[ It's been an evening and a half, enough that after a few drinks and shoving his own foot in his mouth, Ignis has swapped to coffee. He's already on his second one (the first being downed in record time as he poured the next one into a travel mug) and when he spots Prompto standing next to the Regalia his reaction is to instantly freeze. Any previous awkwardness is temporarily forgotten in the face of this new horror.
Why? Why did it have to be the Regalia? Sure he'd seen the text from Prompto, but a part of him had suspected it to be nothing more than a joke and the expression on his face could probably send a lesser person scurrying.]
( thankfully prompto is not a lesser person and is pretty much immune to these things.
ignis doesn't really look too good - which makes it a miracle he agreed to head out in the first place - and the telltale smell of alcohol prompto catches scent of when he heads over doesn't help. )
[ there's no shame in being busted, if only because ignis had already been thinking of letting prompto drive the R8. he can already feel the beginnings of a headache starting to threaten and he gives a small wave of his hand.]
I didn't intend to drive. I would have let you drive the R8 with guidance, Prompto, but I am not agreeing to you driving the Regalia.
[ ignis can remember the last time, and despite no-one getting hurt, it was still an eye-opener.]
( wow mom you could have a little more faith in him. he didn't even crash the car last time! and it was fun. )
Y'know, I did consider borrowing a Jeep from the army just in case any daemons decided to pop up and force us off-road, but Gladio said it's a lot slower than the Regalia. ( and he's too young to go to jail!!!! ) Plus, with this baby we can leave 'em in the dust easy. Wendy's also closes in - ( checking his phone ) - forty minutes. Everything's pointing to speed at this point - gotta go fast, Iggy.
You heard the kid, ❰ gladio agrees, announcing his arrival on the scene from whatever handwavey place he's been so far. he settles an arm momentarily over ignis's shoulder on the way by, mostly to incite some sort of forward movement, then he opens the door to the back seat. ❱ "Gotta go fast".
❰ and since noctis is apparently miraculously still asleep in the back of the reg, gladio moves his feet just enough to slip into his usual seat. he had some qualms about letting prompto drive this thing, but now that he's agreed to it, he's gonna stand by his concession wholeheartedly. ❱
Gladio said what? A jeep would have been better, prompto. [ and sturdier, just in case. but no, things are starting to spiral out of control here and when gladio appears from nowhere he knows it's just going to go completely downhill somehow. now his options are limited; go back to his hotel room and pretend he heard nothing, or go with and try to do some damage control.
damage control is easier and ignis finds himself being being nudged forwards and before he even realizes it he's sitting there with his coffee, sending a silent prayer upwards that it's not as bad as he thinks it could be; gladiolus could be talking about a previous conversation. hopefully noct will wake up and smack someone.] No, we do not "gotta go fast". Go moderate, you'll only have to slow down when you take the corners otherwise.
Uh-huh - Gladio also said borrowing the Jeep would be stealing. Even if I was gonna give it back after. ( ignis you are a pure cinnamon roll if you think prompto will settle for "moderate". ) So we're stuck with this.
Anyway, I could go "moderate", but the daemons might catch up and I figure that's gotta be a downer, right? Relax! Everything will be okay and we'll get there faster than you can finish your coffee.
( what he's not saying is you might not even be able to finish said coffee bc the cup will likely get flung out the window from the inertia -- but who needs to know? not ignis, definitely. )
Only if you didn't ask, ❰ he's tacking onto prompto's whole 'gladio said', because that parsed secondhand in a way that didn't make him look so great. ❱ And if you did ask, they'd want a better excuse than Wendy's.
❰ either way, he's settling into his seat now. this will either end spectacularly or terribly, and he's not quite as concerned as he might should be one way or another. what's one more near-disaster, right?
....prompto, please don't make him regret putting faith in you. ❱
[ ignis merely takes a sip of his coffee as he listens to what everyone is saying. from the sounds of things it's messy and he knows picking at it all will simply delay them in leaving, giving prompto more cause to be speeding. and so the pair of them just get a look; prompto for the entire thing and gladiolus for encouraging it.]
the mention of daemons gets a brief jaw clench. ignis hates driving at night for that exact reason and barely settles even if it's noct driving in the darkness.]
Then go ahead, Prompto, though remember this if anything; if we wind up back at the garage, I'll be sure to let Cindy know what happened.
