week five, saturday

[moraled]

[He doesn't really want to return to his room. But ultimately, he doesn't have a choice. There is nowhere else for him to go, after all. Sara is in prison, and her room is long empty.

He has no reason to be there.

He sits in his room, on his bed, and watches the clock tick down. He's always been early to bed.

But.

Not tonight.

No, tonight he sits there, with his head in his hands and his fingers buried in his hair, and wonders what the hell he's going to do now, wonders what even is left.

What is even left now?]

Comments

[moraled]

[........ fanclubs.

It's fanclubs

Hero worship. Name chanting. Utter and obscene hero worship in all fashions.]

Tis rather...difficult to describe, I suppose. If nothing else, I... suppose I do have their trust.

[He looks kind of embarrassed though.]

[elemancy]

[what is this reaction, even? barnham definitely looks a bit embarrassed, which in turn...

well, it kind of amuses him faintly, despite everything.]

You sure "trust" is the right word for it? [he chides—because he doesn't think that's right, based on is reaction.]

[moraled]

[Guh...

Guh.

He just mutters, defeatedly:]

They take things too far... they take everything much too far. I am merely one person, and their belief in me is quite honestly very....

[?? Confusing? Weird? Frightening?]

...Concerning.

[elemancy]

...Concerning?

[barnham, explain? HE SEEMS SO FLUSTERED and noct is really unsure as to why. even though he should get it because he definitely has had fanclubs of his own.]

[moraled]

[He seems flustered because he is flustered, all he wants to do is be a knight not have fanclubs and people who chant his name when he shows up.]

...Ah. Yes.

[Concerning.

Mmhm.

That.]

Their...hearts are in the right place. I suppose it had best be left at that. They may take things too far, but... I shall happily accept their trust in me.

[elemancy]

Not like it isn't deserved. ...Their trust.

[maybe.

you know.

not the parts that are concerning about it, but noct thinks that barnham is very much so deserving of what trust and respect he gets from others, if nothing else.]

[moraled]

[Honestly, Noct, stop being cute and endearing!!]

... No, I suppose it is not.

[He worked hard to earn it, after all.]

They are overzealous, but they mean well. I should not balk at that.

[elemancy]

[he's just saying??? barnham is very trustworthy and good!]

Probably not. Can't say I wouldn't be a hypocrite though. I've... dealt with some people like that.

[overzealous girls, usually. unsurprisingly, going to school with his peers meant that they tended to... really try and get his attention.]

[moraled]

I would not be surprised that you have.

[Being a cute little princeling and all.

He'd imagine that comes with the territory.]

The Storyteller, too, is quite popular as the ruler of Labyrinthia.

[elemancy]

...Guess it comes with the territory.

[he says what barnham is thinking with faint amusement.]

Kind of annoying when it's just a bunch of shrieking teenage girls.

[moraled]

[He quirks an eyebrow at that. He can't help it--it's really funny to think about.]

Oh? And how did you handle that one, precisely?

[elemancy]

Uh. By... walking away, usually.

[he was even worse at that stuff as a schoolkid than he is now. he was too shy and awkward to know how to deal with girls trying to get his attention just because they wanted to befriend a prince.]

[moraled]

[Noct... you're so awkward... He snorts softly at that.

Even he's not that awkward.]

I...see.

[...]

I do hope you have discovered a way to more graciously handle such situations.

[elemancy]

I... don't really run into it much these days. But I think I'm probably better with it now.

[listen, okay. it was tough to deal with that stuff, he just wanted to do what he was at school for so he could go home and not have to deal with it.]

Making friends in school is tough when you're the prince. It was just that kind of thing.

[moraled]

I see. Truly, I could imagine how that would be difficult. The days of schooling under an esteemed teacher are of great importance to a child's development.

[... Barnham just likes school. Like a nerd.]

[elemancy]

[barnham is definitely a much different kind of nerd than noct is.]

Yeah... something like that. [really, he probably would have rather slept through his classes, but the crown prince of lucis getting bad grades was obviously not an acceptable situation.]

Not too important now anyway. Been out of school for a bit.

[moraled]

[Fair....... Instead, Noct's been trying to save his kingdom and shit? How the cookie crumbles.]

Very fair indeed.

[He shakes his head simply, sighing softly.]

Truly, the gall of taking so many people away from their purposes in their own worlds for someone's amusement... it is truly baffling and beyond comprehension.

[elemancy]

Yeah. But... it is what it is now, right? We can't change that part.

[as much as he loathes it. really, he hates it so much in every way, but.... all they can do is try to find a solution.]

[moraled]

... Yes, we can't change a single thing about it.

We must simply continue to persevere onwards.

[It's all they can do at this point.]

[elemancy]

We will.

For now... we probably both should get some rest though.

[moraled]

I will certainly not argue that.

[He sets aside the empty cup of noodles and nods--they can chill together, at least, tonight.

And tomorrow...they'll take on the rest, come what may.]