otrazhenie | Station 72 >> Mental Link

( A girl after m'heart. I'll never say no to some grub. )

[she reminds him of iris at times, with her (big) sister demeanor, looking after a lot of dumb, dumb boys.]

( Not that you wouldn't do it, I bet. Hmm... Meet you at the cabin? I'd rather walk with you to the food. )

[contact, familiarity; all important to prompto]

[ Looking after people has always been what she does, regardless of whether they're dumb boys or not. The dumb boys just take a lot more work, but she'll still do it in a heartbeat. ]

( Of course I'd still do it. Someone has to. ) [ There's a mental impression of a good-natured eyeroll to go along with it. ] ( I'll be there in a few minutes, I'm not far. )

[ And it doesn't take her more than five minutes to make her way back to the cabin they've all been sharing. With what's happened to others on the ship, she doesn't exactly want Prompto wandering around on his own if he can help it - she knows he can take care of himself, but he's still just human, and she'd hate herself if anything happened to him. ]

[he just--hums a tune in his head for her. that's what he's got to say; have at your "elevator" music, prompto style]

[at her approach, he smiles and waves]

Thanks for joinin' me. ( Today, we'll feast, while pretending to be cool, otherworldly creatures, still. ) [he's good at incognito] ( What are you feelin' like having? )

[ Having music of any kind in her head is a welcome treat, filling the void left by Gil's absence. That silence from him is unsettling as always, and she struggles against the urge to beg off joining Prompto so she can sit with their sleeping broodmate. But no, she knows Gil wouldn't want that, and so for now at least she's going to push herself to keep going, have a little fun if she can. ]

It's my pleasure, thank you for the invitation. [ She's getting better at playing the role of a noble woman, thankfully. Who knows how much longer this mission will last. ]

( I don't really have a preference, I probably won't eat much of it anyway. ) [ She's still getting used to the new taste of food, and really only goes through the motions of eating like the others to keep up appearances. ]

( And you're giving me a hard time about passing out at the sauna. )

[he offers her an arm, as gentlemen--possibly noble-gentles would do (right? he's never been too good at this formal stuff)--so they can start walking down towards where the foods are.]

( Now's not the time for diets. )

[though he feels the apprehension in her thoughts] ( I can calculate calories for you. Or estimates of, at least. )

[ Slipping her arm through his with a palpable smile, not even the current topic of conversation is able to dull her good mood as they head out. She's excited to hang out with Prompto, and so grateful that he's invited her to do so. Whether she likes to admit it or not, Lakshmi's rejection still stings as much now as it did the first time they met. ]

( I'm not worried about calories, I just don't need to eat food like this anymore. I can, but it doesn't do anything for me, so I just eat to keep up appearances. )

[ It hasn't even occurred to her yet that he might not have caught on to her not-intentionally-secret secret. ]

Uh.

[he can't help voicing that aloud, confusion strong in him.]

( What do y'mean? Are you sick or--uh, is that rude? I mean, I don't... "to keep up appearances"? )

[that's not something he's ever heard from anyone, ever]

[ Is she sick? What-- Her own confusion clouds their bond for a few moments before understanding dawns and she looks over at him, as if she could see his expression through all those layers. ]

( You haven't noticed it, have you? ) [ Or maybe he has and he just hasn't realized what it means. ] ( Do you know what a vampire is? )

[he tenses a bit, because of course he knows what a vampire is. a creature in stories, but nothing as terrifying as the monster living in damp caves it was inspired from. that's not why he tenses though--rather, at the possibility that it's something that explains elena's lack of eating.]

[a breath]

[and tension gone]

( Yeah. We've all seen a scary movie or two. I didn't realize vampires were a real thing, though. )

[ Elena can't help it - at that first sign of tension, she pulls back, emotionally and mentally if not physically. It's a defense mechanism, a way to try to keep herself safe, those moments of Lakshmi's lashing out having done real lasting damage. Retreating back from the bond as much as she can without breaking it, she starts to sink partway beneath the ocean in her mind, the shields she's constructed with Sam's guidance that help to put a bit of a buffer between her and her broodmates.

It's the first time she's really used it with Prompto. ]

( They are, at least in my world. I-- I've been one for a few weeks now. ) [ a pause ] ( I promise I won't hurt you. )

( Is your name Ardyn Izunia, or are you a daemon? If not, then you're okay in my book. )

[he confirms this without skipping a beat, before she can even finish her spoken promise. he keeps on walking with her at his side, as if nothing's the matter]

( ...so, a few weeks, huh? )[he notices that she did retreat from their connection, but he doesn't blame her entirely] ( Uh, I don't wanna intrude on anything but I tend to--not catch on, but -- aren't vampires kinda badass? At least what I remember... )

[ That's... not what she'd been expecting. Not that she'd been expecting anything in particular, but... Prompto's reaction is so simple, so matter-of-fact and accepting. There's no revulsion, no pushing her aside or pulling away. He stays right where he is and just continues their conversation as if nothing has changed.

Maybe, for him, it hasn't. Maybe it hasn't for her either. ]

( I mean, I guess so. I've gotten kind of used to it all, vampires have been in my life for a while now. But yeah, they-- we're stronger and faster than humans, and we heal really fast. )

[ She's not going to mention the compulsion, not yet. It isn't something he needs to worry about right now anyway. ]

( Hey, that's really cool perks, if y'ask me. )

[something has changed, but it's not how prompto feels about elena.]

