thestormishere | ☈ strike #11 (backdated action / video)

Entry tags:

☈ strike #11 (backdated action / video)

[ Okay, so thanks to Luceti, Lightning has now accomplished the impossible: not only coming back from the dead, but coming back after becoming a Cie'th- something that is not supposed to happen under any circumstances. Despite that, however, everything is not as peachy as you'd think. Now? She's left in the aftermath, trying to sort things out without suffering some kind of breakdown in the process.

This is Lightning, though- she's not okay, but she is better than she was at first. Fortunately, her memories of the whole incident and leading directly up to it are relatively fuzzy-- or depending on your viewpoint, unfortunately, considering she feels like she should try and figure it out... and yet doesn't want to think about it too much due to the sheer level of awful being in that state felt like.

On top of that, her main problem now is actually not her l'Cie Brand that has burned its way to completion... but its sibling set onto Hope's arm that is very likely working its way into doing the same. She needs to do something about him, before it's too late.

But to avoid or put off her other 'obligations' at this point could seem cowardly, and Lightning is not a coward. Therefore, as soon as she's reasonably alright, she kicks herself into action, searching out those she knows and 'needs' to see, trolling around community housing building #4 and the village in general.

... She may or may not actually hunt down Zack, Aerith, and possibly Raine specifically-- at their work places, even, just in time for their shifts to end. Yes, she's just that stalker enough to have figured that sort of thing out.

In addition, she soon turns to the journals as well, making this short message aimed at the last draftees- the filter is not particularly strong, save for locking it away from Hope as well as she can manage: ]

Anyone who saw this on the battlefield... I need to talk to you.

[ A picture is pressed into the journal directly afterward: a crude rendition of two wings- one non-colored, the other filled in with blood-red marker. There's a short pause and then a sigh in the background, but Lightning withholds further comment until responses - if any - come in.

And to avoid the headache of figuring it all out... each piece of this is backdated to just whenever this stuff would have happened. Seriously: any time. ~~And if anything's been missed, just make something up.~~ ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ -- Just to soften almost instantly, her head bowing slightly with a frown. Like usual, Aerith's trying to help, to stop Hope's Brand, and here she is, practically lashing out like some sort of ignorant child with a temper.

Like she's gone absolutely unstable, in spite of everything she's worked on for so many years. All because of that stupid curse and that stupid draft and-- ]

... I see.

... It's all right. I know it's scary, finding out someone else knows... something like that. But I trust Raine. She helps out here too sometimes; I could introduce you two? [Both to reassure Lightning aaaand to try and prevent scary faces at Raine because holy cow Lightning. Aaaangry :X]

[ She's not scared! ... Though a furtive glance is passed to the other young woman at that, her jaw clenching. She doesn't know what she thinks, except that Hope-- he can't go through the same thing she did. He can't.

And Raine definitely isn't an uncommon name, but thinking on it, she has heard it before... ]

It's alright. I'll find her myself, Aerith.

[ Except-- wow, that sounded an awful lot more ominous than Lightning intended. She pauses, then shakes her head with a sigh, going for the bag hanging off of her shoulder instead. Sudden shift! ]

... I think you left this at my apartment-- it's not mine and it's not Hope's, so... [ Avoiding eye contact, she pulls out something that... looks like it could belong to Aerith? ]

Oh, thank you! [Yeah. It's a scarf--which any of them could have worn, because even in March it can be cold when it's windy. But this one is probably a bit more delicate than what the other two would have chosen.] Wow, I've been forgetting things everywhere lately.

[...Though she's not forgetting how uncomfortable Lightning seems to be. Just figuring out if and how to ask about it.]

[ Except Lightning doesn't really approve of long scarfs that hang down very much- too easy to grab and strangle the wearer to death... :|a ]

It's possible Baldr might have stolen it... he's apparently been into that lately.

[ So yeah, it's not her fault if the thing may be puppy-teethed a little. She hands it off with an unmoving expression that matches the flatness in her voice pretty well- 'apparently,' because... in all she was gone for nearly two weeks, you know. ]

[That's morbid, Lightning. 8| (Aerith probably hasn't thought about scarf safety much because how much wind do you get in a city blocked by a plate anyway?) She unfolds the scarf, looking it over.]

