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Reviews: Thank you for your reviews! They keep my muse going! Oh god, you have no idea how much I was just wondering why the hell I was writing Draco like a blabbermouth, but my muse wouldn't let me change things. Haha I thought about making Luna Harry's wife, but decided backstabbing wife might be a bit too much for him and we aren't done with Luna yet, so there's that. Who knows? My muse has come up with scenarios for this story for Harry that I keep rejecting, but might actually accept depending on how the story goes.

I hope you enjoy this chapter and let me know what you think in the reviews!

Chapter 12

By the time they made their way back to Lestallum plans were being made to head straight to the Disc of Cauthess. The Archaean had abandoned their agreement to leave Noctis be, his headaches coming in spurts three days after falling sick. Hermione wished she could say that meant she was left alone, but that was not the case. The Titan was angry; they'd taken too long to get to him. She'd spent a good portion of Noctis' recovery time curled up wherever she happened to be sitting, entirely useless in helping Ignis as she was wont to do when they settled somewhere.

Ignis had expressed his worry in heading to the Astral Shard before Noctis was fully recovered, but Hermione had gotten a call from Cor informing them that the Empire had blockaded the entrance to the Disc and were gearing up for a confrontation. He was concerned with their interest in the supposed resting place of an Astral. He was of the mind they were going to try and fell him as they had the Glacian some years ago. That particular story had been a shock to Hermione. She hadn't realized regular humans could kill these deities.

It was clear they didn't have a choice in the matter. If Niflheim destroyed the Archaean, they would never find out why he wanted Noctis to come to him.

Ignis parked the Regalia in the same parking spot as last time, shutting off the engine. "I want to ensure we are sufficiently prepared before we head out. We should inform Iris we are leaving."

Noctis nodded, opening his door. "We should also tell Talcott our venture was a success."

Gladio looked down at Hermione who was resting with her eyes closed; her head tilted back on her seat. "Are you going to get out?"

Hermione shook her head. "I'll wait here. You go ahead, say goodbye to Iris and the others."

Gladio frowned. "It's hot, Hermione."

"Then roll the windows down," she snapped. She sighed as soon as she said it, opening her eyes to look at Gladio. "I'll be fine. These headaches are going to kill me faster than the heat does."

Gladio didn't budge. "You still shouldn't be alone."

She rolled her eyes. "May I remind you that I can freeze, electrocute, or set anyone on fire that decided to make trouble. Go see your sister."

Gladio left after that, making sure to roll down the windows before he did. Hermione breathed a sigh of relief, the instant quiet helping ease the throb at the base of her skull. She couldn't wait to be done with this Astral. The blockade was worrisome, but they'd find a way through it, even if Hermione had to disillusion everyone and lie about how she could do it. It was getting harder and harder to stifle her magic use. Using the elemental magic she possessed helped, but she longed to use the magic she'd been born with. She hadn't realized how much she'd come to rely on her gift until she'd practically cut herself off cold turkey.

She could feel Noctis moving past the car, his magic a familiar hum to her now. She could hear a car engine turn off, then Noctis was walking past the Regalia. Hermione frowned as she sat up. The magic was familiar, but she'd been mistaken.

It wasn't Noctis.

Curious, Hermione got out of the Regalia, zeroing on a violet-haired man disappearing to the lower levels of the town's viewpoints. The magic was no longer there. Hermione almost thought she'd imagined it; maybe her head was playing tricks on her because of the headaches. She had thought it was Noctis before realizing there was a slight difference that told her it wasn't. Really, she shouldn't be thinking about potentially stalking someone minding their own business. The guys weren't going to be gone long.

Who was she kidding?

She walked down the same path as the man, keeping her eyes peeled. She briefly thought about calling Gladio but decided against it. What would she tell him? Hey, there's a man that has a similar magical signature to Noctis, so I'm going to follow him. Don't be alarmed if you come back and find I left the car. That would go over well.

He was at the lowest ledge, looking through a mounted viewer at the Meteor. His clothes were covered by a long dark trench coat, a fashionable black hat on top of his colored hair. Hermione stopped a few feet from him, noticing the printed shawl that covered one side of his back. She sucked in a breath as she felt it again. There was magic, similar to Noctis yet not. There was something different about it, Hermione couldn't pinpoint what.

