—
The time bomb was still ticking. Ravus was honestly starting to hope it would just explode already to spare him the anxiety of stalling. The wait itself had become the torture. The quiet wait.
Aranea wasn't screaming at anyone yet. In fact, no one was talking at all.
Ravus had thought they'd be relocating to their meeting room where he'd be interrogated and probably hit by a couple more people. That, however, wasn't the case. Oh, the others were definitely pissed at him – their glares were less than subtle – but none of them had ratted him out to Aranea as of yet. Not as a mercy to him, though. Likely just because none of them dared provoke her at the moment. None of them dared break the spell of silence.
The reason they hadn't relocated to the meeting room was because when they'd started to leave, Aranea hadn't followed. She hadn't even looked at them. She'd just sat herself down in a chair across the hall from Ignis' room and quietly yet forcefully stated she wasn't moving until she had news. Ravus wasn't even sure if she'd blinked since then.
Ravus flicked his gaze about the hall impatiently. He was trying very hard not to make eye contact with any of the others at the moment, but just standing here was grating on his nerves more than he could put into words.
He needed… he needed to be doing something. Like throat punching Prompto and anyone else that might start running their mouth. Perhaps if he made it so several particular people couldn't speak, he wouldn't have as many issues.
How many of the staff were already discussing what they'd seen with others in the hospital?
And would Prompto stop that asinine bobbing of his leg and sit in his chair like a normal person? Ravus already wanted to maim him enough at current…
The door clicked.
The sound had them all snapping their heads in that direction at once.
The nurse that stepped out looked exhausted, but there was an air of accomplishment around her.
Oh, please let that be a sign of…
"He's weak. But he is stable."
The twisted noises that seemed to crawl from Aranea's throat barely sounded human. She pressed her mouth into her clasped hands, shoulders shaking with her loud sigh of relief. She definitely wasn't the only one effected by the news, either. Gladio sank into the chair next to her with a dazed look in his eyes as Prompto dropped his head back against the wall he'd been leaning on. Lunafreya uttered some hushed words of gratitude to the ceiling. The tension in Cor's whole body even seemed to bleed away.
"When can we see him?" Aranea asked, her voice held steady by what sounded like anger alone.
The nurse made a sour face.
The poor woman. She likely didn't think any of them should be let in yet, but she was clearly on the verge of falling asleep on her feet and probably weighing how much trouble they would give her given their leadership positions.
"…He should be out for a while longer. You can go in the room only if you don't disturb that rest."
Aranea nearly plowed her over as she shoved out of her chair and pushed into the room. The others didn't take long to follow.
Ravus hung in the back, meeting the nurse's eyes and offering her a quiet apology before he passed the doorway himself.
A couple last members scurried out with some equipment and charts, and then it was just their group again. Their consciousgroup and Ignis.
Despite being told not to disturb Ignis, Aranea still reached out a hand to run her fingers through the ends of his un-gelled hair.
He didn't stir. Not even when she brushed some of his bangs away from his face and laid a hand on his forehead.
"…Where has he been? What was he doing out there?" Aranea's question was so low that Ravus almost missed it.
Gladio glared at Ravus while raising an eyebrow.
Ravus glared right back at him.
He refused. Yes, he'd felt a… small matter of guilt while he'd been keeping Ignis' true status from the others, but his silence hadn't been his idea. He did not appreciate this pariah treatment he was being given when the others didn't even have half the facts yet. Especially not from Lunafreya. He expected rash judgement from Amicitia, but her?
…She was extremely angry with him.
Keeping secrets had once almost torn his and Scientia's friendship apart. How ironic that a similar strife had arisen with others due to keeping a secret for Scientia now.
Ravus only hoped this time wouldn't be more damaging in the long run. It would be bad enough for him personally, but he couldn't even just think about himself. He never could. There was always the city to consider. The people. Everything he did – every relationship he had – involved them now. Having personal issues with other leaders could be very damaging to… everyone.
Ravus prayed matters would not come to that.
He wished he could duck out of the tense room and speak with Sikozu.
"Well?" Amicitia asked flatly.
Ravus startled. That pause had been so long that he'd almost forgotten that Aranea had voiced a question.
"Anyone have any ideas about what he was doing?" Amicitia's narrow look was fixed unblinkingly on Ravus.
Ravus let out a low sigh. "Ferrying survivors to the cities. He is the beloved and famous Guardian of the wilds."
"Yeah, I gathered that much," Amicitia snapped. "But that doesn't make any sense on its own. He didn't just wake up one day and decide to let us all think he was dead so he could run around outside the city playing bodyguard."
Ravus wanted to roll his eyes again. Amacitia's biting sass was not appreciated at the moment.
"Don't be asinine, Amicitia. You know Scientia better than most. Do you truly think he would leave those he cares for in pain if he didn't have to?"
"You know far more than you are sharing, brother," Lunafreya cut in.
Aranea jerked her hand back suddenly as Ignis stirred.
Ravus sighed. Now they'd woken him early. The nurse was going to have their heads.
"Specs?" Aranea asked, a raw edge in her voice.
Scientia's eyelids slowly flitted open. "…Aranea?" He lethargically reached for her in the briefest of moments before recoiling so hard he almost fell off the bed. "Oh, no."
"Scientia!" Ravus darted over to his other side, bracing him so he didn't topple onto the floor. "Remain still. You are not in the best of health at the moment."
Ravus tried to ignore the flash of hurt he spotted on Aranea's face as Scientia endeavored to get away from her.
Scientia was clearly not fully coherent, but it was a vast improvement on the last time he'd been awake. He snagged Ravus' collar.
"How many know I am here?" he demanded.
"Those in this room and the medical staff that tended to you." Ravus tried to pry the grubby hand off of his clothes. It was hard enough to keep them white as it was.
Scientia took a moment to scan the room.
"…Bloody hell." His voice cracked roughly on the last word. Ravus winced. His voice was in about as good a condition as the rest of him.
"Iggy…" Prompto said, his tone making him sound like little more than a shunned child.
Ignis' expression twisted in guilt as he swung his legs over the side of the bed where Aranea was. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry to you all, but I have to get out of here–"
He was caught off by his own coughs. He rubbed his throat before trying to continue. "I have to get out of here before Ardyn realizes the truth."
"Ardyn?" Lunafreya echoed. "Ignis, Ardyn has not caused the city trouble for months."
A matter that might change were he to become enraged at Scientia's deception…
"Ravus…" Scientia looked at him. It was… a pathetic look, to be honest, but Ravus understood what he was asking.
Ravus pressed his lips into a thin line as he nodded. "I'll pass along your reasoning to them. Just allow me to arrange you some supplies before you leave in such a delicate state. You'll not last long out there in your current condition–"
"Excuse me?" Gladio demanded. "How about hell no? He's not going anywhere right now!"
"Gladio, please," Scientia begged, his fingers shaking as he gripped the sheets beneath him. "I have no time to explain, but I must–"
"Oh, Lunafreeeeeeeeeyaaaaaa!"
Ignis froze at the voice that drifted in from the hallway.
…Damn it all. The Accursed's habit of following Lunafreya around could never have been at a worse time
As per his usual manners, Ardyn didn't bother to so much as knock as he shoved through the door.
"What ever is going on that you're all gathered here–"
Ardyn stopped, his jovial expression frozen on his face for a moment.
"…What."
—
