[Her hesitation still makes him a little uneasy, but... there's something cute and familiar about it, too. Like when Prompto gets excited but isn't sure that it's not some treat dangled in front of his face to be pulled away at the last second. That too is a familiar feeling for sure, and it would be a fair reason for nerves.

Well, he's offered, and he meant what he said about there being no expiration. That means he won't take it back no matter what her answer might be, either. It's her call to make.]

...Okay. Just- I can break it later, if you don't like how it feels. Or if it gets in the way of your own power. I asked Somnus if he thought it might be a problem, but he said you'd be able to choose... I think that means it'll be fine.

[In theory, anyway. He trusts them both, and at this point she's familiar enough with his magic that she's likely to understand how a proper bond might mesh as it's happening.]

[He can't help his immediate blush, ducking his head to look down at their hands. His voice as a mumble as he manages,]

Me too.

[He likes it. Holding hands with her, walking with her, talking with her, training together. Small comforts he's not used to, luxuries he could ill afford in the past. The chance to learn and to grow at a walking pace instead of breakneck, to be closer to people outside of his immediate royal circle, make friends on his own terms like with Prompto. So much about this place, weird and unsettling as it may be, has been strangely... healthy? Is that the word? ...Yeah, healthy.

He gives her hands a soft squeeze.]

Then... like when we train. I'll open up my power to you, and if you don't resist it, once we're done, it'll stay there. And then I can teach you, too.

[He nods, shifting to face her properly, and uses their joined hands to tug her closer. With his eyes closed, he leans in and lightly rests his forehead against hers. It might not be a requirement, but the contact helps him focus, and this is one bonding he doesn't want to screw up, not when there are other magics involved here, not when she's trusting him like this. And with that, he begins:

Under his breath he murmurs something, the words unintelligible not due to volume but because they aren't spoken in the standard Lucian tongue. It's easy to tell that he's out of practice with it; he stumbles over words, he pauses, but each time he picks back up again and the effect of the pledge is not dampened in any way by his struggle. As he speaks, the familiar blue of power lights up around him, a crystalline glimmer covering his whole body. That light coalesces around his limbs, weaving heavy threads where their hands are joined, merging together into a taut rope of energy that binds them. Before long the tether is thick and unbreakable, an odd mixture of firm and delicate, as if she could easily break free if she wished but it holds her in place even so. Had they not been training together before, she might have found it to be more alien, invasive. Instead, as the tether unravels thread by thread to knit itself inside her, under her skin, it's made intentionally painless and familiar. The bond he's creating between them welcomes her into the fold, beckoning for her to join them- them, as there are others now, her soul met by the links to three others, two close and one far away. She has no deeper access to them, nor they to her, but they all share common threads tying them to Noctis and his magic. Those threads burrow deeper and deeper, seeking out her core and twining around it with an unshakeable certainty that it belongs there.

Noctis's hands tighten, the blue around him pulsing, intensifying, and then all at once it spreads like a cocoon around her as well, and he inhales, long and deep.]

By the light of our star, let the bond be forged, [he finishes with words she can understand, louder this time, and a thrum of power passes between them, conveyed by one simple phrase. His magic settles within her, new and strange but not especially invasive, more of an extended hand for her to accept if she so chooses. When he opens his eyes and lifts his head, his eyes are brighter than normal for a second or two, lit from within by the glow that surrounds their bodies, until it too begins to fade.

And then he lets himself breathe, because that was... a lot.]

[He offers a tentative look as she calls his name, studying her up and down, focusing less on the magic and rather on the bond now formed between the two of them. As far as he can tell it feels... normal, mostly. As normal as any time their magics mesh together, warm and soft and familiar. A part of him had expected it to go wrong, because so many things in his life often did. To have it feel like this is... nice. A comfort he'd wanted but hadn't dared to fully expect.

He almost smiles, but- he has to check, first. He can't know for sure until she says it.]

Are you... okay? Can you feel it, does it hurt?

[It shouldn't, in theory. Ignis, Gladio, and Prompto all handled it fine for the most part, even if they'd never experienced magic before; there'd been no pushback, and the moments after had been tiring but exciting, thrilling, new. With Pyra... she'd had power already, but it had welcomed his presence, same as it always had. He's hoping it was the same for her, too.]

