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year 5, quarter 3
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Alex stared at Caius, squinting more like, as his mouth hung open ever so slightly. What kind of fucking game was Dragelion playing here? No one was this stupid. No one was this dense. It had to be fake. This was the kind of dense you'd find in those shitty romcoms that every aspiring writer in Eorzea liked to put out. The most Alex could do was respond with a simple "I, too, am hoping he stopped." Of course he did. He was bones by now. The dead... usually couldn't scam the living. Shaking his head, he leaned back towards Noct, as Prompto did the same. He paused for a moment, overhearing it; hard not to at that distance. Alex didn't notice the picture of two guys flanking Noctis, completely invading his personal space, but he whispered all the same. "Saw him shoot the poor guy between the eyes. Dead on the spot." And to punctuate that, he made a slashing motion across his neck with a Krrrck. Really, a shot between the eyes was pretty lethal.
But it was when he watched Prompto interact with this Cindy that he just shook his head and rubbed the bridge of his nose. Was that all that was needed to get on Prompto's good side? Big naturals? Gods, he wished Cassandra had never left. Apparently the Crownsguard would've been hanging on every word she said. Maybe. Cassandra was an ice queen, would turn Prompto to ash if she got too bothered. Maybe she'd have scared him off. But, there was a problem. He knew to come to Tifa's. Caius knew to come to Tifa's. Noctis brought Prompto with him, and he doubted Noct would not have told Prompto this Cindy was involved if she were. Which meant she was a loose end. Godsdammit all. Sighing, he looked to Noctis as he remarked "You owe me for this, by the way." And back on his feet he was as he moved to fix everything like he always did.
Clapping Prompto on the shoulder, Alex whispered again, "Get behind her." He would handle this. Uncle Alex would step in and take care of everything without it all going to shit. Surely. As he put on a charmed expression, he took a few steps, stopping in front of this Cindy. "You're Cindy?" He inquired as he folded his hands behind his back. He formed a light spell in his right hand, one he wanted to make sure was potent. Quickly it was curled into a fist to hide it. "Prompto's told me a lot. He got really hurt a while back when we were on a mission. Bandits attacked a village and razed the place. Once we'd taken care of them, dumbass hears some chocobos in a burning stable and rushes in. He gets the last laugh, though. Turns out there were three kids in there and he nearly dies dragging them out. He was so banged up from that whole affair he was bedbound for a month, so all he could do was talk. The kids' grandma baked him a cake as thanks."
He would just talk to Prompto after this. For the sake of the boy's dignity, he would teach him the lesson of Do Not. Maybe even help get him ready if she actually bought this crap. Really, he had his doubts that Cindy would buy it. Prompto wasn't painting the most convincing picture as it was. But that wasn't the primary purpose of this. No, that was just him trying to help Prompto out. The real, primary purpose was that spell, which, in his speaking, he'd managed to juice up pretty well. Should work for a while. Bringing his right hand around, he kept it balled up, pressing it against his own chest. "But my, it's such a pleasure to finally meet you." And bringing that hand up to his mouth, he unfurled it, and blew the SLEEP spell right towards Cindy's face.
Of course, it was at this moment that he realized something. He'd instructed Prompto to get behind her. The plan being that he would just, catch her if she fell backwards and he'd catch her if she fell forward, but! Well, one possibility in all of that had not occurred to him. Ah, shit, what if it gets Prompto, too? Maybe it was for the best. Even if it worked he had a feeling that despite his best intentions, Prompto would just get really upset with him.
Post by Tifa Lockhart on Feb 8, 2023 11:12:27 GMT -6
WOULD YOU SAY I BECAME A HERO?
Nodding, Tifa got to work on the drink. She began by rinsing a decanter with rum while she looked for her teapot and the wood chips. After finding them both and putting the wood chips in the teapot, she toasted them until a small flame appeared. While the chips were still smoking, she poured the run from the decanter into the teapot and let it sit while she addressed the other man. "Well we have this drink, the Rum Martinez. A Hot Toddy Rum is always a crowd pleaser, and of course the popular hot chocolate and mint liquor, or spiced apple cider."
Using the same wood chips and smoke, she filled the decanter with smoke. In a seperate glass with ice, she added the vermouth, maraschino and bitters and stirred them together, then strained them into the decanter. Adding the rum, she capped the decanter and gently swirled them all together. Grabbing a low cocktail glass, she poured the drink. Taking an orange peel, she rimmed the glass with it before dropping it into the drink and sliding it to the man. "Here you are."
Before she could say much else, it seemed the atmosphere changed a bit when two of the men noticed the other was there. One pointed out that she wasn't blonde, and she figured the tension had to be over a girl, so she decided to just stay out of if it. She gave a small smile as someone addressed Noctis as 'Your Highness', but still stayed quiet until she was addressed by the man now known as Caius. "Good to meet you too."
It seemed that everyone was a little worried for Prompto, and at first she wasn't sure why. She had been busy making drinks and making sure everyone was taken care that she hadn't really noticed how he was acting. Though it seemed that some of them knew the blonde that had walked in. Honestly, Tifa was a little confused to what was happening and why this certain group was together when it seemed like they all didn't even know each other. Or not well at least.
