real_life_rpg | [PROMPTO] ☠ the times they are a changin'

[PROMPTO] ☠ the times they are a changin' | for carbungle

From his first memory until the age of ten, Prompto had had a happy childhood. He had lived in Gralea with his mother. She was a scientist for the Empire so she worked a lot, but she always made an effort to make Prompto feel loved and special. Of course, a lot of that love was shown in the form of junk food and sweets so Prompto had been a plump young thing. His life drastically changed not long after his tenth birthday after his mother died during a freak accident at the research facility. Afterwards, he was sent to live with his father Verstael Besithia - the Empire's Imperial Research Minister. That happiness and warmth he had known in his life were gone. His father was constantly cold towards him. Had the poor boy put on a strict diet and exercise regime.

The only time Verstael ever showed any sign of warmth was when he was showing off his research and projects to Prompto - something the boy had little interest in, which only served to build more barriers between them. The Empire's Magitek army freaked him out. It made him uncomfortable that the clones being used looked just like him. The whole thing made his skin crawl. And don't even get him started on the Chancellor. He just creeps Prompto out.

The two constants in his life, however, is firstly the knowledge that the Kingdom of Lucis is the enemy. He's heard stories all his life about how the Lucians were evil monsters, set to destroy the world, and that Prince Noctis would one day seal the fate of man and purge them from Eos. He had no reason to believe it wasn't the truth. Why would the Empire lie? Secondly, his secret friendship with Lady Lunafreya - their letters sent back and forth via Pryna. Luna, however, always spoke so fondly of Noctis in her letters

When news of the upcoming peace treaty broke, Prompto was so excited. Finally, the world would know peace. He was also exicted that he would be attending the signing in Insomnia. He would get to see the city he had heard so much about, in person. He would get to see the crystal. He would get to see Luna in person. He couldn't be happier.

The day before the signing, King Regis held a gala to welcome the Empire to Insomnia. Somehow during the course of the evening Prompto found himself talking to King Regis. The man was king of an entire kingdom and yet he made time to speak with a nobody like Prompto. Funny, in those few moments Prompto felt more warmth and kindness than he had ever felt from his own father. Either the stories about Regis were greatly exaggerated or he was an evil mastermind who could fool people with facades of kindness.

All too soon it was time to retire for the night. Prompto was still munching on the delicious snacks as he made it back to the guest suite he was sharing with his father. Verstael shot him the most disgusted of looks as he entered. "Boy, do stop filling your face. You're a disgrace. Don't you remember what a vile creature you were?"

Prompto's heart instantly sank and he disposed of the rest of the snacks in the trash, which seemed such a shame given how nice they were. "Sorry Dad." It was then that Prompto noticed Verstael wasn't alone and that Ardyn was also in the room. Prompto excused himself to the en suite to ready himself for sleep. From the bathroom he overheard Ardyn and Verstael talking about increasing the production of the Magitek army. Wait... increase? That couldn't be right, surely? But he had heard correctly, they were talking about increasing the output of troopers tenfold.

He waited until he heard Ardyn leave before he left the bathroom. "Hey Dad? If we're signing a peace treaty... why do we need more MTs? Surely if there's peace we won't need them?"

"Foolish boy. There will be no peace as long as the false king sits the throne and has the Crystal. Do not involve yourself in matters you do not understand." Verstael stormed off to bed, leaving Prompto alone with his thoughts.

No peace? His mind drifted then to just how many MTs the Empire had brought with them. Surely a few to guard the Emperor was normal, but they had brought ships full of them, hovering just outside Insomnia... His father's words replayed over and over in his head - no peace as long as Regis sits the throne and has the Crystal... Crap... This... wasn't a peace treaty at all. It was an ambush.

His ruffled his hands through his hair, tugging at it with frustration. What the hell was he supposed to do now? He couldn't just rest knowing this whole thing was likely a set-up. He felt sick to his stomach. He couldn't exactly just march up to the King and tell him. One, he'd never get close enough with MTs stalking his every move outside of the suite, not to mention the King's own security. Two, even if he could get close, why would the King even believe him?

Think, Prompto. Think. The Prince had already left for Altissia. He remembered the King saying so earlier in the evening. But maybe... maybe... Prompto knew Noctis and Luna communicated via Umbra the same way he and Luna communicated via Pryna. Maybe there was a slight chance he could get a message to Noctis the same way. He didn't even know if it would work or if Noctis would even believe him but he had to try. Sure enough, Pryna was right there waiting for him. He grabbed some paper and wrote a simple note.

' Treaty a trap. King and Crystal in danger. '

He didn't sign it. He doubted it would be intercepted, but just in case... He pet Pryna as he gave her the note. "Please, girl. Deliver this to Prince Noctis..."

Prompto wasn't sure what else he could do but wait. Sleep didn't come easy. The day of the signing arrived and he could only hope Noctis had received his warning. Still, the uncertainty had his stomach in knots. He could barely concentrate, so tense about what could happen.

All too soon all hell broke out in the signing room. Both sides drew their weapons. Without even thinking, Prompto positioned himself in front of the King, his gun pointed at the Empire. "Stop this!! What happened to peace?!"

"Stand aside, boy. This does not concern you." His father's words dripped with loathing. How could Prompto have been so blind not to see the Empire were the monsters all along?

What happened next was a blur. Battle rang out through the room. Explosions elsewhere in the Citadel as the Empire targetted the Crystal. Prompto wasn't sure how, but somehow he found himself at the end of a corridor, beneath a stairwell, covered in blood and cradling a fatally wounded King Regis against his lap. The stench of death, blood and metal filled the air. His once white robes were stained various shades of red and brown. He torn off some of the material to try to stanch the worst of the King's bleeding. Luckily the corridor provided cover on three sides, there was only one direction any danger could come from so Prom was sure to keep it covered with his gun, even as he tried to help the King. He had suffered his own injuries too. Most notably, his shoulder which had been shattered by a gunshot. The bullet still inside. Luckily, adrenaline was keeping the pain at bay for now.

He idly wondered if Noctis had received his note? Maybe Pryna hadn't made it in time... Maybe Noctis just didn't believe him. Either way, Prom wasn't sure what to do now. He didn't want to risk moving Regis and he didn't want to leave him to try and find help in case he was attacked or simply died alone in a freaking corridor. For now, Prom was firmly froze in fear, doing all he could to keep the other man alive.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

They'd made it as far as Longwythe, dropping off Cindy's delivery and restocking on drinks, intending to take in the scenery for a little bit before heading off towards Galdin. They'd been just about to get back into the Regalia when Pryna suddenly came scampering up to the car, barking for attention and carrying the sort of urgency he'd never seen from one of Luna's Messengers. It was weird to see her for multiple reasons: for one, Luna rarely sent Pryna, preferring to send Umbra, having been extra protective of the former ever since she'd been injured and went missing years ago. The second reason was that he'd seen Umbra at most an hour ago when they first arrived here, and Luna had made it sound as if all was well. Why the sudden change?

The third surprise, as he crouched down to greet her, was that this message came not in the form of the usual journal they'd shared back and forth for ages, but a loose scrap of paper in someone else's handwriting. He didn't recognize it, only knew that it hadn't been written by Luna. But why would any other person be using Pryna to send him a message? Was it being delivered at her behalf? Was she being watched too closely for it to be safe for her?

