[V wishes it was the most stressful situation heâs been in. One of the more worrisome, maybe, given no one seems certain how or if heâll return home â but anxiety doesnât appear to live in his frame today. He falls into the familiar stance of leaning his weight onto the cane itself.]
I had one at home. Kept close during all hours of day and night, why wouldnât I want another here? Easier to walk with, and thereâs something nice about the familiarity in an unfamiliar world.
[In a place where even his actual familiars wonât heed his call.]
I didn't know that. You don't look old enough to need a walking aid.
[he says quietly, feeling somewhat like he's being told something he should know, but perhaps this is the most thanks he'll get. some people are like thatâand so prompto will just have to deal with it. the fact that v's talking to him might speak volumes, anyway.]
V, right?
[prompto's just glad he's okay, even if this much he won't be outright about.]
I know you're gonna tell me that if it wasn't my job I have nothing to feel responsible for, but still. It's just how I feel. At least you're up on your feet [no pun intended] and it'll be easier for you to get around now.
[the umbrella (purple) falls to the floor as prompto forgets about its existence for a moment. he leans down to pick it up again.]
âI am but two days old. What shall I call thee? I happy am Joy is my name, Sweet joy befall thee!âÂ
âŠThatâs right, you can call me V.
[That thin grin still existing on his features, V moves to sit, like his recitation of Blake was no big deal. Given how easily he quotes it, it probably isnât.]
Age has little to do with weariness, and how frail a body can be. Iâm sure youâve noticed, but Iâm not the strongest man to ever walk the earth. But as for your responsibilities and how you failed them, keep in mind that certain avenues of opportunities wouldnât exist to us now if you had succeeded.
[V lifts his cane up, hilt-forward this time, to prod at the umbrella when itâs in Promptoâs hands.]
[prompto makes a face (what does this mean), confused what v is saying at first.]
[but there is no clarification and nothing to lead him into understanding anything of what that was, but one thing is for sure: it sounded nice. a little more theatrical than normal, spoken language. it elates something in promptoâalthough he isn't sure what that is.]
[his attention is wrapped away elsewhere, however, as v sits and returns to giving answers that are more than short sentences meant to cut a conversation off.]
There's always two sides to a coin, I guess. [he wonders, then frownsâ] I got this for you [raising the umbrella] during the carnival. Before you disappeared!
[he looks down at it; the bent, purple umbrella has festive decorations of skulls and witches and cats, all black outlines. prompto doesn't understand the references, but it was the bigger one of all available umbrellas.]
I did have five minutes.
[yeah, it's pretty broken. he just kind of ... mirrors v's cane positioning with the umbrella, just because he feels weirdly possessive of it now (it and all its imperfections!!)]
[At least V finds the patterned design on the umbrella itself novel, if a little cliche. He especially likes the little trail of black cats, with the tails in the air, weaving in-between the skulls and witch hats.
Prompto seems to have a liking for it, at any rate, if how closely he keeps it to his body is of any indication. V doesnât seem to care; he has no need for a broken umbrella.]
It was.
[Again, eyes sweep across Prompto, as if trying to judge just how interested he really might be.]
But, to be fair, I'm not from Earth, either. I'm from a place called Eos, which is totally a planet kinda like this one, except we got different kinds of plants and animals and â lore.
[he nods, feeling wicked cool at using that word.]
We did poetry back in school and there's some names I could remember off the top of my head, like... Siggurd Grandi and Oric Cantor.
[âV repeats, as if testing the name on his tongue might give him an idea of what his world is like.]
Iâve never heard of them, but thatâs not so surprising. Do you think you could recite a few lines from their poems⊠[Tips his cane over to lean on his other leg, then balancing it accordingly. His brow is furrowing, like heâs trying to recall something thatâs slipped away.]
And I wouldn't be able to remember anything about the poems for the life of me. It was like... five years ago? And I haven't really thought about it since . I'll try and remember, but I'm more into visual stuff.
[rubbing his nose, he adjusts his seating, too.]
Is your name literally just V? Is William Blake a super popular guy where you're from?
[Prompto Argentum. And heâs asking him about dubious naming conventions.]
Thatâs right. Prompto. How could I forget? Are you a man of readiness like your name implies?
[He almost asks "what kind of visual stuff"; he assumes the equivalent of television is his meaning, but they can loop back to that later.]
