"That last game was totally rigged. I swear, I got a clean headshot on that guy before he killed me," Prompto whined as he fell back on the couch.
"Uh huh, you keep tryin' to tell yourself that. You know it's a computer, right? Not like it decides to hate you or anything," Noct said as he sat in the chair across from him.
"If it'd been real life, that guy woulda been sooooo dead!" Prompto said, sitting up suddenly and pointing finger guns at him, and Noct chuckled, shaking his head.
This was what he loved about hanging out with Prompto. There was never any pressure to do or be anything. It was just fun. There was no doubt in his mind that if the four of them had all been regular guys together in high school, Prompto would've been the only one to come out of it his friend. It made him respect him even more for volunteering to be in this hellhole. Of course, it also highlighted how shitty it was that the other two were bound to him through all this.
"Whaddya think's going on out there?" Prompto asked, jerking his head toward the front door, where they could hear two people giggling like idiots in the hall outside.
"Drunks," Noct said, ejecting a puff of a laugh through his nose. "That's the problem being so close to the stairs."
They sat and listened as the giggling and snorting got louder and louder until they heard the key in the lock, and when the door flung open and banged against the wall, Iggy and Laura stumbled through, nearly falling on their faces.
Noct looked over at Prompto with eyes as wide as they would go, and Prompto, who'd already summoned his camera and was clicking away, grimaced with his eyebrows raised.
Laura was dressed in some kinda sexy flamenco dancer costume like it was Daemon's Night or something, her hair loose and wild, spilling down her back. And Specs was just a mess. He looked like he'd been out hunting all day in the Leiden heat—his hair drooping from its usual plume to fall in his eyes and his coeurl-print shirt sticking to his skin.
"Uhhh, what the hell have you guys been up to?" Prompto asked.
They sobered and straightened immediately at Prompto's words, exchanging a look before turning to Noct and Prompto.
Specs might have looked a mess, but he grew formally straight and smoothed his expression completely before replying, "My most sincere apologies for the interruption. We had some dinner, and then we finally got around to practicing my footwork. If you'll pardon me, I should like to get cleaned up—that is, unless I can be of any service to you this evening, Highness?"
Noct grimaced a little at the address. Back in Insomnia, he'd never given it much thought, what Iggy's life was like moment to moment when he wasn't around. It was just so easy to unwind after a day of classes and training and a thousand subtle reminders all day about how the future of the world was on his shoulders. It was so easy to just sit back and be taken care of, not have to think about anything. Iggy had always just been so steady—annoying, but steady. But now that Noct was out here with just the four of them, he couldn't help but see what he hadn't back home. What did the guy do for fun when Noct wasn't around? What was his personal life like? Did he even have one? He'd followed Noct around almost his whole life, so Noct had just assumed that nitpicking was just what he enjoyed—always cooking, cleaning, doing work, nagging Noct to work, mothering him.
And then there was that nightmare he'd gone through as a kid—because of him. Noct still couldn't believe it was real, that he'd never breathed a word about it all those years—still wouldn't. It kinda made him feel betrayed. But it also made him take an even harder look at the guy who'd been his friend for as long as he could remember, and he didn't like what he saw. It was like he'd been raised to be Noct's friend, like he'd been beaten and forced into it, and Noct had just gone along with it, never questioning that his childhood friend was also his servant.
How many times had Iggy stood there beside him, giving him advice or cleaning up after him when he was bone dead tired from doing other things? How many times had Noct casually made a suggestion and Iggy had bent over backward to make it happen because he saw it as an order from his liege? Noct bet it was even more than he thought, cause he was starting to notice the permanent circles under Iggy's eyes were disappearing, the sighs were coming less often, and even the number of cans of Ebony had reduced—even though the guy was still obviously an addict.
Now that he'd seen it—that servitude and sacrifice, he couldn't unsee it. But he didn't want a servant in Iggy. He wanted the friend—the big brother—he'd thought he had. Noct had been trying lately to push him off on Laura because it looked like it made him happy; he'd never seen Specs smile so much—let alone whatever the hell that snorting giggling mess just was—except for that one time he accidentally got high off espresso. But even though hanging out with Prompto was awesome, Noct found he missed the irritating prick—a lot. Maybe he should just try to spend some time with him—see if he couldn't find his friend again.
