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year 5, quarter 3
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Post by Tifa Lockhart on Jan 10, 2023 23:47:37 GMT -6
PROMISE YOU'LL COME AND SAVE ME
Dinner rush had been pretty busy, but Tifa had been glad for the distraction. A lot had gone on in her life, and she was glad to be getting back to it being somewhat normal. Getting back to normal completely would probably never happen, so this was about as close as she was going to get. Dropping the check off with a smile to one of the last tables she had in the bar, she got to cleaning the plates and glasses from the earlier customers.
As she washed the dishes, her mind drifted off with thoughts of recent events. She was still wondering if Sephiroth was telling the truth, but signs were pointing that he was. If he wasn't, what else would have stopped him from fighting her right then and there? Well, maybe the people that were there as well, but he didn't even threaten her. They had a good, yet confusing conversation.
Then meeting Noctis, which had been an interesting distraction. Who knew fishing could clear your mind? Not to mention just letting some things out that had been weighing on her mind. The interaction had calmed her down enough to be able to go see Cloud and tell him what she had found out. The confrontation had gone as she had expected it to, but she knew she had to tell him. She didn't like keeping things from her friends, not things that were that important anyways.
Noticing that her table was ready to pay, she dried off her hands and made her way over. She thanked them for coming in and grabbed the rest of their dishes as they headed out the door. After she had finished washing and drying everything, she wiped down all the tables and headed back behind the bar. Now it was time to make sure she was stocked up and ready just in case any more people were to come in for the evening.
It was sleeting. Truth be told, that was always the worst for him. Rain, he liked. Snow, he mostly liked. A mixture of both just led to ice, and that meant he had to watch his step as he moved about the streets of Sonora in what he thought was a completely inconspicuous outfit. His black coat, with his waistcoat beneath it. It looked "chic" and "in" for Sonora as the kids put it, yeah? In one hand, he carried an umbrella, in another a large suitcase, that would be surprisingly heavy if any tried to take it from him. One or two already had. One or two were already getting their swollen faces treated by by the slowly freezing pavement. Jerks. Nature had a way of working out small ills like that.
Inside the rather large suitcase was his armor, neatly folded. He'd fancied himself a smith, but even he never figured out how Gerolt had managed to get that dragonscale suit to fold so well. His sword was also inside, wrapped in cloth, along with his focus crystal. He may have also shoved in his signing book, so you know, Ignis and Gladiolus wouldn't have to be separated from their dearest friends in terms of employment for very long. In truth, he wasn't sure if this was just prep or it was just about go time. So, he'd prepared for the latter. Let it never be said that Alexander Sorel would be caught off his guard. ... At least, not in this particular regard, yes. But, all people would see as he moved down the street as a mixture of snow and ice came down, was a blond man with an umbrella, carrying a suitcase. Surely nothing out of the ordinary there. He even picked out some good shades as a way to keep some measure of cover. Apparently amber eyes were rare on Zephon. Who knew.
As he stopped in front of a bar, he tucked the umbrella between his arm and side and fumbled in his pocket for a note from Noctis. As his shaded eyes read its contents again, he nodded. Yeah, this was the place. He looked around, and once sufficiently satisfied he wasn't being watched, the note in his hand turned to ash in but a moment as he felt the influx of heat against his face. Couldn't be traced, now. Stepping inside, he took care to fold his umbrella, place his coat on the rack, then look around before seeing the woman behind the bar. Ah, was this to be their host, then? This gobsmackingly gorgeous woman? Twelve forfend. She also looked like she could kill him. Even better. He paused for a moment before he brushed a bit of his hair out of his eye and put on a confident smile. Time to turn up the charm as he sat himself down on a tool, placing the suitcase next to him with a heavy thud.
"Hey, first time here. Hope the ice hasn't been keeping too many customers out." He remarked, slipping off the shades, folding them up, and placing them neatly beside him. Maybe get something to drink. Something to warm the bones, but without getting him wasted, but show some class to the lady in front. Nice way to strike up a conversation at least, yeah? "You wouldn't happen to know how to make a Rum Martinez, would you?" When Cassandra had, in his personal opinion, a bit of a drinking problem, you had to know how to make stuff when you didn't trust people to do it for you. Of course, that would logically extend to this lady, but, well, he could make an exception just this once. It probably wouldn't backfire on him, right? Also, Noctis knew her, so she couldn't be all bad, right?
