Guess who worked an insane number of hours then had minor surgery again?

So pardon the delay in posting. And I'm totally fine I promise I just have the worst update schedule ever


"Care for a walk with me?" Ignis asked and cleared his throat, offering an extended hand to Aranea. She smiled and took it with a nod, winking at Lunafreya before and the pair started off away from the others. Crowe slapped her hands together and made a comment about not wanting to feel like a third wheel and walked off, Gladiolus followed her and asked aloud if he counted as a forth wheel thus making them a working car and got a middle finger in answer.

"That. Umm. Was unexpected. What the hell did you guys eat and how do I get you to eat more of it?" Noctis asked when he turned his attention back to Lunafreya.

"Drink. What have you been up to yourself?" she asked.

"Just talking to my dad." He shrugged, some of his unease wearing off seeing Lunafreya's slack pose, and the somewhat playful way she linked her arms behind her back.

"How is he?" She asked. His smile faltered and he shrugged.

"Fiddling with radios, trying to get information from inside Insomnia. Airship activity has caused him to hide inside during the day, and the daemons at night mean they can't go outside so he has pretty bad cabin fever." He summarized, thinking about the various details he had been brought up to speed on that were swimming around his brain trying to sort themselves.

"Any news?" she asked him, voice lifting and he winced at the anticipation in her tone.

"Nothing. Just lots of static. Occasional music station probably from the area. How are you feeling?"

"I'd rather you not deflect. we've talked on me quite enough." she rebuked.

"Any pain?" He continued, undeterred. She let out a breath through her nose, silence hung between them for a few seconds before she nodded.

"Nothing severe." she insisted.

"But you're still hurting."

"And I will for some time."

"You should rest. How do you expect to save the world if you won't at least go take a nap after diving off an airship?" he asked. She chuckled, a small snort breaking it. "Did you just snort?" Noctis started chuckling and then she broke into a genuine laugh, a second snort caused her to slap her hand over her mouth. "I've never heard you snort before!" they laughed and Lunafreya dropped her head to bury her face in her hands. Noctis stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tight. "I love you my ridiculous dork."

"Oh, I'm the dork?"

"Well of course you are. You like fantasy. Isn't that just, default?" She pouted and slapped at his arm.

"Says the sword collector."

"I never claimed I wasn't a dork too!"

"Surely I must be insane for falling in love with you."

"We're both pretty crazy" She said and smiled, and stood on her toes to kiss him once more.

Lunafreya was asleep on the trailer's bed and Noctis was bent over a map of Lucis. Ignis sat across from the small table looking down at it as well with Aranea to his left. Red circles marked all the known Royal Arm locations, and a black X marked the ones already obtained. He tried to focus on the ones he already obtained, and see it as work accomplished. But the red circles remaining were daunting. He couldn't fathom the thought of taking on an Astral. Or another Niflheim base that would be retaken within a week. He curled his fingers and grit his teeth together as he tried to mentally map out their path.

"Noct?" Ignis asked.

"It's just a lot." Noctis answered.

"A lot has already been accomplished." Noctis looked up from the map, running both hands through his hair and winced as they snagged on some tangles and blew out a hard breath.

"Seriously. You gotta buck up there Emo Prince." Aranea added.

"Yeah." He replied and shrugged, drumming his fingers against his thigh. "So next… I was thinking this one, Balouve Mines... I was talking to my old man about how Hammerhead is holding up and nights have been rough. Cid said these mines used to have some ridiculous lights to repel the daemons since daylight never reaches down there. We can go get the royal arm down there and snag some lights on our way back out." Noctis suggested, and looked up to see Ignis's reaction. He had his arms crossed and looked down at the map and nodded his agreement.

"This sounds like an easy one for once." Aranea replied. "Good idea with Crazy over there. Bet you a million gil she won't let you leave her behind so a place full of daemon-repelling lights is perfect. So with plans laid out anyone else hungry?"

"Didn't you just eat?" Ignis asked.

"Mostly drank. Some eating might have happened but the booze absorbed it all so I'm hungry again."

"I do not believe it works like that…" Ignis replied.

"Don't pretend you're not hungry." Aranea argued back.

"I could eat." He admitted and decided not to doubt her further. "Noctis, care to join us?"

