There's an obvious reflex reaction to look at the sound, even if Izunia can't see it, but -
He makes a small surprised sound at the hug, but in spite of that, returns it almost immediately. "Thank you."
It might not be much, it might not change anything, but - Izunia is a person who wants to be heard, and that much has not changed over these handful of months. He slides his hands again from Talcott's shoulders after a moment, reclaiming the mug of coffee from where it briefly vanished into his Armiger to avoid spilling. His voice is calmer, after, the worst of it over for now.
"From there, the rest of the story is largely straightforward until the end. Ardyn was sealed in Angelgard, for some centuries, and during that time the Scourge all but disappeared from the world. I married, had a family, and established the kingdom as best I could. I still remember the first time I held Aurora, because it was like waking from a dream and realizing, at least a little, what a fool I had been. But by then, the switch was long since established, and I had little choice but to continue. I lived out the rest of my life and took my place, watching, waiting, as one of the spirits bound to the Ring."
"I'm not sure exactly when Ardyn escaped Angelgard, but by that point he was a broken, hateful thing, twisted as much by what I had unknowingly done as by the Scourge itself. Hence 'Ardyn Izunia' - a reminder of who had wronged him most. I'm not sure where he went after that; there's a few suspicious incidents that even I can recall, but he didn't return to Insomnia until it was as the Chancellor of Niflheim."
no subject
He makes a small surprised sound at the hug, but in spite of that, returns it almost immediately. "Thank you."
It might not be much, it might not change anything, but - Izunia is a person who wants to be heard, and that much has not changed over these handful of months. He slides his hands again from Talcott's shoulders after a moment, reclaiming the mug of coffee from where it briefly vanished into his Armiger to avoid spilling. His voice is calmer, after, the worst of it over for now.
"From there, the rest of the story is largely straightforward until the end. Ardyn was sealed in Angelgard, for some centuries, and during that time the Scourge all but disappeared from the world. I married, had a family, and established the kingdom as best I could. I still remember the first time I held Aurora, because it was like waking from a dream and realizing, at least a little, what a fool I had been. But by then, the switch was long since established, and I had little choice but to continue. I lived out the rest of my life and took my place, watching, waiting, as one of the spirits bound to the Ring."
"I'm not sure exactly when Ardyn escaped Angelgard, but by that point he was a broken, hateful thing, twisted as much by what I had unknowingly done as by the Scourge itself. Hence 'Ardyn Izunia' - a reminder of who had wronged him most. I'm not sure where he went after that; there's a few suspicious incidents that even I can recall, but he didn't return to Insomnia until it was as the Chancellor of Niflheim."