"She ain't gon' be ready for a while," Cindy informs them. "Ya'll need something?"
Noctis and his retainers have regrouped after wandering around Hammerhead for a while. Chrys had come out of the woods just as they were heading over to the garage to talk with Cindy and Cid. She'd had leaves in her hair that Prompto had picked out as she blushed furiously. Now, they're planning to ask Cindy for a way to earn some cash while they wait. Being a Pauper Prince isn't a good look, Noct grimaces to himself.
"Hate to ask," Noct says. "But we're strapped for cash."
"Yeah," Gladio chimes in. "Any way we could earn a little?"
"Oh, now I get it," Cindy says, crossing her arms. "This must be what Paw-paw meant when he said he was gonna 'teach them boys a lesson'. Told me he oughta have ya'll take care of some ornery varmints that've been causin' a ruckus 'round here. I'd be happy to pau ya'll for your services if you're up for the challenge. How 'bout it?"
Noct sees a pleased look come into Chrys's eye. She doesn't like being cooped up with nothing to do. Gladio nudges him in the side. "Old man's got it out for you, Noct," he says with a laugh. "Let's do it. Show him what we got."
"Normally when we need help with varmints, we just call the Hunters," Cindy explains.
"Hunters?" Noct interrupts.
"Band o' bounty hunters, come out from the city. Keep these parts safe – provided the money's right," Cindy says. "But ya'll look like a rough and tumble bunch." She eyes Chrys with a critical look that the dark-haired woman gives right back. "I reckon you'll round up those critters lickety split." If Ignis didn't know better, he'd suspect Cindy is challenging Chrys specifically. Both are scrappy women making their way in the world; maybe it's their way of sounding each other out. Chrys looks ready to put an arrow through Cindy so he nods his assent to Cindy and draws Noct away. Dutifully Chrys, Gladio and Prompto follow.
They head to the edge of the town, looking out across the rocky, rolling ground outside Hammerhead. "Best get started so we're not out at dark," Ignis says practically.
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
They find the 'varmints' Cindy was talking about relatively easily.
Before them are a series of reapertails, ugly, insectoid creatures akin to scorpions. Most of their body is black with red at the claws and the very sharp stinger. A layer of chitinous matter covers the whole creature, giving it a modicum of defense against bigger predators. They don't look like a challenge to Noctis and his well-trained retainers but there are many of them in the area so it will be more about endurance than strength.
"Looks like we've located our first targets," Ignis says, eyes cataloguing the field. "Ready, Noct?"
Noct nods, his sword materializing in his hand, ready for a warp. Prompto checks his bullets, Gladio swings his greatsword over his shoulder and Ignis unsheathes his spelldaggers. Noct looks to see they're all ready, Chrys with her longbow ready to climb to a nearby crop of rocks to give them ranged support. "Shall we?" he asks, and then warps into the middle of the reapertails.
Gladio is the first to join him in close combat, his sword creating swathes of space around them. Prompto fires as he joins them, staying further out for mobility's sake and to allow himself to reload without interference. Ignis wades in from one side, always keeping an eye on all of them and looking for opportunities. Chrys scales the rock formation with alacrity and sets herself up with her bow to pick off any stragglers.
The five of them have been training together for months, the four boys for longer. This is a chance to test and prove tactics in the field. They make adjustments as they fight, Ignis ever the tactician. When it becomes clear five trained people are not needed, he backs off, observing how the others fight so he knows how to make future calls.
Noct relies heavily on his ability to warp, making him able to move quickly across the battlefield. However, it also makes it hard to direct his attacks because he won't necessarily be able to perform a maneuver Ignis has in mind if he is already warping away. Noct needs to balance his warping with dispatching all enemies in the vicinity first.
Gladio's attacks are all about power and he is relatively good at felling enemies with well timed blows, not wasting much energy. But since his sword strokes are so powerful, his reaction time to faster foes is limited and he needs to learn how to quickly recoil and shift himself on his feet.
Prompto has quicker reflexes but isn't always aware of his surroundings on the battlefield in 360 degrees. He keeps moving and reloading which means Ignis is almost always sure Prompto is ready to step in but his placement on the battlefield is not always ideal.
Chrys is long-range in this battle but Ignis thinks maybe she should have been deployed with her blade in this hunt. The reapertails have thick shells that seem best pierced by blades although every one of Chrys's arrows has pierced the armor on the creatures. Chrys's role in this battle has been to pick off reapertails at the fringes and support the rest of them if one of them is overwhelmed. It isn't a strenuous job but Chrys does it as her duty without complaint. Ignis finds her eye and aim extremely useful at a distance but he wonders if maybe he should have had her in close with her bladed longbow.
