Chapter One: Providence

It's hot. So very hot.

The oppressive sun beats down and Celeste huffs to herself as she tugs her luggage behind her. She knows she won't be able to make it to Galdin Quay before sundown on foot, which means another night of sleeping out under the stars. Just great. More bugs and wilderness and shivering in the middle of the night.

The sun has just barely started to go down, casting golden rays of light peeking through the mountain-tops. She can feel blisters forming on her feet as she trudges along, and she's almost positive one of them has started to bleed.

Celeste is not sure how much more abuse the wheels of her suitcase can take. It's an old, beat up thing; hell, it was old when she found it.

She's lost count of how many miles she's walked. All she knows is she has to get as far away from the Crown City as she can. Imperial presence in the kingdom of Lucis is something she knows she needs to avoid. Emperor Aldercapt of Niflheim had arrived with legions of Imperial soldiers and high ranking officials for the treaty signing, which means she had to pack up her meager little life with what little she owned and leave. It was well enough, she supposes. She didn't have any friends or family to miss, and much of her life was spent on the road, never staying in one place for very long.

Celeste wipes at the sticky sweat on the back of her neck as she trudges onward, furrowing her brow at her circumstances. That's when it happens. Her poor suitcase has had enough. One of the wheels hits a rock and cracks. One piece bounces back a few paces and the rest has fallen off the axle.

She stops walking and bends down to examine the damage. Her back aches at the movement, and her knees feel weak- about to buckle.

"Fucking hell," she mutters as she tries her best to stick the wheel back on. It's no use. The wheel itself has completely cracked in half, the broken half a few feet back down the road.

She lays her suitcase on its side and sits on it, now rummaging through her purse. Time to rely on the kindness of strangers, she thinks to herself, still digging through her bag. Hopefully she can find someone willing to be out on the road this late in the evening.

Frowning, she realizes she's down to her last cigarette. Defeated, she lights it and stares down the long, stretching highway. Most people don't travel the roads this close to nightfall, but maybe, just maybe she can get lucky for once. As she takes a drag of her cigarette, she checks her wallet.

Fifty Gil left.

Not enough for a hotel room, or...much of anything for that matter. Not with the war causing price inflation left and right. She'll need to find a mark soon, much as she hates to admit it. The thought turns her skin cold, despite the beating rays of the sun. She hates having to do it. It scares her and it makes her a possible target should someone take notice. Fear, tensions and paranoia were high these days.

Her thoughts are broken by the sound of an engine. She jerks her head up and sees a small car coming down the highway. Excitedly, and with her cigarette still between her dry, chapped lips, she stands up and sticks her thumb out.

She can feel tears of relief leap to her eyes as the car slows down and eventually stops beside her. The driver is an older woman. Celeste is thankful for this detail, as she finds it easier to trust female drivers. The car is nice, a newer model, and the woman inside is dressed just as nice. Maybe this is the mark she was waiting for.

The woman rolls her window down and peers out at the girl. She's a skinny little thing, probably weighs 110 pounds soaking wet. Her boy cut hair is bleached out, but dark roots are starting to show. The girl leans down, a sad smile of her face and there are tears forming in her dark, dark brown eyes.

"Ma'am, you wouldn't happen to be headed to Galdin Quay would you?"

The woman smiles sympathetically. "Aye, I'm headed there and then to Altissia. Do you need a lift young lady? You look dreadful."

Celeste chokes out a small laugh and nods. "Yeah, that's where I'm headed. I'm uh, meeting a friend there and I am dog tired from walking all day."

The woman pushes a button on her car's console. The trunk pops open.

"Throw your luggage in the back sweet thing, I'll take you where you need to go."

Celeste beams as she picks up her bag and places it in the trunk of the car and slams it shut. She sheepishly decides to sit in the back, as she hasn't showered for a few days and doesn't want to offend her savior. She tosses the cigarette butt on the ground and stomps on it a few times before getting in.

