fearlessly | THE PSL!!!!!!

THE PSL!!!!!!

[ this time, returning had not been easy.

it's certainly not the first time. from the temple and lunatia both, alisaie had returned to her home only to bounce back to both places, but each time had been a reset, a return to her "real life," to what she left behind, as if she had never left. she had no recollection of her time spent outside of this world, no memory of the events, or emotions, or people she had been leaving behind, and so ignorance had been bliss. she had remembered, of course, every time she returned, but it had hardly mattered then, once she was back.

this time, she remembers, and because of it there is a sense of.. finality. alisaie does not know how or why, but somehow, deep in her gut, she knows that she will not be returning to lunatia. it might be her natural cynicism, her realism that one day it would come to pass that she would arrive home and not return, and she may very well be wrong, but still she cannot help the feeling that it is over, that just as she had expected she is left to remember it all, to keenly feel the ache of her breaking heart.

prompto would have said that it would be worth it. he had said as much, in the past. he would say that having experienced love would be enough, that their time together, even if less than they both would want, would be better than nothing. she wants to agree, but in her heart she cannot convince herself, and instead there is only a quiet, private bitterness that she nurses in the deep hours of the night when she sleeps to the sound of the chilly wind over the dry sands of amh araeng. the desert suits her, arid and inhospitable and imbued with an old and powerful sense of longing and loss; mayhaps it was one of the many reasons she had been drawn here to begin with, when she first arrived on the shard. this wasteland at the ends of the earth, its very sands and stones infused with the ache of countless grieving hearts and angry ends, is a reflection of her soul. it always has been.

but still she works. that much is easy. there is always work to be done, and alisaie is more than happy to see to it, to bury herself in it, to distract herself from her anger and heartbreak because it has been several moons now, and she was right. it has all ended, and rather than prompto being erased from her heart and mind, she is left with the lingering memory of him in her mind's eye, on her skin, in her heart. he had promised, and where is he now? where is she? alone with her thoughts in this desolate wasteland.

would that he were here, if only so she could sock him right in the gut. ]

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[ Though he's still winded and smarting from his fall, he can't help a weary, relieved smile that springs to his lips as she curses at him. Hard as their time apart has been on her, she hasn't changed. She's still the woman he knows and loves, the one whose courage gave him the strength to make this journey in the first place. At last, at long last, they are together again.

As a chuckle rubs against a sob in his throat, he knee-walks his way over to her and Pea, encircling the both of them in his arms, tucking his chin against the crown of her head as he inhales the sweet, familiar scent of her skin and hair. That alone is enough to bring his tears to the forefront, and they spill over his cheeks and into her hair, a sob wracking his whole body in a shuddering breath. ]

I know. [ And again, softer. ] I know.

[ Even with the promises he made, it wasn't in her nature to believe in them fully. He'd known that when he made them. And that's why it's all the more important that he kept them, that he made it here today, against all odds. ]

I missed you, so much.

[ Far more than words can rightly express. ]

[ he draws near again, moving his arms around her, and this time she does not punch him, she does not shove him, however tempting it still might be. but he is warm, and near, and when he pulls her in she can smell his skin and hair and the memory of it is overwhelmingly powerful, washing over her like a crashing wave. it all but drowns her, but she is happy to suffocate, to sink beneath the crushing waters and slip into the abyss. he smells so good..

there are words in her throat, and in her mind, but all that can escape her are sobs and trembling breaths, and alisaie leans all of her weight into prompto's arms, pressing hard to his chest, her hands weaving into the front of his coat. she can't stop inhaling the scent of him, or pressing her face to his neck, or soaking in the sound of his voice.

it's real. he's real. she has a thousand questions, but for now she needs only to hold to him, to feel him, to hold on tight with both hands, lest he evaporate before her eyes. ]

I love you..

[ she murmurs at last, her voice hoarse and hiccuping. ]

If you do this to me again, I will bloody well kill you with my own two hands, do you understand?

[ To be honest, he isn't sure if she is going to sock him again when he draws near, but he just can't stand to be so close to her at last and not be touching her. She remembers, just as he does, and she has felt so keenly their separation, just as he has. Still, it lifts his heart to hear her utter those words to him, the ones that mean more than any other to him in the whole wide world. ]

I love you, too.

