Year ME 751, June
She tightened the scarf around her arm and repressed the grunt as the pain traveled across it.
She looked at the freezing atmosphere outside her hideout and she laughed, she still couldn't believe she was alive. In that moment her phone rang, as she received a message.
With her hands trembling she reached for the phone and leaving a trail of blood behind she unlocked the screen to read the message.
"I got a new friend. His name is Prompto Argentum, he's a funny guy."
She couldn't help but smile at the photo of the two boys, grinning like idiots to the camera. He had no idea what she was going through with right now, and there he was sending her pictures of himself and his friends…
"Bastard…" She said with a smile.
Suddenly a howl reached her ears and Selene reached for her sword. While she leaned her body against the cave's walls, she rose from her spot, a small pool of blood beneath where she had sat. She gripped the sword and glared at the monster that entered her hideout, with a shaky breathing she wetted her lips and glared at the beast.
"I'm not in the mood…" She told it.
The beast growled her an answer, before it attacked.
He looked at the screen, waiting for an answer to come… but nothing came.
'Is she busy? Or is she sleeping already?' Noctis thought as he rolled to the other side of his bed, eyes on the screen. 'You're okay, aren't you Selene? You said you would be okay… right?'
It was only in the next morning in the afternoon that he received an answer. That annoyed him as well as relieved him.
"Cutey! He looks so sweet and cute; does he have a girlfriend already? Tell him I said, hi."
Noctis growled at the message and slammed the phone on the table surprising Prompto who was doing his homework in his apartment.
"What's wrong?"
He looked at his friend with a glare before reaching for his book and reading the questions. "Nothing! Keep working!"
The blond boy blinked confused, but did as he was told, not understanding why the prince was suddenly in such a bad humor.
"Girlfriend…" He mumbled more to himself than to someone else, but Prompto heard him and that only made the boy even more confused…
Year ME 751 August 30, late afternoon
She searched her gallery for a picture to send him. Her gaze stopped on a picture, the sunset in the background Luna smiling as she hugged Pryna and Umbra…
Selene smiled at the photo and swapped to the side, finding a picture of herself. She raised her eyebrow surprised, she was alone in the picture. Her hair was a mess, and it appeared to be early morning, she wore round glasses and a small book on her left hand while she combed her hair behind her ears. Selene tilted her head to the side, when had this been taken? She swapped again and her eyes widened as she noticed, in this picture she was smiling at the camera.
She looked closer at the photo. 'This was taken this morning!' She thought as she also noticed the date, stamped in the photo's details. Luna made her wake up early to walk around town, this was while they were having breakfast, at some point Luna had grabbed her phone and played with it for a moment before smiling and returning her phone. Selene sighed, realizing the princess had taken those pictures she quickly deleted them, and annexed Luna's picture to her message.
"Happy birthday, here's some candy for the eye! Don't say I never gave you anything for your birthday." She messaged the birthday prince and threw her phone to the side as she walked towards the shower.
Noct was having his breakfast with his father when he received the message. He reached for his phone for a moment and almost choked on the orange juice he was drinking when he saw the two pictures.
His cheeks grew hotter as he stared at Selene's pajamas form, she wore a black tank top and white shorts, she was sitting across a breakfast table, a book in her hand, and glasses upon her nose. She didn't seem to realize she was being photographed, as she seemed quite focused on her book.
He swiped to the next photo that had been attached to the message and he could feel his heart jumping in his chest, as well as the heat shifting all over his face.
"Noct? Is something wrong?" He looked at his father who stared at him with a raised eyebrow.
"Eh? Wha? N-no! Nothing! Hum, Prompto sent a congratulation message."
"Hm, alright… you will be late if you don't eat your breakfast."
"Yeah." He ate his meal in silence, his father told him about the dinner plans, they would dine alone, but a small party would be thrown in his honor. He sighed at that but accepted.
As he was driven to school, the prince sighed and leaned against the seat, as the car moved he felt the warmth return to his face as he reached for his phone to look at the second image, this time paying more attention to the written message.
"Happy birthday, Prince Noctis."
That couldn't be Selene's message, she never called him by his title, not to mention she never sent pictures of herself, which meant it was Luna's message.
