thestormishere | ☈ strike # 23 (accidental video / action)

☈ strike # 23 (accidental video / action)

[ You'd think that a woman who goes by 'Lightning' would have an affinity for thunderstorms. However, in truth... considering she grew up in the all but completely climate-controlled environment of Cocoon, her experiences with storms in general have actually been relatively rare, and... well, while she doesn't fear them by any means, she's certainly found they tend to bring more trouble than anything else- and not just because of the bothersome amphibious monsters that like to frolic in their wake.

This afternoon's no different. More importantly, water - and cold, the rumble of thunder overhead and wind gusting over her, mussing her hair - isn't something she was expecting to wake up to. In fact, she... really wasn't expecting to wake up at all. She hadn't been asleep.

In an instant she's rolled into a crouch, backing up against the nearest wall, and the soggy journal laying nearby captures the image of a woman who looks just about as good as you'd expect out of someone who just found themselves face-down in the midst of a rainy village, wearing nothing more than that ever-familiar white dress of a New Feather. ~~Who needs dignity?~~ ]

What...? What?

[ Oh, she seems unhappy. Especially since- even though she clearly wasn't armed a moment beforehand, when she then extends her arm... this happens, with what appears to be a sword materializing in her hand with a flurry of white feathers.

Feathers that slowly vanish with a soft light as they land on the ground, although she stays still, obviously confused yet trying not to show it.

She might be a face that's been around in town for quite a while, but it's likely that only those closest to her or close to her friends in turn will have even heard anything about how she's been missing for just over half a day now.

... Until now, at least. ]

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[ -- Half a day. Half a day?

You'd think this would be something to relax over, but instead, Lightning seems to freeze as she digests this piece of information. Half a day is barely any time at all, and when you're a girl who's been tossed to the end of time itself, witnessed the entire span of it on fast-forward, that's... so... insubstantial.

She's changed, so much has changed... and he's been here, missing her for sure (something that, as already established, she hasn't been doing in return), but hardly any time has passed....

Ah crap, and here comes the guilt. ]

[He's not sure what exactly she's thinking; it's too hard to see much of anything over the journal. He frowns down at the page, tapping his finger against it impatiently.]

Come on, tell me where you are.

[He's worried. He feels sick. But most of all, he just really, really wants to see her right now.]

[ Well too bad because to find her first you'll have to go through about 15 time gates, fight some otherworld abominations, fix some paradoxes--

... No?

Oh, alright. She blinks, either taking a moment to come out of her pause there or briefly entering another very short one, then dips her head with solemnity before turning... and.... ]

Looks like the barracks.

[ Pretty distinctive building, fortunately, even in the rain. ]

[Barracks. Target acquired.]

Stay put, okay? I'll be right there.

[He grabs a jacket as he heads out the door- he doesn't need it, but she might, since she's probably only wearing that stupid New Feather dress. He keeps his journal open and tucked up under his arm, but he's on the move to meet with her.]

... Alright.

[ Warmer-toned. Easy enough. Of course, she could always just... start walking home too, maybe; a little more rain's not going to kill her and it's really not that far, after all...

But as soon as the thought crosses her mind, she counter-decides she could use a few more moments to think. Plus-- well, wandering towards the middle of town in a soaked-through white dress doesn't really... seem like the brightest of ideas, either.

While she waits, listening to him move, she does try to think of something else to say, anything to ease the tension, yet even then comes up short on anything adequate. Staying silent probably isn't the best course of action here, but...

Gah... not that she's very good at that even when she's got lots of time to think about it either, BUT.

Her heart's in her throat, remembering that time she's spent in Luceti and everything it entails pretty well itself, even if her brain's still trying to play catch-up past the whole... 'demigod of war' thing.

But... yet... what if....

Patience quickly becomes something easier promised than acted out. Once she's actually inside the barracks, dismissed her gunblade distractedly, simply staying in place leaning against the wall seems a lot harder than it should be. ]

[He doesn't really talk on his way over, focusing on getting there as fast as humanly possible, which - while pretty quick by the standards of a normal person - is not fast enough for his liking. Still, it doesn't take too long before he's bursting through the doors of the barracks, hurriedly glancing around to spot her.

There.

He wants to close the distance between them, grab ahold of her and not let go for a long, long while, but he has no idea how long it's been for her, whether she'd even allow it. She remembered him, sure, but that didn't mean she felt the same...

Steeling himself, he approaches her anyway, hand lifted in greeting.]

Hey... looks like I made it.

[ She's soaking wet, and the fact that she woke up face-first on the ground is particularly obvious on the fabric of her white dress right now. Her hair is a damp, lost cause. Even if she's missing the shivering or goosebumps that would seal the deal, by the time Zack's shown up she's crossed her arms over her chest in what's pretty much the accepted sign for "I'm freezing my butt off here."