Post by Caius Dragelion on Jan 24, 2023 18:12:29 GMT -6
The Dragonblades
Sonora.
Gods, he hated this place.
Corrupt to the core. Unwelcoming to outworlders. Caius had needed to call in a favor to get himself identification that indicated he worked out of Torensten, and was an actual citizen of Zephon at large. Unnecessary in Torensten, but in Sonora, offworlders were taken away with no trace of where they had been taken to. So Caius had done all he could to blend in. Even his garb reflected this fact.
A black suit, blue shirt all collared and buttoned up. He was uncomfortable, and it was far too fancy for him. His long blonde hair had been tied back into a braid, ensuring he didn't stand out at all from the hundreds of other businessmen and workers going around Sonora. Well, except for the fact that he was 6'5 and built like a warrior would be. Fortunately, Sonora had what people called "gym bros", according to gossip he had intercepted while wandering the streets. It seemed he would be able to blend in if he posed as one of these "gym-goers".
If only he wasn't so sheltered from all the customs of home. Maybe blending into Sonora would have been a bit easier than this. Still, even if he had, this wouldn't feel any less wrong. Caius didn't feel like he could relax for even a second here. He couldn't walk openly with Vordun, and so the dragon had been left in the care of the little Dragonblades outpost outside of the city that had been bought since his last visit. At the least, Vordun would be well taken care of away from the prying eyes of Sonoran officials.
In the pits of this city, however, Caius wasn't so lucky. No Vordun, armor having to be packed into the glaive, it was cold as balls, and everyone around him was just as frozen and devoid of life as this city. It just felt so... Wrong. It SHOULD feel right. On the surface, it reminded him of his occasional trips to the city of Lestallum when he was a kid. That city was beautiful, albeit crowded and full of roads and vehicles you had to watch out for. Torensten was more... Walkable, in comparison. But in Lestallum, they had been able to make due with how warm everyone was... Much like in Torensten.
There was no warm here. Just cold. Cold weather, cold roads full of unfeeling people who weren't that keen to stop even if you were literally about to get hit by their car. This place reminded him of home in some ways, sure... But instead of making him feel comfortable at all, it felt like a complete and utter perversion of his cherished memories.
He was in hell.
But he had a mission. Several missions, in fact. And two of them involved going toe to toe with Sonora's government in as low-key a fashion as possible. The first of which he was headed to a bar to meet with the others involved and sort out their plans.
Believe it or not, Caius had actually been to the 7th Heaven bar before, on his previous trip to Sonora. But it had been a very busy day, and he couldn't remember much about the proprietor, or if there had even been a conversation. He highly doubted they'd recognize him, given how long it had been and his doubt that he had been memorable at all. He had tried to remain lowkey, after all.
Putting out the tiny flame he had been casting with magic to keep himself warm and brushing the snow off his hair and jacket, Caius took a deep breath before stepping into the bar. It wasn't busy at all, it seemed. Which was likely why Noctis had picked this as the meeting time. One person was here though, but unfortunately, Caius didn't recognize Alex from their previous encounter. He had far too much on his mind at the time, poor sod. The owner was here though, behind the counter. Taking a deep breath and wanting to at least give a good impression to Noctis' friend, he brushed his hair back a bit to counteract the imperfections after he had knocked back the snow.
With that, he took a seat at the bar, waited politely for the other man to ask his questions and order, before he managed a warm, gentle smile once his turn came.
"Evening. Pardon me for asking, but could you remind me of what the main drinks are, please?"
[attr=class,lyric1]i am noctis, prince of lucis and
[attr=class,lyric2]king of fishing
[attr=class,bulk] Noctis and Prompto had been laying low in Sonora ever since the prince had made his slightly dramatic entrance to the city. They had a lot to catch up on even aside from Ignis and Gladio, but all the downtime was starting to make Noctis twitchy. It was finally go-time though. The pair had sent out letters to the people they thought might be agreeable to help them with a prison break, namely Caius and Alex.
Caius had been a no-brainer, given that he was a former kingsglaive they had both already met. He had actually been the one to send Prompto to Cissnei in the first place to get information on the prison, so he was already up to speed on the entire situation. The blond mercenary would be a really good resource to have with his Lucian magic too, though Noctis wouldn’t blame him if he wanted to take a more backseat role. He seemed to have built up a nice life in Zephon with several branches of the Dragonblades cropping up in different towns. The prince didn’t think that they had a Sonora branch yet, but Caius probably still wouldn’t want any fallout to hit the rest of the guild members. Noct respected him for looking out for his people that much. It was what a leader should do.
