Chapter 2

Hammerhead

Ignis sat in the makeshift infirmary holding a piece of gauze to his throbbing temple. During the Longwythe flu epidemic several years ago, the people of Hammerhead converted part of the spacious garage into an infirmary. They did their best to treat the victims, but many lives were lost. Iris had worked tirelessly to help. She'd learned a great deal about medicine during that tragedy, and it almost cost her life.

"Keep the pressure on," Iris instructed, "I need to get a needle and some alcohol."

"I hope the alcohol is for drinking." He quipped.

"Maybe—if I can't find any pain killers." She replied as she stepped aside to find the stitching kit.

Ignis always disliked hospitals, but after the injury that left him blind nearly 5 years ago, that dislike had grown into a powerful aversion. The smell of alcohol and the sound of surgical instruments brought back some powerfully unpleasant memories. But there was no avoiding this medical encounter-he could feel his blood soaking through the gauze. To make matters worse, he had been poisoned. Venomcast was perfectly fine as long as it hit the enemy and not your allies. He would need to reiterate these points with Iris, but right now he just needed an antidote. He was starting to feel quite nauseated. Luckily, Iris returned with a healthy amount of supplies.

"Could I trouble you for an antidote?" Ignis politely asked.

"You were poisoned? You must have been miserable on the hike back. I didn't think Iron Giants typically—oh no that was a Venomcast wasn't it? I'm so sorry" Iris was genuinely contrite.

"Think nothing of it, things like this happen," he reassured.

"You are being too kind. I could have really hurt you…well I did really hurt you. What a mess." Ignis wasn't really listening—he was just concentrating on controlling his nausea and he was losing the fight.

"…the antidote, if you please," he managed. Iris quickly prepared an intravenous antidote and deftly injected it into his forearm. The antidote shot through his veins in an instant. Mercifully, his nausea vanished.

"Feeling better?" She ventured.

"Much. Thank you."

"You were looking pretty green for a second there."

"We were moments away from a very undignified episode." He confirmed. She laughed a little.

"Don't worry. Nothing bothers me after working in this infirmary. You can only imagine the things I've seen."

"There are some things I'm glad I can no longer see." He said it lightly, but there was somberness in his voice. Iris grew quiet for a moment. She never knew what to say to him about his eyes. Just thinking about it filled her with such sadness—more than she could ever express. She moved closer to him to inspect the gash on his right temple. She decided it wouldn't take more than 10 stitches.

"I'm going to have to clean this first," she warned, "I'll need to take your glasses." He nodded. She gently took them off. The scarring over his left eye was extensive. It looked like it had been badly burned. The eye was all but fused shut. His right eye had fared better, it wasn't disfigured, but it was cloudy and just as sightless. It wasn't the first time she'd seen the scars, but that didn't make it any easier to look at.

"It must be a frightful sight," Ignis soberly added. She didn't respond right away.

"It doesn't bother me," she said as she lightly touched the edges of the disfiguring scar. "Does it hurt?" She asked.

"Mercifully, not anymore."

"I'm glad for that," she responded earnestly. She returned to her preparatory work. She carefully took the gauze from Ignis and set about cleaning the wound. In a matter of moments, she had the needle threaded and ready.

"I don't have anything to numb the area. This is going to hurt," she cautioned. He nodded slightly and she began. The first stitch made him wince and recoil just slightly, but by the second stitch he didn't react.

"You are quite good at this," he said.

"Better than I am at elemancy, it seems."

"Don't be too hard on yourself. Noctis has set me on fire, frozen me, electrocuted me—you get the idea,"

"Oh, Noctis. He could be very oblivious sometimes." She finished up the last few stitches. Just saying Noctis' name was enough to make her spirits sink. He'd been gone for five years. Would he ever come back? What would happen if he came back? She didn't like to think about it, but sometimes, much of the time, it was all she could think about. She cleaned up around the fresh row of stitches. "You are good as new," she said.

"Thank you. It is most appreciated," Ignis got up from the exam table. The sudden movement made him unexpectedly dizzy. Iris noticed and held his arm to steady him.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes, just a little light headed," he answered, "I'm fine." Iris wasn't completely convinced.

"You need to go get some rest."

"Yes, I believe I do," he concurred wearily.

Iris picked up his beautifully tailored, but increasingly worn jacket from a nearby chair. She handed it to him and he quickly slipped it on. She reached up to straighten his lapel and brush off some of the debris.

"You can't beat Crown City tailoring," she said, admiring the jacket.

"No, it was the finest." She noticed a slight tear near the bicep. She put her hand over the spot.

"I can fix that for you. It won't compare to the original of course…" Her voice trailed off, she was getting lost in memories of the city.

"You're very kind. If it's not too much trouble."

"Do you ever," she searched for the right words, "wish that we could go back in time and just change all of this?" It was a somewhat surprising question.

"Yes," he said carefully, "often even." He paused for a moment. "When I dream, I can see. I see everything as it was before and when I wake I yearn for the past." Iris felt tears stinging her eyes. "Nevertheless I can't help but think it's all meant to be." She didn't know what to say so just wrapped her arms around him and hugged him. He gradually wrapped his arms around her.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered into his chest.

"Please don't let it trouble you. I've learned to live with it," he said sincerely.

"I just want you to be happy,"

"You have such a kind heart," he said with real affection in his voice. They stood like that, enjoying the embrace for a few moments. Iris was the first to step away, but she gently kept hold of his hands and looked up at his scarred, yet handsome face.

"Ignis…I," Her sentence was abruptly cut off by the entrance of her unmistakable older brother, Gladiolus.

"And just what the hell is going on here?" He bellowed.