[ action ] Ϟ [ 03 ]

[subjected]

[ Regardless of what some off-world cadets may claim, it turns out that they actually don't brainwash those who become SeeDs. Therefore, even if one goes and gets hired on as part as the staff? There's definitely nothing that says they just magically forget about things that were known as a cadet.

Case in point: the 'secret area' of the training center, which may just become the location of a rather unpleasant surprise for anyone who dares to make a late-night trip up to the secluded balcony there- Instructor Claire Farron, leaning against the rail and looking generally... well, miserable, though as always she's bound to be trying to hide it.

Of course, how she ever found the place to begin with when she has no real friends is up for debate.

In any case, obviously she's not exactly in a good mood, and obviously, she's probably not doing much of this 'sleeping' thing recently. This extends to the day time as well, as anyone who's in her classes or currently being tutored may notice she's suddenly grown even more tense and prone to distancing herself... and if not that, then they should still be pretty hard-pressed to miss that several days ago she cut off most of her hair. The reason for that should be clear; she is not a fan of particular recent arrivals.

Good luck figuring out when she actually does stuff like shower or eat anything besides the occasional in-hand fruit now, although people are still welcome to try.... ]

Comments

[brightens]

[ Vanille shakes her head and backs up a little more, eyes widened at the gunblade being drawn before her. She's actually paralyzed with fear at the sight of it, eyes moving from the blade to her face in shock.

No... She knows fighting her is not the answer. It would just prove to her that they're enemies, even more than she already knows or thinks that's true. But, at the same time... She's pushed her to the ground, drawn her weapon... Maybe she's finally lost it, and she's going to... ]

Because I didn't do anything..! [ Everything inside Vanille is screaming to run, and she scrambling to stand up— she'll run back into the training center if she has to, she just needs to get away. ]

[subjected]

Didn't do anything? You're from Pulse, aren't you? Have you really done nothing?

[ Yeah, suddenly this isn't about what it was a few seconds ago any more. However, with her weapon drawn, Claire suddenly stops moving forward again. Bizarrely, it's almost like she's waiting for the answer. ]

[brightens]

[ Not at all, and Vanille understands that immediately. This isn't about what she'd been doing in the training center, or talking to her, or trying to move past her at all. ]

I don't... [ Of course she hadn't done nothing. She didn't know what it was like in Claire's world, but in hers... She had been to blame for her sister being branded, and for Dajh being branded, too... And everyone else. She'd gotten all of them into this mess.

If Claire had known that... No wonder she hated her. And if she didn't... Then, it would only make her hate her more.

What could she say? It wasn't like she was innocent. ]

[subjected]

Well? [ Yeah, the weak answer only frustrates her, her glare so hot the other young woman can probably almost feel it on her. ] Do you deny trying to hurt Cocoon?

[ Of course she doesn't know that Vanille and Fang are the l'Cie responsible for the huge break in the artificial world's shell, but... she has heard of things that have happened since they've reawakened...

And bizarrely, out of all the things to hit her about the differences between her own world and the one that all of the others apparently inhabited, it's wondering whether the event that happened behind the surveillance at Euride Gorge happened there, too- what lead to the Branding of the little boy who eventually led PSICOM to the Pulsian fal'Cie near Bodhum. ]

[brightens]

That's not what we want! [ She snapped back almost immediately, voice brimming with emotion.

It was the truth— it wasn't what they wanted... Anymore. True, when they were living on Pulse, they'd wanted nothing more than to bring Cocoon down to protect themselves... But if they'd known what it was like, or at least if she'd known, she wouldn't have been so set on following Fang, becoming l'Cie together... ]

That's not what any of us want.

[subjected]

But you do it anyway!

[ She's certainly capable of raising her voice in turn, accentuating it with a broad-swept gesture with her gunblade. As far as she's concerned here, she's not to be fooled- she might be Sanctum, but she's a l'Cie too and has had the experience of feeling the weight of a Focus... not realizing the Pulse l'Cie marked by Anima might not have the same influence on their will that she just takes as a matter of fact. ]

[brightens]

No! It's— [ She starts to argue back, but the sweep of her arm with the gunblade catches her attention, making her heart pound and then feel as if it might stop in her chest. ]

We're not...

I'm not going to do it!

[subjected]

Tch!!

[ Claire's eyes widen in obvious fury- she's definitely heard that before... and still stubbornly believes just the opposite. Hearing otherwise, especially from this l'Cie, overwhelms her with anger, until the grip on her gunblade has reached the point of pain, and she actually lifts her other hand, sorely tempted to do something even more regrettable than her attack on Snow in the Quad had been.

-- But then, she steps back, sneering, but forcefully wrestling herself back under control. That? She can't afford another mistake like that one had been. ]

Like there's a choice.

[ And with that spit out she spins on her heel, turning her dark-colored gunblade in hand to slam back into its holster with excessive force. She's leaving. ]

[brightens]

[ Of course there was a choice... They could always choose not to do them. Of course, it would mean turning Cie'th, and she was sure no one would ever want to choose, that... But given the option between destroying Cocoon and turning into a monster, well— Vanille's choice had been rather obvious to her. Even now, when she's far away from it and her brand is sealed, nowhere they could actually even try to complete their Focus, she has doubts on whether or not they'd be able to fight fate...

Even though, right now, they technically were.

Vanille is not going to stop Claire if she wants to leave. No, the exact opposite, actually. She draws back even further, watching warily. She's not getting up and heading down the same corridor as her until she's given her time to get back to her dorm, even if it means she'll be falling asleep in class. ]