When Prompto jumped at Caius' touch and blushed, Tifa realized what was happening and almost blushed herself. One would think she was used to this as a bartender, but she wasn't. Tifa was always a little shy, so emotions weren't her strong point. "We have some water if you'd like?" He looked like he needed that more than alcohol to be quite fair. Especially his reaction to Cindy showing up.
Tifa was starting to feel sorry for the guy, and it only got worse with what happened next. The man whose name she didn't know approached Cindy. The story he told seemed like he was just boasting about Prompto to Cindy, and Tifa stood there and listened. Though she wasn't dumb, not with what she had gone through. His arms behind his back as he talked was a little suspicious. Either he was raised properly, or he was up to something.
As he brough his arm to his chest, Tifa watched with her arms crossed. The man was then blowing something at Cindy and Tifa shook her head. "I guess I should have told you that no magic of any sort works in here." Honestly, she didn't think she had to do that. It was a security measure, no one wanted a bunch of drunks using magic. "I'll kindly ask you not to try that again, or I will be forced to kick your ass out." Tifa didn't get angry often, and she still wasn't, but she knew to get her point across when it came to the establishment.
[attr=class,lyric1]i am noctis, prince of lucis and
[attr=class,lyric2]king of fishing
[attr=class,bulk] It wasn’t until Noctis had taken a seat between the two blond men and he noticed the scowl on Alex’s face that he remembered. Oh god, he’d meant to talk to the Rising Stones leader about his misplaced hatred for Caius before now. He’d just been so distracted by trying to rescue Ignis and Gladio that he’d honestly forgotten until this very moment. Plus he hadn’t thought that their rivalry could be that bad, but every second that the two interacted was proving him wrong.
This was fine. They just had to get through this planning session, and he’d pull Alex aside to talk to him afterward. It would all work out, right?
…Right?
“Thanks Tifa. Could I just get a bottle of beer? Whatever your best seller is works for me.” He didn’t exactly know what was available in Sonora, so going with the local favorite was probably the best bet. Next to him, Prompto was clearly too worked up over Tifa to order, but Noctis was so used to it that he didn’t really bat an eye until he noticed that Caius had his head in his hands and Alex just looked like he was in pain. Time to rescue his friend then.
Without missing a beat, Noctis tugged off his coat and slapped it into Prompto’s lap to hide the evidence. “You looked pretty cold there, buddy,” he said with a straight face as Caius leaned over to check on him too. He mouthed ‘Thank you,’ at the kingsglaive as Tifa turned away to start making their drinks. It seemed like everything was starting to calm down and they’d be able to start talking about their plans.
And that was when a southern drawl spoke up behind them.
“Cindy?” Noctis asked, turning around on his bar stool to stare at the blonde mechanic in shock. That was some timing. He’d thought she lived in Provo, but maybe she was up in Sonora on business. It was probably way easier to buy car parts up here after all.
“Well…we were actually hoping to find the other two,” he explained a bit hesitantly. He didn’t really want to get her involved in something that could be dangerous, but Cindy wasn’t likely to turn them in for their plans either. She’d looked the other way often enough while they’d been working against the Empire back home.
Before he could say anything else, Prompto leaned in on one side to demand in a whisper why he hadn’t warned him that Cindy was coming. “I didn’t invite her man, I swear,” he hissed back before Alex suddenly leaned in on his other side. Noctis was now very caged in and not particularly enjoying it, but he choked a bit at the news that Caius had apparently murdered someone in front of Alex. That didn’t sound particularly in character for the Dragonblades leader, but he doubted Alex would just make it up either. “Did…did the guy deserve it then?” He asked tentatively, but that was when Alex hopped up off his bar stool and declared that Noctis would owe him for this.
“Er…yeah, you’re totally right, I will. I know you’re risking a lot for us, and you both have guilds to worry about. But I’m totally willing to pay you guys back however you-”
As Alex approached Cindy, it quickly became clear that he hadn’t meant that Noctis would owe Alex for the breakout. He meant something else, and that didn’t bode well. Not at all.
Alex was super nice to Cindy though, even going so far as to be a good wingman for Prompto. Noctis was just starting to relax when Alex suddenly blew a spell of unknown origin directly into the mechanic’s face.
“Dude!” Noctis was on his feet a second later, not sure what had just happened. Rather, he had no idea what spell Alex had used, so just to be safe, he did his best to grab him from behind in case more magic was incoming. Though honestly, it was a bit of a sad hold considering that Alex was at least a solid four inches taller than him.
Apparently there was an anti-magic field around the entire bar though. Noctis groaned at the news, letting go of his friend and giving everyone the same stern look that he swore he’d seen his father use on him before. Except Caius. Caius was fine.
“All of you better tip Tifa!” He sat back in his barstool before spinning back towards Alex like he had just remembered something. “And Caius didn’t steal your dog!”
Post by Caius Dragelion on Feb 12, 2023 22:42:49 GMT -6
The Dragonblades
"The Rum Martinez sounds interesting. I think I'll give it a try" Caius spoke up when Tifa found the time to bring up his drink question. It was getting a bit crowded in here, but he was doing his best to keep up. Alex made a comment, and Caius shrugged. "Considering the lengths he went to, he's probably still swindling people like he did us. I scared the pants off him, I think, but some people just don't change so easily" he remarked offhand, unaware that he was in the process of telling Noctis that Caius had shot the guy in cold blood. He HAD, but...
