He woke up on a cot. To its credit, it was more comfortable than some of the motel beds he had passed out on. He could hear an engine, but it was too loud to be a car and it rattled the entire cot, and for that matter he didn't know of any cars big enough to fit a cot. Especially not a cot big enough for two people.
He was pretty sure he was starting to grasp how the ring worked.
He cracked an eye open and found himself in…an airship?
"Good morning."
Prompto felt ice down his spine at the (admittedly unexpectedly casual) greeting, and he turned his head slowly to see the chancellor sitting on a bench bolted to the opposite wall and scrolling through a tablet.
"Tea?" Ardyn offered, gesturing loosely to a thermos sitting on the bench.
"Um."
Finally, Ardyn glanced up, offering Prompto a sardonic look over the top of the tablet. "I wasn't aware that was a difficult question."
Sitting up so he was kneeling on the cot, Prompto shook his head stiffly. "No thanks."
"Hm. Well, we'll be in Gralea soon."
And just like that, the conversation was over. It sounded a bit like a dismissal, so Prompto was going to assume he was supposed to get dressed and ready for the day. After surprisingly little fumbling and dilly-dallying, he managed to find and put on…some sort of guard uniform? Whatever it was, it involved armor. He almost felt sort of badass, but he was also pretty sure he would scare people if they ran into him at night. He wasn't sure how to feel about that.
He looked…a bit like an MT, if he thought about it, so he decided not to think about it. Instead, as he sat on the edge of the cot, he reached for one of his guns without even thinking, because dismantling them, cleaning them, and putting them back together had become a strangely soothing ritual since leaving Insomnia.
Stranger still, he actually reached a gun. He shot a glance up at Ardyn, wondering how he had access to the armiger if Noct wasn't there, before he stared down at the shotgun across his lap because frankly, that thought was more terrifying than he really wanted to deal with just then. It wasn't one of his handguns, but if he could figure out how to maintenance a soundblaster, he could figure out how to take care of a shotgun.
Halfway through, the floor of the airship juddered and he looked up. "We, uh--we landing?"
"Hm." Ardyn glanced up over the edge of the tablet again, his gaze probing. "You seem distracted, pet."
Prompto jumped when Ardyn was abruptly right there, crouching in front of him, his hands on Prompto's knees.
"It...was a weird night." He had the strangest feeling that he was going to be saying that a lot.
"Ah, more dreams?" Ardyn sounded strangely amused. "Shall I get the programmer to take another look in your head again?" He grabbed Prompto's chin between two fingers, tipping his face up.
Prompto felt like a fist had closed around his chest, and he had the sudden urge to start scraping his skin off to see what was under it. "Wha--no." He jerked his head back. "No, it's fine, it's not a big deal."
"If you insist." Ardyn stood up again, venturing towards the gangplank as the airship readied to land. Prompto ducked his head, shoulders rounding, and hurried to finish with the shotgun.
Prompto was not accustomed to 'see, but don't be seen.' And yet, that seemed to be his role. Be one with the crowd. Be one with the landscape. Be one with the furnishings. Brandish the shotgun as needed. He supposed it was good that school had prepared him for that pretty well. The invisibility part, at least. Less so the 'threaten with bodily harm' part.
"How quaint." Ardyn seized his hand somewhere around mid-evening, inspecting the ring with a knowing, unnerving glint in his eye. "I don't recognize it."
"Found it." The words tumbled out of Prompto's mouth. "I liked it. It, uh--it made me think of you." He was guessing, but he was pretty sure that was appropriate for this world's Prompto to say. Ardyn looked sort of charmed by the admission, at least. "Can I keep it?"
Ardyn pet one hand through Prompto's hair. "If you're so fond of it. Now, if you'll excuse me," he turned towards the double doors before them, "there are a few people I need to feed a piece of my mind to. I shan't be long." He strolled away, the doors closing with a thunderous bang.
Prompto waited just long enough to be sure Ardyn wasn't going to pop right back out before he slid down the wall to sit on the floor, gathering his knees close to his chest. He folded his arms on top of them and tucked his face against his arms, despite how uncomfortable the armor made it.
