'Insomnia Falls' the headline had hit them hard...but not as hard as it hit them once they reached the safety of Lestallum. From the morning Ignis had seen the paper till the morning they woke up at the Inn here in Lestallum it had all still seemed so...surreal. Oh they knew it was real...in their heart of hearts they knew. But it wasn't something they could afford to think about, not until they'd reached this safe haven. The afternoon they arrived at the Inn Iris had told them to come to there was an overwhelming joy they felt. Gladio and Iris's grief for the death of their father, for if King Regis was dead then where else could his Shield have been but between King and killing blow, was far overshadowed by their relief and happiness to see each other. They hadn't just hugged, they'd clung to one another like they were afraid the other would disappear if they let go, laughing and crying at the same time. It had been so easy to get caught up in the moment with them.

Then the evening had been spent getting to know their new surroundings, getting all the reports and reviewing all the eyewitness accounts they could, to fully piece together what exactly happened. What state the City was in now and how the survivors fared. Finally mentally and physically exhausted they had all called it a night and crashed.

The real impact had come the next morning. Not in any large 'bang' sort of way, in the small ways. Like when Prompto picked up his phone and dialed his mother like he had every morning since leaving only to have the 'out of service' message remind him that there was no long a mother for him to talk to. No father either, he hadn't taken it well at that point. Iris and Noct trying to sooth him the best they could when he'd crumpled into sobs. Ignis had left shortly after, unable to witness the breakdown of the smaller blond, lest the vault he'd put his own grief in start to crack. Or when Noct was out with Iris and saw his father's favorite fruit in the market. He hadn't broken down into sobs like his best friend but the young Prince, now King in name only, had had what Ignis would call 'a panic attack of epic proportions' Thank the Six for Gladio's size seeing as how he had to carry their prince back to the Inn where Ignis sat with him until he'd calmed down.

Ignis leaned on the wall over Lestallum's great cliffs, staring out over the scenery. This train of thought had him thinking on what he had lost. There were so few people that Ignis kept close to his heart. Most of whom were with him now. His Uncle, and only surviving relative, a kind stranger to him. A man in need of a heir who'd taking Ignis into his home upon his younger brother's death. Ignis had been but a child when his Uncle had come to retrieve him from the boarding school his parents had enrolled him in. Relocating him from the farthest outreaches of Lucis to the central Capital of Insomnia. Thrusting him into the service of the Prince, a child 2 years his junior. His Uncle had taught him so much and while Ignis was fond of him he could not call him the ideal parent by any stretch of the imagination. Not that Ignis cared much for the idea of parents anyway, far too interested in his studies and his duties to find the time to think on the missing people. By the time he had thought on it in any great length, he was too old for it to matter any more. His and his Uncle's relationship might be more like that of business partners then it had been of relatives but Ignis would miss him nonetheless.

Then there was Melisande...dear Melisande. Dead now by all accounts. Once the Empire had finished killing the King, his Glaive, and Cabinet Council they'd then seen to it that all servants and retainers to the Citadel quickly followed their Monarch and those closest to him. Leaving no one to rally the people, a brilliant tactic...if a brutal one. The executions had finished just the day before the Prince's party had reached Lestallum.

He could still see her a tall, regal, beauty beyond compare, brown eyed with short curly auburn hair. Noctis was not the only one of them to have a betrothed. Melisande had been Ignis's third such betrothal and the only one to stick with him to adulthood. His first had been arranged by his parents, the contract broken with his change of station when his Uncle had taken him in. His second was a girl Ignis had never met, the daughter of the Ambassador to Tenebrae, killed with her family when the City of Tenebrae had been seized by the Empire of Niflheim 10 years ago. Poor girl had been only 11, just a year younger then him, but such was the way of politics and war. His uncle had been quick to find a replacement. That replacement had been Melisande, the daughter of the Secretary to the Treasurer of Lucis. They'd interacted little until 2 years ago when she had, quite literally, ran into Ignis in the hall. Realizing who the other was they'd decided to have lunch, which had turned into lunches and dinners, than into something far more. Ignis wasn't sure he could have called her his 'one true love' but he did remember thinking on more than one occasion that spending the rest of his life with such a woman was such a bad fate after all. He touched the necklace at his throat, a jade and emerald ring on a gold chain, a gift from her. Melisande had received the ring as a gift from her mother and had cherished it her whole life, she'd teasingly called it her 'lucky charm' claiming it had kept her out of all sorts of trouble as girl, Melisande had never taken it off- not for anything- even planning her whole wardrobe around the ring so it would never clash with anything she wore.

