Untold Omens
Chapter Five: Budding Friendships
Day in and day out, Gladio amounted to attending Crownsguard duties and training the brat prince, Noctis. The only reprieve to be found in this routine was training Aracelis' new charity case, Prompto. At first he meant to alleviate his friend's stress by toughening up the hapless kid so she would stop stressing over the boy. However, with each session shared with Prompto, he realized how enjoyable it was to work with someone who made an effort for a change.
Prompto, while skittish and more likely to be terrified of his own shadow, was earnest and hardworking. Something the prince sorely lacked in all the time Gladio spent with him. Nowadays, he dreaded making his way to the Citadel.
"Hey! Newbie!" An unfamiliar woman's voice boomed, bouncing against the marble interior of the Citadel's vast hallways.
Gladio paused when he noticed there was no one in his immediate vicinity that could be considered a newbie. Confused, he glanced back to the owner of the voice and spotted a dark haired rugged woman in the Kingsglaive uniform. Her scowl deepened as she marched towards him.
"Yes, I'm talking to you," said the stern woman. "What do you think you're doing wandering in this part of the Citadel? All the new recruits are at the courtyard warming up for training."
"New recruits?" repeated Gladio.
It took a moment for him to realize the woman must be mistaking him for a Kingsglaive trainee since he wasn't in the Crownsguard uniform. It wasn't something he preferred to wear in public, so he opted to change clothes at the Citadel. New Kingsglaive recruits tend to be around his age bracket so he couldn't fault the woman for making the mistake.
"I'm not—"
"I don't care if you're not ready! You should've been in uniform before you came here!" She instructed.
The irony wasn't lost on Gladio as the older woman grabbed onto his shoulder to forcibly steer him towards the courtyard. Logically, he should have stopped her to explain the misunderstanding. However, his curiosity got the better of him. He decided to play along, wondering how long it would take before someone noticed he wasn't actually part of Kingsglaive.
They made their way into the open courtyard to the sight of a sizable stone pillar rooted in the ground. A number of fresh-faced recruits gaped at the upper floors in amazement. The Amicitia followed their line of sight to the decorative stone archways. His eyes squinted through the sun glare to see a senior glaive jumping off the edge, throwing their issued dagger. The familiar sound of a blade cutting through air echoed before the glaive disappeared, leaving only a blue after image behind him.
"Libertus, I found a straggler!"
She released her hold, shoving him towards the portly Kingsglaive standing beside the wide-eyed recruits. Her push didn't move him far, but she didn't seem to notice.
"You caught a straggler, Crowe?" repeated Libertus, a confused frown crossed the man's face as he glanced to his clipboard. "Everyone's accounted for. HR must've fucked up the list again. Just get in the group with everyone for now. We'll deal with the stupid paperwork later."
"But I'm not—"
"Holy shit! He's going to fall!" shouted a new recruit in alarm.
At his interruption, Gladio turned his attention to the pillar and spotted a glaive falling at an alarming rate. A frown knitted at his brow, too far to tell whether or not the man was in stasis from overusing the warpstrike ability. Regardless, he couldn't let the man fall to his death. Without a word to either Crowe or Libertus, he darted towards the landing point with the intention of redirecting his fall.
Having dealt with Noctis' sloppy use of the warpstrike, he learned how to redirect the falling boy to avoid serious injury. From the height the glaive fell, he wasn't certain if he could do the same here, but he wasn't about to watch the poor bastard smash his brains out. Gladio had every intent to save the man… except it turned out the glaive didn't need his help at all.
In a turn of events, the glaive twisted in midair and chucked his dagger to the ground by Gladio's feet. The man disappeared in another flash of blue light before reappearing in a soft explosion. If he hadn't gotten so used to the prince attempting to use warpstrike as a means to take him down during training, he might've been startled. Instead, Gladio was mildly annoyed that he failed to realize this was all part of the demonstration for the new Kingsglaive recruits.
"Hey newbie," chuckled the glaive. He knocked the hood of his uniform back, revealing a grinning stubble face with a fade-haircut and short, dangling Galahdian braids.
