THREE ✻ VIDEO

[mercurio]

[shaky camera handling, this isn't prompto's best moment behind it. the recording seems to be in sections. first, the sound of crunching grass and leaves under prompto's boots, dark surroundings but for the flashlight from his phone, and the appearance of these flowers as he walks on.]

Does anyone else hear that? There's music coming from the woods...

Ah, that--

[it cuts off. some minutes later, there's another video. this time the camera is facing prompto's face; his surroundings blurry, it's clear that he's running, and the rain doesn't help in capturing a clear picture.]

They're--here!

[he pants between his words. clearly he's been running for a while. what's this blair witch bullshit? however, prompto doesn't sound scared; he sounds anxious, almost excited.]

Wait!

[the feed cuts off again, cutting short a yelp of surprise from prompto.]

[the final piece of video is the most coherent one, if only because the camera is still. it's still pointing towards prompto's face but he's not concerned in looking at the camera straight on. his hair is heavy and wet from the rain. in fact, he's entirely soaked at this point.]

[the panting between his words, this time, is not because of physical strain. he's shivering.]

My dad's calling me. [a pause, his eyes glancing past the camera towards something in front of him] He says they've been waiting for m--

[he shushes abruptly]

Just now... Did anyone else hear them?

Comments

text

[accordance]

Where are you?

Re: text

[mercurio]

[you will be getting a voice note]

I followed the music into the woods, and that's when I heard them!

[accordance]

[ Still text. ]

Is anyone with you? It is dangerous to go alone.

[mercurio]

No, but I'm sure I'll run into my parents soon.

[redarm]

prompto
get away from wherever you are before you get fucking axe murdered.

[BECAUSE GHOSTLY DAD CALLING? CREEPY MUSIC? WEIRD FLOWERS? SOUNDS LIKE HORROR MOVIE RIGHT THERE]

[mercurio]

I'll be fine!

[he's voice noting this or video-ing, whatever.]

I'll find my parents and then we'll come out of the woods!

[redarm]

[-- Yeah he can't type fast enough to feel like he can stop Prompto in time, so he's switching to voice as well.]

Why the hell would your parents be in some woods with weird flowers???

Something doesn't seem right here Prompto.

[mercurio]

No, listen, you don't understand! Dad's saying he's sorry but that he's back now. I gotta give him a chance, y'know? I never thought he would come back in the first place.

[standalonehuman]

"Prompto." Video on his end, too, and Togusa is going somewhere, the feed is shaky as hell. "How did you even get all the way out there?"

"Is there anybody else with you?"

[mercurio]

Maybe they got lost, I don't know. It's not that unusual!

[look, why does no one tell him if they can hear his parents or not? he's not crazy, he swears]

I'm on my own. For now.

[until he finds his parents, that is]

[standalonehuman]

"Okay. Okay. I can try to get out there, but it's hard to hear. Phone connection's weird, you know?"

"You made it all the way out to the woods? Apprasage, right?" Togusa huffs a quiet laugh in between breaths. "You use Rufus to get that far out or what?" Togusa is intensely worried for the boy, but he's trying not to let on. Prompto, what is going on?

[mercurio]

[this is slightly disarming, to talk about his dog]

...I left Rufus home. I can't exactly walk him like this, but he should be fine.

[togusa's trying to get information out of him, but prompto's debating to keep on going in his quest to find his parents]

[daemonized]

[Nope, nope, Prompto is getting a phone call directly as soon as Ardyn sees this.

Ring, ring. Pick up.]

[mercurio]

[prompto... has mixed feelings about answering ardyn, because ardyn has become a real fatherly figure for prompto who has always lacked one, and in some ways he feels embarrassed and ashamed and guilty of the fact that he has been replacing his real father with an adult who has shown him an ounce of humanity.]

[in the end, he picks up]

You're going to tell me I'm doing something stupid, right?

[he's not so much annoyed or angry as he is--frustrated, and afraid.]

[daemonized]

[The relief he feels when Prompto picks up is fleeting at best, because the situation is still a worrying one. Honestly, the boy should know better. But it's certainly not disappointment he'll hear on the other end, but a concern woven tightly in the timbre of his words.]

If you're aware of it, Prompto, then why still do it?

[He hears the fear, and he tries to counter it with reason.] If you know where you are, turn back. You shouldn't have gone out alone, and you certainly can't trust what you're hearing.

[mercurio]

[prompto can't bring himself to counter ardyn because he trusts ardyn. trusts him so much that everything the man says prompto believes it with every fibre in his body. ardyn wouldn't want to hurt him; ardyn wouldn't want any harm to come to him.]

[it's probably why it becomes easy to put away what shame he would otherwise feel, what with an unexpected sob hiccuping right out of his lungs.]

[(it's the implication of his foolishness to think--to still think--that his parents were going to come back, were going to come together again and give prompto what they lost the inspiration for: to love him as their own.)]

[the words he manages to speak up are soft and pained]

O..okay. [...] I'm sorry, for this.

[twelfthspark]

IDK what's going on but I'm pretty sure you're being a dumbass.

[mercurio]

probably. thanks

[twelfthspark]

I say it because I care, promise. Did you at least bring someone with?

[me_matey]

buddy if i find you corpsed in the woods imma get real mad.

so u get outta there swiftlike. do it for ur homegirl.

[mercurio]

you don't hear it either then?

[me_matey]

i cant hear it all the way out on the coast

[hjack69]

It's not real, kiddo.

[ This is the first time he's bothered with voice on the network ever. Jack sounds tired. ]

Personal experience. All you're gonna do is catch a cold out there.

[mercurio]

[prompto should be honoured tbh]

[after a bunch of people intervening and telling him that this isn't right, that it isn't real, and in many ways a bad idea, prompto gets it. he's not happy about it; there's no way he isn't embarrassed, either, but the disappointment he feels is genuinely heartfelt.]

...yeah, I figured it out by now.

[hjack69]

Just wanted to make sure. Me and a buddy of mine almost got our asses killed out there tonight doing the same thing. Pretty sure I've got frostbite of the nipples right now.

[ ha haaaahgod this being funny thing doesn't really work right now and he hates it. ]

Doesn't mean you can't still track your folks down, right? You can just do it in a way where there's a way lower chance of having your face eaten by ghosts.