On the other hand, he respected Alex for being down for a prison break any day of the week. Prompto hadn’t exactly been thrilled to involve the other guild leader, but Noctis had doubled down on his choice. Alex was eccentric and pretty much the polar opposite of Caius, but it was good to have some variety on a team. Plus if there was a single person that he’d met on Zephon so far that he’d choose to have around in a crisis, it would be Alex. The guy was incredibly powerful and could think on his feet. Except for the time that he had driven both of them off a cliff, but Noctis had promised not to talk about that.
Anyway, it would be fine. He was definitely not letting Alex be the getaway driver though.
“Back again,” he joked to Prompto as they reached the bar. They had come here before just to have a safe space when Noctis had first arrived, but Tifa hadn’t been working that day. This time as he pushed the door open and shook out the sleet from his hair though, it wasn’t hard to spot the tall brunette cleaning a glass behind the bar. Well-timed. The establishment was also fairly deserted at this hour, which was what Noctis had been hoping for. Even better, there were already two familiar blonds seated at the bar.
“And I was worried you two would have trouble finding the place. Looks like we’re the late ones though,” he greeted them as he came up to the counter and claimed the stool next to Alex before smiling slightly at Tifa. “Good to see you again, Tifa. Sorry if this is out of the blue…” Hopefully it wasn’t too presumptuous to plan a prison break in front of her, but after she’d told him that she used to host eco-terrorists in her old bar’s basement, he didn’t think this would be too out of line to her.
[attr=class,lyric1]gonna keep on keeping on the only
[attr=class,lyric2]way i know how
[attr=class,bulk] Oh boy, oh man did Prompto not want to be here.
He tried to hide it. He made at least four lame jokes to Noctis on the way to the bar, three of which were puns. He wasn’t proud of it, but that’s just how it was. His mouth was moving, and he was in full “good mood so you don’t notice my bad one” mode. He didn’t like being in Sonora. The snowy streets, the tall buildings, the guards always squinting at you suspiciously with their hands on their guns, it all reminded him way too much of Niflheim, and that was not a good memory. But it wasn’t just being in Sonora that made him feel like he couldn’t keep still. It was where they were going, and more importantly, who they were going to see.
He’d tried to tell Noctis not to invite Alex. He’d really, really tried. But somehow, against all odds, they’d both met Alex, specifically while they’d been running from the Sonoran guards, and Alex had saved both of them from meeting the same fate as Gladio and Iggy. Noctis really liked the guy, and Prompto could see why. Really, he ought to have been grateful to Alex for saving Noct like that. He ought to have gotten down on his hands and knees and thanked him until everyone got awkward and told him to stand up again. But the thing with Alex was that even if he was really good in a fight and really good at helping a guy out, he was also…
Well, he was Alex.
But Noctis wanted him to be there. So here they were. Going to meet him. At a bar. It was a nice bar as far as Prompto could tell. The last time they’d been, they hadn’t met Noctis’ friend, but that was okay since it had given them a place to lay low for a little while and catch up. The bar wasn’t the problem. It was just…
Noctis stopped and turned to him, grinning. ”Back again,” he said and Prompto laughed weakly
”Yup. Can’t seem to stay away,” he said as Noctis pushed open the doors. Maybe Alex wouldn’t be there, Prompto thought. Maybe the letter hadn’t reached him. Maybe he’d looked at the letter and been like “Nah, I’ve got better things to do,” and thrown it in the trash. He was a mercenary guild leader, right? He had to have better things to do. Caius was a kingsglaive so that was different, but this was really none of Alex’s business, right? It’s not like he had any chocobo in this race. It was all strictly Eos business, and dangerous business at that. From what he’d learned, it was basically a suicide mission. So who in their right mind would get tangled up in that without a good reason?
They stepped inside, and for a moment, Prompto just appreciated the sudden rush of warmth on his face. He sighed, wiping melting snow from his cheeks as he looked around at the nice little hole-in-the-wall bar that somehow managed to feel kind of cozy. There weren’t many people here at this time of day, something that Noctis had planned out, so it didn’t take him long to notice Caius up at the bar counter with his long blonde hair, looking almost as uncomfortable as Prompto felt. He looked funny without his armor, but he guessed it was so he’d fit in better, wearing a black suit that he must have gotten somewhere in Sonora. Prompto gave him a little wave, grinning weakly in greeting.
