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Sentinels and Guides;

Sentinels and Guides Shipping Meme
A Sentinel!AU Meme

There are special people in the world: Sentinels--whose five senses are incredibly enhanced, sometimes to the point of overwhelming and who can easily lose themselves in fugue states--and Guides, the empaths with the ability to ground a Sentinel and focus them. Meant to be the protectors of the Guides, for every Sentinel there exists a guide that is their perfect match. In some universes, when matches are made, a Sentinel and Guide form a soulbond to fill the feeling of emptiness.

How easy was it for you to find yours? How are Sentinels and Guides treated in your universe? Or maybe you're one of the normal, unremarkable people. Do you fear Sentinels and Guides? Despise them?

Rules
1) Post with your character/canon in the subject header.
2a) Choose whether your character is a Sentinel or a Guide
or
2b) If you don't know or don't care, just leave it blank!
3) Information about Sentinels and Guides can be found here and here. Information on 'The Sentinel' which this meme comes from can be found here.

4) All the tagging! Have fun 8D

Prompts
oo1. The Meeting:
How did you meet? Was it at an event organized specifically for finding your other half? By accident? Did you follow a mystical calling to them? Some other way?

oo2. The Bonding:
Do Sentinels and Guides in your universe soulbond? How does it go down? Is there a ceremony or do you just retreat to the bedroom?

oo3. Rejection:
Sometimes Sentinels or Guides propose a match but it's just not perfect. You don't feel the pull or maybe you think there is someone better or maybe you're already claimed. Maybe you were claimed and someone better came along?

oo4. Protection:
Sentinels are meant to protect Guides, any Guides, but it's even worse when they feel their Guide is in danger. They go feral; blind to anything but stopping and killing whoever threatened their Guide or the bond. Maybe someone attacked your Guide or you haven't bonded yet and you feel threatened or maybe you're the one doing the threatening. Whatever the reason, Sentinels in a feral state are dangerous and only their Guides can stop them.

oo5. Lost:
Sentinels often lose themselves in their senses. Either you're a Sentinel who has lost themselves or a Guide that has stumbled on one or a friend trying to draw them out. Unbonded Sentinels will find it hard to escape without a Guide. Or maybe you're bonded already which means you just need yours to come home.

006. Persecution:
Sometimes normal people or the government fear the power of Guides and Sentinels. Guides are empaths, feeling the emotions and sometimes passing thoughts of others and it can make people feel violated. Sentinels often have enhanced strength, which can make them dangerous. So they scorn them, hurt them or in the case of governments, regulate them.

oo7. Death:
Unbonded Sentinels and Guides eventually lose themselves to the empty cavern inside them. Torn apart from the inside by the feeling of something missing. Breaking the soulbond of a Sentinel and Guide is agonizing and horrifying, leading quickly to death for the remaining partner.

oo8. Old-School:
Guides used to be treated on the same level as slaves. Unable to work unless their Sentinel said. Not allowed out on their own. They used to wear collars and couldn't own land or inherit money. Maybe the old ways haven't completely fallen out of style.

oo9. Unbonded:
Nothing is worse than being an unbonded Guide or Sentinel. Always looking for your other half to fill that empty feeling but you probably have friends that aren't your match or who are trying to set you up with someone. Maybe you're skeptical about the whole love at first sight thing and haven't been looking.

o10. Wildcard: Some mish-mash of the above or anything else you can come up with!

Image from weheartit / original meme by

imadeamistake

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"Not a threat, just a request." John smiles back, sensing the curiosity and sending back mischief and amusement. "Does anyone have a coin?"

Ignis speaks up, pulling a 1 gil piece from his pocket. "Will this do?" His own gaze is sharp and calculating on the Guide. John tries not to think about how he just made himself the center of attention in the room with this little show. He needs to be focused.

The Guide takes the gold-colored coin and smiles gratefully at Ignis. "That's good, yeah." He returns his attention to Prompto. "A Guide's job is to assist a Sentinel. All those heightened senses and battle rage, it's easy for them to get lost in it without a tether, if they're not careful. They can end up doing more harm than good. We ground them. Pull them back down. But what if you turn the clock the other way?"

