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Chapter 7:
Seeing Vanille jumping up onto the table, Lightning just groaned. "COME ON! THIS IS BS! I'D LOVE TO DO THAT BUT I CAN'T." Vanille yelled as she looked towards Lightning for support who had her head in her hands.
"Vanille... that is how you play go fish... it is just what you say." Lightning said as Vanille looked around sheepish as she began to climb down to sit down next to Lightning as she held a hand up to the orderlies.
"Sorry... new to the game..." Vanille said as she picked up her hand that Lightning had so carefully held for her. "Right... sorry Lann... Reynn... I really have never played this game before and I'm not nearly as smart or worldly as Lightning." Vanille said as she began to fix her hand as she just took a deep breath. "So now what do I do?" Vanille asked as she looked towards Lightning who reached over and picked up a card from the stack to just hand it towards Vanille.
"So wait... have you really not played this before?" the female teen asked as Vanille rolled her eyes.
"I grew up in a tiny village. The population was literally one hundred and seven before the orphanage where I was growing up closed. We didn't even have meat for most of the year. Frankly outside weddings and funerals of the village elders I wouldn't have eaten meat until I got here." Vanille said as she started to place the newly matching card down in front of her. "Meanwhile Lightning's family could buy the entire world and it still wouldn't have made a dent in her family's wealth." Vanille said as Lightning rolled her eyes.
"She is a Farron... it would make sense..." Lann said as folded the cards to just look at Lightning's slightly shocked face. "We grew up in Nine Wood Hills. You can't grow up there without knowing what the future head of the Farron family looks like... and the pipe dream is for anyone to be able to work on that mountain. Reynn, do you have any sixes?"
"Lann... don't you remember... it is rude to talk like that." Reynn said as she handed a card to him. "Although... are the rumours true? Does your family actually own the entire mountain? And were we really trespassing whenever we walked onto it?"
"It is easier to say what my family doesn't own, so yes we own that mountain... as well as all of the Plaza Ninety Nine and Nine Wood Hills. Technically you would have been but my family really really doesn't care. At least until you get to the fence. But even then I wouldn't care nor would my sister. My mother might." Lightning spoke as she just leaned back a little to see Vanille looking at her. "It is the city at the base of the mountain my family's current and favourite place to live. At least on Cocoon." Lightning explained as she could see Reynn and Lann looking at her. "My family has been around for thousands of years... predating Cocoon... we were even the majority backers of Cocoon. I am a very very rich person... hell the school where I was going to before here actually was able to retire a lot of people and get the best people in the fields to start teaching on my tuition alone..." Lightning said with a straight face as she could see the group continuing to look shocked.
"Yeah told you. Lightning is pretty relaxed about everything... and it is one of the funniest things ever... especially because I can not stress how much of a bumpkin I am. Didn't even know about her family." Vanille said as Lightning just took a deep breath and looked at the clock. "How much time do we have? It is too cloudy for me to tell." Vanille asked as Lightning shook her head gently.
"About ten minutes before you need to be in group and I need to be in Yuna's office. So you might want to get ready for that... wouldn't this be the first group with Hope?" Lightning asked as Vanille sighed gently as she dropped the cards face down.
"Yeah... and he has been his normal moody self... if I didn't know better, I'd swear he was having like the longest period ever. And I just refuse to let him bully people." Vanille said standing up as she began to dust the hoodie Lightning had loaned her. "I'll see you two during music... we are getting Celes for the first time in over two years... it will be impressive because she used to teach Lightning opera privately." Vanille said happily as Lightning just shook her head. "I swear if that wasn't directed at the voice."
"It wasn't. I doubt she remembers me. And turn the other cheek Vanille. At least if it is directed towards me. You know the truth. That should be all that matters." Lightning said as she pushed her seat into the table. "And if we find some more decks, I'll teach you guys to play pinochle. But if not, I know others." Lightning said as Vanille just smiled and gently started to skip in place as Lightning started to walk towards the exit of the recreation room. Just smiling at how excited Vanille seemed to be. "What has you in such high spirits?"
"This hoodie smells just like you. And it is toasty... plus I got that writing you wanted me to do, done last night... so that means topless and braless exercise tonight. So, everything is looking great for me today. I'm just short a visit or call from Fang and my favourite dinner and then today would be near perfect. You know... if we ever got the two person room." Vanille said as she happily just smiled at Lightning who chuckled as she shook her head.
"I'm glad that you are happy. You are so much more pretty when you are happy."
