Beta read by: SinikkavonWolperting
And she has finally arrived. OwO I really hope I got Luna in character enough, first time writing her, so I tried my best. _
And also, there is one translation in this where Google will say it says Carrot...for some reason, but just know that it's suppose to be like 'Idiot', not Carrot. XD
Just realized it made more sense to put these at the start...
Bagpipes52K: Oh yes, indeed there are two. ;D And she kinda does...especially with the attitude on him atm. lol And so glad, no one seemed upset about that, it does get a tad worse in this one, but not much.
twaxer: XD Feels good to know I got some emotion out of ya. Thank you~ Was hoping it didn't escalate too quickly, can be bad about that. And round two is almost just as bad.
MysteriousBean: OwO You really think so, that means so much. ;w; Thank yooouuuuu, I'll keep trying my best with that stuff, and she has quite the job.
istoleyourcheesecake: Eyyyyyyyyy Mucho Plot Twist in deed, no was was I gonna be that inconsistent with the behavior without a reason. :D I guess since I don't swear much, it just sounds like a lot to me. XD I rarely do it when speaking unless I'm extremely mad or drunk.
websky: Yessssssss, two of them to deal with. :D And no, his body has had just about enough of this crap. lol But that just means there is a lot of comfort in the future. C: And thank you very much~
Weaselandcherry: Duuuude, horror is my freaking jam, favorite genre out there. Oh my. */* It makes more happier than it should when people say it actually gives them chills, like you have no idea. And, oh, I usually put on some appropriate music when writing stuff. XD It just helps SO MUCH. But thank you so much~ From the sounds of it, no one expected that, which is great. :D And I'll continue to try my best~ Have lots of stories planned in the future. 3
Noctis more than aggressively clicked the 'end call' option, not out of anger, but perhaps more out of pent up frustration and growing concern. He sighed and put the device away to stare up at the sky for a few moments; not too much longer and this could all be behind them...he hoped. Taking a deep breath, he lowered his gaze and continued to follow the streets, weaving through the crowds as they continued to multiply; most likely the news had reached a good percentage of the city by now. All it took was on whisper and information on the Oracle would spread like wildfire. Which at this point in time was more than a nuisance to him, they were doing nothing but getting his his way and hindering his pace. And, for a second, he genuinely debated warping, considered drawing all the attention to himself just to save some time.
His body slipped into moving on auto-pilot, no, longer thinking about the movements he was making his he drew closer to the location. "Hang on, Prom, not too much longer," he silently promised, his throat tightening as he shoved down the memories of the previous night. His neck still throbbed painful, and his arm stung fiercely, but he tried to ignore it, knowing it couldn't possibly measure the amount of suffering his friend had to be going through right now. Seeing the regret and guilt in his face once he was himself again told stories of that.
Finally reaching the docks, he took a minute to catch his breath and took a seat on one of the benches while he waited, keeping his head low and hidden so he could at least wait in peace for a while. Impatience was quick to rear its ugly head and he checked the time, grunting in annoyance when it was only a couple minutes; there was still about an hour to go. But, he didn't want to leave this spot, wanting to grab her and rush back as soon as she was spotted. "Excuse me, sir?" he glanced up at some guy that looked to be dressed in a sort of authoritative attire.
"What?" he asked, a bit snappily, but he didn't care how rude he sounded right now, the mood to deal with others has long since spoiled.
"You need to clear this area, we have very important people arriving and we can't allow civilians in this area at this time. So, you're gonna have to scram." he made a waving motion with his hand that struck a very sensitive nerve.
He cut his eyes at the man and scoffed, "I have every right to be here," he said lowly, refusing to budge, which of course, was not taken kindly by the officer who took that as a welcoming sign to try and use force, "Hey, what the hell are you doing?" he bit as a hand was wrapped around his wrist tightly, "I told you, I have the right to be here, so let go already."
