Loss. [Action | Front Gate]

[haha-steelguard.livejournal.com]

[Not wanting to suck the life out of the quad and not feeling up to training, Snow had found himself a seat on one of the raised planters that held a few small trees and some decorative plants, out past the ID checkpoint in the landscaped area. There he sat, hands on his knees, head bowed, and thought.]

[In his right hand, he held a crystal.]

[As far as he knew... he had lost a sister. And he was amazed how much it hurt.]

Comments

PRETEND THIS ISN'T 7 YEARS LATE

[brightens]

[ Vanille had been wanting to talk to... Well, everyone from the moment she'd spotted Lightning walking through the halls, and had spoken to her to not-so-great effect. Things had gotten a little insane around here, recently, but she finally had her chance to look around and find everyone— and she was going to take it. She may not have gotten another one for a while. ]

[ Despite how unmistakable he usually was, Snow had been hard to find. She wasn't about to give up until she'd combed every part of the Garden— twice, if she had to. It was with luck that she spotted him outside the front gate. ]

[ Her heart dropped, seeing him like that. Lightning's attitude had been tough on her, too, but to see what was obviously his reaction to it was... Well, heart-wrenching. She was scared of what was to come, but she swallowed her uncertainties, approaching him. ]

Ah... Hi.

It's like a day after I posted it! That's not 7 years!

[haha-steelguard.livejournal.com]

[His smile is wan but genuine and unforced as he looks up at her. He'd always seen Vanille as a bright spot in his days, after all. (So, good work on hiding all that angst and heartbreak around Snow, is the message here.)]

Hey.

You met her too, huh?

[He makes a 'have a seat' motion.]

... seven years.

[brightens]

[ She does take a seat, right beside him. ]

... Uh huh.

[ She bites her lip, glancing over to him, not sure what to say. ]

She said some weird stuff...

Seven days?

[haha-steelguard.livejournal.com]

She probably didn't even recognize you, huh.

[Snow is still under the impression that Lightning has come prior to her own branding; he doesn't understand, hasn't even guessed yet, what's going on.]

OH GOD seven daaaaayssss

[brightens]

She recognized me.

[ She frowns, bringing a hand up to her mouth, biting down on her nails. ]

She's not like us.

And then Frank Parker was in the Pope's body!

[haha-steelguard.livejournal.com]

[He straightens up with a jerk like he's been kicked.]

But -- she didn't even meet you till we all were in the Vestige. And she hasn't been branded -- this doesn't make any sense!

And we were all wondering why Ezio wasn't around to punch him.

[brightens]

[ She shakes her head. ]

She knew me from somewhere else. [ And for once, she's not telling a truth she'd kept hidden for a while, even though it feels just as bad as doing that. She grips the hem of her skirt in her fingers. ]

She's branded... But... She's not like us.

[haha-steelguard.livejournal.com]

[He looks over at her curiously, starting to catch on that she means something significant with that.]

What do you mean?

[brightens]

She's a l'Cie... But... She's...

She said she was...

[ She can't get the word out. ]

[haha-steelguard.livejournal.com]

[Snow isn't gonna force it.]

[If he had any idea of what the word was... but no, he's just waiting patiently.]

[brightens]

[ She needs to force it. She needs to just... Blurt it all out and get it out quickly. ]

She said... She's a Sanctum l'Cie.

[haha-steelguard.livejournal.com]

Sanctum?

Sanctum l'cie?

[Not that he thinks you're lying, Vanille, but you just told him something ludicrous!]

[brightens]

[ She knows. She doesn't blame him for being confused... She is, too. ]

[ But she nods. ] That's how she knows... Who we are.

[haha-steelguard.livejournal.com]

But the only Sanctum l'cie in years was Sazh's kid. It was a --

[Wait. What is he saying? He knows of one more Sanctum l'cie, branded secretly and never announced.]

...Dysley.

I'll bet it's HIS smug face behind this.

[brightens]

[ She watches him, not sure what to say. ]

She didn't really tell me anything. Just... That.

[haha-steelguard.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I can't imagine she would have.

[He puts a hand to his head, so dazed he can't even maintain the anger.]

It all... seems so far away. Like a dream.

[brightens]

Has... Um...

She seen Serah, yet?

[haha-steelguard.livejournal.com]

We haven't had a chance to talk about it much.

[They had been a bit too busy trapped in Shadow's tale of horrible murder. Lightning might be the source of his bad mood, but it's not the only reason his defenses are uncharacteristically low.]

[brightens]

Yeah, I... Guess not.

[haha-steelguard.livejournal.com]

I asked Cid to help us find stuff out, though. [He's mentioning the Sanctum officer's name deliberately, testing the water's for Vanille's reaction.]

[brightens]

[ Here it is: ] Cid? He's... He's here, too?

[haha-steelguard.livejournal.com]

You haven't seen him?!

[Why is this surprising? Because if nothing else, Cid is only an inch shorter than Snow. How do you MISS him?]

Yes! He got here not long before Lightning.

[brightens]

Ah... Uh-uh. I haven't seen him.

[ She misses a lot of things, Snow, trust me. ]

[haha-steelguard.livejournal.com]

[Oh, Vanille.]

He's an Instructor too. Seems like a good fit for him.

[brightens]

[ She nods, forcing a smile. ] Yeah... It does.

Do you really think he'll be able to help? With...