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WHO: prompto & dante
WHERE: viea village area
WHEN: june 3rd, when the vandals are up
WHAT: a friend helping a friend out
WARNINGS: PG? maybe

[prompto does not have a deathwish, despite what other people might think of how he seems to do things in his life. there is a great sense of curiosity in him which drives him forth to making some less than intelligent decisions now and then, but if now's not the time to make stupid mistakes and enjoy his energy and youth, when will it be?]

[no one could have prepared prompto for the grand opportunity of befriending one dante, reckless teenager with a sadist streak in his blood. the two of them together were a combination worth looking out for, and thankfully their enterprises in the Reckless And Dumb solely affected them.]

[when dante offered to help prompto try to "get some memories," their mission for the evening was clear. prompto brought his camera (because things are worth framing into timeless shots) and a lighter, because dante said he would be able to locate fireworks and firecrackers they could use. perhaps this is not so much about helping prompto get some memories--in one way or another--but in them having some fun.]

Okay, but look over here a sec and pretend you have a graceful bone in your body!

[please pose for this picture he's trying to take; dante is not a big fan of this, but prompto is stubborn about his favourite hobby.]

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[Sadistic? Please. Dante just likes to live his life in the fast lane and do the stuff that other people are afraid to try! True to his promise to Prompto, he's gotten in touch with the few people he knows in the film industry and has brought with him a duffel bag full of various things they might experiment with--wooden sword, bokken, a couple nerf guns, the fireworks and firecrackers he'd promised, his own handful of lighters and some equipment for building a campfire if they wind up needing it (okay, okay, he has to pretend there's some use for the kerosene!)... between the two of them, they're all set for some fun.

And yet for some reason, the first thing Prompto wants to do is take pictures. Dante's definitely groaned about it when Prompto brought it up, but he did promise him a while ago that he'd give it a shot, so...]

Hey, I know how to be graceful! Just because I choose not to be doesn't mean I don't know how.

[Quick, get him while he's laughing! One of these days he'll have to go full-on socialite just to freak Prompto out; it would probably be pretty funny.]

[prompto does, leaning back a bit to get the shot just right--as natural as it can be, without giving himself time to stop and frame it in any way to make it even more flattering.]

Dude, the hell.

[he's looking down at the screen of his camera, smiling to himself at how it's actually a nice shot.]

Looks like a smile can make even you look halfway attractive.

[snorting to himself, prompto skips closer towards the loot dante's brought for their little experimenting (taking a few more pictures of everything, for posterity).]

--you seriously were not kidding when you said you knew someone who could hook us up with stuff.

Hey!

[Yeah, enjoy that shove to the shoulder there, bro, even if Dante's laughing too.]

I don't need a smile to look attractive if the past nineteen years are to be believed.

[Obviously that's why he never smiles; think about all the people he'd have to beat off with a stick if he was smiling all the time! It's the familiar smirk that crosses his face as Prompto leans down to look at everything he's brought, shifting a couple items to make it more obvious what all's there.]

When you know as many people as I do, it's not hard to find the right people to go to for information. What do you wanna try first?

[He points toward a leather jacket and several balls of thread, piled together.]

Those are the stuff for that fire thing you want to try, but I'd say we should leave that one for later in case anything goes wrong.

[prompto hums appreciatively, getting down on his haunches and putting his hands all over the things inside the bag, tugging them out and up to check them out. he hasn't seen many of this things, ever, in his life. still, he can't help the fascination that comes with it.]

[he stands up again, holding a large rocket firework, turning to dante to grin at him.]

Let's do fireworks!

[Prompto's enthusiasm is contagious. Dante's grinning himself as he reaches down to pull out a stand for the rocket, looking around for a good place to position it.]

You got it. Though if the cops show up because we're setting off fireworks inside city limits, I'm blaming you. You could probably talk the both of us out of it, couldn't you?

