I apologize for the delay. I got extremely stressed and kind of stopped writing and binged a lot of Stardew Valley to deal with it. Bit of a health issue cropped up. I see no reason to play coy, I have hypoglycemia. Which means I have LOW blood sugar. They ruled out diabetes as a cause, and I am currently working with an endocrinologist to discover why this is happening. My sugar gets dangerously low, primarily when I'm sleeping since I'm going 8 hours without eating. This, as you can imagine, freaked me out a bit. I'm okay, I swear. My sister is a dietician so she taught me that raw cornstarch in milk (as delicious as you imagine) will help stabalize your blood sugar for up to 9 hours since it's such a difficult carbohydrate to digest.
I struggled quite a bit with this chapter, doubting myself (even more than) as usual, but I wanted to get it posted. I do hope you enjoy.
(See end for more notes)
Lunafreya woke up when she felt someone rolling her shoulder. She whined for a moment and blinked to will away her fatigue, looking beside her to see Sandrina standing by her bedside. She shifted in the bed, ignoring the assurances she could remain lying down, insisting she was alright and could use the change in position.
"I have the results of those extra blood tests we drew. I was testing your blood type. You are B-negative, which isn't the most common blood type." She drew a breath and let it out slowly, eyes locked firmly on her clipboard, the arm at her side tapping her pen against her thigh. "Unfortunately, Lestallum Medical Center is experiencing a shortage of B-negative type blood, and O-negative which is our backup emergency choice. This leaves us with a sub-optimal situation here."
"Test me!" Noctis jumped to his feet, Sandrina's eyes finally looking up.
"Please let me finish." Her thumb began to click the pen she was tapping against her leg. "We can give you some vitamin supplements, and recheck your blood levels in a few hours to see if your body is starting to catch up to the blood loss. Noctis's jaw tensed, eyes flickering down to Lunafreya who was nodding. She reached a hand up to tuck some hair behind her ear, rolling a lock between her fingers.
"After you draw more blood is there a shower I may use? The dried blood is making me itchy," she held out her palm, wiggling her fingers slightly. It took several moments for Sandrina to decide on an answer, finally agreeing as long as she didn't attempt to walk anywhere unescorted. She provided simple directions after Noctis promised to walk her to the shower, resulting in his cheeks heating up.
"I mean, to help her get there… you said not to-"
"As long as she doesn't collapse and crack her head open on my watch I don't care who helps her to a shower." Sandrina cut him off, scribbling something on her clipboard and leaving the pair of royals alone.
"Did you find one of those RPG games you were talking about?" Lunafreya asked, scooting over to the edge of the small bed. Noctis stood up and held out a hand to her, which she accepted and let him help her stand up. She wavered slightly once upright, pressing the heel of her free hand to her forehead.
"You okay?" he asked, wrapping an arm behind her back, wincing a bit. She nodded, blinking rapidly and stood a little straighter.
"Yes, I just got a bit dizzy from standing so quickly." She admitted. She stepped away from the bed and made no motion to push Noctis's arm away from her. She squinted briefly when they opened the door expecting to be blinded from a sudden flash of light, but upon stepping outside relaxed them and knit her brows together. "How long have I been sleeping? It's dark." She remarked, looking up. The sky was clear, and she mulled over the idea of asking Noctis to stargaze with her after her shower. Though she knew that he would likely encourage her to rest, and the medic Sandrina would chase her back into the bunk if it came to it.
"Oh hey it stirs!" Crowe's voice startled her, Lunafreya turning to see the retinue were all hovering outside of the medical bunk. She flushed, knitting her brows together. "How you feeling?"
"In one piece I suppose." She answered with a shy smile.
"Ya know, I gotta admit. Seeing the holy Oracle that was always plastered on the Nifhleheim channels in a man's shirt and covered in dried blood is the weirdest thing I've ever seen in my life." Aranea commented. "I think you've officially earned your badass membership card." She held out a hand with a thumbs up and gave an exaggerated wink.
"Surprised Noct is letting you get up instead of sitting on you to make sure you rest." Gladiolus commented. Lunafreya shrugged again, and then tilted her head in the direction she was going to walk,
"I need a shower." She answered, and looked to Ignis. "Do you have that castile soap in the car?" she asked.
"Indeed my Lady. I'll go fetch it for you." He answered her. She tried to protest but he waved and insisted it was alright.
"You stop vomiting like something from a horror movie?" Crowe asked.
