Daemons are your eternal companion, from birth to death and beyond. They are your soul, physically manifested, after all. They take the forms of animals, from the simplest cricket to the most fanciful dragon. The more imaginative the person, the more imaginative the daemon's form. Likewise, the more lively the person, the more lively the daemon. Dimwitted persons have slow and sluggish, often naive and gullible daemons. Still, regardless of intelligence, a daemon almost always shows their person’s emotional state. It's not impossible for a pair to school themselves, to mask every emotion and thought even in the most turmoil of times, but for a pair whose daemon hasn't settled it's incredibly difficult.
Settling occurs around, during, or towards the end of puberty, when a child enters the world of adulthood. Daemons, when the time draws near, will likely shift forms less often. However, this does not mean they have any idea of what form they'll take, nor will their person. But when it sets, it sets for the rest of their person's life. There has been more than one unfortunate story of a person's daemon settling in the form of a marine animal - a whale, a dolphin, a fish - which leaves their person unable to set foot on land ever again.
This is because the bond between a person and their daemon is intense, almost palpable. Witches and shamans are capable of parting with their daemon without feeling the strain on their bond, but most normal people will never be able to simply walk more than perhaps a handful of yards from one another at most. If they nudged at the limits of their bonds, they would feel such extreme longing, anguish, and actual, physical pain with the slightest bit of separation. Normal humans can attain the ability to part with their daemon that witches and shamans are capable of, but it is not at all a pleasant process.
Canonically, 95% of all daemon are the opposite gender of their person, and it is unknown why this occurs. Same-gendered daemon are uncommon, but considered a minor anomaly more than something of concern. At worst, a person will be thought of as odd for having a same-gendered daemon. It is nowhere near the same as seeing a person without their daemon; this is considered alien, unsettling, as if seeing someone walking about without their head.
It is considered a taboo to touch another person's daemon. Doing so will instill a feeling of nausea and horror in both the daemon and person, and essentially paralyze the daemon in shock and possibly cause their person to faint. This is not a law that was passed, or something that is discussed: it is simply a thing that is. Other daemons can interact with one another, and often times do. It is how a good number of situations are resolved, with posturing or even fighting done by the daemons rather than the persons. It's not often that daemons talk to another person that is not their own, but it isn't necessarily uncommon.
Lovers, though never done publicly and never talked about, may touch one each others' daemons without feeling that sense of nausea, and instead feel a rush of warmth and excitement. |
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especially when his retainers tend to rise hours before him -- noctis has had to adapt to sleeping through the quiet stir of other bodies leaving the bed, the sounds of ignis beginning to work at putting together breakfast, the soft chatter as prompto and gladio gradually rouse themselves and join him. it's fortunate that noctis has a natural gift for it; he can sleep comfortably in the center of a nest of humans and daemons, and not even twitch when juvo bounces off him and goes bounding out of the tent to bark at the nearby wildlife. likewise, piscari knows just how to tuck herself up against noctis' chest to muffle the sounds of the outside world, just as happy as her other half to stay curled into a sleeping cat-ball until another member of the group comes to rouse them.
so, no. praestes licking at his hand doesn't even warrant a twitch from noctis, breathing staying slow and deep and even. but hell, he's tired -- they hadn't stumbled into the hotel until the early hours of the morning, after a long day of trekking halfway across the world to replenish their gil with another batch of hunts, and even ignis hadn't been able to convince anyone to stay on their feet long enough to get some dinner into them before bed. noctis is thoroughly worn out, sore, and plans on making an argument to stay another night over in lestallum just to get properly rested up again.
but the feeling of gladio stroking fingers through her fur is enough to get pisca to stir just a little, stretching herself out in one long and fluid motion and flexing her claws lazily. and she slits open her eyes just enough to regard him for a moment, then closes them again with a long yawn. ]
Can't we sleep for a bit longer? [ in that familiar wheedling tone. ] Yesterday was hard work!
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What, don't even wanna get up long enough to eat? [ Gladio lays along the length of Noctis' back easily, almost flush with him, cheek resting propped up in his other hand as he reaches to go from petting her head and neck to scratching through the soft fur of her chest when she stretches. ] Iggy'd tan my hide if I didn't try.
[ Praestes snorts from where she stands at the edge of the bed still, but it only takes her a moment to decide that they'll wind up caving into what they want. They have nowhere to be, right now. They'll inevitably go and take on a few more hunts, maybe see if Dave needs help or has any information he can give them, but right now... there's no harm in resting, right? Besides, Noctis' face in true rest is too hard to resist, soft and at ease instead of plagued by nightmares.
So she hops up - more of a high step, for her - and joins the three of them, drawn in by the warmth that comes from her boy touching Piscari. ]
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Ignis can always make us something later.
