The Far Edge of Fate (Final Fantasy XV)

CHAPTER 22 - TO SEEK REVENGE...

After getting, at most, four hours of sleep the night prior, Aaralyn felt like a zombie when she got up in the morning. The only bright side was waking up tangled in Noctis's octopus arms, his chin tucked over her head. It was criminally comfortable and Aaralyn felt even worse when she was forced to get up and take a shower in preparation for the day ahead. Noctis even whined, tugging her back in an attempt to make her stay and it made her feel even worse as she wriggled free.

After a quick shower, Aaralyn stepped out in a tank top and jeans, fully expecting to change once she got to the Estate later. The others were up and about by then, including Noctis, who stumbled over to her to press his forehead to her shoulder, wrapping his arms sleepily around her. Aaralyn pretended not to see the grin Cassielle was shooting her as she put her arms over his shoulders.

"What's up?" she whispered.

"Thought you left already," Noctis mumbled sluggishly. His hair was tickling her clavicle.

"No," she whispered. "Not yet. I wouldn't go without saying goodbye."

He muttered incoherently in response and tugged her a little closer. Cassielle giggled quietly behind them.

"Gladio owes me so much money," she remarked.

Aaralyn glanced at her, trying to shuffle aside for Prompto as he stumbled into the bathroom, looking like a zombie. "What do you mean?"

"We had a bet going since we were in like, high school," Cassielle said, trying to fix her bedhead in the mirror. "About how long it'd take you two to finally stop tiptoeing around each other. Gladio thought it wouldn't happen until we were like, late twenties, minimum. I said it'd happen when we were between eighteen to like, twenty-five."

Aaralyn tried to find it in her to be offended that her love life had been bet on, but looking back? Yeah, that was fair.

"How much does he owe you now?" she asked instead.

"A couple-thousand Gil," Cassielle flashed her a grin that softened the moment she watched Noctis try to burrow his way deeper into Aaralyn's shoulder. "Seriously, though. I'm happy for you—we're all going to be. You two are meant for each other."

Noctis mumbled incoherently. Aaralyn laughed softly.

"Thanks, Cass," she said and meant it.

After getting endlessly teased through breakfast by Cassielle, Gladio (once he got over being sour about losing the bet), and Prompto, Aaralyn was off to the Estate. Noctis walked her to the gondola and watched her go until Ignis pulled him back into the hotel to do their own preparations.

Altissia was abuzz with talk as Aaralyn unsteadily got off the gondola to climb the stairs to the winding path to Camelia's estate. Everyone was looking forward to Lunafreya's speech, eager to see her for the first time in public since her death had been falsely reported. The crowd that was gathering along the steps and pathway to Camelia's estate was immense, with soldiers already tasked with keeping people in line and orderly. Aaralyn had to fight her way to the crowd to get to the front gates to get in.

The guards let Aaralyn through without much fuss and before long, she'd arrived at Lunafreya's impromptu bedroom. The couch Nyx had been occupying had been cleaned up as she entered the room. The man in question was stepping out of the bathroom on the far side of the room, in full uniform. It looked good on him and made him look a thousand times more professional than he actually was. Vivienne had done a good job.

Nyx himself looked tense and forlorn—an expression on his face that Aaralyn had trouble figuring out. His nerves must have been insanely high-strung for the events to come. She could not blame him.