driftfleet | the veil is thin . . .

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the veil is thin . . .

[ On the night of the 16th, the feeling of tension and horrid anticipation comes to a head. Everything stops when the sun goes down-- even the ever-present music in the hoppingest part of the city center. One by one, everyone turns their eyes to the skies. The young and old alike pour out of their houses, some in bare feet, and they point to the velvety blanket of stars.

It takes a second to find it, especially if one is unaccustomed to the starscape. But even a casual observer can see it.

A brightly-shining star, larger than the others, and growing larger.

An announcement cuts across all communication channels that encourages people to evacuate to the space station, but it’s clear that these are just people and they’ll need some help. Supplies, equipment, organization, there’s something for everyone to do.

Civilization is disrupted by a panicked stampede of people vying for limited seats aboard spacefaring craft. Within hours, there will be crushed glass, looting, and chaos.

The clock is ticking. Will you help? Or would you rather watch the dying gasps of a Singing Planet from a safe distance? ]

[OOC: Please see this post for plot details. Phase two has begun! Feel free to use this post as a reaction post, mingle, etc. or make your own!]

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[ Some things are easier as a lioness, but others are noticeably not - like actually answering questions that are posed to her. She doesn't have a voice, only puffs of air and something akin to a roar, but not quite as loud or as shaking as a male counterpart might be able to manage. Right now, in this moment, Hermione is a deadly house cat tamed by her own conscience.

Ignis is being particularly considerate, though, and she lets herself have a few moments to bask in the gentle touch to her fur, her eyes closing as she leans into the touch. It's been a very long time since anyone was close enough to her like this to actually pet her, and while she might feel embarrassed when she turns back the only thing she can think about is how good it feels.

Still, she has a question to answer, and she turns her head a little so she can give something like a nod, nosing at Ignis' fingers before she settles back to sit, her wings around her. Only then does she tilt her head, watching him curiously, wondering if she can steal a few more pets before she has to go back to herself.

Perhaps not, even if she does want to be a little bit greedy. Slowly, her body shifts and she moves, transforming to a lioness sitting on her haunches to a girl kneeling beside Ignis. ]

I've been eating. That's what I was trying to say.

[He is a little disappointed when she moves away. It's a feeling that surprises him, because it has little to do with losing the touch of a soft animal and more to do with the distance between them, especially when she transforms back.

It adds weight to something Prompto said. And he is a bit worried, but her health is more important than his own lack of self-awareness.]

I'm glad. I have some food still from a lunch I made for the others. You're welcome to it.

[He finds it difficult to look at her for a minute, trying for neutrality instead of confusion.]

I know that you sometimes forget.

[ All she can manage is a soft smile - and it is soft, for him, because she can't quite manage to do anything but. Ignis brings out some good in her, she thinks, and it makes her feel a little more settled, a little more engaged, as though something has given her just enough more energy that she can feel as though she can breathe a bit better.

She's used to being tired, but at least she feels better now. Good company always helps. ]

That would be lovely, if you're sure they don't mind.

[ Hermione shifts to sit cross-legged, comfortable. ]

It's not that I forget, always. It's that sometimes... It's hard to eat.

[Her smile sparks one of his own, unable to not follow her lead in that. Being with her is comforting and familiar, like being with Noctis and the others, but better... How, he hasn't qualified, but it might be something he'll have to do soon if this meeting is any indication.]

Of course not.

[He pulls a small bag from his pocket that contains a sandwich, a piece of fruit and a bottle of water. Making lunches is easy, but that one has been in his pocket for a while, waiting until he could find her.

He might have desserts in his other jacket pocket, but no one can prove it.]

Hopefully that should be easy enough for you to get down.

[ No matter how tired she is, how boneless she feels, how close to the edge her body might be, she has always managed to muster up something optimistic and gentle for the people she cares about. It's her own version of a brave face, and she keeps to it because nothing could be harder than letting her defences down. ]

I appreciate it, Ignis, thank you.

[ It doesn't make her stomach recoil in horror, and she accepts it with a soft smile, opening the bag so that she can take out one of the sandwiches and start eating. It's been months and months since her curse wore away but she still worries that all she'll taste is ash and poison in her mouth.

Turning her head back to Ignis, she nods. ]

It's not too much. It's wonderful.

Think nothing of it.

[He'd take care of her, even if she was upset with him. Which appears to not be the case. Especially after what happened at the wedding.]

Good. I'm glad to hear it.

[He watches her eat, worried that she might be downplaying how tired she is. It wouldn't be the first time, and he has a feeling that it won't be the last either. She is too like him in that regard.]

Hermione, I— [He pauses, clenching and unclenching his fists a few times.] About what I said during the wedding, I didn't mean it the way that it sounded.

[ Hermione had almost forgotten about what happened at the wedding, and it's only when Ignis brings it up again that she stops, turning her head to look at him. She had been idly picking at the bread and actually eating some of it, but now she feels as though her appetite is fading fast.

She is tired, and she is on edge, but she turns her attention back to him for a moment and takes a few deep breaths. She's not entirely sure what she ought to say, and she feels a little bit uncomfortable with the direction the conversation is taking.

What is she meant to say? What is she meant to do? ]

I - Ignis, I'm sorry, I don't really know what you're talking about. [ Breathe in, breathe out. ] I didn't take anything you said the wrong way.

[He, of course, notices that she stops eating and starts mentally berating himself for even broaching this topic, as clumsily as he is, especially.]

