adelphoi | (no subject)

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[ being in insomnia again is.. strange. the city is the same as she had remembered, and yet so different, so strange after so many long years in tenebrae. this city seems so enormous and sprawling, sharp and stark in comparison, bright and chrome and full of people. though she remembers her time here, her earliest years, she was still quite young when her parents swept she and her brother back to the motherland, and those tender years of growth had been spent in a city very different, a home that she had grown used to, settled into.

and now they are here again, political tensions spurring her father to emigrate here, to lucis again. the empire has been still and quiet, and there have even been talks of treatise, but alisaie trusts her father's judgment, for all his political involvement. more than national pride, he hopes for his family to be safe and secure, and short of living in the bush, insomnia had seemed to him the ideal location. with the wall so strong, such a city must be impenetrable, yes?

alisaie does not know the details of it all, her father would disclose only so much - she and her brother were to focus solely on their studies, bettering themselves, and not to worry about such things outside of their control. lucis might not be a large nation, but insomnia is safe, and secure. it suits their needs just fine.

still, settling in, for alisaie, is not necessarily easy. unlike the rest of her family, smooth-talkers with political savvy, she has a hard enough time simply getting along with her own peers. her friends in tenebrae had been few and distant, their relationships thin and civil but little more. to have to start over again is.. a nightmare. but she is not here to make friends, she is here to finish her schooling, to graduate and prepare for university and beyond. there's nothing to be afraid of.

yet her knuckles are white around the books clutched to her chest as she climbs the stairs that first day, eyes forward, chin high, and it takes less than a week's time for her to earn a reputation as a haughty, conceited little snob, the little rich girl sort who is far too good to waste her time with those she deems beneath her - everyone, apparently. this is not entirely the case of course, but it suits alisaie's needs just fine. let them think what they want, so long as it affords her a wide berth and quiet time to herself, without the terrifying distraction of working her way into, and maintaining her place within, a social circle.

the weekend seems to take an eon to arrive, but friday is here at last. alisaie sits outside at a table on campus, alone, peeling the crusts distractedly from her sandwich, her advanced chemistry textbook open in front of her. three afternoon classes, and this horrible week will be over.. ]

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[ He knew, of course, the moment she was back.

Well, okay, perhaps not the moment, but when rumors started to circulate about new students from Tenebrae, Elezen twins, no less, it had been all but impossible but to stop his thoughts from racing. What would the odds of that be? There are probably plenty of Elezen twins that could have just happened to move to Insomnia and just happened to attend the same public school he did. Surely, fate is not so on the nose. The Leveilleurs moved away years ago, and Prompto had no reason to suspect they might return. All he has of the girl next door is his memories of her, her fierce kindness, smiles shared through the fence and a bandaid set onto a scrape on his elbow. He'll probably never see her again, and it's okay. He...never holds onto friends for long, it seems.

But his heart betrays him, even as people chatter about the new girl's chilly attitude and snobbish behavior. That doesn't sound like the girl he remembers, and it's not as if they will have several, if any classes together where he might catch a glance of her. He should stop thinking about it.

Of course, it's when he's reminding himself of this fact of the umpteenth time that her name reaches his ears. Oh, it's Alisaie, I think. Even her name is pretentious. But Prompto isn't even listening anymore, his heart suddenly thunderous in his chest.

It...can't really be her, can it?

So Alisaie is not the only for whom the week is agonizingly long, because as it passes for Prompto, his racing thoughts only speed up, lingering on her as he tries to catch glimpses of her in the hall, to confirm for himself the news that has reached his ears. He's distracted - even more than usual - to the point that even Noctis comments on it, and he's already got the correct diagnosis. Another pretty girl is on his mind, is she? Though that's not entirely correct. While Prompto has no doubt that Alisaie has aged into a fine young lady, he's far less concerned with that as the fact that she is here at all, that his first friend has somehow come back into his world again.