The he is back in the battle himself, slicing both daggers in quick succession with a reverse grip. His own flaw is that he thinks too much when he should be acting, he thinks ruefully. A well-placed arrow takes down a reapertail scuttling for him. He looks up at Chrys and she ducks her head slightly in acknowledgement. Or perhaps, he thinks, maybe he was right to put Chrys at a distance.
That arrow dispatched the last reapertail and the area is now clear of the beasties. "Excellent work," Ignis says, looking at Noct. Ther eis a flap of leather and Chrys joins them, having jumped down from her perch. "On we go."
They set out across the land, chatting occasionally, enjoying the open sky. In Insomnia, buildings often crowd the view of the sky, but out here all there is is a big expanse of blue and a light breeze. Ignis talks to Noctis about the battle, the young prince nodding in acknowledgement. It always humbles Ignis how much faith Noctis puts in his advice.
He also drops back to fall in step with Chrys. "Thanks for the assist," Ignis acknowledges. She looks at him sideways and gives him a faint smile and nod.
"Just doing my job," she says nonchalantly. Chrys is always formal and respectful with Ignis in a way she isn't with the other boys. Noct told him it was all about respect when Ignis voiced his concerns to the prince. 'She thinks your tactical sense is amazing,' Noct had told him with a smile. 'Don't let it go to your head,' he'd said warmly to his advisor.
Ignis regards Chrys. "I'd like you in short-range on our next encounter," he tells her and she turns her head to look at him fully. Her question is in her eyes but she simply nods. "I want to see how you can support Noctis and Gladio in close combat," he explains. "While having your shooting as our cover, I do want to be ready for future eventualities. Reapertails aren't Niffs afterall, but we might as well use the time to work out alternative formations and strategies."
She nods and adjusts her quiver around her back, the cap sliding over the arrows as she presses a mechanism she built. As they walk, she unstrings her massive longbow. Ignis has always wondered how she strings it so quickly as the weapon is as tall as she is. Gladio tried to string it once in jest but ended up sprawled on the ground as the bow recoiled on him. Ignis doesn't doubt Chrys's strength; he just can't figure out the physics of it.
With the string stored, Chrys twists the grip on the longbow, releasing the bladed edges along the bow's length. She extends the grip so she can have two hands in the middle, then swings the blade over her shoulder and gives Iggy a sideways grin. Ignis realizes he's been staring and bashfully runs a hand along the back of his neck.
Thankfully, they spot a second group of reapertails ahead and both of them jog to catch up with the boys, switching to battle mode. Prompto ratchets his bullets into place as Ignis and Chrys reach them. "They aren't gonna know what hit 'em," the blonde says with a grin.
Gladio notes Chrys has her blade instead of her bow. "Did Ignis decide he wants to see which of us is the better swordsmith?" he asks in challenge.
"Hey, what about me?" Noct asks, affronted.
Gladio jostles his shoulder. "You warp, that doesn't count," he jokes. He meets Chrys's eyes, clearly throwing down a gauntlet. "We don't get to see a lot of swordplay from Chrys. I want to see what she's got."
"Gentleman, we have reapertails to dispatch," Ignis reminds them, igniting fire on his daggers.
"Spoiler sport," Gladio grumbles.
"Let's use this encounter for Ignis's strategy memory banks," Chrys says diplomatically, then grins wickedly at Gladio. "Then on the next encounter, I'll mop the floor with you."
Gladio's mouth hangs open for a moment as Noct and Prompto laugh. Even Ignis cracks a smile. Chrys makes a gesture to Gladio that says, after you, I'll give you a headstart.
"Let's do this!" Prompto whoops.
It is immediately clear that in future battle scenarios, Chrys is more than capable of supporting Noct and Gladio in close range combat. The length of her blade gives her the added advantage of keeping enemies at a safe distance. Besides that, Ignis thinks, she is truly graceful in battle.
Chrys moves with a different style from Noct or Gladio. Their strategy is distinctly masculine, all about hacking and slashing with strength and power. Chrys is all about economy of motion; she does not expend or waste any energy she does not have to. Whereas Noct and Gladio meet strikes in the middle, parrying and them counter-attacking, Chrys steps around and under strikes, using an opponent's own momentum to unbalance them. She lets strikes pass her, steps inside the opponents weapons, or in this case claws, then counterattacks swiftly. Many times, a reapertail doesn't even realize its missed her before she has put her blade though a chink in their armored shells.