"No, Specs, it's cool. Go ahead and do your thing," he said, plastering a smile on his face and waving him off to the door that led to the kitchen and bedroom. But after he'd done it, he realized it looked too much like a dismissal. Damnit. How did things get to be so awkward? To make matters worse, Iggy bowed his head before striding through the door.
Laura stood there for a moment, watching him leave before sitting down on the couch next to Prompto, summoning a clip to pull her hair into a twist.
"I can't believe how hot it is here when it was so nice back at Wiz's. It's not like the two regions are that far apart from each other . . .. What are you two staring at?"
Noct looked at Prompto, then back at Laura. "You were sparring . . . wearing that?" he asked, gesturing at her costume.
If it wasn't so obviously a Daemon's Night costume, he would've sworn that Laura and Iggy had just been out on a date—even if it was June and nowhere near Daemon's Night. But then, Specs would never wear Crownsguard fatigues out on a date. Or would he? The idea of 'Specs' and 'date' in the same sentence was just . . . weird. And Laura, she was an alien. Not that there was anything wrong with that, but she wasn't just an alien, she was kind of a weird one too. He just didn't see them together, even if they were good friends.
Laura looked down at herself, then back up at the two of them. "Oh, well. . ., it's hot out. And some of us do try to make some effort to blend in with the local culture, you know," she said with a teasing smile as she gestured to their Crownsguard fatigues.
"Riiiight," Prompto said, narrowing his eyes at her and tilting his head.
It did kind of make sense to Noct, more sense than Iggy going out on a date, anyway. He and Prompto had seen how the women dressed here on their way to and from the arcade, and Laura was actually wearing a lot more clothes than them. But she'd have to do better than a costume if she was gonna blend in.
The door to the suite opened, and Gladio walked in. "Sup," he greeted with a thrust of his chin. "Iggy back too?"
"Yeah," Noct said before anyone else could reply. "How'd it go with Iris?"
He'd been trying to do that lately with all of them, showing them all that he actually did give a shit about them as people, ever since the thing with Iggy. Noct and Gladio had always had a more professional, ass-kicking type relationship than Noct and Iggy, but he still considered them really close friends. It just wasn't until Laura had pointed it out that day in Keycatrich that he realized he didn't know jack about Gladio either. It wasn't that he didn't care—he really did. It was just . . . he was always so tired after the sparring and the lecturing that the idea of trying to hold a conversation and pry into someone else's life sounded even more miserable than it usually did. He didn't like asking people questions because the answers usually made him uncomfortable, and then he wouldn't know what to say or do to continue the conversation. It was usually easier just to stay quiet.
Gladio drooped down on the couch next to Laura, using the back of his arm to wipe the sheen of sweat off his forehead. "It was good as it coulda been I guess. Dad definitely knew ahead of time. Set up all this stuff with Jared: helluva lotta gil to take care of Iris, information on tombs and stuff, even a way for us to get to Altissia. I gotta get with Iggy and make sure he knows so he can fit it into his grand plan. Still gotta figure out what to do with Iris long-term though while we're off gallivanting."
"I'm just glad she's safe," Laura said to him. "I'm sure everything else will sort itself in time."
"Yeah, I'm sure." He looked over at her. "Hey, Princess . . . you look good," he said with a flirtatious grin.
"Thanks, Glad," she replied with a bright smile, leaning into his side, and he put his arm around her shoulders.
"Yeah, apparently she and Iggy were out 'sparring,'" Noct said.
"Huh. 'Sparring . . .,'" he mused, looking down at her from the side of his eye and smirking. "And did Iggy learn a lot?"
"I'd say enough for one night, yes," she said, staring up at him with some kinda significant look.
Noct would never admit it to anyone else, but he just didn't get the dance that happened between two people when they were flirting. Laura and Gladio seemed to do it a lot though, and he wondered if there was something going on there just as much as with her and Iggy. The flirting thing kinda made him feel awkward, and he was glad she'd never tried that with him.
"Okay, you guys're just being weird," Prompto said, seeming to agree with Noct's thoughts. "Now that everyone's back, I'm gonna hit the gysahl greens." He pointed toward the bedroom.
"Yeah, we should all clear out so Laura can have her bedroom," Gladio said, standing and herding Noct and Prompto through the door, past the kitchen, and into the bedroom.
