Chapter 8:

Walking down the hallway, Lightning just took a deep breath as she closed her eyes and started to rub her eyes gently as she took her accustomed seat in the room hearing Vanille's almost signature skip into the room shortly after just causing Lightning to smile. It was the one thing that had just seemed to be a calming influence at the moment.

She actually just wanted to hold onto Vanille's hand but she knew that she was too far given the fact that she was sitting at the electric piano. She had wanted to just have something to help her through this because she knew that it was quickly going to go wrong if Celes were to remember her and remember that name. That name that she tried so hard to wipe away from existence.

Hearing the door open once again, Lightning looked towards it and just frowned as she could see the suddenly familiar if older face of the blonde haired woman walking into the room. As their eyes met she seemed to have stopped in mid stride as she stared at Lightning.

"I'll be damned. It really is you. Do you mind if we talk in private Farron?" Celes spoke to the room as Lightning just took a deep breath as she stood up and walked towards the door that the woman had been standing by. As Lightning got towards the door, she could see those same eyes that she frequently remembered scolding her from missing a note.

Gesturing out the door, Lightning simply shook her head. "I don't do too well with people behind me..." Lightning said in a soft tone as she started to wrap her arms around herself as the woman just chuckled as she shook her head.

"Fine." Celes spoke as she walked out of the room, just leading the way for Lightning who had a simple smile on her face as she followed after her.

She could feel some of the tension starting to ebb away as she just started to relax at the sight that was the woman who clearly knew that to Lightning the name that she knew was a sore topic. Or at least that is what she hoped was the cause of this. She didn't want to even begin with the thought that she was being lured out to be attacked where she would undoubtedly defend herself but that wouldn't make its way towards Rosa or Yuna. Both were possible and that was what was making Lightning worry if she was being honest.

Because she could not do yet another stint in one of those padded rooms for a night or very likely nights because of how she had missed just her and Vanille talking about everything and nothing as they simply stare at the ceiling in her room.

"Let's get down to the brass take, I heard you were here, that you don't like being called by the one name and need to know what to call you, but I also want to know if you kept up singing."

"Light... or Lightning... and I didn't. Up until a few months ago I didn't even remember I did sing. Rosa and Yuna both think it is just from my mind shutting out everything that wasn't needed for my immediate survival during the Purge... and that includes a lot of my home life before it... I mean you met my Father and did business with him... as you can imagine I had to maintain that kind of protection all the time at home afterwards."

"Yeah your father is a bit of a... not going to finish that. I've moved on despite the fact that he destroyed my career when he fired me. But are you positive you don't want to sing? I know when you were younger you had a vast range and abilities."

"My father was a douche and the world should be glad he is dead. But I really don't want to. If it was a sport I don't mind people staring at me... but singing... I don't even remember doing it and just the thought of it actually makes me a little bit more batty..." Lightning said as she started to wrap her arms around herself.

"So if it was just the two of us?" Celes asked as Lightning just sighed and shrugged her shoulders gently.

"I don't know... maybe... I haven't given it much thought..."

"I've got to know before we go back in Light... what happened to the strong confident girl I once taught Carmen and was surprised that that was in her range?"

"I was held hostage during the Purge and tortured... while I'm strong if you believe my sister... and Rosa and Yuna and even Vanille... I am far from confident."

"Shame... you also didn't need to tell me that if you didn't want to. Just give it some thought Light. I'll be taking the class for another month give or take. Just all I ask is if you give it some thought and I'd carve out some time to give you that chance. You've got remarkable talent Light."

"People always say that... it doesn't change the fact that I don't remember a lot... and a lot of people think it is for the best that I don't remember. Including both Yuna and Rosa..." Lightning said as she just took a deep breath.

'I mean... personally... it is good that you don't remember everything... but that is because I do. And if you don't want to sing... don't. I honestly don't think it would do anything for you... it might make your mother happy and maybe Vanille might get turned on... but I don't think that you can really handle that at this moment... you know... lack of actual and genuine alone time. But eventually that might be something good... but I don't imagine once you both are out you'll have a lot of time alone regardless. You know besides taking the reigns of your family... I mean your sister will play twenty questions like no tomorrow.'

"How has your day been you two? Do you still have things left?" Vanille asked as she took a seat across from the twins she had been talking to at the start of the day when they had been teaching Vanille how to play some card game that she still wasn't sure if she was winning or losing.

