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year 5, quarter 3
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Post by Claire Farron on May 10, 2023 16:25:43 GMT -6
"Clarissa"
Light Saga: Hidden Lights
Well, this was awkward, very awkward. Sure, Lumina knew that as part of her earnest pursuit, she'd have to reveal this hidden life she'd been living. She also knew that said life was more suited to a younger form. Well...she was due for the growth spurt, Claire would likely be going through it soon. Time...had flown by so fast in Zephon, it was surreal.
So, she'd met Caius in Sonora, poor guy had been here longer than anticipated. To the point where her mandatory board meeting had come up. Fortunately, Claire was on an overnight extended trip and in safe care. Much to her chagrin, Claire insisted Mog stay with Lumina. The added worry of her sisters as of late, was justified, of course. It was just an awkward position as one who was used to providing and protecting. Granted, dealing with vulnerability was what made her Lumina. None of that would matter here, in Sonora.
So, Clarissa who dressed...as one would expect of a modern fashionista, bearing in mind their location naturally was accompanied not by her self-proclaimed Butler. Oh no, instead it was her protective Guardian. They had been wrapping up a 'Father-daughter date', as it were, when she spotted Caius. Not being mentally prepared, it was Mog who set the gears in motion.
"Oh, hey Caius, over here, kupo!" Mooog, why, what about reading the room or so Lumina was thinking. Mog had received his introduction to her family here and it was quite a smooth process. Why he then felt introducing Caius to her adoptive Father figure, would be equally as smooth, left her shaking nervously. Her Guardian wasn't like her real Dad, who was quite easy going. This was a principled man, sometimes stern, very protective and cautious. The majority of their date thus far, was him talking about how much she'd grown. He insisted on making sure that she look her best today too. Lumina's hair was partially braided, bangs swept to the right side, slightly concealing her right eye. Her ordinarily unruly fringe was perfectly straightened.
She was wearing a lovely white coat, fur trimmed that had a hood, though she wasn't wearing it. The black skirt was ruffle and the stockings she wore were a light pink, closer to an off white. With black ankle length winter boots to finish off the ensemble. Mog was also wearing an adorable red jacket to keep warm as he floated along Lumina's left side.
"F-fancy meeting you here, today...of all days." Lumina remarked, trying to hold some composure. Whether it was convincing, the older man to her right didn't indicate either way. His stony expression looked over the man as they approached, before looking to his adoptive daughter and speaking:
"Clarissa, where did you meet this gentleman?"
She paused for a moment, before gesturing he lean over before whispering. Sonora and Torensten may have reached some peace but she wasn't about to bring them up here of all places. That whole aspect of their operations was largely obfuscated with shell companies and such. Either way, there stood the CEO of Radiant Dawn Corpation and the Chairman of Radiant Dawn, respectively.
Post by Caius Dragelion on May 11, 2023 8:59:56 GMT -6
The Dragonblade
Caius had definitely been here for longer than he would have liked. He'd warned Lumina that it could be a few weeks to a month, depending on how long it took for them to put their plan into motion. A plan he had not made Lumina privy to, for her own safety. Getting into a Sonoran gulag had proved to be more difficult than they had hoped, so it was beginning to look like it was going to take awhile. Caius had spent a fair bit of the planning process just trying to adjust to Sonora, blend in and find ways to stay busy.
In time, however, he found himself missing Torensten. Missing the Rest, and missing the Farron sisters. There had been a few days that he even found himself wishing that he was off on another date with Lumina instead of meandering around a place that he felt like he didn't belong. A place that felt like a bastardization of Lucis and the few things that Caius was even remotely nostalgic about. In time, he knew. He needed to get out of the city at least.
Unfortunately Mt. Hotan was even more cold-as-balls than the city. And apparently he had shown up at the same time as some festival. Unfamiliar with Sonora’s culture and never staying long enough to find out, Caius was definitely taken aback by the surprising surge of activity here. It seemed no matter where he went, Sonora’s hustle, bustle, and with it their military presence, followed.
Caius had been wandering around, trying to figure out what he was doing. He’d momentarily met and spoken to one of Cloud’s friends, which was nice, but he had once again found himself alone here. However, all of a sudden he heard a familiar voice in the distance.
“Mog?”
And where Mog went, that always meant soon behind was…
Lumina, with a strange older man in tow. What was she doing here? Meanwhile, the older man had a stern, but refined look, one that matched Lumina’s description of…
Ah.
