“She is a smart young lass, she is. She who sides with those who will inevitably triumph over this miserable world."
Nero commented on when Lightning began to hound the young woman who stood a bit ways off to his side. He resumed peering into the confines of Lightning’s cell, the room itself was a bit dark and gloomy, but his crimson eyes shown as bright as a newly kindled flame on the wick of a wax candle. He listened as the woman with the lightly colored hair continued, asking questions as though she had the authority to do so in her current position. It made Nero’s optics dance with amusement, and perhaps muster a smirk if he could.
"Oh…I almost forgot how lovely your barks of anger sounded. They sound especially desperate now that you are here, locked behind these iron bars.”
An idle thought, he let a moment of silence settle uncomfortably about the room as Nero tipped his head off to the side. He blinked slowly, now peering directly at Lightning as he questioned out loud. A musing he spoke out loud and not particularly directing it to anyone.
“Curious. If you screamed, do you think any would hear?”
Yeul felt a pang of guilt as she heard the pinkette cry out asking for an explanation of her intentions, she wanted to explain everything, but she knew with Nero around she was to say nothing. She didn’t want to be thought of as a “damsel in distress” waiting for her guardian to come back to her. She felt desperate, and she was desperate. Her feelings have become numb due to her fear, but Lightning brought all those feelings back, and now she was harming her by keeping her in the 4 walls of a stone cell so that her allies could persevere in their mission.
She listened to Nero torment her for a second and then held up her hand as a cue to stop speaking.“I will speak to her.” she said with her serious demeanor and knelt to the pinkettes line of vision, so that she could listen clearly.
“You will not leave here Savior, it looks like you have lost in your fight.” she said, not sure of what had come over her, its as if she felt herself changing, she was turning into one of them. One of the evils that confined her where she allied.
“I wonder if your allies even realize that you have been lost.”
“Trust me,” she spoke dangerously to Nero, “My bite is way worse than my bark. Screaming is pointless. I know they won’t here me, simply because you asked that.” She wasn’t disappointed or even upset. She was pissed. And she was full of rage. “And when I get out of here, you better watch your back,” eyes flicking to Yuel now, “Both of you.”
She didn’t bother responding to Yuel, in fact, she completely ignored her. Now that she had betrayed Lightning, and perhaps even Caius, she was an enemy. And if lightning had to strike, so be it. An enemy was an enemy, no matter what. All bonds or ties would be severed.
“Yuel, just so you know, you will die.” She wouldn’t be reborn again, and even if she were, she would then be placed back into the cycle of death that she endured for so long before. More than anything, Lightning said that to scare her. But it was also true. If she didn’t die by Nero’s side, she would die by Lightnings.
He was pressed against one of the walls, eyes gently lowering and resting there in silence. But there was no silence, there were sounds of screams and pleas from below, though muffled, the chaos was evident. His eyes flickered completely open to look over at his companion warily every now and again. This was his ally, it was hard to register. Perhaps she could do more than what she appeared to be capable of. She could prove to be useful, maybe it would be in his best interest to look after her as well then.
When the prisoner began to stir, so did Nero, tipping his head to glance in sidelong into the cell.
“Ah…yes. It seems the lass has awakened. Born into the light, confined in the dark."
Nero turned his attention to their prisoner, Lightning was her name, he had been informed. That was good. He had made it a point to ask her for her name the other day when they met, so that he could ultimately have the satisfaction of robbing it from her when she succumbed to inevitable, inescapable darkness. It slipped his mind then, but things worked out on his part in the end.
He turned his attention to the younger girl, he was not sure if that was her name, he ha not said much to her since they arrived at the peak. It was possible that Lightning’s eyes were deceiving her, but she spoke with a certain knowing as though their past interlocked far beyond anything he would ever know.
"Oh, is that right? You two seem to be…already acquainted.”
Yeul kept quiet, barley saying a word within her duration of the stay with her new allies. She feared them, and she was left defenseless if one of them were to decide she proved to be useless to them, which most of the time she felt as if she were. Although, she was starting to warm up to Nero, he wasn’t as malicious as the others and seemed to actual care for her safety, which Caius would be pleased with if he were to ever return to her side.
Kidnapping Lightning was a tough one, she had visions of the mission being successful, but it was hard to execute personally for Yeul, knowing she trusted Lightning and wished to be by her side if she knew Caius would never return. Yeul was too obedient, she felt as if her life depended on this mission, and she knew that she had to do it without a word.
The seeress still was weary of talking to Nero as they stood by the unconscious Lightning Farron, guarding her in case anyone were to try and challenge them. She didn’t think Lightning would remember her, but was relieved when she had called out for her upon awakening.
Yeul nodded to Nero’s words, still not daring to speak, then walked slowly up to the cell that held the pinkette. Standing above her, not daring to show her weakness.
“Hello, Lightning.”
Nothing more than a snarl was given in Nero’s direction. She was focuse solely on Yuel. What was she doing here? Standing with them? She didn’t belong there. A mixture of anger and disappointment whirled around in her. If need be, when all this was over, and Lightning was either freed or rescued, she would take Yuel with her.
“Yuel, what the hell are you doing here? With them?” She held back the anger from seeping into her voice. It was obvious that the seeress didn’t want to be there, but it was far too dangerous to say so.
Soon though, she looked at Nero, her posture now straightening until she was standing tall, pain still throbbing within her skull. “What is all this about anyways? Why the hell am I here?” Letting go of the bars of the cell, she folded her arms across her chest, glaring at Nero. Her eyes though, every once in a while, would flick to Yuel in case there was a change in expression.