( Do you feel bad about it? I've never met a vampire before, but it's like ... you're just a person, right? With enhancements. You eat... drink, I mean, blood or something? )

[ He's the first person who hasn't had any sense of disgust toward her after learning her secret, and that... is kind of astonishing. You're just a person, right? Her chest tightens and it's hard to find the words to answer him, and she's so incredibly grateful for their mental connection in that moment because there's no way she'd be able to speak out loud. ]

( Yeah, I have to drink blood to survive. I don't... I didn't choose to be a vampire, it was kind of an accident. I didn't want this. )

[ She'd wanted to die. In that moment when the choice had been her or Matt, she'd made a decision and accepted it. She'd been ready to die. But then when she'd been faced with the choice again, to let herself die or to keep fighting... She hadn't been able to do it, and she's still not entirely sure what that means. ]

[it's not really clear, but prompto senses some of that... trepidation, about not wanting this. it's palpable, that she had been in one way or another cornered. he frowns to himself trying to make sense of the pieces, but it's like trying to put together a puzzle in the dark.]

[he thinks he can understand. not on the whole drinking blood to survive, but not choosing to be what he is; not wanting it, but having to live with it.]

( Sorry. I know a bit about not wanting to be something. )

[he doesn't say more, not wanting to come off as patronizing. he feels like he knows elena, but he hasn't really known her for long. it'd be out of place for him to think he did.]

( Feel free to be open with me 'bout it, okay? I don't mind. Have you drunk blood while here? What's the process? I mean, I'm asking b'cause I could probably get you some royal blood to drink from if I asked nicely. )

[JOKE??? SERIOUS??]

[ If she hugs Prompto right that second, right in the middle of the hall with other people watching, they'd probably think it was weird, right? Sure, they might chalk it up to some weird mannerisms like they have everything else, but... She doesn't want to risk it. The hug will keep, and it'll be massive when he does get it.

Still, her gratitude surges across their bond and she squeezes his arm gently, holding back her strength so she doesn't hurt him. ]

( Thank you, that means a lot to me. ) [ More than she could ever say, really. ] ( I have-- fed here. Sam's been a donor a few times, and Gil once when my cravings were really bad. And Damon, but that was just to practice control, another vampire's blood can't really sustain us. )

[ She pauses for a moment, then asks with genuine curiosity: ] ( What do you mean, royal blood? )

Edited 2017-11-07 04:28 (UTC)

[he's glad that their bond seems to be persevering despite the previous hedging. it'd be hypocritical of him to judge someone for who they are, without giving them room to prove their own worth. elena is so much more than just a vampire.]

( My friend here, he's King where we're from. I dunno how much better his blood will be, but... well, whatever, if you need help with that, you can also count on me, Elena. )

( Whatever helps, right? Besides, in the end, what you are shouldn't be reason to put you in a box of generalizations. I got some good friends-- brothers, back home. They taught me as much. )

[i'll show the same kindness to you.]

[ His way of thinking is so like her own, it strengthens her need to hug him. Because that's what it is now, an aching need to wrap her arms around him and squeeze as tight as she can without hurting him.

So she does. Stopping right there in the middle of the hall, she uncurls her arm from his just long enough to adjust her grip and slide her arms around his middle - he's too tall for her to easily get them around his neck. ]

Thank you, Prompto.

[ It's just a whisper to accompany that squeeze she gives him, but there's an indescribable swell of gratitude and affection from her as well. ]

[it's--very surprising. he's gone months, years, afraid of holding those he loves close because he's afraid that in doing so, he'll find himself alright with succumbing during a particular bad day out fighting daemons. he's always been a sentimental guy, as much as he likes to play it tough or be bright for the sake of others.]

[elena's feelings are crystal clear, and they settle in his chest warm and gentle, stilling his breath but not suffocating him. it's with a start that he realizes how much this means to him]

[this kind of connection]

[(he wants to embrace those he loves and never let go; is that a selfish thought?)]

[so he returns her embrace, a tight hold, feeling like the dams might as well burst forth. but they don't, and prompto reminds himself of what they're supposed to appear as, here, and carefully pulls back]

I'm glad.

[prompto says softly, a smile on his face although elena can't see it]

( Better now? )

( Much. ) \

[ It's exactly what she'd needed, and she's determined that it won't be the last time. They both need this, she can tell -- this closeness with someone, this acceptance and affection. If it means half as much to Prompto as it does to her, then she'll never stop giving him hugs, sharing jokes, laughing together. So long as they're here, she'll be in his corner. ]

( You'll have to introduce me to your friend sometime. I've never met a king before. )

[and that's a good, warm feeling to hold on to, despite the weird circumstances they're in. it's still a lot to wrap his mind around, and prompto's for the most part trying to keep cool for his best friend's sake--for the sake of everyone, much like he's always done.]

[but it's not hard, not when you have people like elena about.]

( Really? I hope he doesn't bum you out or give you a wrong impression of royalty. His favorite things are ) [raising a hand and counting with his fingers as they reach the doors of the food area] ( video games and napping. )

( He's got a lot going on, so if you meet him you gotta promise to help me make him smile, okay? --Noct. Noctis, his name. )

COMPASSION never lose it	GRIEF
BLOOD	KATHERINE i look like her

Station 72 >> Mental Link

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