Caius scratched his head sheepishly. The “dad” figure she mentioned, if he was to guess. Caius himself wore a winter jacket, unzipped over a black suit. Probably be the nicest he’d dressed in front of Lumina if he removed the jacket. At least he was dressed for a good first impression, though he definitely wasn’t ready to make one.
“Claire” he greeted quietly with a nod as he approached, ensuring the actual name was said out of earshot.
And definitely wasn’t ready for the question posed the minute he got there. The question was for Lumina, but she froze up. Though she had been shaking since the moment she saw him, really. Caius knew he’d have to think of something. Although Lumina then started whispering something to him, and he was sure she had a good one, so he did try to listen in if he could.
“My name is Caius, sir. I run a rising business in Provo. Soldiers for hire, essentially, filling the void left by Provo’s law enforcement. We’ve accompanied Miss Clarissa on occasion during her forays outside of Sonora” he did introduce himself then, since they were still in a public place and ears were everywhere. He purposely omitted Torensten. While he could get away with an ID card that listed him as a Torensten citizen, he imagined it wouldn’t look favorable to publicly say he ran a business over there. Provo was a better choice.
Fortunately, while Caius wasn’t a good liar. He did know how to word the truth in a way that highlighted exactly the right details. Nothing of what he had just said was wrong. But it did leave out parts. Caius was ok with lying by omission.
Clarissa, huh? So that was what she meant before, this was the name she used here.
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 May 14, 2023 12:03:58 GMT -6
"Clarissa"
Light Saga: The 3rd Birthday, pt. 1
As Caius listened in, Lumina wasn't particularly secretive with her whisper, so he'd hear the following:
"This is...ahem, the special person I mentioned, which is to say...thepersonI'dliketobemyboyfriend, that person!"
It was one thing having to rewind her age to twelve once, then she had to do it again when arriving in Zephon complete with a fragmented memory. This second time around had more complications and worse, she had to manage her aging too. This just proved it was all fun and games...until it was serious. Also another reminder of "be careful what you wish for". Having thought it'd be nice to get a redo on her lost childhood, really her teen years, Zephon had granted her wish. Complete with a twin sister so she'd enjoy it twice as much!
All the complication, which she'd deftly handled for nearly three years, paled in comparison to the simplistic problem she faced presently. How does one present the person they like, to their Father? Hindsight being twenty-twenty, maybe... maybe, she should have gone easier on Snow and Serah. Certainly explained why Serah hid him from her, even though; like every good parent, she'd met him in spite of Serah's best efforts. Talk about getting her just desserts now!
Caius, in contrast, seemed to handle this far better than she is. A little reminder that Lumina wasn't as mature and wise as she projected. Really nice save with the Provo mention, she was impressed, still embarrassed, but impressed! Further contrast then, was the chairman, who maintained his stony visage in the wake of this introductory exchange.
"Ah, a Provo-man, I see, I see. I'm glad you've been accompanying Clarissa, after that incident with Jules de Lune's Manor..."
this was when that exterior melted to reveal...a rather earnest, worrywart of a man.
"Father, I'm fine, really." at the time and even in the immediate aftermath from flying away, the traumatic impact hadn't fully processed. She had been kidnapped and experimented on. Only for the facsimile of chaos that she wielded, to screw up her captor's experiment. "Besides, Mr. Caius was there~" well, if she was going to suffer, no sense not giving in to her own capricious nature. Her twin was always referencing Caius in such a fashion, so why not try it out, see what it was like?
Said Father sighed and wiped his brow. Giving Caius a sympathetic look before proceeding to further embarrass "the Saviour".
"This isn't the first time you've been kidnapped, Clarissa. I know you're stronger now but I wish you were more mindful of your limitations and those around you that can help."
His words left Lumina looking rather guilty, as the real Clarissa hadn't survived that first kidnapping. In her place, blood soaked and seemingly left for dead, was Lumina. For that day, an outworlder died and Clarissa survived. At least, that's what the records showed. She'd been separated from the scholars she accompanied to Sonora. Finding out sometime later that two had died and the others...still not found.
Post by Caius Dragelion on May 14, 2023 14:43:01 GMT -6
The Dragonblade
Caius had been listening in for practical reasons. Getting her story so he could ensure he didn’t step on her toes while spinning his own.
But what Caius expected was certainly not what he heard. He didn’t hear any other details except one very intimate one.
Oh.
