On their way back home, Prompto had happily announced that, apart from his still sore hip, he was feeling perfectly fine, and this had brought a large smile on Noctis's face.
"I'll go and tell Gladio and Iggy, then! So we can prepare to depart early tomorrow. We should have dinner all together, tonight. Whaddya day, Iris? You with us?" Noctis said cheerfully.
"Uh? Oh, sure!" the girl nodded with a forced smile. She was obviously delighted at the thought of spending an evening with all of them, but she couldn't help but feel discouraged at the thought of them leaving the very next day. She had gotten so used to having them around, especially Prompto, that the thought of being left alone once again depressed her infinitely.
With a wave of his hand, the prince left to gather the others. They were to meet at seven at a diner located at the city's main square.
"So, you're leaving tomorrow, eh?" Iris said with a sad smile, walking beside Prompto.
"I guess" he answered a bit nostalgically "Gotta admit I'll miss this place. And hanging around with you. I was beginning to get used to doing nothing".
"Just like the old days back at Insomnia" Iris said with a hint of sadness "I miss those days…"
"Yeah" Prompto agreed "Guess that's adulthood for you. Just loads of responsibilities and problems piling up. And to think that when you're a kid, all you want is to be an adult".
"True!" Iris nodded "Ah well… What do you want to do now?"
"Uhm, I don't really need to pack anything but I was actually considering buying some few SD cards for my camera. Am starting to run low on space" he replied.
Iris followed the blonde to the local techno store and waited until he was finished. He took longer than expected as he couldn't stop staring in wonder at the camera add-ons available at the store, and he could have actually bought the entire place had he had enough money.
When they left, the sun was setting on their last day together.
"We should get going, then. The boys are gonna be there soon" Prompto suggested, clearly happy to be reunited with the rest of the group.
They made their way to the main square, where they could indeed recognize the figures of Ignis, Gladio and Noctis already sat at a table outside the diner.
They greeted each other and sat all together, eating and laughing while remembering some of the adventures they had had together on their journey. Iris listened eagerly, but had to admit she felt jealous. It sounded like they were having so much fun on their road trip, despite the worries and the difficulties, while she was stuck in a town where she didn't belong to.
Many times did she have to refrain herself from asking to join them, knowing full well what their answer would be.
"So, what're you gonna do in the meantime, lil' sis?" Gladio asked crossing one leg.
"Uh? I-I don't know yet" she answered flatly "Maybe apply for a job?"
"Sounds like a good idea" Ignis intervened.
"But hey, Cor said you had something for us?" Noctis asked, remembering what the marshal had told them.
"Oh, right! It's about one of the Royal Tombs. According to Jared, there's one behind a waterfall not too far from here. You should check it out" Iris answered, glad to be helpful.
"Very well. We have our lead, then" Ignis nodded approvingly "Make sure to go to bed early tonight, Noct. Wouldn't want to drag you out of bed".
Noctis simply snorted at his friend's words but didn't say anything back.
It was well past nine when Gladio yawned loudly, stretching his arms in the air and Ignis decided that was a clear sign it was time to rest.
"It was really nice to see you, lil' sis" Gladio patted Iris's shoulder "I guess I'll be seeing you soon, anyway. We might come back every now and then".
"Oh, that would be awesome!" Iris said way too cheerfully "And please, be careful out there, boys".
Her eyes automatically rested on Noctis first, then Prompto and really hoped she could see them all as soon as possible. They hadn't left yet and she already missed them.
She guessed Prompto would be sleeping at the hotel that night, seeing that he was leaving early with the others.
"Well…" she started a bit awkwardly "Safe travel, then! And remember to keep taking the pills Jared has given you. And look out for those bruises: you might be feeling well enough to depart, but they still look quite nasty".
"Yes, mom" the blond boy joked, grinning at her.
"I'm just worried about you, you know" Iris defended herself, blushing in the process.
Prompto put his right arm around her shoulder in what he considered a brotherly gesture, and gave her the thumb-up with his left one.
"I promise I'll look after myself and be careful" he reassured, beaming at her.
He had missed the furious blush that had colored her cheeks at his sudden display of affection as he let go of her.
"Thank you, Iris. For everything. And tell Jared I am eternally grateful for his kindness and help!" the gunslinger said while quickly stepping backwards, one hand lifted in the air to wave at her.
"Y-yeah. See you soon, Prompto" she replied, waving back.
When the four friends had disappeared behind a building, Iris was overcome with sadness and silently returned to her new home.
She woke up much later than she normally did. As soon as her eyes opened, staring directly at the sun peering through her window, she felt hollow as if something important was missing. She then remembered that the boys had probably already left for the Royal Tomb, and she was all alone in Lestallum with nothing to do.
However, the girl decided she should not mull too much over it if she didn't want to darken her mood even more, and forced herself out of bed.
While she walked across the narrow hallway on her way to the stairs, she instinctively stopped outside the room where Prompto had been staying for a couple of days. She blinked a few times and decided to step inside.
She walked carefully, as if afraid the boy was somehow still in the room unaware of her presence. But the bed was empty, neatly made again, the window shut and the whole room suddenly didn't look as cheerful as it had been when occupied by the photographer.
She approached the wardrobe where Jared's clothes he had borrowed were hanging, and she automatically leaned toward the shirt he had worn the day before and smelled his scent.
As soon as her brain registered the now familiar perfume, it automatically recollected the past few days the two had been spending together, and Iris felt a wave of nostalgia hit her.
