A/N: Sorry for the wait again, y'all. Work work work, some sickness (thanks a lot, Lupus!), and boyfriend drama. Gotta love it! I hope you enjoy. Thanks for all the lovely reviews, favorites, and follows as always :) I'll try to be quicker with the next chapter! -Fallon

Chapter 12:

"We need to move. Now."

Nyx looked down at Inertia's hand on his arm and back up to the hard, fiery look in her eyes, and he didn't doubt her for a second. He rose from his barstool, nodding at her, and she pushed past him, aiming to lead them out of the crowd. He didn't know why they needed to leave, but there was something about this representative of Nox Fleuret that told him she meant business. If they were compromised, the last thing they should do was remain.

The speakers were blaring, the rhythm pulsing, the band onstage filling the venue with otherworldly sound. Girls and boys alike were drinking, dancing, having fun, bodies crammed together from one wall to the other, and on any other night, this would have been exactly his jam. But tonight, as Inertia pushed forward, trying to get by, and he desperately tried to keep up with her small form, he cursed under his breath, damning all these partygoers to hell.

"Inertia… stop, dammit!" He swore, watching her disappear behind some drunk men.

He didn't get an answer. Images of a young girl with black hair flashed in his mind, and he could see her dancing in the crowd, disappearing like Inertia just had moments before. His stomach dropped. Inertia isn't your little sis, he told himself. Keep your shit together.

"Here," He felt a hand grab his wrist suddenly, and Inertia pulled him forward towards the deck overlooking the water. But before either of them could get any closer to freedom, a figure was bringing a weapon down in Inertia's path. Nyx's reaction time was nothing compared to Inertia's, and he watched, awestruck, as she summoned a shuriken out of thing air, blocking the man's sword inches away from her face. Had she just summoned one of the Royal Arms? He thought only the King and his blood were capable of such. He didn't have the luxury of time for thought, however, and Nyx brought forth his own weapon millimeters away from the assailant's throat. Instantaneously, his two bodyguards were aiming guns at him. Screams erupted in their vicinity of the bar, but the rest of the venue hadn't caught on yet, the music continuing to wail into the night. The bartender was frozen, the sound of glass shattering piercing through the bass as he dropped his shot glass in fright.

"Well, well, well," The man who'd assaulted Inertia sneered. He was actually quite young, but clearly adept with a blade. "The slut herself, Inertia Izunia. What brings you to Lucis these days, milady? Looking for more cock to suck?"

"Any cock is preferable to yours, Loqi," She spat at him. She rammed her shuriken into his blade aggressively, clearly enraged by his words. Nyx didn't even know the guy, and was offended on Inertia's behalf.

"That's no way to talk to a lady," Nyx warned. He clucked his tongue, edging his sword a little closer to "Loqi's" jugular. His bodyguards tensed with worry, but Loqi merely rolled his eyes.

"If it isn't Nyx Ulric," He smirked. "Just the man we were looking for. And word of advice: this thing is anything but a lady. Has she opened her legs for you yet? You always were a good lady, Inertia." He puckered his lips at her, leaning forward as if to kiss her. She dodged her head away from him, never taking her eyes off of him. Just who was this guy, and how much history did the Oracle's lady-in-waiting have with him?

"Why were you looking for Nyx?" She ignored his jeers, instead answering his question with a question. "What do you want with him?"

"It's none of your business, Inertia," Loqi shoved his blade harder into her shuriken, and she winced with the exertion. Nyx kept his blade aimed at the scumbag, but didn't take his eyes off his bodyguards. They'd brought guns to a knife fight, and Nyx didn't intend to let that stand. "And if you knew what was good for you you'd let me take him and pretend as if none of this ever happened."

More screams erupted in the hall now, but the music continued on. Only a matter of time now before the whole bar caught on.

"Inertia, maybe he's right," Nyx lowered his sword. "Maybe everyone else will be safe if I go with this…Niff?"

"I resent the word, but yes, we're Niffs," Loqi mocked the word. "And.I assure you, no harm will come to anyone in this establishment if you come willingly."

