Ryella laid quietly, watching the four men setting up camp. Gladio was busy pitching the tent while Ignis was setting up his table and cookware. Noctis and Prompto were both tasked with bringing chairs and other supplies from the car to the camp. The sun was setting by the time they had reached Sothmocke Haven. Although the camp was located just to the east of Aracheole Stronghold, the imperial base didn't appear to have much activity at the moment.

Ignis looked between his ingredients and the dragon. "I suppose I'll be cooking for you tonight as well. I don't know if I can make enough to satiate you, but I can at least give you a snack."

Ryella purred in response, tilting her head to the side and wondering what kind of meal he'd prepare. She felt her stomach rumble and licked her lips in anticipation. Gladio finished with the tent and stood up straight.

"Anyone else wondering how we're gonna waltz into Lestallum with Mallow?" he inquired.

Prompto plopped down in a seat. "No idea. But, y'know, maybe no one will even care."

Noctis shook his head. "It would be like walking into town with a pet behemoth, everyone would panic. It would be easy to just take the tag ourselves and have Mallow wait for us..."

Ryella grumbled and barked, as if arguing with him. "I don't think Mallow agrees with that," the blond said.

"We have till morning to figure something out," Ignis interrupted. "Let us first have supper, then we can rest on it."

Ignis began cooking up a mouthwatering meal. The boys all sat around waiting for supper, chatting and fiddling with their phones. Prompto would even occasionally snatch up his camera and snap a picture of the white beast or his friends. While they enjoyed themselves, Ryella began thinking over how to proceed. She had to get into Lestallum, she had to return the tag to Clement's family. But the only way she'd be able to enter the town is if she were human.

I do have the magic energy stored up at the moment, she thought. But should I risk it? She weighed the pros and cons in her head. If I transform, I'll be able to easily blend in with everyone else, not to mention maybe get a decent meal for a change. But then...I'll be naked...in front of four guys... And I'll be a humilated, nervous wreck, and I won't be able to fly or fight. She tilted her head up, staring at the star-covered sky. If she looked hard enough, she could almost see the faces of Reynard and Clement connected by the stars, just like the last time she slept under the night sky.

"Uh, Mallow?"

The beast shifted her gaze to the blond approaching her. The expression on his face was one of concern. She tilted her head to the side slightly, confused as to why he seemed worried. He stopped beside her, reaching out and placing a hand on her arm.

"Why are you crying? What's wrong?"

Ryella brought her hand up, wiping an eye. She hadn't even realized that she had started crying, but the droplets of water running down her cheeks were proof of it. Prompto soothingly rubbed her arm, hoping to calm her. Ryella knew that, although she initially believed she had two or more options, in truth, she only had one. Personally delivering Clement's tag to his family was something she had to do, no matter what. She harnessed the magic energy she'd accumulated, and her body began glowing with a bright, white light.

Prompto stumbled back in surprise. "I-I didn't do anything!" he swiftly defended, not wanting to get blamed for whatever was happening.

The boys watched in utter shock as the dragon's glowing body morphed and steadily decreased in size. Her wings and tail both shrunk into her body. Her claws, fur, and crests contracted, completely disappearing. Ryella curled up tightly during the transformation as she grew smaller and smaller in size. The light faded around her and she found herself down on her knees, hunched forward with her arms covering her chest the best she could. She stayed in that position, her legs pressed together in hopes that she wasn't completely exposed.

The boys stared, wide-eyed and red-faced. To suddenly see a human girl in place of a dragon was baffling. Not only that, she was naked. Prompto's mouth was agape and nearly his whole face had turned red, yet he couldn't seem to tear his eyes away. They were all speechless, unable to comprehend what, or how, something so outrageous could actually happen. Prompto couldn't stop his eyes from roaming, though fortunately, the girl had herself covered well enough, making him unable to see much. Ryella kept still and silent with her head hung down, ashamed and embarrassed by her situation.

Ignis was quick to shake off the surprise. Being chivalrous, he couldn't very well leave a lady exposed. He turned off the portable stove and hurriedly walked over to the girl. He slipped off his jacket and gently placed it over her back. Ryella shot her head up slightly, seeing Ignis kneeling beside her. Feeling the jacket draped over her, she snatched the edges of it, pulling it tightly around her to conceal her body.

"Th-thank you..." she muttered to the bespectacled man.

Ignis smiled lightly, wrapping an arm gently around her shoulders and helping her to her feet. Luckily for her, her smaller stature compared to the advisor's meant that his jacket hung down past her thighs and fit all the way around her with ease. With a blush staining her cheeks, Ryella shyly kept her gaze on the ground. The guys were all still perplexed by the situation, unable to find words. Prompto continued to stare, never having expected the dragon he'd grown fond of to turn into a cute girl.

Noctis looked over the female's appearance. She had long, straight, warm brown hair that fell to about elbow-length. Her bangs were parted evenly in the middle, and freckles littered her nose and cheeks. Her eyes were a vibrant green hue, just like when she was a dragon. Her pink lips were pressed together while her small, delicate hands poked out from between the edges of the jacket, clutching it tightly around her.

"Wait..." He squinted slightly, recognizing her. "Ryella?"

