Welcome to Adventu, your final fantasy rp haven. adventu focuses on both canon and original characters from different worlds and timelines that have all been pulled to the world of zephon: a familiar final fantasy-styled land where all adventurers will fight, explore, and make new personal connections.
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year 5, quarter 3
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[attr=class,lyric1]i am noctis, prince of lucis and
[attr=class,lyric2]king of fishing
[attr=class,bulk] Noctis was a little embarrassed when Caius said that he’d already earned his respect. It was good to hear of course. He was just still learning how to handle people looking up to him when he’d always been known as the aloof prince who had his own apartment and avoided the citadel. He hadn’t been ready for his fate then. He wasn’t even sure if he was now, but he had been doing his best to take responsibility for Lucis. At least until he’d woken up here.
Best to focus on the fight though.
Caius managed to turn around in time to parry his sweep of the dagger with his own sword. Noctis stepped forward to do a follow-up attack with the engine blade in his other hand while the kingsglaive’s weapon was occupied. But that was when Caius vanished in a blue shimmer of magic. Noct knew what had happened of course, but he hesitated for just a split second purely because he wasn’t used to fighting other people who could phase. The crownsguard had similar abilities to the kingsglaive, but the two weren’t exactly the same, so witnessing the blue after-image for himself was a little strange. Thankfully his instincts kicked in, because he knew where he himself would warp to in this situation.
Behind him.
Noctis spun around with his dagger up to find Caius raising his sword level with him. It seemed like a strange attack, and the prince hopped back lightly to easily avoid it, but a soft click told him that he’d miscalculated. He really needed to ask later what kind of sword doubled as a gun.
The bullet struck the prince in the shoulder, but the gun must have been specialized in some way because it didn’t actually pierce the skin. He guessed that meant that he wasn’t strictly shot, but the force still knocked him back a couple steps and he was left blinking at Caius in surprise. Oddly enough, he didn’t think that anyone had ever shot him before. Though they’d certainly tried.
Come at me with everything you’ve got.
And then Noctis, who usually groaned when Gladio tried to drag him out of bed early to train, actually grinned. Maybe that’s what he got for starting the fight out slow. “Nice shot.”
The prince banished both his dagger and the engine blade in a flash of blue sparks. In their place, he summoned his newest royal arm, but also the one that meant the most to him—the sword of the father. Using it would definitely drain him faster, but it also packed a lot more damage than his other weapons, and Caius had shown that playing it safe wasn’t a good strategy here.
“Round 2?” Noctis asked, before he chucked the sword straight towards him and sped after it in a flash of blue as he attempted a warp strike. He planned to pull back a little if it actually struck though, since he obviously didn’t intend to stab Caius.
[attr=class,lyric1]i am noctis, prince of lucis and
[attr=class,lyric2]king of fishing
[attr=class,bulk] Cindy looked him dead in the face and said she was 100% sure about helping out, so Noctis had to laugh and wave his arms in defeat. “Alright, I’ll stop asking. Thanks Cindy. We’ll need a safe spot for you to wait with the car then. Maybe near the fighting ring door that Prompto mentioned? If they remove bodies through there, then there probably won’t be too many workers hanging around unless there’s a fight currently going on.” Death made people uncomfortable, for better or worse. They might as well use that to their advantage.
Alex seemed on board with most of the plan, but he raised objections to bringing a behemoth into things. A monster that large would be a tad unpredictable, though Noctis nearly choked on his whisky when Alex pointed out they could summon meteors. “They do what now? That’s a thing here?” They were pretty horrifying beasts, but he was pretty sure that he’d never seen one call down a ball of rock and metal from space. Honestly, Noctis had never seen a Meteor at all outside of the one that Titan held up at the Disc of Cauthess, and that massive crystal shard didn’t seem like the best point of comparison for other space rocks.
If behemoths really did have a Meteor spell under their belts, then Noctis understood Alex’s concerns. The blond mercenary also seemed to have a strange amount of knowledge about behemoths though. He just kept spouting more and more facts until the prince was openly staring at him, deciding that moments like these were why he and Alex had become friends in the first place. He was a pretty weird guy, which Noctis could usually appreciate. “Don’t tell me you hunted behemoths as a kid.” That would explain a lot, actually.
