[She's known it for some time, but never heard of how it came to be that way until only recently and while she was happy to hear it, knowing what she does now makes having him here much more trying.]
Last I saw them, Caius said that he and Yeul would be the ones to watch over the cycle of life and death in Etro's place, but... from what I heard, Caius freed her from the fate of the Seeress so she could come with us to the New World, and she did.
[Her voice and words grow sharper.]
It was almost going to be me who stayed behind. God's plan was to make me the goddess who would shepherd the souls of the dead. Someone has to do it, but it was Caius instead.
—tch.
[Lightning's hand slides out from his so that she can fold her arms, and her shoulders tense up around her neck. It hadn't really dawned on her until he showed up but in some strange way, for all the hatred she has for him and all of the suffering he's caused, all Lightning can feel beneath her anger is sorry for him. Not only that, but like she owes him thanks for taking that place in Valhalla and for freeing Yeul – that's what angers her the most.]
[ He can't imagine Lightning wishing it were her who stayed behind, nor would Gladio particularly want that fate for her. ]
Hm. Who knows, maybe it was you who needed saving in the end...
[ Not because she's weak or anything, he thinks, but he had been wondering for a while if someone like the Saviour needed their soul saved as well. He's fairly sure she'll fight him on this, though, and he has no intentions of riling her up, so he quickly moves on unless he wants to be zapped in his sleep tonight. ]
Claire... whatever happened in the old world... maybe it's best to leave it there.
[Her disagreement is distinct across her features at that sentiment. Caius had done her no favours as far as she's concerned – he is the reason their world would up the way that it is now, and if he hadn't meddled with the timeline, Lightning might have had the chance to start building a life in their new home with Serah and the others.
She's not going to dwell on it at the moment, though, because regardless of the defenses she so quickly built up around herself just now, he still manages to draw a soft laugh out of her.]
There's still a lot I haven't told you.
[Namely, that he hit the nail right on the head: at the end of the day, the one person who needed to be saved the most was herself... but that's a story for another time. For now, Lightning takes him by the hand again and tries to tug him, gently, off his chair to join her in bed.]
Maybe it is better that way, but there are things that I can't forgive. Caius is here now, and I have to watch out for my family.
[If he does join her, Lightning will make room, but it's not without extending her pinky finger at him and hooking it around his at the first opportunity.]
[ He was always going to join her there, but the tug at his hand is a clear signal that he should do it now rather than later. Happily, he obliges without much of a fight. He's also very close to pointing out that her family is his family, too, but thankfully she cuts him off before the words come out of his mouth. It's only fortunate in the sense that he wonders if that's a big step for them, to consider each other family already...
...but it wouldn't be wrong if they did.
Wait, is she pinky-swearing him something?! ]
Huh? You bein' serious right now?
[ does she not realize how adorable she's being, he won't ever let her live this down... ]
[Lightning is a little thrown off and confused by his question because no, she doesn't realize how adorable she's being. Accept the pinky-swear!! >:T
Whatever he was going to say about family, what she's about to promise should make it perfectly clear where she stands on the matter, even if neither of them is prepared to say it out loud just yet. He was her family before he even knew her name...
Her pinky gives his a squeeze.]
We'll stand by each other, no matter what.
[Through hell or high water, because that's what partners do. It doesn't need to be said because they both know as much already, but it doesn't cost anything for them to remind one another of it when they can. Lightning is so used to doing things alone, so it helps to be able to say it, if not for his sake than for hers. There's no sense in her vowing to protect him from Caius, or from anyone for that matter, because what was it he'd said to her?]
We can't protect a shield, but two of us are better than one, right?
[❤ Something along those lines. It gets her point across well enough, she hopes...]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
[She's known it for some time, but never heard of how it came to be that way until only recently and while she was happy to hear it, knowing what she does now makes having him here much more trying.]
Last I saw them, Caius said that he and Yeul would be the ones to watch over the cycle of life and death in Etro's place, but... from what I heard, Caius freed her from the fate of the Seeress so she could come with us to the New World, and she did.
[Her voice and words grow sharper.]
It was almost going to be me who stayed behind. God's plan was to make me the goddess who would shepherd the souls of the dead. Someone has to do it, but it was Caius instead.
—tch.
[Lightning's hand slides out from his so that she can fold her arms, and her shoulders tense up around her neck. It hadn't really dawned on her until he showed up but in some strange way, for all the hatred she has for him and all of the suffering he's caused, all Lightning can feel beneath her anger is sorry for him. Not only that, but like she owes him thanks for taking that place in Valhalla and for freeing Yeul – that's what angers her the most.]
That's why it's so damn complicated.
no subject
[ He can't imagine Lightning wishing it were her who stayed behind, nor would Gladio particularly want that fate for her. ]
Hm. Who knows, maybe it was you who needed saving in the end...
[ Not because she's weak or anything, he thinks, but he had been wondering for a while if someone like the Saviour needed their soul saved as well. He's fairly sure she'll fight him on this, though, and he has no intentions of riling her up, so he quickly moves on unless he wants to be zapped in his sleep tonight. ]
Claire... whatever happened in the old world... maybe it's best to leave it there.
no subject
She's not going to dwell on it at the moment, though, because regardless of the defenses she so quickly built up around herself just now, he still manages to draw a soft laugh out of her.]
There's still a lot I haven't told you.
[Namely, that he hit the nail right on the head: at the end of the day, the one person who needed to be saved the most was herself... but that's a story for another time. For now, Lightning takes him by the hand again and tries to tug him, gently, off his chair to join her in bed.]
Maybe it is better that way, but there are things that I can't forgive. Caius is here now, and I have to watch out for my family.
[If he does join her, Lightning will make room, but it's not without extending her pinky finger at him and hooking it around his at the first opportunity.]
Hey...
no subject
...but it wouldn't be wrong if they did.
Wait, is she pinky-swearing him something?! ]
Huh? You bein' serious right now?
[ does she not realize how adorable she's being, he won't ever let her live this down... ]
no subject
[Lightning is a little thrown off and confused by his question because no, she doesn't realize how adorable she's being. Accept the pinky-swear!! >:T
Whatever he was going to say about family, what she's about to promise should make it perfectly clear where she stands on the matter, even if neither of them is prepared to say it out loud just yet. He was her family before he even knew her name...
Her pinky gives his a squeeze.]
We'll stand by each other, no matter what.
[Through hell or high water, because that's what partners do. It doesn't need to be said because they both know as much already, but it doesn't cost anything for them to remind one another of it when they can. Lightning is so used to doing things alone, so it helps to be able to say it, if not for his sake than for hers. There's no sense in her vowing to protect him from Caius, or from anyone for that matter, because what was it he'd said to her?]
We can't protect a shield, but two of us are better than one, right?
[❤ Something along those lines. It gets her point across well enough, she hopes...]