These days I've been taking that heavy so lightly [Group text; action for Arcrion]

[photoshooter]

[The good news first: Prompto has a job!

The not-so-great news: They're still trapped in another world with no idea where they are, why they're there, or how to get back--or whether there will be anything left of the world if they do. Every time he thinks about his talk with Stella, dread churns uncomfortably in Prompto's stomach, and he can't let go of his worry for Noct, for Ignis, for Eos. For himself. What's happening back home, if Noct's springing Ardyn's trap only to find Prompto not there? Will he be okay? Will Prompto be okay, out here, with no idea how to support this other Noctis by himself?

There's also the fact that Noct appears to be turning into some kind of lion cat, and Prompto doesn't know where to even begin wrestling with that. He's choosing to pretend it isn't happening, as much as he can. As long as it isn't bothering Noct, he can deal.

So Prompto's trying to focus on the positive, for now, and he really does love his new part-time work walking dogs in the city. They're really great dogs, different kinds, big ones and little curly ones and all of them his new best friends. Dogs are so good. Mankind doesn't deserve them. And they leave him plenty of time to take photos and explore his surroundings, though he hasn't had much luck finding out more about those weird cultists who brought them to Eludalsia.

Part of the problem is he's been tired. Taking care of the city's cute puppies isn't really strenuous, but it's like the sun itself boils the life out of him; but then at night, when he could rest, he feels fine. So it's not like he's sick or anything. Reasonably, it must be stress, but he's got to keep it together. He's one of the grown-ups. And he's tired of not pulling his weight.

That said, most of his research has been limited to trawling the weirdly official-like information he can find online on his retooled phone (thanks, Yuusei!), and he hasn't found much.

Today, when the light of the noontime sun is just too much, he retreats to his favorite off-leash dog park, lies down on a bench in the shade, and sends a group text to everyone who took a phone and gave him their number:]

anybody find out anything about some group called the joyous???
when i described the people who summoned us, that's the answer i got. "that sounds like the joyous order." but the coffee guy didn't know much more than that. just that they're a cult and he doesn't think they're ""dangerous.""
if you've got any other intel pls share with the class! thnx!
- prompto a.

[Anyone visiting the park in Arcrion this fine day may come across a familiar blond supine on a bench, one freckled arm thrown over his face, looking a little washed out as a Maltese, a Dalmatian, and a big, fluffy mutt frolic nearby.]

Comments

[photoshooter]

(aw, sorry about mr. moogle! but i'm sure you'll have time once we get to the bottom of this ╭( ･ㅂ･)و ̑̑ )
but that is pretty weird! it sounds like our worlds have a lot of THINGS in common, but somehow they're still really dissimilar when it comes down to the big things. like, our astrals don't do that to people afaik. (at least i hope not.) they only even really interact with a couple chosen bloodlines and that's it, they mostly stay out of mortal affairs.
what about chocobos?
nobody else's world has chocobos as far as i've heard, not even noct's.

[corruptedcoil]

What is that after your sentence?

There are Chocobo, yes. They are bred in Ishgard and shipped out throughout the greater land - for either transport use, or for Chocobo Racing. There are other uses, but those are the ones which my brother and grandfather both tended to talk about. (When I traveled to seal myself, I took a stop in a Chocobo Forest. It is perplexing how only the Black ones are able to fly without training. Is it the same for you?)

(Noct is your friend, yes? I have heard theories on multiple worlds, but if he is that unfamilar, then I suppose it is true.
There are theories that my world has multiple worlds - and the Void is one of them, traveled to though Voidgates. However, there is no conclusive proof either way. If there is a world with less volatile Gods then mine, it may be nice.

...Bahamut was imprisoned, however, for thousands of years. I would not expect anything but anger from one stuck in a situation they hated for that long.)

1/2

[photoshooter]

it's a face! see?
【°∀°】 this one's happy
“(`(エ)´)ノ this one's a bear or a dog waving hello!
ˎ₍•ʚ•₎ˏ THIS ONE'S A BABY BIRD!!

basically it's a fun way to add some flavor and personality to your texting style!

2/2

[photoshooter]

well at least one other universe is getting things right
(though i don't think any of our chocobo can fly? their wings are too small and their bodies are too big. they can kind of glide for a while with a rider, that's all.)
(and yeah noct is my friend but he's d e f i n i t e l y from some kind of parallel dimension to eos. it's okay, we're working on getting each other up to speed)
don't get me wrong tho, our gods are VERY volatile or mercurial to say the least
titan tried really hard to smash us the first time we met him but then he ended up helping out later
basically they have their own agenda and i'm pretty sure none of them think very much of humans but they also don't want the world to fall into darkness again i guess
so they work with us
or with the king at least

[corruptedcoil]

We cannot discount the possibility that Chocobo - and other beings - are simply named other things in other universes.
(I apologize that I have no illustrations to demonstrate, but Chocobo can fly once they have been trained - along with other creatures Spoken have deemed ridable. The strangest, in my opinion, is the Adamantoise.)
(I am glad. It may be selfish, but I hope that if anybody comes here from Eorzea that they are not from my world. They may come from somewhere where my brother isn't a blabbermouth. How do you delete text.)

Titan is very volatile in my world as well, but no Primal is known to be helpful. Titan, however, is the Primal of the Kobold and is very dangerous. Those who fight him tend to be left injured from falling into cracks caused by his tremors. But they also are agents to help the world fall into darkness, due to the chaos of Ascians.

I mentioned Ascians briefly before, but they are agents of Chaos who desire to bring their God, Zodiark, back. The only one who has given us information without the desire to kill us is a heretic friend.