"No thanks. Got some cup-a-noodle I'll nuke." Nocits answered and pointed up to the cabinets. "Go eat… don't give me that look!" Ignis chuckled and held up his palms, shaking his head and following Aranea out of the trailer. Once the door clicked shut he groaned and lolled his head back, immediately righting himself with a sharp hiss, rubbing the back of his head that he struck on the faux-wood behind the nook that mimicked a dining room table. Lunafreya groaned and he frowned, turning to look at the mound of blankets shift as she rolled to her other side and her face appeared from beneath them.

"Noct?" She mumbled, rubbing under her eye with her thumb and wincing when she accidentally touched the dark bruise.

"Sorry. Go back to sleep." He apologized.

"Where are Ignis and Araena?"

"Gone to eat. You hungry?" he asked. She shook her head, a hand appearing from under the blankets and she pat at the bit of space next to her.

"Tad cold."

"I mean, I can go turn the heat up." He answered, pointing at the wall.

"I always had the impression that men were born with the instinct to defenestrate those that dare touch a thermostat?"

"That instinct only counts if the thermostat actually does anything."

"So your suggestion to turn up the heat was merely to shut me up?" She pouted her bottom lip in an exaggerated frown and Noctis laughed and shook his head.

"Or I meant to turn up the heat another way?" he suggested. He got up from his seat, hissing a breath and rubbing at his thigh as an electric pain shot down his left leg.

"You okay?" she asked, sitting up in the bed. He nodded at her, rubbing at his leg for a few more moments before walking over to her and climbing up to join her. He reached to catch her wrist as her fingertips started to glow when she reached for him, shaking his head.

"I'm okay. Just stood up a little too fast after sitting on my ass for so long."

"It takes nothing from me to merely offer you a bit of comfort." She argued, and reached for him again. Her fingertips stroked the back of his hand, and she withdrew her arm quickly.

"What?" he asked, jerking his own hand away in response to her startle.

"I… I feel the Blight." She explained. Her brow came together and she was looking at his arms then up to his face, reaching out for him again.

"Were you having a nightmare or something? I'm fine."

"What? No. I mean, I was…. but not regarding this."

"Luna I'm fine." He insisted, reaching to grasp her hand. "If i had the Blight wouldn't I have all those weird black marks?" he asked. She squeezed his hand, lifting it and staring down at the back of it.

"I can feel it." She insisted. Her hands glowed again and he pulled back from her, tucking his arms behind his back so she couldn't grab him again. "Oh come now."

"I'm fine."

"You may not feel it, but I have spent much of my life offering my light to others, I know what I feel."

"You need rest…" he tried instead, getting another head shake.

"Rest I shall have. But I wish not for the Blight to wrap itself within you. Please." She asked. She reached out, pressing her hand to his cheek, wiggling her fingers in the sling wrapped around her chest as she leaned towards him. She tried to reach for where she could feel the contamination, and didn't know from where she could feel it. She took in a breath, whispering her prayer. Noctis could feel the breath of her prayer tickle his nose, still smelling faintly of alcohol and resisting the urge to tease her about how badly she needed to go brush her teeth. She lingered, sitting back with a perplexed expression. "Odd."

"What?"

"I can feel the blight but typically I can feel where to pour my light. Perhaps you were right." She dropped her gaze and laid back down on her back, wincing and turning onto her side to get off her injured ribs.

"The Blight is everywhere… maybe that's what you're feeling." He suggestd. She nodded, though she doubted his words. Noctis lied down next to her on his side, reaching out to brush his fingers against her arm.

"The reason we must press on." He wanted to argue for rest, insist on sleep and taking a break. He could feel the itch in his palms crawling up his arms, causing him to reach up and scratch behind his shoulder. The scar on his lower back burned sending sharp pains shooting down his left leg. His whole body ached, and his eyes eternally felt heavy.

"We were thinking Balouve Mines." He said.

"The next arm?" Noctis nodded. "Your ancestors chose quite the odd place to hide their tombs."

"Ignis tried giving me a history lesson on why they put tomb in the mines. Had to do with modernizing Lucis." Noctis answered.

"When did you want to set out?" she asked.

"Didn't decide yet."

"Not in the morning?"

"Need a little more time to think things out. We wanted to get some lights from the mines to beef up Hammerhead's security. So we need to check out how many lights we need, the types of bulbs, stuff like that." He answered, speaking quicker than usual. She nodded at this, and he felt relieved that she wasn't arguing against the short delay. "Still chilly?"

