[ CLOSED ] ❝ and it may not be photo-op in the way that i spell it out ❞

[punshots]

Who: Noctis, Gladio & Prompto
Where: The Temple of Beginnings
When: Post-arrival
Rating: PG?? idk there will probably be swears, and also Gladio
What: 3/4ths of a fantasy boy band settle in to their new digs.

[ Whatever Prompto expected to happen after Noctis disappeared into the Crystal, it wasn't this. In another world entirely, rerouted from the one that seemed to be doomed by someone tasking them to help save others. If he hadn't been so overwhelmed by everything, he might've thought to ask Astoria about it, to see if they could go back to Eos with the Circle, but there's too much else. Too much to digest, to much to (try and fail to) make sense of. He can barely parse out Noctis being here at all, after the way he'd vanished back on Eos. The memories are still clear as day to him, running up with Gladio and Ignis only to find Ardyn alone with the Crystal. That wound is still fresh, the sting of failure, knowing they were too late. Knowing that Noctis, wherever he had gone, was beyond them now.

And then finding himself in this world, with Noctis and Gladio. Dismayed as they may have all been, something is...off. Something he's afraid to draw too much attention to. There's already enough to be anxious about without adding the possibility of disparate memories into the mix. But Noctis and Gladio haven't been acting the way he would have expected them to given their recent circumstances back home, and...

Gods, this is all a mess, and he doesn't even realize yet just how big of a mess.

But of course, he packs all this away for the time being. Let them figure out what they're doing here, what their plan is, settle in, if they have to, before...they get to any of that. So he's chipper as ever as he ducks through the doorway of one of the empty rooms of the temple, glancing up at the low ceiling and lack of lighting. Sure, there's windows, but there's not an electrical outlet in sight. and the whole room is kind of... ]

Hm. Cozy! [ Sure, that's one way to put it, walking backwards, he turns to face the other two. ] Watch your head on the door, there, big guy!

Comments

[reeliable]

You know, I think we've slept in tinier spaces before.

[Unlike others, Noct doesn't have to duck down when he steps through the doorway and almost idly moves to push the door shut behind them - cozy is just the beginning of this space. Granted, they really could do more than one room if they were all dying for privacy for once, but after all that time spent traveling together, Noct isn't sure he'll sleep well without at least one of them nearby.

Looking around, then moving towards a bed to flop facedown into it, Noct grunts - flopping was probably a bad idea, for how hard the mattress feels. It isn't nearly as comfortable as hotel beds, but it isn't a sleeping bag in the dirt. Rolling over and gingerly rubbing his sore nose, Noct lays on his back for a few moments before speaking up, eyes on the ceiling.]

So - what do you guys think? El Minha. [If Prompto is acting strange, Noct can't quite put his finger on it enough to find it as anything more than jitters from the weirdness of this detour, plus being down Iggy. No one has said anything off, so this other situation sitting on his mind is coming first for now.]

[punshots]

[ Predictably, Prompto beelines for the bathroom first to check out the fixtures and amenities. He let's out an elated whoop as he fiddles with the sink. ]

Running water! A toilet! A shower! Not too shabby!

[ After putting up with camping so often for the last while, there are few things he's happier to see in their new home base than a fully functional bathroom. It's nothing fancy, but it's serviceable, and that'll have to be good enough.

He's also happy - and distracted - enough to let Noct steer the conversation towards what they're doing here and now. That's...much easier to talk about for him, so he's quick to chime in ]

Urgh...right, the desert. Guess we better enjoy the cool weather while we can, huh?

[protettore]

[Gladio, meanwhile, seems to linger at the doorway and just reclines against the stone wall, ignoring how it digs into his back uncomfortably. He's content enough to let the other two explore the interior while he takes everything in from his spot. Already, he's trying to make his assessment of where things are, how sturdy the room is, the furnishings, and where he'll situate himself for the night. Closest to the front door. There's no windows, which is kind of a bummer, but it makes it harder for anyone to break in. He can watch the front, no problem.

The typical priorities of a shield.

He huffs at Prompto's complaint from the bathroom as he just stares at Noct who, of course, is first to occupy a bed.]

