It's Tuesday so that means update time! Are these chapters a comfortable length? I want to make sure they aren't too long to enjoy, if so I can try to break them up a bit differently.


Noctis nearly leapt over the door in his haste to exit the Regalia when they pulled into Hammerhead when he saw that the texts he had received were correct. The heavy weight that had been churning his stomach with anxiety lifted as he saw that his father had indeed made it out of Insomnia alive. "Dad?!" Noctis ran past a confused Cindy who called out Prince? as he ran by her. Prompto stopped to offer her an apology, Gladiolus and Ignis following him inside while the pair of blonds talked outside the threshold.

"Noctis, you're alright." Regis smiled, glad to have proof of Lunafreya's reassurances. He stood, Noctis rushing up to him. Any awkward anger he had from the day he left the Citadel, or the resentment he had been harboring for months was forgotten as he ran into his father's arms.

"Thank the Six you got out…"

"My dad?" Gladiolus asked, looking around for the King's Shield. Regis pulled back, feeling the color drain from his face and he feared he would fall back into the chair when his heart began racing out of control.

"He fell protecting me." Regis stated, meeting the young man's stare. Gladiolus balled his fists, clenching his jaw. He squinted for a moment, his features obscured, before he forced himself to release his burning muscles.

"That's how he'd want to go. Iris?" he asked, instantly nauseated as he said her name, bile rising to the back of his throat as his ears filled with the sound of his own pulse. Air hissed through his nose as he failed to control the rate of his breathing, eyes firmly locked with the King's.

"As far as I know she wasn't in the Citadel." He answered. "Your father died an honorable man, defending me to his last. I'm only alive because of him." Gladiolus nodded, his motions short and sharp. He bowed to Regis and left the garage, ignoring everyone's questioning glances and Ignis's attempt to reach out to grab his shoulder.

"I should follow him." Ignis stated, but made no motion to move.

"Just let him go." Noctis suggested. Ignis sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he watched Gladiolus walk away. He wondered if his uncle got out of the Citadel. When was the last time he had a conversation with the man? Did he still work the same position? He didn't even have his number in his phone it had been so long since he spoke to him. He wondered if he had now lost any chance of reconnecting to his only remaining blood.

"Luna, how's your feet?" Noctis asked, turning to where she was sitting on the floor.

"Quite a bit better actually. Your father helped bandage them after making a potion." She tried to give him a reassuring smile, but feared it looked as fake as it felt. She wanted to ask if he was alright, but knew the answer. She forced back the images of her Sylleblossum fields on fire, trees igniting. They sky filled with airships, mechanical bodies all around her, her brother screaming for Regis, the open-eyed stare of her mother's corpse. Noctis's small hand reaching for her, whatever he was trying to shout to her lost in a sea of sound. She sighed, dropping her gaze. "Thank you again for that." She directed at Regis, who simply gave her a small smile and a nod, thanking her again.

"Your hand!" Noctis gasped, only having just noticed how much blood was on his sleeve and staining his clothes. Seeing the disfigured hand bearing only a thumb and half of a forefinger. He looked at both the man's hands, and saw only the wedding band Regis had never removed after losing his wife. Regis told him what he had told Lunafreya, his son pacing angrily in the room.

"They have the Crytsal, the Ring, our home…" he mumbled angrily. "We need to get it back from them! How can we fix our star if the damned Nifs have the Crystal?!"

"Noctis please," Lunafreya's gently voice reached him, and he ceased his pacing, letting out a sharp breath though his nose, "stop. We will face this, but for now we all need to rest." She tried to encourage. She motioned to stand, gasping and clutching at her side with a hand before Noctis came to her, helping her stand. It took her a moment to catch her breath, giving Noctis a nod to answer the question within his frown and furrowed brow.

