childrenofbahamutlogs | Oh, the world is dark

After finally making it to town from their meeting in the forest, Ignis and Prompto split up for just a brief while. Just to scout the town, see who else they can find that they know. It is, at the very least, not an overly massive place - not like Insomnia was. A meeting place, too, is simple enough to state, and then return to.

By that point, Ignis has reconvened with Noctis and come away with two things. The first is a slightly damp spot on his shirt. The second he's much more open telling Prompto about, and guides him along through the town to somewhere a little more on the outskirts.

Frankly speaking, he's glad that Noctis managed to settle down near such a large cabin by a river of sorts. Considering he's seen the bakers lot about, Ignis has no doubt that the larger buildings will be snatched up sooner than later. Just how many lovers are in that arrangement again? Not that it matters much to him. They have their own place to settle in for the night as well.

One which he's glad to point out to Prompto as they walk up the path.

"So, what do you think? It's a bit removed from the town center, but I think that will suit us somewhat better."

Prompto is more than pleased to see Ignis again, lighting up like an excited puppy the very moment he catches sight of his boyfriend again. He's on the tail end of some difficult news, and honestly thanking whatever is out there that he has Gladdy and Iggy, and now, by an absolute miracle, Noct by his side right now. The damp spot on Ignis' shirt gets a cocked brow, but nothing more. Prompto knows he won't get any kind of answer if he asks, no matter how badly he wants to. They have other things to focus on, after all.

Like a home.

"Yknow for how crazy I'm already knowing I'm gonna go with the whole. Ye olde no tech thing, this looks nice! Right by a river and everything! Gonna gimme the grand tour, Iggy?"

He gives his companion a playful bump on the shoulder.

Edited 2024-10-09 20:40 (UTC)

Indeed, the lack of modern amenities that they're so used to will be a problem for all of them... but Prompto especially has always shown a shine towards technology, and that was even more apparent in the simulation. Ignis isn't wholly sure how they can occupy his time away from it all...

Well. Besides menial chores. But even Ignis knows that there's more to life than duty, and lacking it is enough to make a man go mad.

Something to ponder for later. For now, since they are on the path back into what will at least bet heir temporary home, Ignis takes Prompto by the hand. "I daresay it won't be particularly grand, but, if you would like a look around, then that can be easily arranged. It's important that you like it as well, after all." It won't be perfect but it can still at least be good enough.

Of course, while he says that, he does guide Prompto straight through the door that will lead into the warmest room in the house come the colder seasons: the kitchen area with a large table already there, and various kitchen tools about.

Charlie, he has to admit, has been very accommodating on this front, even if it's not the amount of tools Ignis would prefer to have in a proper kitchen.

"Look, home's home. I'm just glad we all made it here in one piece and are getting a place in the first place. No car to sleep out in!" Prompto shrugs with a little wink, then falls into step behind Ignis to follow him to the cottage.

As it stands, the place is rather barren besides a few essentials: Crude sofa, chairs, et cetera. Definitely will need some décor. Personal touches, in whatever way they can scrounge up in a world like this one, Prompto thinks. He tucks that thought into the back of his mind whilst Ignis leads the way into the only room the blond would ever expect him to go to first.

"So, here's your favorite spot soon yeah? Charlie even got you a hookup! Guessing we are gonna hunt for food like we did on the road! I can he-" Prompto's words fade and his expression falls. "Actually, no I can't. Scratch that one. I keep forgetting." He shakes his head, trying to veer to something else rather swiftly. No need to talk about how insufficient he is to the gang anymore.

"Soooooo, find any good intel out on the town?"

Prompto certainly found something out in his rounds through the woods and the town. It wasn't great. Terrifying, even. But he also found Noct, which was astonishingly great. Balance in all things.

Indeed, it is incredibly barren and plain. Moreso than any pretty little show apartment, back in Insomnia, adhering to those minimalist tastes at times. Perhaps it is exactly because it is not inherently a stylistic choice that it seems exceptionally barren, showing off only the rustic sensibilities that come with an old home like this.

Yet Ignis knows better to be picky in a situation like this. He has the tools to cook, along with a good strong hearth, so he is sure he will be able to manage.

All of them should be able to manage, as a matter of fact, except then Prompto starts to stumble, and Ignis frowns a tad. "Why don't you think you can help?" he asks, ignoring the request for intel for the time being. They can get to that later. For now, this is a little concerning, he thinks.

