The Hidden L'Cie

The world was pitch black save the starry, animate sky above them at this time of morning. Guided by the light left on by her sister, Lightning stepped around their house looking for the entrance to their small barn. Grass and wooden planks provided flooring for its resident, and its water lay house-side next to the trough for her food. Opposite this, was her shelter. This pen was spacious enough, along with its two loving masters, for one chocobo to live in comfort. 

She stepped towards the shed and saw Cordelia lying in her mound of hay—of course, woken by the sounds and smells of her arrival. Eerie black eyes in the dim light took in her presence. She felt bad for disrupting her sleep at this very time. 

"Sorry, babe," Lightning whispered with a smile. "I need your help." She brushed both sides of the bird's neck with her curled fingers. She spent time showing the gentle beast affection. Hopefully, she had enough time to purchase her own chocobo after work, and perhaps prepare a barn similar to this. When she released the lock of the long rope attached to her leg, the bird stood up, then yawned. "Good girl." 

At that, Cordelia started nudging Lightning's chest with her long beak, then tried poking inside her jacket's pockets. 

"Alright. Needy." 

Lightning procured the gysahl green and hung it up above and away from her head. The chocobo craned her feathery neck and took it. After eating it, it suddenly cried in reinvigoration. 

"Woah!" Lightning tried to settle it down. Soon she equipped its harness, hopped on, closed the gate behind them, and made their way onto the dirt alley of their humble neighbourhood. 

She followed the moonslight, heading towards Tonberry's business central. It would be a thirty-odd minute journey by chocobo-back. 

She was anxious about her new job. Not so much because of the responsibilities it entailed: working for the police as a wildlife incidents investigator, of sorts, which her experience at the end of the line put her in good stead for. But because she had to try out her alias in a new setting. As close to the supposed enemy as you could get… 

Her name was 'Irene Rositier'. Everything else about Irene's history, after the fall, matched with her own. She was the lead survival instructor at Gabo where she made her reputation. She was the popular choice for guardianship jobs whenever it was contractor-specified, speaking of the reputation she'd built, and she was the best going around at wildlife hazard identification and solutions. Most of her vital nuggets of wisdom came from Fang—the Pulsian sisters, as well as the years' accumulative experiences of survival, working with scientists and her own studying, and a touch from her old army training. She was part of many expeditions, and they often turned dangerous. Especially those contemptuous missions of greed for slug oil. She'd seen many dead human bodies, years even after the war, by the hands of Pulsian beasts, not her own. 

Sometimes Lightning found it all—albeit gruesomely—fair, as it was those humans purposefully invading the domain of the beasts, with bad intentions… But, with other cases that came to mind, her human side came out, and there were no other words but tragedy and stupidity, in the coldest sense. 

However, certainly, did the wisdom she possess', thanks to Fang in particular, save the lives of many people, on many occasions. That was her positive outlook. Every day she tried to even the ledger. Do the best she can. 

She looked up to Cocoon. The giant, Lindzei-born structure was held up by its crystal pillar: the place where, inside of its crystal, the two sisters lay rested. Her friends had sacrificed themselves to save the world, them and the rest of them, and that's something Lightning could and would never forget. 

Not even in a million years. 

She started to see the lights of the business district soon, and entering the start of the road she checked the time on her transceiver. She leant off Cordelia's back, relieving her of her weight. Bringing her by the leash instead, they walked the city streets at a leisurely pace. 

No businesses were open at this hour, except the bakery nearby, its lights gleaming on. Its wares and coffee for the early-rising workers. 

Coincidentally, at the end of the road, she spotted what looked to be a chocobo ranch right at the edge of the foreign street. It was wide and behind it was the large, open grass field, she'd seen beyond the trees, where she presumed the chocobos bustled about during the day. As she came closer to it, she could smell them, as well as Cordelia—noted by her edginess. They perhaps dozed beyond a fortified security fence connected to the two-storey building, as they waited for the sun. Lightning inspected its opening hours as best she could. 

'10:95GZ – 32:40GG', it read. 

"Maybe not today, then," she murmured to Cordelia. "Sorry babe. I might need you for the next couple of days." 

"Queegh!" She cried, a little quieter this time. 

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

"Irene, isn't it good to see you?" said a familiar man's voice. Lightning turned around. 

She was surprised to see his jovial form grinning ear to ear… and dressed in a floral T-shirt. While smiling back, she couldn't help but notice his hair was on the whiter side of grey as well. "Love the hair!" he commented. 

