witchesreign | 001 [Action-Garden Entrance]

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001 [Action-Garden Entrance]

[It had been a long year since Lightning had last been here, walking through the turnstiles to get back into Garden. One year of chasing a monster all over the continent without any backup. One more year with only her thoughts as company, and not so much as a clue to get home for it. Just more gil and a teaching job to look forward to come morning.

Nothing had changed, really. Not even the place looked different as Lightning looked up, eyes narrowing in thought. Would she ever find a way back? Hard to say. But she was going to try, and standing around wasn't going to solve anything. So she stepped forward, never turning her head from what was in front of her.

It would honestly be a wonder if she didn't crash into someone or something, at the pace she was following.]

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[Lightning stays quiet through Claire's explosive comment and Snow's explanation, keeping both eyes on the other woman. The way she's standing means she's practically looking for a fight, but if anything, she's probably as freaked out on the inside as Lightning. Seeing your mirror image appear with no warning can't be easy to deal with. It certainly isn't for Lightning, even as she forces herself to deal with this logically.]

And she's the reason you reacted the way you did back at the entrance.

[It's not a question; for Snow to have reacted that way around Lightning, something big must have happened. This is pretty damned big, all things considered. It's enough to make Lightning frown, eyes narrowing as she looks over to her double. What had this woman done to Snow? Had she done anything to the others? If she had...there'd be hell to pay. But a reckless charge would get them nowhere; Lightning needed answers and perhaps...Claire could give them if she was asked.]

Maybe you can explain better than he can. What's your side of this? [Light's tone is nuetral, but, like Snow, her posture is tense. This is sending alarms ringing in her brain and she does not like that.]

Yeah, well, see if I care.

[ Finally her gaze snaps back to Snow as she 'answers' him, looking like she's just on the verge of setting him on fire with her gaze alone- she's heard enough off of him and the rest of Lightning's friends to have a rough picture of things -- mostly what's different, of course, considering how anything that's 'wrong' is obviously going to stand out to her more -- and frankly the implications are disgusting to her.

Does she want to talk to either of these people? No, of course not, but if nothing else she's going to aim to make herself and her standing as clear as possible here. ]

I was a lieutenant in PSICOM. A Sanctum l'Cie. [ And everything that may or may not imply- with her harsh tone, it's probably not hard to figure out, even if her words are still mostly aimed at the man rather than her duplicate. ] This doesn't change anything.

[...was? If she's thinking in the past tense like that, even unconsciously, that's just a shred more concrete hope than Snow had before.]

[A very, very tiny shred.]

No, it doesn't.

[Conviction but not hostility. It doesn't change anything from his perspective either, including his determination to somehow help Claire. Which Lightning ought to be able to read from him in one quick glance. She knows how stubbornly, stupidly idealistic he has to be.]

[..would Lightning's relationship with Serah make Claire realize what she was missing, or just isolate her more in anger?]

[It only takes asking the question for him to realize that isn't on or.]

[Oh, Lightning can most definitely tell that Snow's stubborn side is rearing it's head again. She'd have been surprised if it didn't, but...there's more to deal with than that. Especially since the alarm bells in her head have turned to sirens.

Lieutenant in PSICOM. Sanctum l'Cie. No wonder she's so openly hostile; anyone who supported Lightning had been Pulse l'Cie. People that this woman would have had to strike down. She'd have been alone through most, if not all, of what had happened to her. But that's no excuse for her attitude now, and Lightning's eyes narrow further.]

Then what's the problem? You haven't walked away from us for a reason.

[ Claire just gives a heavy scoff - she never intended to stay long anyway (or anything really, considering she's running entirely on spur of the moment right now), but of course a barbed question like that is only going to further agitate her. She practically bubbles fury at Lightning, entertaining thoughts towards both that are about as far from benign as it's possible to be.

However, as tempting as it is to stick around just to spite them-- ]

Pathetic.

[ She more or less turns up her nose. For all the tempestuousness of her current mood, it's still exceedingly easy to pull up the dismissive, disgusted attitude in full as she looks away, stepping aside to go around in the directions she'd already been going. Already her blood pressure's probably going through the roof... and she can't afford another violent outburst.

