Starting Over Again (Noct)

[Repa Raines]

Warrior Princess
Yeah I'm a Princess...but I'm no Damsel in Distress...Far from it.

The sky was dark and the air a bit chillier than normal for this time of year, but then again, this was another…slightly unfamiliar world to Repa. She’d been here a few times in her life, but not very many to remember it all that well. This was the home world, of Noctis Lucis Caelum, a friend from her past whom she hadn’t seen in awhile. There was no real reason for her arrival here, just, ever since she departed her own home world or Delatorr, she needed some places to go, and being out and away from family, she figured, why not stop in, say hello, and catch up? Although there was a reason for her departing her world in general. Guilt had haunted her mind since the death of her older brother Drake, it just seemed that danger, doom, and disaster targeted Repa, like a magnent. So she thought coming here, seeing Noctis again, would put her mind and emotions at ease. Then again, Maybe this would be a nice place to stay for awhile, instead of just a short little visit, it had to be better than home with a raging civil war at her doorstep. Repa shook her head dismissing the thought of her hopeless home world and how she wouldn’t go back for awhile…unless something big came up…

Repa stared at the buildings around her. Some things were starting to click in her mind, the memories of wandering this city hopelessly trying to find the residence of Noctic surely helped her remember her way around…somewhat. Of course the time of day, or night, she picked didn’t help her all that much, so she walked in the general direction that she thought she should go, hoping It was the right way. Walking around for quite a bit gave her time to think. More like remember. Memories flooded her head of the multiple secrets she had, most no one knew, but Noctis, her friend knew well enough of these things she hid from everyone else. Repa wouldn’t normally open up and share these pieces of information, like…her name so to speak. The name she goes by, Repa Reaper, was simply a nickname, given to her by her fellow classmates in school, and after the death of her brother, she took on that name more so as a joke due to her ability to wipe out anyone with the touch of her palm. Reaper, death, it worked. Truly though her name was Repa Elizabeth Raines, daughter of Nicholas Raines, king of Delatorr. That was one fact that could be left alone for a long time as far as Repa was concerned.

Memory lane died down as Repa smiled to herself, letting all the thoughts and memories rush out of her head and be replaced by a sense of…relaxation and relief. She had made the right choices in which directions she went and by now she was staring at the home of Noctis. Sweet success. She hoped this would be a pleasant visit, and that he was still the same Noctis she knew and cared about. With a few excited, light, speedy steps, Repa made her way to the door and stared at it for a moment. She’d surely have to think of a reason to just pop in like this, otherwise there might be some assumptions that something was wrong and what not. Repa would have time to think about that after the hellos and how are you’s were over. “Okay, enough worrying Repa, just knock and wait. Don’t act stupid. This is nothing, just calm down. I'm sure everything will be perfectly Fine.” She told herself before sighing, then with a strong nerve and somewhat jittery emotion coming on, Repa lifted her hand and as she balled it into a fist, knocked against the great door and waited. Waited to see her friend, which she probably should’ve visited a long time ago...

[Noctis Lucis Caelum]

~ There is Nothing either Good or Bad, but thinking makes it so ~

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Trembling at it's slit opening, the great door ran with it's lines of age and darkened colour from the marble flooring to touch the cieling. Here was the central hall, somewhat exclusive to those from the outside and this resonating knock murmured something worrying for the prince as he sat, at the very end of his fortress' atrium.

Cold air surrounded him, haloing with the bare rays of light that were silver and grey shining through the tinted glass of what used to be a Cathedral monument. Dead centre, befitting a throne room was where one could sit and hear everything that came from all sides of the hall.

Onto his feet he rose, noting that today was less daunting than the previous, because the enemy never dared to knock at his door. Not perhaps until now...? Or was he thinking too much...
Curiousity was rising like a hot air balloon from his expectant heart to his cautious mind, and the prince took a step down a stair platform freezing in the silence trying to contain himself from overzealous wonder.

