( open )
Who: Alisaie Leveilleur (
adelphoi) & you nerds
What: October general shenans
When: All month
Where: Everywhere potentially but probably just at her house mostly
Warning(s): Sick.. stuff?? idk probably nothing but will update if necessary.
PART 1;
a; aftermath
b; sickbed;
c; reaching out
PART 2;
a; wandering
b; friendly fire
[ catchall for october! alisaie will spent much of it being sick, apparently, so feel free to crash her place and visit.. make sure she stays in bed. get her texts or send her one, or meet up in the market!! if none of these prompts work for you i'm more than happy to work something out and write up a starter. ♥ plotting comment is here, or i can be reached on plurk for planning. i'm game! ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
What: October general shenans
When: All month
Where: Everywhere potentially but probably just at her house mostly
Warning(s): Sick.. stuff?? idk probably nothing but will update if necessary.
PART 1;
a; aftermath
[ alisaie is not present in the marketplace when the attack occurs, but the resounding boom cannot be missed, even from her home flat. it's a hectic hour or so while she rushes to figure out what has happened, and when riza returns home sick she feels a heavy misgiving sink deep into her stomach. disease is not an enemy she can fight with her rapier, it's something insidious, something sneaky and unpredictable - gods help them find a remedy soon.
immediately, she's dashing right to work. with riza ill they'll need supplies - healthy foods, spare blankets, medicinal herbs, ice, a great deal of ice. once she's set with her list she's off to the institute and markets to gather what useful things she can, stuffing them into a canvas shoulder bag, but you can certainly bet that she'll stop to assist in any way she can, whether it's righting an overturned cart or leading those who were injured in the panic to the sanctuary.
of course, it's not long before she's feeling rather warm and dizzy herself and, of course, chalking it up to the rush and mayhem. maybe she'll just.. sit down a moment. ]
b; sickbed;
[ alisaie is an awful patient.
keeping her in bed is no easy task, and there's an itch under her skin that urges her to move, to work - there's so much she could be doing, ways she could be helping. this disease is a godsdamned prison.
she's responsible enough to at least not mingle with the public, lest she spread this horrible mystery illness further, but she cannot remain strictly indoors in bed for so long, not without losing her mind. so when she can, when the weather is tepid, alisaie sits on the second floor deck of her flat, wrapped up in a blanket, usually with a book (or stack of books), enjoying the fresh air on her too-hot face. ]
c; reaching out
[ what else can you do when you're more or less bedbound? catch up on the internet, of course. mostly, alisaie keeps an eye on the network for any updates, and takes the time to reach out to those she knows, to doublecheck that they're safe. if you've met her even once or twice, chances are she will toss a line out and test the waters. incoming message from RedMage: ]
This is Alisaie; how are you faring?
PART 2;
a; wandering
[ it's late evening the first time she sees him.
though first she hears him, the familiar voice of her grandfather calling her out of her dreams, warm and welcoming. she wakes in her bed, slick with fever sweat and surrounded by silence - mayhaps she had misheard it? it must have been a dream, her head is spinning. but then it comes again, distinct and clear; it has been years since she last heard his voice but it is not a sound that she would ever forget. ]
Grandfather..?
[ dizzy and disoriented, she climbs out of bed and stumbles toward the open window, squinting into the slanting light of sunset just in time to see the shape of him, louisoix leveilleur's all too familiar form disappearing around the corner. immediately her heart kicks up into her throat and alisaie gasps and turns, stumbling back through her bedroom and out of the house, down the stairs and onto the street barefoot, in her nightdress, to follow a ghost. ]
No, please wait.. don't leave me again..
[ how long she wanders in this delirium she cannot say, but her feet are sore and scratched and muddy, her hair down and wild from sleep and the tugging winds. she may run right into you, or trip over a flagstone, but short of forceful intervention nothing will keep her from her goal. ]
b; friendly fire
[ for those of you unlucky enough to visit her (or stop by her home for some other purpose) while the symptoms continue to worsen, you will find that her delirium has not abated. between bouts of lucidity and sleep she tries still to wander, to follow the voices and phantoms of her family and friends to whatever oblivion they might call her to, but it is not only friends she sees. sometimes it is enemies or horrible, twisted monsters. it's hardly a problem if she wanders outside, weaponless, but any creak of sound within her home would easily alert her.
blinking blearily, alisaie tumbles out of bed at the noise, her heart thudding and her mind cloudy, and she does not think twice before taking up her rapier and focus which lie across a chair in her room and stumbling into the dimly lit common area. her voice is rough from coughing. ]
Who.. who goes there?
