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alystayr · 5 years ago

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Playlist musicale 2020 (1/2)

Liste des chansons (playlist 2020 - part. 1)

Mise à jour : 30 juin 2020

playlist 2020 (part.2), playlist 2020 (part. 1)

playlist 2019 (part.2), playlist 2019 (part. 1)

playlist 2018 (part. 2), playlist 2018 (part. 1)

playlist 2017 (part. 2), playlist 2017 (part. 1)

playlist 2016 (part. 2), playlist 2016 (part. 1)

playlist 2015

0-9 #

2Pac (Feat. Talent) - Changes (1998)

AC/DC - Who Made Who (1986)

Jeanne Added - Before The Sun (2018)

Aerosmith - Janie's Got A Gun (1989)

The Afghan Whigs - Debonair (1993)

Damon Albarn - Everyday Robots (2014)

Alice In Chains - Would? (1992)

Arcade Fire - Rebellion (Lies) (2004)

Archive - Bullets (2009)

Arno - Putain Putain (1983)

Asaf Avidan - Lost Horse (2020)

the B52’s - Rock Lobster (1979)

Axel Bauer - Eteins La Lumière (1990)

Bauhaus - She's In Parties (1983)

The Beach Boys - Darlin’ (1967)

Beck - Wow (2016)

Bénabar - Dis-lui oui (2003)

Louis Bertignac - C'est fini (2018)

Björk - Oceania (2004)

Neal Black & The Healers - Before daylight (2014)

The Black Crowes - Remedy (1992)

The Black Keys - Psychotic Girl (2008)

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Let the Day Begin (2013)

blink-182 - First Date (2001)

Blur - Out Of Time (2003)

David Bowie - Modern Love (1983)

Georges Brassens - La non-demande en mariage (1966)

The Breeders - Glorious (1990)

James Brown - Living in America (from Rocky IV) (1986)

Kate Bush - Running Up That Hill (1985)

The Byrds - Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is A Season) (1965)

Cage The Elephant (Feat. Iggy Pop) - Broken Boy (2019)

Cake - Commissioning a Symphony in C (2001)

J.J. Cale - After Midnight (1972)

Cali - Elle M'a Dit (2003)

Johnny Cash (cover Merle Travis) - Sixteen Tons (1987)

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! (2008)

Ray Charles - Georgia On My Mind (1960)

Cigarettes After Sex - You're All I Want (2020)

CocoRosie - Restless (2020)

Leonard Cohen - Happens to the Heart (2019)

Coolio (feat. L.V.) - Gangsta's Paradise (from Dangerous Minds) (1995)

The Coral - The Operator (2005)

Creedence Clearwater Revival - I Heard It Through The Grapevine (1970)

The Crimea - Opposite Ends (2005)

Christine and the Queens - La vita nuova (2020)

Crosby, Stills & Nash - Long Time Gone (1969)

Death In Vegas - Hands Around My Throat (2002)

Deftones - Be Quiet And Drive (Far Away) (1997)

Depeche Mode - Never Let Me Down Again (1987)

dEUS - Roses (1996)

Dirty Pretty Things - Gin and Milk (2006)

Dope Lemon - Hey You (2019)

Baxter Dury - Slumlord (2019)

Jacques Dutronc - L'opportuniste (1969)

Bob Dylan - False Prophet (2020)

Echo & The Bunnymen - The Killing Moon (1984)

Eels - Blinking Lights (For Me) (2005)

Billie Eilish - No Time To Die (2020)

Electric Light Orchestra - Mr. Blue Sky (1977)

Eminem - Darkness (2020)

Eurythmics - Sexcrime (Nineteen Eighty-Four) (1984)

Faith No More - Falling to Pieces (1989)

Mylène Farmer - Ainsi Soit Je (1988)

Feu! Chatterton - La Malinche (2015)

Izo FitzRoy - Red Line (2020)

Foals - Neptune (2019)

Peter Gabriel - Red Rain (1986)

Serge Gainsbourg - Elisa (1969)

Liam Gallagher - Once (2019)

Gorillaz - Feel Good Inc. (2005)

Grand Corps Malade - Je Viens De Là (2008)

La Grande Sophie - Une vie (2019)

Green Day - Father of All... (2020)

Johnny Hallyday (cover The Animals) - Le Pénitencier (1964)

George Harrison - My Sweet Lord (1970)

Murray Head - One Night In Bangkok (1984)

Heartless Bastards - Hold Your Head High (2009)

Hole - Malibu (1998)

How to Destroy Angels - The Space in Between (2010)

IAM (feat. Kalash) - Eldorado (2019)

Idir - A vava inouva (1976)

Interpol - Everything Is Wrong (2014)

Izïa - Trop vite (2019)

Jack The Ripper - I was born a cancer (2005)

The Jesus And Mary Chain - Just Like Honey (1985)

Janis Joplin - Me And Bobby McGee (1971)

Joy Division - Decades (1980)

Gene Kelly - Singing In The Rain (1952)

The Kills - Tape Song (2008)

B.B. King - Sweet Little Angel (1956)

Eric Kinny (Feat. Danica Dora) - Last Goodbye (2019)

Mark Lanegan - Bleed All Over (2020)

Led Zeppelin - The Ocean (1973)

Life - Bum Hour (2019)

Limp Bizkit - Nookie (1999)

Little Richard Long Tall Sally (1955)

Lofofora - Les Gens (1999)

Emily Loizeau - Coconut Madam (2009)

Clara Luciani - La grenade (2018)

Stephen Malkmus - Shadowbanned (2020)

Manu - Entre deux eaux (2019)

Mesparrow - The Symphony (2013)

Metallica - Sad But True (1991)

Pat Metheny (cover The Beatles) - And I Love Her (2011/1964)

Joni Mitchell - Blue (1971)

Moloko - The Time Is Now (2000)

Barry Moore - The Tide (2019)

Morcheeba - Part of the Process (1998)

Ennio Morricone - Et pour quelques dollars de plus (1965)

Morrissey - The Truth About Ruth (2020)

Alison Mosshart - Rise (2020)

Jean-Louis Murat - Si je m'attendais / Troie (2020)

Muse - Time Is Running Out (2003)

Yael Naim - Daddy (2020)

Willie Nelson - On The Road Again (1980)

Nine Inch Nails - Every Day is Exactly the Same (2005)

Noir Désir - Joey Part I (1989)

Nothing But Thieves - Forever & Ever More (2018)

Natalia Nykiel - Volcano (2019)

Agnes Obel - The Curse (2013)

Ozzy Osbourne (Feat. Elton John) - Ordinary Man (2020)

Paz - Ta peau (2020)

Pearl Jam - Dance Of The Clairvoyants (2020)

Pierre Perret - Lily (1977)

Lucky Peterson (cover Prince) - Purple Rain (1997)

Tom Petty - Runnin’ Down A Dream (1989)

Pink Floyd - Young Lust (1979)

Pixies - Catfish Kate (2019)

Pomme - Je sais pas danser (2019)

Iggy Pop - Loves Missing (2019)

Popa Chubby - Life Is a Beatdown (2004)

Elvis Presley - Jailhouse Rock (1957)

Eddy de Pretto - Kid (2018)

Puscifer - The Green Valley (2011)

Queen - The Show Must Go On (1991)

R.E.M. - Man On The Moon (1992)

Radiohead - House of Cards (2007)

Rage Against The Machine - Testify (1999)

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Snow (Hey Oh) (2006)

Lou Reed - Vicious (1972)

Catherine Ringer & Iggy Pop (cover Screamin' Jay Hawkins) - I Put A Spell On You (2018/1956)

Rival Sons - Jordan (2012)

The Rolling Stones - Jumpin' Jack Flash (1968)

Saez - J'accuse (2010)

Santana (cover Tito Puente) - Oye Como Va (1956/1970)

Siouxsie And The Banshees - Happy House (1980)

Slipknot - Psychosocial (2008)

The Smashing Pumpkins - Rhinoceros (1991)

Patti Smith - Because the Night (1978)

The Smiths - Stretch out and Wait (1986)

Soan - Emily (2009)

MC Solaar - Nouveau Western (1994)

Alain Souchon - C'est déjà ça (1993)

Soundgarden - Outshined (1991)

Spoon - Can I Sit Next To You (2017)

Bruce Springsteen - Streets of Philadelphia (from Philadelphia) (1993)

Steelers Wheel - Stuck In The Middle With You (from Reservoir Dogs) (1992)

Sting - Fragile (1987)

Joss Stone - Right To Be Wrong (2004)

The Stranglers - Skin Deep (1984)

The Strokes - At The Door (2020)

System Of A Down - Forest (2001)

Tame Impala - Breathe Deeper (2020)

Têtes Raides - Le phare (1992)

Hubert-Félix Thiéfaine - La fille du coupeur de joints (2015/1978)

Tool - Vicarious (2006)

Tricky - Nothing’s Changed (2013)

The Twilight Singers - On The Corner (2011)

Twin Peaks - Making Breakfast (2014)

U2 - I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For (1987)

Stevie Ray Vaughan - Crossfire (1989)

Tom Waits - Gun Street Girl (1985)

Muddy Waters - Rolling Stone (Catfish Blues) (1950)

Roger Waters (cover Pïnk Floyd) - Mother (1979/2020)

Weezer - Hero (2020)

Erika Wennerstrom - Extraordinary Love (2018)

Jack White - Lazaretto (2014)

Emily Jane White - Washed Away (2019)

The White Stripes - The Denial Twist (2005)

Woodkid - Goliath (2020)

Neil Young - Down by the River (1969)

Hans Zimmer - S.T.A.Y. (Interstellar theme song) (2014)

#Listes #Musique #Playlist #2020 #Music #Rock #OST #Pop #Electro #Blues #Soundtrack

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sonicasura · 5 years ago

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Ninja Stars

Hey everyone. If you don't know, some of the things I do in my spare time is writing stories mainly crossovers. Just the idea of taking two completely different franchises and fusing it together just entice me. I decided to show you one of my latest works.