Perhaps it shouldn't be such a big deal to him. After all, it's been...what, at least five years? Probably even longer since the Leveilleurs moved. Surely long enough for Alisaie to forget all about him, about that awkward, shy, chubby kid next store who could barely speak a word to her without stumbling over himself. He has no reason to get his hopes up, and yet he does anyway. He's so desperately excited to meet her again, to speak with her, and yet in the same turn, he is absolutely terrified to as well. What will happen? What will she say? Can she really be as icy as they say? Will his precious memories of the two of them playing as children be swapped out for something fresher, something cold?

...Hah. Not a chance.

Still, that doesn't make it easy to seek her out once he finally has the chance. Or...chances, as the case may be, as Prompto has had several openings to approach Alisaie during the week that he chickened out of at the last minute. But now it's Friday, and the lunch period is his last chance to see her before the weekend. If he doesn't talk to her now, you can bet how he's going to spend the next two days sitting on his hands and repeatedly asking himself why he didn't talk to her, so - better to get it done now. He'll spare himself and Noctis a headache that way. Not that the prince still won't get a earful about her in either case, but - well, that's besides the point.

He tracks her down at the little table outside during lunch, and it...makes his heart ache, a little, to see her sitting alone. But it's unmistakably her, even all these years later, and his throat closes up unhelpfully as he stands a few yards off, deliberating for a very long moment before approaching. Better...to move in and not weird her out by just watching her eat lunch from a distance, he thinks.

Deep breaths. ]

H-hey! Uhhhh - crusts. Am I right?

[ Nailed it. ]

[ she can feel the weight of eyes on her, but that is nothing new. alisaie has gotten looks her entire life; people do not like girls like her, who keep to themselves and build high walls, whether they think it's an air of mystery or a snooty conceit, it always gains her.. attention, whether or not she likes it. of course, the fact that she is taking advanced classes and set to graduate two years early does not help. people have certainly been staring, at both her and her brother, the entire week, but of course, alphinaud is blending in quite spectacularly already. he has always had a way with people.

nevertheless, she pays the weight of those eyes no mind, keeping her eyes on the page, flitting over the words, popping a bit of sandwich into her mouth every few moments while she reads.

and so his voice takes her by surprise, and at first alisaie isn't sure he's even talking to her at all until she lifts her eyes from the pages of her textbook to find him standing there. what? why is he talking to her? alisaie pauses, then glances behind her to check that he hasn't actually been addressing someone else, but of course there is no one there.

with a crease in her brow, alisaie flicks her eyes to him again, and there is.. something familiar about his face, his blue eyes and scattered freckled, but still she does not know him. ]

What?

[ Oh, gods, why did he lead with that? Could he really come up with nothing better as a conversation starter than her crusts? No wonder she's giving him that look. She doesn't seem to recognize him either, so...that's not entirely unexpected, but not exactly great, either. This meeting appears to be well on its way to yet another chapter in Prompto's embarrassing encounters with other people.

Still, he has to try and salvage it for what he can now that she's actually looking at him and speaking to him. Her dark eyes are unmistakable, and they have changed so little from his memory. The rest of her, though - well, the shape of her face is still the same, but she is certainly not a little girl anymore. She's...beautiful.

So, now he's blushing, so that's great. ]

Uhh - hh - I-I...mean...h-hi! Hi. I...I heard you moved back, so I...wanted to say hi! Which I just did, okay. But - that's not why I wanted to say hi. I mean - it is, but - urgh -

[ He turns away from her for half a second, slapping his palm against his forehead and whispering words of encouragement to...himself. ]

C'mon, Prompto, get it together!

[ he flounders, and she watches him carefully, part perplexed and part concerned for his well-being?? it's.. familiar too, however, the way he stammers and stutters and turns away, and then that name is on her lips, and she cannot help the flood of warmth in her breast. ]

.. Prompto?

