#nah the board went behind me and i fall about 8 feet straight on my ass

[tittyinfinity]

So I have a concussion lol

[virtuallytakenby]

Hmm, odd numbers babe!!

Thanks for asking hun :D 

1: Full name

Hmm, I’m not ready to answer that just yet. You can call me Pari though :) 

3: 3 Fears

Dying before I do anything meaningful in life/dying too young, insects and losing loved ones. 

5: 4 turns on

Eye contact, good personality, voice (like Raleigh Carrera’s, haha), neck kisses. 

7: My best friend

I have 3 best friends who know different things about me lol. I’m too scared to trust one person entirely. Plus these three don’t talk to each other since they’re not close or even in the same country. 

9: My best first date

I’ve never had a date despite being in a relationship for 2 years. We were both in boarding school. 

11: What do I miss

I miss living with my roomies in boarding school. It was a strict school but we had fun breaking rules and not getting caught. Like sneaking in junk food from outside, etc. 

13: Favourite color

Blue and Green

15: Favourite quote

“Ohana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten.” — Lilo & Stitch 

17: Favourite food

Veg Enchiladas from this restaurant near my apartment. 

19: What am I listening to right now

Flames by Zayn and R3HAB

21: Shoe size

6

23: Hair color

A mix of dark and light brown (natural) 

25: Ever done a prank call?

YES

27: Meaning behind my URL

It means exactly what it says. Virtually taken by [so many fictional characters] ;)

29: Favourite song

Icarus Falls album by Zayn. I can’t choose one! 

31: How I feel right now

Sleepy.

33: My current relationship status

Single (been single for almost 3 years)

35: Favourite holiday

Songkran Holiday in Thailand. It’s like a water festival.  

37: Tattoos and piercing I want

I want a tattoo of Stitch with the Ohana quote. A few more probably but not sure what (I have no tattoos at the moment). I already have 6 ear piercings (4 in the right ear and 2 in the left) so I want an industrial piercing in my left one day. 

39: Do I and my last ex hate each other?

I used to hate him. I think he probably did too cause I broke up with him. But he apologized to me a couple months back after asking what went wrong. I forgave him, but I still don’t like him. The hatred is gone though. I’m pretty sure he doesn't hate me. 

41: Have I ever kissed the last person you texted?

Nope. 

43: How long does it take me to get ready in the morning?

30 to 40 mins tops (includes shower and shampooing, getting dressed, light make up, packing my bag for uni). 

45: Where am I right now?

In my room. 

47: Do I like my music loud or at a reasonable level?

I like it loud when I want to drown everyone out. Which is most of the time. 

49: Am I excited for anything?

I don’t know. It’s more like excited/nervous about my future. 

51: How often do I wear a fake smile?

Too often. 

53: What if the last person I kissed was kissing someone else right in front of me?

I’d probably turn away or something. Not because it’d hurt me, but because I don’t want to be staring at them.

55: What is something I disliked about today?

Crappy singing (by my sister)

57: What do I think about most?

My senior thesis for college. My senior year is still 9 months away but I’m already thinking that I’ll direct a short film for my thesis. 

59: Do I have any strange phobias?

I don’t think so? I’m afraid of swimming in a water body with fishes (I’d prefer the swimming pool). So I’m not exactly scared of fishes per se, it’s more like scared of swimming with the fishes. 

61: What was the last lie I told?

That I had a subway sandwich when I actually had McDonald’s fries with cheese dip. 

63: Do I believe in ghosts? How about aliens?

I don’t believe in ghosts. Maybe aliens but gosh I need a solid sign that they exist. 

65: Do I believe in luck?

Sometimes. 

67: What was the last book I’ve read?

Supernova by Marissa Meyers. 

69: Do I have any nicknames?

I do. A lot of people can’t pronounce my real name so I have many variations of my name. 

71: Do I spend money or save it?

I save it usually. But I do spend on food. 

73: Is there anything pink in 10 feet from me?

Yep. 

75: What was I doing last night at 12 AM?

Watching YOU season 2 

77: What’s a song that always makes me happy when I hear it?