And V is what I go by. Itâs as good as anything else I couldâve picked for myself. [He knows that doesnât answer the question, but he continues as if it doesnât matter, or wonât go into detail. Both are likely true.] William Blakeâs been dead for more than a hundred years, but he was a very influential poet and painter in my world â or at least, in the western world.
[And yet V, despite this comment, doesnât seem to be too bothered to answer them. He shifts in his seat a little, leaning forward.]
Your name is Latin, Mr. Silver. [lol] And Iâm a fan because I enjoy the imagery, the simplicity of construction that still lends itself to a sense of⊠well, mysticism, you could say. Even though he was a religious man â or maybe because he was, thereâs an otherworldly and ephemeral quality to many of his poems.
What I recited to you what a portion of Infant Joy. Itâs only two stanzas long.
It's Lucian. [lol] âbut you're saying it means something in a language from Earth? What's 'silver,' Prompto or Argentum? Also, don't call me that again. [wtf]
[but despite his mid-rant, prompto actively listened to what v had to say about the poet and the poems. he actually takes a moment to take in the words, putting one hand on his chin as if in consideration, foot jogging not quite in impatience, but rather energetic curiosity.]
âArgentumâ. Therefore, Mr. Silver. [Wow thatâs rude he thought it was clever, okay.
But fine, he wonât make another pass at the name, not when heâs been requested to recite something a second time. And so V continues to lean forward, this time placing a hand on the hilt of his cane and balancing it there, fingers curling gently.
He starts from the beginning, since he had left out a line initially.]
âI have no name I am but two days old.â
[(What he had told Dante that day he visited him as a new client, a proffered introduction rooted in irony.)]
âWhat shall I call thee? I happy am Joy is my name, Sweet joy befall thee!â
[he said not to call him that again, v you fucking weaselâ]
[he lets it go in lieu of the other seeming to get into position to deliver the requested stanza. and although he listens to it again, it makes very little sense to prompto. it's straightforward, in a way, but it does hold some mystery to it (or questions, rather) that he feels are left unanswered. who is the one speaking in the poem? are there two individuals, or one? are they individuals at all?]
[as these questions pile on him, his brow furrows and his usual anxious fidgeting is gone. clearly, he's trying to concentrate.]
I think I get what you mean. The... mysticism stuff. [lmao, HE THINKS] What's the second stanza like?
[it looks like prompto is about to say something towards the end of the poem, but all that comes from him is a slightly-opened mouth, ready to breathe out words that never come.]
[yeah, he's got nothing on this fucking poem.]
This is just like in school. I'm not good at abstract stuff.
[maths and poems and the like. give him an actual hands-on project and analyzing purely the superficial, and he's pretty much set to succeed. anything else goes past him like it holds no weight.]
It has a nice rhythm to it! You obviously like the stuff a lot.
[leaning back on the chair, the umbrella falls back on the floor and prompto startlesâhaving forgotten it, and decides to leave it where it is, instead, keeping arms crossed.]
[back to v now.] Must have taken you a while to learn it.
It's straightforward enough, Prompto. [It isn't so much criticism, not really. V isn't so arrogant that he would deride someone who shows a sincere interest in a recited poem. Instead, he eases into explanation.] The meaning is in the title, "Infant Joy". The joy of a new life coming into being, and how the outside world might also impress joy upon it.
[There's a subtle sort of enthusiasm that V exudes when he speaks about poetry, hard to pin down. The way his mouth upticks into a different kind of smile, or a different kind of light behind his eyes. Yet V is still all casual demeanor when he leans back in his chair again, though his hand still grips idly at his cane.]
I told you I've been a fan for a while. When I was... younger, I used to read often. Especially poetry.
[It's technically true, at least, if one stretches the truth just a little. But Prompto doesn't have to know that.]
[he's definitely the type of person who, despite being so earnest, doesn't get to see it clearly until someone else spells it out for him. at least he's smart in other subjects.]
Hate to break it to you, but there aren't any books here. There's, uh, [looking through his pocket, he finds some pinsâQR codes etched over the cheap metal.] an online archive. [he's reaching over so he can give v the pins] Don't know if it works on your implant yet, but if you take a picture of those codes and scan them, you get like â a 10-day free access to online books you'd have to buy otherwise.
