adelphoi | (no subject)

[ 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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ 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. ]

[ 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.

[ 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?