Chapter 33 Raine's Return

With the camping trip finished, Lightning had reported into work at 5 a.m. the next day. Taking a seat at her desk, she started to work on some paperwork. Taking a small break, Lightning looked at the realtor website once more. Though she had sought a condo before the wedding, too many problems formed to the point that she couldn't leave home yet.

With Serah pregnant and alone most of the time, Lightning didn't want to move out until her sister was in a better place. Ever since the camping trip, Serah seemed a lot better on her feet, and today she was going to be seeing Snow at couple's counseling, a place they would start going to until they figured out their relationship.

Lightning looked at the listing once more for the house she wanted as she sighed when she noticed the condo had sold. Blue eyes noticed heavyset commander Amodar as he walked past her office.

Amodar poked his head in her office, "Hey Farron, you have a chance to read your email when you returned from your trip?"

Lightning did a sharp salute as her commander entered her office, "I read the emails, sir. Is Raines actually returning? I thought he was going to be in Insomnia for a year."

"At ease Farron."

Dropping her salute, Lightning started typing on her computer once more.

"Well, he needed to come home. King Regis sent me an email that his services were no longer needed and that he was to return. Why is there a problem?"

"No problem. It'll be nice to see Raines again. Plus, he's going to be surprised I'm one step closer towards Lieutenant rank. Just got a lot on my mind. With Serah pregnant, and her and Snow taking a break, I really don't know what is the best course of action if I want to move out."

"I remember you said you were planning on moving."

"The house sold, so I'll be back on square one again. I don't think it's going to happen. It was probably too good to be true. I can't move with Serah being in a rut. Fang thinks I should move out, but with my sister going through so much, I don't want her to make payments on the house if she's not working and especially not while she is pregnant. I can't do that to her. Plus, she wants to keep the child. So, a lot is going on in my life right now/."

"Even if it's not meant to be, you can always find a new place. A house is a house, but if your sister is in a rut, stay and make that choice later. Better to be certain than make a dumb mistake now."

Lightning looked at her boss and nodded, "You make a fair point, Amodar."

"If I didn't have an answer for you, Farron, what kind of commander would I be?"

"A lousy one who can't do his job?"

Amodar bellowed in laughter, "Cheeky Farron." After he grabbed a butterscotch candy from the bowl at Lightning's desk, he popped it into his mouth, "I'm going to return to my office so I can get back to my work. If you need anything, come over. Also, don't forget to drop your paperwork off in the bin at my office. You have some catching up to do."

"I'll have it in for you soon. Just gotta fix the last details."

"You always surprise me with how detailed your work is sometimes. Someday you'll probably be sitting at my desk like your father before me. Proud of you, Farron."

"Thank you, sir," Lightning said, blue eyes sparkling with pride as she reached for her communicator. "Hope? Report."

"We've done our search around the perimeter; nothing was found today. Bodhum is extremely quiet."

"Good to know. You guys can return back," Lightning said as Amodar smiled.

"Roger, we'll return soon. See you soon, Light," Hope's voice said.

"My troop finished their perimeter sweep and are en route to headquarters."

"Good to know. Surprised you and your team have come a long way since that first meeting. You and young Estheim are pretty close."

"Yeah, I tend to see him a lot. He hangs out with my girlfriend's sister, so he's practically like a little brother to me."

"Well, when Jihl assigned him, I wasn't sure if he was going to ever get over his nervousness. Then came that transgate attack, and I was surprised he killed several of the creatures detailed in your report. Clearly, you are doing something right with your team."

"Thank you, sir."

As Amodar left her office, Lightning took a second and ran a hand along a crease in her uniform. Putting some music on, she got back to work.

Sometime later_

As the elevator opened, Lightning noticed Jihl Nabaat entering with Rosch and another person. When Lightning looked at the third person, she saw Cid Raines!

"Move it, Sparky," Jihl said snidely as Lightning stood in the doorway.

Rosch gave Lightning a pained look that screamed apologetically, but he followed Jihl nonetheless.

Cid Raines was greeted by Amodar as well as Rygdea.

