GRACIOUS SAVIOR

❝ funny that you say that – ❞ wakka knowing his swords? he wasn’t sure if wakka’s even wielded a sword before. ❝ the friend who gave this to me’s main weapon of choice was a blitzball. ❞ he knows that the people that he’s met here don’t really understand the game, but by now they all know at least what the ball was considering the fact he used it himself as a weapon when needed.

               ❝ but maybe he got it right the first time. it’s my first sword too. ❞

“ A ball? A... blitzball, you say? ” she’s trying to suppress a small, surprised laugh, that is immediately followed by an extremely necessary question: “ How is this... blitzball... ball, you’re talking about? I have to say: it must be really amazing if it’s possible to use as a weapon. ” because to her, to fight with a ball seemed nothing but the work of a rather imaginative child. however, she’d have to believe Tidus’ words. listen to his story was the only option, then;

        How strange it is to be known even here.  Even in a place she does not know in a world she cannot name.  Even here where nothing reminds her of home,  and nothing tells her how to return to it.  The sun blinds  ——  and caught in the space between two rays,  a woman makes herself whole.

        A smile?  Or trickery of light?  Lunafreya is cautious in her study,  but she is composed,  back straight,  hands folded,  face placid.  ‘ Prince Noctis is here then? ’  Does this information mean anything to her?  For her?  If she were to reunite with him here,  in this place,  so far from where they belong,  would it be the same?  Could she return them to their proper places?

        A lull in conversation pulls her from her thoughts.  ‘ My apologies, ’  she says,  catching hold of her manners belatedly,  ‘ It is a pleasure to meet you,  Lightning Farron. ’  No number of internal questioning will solve her dilemma.  No circular thinking will determine the trustworthiness of her newest acquaintance.  Better,  she thinks,  to stay alert.

Lightning can only find herself able to nod and express a small smile towards the representant of the Gods. during some of her succinct conversations with the future King of Lucis, he did send, through every single word, a feeling of indescribable warmth & adoration towards this woman. it was only logical that her very presence would turn out to be as bright and soothing as he’d describe it in the first place. his bride-to-be. the future Queen.

          “ Indeed, he is. However... he’s out of reach at the moment... which means I won’t be able to guide you to him, nor him to you. I have to apologize for that. ” the Savior returns to her Oracle’s question.

still with the corners of her arms curled up, Lightning makes mention to proceed carefully. the last time she’d had to approach someone completely new & guide them to the way of light, it has been quite the troubled path, as the questions seemed to never end and the problems would soon become more and more present. there was no way she’d want the same to happen with the glorious figure ahead of her. Lunafreya was to remain unharmed and that was her duty for now.

It’s not an unfamiliar question, to say the very least ——— but that doesn’t mean he can really answer it any better.

“Something like that.”

It’s passive, but there’s a clear full-stop at the end of it. It’s the end of that topic – he doesn’t want to talk about it.

Introductions, however – that’s a bit more of a comfortable field of topic for him. Lightning Farron – he’ll keep that name in mind.

“—Riku. I’m— not from around here.”

“ Fascinating... ” her amusement is followed by a brief pause, then adding: “ I have never seen anything like that before. Looks almost like a key... ” she jokes, little knowing the truth behind her naive words.

despite Lightning’s little tact when it came to social interaction with foreigner people, it wasn’t too hard to understand that the boy was trying to cut their conversation short. the weapon wasn’t supposed to be mentioned in the first place ( perhaps ) & she could understand why. her very own Gunblade was safe at home; away from prying eyes.

          ❛   you mock me, Light. I’m a researcher, not an engineer.   ❜ prickly as ever. it’s a steadfast tongue she bears, honed through service, unleashed through argument or jests. a man who knew little of her intricacies may have found offence. he knows of her nature, knows of its nuances, all razor sharp and born of little tact. but she means well despite the severity of her words ; he knows it’s sarcasm, whet and underscored by a hint of truth. Lightning will be Lightning. quick with her wit, as always.

          but her accusation holds some weight. it’s ghostly marble beneath his touch ; fingers lay at rest as he scrutinizes the display. how would he classify this space ? was it contemporary design ? a specimen of the ultramodern ? it’s all jargon to him, superficial, unimportant. so long as it served some purpose, it would suffice. aesthetics were an afterthought ; humanity’s preservation claimed the fore, buried all other priorities.

          ❛   there’s been some disturbances lately in Luxerion. the chaos has made some sectors completely impenetrable. I’m the kind of person who likes to have the whole picture before I make a decision. I’m not getting that here. But that’s where you come in. Where we come in.  ❜ o holy Bhunivelze. the name alone inspires an emptiness where dread once lived. with emotions bled dry, was it so piteous for him to crave any semblance of his humanity ? he reaches even for misery now, any rush within his blood from the grace of sorrow, happiness, fear. he craves it all. he earns none of it. these stalls are introspective bouts tangled by his existence, but he discusses none of it, consciously evading her observation of the impasse. 

