hugtopia | Video - Early Malom, a couple days after the party

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Video - Early Malom, a couple days after the party

[Action; at Kiwi and Will's house]
[Will isn't expecting a package. He hasn't ordered anything, after all--and why wouldn't he go pick it up at the store, if he had? But he gladly signs for the small padded envelope regardless, and retreats to the living room to open it. A single, marble-sized Pokéball spills out into his hand; he gasps out loud, immediately standing to enlarge it and let out the Pokémon inside. A Hypno appears in a blaze of crimson light, looking around the unfamiliar room.]

Reve! Y-you--I thought--

[A little choked noise, like he's trying not to cry, and Will throws his arms around her for a tight hug.]

I'm so, so sorry. I never meant to abandon you, I didn't know I'd be leaving.....

[Video]
[Once the reunion is out of the way, Will flips on the video feed to make a post, looking more genuinely, radiantly happy than just about anyone has seen him here.]

Hi, everyone! I've got a favor to ask--or maybe an offer to make? I guess it depends on how you look at it!

Another member of my team arrived today! This is Reve.

[The camera pans over to show a Hypno sitting on the couch, polishing an already glittering pendulum. She looks up at the introduction, raising a hand in a silent greeting.]

Reve is a Hypno. Hypno are technically omnivores, but primarily psychovores--they mainly eat products of other creatures' minds. In this case, it's dreams. Where I'm from, I can normally easily keep her fed just by battling, since that's my job. That's not an option in Havenwell, though.

So my proposal is this: if you have nightmares you want to be rid of, or even if you just need help getting to sleep and want to keep your dreams, please let me know! You can contact me privately too, if you'd rather not speak up where everyone can see. There's no need to pay, of course--you're already giving us something, after all.

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Well, there you go, then!

[The brilliance in his smile fades to something a little softer, a gentle, encouraging warmth meant just for Cor. As terrifying and desperate as the situation in Eos is, as much of a struggle as the man's everyday life at home must be.....

All of that can wait. Cor has a chance to rest, to feel, to live..... and maybe even to plan, if he can think of something that would make the difference once he does make it back home. As long as they're in Havenwell, they're free, at least from whatever hardships and tragedies are still in store.]

The gods here gave us a gift of time. It's up to us to decide how we want to use it.

[That gentleness makes his heart flutter and abruptly he wants Will to stop whatever he's doing just so Cor can hold him. It's a strange sensation and something he knows is utterly illogical. They can't just drop what they're doing to spend time together.]

Gifts from the gods often come with impossibly high prices.

[That was something Lucians knew all too well. Ask Ardyn.

And despite just telling himself how illogical it is he finds himself blurting the words out.]

Are you busy?

Changing the fate of an entire world doesn't already sound like an impossibly high price to you? Especially considering what we've seen of the outside so far? You really are a brave soul.

[This gift of theirs had never come without strings attached. They would take this gift, whether they wanted it or not, and they would pay the price demanded for it, whether they wanted to shoulder the burden of that debt or not. Maybe some people here would simply consider this a mission, and being handed the tools necessary to fulfill their objective, nothing more. Maybe some people would consider this an obligation thrust upon them, and the enforced time spent here a curse.

But with Reve at his side, Will is in a charitable mood, and inclined to think of the gods quite generously. This is a gift, if they choose to view it as such, and he doesn't doubt that they can use it to extraordinary ends if they put their minds to it. Of course..... not all their time has to be spent in such lofty pursuits, either.]

Of course not. Shall I come over?

[This is his job here in Havenwell, after all. Making time for people is just what he does now. And if Cor wants to be with him, well..... it would be a rare day indeed where he couldn't clear a space in his schedule to come see him in short order.]

You forget, changing the fate of the world is... sort of what we've been doing for years back home. Our gods have never been so generous with their gifts, however.

[Purging the scourge from our Star and all that nonsense. Changing the fate of the world, the entire planet swallowed by darkness. The difference between Havenwell and Eos is that Eos meant years of death and loss while Havenwell... Well learning to spend more of his time with a certain trainer draped over his lap is a challenge he is willing to face.]