There's nothing wrong with Wendy's, okay. ( DEFIANTLY. seriously, it's a fast food place but it's still good.
prompto isn't waiting any more though, because he's got the green light on this and the gunner'd honestly be lying if this wasn't a thrill in and of itself, since he rarely ever gets to drive the regalia any more. it's too tempting to just floor the pedal since the side street they're on is clear at this time of night, but prompto starts off at a largely respectable pace, waiting 'til he rounds the corner to step on it. nothing too hard, since noct likely remains asleep through it, but the acceleration feels amazing with the roof down. )
❰ poor ignis, he's really not so thrilled right now. looks like he needs a distraction, in gladio's professional opinion. he makes a half-assed show of glancing around, then: ❱ Well damn, looks like I forgot my picture book. ❰ but it's a little too slow the way casual allusions often are, and he steals a glance at the rearview in case iggy happens to feel the need to glare.
meanwhile, any lingering apprehension gladio felt over their choice of drivers slips through his fingers like sand as soon as they take that first turn and prompto opens her up on the main stretch. between the dull but tactile roar of the engine and the crisp night air on his face, it's all he can do to cross his arms behind his head, close his eyes, and enjoy the ride. ❱
[ ignis finds himself starting to relax a fraction when prompto doesn't just floor the regalia and go helter skelter down the road. it's almost normal driving and the deathgrip ignis has on his coffee relents a little.
now all he has to do is keep an eye out for daemons, wonder if the food at wendy's will suck as much as he remembers it, and to just generally sober up completely without mishap. it would have been possible to do as well, if gladio hadn't decided now was the time to bring up the most crinegeworthy text conversation they'd had prior.
ignis shoots gladio a look via the mirror, one that simply asks him to not.] Then perhaps you would like to keep watch for daemons instead.
( well since the radio isn't on yet there's nothing to distract him from whatever conversation the other two might be having -- ) What, the thing you've had your face buried in for the longest time ever is a picture book? So is it like a Where's Wally sort of deal 'cause if you're stuck I - whoa-- ( oops that's what happens when you try to focus on two tasks that demand equal amounts of attention; the regalia takes an abrupt slant for all of half a second before prompto corrects it hastily. ) Sorry! Sorry.
Hey, hey - watch the road, ❰ he scolds (pretty mildly, to be honest) at the sudden slant of the car, because anything that warrants gladio opening his eyes also warrants him casually bitching about it.
but keeping watch for daemons isn't the worst idea in the world, so he sits up a little now to give that a shot. with his eyes scanning the roadsides ahead, he says: ❱ It's not the same book all this time. Different book every couple of days.
[ the last thing ignis needs right now is for prompto to pick up on the conversation he's trying to avoid and he can't help but cringe inwardly when the blond does just that with gusto. maybe prompto will somehow derail the whole thing in his own way?
ignis resists the urge to sink down in his chair when the phrase Where's Wally comes out, clutching his coffee hard when the regalia begins to veer.] Careful Prompto. And I'm certain Gladio would have no issues in finding the titular character if needed.
[ etro what is this conversation??? ignis can't help but wonder if this is about to feel like the longest car ride ever.]
Listen man all I'm saying is if you're gonna run around with your cape around your waist and pants on your head then don't be surprised if all the evidence ends up on someone's camera.
But if you're down an eye, you can't see too well regardless.
[All that just to say—]
So let me help with that. It's my fault if you're injured.
[It's still surreal to him that he aimed for the guy's shoulder and got these results, but there's nothing for it but to make like an anime protagonist and take responsibility...kind of]
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tfln → 11/12/16 ( ignis / gladio )
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Why? Why did it have to be the Regalia? Sure he'd seen the text from Prompto, but a part of him had suspected it to be nothing more than a joke and the expression on his face could probably send a lesser person scurrying.]
No. Absolutely not.
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ignis doesn't really look too good - which makes it a miracle he agreed to head out in the first place - and the telltale smell of alcohol prompto catches scent of when he heads over doesn't help. )
So -- you're gonna drive? 'Cause I'm pretty sure that's illegal.
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I didn't intend to drive. I would have let you drive the R8 with guidance, Prompto, but I am not agreeing to you driving the Regalia.
[ ignis can remember the last time, and despite no-one getting hurt, it was still an eye-opener.]
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Y'know, I did consider borrowing a Jeep from the army just in case any daemons decided to pop up and force us off-road, but Gladio said it's a lot slower than the Regalia. ( and he's too young to go to jail!!!! ) Plus, with this baby we can leave 'em in the dust easy. Wendy's also closes in - ( checking his phone ) - forty minutes. Everything's pointing to speed at this point - gotta go fast, Iggy.