Growing up, one of the cartoons I loved watching from my childhood was Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles specifically the 2003 incarnation. The characters, story, humor, adventures and even the times when things went dark never took the smile off my face watching it.

So I decided to take this wonderful incarnation and mix it with something I got into last year...

Yep. I mixed it with Jojo's Bizarre Adventure of all things. Am I crazy? Yes. Do I regret writing this? No. The big star for this particular fic is none other than our favorite toilet licking wielder of the Chariot card...Jean Pierre Polnareff!

Without further ado, I present to you guys... Ninja Stars!

He didn't know what he unintentionally signed up for when deciding to live in New York with his friends in the Joestar Family. Jean Pierre Polnareff was a Noble Frenchman who owned a nice estate in his home country of France after his father passed away. He used to have two younger siblings that he loved dearly. His sister Sherry Polnareff and the youngest sister Fleur Marie De Polnareff. Sadly his sisters' fates weren't as good as his.

Sherry was defiled and murdered when he was preparing a meal once she got out of school. For Fleur, she vanished when a terrible storm had hit the land by their estate and she disappeared with it before even turning a year old. Fleur was declared dead since her body was never found and Sherry never got the chance to be a big sister since it was robbed before she turned 5. Tragedy always liked to mess with his family while distrust amongst parents harassed the Joestar Family.

He felt sympathy for his friends Jotaro and Joseph along with their siblings. Their father George having an affair with multiple women before his wife died and said women having children being Giorno, Josuke, Johnny, Josefumi or Gappy and Jolyne. George didn't even know about them until he caught word of multiple teens having their family's birthmark! Giorno's mother and stepfather were abusive, Jolyne's foster parents neglectful and untrusting, Johnny's foster father was abusive and Jotaro's foster father never being there for him. The only ones who honestly had a good parent were the twins Josuke and Gappy though it was hard for Tomoko to care for their needs and herself at times.

George was even harder on Jonathan and Joseph often cruel enforcing manners through starvation or hitting them at times! Even their step siblings Dio and Diego Brando who have shaky relationships with the Joestar siblings at best didn't have much faith in George, and their father was worse than him! It didn't take long for George to be declared not capable to care for his children and was lawfully removed from caring for them. He lost his title to the estate and fortune which went to the siblings so they could live and get the things they needed to live off of.

They were placed in William Zeppeli's care alongside his two sons Caesar and Gyro. Anyway… Joseph figuring France was just digging up old wounds had offered Polnareff to stay at their home in New York until he felt ready to move on. Kakyoin, Avdol and Iggy were also going to be living there so it wasn't going to be that bad. Who was he kidding? When were things ever easy or normal?

The plane from France had finally landed in New York's National Airport. A tall and buff Frenchmen with tall silver hair that reached seven inches high wearing a black one strap shirt, beige pants, broken heart earrings and black expensive Italian boots had walked through the crowded airport with luggage in hand. "Now, where are they? Joseph did say they were here 30 minutes before my plane landed." The Frenchman asked to himself as he looked around the building.

His eyes then landed on a sign that read Jean Pierre Polnareff, his name, in the arms of buff and tall young man with messy brown hair, green eyes and light peach skin wearing a green crop top, fingerless gloves, a scarf, blue jeans and brown boots around his height which was 6'5. Next to him was a teen who despite being around the brunette's height was a bit younger and looked to have some Japanese blood from the narrowed aquamarine eyes and slightly darker skin. He wore a black modified gakuran with a gold chain, black hat torn in the back with two gold pins, purple shirt, expensive black slacks and black boots.

"Over here Polnareff!" The brunette shouted as Polnareff ran over to them. "Hey Joseph! Good to see you too Jotaro. You didn't have to swing that sign like you were advertising a restaurant Joseph." Polnareff teased as Joseph merely chuckled. "I wanted to make sure you don't lose yourself in the crowd. Things have been a bit crazy in New York as of late." Joseph explained as Polnareff raised his eyebrow.

"What do you mean by that? Is something going on in the city?" The Frenchman questioned earning a nod from Jotaro. "Purple Dragons?" Polnareff questioned his two friends. They had taken Joseph's car after leaving the airport and the two brothers took the opportunity to fill Polnareff in on current events. "Yeah. They're a street gang that has been causing trouble around the city. Muggings, threatening people, burning down stores, break ins and a whole mess of trouble. A bunch of annoying pissants but dangerous ones at that." Jotaro spoke blowing smoke from his lit cigarette.

"Johnathan's friend Speedwagon and his gang, the Street Ogres, have been trying to get rid of them but these dragon bastards are relentless." Joseph explained making a hard turn through the city. "You told me about the Street Ogres on the phone. That they were powerful just as they were dangerous since the gang used to be based in Europe's own Ogre Street, a personal grave for intruders. Until Johnathan defeated their leader and they followed him here to serve as his protectors. The fact these Purple Dragons can match one of Europe's most dangerous gangs is just terrifying." Polnareff said.

"There is also a new rumor going about. People are saying ninjas had been spotted in New York. Good grief." Jotaro spoke with a hint of annoyance in his voice. "Eh?! Ninjas? Since when?!" Honestly this trip was getting weirder by the second. "A few days ago, a bunch of Purple Dragons were found hanging from a street lamp by their waists. Near the scene were shurikens, a Japanese throwing star and one of the tools a ninja uses. It was embedded into the brick wall and some in the concrete floor!" Joseph exclaimed surprising the Frenchman.

"Damn. Things really have been crazy here. I bet Dio and Diego aren't exactly happy with this nonsense." The silverette questioned as Jotaro let out an amused snort. "Considering Josuke took home one of the shurikens and his recent binge watching on ninja related shows, Dio nearly had the World strangle the dumbass and Diego almost using Scary Monsters just to chew up all his DVDs. Jolyne even chased him around the house with Gappy's pet turtle Joshuu just to get him to shut up." Jotaro spoke sounding smug from his tone.

"I bet Johnathan wasn't happy with that and Johnny locked himself in his room watching his spaghetti westerns to avoid the mayhem. What about Giorno and Gappy?" He questioned as Joseph raised an eyebrow. "I forgot how brotherly you could be. Giorno is keeping an eye out for any trouble reaching home while Gappy isn't really bothered about the mayhem like the Zeppelis. Kakyoin, Iggy and Avdol are already at the estate and were filled in about the stuff as well." Joseph explained. Clearly satisfied with his answer, Polnareff remained quiet for the remainder of the drive.

The Joestar Estate was huge rivalling the size of an actual town hall though considering who previously owned it being a holder of a massive amount of riches it was too be expected. "Can I just say your dad was too crazy with his money spending?" Polnareff said as both brothers shrugged. "Stay away from my hair Iggy!" Shouted a young rowdy male voice as a purple pompadour wearing young teenage male ran past Polnareff with a little black and white Boston Terrier following close behind. "Ahahaha! Looks like the little rascal found a new victim! Looks like Iggy hasn't changed a bit. Is he still giving the dog catchers hell?" Polnareff chuckled patting his hair.

"Yep. They even have $100 dollar bet going on about who will catch Iggy first. Tried getting Johnathan to take the bet but you know him and dogs." Joseph stated. "That's right. He's working as a part-time veterinarian since his archaeology research hit rock bottom when that cave in came out of nowhere. I still think it was a Stand related incident since the ground was guaranteed to be fully stable, diagnostics and all." Polnareff exclaimed remembering the particular incident.

A lot of people got hurt during the incident and Johnathan was nearly decapitated from collapsing debris on surface that had no pockets of any kind inside of it done naturally or not. "There is also that creep who came in a bit earlier. A guy named Baxter Stockman had an appointment with old man Zeppeli about a project to take care of New York's rat problem." Jotaro stated as they sat down on the couch and the delinquent pulled up the tape.

The video showed a large empty rat maze and an African American scientist with almost a buzz cut style dark hair, rimmed glasses and hints of madness deep within those brown orbs he called eyes. He had to agree with Jotaro that despite the man not saying a word, the madness is this eyes screamed bad news. The man Baxter Stockman soon unveiled an object that was covered in sheet just as the video began.

It revealed to be some kind of robot that screamed raptor to the Frenchman on how it's design nearly matched the prehistoric predator if this one wasn't made of metal, had huge jaws, and a single light to serve as an eye. The inventor's assistant, a young woman with crimson hair and the kindest eyes Polnareff ever seen unlike her boss named April O' Neil, had released a bunch of rats into the maze. Then Stockman let loose his invention which he named Mouser. And what happened next after the Mouser found a rat…

Polnareff was glad he hadn't eaten any food or his friends would see what he had earlier. "Holy shit. This guy really offered these as a solution to a rat problem?! A killer robot that can eat through walls?! Sure, I don't want a rat in my house but at least I have a humane trap to use than that!" The Frenchman exclaimed. "That's what I was thinking! Even that April chick looked like she didn't want to be there! Everyone on the house agreed to turn this guy down including Dio! And Dio is the type of guy to practically fry up live rodents and laugh while watching them burn before feeding them to his pet bird!" Joseph shouted as Jotaro smacked him.

"Shut up! I'm sitting right next to you, dumbass! Don't need to yell in my ear. Anyway… Gappy is looking into Stockman's background since something about that Mouser seemed off. The robot bastard also somehow seemed to creep Johnathan out too and the man has been around all types of machinery considering Gappy's profession. From what's been happening in New York as of late, this an omen for an absolute shit storm." Jotaro said before walking away. They couldn't agree more.

Later… Polnareff had finished unpacking all his stuff into his room. William was kind enough to give the man a nice large room with its own bathroom, closet and a small fridge that easily reminded the Frenchman of a 3 star hotel suite. He didn't pack any extra stuff that wasn't clothes or necessities like health products but there were some things he couldn't part with. His practice rapier, the portable toilet he bought considering the bathroom mishaps from that one road trip involving him, Jotaro, Joseph, Iggy, Avdol and Kakyoin and a few photos including the one of him, his sister Sherry and their newborn sister Fleur.

