adelphoi | (no subject)

(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.

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Well, that certainly explains it.

[ this soft boy has pitched a tent or two in his time. that's not what she said. alisaie leans to ladle more stew into both of their bowls; lots of food is key to keeping warm in the cold, after all, and anything left in the pot would otherwise go to waste anyway. ]

And you never got used to it? Why don't you like it?

[ He's more than happy to accept seconds, wearing a smile as Alisaie ladles another helping of stew into his bowl. For how cold he is, the meal is going a long way towards helping him forget that. ]

Guess I got used to it, but...I dunno, it's just never been my style. I like to be comfy! [ He shrugs around a mouthful of food. ] But the company was worth it.

[ Those nights brought them closer as friends than anything else, come to think of it. ]

[ alisaie shakes her head, though there's an easy smile on her face. ]

Mayhaps you simply need to reevaluate your conditions for "comfy."

[ it is a lot to ask of him, apparently..!! with her bowl scraped clean, however, alisaie leans back on her hands, lifting her eyes to the sky, where the setting sun bleeds streaks of crimson against the low, thin clouds. ]

I think it is well worth the trade for such.. freedom, and beauty.

[ Well, she's not wrong about that, exactly. For all Prompto might complain about some aspects about life on the road, he...isn't sure he could go back to just living a normal life in Insomnia now, if he even had the choice. For better or for worse, his journey has changed him too much.

Finishing off the last of his stew, he sets his bowl aside, casting Alisaie a cursory glance before turning his attention back to the sky. ]

Can't argue with that. Maybe it's not comfy, but I wouldn't trade it for the world.

[ He has to believe he's a better person now, for all he's struggled, for all he's experienced on the road. ]

[ her bowl is empty by now as well, and she slides it onto his, wood clacking gently against wood. she feels pleasantly full, warmed by the heat of the meal and good company both, and alisaie soon leans back on her hands to glance skyward. already the stars are beginning to wink through the blanket of the sky. ]

Neither would I.

[ she exhales, soft and slow. ]

I've spent a lot of time traveling Eorzea. It has not always been easy, but I am grateful for every moment of it.

[ He hums a soft note of agreement, his gaze linger on the firelight flickering against her face before turning his gaze back up towards the stars as she does. This moment is so powerfully familiar somehow. Being out here like this with Alisaie is the closest he's felt to his brothers since he arrived in this world. ]

You can sure learn a lot about yourself out on the road, huh?

[ It's been a powerful teacher in his life, and he would guess that the same is true for her as well. It definitely isn't easy, but it's sure been worth it. ]

[ alisaie's time on the road had been mostly alone, especially after losing emery. it had taken her.. quite some time to recover from that and allow herself to trust again, to not be too petrified to allow herself traveling companions and comrades again. it is so much easier to be an island, for you may not love, but you also do not grieve.

even sometimes still she feels that way, she feels safer when she is alone, but times like these.. she can remember how warm and comforting it is to have company on nights like these. ]

I suppose that you do.

[ she says, solemnly, following the trail of stars in the darkening sky for several more moments before turning her gaze to his profile. ]

And you learn when it is time to turn in to be well rested for a long day on your feet, as well. I think I shall turn in.

[ BLANKET FIC TIME!!!!

Prompto can echo those sentiments, right down to his bones. It's been a long, exhausting day, and even with the fire and warm meal, he's still cold. He'd like nothing more than to curl right up in his bedroll, snug as a bug in a rug, as they say. ]

Well, you don't gotta tell me twice. I'll join you!

[ ...Then, repeating what he said again in his head, he turns bright red, turning to the put out the fire so she hopefully won't be able to notice his burning features as much.

He doesn't bother trying to offer up clarification. She knows what he meant!!! ]

[ thankfully for prompto's ego, alisaie doesn't take it that way!! it was a gentle invitation, anyway - if he does not get enough rest he will be whiny on the road tomorrow, and she doesn't want to deal with that. it's best that they both get plenty of sleep before daybreak tomorrow.

so she unfolds to her feet and helps to kick snow over the fire, gathering up their bowls and utensils to let them soak in the snow overnight while they sleep.

thankfully the tent is already pitched, and alisaie need only kick as much snow as she can from her boots before climbing in, and wrapping up tightly in her bedroll, fully clothes, lighting the lantern between them to provide a meager warmth to fill the tent.

if she's at all flustered by sharing a sleeping space with him, it does not show.. alisaie seems comfortable, and at ease. they are traveling together, they are comrades and companions, and by now they have spent a great deal of time on the road together. she is completely, entirely comfortable around him. ]

Sleep well, Prompto.

[ Prompto follows soon after into the tent, the blush faded from his cheeks, grateful that she didn't seem to look any closer at his words than she had. She still makes his heart race, but he's grown remarkably comfortable in sharing spaces like this with her, too.

