Blessings of Eos

Chapter 14

Disclaimer: Don't own Final Fantasy

With Regis's permission, Noctis ended up raiding their media library for Prompto's gift. They wound up with multiple copies of practically every movie released without even trying, so it seemed like a good place to look for more of those Yamato horror movies Prompto liked. He knew Prompto owned all of the 'Ju-On' series movies, and the first one in 'Ringu', so those were his starting points.

Noctis settled on two different movies: 'Reincarnation', which was billed as coming from the same director as the 'Ju-On' series, and 'Rashomon', which wasn't specifically horror, but appeared to have the kind of twists Prompto enjoyed in his movies and video games.

Gladiolus, roped into taking his sister Iris shopping, stumbled across a pair of figures: a chocobo and a moogles, dressed in karate gear and in fighting stances ready to rumble. Iris, learning that Gladiolus was buying it for a friend of Noct's, insisted on tossing in a mini chocobo plush, specifically from her. "Why you buyin' Prompto something, you haven't meet him." Gladiolus pointed out later, as they struggled to wrap the gifts.

"If Noct's giving him a birthday gift, and if you're giving him a birthday gift and Ignis is cooking for him, then he has to be pretty special, right?" Iris pointed out. "And not knowing him can be easily fixed by me coming to the dinner tomorrow."

Gladiolus was prepared to say that it was just supposed to be the four of them, but the look on his sister's face meant that she would find her own way to Noct's apartment if he didn't bring her.

Remembering Chrissy from the phone call, it wasn't very hard for Noctis to look up her number on his own. There was only one 'Chrissy' in the biology department working with chocobos, even if the phone directory gave her first name as 'Christiana'. "So you're doing a little party for Prompto tomorrow?" She clarified when he told her of his plans. "Unfortunately tomorrow is my day to be in charge of the chocobo barn, or I'd be there. But keep your phone on; I'll be sending a media file within the next hour."

"How did you meet Prompto?" Noctis asked, curious.

"He spent a few days at my dad's chocobo post…ten years ago? Yeah that's right; he was five then and just turned sixteen last month. He was so cute as a little kid! Mom, Sis, and I were practically in cuteness overload during his visit, and living with chocochicks meant we had a high threshold for cuteness. Miss Aerith brought him." Chrissy told him, squealing slightly as she remembered five-year-old Prompto.

"Miss Aerith? He's mentioned her a few times." Noctis said, leaving unspoken his questions about Her.

"I don't really know how to explain Miss Aerith, but She travels all over Eos helping people. She usually stops for at least one day at the post when She's with a kid, but She and Prom spent three days. He still has the album we put together for him. It was never actually said out loud, but I'm pretty sure Prom's circumstances before weren't very good. Truth be told, Prompto convinced me to come to Insomnia in person to finish my study program since I started it as a correspondence student. Best decision ever." Chrissy told him, slightly reminiscing. "If you hurt him I will kick your ass, royalty be damned."

Noctis just stared at the phone, before he finally answered, "Considering I have no intention of doing so you needn't worry. You'll have to get in line should the impossible happen."

"Good. It's been a long time since Prom's been so cheerful. Don't forget to leave your phone on for my media file." Chrissy reminded him as she wrapped up the conversation.

"There exist people who turn their phones off?" Noctis joked as he bade her goodbye.

It didn't take long for the promised media file, labeled 'Prom Bday', to arrive. Noctis could only laugh when he opened it. Prompto would definitely love it.

Somehow Noctis managed to keep his mouth shut on the birthday dinner throughout the school day. It was a strange feeling, being excited for someone else. On Prompto's end, he figured Noct was excited about writing Lady Lunafreya, even though he hadn't been excited previous times. "Was your weekend good after I left?" Noctis asked over lunch.

"Yeah; Mom did lasagna Saturday. She doesn't like that one cheese, that cottage cheese type one, so there's more layers. She had to go back to work Sunday, but Dad was still home. They were totally not fooled about the grill." Prompto answered, shamelessly mooching food off of Noct in addition to his own lunch.

"What do they do in Crownsguard anyway?"