[He blinks at that, eyes widening. A treasure...?]

Never heard it called that before.

[It's a little embarrassing, but like before, it's not... bad. There's something warm and soft about it, a comfortable feeling. Every bond he's made has been different, though there are echoes within each of those that came before; he'd felt Gladio in Ignis, both in Prompto, and he feels them all in hers. It's a little like the ring and the power of kings- the old helping to guide the new, except for this there is no pain he's meant to trade for that power. It's tiring, yes. There's always a drain that comes hand in hand with sharing a fragment of your soul with another. But it's a familiar sort of weariness, even if he's only done it a few times. Like sore muscles after a really good training session. It only feels like this because it worked.

He musters a smile, quietly grateful that she's always so keen on holding hands. With the guys he'd been quick to break contact, still too young and wanting to look cool in front of his friends, acting like it didn't affect him that much. Right now he wants to hold on to this feeling.]

I'm glad it worked. I figured, but... I dunno. [It's nice to be proven right.]

[The pink in his cheeks is back at the mention of his fumbling. He knows she intends no mockery but he can't help feeling self-conscious. It's harder than it looks!]

It's a dead language, okay? Been a while...

[How long ago was it that he'd done this with the guys? More recently with Prompto, and he'd totally fumbled with that too, but it was years for Gladio and Ignis. It's a lot of old words that don't get used on a daily basis, easy to forget. He'd had to sit down and remember for hours before he'd mustered the courage to even ask her.

The fluster carries forward to her last comment, too, against his will and better judgement.]

Underestimated... you're probably the only one to ever say that.

[He's been informed of his ego plenty of times in the past, that's for sure. And it's true that he has one, but it's mostly in relation to his battle prowess- which he knows that he has. It's everything else that's always given him trouble. The magic, the bonds, looking after himself to an extent... he's got flaws aplenty. But this, at least, he did right. And he'll accept the compliment for what it is, blushing aside. Hell, as it sinks in more just how easy and successful this actually was, he might even be preening a little.]

[The touch isn't a surprise, but what she does is, a little. Lifting his chin? It strikes him as odd at first, but her words help him to understand. Believe in yourself. It's not so different from home: those moments before some charity event or press meeting, when Ignis stepped in close to straighten his tie and tilt his chin up, to help him transition from Noct into Crown Prince Noctis, like putting on a mask. "Chin up, Your Highness," he'd murmur, smoothing down the sleek fabric of whatever suit he'd been wrangled into and looking pleased by the results of their joint efforts of style. He didn't like performing for the public, doing that dance of unreasonable expectations, but there was no denying the quiet thrill he'd get at seeing the expressions on Ignis or his father when he did it right. Lazy as he could be, it had never been his intentional goal to tarnish the pride of their dynasty or to make his loved ones ashamed of his performance. He... wanted to make them proud of him, to make sure they had good reason to believe in him. To show everyone he wasn't just a spoiled failure prince.

This... it felt a little like this. Those moments of exhausted pride after a big event where he didn't fumble a speech or offend a diplomat, when Regis would smile, clasp his shoulder, and tell him he'd done well. The next day he'd be greeted by Ignis's smooth compliments on his performance and a plate of fresh pastries as a reward. It made all the effort of working past his nerves worth it.

He does look down again after a moment- not down down, but instead at her, his smile returning. Rather than addressing what she'd said directly,]

You know... I asked Somnus what he thought about this. He'd have shared his power with you, too, if you'd wanted.

Yep.

[THE MOST DETAILED AND HELPFUL RESPONSE... and maybe a little deflection. Mostly he just thought she'd be pleased to hear it, so he's glad to see that she is. Somnus is so serious and in general kind of terrible at talking to people, even if it's something that could be really positive for them to hear.]

I mean, you guys are together so often, and... he has better control over his power than I do. He'd probably have been the ideal option.

[...but! He asked first, he thought of it first. ...Or at least he thought to ask first. Either way, he's not bothered or regretful for it, even if he's ultimately kind of selfish for giving her less than what she could have received.]