Chapter 2: Color Theory
We'd left the station on foot until we reached Sazh's house. As beautiful of a beach town as New Bhodum was, that didn't stop it from being tiny. Its namesake had been a bustling resort, whereas the houses here resembled thatched rooved shacks. Once we'd settled in, we had dinner and everyone pressed me about the happenings in the big city. I grew increasingly drained by their questions and eventual small talk.
"I can't wait until you stay at the house. We're in the midst of converting the guestroom/study/storage area into a nursery. We are finally cleaning it out, but the spare bed is still in there. Maybe you can give us some input about what color to paint it. I'm partial to a neutral yellow. Serah wants a grey. She claims yellow looks like piss," Snow blathered on.
"Wait," I said, tuning back in, "why would I be staying with you?"
Lightning perked up from her spot on the couch. She was just as bored with this reunion as I was. Sazh was tapping her lap, trying to reengage her in their conversation.
"What do you mean at your house?" Lightning said, stalking over to the table to join us.
"You can't expect him to spend the night with you," Serah said, following her sister. "You don't have a spare bed like we do. You filled your extra space with exercise equipment."
For a family of two, Sazh had an enormous dining table. We all fit comfortably at it. His home must have been where everyone generally met up. No one would go to Lightning's house, she was much too private for that. I had assumed that Snow's would have been the hang out, especially since he was still in touch with the NORA gang. Sazh dragged his son off to bed, getting him out of range of the ensuing argument.
"I can just stay on the couch." I looked at Lightning. "Or the floor even. I'm sure one of you has a sleeping bag I can borrow."
"Of course you would stay in my room. I would sleep on the couch until we get this whole thing sorted out," Lightning said, grimacing.
"Absolutely not," Serah gave her sister a pointed look.
"Like hell he can't. I stay at his home all the time. It's only fair to Bartholomew to have Hope at my house. Also, he trusted that I take care of him." If Lightning were younger, I half expected she would have stuck out her tongue.
"No. There is a significant difference between staying with him and his father, and the two of you staying alone."
For the second time today, someone was implying that we couldn't be trusted. Why was this happening? As far as I knew, Lightning had never indicated anything to that affect to her sister. If we had planned on…going through with that particular private activity, we'd have already done it. And we hadn't. Nor would we probably ever.
"Can you guys stop acting like I'm not right here," I said. "I really don't understand why we can't stay together. You're all a bunch of perverts. I'm not going to do anything to her." I reached across the table to hold her hand in mine. "If we were gonna do something, you'd be too damn late."
The last line slipped out of my mouth before I could filter myself. And to be transparent, I hadn't said "do something" either. I'd been significantly more colorful in my verb choice. Snow choked on his tea. Poor Serah had a horrified expression. She had never known me all that well; I could only imagine what sort of impression she was now forming. Snow and Lightning had probably made me out to be an entirely different person.
Lightning tapped her thumb nervously against the back of my fingers. She had a hint of sadness in her expression. I had only spoken the truth, but maybe I shouldn't have called her family perverts. Especially since I'd be forced to stay with them.
"I was trusted with his safe keeping. We're both coming," Lightning said to Snow.
Once we arrived at the Villiers residence, Snow carried my bag into the multi-purpose spare room. The space was a clutter filled nightmare of boxes, baby paraphernalia, textbooks, and various other junk. The walls, initially white, were splotched in a variety of yellows, pinks, blues, purples, and greys.
"Serah's right. You picked a dehydrated urine color," I said, pointing at one of the swatches.
"That's three against one. I guess yellow's out." Snow sighed unhappily.
"Three?"
"Lightning hates it too."
I laughed. It was hard for me to picture Lightning being remotely involved in things like interior decorating. This would be her first niece or nephew, her only genetic family aside from Serah. I guessed that was enough to get her invested. Pretty soon she'd probably be snuggling the baby and cooing dorky little things into its ear. If Snow looked ridiculous fawning over things, Lightning and motherhood seemed incongruous.
"You don't have to rub it in my face," Snow said, clapping me on the back. "And what's that goofy grin for? You're usually so moody." He ruffled my hair like I was a pet.
