melodiesofeternity | Raise a Glass [OPEN]

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Raise a Glass [OPEN]

Who: The XV Cast and You!
When: June 6th
Where: Curti Center, Jiminy's Juicery (bar)
What: After saving innocents from the Dream Width, some people just need a drink.
Warnings/Notes: Alcohol consumption, possible violence, whatever people do in bars.

Their first foray into the search and rescue business in the Dream Width had been intense, to say the least. Stressful, heartbreaking, exhausting, and enlightening were other words some might use to describe the experience. After a night of rest and a day to somewhat sort things and people out, the next evening brings about a mighty need to head to the local tavern. Some drink to forget, some drink to remember, some drink to relax. There are even representatives of the Bard's Guild providing live music. You can try to make a request, but chances are they don't know your foreign songs.

Maybe you were invited by one of the excitable young men from Lucis, or maybe you came on your own. There's enough room in the bar for quite a few people, so long as they're of age. Sit right at the bar, or pull up chairs around a table, the choice is yours.

[OoC: Make your own toplevel or tag around. Please put content warnings as necessary. Have fun!]

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"I...doubt it." Prompto murmured. "I don't know why they adopted me. They didn't like me."

He let out a soft groan, he was way too drunk.

"He thinks I do and I don't want to talk about it. Bad things happened. Do you go around telling people when bad things happen to you?"

Prompto sounded defensive, a little annoyed with Clarus because that alone wasn't enough to get him to back off.

"...they didn't hurt you, did they?" Cor's voice is low and quiet, almost like a protective growl.

But the growl grows only more prominent when it switches back to Clarus. "No, not to strangers, no. And it don't matter what people you're descended from. Far as I care, you're a Lucian, and Clarus can go sit his paranoid ass on a Cactaur."

That was a difficult question to answer, his parents exercised a lot of control over him, a lot of neglect and he raised himself. In response to that, Prompto just shrugged. It was in the past, far enough that he didn't think much about his parents, aside from the odd times he lamented not having anyone. It was self-pity and nothing more.

"That's what Noct said. And Iggy. And Gladio." He smiled slightly at that. "And Noct is king, and you can't argue with him about who's a citizen or not." He honestly had had no argument to that.

"We got separated, and they had me captive. And the Chancellor..." He waved his hand a little. He didn't want to talk to it that much, but he trusted Cor, and Cor might know what to do, to fix whatever was fractured inside of him.

"He had me at the production facility and he made sure I found out..how I was made. Cloned. Whatever. But they said I was stolen when I was a baby. And I had to-" He seemed to be having difficulty talking, his emotions were a lot more raw without his usual filter. "Besithia. Verstael Besithia. I killed him. But he was going to kill me!" Ardyn had taunted him, syrupy voice over the loudspeaker, echoing in his ears. "He saw that memory. He thinks...he thinks I'm working for the Empire. That-that I have some kind of mission and he wanted to know what happens next but it was so much worse!"

Cor nods in response to how the others reacted. That's good to know, that they knew and still treated him as a friend. "No, you can't... Takes after his dad like that."

He doesn't look horrified at Prompto's tale. In fact, there's a mix of morbid pride and deep sympathy on his face - like he's listening to a fellow soldier's war story. Which, in a way, he is. "S'called self-defense. You followed your training when you were dealing with that asshole, Besitia." He meant to say it right, but...again, tipsy.

"...shit, though... Knew Clarus was paranoid bout Niffs, but not about to one of our own..." He pats Prompto's shoulder as comforting as possible in his current state.

"I know it was." Prompto said, looking at his glass for the moment. "I still felt a twist in my gut...still...surprised at myself because I never killed anyone before. At least, someone who wasn't an MT, and that makes me kind of sick too."

How many of them had they killed?

"Before I left, Aranea and I destroyed their weapon, the base..." At least he'd accomplished something. "It was all a game to him."

Ardyn hadn't cared if Prompto interfered with any of that, obviously, and he'd let him leave. "I was recaptured in Gralea." A game of cat and mouse, one he was destined to lose.

"...didn't know that MTs were people, either." Not that Cor's quite as torn up about killing a living person than what he thought was a machine. A threat is a threat, and threats should be taken out if there's no other options.

...wait, the kid said he's never killed a 'normal' person before, didn't he? "First kills...not always easy." A gentle squeeze on Prompto's shoulder. "At least it's one of the bastards causing all the shit going on back home."

The rest of the info, however, made Cor drop a mumbled swear before he downs what's left in his glass. "Did you get out? And who thinks war's just a game?"

That was a big part of it, it had been his first kill, he'd done what he was trained to do. It was all well reasoned and rational. "I don't know how I feel about it. I-he said he was my biological father."

How was that for something messed up? "I know. I know it made sense. That we helped. It just felt.." He trailed off, shaking his head.

Prompto ran his hand through his hair and shook his head again. "....N-Not until they rescued me. The Chancellor was just playing. He- well. It was bad. So bad. He knows what I'm scared of, and he had me..." He breathed.

"They rescued me from the thing. Cross thing. I don't know. Torture device. Whatever." He was trying to downplay it, he would've stopped but it was Cor.

Cor stares at Prompto for a few moments. Were he sober, he might see a faint semblance to Besithia. But as tipsy as he is? that's not happening right now. "...you're shitting me. You? Sunshine ray full of chocobo fluff and guns, related to that asshole? Shit, no wonder you feel messed up."