The message is of course worrisome, and would be worth bringing up to his escorts even if it hadn't come directly from such a reliable source. A trap, and his father in danger. The Crystal mattered too, of course- he would be an idiot not to be concerned. But his loved ones had always been his top priority, and the thought of abandoning his father to such danger left him feeling sick. They had bickered about it for a while (the others too loyal and duty-bound to immediately disobey the order of the king on the whims of a magic dog) but it had all come to a head when Noctis had marched right to the driver's side of the Regalia, started the engine, and ordered them firmly to either get in or get left behind. They'd only hesitated long enough to see him start to roll the wheels before they hastily joined him, and spent the rest of the journey either stewing angrily from the back seat or trying to come up with tactics on how best to proceed with their prince's borderline treasonous rebellion.

(It wasn't treason, he'd already decided, turning the car back into Hammerhead's lot. He'd said he would go to Altissia for the wedding- and he would, once all this was sorted. They'll wait for him, and Luna would understand.)

They had to be careful every step, going forward. If they screwed this up, if the whole thing was some big mistake, they could undo everything his father had worked towards for years, especially with the treaty already in motion. The Regalia was too noticeable, too obviously royal, and there was no way to get in and out without being recognized. Instead they ask Cindy if she can store it for the day and hitch a ride into the city with someone heading in for the festivities. The prince himself was recognizable as well, but not so much outside the city, and even at the outskirts his face was relatively unknown compared to his father. He'd preferred the low profile all his life, and now it was coming in handy. They bribed their way past the gates heading into the city proper- their money was worthless outside the city, but access to the royal treasury could move mountains once you crossed into Insomnia. Someone was bound to notice his funds being accessed after he was meant to have left, but the person who'd catch such a thing quickly was Ignis who was in on the plan, so that was future-Noct's problem to deal with. They made their way carefully through the city to the Citadel plaza, sneaking through the parking garage using Ignis' Crownsguard access, and they were in the middle of skirting the interior courtyard towards the castle proper when an explosion ripped through the air above them, a shockwave of magic rippling across the entire city, and the sky... shattered.

Noctis stumbled instantly with a gasp, staying upright thanks to Gladio's quick catch, trembling for a moment at the rush of dispelled magic permeating the whole vicinity. Something happened to the Crystal. He'd have known it even before feeling it, as the magic wall covering the city broke apart in all directions, crystalline shards disipating as they fell towards the ground, leaving the city entirely unprotected. In the distance, he heard more explosions, and there were dark shapes moving along the horizon, blotting out small sections of the sky. Ships? ...Imperial ships.

"It's true," he managed to cough out, pushing back against Gladio as he was brought back to his feet, and without another thought he rushed into the Citadel, ignoring the cries of the retainers at his back, trusting them to follow. The note was true, the Niffs were attacking, and his father was in danger. In that moment, that was all that mattered to him.

Inside the castle was a rush of activity and danger. Crownsguard fighting Imperial, people screaming and running for their lives. He wished desperately that he could stop and help each one, but until the safety of his father was confirmed, he wouldn't stop for anything. He lead them through the less-traveled halls, secret corridors and escape routes he'd learned while growing up in case of trouble, lockdown zones where the king would be taken if his safety was in jeopardy, warping his blade into any soldiers he couldn't sneak around. There was a basement route that lead directly from the grand chambers where he'd heard the treaty signing was to take place, and if the signing was today, that was where he would find his father. He cut a merciless route directly to that hall and spotted an Imperial soldier opening the door to the last chamber, gun raised; he didn't think, just acted at once- he flung the Engine Blade and caught the man right between the shoulderblades, warping to knock him to the ground with a heavy crunch and a gurgling final breath. He exhaled with a grimace and straightened up, looking around for more, or for any sign of his father. The bodies of the dead on both sides peppered the stairs and the outskirts, there was a smear of blood along the floor, and where it lead-

-he saw a blond man in a Niff uniform, cradling a body. His father's body, with blood soaking everything around them.

His heart seized in his throat, and he marched towards them, anger and fear flashing in his eyes, his sword once again manifesting in his hand so he could point it it at the stranger. "Get back- let go of him!"

Three thoughts crossed Prompto's mind when Noctis arrived - one: 'crap someone has found us, we're going to die'; two: 'It's Prince Noctis, he got the note, thank the Six'; and three: 'fuck, he's going to kill me'. Emotional whiplash was an understatement.

In any other situation where an angry person was pointing a sword at him Prompto would've put his hands up in a state of surrender and swear he wasn't a treat. This, however was no ordinary situation and his hands - well, hand since one was on his gun (which he had the belated sense to lower) - was currently trying to keep what was left of King Regis' blood inside his body instead of on the floor.

He shook his head, even though he knew this could well be the moment he died by Noctis' hand. "I... I can't. If I let go he'll bleed out!! You can use potions, right!? Can't you do something?!"

Gladio and Ignis were not far behind Noct. Gladio skidded to a halt, broadsword in hand, surveying the scene while having a very similar gut reaction to Noct. "The fuck? Get away from him!!"

Prompto steadfastly refused to move, even though facing three angry people was a lot worse than facing one. It wasn't Noct, Gladiolus or even Ignis that caused the boy to squeak out in fear though...

"Behind you!!" Without hesitation, he lifted his gun and shot just shy of Gladio's shoulder, directly into an MT trooper.

Noctis turned towards the door as Prompto warned them and shot, moving on instinct- though in retrospect, he wondered why the hell his instinct was to turn away from the gun wielder, rather than brace himself to block or phase through the danger. Something about the other man's eyes, maybe, something genuine and alarmed. Still Gladio was totally going to chew him out for it later when they had the free time for it.

The guy hadn't shot him for the error, however. He'd shot an MT- one of his own robot soldiers. It was jarring enough that Noctis stared in disbelief for a few heartbeats, first at the fallen trooper, then at the strange Niff, confused by just what could possibly have possessed him to do that. Was he some kind of turncoat? Did Niflheim have people like that? Why would anyone turn on the Empire when they're on the edge of victory?

He shook it off seconds later, lowering his blade to his side but not dismissing it, and closed the distance to reach his father's side. He again pointed it at Prompto, snapping, "Move, I won't tell you again. We'll figure this out once he's safe."

He had no desire to kill a man who'd made an effort to help, even a Niff. But he couldn't focus on his father while an enemy - or at least, a stranger - was so close to the both of them. Trusting the others to watch his back in case the guy had a change of heart, he dismissed the Engine Blade and dropped to his knees, pulling his father close to himself. He called a potion from the armory and broke it over the wound, green energy glimmering in the dim light of the stairwell, illuminating layers of fresh blood. "Dad?" he called worriedly, pressing his hand against the torn fabric to see the extent of the injuries left. He looked bad... one potion won't be enough. "Dad, please, wake up..."

In his arms, Regis coughed, lids fluttering as he fought for consciousness, murmuring Noctis' name. Noctis leans in at once, his breath picking up, desperate for good news. The world was falling apart around them, but as long as his father lived, they could get out of this somehow, surely. "Noctis," the king managed, his hand lifting weakly, trembling in the air until Noctis grabbed it. "You should not... be here. I sent you away... you were supposed to be safe..."

"You think I care about that now?" Noctis cried, calling out another potion. The glass cracked and dissolved under his fingers, splashing curative over the wound. He was still bleeding, though. Gods, there was so much blood. "Forget it! I'm here now, and I'm getting you out." How many potions did they have? They'd taken stock before they left, used only one or two getting into the city. Why was he still bleeding-

"Leave me, my son," Regis murmured, his hands shifting again, and before Noctis could protest again, something small and cold was pressed against his fingers. Noctis unfurled them to find the Ring of the Lucii resting on his palm, and he could only stare in horror at it, recognizing at once the implications. "Leave me," Regis said again, and rested a bloody hand against Noctis' face, wiping at a tear Noctis hadn't even noticed was falling. "This was all... so you could live."