"Quit scaring the new recruits Nyx!" shouted Libertus from behind them.
"Lighten up Libertus! That was all in good fun!" responded Nyx brightly before he clapped a hand on Gladio's shoulder. "Besides! It looks like we have a budding hero in the mix! This one tried to save me."
"I'm not Kingsglaive," stated Gladio, swatting the older man's hand away in annoyance. "I'm Crownsguard."
"Sure you are," grinned Nyx. He ruffled the indignant teen's hair as he stepped around him to walk towards Libertus and the new Kingsglaive recruits. "All right, demonstration over! I've shown you the fun stuff, now time to get to the boring stuff. Everyone pair up!"
"What are you waiting for, newbie! Get your ass moving!" shouted Crowe.
"You heard her," called back Nyx in good humor.
"But seriously, I'm not—"
Out of patience, Crowe stormed over to grab him by the collar of his shirt dragging him off to join the rest of the group. Before he could stop them, Gladio found himself caught up in a training session with the Kingsglaive recruits. There seemed no convincing the senior glaives that he was truly a member of the Crownsguard. They insisted on treating him like a Kingsglaive cadet and oddly… he grew to enjoy the new training once it was well on its way.
"Overcompensating much?" commented Crowe wryly when she spotted Gladio with the massive training greatsword.
"Well, you know what they say," joked Libertus heartily. "It's not the size that matters, but how you use it."
"Wanna show us how to use that, kid?" teased Nyx. He twirled a pair of training daggers in his hands as he slipped into a battle stance.
"You're not my type, but if you want an ass beating I'll gladly give it to you," boasted Gladio. He hefted the training sword over his shoulder at the ready then lowered his stance to prepare himself for a lunge.
"Big words, kid," grinned Nyx. "Show me what you got."
This was an interesting experience for the Amicitia.
With the size difference in weapons, Nyx never met him blow for blow. Instead, the older man parried and dodged whenever he could to strike back when an opening presented itself. Gladio determined Crownsguard fought with a more direct approach, while Kingsglaive used more commando tactics. The difference made the fight challenging and an exhilarating change to his routine.
He couldn't remember the last time he had this much fun with training.
"Gladiolus!" boomed a commanding voice.
The courtyard fell into a dead silence, all eyes drawn to the newcomer. Gladio bit back a curse when he recognized the man as Cor Leonis, Marshal of the Crownsguard. Subsequently, he realized the impromptu training with Kingsglaive had made him late for his shift at the Citadel.
"Sir!" started Gladio, ready to explain the situation. Just as he was about to do so, Nyx planted a hand on his shoulder and roughly shuffled him behind him.
"Marshal," greeted the glaive professionally as he stood in front of the teen. "What brings you around these parts?"
"Is there a reason you have possession of one of my Crownsguard?" demanded the man coolly.
"…Crownsguard?" hushed murmurings broke out among the recruits, but no one dared to say more at the sight of Cor.
"Just a little cross-division training sir," replied Nyx smoothly. "It ran a little longer than expected. We'll be more mindful of it next time."
Gladio's eyes grew wide in surprise at the blatant lie. Though, he wasn't certain if it was because the man had the gall to lie to Cor, the attempt to cover for him, or the fact that he was now stuck with the lie and couldn't come clean without contradicting the man. Overall, he was confused, annoyed and highly affronted by the two talking about him as if he doesn't exist.
"Is that so?" noted Cor. It was obvious he didn't believe a word coming out of Nyx's mouth. However, for the sake of civility, he didn't call the man out.
"Definitely sir!" answered Nyx arrogantly. "The kid's an interesting challenge for the new recruits."
"I see." Cor dismissed the matter before he turned his heel to leave. "If you're quite done. Gladiolus, with me."
"Yes sir!" The Amicitia teen adjusted his grip on the training sword handing it to Nyx hilt side up. "It was… an interesting exercise."
The older glaive raised an eyebrow at his words, but allowed a smile to quirk up at the corner of his lips. Accepting the training weapon with one hand, he shot a finger gun at him with the other. "Back at you."
