Fang: Question and Answer
Fang smirked as she sent another volleyball careening at the ground at meteoric speed. On contact, it sent sand flying in all directions. The two defending players had to raise their arms to defend themselves from the particulate. The pulsian turned and gave a thumbs-up to Lebreau, who had set the ball. It was their first practice, and because it was still late summer, they were playing a few games on the beach.
"Nice spike Fang! We're going to be unstoppable this year," Lebreau commented with a wide smile. The two dumbfounded players on the other side of the net just nodded. "Just one more point and then we're done for the day."
A player on the other side tossed Lebreau the ball, who sent a quick underhand serve to the other side. The positioning forced the receiving player to awkwardly bump the ball in a low arc over the net. Fang immediately responded by leaping up high into the air and sending it once again into the sand effortlessly.
Soundly defeated, the two other girls hung their heads and walked away. Lebreau quickly strode over and threw an arm around Fang's neck. "You're really good! This is going to be a great season."
Fang nodded. "That's why I'm here."
The pulsian thought it odd that the other girl didn't release her as they walked back to the main training grounds where the locker rooms were. She wasn't going to comment, but she felt a little awkward about the contact. But it wasn't a feeling of discomfort or dislike: it was guilt.
Fang knew that she was attracted to other girls. It was always obvious to her, and it wasn't even a big deal in Gran Pulse. So when another girl clung to her like this, it made her uncomfortable because they didn't know the way she felt about the contact. She had decided to keep it her preferences a secret. Fang had even kept Vanille in the dark about it– but she did have her reasons.
Lebreau finally released her when they arrived at the locker room. Fang quickly stripped from her swim-wear and headed for the showers. Normally they would practice in uniform, but the team wore swimsuits to play on the beach. Fang sensed she was receiving odd looks as she began to shower, so she glanced around. Everyone else in the showers were still wearing swimsuits and just rinsing off sand.
She shrugged her shoulders and chalked it up to a cultural difference. Fang just continued her shower. Lebreau walked up beside her and started to rinse off the sand from practice. "Everyone usually just uses these to rinse off on beach days. When there's normal practice they take showers back at their dorm rooms." The other girl glanced over a few times at Fang's bare body, nervously glancing away each time.
"I'll keep that in mind. We always showered right after practice in Pulse. I planned on hanging around the school grounds anyway," she quickly responded as she began to rinse shampoo out of her hair. Once she finished, she stepped out of the room and toweled off. Her hair was still damp and wild as she put her uniform back on.
Fang waved goodbye to her new teammates and made her way to the cooking club's room. She glanced down at the even alternating tile of the floor. Fang mused that they couldn't have picked more disorienting colors. The walls were clean and white, and the whole thing felt artificial and overly sterile. She missed the more natural and homely feeling of buildings in Oerba. Everything here was style and design; there was no warmth or comfort.
Vanille told her where the clubroom was after school ended, but it took her a few minutes and a few wrong turns to find it. She finally poked her head in to find her best friend smiling and humming to herself. There was a girl with pink hair beside her, mixing something in a large metal bowl. The other girl was shorter and leaner than both of them. Fang slipped into the room and tapped on the redhead's shoulder.
"Hiya Vanille, how's it going?"
Vanille smiled wider, and gave the new arrival a quick hug. "Good, just helping Serah with a cake."
Fang smiled at her, then glanced quickly over at the pink-haired girl, who had turned and was looking at them. It was an immediate realization. Her features were softer, more feminine, and more youthful, but the resemblance to Lightning was uncanny. Fang smiled at her as she introduced herself.
"Serah, right? My name's Fang, nice to meet you."
"Oh, um, it's nice to meet you too." Serah just stood and fidgeted for a few seconds.
"Don't mind me, just finish your cake." Fang quickly commented, leaning against the countertop beside Vanille. She was happy to see that Vanille was starting to get along with her roommate. Her childhood friend was always kind, sweet, and very endearing; Fang knew that Vanille could become friends with anyone she met.