He needed a nap. He needed to be somewhere--anywhere!--else.
Re: Fill: If the Ring Fits 4/?
He was pretty sure he was starting to grasp how the ring worked.
He cracked an eye open and found himself in…an airship?
"Good morning."
Prompto felt ice down his spine at the (admittedly unexpectedly casual) greeting, and he turned his head slowly to see the chancellor sitting on a bench bolted to the opposite wall and scrolling through a tablet.
"Tea?" Ardyn offered, gesturing loosely to a thermos sitting on the bench.
"Um."
Finally, Ardyn glanced up, offering Prompto a sardonic look over the top of the tablet. "I wasn't aware that was a difficult question."
Sitting up so he was kneeling on the cot, Prompto shook his head stiffly. "No thanks."
"Hm. Well, we'll be in Gralea soon."
And just like that, the conversation was over. It sounded a bit like a dismissal, so Prompto was going to assume he was supposed to get dressed and ready for the day. After surprisingly little fumbling and dilly-dallying, he managed to find and put on…some sort of guard uniform? Whatever it was, it involved armor. He almost felt sort of badass, but he was also pretty sure he would scare people if they ran into him at night. He wasn't sure how to feel about that.
He looked…a bit like an MT, if he thought about it, so he decided not to think about it. Instead, as he sat on the edge of the cot, he reached for one of his guns without even thinking, because dismantling them, cleaning them, and putting them back together had become a strangely soothing ritual since leaving Insomnia.
Stranger still, he actually reached a gun. He shot a glance up at Ardyn, wondering how he had access to the armiger if Noct wasn't there, before he stared down at the shotgun across his lap because frankly, that thought was more terrifying than he really wanted to deal with just then. It wasn't one of his handguns, but if he could figure out how to maintenance a soundblaster, he could figure out how to take care of a shotgun.
Halfway through, the floor of the airship juddered and he looked up. "We, uh--we landing?"
"Hm." Ardyn glanced up over the edge of the tablet again, his gaze probing. "You seem distracted, pet."
Prompto jumped when Ardyn was abruptly right there, crouching in front of him, his hands on Prompto's knees.
"It...was a weird night." He had the strangest feeling that he was going to be saying that a lot.
"Ah, more dreams?" Ardyn sounded strangely amused. "Shall I get the programmer to take another look in your head again?" He grabbed Prompto's chin between two fingers, tipping his face up.
Prompto felt like a fist had closed around his chest, and he had the sudden urge to start scraping his skin off to see what was under it. "Wha--no." He jerked his head back. "No, it's fine, it's not a big deal."
"If you insist." Ardyn stood up again, venturing towards the gangplank as the airship readied to land. Prompto ducked his head, shoulders rounding, and hurried to finish with the shotgun.
Prompto was not accustomed to 'see, but don't be seen.' And yet, that seemed to be his role. Be one with the crowd. Be one with the landscape. Be one with the furnishings. Brandish the shotgun as needed. He supposed it was good that school had prepared him for that pretty well. The invisibility part, at least. Less so the 'threaten with bodily harm' part.
"How quaint." Ardyn seized his hand somewhere around mid-evening, inspecting the ring with a knowing, unnerving glint in his eye. "I don't recognize it."
"Found it." The words tumbled out of Prompto's mouth. "I liked it. It, uh--it made me think of you." He was guessing, but he was pretty sure that was appropriate for this world's Prompto to say. Ardyn looked sort of charmed by the admission, at least. "Can I keep it?"
Ardyn pet one hand through Prompto's hair. "If you're so fond of it. Now, if you'll excuse me," he turned towards the double doors before them, "there are a few people I need to feed a piece of my mind to. I shan't be long." He strolled away, the doors closing with a thunderous bang.
Prompto waited just long enough to be sure Ardyn wasn't going to pop right back out before he slid down the wall to sit on the floor, gathering his knees close to his chest. He folded his arms on top of them and tucked his face against his arms, despite how uncomfortable the armor made it.
He needed a nap. He needed to be somewhere--anywhere!--else.