kingdoms_of_auradon | Let's See What's In The Cards (Mmhm)

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Let's See What's In The Cards (Mmhm)

The weather was still bitterly cold, and the snow was still thick on the ground, but it was finally possible to at least go outside by the front doors. The King and Queen have still forbidden anyone from staying overnight at the museum district in case it started snowing again. But the King could be seen outside trying to shovel snow enough to make a path to the castle at the least.

The snow was still too thick to get easily anywhere not shoveled, and the snow was so heavy that even beasted out, Ben needed to take constant breaks inside to sit down and dry off. This wasn't going to be a fast task.

It was only made harder when it started. For those who slept, it would start after they have fully awoken for the day. For those who don't sleep, they'd find that they had fallen into a pleasant daydream, even if it wasn't normal for them to do so. When they came out of it, that was when it would start for them.

But what is it, exactly?

Small snippets of memories, playing for anyone who was with the person remembering to see. But the thing was, these memories... were memories the person had not yet made. Memories of the future.

Not enough to give answers, probably not enough to give reassurances for much other than "oh hey, I do have a future after all," but generally pleasant, and short. Hey, it will give people a thing to talk about, at least. Especially since this will go on for the next two weeks or so.

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"I-" Well, not that easily. No one here knew the truth about him, and it wasn't any easier to say now than it had been all those weeks ago in the Regalia. He settled on a sort of half truth. "I'm not- I'm different. From the rest of the people on my world I mean. My friends... I was in the middle of trying to explain it to them when I got magicked here but- I'm not the same as them. They won't want me once they realize the truth. And they shouldn't..."

Sephiroth frowned more. This cleared up nothing. "Are you dangerous?"

Prompto frowned down at his wrist, where the leather band he always wore covered the barcode there. "I'm... not really sure." Here he laughed, though the sound was wrong, sardonic and sharp. "I was supposed to be. I don't know if I am now, but it's not worth the risk. I'm not even human. I don't have a right to ask them to take that risk."

Ah, if this was the FF7 Sephiroth, he would have a lot to say about that. This Sephiroth didn't have such strong personal feelings on the topic, but he still felt for Prompto and this situation.

"How do you not know if you are now?" he asked.

"It's... complicated." He sighed. None of his attempted explanations really made sense without the key piece of information he was leaving out. He knew that. He just... didn't want anyone to know. (He was a coward.)

"When I was a- a kid." He stumbled over the word a bit, considering it wasn't one he typically associated with himself. "A lot of stuff happened to me that I don't really understand. There's no way to know if it left some kind of trace." The doctors had said he'd been clear of any remaining Daemon blood, but they'd also said they couldn't be certain. It wasn't something they had experience with after all.

He still had nightmares sometimes, of waking up unable to speak, the only sound he could make being the screech of a Daemon. Or of black blood beginning to drip from his eyes, his mouth. He'd seen it enough back at the facility. Every time he lost a feather he had a moment of panic, that that would be it, he'd lose them all, leather and scales taking their place. He shuddered, his eyes taking on a somewhat glazed look as his thoughts spiralled.

"... I see." He really didn't, of course. "But you're so sure your friends would reject you if they knew all this?" He would hope they wouldn't. If they were true friends, they wouldn't.

And then he became concerned when Prompto started spacing out. "Are you alright?"

Edited 2025-01-12 10:00 (UTC)

"Sorry I'm- I'm fine." He shook his head to try and clear it. Before he could attempt to find something to change the topic though, another memory faded into the library around them.

Reassurance

This time the point of view seemed to be hovering above a parking lot of some sort. It was night, dark, and a glowing motel sign illuminated a strip of wet pavement red. Hunched in a tight ball of white feathers up on the roof, very similar to his position now in the library, was Prompto. He was alone for only a moment before a dark shadow slid across the sky, blotting out the stars in a swooping path. Faint flashes of clear blue crystallized light followed in its wake.

Prompto's cocoon didn't shift as the shape swept in beside him. As it landed, it became clear it was Noctis, his feathers flight ruffled and hair windswept. His voice was faint when he spoke, though the eerie silence of the night let it travel clearly through the air. "So, whatcha doin up here?"

Prompto's feathers shifted, but there was no reply.

Noct sighed and bumped his shoulder against Prompto's. "You'll have to talk to me eventually."

"No, I don't." Prompto's head finally poked through his barrier of feathers.

Noct smiled. "You just did."

He looked away. "Got me there, your majesty."