"So tactful." Gladiolus rolled his eyes, Prompto snickering from where he was sitting on the ground beside him.
"Imagine if we told the tabloids that the Oracle was baring up black stuff? We'd all be burned alive!" He added.
"I've stopped vomiting." She answered, shifting her weight slightly to let Noctis support her more. Her legs were beginning to ache and the static was returning to her limbs while her head grew light. She started to doubt her ability to remain upright in a shower. She wiggled her fingers to try and ease some of the itching in her palm. "Hoping a shower will help me feel a bit refreshed."
"Cleanse the daemon!" Crowe barked, jerking her arm in an arcing motion to mime splashing her with an imaginary container. She laughed a bit at her Shield, shaking her head.
"I thought you were going to keep my inner daemon a secret?" she asked, cocking her head.
"Shower sounds like a good idea. I feel like I've been hit by a bus and I didn't even do half the cool badass things you and Noct were doing. I call dibs on second shower!" Prompto declared and raised his arm, waving his hand around. They called in a circle to take turns for their shower, Ignis being told he was going to be the last one to shower when he walked back up to the group holding the castile soap in his hand.
"Sorry bud, you weren't here to shout your turn so you're last." Gladiolus lamented, slapping Ignis on the back with a click of his tongue.
"I suppose I shall make due." He shrugged.
"Eh you can go before me. You work hard for the group so lets raise your chances of a hot shower by one percent by going before me." Aranea offered. Ignis smiled lightly then shook his head,
"Rules of the game, I shall accept my place in last. But your offer is still appreciated." She returned his smile, the pair lingering on each other for a moment before waving off Lunafreya and Noctis once the young woman stated she was growing fatigued and thought it best to hurry to the shower.
"Cold?" Noctis asked her a few paces away when she began to hug her arms. She paused, and nodded, her fingertips digging into her upper arms. "Pretty sure I have a sweater in the Regalia. Want me to get it after the shower?" he offered, and she nodded. Her hair had come loose from its ponytail during her sleep, the swaying blonde strands making her gesture more exaggerated.
"That would be nice."
"Just expect a lot of teasing from Gladio. Pretty sure you could stand in the middle of the ice fiends of Nifleheim and he'd mock you for waring more than a tee-shirt." He chuckled and she laughed,
"Always hot?" she inquired, finally looking at him. But the turn in her head made her wince, squinting her eyes as she halted her steps. Noctis reached out, bracing her shoulders,
"Whoa, careful." He insisted. She hummed for a moment, still squinting her eyes shut. "Should we go back so you can lie down? Wash up later?" he wrinkled his nose at how quickly she shook her head no, blinking rapidly and stretching her features as whatever wave of dizziness had overtaken her passed. She tilted her head to indicate that she wanted to continue walking, and he kept an arm on her lower back as they walked to the designated building.
It was closer to an oversized outhouse than an actual shower; a small wooden building covered in aluminum siding with a pipe running up the side after running through a large tank that Noctis figured must serve at the water heater. He would be surprised if there was enough hot water for a single shower, let alone his entire retinue. But the pipe ran under the ground from the other side of the pipe, and he was curious if perhaps a large underground tank existed. In either case, he was grateful Lunafreya was the first to shower, goosebumps apparent on her arms now that he was looking closer.
"Do you mind staying just outside the door?" she requested, her eyes scanning the rusty latch on the inside of the door, chewing her bottom lip as she failed to find a more secure lock.
"Um yeah, sure." He agreed, nodding. "You gonna be okay? Is there a place for you to put your clothes so they stay dry?" he asked, knitting his brows together. She pointed to a small basket near the top of the shower room just a bit higher than the shower head, likely to keep her clothes dry as long as she was quick enough not to soak them with steam. She smiled awkwardly and shrugged, reaching to tug the door shut. "Oh sorry." He apologized, withdrawing his arm and releasing the death grip he had on it, drumming his fingers against his hip. "I'll be right here." He stated, raising his voice so she could hear him through the metal and wood.
The shower sputtered for a few seconds before the sound of running water replaced it, and he let out a long sigh. He gave the structure a testing push before sitting on the dusty ground and leaning his back against it. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, tapping through to look for an RPG game again. He searched for a moment before he heard a thump that made him flinch.