She missed the boy so much, his beaming grin and eternally happy and positive attitude, the way he made her laugh with his cheesy puns, the photos he couldn't stop taking of anything and anyone, the sound of his cheerful voice…
She sighed heavily and she suddenly felt the same odd feeling in her stomach at the thought of the blond member of the group. However, Iris decided that all her stomach was signaling was the need for food, and proceeded downstairs to grab something before embarking on her quest to find a job.
It had been three weeks since she last had last seen the boys. She had managed to find a job at a café in the city center, and had just received her very first salary. She waited eagerly for the upcoming Thursday where she had planned to buy the Moogle plush she had eyed all those weeks before with Prompto at the market.
When the day finally came, she rushed to the booth where, to her relief, the cute plush doll was still waiting to find an owner.
"Oh, I see you're back" the seller greeted with a smile "What will it be today?"
"The Moogle plush, please" Iris replied excitedly, showing him the money.
"It's all yours, my dear!" the seller handed her the doll enthusiastically and pocketed the money.
Iris walked back home with the large Moogle in her arms, grinning at her success.
Ever since she had first seen the doll, she had thought to give it to Noctis as a gift. He could use it in battle to distract the enemies, and so she could feel like she was actually assisting him from afar.
However, she couldn't simply ignore the fact that her thoughts seemed to wander off to Prompto when she least expected it. He occupied her thoughts more often than she liked to admit, and couldn't find a logic explanation to that.
She had tried to tell herself that he, being the ball of sunshine that he naturally was, had managed to find his way to her heart, gaining a special place there together with the rest of the people she cared about. But she refused to let him take Noctis's place at the very center of her heart, and had simply labeled him as "a very special friend". But she wasn't supposed to feel that odd sensation deep within her stomach every time she thought about him, right?
The very same sensation that she had whenever she daydreamed about Noctis.
She shook her head and hugged her Moogle tightly, as if it could protect her from her own thoughts.
She arrived home and ran upstairs, where she flopped onto her bed and curled up into a ball, her new doll lying beside her. She started to fiddle absentmindedly with it, stroking the back of the plush until her hand rested on a part that somehow felt hollow. Frowning, the girl sat up on the bed and placed the doll on her lap, turning it so she was facing its back and immediately spotted something at the bottom left.
It looked like a battery compartment, though extremely hard to see for it was perfectly concealed, but she knew the doll wasn't equipped with any particular special function which required batteries.
She then proceeded to remove the casing and marveled at what she saw.
Resting in the cavity inside was a round, red stone.
"Wha-what's this?" she whispered while automatically reaching for the stone.
Her fingers curled around it and, to her surprise, it felt much softer than she had expected.
She removed the mysterious stone from its socket and examined it closely.
How came the seller, or even the previous owner, had never noticed? It had been so easy to find…
Holding the stone between her thumb and index finger, she stretched her arm toward the window, so that the sunrays were hitting the surface. She then noticed that something was inside the stone. Taking a closer look, she could tell that what seemed like tiny crimson globes were swirling at the very heart of the object.
The girl spent most of the afternoon sat on her bed, marveling at the beauty of the stone she was holding, studying the way the globes were dancing around, almost hypnotically.
She was brought back to reality by the sound of a door opening and closing downstairs. Jared and Talcott were back.
The girl rushed downstairs and approached the old man.
"Oh, Iris! Back home so early?" he greeted in his usual kind tone "Did you get to buy that Moogle doll?"
"Yeah" the young girl replied "And I found this inside it".
She held out the stone which he promptly took in his hands and examined it curiously. Iris knew she had found something extremely valuable upon reading the man's expression, turning from smiling peacefully to utter shock.
"What's that, grandpa?" Talcott asked, looking up.
"This-this…!" the man was in a state of pure shock and could barely speak.
Iris and Talcott stared back at the man, until he regained enough composure to continue.
"Iris… this stone… it's the legendary Quicksilver!" he revealed, but neither the girl or his little grandson reacted the way he had imagined.
"You… you've never heard of it?" the man asked in shock "It's one of the most popular myths".
Iris shook her head and Jared gestured for her to take a seat, as it was his custom when about to tell a long story.
"It is told that hundreds of years ago, the Six bestowed a sacred stone upon the King of Lucis to aid him in his mission to protect the Crystal. The stone, known as Quicksilver, had the power to stop time at the King's will, and even to rewind it. Truth be told, the stone held many other powers that have never been discovered, for the King had been so greedy with it, exploiting the stone for his own purposes, that the Six decided to limit its incredible powers and, eventually, took it away from the King forcefully. It has been told the Six destroyed the stone for good, for its might had started a war among humans. It is said that the stone was the original cause of the never ending fight between the kingdom of Lucis and the Empire, until memories of the Quicksilver vanished from the men's minds, but the conflict remained".
"But… if the Six destroyed it, how come I have it?" Iris asked wide-eyed. She couldn't believe she was holding such an almighty and legendary object, which was possibly the very cause of the war they were fighting that very moment.
"My knowledge of the facts ends here. It is, after all, just a myth and yet here it is" Jared admitted, eying the stone in awe.
"What do I do with it now?" Iris asked, studying the stone in her palm. If what Jared had said was true, how could such a tiny thing hold so much power?
"For now, make sure you keep it safe, and do not mention it to anyone. This is vital, Iris. When the prince comes back, it is only fair the stone is returned to him. It does belong to the King of Lucis, after all" Jared stated in a serious tone.
Iris nodded and closed her fingers around the stone, amazed at its considerable weight despite the dimensions.
"Remember, Iris" Jared warned once again while standing up "You must keep it safe even if it means sacrificing your life. The fate of our country rests upon your shoulders right now".
Next Chapter: the boys come back to Lestallum for a visit. Iris delivers the Quicksilver to its rightful owner, but insists on joining them on an adventure to test its powers.