Chapter Text
Noctis wasn’t sure how he ended up here, in this strange place that was similar to Eos but not quite. The storm the other night, Daemons spawning about the Regalia like an army of nightmares. Iggy had to go off road at one point when a Red Giant appeared on the asphalt, slowly swinging its sword at the car. Eventually they found a road again, the clouds cleared, and there was a rose blush in the east.
They kept driving until they came across a town, and apparently they weren’t on Eos anymore. The last of their gil(which somehow was near identical to what was used here) went to gas and a few snacks, and the attendant pointed them in the direction of the inn they were parked in front of now. It was big and old, with fresh flowers growing in the beds near the entrance.
He really hoped the owners were as nice as the attendant said.
“I’ll do the talking,” Ignis stated as he walked towards the door.
“If you insist,” Prompto replied as he readied his camera for a shot of the front of the inn.
Gladio shook his head. “What’re you gonna tell’em, ‘hey, can we get a night or two for free? We’re from some other world.’”
Ignis gave him a withering glance as he held the door handle. “There will be no talk about that, in case they decide we should be institutionalized.”
Noctis shrugged. “The locals didn’t seem to care that much.”
“It’s best to be less overt—” Ignis was interrupted by the door opening by itself, pulling away from his grip. He turned back to look at it, then through the doorway.
“Come on in!” came a cheerful, female voice from behind the door.
“Oh. Thank you,” Ignis said before walking through the threshold. The other three followed, entering what looked to be a tavernesque dining area, complete with a well stocked bar, stone fireplace, and a piano in a dark corner.
“It’s nice to meet you! My name is Tifa.” The woman closed the door and walked up to the group with a gentle smile, wearing a blue blouse and black leggings, her chocolate hair trailing down her back. “Are you here for rooms, or just lunch?”
“Good afternoon, Tifa. My name is Ignis,” he greeted, then stretched his hand out to the other three. “This is Noctis, Prompto, and Gladiolus. We’re in need of lodging, but we’re very low on funds.”
“We’ll do stuff for food,” Prompto interjected.
Ignis sighed. “That would be the jist of it.”
Tifa laughed lightly, her hand partially covering her mouth for a few moments. “We’ll see what we can come up with. I can take you to your rooms first.”
“O-oh, really?! You’re as kind as you are pretty!” Prompto said with a large grin. Tifa blushed.
That’s it? Noctis shrugged to himself as they were guided upstairs. “We can bunk two to a room, in case more people show up,” he offered.
“Hope you like the floor, Iggy,” Prompto muttered with a grin. He was given a sideways glare as a reply.
“This is the slow season, and we have reservations next week,” Tifa responded as they reached the top of the stairway. “Anyway, the rooms are simple, but come with a bed, drawers, and a bathroom. Towels are in the closet.” She opened the door to one of the rooms, the walls painted a pale green with a few pictures decorating them. The bed had fluffy pillows and a quilt covered in star patterns, the bed frame a warm colored wood. The floor looked to be ancient oak.
“I’ll give you guys these first four rooms.” She waved at the doors on the other side of where they stood, and pointed at the door adjacent to the one they were looking through. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ll work on your lunch.”
“Whoa, wait! What about payment?” Gladiolus asked. Playfully, he tapped a bicep. “It ain’t because of these guns, now is it?”
Tifa turned to him, still smiling. She shook her head and giggled. “We’ll get to all that later, okay?”
She left, and the four stood in relative silence. Noctis almost felt like he was being watched, but shrugged it off.
“Man, Tifa is be-au-ti-ful!” Prompto stated while jabbing Noctis’ side with his elbow.
Those unseen eyes felt as if they had shifted off him. Noctis rolled his eyes. “Giving up on Cindy already?”
“N-no! I’m just...stating the obvious.”
“Heh.” Noctis opened the door to another room, decorated similarly to the first, but this one had a window. “This one’s mine,” he stated.
It didn’t take long for them to settle in, bringing in their suitcases before sitting at a booth in the dining area, wall sconces lighting the area with a warm, golden glow. Noctis noted that there wasn’t a scrap of natural light in the room, thick red curtains covering the windows. He jabbed a finger between them, sunlight pooling on his skin.
“Please don’t play with those.”