[ she.. she never could have expected..

not only is insomnia a large, sprawling city full of potential schools there they could have attended, he looks so different. no longer the chubby little boy in his drab tee-shirts, but grown taller, slimmed down and fit, his clothing stylish, his hair meticulous - at least by lucian standards. it's a complete turnaround, and one she finds.. disappointing, if she's honest. looking as he looks now, she cannot help but think that he has lost something in the process, ground away that natural kindness at the gym.

though it seems, at least, he has not lost his nervous, bumbling nature.

alisaie sets her sandwich down and rises from her seat, stepping toward him, though not too close. not too near. her voice is softer though, its hard edge dulled, gentled. ]

Is it.. really you?

[ she had never thought to see him again, that sweet, soft boy who had been her first and only friend, who had been too afraid to fight back the bullies that tormented them, who had sniffed and held back tears when she'd carefully bandaged his elbow, who had smiled shyly while he'd shown off his camera. ]

[ Well, if he still had any doubts that she would remember him, they evaporate in an instant. It's clear in her eyes, in the way she speaks his name before she even stands. She remembers him. Somehow, his awkward, shy former self left enough of an impression on her that she still remembers him now, even if she can't quite reconcile the young, chubby boy with his older, slimmer counterpart. And it's understandable. He's changed a lot about his appearance since then. He'd become a brand new him.

But some things still remain the same in his personality, and an earnest grin is quick to cut across his face upon her recognition. Whereas before it had been a struggle to get any words out, now they wish to come out all at once, tripping out over one another between bubbling laughter. ]

In the flesh! Heh - long time - man, I can't believe it's - no see! Ha - it really is you! I-I didn't want to get my hopes up, but then I was like - oh man, is this crazy or what?

[ Reunited after all these years. They may not be the people they once were, but that won't stop him from feeling joyous at their sudden, unexpected reunion. Even if she winds up not wanting to be his friend anymore.

Just knowing she's safe and well and near once more is good enough for him. ]

[ his turnaround is sudden and almost startling, but that smile of his is just as warm and sunny as she remembered, if not a little more confident than she remembers. in their short time together she had only gotten to know him so well, yet still she remembers him, the little boy from her youth, the only friend she has ever had, however briefly.

standing straight, she links her hands together before her, her mouth curving into a mild smile. ]

I never expected to find you here.

[ she never expected to.. see him again in general, to be honest. ]

You're tellin' me! I'm surprised you even remember me.

[ He is, after all, not especially memorable, she has no doubt had plenty of time in Tenebrae to grow and experience new things and forget about him entirely. He may not...be able to understand how she hasn't, but he is grateful for the fact, nonetheless.

But now that they're reunited, where do they go from here? Ostensibly, neither of them are the children they used to be. They can...still be friends again, can't they?

Guess they can only figure that out with time. ]

W-we, uh...we should catch up sometime! Y'know, when you're...not studying.

[ That, at least, doesn't seem to have changed about her. She is as studious as she ever was, and she no doubt already has a hell of a lot of homework on her plate. ]

Why wouldn't I? You remembered me.

[ the same amount of time has passed for both of them, after all, and he has had the same window of time to forget her that she has to forget him, so it only stands to reason, doesn't it? but he had always been unsure of himself, quick to insult himself.. still, grown as he is, slimmed down and toned up and well dressed, she would think he'd have moved on well past that.

mayhaps he has. she hardly knows him beyond a few sentences, after all. people change, and he has certainly changed. she seems hesitant to his offer, but that is nothing new; however many smiles they exchanged through the fence, it took a pack of bullies hounding him for her to at last reach out to him beyond a furtive glance. alisaie has been so dead set on keeping to herself, minding her own business, cultivating the icy image that others have so quickly imposed upon her - she hadn't stopped to consider a situation like this. being civil to complete projects or share notes is one thing, but.. catching up?

gods, family aside, how long has it been since she has spent time around another person simply for the sake of it? but she owes him this much, at the very least. he was a kind boy, her memories of him are gentle and fond and sweet, and alisaie is not hard-hearted enough to simply dismiss him off the bat without reason. so at last she dips her head in a shallow nod. ]

But yes, I.. that would be nice.

