So in hindsight I discovered I crossed the locations of the Tomb of the Wise and Tomb of the Conqueror. Tomb of the Conqueror is located in Keycatrich Trench. Instead of spending several hours finding ever reference that I need to fix and re-posting old chapters, I'm just going to keep the two swapped. Apologies.
I also apologize for the delay. I do want to try and be better at keeping a weekly update schedule, just got a bit busy trying to juggle working full time with having an 8-month old. Despite my delay and silly mix-up I do hope you enjoy this chapter!
Noctis crawled into his tent and was surprised to find Lunafreya lying on her side, her eyes tracking him. Most of their retinue had refused her light after she healed Prompto, and encouraged her to go rest. Prompto was given the bed inside the trailer, Nyx and Regis promising to keep a close watch on him overnight. Lunafreya had agreed to go rest with the promise Noctis would wake her and bring her up to speed about the discussions he would have with everyone about their next step.
"Hey figured you'd be asleep." He remarked.
"Trouble sleeping." She admitted with a shrug. "And I couldn't quite get my mind off wondering where we're heading next. And did Crowe get the answers she was looking for?"
"Crowe wanted to talk to my dad alone… "
"I hope she gets her answers."
"We also talked about that daemon attack… how could that thing just walking into Hammerhead, Cid told us the lights he installed were the daemon-repelling kind." Lunafreya sighed, looking into the distance for a moment.
"The bombs were still trapped outside in the dark." She mused, recalling watching them pace the edges where the lights' influence ended. "Maybe this one was just strong enough to tolerate some light? It was no small beast…" she added. She could still feel the ache throughout her body from the fight, and she had been providing assistance from afar. She hoped the light she shared with the others was enough to chase away enough of their own pain.
"We talked about getting Cid some new lights so this doesn't happen again." Noctis answered. He recalled warning stories his father told him of daemons in the dark, and how only special lights were enough to repel them.
"I do wish for Hammerhead to be safe."
"I wonder if all outposts and stuff are having issues… we should make a few pit stops, find out." He suggested. He wanted his people safe. He kneaded his knee, feeling the numbness that was starting in his back, and shooting down his leg in a stubborn ache and gave him something to do with his hands to keep from kneading his fingers. He blew a puff of air at the hair falling in his face and pondered getting back out of the tent to shower away his stress, but decided he lacked the energy and would rather shower in the morning. His free hand fussed his hair out of his eyes.
"I'm sure we we'll have ample opportunity to do so."
"We'll be travelling all over the place for the weapons… we can find outposts and small towns. And next is the Axe, at the Tomb of the Conqueror. It's near that trench where we got the sword, north of a valley. Ignis remembers the names of everything… I was never good at geography." He answered her. She nodded at him, shifting in her sleeping bag to get onto her side. "How are you feeling?" he asked. She shrugged,
"Tired but all right." She answered. She had declined the offer of an ether Regis made to counter her exhaustion, but accepted the potion when he pointed out her bruises and abrasions from when she collapsed. However, it was the reawaked pain in her ribs that enticed her to take the potion. She wondered if the converted energy drink had something to do with her sleeplessness.
"Yeah… I feel like I could sleep for a week."
"If no one rouses you, I would not doubt your ability to sleep for such." She smiled and chuckled lightly when he looked at her with his brow knit, and nose scrunched. Noctis crawled over to her until his hands were on either side of her face, his knees straddling her.
"Well that's not very nice." He pouted his bottom lip at her, and she smiled again,
"Prove me wrong, wake up before me tomorrow without an alarm."
"Okay that's not even fair. You have some internal alarm clock that wakes you up at dawn every day no matter when you go to bed!" he shot back at her and she pushed on his chest in a feigned attempt to get him off of her.
"I doubt that will be the case tonight… I am fairly fatigued after that fight."
"Prove me wrong, sleep past dawn."
"How will you know if you sleep for a week?" she asked, eyes looking off into the distance, knitting her brow and biting down on her bottom lip, "I mean, I suppose I could simply tell you I slept past dawn, you would not know the difference."