And at least out here on the road, he doesn't have to worry about accidentally seeing her change into her nighty, or being around her when she's wearing something so sheer.... //// ]

Sleep tight, Ali...

[ He toes off his boots, slipping into his bedroll, and mere moments after he shuts his eyes, he's out like a light.

...But the night does not stay as calm and peaceful as they leave it when they fall asleep. The storm begins to swirl anew outside, the temperature dropping as wind buffets their small tent. Though it's soundly pitched, it still rattles and shakes around them, and even though Prompto doesn't full awaken, as he grows colder, his need for warm overtakes his half-asleep mind.

Reaching out, he grasps for Alisaie, worming his way towards her, and curling right up against her, shivering as his fingers curl in the fabric of her bedroll. ]

[ it isn't his groping hands that rouses her, but the sound of the wind whipping against the tent. blearily, her eyes crack open and she blinks the stickiness from them, her thoughts heavy as she attempts to make sense of what is happening. she was sleeping so deeply..

but it only takes her a few moments to realize how cold she is, her hands and feet feel icy, the tips of her ears numb, and she is shivering deep in her core.

this is no time for demure uncertainty, a blizzard has set upon them, she can see the snow piled high against the walls of the tent, if they want to keep warm, they're going to need to be close. it would be quite ignominious to freeze to death en route to visit a bunch of chocobos. ]

Here.

[ she murmurs thickly, her voice heavy with sleep, but she's soon opening her bedroll to him so they can share its heat, curling in near to his body. ]

[ It's truly telling of how dire the situation is — or how tired Prompto is — that he doesn't bat an eye at a girl opening her bedroll and inviting him to join her in it. If it takes him a moment to respond, it's only because he's freezing, and his limbs seem to weigh far, far more than they usually do. But soon enough he's mumbling something incomprehensible and dragging himself forward, his arms slipping around Alisaie's waist to better facilitate them sharing their body heat.

He really doesn't want to die on the way to meet some chocobos, no. ]

Warm...

[ He murmurs, his eyelids heavy, thoughtless as he nuzzles against her neck and inhales the scent of her skin. He's never been this closer to her, or anyone before, really, and yet he doesn't even have the presence of mind to be flustered about it.

It is nice, though, and warm. It serves its purpose, as the storm continues to buffet the tent around them. ]

[ under any other circumstance she might blush demurely as well - she's not exactly accustomed to being held close by another person, but this is no romantic retreat. the chill is quite intense, it sinks into her very bones and prickles her skin, and even the meager heat he provides in the first few moments feels lovely.

it's difficult to navigate both of their bedrolls, but with some effort they're soon both wrapped up tightly in both of their bedrolls, curled up near, her legs drawn up and her arms tucked against his chest. her ears and nose feel like ice, so she buries her face against his hair as best she can, shivering hard, her teeth chattering beside his ear, though she can hardly hear it over the howling winds. alisaie is tough and strong, but she is also small and slim, she doesn't hold body heat very well. ]

G-give me.. your hands..

[ she asks, curling her fingers against his chest, her fingers stiff with cold. ]

[ Without a second thought, he complies, finding her hands curled into his shirt, and closing them between his own. Even though she's a young Elezen, Prompto has never really thought before about just how...small Alisaie is. He's also never thought about how snug she fits right under his chin, and he isn't thinking about it now. (Maybe a little.) But for as flustered as he can get by the smallest things, he isn't going to bumble through their own survival when sharing heat like this could be what saves them from freezing to death. Numb as his ears and toes might be, right near his heart, where he grips Alisaie's hands, he is warm. ]

I-I got y-you...

[ He murmurs through his chattering teeth, exhaling a warm breath against her cold ears.

They'll make it through this. They have chocobos to see...! ]

[ it feels a little better once he is closer, and alisaie frees one hand briefly to flick on the lantern that sits above their heads; any extra warmth will help, and the fire crystals will serve to heat this tiny space.

a hard shiver, and she's burrowing against him again, pressed as close as she can, heedless of whatever implications are dashing through prompto's mind. all she's thinking about is how cold she is, and how nice and warm he is, and also, maybe, about how nice he smells despite how hard they have been traveling. ]

W-we will m-m-manage.

[ she murmurs, closing her hands into fists beneath his fingers. ]

It will p-pass.

[ Funny, similar thoughts are passing through his mind, because no matter how small Alisaie might be, she feels like a veritable furnace when pressed up against him like this. He can smell her hair, feel it soft just beneath his jaw, and it smells...nice, familiar, like a scent he'd caught before but never really considered where it was from.

If this is how they die, well, it wouldn't be the worst way to go. But Alisaie is right — it will pass. They are made of sterner stuff than to freeze to death in a wintry snowstorm. ]

Y-yeah, w-we've got ch-chocobos to see, d-don't wanna disappoint 'em —

[ He burrows even nearer, nuzzling right to the top of her head. ]

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