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year 5, quarter 3
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Post by Caius Dragelion on Apr 14, 2023 11:46:14 GMT -6
The Dragonblades
Caius smirked slightly when Lumina proclaimed that had she had the pick, she could do better. "Oh really? How many men in your world did you know that would have been better for Serah? You'll have to start naming names if you want me to believe you" Caius teased her then, since this seemed like a subject they could make light over. "Though, since now we're in Zephon... You might need a new list."
Caius had opened the book in more ways than one. Teasing, joking, just being... Normal, instead of being stoic, serious and walking on eggshells over every answer. Lumina had brought out who Caius could be deep down, though he hadn't openly acknowledged this fact just yet. There had been a few whom had managed to do this, but not as quickly or as openly as Lumina had. Though Caius remained in the dark on just how much Lumina had grown comfortable with him in particular, even after she had unveiled her feelings the way she had. He hadn't really seen her interact with anyone beyond her family however, so there wasn't much to reference by.
Caius saw that wince from Lumina when he detailed his comedic attempt at dance with Celes, and the mercenary shot the pink-haired businesswoman an apologetic glance at that. He had definitely taken her out of the idea of actually dancing, he figured. While she said she could teach him... He got the impression she probably hadn't been expecting him to be so clumsy at it. Lumina detailed a bit of what she meant by teaching in matters of love, however. Showing an example of how to behave in a relationship, per se. He didn't know how she would accomplish this, but he nodded along and decided to just go with it. It couldn't hurt, right? Though it might hurt if she went through all of that and Caius came to a conclusion that Lumina wouldn't like. Part of Caius feared that possibility, though he didn't voice it. While Lumina was a mature and reasonable woman, he didn't want to hurt her in any way.
Why did he have to be so unable to recognize what these feelings were to feel like? Why couldn't he give her a straight answer instead of feeling like he was leading her around while he tried to figure himself out? She was going out of her way for him, and he still couldn't give her an answer. It felt wrong, and Caius in turn felt horrible for it. She deserved better than to have to go out of her way for someone that couldn't give her a straight answer, he knew. But he also knew that it'd hurt her more if he didn't at least give this a chance, she was the one offering to help after all. She had put herself in a position where her feelings were potentially damned either way, depending on what he found. She had made herself very vulnerable, even if he was sure she thought she could handle whatever his answer would be. He just... Wished he didn't put her in that position.
Why couldn't he be normal? Why couldn't he be better than what he was? Why couldn't he be a complete, sociable human being that didn't put people like her, with all the love and patience in the world, in scenarios like this? She kept telling him that he needed to stop fretting about experiences he hadn't been able to have yet, but what about when they impacted other people? And why did it almost seem like it was easier when he didn't think about these things? When he was just... A weapon, and nothing more. When it was just him and him alone, focused on surviving, focused on the objective at hand. He didn't miss those days at all, but... They were simpler, in a way. The only person that got hurt back then, was him.
Caius had zoned out a bit at some point, lost in his thoughts, and he hadn't hid well that something was deeply bothering him. When he woke back up, a large bowl had been placed before him, and Lumina was asking to let her know if the ramen was too hot. Taking a deep breath, Caius pushed those thoughts away the best he could. He needed to be here and now, and in the moment, he knew. She had gone out of her way to prepare a meal like this, the least he could do was be a good guest. And not drag her down with him, if he could.
Also the meal smelled delicious and he was reminded once again that he was starving. Once Caius snapped out of his stupor, it hit him that... Was a very large bowl. Definitely bigger than any bowl of cup noodles he'd had in his entire life. He gulped a bit, his hunger crying out but also just straight up in shock at how much ramen was in that massive thing. Caius had never eaten a bowl of anything this big. Ever. It was actually a little bit intimidating. But he was hungry and he was definitely going to attempt to devour the entire bowl if allowed. Were his, and apparently Lumina's, eyes bigger than his stomach? They would soon find out.
Caius began eating slow at first, wanting to listen to what Lumina had to say. Lumina went on to explain that in her view, he had done the right thing by considering her feelings. But she didn't mind, and actually seemed to want him to ask. Well, she had put him on the spot. This was embarrassing, but...
"I uh..." he stammered out at a moment his mouth wasn't full. "Ok. Um. Why do you feel... The way... You feel?" Caius managed, clearly flustered and completely losing his ability to word. At all. This was not a subject he knew how to talk about, and it showed. He was somewhere between nervous about what she was going to say, trying not to undermine the importance of what was being said, and also holding back the urge to dig into the bowl like a raging behemoth. "Also uh, ramen's good. Very good."
Actually, it was delicious. The best ramen he'd ever tasted, and it was taking all of Caius' willpower to retain his composure enough to listen to what Lumina had to say without him interrupting it by wolfing down this entire bowl right in front of her while she was trying to have a serious conversation. Damn you, professionalism and social convention! So Caius had been sneaking in what bites he could while trying to seem as dignified and polite as humanly possible about it.
Especially when Lumina, instead of answering the question she had to know Caius would have asked right after, suddenly got very, very heavy, and asked a very big question of her own. And Caius knew that look. This was someone that had blood on their hands, and they knew it and hated everything about it. Lightning, here in Zephon before the merger, had done something. Something horrible, if she was asking for his forgiveness. Caius had just found a moment to sneak a big, heavy helping of ramen right when she said it. So he certainly did not look dignified when she brought it up and the mercenary stopped cold when she did as he realized the position he was in. Inwardly cursing, he motioned that he needed a moment as he stopped to swallow what was in his mouth. Thank the Leviathan that she'd remembered to provide ice water, because he downed a fair bit getting all of that down. With that, he took a deep breath, shivering a bit as he tried to formulate his thoughts.
