The Far Edge of Fate (Final Fantasy XV)

CHAPTER 33 - HOW THE FUTURE ENDURES

chapter title comes from "How The Future Endures" from the Xenoblade Chronicles 3 OST.

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Autumn wiped her hands on her pants as she left the apartment she shared with Aaralyn and Cassielle. She made a mental list of the things she had to get from Monica—painkillers being chief among them—as she made her way down the stairs. Aaralyn had been bedridden for several days, first and foremost from sheer exhaustion and then for her severely broken leg. With Cassielle gone with Gladiolus again, that left Autumn on nursing duty for her bedridden friend.

To say she'd been surprised when they'd gotten back and Prompto revealed to her and the others his origins would have been an understatement. He'd been so nervous when he'd done it but had likened it to ripping off a band-aid.

"Better to just get it over with," he'd said.

His concerns about being alienated were unfounded. Her, Ignis, Gladio, and Cassielle all shared the same sentiment—they didn't care who or what Prompto was, much less where he was from. What mattered was the strength of his character and, having basically grown up with him, they were all well aware of that. The girl that he and Aaralyn had brought back with them—Adelaide—had given him a smug look like, 'told you so'. Prompto had only laughed in relief.

Autumn let out a tired sigh as she made her way through the dirty streets of Lestallum. She hadn't gotten a break in what felt like forever. Ever since daylight had gone, Autumn always felt stretched thin between routine exterminations with other hunters or assisting in the agricultural efforts of the shocking number of farmers who'd found refuge in Lestallum. Autumn had always liked gardening and had decided to lend what she knew to the cause and, as of recently, the latest batch of Leiden potatoes had come out tasting and looking like they should. Despite being grown under artificial light, they were absolutely delicious and boosted morale by a considerable amount. If even just potatoes were a success, they'd be able to replicate dozens of foodstuffs beneath lampshades, thereby solving their imminent food crisis now that most flora had died off due to the lack of sunlight. Caring for Aaralyn was the closest thing Autumn had gotten to a break in a long time, even if a lot of it was giving her painkillers and making sure she was as comfortable as possible on her lumpy bed.

Monica was standing by her usual station in the town square. She looked stressed, but that was nothing new. Autumn figured working with Cor to dispatch Glaives and Hunters all across the desiccated world was no relaxing task. She looked up as Autumn approached, trying for a smile.

"Here for your shipment?" Monica guessed.

Autumn nodded. "Mostly the painkillers."

Monica nodded, waving over Dustin, who was shifting between boxes that were stacked behind her. He took one look at Autumn and picked up one of the ones from the top of the pile and brought it over, carefully handing it over to her.

"There aren't a lot of them in there," Monica warned her. "Medicine's scarce as it is, so use them wisely."

Autumn nodded. "I will. Thank you, Monica." She smiled, making her way back to her apartment. The door creaked loudly when she opened it and slid inside. She could hear voices coming from the back bedroom and she paused when she recognized them.

What's Ignis doing here? She thought.

She couldn't stop her heart from skipping that excited beat. She'd tried to ignore it, but ever since she and Ignis had reunited, an age-old crush that she thought had been snuffed out as the years went by. But since having been put back into his orbit again, she was starting to remember how she felt about him. She was picking up on his little habits all over again—the way he adjusted his glasses when he was feeling antsy, how he tended to ramble on when he was passionate about something, or the excitement of discovering a new recipe. Autumn saw and loved it all.