[Considering how many different people Prompto seems to know and how well-liked he seems to be by pretty much everyone, Dante wouldn't be surprised in the least if Prompto was able to sweet-talk their way out of trouble!

At any rate, once the two of them have got the rocket set up and in position, Dante will offer one of the lighters to Prompto.]

You wanna do the honors? This is your show, after all.

We'll just run in different directions. They can't catch us both, right?

[prompto trusts his running skills; surely dante has some cool ability to make himself disappear before the cops catch him, too. so, all in all, prompto isn't all too worried. as dante sets down the rocket, prompto excitedly holds onto the lighter.]

We'll be giving the people a show anyway. Viea needs some colour! Hopefully tons of warm tones.

[flicking the lighter a few times, the excitement in his eyes is clear. (prompto discovers his love for fire, be wary.)]

Keep your distance, dude.

[as prompto approaches, lights the fuse, and takes many, many steps back and gets his camera ready]

Do you really wanna risk that? I've been getting better at these fancy moves I remembered a while back. I'd be halfway across the city before you even made it out of the park!

[Who cares that it comes complete with its own fancy light show? If he can get far enough away first, he'd be gone by the time they reached where they last saw the lights.

He has to keep from laughing as Prompto flicks the lighter, finally using it to light the fuse after messing around a while. The guy's been high before, surely a lighter isn't that much of a novelty, right...?

It's only when the rocket shoots upward that Dante realizes--if the stars are green or blue, all they're gonna get is gray against the night sky.]

Here's hoping it's not supposed to be blue!

[But it looks like luck is on their side, at least for this rocket. It goes off in a burst of golden streamers, a loud enough "pop!" of noise as the rocket explodes that Dante's not sure they won't have the cops on them soon enough. Hopefully it's a busy night for them elsewhere!

But even so, he can't help but let out a whoop of joy as it goes off, watching the sparks fall and fade before heading for the pile to grab another couple.]

Let's go for two at once!

[the sharp click of his camera going off can be heard despite the booming roar of the explosion and the falling rain of golden sparks. there's an unequivocal excited sound coming out prompto at that.]

[and especially so at dante's suggestion]

[he's already dropped his camera to hang from his neck, taking out two rockets from within the bag they came in and setting them by the area their first one went off at. the process is about the same, and prompto's equally as excited as the first firework that went off. the pictures he's going to be getting will be both blurry and beautiful, but he's not checking that right now.]

[instead, prompto's stopping in front of dante and pressing his hand hard against the other's shoulder. there's hardly a breeze, now that they're entering summer, but the night air is cool enough.]

[this probably counts as a love confession, if the seriousness in prompto's tone is anything to go by]

Set me on fire, Dante.

[...just burn him]

[Dante isn't prepared for how serious Prompto's words are, something that might be obvious in his expression as he blinks back at him.]

What?

[No, he heard correctly--Prompto's asked him already to set him on fire. It's part of why he has some of the supplies he's brought! Dante shakes his head, his usual confidence coming back to him.]

All right, sure. Let's do it.

What option do you want to try first? I've got fireballs, and I've got a jacket we can use if you actually want to try and be Burning Man.

I don't think I've ever wanted to be anything but a burning man. Other than a chocobo trainer, but, you know. Can't always catch 'em all.

[listen, there's some stuff wrong with prompto, but at least he's earnest and honest. his excitement is palpable the more he speaks though, his smile growing bigger and bigger]

You gotta take tons of pictures though, alright!?

[he's already removing the camera from himself, ready to put it over dante's head like it's a medal or something]

A chocobo trainer? But you've only known what chocobos are for four months!

[And yet it still sounds just like Prompto to want to be a chocobo trainer. Dante shakes his head, but yeah, sure, he'll let Prompto put the camera around his neck. FOR YOU, BUDDY.]

All right, all right, I'll make sure you get some good shots. Here, come on.