"You're quick on your feet, exceptionally sharp eyed, and cleverer than one would ever credit for once you take that moment to breathe in calmly." You know, instead of moving around frantically like he's going to explode.

"You would be exceptionally helpful out on a hunt."

"With what, my bare hands? There's no ammo here. Once I run out, that's it- so does my use in a fight. I don't think I am gonna be walking up to game animals and punching them in the face." Or snapping their necks, which he is certainly capable of, but that is besides the point. Prompto prefers not to turn to his deceptive strength and dexterity in close quarters unless it is stealth work or an absolute last resort. That, or under extenuating duress. Duress Ignis in his timeline has yet to learn about.

He does blush a bit and shuffles in place, a small, sheepish smile creeping onto his face at the praise. For all that he moves like a puppy on linoleum floors, Prompto is sharp, and exceedingly dexterous. Like controlled chaos. "Sheesh, Iggy! Come on, I'm not that awesome. Been training way less than any of you guys were. Heck, you can use all kinds of weapons. That's wild to me. Anything I like is mechanical so...No dice."

"I didn't realize that punching an animal in the face was in any sort of manual for hunting," Ignis comments wryly before settling against the table that is set up in the place - big enough for four and perhaps a little more - and letting his hands brace against its surface.

"The lack of modern technology as we know it is indeed lacking here. I shall not argue with you on that matter. However, technology is a much broader term than merely batteries and electricity. Why, an average easily accessible gun uses absolutely none of those, instead relying on things such as recoil energy." He smiles. "And with how I used to see you take care of your guns in the simulation, pulling them apart and then back together again... It's clear that you're vastly intelligent, knowing the mechanics of such things like the back of your hand."

Ignis hardly needs to consider it, really. "Hunting isn't all about fighting your prey. Considering what I know about the future we all live through together, indeed, that was probably the more practical choice for all of us...

"However, it isn't always the common way of it. Especially if you are going to be staying in one place for a long amount of time." Ignis inclines his head to Prompto. "Tonight, speak with Gladio about making traps."

"So not what I meant!" Prompto squawks, waving his arms for some sort of emphasis. It just makes him look a little silly, but the point is made. Though really, the mental image of Prompto socking a deer in the head with a left hook must be at the very least mildly entertaining.

Ignis' explanation of technology is twofold for Prompto: it makes perfect sense to the boy, on one hand. On the other, the additional not-so-veiled praise of his intellect has his cheeks heating up more. He might be one to strut around and gas himself up jokingly, but getting the real deal from others is a totally different ball game. Especially a boyfriend. "Iggyyyyy-dude! It really is just me tinkering!"

Regardless, Ignis successfully sows the seeds of ideas in the head of an eager inventor. It catches like a spark, and lights up in his face and eyes. Prompto has found something purposeful and enriching to pursue. "I could probably scope out resources here and what they do use so far as ranged tech and go from there. Probs not much further than like a bow and arrow. Could start small with that before figuring out craziness like bullets and flintlocks with nothing to go off here but my own guns..." and there he goes. "There's probably ways to make what people have here better! Plus traps are probably not super far along either."

Prompto will absolutely find a corner in the house and litter it with different rudimentary bows and prototypes now. Likely to plan, for the calculated Ignis. "I'll poke Gladdy at dinner or somethin. Pick his brain. I bet you we could make a setup for the area around here. Get the ingredients to start rolling in."

That seems to have settled that little problem, at the very least.

"I'm sure you already got plans to make moves in this place too, right? Already got a whole profile list of the people you saw before we got back together? All that deep cut intel?"

Prompto is mostly joking. Mostly. He also knows how intense one Ignis Scientia is.

"Traps first before you start making anything more elaborate in the way of weapons," Ignis advises matter of factly. "I doubt we will be doing any grand battles just yet, so simply focus on that which will help get us food for our day to day."

That will be what truly decides things, he suspects. There's no telling how long they will be in this situation... but it is best, in his opinion, to act as though it will take them into the long term. That way, they won't be caught off-guard in the future. This place isn't so advanced that they can simply take it easy.

"Still, I would appreciate the ingredients," he says after a moment, moving away to look over the simple storage spaces that are available to him in a place like this. "As for intel, I wouldn't be so dramatic as to call it that myself... but I did notice a few familiar faces.

"For example, I believe I saw the entirety of the bakery's employees while making my way through town. If they continue their trade here, even just one of them, then we should be quite set on the matter of bread."