I honestly have no idea. 

79: What would I want to be written on my tombstone?

I’ll probably be burned and my ashes scattered. 

81: My top 5 blogs on Tumblr

I’m new so I don’t know a lot of people. But here are the ones I scroll through @dailydoseofchoices @oneemofungirl @kayden-vescovi @meindraws

83: Do I have any relatives in jail?

Nope. 

85: What would be a question I’d be afraid, to tell the truth on?

Hmm, I don’t know. I’d be afraid of my family finding out that I even had a boyfriend. 

87: Had sex?

Nope. Glad I didn’t with my ex (not that we could in boarding school anyway. It was hard enough to make out). He’s asked me towards the end of our two-year relationship and I said no. 

89: Gotten pregnant?

Nope, still a virgin. And I doubt Jane the virgin scenario would happen to me. 

91: Kissed a boy?

Yep. 

93: Have I ever kissed somebody in the rain?

Nope. 

95: Left the house without my wallet?

Yes, once. I freaked out. 

97: Had sex in public?

Still a virgin. 

99: Smoked weed?

Nah. I stay far faaaaar away from it. 

101: Smoked cigarettes?

Never. Nor do I want to try. 

103: Am I a vegetarian/vegan?

Yes, I’m vegetarian. It’s a choice. My dad eats non-veg, but I never acquired a taste for it. I do eat eggs though. 

105: Been underweight?

No. 

107: Been on the computer for 5 hours straight?

Yes! 

109: Been outside my home country?

Yes. I’ve been to Singapore, Hong Kong, and a few places in the U.S. And I live in Thailand. 

111: Been to a professional sports game?

I went to a tennis match in the 8th or 9th grade. 

113: Cut myself?

Accidentally? Many time. I’m clumsy AF. Purposely? Once. 

115: Been on an airplane?

Many times! 

117: What concerts have I been to?

Sadly, none.

119: Learned another language?

I can speak 3 languages fluently, including English (which is my 3rd language) and I know basic Thai. I used to be fluent in Thai as a kid but I forgot most of it in boarding school. 

121: Lost my virginity before I was 18?

Still a vIrGin. 

123: Dyed my hair?

I’ve highlighted it gold before. Just a few stripes. 

125: Rode in an ambulance?

Nope.

127: Met someone famous?

Once, yes. I don’t remember who. I was an 8-year-old kid or something. 

129: Peed outside?

As a kid, yep.

131: Helped with charity?

I’ve been to old age homes to give away some supplies and money. 

133: Broken a mirror?

Cracked it a little. Not on purpose. 

135: How many kids do I want and what will be their names?

2 to 3? I’m not sure of the names yet. 

137: Do I like my handwriting?

Nah, it’s messy AF. It also keeps changing LOL. 

139: Favourite Tv Show?

The 100, Orphan Black, Full house, Fuller House, Arrowverse shows, etc. SO MANY.  

141: Play any musical instrument?

I can play a little bit of the following (I learned in school but never kept up with it): recorder, keyboard, violin, xylophone, harmonium, sitar. 

143: Favourite pizza topping?

CHEEEEEEESE. 

145: Am I afraid of heights?

Nope. 

147: Have I ever tried my hardest and then gotten disappointed in the end?

A lot of times. 

149: What my greatest achievements are

It’s yet to come. 

151: What I’d do if I won in a lottery

pay off loans, pay for tuition, save whatever’s left for emergencies. 

153: My closest Tumblr friend

@dailydoseofchoices

155: Any question you’d like?

I don’t know haha. 

[captain-zajjy]

Solstice, Chapter 21 - A Final Fantasy XV Story

Pairing: Ignis x Female Original Character

AO3 | Chapter 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

A/N: I am SO SO sorry this is late! D: Hopefully the 4.7k words somewhat makes up for it.

For the first time since she’d arrived in Lestallum, Valeria had no appetite, pushing her food around on her plate.

“You don’t like it?” Iris asked, eying her from across the table at the Amicitia’s apartment. Valeria had been expecting Gladiolus Amicitia’s younger sister to be some sort of hulking bruiser, and was surprised to find that, aside from being rather tall for her age, she was quite slender, with a soft face and plucky demeanor that could only be described as cute.

