Lorelai and Prompto panted, taking a few moments to catch their breaths and down a couple of potions. The corpses of killer wasps, mushussu, and a cockatrice littered the ground around them. Many of the monsters had killed each other in the battle, but Lorelai and Prompto happened to be caught up in their quarrels and were forced to fight as well. Thanks to the potions, the cuts and scrapes they had acquired in the battle healed right up.

"Looks like we did it," Lorelai said after a few moments. "I think that was all of the monsters causing the problems."

"Finally!" Prompto groaned. "I thought that'd never end! There were so many!"

Lorelai looked up at the orange sky. "That did take quite a while. The sun's already setting. Daemons will be out soon."

"Which means we've gotta get outta here before then. Isn't there a haven nearby?"

"I believe so."

The two hurried away from the swamp and toward the glowing runes of the haven in the distance. There, they saw a motorcycle parked on the dirt road next to the haven.

"Huh, that's weird," Lorelai stated, scanning the area. "There's a motorcycle, but I don't see any signs that anyone is staying here."

"Yeah," Prompto agreed. "Maybe someone simply... forgot it?"

Lorelai frowned. "Or perhaps... they were killed." She examined the bike. "It's in good condition, and it even has the key still in it. I don't think anyone left it here of their own free will." The sound of thunder caught her attention and she turned her gaze to the cloudy, darkening sky above. "This is our ticket back to Meldacio. We can't stay at the haven or else we'll be sleeping in the rain and going hungry for the night."

All light steadily faded from the sky and the sounds of daemons emerging in the surrounding area could be heard. Prompto nodded in agreement and replied, "Alright. You drive, I'll keep daemons off our backs."

Lorelai climbed onto the bike with Prompto behind her, summoning his gun. It took the girl a moment to realize that she'd never driven anything like that before. She nervously glanced back at the blond.

"Uh, Prompto, I-I don't know how to drive a motorcycle."

The gunman stared at her, dumbfounded. "What? Really?" She shook her head, blushing in embarrassment. "Well I can. Switch places." The girl gladly got off, letting her boyfriend scoot up while she took the space behind him. He turned the key and started up the engine. "Hope you've got a way of keeping the daemons off us," he said, glancing back at her.

She smiled, summoning her scythe in one hand. "You just leave that to me."

She imbued her weapon with her light, causing the blades to glow white. She then formed a small orb that hovered over them, emitting a bright light like a beacon. Prompto got going, following the dirt path. The two sped along on the motorcycle, the noise attracting unwanted attention. While things like iron giants were too slow to keep up with them, persistent little imps and goblins were the opposite. A few tried jumping at them as they drove by. Fortunately, Lorelai was quick to knock them away with her scythe or a light wall.

In the bike's headlight, Prompto caught sight of a group of small daemons jumping through the trees ahead of them. "Uh, Lora, we got a situation!"

Lorelai saw the enemies overhead. With one hand gripping onto Prompto's shoulder, the girl slowly stood up, keeping a hold on the boy so she wouldn't fall. She tossed her scythe, sending it spinning and slicing through the creatures in the trees before disappearing for her to resummon. The daemons that dodged her weapon fell down around them. Lorelai erected a barrier of light over them, keeping the monsters from falling on them.

Soon enough, they left the dirt path and turned off onto the main road. They knew they were home free now. No longer surrounded by dark woods where daemons loved to lurk, they both knew they shouldn't have much of a problem now. Any giants or anything similar that decide to pop up on the road could easily be passed and left behind. But just to be safe, Lorelai leaned around Prompto and imbued the headlight with her magic, strengthening its power.

The girl then got situated and wrapped her arms around Prompto to hang on. She laid her head against his back, feeling the cold night air beat against her skin. The gunman was definitely enjoying the feeling of her warmth pressed against his back. But he also couldn't wait to get back to Hunter HQ. He was anticipating a night of his girlfriend's cooking and some quiet time alone with her. Sure, he enjoyed his friends' company, but the privacy he would have with Lorelai would be equally as pleasant, possibly even more so.

The lights of HQ came into view and Prompto slowed down. He pulled up and parked alongside the other vehicles that belonged to the hunters. The two climbed off the bike and headed for Ezma's home. They walked up the stairs of her porch and approached the elderly woman.

"The job is done," Lorelai told her. "We exterminated the monsters causing all the problems."

"Well done, both of you," she replied. "I knew I could count on the Star to take care of things. This'll be a huge relief to all the hunters. Thank you." Ezma paid them both a handsome sum of gil for such a big job. "I trust you'll both have a well-earned rest."

Lorelai smiled. "We will. Thank you, Ezma."

The two turned and began leaving when Jax approached them. He had a look of surprise on his face. "Did I hear that right? You really took care of it, just the two of you?"

The girl placed her hands on her hips. "Yeah. We got rid of the pests. The Vesperpool is safe for the time being."

"Wow..." the redhead muttered. He then shook his head and smiled slightly. "I shouldn't have expected any less from you, Lora." He then turned his gaze to the gunman beside her. "Prompto, was it?" The blond nodded, shocked that Jax used his real name for once. "You're a very lucky man. Always remember that."

Prompto nodded again. "I will."

