"Where did you live in the city?" I ask quietly, trying to picture the details of the city. I'm horrified to find that instead of a vivid picture, I can only imagine muggy scenes in which I was involved. How do they slip away so fast?
"West side, back by that nice apartment building in the Second Center," he mutters. "Had a small place tucked in the back plaza."
"Hm," I hum in acknowledgment, relieved to find that I can at least remember that much. "Really? I always thought you'd have a nicer place."
"It was nice enough," he shrugs. "I didn't spend enough time at home to need anything more than a bed and a shower." He looks down at me, raising one dark eyebrow. "Where were you?"
"East. That tall place, Caelum Cove I think," I frown. "I wasn't home a lot either, but more than you, I guess. My brothers used it more than I did." I straighten, wrapping my fingers around the icy cold bar tightly, giving an experimental squeeze. "Signum was there when he wasn't at school or training. Arma was only ever allowed to have guard duty, and even that was every other day, sometimes special events."
"Huh," Gladio grunts, turning his amber eyes back toward the buildings far away from us. "So Sig wasn't even preparing to help you."
"We all just assumed he'd want to follow Arma," I mumble, lifting my face to feel the gentle, cold breeze against my face. "I was the big-baddie he never wanted to be. My father had nothing to say about it, so…" I sigh, "yeah. He just went to normal old school and back."
"He's gonna learn more than how to multiply fractions now," he grumbles, leaning forward against the railing and pushing a few stray hairs back. "By the time Insomnia gets back on its feet, he'll be a man."
"How can you be so sure?" I huff. He shakes his head, laughing to himself before straightening and grinning at me.
"You and your worrying ain't helping anyone," he teases, throwing an arm over my shoulder. I shiver when his warm fingers brush against the goosebumps on my arm, making him frown. " #$%, you really are cold."
"I don't want the jacket," I mumble, raising an eyebrow at him. He rolls his eyes, sighing. "You've got nothing original to offer me, buddy."
"You're stubborn."
"So are you," I shrug, though I don't shove him away like I should when he pulls me closer to his side, sharing that warmth he always produces in abundance. I close my eyes, sighing contentedly when my temple rests on his familiar shoulder. A sudden crack through the air makes me jump; Gladio laughs. I huff, watching a shower of sparks fall from the sky as Altissia sets off more fireworks, brilliant colors scattering across the night sky. "What's the occasion?" I ask.
"Not sure," Gladio replies, checking his phone for the time. Grunting, he looks down at me. "Ten-ten, make a wish."
"Alright," I grin, folding my hands and staring straight up into the heavens. "Dear gods, please have Ramuh come and strike this man down with your holy thunder. He's being unbearably bizarre tonight, and I'd appreciate it if you could set him straight again. Amen."
"Whatever," he huffs, swatting at the back of my head playfully. "That doesn't count; you said it aloud."
"Fine," I sigh, rolling my eyes and watching the shower of sparks continue to rain upon the city. Moments later, I find myself watching Gladio instead, hiding a smile as he watches the show with increasing interest. I feel a little silly as I give a slight puff of an irritated breath, glaring down at the white railing underneath my fingertips. Just stop, Rayne. It'll fade; it's because you're both lonely. It happens. It'll pass and you can both laugh about it later in life. But still… But I still don't see it going anywhere. It's a good thing that it won't… Right?
"Kinda funny to watch your face when you're having an internal conflict," Gladio teases, breaking my train of thought. "What's up?"
He turns to face me completely, raising an eyebrow. Just do it, you greedy #$%^. Shaking my head, I only reach up silently, taking either side of his face into my hands and stretching up on my toes to press my lips to his. It's like he was expecting me to do so, a calloused hand find its way to the small of my back, careful not to press too hard against the place he knows a nasty scar marks my skin. The other finds itself buried in my hair, tangling itself amongst the long blonde strands.
It feels like forever later that I breach the surface for sweet oxygen, leaving my forehead resting against his. I can feel the newest scar that stretches across the width of his head, intersecting the one I carved in so long ago. I open my eyes lazily to see amber irises staring right back at me, a smug grin spreading across the face of the king's sworn shield. I guess it isn't bothering him that we're away from Noct… I open my mouth to say something when a slight movement catches the corner of my eye. I turn to see the same shadowy figure we ran into earlier standing stock still, staring right at us.
"Gladio," I whisper, motioning toward the figure with my eyes alone. He straightens, frowning when he sees the person. I shiver as my only source of warmth steps away, scowling at the figure.
"What do you want?" he demands. The figure starts, as if they'd been locked in a trance, suddenly sprinting off to the left. "Not again," Gladio huffs, following the person. I'm hot on his heels- until he skids to a stop, seeing nothing but a wall ahead. "Son of a…!"