Right, Prompto was fine now. That was good. Noctis had tried to calm him as well, which was good, though Caius didn't understand how a jacket would do anything. Wasn't the issue that he was getting feverishly hot if his face was any indication? Why make him even warmer? Caius didn't understand the gesture, but -thought- he understood Noctis' intentions and decided to trust in the Prince's judgement. He nodded then when the Prince thanked him. It was a simple thing to do, and he was glad he could help Prompto.
Unfortunately it didn't seem to last for long.
Right, Noctis had mentioned the "grease monkey goddess" thing, hadn't he? It occurred to Caius right when he noticed that Prompto was lighting up like a Firaga. That was just going to compound their already serious problem, wasn't it? Noctis and Prompto were whispering, which probably meant they didn't invite her either.
And then Alex was talking. What in the Astral plane was he yammering about? Though something about the tone and the way he was talking sounded familiar...
Huh. It reminded him of that time some hotshot recruit had tried to tell tall tales to Celes back at the Rest, in some misguided attempt to impress the imposing Dragon General. It had gone pretty similarly to this, though he was talking up himself instead of someone else as Alex was doing. Of course, that hadn't gone well. But the persistent lad decided to try the same thing with miss Tomoe some time later. Caius had unfortunately been present to overhear the second attempt. Which had actually gone... Worse, somehow? Sure, Tomoe was far more polite about it than Celes had been -- and it had been Celes' reaction that had told Caius the whole thing was sus in the first place. But somehow her very respectful response actually seemed to wound the man's pride even worse when she brought up that she was not in fact, into men.
Point was that Caius had heard this before. And not in a good context by any means. So the mercenary was already squinting at the other, very inept mercenary sitting nearby as he told his tall tale. Something was wrong here. What place did this have? Sure, Prompto had a very in-depth crush on Cindy. Even Caius wasn't blind to that obvious fact. But Prompto was a mess right now, he was in no condition to have someone try to play... Gods, what was the word for it? What had Claire said she'd be for him when she was talking about all those dates? A bird... Thing? Wing-person?
Not important right now. The other mercenary was being very sus, to say the least. Caius didn't know why, but he didn't like where this was going and he didn't trust Alex's intentions. Being around General Chere and hearing -- sometimes seeing the horror stories in the flesh -- had given Caius a very suspicious impression of bold acts of flirtation and "trying to impress the pretty girl" in general, but the timing, not knowing anything about this strange blonde guy, it just seemed very strange and not something Caius found himself able to trust.
Overly complicated explanation of Caius' thought process and sussing out the imposter aside, Caius had found himself examining the scene. Was he stalling for something? Stalling for Noctis to think of something? What could he-
Wait, why was his hand behind his back? And why did he see a faint glow and sense a bit of-
Caius had tried to subtly make a move at the very last second, but it was too late. The other man had attempted to fire a spell at Cindy, which had abruptly failed. On instinct, Caius had attempted to draw a firearm from his glaive behind his back just in case. But it didn't materialize. That was when an angry Tifa revealed that there was in fact, a barrier.
Caius' breath hitched, but the mercenary rested back in his seat when it was clear that the danger had passed. Civilians had these things? His thoughts went to Garnet, as well as the issues they could face in escaping the prison once they had bailed out Gladiolus and Ignis. Not to mention the issues presented here. While they weren't helpless if attacked, he had planned around the possibility of being caught in here and thrown into a Sonoran prison... It would be a serious pain if they ran into trouble. Speaking of trouble, there was now no longer any denying to Cindy that they were up to something. The idiot had destroyed any chance of that.
Hold on. Person that Noctis knew and would trust to bring here... Powerful, but very stupid. And Caius knew of everyone else in here except for...
"Oh. You're Sorel."
Caius' expression and sigh were both very exasperated very quickly at this realization. Yes, that Sorel. The idiot that had been running his mouth and even had begun to resort to sabotage when Celes was just trying to get some help for Yuna. The mad mercenary who had a grudge against them for reasons that Caius still to this day didn't entirely understand. And then Noctis picked right then to confirm his suspicions by remembering he was supposed to talk to Alex.
"Cassandra came to our door asking to join. I was given no context about her having worked for another guild. I only found out the situation after you ran your mouth, caused problems for recruitment at Miss Yuna's clinic, and then His Highness gave me the rest of the story" Caius brought up then. His tone had grown cold as he stared down the buffoon before him. He never lost his calm, but his tone was like ice. "We are due for a long conversation, Mr. Sorel."
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] After Cindy entered, a lot of things happened all at once.
Noctis hissed back that he hadn’t invited her. Which was…Well, if Prompto could feel surprised right now then he would have. Instead he was left standing there, head spinning, trying to put more than five words together into a single coherent thought. Cindy was here. Noctis hadn’t told her they were coming. That meant she either found out on her own or…
Or…
Or this was a really badly timed coincidence. Cindy ordered a beer. Prompto opened his mouth and closed it again, trying to think of something to say. It was really bad for her to be here. Like really bad. It wasn’t like she’d turn them in if she heard about their rescue attempt or anything. She’d known about plenty of illegal stuff they’d done in the past, and she’d just fixed up their car because that was her job and she liked them all fine. They were friends even if Prompto hoped and prayed and dreamed in the night that maybe one day they’d be more than friends.
