Ryella shuffled over to her room. She stopped in front of the door, thinking back on everything that happened at Fort Vaullerey. Everything was hazy after that mercenary stuck that device on her head. And when she regained her independent thinking, she found Prompto injured...because of her. A Guardian should never bring harm to those under her protection. It was practically like an oath her family swore by. Tears welled up in her eyes. She didn't want to face Prompto after what she'd done. She wanted to avoid him once they'd made it back to Old Lestallum. Fortunately, Iris and the guys had gone to their room while Ryella transformed and got dressed. She glanced at the door to their room next to hers and Iris's. She didn't plan on joining them. With a disappointed sigh, she placed her hand on the knob of her door.

She suddenly heard the door next to hers open, and snapped her head up. "I'm fine, guys." It was Prompto exiting the room. "I'm just gonna check on Ryella."

Oh no, he's coming. Before the boy completely left his room, Ryella swung her door open and rushed inside, slamming it behind her. Prompto flinched, hearing the sudden bang of the door to the girls' room. He waved to his friends and left the room, shutting the door behind him. He walked over to the room next door, politely knocking. Ryella stayed quiet, pressing her back against the thick wood of the door. She hoped that if she didn't answer, he'd give up and leave.

"Ryella!" he called, knocking some more. "I know you're in there! C'mon, open up! Don't you wanna see me?!"

Tears welled up in her eyes. She couldn't deny that she did want to see him, but she just didn't know what to say. I guess an apology is a good start. Ryella gave in, unable to rudely keep him out. She slowly took the knob and turned it. She swung the door open and immediately wrapped the blond in a hug, letting her tears fall. She was careful not to put too much pressure on his back, knowing it must've been bruised and sore. But she couldn't keep from winding her arms around his torso.

"I'm sorry!" she cried. "I don't know what happened! I couldn't control myself!"

Prompto returned her embrace, understanding exactly what had her so upset. "It's alright, Ryella. I'm okay, really. It was just an accident."

The brunette pulled away, looking up at the boy with teary eyes. "That's not the point! I-I...I attacked you!"

"But it wasn't your fault!" the gunman argued. "You didn't willingly go out of your way just to turn on me like that!" He took her face in his hands, keeping her emerald orbs locked on his as he used his thumbs to wipe away her tears. "That wasn't you, Ryella. That was all the empire's doing. The device that did that to you---Ignis said it was probably some kinda mind control thingie."

"But still..." The girl sniffled, trying to contain her sobs. "A Guardian is sworn to protect... To bring harm...goes against everything I live for."

"But like I said, that wasn't you. You weren't in control. As far as we're all concerned, you didn't go against anything. You're still an amazing Guardian, and none of us think any differently." He gave an encouraging grin that caused her to smile in return. "If it's not too touchy of a subject, can I ask what it was like, y'know, when that happened?"

She gently pulled his hands off her cheeks, her smile fading. "It felt like...I was dreaming. Everything was foggy, and something kept telling me to fight. I-I didn't want to listen to it, I tried shaking it off. But with each passing second, it grew stronger until it completely took over, and I could no longer tell what was going on." Her bottom lip quivered. "When I regained control, I saw the damage I'd done." She latched onto the boy again, hugging him. "I would never ever hurt you on purpose."

Prompto smiled, holding her tightly in his arms. "I know. I'm just glad you're okay."

"Me?" Ryella remained in his embrace, laying her head against his shoulder as she gazed up at him. "You're the one who got hurt, not me."

The gunman met her gaze and grinned. "Well, yeah. Sure I got a couple of cracked ribs, but it was nothing a potion couldn't fix. I was more worried about you. You're behavior scared me, it was like you went feral or something. If you had stayed that way..." His grin faltered. "I don't know what I'd do."

That made Ryella's heart flutter with joy. Talking with Prompto always made her feel better, and knowing he forgave her and worried about her filled her with joy. She happily nuzzled into his shoulder. She almost didn't want to let go, especially once he nestled his face into the crook of her neck. But finally, she pulled away.

"If there's anything I can do to make it up to you, just name it."

Prompto waved a hand dismissively. "Aw, you don't have to do that."

"But I want to," she replied. "I insist. Just name it, anything you want."

The blond crossed his arms, gazing upwards in thought. "Well..." All the possibilitis flashed through his mind. She was actually offering to do anything he wanted. He wasn't going to take advantage of her though, and settled on something sweet and simple. "How about a song? I wanna sit down, just the two of us, and hear you play and sing."

She tilted her head to the side in that adorable way that always seemed to make the boy's heart skip a beat. "That's it? That's all you want?"

The gunman nodded. "Yep. That's it. Well, that, and maybe just a little time to relax and, uh, spend some quality time with you."

The girl giggled. "Alright. Let me go get my lyre, then."

Prompto walked with her to the Regalia, where she fished out her lyre case from the trunk. The two then went straight back to the room, shutting the door behind them. Ryella took a seat at the edge of her bed, setting down the case and unzipping it. Prompto followed her over, sitting down beside her. While she was preoccupied with getting her instrument out, the boy eased his way down, being careful of his back, and laid with his head on her lap. Ryella instantly froze, looking down at the blond with shock. When he saw her staring down at him, a light pink tinted his freckled cheeks.