[ He replies between sobs, his shoulders trembling, while Pea wriggles her way into their laps, eager at last to be reunited with her family.

He huffs another laugh at her threat, before dipping down to nuzzle his nose to her own. It may have only been a few months, hardly long at all in the grand scheme of things, but to him, it feels like it's been an eternity since they've touched, since they've kissed. Oh, how he's missed her... ]

I'm not going anywhere, sweetheart.

[ Not that he probably even could go back to Eos of his own volition, but that is a question for another time, another place. All that matters right now is holding tightly to her, and leaning down to press an eager kiss to her lips. ]

[ his mouth finds hers, and it's like a surge of muscle memory - alisaie presses back within an instant, parting her lips and slipping her arms around his shoulders and neck, squeezing tightly. soft, plaintive sounds move between their mouths, her breaths still quick and wet with angry sobs; thank the gods there are no sin eaters around, or they would surely be taken unawares.

when they break apart, alisaie presses her brow to his, pulling in deep, steadying breaths, her eyes closed and her heart pounding. it still feels like a dream, overwhelming and suffocating, pressing in all around her, but she is beginning to unwind, come down. pea whines in her lap, and alisaie at last looses a hand to stroke the dog's soft ears, dipping her head to press soft kisses to her furry brow. she, too, still smells the same, warm and familiar. ]

We.. should not linger here.

[ she says at last, her voice still rough and tremulous, but slowly beginning to even. ]

The nights are cold, and there are wild beasts about.

[ It's a good, long, warm kiss, one that leaves him breathless and wanting when they break apart, the rush of fondness and surge of memories so strong it nearly overpowers him. Gods, how he has missed her, everything about her, even the fury that comes alongside her love. He might be a little sore later, but hey, at least she didn't kill him this time... ]

R-right.

[ He answers between uneven breaths, but he is smiling when he draws back, even if his eyes are still red and puffy. With his hands still in hers, he gets to his feet, pulling her up to stand with him, careful to make sure she has her balance. ]

Lead the way, Ali.

[ She's the one who knows her way around this end of the world, after all. And anyway, Prompto couldn't stand to take her eyes off her for a moment to navigate, even if he wanted to. ]

Aye.

[ they are close enough to the inn that she is confident they will make it back before it gets too late - she never ventures too far on patrol, after all, not so far that she must needs camp in the sands. prompto looks tired, he must have traveled much today already, but it will be better for him to stumble his way to the inn and sleep in safety than tempt fate by sleeping beneath the stars. the inn has little in the ways of comfort, but there are warm files and hearty meals, at least, and even a thin mattress is better than sand.

so she stoops to lift her rapier from the ground, her hands still trembling, and turns to lead both he and pea along the dunes, her fingers woven tightly in prompto's, as if he will disappear the moment she turns her eyes away. she has a thousand questions, but for now they can wait.

the walk is no more than an hour before the stone spires come into view, and the moment they arrive alisaie leads him to an empty table, gathering bowls of stew for them both, and also a smaller one for pea, of course, along with a great deal of water for all three. only once they're all seen to does she sit across from him, breaking a fresh roll in half with her hands and handing off one half to him. ]

Of course, I shall need you to tell me everything.

[ Not much is said between them during their walk back to the inn, but that's just as well, because there's almost too much to say, and being in her presence alone is a lot to take in. Just the warmth of her hand in his is surreal, and he can imagine it's much the same for her. Unlike him, Alisaie didn't have the relative reassurance that he was in this world, and would have been hard-pressed to expect he ever could be, no matter what promises he had made. They both have a lot to process, a lot to take in, but for now, just walking and holding tight to her is enough to fill his heart near to bursting.

When the inn at last comes into sight, it's a welcome relief. She's right in her belief that he is weary down to his bones, and ready to sleep on something slightly less unyielding than the sand. He's put up with an awful lot of camping lately, and he is definitely a little ripe. Norvrandt doesn't exactly have all the amenities he's used to — his hair has even grown a little longer, swept down and to the side, and if she looks very, very closely, she might even see a trace of stubble on his chin. It's scant, but still.

