The Creepy, Once-More-Unduly-Filled-With-Children Mansion in the Woods, Saturday

[deathsmajesty]

Liliana had spent the night in Innistrad; the geistmage she'd borrowed from Olivia had wanted to get some preliminary readings and measurements from the Chain Veil. While the night had been long and tedious, the following morning (late morning, to be sure) saw her Planeswalking home again, full of smiles and empty of stomach. Her staff at the estate had offered to make her breakfast before she'd left, but she'd waved them off. After all, she was certain to return home to a paramour cooking up brunch in the kitchen, and why ruin her appetite for that?

Her blithe assurance of how her day was going to go crashed around her ears when she swept into the (oddly quiet and scentless) kitchen, with a cheerful "My darling, what culinary delights have you prepared for my delectation this morning, I'm positively starved!" only to find a child sitting in her breakfast nook.

Specifically, the child her paramour had once been, and had returned to for the weekend.

"Bloody hell," she said, looking at the sandy-haired young boy with undisguised dismay. "This island's timing and humor are atrocious."

[For the gentleman, of course, but also open for any wandering adults and children because a Liliana-run daycare sounds hilarious.]

Comments

[chef_chocobro]

Ignis had,of course, already had quite a busy day already. Although he recognized the place in a vague sort of hazy memory way and suspected he would not, in fact, find Noctis either here in this residence or on the island as a whole, he still tried, just in case, and, with it as futile as he expected, returned to the place in which he'd awakened to look for some food. There was some fruit and bread, and so he had that and toast, and with some hesitation, he saw that there was a good deal of those cans of Ebony he saw back home, and decided, well, there was plenty. Maybe it wouldn't hurt if he just tried one?

And now he was looking over at the clearly disappointed woman who'd come in with a curious tilt of his head and a small furrow in his brow and a faint thoughtful frown, finishing his bite and swallowing it down before responding.

"Good..." There was a fleeting moment, to check his watch, and he gave a confirming nod, "morning. Are you the lady of the house?"

She looked familiar, not in the same way that the house was familiar. He'd been here before, he was sure of it, but he was quite certain she hadn't been.

There had been photographs, though...

[deathsmajesty]

A long sigh. "Indeed I am," she said, coming to sit across from him. "I am Liliana, and this is my home."

The singular possessive felt weird in her mouth, not that she was inclined to think about that all that closely.

"And you are Ignis Scientia, my...houseguest for the weekend." It had better be for just the weekend or she would riot. "Welcome to Vess Manor, darling. Are you sure you're quite old enough to be drinking that?"

[chef_chocobro]

Ignis nodded at the confirmation, slightly more relieved and settled now that a few more pieces had fit nearly into place. He suspected his stay here was all above board, but it was nice to know his status as guest for sure.

His attention then drifted to the can of half-drunk Ebony with a faint wince of guilt, but he looked back at Liliana with confidence. "I've inspected its contents carefully," he said. "And while the caffeine content is a bit elevated, it's hardly more than a soda would be. And much better for the lack of sugar and other unnatural ingredients, like dyes. And...well....I rather have been wanting to try some. It's quite good, isn't it? And certain fine if one only has it sparingly."

[deathsmajesty]

Okay, for all that Liliana had been looking quite tragic at her lack of both paramour and brunch, now she was grinning at Ignis with a kind of impish glee, violet eyes sparkling with mischief and laughter. "Well-said and entirely correct," she complimented. "Quite a respectable outlook. I have a feeling I'll be quoting you on that, even. Sparingly."

She was practically savoring the word, yes.

[chef_chocobro]

"Everything in moderation," Ignis recited, with a firm nod and a small hand reaching for the can of Ebony for another sip, and he dutifully set it back down again to then pick up his toast and have another bite of that, and then took care of any crumbs it may have left behind with a napkin before continuing.

"Do you have any other houseguests this weekend?" he wondered. "The last time I was here, I believe, there was a girl. She was called Liliana, too. It was her birthday, and we talked about horses, and she was worried that she might have to marry Prince Noctis. But I was the only one here this morning, besides..." There was perhaps a small, slightly uncomfortable pause, a little shifting in his seat, "erm, the steward. Who was very helpful and kind. Will she be visiting again later?"

