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Veni Vidi Vici	By : Saber007 Category: Final Fantasy Games > Final Fantasy XV Views: 1503 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy XV, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 3
- 4
- 5
"He will live, won't he?" Lunafreya asked for the fourth time.
She couldn't stop glancing back at Nyx.
Thanks to Gentiana's guidance they were able to locate the glaive and rescue him from the rubble. The oracle was ever so grateful for the messenger's assistance. Her deliverance of Nyx and Lunafreya's trusted dogs had lightened the girl's heart.
Pryna was cuddled up to the oracle while Umbra sat vigilante by Nyx's body.
"Yes, Lunafreya. He just needs a doctor." Imperatrix answered automatically, as she had been for the past hour.
The princess had been internally numb since leaving Insomnia and stealing an abandoned airship. Minor maintenance had restored the machine's flight capabilities and the females fled the city. Libertus drove on to Galahd at Lunafreya's insistence. They couldn't travel incognito with a known member of the kingsglaive.
That logic became hypocritical now that they had Nyx in their company.
"Why not try to sleep?" The princess offered to the antsy girl.
Lunafreya stubbornly shook her head and scratched Pryna's ears.
"I cannot. What if he…" She couldn't finish her sentence.
"Nyx Ulric will not die in his sleep. You needn't worry."
Imperatrix had bandaged and cleaned his wounds to best of her ability with the first-aid kit she found onboard.
The glowing cracks along Nyx's face had deepened and his leg was most likely fractured. The burns along the glaive's arm and the bullet wound in his side were the most concerning injuries. They could get infected, but that would take days to happen.
"I pray he lives. He deserves that for everything he did. "
"Sleep, child. You cannot even keep your head upright."
"You are not that much older." Lunafreya retorted, rubbing her eyes to the relieve the burn of fatigue.
"Old enough to recognize when it is someone's bedtime. Do you require me to tuck you in?" Imperatrix input coordinates and switched the controls to auto.
"I have not needed those since I was a babe."
"I could recite The Hexatheon for you? Or would you prefer The Oracle? I know they are your favorites." She proceeded to tease the pouting girl.
"How do you know I like those stories?"
"Ravus told me. He used to read them to you whenever you had nightmares, yes?."
Lunafreya hugged Pryna closer. "He told you that?"
"That and many other things, as a doting sibling would." The princess sighed, humor gone. "Rest. I will watch Ulric."
"You will wake me if anything changes?" The oracle had been mellowed by the mention of Ravus. She didn't know the fate of her brother.
Had he escaped the city? Would he come looking for her?
"I will."
"Then…a little rest will not hurt." Lunafreya slumped in the her seat, warmed by Pryna's body heat. The soft rising and falling of the dog's body hypnotized her into a light doze.
"Did not take long." Imperatrix muttered.
With the oracle gone into the land of dreams, she deflated. The role of princess and soldier crumpled.
The princess was as lost and afraid as a child.
The emperor had sanctioned her death...
Her father gave leave for her to die!
The notion didn't sit well with Imperatrix. She had faithfully served him, strived to meet his expectations, and never doubted him. She had loved and admired him as any child would for their parent.
How could he toss her away like this? Did twenty-eight years of nurturing mean nothing to him?!
Was she not worthy of being his daughter anymore?
A low whine caught Imperatrix's attention.
"What is the matter? Unfortunately, I have no treats." The princess blinked back tears. Umbra whined again and licked her hand. "Y-You are comforting me?"
The ebony dog placed its paws on her lap, stretching its neck to lick away the princess's tears. She melted at the show of affection.
Canines were attuned to the pain of others. She could understand why Pryna and Umbra were Lunafreya's greatest companions.
"Did the puppy I bought for Furia make it out of the city..." She mumbled to no one.
If it did, would her father give it and the other gifts to the princesses as final mementos of her? Would he look upon the red dragon pin she'd purchased for him with regret?
Umbra's golden eyes begged Imperatrix not to let the pain shatter her. The world would go on and so would the imperial princess.
"Thank you." She scratched him behind the ears and smiled at his rumble of delight. Somehow the princess knew what the dog was trying to express. "I will not lose sight of myself, that I promise."
Satisfied that her mood was stable, Umbra returned to his position of watchdog. This time he kept his head angled with both Nyx and Imperatrix in sight.
The protectiveness of the dog amused the princess. It could give her attendants a run for their money.
"Nebula and Tempesta…I hope they are safe."