Jax turned on his heel and left. The two were both a bit stunned by the redhead's change in attitude. They hadn't expected him to say anything of that sort. Once the shock wore off, Lorelai went to the shop to do a little ingredient shopping while Prompto rented the caravan for the night. The blond quickly took a bath and changed into his casual clothes. By the time he was done, Lorelai was already back and cooking. Prompto snuck up behind the girl at the stove, leaning over her shoulder.

"Oooh, what'cha making?"

She giggled, glancing back at him as she stirred the pot of ingredients. "You'll just have to wait and find out." He whined like a child, causing Lorelai to laugh at him. But once the meal was done, she served it up, handing him a bowl. "Hope you like it. It's Dry-Aged Tender Roast Stew."

The boy grinned, the delicious aroma reaching his nose. "It sure smells good. If you made it, then I'm sure it's delicious." He sat down and stuffed a spoonful into his mouth. He swallowed it and licked his lips. "Mmm. Yep, I knew it'd taste great. I bet if you and Ignis collaborated on a recipe, it'd be the best food in all of Eos."

With her own bowl in hand, Lorelai sat with him with a happy smile. "Aww, thanks. But I wouldn't go that far."

She took a bite, watching as her boyfriend wolfed down the meal she'd made. They talked as they ate, and once finished, Lorelai cleaned up and went to the bathroom to bathe and change. Prompto flopped onto his bed, grabbing the remote and flipping on the small TV. He skimmed a few channels, seeing what was on. He thought about what Lorelai may want to watch. He knew she liked music channels, and as much as he loved to watch her dance, he would rather relax with her now.

The bathroom door suddenly opened and Lorelai strolled out in her pastel blue pajamas. Her bare feet padded against the cold floor as she went over to Prompto's bed. With her socks in hand, she slipped one onto her foot. She then brought her leg up, resting her foot on the bed as she steadily pulled her sock up.

"So, what do you want to do tonight?" she asked.

"Oh, we can do whatever you..." he trailed off, his blue eyes widening and focusing on the girl. He sat up and leaned forward, watching the rim of the sock as she slowly pulled it up past her knee to finally stop at her thigh. He gulped. "... w-want."

He stared as she did the same with her other sock. She noticed his expression and giggled, finally turning his attention away from her legs. "Prompto, you don't have to stare." She got onto the bed on her hands and knees and slowly crawled over to him. She paused in front of him and pecked his lips. "I could be in your arms all night tonight."

He grinned, a faint blush staining his cheeks. Lorelai swiftly jumped up, hurried to her bag of things from the shop, and rushed back to the blond. Prompto got situated, moving the pillow behind his back so he could lean back against the headboard of the bed. He held his arm out, letting the girl climb over next to him. She laid against him while his arm draped around her shoulder. He noticed Lorelai had a bag of chips in her hand.

"You got chips too?" he questioned.

"Yeah, for a snack." She opened the bag. "They're cheese flavored. Want one?"

"Nah, I shouldn't. Don't wanna put on any extra weight."

"Neither do I. That's why I got fat free ones."

"Well... in that case, maybe just one or two."

Lorelai grabbed a chip between her fingers and held it up to the blond. Prompto gently took the snack with his teeth, careful he didn't bite her fingers. He chewed it up and swallowed.

"Hey, that's pretty good."

Lorelai ate one as well. "I know. We can share them if you want."

Prompto agreed, only eating a few while Lorelai ate the majority of the bag. But once the empty chip bag had been set aside, the two quietly sat there, watching whatever was on TV. Lorelai rested her head against the boy's chest, curling up beside him. Prompto kept his arm around her shoulder, glancing down at her a few times. He found his hand wanting to move down from her shoulder and caress the exposed skin of her side, but he didn't know if she would want him to touch her like that. So instead, he stayed still. But Lorelai could feel the way his hand rubbed her shoulder and occasionally eased down more.

Lorelai reached up and took his hand, trailing it down to her side. "It's okay, Prompto. I don't mind if you touch me."

The blond's shyness disappeared as soon as he had her approval. With his free hand, he took her chin and lifted her head. Her blue-flecked green eyes locked onto his solid blue ones. They both smiled and leaned in, their lips pressing against each other. After pulling apart, the gunman kissed her head as she snuggled against him, his hand now trailing down to her hip and up to her shoulder, briefly pausing to feel her soft skin.

"I really like spending time alone with you, Lorelai," he quietly told her.

She yawned. "Me too."

He chuckled at her. "Get some sleep, 'kay, babe?"

She lightly nodded, smiling at the pet name he'd just given her. "Okay."

He grinned and pecked her head. He turned down the volume of the TV and pulled the blankets up over them. Lorelai quickly dozed off and into a dream about her home and family. But unlike past dreams that only frightened and upset her, this one was a joyful one. Prompto suddenly heard his phone vibrate on the small table next to the bed. He reached over and picked it up. It was a message from Noctis.

"We'll be back in the morning."

Prompto replied, "Okay. You can find us at the caravan."

He set his phone aside and looked down at his sleeping girlfriend. He noticed a single tear at the very corner of her eye and wondered what she was dreaming about. He lightly kissed her head and turned off the TV along with the small lamp on the table. He slowly shifted until he laid down with Lorelai still against his chest. With one arm still draped around her, he closed his eyes and drifted to sleep.