[ He absolutely lights up at her response. After all, his number of friends is potentially about to double! At least, he hopes it will. Maybe...it won't work out that way, but just as hers are, so are his own memories of their childhood friendship sweet and fond. Much as he might not deserve this opportunity that has come into his life, he can't not take advantage of it. Even if they don't hit it off again. ]

Great! That's - I mean, yeah, cool, sounds good.

[ He reaches to gather some of his composure, even as he deliberates over whether or not he has overstayed his welcome here. They may have only just been reunited, and there are so many questions he wants to ask her, so many things he wants to talk to her about. But he did just sort of barge in on her solitude and he wants to remain respectful of her time. Also? The longer he stays here, the sooner he puts his foot in his mouth, so. ]

I'll, uh...let you get back to it, then. How 'bout...next weekend?

[ he certainly seems thrilled with her response, which is sweet, though alisaie still cannot help the weight of dread that pulls down on her heart. what will they talk about? what will they do? one-on-one time with a near stranger, for purely social reasons, is frankly terrifying.

she'll manage. it'll be all right. and a good chance to settle herself in more comfortably. ]

Next weekend sounds lovely.

[ it's fine, she won't spontaneously combust. ]

Suh-weet! It's a date, then.

[ ...He has the presence of mind to at least rewind what he just said and realize how it might've sounded. Ah, yes. There it is! Foot back in mouth. It was only a matter of time, anyway. ]

I-I mean...you know what I mean! Um - s-see ya!

[ And then he's just going to...dash away, before he can do any more damage.

So about that spontaneous combustion... ]

[ at the start of the week she had been.. quite nervous, if she's honest. the idea of spending so much time with someone who is all but a stranger to her now had had her quite anxious, tying herself up in knots over what they would do, what they would talk about, if he would even like her, now. surely she has not changed as drastically as he has, but she has changed. she's grown, and if anything her social skills have only worsened as the need for them grew more and more important. more than likely he will not like her - after all, no one ever has, really.

it certainly doesn't help that he's.. very cute. alisaie does not spent much time thinking overmuch about romance, but his freckles are charming and his smile is warm and magnetic, his eyes sparkling with every laugh. not that she has much chance to see it, given they do not share any classes, but still she passes him at times in the halls, or during lunch.

by the end of the week, she is coming to regret even that much contact. she had hoped that he might still be the kind boy she had once known, but age and puberty have changed him, it would seem. fit and stylish as he is now, it seems all to have gone to his head, and she supposes that she really should have braced herself for the truth of it, but it is still nonetheless.. disappointing. he's changed too much for her to reconcile, and that he seems to be close friends with the prince, of all people, surely does not help. how could anyone not become a snob, when associating so closely with royalty? and royalty like him, no less? from all she has seen of noctis he is a lazy, spoiled brat, hardly willing to put in the effort necessary to succeed, ignoring his instructors and napping through classes.

she should not feel so crestfallen as she is, yet here she is, let down. friday comes all too soon, the end of the day wrapping up, and alisaie has made no attempt to contact him or speak with him; she supposes that she should be thankful that they did not exchange phone numbers. perhaps she can wriggle out of this unscathed, without the need for confrontation..

so at the end of day she moves quickly to her locker, making quick work of her bag, jamming her books and folders and binder into it as swiftly as she can. ]

[ Yeah, asking her for her number probably would have been a smart move. But Prompto had barely made it through that first conversation with his wits intact. Asking a cute girl - no, not just a cute girl, but a cute girl who was his only childhood friend - for her number? Good one.