"Luna… are you injured. Aside from the soles of your feet I tended to?" Regis inquired. She looked past Noctis to his father, dropping her arms and bearing a small smile,

"I assure you, I'm alright"

"I remember a twelve-year-old girl in Tenebrae who would tell me she was alright were she missing an arm. That is not what I inquired." Lunafreya's smile dropped, her brows knit together as she met his questioning gaze.

"I attained some bruising to my ribs." She answered, releasing a breath through her nose to keep it from turning into a sigh.

"Attained? You make it sound like you tripped or something. It was the damned Nifs." He added the last sentence quickly, and ignored the way her lips pursed in a thin line and the crease in her brow deepened. She forced herself not to ball her fists, but the tendons in her arms betrayed her tension. "You don't have to keep pretending, and Caligo didn't even try to pretend to be innocent. We need to get back at them. For everything for-"

"Noctis stop. You're going in circles." She cut him off. She had relaxed her posture and reached for him to place a hand on his shoulder with an awkward jerky movement as she tried to suppress her first instinct to cup his face with her hands and toy with his earlobes. "What we need now is rest," she held up a forefinger to forestall his reply "we can discuss plans tomorrow. Eos will not collapse to the blight because you got some sleep. We've all been awake well over a day now." She felt her Prince slouch beneath her touch, and he gave her a half-smile.

"Alright, I give." He admitted. Regis had remained quiet about Lunafreya's answer to his inquiry, accepting her dodgy answer as reluctance to discuss it, deciding he would probe Noctis about it in the morning. "So where is everyone sleeping?"

"There is a trailer on the property, why don't you take it son." Regis offered, but Noctis quickly shook his head.

"You ran away from Insomnia entirely on foot." His eyes flicked to his father's hand and to his braced leg, before his gaze returned to make eye contact. "Plus, I don't find a tent all that uncomfortable, I sleep it in all the time for overnight fishing trips." He shrugged. He thought about the comfort of an actual bed, and his fatigue began to wash over him. His eyes burned, and he began to feel the weight of keeping them open. His muscles ached, joins felt aflame. Lunafreya was swaying slightly on her feet, and he saw how dark the circles around her eyes were. His friends did not appear to be in much better shape.

The group decided that Regis would take the trailer, with Nyx sleeping on its couch the group feeling the King would be safe with him for a night if he had managed to spirit him from the very core of the Empirical attack. Crowe was also designated in the trailer under the excuse the two glaives belonged at the side of their King when Lunafreya had expressed discomfort sleeping next to a stranger when it was first suggested the two women bunk up together. Noctis was surprised to find his father put up no objections to him sharing a tent with Lunafreya. Promto and Ignis were to share the second tent, Gladiolus having quickly volunteered to sleep in the Regalia, desiring to be alone so he could have time to think.

"I wish I could do something for him." Noctis stated quietly as he watched his shield walk towards the car.

"There is naught that you can say that will console him at this time." Images again of her home aflame, her mother expressionless and caked in blood. She blinked back the memories, remembering how no words would have been able to soothe the wounds time still had yet to finish stitching together. They had decided against traveling to a sanctuary, Cid agreeing to allow them to make camp on the property after the retinue expressed their degree of fatigue. They fumbled the tents up, Noctis insisting that his father go rest, and that Nyx had done enough work and deserved to go lie down. Crowe admitted she was pretty useless at pitching a tent, her oh-so-chivalrous fellow glaives often insisting on pitching it for her during overnight outings with her comrades in arms. Who was she to pass up a free pair of hands letting her get to sleep faster? She could prove she wasn't some petty damsel in distress in the fighting ring, so her pride allowed her the affront of having the work done for her.

It was bright inside the tent despite having pitched it in the shade, and it was uncomfortably warm. Noctis lay atop his sleeping bag, Lunafreya doing the same beside him. The jacket she had been wearing since the ship was rolled and tucked under her head after she noticed how much Gladiolus's pillow smelled like sweat, the shorts she had been wearing were currently serving as a bed for Pryna. They had contemplated leaving the tent flap open for the breeze, but the heat was less uncomfortable to the Oracle than risking prying eyes. Pryna soon got up and yapped at the flap until she was let out.

