Upon exiting the mines, the group was met with sunshine and light rainfall. There was a small batch of rain clouds passing over, but their size wasn't enough to block out the sun's rays. The result---light rain on a sunny day. Everyone's clothes and hair dampened, but it was a relief to get out of the daemon-infested mine. The small shower didn't bother them much as they walked back to the car. They were fortunate that Ignis always put the top up whenever they would be away from the Regalia for long. His precaution saved the interior of the vehicle.

"Wanna set up camp?" Gladio asked, heading for the trunk. "There's a haven right over there."

Noctis glanced at the sky, realizing that the sun would be setting very soon. "I guess we could. Camping sucks when it rains though."

"The precipitation is light," Ignis explained, "and the clouds appear to be moving quickly. They'll pass before long, and aside from them, the skies are fairly clear. We should have a relatively lovely view of the stars tonight."

"I'd usually prefer a soft bed, but..." Prompto thought about a chance to watch the stars with Ryella, and not to mention the privacy they had when camping. It was enough to persuade him into making a decision. "I say let's go! Sounds like a nice opportunity!"

Noctis raised an eyebrow at the blond. "Since when are you so eager to camp out?"

The gunman gave a nervous shrug. "Oh, y'know..."

Noctis rolled his eyes, guessing it had something to do with Ryella. "Fine, we'll camp."

Gladio opened up the trunk. The others moved around back with him, each of them picking out a portion of the supplies. Ryella squeezed between them long enough to snatch up her lyre. Once they had everything, Ignis closed the trunk and the group walked out to Emmelle Haven a short distance away. Gladio immediately got to work on pitching the tent while the other three males set up the chairs and stashed everything else away until the weather cleared. With the boys working, Ryella slipped away for a bit. She didn't mind the light rain that pelted her. She just wanted to find a nice spot to play.

She found herself sitting at the edge of one of the sloping rocks that overlooked the hills below. With her lyre in hand and her head hung down, she strummed a steady tune, letting her sorrow out, bit by bit. She had been suppressing her grief since the previous night in Hammerhead. Her memories of the incident were fresh in her mind. She missed everyone, she wished more than anything that she could see them again, to hear their voices, to touch their warm skin. In that instant, she could've sworn she heard her brother's voice on the wind, barely audible over the rain.

Ryella paused in her music, and slowly lifted her head. She gasped, her eyes widening in shock. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. Reynard and Clement hovered in front of her. Their figures were blurred and barely visible, despite that, she could tell they were both smiling. Standing side by side, the two men held their hands out to her. Ryella hesitantly reached out, attempting to grab hold of their hands, but she grasped nothing but air. They were both gone in an instant. It was then that the girl knew they were merely figments of her imagination. She yearned to see Reynard and Clement, so much so that she was visualizing them.

The young Guardian's vision blurred with tears that began pouring from her eyes. She could no longer hold back. The cool drops of rain against her face mixed with her warm tears. She held back her sobs, and instead, began plucking string after string on her instrument, creating a melody she knew well. The sound caught the ears of her friends at the campsite. They'd just finished setting things up. Their eyes landed on where the girl was sitting a short distance away.

"She's been a bit down lately," Gladio quietly stated.

Ignis gave a nod of agreement. "Indeed. Ever since we heard about that other Guardian."

"Probably afraid," Noctis replied. "Maybe still sad too. We should go see how she's doing."

The four males left the haven and made their way to the girl. They listened as she played and sang. She didn't even pause or look at them upon hearing their approach. She simply sang out her feelings.

This song is called "Summer Rain" and is by Hayley Westenra.

