AN: Sigh. And here I thought that after Tool, I'd be done with chapter stories for a while. Well, guess not! Here's another one, this time focusing on Gladio. 'Cause I realized I've kinda neglected Gladio since Collision, and it's high time he gets to shine a little more. So buckle up, guys, 'cause this is gonna be another fun ride!
Beta read again by Elillierose.
The hot air distorted the world into wavy blurs of sandy tones and an illusion of a dream; the faint breeze carried along the stench of sulfur and sweat, the warmness whisking against their faces hardly doing much to alleviate the heaviness of it. Running a hand through his hair, Noctis sighed out a loud, irritated breath. "Isn't it rude to make people wait for you? Especially when they've been the ones telling us to come to see them."
"Hrmph. You're one to talk." Sitting on the stool next to him, leaning his elbows onto the table, Gladio smirked openly at the prince, who had raised an eyebrow. "Seeing as we're more often than not the ones waiting for you." Noctis visibly rolled his eyes.
"Getting up at a ridiculous time in the morning wasn't my idea," he drawled, stretching his arms above his head to work out some kinks left by the long sit in the car.
"Well, if it were up to you, Noct," the adviser cut in, his voice pure tease as he held his drink up in a mock salute, "us getting up in the morning at all would be unlikely." Noctis shot a dirty glare at them both.
"Honestly, though," Prompto chirped, trying to break the darkening mood. "It's not like Dave to bail out like this. You guys think he's alright?" he tossed out lightly; the happy-go-lucky tone was accentuated by the blond balancing his stool precariously only on hind legs as he held onto the table for stability.
"Can you cut it out? We don't need you breakin' anything," Gladio motioned for the blond to sit properly.
"How 'bout a little faith in me, big guy? I got this," Prompto grinned smugly, but sat down soon anyway as the shield gave him a warning look. "Alright, already!" he grumbled.
Scoffing lazily at the annoyance on the gunner's face, Noctis shook his head, "So what now?" His expectant gaze moved back to Ignis.
The brunet took a moment. "It certainly raises suspicion that Mr. Auburnbrie isn't around despite his invite. Nevertheless, we shouldn't jump to any conclusions as of yet. Perhaps he's been… delayed," Ignis offered, his middle finger gently pushing the glasses up his nose.
"Iggy's right," Gladio nodded, lifting his chest to cross his arms over it. "Maybe something came up that required his attention more than us."
"Yeah…"
"So, what should we do?" the sky-blue went from Noctis to the adviser.
"I guess we'll wait," Noctis shrugged as he leaned his elbow onto the table and turned to gaze idly at the horizon. A steady string of smoke rose from the volcano, and Noctis could have sworn it seemed thicker and darker than just a few hours ago. The smell of sulfur in the air seemed somehow stronger, too. He thought he'd gotten used to it by now, but…
"'S'cuse me…"
Noctis' attention was slowly turned to the new presence; to meet the small bow of the restaurant owner, standing a polite step from their table, his old back a little hunched over but eyes sharp and… holding something that raised his curiosity. "Yes?"
"Not my intention to eavesdrop or anythin', boys, but ya know, we get so seldom visitors…" the man started babbling; Noctis took a breath.
"Yeah?"
"'S just that, I heard ya talkin' 'bout an Auburnbrie… A Dave Auburnbrie?"
The intense blue orbs were alert in an instant, as was his table company. "Yeah, that's him! You know him?"
A self-satisfied smirk flashed across the older man's face. "I know the hunters' folk from ways back, kid." The look was gone, though, as his voice darkened with seriousness, and he asked, "Y'all were supposed to meet here, weren't ya?"
"Yeah. Do you know where he is?"
The sad smile rose over his face. "'M afraid Dave's gotten himself into trouble. 'Was seen sprintin' into the thicket in Malmalam not two days ago. It's off-limits, boys. Strictly forbidden to a hunter to take a single step into that thicket unless it's a dire emergency. Not a word from him since."
"Malmalam…" Noctis mulled the information over.
"A rough place, I hear. I, uh, I'd hate to tell ya boys the bad news, but…" the man trailed off awkwardly, averting his eyes.
"Not at all," Ignis nodded at him a little. "Thank you for letting us know."
"Yeah. We'll take it from here," Noctis flashed the man what he hoped was a reassuring smirk.
The mixed look of shock and hope on the other's face mirrored it poorly. "Would y'all really? Thank you. In case he's still around…"
"Sure. It's not like us to leave a man hanging," Noctis brushed it off, looking smug as he took a few good gulps of his drink.
