BURN BRIGHT . ❜

                “  RIPPED — ?  ”       only a few stitches and nothing more .  well enough on one arm so that it may hang limp and   haphazard   at its side .   the moogle has seen its fair share of  BATTLES  in their company .  (   he pities it .  )      “ a stitch is nothing to fret over .  do you have the necessities to fix it ?  ”  

                “ ALTISSIA  LIES  JUST  BEYOND  THE  HORIZON . ”     as if noct would need any reminding .  their journey had held a relatively   CLEAR  PATH   up until this point .  come morning ,  come time for them to set sail cross the sea ,  they would be   wandering   without sight .   with no concrete ending within reach. some uncharted territory ,  perhaps .  and enough to be worried over in the few hours they had left .  he pauses long enough to glance .     to breathe .       “ are you prepared ? ”  

                  “  — -  UNFORTUNATELY ,  WE  HAVEN’T  HEARD  MUCH . ”      barely anything ,  aside from the papers .    the news still stated that noct is  DEAD .   that the king is .   the oracle .    THREE TO BE ACCOUNTED FOR ,   and yet they only had eyes on one ,  currently .   not yet a roll of names for those within the city .   he thinks there may not be ,  with how things have progressed .      “  but i’m certain he would have made it out . ”

                      he expects the conversation to die,  a part of him HOPES it does.  the jokes he would normally call for have vanished.  what mattered most right now ?  what could he say to fix this ?  HE NEEDS TO STOP ACTING LIKE HE’S THE ONE WORSE OFF.                       immediately,  his eyes drop from 𝒾gnis’ face,  suddenly feeling his own guilt.  of course,  he was foolish to think he could understand anything.  if anyone has a right to be upset,  it would be their prince,  it would be their adviser.  his own concerns are nothing compared to theirs.

                      his hands are shaking.  𝓅rompto curls fingers into fists.

                      𝒾gnis speaks,  and he grits his teeth.  NONE of this seemed necessary,  but war is never kind.  their story is a tragedy and he is scared of the final dawn.  he knows how his own book will end,  but what about anyone else’s ?

                                 ❝… for now,  maybe.                                  besides …  if something irritates you,  you could,                                  i don’t know,  whack it with it,  or,  whatever. ❞

                      it sounded lame as soon as he said it.

                IT’S  ENDEARING  TO  THINK     that prompto would try to smooth this over .  turn a situation deemed  terrible  into something lighter .   regardless of ignis’ own standing on it     (  stubbornness towards self outweighed a situation’s practicality ,  after all  )      prompto did push on .  if just to offer a solution and a hand to step over loathing while the world continued to fall around them .   the little things ,  that made his feet stay planted ,  he thinks .  

because the cane he can reach for ,  and the cane he can fumble with .   uncertainty  beneath his fingertips as they glide around its side .  a pause between    (   FRUSTRATION  )    to breathe .  yet his shoulders relax the slightest bit .  

“ an option i’m certain would be  frowned  upon . ”      though it does the trick .  a little joke may be perceived as lame ,  but the thought is still there .   the dip in lips eases ,  though blank sight still remains  fixed  at the ground .    

                “ GALDIN  DOES  NOT  SEEM  THE  MOST  OPPORTUNE   FOR  BUSINESS . ”      a line dino has had to have heard   TIME AND TIME AGAIN   by this point .   a port held character ,  perhaps .  held opportunity for those to buy for trinkets ,   but not  safety  as the jeweler would offer .   he means no harm by the statement ,  but rather a voice of  curiosity .   honest interest   in how business may be fairing .         “ have you had much luck out here ? ”  

                “  THE  CONCEPT  OF  ONE’S  WORTH  HARDLY  SEEMS  DEFINITIVE .  ”      far more abstract than a  simple idea  of strength .   who stands among the trials of life and rises   — -  give one enough time and they all would .   to be so brash as to say  immediately  seems ill-advised .   yet their standpoints may be entirely different .   a  shield  to the king  verses  the thoughts of the king’s  advisor .        “  ...  if not  impossible  to tell ,  right away .  ”  

                TO  BE  SET  APART     from the rest now is an understatement .  the world flows at a different pace .  it  flickers  and resides in  MEMORIES  of images that grow blurry  round  the edges on most days .  details are skipped over .  think too hard on one thing and the picture   shifts  with perception of topic .  again and again ,  until certain aspects are warped beyond recollection .   it’s frustrating .   too much too quick , and yet     —  -    HE  IS  NOT  ALONE .         “ do you ever fear of forgetting entirely  ?  ”     

                “  WHY  WOULD  WE  TURN  YOU  IN ?  ”       it’s the question he keeps coming back to    — -   she talks and she talks ,   rapidly within circles .   one word turns into another ,  back to the first .     AGAIN .  AGAIN .    her worry is warranted  as is her   skepticism   for her situation .    the last thing he wants to do is show that is  not  the case .  it is  what keeps him there ,  rather than pushes him away when she  herself  moves back .         “  i assure you  :   we only wish to keep you safe ,  hal .  ”