The night was long and cold but he slept in the hide of his kill and when he awoke it was with the purpose that only a mission could provide. He climbed onto a nearby hilltop to gather his bearings and spotted the outer walls of Oerba to the south. His target lay in there and he never lost a target. He was a professional.
He gathered the implements of his trade; a tranquilizer pistol for neutralizing bystanders, several knives each with a different purpose, a climbing rope and pair of clawed grips for scaling rock faces and city walls and a few smoke bombs for quick getaways. These things he strapped to himself, placed in his belt or carried on his back along with the skin and meat from the animal he had killed when he first arrived and set off south towards Oerba.
-SAVAGE-
Vanille had known the answer to the question she was about to ask; she had known as she approached the Mother's house, she had known before she knocked on the door, she had known before Reyna opened the door and she had known long before she asked the question. She asked it anyway. "Is Lightning here?"
"No, child." Reyna lowered her head. She had a suspicion about the relationship between the two and that was growing with every visit like this from Vanille. "She is most likely still with the other Cocoonians. Perhaps you should go find them."
"No, I don't want to bother her." Vanille turned sadly from the door. "Thanks." She offered behind her back as she trundled away down the hill towards her own house. She was hurt but she couldn't blame Claire, if the situation were reversed and she was trapped in a Cocoon city she would latch on to anyone else from her own culture. Still, she wanted to see Claire. The arrival of the Cocoonians had brought to light something that she had been avoiding since they started their relationship. She's going to be leaving soon and I'm not ready to see her go.
Rather than stop at her own house, Vanille kept walking passed it and down to the old tree where Fang and Claire would often practice. She would hear the clashing of blades and the sound of shouts and heavy footsteps and she would smile. Now, though, there were no sounds and there was no smile. Only an empty silence that pierced Vanille's heart like a dagger.
She continued down to the industrial section where Claire had found work as an apprentice blacksmith. Sometimes Vanille would sit down and watch her work, watch the sweat run down her arms as she hammered away at the metal, her focus and concentration both impressive and intimidating. There was no intense focus now, however, only shadows and fond memories.
As she wandered she spotted a shock of pink hair that stood out against the white snow and her heart skipped a beat. "Claire?" She ran towards the pink hair, bobbing up and down as it strolled casually down the street away from her. "Claire?" She called out as she neared the woman and grabbed her shoulder. When she spun around she noticed that it wasn't Claire but another woman who looked suspiciously like her. She turned as red as her own hair and stammered, "Oh, s-sorry. I thought you were someone else."
The woman, who looked to be closer to Vanille's age than Claire's, didn't seem afraid or put off at all. In fact, she smiled gently at Vanille. "You speak basic?"
"Y-yes I do." Vanille looked closer at the face of the girl she was speaking to and saw a striking resemblance to Claire. Her face was softer than the soldier's, her eyes a less striking blue and her hair color was brighter but she could still see the face of her beloved Cocoonian in this girl.
"Hi, I'm Serah. It's nice to meet you."
"H-hi." Vanille was nervous, though she didn't understand why. "I'm Vanille. It's nice to meet you too."
"Were you looking for my sister?" Vanille looked as if she had been caught red handed. "I'm not sure where she is right now."
"Claire is your sister?" That explained the resemblance. Now it made sense why she thought the girl had been Claire in the first place. She remembered Claire mentioned that she had a sister. "You do look a lot like her."
"Do you know my sister well?"
Vanille didn't know how to answer the question. On the one hand she had been sleeping with Claire and felt that she knew the woman well but standing face to face with her sister she felt like there was so much she didn't know about the soldier. Fortunately she didn't have to answer the question.
"What's going on?" A large man with blonde hair walked up to them and stood next to Serah, putting his large hand on her arm in a possessive manner. "Who's this?"
"This is Vanille. We were just talking."
From the familiar way he laid his hands on Serah she deducted that they were together. Somehow just seeing other hands on someone who looked like Claire angered her but she realized that she was acting crazy. This wasn't Claire and the large man standing next to Serah wasn't the enemy, no matter their nationality. "You speak basic?" Serah slapped him on the arm and he changed his question. "What were you talking about?"
"My sister."