"Days of burning sun
Watch the colors run
Into pools that catch the eye
Disappear as you pass by

"You're my summer rain
You're my summer rain
And I know that I'll see you again
And I know that I'll see you again

"Hear my prayer
Answer my call
Breathe life into my soul
I am waiting for you to show
Come and hold me so

"You're my summer rain
You're my summer rain
And I know that I'll see you again
And I know that I'll see you again

"Dreams of a day with you
Fading away

"You're my summer rain
You're my summer rain
And I know, and I know, and I know that I'll see you again
And I know, and I know, and I know that I'll see you again
Summer rain

"You're my summer rain
And I know, and I know, and I know that I'll see you again
And I know, and I know, and I know that I'll see you again

"Uhh, uhh, uhh
Summer rain
Uhh, uhh, uhh
Summer rain"

As soon as her song ended, Ryella burst into quiet cries and sobs, unable to hold back any longer. Prompto was the first to react, going over and taking a seat by her side. He looked at her with concern, placing a gentle hand on her arm.

"Ryella, what's the matter?"

"I..." She struggled to answer through all the hiccups and sobs erupting from her throat. "I-I thought I saw Rey...a-and Clement... I c-can't stop thinking about them..."

"Oh..." Prompto frowned. "So, that's what's been bothering you."

"It's not just that." Ryella tried wiping her eyes but to no avail. More tears replaced the previous ones, although she managed to quiet her cries. "I just...I want to go home. I wish I could go back to the way things were...back to when things were peaceful in Tenebrae...and everyone was alive and well."

Prompto was genuinely hurt upon hearing her say that. "But then...we'd have never met. Do you...really wish for all this to be erased?"

That question caught Ryella off guard. She could hear how painful his tone was. She looked at him, swiftly placing her hand over his that still rested against her arm. "No, no, that's not what I meant at all." She glanced back at the other boys standing by. "Meeting all of you...has been the best thing to come out of what happened." A faint smile tugged at the corners of the blond's lips. "I just really miss everyone."

Noctis moved closer and kneeled on the girl's other side. He gave her shoulder a comforting pat. "I understand how you feel, I've lost family too. I know just how hard it is to move forward, but I find it a lot easier with friends by your side." He flashed her a small smile. "Anytime you wanna talk at all, we're here to listen. Remember that." Ryella smiled lightly in return. The prince rose to his feet. "We'll be at camp. Make sure you're back before the sun sets."

He gestured for Ignis and Gladio to follow him. Ryella and Prompto watched the three walk away back toward the haven, leaving them alone. The gunman suddenly felt a bit anxious at the fact that it was just the two of them. The boy ignored his nerves and gazed over at the girl, thinking of something to say. He knew it'd be good to get her to talk eveything out.

"So, um, what was Clement like?" he inquired, hiding his jealousy under a light, cheerful tone. "I mean, you've told us about your brother, but you never said much about your, uh, boyfriend."

Ryella began smiling, joy erasing her sorrow as she remembered everything. "Believe it or not, I didn't want much to do with him at first. He was just a Lucian hunter, seemingly drawn to my dragon form. That's what I thought at first---fascination with what I was being the sole reason he stuck around. But even after seeing me as a timid girl with no strengths whatsoever, he kept coming back. For weeks, he visited me every day." She couldn't help but giggle. "Of course, Rey didn't like that one bit. He was always protective of me, and didn't appreciate someone else consuming my time each day. But I couldn't help it, Clement was so fun to be around. He was so friendly and outgoing, and always knew how to make me smile and open up. We were so different, yet we got along so well."

Prompto pursed his lips together, sadly turning his gaze out at the scenery. "He...sounded like a cool guy."

"He was actually a lot like you." Prompto swiftly met her gaze again, disbelief in his expression. "You both are fun, friendly people. You often make me smile just the way he used to. You remind me so much of him."

"I-I do...?" Prompto felt a bit hopeful of that. Being compared to her boyfriend was a good sign, right? It meant she could like him the same way she liked Clement.

"I'm happy to have a friend like you," she added.

The gunman's hopes were crushed in an instant. He was just placed in the friend zone. He forced a weak smile to mask how much his chest hurt. "Y-yeah, I'm, uh, glad we're friends. Do you feel better, at least?"

She nodded. "Yeah, thanks for staying here with me."

"Don't mention it. I prefer to see you smiling instead of crying. We should go back to the haven though, before it gets dark."

Ryella glanced up at the sun with its edge now touching the horizon. "Okay."