Noct sat down on his side of the bed that he and Iggy would be sharing and waited for him to come out of the shower, which was never longer than six minutes. For a guy who was so into being clean and styled, he could never be accused of being selfish about bathroom time. Sure enough, it was only about a minute before the door opened, and he emerged from the bathroom wearing his usual blue and grey pinstriped pajama pants and grey t-shirt.
Iggy didn't seem to be paying attention to any of them—or notice that they were all sitting on the edge of their beds staring in silence. After pulling back the covers, he settled primly onto the edge of his side of the bed, taking off his glasses and humming the chocobo tune cheerfully to himself in the smallest, faintest voice as he rocked his head back and forth a little. Was he actually gonna go to bed at the same time as them for once too?
Iggy looked up, his eyes locking on Prompto, who sat closest to him on the other bed. Prompto was stock still, staring with his mouth open.
"Are you all right, Prompto?" he asked.
"Were you . . . humming?" Prompto asked incredulously.
"Hmm, I suppose I was," he mused.
"Who are you, and what did you do with Iggy?!" he asked accusingly, but Ignis laughed in response.
They must've had a few shots of espresso after dinner. It was the only explanation for why Specs could be like this. They'd have to warn Laura next time to keep him away from the stuff at night though, as the guy was probably gonna be up tossing and turning, giggling and humming all night.
"My lips are sealed," Iggy replied mysteriously before turning to Noct, looking back and forth between the two of them. "And you, Noct? Did you two enjoy your evening at the arcade?"
"Yeah, actually. The place was cramped and old, but they actually had some good games, even some computers for online gaming and stuff. Prom and I spent most of our time on Assassin's Creed though. Actually, the guy there said there was gonna be an Assassin's Festival here in a month. Sounds like it's gonna be sooooooo awesome. Can we go, Iggy? Please? PLEASE?"
Iggy gave him a crooked smile, "Besides the fact that we're on the run from the Empire, there's an Imperial bounty on your head, and we have no idea where we're going to be in a month, I don't see why we couldn't."
"All right!" Prompto shouted, jumping off the bed and punching a fist in the air. "Did ya hear that Noct? Maybe we can even dress up . . . as ASSASSINS."
"Hell yeah!"
"Now, now, kindly keep your voices down. Too many nights spent in a haven, and you've forgotten we're in a hotel room with other people nearby."
"You should talk," Noct said as he narrowed his eyes at him. "Or are you tryin' say that wasn't you giggling up the hallway earlier?"
"Giggling up the hallway?" Gladio asked, lying down on his back with his hands under his head.
"Did you get into the espresso again, Iggy?" Prompto asked.
"You know you can't drink that stuff like coffee," Noct reminded him. They'd all taken him out to a coffee shop for his twenty-first birthday after he'd adamantly refused to be responsible for taking the Crown Prince to a bar. Eight shots of espresso later, and the guy might as well have been wasted. Gladio'd had to drive them all home while Iggy rolled around giggling in the back seat like a cat doped up on catnip.
"I'm certain I have no idea what you're talking about. But you haven't told me about the rest of your evening."
Noct might not have noticed the first time Iggy manipulated them into forgetting about him, but he noticed this time. The guy didn't want to be in the spotlight, clearly, so he pretended to fall for it, going through a play by play of all the games he and Prompto played that evening, with Prompto jumping in from time to time to make corrections or add to his story. As he spoke, Iggy nodded along enthusiastically, asking for more information or his opinions on the games he'd never heard Noct mention before. Noct tried to single out a change in their interaction, but besides his eyes being bright as he smiled up at the ceiling and the fact that he didn't once ask how much money they'd spent, Noct could spot no difference.
He'd had a pretty shitty night. It wasn't often that he had nightmares that he remembered, but when he did, they were usually related to that damn prophecy. Last night was different though. Gladio and Iggy had come to him and told him there wasn't a king anymore, so they saw no reason to continue this trip with him. The worst part was, when he woke up, he realized it was true. There was absolutely nothing stopping them from leaving right now to go out and find their own lives. Sure, he'd still have Prompto, and Laura was definitely powerful enough to get him through this, but it wouldn't be the same with Laura. He considered her a friend, but not like Gladio and Iggy. What was keeping them there with him now? It must've been the end of the world, because he couldn't see a single reason why they'd continue to stand behind him. It wasn't like he was a king like his dad had been.