Blushing as she pulled the hood up, Vanille just started to mumble under her breath. Taking a deep breath as she looked at the elevator doors opening, "You need to stop making me blush... if this continues up, I'll never give you your hoodie back."
"I gave it to you on a loan a year and a half ago. After the last five... six... attempts. And the three extra attempts in which you gave yourself heat stroke... I no longer think I'm getting my hoodie back." Lightning said as they walked into the elevator.
"Those wouldn't have happened if you would have just learned that I like this... I wear it when I'm scared... or remind myself that you are real... or I just need to be comforted... and frankly if I ever get a second hoodie of yours... it is just as guaranteed to be gone forever from you... unless you like looking at it on my body." Vanille said as Lightning snaked her arms around Vanille's waist and just smiled at her.
"There is a thought... me in nothing... and you in nothing but my hoodie? At least if what I keep getting lectured about from Serah is anything to go off of." As Lightning whispered that soft nothing into Vanille's ear, she almost laughed at the near cartoonish gesture that formed in her mind of Vanille blushing so red, steam had started to pour out of her ears.
Spinning around Vanille lightly batted at Lightning's shoulders. "I SAID STOP MAKING ME BLUSH!" Vanille yelled as she started to feel Lightning's arms. "I swear you could crush macadamia nuts with your bare hands... and... I forget what I was mad about... why does it feel like you are smuggling rods of steel under your sleeves? Can you lift your shirt up a bit?" Vanille asked as she slid her hands down to just press them into Lightning's abs. "I always forget how you could wash clothes off these... it is like... a piece of marble..."
"Vanille... the doors..." Lightning said as Vanille quickly shook her head as she spun around and just sighed as she could see them open. "Relax Vanille... you can see them tonight covered in sweat while I'm half naked... will that help you get through group?"
"I need to run! You damn temptress!" Vanille yelled to Lightning as she quickly ran out of the elevator. Seeing that, just caused Lightning to chuckle softly as she walked out of the elevator.
"It is getting easier and easier to tease her. I should start feeling bad at some point..." Lightning chuckled a little as she walked down the hallway towards the stairs just so she could get up quicker to Yuna's office. "This is going to be a slightly annoying meeting... but I get to spend time with Vanille afterwards.
'You see? Listen to me and you can occasionally get happy moments...'
"These moments are pretty happy... but if Celes does remember me... you do know what that means?" Lightning whispered softly as she walked out of the stairwell and into the hallways of Yuna's office.
'You remembering the warming up exercises, and needing to sing in front of people again...'
"Exactly... near enough hell."
'Don't compare your home life to singing in front of people. This is nothing. Just trust me.'
"Vote of no confidence then." Lightning mumbled as she balled her hand up to knock on Yuna's door. Seeing it open, Lightning just sniffed a little as the door opened. "I'm talking to it again in full sentences..." Lightning muttered softly as Yuna just took a deep breath and gestured her into the room. "It isn't bad still... just its normal pep talking crap... which I'm having serious doubts about."
"What are you stressed about? Or what are you worried about? That is the only time you start to talk to it in full sentences barring for the occasional 'shut up'." Yuna asked as she placed a mug down in front of Lightning who quickly thanked her and began to breathe gently onto it.
"Music... which is after I talk with Rosa." Lightning said as Yuna just looked at her with slight confusion.
"You've been doing music happily really since you got here, what is different this time?" Yuna asked knowing that there had to be an underlying issue just because of how seldom this has been an issue in recent weeks.
"Celes... she is taking the class, and she originally taught me opera before the Purge. And she was fired after I quit opera... and knows my name and Rosa said she talked to her... but I'm just happy doing what I've been doing but if what my Mom said is true... she'll try and get me to sing... or worse call me my stupid birth name in front of the group..."
"She can't force you to do anything you don't want to. Just remember that. And I've informed her myself to not use your birth name as well as Rosa. If she does call you it, simply leave and then come find me or Rosa and tell us. Remember the music therapy for you ultimately is for you to feel more comfortable in group situations. Same with your arts and crafts time... they are things you can't be the best at because it is entirely subjective and you can express yourself." Yuna said as she could see Lightning just looking at her with a deep sense of question. "I told you Lightning, there is always something we try to gain from the other therapies. And I knew if we put you into something like martial art therapy... that and I figured it might trigger something causing you to get into a lot of trouble quickly. If there wasn't some repressed memory it would spark your competitive side and your family's ingraining of you needing to be the best at everything." Yuna explained her reasoning as she grabbed her mug and leaned back in her seat.