[ catchall for october! alisaie will spent much of it being sick, apparently, so feel free to crash her place and visit.. make sure she stays in bed. get her texts or send her one, or meet up in the market!! if none of these prompts work for you i'm more than happy to work something out and write up a starter. ♥ plotting comment is here, or i can be reached on plurk for planning. i'm game! ]
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.. it soon becomes clear, however, just exactly what this radical group was trying to prove with its attack. to outline all the pettiness in sharp relief, to prove that these two nations are little more than squabbling children and - gods, she can understand their frustration, but to attack innocent civilians to prove a point? alisaie knows full well that when two countries bicker it is the smallfolk who truly suffer, who are drafted to fight and die in wars they did not agree to, to see their homes ravaged by raiders. it's disgusting, and the feeling is wholly, chillingly familiar - it was much the same when she'd come to eorzea for the first time. she'd been so angry, so frustrated with its people, its nations' leaders who couldn't get along with one another to save their own lives.
a change comes over her, subtle but clear; there's a quiet fury settling into her bones, and alisaie's hands curl into white-knuckled fists in the water, her jaw tightening visibly. ]
Shameful.
[ she finally says at last, and there's a distinctively acidic tone in her voice, a cold disdain that prompto likely does not hear from her often. ]
All of them. Olympia, Wyver, this nameless group between - they should be ashamed of themselves. How can they expect the people to be sympathetic toward them when they attack civilians to prove their point? Gods, there were children there.
[ that it was manufactured by the institute is.. certainly a painful blow, but neither is it terribly surprising. that seems the least of her worries, however. with renewed vigor, alisaie lathers the washrag with soap and begins to scrub at her dirty feet rather forcefully. ]
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Why is this always how it goes?
It kindles a fire in him, too, one that has scarcely been fanned since Eos had become no more. He's spent more than enough blaming himself for this, for not catching them before the bomb went off, but he's slowly coming to realize that if he'd really been a threat to their plan, they would've taken him out. More than likely, there was nothing they could have done to stop this.
So all they could do now was try to fix it. ]
We'll make this right. They have to see...that the only way anyone on either side can get better is by us all working together. They have to see that, right?
[ And yet, why does that seem like such an impossible thing? ]
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[ her tone is caustic, sharp as a knife's edge, but after a moment she sighs softly, her hands stilling. she's being a bit harsh, she knows, but gods this has always been a sensitive spot for her; politics and adults acting like petty children can easily bring out the ugly side of her, for sure. her voice is a little softer when she continues. ]
.. we cannot let it happen again, at the very least. These people must be brought to justice for what they've done before we can hope to find a way to reconcile any differences.
[ her feet are sore but clean at last, so alisaie reaches to turn the drain hatch, watching the murky water begin to swirl away. ]
For the good of their own people, I certainly hope they can be made to see reason.
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They won't get away with this. On the bright side...it seems like almost everyone who's not sick has been trying to help out in one way or another.
[ So even if he can't quite put his trust in the government they're now subject to, he can put his trust in his fellow refugees. None of them asked to be a part of this war.
War...they just can't get away from it, can they?
When she pulls up the drain, he stands to grab a towel off the rack for her, ready to warm her up as soon as she leaves the comfort of the bath. ]
I'm...I'm sure they will. I mean...this hasn't been a bad place to live.
[ He doesn't sound as certain about that as he wants to, though. ]
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slowly and carefully she steps out of the bath, teeth chattering, and right into the offered towel. ]
That's true. But 'tis not necessarily the Olympians that I thank for that.
[ now she's not about to look a gift chocobo in the mouth - for all this stupid, petty nonsense between olympia and wyver they have certainly been generous hosts. refugees in eorzea had it far worse, begging for scraps in the streets more often than not, mistreated by their betters and even by those meant to protect them. if they could find themselves employment at all they were very fortunate. so alisaie doesn't want to cast too many aspersions on those who offered them free room and board - but still, it is her fellow refugees that have truly made this bearable. it's prompto's company that has kept her strong and smiling. ]
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...Nah. A lot of that's on our fellow refugees-in-arms, huh?
