Chapter 3

Noctis's eyes widened when Prompto reminded him that he had been on the phone, but his expression quickly fell to a frown. "That was Cindy."

Prompto made an outraged noise before he pointed to the phone. "You can't talk to her like that!"

Noctis chuckled at his antics as he said, "Yes, I can. I did, didn't I?"

Prompto looked like he was about to object again, but Gladio grabbed him in a headlock and absently told him to shut up while they listened to what Noctis had to say. "Good news is, she found the Regalia. Bad news is the imperials have it."

Gladio frowned and let Prompto go as he said, "Damn."

However, all four males smirked when Ignis added, "And when will be going to retrieve her?"

Noctis smirked and was about to say something, but he caught sight of the two sisters and frowned. "I was going to say now, but we can't take them into an enemy base. I don't think it would be smart to leave them somewhere they could be in danger either."

Cia watched as her sister stepped forward with the stern expression she used when dealing with unruly kids at the afterschool self-defense class on base. She wasn't a teacher, thankfully, but she did volunteer there. She always said it was because it looked good on a resume and graduate school applications, but Cia thought she kind of liked it.

Still, she had no doubt the boys wouldn't be fond of 'the voice,' and she was right. Dia faced Gladio, probably because of his role and his size. If she could convince him, then the rest wouldn't be a problem.

"I understand that you don't know us, so I will assume you are comparing us to other females our age, but let me tell you, we have been drilled in multiple forms of combat since we were ten. Our father refused to let us play helpless. I can't say that we won't be in danger either way, but I'd rather it be the danger I can face knowing people have my back than one where I don't know what might come at me."

Gladio raised a brow at her outburst and smirked. "You think you can hang with the big boys then?"

Cia raced over and grabbed her sister by the arm. The last thing they needed was for her to lose her temper at the baiting. Dia snapped her jaw shut at the contact. Cia was glad to see it but was quick to fill the gap. "If that is the way you wish to think of it, so be it. The truth is, I am a crack shot with a rifle, and I do well enough with handguns. Dia is amazing with a staff, as I'm sure those daemons back there could have attested to if she hadn't bashed their brains in with a twisted metal rod."

"If you don't want us along, then say so, but do not make this about our skill or your perception of our lack thereof."

Once she was done speaking, all four men were watching with wide eyes and a couple with open mouths. Finally, Prompto said, "I thought you were the quiet one."

His statement seemed to do the trick and washed away Dia's anger. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, her sister laughed so hard she nearly snorted. When she regained her voice, she smirked at the young man and said, "You should never mistake quiet observation for self-isolation. Don't let Cia fool you. She is the tactician. I'm just the one that keeps her safe." Cia wasn't sure that description was completely accurate, as Dia had good instincts when it came to a fight, which is one reason they loved having her in the afterschool program. Still, now wasn't the time for a debate, so she held her tongue.

Dia's confident statement had Noctis shifting uncomfortably and Gladio glaring at them again, but it was Ignis that was suddenly the voice of reason. "Why don't we think about this logically. Suppose we accept that the Six had something to do with their appearance in that cave, as we all assume since they claim to have not gone there themselves. Plus, we have all witnessed the messenger of the gods tell us to take them. In that case, we must consider why they were chosen."

"Would it not make sense for people with the required skills to be the ones that are to be our 'guiding light?' They would do little good and could be in much danger otherwise. I, for one, suggest that we bring them. We will find out the validity of all their claims soon enough."

Gladio crossed his arms with a glare but didn't say anything. Ignis had looked at the prince and said, "Noct?"

The prince looked down with a frown for several moments before he looked back up and said, "We've already agreed to follow what Gentiana said. There is no point in stopping now. If they are going to be with us the whole way, then they'll see fighting. I agree with Ignis. I doubt the six would have had our paths cross otherwise."

Gladio still wore a scowl, but he nodded. "If that's settled, then tell us which way, and let's get going."

When they all started walking, Cia and Dia both stayed near the back of the group. They had planned on talking a few things over before they got much further, but they weren't given a chance. Gladio stopped the group and made it clear that until they had a better grasp on things, the girls needed to stay in the middle of the group.

Cia could tell exactly what her sister thought of the idea when she rolled her eyes. Thankfully Gladio seemed to have missed it. The constant watch would make conversation difficult, but at least they wouldn't be taken by surprise by the strange beasts that roamed the woods. They might not be daemons, but they could still be dangerous.

Not much was solved between the girls, and it was nearly nightfall when they reached the outskirts of the base where the Regalia was being stored. Thankfully, their group had been able to avoid any fighting on the way there, and much to the guys' surprise, the twins had been able to keep up with no issue.

The group had settled into the Haven within eyesight of the base and were currently gathered around a fire. The situation had brought up a few questions in Cia's mind about how they would handle camping in the future, but she didn't bring it up for the moment. They didn't plan to sleep there after all. It was just a stop while they figured out how to infiltrate the base.