"How curious," the man said. He looked up from the viewer, turning to face her. Hermione blinked hard. For a moment she thought she saw nothing but black, but his eyes were a honeyed brown. And he was staring at her.

Her phone vibrated once, signaling she had a text message. She asked, "What's curious?"

"Oh, a great many things, my dear." He stepped forward, reaching out to grab her hand, but Hermione took a step back. The man pulled his hat off his head, sweeping low in a dramatic bow. "Forgive my manners. Ardyn, at your service."

"Hermione," she replied after a second of hesitation.

Ardyn stood tall, placing his hat back on his head. "What a pleasure, Hermione." His eyes landed on her hand, his head tipping to the side as he stared at it.

Hermione looked down, bringing her arms to fold over her chest as she realized he was staring at the ring. She cleared her throat. "My friends are waiting on me. It was a pleasure to meet you."

"Aren't nursery rhymes curious things?" Ardyn's voice stopped her from turning. "Like this one: From the deep, the Archaean calls. Yet on deaf ears, the God's tongue falls. The King made to kneel, in pain, he crawls."

Right then, Hermione stumbled as shooting pain overloaded her senses. She felt someone catch her, knew it was not her friends. She pushed away from the chest, but the effort was weak. She felt a hand on her head, fingers running over the top of her braid.

Her mind cleared, Ardyn much too close for her liking. He was staring into her eyes, his expression one of someone trying to understand something. "How interesting."

His fingers were still in her hair. Hermione struggled to keep her voice steady as she said, "You can let me up."

"Of course." He helped her stand, hands falling away once he saw she would not stumble. "Fickle beings, the Astral's. One never knows when they'll decide to play with mortals."

Hermione remembered his words before the pain hit. "How does one stop the King from crawling?"

Ardyn shrugged. "You heed the call, of course." His eyes lit up as running footsteps sounded behind them. "What a coincidence."

"I'm not so sure," Gladio responded as he wrapped one arm around Hermione and pulled her to him. Noctis came to stand beside her, Ignis and Prompto next to him.

Ardyn inclined his head. "We meet again."

"Indeed," Ignis said. "To what do we owe the pleasure?"

Ardyn sent them a charming smile. "I was just telling our dear Hermione what a pain it is that the Empire has put a halt to the sacred pilgrimage to see the Archaean."

"Yes," Ignis said carefully. "It is a shame."

"As I understand it, your group was of a mind to take such a trip yourselves." Ardyn spread his arms out in invitation. "I can take you. I have the connections to get us in."

Their group pulled back, huddled together with Gladio keeping an eye on Ardyn. Ignis looked at her. "Did you tell him our plans?"

Hermione shook her head. "No, but there was an incident, another headache."

Ignis nodded in thought. "Much the same happened to Noctis once we got to the hotel."

Hermione wrapped her arms around her abdomen, peeking out to see Ardyn watching them with his pleasant face. "There's something off about him, Ignis."

Noctis shuddered in agreement. "Yea, I don't trust him."

"We might not have a choice," Prompto said. "How else are we going to get in to see the Astral?"

"Prompto has a point," Gladio murmured. "I say we take it but watch our backs."

With everyone in agreement, they turned back to tell Ardyn their decision. Ardyn nodded. "Excellent." He held out an arm to Hermione. "Come along, dear. You can ride with me."

Hermione blinked in surprise. Noctis shook his head. "She stays with us."

Ardyn put a hand to his chest, his expression wounded. "But we were having such a stimulating conversation. I do hate to be lonely on a drive. I promise, no harm will befall the young lady." When nobody budged, he said, "Alright then, I suppose the young prince will do."

Hermione stepped away from the guys. "I don't mind. I too want to continue our conversation from earlier." She placed her hand on the crook of his arm, avoiding Gladio's glare.

Ardyn was once again all smiles. "Let's head off then. My vehicle is parked in the car lot above us. She's no Regalia, but she has served me well."

They walked towards the cars, Ignis trying to catch her eye as he sidled up next to her. "I fear you have us at a disadvantage. You know much about us, but we don't know so much as your name."

"Oh, I'm not one to stand on ceremony. But I suppose you can call me Ardyn."

Hermione was trying to remember where she had heard that name before. It was familiar, but her memory couldn't place it. They stopped by a red vintage car with a white stripe on the hood. Ardyn opened the passenger door, closing it when Hermione slid in. She gave the guys a reassuring smile, only Prompto giving her one in return.