"Uh, I hope this is okay," he sheepishly said. "I-I just wanted to get nice and comfy."

The girl smiled shyly. "I don't mind. How about I sing you a soothing lullaby?"

He grinned and nodded. Ryella picked up her lyre, placing her fingers on the chords. She thought a moment over the song she wanted to play. Once ready, she began to sing, not yet touching the strings of the lyre.

This song is called "Prayer" and is by Hayley Westenra.

"Let your arms enfold us
Through the dark of night
Will your angels hold us
Till we see the light"

Ryella finally began strumming a melody. Prompto's bright blue eyes peered up at her, watching her delicate fingers pluck the strings. He caught her emerald orbs on him briefly as she flashed him a pretty smile.

"Hush, lay down your troubled mind
The day has vanished and left us behind
And the wind, whispering soft lullabies
Will soothe, so close your weary eyes

"Let your arms enfold us
Through the dark of night
Will your angels hold us
Till we see the light"

Prompto smiled, enjoying the sweet sound of her voice. He wanted to just look at her for hours, captivated by her beauty. He carefully reached up, brushing some of her hair to the side and tucking it behind her ear. That gave him a much better view of her face.

"Sleep, angels will watch over you
And soon beautiful dreams will come true
Can you feel spirits embracing your soul
So dream while secrets of darkness unfold

"Let your arms enfold us
Through the dark of night
Will your angels hold us
Till we see the light

"Let your arms enfold us
Through the dark of night
Will your angels hold us
Till we see the light"

Playing the final chords, Prompto grinned up at her. "As beautiful as always."

"Thank you," the girl replied, smiling happily.

The boy laughed lightly. "I'll definitely be sleeping soundly tonight. I love hearing your voice."

Ryella set aside her lyre. "That's good, you deserve a good night's sleep."

She rested a hand on his head, letting her fingers run through his hair. Despite the messy appearance, the boy's hair was surprisingly much softer than it looked. The girl couldn't help but play with a few strands before combing her fingers through it again.

The male hummed in content, relaxing at the pleasurable sensation. "Don't stop doing that. Feels nice."

Ryella complied and continued her actions. The pair sat there in silence for a few moments. Prompto's eyes wandered to the girl's stomach beside his head. With her outfit exposing her abdomen, he couldn't help thinking how soft her skin looked. He recalled the time she was playing with several children while in dragon form. One of them had found a spot somewhere on her belly that sent her into pure bliss. The blond was actually pretty curious as to where that spot was. He reached his hand over, tracing his fingers over her stomach.

Ryella flinched, retracting her hand from his hair. "Wh-what are you doing?" she asked, her cheeks heating up.

Prompto grinned mischeviously, continuing his search along her skin. "Looking for that place those kids found before. Y'know, the one that sends you to cloud nine."

The girl's eyes widened and she instantly grabbed hold of his hand and arm, hoping her gentle pushing would be enough to deter him. "No, no, no, i-it's not a big deal. J-just leave it be, p-please."

The boy chuckled, ignoring her protests. "Oh, I think it is. If you're getting so wound up, then it must be something special."

The girl's grip on his arm and hand didn't stop him. His fingers roamed her skin. He finally grazed over an area on her right side of her navel that caused her to gasp. The boy froze in place, glancing up at Ryella.

A sly grin spread across his lips. "I think I foouund it," he sang in amusement.

He put a little more pressure against her skin, rubbing his fingers in a circular motion. Ryella squirmed a bit, biting her lower lip. Prompto steadily added more pressure to the spot until a moan of pleasure tore from the girl's throat. He stopped in an instant, staring up at her with wide eyes. That was the cutest moan he'd ever heard in his life. Ryella suddenly realized the noise she'd made and clamped a hand over her mouth, blushing furiously. The gunman swallowed hard, having not realized the effect that sound had on him. It made him feel uncomfortably hot all over. He definitely wanted to remember where that special spot was...for future reference.

"Did you...just...moan?" he asked, still in disbelief.

Ryella turned her head away bashfully. "I-I...um..." She gulped, not sure how to respond. "I told you...n-not to..."

"I won't do it anymore," he assured, not wanting her to feel uncomfortable. "I was just curious." He laughed lightly. "Does anyone else know about that spot?"

"Only my brother...and those children, of course." She laughed lightly at the memory of Reynard. "Rey always called it my weak spot. He used to tease me about it sometimes."

Prompto laughed too. "You're weak spot, huh?" He fell silent, realizing just how privileged he was. "Wow...and I'm one of the only ones to know about it." He whistled.

Silence fell over them. Ryella went back to combing the boy's hair with her fingers. She rested her free hand on his chest, and he placed his own hand over hers, squeezing it lightly. Prompto couldn't deny how nice it felt to be pampered by the girl of his dreams. He wished he could just stay there, on her lap, all night. Ryella couldn't describe how free she felt in those moments. For once, she wasn't being tied down by the past.

