A LAWFUL WASTELAND

[counterattack]

[ it's December 8. Law turns 18 today. at this point, he's been living in Copalli for over a year. during the final relic fiasco, he achieved trance within about five seconds (because it's basically overlimit) and faced Tiamat in her castle because he had a score to settle with dragons (dragons, wyverns, same shit) and had enough taking shit from these mother fucking guardians in this mother fucking jungle. it was epic.

anyway, it's a few months later and Law lives in Tikal again, down at the bottom of the crater. they've built bridges and pulleys aboveground, as well as created a system to keep the crater from filling with water when it rains. although most of his farm was lost during Tikal's fall, he's rebuilt it bigger and better than ever and repopulated it with even more chickens, hogs, cows and even a few semi-domesticated mist monsters. there's also proper crops, probably due in part to at least one friend or another planting on the huge expanse of land he's set up there. he also rebuilt the inn that collapsed on top of him back then, and this time it's actually finished. he got a local business manager to help run the place and they export animal products and crops all over Copalli. the inn is booming. it's great.

all is well.

except now it's his birthday and Law is just trying to go about his business like he doesn't know that, strapping on his fancy wolf gauntlets and shouldering a big pack of supplies to go make some delivery trips to the other cities. nothin' to see here, not ya lil dude all growed up, a solid 5'9" (and a half) with some cool tribal tats done over his wyvern scars and something of a more mature countenance, buuuuuttt still the dweebo dorkus doofus meathead he's always been.

ANYWAY, THIS IS #LATERGRAM INCENSEDVERSE. medallion him, meet him at any of the cities, fight monsters together on the road, pretend there was a party planned that he's trying to sneak out of showing up to, WHATEVER WORKS. ]

Comments

[messenger]

[ no doubt cas pushed himself too hard when everything was popping off with tiamat, transformed again, and blew his powers out for a while. in the aftermath, he and dean returned to tikal and, after he recovered, went full tilt helping the reconstruction effort. for that reason, he and law haven't spoken much, but he did help the boy punch a giant god-wolf to death (by stabbing it a lot to distract it) which means when he hears from someone or other that it's his birthday, he figures he should... say something? do something?

so he contacts law out of nowhere when he definitely isn't busy with anything more important /s. his voice, over the medallion, sounds almost accusatory. ]

Is it your birthday?

[counterattack]

[ ah god fuck. how is that particular tone so jarring? in person, Law jumps like he just got caught doing something he's not supposed to be. ]

Ack—uhhh... what? Who, me?

[ QUICK, STALL ]

[messenger]

[ it's probably how you should feel when an angel calls you out.

maybe not this particular angel, though. ]

Who else would I be talking to?

[counterattack]

[ nah he's seen this angel bleed. ]

Geez. Yeah, alright, it is. I'm not, like, making a big deal out of it or anything, though. Who even told you...?

[ besides, like, everybody?? ]

[messenger]

[ don't talk about his blood, you bitch ]

Even the natives know, Law.

[ like, duh??? ]

[counterattack]

[ he's seen it. he's smelled it. ]

Wait, seriously?! Why would they know that? I didn't mention it to anybody! I-I mean, I was here last year, but that was just... I mean... I hadn't been here that long or anything.

[rinwell]

[ Why is he so much TALLER NOW

If he hadn’t shot up like a weed in the last few months, filling out that extra height with extra muscle, and all those fancy tattoos offsetting old scars left by certain past battles, Rinwell probably wouldn’t care. But she is still short, barely growing half a foot taller in the Copalli-based interim, so there’s definitely reason in her mind to huff and puff.

(It’s fine. She’s fifteen. Plenty of time to have her own spurt later so she’s not 5’3” forever. It’s fine.)

Right now though, she’s perched on a railing outside the Eagle messenger post; travel pack at her feet, Hootle on her shoulder, and attention partially on the road out of town and partially on the Phoenix crystal resting on her palm. Fire magic may still not be her forte, but the power in the crystal had healed what could not be seen and helped unleash her astral artes once more - and helped those who’d fallen around her during the final attacks, getting them all back on their feet. Back into the fight. She hasn’t called on it again since, but carries it with her just in case. Things were Better(tm) but that didn’t guarantee anything when on the road.

There’s a faint hoo in her ear, which brings Rinwell’s attention back to the present. And she lifts a hand to wave at Law, getting his attention before hopping off her seat. ]

All set?

[ For this absolutely ordinary, no planned surprises at all Nope none what so ever Ordinary Routine Trip between cities. Yup. ]

[counterattack]

Yep.