He looked back at the second image, in this photo Selene was smiling… Her eyes were looking at the photographer with a teasing gleam, she no longer held the book from before, her cheek leaning against her hand. His heart drummed in his chest, he didn't know why, but… to him that image was too… alluring.
Noctis ride stopped at the schools gate, and he placed his phone on his jacket before walking out, Prompto was the first to greet him and give his congratulations, the rest of the day was spent with receiving many compliments from his classmates and teachers, when the afternoon rolled in he received another picture.
He wouldn't lie and say his heart hadn't skipped a beat as he opened the annexed image, however, when he saw Luna's picture all Noctis did was smile at it… which made him frown. He read Selene's message and looked at the image of Luna for a moment.
His heart didn't skip like it had with Selene's photo, maybe it was because Selene always sent pictures of Luna… yes, that was it…
He sent a thank you, but contrary to what himself and Selene would have expected he didn't save Luna's picture, however, Selene's photos had been saved in his phone in a password protected album… like a secret no one should know...
Year ME 751 September 9th
She threaded silently on the marble floor and approached the white door. She sneaked in and tiptoed to the huge bed in the room. At the end of it two dogs lifted their heads from their paws, quickly recognizing the intruder they rose, their tails wagging in the air as she approached them, she smiled gave them a gentle pat on the head and brought her finger to her lips, in a silencing gesture.
She approached the bed and gently shook the person in it.
"Luna? Luuu~na?" The person in the bed shifted and hummed slightly before opening her eyes and looking at the person who had waked her.
"Selene?"
Her lips curled into a Cheshire smirk. "Happy birthday." She whispered.
The woman stared at her for a moment before smiling, her eyes still sleepy. "Thank you, but you already congratulated me this morning."
"Yes, but we haven't celebrated it yet."
"... We did, there was a party and everything." The princess of Tenebrae sat up on her bed and covered her yawn with her hand, if she was with any other person, she would never have that behavior, but Selene was her friend.
"I know. Get dressed." Selene walked towards the princess's closet and started searching for something that wasn't so... 'princess like.'
Luna raised an eyebrow as she stared at her friend before looking at the hours. "It's midnight, where are we going at this hour?"
"Out." She grabbed a white shirt, jeans, a beige evening jacket and threw them onto Luna's bed.
"Selene, don't make me interrogate you..." The princess said amused as she pushed the covers from her and placed them on the carpet by her bed.
"You're 20 years old now, Luna. You had your 'proper' party, now it's my turn."
Luna sighed but stood up. "There's no use fighting you on this, is there?"
"Nope, now change."
Luna couldn't believe they had sneaked out of the castle. She was worried Gentiana would have stopped her, but the caretaker merely sent them off.
"Where are you taking me?" The princess asked as they walked along the streets of Tenebrae.
"A bar. We're having your first shot."
She stopped walking, her eyes bulging in shock as she gawked at her friend. "You're 15!"
"Yup, and I've had mine at 14."
"WHAT!?" She shouted. "Why, how, WHEN!?"
"I was curious..." Selene thought for a moment. "And on a mission."
"What kind of mission makes a 14-year-old girl want to drink alcohol!? Does Sirius know?"
"The kind where I have to put up with your brother and yes, he was the one to handed me the shot."
Luna's mouth hanged as she was dragged by Selene to an alleyway, she made a mental note of strangling Sirius next she saw him. They stopped before a man who looked to be ex-military, he eyed them from head to toe with suspicion.
The Guardian, reached for her pocket and handed him a piece of paper. He took a moment to glance his eyes over it before he nodded and opened the door for them.
Selene rushed in, pushing Luna in front of her. As they stepped inside Luna was fascinated by the wooden arches and floors, the elaborate and elegant chandeliers adorned with fake plants, the wonderful art in the paintings, hanging in the wall.
A smile graced her lips. "What is this place?"
"The Chaos Rest. They have a Chocolatier on the main street, it's opened in the daytime. But at night they open the Club, here." Selene walked ahead, toward the end of the hall where a flight of stair stood, where it would take them to the upper floor. She turned towards Luna with a smirk. "You need a membership card to enter."
