the letter I send you once your business is concluded.

[that'll be in like ten years Milla plz]

I'll replace it with a "do your best; I believe in you" instead.

[elemancy]

I think I like the sound of that better, anyway.

[and for why, noct?]

Sounds... a lot more like you.

[and a lot more like what he wants to remember of her once they've parted ways. maybe—maybe he always wants to remember her voice saying that, because if he hears it in his mind over and over, then he'll have more motivation to carry on and make sure things get done well.

so that... when they meet again, he can tell her of the good he did and accomplished while they were apart.

(maybe he wants to make her proud, too.)]