They were friends, and even knowing about what they were about to do might put her in danger because Sonora did not screw around. Shock and confusion and frustration and fear all mixed together with that latent heat that still pounded through every part of him, and he suddenly became aware that Noctis’ jacket had fallen off of him onto the floor and…
And…
Oh, there was a reason Noctis had put that on him, wasn’t there?
Oh.
Oh. That was…bad. Mortification mixed in with all those other emotions and Prompto snatched up the jacket and hurriedly sat back down again with the jacket spread over his lap, looking down at his hands in shame.
This was the worst day. Just the worst. But it was all about to take a turn, plunging even deeper past the bottom of the barrel and tunneling somewhere towards the center of the earth, and it was all because of Alexander Sorel.
Noctis had had it under control. He'd told Cindy that they were looking for the other two which was totally the truth and hopefully wouldn’t prompt any more questions from the kindly mechanic. He’d had it under control, but Alex apparently thought he needed to do more. Prompto’s heart sank as Alex stood up, telling Noctis he’d “owe him for this.” Owe him for what, Prompto never got the chance to ask before Alex clapped a hand on his shoulder, told him to “get behind her,” whatever that meant and then…
And then…
Prompto felt his jaw drop. His face, once beat red, turned a strange ashen white. Oh. Oh no. What…what was he talking about? What was Alex doing? And why was he doing it? Prompto opened his mouth to protest but only a sad little croak came out. Saving kids from a burning chocobo stable? Nearly dying doing it? Why was he lying like that? Who even said things like that? Who even…?
Prompto was so stunned that he didn’t notice what Alex’s hands were doing. Not until he’d brought them in front of him, glowing strangely, and then blew the lights into Cindy’s face.
”Wha-?” Prompto blinked, trying to comprehend what had just happened. Everything moved too fast after that to follow. Noctis was on his feet in an instant and nearly tackled Alex, wrestling to get his arms behind his back. Alex had done something. He’d done something…to Cindy? That little spark had almost looked like…
Like magic.
Realization hit Prompto in a fiery explosion and he was back on his feet, his own dignity be damned. ”Cindy!” he cried and he scrambled to her side to try to catch her in case something happened, in case she fell, in case something worse had struck her. ”Cindy, are you okay? What did he do to you?”
It took a moment for Tifa’s words to filter through the wall of sheer panic that had overtaken him. The bar was surrounded by an anti-magic field. So that meant…that Cindy was okay? Prompto breathed a sigh of relief. ”Sorry,” he said to the mechanic. ”Sorry. I don’t know what that was…”
But that was the point, wasn’t it? He didn’t know. Alex could have been trying anything. On an unarmed woman who had just come in for a drink. On Cindy. On their friend. Prompto turned on Alex, tears welling in his eyes from the sheer overwhelming force of it all.
”What’s wrong with you?!” He felt his hands curl up into fists at his sides. Caius was saying something to him too. And Noctis was telling them all to tip Tifa which was fair and he would, but first he had something else to say.
Something he should have said a long time ago.
”You can’t just butt in whenever you feel like it! You can’t just decide you’re the hero and go around doing whatever you want! You can’t just attack women for no reason!” He felt all of it burst out of him from whatever place he’d been keeping it. Prompto didn’t get mad easy. He didn’t yell easy either, but this was the last straw.
He’d attacked Cindy.
”Noct, I know you wanted him here, and he’s good in a fight and he saved my life and he helped you too and we wouldn’t even know about Gladio and Ignis without him, but…” Prompto took a long breath, preparing for what he had to say. What he really had to say. ”But I don’t want him in on this! He’s picking fights and he can’t get along with anyone and he just does whatever he wants! Me, you, and Caius should be enough. He won’t follow your lead. He’ll just do whatever he wants because he’s not like us. And if you make him mad he’ll just try to make you more mad until you can’t pay attention to something dangerous and…”
The tears were welling harder now. He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, hoping that no one had noticed. They’d all definitely noticed.
But now he was thinking back to the last time he’d talked to Alex, back when he’d gotten those visions from the witch Matoya. When Alex had claimed to be one of Noctis’ best friends and Prompto had told him he wasn’t so Alex had said…all those things about Luna…
Prompto swallowed hard. Thinking about Luna…What happened to her…That whole day in Altissia, it wasn’t something he should be doing right now. Not when they had work to do.
”He doesn’t want to work with Caius. And we don’t have time for them to sort all that out. While we’re standing here fighting, Ignis and Gladio could be…” He shook his head hard. He didn’t want to think about what could be happening to them. ”I don’t want to work with Alex. I’ll do it if you say so, but I don’t want to. What do you think Ignis would say?”
Post by Cindy Aurum on Feb 14, 2023 14:59:27 GMT -6
TEACH THEM BOYS A LESSON
"Thank ya." Cindy addressed the bartender as she took a sip of her beer as she listened to the other man call her blonde. Maybe it was part of the conversation they had been having before she walked in, so she just kind of ignored it. Cindy wasn't a huge fan of being judged by her hair color, but it didn't seem like it was really an insult in this situation. Though that conclusion changed a little bit when Caius had to state he wasn't colorblind...
