Lately, Caius had been a bit more of a homebody. That intern had been hired and instructed, but there still needed to be on the job training and supervision to ensure they were able to do the job correctly and cope with the pressures that came with the Dragonblades’ surge in popularity and amount of work that had come as a result of their victory over the Kraken. And that meant somebody had to stay behind for a little while to monitor them. As Celes wanted to go on her self-discovery journey, Caius volunteered out of respect for her wishes. So it was that Celes went on her journey and Caius stayed to man the ship.

It was an adjustment, that was for sure. Despite that, he didn’t mind volunteering. It was a pain in the hind, he wouldn’t lie. Caius was a travelling man and had been for most of his life. He hadn’t stayed in one place for too long since he was a child, and he had never actually lived in a city before. Well, he still didn’t. He still lived in that cabin in the woods, but once his morning preparations were complete, he always made his way over to the dukedom’s capital city of Torensten to get to work. And that was where he spent most of his day on most days. Here and there he took little trips, keeping his skills sharp through taking jobs in the local area, but he never went far past Provo at the most. But he had found himself staying in Torensten more than he ever had spent time in a city in his entire life. It was a bit terrifying, spending so much time around busy crowds and being surrounded by buildings instead of open landscapes. Still, he didn’t mind too much. Celes Chere had kept the place running, trained their men and handled all the affairs on the homefront, whether it be paperwork or clients. And she had done so for the majority of their tenure. Something he appreciated very much, so if she wanted to go on some journey to find herself? She could take all the time she needed, he’d do what had to be done while she was gone.

So how had Caius handled this change? Well, he did what he had always done. And that was keeping himself busy. When not on jobs, he was making sure the intern was doing alright, answered any questions she had, and sometimes helped out himself if things got a bit overwhelming. The intern’s name was Tomoe, a recent graduate from the University of Magic here in Torensten. So he was a bit surprised to see her application, considering he had figured she’d look for work that could better make use of her talents. But her reasoning was sound enough – she needed work experience to get to that next step, and the Dragonblades were a known name in Torensten. While she had no interest in combat, she hoped the job would teach her how to handle pressure in a real working environment. She was a gifted learner and Caius found she was learning quickly. She had even found ways to utilize her magic in order to keep the desk tidy. Neat.

So it was a young girl with dark hair and a bespeckled complexion that peered at Prompto when he creaked his shaky legs inside. He asked where Caius was, and the girl put on her warmest and most welcoming face.

“Oh! Mr. Caius is in the back, training some of the recruits!”

CRACK!

That about summed up how Caius was “training the recruits”. While sparring sessions were normal, this one had been rather… Peculiar. During the session, Caius had overheard one of the punks, probably one of the newer ones, point out that it was “Nice to be trained by a man for once. Maybe now we’ll learn something” before he had coincidentally called the man to spar with him for a demonstration.

Caius had let the man make the first move, which the young lad had done, charging straight at him with all the headlong folly one would expect from a young and inexperienced punk. And Caius had waited patiently, letting them come to him.

Before Caius floored him with a resounding headbutt.

The recruit went down, groaning and holding his head as Caius cracked his neck and shook the cobwebs out of his head. He turned to the other recruits. His expression, his tone, all a sound and stalwart calm. His expression was of stone, his emotions impossible to read as his gaze fell upon each recruit. Some were wincing and gritting their teeth at the display.

“Patience. Patience is key in battle. Read your opponent’s moves. Know when to strike, and when not to. Finding the right timing can be the difference between life and death.”

He looked at the poor sod who was beginning to sit up.

“Also, do not underestimate the capabilities of your hands, feet or even your head. Use all at your disposal to provide yourself an opening. Your opponent will be looking to do the same. When you fight, always do so with the mindset that your opponent is potentially trying to kill you. Keep your guard up, and yield as few openings as possible.”

He reached over and looped his arm around that of his opponent, helping them to their feet. As he did so, he leaned over to subtly whisper into their ear.

“I would not speak in the way you did when around General Chere. If she hears that kind of disrespect, she can and will do far worse than I. Just so you know.”

The lad’s eyes widened at this, and Caius clapped a hand on his back with a small grin, motioning him back to the others.

The intern would wait for a break in the lecture before approaching. There was talk of a nervous wreck of a boy and something involving a prison in Sonora. The latter of which made him cringe. He didn’t want to go anywhere near Sonora, much less its prison. He was about ready to tell them to dismiss the person, but... The bit about the Crownsguard and Eos caught his attention. Then she gave a name.

Prompto Argentum.

Caius did not know the man by face, but he knew him by reputation. A close confidante of the King. He didn’t entirely understand the situation, or why Prompto was here, but if he was looking for Caius’ help, he wouldn’t turn them away. At the very least, he could hear them out.