"We both know you can't lie to this pretty face." He answered back, and she gave an exaggerated sigh, shaking hear head.
"Too true. But if I distract you…" she shifted and lifted herself up, leaning back against her arms before tilting her head and meeting his lips, her eyes closing. Noctis nearly teased her about his father's prior warning, but managed to keep himself quiet. When he parted from the group to join Lunafreya Regis had remined him to be a gentleman, and had suggested sleeping in the trailer with Prompto, Nyx, and himself. Noctis had explained Lunafreya didn't yet feel safe sleeping alone, and when Regis suggested her Shield being the one to keep her company, Noctis pointed out that the woman was still a stranger to her, and unlikely to make her feel safe. His father's shoulders had dropped at the news, and he felt as if he had manipulated his father despite the fact he was not holding ulterior motives.
"I trust you to be a gentleman son, I do wish for Luna to feel safe." Regis's gaze wouldn't meet that of his son, locked down on his hands; he flexed his intact fingers and wondered why, with all the power granted to him via that cursed ring, he had been forced to leave that sweet young girl behind at the Empire's mercy after they had murdered her mother before her.
"I will." Noctis promised.
"She will warm up to Crowe in time. I recall you and Gladiolus were far from friends when I first assigned him as your Shield."
"She did a good job watching over her during that fight. You see the two of them together? That trick with the fire. Took almost a decade for Gladio to stop making kicking my ass his greatest joy in life, meanwhile Crowe and Luna were badasses their first time fighting together!" Noctis chuckled lightly, and felt his cheeks heat up at he expected to be chided for cursing before his father.
"Cindy certainly thought so, she was acting as a child watching an exciting movie."
"The mechanic? She actually talked to someone, like… not about the car or something?" Regis chuckled at the look of genuine confusion on Noctis's face.
"She's more that just a mechanic Noct. She reminds me quite a bit of her mother." He sighed, as he thought again of the people he failed as he was forced to pull back the wall to encircle Insomnia. "I never knew Luna could make shields." He continued. Noctis couldn't help but wonder if this ability was tied with her light, or something that emerged as a result of how she constantly had to protect herself.
"She's stronger than you think."
"To live under the Empire as long as she did, and emerge with the ability to smile, she surely must be." Noctis shifted in his seat, his leg bouncing.
"Yeah."
"I am glad you two make each other happy…"
Lunafreya's mouth against him drew him back to the present and he left any thought of guilt behind. He rolled off of her onto his side, briefly breaking their kiss getting a whine from her before she shifted closer, slipping a leg between his knees to allow her to press herself against him.
"You know, if you want me up before noon you should let me sleep." He teased, eyes flicking up to meet hers when she pulled back from him. He reached up, cupping her cheek as this thumb played with her earlobe.
"Even if I keep you up, I am sure Ignis will come to wake us to set out at first light so we don't have to risk being caught on the road after dark."
"You want me groggy when trying to collect one of these vampire weapons?" he asked, jutting his bottom lip in a pout, "and here I thought you loved me."
"Vampire weapon?" she cocked a brow, shifting so she was the one leaning over him, and rested her arms on his chest getting a small exhale from Noctis as she leaned her weight on him.
"'Cause it seems to need my blood when I use it." She knit her brows in answer to his reply, reaching a hand to brush her thumb along his cheekbone,
"I thought you had been struck in the face… the nosebleed was from the weapon?"
"You thought I was hit in the face and you didn't try to heal me?" he tisked and pouted again.
"You refused my light! I-"
"I'm teasing!" he countered quickly when he saw how stiff she grew. "You did enough… and Prompto needed you more than me." He answered quickly. "I'm pretty worried about him…" he sighed, then quickly added "I'm not doubting you after you helped him-"
"It's natural to worry. He has Ignis watching over him, and Ignis gives me the impression that Prompto could not be in better hands."
"Speaking of better hands…." He wiggled his fingers at her,
"I thought you had promised your father to be a gentleman?"
"Hence why I'm offering the Princess a massage, what else would a gentleman mean by that?" he asked, tisking at her again. "Get your mind out of the gutter!"
