Roles and Regulation

Vanille began to bounce up and down in her seat excitedly as the shuttle touched down on the Oerba Neo landing pad while Lightning had already begun to shut off certain systems. The village was still obscured by a line of foliage but Eve had gotten a glimpse of the village for the first time. She'd never really thought about it much but it was just as Alva had over-excitedly imagined it. The Lance Corporal looked over at her sister to see she was still asleep.

The flight had been relatively quiet save for the chatter between Alva and Vanille during the first half of the journey. Alva had eventually fallen asleep and the shuttle fell into complete silence.

"Sazh and Snow should be meeting us with the truck," Hope broke the silence as he landed the shuttle smoothly, "We can probably leave most of the equipment in the shuttle. We have any plans for... well... lodging arrangements for the duration of the investigation?" Lightning—who had been reviewing information on one of the side consoles—shrugged indistinctly.

"For now we can probably use my place as a base of operations." The pinkette rose from her seat next to Hope, "We still don't know how long this investigation will take." She added, moving towards the door. As she reached it, Eve stood, having taken the seat nearest it. Lightning looked between the younger officer and her sister, "There isn't really a medical center in the village so for now your sister can rest in the spare bedroom."

"Thank you, Commander." Eve bowed her head slightly as the shuttle doors slid open. Before the Commander in question could exit the craft however, the small orange-haired Oerban bounded out before her; not really forming proper words so much as making small excited squealing noises. A sigh escaping her lips, Lightning followed, stepping out into the sunlight. Fang exited next, sharing a strained look with the Lance Corporal before exiting.

"The shuttle will be here soon," Hope pat Eve's shoulder, "You can probably just let your sister sleep there until it gets here." The First Lieutenant motioned towards Alva who'd curled up against the side of the craft, "Actually, it's possible we could move her without waking her." Eve nodded and saluted him as he too, stepped outside. Turning back to Alva, she stepped towards the sleeping girl and knelt down in front of the seat, brushing aside a strand of hair that'd fallen across her face.

"Everything's so... so colorful! So... alive!" Vanille practically yelled, taking in the surroundings.

"Hmm." Fang slowly surveyed the surroundings as well, hands on her hips, "No barren wasteland, no sea of crystal dust-" Fang began but couldn't finish as she was cut off by another excited shriek.

"Is that the lake?" The smaller Oerban pointed beyond the landing pad and shuttled towards the glittering body of water that expanded out into the horizon. Hope nodded his head, laughing at the look of overwhelming joy on Vanille's face. The orange-haired girl practically tackled Fang, "Fang it's the lake! Oerba's just like it was before!"

"Well, we still have to get to the village-" Fang began but was again interrupted, this time by the loud sound of a revving engine. The four standing by the shuttle all looked down the road and saw a giant truck speeding toward them. Dark, tinted windows, sporting a camouflage paint job in at least half a dozen shades of green; the truck rolled along on 6 almost excessively large wheels. The main body was large enough to fit 6 people comfortably; An equally spacious bed behind it. A mounted set of light bars arched over it.

Lightning walked over as it all but skid to a stop at the edge of the landing pad—barely a foot away from her. Taking a step back as the truck's growling came to a halt and the front doors on either side of the vehicle opened up, revealing the driver and single passenger.

"Well, I'll be damned." A loud voice called as the owner of it shut the broad door, "I'd heard you were bringing guests but..."

"Snow!" Vanille bounced over to the large man, throwing herself into a hug. The blonde laughed and happily returned the gesture. They pulled away as the opposite door clicked shut, revealing a rather stunned Sazh, "Sazh." Vanille somehow managed to grin wider as she ran around the front of the truck and stopped in front of the ex-pilot—more out of being similarly overwhelmed than out of fear of the situation becoming uncomfortable. The mutual moment only lasted a few seconds however, before Sazh pulled the smaller girl into a tight hug.

"Fang!" Snow walked toward the other Oerban who took a step back as he approached, "Oh c'mon now." He caught her in an awkward side hug if only for a moment before she managed to ease her way out of it.

"Nice to see you too, Snow." The Oerban warrior admit. Hope and Lightning, who'd been watching the scene unfold, were significantly amused. The latter's amusement soon disappeared when she saw the blonde turn toward her with the full intention to give her the same welcoming treatment.

"We should start loading the gear we'll be keeping in the village, onto the truck." The Commander suggested, already moving back towards the shuttle. She met Eve as she stepped out; she had an odd expression on her face. Lightning gave her a questioning look to which the Lance Corporal responded by motioning over her shoulder with her thumb toward the cargo door.

"We may have brought more with us than intended." Eve explained. Lightning looked between the younger officer, the cargo door and Hope who had walked back over to join them. Receiving a shrug from Hope, the pinkette moved to open the door. As it slid open, it revealed the stack of crates along with the few duffel bags that had been loaded back in Crystallinus. Confused at first, Lightning eventually realized there seemed to be a little too much cargo in the hold. Grabbing two of the duffel bags, she pulled them out swiftly to reveal a crouched figure trying to remain hidden, out of the light from the doorway.