He ran a hand through his black hair and sighed, looking quite bored with all the attention; however, he noticed the pinkette staring at him.

When Lightning finally went to her former mentor, he took a second and looked at her in uniform from head to toe.

"Hello, Farron, nice to see you again."

"Raines, welcome back. It's a pleasant surprise to see you back at the office."

"Likewise. How've you been holding up?"

"Faring quite well, though a lot happened since you left last year. I kind of need to talk to you about it."

"Alright, your office? I came to see everyone and will be starting my shift here again tomorrow. Today is just an informal meet and greet, and to see how you were holding up."

The two walked towards Lightning's office and entered. Lightning took a seat and offered Raines a chair in front of her desk.

"What is it you wish to talk to me about, Farron?"

"Well, it's a long story. Ever since you left, there's been a lot going on. The trouble with family, a new relationship, and I'm sunk into this mystery. This mystery, however, I honestly sometimes want to drop and just run away. I know that seems like a foolish thing to say, but it's stressing me out, and I worry it could paint a target on everyone else's backs."

"You? Runaway? That doesn't sound like the Farron I know."

"Yes, but I'd rather keep my sister and everyone else safe. If they found out the truth, I worry about the unknown. I don't want them killed on my behalf, or even taken in because of this mystery."

"Oh? I don't think it's quite that bad, Farron. You want to elaborate, though? What kind of mystery is it?"

Lightning looked into the predatorily grey eyes as Raines kept his eyes focused on her, "Can I trust you with this? I know it's been months, but you don't seem to be the same person I knew."

"Silly question Farron. Don't you trust your former mentor?"

Lightning shook her head slightly, "I don't know. There's a lot that I still don't understand, but you've been gone for quite some time."

Raines chuckled slightly, "You have reason to not trust me. Understandable. However, I'm your former mentor. You are in my confidentiality, and I won't tell anyone unless you are a danger to yourself or someone else."

Lightning let out a small sigh, "Especially since you helped me with that favor a long time ago."

"Favor?"

Lightning looked at him; something seemed off as she kept her eyes on Raines. "From my evaluation into promotion?"

"Oh, right, that thing. I totally forgot. How could I forget such an admirable favor? You have come a long way since your Corporal training. Proud of the woman you became."

"Uh, thank you. I guess all I can say about this mystery is my parents had a bunch of secrets."

"Secrets, you say? Caspian Farron hid secrets from you?"

"Yeah, from a girl he was tracking down to keep safe to several people he interacted with when he was a commander. These two women have been working undercover in the Cult of Etro, just to find this girl who is apparently tied to my family, but I don't know who she is. Also, I am investigating a lead that was given to me after meeting them."

"Lead?"

"My family had ties to Cid Highwind, Caius Ballad, the Nabaat family, and Cyrus Hawke, the former commander who mysteriously died when Jihl took leadership of PSICOM. It's sort of all a jumbled puzzle right now."

"A puzzle, eh? You're smart Farron, you could figure it out. After all, you always seem to find the pieces when things aren't going your way."

"True, but I feel like I am running around in circles. I'm exhausting myself to the point that I worry it could get me assassinated in my sleep. It's like I don't even trust my superiors or even the people I work with. I told Amodar my suspicions, and he called me a rookie for pointing the finger at Jihl. Something about her I don't like, but you should understand that."

"That's a loaded suspicion, Farron. Jihl might seem rough around the edges, but don't go pointing the finger if you don't have the proof to back it up."

"I know that," Lightning replied dryly. "I hate it's always, 'Do you have proof Farron?' or 'Stop assuming it's Jihl, Farron' well, maybe if she didn't act suspicious all the time, I wouldn't suspect her of anything."

"Well, I don't know what to tell you, Farron, other than keep finding that proof. A beautiful woman like yourself could figure out a mystery that big. You are the daughter of Caspian Farron, after all."

Lightning up at Raines as he stood at her desk, "You never called me beautiful before. That's rather inappropriate at the workplace, especially since you are one of my superiors."

"Sorry, I forgot how gorgeous you were."

