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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[ He hears that scream of fear, too, and it takes all his force of will not to follow right after her into Lousoix's room and eviscerate the monster that would even dare to terrify his son — but he can't. Not when the girls are still by themselves. Alisaie will see to it that Louie is safe. He knows she will. He trusts her.

Even if the pit of dread that opens in his stomach is wide enough that it could swallow him whole.

But instinct is what drives him now. There's no room for fear to factor into his course of action. He throws the door to the girls' room open wide, and while no daemons have entered here, they are both awake and crying their small, fearful cries. It awakens a powerful fire in him. Nothing, nothing, should ever make his precious daughters cry like this.

They aren't safe. None of them are safe. But he will see to it that they are, that every last demon is taken out.

He scoops both of them up into one arm, his gun in the other, as he hurries back out of the room and into the hallway. ]

I've got the girls! Alisaie!

[ He shouts for her. He needs to hear her voice. He needs to know she and Louie are okay. ]

[ he trusts her, just as she trusts him - she cannot work quickly and efficiently if she is too hung up on what prompto is doing, and that sort of behavior can put them in danger, or worse, their children in danger. this was a lesson she learned long ago.

so she keeps her thoughts forward, slicing mercilessly through the two imps that remain in louie's room before scooping the boy into her arms. his eyes are wide and bright with tears, a stricken fear in his eyes that she has never seen before, one she hopes to never see again, even if the world is too cruel to allow for it. fury boils in her blood and heart, but she dashes from the room at the sound of prompto's voice, impossible relief flooding away the heat of her ire for the moment. ]

I'm here. The cellar -

[ she calls, but is interrupted soon by the sound of a strangled yelp from the kitchen. peo. ]

Oh, no -

[ without another thought she's rushing to the cellar door to drop louie onto his feet. ]

Hurry, downstairs, turn on every light you can find.

[ The sound of Peo's yelp echoing from the kitchen strikes him deep in his heart — of course Peo would immediately try to defend them from a threat, no matter how scared or confused he was himself. A fearful sound moves in the back of his throat, but Alisaie is already at the cellar door. She'll get Peo. He knows she will.

So makes his way to the cellar door with both girls in tow, meeting Louie at the landing. He looks more terrified than Prompto has ever seen him before in his life, and it makes his blood sear beneath his skin. Once the children are safe, there will be a reckoning.

Grabbing Louie's hand, Prompto hurries him down the the stairs to the cellar, settling the girls down on the rug before running to turn on every light in the room, just as Louie does the same. ]

That's my boy, we're — we're gonna be okay, just k-keep being brave —

[ the moment prompto sweeps down the stairs with the children alisaie is moving again, and quickly, racing to the kitchen with a verthunder already crackling at her fingertips. to some, peo might just be a dog, less important than the children, or to some, not important at all, but to them, to alisaie, he is family. he is a symbol, he is a memory of a world they once shared together, of hardships they faced, of a fast friendship that became so much more. and gods, he is so good and strong to protect them from a threat that he cannot even understand.

the wraith does not see her coming, and she catches it in the back with an arc of black lightning, followed up by a flurry of bladestrikes. it is not so easy a foe as the imps, but there is only one of them, and having caught it by surprise it does not take her long to take it down.

thank the gods peo is all right. petrified, he is huddled in the corner, trembling fiercely, and alisaie scoops him up with a gentle murmur. there's no time to linger though, and she turns to dash back toward the cellar again and down the stairs, the lights so bright they sting her eyes.

everyone is here, and accounted for. she exhales hard.

louie cries out and reaches for peo, who still shivers, holding an injured paw close to his chest, and carefully alisaie shifts him into the boy's arms. ]

There there, he'll be all right.

[ There's no measuring the depths of his relief when Alisaie descends the cellar stairs with Peo in her arms. Thank the gods they're okay, they're all okay, though there are still daemons lurking in their home above. The lights will keep them out of the cellar, but they will continue to attack the house regardless, and Prompto can't let that happen. This is their home. This is where they have built their life, and he refuses to let some daemons take it away from him.

He exhales, a long, drawn-out sound, while he moves his hand over the girls' soft, downy heads. They still cry in confusion and uncomprehending fear, and all of them are shaken. And poor Peo...he's been hurt. In an instant, they could have lost any of them.

Prompto's fists tightens at his side, and a moment later, he pushes himself to his feet as he glances at Alisaie. ]

I'm going back up there.

Oh, you are, are you?

[ she says, razor-edged and scowling. ]

We are going back up there. We must find a way to repair the lights.

[ it's not as if they can wait 'til morning. the sun will not return to chase the daemons away, and more still might converge on the area if they wait too long. she trusts prompto, but she also will not sit on her hands while there is work to be done - she trusts louie to do as they ask, and more importantly, to protect his little sisters. dropping to one knee, she takes the boy's face into her hands. ]

Now, Louisoix, it is important that you be a big brother, now. The girls and Peo are all counting on you. Stay here and look after them, do you understand? You must keep the lights on to keep them safe.

