A Prince's Friend is Hard Work

[chocobosnap]

 Prompto was nervous.

That was not the least bit unusual in itself, he had some terrible anxieties that made his life complicated and challenging all at once, all the time, but he'd had a handle on things, at least, he thought so. 

He received a letter and turned his world upside down.

All of that hard work had come to fruition and he was now a new friend to the prince, someone he got along with a lot better than he used to. He'd seen and met some of his retainers, some of the people around him. They all seemed nice, if wary, and huge. 

Prompto had never been tall, and he was slightly shorter than Noct who seemed short beside his bodyguard Gladio. He was kind of hoping he'd get bigger, but he doubted it. 

The longer he spent with Noctis, they'd begun asking him questions about his skills in self-defense, because there could be danger inadvertently. Ignis had been the one to deliver the message that he should learn, and asked him to report to the Citadel one Sunday morning to meet with Cor Leonis - The Marshal - who was going to test him, or teach him, or something. 

He was on time, had been escorted to the gym and, dressed in his gym clothes, he was waiting nervously, pressed against a wall to avoid any looks from any of the Glaives around. He couldn't have looked more out of place if he tried, with his black track pants and dark purple t-shirt with a frolicking cartoon chocobo on it. 

Comments

[immortalmarshal]

Cor takes a step back to give Prompto some space. The fact that he hit the target on the first try is good in his mind; some people can't even hit yhe broad side of a Garula. But five perfects despite claiming no prior training? Either Prompto is a born natural...or he's hiding something about his background.

"...So does his Highness, but it took him years to get even close to what you just did. Are you fond of shooting games?" Coming from Cor, that's a good compliment.

[chocobosnap]

He smiled about that tidbit about Noctis. "Really?"

Prompto felt a little bit of confidence at being able to do something better than his friend, possibly. Potentially.

"Yeah, I'm the best at them. When we go to the arcade, I always win!"

[immortalmarshal]

Cor tries to read Prompto's body language as he boasts, just to see if it's some kind of cover. "I see..."

Still, there's no question that the teenage boy's unusually good with his aim. Combine that with his speedy reflexes, and he could become a master gunslinger...someday. Way into the future. And besides, Noct's royal retinue could benefit greatly from having a ranged fighter in their ranks.

At least, someone with ranged weapons instead of magic.

"How often will you be available for training? Do you have any part-time jobs we need to work around?"

[chocobosnap]

Prompto was just boasting, like any teenager would, although he seemed to be nervous. Cor made him nervous...actually everything made him nervous.

"Uh, nope!" He answered with a little chirp and smile. He did have a part-time job, but he worked overnight mostly, so it wouldn't interfere with Cor's training, just like anything else he did, it would just interrupt with his sleeping pattern, but Noct did that plenty.

"H-How much training do you want me to do?"

[immortalmarshal]

Cor's used to making people nervous. Not only is it part of his job sometimes, but it's just a side-effect of the kind of reputation he has as 'Cor the Immortal', one of the strongest warriors in all of Lucis and sworn protector of its royal family.

That, and he's used to teenage boasting from his usual trainees. So he relaxes a little on his gaze. "We'll start with three times a week for the first few weeks, and ramp up from there as needed. Besides ranged fighting, you'll be learning how to properly defend yourself - and others around you - in a variety of situations."

The 'others' is tacked on with emphasis, for this isn't just self-defense in Cor's mind. It's also a subtle test to see how Prompto handles the idea of protecting others. This isn't just for the blonde's benefit, after all...

[chocobosnap]

"Oh, uh huh, okay sure." He said with a smile. The fact he might have to protect someone, although aside from Noct, he couldn't imagine who, wasn't an unwelcome thought.

"Then, um, next time?"

Prompto did seem nervous, but he always seemed nervous.

Finally founs this via email notif!

[immortalmarshal]

Cor gives a small, satisfied thought. That's good that he doesn't see it as an unwelcomed likelihood. It'll make things a little easier to explain later on.

"Good. Would three days from now work for you?"

[chocobosnap]

"Uh, yeah that should be fine." Prompto said, grinning, a bundle of nervous energy. He was excited and it was all good, and he was surprised he got a compliment on his first try.

Noctis wasn't going to believe it.

"Um, okay then. See...see you then?"

[immortalmarshal]

Cor nods. "You're dismissed." Prompto will soon learn that it's code for "Yeah, I'll see you then, trainee."

In the meantime, though, Cor is planning to have Monica run a more thorough background check on young Argentum while he runs the lad thru the first few lessons of training. Just a hunch, and maybe he's being Clarus levels of paranoid. But...better to be safe than sorry.

After all, it's not every day that you meet someone who's that good with a gun right of the bat...or so they claim.

[chocobosnap]

Initially, his background check was very ordinary. He was an average student, he didn't make waves or stand out very much. He lived in a nice area with his parents who worked a lot, out of Accordo.

Observations of him include extreme shyness and quiet, unassuming. He was adopted to his parents when he was a baby.

It all seemed clean and sanitized. Prompto's original nationality was not mentioned, and his parents often filed reports from Accordo it seemed like.

All of this led to Prompto himself. No weapons training. When he arrived the next training session, he still looked nervous as he did the first time, but he was on time, even a little early.

[immortalmarshal]

Cor's nagging feeling didn't go away from reading that initial report. Granted, the explanation that Prompto was adopted does explain a few things, but for his parents to be away all the time, plus no official weapond training before...