[ They all came from such different worlds, and yet that single unifying theme tied them together. The relationships that he's made here...
Well. Suffice it to say that without them and bereft of his friends, Prompto would be in a very, very different place right now. But he's not in that place - it's a darkness he's able to avoid because for once, he's letting other people hold him up instead of the other way around. ]
I guess we've done pretty okay for ourselves.
[ To say the least, and he squeezes her shoulder. ]
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Aye, we have.
[ but she's ready to rest for a good long while, so with an affectionate bump of her nose to his jaw alisaie pulls away, ambling carefully down the short corridor and back to her bedroom again. tugging a fresh nightdress from her armoire, she can't help but wonder how long it will be before she can wear normal clothing again.
but the towel has to come off for her to get dressed, so try not to faint, prompto?? alisaie doesn't much want to be on her feet any longer than necessary, however, so she's quick to rub herself dry. ]
Would you bring me the first aid kit? It's in the closet, top shelf.
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...So he bumps unceremoniously into the corner of her desk. Ow...
Okay, he's going to pretend like that didn't just happen, and he turns his attention to the closet fully, picking the first aid kit off the shelf before returning to the bed. ]
Aaaalright, let's get you all patched up.
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by the time prompto returns she's dressed again and sitting on the edge of her bed with a satisfied sigh. gods, she's going to be so out of shape by the time they find the cure, having lazed about in bed for so long. only a strict training regimen will suffice.
a tired chuckle, and alisaie glances down toward her bloodied feet - as expected with the grime washed away her injuries don't look so bad, and while they look angry and painful there's no call for anything beyond some cleaning and bandaging. no stitches today, sir. ]
Do you know what you're doing?
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He picks out the bottle of antiseptic and a handful of cotton balls first before he waves a hand for her to rest her feet in his lap. ]
Even with magic, you can't get by out in the middle of nowhere without picking up a thing or two about first aid. [ Sort of how he'd (unwillingly) picked up his survival skills that had so come in handy back during the Descent. Funny how these things keep coming up.
He dabs a bit of the antiseptic onto the cotton, preemptively wincing in sympathy. ]
I probably don't need to tell you "this is gonna sting", do I.
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.. but right now, in this moment, she does not want to. or rather, she finds comfort in prompto's touch, even for something so silly and mundane as tending minor cuts and scrapes. there's something very intimate about allowing someone to see to your hurts, that quiet, simple trust in knowing that he will do his best and take care. it's something she's been allowing herself more and more often - at least with prompto.
so at his gesture she rests her feet in his lap, tipping her weight onto her hands and watching him with a pensive, bemused smile. ]
Do your worst. I'll be all right.
[ you've seen her tough-guy scars prompto she will take it on the chin
And.. thank you. For coming to find me. For.. for everything.
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[ Once again, reassuring! But for his own exhaustion, uncertain in his own ability to do this properly or to cause her pain in any way, there's nothing uncertain in his hands as he gingerly rests one on her ankle, thumb running gently over the top of her foot, the other gently swabbing at her cuts and bruises. They're the hands of a photographer, a sharpshooter, honed to stay steady even when outside forces would have him tremble.
It's a somber task, that it even has to happen in the first place, but...it's soothing, too, to be the one to help ease her hurts, to bring her some relief in the long run. That same satisfaction is what has kept him going these last two weeks. That for all he couldn't change this situation, and what happened to her, he could still help her, even if it's only in small ways. ]
Don't mention it. [ But he's smiling now, like a ray of sunshine breaking through the clouds. ] I'm...I'm happy to help. Every time.
[ That's putting it lightly, even as he stresses those last two words. He won't let her think she's being a burden on him, or that she asks too much. It's never too much. Not for her.
He switches to her other foot now, swapping out for a fresh cotton ball. ]
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I know.
[ she says at last in her rusty voice, the hint of a crease appearing between her brows. ]
I only want you to know that it is.. appreciated. I lean on you far more than you deserve.