"Luna?" he called, turning and staring at the door. "Luna! You okay?" he shouted a bit louder. He got to his feet, phone shoved back into his pocket and knocked on the door, "Hey! Luna!" he was greeted by only the running water and reached for the door's handle, pulling on it. It rattled, and when he tugged again hard he could feel how loose the rusty latch was. He mumbled an apology under his breath and jerked the door hard, stumbling back when the latch tore off. Lunafreya was slumped on the bottom of the shower, awkwardly perched against the wall. He reached up to shut off the water and pulled the towel out from the basket where she had placed her clothes, draping it around her so he could pick her up while maintaining her dignity. "Hey!"
The group of friends all turned to the shout, collectively cursing or murmuring as the Prince ran towards them with the unconscious Oracle in his arms wrapped only in a towel.
"Shit dude what happened?" Gladiolus asked.
"She started showering after like two minutes I heard a thump. Can you find the medic? I'm gonna bring her back in." he explained. His Shield nodded and ran off in search of Sandrina, Promto following him. Ignis, Crowe, and Aranea following the Prince into the small hospital building. When they walked in they found someone tending to the other hunters.
"Everything okay?" the man asked,
"Dunno." He answered back, laying Lunafreya on the bed she had been occupying and pulled the blankets up to her neck, realizing the towel had only barely come down past her hips. He stood and rubbed at his own hip, turning to his friends grateful they had followed him inside. "What could it be? She hasn't bled anymore. Could she still have some internally?" he asked, voice quivering and an octave too high.
"Settle Noct. Let us wait until the medic returns. We can ask her what the most likely explanation is." He cocked his head slightly, "Did you harm your leg in your haste?" he asked, pointing at how Noctis was massaging his fingertips deeply into his hip.
"Started aching. Maybe." He answered.
"Take a seat and get off the leg." Ignis suggested. While they talked Crowe had dropped herself beside Lunafreya's bed on the opposite side of where Nocits's chair was and chided Lunafreya for making her look like a bad Shield.
"From what I've seen she's a tough shit. Pretty sure she'll be just fine." Aranea encouraged. She crossed her arms in front of her and leaned back against the wall, tapping her foot.
"Yeah." Noctis agreed, taking Ignis's advice and sitting down in the chair, wincing at how the pain seemed to spread to his other hip. "Ugh… maybe that battle is catching up to me." he admitted. Ignis shrugged and agreed that it was possible. "Do we have another towel? Her hair is soaked and she was already feeling chilly."
"I'll go check the Regalia."
"I'll wait here and make sure these two nervous balls of energy don't blow up the room." Aranea teased and gave Ignis a thumbs up. He nodded and headed for the door, startling when it opened and stepped aside to allow Sandrina to enter, followed by Gladiolus and Prompto before exiting the building.
"So she passed out in the shower?" Sandrina asked, leaning over Lunafreya. She dug a hand into her pocket and pulled out a small white tube, pushing a button on it and flashed a light into Lunafreya's eyes while her other hand pulled her eyelid open. The stimulus started to rouse her from her unconscious state, squinting and letting out a small whine in response to the touch. "Welcome back." Sandrina smiled, patting Lunafreya on the shoulder. "Decided you hadn't scared him enough yet and had to pass out again?" she asked. Lunafreya mumbled something incoherent as she tried to regather her senses, the fog overtaking her mind so often edging her mind. "Try that again?"
"I passed out?" she asked with more clarity.
"Yeah you stepped into the shower and after like a minute you passed out." Noctis answered her. Sandrina clicked her tongue for a moment,
"You like hot showers?" she asked.
"Quite." Lunafreya answered, then furrowed her brow. "Why?"
"Your blood pressure is already quite low. Hot water dilates blood vessels, which guess what? Drops your blood pressure. You probably caused it go really low which made you pass out." She explained.
"Should she take a cold one then? Would the opposite fix her blood pressure?" Noctis asked, watching the medic cross the room to open a small cabinet. She pulled out some supplies and returned to the bedside, wrapping a cuff around Lunafreya's arm to test her blood pressure.
"A cold shower would not fix her blood pressure, it'll do nothing but make her feel even colder." Sandrina answered him while she worked, pressing a stethoscope to the inside of her arm while inflating and deflating the cuff around her arm. "Well, your blood pressure is low but about the same as earlier so you're not getting any worse." She explained. "The phlebotomist will be here shortly to draw your blood so we can check up on you." They thanked the medic and she left, the other worker following her the pair talking about what Nocits assumed was the condition of the other patients in this room.