The all familiar voice had caused everything else to stop, the world around the siblings seemed to disappear in that moment. No longer did anything else matter, she had found her. Pushing her way through, arms were quick to outstretch and wrap around the older sister, an embrace she didn’t ever want to end. Claire was here and she was real, Serah wasn’t dreaming this time.
Crystal hues scanned the familiar face, a rise of joy sent heart beating like wild drum, smile seemed unbreakable in this moment. All fears of the new world seemed to disappear, all troubles seemed so small with elder sister here now. No longer did she feel lost or small, the missing piece was here, and maybe now they could go home.
A look-over once more once embrace was ended tried to gain answers before mouth could form them. Curiosity of what had brought Claire here, and what held her bound to this strange place. They had saved their world, and it was time to get back there. Though — where there was darkness, Lightning was called to defeat it. If need be, Serah would stand by her side this time, she’d fight with her.
“—I thought I lost you."
It wasn’t real to her until she felt the warmth that emitted from her sister warm her skin. She closed her eyes as her own arms wrapped around the frame of the smaller pinkette, and that made it all the more real.
As the embrace was broken, she mimicked her sister and looked over Serah’s face, her features soft, filled with happiness and relief. Relief that nothing had happened to her sister and that she was safe.
"You’ll never lose me, Serah. We always find our way back to each other.”
Nero echoed, a look of satisfaction washing over him as it clearly rattled the other woman to them brim with far more than just the annoyance she was sporting earlier when they stood side by side. The nerve was struck however, and he decided that while her attention was still caught, he would continue to strum the chord.
“What does it matter to you whether or not another world is gone? It is not your world, you have nothing to lose nor gain.” He mused to her, pausing as his expression became curious and probing. “Had you not known of the disappearing world, it would have just faded away without a sound and you would have never been any the wiser. Now that, is ignorance,” He redirected to her once she made the last comment to him.
“and that is something that you harbor.”
“You’re right, I don’t have anything to lose and I damn sure don’t have anything to gain. But I’m an ex-soldier, fallen champion to the goddess Etro and savior to a false god. My entire life has been spent saving people. I can’t shake it.”
Eyebrows narrowed, pale aqua hues becoming ice cold. Her stance remaind the same, if not more sturdy; unwavering. That is, until she finally walked away, ignoring whatever statement was soon to come after her.
Something a human could never come to fully understand and appreciate, I am sure.”
He spoke in a way as though it were a mantra, something he had said before and many times in the past. When she turned to leave Nero’s eyes followed her as she did, craning his body towards her. Maybe if the restraint around his mouth was not wrapped so tight he would have been able to visibly smirked from behind it.
"No one keeps you here, lass, but here you have stood long
enough. Curious. Perhaps your light is naturally drawn to the dark.”
She stopped in her tracks, feeling the urge to share her own bond with the stranger. Weiss? Who the hell is that? No matter.
"Something a human could never understand?” Now he’s done it. “I left my sister involuntarily to come here, into all this madness, in order save every world out there. We have fought and fought to get back to eachother countless times, only to be ripped from eachother again. And I miss her every single day, and I charish every moment we’ve had together.” She was rambling, she knew, but the fact that he had the audacity to say such a thing was a complete insult. “Don’t make such ignorant statements.”
Nero offered to her, giving a small pause before he spoke. He could see the way her body shifted and muscles tensed, although he himself did not budge. He did, however, tip his head to look over at her with both red orbs smoldering from under narrowed lids, one partially obscured from stray strands of black hair. When she mentioned Ultimecia, his eyebrows knitted together and his expression faltered into one that seethed irritation.
"My dedication falls with my dearest, beloved brother, and he alone.”
“Your brother?” She almost wanted to know who his brother was, but she didn’t have time for that. Eyes narrowed ever so slightly before she turned and proceeded to walk away. “I don’t have time for this.”
Gentle breeze shook through coral coloured locks, warm days upon them at last. Serah had only began to settle into the strange world, understand the laws and dangers around her. So close things had been to settling down, and now it seemed she was back at step one. Finding her sister was the main goal, and then getting away from this place. She wanted nothing to do with the war of the world, she only wanted to go home.
She feared Lightning had already caught herself among the sides, a hero she would always play. A sigh of frustration escaped at the thought, though as selfish as it sounded she just wanted to return where they could live peacefully for once. Too long they had been separated and fought their way together again, now only to be thrown back into the circle of events once more.
A day of exploring the marketplace of Hollow Bastion had been her first decision, the best news and rumors could always be found here. Strides were taken through the crowded ways, trying to overhear conversations and keep an eye for anything that would give her answers about the strange world or even word of another coral locked woman. Hands were quietly tucked behind her as she continued, her own attempt of trying to reach out to another was made.
“Ah — Excuse me!”
Lightning gave a sigh as she walked about Hollow Bastion, the gentle breeze rustles her hair as well as her cape. The breeze felt rather nice as hot as it was outside.
Not a day went by where the soldier didn’t think of her sister. Perhaps she’d made it here? Or perhaps the world spared her. Then maybe she could finally be happy get married. Admittedly, she was still unsure of her feelings about such an engaement. But for her sister, she would do everything she could in order to support her sister.
Taken out of her thoughts by a familiar voice, Lightning paused, glancing about. Serah? Her eyes scanned, almost desperately to find the source of the voice. And then she found her, her sister. She was here, with her. They were together.