So, the pressure was on then. Lumina had just placed a very big target right there on his forehead. Told her “father” that Caius was the man she wanted to date. Set some real lofty expectations there, she did. The fact that Caius managed to deliver what he said with a straight face was a miracle in of itself, but it was soon after that he averted his eyes and chewed the inside of his cheek nervously. Maybe she could have broken that to him a little more slowly? Or waited until there was some guarantee they were going to be dating? No? No chance of that?
Things only got worse when he brought up the manor. Lumina intervened to mention he was there, though, so at least he could be more honest on that. Though something about the "this isn't the first time you've been kidnapped" stuck to him. Was it the way he said it? Or the fact that Lumina had been kidnapped before?
Something was off, and the vibe that came from Lumina afterwards made this feel even more off. To the point that while Caius' initial gut instinct was to laugh when he said she had "limitations", it was quickly quashed by the pressure of that. Something was very off here. She had mentioned having to live up to the life and legacy "Clarissa" once, hadn't she? What did that even mean? How did she even end up in a circumstance where she was Clarissa here with this guy as her father?
She had a lot of explaining to do once they could find some time alone.
"If I can be honest, sir. In my experience, Miss Clarissa is more than capable of handling herself. If it is any comfort" Caius brought up at that. "Though I do agree she could afford to lean on her fellows a bit more..." he added as he turned to stare at Lumina in kind. She really could. Especially with Serah. "Regardless, what brings you two up here?"
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 May 14, 2023 16:10:01 GMT -6
"Clarissa"
Light Saga: The 3rd Birthday, pt. 2
"I agree, kupo! I can fight too, I'll always be here to help Miss Clarissa no matter what, kupo~" clearly, Mog had easily adjusted which meant he'd likely been privy for much longer. Thus, Clarissa scoffed, causing Mog to visibly flinch, pom standing upright! Beneath the dolled up surface, was his sworn rival after all.
As for what brought them up here, "We're finishing up our Father-daughter date. Mount Hotan is...a very special place for us. This is where we decided to change our dynamic from distant relatives, to Father and Daughter, respectively. Well, I had to pass a test first." this time when Lumina huffed, it was much more cute rather than her serious scoff prior. This reaction only got her Father to laugh.
"Clarissa, you were the one who insisted you had special powers and could handle yourself. The test, if you recall, was said as a joke. I was going to have you move to Provo for awhile, so that you would be safe."
An idea which didn't sit well with her, for Claire Farron was no damsel! Sitting in a nice, ivory manor was not an option. Not after what happened, she had to go above and beyond... for the real Clarissa.
"She certainly caused quite the commotion and still ended up in Provo but on her own terms. Ah but these conversations are ones we should have in private. We've got very comfortable accommodations with complete privacy. After hitting the slopes so vigorously, I'd certainly like to sit down. Please, Caius, join us, I can see about getting a meal delivered and give you two a moment."
Lumina looked uncertain if she should protest but given the warm yet firm look on her legal Guardian's face, she stopped and smiled faintly. The reason for her conflict, was because they had been spending the day together thus far and he'd done so much for her over the years. Then there was the fact that Clarissa's birthday was coming up soon. Lumina's first birthday as Clarissa was harrowing to say the least. Just as she was thinking "he really is a good man", came a mischievous remark right out of her own playbook:
"As it is, she's spoken non-stop about you, Caius. So I want to confirm all the stories myself, after I warm my old bones up, no rush, no rush."
Immediately, Lumina protested: "Y-you asked for c-credentials, I..." her youthful expressions didn't seem to indicate she was suffering from a certain parasite at all. "I think the ring gave it away, kupo." Mog slyly added which caused the Chairman to erupt into laughter. Mog also chuckled though he had the curtesy to stifle his laughter a bit.
"That's right, Mog, I need to see the matching ring! Come, come."
beckoning they all follow, Lumina gave up the idea of protesting further, giving Caius an apologetic look. She was red from head to toe admittedly but her outfit obscured most of it. This didn't stop her from smiling when she felt her Father and Mog weren't looking. The two went on ahead, sharing little stories she'd told them about thus far.
For her part, she was happy to invoke her right to remain silent, as she held out her hand for Caius to take.
Post by Caius Dragelion on May 14, 2023 20:13:44 GMT -6
The Dragonblade
Father-daugher date? Oh…
“My apologies if I am intruding” he spoke then, at least knowing from books that he had read, mainly the fantasy kind, that these kinds of affairs were generally rare but meant to be meaningful. Though the mention of them “deciding” to “become” father and daughter, and there being a test involved… One that Lumina had insisted on at that, well. Caius was very clearly confused, it was written all over his face and he wasn’t subtle about it. Sure, she had dropped a cryptic hint before, but also there was a parasite involved so Caius hadn’t exactly been zeroing in on that detail at the time.