“I know the canned stuff is kind of bland,” Iris went on. “But Gladdy says not to waste money on stuff that can go bad.”

“We’ll have fresh food from the garden soon, right Iris?” The boy, Talcott, asked. Valeria didn’t mind teenagers - it hadn’t been so long ago that she was one herself - but she had no idea what to do with kids. She had no younger siblings, no little cousins that she knew of, and children certainly had never been allowed in the boardroom at work. Even when she had been Talcott’s age, she had tried her very hardest not to act like it.

“I hope so,” Iris replied to Talcott. She pointed toward the suite’s balcony beyond the sliding glass doors, where there was a small plot of soil warmed by a sunlamp. “I figured it was worth a try.”

Valeria nodded dumbly, her distracted mind only now catching up to the conversation. “The food’s fine,” she said. “I’m just…”

“Worried?” Iris supplied. “You don’t have to worry about Ignis as long as he’s with Gladdy.” From the way she spoke and the earnest look on her face, Valeria knew Iris wasn’t just saying that to assuage her. She truly believed her brother was invincible. I thought my mother was invincible too.

“My grandma used to say I was lucky to be born a girl, since all the men in our family are ‘cursed’ with bravery.” Iris laughed, but then turned somber. “My grandfather was killed trying to help someone that fell in front of a train. He didn’t even know the guy at all, he just…” She shrugged. “Dad was a little more level-headed, but Gladdy…” She shook her head. “I remember when he got his face all cut up, protecting Noct at a bar. He was happy. So, you don’t have to worry about Ignis if Gladdy’s around. He’d take a bullet for him, and probably laugh about it afterwards.”

Valeria narrowed her eyes. “Doesn’t that worry you?”

Iris pursed her lips. “Nah. He’s an ox. It’ll take a lot more than that to kill my big brother.”

Valeria didn’t have the heart to tell her that, beneath all that muscle and bravado, her big brother bled like any other man.

She forced herself to eat, unable to allow herself to waste food even when her guts were twisted into knots. If Gladiolus was so eager to to protect others, why had he left behind the two people who depended on him the most? It seemed that he was every bit as ignorant of the danger outside the city as Ignis.

Or, perhaps like Ignis, he was out there chasing his shattered pride, desperate to reaffirm some sense of purpose. For as long as the Caelum dynasty had sat on the throne, Amicitias had served as their shields. Valeria knew what it was like to grow up with the weight of parental expectation on your shoulders; for Gladiolus, that burden was multiplied by generations. Losing Noctis must have felt like losing an integral part of himself.

Gods, she prayed, even though she wasn’t so sure anyone was listening. Don’t let this be their undoing.

“So…” Iris ventured, filling the silence. “Gladdy said you stayed in Insomnia for a while, after, well...you know…”

Valeria nodded. I wasn’t like I had much of a choice.

“A lot of my friends, um...” Iris went on. “I still haven’t been able to find out what happened to them. Do you think…?”

Valeria shook her head, perhaps too quickly, when she realized what Iris was asking. She didn’t want to recall the smiling faces in the photographs of the missing, the terrified, frozen faces in the photographs of the dead, though they were indelibly engraved upon her mind.

“People mostly kept to themselves,” Valeria offered by way of explanation. “Sorry.”

“Oh. Oh yeah, of course.” Iris gave a dismissive wave of her hand. “Don’t worry about it. I’m sure there were, like, thousands of people anyway.”

Felix. He was a couple of years younger than Iris, but the Academy wasn’t a large school; it was very possible that they’d known one another, that they’d maybe even been friends. How could she even begin to explain to Iris that he was probably dead or worse, all because Valeria was too afraid? Because the only thing she could do in the face of danger was run away. You’re a coward. Such a paltry explanation seemed particularly pitiful when facing one of the storied Amicitia bloodline.

Somewhat to Valeria’s surprise, Talcott began to clear the table, completely unprompted by Iris.

“All finished, ma’am?” he asked, reaching for Valeria’s plate.