Weapon returned, Gladio circled around Nyx to hurry after his superior. Cor's steady pace gave him an ample amount of time to catch up as they made their way out of the courtyard and into the Citadel. The lavish dark marble halls glimmered against the artificial lights. It made Gladio long for the outside again.
"Cross-division training? I'm sure you have a better explanation than his laughable excuse." Cor commented wryly once they were out of the hearing range of Kingsglaive.
"A misunderstanding sir," admitted Gladio. "I was out of uniform so one of the glaives thought I was a new recruit."
"Did they now?" scoffed Cor in flat amusement, nodding his head towards the silent greetings he received from passersby. "I suppose it cannot be helped. It's not like there are many young Crownsguards joining nowadays."
"I'll be sure to wear my uniform before I arrive at the Citadel from now on. This won't happen again."
"…I had wondered what broke your perfect attendance," noted the Marshal. "No matter. You look like you enjoyed the exchange."
"…Sir?" Gladio frowned in confusion.
"You may do as you please with the Kingsglaive, so long as it's not during your hours of duty." Cor dismissed.
"Uh… understood," said Gladio, before he glanced to Cor in question. "I know I was late sir, but was there a reason that you were looking for me personally?"
"Ah yes." Cor continued. "About Aracelis Hester, that girl is in service to your family, correct?"
"Yes sir, she's a family friend," replied Gladio with furrowed brows. "Did she do something wrong?"
"No, nothing of the sort," reassured Cor when he noticed the unease on the younger man's face. "She dropped off the prince at the gates a couple of weeks ago. The guards mentioned she didn't drive him directly in because there was an individual without clearance in her car. She's not in trouble if that's your concern."
"…Someone without clearance in her car?" repeated Gladio thoughtfully. Of all the people he could imagine his childhood friend letting into her car, he could likely count them all on one hand. However, ones without clearance to the Citadel, the only person he could think of was… "Prompto."
"Prompto?" repeated Cor with interest.
"He's somewhat of a charity case that Aracelis took interest in recently," explained Gladio. "Harmless for the most part. I wouldn't worry too much about a security breach, if he's the one in her car."
"I see," confirmed Cor. "Thanks for satisfying my curiosity then, Gladiolus. I'll leave you to return to your duties then."
"Yes sir!"
Cor left him once they reached the main halls. Idly, Gladio wondered why Prompto and the prince were in Aracelis' car. However, he was more alarmed she caught the attention of Crownsguard. While certain his childhood friend would never do anything treasonous against the Crown, he couldn't say he understood half the things she partakes in on a regular basis.
"…Starscourge is a 2000-year-old plague that somehow resurfaced in the last 200 years?" murmured Aracelis in surprise.
A deep frown marred Aracelis' freckled face as she strolled through the school's busy corridor, immersed with Ignis' newest batch of notes. Truthfully, she couldn't remember many of the details regarding the scourge. It used to be a creative explanation to justify why the monsters disappear once defeated. She understood it had a deeper connection to the lore and the decade of darkness, but she was more focused with quest completion rather than game lore at the time.
Nevertheless, she intended for the research to buy her more time with the defunct advisor. This meant she would have to come up with other topics to keep him busy. The Scourge, Insomnia's History, The Wall, The Great War… Anything that might revitalize her memory.
More than once, other students stepped aside to avoid colliding with the girl in her inattentive state. For those who didn't, Ignis silently reached out to redirect her.
The first few times the shy teen hastily pulled away, embarrassed with apologies at the ready. However, when he realized Aracelis never seemed to notice the apologies died at his lips. It became a regular occurrence for him to move her out of harm's way without a word.
"You'd think someone would've thought to create a vaccine for the scourge," muttered Aracelis as she flipped through the notes. "From what you've found, it sounds like a virus."
"An interesting suggestion," commented Ignis thoughtfully. "Perhaps you should delve into the field of microbiology."