Prompto's reaction to her being there took her away from that confusing situation as he jumped to his feet and turned even more red than he was before. Luckily, she missed the whole coat situation, so he was spared that additional humiliation. He had always been a little strange around her, but it was never enough for her not to like him. He wasn't the best around girls she had found out, and the bartender was a looker, so she figured that's where the outburst had come from. "I'm here for a drink. Was in town for some parts and figured why the heck not!" She never expected this.
Prompto started to try to explain, but just as he did, the man she didn't know muttered something to Noctis, then Prompto and then he was stopped in front of her. "I am..." She answered with a very confused expression on her face. He was then going off about something Prompto did, or the guy said he did. Honestly, part of it did sound believable because Prompto did love chocobos. The whole thing just sounded like it was from a book, but she didn't have much chance to respond.
The man stated it was pleasure to meet her and then his hand was right in front of her face and he was blowing something at her. To be honest, she had no idea what was going on, she had never really been around magic before. The reactions of those around her though made it very clear. The bartender mentioning a barrier, and kicking him out got her a point in Cindy's book. Girl looked like she could do just that.
Noctis then mentioned to tip Tifa, which Cindy definitely would after all of this happened. Also something about a dog, which just confused Cindy. She noticed Caius had responded to that though, and finally realized that he knew the other man. The whole situation was just very confusing to Cindy, but she was also pretty pissed. Turning her attention on Alex, she slapped him across the face. "What kind of man are you to just go around spellin' people like that? And in a place of business? You should apologize to miss Tifa."
Prompto was then right next to her, asking if she was okay. "I'm fine Prompto, this guy sure won't be though." Not saying Alex wasn't important to these guys, but she knew all of them, Prompto and Noctis better than Caius. Alex going after her like that was definitely not going to end well. Prompto was then apologizing to her and she gave him a smile. "It's all right, you were worried." She honestly thought it was cute how he freaked out that she was hurt.
The next thing he did though, took her by surprise. Tears in his eyes, he faced Alex. And he let him have it. Though, some of it was confusing to her, which wasn't a surprise at this rate. This whole evening was confusing to her. She knew Gladio and Ignis were here somewhere, but she wasn't sure where. It sounded like there was going to be a fight to find them, and Alex was supposed to be in on it. It sounded like the other two were in danger though.
It was all coming together for her now. They had all been surprised to see her there, but they all seemed to be there for a reason. They were all in on finding Gladio and Ignis. She didn't know where they were, but she wanted them safe. "Wait, what kind of trouble are those two in?" The four of them had caused her a headache or two, but they were good men.
It's all gone to shite, kupo! He remembered a Moogle exclaiming such back yonder, and it was an accurate way to describe the situation as everyone just piled on him. First it was Noct. He was worried. Fair, so Alex gave him a much softer smile. "Relax. Just a Sleep spell." He cared about Cindy, she wasn't supposed to be here. It was harmless in the end. At least until Tifa brought up the barrier. "You what?!" Oh, he would be having dialogue with her in a moment. Or at least, he would have been, if he hadn't been immediately slapped afterwards. Alex blinked, rubbing his cheek as he stared at Cindy. "Not sure I deserved that." It was all so confusing and a little overwhelming. Instinctively he tried to cast a small bit of healing to soothe it away, until it fizzled, reminding him once again that there was no magic here.
That one really hurt, too.
So when Prompto blew up at him, it was something that at least caught his attention. Oh, what was it this time? Well, to be fair, at least this time he actually knew full well what it was. So he listened, intently. And when Prompto brought up on not attacking women, Alex raised an eyebrow before he passed a glance at Tifa. Just another thing to fix up later. Maybe buy him something to drink. ... He was like sixteen, right? Maybe a box of apple juice from Tifa or something. At least, that was the plan, until Prompto turned around and started venting at Noctis about how much of a bastard man he was and he shouldn't be allowed anywhere near them. Noctis wasn't even involved in this. He felt things flare, and inhaling through his nose, he took a couple steps, circling around to Prompto's front. If Prompto wanted to have this out, now, so be it.
Alex spoke up in sharp tone. "That's bullshit. Oh, you'll just barely tolerate my presence if Noctis decrees it so, but it'll be absolute agony, but you'll do it anyway all for him. You're just passive aggressively forcing an ultimatum on him and you know it. You or me." There was a strange mixture of heat and ice to his voice. Barely contained rage. "You've accused me of lying multiple times for absolutely stupid shit. You're going on about how much a burden I am and should be removed despite just seconds before saying how useful I am, and have been. You just don't like me and you're coming up with reasons that don't involve just saying that. Nevermind that, when I do step in something, you don't let me know, so I can stop. You just lash out and I'm left wondering 'what did I say now.'" Prompto wasn't the only one that had something to say, and well, Alex was at his limit regarding this, too.
"In fact, I'm pretty sure I distinctly remember asking you to just tell me if there's an issue instead of letting it fester, to avoid this exact situation."
