030 [Action for Olivine Pokemon Center/Text]

[soggypastry]

[She doesn't think anything of it, at first. There's another three day hole in her memory and she assumes that he's just out of the city or dealing with something. It's happened before and she knows he'll call sooner or later. But when the call doesn't come, even after noon has come and gone, Lightning begins to worry. She tries to call his gear, but there's no answer other than what she's feared the most ever since people started to disappear on her. That cold, robotic tone telling her that he is gone and she wasn't even there when he disappeared.

That well known sentence that leaves no question he won't be answering her again, and he may not even remember her and everything they are. Still, she doesn't cry. Not even when Strike and Lucky pad into her room, Leon's bag in Strike's paws before she gives it to Lightning and goes to Sen, curling into his embrace as Lucky whines, putting her head on Lightning's lap as the woman digs into Leon's bag and comes out with his coat and a letter that she reads once, twice, three times over before it finally sinks in. Now she cries, one broken sounding sob that shouldn't come from a woman who is normally so strong, but when her world has just been rocked upside down...she's not sure what else to do.

Not sure what else she can do but slowly get out of bed and sit with her arms around Lucky, quietly ignoring the world around them for a long time. Those that come into her room will find her like that, Leon's jacket draped around her shoulders and Lucky's head in her lap. She's not likely to move anytime soon, either.]


Leon's gone. He said to tell you he was sorry.

[Private text to: Ventus]
Can you come by for a minute? I need your help with something.

Comments

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[her_mouse_jesty]

[You bet she's coming to see her. In fact, Minnie practically sprints there, opening the doors with a bit too much force.]

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[soggypastry]

[The pair of Lucarios in the corner are the first to react, ears flicking and heads rising to see Minnie come running into the room, but Lightning has a slower reaction. She knows Minnie is there; she can hear and see the other woman just fine, it just takes her a little time to raise her head from where she'd been staring at the floor, fingers weaving patterns in Lucky's fur. She hasn't cried, her eyes are clear and she isn't trying to hide, but she doesn't...she just doesn't know what to say. Not about this.]

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[her_mouse_jesty]

Lightning!

[She keeps running until she gets to her dear friend, and then she throws her arms around her, holding her tight. It's... really all she can do. After all the friends Minnie has lost, she still hasn't found the way to take the sting out of losing them.]

[video]

[paladinlost]

[This is one of the days he wishes he knew how to text others. He'd rather not show how upset that sentence has left him, but he cannot say nothing to Lightning either.]

...I'm sorry. You should have had more time together.

[text]

[soggypastry]

[Lightning herself would have replied in Video, but she doesn't trust herself to not break if she actually puts vocal words to her replies. She doesn't trust herself to hold it together if she actually speaks right now, and so she doesn't. One of these days, someone's going to teach Cecil how to text.]

This place never gives us what we should have, Cecil. You know that. Nine months is more than either of us could have hoped for.

[video]

[paladinlost]

In any other world, nine months would be nothing more than a good start.

[There's a touch of anger there, somewhere beneath the sadness. Sometimes he hates this world, for forcing them to accept what should never be accepted.]

[islandshore]

[If there's one thing he was never expecting to hear, it's that Leon had left. Then again, it explains why he's suddenly in the possession of a maxed out Steelix.

All the same, it's... conflicting. He and Leon weren't always on the best of terms, but it's not like he was a bad guy by any means...]

Wow, I... can't say I expected that.

[And to think he and Ven left Johto under the assumption that Leon would be there for her. It's a good thing Riku's responding in text; it's easier to mask that sliver of guilt.]

You gonna be okay?

[soggypastry]

No one ever does, no matter how many times we've seen it happen before.

[Neither of them expected it; even through everyone else disappearing, Leon had been there. He'd weathered the storms, as it were, of siblings and friends leaving with no warning, and he'd always been stable. It's not that the thought hadn't crossed Lightning's mind before, because it had, but to have it happen...it was a shock for them both, in no uncertain terms.]

I'll be fine. My sister's here.

[Text masks guilt and pain easily, at least, but she's telling the truth. Besides, it's not like she's got the time to fall apart now.]

[islandshore]

Tell me about it. Sora's come and gone four times already, and I still never expect it when it happens.

[And while it's reassuring that her sister's there, he still feels kinda bad. Maybe because she got hurt so recently, and now this...]