Ignis also occasionally sees Chrys play dirty. While Gladio and Noct learned swordplay from palace guards and instructors, Chrys's training ground was less... polished. They don't often talk about how she got to Insomnia, but Ignis is reminded sometimes when Chrys flashes out with a kick or elbow in close combat. When they first started training together after she was added to the kingsguard, he remembers her sparring with Gladio. She'd put a side elbow so hard into Gladio's jaw it had knocked the man senseless for several seconds. She'd immediately apologized profusely as Noct and Prompto whooped and laughed at Gladio's expense. She'd been embarrassed at laying out another retainer, but Ignis has told her later not to be sorry. Those unusual moves five them all an advantage in a fight. Plus, he'd admitted to her with a smile in confidence, it's nice when someone takes Gladio down to size occasionally.
Now, with Chrys in the mix, they are through the reapertails in no times. Prompto echoes Iggy's thoughts with an exuberant, "Alright!" He pumps a hand in the air. "We'll be done in no time."
He turns to Gladio and nudges him in the side. "I think Chrys got more than you," he says slyly.
Gladio grabs him and puts him in a headlock. Prompto gasps and flails under Gladio's arm. "Are you sure?" Gladio demands.
"Boys, boys," Chrys admonishes. "Don't fight on my account." Ignis sees a gleam in her eyes and knows Chrys is about to poke the bear. "Besides," she says breezily. "I definitely got more reapertails than Gladio."
Gladio drops Prompto. "Okay, little girl," he growls at her. Chrys merely raises a challenging eyebrow. "Come here, Imma show you a thing or two." He lunges for her but Chrys dodges, almost daintily lifting her feet. She sticks her tongue out at Gladio and then the chase is on.
The two of them leave Iggy, Noct and Prompto to watch in amusement as Chyrs leads Gladio in a mad dance across the rocky ground. Their play fighting is something everyone has gotten used to and usually ends up with everyone having a laugh at Gladio's expense. It started when Chrys roundly took Gladio down in a training session right after she was selected as a kingsguard and has progressed to these escapades wherein Chrys leads Gladio on a merry chase. At first Ignis was worried it was going to be a rivalry, but while the two of them like to compete, it's more of a way for both of them to blow off steam. Neither Gladio nor Chrys like to be inactive for long, both happiest when engaged in battle. Both of them get rather cranky when it's time to sit around and plan and inevitably, after a long debriefing or meeting, they'll find Gladio and Chrys sparring. Many a royal chair has been wrecked when the tow of them brawl. Better that they get it out out here in the open where there can be minimal damage to furniture and training weights and mats.
As Gladio chases Chrys around a boulder, Prompto asks, "So, uh, where are we headed anyways?"
"Nowhere until the repairs are done," Ignis replies. Chrys is swinging back towards them, coat flapping behind her, a laugh on her face. Gladio skids at her sudden change in direction, then puts on a burst of speed. "Then we head for Galdin Quay," Ignis continues. He raises an eyebrow as Chrys zooms past them, a small smile on his face.
"And after that, we hop a boat," Gladio says as he pants past them, hot on Chrys's heels. She's put Noct between the town of them and is jinking left and right around the boys. "And before you knows it, lover boy's hitched." Noct, who had been regarding Chrys with feigned disdain, now glares at Gladio.
"Wait for car repairs, then wedding bells in the air," Prompto nutshells. "Got it!" when Chrys dodges Gladio, Prompto grabs her arm to try and slow her down. She turns like a dancer, throws Prompto off and into Gladio, then climbs up a rock outcropping with long strides and crouches there, watching Prompto and Gladio trying to untangle themselves.
Noct crosses his arms, regarding her. She sits like a raptor on her perch, critical of unworthy foes and just a touch smug. "Why must you constantly break my guards?" he asks Chrys is mock disapproval.
"Breaking them in, your majesty," she corrects. "Can't have you protected by buffoons."
Gladio roars at that but is still caught up in Prompto's limbs. Noct looks at his two friends on the ground, then back up at Chrys. "I see your point."
"Hey!" Prompto yells indignantly as Gladio finally untangles himself. "She threw me into him."
"You did try to interfere," Ignis reminds him.
"Whose side are you on?" Prompto demands.
Noctis laughs. "You shoulder know better than to ask Iggy to take a side by now. "He's too diplomatic for that."
Prompto brushes grass out of his hair and then pushes Gladio. When Gladio tries to push him back, he scampers away, running up to Chrys's post. She eyes him suspiciously as he approaches. "No," she says warningly, one finger up as he prepares to pounce.