"That is a thing here? That seems dangerous in general." Lightning said as Yuna just laughed softly.
"Not a full contact one. It is less about self defence, and more about the philosophy. At least here. In the north building it is about addressing physical conflict and protecting yourself. But I'm positive you wouldn't need that. Again for several reasons. Largely because according to Auron, he didn't even need to teach you anything about self defence and more so about restraint because you typically went in with the intent to kill." Yuna said as Lightning just took a deep breath and got comfortable.
"People are just super fragile... especially when you go to a pressy high school."
"In general, they aren't. But compared to you... I'd tend to agree."
"You've got to just stop acting like it is some miracle I'm alive and haven't killed myself."
"That is never going to happen Lightning. And I mean it in the nicest way possible. It is scary how much you went through that was filmed. I don't want to imagine what you went through off camera."
"It was largely the same... just less potentially killing me if they made a mistake. And a lot more petty things or just overtly crueller."
"I don't think that is possible and don't take that as an invitation to prove me wrong. At least not right now. Because I need to let my skin heal from the steel wool I used a few nights ago."
"I'm telling you that you shouldn't be disgusted by the videos. I lived and many of those in them did not."
"It seriously disturbs me that that is what you take away from being tortured in that manner. And almost entirely at the depths humans can sink to... I thought I knew the bottom that can be sunk to but... I've been proven wrong... and not in the way I like. You've got no idea how few times that happens... and every time it has been involving you or your family which makes me wonder how you've not gone all kinds of crazy and murdery..."
"Jury is still out on the last one... and I am in an asylum. So if that doesn't make me all kinds of crazy... what would you consider the bar for that?"
"We don't use the term 'Asylum' anymore Light. Not since long before I was even born... or your grandfather was born if my math is right. At the very least he would have been very young when it started to be phased out." Yuna said as Lightning just chuckled softly as she began to get comfortable.
Just slouching a little in her seat before taking a deep breath. "You're doing it again... underestimating what my family can and can't do... even in something basic like the use of language. I mean there are literally several books in the library here written by hugely influential writers honoured to my paternal great grandmother because she gave them their first break... could have easily convinced them to alter their wording... and by the time it gets to my generation... poof... it doesn't mean that any more."
"Making me have serious doubts about humanity and the character of people here Light."
"Money can do everything... I mean it has given my sister the ability to broker peace deals and punish monarchs and governments alike... and her sense of people being all good deep down has been shaken a lot more than you could imagine."
"I don't doubt it... unfortunately." Yuna said solemnly as she just took a deep breath. "Let's hope that it isn't all doom and gloom in the future though... or at least that is what I'm hoping for."
"I think that is a bit of a false hope... humans tend to ruin everything. Including for each other. Something I'm fine about partially because it is one of the things my family haven't manipulated that into being. I mean Serah isn't the first that has had to do peace talks... but she is the first one to force the nations to the tables. Which actually caused the news to take note because of how it has never been done as a pre-emptive measure. And unlike if they did it without us... neither side wants to be the one to break the agreement because it means that the other side will have our backing and by extension crushing the opposition."
Smiling faintly Yuna just looked into Lightning's eyes and just knew she was being genuine with her point. "Okay, I can see this is getting onto a touchy subject for you. Would you like to talk about something? Because We've still got too much time for me to end this early and to send you up to Rosa."
"Those new people from the east building turns out are from one of the towns at the base of the mountain top my family love to live on. Something about looking down on those that are desperate to work for my family... excluding the fact that if we black ball someone their lives are all but ruined... we do have some of the highest paid workers with all kinds of benefits. Pretty sure under my father, you just had to work for a week to get covered under just about every type of insurance you could want... including fat life insurance policies. Although that isn't through any insurance company but out of our pockets. Although out of our pockets is nothing compared to out of your pockets. Especially given the fact that Rosa is still bothered by how much Serah has pledged to be given here every year for Christmas alone." Lightning said as Yuna just sighed as she gently shook her head. "Again... the Farron pockets are a lot deeper than people give us credit for... to the point that our wealth is just guessed at. Just because it is a lot easier."
"And that just shocks me... like I get that your family doesn't just like, own the economy... but you guys are... and that stress doesn't bother you... but potentially singing in front of others, or being called your birth name outside of your mother and sister does..."
"I've been raised to take over for my family... wasn't raised to be called a stupid name... or to sing in front of others."
"Well, if one doesn't bother you then the other one shouldn't either."
"Okay... but I don't think it will be that easy."
'You are going to be fine Lightning.'
Author's Note:
And done. Was a fun write.