He didn't realize just how much Prompto's behavior actually bothered him, at least not until he went right to Noctis. "And now that you both are here, the first thing you do is run and hide behind Noctis after you do your typical lashing out. That might work with Ignis and Gladio, but I am a hell of a lot scarier than they could ever be. Noctis can't protect you this time." And with that, he craned his head and shot the Prince a look. "Nor should he. You need to learn to fight your own godsdamned battles, and whatever shitflinging is going on between you and I doesn't involve him." Noctis better not intervene, anyway. "So, you know what? I'm going to hit back. Really hit back." Because for Alex? This was something that had been coming.
If Prompto thought a shitty snipe about Lunafreya was over the line, well shit.
Pointing an accusatory finger at Prompto, he glowered, his voice shaking. "My butting in has kept you from horrible a fate. If I don't butt in when I feel like I should, you get arrested, if not shot dead. Hell, you just listed why my butting in has helped you. Versus that? I've said stupid shit. I threw a spell at Cindy in which nothing happened. I don't regret butting in because by and large, my butting in has resulted in a lot more good than bad, and that's all I can aim for." His eyes narrowed as he took a deep breath. "And you want to know something? Despite everything, despite all the bullshit between us? If I could go back in time, I'd do it again. I'd still help you." Let him suck on that for a moment.
Hear. Feel. Think. Deep breaths. Point two. Don't derail yourself, not on this. "As for deciding that I'm the hero. Considering everything I've done? I kind of am a hero and a lot of what I do falls back on experience. But you being upset about that is fine. I never told you that I'm a Warrior of Light that's reincarnated countless times to protect the world, keep the balance, whatever. I've always passed myself off as an adventurer with you because I prefer just being an adventurer. It's not fair to get mad at you there because you had no way of knowing." Apparently he could ramble like Caius if the right circumstances lined up. Like now. Just... a lot more aggressively, considering he added on an infuriated "You know, like the shit you lash out at me over. It took Noctis explaining your relationship to me before even some of it made sense." It at least explained why Prompto got really, really jealous. Or at least acted like it.
Now, well, this was just a low blow. It was also a stretch, considering Prompto's concerns. But his temper was flaring, and it was a lot to keep it to this icy rage and not just, completely and totally explode. But none of the others had apparently brought it up, and so it fell to him. "Oh, and about your little comment on attacking women? They are not intrinsically special flowers that require delicacy. Nevermind how you act about that anyway. Have none of the others ever sat you down and told you that you act like an absolute fucking creep? Yes, Tifa is very beautiful, but do you see me leaning over, eyes bulging, blushing, and pitching a tent in my pants? No." He had originally planned on giving Prompto the lesson of Do Not in private, but fuck it. All in the open now.
Alex threw his hands up as he could feel it boiling at the top, threatening to go right over. "I admit it, I've fucked up. Especially regarding you. I'm not perfect. But stop acting like I'm the bad guy and you're some poor, put upon victim, when you yourself have made absolutely zero effort to come to some agreement, while I have repeatedly offered olive branches to you, and have begged Noctis for help on how to handle you." He snarled, pointing a finger at Noctis to accentuate his point before it all finally boiled over in one small comment as he leaned over in Prompto's face, jabbing his finger into the Crownsguard. "I'm tired of your charade you creepy, passive aggressive gremlin."
And with that, he moved back to the bar, clencing his fingers on the table as he looked squarely at Tifa. "Thank you for the Rum Martinez. You're the first I've seen put the orange peel on. I am going to go drink outside. I will pay you in a bit." There was a terseness to his voice that made it obvious he was just observing courtesy, holding back anger. Grumbling and fuming, he grabbed his drink and went to the door. There was a brief chill that entered the bar, only to be cut off as Alex slammed the door behind him. ... Only to open it again a moment later, as he peeked his head back in. "And for the record? I can work with Dragelion. Because I already have." And he slammed the door again. Maybe now they could get something done.
Post by Tifa Lockhart on Feb 14, 2023 16:41:45 GMT -6
PROMISE YOU'LL COME AND SAVE ME
Working in this industry, Tifa was usually prepared for whatever could happen. Though everything that just unfolded on the other side of her bar? Yeah, she did not see any of that coming. Aside from Alex trying to use a spell and Cindy slapping him for it, it didn't seem like there was going to be any more physical damage. Emotional damage and fighting however, that was a whole disaster coming. Whatever happened in the past seemed to involve a lot of bottling up, and the explosion from it all was happening in her bar.
Grabbing Noctis a bottle of the cooler, she opened it and set it in front of him with a small smile. It seemed that he was starting to regret his decision on inviting everyone here, and she didn't blame him. Though there was no way he knew what could happen, especially in a public place. Honestly all Tifa could do at the moment was watch it all unwind in front of her. If there had been anyone else in the bar, she would have told them to take it somewhere else. The place was empty, and didn't allow magic, so she decided it would be a good spot for them to let it all out.
Though, she wouldn't be able to stop them from physically fighting, but it didn't seem like that was going to happen. There was a lot of yelling, she was complimented in all the chaos, and it seemed like the whole get together was about finding two other guys that were in some sort of trouble. Cindy was fine, but pissed, which Tifa didn't blame her for. After the second blonde yelled back at the first, he stormed outside with his drink, which was complimented as well.