"Hmm… I can't say I'm interested in the field enough to make a career out of it," noted the girl before the growing chatter from the student body caught her attention. She hadn't realized they'd reached the cafeteria. "Why don't you go find seats? I'll go get us some coffee."
"Aracelis, a moment?" requested Ignis before she made her way towards the counter.
The girl stopped in mid-step before glancing up at him.
"Let's forgo coffee for today," suggested the taller teen.
"…What? Why?" frowned Aracelis.
Up until now, Aracleis refueled Ignis with coffee in exchange for his hard work. It was her ancillary method to continue associating with the estranged classmate.
Aracelis waited on line to retrieve Ignis coffee every day. Five minutes for a cup of black coffee with no sugar or milk robbed her of patience. On bad days, ten minutes were lost getting to the counter. If not for the opportunity it provided, the gesture proved an utter waste of time.
Logically it would save some time to bring coffee from home, but that would require the inelegance of lugging a thermos around all day. Regardless, it no longer matters if she buys him coffee or makes it herself at this point. She couldn't risk this under the dwindling time constraint. As things were now, she must find a way for Ignis to meet Prince Noctis.
"…There won't be enough time for you to eat, if you wait on line for coffee," replied Ignis evenly, regaining her attention.
"Time to eat?" repeated Aracelis in confusion. "Uh… I'm not sure how long it takes you, but I assure you it doesn't take long for me to eat a granola bar."
"While I'm aware of your choice of poor diet, I cannot in good conscience allow you to continue." Ignis self-consciously adjusted his glasses.
"So… are you telling me to get you lunch instead of coffee?" queried Aracelis with uncertainty. "Because I'm not following."
Ignis sighed in exasperation, holding up a small discreet looking canvas bag. "I'm saying I made you lunch."
"Oh…" The freckled girl found herself dumbfounded. "That's… unexpected."
Aracelis found herself at a loss for words. Of all the things that could happen, a homemade lunch from Ignis Scientia was definitely not one of the possibilities in her calculations.
Ignis faltered, lowering the bag. "I suppose it was rather presumptuous on my part."
Her thoughts ran a mile a minute as she tried to discern what was happening. She understood her interactions with the quiet teen as strictly business, brief impersonal transactions.
This? This is out of her jurisdiction.
"My apologies," amended Ignis. He took a step back, ready to turn-tail and leave. "You don't have to eat it if you prefer not to. I shouldn't have—"
She grabbed hold of his arm before he could attempt to flee. While she had no clue what on earth he was doing, this was the golden opportunity she was waiting for.
"No, you definitely should have!" interrupted Aracelis firmly. She needn't imagine what to say if Ignis' cooking was the topic of conversation. Ignis Scientia was the iconic chef of the team after all. What could go wrong? "Actually, I have always wanted to try out your cooking."
"Indeed?" noted Ignis with a delicately raised brow. "I don't believe I've ever told you about my cooking…"
"I-it," spluttered Aracelis indignantly, she clenched her jaw to keep from losing her composure. The other teen caught her so off guard she clumsily forgot the fact they have never once spoken casually about his hobbies. "It doesn't mean I don't want to try it!" Aracelis repaired, a fraught smile hiding a bout of nervous laughter. "You made it for me, so… I'm… going to eat it."
"…If you insist," continued Ignis despite the apprehension on his face. "Shall we relocate?"
"To your usual spot?" she supplemented. Aracelis couldn't be sure if the situation was salvaged or not, but at least he didn't run away.
"Indeed," nodded Ignis before he moved his free hand to adjust his glasses. "Um… but before that, do you mind returning my arm?"
Aracelis frowned, her gaze trailed down to the aforementioned limb. Belatedly, she released her hold on his arm and dropped her hand to her side. Ignis took a step back to regain his personal space. She received a perplexed look from him before he turned on his heel to lead the way out of the school halls. A tenuous bout of calm washed over them.
For the last two months, getting coffee, trekking through the courtyard and ambling her way towards his obscure alcove became her daily routine. This was the first time she was going there for lunch.
