Renovating the Heart (FFXV)

XVII) Caretaker

Rue hurried into the Citadel briskly, nearly hitting her face on the door on her way in because of how quickly she pulled it open. She'd told herself she was coming in at noon, and she'd actually stuck to it, but some pressure in her chest told her she was late—that Ignis would give her that look even though he wasn't there to do so. And so, fully knowing that the thoughts were irrational, she took the stairs two at a time to reach his office as swiftly as possible. She wanted to prove she was right.

So when she saw Rayne stepping out of her office with a backpack slung over her shoulder, she froze up. They're still here? Rayne hadn't seen her yet; she still had time to make her escape. Still, she wanted to know why they hadn't left for their trip yet. Was she the only one left, or had they canceled? It sounded important whatever it was.

"Hey," Rue greeted, trying to force her voice to sound cheery. She sounded as though someone was holding a gun to her head. Rayne turned to leave, raising an eyebrow silently. Her eyes were sharp and cold, and her stance practically dripped with impatience. "So, uh, you guys haven't left yet?"

"Did Ignis not tell you?"

"No?"

"For #$%^'s sake," she huffed, shifting the weight of the backpack higher. "We're leaving late because of Noctis and a few changed plans, but Ignis is staying behind."

"Why?"

"Haven't you been around the guy all week? He's sick as #$%^. He hasn't eaten in days, he can't breathe, and his temp's so high you could probably cook breakfast on his forehead." Rayne started to leave but Rue had one last question for her.

"Where is he now?"

"Home," Rayne called over her shoulder.

Rue frowned, wandering toward Ignis's office. It was dark and lifeless, something she wasn't used to seeing. He was always seated at the desk, and even when he wasn't, every single light was on, the windows were open, and the occasional drawer was ajar. Rue walked over to the desk and brushed her hand over the surface of the pages he'd left out for her. Quickly, she slid the key beside them onto the ring with her apartment key. Nervously, she slowly sat in his seat, suddenly overwhelmed by the difference this angle made. She felt so in power, so cold and calculating. And the chair was not comfortable. No wonder he was so cranky all the time—his bony butt was probably sore.

"Let's see..." she murmured, rifling through the pages. Just data entry? She frowned. It seemed too easy. Good thing she wasn't paid by the hour.

Sighing, she turned to turn his computer on. The screen flickered on with a request for a password. Rue groaned; she really didn't want to go all the way to the library to have the same two people stare at her and watch her every move. She tried every password she could come up with, including ChefDaddy, ilovenoctis, and Advisor0207. She'd seen his birthday somewhere, though she wasn't entirely sure where and figured she'd give it a shot. Ignis didn't strike her as that type of person, though, and it got her no closer to staying where she was.

With a huff, she scooped up the papers and headed to the library. Punching in ages, heights, names, birthplaces, you name it—it all took her the grand total of an hour. It might have taken her less time had she not skipped a line and returned to fix it. Rue stood and pushed her chair in before meandering. There were only five people missing from the Citadel that she knew of, and yet, it felt so empty. Shaking her head, she returned to the office and tucked the papers away. What to do now... An idea struck her.

"So sick he can't function?" she muttered, running a hand through her hair.

She uneasily toyed with the thought as she started to leave. What if she brought him some things to help speed up the recovery? Some medications, cleaners, maybe even some Ebony, though she was positive he already had plenty around his house. Still, it wouldn't hurt to have extra stock. Her first paycheck was much larger than she'd anticipated; she earned more money in two weeks than she ever would have in a month at her guard duty job. I guess that's just what happens when you work so closely with such important people.