And honestly, he thinks if just one baker starts something up, the rest will follow. He's 99% certain the head baker was fucking all of the other employees in a manner more regular than just friends with benefits - the common scenario in a place like the simulation.

"However, the town is still growing, so... We will need to help it in a great many other ways, I believe, if we want to prosper as well."

"Aw come on! I can do both at the same time. Didn't you say I was all smart? I can do it, just you watch!" Prompto is filled with determination, excitement, and purpose at this point. "Heck, I'll even engineer some traps. You are gonna be soooo set." And, Prompto gets to make Ignis proud. That is so, so important to him.

It's good to hear, at least, that Ignis got a good lay of the land. So there's a bakery? Prompto remembers the Amani one rather fondly. There was always such adorable creations there to get photos of. Oh, and eat. He's sure there won't be anything quite as intricate in a world like this one, but there's a rustic charm to just good, fresh bread. The blond makes a mental note to go investigate that soon.

So, despite making his rounds, Ignis hasn't seen any familiar faces. That means it is up to Prompto to tell him, as his boyfriend, something both terrible but also really important for him to know. Something his future self would have known about. He isn't certain if Gladio already beat him to the chase on the awareness, but he knows there's not a chance the big guy would let anyone but Prompto himself tell his story.

"Yeah! We definitely need to help this place get strong! But...Um. Hey, Iggy? That means keeping it safe too right? So...Did you happen to hear about a guy name Ardyn showing up here? You know anything about him?"

Prompto suddenly fidgets a bit more than he usually does, and chews on his lower lip. This is it.

...Ah.

Ignis's lips thin a bit, tugged down by the corners in clear distaste. "Chancellor Ardyn Izunia... correct?" Sighing, he abandons any further looking over the kitchen, as though it truly could have changed just in the short amount of time he's been away from it.

"...I was hoping that I could keep quite quiet on the matter for at least a bit longer while finding a way to deal with it, but, yes, unfortunately. I know something about him."

The person vexing so many reports, the man who's helped the magitek soldiers become even more of a threat. A man with very little information to his name, truth by told, and it is risky for them to lose anymore people to the Empire when they're on the backfoot as is.

...Or maybe that doesn't matter anymore, with what he's been told.

His uncle was expressed an interest in slugging the chancellor, and Ignis has always been of the opinion to go a bit further than that.

"Are you worried of him?"

"...Yeah. Super worried. There's..." Prompto swallows the lump forming in his throat. He resolved to tell Ignis about this after his talk regarding Ardyn with Gladio, and he isn't going to back out now. "Something you need to know. Something Noct shouldn't know just now. Not when he's going through it as it is, okay?"

Prompto is...Eerily still for Prompto, expression subdued and somber. It will never be easier for him to recount this , but he at least has grown a little stronger with it with the years he spent able to reflect. "There's some things your future self knows that I think I gotta catch you up on now, because Ardyn is here. He kidnapped me, at one point on our journey. He manipulated Noct into saying some horrible things to who he thought was Ardyn, but it was me. Had Noct throw me off a moving train, and I ended up in the middle of Nifelheim. Alone."

Prompto's hands ball into fists, but he continues on. "Ardyn took me to a laboratory. All part of his plan to break me, I guess. I have no idea what the hell it was for besides him having a little sadistic kick. I was perfectly good bait for Noct, with or without the added trauma. Place was crawling with MTs, and... I found out, I was one of them. Well...A clone of the monster of a scientist who made them. I was meant to be turned into one of those machines- he fuels them with clones of himself. I guess somewhere, someone broke me out of there. Stole me away as a baby and took me to Insomnia."

"I had to fight and survive in that lab on my own for a while, all while Ardyn toyed with me, and I had to come to terms with Noct throwing me away and saying all the things I always feared the most deep down. It was..." Well, it was the worst time in his life. A rock bottom he didn't think he would ever rise back from. Tears threaten to form in the blond's eyes, and he fights them back.

Prompto takes off the wristband he always keeps on his right arm, holding it up to show Ignis the barcode tattooed there, surrounded in burn marks. "This thing was why I was able to move around so deep in Nif territory. Every MT has one. Aranaea found me in the snowfields, and we took down the scientist, Besithia. After that, though, Ardyn still caught me. Took me to Zegnautus, and kept me there for what felt like a really long time. He-" A long exhale. "He strung me up and hurt me. Bad." He points to the faint scar across the bridge of his nose. A knife cut, Ignis can likely tell. "More of his fun, I guess. He's a monster, Iggy, and Gladio had to do all he could to make sure I didn't completely break when I found out he was here."