[deathsmajesty]

"A younger daughter of House Vess," Liliana said with a nod. "Regrettably--" for some definitions of the word "--her visit to the island was cancelled at the last minute. I'm certain your paths will cross again another time, however."

Since the island so did enjoy its little games as well.

"She is well, however, and learning to be a healing cleric, and sneaking out with her older brother and her new filly as often as she possibly can, much to her parents' displeasure," she added, with a mix of fondness and slight pain that an older Ignis would know quite deeply by now. "Though, should you have a chance, I'm sure she'd love a note of some sort, should you wish to write one." The corner of her mouth kicked up. "It was just her birthday earlier in the week."

Yes, she did think she was funny, thank you.

"Has anyone explained to you the difference between my steward and an MT yet, darling?"

[chef_chocobro]

The disappointment in Ignis' slightly sagging shoulders at the news that the other Liliana wouldn't be here again was evident, although he usually tried to not let things like that show; the same could be said, however, for the way those shoulders perked right back up with a pleased smile at the idea of writing a letter, though they pulled back a little bit more with discomfort at that last question.

"I would rather like to leave a note for her, yes," he said, "if I may. That's a wonderful idea, and I should, at the very least, like to wish her a happy birthday. I'm a little sad that she won't be here, but I'm glad to hear that she's having a good time at home with her brother."

Then, he hesitated, having avoided her question for as long as he could manage.

"I know he isn't one," he said, cautiously, as if worried about getting something wrong. "Magitek troopers are just mindless fodder for the battlefields, and they have a cybernetic component. Your steward, meanwhile, appears to be entirely organic, with a purpose toward...well, stewardship, rather than combat. But I was a bit frightened, at first. I've never seen a Magitek soldier before, but they sound quite..."

He paused, to take great care with his words.

"Unsettling."

[deathsmajesty]

Liliana wasn't even going to question the smug satisfaction she felt when Ignis' little shoulders drooped at the mention that her tiny self would not be present. There was a small, complicated knot that she steadfastly refused to acknowledge and his younger self's unintentional confession eased that nonexistent knot, just a bit.

"She would be glad to get it," she said, unaware how much her voice had warmed. "She is a lonely little thing sometimes, even with J--her brother's affection. Should you write to her, I'll make certain she receives it."

Perhaps she'd show Ignis his birthday card some time this weekend. It might make this little Ignis smile. His older counterpart certainly would when he woke up on Monday.

"As for the Magitek soldiers, they sound quite unsettling to me, too. My people have a very strict taboo against infusing living flesh with machines," she said quietly. "Even now, thousands of years later, my home plane still bears the scars of the Phyrexian invasion. But yes, my steward is something else and entirely of my own making. I'm quite pleased with him-- though my paramour has made him quite cheeky, I must confess."

Yup. Entirely Ignis' fault.

"Is there something you'd like to do today? I'm sure Gladio is around the island somewhere. And--" Right. He hadn't met Prompto until they were much older, so the name would mean nothing to him. "And another fellow from Eos is likely about as well. Would you like to find some other children to socialize with?"

Since she was fairly certain even this young, Ignis was allergic to the concept of playtime. Even though she was of the opinion he needed to be playing more. You know. At all.

"You're welcome to stay here, of course. I'm certain I can come up with some ways to while away the hours that are of interest of a boy your age. But having time to yourself seems to be at something of a premium, so I'd like to see you doing something you'd like to do, rather than attempting to chase down something drearily responsible to pass the time."

[chef_chocobro]

Ignis looked, for a moment, like he wanted to say something, when Liliana was explaining about her steward, to the effect of him not really being entirely of her creation if her paramour had managed to make him something, too, but he thought better of it, and just nodded as he listened.

The mention of Gladio's name seemed to pull a small expression of distaste out of him, deepened slightly at the idea of having to spend any more time than necessary with that boorish ruffians. He knew that the Amicitia heir was usually here when he was, too, but the lad was,in his experience, one he'd rather avoid if it could be helped.