But Noctis was talking to both the men at the bar which brought Prompto’s attention to the other guy sitting several stools away, and his smile fell at the sight of him. He hadn’t noticed Alex at first since he was also dressed in a more Sonoran style, but yeah. That was definitely him. ’Who in their right mind would get tangled up in this without a good reason?’ Alex would. Of course he would.
From all that Alex had said, he’d probably say something like how none of this was a big deal and he’d done about fifty prison breaks in life or something. Prompto tried not to look uncomfortable as Noctis took the lead on conversation so he got the chance to just…stand there next to him. It was nice having someone else to do the talking for him. He didn’t trust what would come out of his mouth right now.
Noctis walked up and picked a stool for himself between the two men. Prompto followed him awkwardly and chose the one right next to Noctis. It really said a lot about just how worried he was, just how distracted he was by this awkward reunion, just how utterly out of his own head he was that he didn’t notice the bartender until they were literally seated at the bar. It said a lot because once his eyes found her.
Oh. Oh man they did not want to leave.
So that was Tifa? That was Noctis’ friend? Why hadn’t he warned him? Why hadn’t he mentioned that she was just so…so…
”Hi…” Prompto managed to squeak out. His throat felt like it was strangling itself. Whatever feelings he’d had were gone, evaporated in an instant by the sheer burning force of her beauty. Looking at her was like looking at the sun, but he just couldn’t look away.
Her face. Her face was so cute with its soft angles and small smile and kind eyes, perfectly framed by long dark hair that couldn’t hide the girlish glint of her dangling earrings. She wore a tank top over what looked like a sports bra with a little leather mini-skirt held up on belted suspenders. He couldn’t see the bottom of the mini-skirt with the bar counter in the way which was a shame, but he could see her tank top which was cut off under the bra so he could also see her perfectly sculpted stomach and the curve of her waist and her breasts which were just…
He was pretty sure he’d gone red. His blood was pumping in all the wrong ways. He tried to talk, couldn’t manage it, and cleared his throat as he leaned in just a little closer on the bar counter. ”I’m, uh. I’m Prompto. You’re…”Beautiful. Gorgeous. A goddess among us mortal men.”...Tifa, right?”
Why hadn’t Noctis warned him? he thought again. A woman like this…A woman like this was dangerous. He’d do anything for a woman like this. He wished he could snap a photo, but that would be creepy, right? Definite creep behavior, that was. So he restrained himself no matter how hard his fingers ached for his camera.
And just like that, all thought of Alex, of Sonora, or his friends being tortured in a frozen prison were gone. Maybe this place wasn’t so bad after all.
Post by Cindy Aurum on Jan 28, 2023 12:59:46 GMT -6
TEACH THEM BOYS A LESSON
Cindy was not a fan of this weather. Sure, she could do her work in a heated garage, but what fun was that? Also, the things that were brought to her ended up being a little wet, and that was a little irritating after a while. Since there weren't a lot of cars in Zephon, Cindy had started to learn to work on other things. Some had been a hit and some had not. Technology for one, didn't go well with her. It had only taken her a day working on some gadgets to realize that it was not for her.
In her spare time, she had been working on building a robot to compete in the battles she had attended not too long ago. She wasn't sure if it was a popular thing, but it seemed like a good way to pass the time. Using the small scraps from things, she was also building little sculptures. Nothing too crazy, but she thought they were pretty cute. They were mostly just little animals, but they were fun to make.
Stretching her arms a bit, she decided it was time to wrap up for the day. She put everything away and headed towards the shower. After, she wasn't quite ready to call it a day so she decided to try to find some interesting parts in Sonora, since she had gotten everything she could from Provo. There was a lot of people that didn't like Sonora, but she didn't really get into personal things, so she had no problem with it.
After her day of "shopping", it was time to relax. Cindy had her normal attire on, as she really didn't own much else. There was no need to for her. She didn't get cold easily, but she still had on dark orange jacket to match, which she hung up once she entered the bar. Shaking her head a little, she hit her shoes on the floor before walking over to the small group that had formed.
There was only one person she didn't know, other than the bartender of course. The girl was pretty and looked like she could definitely hold her own in a fight. That was perfect for a bartender at a place that didn't seem to have a bouncer. Deciding not to sit for a moment, she went over and stood slight behind Noctis and Prompto with a greeting smile. "Well, well. What do we have here? What brings you two over this way?" That might have been the wrong thing to ask.