"Lumey," he spoke softly then, looking her in the face as his tone grew serious soon after he regained himself. "I know the gait of someone who has blood on their hands. And you know that even if I said I would forgive you without question, I could not guarantee that without knowing what is to come. I am not without blood on my hands, and I am ashamed of what I have done. So I would expect the same from others if I were to ever tell, in that there are no guarantees for these things."
He cleared his throat, then. "What I can do, is listen to what you have to say with an open mind. I will listen the entire way, and let you finish uninterrupted until you have finished speaking your piece. Is that fair?"
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 14, 2023 16:22:01 GMT -6
"Road to Dawn"
Light Saga: Remnants of the Saviour, Part 1
Challenge accepted, surely she knew some, why she even began to playfully count on her left hand how many she had in mind. When she finished, she had four fingers and her thumb up. Unfortunately, Lumina's achiles heel in this scenario was names. Really, Caius expected her to have names? She tried her best not to remember a lot of people! Further went out of her way to not get names whenever she could! The other problem, was as she had time to linger on it, she retracted some digits. Her maternal instincts were dubbing most of her choices unacceptable relative to her standards for Serah. A problem that she knew all too well. Leaving her with only a desire for someone that wasn't Snow, that wasn't like their Father...
Shaking her head, she did look a bit sad at the mention of the Zephon list. "That's for emergencies only..." was all she'd say, as if admitting she had such a list was an utter defeat in and of itself. This shouldn't be a surprise, Lumina loved having contingency plans. One of which was trying to reverse engineer the summoning magic that Jules de Lune was trying to come up with. After all, if they could someone Outlanders, whose to say she couldn't. Then, all those that they cared about would be here.
Caius' apologetic look was adorable, instantly forgiving him as the contingency plans doubled in her mind. There was always tomorrow for said dancing lessons. Would she have to rent out the upper floor of a tavern? Mmm, she could just rearrange one of the rooms here in her house. Certainly cost effective but not immersive. If she recalled, in passing, there was a hall in one of the cities outside the capital. Making a trip out of this could be a lot of fun. Penning the idea under maybe for the time being, Lumina moved on.
At first blush once Caius began to zone out, she was genuinely concerned it was hunger! This initial impression seemed to put some extra pep in her step as she prepared things. Relief came after he had his bowl and began eating. Seemingly whatever troubles he had left, leaving a rather hungry mercenary at her table. Only once he was properly immersed did she rethink the false positive. The food, which he eventually complimented was more a distraction for his thoughts. Should she pry then? No, that could wait until things were more settled. A shame that her own mind was anything but settled.
An early memory had emerged from her subconscious. Lumina could seldom remember when she arrived but Light's arrival was crystal clear. With all the horrors that her mind once feared could overtake her. To think it was her entire soul that had been impacted, leaving it in a veritable state of discord. Unable to harmonize, nor to succumb to chaos and she was immediately familiar. There had been a sensation that played on her heart and mind. Like the chaos she knew, hence the misconception of her powers in this world, yet it was different. Lumina felt as if she crossed into another timeline. This was the timeline where Lightning had acted as she feared. There was no teethering on the edge, no careful considerations due to honeyed promises.
Lumina's physical demeanour changed dramatically. Caius had mentioned knowing the gait of one with blood on their hands. Thus far, it was clear Lumina was without. She didn't even have the gait of a warrior, which was rather telling. The rift in her heart, this wasn't of her own volition. A misguided teenager's ambition that left her more weapon than person. This reeked of divine meddling that had twisted her into someone unrecognizable. Gazing down upon her lap, she moved her right hand into view. She'd been unable to look Caius in the eyes now.
"You should finish up your bowl first." her words were strained, clearly she needed a minute. More no doubt, in order to process what was happening. Rather, to process what had happened, years prior. "Apparently, this is a very long story. The parasite isn't the monster I have to deal with right now." crossing her legs and arms, she leaned back against her chair, silent.
"...I'm not sure this counts as a bright side but I'd like to revisit your theory about Claire."
Inhale, exhale; it was story time and it was of a story that took place in Zephon. Lumina had to go back, three years ago, to Light's arrival. "Lightning arrived in Zephon with quite a bang. She was still playing the loyal servant to God, she must be from an earlier timeline than Serah and I. That does explain certain behaviours, with her heart split, she lacked emotions. She blamed God for such and upon arriving on Zephon, she continued her role as God's Saviour." so far so good, despite the implications made with her starting summary.
"If summoning an incomplete version, causes Zephon to try again...Then it explains how I arrived. Unfortunately, my memory was beyond scrambled and I didn't have my true form at all. So I thought I must be incomplete as well. The conditions were similar, powers included. Except I remember things Light didn't. So, sure enough, Serah and I are from the same time period. That's a problem all on its own. Using the power of the Saviour...Those powers are meant for a dying world, Caius. Zephon, is not a dying world, as far as we know. The Saviour harvests the souls in order to bring them to a New World. Those souls are meant to be brought to a vessel but that vessel is not here, which meant they were inside her soul...twisting and pulling, leaving an incomplete Lightning to be unbalanced." Lumina's composure faulted in that moment, tears began to well up in her eyes.