"Dad does something with mechanical engineering I think; that's what his degree's in. Mom's more like a contractor; her specialty is pediatric surgery, so most of the time she's at the different children's hospitals. They paid for medical school, so I guess the right word would be reservist?" Prompto shrugged. "Did you check for that book Chrissy told us about in your library?"

"I totally forgot. Dad distracted me when he asked after the file." Noctis admitted.

"I told you it was booby-trapped!" Prompto exclaimed.

"Not really; he just guessed my reaction." Noctis told him. "I was the idiot who wasn't prepared and admitted to it."

"Hey, you wanna come over and see Pryna? I haven't sent the notebook back so she's still here." Noctis asked.

"Yeah, if I'm not intruding on anything." Prompto answered.

"One day you'll believe me when I say you're not intruding. Ignis and Gladio do like you; Ignis's going to do the cake today." Noctis told him, scowling slightly at Prompto's blindness regarding how Ignis and Gladiolus felt about him.

"Really!? Sweet! Best dinner ever!" Prompto cheered.

"What, no leftover lasagna waiting at home?"

"No way; even when it's made in the largest pan we have it doesn't last past the day after."

"One day I'll have to come over and mooch dinner off you for a change." Noctis snickered at the vaguely dreamy look on his face remembering how good the lasagna was.

Ignis, Gladiolus, and Iris were waiting at the apartment, according to the text Noctis got as they reached the arcade. "Do you mind if we skip today? Ignis wants to time the molten part of the cake correctly."

"Chocolate always comes first!" Prompto agreed with a grin.

/Why is Iris there?/ He texted Gladio.

/Evidently the fact we're doing all this means Prompto's special so she wants to meet him. Even got him a birthday present./

/LOL/

/I'm pretty sure if I hadn't brought her with me she'd have found her own way over./ Gladio admitted with an emoji bearing a sweatdrop.

/LMAO/ Noctis was well aware of Gladio's reluctance of letting Iris wander anywhere alone.

Pryna was waiting for them outside the apartment building, running over to Prompto once they were in sight. Prompto just laughed as he picked her up. "Are you going to write a letter to Luna?" Noctis asked as they entered the elevator.

Prompto blushed. "Nah…anything I think of sounds too lame. I do have a printout of a picture I got of the Citadel at dawn to send."

"The fact you are willing to be awake before dawn confuses me." Noctis told him as the elevator arrived at his floor.

Prompto just shrugged. "I don't get how you can sleep anywhere and everywhere, so we're even." He replied at Noctis unlocked his door.

Iris was waiting on the other side. "So you're Prompto? I'm Gladdy's sister Iris! Nice to meet you and happy birthday!" She said as she held out her gift.

Prompto, halfway through removing his shoes, just blinked. "…thanks? Nice to meet you too?" He tentatively accepted the gift as she shook it in his face.

His eyes tracked from Iris to the kitchen, where he could smell that curry he absolutely loved from two weeks ago, and to the table, where Gladiolus's and Noctis's gifts sat. "Huh?"

Noctis just smiled as he pulled Prompto farther into the apartment. "What, did you really think I'd not do anything for your birthday?"

"Yeah; you're our friend too, not just Noct's." Gladiolus told him from his spot on the sofa. Ignis made a noise of agreement, distracted by his cooking, and Pryna yipped in agreement.

"…thanks, guys…" Prompto just said, everyone ignoring the slightly watery-eyed look on his face.

It was probably one of the best meals Prompto ever had, up there with his first meal Outside with Miss Aerith and the meal he had with his parents when he finally reached his weight goal right before ninth grade. It was about that time when Prompto realized just how much Eleanore and Michael cared for him, with all the effort they had gone to in helping him learn how to make healthier meals and cheering him on. Eleanore had gotten him some cream that really helped the stretch marks on his torso, and Michael would occasionally join him on his runs when he was home. It was the first time Prompto said 'I love you' to them truly, and not just as an automatic response when they said it to him.

Iris was totally fascinated by Prompto, for reasons he didn't fully get, but he was willing to go along with it, if only to keep big brother Gladdy off his back. Sitting there as they all laughed together, sneaking bits of meat to Pryna under the table and accepting the serving of vegetables Noct passed on to him when Iggy had his back turned, Prompto felt the memory of that distant dream he had at Galdin Quay rise up, and he recognized that what he was feeling now was the same thing he had felt in the dream.