"I learned from the best. Though I suppose I can't argue with a massage…"
"You do seem pretty tense." He replied, and began to hitch himself up, pointing a finger down and twirling it. She took the hint and scooted away from him before turning around, and let out a deep sigh when his hands came down on her shoulders and his thumbs pressed firmly into her back. "Oh wow, your muscles are tight…" he remarked.
"I fell…" she mumbled, drawing her arms in a bit.
"I didn't mean to sound like it was your fault. I just hate seeing you so tense." He frowned at her reaction, and began to roll his thumbs and the heels of his hands against her shoulder blades, working his way up to the nape of her neck and her sigh told him he was on the right track. "Do you need a potion or something?"
"I took one, remember? If I drink more caffeine I won't sleep for a month." She chuckled lightly. She did feel better than immediately after the fight, but knew a good night's rest was something her body needed. She had feared she would be sleeping alone, save for the nightmares that would accompany her. But the knowledge that Noctis had somehow convinced his father of this sleeping arrangement brought her a semblance of peace. Noctis soothed her aches with his fingers, pausing occasionally to press his lips to her neck, sending goosebumps down her arms and temptation through her mind.
"Feeling better?" he asked, his breath tickling her as his tongue pressed gently against her skin,
"Hmm… quite a bit." She whispered, and lolled her head to the side, giving her shoulders a roll. "You're better than any potion would have been." She encouraged him, and the gentle lips on her neck turned into a light graze of teeth. She wanted to warn him about leaving a mark but the touch was gentle and brief, shifting back to lips and tongue as he grazed her gently, before eventually resting against the crook of her neck, arms winding around her waist to pull her flush against him.
"And you give me more energy than Ebony coffee."
"Careful now, I do think your friend Ignis may come rushing to this tent to kick you for such blasphemy. He seemed quite font of the stuff." She answered. She had trouble picturing the bespeckled man doing something as rash as kicking Noctis, but her Prince chuckled nonetheless.
"I won't tell him if you won't"
"It's a deal. I do feel quite a bit more relaxed… and sleep seems to be calling me."
"I thought I gave you more energy than coffee?"
"Typically yes, though your magic fingers have relaxed every muscle in me."
"If only we were more alone…" Noctis whispered, following her motions as she lay on her side, and was quick to shuffle awkwardly so his bedroll was next to hers and he could pull her flush against his chest, an unzipped sleeping bag functioning as a blanket to cover them both.
"If only…" she closed her eyes, focusing on Noctis's steady breathing to quiet the rising anxiety about the voices outside the tent and his arm around her waist was nearly enough to make her forget how lonely her nights once felt. "Love you."
"Love you too." He mumbled. And they drifted off.
"Heal him!"
"I'm trying! I've never seen wounds like this!" Lunafreya barked back. Her hands trembled as she reached out to the vaguely humanoid shape on the floor. A face was obscured by a mask, black ooze dripping through joints in the metal. His shirt had been torn open, though the misshapen torso made it difficult to know for sure the gender of the victim. The wounds would start as a grey-pink and fade into black, oozing the same thick material as the mask, accompanied by pained moans. She felt fingers curl into her hair, jerking her neck back. She contorted her back, and looked into the face of Caligo Uldor, eyes expressionless, black sliding down his face,
"When did my Princess become so petulant?" the fingers in her hair grew cold, pain flaring across her scalp as his grip tightened, her neck aching as she was jerked again. His mouth opened to speak, but the words were of foreign tongue, slurring into a moan.
"Enough Uldor." A familiar voice croaked, and a chill ran through her as her hands reached towards the fist in her hair. The brigadier general looked up, his joints creaking like her semi-metallic victim whose wounds were spreading without her light. "I think I've tested her light enough on this… thing. Perhaps she needs better motivation for her light to truly shine?" he mused, and tapped a pen against his clipboard, the sound high-pitched and echoed in the dark room. The pain in her scalp faded, and she stood in response to Verstael's command. He pointed, and she followed his finger to her bed. She glanced at Verstael, and the pain in her scalp returned.