Vivid, that was a word as she remembered Light's first kill on Zephon. How another man, a fellow Outlander, asked if there wasn't a better way. Only for Light to finish off an injured old man. He died with fear in his heart and she blamed that fear on the 'false hope' given by the man. Fast, efficient, the marks of a true killer. Only one of them acted like a human being in that moment. Even if they were both soldiers, Lightning would go on to harvest more souls. In just a few weeks time of her descent, she'd purged Zephon of hundreds of souls.
Good, evil, men, women, powerful, weak... It mattered little to her. They were all a plague. She existed only to take their souls from their physical bodies and carry them elsewhere for the betterment of the land.
If she could shed a tear for them all, she would but a single tear was not enough. Leaving Lumina to weep, as memories of Lightning pointing her blade at what Lumina was certain was a fellow Outlander? Not the descended God bearing the name Chaos. Oh, sure said God proclaimed themself to be Discord. Gods loved to embody concepts, the more titles the better! The anger she felt at a target so obvious, Lightning...didn't feel it. She felt she lacked strength to cut him down and refocused her efforts.
"You see? Now there's a worthy vessel. Face it, Lightning; there is no version of you that can be ordinary.It just doesn't suit you. You want to play house? Leave that to Serah. With my power, you can end the pain Sonora's elite brings upon the people, today!"
Just what Lumina needed, that voice again. The moment she was vulnerable and not in a way that encouraged bonding. Rather, the vulnerability of the emotions she had once cut away, to give her the codename Lumina that she'd retained in Zephon. Brought her within a resonance to this...thing. Deep within, she knew that if she succumbed to its foul temptation, then she'd be no better. Lumina needed to fight this, it was the logical thing to do! Except...she was filled with crippling fear. Fighting brought on the monster within. Fighting...was a vicious cycle that she was tired of.
"She was here." Lumina muttered, breaths ragged. It was a long time ago but Lightning was in Torensten, gauging her options on whether to fight a literal god. Lumina was pale and she couldn't see anything with the tears blocking her eyes. There was the consolation that Lightning did protect the people, well those she was deeming worthy. Such thoughts only amounted to a little relief, as Torensten was where Lightning had absorbed chaos. It was different from what she knew but that was when her soul was tainted black. The origin of the parasite, ready to sow discord through an unwitting vessel.
Tag:Caius Dragelion Theme:A Wicked Saviour Notes:Lumina text pink (thoughts in italics), Mog text blue, Parasite quoted text purple
Post by Caius Dragelion on Apr 14, 2023 17:14:27 GMT -6
The Dragonblades
Lumina as one half didn't. But a part of her did. And as she sought to bring up the cause, it was evident as could be that the part she was talking about had been involved in something very, very bloody. Though after Caius spoke, it seemed she needed a minute. She bade that he finish his bowl first. While he hesitated for a few moments, clearly unsure about leaving her to the hardest of her thoughts alone, he knew it was better to give her some space. And he'd been side-eying Mog's devouring of his own bowl for some time now, just a touch envious that he could do so. At the end of that awkward silence, he gave a quick nod.
"Yes ma'am."
The silence led Caius to finally give into his impulses and begin tearing into this giant bowl of ramen like a starving behemoth. It was pretty obvious now that Caius had not eaten in some time, and also that he liked the food a lot. He barreled through the delicious ramen so quickly that he actually needed a few seconds of pause because he remembered at the last second to wash it down, only barely doing so in time as he had at that moment started choking. Fortunately, Lumina had ensured the pitcher was nearby to refill their iced tea. It took him a bit of time, but Caius had still gone through the bowl surprisingly quickly. He even tilted the bowl back to drink the ramen water, as was one of his habits formed from eating cup noodles all this time.
Caius had never felt this full in his entire life. He'd been used to eating enough to get through the day, sometimes eating out with delicious food for business dinners, but never truly going all out. But that extremely hefty ramen bowl had filled him brim to bursting, and Caius quickly slumped backwards against the chair in a relaxed posture as he loosed a long and deep breath in relief and contentment that he didn't know he was even capable of. Too relaxed, the chair started rocking back too far and Caius let out a small yelp as he planted his feet on the ground to keep the chair and himself from crashing to the floor.
"I think... You have my cup noodles beat. I declare Miss Farron the victor of this contest" Caius declared between haggard breaths, accepting defeat this time. "I still want to treat you, however. While quick, I have one ingredient that makes Cup Noodles the perfect travel food. If we ever go outside the city sometime, I am calling meal prep at least once."
Once he'd recovered, though, he remembered something she had said. That the parasite wasn't the monster she had to deal with right now. That just made things even more foreboding. Once she was ready, she began with saying she wanted to revisit his Claire theory. Caius sat up straight then, meeting her eyes as he nodded to indicate he was listening. While he felt pretty good, he still kept himself serious. It helped that his stomach was no longer growling.
And so the story began. A Lightning from an earlier point in time, which made sense to Caius after meeting Noctis and the others. They too, had been taken from only midway through their journey, while Caius had been taken from the end of his. Though having god literally steal her emotions? That was a new one that neither she or Serah had quite mentioned. Unless he was forgetting. It was a lot of information to take in, after all.