          ❛   they call it the city of light. yet it’s never been so shrouded in darkness. literally and figuratively.  ❜

“ Hey, I’m not judging! ——— I’m only saying that you should know your buttons and keyboards by now. ” oh, how hard she’s trying to contain a short laugh. if he only knew. but then again, it was Hope she was directing her words to... so it’s obvious that he knows. it felt like it had been so many lifetimes ago, still, her bound to this man hadn’t changed one bit. forever she’d rely on him, as well as she knew he’d rely on her. that simple thought made the corners of her lip to move up for the faintest second.

quietly, she continues, in her place. her arms and legs remain crossed as her eyes observe ( always attentively ) every step he takes around the beige & white tiled floor and every move he makes on a successful attempt to get information on what’s awaiting the pair on the dying world right below the Ark.

      “ Now that you mention it... I can’t remember a day I have been to Luxerion and didn’t have to go through a disturbance or an area filled with chaos. Even during the daytime, it’s getting worse by the second. Monsters and beasts are crawling like cockroaches over there. ” she confirms his idea, getting up from her spot and walking closer so she, too, can take a look at the monitors of the machinery he controlled. “ Are these the places you’re talking about? ” the Savior points.

          his nod is gentle, deliberate. they’d truly embraced the opportunities gifted by this life anew ; perspectives previously unseen remind the pair of their woeful ignorance, a reality thrusted upon them, wrongfully, unfairly. yet, they’d accepted much of it for the majority of their late lives. but his world does not feed upon fallacies, upon magic, upon harnessable godhood. they rely upon the rudimental laws of the universe. 

          as he listens on, he envisions the turmoils she’d faced and surmounted. to live with the burden of the world upon your shoulders was a test too cruel — and my, could he relate. her responsibility involved a gamble of souls, either brushed from her palm to be reborn, or sentenced to dust. she’s an angel of death. but that role has transferred to Caius, cursed upon the realm of the dead to repent for his sin. while unleashing the chaos was a choice born of pain, the role of an immortal vessel was not. and he’d unleashed that curse upon the world, mortal souls rotting through hardship and pain, timeworn and tired. that misfortune may have been granted to Lightning had she knelt down to fate, too. he wonders to this day if it’s truly penance the guardian serves, or merely an escape. he’d never bothered to ask. 

          ❛   why did you find it necessary to hide away that part of your soul ? I’ve always wondered.   ❜

          he’d only witnessed a sample of Lightning’s burdens through observation and tales and remains clueless to the extent of her suffering. while she is accepting of her humanity now, he debates whether it’s appropriate to ask.

after his inquiry, the eldest Farron finds herself chuckling. it wasn’t too difficult to explain the reason why, however, words were always hard for her to find. often, she’d rely on the freedom & hope this New World granted her; her very own special creation where all its inhabitants could find not only peace but happiness too. especially the one she loved most: Serah. she had been Claire’s reason during all the time she’d fought Gods and then, in the end, became nothing more but a pawn. for a while, she’d be considered to be a Goddess. it’s a role she’d take wholeheartedly if it meant the other’s safety and well-being. however, such sacrifice wasn’t necessary, resulting in a rather clumsy and messy Claire ‘Lightning’ Farron.

    —   who knew that to express your feelings through words turned out to be so HARD?   —

  “ That’s a good question... hmmm... if I am to be completely honest with you, then you’ll have to understand that I had to grow much faster than my sister did, in order to keep her safe. ” she responds. “ It was my job to protect Serah since we were kids, and to do that properly, I had to push aside all emotions that could eventually affect my further judgment on things. I didn’t have time to play as a kid... I didn’t have half of the «girl time» Serah did when she was young. It was... hard, for us both. But I had to be the adult so I could protect both of us. ” there’s a taste of bitterness on her tongue as she speaks. it doesn’t feel well at all to remember how hard their lives had been, so many centuries ago. this was Noel, though... her sister’s best friend. there was no harm in pouring her heart out to someone like him.                                                                                                                         even if it hurt.

blue eyes flick to the aquatic-styled blade in the blitzer’s hand. there’s a fond smile filling his features because unlike the first time around, he can actually remember where he got it from. it’s a tribute to a man he never met, but one that helped tie him to his new family. he holds it out proudly in front of him so she can examine it further, if she’d like.

             ❝ it’s called brotherhood. ❞ he beams as he takes it in both of his hands. ❝ a good friend gave this to me. it was his brother’s. ❞

“ Brotherhood? ” she snorts. “That’s a name I didn’t expect at all. I can only bet there’s a reason why...” a single hand reaches forward & as Lightning gently runs her fingers, a smile grows on slim, rosed lips. indeed, this blade was unique; never had her eyes seen something so elegant and sophisticated like that.

