Renovating the Heart (FFXV)

XXXIX) Sensible

"Morning."

Ignis looked up at the sound of Rue's greeting and noticed immediately that she was hiding her face with her sleek black hair as she hung her jacket. She took a moment to breathe before turning to face him, tucking her hair behind her ear. Instantly, his mouth went dry. His eyes couldn't help but lock on the poorly concealed bruise in the center of her face, a blue-green patch on the bridge of her nose. She obviously didn't want him to comment even though she knew he could still see it.

"Good morning," he replied.

His voice held no emotion and he hated it. Taking a deep breath, he returned to staring down at his notebook where he was trying to piece together the notes on the last meeting she went to in his place. Still, his mind toyed with that image of her face. Something that felt like anger burned in his chest and he couldn't quell it. Nothing would ever help him understand what was wrong with that man.

"Got anything interesting for me?" she asked, trying her very hardest to sound upbeat. Ignis wished he could cringe at the sound. Instead, he took a deep breath and forced himself to look her in the eye.

"Nothing much, I'm afraid. We're caught up."

"Really? That's good to hear, but I'm not about to be run out of my job before it's over."

"You won't be," he replied stiffly. "I'm sure something will come along."

"Right." She sat down, crossing her legs and smoothing her skirt. She huffed a small laugh and he looked up, eyebrow arched. "Ready for the big fight?" He sighed, sitting up straight.

"I suppose I hoped you'd forget."

"Never," she scoffed, rolling her eyes. "You think Rayne'll forget? No way in #$%^ we'll be that lucky." Ignis allowed a smile and shook his head in agreement, glancing back down at his notebook. "You better not go easy on me." He looked back up. "I'm serious. I don't care how badly you beat my #$%."

"I'll try my hardest," he assured her, though he knew he was lying. "When's your meeting with Cameron?"

"Tomorrow morning," she sighed. She paused, nervously tugging at her shirt. "I hope that's okay. I guess I didn't let you know I'd be missing work for an hour."

"It's fine." He closed his notebook, unable to concentrate, and turned to his computer screen, hoping to find anything to keep him busy. Hopefully, she'd leave out of boredom to speak with Prompto or Gladio.

He clicked on the webpage he'd pulled up the day before for a recipe to see if he could improve their dinner, catching sight of a flickering ad in the corner of a cat in a birthday hat. Whiskers on kittens... Rue's laughter filled his ears and he looked over to see what was so funny. She was on her phone, deadpan. She hadn't made a sound. Ignis frowned; he was beginning to lose his mind.

"Hey, losers!" Rayne cried, throwing his office door open at exactly noon. Rue sighed, stopping her dusting and shooting Ignis a look. He looked up at Rayne tiredly when she waltzed into the room, plopping down on the edge of Ignis's desk and flicking his forehead. "You know what time it is, doncha?"

"Enlighten us," he replied dryly. She rolled her eyes and put her feet back on the floor, pressing her elbows to the wood and leaning into his face.

"Don't be like that."

"Like what?"

"That."

"He's being Iggy," Rue retorted, eyebrow raised playfully. Ignis's mind struck alarm bells; the nickname was a foreign sound from her. He was irritated that that was what caught his attention so easily.