Turning her attention to Caius, she gave a small wave. "Fancy seeing you here. Who's your friend?" The other man didn't look familiar, but that wasn't a surprise. She didn't know many people quite yet. Turning to the bartender, she gave her a friendly smile. "I'll just have a pint of your house beer please." Cindy wasn't much of a drinker, but a beer every now and again didn't hurt.
Post by Tifa Lockhart on Jan 28, 2023 13:31:06 GMT -6
PROMISE YOU'LL COME AND SAVE ME
With the kind of weather happening outside, Tifa wasn't sure what to expect. Sometimes it kept people away, sometimes it brought people in. All the knew was that she kept the wet floor sign and mop handy just in case. Before she knew it, a blonde walked in. He was dressed in black and was carrying a suitcase. To some, that may seem a little odd. Tifa had seen quite a bit in her life, so she didn't think twice about it. It was probably for business, and she left it at that.
Once he reached the bar, he spoke. Giving him a smile, she shrugged. "It hasn't been too bad, the regulars really help keep business going." Tifa was better at conversation when she was at work because the customers initially had to speak to her first, so she had something to go off of. His drink order though, now that was impressive. "I do, but we don't have the Zapaca rum. I could make it with a different one if you'd like." Downfall of being a small time bar, not much for liquor choices.
Just as she finished her sentence, another man in black and blue walked in. He was pretty tall, and looked like he could break her in half. He took a seat next to the other man and asked their main drinks. "Our Manhattan and Old Fashioned are pretty popular. Our house beer is Wild Herd, but our Street Fight is pretty popular as well." Tifa was honestly surprised she remembered that, most people that came in were regulars and got the same thing every time.
The door opened once more, but she knew one of the faces this time. It was a bit of a surprise to see Noctis again, but it was a pleasant one. He was with yet another blonde, who seemed rather shy. He approached the men, and it appeared he knew them. She waited for him to turn to her before giving him a smile. "Good to see you too. It's not a problem at all, I appreciate the business." Sometimes it could get pretty boring near the end of the shift, so she was glad for the company.
His friend, now she knew was Prompto, seemed distracted by something. Of course, Tifa didn't realize she was the distraction. "Hello. Yes I'm Tifa, it's good to meet you. Would you two like something to drink?" She had no idea if they were all just here to chat or something else, but she wasn't going to pry into their business.
As the door opened, Tifa was a little relieved to see another female walk in. The new girl seemed as confused as Tifa was when she saw everyone there, but she seemed to know all but one of them. The girl ordered a house beer. "Coming right up." Grabbing a chilled glass out of the cooler, Tifa poured the Wild Herd and handed it over to the girl with a smile.
Alex kept that easy going smile, as relaxed as he could be. Small talk, even if for the sake of the job, was always a good starting point. "Please. The Rum Martinez is a long, complicated drink. Everyone makes it differently, adding their own spin. What I want to see, is how you make it." He paused for a moment, tapping a finger on the table as if in thought. "Tell you what, I'll be happy to make you my own version of it afterwards. Does that sound agreeable, Miss...?" He trailed off, indirectly asking for a name. Oh yeah, it's all coming together. Or at least it was. Things have a funny way of being derailed when it's all going so well, too. And that splash of cold water came in the form of Alexander Sorel's nemesis. Well, kind of. One way, really.
Oh. Oh no. The moment Alex heard the voice, he turned. He didn't quite recognize it at first, but someone else entering the bar was enough to catch his attention. It was the face that he recognized. Bah, the statue was too flattering. It didn't take him long to figure it out. One or the other of Noctis or Prompto had run gallivanting off and roped the Dragonlames into this. For a mercy, it seemed that at least Caius had left Vorsuck behind. He did his best not to let it show. He slouched a little on the table and rapped his knuckles against his cheek. Caius ordered his drink, and Alex, finally overwhelmed by the urge, finally spoke up. "She's not blonde, you know." He sniped at Caius across the table. Oh yes, he was aware of that reputation of his. It did not help at all that when he saw Celes, he had realized she was the exact height as Cassandra, and the two looked eerily alike. Considering the further rumors of him and Celes, well, things made a lot of sense.
