S E M P I T E R N A L

  That was a lot to process. And Prompto was still not entirely sure whether he wasn’t dreaming, or had sustained a wound to his head. The stranger also didn’t seem the least bit fazed that Prompto was trying to convey aggression, but at least he was answering his questions. 

“The void? You are…?” Omnipresent, all seeing and whatnot? So basically a god? An Astral? But the Astrals hadn’t been seen for years. Only Lunafreya could talk to them. 

When he saw things in front of his eyes without warning, he covered them swiftly with a cry of surprise, the mop crashing to the floor as he let it go. What he saw was terrible. This couldn’t be true. And even if…why would someone so powerful care? Who was Prompto to receive such attention from this strong being?

He blinked the sights away, dark blotches still obscuring his vision. “But, why? What would you want in return?” Nothing in life was free, he knew that much. Especially when it came to things like these. He couldn’t help but to be suspicious of the outsider, as he called himself. Did he not have a proper name? 

  It happened slow like. Dodger was so used to working only for himself that he didn’t try in particular to gather anyone else to his side. Having himself to worry on was enough. But he found himself with more bread and coin’n he was used to, pockets filled with more’n just dust, so he spread the wealth. Something he near always did anyhow, though he found himself able to do it more readily now with the Outsider’s blessing.

And kids gathered round him, didn’t they just. First learning from him by watching his ways, though they couldn’t do any of the handy tricks the Outsider had given him, and then learning more intentional like as Dodger introduced them to games what made their fingers cleverer, their movements quicker. Rather pleased with himself all told, though Dodger knew he didn’t near have himself to congratulate alone, but at least he wasn’t dead, and neither were these children.

Should’ve expected that the Outsider would want another chat though. Dodger’s nerves was enough that he at least caught his balance when the rug whisked itself out from under his feet, but there was no accounting for the fall into nothing, only to be caught just as quickly like by the neck. For a flash, Dodger figured he was a’seeing his own death, long drop, short stop, and all, but then he saw the Outsider’s face.

Landing lightly on his feet, he scowled at the bloke, rubbing his neck, trying to shake the thought of a hanging from his head. “Warning next time, huh?” he snapped, before straightening, finally getting an eyeful of the surroundings. “What–?”

  The Royal Protector fought to stile a growl. “Speak plainly, boy.”

As time passed, and Corvo unlocked the secrets of the Void, the Outsider, and what made the both tick, he found that neither were easy to negotiate. For anything, any purpose. For one would speak volumes; the one who spoke would talk of times long past, elude to times that were yet to come; it would go on about points that made sense in a story that was not Corvo’s; he would made the other forget his argument, his placement - his purpose, for he was lacking so in a conversational objective.

      And the other would say nothing at all

Corvo frowned and challenged the Outsider’s gaze. His riddles were conflicting and confusing, despite all of the bodyguard’s wonderful abilities to read and understand other people. He was the one that would never be cracked by the court’s only Serkonan.

“Tell me what you mean to say - I don’t bite. You know what I’ve what, what I haven’t done, and what I plan to do. At least, parts of it. And you know very well where this could be heading. If you have a warning, present it now before I make one of my own.”

At first he thought the sudden absence of the sun might be a big cloud that was passing by and covered it. Weather forecast had said it would be sunny all day, so surely this was going to pass in a few moments.

When it didn’t, Prompto got curious and was about to walk over to the closest window, when the sudden voice made him yelp and flinch. Burglars!? But how did anyone got inside without Prompto noting? He had spent his time right in front of the front door after all. And all windows were closed. 

He rushed over to the mop and pulled it out of the bucket, then pointed the mop at the stranger with a glare on his face, that clearly showed that he was trying to convince himself that he was very strong and brave, yes. “Who are you! What are you doing in my house! And…what is going on with my house?” The darkness outside was almost pushing inside, at least it felt this way. This couldn’t be a cloud.

And what was the man talking about? A journey? He hadn’t planned any journey. He watched the pale face, trying to figure out whether the had seen it before. No, this was the first time. And his eyes…they were pitch black. Prompto waved the mop around, dripping some soap onto the ground. “Oi! You could have knocked.”

“…Than teach.” She finally replied, with much more fervor and her eyes followed his movements…but always drew back to his face. 

Her shoulders tensed and she looked backwards, towards the where they have come from…someone had stepped onto her territory, her home and wandered freely. 

“……I cannot stay….here….as much….as it is intriguing…” 

The house was impeccable, but that wasn’t difficult when you were the only one living there. Still, Prompto took cleaning very seriously, and he made sure to vacuum at least once a weak. Then the tiles wanted to be cleaned too, and there were the windows of course. Whenever it rained, they were covered in those stains that drove Prompto crazy.

