#flare.

You eventually found it hiding beneath a pile of books on the floor and wrenched off the lid as quickly as your 8-year-old strength would allow before dumping its contents onto the tiny bird's injured wing.

"Come on!" you said, as if willing the medicine to work faster.

It took what felt like an eternity until the wound finally started to diminish.

"How does it look?" Ignis asked as he peered over your shoulder, eyes wide with concern.

"Better," you replied. "You're gonna be okay."

You gave it a tentative pat on the head with only your pointer finger; you didn't want to risk injuring it further.

It was then that it let out a soft kweh that signaled to you that it was out of immediate danger.

"What now?" Ignis asked. "Shall we try to return it to its previous owner?"

"No way!" you replied. "Clearly they didn't care about it if they just left it to die in the middle of the woods. I say we keep it."

"Keep it? Your mother would never allow such a thing and you know as well as anyone that I'm certainly not allowed any pets."

"My mother doesn't have to know," you said. "I'll keep it out here in the clubhouse."

"What happens when it gets too big for that?"

"Well, we'll deal with that when the time comes." You rose to your feet, taking the bird with you, still wrapped tightly in your sweater. "I think I'm gonna name you… Goldy!"

"Goldy?" Ignis scoffed. "How very unoriginal."

"What, you got a better name? Tell me these feathers aren't the most beautiful golden color you've ever seen."

"Well, we haven't exactly seen many chocobos around here..."

"Oh, whatever." You emptied a nearby basket of its current contents, an assortment of toys, and placed Goldy inside. "See, it can sleep here! At least, until it gets bigger."

"What will you feed it? You must think this through."

"Vegetables from the grocery store. Mom is always telling me to eat my vegetables, so if I buy extra, she can't possibly get mad."

He shook his head.

"This is insane, you know?"

"I know!" You smiled. "Exciting, isn't it?"

The feeling was bittersweet as you packed the last of your things away in the brown boxes that now surrounded you.

This was it, the moment your entire life thus far had been building up to. So, why weren’t you happy about it?

You loaded them one-by-one into the trunk of your car and then led your chocobo, Goldy, into the trailer hitched to the back.

"Be safe," you told her. "You should have plenty of food for the journey and nice soft straw to sleep on if you get tired." You patted her neck one last time and said, "Good luck," before closing up the trailer.

Goldy was lucky in that way. She didn't understand that you were leaving your home, your friends, and your previous life behind that day. It was just another day for her, another relaxing ride in the trailer to an undisclosed location. She loved to travel; her eyes lit up every time she stepped out into a place she'd never been to before, even if it was only a short distance away from her usual lodgings.

She was most certainly excited for the journey ahead, so you supposed you should be too. And you were excited, in a nervous sort of way. Not once had you left the confines of Insomnia to experience the outside world. To leave Insomnia was to enter a foreign land with a new currency and its own set of rules and regulations.

This was the world that you were setting off to.

You took a deep breath to steady yourself as you entered your car, sitting in the driver's seat staring at your hands for a good few moments before coherent thought returned.

You would be recognized immediately by everyone who saw you as an outsider. Your clothes, your car, the way you spoke, everything about you would give you away immediately to any of your adversaries. Would you be forced to fight?

Ignis had tried to teach you many times, just basic self defense with the tiny knife he gifted you for your eighteenth birthday, but imagining actually having to use it, actually having to take a life…

You shuddered.

Most of them were just robots, but you could never shake your fear of them due to all the nightmares you had during your childhood of them crashing through your windows, red eyes blazing at you as they closed in for the kill. Sometimes they were on your ceiling, dropping from above and strangling you while you slept.

You shuddered again. Your imagination was clearly your greatest enemy here and yet, you just couldn't shake it.

After all, beyond the protective wall projected by King Regis, all bets were off. The outside world was a savage place, uncivilized, crawling with monsters at every turn. At least, that's what you'd been told.

You lifted your phone from its place in the handbag beside you and dialed Ignis's number.

Please don't be busy.

He picked up on the third ring and greeted you warmly, a mock scolding tone in his voice as he said, "You'd better not be driving. We talked about this, remember?"

"No, I'm not driving yet." Your voice broke. "God, Iggy, I'm scared!"

His joking tone disappeared as he responded.

"What's frightened you?" he asked.

"Leaving the city," you replied. "You think they're gonna come after me?"