"Any idea who that could be?" I ask, glancing up at him with a frown.
"No clue," Gladio huffs, shaking his head. He gives a sigh of defeat, nodding toward the staircase. "Let's head back."
I wake up close to ten in the morning, but only Ignis is close to being wide awake. I have to practically tear my eyelids open, squinting at the alarm clock before groaning and rolling over to face Gladio's back. It's radiating a little too much heat for comfort; I utter a string of frustrated curses, rolling back over with a huff.
"Good morning to you as well," Ignis murmurs without turning to face me. "You've slept in quite a long while."
"Yeah, yeah," I sigh, sitting up. Gladio grumbles something about noodles under his breath and tugs the blankets away. I roll my eyes, standing and stretching my arms over my head. "Noct up yet?"
"No," the advisor sighs, folding one of my shirts, which is now perfectly clean. The hotel must've let him use the laundry room or something. "Though I should wake him soon. He has an afternoon appointment with Camelia."
"The crazy old witch that's dangling Luna over our heads?" I mutter, sitting on the edge of the bed. With an annoyed huff, I turn to the mumbling idiot behind me and punch his back. "Rise and shine, moron."
" #$*% by day, sweet by night," he grumbles, opening one eye to look at me smugly. Ignis raises an eyebrow.
"Oh, yes. How was your evening?"
"Eh," I shrug. "Except for the stalker I told you about, obviously."
"Just 'eh?' Tough crowd," Gladio huffs, sitting up and rubbing his face tiredly. I roll my eyes.
"Unless you were hiding a harem behind those buildings, there was no crowd."
"Don't start arguing again," Ignis sighs, crossing his arms. "Perhaps you could go get Noct."
"You think I wanna wake the princess up?" I scoff, frowning stubbornly. Ignis gives me a flat look, moving to clamp his hands on his hips irritably.
"There's something I meant to discuss with Gladio while you were gone. Take your time."
"Uh-huh," I reply dryly, getting up and leaving the room. I head next door, knocking upon finding the door locked. It's a good thing I can't get in; I was worried someone would try to hunt him down. The door swings open wide a few silent moments later. "Morning, Prompto."
"Hn," the blond hums, rubbing his blue eyes tiredly. Rolling my eyes, I edge past him into the room to see the Prince still curled up in the white sheets. I sigh, stepping across the room and throwing the curtains open, the room flooding with bright sunlight.
"You guys always just hang out in your underwear?" I tease,
"Huh?" he frowns, shielding his eyes and glancing down at his chocobo briefs. "Oh, uh, that's just how I sleep." He hurries across the room and wiggles his way into his coeurl-print pants. I head to Noct's bed, bouncing onto the edge. He's pulled a pillow over his head to hid from the light; I tear it away. He groans, trying to pull the covers over his head. I rip them off the bed, digging a finger into his side.
"Time to get up, Prince Charmless. Iggy let you sleep in."
"Don't care," he grunts, curling into a ball. If he wasn't being so difficult, I'd think it was kinda cute. Rolling my eyes, I give him a hard shove. The sleepy, half naked prince falls off the bed, hitting the floor with a dull thud. He's glaring at me by the time I make my way to his bag. " #$% you too."
"Get dressed," I huff, throwing his clothes at him. "You've got negotiations with Camelia in about an hour."
"You're trying to get Luna, back right?" Prompto asks, heading toward the mirror with a can of hairspray and a comb. "That's the whole point, isn't it?"
"Yeah," Noctis sighs, tugging his dark shirt on over his head with only a little struggling. He looks over at me, running a hand through his messy black hair. "Specs make you come get me?"
"Yeah," I huff, crossing my arms. "He wanted to talk to Gladio about something confidential, I guess."
"Wow," Prompto laughs. "Weren't you way up there back at the Crown City?"
"I dunno," I shrug. Noctis scoffs, sitting on the edge of the bed and tugging at his loose black pants.
"I think you've spent more time with my old man in the last five years than I have," he mutters, tugging on his combat boots.
"I doubt it," I shake my head. Prompto gives a final spray to his hair and grins at his reflection, satisfied with his handiwork. "We ready?" They nod simultaneously. Checking my phone to find nothing from Signum, I lead the way down to the lobby. The wait for the other two doesn't take long. The tall duo make the staircase look miniature as they join us.
"Are we prepared to head out?" Ignis asks, lifting his glasses gently.
"Pretty sure," Noctis replies, stretching his arms over his head.
The city is slow to awaken, the sun already shining brightly overhead onto its pristine walkways and aged buildings. The air is comfortably warm, almost cool, with the onset of September. Two young girls giggle as we walk past, scooping up warm canal water to splash at each other.
