[ ...Oh. He...hadn't actually thought about that, about Gladio wanting to know what had happened to him after he'd fallen from the train. What happened in Niflheim isn't something Prompto has really talked about with anyone, not even Noctis, but there hasn't really been a good time for it. And even if there was, Prompto would have been reluctant to compound his friend's guilt from having thrown him from the train to begin with. Gladio, however...
Would it be wrong, to burden him with it? He is asking. And he's trying to break this habit of not letting others support him when they offer it. When he really stops to think about it, he does want to talk about it, and everyone has been so encouraging. It's okay to think about what he wants sometimes.
At last, he nods. ]
Yeah, I'll tell you. [ He can't help but add: ] Gonna kinda be a bummer of a story, though.
Maybe - but if anyone can find and capture the good moments, it's you.
[ If they're being honest, their whole fairytale adventure started out with the biggest bummer of all, and things didn't get any better over time. Not that anyone would know if they ever saw Prompto's photographs alone, which all tell a story of smiles and hope. He has no doubt that Prompto's story, no matter how sad it is, there are some things in there to be grateful about. Prompto will find it, eventually. ]
Anyway, as ya might've heard, we stopped by Tenebrae. It wasn't a long stop, though. [ He shouldn't assume that Prompto knows anything about this part of the story, actually, so he clarifies-- ] The place was practically in flames by the time we got there. It's how we ran into Aranea.
[ Leaning forward with his elbows on the table, Prompto huffs a warm laugh at Gladio's clarification. He actually knows a bit more about that part of the story than he might suspect, but Aranea is the sort of person who can cause some chaos if she wants to...it's a fair clarification! ]
...She mentioned that to me. That she ran into you in Tenebrae, I mean. [ He pauses, dragging his pinky through the remnants of syrup on his plate as his knees bounce beneath the table. ] Glad...Noct got to see it after all. Why'd you stop?
[ It hadn't been a popular choice with Gladio, last Prompto knew. ]
Train got overrun by more daemons. We managed to beat 'em back, but the place we were headed to was no place for civilians.
[ Ergo, they needed to be kicked off the train! Much gentler than Prompto was, at least. ]
So Aranea managed to find you, then? Noct was worried, ya know. [ Well, they all were, but it doesn't change the fact that Gladio pushed everyone to move forward, rather than go back for Prompto. It wasn't an easy decision, to say the least. ]
That's why we asked her for a favour.
[ Which was to find Prompto - as she likely already explained that bit to him! ]
Heh...now you know she's reliable for a favor. If Aranea hadn't shown up, I...
[ Well, they'll get to that when Prompto explains his side of the story. Honestly, he isn't sure whether or not Aranea was looking for him specifically, or if she just happened to be targeting the facility that Ardyn had deposited him into. Either way, her intervention had saved his life in more ways than one, and he owes her a great debt for what she did.
They all do. ]
So...where'd you go from Tenebrae? On to the capital?
[ He nods, agreeing with his assessment on Aranea and also confirming what happened next. ]
We took a train for ourselves, but Aranea's men commandeered it. At some point we ran into The Glacian, or rather, she came to our rescue and... well, she delivered Lady Lunafreya's last message to Noct.
[ The Glacian is also a messenger? Yup! ]
It came with the usual forming of a pact, and all.
[ So, they'd found the Glacian after all...hadn't there been reports that the Empire had slain her? Then again, she was an Astral. They probably don't follow the same rules of life that the rest of them do, and so long as Noct got to form his pact, that's the most important thing. ]
Four down, then...nice of her to come to you guys. [ WHY COULDN'T LEVIATHAN HAVE BEEN THAT COOPERATIVE ] Any other surprises along the way?
[ How long had it been, anyway? It had been a blur for him, especially once Ardyn had taken him into his "care". He would guess he was at Zegnautus for a few weeks, but honestly, he can't be sure. ]
Yeah, how 'bout the fact that it was Gentiana all along?
[ She could have come to them any time! But Gladio was also knocked out for most of this part of the story, so this is all second-hand information from Noctis.