"You know..." she quietly spoke, earning the blond's attention. "There's something I must confess."

Prompto's heart swelled at the word 'confess'. "What is it?"

Ryella smiled gently down at him. "When I fled from Tenebrae, I never thought I'd ever erase the pain I'd felt. But then, I met all of you, and we began our journey together. I was unsure at first, but with each passing day, all the heartache, all the grief...it was going away. And now, all the time I spend with you guys, it makes me forget about everything else. But then..." Her smile faded away. "That's the part that frightens me. Rey and Clement...I'm starting to think about them less and less. What if I forget about them?"

The gunman gazed up at her with concern. He brought his free hand up to lightly stroke her cheek with his fingertips. "Ryella, you won't have to worry about that. The memories you had of them will always stay with you. I know they were both very important to you. I don't want you to ever forget them, I just don't want you to hurt anymore."

"I hope you're right." She took a deep breath. "Feels good to get that off my chest. You're always here to listen when I need you, Prompto."

The two smiled at each other. Although the gunman didn't get the kind of 'confession' he was hoping for, he was happy to know that Ryella was still pushing forward. The sound of the door opening caused them both to turn their heads. Iris strolled in, but abruptly paused when she saw them. With Prompto's head still on Ryella's lap, she could only guess what could've been going on.

"Uh, am I interrupting?"

Ryella was quick to shake her head. "No, no, we were just talking."

Prompto carefully sat up from his position and rose to his feet. He stretched a bit after having been laying down for so long. "Guess I'd better go anyway. I didn't realize how tired I was. Night, Ryella. Night Iris."

"Goodnight," the two girls said in unison.

As soon as the boy left, Iris went over and plopped down next to her friend. "You sure you guys aren't already together? You sure treat him like he's your boyfriend."

Ryella blushed. "I-I do? I mean, he's n-not my boyfriend." She sighed. "It's...complicated." She swiftly got up and rushed toward the bathroom. "I should really get cleaned up." Iris only shook her head at how adorable the Guardian acted when it came to the blond male.

~~~~~

As soon as Prompto went back to his room, his friends were there to greet him. "You certainly took your time," Ignis told him.

"How's Ryella?" Noctis inquired. "She seemed upset about what happened. She okay?"

Prompto nodded, casually taking a seat by his best friend. "She's fine now. She was kinda torn up about everything, but I talked to her, and she's feeling better. I mean, it's not like it was her fault or anything. She didn't attack on purpose."

"Indeed," the bespectacled man agreed. "That was the empire's doing, not Ryella's."

"Good thing she didn't rip you apart back there," Gladio joked. "Only roughed you up a little." He closed the book he'd been reading and set it aside. "Anyway, you two do anything else besides chat? You spent quite awhile with her."

"She sang for me," Prompto answered. "Well, I asked her to. But we mostly just talked." Noctis gave a small nod, taking a few gulps of the juice he'd set on the coffee table. "She had some stuff on her mind and all."

"C'mon, there's gotta be more than that," the shield urged, wanting some details. "You spent about an hour in there."

"Weeell..." The blond debated on saying more, but figured it couldn't hurt to give them some details. After all, he knew he'd probably need advice from them about certain things anyway. "If you really wanna know, the whole time we talked, I got to lay my head on her lap."

Gladio grinned. "Nice. You kiss her yet?"

Prompto's face heated up. "N-no..." He leaned forward excitedly. "But I did find her weak spot."

Noctis instantly spit out his juice, making a mess on the table. "What?!"

Judging by his reaction, the gunman knew he thought something way differently. "No, not like that!" He groaned. "Geez, who do you think I am?! You guys remember after Nero attacked, and Ryella was playing with those kids?"

"Oh, right," Noctis replied, chuckling. "She was practically in heaven when she got a belly rub."

Prompto laughed. "Yeah, turns out she's got a place on her stomach that's sensitive. She made the cutest little noise when I found it."

"Hmph, gotta hand it to ya, Prompto," Gladio said, "you certainly showed restraint. A lot of guys would go wild if they got that sort of reaction from a girl."

"Well, it wouldn't be polite to force a lady into an uncomfortable situation," Ignis added.

The blond nodded. "And I wouldn't do that to Ryella."

"Course not, you like her too much for that," Noctis dryly stated, going toward the bathroom for paper towels to wipe up the mess he'd made.

Prompto hummed. "I guess I do."

There was no denying how he felt. The gunman was brimming with joy, and he made no means to hide it from his friends. He'd gotten a very meaningful talk with Ryella, and for that, he was happy. And from what she'd told him, it sounded like she wasn't clinging to her past feelings much anymore. So perhaps that meant that Prompto was managing to make his way into her heart, little by little. He was certainly no expert on women, but with how Ryella talked and acted with him, he was sure she was slowly letting him in. After all, he was often the one she went to whenever she had a problem, not to mention they'd gone out together. Hopefully, sooner or later, he'd muster up the courage to tell her exactly how he felt.