"A bit." She answered and smiled at him. He smiled back at her and shifted closer and tilted his head to capture her lips in a kiss. When he drew back she reached up threading her fingers through his hair and captured him another, her tongue pressed against his lip and he opened his mouth to deepen the kiss, moaning against her.

She shifted and laid partially on her back as he moved to hover over her. When they parted he tilted his head and pressed his lips against her neck in a light kiss, getting that delightful sigh and she tilted her head away from him. His opened his mouth to suck lightly against her neck, her next sigh deeper and encouraged by this dared to press his teeth against her.

"Noct… you'll leave a mark." she whispered, making no move to push him away. He kissed the spot he had bitten, his lips and tongue soothing the pleasurable ache. His next kiss was against the crook where her neck met her shoulder and her fingers tugged his hair as she curled her fingers sighing again and rolling her shoulder back and trying to arch her neck.

"Just pull your hoodie up." Noctis replied and bit down against her neck again. She sighed, and he shifted his weight against her causing her to gasp. He drew back quickly and bumped his head against the metal wall causing him to rub the back of his head and curse.

"You all right?" Lunafreya asked, sitting up with a wince.

"Yeah…" He grumbled, looking at his fingertips and back up to her. "You? did I hurt you?"

"I'm just sore, I shall be all right." She answered.

"I should be more careful."

"Well. I do suppose it is possible for you to make it up to me." Her following grin had a smile tugging at Noctis's lips and he leaned back over her, cautious where he put his weight. His eyes closed when he kissed her, and he felt her arm reach up around his neck, thumb playing with the hair on the back of his neck. His hand cupped her cheek, his thumb playing with her earlobe. His free hand brushed lightly against her stomach and curled to start lifting the hem of her shirt. She broke the kiss and let a long hard sigh against his cheek, turning her head to plant a kiss as he started to stroke the bare skin before he tried to be suave and undo the button on her pants with one hand. He managed, and with them sufficiently loosened lid his fingers inside, earning another gasp from Lunafreya that sent his heart racing and blood rushing.

The door to the trailer opened, the structure creaking as Ignis stepped up inside. Noctis withdrew his hand quickly, Lunafreya reaching to try and re-button the top of her pants wincing when she reflexively tried to move her injured arm. Noctis tried to rectify the situation, the heat in his cheeks making him sure that his face probably matched Lunafreya's crimson flush.

"I left my jacket-" Ignis started and cut himself off, clearing his throat the moment he saw the royal pair. "Excuse me. I should have knocked." He turned and left the trailer clicking the door shut. Nocits flopped onto his back and pressed his hands against his face.

"Should have locked the door. I always lock the door. Why did I forget to lock the door?"

"I had a slip of memory as well." Lunafreya said from beside him. He sat up and looked at her feeling concern settle in his chest but was surprised to see that she was giggling. "At least it was Ignis… he is least likely to give us trouble."

"Yeah. He might actually have some common decency."

"Can we hide in here for the remainder of the night so I need not show my face to him regardless." She asked, lying on her back and staring up at the ceiling.

"I can go lock the doors and tell the others to fuck themselves when they want to sleep."

"Tempting revenge, but seems cruel." It was a few more moments before she sat up and tugged her shirt back down, batting away Noctis's hand when he reached over to try and help her.

"I still say lock them out."

"But then Ignis shall be forced to explain why." She countered. "Buy some cheese and hide it in Ignis's shoes tonight." She mumbled.
"Wanna go waste our gil on some chocolate to stuff our faces with while I go get that cheese?" Noctis suggested.

"I think I wish to abstain from moving." Lunafreya replied. He rolled onto his shoulder and shifted closer to her, nuzzling her neck with his nose.

"What if I go get some chocolate for us?" He offered instead.

"Now there you have a tempting offer," she turned her head and nearly hit her forehead against his. "But that would mean you would have to leave the trailer and I'm quite warm right now." She added with a whisper.

"Can't have you cold now." Noctis replied. He leaned over her and kissed her again. She was quick to reciprocate, tongue darting out, and his matched hers. A rare moan rumbled in her throat and she wound her arm around his neck and let her hand slide across his neck and cupped his cheek. Her thumb rolled a circle in front of his ear and flicked his earlobe. She tilted her head as he broke the kiss, cupping her face in return. She heaved a heavy sigh and nuzzled her cheek against his palm.