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❰ and since noctis is apparently miraculously still asleep in the back of the reg, gladio moves his feet just enough to slip into his usual seat. he had some qualms about letting prompto drive this thing, but now that he's agreed to it, he's gonna stand by his concession wholeheartedly. ❱
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damage control is easier and ignis finds himself being being nudged forwards and before he even realizes it he's sitting there with his coffee, sending a silent prayer upwards that it's not as bad as he thinks it could be; gladiolus could be talking about a previous conversation. hopefully noct will wake up and smack someone.] No, we do not "gotta go fast". Go moderate, you'll only have to slow down when you take the corners otherwise.
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Anyway, I could go "moderate", but the daemons might catch up and I figure that's gotta be a downer, right? Relax! Everything will be okay and we'll get there faster than you can finish your coffee.
( what he's not saying is you might not even be able to finish said coffee bc the cup will likely get flung out the window from the inertia -- but who needs to know? not ignis, definitely. )
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❰ either way, he's settling into his seat now. this will either end spectacularly or terribly, and he's not quite as concerned as he might should be one way or another. what's one more near-disaster, right?
....prompto, please don't make him regret putting faith in you. ❱
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the mention of daemons gets a brief jaw clench. ignis hates driving at night for that exact reason and barely settles even if it's noct driving in the darkness.]
Then go ahead, Prompto, though remember this if anything; if we wind up back at the garage, I'll be sure to let Cindy know what happened.
[ desperate times, desperate measures!]
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prompto isn't waiting any more though, because he's got the green light on this and the gunner'd honestly be lying if this wasn't a thrill in and of itself, since he rarely ever gets to drive the regalia any more. it's too tempting to just floor the pedal since the side street they're on is clear at this time of night, but prompto starts off at a largely respectable pace, waiting 'til he rounds the corner to step on it. nothing too hard, since noct likely remains asleep through it, but the acceleration feels amazing with the roof down. )
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meanwhile, any lingering apprehension gladio felt over their choice of drivers slips through his fingers like sand as soon as they take that first turn and prompto opens her up on the main stretch. between the dull but tactile roar of the engine and the crisp night air on his face, it's all he can do to cross his arms behind his head, close his eyes, and enjoy the ride. ❱
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now all he has to do is keep an eye out for daemons, wonder if the food at wendy's will suck as much as he remembers it, and to just generally sober up completely without mishap. it would have been possible to do as well, if gladio hadn't decided now was the time to bring up the most crinegeworthy text conversation they'd had prior.
ignis shoots gladio a look via the mirror, one that simply asks him to not.] Then perhaps you would like to keep watch for daemons instead.
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yetthere's nothing to distract him from whatever conversation the other two might be having -- ) What, the thing you've had your face buried in for the longest time ever is a picture book? So is it like a Where's Wally sort of deal 'cause if you're stuck I - whoa-- ( oops that's what happens when you try to focus on two tasks that demand equal amounts of attention; the regalia takes an abrupt slant for all of half a second before prompto corrects it hastily. ) Sorry! Sorry.no subject
but keeping watch for daemons isn't the worst idea in the world, so he sits up a little now to give that a shot. with his eyes scanning the roadsides ahead, he says: ❱ It's not the same book all this time. Different book every couple of days.
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ignis resists the urge to sink down in his chair when the phrase Where's Wally comes out, clutching his coffee hard when the regalia begins to veer.] Careful Prompto. And I'm certain Gladio would have no issues in finding the titular character if needed.
[ etro what is this conversation??? ignis can't help but wonder if this is about to feel like the longest car ride ever.]
tfln → here
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I'm also fine, thanks for asking!!!
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Some things don't need to be documented. Anyone ever tell you that?
Would've been my next order of business, but I know you're not a pushover.
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( no fam it means you have to try it again. who knows what other shenanigans they'll get up to next?)
Ok look. This camera's with me 'cause I document /everything/. Memories get fuzzy, but photos are forever.
1/3
He thinks.
He hopes]
I'd rather people I respect don't see me like that.
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And you're on that list, just to be clear.
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[All that just to say—]
So let me help with that. It's my fault if you're injured.
[It's still surreal to him that he aimed for the guy's shoulder and got these results, but there's nothing for it but to make like an anime protagonist and take responsibility...kind of]