It was three more hours before Sandrina returned, rousing Noctis from his slumber when she cleared her voice. He sat up, wondering when he had fallen asleep. He put his head down against Lunafreya's bed for a moment to close his eyes as a headache began to settle just beneath his forehead. Apparently I'm still pretty tired. He yawned, looking around and saw that at some point everyone had left again, save for Crowe who was shoving her phone into a pocket and turning her attention to the medic.
"We have the blood test results." She started, clicking her pen on and off at her side. "The numbers went down a little more." Her face remained impassive, and her eyes flickered down to her clipboard. "We can put an alert to Lestallum that we need the first units of O-negative or B-negative blood that they have." She explained. To Noctis it sounded like there was more she wanted to say but had cut herself off.
"What if you test me?" he asked. "Can I donate some blood to her?" he asked. Sandrina paused,
"It takes time to process a blood donation. It has to be checked for disease, run through a centrifuge to separate components," Noctis lost the rest of her sentence as it fell into a jumble of medical technobabble that he couldn't fully understand, catching words that made little sense without further context. She's screwed is the message he told himself, and felt his stomach begin to churn, the headache growing worse. He idly rubbed at his hips, the awkward bend of his sleeping position made the pain in his joints feel worse and his brief nap left him feeling even more tired. A palm tapped against his thigh as he dropped his gaze from Sandrina down to Lunafreya; realizing with another startle in his chest that the normally extremely light sleeper hadn't been woken by the conversations.
"How bad are her numbers? Can we really wait for all that stuff?" Noctis asked. Sandrina sighed and paused, shaking her head.
"Not if these numbers get any worse and they're pretty bad," she stated some numbers that held no meaning, but her tone betrayed what her neutral expression didn't. She cut off a sigh into a huff of air, brining a hand through her hair. "A whole blood donation is dangerous. We've done it before when hunters have come back with horrible injuries and bleeding faster than we can control. But it goes wrong a lot more often than it does with a properly processed unit."
"What if you test us just to see if any of us match? Take it from there?" he asked, knitting his brows together and beginning to tap his palm against his thigh and bounce his leg. She hesitated, then nodded.
"We're between a rock and a hard place here." She admitted. "as long as everyone consents, we can start blood typing."
"That phlebotomist from Lestallum is going to hate us." Noctis chuckled without any humor in his voice, his frail smile not touching his eyes.
"When we have injured hunters in dire straights, we do the same thing, they're pretty used to this back-and-forth between hunter hubs to the point they have a phlebotomist specifically for this type of constant travel." She provided in ways of reassurance. "I'll go make a call, but I recommend talking to all your friends since we can only do the test on people who consent and understand why we want to know their blood type." She recommended.
"You got mine." Crowe chirped. "And I'll beat anyone senseless who refuses." She gave Sandrina a thumbs up, the woman answering with a nervous smile and a joke about hearing no evil before turning to round on her other patients. The man had woken up at various times, but all of them seemed to be in even worse shape than Lunafreya, and he was worried that if she took note of this she would damn near kill herself to attempt to heal them.
"I feel like I've been hit by a stampede of garulas" he complained, trying to stretch and relieve the tension in his body.
"Well sleeping in chairs, after Titan kicked your ass doesn't sound like the pinnacle of luxury. I'm surprised you're not in one of these beds too." Crowe answered him. "I think I need to buy a bottle of booze the moment we get outta here. Earned some spending cash for everyone by doing hunts. Probably what the others are all up to now." She mused, tapping her chin.
"Well let's go find everyone and talk them into the blood tests." Noctis suggested. Crowe agreed to keep vigil over the still sleeping Sparkles taking Noctis's seat once he stood up.
"My ass thanks you for the seat. Though gods its weird when you sit in a chair and its warm." She winced, but waved off Noctis. "If anyone refuses tell them I'll shove my boot so far down their throat they'll be shitting teeth for a month."
"Sure thing." Noctis waved her off. The constant worrying, and on-and-off napping was beginning to leave him confused about the time of day. It was deep into the night, damn near dawn, and he hoped his friends weren't off on a hunt and had bunkered down for some sleep themselves. Why haven't we seen any daemons? Is it because hunters slay them all night so they stay away? He wondered to himself, and then found himself questioning how intelligent they were if they could make such an active choice to avoid an area associated with killing them.
It was another series of relays after Noctis had gotten consent from everyone in the party before Sandrina came back. He looked up and saw the dark circles rimming the woman's bloodshot eyes. He frowned, using the heel of his hand to try and rub away some of his fatigue. He had again fallen asleep, this time leaning over Lunafreya while he sat on the edge of her bed, Crowe still fast asleep slouched in the chair. Prompto had decided to join them and somehow made himself comfortable in the corner of the wall, rousing from his own slumber. The other three had decided to sleep properly in the Regalia so at least half their retinue would retain some degree of functionality.