"Honey." The door creaked open and Serah spoke into the room. "Lightning and I haven't had any quality sister time since we went shopping for her date a while back. I was wondering if you'd mind letting her and I have a girls night in our room. This might be our last chance before the baby comes. We have some things we need to…" she craned around and noticed me. "Oh my. You said you needed a shower. I didn't realize you were in here already."
I definitely wasn't meant to hear a personal conversation like that. I found myself blushing profusely. Unable to speak, I waved my hands around in what I hoped indicated remorse. Snow picked up my bag and handed it to me. After quickly unzipping it, I waved around my pajamas like a banner. Squeezing past Serah, I dashed to the bathroom and out of range of their conversation. I doubted I was ready to hear any more.
The shower helped clear my thoughts. Today had been a whirlwind. Our magic had fully and entirely returned, I'd set fire to my kitchen, I'd been kidnapped by the Villiers, and I'd found out that Lightning had gone on a date. She was dating someone with enough conviction to tell her sister, or at least had at one point.
I'd thought that Snow would've had the decency to sleep in the living room. This was not the case. I was forced to spend the night curled in a tiny bed, being spooned by a huge man. Not how I pictured my first night back to New Bhodum in over a year. Normally, I wouldn't care, but he kept hugging me and murmuring Serah's name. I guessed my tiny frame was enough to trick the tiny brain he had in his cavernous skull.
Sleep became impossible, so I slunk out into the kitchen in the early morning hours. Just as I started to close the fridge, Lightning tapped me with her hip. I dropped the cup of juice I had served myself, shattering it all over the floor.
"This goes without saying, but you scared the hell out of me," I said as I grabbed a rag and she picked up the shards.
"I just got off a call with Rygdea. I thought you heard me and woke up."
Testing my magic, I rinsed the floor with a gentle stream. That inferno had been a fluke, I could control myself like I'd expected. When we stood up, she went to wash her hands in the sink. Before she turned on the faucet, I flushed the stickiness off her.
"It's kind of icy, can you warm it up?" she asked, rubbing her palms together.
I'd never used magic for such a banal task before. Therefore, I'd never actually tried making such a specific adjustment. Focusing on the heat of flames, without casting fire was like brushing teeth with mud. It was gritty like toothpaste, it might serve the proper function, but it tasted gross and felt wrong.
"Glad I wasn't wrong about you," she said, smiling at me.
"What makes you say that?"
She dried herself on the oversized T-shirt she'd borrowed from Snow. While I'm sure they hung on Serah like dresses, Lightning still had to wear her sister's shorts underneath. Whenever she'd shift, the maternity band would show. She really should have stopped at her own house, if only to at least pick up her pajamas. She looked bizarre in borrowed clothing.
"Apparently they want to retrieve Vanille and Fang as soon as possible. I was hesitant, given that I'm with you right now. But your dad and I trust Rygdea, so I mentioned our circumstances. He wants you in. If anyone can figure out how to manipulate magic, even one as twisted as crystallization, it's probably you," she said while elbowing me. "He's flying in, in a couple of hours. He agreed to meet us at Sazh's to discuss logistics. Sazh already does contract transport work for the military, so we might be able to squeeze him in too."
"You look way too eager for five in the morning," I said, yawning and shuffling over to the couch.
"How can you not be? There might be, however remote, a possibility that we'll see them again." Her shirt billowed as she sat down next to me.
She swiveled and propped her legs over my lap. Stretching her arms behind her, she relaxed into the cushions.
"Uhm, Light?" I asked, tickling the arches of her feet. "Shouldn't you go back to the room? They gave me a body guard last night. I don't think either would be too happy to find you with me."
"You worry too much," she said, watching as I yawned again. "Get some rest."
She kicked at my shoulder until I flopped over. With my head on the opposite armrest, I fell asleep almost immediately.
"I'm coming, I'm coming. Control yourself before you break the bell!" Snow said stomping his way across the living room.