He gives Prompto a chance to react before he continues. ]
According to the stories, the Glacian didn't care for mankind in the beginning. It's said that even after she grew more compassionate, she ended up losin' her faith in us a second time.
[ And who can blame her, certainly? She was even killed by humanity at one point. ]
Must've been quite something to live among us while she served the Oracle...
[ This is really getting way too philosophical for breakfast now. Gladio groans and rubs his forehead as he tries to think of a way to steer them back on track. They're nearing the end of this recap anyway, but in the meantime, it's Prompto's turn to speak. ]
[ Right. He needs to get to his end of the story as well, and while Prompto isn't reluctant to share it, exactly, he is...well, he hasn't talked about it much with anyone, even Noctis. He doesn't even know where to start.
He leans back in his seat again, propping up his ankle on his knee, arms crossed. ]
...Niflheim. [ A sigh. ] If...you wanna get more specific, the First Magitek Production Facility. Ardyn...took me there.
[ His next words are more difficult, and they pass his lips only by knowing fully that he can trust Gladio with anything. ]
[ Right... some of this isn't much of a surprise to Gladio, having heard a short version of this story once before. He always thought that "one of them" just meant he's a boy from Niflheim, but this rabbit hole seems to go much deeper.
Gladio swallows, almost afraid to ask him to clarify. ]
You were made. What does that mean? I thought the troopers were...
[ Come to think of it, there's that barcode that was never quite properly explained either... ]
[ ...Right. He kept that pretty brief before, didn't he? He told his friends the most salient part, but there's still so much they don't know. And maybe it doesn't matter — here, especially — but...he wants Gladio to know. It's a sign of trust that goes both ways, and an acknowledgement on Prompto's part that he's pretty terrible about talking about himself. It's something he's trying to change.
So, one step at a time. ]
...They're nuts 'n' bolts, yeah. But their cores, the ones that power 'em...they're made from daemonized human souls.
[ Gladio puts two and two together, and thinks he has a pretty clear picture of what Prompto is trying to tell him. If his mortified expression is anything to go by. ]
A factory for souls, too, then?
[ He said that he was "made" there, so Gladio can only assume that it's not just nuts and bolts coming out of there... ]
Shit... [ He leans forward at the table a little, trying his best to stomach what he just learned. He can only imagine how Prompto must've taken to the news.] How did ya make it to Lucis?
[ Spoilers: he didn't take it well, and if Aranea hadn't shown up...who knows what would have happened to him. Maybe he wouldn't have made it out of that facility at all, instead buried in the rubble. He owes her his life, in more ways than one. ]
Guess there was a Lucian spy at the facility just after I was, uh...born. [ In a manner of speaking, anyway. ] Of all the kids there he could have rescued, for whatever reason, the one they rescued was...me.
[ There's a little shame in the way he admits that, because how could his life have been any more worth saving than any of the other children's in that lab? Why did he get a chance to live a normal life, when countless others had all gone to the same fate?
It's something he'll probably never understand. He just...got lucky. That's all. ]
[ Gladio thinks that the spy would have taken all of those children if they could have, just as King Regis would have liked to save everyone in the Crown City. Even the remaining Glaives will sacrifice a lot more long before Noctis awakes from his sleep. It's a sad fact of the world, and far from okay, but it won't be like this forever.
He can tell that Prompto feels something for those remaining children, though, and that's perfectly fine. His empathy for others is what makes him a special person, it's a quality that Gladio would never want to change for his brother. Survivor's guilt, on the other hand, is not something he would want Prompto to carry around with him... ]
Listen. Regardless of where you started, you've come this far 'cause of yourself. Lots of people get born the usual way and never amount to anything, but you made something of your miracle.
[ And had anyone else been rescued instead of Prompto, they might have just lived a comfortable life in Lucis until the day of the attack. Gladio doesn't want to get too pragmatic about the whole thing, though. All he knows is that he's glad that it was Prompto he got to know. ]
[ Walk tall. Right. He can't do that if he keeps living in the past, can he? It isn't easy to put one foot in front of the other. It wasn't easy that day he'd done it in Niflheim, when he and Aranea had taken down his father's final creation. He'd made a choice, then, of who he wanted to be, and what path he would take in this life. He thought that maybe meant leaving his past behind, abandoning it, but...he can't do that either.
