"Hey, guys?" Lorelai nervously said. "I think it's time we split up for a bit."

"WHAT?!" Prompto screeched. "How come?!"

Lorelai rubbed her arm and glanced out at the road. "It's just... There's something I need to do... alone." She looked over each of them, a small smile on her lips. "It's just for a little bit. I'll meet back up with you guys later."

"Does this have anything to do with the friend you met with yesterday?" Ignis questioned.

Lorelai nodded. "Yeah, it does. There's somewhere I have to go. But fortunately for you guys, I also learned where you can find another tomb."

"And where's that?" Noctis asked, crossing his arms.

"The Balouve Mines," Lorelai answered. "It can be found in Leide, southeast of Longwythe Peak. You guys can go after the tomb while I take care of my own mission. Then we can meet back up in Lestallum or something."

Gladio sighed, knowing there was no point in arguing with her. "I guess that will allow us to take care of two things at once. Let's get our stuff together and head out."

The four men made sure they had everything packed up in the Regalia while Lorelai checked over her things. The guys were reluctant to let the girl leave on her own, but they knew she could take care of herself. Prompto was torn between the two. He always traveled with his friends, but he didn't want Lorelai to go by herself either. He was somewhat shocked by the decision he came to. He slowly walked back over to where Lorelai stood, the other three watching him questioningly.

"Lora..." he paused briefly, his blue orbs locking onto the girl. "I... I wanna go with you." It was silent and no one said a word. "I know you may not want me to, but I wanna help you out."

"Prompto, you sure about this?" Noctis asked, going over and placing a hand on the blond's shoulder.

Prompto grinned back at the prince. "Course I'm sure! Besides, you guys can handle finding a tomb without me." He looked at Lorelai again. "So, how 'bout it, Lora?"

Lorelai laughed lightly. "Alright, fine, you can come too. It's not like I can stop you. Just don't get in the way, okay." She winked, joking with her last comment.

Prompto saluted. "Yes, ma'am." The blond excitedly grabbed a few of his things from the car.

With his three friends climbing into the Regalia, Gladio was the first to say something, "I think you just wanna go to be alone with Lora." He smirked.

Prompto's face turned red. "D-Do not!" he quietly argued, relieved that Lorelai was out of earshot.

Noctis copied Gladio's smirk. "Don't do anything I wouldn't."

Ignis sighed at the other two's childish behavior. "Just remember, Prompto, this is something obviously very important to Lora. Take it seriously and try to keep your hormones in check."

Prompto only nodded and pursed his lips, his blush apparent. He backed away from the Regalia, waving to his friends as they left the parking lot and drove down the road. Lorelai also waved to them as they sped by. Prompto turned and approached the girl again.

"Alright, Prompto, I suggest you rent a chocobo," Lorelai told him, resting her hands on her hips. "They're going to be our transportation for now."

"Awesome! I love chocobos!" Prompto grinned and walked alongside the girl.

"Me too! They're sooo cute, aren't they?!"

Prompto paid at the Rent-a-Bird and a yellow chocobo came to his side. He pet its head and looked at Lorelai. "Aren't you gonna rent one too?"

Lorelai took her whistle from her pouch. "Don't need to." She blew the whistle and her chocobo came running. Prompto's jaw hung open at seeing the black-feathered bird. "This is Eclipse," Lorelai said, patting her bird's head.

"Oh. Em. Gee. That's a black chocobo!" The blond was awestruck. "I thought they were nearly extinct!"

Lorelai looked sadly down at the ground. "They are. Eclipse is the only one I've ever seen."

Prompto took a moment to pet Eclipse before asking, "How come you don't have to rent her? Doesn't she belong to Wiz?"

Lorelai shook her head and smiled. "Wiz usually looks after her at the Chocobo Post, but I helped raise her. He gave me ownership over her, so I can call for her anytime."

"That's awesome! You're so lucky!"

Lorelai giggled at him. "Come on, let's get going."

The two climbed onto their chocobos. Lorelai led the way, following the roads and crossing a couple of bridges that went over the River Wennath. The two ended up taking a pit stop at Burbost, letting their chocobos rest a bit. The two were getting drinks at the Crow's Nest. Lorelai got a simple water while Prompto got a Jetty's. They sat at a booth and Lorelai found herself absentmindedly staring out the window. Prompto noticed her distant expression.

"So, Lora, where exactly are we going anyway?" he asked, gulping down half his soda.

Lorelai looked over at him, smiling kindly. "Up to the Vesperpool. There's some ruins there called the Steyliff Grove. That's where we're going."

"And may I ask why?"

"There's something in there that I really want to see. It's something that can't be found anywhere else."

Prompto frowned and rested his arms on the table, leaning forward slightly. "Lora, now that it's just you and me, is there anything you'd like to explain?"

Lorelai nearly choked on her water. She quickly shook her head. "I-I... I can't." She turned her face away. "Sorry, Prompto, but it's personal. You wouldn't understand. There's no need to concern yourself with it."

"But, Lora, I want to know. I want to-"

Lorelai slammed her hand on the table. "Just drop it, Prompto." The blond was shocked by her reaction. This was the first time he'd seen her get so defensive. "Come on, let's go."

Prompto quickly gulped down the rest of his soda before getting up and following the girl. They threw their trash away and left the diner. Prompto was silent, still surprised by the girl's outburst. He didn't know what to say or if he should say anything at all. He realized that Lorelai wasn't heading to the chocobos, but to the caravan instead.

"Uh, we're not... leaving?" he cautiously questioned, following behind the girl.

"I figured we should wait until tomorrow to continue," she replied. "It'll be getting dark before long." She suddenly stopped at the door of the caravan, twisting around to face the blond. "Listen... I'm sorry for how I acted back there. I just..."

"Can't tell anyone?" he finished her statement, causing her to nod. He grinned. "No worries, I was being pushy."

"No, you have the right to ask. If I was you, I'd be questioning everything too." She shyly looked away. "I'm sorry that I can't tell you," she murmured.

Prompto smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, everyone has their secrets. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

She returned his smile. "Thanks, Prompto."

The rest of the evening was spent at the caravan. The two talked and laughed, learning a little bit more about the other. Once they got hungry, Lorelai began preparing a meal. With the ingredients she had, she made Packed Mushroom Stew. She made a bowl for Prompto and herself. The blond took a spoonful and placed it in his mouth. He really liked the taste and began shoveling spoonfuls into his mouth.

"Mmm, this is delicious," he complimented after swallowing his food.

Lorelai smiled, eating her own bowl of the stew. "Thanks."

"You're a great cook, Lora. I'd like to eat your food more often... uh, don't tell Ignis I said that."

The raven-haired girl laughed. "I won't, and I'll cook anytime you like. Although, I don't know if my food's quite as good as Ignis's."

"Are you kidding?!" Prompto exclaimed. "You could probably rival Ignis as our cook... again, don't tell him I said that."

The two shared a lot of laughs and finished off the stew. They both talked long into the night before finally growing too tired to stay awake. While Lorelai slept soundly in the bunk underneath his, Prompto gazed up at the ceiling for a while. It was only the first day and he was already enjoying this little adventure with Lorelai. He truthfully wanted to earn her full trust so that maybe she'd tell him everything she'd been hiding. He hoped that if that plan failed, he'd get a clue from whatever Lorelai wanted to see at Steyliff. But even if that didn't work either, he would at least enjoy the time to get to know her better. He eventually dozed off with a small smile on his lips.