"Way to go, Noct!" Iris cheered, walking alongside the prince. "You'll get to race tomorrow too! Maybe you'll even win first place!"

"That would be so cool!" Talcott agreed, walking on Noctis's other side.

Noctis smiled slightly at the two. "Yeah. I think I've got a shot."

"Too bad you didn't get past the preliminary rounds, Prompto," Gladio said.

The blond had barely been paying attention until he heard his name. "H-Huh? Oh, yeah. Maybe next time."

"I've never seen you react so calmly about losing," Ignis stated. "In fact, you've been awfully quiet ever since the hunt."

Prompto immediately forced a smile for his friends. "I'm fine, guys. Seriously, it's no big deal. I've just been kinda worn out, that's all."

His friends saw right through his lie. Prompto was never just "worn out". Even Lorelai had noticed his mood change earlier that day, she simply didn't want to bring it up. With a frown on her face, she led Eclipse away from the caravan where the others headed and toward the pens instead. The girl hadn't taken part in the races like she had thought about, but just watching the others compete was enjoyable. She did happen to notice the way Prompto had lost too. The gunman had hardly seemed into it at all.

Thinking on it, Lorelai had an idea of what might be going on. Prompto had become oddly quiet after they had returned from their hunt for the bloodtooth, which is also when they ran into Jax. If Lorelai was correct in thinking Prompto had a bit of a crush on her, she assumed he was just jealous or something. She hoped that her gift for him would cheer him up.

Said blond was sitting in one of the chairs outside of the caravan. Iris had already gone inside with Talcott to start cooking supper, giving Ignis a break for once. The remaining three men stood around Prompto, picking up on his mood.

"Don't think we don't know what's going on," Noctis told him, causing the gunman to look up and meet his gaze. "You're jealous of Jax."

"Hmm?" Prompto's eyes widened slightly. "You knew?"

"But of course," Ignis replied. "It's quite obvious."

"You do realize that Lora doesn't even like that guy," Gladio said.

"It's... not just that." Prompto sighed and hung his head down. "I don't know if you guys would understand."

Gladio glanced back toward the post, suddenly noticing something going on close to the shop. He nudged the blond's leg with his foot, earning his attention. The shield pointed his thumb behind him. "Speaking of which, that guy's hitting on your girl again."

Prompto followed everyone's gaze to the scene. With the darkening sky, there were barely any people still hanging around, giving them a clear view. Past the chocobo pens and near the shop stood two people. One was Lorelai in her costume, her back pressed against the side of the building. In front of her stood Jax, now wearing his normal hunter attire, with one hand resting on the wall beside her head.

"S-She's not my girl," Prompto stuttered out. Although he said that, he couldn't tear his eyes away from the scene.

Noctis smirked. "Not yet." He took his friend by the arm and pulled him to his feet. "Go give her a hand. I bet she'd appreciate it."

Before the gunman could object, Gladio and Noctis shoved him forward, nearly making him fall on his face. His eyes stayed fixated on the pair ahead and his feet began moving him closer. Watching Jax only made him jealous and angry. How dare he show such disrespect to my Goddess?! Who does he think he is?! Letting his rage fuel him, he stormed toward them, now hearing their conversation.

"C'mon, baby, why don't we take a trip to Galdin?" Jax said, a flirtatious grin on his lips. "It'll be romantic."

"Not on your life!" the girl spat, glaring at the man.

Lorelai's eyes darted past him and landed on her friend. She smiled with relief. Before Jax could turn and follow her gaze, Prompto shoved in front of him, pushing him away from Lorelai. He frowned at the redhead.

"You heard her, leave her alone already!" he yelled.

Jax narrowed his eyes and clicked his tongue. "Stay out of it, blondie! Lorelai's gonna join me for a romantic evening!"

Jax started to raise his fist, but before he got a chance to do anything, Lorelai hugged Prompto's arm and frowned at the redhead. "No way, I'm spending time with Prompto tonight," she said matter-of-factly. "So why don't you just go away."

The blond was about to ask what she meant by that, but he quickly realized she was simply making up an excuse. Jax didn't seem happy either way. He scowled at Prompto who stood his ground to the slightly taller man. Jax raised a fist, preparing to punch Prompto when a large hand snatched his wrist, halting him. He looked back at the tattooed man towering over him.

"Hey, you'd better not be causing my friends any trouble."

Jax's angry expression hinted at slight fear for the muscular man. He yanked his arm out of Gladio's grip and quickly stormed off, not saying anything else. Lorelai released the blond.

"Thanks, you guys," she said, breathing a sigh of relief.

"No sweat," Prompto answered, forcing a smile.

"C'mon, let's go," Gladio said, leading them back to the caravan.