Caius seemed open to changing up his plan, but pointed out that they would need some kind of distraction in its place. He also handed out ski masks, which made it look like they were all about to go rob a bank. The prince appreciated the gift more though when the kingsglaive explained that the material would throw off any scanners that Sonora had. “Oh, that’s a good thought. Thank you,” he said appreciatively as he took one. He also had to suppress a snort as Alex said that they should hide in a box in the back of the supply truck. He had a feeling that the warrior of light had done that same thing on more than one occasion. “I’m fine with crawling in a box, but a distraction would still be good in case they scan everything that goes in.” He considered his whiskey a bit contemplatively before spitballing a few ideas. “There’s always setting a fire, but I guess it’s hard to control how that will spread. Attacking at the front door would definitely draw attention away from the supply gate, but that would be too dangerous for just one or two people. I guess is there anything we have that would work from a distance?”
It might take a lot to capture an entire prison’s attention. It was enough to make Noctis shoot a weak grin at Prompto. “If only my covenants with the gods were still good here. Where’s Ramuh when you need him?”
Usually not anywhere, to be honest. The astrals liked to show up on their terms anyway, but it was a nice thought.
Alex suggested that Noctis test out the ring in the bar, since the anti-magic technology was similar to what they would encounter in the gulag. Prompto and Caius were both quick to shoot that down though, which made Noctis rub the back of his neck as he glanced down at the deceptively innocent thing on his finger again. “...Yeah. It’s a good idea, but I should probably just try not to count on it. I don’t want to hurt anyone in here. Death and Alterna are pretty destructive, and you’d have to punch me in the face first if you want me to cast Holy.” Alternatively, he supposed that he could also try to raise a Wall like the one that was around Insomnia, but Noctis had never tried it before, and he didn’t even know if it was possible without the magic amplifiers that surrounded the city. So that test was out too.
[attr=class,lyric1]i am noctis, prince of lucis and
[attr=class,lyric2]king of fishing
[attr=class,bulk] As they got ready to spar, Caius asked for just a moment to prepare, so Noctis took a relaxed stance as he waited to see what the blond man had in mind. He definitely hadn’t expected to see him materialize his kingsglaive armor. It gave the prince a start, and he was honestly grateful that the jacket got caught around Caius’ head. That gave him permission to laugh instead of getting emotional. “God, I haven’t seen that outfit since Lucis. It’s a good look for you.” Or at least it was once it was on properly. “Don’t worry, I’ve seen Prompto nearly kill himself trying to do that before.” Hopefully his best friend wouldn’t mind him sharing that little tidbit. He could almost picture a protesting ‘Noooct!’
Apparently Caius had been storing his kingsglaive armor in the glaive ever since he’d sensed a new presence arriving in Zephon, and Noctis was honestly touched when he said that it felt right to wear it in front of him again. “...Really, thank you. I know I’m not a king yet, but…I hope I can be worthy of your respect someday.” It felt a little odd to face Caius in his usual black jacket when the kingsglaive was being so formal, but it would have felt weirder for Noct to change. He probably had some more formal clothes in the glaive, but it didn’t feel right to wear them. Not until he was ready to face Ardyn and return to Lucis. So his usual outfit would have to do.
Caius summoned his sword to his hand, and Noctis kept a careful eye on it, remembering what he’d done to the monster fish with it. He’d have to be careful not to get on the wrong end of the blade since it seemed to double as a gun.
The blond man ran towards him, and Noctis bent his knees to get ready. Caius wasn’t as bulky as Gladio, but he was extremely tall and probably hit like a truck, so the prince wanted to do his best to not get backed into a corner. A single blow from Gladio could be enough to end a spar if his greatsword landed in the wrong spot, so Noctis usually had to warp around like an annoying fly and use his speed to his advantage. It was probably best to use a similar strategy here.
Caius raised his sword overhead, so Noctis threw up his engine blade in an attempt to guard since a strike from that high would do some damage. It turned out to be a feint though, and Caius tried to smoothly kick him in the stomach instead. Noctis might have whistled if he’d had more than a split second to react. He appreciated when people were down to fight a little dirty.
Since it caught him off guard, he only barely managed to phase through the attack, which he turned into a dodge roll forward in an attempt to get behind Caius. Popping to his feet, he summoned one of the Zwill Crossblades into his free hand and swung it forward to either parry if the man turned around in time or to attack if he didn’t. Really, Noctis was still testing the waters at this point. Caius might have known his fighting style, but he wasn’t sure of Caius’ quite yet.