"Does he have to repeat himself?"
"Settle Uldor." Verstael grated, and he pointed again. She looked to the gurney he was pointing at, and slowly walked across the cold floor towards it, Caligo releasing the grip in her hair as she approached it. A tall figure in a white lab coat wearing blue surgical mask, gloves, and cap emerged from the dark wall. She looked up, cold metal impacting her back as Caligo forced her back upon it.
"Shall we start?" The new figure spoke, holding up a large chainsaw, and she realized his voice was familiar.
"Who?"
"We need to evaluate your hands, to see how the light gets to your fingers." The voice, so familiar. But who? He approached, the blade on the chainsaw began to spin, the air filled with metallic whines and creaks as the figure walked towards her with his quiet chainsaw. Her arm was jerked out, pain erupting in her shoulder from the force of the pull, a chill creeping through her from the frozen metal her arm was being strapped to. The chainsaw was brought above her arm, and panic soared threw her and she tried to roll away only to realize Caligo had climbed atop her, pinning her down. His breath was hot against her neck, whispering
"It will be over soon."
"I am not a patient man." Verstael drolled, tapping his pen.
"Stay still and it'll be over faster." The familiar voice stated. She screamed at the searing pain at the first brush of the metal against her skin when the chainsaw came down in slow motion.
Lunafreya felt something on her wrist and yelped, throwing herself forward jarring Noctis awake as her arm was pulled from his grip, a loud grunt echoed her when her foot impacted his thigh, missing his groin through luck alone. She looked around her, and saw she was enclosed by darkness. Her heart throbbed in her ears and her chest, breaths too rapid to satisfy her air hunger as she gasped, hands clawing for a way out before she felt Caligo's hand in her hair, his breath on her neck, his weight over her body.
"Ugh… the hell?... Luna?" Noctis groaned, opening his eyes to see Lunafreya grasping at the fabric, her hands trembling. His voice was enough to cease her frantic motions, and she realized the sensation under her fingertips was tent fabric, and the voice that called her name was her Noct. She turned to him, sitting up shirtless and his hair sticking oddly from the top of his head. She let out a long exhale, trying to control the shudder in her breath.
"Sorry… nightmare." She admitted. He had been with her when she had them when he visited, and she would wake up in the darkness longing for his comfort when he wasn't. She shifted back over to her bedroll, lying on top of the sleeping bag too warm to want it over her. Noctis laid back down and reached an arm to motion for her to come closer, and she accepted the invitation to nestle with her head on his chest, the rest of her as close to him as she could get without lying atop him. His arm curled around her, the other twining his fingers with the hand she rested on his chest.
Noctis frowned at how fast she was breathing, and knew her heart was racing inside her chest. He tightened his hold on her, wishing he could chase these nightmares away. Realistically he knew that her nightmares would not vanish so quickly, despite his long held hopes that spiriting her from the empire would free her from them. He turned his head to kiss the top of her hair, his lips lingering against her for several seconds before he pulled back.
"You okay?" he asked. He never asked her about what her nightmares were about, the images either fading too quickly or she was too reluctant to talk about them.
"I will be." She answered after several long moments. She wished Pryna was with her, but the white dog had fallen asleep inside the trailer with Prompto and she didn't have the heart to ask the gunman to stop petting the dog. She settled for snuggling with Noctis, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly to try and regain some control over herself.
"You know you can tell me if you're not…" he prodded carefully. "You've been putting on a brave face ever since I yanked you out of bed in Altissia…" he continued.
"A lot has happened. In time I'll be all right. But what about yourself? You always worry for me."
"Well I haven't started wearing tin-foil on my head and screaming at clouds so I'll count that as a win." She chuckled at this, feigning to slap his chest but only lightly tapping him. Noctis pulled her slightly closer to him and he felt one of her legs slide over his so his knee was pressed between hers, and he grasped her hand again, thumb brushing along hers, and she gripped his fingers a bit tighter.
"You don't have to pretend you're all right merely out of concern for me."
"Let's make a deal. I promise to tell you if things get not okay, but you have to tell me the same. Deal?"