"You really are like a cat sometimes."

"Maybe I should scratch you?" she asked and made a swat at his face and a light hiss before she bit down on the tip of her tongue, poking through her lips and smiling up at him.

"You're the cheesiest human ever maybe I just need to just have you wear Ignis's shoes for five minutes."

"Is that an implication that I smell foul? Mayhaps I too shall be cast to sleep outside to air out the trailer?"

"It's just the others I want to lock out all night. Besides, there's advantages to a little privacy." He smirked.

They ended up deciding not to lock their friends out of the trailer. Ignis and Aranea took the table-turned-bed, Gladiolus cursing his job as a shield and taking the couch. Prompto and Crowe each slept inside Hammerhead rather than curl up on the floor of the trailer. Lunafreya had fallen asleep on her side, allowing Noctis's arm to be draped around her. Noctis found himself having difficulty falling asleep, instead lying on his side cursing the fact he couldn't pull his phone out to occupy his mind with a movie. He rolled onto his back, the arm tucked under him going him and started stretching his arms out before him getting that satisfying pop in his shoulder that sent a shot of electric numbness running down his right arm before fading and taking the ache with it.

A hard pounding on the door made them flinch, and Noctis sat up sharply, hitting his head on the bed's low ceiling and cursed loud enough to make Lunafreya sit up and hiss a hard huff of air and clutch her arm closer to her chest. Gladiolus was already off the couch and crossing the two-step distance to the door and tossing it open. His planned angry rant at being woken up was cut off by Prompto's frantic voice,

"Get out here! Holy shit dudes!" Noctis couldn't see him from the bed but could see that Ignis and Aranea were scrambling over to the door.

"Stay here." He tried to order Lunafreya.

"No." She said simply and pushed past him to leave the trailer, Noctis pulling up rear to climb out of the trailer. Outside Crowe was hurling fireballs at a large shadow, revealed to be a red-skinned creature with peeling skin. Black webbing covered its body, the edges of which marked where skin was peeling away from. Dark ichor oozed from the wounds causing an overpowering stench forcing everyone running from the trailer to clamp their hands over their noses. It had to asymmetrical limbs, one long tentacled limb coiled around a cleaver half the size of its own body, the other a hand with clumps of flesh missing hanging uselessly by its side.

"What the hell is that?!" Noctis asked, throat felt too tight and his voice too high. He called his Engine Blade. Lunafreya stared at the weapon in his hand as it appeared with a flash of blue and black. More flashes and the rest of the retinue brandished their weapons. Seeing the new threat the beast stepped back, letting out a wet gurgling howl cut off in a hacking cough as it rolled its tentacled shoulder bringing the cleaver in a long arc through the air. Crowe jumped to the side, bringing an arm to cover her eyes as dust kicked up and she back-pedaled as she squinted through the hazy air.

"Hey asshole!" Gladiolus shouted and charged at the creature. He coughed coming closer to the foul stench and swung his greatsword at its hip. It stepped back, but the Shield managed to pivot and bring his blow down and the sword hit its thigh with a meaty thunk. He tore it back with a grunt and started to swing for another blow.

"Oh Gods!" Prompto exclaimed, trying to jump back in the darkness away from whatever moisture had just touched his arm. He shouted again and squinted against the flash of the trademark flash of Lunafreya's shield being impacted. He leapt to the side and felt dust kick him so close he wondered how he wasn't cleaved in two. "Owe you one Luna!"

"Just focus!" She called back, already panting. She dropped her arm and tried to back away and better assess their situation. Noctis had charged ahead to alternate hacking at the daemon's leg with Gladiolus. Despite its size the beast was able to pivot and bring down its cleaver with surprising speed, forcing the two men to dash away. She saw Crowe throw a fireball and debated if she held the strength to again force the fire against the daemon's flesh. But her brief shield had shattered before taking the full brunt of the cleaver, and doubted her ability to withstand Crowe's fire. She turned to follow a blurred shadow and saw it was Aranea leaping into the air. Her polearm was forced into the shoulder of the daemon, causing it to turn and roll said shoulder knocking the polearm loose. It clattered to the ground, the daemon stepped forward before Araena could recover her weapon. She leapt back to dodge a swing of the cleaver, cursing loudly, leaping back again anticipating a backswing.

