batb part two: electric boogaloo

[fearlessly]

[ alisaie is not afraid of the woods.

truthfully, alisaie is not afraid of much at all - not the things that most are afraid of, at least. she does not fear the dark, or wolves, or bandits. she does not fear loud storms or knives in the dark of faerie tale monsters stalking haunted forests. what she fears is being along. grieving. losing those she loves.

and that is why she is here. alisaie has ridden tirelessly through the night, driving baptiste hard over the hard, wintry earth, her breath frozen in her lungs, the frigid wind stinging her cheeks and ears and eyes. alphinaud is her entire world. he is all that she has, all of her family that remains, and the thought of living her life without him, moving forward alone..

she would rather not move forward at all.

and so she will find him, regardless of he consequence, heedless of the potential danger, for without him, she has no life at all.

baptiste remembers the way, and though she can feel the tension and fear in the body of the horse beneath her, still they press on, hooves slamming hard into the earth, empty branches pulling at her hair, whipping over their heads. the forest seems to go on and on, deeper and deeper into darkness and mist, until at long, long last the space opens up, and a dark castle looms ahead, its twisted spires climbing into the gray sky, its gloomy edifice frowning down as she approaches the wrought iron gates choked with decayed vines.

alisaie is not afraid of much, yet still the sight of it sends a chill down her spine.

what is this place? she's heard of no such estate as this - a castle, so close to the village? how have there been no stories? no history? she has ridden less than a day to find her brother, not far from home at all, and yet.. there is nothing in their books about this great castle, no tall tales, nothing at all. it is a phantom. still, somehow it feels familiar to her.. like a memory of a dream's dream.

exhaling a shudder, alisaie slides from baptiste's back, leading him to an icy, overgrown brook for a drink, looping the reins over a strong, bare branch before at last she approaches the castle. it's silent, sinister, but she.. she has no choice. if this is where alphinaud is, then she must press forward. the rusted gates groan, splitting the silence, and alisaie approaches the great doors, the old rotten oak swinging beneath her weight as she slips carefully into the great, dark foyer. ]

Comments

[punshots]

[ It sure is like a fairy tale, and the lampshading isn't lost on Prompto, even if his laugh is cut short by the soft kiss she presses to his mouth, stealing his breath away. He never thought he would have this, anything even remotely like this. He never thought he would become human again to experience it. But now he has, because she showed him not only that she loved him, but how to love himself, how to hope again. He is a changed man now, but that doesn't mean he hasn't forgotten what he was like...before she came into his life.

So he kisses her in return, fingers gliding along her jaw, his heart so impossibly full that it threatens to burst. How swiftly things have changed, and all for the better.

But Alisaie is right; they do have much to do, and so he pulls back a moment later, but only just. ]

There is...I have so many people to introduce you to. Properly, anyway. [ A pause, as his expression turns a bit sheepish. ] And...I'd like to apologize to your brother, if...if it's okay.

[fearlessly]

[ she's loathe enough to pull away as well, but she's also quite excited to meet the staff properly, to put real, live faces to the people she has come to know so well and love just as much. there will be time enough now to spend with one another any chance they get.

alisaie smiles wryly. ]

Well you hardly need to ask my permission.

[punshots]

[ Then it will be done. Everything may have turned out alright in the end, but Prompto can't let go of what he did to her brother so easily. He has to set things right. There is much to be done, but that must be among one of the first for him.

Still, he touches his brow to hers for a moment longer, before he at last moves away to at last climb to his feet, offering her a hand up. ]

Shall we?

[ They will do this together. ]