It was unlikely he could hear anything that happened beyond the immense barricading entrance, but his ears were pricked for the voice of an intruder or perhaps the deliverer of a message. Such peaceful treaties were long gone now that Tenebrae was divided; he was bordered off and so had more use in being defensive than interested.
A listless sterling blue shade circled his iris and flooded the gaze he cast towards the reflecting texture of the patterned ground. For a moment he closed his eyes as they drooped, and blazed the little specs of dust that shone, illuminated by the streaking light as he vanished to stand, closely leaned against the heavy door, by an inch in contact with his hair.
It was unnerving for him to speak out, this was not even what he would normally do but it was still but early evening for the worst to come. Beckoning, he signaled so discreetly at the sensor with his usual casual wave that others would believe he had cast the door open with his mind; the slit opening parted slowly outwards.

As soon as there peeked the silhouette of Repa Elizabeth Raines, Noctis stared with the utmost shock, amplified by his forced reservation not to make an outburst that it felt suffocatingly nostalgic. There stood his childhood friend, when all memories and dreams of content youth and innocence was lost, she was there to remind him that the dark times of his predicament had some hope. If their trust still remained...
Those were haunting thoughts in the back of his mind, like the neverending troubles that plagued him at the brink of what he could handle. His pulse raced then slowed but ...it couldn't be... and he was too proud to clarify his doubts.

Round as his eyes had swollen, they now narrowed in speculation and judgment for a few minutes. There were the unnoticeable twitches at the corners of his mouth which pressured him to smile, and though he resented succumbing to the joys of seeing his old friend again, he exhaled deeply with relief, expressing an amusement at the same time.
To the one who saw right through him, he stalled his questions of what brought her here, and never did it occur to him to worry further of a political set up and whatever more ploys his enemies might play to him.
"... I'm... truly... astounded."
There was a tone of sarcasm and to tease her indefinitely for being able to find him so far from home and in this gloomy land but no one could ever be sure of what he implied along his sentences the majority of the time; it wasn't the best line to address someone after what felt like hundreds of years but he understood Repa knew the him he shut out from strangers.

[Repa Raines]

Warrior Princess
Yeah I'm a Princess...but I'm no Damsel in Distress...Far from it.

Time seemed to stand still as Repa waited for some kind of response. With every second seeming like an hour Repa had some time to think, quick thoughts that flashed from one to the other. Just because time felt like it was going slow didn’t mean she had all the time in the world to space off, so better do it now. Her mind seemed to wander back and forth between various ideas, memories, and thoughts. There was the thought of home, the pain and heartache her departure must’ve caused her family, especially after losing two family members already. Losing another one, not in the same way, not necessarily death, but a loss none the less, would simply break the loving relationship they as a family shared. But out of guilt, guilt that weighed like a thousand tons on Repa’s shoulders, had forced her to leave all she knew and the ones she loved behind, so she could get a new start.

All Repa really wanted to do was forget the bad things in her past, not that she did much but still events that had caused devastation in her life, either directly or indirectly to her. Of course there were lots of memories and people she wanted to hold onto, to keep in her thoughts, like Noctis for instance, an old childhood friend that Repa had fond memories about. Those were the good days, when things seemed to be heading in the right direction, none of this ‘rock bottom’ Crap like Repa believed that’s where she was heading now. A clean slate was all she wanted, end of story really, and leaving home, leaving dreadful memories, and leaving great memories, was the way to do that. To start all over again.

Repa sighed as the seconds didn’t move any faster now that she thought at least one thing through. She folded her arms as her anxiety started to increase. Either she was really impatient, or some people around here were just plain slow, she figured it was the her being really impatient. And just in the knick of time before Repa would knock again, though it hadn’t been long since she had first knocked, the door opened, and there stood Noctis. Repa kept silent as she just sort of stared at him.

It looked like Noct, but would he still be the friend she remembered? Losing a friend like that, would be hard, but seeing as they hadn’t seen each other in awhile, it just goes to show, people drift and that if you wanna keep someone in your life, you gotta pay attention to them and not just expect them to be there when you decide to see them again. But just as Repa’s anxiety exploded within her, Noctis spoke. It broke the silence. Not only did it break the silence, it helped Repa decide how things would look from here on out. This was still the same exact Noct is she knew and cared for. That was great, it eased some of her tension up a bit.

Repa let out a slight smirky laugh as her blank expression turned into a more relieved and happy one, with a small smile crossing her face she sighed a sigh of relief. “Astonished that Im here? Or that I found you without getting lost?” She giggled at her own lack of humor when she tried to be funny. Sometimes it just never worked, most of the time it happened when she wasn’t trying. That how a lot of things worked with her. If Repa tried to do something, sometimes, not all the time, it failed, when she didn’t try, well sweet success.