“Don’t call me ‘ma’am,’” she replied automatically.

“Oh, okay. Miss…?” Talcott trailed off, apparently unsure of her last name.

“‘Miss Val’ is fine. And yes, I’m done.”

“Okay!” Talcott scooped up her dirty dishes, his tongue poking out slightly as he carefully made his way to the sink with his little arms full.

“Thanks, Talcott!” Iris rose from the table.

“I can do the dishes,” Valeria said. She could certainly use the distraction.

“Oh no,” Iris said, shaking her head. “You’re a guest! But thanks for offering. I always have to yell at Gladdy to do them.” After turning on the sink, she asked, “How did you and Ignis meet?”

“At the Academy,” Valeria replied. “On the first day. I realized I wasn’t going to be the only insufferable know-it-all in the class.” Even now, as worried as she was, the memory caused her to smile.

At first, she had regarded Ignis as more of a rival than a kindred spirit, but it soon became clear that he was the only person who knew what she was talking about when she went on about geometry, that she was the only one who got his (usually lame) wordplay jokes. In Ignis, she had found a mirror, someone struggling to reconcile their desire to be seen as mature with the realities of being fourteen, someone so desperate to please the adults around them that their true self was stunted, pushed to the side.

She didn’t have to do that anymore. She wanted to feel his hands on her face, hear his voice in her ear, feel the warmth of him at her side. She wanted to tell him all the things she had been so afraid to say out loud, the things she hadn’t even been able to admit to herself. Come back, Iggy. Please come back to me.

Galdin Quay. It was here, one sunny morning that felt like decades ago, where Ignis had received the news that had forever altered the course of his life. Insomnia Falls. He could still recall the size and typeface of the headline, those two words etched in ink that had changed everything.

And yet, it had only been the beginning. If Ignis had known what fate awaited him in Altissia, would he still have boarded that boat to the City on the Sea? Yes. The answer came to him without hesitation. My place is by Noct’s side, no matter the cost.

But his liege was gone, gone where Ignis could not possibly follow. Ignis realized that, for all his talk about negotiations, he had no idea what to say to these people. Oh, the proposal for the supply line was straight forward enough. But just who he was, and under what authority he had to decide such things - that was what he didn’t know, what he couldn’t answer if asked. He was a Crownsguard with no king, and advisor with no lord. An orphan, and a blind man, and a failure.

“Ignis.” He turned at the sound of Gladio’s voice, pushing the negative thoughts away. The truck creaked to a stop, the gearshift whining as Gladiolus put it in park.

“How’s it look?” Ignis asked. Even his ruined vision could tell Galdin was lit up like it was mid-day.

“No wonder they’re low on power,” Gladiolus muttered. “It’s making me damn eyes hurt. Uh, no offense.”

“Please,” Ignis scoffed. “None taken. What about fortifications?”

“Aside from the lights, they got nothing. I mean, we just drove right on up.”

“Hmm.” Ignis frowned. He recalled the layout of the resort well, and knew that a beach and pier weren’t exactly simple to fence in, but physical barriers would greatly reduce the number of lights they needed to keep the daemons at bay. This all seemed incredibly elementary to him, but he reminded himself that most of the people stuck here were probably wealthy vacationers, not survival experts.

When Ignis opened the door of the truck, he was assaulted with the overpowering smell of salt and fish on the sea breeze. The ground suddenly lurched beneath him, and he was standing on a crumbling dock with the screams of the Hydraean in his ears and the taste of saline filling his mouth. And all around him, he saw red. Red water, bodies covered in blood, magitek exhaust. Red flames consumed his vision, searing his face, his eyes…

“Whoa, whoa, Iggy.” Gladio had grabbed Ignis by the arm, the only thing keeping him on his feet. “What’s wrong?”

Ignis fumbled behind him with a trembling hand, feeling for the car seat. “I...I’m sorry,” he said as he slumped against it, clenching his fist. The sudden pain that had erupted in his face was extraordinary and nauseating.

“Huh?” Gladiolus still had him by the arm. “You sick or something?”