"Well, guess we need to talk to Camelia," Prompto sighs, lifting his camera to shoot a photo of a nice restaurant across the water.
"Yeah, as if we have any other option," Gladio scoffs, irritability filling his tone sharply.
"There's no telling how events will unfold," Ignis reminds us, looking most specifically at Noct. "We must be prepared for anything."
"The imperials are here already, aren't they?" I frown, a gondola skimming past.
"Some members should be, yes," Ignis nods. We ascend up the empty white stairs between two buildings, making our way to a higher level in Altissia. "I take it the city is much busier at night."
"Definitely," I nod, hugging my arms to my body once we enter a more shadowed area. I really need to have Ignis fix that jacket for me, otherwise I'll freeze to death out here. "How many people would you say you knocked into, Gladio?"
"At least ten," he chuckles, nodding toward a man that waves at us eagerly. "And some of 'em get real nasty attitudes about it."
"I mean, some big thug starts shoving me around, I might get ticked off too," Noct teases, flashing a taunting grin as his shield.
"Thug," Prompto repeats with a snort.
We make our way across a white, wooden bridge, stopping once to snap a photo with the beautiful blue water of Altissia rushing beneath us. Only the gods know when we'll find our way back to this gorgeous city again. Up through the next set of stairs, I see dozens of guards littered about, their uniforms sticking them out like a sore thumb. I fight the urge to laugh; different country, different standards. They do look ridiculous, though.
I can tell we've reached Camelia's manor by the sheer amount of fancy people wandering about around us. Women in pencil skirts and blazers bustle past, their heels clicking along the concrete path loudly. Men dressed in suits nod toward us in acknowledgement as they stride by. The enormous cobblestone wall around a mansion and the huge iron gate before it speak for themselves. This is the grimmest place I've seen here by far.
"Guess I'm going in now," Noctis breathes, turning back to look over our faces for our support before walking toward the guards at the gate with the confident air of royalty. He's let in immediately, escorted by two men in navy blue uniforms.
"What do we do now?" I ask, resting my hands on my hips.
"There's a market place just over there," Ignis suggests, nodding toward the loose cluster of street stalls. "Perhaps I could find some more elusive ingredients for our meals."
"Looks like a nice place to hang out and wait," Prompto nods, smiling. He looks back down at his camera's small screen, grinning at the photos he's captured on our journey so far.
"Let's get a move on then." Gladio pushes us forward, following behind as we make our way to the next street. People are beginning to leave their homes now that it's noon, steadily streaming past and through to look briefly at colorful stalls beholding an array of unique goods. I settle for leaning against a wooden post beside the water, looking out at the citizens that inhabit this strange city.
"There're a lot of good photo spots here," Prompto mumbles behind his camera as he snaps another photo of the gondola system. "I wish Iris was here."
"I don't," Gladio shakes his head. "We're not here on vacation; the Hydraean won't be any more merciful than the empire."
"Still," I sigh, crossing my arms. "I can't help but worry about those two."
"Still worried about Sig?" Gladio raises an eyebrow.
"Yeah," I nod. "He can hardly kill off a sabertusk. I just get this really bad feeling that something awful is gonna happen, and soon."
"We'll know what's bothering you when you get the results from Noct's negotiations."
"Maybe," I mutter, watching Ignis lose himself in the crowd, wandering away in his own little world.
I smile to myself, shaking my head. Ignis is quite talented in the way he looks after others. That what he does; he cares. However, it's amazing just how well on his own. It surprised me the first time I even noticed. In fact, I'm pretty sure he'd rather not be around us ever again after this is over. Too bad he's so dedicated to Noctis.
Suddenly, through the colorful crowd, a dark spot catches my eye. Frowning, I squint through the afternoon sunlight. My heart stops, catching at the base of my throat. There they are again… The shadowed figure, tall and thin, crosses its arms, conversing with a guard under its black hood. Pressing my lips together, I reach over and nudge Gladio with my elbow, nodding toward the concealed person.
"Them again?" he grumbles, watching them with a frown. His honey colored eyes glance back toward me. "What so you have in mind this time?"
"Dunno yet," I shake my head. The street block ahead of us catches my eye, a group of teenage boys laughing and disappearing behind a tall white house. I watch their last location intently when they disappear, feeling a sly smile spread across my lips as they leave on the other corner. Every alleyway wraps around. The figure doesn't budge when the boys push their way past it.
"Got it now?" Gladio chuckles, having witnessed the sudden change in my expression.
"Yeah. Follow me." I push off the wooden pole behind me and lose myself behind a cluster of people crossing the bridge to the next block. Prompto reaches forward, looping a finger through the beltloops of my pants to save himself from getting sucked away in the crowd.
"Care to explain on the walk?" he asks, still trying to find our target.