I woke up and finally heard a delicate wind chime-like doorbell going off. I hadn't meant to fall back asleep, and I doubted Lightning had either. We had ended up stacking and weaving ourselves into an uncomfortable position. She had her stomach down to the couch, her face shoved into the armrest. I had my back balanced on hers, with my head dangling off the couch. Somehow, she'd managed to scissor her legs around mine. When I tried to break free, all I accomplished was hitting my head on the ground and rolling her into the coffee table. Snow glared at us and muttered something while he walked by.
"Rygdea, it is seven in the morning. You better have a damn good reason to be here," Snow said, after letting his guest in.
Lightning stood up and tried to straighten out her ill-fitting attire to the best of her ability. I fingered my hair, knowing it was a lost cause. Aside from the time he'd rescued us, I'd always been extremely well groomed during his visits to my house. My dad would be ashamed to know that someone he respected saw me in such disarray. Rygdea's eyes went wide when he noticed Lightning's shorts.
"Farron. I know there are all sorts of protocol, but you should have told me. We would have made accommodations."
"Even if she were pregnant, I doubt calling her out is part of protocol," I said, suddenly angry.
That wouldn't be his business anyway. Unless. What if he thought he was the father? I looked between the two of them. Lightning seemed irritated, but not it in a 'I hate you so much I need you' sort of way. At least, I assumed as much.
"Hope, butt out of this," she said to me before turning to Rygdea. "These are my sister's clothes. I had meant to be in uniform by the time you arrived. Forgive my lax attitude, but we are technically at her house and not at work. Though, I thought the plan was to meet at Sazh's?"
"Still is. I just thought it might be fun to pick you guys up. It's been a while since I've seen yah, lil' guy," Rygdea reached over and punched me in the shoulder. "I'll wait for all of you to get ready, then we can head over. Will Serah be joining us to?"
A flushing sound reverberated through the brief silence.
"Nope," said Snow. "I think she's gonna pass today."
Lightning was in a worse mood than when I'd spoken to her in the middle of the night. I had taken the time to heal the bruise that had formed on her forehead. She'd hit the coffee table harder than I'd thought. But I knew that I wasn't the source of her frustration.
I'd gone to change out of my pajamas. By the time I'd returned, Lightning and Rygdea were talking in the kitchen. Neither of them noticed my approach.
"Rygdea, if we weren't going to meet at Sazh's, you should have warned me. Seriously, I still need to head to my house to pick up my gear. Hope's stuff is here, so he can go with you. But if you're wanting Snow too, you better tell him now. There's no need for him to be traveling back and forth wasting time." She was leaning against the kitchen counter, legs crossed at the ankle.
"Amodar says that the easiest way to get a yes out of you is to not give you a choice in the matter," he said, sipping at a cup of coffee.
"That's not technically a yes. That's forcing me. The Lieutenant has my respect specifically because he doesn't do that."
"This as a trial run. What it's like to work with me personally. When are you going to take up my offer? Amodar wants this too. Everybody knows that your talents and background are wasted here."
A voice whispered into my ear, "It's not polite to eavesdrop."
I jumped a little when I turned to see Snow sneering at me. He shoved past me and walked up to the fridge. Eavesdropping had never been my intention, it wasn't my fault they didn't notice me.
"I called Sazh. He's coming over with Dajh and overnight bags for both of them. Serah and I babysit when he's got work out of town anyway. But this'll be the first time she's watched him solo. Good practice for the future though," Snow said, preparing himself a coffee with creamer. "Figured you showing up at my humble abode meant you needed more than Sis and Sazh. So where we headed?"
"At least someone likes me," Rygdea said, clapping Snow on the back. "Guess that just leaves you, Lightning. How about you run home and grab your stuff. That way we can all head out once Sazh gets here."
"Yes, Sir," she said, scowling and leaving the room.
Lightning had let me come along. Her house was only a couple minutes on foot.
"You going to let me use the door, or shall I climb in your window? Which one is it?" I asked, as she unlocked the entrance.
She rolled her eyes, and shoved me through the now open doorway. I snorted as I stumbled across the threshold. Her house had remained almost unchanged from when my father and I had visited over a year ago. He'd always insisted we stay at a local inn. He didn't find it appropriate for two men to stay overnight at a single woman's house.