[attr=class,lyric1]i am noctis, prince of lucis and
[attr=class,lyric2]king of fishing
[attr=class,bulk] Cindy didn’t pry into the situation with Ignis and Gladio, which was honestly a relief since Noctis wouldn’t have known how to answer. It wasn’t too surprising really—the mechanic had to have suspected that they were infiltrating Niflheim bases and looking for Royal Arms and doing all sorts of illegal things back in Lucis, and she had been nice enough to never ask about it. Cindy knew how to let them keep a low profile, that was for sure.
Noctis had to laugh when her only comment was that she was glad it wasn’t Prompto who was in trouble. “That makes both of us. I just hope he’s staying busy in Sonora. Maybe taking a bunch of pictures. He can get pretty stuck in his own head, you know?” He had a feeling that Cindy did know, and after a moment’s pause, Noctis decided to try to be a supportive friend. “I bet he’d really like to see you too if you ever make the trip up to Sonora. He’ll probably want to catch up.” Hopefully the prince’s attempt to be a wingman was subtle enough that Prompto wouldn’t splutter too much and Cindy wouldn’t question it. For as much as Prompto obsessed over women, he could never seem to bring himself to be direct with them. Noctis didn’t pretend to understand why.
He nodded a bit more seriously when Cindy said she might go on a trek just to see if Cid happened to be around. “Yeah, learning the area definitely wouldn’t be a bad thing. And maybe you’ll find some other people from Eos too. That makes six that I know of, so maybe there’s more.”
Cindy didn’t seem as thrilled with the idea of the four of them getting a car here as Noctis had been, but her smile gave her away even when she joked that she’d basically leave them a permanent spot at her garage. “The Regalia didn’t break down that much,” he said with a laugh. “I guess we were pretty into upgrading it though…” Understatement. They had probably single-handedly paid Cindy’s bills for a while there. She’d definitely have a lot of work on her hands if they did decide they wanted to fix up a car.
“It might take a while anyway. It’s more of an idea right now. First I have to find everyone, and we’d have to make enough money to afford one. Good thing we’re used to doing odd jobs I guess.” Noctis had never minded getting his hands dirty or doing things that were unsuitable for a prince. That had ended up coming in handy on Lucis, and it was even more useful now when his title was worthless here.
His mind drifting back to Caius, Noctis hesitated for a moment before deciding he was curious what timeframe Cindy was from. “Hey, this might be a weird question, but what’s the last thing you remember back in Lucis? Caius just got me thinking since apparently he’s from at least ten years in the future…” It would be weird to hear that this version of Cindy was from earlier or later than him, so he really hoped they lined up. Maybe Caius was just a fluke.
[attr=class,lyric1]i am noctis, prince of lucis and
[attr=class,lyric2]king of fishing
[attr=class,bulk] Prompto agreed to help him look for the bar, though Noctis nearly choked on the cold winter air when he expressed doubt about the name. “I don’t think it’s that kind of place. Tifa just said she’s a bartender. Plus back in her world she used to host secret meetings in the basement to try to overthrow some evil corporation. So I don’t think she’s got time for anything else.” Both of those definitely sounded like enough to keep someone busy. She didn’t need a third job on top of that.
Prompto didn’t seem happy to talk about what had happened back in Gralea, but it was a better time than any as far as Noctis was concerned. Maybe it would distract them from the cold, and maybe the cold would distract them from getting too emotional. Those were both wins as far as the prince was concerned.
Rubbing his arms, Noctis walked down the sidewalk, doing his best to read the name of every business that came up while simultaneously listening to his friend’s story. He didn’t like to hear that the guys had searched for him for so long, but he was honestly just relieved that they had come from the same time period. Caius had made him worried that people could be pulled to Zephon from any point at all, so he half expected Prompto to still think they were on a road trip to his wedding or something.
“Yeah, that’s about when I showed up too,” he said quickly, not wanting to leave Prompto hanging. “I’m glad you guys were okay. I had…been wondering since I left you back with all those daemons.”
Abandoning your friends? Ah, truly the mark of a monarch.
Noctis paused for a long moment before clearing his throat. “Anyway, I made it up to the crystal. Ardyn showed up when it was pulling me in though.”
Ardyn Lucis Caelum. In all of his history classes, Noctis had never heard the name before on his family tree. Did that mean it had been scrubbed from the citadel archives? How old was he really? Was the immortal man ancient, or did his dad just have a long-lost brother he’d never told him about? It all made his head hurt, and even though Noctis had been the one to bring up the topic, he suddenly wasn’t sure that he wanted to tell Prompto that he wasn’t the last of his line after all. At least not while they were on the street.