Truly moving forward means accepting it, embracing it, and acknowledging how it shaped him, too. For all he's ever regretted in his life, for all the loneliness he's suffered, he wouldn't be who he is today without those hardships, and...
He's actually kind of proud of where he's ended up.
He smiles softly, nodding to Gladio with a little sound of affirmation. ]
You're right. I owe it to them, to all of them, to make sure my life means something. I won't hang my head when I've got so much to live for.
[ And then, his grin slanting: ]
Heh...y'know, I think I needed that pep talk more than I realized.
[ There's the old Prompto he knows, and the one he's always going to see no matter what he learned about his close friend today. Test tube baby or Niff... Prompto is one of the finest people Gladio has ever known and he'll always be there for him. Will always look out for him, and know that Prompto has his back, too. Most of all, he realizes how lucky they are that they all get to be here together. ]
Heh, you got to cozy up with Aranea and I'm the one givin' you a pep talk? Give me a break.
[ He brings up the morning newspaper to his face again, hiding a soft laugh behind it. ]
...I'm glad we could talk.
[ Especially if he feels a little better about it now. No Chocobro should carry a burden all on their own, that's what they have each other for. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Would it be wrong, to burden him with it? He is asking. And he's trying to break this habit of not letting others support him when they offer it. When he really stops to think about it, he does want to talk about it, and everyone has been so encouraging. It's okay to think about what he wants sometimes.
At last, he nods. ]
Yeah, I'll tell you. [ He can't help but add: ] Gonna kinda be a bummer of a story, though.
no subject
[ If they're being honest, their whole fairytale adventure started out with the biggest bummer of all, and things didn't get any better over time. Not that anyone would know if they ever saw Prompto's photographs alone, which all tell a story of smiles and hope. He has no doubt that Prompto's story, no matter how sad it is, there are some things in there to be grateful about. Prompto will find it, eventually. ]
Anyway, as ya might've heard, we stopped by Tenebrae. It wasn't a long stop, though. [ He shouldn't assume that Prompto knows anything about this part of the story, actually, so he clarifies-- ] The place was practically in flames by the time we got there. It's how we ran into Aranea.
[ Further clarification!! ]
Don't worry, she wasn't responsible for it.
no subject
...She mentioned that to me. That she ran into you in Tenebrae, I mean. [ He pauses, dragging his pinky through the remnants of syrup on his plate as his knees bounce beneath the table. ] Glad...Noct got to see it after all. Why'd you stop?
[ It hadn't been a popular choice with Gladio, last Prompto knew. ]
no subject
[ Ergo, they needed to be kicked off the train! Much gentler than Prompto was, at least. ]
So Aranea managed to find you, then? Noct was worried, ya know. [ Well, they all were, but it doesn't change the fact that Gladio pushed everyone to move forward, rather than go back for Prompto. It wasn't an easy decision, to say the least. ]
That's why we asked her for a favour.
[ Which was to find Prompto - as she likely already explained that bit to him! ]
no subject
[ Well, they'll get to that when Prompto explains his side of the story. Honestly, he isn't sure whether or not Aranea was looking for him specifically, or if she just happened to be targeting the facility that Ardyn had deposited him into. Either way, her intervention had saved his life in more ways than one, and he owes her a great debt for what she did.
They all do. ]
So...where'd you go from Tenebrae? On to the capital?
no subject
We took a train for ourselves, but Aranea's men commandeered it. At some point we ran into The Glacian, or rather, she came to our rescue and... well, she delivered Lady Lunafreya's last message to Noct.
[ The Glacian is also a messenger? Yup! ]
It came with the usual forming of a pact, and all.
no subject
Four down, then...nice of her to come to you guys. [ WHY COULDN'T LEVIATHAN HAVE BEEN THAT COOPERATIVE ] Any other surprises along the way?
[ How long had it been, anyway? It had been a blur for him, especially once Ardyn had taken him into his "care". He would guess he was at Zegnautus for a few weeks, but honestly, he can't be sure. ]
no subject
[ She could have come to them any time! But Gladio was also knocked out for most of this part of the story, so this is all second-hand information from Noctis.