[He might be letting Prompto put the camera around his neck, but he's going to shift it for the moment so that it's sitting against his back instead as he heads toward their supplies, rolling up his sleeves. He's specifically gotten a leather jacket for this, and as he talks he'll coat the back of it and sleeves with a special gel he managed to get his hands on per his contact's instructions.]

All right, so first things first--grab that water bottle over there and dump it over your head and clothes. That way if for some reason the fire eats through the leather, it won't be too bad.

Second, once we've gotten it lit, you've gotta move, all right? Since we're not covering your face up with this stuff, it won't protect you from the fire.

Third, don't keep it on for too long. This is pretty dangerous, even if you're trying to do it safely. Got it?

[All done with the gel, Dante's wiping his hands off on a towel. And then he's picking up the jacket, holding it so that Prompto can slip his arms to it!]

Ready?

[prompto is tut-ing with every point of exclamation dante offers. it seems simple enough in theory, but the execution might be tougher. prompto's a fit guy, and he trusts himself in being flexible, so he has no doubt in his mind that he'll be able to pull it off.]

[a fool is usually braver than most, right?]

[right]

[he dumps the water over his head before he bounces back towards dante and slips his arms into the sleeves]

Kinda a snug fit... heh.

[he turns, facing dante, hair dampened down and his shirt wet underneath the jacket]

So, basically, I just gotta keep moving constantly. I got this, dude.

That's right.

[Hands cleaned of any goop that might mess up Prompto's camera, Dante slips it back around to the front so that he can get these images that the other boy wants. And then he grabs up his lighter, holding it out toward Prompto.]

All right. Last chance to back out.

[But he's assuming Prompto's not going to, given how gung-ho he's been about this entire thing...]

On three.

One, two--

[The flame sparks to life in his hand.]

Three!

[Dante touches the flame toward the hem of the jacket, watching it catch and start to burn. The flames flow upward, following the path of the gel, and it won't be long until Prompto is his very own burning man.

Which means he's stepping back to get these all-important pictures that Prompto wants. Smile, dude!]

[prompto's suddenly engulfed in flames. his heart is about to burst from how goddamn exciting this is! but despite the initial feeling of flight that he gets soon as the heat starts to cover his back and arms, he remembers what dante told him]

[and he starts moving, walking about and keeping his arms moving in a circular motion; not too fast as to agitate the fire, but not too slow as to get burnt, either.]

[he's grinning back at dante, because this is such a ridiculously cool thing to be doing]

Take my good side!

Good side, bad side... you'll have plenty to choose from.

[It's really cool. They're probably both grinning like idiots right about now, but how can you even try to keep a smirk under control when you're watching your friend walk around on fucking fire?]

Hey, try walking this way!

[He wants to get one with Prompto lit from behind with all the flames... it'd be pretty damn cool.]

[prompto tries turning at dante's command (it's all for the neat photographs he'll have later!), walking slowly towards the other and trying not to show his discomfort at having this much heat not quite burning him.]

Out of the frying pan, dot, dot, dot...!

[in his head, epic music is playing]

Dude! This is so cool!

[just wait until it starts becoming uncomfortable]

--how are you supposed to put this out, by the way?!

Did you really just say "dot dot dot" aloud?

[Dude, can you get any more early 2010s than that?

But at Prompto's question... well, you can't expect Dante not to be a little bit of a douchebag when he's presented with such a golden opportunity, right? His grin fades a little bit, replaced by a look of sudden horror.]

Shit, that's a good question.

[A look of sudden horror that will only last about three seconds, because he's just trying to mess with Prompto a little bit, not actually freak him out.]

I've got another water bottle over there to put the flames out. Should I grab it?

[Just say the word and he'll put the camera with the bag and put you out!]

[prompto matches dante's panicked expression for a second, too, until the other relents. the concern in his face is still there, though; prompto isn't as hard-boiled as he would like others to think, and he still is scared and worried over things people should normally be scared and worried about.]

It is starting to get really hot!

Douse me!

Got it!