Snow looked quizzically at Vanille. "Do you know Lightning?"
I'm starting to wonder that myself. "Yes. When the hunters first brought her into the town I took care of her and since then we've been good friends."
Serah, upon hearing that Vanille had helped save her sister, pulled the Pulsian into a hug. Vanille was taken aback but eventually settled into the younger Farron's embrace. "I don't know what I could ever do to thank you for saving my sister."
"You don't owe me anything, it was my pleasure." In more ways than one.
"We were just getting a few things for dinner, so why don't you join us? I'm sure Claire will be happy to see you."
Will she? She wondered if Claire was going through the same thing as her, wondering if there was more to their relationship than sex. "No, I'm having dinner with my parents tonight, but thanks. Maybe next time."
"Definitely."
Serah and Snow walked towards the residential district, Vanille watched them walk away until they turned a corner and were out of sight. She wondered if there was something about her that made Cocoonians want to like her. Unlike Fang who seemed to look down on them she found their culture fascinating, especially since meeting Claire. That and her easy going nature made it easy for her to make friends with them.
The dinner with her parents hadn't been a lie and she had been dreading it for the whole day. Jago would be there, who she was finding herself much less at odds with lately. She was by no means attracted to him but most of the anger she had felt towards him had dissipated as she found her thoughts consumed with her failing relationship with Claire. I just have to keep reminding myself that she was just a fling. There was never anything there, and there never can be.
When she walked into the Dia house her father was sitting the main room reading while her mother prepared dinner. He looked away from the book for long enough to acknowledge Vanille then returned to it. Vanille continued through the house and into her bedroom where she found a dress already laid out for her with a note written by her mother informing her to bathe before dinner as Jago would be in attendance.
After a long, hot bath she changed into the dress which, admittedly, looked great on her and when she headed down to the dining room there was already food on the table and her father, brothers, and Jago were sitting at the table. Jago looked up and smiled at her when she entered. "Vanille, you look amazing."
He stood and pulled a chair out for her. She sat down when she heard the front door open and close then looked over to her mother. "Who else is coming?"
Fang and Anya entered the dining room. As Fang walked by she put her her hand on Vanille's shoulder and gripped. "Hey, Van. Good to see ya." Fang shook hands with her father who smiled up at her then insisted that she sit down across from Jago and next to him so that they could talk. Anya sat across from her and next to Fang.
"So Fang, I heard about the group of Cocoonians that arrived recently. What does your father make of it?"
"I'm not allowed to talk about it." Fang left it at that and Faren knew not to press the issue, he would get nothing out of Fang in that manner.
The food was divided evenly amongst the guests and there was plenty to go around, Jago served her food for her and she ate. Though she tried her best to hide what was tearing her up inside both Fang and Anya noticed that something was upsetting her. They just had to wait for the right time to bring it up.
After dinner Faren took Jago into the sitting room to talk about business while Greta cleared the table and Anya helped her. Fang found the perfect time to break the ice. Vanille laid her head back on her chair and sighed, Fang knew what it was about but wanted to confirm her suspicions. "Are you alright, Van? You look a bit out of sorts."
Vanille shook off the comment. "I'm fine, Fang. Thanks."
Fang wasn't to be out off so easily, however. "You can lie to everyone else but you can't lie to me." Fang decided to be blunt. "How are you and Lightning?"
As suspected, Vanille's facial expression changed enough that Fang knew she had hit the mark. "I haven't seen her today." Vanille looked down at the table. "We both knew that this was temporary, right? That she would be leaving someday and this would end but I didn't think it would be so soon." Her voice was downtrodden, defeated. "I guess I had put it out of mind but now it's here and I don't know what to do."
Fang felt for Vanille, but under the circumstances had nothing to say to her. She had never experienced anything like what she was going through and any words of comfort from her would have sounded hollow. Fortunately Anya walked in at just that moment and took away some of the pressure. "What's wrong, Vanille?"
"Her relationship is falling apart."
"That's terrible." Anya sat down next to her and put an arm around her. "You were with that Cocoonian woman?" Vanille nodded. "Two lovers from warring cultures. It sounds romantic."
"But it wasn't meant to last."
