Noct sat against the wall, as to not disturb the other three in what they are doing. He sat watching his phone, one video after another. One video after another of Prom fighting. Picking up any firearm she can and taking down any enemy in her way. No hesitation. Noct continue to watch Prom be the badass he knows her to be.
It's amazing to see to her like this. The expression on her face is something neither of them have ever seen on her face. She was determined to live. And if that meant fighting she will do it. Especially if that meant going home. Noct knew she must have been thinking about Astrum but the prince doesn't care. It's another side of the blonde he has fallen in love with.
The last video is different as many of the other videos are of the blonde fighting her way through the research facility the last one is of her outside fighting a man, one they've seen before. The creepy guy that told them the ferry is closed. This fight was more brutal. Prom pulled out all the stops. Backflipping and cartwheeling out the way or as she shoot the random revolver she found. Going as far as using her magic to attack. In her desperation she found a way to combine magic and her bullets. And did they do damage. But the man took every hit like it was nothing. The man, they have learned his name is Ardyn, teased her. Not taking the fight seriously. And in the end he won.
They are lucky some hunters caught them and posted the fight online. They were able to find out who he is thanks to Solara and Aranea. The chancellor is also on their list of capture for war crimes. The problem is they don't know where he lives. If he even had a home.
So here they are at the research facility Prom was made in and brought back to. They saw the videos, Prom fought like a beast, in one instance she got shot in the shoulder, dug the bullet out then used a potion, immediately after she continued to shoot. Not caring, not batting an eye at using her injured arm to aim. If it ached she didn't show it. She made a mess of the MTs and guards here. They knew her weapon choice is impressive but Gladio whistled at every body that was filled with holes. How can she do all this by herself? Even Aranea seemed impressed. The commodore knew she had skills but didn't know it was this good.
When they got to the computers Ignis and Aranea worked to hard on the computers, though with all the damage it proved harder. Gladio took a look around to see if there was some sort of clue. Noctis sat against the wall watching videos of Prom.
Was. He switched to the camera as his phone got low in battery. He didn't want it to die so he switched. Going through their trip. Shocking when he thinks it's been almost two months. Two months ago they left for their trip. He moves through each picture one by one, taking in every detail of every picture she took. Blushing when he found the picture of them together at the beach. Getting redder at the picture of them sleeping together, how Prompto spooned him. How did he not notice? He was asleep so of course he didn't notice.
"Found it." Ignis says, it echo loudly in the silence. Noctis and Aranea move to stand next to him. The look on the advisors face wasn't a look Noctis wanted to see along with him finding where the man lives. Why does he look so confused? He doesn't have to ask for Ignis to continue, "this is a bunch of coordinates."
"Where?" Aranea wonders moving to see, bumping Iggy out the way. Gladio coming into the room. Seems to have explored and seen enough. "From here that's a far ride." she says.
"Let's hurry. We don't know how long we have." Gladio says. Ignis takes a picture of the coordinates just in case.
Quickly they go into their cars, while Aranea gets on her motorcycle. She drives in front of them, they silently pray they get there on time. While Ignis drove Gladio sat looking out the window, the prince continue to look through the camera. He saw the blonde take most of these pictures but there are so many he didn't know she took. He had the joy of seeing them. Noct let's out a sigh. Who would have known it would turn out like this?
He played a lot of games so he was not expecting a small house in the middle of nowhere. Ardyn lives here? This doesn't look like a place he would take someone he kidnapped. Which raises the question, why did he take her? Why would he take Prom? If he did why here? But what if they aren't here? What if Ardyn took Prom somewhere not on record?
They all get out the car and join Aranea to the front door, she doesn't knock and kicks the door open. They still have to check, just in case. Maybe there are clues to where they actually are. He just hopes they hurry and find her. He doesn't want to waste a whole day searching, they've wasted enough time.