He jumped a little at the foreign, male voice, then turned to see a blond, spiky haired man with a slight frown on his angular face, wearing a simple white tee, black pants and work boots. Noctis thought he looked a little like Prompto. “Sorry. Just a little...dreary in here.”
The blond rubbed the back of his head. “...I have a sunlight allergy. So we keep the windows closed unless it’s overcast, sorry.”
“Oh, wow, that sucks!” Prompto responded. “We’ll keep that in mind, Mister, uh…”
“Name’s Cloud,” he said with a small chuckle. “Tifa and me run this inn with our friends. They’re not here right now, but their names are Zack and Aerith.”
“Oh, cool! So, how long have you guys been in business?” Prompto asked, hands tapping the wood table.
“A very long time,” Cloud replied, hands on his hips. There was a glint to his blue eyes. “Tifa used to run a bar in Edge, but after some things went down over there, we decided to shack up here.”
“Edge?” Noctis asked. He internally winced. Way to go.
Cloud raised a brow. “Yeah, it’s on the other side of Kalm. You from one of the other continents by chance?”
“Yes,” Ignis responded quickly. “First time in these parts.”
Gladiolus nodded. “Pretty peaceful.”
“Yep. Anyway,” Prompto began, scratching a cheek with his finger, “one of the locals said this place is haunted.”
“Really, Prompto?” Noctis gave him a withering look.
To his surprise, Cloud laughed. “Yeah. Four ghosts.” He raised a fist and spread out a finger for each he named. “The Red Lady, The Flower Girl, Zack the Ripper, and The Blue-eyed Killer.”
“The Blue-eyed Killer?” Gladiolus raised a brow as he frowned slightly. “Sounds kinda...generic.”
“Yeah, well, not so generic when you have to deal with a killer ghost.”
“Killer ghost?” Noctis rubbed his chin.
Cloud nodded solemnly. “The ghost of a murderer. Still roams the property with his giant sword.”
“Cloud?”
He turned his head towards the kitchen, then to the four at the table. “I’ll be right back.”
“Maybe we can repay them that way…” Prompto murmured as Cloud walked off.
Noctis raised a brow at him. “What, by ghost hunting?”
The young blond shrugged. “I wouldn’t want a killer ghost floating around my inn. Maybe that’s why there’s not that many people here.”
Ignis let out a small snort. “Cloud was probably just pulling our legs.”
“Well, I’m gonna look for it!” He bit his lip as he thought. “Maybe he leaves an ectoplasm trail, or something…”
“You’ve watched waaaaaay too many movies, Prompto,” Noctis commented.
“And how do you plan on killin’ it?” Gladiolus asked. “It’s a ghost!”
“Maybe they’re like Daemons,” Prompto pondered. “We’ve slayed them before.”
“Eh, maybe we should just do whatever odd jobs they ask of us,” Noctis replied. “Instead of chasing after ghosts.”
“A wise decision,” Ignis said while holding his water glass. His green eyes glanced towards Tifa and Cloud as they came towards them, holding trays. “Ah. Thank you again, Tifa. We’re very much in your debt.”
“Don’t worry, we’ll put you to work after lunch,” Cloud said jokingly as he placed a bowl in front of Noctis, then Ignis.
“Cloud!” Tifa gave him a look, then turned and smiled as she served Prompto and Gladiolus. “With his allergy, we could use some help with an outdoor chore, now that I think about it.”
Gladiolus chuckled. “We’ll get it done in no time.”
“I mean, we don’t really have that much work to do here...But it’ll be nice to get a few of these chores out of the way,” Tifa said.
Noctis frowned into his bowl. He knew Tifa would probably serve them something cheap but filling; after all, beggars can’t be choosers, as they say. But it just had to be beans. He could feel Ignis’ eyes on him as he used his spoon to stir the mess. It looked to be something similar to chili, but brown.
Not wanting to be a bad guest after Tifa’s hospitality, Noctis took a bite. Despite the texture from the beans, he found the taste palatable enough. It tasted of pork and savory vegetables, and they overrode the beans. “I like it,” he said between bites.
“Hm? He’s eating beans?” Prompto leaned in a little. His camera was at the ready.