"Uh, thank you, but you're not my type. Also, I'm dating someone. She wouldn't like it if you were flirting with me."

"She?"

"Yeah. I'm dating a woman named Fang. So, if you'd please stop flirting with me, I'd appreciate it."

Raines looked at her, almost taken back by the comment, "So you're dating now? When'd you find time to do that?"

Lightning looked at her mentor and let out a small sigh. "When I ran away from home, but that's in the past."

A text message pinged on her phone as Lightning noticed it was from Fang, 'I'm coming up, brought you lunch Sunshine (:'

"Now, if you excuse me, she's bringing me lunch. I'm going to clock out for my lunch break."

Raines followed her until the elevator, as a newcomer entered the offices wearing a visitor pass.

Fang was wearing black dress pants, with a white blouse with a black vest on top. In her hands was a pink rose, motorcycle helmet, and a bag with food inside.

"Let me help you, Fang," Lightning said, grabbing her helmet and the bag of food.

"Thank you, Sunshine, that was a bit of a hard carry there."

"Well, I'm just glad you came. I was just about to message you."

Fang grimaced slightly, "I was told by 'Nille to deliver your food, so I did. I also brought my lunch."

"We can eat in the breakroom," Lightning noticed Cid Raines looking at her as she motioned for Fang to keep walking.

Fang took the hint and followed her, watching as Lightning glanced at her mentor. A scowl was on her face, and Fang knew something was up.

Upon going towards the breakroom, Lightning poked her head in Amodar's office, "I'm making coffee. Do you want a mug?"

"Uh, no. I'm just enjoying my whiskey, Farron. Thank you for asking, though. My secretary brought some earlier."

Fang poked her head in, "Hello Amodar!"

"Is that Fang?"

"Yeah. It's my girlfriend, sir. She's gonna enjoy lunch with me in the breakroom," Lightning said as her commander smiled.

"Alright. Enjoy your lunches. Nice to see you again, Fang."

The two made it to the breakroom, and Lightning grabbed a k-cup and filled the coffee maker with water. Placing the single-cup into its basket, she hit a button as the water heated before dispensing into her mug.

Fang had placed both food containers out, mapu tofu and a butter chicken curry, "I'll eat whichever you don't eat. I'm starving."

Lightning looked at both, "I'll just stick to this one." She grabbed for the mapu tofu, "Plus, I know you enjoy curry a lot more than I do."

"You got that right. What's wrong? You look like you're in pain, Sunshine."

"I don't know. I think I'm overreacting."

"What makes you say that?"

"My co-worker returned today, as in my former mentor."

"That's good, isn't it?" Fang asked while taking a fork, taking a bite after blowing on the heated bit of curry.

"Yeah, it was good until he called me beautiful."

"He called you beautiful? You told him you were dating me, right?"

"Yeah, but he didn't get the hint."

"Then that's annoying. Punch him a good one then."

"Fang, as much as I enjoy that logic, I can't punch my former mentor, that'll either get me in trouble, or I'll be finding a new job elsewhere."

"You could always bartend at NORA House with me. I could teach you the art of mixing a drink."

"As tempting as that is, I really can't right now. I'm trying to solve that case. At least if I solve it, I can at least put my suspicions on my family's deaths behind me."

"You know I want what's best for you, Sunshine."

"I know you do, Fang," Lightning settled her hand on top of Fang's. "But, I don't think I could bartend either. I feel I'd punch a guy for looking at you wrong."

Fang laughed, "I did that earlier. Lebreau was surprised but wondered why he was out cold with his head on the bar."

"Fang, you idiot. I love you so much. What would I be without you?"

"A woman who'd be single with a hundred cats?"

"Fang, you seriously think I'd turn into a cat hoarder?"

"I don't know. Hmm, maybe 100 carbuncles."

Lightning rolled her eyes slightly before pecking the other on the lips gently, noticing she had an audience.

Jihl Nabaat stood in the breakroom, "Sparky. Who's your friend?"

Lightning sighed, "It's not Sparky—and."