What they expected and what they find do not match. The place is decorate with flowers, pictures, and furniture. It all looks homie and lived in. There isn't a speck of dust. Every piece of furniture is warn from repeated use but clean. Noctis expected the place to be a mess, maybe a chair randomly in the corner, garbage everywhere, maybe some mold growing in the corner. No, it's all very normal. Anyone would see this and think it belongs to an ordinary person not a kidnapper who obviously has mental issues.
"Guys, this is..." Gladio says bringing attention to himself. They all go to him, seeing he is looking at a picture they look to. Instantly they all recognize it. Not the picture itself but the people. The background is obvious, it's the research facility. What has them paling is Ardyn in the middle with a blonde baby in his arms happily holding this baby in a warm and fluffy pink blanket. They knew that blonde baby. Noct stared at the picture for a long time because he never thought he'd see a baby picture of Prom.
"That's Prompto." Aranea points out.
"Was afraid of that. The facility still has a girls baby room set up." Gladio frowns.
"Ardyn kidnapped Prompto because he knew her? Helped create her? Why?" Noct wonders scratching his head, trying to think of an answers.
"The truth is around here somewhere." Ignis says.
"He kidnapped her the second time but not the first." Aranea says. They move in search for a study maybe that has more answers.
"Versteal did." Noct says.
"Then she escapes and he takes her himself." Gladio says.
"But why would Versteal want Prompto in the first place? He doesn't strike me as a caring parent figure." Ignis points out.
"Over here!" Aranea shouts, opening the door more as she walk in Ardyn's study. She struts to his desk, opening his drawers and searching around. "Maybe cause he didn't care. You said you meet Ardyn on Lucis right?" She asks as they walk in. They look around, the room is larger than they thought.
"Yeah, he talked to us." Noct says moving a cloth off a frame. He lets out a gasp. "What the-?" He says stepping back, eyes glued onto the picture though, even though his eyes grew to the size of saucers. What is he staring at?
"What?" Gladio asks moving to see too, Aranea and Ignis quality as curious. "What is that?" Gladio asks out of shock.
"That's wrong." Aranea says frowning. The picture is of Ardyn on what is a chair, a heavily decorated chair along with random things around but what has them freaked out is Prompto, all grown up sitting next to him but she doesn't look right. While Ardyn is sitting and grinning as if posing for a painting isn't hard, Prompto is next to him leaning over in the thinnest blue dress next to him. It looks almost like they are lovers, which creepy because he's old but what makes them shiver is Prompto's face. Her eyes especially look dazed and like she's not there but at the same time is asking for help. She also looks a little paler than normal, is she sick? She looks like a puppet rather than the Prompto they know. "As we were discussing, if he saw you he must have seen her. Maybe he asked Versteal to get her. They both thought they'd never seen her. She was taken from them when she was still young, they might have thought she died. Versteal was suppose to keep her at the facility until Ardyn finished what ever business he had on Lucis only for Prompto to fight her way out then Versteal turned into a monster daemon, dying by us. He had to get her by himself." Aranea explains.
"That makes sense, especially when we recount the fact that Titus is Glauca. Ardyn went to Lucis. And that is Solmus clothes. The ones that were taken by the King Thieves. The ones Prompto got." Ignis says pointing to the random things surrounding Ardyn and Prompto.
"I'm lost. I don't keep up with Lucian News." Aranea says.
"There's a group, a gang, that kept stealing Solmus things from museums. We haven't found where they keep their things. Now that we know about Titus we might find them." Ignis explains. Aranea nods in slight understanding.
"Why would Ardyn want those things anyway?" she asks, stumping everyone. They have no clue.
"Let's find Prom first." Noct says.
A dog barking catches their attention. They turn to see Pryna standing there at the door. She barks again. She looks at them for a second then turn to leave. Noct, Ignis and Gladio rush to follow her.
Stopping at a random bookcase in the common room. Pryna starts whining and scratching at it.
Somethings obviously there.