I'd like that... I can meet Reve. And... we should... probably talk about-

[About events that have his face lighting up bright pink and his tone taking on that uncertain, bashful edge it always does when Will starts flirting.]

Ahem. What happened.

Ahahaha..... I guess you're right. Your gods probably don't have nearly as much at stake as Aellyn's gods do, of course they wouldn't be generous.

[Sigh. You'd think the gods would be more forthcoming, given it's their world being laid low by plague and daemons, but apparently not? He supposes they'll get by just fine either way, humanity or no humanity.

He'd rather not think about that, though. Not when Cor is flustering so adorably. Eos is a world away right now and waiting for their attention again, but the two of them? They're right here, right now.]

I'll just round up the girls and be on my way, then~

[That's exactly it. Bahamut doesn't care, in the end, if there's any humanity left.]

Yeah? [He feels absurd for being as pleased as he is that Will is willing to just make time for him at his request. He's never had that kind of freedom, to just do as he pleased for an entire day. Even here he has a routine but... doing whatever he wants is most of his afternoons. It's a little disconcerting.]

Have you eaten? Maybe I could make something?

That sounds nice. I was going to get lunch, but..... I guess I got a little distracted?

[Have a sheepish laugh. Yes, being reunited with a teammate had abruptly derailed his entire day. Not that he minds--quite the opposite, in fact--, but..... mmmm, he definitely does need to eat still. And pack up some food for his Pokémon to bring with him on the way over.]

I didn't know you were much of a cook yourself. Not much reason to do it with Ignis around, is there?

Ignis enjoys it so I let him handle most of it. I'm not nearly as versatile as he is but I know a few recipes.

[A bashful smile, he is not one to brag about anything but the idea of being able to do something for Will makes him unduly pleased with himself.]

I'll get something going and see you all soon, okay?

Okay! I'm looking forward to it.

[After all, he's never tried Cor's cooking before. He's tried Ignis' plenty--and who wouldn't love it?--, but this? This is special! Kind of like it would have been if Akechi or Kei had decided to make dinner, when he and Akira had usually done it.....

No need to think about that. Will clicks the video off. It takes a few minutes to get the girls into their balls and pack up their food; even Reve gets a full portion. Why not spoil her a little, to welcome her home? Even so, they're off to the Lucis house soon enough, humming brightly as he knocks.]

Come in, dulcissime.

[He half expects Will to just let himself in but the knock is appreciated, even knowing he's coming over Cor's paranoia knows no bounds. But his hands are full at the moment. There's to pots on the stove, one with broth simmering away, the other heating oil. There's already a large plate in the center of the table with some sushi on it.

It may just be the two of them eating now but he's not going to cook and not make sure there's enough for the rest of the house later.]

I haven't made any of this out of the replicator before so we'll have to see how well it goes.

[Will is starting to learn, slowly but surely. Try not to startle anyone here. Don't let himself in unannounced. Don't travel to or from the house after sunset unless he absolutely needs to. There are certain unspoken rules around here he's still becoming fluent in.

Once he's acknowledged though, Will heads in for the kitchen, sniffing appreciatively.]

I'm sure it'll turn out great. How can I help?

I've got this, you look after the girls.

[Partially because, at this point, he was just waiting for things to come together and partially because he wanted to do something for Will. It was a day to celebrate, after all. Besides he wanted to be in the kitchen this time so he could watch Will prep for the girls so he'd be able to do it for them later.]

If you say so.....

[Sorry, Cor. He'd be glad to show you how to make the food if you want, but he's brought some he'd already made, today. You do at least get to see the finishing touches on the food, though? He likes to accommodate their preferences--whether that's for spice, bitterness, or some other flavor profile.

Once he's done, he lets them out of their balls, starting to distribute the bowls. Reve peers at Cor even as she accepts hers, raising a curious eyebrow; Will gives her ears an encouraging ruffle.]

This is Cor. He's nice, don't worry! Cor, this is Reve.

[Cor offers her a small smile, just a tiny quirk of his lips but it's welcoming and encouraging. Something she should be able to pick up if she's even half as intuitive as her sisters. He has one hand on a spoon, stirring something that he can't really afford to take his attention from. The other he reaches out, holding it sort of loosely towards her. If she wants to take that as a handshake she can, if she wants to be an attention whore like Arche she can headbutt for ear scritches.]