After a moment of realizing this would be a good visit after all Repa let her tension and anxiety all go before she stepped forward and locked Noctis into a tight hug. “It seems like it’s been forever since I saw you last. Im Sorry I haven’t kept in contact all that much…” She mumbled letting him go and stepping back again. “…Things have…been a little hectic lately back home…” She smiled before her smile faded down some, a question she was wanting to ask, just to be sure she wasn’t being intrusive or anything. “I hope this isn’t a bad time for me to Uh…drop in like this.” Repa said rubbing the back of her head with sort of a sheepish smile. She could’ve mentioned she was coming…somehow. Instead of just popping in whenever without any warning.

[Noctis Lucis Caelum]

~ There is Nothing either Good or Bad, but thinking makes it so ~

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The stare had been pulled straight into that amusement he had too soon. It was returned but he hadn't all the preparation in the world even if he had the gift of foresight to see the next thing coming. What she had been so obviously been studying him for, aside from the similar precaution he'd pondered over, was baffling for the occasionally self conscious man. It was something she brought with her, something he'd forgotten and was sent spinning with; a hug of cheerful greeting.

It comforted him; the something lacking in his life and very much appreciated solemnly and secretly. It was not that he longed for something in contact, nor of the human touch but merely the genuine happiness in the embrace of friendship and care. This all seemed to bring him down from the up there level he had climbed to be indifferent on; to be in stoicism had kept him going many a day.
Noctis saw that she was uptight when he had said nothing, but when the words poured from his mouth in spite of all the ellipsed pauses, she retaliated him with smart taunting. It was both her being here without getting lost and the fact that she was here, that astonished him; he admitted in a flicker of his gaze that went to the bottom left corners of his eyes then circled back to her.

His face relaxed, the very muscles that pulled each expression together seemed to give way to a glow of youth that she'd drawn out of him with her very presence; he was fond of her after all, throughout his awkward growth. That reminded him of the last thing he was surprised by, how much she had changed, or how little... and it made him notice that he had also grown up considerably since the last time they had met face to face. It was time to wonder whether to make a mention of it or not; it seemed like an awful lot of patronising if he did point out she was no longer a 'little' princess and that she was now naturally, looking up to meet his eye.

Meekly smiling, he advised her sheepish smile with his own humility for being less forward than she had been. There had been too little time for him to hug her back, and he knew he was never going to be the one to initiate hugs though they were great. Blinking a little, Noctis woke himself from the subject that could daze him for valuable minutes of their reunion and stepped aside from blocking her directly in the entrance. A gesture of invitation and paying no mind to what was going on in the background, he was focused on what she last stated, lips parted to speak but with a restrained tongue.

Things had been damaging in his home these late couple of years, whereby his fate seemed to be plagued with death to those loving him and life to his loneliness. One thing that changed for the better though was that he had eliminated an enemy, made new acquaintances here and there and found the depth of friendship like he never dreamed.
"Ah... No ...it is fine. You're always welcome here... " Fine suggested, a very normal time... more of a better time than the usual he used to fend off intruders.
A part of him probed about how much she knew of him, too much... that he could ever let her get away from being his dear friend. Those accidental bouts of laughter he shared with her in his memory, before their lives went for a turn, were golden and not meant for anyone else to know, as he recalled promising himself; they were children but he was not supposed to show he had ever been, in the present day.

Maybe things were going to readjust themselves from here on out...
Bowing his head, the strands loosening from his fringe fell and shook as though he was disapproving his own revelations, and the prince breathed heavily. It was such a shame that what he would say to her always seemed to tease her or left a vital point hanging but it didn't make his people's label for him any less coldblooded and insensitive. "It must have been a long journey... things have been altered... just enough... here since the last time you arrived... I apologise for not being in contact all that much either, but I... don't contact anybody in general..."
He was babbling to her as if the time jump of their meeting had never happened, and he trailed off accusing himself of being an alien in his own body. "... but you already know that... I think..."

[Repa Raines]

Warrior Princess
Yeah I'm a Princess...but I'm no Damsel in Distress...Far from it.