The chocolate lava cake did not last very long once Ignis brought it to the table, leaving the vanilla ice cream he had intended to serve with it behind. Prompto got a huge kick out of the figures Gladio had gotten him, quickly setting them up so the chocobo was winning, despite the twin scowls from Gladio and Iris. Once dinner was cleaned up, he put on 'Rashomon' to watch with everyone. "This is supposed to be a movie classic; they just haven't remade it to death like 'The Magnificent Seven'." Prompto explained as everyone settled in with popcorn, Pryna curled up between himself and Noct.

After the movie, Prompto was willing to accept a ride from Ignis back to his house for a change, Iris still chattering away at him despite the yawns. Somehow, returning to his empty and darkened house didn't bother him today. His phone chirped as he received a media file from Noct. /Forgot to send this earlier; Chrissy sent it to me for your birthday./

Opening the file, Prompto squealed. It was a video of the dwarf chocobos Chrissy was working with. Half the size of standard chocobos, they retained their chick-like appearances, their adult feathers more like a standard chocochick's downy ones then the standard adult's water resistant ones.

He opened his eyes to the Church after he went to bed as his five-year-old self. He didn't get why he was always five years old when he saw Miss Aerith, but he went along with it. She giggled as he leapt at Her, catching him in a spin. "Have a good birthday dinner?" She asked, settling down in the flower patch.

"Yup! I still can't believe they did all that, let alone that Noct didn't even want to read my file!" He told Her, the chocobo plush in his arms, much as it was in the real world as he slept.

"He only wants to learn about you from you, so of course he didn't want to read it." She told him, duplicates of the figures Gladio had given him appearing between them. Picking the moogle one up, She said, "I challenge you kupo! For the honor of the Mog King!"

"I accept!" Prompto said as he grabbed the chocobo to begin their fight.

"Kweh! I win!" He said as the chocobo delivered a final chocobo kick to knock out the moogle.

"Curses!"

"That sounds more like a villain being defeated, not a moogles losing." He told Her.

"That was the best I could think of!" She defended. "So, which story do you want to watch?" She asked as the building faded away.

"…when Cloud had to dress up as a girl?" He really wanted to see Her story, but it never felt like the right time to ask for it.

She giggled. "He's never lived that down, even after all this time." With a gesture, the story began to play.

"Why did he go to all that trouble, if he just needed to dress like a girl?" Prompto asked, taking in the final result after all the hoops they had to jump through to get the best items.

"Cloud felt that it wasn't worth doing unless he went all out." Aerith explained as Cloud was picked by Don Corneo.

The building faded back in after Cloud, Tifa, and Aerith fell down into the sewers below. "When will I get to see Your story? It never feels like the right time to ask to see it." He complained, curling up with his head in Her lap for a back rub.

"It'll be time soon, I promise." She assured him. "Do you think you'll ever feel ready to tell Noct?" She didn't need to explain what She meant.

He sighed, "I don't know. I've never had to tell anyone, so where would I even start? How do I even bring it up?"

"When the time comes, you'll know how." She told him gently, as he drifted to sleep.

Aerith held him for a few more minutes before She let him fade away to his own dream world. Her image of the King and his Men on their journey was nearly completely in focus, with only the slightest haze around the Body, the Mind, and the Soul. With a different gesture, She sent a photo of Noctis and Prompto curled up together in his bed from Saturday morning to his desk, making sure to send a copy to Eleanore's phone. It was a photo Eleanore herself wanted to take, but Ignis had woken the boys before she could grab her own camera. She didn't bother with a note, just adding a cartoon drawing of Her head giving a peace sign. Holding a copy of Her own, She couldn't help noticing how at peace both boys were in their sleep.

Prompto hummed to himself as he walked home from school alone. He had woken up Tuesday feeling utterly miserable, his head feeling full of cotton wool, his throat dry and scratchy, and simultaneously sweating and shivering. He sent a panicked text to his mom with the symptoms, proclaiming he was dying. Somehow he managed not to misspell everything, despite the glow of the phone making his head pound. Arriving home shortly after receiving the text, Eleanore diagnosed a sinus infection, and assured him that he wasn't dying. "You sure? It feels like it." He whined.