But now it's nearing the end of the week and they have made no further plans for their weekend meetup. He kept meaning to stop and talk to her in the hall, but every time they crossed paths it seemed better to just smile and say hi and let her keep going. He doesn't want to impose on her time too much, and with brains like hers, she must be so busy with coursework. Should he even try to meet with her this weekend? Surely she has better things to do than hang out with him.

But he had asked her, and she had said yes, and he will not renege on that arrangement just because he's a chicken. It'll be fine. Probably.

After the bell rings at the end of the final period on Friday, Prompto makes a beeline for her locker, hoping to catch her before she leaves. Gee, he really waited until the last possible moment, didn't he? He sprints down the length of the hall, zipping in between students as they head out, searching desperately for the sight of her at her locker —

She's still there. He hasn't missed her. ]

Alisaie! Hey, Alisaie!

[ He continues to dash right along — a little too eagerly, perhaps, as when he should be skidding to a next to her, instead he trips over his own feet and winds up in a heap at her feet.

Wow. 10 out of 10. Spectacular.

He picks himself up quickly, though, out of breath and wincing but grinning all the same. ]

S-sorry, I [ huff ] didn't want to [ huff huff ] miss you before you [ huff ] left.

[ But he made it, just in the nick of time, it would seem. ]

[ ah.. well, so much for that. alisaie leaps away in surprise when he completely wipes out at her feet, then draws herself up tall when she recognizes who it was that just made a fool out of himself.

so he remembered. she'd hoped that maybe he wouldn't, that he would find some far better way to spend his time, yet here he is. alisaie exhales a hard sigh and quickly closes her bag and hefts it over her shoulder, snapping her locker door closed. her voice is calm but chilly, her posture tight and her eyes hooded. ]

Yes?

[ Of course he remembered! He's hardly been able to think of anything else since they made their plan. However, in spite of that, he has no grand ideas for how to proceed. Mostly, he's just been nervous as hell. ]

J-just - wanted to see if we're still on for this weekend! But if you're busy, it's no big.

[ He has to offer her an out, just in case, whether or not she's really busy. He doesn't want to make her feel obligated to hang out with him, so it's only if she really wants to! ]

[ his nerves are palpable, but she cannot help but wonder if all of this sweet, shy boy persona is simply a ruse. how could someone so uncertain and kind be such an irreconcilable jerk? she'd seen it, she'd heard it with her own eyes and ears, the things he's said and done to his peers - how can she possibly believe him now?

it almost makes her sick, to have been so easily fooled. alisaie's face warms, not with demure shyness, but with fierce anger that writes itself into all of her features quite clearly. her eyes narrow and her shoulders stiffen, her arms clutching her books close to her chest, guarded and rigid. ]

I should think not.

[ she very nearly turns away on the spot, the audacity of it!! but she turns back at the last second, her nose wrinkled up and her chin thrust out, all but standing on her tiptoes to seem more threatening. ]

I can't believe you expected me to - too - oooh!

[ she's so mad!! ]

No, Mister Argentum, I would not like to catch up with you this weekend, or any other weekend, you absolute ass. To think I fell for it so easily -

[ ugh!! she's been holding this down all week, apparently, but she turns away now in her fury, charging away from him in a huff, her braid whipping behind her. hopefully whacking him right in the face. ]

[ ...What?

Maybe he had expected her to refuse. No doubt she's busy, it's a lot of time to ask her to make for him. Or maybe she's lost interest, no longer concerned with reconnecting with him, and he would understand that, too. He...is well aware that he's not really worth that much to begin with, and she probably just...realized that throughout the week. He would understand.

But this is so sharp, and he remembers her fire from the way she had stood up to those bullies so long ago but this is confusing, too. Was it something he had said? What had he done to offend her so deeply, so quickly, without even realizing it?

Was this just...how all his relationships with other people were destined to go? It would seem so. Noctis has been the only hold out, somehow.

