thestormishere | ☈ 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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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.

☈ strike #11 (backdated action / video)

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