Her theory then, was that Lightning had been made unbalanced by the excess of souls stored in her. There was a long pause however, and tears began to stream down Lumina's face. Caius didn't understand. What was going on?
"Wait. So you said she harvested souls, and she was unbalanced because of having them still when she was sent here, and... You said Zephon's not a dying world, but she was still in a mode to harvest-"
It hit him. The story Celes had told him when they had been going over watch list targets for the Dragonblades. The monster Kuja, the amnesiac Sephiroth. The psychic Emet Selch. The Original Sin's generals... And one Celes mentioned was only depicted in rumors from before they had formed the Dragonblades. A serial killer, a woman with pink hair that had rampaged across Zephon, killed hundreds of people, and then disappeared, presumably cut down by one of the arriving Outland heroes. But nobody did step forward to take the credit, and all that was left were questions, and victims.
The stories, what Lumina was saying, being unable to take it and having started openly weeping... It didn't take much more for Caius to put the dots together. What else would "harvesting" souls mean?
"... Holy shit."
Caius quickly rose to his feet and wrapped his arms around Lumina. It was a complete and utter impulse decision, and one he didn't know where it came from. What he did know was that she was in immense pain emotionally, and he didn't know what else to do to help.
"It's ok. That's not you anymore" Caius did his best to reassure her, running a hand through her hair as he held her tight and just... Let her cry it out. "It's... I can't even begin to get my thoughts together on what happened. But what's important to me right now is that I know you're hurting. It's... It's ok to cry. Ok to let it out."
That was what Celes had done when he'd regained his memories of losing his family. When that monster Cortez had defiled the bodies of his siblings and turned them into those... Things, bringing them to Zephon to set on him. She may not have hugged him or anything like that, but she'd listened. She didn't judge him for crying, she just... Supported him and allowed him time to let it out until he was ok again. It was a decision that had led to the formation of the Dragonblades. And ensured that he would always care for her like a member of his own family. That was the example he had chosen to follow here and now.
He took a deep breath, then, he was rambling, he knew. But he couldn't stop himself.
"You weren't in control, I understand that. You didn't have the free will to choose. But you have it now. And you've done amazing things with it. What matters is that here and now, you're helping people. You're trying to provide a better life for people in Sonora, and you should be proud of yourself for that."
She couldn't bring back the people Lightning killed. This was a fact that Caius was well aware of, and he knew she'd never forgive herself for it. For he'd never forgiven himself either. But she could keep forging a path forward.
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 15, 2023 6:28:53 GMT -6
"Road to Dawn"
Light Saga: Remnants of the Saviour, Part 2
Mog, whom Caius had been side-eying had not only devoured his bowl but had time to float off to the kitchen, give himself a second full bowl, then come back. Dealing with the woes of his rival was hard work, so he needed to be well fed for this dark road. Watching the two of them silently, distracted Lumina from the thoughts just a little. Enough to give a sad smirk before closing her eyes a moment. The empty joy of success in the face of a deep, unending darkness was all she had to cling to for a time. To have a moment she worked so hard for, snatched from her seemingly dainty grasp. Only for it to be the first of two pivotal moments, tarnished by what was developing into Lumina's Dark Side. Leaving her once pure white wings, tarred black like chaos.
"Oh?" gosh the life and mischievous edge of her voice was snuffed out."Tomorrow then. There's a music hall in a city not far from the capital. I get to learn the secret of your cup noodles, see new sights and take care of a potential business deal. They get to see their hero learning to dance to some popular couple's songs."
Lumina strummed her left fingers along the table after proposing such. She'd strained herself to get that reply out, no matter how much she had wanted it. The ideal was tainted by her deep rooted insecurity. "I don't want to be alone." not with seemingly two monsters in her heart. She could fight one but that was her limit. Why was everything always a fight, anyhow? Why couldn't she just enjoy these fun and precious moments without worry. As she waited for Caius to recover a bit, she thought that she should be laughing right now. A few victory laps were certainly earned. Alas, her heart was broken and once more, she could only blame herself.
The story she told, even with the softening took a moment for Caius to connect. Once he did, his audible profanity laden response, while merited, did leave Lumina to flinch. For whilst she couldn't see him, his words were enough to inform her of the heavy realization. A Mass murder done to purify a 'sick land', that's how Light had felt. Only...Zephon was not in such a state, in spite of its many problems. The majority were human problems, things that could be fixed. Others could be dealt with by Outlanders like themselves, to earn their keep in this world. Quite frankly? THERE WAS NOTHING TO SAVE!
"See---"
in perhaps the most effective silence inducing display of selflessness; Caius had hit the pause button on the Parasite. Lumina paused as well, surprised that he had hugged her. This was the second precious moment, tainted by darkness. Before now, Lumina really wanted a hug but was too shy and concerned about boundaries, to ask for it! The idea of being clingy or manipulative had restrained her. Now, she'd received what she desired but the joy of it was lost. Crying to get a hug, was cheating and it made her feel...deceitful. Even though she was in deep anguish, the part of her that wanted to slowly court Caius with her own merits, felt disappointed.