"Sir, I'm not going to repeat myself, you need to leave the premise or I will resort to violence to remove you from the area," his free hand reached for what looked like a baton as he spoke. Out of instinct, Noctis summoned his own blade, raising it in an offensive manner with a glint of rage in his eyes. This caught the other off guard, a weapon materializing out of thin air, and then the realization struck him, "O-oh, my bad, Your Highness, I didn't recognize you," he stammered over his apology nervously, fumbling with replacing his baton to its rightful place.
The king's posture relaxed as he dismissed his blade, but he didn't respond, knowing that whatever came out wasn't going to be pleasant, and royalty or not, would just make this situation worse. Instead, he averted his glare, not even wanting to look in the same direction as that man, and luckily, the hint was received as he heard the departing footsteps. After enough time had passed for him to be well enough away, Noctis glanced around the area, noticing how desolate it had become, and looking to his left, he found the crowds of people, just like him, waiting for that boat to arrive. And, his irritation spiked back up; he didn't have the composure to deal with this nonsense, why couldn't they all just go home?
But, there was nothing he could do about it, technically he had no authority here, and he's pretty sure the only reason that guard let him get away with being here was simply because he was afraid of him; of what he could do if he got on his wrong side. He hated to admit it to himself, but he honestly believed he was capable of fighting back if he needed to. Closing his eyes, he tried to calm himself down before he had another outburst like that towards the next innocent came along just trying to do their job.
The time that drifted by became a blur, his mind running in circles as it busied itself with thoughts and fears of the things that could do wrong; and the remembrance of Prompto asking him 'what if this didn't work.' pelting the inside of his skull. And deep down, he worried that this was for nothing, not to say he didn't believe in Luna, not by any means, but there was always that chance. His hands unwittingly tangled together in his lap, thumbs running circles around one another in a mindless attempt at a distraction, but coming up short in that task. Teeth ground together and foot tapped restlessly; each passing minute felt like a decade, another moment spent doing absolutely nothing to help.
Rubbing both hands over his face and leaning forward, he muttered under his breath, "Dammit, Prompto," he ran his right hand through his hair, dense and slick from lack of washing, to the back of his neck. There, he held it for a while, not wanting to move, "Of all the things to get caught up in, it had to be this," he turned his head to the side, feeling the roughness of the gauze rubbing against his cheek.
"Noctis," he jerked up at the familiar voice, freezing and losing the ability to speak when he looked up at those bright sky eyes he hadn't seen in so long.
For a few moments, his mouth hung slightly open, the shock of seeing her taking its time in dispersing, "L-Luna," he faltered, hastily getting to his feet as his arms moved awkwardly; they sort of floated there, unsure of he should go in for a hug or a handshake, or what. It's been so long, he was no longer certain how he should behave around her.
"Step back," one of her escorts placed a firm hand on his chest and created some distance between them, his other hovering over the pistol at his side, "Keep your distance."
"Hey," Noctis started, not backing down, "Who do you think you ar-"
The Lady held up a hand to silence both of them, "Pardon, Cohors, he means no harm," she soothed, meeting the clearly anxious guard with a kind smile. "He's with me, the king of Lucis. I assure you, threatening him would not be in your best interest," her words weren't in any way harsh, but more so gentle and instructing. Turning her attention back towards Noctis, she bowed her head, "Please, I ask that you fill me in on this dilemma," her face switched to that of a more serious one, showing that she was ready to get started as soon as possible.
He nodded, "Right, you think there's a chance we can get somewhere alone to talk about this?" he cut his eyes over to her two escorts, hiding no enmity towards them. "I think this is a bit of a personal matter."
Before either of them could protest, Luna gave one curt nod, never turning in their direction, "You two are dismissed for the time being," she gave them their own small nod, "But worry not, my safety is guaranteed from here on." One of them stumbled over his words for a bit, but ultimately gave in.
"Right, as you wish, My Lady," he bowed and reluctantly left the two alone, the second following suit as he cast a few wary glances back at them.
"You'll have to excuse them, they can be...protective," she said, "But they mean nothing personal by it, but with the way the things are..." she didn't finish that thought. Leaving the part about the betrayal unspoken, she changed the subject, "If you don't mind, do you think you can bring me to where it started?"
