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[ he doesn't forget his time with prompto in his heartscape, the part of Prompto that was hell-bent on keeping him safe. but it -- it hurts, in so many ways.

In a perfect world, Ardyn comes for him, and only him. He takes a deep breath. ]

Well, he's got me. He knows I'm here, now.

Ugggghhh, Noct! Why!

[He flops on his back on the roof, making a noise somewhere between a quiet wail and a loud groan before covering his face with both hands.]

You know, now he's gonna spend all his time trying to torture you, right? He'd've found out you're here eventually but it didn't have to be now!

If he does, the people here are gonna notice, right?

[ Because two can play at that game! Noctis understands -- but there's no way in hell he's going to let Ardyn get away with this. ]

We're not gonna be quiet about it, and it's gonna look bad for him if any of us is hurt when he's here.

[Prompto gestures with both hands without sitting up.]

Yeah, but it's gonna look bad for us if he plays nice instead. Remember Titan? And stopping Ravus that first time? It's easy for him, it's like a game, jerking us around.

[ Yeah. Yeah, it will definitely look bad on them. ]

So we play nice, too.

[ And it's killing him to say it, it really is. The last thing Noctis wants to do is play nice, and it shows. Noctis looks disgusted, but he's more preoccupied with what this whole thing is doing to Prompto than anything else. ]

And... listen. He's dredged up a lot of terrible, unforgivable things for you, but -- I don't want you to go and confront him or anything, okay? Not without us.

...Uhhhh, just in person, or do the posts count, too?

['Cause, you know. Oops?]

The... posts? Like the one where you confronted him or -- please don't tell me there's more.

[ Noctis is groaning! ]

No, no, just the one! I meant in general. All the posts from now on. And... also maybe I shot at him before that. But I wasn't trying to hit him!

[Prompto.]

Prompto.

[ Noctis takes a deep breath, looking back at him. He can't even begin to imagine the depth of Prompto's hate and distress -- he feels largely the same, but this impacts his best friend in different ways. ]

I don't want him to hurt you. Or have an excuse to hurt you. We have to find a way to take him down so that he doesn't pose a threat to other people here. The ones we care about. [ As much as it pains him to admit it. ] I think... Ignis might have an idea of how to deal with it.

Of course he does. Iggy always comes through.

[It's enough to get him to sit up again, still kicking his feet like a sulky teenager but capable of eye contact, at least.]

If it's "we all stay away from him forever," that's a plan I can get behind.

[ ...well no, it's not that. ]

Uh. I don't think we can stay away from him forever, Prompto.

[Grumble grumble mutter.]

Well, I think it's a great idea.

[ He's gently bumping his shoulder against his. ]

It is. I wish we could. But we have to find a way to defeat him if he tries anything.

The shooty-slicey thing doesn't work, Gladio and I tried.

[Prompto thinks about it, then holds up a finger.]

As long as that quest is up, we could switch bodies with him and, I dunno, run it right into the harbor? ...Wait, no, then he'd have one of our bodies, that's no good. That's no good at all. I officially ban me from ideas, no more ideas from Prompto.

[ Noctis snorts softly and bumps his shoulder lightly. That was a terrible idea, buddy. He loves you, but no. ]

No, we shouldn't be giving him anything that he doesn't already have. And the whole network thing -- we have to be careful.

Yeah, I know.

[He sighs again and finally returns the contact with a little bump of his own.]

I--I'm trying to be careful, but. I did tell him when I came from. It was the only way I could get him to tell me when he's from. [He shakes his head, looking at his hands.] He's ahead of all of us, Noct. I'm pretty sure, at least.

[ So he's ahead of all of them -- Noctis has more or less come to terms with the fact that this place seems to ignore the linear nature of timelines, but what's troubling is this: what does Ardyn want? What's his plan? And is Prompto putting himself in his crosshairs just by speaking out like that?

His gaze flickers down to Prompto's wrist then, and he's quiet for a few moments. ]

Whatever his game is, we need to find out so we know how to deal with him.

Edited 2019-03-26 15:24 (UTC)

[Prompto swallows. Looks down again. After a while, he manages a tiny nod.]

I know you won't, buddy.

[But that isn't the problem. He drops his hands into his lap, then picks them up to start picking at the edges of his wristband again.]

I can take care of myself if it comes to it, you know. But I need you to keep yourself safe, too, okay? I'm not... It's...

[Chewing his lip, struggling to find the right words, Prompto squints off into the distance and then lets his head hang.]

If he takes you away again, if he hurts you, I.

[That's it, right there. In that reality, with Noct lost, Noct in pain--how can Prompto even contemplate living like that? He knots his hands together and pushes them between his knees, shakes his head, and rocks a little.]

You can't know what it was like. Fighting so hard to get back to you, and then. And then. Knowing I was the trap, and... he got you. And you weren't there anymore. I can't. Not again, Noct. I can't.

Hey. Hey --

[ They're veering into dangerous territory, territory that Noctis had always tried to shy away from, the very real shadow of his future, the fact that he would be asked to give his life, and maybe that would be the prelude to... whatever it is.

He doesn't know, aside from what he's been told, and he's been struggling with it. He remembers Prompto in his heartscape, how he'd said that he had to accept all of him too, even the one that would fight to keep him safe.

He swallows hard, and feels guilty that maybe it's a good thing Prompto isn't looking at him -- the last thing Noctis wants to do is make this even more difficult than it already is. ]

I went... in the crystal, right?

Uh-huh.

[Now his eyes are squeezed tightly shut.]

He made you. He separated us on purpose. Told you you needed the Crystal to save us. There were a lot of daemons, man, they were, like... endless.

[ Endless daemons. Needing the crystal to save them -- in light of that the choice is clear, right? He says nothing for a long moment, only drapes his arm around him. Ardyn's logic baffles, but Prompto is miserable and here and he can't help but pull him into a half-hug. ]

Okay.

[ So that will be what he's walking towards, then, and he gives his shoulder a squeeze. The notion of endless daemons makes him sick to his stomach; when the moment comes, he has to be ready -- and right now he feels anything but. ]

Did he... hurt you after that? Any of you?

No. He didn't even fight back when Gladio and I attacked him. Just put his hat back on and... sauntered away.

[Didn't even have the decency to walk like a normal goddamned asshole.]

The daemons only fought us long enough we couldn't reach you in time. After that, they just. Didn't care.

[ So he... controls the daemons? Noctis is baffled, but takes it anyway -- and it seems the crystal is everything, isn't it? Walked away after creating that mess, using Prompto as bait. ]

Why would he do that?

[Prompto forces a breath out through his nose, looks up, and makes the universal wordless "IUNNO???" noise.]

For shits and giggles, dude? It wasn't for the Empire, I can tell you that! The Emperor was dead, whole towns turned into daemons because of their experiments, I dee even kay.

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