After escaping Noctis' embrace, Makina exited the caravan to enjoy the morning air. She sighed in relief to finally be free from the prince's embrace. He had been holding her hostage all night after kidnapping her in the middle of dinner. She wandered a little ways from the outpost towards the hot springs. Squatting down, she dipped her hand into the water and hummed in satisfaction. It was pleasantly warm and tempted her to jump in. She was in desperate need of a proper bath, meaning she hoped they would stay in a motel or hotel next.

"U-Um, excuse me?"

Hearing an unfamiliar voice, Makina stood up. She turned around to see a young man with chocolate locks and hazel eyes standing there. He wore a t-shirt that had 'Meteor Publishing' printed on the front and a pair of khaki shorts. Around his neck hung a camera.

"Oh, sorry," she stepped away from the edge of the hot springs. "Am I blocking your shot?"

He hook his head. "Not at all! I recognize you from anywhere. You're Princess Makina. I-I can't believe you're alive! Can I take your picture? I promise I won't publish it. I've always wanted to meet the princess from another world."

She tensed, worried about what he was planning. Even if he did promise not to publish the photo, she didn't want a random person to take her picture. She went to deny the picture, but didn't say a word as another strange man strolled over.

His black hair with a single streak of white was slicked back. He wore a white dress shirt with a black button-down vest, a pair of black dress pants, a black and white striped tie, black loafers, and donned a pair of sunglasses that obscured his eyes. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his pants as he placed himself between the princess and photographer. "Don't you believe it's rather rude to put a girl on the spot?"

"I wasn't putting her on the spot," the photographer said. "I was only asking for her permission."

The unnamed man who stood in between them glanced at the princess. He saw how uncomfortable she was. "Can't you see the lady is apprehensive? It would be wise to leave and forget you saw her."

The photographer was frightened by the stranger and took off with a brief nod.

Makina was surprised to receive help from a complete stranger. "I... Thank you for your help."

The man removed his hands from his pockets to reveal the silver watch and rings that he wore. He adjusted his sunglasses but didn't remove them. "Of course, milady."

Unlike with the photographer, she felt rather calm and relaxed with the well-dressed man. She admired his looks and couldn't help but feel a sense of familiarity. "Do I know you from somewhere?"

"Ah, you may not remember me, but I surely remember you," he smiled kindly. "You have grown into a strong and beautiful woman."

She wondered if he was one of her father's contacts outside the city. He had many who had assisted him in locating Zin and Zen. "Were you associated with my father?"

He nodded. "I was. We met on a couple of occasions. King Fellux was an honorable man. May he rest in peace."

She examined his attire once again. "You dress too fancy to be a hunter..."

He snickered. "Who said you couldn't take down daemons and be stylish at the same time?"

"Well, uh...I guess if you don't have any problems fighting in your attire, then I don't see an issue."

Without warning, he took her hand and kissed her knuckles. "I am Vylen, Your Majesty. I was hoping to speak with you and my wish was granted. Thank you for your time." He released her hand when he heard footsteps approaching them. He grinned as he put his hands back into his pockets at seeing who was quickly making their way over. "Looks like the king's right hand has come just in time to intervene."

Makina was shocked to learn Vylen knew who Ignis was. "Wait, how do you know...?"

"Another time, perhaps," he quickly interrupted. His smirk was overwritten by a calm smile, which he cast towards her. "Until we meet again, my queen. Do be safe during your travels." He casually walked past Ignis, not sparing him a glance as he returned to the outpost.

Ignis glared at the man's back before his gaze softened as he checked on the princess. "Are you all right?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. That man, Vylen, knew my father. He must've been one of my father's contacts. He was dressed rather...fancy."

Ignis had seen the entire exchange from the caravan and immediately dropped everything to come to her aid. He was relieved to learn the stranger didn't do or say anything to upset her. Wishing to forget the man, he changed the subject. "May I propose a brisk visit to the eatery? We are rather low on funds and I do believe more hunts shall alleviate us of such a trifling matter."

