Noctis sighed, walking over to his friends. "Boat's not ready yet. Cid said it'll take a little longer."

"So I guess you guys will be staying here for a bit," Iris said. "This'll be great!"

Prompto laughed. "Well, looks like some of us are already enjoying the downtime."

The others followed his gaze to Ryella and Talcott. In dragon form, the Guardian trotted around with the young boy on her back. Talcott bounced with each movement, laughing with joy.

"I suppose it could be beneficial to recuperate before we depart for Altissia." Ignis rubbed his chin, a smile tugging at his lips. "And it appears Ryella already understands that."

"Kinda can't wait for Ryella to bake another cake," Gladio admitted. "She said she'd make one once we got to Caem. And the last cake she baked was delicious."

"It'll soon be time to start supper," Ignis noted, glancing at the darkening sky. "Ryella!" The dragon paused, looking over at the bespectacled man. "If you plan on baking something, I suggest you do so soon!"

After having spent most of the day driving just to reach Caem, it was already close to sunset, which meant everyone was growing a bit hungry. The white beast walked over, spreading her wing out and tilting to the side. Talcott slid down the top of her wing until his feet touched the ground. Ryella gestured to the door, urging everyone to go inside, and they politely complied. With her clothes waiting on the porch, she transformed and got dressed before joining the others inside. Iris and Monica were already in the kitchen while the guys seemed to be upstairs in their room with Talcott.

Ryella joined the other two females in the kitchen. "So, it looks like we're in charge of supper tonight."

"Indeed we are," Monica replied. "I always prepare meals for my fellow Crownsguard, so I'm accustomed to working in the kitchen."

Iris smiled brightly. "As for me, I'm self-taught. But I often learn new recipes and methods from Monica or Ignis. I heard Gladio mention you making a cake or something?"

The Guardian nodded. "Yeah, I love baking. I'm not that good at other forms of cooking though. But I did tell the guys I'd make another cake for them. Monica, would it be okay if I use some ingredients to bake something?"

"Not at all, Lady Ryella. You're free to use anything you require."

With her approval, Ryella began sorting through the ingredients she needed. She was surprised to stumble upon a rare, Tenebraen berry. "Are these...Ulwaat Berries?" She picked up a few to confirm that she wasn't mistaken. "How did you get a hold of these?"

"There was a restaurant owner that visited us recently," Iris explained. "He wanted to exchange them for some Caem Carrots from our gardens. And that's how we received some fresh Ulwaat Berries."

"If I use these, I could whip up something really special to surprise the guys."

"Want me to help?" the younger girl asked. "I'd love to learn the recipe."

"Sure thing."

The two girls got to work on making the batter for the pastries Ryella planned to make. While they did that, Monica was whipping up supper. Being by the sea, she fried up some fresh fish. Before long, everyone came down from their rooms, even Dustin. They gathered at the large dining table where Monica and the girls began bringing out plates of food. While Ryella's dessert was still baking in the oven, she sat down between Prompto and Iris to quickly eat up her plate of fish.

Prompto sniffed the air, catching a whiff of a sweet aroma alongside the seafood. "Mmm, smells like you're baking us dessert after all!"

Ryella giggled at him. "I told you I would. Except it's not the Fluffy Chiffon Cake I promised. I decided to try something a little different, but I'm sure you'll approve of it."

"Can't wait to try it," Noctis chimed in.

Both Ryella and Iris got up several times to check on the desserts. The pastries were done by the time everyone finished the main course, and Ryella swiftly added the finishing touches to each dish before having Iris help her serve them.

"Here you go, everyone," Ryella said with a cheerful smile. "My new Memory Lane Pastry. Hope you all enjoy."

Noctis froze as soon as he took a bite. The taste on his tongue was so familiar. "Hey, isn't this...?

"The dessert Luna gave you?" the Guardian responded. "It is. It's similar to the cake we tried at the Mother of Pearl."

Noctis eagerly took several more bites. "This is perfect, Ryella! You made it almost exactly like Luna did!"

"Thank you. I told you I could recreate it if I had Ulwaat Berries."

"This is sooo good!" Prompto exclaimed. "I'm gonna savor every bite of this."

"You ladies all did an excellent job," Ignis complimented. "Every bit of the meal has been delectable."

"I'll say," Gladio agreed. "I could eat this every day."

"It's all so delicious!" Talcott added.

Dustin remained quiet, as usual, only really humming in response. The three women were happy to see the guys enjoying the food they'd prepared. After finishing off the dessert, Monica and Dustin both got to work on cleaning up and washing dishes.

Iris abruptly stood from her seat and took Ryella by the wrist. "I just remembered, I've got some stuff I wanna show you! C'mon, Ryella."

Before the older girl could respond, Iris was already pulling her upstairs to her room. The amber-eyed girl was quick to shut the door behind them, not wanting any intrusions.