"And you have one?" She asked, surprised.
"I'm friends with the master." Selene winked as she began walking up the stairs.
"Of course, you are..."The princess giggled.
As they came to the end of the staircase, Luna was amazed.
In front of her was a lovely bar, with masonry wood contrasting with the stone walls, typical Tenebrae art, tables, where people were seated and speaking. The lights were soft and of many colors giving the room a mysterious feel to it. Behind the bar stood two, handsome, barmen, shaking away the ordered drinks.
She couldn't help but smile, it was the first time she stood in a place like this and although to some it might have seemed like an ordinary bar, for the princess it was wonderful and unique.
Selene smiled at her friend's happy expression, leisurely she pointed towards the balcony, from where you could view blooming Tenebrae's blossoms... "Go choose where to sit, I'll go get our drinks."
The princess didn't think twice to walk towards the balcony, she sat on the table nearest to the edge and smiled as she felt a soft breeze with a hint of the flowery scent pass by. She leaned against her hand and watched the fields.
Not long after, Selene came out with two cocktails and something to nibble on. As she placed the drinks and plates on the table Luna smiled at her and took the fruity drink.
She took a small sip and felt the fruity and sugary taste of juices along with the bitterness of the alcohol hit her instantly, it was delicious. Her gaze shifted back to Selene who was seated and staring at the fields, noticing her gaze her friend look back and smirked as she raised her own glass…
"Congratulations Luna, may you have a hundred more!"
"Anniversaries?"
"No, drinks!"
Their laughter filled the balcony. In times like these, the princess was glad to have a friend like Selene... who treated her not as a princess or the Oracle but as a normal, ordinary girl…
She played with the straw of her drink as she gazed at the Syleblossoms… A smile etched on her lips at the scene, she watched as they swayed with the passing breeze and enjoyed it as it reached them.
She reached for her phone and took a quick shot of the view sending it to a certain prince, as she put the phone away Selene breathed in the perfume and turned towards the woman, that sat next to her.
She leaned against her hand and sighed. "Well… that's new." She exclaimed as she picked the shot in front of her and drank it in a go. She grunted as the liquid burned down her throat, her eyes closing as she turned the cup.
When she opened her eyes, she noticed the shadow that lurked over her shoulders, she didn't even bother to ask who it was as she knew there was only one person who could be so sneaky and silent. She reached for another cup.
Gentiana, the messenger of the gods, and the Oracle's guide, approached the princess with an amused smile on her lips. "How much did the princess drink?"
Selene tapped the glass on the table and stared at the princess, amused. "One cocktail and a shot."
Gentiana's red lips curled further, and Selene swore her eyes opened slightly, as she looked at her. "And you?"
The younger girl leaned against her chair, another shot in her hand, she closed one eye, in thought, and looked back at the Messenger, a grin laced her lips as she raised the cup. "This will be my 6th and last." Having said that, she gobbled the liquid, grunted at the taste, placed the cup down and she attempted to get up from her seat.
The floor wobbled a little and her legs felt like jelly, but other than that she felt great. She shook her head and as she raised it, she smiled at the barman who approached them, Gentiana was long gone.
"How much do I owe you?" She asked as she reached for her wallet.
The man shook his head and raised his hand. "Nothing." She raised an eyebrow. "Master's orders, miss." He said with a smile.
Selene's giggled at his generosity and turned to Luna while saying. "Then tell your Master next tab is on me."
The bartender bowed in respect and stared at the princess. "Should I help you with your friend, miss?"
Selene shook her head. "No need, I can carry her." Gently she placed her hand on her friends the princess shoulder and shook her, lightly. "Luna, Lunaa~?"
"Hmm?" The princess mumbled, her head still in her folded arms, above the table.
"Time to go home, princess."
"M~kay..." She exclaimed, her voice dragging due to the sleep and the booze, she lifted her head and rubbed her sleepy eyes.
The younger woman subdued the need to laugh. 'So cute!' She thought, as she quickly brought out her phone and took a great number of pictures. She eyed them critically and smirked, if she sold them to Ravus or a magazine she would cash in some good money.
With the photo-shoot finished, Selene kneeled next to Luna and turned her back on her.