Once they at last sit to a warm meal before them, Prompto sags into his seat, his limbs all seeming to weight a hundred pounds each, guzzling down half his glass before accepting the crust of bread from her. Hopefully she doesn't mind if he talks with his mouth full, but now that they've made it he has a lot of talking to do, and eating can only get in his way so much. ]

I will, but even if I do...dunno if it's gonna get any more believable.

[ He can still hardly believe it, and he certainly doesn't understand it. How did he wind up here rather than on Eos? ]

Last thing I remember from Lunatia was going to sleep, next to you. Next thing I knew, I woke up...here. Not on Eos.

[ that is.. certainly not the answer that she had expected. alisaie tucks into her own meal, albeit with a little less zeal, but her eyes never leave his face for more than seconds at a time. ]

You.. you mean to say that you did not find a way to cross the rift? You awoke here, same as I?

[ beneath the table, pea lays down at her feet, on her feet, resting her head on her paws and looking up to alisaie's face. weak to the face of her sweet doggo, alisaie breaks off a heel of bread for her, as well. she deserves it, for traveling so far. ]

And Pea as well?

[ for all the times she had traveled back and forth, never had she brought items or creatures with her.. ]

[ Slowly, he nods. It almost feels like cheating — he promised he would find her, but he doesn't know that he actually did anything to wind up here. But there must have been something, something about them or their bond that made something so impossible a reality. It can't just be a fluke that he woke up here, in the same time and place as he is.

But that's something they can riddle out another time, no doubt with the insight of Alisaie's fellow Scions and associates. Now that he's finally here, and his objective met, he has time to actually sit back and unravel it. ]

Yeah. Good thing I had her, too. Think the Viera might've killed me on sight if I didn't have her with me.

[ Because even they weren't immune to the charm of a pupper. A boring man, though, eh... ]

I am sure she was great company to you..

[ for if it was truly in the greatwood that he woke, then he has traveled quite a long way indeed, for she's relatively sure that he isn't able to use the incredibly convenient aetherytes with ease. norvrandt might be the only small space remaining of an entire world, but it is still a very large space, large enough to take several moons to travel its breadth on foot.

no wonder he looks so tired. would that she could offer him more than a thin mattress, but.. in time. for now, alisaie strokes the soft crown of pea's head. ]

Well, to bed with you the moment you are finished with your meal.

[ Eyebrows lifting, Prompto swallows his mouthful of stew and bread before exclaiming: ]

Bed? That's the last thing I wanna do right now. We've got so much catchin' up to do!

[ Never mind that he's not even sure he can get back onto his feet. Sitting is such a welcome relief...but no, he doesn't want to sleep!!! Not when he could be touching her or listening to her voice or looking into her eyes. He can sleep any old time...

Not to mention, a small part of him is still afraid that if he goes to sleep, he'll wake up and realize that this was all a dream. And he can't have that. ]

I know. There is so much I want to hear from you.

[ she wants to hear everything about his journey, who he met, what he saw, where he has been - she would have loved to show him norvrandt herself, to introduce him to all of the places she had told him about in stories and conversations, but she shall have to settle for his accounts instead.

still, she smiles gently, reaching to close a hand over one of his. ]

But you look ready to collapse. We will have plenty of time tomorrow.

[ he can sleep next to her, touching her, listening to her snore, that's good enough isn't it?? ]

[ Called out...but she isn't wrong. Even taking into account the gusto with which he eats his meal, Prompto is the picture of a dead man walking. The circles under his eyes and dirt beneath his fingernails are telling of all he went through to get here, and now that he's made it, with Alisaie before him, the weariness that he has kept at bay for months by sheer willpower is beginning to settle into his bones in earnest. Even if he wants to stay awake with her, he's not so sure he could do it. ]

Heh, gimme some credit, I could stay awake allll night if I wanted to...

[ He says, through stifled yawn, and a mouthful of bread.

Still, he turns his hand over beneath hers so their palms kiss, and squeezes her hand in return. ]

...Don't s'pose you've got a shower around here, do you?

