Thanks again to darkpaladin89 for their review of the last chapter. Well, let's see what will happen to the Lucis gang when the country receives its first real day of "cold". Whatever that means for the Lucians…
-miano53
Chronicles of Eos 4: First "Cold" Day in Lucis
October 23rd, 768 M.E., the Citadel…
Rising early as she wanted to get on with her day, Lunafreya Nox Fleuret-Lucis Caelum slipped out of bed at five in the morning. Her husband, Noctis, slept soundly but looked like a kid as he was laying on his stomach, with half of the blankets off and his right arm hanging from the side of his bed. He snored, a sign of his being very tired from the many months of directing the Lucian rebuild, and Luna thought to just leave him be. But she had to make sure he was awake by seven o'clock as he took forever to get up.
Yesterday, she dragged him out of bed by grabbing his legs and pulling him off the mattress. He woke up, grabbed onto whatever he could, but the pillow was no match for her strength. Hitting the floor and glaring, Noctis yelled at her, but Lunafreya insisted that good kings woke up early and got started on their day. Hopefully, she thought, she wouldn't have to do that again, as he was quite heavy, and he would listen out for his alarm. But Luna thought not to get her hopes up.
Showering, changing into summer jogging gear of pink and black, and offering up a few prayers, the Queen of Lucis was ready for her morning jog and left the King's chambers. Once she was at the doors, she was greeted by Ignis, who was also getting started for the day.
He bowed and asked, "Going out for the daily run?"
"Yes. And I should be back in about an hour. If Noct's not awake, you know what to do," Lunafreya said.
"Drag him out of bed, kicking and screaming like a five-year-old who doesn't want to go to school? Sure. And we'll make sure that plain-clothed Glaives are within range," Ignis told her.
"Thank you. I will see you in an hour," Lunafreya said.
She opened the door, took her first step outside, and immediately yelped, "Oh! It's cold!"
"Wait, what?" Ignis said.
He joined her and shivered as the brisk air of Fall finally descended upon Lucis. Lunafreya looked around for the source but found nothing but the rising sun and birds chirping happily. Running back inside, she said to Ignis, "What is this new devilry?"
"I believe we finally received our first cold day in Lucis," Ignis told her.
Lunafreya did hope and pray for weather relief, but she didn't think the temperature would drop so dramatically. It was around 76 degrees the previous day, but the morning's weather was about 40 degrees Fahrenheit, a dramatic 36-degree difference. Rushing back to the King's chambers, Lunafreya found her trusty white and black jacket from Tenebrae and felt relieved as the warmth covered her previously bare arms. She went back to her regularly scheduled programming, exiting the Citadel, and going off on her run.
With Iris…
In her dorm room at the college in Lestallum, Iris woke up to freezing cold and she wondered what was going on. She didn't know if the meteorshards had frozen over during the night or if a freak storm was on its way. Probably the latter.
Looking to her closet, as she had to get to class, she found her favorite winter coat, with its black fur trim. She put it on and felt the glorious warmth she thought she'd never miss. Taking her book bag and books, Iris headed for class.
Once outside, she saw her early bird cohorts heading to class as well. Some were oddly dressed for the weather, with some in hooded sweaters, flip flops, and shorts while others dressed like a blizzard was coming. Talking with a few still in shorts, Iris found that they insisted they weren't cold, but she knew deep down, they were. They truly were.
With Prompto…
Waking up to see fog over the windows, Prompto thought the End had come. He wiped the window and found that it was cold. Fall seemed to have finally set in and he said, "Yes! Banora White apple cider time!"
He went to his closet, found his Kingsglaive jacket and winter cap and wallet, and rushed outside, ready to bask in the cool air. When Prompto exited his apartment, he jumped, cheering as the weather finally stopped its horrendous heatwave. Passerby stared and Prompto didn't care. It was finally cool and he was going to enjoy it, whether they liked it or not.
Running towards the local Banora White store, owned by the famous Rhapsodos family, Prompto grinned, thinking about all the good eats and drinks for that season. He planned on getting apple cider, donuts, and maybe even a few pumpkins imported from Tenebrae. Just as he reached the nearby shot, the blonde Kingsglaive slid to a halt, seeing a massive line that was wrapped around the block.
"Oh, come on!" he yelled.