“I…” It’s not real, Ignis told himself. It’s all in the past. But the smell of the ocean, the pall of moisture in the air, continuously triggered memories, memories that threatened to devour him.

“I’m fine,” he said, even as he felt his insides churning. “The smell of the ocean, it…” Ignis shook his head. “Don’t mind me.”

“Hey.” Gladiolus shook his shoulder, quite gently for a man of his strength. “It ain’t gonna happen again. I won’t let it.”

“I know that.” Ignis knew he wasn’t in danger, but memories - bad ones in particular - were pervasive, persistent things. With a frustrated sigh, he pushed his sunglasses up his forehead to press the heel of his hand into his throbbing, scarred left eye.

“You wanna wait here?” Gladio asked, releasing his arm.

“No,” Ignis insisted. “Just...give me a moment. If you please.”

“You got it, captain. Imma unload the truck.”

Ignis tried to focus on his breathing, concentrating on the feeling of the air passing in and out of his lungs. It’s in the past, he reminded himself again. Put it behind you. His heart rate began to slow, but his face still ached, a phantom of the Imperial mortar that had blinded him and would probably haunt him for the rest of his days.

As Ignis began to get himself back under control, he could hear a crowd of people gathering close by, murmuring to one another about the new visitors in their midst. He straightened his collar, buttoned his jacket, and forced himself upright, feeling his way around to the back of the truck where Gladiolus was unloading their cargo.

“How many are there?” he asked Gladiolus quietly.

Gladio dropped something heavy on the ground, then replied, “Dunno. Maybe ten people. Nobody’s armed.”

“We’ve come from Lestallum with supplies,” Ignis announced, turning to address the crowd. “We heard your message on the radio. May I ask who’s in charge?”

A couple people stepped forward, but apparently only to look through the boxes Gladiolus had unloaded, supplies shuffling and clinking in their hands.

“Hey. Hold up,” Gladio said to them, but Ignis couldn’t tell if they heeded him or not.

“It’s our understanding that you’ve been able to catch a good quantity of fresh fish,” Ignis went on to no one in particular. “On behalf of Lestallum, we’d like to establish an on-going line of trade.”

“Who are you exactly?” Some man asked. I don’t know, Ignis thought. I honestly don’t know anymore.

“Gladiolus Amicitia,” Gladio replied, stopping his work to stand next to Ignis, probably with his arms crossed. “Shield of the King. And this here’s Ignis Scientia, King’s advisor.”

“What king?” Another voice asked. “Aren’t all the Caelums dead?”

“No,” Ignis replied. “King Regis is, alas, no longer with us - may his soul rest in peace. But Prince Noctis yet lives.”

Several voices from the crowd rang out at once:

“Why isn’t he doing anything?”

“Where is he? Lestallum?”

“Why isn’t he taking back Insomnia?”

Ignis held up a hand to hush the group. “His Majesty is....he is far away. Preparing for his destiny, to banish this darkness and bring back the light.”

He was well aware of how foolish this all sounded, like some child’s fairy tale, but Ignis didn’t want to lie to the people of Lucis. The Empire had spread so much misinformation that he thought they were owed the truth, however fantastic it sounded.

The crowd at Galdin Quay seemed to divide at this news: a smaller portion exclaimed joy, relief, hope that someone had finally come along and offered them an end to this nightmare; but the majority were incredulous, dismissing Ignis’s explanation as nonsense, demanding proof of such a claim.

Ignis felt Gladio’s weight shift, felt the tell-tale thrumming of magic on his skin as Gladiolus summoned his weapon. The ground beneath his feet shook as Gladiolus drove his greatsword into the sand.

“How’s that for proof?” Gladio growled, his patience already growing thin.

“Calm yourself, Gladio,” Ignis whispered.

“They’re not lying.” A set of footsteps approached the group, and Ignis nearly groaned at the voice they belonged to. Dino. He’d recognize that ridiculous, put-on accent anywhere. Of all the people to defend us, it had to be him .

“That’s Prince Noctis’s Crownsguard, alright,” Dino said. And yet, that didn’t stop you from coercing us into running your bloody errands, Ignis thought with a frown. “They say the Prince is still alive, then you gotta believe ‘em.”

