"You always shine with such radiance like the sun on a beautiful day.-
"Excuse me, miss?" A man who appeared to be in his mid-thirties called for the waitress assigned to his table. The woman clearly had her hands full with a table of six, and a tray full of empty dishes. "Miss!" Despite the total rudeness exuding from her customer, she had to deal with the impatient man.
"Sir, it'll be just a minute, so if you could please-"
"No, Miss, I don't think so." He pushed his empty beer bottle forward, giving her an irritated look. "I'm a paying customer, a-aren't I?" The man was starting to slur his words, and he tossed a napkin in the air.
"It will just be a few minutes, Sir. You're not my only customer tonight, y'know."
The man slammed a hand down on the table, while the other missed, and caught in the left pocket of her apron. The pale, pink-haired woman lost her balance as she was yanked down, thus losing her grip on the tray of dishes. He never let go of her apron as she fell, even as it tore, throwing straws, pens, and a couple mints along the glass-covered floor. She cursed as soon as she hit the floor and cringed when bits of glass and ceramic plates dug into her skin. The man froze, realizing that he was trapped.
"Light, are you alright?" Hope quickly stood from his spot at his table, and rushed over to the mess in the café. After helping her up, he snatched a cloth napkin from a nearby table, using it to push some of the glass aside.
"Y-yeah, I'm fine. Just a little slip is all.." She tried to help him clean up; it wasn't his job. He was there having dinner with his happy family. But as she moved to push him aside, he pulled her away from the table and to the back room.
"I'm gonna take you to the emergency room, alright? Gadot's got the situation under control, and Lebreau won't really care if I take you." He'd taken his coat and wrapped it around her small form. No matter how many times she shrugged out of the soft, warm piece of clothing, he always placed it back on her shoulders. It was infuriating.
"Hope, I'll have Serah take me there…you need to go back with your..family..I-I think I hear Claire crying…" She pushed his coat onto his chest with bloodied hands, and made her way to the bar. "Lebreau, could you call Serah and have her pick me up?"
"Don't, Lebreau. I'll take her. The kids will be fine." He draped his coat over her once more and held it in place as he guided her protesting form to his car, but not before giving a 'goodbye' and 'I love you' to his wife. It stung.
But really, what didn't? Everything that Hope did had remnants of his love for his wife scattered through it. It was like he'd turned into Snow. Hope was still the same person he had always been, but with Snow-like form of 'family man' thrown in. He was proud of his family, naturally. As far as Lightning could tell, nothing was wrong with that. However, she supposed that Hope may not comprehend her jealousy. Ultimately, she'd learned to live with it. She was a creature of nature, thus forced to adapt.
As she leaned uncomfortably against the car door, she was forced to watch blurry scenery pass by. Hope was insistent on taking her to the emergency room, despite her vocal and physical efforts to dissuade the man. She'd thought of every excuse under the sun, even resorting to refuse to budge from the restaurant, the parking lot, you name it. She didn't want Hope to take care of her, to nurture her. She could take care of herself, even if it meant taking herself to the hospital by bus. She wasn't his to protect.
All through the late-evening trip to the hospital, she said very little. So many people had commented on how they were so happy to finally meet Serah's older sister. After all, they'd heard so much about her! Surely she wouldn't mind if they asked her a few questions… Every question was, naturally, regarded with a slight nod, or outright disregard to the guest in question. Even Hope's complaints and reprimands towards her were ineffective. Regardless of what he, or anyone else said, Lightning kept to herself. By the end of the night, Hope had had enough.
"Lightning, what is wrong with you tonight? You're acting like a stuck-up brat. We're only trying to help you, y'know. We don't have to do this."
Hope's aggravated outburst had shocked her. She hadn't heard him do something like this in so long. She was too used to hearing a sweet, gentle man talk to her perhaps a little charmingly. Her eyes never seemed to drain of the shock, and regardless of how many times she opened her mouth, nothing came out. She couldn't think of an excuse this time. She couldn't come up with a reason for her-Hope had pegged her perfectly-bratty behavior. She realized this, and did the only thing she could think of to make up for it. "…I…I'm sorry, Hope… I should've been more considerate…"
"No, no…" He placed a hand on her shoulder, and lifted her chin to look at her. "I should've been a little more considerate to you, Light… I know how much you hate hospitals. You probably would have been a little more comfortable if Serah had taken you, huh…? I couldn't let you just wait, though… You were hurt, and needed my help. But damnit, that guy was such a dick! Just the way he looked at you mad me so mad…"
For a split second, Lightning felt a flutter in her heart. Why was he still doing this? He was married someone else. They had kids together. He didn't love her, so why was he acting so kind to her? Back on their journey, she had known that he'd liked her. She'd known about his quickly-advancing crush, and she had felt so loved. They were so close back then… She'd given him a good-luck kiss-their first and only-before the final battle. And afterwards…just like that, she was gone. She remembered reaching out to him; she remembered screaming his name, but it did nothing. She screamed and fought for him, but he didn't hear her. No one did. They were forced apart by the laws of the gods and goddesses, and Hope was forced to admit that they weren't meant to be. At least, that's what Hope thought. Lightning kept a hold of the dream all the while. "Hope…can…can we go home now?"