He flips the coin in his hand and catches it before holding it up and out to Gladio. "Look at this." That command is deceptively benign as John locks gazes with the Sentinel. Gladio will get a sudden blast of pheromones that crank his senses into overdrive--vision, sight, sound, smell, taste. But they come with a directed focus. The coin in John's hand. It will be difficult to resist observing the coin with an unnatural intensity, completely zoned out from the world around and locked on just what John's directing his senses toward, but he may still be able to.

Noct might find himself getting unintentionally side-swiped by some of the effect, as well, although John's fairly good and directing his abilities to a target. They're all pretty close together, though, which makes that more of a challenge.

Edited 2017-05-13 19:30 (UTC)

"The other way?" Prompto asks quietly, uncertain what John even means by that. He tilts his head as the coin exchange happens and Noct mutters something about this hopefully not being a magic trick, but he's super interested.

Luckily for Ignis and Prompto, they're immune to John's actions. Yet before a Prompto can even sniff the air, trying to pick up what John's doing, he sees Gladio tense up.

Gladio has never been hit so hard by a Guide in his life. Prompto certainly can't do it but... before he can do anything John's scent hits him like a truck and his whole world feels, only to fall focus on- the coin. It becomes everything for an unknown length of time, in realty a few seconds, before he has a realization of what's happening. He tries to fight back, and now Prompto picks up Gladio's scent super strong as the two almost battle it out.

But John's older, more second hand at this. Gladio might get further in that fight than any Sentinel has before, thanks to the Bond, but he can't shatter out of it.

"Whoa." A breath from Prompto as he waves his hand in front of Gladio's eyes. Only then does he realize Noct is also staring at the coin but he ends up being able to turn away and looks almost ashamed before covering it up.

Gladio's scent and pheromones hit back in return, and John wavers for half a second, mind and body priming for submission to his Sentinel. The Guide in him senses a Sentinel in need, in distress, and it demands he fix them. It's something the doctor's had to get used to pushing down over the years, though. He's never had quite this much trouble with it, though. John's breathing turns a little shallower, his pupils dilate, and a flush comes to his cheeks he has to put more focus on maintaining the effect while he stares Gladio down.

Usually, he'd be able to talk, respond to Prompto, or take notice of Noct, but he's actually having to fight himself and Gladio's dominance more than he thought he would. It's a little more intoxicating than it probably should be, the challenge of it. And a part of him wonders if he'll be able to use this very often with Gladio already showing signs of being able to resist it.

Ignis, unaware of any of the scents looks from John to Gladio, and then over to Noct. The latter he watches closely as the young prince pulls himself out of whatever effect the older Guide is imposing. "John, I believe that may well be sufficient for a demonstration," he cuts in.

It's a struggle to maintain his casual air as John flicks his gaze over to Ignis. "Right. The pheromones shift, something to soothe and ground, to rein in Gladio's senses and expand his focus once more to the rest of the world. John's movements aren't quite as fluid as before as he hands Ignis his coin back. Gladio's sharp scent makes John want to crawl across the table and just lay his head in the other man's lap, petting and soothing him until all is well again. That's entirely out of the question, though, and he ends up just clearing his throat and blinking a few times.

John turns to look at Prompto again. "Just something like that. I basically just turned Gladio's senses up to maximum and directed his focus to an object. It's one of the first things I worked out how to do one my own. Helps getting away from a Sentinel you don't want to deal with if you can turn them slack-jawed and staring. I think it's a bit different between Gladio and I now. That, uh... usually doesn't take that much focus on my side to maintain."

Gladio comes to fully with almost a start, something that runs through the whole of him sharp as an electric shock then settles again before he has time to think of it. His mind still reeled, but now it is purely natural, just in shock of what happened. That... that's what John had talked about before, being able to do. How he could control other Sentinels even though they hadn't been Bonded. He isn't entirely how he feels on it, like his world has been ripped out of his control and for a Sentinel it's a wholly disconcerting feeling, almost like a terrible Rage - except he had fought it more during it. Rages he lost himself entirely, but this he doesn't... know. He just doesn't know.