"Sure," she said. "Let's pick out a few. We'll need every piece of gil we can get our hands on. We can't go traveling around Lucis if our purse is empty."

"Indeed," the tactician responded. "Let us be off."

Makina followed Ignis to the eatery and spoke to the man that served them last night. They chose from the available hunts before returning to the caravan. The advisor cracked open a can of ebony while the princess went over the hunts they chose. She analyzed the posters closely to learn what she could.

After a while, the other boys woke up.

Noctis sluggish walked out of the bedroom with a yawn. He was still trying to wake up. "'Sup," he casually greeted.

"Good morning," Makina replied. "I'm happy to see you up earlier than usual."

"Yeah, well, I had a comfy body pillow to thank for helping me sleep," he said, combing a hand through his unruly raven locks.

"You were suffocating me half of the night..."

"That's what you get for kissing me yesterday."

She was surprised to hear that was her punishment. She thought he would've gotten her back by kissing her in return. Astrals was she wrong. "Happy now?"

"Very."

"Good," she held up one of the wanted posters. "Because we're going hunting."

Noctis took the poster and read the details. "Soldier wasps and killer wasps, huh? I'm down."

"Glad you approve," she remarked. "If no one objects, I say we leave now. The wasps were spotted not too far from Verinas Mart."

"Aw, yeah!" Prompto chanted. "We're the best hunters for the job. Let's do this!"

With that, the royal retinue left the caravan and trekked to the location of their targets. As the princess had said, it wasn't far from the outpost. They arrived at the scene a few minutes later and found the wasps flying around. Within seconds, they were fighting against them.

Noctis, Ignis, and Gladiolus faced the wasps head-on while Prompto and Makina kept their distance. The snowy-haired girl decided to test out Fel's weapon, using the sniper rifle to shred the wings of the creatures to make it easier for the others.

Gladiolus and Ignis took down a couple of soldier wasps. Noctis, with help from Makina and Prompto, obliterated a single killer wasp. Only one soldier wasp and two killer wasps remained.

Switching configurations, Makina harnessed the power of Zin and used the twin dangers to attack a killer wasp. She nimbly dodged when it tried to sting her and sliced off a few of its legs. Gladiolus was closest to her and swung his greatsword, killing it instantly.

Prompto and Noctis were focusing on the final soldier wasp when the last killer wasp swooped down with its stinger at the ready. Noctis, having failed to block, was hit. The sharp tip punctured his arm. Seeing this, Makina rushed to his side. She lowered the twin daggers to check over his wound. She saw the punctured skin and the small amount of blood seeping from the hole. "Noct, are you-?"

Noctis suddenly swung his engine blade at her, successfully catching her off guard and knocking her to the ground. She shouted in shock as he pinned her to the ground and tried to stab her in the chest. She was fortunate enough to have quickly moved to block his blade. She struggled against him as he used his weight to push against her. The tip of his blade inched closer and closer to her chest before it pierced her skin. She winced from the small amount of pain as blood seeped from the wound.

Gladiolus, Prompto, and Ignis had all heard her shout but weren't able to help when the final killer wasp blocked them from getting to the royals. They disposed of it as quick as possible and ran to the princess' aid. Gladiolus tackled the confused Noctis off her. Prompto helped the shield after seeing him struggling to restrain the prince.

Makina dispelled her daggers and pushed herself up into a sitting position with help from Ignis. She pressed a hand against the bleeding cut on her chest, eyes focused on the confused prince. She saw him coming back to his senses and ceased struggling against Gladiolus and Prompto. The fog from his mind cleared as he froze at the sight of blood seeping between her fingers. His eyes widen as he couldn't tear them away from the crimson liquid. "What happened...?"

Prompto met Gladiolus' gaze, wondering if he should tell him the truth. When the shield nodded, he swallowed nervously and did his best to explain. "Well, you were stung and lost it. Then you, well, um..."

"You attacked Makina," Gladiolus said, deciding not to sugarcoat it. He relinquished his grip on the prince when he confirmed he was sound of mind.

