Renovating the Heart (FFXV)

XLII) Change of Plans

"Ready to go?" Rayne asked watching Rue adjust her jacket. She was bringing nothing but the clothes on her back and the weapons in her retinue. She nodded, tightening the laces on her boots and running her hands through her hair. Ignis watched in the background, preoccupied with his thoughts. "Good. You remember where it is?"

"Yup."

"And you'll be back by tonight?"

"Should be."

"Perfect," Rayne nodded, grinning.

Rue turned and headed toward the towering doors that Ignis stood by, waiting. She handed over her phone and her keys, patting her pockets to make sure she wasn't forgetting anything. With a frown, Ignis took the items.

"Can you keep these in your office?" she asked, pleading with her eyes. He nodded.

"Of course. You'll need them upon your return."

"That's why I gave them to the only person here I trust not to lose them," she muttered, smiling. He shook his head, tucking them away into his jacket pocket.

"I wish you the best of luck."

"Thanks. Maybe it'll work for once."

"It's certainly worth a try."

Rue pushed the doors to the Citadel open and headed down the street without another word. Her hands were clammy in her pockets and her heart was pounding in her chest, but she felt prepared. Get in, listen, get out. Easy as that. She nodded to herself, straightening her posture as she strode down the sidewalk. Easy. 

The rubble began to get thicker the further she walked until there was nothing whole left and the only people around were the poor who couldn't afford a real home and the hungry who dug through the litter for scraps. She turned her eyes away, pitying them. She remembered what that was like all too well, wishing she could help them. But she had something else to do first. The sky was cloudy overhead, casting a pale gray light across the entire city. Maybe that's what felt off. She shook her head and hurried toward the arcade she saw in the distance. The small square building stood under the debris of a collapsed bridge, hidden in the shadows of the fallen highway. Her heart fluttered when she thought she saw a movement nearby; it was only a rat.

"Left side of the building," she repeated, creeping past the windows and shuffling through the dirt to turn the corner. Sure enough, a flattened cardboard box leaned against the side of the building, excellently hiding the gaping hole in the wall within its shadow. If she hadn't known the entrance was there, she never would have seen it.

Quickly, she got down on her hands and knees and pushed the box aside, peering into the roughly-cut hole. She couldn't imagine what had made this; it was hardly big enough for her to squeeze through. How did Cam expect to fit? Shaking her head, she crawled into the break in the concrete and pulled the box over the entrance behind her. She prayed it was concealed as well as it was before, creeping further through the wall and batting spider webs out of her face with a shudder. Hate these  #$%^ things. She froze upon hearing voices.

"When's the meeting, anyway?"

"I thought it was tomorrow afternoon."

"That's what I thought, too."

"Well, we can't both be wrong, can we?"

A laugh.

"That's some flawed logic right there."

"Yeah, well, I'm optimistic."

Rue's heart was going haywire. She heard footsteps go past, realizing with horror that this entrance led to a dead arcade machine. There was only a very slight gap between the back panel and the wall, leaving her next to no room to enter the building. Gritting her teeth, she squeezed her way inside, trying her absolute hardest to remain silent. The voices were at the front of the building now.