Apparently he’d tried to send her to Provo, then she refused and… Went to Provo. And then wound up in Torensten, but it sounded like she probably hadn’t mentioned that part. With Sonora’s propaganda, he wasn’t surprised. But before Caius could excuse himself to let them finish their day together, her father bade he accompany them. Caius blinked a few times, confused. Wasn’t this a father-daughter day?
“I couldn’t impose on your special day together-“
Nope, he wanted to confirm stories she had told about him. What in the world had she been telling butler sonora dad about him? That was even more concerning. Because he had a feeling he didn’t know if he could measure up to whatever it was she was saying.
“The ring gave what away?”
Oh and apparently he knew about the matching rings too. Fantastic. He wanted to see them too. Caius wanted to bury himself in the nearest snowbank, why did he feel so unbearably awkward about this? It was just meeting her dad, right? Her not-really dad who was part of her double-life. Who acted like her actual dad and she looked at him as such. Who seemed to dote on her quite a bit and would have high expectations of a boyfriend for her-
Ok maybe he did know why he felt awkward.
Caius didn’t know what to say at all as dad got to stepping. And then Lumina after all that had the audacity to want him to hold her hand. In front of her dad. Caius stared at her for a moment, clearly flummoxed. Wouldn’t this normally be a thing for proper couples? This was quite forward…
Well, if it’s what she wanted. Caius took a deep breath as he took her hand, though had to be careful not to turn his initial grip from a squeeze into a crunch.
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 Jun 8, 2023 9:04:04 GMT -6
"Clarissa"
Light Saga: The 3rd Birthday, pt. 3
"There's no point in being nervous now, kupo." Mog states, arms crossed and appearing to be rather sagely. True enough, as Caius was slowly processing the information, it seemed there was a twinkle in the eyes of the Chairman. By the time the two were holding hands he and Mog were laughing and talking about a variety of topics. They seemed to keep a pace that was just enough ahead of the two, so they could talk but not enough that they'd end up getting lost.
"This probably feels...too soon but Fate operates on a different schedule than ours." her smile was faint, the kind that took quite a bit of strength to do, ahead of adversity. The real question now was, where should Lumina begin? For both her lives were intersecting and it was all thanks to her infection."So...where should I start from, would you like to hear the good news or the bad news?"
In Lumina's mind, the good news was Torensten was safe. By the time she started to feel the parasite having an influence on her behaviour, she was on route to Sonora. Therefore, no chance of anyone there coming down with starscourge. Sonora on the other hand? Given her right eye was concealed...
"Also, there's someone I'd like you to meet. Unless you've run into her already. My self-proclaimed butler has been attending to her on my behalf. He's probably watching over her now." Lumina hoped that her special guest was able to relax and have some fun as part of the festivities. They'd been overly relying on her since the outbreak. The hidden ace the parasite had, since it was failing to completely wrest control of Lumina's body. That said, it had been making some gains on that goal too.
So that underlying problem trumped all the others but they were interconnected. There was a major supply-chain issue that was affecting Radiant Dawn. It had started with some of the more...grey area, daresay black market imports from Torensten. Now there supply of 'Dust' was also being impacted. The official PR was terrorists but this was sabotage as far as Lumina was concerned. As for who did it, unfortunately; Lumina didn't have a clue. Sure, they were investigating and working with the local authorities. An ironic twist given her initial smuggling of Dust years prior.
All of this converging at Mount Hotan, had to be Fate. Lumina had become convinced of that, as she stopped at the door after Mog and her adoptive Father went inside to get things ready. "Once you step inside, it won't just be my life that you'll be intertwined with." it felt only right to warn him, that now he'd be involved in Clarissa's life too. "I...also won't be able to leave Sonora for awhile. Not in my current state. I also...might have caused some trouble back home, before I arrived..." Admittedly, regarding that trouble in Torensten; she was quite happy to cause it. All was fair in love and business, as they say.
Post by Caius Dragelion on Jun 8, 2023 17:47:12 GMT -6
The Dragonblade
Fate, she said. Funny. "I see the cold hasn't robbed you of your sense of humor" Caius commented, with the slightest hints of an amused smile curling at the edges of his mouth. He kept sneaking glances ahead at Sonora Dad, unsure of what he would say about the handholding. But he'd made the decision to oblige her, so he'd just have to live with the consequences. That had been what she had been referring to, right?