[ with all the self-assurance of a creature who's been spoiled for her entire life. and she eye praestes lazily, just to make sure she isn't coming to interrupt the petting or make another attempt at rousing her human, before she closes her eyes again to go back to luxuriating in the chest-scritches. a deep purr rumbles up from her chest as she relaxes again, tail flicking contentedly. ]
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He'll probably have new ingredients to play with, anyways. [ It's decent reasoning, and she rests her head on her forelegs, tucking her face close to Noct's. Gladio just snorts and sets his big palm over the curve of Pisca's ribs, rubbing his thumb in the crease of her foreleg as he scratches his fingers into her chest. ]
Fine. But you're not staying in bed all day. [ A fragile threat, considering how weak he is to the purring. He's not the worst culprit when it comes to spoiling the two of them, but he's not completely innocent, either. ]
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We don't want to sleep all day. [ pisca insists, which is... a dubious claim, at best. especially when she's being petted and cuddled, and is just as likely to keep noctis lulled down into napping with a renewed dose of sleepy cat waves. ] Nayvth told us about a fishing shop in town that we should check out before we leave.
[ but she pricks her ears as a fresh thought occurs to her, eyes slitting back open. ] Is Iris coming to visit?
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Even on a lazy near-afternoon, as a burst of warmth spreads from his chest as Noct's fingers curl into Praestes' fur. Her tail gives a single thump on the bed, and she curls her body onto its side so she can properly settle close. With her nose against his cheek, she settles in, sighing in satisfaction. ]
You tell me that, but I ain't sure I believe you, baby girl. [ Gladio chuffs a soft laugh, staying where he is so he can actually see Pisca as he talks to and pets her. Her purr vibrates through his fingertips, familiar and as comforting as the rumble of Praestes' growls.
The question gives him pause though, drawing his attention away from ooey gooey disgusting feelings that stick to his ribs. ] She wanted to. Apparently there's a new Cactuar figure she wants to get for Talcott. Judging by what she told me, you can see her and Hortari before you go fishing, probably.
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[ the daemon insists, tongue stealing out long enough to lick at her pink nose. but even noctis snorts at the defensive tone of her voice, and she flicks her tail at him with a little huff. he's awake enough to follow the conversation at least halfway, even if he doesn't seem to feel like opening his eyes yet to contribute. ] And besides, if we tried to stay in bed all day, Ignis and Sophie would come in and fuss.
[ but there's a little pause at the news that iris is coming, and it's obvious that she has to work to stifle her initial nose wrinkle. it's not that she doesn't like iris! ... but iris being around means that she stops getting pets at her leisure from the other three members of the group, and it also means that she has to deal with hortari trying to corner her and shower her with presents and birdsong.
... of course, she isn't about to express any of this to gladio. or praestes!
that doesn't stop her from trying to wriggle out of an encounter, though. ] Hey, Noct! Maybe he's right, maybe we should get up already! Don't you want to go fishing?
[ and she rolls over to give noctis' cheek a swipe with her rough tongue, rousing him enough to grunt and swat at her. ... and then mash his face even further into the pillow, resolute about not rising to face the day anytime soon. ]
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[ Only one daemon is safe from that treatment, and that's just because Praestes is too damn big for the leopard to bodily move. But that doesn't stop her from dropping the full weight of her body into two paws, straight into the wolf's side, when she picks on Sophia, or refuses to get out of bed when Gladio's feeling particularly lazy or actually tired.
... but this. This he'll get out of bed for, as Pisca tries to rouse Noctis again. He can't help the amusement that radiates off him, lips curling inward so that he doesn't bark out a full laugh. Yeah, he's not a fool. He knows. ]
Think that's a no, babe. [ Praestes jeers from where she's cuddled close to Noctis, her body shaking with barely contained laughter. Piscari doesn't need to say a damn thing for either half of Noct's shield to know she's trying to escape. Gladio has cornered Noct more than once when it comes to Iris, though it's mostly been out of amusement (and wanting to make his sister happy). They all know nothing will come out of Iris' crush, despite it lasting so long, but they don't want to break her heart by reminding her.
Hortari is just the visible evidence of the lingering hope that it might, and an extension of her adoration of the prince. He just... gets a little excited, that's all. A little overzealous. ]
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so! she rolls back over to give the wolf a little cuff on one ear in retribution, haunches wiggling like she's gearing herself up for a pounce. ]
Shut up! I don't need a translator!
[ ... of course, all of this activity is enough to make noctis snort out a little sound of irritation, voice muffled into the pillow. ] If you guys want to mess around, do it somewhere else.
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You really want to start this, huh. [ So she shifts to her belly from her side, uncrossing her wrists so she can get all four paws into the bed in preparation. Gladio watches all of this with amusement, and finally does bark out a laugh when Noctis bitches them out.
Taking pity on him, he hooks his arm around him properly instead of just draping it over him to pet his daemon, big palm wrapping around his ribs where he wedges his hand under his side. ]
Okay, out of the line of fire. Hup - [ And he rolls over, taking Noctis with him. His spot in the crease where the two beds meet allows for him to go from one bed to the other, giving the daemons the majority of the bed to "duke it out." But he's been the actual victim of daemon roughhousing more than once - has a scar on his arm from it, hilariously enough, that he deadpans a Coeurl had caused - and doesn't want Noct to suffer the same fate. ]