"Deal."
Prompto's camera clicked as the group collectively stood at the foot of the steps leading up to the Tomb of the Conqueror. Ignis stood just behind Noctis thumbing at his phone while reciting some history and lamenting the loss of his book on Lucis's past in Altissia. Noctis wanted to ask Ignis what difference knowing about this weapon would make, but knew that it was merely his nerves and lashing out at his friend wouldn't help him calm down. Lunafreya stood beside him and gave him a slight nudge with her shoulder when she noted how he stood with locked knees, fingers flexing at his side as he looked at the tomb's doors. He gave her a small smile and turned back at the imposing structure. She looked back up to the tomb, rolling her shoulders to try and ease the stiffness in her neck, the back of her hand pressed over her mouth when she failed to stifle a yawn.
"Can I see the inside of this one dude? Or is it all like, some spiritual moment that you need to be alone for?" Prompto asked, pointing up at the double doors.
"Huh? Oh… no it's fine. You can come in." he answered. He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly, feeling Lunafreya give his hand a tug to prompt him to take the first step. He led the retinue up to the doors, pushing them open and stepping inside, stopping as he stood before the stone carving of an ancestor whose name he could not recall. Noctis turned when he heard the click of Prompto's camera as he paced around the tomb, and was glad for the momentary distraction. He looked down at the carving of the axe and wondered what the pain of this weapon would be like. Would it be concentrated on the center of his chest like the sword had been, or would it spread across half his body like the damage the axe would actually do? He couldn't feel the drain of the sword now that it was tucked away, but he recalled the fatigue and pain that came with using the sword, and it had taken several hours for the nosebleed to stop. What would having two of the things do to him?
He looked up at Ignis, asking if he knew the name of the Conqueror, to which his advisor answered with a name he knew he wouldn't remember. It was an ancient sounding name and it was like trying to memorize a name from one of the fantasy books Lunafreya was so fond of. He let Ignis tell him a little about how the ancient King earned his title, sure that he had already been told this at least twice but wanted the momentary delay.
"We gonna stand here all day? Pick that thing up, I want to see if the ghost-version of that thing is as awesome looking as the carving" Gladiolus cut through the silence, and hit Noctis hard on the back. He reached out, feeling the odd tug and beckoned the axe to come to him. A flash of blue caused Prompto to leap away from the stone carving with a shout,
"Warn a guy next time dude!" he shouted, but wasted no time pointing his camera up at the floating weapon, "that's so cool!" the weapon turned and in a blur vanished into Noctis, who pressed a hand to his chest in answer to the brief flash of absolute agony, and began to rub at it to bring some warmth back to the skin that felt far too cold.
"Next time a daemon tries to trespass somewhere we don't want it that thing will sure fuck it up!" Crowe announced, giving the Prince a wink and a thumbs up. "though lets refrain from the six-hour nosebleeds." She added. He wanted to quip back that it was a slow trickle, if anything, but bit his tongue.
"Two down." He answered instead. Lunafreya reached for his hand and gave it a squeeze, catching his attention and when he saw the smile on her face he couldn't help the one that tugged on his lips.
"Your doe eyes get any bigger there Sparkles and a sabertusk may actually mistake you for a baby anak!" Crowe teased, and Lunafreya pulled her hand away quickly, dropping her arms to her side, cheeks flushing red. "Just… just teasing." Crowe added, her tone much softer.
"Are we all just gonna ignore the fact Noct tookan axe to the chest?!" Prompto asked, throwing his hands in the air. "I mean, it made for one really cool shot, but did I mention he took an axe to the chest?"
"My ancestors weapons have always stabbed the one looking to collect them. I don't know if its supposed to be a toll, a test… no one has ever actually talked to the ancient Lucian Kings, so the best we can do is guess." Noctis answered.
"So you'll have to get stabbed like that eleven more times?" Gladiolus asked. "To get all thirteen of those things?"
