A/N: In this fluffy tale, Faris and Vanille are struggling to find the ideal pet to adopt. Will a Face Time chat with Lightning be of any help in their quest to find their fur child and complete their new home? For this tale, Lightning IS involved and this tale takes place an unknown amount of time before the events at the start of Chapter 2-B, which is Friendship/Romance (more so friendship) as this reveals how Lightning knew about the dog Faris and Vanille adopted.
The Soul of Bahamut
"Piiiiirrrrraaaaaaaatttttteeeeee! We really need to get going to the no kill shelter right NOW!" Vanille screamed as loud as she could so that her girlfriend can drive them to the no kill shelter so that they can find the perfect pet to help complete their humble adobe (as Faris would call it). It took a good 15 minutes, for reasons unknown as always to the couple, before Faris was complete ready to go. Although a tad annoyed by Vanille's.current antics, the coral haired woman was actually touched that the redhead called her 'Pirate' as opposed to Faris on this occasion, for the Tycoon native saw just how considerate Vanille is with her, constantly reminding Faris just why Vanille is meant to be hers and hers alone, forever. Without any further delay according to Vanille, the couple went on their way to the no kill shelter one Lenna Charlotte Tycoon herself recommended for them to visit two weeks before this particular visit, since the one Hope, Noel and Mercury suggested recently closed down and relocated the animals to the one where Lenna recommended. The lads felt bad when they heard about the shelter they told the couple about, but were all relieved when they found out that the shelter Lenna told the pair about inherited the affected animals.
Upon entering the spacious and homey no kill shelter, Faris was in complete awe at how well maintained the place was, that it would impress Fang if the brunette ever got time to visit the damn place. Vanille, which Faris was NOT shocked to see, was in a different world as she couldn't stop STARING at the animals that resided at the facility, immediately had her eyes on a 9 month old puppy whose eyes reminded her of Lightning's late cat Bahamut. Needless to say, it didn't take long for Faris to follow her girlfriend's line of sight and look at the puppy Vanille was falling in love with. Like the redhead, the Tycoon native was awestruck by the vivacious puppy, and wanted to adopt it on the spot in order to make Vanille happy. Oddly enough, Vanille had a plan of sorts that involved one other person: the older Farron herself. "What are you getting Face Time with Lightning for, Van?" Faris asked her girlfriend, despite the suspicion that the younger Oerban native wanted Lightning's insight to their search for their forever pet. The only response that came from Vanille was 'you'll see', and with a smile on her face.
The couple would get the surprise of their lives.
XXX
Over at the Guardian Corps post she was stationed at, Lightning, surprisingly enough, got the okay to take a day off to do whatever she saw fit to. A rarity to some, but with her performance as of late, Amodar felt that she deserved to take a day off. Fortunately enough, it coincided with Faris and Vanille's plans regarding their visit to the no kill shelter that Lenna recommended to the pair. Unbeknownst to Faris and Vanille, Amodar was about to give the older Farron her first week of paid vacation for her to use as she saw fit. By the time Lightning herself got the news about her first week of paid vacation, Lightning wanted to spend some time with only her parents and to catch up with Fang. "It's a tough call Sir, but that's my final decision" was how the pinkette worded her plans to hang out with her parents and Fang, who was still on Cocoon soil for her studies.
It was a sunny afternoon which Lightning had some time to herself during her vacation that she got a Face Time request from one Faris Scherwiz, which to the surprise of the coral haired woman, the older Farron immediately accepted. It was both Faris and Vanille who Lightning saw on her mobile tablet, which acted as her back up phone. In the background, it was the very no kill shelter Lenna suggested that the couple visit to adopt a pet. This alone put a massive smile on Lightning's face, an absolute rare thing to see. Faris brought the pinkette up to speed with why they wanted her help: Lightning's childhood cat Bahamut just died of old age, and to natural causes. The older Farron has been mourning for the cat ever since, just like Sonia and Kain both were when they told her of the very sad news. It was Vanille's own way to help cheer Lightning up, even for a moment, for a brief moment in time.
Vanille would become the miracle worker here at the end of it all.
XXX
As Faris and Vanille make their way through the no kill shelter, Lightning took in the sights of the varying animals available to adopt. The cute meows from the kittens and cats to the sweet barks from.the puppies and dogs, Vanille's idea had Lightning smiling, the only tears shed were the happy tears Faris and Vanille didn't see. They only saw her smile. I'm so proud of you, my little redhead, Faris mused to herself while lissing Vanille's temple, more grateful than ever for her girlfriend's insight on their quest to find the perfect pet to complete their home.
It was some time later that Lightning was able to get a good look at a 9 month old pitbull puppy, moments before Faris and Vanille followed the older Farron's line of sight to said pooch. The way Lightning's eyes lit up upon seeing this particular dog was something that Faris and Vanille didn't see coming, one that made the pair happy to have suggested that Lightning helps with finding their perfect pet. With Faris making sure that her phone had Lightning seeing the dog that had her eyes light up the way it did, Vanille was smiling at this action, for she knew that Lightning would have more than just a say in what pet Faris and Vanille should adopt.
"Bahamut..." was all that Lightning said before the 9 month old puppy started barking and smiling, clearly approving the name given by the one who wasn't at the shelter. It took Faris the speed close to Lightning's namesake to know the reason why the older Farron named the puppy Bahamut...everything about this puppy... he reminds her of her childhood cat Bahamut. Light and that cat were attached to the hip for years. The puppy has the soul of Bahamut, of all things any of us know about. Van and I need to adopt this pooch now, especially if he'll have this effect on people like Light... Faris mused to herself, effectively making the decision to adopt Bahamut.
"Vanille and I will adopt this one, Kind Sir..." Faris announced to the kind individual who showed them around the no kill shelter, who also felt that Bahamut was a fitting name for the now happy pitbull puppy. Fortunately for Faris, Vanille had the money to fully adopt him on her person, courtesy of one Sonia Farron as a birthday present. While Vanille and Faris are now one happy couple with their perfect pet in Bahamut the puppy, they filled out the paperwork, paid the fees, and took the happy pooch to his forever home with his humans.
Vanille would play a big role in Fairs' plans to thank Lightning for her help when the time was right. The older Farron saw the redhead as family, just like Faris and Fang, because the only thing Lightning cared about was one's inner character, their personality. Although Lightning wasn't physically there to meet the pooch, she knew that the two best people are around to give him everything he needs and wants.
This will become another testament to Faris and Lightning's eternal friendship, and further solidify Faris and Vanille's love for each other, up and downs along the way. If it were Fang, she would have thanked Lady Luck right away.
All because of Vanille's insight.
FIN
A/N#2: Next tale will be in two parts but only because of the nature of the topic briefly brought in in Chapter 2-B of ATSHS. It will feature ALL of Team RWBY (plus Jaune), which the talk Yang, Weiss and Jaune have with Lightning will be in more detail. Part One will have flashbacks from Team RWBY's perspective alongside Jaune's, leading into the conversation. It'll be at least a month before I write part one of this.