"Whoever you are, come out of there." Hope voiced the order on Lightning's mind. There was a shuffling followed by another duffel rolling out of the hold as the stow-away stepped out. Lightning's shoulder's slumped as Hope sighed, rubbing a temple while Eve merely raised an eyebrow.

"Dajh."

"Well then," The cadet began, grinning sheepishly, "That's the last time I'm ever flying cargo-"

"And what just exactly are you doing flying anywhere?" Lightning questioned firmly, folding her arms over her chest.

"Well technically it's wasn't so much flying as it was stowing away-"

"Dajh." Hope interrupted, signaling that now really wasn't the time for jokes.

"I heard you were taking a shuttle out of the city." Dajh began to explain himself, "The only shuttle heading to Oerba Neo-"

"And what? You decided to hitch a ride? This isn't a field trip!" Lightning frowned at the young recruit.

"You think I don't know that?" Dajh spoke up defiantly, "It didn't take a genius to figure out what was going on in the city. And once word got out that it wasn't just Crystallinus that was affected..." The cadet trailed off for a moment, "Oerba Neo is my home too, remember?" The two older officers seemed to back off a little but Lightning remained true to her rank.

"That does not give you license to sneak aboard a vessel without approval of leave from your superior officer."

"Well... technically you could give it to me now..." The boy's wit began to rear its head again.

"Dajh!" Both Hope and Lightning interrupted, exasperatedly. Eve, who'd remained silent throughout the exchange, was oddly amused albeit just as suspicious as to what exactly the recruit was thinking.

"Dajh?" A third voice echoed, grabbing all four of their attention. It took Eve barely a second to notice the family resemblance.

"Dad." The two Katzroy's remained still, staring at one another.

"Dajh!" Yet again the recruit's name was echoed, this time by Snow who was walking over along with the two Oerbans, "And..." He trailed off, noticing Eve. He pointed at her but looked over at Fang, "Is she-"

"No." Both Fang and Eve replied at the same time, sharing another pained—yet understanding—look.

"Oh."

"Let's get moving." Hope decided to keep the investigation on track, "We'll get the equipment to the house and work out the game plan from there." He motioned towards Snow and Sazh, "You strapping young men wanna help me with the crates?"

"Careful Hope," Snow said through a laugh, already moving toward the crates in question, "You're starting to sound old." He nudged the ex-pilot, before moving towards the shuttle, past Dajh—giving him a quick pat on the shoulder. Sazh stepped towards Dajh, who took an equally uneasy step back. The cadet's jaw tightened when he saw the flash of hurt cross his father's face. Swallowing, he turned his eyes towards Eve, catching hers. He found himself giving her a pleading look. A look begging her to speak, interrupt, anything to break the awkward atmosphere.

"I'm going to get my sister." The Lance Corporal finally did say, turning to Lightning briefly and motioning into shuttle. She met Dajh's gaze for another second before stepping back inside. Dajh inwardly groaned. Great, thank you, DeFluo.

Sighing heavily, he turned back to his father and superior officer. He straightened up, preparing himself for the reprimanding from the Commander. At the moment he figured it'd be better than dealing with his father just then. But it didn't come. Lightning merely pat the older Katzroy on the back before moving toward the shuttle, re-activating the datapad in her hands.

"Wh-What? No grilling? No third degree? No good, old-fashioned military chewing-out?" Lightning stopped and looked back over her shoulder at the cadet.

"I'm didn't come here as a training officer—I'm not going to scold you like a child, Dajh." She threw a glance at Sazh whose puzzled expression remained on his son, "That's not my job." With that she turned and stepped back into the shuttle, leaving Dajh more or less alone with his father. Great, thank you, Lightning.

"So... this isn't extremely awkward..." The cadet rubbed the bad of his neck, avoiding eye contact. It wasn't as if he hadn't expected something like this to happen. He just wasn't expecting it to happen sooner rather than later. Definitely not quite so soon after spending nearly an hour squashed between duffel bags and equipment crates.

Turned out it would happen later rather than sooner as Sazh moved past him to help the others, pausing only long enough to say, "As soon as everyone settles in, we'll have a talk." Dajh merely nodded both thankful of his father's decision and dreading the thought of it.

The trip to Lightning's home through the village didn't take long and truck was large enough to where they only had to make the one trip. While Dajh, Hope, Snow and Sazh helped unload the equipment and baggage, Lightning led Eve inside, Alva still asleep in her arms. Fang was attempting to keep Vanille from running off to explore.

"How is she?" Lightning asked as she opened the front door.

"I think she's burning up." Eve replied, distressed. Vanille's urge to run off and rediscover her old home was suppressed by her own concern. The small Oerban palmed Alva's forehead. Eve remained still, watching Vanille intently, gauging her reaction.

"She's running a fever, we should get her inside," Came the diagnosis, "I still have a few things that could slow it down." Vanille pat the pouch hanging off her belt, giving Eve a confident smile. The Lance Corporal hesitated for a short moment before following Lightning into the house.

