Well, that was...awkward.
Still confused by overly excited bandit's behaviour, Lightning watched as Adonis's figure swiftly disappeared in the darkness of the desert night.
"So... this must mean I'm a part of a bandit gang now. Wonderful." She couldn't suppress an eye-roll. Most of the afternoon and evening spent trekking back and forth through the vast Dead Dunes in the scorching sun, looking for the damned bandit village only to find more questions instead of answers, more silly quests rather than solid evidence that could help to understand she was even moving in the right direction. And now she apparently had made herself a local celebrity by stopping a magic wind-storm. How was all this even remotely helpful?... The day was near its end, and Lightning had a long walk back to Ruffian ahead of her.
"Great, just...great." She rolled her eyes again, sighed and started walking. "What a waste of time, why couldn't I have just went in the bandit camp, found this infamous bandit leader and beat the truth out of him?! Or...just beat him. And everyone who would have tried to stop me," Lightning mumbled to herself grudgingly.
"Wow, Light. You seem to be in a friendly mood tonight, huh?" Hope's voice chirped, somewhat too happily, in her earpiece.
"Hope, please. Not now."
Lightning realised Hope's help was crucial in her quest ever since she took on a Saviour's role, but sometimes he seriously tested Lightning's patience. Especially in moments like these. Thankfully, this time Hope listened and stayed quiet, so Lightning could use the time to think in relative silence, even though she still couldn't figure out why exactly she felt so...annoyed. Or was it even annoyance she was feeling? Was she feeling at all? She wasn't sure, about anything any more. All kinds of thoughts and memories rampaged through her mind, colliding, disappearing, reappearing and making a complete mess in the process. Total confusion, that's what she felt. Emptiness inside of her that not only couldn't be filled but felt like it's a bizarre living being with a mind of its own. How am I supposed to deal with all this if my only allies are two kids and I cannot fully trust either of them?... Funny, ever since being woken up from her crystal stasis, all she had felt was cold determination in pursuing her goals. But... all that had happened in the last couple of days in the Wildlands, failure to save Caius, coupled with unwanted, inconvenient remarks by Lumina raised too many questions, wreaking havoc and creating uncertainty in Lightning's usually steady mind.
A sudden gush of surprisingly cold wind made Lightning stop abruptly at the top of a rather high dune, interrupting the unpleasant line of thought. She took a deep breath and exhaled, closing her eyes and trying to get her unruly mind under control. Focus, soldier, always keep your focus. Eyes still closed, she listened into the desert night. Wind blowing and moving around sand, leaving long streaks in the dunes. A loud shriek of animal dying, hunted somewhere far away by something stronger and faster than itself. A faint sound of the ocean, its waves clashing against the shore. The steady sound of her own heartbeat.
Lightning opened her eyes. She would have said she felt tired, but it wasn't really tiredness, at least not a physical one. More like a weird mix of weariness, anxiety and restlessness. Weight of entire civilization on her shoulders...and crushing loneliness, something she never even thought she would feel so sharply as she did now. God, if I could just... She wanted this burden to be taken away, at least for a short time, forget about everything, recharge...be like the old Lightning again - clear goal, clear targets, flawless execution, no sidetracks. A sad smile broke out on her lips. When was the last time you heard of a Saviour of Souls taking a break? It's not long now, anyway. Remember why you're doing all this for. He promised to bring Serah back.
Lightning shook her head to stop her hair from falling in front of her eyes, then looked forward - the blinking lights of Ruffian could be seen not so far below, the bandit village still buzzing with life even at this hour. Squaring her shoulders, she started sliding down the dune.