“Er. But yeah, I thought the crystal might take me to Bahamut, but instead I woke up next to a highway in Sonora. I would have been really screwed, but this guy named Alex helped me out and took me back to Provo. You know him too, right? He talked about you.” Alex had asked for help on making friends with Prompto actually, but sharing that probably wouldn’t do the blond man any favors. Noct also kept quiet on their car chase cliff-side adventure since he’d promised Alex not to mention it to anyone in his retinue. He trusted Prompto not to flip out about it, but he didn’t trust him to not accidentally bring it up in front of Ignis someday. That was a whole lecture waiting to happen.
They were approaching a crosswalk again, and Noctis glanced at all the adjacent buildings without much hope when he suddenly stopped in his tracks at the sight of a large blocky sign over a plain brown building with some string lights strung up. Seventh Heaven.
[attr=class,lyric1]i am noctis, prince of lucis and
[attr=class,lyric2]king of fishing
[attr=class,bulk] Caius was nice enough when Noctis asked about membership in the Dragonblades, and he smiled slightly when the man added that they didn’t discriminate based on someone’s former background. “I’ll keep that in mind if I need to start applying for jobs in Torensten. If all goes well, then I guess I’m about to have three other people to support.” Somehow he didn’t think Ignis or Gladio would be in the best shape, so he honestly might need two different mercenary jobs for their medical bills alone. He’d cross that bridge when he came to it though.
Caius went on to explain the trouble the Dragonblades were currently in, and Noctis frowned at the list of everything the Original Sin had done so far. “I’d say if you’ve made enemies like that then you must be doing something right. It sounds like they don’t really care what they do as long as they can make some gil.” Far from being dissuaded, Noctis really wanted to help Caius out with that if the group was after the kingsglaive’s head. He’d wait until Ignis and Gladio were out before he volunteered the four of them though. They were stretched a bit too thin at the moment, even if the Original Sin sounded like the worst kind of people.
Noctis nodded slowly when Caius explained that the crown paid him a lot more than he had been making in the world of ruin that Ardyn left behind. “Maybe I just still can’t picture the state of the world at that point…But I guess in my timeline, things would be getting that bad right now.” That was a sobering thought, but a true one. If the sun had stopped rising after Noctis had gone into the crystal, then well. Here he was. He didn’t like to think about what could be happening on Eos right now.
Noctis nodded at the suggestion that he stock up on car parts in Sonora and just store them in the glaive. It wasn’t a bad idea assuming he had the time, money, and a mechanic to work on a car for them. Just another thing to think about once his retainers were safe. Caius also offered to take him for a flight on Vordun sometime when the dragon wasn’t half-asleep, and Noctis was entirely down for that. He wasn’t likely to take a ride on a dragon again in his lifetime, so he hoped they’d make good on that sometime. Yet another thing to add to his list for after they rescued Ignis and Gladio. The list was getting insanely long.
Talking to Caius really had given Noctis more confidence that he could be a worthy king someday. Hearing that he was looked up to, at least in another timeline, was pretty comforting. At this point, he was all too aware that he wasn’t ready to be more than a prince, but with time…maybe anything was possible.
Caius stood up when Noctis announced that he should get going, and the mercenary made one final request of him. It wasn’t an unusual ask from a kingslaive or crownsguard, and Noctis had in fact been trained by several of them ever since he was a kid. While he usually made every excuse not to spar with Gladio (or anyone else who tried to make him), he could see that this was really important to Caius as a test of his skills now. Nodding back at the blond man, Noctis decided that Sonora could wait a few more minutes. “Absolutely. I haven’t really had to fight since I came to Zephon, so it might be good for both of us. I don’t want to go into Sonora rusty.”
Caius said he was free to use every weapon at his disposal, and Noctis grimaced slightly as he glanced down at the Ring of the Lucii on his middle finger. “Well, Alterna might be a bit much, so I promise not to throw you into any voids. But I’ll make everything else game.” Come to think of it, where did all the daemons from Gralea that he’d used that spell on end up? Did that piece of magic even work on Zephon when they were so far from the crystal? The ring’s magic was certainly unique, but that was something to puzzle out another time.
Getting into a ready stance, Noctis summoned the engine blade to his side. “Let’s see what you got.”