"Inertia!"
Nyx turned to see two men, one rather large, the other in glasses, behind the both of them now, and it took him a moment before he recognized them as Gladiolus Amicitia and Ignis Scientia, two of the Prince's retinue. What were they doing here? And how did they know Lady Izunia?

"Oh! More to join in on the fun?" Loqi laughed wryly. "Inertia, my dear, you've been busy."

"Release your weapon at once!" Ignis had pulled a dagger from the air, trained on the man still locked with Inertia. "You wouldn't dare harm a Lady of Tenebrae!"

"It's not like she's the Oracle," Loqi shrugged. "If I were to spill her blood, the gods wouldn't weep for her."

"ENOUGH, YOU FUCKING COWARD!" Inertia screamed, shoving her shuriken hard enough into him he stumbled back. His bodyguards steadied him, and he looked upon them all with wild, enraged eyes.

"How dare you speak to me like that," He hissed, removing his blade from hers, and training it on Nyx. Nyx's reaction time had improved now that he was on guard, and met his blade in midair, catching him there before he could finish the blow. "This man dies here, tonight, and whether you all follow is up to you."

"Get out of here!" Nyx hollered at the three others beside him. He could hear the band had stopped now, and more shouting and screaming had exploded in the bar. People were running, and pushing, and shoving, until one of Loqi's bodyguards aimed a pistol towards the ceiling and fired a shot, making everyone freeze before a stampede erupted.

"Thank you for your attention!" Loqi yelled. He withdrew his sword, shouldering it. "My name is Loqi, and I represent the Niflheim empire. Pleased to make your acquaintances!"

The crowd was silent, everyone paralyzed with fear. Nyx looked over to see Inertia was staring back at him, eyes angry and hard.

"This man-" He gestured to Nyx, who swallowed at his being drawn into the spotlight "is wanted by the Empire, and we will not rest until we have him. Allow us to take him peacefully, and no harm will come to any of you!"

"That's Nyx the Hero!" He heard a voice from within the audience and his blood ran cold - no. Don't say this shit. Not now.

"He's one of the Glaives!"

"He's one of Insomnia's best!"

"You can't take him!"

"Maybe we should let them take him.."

"How did Niflheim get past the Wall?"

"Insomnians!" Inertia stepped forward, and Nyx blinked. Shit, what was she doing? Everyone looked towards her, and even Loqi fell silent as she commanded the room. "You may not recognize me. You may not know me from any other in this room. But my name is Inertia Izunia, and I represent Lady Lunafreya, Oracle of Tenebrae, as her First, her lady-in-waiting. Please, I implore you, do not give in to this man." She held up a hand when Loqi opened his mouth to speak, and he lifted his sword in anger. Gladiolus wasted no time in rushing forward to disarm him, allowing Inertia more time to speak. "Tenebrae has already fallen to the Empire, and it is a wicked, hopeless existence. You must resist. You must fight. This man only wants Nyx Ulric because he discovered a way to prevent them from taking your Kingdom. Your city. Honor Nyx and yourselves by not giving in to temptation. The only way we can beat Niflheim is together!"

The crowd hummed in anticipation, words passing Nyx's ears like fireflies, the thrill of her words rousing the hearts of the Insomniacs in the crowd. Quickly they came to a consensus.

"She's right! We can't let them win!"

"Nyx would do the same for us!"

"She's just as beautiful as Lunafreya! She communes with the gods too!"

"The Empire won't take Nyx Ulric!"

Nyx's chest filled with pride as he heard the crowd buzz with their support, for him, for Inertia, for their kingdom. He could see his little sister smiling now, and for the first time in a long time, he thought maybe, just maybe, there was hope for the world after all.

But his hope was short-lived.

"Fine. Have it your way," Loqi spat, sheathing his sword, which he'd fetched from the floor, and backing slowly with his entourage. "But know this; you are responsible for your own demise. We've placed an explosive somewhere in this establishment in the case that hope won out over reason. Remember that this is the might of the empire whenever you think to defy us again!"

As wails of panic and hysteria rang out in the crowd, Loqi and his bodyguards disappeared into a cloud of smoke. Coughing, Nyx reached for Inertia, unsure how to proceed. He was a warrior, a fighter, but he didn't have a mind for logistics. How could they save all of these people from a bomb, planted they knew not where in here, to be detonated they knew not when?

