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year 5, quarter 3
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Post by Claire Farron on Apr 5, 2023 12:33:52 GMT -6
"Reflection"
Radiance in Bloom
Had she been inhibiting herself from fighting this parasite?Yes. Lumina could not face the truth about herself, past or present. There was too much doubt, too much loneliness, self-inflicted though it may be; to properly deal with the situation that overshadowed her mind and heart ever so slowly. Until mere moments ago, when forced to face the truth, to ask the questions that riddled her mind with doubt and existential dread. Through a spark of courage, hidden truths were brought into light and the "lost sister" returned.
Lumina hadn't really thought deeply on her identity but not because of fear. She had faced this question before, of who she wanted to be and bravely replied, "I'm Claire Farron." Lumina, had already taken steps to reclaim her name, her identity, everything about herself. She just couldn't do this last part alone. Now the confusion and admittedly, some minor worries of being worthy were quashed. She could remember much more clearly what life had been like as a complete person. Not just flickers and sentiments as she had when speaking with Serah.
When Caius gently rested a hand on her shoulder, looking directly at her, she gave a warm smile initially. There was an invigorating sense of freedom, thinking about the future and what she could do. No longer bound by the shackle of losing everything and being a fragment. It was a powerful anxiety. One that kept her not just from her full power but from her true self. Amnesia was also to blame, having concealed much of her previous life. Only being clawed back in large swathes over the years in Zephon. To have such a feeling disrupted by a singular word, left for an abrupt pause.
Briefly, Lumina's sea blue eyes changed into a deep violet. She shifted her gaze skyward, eyes narrowed as she spoke with a stoic tone, "Focus, huh?" A familiar feeling of agitation that one would attribute to Light, had come over her. "Sure, I've got a few. Like who separated my heart in the first place?" being split up, again she realized, was painful. It had made her who she was, here and now, in Zephon but she couldn't shake the feeling of divine meddling. "Was this all...a test?"
Shaking her head, she decide to put that question aside. There was no way she'd get the answers she sought, at Plaisir de Magicka of all places. If anything, she'd likely need to go where her Zephon journey began...The Metaia Marshlands. Specifically, Marekaj where the people had taken care of her in her most amnesia riddled state. For a moment she rested her right hand along her chest. Memories had been dragged forth of being a puppet to the Gods and a chaotic spirit of rebellion had momentarily taken root in response.
A spirit which seemed to settle when hearing Caius response to not fighting the parasite alone. That certainly brought her to a more lighthearted state. Her eyes returned to their normal colour too, as she was left with a bashful expression. "...She set me up." Lumina admitted, grumbling cutely. Having one's past self guide her love life, made her feel slightly incompetent. Well, she needed the help, given what she'd been through. Still, a fifteen year old knew better than she did about love? That felt more embarrassing than everything she'd said today alone!
Thankfully, she could relate to keeping busy. Emphatically nodding in agreement, the idea of being idle was just boring. That was usually when her mischievous mind came forth to play. Plotting something to do that would be fun. Maybe that was why Lorenzo sneakily kept the paperwork coming. Without realizing it, she was always reaching for her clipboard to look things over. That madman had turned her idle whims into earnest work. She'd get him back for this, after she dealt with the changes she was undergoing.
First though, having met her match with another busy body; she'd need to work on him for awhile. She couldn't believe his response when asked how he was so calm. "We're practically made for each other." Lumina retorts with a sigh. She knew the place where his reply had come from after all. Had it been Light who was in charge of their heart (or perhaps it was influence and perspective? Lumina was trying to figure that out), there was no doubt she'd have been as calm as Caius was, when faced with such awe inspiring magic and spectacle. Alas, though she was older, the look she was giving Caius was precisely the same as what young Claire would do. Clearly questioning adult 'sensibilities'.