He simply asked Monica to "double-check where he got adopted from" - aka, look further into that issue - and see if there's any known reports of caretakers for him when he was younger.

Cor is, however, pleased with Prompto's timing as he steps into the training room that morning. "Ready for your first lessons?"

[chocobosnap]

Prompto smiled brightly.

"Uh, yeah, right! Ready!" He offered cheerfully. He squirmed a little bit, shifting his weight from foot to foot.

Prompto was a morning person.

Monica would find no record of caretakers, in fact, possibly ever. No one seems to be involved with the Argentums in Insomnia. They had friends in Accordo.

[immortalmarshal]

That really troubled Cor once he gets that info. How can people just leave a kid by themselves, even for important trips? Six knows that he's done his share of babysitting for his friends...

"Alright, we'll start with some basic hand-to-hand. Not all opponents are going to keep your distance, so you'll need to defend yourself in those cases."

Prompto will soon learn that whatever level of difficulty Noctis had in his training with Gladio? It's at least as tough with Cor, if not more so. The Marshall doesn't go that easy - partially as a final test, but also out of habit.

[chocobosnap]

"Oh man." He dragged his hands down his pants to ease his nerves, before Cor proceeded to show him why he was the best.

He spent a lot of his time down on his back, taking blows and trying. Always trying. Prompto was persistent enough to get back up, every time.

There would be one more note to come from the investigation - Prompto had lied about having a part-time job.

[immortalmarshal]

The fact that the kid has a part-time job despite his family being well-off to keep going on business trips to Accordo? That's much more suspicious to Cor, though not towards Prompto alone. He asked Monika to keep digging before he came down for this session, figuring that he'll get some answers once he's done grinding Prompto down some.

Though...the kid is persistent, Cor will give him that. Regardless of any levels of potential whining, it does seem like he's always getting back up. That is good; very good, based on past experience with prior trainees. The blonde is dedicated...though for what reason Cor hasn't sussed out yet. He does wonder if this is purely based on Ignis' recommendation for self-defense, given what he's already uncovered so far...

"Alright, let's take a break," he says after nearly an hour of training. He walks over to where some water bottles and towels had been setup to one side.

[chocobosnap]

He followed him to the side flopping into a seat and letting out a little sigh.

He smiled and took a bottle of water and began drinking.

"Thank you." Prompto said with a smile. He wasn't really whining, not yet, but he was doing his best to keep up. It was hard, really hard, but he was determined to do it.

[immortalmarshal]

Cor himself is clearly not as tired as Prompto is; years of training and fighting has given him much more stamina. Still, he does wipe away a light sheen of sweat as he lets his body cool down a bit.

Settling down near Prompto, he takes a brief swig from another water bottle. "...got a few questions for you; just out of curiosity."

[chocobosnap]

Prompto swallows some water and he blinked a little.

"Uh, yeah sure." He smiled. It didn't seem like the type of interrogation he underwent the last time.

[immortalmarshal]

Cor pauses for just a moment, just to figure out which question to ask first.

"...how did you first meet Noctis? I could never get him or Ignis to tell me the details, and he's not prone to making new friends easily." Even though Noctis is a Good Kid, Cor's vaguely aware that he may not have much more than admirers and gawkers at their school.

[chocobosnap]

"Oh." Prompto blushed a little. Everything that led up to it was complicated and a lot of things he couldn't tell anyone, much less Cor. They were too embarrassing.

"He's been in my class off and on. You know, when he's in school? But no one...I mean, the other kids aren't that great to him?"

Prompto pressed his lips together. "Not me either, but um, I m-mean it's not a big deal. I just...walked up and talked to him. Like a kid really."

[immortalmarshal]

Cor's a little surprised that Prompto's been in the same class as Noctis for a while. But then came the rest of the explanation, and that draws out a concerned frown.

"They didn't bully him or anything, did they?" Or you? goes unsaid for the moment.

"...still, you just treated him like...a normal person, huh?" He takes another swig. "...heh. That would get him to open up."

[chocobosnap]

"N-No they don't bully him." Prompto shook his head.

"It's almost like they're afraid of him? Or like...I don't know just afraid to...approach him. And they just ask him about prince stuff. But he's not...he's like..." It was hard to describe.

"He's so awesome."

[immortalmarshal]

"...ah. The royal aura." Cor sighs and shakes his head. "Most people don't realize that royals - and really, all nobles - are no better or worse than the rest of us. We're lucky that we have a really good family of royals ruling over Lucis; they just need an kick in the ass once a blue moon, when they need a reminder of what is or isn't okay."

And now one eyebrow cocks up at that last statement. "If I didn't know better, it almost sounds like you have feelings for him." That...would make things interesting to handle, if it's true.

[chocobosnap]

Prompto was nodding along to his assessment, but at the summary he squeaked a little.

"W-What? No that's not- I never said anything like that! I didn't- I'm not- gah!" He flailed and hid his face in his hands.

Whether he felt anything for Noct or not, it was irrelevant because it would never happen anyway.

[immortalmarshal]

"Breathe. I wasn't being serious about that." Much. Maybe half-serious at most. "Just a casual observation," he added as an attempt to reassure the lad. Really, he hadn't thought that the kid could be this easily flustered.

...unless the kid is in denial. Or just denying it to everyone. But at least the kid doesn't seem to be malicious or shady about it, and that alone is some small comfort.

After a few more moments, he finally speaks back up. "...still, I'm glad that you've been treating him as a person. He needs someone like that in his life."