Chapter 9:
Groaning loudly as the pink haired woman shook her head as she dragged the pen through the word and started to write something above it. Just the silence was starting to wear on Vanille a lot more than the awkward conversation she had to have with Reinn today about who she was meant to ask for hygiene products while her brother was sitting right next to Vanille. Even if the woman seemed fine with it it still made Vanille feel a little uncomfortable if just for her.
But all of that paled in comparison to now. The potential reward that she had spent so long to get was in the balance. She didn't know if she could go another week without seeing them.
"You keep mispelling bird. It is b-i-r-d, not b-r-i-d. Do I need to start giving you spelling homework? Because I can forgive you misspelling incorrectly with two L's... but I know I've told you the correct spelling of bird a few times." Lightning said slightly exhausted already at having to make that same correction.
"Spelling is hard...I told Yuna that and she said I might also have some learning thing that went undiagnosed because until you came into the picture I didn't try to read or write." Vanille complained as Lightning gently shook her head.
"That isn't an excuse I'll accept Vanille. Your smart, plus my sister suffers from dyslexia and while she has had some trouble in the past she can now lead my family." Lightning said as she recapped the pen as she looked towards Vanille who had a look of confusion. "It means she has a harder time than normal people learning to read and spell and still has issues with it today. My point is, it isn't a hindrance if you want to do something Vanille. But if you want to find out if you do suffer from something like that you'll need to talk to Yuna or Rosa to find out if you can be tested for it."
"Would that mean you need to stop teaching me?" Vanille asked as Lightning just shook her head as she stood up and handed Vanille the paper as she took a seat next to her.
"No. Just means that I can't teach you in the same way I was taught and instead need to be a little more forgiving with some of the work... so kind of like how my sister was taught." Lightning said as Vanille looked at the page.
"Only ninety five percent?" Vanille pouted as she looked from the page towards Lightning who started to laugh softly as she pulled Vanille into a small hug and gave her a kiss.
"I had to correct the spelling of bird eight times, and had to take some off for the grammar, but it still is enough to get your reward, of me doing my workouts without my bra or shirt on." Lightning said softly with a smile as Vanille just pouted more as she fell down onto Lightning's lap to just stare up at her.
"Yeah but when I get a hundred you always let me decide the order of your work out..."
"You always need to strive for something Vanille. It is as much a part of human nature as breathing. And you always just want me to do burpees. Which, while I'm happy you want me to work out all my muscle groups, it gets boring."
"It does what now?" Vanille said as she started to look at Lightning with confusion. "I'll admit I like those just because they make you sweaty and cause your muscles to pop and with your gorgeous boobs start to hypnotise me, and I just want you to stop and then pin me to a wall and ravish me."
"I kind of want to do that myself but you know that will cause the both of us to end up in solitary and my mother being called who doesn't exactly know that we are a thing. Much to my shock, Serah has been able to keep that quiet. Probably from stress... and needing to tell people not to tear down orphanages so they can set up a mining operation."
"She is good for doing that... not every orphan ends up getting adopted when they close down... and that always hurts... especially if you were the last one... she needs to change those awful meat practices though." Vanille spoke as she began to sit up. "And you should get started on working out if we want kissing time later."
"Fine. I actually don't sleep well if we don't spend some time kissing."
'Gay... don't think I've called you that in a while.'
"Shut up."
Walking towards the office Vanille just knew that she was going off her schedule but Lightning was right at breakfast. Knocking on the door, she just smiled as Yuna was on the other side slightly shocked that she had been there.
"To what do I owe the honour Vanille? I don't think I should be seeing you for another few hours. When you try and convince me to give you and Lightning a shared room. Despite the fact I'm aware what happens when a boyfriend and girlfriend, or in your case girlfriend and girlfriend get up to when they are in a room after lights are out. So we can't do that." Yuna said with a smile as Vanille just puffed her cheeks out at the comment as she took a deep breath. "So what do you need me to do?"
"I'm still going to ask you that later. But remember how you told me a few days ago about how the reason I might have issues with spelling supposedly easy words is because I have a learning disability... can you have me tested for that?"