Which, of course,as the Amicitia heir, it couldn't usually be.

Then, finally, at the mention of responsibility, his smile was small and a little rueful. He reached for another sip of Ebony.

"Well," he admitted after he was finished with that, "I am fairly certain that the prince is not here. I checked thoroughly, but he never is, when I come here. So I'm not really sure what I'd like to do without him."

But there did seem to be a slight bit of untruthfulness there, but he seemed to be working up the gumption to mention it.

"....however," he managed, and he looked up at Liliana with hope in his eyes behind the shield of his glasses, "I noticed you have an impressive library. Do you suppose it would be alright if I found some books to look through for a bit? Maybe until I think of something else I might like to do?"

[deathsmajesty]

She'd made her steward, her paramour just happened to be a terrible influence after the fact.

"Not a Gladio fan, hmm?" Liliana asked, spotting that little grimace and grinning. Tiny Ignis, you were a veritable treasure trove of delightful tidbits. "Don't worry, darling, it's doubtful he'll make his way all the way out here and even if he does, I'll be happy to send him on his way again."

Would Liliana be mean to a child if she wanted to be? Absolutely.

"And no, Noctis isn't here. I believe Regis has had a minor epiphany about the appropriateness of leaving his son to be raised by another literal child, and has briefly stepped in to parent his own child. They're probably fishing."

Not that Liliana had opinions or anything. Perish the thought.

"I'm sure Monday will see him once more engaging in benign neglect, comfortable in his decision to leave you to parent in his stead, darling. Which means that, yes, you may absolutely peruse our library and read to heart's content. In fact..." Liliana drew herself up to her feet. "As lady of the house, my rules are sacrosanct. Anytime you are under my roof, any amount of time you spend doing something responsible, you are required to spend a commensurate amount of time at minimum doing something frivolous but enjoyable. Which, unless I miss my guess, means you're already quite behind on your reading for fun--or however else you wish to spend your day."

[chef_chocobro]

"It isn't frivilous!" Ignis objected, as if that, out of all the truly controversial things that Liliana had said, was easily the most offensive. There was, in fact, quite the expression of shock and dismay at the idea of it. "Books are an excellent...and productive!...use of one's time! Far more so than a good deal of other things, such as..." He sighed, pushing up his glasses, with look far too exhausted and exasperated for a face so young, "video games or comic books."

[deathsmajesty]

"I'll have you know, I have plenty of frivolous books," Liliana informed him. "I insist upon it. And tell me, darling, what makes books an inherently more worthy form of storytelling than video games and comic books?"

Of which Liliana only knew about in the most vague terms, but shhh.

"Support your thesis, Ignis."

[chef_chocobro]

Ignis huffed a little, some small about of frustration and irritation slipping out of him over the idea that he should have to explain this to Liliana, an adult who should know, but then he realized that, no. That wasn't quite it, was it? She probably wasn't just arguing the premise as she was challenging him to think about it and ensure that he had good reasons for making such a conclusive statement. After all, one should be able to support one's thesis, and, if anything, perhaps this could help him fine-tune his case to make a better argument to the prince the next time he insisted on lazing about instead of pursuing his studies.

So he made sure to think carefully before he spoke, using the moment to munch on a raspberry.

"Just as there are books that are frivilous and not very informative," he offered, "I'm sure there are some games and comics that can be useful helpful. Like math games! Or chess simulations. But a good deal of them are just designed to oversimulate ans distract with bright colors and violence without adding anything more to build on. While even a frivilous storybook can still have a lesson in its narrative structure, there isn't much value in just shooting things and blowing up spaceships, is there?"

Ignis, too, had only a passing idea of whatever went on in the prince's video games. He tried to pay attention, especially when Noctis wanted him to play with him, but he just found them frustrating and counterintuitive.