"Must be too hot in here." Lunafreya shrugged.

"Hopefully she doesn't run off."

"She never goes far, don't worry. She may just be restless, and probably misses Umbra as much as I do."

"I'm sure Umbra's fine," he tried to reassure her. She sat back after resealing the tent and gave him a smile and a nod,

"I'm sure he is. Probably could smell trouble in the air and found himself a nice place to rest. He'll turn up with the notebook in time." She answered with a nod. "And you Noct?"

"Huh?"

"Are you fine?" she inquired.

"Well you do seem to think I'm pretty handsome," he answered her with a cocky grin, and she rolled her eyes in answer.

"You know what I meant. But a terrible joke like that must mean you're in top form, so I suppose my question has been answered." She scooted over to her bedroll in the tent, and laid back against her rolled up jacket, giving in to the heaviness in her brow and closed her eyes.

"If the dog was too warm in here, you probably are too." He whispered to her, and she nearly jumped when she felt how close he suddenly was. His breath tickled her cheek before his lips met her ear.

"Hmm… not sure having the space-heater of a Prince I am sharing this tent with so close to me will do much for this overheating issue." She quipped back, reluctantly opening her eyes to look at him. She couldn't hold back her small smile at his flirting, though she admittedly had little energy to do something about it.

"Maybe if you took off a layer or two…" He pulled back from her to remove his own shirt.

"Aren't you tired? While I certainly enjoy the view, I do believe I'm a bit too fatigued to do anything about it." She answered back. He whined as he brought his lips against her neck, "Oh that's just not fair." She sighed, closing her eyes and following the gentle way he nudged her jawline to better access her throat, sighing against her again when he felt the hum in her throat beneath his tongue. "It's the middle of the day and we're surrounded by your friends." She whispered.

"I just want to fall asleep with a memory other than what I saw on that hill or in Altissia." He admitted. He pulled back from his attentions, leaning on his forearms. "I don't mean to pressure you"

"If I weren't fighting my own eyes to fall into oblivion I would very much so enjoy your… suggestions." She answered, the heel of her hand against one eye. He chuckled at her and sighed, fumbling to drag his bed roll and sleeping back right next to her. He pulled her flush against his chest, an arm wrapped around her waist.

"Do you feel safe?" he asked her suddenly. She opened her eyes, looking at the green fabric opposite her as she thought about his words.

"I…" she started so he wouldn't think she was ignoring him. "I don't know." She answered honestly. She knew that outside of that green fabric wasn't those mechanical abominations designed by Verstael, or their flesh counterparts which showed little more humanity towards her than the puppets. She knew Caligo wasn't pacing the halls too close for her to sleep , nor was the vague distant threat of Aldercapt hovering in the back of her mind. Her ribs began to throb when Noctis shifted an arm around her tighter, causing her to punctuate her answer with a yelp.

"Are you-"

"I'm alright." She insisted at the same time he asked the question. "Just tender, sorry."

"Sorry…" he answered her.

"I'm just tender," she repeated her lie. Her ribs were still smarting, and she pondered if they bore factures behind the bruise. She thought about rolling onto her other side to face him, but lying on them would likely be too painful to do for long. She bit her lip, knitting her brows together when she heard the change in his breathing behind her. "bring your arm back here," she twisted her shoulder to reach behind her and he grasped her hand, which she guided over her hip. "Here." His hand didn't stay on her hip for long, sliding forward slowly to her inner thigh. "N-Noct…" she whispered, turning her head but her motions were stopped when he leaned over her, nipping at her neck,

"I don't want us to fall asleep when the last thing I did was cause you pain." He answered the unasked question. "So instead…" he sucked at the skin just below her ear, and she sighed in response.

