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fandomweekly2021-12-31 04:13 pm
grains_of_saturn) wrote in fandomweekly2021-12-31 04:13 pm
Entry tags:
[#024] Skygazing (Final Fantasy XV)
Theme Prompt: #024 - Starry Night
Title: Skygazing
Fandom: Final Fantasy XV
Rating/Warnings: G, spoilers
Bonus: No
Word Count: 997
Summary: The stars remain unchanging.
Prompto knew that he had no reason to feel nervous - no real reason, and yet did so regardless. He paced around the hallway leading out towards the Citadel's garden area, tightly clinging to the book he'd brought with him. It was because of that book that he was there in the first place - simply a coincidence, one found during the effort to clean and tidy the Citadel, one that he'd read out the title for and had Ignis stop him, caught by a memory and eager to communicate its importance.
There were many books like that around the Citadel, though. Old textbooks from long-forgotten study sessions, storybooks, picture books. The Citadel had endured much over the years, especially the decade most recent, with shelved ripped apart and the debris of what used to remain upon them lying around wherever daemons had marked their territories - but parts of the building remained in better shape than others, and it brought some peace of mind to find these books still in relatively good condition. This was the one that Noct read when--. He used this to study--. Many comments like that had been made, as they'd sorted and cleaned and tidied. And, most common of any of them, I remember when we--
(At the time, Prompto had felt some misgivings. Is it okay to do this? Is it too soon? Nonetheless, it had to be done, and so, the three of them had set about it - after else, who else better to know what there was important, the memories those books held?)
The book in question was one that Prompto wasn't particularly familiar with. Ignis had told him to keep hold of it, and so he had, but flicking through it on occasion hadn't been all that illuminating. A book of the stars, but factual rather than fanciful. Star charts, diagrams, constellation maps. Prompto felt that he could name a few of the most well-known constellations, but couldn't everyone? That was what made them well-known, after all. Beyond that, it was somewhat beyond his area of expertise - but, despite that, Ignis had asked to meet with him in the Citadel gardens that night, and to bring that book with him, and so he'd done as he was asked.
"Are you there, Prompto?"
Freezing on the spot, Prompto then steadied himself. He'd spotted Ignis already waiting beforehand, but there was still that part of his mind that repeated the question - is it okay to do this? Holding Noct's book to his chest as if worried it might somehow break otherwise, Prompto stepped out into the garden.
"Yep, it's me." He approached where Ignis sat, on a bench not too far from the doorway. "Uh... I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long, or anything."
"No, no, nothing like that. It's as if we've been doing nothing but rushing around this past little while, so it feels quite pleasant to take a rest like this, here... although I'm sure it's seen better days, of course."
"Yeah..." Between one thing and another it seemed unfair to describe the Citadel's gardens as anything less than 'ravaged', but the worst of it had been taken care of, for the time being. Under proper sunlight, it was hoped that it would bloom again, eventually - but that, like many things, would take time. "Oh, uh--... I mean, it'll get better, though. Right? We've got people on that."
"Indeed. Not to say that I've never grown a plant, but I'm sure there are those amongst us with far greener thumbs capable of doing a far better job...!"
"Right." Prompto tapped his fingers against the tome and then sat down next to Ignis. "I... brought that book."
"Are the stars out tonight, Prompto?"
"Um--" Prompto glanced down to the book for a moment, as if it would help, before looking up to the sky above. "Yeah, looks like it. There's a little cloud, but it's mostly clear." (Even being able to mention that sight alone caught Prompto as still feeling unusual. He'd grown so used to the everpresent gloom that had overtaken the sky for those past ten years that to look up and see anything at all still felt like a novelty.)
"That's good to hear. For a long time, I would have said it quite difficult to see the night sky from the Citadel - the light from the city did a lot to obscure it, at times. And of course, I would never wish to speak ill of our efforts to bring light back to Insomnia - but I can't say that I dislike the idea of being able to see the stars from here, either."
"I looked through the book... I don't know if I'm that good at being able to recognize any of them, though."
"People used to navigate by the stars, once upon a time."
"Better them than me...!"
Ignis laughed gently. "Well, it's no academic exam - I don't expect you to memorize the text. Still - those charts were drawn up so long ago, and to think, you can look to that book and to the sky and still see the same stars there, as written... they've been there a long time before us, and they'll remain there a long time after us too, I'd wager. ...There's a comfort in that, I think."
Prompto hesitated for a moment, but suspected that he and Ignis were on the same conversational page. "... And they're the same stars Noct saw, too."
"... Of course. Maybe the chance of anything being truly unchanging is impossible, but... to look at the stars, it's almost possible to feel otherwise, I think." Ignis paused for a moment. "I'm not saying you have to learn them all, of course. Just that it might be nice to become familiar with these things."