"Inertia!" He yelled. People were rushing now, and he fought to stay standing against the might of them. It was all but a stampede now, and he could see bodies falling underneath one another, being crushed by pounding footsteps as panicked individuals raced to escape the box that was soon to detonate.

"Shit, what do we do?" He could hear Gladiolus ask through the smoke. He felt a hand on his wrist, a small hand, and knew it was Inertia.

"I need you three to see these people to safety!" She instructed. She coughed, but not for long. "I have to find this bomb and see if I can defuse it."

"Do you need assistance?" He heard Ignis ask through the chaos. "Have you ever attempted such a feat?"

"I know how," She assured him. "Nyx, go with them, get these people to safety."

"On it," He nodded. He and the Prince's retainers made their way towards the main entrance, hoping to guide people to safety, as Inertia ventured deeper into the bar, disappearing into the many bodies within, and he hoped against hope she would make it in time.

She remembered the first time Ravus brought Loqi home with him to Fenestala Manor.

It was shortly after Ravus had left her behind since coming home from graduation. She had continued to wear his charm bracelet every day since, but hadn't heard a word from him since he'd gone away. She'd written him dozens of letters, but they went unanswered. She wasn't sure if he was purposely ignoring her, or if the Empire was intercepting his mail; something she wouldn't put past the Empire to do. Either way, in his absence, he'd grown close with the young, future Brigadier General. The two of them were stationed together in Gralea, and had become fast friends. Ravus blamed King Regis for the death of his mother, and in a similar way Loqi despised Cor Leonis, who he blamed for the death of his father. Perhaps they found a certain kinship in their commiserating of the loss of their parents. She didn't know all the details; it was one of the few things Loqi didn't like to talk about.

Otherwise, the guy talked a mile a minute. He was bright, exceptionally so, and had completed his college studies early. He was several years younger than Ravus, and was closer to her and Luna's age. He was gifted on the violin, as well as with the sword, and so she wasn't very surprised when Ravus offered him a place to stay while they took some shore leave.

She and Ravus hadn't mentioned their kiss ever again since he'd left. He would look at her charm bracelet sometimes and smile at her, but he made no effort to speak to her, let alone kiss her again. She wondered if he was trying not to let on to Lunafreya what had happened - since that would be a sordid affair. Or maybe he didn't want Loqi to know he had feelings for someone who was so much younger than himself; maybe he wouldn't look "cool" anymore. Either way, she tried not to let it hurt her feelings every time he walked by her and didn't acknowledge her, or every time he spoke to someone and it wasn't her.

So maybe Loqi genuinely hadn't known about their feelings for each other.

Maybe Loqi genuinely didn't mean to hurt her, or him, or anyone.

But he'd had every intention of sneaking into her room that night, for what purpose originally, she'd never know.

She'd woken with a start when he sat on the edge of her bed.

"Loqi?" She yawned, blinking up at him. "What are you doing here? Do you need something?"

"No.. it's nothing," He smiled down at her, eyes warm. He was quite handsome in the moonlight, and he reminded her of Ravus when he was young, before he'd given himself over to the Empire.

"You seem troubled," She reached her hand out to touch his own, and indeed, he was swimming in doubts and fears. She tried to ease his suffering, and unlike Ravus, he didn't pull his hand away. He sighed.

"I am, milady," He conceded. He melted into her touch, troubles falling away. "I leave on the morrow, and I have fears and reservations about… well, everything."

"Such as?" She inquired. She pulled her hand away so she could push herself up in bed, giving him her full attention. "You can tell me, Loqi. That's what I'm here for."

"Well, I fear not living up to expectations," He rubbed the back of his neck. "The empire expects a lot, and I'm still quite young to be a soldier."

"That's a normal concern," She hugged her knees, trying to allay his fears. "But though you may be young, you're an exemplary student and soldier. Your accomplishments speak for themselves."

"Perhaps." He agreed thoughtfully. "Tell me, do you ever feel the same with Lunafreya?"