Fang started to laugh, "Friend? I'm her girlfriend. Don't start acting cute, dear, because last I checked, you're jealous of what you don't have. You call my girlfriend Lightning like everyone else. Not Sparky, not Thunder, not Sparkles. If you can't do that, then you can come through me."

Jihl smirked, "Wow, I'm surprised Farron has such a protective beast. She's got a mouth on her, more of a butch dike. You think I'm scared of you? You don't do that to the commander of the PSICOM butch. Off to your master."

Lightning watched as Fang stood up, "Fang, sit back down."

"No, Sunshine, she's going to keep causing you trouble. You're that woman that called me beautiful at the gala. I don't understand your game. People like you make me sick. Just because your high and mighty as a commander doesn't make you a good one. You might have a pretty face, but you reek ugliness, always trying to put down others who are of lower rank. Say something like that to my girlfriend again, and you will have a reason to hate me."

Jihl looked at Fang, who had a smirk on her face.

"Farron, gather your guard dog, or I will have her removed from the building."

"Fang, sit down, please."

Fang looked at Jihl once more before finally taking a seat. Her hands in fists at her sides.

Jihl grabbed something from the fridge before leaving.

"I don't like her one bit," Fang growled.

"I know you don't. I'm sorry Jihl's a difficult miserable woman, and honestly, I'm surprised you didn't jump at her like you were trying to."

"Because I don't punch everyone who rubs me the wrong way. I'm surprised I didn't punch her either. She would've gone to the solar plexus if you hadn't intervened, love."

Lightning took a bite of her food and sighed, "Jihl's annoying, but I don't know. If my boss heard I was fighting with her again, he's going to probably have a talk with me, he keeps telling me to stop pointing the blame, but when she does stuff like that, she doesn't get caught."

"That's also annoying. Or Amodar doesn't care."

"He just thinks it's petty banter, but either way, it's not like I don't respect my commander. I just think he doesn't understand because he's sick of petty fights in the office."

Fang shrugs, "Every time I've talked to him, he seems like he respects you. Why doesn't he understand that miserable woman is annoying and or causes trouble for you at work?"

"I don't know, Fang. Every time I try, I get told I'm not supposed to point the finger or blame others unless I have the proof to back it up."

"Then find that proof. Record Jihl saying that stuff?"

"That goes with reporter privilege and our stupid rules about recording conversations. It's stupid."

"Play at her games—sort of what I did. Find a thing and use it against her. I know that seems like a crazy idea, but you can do it, Sunshine."

"It's not that I don't want to, but it's not like the bar. Totally different experience Fang."

"But I'm just glad you're in my life."

Fang was about to depart after lunch, "I gotta get back to work until tonight, Sunshine. While I'd like to stay, if Lebreau doesn't see me back at work, she'll put me on dishwasher duty until every single plate and glass is washed tonight. Plus, I'd rather have you come over for dinner; I'll make behemoth steaks tonight." Fang smiled, leaning towards Lightning, and gave her a quick kiss, noticing Cid Raines looking at her.

"Farron, did you cl—?"

Fang noticed Raines staring, "You got a staring problem, buddy?"

"No, no problem. Just surprised to see Farron has quite a spitfire. No problems, ma'am. Just happy for both of you. She looks like a great significant other. Good job, Farron. Very beautiful."

Fang rolled her eyes, "Dude, the same warning goes. Leave my girlfriend alone, or you go through me."

For a second, Lightning saw things as she looked into Raine's gray eyes, which almost looked tinted purple in the light. It was bizarre, but it was so brief that she wasn't sure if that was what she really saw.

"I guess I'll talk to you both later. While today was just a visit, it was nice to see you both and everyone else in the office. I shall see you tomorrow Farron."

Lightning watched as Raines left down the elevator; things seemed a lot weirder now that Raines had returned.

Fang and Lightning exchanged a quick hug and kiss, "I gotta get back to work, Sunshine."

"I'll see you tonight, love. Serah and Snow are with each other all night, so I can come to your house. I hate you leaving like this, but I'll see you later."

Fang took a second and departed, leaving Lightning at the office.

Lightning went back to her office, and that was where she stayed the rest of her day, feeling more suspicions forming in her head.