"Kiss and Swallow" by IAMX

XVI. Watch the Throne – The Glittering City of Yusnaan

At around three in the morning, I took a taxi to the airport. Lumina rode with me, holding my arm in both of hers the whole way. The driver assumed she was my little sister and thought nothing of it. Once I paid for the fare, Lumina disappeared, saying something about keeping an eye on Rosch and Noel for me. I could barely keep my eyes open, let alone process everything she'd said. I was too tired to think about last night. What I'd seen in my sister's apartment, what Fang had said, what Vespair had told me—I couldn't care about any of that. I only wanted to focus on what was in front of me. As soon as I entered the terminal, I remembered why I hated traveling. There were so many people looking annoyed, hauling around way too many carts of luggage. Nearly everyone I passed complained loudly about all of the lines, or some random PSICOM officer who was rude to them, or some other thing. At least no one recognized me with my hood on.

When I finally had to take my jacket off at security, the PSICOM officers there smirked at me. Some of them ribbed each other, pointing at me and gossiping. They seriously thought I was some teenage nerd dressed as the Savior. There were a few copycats around Bodhum who'd dyed their hair the same as mine. Being mistaken for a cosplayer again was more bearable than being recognized.

"Looks like we've got another one," the first teased. "I wonder if she's got the Savior's old gunblade folded in her backpack!"

Another one gestured for me to walk through the detector. "I had to throw out at least three this week," she said, smiling at my ticket in my hand. "Off to Yusnaan, huh? Got a top-secret mission from God to save us all again?" I ignored her and went to get my stuff from the conveyor belt. "You look just like her, actually… Same pissed off face; same quiet demeanor. Do you two have the same hairdresser?"

The officer who signed off on my passport turned around. "Hey, does anyone know the Savior's real name?" he asked loudly. I scoffed and walked off. "That one there—she was really convincing…"

The long hallway leading to the gates wasn't as crowded as the entrance. I felt myself nodding off as I walked through the air-conditioned hall. I'd had vague dreams about seeing Fang again—confronting her about what she'd said last night at my sister's place. I had no idea how I'd react once I saw her on the plane. I figured Fang would be in a festive mood along with everyone else. I wasn't in the mood to confront her about anything, but I knew I had to do it soon. I'd learned my lesson from not saying anything to her about that dream I'd had back in Nautilus months ago. So I started thinking things over—what I'd say, how I'd say it, how to analyze her reactions to my words to see if she was guilty…

…until I saw her leaning against the wall of the gate leading to our plane. Fang had on a pair of very short, black jean shorts and her same sandals. I spent so long staring at her toned legs that I barely noticed the long sleeveless shirt she had half-tucked into her shorts. The demonic-looking graphics over the red shirt eventually caught my attention. She pushed herself off the wall as I neared her, smirking at my surprise. Once I was close enough to smell her new perfume, I'd forgotten about everything else.

"Hey, sweet pea," said Fang. "You look sleepy. And grumpy! I ever tell you how cute you are like this?" She kissed me, filling me with questions; words soaring with my heart. The chill in the building blended with the softness of her lips and the cherry blossom smell of her perfume, creating a memory. "Somethin' on your mind? You were right pissed before you saw me. Don't tell me security poked fun at you, thinkin' you were some cosplayin' nerd again."

I glanced down at her legs, thinking about them wrapped around my waist in bed. Words failed me. I hoped that my hair and hood would hide how red my neck was. I reached in my pocket and pulled out her keys. Fang hummed in amusement as she took them, letting her lithe fingers linger over mine. She twirled her keychain, studying me. None of this seemed like a surprise to her. Fang must have left her keys at my place for me to find them. That meant she'd successfully lured me to Serah's apartment. But why? And why had she said those things if she'd known I could hear her?

Fang caressed my face. "You've got those lights dancin' in your eyes again," she noticed. "Every time I see 'em, I know your mind's workin' to figure somethin' out. So why don't you just ask me?"

"You wanted me to find these," I told her. "Didn't you?"

"I did," she confessed.

"Why?"

Fang held my hand, leading me outside to the plane. "I wanted you to see that your sister's perfectly all right," she answered. "I know there's a part of you that can't figure her out. Serah can let go in all the ways you won't allow yourself… I thought you could learn a thing or two from her."

"How did you know exactly how to lure me there? And why did you say what you did in her room?"

"The first bit's a work-in-progress, really," said Fang. "It was a shot in the dark and it worked! As for what I said—I didn't know for sure it was you. The only way I could know was if you showed yourself. It ain't too hard to egg you on… I'm sorry about that. Thinkin' back on it now, I sounded like an asshole." As we neared the steps leading up to the plane, Fang stopped and turned around, eyes wide in shock. "Wait a minute! So it was you! Damn, I thought it was some sick pervert spyin' on us. How'd you disappear like that? One minute I heard you stompin' down the stairs, and the next you were gone!"

I put my hand along the small of her back, guiding her up the stairs. "I hid in the janitor's closet," I explained. "You ran right past me. I waited until you were gone before I came out of the closet." Fang threw her head back and laughed as we boarded the private plane.

Sazh was the first to greet us. He smiled in his pilot's uniform, giving us a salute. "Hey, you found the birthday girl!" he said over the sheer noise. Snow and Gadot's laughter filled the whole plane. "Welcome aboard, Lightning! We've got about a five hour flight ahead of us to Yusnaan. I sure hope you got plenty of sleep! Seems there ain't no chance of rest on this flight."

"Thanks, Sazh," I replied. "I barely got maybe two or three hours of sleep… Guess I'll have to suck it up."

Fang pulled the hood from over my head. "Yeah after I told you to take a nap with me yesterday," she scolded, rolling her eyes. While she fixed my hair, I couldn't help giving her a sheepish smile. She kissed my forehead. "…should've known you'd be awake all night. What was it for? Paperwork, you said?"

"I went to the movies, actually…saw an NC-17 one about—"

"—oh, you!" yelled Fang, clamping her hand over my mouth. Sazh stared at us blankly. "She's got jokes, this one! Light's learned from the best!" Fang laughed awkwardly, guiding us down the aisle, away from Sazh's confusion. She smiled for me as everyone wished me a happy early birthday. Snow, Hope, Serah, Vanille, the NORA gang and a few of Serah's college friends were all here, laughing and drinking champagne. "You keep your mouth shut, you hear? Serah and Vanille don't know it was you. The last thing I need is your sister gettin' on my case about that shit. I just got her to start likin' me, remember?"

Vanille and Serah jumped out of their seats, giving me a hug at the same time. "Happy-almost-birthday!" they sang in unison. I raised my eyebrow at Fang—she glanced away, looking nervous all of a sudden. Serah tilted her head to one side, asking, "Hey, Fang, what's going on? Why aren't you letting her talk?"

"Hmm," hummed Vanille. "Did Lightning do something naughty? Is this her punishment?"

"Yeah, she did," said Fang. "Light's been a very bad girl. She ain't allowed to talk for a while."

Serah giggled. "What did she do?" she asked. "Don't tell me she checked out some other woman in the airport or something like that. I can't picture it."

"More like she wants to get me in trouble…" Fang sighed when they both asked more questions. "No, it ain't open for discussion! Now you two go back to your make out session or whatever the hell you were doin'. We're gonna find a place to sit."

Snow gave me a one-arm hug. "Hey!" he said. "What's this I heard about a make out session? You and Fang plan on giving us a show for the flight? I won't say no to some good entertainment!"

"You're fucking clueless, bro," replied Fang, full of pity. Serah and Vanille burst out laughing at him—he had no idea about them. Snow stared after us as Fang led me away. "Poor guy. If he only knew. Speakin' of that, if he ever finds out, I want a front row seat to the show. I could see him bein' a total guy about it and askin' if he could watch or join in."

Everyone we passed by was tipsy already. Most of them couldn't sit still, horse playing or dancing to no music in their spacious seats. When Vanille found us again, she offered us both glasses of champagne. I shook my head to decline. Fang put two and two together, telling Vanille that I didn't drink anymore after that Shawn guy had poisoned my sake—as if I'd ever done it before that night in the restaurant. Just smelling it made me relive that vertigo again. Vanille nodded in understanding, handing Fang one glass and skipping off with the other. Then I noticed Hope sitting by himself near the middle of the plane. He had his head down, sighing over his champagne. Hope drank a little at a time. The deep bags under his eyes and his tousled hair made him look completely out of it. I had no idea if he was just tired from not having enough to sleep or if something was actually wrong with him.

I tried to stop and ask him what was wrong. Fang still had her hand covering my mouth. She noticed what I wanted to do, pulling me along anyway. When we sat down, she finally let go of me. She had the window seat; I sat next to her, pulling off my backpack. I kept it in my lap, staring at Fang's downcast expression.

"Do you know what's wrong with Hope?" I asked her.

Fang sipped her champagne. "He's a little down," she explained, stating the obvious first. "I dunno why exactly. It's been goin' on for a while. Whenever I've gone in to see him for my appointments, he looks worse than the last time. I tried askin' him about it loads of times. All he ever says is he's overworked. I think it's bullshit. But, hey, it's his business. If he don't wanna talk about it, there ain't nothing I can do."

"I should at least try to see if he'll talk to me," I insisted. "I've never seen him like this. I'm worried…"

"If I were you, I'd wait a while," suggested Fang. "This is the first time you've seen the signs. Once you can say you've noticed it goin' on for a bit, he won't be able to deny too much. You might get more outta him that I did."

That sounded logical enough. "I'll take your word for it," I said, opening my backpack.

"Oh, no!" she complained. "Don't get out that damned tablet of yours! If you read the news on that thing one more time, I swear I'll throw it out this window. All those doom and gloom stories about the government and the war… We're goin' to Yusnaan to get away from that shit!"

I pulled out my journal instead, asking, "Is this better?"

Fang smiled at me. "Is that what I think it is?" she wondered. "You keep a diary? Serah's got one just like it, except it's purple instead of blue. Somethin' tells me that's no coincidence."

"Yes, if that's what you want to call it… I've had it since my parents died. I write in it every so often about most things. It's personal. I've never let anyone read it. Not even Serah."

I thought she'd make a joke, asking if I'd written about her. Instead, Fang held her hand out, wordlessly asking me to give my journal to her. I stared at her in disbelief. While the plane took off, she kept her hand out in between sipping her champagne, all the while giving me this look. It wasn't entitlement…not even curiosity… More like she knew I didn't want to let her read it, and that was exactly why she wanted to. Once the plane was level in the air, Fang turned to lean her back against the window. She edged her closest leg behind me. Her other foot stayed along the floor. She kept her hand out, eyebrow raised. I breathed in the smell of her perfume. My heart pounded harder the deeper she stared into me. The silent demand she made of me didn't feel intrusive at all. I wanted to obey her even though I didn't want to…I couldn't understand it at all.

All I knew was that it turned me on. Fang knew it, too. She held my arousal in her gorgeous eyes, twisting it enough to keep me off-balance. She watched the fears and thoughts spread over my face, beading as sweat.

If I gave this to her, she'd know about all of my insecurities and the rest of my demons. How I'd struggled with my parents' deaths; how I'd killed who I was to become Lightning; who I was beneath my coldness; exactly how I felt about her, good and bad. I hadn't given any of these things much thought before this moment. My journal hadn't been such a big deal to me before—more of an afterthought. Now it suddenly became so important because Fang wanted it.

I handed her my journal. It was worth it to see her satisfied smile. I felt relieved for a second. Then dread followed. Everything I'd written flashed through my mind. I saw it all through her eyes, making me feel light-headed.

Fang pulled me closer, having me rest my head along her lap. "Thank you for this, babe," she said. "This tells me that you really trust me. I adore that about you. If I had one of these things, I'd let you read mine." She didn't open my journal at first. Another sip of her champagne; she stared down at me, noticing how I held back my nerves. "You know, I like that I didn't have to say a word. You just gave it to me. Next time I ask for somethin', I don't wanna wait. I'm impatient. That clear?"

"Yes," I breathed.

"Mmm, yes what? Get creative with it—I wanna see what you'll say."

Our first date in Nautilus immediately came to mind. That director had called Fang my Pulsian Queen—along with every news outlet and random person on the street that talked about us. After reading about it so much, the idea was stuck with me now. "Yes, my queen," I amended.

Her satisfaction mixed in with her whole body shivering. Vanille skipped by soon after, pretending to be the flight attendant. She took Fang's empty glass, being careful not to hang around for too long. Fang kept my journal in one hand, using her other to massage my scalp. I couldn't fall asleep right away—not with her reading about my private thoughts and feelings like this. I knew eventually she'd get to the entry about our first meeting in Palumpolum. And then after that, Fang might've gotten offended from me saying that I hadn't been able to take her seriously most of the time. There were other things I'd said…mostly how I wished I could fuck her to avoid Fang beating around the bush about certain things. Knowing her, she might've been amused instead. As the hours passed, I listened to her light chuckles and the times when her breathing flattened, using those as guides as to where she was. Not once did she stop and question me about anything I'd written. I was grateful for that. But at the same time, I could feel her mind soaking up this knowledge about me that I'd refused to let anyone else have. More recently, I'd written about my limits—things I never wanted to try versus things I'd maybe try down the line. And then the rest of what I liked that I couldn't admit out loud…

In a strange way, I was thankful that I didn't have to say any of it. She knew now. I fell asleep with that odd comfort, soothed further by the warmth of her body; the softness of her touch. I let myself fall into my fears with her, no matter the risks.

.

We arrived to Yusnaan in the afternoon, a few hours ahead of Bodhum's time. The jet lag and time difference threw me off. Vanille and Serah were the most excited out of all of us, pointing out all of the sights. The inside of the airport reminded me of the inside of a high-class casino—marble floors and decorated architecture everywhere. When we got outside to Snow's limousines, the dry humidity hit me just as hard as the jet lag had. Compared to Bodhum, everyone seemed to be in such a rush. I winced at the constant sounds of car horns echoing throughout the area, with people yelling at each other to get out the way or hurry up. Beyond the palm trees in my view, dozens of skyscrapers glittered in the sunlight between barely-tame billboards for adult movies, sketchy anti-depressants and energy drinks, and so-called cheap, accessible lawyers who could handle anything from bail bonds to corporate settlements. There were other signs along the tall buildings for cultural clubs or exotic fashion. The rest were so consumerist to the point of making me wonder if it was all a joke.

A lot had changed since I'd last been in this city.

We all split up into two limos. Snow, Serah, Vanille and Fang rode with me in one, on the way to the mall for whatever reason. The others went to Snow's palace in the Augur's Quarter to help set up for the party later that night. It wasn't really supposed to be my party. Snow had promised it would be more of a general thing to keep anyone from getting tipped off that Fang and I were in Nova Chrysalia—this close to Luxerion. So far, everyone had been too preoccupied with their road rage to notice either of us. As we left the airport, we passed through a bunch of cars drag racing through the city, with the police hot on their trail. Snow laughed and said he'd thought about having us race to the mall, but it would've been too risky. It did look like fun. Not fun enough to risk getting arrested.

During the limousine ride to the mall, Fang kept reading. I sat in the very back seat with her, with my arm around her waist. She rested her head over my chest, engrossed by every word I'd written. I avoided the temptation to see how far she'd gotten. Serah's eyes were wide when she noticed. She knew that it was my journal just by looking at it. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her whispering to Vanille about it. She tried to be discreet, but I knew better.

I really knew I was in a different place when I listened to this radio commercial playing, "Available in all good book stores now! Chains of Intimacy by T.L. Boland. You always criticize guys for looking at porno. This is different. This is erotic literature!" A regular reader added in her commentary… "I worked hard to be taken seriously as a woman in a man's world! Now I've realized it was all nonsense, and all I really wanted was a rich pervert!" Then the announcer continued: "It's time to free yourself from convention by doing exactly what everyone else is doing: reading drivel. And if you enjoy Chains of Intimacy, pick up the other books in the series: The U-Bend of Intimacy and The Plug of Intimacy." Another reader added her thoughts, "I'm a housewife! God, I'd love for a dashing billionaire to buy me diamonds and piss on me." Fang snorted back her laughter and shook her head, still reading my journal. I rolled my eyes as the announcer finished: "Chains of Intimacy by T.L. Boland. Available in all good book stores now!"

Snow noticed the way everyone was off in their own world. He cleared his throat. "So! Uh, ladies," he said, trying to break the ice. Serah inched her hand closer to Vanille's skirt. "Seems like you've all got your own things going on… I'm starting to think I should've gone back to help set up the party."

Vanille fidgeted her hands along her skirt, carefully pushing Serah's fingers away. "You really think so…?" she asked, blushing.

"Yeah…" he trailed off. Snow's eyes darted to her skirt, then up to the ceiling. "As far as I know, Lightning and Fang are the only couple out of all of us. For some reason…I get this feeling that there's maybe more…?" He pulled at his collar, using it to fan himself. "Heh, heh…do you know what I mean? Or is that just crazy talk? I mean, 'cause when I notice something, it's gotta be legit, you know? You…you know? Someone please tell me I'm going crazy…"

Serah's eyes glinted in mischief. "You're imagining things!" she said, flicking her wrist at him. Then she batted her eyelashes at him. "Whatever could you mean? Claire and Fang are the only girlfriends here! Look at them! Aren't they perfect for each other?"

Snow took a deep breath. "Really, Serah?" he asked. "Are you screwing with me? 'Cause I can see…"

"Snow, please. If I wanted to screw with you, I could have easily done it by now. I'm not lying to you."

"Is that a threat?"

Serah smirked at him. "No, it's a promise," she said sweetly.

Snow buried his face in his hands. "God, I don't know what to believe anymore," he groaned. "I saw you two making out on the plane! Was that a bunch of smoke and mirrors?! Or are you doing this on purpose to mess with my head? I don't understand you…"

"You don't have to understand us," answered Serah. She leaned closer to him. "I know you want to fuck both of us at the same time. That's no secret." Snow clenched his jaw, sitting stone still. He tried to ignore her to no avail. I saw the way he kept his fist clenched over the zipper of his jeans. "You might think you don't love me anymore, Snow. I know better. If I were to tell you right now that I'm not afraid of your lifestyle anymore, I know what you'd do. If I did that, then I'd have to tell you who opened my eyes… But that's personal." She glanced at my journal in Fang's hand. Fang was still very much absorbed in my neat, slanted handwriting over the pages, deaf and blind to all else. I stared out the window to the speeding cars along the highway, pretending I wasn't listening to any of this. "You and I aren't together anymore. I told you that we should keep things this way. It's the right thing to do."

Snow slammed his fist down on the leather seat. "Damnit, Serah!" he cursed. "Don't fucking blue-ball me right in front of Vanille, in front of—" He sucked his breath in, choosing his next words carefully. "Are you really not afraid of BDSM anymore…? Just tell me the truth."

"It doesn't scare me, no. And that's all you need to know—for now."