The girl suddenly gasped and looked up at him. "Y-you remember me..." Her voice was soft and light. "Prince Noctis... I-I..."

"What...?" The prince was trying hard to think of an explanation. "How are you...? Why are you...?"

Ignis cleared his throat. "We can save the questions for after she is properly dressed. Right now, we need to find something she can wear."

"We have extra clothes," Gladio answered. "Only problem is they probably won't fit her."

Noctis set his gaze on his best friend. "Prompto, mind lending her your casual clothes?"

The gunman looked between his friends. "Huh? Wh-why do we have to use my clothes?" He was a bit flustered by the thought of a girl wearing his outfit. "I can see not using Gladio's or Iggy's, but what about yours?"

Noctis crossed his arms. "C'mon, you know my t-shirt will be too baggy for her. It's just temporary."

"Fine, okay," Prompto said, giving in.

He waved the girl over and went to the tent. Ryella gingerly followed him, climbing inside after him. The girl glanced around the interior of the tent, finding it larger than it seemed on the outside. She got down on her knees so she wouldn't have to hunch over while Prompto dug through his bag of clothes. He rummaged around for his casual attire.

"Here's pants..." he muttered, laying them out beside Ryella. "Tank top...vest...shoes if you need 'em...and I guess you can borrow a pair of my u-underwear." His face turned red as soon as he said that. "We don't have any, uh, g-girl's underclothes, sorry."

Ryella shook her head and smiled. "That's f-fine... Thank you, Prompto."

The blond had a permanent blush at how close she was to him and how cute she was. "No prob, Mal- I mean, Ryella. That is your name, right?"

She nodded and hummed, "Mm-hmm."

After a brief moment of staring at the girl and grinning like an idiot, Prompto popped up from where he'd been crouching. "I, uh, guess I'd better let you get dressed."

He hurried out of the tent, zipping it up behind him. Ryella looked over the clothing she'd been given. She was relieved that Noctis had recognized her, and that his friends had been kind enough to lend her some clothes. Though that still didn't change the fact that she was somewhat mortified to have been exposed to them. She carefully slid off the advisor's jacket and began getting dressed.

Prompto took a deep breath as he walked away from the tent. "Man, that was awkward," he mumbled to himself.

Ignis had already returned to his cooking while Noctis and Gladio sat by. Prompto plopped down in a chair alongside them. "Noct..." Ignis's voice broke the silence. "Who exactly is that young lady? How do you know her?"

The shield and the gunman both looked to the prince, but the chamberlain kept his gaze on the food and simply listened. "That's Ryella. I remember meeting her 12 years ago when I visited Tenebrae. I don't know much about her myself aside from what Luna told me. Ryella and her family lived with and worked for House Fleuret as something called 'Guardians'. Luna said that they had some kind of powerful magic, but I had no idea they could completely transform into a dragon or anything."

"We'll have to hear the whole story from Ryella, then," Gladio chimed in.

Noctis sighed. "If she's as shy as she was 12 years ago, that might be more difficult than it sounds."

"She sure didn't seem that way when she was a dragon," Prompto added. "She was brave and fierce."

The sound of a zipper quieted them. The boys turned their heads to see Ryella climbing out of the tent. Prompto gulped, a light blush dusting his cheeks once more as he subtly snapped a picture. The brunette's figure filled his clothes better than he would've thought. The pants were slightly baggy on her, but a belt kept them from sliding down too much. The dark red tank top fit more snugly around her torso, although it was actually a little tight around the chest to her. The shoes had been too big for her feet, so she was currently barefoot. But she did wear the black vest to help cover the fact that she didn't have a bra.

(In case you don't remember, this is Prompto's casual attire that she's wearing)

"Hey, you look pretty good in Prompto's clothes," Gladio said, hoping to break the ice with her.

Ryella averted her gaze shyly, hugging Ignis's jacket in her arms. "U-um...thank you." Her voice remained very soft, and her manner of speaking was somewhat similar to Lunafreya's.

She timidly walked over to where Ignis was cooking and held the jacket out to him. He smiled lightly and took it, slipping it back on. "Your name is Ryella, correct?"

She nodded. "Uh-huh."

Prompto nervously rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry about calling you Mallow before. If I'd known your real name..."

"I-it's okay," she stuttered out. "I didn't mind...really." Her eyes landed on the accessories around the blond's neck. She carefully approached him until she stood right in front of him. She pointed at the two necklaces. "Um...could I..."

Prompto looked down at the items and immediately began sliding them over his head. "Right, right, I forgot I had 'em."

He held them out, watching the girl eagerly take them. She clutched both the tag and the pendant in her hands and held them to her chest. She then gave a joyful smile. "Thank you...P-Prompto."

Seeing her smile sweetly at him nearly made his heart skip a beat. "It was nothing," he replied, laughing nervously.

"Ryella?" The brunette turned her head to look at the prince. "Would you like to join us for supper?"

She shyly rubbed her arm. "Uh...well... I don't want to be a b-burden."

"Don't worry about it," Gladio interrupted. "We got plenty of food to go around. Come join us."

Ryella smiled slightly at the generosity. "O-okay, then. Thank you."