All of it? The treaty, the peace, the deception, the wedding? Had he been sent from the city just to be spared from sharing this same fate? Did his father know, this whole time? Walk tall, he'd said- a strangely heavy phase to hand over to someone who was just crossing the country to get hitched. If those were meant to be his father's final words to him... it made sense, now. Six, he'd really meant to die here so Noctis would be spared. A pathetic noise escaped Noct's throat, and he lurches forward, hugging his father more tightly, as if to keep the life inside of him, but before he could call out another potion, Regis went limp in his arms. A long, terrifying moment of silence followed, Noct's choked breath the only sound, aside from whatever chaos of war continued to reign outside the doors.

And then Noctis broke it with a cursed, "Fuck this," and called a Phoenix Down from the armory. They only had one right now, and Ignis made a noise behind him - not protest, but alarm, because Noctis knew he was always saving one in case something happened to Noct himself - but no one stopped him from pressing it into Regis' hand and closing bloody fingers around to crush it, fiery magic flaring to life around them both. They all wait, tense, silent, and shaken, until Regis' gasping breath broke the quiet again, and the king returned from the edge of death. Unconscious, still horribly weak, but alive.

Noctis exhaled a relieved cry and hugged his father again, careful not to cling too tightly but unable to help the desperate and overwhelming feeling that rushed through him at the sight. The king still lived- and more importantly, his father lived. Now they just had to get him the hell out of the city.

Prompto only moved once he was sure Noctis would be able to take hold of the makeshift bandage quick enough to stop Regis bleeding out on the floor. He stepped away, trying to avoid the gaze of Ignis and Gladio - both of who looked like they would kill him the second he moved. His hands were trembling, he looked down at them and at all the blood - the King's blood.

He hadn't really stopped to think through his actions at the signing. He had pulled a gun on the Emperor. He had followed his heart and done what he felt was the right thing - even if it meant losing everything. There was no way he could return to Niflheim now. He had thrown away his life to try and protect the King.

The King who had known all along what would happen. Prompto couldn't help the sinking in his stomach. He was the one who had dragged Noctis right back into the middle of danger after Regis had sacrificed all to keep him safe. He tried to imagine his own father doing something so selfless - only, his imagination wasn't that good.

Regis' life was fading and Prompto couldn't help but feel like everything he had done had been in vain. Maybe his father was right. Maybe he was completely useless. Prompto had only ever heard stories about Phoenix Downs. But no story could ever prepare him for witnessing the real thing. It was... mesmerising. And more importantly, it bought the King some precious time, returned him from the brink of death.

"More will come. We need to get the King to safety..." He switched his gun to his other hand, cradling his injured arm against his chest. The pain was beginning to kick in. But he knew he couldn't stop now. "The Citadel isn't safe. Insomnia isn't safe. We need to get him out of the city. If we can reach one of the drop ships, we can use it to move him somewhere outside of the city..."

"And what makes you think we're going to listen to a Niff runt like you?" Gladio's voice boomed, Prompto was sure the guy could literally crush his skull with one hand if he chose to. Still, he did his best to stand his ground, even if he wished said ground would open up and swallow him whole.

"Because... you wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for me..." Which had been the plan all along - the plan Prompto fucked up.

Noctis was quiet during the exchange, content to just sit and hold his father, trying to regain control of his emotions. He was normally restrained enough to keep a level head for the most part, but times where his father's life rested in the balance tended to earn a more extreme response out of him. He panicked, he lost his cool. It had been that way for years, ever since the realization hit him that his father's life was being drained by the Wall. His father had saved him all this time, he had tried to save him from dying here, too. Thanks to the man Gladio was in the middle of confronting, Noctis had a chance to save his father instead.

It was enough to get him to make a decision. "Gladio, stand down." He focused his gaze on the Niff, the anger and grief slipping away from his expression in favour of a more thoughtful, cautious look. "You're Prompto, aren't you? You sent that note."

Now that they were in the same room, the pieces fell together neatly enough for him to understand. Luna had shared a few stories of her other "penpal", the boy in Niflheim who was much kinder than his country seemed to otherwise allow. The one to whom she often send Pryna, which was why Umbra was his primary visitor. And Pryna was the one who had brought the message in that unfamiliar handwriting.

That meant that, to a certain extent, Luna trusted this man. They were desperate, trapped in the middle of what may as well be enemy territory at this point, surrounded by danger. If he wanted his father to survive the day, they needed all the help they could get. If Luna trusted him, then... Noctis could, too.

Prompto's eyes widened as he looked at Noctis. Noct knew his name? He hadn't signed the note, it was too risky. That meant that Luna must've mentioned him at some point. She mentioned Noctis often in her letters to Prompto, but that made sense - he was the Prince of Lucis and her childhood friend. Prompto was nothing special, he didn't understand why Luna would mention him.

Still, he gave a shy nod. "Ah, yes. Your Highness. I'm Prompto." He dipped his gaze, trying to look at anything that wasn't Noct, the King or the blood on the floor. Eventually, he settled his sight on his boots, which were also covered in blood. "I wasn't sure if the note would reach you but I didn't know what else to do. I couldn't just do nothing. I didn't know the King had sent you away on purpose to keep you safe."

He had just wanted to help. But now Noctis was in danger and the Empire had the Crystal.

"Perhaps we should save introductions for a later date," Ignis suggested as more explosions and battles rang out across the Citadel.

"Iggy's right. We gotta move," Gladio agreed. But that begged the question of how to safely move Regis. Gladiolus could carry him easily enough, but he couldn't protect Noctis at the same time. He was Noct's Shield first and foremost but they needed to get the King to safety.

Prompto chimed in then, though it had definitely lost a lot of the adrenaline-fuelled confidence he had initially challenged them with. "The Prince and I could clear a path so the Big Guy can carry the King. Then 'Mr Tall, Suave And Terrifying' can cover our backs?"

He didn't know the guy well enough to tell if he was lying, but it didn't feel like deception even so. His surprise at being known was too genuine. Once again, that was good enough for Noct. "Was gonna suggest the same. Gladio, here." His voice was firm, a proper order that invited no argument, though he could tell Gladio wanted to start one. Forcing him to carry the king meant he couldn't protect his prince, and that was his job. Things changed, however, and as he moved aside to let Gladio support King Regis, their eyes met, mutual grief and understanding in both. They knew what this meant. Regis, too, had a Shield. For him to be alone and so grievously wounded, it meant that things did not bode well for Clarus Amicitia. They had no time for mourning here, no time to look for a body or to grieve beyond what they've already wasted, which Noctis regretted a little. It also meant that he'd be more fiercely protective than ever- he had two kings to guard, not one.

However, Prompto was right. Gladio was the only one strong enough to carry Regis solo, so in any other arrangement, they'd be a man down. Noctis and Prompto were the most useful for quiet combat, between the warping and range, while Gladio required close quarters; they needed his strength more than his fighting capabilities, at least until they could hand Regis off to someone else. Ignis excelled at quick and speedy takedowns and giving Noct's blade a tactical guiding hand. And the sun's going to come down soon, which meant that with the Wall broken and the Crystal surely taken (it was what they'd wanted all along, wasn't it?) the city would not be safe from the daemons at night. The Crownsguard will be busy protecting the city, and they did not want to be on the street when night fell.