Noctis' eyes never left Makina, not even for a second. He yanked his arm free from Prompto and stumbled over to the princess. He grabbed the hand she was using to compress the wound and used his other one to pull out a potion. He shattered it, watching the injury heal. He sighed in relief when the wound was completely healed. He released her hand and sunk back on his haunches. "I-I can't believe I did that..."

With her non-bloodied hand, Makina cradled his cheek in her palm. She trailed her thumb across his cheekbone. "It's not your fault. I forgot to tell you all about the venom. It can fog one's mind and confuse them. It's because of this toxin that hunts like these are extremely dangerous. I'm sorry for not saying anything."

"I'm the idiot who wasn't paying attention," he replied, his voice lower than usual. "A-Are you okay?" Although the wound was healed, he was still worried.

With a small nod, she smiled. "I'm okay." She held up her bloody hand as her clean one fell from his cheek. "I really would like to wash off the blood, though."

Noctis got to his feet. He then grabbed her clean hand and pulled her up off the ground. "We're gonna return to the outpost. You can clean up while we turn in the hunt."

"All right."

Noctis went ahead with Makina close behind him. Gladiolus, Prompto, and Ignis lagged behind the two royals.

"Iggy..." The shield grumbled disapprovingly.

The tactician refused to meet his gaze. "I'm well aware, Gladio."

Prompto was confused about what they were talking about. He decided to pry. "What? Did I miss something?"

"Nothing whatsoever," Ignis promptly replied, wishing to not discuss the matter with the blonde. The three caught up with the prince and princess.

Makina walked into the caravan, which they still had for a couple more hours, and washed off the blood from her chest and hand. When she was clean and saw her clothes were intact and not tainted by blood, she dried off. When she heard the door to the caravan open, her eyes drifted over to see Noctis. Worry and regret were still plastered on his face. She sighed. "Really, Noct, I'm fine. You look like a kicked puppy."

The raven-haired boy didn't say anything as he approached. The moment she turned to face him, he picked her up like a child and placed her on the counter. She blinked owlishly at his actions, surprised by how easy it was for him to pick her up as if she weighed nothing. She immediately placed her hands on his biceps and squeezed. She was thoroughly shocked at finding the muscle more toned than usual. "Since when did you start working on your arms?"

"Blame Gladio," he remarked.

"More like I should thank him..." She murmured under her breath. "What-?"

She fell silent when he gingerly traced a finger across the spot just below her collarbone. It had been where the wound was. With a guilty sigh, he dropped his hand. He nudged his way between her legs to get as close as possible to her and plopped his head on her shoulder. He feebly wound his arms around her lower back and turned his head to nuzzle it into the crook of her neck. "Six, I still can't believe I did that..."

She carefully wrapped her arms around his torso, tugging him closer. Her hands caressed his back, resulting in him relaxing his tense muscles. "Stop blaming yourself. You were under the influence of the venom. You couldn't tell friend from foe." She inhaled deeply, receiving a whiff of his scent. It was a mix between rosewood and cedarwood. She deduced it was the scent of his body wash. Not even the battle from earlier was able to conceal the scent. "This conversation is just gonna keep going in circles, isn't it?"

"Probably," Noctis responded. "Maybe we should just drop it."

"I wholeheartedly agree. Let's just forget about what happened and focus on hunting. We are in desperate need of more gil."

༻──── ⋇⋆✦⋆⋇ ────༺

As the hours ticked by, the royal retinue traveled across the Cleigne and Duscae regions. They took up various hunts to fill their purse with a large sum of gil. Fortunately, they were successful in getting their hands on a hefty amount of gil with all the successful hunts.

By the time they were tired from venturing around the regions on chocobos and a couple of rifts here and there, they found themselves at the Taelpar Rest Area. They reported their last few hunts and received the rewards for handling the dangerous foes.

Ignis bought two rooms at the motel. Makina snatched one of the key cards from him and stormed off to one room. She was eager to take a long shower after the day they had. She washed away the sweat and dirt from their hunts and cleaned her body with some body wash. She then washed her hair twice due to some dirt being clumped together in her snowy locks.

