FFXV: After the Fall

Chapter 7

Heading to the southern end of Leide in the afternoon, where the Galdin Quay resort was situated, gave the friends even more jobs to do. They expected that, though.
More than a couple were picked up at the Longwythe Rest Stop from Dave, their Hunter friend that they'd not seen for ages, and then the Quay itself also had a good few.
Three were easily solved; they involved fishing.
Noctis almost ran to the Quay's tackle shop in order to stock up on Spider Silk line, some bait and a couple of brightly-coloured plastic floats, then marched to the end of the nearby pier with all the swagger of a decorated General about to commence war.
In a way, he was; on the unsuspecting fish of Galdin Quay.
While he got stuck into his assortment of tasks, the others decided to hit the beach. Shame it wasn't for pleasure.
   "Where the hell are they, then?" Prompto huffed as they walked across the golden sand. "Can't see a single pincer."
   "Maybe it's too warm for them?" Helena ventured.
   "More like they're scared of Prom's camera." Gladiolus replied.
   "Hey!" The young man grinned. "It's definitely not that."
   "How do you know? You took so many damn pictures during the last time we went crab huntin' here, they've probly seen you comin' from a mile away. Might still be blind."
   "Oh ha ha, very funny."
   "There's more than a grain of truth in it, though." Ignis said.
   "I wouldn't be so quick to throw your ten Gil in, pal, you really liked the one I took of you."
Helena looked at him. "...you took pictures in a fight? Like, actually during a fight?"
   "Well...yeah. Wasn't a tough fight, to be honest. These guys are pretty easy to crack open...once you can find the bastards."
   "I...oh wow, I just...you're crazy."
   "Says the girl who talks to animals."
She gave him one of her looks, but said nothing.
After the crabs had finally been located and their numbers pruned, they picked up Noctis from the pier and delivered the huge bag of crab claws along with another stuffed full of fish.
Ignis looked at his watch. "It's almost six now; why don't you two head off and get started? We can do the rest tomorrow. Only the two we've just done were considered urgent by their owners."
   "...you sure?" Gladiolus double-checked.
Prompto chuckled. "Bro, if Ignis says so, we're definitely sure."
   "Have a great time." Noctis smiled.
   "Thanks." Helena smiled too, then her face changed. "Oh! I almost forgot something, hang on." She left the four men and jogged over to the Regalia, climbing inside and scrabbling about for her bag. She couldn't forget that.
   "She...forget her handbag or somethin'?" Noctis wondered.
Ignis narrowed his eyes, able to see her from that distance...and decided to not say anything.
Prompto, however, hadn't a discreet bone in his body. He outright grinned as he spotted her putting something in her mouth, then taking a couple of sips from a bottle of fruit juice.
Gladiolus saw it too, and smiled.
   "Yeah, you bet your ass is smilin'." Prompto said.
   "Do you wanna eat that camera?"
   "Oh no, you cannot get me for this one. It's right there! I'm being truthful this time."
   "I...guess we'll see you in the morning." Noctis joined in.
   "If she ain't walkin' funny, he's not done it right."
   "Or if she doesn't spend at least half the day sitting down."
   "Oh yeah."
Out of the corner of his eye, Gladiolus saw his two friends perform a brofist while wearing very broad grins on their faces.
He held it in, and instead merely sighed.
Ignis smiled at him in sympathy. "Worth it." Was all he said.
He looked at him, then nodded. "Yep."
Helena came trotting back over a few moments later. "Okay, I'm all set now." She smiled at them, then looked at Noctis. "You guys still gonna go to the Prairie Bar?"
   "For sure." He grinned. "Be cool to take a load off. What time do you guys wanna meet back up tomorrow? S'your call."
She was unsure. "Uh...babe?"
He thought about it. "They'll probly grab breakfast like we will so...I'd say about noon. Can all go for lunch then."
   "Nice idea." She looked back at the others. "Noon?"
   "That'll do just fine." Ignis smiled. "I'll message first though."
   "Break a leg. Y'know, at...er, whatever." Prompto said as they all waved at the couple while walking back to the car.
After they'd driven away, Helena turned round. "Is it me, or were they acting a little weirder than usual?"
He nodded. "Happens. But don't worry bout them, they're happy for us. Shall we get started?"
   "Sure. What's this place like?" She asked as they started to walk hand-in-hand along the boardwalk that led to it.
   "It's kinda like a very posh sort-of place? Looks like a bistro. You'll soon see the restaurant part comin' up in front of you, then the hotel is off to the right side, in the large building."
   "Never heard of that kind of setup before."
He smiled. "Nor me. But we found out that it's real popular with couples, who...may not wanna go too far to get a room."
She laughed. "That's very handy."
   "It is, yeah." His face wore a rather cheeky grin. "We could maybe try that out too, if you're so inclined?"
   "I know someone who is." She winked.