"I beg your pardon?" She asked, a little taken aback. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I know you're a few years younger than your mistress," He mused. "I thought, perhaps, you understood the pressures I'm feeling on a personal level."

"Ah," She nodded. "I see what you mean. I suppose… yes, sometimes I do."

"And what keeps you going?" He inquired.

"Faith," She smiled. "Faith in her, and in myself, and in the good in the world," She looked at him, thoughtful. "If you believe in yourself, and in your cause, there isn't anything you can't achieve."

"Wise words," He agreed. He scooted closer to her then, and she felt her stomach tighten, a little uncomfortable. Why was he getting so close to her?

"You know, I thought Lunafreya was the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen," He laughed to himself, reaching to place a hand on one of her knees she was hugging. Her skin crawled, and she was simultaneously turned on and terrified by his touch. He was a handsome, intelligent young man, but she had feelings for Ravus, and she had never even kissed anyone else, let alone do anything more, and she was scared by what her gut was telling her would happen. "I mean, not that I could ever do anything about it.. she's Ravus's little sister, and that's just not appropriate for men of our station." His hand danced across her skin and up her thigh, and her breathing grew faster, her throat hot. "Then I saw you." He smiled at her. "You're a vision, milady."

"Th-thank you," She stammered. It was happening so fast, and she silently prayed that Gentiana would make a surprise, sweeping entrance like she was so wont to do. Or, better yet, maybe Ravus would happen along because his gut told him something was amiss, too. Because he cared that much about her.

"And I keep thinking, if a single touch of your hand can alleviate my fears…" His hand had reached the spot in between her legs, and she tried not to cry, or squeak in fear. "How good would the rest of you make me feel?"

His mouth was on hers, then.
"No, we shouldn't-" She mumbled between gasps of air. But as she protested, his hands grew stronger, his grip harder, and she gave in, weak and afraid, allowing him whatever he wanted, praying to the gods who never answered for it to be over soon.

Inertia raced between bodies, her dexterity serving her well as she danced through the Roadhouse. There was only one place she could have imagined Loqi would plant a bomb in a bar; and that was somewhere on or backstage.

Loqi had loved fire, and pyrotechnics, ever since she could remember. He was always playing with new tech the Empire gave him, engaging enemies in power suits or robots or whatever other gadgets he could find. While alcohol would lend itself well to a fire, the dramatics of an explosion coming from the stage itself would appeal to Loqi on so many levels it would be criminal for him to have planted it anywhere else.

She warped onto the stage, which had long since been deserted by the band, looking frantically to and fro for anything even closely resembling a bomb. She couldn't hear any kind of beeping over the hysteria of the crowd, and she couldn't see anything suspect either. Looking towards the entrance, she could see Nyx, Gladiolus, and Ignis escorting people to safety, encouraging them to remain calm and keep from trampling each other. She smiled to herself as she saw Ignis tending to one of the girls who had fallen and subsequently lifted to her feet by Gladio's massive arms. She had a laceration on her forehead which the Steward was trying to treat, and the goodness of his heart made her warm inside.

But just as she heard the ticking coming from one of the speakers, she heard it stop on a dime, and knew she was too late to disarm it. She did the only thing she could do, now that she had failed to defuse it, and erected a barrier with the same magic the King used to erect the wall, just like Ardyn had showed her all those years ago, and braced for impact, hoping it would be enough to save the innocents in the club, too. She was thrown from her feet, the world turning black as she reached impact.

When she came to, Nyx, Ignis, and Gladiolus were all standing over her, offering her Elixir after Elixir, talking to her to see how responsive she would be.

"What happened?" She shoved the potions out of her face, blinking, trying to take note of her surroundings. She was propped up against a brick wall on a sidewalk somewhere in the city, and she could see smoke rising some 100 paces away. People were crying, and huddling together, and ambulances had arrived, and news crews had, too.

"The blast went off," Gladio kneeled to meet her eye to eye.

"It wasn't your fault," Ignis tried to reassure her. "You had almost no time to defuse the bomb."

"Quite frankly, if you hadn't erected that barrier so fast, there woulda been a lot more casualties," Nyx offered her a hand, and she took it. He pulled her to her feet. "You're a hero."