She's instantly met with a blast of cool air coming from the car's air conditioning unit.

"I'm glad I spotted you when I did young lady," says the woman. "What with night coming, dangerous for folk to be out."

Celeste bites her tongue. The night has never been dangerous for her, but she doesn't divulge this detail to the woman. The less people know about her, the better, the safer she is.

She leans her head back against the car seat and closes her eyes for a moment, taking a moment to sit back and relax for the ride to come. She opens them again and observes the woman driving. She's rich, she can tell. Several rings decorate her long, thin fingers. Her hair is done up very nicely and she smells expensive.

Guilt immediately stabs at her gut. Or was it hunger? She can hardly tell the difference most days.

The woman looks back at her through the rear-view mirror.

"So what's your story, young lady?"

Celeste meets her eyes in the mirror before looking away. She has to think of something.

"My uh, my boyfriend kicked me out. I'm supposed to meet a girlfriend at the resort. She's going to hook me up with a place to stay for awhile until I can get back on my feet."

Partially true. She was planning on staying in the hotel for a day or two, once she gets some money from a mark, but she planned to take a boat across the sea to Altissia. Best to put as much distance between her and Insomnia as possible, and what better way to do that than crossing the sea?

"What an ass," the woman says, clicking her tongue and shaking her head.

"Yeah, he was an ass," Celeste lets out a small, albeit insincere laugh of agreement. The guilt is building. She hates lying. Hates having to take advantage of people.

She soon comes to terms with the fact that she can't do it to this woman. She was nice and took in a sweaty, smelly stranger to give her a ride when she could have easily driven right on past her like so many people have before.

"I'll be staying at the resort for a few days myself," the woman continues. "I'd love to meet your friend and have a drink with you guys once you get all settled."

Crap. Now she definitely couldn't do it to this woman.

"Oh that would be nice, we'll uh...we'll see!" Celeste forces another fake laugh and a smile.


They ride in silence for the rest of the trip, the sun continuing to settle behind the mountains.

After what felt like forever, a large wooden sign advertising "Galdin Quay" could be seen not too far away.

"We're here," the woman said, smiling as she turns into the parking lot. She idles the engine and then finally turns the car off.

Celeste quickly gets out of the car and waits at the trunk. The woman hits the same button on the console and the trunk pops open, revealing her dirty, dust covered suitcase. Celeste heaves it out of the trunk and stands there awkwardly for a moment.

"So uhm, thanks for the ride ma'am. You're a Gods-send. I uh… I don't have much money to repay you, and-"

The woman cuts her off.

"Oh don't even think about it dear, I saw a soul in need and did what the Gods would have wanted me to do. Nothing less. Now please, no more talk of paying me back. I just hope you'll be okay from here."

The woman puts her keys in her purse and gives Celeste an inquisitive look, noticing the girl wasn't going with her in the direction of the resort.

"You aren't going up to the hotel right now? It's getting awfully late and I couldn't live with myself if a daemon got to you."

Celeste purses her lips for a moment.

"Nah, I'll be fine. I wanted to take a quick look at the beach before I get settled in to sleep. I'll be fine! I promise."

The woman frowns for a moment before giving up. "Alright then young lady, you take care of yourself." And with that she heads up the boardwalk toward to resort.

Celeste watches her go, wishing she could go with her. The smells of seafood cooking cause her stomach to knot uncomfortably. She hasn't eaten since yesterday morning, and that was a meager bowl of noodles, hardly filling. She sees lights and people in the distance surrounding the restaurant area. Feeling a sad emptiness in the pit of her soul, she drags her luggage toward the beach.

She needs to find a place to sleep, outdoors, as usual, as she doesn't have nearly enough money for a room at a resort like this. First thing tomorrow, she says to herself, she needs to find someone to rip off so she can eat, wash her clothes and shower.