“I’ll see them right away” he told them as he turned to the recruits. “And as you can see, sometimes duty calls when you least expect it. Lesson to learn” he remarked with a bit of cheek. “Spar amongst yourselves, keep your body and mind in shape. A warrior has to be maintained if they wish to continue being a warrior. Or living, for that matter.”

He looked then to the poor sod holding his head. “And you should get some ice. See if Cassandra is in. Try not to offend her. She’s sweet, but she knows far too much about poison" he pointed out quietly to the lad before he exited stage left. Well, this was going to be... Interesting, he supposed? His memories of people from his own world, or well, the other version of his own world? They were... Hazy. Caius had already accepted that whatever version of his world these people from Eos were coming from, it wasn't his own.

What he hadn't expected to find, was a young man, extremely nervous looking. Even stranger was that this boy was clearly younger than him. He had expected some anxiety based off the report, but... This boy couldn't be any older than 20. THIS was Prompto? One of the King's right hands? He didn't understand, Caius had only been a child when-

He took a deep breath, reminding himself that this world was touched by time more than others. And that wherever Prompto was from, it was a different time from what he knew. He also had to prepare for the extreme likelihood that Prompto had no idea who he was, aside from the fact he was once a Kingsglaive. Which he could have heard from within this world. It wasn't the easiest thing, having to harden your heart like that, steel yourself for the likelihood, but... Caius had learned to handle it the best he could. He didn't have a choice, after all.

Dusting himself off and tying his hair back into a ponytail to hide the workout sweat, Caius would then step into the entryway.

"You are Prompto, correct?"

“Prince” Noctis. That was what Caius had zeroed on first. That explained things. He knew from a glance that Prompto would have had to have been from a time period different from his own. He didn’t know how he knew exactly, but he had met someone before. Somewhere. Who had made this whole… Separate timelines and time periods thing clear to him. And that he was from a different string of events entirely from those that blew in from Eos. Something that Caius had learned to accept. Still, Prompto being this young and Noctis still being a Prince likely meant that this Prompto was from a time where Caius was still only just a child. And likely wouldn’t have the foggiest idea about Noctis becoming King.

He decided not to tell him the truth. This kid had enough anxiety as-is. And they had business to take care of.

So Yuna had recommended him? Of course she had. She could never turn down a poor soul like this one. He liked that about her, but what in the world had she gotten him into now? He did recognize the names he cited though, Ignis and Gladiolus. The other retainers of the King. So they were all here, then. It seemed he would have to make that field trip after all.

“I served the King for a time before I ended up here, yes” he spoke up, pacing around a bit as he considered all that had been said. He leaned in to speak quietly, not wanting to be overheard. “I assume you mean this Sonoran prison you mentioned to our intern. I hope you’re aware of what hell you’re asking me to walk into. And the ramifications if we are recognized, or gods forbid, we fail. There will be very permanent ramifications for the both of us, and potentially for the family I’ve built here as well.”

He sighed. He did not want to do this. But he did as well, in a way. He could leave them there, but it wasn’t right.

“Point is, we can’t charge in blindly. There needs to be careful planning and preparation. Or we will end up in prison with them. Permanently.”

This was a grave situation, to put it lightly. Caius was taking it as seriously as could be.

“I’ll help you. It is my duty as Kingsglaive, no matter where I may be. But I refuse to involve the Dragonblades, so this mission will be on the house – and off the record. You will have my sword, but only mine. I trust this is acceptable?”

Prompto seemed to have picked up on his reluctance to go to Sonora, despite his agreement. Could you blame him, though? “I am a Kingsglaive, even if I’ve hung up the uniform. It would be dishonorable for me to abandon my brothers in arms when they need me” he brought up, though he then gave the slightest of cheeky smiles. “I just don’t like Sonora. Do forgive me for the complete and utter lack of excitement. If you’ve spent five minutes there, you probably know what I mean.”

When Prompto started talking about being willing to kill people in Sonora, Caius frowned as he quickly made a turning down motion with his fingers. “Voice down. Don't talk about breaking into a Sonoran prison and attacking guards broad and out in the open. This is still a public place and you don't know who's listening” Caius reminded him in a gentle, quiet reprimand. For all his apparent accomplishments, he had apparently never planned to break into a prison before. Then again, neither had Caius. But this wasn’t his first mission of this kind, either.

Caius decided to humor Prompto’s weapon display by summoning his own sword as well, before responding. “If they aren’t even trying to fight back, they either have a reason to be there, or are waiting for the best time. That, or they’ve been beaten into submission. It is best we prepare for the latter two possibilities. Sonora is a militaristic hellhole, possibly worse than Niflheim. Where we’re going, expect resistance of the highest degree.”

This was going to be bad, and it sounded worse the more they talked about it. “What do we know about this place so far? What allies do we have? I would prefer if you did not involve Yuna further. If something happens to me, Celes can continue here in my stead. If we lose Yuna as well, our members in Provo don’t have someone capable of leading them, and the branch is still new.”