He's still young. Easy to pick up bad habits. But--now that you're back, I'm sure he'll be stopping that soon. [...There might be a reason Zack and Aerith get along so well. They can both be flippant when brushing up against serious subjects sometimes.]

[ Give her a break- she's soldier-minded all the way and... literally wanted dead by millions back home, you know. :|

In any case, she quickly smooths herself out- both physically, by closing the bag and resettling it, and mentally, by latching onto this rather mundane conversation while she can, despite the repeated references to... rather non-mundane things and the continued sense of being 'off' from her that that causes. ]

Hm. Yeah, he gets pretty upset when I get after him, but Hope... not so much. I think he's probably pretty smart, but... still, his impulses often get the best of him.

[ Lightning-equivalent of a shrug goes here. Only she would talk about her pet like she's listing points of a performance review. She does love him though, honest. ]

Well, you're his mom. And Hope's kind of a softy. [Hurray mundane conversation! This works too.]

[ ~~Are you calling Lightning a bitch, Aerith?~~ Yeah, definitely no doubt who's alpha up in that little pack, though Lightning probably wouldn't have gone as far as using mom to describe herself even to a dog... ]

Hope is... made of tougher stuff than you'd think. [ Which yeah, she already knows Aerith has heard before, but as far as this girl is concerned, it's something that needs to be pointed out again anyway. ]

[~~If the shoe fits~~ No. But Aerith is totally sticking with mom.]

Oh, you can be tough and a softy. Plenty of guys manage it.

Hmn. [ Not sure how to respond to that, so just... whatever you say, Aerith. Only problem is: not answering sort of puts a stopper on the lighter conversation, doesn't it? Does Lightning try and save it?

... No, she just stands there. Staring blankly at plants. ]

How is Hope doing? Is he feeling better?

Yes. [ Lightning knows she shouldn't have to elaborate on that though. There are really no adequate words for how concerned she is now, or for how bad she feels about... well, dying on him, after everything he's been through. She hasn't asked about how things were while she's gone; frankly, she's not sure she wants to know. ]

... But I'm worried about him.

[ And she admits it. Yeah. ]

... I'm worried too. But as long as you're alive, things can get better. And I know now, he will live. Even if ... [She trails off, looking down. Even if he suffers first? Even if he dies first?]

We've got to keep trying.

... Even if we have to kill him. [ Unlike Aerith, Lightning will actually go and say it aloud, though it's clear that she's not happy about it. Near the point of coming unglued again, even, because... well, disregarding the most obvious, she also knows this: she might not have been a Cie'th for very long, but it was more than enough to let her know that the rumors of that being worse than death are extremely true.

So yeah, if her frustration was smoke, this entire village would find itself completely unbreathable. She glares daggers at some hapless plant, every line in her posture stiff with anger. ] This is ridiculous... why are we even here?

[Sometimes she guesses about why she's here. The Cetra lead a harsh life before they reach the Promised Land. Maybe the first twenty-two years weren't enough.

When she considers everyone else here, though, she knows that can't be it.]

I don't know. Nothing really makes sense.

No, it doesn't.

[ And Lightning continues to simmer, bitter to the max. All that time stuff? It doesn't really matter to her. What matters is that she and Hope were thrown in here with ticking doom counters and no clear way to do anything about them. All that matters is that she should be back trying to save the world she was born in, so that the people of Cocoon won't die for stupid reasons... and so that Serah will get the chance to live again outside the prison of crystal her body was bound into. ]

[ ... It's not long before she once again does the sudden transition between angry and something a little more down-stated, though. She takes a deep breath, then another, looking down and arms crossed. Needless to say, she's found herself a little lost, but... ]

Just... can't lose hope.

[ The double-meaning there is... tragically transparent. ]

[Aerith looks at Lightning and comes closer with a quick step, smiling.] Sorry. I thought it would help to say but I guess it didn't really. Why don't we get out of here? It's getting nicer outside. More sunlight.

[ Talk... talk about mood whiplash there, Aerith. If Lightning hadn't already seen people like Serah and Vanille do something like that before...

She gives a hasty, near-silent sigh and continues to avoid eye contact, but then after a long moment, does eventually come up with in a dark mutter: ] Warmer, finally...

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

☈ strike #11 (backdated action / video)

...2/2

Re: ...2/2

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

1/2

2/2

no subject

no subject