“Don’t tell me you’re the leader of this group,” Ignis said to Dino, unable to stop himself.

“Nah,” Dino said, sauntering up to the pair of them. “Don’t really got a leader around here, per se.”

A bloody democracy, Ignis lamented. That was fine in times of peace, but in a crisis, in danger, people needed a singular, decisive voice to call them to action.

“Holy hell,” Dino exclaimed. “What happened to you?” Ignis knew he wasn’t talking to Gladiolus about the new scar on his forehead.

“Back off,” Gladio growled.

“The Empire happened to me,” Ignis said, trying not to clench his teeth. First it had been Aranea Highwind, then the Marshal, Iris and Talcott, the Hunters...he was getting damned tired of constantly having to explain one of the worst days of his life.

“Damn,” Dino went on, unperturbed. “They got you pretty good, huh?”

“Ah, Dino.” Ignis just barely managed to keep himself from snarling. “Ever the beacon of compassion in troubled times.”

“What? I’m just say-”

“Whether you believe us about the King or not is, I suppose, irrelevant to the purpose of this visit.” Ignis raised his voice to address the crowd once more, cutting Dino off entirely. “We’ve brought the supplies you asked for.” He gestured in what he hoped was the vicinity of the boxes. “We can continue to provide you with such things, in exchange for part of what you catch.”

“How much fish we talkin’ here?” Dino asked. Why did it have to be him?

“Nothing unreasonable,” Ignis replied. “We’re not asking any of you to starve. How much would you say you catch in, perhaps,  a two-week interval?”

“Ehh…” Dino trailed off, and Ignis was forced to assume he shrugged. “The fisherman could tell ya, but they’re all out on the water right now.”

“It’s more than we need,” a woman, her voice familiar, spoke up. It must have been Coctura, the chef; she was the only woman they had spoken to at any length when they were here last. “I’ve been pickling what we can’t eat so it wouldn’t spoil.”

“And how much is that?” Ignis asked.

“Maybe enough to fill up the back of your truck in a month,” Coctura replied. “Maybe a little less. I don’t want to speak for the fishermen, but I’m sure if they were better equipped with lights they could catch more.”

Ignis nodded. That wasn’t anywhere near enough to feed the bloated population of Lestallum, but it was something - a start, and more than they had coming into the city now.

“Then if we sent you a truck full of power supplies once a month, you could presumably fill it with preserved fish in return?”

“That’s what the lady’s saying,” Dino said.

“And, is this acceptable to the rest of you?” Ignis asked the crowd, since it was apparently a bloody democracy. A few people mumbled some things to one another, but no one spoke up to voice any dissent. Of course, they weren’t in a position where they had much ground to argue; the moment their lights went out, it didn’t matter how well-fed they were - they were all dead.

Ignis was exhausted. He leaned against the inside of the truck door, closing his right eye, but found himself unable to doze off. After they’d filled the truck with the preserved fish Coctura mentioned, he’d only managed a few hours of sleep in the camper back at Galdin Quay, his thoughts chasing themselves in circles while Gladiolus snored.

“Can you drive faster?” He asked Gladiolus now.

There was a pause, and then Gladiolus snorted. “Seriously?”

“Nothing unsafe,” Ignis clarified. “I’m just...anxious to return.”

Gladiolus chuckled, and Ignis felt the truck accelerate, heard the engine crank and whir at the added strain.

“I said nothing unsafe,” Ignis repeated.

“Eighty ain’t unsafe,” Gladio replied. “Not when the roads are this empty.”

“Have you seen many daemons?” Ignis asked. It was difficult to hear anything in the distance over the engine noise.

“They’re out there,” Gladiolus said with a grunt. “Everywhere. Keeping their distance from the road.”

“Hmm.” Ignis touched the flashlight in his jacket pocket, idly toying the handle as he thought. “I wonder if they’re learning.”

“How do you mean?”

“Between headlights and the force of a speeding vehicle, the highway is a hazardous place for daemons. If they’re keeping their distance now, that seems to suggest a certain degree of...advancement.”

