recolle | ( closed )

( closed )

WHO: dante, noctis, prompto
WHERE: noctis' penthouse eyooo
WHEN: 7/03 early evening
WHAT: a new dumbass trio is born from the ashes
WARNINGS: dumb boys getting drunk and maybe roughhousing

[prompto text the address to dante a couple of hours ago. big party was just not going to cut it; noctis wasn't feeling Too Great to host one, but prompto still wanted to get him to meet--at the very least--one of his closest friends. it's the usual fear that noctis is too lonely, too sick, too bored to want to do anything that will make him go back to the initial situation that landed him in hospital.]

[he will do everything he can to avoid that.]

[and what prompto can do, is set up an evening of video games, some drinks, and getting noctis to interact with another cool dude their age.]

He should be here any time.

[he finishes picking up the last of the things scattered about in the apartment (seriously, noctis should consider hiring a maid), and seems pretty satisfied with himself. prompto turns to noctis, sat on the couch, lounging, with tiny the dog over him, a sharp contrast of her white fur on his dark clothes.]

You'll like him. Hey, y'alright with pizza?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ He begrudgingly accepted the offer of meeting his friend. Truth be told, Noctis would rather just stay in bed most days but he knows he can't do that. This seems to mean a lot to Prompto though, so he can't really be too angry about just one person coming over.

Noctis nods, his attention currently at Tiny. Who is belly-up and absolutely eating up the puppy massage she's getting from him. ]

Fine by me.

[prompto rolls his eyes when he notices that noct is extremely busy playing with tiny. he had leaned over the couch to see what his buddy was up to, and this is just amusing in a very endearing way.]

Cool.

[it earns noct a pat on the shoulder before prompto leans against the back of the couch and checks on his phone.]

[time to get the pizza discount...]

[Truth be told, Dante is actually a little bit less nonchalant about meeting Noctis than he'd let on to Prompto. In fact, if he were to lay all his cards on the table, one might find that he's actually a little bit apprehensive about it, all things considered. It's an unfamiliar feeling to him, wondering how this little get-together is going to all go down, and Dante still hasn't decided how he's going to approach this even as he's walking into the building where Noct lives.

Prompto's one of the first real friends he's ever had, in a way closer than even Ari or Vera are. Prompto's seen him at his worst, intentionally choosing his words to cut him as deeply as possible, trying to drive him away so that he couldn't get too close. He'd left Prompto on the ground in an alley, bleeding from a broken nose... and still Prompto had worried about him, had heard him out and forgiven him for it all. It's nothing that he's got against Noctis, but... there's a part of him, a part of him he'll never admit to, that worries that maybe he was just some sort of replacement for the other boy. After all, he remembers hearing about Noct before, back when all of this Retrospec stuff had first started going down. So that means that he'd gone into a coma sometime after February, when he and Prompto had started hanging out in March.

He trusts Prompto. Obviously he does; he wouldn't have gone through that whole "blood brother" stuff with anyone. But the part of him that worries about being left behind again is a loud and insistent voice.

At any rate, there's nothing he can do to change what's going to happen. Dante shakes his head as he strides down the hall toward the correct door, forcing the thoughts out of his mind. He's gonna drink (though maybe not as much as he'd done a couple nights ago...), he's gonna play some video games, and he's going to hang with one of his friends. The rest will play out as it will.

Ding-dong! Alcohol delivery with a side of inferiority complexes!]

--that's him!

[prompto announces, rather loudly, and jumps off the couch to go towards the door. he skids on his socks but manages to keep his balance. when he unlocks the door, it's a grand opening to the rather luxurious and minimal penthouse.]

Yo, hey, come in! I was just about to put down an order for pizza. Pepperoni cool with you?

[but the greeting isn't so cut and dry. soon as dante steps inside, prompto places an arm around the other, bringing him in close for a halfway sort of hug.]

[his following words are sincere:]

Thanks for coming, Dante. Really means a lot.

Edited 2017-07-04 03:11 (UTC)

[ The apprehension is shared on both sides, but for far different reasons. Noctis, truthfully, is intimidated at the idea of meeting Prompto's friends. There's fear of them having know him before the coma, fear of not meeting expectations, fear of just socializing in general. He's hardly had more than a few friends at one time. If at all. But he's doing this for Prompto, so he goes along with it.

When the doorbell rings, Tiny is quick to roll over from her reverie to hop of Noctis' lap and rush for the door, barking and yapping as if she's some large guard dog. The dog was his source of preparing, now he's just left to look like a quiet fool on the couch.