Noctis nodded, "Yeah, it's a bit of a walk though, and with all these people. Hey, you don't mind taking a few back roads, do you? It should be faster and easier."
She raised an eyebrow, but nodded, "Whichever you think will be the quickest." She allowed her arm to be taken as she was lead through the abundance of people, most of which were more than rudely pushed and cleared out of the way by the king; he was taking none of it and didn't care how this made him look. "Don't you guys have anything better to do with your time?" he complained, squeezing through the worst of it and quickly ducking into an alley where he stopped to gather himself. "Well, probably not what you're used to, but it works," he breathed out.
She offered a sly smile, "I can promise you, that was nothing."
"Yeah, I'm sure you can handle more than that," he agreed with a light laugh, "Alright, let's get going, I'll fill ya in on the way," he said, his expression dropping, all humor draining, "Tell you what I know, anyway," he looked away as he took the lead, keeping his eyes forward to keep her from witnessing any flashes of vulnerable emotions, "He's, uh, he's not doing to good though," he took a deep breath, "It's getting violent, and it's tearing him apart; and, well, there's nothing we can do abou-" he broke off before he could choke on the last word.
He paused at the hand resting on his shoulder, "Noctis, there is no need to talk about it if you do not wish to; I understand it's difficult, but if what you told me is true, then he's doing exceptionally well at keeping the malice from completely overtaking him. So, for that, there is reason to hope." She slid her hand away, "Though, that being said, there is still the need for haste, so let's try and hurry," she linked her arm back through his and gave it a tug, "Keep your head up and be the friend that he needs."
"Yeah," he shook his head, feeling a tad embarrassed at almost losing it like that; he really needed to start getting it together. He wasn't going to do anyone any good if he was too busy feeling sorry for everyone.
It took some time, but eventually he guided her to stand at the top of the stairs. Now, even he was hesitant upon descending, but she had no issues with doing so. "Wait," he reached out, his hand meeting air, "Are you sure, that's a good idea?" He asked, slowly taking the steps one at a time, shoving his unease aside in order to remain close by her.
Luna said nothing as she reached the bottom, and took her precious time in pacing around the room, taking it all in as she walked. Every now and then she would stop to gaze upon one of the various paintings residing down there, or to stare off at nothing as she tried to read the atmosphere. "You said there was a larger painting, if I recall," she quickly scanned the room, looking for it, "Where is it?" She turned to look Noctis in the eyes, and he saw the tinge of subdued alarm in hers, making him hesitate.
"Uhh, it's, uh, back at the hotel," he jabbed a thumb back out the entrance, "We figured it'd be better to keep it safe, seeing as damaging it hurts him and all," he lightly rambled, feeling the severity of that mistake weighing down from her look alone.
"Take me there," she nearly demanded, swiftly going back up the stairs, "Having the item of origins that close to him will do nothing but make the entity more powerful," she spoke with importance, leaving no room for questions at the moment, "Take me to him."
He was at a loss for words, frozen in place at that knowledge; the fact that they unknowingly made this thing worse was near sickening to him, "W-what?" he stammered, tripping over one of the steps on his way back up. "What do you mean, 'more powerful,' more powerful than it already was?" he blabbered, "You mean, like," he swallowed harshly, "More damaging to him?" He forced himself to get the question out.
"Noctis, you need to get me to Prompto, now."
Throughout their walk, Noctis focused on nothing but setting one foot in front of the other, thinking only of getting back to the others now. Sure, nothing has happened during the day yet, nothing too hazardous anyway, but with the way Luna was clearly distress about the painting, an uneasy knot tied in the pit of his stomach. He felt light-headed and slightly nauseous as they drew closer. Silently, he cursed himself as well as the other two for thinking taking it there was a good idea, but they didn't knew, he was aware of that; yet the regret of it continued to strike at him.