When her tears resumed, her arms uncrossed as she slowly returned the hug. "T-this isn't...how I wanted this to go..." a statement which would be easy to misconstrue. She certainly meant this wasn't how she wanted their first hug to go but clarity wasn't going to be had for awhile. Eyes now puffy and cheeks red, Lumina would whimper for a time. Even if she wanted to, she couldn't cry any more. Caius had said that it wasn't her anymore. Though she had said yesterday that once she started fighting, she couldn't stop. Foreshadowing a deep flaw within herself that came to light in the most repulsive way.
Lumina desperately wanted to deny that it wasn't her. To act on her duties without Hope to guide her? What voice was whispering in her ear to pursue such a madden course? Did she see herself a balancer? She seemed to target powerful souls of harmony throughout the memories that rose to the surface. The worse of it, the infected Light who seemed to struggle with the parasite, as well as her desire to 'harvest', hunted someone special. The name eluded her, the memory as intense as it was, victim to the unique ways of Zephon. Not that she needed a name. Her heart knew that woman was special, a precious friend; one she was very fond of. There was another, whom Light deemed 'exotic' that would also be entangled in the web. One with a voice that was...like her own, at a certain pitch. None of that mattered to Light but to the person she was here and now, the agony was unbearable.
"...Ah." she finally spoke up. It was the parasite's influence after all, attempting to push Light to greater heights of power. Even if it rang hollow as an excuse, she could at least cling to it. She could never harm a friend, nor someone of a different but reminiscent light. Yet the feelings her friend had after such a defeat. To be abandoned by them... for that alone, it may as well have been Light and not the parasite. Though her realization ran deeper, for the confrontation with her friend was Lumina's origin point on Zephon the Metaia Temple.
Lightning had been gathering mana there, to fuel herself and to fight her friend. Perhaps inadvertently, as Light was merely a withered shell of existence, Zephon acknowledged the need for another? "Lightning was...at the place where I arrived in this world. Stealing precious energy from the Metaia Temple. Except, it wasn't Lightning at that point. Just a fragment, consumed by the remnant power of a god, named Chaos. The parasite had been in control for the majority of her time here." Zephon sure took it's time but her friends wishes were answered. Just a shame that she likely wasn't around to see it, given the faded memory...
Clearly, the story of her life to date, was how she became her own worse enemy. Memory after memory, it was just the parasite, seeking to spread blight across Zephon. Until no light remained and darkness held the land. Would Zephon then need a Saviour? Seems that it called for one, even if she did arrive fashionably late. Her arrival enabled the parasite a new vessel to transfer to after it's violent demise. Such an impatient thing, perhaps it had learned but so long as Lumina was strong enough, she could keep it at bay. Especially with some help, which she held onto tenderly now.
"Part of me, feels like I've never been in control. Not since I was Claire's age." be it life or god, she was just a puppet on strings. So utterly helpless... "I'm no one's slave." an instant rebuke to her self-pity. Caius was right, she was in control now and she'd made good on the wishes of Zephon, except... "Were all those deaths...just to save Sonora alone? Clarissa would roll in her grave knowing a murderer was using her name and influence..."
Clarissa Fairborn victim of an assassination effort, heiress of a major corporation, affiliated with Radiant Dawn Corporation. Died at age twelve. Fair skin, pink hair, blue eyes. Declared a survivor, after being found at Mount Hotan. Guardianship taken by Reinard Vidius, Chairman of Radiant Dawn.
Post by Caius Dragelion on Apr 15, 2023 7:25:38 GMT -6
The Dragonblades
Lumina barely reacted at all. Not even laughter, just a blank stare. Of course, Caius would soon find out why. But she did manage to tell him he would be meeting her tomorrow. Bold, as usual. “Tomorrow?” Caius echoed in surprise, but managed a smile all the same. “I’m almost shocked you’re not even a little tired of me at this point. I’ll see if I can make time.”
Even with everything going on, she still wanted another date right away. It was definitely… A lot more attention than Caius had ever received from anyone ever. More than he knew what to do with. But he did his best to take it in stride. He’d certainly need all the stride taking prowess he could get however, considering what came next. The story, the horror, the crying, the hug. Caius had acted out of impulse in a way that had surprised even him. He didn’t like seeing her this upset; but it felt like there was something more to it as well. Like something was severely beginning to stir. Of course, Caius had likely mistaken it for the beginnings of an emotional breakdown. Not knowing he had unintentionally silenced the parasite’s rise.
This wasn’t how she wanted it to go, she claimed. He managed a soft smile as he held her for a little longer. “Story of my life” he cheeked quietly, just giving his support and empathizing where he could. He didn’t know if it would help, he was entirely out of his depth here. Lumina talked about never feeling like she was in control, which he nodded in understanding. Then she said things about a Clarissa that he didn’t quite understand. “I don’t know what that means” he admitted with a small, sheepish laugh. He wasn’t laughing at her, no, but he thought taking a lighter route in the face of everything might help her calm down a bit. There wasn’t much else he could do, was there? Well, except one thing…
“I think we should get out of here for a bit” Caius then brought up as he slowly untangled himself from Lumina. “I think we could both use it” he spoke as he then held out his arm for her to take. He wasn’t quite ready to initiate the handholding just yet, but this he could do. “You wanted another date, right? Well, let’s go. I’ll lead the dance this time. I did promise yesterday I had something to show you.”
Mog was allowed to go too if he wanted, of course. But either way, Caius led Lumina by the arm to the nearest air tram that brought them to the city’s entrance. While the sun was starting to set, Caius still seemed comfortable moving them outside of the city until they reached a good point to stop at.