Noctis tries to play it off like he's cool with this. Like it's no big deal...

By whipping out his phone and starting up Kings Knight. ]

[It's a small blessing that Dante's used to ritz and glamour from his time touring with his parents; it at least starts the two of them on the same level. He gives an indifferent shrug as he comes in, newly-orange eyes widening slightly in surprise when Prompto pulls him in for a pseudo-hug. He shakes his head slightly, the customary smirk coming to his face as he glances away from the other boy.]

...yeah, yeah, don't mention it, you sap.

[DEALING WITH SINCERITY IS HARD, OKAY. Dante holds up the alcohol he's brought for Prompto's inspection, a little bit more comfortable as he changes the topic.]

Pepperoni's fine by me. Where should I put these?

[And... the man of the hour seems to be steadfastly ignoring them for his phone? Okay, this is going to be a little bit more of a struggle than he'd been anticipating, if both of them are reticent for one reason or another.

Still, there's a small puppy dancing around his feet, high-pitched barking making the penthouse feel a little homier somehow. Dante grins, crouching down and setting the booze on the floor so he can offer her a hand to sniff.]

Hey, this is that puppy you posted about the other day, isn't it?

Uhuh, that's Tiny.

[prompto picks up the booze from the floor as dante drops down, to bring it up to the kitchen after he closes the door behind them. this one actually locks lol]

We settled for that name. Noct's in freaking love with her, it's hilarious in a cute way.

[heading on to the kitchen, he sets the booze down next to etro on the counter, and leans down on the couch, on top of noctis. yeah, that's prompto's annoying weight on your head. his feet lift off the floor, upside-down looking over at noctis]

Yo, Noct, Dante's here.

[ Noctis is perfectly keen on focusing through this level. Beating his high score seems a lot more possible than opening up his mouth and socializing. But it's not long until Prompto forces him out of his concentration and leans over him.

Hell, he didn't even hear the little prod about his affection for Tiny. Noctis' plan seemed fool-proof until Prompto forced him out of it.

His eyes glance up to the blonde curling over him obnoxiously, and something in his stomach twists a bit. It was easy adjusting to Prompto's presence because, well, he was just there when he came to in the hospital. Spent the rest of his time there while he recovered. This is a whole other ball-park, and nothing like getting up and meeting Rosalind Lutece in her office. He already knew her.

Noctis puts his phone down on the couch, wrinkling his nose before pressing his hands at Prompto's face to gently shove him away. ]

Hey--

[ Once his focus can actually look over to Dante, Noctis tries to maintain... Something close to aloofness. Or something. He lifts his hand in a half-wave, not sure what to say or what to do.

God, this is so awkward. Why couldn't he just stay in bed? ]

[Yeah, he's definitely getting the feeling that he's intruding here.

Oh, well. It's not like it's the first time his presence hasn't been wanted somewhere. He can handle this. Dante lets the smile that had been on his face thanks to Tiny fade back to his own alternate-customary aloofness, rising back to his full height and nodding Noct's way.]

Hey. So you're Noctis?

[ He's sorry, Dante. Well... Eventually. It seems like he's uninterested, which is hardly the case. He's just severely uncomfortable in the presence of people he doesn't know.

Plus, expectations of being this great friend of Prompto's, yada yada... ]

Uh.

Yeah.

[ He stands up despite himself, forcing at least some form of action here. Noctis steps forward and extends his hand. ]

Dante, right?

[he gets shoved, landing with his back on the other side of the couch. she prompto rolls off completely, and straightens out. he likes where this is going so far, so he's going to let these two dudes get the introductions out of the way, to favour getting the beer ready for drinking.]

[where's the bottle opener, bottle opener... help a guy out here, etro, please]

[Dante will meet Noct for that handshake! It's a firm shake, but there's no attempt at any weird play for dominance either.

If this is how things are going to go, it's going to be a looooong night.]

That's right.

[Aaaaaaand it's time to drop back into polite small talk mode.]

So how long have you and Prompto known each other? From what he was telling me you two knew each other before any of this Retrospec business started up.

[ Noctis' return shake is just as firm, if not a bit delayed. It's clear he doesn't do this often, but he at least gives it the good ol' college try.

At the question, however, he halts. There it is. Something that has to do with his lack of memory, and he really does not want to get into that. Noctis looks a bit confused as he looks over to Prompto. ]

We uh...

[ Before Retrospec business? What in the world does that mean?
Noctis looks to Prompto. Little help here? ]

[uh oh, prompto to the rescue!]

