The Regalia pulled into the parking lot. The sun set over the horizon, casting shades of orange over the ocean's surface. The trip to Galdin took all day, but finally the gang arrived at the resort. They all got out of the car, stretching their arms and legs.

"Ugh, my legs," the prince complained.

"I suggest we stay at the caravan tonight," Ignis said, gesturing to it with his head. "Tomorrow we'll have all day to enjoy our time at the resort."

The others agreed and began heading away from the parking lot. Lorelai stayed where she was, her eyes glued to the sea. The others noticed and paused, looking back at the girl.

"Uh, Lora?" Prompto's voice snapped her out of her daze. "You coming?"

Lorelai faked a smile. "I'll catch up. You guys go on ahead."

The four men reluctantly headed over to the caravan. Lorelai watched them go before looking back at the view again. Memories flooded her mind and the homesick feelings rose up within her again. Warm tears began cascading down her cheeks. She slowly made her way down to the beach and sat on the sand at the edge of the water. Despite the sun's disappearance beyond the horizon, Lorelai wasn't afraid. The whole area around the resort was lit up and the moon shone brightly in the clear sky, chasing away the usual pitch black of night. Lorelai brought her knees up and rested her chin on them, gazing distantly at the ocean while she silently cried.

"Hey, Lora," a voice greeted.

Lorelai quickly wiped her eyes and looked back, seeing her blond friend approaching. "Prompto..."

Prompto casually sat beside her on the sand. "So... what are you doing out here? I thought you were just gonna be a second." Lorelai couldn't answer, afraid her shaky voice would give her away. But she couldn't hold back the tears that kept flowing from her eyes. Prompto glanced over at her, noticing her tears. His eyes widened. "Whoa, are you crying?"

Lorelai instantly turned her head away and wiped her eyes again. "I... I'm fine. Don't worry."

Prompto scooted closer, placing a hand on her back. "When you tell me not to worry, that's when I worry the most. You've been trying to get outta coming here since last night. What's up?"

"It's just..." Lorelai finally looked at him, not bothering to hide her tears anymore. "This place - the ocean view - it's so much like Siderum. Every time I come here, I get the same feeling in my stomach. I just... I want to go home."

Prompto rubbed her back soothingly as she hid her face in her knees, crying her eyes out. "It's okay to feel homesick. But you've gotta think of your new home in Lucis with all your new friends. This might sound crazy, but I wasn't born here in Lucis either. I came from... Niflheim." Lorelai lifted her head with a gasp, her eyes widening. Prompto sadly looked down at the sand. "You know those MT's we're always fighting? Well... I was made to be one of them." Prompto almost couldn't believe he was telling her this, but the words just spilled out of his mouth. This was something he'd only ever told his closest friends. But seeing how she told them of her past, he thought it only fair to tell her of his as well. "I was supposed to become a monster."

"But you're not a monster." It was Lorelai's turn to comfort him. Her own sadness was pushed away so that she could understand Prompto's. "As far as I'm concerned, you're a person, like everyone else." Lorelai smiled. "Besides, where we came from doesn't matter. It's what we make of ourselves now that counts, right?"

Prompto met her gaze and returned her smile. "Yeah. So, does this mean you won't think any different of me?"

Lorelai giggled and stood up. "No. You're still the same photo-obsessed, fun-loving Prompto I know." She bent down and gave him a pat on the shoulder. "Thanks for making me feel better. I know that Lucis is my home now, but I still think of my old home too."

Prompto grinned and hopped to his feet, dusting the sand off his butt. "No sweat. Let's go see if supper's ready. I'm starving."

The two walked back to the caravan where the other three guys were inside. Ignis was still cooking. "And where have you two been?" he asked.

"Oh, you know, just chatting," Prompto replied. "Lora's been feeling a bit homesick, that's all."

Gladio sighed with frustration and crossed his arms. "Listen, you're not gonna like hearing this, but get over it already."

"Excuse me?!" Lorelai exclaimed, offended by his comment.

"All I'm saying is that you can't dwell on the past! You have to move forward!"

"Don't you think I'm trying?!" she shouted, marching over and staring up at the taller man. "I don't want to feel this way all the time!"

"Then you've gotta push on!" he yelled back. "Everyone's had their losses! But you can't let it consume your every thought!"

Lorelai was more than furious at the moment. "Oh yeah?! Well can you honestly tell me that you've lost everyone and everything you've ever known and still just 'moved on'?!" Gladio fell silent, unable to give an answer. Lorelai glared up at him. "I didn't think so."