Celeste settles for an out of the way sandy area underneath the boardwalk, far enough away from the waters so the tide doesn't sweep her away in the middle of the night, and far enough away from the resort that she doesn't draw attention to herself. She sits in the sand and takes off her shoes, her feet barely illuminated by a nearby stadium light in the parking lot. Sure enough she discovers a blister on her left heel has formed and started bleeding. Her skin is stained with dried blood.

Fuck it. She decides to deal with it tomorrow, if she remembers. She tosses her shoes to the side where she can reach them easily in the morning.

The sun is completely gone now, as are all of the beach goers. She watches the moonlight flicker across the calm waters, hoping and praying she can figure out what she is going to do for food and shelter the next day.

With a tired groan, Celeste hugs her purse to her body and lays her head down on her suitcase. She can already feel the sand creeping into her clothes and she grimaces. She's slept in some weird places before but never on a beach. She hopes to the Gods this is the last night she'll have to slum it for a good long while.

She dreads sleep, always has, but she's so tired. So, so tired that she easily drifts off, listening to the distant shrieks of demons in the night.


Celeste sleeps well into the afternoon, biting hunger waking her from a dreadful and dreamless sleep. She yawns and rubs her eyes, wincing as she gets a few grains of sand in them.

She looks around and sees beach goers some ways away, enjoying the sun and waves with their families. A pang of envy gnaws at her chest. Ignoring it, she stands up and claps her hands, ridding them of the remaining sand. Sluggishly she digs through her purse and pulls out her wallet. If she's going to land some money today she needs to look and smell at least halfway passable.

She spies a kiosk across the parking lot and gets an idea. Celeste awkwardly stands up, grabs her purse and pulls her luggage across the pavement.

"Excuse me," she says to the portly man working the kiosk. He's reading the news. The

headline covers the impending treaty signing in the Crown City. Celeste shudders. Something about the whole thing gives her an uneasy feeling, but for now that isn't important.

"Excuse me," she says again.

The man sighs and puts down the paper.

"Yeah?"

Charming fellow. Celeste scowls a little but continues.

"Do you sell toiletries?"

The man rolls his eyes and nods.

"Great, uh can I get some toothpaste and soap?"

The man, clearly annoyed with her presence, reaches under the counter and pulls out a small bottle of toothpaste and the tiniest bar of soap she's ever seen.

"Ten Gil."

Celeste pauses for a moment with a brow raised.

"Seriously? Ten Gil?"

The man nods.

"Them's the prices, take it or leave it."

That would leave her with only Forty Gil left. She's going to have to play it extremely smooth if she's going to make this stretch until she can get more money.

"Fine," she growls, and slams the coins on the counter. She scoops up her purchase and makes her way to the water, far enough away from any resort guests so as not to raise any questions or suspicions.

Finding an adequate place, she parks her suitcase in the sand and hangs her purse on the handle. She immediately gets to work, using her finger as a tooth brush and using the soap to wash under her arms and behind her neck. She then sticks her short hair in the cool waves, allowing it to soak before using what's left of the soap to scrub at her greasy, sweat soaked hair until it suds up. Finally she rinses it by sticking her head in the water again, watching the soap suds glitter with rainbows under the sun before drifting away. Celeste also takes this time to rinse off the burst blister from yesterday in the water. The salt makes it sting. She grits her teeth as she rinses off the dried blood and rubs her feet down in the waves. They were just a little too dirty for her liking.

Celeste exits the water and drags her luggage back to the boardwalk and slides under again, searching through her clothes for something clean. She finds one unsoiled dress, a red one, cut short and trimmed with red lace across the shoulders. This should get someone's attention, she muses to herself. Looking around to make sure she's alone, she quickly strips down and wiggles into the dress.

She opts for no shoes (it's a beach resort after all, right?) and sticks her dirty clothes back into her suitcase. Once again going through her purse, she pulls out a nearly empty bottle of cherry blossom body spray and mists herself. She sniffs around, mostly content with how she is presented and begins to haul her suitcase back to her hiding spot under the boardwalk. She piles some sand around it to conceal it if even a little bit, and with that she makes her way up to the resort restaurant.