[For as flippant as he normally is, Dante's not willing to fuck around when it comes to his friends' safety. The camera is taken from around his neck and placed on the ground in an instant (he's not going to risk it getting damaged?), the 2-liter of water in his hands.]

All right, stop moving so I can pour this.

[He's behind Prompto now, pouring the water over the other boy's shoulders and down the back of the jacket, making sure that it passes over every section of the jacket that had been coated with the gel. The flames should be dying off, right? That's what water does to fire...!]

[everything is going to be fine, is what prompto thinks. the fire will be put out soon as it comes into contact with the water, a sizzle and smoke will observe its extinguishing.]

[what results, however, is not the hotness stopping. it's not the fire going out. rather, it seems to intensify, and prompto watches in horror as it seems to spread further down the sleeve of the jacket--sliding down onto his unprotected trousers and boots]

Hey, man!

[this is how prompto will die]

[What the hell? There's no denying the horror that Dante feels as the gel slides down off of the coat--the water was supposed to douse the flames, not shift it around! It's his own fault for making assumptions (but the guy he'd talked to should have warned him about this?! What the hell?!), but at the same time it's not like he can change his approach now.]

Take the jacket off!

[Dante's putting the bottle down as quickly as he can without spilling what little water remains in it, reaching up to try and grab the coat at the shoulders so he can hopefully yank it off Prompto's shoulders. Come on, man, work with him here, don't panic...!

Is Prompto even listening to him? Or is he in too much of a panic?]

[he hears dante, loud and clear! (because if he ever needed a lifeline, it bloody is now!) he does his best to try and slip out of the jacket, but the snug fit he had previously joked about is now a deterrent in doing so; but although it takes a moment longer than what prompto is comfortable with, with dante's help, he's out and it's off of his arms!]

[but they're not quite out of the frying pan, yet... as prompto very prophetically said before, in glee]

[his trousers have caught on fire, and some of the gel has managed to land on his back, now rising towards his hair...]

Shit--Prompto!

[Yeah, there's no time to be cautious about it now. As soon as the jacket's clear of Prompto, Dante's throwing it out of the way, and then he's fairly tackling the other boy to the ground, trying to smother the flames before they can go any further. What remains of the water goes toward his pants, since they hadn't been pre-wetted, but that's the last of it.

Dante won't think twice before using his hands to try and beat out the little bit of fire remaining, smothering the flames between wet fabric and hands. In spite of its flammability, the gel also contains a large amount of water too, so it isn't as bad as it could be were it something more dangerous like kerosene that they'd decided to use instead.

It stings against his palms, but in a few moments the flames threatening Prompto will die out. (The same can't be said for the leather jacket, which is charring slightly as it cooks and smells a bit like burnt hair...)]

That was too close for comfort. You all right?

[all prompto can feel at this point is the patpatpatting all over his back and shoulders and head, but soon enough the sensation of burning is gone. rolling around helped a bit, he would like to think. he coughs out mostly from shock, squeezing his eyes shut for a minute--]

[wait, what the hell?]

[his hands are tight on dante's shoulders as prompto's eyes widen]

Holy shit, I just remembered something.

[Do you see the look on his face, Prompto? Because that is the face of a bro who has just gone from worried about you to deadpanning with the force of a thousand cast-iron strikes.]

You've gotta be kidding me.

That actually worked?

[Who would've thought it? Not him, that's for sure!]

What'd you remember?

[this is what he remembers. dante gets the abridged version, as prompto sits up and tries to make sense of what the fuck he just witnessed in his head. he is still very much holding onto one unimpressed dante's shoulders]

There was this... dude, no-- some kind of scary looking guy on a throne surrounded by fire. Some guys and I were fighting him...?

[this is weird]

He looked like a demon! What the hell!?

[He's still absolutely amazed that this dumbass scheme of theirs actually worked, but that's definitely a grin that's making its way across Dante's face as Prompto talks.]

Well, looks like you aren't the only one of us left out after all, huh?