"Ha," She laughed, wincing at the pain in her ribs. "Takes one to know one, I guess."

"Gladiolus! Ignis!" The four of them heard the shouts at the same time, heads snapping towards the crowd. From far away, she could make out a mess of black and blond hair headed towards the site of disaster, the only heads headed toward it instead of away.

"You don't think…" Gladio began.

"Is that the Prince?" Nyx wondered aloud. Inertia heaved a sigh.

"We can't catch a break," She shook her head. "Ignis, Gladiolus, secure Noctis at all costs."

"Of course," Gladio agreed.

"Right away," Ignis nodded. They were off in a flash.

"Nyx, can you meet me a few streets over?" She asked politely. "I need to make sure they're all OK."

"You got it," Nyx nodded. "And listen.." He stopped her before she could make her way towards the chaos, and she looked up at him expectantly, a little taken aback by the interruption. "I dunno why you can use the King's powers like us Glaives can…" He shrugged. "But you're more a Glaive than anybody I know." And with that he trotted off, leaving her to her thoughts. She smiled, a warm feeling emanating in her body. She felt like a failure, knowing she hadn't gotten to the bomb in time, knowing her mission had put hundreds of lives in jeopardy, but to know she belonged somewhere in spite of her misgivings… it was the first time in a long time she'd ever felt accepted.

"Noct!" She heard a familiar voice call out. Kind of raspy, kind of melodic. Shit. "Noct! Where are you?"

She was pushing through bodies for what felt like the millionth time tonight, forcing her way towards the shock of chocobo-colored hair she could pick through the crowd, and had to force herself up onto her tiptoes, even in heels, to throw a hand over his mouth to silence him.

"Shh! Be quiet!" She pulled him away from the crowd, heading towards the nearest alley, wanting to escape both listening ears and the smoke that hung in the air, filling their lungs. She released him once the bodies began to thin, and he spun around frantically, big, blue eyes wild in confusion until she saw realization dawn in them.

"Inertia?!" His mouth hung open a little, and only then did she remember what she was wearing. She fought the urge to blush. "What…how… why are you here? And what are you wearing?"

Nope, no more fighting the blush anymore. "There's no time to explain, Prompto," She grabbed him by the hand - she could see why Noctis had to do this to him all the time - wanting to get him moving, away from all the eyes and ears. Anyone could be spying for the empire now.

"What's all the smoke from?" He coughed. Even his cough was cute, god dammit.

"There's been an explosion at the Roadhouse," She didn't stop pulling him along, hoping maybe if she gave him enough information he'd finally be quiet until they were out of earshot.

"Is anyone hurt?" He sounded worried. It melted her heart, he was such a good soul. She wished there were more pure hearts like his in the world these days. People like Prompto were few and far between.

"I don't know. I hope not," She answered honestly. Nyx had said she reduced casualties… but didn't say there hadn't been any. She couldn't dwell on it now. She had too much to do.

"Oh…well… you look great," He mumbled it so quietly she almost thought she imagined it. Maybe she just wanted to hear him say it so bad she imagined it.

"Thank you," She finally got the both of them into the nearest back alley, smoke whizzing by, allowing them to catch their breath.

"Where's Noct?" He seemed to recall his missing best friend finally, and she didn't want him to panic.

"He's safe," She tried to assure him as her hair fell in her face. Thank God she had a hair tie. She reached around and pulled her hair back into a ponytail; she was done with it getting in her way. "I had Ignis and Gladiolus escort him to safety."

"Iggy and Gladio were with you?" He blinked in confusion. "So they're ok?"

"They're fine," She put a hand on his shoulder, wanting to calm him down. She could have used the palms of their hands, like always, but something about him impelled her to want to calm him down the natural way, the real way, the way two humans who care about each other did, instead of the way a healer did. Maybe it was a silly, childish conception; either way, she wanted something to feel real. Just once. "But the more you speak any of their names, the more you may alert the Empire to their whereabouts. So I need you to remain calm, and not implicate anyone from the Citadel."