The floor tiles are cool against her sand warmed feet, offering much relief for her sore heel.

Her eyes scan the crowds, looking for someone she can target easily, someone alone and untethered. Too many families. Too many people here with other people. Too many people. Too much noise. She feels herself starting to clam up and panic.

She lets out a short breath and tries to collect herself. After a moment, she gets back to work.

This is going to be difficult. She averts her eyes and walks up to the restaurant bar.

Shaky, both from stress and hunger, she sits down on a barstool and opens her purse. She spots her pill bottles. It's tempting, to take one, level out, calm down, but she needs to be alert. She needs her abilities. She frowns and pushes the pills aside and pulls out her wallet.

The bartender takes notice of her and smiles, approaching. Her nametag says 'Coctura.'

"Hiya ma'am! What can I get for ya?"

Celeste snaps out of her stupor and forces a smile.

"HI! Yes can I uh, can I get a menu?"

"Sure thing hun."

Coctura reaches under the bar and hands Celeste a red leather bound menu.

Celeste smiles in thanks and opens the menu.

Crap, everything is so expensive. So, no food for now, and she sighs, defeated. She thumbs over to the drink section. Thanking the gods, she finds this section slightly more affordable, albeit only slightly. She'd only be able to afford a few drinks. She prays someone comes in alone so she can do what she does best, and soon.

After a few minutes, Coctura comes back.

"Have a chance to see what you want, ma'am?"

Celeste closes the menu.

"Yes, I would like a Sex on the Beach, please."

"Coming right up!"

Coctura gets to work at the bar, humming a popular song to herself as she works.

Celeste realizes that although there are plenty of people in the restaurant, she's one of the only ones at the bar, day-drinking. She chuckles dryly to herself.

Pathetic.

Coctura comes back and places the bright red and orange drink in front of her, complete with a tiny blue cocktail umbrella.

"Thank you so much," Celeste says, and takes a big gulp through the straw. It tastes like liquid heaven. She hasn't had something this nice in, Gods, she can't even remember. She takes another drink and scans the crowd again.

Still no suitable marks, and her drink is almost gone. She has enough Gil for two more, and prays that someone will come in before she runs out of money.

Celeste starts to drink slower, making her drink last longer. She doesn't know how long she's going to have to wait here.

She realizes after awhile she's been sitting here for almost two hours. She's about to order her last drink, ready to admit defeat when it happens.

A man swaggers up the boardwalk into the restaurant. He's...peculiar to say the least. He's wearing a thick, long grey coat, despite the heat of the day. His shoulder length wine colored hair bounces under his hat as he strides in. He has a rugged face, but despite this he's pleasing to the eye, and the best part? He's unaccompanied.

Immediately he looks over at her, as if he already knew she was there, giving her a half smirk as he continues up to the boat docks to Altissia.

She watches him like a hawk. Watches as he whispers something in the ear of the ticket taker, has a brief conversation with him and then re-enters the restaurant. He makes a right and speaks with the room attendant for the hotel, speaking with him for a moment before paying for a room and accepting a room key to the resort.

Celeste can feel her pulse quicken as he walks into the bar toward her and surprisingly, sits on the stool next to her. He smells, strange? Maybe not to right word for it. It's not a bad smell. It's more like, ozone? Ozone and aether. It's a familiar smell, but right now she can't place it.

She glances over at him out the corner of her eye and takes another sip of her drink, a long and rather sensual sip. She is trying to get his attention.

Coctura comes over to him and asks if he'd like a menu.

"Oh, no need my dear. I'll just take a whiskey, neat, if you'd be so kind."

"Coming right up, good sir!"

While he waits, he turns to halfway face her, one foot up on the foot rest of the barstool, one foot touching the ground. He's rather imposing in size, she thinks to herself.

"Looks like I'm not the only one day-drinking," he drawls, his eyes never leaving her.