"What is it you want to show me?" Ryella asked.

Iris excitedly hurried over to her desk, snatching up several items and holding them out to show her friend. It was a small assortment of makeup. "Monica took me on a shopping trip to Lestallum the other day, and I ended up buying some things. A lot of these shades are darker than what I would normally wear, but to be honest, I kinda thought of you when I bought them."

Ryella blinked, taken aback. "Me?"

Iris nodded. "Your talent with makeup and clothing coordination made me wonder what these would look like. Whaddya say? Try 'em out for me?"

Ryella smiled. "Alright. It'll be like our own little makeover party."

Iris laughed. "At that rate, we might as well do our hair and dress up too. Actually..." She went over to her closet. "I kinda bought some clothes I thought would match the makeup. Now that I think back on it, it was probably a stupid decision." She rummaged through her clothes, pulling out a black leather top and shorts. "Ugh, I really got carried away. There's no way we'd wear this kind of stuff. I mean, it's pretty cool and all, but not our style."

Ryella blushed lightly at the thought of wearing such skimpy clothes. "Well...i-if it's just the two of us, I-I could still...try it on..."

Iris shrugged. "If you really want to. I was probably gonna throw this thing out, but..." She gasped, an idea popping into her mind. "What if...we pull a prank on the guys?" Ryella curiously tilted her head to the side. "You can dress up like a badass and show the guys, and I'll tell 'em I made you up like that. You could even pretend to be all cool and collected. I bet it would be so funny!"

"Oh, I-I don't know if I could wear something like that in front of them." The Guardian pointed to the outfit in Iris's hands. "That's way too...revealing for my tastes."

"C'mon, please?" Iris begged. "It's just this once. It'll be hilarious. Besides, I'm sure they've seen you with much less."

Ryella's cheeks lit up. It was true, they'd practically seen her naked before. "I'm sorry, Iris, I just can't...bring myself to purposefully do something so...vulgar."

The younger girl sighed. "I understand. We'll just have fun by ourselves."

Iris tossed the clothes onto her bed. She then got her phone and started playing some music, turning up the volume for them to hear. She then went over to the desk where Ryella sat, gazing into the vanity mirror situated in front of her while carefully applying black eyeliner. Iris stood over her, watching her reflection with a smile. Ryella began humming to the upbeat pop song that was playing. Iris was actually surprised to hear her following along with the tune.

"I didn't know you recognized this type of song."

Ryella giggled. "You'd be surprised. I actually know of quite a few pop and rock songs."

"Wow, so I guess you could sing to some of these, huh?"

"Maybe once I do my makeup, yeah."

Ryella handed the eyeliner to Iris once she was finished, giving the younger girl the chance to try it as well. Ryella smoothly applied dark, brown-black eyeshadow, then touched up her lashes with mascara. Iris copied her in applying the makeup once she'd finished with it. Lastly was some red lipstick. Finally, Ryella finished her makeup, and waited until Iris was done to start on her hair. She brushed her brown locks and tied them up into pigtails, leaving her bangs down. The Guardian went over to Iris's bed, getting a better look at the clothes. Up close, it looked even more revealing than she'd thought. But she told her friend that she'd at least try it on, and she planned to do just that.

"Moment of truth," she said, gathering the clothes and taking them to the bathroom.

She closed the door behind her and started undressing. She re-examined the clothing once more. This is probably a bad idea, but I said I'd do it. She slipped on the shorts and laced them up on the sides, then fitted the top around her chest, tying it in the front. The top was uncomfortably tight, and she tugged at it to try and cover more of her chest, but to no avail since her breasts were a little bigger than the top could handle. But she dismissed it for the time being. Why am I doing this? Taking a deep breath, she exited the bathroom.

(This is the outfit, minus the transparent sleeves)

Iris immediately began gushing. "You look so hot!"

Ryella blushed lightly. "Thanks. The top's a bit tight though."

"Well I didn't know your size. I had to get it based on mine. But you look amazing! Are you sure you don't wanna show off? It'd be a shame to hide after you got all prettied up." Ryella fell silent, rubbing her arms with embarrassment. "Honestly, you're so pretty, you really shouldn't feel bad about showing off your looks."

"I think I'd rather just sing."

Iris smiled. "We can do that."

Iris quickly got on her phone, allowing Ryella to look over her shoulder as she scrolled through the music. Ryella pointed out a few that she recognized. Iris clicked on one, and Ryella cleared her throat to prepare. Both girls began moving to the beat, and once the first verse started, Ryella sang along, remembering the lyrics. After just one song though, there was a knock on the door. Ryella stiffened, hoping it wasn't one of the guys.

Iris paused the music and whispered, "This is our chance. If that's the guys, you've gotta act all cool, just like I told you."

"I-I don't know how!"