Well, she couldn't fix that in a single date. Plus, he was learning, he took her hand rather quickly and that made Lumina so happy she was almost skipping to their next destination. To her surprise then, when Caius saw the manor he shuddered. Squeezing his hand gently, much like she'd do for Serah when they were kids, she looked at him with a reassuring smile. Caius was rather forthcoming with what bothered him, causing Lumina to take a look at the attraction. "You know...I had a miserable experience at a manor myself, here in Zephon. I was invited to a fancy gathering at a manor just outside Provo. Only to be kidnapped for some experiment on outworlders. The place burned down in the end, all I could do was save others like us. Then get as far away from there as I could. I had help from a reliable friend, flew me right out of there."
Hopefully, sharing her experience, which should have been traumatizing would help Caius feel better. The only regret she had was the evidence of wrongdoing going up in smoke and that outworlder reputation took a hit. It wasn't the first time she was drawn into plots by the local populace but it was the more blatant attempt. Now she knew better and hoped Serah wouldn't have to go through the same. Hence taking the time to see how she was doing. Serah had her fair share of adventure and saving the world after all. Yet just like Lumina, she felt guilty about the past too. Taking the Blazefire Saber from Light was a bit extreme (yet totally necessary if she were to recover) but now, with memories returned; it felt nice to be asked to use her weapon. A passing of the torch as it were, even if Lumina was worried about her doing so.
Naturally, Lumina groaned at the 'suggestion' of Thunderr, covering part of her face with her right hand. "Don't encourage her, Caius. She's a teacher with a reputation to protect." Thankfully, she was doing well on this front and she was certain Caius would watch out for her, if need be. Not that Serah needed such anymore but a few lessons in not overdoing it felt prudent.
"Oh, the lines starting to move pretty quickly now. You'll protect me when we're in there, right~? I'm too old to be grounded by Serah. Part of me has experienced that already."
Post by Caius Dragelion on Apr 5, 2023 15:53:09 GMT -6
The Dragonblades
Caius had accidentally stepped on the minefield of saying the word "focus" in regards to an objective. Of course, he couldn't have known. This was an unfortunate circumstance, and hopefully Lumina understood that Caius wasn't bringing back a painful memory out of any intentions to harm her. But he did notice that Lumina's demeanor changed without warning. She grew cold, cold to the point that she actually started to resemble the frozen mannequin that she'd conjured a minute ago. Then she said she had a few "focuses", one being who had separated her heart in the first place. Caius blinked a few times, clearly unsure of what she was talking about. Was that really something to focus on when that person likely wasn't even here? Unless there was something that Lumina wasn't telling him. Even her eyes had changed... Strange.
But they soon returned to normal as she claimed that Claire set her up. "She likes to do that" Caius admitted with a small laugh. He didn't understand what was going on, but at least she seemed to be doing a bit better. Then she claimed that they were made for each other after Caius said that being calm was what kept them alive. He assumed that to mean that she could identify. Considering what of her memories he was aware of, he managed a small and understanding smile. Perhaps they were. Perhaps she did understand.
The mood suddenly shifted however, after Caius took her hand. To the point that Caius actually almost fell forwards when she started skipping of all things. Well, she was definitely feeling better now. That was good. Though her story... His eyes suddenly lit up as he realized what she was talking about. She was there? All this time?
"I was there, believe it or not" Caius revealed at that. "I was part of that party. Though I wasn't aware of the experiments, I did find a strange basement that seemed to be for containing people. I may or may not have needed to bust a few doors to get my friends out from there. While it was burning."
That night had been crazy. The lord of the manor had been murdered, the likely killer had taken the body of the victim and his crystal and teleported away, he'd found Celes and Faris incapacitated in the basement, and some psychopath set the mansion on fire. That had forced a hasty exit, that's for sure.
"Surprisingly, that was my second haunted mansion incident. The first was probably a good two years ago, before Celes and I formed the Dragonblades and we were just on a... Casual mercenary friends working relationship basis. We were supposed to clear out some bad element there, but there were monsters, ghosts, large drops and a tablet that created an evil doppelganger of myself when I bled on it. And then there was this weird painting monster that made the party go all weird and gaga for some reason. Celes and I were fine, I don't quite know what happened to them."