The pulsian girl watched the two of them work hard, finally pouring the batter into a pair of round moldings and placing it in the oven. Fang stayed quiet as they started to talk about their days and other members of the cooking club. She knew that it was important that the two of them got to know each other better, so she stayed out of the conversation.
When Vanille started to talk about some cute boy in the cooking club Fang ignored the tinge of jealousy she felt, just smirking to herself and wondering what kind of boy would be in the cooking club. Then she laughed quietly to herself at the irony of that thought when she was such a tomboy.
Just as the buzzer sounding that the cake had finished rang, surprisingly loud and heavy footsteps sounded in the hallway. Serah quickly glanced around and grabbed a brown paper bag from the counter and handed it too Fang.
"Sorry to ask this of you, but could you give this to the girl that's coming and keep her from coming into the room?"
Fang stared at the bag a moment before grabbing it with a confused expression. "Yeah, I guess." She figured it was fine, she had some idea of who was coming.
She pushed away from the counter and left the room. Large open windows lined the opposite wall, and she could see that the sun was starting to set over the water. Fang glanced to the source of the heavy noise and found Lightning approaching. She still had her uniform on, and it was still perfectly lined up and wrinkle free. Her school shoes were replaced with a heavy looking pair of boots that went up to just below her knees.
"What's with the boots, G.I Jane?"
Fang stared at the Lightning expectantly, but the other girl initially gave no response. After a few awkward moments, Lightning looked out the window at the setting sun.
"Ankle support."
The pulsian laughed and then held the bag out for the other girl. "Serah asked me to give you this."
Once again Lightning just stared at the bag for a few awkward seconds. She grabbed it from Fang's hand with a quick swipe. "You met Serah?"
Fang nodded in response. "You two are related?"
"She's my sister."
"Ah, I could see the resemblance."
The sunset grew more intense, bathing the hallway in orange light. Fang looked over at Lightning, who was still staring out at the sun. The pink-haired girl did a quick turned and started to march away. Fang quickly followed behind her.
"Where are you headed?"
Lightning glanced back but didn't respond. Fang continued to follow her in silence as they approached a staircase. She smiled widely as she stepped out onto the wide, flat roof of the school building. Stairs emerged directly into the open roof in the center of each wing. She was able to glance directly at the expansive sea that separated her from her home.
The roof was bathed in the strong orange glow that was reflecting off the water, and Fang quickly sprinted past Lightning and leaped onto the guard rail, hanging her torso over.
"This is a great view!"
Lightning slowly walked up behind her and gently leaned forward, resting her elbows on the railing and crossing her forearms. She didn't speak another word. Fang shook the rail a little, before jumping up so she was sitting on it, her legs facing inwards. They both sat quietly and watched the sun drop below the horizon, the orange glow shifting into a dull purple one.
Once the scene was over, Fang jumped down and laid back on the ground, staring up at the empty night sky. "That was pretty. Do you come up here often?"
Lightning gave her a light nod in response.
Fang smirked and responded to the quiet girl. "It's nice and peaceful. I'm surprised that no one else comes up here to watch."
"That's because they're all at dinner."
Fang blinked a few times and then sighed. "So, we missed dinner?"
Lightning nodded before staring up at the night sky.
"So, Vanille annoys you?"
There was no response.
"So, I annoy you?"
Fang watched Lightning close her eyes and hang her head.
"That's not it," she finally responded. She glanced out over the darkening ocean.
"Well that's good."
"Why were you in the cooking room?"
"I stopped by to see Vanille. I guess your sister is her roommate."
"Yeah."
Fang grimaced, every conversation she had with Lightning made it feel like she was pulling out the other girl's teeth.
"What a coincidence. Don't worry about anything. Vanille is a really nice and sweet girl, so they'll get along fine."