Prompto is oblivious to Gladio's uncertainty and is beyond curious. "That was amazing! I've never seen anything like it. I can keep Noct out of a rage but only kinda... Gladio I can't do anything with really- will you teach me?" Prompto sort of looked and sounded like an eager puppy, all wide eyes and even a slight wriggle in his body.

Ignis clears his throat and pushes his glasses up, noting the distress from both Gladio and Noct at the display. It's unlike anything he's heard of before, if John's description is accurate. Who's ever heard of a Guide weaponizing their abilities? It's intriguing, to be sure, and he makes a few mental notes on what he'd like to go searching for online tonight once everyone turns in. But while the man can appreciate it intellectually, seeing it first-hand is more troubling.

"Perhaps it would be best to see if our resident Sentinels are willing to be tested for you to develop such a skill, Prompto."

John glances over at Noct. He can feel the uncertainty coming off of Gladio, and it's nothing new. The Sentinels in his unit were never entirely comfortable with his abilities being targeted at them in that way, and John hadn't actually used them in that manner too often, just when someone decided they wanted to try anything with the unbonded Guide... or on enemies. He really hadn't the slightest remorse mucking about with them and their own Guides on the battlefield.

The doctor sends out a pulse of reassurance to Gladio across the Bond and continues to pump out soothing pheromones for Gladio's benefit, as well as Noct's. "Ignis has a point there. Happy to walk you through how I do it, but we'll need a volunteer for you to really get much practice on it."

Edited 2017-05-15 19:57 (UTC)

Prompto looks sharply at Ignis as if that idea only just came into his mind that it might be a point (which is exactly what happened) and he bites his lip. "Right, I-"

"He has me. He'll learn it," Noct suddenly speaks up, something hard in his eyes. Ignis and Gladio might well know it's a determination because John had managed to pull him in and his ego is hurt.

"You sure?" Prompto can feel his Sentinel's anger but John might notice that he can't sense Noct's anger at all. Nothing. Only that determination in his eyes will give him a clue.

"Yeah." Noct looks to John, almost challenging. Gladio ends up snorting, but underneath John will feel something like kinship? The two Sentinels are matched in their feelings.

John's generally good at reading people, even without his Guide abilities. It probably should have been a tip off as to what he was early on. He sees that determination and challenge, and feels some sense of it radiating from Gladio. Has he just made an enemy? That really hadn't been his intent.

"Maybe we can put in a little training time tomorrow, then," John replies, gaze leveled on Noct. Gladio it might be slightly more difficult not to show submission to, but the other Sentinel isn't his. Nor does the Guide have a Bond tugging at him to contend with. While he's pheromones are still of the soothing variety, his expression mirror's Noct's own. John will not be cowed by some Sentinel, even a prince. Even a prince he is actively trying to impress. His stubborn streak has sometimes been a problem.

He does look away after a moment, but it's only to smile tightly at Prompto. Then it's over to Gladio. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah." Just that and nothing more. Gladio's not sure what to feel just yet about what John just did. On one hand, there's a sort of Sentinel pride on just how strong his particular guide is, to be able to do that to him and Noct. On the other, he prides himself on his strength and his ability to be that defense, that Shield. To find what feels like a chink in his armor, a weakness, leaves him unconsciously defensive.

He wants to be able to fight it off, like he would any other potential 'attack' even if it's from his own Guide.

"Thanks, both of you!" Prompto beams a smile towards John and Noct, but Noct's gaze is far off and thoughtful. He does give a slight nod; he can feel Prompto's joy through their bond and in turn, Prom can feel the stream of odd feelings and acknowledgement.

"Thanks for dinner, Iggy. Good stuff." Gladio's a powerhouse with his meals, and he's almost done.

"My pleasure, as always," Ignis returns with a slight incline of his head. "With all of the excitement today, perhaps a discussion of our black market potions can wait."

Gladio will feel a momentary spike of excitement from John across the Bond, but it's followed swiftly by disappointment. "Oh, right... It's... nothing I should know for tomorrow?" He glances toward Noct, then Ignis again. "Will I be going anywhere with you tomorrow."