You mean you've got nothing to say about the fact we're being sent out to fix another kingdom's problems? [He speaks up a little louder so he's sure Noct hears him.]

A kingdom with a newly crowned king?

[reeliable]

[Noct doesn't quite sit up, even if he listens to the both of them - Gladio obviously making it harder to ignore. Frowning, then rolling over to put his back to his Shield, Noct looks the way Prompto went towards the bathrooms. A fully running water bathroom, that's a plus even from camping outside all those nights - no more stinky roommates, that's for sure.]

I'm not looking forward to the hot sweaty nights, hopefully they've got plenty of water.

[Though from the sounds of it, an oasis in the desert.... it's still a desert, water is going to be an indulgence. Finally moving to sit up and scrub a hand through his hair, Noctis still doesn't quite look over, because as Gladio pointed out, the whole situation sounds unfortunately familiar.]

But - yeah. It sort of sounds like home, but I don't... think it's bad, to go see what's up.

[punshots]

[ Oh...now that Gladio mentions it, that is pretty familiar, isn't it? Prompto hadn't given much thought to what they were actually supposed to do once they got to El Minha, expecting as ever to just follow Noct's lead, but even if the world they are going to is different, maybe the powers at play aren't so much.

He steps over to the nearest bed and drops down onto a corner of it, his elbows on his knees. ]

Yeah...gotta see what we can do to help, don't we?

[ ...But he'll leave all the diplomatic stuff to Noct. ]

[protettore]

[Handling the blistering heat is one thing, but it's the environment that they've been set in and what they're being expected to do that really just rubs Gladio the wrong way, and he can't keep himself silent about it.]

Just don't poke your heads too far into anything. [He's not at all surprised to see Noct with his back turned to him, but he doesn't bark an order for his attention and just continues.]

You can tell tensions are high around here. Their king was just killed. Murdered. Fingers are pointing everywhere, especially at that Syndicate group. And with a sudden shift of power to his son, anything can go wrong. That group is gonna be looking for a weak point, and our new king's got a royal guard on edge and willing to snap at anything they suspect as a threat.

We can't expect for us, complete and total strangers, to be able to have that much leeway on a sudden power inbalance like this. We could make it better, or we could make it way, way worse. [And he has a priority here to another kingdom. Anyone else comes dead last.

He's not sure if he wants to drop everything, even for just a moment, to help out some other unfortunate soul who just so happens to be in Noct's shoes as well.]

[reeliable]

I don't plan on anything crazy - I was just thinking of volunteering at a soup kitchen. Those kinds of places always need help. I'm not sure sticking my opinion in anywhere is ... welcomed, honestly.

[He sort of argues, his tone is an argument, but Noct is keenly aware of the position he is in. He hasn't mentioned it to anyone he has met here, but the last thing he really needs to float around to this royalty is that he is a King and understands the microscopic feeling of every move being watched and needing to be protected at all times - he's not sure his own quiet intentions of simply wanting to help would go that way.

Plus, no one else here needs to know it. It isn't important, in Astoria's world.]

Also, I think Astoria knows - who I am. I sort of made a comment and she seemed to know what I was getting at, so it feels like it's a "hey you get it" request. For picking us. [Then again, she forgOT IGNIS]

[punshots]

[ Predictably, Prompto perks right up at Astoria's name. He hadn't found it all that odd that some seemingly all-powerful being like her knew his name before he told it to her, but he hadn't really thought about what else she might know. If she knew who Noct was, did the same apply to the rest of them? Even if he's far less significant to Eos, he can't help but wonder...

— Not important. This isn't about him. This is about what they're going to do on El Minha. He can ask Astoria later. Like, way, way, way later. Like, maybe not at all. ]

Sooo, you think that's why she brought us here in time for this mission? [ He jerks his head towards Gladio. ] You gotta admit, Gladio, it makes a lot of sense!

[ But why all of them? Noct and Gladio he can understand, but how had Prompto made the trip instead of Ignis? No doubt their levelheaded, foresighted friend would contribute far more to a delicate, political operation like this.

He doesn't voice the thought, but he doesn't need to. Ignis' absence is already keenly felt by them all. ]