Now you know it's so much better to pretend

[thatsit]

Since the revelations of the meeting the mood in the Palace had shifted. In part, that was because the population had shifted. A number of attendees had left for their own homes once more, and the air had felt a little less tense ever since.

Bellatrix had been the first to depart, slinking off with her tail between her proverbial legs before anyone had chance to notice her retreat. Ariane Emory had stayed the night and left for Gralea the following day. Ignis had no doubt the woman would be back, but since her chances of laying her hands on the stone were currently zero she'd likely considered it a waste of her time to linger. He wasn't sorry to see the back of her black clad followers, whose impassivity was unsettling and existence an affront, although neither of those things were the fault of the individuals themselves.

Sir Integra and Alucard had stayed an extra night, which Ignis suspected had more to do with the presence of Noah clan in the Palace than Integra's own wishes. Alucard was a barely leashed attack dog at the best of times, but the Palace was, if not a no-combat zone then at least a neutral one where residents were expected to behave themselves. Ignis had sought her out prior to her departure, and they'd spent an hour discussing the meeting, the attendees, and Ignis and Gladio's plans to stay on a while longer.

She'd promised to pass his well wishes to his aunt before she'd left.

The Noah remained, though they seemed more intrigued with the Arrancar than they did with Ignis and Gladio. It wasn't unfounded; the meeting had held a number of revelations, not least the fact that Captain Aizen's underlings were daemon-infused experiments. It explained a lot about some of them, such as why, despite their reputations and behaviours, they were kept around.

It only raised questions about others. Nel, for example, seemed perfectly level headed and competent, and even had a background as a ranked watchwoman, and yet as one of Captain Aizen's Arrancar, she was infused with daemonic power. Why she had consented to that was a small mystery, and one that was probably rude to enquire about unless one knew her personally.

She was preparing for another visit to D District, maintaining the air that she was Captain Aizen's lover. Ignis had informally taken over some of her kitchen duties, duties that were not, Nel had said, given to her but which she had assumed because it was that or allow a disorganised free for all that would see inhabitants surviving on cup noodles and ready meals, and no one ever washing the dishes.

Aside from anything else, it gave Ignis a good position from which to ingratiate himself with the Palace's other inhabitants. Some were self sufficient, stubbornly so in some cases. Others were accustomed to Nel's presence, and became similarly accustomed to Ignis's.

He had two flavoured batches of Lucian Delight, cooled and ready for slicing into cubes to one side. He'd found an apron too, which made him feel much more at home in the Palace's kitchen. With his sleeves rolled up and his jacket hanging over the back of a chair, he practically looked like he belonged there as he sifted cornflour and icing sugar together.

Comments

[thatsit]

Lumi sounded as if he came from a family of nomads. Perhaps that had included some time spent on Jylland before geography and local politics became factors in his education.

"A shop?" Ignis asked. It was difficult to picture Marluxia as a humble shopkeeper. In truth it was difficult to picture Marluxia as humble. The notion of a man as flamboyantly confident as that turning his hand to customer service was difficult, and that was before you inserted his ability with weaponry into the picture.

The only possible reason Ignis could imagine for a member of Khamja to open a shop was to act as a front, and possibly as a money laundering scheme.

[thesilentstorm]

"Mmm," he murmured, finding it hard to imagine. Ignis, it seemed, had the same reservations when it came to picturing the man who had pulled a scythe from thin air in a shower of pink chakra petals standing behind a desk and serving customers. "Flowers," he elaborated.

A florist. It was certainly his area of expertise. Providing they were in the area, it would be a good moneymaker, he said. Lumi had argued that they'd make more selling flowers in a desert region, like Rabanastre, or somewhere in Ishval, but Marluxia had insisted on the rather prettier and more temperate Rozarria, to no argument from Lumi. Flowers would still sell there, he'd said. Rich people with disposable income liked beautiful things and he could grow the most beautiful flowers.

[thatsit]

Floristry. Ignis considered that for a moment and found that it settled more easily into his imagination when one pictured Marluxia selling flowers. "I suppose he does have the flair for them," he conceded.

There was something almost quaint about it, really. The image of Marluxia and Lumi settling down to a peaceful life of flower selling , living in their house was almost enough to make Ignis a little envious. Though it was still a strange step for members of Khamja, let alone ones as powerful as Marluxia and Lumi appeared to be.

"I assume he won't be selling Malboros," Ignis said, thinking of Marluxia's garden here, and its patrolling guards.

[thesilentstorm]

Lumi's expression went very flat, quite a feat considering his usual subdued emotions.

"No," he said, just as flatly. "No, he will not."