"The Magitek troopers?" You nodded even though you knew he can't see. "Highly unlikely. You think they somehow have inside knowledge of your personal relationship with the King?"

"Maybe."

You shrugged.

"Realistically, it's next to impossible for them to have such knowledge," he said.

"Yeah, okay,” you said. “What about the monsters? Will they attack Goldy?"

"She's being sent to secure private property, yes?"

"Yes."

"Then you should have nothing to worry about. As for yourself, it's best not hang around outside after dark, as that's when they're most active."

"Okay." You blinked hard in an attempt to stave off the tears that threatened the corners of your eyes.

"What is it?"

"Uh…" Your aggressive blinking had no effect. "I'm gonna miss you. That's all."

"I'll miss you, too," he said. "In fact, I already miss you. I have since you left my apartment this morning. But it's alright because you're going out to fulfill a lifelong dream of yours and for that, I am very proud of you."

"Thanks."

"I must get back to work now, but feel free to contact me whenever you'd like and I'll get back to you as soon as I'm able, alright?"

"Alright."

"Have a safe journey. Goodbye."

"Bye."

The line went dead and you spent a few moments staring at the blank phone screen, allowing your tears to flow freely as you did.

Get it together, goddammit!

You wiped your eyes and turned the key in the ignition, prompting the car's engine to roar to life. There was no turning back now.

You were headed out to a tiny city in the Duscae region known as Caulden to begin your apprenticeship with world-renowned chocobo vet, Dr. Lyle Atkinson. He owned a large plot of land very near to there, the Willow Springs Farm, a chocobo farm that would provide boarding for Goldy as well as a bright future for you.

That was your goal, to become like Atkinson in learning to care for the animals forsaken by Insomnia's protective wall. Ever since you were a little girl holding the gravely injured Goldy in your arms for the first time, that had been your dream.

And now, it was becoming a reality. Or it would, at least, if you could get there in one piece.

The journey was a long one, the road containing bizarre twists and turns, taking you up to precarious cliff sides and various creature crossings deep in the wilderness, two things you'd never had to face before. You were a pretty confident driver, but you would’ve been lying if you’d said that your heart wasn't racing as you were presented with these new challenges.

The first leg of your journey was far too much to complete in a single day so, following Ignis's guidance, you checked yourself into a small motel for the night, called The Point or something equally mundane.

After you'd gotten a full night's rest (or at least tried to with your childhood nightmares resurfacing in your head), you set off bright and early so that you would hopefully make it all the way to Caulden before night fell once more.

Your arrival to the Duscae region was immediately apparent, the cracked, dusty roads of the nearby towns smoothing out and becoming surrounded by seemingly endless wilderness. The sight of it was enough to take your breath away. Insomnia was a beautiful city for sure, but it was highly industrialized, filled with skyscrapers and flashy billboards. Beautiful in its own right, but nothing at all like this.

You watched with awe as the creatures of the field roamed freely, making no effort whatsoever to attack you or your cargo. They were simply going about their business, grazing on grass or napping by the riverside, nothing at all like the vicious monster creatures you'd been envisioning in your head.

You immediately noted that the air streaming through the open top of your car was much fresher than that of the city, lightly seasoned with the scent of the nearby bodies of water and the towering trees.

In that instant, the majority of your fear had vanished; you were certain you were going to like it there, at least.

Your first stop was your new apartment located in a small complex off near one of the side streets. You took a quick peek into Goldy's trailer before unloading your things; she was fast asleep, just as you assumed she would be. She was very well tempered, something you were always grateful for.

Getting all your things inside would prove quite difficult seeing as some of the boxes contained very heavy things like your entire collection of hardcover books and a kitchen's worth of china dishes.

This would be a lot easier with two people.

The thought invaded your mind before your could stop it, and it caused your eyes to well with tears once again.

But you could manage just fine on your own, you resolved, taking the heavier things first by shoving them along the surrounding grass with the smaller things placed on top of them. Getting them up onto the porch would prove more difficult; lifting them proved impossible, so you sort of rolled them upward using the edge of the porch for leverage. Once all of the boxes were placed in a neat pile by the door, you took the shiny new key from your purse and unlocked it revealing the dark, empty interior.

It was very quiet, a little too quiet, you thought, so you switched on the light and jingled the keys on your keychain around a little bit in an attempt to still your rising heart rate.