He rubbed at his swollen eyes and shuffled into the kitchen, where Iggy was alone at the counter, making coffee.
"Morning, Highness!" he sang.
"Ugh, morning," he replied. "That's enough coffee for you, I think, especially after last night. Find another beverage that doesn't make you so . . . wired, will you?"
"Well, I very much doubt I ever will, but I'll allow the idea to percolate and see if I come up with any alternatives," he replied, turning to him with a grin.
"See what I mean? Too much caffeine, Specs."
"It's a stimulating debate, to be certain, but do try to tamp your emotions regarding my coffee habit. I don't foresee it disappearing any time soon."
"Iggy?"
"Yes, Noct?"
"Shut up."
"Of course."
For a second, Noct thought he'd gone and done it again, but Iggy kept talking.
"Laura made tea for Gladio this morning—Laoshan Black, she called it. It has the most delightful flavors of cocoa and bread. She left some leaf behind in case you wanted any. Would you care for some?"
"I don't have to do all the ceremony crap, do I?"
"Language, Highness. And no. She's anticipated your distaste for ceremony and left you a regular mug."
"Then, yeah. Thanks a lot, Specs," he said sincerely.
Iggy turned around and gave him a significant look. "It truly is my pleasure, Noct," he said before turning back to make the tea.
"So did the others already leave? How the hell is everyone so awake?"
"Well, one has time to wake up if one has been up for hours already. There is no better way of getting up in the morning than greeting the dawn," he replied cheerfully. "Laura just left to use Lady Iris's en suite so as not to disturb your rest. Gladio and Prompto are out with young Talcott, touring the city. I would have gone with them, but I had already departed for the morning. And Lady Iris is helping Jared in the lobby with a project, but she requested to see you as soon as you were available."
As Iggy finished pouring the boiling water into the mug and set the leaves to steep, a tremor passed through the floors of the hotel, making the dishes in the cabinet rattle and the floor at their feet vibrate.
"My word," Iggy said. "I'd heard there was an increase in seismic activity in this region as of late, but it's my first time feeling it. It's unsettling, don't you think?"
But Noct couldn't respond. At the very moment the tremors had started, fiery metal pokers seemed to stab through his temples and deep into his brain. He leaned forward on the table, pressing his head with both his hands in an attempt to keep his skull from splitting open as his lungs tried to pull in air.
"Noct! Are you all right?" he heard Iggy ask as he felt gentle hands pressing against his shoulders, his arms, and the top of his head.
But just like that, the pain ceased, leaving only a dull headache behind. Nothing a little caffeine couldn't cure.
"Yeah, just . . . got a headache there for a sec," he said, waving the reluctant advisor off him. "Really, I'm fine. Thanks though."
As Specs turned back to get his tea, Noct thought about just how much Iggy had always taken care of him. He definitely didn't want Iggy as a servant, but it was nice to feel cared for in a way his dad couldn't. He really did think of Specs as a smarter, really annoying older brother. He'd been right about everything so many times over the years that Noct trusted Iggy implicitly, even over his own judgment.
Iggy set the tea down in front of him and took his own seat on the other side of the table.
"All right, care to finally tell me what's set those thoughts of yours brewing?" Iggy asked.
"I dunno," Noct replied, blowing a little on his tea to cool it down.
Iggy's face turned serious at his reply. Most people thought that expression meant he was pissed, but Noct knew better. This was advisor Iggy on a mission. Noct knew Specs would never push him for more than he was willing to spill, but Iggy would do this thing where he'd sit there for as long as it took for Noct to start talking. And since he analyzed the hell out of anything Noct said, it usually took Noct longer to gather his thoughts just so he'd say the right thing.
When he'd almost finished his tea, he looked up to see Iggy still sitting there calmly, patiently—waiting.
Noct sighed. "I knew my dad wasn't gonna be there forever, but I thought he'd be there for part of it at least. I need more time, Iggy. I'm not ready. I just feel . . . I dunno. Lost."
Iggy looked down at the table for a moment, pressing his lips tightly together before replying. "I'll admit this particular piece of advice doesn't originate from me, but someone gave it to me when I was feeling similarly, and I found it rather helpful. Sometimes, lost is where you need to be. Just because you don't know your direction doesn't mean you don't have one."