Though, she was less tidy than I'd remembered her to be. Bits of clutter filled the space. A dining table covered with spare gunblade parts, a couch hidden by unsorted laundry, a houseplant dropping dead leaves all over the floor. Any time I'd visited, each and every room had been cleaned to an immaculate level.
I picked up a wrinkled T-shirt and turned to Lightning, "You've led me astray. To think we've spent our entire friendship living a lie."
"Like you're room is any better, I just happen to own a house," she said, ripping the shirt from me and folding it on the spot.
"I never claimed to be otherwise. Let me guess, Serah comes over and picks up when you have guests."
"Maybe if you and Bartholomew visited more often I'd have a reason to clean up. And no. Serah doesn't," she said, making her way towards her bedroom in the back.
I'd almost followed her into the room before I stopped in my tracks. She was pulling things from her dresser and shoving them into a knapsack. Once I'd caught sight of a bra, I'd swiveled around and faced the living room. Listening to her, but not interested in seeing any more underwear, I wandered my way around the house.
In the corner of the living room she had a full-size desk. Which was empty, since all of her equipment was taking up her table. I tried to switch on the lamp but the bulb was dead. The house seemed more like a waystation than a home. Even the wooden floors were scarred and scuffed from where she'd drug who-knows-what across them. I was about to poke around in one of her desk drawers when Lightning lurched in front of me and blocked my hand.
"How about you keep your snooping to a minimum?" She wedged herself between me and the desk. "Actually, just wait outside. I'll only have a couple more things I need to grab. Then we can head back."
Placing my palms to the desk on either side of her, I leaned in. "Now, I really want to know. What are you hiding from me, hmm?"
"Nothing." She smiled down at me. "And you'll find out soon enough anyway. But not today."
"I can be persuasive when I want to be."
"Oh, really? What's your big plan?"
So what if I were short and scrawny? I still was packed with testosterone, so I had that minor advantage. Along with the element of surprise, I was able to cling to her waist and fling the both of us toward the couch. We missed and rolled across floor. She could have stopped us at any point, but she let it happen.
"I'll just tickle the hell out of you. You'll have no choice but to surrender," I said.
Both of our hands scrambled across each other's body trying to find bare skin. Attempting to contain her laughter, she made awkward croaking noises. These caused me to laugh harder than any of her tickling ever could. We tumbled and tripped our way across the room forgetting we had a purpose in her house.
Finally out of breath, I acknowledged my defeat. Lightning had managed to corner me by the window.
"No matter what you try, I'll always come out on top," she said grinning from her victory.
I wormed my out from beneath her to sit up. Leaning my neck onto the windowsill, I stared upward. Beams and trusses crisscrossed their ways across the exposed ceiling. The first time I'd visited, it had been for Serah's wedding. Lightning had forced me to climb up and string ribbons with her. I hadn't seen the point of decorating for a party I hadn't been invited to, but I'd done it anyway. Lebreau had insisted that they do some big girly bachelorette thing there. I wondered if when we saved Vanille, would I be coerced into decorating again?
"One of these days, I'm going to overpower you. And you're not going to know what to do with yourself," I said turning to Lightning.
"Why bother with these childish games, Hope? You're seventeen. Sometimes even Dajh gets bored with crap like this and he's almost ten."
"How would you prefer I acted?" When I said this, something in her expression darkened and her eyes flashed to the desk.
"If you aren't going to show me what's in the drawer, will you at least take pity on me and show me those sparks again?" I asked.
"Like I said, you'll find out eventually. Just not today," she said, holding out her hand.
I touched at the fountain, and found it slightly stronger than before. Whatever current was flowing through it had to be racing. I couldn't discern much else as I was instantly distracted by someone barging in her front door.
"Good grief, you guys. Sazh has been waiting for half an hour already. How are you still in your pajamas, Sis?" Snow strode over to us and dragged me up by my collar. "I'm taking the distraction home. Hurry it up, alright?"
In a completely humiliating move, I was hauled out of the house over Snow's shoulder.