"Of course, Light. Anything for you, Light. Man, you must be so tired…"
She simply nodded in response. 'Anything for you, Light.' Not anything… If he wanted to help her, he should give her everything. But that's not how the world worked, now was it?
_
Lightning unceremoniously took a quick swig of the glass of whisky to her right, and briefly glanced over the cards in her hands. Sazh had folded, plainly commenting that sometimes, folding was the best strategy. Snow wore a cocky, egotistical grin on his face, as he was positive he was winning this hand. He had a shitty poker face. Hope, on the other hand, had folded almost immediately, claiming that he'd had the worst luck on all of Pulse tonight. The blond brute laid his hand on the table, and proclaimed that his three-of-a-kind was perfect. The only woman at the table only shifted the cigarette between her lips and didn't even offer him a smirk as she tossed her full house onto the green surface. Sazh announced her to be the winner. She pulled her winnings towards her, finally smirking as she waved Snow's lost bets in the air.
"Damn, Sis…you've beat me at every round tonight."
Hope rolled his eyes, and began shuffling the cards. "Yeah, every hand that you've not folded, genius."
"Hey, folding's a strategy too, y'know. Besides, it's not like you've won any hands yet, kid."
"Shut up, I know that!" Hope chucked the cards at Snow, who was next for dealer.
"Says you." Snow smirked at Hope's retreating form, as he had excused himself from the kitchen. The larger man reached down into the cooler, becoming slightly confused when his hand met nothing but ice. "Ehh? All out already? Sazh, you mind goin' on a beer run?"
The older man sighed, but stood from the table. "Fine, but you buy this time around."
Lightning tossed a twenty his way, pointing to the empty whisky bottle that resided next to her equally empty glass. "Get something better than this shit."
"Nu-uh, soldier girl. You've already past your limit for the night."
She glared at the man, and braced her hands on the table to stand up. "If you won't get it, then I will."
"Just get it for her, Sazh… You know we can't stop her." Snow motioned over to the pinkette whose glare never faltered, though she still slightly wobbled. He saw Sazh sigh once more, and mumble under his breath as he walked out the door. "…okay, Sis… You've hit it pretty hard this time. Is it the usual? Or is this about something else…?" With everyone else out of the room, Snow scooted next to his sister-in-law, and put an arm around his shoulders.
"I hate this, Snow…"
"I know, Sis…I know…maybe…may-"
"It's not fair!" She slammed her fist down onto the table in frustration, knocking over an empty beer bottle. "I loved him first. "I've known him years longer than she has! I was the first one he…he…why, Snow..? Why didn't he wait for me…?"
"Light…that's not fair, and you know it… He did wait for you. He waited for years…but yo-"
"I know! Don't you think I would've come back if I could have?"
"And so you can't blame him for it. We were the only ones who believed you were still alive… We'd take turns going to look for you, even when Serah got pregnant… We'd set her up with Lebreau and the others while I was gone. We…we never let Hope go with us, though…"
"…why not?"
"What if when we found you, you were mangled or dead? Do you realize what that would have done to him?"
Lightning stayed silent. She knew he was right, but…that couldn't stop her from her desire. She wanted to rip her away from that…woman, and take him away so they could live happily together. But…seeing Hope so happy had convinced her otherwise…
"Sis, we need to get you out. Y'know, take you 'round the 'ol market."
"Jeez, Snow, they're men, not vegetables."
"Not the good ones, anyway, Well…let's see…what do you look for in a man?"
"Hope."
"…in a man other than Hope."
"I don't."
"There's your problem! You don't want any other man but Hope, so you don't even have your eyes open to the possibilities!"
"I don't like showing weakness."
"Well, you're gonna have to." Snow sighed, flicking a crumb off of the table. What else could they do? They'd tried everything. "Lightning…most guys aren't even aroused by that…cold attitude of yours… They often see pessimistic women as bothersome, and not worth their time. If you really wanna get over Hope, you're going to have to ditch that heartbroken-emo act you've got goin', and soften up a little."
"…Snow..no other man has matched Hope in…anything…No man can compare to him…"
"What? There's an amazing man I gotta protect my beautiful wife from?"
Lightning jumped at the sound of Hope's voice, banging her knee on the underside of the table. "…uh…"
"Hope, buddy! How long have you been standing there?" The blond scratched his chin nervously, and scooted away from his sister. "We were just chatting, really. Hey Light, you want some ice for your knee?"
Hope took a seat next to the ex-soldier, chuckling when Snow tossed a bag of frozen carrots onto her lap. "So, Light…if I heard right, you've found someone?" He nudged her arm, a slight smirk on his lips. "So? Who's the lucky man?"
