mercurio | 〈 recolle ic contact 〉

that's suspicious...

Prompto, I'm hurt. You don't trust me?

lolll i feel bad when you put it that way! hold on i'm just picking up some food
is it super important or

It's not a matter of life or death, but you'll still want to be here as soon as you're able. I'll wait patiently, though.

you're like aiming at my psychological weaknesses or something
you know i'm too curious to let this go for another day
if it won't take too long i'm sure noct won't mind waiting a bit longer for dinner
consider me on my way

[Noctis? Dinner? Did he interrupt ~~a date~~ an outing of some sort? Well, Prompto doesn't seem to think it's that big of a deal, so if he figures if he wants to ask about it, he can always wait until the boy gets here.]

I'll be here.

[And he will be, when Prompto arrives, ushering him into the living room as per usual. Ardyn makes an effort to stand in the middle of the area, for some reason or another.] Now then, are you ready?

[prompto sets down the bag of chinese food on the nearby counter for now, before stepping into the living room as prompted. he's curious, eyebrows a comical expression of puzzlement. crossing his arms and leaning his weight on one foot, prompto's not quite sure what he walked into.]

I... guess so? Not too sure what I'm meant to be ready for.

Just watch and find out.

[HE MAKES IT LOOK LIKE HE'S GETTING PROMPTO READY FOR A MAGIC ACT-

And really, that's not far from the truth. Ardyn extends an arm, deciding to flick a wrist for no apparent reason, but what follows is a shimmering of red fractals, a light that looks like it's crystallizing something into existence.

Prompto's hat.

It appears mid-air, dropping to the ground, but Ardyn makes to catch it before it does. He extends it towards Prompto.]

I present to you... your cap.

Edited 2017-07-20 00:27 (UTC)

[prompto comes to attention, straightening his back and expression setting onto something more serious as ardyn not only amps the tension of what he's about to do, but looks like he's going to do a trick of sorts]

[to be fair, it's the crystal-like stones shimmering around his hand that have caught his attention more than anything else.]

[he doesn't notice his mouth dropping in surprise, even as he walks closer and--grabs onto his materialised, still completely intact, same as always, old cap.]

Woah...

[he's sure that if he could see blue, the light blue threads of the cap would speak familiarity. but there's the stitching of that ugly wolf in the front, the worn down material on the curve of the cap, the C.S. on marker inside the cap that he holds on to like it's his last and only connection to a past he can't really change at all despite how much he yearns for it.]

[prompto's hold on it tightens, just as his face contorts into something silently emotional, but he's quick to put the cap on his head, hiding his face underneath it as chin touches collar.]

...thanks.

[he needs a moment]

[That isn't quite the reaction he had in mind. While Ardyn wasn't not expecting any measure of adoration or even applause, he had expected Prompto to look excited, happy even, to have it back.

Instead, when the young man's face contorts into something overly emotional, Ardyn's immediate response is that he's done something wrong. That guilt, damnable thing that it is, rises up once more. His face, which had been amused mere second before, twists into concern.]

What is it? It's not damaged, is it?

[The cap, he means. Did his magic alter it in any way?]

No! I'm just testing if it fits fine!

[saying that, it sounds like he's trying really hard to not sound as overwhelmed as he feels. he pushes the cap down more, mushing up his blond hair in clumps over and behind his ears, and he doesn't care that his gel job is gone because of it]

[he's still too nervous to make eye contact because he doesn't want to show vulnerability, something he expresses too damn much of. so with his hands on the cap, tilting it downwards, he steels his voice.]

--so, so what was that? Magic?

[Ardyn is not buying that for a minute. Everything about Prompto's body language and voice tells him that there's something else going through his head.]

Prompto...

[He frowns, and reaches out to tilt the bill of the cap upwards so he can get a bitter look at the boy's face.]

Talk to me.

[They can talk about magic and the like later.]

[his expression becomes like that of petulant child because ardyn wants him to talk about it. prompto's not one to keep things bottled up in the perfect scenario, so it's unsurprising that upon being prompted, he'll talk.]

It's... not a big deal.

[he taps the bill back down, but it's not obnoxiously hiding his face.]

Guess I'm just happy to have it back.