Begrudgingly, he joined the long line and hoped that he could get at least one donut…
With Noctis…
The King of Lucis, finally ready for his day, sniffed the air, smelling a foul, burning scent. It agitated him and he began searching his room for the source. When he couldn't find it, the man went through the Citadel, trying to find the source. With the scent came comfortable heat, but Noctis hoped that someone didn't try their hand at cooking, that someone being Lunafreya.
Reaching the kitchens, the black-chef-uniform-wearing staff stared at their King opened the ovens, sniffed them, and found nothing. He even checked the stoves, turning the burners on and off. One brave soul asked, "Uh, Majesty, what are you doing?"
"What does it look like, Invi?" Noctis asked her.
"Um, it looks like you're looking for something," another, Ava, had answered.
Noctis, still very agitated, asked, "What is that smell?"
The staff sniffed around, with one saying, "Oh! I think someone turned the heat on!"
"What are you talking about, Gula?" Noctis asked the young man.
They directed him to the vent, and he recognized the bitter stench. Relieved, as no one was trying to burn the Citadel down, Noctis said, "Oh good…At least Luna's not trying to cook again."
"I thought Ignis said that Majesty's the one who nearly burnt the place down…" Gula whispered to Aqua.
"I thought so too. Didn't he burn his arms cooking Zu drumsticks?" Aqua muttered.
"Yep," Tifa replied.
Noctis turned and glared at the three, who went back to preparing lunch., whistling while they worked.
With Prompto…
Still waiting outside, the blonde sighed as he saw passerby with the Rhapsodos family's famous apple cinnamon donuts and bottles of cider. Stomach growling, as he hadn't had breakfast, Prompto muttered, "When will this line move…?"
"You're here too?"
His old college classmate, Cecil Harvey, nearly passed him by and Prompto gasped as the man had three boxes of donuts. The ash-blonde was smiling from ear to ear and he said, "You're here for the donuts too?"
"Uh, yeah…Um, how?" Prompto asked.
"Oh, I came around four in the morning. And this should be enough for my class," Cecil told him.
Saying his goodbyes, the man walked off, heading towards the high school nearby. Prompto whined, muttering, "At least the kids can get donuts…Aw…"
The line moved an inch and those in it took a single step. Including Prompto. Looking at the time on his phone, he saw that it was 9 AM. Well, work could wait, right? Noctis could handle himself, Prompto thought.
With Lunafreya…
The Queen continued her trek, passing by the elementary school closest to the Citadel. She spotted parents carrying jars of apple cider and boxes of pastries inside. Remembering her workout routine, she vowed not to partake in the eating of such sweets. She had to stay slim and trim, as she had to stay in shape if something like the Starscouge was to happen again. But…she hadn't had any cider since her near-death twelve years ago…
Making a turn and passing up a sushi shop, she saw businesses putting up wreaths made of pseudo fall leaves, pinecones imported from Tenebrae, and orange ribbons. The sushi shop had figurines of people dressed in sweaters and drinking cider. The smells coming from there didn't help and it was of cinnamon and apples.
"No! No! No, I will be strong," Lunafreya told herself.
She ran faster, stopping as she stumbled on a holiday shop, prepping for a sale for Hallow's Eve. Candy bags and signs with the sale amount were on tables, covered with a rather tacky bat and witches printed tablecloth. Another sign had the prices for costumes, and it was a steal based on what she saw. The candy on the tables and packaged in the windows seemed to call to her and they had her favorite out: Golden Saucer Peanut Butter Cups.
"No, no, NO! I will not give in! I am the Oracle! I have more willpower than this!" Lunafreya declared.
"Majesty?"
One of the workers setting up stared, worried about their Queen's wellbeing. Lunafreya saw the silver-haired youth, who kept staring with his green eyes. He then said, "Um, are you okay?"
"Yes. Yes, I am. Um…" Luna said.
"Well, if you want the candy, it's 1,000 gil for three bags," the youth told her.
"Uh, what? H-How much?" she asked him.
"1,000 gil for three bags. And you can mix and match," the youth answered.
It was seriously a steal. And Noctis did say that they were opening the Citadel for kids going trick-or-treating. And she did want to witness it as she wasn't allowed to do such a thing back in Tenebrae. And they just happened to have her favorite candy…
"No, I'll just buy for the children. For the children," Lunafreya said.
"Uh, okay. Well, we have more inside, Majesty," the youth said.
