Rox drained her glass, disappointment hitting her as almost pure water washed over her tongue, whatever alcohol that was left heavily diluted by the melting ice cubes at the bottom. She sighed deeply, placing the glass back down on the bar a little too forcefully and catching the attention of the bartender who was leant against one of the counters heavily laden with bottles of various spirits and liquors, lazily drying a glass as he gazed around the relatively quiet bar.

He quirked an eyebrow up at Rox, his slate blue eyes flicking to her finished beverage. "Rough day?"

A sharp laugh burst from her throat. "Like you wouldn't believe, Sergio."

Grabbing her empty glass, the bartender threw it momentarily into the air only to catch it lightly in his fingers, his hand hovering over a particular bottle nestled in with a selection of gins. "Same again then?"

"Go for it."

Sure this would be her third double gin and tonic in about twenty minutes and drinking her favourite gin like that was just eating mercilessly into the pitiful paycheck she'd received yesterday that barely covered living costs as it was. But, as of right now, she couldn't care less and with any luck the more she drank, the less she would care still.

"Do I want to know?" Sergio asked as he fixed her drink, his generous measures not going unnoticed by Rox. She must have looked miserable; he was exceptionally stingy with freebies, even with her.

Him and Rox had quickly hit it off. His bar Somnus had been the first drinking establishment she had ventured into after moving to Insomnia at the age of eighteen in search of the thrill of city life and more crucially, a job. The bar was dingy, the décor leaving a lot to be desired but the drinks were cheap and Sergio's 'charm' as he called it was entertainment alone. The man claimed to be in his fifties but the only thing that suggested that was true was the silver running through the chestnut of his hair which he kept tied back in a ponytail. He had fiercely berated her the moment she had collapsed onto a worn bar stool after an absolutely crushing first day in her new job and she'd known from that moment that they'd get on like a house on fire.

'You mind wiping that sour look off ya face? You're scaring my customers away.'

'Judging by the state of this place, I doubt my face is your biggest problem.'

'Can't be that bad, you're still sat here.'

'I live above. If I'm gonna have to endure drunk karaoke every night and enough bass to vibrate all my furniture apart then I may as well have a drink in my hand. Oh, and exploit the free wifi.'

'Touché. Mark my words though, one drink here and you'll never go anywhere else again.'

He hadn't been wrong. The pair had quickly discovered they had the same wicked sense of humour and when he could be bothered, Sergio's cocktails were incredible, far better than most in other bars in the city that charged eyewatering prices. As Sergio had most eloquently put when asked why he didn't have a regular cocktail menu like the other places did: 'They serve you the same old shit in a fancy glass and expect double the gil. Oh, and if you want an umbrella you'll need a fucking mortgage. I can't be arsed with that here. You'll drink what you're given and you'll be pleased about it.'

The rest was history. Three years later she was still living in the same poky flat with the same depressing job and now to top it off, a psycho ex who hadn't even been worth the trouble in the first place. He'd cheated on her with some blonde and after that had inevitably crashed and burned he rather foolishly thought he could get her back and wasn't taking no for an answer.

"You always want to know," Rox said, answering his question. "I swear you get a kick out of my misery."

Sergio shrugged, setting down her fresh drink and continuing to dry the stack of clean glasses. "Misery makes money in a place like this."

"Real charming, Sergio."

"Gotta pay the bills somehow. Now, what's the latest misfortune to befall you?"

Rox took a large mouthful of her drink and swallowed, sighing deeply. "Turns out blocking his number and telling him to piss off every time he buzzes my flat at some ridiculous time of night wasn't enough to get the message across. The bastard decided to turn up to my work today blinding drunk and begging for me back. That keycard I lost and kept forgetting to deactivate apparently made its way into his possession and so he managed to make it all the way up to the offices where I was sat taking notes for my boss in a meeting with the entire fucking board."

Sergio stopped what he was doing, looking at Rox incredulously. "Shit. You guys have those fancy meeting rooms with glass walls, don't ya?"