He's beyond grateful for it, really. Gladio was the only one who knew of this history besides Prompto himself, and acted as a buffer. He doesn't want to think about just what would have happened if he encountered Ardyn out on the town before knowing.

At this point, a few lone tears escape Prompto's eyes, despite his most valiant efforts. "I'm sorry. I know that's a whole lot. But I felt you needed to know."

...This is different than simply being worried about an enemy commander being in the same place as them. Even one as dangerous as Ardyn Izunia. Ignis can tell that just from one glance at Prompto, the way all his motion is quietly smothered away. A spark buried under dirt. He doesn't even need to think about it before he's moving closer - not touching just yet but close.

He doesn't say a word throughout the whole tale. Doesn't interrupt once. All he does is reach out, midway through it all, and take Prompto by the hand.

"Now why on earth would you need to apologize for that?" he asks quietly, his other hand finally rising up at the end of it all to take Prompto by the shoulder. Pull him closer, his nose to that blond hair. "Apologize for the suffering which you have been forced to go through? Prompto, all I can be is sorry that I was not there for you."

Certainly, there is a lot of information to quietly digest, to take in. Prompto's birth, the knowledge of Besithia's future death....

But that is all something he can chew over later.

For now... Someone he dearly loves is crying. And Ignis can only soothe the hurt.

Ignis' sure grip on Prompto's hand feels like an anchor, a way for him to stay grounded in the face of retelling one of the worst things to happen in his life.

"I just know it is a lot for you t-to catch up on is all," Prompto stutters out, leaning into Ignis when he comes closer. The touch is soothing, and makes him feel he is in a bit less imminent danger than he had before. "You were there for me. You, and the others. You found me. Even if Ardyn lured you there, you came for me. During the time where he toyed with me and cut me up, I-" Another shuddering breath, "I held on for you guys. But if Ardyn is here now, that might be a huge problem. I'm doing all I can to just, keep my head high and keep going as I was. To not let him win and hold this over on me."

In the end, maybe it was all for power. Ardyn flexed power over Prompto, and took all of the boy's own away. He sometimes wonders if the extra cruelty was for some other reason he isn't fully realizing. After all- he took down the man who gave him his life and his face. Was that part of the plan? Did Ardyn know he was capable of such feats under duress? Did he just want a fun show?

There's endless questions he will likely never get answers to, nor is he entirely sure he wants them. What matters now is he's surrounded once more by the people he loves thee most.

"I just needed to make sure you knew. H-how bad it is. How bad he is. My story is just a small part of that." Insignificant in the big picture of the world crashing down that followed.

"We're with you now," Ignis murmurs to him, hand shifting more to Prompto's back. "And it is a large part of things for all of us, because it involves you." So Prompto should never dismiss his own suffering like that.

The world at large is composed of many other people's smaller ones, isn't it? And Prompto is so dearly important to theirs.

His hand strokes down the blond's spine. "I will keep a further eye on him... and we won't let him do anything like that to you again." Ignis will make sure of that, no matter what it takes. "Do you want to sit down for a spell, Prompto? Recover from talking about all of this?"

Prompto isn't entirely sure what he did to deserve someone like Ignis in his life, but he is so very grateful for him nonetheless. As he always seems to do, he anchors Prompto back to reason. Helps him open his eyes up to things. He expresses his care for the blond in such a way that it reaches his ailing heart and soothes it, just as much as the gentle strokes along his back offer that tactile comfort he needs so badly.

"Please...Be careful, Iggy," Prompto pleads, swaying in place. "Now that you know what he's capable of. With or without powers, that isn't safe."

He takes a breath and nods. The room is spinning- he felt ready to recount this, but man, did it take more out of him than expected. "Could you... Sit with me? Just. Stay with me for a little."

He can't bear to be alone with his thoughts on the tail of this, and he knows Ignis won't let him leave his sight for a while yet. Regardless, Prompto voices his want. Makes it clear.

"Of course." Is that in response to the first request, or the second? Ignis doesn't make it particularly clear. All he does is take Prompto by the hand, and guide him over to the simple little couch that's not too far off from where the kitchen table is. It's hardly anything grand, or even particularly comfortable... But it's better than just sitting on the benches.

It has a back, for one thing, so they can both settle in a little better.

"You should know that I would never, of my own volition, enter a fight that I don't think I could win," Ignis tells him soothingly, rubbing his hand over that tense spine. "And I am careful enough to not put myself into a disadvantageous situation. So you needn't worry about me, Prompto."

