mercurio | 〈 recolle ic contact 〉

Cool. --er, it's just for fun. This would be my third year going.

[but, despite how casual things are now that they've both spoken their peace, prompto feels--like he's got more to say. he glances at dante momentarily, then back at his nearly-finished plate of food]

Yo.

[uh]

So, you're better now?

[the elephant in the room. rufus whines in his sleep in the other room]

[He should've known that wasn't the end of it. If he's honest with himself, he expected this. But it doesn't mean that Dante doesn't still feel a heavy weight settling back onto his shoulders.

Him too, Rufus. Him too.]

Yeah. At least, as "better" as I'm gonna get. I got a hell of a memory back Saturday night at the pageant.

[Give him a moment. Dante shifts the food around on his plate with his spoon, scraping the thick sauce into a sort of "pile," psyching himself up for what he's about to say next. The two of them haven't really ever talked about the weird stuff going on with the network before, and the reasons behind his flight are heavy enough that he's not sure how Prompto's going to take it.]

Have you been getting back the same sort of memories as everyone else has? I've gotten a bunch of them so far and... it's not turning out to be a happy story, as far as I can tell.

[A pause, and then he'll push onward, eyes still on his plate. Hope you don't mind him dragging the mood down, Prompto...]

I'm pretty sure I remembered dying last month. I was... wandering in some kind of afterworld, fighting to try and keep myself from fading away entirely.

Then at the pageant, I remembered running into this witch in that same afterworld. [He thinks. He's not entirely sure, but it seems to fit with what he knows, so...] She said... she said some things that really messed with me.

[Some things that are still messing with him, if he's entirely honest.]

After we fought, I went into the woods for a few days to get my head screwed on straight again and deal with all of it.

[and you, don't mind prompto actually finishing his meal as dante continues talking. it's something that needs to get done, so that he can set the plate down and push himself off the counter, hanging back by it--hand holding on to the edge, his free one cleaning up curry smear from the edge of his lips.]

Not really.

[at the question of whether he's been "getting back" memories. he's still not sure what to make of the fact that he can't really seem to remember anything--significant, like everyone else is.]

[frowning, he can't help but think that what dante tells him sounds a lot like some fairy tale's plot. witches, afterworlds--or just something entirely too dark and creepy to imagine.]

What kinda things did she say that were so bad?

[it's just a memory, a "dream" of sorts; how real can it be?]

[Okay, the lady was green, wearing these dramatic black robes, and gesturing with a staff in one hand with these long fingers with long, pointed nails. You tell him she wasn't a witch...!

For a moment, Dante keeps his eyes down, taking a deep breath. And then...]

Oh, you know. That I'd never meet up with anyone but her because my heart was empty, so I could only meet people who belonged to the darkness. That I should be grateful for the darkness in my heart because if it hadn't been "steeped in darkness," I'd be completely alone. The usual stuff.

[And he's just going to take a giant bite of his remaining food before he says anything else! He's talked about the memory to Ardyn and Ari both, but in spite of their words there's still a part of him that worries about its truth.]

[prompto, for as impulsive as he is, actually reels back and considers what to say next. many will find him to be surprisingly sensitive once they get to know him--past the loud exclamations and motions.]

I don't know what it means by darkness, but you aren't alone. Are you?

[he crosses his arms]

I mean, you tried, but we're still friends. Dunno how much that has to do with your heart being covered in darkness or whatever.

[prompto does not mean to be so flippant, but at the same time he doesn't want dante to think that his fate--who he is, is bound just by a memory that came out of nowhere, to show him things that could technically not be true.]

[maybe they're all fabrications of everyone's deepest insecurities.]

How did you deal with it?

I was then.

[It's not as cut-and-dry as Prompto seems to think it is. The darkness that was in his heart in that memory is something that isn't present here and now--Dante's not really sure how he knows, but he can't feel the same weight of it in his heart, weighing down on his soul.

But at Prompto's other question, he'll get a snort of humorless laughter in response.]

Drank myself stupid, that's how. [But before he can get any sort of response Dante waves his hand, shaking his head.] No, not really. I did get trashed that first night, but after that it was just a matter of coming to terms with it all.

I don't think I've mentioned it before, but my old man's a pianist. When I was younger, I used to tour with him and my mom. You don't... really make a lot of friends that way. You meet people, then as soon as you start to get to know them, you're leaving again. And then I messed up, so my parents sent me away to make sure I couldn't do anything more to damage the family name.

