#n your hungry guy has to probably convince the strategist more than once that even if the bear eviscerates him itll be okay and they really

[appri-dot]

@vinehasnohopeleft @fandomz-are-choatic a human and two trapped souls walk into a cabin

[piteossbane]

Soul’s Shadow

Author’s Note:

So I settled on continuing this.....hope you like it.

Warnings: Friend’s Getting Annoyed, Reader the Sass Master, Cactaur Needles Where They Should Not Be, Bratty Princes

Chapter One: Start Up

"Iggyyyy, are we there yeeet?"

The strategist raised a brow but did not turn around,"We will reach the next settlement within the hour, Prompto." His head tilted in the gunman's general direction without actually looking at him."I'm certain you can manage that."

The blonde groaned, leaning his head against the headrest,"But I'm hungryyy."

Gladio chimed in from the back seat,"You should have said that back at the haven, ya know. Before we left."

Prompto took off his seatbelt and turned around, hands on the seat,"But I wasn't hungry back then! And I thought I would make it to the next town but, I guess I was wrong." He said, shrugging.

"Please sit properly, Prompto. I don't need you getting in an accident."

"Aw Iggy, you care about me." Prompto teased but did as he asked, the seatbelt clicking closed.

Ignis was quick to fire back,"I simply don't want you to get hurt." A small simper touched his lips,"After all it would be tiresome to be stuck looking for a replacement gunman."

"Hey!" He protested over Gladio's chuckling.

"Will you both be quiet?" Tired blue eyes leered at both of them from the backseat,"I'm trying to sleep."

Prompto turned around and grinned at the Prince's irritated scowl,"Sorry man, I'm just so hungry."

"You already said that..."

"But I am!"

Gladio groans, rubbing his face with a hand,"Both of you stop it, you're making me hungry." He smiles cheekily at them both,"But unlike you two, I have my own food on hand. And no I'm not sharing." He quickly adds when Prompto looks at him eagerly.

Prompto groans,"Gladio!", He whines, flopping in his seat,"I'm dying up here, man!"

"I assume you mean your private Cup Noodle stash hidden under your seat, Gladio?" The strategist chips in with a raised brow, casting a brief look to the shield in the rearview mirror as the man's smug expression dropped,"You didn't think I wouldn't notice, now did you?"

Gladio groans under his breath, running a hand through his hair,"Yeah, kinda.." He looked up when he heard Prompto gasp from the front seat,"But I'm still not sharin'." He stated, leering at the seat in front of him.

"I didn't expect you to," Ignis clarified over Prompto's bemoaned groan, glancing at Gladio in the rearview,"After all, they are yours to do as you please with." He punctuates his sentence with a sip of Ebony, returning his attention to the road.

Everything fell silent for a few long minutes, the vehicle rumbling beneath them as it trekked towards their destination. The air was hot and dry but not unbearable due to their speed, blowing away excess heat away from their bodies as they moved. Somewhere high in the sky a bird flew overhead. Tired blue eyes watched lazily as it swooped through the air gracefully looking for it's next catch.

The silence was abruptly broken by a loud gurgle.

Noctis groans loudly, whipping his head around to glare at the sound's origin,"Gladio!"

Said man gives a cheeky smile and shrugs,"What? All this talk about eating made me hungry."

Prompto made to turn around in his seat again before Ignis gave him a pointed glance and he sat back down. The strategist looks in the rearview mirror at the two in the backseat,"We will return to civilization quite soon, Noct, and then we can all get something to eat. But until then I suggest you keep the talk of food to a minimum."

Prompto looks over at him,"What? Are you getting hungry too?"

Ignis glances at the gunman, Ebony in hand,"Famished actually." He brings the can to his lips,"It has been quite some time since we ate breakfast, after all."

"Yeah, I know." Noctis chipped in, sitting up from his lazy leaning on the door and glaring at Prompto,"And I was doing just fine until he," He points at him,"Started talking about lunch."

"Hey don't blame me, I'm hungry!"

Ignis inhaled deeply, sighing under his breath as the trio started up again. Getting to the nearest settlement was going to be more of a challenge on his sanity than on his stomach.

It took them only another hour before they'd reached their destination. The town was quaint with only a few shops and a single retro styled diner to keep the town more or less fed. From what the Prince could garner, most of their income came from the nearby Hunter's hideout as well as their game. Not many people came to their little town and the man was sure to let them know that they were very much welcome there, as long as they could earn their keep.

Which led to their current predicament.

"Cactaurs?! Again?!"

Noctis shrugged half heartedly as he slid into the booth next to Ignis,"Yeah, they're causing trouble for the local residents. Something about overpopulation or something." He said, taking a sip of his soda.

Prompto threw his head back with a groan,"But I don't wanna deal with those running pin cushions again!" He leaned forward and gave Noctis a look, jamming his thumb at himself and whispering under his breath,"I almost got Needled where the sun don't shine."

Noctis ignored Gladio's amused chuckling and shrugged,"Sorry, man, only business they've got."

The blonde sighed, sagging in his seat,"I swear, you're too nice man." He muttered before biting into his cheesburger and talking with his mouth full,"So how much will we get out of it?"

"Prompto, please chew your food before you speak." The strategist sighed, not looking away from the small map he was looking over.

The blonde quickly swallowed and muttered,"Oops, sorry."

Gladio chose that moment to speak up,"Yeah, how much for chasing down the little runts." He asked, popping a french fry in his mouth.

"Not much, just a few hundred gil." The Prince mumbled, currently busying himself with removing his lettuce and setting it on the strategist's plate,"But he said he knew a guy who sold elixers and that he could probably convince him to give us a discount."

Ignis finally looked away from his map,"That will certainly be helpful," He stops talking when he notices the extra vegetables on his plate. He stares for a few moments before sighing, exasperated,"Noct..."

"What." Is all he gets in response, the Prince too busy with picking off leftover vegetables and already dumping them onto his plate.

He pressed his lips into a thin line, leering dissaprovingly at the Prince,"Noctis, must you?"

"Must I what." He knew exactly what he was talking about, the little twerp. And he hadn't stopped what he was doing either, and had actually slowed down his movements so that Ignis could see each and every movement. All Ignis did in response was sigh over Gladio's sniggering, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose.

Why did he even bother.

------- 1 hour ago....

"Mom, we're home!"

"Aeran got us lost again!"

"HEY!"

"Both of you stop!"

You both look away from glaring at each other towards your mother. She stood with her hands on her hips, rolled up paper in hand. She shook her head,"Honestly, both of you need to get along better. You're fighting like children."

You both look away from the other and shuffle your feet,"Sorry, Mom." You say in unison, eyes cast to the floor. The truce doesn't last long before you raise a finger and blurt out quickly,"Technically I'm not an adult yet so-" You were cut off with a yelp as your brother jammed an elbow into your side and muttered 'Shut up!'.

Your mother sighed once more, rubbing the bridge of her nose,"Of course you are, you're 19. Legally, you are an adult." She ignored your groaning and unrolled the piece of paper she held,"I managed to find another job for you two."

Aeren gave your mother a curious look as your jaw clicked shut,"What is it?"

Your eyes sparkled,"Is it another daemon hunt?!"

"(Y/n)!"

"Your brother's right, (Y/n), it's not." Your mother looks up from the paper and gives you a smile as you pout,"As a matter of fact I have something much more your speed."

Prologue / Chapter 2