He looked sorrowfully at the picture of a young boy, a red haired girl and a small baby girl with a tuft of silver hair and a slash like birthmark on her neck with all three smiling or happy in Fleur's case. Polnareff rubbed his eyes so no tears would fall down. It felt wrong for a grown man to cry even for something as sad and important as this. He heard someone knocking on his door. "Come in!" Polnareff called as the door opened to reveal two people were at the door.

One was Jotaro and the other was a young man just as tall and as Jotaro but a bit older with soft blue eyes, wild blue hair and wore a purple sleeveless shirt, gray jeans, brown shoes, black fingerless gloves and what looked like a cast around his ankle. "Hey Jotaro and same to you Johnathan. I guess your leg isn't fully healed yet. I'm surprised you haven't let Josuke or Giorno heal you." Polnareff spoke as the blue Man Johnathan let out a soft chuckle.

"I don't want to rely on them all the time. Plus it's just a simple sprain so I figured to let time and my Hamon heal it instead. Anyway, I was wondering if you want to go to the store with me? I forgot to pick up a few things and also want to do a bit of grocery shopping while I'm at it." Johnathan asked while Polnareff turned to Jotaro. "I'm coming with him so he doesn't get himself hurt again. Plus I need to pick up some more cigarettes." Jotaro said as Polnareff merely shrugged and decided to join along. What was the worst that could happen?

Apparently the worst could happen was the street caving in from underneath your feet. Around halfway to the store, the ground beneath them had suddenly gave way dropping the trio of men down into the sewers below. Jotaro and Johnathan landed on the walkway while Polnareff fell into the sewer water. "Eww!!!" Polnareff shouted spitting the dirty water out of his mouth and getting to the walkway. "This is fucking ridiculous. How the hell can a street just fall apart like that?!" Jotaro hissed dusting himself off.

"It's just like the dig all over again. Now I believe it was no mere accident. Look at the walls." Johnathan said pointing to a wall of pipes behind him. They had been torn to create a large tunnel and the way the tunnel was made being all too familiar. "Are those...bite marks? The only thing that can do this…" Polnareff said only for Jotaro to finish his sentence. "Mousers. Stockman's little rat project tried to kill us!" The delinquent growled clenching his fists in rage.

The sound of clanking metal had grabbed their attention quickly as what appeared to be a squadron of Mousers heading their way. It was more terrifying seeing blood on some of their jaws knowing the poor rodents they must had devoured or an unlucky sap who ran into them. "I ain't taking this shit lying down! Silver Chariot!!" The Frenchman cried out as something came out of his body. It was a knight in a heavy silver suit of armor, a silver helm covering the head except for yellow eyes with blue iris, spiked shoulder pads and wielded a rapier as it gently hovered in the air.

"Pierce them Chariot!" He called as the silver knight let loose a barrage of sword swipes faster than the eye could see. The Mousers took multiple slashes with resistance but when the first was decapitated and went offline, Silver Chariot used it to his advantage. Soon a pile of Mouser heads and parts laid before their feet. "Good job Chariot. We should find a way out. Who knows how many of those menaces are down here?" Polnareff stated.

A loud feminine scream echoed through the sewers. "I recognize that scream. That's Stockman's assistant April! Come on! It came from down here." Johnathan called as the group took off deeper into the sewers. They ran as the sounds of fighting could be heard around them and grew louder the closer they were. It soon quieted as the three men turned the corner to find an unbelievable scene. Tons of Mousers destroyed and scattered across the ground, April unconscious in the hands of a man sized humanoid green turtle.

That's right. A man sized turtle wearing an orange bandanna, brown arm and leg straps, belt and orange wrapped nunchucks. To make it weirder, there were three more of them with one having a purple bandanna and held a Bo staff, blue bandanna and twin swords and red bandanna with twin sai. A clicking sound of a gun made everyone froze. "Hold still. Move and Showdown Bandit Aeon will put a hole right through blue haired pretty boy's head." A cold feminine voice spoke from behind Polnareff and Jotaro.

The voice sounded young around Jotaro's age maybe a year younger. The 4 turtles turned to see the group and looked nervous at the female holding Johnathan, Jotaro and Polnareff hostage. "Oh… Hehe. Hey big sister, lovely night for a stroll in the sewers and not hunting Mousers." The turtle in orange spoke only to get slapped on the back of his head by the turtle in red. 'My Lord! They can talk too! Fascinating.' Johnathan thought despite the clear hostage situation.

"Michelango, Leonardo, Donatello and Raphael, what did father Splinter say about running off? Not only did you disobey his orders but also got discovered by more humans. You know he's going to punish you four." The voice spoke as all four looked nervous. 'Seriously? A family dispute in a goddamn sewer? Good grief.' Jotaro thought with irritation. It was becoming awkward for the Frenchman and his two friends from how the situation was turning out. "Sorry big sister Fleur." All 4 spoke as Polnareff's eyes widened greatly.

It couldn't be… Could it? He slowly turned his head around to look at their captor. It was a young woman around Jotaro's age with wild silver hair and sharp blue eyes, she wore a headband with demon horns, a green bandanna, a red and black traditional ninja suit, purple shoulder pads, orange hakamaki sash, blue boots, an accessory silver tail with a gold hoop, two short katanas on her back, fingerless brown gloves and a gold hilted blue blade katana on the small of her back sideways but what grabbed him was the familiar mark on her neck and the red streaks under her eyes.

The spirit or Stand beside her had the appearance of a demonic grey skinned cowboy, a single red eye amongst the shadow of his red horned cowboy hat while the other covered by his purple bangs, a bandanna shaped like an opened fanged mouth on his face, peculiar red ribbons near the neck, a black outlined gold poncho over a gold shirt and brown vest, brown gun belt with red fabric by the empty gun holsters, a black tail with 5 hooks at the end ranging from orange to red, yellow jeans and on them were gray leg straps with red blades, brown and orange cowboy boots with large blades spurs, white arms with the right pointing an orange, black and gold gun at Johnathan's head and the other a giant black, orange, and red gauntlet with golden blades for fingers and three orange nozzles on the center fingers.

"Little Fleur… You're alive." Polnareff spoke with a shaky voice. "You speak as if your familiar with me when I never met you before in my life. Who are you?" Fleur questioned. "You are Fleur Marie De Polnareff, third child of Jaune Reyn Polnareff and Charlotte Maria. Mother named you Fleur because you were as beautiful as a field of blossoming flowers when you were born." Polnareff spoke as he looked at the little sister he lost.

"Wait a minute. How do you know so much about her?" The turtle in red questioned angrily. "Because she is my long lost little sister. My name is Jean Pierre Polnareff, her older brother." He spoke taking out the picture of him and his siblings when they were younger. The gasps in the room from seeing the photo was enough for Fleur to have a look for herself. Her eyes widened upon seeing the familiar mark on the baby's neck in the exact shape and place as hers. "We're taking them back to the lair. Father needs to hear about this." Fleur spoke walking off while her Stand followed.

The walk through the sewers was silent as no human or turtle decides to talk. It was too uncomfortable and awkward for everybody. Fleur led them to a wall with a strange blue pattern on it. The wall pulled apart revealing it to be a secret entrance and the inside blew all three men's minds. It was a secret lair with tons of room, wall of TV's, couch, workbenches, pinball machines and basically all kinds of stuff perfect for a comfortable living. "Incredible. All of this has been under New York for this whole time. Despite all the technology and items here, the walls and layout are much much older." Johnathan spoke practically breath taken.

"You are very observant young man. My sons and daughter, may I have an explanation on how we ended up with 4 guests?" An aged and soft male voice spoke as they turned to see a human sized anthropomorphic gray rat with brown eyes, a small goatee, white bushy eyebrows and leaning on a brown wooden cane wearing an orange and dark brown kimono. "Good grief. Things gotten really bizarre." Jotaro sighed at the weirdness they found themselves in.

One explanation from Polnareff later… The group were sitting down and gathered at the front while April who had woken up earlier after fainting again joined in. "So that explains it. Fleur was separated from you because that terrible storm had washed her away. It makes sense for her not to recognize you since she was a baby before disappearing." The turtle in purple spoke. "Though my question is, who or what are you guys? How did you even find her without being caught on the surface?" April questioned.

"That is a very long story. We weren't always like this. We used to be what you once called normal. I used to be an ordinary pet rat whose owner was a kind martial artist named Hamato Yoshi. On a trip to France, my master and I had came across Fleur crying by the edge of a river. The only clue to her name was a flower tied in her hair. A few years later, the home of my master was caught in a nasty blaze. I was able to get out with Fleur through my Master's sacrifice.

I hid Fleur in a safe place within the sewers and scavenge for food to keep her alive. On one of those scavenging days, I saw the beginning of an accident. A child had walked out of the pet store carrying four baby turtles. *That was us! From the orange bandanna turtle* Don't interrupt Michelangelo. Where was I? An elderly blind man was walking the street unaware of a massive truck heading straight towards him. A man near the child lunged to shove the elder out of harm's way yet accidentally sending the tank holding the four turtles near the sewer were they were gently swept down below.

The truck had flung open wide enough for a mysterious canister to jump out and went down the sewer bursting open and covering the four turtles in a glowing green ooze. I followed them down and took pity on them. I gathered all four and safely put them in an empty coffee can though one decided to shake himself and got the ooze on me too. I took them back to my den where Fleur laid sleeping.

The next morning, I woke up. All four had doubled in size and I was changed too. The ooze had affected us in many peculiar ways from enhancing our intelligence and strength along with affecting our growth. Then one day, one of the young turtles had spoken my name. Fleur manifested her own peculiarity in the form of a spirit that same day. I knew then that it was my duty to protect and raise them as my own.

To each I taught them the ways of Ninjutsu and to harness their new form and power. Fleur named her spirit Showdown Bandit Aeon after one of the tarot cards, the Aeon Arcana. For the four turtles, using a book on the Italian Renaissance Arts, I gave them their names. Leonardo(blue), Donatello(purple), Raphael(red) and Michelangelo(orange). That is our story." Splinter told finishing his tale.

