“Yes, it's a lot, but we’ll be fine, Iggy. It's not like we’re taking on all ten bounties at the same time.” Noctis turned towards Ignis with a grin. “Besides, we’ve got Gladio. I'm pretty sure he could wrestle a whole /herd/ of voreteeth-” “GET DOWN.” Noctis barely had time to register Prompto’s hand pushing his shoulder down with a strength that wasn't normal for him, but Noctis dropped anyways, flattening himself to the ground as Prompto raised Quicksilver and shot a lunging elder coeurl point blank in the face. Noctis felt its body fall on top of him and heaved it off, pushing himself up to a kneel as four more shots rang out. He stared as Prompto dismissed his gun, the weapon bursting apart into blue light that dissolved after a moment. “Threat neutralized.” Prompto’s voice was flat, not quite monotone but close. He looked down at Noctis, then started and offered him a hand as if he'd just remembered that was something he should do. “Are... are you unharmed?” Noctis hesitantly took his hand and was hauled to his feet by strength he didn't realize Prompto had. “Woah-” He stumbled slightly, and Prompto steadied him. “That is the correct query to ask, right? Asking whether members of your unit are physically unharmed after a fight?” “Uh...” Noctis glanced at Ignis and Gladio, both of which were getting to their feet as well. /Astrals/, had Prompto managed to shove /Gladiolus/ to the ground? Gladio did look surprised, so maybe- “Apologies for forcing you all off your feet without asking, but my main directive is to ensure no member of this unit is injured. I cannot let any harm befall the four of you.” “Well, that's great to-” Gladio paused. “Whaddya mean, four?” Prompto opened his jacket slightly, and the chocobo chick poked its head out with a happy ‘Kweh!’. “The four of you.” Prompto repeated. /Oh, right-/ For a moment, Noctis had forgotten about the chocobo chick he'd <s>ordered</s> asked Prompto to take care of. “Again, I ask- are you alright?” Prompto studied them. “Yeah.” Noctis nodded, glancing at the dead coeurl on the ground. One of its whiskers had been shot clean off. Almost without thinking, he knelt and picked it up. “I think Cid needed one of these.” He mumbled, the whisker scattering into blue light that broke apart. Into the Armiger it went. Ignis pulled out his notepad. He kept track of every request and bounty they accepted (which was nice, because there was no way Noctis would ever be able to remember all of them). “Yes, he does need a coeurl whisker so he can further upgrade the Drain Lance.” “Alright, good to know. Thanks, Iggy.” Noctis turned to face him. “Of course-” “Leave it to Specs to keep track of every detail, huh?” Gladiolus chuckled, patting Ignis on the back. “Hk-” Ignis tensed ever so slightly. Noctis shot Gladio a look. The big man blinked, then moved his hand away as if he'd touched hot coals. “Ah, Astrals- sorry, Iggy, didn't mean to.” “/Six/, we need to stop touching Ignis /right where he got shot/.” Noctis muttered. After a moment, Ignis let out a slow breath, his shoulders relaxing. Mostly. “Apologies, I know that gaining post-traumatic stress disorder is... not the best outcome for me on top of my previously present anxiety.” Gladio snorted. “Well it makes sense, you literally died.”
Ignis’ lips tightened to a line, and he sighed, taking his glasses off carefully and rubbing the bridge of his nose with an elegant finger. “...do not remind me, Gladiolus. Please.” “Got it. Sorry, Iggy.” “Kweh?” Noctis turned to find that Prompto had taken out the chocobo chick and was holding it out to Ignis. “Will this help?” Prompto looked somewhat concerned, even if his voice was still monotone. Ignis replaced his glasses. “I do not know. I suppose it's worth a try.” Carefully, he took the chocobo chick from Prompto. Noctis caught how Prompto’s grip tightened slightly before he let go, almost as if he didn't want to give it up. /Well. Progress is progress, no matter how slow or small it is./ The three of them watched Ignis closely, trying to see if anything changed. Ignis stared at the chocobo chick in his hands for a few moments. It pecked at his fingers slightly, then looked up with a ‘Kweh' and fluffed up its feathers to double its size. “...ah.” Ignis smiled, ever so slightly. The tension drained from his shoulders, and he gave the chick a few scratches under its beak, to which it let out a happy 'Kweh' and somehow fluffed up even more. Noctis looked at Prompto, who seemed slightly deflated now that he didn't have the chocobo chick anymore. “...you gonna name it, Prompto?” Prompto perked up. “I am allowed to give it a designation?” Noctis shrugged. “I mean, you're the one who found it in the first place.” Prompto thought for a bit. His brow furrowed. “...but it already has a designation.” “What do you mean?” Prompto looked at the chick. “His designation... is ‘Biscuit’.” He said it with such a straight face that Gladio snorted a laugh. Ignis raised an eyebrow. “I suppose Biscuit is a fitting name.” The chocobo chick - Biscuit - perked up upon hearing his name, his feathers smoothing down as he waddled up Ignis’ arm and perched on his shoulder. “Kweh!” Noctis laughed. “Seriously? Biscuit?” Prompto’s shoulders suddenly hunched, and he looked slightly embarrassed. “I was hungry and so was he,” he muttered defensively. “Do you really gotta judge me, Noct?” Noctis stared, his laughter trailing off. A spark of hope ignited in his chest. “...Prompto, are you back?” He took a step forward. Prompto looked up. His eyes met Noctis’, panic flashing over his face. “I- I’m me- how am I-” He lunged forward, clutching at Noctis’ collar. “Noct, help me, please, you gotta-” Noctis watched, dread curling in his throat as Prompto’s eyes unfocused, the emotion draining away like water through a sieve. Prompto’s grip loosened, his hands dropping to his sides. “...back?” He furrowed his brow, putting a hand to his head. “I do not understand. Back from where?” He looked at Noctis. “I have not gone anywhere.” “What in the Six just happened?” Gladio stepped forward. “Did blondie come back for a sec? Does this mean he’s in there?” Ignis gently took Biscuit off his shoulder and handed him to Prompto. “I believe it is the familiarity of the situation. It must have jolted him back to himself for a few fleeting moments.” Prompto put Biscuit back in the Biscuit pocket. “Well, maybe we can try to figure out stuff that can jolt him back to normal.” Noctis studied Prompto. “Get him into ‘familiar situations’.” Gladio grinned. “Sounds like a plan.” Enjoy some more art I did on Magma :D First: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/1369907866/ Previous: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/1374534735/ Next: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/1378536533/
