(no subject)

[adelphoi]

[ alisaie is not quite so familiar with ishgard's street and climes as her dear brother, of course, but that did not earn her pity points.

as far as the scions are concerned, prompto is her little project. oh they like him plenty, and he's certainly helpful to their cause - for all he seems quite soft and, to a word, useless, he can actually handle himself quite well in a fight, and he's smarter than he might seem at first glance. he might have been a burden in the beginning, but he has learned, adapted, and grown into this place enough that she does not feel as if she has to carry him around any longer. she can trust him to fight by her side when she needs it, and more importantly, to do the right thing.

he is a kind soul. kinder certainly than she is.

nevertheless, alisaie seems always to be relegated to oversee him anyway. she found him, after all, he is the pup that followed her home, so she has become his de facto caretaker. it is up to her to keep him safe, to teach him as best as she can, and she supposes that is all well and good, so long as it does not interfere with her duties, but so far it has not. he seems keen to help where he can, mayhaps because it is in his nature, mayhaps because it keeps his mind and hands busy, but nevertheless, she does not much mind his consistent company anymore. suffice it to say she has.. grown used to him, even if he is foolishly idealistic and far more bubbly than any one person should ever be.

so here they are, striding over the chilly cobblestones of the foundation, toward a squat building in the near distance, where smoke rises from a sturdy chimney. ]

Nearly there, now. I daresay you shall be far more comfortable in clothing with sleeves.

Comments

[punshots]

[ It's been a few long, strange, fascinating months since Prompto first plopped into Eorzea, and while his underlying goal hasn't changed — get to wherever Noctis went to after he entered the Crystal so he can bring him home — he has also found good company here among the Scions...and among Alisaie, too. He can barely measure up to even the newest recruit among them, but even so, Prompto is happy to help were he can. After all, if anyone is going to be able to help him get to his destination, it's the Scions. If helping them out in the meantime to save Eorzea is what it takes to get there, then so be it. It isn't easy for him to be patient, but they're playing the long game here.

And...it's been nice to stick around with Alisaie, the first friendly face he encountered in this world, even if she probably wasn't too fond of him at the start. Hell, he isn't even sure if she's too fond of him now, with the way he sort of just...follows along with her like a pup, but hopefully he's made himself useful to her in some way. She's so good and strong and clever, she hardly needs his help, but...still. Her company is nice, and even if they haven't known each other long, she's his closest friend in this place.

Assuming...it's not too bold to call her a friend.

But now they're off to Ishgard, to meet these so-called machinists, where the Scions believe Prompto will find a kinship with their leader, Stephanivien (sp, I'm not looking it up his name is dumb). If nothing else, he'll hopefully leave with some new duds and weaponry to make himself blend in more effortlessly here. He may never be able to pick up on the Eorzea-speak, but at least he can dress the part.

(Tataru hasn't had time to make him new clothes yet. :( ) ]

Y-yeah! You c-could say that again...

[ Feverishly, he rubs his hands up and down his arms to dispel the chill, while idle snowflakes drift into his hair. Of all the places they've visited, climate-wise, Ishgard is not his fave. ]

M-maybe after this w-we can visit Costa del S-sol?

[ He can dream. ]

[adelphoi]

We are hardly here for a vacation, Prompto.

[ she chides, but gently, far more softly than she might have when they first met. she's not about to abide any whining from him, but she doesn't need to flay the skin from his bones in punishment either. ]

Costa del Sol is quite a ways from here, after all.

[ he'll have to abide the freezing climes of coerthas a little bit longer, unfortunately, but she's quite sure that once he gets into some.. substantial clothing, he'll warm up quickly. sleeves alone will make a difference. and given the stench of acrid smoke in the air as they approach the line of buildings they are quite close. ]

Anyroad, you need not suffer much longer. [ she sweeps an arm toward the door. ] After you.

[punshots]

[ Sleeves will definitely make a different, but she's gonna miss the guns, isn't she?? He's going to miss them, at any rate...

But not a moment sooner does Alisaie reach the door than Prompto is pushing right on through it, eager for whatever meager warmth and shelter from the elements the building provides. However, it isn't long before he isn't thinking about the weather at all anymore, when he finds himself so suddenly surrounded by gears and steam-powered contraptions of the likes he has only seen in comic books. ]

Whoa...so this is the Skysteel Manufactory...