"Amodar," Lightning, for a brief moment wordless, bowed. "Thank you—same. It's good to see you." 

"It's been a while since we've seen each other face-to-face, huh? How have you been?" he asked. 

"Yeah, v'been good. It's been practically a year since." And before that, she hadn't seen Amodar since Bodhum. "But we've been in touch through mail, which has been good." 

"Yeah. We have." Amodar sized her up briefly. Just watching him in the flesh sent a wave of nostalgia coursing through. "I can tell you're a different woman now, Lightning—I mean, Irene. You look happier. Especially after, y'know, all that's happened—the fal'Cie war and stuff. I'm really proud of you." 

It was quite a peculiar thing to notice, but she was glad she seemed so in his eyes, and thanked him. "You're smiling more—from deep down. Your soul. Old Lightning"—Amodar made a frown— "never smiling. But now, different. I'm happy for you." She had to laugh. 

 "You too. You haven't changed a bit though. Weell—except for one thing." 

"Oh? What is that?" He was a man who always took things in good humour. 

"You're getting older," she said bluntly. 

Amodar suddenly did a big belly laugh. "What—oh, do you mean my hair? The missus said that to me this morning, actually!" Even in her young, soldier girl days, being one under his wing, it was hard to not be affected by the man's buoyant aura. 

"Yes, I just noticed it—sorry," she bowed again, lightly chuckling. 

"It's okay! I thought that was humorous of you. And you know what they say Irene. Never get old. As for you, you haven't aged at all. One day you should let me know your secret." 

"No, I'm aging. And it's impossible. Plus," Lightning had to say, "you're not even that old…" Amodar laughed. 

"Yeah, that's why I'm thinking of getting a black perm once I make the move. What's the girl's name?" He patted the beast above its beak with his thick hand. 

"Cordelia; she belongs to my sister. I was wondering, do you have a place for her?" 

"Certainly. Follow me." 

They both walked leisurely from the corner of the café to the opposite multi-building police facility, where Lightning thought her new job would be, talking all the while. 

They passed the district police station, then through a security gate after Amodar scanned two keycards under its terminal. They walked inside the police chocobo ranch, and found a spare cell at its back for Cordelia, then continued their journey through the narrow, open hallway that existed between broken off buildings, conversing all the while. Many floating ramps jutted out from storeyed buildings leading into others, and there were a number of stairways and doors. 

"This place seems overly complex to navigate," commented Lightning. 

"Yeah, I know—it's a pain. But I like to think of it as an extra layer of security—you will get used to it." 

In the middle of the courtyard, as they passed, a strong wind had broken off the thick branch of a tree, impeding one path, then after a flight of stairs they entered an empty corridor. At the end of the T, they turned left. "We're almost there," said Amodar. Lightning was almost certain she'd require help the next time getting back there. When they entered the door of an office, she firstly noticed the staggering amounts of paper everywhere. Messily, all over the large desk, various countertops, in boxes on the floor, and in piles in the corner of the room next to a filing cabinet. The room had been hit by a paper blizzard. 

"Yeh, it's a bit messy, sorry about that." Amodar itched the back of his head. "This is the last day of my job, so I left it all for cleaning and sorting." 

"There's so much paper." Lightning wondered if she would actually be this busy; that was a scary thought. She picked up a bunch of them, and they were clipped printouts of news articles. Amodar inspected the papers in her hands, then gently took them. 

"Oh yes, the robberies occurring at Moonstalk. There was a fear that the perpetrator had escaped to Tonberry, so we did our due diligence and investigated the case." 

"Hmm? I thought my job was mainly to deal with wildlife incidents? And policing safety measures?" 

"It is your duty, mainly, and often you will get these, since Tonberry's on the cusp of forest. But occasionally we will be taking in work from the other districts; and they fall on my lap whenever the two lead's pockets are full. And there's a lot, as you can see, because their pockets usually are." 

"Two leads?" 

"The two lead criminal investigators; they're basically your superiors you'll be working with. Even though you fulfil quite similar duties—just different beasts. They deal with your everyday people incidents," clarified Amodar. "Alright, have a seat." Lightning obliged. 

"So, you know what the job is more likely going to entail. And sometimes you will be given other menial investigation works when the teams are overloaded." Light nodded. "I'll give you a basic rundown of your duties. Also, a friend of mine will show you around and fill-in the rest of the details." A friend of his? 