Noctis looked around at the others before he looked at Ignis as he asked, "So, any bright ideas?"

Ignis was pacing on the other side of the fire with a hand on his chin as he seemed to be thinking of something. The rest of them were waiting for him to speak. Finally, he looked up with a frown and said, "Actually, a dark one, as it were. A frontal assault would leave us exposed, but if we move under cover of night, we might be able to infiltrate the base unnoticed. I believe our best course of action will be to proceed with stealth. Not only would that keep fighting to a minimum, but that should allow us to retrieve the Regalia with as little danger to our newest companions as possible."

Cia's eyes widened as they shot over to her sister. Dia had barely been able to hold her tongue after they left the cave. Thankfully, it seemed like she had decided that now wasn't the time to fight about such useless things. Instead, Dia nodded at Ignis and said, "While I'm sure we can prove ourselves eventually, I agree that now probably isn't the best time. We'll do our part to keep it stealthy."

Gladio frowned at her but didn't say anything. Instead, all eyes were back on Noctis as he asked, "And what do we do until then?"

Ignis gestured toward the base in the distance as he said, "We learn all we can about the base's design and attempt to narrow down the Regalia's location. I'll analyze what intelligence we have available to find us a way in."

Noctis sat back with a relieved sound and said, "Sounds good."

Once that was decided, Ignis went to pull out a small laptop while the others settled in to get a bite to eat and as much rest as they could. Well, Noctis and Prompto did. Gladio stayed in one of the seats and kept an eye on the two women.

Cia knew he was probably thinking they were planning something, but she was just glad her sister hadn't gone off on him since their first confrontation. It would do them no good to antagonize the Shield. For now, they needed to focus on some sort of game plan. With that in mind, she headed to sit next to her sister and see what they could come up with.

Dia hoped it wasn't showing, but she was still fuming about how everything had gone down so far. At least she knew herself well enough to realize a lot of it was frustration at her lack of knowledge about what had happened and what they should do. It just took her time to calm down enough to figure it out.

She had gone to sit at the edge of the Haven and tried to let the cool night air and starry sky soothe her worries. However, she wasn't there long before Cia came over and sat next to her. She gave her twin a wry smile and bumped their shoulders together before she sighed and looked up again.

It wasn't long before Cia broke the silence with a near whisper. "Are you sure we should be going in there with them? You do remember how crazy this world is, right? What happens if we get shot or stabbed or, god knows what else."

Dia had just as many worries, but she swallowed them down as she put an arm around her sister's shoulders and pulled her into a side hug. Her voice was just as soft when she said, "I won't say it can't happen, but don't forget I'm here. Just stay behind me, and we'll figure it out."

Cia huffed in annoyance as she pulled away. Her glare only missed being heated because there were tears in her eyes. "Just because it would be you and not me doesn't make me feel better."

Dia rubbed her temples to try and get rid of her anxiety. Right now was not the time to lose their cool. Instead, she opted to change the subject. "Hey, I've been thinking. It might be best if we don't try to keep ourselves separate. I mean, I know Gladio doesn't trust us, and the rest are ambivalent at best, so we have to be open with them."

When Cia's eyes widened, Dia chuckled and shook her head. "Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying we tell them where we're from, but everything else should be fair game. The more we try to hide, the worse it will be. If what Gentiana told me is true, then we have a long road before we can even think about finding a way home. It would be easier if they didn't mistrust us so much."

Cia sighed and clenched her jaw for a moment before she looked back with a frown and said, "You know they are going to eventually ask where we are from, right?"

Dia nodded with a grimace, "Yeah. I haven't figured that one out yet. For now, just say we are from another country."

Her twin nearly rolled her eyes as she responded, "If we don't specify, they will probably think it's Niflheim. It'll be hard to garner trust if they think we are the enemy."

Dia pulled her knees up and wrapped her arms around them as she felt a pounding in her head that didn't help her frustration. She finally said, "It can't be helped. I'm sure we can figure out how to show them we aren't enemies, even if they believe that. Not everyone from that place has to be a murderous madman. It would be better than us trying to convince them we are from another planet, don't you think?"

Cia pulled her knees up as well, and they leaned against each other and watched the stars. It was several minutes before she made a sound. "I guess you're right."

A dry chuckle came from them both, but Dia stood and held out a hand to help her sister up. Once they were both standing, Dia gestured to where Ignis was still pouring over diagrams and blueprints as she said, "Why don't you see if you can help. I'm going to try and patch things up with Gladio."

Her twin gave her an incredulous look that caused her to laugh out loud. She still pushed Cia's shoulder and said, "I'll try not to choke on all the crow I'll be eating, promise."

That statement made Cia laugh so loud it garnered frowns from both the men that were still awake. Cia somehow managed to bite back her laughter, but she was still grinning when she winked and said, "Good luck. You're going to need it."