Nobody liked the Malboros. They were revolting to look at, they smelled atrocious and they had wide mouths full of needly, sharp little teeth perfectly suited for transmitting bacteria into the ragged wounds they inflicted. They occupied a position near the top of the list of Spiran fauna -- or flora? -- that were to be feared and avoided at all costs. The list of afflictions they could transmit through breath alone was long enough.

Marluxia's pets didn't attack Lumi, or provide any threat, but that didn't mean he liked them.

[thatsit]

Ah, thought Ignis, something the happy couple didn't agree on. He did his best to hide his amusement, but he'd have been forced to admit that his best wasn't very good. "I take it you're not a fan?" he asked.

Ignis could hardly blame Lumi. Marluxia's Malboros were tiny compared to the ones Ignis had heard about, but they smelled no sweeter, and were no more affable. He hadn't attempted to venture near Marluxia's greenhouse, but it had been disconcerting to walk through the garden and feel oneself being watched by some very aggressive plants.

[thesilentstorm]

"Is anybody?" He asked, giving his head a light shake. "Other than Marluxia, and perhaps Luppi." He wondered if Ignis had seen the Arrancar's tiny, stink-free specimen. He certainly wasn't shy about carrying the damned thing around like a handbag sized dog and wave it at anyone who would look.

The idea of him keeping Malboros around the cottage they had purchased made his skin crawl. The place was covered in climbing plants as it was and Marluxia had assured him that most of them flowered. It was a sickeningly quaint little cottage, spacious enough for an older building, but very definitely on the wrong side of the twee hotel painting scale. The garden was sure to attract more unpleasant buzzing little insects than Lumi could tolerate, without Malboros being brought into the mix.

"If he wants them, he can lock them in his room with him," he said, wrinkling his nose. "They are not roaming around."

[thatsit]

Ignis caught the his and looked at Lumi. "You don't share a room?" he asked.

There could be a number of reasons why they might not, of course. Perhaps one of them snored, perhaps one of them had cold feet, or preferred to read late at night while the other preferred to sleep, or just possibly two tall adult men sharing a bed, however large, made for disturbed sleep for both of them. They were certainly reasons Ignis would give for kicking Gladio out of the bed given the opportunity, the fact they weren't in a relationship notwithstanding.

[thesilentstorm]

"Of course not," he said, looking up from the box containing his batch of Lucian Delight. "The cottage has two rooms, there's no reason for us to share any more than here is for us to here."

It was a bonus, really. It means that Marluxia could fill his room with as much petal-laden nonsense as he could stand while leaving Lumi's as bare as he wanted. Lumi had little need for 'stuff'. He was used to very small living quarters with no space for clutter. There was no need to accumulate it now.

[thatsit]

Well that was enlightening, and surprising. Ignis bowed his head, "Forgive me," he apologised, "you merely seem so close."

Especially after Marluxia's display in the meeting. Instead it would appear that the entire Palace was incorrect in their assumption, despite the overwhelming weight of evidence in its favour.

Though that did call into question said behaviour. Marluxia and Lumi were spoken of as if they were two sides of one coin, inextricably paired. Ignis had witnessed for himself the extremes of loyalty they held; Marluxia had acted in less time than it took for an adept mage to raise her wand and utter a spell, throwing himself into the path of an extremely nasty piece of magic.

[thesilentstorm]

Lumi allowed himself a snort.

Ah, so Ignis thought what everybody else did. In all honesty, Lumi wasn't sure he'd ever spoken to anybody who didn't think that he and Marluxia were a couple. They were certainly a pair, but not a couple, not in that sense.

"Not that close," he said, giving the ghost of a smile, the amusement showing in his eyes. "But I wouldn't worry. You're hardly the first to arrive at that conclusion."

[thatsit]

"I'd imagine not," Ignis agreed. Though he'd have to admit that he wasn't very familiar with the appearance of a relationship such as that on Ivalice. In Lucis such affairs were more private, and became frowned upon among the noble classes when one reached marriageable age.

Duty always came before feelings, after all, and duty to one's bloodline was no exception.

"It was heavily implied by others that you were an item, and based on appearances I didn't question it. That degree of flamboyance isn't often seen in Lucis, but it seems more acceptable here."

Marluxia was, after all, about as subtle as Szayel.

[thesilentstorm]

"If it helps any," Lumi said, picking up another piece of the Lucian Delight between his fingers. "I rather think that's just Marluxia. I don't get the impression that his ... flamboyance is a sign of anything."

It was just him. He was a showboater. He liked to make an impression, especially when it was around eighty percent done to make a point. A hail of chakra rose petals was unusual enough as it was, but when it was accompanying a scythe pulled from nowhere at lightning speed? It was entirely to draw attention.