I wish that I could feign innocence in that evening. I said things that were crude and I cannot unsay.

[He stands and faces away from her, finding it easier to pretend that he's speaking to someone who isn't quite so important to him as she is.]

Eat and rest. This isn't really the time for this sort of conversation and I've interrupted your sleep, which is something I've noticed you haven't gotten a lot of recently.

[ It doesn't take her too long to start picking at her sandwich again, at least, even if her attention is solely on him. ]

That - it's alright, honestly. I wasn't offended at all, Ignis, so please don't worry about it.

[ It's hardly the worst thing someone has done or said to her in her lifetime, and she thinks he has the right to be forgiven for something said during a party with a little bit of champagne in the system, especially when she wasn't really upset.

She doesn't particularly want him to feel bad either, and she shakes her head. ]

I was only dozing - I have to get back to work soon anyway.

[He looks over his shoulder to see her sort of managing the sandwich once more and he isn't sure if he's happy or not about that. It's really hard to tell right now what the hell he wants.]

You know yourself best, but your friends do worry that you could fall ill because you push yourself too much for the sake of others. Nobility means nothing if you're too sick to move.

I'm taking care of myself. I am, really, I mean it. I know what kind of effect it has on people when their friends are suffering.

[ She doesn't want to put people in the position of having to worry about her, after all, and she breathes out as she bows her head, eyes closed. ]

I don't want people to worry.

Those that care for you will worry, regardless. That is one of the risks we take when we interact with one another.

[He knows for a fact that he worries about those he cares for, whether it's necessary or not. It's just how he is, who he is. Although, he won't let it define his every move either. He does trust his friends after all.]

It need not sour our relationships however.

No, of course not. I don't want anything to sour our friendship, Ignis.

[ And, oh, that sounded absolutely ridiculous, didn't it? Her nose wrinkles and she sighs, shaking her head. ]

I know I can't really ask people not to worry about me when I do half the worrying myself. I'll try and be better, though.

[Friendship... The word would describe their interactions up until now, but considering the discovery of his own perception of Hermione, it feels inadequate. And yet, it would have to suffice.]

That's all I can ask, that you take care with yourself.

[He opens his mouth to say something else, but he doesn't really have anything to say. He just doesn't want to leave her. Doesn't want to leave things awkward and painful.]

Hermione, if you wish to have someone guard you while you rest, I would be glad to offer my services.

[ Her expression softens, and she feels a rush of warmth. Someone to watch over her as she slept - Dorian used to do that. Come to her room with warm tea and soft smiles and lie beside her as she fell asleep. It was comforting, soothing, and it made her feel safe and protected.

It made the nightmares rarer. Not gone completely, but rare enough that some of the lines of exhaustion faded from her. ]

I'll work a bit harder. I promise.

[ But she smiles, her head bowing, and her eyes are heavy - she is tired, so tired. ]

Only... Only if you don't have anything else you need to do.

[He looks back at her, unable to not see her while this close by. Not after his far-too-long-in-coming realization. He wants to protect her as much as he does Noctis, Prompto or Lunafreya.

At her first comment, he merely shakes his head as he comes to sit near her.]

There is no place else I'd rather be. Now, eat and sleep. You need to recharge in order to help others.

... Thank you.

[ And that's what she does. It's a little awkward but she's doing better than she was a year ago; when she had first arrived from the Drabwurld food still made her feel sick and the ridiculous paste and powder they had here was actually more appetising.

She gets the feeling she's going to need to work on it with Ignis around.

Eventually, though, she does finish, and she hesitates for a moment. ]

You don't mind if I turn back, do you?

[He's careful not to watch her too closely as she eats. But he does watch her. When she is unhappy or too busy or too anything, she neglects the most basic of things, such as resting and eating. And if she has any reason to avoid it, she will.

And knowing her history, he doesn't blame her for her aversion, but he needs to make sure that she is as well taken care of as the others. When she speaks, he looks fully at her.]

Not at all. I can face away if you'd like some sort of privacy while you do.

[As if he's going to tell her she can't do something. Please.]

[ Hermione is just far too used of taking care of other people to think about herself, and it comes at the cost of her own health sometimes. She does try her best, and she has been eating and sleeping better since she woke up on the fleet - less nightmares, less warfare and shards and kings and queens - but she still struggles, sometimes.

Her friends make it easier, and she is more thankful than she can put into words. ]

No, it's alright, you don't need to. You don't really see anything.

[ And she moves, shifting as she transforms back down into a lioness, moving forward to rest her jaw on Ignis' shoulder. ]

[Ignis turns his head at the feel of the large cat's head on his shoulder. He knows it's Hermione, but it doesn't seem real at the same time. Woman, cat, witch, all the same in one package that he cares very deeply for.

He runs a hand over her soft pelt and just barely reins in the desire to kiss her fur.]

This is hardly sleeping, Hermione. Rest while you can. While there's down time.

[ She nudges against him for a moment, but she does finally move and curl up at his side. Her wings fold down beside her, and her head rests on haw paws as her eyes finally close.

One wing does move, slowly, to wrap around Ignis, just settling there for a moment - to keep him warm and safe, too, just in case. ]

[He doesn't stir as the wing wraps around him to protect him, basically, but it is nice. Sleep is far away from anything he can possibly do when she is so close to him.

However, he does allow himself to relax just a bit, one hand resting on her nearest limb.]

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