Dia rolled her eyes, but she didn't refute the statement. Cia wasn't wrong. Instead, she tried to erase her grimace as she headed to where Gladio was still sitting. She didn't miss the way his eyes followed her every movement. She had a feeling he never missed much.

Instead of letting his frown intimidate her, she sat casually beside him and looked back up at the stars once more as she said, "I have to admit that it's been a long time since I went camping—at least three years. I can't believe how easy it was for me to forget how beautiful the stars look at night when there isn't a city around to block the light."

Gladio's deep voice was quick with a retort. "What do you want? I doubt you came over here just to talk about stargazing."

She lowered her head with a wry smile and said, "Nope, can't say I did, but I've never been good with apologies."

Her statement erased his frown, but only for a moment. "What are you apologizing for?"

For a moment, the hardened expression on his face reminded her of the time she and Cia had been caught implementing their elaborate plan to steal candy from the hiding spot on top of the fridge when they were eight. The stern look from their father was eerily similar. Thankfully, Daniel had been around then to distract him, or they would have been there for hours listening to his lecture about safety and moderation.

The memory caused a pang that she shoved down as she tried to keep her face straight as she answered, "We haven't done anything, really, but you and I seem to have gotten off to a horrid start. I wanted to apologize for letting my worry and disorientation get the best of me earlier. I promise I'm not always a raging bitch."

Gladio chuckled at her admission and seemed to relax a little. Though any humor he found at the statement was erased before he said, "I guess we'll see."

Dia gave him a mock glare for several seconds until he finally held up a hand and managed a smile as he said, "Yeesh, I was always told never to piss off a woman."

Her expression instantly dissolved into giggles, but she still managed a smile as she held out her hand and said, "Can we call a truce for now? I'm not asking you to believe everything, not yet. Just give us a chance to get our heads around this. It isn't just you guys that are dealing with unexpected circumstances."

Several seconds passed as he eyed her hand. Finally, he sighed and took it to shake as he said, "I suppose that can't hurt, but don't think I won't be watching."

Dia was still staring at the way his hand completely engulfed hers. For some reason, it didn't intimidate her. Instead, she was focused on the warmth and strength in his grip and had to admit that it felt nice. However, she was pulled from her thoughts when he let go.

Her face flushed as she quickly jumped into the awkward silence. "Yeah, I figured. Hopefully, you'll see we mean what we say."

He was watching her face carefully, and Dia had to kick herself for blushing. At least he didn't say anything about it. Instead, he pointed to one of the sleeping bags. "Why don't you get some rest while you can. It's likely to be early morning when we move."

She jumped at the chance to get away from the conversation. "Thanks. A couple of hours should be plenty. Don't hesitate to wake me if you want to get a little shut-eye too. I don't want to hog the sleeping bag." He was still watching her with a raised brow, but she didn't wait for a response before she scrambled to grab the extra bag and laid down. Even if she couldn't sleep, at least it was away from that awkwardness.

Cia had gone to see if Ignis had needed help but was quickly turned away. He had been polite and reassured her that it was only because he needed to concentrate, but she knew better. Just like Dia, she had no doubts that any of these men trusted them. It wasn't shocking. They had just dropped in on their journey—almost literally. Still, she had hoped they would have softened up after Gentiana.

Unfortunately, she knew it would take time. Rome wasn't built in a day, as her father liked to say. Thinking about him made a longing for home bubble up that she had a hard time suppressing. She barely managed to say goodnight to Ignis and walk away before the first tear fell. She wondered what their father was doing? How was he handling their disappearance? Did he believe them to be dead? She hoped not. After Daniel, well, she wasn't sure he would be able to keep going the same way, and that tore her apart. However, now wasn't the time to dwell on it.

When she finally gathered herself again, she turned to see Dia jump up and grab a sleeping bag. She frowned at the expression on her twin's face. When she looked at Gladio and the way he was watching Dia, she frowned even deeper. She would have to ask what happened but now wasn't the time. If they were going to do the best they could in the circumstances, they would need a little rest. At least they had experience with rough treks. Their father had made sure they were prepared for anything.

Instead of grabbing the last bedroll, she moved to climb in with Dia. It would be a tight fit, but those things were made to hold much larger men. It would work well enough for the night. Dia glared at her when she came over, but there was little arguing once Cia gave her reasons. The twins ended up lying down back to back as they tried to rest. Neither of them wanted to admit how soothing it was to know the other was right there. It was not long before they were both sleeping soundly.

A/N: Oh boy, things are already becoming a tangled weave of what-ifs and what-should-I-do's lol. The difference in the twins is becoming more pronounced as they have a chance to calm down and take it all in. What do you think of the dual POV so far? This is a rather new thing for me, and I'm doing my best to keep it interesting. I hope you are excited about where we go. Especially once things start to change down the road. In the meantime, thanks for reading, and cheers!