On one hand, Imperatrix was relieved that they had been on missions and were unable to accompany her to Insomnia. On another hand, she wished they were with her, providing comfort and familiarity with their abrasive mannerisms.
"Distraction. I need a distraction."
The cracked phone mocked her. It had no service and the battery would soon die.
The princess couldn't contact anyone via text or call. All she could do was flip through the dozens of photos stored on the phone, broken and fragmented as they were.
Imperatrix's gaze lingered on a shot of the Aldercapt daughters.
Furia, the second princess and wildcat of the family. Marriage had tempered much of her unruly behavior, but she could still be a menace when she wanted.
Euphemia, the third princess and the free-spirit of the family. Less kind individuals called her an airhead, but she simply had an imagination that she got lost in.
Venus, the fourth princess and the shyest of them all. She was often the black sheep on account of their father suddenly showing up with the girl and announcing that Venus was kin to the royal princesses.
The girls were posing at Furia's wedding. It was the last time the four sisters had been together at the same time.
The bride stood out the most in her extravagant dress, strawberry-blonde hair, and forest-green eyes.
While the second and third princesses were full-siblings, Euphemia shared more features with Imperatrix, to the exclusion of her green eyes and lighter skin tone. Venus didn't stand out much with her brown hair and eyes, a wallflower, but she did posses their father's nose.
The princesses were not princes, but none of the courtiers could complain that they weren't jewels meant to be marveled at.
"They think me dead…they will be so devastated…" Imperatrix buried her face in her hands. "The line of succession will be disrupted! Euphemia will be heir, with Venus next in line… They are so young and innocent. I did not want the burden of ruling on their shoulders!"
The frantic muttering continued until Umbra barked loudly.
Lunafreya didn't rouse from the noise. She was dead to the world. Pryna lifted her ear, but didn't move from her mistress's lap. Another bark snapped Imperatrix out of her trance.
"What is wrong?" She kneeled in front of the dog.
He nudged her towards Nyx.
The princess investigated him. His wounds weren't bleeding through the bandages. Imperatrix called for the glaive, but he was unresponsive.
"There is nothing wrong with him." Umbra sniffed and pushed her hand closer to Nyx's face. "He's not bleeding!"
He whined and forced Imperatrix's hand against the glaive's cheek. She gasped and moved her hand to Nyx's forehead, finding that it was hotter than normal.
"A fever?! How, when his wounds are not infected?!" The princess unwrapped the glaive's arm and found the coloring to be normal for burns. The same was found underneath the bandage on his face and around his hip.
This was a dilemma.
The airship lacked sufficient medication for a rising fever. Imperatrix was lucky to find the first-aid kit on a craft designed for magitek soldiers and not human passengers.
"Not good, not good!" She sat back in the pilot's seat and checked the distance to Longwythe.
At their present course it would take five hours to reach the rest point. Nyx's condition could get critical in that time frame.
The princess would have to take control again.
The ship jerked from the acceleration. At full speed they would make the trip in two hours, but the airship's core would take hours to cool.
"Money is needed for a doctor and supplies..." Imperatrix groaned.
Much of her cash had been spent in Insomnia.
The holster-bag on her thigh barely contained six-thousand gil and Insomnian currency was useless outside the wall. Nyx's medical bill alone would cost twice what she possessed.
Umbra circled the glaive worriedly.
"Maybe…there will be hunts posted in the city..." She tried to reassure herself and the dog.
Umbra yipped.
Imperatrix looked over her shoulder at Nyx. His face was sweaty and red. He was beginning to spasm.
The glaive's fever wasn't natural. She needed a plan.
XV
"W-We finally made it." Imperatrix greedily inhaled air, seconds away from collapsing where she stood.
Her arms, legs, feet, and lungs burned as hotly as Ifrit's flames.
The oracle and princess had placed the prone Nyx on a tactical shield found in the hangar and carried him all the way from the ship to the outpost of Longwythe.
An imperial ship descending on the town might not endear the citizens to them, especially when one of its occupants was the daughter of the man that invaded their kingdom. Imperatrix had erred on the side of caution and landed their transportation a safe distance away where it wouldn't be spotted.
The dogs were the only ones unfazed by the great distance they'd traversed. Pryna and Umbra pranced around the filth-ridden girls, barking encouragingly anytime they looked on the verge of fainting.
"N-Next, we find a doctor..." Imperatrix swayed as she stepped forward, vision going black for a split second.
