IC INTRO - MARCH

[phantasmods]

Sometime after the showdown, those with communication devices from the station will all get a collective message -

Okay, everyone come back! We might need to do a final sweep or two of the beach, but it looks like most of the Fissure is stabilized! °˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°

Everybody go ahead and come back up - and bring anyone else you found with you! I know I saw a couple new faces on the drone cameras. (*･▽･*)

Also, if you get a chance, check out the new door leading out of the residential area! It's a surprise for all your hard work. (´◕ ◡ ◕｀) There's also food in the kitchens if you're hungry and want something warm!

With that in mind, grab your new friends and go ahead and come on back.

STATION EXTERIOR

Upon returning to the station, the first thing most will probably see is Up, standing on the rooftop to congratulate everyone on a mission accomplished and also handle any questions the new arrivals might have that haven't gotten answered yet. They stand tall and graceful beside the ramp... Most of the time. Occasionally, one might catch them trying not to fidget with the belt that now hangs fashionably askew on their hips.

For those who want to seek out the surprise Charm promised, there's a second ramp leading down off the far side of the roof, as well as the door he mentioned on the network. Both lead to the shiny new viewing deck, with its mismatched furniture, half-roof, and view of the beach.

Charm himself is here, long android limbs spread across one of the lounge chairs as he fiddles with one of the wind element crystals in his lap. It occasionally reacts and blasts the tails of his red scarf in random directions, but he doesn't seem to mind.

STATION INTERIOR

Those adventuring to the kitchens will find that there are four large pots arranged in a line beneath a set of heat lamps on the stove. Three contain curry - labeled "mild," "spicy," and "the fire of a thousand suns" in neat handwriting - while the last contains plain rice. An assortment of mismatched bowls and utensils sit on the counter nearest the pots. (Welcome to Keystone Station, you'll have an easier time finding matching cutlery at your local Goodwill.)

In the common room, meanwhile, the boxes of clothes and trading post are set up again. Those who investigate something fluffy in a particular box on the end of the couch may discover a girl and friend taking a nap...

Comments

[photoshooter]

'Kira! Hey, dude, we were worried about you! --Oh. Don't mind if I do.

[Hello, nachoburger, you are interesting and also nommable.]

Mmfh, mm-hm. Mm, you okay?

[Shiva, at least he covers his mouth when he talks.]

[beguiledcard]

[ Oh, hey, it's Prompto. He's been wanting to have a proper talk with him since the whole...

Well.

A n y w a y . . . ]

Hey, how's it going?

[ He's giving a small wave, and then going back to his probably-heartattack-in-a-bun for a moment. After swallowing (like less of a heathen, gosh!!!), he answers. ]

Well, I missed out on a chance to fight a giant seagull, apparently... [ pausing to take a sip of his drink ] Okay, otherwise.

[ He's assuming Prompto was there, since he was part of the group who went, right? ]

How'd you do out there?

[photoshooter]

Pretty good! I got a nice headshot in with a paintball so the stupid thing was easier to target. It had, like. Magic... invisibility stuff going on.

[He makes a vague gesture with his hand to indicate the "magic invisibility stuff."]

But Astolfo had this giant tuba that sounded like literal death. I thought he broke my ears forever. I hope he never pulls that thing out again.

[beguiledcard]

Literal... death?

[ So, on the one hand, he's not quite surprised at the mention of what the bird could do... And, on the other hand? What the hell kind of ability is a tube of literal death???

What would that even sound like. Granted, Akira probably shouldn't be curious to know this. ]

Your ears are doing okay now, then?

[photoshooter]

Yep! Just needed some time to stop ringing. Like. A lot of time.

[A really....................................... long time.]

Buuuuuut I've been hit with worse.

[beguiledcard]

[ A small smile of sympathy. ]

I'm glad you're doing better, then.

[ ... What kind of life did you lead, Prompto... ]

Should I be afraid to ask?

[ Doesn't mean he will be? But... y'know. ]

[photoshooter]

Aw, not really. I mean, at least it didn't poison me or turn me into a frog.

[What kind of life did you lead, Prompto.]

[beguiledcard]

Was that a common thing in your life?

[ ... ]

I feel like this leaves room for a joke about you being a prince.

[photoshooter]

[He lights up.]

Oh! Dude! Haha, I'm not, but my best friend is, and he's here now! You gotta meet him! You two will get along great!

[beguiledcard]

[ His eyebrows lift a little. ]

Huh. An actual prince prince...?

[ But, hey... his boyfriend is a demon and his older sister is a witch. Talking to a guy who's best friends with an actual prince isn't the craziest thing. Which is why he simply smiles now. ]

Is he a future king?

[ Not all princes become kings, after all. ]

[photoshooter]

He's...

[Prompto's expression flickers between two kinds of pain, past and future. Then he laughs quietly and shakes his head, choosing to return to his smile.]