Twenty minutes later, she was done.

She changed into the black tank top and shorts she had to get comfortable while she washed her clothes. Once that was all taken care of, she exited the bathroom. She went to close the door behind her but froze when she saw Noctis sitting on the foot of the bed. She watched as he leaned forward with a painful groan and pressed his hand against his back. "Sore?" she asked, shutting the bathroom door.

"Maybe a little..." Noctis muttered.

Walking over, she stood in front of him. "Sounds like this is the perfect time for that massage I promised."

The prince tensed. "Now...?"

"Well, yeah. Your back probably hurts because of a knot. I can work it out for you." She took ahold of the front of his shirt and tugged. "Now, take off your shirt and lay down on your stomach. Better make it snappy or I'll strip you myself."

"Really?" he asked with a hint of hope as if he wanted her to strip him.

She rolled her eyes with a smirk. "You sound way too happy. Just take off your shirt."

Noctis wasn't one to enjoy massages, but he was curious as to where this was going to go. He took off his shirt and laid down on his stomach. He crossed his arms and laid his head down on them, waiting for the princess.

Makina braided her hair into a side bun before getting to work. She crawled onto the bed and straddled his lower back. Thighs on either side of his hips, she gingerly placed her hands on his back. She felt him tense under her touch. To alleviate his rigidness, she caressed her fingers down his spine. "Someone's tense."

"It's your fault..." He grumbled, burying his face against his arm.

"Just relax," she said just above a whisper. She ceased tracing his spine and pressed her palms against his back. She started to knead his flesh gently before applying more pressure to work on his muscles. Just between his shoulder blades, she located a knot. She started with gentle presses, which elicited a moan from the prince. She snorted with laughter at the sound. "Someone's enjoying himself."

Noctis' cheeks flushed red when realizing he moaned. He pursed his lips and refused to say anything. It wasn't until she pressed harder between his shoulder blades did he yelp in pain. He immediately pushed himself up onto his arms and knocked Makina off of him. He heard her yelp as she fell off the side of the bed. He peered over the side of the bed. He saw the girl splayed out on her back. "Sorry," he apologized. "You okay?"

She scowled at him. "You're fine with falling from heights, but you can't stand a massage." With a groan, she got off the floor. Cracking her fingers, she stared at him with determination. "I'm working that knot out whether you like it or not."

"Oh, hell no!" Noctis tried to escape. He didn't even make it off the bed before she tackled him.

She pushed him face-first into the covers and straddled his back. Instead of placing her things on either side of his hips, she made sure she was situated on his waist. She used her weight and thighs to restrain him while he desperately tried to wiggle free. "You're getting a massage, dammit!"

The prince couldn't break free. He was completely helpless as she worked out the knot in his upper back. "Ah, shit...!" He cursed through gritted teeth. "If you're gonna torture me, be more gentle!"

"Man up!" She continued to knead the spot between his shoulder blades until she felt the knot was gone. When it was, she cackled victoriously. "There. Should I get you a pacifier or a bottle of milk? Or maybe both?"

"I'm not a baby," he groaned.

"You sure acted like one." She smacked her hands palm-down on his back, earning a grunt of pain from him. "Now then, I'm gonna get some fresh air."

"You're not getting away that easily." Noctis took advantage of her when she went to crawl off him. He flipped over underneath her, hooking his hands under her knees. He then pushed her to the side and used his weight to flip their positions. Now, she was trapped beneath him. He gripped her knees tighter as her thighs pressed against his waist.

Makina stared up at him with a look of warning on her face. "Noct..."

"I know, I know. You don't have to keep reminding me," he sighed. His hands released her knees and slithered up to her hips. He tugged at the hem of the black tank top. Then, his fingers crawl underneath the fabric. He trailed his fingers across her skin before giving it a gentle squeeze. "I can still touch, though."

"True, but keep it PG."

Noctis pouted. "That's no fun..."

"How about PG-13, then?"

"That'll work."