A glimmer of movement catches Ignis's eye and he spots a lingering group of reapertails creeping their way. "Gentleman," he says, "and lady." He shoots Gladio a look as he climbs towards Chrys, Prompto pincering her in place behind her. Chrys shoots Ignis an incensed look at being called a lady. "We have incoming," Ignis says drily. "Perhaps we can focus on a common enemy."
"Chrys is a common enemy," Prompto jokes, grabbing her from behind. She flips him over her shoulder, off the outcrop and onto Gladio. She hops down next to Ignis as Gladio and Prompto curse and try to untangle themselves again.
Idly, Chrys twirls her blade in front of her. "Short or long?" she asks Ignis.
"Well you did challenge Gladio..," he says, "And you did a great job-," but then realizes Chrys is already sprinting forward.
By the time he and Noct catch up to her, she's already slashed her way through three reapertails and is in the process of skewering a fourth. When Ignis calls, "Look out!", seeing a reapertail on her nine, she turns, ducks under the beast and then punches it. In other circumstances that would have been an epic cross to deck a soldier but since it's a ten foot long scorpion, she hisses and shakes out her fingers. Ignis can't help his laugh as she finishes the reapertail properly with her sword, a sheepish look on her face. He has a feeling this will be a story Prompto tells over and over at their campfires at night. The tale of how Chrys punched a scorpion.
They make short work of this last batch of reapertails. Ignis has no doubt that Chrys put away more of the creatures than Gladio, if only because it took Gladio a long time to join them, Prompto behind him with a sour look on his face. He'll no doubt accuse Chrys of cheating. She'll no doubt get him back for that the next time they tousle.
As Chrys is cleaning off her blade and restringing it, Noct's phone rings, blaring loud in the silence. He looks at it in question. "Who could this be?"
He answers the phone and his companions gather 'round to listen in. "Hey, it's Cindy," comes the bubbly voice from the phone. "How goes the huntin'?"
"Actually, we just finished," Noct tells her as Chrys grimaces at Cindy's enthusiasm. Prompto punches her in the shoulder playfully and she scowls at him. She gives him a look that says, don't start boy.
"That's great!" Cindy enthuses. "'Cause I got one more hunt for ya'll – only this time it's for a person. Fella named Dave went off and we ain't heard from him since. Reckon he staked out a spot in an old shack nearby."
"'Old shack...," Noct murmurs. He looks up and scans the landscape. Off in the distance he sees a barn-like structure. "Got it," he affirms to Cindy. "We'll take a look." He clicks off the line with Cindy.
"Great, more errands," Chrys grouses.
"Why are you so sore on Cindy?" Prompto asks her. "She's pretty nice."
Chrys frumps but doesn't say anything. Prompto nudges her. This time she shoves him back, hard. That wasn't playful at all. When she seems to realize what she's done, her face falls into apology. "Sorry," she half grumbles, half murmurs.
"Everything okay?" Ignis asks her. She nods tersely and starts walking away toward the structure. The boys exchange looks behind her back.
"Touchy," Gladio says lowly. Chrys is far enough away that she doesn't hear, or if she does, she chooses to ignore it as she walks away. They start to follow her.
"What's up with her?" Noct asks. "She really doesn't like Cindy."
Prompto shrugs. "Don't know why. Cindy's really nice."
"You're just saying that because you like her," Gladio chuckles. Prompto blushes.
"I would wager it's not about Cindy personally," Ignis says quietly.
"What do you mean?" Noct asks him as they trudge towards the shack.
Ignis seems to be carefully considering his words. "Chrys wasn't raised in the Crown City like we were. She made her way out her in the wilds. That's not easy for anyone and ... I hate to admit it but our society can be ... misogynistic." He looks at Chrys's dark braids gleaming in the sun. She holds her head high but he knows it must be challenging to do so everyday, constantly having to prove herself everyday. "It probably isn't easy to deal with someone like Cindy, who will judge her for her past."
They are quiet for a beat. "Well, we've got her back," Noctis says with a note of finality. "She's had ours ever since she joined us. We owe her that."
Ignis nods, happy to see Noct considering Chrys's feelings. Noct jogs to catch up with Chrys. At first, she looks defensive, perhaps scared of judgement from her prince. But as Noct talks to her, Ignis sees her shoulders relax. She eventually finds a smile for Noct and soon she seems back to her normal self. He keeps an eye on her though. Chrys is different from the rest of them and has a past they don't know everything about yet. She looks back over her shoulder once at him and their eyes meet.
He doesn't know what passes between them in that moment. But it something that feels a bit like fate.