"When were you ever feeling lost?" Noct asked incredulously, then winced to himself. It was still easy to forget that not everything in Iggy's life had been perfect with him back and acting completely normal.
"I am not immune to the shortcomings of being human, you know," he said with a sympathetic smile. "Fortunately, I was wise enough to seek advice as you're doing now."
He sighed and took another sip of his coffee before adjusting his perfectly straight glasses on his nose. "Your powers are growing exponentially. Do you remember how much trouble you had with the blade warp in training?"
"Heh. Yeah, never could seem to get it down just right."
"Now look at you. Your performance was masterful in the fight against Deadeye. You mastered Laura's elemental spell technique nearly instantly, enabling you to save the life of a dear friend and comrade."
He leaned in a little, inclining his head to catch Noct's eyes. "And I can't tell you how shockingly pleasant it is to go through a battle and not be electrocuted."
Noct couldn't help it. He chuckled and slapped at Iggy's hand on the table.
"Shut up."
Iggy grew quiet and sincere as he continued. "Take your time, Noct. We have a goal we're accomplishing for now, and there's time to figure out the rest. I'm quite proud of your achievements since we left, and I have complete faith that you'll make a most excellent king. In the meantime, know that we are all here for you, and always will be—whatever you need."
Of course it was just what he'd needed to hear. He didn't realize how much it would mean to him, Iggy being proud.
"Thanks, Specs."
"It has always been and will always be my pleasure, Highness."
"Hey, Iggy?" Noct said in a small voice. He really didn't wanna drag this out, but he had to say something. He owed it to him, for all Iggy'd done for him.
"Yes?"
"I'm . . . sorry. For . . . you know—not noticing."
This time, Iggy's face turned cold, his teeth clenched with a click, and he looked down at the table as though it had done something to personally offend him. When he spoke, he only relaxed his jaw just enough to get the words out.
"I do hope you don't blame yourself, Noct. You were, after all, only a child. There is nothing to apologize for, I assure you. I beg of you, please put that unpleasantness out of your mind, and let us not mention these things again."
Noct raised his mug to swallow the very last dregs of his tea before standing. He knew Iggy well enough to know that the conversation was over, and though Noct was glad that Iggy didn't blame him for anything, it didn't keep him from feeling more than a little responsible. But Noct couldn't take any more awkwardness than they'd experienced already anyway; it was time for him to escape.
"All right. I'm gonna go see Iris, I guess."
His voice was almost completely cheerful again as he replied, "Very well. Perhaps we can all meet here afterward and take a more thorough tour of the market. I've not yet had the pleasure."
"Yeah, sure," Noct said with a smile. "See ya later."
As soon as he'd shut the door to their suite, he nearly ran into Laura coming up the stairs and passing by their room.
"Good morning, Noctis. Sleep well?"
"Yeah, all right," he lied. "Did you see Iris down there just now?"
"Yes, I had to get the key from her, but then I got sidetracked helping Marcus look for his watch."
"Who?"
"Guy at the front desk," she said with a wave of her hand.
"Oh. Anyway, I should go see what Iris wants."
She snorted. "Yeah, I think I can guess what Iris wants. Have fun."
"Come, Noct. Look!" Iggy said excitedly, pointing to a bunch of bright yellow fruits hanging on a hook outside a stall. "They smell sweet. Could they possibly be the missing ingredient in your pastry?"
"I dunno, maybe," Noct said, blowing his bangs out of his eyes with a deep sigh.
"We should certainly pick some up to try, along with any other local fruits they may have. Oh! And this stall has the cheapest rice in the market. I did make a note last night to pick more up."
"Um . . . didn't we already pass by this stall?" Prompto asked, a hint of a whine in his voice.
"Yeah, twice," Noct replied under his breath.
Shopping with Specs in a new place with so many stalls turned out to be a nightmare, and Noct himself had already walked through it once with Iris earlier this morning. Iggy had to look at every single item every single stall sold, make a note of the price, then sweep through again to actually buy either the best or the cheapest ingredients—usually at six or seven different stalls. And every time he came across a new ingredient, he had to have a long discussion with the stall owner about its uses and cooking instructions. It seemed like every five minutes, he was taking that notebook of his out and jotting down recipes. They'd been there four hours with no end in sight. Noct was all for making an effort to do some of Iggy's things, but this was getting to be too much.