[He starts to try and hook his arm around Prompto's neck to drag him in, but at the last moment he'll catch himself... and caaaaaaarefully go to hook his arm around instead. And then try and drag him in anyways because if you think he's not gonna give Prompto shit about all of this, you've got another thing coming.]

Some sort of demon on a throne is a pretty undeniable first memory though. Man, you don't do anything halfway, do you? How did you end up in hell?

[He's kidding! ...mostly. Prompto's way too Good to end up in hell.]

[prompto is not sure on whether he wants to cry or laugh; having a memory is awesome, but he expected to get something a lot more tame than apparently being familiar with the overlord of darkness, the prince of hell, this infernal monstrosity...?]

[he understand why these memories aren't that great: he feels disoriented.]

[and he's still mostly on the ground, unable to find the strength to raise himself up on his knees]

I- I don't know. Must have been something... really bad, huh...?

[unfortunately, what comes with the memory is, also, this unequivocal feeling of fear, anxiety, that this meant something final]

[It's okay that Prompto's still on the ground. Dante's dropping to the grass beside him, looking closer at his face.]

Hey. Are you okay?

Talk to me, what's up?

[He can be serious when the mood calls for it. The memories have started to become almost like old hat to him in a way, but still he's stopped short any time he remembers something. Something like this... it's probably just as shocking as remembering that he'd apparently died.

It's a hard reality to wrap one's mind around.]

[lying down like this, despite the lack of greens and blues in his vision, he can still see the stars. viea village isn't so busy as to not have patches of enough darkness for the night sky to be properly admired.]

[aren't we all just tiny in the face of the universe?]

[the grass is cold to the touch, and the breeze makes him feel colder, what with the water dante had tried using on him. but this--this feeling is nice, comforting even.]

...I didn't realise how intense it would be. These memories. This one, in particular.

[turns his head to look at dante. #bros]

Somehow, it feels like that memory-- It's from something that was coming to an end.

[...turns his gaze back up]

Besides... I get what you guys who remembered things mean now. It's like we're someone else. But, it has to be some sort of dream, right? Is what I thought, but getting one myself, that kind of thing. This kind of feeling. It's too real...

[he's going to continue rambling]

Something that's coming to an end, huh...?

[Prompto's quiet spreads, and after a moment Dante will sprawl out as well, tucking his arms behind his head.]

I know what you mean. It's something that's too alien to be related to you because of how different it is from anything you've ever done before. But at the same time, you can't say that it's not you because something inside you knows it's the truth. Something you didn't even know was there remembers it.

It's hard to explain it until you've felt it for yourself.

Yeah, something like that.

[that's--basically all he can say, for while dante attempts to eloquently put it into words, there's really not quite a good way to describe its all. there's a yearning that prompto feels, and a plethora of questions in his head.]

I wonder if there's a way to remember more about it?

[sitting up, grass and dirt on his back, he looks down at the other]

It felt like I wasn't alone, but other than Satan, I didn't see anyone else.

If you felt like you weren't alone, you probably weren't.

[Dante's not sitting up quite yet, just giving Prompto a shrug. There really aren't any rules to these memories, it seems; all they can do is go with the flow.]

You said you were fighting in it, right? Maybe if you try fighting some more, you'll be able to trigger something else.

I haven't gotten any two that match up yet, but they're bound to start making sense somewhere.

[He hopes. Kind of. It'd be nice to know how these all fit together, but Dante's not entirely sure if he wants to know the past him's story.]

Suppose so...

[he says quietly, but turns to look back down at dante. suppose that nearly bursting into flames ends up creating an unpoken kind of bond, right?]

[he raises an eyebrow at the other, but it's mostly just him thinking, before running a hand through his hair and wincing at the obvious horrid burnt tips. a hard rubbing does nothing--he'll have to wash his hair later and see a hair dresser, likely.]

It'd be nice to be able to get pictures to go with the memories. Make a little mind map, kinda thing. I guess writing it down would do, too.