"Besides," Gladio said as he made a move to get up, "Dave wanted to tell us something, right? If he's run into trouble, we've gotta help him."
"What're we waitin' for?" Prompto sounded eager as he hopped onto his feet, sticking a thumb over his shoulder to point at the Regalia parked on the other side of the road. "The call of danger, a guy in need of rescue – who's not excited?!"
Noctis laughed a little, "Usually, you wouldn't be. Who're you and what've you done to Dopeface?"
"Aw. Give me a break, Noct! Man can hope."
"Let's just hope we'll find what we're looking for," the oldest shook his head.
The shopkeeper looked like he couldn't believe his luck as the younger men got up to leave. As the bespectacled one pulled out a pouch, the man just rose his hands in refusal. "And those, boys," he motioned towards the empty glasses on the table, "Those are on the house."
"So where is this Mal… Malaniam… this place anyway?" the blond almost moaned wearily. He was leaning against the door, arms folded to cushion his head as he gazed idly at the too slowly changing landscape.
"Malmalam," Ignis corrected. "Unfortunately, it is quite a ride. I'm afraid we'll have to spend the night somewhere and continue in the morning. It'd be way past midnight before we reached the rest area, even if we pushed through without taking any breaks." A sound of displeasure sounded from the backseat, and the emerald flicked to look at Noctis. The raven's stare was intense as he fixed it onto the mirror like it would bore through. "A Gil for your thoughts, Noct?"
"Can't we just get there and camp? There's a guy who needs help."
"Darn my life 'cause now I wish I had a recorder. Can you run that first part by me again?" Gladio chuckled. Noctis gave him a look that said, 'I'm not laughing'. On the front seat, the driver sighed.
"…I suppose that can be arranged." He sounded tired, though, as if the mere thought of the long drive was taking its toll on him already.
"Ignis?"
Forcing a reassuring look, the man nodded, "It'll be fine. You're right, Noct; there's potentially a man down, so we shouldn't waste any time."
"Don't push it, Specs. If you need to change to the back, just say so," Noctis shook his head before averting his eyes to the landscape, missing the fractural widening of his adviser's pair, and the brief, content smile that graced his lips. Truly, the prince wasn't phased by the front he was putting up. He knew the man better than that.
"Perhaps that can be arranged, too," Ignis said lowly, more to himself, but the agreeing hum coming from the backseat told him it had been heard.
A comfortable silence settled over them for a while. With a content sigh, Gladio fished out his book and was engrossed in a matter of moments; something the younger men had already beat him to. Lost in thought, Noctis gazed idly outside, looking distant, while Prompto scrolled through something in his phone, an occasional amused snort or a sound of contemplation coming from him. Ignis had put on some quiet piano music, and was resting his elbow onto the door, steering one-handedly. The free hand was tracing the curves and bumps of the interior décor, running over the smooth metal, transitioning onto rougher leather… The feeling under his fingers was soothing, something to do with his hands to offer some variety into the monotone of driving.
It was Prompto who broke the silence. "What's the big deal about Dave heading into the woods?" he tossed out casually, as if the words had just rolled from his tongue without a thought. Then, as if he'd remembered something important, he turned to look at the brunet and asked, "Do you really need permission?"
Looking like he had just snapped out of something, Ignis glanced at him before turning his attention back to the road and pushing his glasses up like it was a second nature. "Can't say I've heard anything to that effect." He couldn't tell if the sound the blond made was one of approval or disapproval, but before he could make a comment about that, the shield cut in,
"But it is strange the guy's gone missing without a trace."
"Agreed. Although I'd never doubt his skill, I must admit I do find his silence concerning."
"All the more reason for us to hurry it up, then."
The sun turned to set as the barren landscape of Ravatoghan rock and rubble slowly changed into the lush and vibrant riverbed of Hulldagh Pike. It was still hot, more humid than anything, really, but the pressing weight of the air was eased a little by the crispness of flowing water and floral scents. It was beautiful, the way the setting sun flickered on the white waters or filtered through the trees. Noctis had changed to drive, releasing a surprisingly willing Ignis to stretch his limbs a little in what little room the backseat provided. The sky was darkening, the first stars lighting up. Looking excited, Prompto did his best to get a few nice shots of the gradient layered above them, but every time he thought he was onto something, a curve in the road or a tree branch blocking the view threw him off his groove. With a disappointed groan, the man sunk back into his seat to sulk a little as darkness chased away the last rays of day, enveloping the world in shadows and starlight.