Lumi couldn't agree with what many said about pink hair being a sign of sexuality, it was hardly fair to assume that every pink-haired Selkie batted for the other team. Szayel certainly played into the stereotype, the man could sashay standing still, but Marluxia..? Less so. He just enjoyed a spectacle. He'd be the same if his hair was as black as Nnoitra's.

[thatsit]

Ignis tried to keep the skepticism off his face at Lumi's assertion. He wasn't an expert, of course, but everything about Marluxia advertised, in rather overt ways, that he was of a certain preference.

Perhaps that was stereotyping, and perhaps it didn't apply on Ivalice where attitudes were different, but something about Marluxia still read as... less than entirely straight to Ignis. The fact that everybody else in the Palace seemed similarly convinced of Marluxia's homosexuality cast doubt on it being only due to Lucian stereotyping.

"Well, he's a sufficiently flashy showman that people have extended assumptions about him to both of you." The loyalty and quiet grace of Lumi likely contributed, but the fact they were a pair combined with Marluxia's flair for extravagance had done the majority of the work in Ignis's assumptions.

[thesilentstorm]

"I did rather get that impression," Lumi said, giving a wry smile.

He was fully aware of what people thought of them, though it nevertheless surprised him a little every time. Just a little. It also amused him a bit that people thought they were a couple largely because of Marluxia.

"I could be wrong about him, of course," Lumi said, giving a shrug. "It's never really been raised in conversation. At any rate, I doubt I'm his type."

[thatsit]

Ignis glanced Lumi over. He had an intimidating, monochromatic perfection to him, so hearing him posit that he simply wasn't someone's type seemed strange. Positing that he wasn't Marluxia's type, especially after the display in front of what had to be half of Khamja's active membership plus some underlings, sounded downright unlikely.

"I find that difficult to believe," he said, giving Lumi a soft, slightly knowing smile. "I might have accepted that he wasn't your type," Ignis admitted, his smile widening slightly, "but not the other way around."

[thesilentstorm]

Lumi gave another soft laugh, smiling very slightly. A smile on him, however faint, may as well have been a grin for how infrequently it happened.

"For all I know, he could prefer your Gladio to somebody like me," he said, helping himself to a piece of the Lucian Delight.

Well, the willowy prettyboy look didn't suit everybody. Lumi knew that he occupied a strange niche in that he was obviously pretty, but also the type of pretty that had a habit of intimidating people. It was a stark beauty, so Marluxia had told him. Like a snowy day. He had plenty of experience with people considering him too pretty to approach, whether they knew he was armed to the teeth or not. It didn't bother him. Intimidation was a good enough weapon.

"I think he prefers women."

[thatsit]

Your Gladio.

Ignis's eyes flashed to meet Lumi's for a split second and then away again. He liked to think his juvenile infatuation was under control enough as not to be obvious, but Lumi's wording gave him pause nonetheless. In his head, Ignis tried a few alternative translations for the line. Perhaps Lumi only meant it in the terms of 'his fellow countryman', rather than Gladio being Ignis's own. Which he wasn't.

Alas. Ignis couldn't say he'd blame Marluxia if his preferences did lie in that direction, but he'd also have to get in the queue.

The assertion that Marluxia preferred women dragged Ignis back to the conversation at hand. He snorted, and covered his mouth with the back of his hand, recovering his composure masterfully. "He certainly doesn't give that impression. Though if you're not each other's type, I suppose it wouldn't be likely to come up."

[thesilentstorm]

Lumi met Ignis's eyes when he looked at him, curious as to why he looked away so quickly. He had assumed Ignis and Gladio were together, but maybe he'd been as wrong as Ignis had about himself and Marluxia. Ignis certainly seemed nervous in that moment, concerned that he'd seen through something he wasn't supposed to.

And then he spoke and it was Lumi's turn to look away.

Not each other's? He hadn't said that. He'd simply said that Marluxia seemed rather disinterested in him. Did he also give that impression? He knew he had a tendency not to display emotion or opinion particularly strongly on his face and that his behaviour lent itself more readily to his perceived role as Marluxia's loyal dog than anything else, but if people assumed them to be a couple... he licked the icing sugar from his lips and gave a slight tilt of the head.

"True enough," he said.

[thatsit]

Ignis's smile retreated slightly. Lumi seemed to be considering what he was saying a little too much.

Perhaps Marluxia was his type? Which would put him in the same tricky position Ignis had found himself to be in. Wouldn't that be an interesting connection to have?

"Preferences don't tend to factor, where we're from," he explained. "Once one reaches adulthood it becomes a matter of duty and family lines, at least for the upper classes, so the conversation often seems moot. I couldn't honestly state with certainty what Gladio prefers either."