[ It's not like he'd done a lot of research, but he'd been eager to visit ever since learning (from Tataru, probably) that this guild of sharpshooters most closely aligned with his own weaponry of choice. Ever since arriving in Eorzea, Prompto hasn't been able to use the Armiger and as such has been relegated to whatever weaponry the Scions had lying around, but this...

This could be a definite upgrade. ]

[adelphoi]

[ alisaie has never visited the manufactory, herself. she spent no small amount of time in ishgard recovering from her near disastrous poisoning, but once she was well there was little enough time for her to spend exploring the city. she knows the basic lay of the land, but most of these buildings she has not set foot into. she'd had no good reason.

so it comes as a surprise to her as well - all these whirling cogs and belching steam engines, and though it all seems very crass and noisy there is something about it that she likes. alisaie has always been fond of the messy, the broken, the strange, the loud. things that most people do not like. things that are different. sharlayan and ishgard share a great many similarities, a pompous, stuffy self-righteousness among them, and a place like this seems to laugh in the face of those high society ponces in their frilled skirts and ruffled collars. she finds that rather charming. ]

Do you like it?

[ she asks, with a smile. he's stuck out like a sore thumb from the moment he arrived, and from what he has told her, his home is vastly different from hydaelyn, so to see him find something that speaks to him, that makes him happy, warms her. he might be an idiot, but he's a kind and gentle soul, and he deserves to find some measure of comfort while he is here. ]

[punshots]

Do I like it?

[ Of course, his answer is implied in the way he answers her, like that's a ridiculous question to ask, because of course he loves it. It's strange and different but still somehow familiar, like so many things in this world are, yet he hasn't felt so much in his element since he arrived here.

He turns around to face her, a wide grin on his face. ]

I love it. You think they'll just...let me join 'em?

[ I mean, sure, the Warrior of Light gets to take on whatever jobs he wants, but Prompto is no Warrior of Light!!! ]

[adelphoi]

Of course not. Why wouldn't they?

[ it's.. good to see him so excited for something. prompto is a bright, positive person, his energy is warm and uplifting, but it is not so difficult to see through it, at times, and she knows he is not always quite so happy as he might want her to believe. how could he be? he's being taken care of here, but for all intents and purposes he is stranded, far from home, with no idea how to return. that cannot be an easy burden to bear, and while they might work toward a remedy for him, they are no closer to opening the door back to his eos now than they were when he arrived.

they'll find a way. she knows it. the door is closed to them now, but soon enough they will deliver him home again. ]

From what I hear, machinists are in short supply. No doubt Stephanivinien(??) will be thrilled to meet a new candidate.

[ and as if on cue, the door to the back rooms of the manufactory creaks open, and a tall, soot-smeared elezen strides forth - with a smile, alisaie gestures. ]

I shall leave you two to become better acquainted.

[punshots]

[ It's like Alisaie has taken him to his first job interview, because that's basically what this is, right? A job. Training. If he can get in with the machinists, he can make himself much more useful to the Scions. He has to nail this.

So it's with a nervous smile that Prompto nods to Alisaie, before he turns to greet Stephanivivinvivien (nailed it) and introduce himself.

Of course, those nerves don't evaporate immediately, but the guild's head is remarkably easier to talk to than Prompto would have anticipated. They haven't been in Ishgard long, but from everything he knows about it, it's not exactly a...laid back and casual place. But Stephanivien proves to be remarkably personable, and it isn't long before Prompto forgets his nerves entirely, instead letting his enthusiasm for firearms do the talking. A good hour goes by before Prompto at last emerges from the Manufactory, with a new weapon strapped at his hip and back, and a new set of clothes (with sleeves!) that makes him look just like a native Hyur. ]

I passed, Alisaie, I passed! How do I look?