The room immediately in front of the door appeared to be a living space with a tiny kitchenette off to the side, already furnished with a refrigerator, a stove, and a dishwasher along with a washer and dryer set near the back. Across the hall from these rooms were two more, both with the doors closed, which you found to be a bedroom and a bathroom. It was certainly no high-rise, but it was just the right size for you.

Your next task was actually bringing the boxes through the door, which proved much easier than getting them onto the porch seeing as you now only had to push them in a straight line to get them where you needed them.

Before you started unpacking, you decided it would be a good idea to get Goldy situated in her new place so she wouldn't have to spend another night in the trailer.

Willow Springs Farm was very near to the apartment complex, only a few miles away. As soon as you pulled up, you spotted an older woman, maybe in her late fifties or early sixties, tending a vegetable garden near a towering farmhouse.

It was in an older Victorian style, painted white with a dark blue roof and a porch swing beside the front door that swayed in the light wind.

The woman stopped her gardening once she spotted your car and called out your name, as if to confirm your identity before coming to greet you.

"That's me," you replied.

"Oh, we've been expecting you!" She took off her gloves and set them aside before exiting the gate leading to patch of dirt you were currently parked on. "I'm Liberty Atkinson, the doctor's wife, but you can call me Libby."

"Nice to meet you, Libby," you said.

You shook her hand and then her attention immediately switched to the trailer you had with you.

"And this must be Goldy."

"Yup."

You unlatched the trailer door and lowered it to the ground, which caused Goldy to stir, but not wake.

"We're here." You tapped her gently and her eyes blinked open. "You can sleep some more when you get settled in, okay?"

Her responding kweh was less than enthusiastic.

"Y'all had a long drive up here, I'll bet," Libby said. "All the way out from Insomnia."

She emphasized every syllable of the word and it made you cringe.

Here we go.

"What's that like?" Her eyes were wide with intrigue. "Livin’ in the Crown City. It must be very glamorous, huh?"

"Eh." You shrugged. "There's a lot of getting stuck in traffic jams on your way to work. It's not really all it's cracked up to be."

You could already predict her next question as her lips curled into a massive smile.

"What's he like? The King, up close and personal?"

"Now that's hard to say. I never actually got to meet him."

This was a lie, of course; you'd been in proximity to the King many times given your friendship with his son's royal adviser.

She frowned.

"Shame," she said. "It's always been my dream to visit, but they're so strict over there. Won't let just anyone through their gates, will they?"

"Definitely not," you replied.

A young man, presumably a farm hand by the way he was dressed, stepped between the two of you to grab Goldy's lead and guide her toward the stable, effectively ending that conversation, much to your relief.

"Well, lemme give you the grand tour," Libby said.

Her hand ghosted your shoulder as she lead you through the gate and to a dirt path that branched off in different directions, each corresponding to a location on the property.

"That there's the barn," she continued, pointing to the large white structure the farm hand was leading Goldy to. "And over there's the arena." She then pointed to a large field surrounded by a white fence which contained several chocobos and their riders, who were dressed in jockey uniforms. "We offer training for chocobo races Monday through Thursday if you happen to be interested in that."

"I'll keep that in mind," you said, even though you had no real intention of training Goldy to be a racing bird.

"And out here…” She lead you to the area behind the barn. "...is the pasture. Everybody needs a little fresh air and sunshine, and chocobos are no exception. They usually spend the daylight hours in the pasture unless it's rainin' or snowin', or we're havin' a particularly bad day with the daemons."

"Daemons?"

"The monsters," she said. "Come to think of it, you probably didn't have to deal with them much, did you city girl?"

She laughed.

"I can't say I did," you replied.

And you were very grateful for that.

"Anyhow, behind the pasture is the trail, which can be used by our boarders for ridin', provided it's safe to do so. You'll have to check with Clive before you head out."

"Who's Clive?" you asked.

"Clive Atkinson, our son," she replied. "The one who's leadin' Goldy. He's an expert when it comes to daemon slayin', so he usually keeps them off the trails. He'll let you know if it's too dangerous to head out there."

"Do you have a lot of trouble with these… daemons?"

"It generally gets a lot worse in the warmer months, but it's not as bad now that it's startin' to cool down a little. All the tasty critters they usually eat have gone into hibernation or are migratin' for the winter."