Being sick was not something he could recall experiencing; all his previous medical encounters were because of injury, and this was far worse than nearly freezing or feeling his leg being set. He would concede that his leg being set was his worst medical experience period, but for now he was still trying to deal with being sick for the first time ever. "I'll call the school and let them know you'll be out a couple days. I can get some antibiotics for you, but unfortunately the best thing for something like this is rest and medication to treat the symptoms so you can rest easier." She told him, tucking him back in and sweeping his bangs off his forehead. "After I call the school, I'll go get the antibiotics and some over the counter sinus medicine for you. I'll get some chicken soup as well."

"Don't you have surgeries today?" He asked, feeling a little guilty for drawing her away from work.

"There's plenty of other surgeons available. Besides, one of my boys is sick; even though it's something minor, I'd rather be home hovering then at work." Eleanore told him as she exited, leaving his door open.

Prompto managed to text Noct to let him know, only to receive a text on Noct's number from Ignis, informing him Noct had the same thing and adding his and Gladio's numbers to his contacts.

He spent the next couple days mostly sleeping, interspaced with bowls of chicken soup and hot tea. Eleanore had to prod him into eating, given his lack of appetite. He felt well enough Friday to go to school, with a note from his mom that let him have his antibiotics and sinus medicine with him. Having a doctor for a mom was pretty nice, even if he wouldn't be able to fake being sick.

A text from Ignis told him Noct wouldn't be in, but asked him to come over Sunday so they could try to work on their chocobo research project.

Entering his house, Prompto suddenly noticed a pair of shoes he didn't recognize. Tracking the shoes from the door to the table, he paled when he noticed his guest. "Your Majesty!?" He squeaked, willing to admit to just a girly noise.

Regis looked like the average businessman in a regular three piece suit, albeit of a far nicer quality than the typical businessman, and in shades of black. Before becoming friends with Noct, Prompto hadn't realized black had shades. He smiled in a reassuring manner, "Pardon me for the intrusion, but given the amount of paperwork involved for a formal meeting, this felt like a better option."

"No…no it's…fine?" Tentatively, Prompto took off his shoes and sat down across from Regis. He may not have drowned in etiquette lessons like Noct had, but he was sure there was something he was supposed to do. His mom had gone back to work today, so he was at a loss.

"You needn't stand on any sort of ceremony, especially as this is your own home." Regis told him, after a couple minutes of silence had passed, taking in the boy's nervous energy.

"Why are you here?" Prompto asked, feeling a little rude for being so blunt, but not really sure of a more polite way to phrase it.

"As I said, the amount of paperwork for a formal meeting is ridiculous; you and Noctis would have finished high school by the time it cleared. It seemed an unnecessary hassle just to meet my son's friend, even," Regis's voice pitched a little lower, becoming more serious. "though said friend is a Niflheim refugee in all practicality."

Prompto's nervous energy stilled. His gaze fell to the table, too intimidated to meet the king's gaze. "How much do you remember?" Regis asked gently.

"Too much. Even more when I dream." Prompto bit his lip. "Is this the part where you tell me to stay away from him?"

"Stars above, no." Prompto's head shot up at that. "I would have to be completely ignorant to not have noticed the bond between Noctis and yourself. Despite appearances, I was young once, and am fully aware that the best way to get a teenager to do something is to make it forbidden. You are the only friend my son has made outside the 'royal bubble', as I refer to it, and such a thing is a very rare occurrence for those of us inside the bubble." Regis smiled gently. "And to doubt your character would be to doubt Lady Aerith's judgment."

"You know Miss Aerith?" Prompto asked.

"During the war, She saved myself and my companions. Her judgment is not something to be questioned."

"It seemed like there's a lot of people She's helped. Guess it fits, with what She said about getting people to where they're needed to make certain choices." Prompto admitted.

"That is possibly the best description of what She does." Regis agreed, reaching into a briefcase Prompto hadn't noticed until now. "She left this with me when She alerted me to the danger crossing the Wall would place you in." He set a folder on the table. It was embossed with a trio of flowers, the same ones that were at Her Church. "She wanted you to have this information one day. It has all the details of that time in here. It's fate is up to you." Regis informed Prompto.