[He's being unfair to them, he knows. Dante knows there was more to their decision to send him back to his grandmother than that. But it stung then, and it still stings now, realizing that the only way he can stand by their side is if he's the model son they want him to be.]

So I guess I always just assumed I'd wind up by myself, you know? [A shrug.] But hearing her say it in that memory... it confirmed everything I'd been afraid of. And the past me, he had a pretty good life. He had friends and hopes and dreams--so if he ended up that way, there's no way I wasn't going to, right? It didn't matter that I've got friends now, or a girlfriend, or any of that. If he managed to mess up that badly, there's no way a fuck-up like me could avoid it. I already told you, I've got a bad habit of being a dumbass.

[His gaze is back to the floor, not wanting to see the look of pity he expects is on Prompto's face. He doesn't want pity--he doesn't want to feel any smaller than he already does.]

But I talked to a couple people after I got back, and they made me realize. My past self fucked up, but that doesn't automatically mean I will too.

[Now he finally looks back up at Prompto, trying to meet his eyes.]

I can either make the same mistakes he did, or I can try and do something different.

[prompto listens, but throughout dante's explanation he can't help but feel that something's off. but he waits until dante's done--and prompto's frowning not out of pity for his friend. rather, he's resolute in his belief that everyone deserves a second chance; that everyone is inherently good, no matter what.]

[still--]

I'm not an expert on this, but did we settle for these memories some people are getting as visions of past lives?

[he's not sure he buys it. as far as he's concerned, he likes the theory of people receiving fake memories off of retrospec.]

[sure, there's nothing to back that up, and he doesn't really go out of his way to openly research about it, but there's no denying that the web is full of conspiracy theories, with and without retrospec's influence.]

[walking forward, he places a hand over dante's shoulder.]

Whatever it is, it's good you've come to that conclusion. We shouldn't let our pasts dictate who we are.

[sincerely, because that's what prompto believes. it is what he has hinged his entire growing-up on. he smiles as he says the last bit, now;]

I'm glad you have enough people who care for you to talk some sense into you. Count me in on operation 'fuck the past.'

[Dante shrugs. Prompto isn't the first person to bring this option up, but he's still a little bit more comfortable sticking to this explanation than he is any others.]

Depends on who you ask. But I'd rather believe it's a past life of my own than random memories and skills some evil corporation's been able to implant into my mind.

[He can wield a sword now. How could they give him a lifetime of muscle memory?

But regardless, this time when Prompto approaches him, Dante won't look away.]

Yeah, well, you were a part of that too, man.

[He nods.]

Operation "Fuck the Past." Got a nice ring to it.

[the hand over dante's shoulder becomes friendlier, becoming a whole arm around the other's shoulders; companionable, by all means.]

And it only cost me one broken nose. Hey, friends go all the way for friends, no regrets about it.

[it's easy to tell with prompto when things are left as forgiven.]

I'll be honest with you though, I've never had any of these so called memories come back to me... [he leans now against the other, pondering, annoyingly resting his weight onto dante.] Dunno if I'm lucky or if I'm feeling left out. What's up with that?

[Truth be told, it's actually a little bit weird for Dante, how Prompto's arm drapes across his shoulders. Sure, people have done it to him before, but normally he's always slid right out from under them, or else he's been the one drunkenly slinging his arm around someone else's shoulders. For someone--a friend to do it in just a companionable sort of way?

It's strange. Not necessarily bad, he doesn't think. But strange.]

Who knows? Maybe they like you better so they haven't shoved them your way yet.

[It's not a great comeback. But hey, what do you want from him? It's been an intense day.]

You're not the only one, though. I know someone else who hadn't remembered anything yet. She was worrying about it, thinking something was wrong with her. But she remembered something while I was gone.

So who knows? It's bound to happen sooner or later. Maybe we should just start trying things and see if anything sticks.

Unless I'm living in reality while you guys are stuck in some form of fantasy.

[oh, the meta-irony]

[prompto's smile widens]

Can we put down 'getting into a fight and breaking my nose' as one of the things that don't stick? I'm honestly fine as I am.

[he pulls away, allowing for riku to have his space again]

You wanna hang for a while longer? Rufus and I just came back from a jog, so we're all tired out.

[A snort.] Only you would be that lucky. But sure, we'll add that to the list.

[Is it lucky, if Prompto is one of the outliers without any of these memories? It certainly seems so to him, especially after this past week and a half...]

Sure, I've got the time to hang. Anything you wanna do? Or just chill?

〈 recolle ic contact 〉

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