"But, before we get into any of that, there's one thing I want to talk about. And the nature of it is, about you, Irene." Her curiosity piqued. 

"Have you settled in well into your new home? And the Rest?" 

"Yeah." She thought about her answer. "It's going well. It's much more peaceful here, different—as I've worked so long in harsher conditions, as you know, doing mercenary work—but here is so much better." 

"That's good to hear. And there's a reason why I ask this. It's only precautionary, but I want to make sure you are comfortable with the work arrangement. Do you know one of the reasons why I was able to bring you in, an outsider of the Corps from Gabo?" 

"The corruption issue, I believe?" she guessed. 

Amodar hummed in approval, his eyes a touch serious. "There are multiple incidents that are happening, giving the police a bad rap. Masses of drugs are appearing where they shouldn't, gang-related breakouts. Sensitive and confidential information leaking when it shouldn't. It's bad—horrible with some," Amodar grimaced. 

"I see." Lightning mirrored his pensive look. 

"There's actually a freeze on the academy as a better process for promotion is in the works; without the fal'Cie behind the scenes, society is struggling to cope. The New Pulsian anti-corruption force is now involved in our operations, and some heads have already gone flying. Casting a slow spell on all things, of course. You—you've got some invulnerability because you're new, and because of your reputation at Gabo. Also, my recommendation, which holds a bit of weight." 

"Thank you again, sir," Lightning bowed down her head. 

"No need. You're very skilled Lightning. And intelligent. And I already know you're one of the good souls—oh jeez, I mean, Irene. Good thing I'm leaving after today, huh?" 

"Yeah," said Lightning sarcastically. "But thank you." 

"No worries. What I mean to say, Irene, is that: you've got the right experience, but I believe your merit will still be tested. You're the fresh face but the PACF will still have their eyes on you, breathing down your neck, just to make sure. And this matters to you more because of… who you really are." 

"Yeah." A l'Cie. A hidden one out of fear of repercussions. And with their powers back, ones with something to hide. 

"Are you okay with levels of possible scrutiny? Or do you need extra help?" 

"It is what it is; I'm fine. Thank you. There's no use hiding in the shadows forever." 

Amodar hmphed. 

"But, with that being said, don't ever hesitate to reach out if help's ever required. It's the least I can do for, who, once was the brightest young woman under my wing, had ended up saving the god-damned world and the rest of humanity." His expression looked proud, and nostalgic. 

It felt safe to smile. Whoever said such about the war made themselves instant allies with the ex-l'Cie. Lightning thought that Amodar was very much an important person to her life. "Thank you. I will definitely take you up on your offer." 

"And not all people hate or fear the l'Cie for what they did. There are the sympathisers, that see your actions for what they were." Suddenly, they both heard cladded footsteps coming from the corridor. "Speaking of l'Cie sympathisers, here comes one of them." 

The footsteps got louder, likely made by a woman by their double staccato. Click, clack; click, clack. A lady soon enough entered. 

"Gee Amodar, paperwork's not really your strong suit, isn't it? That's why I get my Grants to do all of it—Hi—how are you?" The lady extended out her hand for Lightning. The other, in a black glove, held a jug of iced tea up to her teal, knitted top. "My name's Sapphire. You must be Irene?" 

"Yes," Lightning replied. When she shook the silver-haired blonde's hand, she noticed a kindness in her visage. Also, that she was around her age, and dressed well. And she had attractive features. Her long, lightly freckled nose and curvaceous eyes. 

"Nice to meet you," Sapphire added. 

"And you too." 

"Irene, this is your superior; she's one of our lead investigators. Youngish, I know—like yourself. She's also the one I cosy up to the most." 

"Awwh," she sounded. She walked over to Amodar and gave the portly man a side hug, commenting on his holiday T-shirt via a poke. "I'm really bummed out that you're leaving... Here, I brought you something. Tea! I brewed it for you." 

"Oh nice! Is it peach flavoured—thanks, I'll go grab a glass!" Soon as Amodar evacuated his desk, the woman shifted her eyes from his form to Lightning's, a forlorn albeit rosy grin still planted on her face. "I'm looking forward to making your acquaintance. In fact, it's my duty to show you around today." 

"Yeah," spoke up Amodar. "Irene, Sapphire is that 'friend' I told you about earlier. She will be showing you around the facility, giving you more details about your work." 

"I see, understood." 

 He had brought back three rectangular glasses with a block of ice in each. 

"Shall we go then, after a little tea break?" Sapphire asked her permission. There was no way one could not oblige. 

"Sure." 

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

There was so much about work swirling around Lightning's head, by the end of her day, still inside the furnace, she had as much social reciprocity as a dried-out cactus. Who would have thought her new job would be so social? Much more than her GC days. 

She had met the entire teams of the whole investigation division at Tonberry. A variety of questions about her work at the end of the line came her way, which then had provided much entertainment for her newfound audience in lieu of colleagues. All the while, Sapphire led her to them, her new 'underling', the cafeteria, her Grants, and numerous other sites related to her new work. Part of it was fun, seeing the places where her life would unfold from here on; but most of all, exhausting. She could only consider any of it being fun as it stood that no dangerous questions had been asked really—but—of course, all but one. Which seemingly came out of nowhere. 

"Have we met before?" asked Sapphire. 

"Huh?" Lightning tried her quickest to hide her surprise. 

"I just had this weird feeling that we have," she added on quickly. On form: she was a voluminous talker. 

"I don't think we've ever met before." 

"Hmm?" … 

Lightning inspected her face on the auburn-stain of a closed shop window, and could tell her fine, practiced make-up was still well-intact. It hadn't failed her yet. She probably hoped in vain to not have to go through such an effort one day, but with that, the make-up had to stay. 

And what she learnt about Sapphire, which stuck to her mind from the day passed, was that she was very good at all the motions of her job, and was well-respected by her colleagues. Doing criminal investigation, too, as a woman. Lightning couldn't help but admire that. 

And it was an admiration, she felt, shared between them. 

From all the many different listeners, Sapphire was consistently enraptured by her tales from the end of the line, big-eyed at times, and asked the most questions. 

There was another funny occasion Lightning remembered, where one officer mentioned with her own appointment that one day women would take over the 'joint', which Sapphire humorously pointed out, the fact that it had already happened. Of the three head investigators—Lightning one of them, two were female. She chuckled at the memory. There was a lot to boil through. 

One: how lucky it was to have Amodar in her life? He'd looked out for her always and even gave her this amazing opportunity. As he goes onwards and upwards the law enforcement ladder. Lightning wished nothing but the best for him and his family. People like him were precious in life, and one day she would definitely get in touch, or she'd feel very bad about it. 

Lightning could make out her sister's large windows in the distance, and suddenly felt a surge of relaxation coming down. Her own house was a stone's throw away, but as soon as she deposited Cordelia into her waiting pen, with food, she went back to the front. Serah was busy as usual in the kitchen, but had not noticed her arrival. Snow's music came from their alfresco garage, perhaps the reason, but Lightning couldn't do a chance meeting with anyone from NORA, including Snow. So, she knocked on the wood of the front door. 

It clicked open. 

"Hey sis!" 

She gave Lightning a big hug. "How was your new job," she inquired latching off of her. 

"So tired!" She fell onto her sister's couch. 

"Me too," she said, smiling with her hands on her hips. 

"So much talking." 

Serah laughed. "Very much unlike your previous job, I presume." Lightning nodded. "Is everything fine?" she then asked. 

Lightning knew what she meant. "Yeah, I think it's fine. My alias will hold up." She didn't have the energy to say anything more regarding it. 

"Ah, that's great. Oh yeah—did you remember?" 

"Remember what?" 

"Snow or you were willing to pick up Hope from the southern station. He's arriving today." 

"Hmm?" Lightning sat a little straighter. "Wasn't Snow planning on it?" 

"Unfortunately, some kid's toy drone got caught into Snow's engine or something. My hubby's in the garage trying to fix his bike." 'Hubby' was certainly a choice, Lightning had to wince again at it. "Which means…" 

"Which means, I have to pick him up." 

Serah nodded once. Her smile was evident of a good mood. 

"When is he arriving?" 

"In five minutes." 

"I guess I have to go pick him up." 

"Aw, thanks. And, when you arrive back, I expect you to eat good portions of my excellent cooking!" 

That sounded really nice. "Sure." Lightning had barely enough energy to make one remark. "It's certainly improved a lot from when we were kids." 

"My cooking was always good," Serah said once more, sticking out her tongue and an eye before leaving for her kitchen. What was once warm, now was just Lightning and the dying afternoon light. 

Hope, huh? How long has it been now?