Even so, she refrained from further commentary to avoid accidentally unsettling Ignis a second time. Ignis stiffly laid out a neatly packed container for each of them. Aracelis took note of the colorful assortment of vegetables and pasta. This seemed heavier than what she normally ate at this time of day, but in all likelihood it wouldn't induce digestion drowsiness.
"I wasn't sure what you might enjoy, so I thought this was a safe avenue." Ignis provided a tentative explanation as he handed her a fork. "You're not allergic to anything I hope?"
"I'm not a picky eater and I don't think I'm allergic to anything," replied Aracelis as she accepted the offered utensil.
With some trepidation, she gingerly stabbed into the pasta primavera, careful to collect a little of everything. Though cooled, she could still smell the aroma of roasted garlic and cheese wafting from the container. As she took in her first bite, she found the mild flavor rather pleasant and delicious.
"Huh, this is actually really good," said Aracelis in surprise happily digging in.
Although she knew Ignis was touted for his cooking in the original timeline, she imagined his food akin to five star restaurants, dishes with eccentric ingredients and aberrant flavors. In actuality, his cooking tasted like homemade comfort. Having bounced from one caretaker to the next in her previous life, her meals were often takeout or microwavable frozen dinners. By the time she reached adulthood in that life, she had resigned to ordering food out of habit and convenience.
Her current lifestyle was decidedly different. Despite whatever Ignis feels regarding her diet of granola bars, she often enjoys her doting mothers home cooked meals on a regular basis. Of course, the kind and sweet woman becomes an absolute tyrant regarding her pristine kitchen. Neither Aracelis nor her father Alder dare to make anything beyond tea and coffee while in her domain.
"I'm glad to see you enjoy it," commented Ignis, relief clear on his face.
"You know… It kind of reminds me of my mom's cooking," stated the brunette with childlike fondness tinting in her voice as she shuffled the pieces of vegetables for easier stabbing.
"Like your mother's cooking?" repeated the bespectacled teen curiously. "How so?"
"I don't know how to cook… so I don't know how to say for sure, but…" Aracelis paused thoughtfully before she glanced at the other teen with a warm smile. "This was a nice surprise. I don't mind if we do this again."
His sage eyes widened briefly, surprised by the sudden uninhibited smile. Ignis had seen the girl gratified many times before, but those smiles were often restrained or sardonic in nature. It was stunning to glimpse such a rare, fleetingly soft expression.
"…I suppose I wouldn't be against it," answered Ignis politely, growing unsure of himself.
The two continued the rest of their meal in comfortable silence. While neither of them were completely at ease with one another, it was comparatively better than the awkward exchange they shared outside the cafeteria. They were still far from being friends, but at least they were a bit above normal acquaintances. For that, Aracelis felt grateful. It made everything a little bit easier if their lunch outings were to continue. She needn't worry about finding reasons to talk to Ignis any longer. She just had to construct a way to get him to meet Nocits instead.
Except… Ignis wasn't who she should have been worried about.
Ring, Ring!
Aracelis frowned in bewilderment when her phone rang barely ten minutes after classes ended. A quick glance showed Gladio's name. It was odd for him to call her when he was technically still on the clock for his Crownsguard duty.
"Gladio?" questioned Aracelis after she swiped the screen to answer the call.
"Hey Arie," started Gladio casually. "Quick question, you wouldn't happen to know where the prince is, do you?"
"Why would I know where he is?" snapped Aracelis, indignant that he would assume that she'd know… Albeit, she does from mapping out the prince's arcade patterns, but she wasn't about to admit it.
"Listen, he's been skipping out on a lot of training" explained Gladio. "In short of marching down to his school the moment it lets out to drag his ass back to the Citadel, I can't think of a better way to catch him without causing a scene."
"I'm surprised you're even considerate enough to come to that conclusion," noted Aracelis dryly.
"The kid may be a brat, but he is still the prince," groused the Amicitia. "It does the Crown no favors if the populace thinks poorly of him."
"Spoken like a true shield," Aracelis complimented in a sad attempt to reinforce as much goodwill between them as she could. At this rate it seemed hopeless that they would ever tolerate one another, let alone grow into loyal friends.