While everything had been happening, she had gotten Caius' rum martinez made and grabbed Prompto a glass of water just in case. Everyone had their drinks, and it looked like they might need some space. Turning to Noctis, she gave him a reassuring smile. "You've got your hands full in here, I'll try to calm him down outside."
The idea could be a terrible one, but Tifa was a calm person so she was usually pretty good at calming others down. Besides, Alex didn't have any problems with her at all, so she was probably a good choice for him talk to. Grabbing her coat from behind the bar, she made her way outside. "That was quite a speech, are you all right?"
**Will be continued in a seperate thread until someone comes to get them.**
Post by Caius Dragelion on Feb 14, 2023 19:38:18 GMT -6
The Dragonblades
Caius had expected Alex to throw a tantrum at some point. From all the reports Celes had given him, to everything he had seen so far. He had no reason to think that Alex was going to do anything but act like a child. But what he hadn't expected was for Prompto to suddenly stand up to Alex and speak his piece. Now, Caius had no context on the history between Prompto and Alex. He didn't know what they had been through in the moments where Caius had not been present. But it was pretty clear that whatever it had been, it caused Prompto to hold a festering hatred that now began to spring out like a boiling hot geyser after being pushed down for far too long. Trying to use magic on Cindy was too far, Caius agreed with that. Though he hadn't expected things to be this... Dramatic.
Oh and Cindy slapped Alex. He deserved that one. Caius cared not for his intentions, that had been extremely boneheaded and if Caius didn't know any better, might have very well thought it for intentional sabotage. Speaking of Cindy, Prompto's outburst had revealed to Caius that he in fact cared a great deal for Cindy, and not just in the vein of her being a pretty girl. There was some level of relationship there. Something had to have pushed him over the edge with Alex, and this in particular had been it.
Oh and now Alex was going all out on Prompto. But it was different, Caius noted. The vibe, the presence, the feeling. It was all different. With Prompto, it was an emotional, bottled up outburst where he spoke raw of his thoughts. And in his true thoughts, he still had some acknowledgement of the fact that Alex had helped them. That he had been there for them, but that the flaws were still to the point they could not be ignored.
With Alex, there was no attempt to balance. It seemed almost more like he was trying to openly humiliate Prompto rather than vent. His tone was condescending, full of disrespect and disdain. The only thing it was balanced with was tooting his own horn over being some reincarnated hero or whatever. The bit about him having made mistakes was the only reminder that there was even a human being in there.
Small wonder Celes detested him and believed him capable of spite enough to murder a king in cold blood just to hurt the Dragonblades. Caius had been giving Alex the benefit of the doubt, remembering that his previous meeting with him had been marred by the fact someone had immediately tried to kill them within minutes of Alex's appearance. His interactions with Celes tainted by the fact that there was a grave misunderstanding regarding his apparent jilted ex-lover Cassandra. But there had been no need for Alex to go out of his way to humiliate Prompto like this. To call him creepy and make him look like some kind of pervert right in front of someone that they both knew Prompto cared for on a court-ship type level -- to the point that she had been the tipping point that brought Prompto out of his timid shell.
Caius was fuming by the end of it. Sure, Prompto hadn't been perfect by lashing out at Alex. But everyone in this room knew that Prompto had been struggling with trying to bring back two of his closest comrades, and was too timid to outright speak his mind in an angry way. Caius knew this just from a few short interactions with the boy, and Alex had likely experienced just as much if not more. To go about things so maliciously in response...
Caius took a deep breath to settle himself down -- putting mission over emotion as Alex finished his rant and walked out. He thanked Tifa again for the drink and decided it was time to finally start on it. Tifa then stepped out just as Caius realized...
"Gods, I should have ordered something stronger."
The drink was gone soon after.
Caius took a deep breath, then, as he looked to Noctis and Prompto.
"It's clear you both share a bond with Cindy. Tell her only if there's a role she can play in this. Otherwise it's better she doesn't know. Not because she isn't trustworthy, but because it's better for her safety" Caius brought up matter-of-factly. "We don't have time left to spare. Our enemy could walk in at any moment. If there is a plan to be made, it needs to be made soon."
His gaze moved to the entrance, then back to them. "Furthermore, as I have told His Highness. As much as I want to, I cannot fight on the front. I can no longer think only of myself and my wants. I have people depending on me who will be in trouble if I kick that nest. I do have ideas for how to assist from the backline, however. When you're ready, Your Highness."
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] Alex wasn’t happy.
He really wasn’t happy.
Prompto knew he’d made a mistake as soon as the words were out of his mouth. They’d burst from him like a geyser, all emotion with no thought behind it. He was still looking at Noctis, practically pleading with his eyes, when Alex started talking. Prompto didn’t like the way he was talking. It sounded mad. No, furious was the better word, but with an edge as sharp as Ignis’ daggers. Prompto looked back at him and saw that his eyes were just the same – raging fire barely contained by a thin pane of glass.
His yellow eyes. Burning. Cold. Mocking.
Alex was a lot taller than he was. A lot bigger too. At first, Prompto tried to stand his ground, looking up at him as defiantly as he could when his eyes were still burning with the unshed tears of a thousand strong emotions that had been welling in him since the start, but the more Alex talked…
"You’re just passive aggressively forcing an ultimatum on him and you know it. You or me."