"Ten." Lunafreya corrected, and reached her hand out to summon her trident, the other once again fluttering over her mouth. She shook her head to try and bring some sense back to herself, and curled her fingers around the familiar metal of her trident as it answered her summons. Prompto was quick to inquire as to why her weapon looked real, when the ancient weapons Noctis had collected looked blue and ethereal. "This is the actual trident. It was a gift from the first Crystal's King to the first Oracle. It has been passed down through the generations." She explained.
"Huh. Wait does that mean like, the real weapons are under that stone carving?" Prompto asked. Ignis answered the affirmative, getting another huh from Prompto before he took more pictures of the carving. "So how does this all work?" he asked. Noctis explained what his father had told him about the echos his father explained.
"Can you collect an echo if she has the thing with her?" Gladiolus asked, pointing at Lunafreya's trident.
"Huh… never actually thought of trying." Noctis admitted. He looked up to Lunafreya who shrugged and held her trident out before her. He reached out his hand to it, trying to find that odd magnetic pull, or sense a chill against his palm, but neither occurred.
"So?"
"I'm trying! Normally I can feel something." He answered Gladiolus, then dropped his hand to his side with a sigh.
"Perhaps an arm cannot gift an echo when still being wielded?" Ignis suggested. "I can't recall ever reading a tale of a Lucian King collecting an arm from one still in use." He continued, tapping at his chin.
"I definitely can't collect this," Noctis answered and gestured at the trident.
"Well I do say it's prudent to find a good place to make camp." Ignis cut in through the conversation.
"This early? Shouldn't we head to get another one of these things?" Gladiolus asked, crossing his arms in front of his chest and shifting his weight.
"I really don't know how I feel collecting two in one day…" Noctis admitted.
"And I'm still a little sore from that ass-kick we received by that daemon." Prompto added. "I won't complain about hittin' the sleeping bag early." Gladiolus expressed his disagreement, but was quickly out-voted by the rest of the retinue who were all eager to find a safe camping location to pitch their tents. There was a safe-haven a little under an hour's drive away.
"There's even a fishing spot here Noct," Ignis commented from the driver's seat as they pulled into a small parking area a fifteen minute walk from their destination.
"Sweet." He answered, "wanna join me Luna?" he asked; attempting to lean against the car door to hold it open for her but only causing himself to stumble and fall when the car lunched when Gladiolus existed the car.
"I'd be delighted," Lunafreya was unsuccessful in her attempt to stifle a giggle, holding out a hand to help him back to his feet.
"I purchased a nice assortment of vegetables, some fish could go perfectly with them should you wrangle us up something edible" Ignis continued, needlessly pushing his glasses up his nose so his palm would obscure the smirk on his face. "And it's vegetables you'll actually eat Noct…" he sighed, "some onions, potatoes, and leide peppers. I do wish you would expand your palate."
"You've been telling me that since I was five."
"And yet I have failed to learn…"
"All right we got a lot of shit to carry get up," Gladiolus chimed in, picking up Noctis by the back of his jacket, lifting him up and pulling Lunafreya off-balance with her hand still clasped with that of her Prince, but she managed to catch herself before falling to the pavement herself.
"Dude!" Noctis brushed the seat of his pants, and rolled his eyes at his Sheid's exaggerated false apology. He followed him to the trunk, slinging one of the packed tents over his shoulder, his duffle in the other. Lunafreya took her duffle and slung it onto her back, and pulled two of their camp chairs out,
"Let me help," Prompto offered, but she shook her head,
"I'm all right. There's plenty else to carry."
"yeah tell 'em Sparkles, you don't need no man to carry shit for you!" Crowe had parked her motorcycle behind the Regalia and joined the group, a backpack on her back. "How does this car fit so much stuff?" she inquired when she reached into the deceptively large trunk to pull out a camp chair and her own tent that fit in the car far better than it did threatening to throw the balance of her bike off by tying it to the seat just behind her.
Everyone finished gathering things from the back of the Regalia before slamming the trunk shut, causing Ignis to mutter under his breath, and they made the walk to their camp site with a couple hours of light left in the day. They all put their belongings down, rolling and rubbing their shoulders now relieved of their burdens.