What happened, indeed. Lumina discouraged him from actually suggesting this to Serah, which he laughed back at. "I dunno, I think it's catchy. Unless you think "Meanie Miss Farron" would be a better codename?" he cheeked back, actually seeming to find the swing of mischief to an extent. The line was moving though, and while Caius doubted this would be anything like the last two. The memory made him nervous. Lumina went back to teasing, of course. "Being grounded? At your age?" he teased back. "Meanie Miss Faron really must be a terror to behold."
Final Fantasy XIII
521
YEARS
Female
Caius Dragelion
Demisexual
179 POSTS
Destati
"Now that's not right. You're not supposed to throw your life away."
Post by Claire Farron on Apr 5, 2023 17:37:11 GMT -6
"New Light"
Flash of Courage
Inadvertently, there was something left unspoken; a theory. Perhaps Zephon had factions, forces with their own intentions that were in contention with one another? It would simply take two of those factions, likely at odds; to split Claire Farron in two upon summoning. Alternatively, they might have intentionally summoned incomplete versions of herself. The latter felt...a bit unlikely, given the experiences she had as Light. So, it was the former and that meant that she had a mission. Investigating was different from fighting and it's not like she was getting herself caught up in a plot to save the world. Serah would forgive her seeing a little bit of action, surely?
Especially if this was a test but that was something she would look into, when she was alone. There was no need to worry anyone about her theories for the moment. She wasn't exactly helpless after all and these thoughts with misplaced courage seemed to bring her back from that vulnerable state, where the Parasite could seep through and assert control. Now she was thinking about Claire and her antics. From here on out, she was going to make sure she didn't underestimate her younger self. The little devil had a distinct advantage, not having her heart split in two meant she was used to all aspects of herself. Lumina seemed to be restarting that process, which meant Claire had fifteen years head start. Serah was also expecting her to be a Guardian for awhile? Of herself? She was confident before but now she wasn't so sure.
If she put anymore thought into the strange game of Chess her younger self was playing, she'd become dizzy. Besides, she could at least trust that Claire wouldn't want to ruin their first date. More than likely, she was equally invested in this going well, which made Lumina more embarrassed. These idle thoughts and her overall good mood, no doubt contributed to Caius nearly falling. "Oh, s-sorry about that I...Got too excited."
After she mentioned her own haunted mansion encounter, she saw the look of recognition in his eyes. "I made it to the basement as well, some of the party were trapped inside strange tubes. Getting them out took a bit of work, especially with the fire. Amazing, we were in the same vicinity, the same party but we've only formerly met today." she sighed though, as she felt like she might have let everyone involved down.
"I saw the culprit or well, the co-conspirator. There was a choice of saving the others or capturing the culprit. I let one of my group members go after her but she probably got away given her headstart. Maybe I should have gone after her instead..." it was difficult to say if she made the right choice given how difficult it was in the basement. What Lumina was certain of, was preventing others from experimenting on them again.
To think that was Caius, second incident. No wonder he wasn't fond of haunted houses. She listened intently to the first encounter, thinking over the problems one by one. "Sounds like the Monster charmed your party, I'm surprised you were resistant to it, same for Celes." Lumina's hypothesis was based on her monster experience. The children of chaos were easier to understand than people.
Code names were also easy to understand but not for everyone. "It's not exactly the 'coolest' codename but it is hers. A part of her identity and honestly, don't knock it until you've seen it. Students don't misbehave in Serah's class, young Claire included, speaking from witnessing such myself." all the more reason she didn't want to end up grounded!
