faderift | (no subject)

WHO: Ignis and Colin. Ignis and OPEN.
WHAT: Ignis suffers the affects of the illness - Which for Ignis means non-stop battle training.
WHEN: During the Flu Season Plot.
WHERE: Gallows Training Ground / Closed Comment to Colin takes place in Colin's shop
NOTES: The prose has some small spoilers for Episode Ignis

He wasn't useless. He couldn't be useless, and yet when he had found himself on the ground under a Rift he could do little more than cower behind shields conjured by Saoirse and let her and Prompto take on the demons alone. He had to learn how to listen for the demons here, because while they were similar to daemons in a lot of ways there were enough differences to be wary. He needed to learn the patterns of their behavior and the noises that left them.

There was nothing that could honestly prepare him for that battle though, other than doing it. Right now, that meant getting used to the way his blades worked now. They didn't move exactly the same way they had back home. Traveling through the Rift had fundamentally changed them and he needed to get used to the way the Runes changed the weight in them.

He was trying not to feel utterly frustrated by his situation. He had never once regretted putting on the Ring of the Lucii to protect and he wasn't about to let this new world make him feel that way now. So he used this surprising amount of energy he somehow had found to train.

And train.

And train.

That's where he can be found during nearly this entire illness. The first days he focuses on how the blades feel and ropes anyone willing to train with him.

Then, he just doesn't stop. Not to sleep, anyway. He can be coaxed into eating something, and there a moments when he disappears for a couple hours and comes back smelling of spices and food. Then it's back to training.

[For Colin]

It's the first day of the illness, when he doesn't realize that it's more than finding a good wind. He had spent the morning on the training grounds and then had wandered a bit around the Gallow's proper. The smell of good cooking is what lead him to Colin's shop. There was a strange sense of ache at the scent of good food.

He had enjoyed cooking well enough and he knew he had a good talent for it. It hadn't been something he had thought to do for his entire life before, though. It had been something he could do to care for Noctis. Noctis was... missing now. And he certainly wasn't in this new world. That should mean that Ignis didn't have a reason to want to cook now.

And yet that exact desire lead him into Colin's place. He thinks he'll just taste what is being offered. He's itching to get back out to train and isn't sure that he can sit still long enough to eat a proper meal.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

That's the kind of expression Colin likes to see. He grins. "I did. There's a meal this time every day, same price. Something different every day, depending on what I find at the market in the morning."

"It must be a joy to provide for others in that way," Ignis says, his voice getting a bit more thoughtful and introspective.

"You should be very proud of your skill."

"I'm all right," Colin says lightly, with a pleased smile. There's no doubt as to his talent; he's being humble and slightly cheeky. "My mother could make these incredible things out of very simple ingredients. I learned it all from her."

Ignis smiles gently at that idea. "That would make it a heartwarming memory, I imagine. I myself used to cook for people I looked after. It made the experience part of what it meant to tend to them." For a moment he trails a finger along the edge of the bowl, as if trying to capture a sense memory from the past.

"I haven't been able to recapture my culinary skill since... Well..." he gestures towards his face. "Perhaps one day... But to do so would require some aid."

Colin considers for a moment, brow furrowing. "Well, I could try. I'd have to think about how, though. Cutting things up or dealing with hot pans might require a bit of ingenuity."

Ignis seems to perk up a bit at the offer. "I can still do those things, what I need is someone who knows how it should look to keep watch to ensure I don't harm anything...."

"That wouldn't be any problem. How often would you like to?"

Ignis smiles then. It's not an expression that spreads across his entire face, rather the corners of his mouth uplift slightly. Still, it manages to seem warm and pleased.

"I would prefer once a week, if possible."