Camping - Verse 2

Based on the gameplay element of camping in FFXV.

Tumblr Prompt Request: I'm sorry I scared you.

AN: I had some very interesting reviews (for my last drabble, The Citadel) which concerned the royal/commoner/bloodlines and I'm rather pleased it became a topic of discussion. I replied to some of your reviews, there'll be another AN at the end and I'll be clarifying these things.

Anyways, thank you so much for the reviews! Whether it is a "I love it" or "really cute," thank you so much for taking the time and simply commenting.

Up at the crack of dawn, the Prince walked down to the Vesperpool lake, very eager to catch their meal for the morning while the rest were still sleeping. He had volunteered to make breakfast and breakfast he shall deliver.

Setting up his space by the east bank, he whistled a tune as he prepared his lure and rod. Once done, he threw the line with confidence and waited for the fish to take the bait.

Twenty minutes had passed and the Prince was very pleased with himself, having caught four large fishes that was more than enough for breakfast. As he was about to gather his equipment and head back to camp with a cooler filled with fish, he spotted movement from the corner of his eye.

Right behind the tall shrubs of the lake, there was a person. As he moved closer, he saw pink hair and immediately knew it was Lightning.

But that was not all, before he knew it his eyes travelled down her bare, muscular back, pale and apparently littered with pinkish scars from combat. Before he could settle on her bottom, which was thankfully obscured by another shrub, he stumbled and made a splash which had Lightning immediately turning around.

Oh Eos, he panicked and accepted his fate. She was going to kill him with her bare hands while she was naked. There were worst ways to go.

He blurted out his apology with closed eyes and looked down before she could make a move. "I'm sorry!"

"Noct, what are you-" Her voice aghast as she covered her chest area.

"I didn't know you were there."

"The fish!"

Completely thrown off by what she said, he responded in kind. "The what now?"

"Someone's stealing our fish!"

She sounded serious so he turned around. She was right. Someone, rather something, was stealing their fish. As his mind was still catching up to what just happened, his body remained frozen as he helplessly watched the large Sahagin plop all the fish from the cooler in its mouth, swallow them all, and swim away.

As Ignis came to check on him, he expected freshly caught breakfast but instead he was met by a disappointed Noctis. He had knees up to his chest and his chin rested on them as he stared at the lake with a forlorn look. Asking what happened, the Prince relayed the story about their breakfast as if it were a tragic play, to which it was.

"So a wild beast makes off with our fish." Ignis stated flatly, summarizing what he had said. He shook his head, completely unimpressed. "Right under the nose of the Prince, who has the Royal Arms in his possession?"

Noctis sighed in defeat, burying himself further in his knees. "I was distracted."

Hands on his hip, Ignis snapped. "What, in the land of Eos, could have distracted you?"

The Prince clamped his lips shut, far too embarrassed to reveal what had happened.

Sensing that Noctis wasn't going to talk, Ignis sighed. "Perhaps some cup noodles are in order." He trudged his way back to camp and muttered. "I'm sure Gladio will be ecstatic."

As Noctis stood up and made his way back, Lightning appeared at his side, all clothed with damp hair and a towel around her neck. He felt his face heat up as they walked together. Nearing the haven, he spoke up before they reached the others. "Light, back at the lake, I'm sorry I scared you."

The Glaive shrugged as if it was no big deal. "More surprised than scared, really."

He rubbed the back of his neck. "I didn't see anything."

Lightning just gave him a raised eyebrow and said in nonchalance. "You always were a bad liar."

AN: Bwahaha, naked!Lightning for the win. Noct, you voyeur. Iggy's day completely went to shit lol, but Gladio gets to eat cup noodles for breakfast. And totes Light knows when Noct is lying.

To the Guest who reviewed on Feb 27: I agree that Lightning will always be the Warrior of Goddess Etro, but with the "pre-existence" of versus-xiii where Etro was significant, it makes you wonder what really could have happened between Noctis and Lightning (if they would even interact). Alas, we shall never know :'D

To dhe and the other Guest: "Prompto is not a mere commoner" - Yes, I agree! He becomes part of the Crownsguard in the FFXV Prologue - Parting Ways. I also mentioned that the timeline for "The Citadel" drabble was Brotherhood, so it was before the FFXV plot where Prompto wasn't made a Crownsguard yet (to what I remember).

Now, I shall explain why I consider him and Lightning as "commoners."

I use the term "commoner" loosely. They are commoners in which they are "not related to royal blood." So in this case, I use the term "royal" as for someone with a "higher status/social standing."

I differentiated Prompto and Lightning from Ignis and Gladio, in terms of ranking, because their positions are more like "soldiers." Even if Prompto and Lightning are Crownsguard and Glaive, respectively, their purpose of serving the King is similar to pawns in chess. While Ignis and Gladio are like the bishop and knight. They also serve the King, however on a higher status as an advisor and a Shield. So in terms of rankings/status, Ignis and Gladio are closer to Noct than Prompto and Light.

Another way to look at it are like those houses and bloodlines in Game of Thrones or any medieval-esque story. Commoners are considered people with no drop of royal blood. And family lines that serve a noble house are not necessarily noble, but they have a higher rank than commoners.

But, these are just my opinions and I understand if you don't agree with them.

For Gladio, he is "royal" in terms of his predecessors serving the King as their Shield, like his father and those before him. And there's also an official description on the Amicitia family.

Now, Ignis is an interesting case. I don't think there's an official description of the "Scientia family" serving as the King's adviser. But, from what I've seen so far, he was chosen to be Noct's adviser at a young age (as seen in Episode Ignis) and in the Brotherhood episodes, he is seen participating in council meetings. I assumed his family served the Lucis line, like Gladio's. However, again, there is really no information on his past.

Anyways, good catch and thanks for pointing that out! It is also partially my fault for not making it clear, hahaha.

Feel free to PM me, everyone! I would love to discuss this and even other details and dynamics surrounding the FFXV universe.