Ardbert Ramblings Pt. 2
What if Ardbert could touch things? (At the very least. People still can't hear him or see him.) I've never seen anyone discuss this headcanon, so I'm gonna. Don't know where I'm going with this one tbh but who cares!
If Ardbert could interact with the world, hiding his influence would actually be difficult for him. He lacks a subtle approach. When upset, he'd kill sin-eaters, and he's always upset. A lot of unexplained phenomena about sin-eaters just being killed in front of people out of nowhere. It's a welcomed alternative but it's unsettling to the inhabitants of Norvrandt nonetheless.
He's very effective at it but never has been able to find and slay the lightwardens. He has attacked Philia a few dozen times but confused lightwardens tend to abscond when against invisible threats.
When you get to Norvrandt, he explains that he's been hunting the creatures of light endlessly. That this is his penance for the mistakes he's made.
Still a bit hostile towards you. But to be fair, I'd be a bit pissed off too if I'd been fighting monsters for a literal century only to be discredited as the one responsible for their existence.
Not only that but to also be replaced as the savior of your homeland... by the very same person whom you tried to kill to save it. Ardbert is pretty bitter about it all but so long as his axe still makes contact with his quarry, he isn't going to sit idly by and let you take his last reason to exist away.
He's rather obstinate about it. Don't take it personally, poor boy has spent the past century trying to make up for what happened, only to find himself lacking by great margins. He has to come to terms with the simple truth that he can't do this alone.
It's honestly surprising that he hasn't taken his axe against those that slander his and his companions' names. Probably because a part of him may actually believe them. The fact that he hasn't become a vengeful spirit (despite having plenty of reasons to do so) is a testament to his kind soul.
Speaking of his companions, he's never had the heart to raise his weapon against the Cardinal Virtues and his hesitation shames him further. He's tormented by this. When you finally put his friends' bodies to rest, his soul feels at ease for the first time since this all began.
Over time, he comes to view you not as a rival but as an ally that needs to be protected. You're trying to save his home, he can't ignore you or the help you provide forever. He does what he can to watch over you while you watch over everyone else.
In you, he sees a reflection of the same person he was all those years ago, though not as jaded by the bitterness of defeat. Because of this, he has a habit of actively trying to stir your decisions in a better direction than his past mistakes.
As he gets to know you not as someone to guide, but as someone he can relate to, he starts getting... feelings for you.
He gets comfortable enough to casually go about normal life as if he were alive again. You make him feel like a living person.
He might start letting his presence be known to your dear friends, the Scions. You don't tell them cause you're amused and waiting to see if they figure this poltergeist problem out.
Even Emet-Selch doesn't understand this haunting bullshit! He assumes you're cursed. (And really, is he wrong about that?)
And god forbid if he gets insecure... A jealous Ardbert that can affect things around him is not ideal. Just let clingy ghost boy know you're not about to choose someone with a heartbeat before one of his hauntings to scare your suitors accidentally goes too far. He needs some reassurance.
Was it meant to go in this direction? Technically, I didn't initially care what direction it went. Am I upset with this result? No, can't say that I am. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Finally got around to posting this part here. This was posted to my ao3 first while I was severely sleep deprived and needy for some different tinged angst from our usual fare.
And I’ve been craving some jealous ghost boy for a while now...