Gladio groaned. “I don’t like the sound of that.”

“Nor do I,” Ignis said with a frown.

Daemons had long been regarded as dangerous, but stupid, singular-minded in their quest for destruction. But this darkness was their world now, and Ignis had witness first-hand the vestiges of humanity that the terrible creatures still retained, even clung to. Though frightening, it was perfectly reasonable to assume that some of them maintained the adaptability, the capacity for logic and plans, that was uniquely human.

Suddenly, Ignis heard a scream, simultaneous with Gladio shouting a curse and the screeching of the truck’s brakes. He stuck his hands out just in time to prevent his face from slamming into the dashboard.

“Oh Gods, please! Help me! Help me!” A woman was shrieking in front of the truck, pounding on the hood. “They have my baby!” She wailed. “Please help me!”

Though Ignis wasn’t entirely clear on what had just happened, he immediately nodded toward Gladio. “Go,” he said. “I’ll mind the truck.”

Gladiolus had the car in park and was out the door before Ignis had unbuckled his seatbelt. He could hear the woman continue to scream and plead even as their footsteps receded.

Ignis reached over and felt around for the keys to turn off the engine; he didn’t want to waste gasoline, and he couldn’t hear anything over the bloody noise. Leaving the keys in the ignition in case they needed to make a hasty exit, he slid out of the passenger-side door, his ears and nose straining to discern any sign of the daemons in the darkness. A listless breeze ruffled his jacket and hair as Ignis switched on the light attached to his belt with one hand, and hefted the flashlight Valeria had given him with the other, electing to leave his cane behind in the truck - he wasn’t going anywhere, so he didn’t need it.

The woman had stopped her wailing and, just on the very edge of his hearing, Ignis thought he could make out voices, low and hushed, their words lost to the distance. What he couldn’t hear, he realized, was the crying of a baby - and any infant ripped away from its mother would have absolutely been screaming its little lungs out. The hairs on the back of his neck and arms began to rise as his stomach plummeted to his feet. This isn’t right…

Immediately, Ignis summoned a dagger to his free hand. He gripped the hilt and gritted his teeth. Behind him, perhaps twenty or thirty feet away from the bed of the truck, he heard the soft sound of dead grass crunching underfoot. Whoever, whatever was approaching was cautious, taking care to conceal their footsteps. Gladiolus wouldn’t sneak up on him, and the daemons may have been learning, but they weren’t this smart.

The breeze shifted and an all-too-familiar scent filled his nose - not the sulphur stink of daemons, nor the rotting stink of a carnivorous animal’s breath. It was filth - human filth, sweat and dirt and malice.

And then everything clicked in place. It was exactly as Valeria had warned him, that the people out here were colder and crueler than any animal. It was a trap. The woman lured the driver away, while this person, or multiple people, made off with the truck and their supplies.

Ignis should have been afraid, but he wasn’t. Anger welled within him, rage red-hot and raw like he hadn’t felt since Insomnia fell. To take advantage of others’ good intentions...there were very few things lower than that.

The footsteps grew closer and Ignis was certain it was two people, adults, likely both men. “You get one warning,” Ignis intoned, even though they didn’t deserve it.

“Just back off and give us the keys,” came the reply. The voice sounded like a young man doing his best to sound menacing. “We don’t have to hurt you.”

Ignis inhaled deeply, every muscle in his body tensing in anticipation. He switched off the flashlight and the light on his belt, extinguishing the only illumination he was aware of in the vicinity.

“You won’t,” he replied, the calm in his voice serving as a harsh contrast to the anger rolling beneath the surface. Only a fool would try to fight a blind man in the dark.

And they were a pair of fools. One charged at him with a snarl. Ignis dodged, sliding along the body of the truck. There was a clang and a cry as the man’s fist collided with the vehicle’s door. Ignis felt the vibration through his back, his mind immediately working out the man’s relative position and height.

Before his assailant could move away, Ignis reversed his grip on the flashlight, smashing the butt of it into the man’s face. It took him in the jaw, not the nose as Ignis had anticipated, but the man still recoiled in pain, the smell of blood suddenly filling the air.