[ and alisaie is not wont to lean on anyone if she can help it, but these last weeks have made it all but impossible. without his help, and the help of others, she'd be in far worse shape than she is now, which is really saying something, all things considered. that prompto is happy to help - of course he is, he did not need to say it for her to know it, it seems a core facet of his very character. but the last thing she wants to convey is that she takes him for granted. ]
You are an incredible person, you realize. I only want you to know that I am grateful.
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As he finishes cleaning her wounds, he smooths his hand along her calf, from the ankle to her knee and back again. ]
I'm - [ hah ] - working on believing that. [ That he's an incredible person, but he'd never belittle her gratitude, and the fact that he can even say he's working on esteeming himself with more than self-doubt and insecurity is a feat in and of itself. But he's trying. In the face of everything he can't do right now, he's trying.
He starts with the bandages then, to carefully wrap her pains away. ]
So...you're welcome.
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but there is only so much that she can do. of course she could talk herself blue in the face, list off the innumerable things he's done and said, ramble off time after time that he has helped her, helped others, but in the end it would do little enough good. like he's said, he is working on it, and only he can do that; her support will only get him so far. still, she will give it anyway, as much and as often as she can.
so alisaie's only reply is a warm, satisfied smile. that answer is good enough for her. she'll allow him to finish his work in comfortable, contented silence. ]
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How does that feel? How'd you score me on a scale from zero to ten?
[ Not that he's going to pursue a career as foot doctor or anything, but if the bandages aren't comfortable, he can still adjust them. ]
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[ sitting back on her hands, alisaie lifts one foot and wiggles her toes, narrowing her eyes as she surveys his work with abject scrutiny. ]
I'll give you a five for aesthetics, your knotwork is sloppy, but you more than made up for it in effort and spectacular bedside manner. Overall, I would say a solid 8.75.
[ they feel just fine, prompto. ]
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[ Whatever "books" he's talking about. But as his chuckle shakes out, he can't help but reflect on how...almost normal this feels. If he could forget how ill she is, how her skin still radiates heat like its trying to imitate the sun, how he'd had to bandage her feet because her fever had driven her out into the streets in pursuit of a phantom, it almost feels normal.
They'll have that again. That normalcy, when they can just be together without having to worry about illness or bombs or political squabbles that they had somehow ended up in the crossfire of. When they could hold each other close and kiss, and whisper how they loved each other without aching in their hearts. Gods, someday soon, he hopes, but until then...
Until then.
After a long moment of silence, his hand still resting on her knee, he looks up into her face again. ]
Alisaie, can I...give you something? I-I mean it's - like, super sappy, so if it's not your thing I totally, one-hundred-percent get it, but I...
[ Well. Even if it makes her laugh, that's still something, right? But this is uncharted territory. He's been bringing her food and books and watching out for her needs, but he's never really...given her a gift like this before. ]
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now that he's finished, alisaie expects him to stand and tumble into bed - they're both drained to their very marrow, and surely he must be looking forward to collapsing into a pillow. but he doesn't, he waits, and he looks up at her with those eyes and immediately alisaie feels a flush rising to her face. she hopes that maybe the fever will hide it, but that's doubtful. he's brought her plenty of things before of course, but the way he's voicing it, how he stammers like that - well, it makes her heart flutter. dammit, prompto.
gathering up her spilled dignity, alisaie clears her throat and leans forward, interrupting his stammering with the careful press of her fingertip to his lips. ]
What is it?
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So after a moment, a smile that's somehow fond and nervous and exhausted all at once settling onto his face, he reaches into his pocket with one hand and takes her hers in his with the other. ]
We've had some...pretty incredible times together, haven't we? I mean - that barely even covers it. Since I met you, you always make me so happy, and when we started dating, you made me happy in a way I...never thought I would be.
[ Bear with him. He's leading up to something. He pulls his hand out of his pocket and presses something small and cool to the touch into the palm of her hand. He doesn't pull his hand away just yet, so she can't see what it is. ]
I can't even imagine how hard these last couple of weeks have been for you. [ And since he's being so painfully candid, he lets his voice waver, because gods, it's been hard, so hard, to watch her suffer. ] First it's attacking your body, and now, it's getting into your head, and...it sucks. It really, really, sucks.
[ His hands, still both holding hers, squeeze gently, and he can't keep a tear from rolling down his cheek. ]
So...I wanted to give you something that c-could help you...remember the good ol' days, when it's not so easy to do on your own. In case you need to...you know. Jog the memory.