With that, Caius gently let go of Lumina and stepped forward. Bringing a hand to his mouth, he loosed a loud whistle that rang through the skies. A frequency that used just a little bit of innate king’s magic to let it be heard from far away distances, only discernible from afar by those whom are in tune with the king’s magic.
A roar echoed back in the distance, and Caius smiled when he knew that the message had been received.
Soon after, Lumina would learn just what Caius had called here. What descended would reveal, it seemed, that the stone dragon that stood behind Caius on that statue in the square was not in fact just there for decoration.
Yes, an actual dragon. With scales shining blue in the sunset, the size of the biggest horse one might ever see (do horses exist in this world?), a dragon came down from the sky and landed before them. Caius’ expression immediately lit up at the sight of them. “Vordun!” Caius called out as he walked over and wrapped his arms around the dragon’s neck, proving it was in fact friendly as it tried to coat him with slobber. Caius scratched behind the nubs that made up the dragon’s ears and the ground began to shake as Vordun’s foot started stomping excessively from the stimulation. With that, Caius turned to Lumina.
“Lumey, this is Vordun. My other half, so to speak. I raised him from an egg, and we go just about everywhere together. He’s very important to me, and I figured this was as good a time as any for you to finally meet him.”
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 15, 2023 8:43:22 GMT -6
"Road to Dawn"
Light Saga: False Light, True Heir part 1
Lumina didn't tire of people easily, people probably got tired of her if that was possible~ It was a tactic to keep the loneliness away, selfish as it seemed. With a solemn nod of appreciation, maybe there would be some hope in tomorrow. Preferably, without the surprises that her powers and unified identity brought. Should such happen though, well...wasn't it the story of her life too~?
Caius confession about not knowing who that was, rendered Lumina surprised but confused. She looked contemplative for a moment and then gasped. "OH! Of course you don't know...yet." in her anguish she'd let slip something she was meaning to tell him at some point. "It's...another long story. One I'll tell you tomorrow if you can make it. Just know that Clarissa Fairborn, is me." this ran a bit deeper, as such was the identity she'd assumed in Sonora. The name that seemed to replace Claire Farron in this world. As well as all other aspects of her identity, leaving her with the codename, Lumina.
A fleeting thought, just as the warmth from their embrace soon left. Caius had suggested they go elsewhere for a moment. No complaints from Lumina, she nodded her head before wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. Now that she could see properly, she was pleasantly surprised by Caius offering his arm. Sure it wasn't handholding but it was a step, so she'd rise from her chair and take his arm. "Another date?" she paused before realization dawned on her. "Yes, you did but aren't you forgetting protocol here?" her tone now a mere semblance of her norm.
"Since you're proposing the date, you should make it official by formally asking me. Go ahead, give it a try~" she was getting better and Mog, picking up on this expected change of scene, opted to take Lumina's bowl and cup back into the kitchen for now. They didn't waste food in this house, kupo! Taking care of the clean up was simple as the moogle floated about quickly.
"I'll tag along in case Lightning needs anything." Mog volunteered, rather calmly despite being worried. The parasite was bad news and finding out about the events that led up to it, was awful. Serah's heart would be broken if she found out. She was already really upset about the actions the parasite caused Light to take. So, he'd made sure the house was properly closed up on their way out as they headed for the air tram in this district. It was very accessible from their place given the traffic from the port.
After arriving at the entrance, they took a nice stroll outside the city. Pleasant, as well as a bit different from how it was in her memories. At least in the end, she did protect Torensten, in her own way. Not that she remembered much after the battle. Taking on all that chaos, led to the dark road that jeopardized her life here. Once they were a safe distance out, she turned to look back behind them. Caius had let go of her and took a step forward.
The result was an action that snapped Lumina out of her self-pity. She turned around, before looking upwards. Somehow, she hadn't expected this but given the stone statue of a dragon behind Caius statue, it all came into focus. "This certainly puts the Dragon in Dragonblades." Lumina remarks dryly. Once it landed, Caius moved to approach the dragon, leaving Mog and Lumina to turn and look to one another. They were surprised but not alarmed in any fashion.
"Vordun?" "Vordun, kupo?"
For a moment, the duo watched the display of affection in mild awe. Once Caius was slobbered over, the duo had yet another unison response: "Cute~" "Like a puppy, kupo."
Only then did they break out laughing. No doubt catching Caius attention, who turned to face them as he gave a proper introduction. Mog and Lumina slowly approached Vordun, the older Farron had a distinct aura of sorts that Monsters could easily pick up on. One that marked her friend as she gave a playful curtsey to Vordun. Mog spun around in sync with this before they took turns introducing themselves.
"I'm Claire Farron, you can call me Lumina." "...and I'm Mog, nice to meet you, kupo~"
Post by Caius Dragelion on Apr 15, 2023 15:41:46 GMT -6
The Dragonblades
Caius immediately froze up when Lumina suddenly perked up enough to straight up tell him he needed to actually ask her on the date. Formally. Something he hadn’t done before with literally anyone. Sure, there was the thing with Maria, but that hadn’t been serious. She had just been messing around and wanting to throw her weight around a bit, as far as he knew. Right? Regardless, she had put him on the spot. Again. After basically making him ask her to ask why she had… Feelings. For him. And then didn’t answer. Caius was not used to being put on the spot like this so much in a day, and it was exhausting.
