Action | Open

[this_loser]

Who: Prompto + Open (+private to Noctis)
Broadcast: Nope
Action: Open Iskaulit, Closed Planetside
When: Present

ACTION - Iskaulit

[The planet is a great distraction. But it's not quite enough. Sometimes the stretch of a white field is a little too familiar, and he expects to see the blocks of a Niflheim base over the crest of the next hill. Sometimes Pryna races ahead of him through the trees, and he has to stop himself from tripping over his feet and looking for MTs laying in the snow.

Getting back into a routine helps, and a big part of that is heading over to the Iskaulit every morning and running.

His music is up louder than usual, and he's a bit lost in his head. But he'll offer up canned, smiling, greetings to anyone he does happen to notice.]

PRIVATE to Noctis

[It's a good thing, Prompto thinks, that this planet has fishing. Because getting Noctis up and out of the ship was a must. It still hurt to have Luna and Ignis gone. Some days, he still expected to wander out and find Iggy working on breakfast. He couldn't imagine how much harder it was for his friend.

The dogs were happy to lope around and stretch their legs as well. Gods, he was ever so happy to see Pryna. What a bittersweet gift that had been.

He's happy to play with Umbra and Pryna in the snow while Noct does his thing with the fish.]

Comments

[this_loser]

[On the first pass, Prompto spots Sorey and responds to his wave with a well-practiced smile.

He doesn't expect to see him on the second pass, but he smiles the same smile, which becomes a bit more genuine when he realizes there's a glass of water being offered. He slows to a stop, pulls the music from his ears.]

Hi. Um, thanks...

[monolike]

No problem. Try it! My friend's a water spirit, he makes this water; it's really refreshing.

[Folds his arms and leans back against the doorframe, smiling slightly.] Do you always run by yourself? I think that skating guy, Yuri, he jogs too.

[this_loser]

Water spirit, huh? Is it, like, magical water?

[He's going to drink it anyway. And it is refreshing! Though it could taste like silt and he'd drink it all down, having not realized how thirsty he really was. Normally he brought a water bottle along, but his head is obviously elsewhere today.

He finishes off the water while nodding.]

Mm! Mm-hm! We jog together sometimes.

[monolike]

Oh that's good. It's been pretty empty around here lately with everyone hanging out on the planet. [Takes that glass back, holding it up] Need more?

[this_loser]

It's a nice planet. And peaceful! [A shame it was a snow planet. He hopes it doesn't suddenly turn into something awful and blow up or something.] Oh! Yes, please. That would be great, thanks.

[monolike]

[Haha yeah.... Peaceful is a nice change of pace, that's for sure.

Sorey comes back with a refilled glass and hands it off to Prompto...waits until he's about halfway done before cautiously broaching the subject.] Prompto...um, are you doing okay?

[this_loser]

Hm? Oh... Sure! [He forces a smile, and then finishes off the glass while he tries to think if he gave off any impression that he shouldn't be.] Yeah... Yep! I'm. I'm good.

[monolike]

[Accepts that empty glass from Prompto slowly, offering him a cautious but encouraging smile.] ...okay.

[Should he leave it at that? He really should; he doesn't like to push, it's rude, but...] -if you're ever not okay though, and you just need someone to listen without judging...I'll be around. Okay?

[this_loser]

Thanks. That's really nice of you. But, um...

[Normally, he would talk to Noctis. But he doesn't want to bring his troubles to his friend when he's dealing with his own burdens. He'd go to Ignis, but Ignis is gone. As is Luna. And that's part of the problem, isn't it?]

Actually... I just have some stuff floating around in my head. I don't wanna trouble anyone with it though.

[monolike]

But that means you're troubling yourself with it, doesn't it? [Sorey tilts his head, then takes a half-step back toward the entrance to the Center.] Here, let me just take some of this off and I'll join you! We can jog and talk, or just jog and jog some more.

[this_loser]

Um... [Well, yes. But if he was troubling himself then himself was the only one who would be troubled!

But, also, company would be nice. So he nodded.] Okay, dude. Sounds like a plan.

[He could wait out here while Sorey got ready, bouncing on his feet.]

[monolike]

[Sorey at least doesn't take long, literally just shucking his white cloak and blue button-up, emerging in his all-black t-shirt and pants to start jogging alongside Prompto.] To tell you the truth, it's probably good for me to spend less time down on the planet. I always end up spending all my money in those shops.

[this_loser]

You just gotta avoid the towns. [He takes up an easier pace than before, one that lends itself better to conversation.] Though there's a bakery in town that's worth visiting.

[monolike]

Oooh, what's it called? I'll check it out! I wanted to go look at the bookstores, y'know, just to browse... [this nerd blows all his cash on books]

[this_loser]

I'm ... not sure I can pronounce it. [He laughs softly.] But I could show you where it is. [He's not all that eager to visit the planet's surface again, but going back the town should be okay.]

[monolike]

Is that okay? [Prompto doesn't really look all that eager. Is that what's bothering him, that store?]

[this_loser]

[Was it the tone of his voice? He'll have to work on that.] Y-yeah. Sure. I mean, I wasn't really planning on going back to the surface. But ... it's fine.

[monolike]

[Mrrraahhhgghghgh. Prompto isn't exactly being subtle...Sorey usually tries to be tactful and largely hands-off when asking people about what's bothering them, preferring to let them come to him when they're ready but... But Prompto is a pretty private guy, who only shares reluctantly and under duress. At least, that's what Sorey gathered from his brief stint in his mind, that one time.

This must've been what Billy was worried about. How to make the call in judgment about whether to press or whether to leave things alone.]

...is...that what's on your mind? Something to do with the surface...?

[this_loser]

[His pace slows some. Normally, he'd just talk to Ignis (who is gone) or Noctis (who has been mourning the loss of his wife and doesn't need Prompto dropping his issues on him). Maybe. Maybe he'd talk to them, or maybe he'd keep it all to himself. But he opens his mouth and words spill out.]

Kinda. Yeah. It's just ... it reminds me of somewhere I've been before. Which is dumb, because it's not the same at all.

[monolike]

[He'd like to argue that 'it's dumb' point, but if he goes off on a self-confidence tangent he might dissuade Prompto from sharing. No, it's more important now to let Prompto get all of this out, without pushing him too hard.] How does it remind you?

[this_loser]

The snow. [He says it slowly, as if he's uncertain. But it was the snow.] The planet - the snow fields, and the forests, they remind of Niflheim. It wasn't a good place to be, y'know? The planet's nothing like it, but sometimes I'd get this feeling, like I'm back in Niflheim, and something bad is about to happen, and my heart just stops.

[monolike]

[Has he ever heard of Niflheim from Luna or any of them? ...no, no, he's sure he hasn't. Sorey's not in the habit of asking after other people's trauma though, so it might've just never come up.]

Man...I wouldn't want to go down to the surface either if that happened every time I did. [Sorey slows down a little bit, so they can get more breath to talk.] Were you the only one there? In Niflheim?

[this_loser]

Not every time. But enough that I got paranoid about it. [Prompto matches his pace, pulling back his strides.] For a while, yeah. It was just me and whatever was trying to kill me. [He laughs a little.]

[monolike]

Does anybody else know about it...? [Sorey suspects they don't. Or they only know the bare minimum, if it's something Prompto didn't want to trouble anybody else with.]

!!! I lost this tag! I'm sorry. :(

[this_loser]

Not really... Noct and the guys know the most important parts, but I didn't tell them everything. [Some day he will. There's always been something more important to worry about. And when there isn't, it seems a shame to ruin a good day with that kind of talk.]