"I told… you…" her voice trailed off, losing her excuse mid-thought when he began to slide his hands higher, fingertips digging into the skin of her thigh. Her breathing hitched and she wiggled her hips to try and get his hand where she wanted it, "Your… friends…" she whispered, biting her lip and fought an annoyed whimper as he stubbornly refused to shift his fingers. "I'm too tired for your teasing." She admitted,

"Ah, showing your true colors?" he teased. "alright." He slid his fingers up, smirking when he heard her gasp and felt the way she tilted her hips to greet his touch. He rolled his fingers in small rapid circles once he found that sensitive bundle of nerves before slipping them inside of her. He nipped at the back of her neck when she arched her back, rolling her shoulder back so she could reach an arm behind her, gripping his hip. She tried to roll so she could face him, but he shifted to keep her where she was.

"Mmm… what about you?" she complained. She couldn't reach him with her back against his chest.

"Hmm…" he pondered, "switch places." He offered. It was difficult in the confined space but they managed to move so they could lie facing each other without Lunafreya lying on her injured side. Hands reached towards each other, quiet sighs filled the tend as they settled for just eachother's hands and lips the pair far too exhausted for much more. They fell asleep curled together, no longer bothered by the heat in the tent with their clothing discarded.

Pryna barking at the tent finally woke the royal pair. Lunafreya sighed as she rubbed at her eyes, surprised to see how dark it was, and that she had managed to stay asleep when she realized how cold she felt. She shifted, trying not to wake Noctis with a groan as she sat up, reaching for the discarded clothing. She dressed in the loose garments, wondering when they would have the chance to purchase some more fitting clothing. She turned to Noctis and shook her head at his sleeping form. How can you sleep through this? She wondered. She reached over for the tent flap where Pryna was barking to allow her into the tent, and couldn't refrain from giggling as the dog immediately bounded over to the sleeping Prince and woke him with two paws on his chest, lapping at his face.

"Ugh! What?!" he spattered, sitting upright, pushing the dog down. "Pryna… I'm up I'm up." He complained then immediately clamped a hand over his mouth, looking towards Lunafreya with wide eyes, feeling his pulse throbbing in his ears.

"Noct settle… we're not at the hotel." She frowned at his response. He looked around them and dropped his hand, sighing.

"Sorry Pryna just startled me…" he answered her.

"We don't have to be so careful…" she mused, and Noctis wasn't sure if the comment was directed towards him. He remembered his question to her the previous night, and hoped that this was a sign that she was starting to feel more at ease.

"We should probably get up and go eat, I'm starved." Noctis commented, drawing her from wherever her thoughts were taking her. She nodded in agreement and gestured to the pile of clothes in the corner of the tent. He dressed himself before the pair left their tent, Pryna following Noctis as they looked around Hammerhead for signs of the rest of their retinue.

"Maybe the diner if they're hungry as we are." He suggested. She nodded, and followed him to Takka's where they found Noctis's friends were seated at the tabletop a plate of food in front of them.

"Hey! Decided to join the land of the living?" Prompto called when he saw them come in. "Pryna!" he called. The dog wagged her tail and ran up to him, lapping at his face when he bent down to scratch behind her ears and make very unmasculine cooing sounds.

"You guys sure slept late." Gladiolus remarked, and got elbowed in the ribs by Ignis for it.

"What time is it?"

"Seven thirty in the evening." Ignis replied. Lunafreya's brow shot up, and she looked up at Noctis while he pulled out his phone and confirmed that it was, indeed, seven-thirty in the evening.

"I've never slept so many hours in my life." She admitted.

"I won't lie… this wasn't a first for me." Noctis shyly admitted. "What time did you guys get up?"

"A half-hour ago."

"Then why are you giving me such a hard time?!" Noctis asked, crossing his arms.

"Well as future-King you should lead your people by example." Gladiolus answered, sticking his finger in the air, doing a poor impersonation of the advisor's accent.