Ignis adjusted his glasses. “Fascinating.” He looked at Tifa. “I might have to ask for the recipe.”
“Hm...I don’t know, it’s a very old recipe I’ve perfected over the years,” she replied with a small blush, holding the tray in front of her chest and slightly swaying her shoulders.
Cloud snickered. “Old family recipe.”
“Too bad, Iggy! Guess you won’t get Noct to eat his beans,” Gladiolus said with a chuckle before digging into his bowl.
“...Hm.”
After they ate their lunch, Cloud and Tifa gave them chores to help around the inn. Ignis was asked to help in the kitchen when Tifa found out about his cooking skills, Prompto to help with the laundry, and Gladiolus and Noctis to chop firewood outside.
It wasn’t Noctis’ favorite thing to do.
“You let me do the choppin’, you can pick it up.” Gladiolus took the ax in hand as he stood in front of the thick stump of a tree, which had seen better days.
Noctis nodded, took a piece of wood, and placed it on the stump. Gladiolus lifted the ax, aimed it, then sliced downward, splitting the wood in two. He took one half, put it upright, and split it, and did the same to its twin. Noctis gathered it up and placed it in the holder by the inn’s outer stone wall, lightly covered by its shadow.
They continued on, the pile dwindling.
“Y’know, I was wondering…”
Gladiolus looked up from his work and wiped his brow of sweat. “Yeah?”
Noctis grabbed the split wood. “I wanna see if my powers work here.”
“Well, give it a shot, then.”
Noctis nodded, and lifted up his gloved hand. Focusing, a dagger appeared out of thin air, just the same as if they were on Eos. He looked at it, then the wood pile, then threw his weapon at it. Immediately he teleported to the dagger, and he placed the wood on the pile.
He sent the dagger back, then smirked a little as he walked back to Gladiolus. “Same as always.”
Gladiolus chuckled. “That’s good to know. Shoulda checked earlier, this ax has a damn chip in it.” He picked up the last of the wood and readied it. “Maybe if they give us some other chore, like kicking some monster ass.”
“Eh, I’m fine just doing this.”
“Of course you are!” He sliced the wood. “I’m doing all the work!”
“Your prince appreciates your sacrifice,” Noctis said dryly.
“Little shit,” muttered Gladiolus. “Get over here and fetch the last of this wood.”
Finished, the two headed inside for whatever duty would be given next. Ignis could be seen preparing some tough looking root vegetables in the galley, another thick curtain hiding the sunlight from the stony room. There was a fireplace with a cauldron here, as well as more modern amenities. There were glowing coals beneath the iron pot, and wisps of steam danced above it. The smell of slow cooking meat hung in the air, mixing with the scent of burning wood.
“Welcome back,” Ignis greeted without looking up.
“Thanks.” Noctis studied the cauldron. There was just steaming water in it. “Making a big dinner for us?”
Ignis shook his head. “Tifa said their family is visiting in a couple of days. So, I’m helping with preparations. Perhaps it’ll help me come up with a new recipe.”
“Huh. Well, have fun,” Noctis replied before heading into the dining room. He looked around, but found it empty. The quiet inn creaked a little as it settled in the afternoon sun. Then he heard Prompto shout.
He stared towards the second floor before booking it upstairs. “Prompto?!”
He found Prompto in his room, staring at the wall and a pile of towels at his feet. Getting closer, he noticed there was writing in some sort of clear slime on the wall. His brows scrunched up. “...What? What’s this? R-E-D-R-U-M?”
“I-I was just coming in here to put some towels away and I saw this,” Prompto explained. “D’you think the Blue-eyed Killer is after me?”
Noctis wasn’t sure what to think. Prompto was legitimately unnerved, and he wasn’t about to touch the slime on the wall. “...Maybe we should tell Cloud or Tifa.”
“Hey, what’s going on?”
He turned around to see Gladiolus and Ignis coming through the doorway. He jabbed his thumb towards the far wall. “Someone wrote on the wall.”
“Hm.” Ignis came closer to the writing. “‘Redrum’ is ‘murder’ backwards.”
“I know that!” Prompto pouted.
Ignis almost touched it when there was a knock on the door. “Hey! Everything okay?”
