week six, sunday

[moraled]

[It's Sunday evening and Barnham is knock knocking on Noct's door!

What could it possibly be!

Hopefully it's at a time when Ash isn't around because that would be Awkward af.

This is a great starter, shut up]

Comments

[elemancy]

[apparently, ash is not around right now for convenience's sake, where that shady robot is at the moment...

well, we just don't know.

but whatever! it's fine! it makes it a lot less awkward when noct opens the door and offers just a casual (but tired):]

Hey. [before stepping aside to let barnham in, presuming that's what he wants to do.]

[moraled]

[Sure is! Sup, Noct-friend. It's the night before Murder Shenanigans, which is why... Barnham has something under his arm?

It looks like a box. Sure, seems legit!]

Good evening, Noct. Are you particularly busy tonight?

[Don't gotta go macking on Milla or convincing Ash you're not cheating on him--]

[elemancy]

[he's currently not doing either of these things, though when is this nerd ever actually macking on anyone.]

Not really. Just.... hanging out. [trying to clear his head and get ready for what next week holds.

of course...

noct's gaze is shifting to the box? barnham, whatchu up to, bro.]

[moraled]

Very well then.

[Since Noct isn't busy!!

Barnham steps in, and sets the box on the table.]

I would like to show you a common hobby from Labyrinthia.

[Are you ready for this bullshit.

Cal's not ready for this bullshit.

It's

A fucking puzzle.

I hate this canon.]

[elemancy]

[yeah, that sure is a puzzle.]

Is that... a puzzle?

[he knows what it is! but it's not a bad thing.]

[moraled]

Indeed.

[Puzzles!! The true labyrinthian past time??? Roll with it.]

It is a rather common past time for those in Labyrinthia. Perhaps we can work on this together.

[elemancy]

Haven't done one of these since I was a kid.

[not that he's complaining. he seems pretty okay with this idea.]

Sounds like fun. [this seems like such a barnham thing to like, which kind of compels him to it even more.]

[moraled]

[He'll even tell a story as he sets it up, though for a long moment he just nods.

Look at all of these pieces.]

Admittedly I did not truly participate in many of these puzzles until someone I met by strange chance demanded I do so.

But I find they can require a great deal of concentration.

[So they'll focus less on what's to come.]

[elemancy]

Yeah. It's... a pretty good thing to do when there's a lot of other stuff happening. You can just kind of... zone out and worry about how the pieces line up.

[noct gets it.]

My dad did them with me sometimes. I got... hurt real bad once. I almost died—but my dad did stuff like that with me while I was recovering.

[he definitely spent the most time with regis in his life during that time in tenebrae, when his dad was near. and when he couldn't walk on his own during that recovery process, it was simple things like puzzles that help him a lot.]

[moraled]

Is that so?

[Interesting... he's glad for it though. He's not surprised that Noct's father was that caring, not with how much he loves him, but it's still always good to hear of such a thing.

Barnham hums thoughtfully at that, beginning to sort out the pieces.]

I am quite glad that you recovered properly, then. I have found puzzles to be similarly settling regardless of the situation.

[...A beat.]

Though I fear I must admit before we begin that I am not...particularly good at them.

[aha...ha...]

[elemancy]

You're not? Why... do you say that?

[noct's never really heard of someone being that bad at puzzles. he guesses it's possible, but barnham is a smart guy.

is it really that tough?

he's definitely wondering this as barnham starts to set everything up so they can piece it together.]

[moraled]

[Eh......]

It is simply not one of my talents.

[Don't...don't judge him.

He's just

Bad at puzzles, okay!!!]

[elemancy]

Well... gotta be a little easier with two of us working on it, right?

[he won't tease barnham too much about it—even if it's pretty clear that the notion amuses noct a bit.

justice dad!! is pure!!]

[moraled]

[Truly, the purest.]

One can only hope so... [He shrugs.]

Regardless, it shall be a decent use of our time, I believe.

[In that they won't be thinking about murders.]

[elemancy]

Yeah. Gotta take a load off sometimes, right?

[it's too exhasuting, otherwise.]

We might really go crazy if we don't.

[moraled]

[He can only nod, even as he starts to shuffle through the pieces.]

Each of us here is only human. [Ash and a few notable exceptions aside.]

We must do what we can to take care of ourselves in this place as well.

[elemancy]

I know it's not much, but every little bit counts, right?

[doing what they can to take care of themselves. he feels like he hasn't done enough to help the others in that case—but maybe this will help a little.]

[moraled]

That is certainly the idea. If nothing else... tis nice to do something that reminds me of home, even if only but a little.

[Some things are important.]

[elemancy]

[that they are.]

Glad I could help. Might not be much, but I think...we both could probably use it right now.

[moraled]

I believe so as well.

I wished to...thank you, Noct. You have been [a really good friend] a source of support.

[elemancy]

It's nothin'. Really. That's... what friends do, right?

[they offer support to each other. and besides that?]

I know you'd do the same for me. [well, he already has, but still.]