Noctis gives the slightest mirthless chuckle with a nod. "Yeah...easier to hate. Easier to get angry. But...I've massively screwed up a few times, letting my temper off its leash, and other people suffered for it, so...I've been trying to take a step back, you know? I 'can't just live for myself,' after all. Got a whole world relying on me."

Sometimes these kinds of thoughts come out bitter or resentful, but right now he just sounds thoughtful.

He eats his stew quietly and listens until the moment he pauses with the spoon halfway to his mouth, glancing up to look at Nyx in alarm. "What? What do you mean, you've done it twice?"

No expectations, but...no roles to play either. No destiny to fulfill. "Yeah...that's the impression I got. He just seemed so done."