"Come on, hop on."
"Hmm..." Without a second thought or protest, Luna leaned against Selene's back.
The younger woman, with the help of the barman, easily hoisted the princess, once she had her secured Selene began to walk... The bartender escorted her out while the guard helped her with the door. She thanked the two and bid them 'till next time' as she walked along the empty streets of Tenebrae.
She was careful to avoid any guards, or Machina that loomed around, sometimes taking the longer path to the palace.
As she walked on, Luna seemed to mumble something against her back. "Selene~?" The Guardian hummed softly, to tell the princess she was listening. She felt the grip around her tighten and she felt Luna's hair tickling the back of her neck as the princess nuzzled against her back and whispered. "Thank you for being my friend..."
She felt a smile curling her lips and a warming and contented sensation filing her heart. "You're welcome..." She whispered back as she continued walking.
When they reached the palace's entrance, Selene was greeted by both Pryna and Umbra who waited by the doors with their tails wagging in the air. As she approached them the two dogs sniffed the princess and gazed, accusingly, at the guardian.
She stared back, she could feel their judging and disapproval and she felt the need to defend herself. "What! I drank more than she did!" Her voice was pitched, and she still could see what she considered to be a look of skepticism and blame. She pulled Luna up, as she felt her slipping and gave them a pointed look before walking into the palace while exclaiming. "It's not my fault!"
She placed the princess on the bed and turned to Gentiana, who stood in the dark. The messenger gave her a pointed smile. Selene bowed her head, lightly, without any more words she walked out of the room. Gentiana would take care of the rest...
As she opened the door, she scratched the two dogs' ears and fur, before letting them in. When she closed the door and turned, Selene stood face to face with the great Commander and Prince Ravus Nox Fleuret, who was throwing daggers of ice, with his eyes, at her.
Behind him, she saw a hand waving and she noticed Sirius with an apologetic smile. She glanced back at the prince, who was waiting with his imposing, arms crossed, furious face, posture of his… she sighed.
"I'll give you these if you let it go." She said as she brought out her phone and the pictures of Luna's cute drunken responses.
The prince stared at the screen, his scowl grew, but he simply snatched the phone from her hand and turned away.
"I want my phone back!" She shouted at his back.
Sirius suppressed a laugh as he turned to follow, he mouthed. "I'll get it back for you."
"With all the pictures!" She mouthed back.
He gave her a wink her way and swiftly followed the Commander, who was already down the hall.
Selene sighed and stretched her muscles before walking back to her post, to do her job of guarding the sweet, innocent, drunken princess.
It was morning when he looked at his phone, there were two messages he'd received from Selene, as he opened them Noctis smiled at the night scenery of Tenebrae the moonlight sent a soft glow to the blossoms and the towns light made it seem like the stars had fallen from the sky.
Noctis rose from his bed and walked to the bathroom to wash his face and have a glass of water. He sent a small text, pointing out the time stamp of last night before he placed his phone down and washed his face. Then he reached for the cup of water he kept by the sink and filled it with water.
The prince grabbed his phone again as he recalled making sure to save the photo in storage so that he could show Prompto, before he moved to the next photo.
He choked on the water he had just drank, it splattering all over the mirror and phone. Noctis reached for a towel to clean his mouth and his phone before he moved the screen closer to his face.
"What the!?" He exclaimed as he saw what appeared to be Selene and a drunken Luna, sharing a cocktail, the princess smiling giddily while Selene smirked and made a victory sign at the camera. "What did you do!?" He shouted as he texted back, just as furiously.
His answer came but a few moments later.
"I took Luna to a bar! She was KO after her first shot! It was PRICELESS!"
He didn't know how to react, nor what to say, but for some strange and unknown reason he laughed. "What am I going to do with you?"
AN: Bonjour mon amies! Well, here we go, first part of the fourth hour! Yay!
Ahaha, Luna's first drink, I had played with this in my mind and thought it was hilarious! I really wanted to show a side of the princess that no one knew about, especially since everyone always saw her as delicate and... well, a princess... so I wanted to give her a time out from the royal duties. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!
I'll see you all in the second part of this hour! Bye-zy!