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From: [personal profile] indeferent
[ He's been busy. Very, very busy. It's safe to say he hasn't been checking his journal over the past week as much as he ought to have been, but that's fine because he doesn't need it to talk to a few couriers who had traveled from Tikal, to Coba, and finally to Kiichpan. It didn't take much convincing to send something back with them, and with strict instructions to deliver it to one Law of the Jaguars.

Only Gladio didn't know that Law wasn't in Tikal at the moment of sending it. The couriers arrived in Tikal on the 28th, and upon learning that not only was the young Jaguar not there but he'd also been injured in Coatepec, arranged for another courier to finish the final leg of the journey. So, the delivery itself is late. Late, but intact. It's the Salamanders who take it at the door of the lodge. The Salamanders who carefully open its contents so Law wouldn't have to strain himself. The Salamanders who carefully arrange the contents at his bedside table in the "clinic" while his father was conked out in the chair beside him.

At the bottom of the pile sits a pair of matching squares of fabric in a rich purple, each one seeming to be embroidered with some sort of animal in gold - wolves. Sitting on top of that? A wristband carefully woven from soft strips of leather, and a bundle of dried meat wrapped in parchment. And nestled next to that? The real piece de la resistance?

A single BIG cup noodle, and stuck to the lid is a note in Gladio's flowing handwriting. ]


Hey, kiddo

I bothered Prompto for some deets about the date you two had cuz I was curious and wanted to make sure things went okay. He mentioned the chickens, and I also remembered something about how you said they'd wind up in your house sometimes? So, the cloth is something I asked a friend of mine here in Kiichpan to make. They're just curtains, but they should deter them a little if you're trying to sleep and also keep the sun out of your eyes. Trust me, I know how much of a pain it is to try and sleep in when nature tries to say "no." Sometimes you have to treat yourself and get an extra hour of beauty sleep, you know? Anyway, I couldn't remember what an alpaca was called when I put in the request for this, so I hope wolves work just as well. They even put a little snap button so they stay shut - I still can't believe they use gold so freely here. That stuff cost a fortune back home in Insomnia.

We got the pelt back too pretty recently along with some extra leather that the guy had to trim off. I found another person and had 'em turn it into the bracelet I sent along, and Iggy seasoned some of the meat that we kept and turned into jerky. It's a little gamey, but I think it's pretty good. Anyway, next time you come over you have to try the blanket out. Even with the humidity and heat early in the mornings on some days it's actually really nice? And at night it's perfect to keep the chill away and it's big enough to cover all four of us at once and then some.

Third... I went to that dragon statue in Coba. Prompto said if you left an offering it might leave you something in return, but I'll be honest: it sounded a little too good to be true and I didn't wanna get my hopes up by asking for something I really missed, so... I asked for this to test the waters. Went back the next day and bam - an entire six pack was waiting. I'm down to four now (gonna be three probably come the 2nd), but I thought you might wanna try the big ones.

Protip: Try cracking an egg into it like you did with those burgers.

I hope this gets to Tikal in one piece, so if it doesn't? Holler at me and I'll chew the couriers out for swiping or feeding whatever was missing to some monster out there.

- Gladio

P.S. Whenever you decide on getting that tat, lemme know. I wanna be there for it!
P.P.S. I think I'm gonna ask the dragon for my grill next time I'm in the area. Or maybe my books. Thoughts? Hoping he might take pity on the future birthday boy ;)

See you soon!

g a s p

Date: 2022-04-01 09:36 am (UTC)
indeferent: <user name="ponponpon"> (pic#15405654)
From: [personal profile] indeferent
[ Truth be told Gladio wasn't expecting a response beyond a message in his journal in that familiar chicken-scratch he'd grown accustom to seeing from Law. He'd been lazing about on the shared bed in the house when a muffled voice calls out from under his pillow - the first call of his name pulls him out of his own slumber, and the second spurs him to sit up.