”I wasn’t-!”
"You’re going on about how much of a burden I am and should be removed despite just seconds before saying how useful I am and have been."
”Yeah, that’s the point!”
Then Alex changed. Alex really changed.
"And now that you both are here the first thing you do is run and hide behind Noctis after you do your typical lashing out. That might work with Ignis and Gladio, but I am a hell of a lot scarier than they could ever be. Noctis can’t protect you this time."
Prompto felt his mouth fall open. His eyes widened. He felt his heart pounding in his throat. Why was it pounding? Why…?
’Noctis can’t protect you this time.’
Prompto took an involuntary step back. He didn’t like Alex’s eyes. He didn’t like Alex’s yellow, yellow eyes trained directly on him. He didn’t like the threat they promised there. His heart might have been pounding, but he felt himself go cold as he stared back at him, trying to swallow back everything that wasn’t true. This wasn’t Niflheim even if it was cold and gray. This wasn’t Gralea. Alex wasn’t…
He wasn’t…
"So you know what? I’m going to hit back. Really hit back."
Alex was pointing at him, almost yelling now. His yellow eyes narrowed. He was defending himself now, but it didn’t matter really, not when his voice and his body and his eyes promised all the things he wanted to do to him. Prompto tried to say something back, about how he was talking bullshit and sure nothing happened to Cindy but it could have and you can’t just do that to people, but nothing came out. Prompto’s voice wasn’t working anymore. He was small under Alex’s towering height and the strength of his rage and everything in him was screaming danger. Because Alex was right. Ignis and Gladio weren’t here. No one was stepping in to help him.
’You lose your friends and murder your family. Now you’ve no one left.’
’Shut up!’
Then Alex launched into how he’d treated women, and Prompto felt something else creep in through the cold, pounding, get out of there feeling. He felt something else. Disbelief. Humiliation. It crept up his throat and into his eyes and that was enough to free his mouth again.
”I wasn’t…”
He bit his lip. ”I didn’t…”
Cindy was still there, watching all of this. Cindy and Noctis and Caius and the bartender, Tifa. Suddenly he felt like a kid again, just some quiet nobody kid who took pictures because he was too afraid to talk to anybody but he heard what they whispered about him when they weren’t shoving him, calling him names, telling him…
"Stop acting like I’m the bad guy and you’re some poor, put upon victim."
Alex snarled, pointing at Noctis before closing the gap between them until he was towering over Prompto, eyes dark with fury and Prompto’s eyes widened as he tried to stumble back but hit a table and Alex jabbed a finger into his chest hard and in a wild panic Prompto reached behind him and tried to summon his guns but they wouldn’t come. Why wouldn’t they come?
He was powerless and small and nobody and alone and all he could do was stare up at the mountain of a man leaning over him, finger pressed into his chest like a promise, and he felt sheer terror course through him until finally Alex pulled away and stormed towards the door.
Prompto was left in shock, staring at the empty space where Alex had been, still half-leaning against the table at his back. He winced as the door slammed.
”I-I…” he started but then the door opened again and Alex’s roaring voice filled the bar and the door slammed for the second time with enough force to rattle the windows and Prompto went quiet.
The whole bar was quiet. Tifa said something about going outside to check on him and the door opened and closed again. Caius was talking now from where he’d been sitting at the counter. Prompto heard him but he didn’t really hear him. His throat felt tight. His hands were shaking.
’I’m tired of your charade you creepy, passive aggressive gremlin!’
”Y-yeah,” he said back to Caius. He felt something rising up in him. Something cold and hot and wild and compressed. He bit his lip. ”I uh…I-I need a minute.”
Then he finally forced himself to move. Once he got going, it was hard to stop. He felt the urge to hide, to flee, but Alex had already gone out the front door so he hurried to the bathroom instead, taking only half a second to recognize the men’s sign with his brain on autopilot before he threw the door open and slipped inside.
It was a one room kind of bathroom for a small place like this. Prompto flicked on the lights and closed the door behind him and fumbled with the handle until he found the lock and locked it. Then he let himself breathe, hard and fast as he slid down the wall to the tiled floor, taking the time to notice that it looked clean enough that he wouldn’t get any stains down there before he pulled his knees up to his chest and threw off his winter hat so his hands could tangle in his hair.
Alex wasn’t Ardyn. He wasn’t Ardyn. This wasn’t Niflheim. He wasn’t hurt. No one had hurt him. He was okay. He was okay, he was okay, he o-
Prompto grit his teeth and let out a strangled noise too quiet to pierce the bathroom walls. Those walls felt like a prison around him, closing in fast.
And all the while, Gladio and Ignis were facing Astrals knew what because they couldn’t all get along and make a plan when it really mattered and Prompto had had to run his big stupid mouth. If he’d just stayed quiet…If he’d just let Noctis handle it…
Stupid, stupid, stupid!
Prompto felt the tears well up in his eyes again and this time there was no stopping them. He felt his shoulders shake as he pressed his forehead against his knees and wrapped his arms around himself tight.
He just needed a minute. He needed a minute to get a hold of himself. And then he’d make himself useful. Maybe, this time, finally he’d be useful.