"...Oh, you joke but my sister and I thanks to her time traveling shenanigans, are the same age, physically at least. She handled taking care of Light and keeping her in line while she was recovering. Going as far as to take her sword so she didn't go off to fight another battle while recovering. If she can stand up to Light, she can do anything. So no, I'd rather not be grounded. Sometimes, Caius, you have to play the long game~" despite her tone, which was surprisingly serious, she never stopped smiling as she explained her logic. Lumina was quite proud of Serah, there was no doubt about that.
"I might have to house train you before we can even have a family dinner." Lumina begins, playing on Caius teasing. "How's your table etiquette? Serah runs her class like she runs her dinner table..." not at all but she could imagine Serah getting into it, in order to tease them. Just imagining this made Lumina feel...not ready for such an intimate setting.
"Let's see about you conquering this Haunted Manor first, huh~? As I remember, it's a mix of magical effects and some stage hands. Honestly, I'm pretty excited to find out---" and just as she voices said excitement, the fast moving line would allow the two of them to enter, if they dared.
Post by Caius Dragelion on Apr 5, 2023 19:50:13 GMT -6
The Dragonblades
She apologized just as he regained his footing, noting she seemed to be lost in thought. It didn’t seem like it was just thinking about the date either… How peculiar. It also seemed they had both been in the basement, just in different areas. Having just missed each other. Go figure, aye? They could have met much earlier. But would they be on a date now if they had?
“Her?”
He didn’t know about the co-conspirator. That was clear from the moment that Lumina mentioned it. Caius had been about to launch into a barrage of questions, but for once in his life, the mercenary actually managed to stop himself and think to use just a little bit of social tact. He took a deep breath, remembering where they were and why they were here. Especially considering they were in line. For a haunted house. On a date. If Caius was borrowing her time to take her out, the least he could do was respect it and try to make that time meaningful. They could talk business later.
“I… Right. Date first. We’ll talk murder mystery tomorrow over lunch” he suggested then, hoping that would make Lumina happy. It was strange to put a social thing over business, it had never been Caius’ MO. But he knew that the information wasn’t going anywhere either. One more day wouldn’t hurt, and they would be seeing each other tomorrow anyway. Simply a matter of proper, strategic scheduling, that’s all. She claimed the monster had “charmed” their party but was puzzled that the mercenary pair were unaffected. “Aye. I suppose that is odd” he agreed, oblivious to the possibilities of why.
It also seemed that Meanie Miss Farron wasn’t just a nickname. Serah in the wrong mood was a force of nature that struck fear into even a successful woman like Lumina. Not even Lightning’s memories and her own a century old seemed to prepare her for Meanie Miss F.
In a rare playful show, Caius nudged her with his shoulder and rolled his eyes as she claimed he may need to be house trained. “My table manners are fine. It might not seem it, but I’ve already dined with Meanie Miss before. I’ll survive. It’s what I’m good at.”
The line was at the end now, and Caius’ grip on her hand tightened, even as she teased him. Conquer another mansion? Sure, why not.
“Yeah. Let’s… Do. That.”
This was a terrible idea.
Final Fantasy XIII
521
YEARS
Female
Caius Dragelion
Demisexual
179 POSTS
Destati
"Now that's not right. You're not supposed to throw your life away."
Post by Claire Farron on Apr 6, 2023 17:29:43 GMT -6
"New Light"
Flash of Courage
Naturally, Lumina nodded at the inquiry of "Her?". If she closed her eyes she could still see her, still hear her voice distinctly. How nonchalant she was and in turn, the desire to bring her to justice even now. In the aftermath of that day, now that she had the benefit of hindsight; Lumina had started to feel more like her counterpart. She was brave instead of overly cautious, willing to sacrifice herself to protect instead of being pragmatic. Even made a friend, who she wanted to guide to being more "human". Quite a story and she was quite willing to tell Caius everything, except...