"What is?" Anya smiled softly down at Vanille. "Everything in this world will end and one day we all must die. It's because of this that we can enjoy our lives to the fullest and cherish every day we have. You may be seperated by culture, by geography or by marriage but you'll always have the memory of the time you spent together."
This seemed to calm Vanille, who smiled up at Anya. "You're right. Thanks, Anya."
"She's great, isn't she." Fang said from across the table. "She's going to make a great clan mother one day."
"I'm still getting used to being Yun Anya." Anya stepped back around the table and sat next to her wife, laying her head affectionately on the woman's shoulder. Fang put her arm around her while Anya yawned. Vanille was happy to have friends like them, friends to cheer her up when everything else seemed lost. "I'm tired Fang. Can we go home soon?"
"Soon, sweetheart." Fang looked over at Vanille. "The Cocoonians are staying at the old Gren house, the one that's been empty. I thought you might want to know."
"Thanks." She had wanted to know and even if she didn't go to visit the fact that she could meant a lot to her.
"Not a problem." Fang and Vanille made small talk while Anya closed her eyes and started to drift away until Fang shook her awake. "I should take her home, she's falling asleep."
"I'll walk you out."
Fang made sure to thank Greta for the meal and Faren for the invitation then gave Vanille a hug at the door. "Good night, Van. Don't worry, everything will work out."
"I know. Thanks for everything."
Anya gave her a sleepy hug then leaned on Fang the entire way down the street and out of sight. As soon as they were out of sight Vanille ran up to her room to change her outfit only to be stopped by her father in the main room. "Vanille, did you help your mother clean the kitchen? Why are you dressed like you're going out? Where are you going?"
"I was going for a walk, father."
"Not this late at night. Here," Faren indicated that she should sit next to Jago, "sit next to your fiancé. I'm sure you two lovebirds have a lot to talk about. I'm going to check on your mother."
Faren left the room leaving behind Jago and Vanille, who was still angry at her father's behavior. Jago reached out and took her hand, a gesture she should have found comforting but it felt empty to her. "You look lovely tonight, my love."
His honeyed words did little to console her. She wished he could lose some of that womanizing veneer and be more like Claire, down to earth yet sensual. "I'm sure you say that to all the ladies."
"And I mean it every time." She unconsciously rolled her eyes and Jago laughed, a deep throaty laugh that made her look at him funny. "You remind me of my first wife. She couldn't stand it when I said those things either. She would roll her eyes, just like you did, but eventually I found she would smile when she did so."
"She sounds lovely. What happened to her?"
"She's back in Coerthas. I'm hoping to see her in the spring when we return to visit."
Vanille was stunned. It had never occurred to her that Jago had been married before, much less that he was married still. "So, wait, you're already married?"
"Yes. You will be my second wife." This vexed Vanille, who had never pictured her life being like this. "Your father didn't tell you. He didn't seem to mind when we made this arrangement."
Her father, of course he would do something like this. "Oh."
"It's quite common in our culture for a man to take man wives, especially ones of high standing. Is that not the case here?"
"No," Vanille made no effort to hide the dissapointment in her voice, "no it's not." This was a sudden blow to her, first to lose Claire but now to find that even her engagement was tainted so was almost more than she could bear.
Jago put an arm around her to comfort her and she fought the urge to shrug him off. "I want you to know that I do think you're beautiful and charming."
Those words did little to assuage her growing doubts. She stood and looked down at Jago. "I need to take a walk."
Vanille left the house angrily and she knew exactly where she was going. Her pace was as brisk as the thoughts that ran through her head. She felt like the rug had been pulled from under her and she was falling, falling into a darkness to which she didn't see an end. There was only one person she wanted to see right now and she made her way quickly down the street towards the old Gren house that now held four Cocoonians.
She arrived at the house, the windows were dark and she couldn't tell if anyone was awake. She paused in front of the door, torn between not wanting to wake anyone but desperately wanting to see Claire. She reached forward to tear the knob when it turned on it's own and the door opened. Vanille stood, wide-eyed and off-guard, when Serah noticed her standing there. "Hello?"
"Um..." Vanille scratched the back of her head nervously. Inside she was kicking herself for not realizing there would be others around and that someone might notice her standing outside.