"Should a shield really leave his charge unattended to go stuff his face?" Noctis quipped back and Gladiolus paused, looking straight ahead, and quickly shoved forkful of food in his mouth. He paused his chewing and threw a glare at Prompto when he heard a distinct clicking sound.

"Hah! That look on your face, too priceless!" Gladiolus threw his fork at Prompto who successfully dodged, Pryna pinning her ears and growling at the offender. "Oh she didn't like that. Go bite him! Go bite Gladio!" Prompto pointed. The white dog instead began to wag her tail and relax her ears.

"Aw good dog, she knows who not to mess with." Gladiolus picked a piece of food off his place and dropped it onto the floor, the dog lapping it up quickly. Lunafreya smiled at her dog enjoying others' company so much as she took her seat beside Noctis on the far side of Gladiolus. All the voices caught Takka's attention who emerged from the back room, grinning at the royals.

"Aw, Pryna, I thought you and I were best friends, go bite him!" Prompto commanded again, but Pryna merely sat, her bushy tail tapping against the floor as she panted and looked up at Gladiolus, expecting another scrap of food. Noctis and Lunareya ordered their own food, the latter pleased to learn that Takka had made a fresh pot of coffee after her original queary about tea came up in the negative.

"So where's my dad and those two glaives?" Noctis asked, noting their absence.

"Oh they were the first ones up. Left the diner just as we came in. Still pretty exhausted… they went to go sleep some more. The King wanted to stay up till you finally dragged your lazy butts out of that cozy little tent until Ignis reminded him of your usual sleeping habits." Prompto answered, giving up on getting Pryna to bite Gladiolus after the dog had been given her third bite of food by the shield and were now clearly spirit brothers. "I was kinda jealous, you guys got a cuddle party with Pryna, and now she's best friends with Gladio," he complained, and pouted his lip, "traitor." He directed at the dog.

"Was a little hot for a cuddle party. Those tents aren't exactly breezy." Noctis answered, "and Pryna barked until we let her out of the tent pretty much right away. How did you guys sleep?"

"Like the dead. I was has dead with exhaustion." Prompto answered. "Still am."

"Second that." Gladiolus added

"I think we could all use a few more days off..." Ignis started, "We need those few days to plan our next steps. Lady Lunafreya, I recall you mentioning awakening the Astrals?"

"Yes… I must awaken them, and Noctis must prove his worth. But I believe he will need some of his ancestor's weapons in order to appease them. So our first step should be to assist him in such.

"So let's go talk to my dad." Noctis suggested, and stared at his half finished plate. "He'll remember where a local royal tomb is. We can go tomorrow once it's light out.

"So soon? Perhaps more days to rest." Ignis suggested. "The Lady's feet-"

"I'm quite alright." The Oracle interrupted, not wanting her condition to be used as reason to delay their venture. She would not argue with a longer reprieve, but she would not stand for being used the an excuse for such.

"I agree with Noct. I need something to do. I can't just sit here for a few days waiting to hear back from Iris. I need to go hit something. Maybe we can march through a pack of sabertusks or a behemoth or two." Gladiolus's gruff voice cut in. "Let's go request an audience with our King." Ignis tried to argue further; but it seemed that the rest of their retinue had sided with Noctis.

They continued to banter while they ate, teasing the Royals for being the laziest of the bunch having slept later than the others. Pyrna walked under the legs of the bar stools hoping for more scraps, finding some when Lunafreya shared some of her food with her. Once their meal was finished they walked to the trailer. The friends all volunteered to stay outside while royals went in to meet with Regis, gesturing for Noctis to knock at the door.

"Hey, my dad awake?" Noctis asked when Crowe opened the trailer door.

"Hey, it's the sleeping beauty! The Princess finally give you true-love's kiss and wake you from that curse-sleep?" she quipped. He rolled his eyes and inquired about his father, being invited inside in answer. Lunafreya followed him as he gestured for her to follow, carefully closing the trailer door behind her.