He squinted and opened his mouth to say more when Noctis walked in, bringing in Prompto with him. In truth, there was a part of him that felt relief. Prompto, while he had been kind enough to leave a note, had run off and that was the last he'd heard of the guy. He would've been lying if he'd said he wasn't worried about the guy. Noctis could definitely take care of himself, but there was still that small bit of concern there, too. "Oh you don't need to worry about me. I've got a way of finding where I've got to go." He visibly relaxed again. It was completely washed away though, when he saw Prompto actually talk to the bartender, who he now knew as Tifa, and... holy mother of... Alex stared for a moment, mouth slightly open before it closed and he clenched his teeth in a frown, eyes narrowing as he slightly leaned back.
Prompto. Buddy.
It was so embarrassing to witness it threw off his groove. "Noct..." He whispered in a strangled tone. Did he, did he step in here? He was wondering just how to salvage this. Hadn't Noctis said anything to Prompto? Did he and the Crownsguard just, let him eviscerate himself and his dignity like that? Did no one ever sit Prompto down and teach him the lesson of Do Not? Furthermore, was Noctis okay with this kind of arrangement? He still didn't fully understand the agreement of the Crownsguard. Fortunately, or unfortunately, that was all thrown off when another voluptuous woman stepped in. All it took was one glance at her before he glared back at Caius. "There. She's blonde." Apparently, despite hopes, Noctis had not talked to Alex before all of this. Alexander was, as ever, volatile.
Post by Caius Dragelion on Jan 28, 2023 16:14:26 GMT -6
The Dragonblades
Well, Noctis' friend seemed nice enough. Caius smiled warmly and nodded in thanks as Tifa gave him the drink tutorial. "Thank you. I will think up an order shortly. Is there anything that would be particularly warming? I am not used to Sonora's climate" Caius asked then, realizing it might help him narrow things down if he considered what he would be craving at the moment. At the moment? He was craving whatever was going to keep him from remembering he's in Sonora for at least five minutes.
Perhaps it was good that Caius was not an expert in subtle attempts at flirtation, or he might have been suddenly compelled to strike his head on the counter at what he was hearing between the bartender and the blonde stranger. Repeatedly. Then suddenly he was accosted by the other blonde man sitting next to him. Claiming she wasn't blonde. Caius blinked a few times as he looked at the other man, before tilting his head and squinting a moment as if trying to place a face. Why did his tone sound so hostile, though? He sounded just fine when talking to the young lady behind the counter. Did he say something wrong?
"Of course she doesn't. She has dark hair. I think" Caius responded, clearly confused about what the seeming stranger was saying. Though odd as his remark was, Caius had to wonder. Was it black or brunette? It seemed to depend on the lighting. Just then however, something seemed to click.
"Oh! You're the guy who showed up at the ruins and fought the golems with me. Gods, that was a trip" Caius finally seemed to get the face right, though he only had half the story. "I apologize for never getting your name, or saying thanks. I was in a bad mood after that scavenger tried to kill us and just wanted to get out of there. I do hope he stopped scamming people" Caius added in what was probably going to be a very confusing sentence for poor Alex. Alongside the fact that Caius clearly had no clue who he was. Then Noctis and Prompto arrived, preventing Alex from having even a minute to process what Caius had just said.
"Your Highness, Prompto" Caius greeted with a nod. "Fret not, I just arrived. Take a seat."
You two? Wait, so the man beside him was also a friend of Noct's who was in on this? Noctis hadn't given him the entire list of people coming, and hadn't named the other man, however. Unfortunately for Alex.
So the bartender's name was Tifa? Caius then turned to her. Now that he knew her name, he remembered he hadn't made introductions. "Right, it was rude of me to forget introductions. Caius. A pleasure to meet you, Miss Tifa."
Once everyone was seated, and Prompto introduced himself to Tifa though... Well, to be honest. The tone of voice, the dreamward stare. Coupled with what Noctis had told him, for once even Caius understood what was going on here. The mercenary couldn't help a long sigh with his face buried in his palm, loosing a low groan. And it was clear that most of them knew, so perhaps it wasn't exactly an accomplishment that Caius figured it out.
Offering mercy, Caius leaned over to place a hand on Prompto's shoulder. Hesitating at first, clearly not accustomed to touch and debating a moment on if he should, he ultimately decided to finish the motion. "Prompto. Are you well?" he whispered gently, squeezing just enough on the shoulder to try and wake him up. He had just straightened himself back onto his chair when Alex suddenly spoke up. "Hm?" Caius hummed as he looked over to see a familiar face standing behind them.