Currently he was mopping the floor in the entrance room, getting the wood all squaky clean. He almost stepped into the bucket full of soapy water, when his phone vibrated. He checked the message and then went back to cleaning, until he needed to take a break.

“Phew.” He wiped his forehead with the back of his hand and pretended he’d have a guest coming over to feel like this might actually be worth it. He didn’t want to admit he just cleaned because he was easily disgusted when the house got dirty. He’d rather pretend he cleaned because he could show someone how good it looked. He had half a heart calling Noctis over, just because everything looked so perfect.

His throat was dry, so he left the mop in the bucket and went to the kitchen to get himself a glass of cool water. A small break for now, he’d be finished with the cleaning soon.

@leviathxn

      This plateau was quite alike dunwall, those who were connected to gods by birthright were the ones that had gifts in magic. His domain interlinks with the dormant etros deities by fate not choice, it was only rightful that a few arbiters were meant to be strewn upon his chessboard.

Dodger shook the bloke’s hand before a searing on the back of his right hand near stole his breath away. Like burning, wasn’t it just, and he yanked his hand closed to his chest as he bit down on the inside of his mouth, refusing to cry out, even though he did gasp sharp like. Stomach performed some remarkable acrobatics as the burning stopped near soon as it started, and Dodger glared up at the man. ‘Course the bloke didn’t tell him it would hurt.

Running his thumb of his left hand over the mark, his brow furrowed as the bloke’s words rippled ‘cross his mind. Didn’t have much desire for infamy, did he, and luck and fortune sounded like a nice turn of things, but a corner of his mouth tweaked with a thought.

“You ain’t gonna tell me what this does?” he asked, trying to keep the bloke from drifting away without explaining anything. Would be just like the Outsider to do that though, from what Dodger’d heard. “Or you just gonna stick your mark on me’n poof away?”

“….Purposely vague…dangerous….” She whispered, listening to the echo of their voice into the illusion- it faded, and twisted into the true voice from the form beneath and made her shudder…

But despite her fascination, her mind was perceiving the hints- the flashes much more readily than a human, things that they would see as random vestiges of their dreams; for someone who was shut away from the world…

These couldn’t be from her dreams. “….Why would they want to worship me?… I am a monster…an alien shade to them…a tale to scare children…”

Than again, the plague that was rampant was doing a much more effective job. 

  Corvo narrowed his eyes and shifted his position. A roll of his shoulders, releasing tension in his neck and back; changing his posture to that which he was most recognized for. Nothing, he figured, could sway the Outsider, make the boy god think twice, but he found, over the years, that his stance was enough to make him hesitate. The cold was beginning to bite, but Corvo would not allow that to conflict his mindset. The Outsider’s inquiries were interesting enough,  but never seen eye to eye. They were ever demanded existentially, making the victim think morally, carefully - 

   from the soul.

That, one may argue, speaks volumes on the black eyed bastard’s heart. Could one say that he has 

    a heart? 

The Royal Protector stuffed his thumbs into his belt loops, something to substitute the insecure posture pockets would grant him. Serkonan hues met a pair that rivaled him in darkness, and he drew his lips into a thin line. 

“You can speak straight with me, Outsider,” Corvo said. “but to answer your questions, I played my cards well enough for this long, and I know when to fold them.”

"I'm far too old for these games."

"What's it like to be immortal?"

"How old ARE you?"

"I'm afraid I don't understand the current slang."

"Do you know how to use a smart phone?"

"I am waaaaay older than you."

"Being this old has pros and cons."

"Do you have any idea what Netflix even is?"

"Did you meet Shakespeare?"

"I was alive when the pyramids of Egypt were built."

"Are you an angel or demon?"

"Humanity has jumped chasms in just the past thirty years. It took at least two hundred years to upgrade from wood to an iron plow."

"I'd rather ride a horse."

"You can't be THAT old!"

"That's simply impossible."

"I remember when stars filled the night sky and cities were practically nonexistent."

"Magic is real."

"Your problems are inconsequential."

"The universe spins, the earth moves and time passes ever on."

"What's it like, being as old as you are?"

"I'm just glad corsets have finally gone out of fashion."

"You can be upset about security measures all you want. I'm happy it doesn't take a month to travel across the Atlantic."

"Are you REALLY immortal?"

"I have seen all of time and space. You know what? It's the little stuff that counts."

"It's the here and now that's important to me."

"Doesn't it ever get boring?"

"I have loved many people over the many years. Each one is special to me."

"Every day brings new things."

"Do you ever want to end it?"

"I couldn't ask for anything more."