Ignis tilts his head thoughtfully. "You're not particularly needed in the session, but I'll leave that up to our fearless leader. How about it, Noct? Would you like Dr. Watson to attend our meetings tomorrow? I'll see he's dressed appropriately, if need be."

The casual comment about seeing that he's dressed makes John flush in embarrassment and there's the urge to interject, once more, that he can see to himself for clothes if they just tell him what he needs to buy. But the Guide bites his tongue. He's had that argument with Gladio and nothing had particularly come of it. He suspects there will be little difference with Ignis or his opinions on the matter.

It is just something John is just going to have to get use to. Gladio's long since learned to just deal with Ignis as he is, but then again he tends to stick to his uniform if he has to look decent and he doesn't give a damn what Ignis says the rest of the time. He can't protect John from everything that's going to come his way from this group and John's a full grown man who can manage on his own.

Noct looks at John, then asks in a tone almost like he doesn't care, "do you want to come?" Something in his gaze suggests that John's answer will be important. He doesn't understand why the doctor would care about this when he hasn't been involved.

Gladio frowns towards his prince at the question, though. "Prompto goes with you," he points out.

"He keeps me from getting bored."

"People are being hurt." John takes little notice of the exchange about Prompto, or the implication of it. "Of course I'd like to help however I can. If those potions get out to the general public or into the military? We rely on them for the battlefield. Soldiers start getting wary of potions, it's only a hop, skip, and a jump to start worrying about magic, itself. Medics need to be able to trust their supplies whether it's the front lines or some A&E clinic here in London."

That's probably more than Noct actually needed to know about John's thinking on the matter, but his tone and expression are entirely earnest. There's no time for pretense when people are dying in what sounds like truly horrifying ways.

"I'd like to come, Your Highness. Please." He doesn't drop Noct's gaze, even if the show of submission might win him some points here. The important part is the young prince knowing how much he actually cares about this now.

Noct holds that gaze for a long while, before looking away calmly, almost bored. "Noct." Then he goes back to his food, leaving Gladio to lean over and whisper low, "think you can come." Complete with approval through their bond.

Noct isn't fond of being called a title by anyone close to him.

Prompto frowns, looking between the two Sentinels before going quiet in a rare move for him. Gladio doesn't looked bothered at all but he does share a look with Ignis, one that suggests they'll talk later. Prompto briefly glances to Gladio, like he wants to ask something, but he bites his lip and drops his gaze after a flicker over towards John.

The approval is a little strange when there's this... awkward silence across the table and the exchange of looks that John doesn't miss. What exactly is going on here? Did he do something wrong? Something right? Gladio's words suggest the latter, but Prompto's silence makes him wonder. Some of the concern might edge back through the Bond for Gladio, even as the Guide puts on a mask of general indifference.

Ignis clears his throat again. "Regarding the potions, Lady Lunafreya has received some lead on a new shipment of black market potions that will be arriving in the city next week. It's unclear if any of them will be contaminated, but we'd like to intercept the shipment, regardless... without it appearing to be the act of royalty."

"They're gonna steal the potions and just pretend to be another rival black market gang," John translates.

Ignis adjusts his glasses. "To put it more succinctly, yes."

"And are all of you going to be involved in that? Your faces aren't exactly unknown." John doesn't have that particular problem, yet. Yet. "I'd be happy to step in, if you need me to."

"No." That comes from Gladio before he can even stop it. It's entirely protective and that surges right through the Bond. Realistically he knows his Guide can fight and fight well, unlike most Guides, but he's still new to the urges that crop up from it. John will see it, feel it with context as Gladio immediately realizes what he said and gets up from the table, leaving his food and walking away.

It's Prompto that says to John, "might wanna give him a minute." He can smell what Gladio's putting off as well, but he's super used to how Gladio acts with certain things. Prompto gives a faint smile but nothing else.

"Sounds like a good plan to me," Noct says as if that hadn't just happened. "Better than what we had in mind."

John's breath catches in his throat as that protective instinct surges through the Bond. Sentinels are naturally inclined to be protective of Guides, even when they aren't Bonded. The doctor has dealt with that instinct and his return instinct to follow a Sentinel's direction and decisions. He feels like cold water's just been dumped on him, though, and he can't help staring after Gladio, only offering a cursory glance to Prompto.