"I-I will find one. You look very faint..." Lunafreya wiped the moisture from her face and observed her unlikely companion. The princess wasn't drenched in sweat as she was, but Imperatrix had been shaking and losing focus more often. "Did you rest at all?"
The oracle was angry to not been woken after Nyx's condition changed, but she understood the princess's reasoning for it.
She would have spent the whole ride willing her powers to heal the glaive uselessly. The oracle's healing was meant for curing Starscourge. Exhaustion and frustration would have been the result of that endeavor. Being rested and clear-headed was for the best.
"I am used to little sleep. Do not mind me." The consolation rang hollow as Imperatrix tilted again and nearly lost her grip on the shield.
Lunafreya forced them to a halt. "You are dehydrated, wounded, and exhausted. You are far from fine!"
The princess blinked slowly. For a moment the girl was replaced with the looming figure of Nebula. It was his heavy frown she saw and his deep drawl she heard.
"Stop being a little imp! Sit down, Impera."
"I am fine…"
Her attendant vanished with a tsk and Lunafreya was in front of her, yanking the shield out of her grasp. The oracle struggled to drag it to a nearby bench.
"Please sit."
Imperatrix gave up and did as asked.
Nyx was laid gently down by the princess's feet. The dogs whined and licked at his overheated face. His moans of pain were getting louder.
"Hurry Lunafreya. His condition is worsening..." She pointed to a motel across from them. "See if they know a local doctor."
The oracle nodded and hurried off with Pryna. Umbra sat on Imperatrix's other side, guarding the two weakened members of the party.
"You are very...precautious, aren't you?"
Umbra tilted his head and his image was replaced with Tempesta crouching and scowling viciously at her.
"I gotta be with such a dumb princess." She snarled. "What have we said about working yourself to the bone?!"
"T-Tempesta?" Imperatrix's mind was playing tricks.
She must be severely dehydrated.
"Who the hell else calls you on your shit? Not Neb, he's too lazy."
The princess reached for the seething girl. She vanished and Imperatrix fell to the ground. Umbra barked and pressed his nose against her cheek.
A few people passed by, whispering about the collapsed woman and man. No one dared approach with the growling dog pacing around the two. The onlookers assumed the two were refugees from Insomnia.
It was all over the news how the city fell after Emperor Iedolas took revenge for the murder of his daughter and breaking of the peace treaty. Many weren't sure how to take the onslaught of slander against the Lucis king.
Regis proved to be a just ruler, but he had turned his back on the outer regions for years, in the end selling them out.
Who was to say he wouldn't try murdering the imperial family when they were in his grasp?
"U-Umbra stop barking…I'm fine…" Imperatrix slurred, sitting up straight.
The dog rushed to her, wildly licking her face. She rubbed his back.
"What is this?"
The princess scrutinized the odd harness on Umbra's back. There was a red book attached to it this time. The same book she saw Lunafreya reading with a tender smile.
"This must be her favorite book in the world." Imperatrix laughed, finding it absurd that the oracle strapped a book to her dog's back.
Umbra yipped in agreement.
"Your master has strange habits."
This time the dog's bark was aggressive and he butted his head against her shoulder.
"Did I offend you?"
He sniffed pretentiously.
"My apologies, Sir Umbra."
Arguing with a dog was ridiculous.
The bystander's muttering became more concerned.
Who was the girl talking too? Was it the dog?
Imperatrix looked up, sighing as the strangers became Nebula and Tempesta. The duo could pass as twins with their sunshine locks, freckles, and baby-blue eyes.
The princess knew better.
They were related in a sense, just not in the way most would think. For simplicity's sake they introduced themselves as siblings to the world.
"Man, she looks ragged. Good thing no one's here to see her." Nebula adopted a lazy slouch, mussing his long, tied-back hair. "This is what happens when I'm not around."
Tempesta punched him.
"Please, your presence doesn't matter! It's me that keeps the ball rolling. Watch this." She cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled. "Up on your feet, Shitty Princess!"
Imperatrix jerked, scaring Lunafreya and making her fall onto the ground. The princess frantically looked for the grumpy siblings, but found them nowhere in sight.
"Are you alright?" The oracle reached out, but then thought better of touching the distressed woman.
"Back so soon? Did you find a doctor?" She avoided answering and caressed her head.
"I have…been gone for an hour…" Lunafreya was very worried.
Was Imperatrix falling ill as well?
"What? Not possible…I just saw you…" The princess trailed off.
Her mind wasn't in the right place.
Lunafreya gave her a watery smile. "Do not worry. I have taken care of things."
