adelphoi | (no subject)

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[ never before has alisaie so deeply, keenly known what it is to feel bittersweet.

arriving on hydaelyn again, surrounded by the familiar walls of the rising stones, eorzea's peoples and lands safe, restored, full - is it not what she had dreamt of since first she awoke in that icy pod? since she looked out over a wide vista of stars and attempted to process the fact that her home was gone? mourning an entire world had been a monumental effort, and when the news had come that their homes could yet be salvaged she had never been more relieved.

that relief, of course, had been soon followed by a sweeping despair. they were to return home, and only home, the natha had a duty to fulfill, to see to it that everything was restored exactly as it was, no exception, no compromise. for the greater good, they had insisted, and alisaie's heart had broken clean in two. she had made so many connections, so many close friends, she had carved a life out for herself on el nysa and -

- and prompto. to lose him forever was an ache she could not bear. she had already lost so much, so many, and to lose him.. of course she fought. she railed and shouted herself hoarse, she petitioned the natha again and again, begged, but they would not be moved. and so she was home again, surrounded by familiar walls and familiar friends, but on her clothing she could still smell prompto's skin, the sensation of his last kiss clinging to her mouth like a ghost.

a week of stunned grieving was all she allowed herself, but alisaie would not be defeated. traveling to other worlds.. it is possible, she has seen it done. the ascians, the warriors of the first - all had traveled between the planes, and alisaie was entirely certain, with all of her heart, that his eos was one of the many echoes, the worlds connected to her own by the sundering of the mothercrystal. prompto was gone and yet he still somehow felt so very close, just out of reach of her touch, her voice, her heart.

the pregnancy, of course, had been.. entirely unexpected. the natha had rendered them sterile, but she can only assume that they had reversed it some time before their restoration of their homes, long enough for him to quicken within her womb and leave her with a soul to remember him by, a sweet child with her own dark eyes and prompto's fair hair, and smile, and laugh that breaks her heart to hear. but gods she loves him, this little sunshine boy who thrives on touch and love, who sleeps well and smiles often and gives her the extra drive she needs to work, to finish, to find the way to drive open the doorway between their worlds. it is unstable, and unable to linger for long, it is entirely possible that this is a one-way trip, that she will never be able to find her way back, and that is all that stalls her. prompto is her heart, her husband, the mother of her child - but hydaelyn is her home, her family is here, and the thought of leaving her brother behind forever, leaving urianger, and the scions..

gods, it is nearly enough to unmake her, to convince her to abandon her work.

but they remind her, all of them, that prompto too is her family, that their child deserves to know his father, that if she does not make this step she will never see him again. she will.. simply have to do it again, to find a way to keep the doorway open. and if she has not, at least she has said her goodbyes, she has made her peace, and decided what it is that she needs.

and so that is what brings her here at last, to eos, where the air is thick with darkness, where the aether is in upheaval. gods, this is the home he had returned to? this is where he has been? the atmosphere is heady and oppressive, the roads swarmed with terrible daemons. she had made the right decision.

finding him, however, was much more difficult. finding her way to a well lit station had been difficult enough in a foreign world, and she had learned quickly to arrange her hair to cover her ears, avoiding questions she does not have the time to answer. but soon enough she had learned of him, where he was, and how to arrive there - to a city called lestallum, the last great bastion against the doom hovering on the horizon.

alisaie's heart is pounding when she arrives before the worn wooden door, in a narrow staircase with yellow walls, the paint peeling and the light harsh. she's ruffled and dusty with travel, exhausted and anxious, smelling of sweat and chocobo but once she had arrived in the city she could not bring herself to wait another second before searching him out, finding him. hefting the sleeping child higher on her hip, alisaie presses a kiss to his pale blonde head, taking a deep, stilling breath.

and she knocks. ]

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[ Yeah...they could all probably use a laundry run at some point, but for now, Prompto has enough clean clothes to get him through another day, and so he crosses over to his bag to fish out what he needs, Louisoix still babbling near his ear.

He's about to turn back to the bed so he can set Louie down and change, but he hesitates a moment, before digging to the bottom of his bag where his camera lies in wait. It hasn't been out of its case in so long...he hopes it still works. But if there was ever a time to bring it back out, it would be now.

He wants to take so many pictures of the three of them together. One for every day they had been apart. ]

The lens is gonna love you, buddy...