He wants to go after his Sentinel. But they both need to learn to deal with these instincts on this new level. John realizes he's risen halfway out of his seat and forces himself to sit down. He stares at the table, fighting his own urges for a moment.

Gladio must know that this is a sensible plan. It feels like forever, but it's only about half a minute before John manages to reply to Noct. "What did you have in mind?"

"Prompto's got a unique ability," Noct offers lazily, still poking through his meal. He pops a chip in his mouth before he continues. "He can affect anyone. Sentinels, other Guides, even Nons. We were gonna use it to get in."

Prompto doesn't look exactly happy about Noct revealing that and he shrugs anxiously. "I suck at it, though. I didn't really think it was a great idea because it's so risky-"

"You're better than you think you are," Noct says with the tone of someone who's said it many times before.

"Woah." John's not even going to try to hide his astonishment or his naked curiosity as he mentally reevaluates Prompto. Gladio's discomfort and upset still pull at the edges of his mind, but they're easier to ignore when information like that comes out. "Have you always been able to do that?"

Is it a skill that can be developed? He'd felt rather more coming from Prompto than usual when he'd first entered, but put it down to the other man's puppy-dog personality and thousand-watt smile. That it might have been him actually using his Guide abilities--however unconsciously--puts things into perspective.

And very suddenly, it makes Prompto a much more dangerous man than anyone else in this room. John's confident he could subdue Noct and Gladio if he needed to. Another Guide who could potentially use his own tricks to subdue him? He's second-guessing that offer to teach Prompto now. But there's not much for it. They're meant to be part of a team. Trust is difficult for John, but he's trying, in spite of appearances to the contrary. And really, it offers a rare opportunity to test himself the same way he's tested his Sentinel. If he can learn to resist his own techniques with Prompto's assistance, that would make them both all the more powerful Guides for it.

"Yeah, I think so?" Prompto rubs the back of his head, looking even more embarrassed. It's not like he talks about it because he knows everyone who hears about it ends up gets weirded out or upset by it. He just... doesn't bring it up outside of them. "I don't have a lot of control over it." He sighs a little. "It just... happens."

He glances to John and gives a small smile. It's uncertain and tender and he only wants to be friends with Gladio's Guide. "I promise I don't ever actively try to use it unless we need it, you know?"

Noct looks up from his food. "You've got to figure it out sometime. Maybe the good doctor can help." Is that a faint lift at the corner of his mouth? A joke?

It feels like a challenge from Noctis. John doesn't catch the look, but Ignis flashes a warning frown at the young prince. Best not to press things to far with someone new and untested. Relatively untested. He's aware that Noct's ego has taken a bruising. Retribution for an insult that wasn't meant would be pointless and only end up hurting Gladio in the end.

Before Noct can respond to that look, though, the doctor steps him, back straight and tone firm as he looks to Prompto. "I'd be happy to assist you in learning to take better control of your powers. Reckon we can help each other there. I'm probably not the only one who can do what I do, just haven't met anyone else who uses their abilities quite that way. It'd be good to work on building up my own resistance to that kind of thing if we come across any Guides with your abilities, Prompto.

"Have you and Noct ever had any trouble with other Guides interfering with your abilities on him?" He nods his head toward Noctis. "Disrupting other Guides was another part of my work on the battlefield when we were dealing with enemy Sentinels and their Guides. I can teach you a few tricks to pull back control from someone like me. Bonds are strong and give you a leg up, but they're not foolproof."

"I'd be happy to try and teach you anything I can, too. I... really haven't had a chance to learn from anyone else before. Plus I so wanna see you shoot at some point, too!" Prompto wants nothing more than to put everyone in the room at ease with each other, for everyone to get along. They should all be friends, after all. They're going to end up together because John is Gladio's Guide!

Noct sighs and looks to John, his expression softening. "Do you want me to stick around for this lesson?" Not annoyed, this time, but just offering to leave. "Otherwise I'm going to take a nap."