He only slowed down once they were a few yards away, again sensing a ping of disquiet; something felt off, really off. And, turning to face the other, he knew that she felt it as well, her face laced with anxious worry. "So, this is it," she said more than asked as she brushed by him and towards their door. "Noctis, no matter what, you must not react in any negative ways, do you understand? They feed off that, and thrive in one's unfavorable aura."
His eyes widened, and his chest tightened, but he nodded, "Ok, I understand. Just act natural."
"Precisely," she turned back towards the wooden door and placed her hand on the handle. Slowly she turned it and eased it open. The first thing both of them became disturbingly aware of, was the strong scent of vomit, but they ignored it and went on. At first, they heard nothing, which was quickly replaced by a few incomprehensible words, sounding a lot like Prompto.
"What?" they heard Gladio reply, "What the hell do you mean?"
They pushed their way through the rest of the way, now standing in the doorway, they were able to hear the response. "Didn't ya hear me, are ya fucking deaf?" Prompto leaning forward on his hands, staring the shield down, "I said, 'It's a fucking tango in here.' You really are as dumb as ya look aren'tcha?" he laughed, "Need everything spelled out for yo-" he paused, eyes snapping over to the newcomers, "Well, what have we here?" he narrowed his eyes.
"Prompto?" Noctis asked, going to step forward, but Lunafreya held a hand before him.
"That's not him, Noctis," she reminded, stepping out in front of him to get closer.
The blond kept a close eye on her, watching her every move closely as he scanned her up and down with a disgusting smirk on his face, "Who's the bitch?" he asked, licking his lips, "She's a fine lookin' one, don'tcha think?"
The king's hands gripped at his sides; he knew this wasn't his friend, but it sounded so vile coming from his mouth, so impure and repulsive. He struggled to hold his tongue, going as far as to bite down on it to prevent himself from speaking out.
"Ich würde gerne so einiges mit dir anstellen," he practically purred, running his hands down the length of his body in mocking strokes, "What's the matter sweet cheeks," he crawled closer to the edge of the bed, "Why don't you come on over here, I don't bite," he bared his teeth with that. "Or are you too much of a damn prud-" he coughed again, a gagging and choking sound and his head lowered until it touched the sheet. "Halt dein Maul, Schlampe," he spat into the bed, "You insufferable slut." For a few seconds, he breathed heavily against it, shaky and uneven, "You're not going any damn where," he growled, "Not then, and sure as hell not now."
Luna said nothing, showed no reaction to his words, but instead inched forward, "What the hell do you want?" he lifted his head enough to glare daggers at her, "Huh? You here to try and get us out? To 'save' this sorry excuse of a human?" He smiled at his own words, "Er hat schon längst aufgegeben. I don't think he wants saving," he teased, "He's been so quiet and...agreeable." Using one arm, he went to push himself back up, but even now he seemed to struggle with it.
"You're suffering," Luna finally spoke up, crouching a mere foot away, "I don't believe you truly want to be here," she narrowed her eyes to gaze into his dull and glazed ones.
"What the fuck would you know? You don't know a damn thing, you intolerable wench," he spat, a dribble of red-tinged saliva dripping out of the corner of his mouth. The way she just stayed there, unfazed by anything he said irritated him even further, "Verzieh dich, bevor ich dir den Hals umdrehe. Foolish overrated skank."
He went to reach a hand towards her, but Gladio was swift to step in, instantly grabbing hold of that arm in order to pin it to his back, "Try to behave," he grunted as the younger tried to fight him off, but with some internal struggle of his own, he didn't put up much of one.
"All of you, all of you can rot in the eternal flames," he snarled, trying to yank his arm free, but to no avail, "Ich hoffe Ifrit fickt euch alle," he laughed, "I will dass ihr so lange wie möglich leidet bis ihr langsam daran zugrunde geht."
The blonde leaned in closer and placed a caring hand on his cheek, forcing him to meet her gaze, "Don't fucking touch me you vile cunt!" he shouted, trying to jerk his head away, but her other hand was instantly on the other side of his face. "Geh zurück auf den Strich, Hure." Her face never faltered, no matter how much he insulted her, and that's what ticked him off the most, "What the fuck is wrong with you? You got some mental issue or somethin'? I told you to get away from me!" He twisted his head to the side in a futile attempt to bite her.