He could for himself, he just didn't want to, but it did mean that Lumi not really knowing which proverbial team Marluxia batted for wasn't all that unreasonable. It just meant they'd never had cause to discuss it. Just as Ignis hadn't.

[thesilentstorm]

"Ah," he said, understanding. There were classes he knew of which were similar, back where he was from. Similar reasons, too. Well known family names, supposedly well-bred families. They married for land and power, the same as they supposedly did in the olden days.

It was a rarity, though. Other cultures were rather more common. One major group tended towards marriage and monogamy. His culture tended very much away from that. Spira seemed rather more like the planet-based system, which made a lot of sense. It didn't have the space limitations or a need to vary the gene pool with casual and near-anonymous encounters like the other two.

"Where I'm from relationships with a sexual element are a rarity, as are marriages," he said. "It is... not the done thing to pair yourself with a comrade. The close quarters expected of the lifestyle sets itself firmly against anything that could cause conflict or the possibility of inbreeding. Physical relationships are considered much less important than family, blood or otherwise, and is relegated to a system of casual encounters. I believe the term is 'no-strings attached'."

Were they in Lumi's home, the very concept of him and Marluxia being anything other than allies simply wouldn't come up.

[thatsit]

"That sounds," Ignis paused, the word 'horrible' on the tip of his tongue, but he stopped himself. What Lumi described was not far flung from Ignis's own, very understandable reservations regarding close relationships with other members of the Crownsguard, for example. "Very practical," he concluded. "Though potentially lonely," Ignis added, giving Lumi a slightly rueful smile. "As much as one has opportunity for loneliness in such close quarters."

It sounded very much as if Lumi hailed from a nomadic culture where one traveled with family members or close associates, especially for 'inbreeding' to be considered among the list of concerns. Which would certainly make the fact he and Marluxia were close and yet not physical much more understandable.

"I suppose it isn't much different in Lucis," he added, "with the exception that the no-strings attached relations are preferred to be in the form of adolescent boys sowing their proverbial wild oats on the infertile ground of other adolescent boys so as to avoid upsetting many generations of careful political manoeuvering by getting the wrong girl pregnant." He shrugged one shoulder, as if to shrug the notion off. "Even then, the relationships are clandestine and never acknowledged."

[thesilentstorm]

That made sense, in a strange way. He supposed it allowed the boys to get experimentation and mutual stress relief out of their systems without, as Ignis mentioned, any unwanted illegitimate children. It didn't surprise him that it was kept quiet, though.

His own culture were fairly open about sexuality, with those who stick strictly to one sex being more of a rarity than those willing to take pleasure from both, but the others he was used to were rather less casual. The Palace seemed fairly unbothered, but he sometimes wondered if that was typical of Spira on the whole, or just expected because Khamja was, by and large, made up of strange people who existed on the edge of society at the best of times. They were hardly a normal cross-section.

"I take it your family won't be pleased," Lumi said.

[thatsit]

Ignis's lips tightened. His family, should he tell them of his own preferences and why he wasn't about to produce little Scientia heirs any time soon, wouldn't accept his reasoning. Duty before all else, after all. It was only the fact that Ignis's duty to the crown, and by extension to Lucis superseded any family commitments that he remained currently unburdened by such things. It was a not a state of affairs likely to last.

"Is it terribly obvious?" he asked, looking directly at Lumi once more. He wasn't accustomed to being so easily identified as having a preference for men, let alone the type of man. He didn't think Gladio knew. He hoped Gladio didn't know, and that Lumi was simply unnervingly observant.

[thesilentstorm]

"Not especially," he said, after a moment's thought.

He wasn't entirely certain, but he got the feeling that he might be. He seemed very close to Gladio, though after this conversation, he had rather started to feel like he'd made the same mistake others made about him and Marluxia.

"You're hardly Szayel."

[thatsit]

"That's small comfort," Ignis replied. Ignis hadn't had many dealings with Szayel; more than half the Arrancar had been absent from the building on their arrival, Szayel included. On his return, Szayel had been quick to make an impression.

The man was obviously homosexual, and made a point of it. He made Marluxia look positively subtle.

Of course if Lumi was correct then Marluxia was not gay and could merely pass for a gay man in good lighting. Szayel, conversely, lived up to every stereotype and a few more Ignis hadn't been aware of prior to meeting Szayel. The man was so aggressively not straight that he created whole new stereotypes just by existing.

"As far as I'm aware," he explained, "no one knows, Gladio included." He added, after a moment's thought, "A least in Lucis. Things are different here. People seem to look more closely."

And jump to conclusions based on the perceived closeness between two men, he thought, as Ignis had done with Lumi and Marluxia, and as Lumi may have done with himself and Gladio.