"I'm gonna go hit that pond while it's still daylight." Noctis declared after he finished pitching his tent with Lunafreya's help, teaching her along the way what he was doing. "And take a bath while I'm at it. Where's that special soap you bought?"
"The castile soap? In the green bag." Ignis answered and pointed. The others had pitched their own tents as well, Gladiolus and Prompto had volunteered to gather firewood, leaving Crowe and Ignis behind to organize their camp and start preparing food to cook.
"Be sure to bring back some fish we can eat." Ignis answered, waving his friend off.
"Can you teach me this time?" Lunafreya inquired when they stepped onto the dock, Noctis calling his fishing pole like he would one of his weapons, and reached for the tackle box he had set on the ground to rifle through it for the type of lure he wanted to use. A piece of paper had been tacked to a nearby pole, by a local fisherman Noctis assumed, listing the fish that were in the water and making lure selection much easier.
"Oh, yeah, of course." He answered her. She had accompanied him on multiple fishing trips during his visits, always with an entourage of MagiTek soldiers and a scattering of human soldiers who were there to make sure their precious Oracle didn't run off. Part of her had always wondered if they would rather gun her down than risk letting her escape.
"Like that?" She asked. Noctis gave it a test tug and nodded,
"Here, take the rod. I'll tell you how to cast it. You've watched me enough times."
"Doesn't Ignis want us to bring home something to eat?"
"We have time." Noctis assured her, and found a smile on his face to mirror hers. She got to her feet quickly, wiggling her shoulders as she adjusted her grip on the rod. He walked her through how to cast, and after one awkwardly timed attempt that hit the dock with the line, her second try was more successful the bobber sitting in the water a couple of meters away from the dock.
"Fast learner!" he nudged her, and let out a contented sigh at the excited smile lighting up her face. She had watched him fishing enough times to know when a fish was biting, and held the rod in her hands with her eyes trained on the bobber.
"I always loved fishing with you." She told him, "and I had always wanted to learn… But Aldercapt didn't want his precious Oracle to return to the Manor smelling of fish, lest I not be in top form should he beckon me. And Caligo was more than happy to oblige the Emperor if it meant shortening my leash."
"You're not on a leash anymore now." Noctis answered after a brief hesitation, shifting his weight and drumming his fingers on his thigh. Lunafreya nodded, and the smile returned to her face.
"Still feels odd." She admitted. "But I suppose I've always liked odd." She turned to him, her eyes touched by her smile, a slight flush to her cheeks.
"Guess that's why you like me so much."
"Clearly that has to be it. Can't possibly think of any other reason." Noctis gave her a shove and she yelped, gripping the rod tighter and shouting his name, letting go with one hand to swipe at him, and his laughter joined hers. They began to reminisce about previous fishing trips they had taken together and Tenebrae, and Noctis told her about the magic Ignis would work whenever he caught something big enough to eat.
"Oh!" Lunafreya let out a small startle when the bobber dipped below the surface of the water, and shifted her grip to begin reeling, Noctis excitedly directing her how to tug the rod, speed up reeling, slow down. She followed his instructions, and her excitement was infectious. Noctis wanted to laugh to echo the way she giggled, and tried to recall the last time she had simply looked so damn excited about something. Noctis reached for the small net, holding it ready for when she pulled the fish out of the water. He caught it, helping her lay it on the dock to remove the hook from its mouth.
"Beginner's luck!" he proclaimed, looking at the fish that would likely be enough to feed either herself or maybe Prompto, thought it certainly wouldn't even put a dent into Gladiolus's monstrous appetite.
"I say good teacher." She shot back.
"Well you're off to a good start, see if you can catch another one?" Noctis suggested. Lunafreya nodded,
"Keep the same lure?"
"It didn't break or anything so yeah."
"Hold this for a moment please," she held the rod out to him so she could sit on the edge of the dock and removed her shoes, dipping her feet in the water before she reached out for the rod and Noctis placed it in her hands. He removed his own boots and socks and placed them behind them to sit beside her on the dock. She drew the rod back, and cast the line out, not managing to get it as far as before and tisked at herself,
"That's still far enough." He reassured her. "It's really fun getting to finally teach you how to fish." He had always been content to sit on a dock and spend a quiet afternoon alone, or enjoy her company during his all-too brief visits to Tenebrae. But actually handing her his rod and sharing this with her was nearly making him feel giddy.
