Chapter 4

Ignis tried to sleep, but after a couple of hours of lying awake on the small couch in the trailer he gave up. Standing up was more unpleasant than it should have been. His back and neck were so sore that he started to wonder if he was actually starting to get old. It was silly, of course, he wasn't even 30 yet. As Cid always said, though, "it's not the age it's the mileage."

"Or it's the astonishingly uncomfortable accommodations," Ignis said out loud, as though he were arguing with Cid. Maybe he really did need that sleep. In the past, he would read when he couldn't sleep, but that was no longer an option for him. Reading. He missed it the way most people miss a deceased loved one. It used to be a central part of his life. There were a small number of things he simply couldn't do anymore and it was tragic that had to be one. He really wanted to find something else to think about. He picked up his phone and asked the time. The pre-programmed voice replied: "9:45pm." Most of Hammerhead would be asleep soon.

He decided to make a pot of coffee—not a known cure for insomnia, but he was craving it. He carefully felt for the stove control. He'd been re-teaching himself to cook. It was a very tedious process and it involved a lot of memorization and organization, but he'd made a great deal of progress. Iris had insisted on helping him—she claimed it was because she didn't want to do all the cooking, but he knew it was because she a compassionate person. She would never wound his pride. He'd never really thought of himself as a proud person, but he was starting to notice—especially after being downgraded by Gladio—that he did take pride in a great many things.

While the coffee brewed, he stepped outside and started a small fire in the burn barrel placed near the old plastic table. He felt the warmth of the fire as the blaze came to life. He could still sense some changes in light and dark so the fire always lifted his spirits a little. He put his hands towards the flame. The uneven warmth brought back so many memories of camping in the open world—before the darkness fell. The world had been dark for Ignis much longer than most. He retrieved a fresh cup of coffee and pulled one of the cheap plastic chairs near the fire. Slowly, he started to feel a little more relaxed, a little more like himself.

He leaned back in the uncomfortable seat and actually started to feel a bit drowsy. Maybe caffeine was a cure for insomnia. His theorizing was interrupted by the sound a familiar, friendly voice.

"Ignis?" Iris ventured, "still awake?"

"Yes, very much so, I'm afraid." She noticed the hot cup of coffee in his hand.

"I'm no expert, but I think that's supposed to wake you up."

"So I'm told. Would you like some?" Iris wasn't the least bit tired herself.

"Sure. It will go well with what I brought you." That piqued his interested.

"What did you bring?" She sat two plates down on the table. He could hear the forks rattle against the plates.

"Fluffy chiffon cake." It was one of his favorites. He wondered where she managed to get all the ingredients. He was happy about this development. "Unfortunately, I didn't have any whipped cream, so we'll have to have it plain." She explained.

"That is no matter. It doesn't alter than magnificence of that cake. This is a welcome surprise. Thank you."

"You're very welcome. I wanted to make up for before."

"There's no need, but this would certainly compensate." While he went inside to fetch her a cup of coffee, Iris pulled a chair alongside his. When he returned, he held the cup out towards her. It amazed Iris how well he had adapted to his condition. Sometimes, it was easy to forget he was blind. The two sat down side by side and dove into the chiffon cake. It was fluffy and light with a delicate lemon flavor. It was as good as the cakes served in the Crown city bakeries.

"This is superb," Ignis remarked. Iris was quite pleased with this praise.

"That means a lot coming from you," she was enjoying the delicate cake quite a bit herself. After a few moments, Ignis spoke.

"Prompto is right."

"Prompto?" Iris asked, genuinely perplexed.

"He said that it's different when a woman cooks for you." She had no idea where this was leading, but she blushed anyway.

"Different…in a good way?" She offered.

"Yes—very good." He replied. The way he said it made her heart flutter. "What is wrong with me?" She scolded herself. "He's just complimenting the cake." She took the plates inside and cleaned up. She brought the coffee pot back out and poured some fresh cups. It was pushing 11:00 but neither of them were very tired at this point.