"Have any of your birds ever been attacked?"

"Not a one. Even if they were, we got the best chocobo vet in the entire world to look after them."

This set you at ease a little. Even if Goldy did get mauled by some creature, she would be in good hands. The best hands, in fact.

"She's all settled in," the man who you now knew as Clive said as he caught up with you once more.

"Oh, good," Libby said. "One more thing to note, the first floor of the farmhouse is sort of a gathering space for our boarders, so feel free to stop in there if you'd like. Snacks are on the table."

"Thanks for everything."

You were addressing both of them with this statement.

"Don't mention it," Libby said. "We're just doin' our jobs."

With that, the two of them wandered off to get back to whatever it was they were doing before you arrived, and you decided to head into the barn to visit Goldy. She was already asleep again by the time you reached her stall, likely glad to have somewhere proper to sleep.

If there was one thing Insomnia lacked, it was places like this, places with wide open fields for her to run around in. Sure, there were stables for boarding chocobos, but they were overly-sterile, their interior paved with stone instead of grass without much access to sunshine. Even if you wanted to keep Goldy in a place like that, you never could have afforded it.

Instead, she remained within you clubhouse, which you eventually fashioned into a sort of makeshift stall with a large pile of blankets for bedding and a pair of old plastic buckets for holding her food and water. Her diet consisted mainly of carrots and lettuce, only the finest smuggled out to you by Ignis, which she seemed to enjoy well enough. You would take her on rides when you had the chance between classes and the part-time job you held, using a length of rope from the hardware store as a bridle as, once again, you never could have afforded the real thing.

As you watched her sleeping on a bed of straw surrounded by others of her kind, you were happy that she finally had a proper place to stay.

You decided not to take the offer to mingle with the other boarders, promise of snacks aside, in favor of unpacking your things back at the apartment.

You started with the bigger things, a collapsible bookshelf, which you placed in the living room area, and your tiny flat screen television, which you placed on the floor in the bedroom. The largest items, like your mattress and sofa, were being shipped separately and weren't likely to arrive for another day yet.

That meant sleeping on the floor for a while.

You spent the rest of the afternoon organizing the smaller items, like the aforementioned books and dishes, before putting away your clothes and toiletries, which were stored in the duffel bag still waiting in the car.

Even after all of the boxes had been exhausted, one remained, a smaller, lighter box with a small note attached to it. It was the last thing Ignis sent you off with before you left his apartment.

You sat down on the sleeping bag you'd arranged on the floor of your bedroom, setting the box in your lap as you sliced through the tape with a small pair of scissors.

A few items stuck out immediately, a miniature coffee maker and a bag of Ebony coffee grounds, his favorite. Along with these, which would likely be an essential part of your new college life, was a thick knitted blanket, a collection of paperback books, and a bag of homemade chocolate chip cookies.

The last of its contents was the note, handwritten on a piece of premium stationery with a faux worn appearance, outlined on all sides with a minimalistic flower design.

Hello.

I hope my gifts prove useful in the coming days. I trust I thought of everything you'd need, some quality coffee to keep yourself awake for the inevitable sleepless nights, a blanket to keep you warm as the weather starts to chill, and a few of your favorite novels, to keep you entertained during your limited free time. And of the cookies, I hope that they will remind you of me, a little piece of home to comfort you during what is most certainly a stressful time.

Always looking out, Iggy

You tried your very best not to cry again—you'd cried enough already, surely—but to no avail.

You held the letter in your hands, reading through it at least once more before setting up the coffee maker in the kitchen in preparation for the coming morning. You then returned to your room, tucking the letter away into the bottom of the box where it would be safe for now, and grabbed one of the cookies from the bag as you began to look through the books he gave you. A smile spread across your face as soon as you read the first title.

Starlit Wonder, the story of a small town girl who got involved with a big time pop star, followed by another book from the same author, Everlast, the story of a humble hotel maid who got involved with some kind of dark, mysterious man.

What would he be this time? A vampire? An angel? The possibilities were endless.

The next two were a duology, Hope Beyond Hope and Lust at Sea, following the story of Maria McKellen and a tortured old sea captain, Benjamin Lake. And the last was a new release that you hadn't heard of before, Across the Stars, a sci-fi romance about a scientist who fell in love with the android in her crew.

These were perfect. He knew you so well.