Prompto woke up quite early the following morning. He had to admit Jared's medications had been extremely effective and he was feeling much better. He could finally stand up, though moving quite carefully, and headed for the bathroom. He removed the bandages and stared at his own bare chest which now spotted a large bruise in the middle. After taking a hot shower, he put on some fresh clothes that Jared had left for him and slowly climbed downstairs, supporting himself on the banister.
Jared was already awake and preparing breakfast for everyone, and smiled widely when he saw Prompto approaching him.
"I see you're recovering fast. A couple more days and you'll be good to go" he said approvingly "Then again, bodies tend to repair themselves much faster at your age".
Prompto landed in one of the chairs around the small kitchen table, sighing "I can't wait to get back on the road. I don't like sitting around doing nothing, and I miss taking pics".
"I forgot the impatience of the youth" Jared laughed "Guess that once one reaches the same age as I, they simply want to enjoy a quiet life. I was a very active boy myself, always making troubles. Still kinda do, though".
"How so?" Prompto asked curiously.
"I'm helping you lot, aren't I? That's enough to get sentenced to death by the Empire" the man explained jovially, as if defying the Empire gave a whole new meaning to his existence.
"Aren't you scared?" Prompto inquired in a low voice.
"Do I look scared to you, m'boy? I wouldn't be doing it if I didn't want to. When we swore to never surrender to the Empire, we all knew the risks" the old man continued while placing the kettle on the stove.
At that point, Iris came downstairs yawning sonorously, her hair a mass and wearing a pink pajamas spotting pictures of tiny Chocobos all over the fabric. When she saw who was keeping the old man company, she stopped in her tracks, her hand still mid-air from when she was yawning, and fixed her large brown eyes on Prompto. The two looked at each other in silence before the girl emitted a tiny shriek and ran back upstairs.
"Wha-?" the boy started confused, and Jared laughed heartily.
"Oh, what would us men do without these sweet creatures?" the man spoke, unable to control the fit of laughter.
Iris came back ten minutes later, sporting a casual outfit and combed hair, as well as some make-up which still failed to hide her furious blush.
"'Morning" she greeted awkwardly, taking a seat as far away from Prompto as possible.
"Good morning, sweetie. Sleep well?" the old man asked, placing a cup of tea in front of her and a plate with toast and eggs.
"Uhm, very well thanks" she replied, making sure she kept her eyes fixed on the floor and ignoring the other boy's presence.
The awkward silence was luckily broken by Talcott, who came rushing downstairs fully dressed for his school day.
"Gotta run, grandpa!" he said, quickly grabbing a toast to eat on the way "See you later!"
Jared smiled as he watched his grandson disappear behind the tall buildings of Lestallum and sat down to enjoy some well-deserved breakfast.
Unable to bear the silence that had fallen over them any longer, the man pushed his empty plate away and suggested "Why don't you two check out the market today? It's not far from here, and they sell all sorts of things on Thursdays."
Prompto looked over at Iris, to seek her approval and could tell the girl seemed eager to check it out.
"Why not? Whaddya say, Iris?" he asked in his usual jolly voice.
"Uh? I-I don't know if we should… I mean, it's gonna be fun but-" the girl stuttered embarrassed.
"Oh cut it, Iris. The poor boy has been lying in bed for almost two days now. He deserves to get some fresh air, especially with such a beautiful day!" Jared interrupted her, and Prompto could swear the man had winked at him.
"Oh, uhm… alright then" the girl mumbled.
"Then get a move!" Jared thundered jovially, clearing the table of the plates and rushing the two outside.
Iris had lied. She hadn't slept well at all that night. She had had a terrible nightmare about the yellow-eyed Daemon chasing her in a dark cave. She would run as fast as she could, screaming for help but no one ever came. In her dream, she could remember reaching a dead end and turning around to face her death.
Instead of the Daemon, however, standing in front of her was Noctis, a glacial expression in his normally warm eyes. He kept staring at her without saying a word when suddenly, a hooded figure emerged from the darkness beside Noctis. She noticed how the mysterious figure looked blurred and almost transparent.
Iris could only stare back at the two quiet people standing in front of her, growing more and more uneasy as she couldn't understand what to do.
And just like that, the dream had ended and she had woken up in the safety of her bedroom.
She was mulling over the meaning of her dream when she felt Prompto's hand poking her shoulder.
"Are you listening?" he asked worried.
She blinked a few times to focus on her surroundings, and saw that her companion was holding his camera in his right hand.
"I'm sorry" she apologized "I was lost in thought".
"Could see that. Are you alright?" Prompto asked with a frown.
"Yeah, all's fine! I've just… been having weird dreams lately" she confessed.