[ Prompto enters /gpose and strikes a figure for her. That went soooo much better than expected. ]

[adelphoi]

[ she hangs about the manufactory at first for a spell, eyeballing the firearms - it is weaponry unlike anything she has used before, and it is quite clear that this is the best possible place for him. the scions' armory has nothing remotely like what is offered here.

but the room is hot and cramped, and she does not want to make prompto nervous by accidentally eavesdropping, so alisaie takes her leave to the streets again soon enough, though she stays nearby so as not to lose him in the twisting city streets. it's quite some time before he emerges again, and she wonders whether it is a good or bad thing that he is taking so long, but she is nevertheless confident that he will do fine. he's demonstrated his skill in marksmanship plenty already, and for all he might personally behave like a bit of a blockhead, his skill in combat is heartening. she believes in him.

.. and she hardly recognizes him, when he comes striding toward her dressed in proper eorzean garments; give her a moment. ]

Oh -

[ what a nice /gpose!! ]

Well, you certainly look the part now, don't you?

[punshots]

[ He even does a little twirl for her, so she can see his ass all his angles. ]

I gotta hand it to these machinists — they sure know how to dress!

[ Even if this is far more sleeves than he is accustomed to. Oh, well, at least it's warm! And more than anything, he's excited to try out this weaponry. It's familiar and yet so very different from what he's used to. There's a lot to learn ahead of him, but he finds himself far less anxious than he would have expected. ]

I guess I'm almost like an honorary Eorzean now.

[ Though there's something a little melancholy amid the glee when he says as much. Before he can let it linger, though, he follows up quickly with: ]

Um, sooo, what now? Up for a little sight-seein', or is it back to business as usual?

[adelphoi]

[ there's a buttflap, she can't appreciate the ass!!

but she can appreciate how well he fits in, now; with any hope, he won't get strange looks everywhere they go. nor will he freeze in the coerthan climes. she does not miss that slight shift in tone, however, no matter how he tries to hide is. while she does not doubt that he is enjoying his time here, it cannot be easy to be cut off from his home. even alisaie misses sharlayan dearly at times, and she can theoretically return any time she likes.

there is naught to be gained in fretting over it, however. they are working to return him as quickly as they are able, all she can offer is patience and sympathy. ]

Well, we needn't return for a few days, still. Have you anything in mind?

[punshots]

[ From what he understands, Ishgard isn't exactly a place known for it's...fun leisure activities, but there still might be some sights worth seeing, and, of course, photograph. Maybe they could even visit the dragons (or the MOOGLES) but there's one thing in particular about this region that stands out to him that he would like to see... ]

Soooo, I've heard there's a...chocobo forest somewhere in Dravania?

[ Yes, this is what he wants to do. If they have enough time to get there and back, of course. Peons like them can't teleport whenever they please like SOME people... ]

THE FIRST

[punshots]

[ If you want to be technical, it's been about...six months months since Prompto last saw Alisaie, give or take a few weeks, but to be fair, that was when he saw her while she was...a shell. An empty body, and hell if that wasn't terrifying enough. Krile had confirmed that the Scions weren't dead, but neither were they alive. And not long afterwards, Prompto heard that same voice calling out to him, beseeching him to come, and...that couldn't be right. Whoever that was, whatever this all is, it couldn't be right.

But whether it's right or not, he can't resist the pull. At least when the voice finds him, it's at Alisaie's bedside, where he's been watching over her — the others, too, but mostly her, his brave, strong, wonderful friend. She has to pull through this...

Though, of course, when he wakes up naked in a completely different world finding Alisaie is not exactly at the forefront of his mind.

And so six months have passed since Prompto found himself on the First, spirited away to yet another world, but at least this time, he isn't alone...in theory. He...hasn't actually been able to see any of the Scions yet, and they're all so busy and hard at work in the various regions of the world that it seems foolish and selfish to suppose to take a holiday just to visit them. Especially not when things are so dire here, and especially not when helping out where he can is all he can do to not feel like a waste of space.

The Exarch was kind enough about it, and seemed especially fascinated to hear about Prompto's unsual origins, but...his being here is a mistake. More than a mistake of just the Exarch pulling the wrong people through to this world when he meant to get the Warrior of Light. Prompto wasn't even meant to be in Eorzea in the first place. How could this be anything but a mistake?

But whether or not he should be here, he is, and so he helps out where he can, patrolling through Lakeland, firearm strapped to his back, fighting back the sin eaters and keeping the roads safe. Or, well...safer. There's no safe when every day it seems like someone he's met has been turned. And time just continues to tick away, until...

