[Oddly enough, it isn't the challenge in Noct's words that makes her freeze up, ultimately — it's the fact that in the very next moment, before she can even get her mouth open, Prompto is leaping in to defend her. And she of all people can spot exactly what he's doing; she's no stranger to that sort of verbal parry, that seemingly effortless deflection of a conversation's trajectory away from a raw subject and onto a safer one. Of course she knows how that works. She does it herself, all the time.
No, the part that makes it feel as though a block of ice has just dropped into her stomach is the fact that she's heard Prompto talk about Noctis before. She's heard how great he is, how loyal he is, how brave he is, what a dork he is. He's a prince. He's the best. He's everything.
And Prompto is siding with her. Shielding her.
She's used the name Kallisti before, in a place where only she knew what it meant, where it was funny because of how it gave away her plans, her schemes, her ultimate endgame. This time it isn't funny, and it isn't fun, and it makes her swallow hard.]
...It's okay.
[That's intended for Prompto, probably, even if she's not looking at either of them when she says it.]
No. No, it's okay — it's your birthday, don't — I'll just show him. And then it won't be, y'know, a Thing all day or be weird or. It's fine. It's okay, I'll just show him.
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2018-10-28 12:40 am (UTC)No, the part that makes it feel as though a block of ice has just dropped into her stomach is the fact that she's heard Prompto talk about Noctis before. She's heard how great he is, how loyal he is, how brave he is, what a dork he is. He's a prince. He's the best. He's everything.
And Prompto is siding with her. Shielding her.
She's used the name Kallisti before, in a place where only she knew what it meant, where it was funny because of how it gave away her plans, her schemes, her ultimate endgame. This time it isn't funny, and it isn't fun, and it makes her swallow hard.]
...It's okay.
[That's intended for Prompto, probably, even if she's not looking at either of them when she says it.]
No. No, it's okay — it's your birthday, don't — I'll just show him. And then it won't be, y'know, a Thing all day or be weird or. It's fine. It's okay, I'll just show him.