Despite being rarely lived-in, the house was surprisingly clean. Like many of the other homes in Oerba Neo, it had once been a original Oerban building that'd been salvaged and reconstructed. The floor was a clever mix of wood and metal. It proved to look rather interesting, without looking like a total Frankenstein job. What little walls there were, were similarly designed. The general layout of the house was very open with almost an entire wall of windows overlooking the lake.

"Some place Sunshine's got here." Fang muttered, admiring the view.

"One of the best views in Oerba Neo." Hope came to stand next to her, still as equally impressed despite having seen the view before, "It's a shame Light never spends enough time here see it very much." Fang smirked. It figured Lightning would have such a remarkable home, surrounded with such beauty and not fully appreciate it.

"Alright we've still got over half the day so I suggest we take the shuttle and scout the edge of the storm." The Commander returned to the living room where most of the guests had gathered, having brought in the last of the bags and crates, "We'll take some preliminary readings while we set up here."

"Already?" Snow spoke up, "You don't wanna settle in a little, get something to eat?"

"This storm could be the cause of what's tearing Crystallinus apart." Lightning responded seriously, "Oerba Neo may be safe for now but I don't doubt that it's only a matter of time before the destruction spreads here." Snow opened his mouth to argue but changed his mind. Even he understood the pinkette had point.

"So what's the plan?" Hope asked.

"You and I will take the shuttle to the edge of the storm, use the scanners to get as much data as we can." Lightning laid out the plan she'd formulated on the way to the village, "Eve will stay here and set up the equipment to help sift through whatever readings the shuttle can pick up."

"I can help with that if you like." Sazh spoke up. Lightning gave him a grateful nod. At that moment, Vanille walked back out into the living room from the bedroom where Eve had taken Alva.

"How is she?" The pinkette asked. Vanille sighed as Eve also stepped into the room, the distress on her face worse than before.

"I've made something to help with the fever but from what I can tell, she's suffering from more symptoms than just that." The Oerban elaborated, "I'll need to find more components before I can start trying to counteract them." She turned to Eve, "Most of them I should be able to find in the nearby area." She assured.

"I'll help." Dajh spoke up, unable to ignore the fact he hadn't been assigned a role. He received pointed stares from both Lightning and Sazh but didn't get any argument from either.

"Alright, Dajh you're with Vanille; Sazh with Eve; Hope you're with me." Lightning recounted as she moved towards the door, Hope following soon after. Vanille gave Eve a encouraging smile before also heading for the door. Dajh was stopped by Sazh as he moved to follow.

"Take care of her." The look of concern in his eyes that only a father could pull off regarding their child, did not escape the younger Katzroy's attention, "Take care of yourself."

"I will." Dajh promised before leaving to catch up with Vanille. While he was disappointed that the turn of prevents once again put a meeting with his son on hold, Sazh also felt a fatherly pride towards Dajh's attitude towards the situation. The loud shifting of the equipment crates caught the ex-pilot's attention. He looked to see the officer Lightning had referred to as Eve beginning to unpack some of the contents of the containers. Eve noticed his eyes on her. Standing, she introduced herself.

"Lance Corporal Eve DeFluo."

"Sazh Katzroy." He held out a hand which she took—not without brief hesitation, "Light told me to help you with whatever you need." Eve merely nodded in response before returning to unpacking the crate she'd started on.

"Hang on a second," Snow's voice caught both Eve and Sazh's attention, "Why don't I get an assignment?" Sazh raised an eyebrow at the blonde, "Or Fang for that matter-" Snow turned to where Fang should have been but wasn't. He blinked a couple of times before turning to Sazh who merely shrugged. The Lance Corporal had already returned to her task at hand, "Where'd she go?"

Ten minutes away, Hope and Lightning were boarding the shuttle again. As the First Lieutenant began powering up the systems, Lightning noticed Fang walking over as she was closing the side door.

"Fang, what are you doing here?" Lightning asked, genuinely surprised, "I thought you'd have gone with Vanille." Neither woman missed the strange, almost spiteful tone in the pinkette's voice but neither brought it up.

"Vanille can handle picking a couple flowers." Fang continued to make her way toward the shuttle, stopping just in front of the pinkette, "I want answers."

"Fang-"

"It may have been a couple hundred of years and things may be different here but Oerba will always be my home." There was nothing but seriousness in the warrior's eyes, "And I protect what's mine." Fang refused to argue with the other woman. Perhaps it was the hard resolve in the Oerban's voice; perhaps it was just that Lightning was too tired to argue herself; but eventually the Commander stepped aside, allowing Fang to board the shuttle as it began to lift off the ground.

A/N:

So... longest chapter so far... also the most pointless =\

I've been sick. And tired.
I apologize for the nonsense chapter but it's only to hold you over until I have the proper brainpower to finish the bizarre-ness that will be Chapter 27.
Which will hopefully be up tomorrow... hopefully...

Have I mentioned how much I enjoy writing Dajh?
Because I do.