Until at last the Exarch summons the Warrior of Light, and his first action is to visit Alisaie in Amh Araeng. Something...Prompto had been longing to do for months, since the moment he arrived and learned she was here, really. But the Inn at Journey's Head is not a easy trek to make, and they have...so much to do. He wants to see her, he wants to see her so badly. His heart aches to see a familiar face, to hear a familiar voice, to speak with her, to tell her everything that's in his heart, but of course, he does none of these things.

This time apart has only...convinced him of the depths of his feelings for her, however. They say distance makes the heart grow fonder, but that seems to go about tenfold for him. The letters they exchange do barely enough to scratch the itch for her company, but they never fail to leave him without a smile on his face, or a flutter in his heart. Those letters are what keep him going when he lies down to sleep with the sky still blaring light from above.

With the Warrior of Light dispatched to Amh Araeng to meet with Alisaie, Prompto stays a bit closer to the Crystarium than usual, eager to hear any word of news from the south. What reaches his ears when news does come nearly sends him into a stupor. The Warrior of Light is returning to the Crystarium, and Alisaie is accompanying him.

He can hardly wait. Waiting for her to arrive at the Ocular isn't good enough, nor outside the Crystal Tower. No, it's outside the city gates that he anticipates her arrival, wringing his hands as he watches the curve of the path, waiting for her to appear, waiting for his first friend in Eorzea to finally step back into his life. ]

[fearlessly]

[ returning to the crystarium feels.. numbing.

the sky above lakeland burns same as the sky over amh araeng, but the land is vastly different, lush and green and thick with foliage, its violet trees shine beneath the light, there is even grass beneath her feet, thick and healthy, as if this very land defies its fate, and the doom hanging like a veil above it.

it could not be more different from amh araeng's light scoured sands and broken, eroded cliffs. the crystallized wall of light hung over the horizon like a wave frozen in time, ever a reminder of the catastrophe that swept the star and nearly swallowed it whole. and beyond that, the blasted lands, sucked free of life and vigor, dead and pale as bone dust, silent and empty stretching as far as the eye could see. alisaie watched it often, climbing the tower to look out beyond the crystal wall and to the endless white beyond it, the world that had been swept away. it was always a good reminder, a motivator to keep her strong when her knees and spirit buckled, to keep her toiling forward on those most difficult days.

amh araeng has hardened her. she can feel it like a stone grown 'round her heart, she can hear it in the edge to her voice that was once softer, she can touch it on her own palms, the rough calluses that have formed where she holds her blade. but alisaie does not despair for these things - it has made her stronger, she has honed herself like a weapon in both body and mind, and now that weapon sings, thirsty for blood, for payment.

tesleen's final words ring still freshly in her ears, and she cannot erase the vision from her mind, the way tesleen's body twisted and warped, the terrible pain in her screams, the black tears streaking down her anguished face.

no one deserves to die in pain.

the warrior has gone ahead, at her request, leaving her to walk on her own, to gather her thoughts. it will not due for her to arrive with tears on her cheeks and red-rimmed eyes, not when there is work to be done, and gods is she ready for it. with every last meal she served, every body she found in the amber sands, alisaie's motivation to help this world had grown and sharpened, but now -

now it is as a raging torrent, and to say that she is not fueled in part by vengeance would be a lie. she will end the cursed beast that took tesleen, she will strike down a hundred thousand sin eaters before she allows them to harm another innocent soul, and she will delight in their screams as they dissolve beneath her blade. enough is enough. the warrior has at last arrived, and it is time that the light and all its twisted, damnable spawn paid for all it has wrought.

the crystal tower is in view, its spire thrust into the sky, shining like a beacon of glittering hope, but alisaie can feel only darkness in her heart, and a fierce, formidable drive to press forward and crash through it all without cease.

she rounds the bend to the main gates, and - ]

.. Prompto?

[punshots]

[ It's her. It's her, it's really her. Alisaie is heading up the path, the same as he remembers her and yet somehow different, and his heart leaps up inside his chest, a dam he hadn't realized he'd constructed all but bursting.

