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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[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.]

I don't think he will. Like I said, he's been helping me out. Besides, all he did was do what he thought he had to, to save what was important to him. Kind of hard for us to take the moral high ground on that issue.

[After all, they considered Fang part of their little family, but what wouldn't she do for Vanille's sake?]

[Hopefully Hope will work this angle on Lightning...]

[And then, abruptly, he starts laughing, straightening up at last.]

Good to have you back, sis.

Yeah. Guess it would be.

[Because, in the end, they did have Fang among them, and they'd have all sided with her to save the rest of their family if she'd just asked. How different are any of them from Raines? Not very, really, though she will need to be convinced of that, and Hope does stand a better chance.

Snow might have had one, if he hadn't startled Lightning, but all she does is shake her head at him. She'd say good to be back, but she's not the type and he knows it. This time, however, she's sighing a bit and nodding.]

Someone has to keep you out of trouble when Serah can't. Who else actually stands a chance of doing it?

Fang could. But it's more her style to sit back and smirk while I get myself neck deep into something.

Exactly. She wouldn't pull you from a fight if you were in over your head.

[Just stretching out a bit as she says this. It's a blunt fact, nothing more.]

Can't let that happen with Serah here.

She's learning. It's not quite how she expected to go to school, but she's doing good anyway. You'll be proud.

[He certainly is. But at the same time, he's feeling out Lightning's opinions on her sister learning things like paramagic and combat.]

[For quite a while, Lightning is silent. She doesn't like the idea of her baby sister learning how to fight, but...well, this is a military school. There aren't many other options and at least it's not Pulse where she's out in the wild with no one to protect her and no way to fight back.]

...Yeah. I think I will be. She was always a good study back home.

Smartest girl I ever met, but modest about it.

[The fond smile ought to confirm, as Lightning surely knew already, that the intervening time has only made his feelings for Serah stronger.]

And if that ever changes, we're in more trouble than we can get out of.

[Blunt fact, but there is a hint of fondness in her eyes just as there's the fond and ever-loving smile on Snow's face; Serah's constant. One of the few they have, even if she changes bit by bit. But, Serah, no longer modest? It would be like Snow no longer being a hero.]

Won't ever happen, sis.

[He reaches into his pocket, coming out with a very familiar little crystal. He tosses it up in the air, catches it easily, then holds it out.]

I've been holding onto this. Not that I need it quite the same way I did, but it brings back memories. [Good ones. Of you, Lightning.] I kinda feel like you should take a turn keeping it, now that you're back.

[Lightning answers that first comment with a nod, then slowly takes the crystal from Snow's hand and just holds it, turning it over in her hands and watching the light pass through the facets. This thing gave them both so much hope back then, it's almost hard to believe it's been so long since.]

You sure about this? You might not get it back for a while.

I'm sure. It's not just mine, anyway.

[Call it an apology, for how things went and his own behavior before everything happened. With Claire around, he'd been thinking about that a lot.]

Besides, if I want another tear from Serah, I'll just make her so happy she can't help but cry.

001 [Action-Garden Entrance]

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