Title: Glowing Resolution
Characters: Lloyd, Colette, Genis, Kratos (mentioned), Zelos (mentioned).
Notes: Short oneshot for 100themes.
28: Secrets
In Flanoir, it was winter all year long. The oppressive snow clouds meant it was usually quite dark as well. This evening, however, was extraordinarily dark and cold, even by the Snowy City's standards. Under the radiant full moon, Lloyd breathed heavily on his already gloved hands and sighed. Kratos had left as quickly has he'd arrived, mysterious as ever. Only leaving more questions than he'd answered. Who knew what would happen next?
"Lloyd? What're you doing out here?"
The red-clad boy turned in the direction of the voice, seeing Colette and Genis traipsing through the thickening snow towards him. He smiled and shrugged nonchalantly. Colette smiled back warmly and Lloyd felt warmed by the knowledge that Colette hadn't minded his rejection of company earlier that evening. The shorter mage bounced excitedly next to the pair.
"Look, Lloyd!" he exclaimed and waved a hand towards him. Clutched in his pale fist were four dull-coloured tubes.
"What're they?" Lloyd asked. He'd never seen anything like them before. Perhaps…wires? Genis adopted a sheepishly guilty expression.
"Well…" he began. Colette giggled cheerily.
"Zelos brought them. He said they were a recent magitechnology advancement, as scientists are trying to make mana work in small lamps for people to carry around. Genis thought they looked fun so we borrowed them." She smiled as if thet excused everything. Lloyd frowned in confusion.
"Well, they don't look very light to me. You sure they work?" he looked to Genis. The younger boy took one of the tubes and bent it in several places. It crackled icily as he shook it back and forth. A small, glowing green light emitted and streamed back and forth as Genis shook the tube.
"Zelos said they just called them 'glowing sticks'. There's even ones the colour of Presea's hair!" Genis explained animatedly. He snapped the remaining three, handing one to Lloyd and two to Colette. The blonde girl's eye's shone their brilliant blue in the low illumination, and off she danced. She twirled joyfully and gracefully across the balcony, breath trailing lazily behind her in clouds. Genis laughed and tied the bendy tube into a ring, so that it looked like a small green halo. He waved it back and forth, marvelling innocently at the pattern the light made in the air.
Lloyd looked at the gentle light in his hands. It seemed like a lifetime since it had been just the three of them. The three without a care in the world, living simply and happily through innocent pranks and childish ignorance. The boy thought then, what would he give to go back to that peaceful time? His breath curled and clouded his vision. A small, melancholy smile crept onto his face. It would all get better soon. And though the mana would eventually be exhausted from the 'glowing tube' that valiantly battled the night's dark depths, he had a source of light that he was sure would never go out. His friends would always be there for him, of that he was certain. They would help him push forward into the dark uncertainty of the future. And yet…
There was another light, one close to his heart now. One that gave him more hope than he had felt in a long time. He put a hand to his breast pocket. A hand to his heart.
A Locket. A Promise. A secret both supporting and reassuring.
Ok, so Lloyd doesn't have a breast pocket. Let's just say it's on the inside of his jacket. Such things do exist, you know.
Oh, and glowsticks? I love them to bits. I figure if they can do things like advanced security systems and beams and stupid self-destruct systems with mana and magitechnology, they can manage glowsticks.