There's even more swearing upon hearing what happened between him and Ardyn. "Fuckin' bastards, the lot of 'em... First the Oracle, then you...why the fuck isn't he just going for the kill if all he wants is Noct--"

He stops cold for a few moments, and then looks a little sheepish. "...sorry. Not angry at you. You're a good kid. Man. Friend." Congrats, Prom, you're getting the rare head-pat from Cor.

He looked like he was reveling in the affection, brief as it was. "Wow. I'm friends with The Immortal." He couldn't fight the slight pleased squee noise.

"Yeah, messed up, cause I mean like..." Prompto trailed off. "What would've happened to me? How could he do that stuff?"

He exhaled. "At least he didn't kill me." He sighed and nodded. The Oracle. "Lady Lunafreya..." He looked sad. "Always wanted to meet her."

Prompto swallowed his drink. "Apparently, according to..to Bahamut, that's what'll happen. Noct is gonna die. He's gonna die and we're going to be left behind."

He was way too drunk, he shouldn't be spilling everything like this. "He has to die to destroy him and bring back the sun. 'S not fair." But he knew now and he'd already cried all over Noct.

Cor snorts ruefully at that little squee. "Dun let it go to your head. Still gonna drill you guys again as soon as I get some gear." he then sighs. "...m'sorry about her..."

Anything else he had to say, though, dies as soon as he hears the part about the Prophecy. He's been told, when Noctis was little, that the young royal was the one they've all been waiting for - the one chosen by the Crystal. It's half the reason why he's been pushing Noctis hard during their training sessions back home.

But...to die? His friend's son and third king? He felt like the last safe thing in the world has just been...blown into ash. "...how? Wha...why the fuck did no one tell me this earlier?" He quickly signaled for the bartender to brink him another drink.

"No one told me either." He slurred slightly and ordered another. He didn't care how drunk he got, just that he got as drunk as possible. "I didn't know until Iggy told me."

He sucked in a shuddering breath. "I don't know what'll do without him." He slurred and rubbed at his eyes.

"Fuck. Cor, I don't know what to do. We want to stop it. I can't...It's Noct."

Cor doesn't know, either. It's one thing to outlive Mors, and it hurt like hell to find himself outliving Regis. But Noctis? The one who's supposed to save the entire world from Darkness itself? The one royal he expected to outlive the Marshall?

It felt like losing his family all over again. Except, in a way, he is.

"...there's a way," Cor growls, then downs his drink entirely in one go, signaling for another. "There has to be a way. Even if it means punching a god to do it."

"I'd be on board with that." Prompto said, slightly desperately. "If we could punch him, I would. He's such a dick." He groaned.

"I told Noct, if they could take me instead, I'm no king...I'm not anything, just...anything but Noct." Prompto pleaded.

Noctis wouldn't hear any of that, but Cor would understand, wouldn't he?

There's a stricken look settling on Cor's face as he listens to Prompto's words. Were the blonde as old as Cor is, or older, he may not be so distressed about such an offer. But...Prompto's 20, in his prime. Like their young king...other young king.

"No. If Noct's too young to die, so are you. None of you kids should have t'die...that's the whole point." He downs half the second drink in one go, even if the strength of the alcohol makes him grimace a little. "If it's just a matta of takin' a bullet, yeah. I get that. I've done it couple of times and lived. But not this...this prophecy."

He takes a deep breath, and uttered words that he once thought he'd never say: "Fuck the Six. They're not taking you, not over m'dead body."

"Cor..." Prompto breathed because he wasn't expecting that reaction. He shuffled slightly as though he wasn't used to being told such nice things, because he wasn't. The list of people in this world who wanted him was incredibly small.

It made him blush to have Cor claim a spot on that list.

"Noct won't let me anyway." He offered a weak little smile. "I have so many reasons it should be me but I-" He sucked in a breath. He's never done anything of value, he wasn't good enough to be family to his family. "Anyway, we want to make it so none of us die. No one's trying to die. I promise. I just can't lose him."

He knew he was sounding desperate, like Noctis was his world because, well, he was.

Cor sees that blush, and in his drunken state, he couldn't help but realize that the kid's cute like that. But mostly in a parental manner...mostly.

Still, Cor gives him another head-pat, this one more sympathetic. "I know. I get it. He's that important. We'll find it. I'll help..."

He then sighs and finishes his drink. "Just don't leave his side. Or make him send you away. That's worse..."

"Thanks. I know I'm not....saying things good right now." Mostly, it was because he was intoxicated and he breathed.

"I wouldn't let him. I won't. I'll be ever at his side, I promised." Prompto couldn't imagine Noctis sending him away, he couldn't imagine agreeing to that.

"I just need him to be safe and then...then I dunno. He'd be king?" He didn't know what his future held, he didn't even know what he wanted it to hold.

"Alive," Cor corrects him. "Can't always keep him safe, but that'z what his trainin' for. Can't be king if he iznt alive."

He gives Prompto a second shoulder pat as well. "S'alright. We'll find da way. Ignis and Regis, they're all smart. So's Noct, when he's not being a lazy ass."

"I can try, can't I?" Prompto asked, because he wanted so badly for Noctis to be okay.

"But yeah, alive. We'll shoot for alive. I just...I'm not ready for him to go."

He sighed a little. "I know. I know he's smart, sometimes."

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Raise a Glass [OPEN]

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