Nice to meet you Reve. Will is very special to me. I want you to feel at home here, okay?

[Reve accepts Cor's hand in a firm shake, fur sleek against calloused skin. She's clearly not quite as shy as her sister who actually can hold a conversation; the voice touching Cor's mind is soft and soothing, deeper than he might have expected from a girl.]

I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot of each other, then.

[He actually closes his eyes briefly at that, enjoying the rich velvety brush of her voice.]

We will be.

[He has to withdraw from the handshake more quickly than he really wanted to, leaning down to smell the broth he'd been mixing, testing the tenderness of the noodles. Then he nods to himself, turning to dish the soup out into two bowls. There's an assortment of toppings, chicken and shrimp, veggies some pickled some fresh, a little bit of everything.]

Will... I do hope you like ramen.

Of course I like ramen! And I know I'll like it even more since you made it~ ♥

[Can Gladio forgive Cor's non-Cup Noodle heresy, though?]

Assuming these ingredients have behaved properly.

[It's a tragedy but also Cor should not be having that much salt at his age.]

Reve, would you mind helping me transfer these?

[He needs more hands for all these bowls... but then all these psychics could probably just levitate it all over to the table, huh?]

Surely Ignis has beaten your replicator into submission by now? It wouldn't dare defy a master chef and his household!

[Reve murmurs an agreement, this time not bothering to be understandable. Cor is, in fact, absolutely right; save for anything he's actually holding at the time, everything Cor is ready to shuttle over simply rises off the counter and floats over to the table of its own accord. Handy having psychic types around, isn't it?]

We do our best but even so...

[He trails off, watching all the small bowls of toppings float over to the table while he has the actual soup bowls in his hands. There's a moment where he just looks caught between amused and exasperated. Ah to have such powers that did not come at a cost.]

I suppose we'll find out.

Mmhmm~! Even if it isn't perfectly cooperative, I bet it's still better than ours.

[Reve raises an eyebrow at the expression on Cor's face, saying something else; Will's expression soon mirrors Cor's in wry exasperation.]

You could at least eat what you already have before asking for more, you know..... I'll let you have a taste, how about that?

[Cor's expression twists into something that is far more amusement than exasperation as he settles one bowl in front of Will, moving around the table to sit beside the younger man.]

You may want to let us try it first, who knows what that machine might have done to these things.

[The idle warning is playful but once he's seated he lifts a piece of the sushi he'd made earlier from the plate. It goes into his mouth and he chews exactly twice before freezing, expression crumbling into something caught between horror and disgust.

Oh... Oh, no.

There's that terrible moment where he has to decide if he's going to spit it out or force it down, caught in a state of misery before he finally tries to choke it down with as little chewing as possible.]

Six.

Are you alright? You look like you caught a whiff of a Gloom.

[Surely it can't be that bad, right? Will tries a piece himself while Cor is frozen, only to find himself grimacing as well. He's not quite as badly off as Cor, at least--you end up eating some pretty foul things when you're camping in the wilderness and trying to scrape by on limited funds--, but he's most certainly not going to be reaching for another piece.

Meanwhile, Reve has not only completely ignored both the playful warning and the humans' distress, but she is in fact helping herself to another. More for her if they don't like it, right?]

[Yeah, Will... it's that awful. Cor's been in similar situations plenty of times in his life. Which is why he swallowed it but the texture was absolutely horrid. So swallowing it nearly whole was a much better option that chewing it.

Reve clearly disagrees. She reaches for another piece and Cor just slides it across the table towards her.]

Take it. Please. Just... you girls can eat as much of it as you want.

[The trouble with how smart even non-psychic types are is that they tend to understand most normal conversation. Arche's ears shoot up at the declaration, and she zooms over to put her chin on Cor's knee, giving him enormous puppy eyes. She gets people food now?]

You girls don't need that much food. If you want sushi, we're wrapping your bowls up for later, okay?

[Look at the menace you've unleashed, Cor.]

Video - Early Malom, a couple days after the party

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