The Wilderness of Niflheim; Eos. ????? Morning, ??/?? ET [06/24 FT].

Prompto awoke the next morning to the sound of barking in the distance, something oddly familiar about it, and, needless to say, it caught his attention. The night had been a rough one, his sleep fitful and distressed as Aranea's questions marched through his brain relentlessly.

What did he want? What was he after?

( But he knew what he wanted…. )

In the next moment, Prompto was back to sitting there, in the snow, but there was no Pryna, there were no magitek corpses or Noctis with his sword. It was just him...and his camera in his hand. And a new resolve, a new determination, a new goal.

Or rather, a very needed reminder of an old one. He knew what he wanted, and he promised he'd try, no matter what. And he wasn't going to let anything get in the way of it. Not anymore.


[[ because what existential crisis doesn't need a nice mystical dog-fueled fever dream of reconciliation, you guys, am I right? Obviously lifted from Episode Prompto, with the usual little fandom-flair here and there. Only two parts today! NFB, NFI, OOC, blah blah blah]]

Undisclosed Imperial Base; Nifleheim, Eos. ???????, ??/?? ET [06/24 FT].

First things first, Prompto had to track down Aranea, but however long that whole fever dream had taken, it thankfully hadn't taken too long, and he was able to catch her on her way back to the facility to make the appeal to join her.

"I'm ready," he told her. "I thought about what you said, and I've decided to face my fears, once and for all. I can't choose where I came from, but I can choose where I'm going."

"Alright," Aranea said, with a small, impressed sort of smile as she looked him over. "But slow me down, and you're going to get left behind."

"Then I better not slow you down," said Prompto. He'd been going for lightness, but it came out more determined than anything else, with a nod, and they went to climb back on that snowmobile and be on their way.

( Plowing through MTs on a snowmobile was made a bit easier with second person wielding a gun…. )

So Prompto gave Aranea his thanks, and he set off in the direction she'd indicated, the snowmobile cutting through the tundra with an ease and a lightness he hadn't felt in what felt like ages. Onward, toward the Crystal. And with the Crystal, they could get their home back. And with their home back, Prompto could get back to Fandom, and finally try to live that life he wanted to live.

But it was a long way still to Gralea, and Aranea was not the only one watching as Prompto sped off to the north.

Someone was not quite done with this particular prodigal son yet. And as the cold Niflheim wind rustled his long coat, pushed his long hair, and ruffled his long scarves, Ardyn Izunia settled his crumpled hat back on his head and followed.


[[ Featuring the ULTIMATE Prompto Cringe Moment and my absolute shameless Ardyn/Verstael shipping. Anyway! That finally does conclude Episode Prompto! Thanks for sticking through it. It's all totally gonna be sunshine and daisies and rainbows from here on in, too, just you wait and see! NFB, NFI, OOC is divine, and now we try to do what we can to pretend that FF XV isn't a total goddamn mess in the endgame ]]