[deathsmajesty]

"Are you denying that there is merit in entertainment simply for entertainment's sake?" Liliana asked, sitting back down and stealing another raspberry off his plate to nibble on as she considered him. If nothing else, she was certainly speaking to him like an adult, which seemed to support his thesis that she was challenging him. "Must there always be a lesson or some higher purpose to everything we read or watch or play?"

[chef_chocobro]

It was to be expected, really. Most people talked to him as if he were an adult. The prince was really the only one he would be able to think of that didn't.

There was a long, quiet look of disapproval at the purloined raspberry, but Ignis figured that, well, he was her guest. It was her raspberry to be purloined,and he should concentrate on his response, anyway.

"I think," he said, carefully, "that if you're going to do something fun and enjoyable, then why shouldn't it also be useful and helpful? That way, it's more efficient, wouldn't you say? And that way, you're not wasting any time."

[deathsmajesty]

"You train, darling, do you not? Physically, I mean? Perhaps with weapons...? Or at least in some..." She paused to remember Dean's stupid Halloween costume. "...Gym-like capacity?"

Ignis shook his head.

"All right, then consider this scenario: you have to run thirty laps around my home. You get to fifteen laps before you need to take a break, exhausted. I tell you that you should spend the entirety of your rest practicing dance. I love dancing, after all, I think it's fun, and also it's a useful and helpful skill, and therefore practicing dance will make your rest much more effective. What are all the flaws in my argument?"

[chef_chocobro]

"Well, those are both two physically demanding activities," Ignis noted. "If you take a break to dance, you are not giving your body the nmrest it needs to recover for the second half of the run. You should rest with something that engages the mind, instead, especially since just running around a house however many times is hardly mentally taxing."

It sounded quite miserable, actually. Like something Gladiolus Amicitia would think was fun...

[deathsmajesty]

One day, Ignis, that would be you, too.

"Mostly correct, my darling," Liliana told him. "But first, physical exercise is mentally taxing, and physical exhaustion moreso. Intense physical training and intense cognitive tasks affect the same region of the brain. So when you do intense physical exercise, you are actually worse at cognition, my darling, and need to rest your brain and body both."

She went to steal another raspberry. This was called sharing, Ignis. Enforced sharing.

"Your brain is a muscle much like any other. It gets fatigued when you work it and it needs to rest. Ignoring that and pushing it to continue simply further degrades its learning capabilities, at least until you let it rest. So frivolous and light mental activities serve a valuable purpose: they allow for your brain to rest, while still providing mental stimulation. This may frustrate you deeply, my darling, but the fact of the matter is, rest and relaxation, both mental and physical, are actually required for optimal performance."

[chef_chocobro]

Ignis listened carefully to Liliana's reasoning, nodding a little as he chewed it over while also chewing a bite of toast. He swallowed it down, and reached for the can of Ebony to follow it, frowning slightly at how close to the bottom it had gotten.

"I suppose," he allowed, half-wondering if he might have another one before shaking his head a little to chase that errant thought away, "you make a very good point if one has been engaged in other strenuous activities, both mental and physical. Frivolity may be acceptable then. What what if one insists upon the needful frivolity when one has hardly done anything at all? Much less anything strenuous! What then?"

Not that he was thinking of anyone or anything in particular! Of course not! Perish the thought!

[deathsmajesty]

Liliana considered him for a few seconds, then sighed. "You have no idea how much I am sure this is going to be used against me," she informed him, meaning by him personally, but he wouldn't understand that just yet. "I am too much a teacher for my own good. Hmph."

Another long-suffering sigh and then she said, "There are many reasons for this, my darling. One may simply be at capacity - what you consider to be very easy may be a great deal to someone else. They might be at capacity from other things you're not considering. Illness, additional responsibilities, extra training...even emotional issues can take a toll. It's much harder to focus when you're grieving or angry or worried or stressed, and your need for rest increases."

She looked at him again with that considering look, though with slightly different calculations in mind, and then got up and slide next to him on the bench instead of across.

"There are some people who are just truly lazy," she admitted, "but they are much more rare than people think. I know who you're thinking of, but you have you truly considered his point of view? Throw away the idea that he's just doing this because he's lazy or doesn't care or is being a brat. Can you think of reasons why Noctis might be acting out in these ways? What he might be trying to accomplish?"