[ Law grins, totally relaxed and totally unsuspecting. It isn't that he insisted on no birthday things, gifts, or anything like that, he just hadn't made a point of mentioning anything about it at all. It's not so weird, really, when you think about it. Like, what Dahnan is all that used to being like, "hey, it's my birthday soon" and having anyone around them care? Sure, yeah, he had a big party a year ago and it was great, and he sure doesn't act the same as he did back home after a whole year of living in Copalli, but... still. Old habits, or whatever.

Anyways, Law gets his kicks in lording his extra inches over her from time to time, just not right now. Especially not when Hootle's around, because then the little (getting bigger though, geez) pest will just fly up and try to peck his eyes out. His pack's notably lighter after this Coba dropoff, but there's still plenty more to do, and it seems like a perfectly fine and sensible use of his time, birthday or not. (But particularly, like, not.) ]

You sure you don't just wanna take a spiracorn? It's faster.

[rinwell]

[ even when perched on her head, Hootle can’t look Law in the eyes directly any more. At some point he’ll also lose said favourite perch as he grows up and fills out (not unlike his Rival), but he hasn’t hit the gangly teenaged bird phase yet (yet). Until then, he’ll settle for glowering as per usual. ]

Do you have something that needs to be delivered that urgently? [Rinwell doesn’t; plenty of things signed and sealed that need delivering, but no need for speed was specified] The trail is pretty secure these days, but if you’d rather not walk, I guess we could grab one. Or maybe one of the sleds?

[counterattack]

Nah, not urgently, I just figured—why not?

[ yeah, but with Law, it's always a Need For Speed. it's clear skies all the way from here to anywhere they want to go, so speed isn't even a necessity anymore. at this point, the incense does more good than harm (selectively; sometimes shit still gets fucky, guess the world dragon has some kinks to work out just yet) so it isn't as if they have to hurry to avoid getting turned into wolfmonsters anymore. still, old habits die hard there, too.

and also, yeah, he may be bigger and smarter, but he's still a freak that thinks BIG DEMON HORSE GO NYOOM is fun. ]

I don't mind walking. Or, uh, if they have a cab that isn't being pulled by those giant bugs, maybe... is it just me, or do they always seem like they've got the mantises lately?

[rinwell]

[ Mageling and owl-gryphlet give the older boy a knowing look, even if she doesn’t comment on his need for speed. After all, she’s still (nominally) an Eagle: in the past, the faster you could go to avoid the effects of the mist, the better! ]

If we do, I’ll have to ride with you. I’m still considered too short to ride one alone.

[ She isn’t quite as noodle-arms as when she first arrived, but no amount of magic might save you if your mount desires to flip over backwards, crush you with its weight and then eat you! ]

They are a bit easier to catch and tame. [the mantises that is.] not everyone has your way with animals, after all.

Fuuufuuuu.

[indeferent]

<sub>[ truthfully Gladio hadn't expected to find Law until later so when he catches a glimpse of him in the streets of Coba just as he's leaving the vicinity of Ye Olde Faithful Statue, he's almost thrown off guard. keyword being almost. once the recognition sinks in, he adjusts the bag he'd retrieved and goes into Stealth Mode which... given the sheer size of the Shield it's a little scary. it's easy enough to navigate his way through the crowds that come and go (even easier when most of them give him space) without giving himself away, and once he's close enough to Law...

he swings his arm out and catches the younger man in a loose headlock, yanking him close against his side and assaulting his scalp with his knuckles. just because he's not on Eos anymore and technically a quarter (half?) behemoth doesn't mean he can't continue being the Annoying Older Brother figure, right? ]</sub>

There you are, runt!

[counterattack]

[ it shouldn't be so easy to sneak up on him, but Law has distractions to keep him busy, and he's not really expecting to run into anyone he knows and hasn't already heard from today. he's in Coba dropping off stuff from the farm, and the time he spends talking back and forth with someone at a market stall, handing off bundles of corn and packages of eggs, and then going around in circles on payment should give Gladio plenty of time to pull a fast one. ]

No, seriously, I don't need extra. Just keep it! It's fine. See ya later!

[ not even two steps. not even two steps and suddenly he's captured and dragged a few paces back. he lets go of his travel back to immediately grab hold of the arm around his neck, so it's a really good thing he already offloaded those eggs, otherwise it'd be a real catastrophe. it's just lucky the noogie comes before Law can sweep the leg and break his hold. his reflexes are wayyyy faster than his brain is. ]

Nghgghhh, cut that out! Gah—Gladio?! C'mon, stoooop!

