The picnic was just starting and everything was set up, something Noctis was happy to finally see. Not because he was losing sleep with excitement or because it was anything he particularly looked forward to, but he was glad to see all the hard work coming together.
Out on the field near the school, there were plenty of blankets set out, along with the tables to the far right with sandwich platters, bags of unopened chips, and veggie trays. Underneath all the food, the tables wore red and white checkered tablecloths--a touch Noctis's childhood self would've been proud of. (Afterall, his younger self would've insisted picnics had to have something with a red and white checkered pattern, or else it just wasn't right.)
He'd been partially left in charge to put it all together, given little more than a checklist and a few basic guidelines. He had to help make sure at least some food was ordered, the music was right, the times were scheduled, the place was ready, and his fellow students attended. It was more than he had been prepared for, and while, on the outside, he looked calm and collected, he felt frustrated and worn out on the inside. If his hair wasn't already styled to stick up in strange places, he was pretty sure all of the planning and pressure would've done it naturally.
But seeing it all in motion, finally, he felt relieved. One less thing to worry about.
He waited for people to start showing up, and in the back of his mind, he tried to think of what to tell Miku and Gumi in case no one actually showed. He'd done the best he could with what he had. For that, he didn't think he did too bad of a job.