"Just because I hate the brat doesn't mean I'm not going to take my job seriously," scoffed Gladio. "So, can you find out where he is for me or not?"
"What are you going to do when you find him? Beat him over the head like a caveman and lug him back to the Citadel?" She shouldered her phone to make it easier to pack away her things.
"I'll think of something."
"How reassuring," stated Aracelis brusquely. "Considering he hates your guts as much as you hate him. Honestly, have you ever tried being nice to him?"
"That's rich, coming from you."
She didn't need to see him to know he was rolling his eyes at her.
"What are you talking about? I'm the epitome of kindness," quipped Aracelis, her voice thick with sarcasm. "Woodland creatures come to my aid when I sing."
"Maybe if they're tone deaf or daemons," snorted Gladio. "I'll be waiting by the front gates for you. Come when you're ready."
"…Wait, you're outside?" said Aracelis in disbelief. "What if I'd said no?"
"Then I would've—what was it that you said earlier? Beat you over the head like a caveman and carry you off?" joked Gladio.
"You're incorrigible," huffed the girl.
"See you soon Arie," laughed Gladio heartily.
Aracelis ended the call with an exasperated sigh. She tucked the loose strands of hair that came undone behind her ear before she started swiping her phone's screen for Noctis' schedule. Just when things were looking up, Gladio had to throw a wrench in her plans. She should've known he was going to ask her to help with hunting down Noctis if the boy skipped out on one too many training sessions.
"You sound rather frustrated," asked Ignis considerately. "Is everything okay?"
"Okay's not quite the word I'd choose when it comes to Gladio and his bias," muttered Aracelis. Her brows furrowed as she went through the list and mentally calculated how much time she had in coming up with a resolution before she figuratively released the prince's acerbic shield on him. "I doubt he'll cause a scene later, but… we'll see."
"You don't sound certain," frowned Ignis.
"Gladio…" She paused, trying to find the right way to describe her childhood friend before giving up and bluntly continuing. "While he's well-disciplined, it's somewhat of a crapshoot when he loses his temper."
"I see," murmured Ignis pensively as she finished setting up the navigation and went about packing her things. "…Would you mind if I accompanied you?"
"What? You intend to act as my meat shield if he goes berserk?" grinned the girl as she looped the strap of her messenger briefcase over her shoulder. "Or are you going to try to take him on?"
"Do I look like the sort to resort to violence?" deadpanned Ignis.
"Ah, then you intend to serenade him with reason," quipped Aracelis jovially. "Good luck with that, not just anyone can convince Gladio to—"
The brunette paused as she pressed her lips against the back of her knuckles in consideration. Not anyone could convince Gladio, but Ignis wasn't just anyone. He was the voice of reason. If anyone who could silver tongue someone into submission, the prince's adviser was definitely the person to do it.
"Aracelis?" Ignis' concern-laced voice snapped her out of her thoughts before she returned her attention to him.
"You are going to talk reason into Gladio's thick head," decided Aracelis brightly.
"What? But I never agreed to—"
"Come on, no time to waste!" dismissed Aracelis as she took quick strides out of the room preventing the taller teen from back out.
She wasn't sure if he was going to follow, but when she heard the familiar cadence of his steady footsteps catching up, a smile crept up on her face. It was surprising for him to volunteer to come along before she set the dauntless task of persuading Gladio on his shoulders. However, between this and lunch, she wasn't sure what she did to gain Ignis' trust.
Regardless of what they were, Gladio's displeasure towards Noctis actually worked in her favor in this instance. Now, she had a reason for Ignis to meet the prince.
When Ignis decided to make the conspiracy-prone brunette lunch, he didn't expect her to latch onto his arm again. It was an action he was growing familiar with as it occurred every time it seemed he would back out of helping her. Her aggressive dedication appeared to underlie a certain measure of neurotic desperation. Apart from the older Amicitia teen, Ignis has never seen Aracelis interact with anyone that was remotely close to a friend while attending Valetis.