[ And finally, he pulls his hand back so she'll be able to see what he's set in her palm. It's a locket, simple, brushed silver in the shape of a heart, because of course he couldn't resist something so sweetly cliche as that. Should she open it, she'll find a picture of the two of them, smiling and unfettered and happy in such a pure, unfiltered way. Maybe sometime soon, they'll be able to smile again like that, but until then...
She'll have this to look upon. ]
I know it's not...all that, but I thought...it might help a little.
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a good sort of new. the exciting kind that fills you with anticipation, that makes every moment a tender surprise, and little things like this - small but terribly kind gestures - so memorable and moving. his words are sweet enough on their own without the help of the as-yet mystery gift, enough to make her chest tighten like her entire body is being squeezed, a painful, lovely, irresistible ache setting into her heart. that he would do so much for her, work himself so hard and yet still find time to do this, to say these words and find her this favor when it was not expected of him.. gods, he's truly something special, and for all she has felt unfortunate in life after the loss of a world, she has been fortunate in this. in prompto, her steadying hand, her light in the dark, the warm spot in her life that she can curl into when all else seems painful and dangerous.
when at last he reveals it, alisaie lifts her upturned hand to find the little silver locket, and it's easy to quietly marvel at how well he knows her in its choice, whether he'd known it consciously at the time or not. alisaie is not the sort to require grand gestures or flashy gifts, but this.. this is simple and elegant and - when her thumbnail finds the seam to open it up - perfect. a reminder of her own heart, of what is important, something to carry with her. ]
Oh..
[ it's a soft sound, a breath, and alisaie finds her throat tightening at the powerful wash of fondness that overcomes her and more than that, the sense of.. peace. like this little silver trinket is the center of the universe, a gravitational point that steadies and anchors her and puts all else in perspective.
she doesn't know what to say. words often fail her in matters of the heart. so instead she closes her fingers around the locket instead, holding to it tightly, while she slips off of the bed and into his lap, right there on the floor, her arms closing tightly around his shoulders, her face pressed into his neck. as always, she fits against him perfectly, easily, her form settling against his own like half of a whole. ]
.. thank you.
[ is what she says at last, her voice tight with emotion and necessity and fatigue, because what else is there to say? she's grateful, so grateful for him, for his thoughtfulness and tender heart, for all he is to her. ]
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He's waiting for the finale verdict, but it doesn't come with words - as it often does with her, it comes in action. It comes in her form drawing close to him and curling against him, in her arms around his shoulders as his come up around her back. It's clear, then, what her verdict is before she even utters a word, and for all his apprehension in giving her the locket, he shouldn't be surprised that she likes it. He'll get over that someday, that he can do things right in this relationship without messing up the first attempt, and her warmth floods his every corner in rolling, enveloping ways.
Shutting his weary eyes, he nestles against the crook of her neck and just holds her. What he wouldn't give to kiss her, but for now, to hold her, just to hold her and to know that she loves him is enough. ]
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but soon enough she's pulling back, and gods she aches to kiss him, must try so hard to resist the urge to, instead pressing a kiss to the crest of one freckled cheek that drags along to his ear. ]
I will treasure it.
[ and then she's opening her hand to look upon it again with a weary smile, before lifting it on its chain to clasp it around her neck, where it nestles perfectly against her heart. ]
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He leans close to nuzzle his nose against her cheek, before drawing back again to meet her eyes with a slanted grin. ]
Now then, I don't know about you, buuuuut I'm due for some beauty sleep before our big day tomorrow.
[ And by "beauty sleep" he means sleeping like the actual dead, but that doesn't sound as nice. He still has his arms around her, so it's easy to adjust them and lift her back onto the bed. ]
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a girl could get used to this. alisaie never thought herself the type to.. enjoy something like that, but then, she never thought herself a lot of things before meeting prompto. but gods, is she ever ready for sleep, sleep like the actual dead, yes, because there's surely not going to be anything beautiful about how they pass out. ]
Ah, I'd wondered how it was you managed to maintain those.. what was it?
[ climbing back toward the head of the bed, alisaie tugs the blankets over her legs while patting the edge of the mattress to invite peo up. ]
- dashing good looks?
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