"This person kept showing up wherever we went yesterday," I explain, nodding toward the hooded figure. "Every time we saw them, they bolted."
"So… what?"
"I'm gonna find out who they are and what they want," I reply firmly, determined to get my questions answered. What if they're some sort of amateur imperial spy? What if there are more? Why else would they be following us? I lead the way to the side of the house facing away from our stalker. "You guys just stay here; you can watch him from around that corner of the building. I'm gonna sneak around back and try to catch him that way. He runs, you can block him off here."
"Man, you're really curious," Prompto laughs, his blue eyes bright despite the darkness concealing us.
"Just suspicious," I shrug.
"Don't go hurting anyone," Gladio warns. "Camelia hates us enough as it is."
"C'mon, you know me," I tease, shoving his shoulder. "I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere."
"No promises," Prompto grins.
Taking one last cautious glance around the corner, I head around the backside of the house, slipping past a dark gray dumpster and ducking under a pile of lumber laid across the gap between two rusted barrels. I peer around the other side, breathing a sigh of relief. The guard the figure was talking to turns on his heel and walks off, rifle balanced against his shoulder. My target hangs their head, tucking their hands in their pockets and turning their back to me to walk away.
Taking a deep breath, I wait for the perfect time to leave. One… Two… I sprint out toward them. They turn at the last second, ducking their head instinctively. It's too late; I ram my hands into their stomach, knocking them backwards onto the ground. They put up a fight, struggling against me as I try to pin them down. I grit out a cry of pain when their sharp elbow jabs me in the nose; they take the opportunity to roll me onto my back, their bony fingers digging deeply into my arms and pressing me hard against the smooth path.
Clenching my teeth, I flip the person back over; they're much lighter than I am. Finally getting a good grip, I grab their shoulders and lift, shoving back down to knock their head against the pavement, but not too hard. Just enough to daze them. They release a pained grunt; I take that moment of weakness to get their struggling limbs down tightly.
"Let go!" they grit. Definitely a guy.
"Who the #$% are you?!" I demand, releasing one thin wrist to dart my hand up to his hood. A calloused hand shoots up and wraps its pale fingers around my forearm. I push back against his tugging and grab a fist full of fabric from his head. Then I rip the hood backwards off his raised head. Gods…
I can't breathe. My chest is tight, my body is frozen, my head is spinning. I can see Prompto and Gladio pausing mid-step to my right, a small crowd of panicked people to my left. But my mind doesn't process it. My lungs won't inflate. My mind panics, trying to run its short thread around the entire circumference of the massive shock before it. All I can see in my dimming vision is a pair of eyes colored darker and deeper than any forest I've seen thus far. My voice finds itself just as my muscles do, my body scrambling off his to give him space to sit up.
"Arma…?" I choke out, my voice weak and raspy, my throat catching. The man sits, his eyes never leaving mine through a mop of long, brown curls so used to being tied back that an indent traces over their chestnut strands. The floodgates are pulled wide open by a frayed rope; I collapse against his thin frame with a strangled sob. Those lanky arms pull themselves around me just as quickly. One hand loses itself in the tangled hair on the back of my head, the other clutching at my wrinkled shirt. I can't breathe past the tears; I might drown.
I should be ashamed, crying like a frightened child on the ground in the middle of the city. I should pull myself together and welcome my once-dead brother back warmly. I should brush this off like I had faith in his capabilities to survive. I should do a lot of things in this long, long moment, but I do nothing. I can hear the people around us going on their merry way, feeling as though they're invading. Let them go; they shouldn't be here anyway.
At first, it feels like a little butterfly trapped in the depths of my stomach. Then it contorts, bubbling up and erupting from my lips. I laugh. I laugh the most genuine laugh I've laughed in a long time and I can't help it. Arma laughs too. I pull away from the hug, my cheeks stained with the red streaks left by the tears. Balling up my fist, I throw a playful punch into his shoulder. He laughs some more.
"So he is alive," Gladio grins, crossing his arms.
"I can't believe it!" Prompto cheers. Something catches his eye and he waves across the water. "Ignis! Ignis! It's Arma!"
"Astrals, I can't believe…" my voice trails off. Arma smiles, shaking his head.
"How's Signum? He got out okay?"
"He's fine," I nod. "He's with Iris, back at Cape Caem."
"Thank Shiva," he breathes. A large, tanned hand offers to help me up and I take it, letting Gladio pull me to my feet. Ignis approaches steadily, a bright gleam having taken over his eyes.
"Iggy…" is all I say as he joins us, offering a smile to my older brother.
"It's wonderful to see you alive and well, Arma," he greets, though I know most of his joy is for me. To see me no longer lost in thought over what I've lost, but in what Accordo has so graciously handed back to me.