Repa knew Noctis far too well enough to judge anything. The slight silence was all okay with her. Its not like she expected him to…jump for joy for her arrival, if he did, that would’ve scared the daylights out of her most likely, although the thought of it made her snicker a bit, it made it look like she was laughing at nothing really, quite strange, although she created many difference scenarios in her head when the real world was silent. A place to escape reality for awhile, a day dream, she always seemed to have on when things started to get rough, it kept her going and it wouldn’t let her give up on anything. Those dreams and hopes she had kept her alive.

As Noctis stepped aside from the door entrance Repa took a few slow steps inside, automatically taking in the atmosphere, and examining all the details of his home. After looking around for a few short minutes, and after she had walked completely into the room she turned back to look at Noctis, a blank expression with only a small curved smile on her face as the excitement in her heart died down now that she had actually came here and seen her good friend. This was a good idea to her. Perhaps it was the best idea she could come up with, at least she was some place where she knew someone, instead of no one, and who was a good friend to her, no dangerous threats…yet. Repa was such the danger magnet, so accident prone it was almost as if Doom followed her around every place she went.

Repa’s attention was drawn back to reality as Noct spoke once again. Her smile grew a little as she nodded at him. “Thank you…I…really didn’t know where else I was going to go after leaving home.” She shrugged her shoulders some feeling a muscle in her back tighten as the thought of past events had haunted her before. This is what she was trying to escape, those memories she wanted to forget, the curse she was given and the depression she had been put in for awhile only a short few years ago. These feelings that started to hurt now Repa tried to hide behind a mask, as she did very well. A smile and no tears usually kept this mask going. She laughed lightly for a short moment. “Guess contact slipped both our minds.” She said placing her hands on her hips and shifting her weight around letting her eyes wander again. She wasn’t really looking at the details of the room, more like…missing the days of being a kid again…where the only problem was choosing a crayon color out of a crayon box…Unlike today’s world of death and despair.

“Noctis? I hate to do this not 5 minutes after stepping through your doorway but….” Repa bit her lip, she wanted to see if she could stay here awhile, try and get a start on this ‘new slate’ thing she wanted so badly. “…I was wondering…If maybe I could stick around here for awhile….I’d….rather not go home for awhile.” Her eyes shifted downwards as she now stared at the floor. Seems their lives had taken a similar turn. Death…of the ones you loved, a world torn apart by some of the stupidest things. Seemed all the worlds anymore were tearing themselves apart with disagreements and wars over things that could be easily resolved, but no one would listen or care to change their thought of something, because…well everyone though they themselves were right and everyone else was wrong.

Hopefully Noctis didn’t mind her sticking around for awhile. Probably not too much to worry about, after all this was the friend Repa told practically everything to. She didn’t have very many friends back in Delatorr due to her…erm…special gift. It naturally drew people away, but not Noctis. For once, in someone’s eyes, she wasn’t being judged harshly for something she didn’t have control over…that’s the real reason she liked Noctis so much, they were somewhat similar in a way, and he never judged her as…as the monster people had labeled her as back home, and these labels were the reason Repa kept to herself a lot at home, and didn’t open up to anyone.

“I…just needed to get away from all the stress of home life….I hope you understand….” She sighed. “Life just isn’t the same as it used to be….childhood…heh, when you’re a kid you don’t have a care in the world….now an adult into the real world…life isn’t all sugar and rainbows as I once believed…” She wasn’t really talking to Noctis right about now, more to herself, thinking aloud, but talking to him, and thinking, they both applied here.

[Noctis Lucis Caelum]

~ There is Nothing either Good or Bad, but thinking makes it so ~

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"And yet you still managed to leave and come all this way... it seems I have more reason to be amazed."
So remarking to Repa's thanks, he broke the smile that had so formed out of a brief foreign feeling to express his formal self, into a smirk that quite possibly only she was ever going to live to make a fuss about. The princess was a brave one, venturing into such darkness without a preplan of where she was headed, but he approved of such adventure that he couldn't experience entirely the same. These chains of his were invisible, but stretched only to portals and yanked him back by his blood bond, to his duty here.
"It's nothing..."
He concluded and shrugged a little, his shoulders sagging back in that instant of motion, causing his sleeves to rustle. There was his customary gesture, while he began to walk a pace ahead of her though he wasn't sure she was going to follow, to waved a hand dismissively to her without turning back.