In a rare demonstration of tact, Lumina blinked in surprise only to find herself rather please by his decision. "Full points~" she declared, as if she'd given him a sneaky pop quiz. True enough, she was very happy with his decision. "I'll show you my notes tomorrow, mixing business with pleasure suits me best." so now they had everything locked in for tomorrow, leaving Lumina a bit giddy. Enough to not press too much on why Caius party was affected by the charm. It was easy enough to come up with a reason off hand, such as mental state or the monster's lack of focus. Nor did it matter, for their date was about to get even more exciting~!
Their playful banter about Serah, especially after she was nudged, cause Lumina to giggle. "You are a survivor~" Lumina admits. "You've even made it through dinner, one on one. Except there's a...small difference, Caius." she notes before holding up her right index finger. "That dinner was between friends and coworkers. Next time is a family dinner, meant to evaluate prospective partners. In other words...It's to determine if you're boyfriend material." which meant he'd not actually received Miss Meanie Farron's actual scrutiny yet~
"At least Claire believes in you. So, I'm willing to trust her; she hasn't exactly steered me wrong ever since we met." at this point in their date, she was past her initial embarrassment regarding being setup. It was better for her to keep an open mind instead. There wasn't much shame in learning from her past.
He squeezed her hand again and so Lumina turned to him with a very reassuring look. "This time, we're partnered up. Just don't let go of my hand, okay?" to further reassure him, she'd turn slightly to rest her right hand atop of the joined hands for a brief moment. When she turned to look to the entrance, she'd take the first step to guide them inside.
First impressions? Dimly lit, with magical effects all over. The entrance led to the Manor's foyer, where a glimpse of the upper level could be seen by way of a grand staircase. Beady eyes seemed to be looking down on the visitors. Music could be heard faintly, to set the mood but mostly it was the sounds of couples whispering or screaming whenever the jump scares got them. This only made Lumina laugh wholeheartedly. She was practically in her element and contemplating some mischief or another.
Post by Caius Dragelion on Apr 6, 2023 18:06:04 GMT -6
The Dragonblades
Apparently, this had actually been a good decision on his part. Lumina was a businesswoman, he was sure she’d see the appeal of getting down to business quickly. But she seemed quite happy that he had chosen to focus on their date instead. Very happy, in fact. It seemed there was some merit to keeping that focus, even if every practical place in his brain was telling him to question her intensively right here and right now. It took a lot to bypass that, but his instincts were telling him that this was the right thing to do. Lumey meanwhile, treated it like he’d just passed some sort of test and promised to have everything ready for tomorrow. He nodded in thanks to that.
“Boyfriend… Material?”
It took Caius a minute to understand what she meant. But then he remembered.
“Right. I’ve been so wrapped up in our time together that I forgot that’s what Serah would be looking for.”
This date, this actual, serious date that Lumina had asked him on instead of just taking the casual setup that Claire had arranged. This was to determine compatibility for exclusive partnership, right? Or, that’s what dates were for… Sometimes. Both Sarah and Lumina had indicated this wasn’t always the case and attraction could just… Form on its own. Just a knowing, a feeling that the compatibility was there. Though even as he reminded himself of this… He couldn’t help but think it was still weird for anyone to refer to him as prospective boyfriend material. He’d never been called that, or anyone’s boyfriend for that matter.
“Sounds like I’ve got my work cut out for me the day we do go out for dinner together.”
Which shouldn’t be for a bit longer right? He had time to prepare? Lumina did want more solo time before that…
Oh, how wrong he was.
But for now, their focus would be on the task ahead. As they stepped into the haunted house, however, the atmosphere only seemed to make Caius fidget a little. Bad memories… But he’d seen worse.
… It took a whole five seconds for the sounds of screaming to cause Caius to pull Lumina behind him as his sword materialized into his free hand. The mercenary had immediately taken stance, adrenaline pumping through his veins as he quickly gazed about for danger…
… Until he remembered where they were. This was a place people got scared for fun, right? He’d never been in one of those, but…
Right. Nobody was in danger here. The recollection came back to him, moment by moment and his blade disappeared.