The morning before he'd left to meet with the King then accompany Noct they'd laid in bed, cuddling, discussing wedding plans and just enjoying a rare morning they could have together without various duties pulling them apart. When it had finally been time to leave her Melisande had stopped him at the door, offering the ring on a chain, hoping it would protect him like it had her. Ignis had promised to wear it until they met again. Though now he supposed they never would, he took it off and stared at it. Wondering what to do with it now. He'd never had the intention to keep it, but he could not just get rid of it.

"Nice necklace." A voice said from beside him. Ignis turned his gaze to the woman beside him. "Who was she?"

"Excuse me?" he asked her, it had taken him a moment but he quickly recognized her as the woman Iris had credited for helping getting her, Jared and Talcott out of Insomnia. Ignis's mind took second to calculate the profile in mind he had of her information, both from meeting her and what he'd gathered from the Hunter's Registry at Gladio's request. It read something like.

Name: Stella (Last name unknown)
Eyes: Sapphire Gray
Hair: Black (Straight)
Skin: Fair but not pale
Age: 21
Birth Province: Duscae
Occupation: Hunter
Weapon's Mastery: Short sword, wielded x2
Family: Romeo- Younger Brother, Mother- Unknown, Father- Unknown (Hunter- retired in Insomnia- residing in the Dregs -slum area below Low City-)

Nothing else known

"The woman who gave you that." Stella clarified

Ignis looked down at the necklace, frown creasing his features, he put it back on. "What makes you think it was a gift?"

"Because that's a woman's necklace so unless you swing a certain way, which is completely fine if you do for the record, that was a gift from someone. Someone I am guessing means a lot to you."

While Ignis did identify more as a bi-sexual then stictly a hetrosexual, a fact that had never really bother Melisande as she identified the same way, it was not a something he wanted to share with this stranger. "Melisande Celestine, she is my fiance." Ignis answered before correcting himself. "Was my fiance."

Stella lips thinned. "I'm sorry."

Ignis faced her, "Is there a reason you sought me out?"

"Not sure...probably." She answered, Ignis shot her a impatient look. "I was on my way to meet some fellow hunters and I saw you standing here, I had some time to kill so..." She waved her hand."i thought I'd to get to know you a bit."

That immediately put him on his guard. No one just, randomly, wanted to 'get to know' anyone associated with the Prince without wanting something. "Why?"

"Why not?" She asked him back, Ignis decided it was best to squish this before it grew. This girl had a place in this world it was best she learn what it was quickly, before anyone got themselves hurt. In Insomnia someone of her station would never have dared to approach a Noble so casually. Given the fact her father lived there and her brother said she visited often she had to have spent enough time in the city to know the rules.

"If you're hoping I will offer up some kind of favor for you..." He started seeing no reason to treat the situation with kid gloves.

Stella held up her hands. "Whoa there buddy. I don't know what you think my intentions are but I'm sure you're chasing down the wrong train of thought. I don't really care about the Prince," Stella didn't miss his eye twitch when she said that. "Or rather I don't really care for favors or anything..." Stella huffed running a hand through her long straight hair, the drop pearls that she wore as earrings drawing his attention for a moment before they were again covered. Awful expensive piece of jewelry for a Hunter to wear. "Look," her voice brought his eyes back to her face. "This isn't..." she paused, then huffed again. "This is coming out wrong." She took a breath. "I just saw you over here and you looked like you could use a distraction from whatever it was that was running through your head. That's all. I'm not trying to make waves or take advantage of your position or anything."

It took Ignis all of 5 seconds to realize she was right, he had needed a distraction. Lest Gladio be carrying him back to the Inn instead of Noct this time if his train of thought had continued. He leaned against the overlooks short wall again. "Thank you."

"You're welcome...and I'm sorry... for your loss."

"As I am for yours. Losing a parent isn't easy."

Stella's answering nod was stiff and her answer clipped "Thank you." Ahhh...not a good relationship then. Ignis left at that, not wanting to pry... not yet anyway.