She highly disliked Hope's sudden curiosity, but pushed the feeling aside to set him straight. "No, Hope…you heard wrong… There's no man…"
"Oh…" He actually looked…disappointed. "Well…soon! You'll find your soul mate soon! Or…here!" Hope dug into his pocket for his phone, then after several disapproving grunts, he shoved the device into her hands. "He's really nice, Light. Thinks you're gorgeous, too. He works on the floor below me. You should give him a shot!"
Saving his sister from the trouble, Snow placed the phone back into the silver-haired man's hands. "I don't really think she's looking right now, Hope…"
"Snow's right, Hope… I mean, I'm pretty busy with work and getting ready for that new job, y'know…?"
"Well…you'll find somebody when the time's right. I'll help as much as I can, okay? You deserve to be happy, Lightning… I want you to be happy."
Don't say that… Thunk. The pink-haired woman's head landed on the table, and she reached for the empty bottle on her left. Or…right.
"…was it something I said, Light…"
Yes. "Her hand slid down the bottle, and landed on the table like her head had. She felt a large, comforting hand rub her back, and she almost smiled a little on the inside. She could tell Snow was trying his hardest to help.
"I don't know why you're so down, Sis… You've won most of the hands tonight!"
"Hn."
Sigh. "Lighten up, Sis. Sazh is back."
_
"Oh Sissy, this is so exciting!" Serah happily exclaimed from her spot on the floor of her sister's room. She had several papers scattered about, some marked with red pen, others with green. "In just a few weeks, you're going to be teaching! At school! With me!" She squealed and tacked a blue smiley face sticker on one of the papers. "You get to be Miss Farron! Man, that'll be different, won't it? You'll be Miss Farron instead of Sergeant or 'ma'am' or…'waitress'… I'm sorry, Sissy…I know you hate working at the café… But…but you're almost done! After you start at the school, you'll only go there by choice, promise."
The elder sister nodded, glancing between the several binders she had laid out around her on her bed. "You know we won't be teaching the same kids, right? But it'll certainly be different for you… I get all your old students."
"Oh…I know… You know, Sissy, you couldn't have started teaching at a better time… The younger children are ready for my classes now, and I'd be crazy to try and teach the older kids, too…" She stuck a few more stickers on the graded papers, and moved them to a folder. "I'm warning you though; Sissy…those kids are getting troublesome…"
"Of course they are, Serah. They're fresh teenagers. But you're right. You'd be stupid to take on both little kids and snotty teenagers."
"Yeah, so it's a good thing that you're taking them off of my hands! Say…" Serah looked at her sister with a hand on her chin, and a questioning glance. "You know, Sissy…you may be the next Meanie Miss Farron!"
"If that happens, they won't be laughing and clapping while singing my nickname. Actually, since they're older, they may come up with something a little less…childlike." Lightning sighed, flopping ungracefully onto her back after pushing the binders aside. Was she really cut out for this? She'd been getting ready for this for months, but what would she do if it didn't work? What if she were a horrible teacher? Her days of training new recruits had originally set her mind on a one-track course for failure, but upon further examination of how much she had changed and learned, well…that alone had been enough to reassure her. After all, she was able to teach Hope how to fight and survive without him continuously cowering in fear. ….but at first, she had taught him incorrectly. She had given him wrong advice, instruction, and direction. She had learned from that, though… Teaching was trail-and-error, at least at the start, so…maybe she could do this! "Serah, is it really best for me to start off teaching the older kids?"
"Hmm…for you, no. You don't have the tolerance to try to both control and teach a whole class of little children, Claire. But that's not to say you're not good with kids! You're great with kids, Sissy! But I think that you're better off teaching the age group you will be soon… Hey, you'll get that chance to practice tomorrow night, won't you?"
"Tomorrow night..?"
"Yeah! Lebreau said mentioned something about you training the new waiter…according to her, he's pretty cute!"
"Serah…yes, I am training the new guy tomorrow night. But you could hardly consider training a new waiter is the same as teaching a class of teenagers."
"Well, no, but…but Claire, you've gotta look at this positively… You're going to meet someone new! Don't treat him badly or insult him, okay..? I know you're frustrated with a lot of things, but don't take it out on him. Try not to be your cold, depressed self, okay Sissy…? You get to make a new friend tomorrow night."
"Serah, he's some nineteen-year old kid."
"And you're, according to your physical age, are only twenty-two. I still don't understand how that happened, by the way. Anyway, he's only three years younger than you. That's not a big age difference, y'know."
"…fine. I'll try to make a friend tomorrow night."
"Good! Oh, Sissy, I really hope you two get along…"
"Well, so far, the only thing we have to bond over is waiting tables."
Serah sighed and shook her head at her sister. "Claire, don't be like the kids. Don't rule something out that you know nothing about. Who knows, you may have the whole world in common! Heck, you don't even have to have almost everything in common. Snow and I don't."
"I really don't think I'm gonna marry this kid, Serah!"
"I never said you had to. But you might one day!" The younger of the two had to quickly dodge a thrown pillow, and a glare. "You never know what the future will bring, Sissy! Just remember what I tell the kids at school: meeting people is like food. You'll never know whether or not you like them if you don't try."