Serah snapped her fingers in realization. "Vanille, right? We met earlier today."
"You remember?"
"Of course, you thought I was Claire." Her smile reminded Vanille of Claire, somewhat painfully. "I was going out for a walk if you want to join me. It's be more fun to have company."
"I wouldn't want to impose."
"Not at all, I want you to come." Serah had an easy going way about her that was very unlike her sister and Vanille found it hard to say no to her. "And, truthfully, I'd feel safer if someone was with me."
Vanille could understand that. "Well then, I'd love to."
Vanille fell into step next to Serah, who was the same height as her and whose stride felt more natural to her unlike Claire or, even worse, Fang. She felt like she was running trying to keep up with Fang's leggy strides. They walked together through the darkened streets of Oerba. Occassionally something would make Serah jump but Vanille, who was used to it having lived in Oerba all her life, would calm her by putting her hand on her shoulder.
"This place is so different from where I come from. So...alien." Serah looked around her at the architecture. "I guess you wouldn't really know about that, being from here and all." Serah had a smile on her face as she walked. "It's lovely here, though. I love how natural everything is."
"Yes, nature is important in our society. We're taught from a young age that respect for our environment is very important."
"It's very different where I'm from." As they walked Serah continued to marvel at the things around her. The temple to Etro especially drew her eye, she and Vanille spent most of the walk detailing the belief in Etro and some of the various celebrations of the faith. As they neared the end of their walk, having made a large circle around the residential area, Serah changed the subject. "What is your relationship to my sister?" The question caught Vanille off-guard and her face betrayed that. "You're the only other person in the world who calls her by her name. So, what are you to her?"
"We're..." What are we? Lovers? "I...don't know."
"Oh." Serah walked quietly next to Vanille as they walked up to the house where they were staying. "I have some things I want to ask you but it's getting late. Maybe we can meet up somewhere tomorrow so we can talk."
There was something about Serah, maybe it was her personality or how much she reminded her of Claire, but Vanille found herself wanting to be friends with her. "I'll bring the food."
"Great." They stopped in front of the house and Serah pulled Vanille into a hug. "I'll see you tomorrow, then."
"Yeah." Serah walked into the house and as Vanille walked away she realized that she had forgotten the whole reason she had gone to the house. She smiled, she had made another Cocoonian friend.
On her way home she found herself in front of the temple of Etro. She stood and looked at it for a moment, the temple had always been a source of guidance for her and what she needed now was guidance. It had been there that she had first met Mother Reyna and started working with her. She entered the temple and before her stood the immense marble statue of Etro, a tall goddess surrounded by images of nature, roses on her right to signify life and love and grave lilies on her left to signify the end of all things. She had always loved the statue, it somehow made her feel loved.
The temple was built directly on the earth, the floor was always covered in perpetually green grass making it comfortable enough to walk on. She took her shoes off, as was tradition in the temple, and crossed the floor to stand at the foot of the statue. She bowed her head and drew her hands to her chest in front of her with her pinkies crossed in the ritual pose for prayers to the goddess.
"Etro, goddess of light and love, come to me in my time of need. Come to me with strength and with wisdom. Come to me with love and with compassion. Fill me with your light so I might find my way through this darkness."
While she prayed, if she had been able to look up into the sky she would have seen a star flare up, burning brightly in the northern sky for a brief moment before returning to it's ordinary brilliance. Thoughts of Claire came easily to her in those moments and a tear streaked down her cheek. She didn't know what the future held but she knew that she would never forget the time they spent together.
As she knelt before the statue of Etro her thoughts flew from her and connected with thoughts of her coming from a pink-haired, blue-eyed woman who was also feeling distraught about her relationship with the other. Their thoughts joined together under Etro's star and from far away a prayer was heard. A prayer for strength and love.
Author's Note:
I didn't think a lot of people shipped Light x Van but I'm happy at how well received this story has been. Forgive the long pause between updates but I find a lot of my time taken up by a little game called ESO. Never fear, I do intend to finish this story so stay tuned. Also, if you're still reading be sure to leave me reviews because they really brighten up my days. Until next time...