Noctis looked back. There was a tall, muscular man with spiky black hair and blue eyes smiling at them. He walked further into the room and put a hand on his chest. “Name’s Zack.”
“Zack? You’re not related to Zack the Ripper, are you?” Prompto asked anxiously.
He chuckled. “I get that a lot!”
“Do you deal with slimy ghosts a lot, too?” Gladiolus asked after looking back at the wall.
“...It looks like shampoo to me,” Ignis said cautiously.
“Ectoplasm is kinda similar to it,” Zack said. “In my experience, that is.”
“In your experience?” Ignis replied, turning to look at him.
He nodded. “Yeah. I mean, I’ve been here a long while, so you get to see what ghosts do.” He shook his head. “Man, I feel bad for whoever’s room this is, the Blue-eyed Killer marks his victims like this.”
“V-victims?” Prompto looked about nervously.
“Not a very bright ghost, then.” Ignis looked back at the slime, then at Zack. “Wouldn’t this just run away guests?”
“Uh...I mean…” Zack’s face began to sport a blush. “It’s a ghost, not a person…”
“Maybe it’s just a prank,” Gladiolus muttered.
Noctis was beginning to feel the same way. Not that he could really blame a bored innkeeper for it, but staining a wall with shampoo seemed a little over the top. That was, until the lamp on the nightstand moved forward by itself.
“Shit!” Prompto jumped onto Gladiolus. “Hey, get off!”
“See? It’s one of the ghosts!” Zack pointed at the lamp.
Ignis came over to inspect it, his eyes narrowing behind his glasses. “Hmm...No strings...”
Noctis stared at the lamp. Was the place truly haunted, then? He licked his lips as skepticism fought belief. Was a ghost really going to come after Prompto? Well, that just meant they’d have to protect him. He gave his blond friend a nod. “It’ll be alright.”
“What’s going on in here?”
Tifa was peeking behind Zack, concern written on her face. “Is everyone alright?”
“Someone wrote on the wall in shampoo,” Gladiolus said.
“It’s ectoplasm,” Zack insisted.
Her red eyes narrowed as they came across the still wet letters sprawled on the wall, then shifted to Zack. “I see. Well,” she began, returning to her usual cheery self and smiling at the group, “you guys should go rest downstairs before dinner. Zack can clean up this mess on the wall!”
“Awww…”
“B-but what about the ghost?” Prompto asked.
Tifa gave him what looked like a somewhat forced smile. “I wouldn’t worry about it. Ah, but you already are...How about a drink?”
Somehow, she coaxed them downstairs, and made them some cocktails to relax over. Soon, Noctis forgot about murderous ghosts and ectoplasm, but he still wondered how they were supposed to pay back the innkeepers, who were kind enough to actually use meat for their dinner.
“So, where are you guys from?” Tifa asked as she put the platters in front of them. To Noctis’ delight, the only vegetable in sight was mashed potatoes, next to a chunk of slow cooked meat.
He wasn’t sure how to answer her question properly, and he could feel the tension between the rest of the group. He looked down at his food, contemplating his response, then looked back at Tifa. “We’re from a place called Insomnia. We wanna get back as soon as we can.”
Despite her smile, a brow was raised in skepticism. “Insomnia?”
“What kind of a name is that?” asked a female voice that came from someone out of sight.
“Aerith…” Tifa looked towards the fireplace.
“I’d say it’s a name similar to Kalm,” Ignis countered.
“Fair enough,” Tifa replied. “Hopefully you can get back home soon.”
“Mm.” Gladiolus finished a bite of his meal. “D’you know if the town has any odd jobs for gil? I know we said we’d help around here, but money will help us all out.”
“Yeah, can’t live off your charity forever,” Prompto agreed.
“Well, tomorrow, then, why not go to town and see what they have posted? There’s always a need for someone to wipe out a monster den, or fix a roof…”
“We’re pretty good at killing monsters,” said Prompto.
Aerith walked over, a little smile on her face. “Are you? Well, this place might challenge you a bit.”
“We can take it,” Gladiolus said confidently.
Well, that settled that. They would earn their keep the same way they had on Eos. Noctis prefered it, considering there were only so many chores to go around in the inn, and he only wanted to stay within its haunted walls seldomly as it was. After tonight, they would venture out for gil.