[ and as soon as he gets free, of course the first thing he does is fix his hair. it's really growing out. he's almost got enough for a teeny tiny ponytail in the back. ]

What, were you lookin' for me or something?

[indeferent]

_{[ two. that's all it takes for Gladio to cinch his hold that much tighter so he can finish off the noogie properly with an extra tussle of hair and its with a snort that he "reluctantly" lets the kid break free. free, but not out of range because as soon as he sets to fussing with the mess he'd made, Gladio (gently) knocks his hip into the other. ]}

What, like it's hard? I can see that tail of yours from a mile away.

_{[ says the one who has a pair of purple, fuzzy behemoth-esque ears and the equally lethal set of horns to go with them. neither of them do a very good job of blending in all things considered but hey. details, right? ]}

But yeah, I kinda was. You busy?

[counterattack]

Leave my tail outta this.

[ pas possible. his tail is very prominent. the tail has grown proportional to the rest of him, and has remained just as immensely fluffy as well. he isn't quite as overly self-conscious about it now that he's had awhile to get used to it, but he still gives it a flick to hide it behind himself anyway.

Gladio bumps him, and Law bumps him back, then bends down to pick his mostly-empty bag up off the ground. nothing fell out of it, partly because there's little more than his map, compass, and a few other survival supplies left in there in the first place. he seems surprised to hear he was actually sought after, but it's hard to say if that's willful or genuine ignorance. ]

Nah, I just got finished here. I was gonna hit up Viento's before I leave. You, uh... need some help with something?

[indeferent]

_{[ his only response is another snort and a half-assed grab for the tail - whether he misses or not doesn't really matter. there'll be plenty of opportunities for a proper Grab-n-Yank and none of those are out in the streets where the entire population of Copalli can see, no matter how tempting it is. one ear flicks in thought, brows furrowing for a moment before he shakes his head once. ]}

Nah. Well... Unless you wanna celebrate? I got somethin' pretty special from the statue. Viento's might be a good place to bust it open, 'specially before Princess and the others catch wind of it.

_{[ only they probably? wouldn't? at least not before Law has had a chance to get his hands on it. ]}

Figure it's a good time to return the favor from earlier this year.

Points at eyes, points at you

[sincleavers]

[It's amazing, the things that can change within the span of a year. Alphen doesn't have to look far beyond his own appearance to see the effect of the time he's spent in Copalli. He's perhaps a bit taller (just enough to barely, barely outmeasure Law. Not that it's a contest. Or anything.), ruddier; his hair has grown a bit, though admittedly, he keeps it tied back most of the time. The most prominent changes, though, are ones brought on by the incense: fissure-like cracks that run the length of his arms, down his back, streaking across his torso like the stripes of a tiger. They don't burn to the touch, but they look like tracks of lava...and it took some time, but he finally stopped hiding them.

He, too, has been busy: rebuilding his home and Tikal, taking on more responsibility within the Jaguars... Not so busy that he's neglected the date, though. Whatever plans they have as a group later, he's got his own during the day. That doesn't stop him from pausing outside of the Jaguar lodge for a moment, though, remembering his first moments here in this strange world.

One year. It's a little hard to take in.

He knocks on the doorframe of Law's house when he arrives, if for no other reason than to announce his presence.]

Law? You here? I brought some lunch.

IT'S TIME TO FUCK SHIT UP

[counterattack]

[ A whole year. Law's been thinking about that, too. About his birthday last year, the party in his tiny little house—this tiny little house, in fact. Even if he's built a whole inn and a farm, he still hasn't expanded his own living space, only made the repairs necessary to live in it again. Humble and modest, and last year it was full of people. Right before all that, though, was the Tezcatli ruins, his first experience with turning into a monster, attacking people at random, nearly getting his insides torn out by his dad. He kept it together until after he'd reported in to Jaguar, who didn't seem fazed in the least. Then he stepped outside the lodge and made a fool of himself in front of Alphen.

Not for the first time. And it wouldn't be the last, either, as it turns out. And there's probably still more foolishness yet to come, but that's okay, because he'd much rather foolishness than... you know. The other thing. It still eats at him, and every time they're around each other it's a game of mental gymnastics to keep it off his mind. It's not supposed to be on his mind. They dealt with it. It's done, past, over.

And yet here he goes, throwing a whole pile of those blankets he likes so much (he got a ton of new ones after the old ones got ruined) onto his bed and looking up at the knock, at the sound of Alphen's voice, and he has two immediate, conflicting emotions: instant delight and instant guilt.

Luckily though, delight wins out. It usually does, where Alphen's concerned. Hard not to, y'know? ]

Hey! Yeah, come in. I just cleared off the table. Did you cook?