[attr=class,lyric1]i am noctis, prince of lucis and
[attr=class,lyric2]king of fishing
[attr=class,bulk] For whatever it was worth, Alex did apologize. Noctis let out a long breath before giving him a short nod. Not quite an ‘I forgive you’ gesture, but at least ‘I hear you.’ The warrior of light also suggested that the three of them have a long, hard talk sometime. It didn’t sound like his idea of a fun afternoon, but Noctis agreed that it needed to happen. There were a lot of hurt feelings and buried tension in the mix, and he wanted to at least try to sort through it with them. “Yeah. Maybe after everything’s settled.” Adding Gladio to the situation might be like throwing gasoline on the fire, but at least Ignis might have some good advice.
Prompto wasn’t thrilled with involving Alex—anyone could see that, and Noctis didn’t think his best friend meant it at all when he agreed with Caius’ plan. The prince contemplated pushing back, but at the end of the day, this was for everyone’s safety. They were way more likely to succeed with Alex, whatever Prompto felt about it. He thought his best friend understood that too, and that was probably why he’d agreed in the first place. “...Alright.” With that…settled?...Noctis moved over to join the group at a corner table, so that the five of them would have some relative privacy. He wasn’t worried about Tifa of course—not after she’d told him that she used to host eco-terrorist meetings in the basement of her old bar. But just in case anyone else wandered in at this off hour.
Speaking of the bartender, Tifa brought over the round of drinks that Noctis had ordered, and he thanked her before taking a sip of the whiskey. The prince had two very opposite experiences with liquor before this: he’d once pilfered some incredibly expensive bourbon from his dad’s cabinet, and he’d also had the cheapest whiskey Lestallum had to offer. Sonora’s seemed to fall somewhere in between. It burned his throat and wasn’t smooth in the slightest, but he also didn’t completely hate himself after a drink. Noctis considered that a win.
Out of nowhere, Alex made a strange comment about how Prompto would look really cool with a beard. Since his opinion was actively solicited, Noctis squinted at his friend’s face for a moment before responding honestly. “No. But now I can’t unsee that.” The idea of Prompto with a full beard was so unsettling that Noctis did a slightly dramatic shudder before taking another drink of whiskey. Hopefully that would lighten the mood at least.
Finally they got down to business, and Noctis listened closely as Prompto outlined his plan. Honestly, he was super impressed at how thorough it was. He was going to brag about Prompto so much to Ignis and Gladio after this, but for now he just gave his own thoughts.
“Yeah, I like it. We’ll have to scout ahead to see where their supply trucks load up so we know a good spot to sneak on one, but that’s a great idea. When we attack, I’m more comfortable with my sword, but I think I’ll bring my daggers since we’re going for stealth. I guess I have to pick for a change.” He hesitated for a moment, glancing down at the ring on his middle finger. The dark stone glinted back at him as if to remind him of why he was tired all the time and would age twice as fast as a normal person. Though maybe that process would slow down since he wasn’t holding up the wall around Lucis like his dad had. It was funny, Noctis had always dreaded the day when he’d take over that burden, but now that it would never come, he didn’t know how to feel.
“I don’t want to rely on this, because I’m not sure if Sonora’s technology is like Gralea’s. But I might still be able to use the ring once we’re inside. It still worked after Ardyn blocked the rest of our magic…” Ardyn and Gralea were the last things he wanted to talk about right now, but it was important to lay all their assets on the table at least.
Noctis nodded slowly at Caius’ additional suggestion that he cause the behemoth attack on the way in rather than on the way out. “That’s true, if you’re keeping your distance then you might not know the best time to strike. And I’m sure they do scan every vehicle going in, so we need some kind of assurance against that.” That probably meant either sacrificing their dignity and crawling into a bag of apples, or having Caius strike at the beginning like he’d suggested. Personally Noctis was leaning more towards the second.
“For the way out, we’ll also need a spot for Cindy to meet us at. If you’re really sure you want to help us get away,” the prince reiterated to her. He knew she’d made up her mind, but he felt like he should give her another chance to back out just in case.
[attr=class,lyric1]i am noctis, prince of lucis and
[attr=class,lyric2]king of fishing
[attr=class,bulk] Caius quipped that he might need to pick up a second job to pay for the car, which made Noctis crack a smile. “Yeah? Are you hiring?” He was mostly joking, so he quickly added a follow-up comment in case that made the kingsglaive feel awkward. “I’m sure that would be pretty weird for you though. All things considered.” Noctis being himself probably wouldn’t help that. He liked to think that attending a normal school and living on his own for a while had made him more laid-back than most royalty. Of course Ignis would probably say otherwise with the amount of times that he’d had to show up to clean Noctis’ apartment and remind him to eat.
