the laugh that leaves cassius is bitter as he shakes his head. the only one who'd ever seen him that way was dead , by cassius' own hand no less. one minute he was fine , the next …
no , he thinks. that's no memory to trouble noctis with.
❛ if i were half as good as you think i am , noctis , that is only the image i want you to see. ❜
that's not exactly true , but he places a hand over noctis' on his shoulder nonetheless.
❛ it's been a long time … since someone said something like that about me. you're so kind , and i don't deserve that. ❜
a sad smile crosses his face , because no matter what noctis says , he will always be a monster , a murderer .
❛ if you knew what i truly was , you wouldn't be so kind to me. ❜
● – || Maybe that was what Noctis didn’t understand at the end of the day . Why Cassius saw himself as this horrible , ugly MONSTER when Noctis saw him as anything but . He couldn’t see a monster . Nor could he wrap his mind around how he could possibly ever [ [ b e ] ] one . The Cass he knew was kind , warm , poetic , pleasant . . . He was someone he couldn’t imagine not keeping around for a long while .
So , who was this Cass that the other was talking about . . .?
“ Why do you think that you’re not how I see you . . .? ”
That was how Noctis was for everyone . He made his decisions based on the character he knew you were deep down , not based on what others thought . Rumors were rumors , but the reality is whoever you are deep down is who you are . In Cass’ case , he was a kind person who could do no wrong .
“ Everyone deserves kindness . . . ” Noctis started , looking over at Cass. Slowly , his expression shifted to that of [ [ c u r i o s i t y ] ] . What did he mean by that ? What could he be that would make Noctis not say the same levels of kind things about him . . . ?
“ You can’t make a judgement for me . . . Even if you showed me who you are -- who you [ [ t r u l y ] ] are -- I won’t be afraid of you . ”
Noctis took note of the little smile , but he didn’t let his gaze falter from Cassius’ .