Even if it means stalking away with deliberate drama... and even if it means that, although she wouldn't admit it, she's basically fleeing out of a situation in a way she hasn't for a long time. ]

[Snow is grateful for that. It means Claire's less likely to see him reach out to put a hand on Lightning's shoulder. He has a feeling that if Claire wouldn't appreciate the sympathy he and Lightning had found for each other in the course of... everything.]

Come on. There's a lot I need to tell you.

A warning would have been nice, Snow.

[Lightning's voice is quiet as she shakes her head, too busy digging the heels of her palms into her eyes to care who sees them. Too busy trying to get the sirens in her head to shut up now that the immediate threat is gone. She'll have to deal with that later, but right now, she just wants to get to the dorms and see to Serah and Hope.

And if that means needing Snow's hand on her shoulder to ground herself, well...it wouldn't be the first time they've done this. She still remembers that evening on the fields of Pulse, and has no doubts that he does, too. So when she lowers her hands from her face after a moment, it's as if nothing is wrong when she sets off towards the dorms.]

Let's get out of the hall.

Be honest, Lightning. If I'd said there was a Sanctum l'cie Claire Farron teaching here without everyone else to back me up, you -- wouldn't have known what to think.

[He almost said 'would never have believed me', but on second thought... she would have. Would have tried, anyway. Or so he feels. ]

[Well, back to walking towards the dorms.]

[And he opens his mouth to talk, then shuts it again, because he doesn't know where to begin.]

[She would have tried to believe him alright. They've come too far for her to not even try. But right now...well...]

No, I wouldn't have. Doesn't mean I wouldn't have been prepared for it.

[At least, she thinks so. It's a lot to take in right now, so Lightning's just going to keep quiet while Snow acts like a fish out of water. She's just trying to get what little she knows straight in her head.]

How do you prepare for something like that?

[He shakes his head as he heads down the hallway to his dorm. His dorm because he doesn't know hers, of course.]

Well. You heard the big difference.

I don't know. Could have had my guard up.

[She'd still have been taken by surprise. Not every day you see a mirror image of yourself. Especially not one that seemed to hate your every fiber. It's...a lot to take in and Lightning just follows Snow down to his dorm. She'll get to hers later, once this is settled.]

Anything else I should know about?

[He drops down onto his bed, folding his arms over his legs as he thinks.]

I don't know a lot, but... Dysley's behind it, of course. Somehow he managed to brand her, make her a Sanctum l'cie. It's his style -- tell her she's supposed to save Cocoon, but set her up to fail. If a hero of Cocoon falls against the Pulse l'cie, riots will happen, terror and panic, all the things he wants. And since Serah is apparently not crystal...

[He'll let that sink in for a moment. Lightning will understand better than anyone what it meant to have a Focus to defeat the Pulse l'cie, and her own sister being one. He looks up at her, watching her, as he lets her consider it.]

[Lightning's face is blank as she thinks all that over, letting what she knows roll around in her head.

Serah not a crystal in that...other Cocoon, and the other her a Sanctum Fal'Cie. Just like the six of them, she'd been played right into Dysley's plan. Only, with no support and with her probably thinking her own sister was a monster...Etro and Fal'Cie be damned.]

She'd think the whole world's out to get her, and won't have any proof it isn't.

[He folds his arms, looking back down.]

She hates us. Me especially, of course, I don't think that's surprising to anyone.

[He lifts a hand to rub his jaw, smiling at Lightning as he looks up.]

She hits like you, though. That's how I know she's closer to you than... well, anyone thinks. Everyone else avoids her. Hope hates her. I don't blame him. I tried to show him that it's not her fault, that she's being used. Not sure I got through to him.

She needs help, Lightning. I don't know how we could ever give it to her, but she's been fooled and used by Dysley. She's not really our enemy.

[As Snow looks back down, Lightning sets her bag down on the ground near the door and crosses her arms over her chest. He's going to be stubborn about this. She can tell.

Though it doesn't surprise Lightning one bit that he still wants to help this woman even though she clocked him, and Lightning shakes her head in the face of that smile.]