"Yep! We're unbelievable!" Shouted Michelango who they could clearly tell was the goofball of the four. "Where's your off switch?" Raphael questioned as Jotaro snorted amused. "Been asking the same thing myself about our little brother Josuke." Jotaro said. "It's still incredible that you have a Stand Fleur combined with the fact that your family could see them." Polnareff said as that got the makeshift family's attention. It was enough for Aeon to manifest with a curious glint in his eyes. "Speak of the cowboy, hey Aeon." Michelangelo said as April looked confused.

"Stand? I don't see anything." April spoke clueless. "Only Stand Users can see Stands. Stands are the manifestation of a person's fighting Spirit with their own set of abilities based on their user. They are called Stands because they always stand beside you." Jotaro explained. "Maybe not for long. I came up with something that I've been dying to try out." Donatello said heading to a cabinet and took something out.

He came back with a pair of glasses with green half lenses. "I made this when I found out Fleur had a Stand. Using a bullet Aeon supplied me with, I created these beauties. The Spirit Lens. I didn't know if one day we would lose the ability to see or hear Aeon so I made these just in case. Aeon is considered the fifth brother of the bunch since we played and trained with each other from childhood. Try the Spirit Lens on, April." Donatello explained surprising the male trio.

'Glasses that can see Stands!?' Went through their heads as April put on the glasses before turning to suddenly scream. "Oh my gosh! There's a demon cowboy right in my face! Is this Aeon???" April questioned nervously as Jotaro, Polnareff and Johnathan's eyes widened. "Yeeehaw!!!! Looks like your little doodad was a success Donnie! The lassie can see me!" A young raspy and wild male voice came out from Aeon as he twirled his hat. Donatello chuckled at the Stand's obvious happiness.

"Oh. It's rude to leave a family member out of a reunion. Jotaro, Johnathan and I are also Stand Users. Come out Silver Chariot!" Polnareff called as Silver Chariot manifested. "Wow! An actual knight in shining armor! And that rapier looks fantastic!" Leonardo stated as he couldn't help but admire the craftsmanship of Silver Chariot's blade. "The elder Knight and young bandit. Very interesting. The Chariot is the tarot card for conquest and absolute victory. Quite fitting for a knight or crusader." Splinter spoke as both Stands approached each other.

"Aw shucks. Thanks. I had Silver Chariot with me since birth and both of us keep each other in fighting shape." Polnareff said scratching his head sheepishly. Both of the Stands eyed each other before Aeon decided to just give Chariot a big hug as his tail wagged wildly like a happy dog. "Aww. They look so cute! Someone take a picture!" Michelangelo said. "Wish I brought my camera." Johnathan mumbled.

"Let's get back to business. April, why were those Mousers chasing you?" Fleur questioned getting everyone back on topic. "I decided to spy on my former boss since it was too suspicious to build so many of something like the Mousers for a city rat problem. I discovered that he was using the Mousers to rob banks and jewelry stores of their valuables. One of the test runs even brought down an archaeological dig!" April explained as Johnathan's breath hitched.

"Dear god. Those things were the reason nearly everyone at my digsite was almost killed. To think the same man who pitched those awful things to us were responsible for the pain of so many." Johnathan spoke clenching his fists angrily. "Now I recognize you! You are Johnathan Joestar, the eldest son of George Joestar and heir to the Joestar and Zeppeli Corporation! Oh shell! I read a few of your books on ancient civilizations and they were really excellent. To meet one of my favorite authors is astounding!" Donatello explained as Johnathan couldn't help but smile.

"Well it's nice to meet a fan of my work. I would love to discuss about it later but I think it's best if we deal with Stockman first. He caused too much pain for a lot of people and must be stopped before he could do further harm." Johnathan said. "Yeah. That jerk destroyed our old home and those pieces of scrap metal try to make a meal out of our Sensei!" Raphael stated taking out his sai.

"I agree. My sons and my daughter, I ask of you to assist April in stopping Stockman before he could do even further harm. Jotaro and Jean, I ask of you to accompany them on this mission. I know my sons and daughter can protect themselves but it'll be good to have someone capable of protecting Miss O' Neil. Though Johnathan, I ask of you to stay here. The injury on your ankle needs to be checked and wounds like that on a battlefield can put you and others in grave danger." Splinter explained.

No one objected the elder rat's words for it obviously made sense. Even Jotaro silently agreed despite being known to be against any type of authority. "It's not going to be easy. Stocktronics has the latest top of the line security system. It'll be tough to get in without being spotted." April spoke only for Fleur to giggle. "We've got that problem already handled." The kunoichi said.

"May I present you our technologic master turtle, Donatello!" Michaelango said pointing at Donatello. "You're too kind." Donatello chuckled. "Can we go already? Please!" Shouted Raphael. "Follow us. We know these sewers like the back of our hand." Fleur spoke walking off. The group of 8 quietly walked through New York's Sewer system. April had stopped them to point a small security system.

"Seriously? Security systems in the sewer? This Stockman guy is really paranoid." Michaelango whispered only to be smacked by Jotaro. "Thanks big guy." Raphael silently chuckled. "Get a room you two." Michaelango spoke only to get shushed by Donatello. "Be quiet. April and I are busy! This is delicate work!" Donatello whispered annoyed as he dismantled the system. "*sigh* Little brothers…" Fleur muttered.

The system was soon broken allowing the group to travel to the building through the ducts. Using his sai, Raphael had opened the vent after the guards left. "Alright. The terminal is over there. If I can access it, I can make blank spots in the security for you guys to travel undetected." April whispered. "Let me do it. Star Platinum." Jotaro spoke manifesting his Stand.

It looked like a big purple Aztec warrior just as tall as Jotaro but buffer, had long black flowing hair, sharp teal eyes, gold wavy lines going down his body and wore gold shoulder pads with spirals, red scarf, gold circlet headband, black fingerless gloves with gold studs, black knee boots and a long white loin cloth. April had to hide her blush. "Oh shell. He's huge. Looks like you got a fellow purple lover." Raphael joked as Donatello rolled his eyes.

"Star Finger." Jotaro whispered as Star Platinum's middle and index finger thin and lengthen before using it to pick the lock open. Jotaro called Star back as the group got out of the duct and followed April into terminal room. "Nice lock picking Jotaro. When did you learn to do that?" Leonardo questioned the raven. "Jotaro has a crazy fanclub that follows him everyday at school. He picks the roof door lock to escape since students aren't allowed up there." Polnareff answered the blue mask turtle.

"Alright. I'm blanking the cameras in 10 second intervals. You guys have to keep moving and don't stop if you don't want to get caught." April warned. "Got it. We'll be back." Fleur spoke as the 5 ninjas disappeared without a sound to three clueless people until the Frenchman turned around. "They're gone! That Splinter can teach!" Polnareff stated as he couldn't help but feel proud at his little sister and a bit for her brothers.

The kunoichi and her four shelled siblings outran the cameras as they raced through the halls. Walking into a completely dark room, all 5 siblings were on guard. "It's quiet, too quiet." Leonardo warned pulling out his weapons like the others. Fleur kept her third blade on her back as she kept an eye out for danger. "Guys, my turtle sense is tingling." Michelangelo joked nervously. Suddenly the lights flashed on to reveal Stockman high above in a control room and there were manufacturing guns found above in high-tech factories, the type that fire beams of extreme heat.

"You really think I would be so lax in thinking to not anticipate intruders! Did you come here for my secrets because it wouldn't matter. None of you are leaving out alive." Stockman threatened looking at the thermal images of the 5 shinobi only to be disturbed by 4 non human shaped blurs. "What are you? I guess I have to dissect you to find out." Stockman spoke as the ceiling guns shifted to face the group before the ninja found themselves under fire.

It didn't take them a second to take cover behind the pillars. "Showdown Bandit Aeon!" Fleur cried out summoning her Stand. "This is quite a shootout but these pieces of scrap can't outshot me!" The devilish cowboy laughed aiming his gun and began firing bullets. Each bullet sniped into each barrel causing each laser gun to explode from its own blast. "Donnie!" Leonardo called as the turtle in purple came over. Donatello tossed Leonardo into the air so he could slice the guns in half with his katana blades.

Donatello using his staff, pole vaulted to one of the guns before turning it to shoot at the others and then finished by sabotaging it to explode. "Mikey! Hammer throw!" Raphael called Michelangelo ran over to the turtle in red. Michaelango jumped over Raphael as the red masked turtle kicked out his feet to launch his fellow turtle to the control room glass and break open an entry to Stockman's terror.

Fleur and the others quickly followed up there blocking Stockman as their friends walked in from the other side. "April! You're alive." Stockman said shocked. "And kicking. My friends here helped me out and get me to you. It's over Stockman, I have enough evidence to land you in jail for a very long time." April spoke only for Stockman to laugh and pull out a remote with a single button. He pressed it before Michaelango could grab him.

"It's too late! I called back all my Mousers. They'll be here to rip you to shreds!" Stockman chuckled as the group could see the beginnings of a swarm of the malicious robots surround them. Stockman had used their distraction to escape. "Guys! Stockman got away!" Michelangelo shouted. "We have bigger problems. We have thousands of things heading our way! Stockman must have made even more before robbing those banks earlier!" Donatello panicked as both him and April got to the control panel before trying to hack it.

Mousers began to come in the room from all around them as Jotaro, Polnareff and Fleur got their stands ready. Suddenly all the small killer robots stopped as their single eye began blinking. "April, what did you do?" Fleur questioned as Michelangelo picked up one of the Mousers. "I couldn't shut them down so I had to reroute their programming to overload." April warned as the orange masked turtle dropped the Mouser in panic. "Let's get the shell out of here! This place is going to blow!" Fleur cried as it didn't take a single second for all of them to scramble out of the building and down into the sewers.

Back at the lair… the news played the burning scene of the Stocktronics building as the group watched. "What are you going to do now April? I'm pretty sure you're out of a job." Splinter questioned. "We can help her get back on her feet. She did help us stop Stockman." Fleur offered as Polnareff couldn't help but smile. "Splinter, I want to thank you and your master for caring for my little sister. She has turned into a wonderful woman with your guidance." Polnareff spoke.