[ardyn knows how much it means to him]

Even if it's a stupid cap!

[At that, he can't help but offer him a half-hearted smile at the look of petulance. If anything, he can trust Prompto to be honest with him when it came to discussions of emotion.]

It's not just a stupid cap. It's your stupid cap, and it means a lot to you. That's why I wanted to make it a priority to figure out just how this... magic of mine works.

[prompto's mouth twists at that, but it's slowly turning into a smile. for many, many years as a child and into his early teenage years, he's had to hide away things that were important to him; feign he had very little interests, because anything that happened would either be mocked or taken away from him.]

[to express to an adult the importance of something as insignificant as an old cap, just because it's his, and because it was his father's, is a lot in terms of what prompto has managed. the fact that said adult is validating how he feels about it, without making fun of him and doing the exact opposite of snatching away his cap to get rid of it? it makes prompto rub at his eyes suddenly.]

[when he's done, he's smiling brightly, even as his eyes have an extra shine to them]

Can you do it again?

[There's a flicker of something fond that he feels, when Prompto looks up at him with those eyes -- so obviously affected, the poor boy, his emotions too easy to read for someone as observant as Ardyn. It's coupled with a smile that lets him know that Ardyn has hit on something significant, something that was poignantly personal, yet in the end, the reaction is positive. He's glad for it.

He smiles back, small with concession.]

Of course. [But not with the cap this time. Let that rest on Prompto's head, where it belongs.

Instead, out comes a hand, and it flickers with red magic again. A pen appears, hilariously enough. Ardyn catches it between his fingers with ease.]

You'll laugh at me for keeping rather mundane things hidden away, won't you?

I dunno about you, but I'd love to always have a pen on me.

[his amazement is clear as he observes the apparition of the pen. but, much like a cat entranced, prompto's swatting at the crystal particles with his hand, as if he were catching fireflies. instead, when opening his palm, he finds nothing, but the ghost feeling of light, ice-like crystals against his skin.]

Huh.

Do you think you could put a human in there?

[only prompto, to be honest.]

[he grabs at the pen, testing it out on his hand. it works just fine? this is amazing magic.]

[He watches with passing amusement as Prompto tries to grasp at the crystal shards of light. He already knows that the young man will come away with his hands empty. (Ardyn's already tried.)

That question, though.]

I don't know. I haven't tried. It sounds like a terrible idea.

[Please don't ask him to put you in his hammerspace.]

But an idea worth considering.

[things sound better after he's told it's a terrible idea]

I'm not volunteering myself, though. I'm just saying, you'd wanna test the limits of your abilities, right? Also, how come the crystals--are they crystals?--are red? Is that some weird light/color refraction? That being said, where do they come from, and why do they crystallize at all?

Inquiring minds must know! [shaking his fist high...!]

[but then, dropping it altogether, shrugging and smiling]

A lot of questions from a non-magic user. It seems pretty neat though.

[he returns the pen to ardyn]

Have you tried storing food in it? Like, snacks.

Generally I leave questions like that to the scientists, but- [Eh, he waves a hand a bit dismissively.] While I'm curious, I certainly don't know how to go about asking how are why they're red, where they come from, et cetera., et cetera.

I haven't. [He takes the pen, idly clicking it a few times before letting it disappear into fractured light once more.] How am I know if it would be safe to eat at all, putting it in there?

[his eyebrows shoot up slowly at the same time that his smile does so, and you can tell prompto's suddenly invested. he heads over to grab a steamed pork bun from the bag with chinese food, napkin on his hand, and presents it to ardyn.]

I'll test it out.

These are important things you need to know. Since you know how to make things reappear, it shouldn't be an issue. Right?

[And now it's Ardyn's turn to raise a brow; yes, he's curious, but he's also skeptical, because-]

Do you plan on eating it after I make it reappear?

What is the worst that could happen?

[nevermind that noctis is waiting for his dinner, too, and that if prompto gets incredibly sick he can't make the delivery.]

[he presses on, nearly shoving the bun over to ardyn]

C'mon. It'll be fine.

What if you get sick? Your stomach is sensitive enough as it is.

[LEANS BACK A LITTLE you don't tell him what to do]

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