"Your friends are a tad bit overprotective, aren't they?"

Hermione didn't look away from the side mirror, her eyes one the Regalia as it followed behind them. "Can you blame them? You are a stranger."

Ardyn chuckled, "Yet you chose to ride with me."

Better her than Noctis. "I'm curious is all."

"Oh?" he asked. "What do you want to know? Now I'm curious."

Hermione shrugged. "I'm curious about all manner of things. But right now I'm trying to figure out how I know your name. It's not a common one."

Ardyn was silent for a moment, fingers thrumming on the wheel. "No, it is not. I'm afraid my name has been lost to time. The name Hermione is unique as well."

She knew a diversion when she heard it, but filed away his words to go over later. "There are a lot of unique names in this world. My friends are falling behind."

"My apologies." Ardyn slowed down a little. Hermione relaxed from her tense state once she could see Prompto in the passenger seat. Nothing was threatening about Ardyn, yet she felt slightly sick in his presence. He was all gentlemanly charm and cordial conversation, but Hermione couldn't get the sight of black eyes rimmed with gold out of her mind.

"Speaking of unique names," Ardyn said. "I find the name Draco to be particularly notable. Don't you agree?"

Hermione froze. How… There were so many questions running through her mind. Did he take Malfoy's name from her mind? She hadn't mentioned him in any way. That was the only logical solution. There was another possibility, but there was just no way Draco Malfoy was here in Eos.

Ardyn was smirking slightly. "Was it something I said?"

Hermione forced herself to calm down. Logically, she knew he couldn't be here. The only way she knew to get here from her world was through the Veil. No one would willingly go through the perceived Execution Arch.

Yet, she wasn't supposed to be here and here she was.

Looking away from the Regalia, Hermione faced Ardyn. She needed to know. "Being named after dragons isn't exactly unique."

Ardyn's smirk grew. "Yes, but his coloring suggests he hails from Tenebrae. They have never been known to worship dragons, the Oracle's people."

Draco… She hadn't given him more than a passing thought since landing in Eos. If Ardyn were going to pluck any name out of her mind, it would have been Harry's or Ron's. She'd thought of them plenty. He was here. Somehow he was here. Hermione also knew that Ardyn was not aligned with Lucis, none of her group recognized him. That had to mean he was from Niflheim. If they had Draco, then they knew the two of them were acquainted.

Hermione crossed her arms over her chest, her need for answers steadily breaking the composure she'd managed to keep hold of this entire drive. "Where is he?"

"I'm afraid that's not how this works, my dear." Ardyn made another turn. "You see, the Empire is interested in you and your lovely piece of jewelry. Though I must say, it pales in comparison to the real thing."

Hermione wasn't surprised he knew the ring was a fake. There was no magic emanating from it like the actual Ring of the Lucii. Only those well acquainted with the magic of the Crystal could tell the difference. She refused to believe Ardyn didn't have magic. There was no hiding the magical signature when one knew to look for it.

Ardyn parked the car, the Regalia coming to a stop behind them. Hermione pushed the door open before he could make it to her door, slamming it shut and marching to face him. "You think you can get me to trade myself for him?"

Ardyn laughed, "No, I know those Lucian's won't allow it. He'll be released, once we get our answers. The boy is very resilient, seems to know he came across the wrong military. It's curious how his mind has yet to break. Loqui is a bloodthirsty man."

Her self-control gone, Hermione punched Ardyn in the face. His head snapped back, his expression surprised and then angry. Hermione didn't care. She moved to attack him again, but someone grabbed her from behind, large muscular arms keeping her in place. Noctis stood in front of her, Ignis trying to assess the reason for her loss of control while keeping a hand on Noctis' shoulder to restrain him.

Noctis scowled. "What did you do to her?"

Ardyn was quick to bring his anger under control, slipping a calm expression on his face. "I'm afraid it was a bit of a disagreement, that's all."

Hermione struggled against Gladio. "Let me go!"

"Calm down," He hissed in her ear. "I'm not letting you go until you can refrain from hitting him."

Hermione immediately sagged against him, biding her time. When Gladio loosened his arms, she flung herself past Ignis and Noctis. Grabbing the black trench coat by the lapels, she pulled Ardyn down until their eyes met. "Legilimens," she whispered harshly.