"It was an honor. Though it'll take time for Fleur to adjust knowing she has a living relative. You and your friends are welcomed back here. The boys still need some guidance that I can't provide." Splinter spoke as Polnareff smiled. "Wait, if Polnareff is Fleur's older brother and Splinter adopted Fleur, doesn't that make Polnareff our big brother in some way?" Michelangelo questioned as everyone looked at the Frenchman.

"I believe it does since Splinter is her parental guardian. Looks like Polnareff has gotten another chance at being a big brother again." Johnathan chuckled as the Frenchman looked ready to cry. Today was just an insane day for Jean Pierre Polnareff. Moving to New York for a new start had gotten him into a crazy adventure. Now not only did he have his little sister Fleur back but also has 4 teenage mutant ninja turtles to guide like a big brother should. It was going to be strange but he wouldn't trade it for the world. And this time he was going to protect them!

That's it folks. I honestly thought Polnareff deserved another chance at the big brother role because it just suits him perfectly in my opinion. Here is a drawing of Fleur and her Stand Aeon though his name on the picture is different since I drew it before writing this.

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robininthelabyrinth · 6 years ago

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Fic: Nocturne (16/30) - Ao3 Link

Fandom: Final Fantasy XV Pairings: Mostly Gen (variety later to come)

Summary: In which Cor Leonis loses his temper, accidentally acquires a kid, and tries to single-handedly dismantle the Lucian immigration system – and that’s before he and his lawyers find out about this Prophecy business. If the Astrals think Cor’s going to let his kid’s best friend die without a fight, they’ve gotten the wrong cheetah ‘taur.

(a young adult novel set in @kickingshoes’ ‘taur AU)

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Cyrella's driving with the kids today, Luna in the front seat and Noctis and Ignis in the back since neither Gladio nor Prompto were feeling well enough to make the trip. Personally, Cyrella's glad for it: fewer kids means fewer targets to keep watch over, in her mind.

Poor little Ignis, though - he's an old ‘taur in a child's body, that one, and he's been distressed ever since the doctors decided against letting the other two kids come.

Maybe it's just that Gladio's not coming.

Cyrella might not be the romantic that her husband is, or that her son is turning into, but she's not blind to the adorable elementary school crush her son has on Ignis Scientia, or the rather bemusedly oblivious-to-his-own-feelings one that Ignis has back on Gladio.

She hopes that baby Iris will take more after her own no-nonsense sort of approach to romance. Look at her and Clarus, after all: they met in a bar fight, she put him in his place and convinced him to swap to her side of the fight, and then she observed both that their fighting styles were fantastically compatible and that he possessed a very attractive set of shoulders and an equally stunning set of hindquarters, and, with that settled, she decided she'd marry him one day.

Oh, sure, he insisted on mailing her cactus flowers and roses for months with notes about how the combination of prickly spines and beautiful petals reminded him of her, which she found very charming, yes, but the decision was entirely practical.

At least Gladio and Ignis are a little less tooth-rottingly sweet than little Noctis and Prompto, who hold hands everywhere and proclaim at a moment's notice that they're going to get married themselves. Aulea is already entertaining herself by planning the ceremony.

Of course, the second Cyrella gets the children all seated, the stupid car starts making a disturbing clicking noise the second she turns it on.

Annoying, yes, but it doesn't seem to be impeding the engine from turning on, and that's most of what Cyrella cares about.

She starts backing out of the garage, but doesn't get more than a few seconds of driving in before she's interrupted.

"Oh! Hold up! Stop the car!" Luna exclaims. "Turn it off again; I know what's wrong!"

And up and back out of the car she goes, popping open the trunk and fiddling around in there for a moment before she ducks under the car entirely.

"Something you learned from Cindy?" Cyrella asks dryly, resigning herself to an existence surrounded by adorable childhood romances and at least one lesbian love triangle.

At least her life isn't boring.

"Yes," Luna says, emerging from underneath the car. She's a bit greasy now, but luckily she's wearing one of Scientia's old college jumpers over her pretty frock and the stains are not drastic enough for Cyrella to feel like she needs to make her go change. A bit of grease and dirt is good for someone of Luna's age, anyway.

Cyrella does note that Luna keeps exchanging meaningful glances with Ignis instead of blushing and spluttering the way she usually does whenever Cindy is brought up. "I've fixed it as best as I can for now," she says. "The way the engine was going originally, with that sound, the car would've broken down halfway to Hammerhead. As it is, we should make it to Hammerhead, no problem, but after that I'm not sure..."

"I'm sure we can swap out cars there," Cyrella says dismissively. Cid always keeps a few extra cars in the back; she'll take one of those. Cid will agree. Cid usually agrees when she asks him for things, even if he usually mutters something about marrying giants and swords longer than he is tall. Whatever; it's not her fault that he's short. "Say, have you heard from that Galahdian girl, Crowe, recently?"

Ah, there's the spluttering she expected.

Cyrella finally gets the car out of the garage and drives happily onwards, smiling as Ignis and Noctis take up the banner of teasing, and thinks to herself that just maybe, her husband has a point with how amusing these childhood romances are.

Libertus kind of wishes Nyx and Hemera were here.

Don't get him wrong – he's glad to get a chance to do some work outside the shadow of the Hero Twins! He loves them like his own blood, he does, as much as he loves that Crowe kid he's all but adopted and been adopted in turn by her parents, but damn if it don't sometimes get old with them all but cartwheeling into combat and coming out smelling like roses having saved another half-dozen lives or whatnot. Not to mention all the crazy shit they lead him into if he's not watching himself carefully – all good, useful missions in the end, but also generally crazier than coeurl gone cuckoo, by and large.

So he's not necessarily upset about getting a mission of his own, y'know?

It's just – maybe not this mission.

There's the kids, for one thing – Prince Noctis, who's going to save the world, and little Iggy, who saved Libertus' own furry hindquarters and can't stop calling him Li-bear-tus no matter how serious the situation and who's ten times smarter than Libertus is ever gonna be – and Libertus just plain old isn't great with kids. He swears too much, which at least has the benefit of making them laugh even if he's pretty sure Mrs. Amicitia is going to murder him and leave his body in a ditch somewhere if he doesn't stop. He can't help it - he just gets really nervous because he doesn't know how to deal with them. Whenever there are kids, Libertus strongly prefers having people around him who actually know what they're doing.

Which he guesses he has. After all, there’s the Marshal and the Shield and the Shield's wife who probably ought to be called the Sword based on the big-ass greatsword she usually has strapped to her back; they all have kids, so clearly they’ve got to be half-decent at keeping an eye on them. It's not even his job to be watching the kids! It just makes him nervous, having them around; that's all.

There’s the fact that they’re (secretly) on a mission to go find Ramuh and demand that he cooperate in some sort of Covenant which he may or may not be into, and Libertus might not be the most religiously observant guy on Eos but he still feels like that’s a bad idea – and if he didn’t, the storm would’ve made him think twice.

Oh yes.

And then there's the storm.

Now, Libertus is Galahdian, born and bred, so don't get him wrong, he's not afraid of no storm. Compared to the yearly hurricanes he's used to, especially the big ones like old Gordo that hit the year he was born and every ten years since, this endless rain and lightning and thunder is nothing.

Sure, he's never been knee-deep in muck and mud quite like this, with the sky blacked out and no ocean anywhere in sight and daemons capable of coming from all around in every direction, right in the middle of a big giant looming forest that somehow feels so much bigger and older and more menacing than the jungles of Galahd. He's never had to hear the howling of wild creatures coming from every direction, so loud that it's actually competing with the sound of the wind. He's never had to drive down paved streets so slick with water that it's like they're considering becoming rivers because there's no ocean for the water to drain away into.

He's used to seeing lightning coming in from the ocean horizon right before it rolls in and hits you, giving you at least a few seconds warning to go find shelter; he's never willingly gone out right in the center of a storm the way he's doing right now, walking into a bunch of flammable trees like an absolute moron, with the rain coming down so hard it leaves bruises the whole time.

He's also never had to try to mount a goddamn Chocobo that don't want no bear on its back just as much as Libertus don't want to be on it, since apparently they're traveling into the center of the forest by Chocobo whether they like it or not.

He's very firmly in the 'not' camp, himself.

"Do you require assistance, Li-bear-tus?" a very familiar voice asks.

Sure enough, it's little Iggy the egghead, and unlike Libertus, he's sitting just fine on his Chocobo, all curled up and dignified just like in the instruction manuals.

"I'm fine," Libertus grunts, then reconsiders. He likes Iggy plenty; he might be a kid, but he's one smart cookie. "Actually, no. I can't get my balance on this damn bird."

"Well, you're a bear," Iggy says. "You have a good center of balance, unlike some of us – you don't need to try to sit side-saddle. I would suggest trying to settle straight down on the saddle, lying on your belly the way you would for a motorcycle, with your legs hanging down on either side."

Libertus tries it, and sure enough it works a lot better than the elegant sprawl all the cats are doing. "Thanks, kid."

"My pleasure," Iggy says. "You'll be one of the ones helping guard us, right?"

"I'm actually just assigned to be look-out," Libertus explains. "I'm bringing up the back, just off on the right wing –"

"That's fine," Iggy says brightly. "We'll ride over and find you once we get going; that'll be far more interesting than listening to the adults complain about visibility."

"What? No, wait, you don't –"

"Oh, I know we don't have to. We want to. See you later!"

Iggy clicks his hooves and somehow that works to get his Chocobo moving, and Libertus can't figure out the equivalent fast enough to catch up with the kid long enough to explain that they're supposed to be in the center of the pack for their own protection, damnit.

"Oh, Lord of the Storm," Libertus moans, rubbing his eyes. This is a disaster – they're going to come find him right on the edge of the group, and then they'll refuse to leave, and then they're all going to get attacked by daemons, and die, and it'll all be Libertus' fault...he’s gotta do something to stop this. "Hey, Pelna!"

Pelna, a canidaetaur refugee from Niflheim and brand-new Kingsglaive member who somehow manages to be even younger than Nyx and Hemera and twice as cocky, which up until he'd arrived Libertus had thought would be impossible, turns to blink at him. Or maybe he's blinking the rain out of his eyes. Whatever, either way, he's listening.