A voice called in the distance, two young men in a pickup truck. "JUNO! HEY JUNO MOVE YOUR ASS WE'RE GONNA BE LATE!" one called

The name Juno caused Ignis to physically jolt...Juno? She was Stella Juno? Couldn't be..had to be a coincidence. Stella waved back at them. "Well that would be the people I was going to meet." She bowed to Ignis. "It was a pleasure speaking with you Count Ignis Stupeo Scientia. I'd offer for you to join us for drinks later but somehow I don't think you're the type to like the places we haunt." She winked at him, turning to join her friends.

"Wait!" He called to her. "You're father, the man you said was a Hunter...was his name Tullius Juno by any chance?" he asked wondering if the Ambassador to Tenebrae had somehow survived the attack 10 years ago.

Stella turned back to him. "Hell no. His name was Timon Barrett."

"So why Juno?"

"Name I came with." Stella shrugged. The horn was honking. "Alright, alright...get your panties out of a bunch." she hissed at her friends, even though they couldn't possibly hear her. "Look I gotta go, we can talk another time if you want."

Ignis watched her go. Had to be a coincidence, Stella was a popular name and Juno was a common enough surname in the areas around Insomnia.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ignis found the thought that she might be 'Stella Juno', daughter of Tullius Juno- Lucis Ambassador to Tenebrae had, oddly enough, occupied his thoughts most of the day following the strange conversation he'd had with her which proved distracting and frustrating in equal measures. In the end, in true Ignis fashion, the Advisor decided the best course of action was to go to the heart of the problem and ask. He found her easily enough, the local Hunters Haunt wasn't exactly a secret and it only took a couple well placed questions to get directions to it. A moderately clean place called Reaper Ally, though the lights in the 'p', 'e', and 'y' and long since burned out so the sign read as Rear All. Either someone had just been too lazy to bother replacing the bulbs or, as was more likely where Hunters were involved, had a very odd sense of humour.

Inside was not quite a cringe worthy has he feared it would be, close but not quite, he found Stella quickly enough. There were not many females in the trade to begin with and in a small place like this would naturally be even fewer of them present. Stella had to very comfortable with the place or be extremely confident in her ability to disway any unwanted advances...seeing as she was only one of two women present and the other one Ignis was pretty sure was a hooker if her clothing was anything to go by. Ignis was guessing the latter since, aside from some companionable smacks to the back and shoulder pats by other Hunters as they passed her, the men in the room barely spared her a glance. She was certainly pretty enough to earn her fair share of attention should she want it...or not want it.

"Mind if I sit?" he asked her when he got to the bar.

Stella glanced at him and smiled. "Wow you lost the suit," only the jacket actually but it had worked to 'casualize' his look. "Good look for you." Her outright comment nearly had him blushing, he was not used to people being quite so...forward...with their opinions on how he looked. "Sit" she said. Holding up two fingers for the barkeep to bring them a round. "So what brings you here? Mr. Royal Advisor."

"What happened to Count Scientia?"

Stella shook her head. "Oh no...you're on my turf now Iggy. If you're looking for formality you ain't gonna find it here."

Ignis's lips almost quirked into a half smile before he stopped himself. "May I at least insist you call me Ignis then?" Only his closest friends or lovers had ever called him Iggy.

"You can, but I've had about...6 of these already." She wiggled the tumbler at him. "So I can't guarantee I'll comply with your request."

"I take it the Hunt went Bad?"

"Vincent is dead, Miguel lost an arm...maybe a leg to if the surgery tomorrow doesn't go well." Stella tossed back her glass. "Yeah...I'd say 'the Hunt went bad' sums it up nicely. But we still managed to bring it down."

"How did you make it out unscathed?"

"I didn't." Stella lifted her shirt her side and opposite arm, both thick with bandages. "I just got lucky that my vitals were missed. If it wasn't for Vincent I'd be dead or right beside Miguel in the hospital." she put her shirt back down.

"You have to be on some pretty heavy painkillers for those. Is it a good idea to be drinking so much?" Ignis asked, the 'mother' in him coming out.

Stella snorted "Not likely...but enough of that...what brings you down here?"

"Something you said when we last talked has me curious."

"oh?"

"You said your father was Timon Barrett, but you're name is Juno. How did you come by a different surname than your family?"

"That all?" Stella said. "Romeo is Timon's only natural child. I was found wandering around when I was 11. No memory of where I was or where I came from and this.." She pulled a necklace out of her shirt revealing a fine silver chain with a pendant that was elegantly scripted, the lettering faint and tiny "and these." she fingered her earrings. "Were the only things I had on me when I was found, well that and the night gown I'd stolen from a laundry line, my first memory is waking up naked in a field of grass. Anyway some Hunters found me and long story short I never showed up in any missing child reports and no one came looking for me so...either whoever my family was they were dead or I was a runaway who wasn't wanted enough by anyone for them to bother with tracking me down. Timon took me in sometime after that."