How many have you gotten so far?

Edited 2017-06-26 22:36 (UTC)

[Dante doesn't know what all's going through Prompto's mind right now, but he'll give an answering wince when Prompto runs his hand through his hair. Sorry, man, hopefully it's not too bad...]

Definitely write it down if you can. Once you start getting more of them, it can be a lot to remember.

[He falls silent again, lips moving slightly as he counts up how many memories he can think of of the top of his head. After a moment or so:]

I think I'm up to around twenty so far. Not all of them have been memories of something happening, though. Sometimes they're just monsters that existed, or an idea.

Twenty already? Dude... I'm barely coping with one!

[that earns dante a friendly backhanded smack to his arm. prompto's both impressed and undeniably concerned at the amount of memories dante has already gotten. how will he be, if he ever gets that many? will he get more at all?]

[...does dante feel like a different person?]

[and, this couldn't be prompto without it getting slightly sentimental]

Which is your favourite so far? If-- there's such a thing as a favourite memory from an unknown past.

My favorite? I haven't really thought about that.

[It'd be easier to answer which ones are his least favorite, really... he's spent so much time thinking about how much he doesn't like them that he hasn't thought about if any of them are actually good memories.

He's quiet for a moment as he thinks about it.]

I guess... there's one memory I've got. It's me and two other kids. We'd been talking about building a raft together, and I was teasing them both about being lazy and leaving me to do all the work.

[The faintest smile pulls at the corner of his lips--unfortunately, it's not exactly a happy one. All of that, and maybe they would have been better off staying there on that island in the first place...]

Then the girl challenged us all to a race before we kept working.

[seeing dante smile is... a rare occurrence, but not one that prompto is unused to. still, this smile is different. it's the kind of smile you have when you remember something fondly.]

[prompto smiles in return; it must be a nice memory.]

Sounds like you guys were good friends. Must have been ocean paradise, huh?

You'd think so, huh?

[Now it's his turn to go quiet, looking up at the stars above.]

I don't think I was satisfied with that, though. The whole reason we were building the raft was to leave the island and see if there was anything else out there. That girl I mentioned... I'm pretty sure she came from somewhere else. We were going to see if we could find her home.

[prompto follows the cue, looking up too, and eventually letting himself fall back on the grass with his arms open to the sides. one lands on dante's chest, but this is what it is.]

Think you guys made it off on a grand adventure?

[DUDE. Predictably, Dante's got to shove at the hand that landed on his chest--come on, man, why this! But it's pretty half-hearted, and soon enough he goes back to watching the skies.]

I don't know. Maybe. I remember a lot of different places, but I'm not sure if they were real or some sort of data simulation.

[Now the other memories are filtering in, all of the bad that he tries to forget normally.]

Either way, things didn't go the way we'd planned.

[prompto flicks his eyes over to dante as he starts saying that things didn't go according to plan, and something in his gut twists. in all the books and movies and video games, adventures are never quite as they're sung about. there's heartbreak, a hero's emergence from the chaos and pain, growth of characters, loss, and perhaps an ending so unexpected from the hoped result.]

[these are their lives, even if prompto's seems more hell fire-y than anything else.]

You don't know the end of the story yet.

[if there's one thing about prompto, it's his endless cheer and need to always look at the bright side of things. no matter how dark it is.]

Things might have worked out. You'd make sure of it, right?

["I don't know," is on the tip of his tongue. There's a lot he doesn't know so far--but one thing's for sure; he does know that he'd died, that he'd been trapped in some sort of afterworld and he'd messed up bad...

But tonight's not the time. There's something inside of him that freezes up at the idea of bringing that back up again, at reminding Prompto of the last time he'd injured him. Sure, this time was an accident, but...]

...yeah. Yeah, you're right.

I'm sure it all worked out in the end.

[It's a damn good thing it's dark. Dante doesn't know if he could make that lie work in the day.]

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20 years later

's all good!

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