"So we're in luck. We have a blood type match." Even the smile on the medic's face looked tired, but nonetheless there was some cheer in her voice. "We'll have to keep a close eye on her but I think a whole blood transfusion is in her best interest. Her most recent test we sent along came back that she's slightly worse." She explained. Noctis looked down at the still sleeping Lunafreya, and reached out to shake her shoulder,
"Luna… wake up." He whispered. He repeated her name and shook her shoulder again, letting out a relieved breath when her face scrunched up and she trained her squinting eyes on him.
"Hmm?" she hummed, looking around her for a moment, "oh." she looked up to the medic. "Umm. News I suppose?" she asked, her voice hoarse with sleep. Sandrina repeated what she had told Noctis and now bore a frown that matched his. "I'm still bleeding?" she inquired, and let out a long sigh. All the talking seemed to be rousing the other two.
"So who matches?" Noctis asked.
"Prompto is O-negative. Not a perfect match, but it'll do."
"Me?!" Prompto's brows shot up. The others all looked at him,
"Change of heart?" Sandrina asked. "If it's needles that are putting you off-"
"No no no!" he cut her off. "I'll. Umm I'll do it." His face blanched, his eyes nearly black with dilated pupils. Noctis brought his brows together,
"Hey man, need to walk around for a sec?" he asked after his blond friend got to his feet and started bouncing in place, palm tapping against his thigh. "I know doctors always made you nervous when we were younger." He offered, and Prompto quickly nodded.
"Yeah. Doctor jitters. Don't worry Luna, won't letcha down! Just… need a minute!" he gave two thumsb up, wiggling them. She smiled back at him, then after a moment's hesitation lifted her hand to hold out a thumbs-up of her own and wiggled it like he did. The smile finally touched his eyes and she nodded when he excused himself to follow Noctis once the Prince checked with Lunafreya that she would be okay in the hands of her shield while Sandrina went over the finer details of the blood transfusion including the mountain of paperwork involved in it.
Outside Noctis was glad for the darkness, and by the sounds of it few people were nearby. He let Prompto retain the silence for a minute, though he could hear him tapping his palm against himself, his footsteps sounded shuffled. The tapping stopped, Prompto letting out a long breath in a razzberry as he ran his hands through his hair.
"Why me man." He mumbled. "I mean I'm totally going to help Luna!" he held up both his palms. "But am I really the only match? I mean there's gotta be someone better than me!"
"Why would there be anything wrong with you?" Noctis asked, quirking a brow, "you never really crossed me as a guy who sleeps around. That's Gladio's territory. But if you've contracted something you should tell-"
"No! Dude!" Prompto snapped quickly, and punched Noctis hard on the arm. "Not that. Now you have me wondering if we need to sprinkle some antibiotics in Gladio's cup noodle. You know something I don't?" he asked. And the Prince could have sword he could hear Prompto wiggling his brow suggestively.
"He had a doctor back in Insomina that checked him regularly to keep up with his, umm, endeavors." Noctis answered in quick defense of his Shield.
"Also Crowe would rip his dick off if he gave her something."
"Wait they're together?!" Noctis asked, brows shooting up and his voice half an octave higher than he intended. Prompto snorted, shaking his head,
"No, but you can cut the sexual tension between them with a knife. Pretty surprised we haven't all had to invest in ear plugs." Prompto continued to laugh. "I don't think those two are courteous enough to be as quiet as you and the oh-so-pure holy Oracle." Prompto poked at Noctis in the ribs with his elbow.
"Wh-what? I mean… we're not. We don't." his face burned and the heat spread across his ears and his neck, immediately making the skin itchy and he scratched at the side of his neck.
"Well you don't rub it in our faces but we're not stupid" Prompto clarified. He paused for a moment, and sighed again. "You guys are clearly all head-over-heels and other romantic-term-I-should-use. Just kind of funny… Luna always looks so pure and stuff on TV so it's weird to see the real her and that she's human like us. Okay, she's like, a level 10 compared to us, but you get my point." He clarified, speaking quickly and stumbling through his words. "Just… she deserves better than my dirty blood." He finally blurted. "Deep down she's just a normal girl but she's also the Oracle."