With that, she turned and stormed back out of the caravan. Prompto started to follow but Noctis was quick to grab his arm, shaking his head at the blond. Gladio sighed in frustration while Ignis let out a small grunt of displeasure.

"Gladio," he said, earning the tattooed man's attention. "I know Lorelai's past is brought up often, but you cannot simply demand that she get over it."

Noctis nodded in agreement, clicking his tongue at his bodyguard. "Specs has a point. Everyone has their problems. You can't just force them through it and expect everything to be better."

Gladio huffed. "But if you don't give 'em a shove every now and then, they'll never move on."

Prompto frowned. "Aren't Lora's problems a bit bigger than most though? She literally lost everything she had."

"Yet look at everything she's gained as well," the shield retorted. "She has the adoration of hunters everywhere and she's made plenty of friends."

"But that still can't replace her family." Ignis sighed, finishing up with the meal he prepared. "Gladio, you aren't wrong, but neither is Lorelai. She has every right to feel forlorn. She will have to work through it at some point though."

The group began to eat. Gladio finally spoke again, "Maybe I was a bit too... blunt. Lorelai's a nice girl, and I'd hate to bring tears to those pretty little eyes of hers."

Prompto growled under his breath. "Don't talk about my Goddess that way," he murmured.

Noctis, sitting closest to the blond, was the only one who heard his comment. He only rolled his eyes and continued eating. Ignis glanced toward the door and grabbed Lorelai's dish. He set his own bowl aside and left the caravan. He looked around, catching sight of a lone figure standing at the end of the pier near the parking lot. He walked over, approaching the girl. Lorelai leaned forward against the railing, gazing out at the water. She glanced at the bespectacled man now at her side.

"Lora, are you alright?" Ignis asked.

She slowly nodded. "Yeah. Gladio's right. I need to stop feeling so sad about what happened. It's in the past now."

"Lora, this is something you must do at your own pace, not because Gladio, or anyone else, tells you to."

She flashed him a small smile. "I know. But it has been ten years, I think I'm ready to move on."

Ignis returned her smile and held out the bowl of soup in his hand. "Here, you should eat. Come back to the caravan whenever you like."

She took the bowl from him with a small "thank you". Ignis left her alone, knowing she needed the time to herself. She stood quietly and ate, the hot soup warming her insides and helping to ease her mind. My mother wouldn't want me to be miserable, would she? she asked herself. No, of course not. She only ever wanted the best for me. But how can I simply go on pretending that everything I lost didn't matter? After finishing her soup, Lorelai took hold of the locket around her neck. She flipped it open and gazed lovingly down at the photo.

"Mother, I wish you could be here... I miss you. I think of you, Verity, Purnima, and everyone else all the time." Tears welled up in her eyes and she sighed. "What am I supposed to do? What is my point here? Why was I saved instead of dying with the rest of you?" A rueful smile tugged at her lips. "Everything would've been much simpler if I had died too, huh? I only wish you or Verity were here to guide me, because I don't know what I'm supposed to do. But I guess my job as a hunter will have to work." She closed the locket and clutched it against her chest. "I'll always remember you."

Lorelai wiped her watery eyes and took her empty bowl, heading back to the caravan. She walked through the door where the guys were all quietly waiting. They looked at the black-haired girl who smiled kindly. She set her bowl with the other empty dishes.

"Gladio..."

Gladio quickly interrupted, "Lora, I'm sorry about what I said."

"Don't be," she said. "You were right. I need to get over my past. It's held me back for far too long. I'll never forget my home and my family, but Lucis is a pretty great place too. It just took me a while to realize that, ten years to be exact." She giggled at her own comment.

Prompto grinned. "Alright! The gang's back together!"

"Maybe now we can all actually enjoy this time off," Noctis stated.

"Yeah, we can," Lorelai happily agreed. "I'll even help pay for a room and food tomorrow."

"Wait a minute, you had enough gil this whole time?" Gladio questioned.

"Duh," the girl answered plainly. "I'm a hunter. I've made plenty of gil. I just didn't mention it before because I didn't want to stay here."

Ignis chuckled. "You are quite the character."

Noctis tiredly yawned. "I say we hit the sack. We can discuss this tomorrow."

Everyone headed straight to bed, not bothering to argue with the prince. Their little vacation hadn't even begun yet and Lorelai was already excited for it. She knew she was going to have a great time at the resort now that her memories didn't bring her so much sorrow. She just had to remember that her mother wouldn't want her past to cause her pain. After all, everyone she cared about would still live on in her heart.