[chef_chocobro]

At first, Ignis looked a little confused about why Liliana thought he would use anything against her like that, and he was doubly confused...a bit startled, really....when she came to sit next to him. He stiffened where he sat, uncertain, and then nearly protested when she mentioned the prince more directly. He wanted to tell her that he wasn't talking about him, really! But Liliana had been kind and open with him, so she deserved the truth and not to be lied, too. Especially when she hit the nail so succinctly on the head.

Well, almost...

"I don't think he's a brat," he said, almost witheringly, wondering if she'd been talking to that Gladio too much! "Not at all! I know he has to handle a lot, especially after his injury, but that's why he has me to help him! And I'm supposed to help guide him to be a great ruler some day. But it..." He drew in a breath, his hands curling up into nervous fists in his lap while he hesitated, already feeling he'd complained too much, "I find it very...frustrating, when aim supposed to guide him and teach him and he doesn't want to be guided or to learn! When he says 'just one more level, Ignis!' Or 'do we have to? I'm tired.' Or 'but we did that yesterday!' But it's all important, and I just wish he understood that more! I can't help him when he won't even help himself.

"And," he added, with emphasis, giving Liliana a pleading look because this was tge worst part of all, "he doesn't eat his vegetables ."

[deathsmajesty]

Heard it here folks. Talking to Gladio too much: confirmed.

"Okay, so, for the vegetables, I don't have anything for. Vegetables are delicious and if he doesn't understand that, he's just wrong." Though she laughed at that, she was a little more serious when it came to addressing the rest of it. She reached for his hand, so much smaller than she was used to. "It does sound very frustrating," she agreed. "You have been given an important responsibility, being the companion and guide to the next ruler. And you want to live up to that responsibility and help Noctis become the ruler you know he can be, and that his people deserve. But that's also a lot on his shoulders, too. One thing, my brother told me when we were younger...sometimes he was jealous that he was the oldest. Because my sisters and I? We never had to think about our parents dying. There was a war, so it was something we were scared of, yes, but we didn't have to think about it. But him? The heir? His whole life was all about 'when you become Count Vess, my lord' and 'when you take over your father's lands, young sir.' But do you know what they're saying? 'One day, when your father is dead and you have the title, my lord' and 'one day, when your parents are gone and you've taken over the lands.' Every day, over and over, given these very big shoes to fill and the constant reminder that, one day, our father would die. It is one thing to know that one day, your parents will be no more. It's something very, very different to never be able to forget it."

She looked around, wishing she had something to drink. Her throat was a little dry, the only reason why it needed clearing. Without thinking, she reached for the can of Ebony to take her usual sip.

Sorry, tiny!Ignis. She was momentarily distracted from your tininess by--nothing. Never mind. Unimportant.

"I will admit that I don't know much about Noctis. But it certainly sounds to me like Noctis is a young boy - he's younger than you, yes? By several years? - who is looking for a little more control over his own life and exerting it over what few things he can. Video games. Comics. Vegetables. Maybe a little bit like a boy who hopes that if he acts out enough, perhaps he can see his father, since it doesn't sound like Regis has a great deal of time for him." SINCE HE DECIDED THAT A CHILD OF SIX WOULD RAISE HIM JUST FINE. "Maybe a boy who is resentful that he has to obey to someone who is his peer, and not an adult. And possibly...somebody who doesn't believe that the people around him will stay, who is scared of what he must become, so it's better to push them away, to not care, because then when he is alone, when he has failed, at least it's because he chose to, and not because he tried his best, he truly did, and yet his best wasn't good enough."

Not that Liliana would know anything about that. Because she was amazing.

"I don't know. All of this is speculation; I've never met him. And none of these are really rational thoughts, he's probably not even aware of them. But the thing for you to be aware of, Ignis is...yes, he needs to know the things you're trying to teach him. But does he need to know them now? Because it sounds like he might not yet be ready for a guide - but it does sound like he maybe needs a friend."