Noct, move your ass. I gotta—

Law's voice gets clearer the instant he pulls it free, and immediately his brows pinch together at how rough his voice sounds. He must've just woken up like he did, huh? Either that or he caught some sort of cold which would explain both the silence and hoarseness. Either way, Gladio manages to wriggle free of Noct, the bear-skin blanket, and every other one they've all collected over the past few weeks. ]


Kid?

[ A low yawn, a hissed ow following a thunk, and there's more noise as Gladio makes his way through the cramped room, up the little set of stairs leading to the second floor, and beyond the small doorway leading to what counted as a "balcony". It wasn't really one, but it had enough room for a potted plant and maybe two small people to sit out on it. With his own size, there's barely enough room for him to sit but he manages. ]

Nngh- No, s'not 'til tomorrow. Why?

Date: 2022-04-01 06:57 pm (UTC)
indeferent: please let me know! (purged, etc?) (pic#15505932)
From: [personal profile] indeferent
Time flies, huh? It's still hard to believe I've been here for about two months now.

[ Would they ever return home? Gladio isn't sure, nor is he sure if he wants to. His duties as a Shield say yes. That he should want to, that he should be there to safeguard the people of Eos in Noct's stead until his return. ...If he ever returns from the crystal. His wants and desires as a person on the other hand say no. That part of him wants to stay out of a selfish need to keep his friends close and as safe as possible. Would that he could bring the others he loved most so they'd be safe in a world where they didn't have to fear the darkness.

But that's neither here nor there. ]


You don't have to do anything, Law. Truth be told I'm not even sure what I want to do for it... [ It's going to be the first one he's ever spent without the rest of his family. No dad, no Iris, no Jared... He's got the guys, but still. ] Why'd I what?

Date: 2022-04-03 04:03 am (UTC)
indeferent: <user name="ponponpon"> (pic#15405652)
From: [personal profile] indeferent
Same reason you just gave me - I wanted to.

[ Did he need a reason to send something? Not with his upbringing, no. It wasn't too uncommon for Gladio to leave little things here and there for his friends back home in Insomnia, but they'd always been little things. A candy bar here, a surprise coffee there, take-out from some fast food joint on his way to the Citadel or to someone's house, things like that.

But Gladio's attention drifts from the reason and instead circles what he think he'd heard over the medallion. ]


...You alright? You're not sick with something, are you?

[ Somehow he'd never even considered their immune systems here. Shit. ]

Date: 2022-04-03 05:22 am (UTC)
indeferent: (pic#15582260)
From: [personal profile] indeferent
I'm gonna sound like Iggy, but you ought to take better care of yourself. If you're running yourself that ragged it isn't going to be good for your body in the long run. You get sick easier if you're lacking too much sleep, and I don't know what kind of medicine exists here. Colds are one thing, but pneumonia? That's something you don't wanna tangle with.

[ He's still got that little stash of curatives, but would they work on something like that? He doesn't know or think he wants to find out the hard way. Honestly, kids. They think they're invincible. ]

Coatepec's the place with all the healers and stuff though, right? So... You listen to them and do what they say. If you're that set on getting me something, I can talk to the guys about heading out that way. I've kinda been wanting to check their libraries out anyway.

Date: 2022-04-03 05:36 am (UTC)
indeferent: <user name="ponponpon"> (pic#15405646)
From: [personal profile] indeferent
You can't expect us to stay holed up in Kiichpan or Coba forever, you know. They've got those carriages, and even if I don't exactly trust the Spiracorns they use for 'em...

[ It beats walking! ]

Besides, you don't even know what kind of books I'm into.

Date: 2022-04-03 05:51 am (UTC)
indeferent: some of these I found elsewhere (pic#15505925)
From: [personal profile] indeferent
[ Fortunately (or unfortunately) he has heard someone who had just come out of anesthesia trying to hit on him. He'd been the poor dude's ride home, and man. That poor guy. ]

Hm... Historical fiction? That's my big one. I had this four-piece set back home by one of my favorite authors, but I lost track of the second book in the series before the big roadtrip. Certain fantasy ones, and...