"You're trapped in this world, and I know you truly do not wish to be, but something is binding you here, isn't it?" she asked, pure sympathy in her tone.
"Schnauze!" he shouted in her face, "Schnauze, schnauze, schnauze!" He paused, heavy pants huffing from his open mouth. "Nothing 'binds' me here, you bimbo," he moaned lowly, "I choose to be here, you understand? I fucking CHOOSE to be!" He kicked his feet, a new wave of determination to break free flourishing, "Verdammt, runter von mir, du Volltrottel!" he spoke over his shoulder.
"Where's the painting?" Luna asked, turning her attention over to Ignis, "You need to get it out of here, as far as you are able for the time being."
At that moment, Prompto flailed his free hand outward, making an attempt to grasp at her throat, but due to the thick wrappings of the fingers, it slipped right off, She instantly put a little bit more distance between them, but refused to show her unease with how close that was. "Miserable tamp, go suck a dick and choke on it," he seethed through bared teeth. Clearly she struck a nerve with that one.
"Certainly," Ignis nodded, wasting no time in retrieving the canvas.
Prompto's head twisted in his direction, as far as that body would allow it to go, "Nimm deine dreckigen Hände da weg. Nothing but a glorified brown-nosing butler!" He coughed again, his voice straining to come out clearly, "I bet you'd wipe someone's ass if they told you to."
The adviser ignored him, blocked him out as he dragged he painting from its spot and headed straight for the door, shutting it loudly behind him, "Get the hell back here!" Prompto yelled, gasping as another choking gag threatened him, "It won't do you any goo-" he hacked again, letting his head fall against the mattress as he spit some sort of substance out. Gladio could feel the deep breaths he was taking, almost desperate, "Getting feisty," he muttered, with far less venom.
Seeing the slight calm he acquired, Luna eased closer again and gently shifted his face to look at her. She gently cradled it in one hand, "It's alright, all this anger and rage, it's only because you no longer belong in this world. The sooner you depart, the sooner you can move on from it all."
Prompto lifted his gaze, a small trail traveling out of the corner of one of his eyes, "How many times do I have to tell you?" he half mocked, half pleaded, "I want to be here."
She gave him a soft smile and leaned her head forward until their foreheads touched, "I'm not here to harm you in any way; I'm here to help you. Allow me to do that, will you?" She closed her eyes, face scrunching slightly at the amount of emotions she felt through him, the presence of them both, battling for the front light. "You hold a grudge against her, don't you?"
"Of course I do," he growled, shaking his head free, causing her to back off again, "Why the hell wouldn't I?" He narrowed his eyes, "The fuckin' bitch murdered me in cold blood!" He was left breathless, chest heaving for oxygen, "I can't let her get away with it."
She nodded slowly, "She'd already gone, you staying here is doing nothing but elongating the suffering of you both," she tried to reason, "By holding her to this world, it's damaging your own soul; it's doing you more harm than it is her."
"Interessiert mich nicht," he mumbled, "Interessiert mich nicht." He seemed to relax though, letting his head rest against her hand.
"I have a feeling that isn't the whole story," she tried to press, "There is more to it. She had a reason to do what she did, didn't she?" There wouldn't be that much stored sorrow and misery otherwise. "What did you do to her? You can tell me, I'm not here to judge, only to assist you in your departure; don't make this more troublesome than it has to be."
He took a few deep breaths, debating if he really wanted to open up or not, "It's none of your business," he stubbornly declared, bucking again, but the man on top of him wouldn't budge and moving was becoming burdensome, "Dammit, can't you guys...just..." he whimpered in frustration and agitation, "Go away," he covered his face with his arm, a sudden sob wracking him, "Just stop already."
"Tell me what happened?" Luna asked again, not backing down from her question.