You'd think with all these months, he would have had time to find the words, he would have thought of what to say when he was at least reunited with her. But now that he finds himself here with her, after so long, and knowing it's been even longer for her, he hasn't the words to express the emotions in his heart. Instead, he falls to acting, letting out a joyful cry as he dashes right over to her, folding her into his arms without a second thought. ]

Well, i-if you aren't a s-sight for sore eyes...

[ A laugh rubs against a sob in his throat, and tears are already spilling down his cheeks. Things are still so, so very wrong here in this world, and they have so, so much to do. But it's not the Warrior of Light's presence that now assuages Prompto's fears, but Alisaie's mere presence, the warmth of her in his arms, the scent of her skin...

He doesn't stop to think about how he's never held her quite like this before. ]

[fearlessly]

[ of course she had known that he was here, on the first. the exarch keeps them all apprised of situational changes, and then there had been the letters - his appearance is not a shock, but it is a surprise. in the back of her mind she had known that she might find him here, but..

.. admittedly, he has not been at the forefront of her thoughts, most recently.

so when he folds her up into his arms all but immediately, alisaie does not know what to do or how to respond. she freezes, her shoulders stiff and her back ramrod straight, her hands lifted and open, as if she does not know what to do with them. alisaie has ever been a guarded individual, but these long months have hardened her even further. when was the last time that she touched another living being with her bare hands and not the edge of her blade? when was the last she felt a hug? and now, especially -

her breath catches, her heart kicking up into her throat, and despite herself she can feel her chest constrict painfully. in this moment, with her heart freshly broken and her spirit in ribbons it feels.. lovely, just to be held, to feel someone so near to her, to smell the skin of another person, and yet a part of her wants to fling him away, the part that is fearful, anxious, closed. gods, the moment she allows herself to grow close to someone they are inevitably snapped right out from under her nose, and there are echoes of tesleen in his kind voice and smiling eyes and gentle soul.

after a moment, her hands at last lay themselves against his arms, snagging the fabric of his sleeves. her voice is thick with emotion, though she restrains it still with a tight fist. ]

.. it has been some time, hasn't it.

[punshots]

[ ...It's as he suspected, then.

Alisaie would never go into great detail what she was going through out at the edge of the world, but Prompto isn't stupid. He knows what people went to Journey's End for, and the kind of grim responsibility that befell the caretakers there. Alisaie was among them. There's no question that she's seen her fair share of sin eaters, and has seen people turn. Too many people. One is too many, but here in Lakeland, so near the Crystarium, it's at least moderately safer. Much safer than out where Alisaie has been keeping vigil.

And now she freezes in his arms, like she isn't sure how to process affection, and for a moment, he thinks to let her go and step back. It...it was pretty abrupt, wasn't it? He should have given her more space. He should have allowed her time to gather herself, to get used to his presence again, instead of ambushing her like this.

But before he can let go, Alisaie at last returns the embrace, and Prompto's thundering nerves quiet just a little. ]

Yeah. Sorry I never visited, I just...

[ Well. She knows how it is here, on the First. How brutal and bleak it can be. How a vacation is the last thing any of them should be taking. ]

I missed you.

[ He murmurs, still not letting go of her, emotion pooling in his words. This world has been so strange and foreign, even moreso than Eorzea had been, and he's been so godsdamned lonely. But seeing Alisaie again, holding her like this...

...it's like coming home. ]

[fearlessly]

[ the first is not entirely unlike the source - it seems a far closer approximation than eos does, at least, but still it is not home, it does not feel like home, and with all the scions so far flung - even her brother - it has become so easy to feel isolated. for as painful and difficult as her work had been in amh araeng, she had not necessarily felt lonely, at least not until these past few days. the carers at the inn were kind and gentle folk, they smiled more than one might think for the work being done there, and alisaie had grown quite fond of each and every one of them. she never particularly wanted for company.

but it was easy to feel estranged from home and family in that bleak desert. prompto, despite the fact that he is not a native eorzean at all, is still a reflection of home, and with him comes the flood of nostalgia and memory and loneliness, the reminder of how very much more she has to lose. ]

I missed you, too.