The pair got up and headed back to the camp. On their way, the rain began to slack off, and by the time they made it to the haven, the clouds had passed on over, taking the rain with them. With the sky clear, Ignis set up his cookware and got to work on supper.

"Ryella, you alright?" the prince asked.

She replied, "I'm fine. Thank you though, for worrying about me."

Still a bit depressed and tired, Ryella mostly remained quiet all throughout supper, and unlike the others, held little interest in seeing the stars before bed. Her mind was too overwhelmed at the moment, and after eating, she retreated to the tent, ready to rest her weary head and set her thoughts aside. The boys stayed up longer though, allowing the fire to die down on its own, making the night sky more visible. Since returning with Ryella, Prompto had been oddly quiet. He was still feeling glum over what the brunette had said to him. But his behavior didn't go unnoticed by his friends.

"What's wrong, Prompto?" Ignis asked. "You act as though Ryella's sorrows have passed over to you."

"He's probably just upset that she didn't wanna stay up long enough to watch the stars with him," Gladio lightly joked.

For once, Prompto didn't even react in his usual flustered way. He glanced back at the tent from where he sat. He knew that Ryella was probably already sound asleep by now, but even so, he would keep his voice low just to be certain her keen ears didn't pick up on their conversation. He slumped forward in his chair, unable to hide his depression from his friends.

The blond sighed lightly. "Do you guys..." He paused briefly, struggling to get the question out. "Do you think I have a chance with Ryella?"

Noctis or Gladio would normally tease the blond for a question like that, but with how serious and dejected he appeared to be, they decided it was best not to torment him. "Why do you ask?" the prince responded.

Prompto hung his head down, staring into the fire. "Because she always mentions that Clement guy. She...really cared about him...like, a lot."

"Ryella's heart is broken," Ignis explained. "She merely needs time to heal and recover. You need to be patient with her."

"But she friend-zoned me. How can I even hope to compare to the dude she used to be with? He sounded like such a great person."

"Yeah, from Ryella's perspective," the prince said. "He was still just a regular guy, y'know."

"Do you like her?" Gladio abruptly asked. "And don't give me some half-ass answer. Do you really like her, more than other crushes you've had like Cindy?"

Noctis muttered, "You wouldn't be this torn up about it if you didn't."

"Well..." The gunman trailed off, thinking on it for a moment. "Yeah...I-I guess I do."

"Then you've gotta stop comparing yourself to some other guy," the shield told him. "You're not him, and no one wants you to be. You're your own person, and trust me, girls like Ryella will appreciate that. You've got just as much of a chance as Clement did. Now stop your damn moping and buck up."

Prompto blinked at the muscular male, taken aback by his little pep talk. Noctis gave a small shrug of his shoulders. "Just be yourself, dude. It seems to be working so far."

Ignis gave a small smile and added, "If it helps, think of a friendship as a way of getting to know one another. Over time, that simple friendship could very well grow and blossom into something much more."

A weak smile crossed the blond's lips. "Thanks, guys. That helps."

The group talked a bit longer, enjoying the tranquility and the clear night sky illuminated by the stars and moon. Once the fire dimmed with only small embers remaining, the boys decided to turn in for the night. They quietly unzipped the tent and went inside. Ryella was resting peacefully at the far side with her back turned. Prompto carefully moved to his usual spot next to her. He took a moment to lean over her for a glimpse of her pretty face. That's when he noticed it---her pendant left in two separate pieces and the photo with her brother nestled between her fingers.

It was obvious that she had been looking at the picture right before dozing off. Prompto held so much sympathy for the Guardian. After all she'd been through---losing loved ones, fleeing from her home, being hunted by another Guardian---and she was still going. He could understand why she'd have a breakdown like she did, especially after withholding her sorrows in order to help them. She tries so hard to be tough and put on a brave face. Prompto softened his gaze at the thought. She just wants to be able to help... She's gotta be the sweetest girl ever. He finally laid down and got situated, glancing over at the brunette one last time before closing his eyes. Hope she feels better in the morning.