I guess he's a present king, technically. But we've been on the run so it's not, like, ceremonially official? But... I dunno, all the people who count have recognized him as a king by now. Like, noble people and the leaders of other countries and stuff.

[And Prompto himself, too. But that's neither here nor there.]

But he wouldn't want anybody to stand on ceremony with him. Just call him Noct! That's what I do.

[beguiledcard]

[ The mention of them being "on the run" doesn't quite surprise him, given how they met... ]

Hm...

[ He definitely noticed the pain, but he won't jump into pointing something like that out. But heeee doesn't like how he doesn't add himself among the people who count??? And it bothers him enough that-- ]

If it were me, the people who'd "count" most would be someone like you. [ taking a sip of his drink ] For me... it's the people who'd fight the rest of the world alongside me that matter the most.

[ He seems to be staring through the can of soda for a moment. This might be out of line. But guess who doesn't care. ]

I can't speak for him... but don't count yourself short.

[photoshooter]

[Prompto pauses, then, and rubs at his palm with his opposite thumb.]

I mean... I did, too. Tell him he sounded like a king, right before I ended up here.

[And if he could, he'd take it back. He'd kick past Prompto in the head before those words could come out of his mouth, before Noct could bend his head for that heavy, metaphorical crown from the last hands that should have given it.]

So as much authority as a humble Crown citizen has, like, yeah, he got the seal of approval from me, too. But someone's gotta treat him like a normal guy, too, you know, or it'll all go to his head. And that person? Is me.

[Time to stubbornly stick to that cheerfulness and not think about how, if they ever leave this place, the kingship will swallow his best friend whole.]

[beguiledcard]

[ He glances upward a bit. ]

... We all say and do things we regret. [ see: that last conversation with Prompto ] But what matters most is what we do after our mistakes.

[ A soft sigh is released. ]

I'm sure that means a lot to him.

[ The smile on his lips doesn't quite reach his eyes. ]

Even as leader of my team... [ a softened smile ] Yeah, I toss out the orders during our fights, but... when we're not fighting the Shadows and Demons, it feels nice, going back to being a regular guy.

[photoshooter]

Yeah. I mean, he made a point of going to a regular school instead of having tutors and stuff, so I get the feeling he felt the same way.

[After a moment, though, his brain rewinds what he's just heard, and Prompto's eyebrows shoot up.]

Wait, you guys fight daemons, too?

[beguiledcard]

[ He gives a thoughtful tilt of his head; this guy reminds him a little of some of his friends.

But, before he can continue on that topic, he's asked that question-- ]

Ah... yeah. [ he nods ] Shadows, Demons, and - more recently - something called "Noise."

[ While rubbing at the back of his neck, he tilts his head in contemplation before continuing. ]

I doubt it's the same kind of Demon you're thinking of. [ small smile with a hint of teasing ] Unless you're some kind of closet Persona user?

[photoshooter]

Don't know what a closet Persona is, but I probably don't have one.

[Sounds gay.]

I've figured out by now that daemons on Eos are pretty different from any other place's daemons, if they even have any. What are yours like?

[beguiledcard]

[ There's a soft laugh. ]

I'm pretty sure you'd know if you had one. It's the same as the thing I used when we first met.

[ Mmmmmman... it's always a fun time explaining these to someone who's blind to anything related to the Metaverse. ]

Where I'm from, there's a place called the Metaverse.

[ There's a brief pause. ]

Inside the Metaverse, there's a place called Mementos. Put simply, that's a place where everyone's messed up views are collected in one place. [ pausing to take a sip of his drink... ] Individual warped views create monsters called Demons and Shadows that people like me fight.

[ He's absently rotating the can now... ]

By fighting them, we sometimes manage to heal people's hearts and help them onto a better path. So, guess one way of putting it... is we literally fight people's inner demons.

[photoshooter]

...Warped views make Demons, huh...

[It takes a while for all that information to sink in and settle. Eventually, Prompto sighs and attempts to keep his voice light.]

Well, sounds like we could've used your help over in Eos before things got so bad, we had to fight everybody's outer daemons, haha.

[...It really isn't funny. He lowers his chin and sighs.]

Was it dangerous for you? Fighting everyone's twisted thoughts... It sounds like a lot.

[beguiledcard]

In the more dangerous cases, yeah...

[ ... Yeah, that attempt is respected, but he can feel the perpetual shift in the air, the heavier this conversation gets. Something is really... getting to him; it's bugging the hell out of Akira. His gaze lowers for a moment at that question. ]

Yeah. [ it was just that: dangerous and... a lot ] But we had each other through it all.

[ There's a discreetly deep breath. He gives that can one more twist, clearly not even looking at it, more than he's looking through it. That is, until he looks back over to Prompto. ]

We saw a lot of things we never would have thought existed inside people's hearts. But, in the end, it taught us a lot. [ namely towards... the end of it all ] It's not always about where you come from or what you do in the world. Sometimes, it's about the lives of the people you touch, even if it's just for a short while.