"Don't do that. Prompto you're my friend, always will be." He knocked their shoulders together again "Hey, we should probably get you flying though huh?"

The scene dissolved. Prompto made a choked noise. "He's okay."

Sephiroth was definitely pleased to see that. Hopefully that would help ease Prompto's pain at least a little.

"Good. And he still considers you his friend," he added pointedly.

He shook his head. "He shouldn't, but... I'm glad. I don't know what I would've done, if he got hurt because of me."

Sadness filled Sephiroth's eyes at that. He had to live every day with the knowledge that Zack had been hurt or possibly even killed because of him. He would never wish that anguish on anyone.

"You are very lucky to not have that burden."

"Yeah, I know..." For now at least.

"But here I am, totally ruining your day with my wallowing." He rubbed a hand over his face and took a deep breath. "Sorry man."

“It’s hardly your fault we’re viewing these scenes about you and your friends,” Sephiroth says.

Ah, the irony. But they don’t yet know the source of the scenes.

Thinking of... "I wonder why..? You think it could be related to the whole Genie thing?" He wasn't one to get visions. Unless he was finally losing his mind and hallucinating, it had to be some kind of spell or something, right?

"Genie?" Sephiroth repeats, vaguely.

"Ah, sorry." He chuckled halfheartedly, a bit sheepish. "I guess you missed it? There were all those magic lamps that popped up a little while ago. Granted a bunch of wishes half way, then disappeared? I don't really know what it was about. Genies weren't a thing back home, so I didn't really get it until after when someone explained..."

He sighed heavily. "I just figure... One weird magical event might be linked to another somehow, ya know?"

"Ah. That." Sephiroth nodded slowly. "I was skeptical of it when it happened and wasn't too surprised when the wishes didn't last. That seemed ... sadistic. Getting people's hopes up only to dash them again." He folded his arms.

"That is definitely possible. Perhaps the one who wished all of this into being continues to cause mischief?"

A sardonic smile at that. "Sadistic is a good word for it."

He sighed and rubbed fingers against his temple. "If there is just one person responsible for all this, I hope I never have the pleasure of meeting them. I pride myself on trying to be a decent guy, you know?"

"I would certainly like to know if they really knew what they were doing," Sephiroth remarked. "People throw the word 'wish' around so casually these days. There have been occasions where people inadvertently made wishes without realizing they would really come true. If they knew exactly what they were doing, however ... I hope they ended up sending themselves someplace unpleasant." A dark smirk.

"Well it's true I didn't know the power of wishes. It's... never been a thing to worry about in my world."

"I can't say I disagree with you though. If there is someone out there tail-feathering with our heads, I hope they got a taste of their own medicine."

"That sounds similar to some versions of Earth I've seen," Sephiroth admits, "where they believe magic and wishes are fairytales to be told at children's bedtimes."

He smirks. "Indeed. And perhaps they will return with some idea of how to fix this mess."

Unlikely, but it's a nice thought.

He shook his head. "Magic is real. It's just... different, I guess. I can't say I'm super well versed in the stuff, but it comes from the crystals mostly, and it doesn't grant wishes."

He tugged at a loose feather absentmindedly, running it between his fingers once it was free. "In my experience, no matter how hard you hope for something, the universe rarely hands you an easy solution."

"Ah, I see. Crystals?"

He smirked darkly. "In my experience as well. I had a friend who always had hope no matter what and it was a nice point of view, but things didn't always work out for the best."

Even for his friend.

There sounded a story there, but Prompto wasn't in the mood to pry. Instead he focused on explaining, letting the facts take over his thoughts for a moment.

"Well, it's really only the one crystal. Any other magic is usually just Daemons." Or harnessed from the Daemons, but Prompto wasn't interested in thinking too hard about Magitek at the moment.

He cleared his throat. "The Crystal is guarded by the Lucian royal family, and in exchange they're bestowed a portion of its power. Pretty sure I'm remembering that right at least. Certain members of the royal army are allowed to borrow a portion of that power if they've been gifted it by the King. That would be the Kingsglaive. Big surprised based on the name, but they work directly protecting the crown, or whatever missions he asks of them. So you see; no wish magic."

Sephiroth wasn’t in the mood to explain, either. He listened about the Crystal.

“I see,” he said. “That must be very useful for the King.”

"It is." He shrugged, twirling the feather and watching it flutter. "It'd be more so if it didn't suck him dry. The guy could barely walk without his cane last time I saw him."

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