“I… I uh…” Caius stammered as he struggled to find words. Because words left him. He was completely flustered, utterly out of his depth and even though it was one sentence, essentially, he felt like he was taking an exam after studying all night and then everything he studied just blanked out from his brain. Within seconds of starting the test.
“Would you… Like to go on a date right now? Formally?” Caius asked then. The word was supposed to be “officially” but he botched that part. Hopefully it would be fine.
Though had Mog called her Lightning? Caius didn’t know they used the names interchangeably.
One way or another, they were out there and Lumina didn’t seem afraid of Vordun. She and Mog more looked at him like a big puppy. Which was essentially Vordun. A big, intimidating, giant puppy. “He hatched literally when we were naming the guild, so… It literally means dragon and blades” Caius admitted with a small laugh towards Lumina’s dry remark. Though he was curious when she called herself Claire Farron. She technically was, but… Wouldn’t that get confusing with the other Claire around? Caius had taken to just calling her Lumina Farron. Was that wrong of him to do?
“You can pet him, he shouldn’t bite” Caius brought up then. “Also uh… Do you have a preferred name?” he decided to just get out and ask. Vordun seemed to understand pretty quickly Lumina was harmless as the dragon leaned over to sniff at her and Mog.
“I was thinking. What’re the odds you two would want to go for a flight?”
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 15, 2023 17:40:09 GMT -6
"Road to Dawn"
Light Saga: False Light, True Heir part 2
It was probably selfish to put this kind of pressure on him, even if Lumina didn't do this for sheer amusement. Part of going through one's feelings, determining that someone is special outside of a platonic or familial way; was embracing moments head on. She'd done the same yesterday despite every instinct in her mind decrying her decision. She wasn't much further ahead in understanding her own feelings either. There were a few things she did know, as the veteran in their situation. "Yes, Caius~ I will go out on a date with you."
After the embarrassment of having to ask, something that was very forward; there was nothing like the rush of having your request accepted. That was why it was important to verbalize feelings, that's how they gained meaning. Kind of like speaking things into existence. "I'm also going to answer your question, about why I have feelings for you." she admits with a nod. It was rude to keep him waiting on that front, had she been in a more controlled state of mind, she'd certainly have had her usual control.
"I am someone who never should have existed. Logically, there should only be one Claire Farron. Only through the carelessness of a god, was I able to become a vessel for Serah's heart and soul. Otherwise, part of Claire would be missing and likely, if I could not take form, Serah would be gone forever." that...was a very heavy start, whilst still sticking to Lumina's one hundred percent transparency.
"Before we met, I thought that one day, my time would be up in Zephon, just as it had before. I thought I might leave before that but clearly, that didn't work out. So, I owe it to you that I'm here right now, on a different road. I suppose that makes you my hero and you didn't use that strength of yours, nor your position, to save me. Just your heart and wisdom, things you take for granted but they make you special, Caius."
Having seen her end before, she was prepared to face it again. A dark path that would see the Farron family, down to two as intended. Not that she ever spoke of such to any of them. She need only provide everything that they need and hope that they remembered her. That would have been a mistake, Zephon called her here for a reason. Was she the Claire Farron that Zephon deserved? Absolutely not. They'd gotten that one the first time around. Instead, she was the Claire Farron that Zephon needed.
Mog having picked up on the situation the night before, would always be there for Lightning. For there was no difference in his eyes. Especially as she wasn't quite out the woods after all. So he slipped into his role rather comfortably and had already built up a good rapport before hand. He also got to learn a good bit about this version of Light. Monsters didn't see her as a threat at all. She'd beckoned them quite a few times in Mog's presence (was that ever a shock. It was one thing when Serah and Noel did it in the past...). There was something else too, especially as it regarded Vordun specifically.
When encouraged to pet him, Lumina moved to do just that and further spoke up, "Do you know what kind of Dragon Vordun is?" Thus far in her nearly two years, soon to be three on Zephon; she had encountered various types. Giving Vordun her affection was fun and simple enough, thanks to her experiences. She'd admittedly lost herself in playing with Vorun that she let out a soft, 'huh' at the mention of a preferred name.
"I've never been asked that before." letting out a soft hum, she felt that her chance to choose her fate presented itself once more. "When we're alone, you can call me Claire. I don't intend to abandon the name my parents gave me again." she had said similar to Serah some time ago after their reunion. "That said~ I do like the nicknames people give me. Your chosen one is especially cute. If that makes you more comfortable, then you can use that. Alternatively, Serah's taken to calling me Clarity, after one of Claire's classmates gave me that name to distinguish us. Being the angel is hard sometimes." making that joke was difficult this time around, so it sounded very flat, as if she didn't believe it anymore.
Fortunately, she wasn't going to bring the mood down. "Flying huh~? I'll have you know I'm experienced. Ah but I wonder if that takes some of the fun out of it for you. Seeing as I'm going to have to teach you to dance, tomorrow? Tell you what~? I'll just pretend I know nothing and you can hold onto me."
"I'll just...stay in Lightning's lap, kupo..." Mog wasn't thrilled but given his circumstances, that was probably fair.