"And you really remember nothing from before you were 11?"

"Nope." Stella brushed back her hair, revealing a scar running from her hairline by her ear to her temple in a crescent shape, easily concealable by longer bangs. "Whatever it was that caused this caused bleeding and swelling in my brain. The healers the Hunters that found me took me to were able to fix the injury and they hoped as the swelling came down my memory would come back. But it never did."

"May I see that pendant?"

Stella gave him a suspicious look for a moment before shrugging. "Sure" She took it off and handed it to him. Ignis adjusted his glasses and studied the charm. In fine scripting the small metal piece was engraved with 'Stella Juno' on the front and on the back a crest. One he, as a Noble recognized, if he was a less eloquent man he would have said 'well shit, now here's a mind-fuck for you.' but seeing as he wasn't Ignis managed to keep a straight face. The Juno's had not been a family often in the spotlight of the media and were not of a high enough Nobility to be of interest in any school history class. Only to those who were of a higher rank or the same rank would have known the crest on sight. Anyone else, nobles or otherwise, would likely have had to research it to place it with the family.

Ignis could see how easily a child wearing this could easily slip between the cracks as an unknown in the rural areas of Lucis. Had she been found in the Capital City it was likely the connection would have been made fairly quickly as the authorities would have worked directly under one Noble House or another...but then perhaps not. After all she'd been reported dead so it was very unlikely it had crossed anyone's minds to watch out for 11 year old girls wandering around alone. And if she hadn't been wearing clothing befitting her station... Ignis found himself shuddering and picking up his drink to help fortify himself against the ideas forming of what the reasoning behind her waking up naked as an 11 year old could possibly be. He handed her back her pendant, watching it disappear back into her clothing.

His Uncle would be laughing his ass off at this, this was just the sort of thing that would have the man amused. Of all the things that could happen. To think that Ignis, after so much loss so soon, had found out the daughter of Tullius Juno and heir to the Juno line was alive. A woman who, if history had gone very very differently, would have been the one standing beside him at the altar next Spring rather than the woman he'd grown to care so much for over the last 2 years. But then perhaps he might have contented himself to marry Stella just as he had with Melisande. Now he had to admit, he was curious to know who Stella Juno was now and how different she was from who she might have been.

Ignis's hand once again drifted to his necklace, fingering the jade and emerald ring on it once again. But then could he be just grasping at shadows, trying to find some anchor to a past long dead because it was all he had left? That made him think of his friends...no it was not all he had left. So then why? Why was he so curious... a hand waved in front of his face bringing him back to the present.

"Hey Iggy...get out of your head and try this. Reaper Ally's speciality...on the house." Stella poured him something from a bright blue bottle and set it on fire. "Like this." She took her own and tossed it back smoothly. Now that...that did not look safe at all. "Now you try."

Ignis frowned. "I would rather not. I need my tongue thank you."

"It's not going to hurt you, I promise, now come on try it...before the flames go out and ruin it."

Seeing no other option he grimaced and copied her. It was good, strong...but good.

"Well."

"Not my particular cup of tea but it was alright."

Stella's smile beamed at him as she laughed. "Iggy you're something else."

"It's Ignis."

"Iggy." Stella said firmly. "Bartender Another Round!"

"I do believe that is quite enough...for the both of us. You have Romeo to go home to."

"Romeo's just fine at taking care of himself for evening, he's 12 after all. Which reminds me." Stella slid another glass his way, again blue and on fire. She tossed hers back. "I never did thank you."

"Whatever for?" Ignis waited too long to toss back his so she did it for him, swiping it from in front of him.

"When we met, Romeo address the Prince rather informally. You would have been within every right to berate him for it, but you didn't. I appreciate you being so gentle with him and for correcting him as kindly as you did. In the City what he did would have earned him a rather harsh tongue lashing from the offended Noble, if not a physical one."

"I did not see the point in making a child who was already obviously feeling insecure and out of place feel even more so. And anyone who would dare strike a child for anything let alone something so easily corrected with little more than a small education in the correct wording would be doing nothing but dishonouring themselves in the worst way possible." He noticed her looking at him oddly for a moment but before he could ask her why she was looking at him like that Stella ducked her head and shot back another round.