[This far into the future, long past the threshold of stepping into a digital age, the fact that there are no physical books to be found isn't surprising to V. During his time at the station, he noticed a dearth of paperwork passing hands (even if he was not in a position to be dealing with paperwork, he was certain he would've spotted at least one stray document in passing), and there was none to be seen in the safehouse, either.
It was an inevitability even in his own time. But to be living it, with the wide scope of the internet basically existing in his head now, is almost surreal.
It threatens to make him frown; that is, until Prompto fishes out some messily etched pins from his pocket, and V nearly tilts his head, holding out his free hand in a bid to look at a one or two of them.
(What a person eager to help, he thinks. Overly friendly, even to a stranger who had caused more trouble than good.)]
Let me take a look, then?
[He can try to access wherever the QR code leads him, if it'll work with no registered ID. He needs to practice using this invasive thing in his head.]
Not that it'll ever replace the feel of a book in my hands. What a dreary future this is.
[he easily relinquishes them into the ownership of the other.]
If I find more I'll make sure to drop them off with you. They're not that difficult to come by. And, well, the future's not so bad. It's missing a few things, but I'm really into all this tech stuff.
[that being said,] You're still learning to use the implant, right? It'll become second nature soon enough, but lemme know if you have any questions.
[It takes a second or two before he opens up the interface to scan the QR code lying flat in his palm. His implant processes it nigh immediately, but then flickers with an error: ID not found. Please try again.
Itâs the same result when he tries the one that lies next to it. Apparently a subscription service, free or otherwise, still requires an account to tie it to â and in consequence, a working ID.
He shakes his head, offering them back.]
Thus far, not being in the system seems to cause more problems than not. But I think once Iâm assigned a name, Iâll adapt. And be able to browse an online library more freely.
[Heâs always been clever, quick to learn. The tech is advanced, but the user interfaces shouldnât be too hard to unravel in time.]
[he's crossing his arms, so enjoy keeping shit in your pockets.]
[prompto even raises an eyebrow at the other.]
Yeah, you'll have to come up with a name other than just V. There's a minimum character requirement and all. [a shrug] You'll have a library for years, so at least that's something to look forward to if you're into reading.
As for me, that's three months already. Time feels like it's dragging here.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fine bye
I had one at home. Kept close during all hours of day and night, why wouldnât I want another here? Easier to walk with, and thereâs something nice about the familiarity in an unfamiliar world.
[In a place where even his actual familiars wonât heed his call.]
Was it your job to bring me here?
â€
[he says quietly, feeling somewhat like he's being told something he should know, but perhaps this is the most thanks he'll get. some people are like thatâand so prompto will just have to deal with it. the fact that v's talking to him might speak volumes, anyway.]
V, right?
[prompto's just glad he's okay, even if this much he won't be outright about.]
I know you're gonna tell me that if it wasn't my job I have nothing to feel responsible for, but still. It's just how I feel. At least you're up on your feet [no pun intended] and it'll be easier for you to get around now.
[the umbrella (purple) falls to the floor as prompto forgets about its existence for a moment. he leans down to pick it up again.]
Guess you won't want this one anymore, huh.
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âI am but two days old.
What shall I call thee?Â
I happy amÂ
Joy is my name,
Sweet joy befall thee!âÂ
âŠThatâs right, you can call me V.
[That thin grin still existing on his features, V moves to sit, like his recitation of Blake was no big deal. Given how easily he quotes it, it probably isnât.]
Age has little to do with weariness, and how frail a body can be. Iâm sure youâve noticed, but Iâm not the strongest man to ever walk the earth. But as for your responsibilities and how you failed them, keep in mind that certain avenues of opportunities wouldnât exist to us now if you had succeeded.
[V lifts his cane up, hilt-forward this time, to prod at the umbrella when itâs in Promptoâs hands.]
Did it rain?
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[but there is no clarification and nothing to lead him into understanding anything of what that was, but one thing is for sure: it sounded nice. a little more theatrical than normal, spoken language. it elates something in promptoâalthough he isn't sure what that is.]
[his attention is wrapped away elsewhere, however, as v sits and returns to giving answers that are more than short sentences meant to cut a conversation off.]
There's always two sides to a coin, I guess. [he wonders, then frownsâ] I got this for you [raising the umbrella] during the carnival. Before you disappeared!