She was only able to see a bloodied Draco chained to a wall before she was forcefully shoved out of his mind. The force of it sent her back into Ignis, Ardyn's shocked face clear as day.

"Take her," Ignis ordered.

Gladio hefted her over his shoulder, Hermione no longer struggling as he made his way into the cluster of trees until they were out of sight. He had shoved her out. He had forced her from his mind like a well trained Occlumens. How could he do that? Who was this guy?

Gladio set Hermione down, standing in front of her with his arms crossed. "What was that about?" When she didn't answer, he placed his hands on her shoulders. "Hermione, are you alright? What did he do?"

"I…" Her mind was racing, panic beginning to take over. She needed to rescue him. They would use Draco to get to her. He didn't know what was going on, wouldn't know why he was being tortured. Merlin, this had the potential to undo years worth of healing. She stepped back, turning her back on Gladio to walk further away from him. "I need to make a call."

He didn't follow her, and for that she was grateful. She had no way to explain why she'd attacked Ardyn. They wouldn't understand why she was angry. They didn't know anything about Draco Malfoy, really didn't know anything about her.

But there was one person she could go to.

She tapped her foot impatiently until the line stopped ringing. "What's wrong?" Cor asked, impatience in his voice.

She answered question for question. "How much information do you have on the comings and goings of the bases here in Lucis? The ones Niflheim have set up?"

"Why do you need to know about that," Cor demanded. "You're supposed to be headed to the Archaean."

"I need to know, Cor," Hermione stressed. "I need to know where Loqui is stationed at the moment."

Something in her voice must have told him something, because he sighed, "He's been moving from base to base. What's going on, Hermione? Did you have another encounter with him?"

"No," Hermione said absently. Cor couldn't know where Draco was at, not if Loqui wasn't sticking to one place. "Ardyn mentioned-"

"Why are you with him!" Cor shouted. Hermione pulled the phone away from her ear in shock. Cor never shouted. "Hermione, answer me! Why are you with the Chancellor of Niflheim!"

"Is that who he is?" Hermione asked. "No one seems to know, and I wasn't able to learn anything while I was driving with him-"

Cor cut her off again. "You were in a car with him? What is going on? Put Gladio on the phone."

Hermione hung up, having no doubt he'd just call the man in question. She couldn't sneak her way into all the bases Niflheim had set up until she found Draco. It would take too much time. He needed her to get him out now.

She thought about the number she had saved. She hadn't wanted to, feeling nothing good could come out of keeping it, but the logical side of her had demanded she keep the number. That woman would know, and if she didn't, she could find out. Breathing deeply, she called it.

Aranea picked up after the first ring. "Well, well. You are not who I expected to hear from."

Hermione bit her lip. "I wasn't expecting ever to call you either, but as it happens, I need information I think only you can get."

"Honest," Aranea laughed. "I like it. What will you give me if I get the information for you?"

Hermione closed her eyes against the sting, lip trembling. "What do you want?" Her voice cracked. She leaned her forehead against the tree trunk in front of her. "I can't pay you with money. Name your price, and I'll see what I can do."

There was a frown in Aranea's voice as she spoke. "Are you crying?"

"No," Hermione denied even as a tear slipped down her cheek.

Aranea cursed, "Don't cry, honey, come on. You'll just owe me a favor. That's nothing to cry over. You're stronger than that. You have to be, roughing it with those boys the way you do."

Hermione gave a watery laugh, and then remembered who she was talking to. She straightened from her position, turning away from the tree she'd been leaning against. Gladio was holding a phone up to his ear, eyes locked on her even as he listened to the person talking to him. She asked, "Only a favor?"

"Of course," Aranea agreed. "A favor of my choosing should I need the help. Don't worry; I won't make you turn on your friends. Now, what do you need?"

"I need you to find where Loqui is keeping a man named Draco," Hermione told her. "Niflheim is trying to extract information from him."

There was a wince in Aranea's voice. "And they're letting Loqui do it? Don't worry, sweetheart. I'll find your friend. I'll call you when I have something."

Hermione's throat closed. She never thought she'd feel gratitude towards Aranea Highwind. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it," Aranea said. "Seriously, don't. People get wind I'm exchanging favors, I'll never get paid again." She hung up.