“… I’m sorry.”
He turned to Lumina, chewing the inside of his cheek as he averted his eyes in shame. His breathing had grown slow but intensive throughout, but it began to calm down now.
“I… Instincts kicked in. I’m not used to… This. This whole thing of people being scared for fun. I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
Final Fantasy XIII
521
YEARS
Female
Caius Dragelion
Demisexual
179 POSTS
Destati
"Now that's not right. You're not supposed to throw your life away."
Post by Claire Farron on Apr 6, 2023 19:25:57 GMT -6
"New Light"
Flash of Courage
"That's a good thing, being wrapped up in our time together." Lumina admits and there's some relief in her voice. "Serah's evaluation comes from a place of love and overprotectiveness. She's still sensible and she'd want you to have a good time first and foremost. Same for Claire, though she's probably confident this would go off without a hitch. As to why she's so confident, I'm still thinking it over. I can only guess she saw something..." the only way for Lumina to figure that out, was to open her heart and seriously think about her feelings, mind. So, she ordinarily wouldn't figure it out any time soon~
Instead, Lumina was also having a great time and without anyone to tease her about it later, she was an open book. "Oh, no pressure. I'll stall it for as long as I can. My sisters are probably just overly excited, for different reasons of course. If they both get out of hand, I'll just speak in my 'Mom' voice. Works every time~" which made her laugh all the more, as she pulled that voice off without being in her adult form. Serah's expression from the other day when she called her "Mom" was still fresh in memory. It was nostalgic, sure, for Lumina though, she was happy that Serah wasn't going to run off to her friends and boyfriend after calling her such.
Alas, between reminiscing and mischievous thoughts of messing with the competition; Lumina had all of five minutes to enjoy it. Caius had protectively pulled her behind him, inadvertently sweeping her off her feet; proverbially speaking. Her heart was racing but not out of fear, just a mix of surprise and endearment. No doubt Caius had overreacted but seeing him in action for that brief moment? Left Lumina feeling rather reassured. When he turned to Lumina after apologizing, he'd see she was blushing and looking rather bashful. Probably not the reaction he was expecting of her.
"No, you didn't hurt me." she responded immediately, in a soft, understanding tone. "So, am I right in guessing that this was how you protected my younger self when two met?" Lumina...never experienced that before but it wasn't unpleasant. Smooth moves, the right consideration...wait did he do this for everyone? Contemplating that for a moment, she was left with the impression that he wouldn't quite do it like that for anyone else.
"Honestly? It was nice to see you prove that you'd protect me, not that I doubted you at all." of course, that spectacle no doubt attracted some eyes. Staff and park attendants alike, looking right at the two of them. This left Lumina flustered.
"Ahem, this place is safe." Lumina would conclude now, before gesturing for him to lean over so she could whisper to him. "If you focus on your magic senses, the eyes are just an illusion. There's certain stage effects being used, where the walls can be flipped to let the stage hands come out and scare visitors. If you hold out your left hand, the crystal ring will react from a short distance before certain illusions go into effect. See~?" Lumina would stop whispering now, so that she could speak normally.
"Everything will be fine, just hold my hand~"
tag:Caius Dragelion outfit:Here notes:Epilogue: So, that's what she saw in him
Post by Caius Dragelion on Apr 6, 2023 19:46:43 GMT -6
The Dragonblades
She promised that Serah did this from a place of love and tried to reassure him that Serah would ensure that the both of them would be as comfortable as she can, despite her date-related quirks that would no doubt come out at dinner. She claimed that the younger Claire however, must have seen something because she was more than confident that Caius would be a match. Or at the least, capable of handling dinner. Which probably wasn’t all that high of a bar. Who couldn’t handle going to dinner, right?
