Echoes.
"Why have you returned?"
Lightning fought the urge to whip around to face him and instead turned slowly away from the worn stone tablet fixed to the wall, her business with the light-colored runes colored onto and etched into its surface complete. And, wordlessly, she gestured toward the tablet. "Just needed this."
Caius's lips were pressed into a thin line, eyes narrowed as if he had difficulty focusing on the tablet itself – or as if he were trying to discern whether the writings had any value at all; either or. "Did you, now. What for?"
"It doesn't concern you."
"Ah; savior business, then, I presume." The laugh that slipped past his lips was dry, hollow. More a formality than anything. "There are more of those deeper inside the temple."
"I figured. This set doesn't look complete." Her eyebrows knitted together and her lips pressed into a frown. Yes – this was 'savior business.' 'Savior business' which she'd only been reminded of when she returned to Poltae after exiting the temple the first time – then got too caught up in, ah, time-sensitive affairs elsewhere to handle until now. But it didn't really matter as long as it got done in the end; her client seemed to be pretty understanding in regards to the whole thing.
And, with time of the essence, she brushed past him. His gaze followed her momentarily but as soon as she made it clear that she had no intention of speaking with him further, he let his physical form dissolve into the chaos – although she could still feel his presence from the chill in the air. She could recall some ghost stories that described that phenomena – long before she had even become a l'Cie all those centuries ago in a lifetime that may as well not even been hers. Cold spots, other sorts of things that back in the day people liked to tout as paranormal activity.
It was supposed to be spooky; but if she wasn't afraid of it then, then with her muted emotions she certainly wasn't afraid of it now. Even though Caius could easily attack her, force her to leave this place with her job yet to be finished and try her luck next time. She left the room with little difficulty and she wished that Caius followed; the air was otherwise stagnant and stale and a little too warm for comfort. But she pushed through it once and she would push through again, to get the writings that the man in Poltae had asked for—
Well, it took an awful lot of climbing to find what she was looking for, but thankfully she had ascended the suspended rubble pathways once before in her ultimately futile effort to offer Caius salvation. It had been a few days since then; she found that she got over it pretty quickly. Perhaps she shouldn't have.
About halfway through copying down this final set of runes, the chill returned – and Caius Ballad came with it. Her lips pressed into a thin line and she just continued copying for a fee moments before saying, "Seems like you can't get enough of me."
"Perhaps." Pause. "Would you mind if I were to ask—"
"Yes, I mind," she snipped back before finishing up what she was doing. "Don't make me repeat myself, Caius. It doesn't concern you."
"Pardon my curiosities, then."
The savior took a moment to finish up what she was doing before turning to face him, meeting his gaze levelly – he stood several feet away, eyes fixed on her… Or, perhaps, on an undetermined point beyond her. Where in Valhalla she clearly remembered the fire behind his eyes, any trace of the driven man he used to be was simply gone, replaced with the full depth of his despair and, of course, a bit of resignation. Those depths had become shallows over the past five centuries, and she thought it a shame – but there was nothing she could do about it. She was about to brush past him again and take her leave when she paused and… Reconsidered. "No, it's fine. These glyphs – Professor Lathom in Poltae, the village below the temple, wants my help in finding something called the 'Grail of Valhalla'." Lightning shrugged. "Tamer than what you expected, right?"
He gave a noncommittal hum in reply. "Much so. Frankly, I always wondered what these runes were for… It is good that they have found a use before the world's end."
"Yeah. Not much time left."
"How long?"
Lightning paused and took a moment to count. "I came for you on the fifth day. Today is the ninth, so there's four days left."
He let out a sigh, letting his eyes slip closed. "I wish you the best in regards to your mission, savior. Both for the grail and the souls of humanity." And with that he vanished, taking the warmth in the room with him – although as he made his leave final, the temperature in the room returned to normal and Lightning took that as a cue that he was done with her.
As she took her final leave, the resigned sadness in his voice echoed in her mind.
A/N: I finished LR two days ago. During my playthrough, I had a funny way of simultaneously rushing through things and pissing all my time away – and I was dumb and didn't grab the glyphs for The Grail of Valhalla my first time through the temple. So here's this.
But wow, what a game.