[he brings opened bottles of beer, one for each. aaaaand he slides down onto the couch to sit down. he waves dante over. pick a spot, dude. it's an L-shaped couch, so there's tons of space. tiny's gonna be trying to climb back up. you too, noct, get in here.]

Yeah! Noct's not good with dates or anything. We used to play video games here quite often.

[waves it off]

Been friends ever since, right?

[a smile at noct]

[ Oh thank god. Noctis breathes a very quiet sigh of relief before following along, seating himself in his usual spot.

It's not... Easy dealing with this whole amnesia thing. It's not easy settling with it, and it's not easy executing damage control to avoid talking about it altogether. Prompto's save is just enough that this might work and he won't have to explain. ]

Right. It's just a thing that started up on its own.

[ His brow knits a bit at the offer of beer. He's... Actually never drank before? But Noctis doesn't say anything to it, and accepts the bottle. ]

[PROMPTO YOU ARE A BAD LIAR.

It's clear that there's more going on than meets the eye between Noct's halting lack of an answer and confusion and Prompto jumping in with the save. But hey, Dante does know the meaning of discretion, and Prompto had asked him here as a favor... so he'll let it lie for now.

He will, however, take that opened beer from Prompto before picking his own spot on the couch, taking a seat and taking a drink. (No Natty Light for these boys; Dante's brought a couple different types, the first being a chocolate stout.)]

Games, huh? What type?

[prompto knows that dante knows, and knows that dante could call them out on their shit anytime--but he doesn't, and he appreciates it.]

[he sends a smile his way before leaning down and picking up tiny, so she can run across the couch onto the different laps. so many laps to sit on!!]

MMORPG usually. Fighting games are pretty cool, too.

[ Noctis spends a good few seconds staring down the bottle. It smells weird. Bitter and... Off. But hey, he's far, far away from home and in good hands, right? Might as well give it a shot.

He throws it back a bit too hard, almost choking on it when the bitter flavor takes him by surprise (even though it smelled bitter?!). ]

[--prompto breaks out into pearls of laughter at noct's reaction to the beer. he had been watching him closely as soon as he started sizing the bottle up. he forgets noct hasn't really drank before.]

[he leans forward, smacking noct's knee]

Take it easy, buddy!

[to dante, straightening up; tiny makes a comfy place for herself on his lap, since he's got one leg crossed under one of his knees. petpetpet]

He's never really drank beer before. This one's good though, yeah? The chocolate one?

[he remembers it vaguely, but takes a swig, lighting up at the taste.]

Hm! Yeah it is!

Yeah, life's too short to drink shit beer. I also brought some ciders in case you don't like it.

[A shrug. He's not judgmental on what people like or don't like. There's also some straight whiskey in there, too, because if you're drinking to be drunk, beer's not gonna cut it (at least for him!).]

So what's the plan? Drinks, food, games?

[Save them from this awkward hell.]

[prompto nods]

Should've started with the ciders, at least for Noct's sake.

[he snorts]

--I ordered two large pizzas, but we can play in the meantime. Oh, hey, Noct's enrolling for classes in the fall semester, too. Do you think you'll have some of the same classes?

[despite noctis starting his first year now... prompto, that's not quite how it works (but he wants both dante and noctis to have shared points of interest!)]

[ Oh god, this is so embarrassing. Noctis isn't sure what at all to say, especially when he's stuck coughing for a few seconds there trying to clear his throat. As Prompto pats his knee, Noctis scoffs and thwaps at it. ]

Wrong tube.

[ That's all it was! It has nothing to do with him never drinking before! Noctis braces himself for another swig of his drink. This time, it's a bit easier, if not difficult to get used to the taste. But the second time around isn't as bad as the first, and he manages.

And as awkward as he's feeling, at least Prompto is facilitating a conversation. He idly holds his beer in both hands as he turns his attention to them. ]

Depends on what he's majoring in.

[ Noctis looks to Dante. ]

What're you taking?

Edited 2017-07-05 18:40 (UTC)

[Hey, there's no~~t much~~ judgment from his corner! Not everybody's been drinking as long as he has; some people are actually more the law-abiding sort and actually wait until they're of age to touch alcohol! It's no big deal.]

You could've grabbed the ciders instead, then.

[Not that he's making a harsh jab at Prompto; there's a faint smirk on his face and laughter in his eyes. Prompto probably hadn't even noticed the ciders in his excitement, unless he missed his guess, and they'd all been bought from a corner place he knew well with the option to pick your own 6-pack.

He shrugs when they bring up the matter of classes for the fall.]

I don't know yet. Should probably decide sooner or later, but right now I'm still undeclared.

