daemonized | RECOLLE IC CONTACT.

[holy shit

It's too bad that Ardyn was not in bed. It's only 2 in the morning, don't you know he doesn't go to sleep this early, Prompto?

So. Prompto is just going to be lying there in a dark for a moment, met with no response. No big deal.]

[except it is a big deal!]

[after all this silence, prompto finally reaches up and grabs onto the blankets, pulling himself up and realising--after patting the bed a bit--that ardyn is not there. oh, maybe it's still not past his bedtime?]

[prompto walks out of the room a little more calmly now than his entrance, wincing about his knees. he also has covered himself in the blankets, the end of them dragging behind him.]

...Ardyyyyn...?

[It would've been impossible to not notice the ruckus that Prompto made when he burst into his home. Ardyn had ascended the stairs to see what was the matter (that was definitely Prompto's voice; but how did the young man get in?), something about a "lion" he thinks.

Ardyn may not be in bed, but he is certainly dressed for it, wearing infinitely less layers than people are used to seeing him in. A plain, cotton shirt with half-sleeves and drawstring pajama pants. (Not chocobo print, thank you, just plain dark grey.) Slippers, too! So this is the sight Prompto will be greeted with when he turns a corner to be faced with the final boss -- I mean, Ardyn, who is furrowing his brow the moment he sees the young man wrapped in blankets.]

Prompto? Are you all right?

[also.]

...Are those my bedsheets?

[this is an awkward, minute-long pause]

[rufus wags his tail excitedly, going around prompto a few times. prompto has to pull the blankets tighter around himself because of a canine pull, how dare this dog, and just like that the last question is forgotten.]

[prompto jumps into action, hands moving about in wild gestures, never quite letting go of the blankets as he attempts to explain in a voice that is definitely not his indoor one.]

I remembered something! And it wasn't a dream, I was wide awake!

[he proceeds to spread his arms out and jump a bit]

There was a Chocobo farm! The name-- it was, uh, Wiz Chocobo Post! Clear as day, on the sign, and there were all sorts of chocobo, and man it stunk but they were so cute! There was a black chick too! Holy shit, it was so, pudgy and tiny...

[insert excited and vague sound effects as he hugs his arms to himself, all dramatically]

--but then, there was this... ahhh...

There was so much mist, but there was... there was this thing, I was going after it... It was huge!

[his eyes widen]

[rufus barks, and it makes prompto jump, startled]

Gaah!

[he's going through a lot right now]

[Prompto getting startled almost startles him, funnily enough. But Ardyn remains calm, blinking at the boy for a second, before reaching out to put a hand on his shoulder.]

Prompto, slow down. [This was obviously a memory, but there's no way he can parse all of that information when he's speaking a hundred miles a minute.]

Let's go downstairs and have this conversation in the liviing room, all right? This will give you some time to actually go over in your head exactly what it was you saw.

[He can even bring the sheets down if he... really wants to hold onto them.]

[he really wants to keep holding on to them. monsters can't get him while he hides under blankets, doesn't everyone know this? point being, at ardyn's suggestion and his more calm take on the matter, prompto nods, tightens the sheets around himself, and starts making his way down the stairs (once ardyn moves, of course)]

It was just really scary... This, this thing-- what was it you called it, the demon lion? The bee- bee-something...

[words escape him right now]

[(don't they usually do)]

[rufus follows after them, quietly and calmly this time]

It was terrifying, sir! You have no idea!

The behemoth.

[He leads him down the stairs and into the living room, a place which Prompto should find very familiar with by now. He's more than free to flop onto the couch, as long as Prompto is willing to move one of his cats out of the way.]

I do have an idea; I recalled it myself, remember? [Though he hadn't been stalking it in the fog. His recollection was much more... generalized.]

Why were you going after it in the mist?

[prompto does spot the cat, but instead of moving it, he grabs the cat in his arms, sits himself down, and starts rubbing and scratching at the top of its head, blankets around him and the cat. sweet kitty, scaring away all of prompto's fears...]

[rufus decides to settle by his feet, protective of the boy in his current frazzled state]

Behemoth...

[he repeats the name, like it's the scariest thing he'll ever see]

I'm, I'm not actually sure! I think it may have had something to do with the chocobos. Why would I even chase after it anyway? I'm not that crazy!

[Erebus gives a half-hearted chirping noise when he's picked up, but otherwise doesn't seem to mind. He begins to purr as Prompto scratches his head, quite content to indulge in the sudden attention.]

That's a good question. [He refrains from saying, however, that he's not terribly surprised. Prompto is nothing but good intentions, but he has a way of finding himself in questionable situations. Somehow, Ardyn believes his past self might've been the same way.]

Remember we spoke of animals that might prey on chocobos? Something large? Do you think...?

[He sits on the other side of the couch, looking at the young man questioningly.]

[prompto gasps at ardyn's set of questions and what they imply, almost as if he had been intrigued by them as if the older man had been telling him a story. at least he's holding erebus who works as a good buffer for what would have been prompto's physical reaction (jumping off the couch)]

[he must be nice to the good cats]

No way! So I was trying to save the chocobos by potentially getting myself killed?!

[this is his logical conclusion]

[A gesture with both hands, as if to say, "Well, don't ask me."]

Don't you think you'd be brave enough to save a chocobo in dire need? Maybe it inspired some sort of unfaltering courage within you.

[Scratching at the stubble on his chin.]

Who's to say what the whole of your experiences might have been? Maybe you ventured into danger almost daily, and while having enough sense to still be fearful of the behemoth, it wasn't enough to stop whatever you were trying to achieve.

Like... some hero in a video game.

[he mutters to himself, taking in what ardyn is saying but not really letting it sink in. right now, prompto's immensely taken in by the idea that he has a hallucinomemory, or whatever they're calling it.]

Damn.

[he's impressed at himself]

I still felt pretty scared though, so I dunno about the unfaltering courage bit. Y'know what would be neat? If I had a picture of the behemoth... That thing was huge!

[A small hum of amusement. A hero from a video game, how silly.] Something like that.

[In any case, Prompto should be impressed at himself. A behemoth is a terrifying monster; even Ardyn will admit to that much, if pressed.]

You may not have a picture, but you can draw it from your memory if you're artistically inclined. Show it around. See if anyone else remembers such a creature.

I'm not really great at sketches, but I could ask someone who is and describe it for them. Maybe.

[he hugs the blankets closer onto himself and busies himself with brushing erebus' fur]

Do you think other people might think it familiar?

Maybe.

[A shrug.]

I told you Freya remembered behemoths, I think. Hers were different, but the general idea was the same. There may be others who are just waiting for something to spark that memory for them.

[he mulls over this, a blanket-covered hand on his chin as he thinks and considers.]

Maybe these are like... normal fauna. [...oh shit. looks back up at ardyn] You think this is from a whole different timeline?!

Than Freya's? [He blinks at Prompto as the revelation dawns on the boy.] I think it may be.

She explained a few other things to me; described monsters and the like. It didn't spark recognition, nor a memory.

Not to mention she feels as if the chocobos here don't look correct. They appear fine to me.

[this feels like coming up with a story rather than solving up a mystery. it frustrates prompto quite a bit.]

They seem fine to me too. Did she say why they don't look correct? There could be different... chocobo subspecies, y'know.

She said they're look "more domestic" here. Whatever that's supposed to mean. I may ask next time.

[...!]

Just like horses!

There's wild horses, and domesticated ones! Wild cats, and domesticated ones!

[LOOK! he thinks he's on to something!!]

[He might be?! Ardyn wouldn't have any reason to know better.]

A wild chocobo. It's possible. With different temperaments, maybe, and harder to tame.

[Just making stuff up at this point, basically.]

--Alison mentioned something about studying chocobos in the wild here in Recolle. But she didn't say anything about them being super different. Maybe they're the domesticated kind...

But, googling chocobos always gives out the same image result, like the ones we have here.

[weird]

It's possible that these "wild" chocobos only existed in Freya's world. That Recolle itself hasn't been graced with them just yet.

RECOLLE IC CONTACT.

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