“Shi-” The man blubbered through his damaged lips; distantly, Ignis wondered if he’d broken any teeth.

“Lee! Where the hell are you? Are you hurt?” the second man cried out. The man called Lee sputtered and groaned in response.

A pair of hands - that must have belonged to the other man - grasped Ignis’s right arm, then tried to push him sideways. Rather than resist it, Ignis rolled with the force, popping back up on his feet alongside the truck’s front tire.

“I-I’ve got a knife!” the unnamed man cried. Ignis could hear the blade - small, probably not much larger than a pocket knife - slicing wildly through the air.

Ignis pivoted away from the truck, wanting to keep the sharp instruments far away from the vehicle. “As do I,” Ignis said. I did warn you.

In front of him, Lee screamed. “Where are you? Where are you, you son of a bitch?” Ignis sensed the wild punch coming a second too late, and it connected with his ribs. He grunted as pain bloomed in his side, but stood his ground, knowing the next blow was imminent. Ignis allowed Lee to grab him by the collar, pulling them close together, Lee’s sour breath spewing in his face. Ignis plunged his dagger into Lee’s gut.

“Wha…?” The startled reply was all that came from Lee before he started screaming in pain.

Blood, warm and sticky, soaked Ignis’s glove, seeping between his fingers. He thrust the dagger into the man again, higher this time, and Lee’s screams turned into a wet gurgle, his body going limp in Ignis’s arms. Ignis pulled his blade from the man’s flesh, allowing him to collapse on the ground. Fighting to maim was a luxury a blind man couldn’t afford. And besides, out here, anything worse than a scratch was likely a death sentence anyway.

“Lee? Lee!” His companion was now screaming.

Ignis took a cautious step backwards from Lee, who remained on the ground, moaning pitifully. As he moved, he felt the air shift off to his left, felt the man’s knife slice through the outer layer of his suit jacket. He spun on his heel, bringing up the flashlight in a defensive stance, dismissing the dagger from his other hand. When the man’s blade struck the head of the flashlight, Ignis seized upon the second of confusion, grabbing the man’s wrist with his free hand and twisting until he released the weapon. Now I’ve got you.

“What did you do to - ahh! ” The man’s words were cut off into a yelp as Ignis twisted his arm in a way Gladiolus had once shown him, that forced the man to turn and bend, lest his elbow be wrenched from the socket.

Without letting go of the man’s wrist, Ignis swung hard with the flashlight, bashing the man on the side of the head. He made a startled gasp and Ignis felt him swaying, but he didn’t go down.

So Ignis hit him again. He hit him again and again, allowing his anger to get the better of him, until the man was crumpled on the ground alongside his friend, twitching.

It’s over, he realized. His breath was coming in heaving gasps, the place where he’d been punched throbbed, and the muscles in his arm felt like gelatin. But it was over, and he was fine. He hadn’t broken his promise to Valeria to return to her.

As Ignis wiped the bits of blood and hair (and probably other things he didn’t particularly want to think about) from the flashlight, he felt something touching the toe of his shoe, then weakly grasping at it.

“H-help me,” the first man, Lee, croaked, his voice unable to rise past a whisper. “I don’t...want to d-d-die out here.”

Too late for that, Ignis thought coldly. A clamor behind him caused Ignis to jump and whirl, dagger already summoned back to his grasp by the time his feet hit the ground.

“Iggy, it’s me!” Gladiolus shouted. “It was a-”

“Trap,” Ignis finished for him. He palmed the switch of the flashlight, and to his shock, it actually powered on.

“...Damn,” was all Gladio said when the undoubtedly grisly scene was illuminated for him.

“They were after the supplies,” Ignis explained. “Despicable.”

“Yeah, that woman had a buddy waiting for me. I knocked ‘em both out cold. Must be some kinda operation they’re running here, or were, since these two are…”

“Let’s go,” Ignis said. He didn’t regret what he’d just done, but he didn’t particularly want to dwell on it either. He followed Gladiolus back to the truck and they both piled in, leaving the two men to die on the side of the road.