Ardyn, as it turns out, will need to worry about himself, but that's a future matter.

Prompto follows Ignis' lead, clutching onto his hand and settling down onto the couch, silently. None of the usual gusto, or drama, or silliness that the boy tends to bring when flinging himself at furniture. A trembling sigh leaves his lips from the relief that comes with Ignis gently rubbing along his back. He's always had a perfect touch, and Prompto cannot help but lean back into it, and get just a little closer.

"I- I know. You're tough as nails. Still, I can't help it. I've seen what he's capable of and-"

His voice cracks a little.

"I don't know what I would do if I lost any of you guys. I- already lost you all once."

"Tough as nails and fortunately smarter than them as well," Ignis tells him soothingly, still stroking along his back. "I won't do anything, and I shall not go anywhere, Prompto." At least, not of his own choosing.

A part of him does worry that... whatever force randomly pulled them here could just as easily pull them all apart again. It is very likely incredible luck that they are all here together like this. Luck as such that he has no doubt it has been all used up in his life.

"I'm here with you now, Prompto. We will all be with you, here."

"Iggy, I-" Prompto begins to protest on reflex, only for the words to cut off. No, he focuses on the gentle touches to his back, the warmth of Ignis so near, and the contents of his words. What Ignis says pulls him back from the yawning abyss of panic and fear like a lifeline. I'm here with you. We will all be with you. It is everything he needs. Everything he wants. His found family, no, his loves by his side.

People he would stop at nothing for. People he lives for.

People who he knows would do the same for him. Protect him. They protect one another.

...People who could be snatched away from him in the blink of an eye. But what matters now to Prompto is now. The love he feels, and his battered heart that has finally been allowed a chance to beat again. He realizes he doesn't want to lose it.

"I have you all back," Prompto whispers, voice raw, "I love you all. I can't..." His jaw tightens, and a fierce determination crosses his exhausted features that Ignis may or may not be fully familiar with just yet. A determination he's always had, but honed to a fine point over the years. "I can't let him take it all away again. I won't."

Prompto has always shined brilliantly, in varying ways throughout his life. Ignis can remember when that light struggled, flickering like the sun's beams making their way through thick storm clouds. In the memories he has of Insomnia most recently, it'd all become its best and nonstop, a glow which never failed to make one warm if they were so fortunate to witness it.

Now?

Now, it is something much harsher that he can see in his love. Something that shines sharp enough to burn.

Ignis pulls him close, nose to his hair. "And you won't," he says softly. "But don't act rashly, now. You are not alone, and you need not face him alone ever again."

Though Prompto's love has always been capable of warming like the sun's rays, indeed, his years through Hell on Eos have honed them to a point of being able to sear. To protect whatever scraps of hope he could hold onto when his entire world, and the literal world itself disappeared. To desperately cling at the possibility of seeing Noct, Ignis, and Gladio again. Of some sort of light at the end of the Long Night.

He doesn't even realize how hard he was clenching his jaw until Ignis pulls him into an embrace. Prompto closes his eyes, breathes in, and focuses on the feeling of his love. The sound of his voice. He exhales. Relaxes some. He isn't alone now.

"...Sorry. Got a bit fired up I guess. Lot at stake now, huh? Started sounding like Gladdy," He laughs, a wet sound after the crying, yet sheepish. "Still sometimes crazy to remember I'm not alone anymore. But I want to...Be able to keep you all safe too. Y'know? I got my-" he hesitates. "I got my whole world back, with you guys. Last time Ardyn hurt me, it all got taken away right after. Not again."

Gently, Ignis threads his fingers through Prompto's short hair, and pets him gently. "No, not again. None of us will ever permit it. Not even the palest of echos will be allowed to reach you."

Blood will be spilled before then, and it won't be Prompto's. Not if Ignis has anything to say about it.

Still... It's good to literally feel the way that Prompto starts to relax, and Ignis sighs into his hair. "Still, I can understand wanting to be more proactive in things like that. I won't judge you for a desire like that. However, in that case, the most important thing to do is get everything at the base level set up. So things like learning traps, making sure we have resources to last the winter... When we have all of that settled, then we will have less to fear from a predator such as Ardyn. Predators like that are cowardly things, at their core, and take advantage of basic weaknesses such as a lack of food, after all."

Oh, the world is dark

Do you know where home is? (Prompto)

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