Regis pulled another item out of the briefcase. "What I'm about to offer you is only on this side of legal, and isn't something to be discussed with anyone."

The item was a form for admittance to the Crownsguard gun range. All his information was filled in, and his parents' signatures were on it. "Staying at my son's side is potentially dangerous, and it would be preferable for you not to have to rely on half-remembered training and arcade games. You'll need to sign as well, since you are now sixteen." Picking up the briefcase, Regis stood stiffy, the cane that had been his companion in the TV appearances of the last several months absent. Prompto paused in the action of attempting to help, realizing help was probably not wanted.

A man who resembled Gladio and Iris was waiting outside with a scowl and the cane. Nodding to Prompto in parting, Regis accepted the cane, ignoring the scowl as he entered his car.

Prompto absently wandered up to his room, his folder from Miss Aerith and the gun range form in his hands. Accepting the implied offer was no brainer, and he signed the form, reviewing the instructions for first time admittance and looking up the address. It was pretty close, surprisingly, to Noct's apartment building, so it appeared like he'd be able to get there pretty easily.

Setting the form under his wallet, he turned his attention to the folder. Sighing, he spun his chair, blushing as he caught sight of the photo Miss Aerith left on his desk, posted on the wall. He didn't get what about the photo was so cute, according to his mom, but it was still a nice picture.

You're stalling, he told himself. Shaking his head violently and taking as deep a breath as he could with his clogged sinuses, Prompto opened the folder.

On top of the stack of papers was a birth certificate, bearing the names of his genetic parents. He guessed they should really be called birth parents, but he had a dim memory of the womb tanks the unit fetuses grew in. A sticky note in Miss Aerith's handwriting informed him that since any one of the units could be selected for the Imperial Officer Corp, an official birth certificate was needed, if only to keep those unconnected to the program from looking too closely.

Beneath was a family medical history, with photos of his genetic parents. Eyeing the mean look on the face of his genetic father, 'Verstael Besithia', Prompto decided it was no great loss to not know him. The photo of his genetic mother, 'Pamela Kania', seemed really familiar, and not just because of the resemblance between her and his mom.

She looked like the woman from his dream, the one he tries to save from the huge snake, only for her eyes and mouth to be leaking the blackness as he reaches her. Setting the labeled photo aside for now, he turned to the next item.

He would definitely need his mom's help understanding the medical history section. The terms were almost like another language. He blanched as he came across the photos of his broken arms, broken leg, hypothermia episode, and the 'emergency termination device' insertion surgery. Taking in the size of what they had put inside him, Prompto was very, very glad they had opted to put him under for it. Realizing what had been in him made it easier to understand the sensations he had after he woke up in Insomnia, like there was a background motion and noise that was suddenly gone. The broken arms didn't look as bad as he remembered, but the broken leg definitely was as bad as he remembered it being. Despite only understanding what felt like one word in ten in the descriptions of the breaks, he knew that there should have been lasting effects.

Flipping to 'Genetic Manipulation Record', he started to wrap his head around why there wasn't, but once again, he'd need Eleanore's help to 'translate' it.

He started at the knock on his door, and Eleanore stuck her head in. "Feeling okay?"

"Yeah…my surprise guest didn't help though." He told her.

"Huh?" Eleanore blinked at him.

"His Majesty was here when I got home. I didn't realize breaking and entering was a royal skill?" He questioned.

"I knew he wanted to meet you if only to give you the form, but I didn't think he'd come to the house." She admitted, walking in to stand behind him.

"Miss Aerith gave him stuff She wanted me to have, and he gave me that too." He gestured to the folder. "Can you tell me what all this means in plain speech? It's like another language." He whined.

She chuckled, "Yeah, medical terms can be really complicated. Give me a few days to look up everything, especially the genetic stuff. Anything else aside from your medical record?"

"A real birth certificate and pictures of my genetic parents." Prompto turned to the items in question.

"Hmm…" Eleanore took in the photo of 'Pamela Kania'. "I think mom said 'Kania' was my father's last name."

"She kinda looks like you too." Prompto said, looking between the photo and Eleanore.