But Caius wasn’t thinking about that much after his instincts his kicked in, mistaking the screams for genuine fear and feeling something was coming. Coming for him, and for Lumina. Was he perhaps just a touch paranoid? Maybe more than that. But ti his surprise, it was Lumina who seemed bashful. Caius blinked a few times in confusion at that. Was he not defective as a date by doing crazy and irrational things like that? At the least, he didn’t seem to hurt her, which was a serious relief marked by a deep breath.
“Last time was a bit more… Impressive” Caius managed a joke sheepishly at Lumina’s question. “It was… The screaming. Screaming usually means horrible terrors and people in serious danger.”
Another scream from the house in the background caused him to wince, but he kept his calm this time. Lumina claimed it was nice to know he would protect her if need be. “You don’t need protecting, but I guess my brain didn’t get the memo yet” he tried again to cheek, though realizing people were watching them deflated his building confidence immediately. She then whispered a reassurement that it was all fake, and he didn’t have to worry, and to use his magic senses if need be. “Thank you” he spoke softly, referring to her understanding.
So with that, he took her hand once more as he took a deen breath. “Alright. Once more, lead the way.”
Final Fantasy XIII
521
YEARS
Female
Caius Dragelion
Demisexual
179 POSTS
Destati
"Now that's not right. You're not supposed to throw your life away."
Post by Claire Farron on Apr 6, 2023 20:57:23 GMT -6
"New Light"
Flash of Courage
"Oh, I'm imagining it. Must have left quite an impression, I know it did for me~" Lumina though she was teasing, did look quite sincere. "Your instincts are sharp as a knife on that one but there's a time and place, you know~? As you said, we're on a date. On dates, the screams are a good thing, it means the staff is doing their jobs~" even her pointed remarks were rather soft when she was being playful. When she heard another scream, she giggled before adding, "...Case in point~"
Lumina would gesture with her eyes to show him the state of affairs, one couple holding onto each other for dear life. In regards to not needing protection, it was true but Lumina didn't seem to view it that way. So, when Caius thanked her, she decided to raise his spirits in her own mischievous way. "On the bright side, your heroic display would earn you points with Serah. She loves heroism and heroic men especially." given Serah took the time to almost give her a mini-essay about that just the other day...
"I'm starting to see the appeal, just don't tell her I said that~" once he took her hand, she'd continue to lead him and keep the mood light. "Therefore, despite my own 'mighty prowess', I'll allow you and only you, the permission to protect me." she declares confidently, only to pause for a moment.
"Well, maybe Serah too but she has to earn it, she did take my sword, that's cheating." after all, how else was she supposed to spring into action without it? As for Caius, she doubted he'd ever get the memo about not needing to protect her. He said it earlier, he wouldn't let her cut him out of helping her with the parasite. Not that she had any intention of doing such but it was sweet. Honestly, she found this whole situation rather charming. Other men wouldn't dare to try or even give her the consideration to do that. Well, except for Hope, probably.Hopefully, the others were doing well back in the New World. They could probably adapt well enough if they were here in Zephon sure, though they'd all earned a permanent vacation from the kinds of shenanigans happening here.
Choosing to head for the stairs, Lumina brought them up to the second floor. "I'm guessing we're supposed to be on the look out for clues to the exit. Making this manor, one big maze. If you look to your ring, the light will flicker to show resonance. There's probably different variations to determine if we're closing in on a clue or something spooky. Once we find all the clues, our crystals would open the door to the back of the manor, I think. It might be that there's a secret passageway that also leads to the exit. Given how big this attraction is and how popular, I wouldn't be surprised."
As for where not to go? The screams in certain rooms was a good indicator where some of the traps were. In this case, Lumina noted down the hall as a waste of time but that left at least four doors to investigate. Two on one side, two on the other, excluding the door down the end of their hallway. "If we could find the Master Bedroom, maybe we'd find just what we need."