"I have a few things I'm meant to still do today.. and I think Lann does still have his own group thing... then Rosa suggested that we meet up again because we haven't seen our mother in a long time... really since she had us committed because we did try and kill her because a talking fox told us to..." Reinn began softly as she scooped up some of the rice as she just smiled faintly. "And I know how crazy it sounds... but it is how it happened. But today has been good. The meds have been working, and my psychiatrist is pretty optimistic about me getting out eventually."

"Yeah the doctors here are super optimistic. Especially if you talk with Rosa or Yuna who both handle Lightning. And Lightning might not look like it... but she keeps everything together... and the stuff she went through is enough to repulse a guy that was in the orphanage I grew up in and he has been in chest high sewage where he would kill animals that had been injured and there was no saving them... so if she can hold it together then anything is possible with people." Vanille said as she started to sift through the vegetables on her plate. "And... why did I go with the veggie option? Didn't even get any tofu in it..."

"We tried to kill our mother because a talking fox told us to... and then she tried to make me kill myself. I don't think that it is as simple as what goes on with Lightning... especially because she is a Farron." The boy said calmly as Vanille just smiled at them and shook her head.

"Lightning Laughed at the mention of her father dying... and she has been overtly cruel to a lot of people and has actually taken lives to defend herself... and I know it is a bad thing to do is to compare two patients to one another. Even if you both compared to each other. That is a fast way to slide backwards. Just it is a testament that everyone can get better no matter how bad things get. She has a fairly healthy relationship with her mother now and when she came in she wanted nothing to do with the woman and the woman from what I've been told acted like Lightning was going to collapse if she was touched." Vanille said with a soft sigh as she pierced one of the pieces of broccoli. "Everyone in here that is a patient has done something to someone. Not always as direct as you two... but it happens. And everyone but Yuel realistically just want to get better. Yuel at points does but at other points doesn't. It is partially down to the fact she has multiple personalities I think... I'm no doctor... you'd need to ask one of them."

"Do they just give out that kind of information?" Reinn asked a little hysterically as she feared what was and wasn't talked about when she wasn't present.

"They don't actually give out much that you don't give to others. I mean I'm pretty selective on what I tell people and yet They'll talk to Vanille and when they were here Palom and Porom when they asked about me but only when it was something they knew I would tell them and probably have told them. I have no doubts in my mind that if they wanted to tell anyone anything about you that isn't something like that, they'd ask you directly and if you told them not to, they won't." Lightning said as she placed the tray down. "You've got nothing to worry about regardless. I mean they deal with a lot of... let's call it tense... relationships with parents." Lightning spoke as Vanille quickly studied her plate.

"Hey not to change the topic but Light... do you mind if I swipe some pieces of meat? I went with veggie for some reason... doesn't even have any tofu in it... how do they expect people to get all the protein they need if they don't provide it."

"You should have enough with all the veggies in it. I mean Lann and me have been vegetarians since we were on solid food and we never have any issues." Reinn said as Vanille speared a piece of the beef that she started to chew as she looked towards Lightning.

Sighing as picked up a piece herself, Lightning just lulled her head backwards. "It is something you need to realistically balance and I take it the chefs here know what they are doing Vanille. Besides it isn't the protein itself you need... it is what makes up the protein. And you still need to eat your own Vanille. Lack of tofu or not... I seriously don't get what is with you and tofu and meat substitutes... especially because you will eat meat without a bother on you. Despite the fact that you are so close to being a vegan most of the time. Really ever since I told you why mammals produce milk."

"Yeah if you know anything else like that don't tell me... I miss milk. You've got no idea how bland that almond crap is..." Vanille complained as she started to poke at the food in front of her.

"You are aware that they also make milk like products out of things like soya right?" Lightning said as she could see Vanille staring at her with confusion. "I'm not joking. They really do. It is actually most of the way towards tofu itself..."

"Oh... I know what you are talking about. In my village we called it bean broth... not milk. What's next you going to call kokkoh something stupid like rice milk... or oat milk."

"That depends entirely on what that is..." Lightning spoke as she could see Vanille eyeing her up carefully.

"It is a milk like product you make from grains that you normally give to infant orphans... tastes pretty good."

"Oh then yeah it is called rice milk or oat milk. Although I agree they don't really taste like milk. But they exist and tend to do the same thing." Lightning said as she could see Vanille just starting to sulk. "What?"