An elderly man came closer with a wheeled stretcher. He introduced himself as Alfred and together with Lunafreya, lifted Nyx onto the stretcher. The females and dogs followed the doctor to his small clinic.
Before they went in, Alfred requested that Pryna and Umbra remain outside for sanitary purposes. The canines whined about the arrangement but laid submissively at the entrance with one stern look from their mistress.
Nyx's preliminary examination passed in silence after Lunafreya and Imperatrix were unable to provide simple information about their companion's health information. Luckily, the glaive had his wallet on him and the doctor got the necessary information from it. Alfred then immediately got to work on lowering Nyx's illogical fever.
"So, how are you girls going to pay for this? I'm assuming from the way you're dressed money's nonexistent."
Imperatrix swallowed. "I have gil. How much will it cost?"
"Thirty-thousand gil for me to fix him up with what I've got, but he needs to go to a real hospital to get skin grafts for his arm."
The princess almost groaned.
In normal circumstances thirty-thousand gil could be easily paid by the crown princess. Even when she had been occasionally stranded or without cash, the princess could refer whoever it was to seek payment from the palace. They had systems in place for this.
But Imperatrix had been reduced to a vagrant and she looked the part too. The princess felt humiliated from her current situation.
"I can provide six-thousand as a down payment and the rest I will acquire from hunts." She bartered with little hope the doctor would accept her proposal.
The woman was out of options.
Lunafreya appeared aghast at her suggestion and Alfred sported a similar expression.
"Pardon me, Miss, but you look close to passing out. And all the hunts in town combined wouldn't cover the remainder." The doctor softly rebuffed Imperatrix.
She sagged, dispirited by being proven right. How pathetic she'd become.
"Please sir, there must be an arrangement that can be made." Lunafreya interceded.
"I'm not insensitive to your situation. I've heard what happened in Insomnia." Alfred sighed, wrinkles becoming abundant on his forehead. "But I can't use my limited supplies frivolously. There'll be hundreds more coming that need help."
Imperatrix turned her head.
The doctor's words made sense. She couldn't fault him for his caution.
Nyx's weak form tugged at her conscience and the princess made a decision. "Will you accept a valuable item as payment?"
"What kind of item?" The doctor's interest was piqued.
Imperatrix touched the glittering gem cooling her forehead with its soft touch.
The diadem had remained in place throughout the chaos. She was loathe to part with it, for it wasn't a regular piece of jewelry. While not the actual crown she used in state-affairs, this diadem was the one she wore in minor or foreign formal-affairs.
The headpiece was a symbol of her right to one day rule. It had been passed down from princess to princess.
This small-town doctor had no idea what she was offering him. Crown jewels were worth a fortune. Sold to the right person, Alfred could live in luxury for decades.
"I offer this." Imperatrix removed the diadem from her head.
"Oh, my!" The doctor failed to hide his yearning for the item.
"Imp-" Lunafreya went silent after receiving a sharp look from the princess. "Surely my jewelry would suffice." She tried again.
The oracle knew what those jewels were and she was overwhelmed that Imperatrix would give them up.
Her earrings and bracelets were ornate and could be traded. She would even offer her gifted necklace if needed.
"No, yours alone won't do. You two require aid as well. Snow White here is covered in bruises and her arm's bleeding." Alfred took his eyes off the diadem to survey Imperatrix's colorful splotches of red and purple.
Her ripped dress hid little and told the story of her night.
"Let me amend my statement, Dr. Alfred." The princess interrupted Lunafreya's pleas. "I will give my diadem in exchange for coverage of all our expenses and prescriptions."
When Alfred began laughing Imperatrix hardened her nerves and defended her claim.
"This is no ordinary headpiece. You could sell this to a jeweler and live like a king."
"I'm well aware of the value of that thing, Princess Imperatrix. I'm laughing because you barely asked for anything." He waved her off genially. "Guess I'm also laughing because a supposedly dead princess is in my clinic!"
Imperatrix was taken off guard.
"You knew?" Then she registered his address of her. "You know who I am, and still, you help?"
Longwythe was Lucis territory. The imperial princess at worst anticipated conflict, were her identity to be exposed.
"I'm a doctor and I've got an oath to keep. I make no distinction when it comes to patients. Though, the imperial princess, the oracle, and a member of Kingsglaive is an odd bunch."
"Your integrity is very welcome." The princess felt relieved that the diadem at least was going to an honest man.
With that settled she held the item out for him to take.