"Noctis, Luna. Did you both sleep well?" Regis inquired.

"Yeah, slept pretty good. You guys sleep okay?" Noctis asked, shifting his weight off his bad leg. He always felt uncomfortable starting conversations with his father with forced small talk. Lunafreya was standing beside him, her hands clasped in front of her. Regis requested for Nyx and Crowe to wait outside, allotting him some time for private conversation with his son and the Oracle.

"Please, relax. You two must be exhausted." Is that another joke about my sleep? Noctis wondered. "And yes we slept well. Sleeping in this old trailer sure brought back some memories. Didn't think the old thing would still be here." Regus mused.

"Still be here?" Noctis asked,

"When I traveled around to collect my own royal arms this old trailer was still right here in Hammerhead. More comfortable than a tent." He chuckled. Noctis smiled, he used to love sitting in his father's lap as a child hearing the story of his travels across Lucis to collect seven royal arms. Am I supposed to collect all thirteen?

"Noctis once told me a little bit about your journey. It must have been lovely seeing all of Lucis." Lunafreya smiled.

"You should have seen her in her glory days…" Regis smiled, but it didn't touch his eyes. He looked down at his scarred hand, flexing his thumb and finger, wincing as it tugged on the scar tissue. "There were so many more cities, there was a lot more green… the animals were calmer. People used to domesticate the Garula for milk or meat. Sabertusks stayed away from people, I can't remember hearing about attacks unless some fool wandered far away from the road on his own. I even remember seeing the odd cactuar… used to be a symbol of good luck." His smile began to touch his eyes, leaning back in his chair. The hand massaging the knee on his bad leg relaxed, instead rubbing at his beard, eyes focused on something far behind Lunafreya. "There was just so much more… life."

"Then the Empire." Lunafreya supplied, but Regis shook his head.

"Not just that… though I suppose in a way you are still right. After…" he paused, sighing, his hand going back to kneading the muscle above his knee, "after the empire took your mother and I returned to Lucis things just seemed to slowly change." He remembered hospitals full of blighted citizens, cities placed under quarantine. Refugees began to flock inwards towards Insomnia, leaving a trail of infection in their wake. It was during those years he was forced to draw in the wall, to protect the largest city of Lucis. He didn't want to imagine what something as virulent as the blight would look like in such a densely populated place. Like a shark to a wounded fish the Empire descended once Regis pulled in the wall, and for his sin he never forgave himself.

"I fight back the blight with all my strength." The blight is just stronger.

"I meant no offense my dear, merely… talking. You are the only reason the blight has not taken every last citizen."

"I just wish I had been allowed to travel to Lucis to help its citizens." She lamented, and felt a hand on her shoulder. She offered Noctis a small smile, but forced back the reflex to cover his hand with her own.

"I'm quite happy to see that my son brings you joy." He observed, a smile gracing his own features, the wrinkles in his forehead relaxing. He idly massaged his leg, tapping it to try and bring back some sensation, "It was always so nice seeing the two of you play together as children." Regis reminisced. "And I'm glad he was able to make you feel more comfortable last night. You two must have maintained such a strong friendship with his visits. Was nice that he offered to share a tent with you to…" He paused, smile dropped, and his brows lifted, "Oh." He halted speech, staring at the pair. After a few moments realization hit them, cheeks flushing red as they recalled their activities from the previous night.

"W-we need to collect some of the royal arms, I want to set out once it's light out. But I don't know where to start." Noctis rambled needing to switch subjects, tripping over his words as he spoke too quickly. Regis cleared his throat, pondering suggesting they follow decorum and adjust their sleeping arrangements but decided to broach that subject with them later.

"Northern Leide, the Tomb of the Wise." Regis answered. "Are you sure you wish to set out so soon, son? Perhaps a few more days to rest." Man I hate it when my dad and Ignis are on the same page.

