"I'll do even better for you," The words are a careful purr, his fingertips (so cold, practically like a corpse-- had they always been?) carefully moving to stroke the young man's angular jaw in response to his pledge. Those golden eyes rove over him, as though fully taking in everything for the first time. of course he'd made note of the man before- the Prince's most faithful retainer, the strategist, the mother hen of their little group. The one Noctis had turned to for answers nearly every time he'd run into them. The one apparently willing to damn the world for the life of his charge.

His hand moves to rest softly at exposed throat, thumb rubbing a prominent cheekbone, and he continues speaking. "I'll leave him. And I'll keep this offering of yours and the crystal. And your beloved Noct will never ascend. Never be king."

Lips split apart, baring his teeth- and perhaps it's surprising how human they are, for how devlish his smile is. For the darker gray of the sclera of his eyes, for the faint drip of black from a nostril. "And with that, he'll never be the gods sacrifice. Never have to kill himself on the throne for the sake of a world he owes nothing."

Some pressure to Ignis's jaw, and he forces him to look up. "And you, my pretty little hawk. You'll be right with me. A King needs loyal subjects such as yourself more than some would-be prince who failed in his prophecy and faded into peaceful anonymity.

Can you do that for me?"