Also, that damned l'Cie's mark on her chest is gone. So, there's that.

She sucks in a slow breath when she seems him come in, promptly closing her journal. Immediately she's aware that the air feels a little warmer even though, technically, he's only letting more cold air in... but the sudden familiarity that floods her is undeniable.

As is the knot in her stomach. She's never been too good at that reading-people's-emotions thing, but his covered unease seems plain as day. In person it only makes her guilt build even faster.

She looks stricken as she holds her hands out, palms turned up halfway, like she means to lift them up to proper hugging posture... but then wavers instead. Rather than deciding against it, however, she's just already all kinds of conflicted, and again her voice breaks a little when she manages to answer. ]

Looks like it...

[He notes the shivering - which is obvious, he'd have to be the worst boyfriend(?) ever to miss it - and spotting the lack of mark isn't far behind. She used to hide it a lot, so he probably saw it more than most people.

One thing at a time, though. He closes the distance between them, lifting his hands to drape the coat he'd brought around her shoulders, then, after a moment's pause with his hands lingering against her arms, he finally caves in to his impulse and wraps his arms around her, his chin pressed against her neck. If it's been too long- if she's still unsure- she can push him back or yell at him or hit him, whatever. He doesn't care, he'll pay that price. He just has to try.

It hasn't even been that long, but... the pain was very real.]

[ Lightning remains still, her hands still hanging in the air even after Zack's wrapping his own arms around her. Her gaze darts across his face, but aside from that and her breathing--

She's far too stiff to be normal, practically statue-rigid. A breathing, restless-gazed, swallowing-thickly statue, entertaining the rather worrying feeling that he's hugging a different woman than he thinks he is.

After a few moments though, miraculously, her arms do bend, moving to slightly better positioning, but still it's impossible to relax all the way. It takes her a second to realize that everything's gone darker because she's squeezed her eyes shut, her face against his shoulder. ]

... I'm sorry.

[He remains silent and steadfast as he waits to see what happens after he hugs her, and it's only when she starts to hold him back that he relaxes, shoulders slumping in relief. It's okay. It's okay.

When she speaks, he releases a soft, almost breathless laugh, soft against her neck.]

What are you apologizing for? You didn't do anything wrong... none of this is your fault.

[I just missed you.]

[ She hears the words, but doesn't give an answer. Her thoroughly wet state, the weight of his grip and coat over her shoulders, texture of his clothing under her fingertips... it all feels so real-- too real, anchored to and subject to the ravages of time. Something she'd been thoroughly disconnected from since the cataclysm inadvertently arising from Cocoon's salvation.

Her connection to the goddess has the alarming quality of a dead-end line now, but the power she received from Etro's blessing is still there all the same, somehow... inactive at the moment, but all too ready to appear if the need arises.

As odd as it seems, she doesn't feel real herself, no matter how muddy and cold her re-arrival's made her. She feels displaced and, because of that, she still can't relax. Not even with the man she fell in love with here breathing on her neck.

The distance she'd held when speaking to Serah and Noel in the ruins of New Bodhum, accomplished only because she'd known it was necessary, is beyond her reach at the moment. And showing up in this place again--

Her emotions and mind are in trouble. ]

How do you know?

Because I know you.

[His answer comes without hesitation, calm and quiet and full of unshakable conviction. He doesn't care what's happened. He's seen enough of her to know better. He's still assuming that she's talking about Luceti, though.]

I know what this meant to you. And I know it was hard to be here without your family, too. But you wouldn't have just... no. It wasn't you.

[ ... What he says is true, although she's not sure it really makes her feel any better. Letting out a breath, she shifts, and after a moment pulls away slightly- not enough to push him away if he's still not ready to let go, but... ]

I've made all sorts of bad decisions, before.

[ Turbulent thoughts lead to candid admissions; she sounds weirdly tired, the memories of her past mistakes and the fact that she's suddenly been ripped away from attempting to atone for them are definitely weighing her down. ]

There's... still so much I have to do.

[When she pulls back, he hesitates, reluctant at first, then lowers his arms to let her go. He's not going to push for something she doesn't seem ready for. Honestly, he's surprised he got as much as she's given him already.

He's grateful he hasn't been forgotten, at least.]

Maybe... you should start at the beginning. It sounds like a lot happened for you since you went back.

[ Once released, her arms cross over her chest again, tugging close the edges of the coat over her shoulders. She could always put it on properly, of course, but her distraction proves stronger than doing what would make sense here. ]

That could... prove to be more difficult than it sounds.

[ Says she, but she's considering how to do so anyway, frowning vaguely as she looks off to the side. This is different than explaining things to Serah and Noel, and she... actually had the opportunity to think about what she wanted to impart, there. ]

[So formal. It's sort of like a blast from the past. Zack studies her for a long moment, brows furrowing, then he glances back at the door, gesturing.]