[ Wait for it. ]

Romance. Especially historical romance.

Date: 2022-04-03 06:07 am (UTC)
indeferent: <user name="ponponpon"> (pic#15405661)
From: [personal profile] indeferent
What's so weird about it? Can't imagine a big guy like me reading something called Captive Rose or My Highland Warrior?

[ That wheeze does get him to shoot the medallion a concerned look, but if Law says he's just tired? He'll take him for his word. Now if he gets sick, then he'll whip out the told-you-so. ]

Or is it that you can't imagine someone like me being into that whole forbidden romance between a princess and some dude living in the slums?

Date: 2022-04-03 06:28 am (UTC)
indeferent: <user name="mirrorcoated"> (pic#15405674)
From: [personal profile] indeferent
What image would that be?

[ Gladio snorts softly, but he's not offended by anything himself. If people have an issue with his hobbies, that's on them as far as he's concerned. ]

Prompto's probably the most "regular" out of the four of us, but yeah, I have. I went to public school and everything. Just 'cause my family was technically nobility doesn't mean I was some snobby rich kid who had an outfit for every single day of the year and ate fish eggs every night.

Date: 2022-04-04 07:31 pm (UTC)
indeferent: <user name="ponponpon"> (pic#15405646)
From: [personal profile] indeferent
Who says I can't be a badass with a soft side?

[ He gets it. Once he got a taste of that "commoner" food, he was ruined for everything else. Were it up to him he'd probably have lived off Cup Noodle for his entire highschool career, but he had his own health to look out for too. Still, give him greasy diner food any day over those tiny ass "meals" from five star restaurants. ]

Usually it's the other way around. One of my favorites involved this badass barbarian queen kidnapping a princess for ransom money, but then it turns out the girl didn't wanna leave because she got her first real taste of a normal life without suitors, responsibilities, and all that stupid high-class stuff. That queen taught her how to sail, how to tame wild Chocobos, hunt for her own food, camp out in the wilderness, and even fight. Eventually both of them started to fall in love with each other, but it took a full book and a half and the princess nearly losing her life before the queen actually confessed. Not all of it is "Renan filth", kid.

Date: 2022-04-04 11:17 pm (UTC)
indeferent: (pic#15506080)
From: [personal profile] indeferent
It's not that bad. Sure, some can be pretty corny but I like 'em. I've never had someone sweep me off my feet, so getting to live through the characters in those books is the next best thing.

[ Sap? Sap. ]

In their defense there was... Five? No, six books in the series. I almost got one signed by the author but I chickened out at the last minute 'cause at the time I was embarrassed to be caught reading 'em by the rest of the guys at work. Still figuring myself out at the time, you know?

Date: 2022-04-04 11:44 pm (UTC)
indeferent: <user name="ponponpon"> (pic#15405646)
From: [personal profile] indeferent
Flowers, breakfast in bed, chocolates... Yeah, all that mushy stuff. I dated a girl for about three weeks who was obsessed with getting her hands on my hair and I think that's the biggest thing I miss about that relationship. No one else ever dragged my head down in their lap and did that.

[ Should he feel sheepish about admitting this? Maybe. Maybe he does, but beyond a little uncertainty in his voice it's hard to tell. ]

'Course if someone wanted to pick me up and carry me bridal style, I wouldn't say no.

Date: 2022-04-05 12:10 am (UTC)
indeferent: <user name="mirrorcoated"> (pic#15405669)
From: [personal profile] indeferent
Mm... I get that a lot. Big guy like me? It usually catches people off guard when they find out I'm serious.

[ Okay, definitely sheepish and more than a little self conscious. Still, he's not exactly ashamed of it! It's just. Funny-weird. ]

...I like gladioli, if that helps. That's, uh. That's what I was named after. Any sort of lilies, actually. And sage. Not rosemary, but the actual flower.

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From: [personal profile] indeferent - Date: 2022-04-05 02:44 am (UTC) - Expand