"Prom you know she doesn't let that get to her head." Noctis offered, quirking a brow. "I mean I half get it? I still don't get why she's willing to settle for some scruffy Prince. I'm sure she'll be more than grateful for your blood, I mean you're saving her… ass afterall." Noctis hesitated, not wanting to admit this transfusion was likely going to save her life, Sandrina's words echoing in his mind that her tests showed her on the decline again.
"That's not… it's not that any normal person is below her. Okay they are. But you know what I mean. It's more… me." he clarified. Noctis kept his silence, watching Prompto bounce on one leg, running his hands through his hair again. "Noct I… I'm not from Insomnia. Or Lucis." Prompto squinted, tilting his head to look at the ground. Questions formulated in Noctis's head to try and urge him to continue talking, but they died in the back of his throat and a thick silence hung between them. "I'm a Nif!" he hissed through his teeth. His fists balled at his sides.
"So?" Noctis asked, jerking himself a little straighter. "Why does that change anything?" he asked, reaching out to place a hand on Prompto's shoulder but his friend quickly rolled his shoulder and took a step back.
"After everything the Nifs did to Insomnia? How can you be friends with someone tied to that!" he bit down on his lip, looking around him when he suddenly became aware of how loud he had shouted.
"You were with us!" Noctis shot back. "It was as much your home as mine we watched get attack. You're with us trying to fix our world and kick the Empire's ass in the meantime for what they did. Why would your birthplace matter?" he tried to reassure, but Prompto again shook his head.
"I'm not just a Nif!" His voice quivered, and his hand scratched at his left wrist where his bandana was. His fingers trembled as he worked at the knot, letting the fabric fall and held out his arm, a black barcode tattoo hidden beneath it. "I was made in Gralea! I wasn't even born! I'm not even… I'm not. I'm…" he stammered, looking up at Noctis. Through the darkness he could see the tears built in the blond's eyes,
"That doesn't change anything!"
"Even if I'm Verstael's clone! She doesn't talk about it, but even I can figure out that he wasn't exactly nice to her! Afterr everything that man did to her you think she'll really want his blood in her?!" He asked. "I agreed to the test because I was just, y'know, wanting to help! I didn't think I'd actually be the one with the right type!" he turned, eyes searching the ground for something, anything, to kick. To punch. He wanted to scream, cry, pull at his hair. He wanted to tear off his shirt just to have something to throw. He wanted to punch Noctis for standing there, for not running away. For not punching him after this confession.
"Prompto… you're my friend. One of my best friends. My brother. I love you man, you really think I care who your dad was?" he asked. He took a step closer, reaching out again and Prompto let his hand rest on his shoulder. "It'll be your blood. Prompto's blood that helps her get better."
"Even that's just part of Verstael's… experiments. I wasn't the only clone. I mean, I don't remember much. I was pretty little when I was taken away from Gralea. But I remember something about being a donor. My mom took me away because she was worried he would take my blood or organs. Remember those freaky things we saw in that base?" he asked, pointing in a haphazard direction. "that's nothing compared to the experiments Verstael was doing. The things he did with a bunch of clones with engineered blood to be donors." He explained. "My mom got me away… and I can barely remember her face. All I have left from my parents is this… barcode. This dirty blood." Prompto's voice cracked, tears rolling down his cheeks. He bit down on his lip to try and swallow back the following sob. Noctis's fist gripping his shoulder pulled him closer, and he felt arms wrap around his entire body.
"You'll always be my brother Prompto. You're more than just a clone, or a Nif. You're Lucian. Who cares where you were born or why. You're Prompto."
I originally wanted this chapter to be longer, but once I wrote "You're Prompto" my heart said to end it there. Carrying on would have broken the mood I find. But I am curious if you agree, or if I should have continued a bit further and carried this chapter through finishing this blood transfusion bullshit I'm dragging out WAY longer than I originally intended.
Speaking of, one of the reasons I doubted this chapter so hard like I mentioned up at the start of this chapter was I was worried that this blood transfusion stuff felt very trope-y. Like it's a bad cliche shoehorned into the story, especially a blood shortage and needing to do a whole blood transfusion. Lucis is in a bit of a bad spot, and a blood shortage is not an unrealistic problem, but I still worry that this arc feels stupid. I do hope you are enjoying it. I just really wanted these covenants to have serious consequences, and kind of add some meat to the game showing Lunafreya being a wet noodle after awakening the astrals by SHOWING this decline.
Well after oddly long authors notes from me, I do just hope you enjoy this despite my doubting this particular part of the Titan arc.