[ never one to take any longer with a task than necessary, alisaie discards her nightgown and tugs on a simple light dress and steps into her boots, tugging her hair to the side and winding it into a hasty braid as she climbs the stairs again, pausing at the top to.. watch, for a moment.

prompto looks good with a camera in his hands, like it was meant to be there, his fingers wrapped around it so naturally. it makes her heart ache to think that he had abandoned it, something he's so passionate about, something so important to him. at least he is rekindling his love for it now, but it's still painful to imagine the years that camera had spent alone, abandoned and untouched.

smiling warmly, alisaie leans into the doorframe and waits, watching the two of them together, allowing the image to sink into her memory and warm her heart. ]

[ When she reenters the doorway, Prompto glances up from his camera, meeting her gaze in a long, warm, and meaningful look. Though it's like Prompto has come into the middle of a story already woven, it feels like a new beginning to him, too. Louisoix may be a couple years old already, but he's still young, and...they have so much life left to live. He has so much more life left to live, and while he will ever remain dedicated to Noctis and what they were fighting to bring back to this world, it's no longer his only driving force.

Now he has two more reasons to help this world heal.

After a few moments pass, he turns back to the bed to set Louie down upon it and sets his camera down on the night stand (don't get any ideas, kid!) so he can change. ]

- It's not so bad. The whole...lack of light, I mean. You get used to it after awhile, and at least...the stars are kinda nice...

[ Eos hadn't lost everything to the Starscourge. ]

[ of course he's going to get ideas, he's going to get ideas like, the moment that camera is set within his reach. it looks like a toy?? he has never seen a camera before..

so right away his chubby little fingers are grabbing it, pulling it to his face, staring into the lens. ah, he's his mother's son, well and truly. alisaie is quick to intervene though, sitting on the bed beside him and plucking the camera from his grasp, though she holds it near enough for him to keep looking at and touching it, to satisfy his curiosity. ]

It's your home. I am sure I will love it, no matter the state.

[ and she has seen photos before, ones prompto had shown her when they were still in el nysa, beautiful sunny vistas, lakes, mountains, she has no doubt that eos is a beautiful world. ]

[ Ah - thanks for that, bae. Prompto will soon learn to not put anything within a toddler's reach that he doesn't want played with, though it is pretty adorable when Louisoix pulls the camera up to his face like that. He's learning to love photography already...what a good boy. ]

I hope so. There's a reason we're still fightin' to save it.

[ Other than...you know, just not giving up. Eos was beautiful, and a world worth fighting for.

It only takes him a moment to swap out his pajamas for day-wear, a bit more dusty and frayed than he used to wear, but it's not so bad. He looks for rugged this way! Finally, he steps into his boots. ]

[ she can't help the swell of pride in her breast. prompto has always sold himself too short, but he works so hard, and he's so dedicated. after years spent in this dark, lonely world, surrounded by people who blame and deride him, still he does all that he can to help, still he believes that it should be saved. all this time and he's still so good. ]

'Tis only a matter of time.

[ and she believes it. the night might seem dark and long, but in the end, morning always arrives, she believes it with all of her heart. the scions had been named for it, of the seventh dawn, working tirelessly to usher in the light when all was dark. hydaelyn had survived calamity after calamity, and still she stands; eos will be no different, she will stake her life on it.

but such big thoughts are better left for later. today they look inward, into each other, into this little family that they must build. once prompto is dressed, she pulls louie into her lap and eases the camera from his grip, handing it back toward prompto as she stands. ]

Ready?

[ She doesn't realize how right she is - about seven years matter of time, if the prophecy is to believed. And Prompto does - of course he does. It was only a matter of time, and...something tells him the next period of his life will go much faster than the previous three years did. It still seems impossible, that only yesterday he was abjectly miserable and impossibly lonely, and now...he has his wife and a son and as much as it seems too good to be true, he lets it envelop him completely, lets it surround him. ]

Ready.

[ He takes his camera in hand, a small, fond smile curving his mouth, before he looks up at the pair of them again. ]

Actually - first things first. We need a family photo.

[ She knew this was coming, didn't she? ]

[ .. okay yeah, she did. maybe she didn't realize it would be this very moment, but she knew it was on the horizon, but of course she hardly minds. just to see him with that camera in his hands again, to watch his passion and love for it rekindle - she would endure a thousand photos just to see that light return to his eyes. ]

Of course.

[ she says dryly, but through a curling smile as she steps toward him, hefting louisoix higher into her arms until he's seated comfortably against her hip. ready when you are, maestro. ]

[ He powers the camera on and it whirs to life like it was only yesterday he'd last set it aside. Man, the classics - they just don't make 'em like they used to.

And even if it's been a few years, he still knows exactly what to do. What to adjust, how to focus, how to just angle the camera correctly as he winds his free arm around Alisaie and grins a wide, beaming grin. ]

Saaay Carbuncle!