"Bingo. Should have sat with my back to the glass but how was I to know he'd be there? As soon as he spotted me he rattled the locked door for a while before abandoning that and just resorting to banging on the glass, sobbing about how much of an idiot he'd been. Security quickly got the hint and dragged him away, not before he screamed through the glass that I was the best shag he'd ever had and he couldn't bear the thought of never sleeping with me again. I know eventually I'll find the whole thing hilarious but I have never wanted the ground to swallow me more than when the chair of the meeting turned to his secretary completely straight-faced and said 'Omit that from the minutes, if you will'."

Sergio looked like he was trying very hard not to laugh. "For the love of Shiva…you really know how to pick 'em. You still got your job?"

"Barely," Rox scoffed. "Had a long lecture from the boss about 'professionalism' and how if I don't get my act together they can 'find someone else to make coffee and stand staring into space in the copy room'."

"Damn, what an ass. I've told you more times than I can be bothered to count, Rox. You need-"

"A new job, yeah, yeah," Rox finished wearily. He was absolutely right of course but it wasn't that easy. If there were actually some decent jobs going she would pack up her desk tomorrow and leave, not before announcing to her boss in front of the entire office that he was an insufferable twat and everyone knew he had made a pass at the girl from the café at the Christmas party the year before. Well, at least the lower employees knew but with any luck some senior staff would be present for her departing speech and she would get a small portion of the three years of revenge she deserved.

"I know I keep banging on but you've got a talent, Rox. It's beyond me why you haven't pursued it yet."

He was referring to her aspirations as a singer, a pastime she only liked to show off in the shower or when the bar's karaoke became too dire to bear and she stormed up on stage to show them how it was done. Sergio had been utterly astounded by her voice the first night she'd picked up the microphone and had demanded free tickets to her gigs when she made it big.

"You do realise how unforgiving and demoralising the music business is, right? My job is a joke but at least it means I can afford a roof over my head."

"So the first few years would be a bit rough but you've got to look at the bigger picture here. I'm waiting on you making enough gil so you can finally pay me back for essentially squatting here for three years and using me as a shrink. I could finally sell this dump and retire somewhere warm."

Rox rolled her eyes, gesturing to the beer in his hand. "You probably could have done that years ago if you didn't drink most of what you earn."

Sergio threw a smirk at her. "You try working behind here, putting up with the people that come in on a daily basis and we'd see how long you could stay sober for. Say, you could always just come work for me."

"Like I said, need to be able to afford to live."

Sergio had been about to reply with something witty when his eyes flicked up at the sound of a group entering and shock flew across his face.

"Well fuck me sideways. I think that's the Prince."

Rox immediately glanced over her shoulder to see a group of four men walking through the door and settling themselves in one of the empty booths opposite the bar. The dark-haired Prince was unmistakeable and she presumed the other three were his friends and more likely royal retinue, judging by the serious expression on the one wearing glasses and the sheer size and brawn of the man sat beside him. The small blonde was babbling excitedly already, pulling the Prince in close to take selfies. A harrowing realisation suddenly struck Rox and she turned back to her drink.

"Just great. I imagine it won't be long until the hordes of adoring girls burst through the doors then."

Rubbing his hands together, Sergio grinned. "Probably not. Looks like cocktails are on the menu tonight."

"Wonderful. I'll have a long island, cheers."

"I never said you were having cocktails."

Rox pretended to look offended. "And why not?" she demanded indignantly.

Sergio threw her a pointed look. "You know why. The last time you offered to taste test them for me you ended up helping yourself to whatever you fancied behind the bar, losing me a lot of stock and all my damn customers as you proceeded to hog the karaoke microphone all night and attempt to do stand-up comedy. It was less jokes and more just hurling abuse at people."

"Oh yeah," Rox sniggered. "Come on, it was funny and you know it."

"Hmmm. One of these days I'm gonna bar you."

Rox snorted into her glass, taking a sip. "We both know that's a lie."

The four men had sighed in relief as they had entered Somnus and found it pretty much empty, the patrons who were already there seemingly indifferent to their presence. Every other bar they had tried had been packed despite it being fairly early in the evening and their arrival had been noticed immediately, excitable gasps and sometimes screams erupting over the music. The group had ventured out for a few relaxed drinks, hoping to remain fairly out of the public eye, if that was at all possible. Somnus was hardly the nicest place in the world but if it meant they could enjoy their evening without constantly being pestered or watched, their surroundings were of little consequence.