He gives Prompto a chance to react before he continues. ]
no subject
Wait, you're tellin' me that Gentiana was the Glacian all a long? [ He whistles. ] Hoo boy, now I get what you meant about her bein' a messenger...
[ He didn't see that one coming. Pretty clever of her, really, though that's not surprising, coming from a god. ]
no subject
[ And who can blame her, certainly? She was even killed by humanity at one point. ]
Must've been quite something to live among us while she served the Oracle...
[ This is really getting way too philosophical for breakfast now. Gladio groans and rubs his forehead as he tries to think of a way to steer them back on track. They're nearing the end of this recap anyway, but in the meantime, it's Prompto's turn to speak. ]
How and where did Aranea find you?
no subject
He leans back in his seat again, propping up his ankle on his knee, arms crossed. ]
...Niflheim. [ A sigh. ] If...you wanna get more specific, the First Magitek Production Facility. Ardyn...took me there.
[ His next words are more difficult, and they pass his lips only by knowing fully that he can trust Gladio with anything. ]
It's...where I came from. Where I was made.
no subject
Gladio swallows, almost afraid to ask him to clarify. ]
You were made. What does that mean? I thought the troopers were...
[ Come to think of it, there's that barcode that was never quite properly explained either... ]
no subject
So, one step at a time. ]
...They're nuts 'n' bolts, yeah. But their cores, the ones that power 'em...they're made from daemonized human souls.
[ So...there's that. ]
Bet you can guess where they got the souls from.
no subject
A factory for souls, too, then?
[ He said that he was "made" there, so Gladio can only assume that it's not just nuts and bolts coming out of there... ]
Shit... [ He leans forward at the table a little, trying his best to stomach what he just learned. He can only imagine how Prompto must've taken to the news.] How did ya make it to Lucis?
no subject
Guess there was a Lucian spy at the facility just after I was, uh...born. [ In a manner of speaking, anyway. ] Of all the kids there he could have rescued, for whatever reason, the one they rescued was...me.
[ There's a little shame in the way he admits that, because how could his life have been any more worth saving than any of the other children's in that lab? Why did he get a chance to live a normal life, when countless others had all gone to the same fate?
It's something he'll probably never understand. He just...got lucky. That's all. ]
no subject
[ Gladio thinks that the spy would have taken all of those children if they could have, just as King Regis would have liked to save everyone in the Crown City. Even the remaining Glaives will sacrifice a lot more long before Noctis awakes from his sleep. It's a sad fact of the world, and far from okay, but it won't be like this forever.
He can tell that Prompto feels something for those remaining children, though, and that's perfectly fine. His empathy for others is what makes him a special person, it's a quality that Gladio would never want to change for his brother. Survivor's guilt, on the other hand, is not something he would want Prompto to carry around with him... ]
Listen. Regardless of where you started, you've come this far 'cause of yourself. Lots of people get born the usual way and never amount to anything, but you made something of your miracle.
[ And had anyone else been rescued instead of Prompto, they might have just lived a comfortable life in Lucis until the day of the attack. Gladio doesn't want to get too pragmatic about the whole thing, though. All he knows is that he's glad that it was Prompto he got to know. ]
Walk tall, yeah?
no subject
Truly moving forward means accepting it, embracing it, and acknowledging how it shaped him, too. For all he's ever regretted in his life, for all the loneliness he's suffered, he wouldn't be who he is today without those hardships, and...
He's actually kind of proud of where he's ended up.
He smiles softly, nodding to Gladio with a little sound of affirmation. ]
You're right. I owe it to them, to all of them, to make sure my life means something. I won't hang my head when I've got so much to live for.
[ And then, his grin slanting: ]
Heh...y'know, I think I needed that pep talk more than I realized.
no subject
Heh, you got to cozy up with Aranea and I'm the one givin' you a pep talk? Give me a break.
[ He brings up the morning newspaper to his face again, hiding a soft laugh behind it. ]
...I'm glad we could talk.
[ Especially if he feels a little better about it now. No Chocobro should carry a burden all on their own, that's what they have each other for. ]