"Ugh, and he mentioned going clothes shopping with Iris later. They both have this . . . fashion thing, I guess. Let's try to find some way to duck out before then," Noct said from behind his hand.
"Hey," Gladio grunted. "That man sits next to you for hours on end and stares at the water while you fish. Think you can handle a market. And if he asks us to go clothes shopping, you bet we're gonna go. Same thing goes if my sister asks, too. Got it?"
"They have the most vibrant Leiden peppers here!" Iggy called back to them, holding a pepper aloft with a wide smile.
They all turned to look at him, then back at each other, and Gladio sighed. "At least he's happy. Try to find some way to make sure he doesn't ask though, yeah?"
Noct nodded. It was harder than he'd thought, doing boring things for hours on end, and he'd really been trying today for Iggy's sake. It was paying off, it seemed, cause Iggy was in a really good mood, and it didn't seem to have anything to do with Laura, as she hadn't been around all day.
"Hey, Specs," Noct said, sidling up to him. "Where's Laura today?"
At first, Iggy didn't seem to hear him. He had a faint smile on his face, a faraway look in his eyes, and a blush on his cheeks as he ran a gloved finger along one of the scarlet pepper's ridges.
Eventually, he answered, "Oh, she's likely out wrapping the entire town around her finger, as she's wont to do everywhere we go, it would seem."
"You okay there, Iggy?" Prompto asked. "Your face's all red."
"Hmm? Oh, yes. It's just getting quite warm out. I was just thinking about using this in a new recipe, actually. I've decided to call it peppery daggerquill rice."
"Spicy rice? Awesome!" Prompto said, dancing back and forth on his toes.
"Yes, I thought you might like it," he said. "After this, there's an apothecary nearby I'd like to visit, if everyone else is amenable. They're supposed to have all manner of poisons indigenous to the area."
"You betcha, Iggy," Gladio said, and even Noct was impressed at how enthused Gladio had managed to sound.
If there was anything worse than food shopping with Iggy, it was poison shopping. Noct had gone with him once before they left Insomnia, and he swore he'd never do it again. There wasn't anything else to look at, so Noct had been stuck staring at jars of gigantoad hearts or whatever for hours on end while Iggy grilled the owner about every possible chemical interaction for every poison or venom he bought.
But Specs wasn't falling for Gladio's enthusiastic approval. His eyes narrowed at the three of them before looking down at his watch and gasping.
"My apologies, all of you. I'm afraid I've lost track of the hour. Imagine, you all traipsing after me as I monopolize the day. We could go back to the arcade if you like. Or I did some research, and there's a bookstore of the sort you would prefer, Gladio. It's right next door to a gadget shop and across the street from a hunting store that sells fishing equipment."
"Or, we could say 'hi' to Laura," Prompto said, pointing down the aisle.
"Hey, Princess!" Gladio called out, and Noct turned to see her wave from several stalls down.
As they approached, they saw she was holding out some kinda alien looking object—golden brown with lighter gold shell patterns, and the craziest, spikiest green top. It looked . . . kinda dangerous as she handed it off to the stall keeper in exchange for what looked like a bag of fine Cleigne wheat.
"An' if ya just cut the top off and plan' it, it'll grow a whole new one. Should grow good in this area, yeah? I'll write ya the recipe for tha' upside down cake an' drop it off la'er," she said with a bright smile. "An' tell Jared I taped 'is daughter's recital. His phone's on the table in back."
It was only after the stall keeper thanked her that she turned to them. "Hey, guys!"
"Hey, Laura!" Prompto said, bouncing up to her and putting his arm around her shoulder. "Whatcha up to now?"
"Well, think I jus' introduced the pineapple to your planet. You're welcome!"
"Do you mean to say you're trading from your private stores to purchase ingredients? You realize that I set aside a small allowance for each of us to make personal purchases," Iggy said with a frown.
"Yeah, and when have you ever bought anything personal?" Gladio asked.
"I just did! I've never seen zu tender before, and I used my personal funds so I could experiment with it."
"Yeah, and then who's gonna eat it?"
"Well," Iggy said, looking down at his shirt and picking off an invisible piece of lint, "I was hoping maybe you all wouldn't mind trying it . . .."