You probably didn't. If he tried to get close when he saw her and she pushed him away, he was probably hurt by that. You know Hope, Snow. You know the others, too. How would you react if it was someone who looked exactly like Serah doing this?

[It's familiar, trying to be the voice of reason to Snow's almost reckless take-charge plans and make him think before doing anything, but she can tell he's given this thought. Probably a lot of it.]

Maybe she isn't, but to her, we're all her enemies. We know she's being played the same way we were, but does she? Dysley's her Primarch, her leader. She probably thinks she's fighting for Cocoon. We're everything that stands against that to her. She'll never accept our help.

Maybe. But Hope knows what it's like to have someone taken away, and what it's like to hold on to hate to keep you going.

[Regret. Even now. He'll never forgive, and never forget, though he won't ever stop moving forward.]

[At her question, though, he smiles again.

You know the answer, sis. I believe in Serah. Always have. Always will. As for her, you're right. I don't think we CAN help her any way, not right now. Not directly. All we can do is not hate her, and not make things worse. Don't get baited, don't attack her, don't anything. You know I won't let her hurt anyone though.

I -- I can't say what I mean, when I say she needs help, Lightning. I just know that... that... she needs help. Somewhere inside her is the same core that makes up my sister. We can't just abandon her.

That won't make it any easier for him to let go of any pain and help her.

[And because she can hear the regret in Snow's tone and knows that he understands exactly what she means, Lightning only sighs at him and lets her arms fall back to her sides. He's definitely being stubborn about this.]

I know that. But you can't be everywhere, Snow. What happens if you're not here and she attacks Hope or Serah, or even me? We'd have to defend ourselves first.

[But she knows Snow already knows this, so she just sits on the bed next to him, staring at the opposite wall for a long moment before glancing back at Snow, head tilted to the side.]

I didn't say we would. I'm just saying you need a better plan than just helping her. You need specifics, and a backup plan if something goes wrong.

I trust Serah and Hope to not be stupid. I'm just saying don't take her down unless you have to.

[He's also not saying, out loud, that actually he and Fang might be the only ones able to match her. Lightning and Sazh aren't branded, Serah hasn't very much combat experience with her own, and Hope and Vanille... are Hope and Vanille. No offense. Not that Lightning would hesitate for a second to defend her family...]

Right now all I can do is wait. Something will have to change eventually. She can try to pretend we're just monsters and targets, but...

I'm not going to go looking for a fight with her, Snow. I'll defend myself if she attacks, but that's it.

[Though it doesn't need saying that if Claire goes after any of the Pulse l'Cie, Snow included, Lightning will meet her blade for blade. She may no longer have her brand, but she has her training. It should be enough to defend her family.]

And if nothing ever changes? What if she always thinks of us as monsters or targets? You can't save everyone, Snow. Some people just don't want to be helped at all.

You know that's not enough to stop me, Lightning.

[He chuckles. He's learned to take his own instinct just a little less seriously, after all, even as he abides by them.]

Giving up just because it's hard isn't very heroic, after all. Besides, now that we're all together, what could possibly stand against the seven of us for long? Eight of us, really.

[At his first comment, and at that chuckle, Lightning only gives him a look. She might have missed Snow over the past year, but she didn't miss those heroic instincts much at all.]

Besides an Adamantoise or a Cactuar that you run us into? Not much. [And since there's no Adamantoises here...well, she's not that worried. Just concerned about something that may or may not happen.]

Still haven't forgiven me for that one either, huh?

[And that reminds him of something, very indirectly.]

Cid Raines. I told you he was here, right?

[In response, a lineface. No, Snow, she hasn't totally forgiven you for that yet. It'll take a little more time for that to happen.]

You mentioned he was here, yeah. What about it?

He's all right. He's helped me out with some things. I've forgiven and forgotten, and I think the other are too... I hope you'll do the same.

[Pardon her for looking away for a moment, Snow. Forgive and forget really aren't in her vocabulary, especially after someone tried to kill them, but...]

I'll give him one chance. He messes that up and it's over.

[...yep. she's gonna be stubborn, too.]

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