A shower? Unfortunately no..

[ in mord souq, yes, but here in the middle of nowhere? sorry prompto, there's no plumbing, no real toilets, only basins and outhouses, but.. ]

But we can manage a bath for you, once you are finished.

[ it won't be quite as nice as a scalding hot shower with real plumbing, but it's better than nothing. alisaie offers the remainder of her bread to pea, then dusts the crumbs from her hands, and gestures somewhere past where prompto is sitting. if he follows her movement, he'll see a ragged looking curtain that seems to hide an alcove in the stone. ]

I should get it started for you. When you're finished eating, I'll be right over there.

[ not out of eyeshot, thankfully, for neither of them likely want the other to be out of sight for now - like as not they'll be inseparable for a good long time. but if she's to fill him a bath, it will be manually, so she needs to get started. ]

[ Tired as he is, it takes him a moment to grasp her meaning — but soon as he does, he's cramming the last of his bread into his mouth and trotting after her, even if there's not much spring to his step. Even so, he can't let her do all the work herself! ]

You don't have to do that. [ He says, though it's quite muffled since he's still chewing his food. ] Seriously, I'll be fine.

[ He insists, even though he's already swaying on his feet. Even if it's not a hot shower, a bath sounds beyond heavenly, just what his aching joints needs. But still.

Lightly, he grasps her elbow. ]

I'd probably just fall asleep in it, anyway...

[ alisaie has crossed to the alcove by the time prompto catches up, his cheeks chipmunked with food - he was supposed to relax and enjoy his meal!! she sighs audibly - ah, she missed him, but she sure didn't miss this sort of behavior!! taking his hand from her elbow, alisaie plucks it away, then gives it an affectionate squeeze, though her tone is firm. ]

Then you shall fall asleep in it.

[ briefly, her gaze sweeps down his clothing before she's turning to pull back the curtain, revealing two large aluminum basins sat over a bed of gently glowing coals. one is full of fresh water, for which she is thankful.. it's not easy hauling buckets. she gestures widely for him to pass. ]

If you are still the man I know, those filthy clothes are driving you out of your mind.

[ she knows her boy.. he hate being cruddy ]

[ She isn't wrong, she isn't wrong in the slightest, he hates feeling all cruddy and gross!!! Even if he's gotten somewhat used to it, he sure as hell doesn't enjoy it. And he knows that tone...a few months doesn't mean he's forgotten when he should just shut up and let her take care of him. Neither of them are good about it, and he's already put her through so much these past few months...but in the end, he's just too damn tired to argue it.

Sighing more from exhaustion than anything else, Prompto steps past the curtain, Pea trotting at his heels, and once it sweeps closed behind them, he drops his bag and begins to unlace his filthy, mud-stained boots. ]

Hey, you don't know, maybe I picked up on the Gladio way of life! Wearin' my manly musk proudly. Blood, sweat, and...everything else.

[ Gods, he feels disgusting. ]

I love it when you talk about your manly musk.

[ she teases, and it's as if no time has passed at all, as if nothing has changed between them, because.. it hasn't. these long moons have felt endless, but in the end, their time apart was not terribly long, compared with what it could have been. falling into their old patterns is as easy as breathing.

reaching through the curtain, alisaie flips the wooden sign to occupied, and sets to work filling a wooden bucket with water from the filled tub and splashing it into the empty one, before she's carefully helping prompto out of his dusty jacket, and tossing it right into the water of the second tub. alisaie has a much higher tolerance for grossness than prompto does, but even she knows when it's time to get the scummy clothing washed. leaning in, she sniffs at the nape of his neck, then recoils - mostly exaggerated, but he's still pretty ripe.. ]

Gods, that stink could fell an aurochs.

[ she's trying, and failing, not to smile. ]

[ Wow!!! He just came here to have a good time, and he's feeling so attacked right now?! Except her teasing is so welcome and familiar that even something as simple as that nearly brings tears back to his eyes. His time traveling alone has certainly not hardened his heart — if anything, it has only made it softer. ]

Oh, yeah? You don't exactly smell like a sweet summer rose yourself!