"Say cheese, Noct!" Prompto exclaimed as he pulled Noctis close, snapping a few photos on his phone in quick succession and then playing with the filters until he was satisfied.

Ignis regarded the phone with a frown. "Mind not to post those on social media until tomorrow, Prompto. We could do without announcing to the masses where we are."

Prompto's fingers immediately froze and he hastily closed the post he was putting together, locking his phone and placing it down on the table. "Good point. So Noct, what we drinking?"

Noctis shrugged and then threw a knowing look at Prompto. "Don't mind, so long as we don't start with the shots this time."

"Hey that wasn't my fault! It was Gladio's idea..."

"And it's not our fault you're such a lightweight," Noctis chuckled, remembering the absolute disaster Prompto had been that night after Gladiolus had challenged him to a drinking contest. He'd been utterly incoherent by nine-thirty and they'd had to carry him home by ten. "Maybe just get us four beers or something? Gladio, you'll know what to order."

"Make that three," Ignis corrected, pushing his glasses up his nose. "One of us has to get you all home safely and I would rather entrust that duty to myself."

Noctis looked at his advisor in slight exasperation. "One of these days you gotta let yourself relax, Specs. You're gonna burn out otherwise. Right, Gladio?"

Gladiolus had been only half listening to what the men we saying, his attention instead on the woman that was sat alone at the bar and talking with the bartender. The amber of his eyes had caught the hazel of hers as he had entered and she had looked him up and down once before flicking to his eyes again and then turning back to her drink. He hadn't taken his eyes off her since.

She'd checked him out, there was no mistaking it although it was hardly an uncommon occurrence. Gladiolus knew he wasn't bad looking and wasn't afraid to show a little pride in his body. Normally when girls caught his eye, they would blush or smile and lower their eyes coyly as the table of girls at the other end of the bar had demonstrated perfectly as Gladiolus had followed the other three men to an empty booth. The girl at the bar however had looked almost annoyed as her eyes had flowed over the royal party and the more Gladiolus looked at her, the more he felt intrigue creeping over him.

She was dressed casually in skin tight navy jeans and a strappy top that bared her shoulders and a small portion of her back as the material plunged away slightly, certainly nowhere near as dressy as the other girls he'd encountered that evening so far. From what he'd seen she was wearing very little if any makeup but if Gladiolus was being honest, he preferred it that way. Her hair was piled up on her head in a messy bun and Gladiolus couldn't help himself, watching mesmerised as she released whatever had been holding it up and waves of rich mahogany spilled down her back.

A familiar feeling clawed at his stomach and he smirked.

He knew how this evening was going to end.

He was suddenly pulled from his thoughts as Prompto said his name.

"Umm…Eos to Gladio? Anyone in there?"

Gladiolus suddenly became aware again of the three men he was sat with, all of whom were staring at him expectantly. His brain scrambled for the last scraps of the conversation he'd actually been paying attention to.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm going," he growled, getting to his feet and squeezing out of the narrow gap between the table and the booth's tattered couch. "Four beers, right?"

"Three," Ignis corrected once more and Gladiolus nodded as he finally freed his leg.

"Right. You want anything else then, Iggy?"

"Ebony if they have it. If not, water will do just fine, thank you."

Gladiolus just grunted before making off for the bar and Prompto watched him, frowning slightly.

"What's got into him?" he asked quietly and Noctis just scoffed.

"It's obvious, isn't it?" When Prompto still looked confused Noctis rolled his eyes and pointed his attention to the scene that was unfolding at the bar. Gladiolus had strolled over and leant his sculpted, intricately tattooed arms across its dark surface, standing just close enough to the woman to make it impossible for her not to notice him. Once he had her attention, he flashed her his trademark grin and began chatting to her.

"Oh," Prompto sighed, a quiver of jealously lancing through him; he wished he could just walk up to girls and talk to them as effortlessly as Gladiolus could. "Guess it's just us three tonight, then?"

"I wouldn't be so sure," Ignis commented, his voice coloured with a little amusement. Judging by the woman's body language and her short replies, she wasn't as interested in Gladiolus and the charm he was no doubt deploying as he had probably imagined. "Gladio's luck with the ladies may be impressive but it certainly isn't invulnerable."

Noctis sighed, placing his hands behind his head and slouching further in his seat. "In other words, we may be in for an entertaining night."