"Mm..." John's gaze strays from Noctis and turns in the direction Gladio had departed. "You can go lay down. Would you give me fifteen or twenty minutes, Prompto? I, uh... Gladio."

Their Bond isn't even a day old and having the Sentinel out of sight is making John want to fidget. He knows he'll need to get over it and learn to deal with that distraction and bizarre sort of separation anxiety. There's no reason or need for him to be this clingy. The Sentinel is probably fine, but that doesn't stop the Guide from worrying.

"Why don't you go to talk to Gladio, John?" Ignis prompts. "I'll clean up the rest of this and you and Prompto can use the common room as you'd like for your lesson."

John licks his lips and nods. "Yeah... Yes. Thanks. Won't be a mo., Prompto. Sorry."

Unless the younger man actively stops him, John will head off to find Gladio, honing in on the scent and feel of him nearby to guide his feet. When he finds the other man, he'll stop a little ways away, forcing himself to wait instead of going up and just wrapping his arms around the Sentinel. "Hey. You all right?" There's concern radiating thorough the Bond in Gladio's direction.

"Oh. Oh, yeah, go ahead. Totally understand." Prompto can more than understand the weird setup with how Gladio and John met, given that his meeting with Noct had been anything but normal. More like nearly a national crisis. Ask them about it sometime. How bad things had gotten when the two were forcibly separated.

Gladio, when John finds him, is standing on the balcony that looks over the city, hands tight on the railing. He lets out a breath when he feels John coming close and he reaches out through the Bond like a hand reaching for John to come closer. "Yeah. I'm fine." Not quite true. He isn't sure how to talk about that feeling of uncertainty inside of him; he doesn't talk about this kind of stuff but the Bond wants him ease his Guide's unhappiness.

John lets the Bond guide him forward until he's standing next to Gladio, arm pressed against the Sentinel's. "Never had a view like this at night before." It's an offhand remark. John's not particularly keen on talking about feelings, either, even if they should be talking about those. "It's beautiful. Can't beat the stars out in the desert, but it's a little like looking down on the stars."

The Guide stands on his tiptoes and leans further out over the railing, feeling just a little wild so high up. He points toward the cars moving below on the street. "Shooting stars." A part of him wonders what it would be like to jump from here, to feel the air rushing all around him, roaring in his ears. But he'll have to wait on a parachute for that. The stop at the bottom isn't worth it, otherwise.

John settles back on the balls of his feet. "Prompto told me he can affect other Guides and normal people with his abilities." 'Normal.' It's a term that Guide and Sentinel rights groups roundly decry. Everyone is 'normal' for a given value of it, after all. John's never particularly enjoyed being a Guide, though. It's generally made his life more difficult.

"I'll take you to the redwood forests out in the western part of the States," Gladio said quietly, his eyes not leaving the world beyond but the corner of them watches his new Guide closely. There's so much there, an opening like a weakness that a warrior isn't supposed to have, but it's more welcomed than anything he can remember in his existence. John almost represents the emotions he's been trying to keep buried his entire life.

He doesn't know what to do with that any more than he does those emotions.

"Everything is clear as water, to the point you can see the Milky Way, but it's all beyond mountains and trees so huge you've never seen anything like them. There's a haven out there that would take your breath away."

He wants to reach out and pull John back, safe. Into his arms.

He doesn't.

John's more open in glancing up at the Sentinel, but it's only for a moment before he turns his eyes back to the city. His hand, though, moves to cover one of Gladio's on the railing, a quiet question and invitation for touch. "I'd like that, yeah. Reckon I might even be able to stand your mates for that holiday." John's the sort who enjoys a companionable silence, when things are said without words, so he lets the conversation lapse there for a little bit.

His mind is on the Bond, reaching out across it. There's a touch of longing Gladio will feel, followed by something that might might make him antsy. It's a wanderlust. John had joined the Army to have an excuse to travel. Maybe there was some sort of Roma in his bloodline. He's always had the urge to wander. Or maybe his home had just been the sort of place a boy would want to get away from. That holds a distinct possibility, as well.

If Gladio allows it, John will shift to lean more fully against the other man, just pressing their bodies together.

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Sorry for default icons and phone tags for the while. ^^;

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