"What is with Cocoonians always trying to gross people out. That is for infants and babies. Had to make enough of it in the orphanage and with the elders to know that much... that and how to make it with my eyes closed." Vanille pouted as she picked up some of her rice. "Although it isn't anything intentionally gross that is robbing a baby animal of sustenance... and it is just rice and water. But still..." Vanille pouted as Lightning just sighed as she looked at the twins sitting across from them.

It was actually a little perplexing to her but she did get that it really was for the best that Vanille hadn't been drinking the products in question as she spoke because she still remembers the anger that Vanille had the next time she drank milk after Lightning had told her about the real purpose of milk in animals and people.

"Anyways, ignore Vanille's odd type of prejudice. She typically means well, she just has an issue with things like that because she is still largely a pure soul who didn't get out much before she got placed here." Lightning said as she just smiled at the sight of Vanille glaring at her as she gently smacked Lightning's arm with the back of her hand. "It is an expression Vanille. Not a literal statement of fact. It means you don't know or didn't experience a lot."

"Oh... that is still an odd expression... and it is gross. I mean you don't see other animals drinking things meant for babies of a different species... that is like exclusively humans... and I know you are going to bring up honey but that is literally just bee vomit. At least milk isn't as gross. It isn't like it is cow vomit... although I wouldn't be surprised if they tried to make that into something similar and called it milk."

"I don't think there is anything like cud milk... and even people who think steak is what you buy in a store and has nothing to do with cows know what cud is." Lann said as Vanille stared at him with a clear look of confusion on her face. "I'm starting to feel lost..."

"Vanille is from a small small village. Where it was largely hand to mouth." Lightning explained as Vanille smacked her arm again. "Again, it is an expression. But Lann is right, and a lot of people in Cocoon don't actually know where meat comes from. Especially because it is something that is hard for people to cope with mentally and many end up becoming vegetarians or vegans because of it."

"But then how do you give thanks to the animal for their sacrifice?"

"That must be a Pulse thing... but how have you been doing it as long as you've been in here?" Reinn asked as Vanille just smiled as she pierced a piece of broccoli.

"In silent prayer before I actually start to eat it. And do Cocoonians not do that? Because that seems very cruel to me. Especially because Light said that they'll eat calfs... and lambs... and other babies."

"Depends on the religion mostly. I know my family didn't really do it but that is because my family is filled with egotistical idiots who think we are above all forms of morales. I mean you met my father and saw Rosa afterwards where she was all kinds of furious and that was just him being irked... do you think he'd be the type that cares about how old an animal was? Hell I wouldn't put it past him if he actually ate humans just to prove his point that he is the apex of humanity."

"Yeah but you always said your family isn't a great system to measure with things like that. And I never trusted your dad after Vivi and I met him. But Lann, Reinn tell me that it isn't a real thing is it?" Vanille asked as she just stared at the twins who shared a look between each other.

"That is why we are vegetarians. Although for us it was less about the cuteness of an animal and more about the conditions the animals are kept in." Reinn said as Vanille looked between them and Lightning feeling lost.

"I'll explain it to you once you are done eating Vanille... even if it would probably get you to stop stealing food off my plate."

"Is it going to ruin reading time?" Vanille asked as Lightning just sighed as she lulled her head backwards.

"Fine. In most abattoirs there is less about the animals living a happy life and more about getting them big enough to be killed and go to market... which leads to over crowded conditions where they are quickly culled, not always from a humane or quick method. Think tamer then what I lived in during the purge from the pictures I know Bahamut showed you last time he was here."

"You're lying to scare me and it is working... people can't mistreat animals like that."

"They do and it sickened me and my sister. But it isn't just a Cocoon thing. When we were on Gran Pulse for a while we saw it too. I can't speak for how it compares to what a Farron lived in... especially from what we were always told."

Smacking Lightning again, Vanille just glared a little at her. "Change it... don't let animals suffer like that..."

"I can't just change it Vanille."

"You always said that your family can change anything they want... so want this."

"I mean I can't while I'm here Vanille. And chances are Serah is still ignorant of this going on so she hasn't stepped in but in due time she'll figure it out and change it. Now can you stop hitting me so I can eat? My hands are getting shaky right now."

"You can... just if Serah doesn't change it... you need to."

"Fine I promise you I will."

"Good."

Author's Note:

And another chapter down.