"I'm quite happy finally having the chance to try." She answered, and leaned to her left so she leaned on his arm. He smiled as her weight pressed against him, and he slid an arm around her waist. He turned his head and pressed a kiss to her shoulder, eliciting a quiet hum from her. Lunafreya let her eyes close for a moment, savoring the feel of his lips on her skin, but recalled his friends who were not far away and stiffened, sitting up straighter her gaze flickering back to the bobber in the water.
"Hey…" Noctis whined, sitting up a bit to give her just a bit of distance and drew his arm back, resting his hands in his lap. "It's okay…" he trailed off. He looked at her hands on the rod and was relieved to find she held a lax grip despite her rigid posture. "My friends aren't like the Nifs." He added after a moment, wincing at himself for bringing the Empire up. "They really won't care if we show each other a little affection. Especially since they know how little time we got to have together. Besides, they're all too preoccupied to stare at us." He saw the stiffness in her limbs relax, her head bowing slightly and the tip of the rod dipping.
"I'm sorry." She apologized, feeling her cheeks heat up. She turned her head to look at him, bringing a light smile to her face. "You're right." She added, thinking about the small group. She leaned against Noctis again, and felt his arm slide back around her waist.
"Don't apologize." He gave her another kiss on the shoulder, and when he didn't feel her tense up brought his lips up to her neck so he could taste her skin, salty from sweating in the hot Leide air and somehow still felt slightly cool. She whispered his name, but he couldn't hear any anxiety in her voice, and she tilted her head away from him.
"How do you always know how to make me lose my senses?" she asked. A part of her wanted to shy away, sit back up straight and proper again, and focus only on the fishing. But his arm was around her, his lips on her neck, and the rest of her wanted to collapse into his embrace and bury her face against his chest. Her mind wandered to the things she wanted to do should they ever manage to find themselves alone, and when she felt her cheeks heating up and the flutter low in her belly at the thought she shook her head slightly, shifting her thoughts to the task at hand.
"I never have mine when I'm around you, just trying to even the score." He answered her question. She smiled with a light chuckle, shrugging her shoulders when his lips ghosted a tickling spot where her neck and shoulder met.
"Noct!" He pulled back from her enough to meet her gaze and she tilted her head to meet his lips, sighing against his mouth. Gentle at first, but he nipped at her bottom lip until opened her mouth to him, their kiss a dance of lips and tongue. She focused on him, trying to ignore the anxiety threatening to break through the surface telling her to pull away. His hand cupped her cheek, his warm touch helping her settle back down so she could focus on his touch, his taste, and his voice as he hummed against her, breaking the kiss to whisper a small I love you. "I love you too." She whispered, lips hovering a breath away from his. "Oh!" she let out a surprised yelp when she felt a small tug on her line, and quickly clenched her fists around the rod to keep herself from dropping it into the water.
The bobber had vanished beneath the surface, the reel clicking as the line was pulled out. She followed Noctis's rapid instructions to grab the reel, and once again was walked through how to pull the fish in, and wondered if this fish was large enough to be edible like the last one. Noctis helped her pull it up onto the dock, and let out a surprised laugh,
"Man you're good at this!"
"Watching a master at work must have rubbed off," she answered him, and smiled in response to his grin. "So this one is edible too?"
"Yeah, definitely."
"Here, I don't want to hoard all the fun." She held the rod out to him once the fish had been removed from the line and killed quickly so it didn't have to suffocate.
"This is your first time ever fishing." Noctis tried to defend, but took the rod from her anyway.
"I've always enjoyed watching you fish. And I'm sure I'll have ample opportunities to try more. Thank you for teaching me Noct." He smiled at her, assessed his lure and cast the line back out into the water, sighing contently when he felt her lean her weight on him again, head resting against his shoulder as they watched the bobber.