Once Gladio settled into position and began lifting the king into his arms, Noctis stepped over to Prompto, eyeing him up and down, scrutinizing his expression and posture as best he could in the few seconds they had before they needed to move. He looked guilty, like he actually gave a damn about everything that was going on despite the fact that it was his people doing all the damage. Had he not called Noctis back into the city, Noctis would be safer- but the king would be dead. The trade-off was more than worth it, in Noct's mind.

Without warning he called another potion from the armory and crushed it over Prompto's wound, waiting until the other man met his eyes. "Luna said you're a good person," he said firmly, not only so Prompto might believe him but so the other two would know that this was the plan, no more talking required. "I'm trusting you." So don't fuck it up, was the unspoken warning. He was Luna's friend, but he was still from Niflheim. Luna used to speak well of Ravus, too, but for the last several years she'd hardly mentioned his name.

He turned away. "Follow me, we'll take the tunnels and use a car from the Crown's garage. It's the fastest way out of the city." He started moving before anyone else could object, sparing only a single glance over his shoulder towards Gladio to ensure that his father was still with them. Their cargo was beyond precious. He would have to call Cor once they were moving towards the outskirts. The guard might have felt their magic vanish for a moment, but it would be back now. The city had more of a fighting chance for a while.

He hoped Prompto didn't have any friends still left in the Citadel, or the city, because Noctis was going to kill every last Imperial that got between him and his father's safety, until this was over.

The battle may've been a blur to Prompto, but it was thanks to Clarus that both he and the King were even here right now; he had given them the much-needed chance to escape. He had done his duty as Shield until his last breath.

A soft squeak bubbled out of Prompto as Noctis crushed the potion over his wound. He was very conscious of the fact that there was an entry wound but no exit wound so the bullet was still lodged in his shoulder somewhere - but that was now a problem for Future Prompto to deal with once he was somewhere safer and more sanitary. For now he felt the magic wash over him, knitting skin, bone and muscle back together in a warm glow. It certainly was something. Breathing became far easier and the pain-induced nausea passed - the anxiety-induced nausea was still very much there though.

He whispered out a soft 'thank you'. Both for the potion and for trusting him. After all, Noctis and his retainers had absolutely zero reason to trust a Niff. There was no reason they couldn't just run him through right now and leave with the King. Prom would just be another casualty of war.

"... Luna. I hope she's safe..."

Holstering his pistol, Prom moved to the fallen MT to rip the assault rifle from its grasp. He knelt down to pry open the chest cavity to remove something red and glowing and placed it carefully in his pocket.

He nodded at Noctis. "Lead the way." He spared a glance at Gladio and the King. "Hang in there, your Majesty. We're gonna get you out of here - or die trying."

At least the one good thing about having no friends was not having to worry about them dying in terribly painful ways. And luckily for Noctis and the gang, it appeared Prompto had no qualms shooting down any MT or Imperial Soldier that had the misfortune to get in their way.

Noctis froze at the sound of her name, his steps faltering. Luna. She had to be safe, surely- she was waiting for him in Altissia, or at least on her way there. His father had arranged everything. So long as she hadn't also received a message to come to Insomnia, she'd be far, far away from all of this. Anyway, they would likely be locking down the city soon, and she would be far enough away that she wouldn't be able to return in time. He had to believe she was far away and safe, otherwise he couldn't keep moving. There was no time to search for her, and without Umbra, he had no way to send her a message. Right now, his father's life was in more immediate danger. He made a mental note to ask Prompto about Luna when they had time to breathe, though. If he knew anything, they could figure it out once the king was safe. It was difficult, and he sent an unheard apology towards Luna in his thoughts, and somehow he managed to push her from his mind. Just for a little while.

Considering the hell that was going on around them, it was a weirdly painless journey out of the Citadel; enough people had already fled the area that the place was mostly deserted, and the bulk of the fighting was occurring either outside or around the upper floors, where guards were trying to protect the Crystal (and by the sound of it, failing miserably). They snuck through the basement tunnels, Noctis, Prompto, and Ignis taking out whatever roaming troopers wandered the halls, and commandeered a sturdy truck from the Crownsguard garage. There was a brief argument over who would sit where; Ignis was the best driver so his spot was a given, but Gladio was apparently determined to sit in the back and redeem himself for having not guarded Noctis properly on the way out. Noctis countered that maybe the one with the actual shield should be guarding the most important person in the entire city, and the one who can't defend himself right now. Plus, once again, he was the one with the actual attack range and was better suited for being out in the open, where he could warp in and out of the truck to take care of obstacles on the fly. He could technically warp from the window, but he couldn't get back to the seat as easily. He'd also prefer not to risk stabbing his dad by trying to fling his sword through the window of a moving vehicle.

So that was how the arrangement ended up being Ignis and Gladio flanking an unconscious Regis, with Noctis and Prompto in the cargo bed, watching their backs as they sped along the highway leading out of the city, hoping to pass through the gates before the Niflheim army took over enough to close off access in and out of the city.

Once they seemed far enough away from the Citadel that it felt safe to risk trying, Noctis pulled out his smartphone and dialed Cor. Unsurprisingly, no one picked up; either the man was dead (unlikely, considering he's the Immortal) or very, very busy dealing with the chaos inside the city, so instead Noctis left a voicemail. "Cor, come to Hammerhead when you get this. Your king's waiting for you. ...Stay safe." Were anyone to intercept the message, they might have assumed Noctis meant himself; an easy conclusion to reach with the king missing in action. He and Cor knew better, so he would understand the truth: Regis was and always will be his king, dead or not. Let all others believe otherwise. Noctis didn't mind becoming a target, so long as his father stayed safe.

He put away his phone and went back to guarding their position, glancing briefly over at Prompto to check on him. He'd been weirdly cooperative this whole time, obviously nervous, but with good cause to be so. He was outnumbered, a traitor to his country, stuck in the middle of a warzone. They were all nervous. But there'd be nothing to stop him from turning his gun on the royals on board, rolling off the truck and making an escape, or hell, even both one after the other. Instead he'd stayed, despite having no guarantees that they'd let him live once they're out of the city. It was reason enough to once again give Noctis pause, wondering about his intentions. Did he even have a plan?

He was shaken from his thoughts when a sudden tremble passed through the air, a cracking sound sourced from the top of the Citadel, and he leaned forward to watch in horror as one of the Imperial dropships lifted off the central zone between the towers, carrying with it a large black box. He felt more than recognized what it was, even at the distance they'd traveled, and his breath picked up at the sight. "The Crystal," he managed, his grip tightening on the edge of the truck. "They've got it."

Prompto wasn't sure where Luna was. At first the plan had been for her to go straight to Altissia but then it seemed the Empire decided she would come to Insomnia. That said, Prompto didn't actually see her either the night before the signing, or at the signing itself. He could only hope she was safe and far from Insomnia.

As for Prompto's plan? Write a note to Noctis to warn him of the danger. That was it. That was his plan. He hadn't gotten further than that. He wasn't a tactician or a strategist. He wasn't even a soldier. He was just a lonely kid who wanted to believe there was good in the world and that peace could exist.