"Uh huh, my point exactly. That's not personal, Iggy. Use group funds for that shit."
"Yeah, it kinda gets awkward wiv group funds 'n all. Oh, speakin' of, picked up a buncha errands 'n stuff for us. Been 'round town all mornin' talkin' t' everyone," she said, surreptitiously summoning a list while her hand was obscured in her shopping bag and handing it to Iggy.
"There may be some duplicates. We've spoken to all the market stall owners," Iggy said, looking the list over. "Still, there are several here we don't have."
Noct was watching the two of them interact very closely, and besides that weird accent thing Laura did sometimes, everything looked perfectly normal between the two of them. Actually, they looked even less cozy than usual, standing farther apart and acting all business.
He was about to ask Laura what her plans were for the rest of the day when the ground shook and another set of pokers lodged in his head. Damn it, that was the third time this morning.
"This is not normal," Gladio growled.
"Another headache?" Iggy asked, concerned.
"I'm fine, you guys, really," Noct said.
"That's three times this morning. And three tremors. That can't be a coincidence, man," Prompto said.
"It's not," Laura said in a hard voice, and Noct looked up to see her glaring at him. "Are you all right? Really, don't try to be tough."
"Uh . . .," he said as he checked how his head felt. "Yeah, I think so. The pain goes away as soon as the tremors stop, but it leaves behind a headache. Why?"
"It's telepathy. Every time the ground shakes, a telepathic howl goes out. I thought they've been trying to contact me, but I haven't been able to establish a connection. Can't even tell a direction it's coming from. Guess it's you they're calling, but they sure aren't being careful about it."
"Who'd be trying to call Noct telepathically?" Prompto asked. "I mean, phone's the easiest way."
"Perhaps the caller simply lacks Noct's mobile number," Iggy said with a smirk before turning serious and looking to Laura. "Could the caller hurt him?"
"I'm not getting a feeling of malevolence, but yes, they could if they aren't careful. I could put a temporary block on your head to protect you, but then they wouldn't be able to reach you, either."
"No, then. Let's leave it open for now. Find out what they want," Noct said. He didn't know of any telepathic people on Eos besides Laura and the Crystal, but if they were trying so hard to get a hold of him that they were making the ground shake, it must've been really important.
"Can I get your permission to do it if it looks like they made contact but are hurting you? I'd like to be prepared, and touching your mind without permission is a dilemma I'd rather not have to deal with."
"You wouldn't . . . look at anything else, right?" It wasn't like there were secrets or anything in his head, but the idea of Laura just walking around in his memories was kinda creepy.
She shook her head. "No, I swear. I don't even really need to go into your mind to do it—just . . . more like your brain."
Noct looked over at Iggy. He always knew when a person was trustworthy or not. They all trusted Laura with their lives, but Noct wasn't sure he was ready to trust her with his head. They all had seen what she'd done to that man, and what if she slipped and killed him instead of protecting him? But Iggy's expression turned serious before he nodded.
"All right then, yeah," Noct said with a sigh.
"Then I should probably stay close until this gets solved . . . damnit. I promised Geri I'd pick up her kids to give her the afternoon off while I did the grocery shopping for Mr. Kirkland. He hasn't been able to leave the house in weeks, and none of his neighbors has been able to do it lately."
"Haven't we only been here like, less than a day?" Prompto asked under his breath.
"Um, I could do that with you, I guess," Noct said, rubbing at the back of his neck. He'd much rather wrangle a bunch of kids for another turn around this market than go to the apothecary . . . and definitely more than going shopping with Iris. "But we gotta be back early—before Talcott's bedtime. Guess he's got a tip for us about a Royal Arm behind a waterfall or something."
"Yeah, so you and Prompto can go with Laura. Iggy and I are gonna check out some poisons. Meet you guys back at the Leville for dinner?" Gladio asked.
"Yeah, sure," Noct replied, turning to go with Laura, but Iggy stopped him with a quick pat on the shoulder.
"You have my sincere thanks for today, Noct," he said with a nod. "Do be careful, and allow Laura to put the block on if the pain becomes too much."
"You really trust her . . .," Noct said in wonder. There were just so few people in the world that Iggy had ever trusted, and even fewer with Noct's life.
"I do."