[ it's? actually? kind of clean in here? mostly? ...almost? ]

Whew, good timing. I was actually startin' to get hungry. It looks pretty good in here, right?

[ (unsure squinting) an effort was made ]

[sincleavers]

[Funny thing about the past. Just because it's over doesn't mean you never have to think about it. In some ways, Alphen is an expert on that subject -- he's not immune to thoughts of the past: Lenegis. Naori. Even blurry memories of his days in the army. Let alone the particular incident that they've danced around for so long.

It's hard to miss, and he hates it -- the slight hesitation between either of them that stretches out between "hi" and "hello." The inner battle between regret and the resolute desire to move forward. Is there a point when something is too broken to fix? How would you know you've reached that point, if you did? In that second before Law answers, Alphen wonders about that, as he often does...and he finds himself exhaling when he hears a response. As he often does. The smile broadens.]

I sure did. You cleaned?

[It's not that it's not noticeable, it's just that he...hasn't...noticed. But now that Law points it out and he looks around...he nods.]

It does look good. All ready for [...u-uhh. For what? For nothing, that's what. Nothing at all.

He pivots with:]

Hey, wanna give it a try? Mabo curry. I think I've finally got it down.

[He's lucked out once or twice recently and it's turned out perfect, but before that, it was still a little on the hot side. So he's trying to see if he can get it right for real, without lucking out.]

[counterattack]

Oh... yeah! I'm game.

[ Disregard that ever so slightly nervous oh. Listen—look. He's basically been through all the stages of Alphen and his cooking... twice now, technically? The Hell (Literal) stage, the Trying His Best stage, the Bless His Heart It's Edible stage, and the Holy Shit, This Is Genius stage. Back home, and then again here, and it's all basically played out the same. Trouble is, since they got to Copalli, Law has never seemed to have a free brain cell available to remember what stage they're at, so he either finds himself overly unwilling or entirely too willing to eat whatever Alphen's made, depending on how stupid he is that day.

He can't remember what stage they're at now, either. Like... no mask, but when was it he stopped killing everybody with the curry? Did he ever? There was definitely a point when it wasn't lethal, yeah.... probably... oh well. You know what? He's feeling ready for a little risk. And hey, putting potentially dangerous food in front of him is a great way to distract him from wondering what it is he's supposed to be ready for! ]

You get that set up, I'm just gonna... grab something real quick.

[ The "something" that he grabs is from the storage over in what could loosely be called his kitchen, kept cold courtesy some ice flan leavings: milk.

If he's gonna do this, he's gonna come prepared. It's the only way. He just... gently places that bottle on the table along with everything else as he sits down. ]

I knew there was a reason I decided to keep this around instead of shipping it off with the rest.

here to gay it up again

[indeferent]

<sub>[ He'd found them weeks ago in the wilds not far from Coatepec. Or more accurately the behemoth found them. While Gladio has significantly more control over that particular side of him since the whole relic thing it wasn't quite enough for him to be at peace with it. Fear and doubt beget death alone, that's what Gilgamesh had told him after their bout in the real Tempering Grounds. Fear and doubt regarding that beast would only put the people he loved most at risk, so in the tried-and-true Amicitia fashion he'd decided to handle it himself namely by, well. Going out into the wilds where the incense was thickest and letting it do its thing. There haven't been any other notable changes yet, but he'd cross those bridges when he came to them. For now what he needed was to find true control. A way to get a better handle on an already temperamental animal combined with his own temperamental attitude and harness the strength it possesses.

To say it's a struggle would be putting it lightly. Something had caught the attention of the beast but rather than fight instinct, Gladio chose to follow it. That something had turned out to be a particular scent that he was growing more and more familiar with since December only it wasn't right. It was faint, and covered up by a heavy layer decay. The trail brought him to the large, still-rotting carcass of what had to have been a drake or wyvern; the jaws had been snapped open by something big and its belly had been savaged open while it had been alive. Further up the tree where its corpse lie crumped was a detached forewing, and all around it the ground had sizeable divots that made the behemoth's paws feel small despite being bigger. As disgusted as he had been Gladio is really just thankful that the beast had simply sniffed and pawed at the remains rather than actually eating them like he'd thought, and the instant it had uncovered an object he hadn't seen since the accident it had all clicked in his head.

Gladio wrenched "control" away from the beast, grabbed the item between his teeth, and ran. He ran, waited for the changes to revert in the relative safety of Coatepec's lodge, and ran again to Tikal.