"Cindy, what a pleasant surprise. I trust you are doing well?" Caius expressed warmly in greeting, though it occurred to him after that it sounded like she had no clue they were supposed to be here.
Uh oh.
She knew most of them, and so she'd likely want to sit and talk. And while she was a nice girl and all, Caius didn't know if Noctis wanted her involved. Could she be trusted? She was, again, very nice. Caius liked her a great deal. But he didn't know if he was on "invite her to a prison break" terms with her just yet. It was up to Noct, ultimately, but they may have to tweak the plans for this meeting.
Oh, right. What the ruins guy said. Caius then looked back to him, once again confused.
"Of course she is. I am thankful and appreciate the thought if I have given the impression I am colorblind, but there is no need. My eyes can see color."
Final Fantasy XV
21
YEARS
Male
Desperate
Bisexual
125 POSTS
Fin
I can't choose where I came from, but I can choose where I'm going
[attr=class,lyric1]gonna keep on keeping on the only
[attr=class,lyric2]way i know how
[attr=class,bulk] Tifa. Her voice was even nicer than her eyes. It was a good name too. That kind of name had a girlish charm that fit her perfectly. Her voice washed over him as though in a dream before what she’d actually said filtered through and he felt struck by a familiar kind of panic.
What…did they want to drink? Like…like alcohol? Crap. Prompto hadn’t been old enough to drink back in Lucis. He really didn’t know anything about the kind of drinks people ordered at bars, and while he tried to wrack his brain for what he’d heard Gladio and Ignis order when they’d all gone out together, his thinking brain might as well have been on the outer edges of the galaxy for all the good it was doing him. She was looking at him expectantly. He had to say something, right?
Just then, he felt a weight clamp down on his shoulder, and he jumped in surprise only to look over and see that it was just Caius. He was looking at him in concern, saying his name, asking him if he was sick. Prompto felt himself blush harder. Oh. Had it been that obvious? He cleared his throat and tried to answer in more than an embarrassed squeak.
It didn’t work.
”Huh? Oh, I’m uh. I’m okay.” Prompto slumped over, feeling dejected, but he was grateful, really, that Caius hadn’t said something worse. He was more embarrassed that he’d made him worry about him even if it was just for a second. He took a breath and tried to steady himself. Right. This wasn’t the time to be ogling bartenders, was it? They had stuff to talk about. Serious, life or death stuff. He’d just have to try to…be normal and ignore how utterly gorgeous the woman behind the bar counter was. He could do that. Right?
…Right?
Prompto had only just gotten his bearings when a voice behind him told him that no, no he couldn’t. Because that voice…he knew that voice, and even before he turned around, he wondered what strange alignment of fate had brought that voice behind him right now of all times.
”Well, well. What do we have here? What brings you two over this way?”
”C-Cindy?” Prompto jumped to his feet, turning around to see her there looking just like he remembered her. She was wearing a bigger jacket than she usually did, but yup. That was Cindy alright. His head was spinning. He felt himself go even redder if that was possible as sheer panic rose in him and strangled his throat like a python.
Had she seen him gawking at the bartender? What would she think if she had, his lovely, folksy, kind-eyed great-monkey goddess? Noctis had told him she was around once they’d had a moment to catch up, and Prompto had said that he’d want to find her as soon as all this was sorted out, but this was not what he’d meant.
”Wh-what’re you doing here?” he managed to ask before he leaned into Noctis and whispered, ”Why didn’t you tell me you invited her?”
He didn’t like her being in on the plan. Cindy was a nice girl. A really, really nice girl, and that was exactly why he didn’t want her to have any part in this. They were going on a dangerous mission, the kind that they might not come back from, and while Cindy was the best mechanic he knew and always seemed like she’d look after other people, she wasn’t a fighter. And he did not want her in danger.
”W-we were just…” Prompto started, trying to answer her question, but the words trailed off before he could come up with an answer. With Tifa behind him and Cindy in front of him, it felt a lot like being stuck between a coeurl and a garula except he’d know what to do if he was stuck between those. He’d dodge around, shooting them until either the monsters were dead or he took a hit so hard it made everything go black until Noctis tossed him a phoenix down.
But this? He couldn’t handle this. If he thought he couldn’t handle it before he extra, double couldn’t handle it now. So he just stood there, petrified, hoping beyond hope that Noctis knew what to do when he didn’t.