[ His pointer finger lightly taps on the can for a couple of seconds. ]

What about you, though? You guys were fighting in the "real world," right? That sounds way more dangerous.

[photoshooter]

[He's caught for a second. 'It's not always about where you come from or what you do,' except when it is, except when where someone comes from means he only has a short while with all those lives he's touched, has brought light to with how much, how completely he loves.

Prompto hesitates, then slowly looks down at the crumbs on his plate.]

It's... pretty dangerous, yeah. We've been trained by the best, and Noct has his magic, but...

[But without his camera, he'd have forgotten how daylight spreads over all the regions of Lucis. He'd forget what Gladio's warm, easy smile looks like. How to make Ignis laugh.

He'd forget a time when Noct was happy--if that time had even ever existed. If they hadn't all lived their days in fear, like Prompto had even before he knew what monsters waited in the dark places he couldn't see.

'Oh, how I love bringing families together!']

We've lost a lot. And we're still a long way off from winning.

[Prompto doesn't know if they can win. And if winning means losing Noct like Izunia said, then he doesn't think he wants to win, ever, at all. Even though he knows what that means. He chuckles weakly.]

I know we can't give up, but honestly, I wish we could stay here instead, you know? [He shrugs, trying to play if off, but his smile falls flat.] If we didn't still have friends back there, maybe I'd look for a way to stay. But I guess that's not up to me.

cw: suicide... /sweats

[beguiledcard]

[ Something flickers in his gaze around the time Prompto admits wanting to stay here.

Conflict.

He shouldn't agree. He shouldn't. But some part of him likes being trapped here with Goro and Kurama. As long as they're trapped here, his boyfriends don't have to get on with their jobs as Composers. As long as they're trapped here, he doesn't have to think about the fact that he's decided to join them in Composer status. He doesn't have to think about voluntarily dying.

While he's here... he's a normal teenager, for as close to the definition he can get. Here, he's Akira Kurusu, the guy dating two other guys. Here, they're able to work on learning / remembering what true happiness feels like.. ]

I know I can't offer much, since I haven't walked in your shoes... [ but he can offer... friendship?? would that help? ] ... But you're not alone.

[ This is as close as he'll be getting to shoving his feelings out there, especially given how that uh... one slip-up went? ]

We're thinking time might be frozen, back home, while we're here. And, ever since Kurama mentioned that's a possibility, I've been even less eager to go back. [ glancing back to Prompto ] Don't get me wrong; while I'm here, I do miss my friends.

[ Reeeeluctantly: ]

It's just that having to explain why I'm so different from the guy they knew isn't exactly at the top of my eager-to-do list.

[photoshooter]

[He gets it. He gets it so much, for a second it's all he can do to close his eyes and nod.

Still:]

You will, though, right? Talking to people... it's the hardest thing in the world sometimes, but if it's your friends...

[Prompto hadn't known how they'd react to what he had to tell them, but he knew he had to. And then, even though the codeprint on his wrist was still there, it was like he was finally, for the first time in his whole life, free.]

You'll feel better when you do. I guarantee it.

[beguiledcard]

[ MMMMMAN...

If Prompto looks closely, he might be able to see it: the shift of some facial muscles, the adjustment of his posture, the faltering of his breathing patterns. He's hitting on something that Akira struggles a lot with just the thought of.

Opening up a bit to someone who barely knows him - somehow that hadn't been quite so difficult. Perhaps it was the combination of Prompto reminding him of someone from home and Prompto not being someone he's super close to, and therefore doesn't have memories of past Akira to compare to current Akira.

But opening up to the people who saw him at his strongest, and knew him as someone who could never break, never give up, never back down? Knowing that he's going to give up his life for their world? Knowing that he did break, he did give up, he did back down for even just a moment...

That and... Well, just the idea of them looking at him with some kind of pity and worry and fear and--... ]

Guess there's only one way to know for sure... [ a heavy sigh; just so they're clear: ] Yeah... I plan to.

[photoshooter]

[Prompto isn't the smartest. He isn't the strongest. He can't read people, really, he can only listen to what they say and make his best guess as to what they're feeling, what he thinks he'd need in their shoes. For years, he's been less of a confidant and more of a distraction, a mood-maker, an escape from the weight of the kingdom his hero-friends carry on their young, bowed backs.

But this reluctance, this--this dread, it isn't something he has to interpret from the outside. This is his. For twenty years, Prompto lived in fear of discovery, that the people around him would find out he was something other than the facade he presented them. That the smiles they gave him would change to something else. That the truth of him would burden them. That he'd be unwanted once more.

Are you afraid of that? He wants to know; he wants Akira to understand that if someone like Prompto could expose that and come away with a world of acceptance and love, then Akira himself has nothing to fear, that his friends will tell him he doesn't have to be the person he's always been to still be one of them--to be theirs. But the way Akira's still flinching away from the conversation, it's like the conversation hurts him. Like pushing too close will push him away.

So, softly, Prompto asks:]

Are you afraid of what they'll say?