[ he's wide-eyed and afraid, but louis swallows thickly and nods. being a big brother is a very important job. ]

[ He's both frustrated and relieved when she insists on going with him, and not surprised in the least. He knew she would, that she wouldn't be content to hang out in the cellar and wait to hear whether he was alive or dead, but...still. He's so afraid to leave the children, even with Louie as responsible and brave as he is. What if something happens to them? What if...Prompto and Alisaie don't come back? What then?

His stomach flips uncomfortably, tight with worry, but they can't argue about this now. Either both of them go, or neither of them do. It's just how they are.

At least he'll have her at his side up there. ]

That's right. I know you can do it, buddy. [ He smooths a hand over Louie's hair, mustering up a smile for him. ] We'll be back before you know it, okay?

[ They'll just...have to be.

With a quick nod to Alisaie, he starts towards the stairs.

Let's do this. ]

[ prompto might be thinking that way, but alisaie will not allow herself to. when it comes down to it, they are far stronger together than they are alone, their chances of survival quadrupled when they are there to watch each others' backs. if prompto went off alone and got himself killed, she would be alone to defend the home and the children.. she needs him at her side, as he needs her.

this is their home. they will defend it together.

confident that louie will do as she asks, alisaie stands and renews her grip on her rapier, quick to follow prompto up the stairs, and to close and lock the door behind them, edging a chair firmly against it. ]

I suppose we should clear the house, then check outside.

[ like as not whatever killed the floodlights is outdoors, considering the lights in their home seem to be working. speaking of which, she reaches out to flick on the hallway lights. ]

[ Not that the door is locked and their family secure, Prompto is all business again, handgun flashing back into his palm. ]

Right. Let's start upstairs.

[ The daemons would have been drawn to where people were resting, and might be waiting in their bedrooms for them to return. Flipping on the light over the stairs, Prompto starts up to the second floor, moving slowly and carefully until they reach the first room past the landing — the twins' room. ]

...It's clear.

[ And he turns on the lights, to keep it that way. ]

[ alisaie moves beside him, keeping her eyes behind them while he keeps his forward, covering their space completely. light from the girls' room floods the hall, accompanied soon by the light from the bathroom, when she flicks it on as well, warming the space. ]

Clear, as well.

[ but something moves ahead of them, shifting in the shadows, trying to escape the light that now encroaches upon them as alisaie and prompto draw nearer. ]

[ Prompto spots it immediately, nodding towards the daemon trying to escape from the light. They've effectively cornered it, but that doesn't make it any less dangerous, and he fires on it before it gets the chance to slip into their room.

The claw of a reaper lashes out at them, and Prompto scatters backwards in the hallway, flinging an arm protectively in front of Alisaie. ]

We've got a live one!

[ In case that wasn't obvious already. ]

[ it's always sweet when he gets protective of her, and she might smile under normal circumstances, were their home and family not in danger, but as it stands they are. ]

The lights.

[ the reaper has retreated into their bedroom, the only dark space left on this floor. ]

I shall keep it busy, you go for the light switch.

...Alright.

[ In the light filtering from the hallway, he meets her eyes and nods briefly before he darts into the room, dodging right for the light switch. Hopefully she does cover him, but he doesn't even have to question it. He knows she will, and so he keeps his back to her as he flips the switch and floods the room with light. ]

[ of course she has his back. they move quickly, and alisaie slams full force into the reaper - her best method of defense has ever been offense, after all, and so she attacks fiercely and forwardly, without delay, taking the thing off guard with her ferocity. by the time the lights flood the room it is unprepared, an unearthly shriek erupting from its rattling maw.

gods, but it is horrible to look upon in the light.

alisaie surges forward again, rapier flashing, calling upon the crackling black lightning again to hit it hard and fast. ]

[ And in an instant he is there to back her up, his weapon flashing as he fires heavy shots into the reaper's body. With the two of them combined, it doesn't stand a chance, and it withers away, receding into the darkness from whence it came.

He exhales out sharply. They aren't out of the woods yet. ]

Downstairs. Were there more in the kitchen?

I did not see any, but outside -

[ as if on cue, there is a low rumble that shivers through the ground at their feet, and the low, loud, deep call of an iron giant, the sound of metal scraping and groaning, and heavy footfalls.

renewing her grasp on her rapier, she moves past him and into the hall again, leaning into every room to see that all the lights are on. the second floor is clear. once the lights on the first floor are on, the house will be secure, but until they repair the floodlights outdoors.. ]

We must be quick.

[ Both of them know what that sound portends, and while normally the presence of an iron giant would make Prompto groan in frustration, that's not the case tonight. Not when they have their home, their children to protect. This isn't just a trivial annoyance, one more monster to slay.

Jaw set, he follows after her, stalking quietly but quickly through their now-lit house until they reach the back door. He peers through its window at the giant that stalks outside, and his handgun disappears from his hand to be replaced by a rocket launcher.

There's no holding back now. ]

I'll hit him hard, and while he's stunned, you get in there and do your thing.

[ He'll keep her covered, too, in case...there are others.