Post by Caius Dragelion on Apr 15, 2023 19:24:37 GMT -6
The Dragonblades
While Caius doubted she would turn him down considering she had asked him to make the request, it was still nerve wracking for some strange, irrational reason. As if a little voice was recounting all the worst case possibilities in this scenario, as imaginative and ridiculous as they were. He’d found he was holding his breath just a little, and let it out when she accepted. Was this how she felt when she asked for real? Probably even worse, at that? This relationship and dating stuff was seriously stressful. As they headed out the door however, Lumina answered his question from before, in an unorthodox and somewhat cryptic fashion.
She would not be on this road without his ‘heart and wisdom’ she said. That was the reason, put simply, that she felt the way she did. They had not known one another long. But she had taken what he had said and her course had changed. In what way, he wasn’t sure. And now it had influenced her own feelings. Caius was both confused, sheepish and flustered all at once over that. He didn’t really know what to say or do, besides slowly nod along in some semblance of understanding.
His heart and wisdom, what did she mean? Was she talking about what he’d said that led hed to regain her form? He may have spoken what he could, but it was her that had found her way back to her power, right? Maybe this is what she meant by his taking it for granted.
Well, it wasn’t what he expected. But it seemed that specific incident had chosen her desired relationship partner. Was that how this stuff worked? He wasn’t sure. He would have to think about it for a little while longer.
She asked what kind of dragon Vordun was, around the time that her attempt to pet him was met with her being showered in slobbery affection. Giant puppy indeed. “According to the books, he’s a Fire Drake” Caius answered then. “He also seems to have interfaced with my powers somehow. I can whistle in a way that only he knows. So I don’t know everything there is to know about his kind and what they can do.”
As was par for the course with Lumina, her preferred name was confusing. Caius thought it over a bit. “If you’re comfortable with Claire, I can, though that might get confusing considering I’m friends with the younger Claire too” Caius admitted quietly as he would materialize a big dragon saddle and started working on getting Vordun all set up. “I’ve been calling you Lumina all this time without thought that you might prefer your original name, my apologies for that. I only thought of it when Mog called you Lightning. I quite like Lumey, but I will go with what you prefer.”
With that, Vordun was all saddled up and Caius climbed aboard. He held out a hand to Lumina, figuring Mog would sit down once she was up. “Shall we?”
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 16, 2023 12:58:16 GMT -6
"Road to Dawn"
Light Saga: False Light, True Heir part 3
"Fire Drake? Oh, I see~" true enough Lumina had encountered such but in the most unlikely places. In the course of her own arrival in Zephon, she was found at the Metaia Temple. She learned now that she was in the same spot the Parasite had been, when it was luring friends into a trap. It hurt that she couldn't name this special friend, only the sentiments of that failed battle remained. Tainting her own awakening in some regards. Whilst adding newfound clarity where she lacked so much. Ever vulnerable, the children of chaos as she affectionately called monsters; had come to protect her at the time. That was a fire drake as she recalled. She was quite deep within the temple, scores of zombies were about. They succumbed in time though said dragon could only go so far in the journey, on account of space. There was many moments where she had to go it alone. Until other Monsters could come about and aid her in getting to Pyebwa Outpost.
At the outpost, she was treated for injuries and tended to by the displaced scholars and monks who had a keen interest in the temple. Having experienced much of it, Lumina had a lot to share. One of the monks felt it wise to guide her northward as with her amnesia, she could only get so much care within the outpost. She traveled with a merchant caravan who knew the way. Passing through Yanovich Waterway until they'd arrive in Sonora's territory. Lumina was brought to Mount Hotan once inside Sonora's domain, where she stayed for some time prior to entering Sonora's capital proper.
Even as she was slobbered on, that she could recall her friend who so came like a divine intervention. Other dragons had come to her aid since, seemingly they could distinguish unique powers of Outlanders. This caused Lumina who had to close one eye from the drool, to look with her visible right eye to Caius. He mentioned Vordun interfaced with his powers, which begged the question. "You haven't shared much about your powers, given Serah's regaled you on what I can do. Might be some nice flight discussion~" first though, she'd need to clean herself off a bit.
Moving a short distance away, she'd whip her hair around once. Using some soft and ingenius applications of her magic, she'd clean herself off. Likely splashing Mog playfully, who let out a surprised gasp in the process before wiggling about to clean himself off. Now they could address that ever so important topic of her name. Combing her left hand through her hair for a moment, she looked contemplative. "I don't mind if it's too awkward for you to call me Claire, well, in private that is. It'd just be nice to hear you say it once." that was her selfish wish that she couldn't help but smile for as she combed her hair out.
"Well, I like Lumey too so if that's comfortable for you then it's fine. You did come up with it, so that makes it special too." she'd admit once she was done with her hair. No doubt her twin would have scolded her if she didn't try to upkeep her appearance. It was young Claire's mission to actively prevent Lumina from the simple and somewhat elegant look of a guardian and soldier. Entirely Mog's fault for showing what she would look like in the future but she deserved that truth.
With Vordun saddled up, she'd take Caius hand and get onboard. Mog did indeed float on over to rest in Light's lap. Before they'd lift off, Lumina decided to playfully add something, "I really like how considerate you are, it's a rather charming trait of yours. I should have added it to my list~" she meant every word and was practically glowing as she said it. Yet the mischievous way she opted to use such a fact, was distinctly her own style.
"What would Serah say if she heard all this flirting, kupo~?" this response earned Mog a slightly more assertive embrace, squeezing the moogle.