He and Aracelis were similar in that neither of them spoke to their peers much. They differ in that the shorter girl is more caustic with her words whereas he would maintain politeness in his. This odd acquaintanceship they share might actually be the closest thing either of them have to friendship.
Ignis trailed behind Aracelis across the grassy campus lined with tall decorous pillars, prim trees and stone fountains leading out of the academy. Gladio was spotted as they approached the front gate. He waited arms crossed, back leaning against the white brick archway as wandering students in black school uniforms departed the premise. A couple of school girls giggled strolling past him.
"Took you long enough." The Amicitia greeted them dryly.
"I cannot believe you just showed up assuming I was going to help you," huffed Aracelis once she was in range.
Gladio wore a quizzical expression noting Ignis' presence.
"I know you said he was an important classmate the last time we met, but is there something you want to tell me? Or is this something you want me to keep from Selene?"
"Ha-ha," retorted Aracelis sharply. "Save your big brother teasing for Iris when she's old enough to get a boyfriend. Besides, Ignis is not here for me, he's here to serenade you."
At her words, Gladio raised an eyebrow and glanced to Ignis in question. The normally stoic teen shook his head in frantic disconcertion. Much like how she introduced him the first time he met Gladio, her words were vague and left it up for a multitude of interpretations. It was unclear if the brunette's unfortunate turn of phrasing was intentional.
"…Arie, I love you as a friend and sister, but honestly, you need to work on how you phrase things," criticized Gladio, annoyance clear on his face.
"What?" frowned Aracelis, oblivious to the cause of his ire.
"For the sake of brevity," Ignis interjected before the girl could make the situation more complicated. "Aracelis volunteered me to advise you on relationship niceties. I know not the specifics as to why you're at odds with this individual, but she expects that I can convince you to get along. Though, I'm afraid I know nothing of your circumstances."
"…You think this guy can somehow convince me to like the brat prince?" asked Gladio in disbelief.
"Tolerate," corrected Aracelis with a raised finger as if to make a point. "Let's get you to tolerating the prince before we get you to liking him."
Ignis blinked in surprise as she stormed past her displeased friend off the school property. The muscular teen engaged her in a heated argument as they made their way towards her black car. The prince wasn't who Ignis expected the Amicitia to be at odds with, not when their family is meant to serve as the sworn shield to the Crown. Aracelis' conspiracy obsession almost made sense, now that her friend was part of the equation.
Ignis initially reasoned her odd obsession stemmed from a strong sense of patriotism. However, it was more likely she was doing all this for the sake of a friend. Her derisive demeanor aside, the girl does have a heart even if she's not particularly good at showing it, as indicated by Prompto's apparent terror of her overbearing concern.
"No, you're sitting in the back so you can talk to Ignis!" reproached Aracelis when the Amicitia teen tried to take the front seat.
"Hell no! Your backseat is cramped."
"It's technically your car."
"I'm not sitting in the back."
Watching the heated exchange between the two friends was far more interesting than Ignis cared to admit. Their amusing bickering consisted of a mix of ceaseless insults and arguing that varied in logic and childishness, resting soundly in the absurd.
"Then you drive so Ignis can sit in the front with you," said Aracelis as she prodded a stern finger at his chest. "Either way, you're talking to him so you fix whatever it is you have against the prince."
Each of them was stubborn in their own way, but ultimately Aracelis won out. Gladio took to the driver's seat in grumpy defeat while the shorter girl grinned smugly, enjoying her well-earned victory over the other. It's a wonder that she even bothered with asking Ignis for his assistance. It seemed to him that she could easily strong arm Gladio verbally into getting along with the prince by herself.
A mildly amused scoff escaped his lips as he made his way to the front passenger seat. Speaking of getting verbally strong-armed, Aracelis faced Ignis with triumph clear on her face. Backing out now was an act of futility, Ignis no longer had a choice much like Gladio.
"It might be easier to have Aracelis force the prince in to get along with you rather than trying to convince you to tolerate him," commented Ignis offhandedly amidst the looming silence in the car.
"You're supposed to reason with Gladio, not side with him," griped the irate brunette.