He wasn't even sure if he was a prisoner or an ally right now. He had been fully co-operative through choice, but he wasn't sure that if he tried to walk away that he would be allowed to. Not that he had anywhere else to go. He had pulled a gun on the Emperor. He didn't expect the Empire to be welcoming him back with open arms any time soon.

His heart sank as the dropship took off with the Crystal in tow. His mind reeling for ideas - for anything to help. They couldn't shoot the dropship down, there was too much risk of damaging the Crystal. They were too far away for Noctis to warp up there and take control (at least Prompto assumed so). And even if they did somehow manage to get onboard, overpower the troopers and seize control... Prompto wasn't sure how to get the Crystal back in place. He could control a dropship, but with the accuracy to set the Crystal safely back in place? The risk was too great.

He swallowed hard. "If they have it, then there's only one place they'll be taking it... Zegnautus Keep." The mere mention of the place was enough to make Prompto shudder.

If only he had done more. If only he had found a way to stop the King from entering the signing room in the first place. The King would be okay and the Crystal would be safe.

His pity-party was distracted when they start getting shot at from a persuing car. Head back in the game, Prompto started firing back before pausing to retrieve the item from his pocket from earlier. After a few minor adjustments, he threw it at the car only for it to explode, engulfing the car in flames. Hopefully, it would buy them a few more moments before more enemies came.

"How much farther until we're out of the city? That's the only one I got and I'm running low on ammo..."

Zegnautus Keep. Noctis committed that name to memory for later, refocusing for the moment on their attackers. They were a bit far away for a warp, especially at the speed Ignis was driving, so Noctis let Prompto handle it. He was surprised to see the explosive Prompto threw - when had he gotten that? - but it worked well enough that Noctis called up an elemancy flask and handed it over. He obviously had better aim with it than Noct. "Use this next time you need to- it's fire. We've got a few more, but don't go overboard." He glanced over his shoulder; they've reached the bridge, but traffic is beginning to pick up. It looked like a lot of other people had the same idea as them, not just cars, but people on foot, walking or running towards the exit gates. "It's still a while to go, but we're getting close."

Another car sidled up near them, and Noctis tensed, ready to attack or defend as needed, but when he caught sight of a familiar, horned helmet, his postured relaxed. "Kingsglaive," he clarified, glancing at Prompto. "They can escort us to-"

He never got the chance to finish that thought. He'd raised his hand to wave them closer, but as he did so, he spotted the two side windows slide open and two hands outstretched, sparking with electrical energy, instead of offered aid. Directed at them.

Confused panic flared in his chest, and he abruptly shoved Prompto to the floor of the truck bed with a curse and dropped down over him as twin streams of lighting magic tear through the air where they'd stood seconds ago. Ignis swerved the truck, and he heard Gladio cursing from the front seat, feeling that flicker of magic he always experienced when his armory was accessed. Gladio's got a shield out, then. Good. He lifted up over the edge to check the car, see if he could spot faces; the driver's mask was off, and Noctis recognized the man as one he'd seen around the Citadel growing up- a real Kingsglaive, not someone who had just stolen the uniform. If the magic hadn't confirmed it, that sure as hell did. Traitors in the Kingsglaive? And they're using his father's magic against them? How dare they. What the hell is going on!?

"Forget what I said. They're the enemy, too." With a snarl he lunged upwards, phasing through another bolt of lighting and flinging the Engine Blade at the driver's side window. It sunk deep into the glass and shattered it as he warped, the impact shoving the blade deeper into the arm of the Glaive who shrieked and spun the wheel, as if it could get him further away from Noctis instead of carrying him with them. He twisted the blade mercilessly, earning another gasp of pain, but Noctis was forced to dismiss the sword and let himself drop off the vehicle again as the casters shifted their aim towards him instead, lightning scraping across the side and arcing in the distance ahead of them. He phased as he dropped, sparing himself a dozen or so broken bones from the impact, but it left him so dazed that he barely had enough sense to throw his sword at the back of the truck, warping in to hang off the edge, his eyes wide and wild. "Prompto...!"

They needed to get rid of that car. He could fight magitek soldiers one on one, he could handle some monsters- but a whole group of Glaives? His father's best warriors, who possessed nearly all of the same powers as him and shields besides? Not a goddamn chance. And definitely not while racing along a highway.

Traitors in the Kingsglaive. It made sense. The Empire had taken the Crystal far too easy. There would've been a lot more resistance with a whole team of trained Glaives standing between them and their prize. Another lie. Another betrayal. Prompto was beginning to question whether trust existed in the world at all.

It seemed like everybody was just stabbing everybody else in the back at every chance they got. Except, Noctis had pushed him down and protected him...

It would've been the perfect opportunity for Prompto to take out Noctis, Ignis, Gladio and Regis in one fell swoop if he so desired. One shot and Noct would be done for. The others just as easily. But instead, Prompto made a frantic grab for Noctis, pulling him back into the truck bed, doing his best to shield him. Given he was a matchstick in comparison to say, Gladio, he didn't provide much of a shield.

"Don't worry, your highness. I got your back." He held the elemancy flask in his hand, sucking in a breath to try and steady himself, praying to the Six he could make the shot. He threw the flask into the open window before grabbing his rifle for a swift head-shot on the driver for good measure.

Shooting MTs was one thing. But shooting a human? In the head? That emotional turmoil was something he would have to deal with eventually. For now he shoved it all down deep inside to focus on keeping Noctis safe.

"Is there a way to sever their connection to the King's magic? That would be useful right about now." The Glaives would probably keep coming. Just how many had turned their back on the King and sided with the Empire? How would Noctis be able to tell who could be trusted and who couldn't? How would Prompto know which ones to fill with bullets and which to spare?

Out of the frying pan and into the Infernian's volcano. "Stay down, highness. I'll keep you covered."

First his father, now him? Does Prompto have some compulsion to save royalty? He could have been killed... he had little time to marvel over suddenly being shielded by a Niff, nevermind that he had done the same thing in reverse a moment ago. They had more pressing matters at hand here.

Noctis watched as the other car swerved and spun out of control, exploding with gusts of magic fire, the driver dead and burning in the front seat. The other doors slammed open and a couple of blue lights warped free of the carnage, but it was clear that not all of them escaped unscathed, and though one tried to make chase, coming a little too close to their truck for comfort, after a few warps, the Glaive stopped and slumped over on the side of the highway, and they left him in the dust.

The prince sunk down a little, but doesn't let himself relax. It felt as if his entire world was shattering apart, piece by piece. First the treaty, then his father's near-death, now the people they'd shared their home and their power with for the sake of protecting them were out to kill them? It was insane. Every part of it, absolutely mad. Who the hell were they meant to trust?

At Prompto's question, he shook his head. "We can't. Only the king can break it." Or break it by dying, but he sure as hell was not about to say that. Instead he smacked the window at the back of the seats to get Gladio's attention. "Hey! See if you can wake my dad up, get him to cut off the Kingsglaive from the Crystal." It might screw over the ones still loyal, but they hardly had time to discern one from the other. Better to completely separate themselves and let the Crownsguard sort it out once everyone was one the same level, as far as powers went. He wished Cor was here though, or would at least call back. Cor would know what to do.

Rather than stay down as Prompto advised, he shifted to sit at the edge of the truck bed, eyes darting back and forth, searching for other Crown vehicles amidst the civilians crossing the bridge, as well as checking the sky for more ships. The distance between them and the city proper was considerable at that point, but knowing the Glaives were turncoats made him feel a lot less confident about crossing the exit checkpoint. What if there are traitors in the guard, too?

