Summer Abroad – Part 03
By: Jason Tandro
After grabbing a quick lunch Noctis decided to head to the docks to try his hand at a bit of fishing. Gladiolus, Ignis and Prompto sat on the beach nearby. Gladiolus was reading as he usually did and Ignis was scrolling through his King's Knight roster preparing for that evenings game. Prompto's quest for the perfect photo however continued unabated – until Coctura showed up on the beach front in her two-piece.
"Hey you finally got off work," Prompto said, calling out to her.
"Yes, surprisingly I do more than just tend bar," she teased. "And if you want a shot of me in this I will have to charge you."
"Dino would admire your mercenary spirit," Ignis said, setting his phone back down on his beach towel.
"Heh, yeah that's not all he admires," Coctura groaned. "Anyway wanna go for a swim?"
Prompto set his camera down and ripped off his shirt. "Yeah, you know I need to take a break."
He jumped into the water, splashing about a bit before he reached a deep enough point for him to truly float. Gladiolus and Coctura came in next, followed by Ignis. After a short while even Noctis set his fishing pole down on the dock and dove in to join them.
The gentle waves rocked them along the coast as they got into splash fights. Somebody, probably Gladiolus, suggested a chicken fight and before too long Prompto was sitting atop Gladiolus's shoulders and Coctura was sitting on Noctis's, the four of them getting into an epic shoving match as Ignis waded along the side acting as a sort of referee. Even with the stronger base Prompto had the coordination of a seasick hamster in the water and was eventually overpowered by Coctura, falling into the ocean with a loud splash.
Prompto stayed below the water for a brief moment to allow himself to collect his thoughts. Moments like these were the only things he could never truly capture on camera. He could never quite get the small, honest moments of fun and friendship down. It always was too posed, too staged. Then again, maybe these moments weren't meant to be captured. Maybe they were only able to be truly recalled by the mind and never pinned down to an image. Maybe that's what made them special.
Prompto resurfaced and took in a big gasp of air.
"You good Prompto?" Gladiolus asked swimming over to him.
"I'm good," he nodded. "Just hurt pride is all."
There was suddenly a massive gust of wind from above and an enormous shadow was cast upon the shoreline. The group looked overhead as a shrill shriek pierced their ears. An enormous bird swooped low over Galdin Quay and towards the bluffs.
"Whoa, big bird," Noctis observed.
There was the rapid fire sound of a camera clicking, but it wasn't Prompto. Up ahead on the shoreline a large man in a sweaty white T-shirt was taking shot after shot of the massive fiend.
"Vyv!" Prompto called out, swimming towards the shoreline. The group followed Prompto back to shore where the large man was waiting for them. He had a messy ponytail and stubble at the perfect length to show that he wasn't trying to grow a beard but he also didn't have the convenience (or desire) to shave daily.
"Hey guys. Enjoying the heat wave?" Vyv said.
"More or less. What brings you here from Lestallum?" Ignis asked.
"Snapping photos of the local flora and fauna. I'm trying to put together a piece about summer wildlife and what have you. Actually was going to ask Dino if he wanted to write the thing. You know he's still got that reporter instinct even if he's given it up to go full time with his crafting," Vyv explained.
"That sounds like fun. And if you can get Dino off my back even better," Coctura replied.
"Yeah he's a reckless individual. Comes from the high profile life he's used to living, I guess. He needs to learn to just go with the flow like me," Vyv said proudly gesturing to himself.
Personally Prompto thought that there was a happy medium between the two men, but he kept this thought to himself.
"Anything I can do to help?" Prompto asked. "You know I'm a bit of a photographer myself."
Vyv laughed. "Yeah, I was fixing to ask you guys for your usual help. I won't dare get too close to that bird. I'm great with the action shots but a shot of that things nest is what I really want."
"This vacation is turning into our usual routine," Noctis sighed.
"We wouldn't want to get too out of practice, now would we Your Highness," Ignis replied confidently.
"Hey I'll only need your guys help if I screw up and wake the bird. I'm doing all the risky stuff," Prompto said.
"But that also means you'll be having all the fun," Gladiolus chuckled.