Lightning turned and glared at Fang, who was speaking with her eyes closed and a gentle smile. "That's good to know."
"Yeah, she's always been so kind and wonderful. I mean, once when we were little, she actually–"
Heavy footsteps interrupted the start of her story. Fang rose up in confusion and followed the other girl.
"–is something the matter?"
"It's getting late, and I don't really want to learn all about Vanille's past."
"Oh, thats fine. We can head back to the room."
There was no response, but Lightning kept a steady pace with Fang beside her.
"So, why don't you tell me about yourself?"
"No."
Fang grimaced again. "Oh, come on, we're roommates. It's very concerning not knowing anything about you."
Lightning glanced over. "My name is Lightning. I run track. I have a sister named Serah."
"That… I know all of that already."
"Exactly. You know about me already. So I'm not telling you more. Besides, I don't know much about you aside from the fact you're a hunter. If anyone should be concerned, it's me. You go out and kill things for fun."
Fang laughed to herself, mostly because she realized it was the most she'd heard from the other girl. She rushed ahead and turning to face Lightning. The pulsian walked backwards, keeping pace with Lightning.
"Well then, how about we play a game? You ask me a question, I'll give an answer, and then you owe me one in return."
"Fine. What's with that tattoo?"
"Oh, this? It's a traditional mark showing that I completed my first hunt. It's the face of a gorgonopsid."
"Oh," Lightning tilted her head. "I see it now."
"Yeah, almost all pulsians have them. You should see Vanille's; big ol' bear right on her upper thigh."
Lightning glared a little at the other girl. "A bear? That girl has killed a bear?"
"Shot it right between the eyes."
"That's… impressive."
"Eh, it's less impressive when you learn you she had her eyes shut tight and was firing from the hip."
"Well then that's lucky. What was your hometown like?"
Fang bit her tongue a little at the quick change of topic. She got the feeling that Lightning really didn't like Vanille.
"Oerba was amazing. It's a small little village by a savanna. Everyone knew each other, and it was usually peaceful and quiet."
"It must have been a huge change coming to Eden."
The pulsian let her expression drop momentarily. "Yeah, I miss home. I haven't really gotten a chance to see the city yet though. Well, that's two."
"Alright. What was your home like there?"
"Oh, we grew up in the village orphanage. I started working and moved out when I started high school; I only made enough for a small room for the two of us though."
"So you lived with Vanille?"
"Yeah, the orphanage wasn't bad, but we wanted to get some privacy and freedom. Well, that's four. So, where did you grow up?"
Lightning stared at her. "I never said I'd answer the questions now." The pink-haired girl closed her eyes and walked away quickly.
"Tch. How unfair. Fine, but I'll expect those answers later."
Fang quickly followed Lightning back to their room, the latter slowing down so they were once again quietly walking side by side. Admittedly, Fang found Lightning interesting. Particularly, she was mysterious and quiet. When something is locked away and out of sight, Fang always became all the more eager to see it; she resolved herself to learn more about her new roommate.
Lightning paused in front of the entryway to the girl's dormitory, before veering off the path into one of the building's gardens. Fang stood across from her as she sat down on an ornate stone bench. Lightning tightly crossed her left leg over the other and let her head drop as she closed her eyes. Fang smiled as the other girl released a sigh.
Fang looked behind her before planting herself on the bench across from Lightning's. She lifted her legs and sat cross-legged on the bench. The pulsian tilted her head and watched Lightning sit with an aggravated look.
The furled eyebrows and tightly closed eyes were a definite signal not to ask anything, so Fang sat quietly and just stared at the other girl. She couldn't help but watch the intense expression that almost looked as though the girl was preparing to go to war. It wasn't a drastic change from the normal cold expression or the girl's glare. What Fang really wanted to see was the girl's smile. One had peeked through a few times but was always brief and still subdued.