"It was soooo long ago," he drawled out, "The Lady, she wanted a portrait, a fine one, and what she wanted, she got. But they're expensive, so so expensive," he whined, turning his head to look away, another tremor running through him. Noctis was still stood in his spot, silent the whole time, afraid to intervene at any time through this whole ordeal. "We couldn't afford it, so what better way than to force one to carry out their profession..." he trailed off and turned back to Luna, "So yes, we kidnapped that washed up bitch. She was done for anyway; homeless and due for death in the slums where she lived." He laughed sourly, "We did her a fucking favor!"
Luna's face faltered slightly, "A favor?"
"Of course!" he snapped, spit sprinkling her face, "She was doomed to die from some peasant disease, I'm sure. Mieses Dreckstück," he fumed.
"I see," she replied, "And you truly feel as though you were helping her?" she questioned, clearly not buying it, "We both know that's not true, and now, your guilt and remorse is preventing you from leaving." She ran a hand down the length of his face, "But, you need to understand, all this revenge, all this lingering bitter emotion, it's not doing anyone any favors; especially not the individual you're residing in." She could see Noctis slightly finch out of the corner of her eye, but ignored it. "I assure you, the next world is much better suited for you, you need only to accept it."
Gladio felt the tension drain from beneath him, "Ich bin müde," he mumbled, removing his arm from his face, "I want to rest, but it hurts," He whined, "Everything hurts."
"And it will continue to cause pain the longer you remain," she stroked a hand through his hair, "Release your hold, that's all you have to do, drop your penance, and you'll be free to rest for as long as you need." He nodded slowly, and she felt the weight against her hand increase. "That's it," she encouraged, "Not much longer, and you'll be free."
After a moment, he blinked sluggishly, "Vielen Dank," he whispered, glancing up at Luna, "Darf ich jetzt gehen? Bin ich frei?" He sounded exhausted, his eyes half lidded as he lacked the energy to even put up a fight any more. Fresh tears trickled down, his breath hitching as emotions were swallowed down. "Vielen Dank," he repeated, lifting his hand to lay over hers.
"You can rest easy now as well; both of you; you've done your time in this world, it's time to move on." She eased her hand away as he slowly went out, quickly falling into a deep slumber, "Gladio, it's safe to get up now, it's over," she sighed. Standing up, she strolled closer to Noctis, "You should probably be with him, I know he'll be wanting you when he wakes up."
Noctis nodded and looked past her, watching while the shield moved him over to the clean bed; he was completely limp in his arms, pale and so fragile looking. "I-Is he gonna be alright?" he asked tightly, throat dry.
"I assume he will need quite a bit of rest, but he will recover. Having two entities struggle for dominance in his body has taken a toll though; both on his body and mind, so he won't bounce back as easily as one would from normal ailments." She glanced over to him, "He's a strong one though, so I have no doubt that he'll be fine after some time." She turned back and gave him a soft smile.
Both of them turned towards the door, Ignis panting as he crossed through as he gazed around. "Is it over?" he asked, noticing Prompto knocked out in the other bed and everyone standing around. Luna nodded. He sighed in relief, "And they are both gone? There were two."
"I assure you, they've both moved on, it took some convincing, but in the end, they were able to pass."
"And what of the painting?" Gladio asked, "I take it they aren't connected anymore?" he folded his arms and sat on the edge of the bed, back to the blond.
She hummed in confirmation, "I promise you, the picture can be returned to where it belongs, it is no longer a liability and will no longer cause harm." She switched her attention back to Noctis, "Be patient with him, Noctis, he's bound to be confused and disoriented when he wakes up, so he'll need you there to reassure him. Don't let him feel as though he's not safe. He will be in a very vulnerable state from all this; prone to emotional suffering from the wearing down on his entire being. I cannot stress that enough."
"Don't worry, I can handle it," he assured, and abruptly, he threw his arms around her, "Thank you," he whispered, afraid that speaking any louder would reveal his surging heartbreak, "I really don't know what would have happened..." he didn't finish that thought as he pulled himself away and immediately went to be by his friend's side. He sat down on the other side of Gladio, closer to Prompto's head and waited for some sign of life.