He looked at Prompto again, grimacing. "They can't warp after us- they'll run out of magic, and even if they caught up like that, they'd be too drained to fight. The Kingsglaive aren't stupid, if they keep chasing us it won't be on foot. If you see another Crown vehicle get close, don't wait- shoot the tires and leave them behind." He looked to the sky, then. "...I don't know how to take down a dropship, though."

It wasn't a compulsion to save royalty. It was a need to do the right thing and save good people. For years he had been spoonfed lies about how evil and cruel the Lucians were, how they were monsters walking among them. How had he been so blind? Especially given the Empire were the ones with an army of literal daemons.

He had spoken to Regis for maybe fifteen minutes and even in that time he had seen a man who cared deeply for his people and their safety. A man with warmth in his heart. Either he deserved some kind of award for his amazing acting skills or the Empire were big, fat liars. And given how the treaty signing went down, Prompto was going with the latter.

"Pity we don't have a bazooka to blast the dropships out of the sky. I mean, we could just shoot them down, but there's the whole running out of ammo situation." A bazooka really would be useful right about now. Or a magical gun with endless bullets.

"That thing I threw earlier... it was a magitek core. Normally they don't explode like that, but I tweaked it. But there are some that explode. The Shock Troopers have them. There's almost always one on a dropship. If you could warp up there you could attack it - but they explode before they die. That's the whole point of them. Like a kamikaze attack. Better to lose a whole dropship of troops than have someone gain control of it."

It was risky. The whole thing could explode with Noct onboard. Or he could mistime his exit warp and smash into the highway in a heap of broken bones or be run over by oncoming traffic.

Prompto mentally kicked himself for not picking up more guns during their escape from the Citadel.

"Can you use thunder magic like those Glaives did? That could work t--" Prompto was cut off by a car swerving into the side of the truck. How the hell had they missed that one approaching? He stumbled into Noct, but quickly caught himself and started to shoot at the vehicle that was hellbent on ramming them off the road.

Once the ammo of the rifle was spent he threw the gun at the wheel arch of the car. It was definitely more luck than judgement that it actually jammed the wheel and caused the car to veer off-course, spin and then explode in a fiery ball.

"Yeah, sorry, fresh out of bazookas." Noctis found himself smiling wryly, if only for a moment. There are none on hand, but he could keep an eye out for one, maybe. The cores were a good tip, though. He'd never actually fought the magitek soldiers before today- he knew the weakpoint to strike for a quick kill thanks to Ignis, because Ignis read everything, but that was about it. They were all sort of learning this on the fly. While he didn't know Prompto's reasoning for doing all of this, he sure as hell wasn't going to ignore enemy intel right from the source. (Former-enemy? Tangential ally? He didn't know how to define Prompto now. That was another future-Noct problem.)

He gripped the side of the truck again as they swerved, raising a hand to shield his face from the sparking wheel as the other car spun away, grimacing at Prompto's question. Nice save, though... "I'm better with fire." He could cast spells, technically, but it had never been his gift- thanks to the Marilith attack years ago, his powers had always been a little screwed up, and his control over magic a little too wild and overboard for practical use, especially when he was around other people- you know, that thing that happened all the time when he was fighting. Flasks were safer, but they were still a lot more volatile than the precise bolts that the Kingsglaive could shoot off on the fly.

He pulled another flask from the armory and passed it over to Prompto anyway (lightning this time, as he'd asked for), straightening up as a loud thrumming sound signaled the final gauntlet thrown in their direction- right in front of the checkpoint heading out of the city, a dropship was hovering, and as they drew closer it turned towards the Crown-marked vehicle and began to approach them.

Noctis cursed under his breath. "Should have stolen a civ truck," he growled, then tapped the window again. "Ignis, slow down when we get close. When you see fire, get moving again. You've got our backs while I'm gone," he shot Prompto a cocky smirk at the last part, unable to quite help himself. They were still strangers, but Prompto had given him something that he secretly loved and rarely got the opportunity to indulge in: a chance to give Ignis a mild heart attack by doing something outrageously reckless while unsupervised.

Once they got close enough to the ship, and he saw a gate open up on the side to reveal a handful of troopers ready to drop down and begin attacking, he stood, called out his sword (ignoring the urgent objections of his retainers up front) and flung it up into the door, disappearing in another flash of brilliant blue magic.

It probably didn't come as any surprise but Prom had never fought magitek troopers before today, either. He just had a little knowledge of them from spending time around the research facility for half his life. Although he was beginning to wish he had paid more attention to what his father told him. That knowledge would probably come in handy in the near future. Still, he knew a few basics about the MTs, more than most people probably did.

Maybe... hopefully... it would prove enough for him to be useful to Noctis and the others and they wouldn't execute him the moment they got to safety.

Of course, they had to get to safety first.

Prompto hadn't actually expected Noctis to warp to the dropship. It was too risky. Oh crap. He was definitely going to get stabbed by the tall guy or decapitated by the big guy now for putting Noctis in extra danger. Time lost all meaning from the moment Noct warped. He seemed like he had been gone forever even if it had only been seconds.

"Noctis!!! Get out of there! It's going to blow!!" He wasn't even sure if Noctis would be able to hear him over the engine of the dropship, or the troopers inside.

A second dropship closed in on them from behind. Prompto knew his pistol only had a couple of bullets let. He needed to save them. Still, if he and Noct failed to bring the dropships down fast enough the truck would be surrounded and everything they had achieved so far would be nothing. He eyed the flask in his hand. What if he missed? What if he accidentally struck the truck with lightning?!

The dropship started to open. It was now or never. He threw the flask and prayed it would work. Luck was somehow on his side. The lightning sparked and flashed, causing the ship to malfuction and explode. He had to shield himself from the falling debris.

One down... now they just needed Noct to get the fuck out of the other and back to the truck in one piece.

Warping into the dropship felt like entering some kind of alien spaceship- it was all harsh metal and flashing lights, high technology, full of guns instead of the usual, more refined weaponry he was used to. Sure, he had some experience with guns, but they were hardly Lucian style, and he'd mostly used the training to get better at hand-eye coordination, and refining his aim so he could perform more precise warp strikes. Ballistics weren't his style at all.

He didn't have much time to get a good look at the interior beyond the initial, weird impression: the first strike stabbed through the core of the trooper at the forefront of the entrance, and he bowled the trooper over, dismissing his blade and giving his hand a shake to dismiss the tingle of sparks that the robot's destruction left on his skin. He dodged hastily out of the way as another swung an axe at him, slamming his foot into it and sending it alongside one of its neighbours straight out of the ship, flailing through the air past the bridge and towards the water below. His next target was the stationary troops lining the walls of the ship- were those the soldiers Prompto had mentioned? They seemed to have a central core that looked like a pretty good weak spot. He phased past a swing from one of the awakened MTs and slashed it across the leg, severing some important component and sending it tumbling to the floor, then lunged in and stabbed the Engine Blade straight into the chestpece of the nearest trooper. Immediately it began to beep, a shrill warning sound that gave the impression of a bomb about to go off, which was good enough for Noctis. He turned to the next wall and stabbed another, then as he'd been about to return to the edge overlooking the highway, he caught sight of a collection of weaponry hung on the back wall between the lines of MTs. No bazookas, but... hmm. He closed the distance as quickly as he could and slung what looked like a machine gun around his shoulders, and pulled a pistol and a couple of magazines into his armory for later. That was all he had time to grab before the first MT exploded, which started a chain reaction that had him scrambling to escape.

