Renovating the Heart (FFXV)

XXIX) Cape Caem

It turned out that the difference in location had a rather large impact on the weather after all. Not only was it freezing outside, but rain poured down the sides of the wide tent and pattered on the ground through the entire night. The heat emitting from the six bodies packed together like canned sardines was enough to keep them warm for the most part, and if anything woke them, it was a booming clap of thunder that pursued a flash of lightning bright enough to light the heavens. For most, the night passed with little interruption.

However, while the others snoozed, curled up against one another or buried far under their covers, Rue shivered on the cold, hard ground, clutching her blanket tightly around her body and burying her head in the hood of her sweatshirt. Rainwater leaked in from the stitching along the base of the shelter and dampened her clothing, her hair, and anything else that was on the floor around her. At her back, Rayne had pulled away and shoved herself up against Gladio's space heater of a body, apparently unfazed by his loud snoring. Her only source of warmth vanished. Shuddering, Rue checked her phone for the hundredth time and pulled her arms back into her shirt to heat her numbed fingers. Four. Frustrated, she squeezed her eyes shut and forced herself to sleep.

As the clouds parted and the sun rose, radiating soft colors, Ignis's internal timer rang loud and clear and his eyes opened as though he'd never been asleep. Silently, he wiggled his way out of his sleeping bag and Prompto's crushing weight that had put his leg to sleep several times throughout the night, reaching for his bag. Quickly, he changed in his regular attire, scanning the tent as he promptly buttoned his shirt. Noct had shoved himself up against the wall of the tent at some point, distancing himself from Prompto, who then latched onto Ignis in his sleep. Gladio and Rayne were entirely entangled, having unzipped the sides of their bags to accomplish such a feat, and Rue... Rue trembled inches away, engulfed in her sweatshirt hood and bundled with the thin old blanket she'd brought along. Ignis sighed; he'd hoped she wouldn't find it too hard to rest.

Smoothing his hair and pushing his glasses onto his face, Ignis stepped outside. The morning air was fresh and humid, heavy with the scent of recent rainfall. A light fog hung over the grass, but above it, the light of the sun declared it was to be a warm and rain-free day. With practiced silence, Ignis prepared to cook breakfast, finding limited supplies in his bag. Perhaps he thought they'd reach Cape Caem in one day. Foolish of him to do so with Gladio being such an advocate for the outdoors. He got to work cooking some eggs and toast—simple, but it would do. As he tried to create a mental list of the things they were to accomplish in the next few days, he discovered that his thoughts constantly reflected back to his assistant.

Ignis was certain that he'd almost gotten to the bottom of it—Rue and her strange, twisted background. He knew it was none of his business, and clearly impolite to inquire, but he couldn't help but wonder what could possibly create such a faltering personality that could simultaneously change in half a second and morph someone into a new person altogether. Half the time she was reserved, keeping to herself and doing as she was told. The other half, she cracked jokes and bit back at Rayne's insults. Some days she went the extra mile. Others she couldn't seem to make the first. It was strange, this constant shifting, and he understood that it must have something to do with the crucial details she so stubbornly refused to mention when she gladly answered questions about her life before her work at the Citadel.

But the key detail in her decision to work for him, he believed, was in her interest in the Kingsglaive. She'd worked for weeks on perfecting her craft, on stubbornly attending extra training and eating right and receiving criticism. Perhaps she overworked herself, but what was it all for, in the end, when she was turned down? Why had she persisted? Ignis couldn't remember the last time someone cared that much about working in the Citadel above all places. It was hardly a safe place to make one's career. Perhaps her purpose in adamantly insisting to work under Ignis was to be seen by Rayne, a constant reminder that she was always available to join them in the fight to defend Noctis. The crucial question, then, was why?