It wasn’t a bad idea to trade some of his Lucian gil as an artifact, though Noctis had to groan a little when Caius said he hadn’t had much of his own when he’d first arrived on Zephon. “You’re kidding. I didn’t even pay you well? I need to have a talk with King Noctis.” It was a little weird saying those words even as a joke, which was probably a sign that he wasn’t quite ready to bear the title. That was alright though. If Caius was to be believed, then he still had a full decade to grow into it.
Noctis grimaced a bit at the suggestion that it would be easiest to build a car in Sonora. “True, but I think we’ll stick to Provo for a while. I don’t want to ever make Ignis or Gladio go back there until they’re ready.” Every comparison of Sonora to Niflheim just made him worry for their safety more. It gave him a pretty good idea as to the conditions inside of their prison.
Caius apparently could ride Vordun, and Noctis whistled appreciatively as he turned to watch the blue dragon finish his dinner. “Yeah, I bet that took a lot of trial and error. Er. And maybe some bugs flying into your mouth. But you have to see some great sights up there.” Air travel existed on Eos, but Noctis imagined that it was an entirely different experience when you were out in the open with the wind in your face and the whole world spread out below you.
And now he missed the Regalia again.
After a little more back and forth banter about beards, Caius seemed to finish up his own meal. He stopped to give Vordun another serving though because obviously the large animal needed more food than them, and it was honestly a little cute how he laid his head against the dragon’s scales afterward. Somehow Noctis didn’t think the other man would appreciate hearing that, but it felt like the kind of moment where Prompto would snap a picture of them framed against the fire.
What Caius said about seeing him again honestly blew Noctis away. He was still so used to his dad being the king that people respected and looked up to, while he was just the sullen prince off shirking responsibility again. He’d grown up a lot ever since Insomnia had fallen—he’d had to really—but he still didn’t know if he was ready to bear the weight of the crown or not. In some ways he still felt like a kid, especially as Ardyn made everything more and more hopeless.
“I appreciate that,” Noctis said a little quietly, looking across the fire at him. “I know I’m not who you wanted to find, but…I hope I can be that man someday. And…thank you, really. For everything you did for him. I’m glad we met. ”
This was usually the part when Gladio would grumble about them being sappy, but since his shield wasn’t around, Noctis just cleared his throat self-consciously. “I guess maybe I should get a move-on if I have any hope of catching Prompto up in Sonora. If you need me though, I’ve been staying at the Rising Stones in Provo. I came to Zephon really recently, so I don’t have my own place or anything. I was just lucky Alex found me.” He probably would have either been arrested or frozen to death in the Sonora wasteland otherwise.
[attr=class,lyric1]i am noctis, prince of lucis and
[attr=class,lyric2]king of fishing
[attr=class,bulk] Prompto gave him a thumbs up after they’d landed in the alley, which probably meant that he didn’t trust himself to speak. It wasn’t the best sign, but Noctis would take it. Either way, he gave his friend a minute until Prompto was back up on his feet and claiming that he was ready to head out and get a hot drink. “Don’t tempt me with cocoa right now,” Noctis joked as he rubbed his own frigid arms. “Why do I only wear one glove, Prompto? And I wish my jacket had long slee-...Oh my god I’m an idiot.” His favorite jacket had strips of fabric that buttoned and held the sleeves up higher than they would naturally fall. He’d possibly never undone those buttons in his life, but he didn’t hesitate now, and the fabric fell a merciful extra few inches lower on his arms. He couldn’t say that he loved the look, but he was very slightly warmer, and that was something.
Making sure Prompto was ready to go, Noctis casually stepped out onto the sidewalk and immediately took a turn away from the gates when he saw there was still a crowd milling around there. “This way it is,” he murmured, doing his best to blend in with the dispersing crowd. He also tried to recall everything that Tifa had told him about her bar.
“Okay, we’re looking for a place called Seventh Heaven. It’s kind of a hole in the wall and there’s some living space upstairs on the second floor. She said it’s close to the city entrance on the south side of town and right off the main street. So we should be pretty close. Just need to check the buildings on every cross street we come across.”