[An amused glance toward Prompto, though, as he adds:] The prof's trying to con me into jumping the pre-law track. I think he just wants an excuse to try and put me on the spot again since the last few times didn't work out in his favor.

[at the idea of the ciders, you know what? prompto actually stands up on the couch and steps off the back, towards the kitchen. he's going to get those ciders, at least for noctis. tiny decides to find another lap to sit on.]

The prof's Ardyn. Noct met him before.

[and returns, handing noctis a bottle of cider.]

Should be easier on you, buddy.

[and he stays here, seated at the top of the couch by noctis]

He's pretty tough in class, yeah. Not a bleeding heart like how he is outside of it.

[Bleeding heart. It's straight from the exchange that Dante had screencapped and sent to Prompto last month, and for at least Dante, the odd tension in the room is broken as he breaks into laughter.

Damn straight!]

[prompto grins; he'll drink to that! raising his bottle, as per a toast incoming, he drinks up]

[Have that toast returned your way! Dante's drinking too.

Sorry, Ardyn, apparently they're bonding over dragging you tonight.]

[ Noctis is still coughing just a little bit, so the exchange of cider for beer is welcomed. Embarrassing as it is. ]

Gh... Thanks.

[ And uh, he'll go ahead and drink to that too, he guesses! Noctis takes a giant swig, which is actually much easier with the cider. He hums, raising his brows when he realizes that hey, this tastes pretty good.

Gonna just take another big sip there. ]

Ardyn's not bad. Sucks at shooter games, though.

He's a dumbass.

[Don't get him wrong, though, he's fond of Ardyn and there's no venom in his voice when he says it.]

Apparently he and Grell were putting on a show a couple weeks ago outside the hospital.

Grell, that's his girlfriend.

[prompto clarifies because he's sure noctis would look at him all confused and wanting answers]

[but prompto does ultimately snort into his beer]

Ardyn's dramatic. I'm sure she likes that.

She'd have to. From what I heard there was dramatic stripping and professions of love and everything, from both of them. The girl I was talking to said--and this is a quote--"It was like something out of Shakespeare! It was so romantic!"

[Excuse him, he needs a drink after mimicking the girl's voice. Not that there's anything wrong, but just... he can imagine it.

What losers.]

[prompto laughs at dante's voice imitation, and sinks in on the couch right next to noctis, doubling over a bit]

Wha-what the hell was that!

Don't do that again!

[ So uh, this is somehow getting a lot easier? Noctis doesn't chime in too much during their back and forth, given he's pretty busy downing his first cider (it's so good).

He wrinkles his nose at the visual of Ardyn stripping down. That's kinda gross. ]

Wha-- Stripping?

Not naked. [Dante waves that worry away--but then you'll have to excuse him for a moment, because the idea of Ardyn doing some sort of Shakespearian burlesque for Grell in a parking lot is just too ridiculous of an idea for him to continue.]

Can you imagine his reaction if someone anonymously sent him one of those portable stripper poles?

[He'll get back to the story in a moment. But this is too good a tangent not to pursue!]

[ He's starting to slowly feel a bit more comfortable with this socializing thing. This guy's kinda hilarious. ]

I'm not sure I want to picture that either.

[ MORE DRINKING. ]

[prompto chortles into his beer, spitting it out and actually having some leaking through his nose. does it burn? you bet it does. but he's being a good sport about it, rocking forward and slapping at his thigh]

[he tries speaking as he wipes clean his mouth-nose area]

Don't do that to him! He probably won't know what it's about!?

That's exactly why you'd do it.

[Someone might have to talk him out of this later; the idea is too funny.]

Think about it: he gets a stripper pole delivered outside his house--what size packaging do they even ship those things in?--opens it up... how many people do you think he'd have to ask about it? We can't be the only ones that would do something like that.

What if he had to make a post on Retrospec to try and figure out who did it?

[This proposed scenario is getting dumber by the second, and Dante doesn't regret it in the slightest.]

[[the answer is 43"x17"x5", in case you were wondering]]

[prompto seems to sober up at that, leaning forward suddenly, elbows on his knees and beer bottle between his legs. he's looking at dante seriously.]

...is this something we want to do? Like, seriously?

[Dante's barely even buzzed, but that question has him bursting into laughter again, head tipping back against the top of the sofa.

Are they really going to send Ardyn a stripper pole

And then he's leaning forward too, an expression on his face that Prompto's probably seen far too many times: shenanigans are afoot.]

We should seriously do it.

Noct, you in?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

( closed )

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject