A/N-
I'm pretty relieved that I got my transcript request for college in.
I was worried about that.
Thank you to all of those who Reviewed, Favorited, and Subscribed! ... or just read it.
A thousand thanks to Darkgirl5 & KaitonLocke for BETA'ing me. :)
Chapter 2
Lightning stared at the glowing luminescence of her office clock.
She was pushing four minutes, now going on five. Oerba Yun Fang was getting later by the second.
The phone began to ring like crazy, which kind of annoyed her since this always happened on her short days in particular. She picked it up and simply said, "I'm not taking appointments right now," and hung up. Whomever was calling would need to figure out to email or reach her tomorrow.
Lightning put her head down but this was all done in vain. A unison of cackling laughs coming from outside her door had been the source of the disturbance.
The door swung open.
"So this guy came up to me yesterday. We were like '-the hell?' He seems like a total fruit, long purple hair and all..."
"Pretty crazy get-up, I suppose?"
Rygdea held his stomach from laughing so hard previously. "And?"
"You shoulda' seen my face when he asked me for my number."
Fang imitated 'the face' from the day's event causing Rygdea to laugh once more.
She did a little herself.
"In all seriousness though, I think I'll keep in t-"
Lightning cleared her throat.
"Yun."
Fang turned around.
Rygdea straightened up immediately. He knew one thing that ticked off Lightning Farron the most was shameless tardiness. Well, tardiness in general.
"It looks like you took my advice about the curtain drape..." Lightning briefly acknowledged the Oerban's attire. Her running shorts and shoes really showed off her athletic yet feminine form in that bronzed skin.
Lightning growled, getting back on track.
"Do you think that this is some kind of joke?"
"Psshh." Fang crossed her arms. "It's only been 5 minutes."
"Hah! Only? We're in the Cocooning Calvary here. 5 damn minutes late means 5 extra sets." Lightning scoffed, "Penalty."
Fang dropped her arms down with a gasp. "Extra? What the fu-"
"Sergeant Farron." Rygdea spoke, "I apologize. I was the cause for Fang's lack of punctuality this morning. Please allow me to assess her in your place."
Lightning thought to herself and then sighed. "Hmph. You're lucky this time then, Yun." She picked up her keys. "Go on."
)QQQ(
Rygdea taking the job for her meant free time.
Free time to get ahead on paperwork and stop at the little souvenir shop down the street. It had only just opened up for the morning.
The shopkeeper instantly set down his box and bowed upon Lightning's entrance.
"How is the morning, Sergeant?"
She wasn't in her formal uniform but he recognized her and that pink hair.
The soldier had already begun to search through a certain aisle. There were a vast array of names and symbols but not the one she wanted.
She hesitated before asking, "Are these the only necklaces that you have?"
The man left to counter to help Lightning. "I'm pretty sure of that," he confirmed. "What were you looking for in particular?"
Lightning furrowed her eyebrows. "A gift... a pendant of a lightning bolt."
"Oh... I'm assuming that this is a surprise gift, correct?"
Lightning nodded. "Well this store might be a bit too novelty for a woman with your status. May I suggest going to a jeweler and getting it custom done? It'll be extra special."
Lightning normally didn't give these kinds of 'gifts' to anyone besides Serah. She thought about it, but going somewhere else would mean extra work. "Time's the problem."
"Won't matter if the person isn't expecting it." The shop keep shrugged. "Dia Jewelry, or Dia Diamonds..." He slipped a card out of his pocket. "It has a better reputation than the rest despite foreign origins. It's the perfect place to go for your situation."
She stared at the man and the piece of cardboard for a long moment, weighing her options. As she narrowed her eyes on the fancy print, curiosity overrode her suspicions.
Lightning nabbed the card from the man's hand with a bland and very dry,
"Thanks," before jetting out of the door. The next destination was home.
"You know what? It's kind of hard for me to imagine you with a beanie on." Serah giggled into the phone as she leaned against the refrigerator. "It's so Snow status."
They had been talking most of the morning so far.
"No, that's not a bad thing, Pearl." Serah frowned.
"I think it's cute on girls. I'm actually looking forward to seeing when you-"
The younger Farron jumped when she saw the door slide open. At the sight of pink hair, her first reflex was to drop the phone lowly behind the counter.
"Uh..." She cleared her voice. "Hey Lightning..." Serah cheesed with ingenuity. "I wasn't expecting you home early today..."
"Yep." Her focus was elsewhere.
Lightning didn't seem up for much conversation. Right away, Serah watched her sister retire into her room. Maybe it would be better to leave her alone today.
)QQQ(
Lightning walked out the door, not bothering to acknowledge her sister once again. The airy corridor that connected the apartment together soon led to the outside. On normal days she didn't but for the first time in a while, she looked out of the transparent windows. In a striped tank top with short-shorts, she hoped there wouldn't be any unexpected weather.
Chills hit her body as she stepped into the air-conditioned lobby.
"Smile!" The girl's voice teased. "Shouldn't you be happy to see me?"
Lightning turned in the direction of the sound.
"Yeul..." She breathed, her azure eyes instantly meeting ones of a purely emerald shade.
"By your curt tone last night, I have every right to feel-" The soldier looked up. She didn't know what word to use. "Uneasy..."
The shorter girl grabbed the hand when she least expected it and pulled her out of the area into the parking lot.
"Is Lightning Farron worried?" Lightning scoffed, which the girl giggled at.
"On a serious note, I am sorry if I made you feel any such way. I was just..." Her green eyes lowered.
Lightning nodded as if she understood. "It's good to see an 18 year old actually displaying some real maturity."
That caused Yeul to smile a little, if only for a second.
"Before we go anywhere, I need you to clear some things up for me."
"Fine." Lightning closed the car door.
"I..." Yeul started. It was much harder to speak suddenly with those azure eyes fixed on her. The soldier continued to wait patiently.
"Most people know about your stance in politics. I'm Pulsian. Why do you bother to confide in me if you are so vehemently against interacting with my kind on this level?"
Lightning almost expected this. "You've earned your citizenship fairly." She answered, grabbing the girl's smaller hand. "I can't change your heritage or find a replacement. I like you for you."
Yeul thought it was sweet but she still wasn't sold. "But Lightning, how can I tr-" She had been pleasantly surprised. The soldier captured her lips in a tantalizing kiss that made her body heat all over.
"Besides," Lightning smirked when pulling away, "We aren't official yet." She suggestively played with the girl's gem pendant on her chest. "Unless you want to be..."
"I..." Yeul's pale cheeks reddened. After that kiss she had trouble processing what was going on.
"Do you, Yeul?"
The large blond stood behind the stove. He raised the pot top, releasing a stream of hot steam.
"Hmm, still not quite al-"
"SNOW!"
The front door swung open with force. The first one through, Serah ran in panting.
"How are you doing?"
The blond breathed out. Her scream had startled him.
"It's fine. Everything's fine. It's almost there." He cleared his throat. "What's the rush?"
Serah smiled," Oh noth-"
Lebreau stepped forward chuckling. "Serah here thought that you were going to burn the apartment down."
"Really?" Snow looked to Serah. It was... disappointing. "Psshh. Come on... I know how to make noodles."
"You mean fettuccini?" The barmaid corrected smartly.
"Ya, whatever..." Snow answered with not much care. Lebreau rolled her eyes. "I think it's about done now anyways— Did you get the sauce?"
He caught the thrown bottle midair and dumped the liquid cheese over the pasta.
"Score!"
Snow had a habit of being reckless, one that was almost tiring for those who were there to witness.
"I'm going to take a nap on the couch while it finishes." Another voice spoke up. The three had almost forgotten about their other companion who had been standing at the door.
"Pulsian food…" Lebreau rubbed her temples. "It was Diamond's or whatever-her-name-is's idea." She put a hand on her hip. "Aren't you supposed to be with your big shot boyfriend tonight, Pulse?"
It was another of Lebreau's attempts to pick on the new person. The said girl fixated her eyes on the glossy floor. Although Pearl didn't have much to say about it, she felt a bit ashamed. "Umm... He became busy with work… and cancelled."
Lebreau's catty smirk had feigned. Regret instantly washed over.
"Hmph… Snow would never do that to me." Serah commented amidst the silence. Snow's eyebrow twitched.
Homesickness wasn't the only thing that was getting to her. There wasn't much point in responding. "Don't be too loud. Alright?" Pearl plopped herself on the cream sofa.
Lebreau nodded. "We'll wake you." The barmaid turned back to the couple waving a dismissive hand.
Unknown to her, the two had already begun quarreling.
Serah tugged on Snow's dress shirt as she called out to him. "Like... Seriously, Snow?"
"Like... Seriously, Serah?" The blond shot back. He picked up the stirring spoon with an exaggerated angry swipe.
"I didn't mean it like that... I don't think that you're an-"
Snow shook his head. "-Leave it, Serah." He barked.
Lebreau had no idea to what the hell was going on. "Here we go again..."
"That was so uncalled for, Serah! She's your friend!"
"What are you talking about?"
The barmaid sighed. "Should have waited for Yuj..." Hetook an abnormally long time to get ready compared to other males. She hated being stuck with these two alone sometimes. Waiting for him would have been worth it.
Snow only blinked at her as he continued to stir the contents in the pot.
"Huh?"
The younger Farron wiped the forming tears from her eyes. Serah thought she heard something from the barmaid also. "D-Did you say something, Lebreau?"
"..." The woman leaned on the counter with one of the most awkward smiles on her face.
"The fettuccini seems... about done." She rushed to grab plates and silverware from the cupboard.
"Let's set up the table! Shall we?"
Serah raised a confused eye brow but nodded, eventually. She grabbed the spoon, left by Snow, and began to distribute the portions into that plates that Lebreau had taken down for them. The number of plates, 4, reminded her about their other guest tonight, Pearl.
"Ya... We'll need to make sure to save some for-"
Serah locked eyes with the pink haired woman across the room. From the coldness she received earlier, Serah wondered about her sister and why she decided to drop in, but remained silent, watching her.
Lightning walked in very cautiously while she pulled someone along behind her.
Serah's eyes darted to Lebreau's as to confirm with each other that they were seeing the same thing.
Lebreau smirked, "So you're back?"
"Serah," She spoke up.
Lightning stepped forward, ignoring the usual comment from the brunette barmaid.
"I have something to tell you..."
Lightning gently pulled the girl from behind her who nervously brushed back her hair as she continued to hold onto the soldier's hand.
Lebreau gasped.
Snow looked on awestruck. He had no intention of getting into this.
The younger Farron opened her mouth with hesitance.
Pale skin... long silver hair... green eyes... this girl looked familiar yet she couldn't remember the name. However, Serah knew exactly what this was about and her blood spiked. She crossed her arms.
"You have another little 'follower' I suppose?" She mocked.
Lightning looked at her sternly. "Don't be immature."
"Don't be immature?" Serah repeated, setting down her spoon. "I'm not a child, Lightning. I know a pattern when I see one."
Yeul gave a questioning look to Lightning but she only shrugged.
The soldier cleared her throat.
"What pattern?"
"Lead an innocent girl on. Screw her and then dump her," Lebreau recited. Lightning glared at the woman. Her fist clenched as she went on.
"For such an independent lady, you'd do or say anything for a lay..."
The soldier chuckled to herself. "By the way that you dress, isn't that what you do most of the time? How much do you make in one night?" Lightning scoffed, "Shut up, Libra."
And now Lightning mocked her name. She felt the urge to get in soldier's face but was held back. Lebreau shook her head. "You're incredibly pathetic..."