And then because talking was distracting him from the cold, he glanced over at Prompto a little curiously. “How did you get here by the way? I mean, were you guys still in Gralea?” Noctis supposed that no one really knew how they got to Zephon, but he could at least easily blame the crystal on his end. He was itching to hear what had happened back home after he was gone though. He’d been so worried for the three of them after Ardyn’s parting words to him.
I shall keep your friends company until you return.
Yeah, that was nightmare fuel. Hearing Caius’ story that they all survived and rebuilt after ten years of darkness had helped a little, but it still felt like a hypothetical future when he hadn’t lived it yet. So he wanted to hear Prompto’s turn of events too.
[attr=class,lyric1]i am noctis, prince of lucis and
[attr=class,lyric2]king of fishing
[attr=class,bulk] Cindy not only backed him up in trying to cheer up Prompto, but she succeeded way more than Noctis had by taking his hand and dragging him back towards the bar. The prince could tell by his friend’s face that he was far more elated now than by anything Noctis himself could have done. He didn’t entirely understand Prompto’s fascination with women, but he was grateful for it in this case. “Thank you,” he mouthed to Cindy, trailing back over to join the two of them and Caius at the bar. The kingsglaive was stowing away what appeared to be a flask, which. Yeah. That was fair. Caius hadn’t signed on for any of this. He did try to offer his own words of encouragement, which only seemed to rile up Prompto even more, so Noctis just winced and tried to break the tension.
“Welcome to the gang,” he joked to Caius and Cindy as he brushed some of his own hair back. “Emotional turmoil and prison breaks. That about covers our trek across Lucis, right Prompto?” The best jokes were self-deprecating, right?
…Right?
Thankfully Prompto seemed to be feeling better enough to pull himself together. He had a plan he wanted to share, which was good since he was the one with all the information. Honestly, Noctis couldn’t wait to hear what he had to say. It was usually him or Ignis making a plan, so he was a little proud of his friend. He wasn’t going to say it right now though. That would just make Prompto sputter and lose confidence at this point.
“Sounds great, let’s get a table,” he said, finishing off the dregs of his beer and leaving the bottle on the counter. “While you were gone, Cindy offered to drive the getaway vehicle once we’re done. If you’re really sure, Cindy.” He gave a faint smile to the blonde mechanic, recalling what she’d said earlier. “You definitely don’t have to build anything. The more it blends in with the rest of Sonora’s cars the better probably.”
Before they could all move to a table, Tifa came back inside looking irritated, so Noctis felt the need to apologize. “I’m really sorry for the scene,” he said a bit sheepishly, feeling responsible since he was the only one who had even known Tifa prior to this. Hell, he’d suggested her bar as a friendly meeting spot. “We’ll take this to a table and be quieter, I promise.” Thankfully they were the only patrons right now, which is why Noct had suggested an off time and day to begin with.
Of course that was when Alex decided to come back in, and Noctis had to wonder if all his promises had just gone down the drain as he asked what he’d missed. Oh astrals no.
“Actually Tifa. If we could get a round of straight whiskey before we move to that table, that would be amazing,” Noctis ordered for all five of them as he leaned over the bar before subtly stepping forward so he could move in front of Prompto if he had to. His friend surprised him though by addressing Alex directly with an edge to his voice that Noctis didn’t get to hear very often. Yeah, this was dangerous. Prompto was seriously mad, and while Noctis was too, he was doing his best to reign that in now. He couldn’t exactly look Gladio and Ignis in the eyes if he got in a street fight when they were supposed to be planning their rescue.
“That wasn’t cool,” he said firmly to Alex instead. Better to just address the behemoth in the room. “Ignis and Gladio are what matter right now, but I asked you here as a friend. If you had an issue with what Prompto said, we could have talked about it. You don’t explode on people like that.” Maybe it was too late for any of that to sink in, but Noctis was honestly a little hurt under everything else. He’d been staying with Alex ever since he’d first arrived in Zephon, so he trusted the guy, plain and simple. That was why this whole night had hit so hard.
Thankfully Caius spoke up and was the voice of reason, suggesting that perhaps Noctis and Prompto could stealth in while Caius was the external distraction and Alex was the internal distraction. It was a good idea to involve everyone while keeping them a little bit separated, but Noctis looked over his shoulder to meet Prompto’s eyes before he voiced that opinion. “What do you think? You have all the info, and I trust you, man.” He tried to keep his face reassuring to convey the real meaning there. Are you okay with that? I’ll go with what you decide.