[ Ah, throwbacks. And as usual, whether she says it or not, he snaps the photo a moment later, the shutter clicking.

Gods, it feels so good. ]

Edited 2017-12-12 08:03 (UTC)

[ she does say carbuncle.. FOR OLD TIME'S SAKE.. but that was your one carbuncle card, prompto, so here's hoping you enjoyed it. louisoix, of course, followed the camera with both eyes and hands the entire time, reaching out toward the lens and giggling excitedly, babbling noises that are probably unintelligible words.

even once he is finished, alisaie cannot stop smiling, smiling so broadly that her face aches. she has hardly had such cause to smile like this in a long time; they are at last, together, as they should be.

she edges a little closer, craning her neck to peer at the screen. ]

Did it come out well?

Did it!

[ I mean, of course it is. Look at how cute all of them are. Prompto tips the screen towards Alisaie so she can see it, a collection of smiling faces that were always meant to be together. It's strange, to think that this is their first photo all together. When Prompto looks at it, it's like he's known this photograph his entire life.

But with that taken care of (though there will undoubtedly be many more to come), it's time to hit the town, and he sets the camera in its case on his belt, its weight like an old familiar friend. ]

Shall we?

[ alisaie may not have the same passion for photography as prompto does, but she can still appreciate the picture, the warm smiles on their faces, and how right it feels to see the three of them together at last. like the satisfying click of the last piece of a puzzle sliding into place.

but for now, onward. alisaie dips her head and starts down the stairs, setting louisoix onto the edge of the sofa so she can kneel to roll a fresh pair of socks over his little feet, and his shoes after. ]

I was not able to see much of the city last night, so you will have to lead me around.

[ she just kind of. barreled through on a chocobo and didn't appreciate the sights. ]

[ For the nth time, Prompto about dies at the sight of those little socks and little shoes. They're just so tiny...feet have never been as cute as they are in this moment. ]

Can do! Lestallum may not hold up to its former glory, but it's still got some highlights. Now, if we found a way across the sea to Altissia...

[ A city that is far more pristine and breathtaking in his memory than it surely is now, but there's probably not a more romantic city in all of Eos, before or after the Starscourge settled over the land. ]

[ prompto will never stop dying at the sight of those tiny shoes, not until the day comes that louie grows out of them. and then he'll die all over again when she pops out more kidlets, also with tiny new feet. the cycle never ends. ]

Altissia..

[ she looks thoughtful, trying to recall the many things he had told her about eos all those years ago, while she stands and hefts the boy into her arms, moving toward the door. ]

.. that is the maritime city, yes?

[ Yep, they grow up so fast...better get crack-a-lackin' on popping out those twins!!! ]

Yeah. Canals and gondolas and water everywhere. It's a sight! Or...it was, at least.

[ He trots towards the door to open it for them, and then pulls it shut behind them. It's a bit lighter than it was the night before, but there is, of course, no true sun in the sky. It's like it keeps trying to rise but just can't muster the energy for it, bathing the morning in a cool, predawn light that never ends. ]

It got pretty beat up by the Hydraean, but in its heyday, man. I'll have to show you some pics later.

[ it may not be bright out, but that twilight glow is reason enough to keep going; if the very sun itself it striving to reappear, then who are they to give up? no matter how dark it gets, the dawn will always arrive. and this pale light is beautiful in and of itself, casting a warm light against the city that she had seen so little of last night, through the sheer blackness in which she had arrived. ]

I'd like that.

[ she smiles, louisoix already pulling her braid over her shoulder, playing with the ribbon. ]

I want to know everything. I want to help as best I can.

[ Of course she does. It's not surprising, but his smile warms all the same. It's radiant, really, and doesn't dim as they walk along the dusty road, the city beginning to wake up as he steers her towards the main thoroughfare, one arm around her shoulders.

It's impossible not to look at them, to just appreciate the simple existence of this moment, and after they go along for a moment in silence, Prompto laughs quickly, his eyes warm and bright as he takes the pair of them in. His beautiful, fierce, passionate wife, and his perfect, smiling son. Gods, how his heart swells with adoration for the both of them. ]

[ it's a nice stroll, and after a good shower and some sleep she is feeling more herself than she has in weeks, though a few more nights hard sleep certainly won't hurt.

still, her eyes sweep the city, the tall buildings and the cracked streets as they approach. when prompto laughs she looks.. puzzled, her brow creasing as she peers up into his face. ]

What?