Hermione took a moment to calm down. Highwind would find out where Draco was, and then Hermione would go after him. She watched as Gladio hung up the phone, and marched up to her. She was regretting her loss of control now more than ever. Neither Ignis or Gladio were going to let this go.

Gladio stopped in front of her; hands shoved into his pockets. "That was Cor. I just got an earful about letting you be alone with the Chancellor of Niflheim. Not that we knew who this guy was."

"Makes sense that he's with the Empire," Hermione replied. "He does have the connections to get us through a Niflheim blockade."

Gladio made a noise in agreement, eyes on her face. "I'm surprised no one realized sooner. The signs were there." He paused, and then asked, "You going to tell me what caused you to lose it like that? It wasn't like you."

"No," Hermione answered. "I can't right now, but there are more important things to worry about." The response burned in her throat as it came out. At the moment, there was nothing more important than finding Draco. But she had to wait. She refused to go in blind and give Niflheim what they wanted. "The Chancellor knows the ring I wear is a fake."

"How?" Gladio asked.

Hermione shook her head. "I want the group together before I explain how he knows. It's important."

Gladio nodded once, taking out his phone to call Ignis. Hermione sat on the ground, feeling drained after the surge in her emotions. Gladio sat down next to her once he put away his phone, patting his lap in invitation. Hermione climbed on, bringing her knees up to her chest and leaning her head against his chest.

He wrapped his arms around her. "What happened back there when you touched him? I didn't hear what you said, but whatever forced you two apart was not normal."

"It was magic," Hermione said. Technically, that wasn't a lie.

Gladio didn't respond as the rest of their group appeared. Noctis was still wearing a scowl, his fists clenched in anger. Ignis' brow was furrowed, watching her as he approached, and Prompto kept looking behind them every few seconds.

Hermione waited until they'd all situated themselves on the ground before speaking. "According to Cor, Ardyn is the Chancellor of Niflheim."

Ignis sucked in a quick breath. "That is why he looked familiar the first time we encountered him. He brought the Empire's offer of peace to the King; Chancellor Ardyn Izunia of the Niflheim Empire."

Hermione looked at Noctis. "Have you felt anything from him?"

"What do you mean?" Noctis asked.

"When I followed him in Lestallum," Hermione explained. "It was because I felt the same thing I feel when you're near, only with a slight difference."

Noctis stiffened. "You can feel the Crystal's magic in him? How is that possible?"

Hermione bit her lip. "Are you telling me you can't?"

Noctis shrugged. "I haven't tried. I felt you when I picked up the first royal arm, so I was aware of the connection after that."

Prompto asked, "Is that what happened when you tried to attack him? He forced you back with magic?"

Hermione nodded slowly. That also was not technically a lie. "Yes."

Noctis shook her head. "That can't be possible, Mione. The man isn't-" He cut himself off from whatever he was going to say. "Maybe you're imagining it. We've been under constant pressure from Titan. Your mind can be playing games with you."

Hermione was sure that wasn't the case, but Noctis' set expression told her anything she said to counteract his argument would be met with staunch denial. She shrugged instead, changing the subject. "Whether that's the case or not can be debated later, I guess. What's more important is he knows I'm wearing a fake ring. His words were: 'It pales in comparison to the real thing.'"

Ignis frowned. "How would he know? No one has been able to tell the difference. It's a perfect replica."

Hermione knew the answer was the magic that clearly flowed through his veins, but she didn't bring it up again. "That's a good question. I don't think he'll say anything, though. Something tells me he has his own agenda, and letting the Empire believe I have the ring suits it."

Ignis raised a single brow at her statement. "What makes you believe that?"

His gentleman act without a care in the word was a carefully crafted facade. She had seen it when she'd struck him, the quick anger before the mask came back into play; the ability to get what he wanted without giving anything away, his flamboyant manner. He knew how to play the game, and that made him dangerous. One never knew the real agenda of someone like that, but they were holding Draco for a reason. Hermione believed it was because they thought she possessed the ring they craved. Why keep him once they realize she didn't have it?

What she told Ignis was: "You had to have noticed it. There's something about him that doesn't sit right. Niflheim should be preventing Noctis from getting to the Archaean, and it looks like they are. But he's guaranteeing a way for us to meet him? That doesn't fit with the Empire's agenda."