"Can we swap positions?" Libertus asks urgently. "You're leading the right flank, yeah? Advance position? The storm's got all this muck up, and one look-out post's as good as another, innit?"

"Except for the part where the front lead is expected to see fighting and the back isn't," Pelna points out with a slight grin, but then he shrugs. They've all had plenty of opportunities to get in the thick of it for fighting recently. "Any reason for wanting the swap?"

"Looks like the route's going to take us around the lake – swamp – body of water, whatever – and the only thing worse than wading next to a pond in a storm is being the heaviest guy around wading after everyone's had a chance to rip up the earth with their paws to make it easier for you to sink." This is true, even if Libertus had already mostly resigned himself to it.

He can't tell Pelna that he's trying to get away from some kids because he gets itchy when he has too much responsibility over anyone under the age of reason. That would just be embarrassing.

Pelna sniggers. "Yeah, good point. I don't mind swapping this time, if next time you let me swap with you when I want the better position. Should we clear it with the Captain?"

"Why?" Libertus asks with a shrug. "You know he doesn't care who does what as long as everyone knows where they are and what they're doing at crunch time; that's why we're all trained as all-around fighters. And you know how he's always going on and on about how they don't give us enough Kingsglaive to make allowances for personal comfort..."

"You mean right after he's complained that we don't get treated as good as the mostly Insomnia-born Crownsguard, and right before he starts implying that they think we're expendable and disposable pieces that can be swapped out at will?" Pelna jokes. He's been in the Glaive long enough to be familiar with their Captain's occasional diatribe. "Sure, I know. He usually throws in a few compliments about how flexible and multipurpose we are in there, too – but, you know, he doesn't like it when you swap once something's already started..."

"Would you really consider us to have 'started'?" Libertus asks, looking around him pointedly. Everyone's still struggling with their Chocobos or their clothing or their bags or something. Nobody’s exactly what anyone would call battle-ready.

Pelna laughs again. "Yeah, point. Sure. See you on the other side."

Then he, too, clicks his Chocobo into motion and is off like the wind. Damn, Libertus really needs to figure out how to get his own bird moving like that.

Maybe not exactly like that. A slower version would be much more his speed.

Well, at least he can comfort himself with the knowledge that he's avoided the problem of lagging behind and losing the kitlings.

"How," he says flatly two hours later, two adorable children beaming up at him from atop their Chocobos and under their little ponchos, umbrellas having been rendered useless by the wind. "I'm not even..."

"We checked there first," Iggy says, wincing a little as a giant roll of thunder comes in. "And Pelna said you'd be here, so we came here."

"I don't think you should be this far forward," Libertus protests. "At least at the old position, you were lagging behind, but this is out front – it could be dangerous –"

Thunder rumbles again.

"It's fine," Noctis says soothingly. "We asked the Marshal, and he said sure."

"Does he even know where I'm located – wait. The Marshal is Crownsguard. He doesn't even have authority over my position! That's why Captain Drautos came along, so he could supervise everything personally!"

"Yes, but Cor is the one ultimately in charge of guarding us," Noctis says, clearly unconcerned. "And he said we should go up front."

Another flash of lightning, and more thunder almost immediately. They're near the center of the storm, now.

Libertus frowns. That doesn't sound right - the Marshal is a terrifying figure who is highly unorthodox, but even he's not so unorthodox as to send the kids he's suppose to protect to the front line.

Unless...

"Did he send you to come to visit me?" he asks slowly, something niggling at the back of his mind. The Marshal is as famous for his bursts of intuition as he is for his battle strategy. "Or did he say go to the front?"

"No, he just said 'go to the front'," Iggy says, but he's starting to frown as well, seeing Libertus frown. "Why?"

Thunder again –

No.

Libertus is Galahd-born.

He knows thunder: he was born in the storm. The sound of thunder lulled him to sleep as a kit.

That?

That is not thunder.

That's the sound of a bomb.

"We're under attack!" Libertus roars, his voice barely audible over the heightened storm, but strong enough to make it through to the next few bedraggled-looking Kingsglaive, whose heads rise up in alarm as they turn in the direction he's pointing – back towards the main convoy, an attack from behind where they hadn't been expecting one.

Shit, that's not far from Libertus' old position – Pelna's there! He needs to get there –

No. He needs to protect the kids.

"You need to get away from the fighting," Libertus tells the kids, who suddenly look scared and far, far too young. He leaps off of his Chocobo and lets it run free, then turns to help the kids off of their own before the Chocobos can start panicking and running off with them, though their Chocobos end up standing there placidly and pecking at the nearby trees. Maybe he really did get the nerviest one of the whole bunch like he'd been suspecting. "At least you're in the front, not the back where the fighting's happening –"

They were in the back, though, before. They'd gone over to the back to hang out with Libertus and they only came up here to the front because – oh, thank Leviathan's many-ridged fins that he swapped with Pelna at the last minute, or else the kids would be in the center of the fighting right now.

"Wasn't that where you were supposed to be?" Noctis asks, eyes wide.

Libertus is about to agree, assuming that Noctis is expressing relief that they're not there and Libertus isn't there and therefore relatively safe, as these things go, when Ignis speaks, his eyes equally wide but his face far more despairing.

"Someone knew," he says with horror.

"What?" Libertus asks, attention pulled away from the battle – unwise, he knows – by the tone in Iggy's voice.

"You're the only grown-up here that we'd want to hang out with, other than Gladio's Mom and Dad and Cor and they were being boring," Iggy says woodenly. "You're the obvious choice for us to go spend time with. Someone figured out where you'd be, and knew that we'd probably come to see you. And then they set up the attack so that it'd come to where you were supposed to be..."

"You're being paranoid," Libertus says, but his heart isn't in it. It's certainly possible – if the Niffs figured out a way to spy on them, if there's a traitor - it's not like his friendship-by-proxy with the kitlings isn't pretty well known, a subject for plenty of teasing in the Kingsglaive – it's possible –

Well, it doesn’t matter. Figuring out what happened and how is way above Libertus' paygrade. Right now, his job is straightforward: normally, he’d go into battle to support his friends in the Kingsglaive, but that’s clearly the wrong thing to do now. He needs to stay with Noctis and Iggy. Protecting them is the highest priority –

Libertus sees the shine of metal in the middle of the field shining bright as it reflected the next crack of lightning.

Glauca!

Oh shit.

Shit, shit, shit. General Glauca himself here in person, despite the fact that he knows that Cor is here – that means they must know about them, somehow; that means the Niffs are clearly here to get the kids – and if they do have a spy, then they’ll know the kids are with him, and it won’t take long for them to figure out that he swapped with Pelna – and then –

"They think you'll be next to me," Libertus suddenly says. "That's what you think, Iggy?"

"I'm sure of it," Iggy says.

Iggy's smarter than Libertus will ever be, for all that he's so much younger. Libertus is going to have to trust him on this.

“Okay,” he says, looking at the kids. “They think you’ll be next to me. So I’m going to go west, to the outskirt of the forest, and I’m gonna take your Chocobos –” Thank Ramuh’s feathery ass, they picked ones with distinctive colors. “– so that they think you’re with me and come my way, after me instead of after you, okay?”

They both look at him, wide-eyed.

“That means you’re going to be on your own,” Libertus says. He doesn’t like the idea, leaving kids on their own like this, but if he can keep Glauca distracted and far away from the kids, even for a little bit longer while someone manages to get out a call for back-up from the reserve units that were trailing behind them, it’ll be worth it. Glauca is a monster – he wouldn’t hesitate in attacking children, not for a minute. Their only hope will be to keep ahead of him. “You go into the forest, and go to the ground – or into a tree, whatever – just keep away, okay? Keep away from everyone, except for the Shield or his wife and the Marshal, okay?”

If there's a spy, then those are the only people he knows for sure must be safe; they've been friends with the King for years.

The kids both nod.

They're so brave.

“Good luck,” Libertus says, grabbing the reins of the two kids’ Chocobos – he doesn’t care about his own, but it's come back through the brush and seems inclined to follow him anyway. Whatever, that'll help with the illusion, and the low visibility due to the storm will only make it harder for anyone to know the truth. “See you on the other side.”

And off he goes.

Ignis and Noctis stumble through the dark forest, the storm above their heads, the leaves barely blocking them from the pouring rain.

“We should find somewhere to stop,” Ignis says through chattering teeth. He bundled up well for this trip, but the combination of fear and increasing wetness is not conductive to a nice, warm, happy child. Not to mention the fact that his glasses are covered in raindrops, which he hates. “Noct, do you think…?”

He trails off. Noctis is definitely moving in a particular direction, whereas Ignis was under the impression that they were simply moving away. Ignis hurries to catch up.

“Where are we going?” he asks.

“The right way,” Noctis says, his eyes fixed in the distance. “Can’t you hear him?”

“Who?”

Noctis points.

Ignis looks, squinting.

“Is that - Umbra?” he yelps. Why would one of the Oracle's Messengers be here? He thought they'd remained back in Insomnia. “What – is Luna around?”

“No, she’s back with the others,” Noctis says. “She tried to summon Ramuh for us when the fighting started, but Umbra says that she says there wasn't any need: with the storm, he already knows we’re here. But it’s okay; Umbra knows the way and we should follow him.”

“The way to what?”

“The runestone,” Noctis says.

“And what,” Ignis says, maybe a little testily, “in the name of Ramuh’s pinfeathers are runestones, exactly?!”

Noctis actually stops moving for a second. “Uh,” he says. “I – I’m not actually sure.”

Ignis crosses his arms and scowls at his friend.

"What?" Noctis says defensively. "Umbra's a Messenger. We can listen to him!"

"The fact that someone – even an adult, or a Messenger, or anything – says something, doesn't mean you have to listen to them, Noct!" Ignis exclaims. "You're the Prince! Plenty of people will try to tell you things, and it's up to you to figure out what you think about what they're saying. You're eight already. Hasn't school taught you anything? Look before you leap!"

