This is kind of a bonus chapter that wasn't initially planned to be in the story. I got the idea when thinking about the dog tag quests Dave assigns. Enjoy!

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"Hell... looks like they found another one." Dave's expression clouded over as he opened the envelope they'd brought him.

"Wait. Found another what?" Prompto stepped closer, not quite trying to peek.

"Tag," Dave answered, gesturing to the dog tags around his neck. Ignis remembered Aria showing him the same type of tags when telling him her profession. "Us hunters keep 'em on our person at all times as identification."

"What, in case you forget who you are?" Prompto's question made Ignis grimace, but Gladiolus spoke first.

"More like so no one else forgets who they were."

Dave nodded. "Hunters lead a life of danger. Sometimes, these tags are the only things that make it back in one piece. It's our job to deliver 'em to the families of the fallen. As it were, I came out here to do just that. If ya'll happen to find any tags lying around out there, would you do me a favour and send 'em my way?"

"... Yeah, sure." Noctis' voice had gone soft, the prince clearly affected by what they'd been told.

Even as Dave went on to tell them the rumour that someone had seen a set of tags in the area, Ignis had tuned out. It was hard to name the feeling that had settled into the pit of his stomach... but it was something close to dread. His mind had no trouble conjuring an image for him: holding a set of tags with Aria's name on them, the only thing left of her. The idea made him ill.

A hand touched his shoulder, and he turned to find Gladiolus looking at him, making eye contact. "Those tags are pretty heavy stuff."

He let one gloved hand brush Gladiolus' in gratitude even as he nodded. "They certainly carry emotional weight. We'd best find and return them."

"And give the families peace of mind..." Prompto, too, had clearly been affected by the talk. He glanced at Ignis, seemed about to ask something, but was distracted when Noctis headed off towards the diner to ask the owner about the rumour.

Ignis was grateful for the distraction.

—

It didn't take long to find the tags, after killing the sabertusks who had likely been responsible for the hunter's death. Or that was what Ignis told himself; it felt good to think they may have finished the deceased hunter's job as well as avenged their death. They returned the tags to Dave, and promised to keep an eye out for any others.

It was Prompto's suggestion that they take on the other hunts the diner's proprietor told them about. Ignis had to guess that Prompto, and the very agreeable Noctis, wanted to lower the odds of another hunter losing their life, at least in this area.

They hunted all day, and by the time the sun was setting, there wasn't quite time to get back to Longwythe. Instead, they made camp at a nearby haven, and Ignis cooked dualhorn steak before settling into his camp chair to enjoy the meal and the fire.

Noctis and Gladiolus opted to clean up, and Prompto was fiddling with his camera, occasionally showing off a photo he was particularly proud of to the others. Ignis took his phone from his pocket in what he was sure would become a regular nightly routine.

'I didn't realize the significane hunter's tags carried.'

It was a few minutes, Gladiolus and Noctis returning to sit around the fire, Noctis dragging his chair over to Prompto's to view the photos, before he got an answer.

'Found some tags out in the field, huh?'

'Yes. The head hunter here asked us to keep an eye out for them.'

'Dave? He's a good guy. Beats himself up a bit much over the tags though. Caedus and I have brought a few to him. Sucks every time.'

'I can imagine.'

After sending that, Ignis hesitated, began to type again, stopped, deleted it. Started again, deleted again. He didn't know how many times this repeated before Aria began typing in turn.

'Dying on the job's a risk for every hunter. Mom's worried to me about it a lot, and Caedus gave me a long talk about it before I started studying under him. I'm aware of it, but it's not like I go out ready to die. It's the same for you in the Crownsguard, isn't it?'

He blinked as he read, not having thought of it that way. He smiled as he typed his answer.

'Yes, I suppose it is.'

A click and a flash distracted him. He looked up to find Prompto's camera pointed in his direction. The blonde grinned. "Now that one I'm keeping."

Noctis nodded, and Ignis recognized that gleam in the prince's eye. "Very photogenic."

Gladiolus had moved to stand behind Prompto's chair, leaning over to view the picture. "Oh yeah, I like it."

"Like what?" Just what had he looked like to amuse them all so much? "Let me see that, Prompto." He got up and moved around the fire, though Prompto was up out of his chair in a second.

"Iiii don't think I should!"

"Prompto!" Ignis lunged, but the gunman danced away from his hands. Gladiolus and Noctis laughed.

"No way, Iggy! This one's too precious!"

"Get back here!"

The night ended with several rounds of ring-around-the-fire while Gladiolus and Noctis were nearly on the ground in hysterics. And Ignis never did get to see the damn picture.