Season of the Seeress
Disclaimer: We do not own Final Fantasy, including the characters, the plot, etc.
Summary: Lightning unknowingly starts a curse that plagues her and her friends with nightmares and strange occurences. How can they break it? Another gem belonging to the mind of LilVirga.
On with the story.
A sudden light flickered, landing on Fang's chin, which illuminated her face in the classic scary story pose. Her target in particular was a certain silver haired teen who is still a scaredy cat. Vanille was sitting comfortably in Fang's lap, who was sitting in front of the coffee table in Snow and Serah's living room.
Serah was serving her 'guests' smores, to get the scary campfire feel going, plus Noel never had one before.
Snow was sprawled on the floor already digging into the plate of smores, while little Dajh reached over the giant to snag him and his father one.
And Lightning, being the cool soldier she was decided to sit far in the corner, nibbling on her sister's smores. It was almost comical. But she couldn't resist her sister's cooking.
As for Hope, well he was sitting right across Fang, indian style waiting for the incoming story.
"It's called 'The Rose'." Fang said in a stage whisper. Vanille 'oohed' in the background and wiggled her fingers in front of her for effect. The group continued to listen expectantly. "Long ago, only a little bit after the War of Transgression, there were rumors spreading all over Cocoon about Pulsian women who lived among the people. Casting spells and other evil crafts on the Cocoonians."
"Isn't that a little racist." Snow asked. Sazh snorted in response to the blunt statement. Fang narrowed her eyes at the oaf before continuing on as if he never spoken. "Casting spells and other evil crafts on Cocoonians." She repeated. "They were-"
"Seeresses." Noel interupted, struggling with the excess goop of the marshamallow. "Your confusing seeresses with-Hey!" Fang threw her uneatened smore at Noel's face, almost burning him from the roasted marshmallow and melted chocolate.
"Do you want to tell the story?" Fang asked everybody in an impatient tone, her accent even thicker then it usually is. They all shook their head in unison, Noel was still trying to get marshmallow out of his unkept hair. "Good. So shut your pie holes. As I was saying," she directed her glare at the two men who interupted her earliar, "They were more then just seeresses. They were witches."
Lightning scoffed from her corner, brushing graham cracker crumbs off her sweatshirt. Like whiplash, Fang's head snapped over to the 'offending' soldier who dared interupt her story for the third time. "I'm sorry," Fang asked, making Lightning look over at the pulsian, "was there something you wanted to say, Farron?"
"Fang, really? Witches?" Lightning chuckled to herself. (At least that's what I'll label it for now.) "I thought you'd come up with something better then this." She told her.
Fang actually smirked at her unintentional rival, "I know. A bit cliche for a scary story. Better then ghosts and missing victims and whatnot. But, this happens to be true."
"Really?" Hope asked, his eyes wide as saucers.
"Don't listen to her, Hope." Lightning rolled her eyes at the adolescent. "There are no such things as witches."
"We became L'Cie," Sazh began, "were granted Eidolons by a distant sleeping Goddess, can cast magic, and discovered that Cocoon was controlled by a Fal'Cie, and you don't believe in witches? Uh, I think anything is possible now."
Lightning grunted at that. "Witches, warlocks, and wizards-"
"Oh my!" Vanille bubbled making everybody look at her with a strange look. She blinked at them. "Oh come on, that was the perfect set up!" Fang grinned at this and patted Vanille's hair.
Lightning pinched the bridge of her nose. "Anyways, those are childish tales to frighten them into doing anything bad. My mom did it too."
"Yeah," Serah's eyes glazed over as she thought of her mother, "she used to always tell this one about a witch who was a Queen and had a mirror-"
"Stop, stop, stop!" Fang interupted, "You're derailing us here. You can tell the egotistical Queen Bitch Witch story when I'm done with this one. Kay?"
"I actually have to go." Lightning announced getting up.
"Already?" Serah asked disapointed.
"I have work." Lightning said. Her younger sister's face fell and she sat back down in between Snow and Noel. "Alright, have a safe ride home."
"You ain't gonna finish my story!" Fang asked, peeved.
"Bummer." Lightning muttered as she left.
"Whatever, who needs grumpy pants." Fang continued. "Anyways, oh shoot, where was I..."
"Witches." Vanille stated.
"Hm...so," Fang picked back up after a moment of pause and playing with Vanille's hair in the process. "the way to distinguish a pulsian witch, is by the odd rainbow colored rose they carry. They will often try to bribe other young women,"
Hope sighed in relief at this part, realizing he won't be a victim. Fang grinned, "to accept the gift. But you never take it." She noticed Serah shudder, leaning closer to Noel, which the latter caught notice of and blushed.
"What happens if you do?" Snow asked, (because somebody had to ask!)
"They'll..." Fang said each word agonizingly slow, "be...cursed..." she let the word hang in the air. The others were actually expecting Fang to go 'Boo!' or for something to jump at them but it was just silent...for the longest time. "And not only the women who accepts the gift. But everyone she cares about."
Fang switched the lights on, as the room fell silent once again. She smiled in satisfaction at the pale faces (Sazh included) and Hope who looked like he was about to wet himself. "Well, time for me to call it a night. Thanks for inviting us, Serah. Snow." Vanille got up so the pulsian underneath could stretch. As the pulsians were walking out the door Fang turned back around. "Be careful...Mwahaha!" Her evil laugh stuck in the air along with the silence as she closed the door behind her.
The remaining occupants of the house could hear her laugh from outside until she was completely out of earshot.
"Is she always like that?" Noel asked Serah.
"I guess so." She responded.
When Lightning finally pulled up in her driveway, she was anxious for a hot shower and comfortable pajamas. She was fantasizing herself snug in her bed watching television when she noticed a woman coming down the street. "Excuse me, ma'am."
The woman wore her hood up which made her give off a suspicous vibe. "I'm lost could you point me to where the Bodhum Hotel will be?"
Lightning eyed the woman's mysterious apparel. "Take off the hood." She commanded in her usual stoic soldier tone. The strange woman seemed taken aback by Lightning's bluntness but after a moment she complied, pulling the hood away from her face.
She instantly reminded Lightning of Vanille. Whether it'd be the red hair or the pulsian accent. Probably both...She looked up at Lightning with a timid expression as if ready for a scolding. Lightning sighed. "If you go the other way, you will see a sign that says 'Lebreau's Bar'. It's behind it."
"Thank you, ma'am." She said with gratitude. "Please accept this as a token of my gratitude." She reached into her jacket and pulled out a rainbow colored rose which made Lightning quirk an eyebrow.
"What is it?" Lighting asked. The woman laughed softly.
"A flower. A rose to be exact."
"Doesn't look like any rose I've ever seen."
"That's because it's special. There's nothing else like it. Here." They woman tried to give the flower to Lightning but she refused to accept.
"I can't take something so rare like that." Lightning stated.
"Don't worry, I have plenty more back home." The woman persisted.
Lightning wanted nothing more then to get inside and rest, so to get the woman to leave sooner she took it. "Thank you."
"You have a nice night." She said, instantly lighting up.
Lightning only grunted in response. Little did that grumpy little pink haired soldier know that her impatience will come with a price.
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-FunnyKids264, LilVirga, & Funblocker62