Sighing gently as she gestured for Vanille to walk into the room, Yuna closed the door as she started to rub her eyes as she took the seat she always did across from Vanille. "I can in theory Vanille... but that is something realistically you can't do anything about at this point in your life. Plus I'm not even that type of doctor."
"But Lightning said that if I did suffer from something like that then while it changed nothing at the end of the day it would change how I've been learning." Vanille said as Yuna just took a deep breath and leaned back in her seat.
"I can have the things set in motion if you want Vanille. But Lightning is right. At the end of the day it would change nothing if you do have a learning disability or not. Would explain some tendencies you have here, but realistically nothing unless you are looking for an excuse because you find learning how to read and write hard."
"I don't find it that hard... bar for when Lightning isn't around helping me with things. Like some words are tough to say and even tougher to write..."
"Okay, I'll talk to Rosa to see if we can get you tested. But again Vanille I can't stress this enough it won't change anything. You are still you."
"Yeah but it might stop bullies from picking on me." Vanille said as she crossed her arms over her chest as Yuna started to laugh softly earning Vanille's curiosity. "What?"
"The fact that you are best friends with the current head of the most powerful family, and the current even if Rosa and I disagree with it, girlfriend of the family's rightful heir. Once it is known you are close to them you won't be bullied and instead will have a lot of friends... mostly fake friends who want an in with either of them." Yuna said as Vanille just lulled her head to the side like a dog trying to figure out what was said. "Vanille, do you have any idea how hard it is to even get an audience with the head of the family? If I didn't luck out and have been visiting Auron the afternoon after Lightning tried to stab herself that Serah pulled her away from, I wouldn't have gotten even a moment of their father's time for several years."
"Why? They are just people... and besides Lightning being built like a tank and is one of the prettiest women to ever exist... and one of the smartest women to ever exist... but she is just as human as me or you."
Smiling as she crossed one leg over the other, Yuna just took a deep breath. "But they are rich and do business across both Cocoon and Gran Pulse. Hell Serah had just spent the last few months working on a peace deal between two of the largest and most aggressive empires... to which she was going to reward herself with some time with Lightning which ended up being called short... which you are aware of."
"And yet animals are treated horribly and people don't even realise that the chocobo nuggets came from a real majestic creature... that could probably kill people's entire family with ease."
"Same reason why people want Lightning and Serah's attention is the same reason why in some parts of Gran Pulse as well as Cocoon treat animals poorly when they are destined for the market. Money. But economics is something that confuses even me, and I'm sure just about anyone here except Lightning... everyone just is aware people want money for a more comfortable life or in my case, lots of rare teas. Hell Tidus bought me a special one that I believe originates from around where Oerba was. I think it was called something like Sky beneath the trees... that sounds wrong."
"Sky beneath the branches?" Vanille asked as Yuna snapped her fingers and pointed towards her as Vanille started to sit upright. "Haven't had any of that in a long long time... wasn't even meant to have it those times either... it was meant to be saved for important visitors... like elders of a different village."
"Where would I fit into that?" Yuna asked as Vanille just smiled as she leaned onto her side.
"You'd be considered a healer. Something that is similar in status to an Elder...just rarer. I mean my village and several around including Yuel's only had the one and it is kind of what caused the villages to collapse when she died because she hadn't trained anyone... and like most healers they put their notes in a code so others can't use the knowledge for evil deeds. She taught me after all what can be used to heal can be used to kill... no idea how true that is... but I'm sure you have patients you are meant to talk to and I have group I'm meant to go to."
"It is a true statement. I was always taught in college poison is an amount not a substance. But we can put a pin in this chat and when I have the tea I'll invite you for a pot of the tea because from what Tidus said it should help me with some minor sleeping issues I've been having and I always love trying new teas." Yuna said as Vanille just smiled and rolled over and started to walk towards the door as she opened it she just smiled as she could see Lightning standing about to knock on the door.
"Vanille?"
"I just wanted to ask Yuna some things. I'm done though. Enjoy your talk." Vanille said as she started to skip off as Lightning just sighed softly as Yuna gestured for her to come into the room.
Walking in as she could see Yuna walking towards the door to close, Lightning just took a deep breath as she started to hold herself a little as she walked over towards the seat she normally takes. "If you can, do you mind telling me what that was about? Normally when she sees you it is either to ask you about the shared room which I know you won't budge on and not to mention that is most of the time closer to dinner time... or she is starting to have a breakdown and if that was the case it most of the time blocks out a portion of your day."