"Talcott gave me a new book to read earlier." Iris said, reinitiating conversation.

"I'd be very circumspect about any literature Talcott offers," Ignis said somewhat seriously, recalling the collection of comic books the young man had in Caem. Iris could not suppress a laugh.

"Don't worry, this is harmless enough. It's just a silly romance novel. The kind they used to sell in the books shops in Insomnia. The ones with the ridiculous covers." She pulled the book from the small satchel bag she carried with her. "It's called The Iron Duke."

"Sounds edifying—what is it about?" She flipped the book over and read the brief excerpt.

"A young queen falls in love with the enigmatic Iron Duke. She soon discovers that not everyone approves of the match—and not everything is as it seems. A story of passionate love and court intrigue," Iris paused for a moment, "court intrigue—you should know something about that right?" she asked playfully.

"I doubt the intrigues they have in mind have much in common with my experiences at court." Ignis replied in a matter of fact way.

"Oh, really? Well I suppose we will find out." A cool gust of wind fluttered the pages of the book. Iris rubbed her bare arms for a moment trying to recover some warmth. Ignis must have noticed.

"Getting cold?" He asked.

"Just a little, I'll be fine." Ignis slipped off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders. It looked comically large on her petite frame, but she felt much warmer. "Thank you—you're such a gentleman." She said genuinely.

"Think nothing of it. Now, how about chapter 1?" She returned her gaze to the book and began reading the first chapter. It was poorly written, but not quite as bad as she expected. The plot, of course was absurd, and there were an implausible number of love triangles taking place. Still, the interactions between the queen and the "Iron Duke" were a little amusing. The intrigue, as it turned out, was a very poorly thought out plot to usurp the queen. About halfway through, the queen was poisoned and appeared to die. Unexpectedly, it was merely a sleeping potion that imitated death. Ignis was disappointed in the lack of detail here.

"What manner of potion could create the illusion of death, even to the point of stopping the heart?" He asked. Iris was quite drowsy at this point.

"I don't think you are supposed to analyze it on that level." She said with a yawn.

"I'm genuinely curious. Maybe if you were to use a catalyst with a stopping effect like vesproom—" Suddenly Ignis felt a weight on his left shoulder. Iris had fallen asleep and was now resting comfortably against him. It was quite late after all. He knew he should wake her so she could find a proper place to rest, but she seemed so peaceful. He'd wait just a little while. He listened to the gentle crackle of the flame and started to drift off a little himself. It wasn't very long before he was interrupted.

"Hey, Iggy, I think your audiobook fell asleep." It was Gladio, of course.

"It would seem so. I don't mind."

"Of course you don't." Ignis thought it was a strange thing to say, but Gladio often said strange things.

"Hey, sis," Gladio said as he walked toward Iris. She didn't react so he pet the top of her head. That got her attention. She slowly awoke.

"Did I fall asleep?"

"Yeah. Not really surprising. It's 1:30. You should go and get some sleep." Iris really couldn't argue with him on that point. She got up from her surprisingly comfortable plastic chair and wrapped Ignis' jacket more closely around her.

"We'll finish that tomorrow night—I want to know how the queen survived that poison."

"Yes, I can hardly wait," Ignis said with good natured sarcasm.

"Spoilers, guys, come on." Gladio mocked. Iris rolled her eyes.

"Goodnight, boys. Promise me you'll play nice." Gladio made a dismissive gesture.

"Goodnight and thank you for that wonderful cake." Ignis replied.

"Anytime, Iggy." Iris said as she walked off into the night. Gladio walked toward the chair where she'd been sitting. He picked up the Iron Duke.

"What the hell is this book?"

"It's something Talcott picked up." Ignis couldn't see Gladio's quirked eyebrow, but he could still sense it. "It's just a romance novel. It's really quite tame for the genre."

"I'll defer to your knowledge of that genre." Gladio said as he sat down in Iris' abandoned chair. The two men sat in silence for some time.

"Look, about before, I'm sorry for busting your chops like that. It was just a front."