"Oh no, I can't take that!" Alfred refused the offered item. "I only agreed in the first place to get the measure of you."
She shook her head. "You said it yourself, you cannot distribute supplies frivolously. My station does not exempt me from paying."
"You won't take no for an answer, will you?"
"I will not! I want you to take it so that when hundreds swarm your clinic, you will have the means to help them."
"Princess Imperatrix…" Floored at the generosity of the princess, Alfred stood up and reverently accepted the payment. "This will be used wisely. I'm too old to be buying useless things anyway."
He excused himself to put the treasure away. The doctor began compiling an ointment for Nyx's burns and a brace for his leg.
Imperatrix sank onto the bed next to Nyx's. She was very tempted to lay back and rest, but her grumbling stomach vetoed that desire.
Obtaining food and lodging was the next priority.
"I find myself immensely stunned that you gave up crown jewels to save the life of a man that was your enemy a day ago." Lunafreya lowered her eyes. Shame ate at her. "My opinion of you has greatly been called into question these last few days."
"Trinkets can be replaced, lives cannot. Nyx Ulric fought and protected us. My conscience would not allow me to repay those efforts with callousness." Imperatrix didn't acknowledge the oracle's attack on her character with anger. She was too tired. "I will not turn my back on anyone that needs help..."
"I am beginning...to truly see that."
Alfred reappeared with a cart of reeking bottles and refreshments.
He offered water to the girls before starting on Nyx's hip, digging out the shrapnel with meticulous precision that was impressive for a man his age. The glaive barely moved from the work due to the strong pain reliever he was given earlier.
The arm required its own process of Alfred disinfecting it, applying creams, and then wrapping the arm in gauze. He explained that this needed to be repeated daily over the next three weeks until they got the skin grafts.
The knee brace followed and was attached. The doctor advised it stay on at least for two weeks and might possibly be needed on a longer basis if Nyx found it too painful to walk without it.
As Imperatrix thought, the webbing along Nyx's face would scar. That was the final injury.
Alfred stated that potions were to be used on Nyx only in an absolute emergency. His body needed to heal naturally, chiefly due to the differing healing rates between the burns and bones. A potion might cause the bone to heal in an incorrect position.
Nyx's fever had stabilized as well and the man was finally out of critical danger.
"Alright, who's next?" Alfred washed his hands and then dried them off.
"Lunafreya." Imperatrix decided.
The oracle clearly wasn't happy that she was getting checked first when her injuries were minor.
"All done, Yellow Daffodil." The doctor patted Lunafreya's arm kindly and rolled to Imperatrix's bedside. "Lift up that arm, Snow White."
"You have the strangest sense of nicknaming..." She gave him her arm.
"It's a talent of mine." Alfred paused, shifting closer to inspect the arm. "You've got a bit of shrapnel in here. Explains why you're a bit peakish."
"How is that possible? I dodged the bullet!"
"Don't know, artillery isn't my specialty." He rolled towards a desk and took out a bottle. "Take this first."
A cup of pills were given to the princess. She gulped them down with her water.
A fever explained why Nebula and Tempesta had appeared before her.
"Lay back, this is going to hurt."
"Lovely." Imperatrix slowed her breathing, preparing herself for the uncomfortable feeling of tweezers penetrating her skin. She startled when a hand wrapped around her own. "Luna…freya?"
The oracle smiled and squeezed her hand. "Allow me to offer my support."
"Good, good. She'll need something to brace herself with. Try not to move too much."
The princess exhaled and closed her eyes. "Get on with it..."
Alfred got to work on Imperatrix's arm. She ground her teeth and groaned from the painful intrusion. Lunafreya uttered no complaint to her hand being squeezed repeatedly, lightly humming to soothe her companion.
The oracle proceeded to hum even after the doctor concluded and scolded Imperatrix upon glimpsing her desecrated feet.
She had been running around barefoot since Insomnia...
"You girls go get some clothes and food now. The oracle and princess shouldn't be looking so tattered!" Alfred ushered them out of his clinic.
Nyx wouldn't awaken for a day or two and was in safe hands.
"Go see my daughter, Victoria. She runs a clothes store."
Lunafreya and Imperatrix left, finding the mentioned store.
Alfred's daughter and her husband greeted them enthusiastically. The doctor had called Victoria and Robin, telling them exactly who to expect.
The couple tore through the store to find clothing suitable for two princesses.
A dress of white with lace sleeves, white sandals, and a silver coat for colder weather were chosen for Lunafreya. Black leggings, a red blouse, combat boots, and a white jacket were chosen for Imperatrix.