Putting the glass down she sighed "Just take the damned thank you for what it is and don't try to make me think you're a good guy ok."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Nothing." Stella said, "Sorry...I think you're right...too much booze." she stood and wavered. Ignis stood as well and took her arm. She pulled back for a second before realizing it was easier to lean against him.

"Right then...let's get you to bed shall we." He said softly. Surprised when she recoiled rather violently from him.

Sapphire gray eyes glared at him. "I'm not going to fuck you." she hissed then spun on her heel and stormed out. Ignis stared after her, green eyes wide, wondering what the hell sparked that particular statement. Then he rushed after her, she was far too inebriated to be wandering out there alone.

"That's not what I meant." He said as he caught up with her, his longer legs making short work of the distance. Stella had gotten quite a ways, mostly due to anger then the fact she was stable on her feet.

"You're a man and a Noble..it's what you meant. But I play whore for no one."

"Now listen here." He took her arm again.

"Don't touch me!" She growled and Ignis let her go. "If you're that desperate for a fuck go find your cum dumpster somewhere else! Hooker Central is 3 streets that way, shouldn't be a problem for you to find."

"Don't be crass!" Ignis snapped. The more softly added. "Now I don't know what brought this sudden change in attitude on but all I meant was, you've had a touch too much to drink and we're staying in the same hotel. The least I could do was see you safely to your room."

Stella turned on her heel and walked off again. "Just don't touch me"

Ignis sighed and followed her hoping when she came down off the wave fromdrunken anger she'd talk to him like a normal person.

They were a couple more blocks before Stella said another word. "I was 15 when Dad retired from the hunting business. We had a nice house in Low City but it wasn't long before his love of the bottle saw to it we were in the Dregs. Time and time again the Nobles would come down, men and women...mostly men. Seducing people with their promises of a better life...of the happily ever after fairy tale ending."

This wasn't news to him. Ignis had often heard other young Nobles whispering in Court of their conquests amongst the 'common folk' and how 'easy' it was to get a good lay and be on one's way like nothing had happened. He'd always thought those kind to be little better than pigs...if he felt like insulting a pig. He also remembered Gladio getting into more than one fist fights in their school days to 'teach those spoiled brats a lesson in how to treat people right.'

"It was disgusting...I mean not like they could be refused. If they couldn't get it willingly they'd settle for unwilling" Stella snorted.

Now that he had not known. "Surely the authorities..."

"Did not give a damn I assure you. After all...it was the Dregs."

"Stella were you one of the girls..."

"I was 17. Left home that same year" was her only answer. "I didn't want that for Romeo...never wanted that for Romeo. That was why I was in the City that day. To get my brother and never look back. I was taking him with me, I'd finally stashed enough away from my hunts to afford to support us both. Then the attack..." Stella's pace slowed. "What the Imperials did to that part of the city when the wall came down, with no one to protect the citizens that lived there in the first place... it was like putting a hungry wolf in a chicken pen and shutting the door behind it." She trailed off looking like she might be sick for a moment before she took a deep breath. "There were a lot of things I hated about my old man, about what he'd become, but I was proud of him then. If it wasn't for him Romeo, myself and a least a half dozen others wouldn't be breathing right now. Your friends sister included."

"I see." Ignis said. Iris had said the City was bad but hadn't been able to give details. They started walking again. So tonight's little 'party' had obviously been about more than drinking away the woes of a bad hunt.

The walk to the Leville Inn as silent from there on out. Ignis saw Stella safely up to her room. "You really don't want..." Stella started to ask when he made no move to follow her inside after she opened the door. She was looking at him like she honestly expected it and given her story he thought she might have really thought he'd do such a thing.

"No." Ignis answer simply. "Good Night Miss Juno."

Stella smiled at him softly "Good Night Your Grace.' She once again offered a small bow, one befitting his station. "And thank you." She went inside.

Ignis stayed long enough to hear the lock slide into place then started down the hall to his own room, Gladio had taken to sharing with his sister. Seeing Prompto and Noct smiling from their room Ignis glowered "Bed. Now." He ordered them, not knowing if they'd planned to sneak out or if they'd just been spying on him. Smirking when they couldn't get the door closed fast enough. Once he was sure they'd stay put he went into his own room across the hall. Once he was in his own bed he once again touched the stone at his neck, "Lucky Charm indeed" he muttered, closing his eyes