☈ strike #15 (action / video)

[thestormishere]

[ For Lightning, because of the circumstances at the end of the last time she'd been drafted, this is actually the first time since her arrival she's ever had to go and try to readjust back to 'normal' life so suddenly- to go from experiencing days of battle and worry, thinking critically, ready to kill or order to kill at a moment's notice... to sleeping in a bed she's used to, eating breakfast in the morning, running for exercise, trying to figure out what else to do for the day...

The village might just be getting started on a whole new New Feather cycle, but Lightning doesn't really find it easy to care that much. She pays attention but mostly ignores what doesn't concern her-- aside from even more random strangers wandering through her yard, that is. Apparently that's just the price of living at house #41, so close to the plaza.

... Of course, something is still pretty off, too. Regardless of somehow managing to do a passable job before, she'd really rather not be having to go out and water the flowers around the house again-- Aerith's flowers. Especially since, like it or not, the guilt over not keeping an eye on the other woman that last day of the draft continues to plague her. She still doesn't know what happened to her, aside from the fact that she suddenly disappeared and just never came back... and yet she does know that others will probably be wondering where she is anyway. In a weird way, the l'Cie kind of considers handling it her duty... even if she'll still be eyeing anyone who gets near with obvious suspicion.

Unless your name happens to be Hope or Zack, of course, the former which has an upcoming birthday laying on her mind, and the other which... she needs to... kind of figure things out with. After that conversation right before everyone was sent off. Ohhhh boy.

If she's not caught in her yard, eventually she does leave her own territory, though, restless and looking for something to do. And after some time, she turns to the journals with a dry, vaguely annoyed-sounding inquiry: ]

Just... out of curiosity, who all is even looking after these fruit trees north of the village? [ A short pause, and she's clearly looking off, studying something a little bit overhead. Unsurprisingly, she's standing right alongside an apple tree, bearing a prodigious load of readying round fruit. ] Look about ready to harvest, out here...

Comments

[originaljackass]

[Jack can pretty easily spot a liar and he can tell something is up. He has a sinking feeling he knows what it is, too.]

... where is she?

[thestormishere]

[ There's nothing to 'spot' here aside from annoyance and discomfort- Lightning is never a liar unless it's dire or she's joking about something... and neither one of those things applies here. ]

I don't know. [ And then though it's hardly a heartbeat's worth, she hesitates before adding: ] She didn't come back, from the draft.

[originaljackass]

[Didn't return from the draft... his eyes narrow.]

The draft ended days ago. You don't just not come back.

[thestormishere]

She didn't come back.

[ Her voice grows firmer, her hands clenching briefly at her sides before she brings her arms up to cross over her chest. She knows the implications perfectly well- she disappeared and didn't follow everyone else home... so she must have died, somehow, while nobody was watching.

As if Lightning really needed any more guilt to deal with, right? ]

[originaljackass]

[He's more upset about this than he thought he'd be. Even if it doesn't show. He liked Aerith. Sure, she would come back, but she was that person he didn't want bad things to happen to.]

I should have kept a better eye on her.

[thestormishere]

[ Lightning would like to argue against that- point out that Aerith isn't a child and definitely doesn't need someone like him to look after her... but her emotions stop her. Technically you can't call it her fault either, with as much as she'd been doing to organize and keep everything running, making sure the people who fight stayed alive and their attackers stayed dead, but the feeling of guilt seeming to inch up her spine and twist around her heart sobers her.

She just turns her face away slightly, looking down. He got his answer, so is he satisfied here yet? ]

[originaljackass]

[Yeah, he's got his answers. He's not happy about it, though. He's not really the type to be sentimental, though. He does bummed out really well though, which is exactly where he's at now.]

That's her garden, right? I can take care of that.

[thestormishere]

I've got it under control, Jack.

[ Certainly a little defensive, and her tired tone implies that she just really doesn't want to be dealing with other people right now. Which is funny, because... that happens to be very true. ]

[originaljackass]

[Well. He offered. He's not the type to keep at it. So he finally just shrugs.]

If you say so. If you see her before I do... [Do what? Say hi?] Nevermind.

[thestormishere]

[ And just... more silence, with her head still down a bit. It's not like she'd find it easy to figure out what to say here anyway, even if she was in the mood to in the first place. ]

[originaljackass]

[... yeah, he's got nothing. No encouraging words are going to come from this man. After the statute of limitations on awkward moments have long since expired, he turns to leave.]

Well, I'll be going then. Try and take care of yourself, Lightning.