"Yeah, that's normal isn't it? After what happened, I mean. They call it post-traumatic syndrome, or somethin' like that" the boy retorted "You're a tough one, though. You'll get over it!"
"Will I?" she whispered distractedly. Prompto didn't seem to have heard her though, for he lifted his camera and aimed at her face.
"Wait, wha-?"
She didn't even have time to finish her sentence that Prompto had taken a picture of her, her mouth forming a large "O", and her eyes semi-closed.
"Pfff…!"
He tried his best not to laugh at the goofy face he had captured, but it got the best of him in the end, and he let himself go completely.
"Prompto Argentum, delete it this instant!" she ordered, trying to reach for the camera. He was too tall for her, however, and didn't have any troubles at keeping it away from her grip.
"No way! It's priceless. I think I'll use it for blackmail" the boy grinned slyly at her.
As they merrily bickered, they ended up in a large square where seemingly all of Lestallum had gathered to shop. It was by far the largest street market Prompto had ever seen, and he stared amazed at the variety of items for sale. From any sort of medications and weapons for hunters, to food, toys, videogames, magazines, clothes, and many other odd-looking things.
They slowly made their way through the crowd to take a better look at the booths, and Iris's eye was immediately caught by a giant plush doll.
"Oh!" she exclaimed, her eyes wide with excitement "It's so cute!"
Prompto saw the girl run off to the stand nearby and quickly went to catch up with her.
"What's that?" he asked, frowning at Iris who had proceeded to pick up the funny-looking toy.
"I believe they are called Moogles!" she replied enthusiastically.
"That's correct, ma'am!" approved the seller "You won't find a fluffier one in the whole continent, I assure you! I got that one from Altissia. I am giving it away for only a thousand gils!"
At these words, Iris's expression went from over-excited to disappointed. She carefully placed the plush doll back to its place with a sad smile and left the booth.
Prompto watched in confusion but decided to follow her.
"I only have 500" she admitted bitterly, and then she sighed heavily. "I really need to find a job".
Prompto didn't know what to say to comfort her. He thought about rushing back to the booth and buying the doll for her, but then he remembered he was just as broke, possibly even worse, for he had spent most of his savings at the Wiz Chocobo Post, and simply remained silent.
They kept marveling at the different items available at each booth, when they head a familiar voice.
"Iris! Prompto!"
They turned simultaneously to be greeted by Noctis. "I see you're back on your feet!"
"Yeah" Prompto grinned at his friend "Takes more than one bloody Daemon to bring ol' Prompto down!"
"Hi Noct!" Iris saluted way too cheerfully, her cheeks now a deep shade of pink "Checking out the market too?"
"Yeah! Iggy and Gladio are here too, but Specs has been selecting spices at the food booth for ages, and Gladio ran off after a girl, so…" Noctis answered.
"Typical" Prompto said cheerfully "O. Em. Gee!"
Iris and Noctis both stared at the blonde. He had apparently seen something that had caught his eye.
At first, Iris thought he was drooling over a girl sitting on a bench not too far from them. The gunslinger moved quickly toward the girl and stood in front of her, expectantly.
Iris and Noctis approached their friend, until they were close enough to hear their conversation.
"Where did you get that?" the boy asked excitedly.
"Uhm?" the girl first looked at him, then at the ice-cream she was holding "At the ice-cream van. It's just around the corner".
Prompto barely let her finish her sentence that he was already on his way.
"Woohoo! Ice-cream!"
The three of them were now sitting on the stone terrace, enjoying a large ice-cream cone and the sun warming their skin up.
Iris was sitting between Noctis and Prompto, and could feel their skin brushing lightly against hers. The two boys were chattering animatedly, but she wasn't listening to their words. She had suddenly become very sensitive to their proximity, and tried to cherish the moment as much as she could. Now that Prompto had almost fully recovered, they would soon depart, leaving her alone once again. After all, her job was to simply show them the way to the next Royal Tomb, and then they would be gone and no one could tell when she would be seeing them again.
She would not be allowed to join them, for she lacked combat skills and because she was not a Crownsguard.
Refusing to let her thoughts darken her mood, she forced herself back to reality and focused on the bustling narrow alleys of her new home and registering her two friends' dialog.
How different their voices were! She had never noticed before, but did now: Noctis's was controlled and quiet, rarely showing his true emotions, while Prompto's was a burst of vitality, full of energy and joy. Iris had always been fascinated by Noctis for his being so dark and mysterious and reserved. But she had to admit that Prompto's very personality could cheer even the most depressed of the people up.
And man, she needed to be cheered up right now.
Next Chapter: Prompto is fully recovered and can now leave Lestallum behind with the others. Iris finally gets to buy her Moogle plush doll, but a much bigger surprise awaits her...