"Is it not true though?" mused the straight-faced teen. "You have a way with subjugating people to your will, do you not?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" frowned Aracelis.
"It means you're a bossy bitch." Gladio roared with laughter as he slapped the steering wheel. "You know what, I like this friend of yours. He's not so bad."
"I'm glad you approve," deadpanned the girl humorlessly. "But that still doesn't solve the issue between you and the prince."
Ignis glanced at the rearview mirror to the sour expression on the brunette's freckled face. She was vexed by Gladio's mirth, but she hadn't denied his presumption of their friendship.
"There's no fixing this," dismissed the Amicitia.
"Why not try finding a redeeming quality of the prince?" suggested Ignis, drawing his attention away from the mirror towards Gladio once more. "Rather than forcing yourself to accept him, find something about him you think is acceptable."
"There's nothing acceptable about that brat."
"You haven't even tried!" snapped Aracelis.
"What exactly do you dislike about the prince then?" asked Ignis when it seemed like they were at an impasse regarding the older teen's disposition.
"We'll be here till doomsday if you let him rant about what he dislikes about the prince," grumbled Aracelis. "From how he talks to how he walks, Gladio will find something to gripe about."
"That's because you don't have to deal with the brat on a regular basis!" countered Gladio.
As the two fell into yet another heated argument, Ignis decided to cease his attempts with the older teen. There was simply no point in doing so with Aracelis inadvertently rekindling the Amicitia's ire. Idly, he wondered how these two ever get through a conversation if they're constantly at odds with one another.
By the time they reached their destination, the stoic teen was an unwitting hostage dragged along by his captors. Gladio and Aracelis continued bickering well after the car was parked.
As they continued to squabble through the busy streets of Insomnia the level of mortification in trailing after them was insurmountable. The last time Ignis witnessed such behavior was back in grade school when his peers were all inconsolable children.
"Enough!" snapped Ignis, finally losing his temper.
Gladio and Aracelis fell silent, startled by his uncharacteristic loudness. They've forgotten his presence in the midst of quarreling with one another.
"The two of you will cease bickering at once!" commanded Ignis, sage eyes alight with ire. "Regardless of your stance on the prince, we are in a public space. Neither of you are children, so act appropriately according to your station! And don't either of you dare try to blame one another. You're both behaving like juveniles."
Neither of them verbally apologized, but the shift in their body language was more than enough to tell him otherwise. Eyes averted, Gladio rubbed the base of his neck uncomfortably. Similarly, Aracelis latched onto the crook of her right arm with her left hand as she glanced elsewhere.
Ignis noted with pleasure that the two had the decency to appear embarrassed and ashamed of their actions. He didn't see the need to chide them any further. However, before he could decide on what to do next, the sound of a camera shutter snapping caught their attention.
Click, sha-shick!
The three followed the source of the sound and found a bewildered Noctis staring at them along with Prompto who unabashedly snapped yet another picture of the group.
"…I have no clue who you are," started Noctis casually. A soft chuckle escaped his lips, followed by a wry grin. "But you're officially the coolest person I know to be able to do that to them."
Face red, Ignis adjusted his glasses to hide his embarrassment at the compliment. In hindsight, it was rather out of character to speak so brazenly when he shared so little familiarity with Aracelis and Gladio.
Ignis did not know everyone present intimately, yet he felt bemused by his day.
Shy and self-conscious the first time they met, Prompto saw fit to snap photos of this nonsensical episode. Prince Caelum seemed humble and friendly, contrary to everything spoken during the car ride. The Amicitia appears strict and well-disciplined on first impression, yet devolves into childish banter at a moments notice.
All in all, Ignis wasn't sure what to think. Perhaps Aracelis had a knack for drawing out the unexpected from those around her. He wondered if he had stumbled deep into something of import and that it was too late to return to normalcy. To his surprise, this notion didn't bother him. Compared to his old routine, he found Aracelis far more interesting. After a bit of deliberation, Ignis concluded that it wasn't so bad to indulge the girl's odd whims.