Victoria had tried to convince the princess to buy a white and red dress, but she would require easy maneuverability and had to turn down the selection. Sleepwear and underclothing were added to the pile and a generous discount provided.
"You are essentially giving this to me for free." Imperatrix opposed the measly one-thousand gil Victoria asked for.
She'd seen the tags, it should've cost around two-thousand and five-hundred gil.
"No, no. I charged you, so it's not free." Victoria wagged her finger. Her father warned her of this happening. "Go ahead and bag it, Robin."
"Sure, honey." The husband agreed easily.
"That'll be one-thousand gil, please!"
Imperatrix handed over the money. She wouldn't fight when they could use the gil.
"Come back sometime!" Victoria said.
She and her husband waved goodbye to the girls.
Onward to the motel they went.
A room with two beds was purchased, leaving the princess with three-thousand and six-hundred gil.
Enough for food.
"Imperatrix, a shower might help if you persist in staying awake." Lunafreya made herself comfortable on the floor with her dogs instead of dirtying the bed in her current state.
"I will rest after we have eaten. I won't be able to sleep with my stomach's current racket..." She quipped, feeling marginally better.
Her stomach growled right on cue.
Lunafreya giggled at the loud noise. "Lunch and then you must rest."
Imperatrix grabbed her new clothes and entered the bathroom. Fifteen minutes later she exited a cleaned and renewed woman. Her dress was tossed onto the floor.
A waste how it turned out...
"Did you let Umbra out?" She asked, drying off her dripping hair.
The princess was happy it returned to its natural state after vigorously scrubbing out the dirt, blood, and soot.
Pryna was on the ground with Lunafreya, but her ebony twin was gone.
"Yes, he will not be back for some time..." A look of wistfulness crossed the oracle's face.
The princess could tell there was more to that statement.
"I will be quick." She slipped into the bathroom, leaving Imperatrix with Pryna.
The dog lifted its head, judging the princess and finding her uninteresting. Her tail wagged lazily and she returned to a relaxed position.
For some reason Imperatrix felt insulted. "No, I am imaging things again."
There was no way a dog just gave her attitude.
It didn't take long for Lunafreya to walk out in her new dress.
"You look so much younger in that..." The princess remarked.
The oracle wasn't sure if she was being complimented or picked on.
"Nevermind. To the diner."
No use in dwelling on the fragile lifespan of innocence. Lunafreya would never go back to the blissful life she knew in Tenebrae and Impertrix couldn't feel guilty over that.
The diner had few occupants inside, but it still managed to be quite noisy. The girls got a booth nearest to the door.
The menu didn't boast much variety. Lunafreya settled on an order of salmon and Imperatrix chose the largest batch of french fries she could get. The waiter gave the princess a funny look for that. The house blend was their drink of choice.
Once the items were delivered, Lunafreya gaped at the greasy food before them.
"Not the fine dining of royalty, but it is good." Imperatrix guaranteed, drowning her fries in ketchup.
"You have...eaten this before?" The oracle cut her salmon into smaller pieces.
"Yes, french fries are a guilty pleasure of mine." The princess held out a fry with her fork. "Try it. I couldn't get enough my first time."
"I cannot see you eating in an establishment like this by choice." The oracle uncertainly took the offering.
"I ate at places like this in between missions. Mostly, because my attendants love unhealthy food."
"Oh, my." Imperatrix grinned at the exuberant shock on Lunafreya's face. "It is good!"
"I will not steer you wrong."
"I wonder if Pryna would like it." The girl looked out the window.
Her dog was sitting outside like a sentinel.
"You cannot feed this to her, she will get sick."
"Why would she? Pryna and Umbra ate from the kitchen at home and were never ill."
"Your chefs do not cook the food in absurd amounts of grease and fat. Any of this will have your friends emptying their stomachs."
Lunafreya chewed her food pensively. "I suppose I will have to take your word for it."
Imperatrix rubbed her temples.
Was the oracle really naive enough to feed her dogs junk food?
An announcement on the radio silenced the girl's conversation. It was an address mourning the deaths of the Imperatrix, Lunafreya, and all the other souls lost in the fall of Insomnia.
The oracle schooled her features into a visage of indifference and looked out the window. The princess didn't allow the girl's sudden defensiveness to bother her.
She was back to being the enemy for the time being.
A couple days of cooperation wouldn't erase the divide between the imperial princess and the oracle.
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