Noctis' POV-

I blink a couple times in surprise as Veronica extends her hand. "What do you mean, show me?

She seems to hesitate a moment before simply beckoning again. "It's... the third thing I mentioned," she says softly. "But I have one rule before we do this, and it's non-negotiable."

Ignis frowns at this, gently reaching over to rest his hand on her shoulder. "You don't have to do this. You've been exhausted and this will only drain you further."

"I owe it to him, don't I?" she asks, but I shake my head.

"No... you don't. Actually, I shouldn't have mentioned it. Truthfully... I can't promise I'd be able to keep myself calm if I knew."

Her eyes widen in surprise, her hand falling back to her side. "I... I don't understand," she says, bewildered. "I've never seen anyone turn my offer down."

"Noctis isn't just anyone," Gladio says with a proud smile, wrapping his arm around my shoulders. "As curious as we may be, we know every power has its drawbacks. And if this is something you have to have rules for, then it's not worth risking."

Veronica doesn't say anything after that. She just stands there in silence, seemingly lost in thought. "Well then," Ignis says, clearing his throat. "We should get heading to bed if we want to hurry and find Cor. Veronica, why don't you go ahead and make yourself comfortable and we'll join you in a bit?"

She shakes her head and looks up at him, shrugging off his hand that hadn't moved from her shoulder. "I'll keep watch, if you don't mind."

"Nonsense," he argues, pushing her towards their tent despite her reluctance. "There's no need for watch when the haven protects us from any dangers. Now get some sleep, that's an order."

"Since when did I take orders from the royal advisor?"

"Since you decided not to sleep for days and had the crazy thought that a power nap would be enough."

The rest of us start to tear down and put out the campfire, Prompto and I making our way towards our tent. "Hey, Noct?" he asks once I close the flap.

"Yeah?"

"Don't you think it's a little strange?"

"What?" I make myself comfortable in my sleeping bag, shifting my pillow to the colder side.

"I mean... I'd never heard of Veronica, or anyone having such close ties with your dad. Don't you think he would have at least told you about her?"

"Mmm, maybe. But Ignis and Gladio vouch for her, so I'm not too worried."

"I wonder how she even found us. Would she have kept searching despite the imperials being practically everywhere?"

"Don't know. Maybe you can ask her in the morning."

"Are you kidding? I can't do that?"

"Why not?"

"Dude, I'm not sure whether to be happy that she's here or terrified. You saw her face earlier with the sabertusks."

I merely sigh and roll onto my side, my back facing him. "Well, then you'll just have to keep wondering. Regardless, as far as I know she is our ally. And right now, we need all the help we can get."

Veronica's POV-

Sleep. Yeah, right. The moment Ignis and Gladio fell asleep, I made my move.

"Like hell I could sleep like this..." I mutter, hearing the latter's snoring from my right. They decided I'd sleep in the middle so I wouldn't feel as trapped, but they don't know that I've never felt free in my life. I slowly made my way towards the flap, opening it silently and stepping out while careful not to wake either of them.

The moon was full tonight, so it wasn't particularly dark out. I can feel my stress began to wane the moment the cool air hits my skin, causing me to take in a deep breath of relief. "Sleeping without a guard... how have they managed to survive this long?" I huff as I pull out my gun, checking the bullets inside and making sure the chamber is loaded before flicking on the safety. Don't want a stray bullet to cause problems, in any case.

Truth is, I don't remember the last time I had a peaceful night's sleep. Work usually had me out all night, not able to return until after dawn depending on how far I had to travel. Usually, I'd immediately start drafting my report, handing it over to Ignis or the King directly, whichever was available. If I slept, it was more like crashing the moment I closed my eyes for more than a moment. Even then, it wouldn't be for more than a few hours at a time. I didn't expect tonight to be any different.

I can feel the exhaustion starting to creep up on me as time passes, but I know none of the boys will seriously try to keep watch if I chose to retire for a few hours. I can do this, I think to myself. Just last until morning, until one of them wakes up. It's not that hard.

But in that moment, I heard a sound. A strange noise, almost a cry with light footfalls rushing behind me. I turn to see a pack of goblins rush over to the haven, eyes locked on me and practically foaming at the mouth. Shit! I'm quick to brandish my gun but not fast enough, and a piercing pain goes through my arm as an arrow grazes the skin. I stumble backwards, and they continue to rush forward while ignoring the tents.

I bite my lip hard as I try to fend them off, but I'm slower than I realize. One of them cuts into the back of my leg, causing me to drop with a grunt as I try to conceal the pain. I fire my gun twice after switching off the safety but miss both shots, before one of them knocks it out of my hand. As it skids along the ground, I go to brandish my daggers. However, a pair of feet slams into my back and forces me into the dirt.

I look up to see a goblin with a grin on his face... and my own gun pointed at my head.