"If you need more time to rest before showing me the tomb we can wait." Noctis answered, chewing the corner of his lip. He began to bounce his bad leg, and Lunafreya reflected how much Noctis looked like his father in that moment. It took several minutes of debating who needed the rest more before both stubborn men agreed to make the journey through Keycatrich Trench towards the tomb the next morning. Regis couldn't help the sense of pride seeing Noctis taking some initiative, and decided that a few days with an achy leg would be worth the trek through the trench to see his son collect his first royal arm.

"I don't know how comfortable the walk to Keycatrich will be in that stuff." Noctis started, watching Lunafreya tugging up the large shorts she was wearing as they exited the trailer. "And boots that big will blister you really bad on such a long walk. Do you want to wait here tomorrow?"

"I'm not waiting anywhere. You need those arms to prove yourself to the Six, I should be with you for this." She argued,

"I don't want to see you hurting your feet again for me."

"I am sure with these thick socks rolled back down so they're doubled over will protect my feet adequately."

"And break your ankles walking through that trench in shoes twice as big as your feet?"

"I already told you I am not going anywhere."

"I ever tell you you're more stubborn than Ignis?"

"I ever tell you that you're more stubborn than my brother?"

"Hey y'all, I know s'rude to interrupt a conversation n' all, but can't help but notice the Princess here could be usin' something to wear." Cindy's voice cut into their banter, the royal pair turning towards the mechanic. "Seen y'all pullin' up those pants three times durin' that conversastion. What d'ya say I lend you somethin' that's bound to be fittin' a bit better?" she offered. Noctis tried to resist the blush at the thought of Lunafreya wearing something as minimal as Cindy's current outfit, the Oracle hesitating as she shared the same concern.

"I suppose I can make do with something that does not need to be adjusted so frequently." She admitted

reluctantly. Cindy gestured for her to follow, and she held up the waistband as she vanished into the garage after glancing at Noctis with furrowed brows, worrying her bottom lip. Ignis walked up to Noctis, tapping on the side of his head.

"What?"

"I said, I couldn't help but overhear. Is our new friend going to lend the Lady Lunafreya something more suitable for the road?"

"Something that fits" Noctis clarified. "As for suitable…" He wondered if Cindy even owned anything that covered more than ten percent of her skin at any given moment.

"Your mind is firmly planted and the gutter and no amount of lecturing is bound to free it, am I wrong?" Ignis inquired. "One cannot blame you. She is a lovely young woman." Noctis thinned his lips, narrowing his eyes at his advisor, giving him a light punch on the arm. "Oh she's not my type." Ignis shrugged.

"What is your type? Leather-bound and 800 pages?"

"Very funny." Ignis rolled his eyes.

"Not sure I've ever seen you with a girl now that I think of it." Noctis just his bottom lip, staring off into the corner of his eyes.

"And until now neither have I with you. Just because I didn't flaunt them before you does not mean I have never courted a girl." He replied, voice nearly as stiff as his posture, arms crossed before him.

"Hey guys," Prompto joined the pair, and jerked a thumb over his shoulder, "Gladio said he was gonna walk off some steam before he punched something 'till we come up with a game plan. What is the game plan? You guys kinda came outta that trailer and walked right up to the car, then Luna vanished with Cindy. Hey… maybe that's why Cindy seems oblivious to my charms. I mean, who can blame her with Lady Luna," Prompto winked. Noctis quickly punched him in the arm, then threw his hands up,

"What the hell is with you guys!" he shook his head,

"This the real reason you were so nervous on the way to the wedding? Can't live up to that." Prompto insisted, gesturing at the garage.

"Cindy is just lending her clothes so she doesn't have to wear my dad's stuff and pull it back up all day."

"Oh guess that makes sense." Prompto paused, eyebrows shooting up, a grin breaking his features and he laughed, "Man you musta been right on board with that! Going from baggy clothes to-"

"I am going to kill you both." Noctis groaned, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Prompto I swear I will feed you to a behemoth if you open that mouth of yours again."