But then it turned out that she wasn't, in fact, talking about that.
His expression turned to concern. Good news and bad news? What in the world had he missed? He could believe she was just here because she needed to tend to some business in Sonora, but it sounded like it might be more than that. After a long sigh, he squeezed her hand a bit. "Just... Go with either. I'm already going to be stressing without you keeping me in suspense."
Then came talk of someone he needed to meet, that butler-dad had been watching over. Was it dad or was it butler? Which was it? "I think you need to pick a name for him, Lumey" Caius spoke softly at that. "It's not nice to call your father a butler."
Lumina stopped him at the door as Mog and Dad went ahead. Then came the warning. Was this what the bad news was? She talked about something he'd be intertwined with, and Caius blinked a few times in puzzlement. But then came the fact that she couldn't leave Sonora for awhile... And that she'd done something in Torensten.
Caius let out a low, exasperated groan as he lowered his head, unwittingly bringing his forehead to hers in the process. He didn't seem to mind, however. Well, there was the bad news. So where was the good news?
"I've only been gone a few weeks, Claire. What did you do?" he asked then, moving to look her in the eyes. Though only up close did he realize her eye was covered. Morbidly curious, he brought his arm up to try to move the covering. He didn't think too much of it, likely just her hair getting too long, but...
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 Jun 16, 2023 11:08:28 GMT -6
"Clarissa"
Light Saga: The 3rd Birthday, pt. 4 Another Side, another Story.
Fate had a funny way of handling itself, leaving Lumina to giggle as there were moments where surely, the Chairman would or should have turned to look at the two. Except he didn't and it was a wonder if he knew what the two were up to. His body language didn't provide much hints, only deep and hearty chuckles. Mog seemed to occupy his intentions in full, sparing any consequences that would have been had.
Caius squeeze of her hand, only brought on a guilty expression. The kind which meant she'd gotten into mischief and was clearly in way over her head. So perhaps it was no surprise when she delayed this news for a moment, latching onto Caius remarks regarding her Father. She raised her visible left brow, before shaking her head and laughing. "Dad...is Dad. My 'butler', as I like to call him, is actually my cousin, Lorenzo. Since I'm usually away, he handles a lot of stuff and recently, he's been taking care of someone on my behalf. A fellow Outlander, she has...amazing powers but her memory is gone completely. I've never seen it this bad, when he told me, I made sure to let him use all my resources to take care of her." she explains though in doing so, she clearly changed the subject completely. That wasn't the only thing, she had slipped into character, as it were. Referring to Clarissa's cousin and Clarissa's adoptive Father, as her own.
That slip was just the beginning, this was why she had to stop him at the door. It was one thing to let Caius into her own life, she'd happily done so and went with the flow. This was Clarissa's life that was about to be breeched. Attempting to keep the two divided, when they 'neatly' coalesced was impossible. So, she searched his eyes, with an expression not her own, that she had trained to attain. Claire had a bashful expression, one more fitting of Clarissa at the mention of what did she do.
Thoughts swirled through her mind and distracted her from the morbid curiosity bubbling within Caius. She didn't stop him, largely because he had surprised her by the somewhat intimate touch. Parting her bangs to the side, revealed blackened sclera and a bright, star coloured iris. "Ah..." her reaction was mild, a soft gasp of surprise before maintaining a brave and inviting disposition. She wouldn't look away, nor close her eye. Instead she kept a faint smile before replying. "I broke an Outlander out of a noble's dungeon."
Setting the stage with that remark, she shifted to what likely mattered more, "I left Torensten after that, to lay low. I had a board meeting coming up here, so I had to return home." it felt strange to call Sonora home but it was the first of the cities that she came upon and thus, the unaccounted tales started here.
"When I arrived in Sonora, I learned of some distressing incidents regarding...My company, Radiant Dawn Corporation. The 'guest' that's trying to steal my body, felt that was an opportunity to embrace Motherhood. I didn't know that she could do that. Needless to say, the infection count has risen. They're being kept at a private hospital to prevent the outbreak spreading. While I'm...out here, being quarantined." she sighed now and that front of bravery, shattered.
A tear streamed down from her now exposed right eye. "What a way to kick off my third birthday, as Clarissa Fairborn..." only then did she look away. Eyes distant as she began to recollect her first time in Mount Hotan. A caravan of scholars had went north from Metaia, through Kahiko and settled here. Only to be caught up in a terrible incident, an assassination attempt. Really, they had succeeded, calling it an attempt was just publicity. All because an outlander of similar size and features was caught in the crosshairs. On that day, an outlander was declared deceased and Clarissa was spared.