His heart twists in his chest as her braid does indeed whip him right across the face. ]

I-I —

[ But she's leaving. Stomping away. Leaving him feeling cold and empty, like she has somehow exposed him as the fraud he is. That's it, isn't it? She's already seen past his facade. Didn't take long, but it shouldn't be surprising, with how perceptive she has always been. ]

Hah...guess that's a "no", then.

[ He doesn't follow her. He doesn't have the heart to. She's made herself quite clear.

(sad charlie brown music) ]

[ Even after he has time to collect himself after her rejection, he still is pretty sure he should leave well enough alone.

Alisaie had made her opinion of him pretty damn clear. It wasn't only that she didn't want to spend time with him, but her opinion of him had soured so very quickly. Surely...he hadn't done anything so deplorable as to warrant that reaction, had he? But then he reminds himself that she isn't the same girl he knew as a child anymore. She's grown up, and maybe...she's grown a little more bitter, too. But Prompto can't quite bring himself to believe this when he remembers the way she had looked at him when they had first reunited, when she had realized who he was. Her temperament had done a complete one-eighty from then.

So...what had changed?

Perhaps it's just as he initially thought. She's lost interest or seen through his unbound cheer to his weak and vulnerable center, and she must think him terribly cowardly, for being unable to reveal his true self to others. (He is.) But that doesn't seem quite right either. On the off chance that there is some kind of misunderstanding that has come between them, he has to at least try and explain himself to her.

...But not directly. She won't want to talk to him, and that's fine. It's been awhile since he's written anything that wasn't in a text message or a homework assignment, but Prompto pens a note to her, and slips it into her locker when she's not there. Maybe she'll see it and throw it out before even reading it, and that's fine, too. At least he'll know he...tried.

He can't give up on this just yet. She...meant so very much to him, when he was younger. Still does, in fact. ]

Hey Alisaie!

Sorry if I caught you at a bad time last week. I know, I know, who waits until the end of the week like that? I guess I got a little nervous. It's not every day I have a reason to talk to a girl as pretty as you! :)

And I'm sorry for upsetting you. I want to be honest with you, so I have to own up that I don't actually know what I did to make you so mad. You don't have to tell me, if you don't want to. I get it. I should realize it on my own. But if you will tell me, I swear I'll do whatever I can to set things right. Even if you don't want to talk to me ever again after that.

If you'd rather text me than talk in person, my phone #'s below. I really hope we can still be friends. What you did for me when we were kids still means a lot to me.

Hope to hear from you soon (but if I don't, I understand!!!),
Prompto

[ alisaie certainly does not expect to hear from him again. he had made no attempt to catch up to her once she had stormed off, which is as good as an admission of his guilt, as far as she is concerned. an innocent man would defend himself. more than likely he figured she must have been a lost cause, once she confronted him.

so when she finds a note in her locker, her heart clenches in quiet fear. she doesn't have friends, she cannot imagine a note in her locker meaning anything good, and so she very nearly throws it away immediately. but her curiosity gets the better of her, so she stuffs it quickly into her pocket to read once she is home, and alone.

it is from prompto. that is.. not so surprising, she supposes. at first her face reddens with fury - a pretty girl, is she? and with that stupid little emote - gods, he's even more of a sleazy jerk than she had given him credit for, trying to get in her good graces to get in her skirt, is he? boys, they're all the same.

still.. a soft tug in her heart has her reconsidering. he had been such a kind little boy, her first and only friend, perhaps she should give him the benefit of the doubt. alisaie feels like a fool for even considering it, given she has seen enough proof of how he has changed with her own eyes, and she agonizes it for quite some time before at last, with a sigh, she swipes on her phone to text him. ]

One chance. I will be at the tire park near my old home.
Alisaie

[ Though he hopes to hear from her, his expectations aren't exactly high, especially as more time passes since their fateful last meeting. So imagine his surprise when he receives a text from Alisaie, with succinct instructions and the offer he can't pass up.

One chance. Gods, he still has no idea what he's done to restrict himself to only one, but...maybe this is just the gauntlet she puts all her friends through. It will be worth it, to be counted among her companions.