"Hey I'm not saying anything! Your face says it all man!" Noctis saw Ignis and Prompto look at the garage and turned to see Cindy and Lunafreya walking back towards them. The mechanic had lent her a pair of shorts that showed off enough of her long legs to make his eyes linger a bit longer than would be proper before he looked up to meet her eyes, fighting every urge in his body not to look down at her chest. She was wearing a blue tank-top that just barely touched the top of the shorts over what appeared to be another purple tank, and he could only assume nothing beneath that.

"M-more comfortable?" he asked her, and saw the blush reach her ears as she nodded at him, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Oh… cold? Wanna borrow my jacket?" Noctis offered, and shrugged it off to pass it to her when she nodded back at him.

"Thank you again Cindy, especially for the sneakers." Noctis hadn't even noticed she was wearing more appropriate footwear. "I do believe I now can walk with you towards the Royal Tomb without argument?" she inquired. Before Noctis could answer a click caught their attention, and both turned towards Prompto who was looking at the display on his camera,

"Man what a great picture!" he chuckled.

"What? Prompto!" Noctis chided, Prompto backing away,

"Whoa hey before you kill me, check it out, you're both all smiley and stuff. Gonna make me puke… but who am I to resist taking a picture? Besides, we're probably the first people in the world to see Luna looking all non-Oracle-y. Something for the record books!"

"I-" Lunafreya began, and paused, knitting her brows as her eyes darted about. "My options are a bit limited at this time."

"Hey I didn't mean it as a bad thing." He answered her, softening his voice, bouncing one leg. "Really I just like taking pictures of things. There's been lots of pictures of you looking really proper and stuff, I just thought it was neat if I could take one of you looking like… okay don't take this the wrong way, but looking like a normal girl."

"Is this what normal girls wear in Lucis?" she inquired with a slight tilt of her head.

"Uhh…" That was not the response he was expecting. "Kinda. Depends on the season. In summer sure. But back in Insomnia everyone wore darker colors. But in the other seasons these kinda clothes aren't really common. What did girls wear back in Tenebrae?"

"It's a bit colder in Tenebrae… people dressed a bit more conservatively." She answered, feeling the burning in her cheeks get even warmer. Will I ever stop turning red every time one of Noctis's friends talks to me? She cleared her throat and blinked to try and gather her bearings, looking over at Noctis for a moment. "How do I look as a… 'normal girl'?" He felt like he was standing between a behemoth and a cliff. Did he say he liked seeing her in these clothes and let her imply whatever her wild imagination would, or say he prefers her in her dresses : the symbol of her oppression? Oh hell.

"Really doesn't matter what you wear." He shrugged. He did think she looked quite beautiful in her white dresses and skirts. And he had to admit, seeing her revealing so much skin was inching his mind dangerously close to places he didn't want it to go surrounded by people. She flushed at his answer and gave him a small smile, kneading her fingers.

"You'll have to let me see you in colors other than black, let me see you looking like a normal non-Lucian man," she offered back. He chuckled at this suggestion,

"Guess it's only fair. We can do some hunts for some money and find a place to get some clothes. Do the shoes fit okay?" he asked, nodding his head at her while looking down at her feet.

"Quite the coincidence we wear the same size shoe, so they fit quite nicely. Never knew sneakers were so comfortable."

"We'll probably want to get you a pair of hiking boots too," Noctis remarked. "But we can worry about that later." They talked about the various supplies they would need for their trip, clothes, sleeping equipment, nonperishable food, and other necessities. Lunafreya turning bright red when Cindy joined the conversation and mentioned that an oil funnel, the kind used to change the oil in cars, was a lady's best friend when needing to use the bathroom with no facilities in sight. She thanked the mechanic awkwardly, and stated she was still feeling fatigued as an excuse to walk away from the group and retreat into the tent she had shared with Noctis.