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

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☈ 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.~~ ]

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I do have some time now, if you want to talk.

[ What a coincidence. Lightning puts her hands together to pull at her gloves-- not exactly a nervous gesture, but certainly habitual. ]

Right, well, I've got all day.

Would you like to talk here, or perhaps move to a more private setting? [The shop is relatively empty at the moment, but that's usually subject to change. Besides, the other woman seems somewhat uncomfortable yet. It might be better for them to keep things mostly on her terms.]

If you don't mind walking... [ Unsurprisingly, Lightning generally doesn't like staying in place for very long at a time. Plus, it's harder to eavesdrop effectively if the conversationalists are moving... ]

Not at all. [She's quite accustomed to walking. She does a last check on the plant in front of her before indicating she's ready to go.]

[ Lightning nods, then heads for the door, her mind swirling but determined to remain on top of things here. Once they're outside, she is more than willing to subtly lead the way, immediately skipping right to the point. ]

How much do you already know?

[She's willing to let Lightning take the lead, though she keeps up with her.]

From my understanding of the situation, you, and the boy, Hope, were given brands. Those brands evolve in stages over time-- giving your body new capabilities, but also a form of time limit. If it reaches its full capacity, it will force your body to change, one way or another. This is what happened during the battle, is it not?

[ A tense pause follows that, an obvious frown rapidly growing stronger across Lightning's face as she listens. That is indeed more or less correct though, if lacking in specific terms. ]

The Brands tend to be more reactive to emotion than time... but yeah, that sounds about right. [ Her voice is flat, though her displeasure fades only enough to stop looking like she's about to kill something right now. ] We're l'Cie, marked against our will by the Pulse fal'Cie named Anima. The Focus we were given though... no. It can't be done here.

... That's why I-- changed, during the fight.

[Emotion. That makes sense to her--it reminds her of a few other things. The rest of what she says falls in with the information she received from Aerith and by looking through those books. She nods in understanding, but then asks:]

What has become of your brand now?

It... [ Well, she started off confidently enough there, but then she pauses, her hand pressing into her chest, over her heart where the now-changed Brand resides. Books can tell you so much, but this is something that, while Lightning has seen a similar case, is definitely undocumented. ]

It's stopped. All white and burned out, now.

Is that the result we're looking for? [She didn't recall seeing any mention of that in the texts, but... this was Luceti. It wouldn't be the first time a situation like that came into effect.]

Yes. Either stopping it, or... removing it completely, I guess.

... At this point, I still couldn't tell you which one might be easier. Aerith tried to seal mine, but all that did was cause it to progress faster. [ And you know, embarrass her all over the the journal network. ]

She did mention that. I know that my magic is different from hers, but I wouldn't want to risk trying it right away until I learn more. We know what can't be changed about it: the way it progresses, the reason for it's existence. What we need are the factors that can be changed. Some loophole. In a world like Luceti, we can open ourselves to more possibilities. So any thoughts that you may have on it--thoughts you may have rejected, even, anything you know will be a help in this endeavor, in looking at it a different way.

[ Lightning falls silent. She's a problem-solver for sure, good at piecing things together even when others might not see the connections... but thinking outside the box- that's not easy when you were raised inside of one with an emphasis on not to do that. ]

... The Eidolons, maybe, but... [ No, Hope didn't have one (yet), and this place definitely blocks her calling Odin... she shakes her head, looking frustrated. ] I don't know.

[She had to learn thinking outside the box the hard way. Even so, she tilts her head at that admission.]

Please don't dismiss it. What were you thinking?

Legend says that Eidolons appear to l'Cie who have lost hope, because of their Focus. [ She pauses, frowning deeper in agitated concentration. ] But I don't think they have anything to do with the fal'Cie.

[ It's... probably unlikely mention of Lightning's Eidolon has filtered down to Raine, even if she ever found reason to mention it to Aerith. Admitting it is still strange to her- probably even to a point beyond admitting that she's a l'Cie in the first place. ]

Mine won't appear to me here, anyway. And Hope didn't have one.

An Eidolon... [She tries to think of where she may have heard the term before.] A spirit that you are able to summon?

[Still, pondering that, she continues on-] In any case, we still need to go over any ideas you may have, or may have even rejected in the past. If we don't look at all the angles thoroughly, then we've already given up.

That's right... [ And with that Lightning just goes silent, frustrated and with her thoughts going in circles. When it comes down to it, she's not a strategist of things that aren't on the fly, and she hates sounding uncertain. All she can think of is trying to figure out what caused her Brand to stop like it is now, but... is that really a path worth following? What if it's just an effect of her death as a Cie'th? Her hand goes to her chest again as she walks. ]

Whatever we do... we can't use magic on him- not until we're absolutely sure.

Indeed. [They needed to forge a new path, but rushing in with magic, no matter how different, had already been ruled out for the time being. Not until they knew more.

And researching something that did not exist in paper... it would be difficult. But they couldn't give up before the attempt was made. There had to be some other means. She needs more notes. More time. More answers. Better questions.]

... But we still need time.

How far along is he, currently? If emotions have a role in hastening the process, is there a way that could be reversed somehow?

He's... two stages left, I think. Maybe just one, depending on how well he's able to... control it himself.

[ There's another pause, though it's clear she's about to say something else and is just thinking about that question- when she'd hit the last stage, she'd actually been able to hold it back... until her concentration was broken during the battle against the Shifters. Her agitation, even being restrained here, is painfully obvious. ]

There isn't a way to make it go backwards, if that's what you mean. At least, as far as I know. [ There might be...? Hmm. ]

[There was that pause though.]

You did it again. ... What did you dismiss, just now?

Huh? Nothing. [ She's not dismissing anything, just thinking; this isn't easy for her in any way, after all. ] It's just... like I said, it goes faster if the l'Cie is upset.

... And it's not unknown for it to go through several stages all at once. [ Or for the knowledge that the end is near to go ahead and push it the rest of the way there. ] Only consolation is that this place makes it slower in general, somehow.

The barrier, maybe-- it halves our powers. So perhaps it also slows. ... In the tunnels, it might be stopped completely.

How close was he before you arrived here? Have the stages for him progressed since then?

[ The tunnels. She didn't even think-- ]

It... only time was about a week and a half ago. [ When he was told she'd been killed in battle, unsurprisingly. But at least he hadn't actually been there. ]

I see...

If he can maintain a semblance of calmness, or even visit the tunnels should he feel a change in that mood, then perhaps we can continue to stave it off until we can get closer to a solution.

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☈ strike #11 (backdated action / video)

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