[he's huffing]
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You found me an umbrella to act as a cane? [A brow arches.] I can appreciate the effort, but it mightâve been a little too short. Andâ
[ITâS BROKEN?]
ânot exactly very reliable.
1/2
[he looks down at it; the bent, purple umbrella has festive decorations of skulls and witches and cats, all black outlines. prompto doesn't understand the references, but it was the bigger one of all available umbrellas.]
I did have five minutes.
[yeah, it's pretty broken. he just kind of ... mirrors v's cane positioning with the umbrella, just because he feels weirdly possessive of it now (it and all its imperfections!!)]
[(he thought it'd be a funny joke)]
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[instead, prompto pushes onward to try and keep the conversation going, not wanting to leave or sit around in awkward silence.]
That stuff that you were saying a minute ago. Was that poetry?
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Prompto seems to have a liking for it, at any rate, if how closely he keeps it to his body is of any indication. V doesnât seem to care; he has no need for a broken umbrella.]
It was.
[Again, eyes sweep across Prompto, as if trying to judge just how interested he really might be.]
William Blake. Are you familiar with him?
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But, to be fair, I'm not from Earth, either. I'm from a place called Eos, which is totally a planet kinda like this one, except we got different kinds of plants and animals and â lore.
[he nods, feeling wicked cool at using that word.]
We did poetry back in school and there's some names I could remember off the top of my head, like... Siggurd Grandi and Oric Cantor.
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[âV repeats, as if testing the name on his tongue might give him an idea of what his world is like.]
Iâve never heard of them, but thatâs not so surprising. Do you think you could recite a few lines from their poems⊠[Tips his cane over to lean on his other leg, then balancing it accordingly. His brow is furrowing, like heâs trying to recall something thatâs slipped away.]
âŠWhat was your name again?
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[he says, sniffling. it's been chilly outside.]
And I wouldn't be able to remember anything about the poems for the life of me. It was like... five years ago? And I haven't really thought about it since . I'll try and remember, but I'm more into visual stuff.
[rubbing his nose, he adjusts his seating, too.]
Is your name literally just V? Is William Blake a super popular guy where you're from?
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Thatâs right. Prompto. How could I forget? Are you a man of readiness like your name implies?
[He almost asks "what kind of visual stuff"; he assumes the equivalent of television is his meaning, but they can loop back to that later.]
And V is what I go by. Itâs as good as anything else I couldâve picked for myself. [He knows that doesnât answer the question, but he continues as if it doesnât matter, or wonât go into detail. Both are likely true.] William Blakeâs been dead for more than a hundred years, but he was a very influential poet and painter in my world â or at least, in the western world.
Iâve been a fan for quite a while.
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The what? It's just a name.
[lol at latin existing but not existing.]
[although he supposes that v could go by whatever name he would like to go by, since here everyone can pick at what new identity they want.]
Why are you a fan? [just questions upon questions] That what you said before, that's a poem of his, right?
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[And yet V, despite this comment, doesnât seem to be too bothered to answer them. He shifts in his seat a little, leaning forward.]
Your name is Latin, Mr. Silver. [lol] And Iâm a fan because I enjoy the imagery, the simplicity of construction that still lends itself to a sense of⊠well, mysticism, you could say. Even though he was a religious man â or maybe because he was, thereâs an otherworldly and ephemeral quality to many of his poems.
What I recited to you what a portion of Infant Joy. Itâs only two stanzas long.
no subject
[but despite his mid-rant, prompto actively listened to what v had to say about the poet and the poems. he actually takes a moment to take in the words, putting one hand on his chin as if in consideration, foot jogging not quite in impatience, but rather energetic curiosity.]
...could you say it again? The stanza.
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But fine, he wonât make another pass at the name, not when heâs been requested to recite something a second time. And so V continues to lean forward, this time placing a hand on the hilt of his cane and balancing it there, fingers curling gently.
He starts from the beginning, since he had left out a line initially.]
âI have no nameÂ
I am but two days old.â
[(What he had told Dante that day he visited him as a new client, a proffered introduction rooted in irony.)]
âWhat shall I call thee?Â
I happy amÂ
Joy is my name,
Sweet joy befall thee!â
no subject
[he lets it go in lieu of the other seeming to get into position to deliver the requested stanza. and although he listens to it again, it makes very little sense to prompto. it's straightforward, in a way, but it does hold some mystery to it (or questions, rather) that he feels are left unanswered. who is the one speaking in the poem? are there two individuals, or one? are they individuals at all?]
