Mythological Mayhem (Book Two: Sapphire) [Ignis x Reader]

• IX •

As the sun peaked over the horizon the next morning, (Y/n) left the caravan to get some fresh air. She admired the rising sun as it gradually rose into the sky. She watched the light vanquish the dark before wandering over to Wiz. From what she learned yesterday, the man not only ran the outpost but also managed the eatery here.

"Howdy, lass!" Wiz greeted her with a smile. "What can these ol' bones do for ya?"

"You wouldn't happen to sell ebony, would you?" She asked.

"We do. Would ya like a freshly brewed cup?"

"Please. How much do I owe you?"

Wiz shook his head. "It's on the house! Consider it a small apology fer our chicks yesterday. My stablehand told me what happened."

"That's very kind of you, but the chicks really weren't a bother. They were a welcomed distraction," she smiled.

"Still, lemme get ya that cup o' coffee. I'll be back in a jiffy."

Wiz sauntered off and returned a few minutes later with a warm cup of ebony. She thanked him for the free coffee and returned to the caravan just as the door gently opened. She placed the styrofoam cup on the table and smiled at Ignis as he joined her outside. "Good morning."

"It truly is," Ignis replied. "You are up earlier than usual. Did you sleep well?"

"I didn't realize we were sharing a caravan with a snoring behemoth last night," she sighed.

The tactician chuckled lightly, knowing exactly who she was referring to. "A cacophony only possible by Gladio. He can be quite clamorous while slumbering."

(Y/n) grabbed the cup of coffee off the table, handing it to him. "I figured you'd be up soon and went ahead and secured your morning dose of ebony. Wiz was kind enough to give it to me for free, even though I insisted on paying for it."

Ignis accepted the cup with a gracious smile. "I do appreciate this, (Y/n)." He took a sip of the warm beverage before lowering the cup. "Would you indulge me for a bit?"

She nodded. "Sure. What did you have in mind?"

"Remember our talk yesterday before departing to dispatch the behemoth? I do believe scavenging would be a tranquil undertaking on this placid morning."

The guardian gasped, remembering their conversation from yesterday. "I completely forgot. But yes! It is a lovely morning to search for ingredients. Let me grab the basket from the car and we can take the chocobos."

She ran over to the Regalia, Ignis watching her as she did so. He figured they could save some gil if they located some ingredients in the wild and it would also provide him some private time to talk with (Y/n) without the fear of being interrupted by the other boys.

Returning with the wood-knitted basket, (Y/n) called their chocobos while Ignis finished his coffee. She hooked the basket to the saddle of her bird before climbing onto its back. The advisor did the same, allowing her to take the lead due to her senses being more enhanced than his. She could practically sniff out any ingredients that were nearby, which made her an excellent scavenger.

It wasn't long, maybe a few minutes, before they discovered a batch of wild onions. (Y/n) dismounted her chocobo and immediately picked a few, placing them gently in the basket. They moved on to the next location, where they discovered some beetroot. They added it to the basket and proceeded to their third destination. There, they found various nests filled with eggs. The girl giggled as she picked up a few of the birdbeast eggs. "You did mention eggs yesterday, Iggy."

"A fortunate guess on my part," Ignis responded with a hint of a smile at hearing her melodious laughter. "Alas, your comment was what led to such a thought."