I pulled out my phone as subtly as I could. While Snow and Serah kept going back and forth, I sent a text to Vanille: "Why are you sitting there in silence? Don't you have feelings for my sister? I feel like you're stuck in the middle of a love triangle with them."

Luckily, Vanille knew what to do. She waited a moment before checking her phone. Then she replied to me: "I've been trying to get them back together for ages now. As for how I feel about Serah…it's not important. Deep down, I know she still loves Snow. Now that she has most of her fragments of memories, she's gotten better. You see the way they're interacting with each other. I'm happy for them :) This is progress."

After I read that, I tried to think of what Fang would say in response… "Vanille, that's stupid and you know it. I can see the way you're looking at her. You're always so happy with her. Deep down, you don't want them to get back together. Why are you playing matchmaker for them when you want Serah?"

"Lightning…you know just as well as I do that Serah is straight. I'm only an experiment for her. I accepted that a while ago. You should, too."

"You're not going to fight for her? Don't you have any idea how much power you have in this situation?"

"I appreciate that you're trying to help. Really, I do. But be honest with me about this—if Fang used you to get some other person's attention, would you tell her how you feel about her? Would you tell her that you truly do love her and that it's not an act? You would be afraid that she'd only dismiss you or manipulate you further. That's why I can't say anything. I honestly want to cry right now. I can't…"

Vanille and I spent the rest of the ride texting about the issue. At first, the experimenting between them had been innocent enough. Then it had gradually evolved into something more emotional for her. She sensed that it was the same for Serah, but Vanille refused to talk to her about it for good reason. I genuinely felt for her with this whole thing. I was just as lost as she was. We all stayed together as we walked through the mall. I couldn't exactly continue the conversation with Snow and Serah so close by. Even though Vanille hadn't said the words, she'd made it clear enough that Fang knew about this already. Fang had put my journal away for the time being, oddly quiet as she thought over what she'd read. I held her hand as we browsed through the stores, lost in thought. Vanille and Serah linked arms as they walked together, with Serah waving off Snow's questions about her sexuality. I wanted to get Vanille out of there and magically make her feelings for my sister go away. I didn't trust Serah to handle this well if she ever found out the truth about how Vanille felt about her. She seemed so manipulative…it was nothing like her. I assumed she just liked the attention and that she was actually torn between Vanille and Snow. I added it to the tall pile of things I had to talk to her about—eventually.

Not too long after, Fang took me to a men's clothing store. Tuxedos, suits, shoes, general men's clothes—all designer. She saw my wide smile as soon as we walked in to the smell of fresh fabrics and leather. Right away, a clerk came over to help us, asking if we needed any help. Fang told him she wanted me to have an all-white tux tailor-made for the charity ball in a couple of weeks. He guided us to the tuxes and had her pick one out. Once I came out of the changing room with the tuxedo on, I stood near the center of the store while the tailor took my measurements. Fang sat down on a chair nearby, staring at me intently the whole time. I watched her thoughts play across her stunning face. She'd caught on to several things from my journal, turning them over in her mind. Vague imprints of my words she branded over my body with her eyes alone.

I knew better than to ask her about what was on her mind. She still needed time to process everything. I trusted she'd strike up a conversation about it when she was ready. In between that, she gave the tailor specific instructions as to how she wanted the tux to fit on me. Once that was done, Fang had me try on an outfit for the party that night: a pair of long, slim shorts that went down past my knees, tall leather boots, a sleeveless shirt and a thin, short-sleeved jacket with silver studs over the breast pockets. The outfit was all-black in contrast to the tuxedo she wanted me to wear to the ball. After Fang paid for everything, she had me wear the clothes as we left the store. She wouldn't stop smiling at me.

"You look real handsome in this," she said, smoothing down the collar of my jacket. "You've always got on white. Seein' you in black is a nice change."