Noctis pursed his lips in thought. "You think it's a trap?"

Hermione laced her fingers over her knees, readjusting herself on Gladio until her back was against his chest. "I think more than ever we should be watching our backs. I wouldn't be surprised if he has a trick up his sleeve that will leave us cursing him later. His demeanor screams slimy git."

Ignis nodded. "We'll be on our guard. Speaking of out of character," Ignis said. His green eyes focused on her. "In the time I've known you, I have not seen you lose control of yourself like that when you've been of sound mind."

Hermione hunched her shoulders in embarrassment over her loss of control. He'd just never seen her at her worst before. Then his wording sparked a bit of understanding. "You think the Archaean is messing with my emotions?"

She felt Gladio move his shoulders behind her, his deep voice close to her ear as he rested his chin on her head. "Ever since the ice cave, you have been a bit more temperamental. We're not saying it wasn't a possibility you could have just lost it, but you're usually more likely to make cutting remarks instead of hitting whoever made you angry."

Prompto came to her defense. "Come on, guys. Wouldn't anyone be a little cranky if they were suffering a never-ending headache?"

Noctis added, "It could be that time of the month, and she didn't want to say anything."

Hermione deflated, the urge to groan and laugh at the same time merging the sound that came out of her mouth. "Have I really been that bad?"

Noctis and Prompto looked away from her. Ignis made a sound of noncommittal. Gladio rubbed his hands down her arms, changing the subject. "Cor said he was going to call you, Iggy. He told me we were close to another tomb."

Ignis nodded and stood from the ground. "Yes, the Hunter's have marked a spot close to Secullam Pass. Noctis can retrieve the royal arm, and then I think we'll call it a night."

Hermione saw something on his face, a slight hesitation he was quick to mask. She stood with the others, watching him. "What is it, Ignis?"

Ignis ran a hand through his hair. "The Chancellor insisted on securing our accommodations for the night."

Hermione closed her eyes. "Please don't tell me…"

Prompto sighed, "Told you she wasn't going to like it."

"I don't like it," Noctis muttered.

Gladio crossed his arms over his chest, scowling at the thought if sleeping anywhere near a Niflheim supporter. "Can't we make camp somewhere close?"

Ignis shook his head. "There are no nearby Haven's."

Hermione sighed, "Let's go get Noctis his weapon. We'll deal with this later."

The weapon turned out to be a shield. The royal tomb had been tucked into a corner of the forest, only a token number of animals in their way. Hermione had secretly hoped it was in a cave, or somewhere underground that they would have to spend all night looking for. She despised the idea of being in any vicinity near Ardyn, much less rest in the same camper as him.

Knowing they couldn't prolong their trip any longer, the group made their way back to the service station. Ardyn was sitting at the table in front of the camper, tapping away on his phone. He stood when they approached, gesturing his hands in welcome. "I trust your time away was fruitful."

Ignis inclined his head. "It was, thank you."

Hermione moved past them to head straight into the camper. She was going to head to bed early. Gladio and Ignis had already decided she and Noctis would sleep together so that Gladio could keep an eye on them both. Hermione didn't complain. They would keep Ardyn away from her, and she'd have the added benefit of sleeping sandwiched between Gladio and Noctis. It reminded her of times Hermione, and the boys would fall asleep together, her smaller body squished between theirs.

It was a happy reminder, one she desperately needed tonight.

Ardyn's hand shot out before she could open the camper door, latching onto her hand. She pulled away, but he held firm. Hermione glared up at him, even as Noctis appeared behind her. Gladio snatched her hand away, pulling her until she was next to him and Ignis. The adviser looked down at her hand briefly before saying, "Please refrain from touching her. We don't want a repeat of the assault from earlier."

Ardyn held his hands up in apology. "I beg your forgiveness, my dear. I only meant to apologize for upsetting you during our ride. It was in bad form on my part."

He didn't mean it. She could tell. His face was the perfect mask of a repentant gentleman, but his eyes were playful. Merlin, she wanted to hit him again. Better yet, she wanted to send of a flock of canaries after him. He wouldn't expect that, and it was almost worth the inquisition she would face later just to see him cry out in pain as he tried to swat the birds away.

Instead, Hermione nodded once in response and disappeared into the camper.