Post by Caius Dragelion on Apr 7, 2023 8:57:35 GMT -6
The Dragonblades
Caius was honestly still wrapping his head around the fact that Lumina wasn't even phased by what had happened. Maybe her Lightning side was just used to far stranger things, had been his initial guess. But Lumina actually seemed to be enjoying it more than anything. She really was a bit of an odd bird, wasn't she? Not that he could judge, since he wasn't any better. Caius meanwhile, still found himself completely embarrassed. People were watching, he was in the middle of a date, and he had done... That. Go figure that he'd be slightly paranoid in a haunted house where people scream and things jump out at you.
At the least, he could take solace in the fact that Lumina was understanding. This was a date, other people didn't matter right now unless it was a real emergency. The only thing that mattered right now was himself and Lumina. That's how dates work, right?
Of course, Caius winced a bit at the next scream and his grip on Lumina's hand tightened at that. But this time Caius managed to keep his impulses in check as he leaned in to whisper back against Lumina. "Every fiber of my being wants to go running to ensure everyone's ok" he admitted quietly with a defeated sigh. He couldn't deny how he felt, there was no point in being dishonest about it to Lumina. "I want to make sure they're ok, that we're all safe, and that you're safe. Even when I know they're safe, that this is just..."
Entertainment. That's what this was. People got a weird kick out of being scared like this, in a way that didn't put them in any real danger. They got an actual thrill out of it. It was... Well, quite frankly it was extremely bizarre to Caius. But he also understood one thing from the time he'd spent in this world.
He was the weird one, not them. The looks they got after his display made that perfectly clear too. Everything that he was, everything he had been forced to become to survive, and everything he had later made himself to protect others -- in a social setting, to most it was strange.
But not to Lumina. He supposed her own circumstances being unique lent some level of understanding. And he really did appreciate that in this moment. Even if she was strangely pleased as punch at the impression he had put on some sort of "heroic display" that Serah would be proud of. Even she was seeing the "appeal", apparently. "Somehow I get the impression Snow's heroic displays were just a touch more impressive" he weakly managed to joke, not really seeing anything heroic in his manic episode. Lumina just kept going, claiming that he and only he could protect her. That managed to eke a quiet chuckle out of him, followed up by a roll of his eyes. "You say that like you couldn't probably fold me one on one. I've heard all about your god-busting exploits from your sister" he cheeked. "The..." he had been about to say "middle child" before turning to Lumina. "I was going to say middle child, but... Out of yourself, Claire and Serah, who ranks where exactly? Do you get a promotion to Serah's "Big Sister" after your magical girl transformation back there?"
If it wasn't obvious by now, Caius' brain had decided to cope with this whole thing by distracting himself with humor. For better or worse. Though he was curious when she mentioned that Serah had taken her sword. "Why is that?" he inquired curiously. "I did see her wield a sword before. If you need a new one, I could set you up."
Remembering her words before about being set up, however, he couldn't help the slightest quip. "With a sword I mean, I wouldn't go setting you up on a blind date with anyone else."
Lumina gave the briefing on what they were to be doing, and Caius listened intently, his eyes never leaving hers except to look where they were going. They'd taken a deeply serious tint for that moment. Not intentionally, that was just how Caius was when he was trying to digest anything resembling mission briefing-type information. However, he was also listening to the screams in the background. If he was to guess, where those screams were coming from were not the rooms they wanted to be in. "I'll let you lead the way. At least this mansion's not burning" came a quick answer with a short quip as his expression began to soften. It really did soften however at mention of the Master Bedroom. He recalled a line from a book he'd read a long time ago, back when he was trying to learn Zephon's culture in the most misguided way possible. He hesitated on using it, remembering the last time he'd done something like that having been a disaster. But it was Lumina. "Lumie, I'm shocked. I didn't think you the type to race for the bedroom so soon" came the most blatantly overdramatized attempt to sound surprised by the mercenary. Though his tone and hardly held back chuckling made it pretty clear he was joking and didn't mean anything by that. While he maintained a cheeky grin however, his hand tightened just a little in the space between his words and her answer, his body language subtly betraying his nerves.