A whole row of them went off like one huge, collective bomb as he reached the open side, and the blast sent him flying outwards before he had a chance to aim a warp strike. He scrambled to right himself in mid-air, but he was moving too fast to make a precise-enough aim for the truck. Instead he flung his sword at a wider target, the other dropship, which was also in the middle of exploding, but was far enough behind that it bought him a few extra seconds. Just enough time to stabilize himself, aim carefully, and throw his sword so it tore into the truck bed right at Prompto's feet, and in another flash of light, he was back where he started.

He was a far cry from how a proper and dignified crown prince ought to be at this point- his hair was messy, clothes torn, visible skin smeared with soot from the explosion, but he looked absurdly pleased with himself as he straightened up and offered the machine gun out to Prompto. "Got you a souvenir."

With the sky cleared, no pursuers left on the road, and the cars blocking the road moving much faster due to the battles occurring so close to the checkpoint, a path opened up ahead of them, and Ignis called out from the front, "Everyone hold on!"

The truck picked up speed, the engine revving, and Ignis abruptly swerved the vehicle to scrape past some poor civilian's car and tear through the barrier, ignoring whatever ruckus erupted at their backs as they left Insomnia and the war behind- with, against all odds, both royals safe and breathing. Ignis didn't slow down at all, steering them down the road towards Hammerhead, and Noctis finally, finally dropped to the floor of the truck, leaning against the side and wincing as all of the warping and magic abuse over the past few hours started to catch up with him. He'd been on the edge of Statis for a while now, and felt just about ready to take a huge nap, even though they definitely wouldn't have time for it for a while. "Shit..."

What was taking Noctis so long? Prompto could feel his heart hammering in his chest as he waited. Every moment seemed to drag on forever. If Noctis didn't hurry he would be caught up in the explosion.

"C'mon, Noctis. Come on," he whispered under his breath. After what felt like a lifetime, he saw the telltale whispers of blue. Noct was warping back. Thank the Si-- the hell?! He warped onto the other dropship?! The other exploding dropship. Oh crap. He had just blown up the Prince of Lucis. He was dead. So very dead. His life was officially over. If Ignis and Gladio didn't kill him then the King would.

His heart sank. But then Noctis appeared at his feet looking incredibly dishevelled and in need of a good shower and sleep. The yelp that escaped Prompto was less than dignified. Hey, it wasn't every day the Prince of Lucis literally fell down at your feet!

Without thinking, Prompto punched him in the shoulder none-too-lightly. "Don't you ever do that to me again!! I thought you were toast. Oh. Em. Gee. My poor heart can't take this, dude!!"

Still, he couldn't help but smile at the gift. Maybe he wasn't such a prisoner after all. Or maybe Noctis just didn't think of the possible consequences of giving a potential enemy a machine gun. Prompto accepted it with a nod and positioned himself between Noct and the back of the truck bed so he could keep watch behind them to make sure nothing followed.

The road seemed quiet for now and Prompto could finally take a moment to just breathe. He'd been running on adrenaline this whole time and now there was a moment to collect himself he couldn't stop his hands from shaking. In fact, he couldn't stop his whole body from trembling. It had been A Day™ for sure.

Noctis glanced over as Prompto punched his shoulder, the gesture so companionable and familiar he almost laughed. He'd never had anyone act so immediately comfortable with him- he'd never really had any friends growing up, besides Gladio and Ignis (who were their own complicated sort of friends, having literally been paid to care about him since childhood, so their bonds were genuine but also very obligatory), and no one at school would ever have dared to strike the Crown Prince, even in jest. Weird... but he also kind of liked it? It was such a normal thing to do, especially in the heat of the moment. They had just escaped a warzone together, after all; they were still a mess of blood and grime, still baked on lingering adrenaline, bonded through mutual and defensive destruction. He looked past Prompto, back to his burning home half-hidden by the kicked-up dust and fog of war. He wanted to laugh and cry at once, wanted to go storm an Imperial base while at the same time wanted to curl up and sleep for a year. His emotions were running haywire.

Insomnia was burning.
His father was alive.
The Crystal was gone.
Luna should be safe.
They lost the war.
The war was just beginning.

He wobbled between the two emotional highs and lows for a long moment, as the city shrank away from them the closer they got to Hammerhead, until finally he forced himself to settle, closing his eyes and trying to clear his mind. Just calm, calm. Breath in and out, just for a minute...

...And he dozed off, predictably, his head lolling against the back window, but it was only a few minutes later when the car jerked as Ignis changed gears turning into Hammerhead, and Noctis startled himself awake with a noisy exhale and a bewhildered look. Where- who- oh. Right, shit.

"Gladio?" He leaned in to try and peer through the window, but all he could see was the back of their heads. "How's my dad?"

"Still out," Gladio rumbled, carefully shifting the king closer to carry him out while Ignis parked.

Disappointing, but not a surprise. Noctis glanced over at Prompto, hesitating, then said, "Look, uh... sorry about getting all up in your face, before." it was a high stress situation, absolutely, but he didn't like the get in the habit of being an asshole to people who were helping him. "You're not a prisoner or anything, but... you should probably stick around. We've got some stuff to talk about."

He sure as hell had a few questions to ask- about Luna, about what happened in the Citadel, about why Prompto, a Niff, ended up under the stairs trying to keep his father alive. And Prompto might not have anywhere to go, so it wouldn't feel right to at least extend the offer to hang out and... maybe cooperate a little longer.

Prompto shrugged his shoulders at Noct's apology. "Don't sweat it. I get it probably looked pretty bad. I mean I was covered in your dad's blood," still is, his brain unhelpfully added. He couldn't fault Noctis for jumping to the worst conclusion. Prompto was a Niff that had been holding a bleeding, fatally wounded Regis. If the roles had been reversed, Prom's reaction would probably have been the same.

He ran his hand nervously through his hair, grimacing at the grime and dried blood there, hand dropping back to his side. Ugh. He felt gross. He wanted more than anything to have a hot shower and then crawl into a soft bed and sleep for a month.

At least he wasn't a prisoner. That was good to know. He offered Noctis a small smile, even if it didn't quite meet his eyes. "Lemme check my schedule... Turns out I'm totes free for the foreseeable future so I guess I can stick around."

He thumbed in the direction of the shop. "I got some gil. I'll grab us all some drinks." Climbing off the back of the truck, he left the machine gun beside Noctis. Walking into a shop covered in blood and wielding a machine gun was probably a bad look.

It was while Prompto was inside the shop that Cor arrived at Hammerhead. He scanned around for potential danger before heading over to the truck. "Highness. How is his Majesty?" He looked relatively unharmed, and trying to look calm and collected and not show just how shook up he felt. "Are you injured? I thought you would be in Galdin by now..."

Noctis tried not to wince at the reminder; he'd been trying not to think about the fact that it was his father's blood that stained all of them, though Prompto wore more than the rest. They look about the same size, so maybe once they sort everything out he could lend the poor guy a clean set of clothes. They all needed to change, anyway.

He waved Prompto off and told the others to get Regis to the garage; it wouldn't be the cleanest place to let a wounded man rest, but he could stretch out, it was more easily defended than a truck, and Cid would surely help them as an old friend of the king. He wanted to follow them and stay by his father's side, but he was trying to be a responsible leader in the king's stead; someone had to keep an eye on things, and he'd be the fastest one if someone had to reach the garage quickly. At least, once his magic regenerated itself enough to warp again...