[audio]

[tapestodiane]

<sub>[There's hesitation on Cooper's end when he sees the text. He'd considered Leon a friend and the message is saddening, but in his usual fashion he doesn't react immediately other than a slow breath and a moment of stillness.]

[The hesitation, on his part, comes from knowing that Lightning must be much worse off than he is by this turn of events. And he doesn't know Lightning all that well, but he respects her and knows Leon cared deeply for her.]

[So the call comes later. He's never been too good at comfort, and she probably chose text for a reason, but damn it, he dislikes texting.]</sub>

I'm sorry. How are you feeling?

[audio]

[soggypastry]

[By the time Coop actually calls, Lightning's had company and people in and out of her room, telling her how sorry they are and that they're here for her. But she's also had time to think, and she...really has no idea how to feel, other than sad and partly numb. She just knows she's not the only one to have lost Leon today.]

I'll let you know when I figure that out.

[text]

[lif]

Want some company?

Not like you actually have a choice.

[text]

[soggypastry]

Then why did you even ask if you knew the answer?

You can come by, if you want.

[text]

[used_fireblast]

[Harry's beginning to get that this weekend wasn't just a three-day blackout; he's a little surprised that this is the only network post like this so far.]

Sorry for your loss.

[text]

[soggypastry]

[It wouldn't be the first time someone's disappeared right after a black-out, no, but the timing of the disappearances is just so random it only looks bad.]

You say that to everyone who has someone disappear on them?

[impulsives]

...Will you be alright?

[At the very least, he knows the pain of loss very well, and she's one of the leaders of PGC, so yeah.]

[soggypastry]

Not much else I can be. There's too much to do for me to curl up and cry now.

[No matter how much she wants to do that, she doesn't have that luxury. She's got the PGC to lead and so she needs to keep it together. Somehow. Besides, he wouldn't want her to waste her time crying.]

[text]

[ex_aeroga402]

[He'll be a-coming, he's just all the way in Vermillion...]

Light, what's wrong?

[text]

[soggypastry]

[That's...quite a walk. He can stay put, should he wish to; she can manhandle some crutches from the nurses to get this done, really!]

I need to get a letter down to the water, but the nurses are trying to keep me in here and they're being stubborn about it.

[Trying is the operative word, though. She'll bust through 'em soon enough.]

[ action ]

[colorsofthewind]

[ Talim just sort of wanders in, having missed Lightning's text. Still, it's not hard to guess something has happened by the scene she finds in Lightning's room. ]

Lightning? Did something happen?

[ action ]

[soggypastry]

[Not hard to guess at all, really, considering the sadness is palpable and the fact that Lightning doesn't raise her head when Talim enters. Normally she's much more aware of her surroundings, so this...this is a little odd.]

Someone important to me went home.

[Action]

[chasingstorms]

[She'd only been out of the room for a little while, one of her daily "big sis kicked me out before we drive each other nuts" training jaunts more or less. When the message hits the network, it doesn't take her long to head back.]

[She doesn't run and when she enters the room, she doesn't say a word. She just walks over to where Lightning is and settles down onto the floor next to her.]

[When you're ready to talk, bb sis is here. Until then she'll just be a silent reminder that Lightning isn't alone.]

[Action]

[soggypastry]

[For a few while, Lightning sits and doesn't move, stiff as a statue if not for her breathing and her hands gently moving across Lucky's head as she stares at the ground. She knows Serah is there and she appreciates it more than anything else, but if she says anything she's probably going to start breaking down.

And she can't do that. She has to be strong. She has to not let this break her because she can't be broken while so many people need her to lead the Corps and....dammit she hurts. She hurts and she sighs, closing her eyes and speaking quietly.]

He was my first.

[First boyfriend, first romantic love, first time...the implications are there and Serah will know just how much this hurts her big sister because of them. What does she do, bbsis? She doesn't know how to make it stop hurting.]

[video]

[will_to_burn]

[ Hikaru isn't entirely sure who Leon is, but she's more than willing to bet that he's a friend of Lightning and with a message like that, after all that Lightning's gone through lately, she really can't help but be concerned about her friend. ]

Lightning-san? Are you okay?

[video]

[soggypastry]

[The reply is a bit delayed; Lightning's had people in and out of her room since the message went up and has, admittedly, been ignoring her gear for a little, but it does come eventually. She looks...sad. Sadder then when her siblings disappeared on her, but her eyes are clear like she hasn't cried yet. Which she hasn't. That may not be the best thing in the world.]

I will be. Don't have much other choice.