"I could do with your company for a while anyway..."
It wasn't that he had no company but Repa's was going to add a touch of magic to this dull place of his, complacent as it had been from inside out. This was especially great as he knew his friends were going to be pleased to see her too; they hadn't been able to as much as himself had, ever since their fun days in the playground.
For all he could do, he should be understanding to her and moreover her situation even if he was missing the details, not just because they were best friends but for the extent of how he could relate. Those words of stress and getting away, the home life... she spoke of, echoed in his head and were like songs on constant playback.

Noctis knew what she was saying didn't target him at all, for how he didn't really get to be a child, and neither did she. However more of one she had managed to enjoy being in those days, still meant they applied to the story about life turning upside down, shedding it's sugarcoating.
"Perhaps we will have time to figure something out..." He too, stated absentmindedly, as if in response to solving their dilemma, when there really was nothing more they could change with carpe diem presently. His vision had hazed at this time, and stared into the space ahead while he walked slowly with a stalking poise, leading them back to the living quarters.

From a child to a man, he had never spent much time by this entrance save being sat upon the gloomily flat seat of a throne, in a slumber that faked sixth sense awareness and generated philosophies from oxygen that passed him. "You know this building well if you still remember... and you didn't bring anything with you... I'll get that sorted."

Rejuvenated, but still acting for lack of a better word 'cool', he paused and turned to gaze at Repa most curiously for a good minute, while his feet still continued printing a pathway of a memory. This was the dramatic difference between how he treated her and how he associated himself with Stella when she had needed a place, he had embraced both occasions with astonishment but thereafter, total calm which made things a whole lot simpler.

After all this time, he finally supplied the answer he'd felt within, from the moment she'd opened up to him about everything when she was seven to anything she mentioned now, again, that he believed her and complied to her hopes of being someone to trust; they went so far back in his mind that not even death had any affect. "I understand."

[Repa Raines]

Warrior Princess
Yeah I'm a Princess...but I'm no Damsel in Distress...Far from it.

Repa let her eyes focus on Noct for awhile now. The now distant memories of years past flooded her mind. Things were different now. Now they both had more responsibilites to attend to, not that they didn't have any before, but now, at this age, you were pretty much on your own. But there were those times, when you could forget everything and just take a break. Friends always helped with that, they're always there for you and seem to make you forget the tough times. With all this thinking going on Repa might get a headache. Her life had somehow twisted itself into a soap opera gone wrong, with all the drama and what not back home, hence she left.

Repa couldn't help but be all smiles now. That was just her nature when she was happy, smiles and hugs, that was Repa! With a sigh she finally decided to speak again. "I tend to amaze people sometimes...that and scare a few off but thats just me I guess." With that she rolled her eyes at her own comment before following Noctis as he walked. She figured, might as well follow, might be more to talk about, so she did, silently.

"Well I hope my company doesn't dull this place up..." Repa stated seriously. "I highly doubt my company would be at all entertaining...of course...I could always drag you to the mall and make you shop with me." She had to laugh at that seeing as that would probably NEVER happen...again. Ah the good days of being able to get away with anything with a few tears and some poor puppy eyes. But that was a few years ago, when Repa could pull off a nice pair of puppy eyes and the cuteness factor and what not....like some sort of real life Chibi...

Noctis then had reminded her of something very important. Repa didn't think to bring anything with her. Oh so very smart. How was he going to sort that out? Oh well, best not ask questions now, at least Repa had brought money with her, that was one thing she knew she would need. "Oh yes, I remember some...But im sure i'll remember more after...walking around a bit i guess." She shrugged plotting maybe perhaps she would go the the mall, get some stuff and call it good, of course not dragging Noct along, unless for some strange reason he wanted to go, but that would be his choice, no teary puppy eyes this time.

Repa's smile from before had actually faded over time as they had walked, but once stopped, and Noctis had said he understood, Repa's once long gone smile had turned into a weak little smile as she had her hands folded infront of her, normally a hug would've been her first intention, but she decided to wait on that. "Thank you Noctis...I owe you. Thanks for all this hospitality and letting me stay here...I...I'm so glad I came here..." She sighed some, nothing to be sad about really. "But all around thanks for everything and anything. It's good to know I have someone I can run to when times are tough. So if you EVER...need anything, you let me know." Returning any favors was the least Repa could do.