"... Yeah." How many of them did you recognize, Noct? (Prompto felt that Ignis would probably answer if asked - but he was in no hurry to ask.) "... Yeah, it would."
Title: Skygazing
Fandom: Final Fantasy XV
Rating/Warnings: G, spoilers
Bonus: No
Word Count: 997
Summary: The stars remain unchanging.
Prompto knew that he had no reason to feel nervous - no real reason, and yet did so regardless. He paced around the hallway leading out towards the Citadel's garden area, tightly clinging to the book he'd brought with him. It was because of that book that he was there in the first place - simply a coincidence, one found during the effort to clean and tidy the Citadel, one that he'd read out the title for and had Ignis stop him, caught by a memory and eager to communicate its importance.
There were many books like that around the Citadel, though. Old textbooks from long-forgotten study sessions, storybooks, picture books. The Citadel had endured much over the years, especially the decade most recent, with shelved ripped apart and the debris of what used to remain upon them lying around wherever daemons had marked their territories - but parts of the building remained in better shape than others, and it brought some peace of mind to find these books still in relatively good condition. This was the one that Noct read when--. He used this to study--. Many comments like that had been made, as they'd sorted and cleaned and tidied. And, most common of any of them, I remember when we--
(At the time, Prompto had felt some misgivings. Is it okay to do this? Is it too soon? Nonetheless, it had to be done, and so, the three of them had set about it - after else, who else better to know what there was important, the memories those books held?)
The book in question was one that Prompto wasn't particularly familiar with. Ignis had told him to keep hold of it, and so he had, but flicking through it on occasion hadn't been all that illuminating. A book of the stars, but factual rather than fanciful. Star charts, diagrams, constellation maps. Prompto felt that he could name a few of the most well-known constellations, but couldn't everyone? That was what made them well-known, after all. Beyond that, it was somewhat beyond his area of expertise - but, despite that, Ignis had asked to meet with him in the Citadel gardens that night, and to bring that book with him, and so he'd done as he was asked.
"Are you there, Prompto?"
Freezing on the spot, Prompto then steadied himself. He'd spotted Ignis already waiting beforehand, but there was still that part of his mind that repeated the question - is it okay to do this? Holding Noct's book to his chest as if worried it might somehow break otherwise, Prompto stepped out into the garden.
"Yep, it's me." He approached where Ignis sat, on a bench not too far from the doorway. "Uh... I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long, or anything."
"No, no, nothing like that. It's as if we've been doing nothing but rushing around this past little while, so it feels quite pleasant to take a rest like this, here... although I'm sure it's seen better days, of course."
"Yeah..." Between one thing and another it seemed unfair to describe the Citadel's gardens as anything less than 'ravaged', but the worst of it had been taken care of, for the time being. Under proper sunlight, it was hoped that it would bloom again, eventually - but that, like many things, would take time. "Oh, uh--... I mean, it'll get better, though. Right? We've got people on that."
"Indeed. Not to say that I've never grown a plant, but I'm sure there are those amongst us with far greener thumbs capable of doing a far better job...!"
"Right." Prompto tapped his fingers against the tome and then sat down next to Ignis. "I... brought that book."
"Are the stars out tonight, Prompto?"
"Um--" Prompto glanced down to the book for a moment, as if it would help, before looking up to the sky above. "Yeah, looks like it. There's a little cloud, but it's mostly clear." (Even being able to mention that sight alone caught Prompto as still feeling unusual. He'd grown so used to the everpresent gloom that had overtaken the sky for those past ten years that to look up and see anything at all still felt like a novelty.)
"That's good to hear. For a long time, I would have said it quite difficult to see the night sky from the Citadel - the light from the city did a lot to obscure it, at times. And of course, I would never wish to speak ill of our efforts to bring light back to Insomnia - but I can't say that I dislike the idea of being able to see the stars from here, either."
"I looked through the book... I don't know if I'm that good at being able to recognize any of them, though."
"People used to navigate by the stars, once upon a time."
"Better them than me...!"
Ignis laughed gently. "Well, it's no academic exam - I don't expect you to memorize the text. Still - those charts were drawn up so long ago, and to think, you can look to that book and to the sky and still see the same stars there, as written... they've been there a long time before us, and they'll remain there a long time after us too, I'd wager. ...There's a comfort in that, I think."
Prompto hesitated for a moment, but suspected that he and Ignis were on the same conversational page. "... And they're the same stars Noct saw, too."
"... Of course. Maybe the chance of anything being truly unchanging is impossible, but... to look at the stars, it's almost possible to feel otherwise, I think." Ignis paused for a moment. "I'm not saying you have to learn them all, of course. Just that it might be nice to become familiar with these things."
"... Yeah." How many of them did you recognize, Noct? (Prompto felt that Ignis would probably answer if asked - but he was in no hurry to ask.) "... Yeah, it would."