The Far Edge of Fate (Final Fantasy XV)

CHAPTER 2 - WHAT MAKES A PERSON BRAVE

"You're joking."

Aaralyn eyed Tredd, trying to decide whether or not he was bullshitting her. From beside her, Tredd offered her a grin, leaning against the wall next to the benches. Behind them, the ring of dull metal-on-metal echoed in the Pit.

"Nope," Tredd shook his head. "Figured I'd, y'know, let you know now that you're about to be initiated."

"Y-Yeah but...Treddjamin?" Aaralyn repeated.

Tredd's grin widened. "Oh, yeah. It's actually uh...a really popular name back where I come from out in the boonies."

"No way."

"Yes way," Tredd nodded. "I just go by my nickname. I even managed to get Drautos to call me by it, but I'm sure he's just going along with everyone else. I doubt he even knows what my real name is."

"Wait, seriously?" Aaralyn leaned forward. "It's like...on your birth certificate and everything?"

"Yeah," Tredd threw both hands behind his head to cushion it against the wall. "Treddjamin Furia. Pops had taste, didn't he?"

"Or he would if that were actually true," Crowe said, coming up from the bench behind them to swat Tredd. She had a white towel hanging around her shoulders. Perspiration dotted her skin from her workout. "Don't listen to him, he's totally bullshitting you."

"Language!" called Pelna from across the room.

Crowe ignored him. "He does this every time we get a new recruit."

"And it would work if you didn't ruin my fun every time we get a new recruit," Tredd snapped back.

"Dammit," Aaralyn complained. "I was about to never let you live that down!"

Tredd smirked at her. "You say that like I would have been ashamed of my hypothetical birth name."

"Dick."

Pelna sighed loudly from across the room. "Okay, which one of you taught this kid the swearwords this time?"

No one answered him and Aaralyn resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She loved the other members of the Kingsglaive—she really did—but their antics, especially around her, grated on her nerves sometimes. More often than not, they doted on her like a group of overprotective siblings. It was endearing at times, especially when the Crownsguard was up to their usual bullshit, but became annoying when they stopped genuinely trying against her in training out of fear they would hurt her.

Crowe plopped down across from Aaralyn and Tredd, running the towel along her jaw and cheek. She froze the water bottle in her hand with a well-controlled blast of ice and cracked it open, drinking deeply. She sighed in relief as she set the bottle down beside her on the bench. Glancing at Aaralyn across from her, she leaned forward, hands clasped in front of her and elbows resting on her knees. A few sweaty strands of hair were sticking to her forehead.

"So," she said. "How are you feeling about initiation next week?"

Aaralyn winced. The reminder of her looming induction into the Kingsglaive made her stomach curl into nervous knots.

Crowe and Tredd both read her expression. The latter sighed, shifting so he wasn't leaning against the wall anymore, and put both boots on the ground. He reached over to give what he must have thought was a reassuring pat on the back, but his touch was so feather-light he might as well have not touched her at all. Aaralyn lifted her head to look up at him as Tredd gave her the closest thing he could get to a sympathetic smile.

"That bad, huh?" he said. "Don't sweat it, kiddo, we were all nervous. I think Libertus puked before his."

"I did not," Libertus retorted as he wandered over with Nyx right on his heels. It was a rarity to see the two best friends ever apart.