"Mom said I took after my father in appearance, but she never had any pictures of him and I never met him. He sent money until I was ten, so I think he died around then, since our address never changed. I checked the archives, but there was no record of him." She shrugged. "I'd have to find what I wrote down about him to say for sure. You want me to put this in the safe?"

"Please? It won't get lost in there." Prompto leaned back in his chair. "I think I'll go to the gun range tomorrow, if my nerve holds. I mean, I'm sure about doing it, but I'm not sure about how I'll react." It had been years since he felt any 'itchy trigger finger'. He had worn glasses for a few years, to blur his sight enough that he didn't find himself distracted by the tiny details around the kill shots, but the headache of wearing them got to be too much. Noct thought that he'd had corrective surgery, and he did nothing to correct this notion.

Eleanore hugged him from behind, him clinging to her arms. "They won't have live targets at the range; just paper ones. When they decide you're ready, then they'll take you outside the Wall to hunt animals for the live target practice. Don't be surprised if you run into me or your father there some time; even though we're not combat-active, we do have to maintain some level of weapon proficiency." She kissed the top of his head. "Michael will be done with meetings for a while after today, so you'll probably see more of him. He's near the point where he'll be able to pick which meetings he has to go to, instead of being told which ones to attend."

"What about you?"

"I've been pretty light on patients lately; there's a conjoined twin separation at the start of next year, so aside from that I should be home more. Thank the stars for 3D printing; I can practice the separation as much as I want."

"Not sooner?" Prompto was always a little curious about the harder patients she got; removing the bomb from him was a cakewalk compared to those.

"We have to make sure they're strong enough, to improve the chances of dual survival, before we operate. Plus there are still scans to do, to make sure we don't miss anything before we start." She sighed as she rested her chin on the top of his head. "Soon I'll have enough of a name for myself not to be constantly gone. I'm sorry it hasn't come sooner."

"I didn't know what to expect, having parents." He said suddenly. "It sucks that you guys have been so busy, but…I've never not wanted to be your son. Even at my loneliest…when it felt like you couldn't pretend to like me for very long…I didn't wish for different parents." Pulling away, he turned in his chair. "When I'm with you, both of you, it's like…I've never been anywhere else. Like I've always been 'Prompto Argentum'."

Tears brimming, Eleanore kissed the top of his head again. "Take it easy tonight, okay? But don't forget your homework." Looking at the clock, Prompto realized it was nearly eight at night. He had spent more time than he thought looking at his folder.

Handing his folder to his mom, he pulled out his homework as she left the room. Eleanore encountered her husband in the hallway. Based on his expression, Michael had heard what Prompto had said. They hugged onto each other, and Eleanore whispered, "Thank you, Dawn Mother." Michael echoing her words.

Both got a sense of a smile as they ended the hug, the feeling of approval and gratitude encompassing both of them. Michael went to greet his son while Eleanore took the folder to their safe.

Prompto glanced between the building in front of him and the address on the paper in his hand. It looked like the last place to find a gun range. Not that he was sure what a gun range in the middle of a city was supposed to look like, but the building in front of him looked the most average office building in the world. Entering, the woman behind the desk looked up briefly from her book, gesturing to the elevator. Following what was said on the paper, he pressed the button of 'B1' once he entered. The floor had less of an office-y feel compared to the outside and the lobby.

There was a really tall guy waiting for him a few steps from the elevator. Walking up to him, Prompto craned his neck to look up at the guy's face. "How tall are you?" He was completely unable to stop the question.

The man-he could see the grey on his temples-chuckled. "Six foot four." His accent reminded him of Mr. Wiz's. "My older brother is the midget of the guys in my family, since he's the only one under six feet. I'm Jeff Webb." Jeff held out his hand for Prompto to shake.

"Now, given how training you comes direct from the King, obviously that's not the official reason. If asked, you're being considered as a recruit because of your parents, alright?" Jeff told him once they were settled in his office. "You remember the form?"

Prompto handed it over. "Now, 'special circumstances' says you have some gun experience, but the only way I'll know the details of it is if you tell me."

"How come?" Prompto asked, curious.