Hey, come on. Let's... go home. It'd be better to talk there than in a place like this.

[He's not sure if she'd be happy to head off there and stay, but... well. Her dog is there? Vanille, too. Hopefully. Familiar faces might do her some good.]

[ -- Oh. She looks surprised a moment, eyes going a little rounder. Home. They should... definitely go there and stuff, yeah. ]

Yes...

[ She frowns down and down towards her bare feet, but then finally comes around to tucking her arms into sleeves before again pulling edges close without fastening them; the coat's sort of big enough on her that it's likely that doing so would cripple the 'keeping warm' attributes of the thing anyway.

At first she's silent, although after a bit, finally: ]

... All of my things are gone?

Pretty much, yeah. [His tone is sympathetic; he knows he'd be pissed if he went home and came back only to lose all he'd managed to collect over the past year or two. Especially the items from home or things he'd grown attached to.] Baldr's still with us, though. He's been wondering where you were all day.

[His gaze drops to follow where her eyes wandered, pausing.]

Want my boots? It's still cold outside.

Ah...

[ Yeah, it's a little annoying - she thinks first of her clothing that she'd accumulated and how she probably won't have anything to change into even when they make it home. If her dog is still around though, that... that's good. In fact, a moment or two after that revelation, she seems to give a short huffing heh in reaction; maybe the only reason she was surprised was because she was afraid to hope for something even as subtly nice as that. ]

Objects can be replaced... I'm glad that Baldr is alright.

[ Oh, but taking his boots? She does consider it, but then she just shakes her head, inching toward the door. ]

Let's just get it over with.

[He's really hoping she means the walk. But hey, he'd offered, so with a shrug of his shoulders, he starts up a steady walk, either leading the way or walking at her side on the way back to the house. He'll mostly keep quiet unless she wants to start explaining things on the way; much as he'd love to ramble about this or that, she hasn't even missed anything, and he has too many questions to hold up a decent conversation without wanting to ask them. He can wait.]

[ Damn, well, this is awkward. But, at least she doesn't have to ask about whether he went and made a new girlfriend in that half day she was away--

Something that she's not sure how she feels about. It's freezing wet once they're outside again, but that hardly seems worth paying attention to now that Zack's with her, and she's sure she can sense the continued uncertain discomfort in his demeanor and gait...

It doesn't take long for her to mentally search for and then find something to say quietly, if only to break up the stifling silence; after the isolation of Valhalla, it's not something she can stand for long anyway, when given the chance. ]

Serah and Noel... they were right.

Right? About the whole... goddess thing?

[She gets a curious and somewhat confused look at that. The details he'd gotten about it were pretty vague, but he remembers that much; the story had been weird enough to stick, that's for sure.]

I'm not a goddess.

[ Just... well, clearing that up right away. Her maybe-amused tone contrasts with the relative curtness of the answer, leading to a sort of exasperated in-between air behind the declaration. ]

But... their journey through time... my disappearance- all of that is true.

[ Not happy about admitting that, especially since (if she's recalling correctly) the particular point in time they were both from meant they hadn't yet heard the full story. She might have had a lot less frustration about what they had to say then if... they'd actually had more solid details to hand out.

... Zack would probably have a better idea of what she's talking about here in the first place, too. It's kind of hard to filter things through to your boyfriend when you don't understand them yourself, after all. ]

...Did they say why? Or- do you know? Why'd you have to leave?

[He kind of figured that after you save the world you ought to stick around and have a party or something. Whatever kind of celebrating is a thing for Light. Either way, it sounds overly complicated and the worst kick in the ass post-victory since... well, since he got himself apparently murdered right after escaping Nibelheim.]

[ Welp, she's explained this once before to Serah and Noel-- although then, at least she'd been expecting to have to give answers ~~and be long winded about it~~. ]

... We saved Cocoon, but then that wasn't the end of it.

[ She keeps her gaze on the ground ahead of her, although she's obviously focused on something mental rather than visual; a serious frown tugs down the ends of her lips and brows as she considers the utter fuckin' mess that grew out of what should have been nothing more than a miracle for mankind. ]

With our Focus technically complete, we were crystallized as a result- and likely would have stayed that way for who knows how long... if it weren't for the goddess. Etro took pity on us, freed us from the mark of the l'Cie... and yet in doing so, she--
,
[ -- This is complicated, to say the least. Lightning shakes her head at herself, backing up a bit in her explanation. ]

The place where the goddess resides is Valhalla, the domain left beyond the end of time, where the souls of those who have died pass to after they've left the bounds of the timeline. When Cocoon began to fall, the Gate between the Seen and Unseen realms was opened too far, allowing the chaos in Valhalla that has no place in our world to fall through, infecting the timeline...

☈ strike # 23 (accidental video / action)

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