The dusk had matured into full-bodied night by the time they reached Maidenwater. Noctis almost missed their turn, resulting into less than enjoyable brake-screeching Ignis would have a talk with him about later. "Sorry, fellas," was muttered under his breath.
"Ugh, just to let you know, Noct, I wasn't planning on dying on this trip," Prompto grumbled as he settled back into his seat.
"Yeah, Noct. How 'bout paying attention if you're the one driving?" Gladio scolded him, massaging his abused neck.
"I said 'sorry'," Noctis muttered; then he saw something long-awaited glistening in the distance: the ethereal glimmer of a haven. "We're here."
"Finally," Gladio grumbled under his breath as he stretched his arms above his head; a series of knacks and pops resulted, along with a held gasp of relief. Seven hours straight; even for them, that was pushing it. "Let's make camp and call it a day."
"But–," Noctis started, looking like he was already heading out towards the forest line.
"Noct," his shield grabbed a hold of his arm and fixed him with a stern stare, "Listen to me. Rushing into that thicket in the middle of the night isn't gonna do anyone of us any good. Even if Dave's still out there… Well, we don't need anyone else getting lost or injured." Gladio looked somehow pained behind the resilient look, and Noctis understood he hated having to say what he did. Was the thicket really that bad? Were they really forced to wait for daybreak?
"Fine," he yanked his arm free. "But we're heading out at first light."
"And we will, but right now, wanna help? How 'bout helping Iggy?" He jerked his thumb into the brunet's a direction, who was putting up a fire. The blue eyes flicked between the man and the amber, until Noctis shook his head in clear surrender and jogged over.
"Anything that I can do?" Prompto sounded enthusiastic, something so rare it made him blink. Grasping his chance before it'd slip, though, he smirked and nodded towards the trunk.
"How 'bout you help me with the tent this time?" He didn't bother hiding his lips stretching wider at Prompto's falling face.
"Anything but that?" he tried, wincing.
"I don't think so. What, were you expecting me to tell you to get busy taking pictures?" he teased.
"That would be of my own volition," the blond sighed and shook his head.
"Less talkin', more workin'. Let's just get this done so we can get some eats," the survivalist didn't look at him as he went to dig into the trunk for their camping supplies.
"You said it, big guy."
Ignis was done with dinner - local mushrooms cooked with freshly caught fish, a courtesy of Noct's - by the time they had managed to get the tent up. It was close to 1:30, and not much was said as everyone more or less gobbled up their meals, eager to be ready to hit the bunk.
They'd head out at daybreak.
"Rise and shine," Ignis smirked as he pulled the tent curtain all the way open, the brightness of the radiant dawn flooding the small space instantly. It took a moment, but soon a cacophony of protesting groans and less than polite ways to tell the other to get out of their face sounded from the inside as the remaining occupants tried to escape the assault on their vision under the protection of their pillows. "Let us get on the move," he held a small pause, his eyes twinkling at the disheveled look his young liege was presenting, "First light, as per royal orders." The look Noctis gave him said, 'You're fired'.
Gladio wiped a hand over his face before dragging it through his mane and gripping it a little, tingling sensations dancing over his scalp. From the halfpoint, he brought his arms above his head to stretch away the remains of sleep. "That's right, guys. Get up. Let's move." That notion seemed to ring some bells, since the two half-awake young men seemed to perk up as they started to fumble around for their clothes.
It was just past 6 am when they headed out towards the treeline that marked the edge of the thicket. Morning light glimmered invitingly on the river bends, and a breeze ruffled the leaves gently, but not enough to chill. Gladiolus held his eyes closed as he drew in the scent of the evaporating dew mixing with the faint aroma of an approaching thunderstorm. His shirt already stuck to his skin a little; the night hadn't done much to drop the humidity. "Gonna be a hot day," he tossed out, not really caring if anyone caught that or not.
One could say it was a gift. To Gladiolus, it was just something he knew inherently. It was the way the hair in the back of his neck stood. If anyone had asked, he couldn't explain it but it was just this feeling he got. It was something about the air on mornings like these, something in the back of his head telling him to stay sharp.
He had a bad feeling about this.
It was something about those woods, he told himself. Something that beckoned him to not let his guard down. He was already preparing to have to face the bad news; maybe they were too late. Maybe they would find a mangled corpse, if even that. His brows furrowed a little; it wasn't unheard of for him to be mistaken, but more often than not Gladiolus had learned to trust his instincts. They'd brought him this far. But, he sighed as he strolled after the others, this time he truly wished he was wrong.
AN2: Yeah, it starts a little slow this time. But it'll get there. Calm before the storm, as they say.