Celeste turns to face him and laughs.

"Rough day?" she asks, taking another sip, her eyes locked onto his.

"Official business. Official business is such a bore," he says, smiling at Coctura when she brings him his drink. He takes a swig and looks Celeste over, his eyes stopping at her feet.

"Lose your shoes?" he asks with a small chuckle.

"It's a beach. I've never been to a beach before. I figured I'd rather feel the sand so I left them," Celeste says, smiling.

"So, what's the official business?"

The man smiles, looks away and takes another drink.

"Curious one, aren't you? Alas, I'm afraid I cannot divulge that information- you understand."

Celeste pouts, an act, of course, and finishes off her drink.

The man continues to stare at her, and at this point, Celeste is getting anxious. Does he know? Does he work for them? She can practically feel those golden eyes boring into her very soul.

Celeste can feel her cool demeanor crumbling. This has never happened before. She's always confident around marks. Sensing this sudden weakness of hers, the man speaks again.

"Do I...know you? You seem awfully familiar," the man asks. That's when she gets an idea.

"I can tell you, sir," she says, staring up at him from beneath her lashes.

"But it's a secret, I'll have to whisper it to you."

The man arches a brow, clearly intrigued and maybe even a little entertained.

Celeste looks around coyly, checking to make sure no one is watching them. Everyone in the restaurant is busy eating or talking, and Coctura has disappeared from the bar, most likely on break.

Perfect.

Celeste leans forward and rests a hand on his. He looks down at her hand and then up at her, that smug smile still on his pretty lips.

"I do so love a secret," he says quietly.

She leans in so close her lips graze the tip of his ear, and that's when it happens. She can feel the energy leaving her in dark, purple wisps, creeping from her hand into his.

"You're going to give me your wallet and your room key. Then, you're going to get back in your car and drive 50 miles back the way you came. You're not going to remember any of this happened, alright?" She gently nipped at his ear with her teeth before sitting back.

She watches as the man, with a blank stare rummages around in a breast pocket of his coat and pulls out his wallet, laying it on the table in front of him. With the same blank stare, she waits for him to pull his room key out of his trouser pocket and laid that on top of the wallet.

He gets up and walks stiffly out of the restaurant and down the boardwalk. She takes the wallet and room key and follows him to make sure he gets in his car, an old burgundy convertible and drives away, headed east.

Celeste lets out a long deep breath, feeling woozy from what she had just done. She opens the wallet and counts the Gil, noting a lack of ID or credit cards.

"20,000 Gil," she breathes and lets out a high, sharp laugh, unintentionally drawing the attention of a few restaurant goers.

"Sorry," she mutters and grasps the wallet and key in her hands.

She walks as fast as she can back to the bar and waves Coctura over, who was apparently back from her break.

"Something else I can get you, ma'am?"

Celeste grins so wide her cheeks ached.

"Yes, can I get the Sea Bounty's Risotto and the White Fish in Tomato Sauce? Oh, and another one of these?" She asks lifting her empty glass.

Coctura smiles brightly.

"Whew, someone's hungry eh? I'll have it ready as soon as possible!"

When the food finally comes, Celeste eats like she has never eaten before, clearing both plates and downing another drink.

It's late evening when she heads back to her hidden suitcase under the boardwalk. Giddily, She hauls it back through the restaurant and up to the bell boy standing outside of the entrance to the hotel.

Celeste quickly flashes him her stolen room key. The bell boy smiles and opens the entrance to the hotel for her.

She glances down at her room key.

Room 103. Excellent. She doesn't need to walk very far before she comes upon her room. Quickly, she unlocks the door, dashes inside and locks it behind her, and with that locked door comes a sense of relief she hasn't felt in a long, long time.


A/N: Hi all! Thanks for choosing to read my story. I'll have chapters coming out regularly and I PROMISE the smut is coming, I just need to lay out the groundwork for the story to build up to that. Kudos and comments are mega appreciated!