After a few minutes, Lightning eyes suddenly opened but her brow remained furled. Fang remained motionless until their eyes met, and Lightning immediately stood.
"Sorry, I was just mentally preparing myself."
"For what?"
"You'll know soon."
The response was short and clipped, and Fang had to quickly stand and jog to catch up to Lightning, who had already started towards their room. Lightning again paused outside their door, before opening it apprehensively.
"Happy birthday!"
Fang leaned over from behind the other girl and smiled at Vanille and Serah, who were holding out a round frosted cake, with Happy Birthday Claire written in pink frosting. Vanille took a little bow.
"Sorry for intruding–"
"Please, you're welcome here anytime," Fang quickly interrupted, attempting to dismiss her friend's discomfort, "this is my room too." She shifted a little uncomfortably when Lightning's glared at her. "Well, maybe check with me first."
Fang turned and smiled at Lightning. "Happy birthday, I guess."
Serah walked away and placed the cake on Lightning's desk, beside a stack of four plates. She grabbed a small box, which was delicately wrapped in lavender paper and tied with a pink ribbon.
"Claire, I got you a present."
Lightning's expression softened as she gently took the small rectangular gift. She carefully unwrapped it and pulled out a large knife. There was a ring on one end, and when she flicked the small switch, the blade swung up. It was pretty, but also looked dependable and solid.
"You know I don't want you joining the Guardian Corps, but I know I'll never change your mind. I want you to have this."
Fang watched as Lightning smiled slightly, before closing the blade again. It caused her to smile slightly as well.
"Thank you, Serah."
Vanille and Serah stayed around and they all ate the cake together. Fang smiled at the change in Lightning when her sister was around. Her expression and voice softened, and she spoke a little more. She also watched as the elder Farron carefully observed how Serah and Vanille got along. It was a drastic difference, but it made the girl even more mysterious.
Fang could tell there was a caring side behind her roommate's cold facade, and it intrigued her. She wanted to know why the girl hid so much of herself, but knew that just asking would never get a response. Drawing anything from the girl was a challenge, and it would take so much effort to peel back all the layers and learn what was really going on in her mind.
When the younger girls left their room Lightning sat on her bed, exhausted.
"You should have told me it was your birthday."
"Why? We just met anyway."
"Hmm." Fang quickly walked over to her closet. She grabbed her leather bag and pulled off a charm that was hanging off one of the ties. She tossed it across the room. Lightning effortlessly grabbed the shining object out of the air.
She opened her hand, revealing a pink crystal rose. It shined gently in the room's artificial lighting, and looked delicately crafted. "What–"
"It's an Eidolon."
"Isn't this really valuable or something?" Lightning asked, staring down at the delicate-looking flower that rested in her hands.
"No, it's just a special kind of glass. People give them as gifts when we leave on hunts, as good luck charms. It seems appropriate."
"I see."
"So, you plan on joining the army?"
Lightning nodded, still staring at the crystal flower in her hands. She moved it a few times, watching it refract multicolored light. "When I graduate, I'm going to enlist. It's the only way I can earn enough money to pay for Serah to go to college."
"Eh, sounds like you've got things planned out well. College, huh. I haven't really thought about what I want to do after I graduate. What does she want to do?"
Lightning got up and started preparing for bed. "I'm not even sure, but if you don't have a college degree in Cocoon, there isn't a lot you can do. I'm not going to let Serah get stuck in some menial job."
Fang stood and started to remove her uniform too. "Alright. I know I can't afford college either, but I don't really plan on staying here. I just want to make sure Vanille is safe. I couldn't let her come to the big city all alone."
"Right," she responded curtly, before softening her expression. "Thanks for the gift, it's really pretty."
"No problem," Fang responded, sprawling out on the top of her bed.
"I only owe you one more answer now."
Fang laughed and closed her eyes, drifting off in a good mood. She finally learned something about her roommate, and it seemed like life wasn't going to be all bad in her new surroundings.