"Kadaj! Hurry up. We got another ten boxes to unpack!"
The youth, Kadaj, bowed and ran inside the store. Luna followed, still sensing the Kingsglaive nearby. Hopefully, they won't judge her based on what she was about to do.
Finding the candy section, the Oracle-Queen released a gasp, seeing the massive walls of candy from around Lucis and the world. Some were even from Tenebrae, and some hadn't been seen in Lucis in 40 years. Nearly crying as the sight was beautiful, Lunafreya broke her vow, rushing to get a cart and running through the aisles, putting as much candy into the cart as possible.
Off in the distance, a familiar voice yelled, "LUNA, NO!"
With Noctis…
Dressed in a winter fur coat and ready to start his rounds around the city, Noctis stepped outside, grinning as he was sure that the cold wouldn't get to him. But as quickly as the cold had set in, the heat returned, bringing temperatures back up to 72 degrees. The King sighed, remembering the cold was fleeting in Lucis and most likely it was a fluke.
He took off his coat, as the heavy fur made him sweat almost instantly, and he returned to his familiar black dress shirt and pants. Sighing, the man was really looking forward to not having a hot day. That and he had planned to get some cider from his favorite stop: Verum Rex.
Just as he started to go back into the Citadel, Prompto ran towards him, holding four boxes of…something. Noctis asked, "What is that?"
He jumped when he saw how beat up and winded his best friend was. Almost as if he survived a stampede. Prompto grinned, looking pitiful, and said, "Nearly got killed after I bought the last of Banora White's donuts! Couldn't get the cider, though."
"So, that's where you were all morning?" Noctis asked him.
"Yup! And I'm proud of it too! First of the season's donuts!" Prompto cheered.
He then became a bit possessive, muttering, "The precious…"
"Okay! Remind me to get you in therapy…" Noctis told him, terrified as his friend started to sound like Gollum from Game of the Ring Lords.
"Majesty!"
Ignis and a few of the Kingsglaive rushed to him. They were all winded and Noctis was so sure that they shouldn't have been. Out-of-shape protectors of the Crown weren't a good sign.
Worry in his features, Ignis told his king, "Majesty, Lunafreya's…"
"What? What?" Noctis asked.
"You just have to come. I think she went overboard…" another Kingsglaive, Terra, told him.
Noctis followed them, taking the Regalia, while the Kingsglaive zipped through the skies with their warping.
With Lunafreya…
Proud of herself and munching on a peanut butter cup, Lunafreya made her purchase of 300 bags of candy for over 300,000 gil. She waited outside, after telling Ignis to find Noctis and bring the Regalia. Or a truck, whatever vehicle was available. The Oracle-Queen "killed two birds with one stone" by both taking her run and getting the candy they needed for children.
But she may have gone overboard as she managed to clear out the shop of their candy supply. Shrugging, she said, "Well, the children need it more than they, and they've made quite a bit of profit off of us."
The squeal of brakes caught her attention and Lunafreya saw that Noctis had pulled up with the car. He stared at the shop's workers were still trying to get the Queen's order together. The Kingsglaive landed in front of the shop and most stared at the odd sight.
Grinning, Lunafreya said, "Hello! Um, I know this looks like a lot, but…"
"Yeah, it does. And why did you buy the entire store?" Noctis asked her.
Lunafreya looked at the empty wrappers in her hands and she said, "I'm sorry. I haven't had candy since leaving Tenebrae! And they just happen to have my favorite. So, I thought maybe I should get a little for myself, a little break, and get some for the children too."
"But you bought a whole store…" Noct said, still staring.
"Majesties, maybe we should get a truck or something…" another Kingsglaive, Luxu, suggested.
Lunafreya tried to continue to explain, but Noct refused to stop staring. As if her buying a store's worth of sweets was so shocking. It probably was, though.
'Alright, maybe I did go overboard…Maybe it was the Fall air, playing tricks on me,' she thought.
And there's Lunafreya and her surprising sweet tooth. Well, in FFXV, there is a sweet from Tenebrae, the Memory Lane Pastry. And I'm assuming it's just that sweet as it enhances magic significantly, but your strength is reduced to 0 if you eat it. So, I usually didn't have the gang eat it as I still wanted someone to be able to land a hit.
And wonder if the "Lucian Weather Committee" had anything to do with the cold one moment, hot the next and the shenanigans that came from it.