"Maybe now I can get changed," Lorelai said mostly to herself.

She rushed inside and straight to the bathroom to change. Once done, supper was ready and everyone sat down to eat. Their conversations were all centered around the races. But once finished eating, Lorelai grabbed her pouch and peeked inside, seeing her gift lying snugly inside. She smiled but soon noticed that the blond wasn't present in the caravan.

"Where's Prompto?" she asked.

"I believe I saw him slip out right after eating," Ignis informed her, washing the dishes.

Lorelai left the caravan. She looked around, noticing how dark it had gotten. Fortunately, the Post was surrounded by lights to ward off daemons. But it was still pretty dark. Lorelai refused to use her magic though, knowing she still needed to conquer her nyctophobia. She spotted Prompto in a dimly lit area right by the chocobo pens. He sat atop the wooden fence, staring out into the dark sky. Lorelai slowly made her way toward him, pushing back her fear out of worry for him.

The gunman heard her footsteps behind him and turned his head. "Lora."

"Prompto, are you okay?" she asked.

He forced a smile and happily answered, "I'm perfectly fine. Just a little down about losing the race earlier, but it's no big deal."

Lorelai climbed onto the fence and sat beside him, looking at him with concern. "I think we both know that the race isn't what brought this on. This started before that."

Prompto's eyes widened. "How did you..."

"Prompto, I've never seen you this way. It's obvious that something's bothering you. Was it the bloodtooth? Jax? M-Me?" Her tone was sad when she guessed the last one.

"No, no, no," Prompto swiftly interrupted. "I swear it's not you." A genuine grin spread across his lips. "You're so nice and friendly. I don't think you're capable of making me depressed." His grin faltered and he hung his head down. "It's... kinda stupid really. I-I'd rather not talk about it."

Lorelai smiled and placed a hand over his. "That's okay, you don't have to tell me. Everyone has their secrets. Just know that me and the guys will always be here if you need to talk." Prompto returned her smile. Lorelai leaned closer and quietly added, "And for the record, Jax is the most annoying person I've ever met. Like seriously, just mind your own business, man."

The blond laughed at her joking comment. "I know, right? He can't take a hint."

Lorelai joined in the laughter. "I got you to laugh! I am victorious!" Once the laughter died down, Lorelai reached into her pouch. "Oh, by the way, I've got a present for you."

"For me? Aww, you shouldn't have."

Lorelai giggled at him, noticing his cheerfulness had returned. "Well, you bought me a gift, so I decided to get you something in return." She took hold of the item and pulled it out, presenting it to her friend. "Ta-da! It's a chocobo-themed camera strap! Now you can easily carry your camera around your neck or wrist."

Prompto gasped, staring at the item in her hands briefly before taking it. "Oh em gee, this is like the best gift ever!" He grinned, taking hold of his camera and fastening the strap to it. "Thanks sooo much, Lora!"

She happily smiled. "I'm glad you like it."

"Like it? I love it!" He excitedly threw his arms around the girl, bringing her into a hug. "You're the best girl I've ever known!"

Lorelai returned his hug. Prompto, in his overly excited state, held her tightly and buried his face into her neck. He knew he'd rarely get an opportunity like this, so he was going to enjoy it. He breathed in her scent, which smelled of sweet flowers mixed with a bit of an outdoors smell. But the slight scent of chocobos was also present on her from earlier. Though it may seem odd, he loved her smell. It was feminine, yet still hinted at her usual outdoor activities. Lorelai could feel his face nestled against her and smiled to herself.

After a moment, Prompto finally released her and grinned. "Hey, I just realized that you haven't used your magic. Have you conquered your fear already?"

The girl nervously rubbed her arm. "N-Not exactly. I was just worried about you and didn't think about it too much."

Prompto jumped to his feet and held out his hand, still grinning. "Then let's try our little lesson again. It's the perfect time." Lorelai nodded and took his hand, sliding off the fence and onto her feet. "The same rules apply here - no leaving and no magic."

Lorelai stayed silent, letting Prompto lead her forward. The dim lighting steadily faded as they walked away from the Post. After a few minutes of standing in the dark, Lorelai whimpered and shut her eyes.

"Prompto, please, no more," she pleaded.

"Alright, let's head back."

The two briskly walked back to the lit areas and toward the caravan. Though Prompto had worried about his own fears of being rejected by Lorelai, the girl had turned that around. It amazed him how easily she could cheer him up. It was as if her very presence made everything better. His slight jealousy also faded. He knew for a fact that Lorelai didn't like Jax at all. And now, he was actually eager to see his best friend race tomorrow along with his dream girl dressed up and speaking to the onlookers. Their stay was starting to look up.