Iris swiftly started posing Ryella as if she were a mannequin. By the time she was done, Ryella stood proudly. One hand rested on her hip, which stuck out to the side, while the other hung limply at her side. One side of her bangs hung down over a part of her face, nearly obscuring her right eye. She put on her best neutral face and tried to think of someone to imitate, someone like Aranea. As she was wracking her brain on how to do copy the dragoon, Iris swung the door open. It wasn't too surprising to see Noctis and Prompto at the door.

The blond grinned. "Hey, thought we heard what sounded like a party. Mind if we..."

His gaze shifted past Iris to look at Ryella. Prompto's eyes widened so much, it looked like they might pop right out of their sockets. With his mouth agape, he could barely process what was happening. Noctis too stared in shock at the normally timid, respectable Guardian, unable to believe his eyes.

"R-Ryella?" the prince breathed out. "Is that...really you?"

"Course it's me," she answered casually. "Sup, boys?"

Unable to form words to respond, they both continued to stare in silence. The gunman's eyes traveled up and down her body. Her face, her hair, her chest, her stomach, her hips, her legs---Prompto couldn't stop his eyes from wandering over each aspect. His hands fumbled for his camera, and he quickly snapped a photo, his expression never changing. With the flash of the camera, Ryella completely lost it. Her face lit up, and she crossed her arms over her chest to cover herself.

"I can't do this anymore!"

She turned on her heel and darted into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. Noctis was finally snapped out of his trance, and took a glance at Prompto, who still seemed to be staring at where the girl retreated.

Noctis rolled his eyes. "Shut your mouth, Prompto, you're starting to drool." The blond instantly clamped his mouth shut, shaking himself out of his daze. "What the hell's been going on in here?"

Iris sighed. "It's my fault, I had Ryella dress up. We were messing around and stuff." After a few moments, Ryella came back out in her normal, casual dress with her hair down and her face free of makeup. Iris walked over to her with an apologetic expression. "I'm really sorry, Ryella. I shouldn't have had you do all that. I thought it would be funny, but I only made you uncomfortable."

The older girl smiled, giving her a quick hug. "It's okay, Iris. I did agree to go along with it."

"We should just go back to having fun like we were. How about it, mind if we let the guys join us?"

"It'll just be Prompto and me," Noctis added, shutting the door. "Ignis and Talcott are reading through Jared's notebook. Gladio's in the shower."

"You two can stay for a bit," Ryella told them. "We're just listening to music."

The two boys sat down on the beds while Iris flipped through more songs on her phone. "Aw yeah!" The gunman cheered. "I love me some sweet tunes!"

Ryella picked out another song she knew before sitting next to Prompto. With the music going, Ryella decided to sing along again.

This song is called "Skydiving" and is by Lights.

"It all starts here, with a rush of blood to the head
And I feel no fear
And nothing's happening yet
You pull me in
I'm doing things I never would do
My pulse racing
I'm coming alive with you

"Free fall with me
Get a little unruly
No guts, no glory
You said to me,
'Get a little unruly
No guts, no glory'

"You got me skydiving
You got me high flying
Oh, I'm jumping off of the world now, uh
Never stop, never slow down
Skydiving"

Prompto watched Ryella as she sang. He loved her voice, it seemed to hypnotize him. He couldn't help imagining the girl still in that leather outfit. Though it was true that it definitely didn't fit Ryella's style or personality, there was no denying that she looked very sexy. He was so glad he got a picture when he had the chance. Listening to the green-eyed girl beside him, he smiled with content, slipping an arm around her shoulders. It almost felt like she was singing directly to him.

"I take the leap without a parachute
Cause I can't keep
My hands away from you
And I'm all in
It's too late to turn around
Adrenaline
Is taking my body now

"Free fall with me
Get a little unruly
No guts, no glory

"You got me skydiving
You got me high flying
Oh, I'm jumping off of the world now, uh
Never stop, never slow down
Skydiving

"I'm going down, down, down, down
I'm going down, down, down, down
I'm going down, down, down, down
I'm going skydiving

"Boy, you're leaving a mark on me
Diving into me so slowly
Always making it so easy to convince me
Boy, you're leaving a mark on me
Diving into me so slowly
Always making it so easy to convince me

"You got me skydiving
You got me high flying
Oh, I'm jumping off of the world now, uh
Never stop, never slow down
Skydiving

"I'm going down, down, down, down
I'm going down, down, down, down
I'm going down, down, down, down
I'm going skydiving
I'm going down"

As soon as the song ended, Prompto grinned. "That was amazing! And here I thought you only sang ballads!"

"It surprised me too," Iris chimed in. "You'd never expect Ryella to know the words to some of these songs."

"But she's still just as awesome as always," Noctis concluded. He rose from his seat. "Well, guess we'll leave you two to your fun. Night."