That had been weeks ago. Now he was in Tikal again, sequestered in a corner of the blacksmith's shop and bouncing his leg while he fiddled with the corners of his journal. Was he afraid? Gods, no. No, it was just... Gladio makes an odd noise in the back of his throat, hunches over the counter, and throws open the pages to start scrawling. It's not the same flowing script that usually makes up his handwriting but hey, it's still pretty damn fancy. ]</sub>

Law
you around tikal right now?

(EYES BUT GAY)

[counterattack]

[ He'd kind of thought things would be different. Turning eighteen, hooking up, all that. But life's pretty much the same as usual. He feels more worldly, so there's that, but it's kind of crazy how business as always can keep a guy busy. He does have a farm and an inn to run, after all. A lot of people all across the continent are relying on him now—for supplies, food, and shelter. Sometimes protection, too, when he goes out and takes care of monsters, or when they need someone with a, uh, special touch to handle the particularly ornery carriage-pullers. And let's not forget about his classes a few times a week.

He's a busy dude.

Right now, he's got some rare downtime. "Downtime" for him is "just got finished shoeing spiracorns," something no one in their right mind would ever dare to do, but he's both learned how to do and done. Look, they get better mileage with some good horseshoes on, alright? The blacksmith makes 'em special. He got the order in over a week ago, and it sat around on his to-do list, so he finally got around to it. He's got his journal, his lunch, and some bits and bobs he's hoping to fashion into a makeshift bridle at the little table in his tiny house, the walls and foundations cracked after it'd fallen along with the city, but unlike the inn, it'd remained standing. Damaged but still whole, just like him.

When he spots his name appear on the latest page of his open journal, Law sets down the braided rope in his hands and picks up his pen. Outside, Fang the Fang is barking joyously as he "herds" the chickens out in the yard. Just chasing them around, mostly, but it gives them all some exercise. ]

gladio? yeah i'm at home
what's up? you ok?

WINKS GAYLY

[indeferent]

yeah I'm f
I'm golden yeah

<sub>[ And full of nervous energy — something that was still incredibly foreign to an Amicitia. Gladio taps the end of his pen against his bottom lip, even going as far as to worry at it as if he were sitting in some doctor's office filling out paperwork instead of talking to a friend. Is this how Prompto feels most of the time? Because wow this actually sucks with a capital "S". Logically he knows there's no damned reason to be jittery, yet every time Gladio's eyes drift away from the page to the wooden crate he can see in the workshop beyond the counter as it's being filled with straw and fabric he feels his insides do a funky little flip-flop.

There's no reason for it but Gladio knows this is a big deal. At least... He thinks it is, anyway. It sure feels like something to be anxious about that's for damn sure. ]</sub>

you busy or is it cool if I swing by? there's something I wanna show you
and before you ask
NO
I ain't flirting



this time

[counterattack]

[ Ah, c'mon. How is it that even that gets his ears burning? Look, they haven't had that much time to spend together in person since his birthday (not none, but not as much as he, uh, wishes they'd had), but that hasn't stopped the banter from carrying on, and it's just never gonna get old, apparently. He can't help it, man. Even "no I'm not flirting," handwritten, still sounds like flirting when it's coming from Gladio. ]

i wouldn't mind if you were buuuuuut
yeah of course you can come over! just watch the front gate. fang's on chicken duty.

[ which means he's likely to have a dust cloud of feathers and slobbering monster dog ba-gawking its way outta here. It wouldn't be the first time. Those chickens are opportunistic little shits. ]

[indeferent]

<sub>[ He'll take a flock of chickens over chocobos, but nobody tell Prompto that. Not that he's got anything against the trusty steeds, it's just harder to shoo them away when they start crowding around his boots to peck at the laces. At least when they're only shin high he can give 'em a gentle nudge-and-toss, you know? And with Fang, well... Dogs, man. Gladio can't say he's ever had one, but as far as 'Animals That Try To Eat You And Are Now A Pet' go, he's not half bad.

Definitely more preferable than a spiracorn at any rate. ]</sub>

one the effect is lost without the entire emoji dictionary at my fingertips. peach + eggplant kinda loses its charm when you gotta draw it.
two, so long as he doesn't jump up on me this time? I got something fragile

_{[ Well. ]}

k maybe not fragile but it's uh
precious cargo?
might wanna clear your schedule for the day bcause of reasons
be there in 10? think they're gettin the lid on in a sec

_{[ They definitely are, and just before it slides into place Gladio catches a glimpse of it. He doesn't have history with the thing and he already feels a vague twisting sensation in his chest. ]}

unless you want/need me to pick something up on the way?