Noctis looks appropriately abashed. "That's a good point," he says. He reaches out and takes Ignis' hand in his. "I don't know what I'd do without you, Iggy."

Ignis sniffs, somewhat appeased. "Probably be rude to everyone you meet, most likely."

"You and your etiquette," Noctis teases, but then looks after Umbra's waiting form. "I do think we should follow Umbra now, though."

"All right," Ignis says. "I'm wasn’t saying we shouldn't. I just wanted you to think first, that's all."

Noctis smiles. "I've thought about it, I've thought about it. Let's go already." He tugs gently on Ignis' hand.

And so they go deeper into the forest, following Umbra's swiftly receding form. Ignis' hooves sink unpleasantly into the increasingly muddy ground, and Noctis' paws are only a little better for this sort of mucky travelling, but they force themselves to continue even as the trees get bigger and bigger and the storm darker and darker, the flashes of lightning and ensuing thunder more and more constant.

"Aren't storms supposed to move on or something?" Noctis grumbles as they reach a clearing.

Ignis tugs on his hand sharply, his eyes fixed elsewhere.

Noctis looks at him.

"Look around you," Ignis says. "And up."

Noctis looks.

Ignis sees the confusion on his face, and he also sees the moment that Noctis sees them in the trees.

Birds.

Corvids of every sort, ravens and crows and more, crowding every branch, black feathers and beady black eyes fixed right on where Noctis and Ignis are standing.

The Eyes of Ramuh.

The Wings of Ramuh.

"Now," Ignis murmurs, noticing that Umbra has disappeared entirely, "is the time for etiquette."

Noctis gives the slightest hint of a nod, and steps forward. "Greetings," he says to them as formally as he can. "My name is Noctis Lucis Caelum, Prince of Lucis and Chosen of the Prophecy of Bahamut, and I'm looking for the runestone of Ramuh so that I can obtain his blessing and complete a Covenant with him – and the Prophecy may be completed. Would you please show me the way?"

One of the ravens hops out of his tree and flies silently to the ground before them. It lowers its head, wings spread, almost like a bow – both Ignis and Noctis automatically bow back – and then turns and hops off further into the forest.

They follow.

Ignis glances behind them as they go up a hill and sees a flash of silver metal.

Silver metal, moving – General Glauca!

He squeezes Noctis' hand. "We're being followed," he murmurs. "We need to go faster."

Noctis nods and they speed up, the raven leading them moving faster as well. It seems to be moderating its speed to theirs.

Still, they're just kids, with short legs and the tendency to tire quickly, and they end up slowing down again because that's better than running and having to stop to rest. Still, knowing that General Glauca is chasing them is pretty good incentive to keep going.

And then just when Ignis is sure that they'll have to stop and rest, no matter what, they reach another small clearing, this time against a cliff face, and at the end of the clearing there is the weirdest rock Ignis has ever seen.

Ramuh's temples are trees struck by lightning; everyone knows that. This is a rock in the shape of a tree, tendrils reaching upwards, and it's glowing faintly.

"I think this is the runestone," Noctis says. "Carved by lightning strikes."

Ignis nods. He means to let go of Noctis' hand, to let his Prince go ahead alone to his destiny, but Noctis clings on tighter and shoots him a beseeching look, and Ignis just can't let him go by himself.

So they move forward together, clinging to each other.

They're almost at the tree when someone calls out Noctis' name.

They turn, and it's Captain Drautos, still some distance away from them, panting a little like he's been running after them. "Prince Noctis," he repeats. "There you are – I've been looking for you! You have to come with me. The Niflheim forces are too strong, too many. We have no choice but to retreat."

"But if we retreat, we won't have another chance until next year!" Noctis exclaims.

"Your parents would rather wait a year if it means that you'll be alive," Drautos says, and steps forward into the clearing, the silvery spots on his hyena hindquarters shining wetly in the rain. "Come with me, Prince Noctis. I'll see you home safe."

Ignis takes a half-step towards him, but Noctis doesn't, and Ignis looks back at his friend, whose expression has gone set with determination. Ignis takes back the half-step, moving back to stand at Noctis' side.

"Thank you, Captain Drautos," Noctis says, his voice clear and strong. He's made his decision, Ignis can tell; he’s not just blindly listening to what people tell him to do, just like Ignis advised him. Ignis feels a surge of pride: Noctis is going to be a great king, one day. "But I'm going to call on the runestone first."

And he turns and reaches out a hand to the rock-tree, both his hand and the tree glowing, even as Drautos exclaims something rendered inaudible by a sudden crash of thunder.

And then the birds start screeching.

Ignis steps closer to Noctis automatically, his eyes going wide as the birds leap from the trees into the air – dozens of them, hundreds of them, thousands of them – and suddenly the storm-darkened sky is even darker with all of those black-winged bodies, so close together that they're indistinguishable from each other.

It takes a second for Ignis' eyes to adjust scale: it's only when Ramuh – because it is Ramuh, the Fulgarian himself, the 'taur whose body is made of the Stymphalian Birds, all of those birds coming together to metamorphose into a single figure: his mighty torso, swathed with robes, his long beard and sharp black eyes, his gigantic staff – starts to reach his hand down to them that Ignis suddenly sees him there.

The rock-tree has stopped glowing, as has Noctis; Noctis is staring up at the Astral and clinging to Ignis, and that's probably why Ramuh scoops them both up in his surprisingly firm and corporeal fist, lifting them up into the sky.

Ignis, looking down, can see Drautos staring up at them in shock for a long moment before running back towards the fighting, the quickly scattering MTs and a small group of Kingsglaive that were congregating in the area near the clearing, both heading in the direction that Ignis and Noctis had previously been - the two groups aren't fighting, so they must not have seen each other yet in the dark forest - and then Ramuh lifts up his staff with his other hand and throws it like a spear down at the runestone.

It strikes like a bolt of lightning.

The flash is so bright, Ignis has to slap his hands over his eyes, right over his glasses, and by the time it finally fades and he can see again, they're not above the battlefield. They're somewhere totally different. No, that's not quite right, they're still hovering in the sky above a lot of marshy wetlands and dark forests, they're still under the same giant storm as before, so they couldn't have gone too far, but at the same time Ignis doesn't see any of their forces anywhere - no Kingsglaive, no Crownsguard, not even any MTs.

Ramuh puts them down in front of a cave.

"Thank you!" Noctis shouts up at the Astral as he straightens up again, but Ramuh doesn't respond – he just dissolves back into those thousands and thousands of birds that all start flying off in different directions.

"What do we do now?" Ignis asks. "Into the cave?"

"Yeah," Noctis says. "I think – I think there might be something in there that I'm supposed to see."

#final fantasy xv #ffxv #noctis lucis caelum #ignis scientia #libertus ostium #cyrella amicitia #ramuh #titus drautos #lunafreya nox fleuret #my fic #nocturne

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meldacio · 7 years ago

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20 SOME followers I’d like to know better

Tagged by: Stolen from: @arachnexdragoon Tagging: anyone and everyone who wants to. i’m supposed to be finishing a reply in an rp and working on aesthetics and playing comrades, so naturally i’m doing this instead.

Name/Nickname: Katy, but ya can call me whatevs Gender: lady, y’all Height: 5′9″. i am tall, y’all. Hogwarts House: pottermore says ravenclaw but my hear with alway be a hufflepuff. Favorite Animal: i dunno. all??? i’m feelin’ sealions lately. water dogs, ya know? Hours of Sleep: i get 4 hours or i get 10. there is no healthy inbetween. Dogs or Cats: both! both are good. (i have a dog and a cat. i can’t choose!) Number of Blankets: at least 3. Dream Trip: honestly, i just wanna go to like disneyland or something. ya know, escape this nonsense reality i am currently living in? Dream Job: i dunno. i used to say writer, but honestly just like..put me in charge of the social media for like denny’s or something. Time: central us time Birthday: february! almost birthday twins with iggy. almost. Favorite Bands: i have trash taste in music?? uh, p!atd cause they’ve been with me through it all. my constant. uh, sleeping at last is cool? i think thats just one dude. shit. er… the front bottoms? the killers?? Favorite Solo Artist: i got kesha on repeat currently. rainbow is such a good healing album. Song stuck In My Head: “mars” by sleeping at last (cause i mentioned him earlier…) Last Movie I Watched: kingsglaive. like 3 weeks ago.

Last Show I watched: stranger things 2. When did I create my Blog: august, i believe. i am a young blog. What do I post/Reblog: aesthetics and ffxv stuff with the occasional personal rambling. Last thing I Googled: how long an unopened bottle of whiskey would last. Why I chose My URL: cause i love meldacio hunter hq and hunters in general?? i was delighted it was available without having to get too long or creative about it. Original intent: to keep my fandom reblogs mostly free of my mainblog’s nonsense. Other Blogs: my personal blog, @katycoulson, if your interested or confused who’s lurking in your likes or ask box. i also have an abandoned anime aesthetic blog that has one really popular aesthetic that likes to haunt me occasionally.

Following: hard to say cause it’s a side blog and i’m following like 300+ on my main. probably around 100, though. Followers: 38 Lucky number: 27 is a good number. i dunno? Favorite Instrument: ukulele! i think they’re plucky. What am I wearing: uh, shorts and a tank top cause seasons don’t exist in texas. only hot. always hot. Nationality: texas, y’all. (texas ain’t a country.) t e x a s , y ‘ a l l Favorite Song: ugh. currently feeling “finding you” by kesha. this’ll change multiple times before the end of the day, let’s be real. Last Book I Read: uh, i reread the hawkeye graphic novel series by fraction recently? mostly it’s fanfic though. cause i don’t have the time or energy to invest in novels at the moment… Top Three Fictional Universes I’d Like to Join: harry potter, for sure. uh, some pretty guardian nonsense as long as i get magical transformation powers. and, sure, let’s go on and jump into ffxv ‘verse. world in utter darkness and monsters? bring it. still better than this mess my country has thrown it’s self into…

#personal #text post #will queue stand by me

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iwantsomeore · 7 years ago

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Silver Lining: Chapter 2

SUMMARY:

Velox, Prompto’s twin, along with Noctis, Gladio, Ignis and Prompto himself, must push the broken down Regalia to Hammerhead.