"It's a combination of you being approached as a minor and it being classified above my level. I'll ask for some details so I know where to focus the training, but anything else, I learn from you." Jeff told him, filling in the last signature needed on the form.

"…I was…expected to enter the Imperial Officer Corp. They start early…someone who didn't agree…with how they were doing it…got me out and brought me here. I was five." Prompto tentatively said.

Jeff nodded knowingly, and Prompto resisted the urge to touch his wristband. "Ah, one of Miss Aerith's then."

"How many people know Miss Aerith anyway?" Prompto wondered. "Practically everyone on the trip here knew Her."

Jeff chuckled again, almost like he knew something Prompto didn't. "A lot of people know Her. On paper and in the Crown City, She's a special operative for Crownsguard; outside the Wall She's a travelling helper. In truth, what She is…that's something to be discovered for yourself."

Prompto, leaning forward in anticipation, nearly fell out of his chair. "This is starting to feel like a stick and a carrot situation. Why can't anyone say for sure?"

"Part of the rules. The knowledge is something that's ever only confirmed, never told outside very extreme circumstances. She's too respected-or feared if you get on Her bad side-for anyone to do differently."

"The respect I get, but not the fear. She's too nice and pretty!" Prompto exclaimed.

Jeff shrugged, setting the matter aside. The kid would just have to hope to witness Her bad side for himself. "Now, before you can even get near the range, the first step is gun safety. I don't care how many strings were pulled for you to be here; you point a gun at anyone intentionally, even unloaded, here at the range or out in training, you're gone."

Prompto nodded firmly. What followed was a whirl of half-remembered information. Before, gun safety only went as far as not shooting a guard or scientist. The maintenance and cleaning was coming back, Jeff putting him through the paces of those steps for a handgun before taking him to the range.

Prompto whistled when he saw the range. It seemed to go on forever, and he told Jeff as much. "We got five hundred yards of space here. Most of the time we don't need it, but since we test the sniper scopes in here under 'laboratory conditions' as it were, it does come in handy." He repeated the rules regarding the ear and eye protection as they suited up, having covering them initially during the gun safety lecture. "You'll be hearing me say this enough times for you to repeat it in your sleep. There's five rounds currently, and I'm starting the target at ten feet out. Fire only when you're ready, no matter how much time that takes."

Nodding, Prompto stepped up to the booth, picking up the handgun. Ten feet was painfully easy, and it didn't take much to bring up the image of the kill shots. Taking a deep breath, he started.

Left eye. Right eye. Center of the throat. Bridge of the nose. Heart. Despite the target only being a black shape of a person, it wasn't hard to place everything.

Setting the gun down, his shots finished, he was surprised how calm he felt. Jeff pushed a button bringing the target up to them. "You got the Sight, then?" Jeff asked, taking in the placement of the shots.

Prompto jolted. "Huh? I thought it wasn't that common."

"You see kill shots real easy?" Jeff asked. Prompto just nodded. "That's the Sight. I know it technically just an extension of the sixth sense, but everyone I've seen make shots this good, Sees some variation of that."

Prompto blinked. "I thought it was something else, since it was like that before I'd heard of the Sight. And I usually don't use the Sight. I wore glasses for a few years, to blur things enough to not see the kill shots, but the headache got to be too much. I've learned how to ignore it for the most part."

"I'll give you the number of one of the people I mentioned, who Sees kill shots like you do; she'll be able to give you tips on filtering them out. Now," Jeff grinned. "Want to see just how far the target can go out before you start flubbing?"

Prompto felt himself return the grin as he nodded. The handgun didn't have great range or accuracy, but it was a hundred fifty feet before his shots started missing, even if they were technical kills. "Don't worry; train enough and with the right gun, you'll hit the kill shots all the way out to the end of the range." Jeff assured.

Before leaving, he and Jeff worked out when he could visit the range to train, since this was meant to be kept quiet. Walking home, Prompto's sense of calm continued. He took some pictures on the way, but the 'itchy trigger finger' urge he feared the return of never came up. With the bar code a film of black on top of the green glow of his aura in the Sight (an important factor in his decision to approach Noct at the start of high school), Prompto felt like everyone else for a change.

Longer than usual, but since I want the next chapter to be where Prompto learns that Aerith is Eos, I make no apologies.