[photoshooter]

[There are many important things to respond to in that text, but.]

adamantoises can fly?????

[corruptedcoil]

Yes. They spin in circles. They are brought for this purpose from a gambling establishment in Ul'dah.

[photoshooter]

but they're so... ginormous.

[corruptedcoil]

Perhaps we are thinking of similar beings given the same name? (The ones I have seen are as tall as a Roegadyn - one of the Six Races. [Hyur, Elezen, Lalafell, Miqo'te, Roegadyn, and Au Ra.] 7'6.7", if you require the measurements. However, these ones are specially bred and tames - wild ones can grow up to quadruple that size.

There may be larger, but I have not seen them.)

[photoshooter]

the one adamantoise i saw was basically the size of a small mountain. or a large mountain. once you reach a certain point of personal smallness, scale doesn't really mean anything anymore.
anyway, he took like three days to kill, *non-stop.* it was hell.
but i got some pretty good pictures i guess

[corruptedcoil]

Excuse my language, but fuck that. There are Primals of that scale, but not regular monsters.

That I know of. There are legends of Dravanians who have grown to that scale over thousands of years, but they are unconfirmed - none who have seen one have survived.

But am I reading right - did you take breaks from battling to illustrate your own success?

[ alisaie 'doesnt know about cameras' leveilleur is judging you. ]

[photoshooter]

not LONG breaks! just long enough to snap a pic or two!
you had to have seen him bahamut he was SO BIG.
and so ornery
ugh
what an unbelievably majestic pain

[corruptedcoil]

Would that not take at least an hour to get it down? Irresponsible. Unless you required rest.

[ < unaware of cameras ]

I know that sometimes, somebody needs rest and recovery during combat. However, those are good times to give assistance to others though passive abilities or ask for a Bard to assist, if you have one.

[photoshooter]

hey, i only spend, like
a few seconds lining up my shot when we're in the middle of a fight
i wouldn't leave my friends in the lurch like that! even i don't make that much of a difference in battle, anyway

[< unaware of the problem]

[corruptedcoil]

Nobody is that fast in art.

And everybody is important in combat. You are not a Dragoon, are you?

[photoshooter]

i don't really know what that is so i guess not
also do you not have cameras where you're from?

[corruptedcoil]

Then you are not useless. I have spoken of how Warriors of Light fall from Titan (and yet do not die)? It is mostly Dragoons, people who fight with spears and jump around a lot.

And no, the term camera is unknown to me.

[photoshooter]

OH okay that explains why we're confusing each other!
okay look
i'm taking a photo RIGHT now

[And he does, and then, voila: sent.]

see??
instant picture

[corruptedcoil]

[ There is a long pause. ]

That is amazing. Think of how much could be done with these camera - capturing events as they happen.

[photoshooter]

haha, yeah!
that's the idea behind photojournalism
which isn't so much my thing, i kind of like the artistic, personal angles better
but i use it that way too
as a sort of record of our journey

[corruptedcoil]

I keep a personal journal, inside my grimoire, to keep my records.
However, since this land is weak in traditional Aether and spellcasting, it seems to have defaulted to that secondary purpose.

A pity we do not have cameras. I know it is boring to use it simply for journalism, but history fascinates me. Not as much as Urianger, mind you - or Y'shtola. (A Miqo'te Scion - she is a conjurer who studies the past quite a bit. She studied under a woman named Matoya who knew of my grandfather - she would enjoy studying here as well.)

I neglected to mention it, but Miqo'te look like Hyur - the race most similar to humans - except they have cat-like ears and tails.

[photoshooter]

cat ears?
wait
okay so you said that the gods - the primals - they change people who work for them, right?
can they change people into different races? like from hyur to... i don't think i can spell that
miko......mokitties?

[corruptedcoil]

That, I am unsure of.

[ The next part takes a little to come. But there's a picture taken from her grimoire! It's actually more of a sketch then this, but whatever. (Alphinaud had sketched it, of course.) ]

This happened to one person exposed to Bahamut for five years. (For as long as we're aware. Nael may have survived without Bahamut for time before then. There are still mysteries in the Coils of Bahamut - the remains of the second Moon. Ones I fear unsolvable.)

It would be possible, then, for a god to change one that dramatically. However, all Spoken do not have a united Primal, and I am unaware of any cat-like ones who would change their followers in that manner. There is a theory that Carbuncle has a Primal, but it is unproven.

Is there a reason you have these questions, or are you simply curious?

[photoshooter]

ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

[You know what? He can trust Bahamut, right? She helped him, and also, Bahamut's one of the good Astrals. He thinks.

He leaves the group message to text her privately.]

ever since we got here, my best friend's been uh
growing fur
and getting kinda nuzzly and sleepy
well sleepier
he's always been kind of a sleepy guy
and also now he has cat ears soooo
i was hoping there might be a non terrifying explanation

[corruptedcoil]

The one you call Noct, yes? That is concerning.

[ If he's being semi-personal... she can trust him, right? Yes. ]

It may be influence from me. I call myself Bahamut, but that is simply easier then trying to explain my situation.

My name is Alisaie Leveilleur, and I am holding back the essence of Bahamut - our Aethers are combined as one. But even then, there may be influence from the Elder Primal - I used to be Elezen before all of this. Perhaps I am still dangerous to others. That is why I sealed myself away before this. I wasn't meant to see anybody ever again. I don't know my influence.

[ She's angry at herself. She shouldn't have come into town. But Prompto might actually hear her voice - she's surprisingly close-by, and she's just let out a swear. ]