He was seated in the back of the truck when Cor showed up, and there really was no describing the wave of relief he felt, seeing the man again. He felt no concern for a betrayal the way he had with the Kingsglaive, after seeing them attack; soldiers paid to protect them, even after years of loyal servce, were still mostly strangers. Cor, though. He went far and above a normal Crownsguard. Loyalty to the crown and to Lucis was practically woven into his blood. Noctis hopped down from the truck with a tired grimace, and launches straight into the whole story: the message he'd received, the infiltration of the Citadel, finding his father bleeding to death with a Niff turncoat, saving his life and escaping the city together. Cor was as stonefaced as ever for most of it, with only two tells that the story might have affected him- predictably, how close Regis had come to death, but the other moment was when Noctis mentioned Prompto's name. That was weird. Maybe Prompto was more of a bigwig in the Empire than any of them knew. It seemed likely- he wasn't wearing a normal soldier uniform, and he wouldn't have been brought along for the treaty signing if he was a nobody. It just had never occurred to him that someone higher up the food chain would turn against Niflheim.

"Cor?" He couldn't help questioning it, once the story was done. "Do you know who all was at the signing, and why?" He glanced back towards the shop, where Prompto had wandered off to. Prompto's importance didn't change how he felt - he still had no real desire to take anyone prisoner - but he'd rather not deal with some kind of violent confrontation if Cor deemed him a new threat to the king, even after hearing the story.

Prompto. It was a name Cor hadn't heard for years, but one he thought about often. There was a slim chance that maybe it was a different person with the same name... No. It was too much of a coincidence. After all, Prompto was the son of Verstael Besithia. And if any one person would turn their back on the Empire to try and save the King then the shy, plump boy with kindness in his heart Cor had known all those years ago would definitely be them.

He shook his head at Noctis' question. "I'm afraid not, your highness. Your father was very secretive about the whole thing, only insisting that we focus on protecting the people. I should've known the old fool was up to something."

Prompto quickly realised once he was inside the shop that he didn't actually know enough about his new-found travel mates to know what they even liked to drink. He decided to make a guess. Ebony - the black can (bitter and unsweetened) for Mr Tall, Suave and Terrifying. An orange juice for the Big Guy. Cola for himself and the Prince. And a bottle of water for if... no, when... Regis woke up. He paid for the drinks and headed for the door, bag in hand.

It was to his credit that he managed not to drop said bag when he opened the door and saw Cor standing near Noctis. It... it couldn't be... Why would he be here? Now? For a moment he was at a complete loss of words, before finally managing to squeak out a weak "Uncle Leon?"

Cor's head snapped in the direction of the voice. The lanky, blood-stained, battle-worn youth was not what he expected to see. Long gone was the kid with chunky thighs and chubby cheeks. But it didn't take Cor long to see it was the same boy. The boy he had failed. He opened his mouth to speak, only to have Prompto suddenly lunge at him and cling.

"It's alright, kid. I got you." For a moment Cor looked less like 'the Immortal' and more like a regularly functioning human with emotions. It was a rare sight.

...Well.

He sure as hell hadn't expected that to happen. Noct's brows lifted, his gaze shifting between the two of them, then focused on Cor as Prompto latched onto him, his expression mildly accusatory. What the hell, he had some kind of secret family in Gralea and didn't tell anyone about it? Or, okay, it was more that he didn't tell Noctis about it, because apparently no one told him anything. Once things settled down a little more and everyone was safe and healthy, he was absolutely going to sit down with Cor and his dad and demand to know what the heck all the secrets they'd been carrying were and why he, crown prince and heir apparent, was left in the dark. There was so much going on in the background that he'd had no part of.

'Uncle Leon', Prompto said... and Cor clearly recognized him, felt familiar enough to let Prompto hug him. Noctis couldn't remember the last time even he got away with doing something like that, though it wasn't as if he'd tried in recent years. The days of hugs and piggyback rides from the mountain known as 'Uncle Cor' were years behind them, ever since he started heavy training and was required to act like a proper prince rather than a rogue child who was allowed to mostly do as he pleased. A rare sight indeed, and admittedly surreal.

"Uh." He coughed into a fist, though he immediately dropped his hand with a grimace. He still reeked of blood, and his glove was saturated in it. "You guys want to explain what all that's about, or should I leave you alone for a while?"

He was curious, sure, but this also looked deeply personal. An explanation could wait, and with Cor here, he could easily slip away and stay with his father. He left the choice in their hands.

At Noctis' cough, Prompto pulled away from Cor looking slightly embarrassed. He had almost forgotten that he was in the company of royalty. But he couldn't help but look between Noctis and Cor. "Wait... do you two know each other?"

Looked like Cor had some explaining to do. "Ten years ago, your father sent a group of us to Gralea on a top-secret assignment." He wasn't sure how much he should say, given that the assignment was still considered classified with only a few people who know anything about it. "While I was there I met Prompto's mother. She asked... begged me to bring him to Insomnia, to raise him as a Lucian, to get him away from Niflheim."

Prompto's brows shot up. Wait? What? That wasn't how he remembered it. 'Leon' was a friend of his mother who visited occasionally. He had made grand promises of showing Prompto real-life chocobos. Oh... Oh. The chocobos were in Lucis. Cor was supposed to bring him to Lucis. Permanently.

Cor continued on with his story. "However, before we were able to finalise the details Prompto's mother was killed by a daemon. I was led to believe that Prompto had died with her, and so the mission was aborted." He could barely bring himself to look at the blond. "Had I known you were alive, I would've come for you."

Prompto scuffed the toe of his boot against the ground, giving a slight shrug of his shoulders. "It's okay. I just figured you forgot about me. And living with my dad wasn't so bad. Lonely, I guess. But well... I don't think I can go back there since I kinda, sorta pulled a gun on the Emperor..."

An infiltration mission, then... and Prompto was meant to have been brought to the city and made a Lucian, or at least been accepted as a protected immigrant. And he had also lost someone to daemons as a child. Noctis felt a twinge of sympathy, thinking of his own experience with that. It would be an easy assumption to make with no evidence to the contrary. Daemons rarely left behind survivors, especially not helpless children. His dad must have been an officer invited to the treaty signing, then. The story was starting to come together, though there were still some pieces missing. They'd get there.

Noctis considers the explanation for a moment, added it to everything that had occurred over the course of the day, and then quietly made a decision, stepping up and bumping shoulders with Prompto, his chin lifted, trying to look... well, kingly. He wasn't one (his father is thank the Six still very much alive and if Noct has anything to say about it, will stay that way) but he'd have to step up while his father was out of commission. Now was a good moment to start.

"Better late than never," he announced, looking Cor in the eye with a stubborn sort of expression that offered no room for argument. "He's with us now. The Empire can't have him back." The Niffs have stolen enough from them today; it was about time they stole something back. Or someone, at least. And more to come, once they have targets in mind. He'd more than proven himself all day, in Noct's eyes, and if Gladio or Ignis had any objections, they could suck it. Cor's confirmation of Prompto as someone worth saving was the last push he'd needed. (Hearing that Prompto had pulled a gun on the emperor of all people was just icing. He was a big fan of that one.)

Cor gave him a measuring look in response, lingering for a long moment, then glanced away, his eyes drawn towards the garage. "If Prompto has no objections, I have none either."

[PROMPTO] ☠ the times they are a changin' | for carbungle

rolls in here like i own the place

make yourself at home

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