“ I didn’t choose you to have this mission just because... ” there’s a brief pause before the Valkyria’s able to speak again. for so many years had she been seeing through time & space... only now, having the chance to be face to face with HER. it was overwhelming... still, it was Lightning’s job to remain as calm and collected as it was possible to be. this moment was special ( there was no denying it ) for both of them; and every second was worth every bruise, every shed tear, every drop of sweat.

Had he possessed any lesser grasp of controlling his facial expressions Cloud may have found himself stuck with the mildest of grimaces, aware that while her proposed support was offered with the utmost intentions, it was hardly what he wanted to hear. Did he look like that much of a charity case? He’d been through this long enough, for far too often a time, perhaps even more than she– not that being well experienced seemed to make much of a difference in it all. Gods would be gods; all too prepared to pluck any old poor sap from their home and drop them into whatever battle needed tending to. 

Was a deity so unable to help themselves even worth the effort needed to keep them afoot?

( Pray he not speak of such doubts aloud. He’d likely be turned on in an instant. )

    ❛That’s nice n’all, but you should prolly be offering      that sorta help to the new kids.❜ 

He recalls the wide-eyed looks and awed faces of those new to “the game”, fresh to a cycle that they were no doubt now trapped in, unaware of exactly what it meant to be summoned. If anything he pitied them: souls much younger than theirs despite their apparent physical age. Such things hardly seemed to matter, in the end.

    ❛That dark haired guy was lookin’ pretty baffled, for one.❜

“ One thing at a time. ” the Savior dares to let a short laugh after that. “ I am only one for all of these people. And... if I do am going to help the new kids out, then I have to start by checking with the old ones... right? ”

not that she intends to have her words distorted by someone else, but there’s no harm in trying to see how far her comrades would go. it’s wise to know a person’s limit and it’s even wiser to test them out while things are at ease. one’s affected by their surroundings and during dark times, it’s better to know someone’s flaws & weaknesses, as well as their capacities & prowess, than to have to discover later. at least that’s what she’d learned during her years working as a Guardian Corps soldier. that time had been rough, undeniably, but the ones she had faced before and now... made those feel like nothing.

the Goddess warrior watches attentively the boy’s every move. there’s no doubt that he’s a fine soldier and knows how to properly maneuver his sword. also, she’s fascinated ( almost enchanted, even ) by the rather gracious and precise hits of the weapon in question. “ That’s a fine blade you’ve got there. ” Lightning comments after a while.

“ Your powers have grown since we’ve last met. ” from behind the Prince, the sound of her voice comes, revealing her graceful presence. there’s a small smile on the Savior's lips and so, as she steps closer to the future King, she returns to her speech: 

            “ I believe your powers are going to grow even more as you go through              your new path, Noctis. I can only be proud of your advances and hope              they will continue the way they do. ”     there’s clear honesty above all.

“ I believe I have heard of you before. ” a pause. “ You’re Lady Lunafreya, aren’t you? Noctis Caelum’s bride to be. ” the Valkyria smiles kindly upon the sighting of her. she’d known Noctis’ abilities for a good while — after all — they have had to fight side by side, during hard times of despair and chaos, in a team with the ambition to protect and make light prevail.

" Hey— is that a new type of Struggle sword or something? ” 

Indeed he knows of her– although less than many of the other warriors in their midst, despite the fickle nature of their collected memories and how comfortable the gods were in their desire to tamper with them. A pause settles itself between her words and his, singular golden brow lifting as though incredulous, lips battling against a frown.

     ❛Played?❜  

He’d will himself not to snort, the familiar taste of bitterness resting itself upon his tongue, arms folded about his chest as though casual in his defense. While he recognized her as a comrade he could trust, he found himself tempted to disagree with her apparent ideals. War was war, painful and full of sacrifice. Perhaps age was creeping upon his shoulders faster than the norm, but all he found himself was tired; voice remaining a gentle monotone despite the attempted jest.

     ❛Weird sorta game, if that’s the case.❜

      “ It was only a manner of speech, soldier. Brighten up. ” she answers.

it’s insane, a total nonsense, for someone like Lightning to speak those frivolous words in times when the war started to damage not only the swords but the wielders too. still, unlike so many years ago ( that felt more like a few lifetimes ago ), the savior Goddess chose to remain positive & to keep her faith on hope, relying on the powers and capacities of her battlefield companions. to keep her head held high was essential and it was also her task to make sure everyone would do well when on the frontline. 

      “ How are you doing?  Is there anything that you need or anything I can assist you with?       You know...     it’s far wiser to trust your teammates when in despair,   instead of fighting       on your own. ” the Valkyrie takes a brief breath, a small smile curling the side of her lips.