The prince had to practically drag his friend from where he sat. Prompto hadn't wanted to go yet, but Noctis wasn't giving him much choice. Once the two boys were back in their own room, and Talcott had left them, Prompto found himself mesmerized by the shot of Ryella now stored on his camera. Laying back on his bed, he stared at it, a goofy grin plastered on his face. Of course, his friends continuously poked fun at him about it, but he mostly ignored them. After Noctis had filled Ignis and Gladio in on what happened, they wasted no time in joining the prince in the playful teasing, though Ignis mostly kept out of it.

"Are you still gawking at that picture?" Gladio questioned, snapping the blond out of his thoughts.

"But of course he is," Ignis replied matter-of-factly. "We all know how smitten he is with Ryella."

Noctis sighed. "If only he'd do something about it instead of looking at pictures of her like a creep."

Prompto swiftly sat up, taking offense to that. "Hey! I am not a creep! I just...really like seeing her, even if it's just an image."

Gladio crossed his arms. "C'mon already. When are you gonna buck up and tell her?"

Prompto shifted his gaze away from them, his face heating up. "W-well, you see...it's not that I'm all that scared to tell her..." He nervously rubbed the back of his neck. "Scratch that, I'm terrified of telling her. But that's...not exactly what's stopping me."

"Then what is?" Noctis inquired.

"I-I just...um, I wanted..." He groaned at himself for stumbling over his words. Just tell them. They can help. "I was hoping to, uh, k-kiss her...y'know, after I tell her."

Gladio raised an eyebrow. "And?"

"A-and I've never kissed a girl before." His answer was rather quiet, and he hung his head down in shame. "I-I don't really know...what to do."

The shield chuckled at him. "Is that all?"

"Whaddya mean 'is that all'?!" the gunman snapped. "This is serious! I don't know what to do! What if I do it wrong?! What if I embarrass myself?! What if she doesn't like it?!"

Noctis was sitting by his side in an instant, resting a hand on his shoulder. "Dude, chill. It's not that big a deal."

"While a kiss may seem like something you must have knowledge on beforehand, it actually comes quite naturally to most," the bespectacled man explained.

"Could I, like, get some instructions or something?" Prompto asked.

"You want instructions? Here ya go." The tattooed male leaned forward in his seat. "Simply put your lips against hers."

The blond groaned in frustration. "Duh, I know that! It's everything else that I'm clueless about!"

Gladio rolled his eyes and stood. While he went rummaging through a few drawers near his bed, Noctis decided to throw in his two cents. "You just have to pucker up and go for it. Kinda...move your lips against hers, not that I've done any of this before either, but that's what they always do in the movies."

"If it helps," Ignis began, "you could begin with a simple peck on the cheek. Or perhaps give the top of her hand a light kiss. It may help you to understand what actions to take."

Prompto nodded in understanding. Gladio suddenly marched over with a magazine in hand, dropping it onto the boy's lap. "Read this. Pages six through eight. This is the best kinda guidelines you can get."

Prompto stared at the cover image for a moment, as it showed a woman in a bikini. His face turned red, but he did as instructed, flipping to page six. It was an entire section about different types of kisses and the situations that best suit each kind. Prompto got comfortable, spreading out on his stomach with the magazine in front of him. The others fell silent, going back to their own things, allowing the blond to read. His blue orbs scanned over the words and pictures, all while a permanent blush stained his freckled cheeks.

Aww, this one sounds nice and simple. And all you do is rub noses? He slowly frowned. But that's not really how I wanna go about this. He went to the next few. Oooh, kisses on the forehead or the top of the hand are considered sweet and romantic. And this one...requires you to stick your tongue in her mouth?! Why is that a thing?! He inwardly sighed. I just want to know what to do for a first kiss. Is that too much to ask? Flipping to the next page, he was finally to a section that described first kisses. He made sure to read every bit, drinking in the new knowledge. So I've literally just gotta connect our lips, nothing more. All that fancier and advanced stuff is unnecessary...for the time being. And maybe Iggy's right, a quick peck on her hand or something might be a good way to start off.

Prompto shut the magazine and slid it aside, causing Gladio to look up from the book he was reading. "Find out what you needed?"

"I think so. I've got a better idea of what to do know." The gunman tapped his chin in thought. "Now I just need to figure out how I wanna do this."

"As long as you show her how much you like her," Noctis told him. "That's the most important thing."

Prompto spent a little while before bed just thinking and planning out the situation. I should do something special for her. And confessing? How am I gonna spit the words out? He glanced at his camera. Unless I don't have to. He grinned, planning out each detail of what he wanted to do. He was never normally one to think things through, but when it came to Ryella, he wanted everything to be perfect for her. Hopefully, the next day would come to pass exactly how he imagined it, and he'd finally get the girl of his dreams.