Lunafreya's attention shifted as Ignis shouted an order, though she couldn't discern his words. His hand moved quickly, the light of Crowe's flames reflected off his dagger as it spun and silently buried into the daemon's neck. It bellowed, twisting, and dug the blade deeper into its own flesh as it tried to rub its head against its shoulder to dislodge the offending object and turned away from Aranea. The swollen fingers on the limp limb wiggled and clenched. Noctis and Gladiolus charged again at the injured leg again, and Lunafreya cast a shield above their heads as terror closed around her throat and the pounding of her heart drowned out all sound. Her eyes burned as she kept her focus, her extended arm trembling as she tried to re-cast shields to match the mad movements of the cleaver cutting through the air.

The daemon's leg buckled with a nauseating squelch and crack, Gladiolus shouting to get back and Noctis warped towards Lunafreya the pair exchanging short nods and turned back to the fight. Gladiolus used his sword to deflect a clumsy swing from the tentacle, and got knocked into the dirt, his sword wretched from his grip. Lunafreya flashed another shield into place, but the cleaver missed and she was able to drop it and started panting for breath, willing her light to stay in her fingertips. Ignis and Prompto rushed to the dropped cleaver, working together to drag it out of the daemon's wiggling reach. Gladiolus was clambering back onto his feet and picked up his sword, nodding to Noctis who had run up beside him and clapped a hand over his shoulder.

Noctis raised his Engine Blade and brought it down against the reaching tentacle, Aranea's polearm stabbed through the hand, groaning with the effort of straining against the writhing movements cursing the pavement beneath them. Crowe rushed forward and scalded the daemon's eyes. The screech filled the air and covered up whatever Gladiolus was attempting to shout. Gladiolus lifted his blade above the daemon's neck and brought it down, silencing it. He dropped his greatsword and jumped back from the spurts of blood pulsing from the wounds. His companions all did the same, staring at the convulsing creature. The blood spurts became quicker, then slower, then stopped. The thrashing limbs settled to a quiver, twitching for several seconds, and stilled.

They all stared at it, waiting for some last minute movement a final attack. The air was thick with a foul stench that made approaching the daemon difficult. Gladiolus was the first one who managed to get the guts to do so, his jacket pulled up and around his face. He pushed against the daemon's cheek with his boot and back away quick shaking his head and gagging.

"Guess we all watch too many horror movies, waiting for it to jump up or something." Prompto broke the silence, ending with a forced laugh.

"This is a fuckin' horror movie, who you kidding?" Crowe asked. She picked her shirt up over her face and dared approach. Lunafreya let her light fade from her fingertips, and noted again that when Noctis vanished his Engine Blade vanished with a blue light tained with black.

"I've never seen one like this." Ignis said.

"Fuck I'll never unsee it." Crowe replied.

"Or unsmell it." Aranea added.

"Whoa, look at this." Prompto pointed down at the hand-limb, kicking to indicate what he meant. Along the backs of the knuckles were letters spelling fate and a needle along the thumb. He balanced on one foot to lift the hand with his boot and saw another tattoo on the wrist, a woman's name wrapped in thorns. "Since when do daemons get tattoos?" he asked, looking around at the others.

"Just ate someone and superglued a hand to its shoulder?" Crowe suggested.

"What did it do, inflate the hand with an air compressor until it was the size of your head first?" Aranea asked, crossing her arms. She walked around until she was standing behind the daemon's head and gagged, pulling her shirt up over her nose like the others. She used her polearm to poke at the face, cocking her head to the side as she wedged the mouth open. "Gold tooth."

"The hell are we looking at." Crowe asked, her voice dropping an octave.

"Allow me." Lunafreya said, feeling the quiver on her voice deep in her throat. Her hands were still trembling, and she hugged her injured arm closer to her chest. It was almost maddening trying to think through the haze of fatigue and the heaviness in her eyes. She brought the light back up to her hand, hovering over the daemon's chest for a moment and pressed down. She could feel blight sitting inside of it. But felt nothing else. She jerked her hand back, trying to look the creature over. She felt the fatigue vanish almost instantly. Her head immediately felt light and her heart raced in her chest. On the disproportioned foot at the bottom of the too-skinny limb was a boot.