"She was requesting I get her tested for learning disabilities. I did tell her apparently the same thing you did that it will change nothing. And then I told her about a tea Tidus bought for me that is from the area she is from because Tidus while I can't tell him the details about the video, he has noticed that I'm not my normal self and he is just trying to make me feel better because he knows I can't talk to him about it and that I hate the idea of someone giving people flowers as a present."
"It doesn't change nothing... it would change the way I load Vanille with work. But I get your sentiment. And I explained that to her last night." Lightning said as she took a deep breath as she got comfortable. "And besides Vanille actually having the reading and writing vocabulary of a five to six year old now, she is still making improvements and already is setting her goal to learn a second language once she has caught up to where she should be for someone her age."
Smiling as she nodded her head as she grabbed the mugs as she walked over towards the table. "Let's change the topic either way. We are drifting close to where I can't actually comment on. If she wants to learn another language then power to her. I'm only conversational in an additional language and I'm sure I misuse segments." Yuna spoke as she walked over towards the electric kettle and picked it up as she walked over with the infusers she had already prepared. "I'm more curious about how music therapy went yesterday? If you recall you were nearly breaking down from just the thought of being there with Celes."
"It went... alright. She wants me to sing still... but accepted that I didn't want to and then she asked if I'd consider doing it just for me and her... she also didn't call me by that stupid name and asked to speak with me outside before we got into music. She, like most people who knew my father on a business level knew how much of a monster he was when it didn't concern me because there is a difference."
"I find it hard to believe that someone can be two different types of monsters. Especially when one is enough to traumatise veterans who have done things they don't want to talk about to anyone. And that was just the conditions they knew of you being in." Yuna said as Lightning just smiled as she watched Yuna pour in the hot water into the mugs.
"That was when he hates someone and wants them to die but they are too stubborn to die. When he did business with others the moment they were no longer of use he would crush them and leave them destitute but still very much alive and if they get lucky they can recover and be much wiser in the future. So there are very clearly two different monsters... there might have even been more. Just, I'm hoping that the depths of his hatred and evilness was solely directed at me... I know I can handle it. Others aren't so lucky." Lightning said with a soft smile as Yuna shook her head as she dropped the infusers into the mugs.
"I hate to agree with that sentiment, but if he did that to others, I've no doubt if they are alive they would find themselves in the southern building on nearly constant suicide watch and at any point if you head that way... which at this point I don't think is likely but not an impossibility, I know I wouldn't be surprised." Yuna said as she walked back over towards the small cupboard she kept the dangerous things under her own lock and key. "Neither would Rosa I hope... and don't get me wrong, I do hope you recover because that would give me all kinds of hope that everyone can recover from anything. They just need to want to." Yuna said with a smile as she just took her seat and smiled as she took a deep breath and leaned back in her seat. "But how has the voice been?"
"Quiet mostly... it has said one thing to me in the last twenty four hours... haven't even had any strange dream of me talking to it in a barren wasteland. It is actually something that I know a few months ago I would be starting to have a nervous breakdown just from the silence... but it is actually starting to feel good but in a twisted way I do miss it." Lightning said as she could see Yuna just smiling as she leaned forward and pulled the infusers out as she spun the mug's handle towards the pink haired teen who accepted it with a smile.
"Twisted how? Because if it is the way I think it is, I wouldn't say it is twisted. Just because of how it was a part of you for so long... at your darkest time it was your only companion. In essence, you are losing a part of yourself again even if it is because you are starting to take on the parts that it has hoarded from you for your own protection."
"I mean that I miss the occasional snide remark... and I don't want to be the one to make them." Lightning said as she raised the mug to take a sip from it. "And thank you for the tea... you seem to always know what I'm in the mood for..."
"You don't need to make snide comments... you can certainly think of them, but you don't need to vocalise them." Yuna said with a smile as she picked up her own as she leaned back in her chair. "And you're welcome... as for knowing what tea you are in the mood for, it is a mixture of making a lot of tea for a lot of people, and luck."
Author's Note:
And here we have yet another chapter and it was a fun one to write.