Hopefully she sees him as worth it, too.

He sends back a simple "see you soon" in response before he heads out towards the park she specifies. Though he wasn't exactly a kid who played outside a lot, he still knows exactly where she means, from the countless times he walked past it on his way to and from school. This time, he runs to it, calling out to her as he approaches, much as he did before they last spoke.

...Maybe she finds him obnoxiously loud? Oh, well... ]

Alisaie! Hey! Good to - see you!

[ ...He's winded again. ]

[ alisaie is there before him, and it's quite late in the early evening right now, just after dinner time, so the tire park is nice and quiet and devoid of shrieking hellions. she wanders over the mulch, and sits herself down at last on a large half-buried tire, swinging her feet beneath her and staring at her hands.

she shouldn't be nervous. he's the one in the wrong here, the stuck-up bully that he is, yet still she feels uneasy, her stomach twisting up in knots. by the time he's calling out to her her heart is hopping up into her throat, but she swallows it down quickly enough, lifting her eyes to watch him approach. gods, did he sprint here? ]

Hello, Prompto.

[ He sure did sprint here...and he has to swallow against his dry throat before he can speak. But that's just as well — it gives him a moment to take in the look she's giving him, to...try to assess. She looks no happier to see him than she had when they last parted company, but she's here, which is what matters. This is his chance to make things right with her.

If he only had any idea where to start. ]

Didn't keep you waitin' long, did I? ...I ran here as quick as I could.

[ He slants a grin at her as he shoves his hands into his pockets. Man, he must look real nice right now, red-faced and slick with sweat from his run. But his appearance is not his foremost concern right now. ]

Apparently.

[ she's not entirely sure how she feels about it, after all - whether it's a good or a bad thing. is he truly so desperate to make amends with her, or is he simply chomping at the bit for a chance to appeal to a pretty girl? she can't yet say. ]

But no. I have not been here overlong.

[ she's not here for smalltalk, however. the sooner they get this overwith, the better. alisaie leans her hands onto the tire and straightens herself up, staring into his face with an expectant look. ]

[ And now comes the part where he somehow makes up for offending her in some way he's unaware of while she gives him that look. So, easy peasy.

Before he speaks, he sits on the tire next to her, leaning forward, looking down at his shoes as he finds the right words to say. Or what he hopes are the right words, at least. Better to be honest and open and real, even if it is more revealing than he would like, like he's exposing his heart to her, to take or to leave. ]

I...want to apologize. I...should have tried to talk to you sooner last week instead of waiting until the last possible moment. I didn't mean to make you feel like I forgot about you, or anything. I...would never want to make anyone feel that way. I-I really was just...nervous.

[ This is the best he's got with what she's given him, but if she's upset because he made her feel unimportant or ignored, then he absolutely must make it right. ]

I don't...make friends that easy. Heh...really only have one. So I want nothing more than to be your friend again, Alisaie. If...you think we can be. I hope we can be.

[ he sits down beside her, and says his piece, and.. it is not at all what she is expecting.

of course, mostly she is confused by what it is that he's apologizing for - forgotten about? what in the world is he talking about? the crease in her brow clearly conveys just how perplexed she is. but more than that he sounds far more.. sincere than she had ever expected. he's speaking from the heart, or so it seems, with that same soft warmth and gentle kindness that she remembers from their youth. has he become a fantastic actor, or.. ]

I.. what are you talking about?

[ she'd hardly even considered what it is that he is talking about, clearly they're on two different roads, here, or he's simply attempting to dodge the real issue. ]

I don't care about that. What I care about is how much you have changed. How could you - how could you treat people like that, Prompto? After those boys tormented you so much when we were young, I cannot believe that you could.. could grow up to be just like them. I expected better.

[ and how gravely disappointed she is by that is quite clear in the tone of her voice, how it tightens with both fury and sorrow in equal parts. ]

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