[as these questions pile on him, his brow furrows and his usual anxious fidgeting is gone. clearly, he's trying to concentrate.]
I think I get what you mean. The... mysticism stuff. [lmao, HE THINKS] What's the second stanza like?
[without preamble,]
You have a nice voice, by the way.
no subject
But for now, the rest is as easily quoted as the first half.]
âPretty joy!Â
Sweet joy but two days old,Â
Sweet joy I call thee;Â
Thou dost smile.Â
I sing the whileÂ
Sweet joy befall thee.â
[The last line stressed and slowed, indicating its end. Only then does Prompto get any kind of thanks for the wayward compliment.]
âŠI appreciate the compliment.
no subject
[yeah, he's got nothing on this fucking poem.]
This is just like in school. I'm not good at abstract stuff.
[maths and poems and the like. give him an actual hands-on project and analyzing purely the superficial, and he's pretty much set to succeed. anything else goes past him like it holds no weight.]
It has a nice rhythm to it! You obviously like the stuff a lot.
[leaning back on the chair, the umbrella falls back on the floor and prompto startlesâhaving forgotten it, and decides to leave it where it is, instead, keeping arms crossed.]
[back to v now.] Must have taken you a while to learn it.
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[There's a subtle sort of enthusiasm that V exudes when he speaks about poetry, hard to pin down. The way his mouth upticks into a different kind of smile, or a different kind of light behind his eyes. Yet V is still all casual demeanor when he leans back in his chair again, though his hand still grips idly at his cane.]
I told you I've been a fan for a while. When I was... younger, I used to read often. Especially poetry.
[It's technically true, at least, if one stretches the truth just a little. But Prompto doesn't have to know that.]
no subject
[his expression perks up just like that.]
That makes a lot of sense now!
[he's definitely the type of person who, despite being so earnest, doesn't get to see it clearly until someone else spells it out for him. at least he's smart in other subjects.]
Hate to break it to you, but there aren't any books here. There's, uh, [looking through his pocket, he finds some pinsâQR codes etched over the cheap metal.] an online archive. [he's reaching over so he can give v the pins] Don't know if it works on your implant yet, but if you take a picture of those codes and scan them, you get like â a 10-day free access to online books you'd have to buy otherwise.
[he's resourceful like that]
Maybe there's some poetry in there.
[here's a friendly smile]
no subject
It was an inevitability even in his own time. But to be living it, with the wide scope of the internet basically existing in his head now, is almost surreal.
It threatens to make him frown; that is, until Prompto fishes out some messily etched pins from his pocket, and V nearly tilts his head, holding out his free hand in a bid to look at a one or two of them.
(What a person eager to help, he thinks. Overly friendly, even to a stranger who had caused more trouble than good.)]
Let me take a look, then?
[He can try to access wherever the QR code leads him, if it'll work with no registered ID. He needs to practice using this invasive thing in his head.]
Not that it'll ever replace the feel of a book in my hands. What a dreary future this is.
no subject
[he easily relinquishes them into the ownership of the other.]
If I find more I'll make sure to drop them off with you. They're not that difficult to come by. And, well, the future's not so bad. It's missing a few things, but I'm really into all this tech stuff.
[that being said,] You're still learning to use the implant, right? It'll become second nature soon enough, but lemme know if you have any questions.
no subject
Itâs the same result when he tries the one that lies next to it. Apparently a subscription service, free or otherwise, still requires an account to tie it to â and in consequence, a working ID.
He shakes his head, offering them back.]
Thus far, not being in the system seems to cause more problems than not. But I think once Iâm assigned a name, Iâll adapt. And be able to browse an online library more freely.
[Heâs always been clever, quick to learn. The tech is advanced, but the user interfaces shouldnât be too hard to unravel in time.]
Youâve been in this world very long, then?
no subject
[he's crossing his arms, so enjoy keeping shit in your pockets.]
[prompto even raises an eyebrow at the other.]
Yeah, you'll have to come up with a name other than just V. There's a minimum character requirement and all. [a shrug] You'll have a library for years, so at least that's something to look forward to if you're into reading.
As for me, that's three months already. Time feels like it's dragging here.
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