[ And instead of peeling off his stinky shirt, he's just going to wrap his arms around her shoulder and pull him right into his smelly embrace!!! Didn't she miss him so much. ]

How d'you like my smell now, huh? Huh?

Excuse me I bathed just last night!

[ which isn't, you know, super duper recent but whatever she's not even close to his stinkitude!! alisaie shrieks, immediately shoving him back and wriggling free of his smelly embrace like a little wily ferret, even though she's laughing while she points to the tub. ]

In! You stink worse than a summer chocobo!

[ that eau de barnyard ]

[ Much as he might try to suppress it, he laughs as well, and it's almost...surreal. He still can't quite seem to believe this is really happening, that he's here with her, laughing and joking as if nothing has changed.

But between them, nothing really has, has it?

Chuckling, he peels off his shirt and pants which stick to him more than he cares to admit or think about, and throws them in the empty basin with the others. There's only one thing he still wears — the compass locket, one half of the set that she possesses the other part of. It hasn't worked right since he arrived in Norvrandt, but still, it was a momento of their time together, and it kept him same throughout his journey.

Without further ado, he steps into the warm water of the tub, easing himself down while what sounds like every bone in his body cracks. ]

Ohhh yeah, that's what I'm talkin' about...

[ the last of his clothing goes into the tub, and alisaie tosses another bucket of water over it, smiling. ]

You see?

[ she knew he needed this!! she knows her boy well. and honestly, even gladio would probably enjoy a piping hot bath after that long on the road. alisaie dumps a scoop of soap flakes into the water with the clothing to let them soak, then dumps another into prompto's water, before lifting a washcloth and circling 'round behind him. slowly, gently, she dips the cloth into the water and begins to draw it over his shoulders. ]

Go on and fall asleep, then.

[ she murmurs, around a smile. ]

[ He hasn't settled into the bath for more than a moment before his eyes are fluttering closed — not so he can sleep, mind you, but to, you know, better appreciate how amazing the water feels — but they do open slightly when she pulls the washcloth over his dirty, aching shoulders. He lifts them to her face, watching her pensively, though he is not really that deep in thought. It's merely a wonder to behold her at all, and to have her watching over him like this, taking care of him, as she has so many times before. ]

But I don't wanna get all p-pruny...

[ Despite the lightness in his tone, his voice breaks over the last word as a sob catches in his throat, and quickly, he reaches a hand from the water to grasp one of hers, bringing it close so he can press kisses and gentle words to her fingertips. Emotions that cannot be contained inside his heart any longer and must be expressed.

How in the world did he get so lucky as to have this? ]

[ for a brief moment she thinks he's breaking into tears because he doesn't want to prune.. which is honestly not too out of character for the prompto she knows tbh..

but immediately after she is leaning forward, gently winding her arms around his shoulders and neck from behind, her chin coming to rest in the dip of his shoulder. being apart and afraid has been difficult, yes, but he has also been all but alone in a strange world for.. how many moons now? several, if she's to assume that he arrived when she did, that they left lunatia at or around the same time. it must have been frightening, and lonely, and alarming, every step dangerous and uncertain. ]

It's all right.

[ she murmurs, her voice gone soft and gentle, her brow tipping against his temple. ]

I am here. You are safe.

[ Honestly...yeah, it's not out of the question that he's bursting into tears because he doesn't want to prune...but no, it's just the overwhelming onslaught of emotion that crashes over him like a wave. It's everything at once — joy, relief, grief, loneliness, gratitude — but above all, love, engulfing love, that threatens to drown him, the weight of it pressing down on his shoulders — until she is there, winding her arms around him, holding him close. Without another thought, he turns to press his face into her neck, his tears slipping onto her skin. ]

I-I know. [ He hiccups in a breath, before his tone steadies. ] I know.

[ It's in part why he weeps now, because he is at last here, at last safe. That simple fact is so much to take in, that it can't help but be overwhelming. ]

I just...

[ But words fail him then, so instead, he simply lets his eyes fall closed against her neck, inhaling the scent of her, reveling in it, and the familiar warmth of her skin. ]

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