[ amh araeng did not offer her much downtime to really feel it keenly, but she had grown used to his constant presence, his easy laughter, and for him - well, cut adrift as he is from his own world and family, she can understand how much more it would mean.

at last she disengages, unwilling to linger in his affection too long, lest her cracks widen and the tears that burgeon against her eyelashes make good on their threat. blinking rapidly to dispel them, she takes a deep, tremulous breath. ]

What are you doing out here?

[punshots]

[ Alisaie pulls back, and Prompto lets her go in return — quickly, and he takes a step back, heat burning in his cheekbones. Of course he's happy to see a dear friend, but even the circumstances being what they are, he can't ignore the fact that he's never exactly...held anyone like that before. Sure, he's hugged plenty of people before, he's hugged her before, but this was different. The scent of her skin and hair still lingers. (In a good way, probably.)

But he'd only done what felt right in his heart, after finally seeing her again, after they've spent so much time apart.

Clearing his throat, Prompto sets his hands about his waist, glancing out at the wasteland beyond them. ]

Well, when I heard from the Exarch that you'd be returnin' to the Crystarium with our friend, I thought I ought to give you a proper welcome!

[ And since Alisaie hasn't been here in some time, he can act as her guide, if needs be. Or just...someone to talk to. Whatever she needs him to be, he'll do it.

He's also curious as to why she's returning now, after all this time, but that's not a question to just spring on someone. Was it just the Warrior's appearance? Or was there some other reason she left her work behind in Amh Araeng? ]

[fearlessly]

[ alisaie might not have been entirely comfortable with his embrace, she might not.. remember how to act with others in a normal sort of way, but something about his touch, his voice, and his spirit, has breathed life back into her, pried at the doors that she has worked so hard to keep sealed shut. that alisaie is an emotional woman is no real surprise, and always she endeavors to keep it bridled and under control; her time in amh araeng has seen that.. greatly tested. much of the violence and loss had numbed her, but the horror of tesleen's loss, still so fresh in her mind, has shook her to the core. no matter how she might try to keep her feelings in check, it seems an insurmountable task.

nevertheless, she pulls in a deep inhale, banishing the residual wetness from her eyes, and lifts her gaze to the crystal towers. the gates are close. ]

How thoughtful of you.

[ she means it, even chances a tight smile that does not entirely reach her eyes; gods, she's poor company right now. without wasting a moment, she gestures to the path ahead. ]

Let us waste no further time, then.

[ she must move forward, she cannot stop for too long, it is only inertia that is holding her together. ]

[punshots]

[ ...It's changed her, it's changed her greatly, and he can already see the signs of it. Prompto wants to ask more, about what it was like to live out in Amh Araeng, what it was like to...do the work that she was doing, but that is not a topic easily broached. It will come in time. But better they just get used to one another's presence again first. With any luck, they'll have some time to spend together now. The Warrior still needs to visit Alphinaud, after all... ]

So...this is all...pretty crazy, huh? I'm just glad the Exarch finally got the right person here.

[ A light chuckle, even if the topic itself is not all that light. They've all been waiting for this, but there's no telling what it means for their future. Even if they find a way to save this realm, there's still the matter of returning to their own, since they are...force ghosts or some shit now idk. ]

Wonder what they're plannin'...

[ It's impossible to tell what goes on in the Exarch's head. ]

[fearlessly]

I cannot say.

[ the exarch is as immovably secretive as ever, she can imagine, and it's unlikely that they'll pry any more information out of him than he is willing to give. ]

But I have plans of my own. I can only hope that they will align.

[ her voice is hard, her posture tensing as she looks past him, toward the tower rising high into the sky, near piercing the veil of wretched light above it. she has no doubt that the exarch intends to wipe out the sin eaters if at all possible, but alisaie is on the warpath now - she's ready to move, and ready to not stop until her goal is met, one way or another.

for now, she walks. ]

[punshots]

[ So, she didn't come here to offer suggestions to the Exarch, but to put forward the plan she wants to set into motion, whether or not the Exarch agree with it. If it were anyone else, Prompto might think they were being too hasty...but he trusts Alisaie. If she has her heart set on doing something, then it must be the right thing.

...Still, what prompted this? Was it just the arrival of the Warrior? He shoots her a cursory glance before asking: ]

Oh, yeah? What kind of plans?

