☈ strike #19 (action)

[thestormishere]

[ It's absolutely freezing and the village is covered in snow, but although Lightning would usually be all for avoiding that kind of weather like the beach-town native from Cocoon she is, today she's out anyway... and accompanying Baldr, who has definitely been inside way too much lately.

Hard to believe that a year ago saw her struggling with what to do with the little puppy she suddenly found herself saddled with, but now? That little black fluffball is a full-grown dog: long-haired, well-muscled... and currently bounding about, snuffling through the white covering, and chatting back to his pink-haired human about his various findings. Still a puppy at heart sometimes, that's for sure.

And while he doesn't run up to just anyone and bowl them over or anything - look at who his trainer is, come on - he does pay special attention to anyone else who happens to be out as well, ears perked forward, snow in his ruff, and a hearty Hello! to most who cross their path.

As for Lightning herself, she's... a noticeable contrast, solemn and distracted as she keeps an eye on the dog, making her way slowly into the middle of town. A visit to the flowershop later, and she's carrying something pretty unusual: a small bunch of pale pink crysanthemums. Where she's heading after that, however, remains to be seen. ]

Comments

[wingenvy]

[He glances sidelong at her, brows lifting slightly.]

...Wonder what?

[Man, sometimes he really can't tell what's on her mind at all.]

[thestormishere]

[ And it proooobably doesn't help how remarkably far this is out of the realm of things she's usually willing to talk about. He'd be totally justified considering himself a pioneer in hearing about these kinds of long-standing issues of hers, that's for sure. They're the sort that have to do more with her, when typically she's all about the welfare of others instead... ]

... What... they'd think. [ Abruptly any resemblance to a hard tone melts at the admission, expression twisting as she stares downward. ] My parents.

[wingenvy]

[Ahaha... good question, that. He shifts his gaze back to where they're headed - though he's still not sure where the actual destination is - and smiles softly, his shoulder brushing lightly against hers as they walk.]

I think they should be proud of the amazingly strong person you grew up to be.

[He can't speak for them, obviously, but what parent wouldn't be proud of someone so independent and powerful? Not just physically, but in the ways that matter. Maybe she's not the most girly or emotionally open person ever, but there's nothing wrong with that. He certainly can't complain.]

[thestormishere]

[ Welp, an answer like that isn't totally unexpected. Lightning pauses and then gives a soft laugh under her breath... but though she very carefully hooks her hand around Zack's arm at that, the brief flash of lightened mood quickly fades. Still pretty bothered, over here. ]

I'm not the person they knew at all. That Claire Farron...

[ What teenager hasn't changed drastically when they're an adult a few years later? But, Lightning really does sound like she's talking about someone else besides herself there, even though that's still technically her name and everything. ]

After Serah and I were made l'Cie - [ Another tight-lipped pause, but then a little louder: ] Guess I'll never know, though.

[ Maybe it's better that way? ]

[wingenvy]

...I think that's the biggest problem with most "what if" questions, to be honest. You usually get to ask everyone except the person you really wanna ask.

[He's had so many questions he'd wanted to ask over the years, especially back in Nibelheim, or even Modeoheim; if he'd done something, said something different, if he'd stayed with them, maybe they'd-

...But there's no point in asking, because unless Sephiroth or Angeal showed up in this place, not a single person could give him the real answers he'd be seeking.

Light's no different.]

[thestormishere]

[ She's been mentally through it all before, but it doesn't take much for Lightning to think it over again--brood over that, really, though when she finally responds some seconds later, her tone is not quite as heavy- slightly dry, even. ]

Too many questions, not enough answers, huh?

[ Like... the difference in how many hotdogs there are in a package versus how many you get in a package of buns, ugh. >:T ]

[wingenvy]

[He laughs faintly at that- it's a little humourless, but he is nonetheless smiling anyway.]

That's life, isn't it? It's enough to drive you kinda crazy.

[thestormishere]

I... think it might be a little late for that.

[ Because yeah, even Lightning herself is aware that she's not exactly the epitome of sane, even when she's not currently running around trying to destroy the government and stuff. ]

[wingenvy]

[That earns her an uplifted brow.]

You're not crazy, Light, come on. People can do crazy things when they're pushed into a corner, but that doesn't make them crazy.

[thestormishere]

[ But... she's been pretty much constantly fighting from a corner for the last seven years? Except, well... to a bit of a lesser extent here in Luceti, which is kind of hella ironic if you think about it. Lightning makes the face of someone who's just suddenly heard something unexpectedly wrong as she glances toward him- head tilting slightly, brows drawn and lips pressing together. ]

[wingenvy]

[Her silence is pretty telling. Let's try to squelch that little concern before it grows too big, shall we?]

...Hey. I've seen a lot of crazy, and trust me when I tell you that you're not it.

[When you've watched a friend slaughter an entire town and burn it to ashes after a couple of all-nighters in the basement, anti-government terrorists are surprisingly reasonable.]

[thestormishere]

[ Well, she's definitely not thinking about that kind of thing! There's a difference between wanting to burn everything down or putting an end to time or blah blah purposefully destroying humanity, and what you'd expect out of someone who's supposed to be one of the good guys

Not that Lightning's ever claimed or would claim to be any sort of hero, of course (that's Snow's job), but the point remains. Sort of.

She is so not in the mood to argue in defense of a negative trait, though- especially when the topic was raised out of such an offhand comment, and-- when given the situation. Sighing, she just turns her face away to watch Baldr again, hoping Zack will go ahead and drop it. ]

[wingenvy]

[He does drop it, actually, taking note of her silence, scooping up a stick as he walks to throw for Baldr. Better to let the mood lighten up for a while, especially when she's on her way to do something so serious as a memorial. He'll just play with the dog for a while and walk with her for company. He doesn't want to bog her down with those kind of thoughts.]

[thestormishere]

[ And after another minute or so of silence, Lightning glances aside, letting out a long breath... and snakes her hand out to catch his for a gloved squeeze- a sign she's not mad, at least, even if she does use the hold then to pull them both to a stop, kind of side-stepping to circle in front of him.

... Hmm, she doesn't really seem to know what to say, though. ]