PREVIOUSLY:

Prologue Part 1 Prologue Part 2 Prologue Part 3

Chapters:

AN:

hello everyone! I’m off to Orlando, more specifically the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, at 4:00 am and I’m sooo excited! I’ll be returning Monday night, so I may be inactive this weekend… I wanted to get this chapter up before I left, so it may not be perfect. nonetheless, please enjoy this update! I’ll be tagging some regular followers of this story as well as my usual pals!

TAGS:

@kerrtrashwrites @joioliviapolaroid @themissimmortal @ruby1126 @awelllitplace

—————————————

Prompto had collapsed onto the scalding pavement road, his limbs widely spread as if making a snow angel. Filling the empty space beside his friend, the prince tiredly plopped onto the ground. Ignis, who had been attempting to repair the engine with The Sheild and Velox, now occupied the driver’s seat. His arms were crossed over the wheel and his head rested on top of them. Gladio slowly paced beside the Regalia while Velox sat on its trunk.

“Just our luck, huh?” she said, swinging her legs back and forth.

Ignis’ head raised in response before returning back to the wheel. “‘Luck’ isn’t the word I’d use.”

“Yeah, it takes talent to bust a car like the Regalia,” the prince chimed.

The gunslinger groaned, “You guys are never gonna let me live this down, are you?”

Velox gazed down at her brother. She gave him an empathetic smile before lifting her head to look at the road. The blonde noticed a shiny object in the distance and squinted to see what it was. She adjusted her glasses and kept her eyes on the glint as she hit Gladio’s chest.

“Incoming,” Velox announced, hopping off of the trunk to stand in front of The Shield.

Gladio followed her stare and readied himself. As the car came nearer, he waved his arms in the air and the blonde jumped up and down, demanding its attention. The car drove past the retinue and continued on the endless stream of black pavement.

Gladio leaned against the Regalia. “I think we can forget about hitching our way there.”

“Aren’t folks outside the city supposed to be friendly?” the blonde frowned.

Ignis sighed, “You can only go so far on the kindness of strangers.”

“So no luck with the engine?” Velox asked.

“None.”

The Shield stretched his arms and rolled his shoulders back. “Just gonna have to push her all the way.”

“I’ve already pushed myself… to the brink of death,” Prompto professed theatrically.

Gladio and Velox moved to the back of the car where the boys slumped.

“Oh, get up,” said The Shield, kicking the prince’s boot. “C'mon, car isn’t gonna move itself.”

They bellyached loudly. Velox outstretched a hand to her brother, who gladly took it. She pulled Prompto to his feet and brushed some dust off of his vest before sending him to the front of the car.

“I thought the car was supposed to move us,” the blond stated.

“Wouldn’t that be nice,” Noctis said, exasperated.

“Can it,” Gladio barked. “Ready…”

Noctis and Prompto stood on opposite sides of the car. They grabbed the doors with one hand and held onto the frame of the windshield with the other.

Velox and Gladio remained at the back of the car and placed their hands on the trunk.

“Steady…”

The Sheild looked at Velox and nodded.

“Push!” they shouted in unison.

The quartet began pushing the Regalia while Ignis steered. The air began to permeate with complaints and moans.

The prince clenched his teeth. “Un. Believable.”

“Pretty believable, if you ask me,” the blonde remarked.

“Not exactly a fairy tale beginning, huh, Prince Noctis?” The Shield joked.

“We let ourselves get carried away,” Ignis claimed.

“Look, these things happen!” Prompto conveyed.

“Let’s just hope this isn’t some omen,” Gladio declared.

“Gladio,” Noctis grumbled, “do me a favour.”

“What?”

“Push this thing by yourself.”

The Shield snorted, “All by myself?”

“You wouldn’t even notice if we just let go.”

“Prompto, don’t even think about it.”

Velox shook her head and smiled. “At least you’d still have my help.”

“If only Prompto followed your example,” Gladio smirked.

“Hey!”

“Save some breath for pushing,” said Ignis, clearing his throat in order to gain everyone’s attention.

“Ignis, c'mon—time to switch!” Noctis begged.

“Nuh-uh!” The Shield disapproved. “We just switched back there!”

“And it’s my turn, Noct,” Prompto insisted.

“To be fair,” Ignis said as he thought for a moment, “it’s actually Velox’s turn.”

“You’d give it up for your precious twin brother, wouldn’t you, Sis?” yhe blond whimpered optimistically.

Velox mirthfully sighed and grinned. “Unfortunately.”

“You’re the best!” Prompto praised. “It’s a good thing you said that, ‘cause my hands are killing me.”

Gladio growled, “You rather I kill you with mine?”

“Easy there, tough guy.”

The prince turned to Ignis, who was tinkering with the radio. “Any luck?”

“Only a busy signal.”

“Throw in a CD, then,” Velox suggested. “Music’ll make this a little more bearable.”

“Hold the phone—is it just me, or was it supposed to be way closer?” Prompto inquired.

“I assure you the map is correct.”

“The map said Hammerhead was right there.”

Velox looked at the boys. “Have you guys ever even seen a map before?”

“Geography, remember? First year of high school,” the prince recalled.

The mention of high school sent Velox’s mind into a flurry of memory. She reminisced on the semesters she spent with her twin and the prince. Geography was amongst the many classes the three had taken together and it had been one of Noctis’ worst subjects.

“Remind me what you got in that class,” she snickered.

Noctis remained quiet for a few moments, mentally reliving the scolding he received from his father that year. “… Point taken.”

“It was literally next door,” Prompto repeated.

“Looks that way on a map of the world,” Gladio informed.

“The world’s a big old place.”

“Filled with wonders,” Ignis added.

“Find anything, Iggy?”

He opened the glove box and rummaged through it.

“This will do nicely,” said the advisor, sliding a disk into the slot above the radio.

“Are you guys even pushing?” Gladio yelled.

“Hard as I can!” Prompto sang.

Noctis agreed, “With everything I’ve got.”

Velox laughed, “I think we have different definitions of ‘push’, guys.”

When the night has come And the land is dark And the moon is the only light we see No, I won’t be afraid Oh, I won’t be afraid Just as long as you stand, stand by me

•••

The exhausted group had finally arrived at Hammerhead. Noctis sagged against the car and panted. Gladio wiped the sweat from his forehead and Ignis stepped out of the Regalia to stretch his legs. Prompto and his sister sank to the ground, leaning on each other for support as they caught their breath.

After a few moments, a voice interrupted their restful silence.

“Hey there! Y'all kept a girl waitin’!”

A young woman with curly hair of gold and dazzling green eyes strode towards them. She wore a cap, a yellow jacket, denim shorts, a tool belt and tall boots.

“Now, which one’s the prince?” she asked, tapping her chin as she surveyed the area.

Noctis stood and patted the dirt off of his clothes.

“Aha!” she exclaimed as she approached him. “Hello, Your Highness. Congrats on your wedding!”

“Not hitched just yet,” the prince stated.

The blonde placed her hands on her hips. “Lady Lunafreya’s groom-to-be, here in Hammerhead.”

“Apologies for taking so long.” said Ignis, stepping towards her.

“You’d best save your apologies for Paw-paw,” she advised, inspecting the Regalia.

“Well, that makes you…” Gladio trailed off, awaiting an answer.

“Cindy—Cid’s grease-monkey granddaughter.”

“Roll ‘er in while I’m still young!”

An elderly man emerged from behind Cindy. He had a beard and a maroon cap that sat atop his messy grey hair. He wore dark pants and a maroon jacket accompanied by and leather gloves. Velox assumed that this was the 'Cid’ Cindy had mentioned.

“Didn’t yer daddy tell ya? She’s a custom classic, not some beat-up ol’ clunker,” he informed. “Prince Noctis.”

“Uh, yeah,” the prince answered timidly.

“'Prince.’ Like they took your old man and kicked the dignity out of him,” the man spat.

Noctis’ face flushed with surprise and confusion. “What?”

“You got a long way to go, son. And that slack jaw’s gettin’ you nowhere fast.” Cid said, retreating to the garage. “She’s gonna take awhile. Y'all get her in and run along.”

“Y'all heard him!” Cindy instructed cheerfully. “Let’s get movin’. Right this way.”

The retinue returned to their prior positions and pushed the Regalia into the building. Cid waved his hand, signalling for them to exit.

“And now we play the waiting game.” Ignis said as he stepped out of Cid’s workplace.

“Never liked that game,” Prompto said, crossing his arms.

“Never any good at it, either,” Noctis nodded.

Cindy approached the group with a welcoming beam. “Y'all ain’t never been out this way before, have ya? Go on, have a look around! This’ll make sure y'all don’t get lost.”

She handed a map of the world to the prince. They thanked the blonde and she left to join her grandfather.

“Well, might as well make good use of the extra time,” Gladio shrugged.

The Shield and Noctis headed for the restaurant in the lot while the siblings entered the shop neighbouring the garage. The twins tried to drag Ignis along, but he insisted he would catch up with them after her spoke with Cindy.

They entered the shop and Prompto immediately began scanning the shelves. His gaze fell upon a tall black can with big white writing on it.

“Whoa! They got Ebony out here! Ignis is gonna flip!” he gasped as he studied the can intently. “Wait…”

“What is it?” Velox asked.

Her brother handed her the can and pointed at the sticker on it.

“Uh, what’s a 'gil’?”

“I’m pretty sure that’s the currency here.”

“Really?!”

“Mhm.”

Prompto continued to explore the shelves in wonder. Velox pointed at the window displays and noticed Ignis standing outside of the shop. His face was now painted with a thin layer of concern.

“Hey,” she said, turning to her brother and pointing at Ignis, “does he look worried to you?”

The twins left the shop and made their way to their friend.

“A moment, you two?” Ignis asked.

They nodded and followed him. The trio entered the restaurant, where Ignis collected Gladio and the prince.

“We’ve expended the last of our funds on the repairs,” he spoke seriously. “I suggest we confer with Cindy.”

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