"It should have been me, I'm so sorry..."
Tag:Caius Dragelion Theme:Another Side Notes:Lumina text pink (thoughts in italics), Mog text blue, Guardian quoted text.
Post by Caius Dragelion on Jun 16, 2023 14:22:00 GMT -6
The Dragonblade
So butler and dad were actually different people. Had he met Lorenzo before? He could almost swear he had before, earlier in his time in Sonora, and her explanation of someone who had amazing powers but lost her memory... Was that her, the one she was talking about? "I believe I met them some time ago, though I cannot guarantee" he mused aloud, but otherwise nodded at her explanation.
She said a lot of other things. Said that she broke an outlander out of a noble's dungeon. That it was her "third birthday" as "Clarissa". But only two things registered at that moment. And that was seeing her eye. And hearing that the scourge was spreading to others in Sonora. It was getting worse... And the evidence was right in front of his eyes.
His grip on her hand became very hard and tight for a moment, before he regained his awareness. But the pure horror and panic in his face said it all. The way that his hands had started to shake. The way that the corner of his lip trembled, as though he were holding back tears. How many times now, since first setting out on his own, had he seen the starscourge’s effects on the infected? While it wasn’t the exact same here, he knew the signs. He knew when it was clearly getting worse, and what it was leading to. To see it in someone that he cared for so deeply, was…
Seeing her this way hurt him. Seeing her this way panicked him. His breathing changed, becoming more rushed, as though his heart had suddenly started beating several times more quickly. It was one thing to see signs of the parasite, see the temporary shows of control. But to see something he recognized, realizing how far the starscourge had woven into her, knowing that her time was likely running out. It was clear as day that the familiar sight caused him more pain than any battle wound ever could have.
“We… We need to find Noctis. Soon. He’s in Sonora” Caius spoke up, the panic clearly setting into his voice as he almost seemed to hold back a sob. It was a rare sight for him to break that stoic demeanor and genuinely fall into a clearly distressed state like this, but she was getting worse and for perhaps the first time since they had met, or the first time since just about anyone had known him really, that look on his face was one thing, clear as day.
Fear. Absolute fear. Not in his own safety, but hers. For someone that he cherished.
“In my time, he-He purged it. The starscourge, I mean. And he… I… I don’t know if the one here knows how, but he’s the only person I know alive that has the capability right now.”
Except Lunafreya. And if that was indeed her, she didn’t remember a thing. Much less had access to her powers. Noctis was Lumina’s best hope right now. But he was...
"... But he's out of town, preparing for business. I don't know where he is, I don't have a phone, I can't reach him, I-"
Something even more rare. Genuine anger. Caius seethed in frustration as he looked away, seemingly remembering something.
"Damnit! I should have-I should have-when I had the chance. It was half the reason I came here!" he found himself lamenting, finally starting to take a deep breath, then another, trying to calm himself the moment it was clear he'd begun flaring up again.
He was blaming himself. That was what he was doing. He was kicking himself for not getting what advice he could on the starscourge situation, he'd let the breakout be more important. While it was indeed the main objective, and his loyalty to Noctis' mission did come first...
From a personal perspective, the older Claire was his priority. And he'd shirked that priority at the worst possible time.
In time, he'd have questions. About Clarissa. About what she'd done in Torensten. About the infected. But right now, all he could see was that eye. And what it meant for her.
"We need to find a cure" he stated the obvious, clearly still trying to get his bearings. He hadn't even let go of her hands despite her making clear the level of infection she was at. Even if Caius was resistant, the scourge still brought back terrible memories. But he was far more afraid of the possibility that if he let go, she would be gone.
"It's a long shot, but... There's a woman I met some time ago. She looks just like the Lady Lunafreya from my world. She... She can heal any wound or disease, and could even purge the Starscourge from the infected. But this woman doesn't appear to know anything about it, or much at all. Her memory is gone, so I cannot confirm it's her. If she does recover..."
He stopped himself. "What am I doing?" Caius asked himself then, taking another break, trying to regain his senses. "I can't prove a thing about that, I'm sorry, I must..."
A long sigh. As reality hit him in the face. He was chasing a passing resemblance in his desperation. It was completely out of character for how he usually did things. "I must look and sound ridiculous. You're here with your father, and here I am making a mess of it. I have... Questions, but let us head inside. I will keep trying to find His Highness, try not to worry too much."