"Wait…the empire?" He straightened up, growing taller, her hand falling from his shoulder as he pulled out of her reach. Well, so much for calming him down the "real" way. It was a silly notion in the first place. "You don't mean they're here, do you? How could that even happen?"

"I promise I'll explain everything to you when we're somewhere safe," She readjusted her bag on her shoulder and tapped her stiletto on the ground. The strap had been slipping down her heel, and she needed it as tight as could be so they could get moving. "Are you ready to move?" He nodded, looking shellshocked, but she didn't have time to baby him. She still had to find Barrick, and figure out where Loqi got off to. Something was very amiss in the Crown City tonight.

"There's a Glaive waiting for us a few streets over," She explained. He was somewhere behind her, but she wasn't stopping to wait for him, much as she might want to; she had things to get done. "He can escort you home."

"And where will you go?" He asked earnestly.

"I have some unfinished business to attend to," She explained. It wasn't a particularly honest or dishonest answer; it was true and a lie of omission at the same time.

"What?" He jogged to catch up with her. "What does that even mean?"

"Nothing you need concern yourself with," She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear; a nervous habit. Damn. Now he was making her nervous?

"Inertia, you can trust me, you know that, right?" He had grabbed her wrist, forcing her to stop and look at him. His blue eyes were shimmering, and she wanted to swim inside them, and tell him everything was alright. How could she tell him she did trust him, but was afraid that if he knew the truth, he might get hurt? How could she say that after knowing him hardly at all, she didn't want to see him hurt? Why did she even care so much? Suddenly, he dropped her wrist, the electricity between them too much to bear. She could see his cheeks were flushing, but she she could feel a blush creeping up her own neck, too. "Sorry," He managed sheepishly.

"No need," She smiled, but couldn't bear to look at those eyes anymore, so back she went to climbing over trash and rubble, making her way towards wherever Nyx had stationed himself.

"You're, uh, pretty in shape," He observed. Her heart began to race; shit. Had she given herself away again? No one needed to know Lady Lunafreya's retainer had martial training, too. The minute they knew she had martial training, the closer they grew to finding out her secret connection to the Armiger.

"I am?" She tried to sound surprised.

"I mean, it's not a bad thing," Prompto fumbled for his words, and she felt bad; he sounded guilty. "I just mean, you're fast, and I'm running out of breath, and you're like, totally okay." His attempt at rectifying the situation was sad, but adorable.

"I spent a lot of years running," She admitted. It was out of her mouth before she could stop herself, and immediately she wanted to slap herself in the face. Why would she tell him something like that? She needed to stop telling him so many of her truths; it would get them both in trouble one day.

Finally! She could see Nyx leaning up against a wall close by.

"Took you long enough," He teased when he saw her.

"Argentum had a hard time keeping up," She winked at Nyx and turned to smirk at Prompto. She couldn't help but tease him. His blush made it worth it to her every time. He cleared his throat nervously.

"Ha…guilty," His voice broke a little. She watched as Nyx looked at her and him, and could see a sparkle in his eye. She hoped he wouldn't say something that might embarrass them both. Prompto looked uncomfortable, too, and spoke before she could stop him. "So, are you guys like, a thing, or something?"

"What?" She couldn't help but laugh. Her and Nyx? Was he serious?

Nyx was laughing too. "Us? No," He shook his head.

"I just met him like an hour ago," She assured Prompto, who looked confused, and a little shy. She wanted him to know there really, seriously, wasn't anything going on there. Why was he worried about it anyway? Wait… why was she?

"Oh, great, so… I look like a total idiot, huh?" Prompto asked with a laugh. But it was a shaky, fragile laugh, and she knew he genuinely felt embarrassed. She wanted to hug him, but fought the urge. If she didn't end it now, she'd never find Barrick or Loqi.

"Nyx, get him home safely, if you will?" She smiled at them both. "I'll see you both soon, I presume."

"Aye aye, ma'am," Nyx looked to Prompto and started heading in the opposite direction. Taking her cue, she did the same, leaving a very confused Prompto behind. He looked like a lost puppy who wanted to follow her, and she feared if she chanced another glance back, she might just let him. No. He might get hurt. So she didn't look. Not even once.