However many there are, they'll take them out. ]

[ one by one the lights come on, and with it, pockets of safety. they reclaim their home room by room until at last they are in the common room, and every light in the home is on. thank the gods that whatever it is that killed the lights outdoors did not extend to their home, or their situation would have been far more dire. they would have needed to pack away the children, weapons and food and reserves, and ridden into the blackness of night to find refuge.. doable, but difficult, and very dangerous.

small blessings.

but that giant still lingers, large and powerful and threatening, its crashing footsteps and low roars no doubt terrifying the children below their feet. the sooner they get rid of the thing, the better. alisaie nods, moving quickly for the door, her hand hovering over the knob. ]

Are you ready?

[ the moment he is, she is flinging the door open to allow him a clear shot. ]

[ His answer comes in the form of a nod, and then motion as soon as she throws the door open wide. He doesn't hesitate. These daemons have stayed on their property for long enough. They have overstayed their welcome on Eos in general, and he doesn't hold back as he launches full into his assault.

Taking position swiftly, he heft his weapon over his shoulder and fires it, steadying himself against the recoil as the blast takes the iron giant by the chest and forces it to stagger and tremble.

It's gonna be feeling that one. ]

[ for as powerful and dangerous as daemons are, most of them are not particularly cunning, and so when the rocket blast connects, the giant is taken off guard and knocked back easily. it did not expect to be attacked so suddenly; few are brave enough to take on such large, strong daemons, even seasoned hunters, whose numbers dwindle by the year.

she does not waste the opportunity afforded him, and before the daemon can right itself she's attacking hard and fast, striking it with volleys of lightning and fire, dashing in with her rapier to slash and jab with no restraint, careful to leave plenty of openings for prompto to land hits as well. ]

[ Alisaie moves in to strike, and Prompto shifts his weapon yet again, bringing out the Gravity Well to shake the ground beneath the giant's feet to keep it off kilter as much as possible. He keeps his range, and they've done this more than enough times than there's no fear of friendly fire. His shots stay clear of her, and pull off when she moves in to land her strikes. They work in perfect harmony, like they do in all things. ]

We've got 'em on the ropes!

[ But he won't get overconfident. He had felt that way when he had been struck through the heart, and he won't call this battle won until the giant is down and out. ]

[ they, as always, make for a formidable duo. prompto peppers the giant with shots from afar while alisaie keeps it busy up close, dancing around the swings of its sword, which are powerful, but slow, and striking it easily between its wide movements. her magic comes fast and hard, lighting up the space around them with flashes of fire and lightning and spiraling holy energy bright enough to hopefully keep any other lurking daemons at bay.

it takes time. the iron giant is formidable and it has a great deal of stamina, but soon it begins to falter, staggering backward, its body beginning to dissipate into the blackness from whence it came. ]

Now, we -

[ wham. she's barely landed when it catches her broadside with its fist, kicking the wind from her lungs and knocking her flying several yalms back, where she crashes against the outer wall of their home, then crumples to the ground. dizzied, she struggles to inhale through rattling coughs. ]

Finish - finish it -

[ it's got like, 1 hp left!! ]

Alisaie!!!

[ He screams as she's sent flying, and it takes all his force of will to not going running to her side. But her instructions are clear, and he trusts her judgment. If she were in serious danger, she wouldn't have any words left, and as long as that iron giant is still around —

He has to take it out.

Dashing forward, Prompto pulls out the Gravity Well again, boot slamming hard against the creature's forearm as it grabs for him. He uses his momentum to jump high into the air, force his weapon downward, and fire directly between the giant's shoulder blades as he comes back down. It cries out in agonized death throes. ]

Don't you ever lay a finger on my wife!

[ Let that be a warning to any other daemons who might think about attacking them now.

They need to get the lights back on, but as soon as the iron giant goes still, he leaps off its back and dashes to Alisaie's side, sinking onto his knees as his hands fly to her face. ]

Alisaie? S-sweetheart? Can you hear me?

[ she's dead, rip

just kidding, she's fine. banged up, yeah, she's terribly sore, might've cracked a rib, but she's whole. ]

I'm fine, I'm fine -

[ she wheezes roughly, still trying to catch the breath that had been so forcefully knocked from her lungs, one arm held tight around her middle. the daemon is still, smoldering beside them, disintegrating slowly back into the darkness, though her sharp eyes roam past it, looking for more. in the far distance she can hear movement, more daemons, but they are not near enough to serve a readily apparent threat. ]

Better y-yet..

[ alisaie coughs, then feels on the ground for the heavy power cord beside her, lifting it for him to see. it's been completely chewed through, and a thoroughly electrified raccoon lies not far from it. looks like she found the problem. ]

[ The sigh of relief he breathes when she answers him is immense. She's okay. A little roughed up, but nothing that she can't handle. She's had worse before, and Prompto takes a moment just to lean his forehead to hers, to let his panic subside.

But they're not done yet. Prompto follows her movement with his eyes when she lifts up the chewed cord, and a laugh huffs out of him. ]

Heh, that's all? Easy peasy. Can you stand?

[ They need to make haste so no other daemons decide to make their way over here, but he doesn't want to rush her, either. They have a little breathing room. ]