[ He doesn't exactly have a set agenda himself. Maybe it's something he can help with — assuming she even wants help with it. ]

[punshots]

[ Fortunately for both Alisaie and Prompto, once Alphinaud returns and with the Exarch and the Warrior of Light involved, plans begin to swiftly form. If the Warrior of Light can kill the Lightwardens, then perhaps darkness can return to the land. But before much else can take place in the way of preparation, they are summoned to Holminster Switch (which is not a kind of Nintendo) where an attack by numerous Sin Eaters is taking place. The elusive Lightwarden just might be there, and so the Scions and the Exarch swiftly make their move, fighting their way through the hordes of Sin Eaters around the village until at last facing the Lightwarden down.

It's...hellish, to say the least. Prompto has seen people turn before, everyone has, but on a scale like this, it's enough to make him sick. It's only necessity that keeps him from doubling over. He needs to be at his best for his friends, and for Alisaie, who is...taking this all very hard.

Not that that's strange — they all are. But there is something about her demeanor that is different than everyone else's, that speaks to more than just her noble, heroic heart. Something in this is...personal for her.

And Prompto doesn't miss it when she calls one of the Eaters they say a friend.

But their mission is successful. They slay the Lightwarden, the Warrior absorbs its aether, and at last, night descends upon Lakeland. It hasn't even been all that long for him since he's last seen it, and still, it's breathtaking, to see a night's sky so full of stars.

It's much, much later into that same night when Prompto finally has his chance to catch Alisaie alone. Maybe...this is the sort of thing he should wait to bring up, and if it is, he will be more than ready for her to turn him down to talk. But he can't forget the way she looked when they faced that Sin Eater, how...heartbroken she seemed, in spite of their victory. So it's as they depart the Oculus for the Pendants for the night that he falls into step next to her, bumping an elbow fondly to her own as they walk. ]

So...this was sure one hell of a night, huh?

[ To say the least. ]

[fearlessly]

[ alisaie's heart weighs heavy as a stone.

she is no stranger to loss, or the pain of grief; in fact she has come to know it quite well. one might think it would have gotten easier for her, that she would have grown used to its familiar ache, and yet each new loss is as devastating as the last, and losing those dear to her never grows easier to bear. her spirit is scarred, bruised, and rather than feel stronger for all the pain alisaie cannot help but feel weakened, like a bone once broken becomes brittler than before.

and tesleen..

her loss hit harder than most. alisaie has been at her side every day for moons, near on a year, and the difficulties of life in amh araeng, and the nature of the work performed at the inn, had drawn them all close. the caretakers could not replace her family, or the scions, but they had been a different sort of companionship, and tesleen more than most. losing her in the ordinary way would have been difficult enough, but watching her turn, seeing the aether bleed from her eyes, hearing the intense, terrible pain inflicted as her body was pulled and warped and twisted unnaturally - weeks later the memory still feels fresh as yesterday.

she is at rest now. her pain has passed. her blood now stains alisaie's hands.

they walk, and she is distracted, caught up in her thoughts, her heart still lingering there, in holminster switch, in the aether that stil lingered tangible in the air, the echo of her dear friend. alisaie's eyes itch and ache, her head feels heavy and tight, her movements automatic, rote. they approach the pendants. will she sleep tonight? ]

What?

[ prompto's voice cuts through her thoughts. has he been beside her this whole time? has everyone? ]

I - err.. yes. To say the least. 'Tis good to see the stars again.

[punshots]

[ The fact that she seems so distracted isn't surprising. It's the why that eludes him, especially when they have so much to celebrate and Alisaie is...well, for lack of a better word, like a person in mourning.

But Prompto has never been one to call someone out on their emotions, especially not someone like Alisaie, who tends to keep things to close to the vest. But she should be celebrating with the rest of them, and as much as she might not like him to pry, he can't help but worry that it might be a bit necessary. ]

...It is, isn't it? We made a huge step forward today. One step closer to saving this world...

[ And he lets the silence fall between them for a moment, then, to let the gravity of that statement settle on them both. After everything they've lost, there's no arguing that tonight, Norvrandt is just a little bit closer to being saved. The Source is just a little bit closer to being saved.

At least, he ventures to ask: ]

Something on your mind?