The metal room is dimly lit, just like every other room on the floor he’s on. Jordan wakes up with a jolt, surprised at the unfamiliarity of his surroundings.

Where the hell am I?

“I’m glad to see that you’ve finally decided to wake up,” an eccentric voice whispers, as if its owner were right beside him.

He turns to the left and right in quick succession, only to find no one around him. “Wh- wh- who are you?”

A middle-aged man with strong facial features enters the room. Taking off his black fedora, he turns toward him, “A man of no consequence.”

----------------------------

“Any news?”

Vincent shakes his head, “We haven’t heard anything…”

“I’m sure he’s around here somewhere…” Rhea says, giving Nathan’s shoulder a comforting squeeze.

Nathan sighs. It had been nearly nine hours since he issued his orders to Domani. King Regis, Queen Mother Camelia and Nyx had all come to the Leville together. The Queen Mother had informed him that her daughter was busy getting ready to attend a dinner with Prime Minister Giovanna so she wasn’t able to come with them. When the gondola had come to take them away an hour ago, Nyx opted to stay. He still doesn’t know the full story, but Nathan appreciates his support nonetheless.

“I don’t mean to be rude or anything, but it’s going to be three in the morning in a bit. Wouldn’t it be a good idea if we all got some sleep?” Nyx asks, giving Domani a pointed look for support.

The other man nods, “I think Mister Ulric is right. There’s not much use staying up at this point. It’s been a few hours since we last received news.”

“Yeah… s- sorry Nathan but I’m getting a little tired waiting around,” Rhea admits.

Vincent walks over to Nathan, “Yeah, me too.”

“Alright then… you guys can all go to sleep,” he replies, his voice barely above a whisper.

Domani bows, “Thank you, Your Excellency.” He leaves the living room quietly, making sure that his steps aren’t too disruptive.

“Good night, Nathan,” Rhea says. She yawns as she makes her way to her room, shutting the door as soon as she’s inside.

Not soon after, Vincent leaves to go to his room as well, bidding Nathan and Nyx good night.

“This is a pretty big suite you got,” Nyx remarks.

Nathan turns around, “Uh… yeah I guess.”

Nyx takes a seat beside him on the sofa, “Listen, Nathaniel. H-”

“-Ju- Just Nathan is fine.”

“Oh, okay. Listen, Nathan. Great Astrals, that sounds so weird to say after so many years…”

“Wh- what do you mean?”

Nyx smiles, recalling the memory, “Your mother would always call you Nathaniel every time she talked about you. You could see the way her eyes would twinkle if someone just mentioned your name or your brother’s. Speaking about Charles, what does he think about being First Secretary?”

“He goes by Ch- Charlie now,” he corrects subconsciously. It had become a habit of him to say that to people they met before moving to Insomnia after his brother decided to go by the new name. Finally processing the rest of Nyx’s words, he begins to tear up, “Di- did she really?”

“I’m not the type to lie, Nathani- Nathan.”

“I- I’ll keep that in mind. And to answer you, I’m honestly not sure what he thinks. He seemed fine when I talked to him two days ago but we haven’t had a serious conversation about it. Knowing him, we probably won’t talk about it seriously until something bad happens.”

“Well, I’m going to make sure that nothing bad does happen. But if you need me to talk to him, I’m here.”

“Th- Thanks, Nyx. I can see why my mom likes you.”

He smiles, “I’m honored that you’d say that.”

A comfortable silence hangs between them as they stare out of the living room’s floor-to-ceiling windows, giving them a perfect view of Altissia’s lights.

The cuckoo clock in the suite interrupts the peace, ringing three times to signal the hour.

“It’s getting late, you sure you don’t want to sleep?”

Betraying his true intentions, Nathan yawns. “Uh… I wasn’t planning on sleeping actually…”

“H- Jordan. He means a lot to you, doesn’t he?”

Nathan turns to Nyx, his eyes wide in surprise, “Ho- how do you know?”

Nyx shrugs, “I have a sense for these kinds of things.”

He considers Nathan’s face, judging to see if he could be trusted with what he’s about to say. It doesn’t take him long to decide that his mentor’s son deserved to know.

“I- I lost a person important to me too. I don’t mean to make any conclusions but… yeah.”

“Is what they say about you and Lu- Lady Lunafreya true?”

Nyx chuckles, “Huh, so the general public knows about it too, huh?”

“N- no! Domani told me he’d heard some rumors from a Lucian noble he spoke with at the coronation,” Nathan explains, blushing slightly.

“I see. Well, I guess there’s no point in hiding it to you. She said she lo…” He cuts himself short, scanning the room for anything out of the ordinary.

“She said she loves me,” he repeats, after making sure that the room isn’t bugged.

Nathan silently gasps, “Re- really?”

“Really. She said it when I was escorting her back to Tenebrae for her accession. Ju- just before she entered Fenestala. I’ve never heard from her since.”

Nathan tentatively places a hand on Nyx’s shoulder, “I- I’m sorry.”

Another period of silence ensues, the distant sounds of Altissia dying down as the late-night coffee shops close. Slowly but surely, the faraway lights also begin to be extinguished as people return to their homes.

When only a few lights remain, Nathan breaks the silence, “Do… Do you think she’s still out there somewhere?”

He turns to Nathan, seemingly surprised that someone would ask him such a question. Without a moment’s hesitation, he nods, “As long as her body hasn’t been found, she’s definitely alive and kicking.”