"Thank you," I replied. "I forgot to mention this earlier—you look nice, too. I was surprised to see you without your sari on." I leaned in to smell her perfume. "I really like the way you smell." I couldn't help running my hand between her thighs. A few people noticed, turning their heads around to stare. "I think you should wear these more often."

Fang laughed, swatting my hand away. "No shame whatsoever," she teased. "I buy you a new set of clothes and you're full of confidence! I love that."

I held her hand in mine, bending down to kiss hers. "And I love you," I told her. I smiled wider when Fang beamed at me. If I didn't know any better, she seemed a little shy. That was a rare sight. "Thank you again for doing all of this. But…how did you afford everything?"

"You forgot already?" she asked. "That nightclub in Bodhum that Snow owns—I've been the co-owner for a while now. Got some nice cash comin' in. Since you're so damn hard to shop for, I figured I'd give you a whole experience for your birthday—V.I.P. treatment!" We saw Snow, Serah and Vanille not too far from the parking lot where our limousine was. Serah nodded to her, gesturing for us to wait. "…I didn't have that little love triangle in mind when I planned this, that's for sure. Ugh, let's go in the limo and wait. The sun's gonna set soon. I told them I've gotta be back in the palace by six. I need plenty of time to make myself pretty for you, for the party later."

I opened the door for her, saying, "You're always gorgeous, Fang."

Fang kissed my neck. "You keep this up and maybe you'll get a special treat tonight," she whispered. I followed her inside and shut the door.

She pulled out the fake I.D. cards Snow had given us for our trip to Luxerion after the charity ball. Serah and Vanille had theirs with them. We all had our outfits and disguises tucked away in our crystals for the operation. Fang chuckled, amused by our new personas.

"Is this supposed to be me?" I asked, looking over mine. "I have blonde hair and green eyes…and I'm wearing all-black. Videl? Who came up with this name?"

"I don't know, but I love it!" said Fang. "Mine's a fucking riot. I look exactly the same except I've got on a regular top instead of my usual clothes. I'm guessin' the people in Luxerion would recognize my clothes instead of my face."

"Your sari's very distinct. Just like your new name."

Fang smirked. "Manushya-Rakshashi 'Raj' Mangala," she read out loud. "Damn, that's badass. Raj is an old Pulsian word for king, you know. Mangala's one of the old fal'Cie—he was like a god of war and the ruler of Aries and Scorpio. Manushya-Rakshashi is what gets me the most. That basically means I'm female demon in a human's body. This alter-ego's great!" She put our cards away and lounged over me. "Snow said that the cards are only gonna work for the first train ride into Luxerion. After that, we've gotta find our own way out once it's time to split. Jihl tell you what she wants us to do there?"

"No, not yet," I answered. "It depends." She didn't know about Jihl's plans to let Rosch set up his sniper rifle and aim it at me during PSICOM's charity ball… Thankfully I hadn't written about it in my journal. "She'll tell me once it's almost time to leave. For now, we're just going there to kill time and see what Noel's up to with our own eyes."

Fang stared up at me in curiosity. "Kill time, huh?" she wondered. "That don't sound too productive."

I looked away. "We have enemies in the Viper's nest," I riddled. "They're more reckless whenever we're out of town. Jihl wants to catch them in the middle of a slip-up." I couldn't stand the way Fang kept her eyes on me. She knew I wasn't telling her everything. I reached over and picked up a catalyst for her crystal glittering over the window. "This is for your black velvet…"

Fang tucked the catalyst away. "I get the hint," she said. "Top-secret government stuff that I ain't allowed to know about, right?" I nodded. She sighed heavily. "If I find out it's some serious shit, I'll lose it…I'll trust you on this. And about your journal…I'm still thinkin' things over. We'll have a nice chat about it later on tonight."

.

Reference – the radio commercial is (mostly) from Grand Theft Auto V. And Lightning is (mostly) wearing Noctis' outfit from Final Fantasy XV as a nod to the now-dead Versus XIII project. Mostly.