Prompto turned again, trying to will himself to sleep for the dozenth time. It didn’t happen. He groaned and scrubbed his face, sitting up. The flap of the tent shifted slightly in the breeze, and he could see the fire outside had cooled down to a low burn, giving off just enough light to see the figure sitting beyond it with a halberd in his hands. Maybe he’d like some company. Or wouldn’t mind it, at least.
Miguel’s head snapped up at the sound of Prompto climbing out of the tent, tracking his movement for a moment before relaxing. His grip on the halberd relaxed as well, and he let the tension in his back drain out of him.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to interrupt your zen,” Prompto said quietly, closing the flap as he stood up and stretched. “Just can’t sleep.”
The hunter was quiet for a moment, watching him almost warily, but he just nodded. “Understandable.”
“Um… I’m Prompto,” he offered, and sat down in one of the camping chairs. Miguel wasn’t sitting on one, instead perched on one of the rocks, so it felt a little weird. “You know you can sit in one of these, right?”
“I know,” Miguel said, chuckling slightly. “I just don’t want to, they’re never comfortable for me after a few hours. Miguel Garcia.”
“Okay, that’s fair,” Prompto laughed, and sat back in the chair. They did get a little uncomfortable after a while, he had to admit. Certainly less than the Regalia. “Has it been quiet?”
Miguel motioned to the fields outside the haven. “The giant went off after a while, likely to search for prey, but the Lost is still wandering around. I think it senses us.”
“That’s um… not creepy at all,” Prompto murmured, craning his head to look out over the fields.
Sure enough, there it was, a ronin wandering through the bushes with a hand on its sword. It looked so human at this distance, but having been up close and personal with one recently, he knew better. There were no eyes, just indents where there should’ve been some, and skin that looked almost waterlogged and too pale. The one outside the haven had hair that was tied up behind its head, flowing in a ponytail that moved a little too gracefully through the air -- as if it was underwater, somehow. The head turned to look at him, and Prompto shrank back.
“It just hears us talking, that’s all,” Miguel said quietly. “It’ll likely try and get closer, but the runes of the haven will protect us.”
Prompto coughed a little in embarrassment, ducking his head and rubbing the back of his neck. “That obvious, huh?”
“I’ve got a lot of experience doing this,” Miguel said, sounding faintly amused. “You aren’t the first I’ve had to reassure.”
-Astralfire Credence, Ch 4: Enduring Insomnia
Finally got more of this one posted~ Bit of a slow chapter, but this is foundation laying and the like.