"This is none of your business. You're lucky that I didn't kick your asses out of here when I came home."
"Hmph. Fuck you."
It's not like she cared what Lightning did but for Serah's sake, Lebreau chose not to say anything else.
The silence that followed after was chilling. Lightning turned her attention back to the main person she came for.
"I tried my best with Yeul here and know, with my heart, that this isn't some fling."
Serah kept her eyes fixed on the hardwood floor of the living room.
"I've gotten over myself."
A dry laugh resonated from Serah.
"I'm quite sure you haven't." Snow and Lebreau felt like laughing as well. The younger Farron cut her eyes at the couple. "I wonder what she made you do..."
The statement was directed towards the girl yet Lightning answered, stepping in front of her. "Nothing."
Serah went for something less offensive.
"How did you two meet?"
Too bad she wasn't going to tell her then and there. Lightning rolled her azure eyes with no plans of answering.
"Fine."
Serah got it immediately and stomped towards her room with her boyfriend following.
"I don't want any part of this!" She shouted before the door slammed.
Clearly, that didn't help with the situation.
Yeul looked at Lightning speechless. She smiled but in her eyes, hurt could be seen. Lightning wanted to-
"-Look what you did now. You're so unreasonable."
Lightning had already begun to exit out into the hallway with her new lover. She chose to ignore the catty barmaid once again.
Lebreau took deep breaths to calm herself down. The way Lightning Farron treated her younger sister sometimes angered her. All the secrecy and the tension... the arrogant attitude... Lebreau had to be the one to comfort Serah when Snow couldn't. She would take shots at Lightning every reasonable chance she got but Lebreau would have to let the woman know how she felt someday.
Her mind removed itself from the current events during this intermission and refocused back on what they were doing previously.
The fettuccini was done. However, Lebreau read the time on the glowing wall clock. Serah's college friend had to be home. It was what she had remembered.
"Umm… Hey…" Lebreau awkwardly nudged her.
There was no response. She must have been in a pretty deep sleep. The barmaid shook Pearl with more vigor. This was incredibly awkward. She didn't know the girl that well in the first place and now she was stuck with waking her up.
"Hmm?" she yawned. Pearl had awoken, rubbing her eyes in an attempt to soothe her drowsiness. Where the hell was she?
Lebreau cleared her throat, annoyance obvious at the current disorientation. "You should probably get going," she said as if the shoving of the Tupperware into the girl's arms wasn't enough.
)QQQ(
The soldier held onto Yeul, trying to redeem herself from the harsh accusations.
"Serah doesn't know what she's talking about… neither does her slut of a friend. "
There wasn't a desire to discuss it, at least not right now. Staring past Lightning's shoulder, Yeul stood limply in her arms. Lightning finally kept quiet and looked back.
Far ahead of them, they watched a person stumble from the Farrons' door.
The moment her eyes met the icy glare of the pink-haired woman, she almost experienced a heart murmur.
"Hmph. It must be one of Snow's bum friends." Lightning grumbled; this concluded from their appearance, mainly the beanie. Lightning was ready to pounce. Like Snow, his friends needed to be put into their places also. The stupid hat wasn't the only thing that she noticed. Her eyes were similar to Yeul's, even more emerald in shade.
The girl could feel eyes on her as she tried to shuffle past the pair. She attempted to resist giving in to the strong gaze yet staring at the ground and not watching where she was going brought more problems. The realization came too late. A vase stood directly in her path.
Lightning observed intently. She waited for that one, stupid move.
The girl bumped into the regal piece of pottery. Hard. She almost tipped it over but scurried to catch it in its fall. The girl wiped her forehead and took a deep breath.
The soldier let out a small growl and stepped forward.
"Lightning." Yeul clutched at her top. "Don't." The taller woman turned to her. That girl was getting away. "We'll talk later. Alright?"
A/N- ugh, School-related tasks. At least I can write now with the transcript thing out of the way. Yay for Summer Break!
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