Crystalline Chill

[warpstriking]

Who: Residents of house C-01 and friends!
When: All throughout May, see prompts and individual threads
Where: House C-01
What: Monthly catchall for the XV House shenanigans
Warnings/Notes: There's likely going to be spoilers for Kingsglaive and the main game up to Chapter 13 somewhere in the comments.


A. Sometimes you just want to ride...
Late in the morning of the 1st, there is a low purring sound of an engine going down the street. One that wasn't accustomed to travel aside by foot or chocobo claw. Yet, somehow, a certain man manages not to clip a single thing. And it sits there, in front of House C-01, black, shiny, and very much a wonder to a few moogles. Especially since the convertible's roof is airship-grade plexiglass.

B. [Insert "I'll Make A Man Out Of You" joke here]
There was one upside to living with the once-deceased leader of the Crownsguard, and that was one didn't have to go far for a training enthusiast. There was also one downside to this: not having to go far for a training enthusiast. It's the crack of dawn when the nice little symphony of insects and kwehs get interrupted by the sounds of wooden weapons clashing and spells being practiced.

Rest in pieces, light sleepers. They apologize in advance.

C. That's it!
Of course, no one can train or go through the day on no fuel. And one person in particular has taken upon himself to at least ensure a few others can eventually cook eggs without burning them. The real question is: Will Ignis come up with a new recipeh involving that jar of kupo nut butter?

D. I want to ride my chocobo all day~
If anyone is surprised at the fact that there are two or three (depending on the date because Chocobo Eater event) lovely birds, then they clearly don't understand at least 50% of the household's love for the magnificent creatures. The black one in particular seems to be particularly happy with their nice little stack of shiny objects...

There may or may not be a pair of glasses on the top of that pile. Sorry, Specs.

E. Hold my Ebony
(Feel free to come up with your own prompts, guys; these aren't the limits to our zaniness.)

Comments

[chocobosnap]

"Sounds good." Prompto smiled and finished with Sunshine and smoothed some of her feathers. "You're so spoiled." He pat her a few times and moved around to help clean out the stalls.

"Noct is probably still asleep, at least he was when I got up." That in itself wasn't the least bit unusual.

"Do you...like this place?" He asked out of the blue.

[lordshield]

Clarus was quickly coming to discover that he very much appreciated Prompto's drive and motivation. Anyone else he might have had to bother to take up mucking the stables, but Prompto did it without prompting or complaint. There were other such instances not related to chocobos he'd noticed during their stay as well.

"I suppose we can't all be morning people," he commented, though he'd always wonder if Noctis would have remained the energetic young man he'd once been had the daemon attack never occurred in his childhood. Maybe he'd nap less, wake earlier. They'd never know.

The Shield looked over at the young gunner when the question was asked. "This place, as in Vaikuntha, or this place as in the house we reside in?"

[chocobosnap]

He was used to doing things, for himself and to not be a burden on those around him. Prompto was raised to do things like that without complaint, and he didn't even really know he was doing it.

To him, it wasn't remarkable. They had birds, they needed to look after the birds.

"Vaikuntha." He answered, operating the shovel easily. "And if Noct ever got up early, I think we'd all have heart attacks." He grinned.

[lordshield]

While Prompto was mucking, Clarus was hauling a bag of feed onto his shoulder to fill the feed troughs for the birds. The bag was far from light, but the aging man lifted it as though it weighed next to nothing.

"I like it well enough," he responded rather vaguely. "I can't say I'm eager to start my life fresh at my age, relearning everything I once knew. And there are people absent that I dearly miss, but... Vaikuntha serves well enough." Considering at home he'd ceased to live.

[chocobosnap]

"I guess so. I can't imagine living that long." Prompto mused thoughtfully. He hadn't been giving much thought to his future as of late, they were sort of trying to make it through each day.

"Sorry, if Noct wasn't here, I'd be missing him a lot too." He didn't have a lot of loved ones in his life.

[lordshield]

The blond's words made Clarus pause. "What does that mean? Can't imagine living this long?" His words are concerned, probing, rather than defensive. He doesn't take it as a jab at his age, though sometimes Noctis liked to do so. After all, Clarus Amicitia was only what most would consider middle-aged, and in excellent shape. Rather, he thought it might be a nihilistic or worse thought on Prompto's part. Better to catch those things early.

[chocobosnap]

"I don't know, it's like, with everything how it was, and everything to come it's just hard to see what's going to happen." Prompto said, looking thoughtful.

He didn't have a dream for the future - except to be reunited with Noct.

"We just have to survive."

[lordshield]

For a few moments the older man went back to his work in pensive silence, but finally broke it after a short spell. "Sometimes, looking forward to and imagining the future is all we have to get us through." The words were soft but heavy and spoken by a voice that implied much experience with such matters.

"Do you think you'd like to go home?" he asked, changing the conversation but not at the same time.

[chocobosnap]

Prompto had a sharp intake of breath at the question.

"No. Not as long as Noct is here." It would be breaking his vows, not just those he made to the crown when he got his position, but the words he spoke to Noctis in Zegnautus.

Ever at his side.

"If he leaves? ...then...then yeah, I guess." Prompto doubted he was going to like it. But he needed to be there, for when Noctis came back.

[lordshield]

There was no right or wrong answer to the question when Clarus had asked it, but once Prompto answered it was clear he had been wrong. That had been the correct answer, and the young blond received a nod of approval at his words.

"That's enough for now. Go wipe down and I'll see you at breakfast," the older man finally concluded, storing the feed back where it belonged and sprinkling a few treats in each of the troughs. "And Prompto, Noctis is lucky to have you."