[ is something on her face?? ]

[ His smile cracks wider when she calls him out, almost as if he'd been waiting for her to notice. He can't keep his eyes off her, or his hands off her, and it's going to make for a very distracting day. But they'll manage... ]

I just - you're here! And Louie - it's...I still can't really believe it.

[ This - this exact thing, right here, is what he has wanted for so long. ]

[ she can't help but be reminded of the first few weeks of their relationship, when everything had been so new, when all of his attentions were so flattering, so unbelievably lovely. he'd looked at her as if she were the rising sun itself, and he is looking at her the same way right now, bright and warm and as full of love as she remembered.

she's missed that smile so much. she's missed him so much. right now it's so easy to appreciate that, while she's not having to worry about finding him, getting to him, and staying on her feet. ]

I know.

[ her voice is a little softer, her smile warming up, and she turns toward him, though with her arms full of toddler she cannot touch him. ]

It feels.. like a dream.

Yeah...it does.

[ But it's gone on long enough now that Prompto knows in his heart that it is not a dream. It's still too good to be true, yes, but it is still true, nevertheless. She's really here with him, he really has a son, and everything is going to be different now. ]

C'mon. I got an old friend you gotta meet.

[ she would kiss him if she had the hands free to tug him down, but there will be plenty of time for that later. plenty of time in general to touch and laugh and smile and kiss, to make up for all the time they had lost.

but what's this? brows lifted in curiosity, she follows him along. ]

Old friend?

[ They have so much to catch up on - affection and stories both, but this too is a part of that end. As he heads up the main walkway of Lestallum, he veers off towards a second of town that is less thickly populated. This is the makeshift headquarters of the Kingsglaive now, but he doesn't stop to greet any of the leaders or commanders moving about. Most don't give him a second look in passing, anyway, though some certainly do, noting the addition of a woman and a child with him that have certainly not been with him before. ]

Wait here.

[ With an eager grin, Prompto trots up to one of the weapons stalls, where a young boy, now barely a teenager, is looking over a few tomes. It's clear, even from a distance, that these two know each other well, and get on much better than Prompto does with many of the glaives.

A moment later, the boy disappears into the building behind him, the door ajar, and then scrambling out comes Peo. A few years older and grayer, a bit slower than he used to be, but Peo all the same, and while he spares Prompto a moment of greeting in the form of slathered kisses, as soon as Alisaie catches the dog's attention, he makes a beeline for her, all four legs off the ground at a time as he runs and barks warmly at her. ]

[ to be perfectly honest, alisaie was not sure what to expect. gladio or ignis perhaps, or maybe not even a person, but a.. thing? not his camera, he already has that on his person..

she's still attempting to unravel the secret when a dog comes trotting out of the open door, and then makes a mad dash toward her - ]

Oh, Gods - Peo..

[ somehow, the sight of him alone is incredibly powerful, almost more powerful than seeing prompto had been. she was prepared to see prompto, she had bent nearly her entire focus on ripping a hole between their worlds for the express purpose of reuniting with him. she had known what she had been facing.

but peo.. oh, peo. a thousand memories come flooding back, and alisaie feels her chest tighten up immediately, tears pricking her eyes, thick emotion building in her throat. her breath catches, and she can feel her expression crumpling. gently, she shifts louisoix in her arms to hand him off to prompto so she can greet her old friend properly, dropping to her knees and gathering him up into her arms. peo whines and yips, his entire body wriggling with joy, and she can't help it - alisaie falls to broken sobs, punctuated with tight, hiccuping laughs, burying her face in peo's wiry fur. he even still smells the same.. ]

[ He had expecting their reunion to be heartwarming, for Alisaie had always loved Peo as much as Prompto did, though he was the one who got to bring him home. The nature of his work had made it difficult for him to keep him at his side, which is why he often ended up in Talcott's care, but Peo was always such a sweet reminder of what had been, of the tiny family he had been able to build on El Nysa. Ever their faithful companion, through sickness and health, good times and the bad, and really, he should have expected an emotional outpouring such as this.

But all the same, he takes Louisoix into his arms so Alisaie and Peo can get properly reacquainted, with tears of joy and happy yelps and tail-wagging more furious than Prompto has ever witnessed. It's impossible to not let the tears surface in his own eyes, even as Louisoix grabs at his face with his tiny, chubby fingers. The three of them are now the four of them, and there are no words for how complete and fulfilled he is at that moment, kneeling down so he and Louie are at eye level with the other two. ]

Think he missed you just a bit.

[ A tearful laugh breaks around his words. ]

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i spend so much time googling cute clothes...

cute dresses and baby clothes....

yes.... and houses soon....

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