& What do I stand for? [Raines/OPEN]

[OERBA YUN FANG |]

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The huntress groaned, rubbing her head and looking around. Waking up from Crystal sleep never was plesant and this was no exception. She could feel the cold crystal fall away from her form, feeling life sink back into her as she looked around, marveling as her sari and spear reappeared from their own respective crystal prisons. Then, as the final shards fell away she felt herself hit the ground with a dull thud. Rubbing her temples and sighing the huntress stood up looking around the landscape. "This sure as hell ain't Gran Pulse." she'd mutter quietly as she lifted herself from her sitting position. She felt slightly woozy, then again wouldn't anyone? Planting her staff in the ground after standing up she observed the landscape closely to see if anything looked at all familiar to her. From what she did see, this had to be related to Cocoon somehow, but.. how did she end up on Cocoon?

Eventually she continued forward, using her lance to balance herself as she got used to moving around once more. Running a hand through her mane of black hair she observed her surroundings. A lush forest, something slightly familiar she supposed, except Gran Pulse actually was more along the lines of plains and plateaus. Looking for any sign of fauna she stopped when she spotted some flans passing by. Fang wouldn't have been as well.. unhappy about such creatures if she wasn't as stiff as a board from sleeping in Crystal for Etro knows how long. She'd smile though, the wilds were her home, and even if this wasn't Gran Pulse she'd at least be able to familiarize herself quickly to her surroundings. Hell, maybe there was a village or something close by, or another person wandering about. "Hmm.." she'd tap her chin as she watched and listened to the flans pass by, no longer a threat.

Finally surefooted, she strapped her lance to her back and began to walk with her confident surefooted swagger that was albeit signature Fang. She took in the scenery, trying to figure out exactly where she was. Judging by some architectural clues, this had to be somewhere on Cocoon, which meant.. Cocoon didn't fall! That meant she and Vanille were Successful! A wide grin spread across her face at that realization, holding the fang-shaped pendant to her heart, Fang walked and thought to herself, perhaps a silent prayer to the matron that gave her the item. 'Hey, It's been a long time matron, remember when you gave me this pendant? I do, the day Vanille and I became l'Cie for the first time. You told me to be strong and have faith, and I have. I'm sorry for not exactly talking in so long, crystal sleep does that to ya. Heh, anyway, I've woken back up in Cocoon for a second time, but.. I'm not sure who, or what woke me.. I'll rely on you though, to have faith in what I'm doing out here.. Thank you by the way, you're one of the people who've made me as strong as I am today.'

Fang continued to walk, snapping out of her internal monologue to see a figure up ahead. Squinting she picked up her pace a bit, and then slowed.. if this was a person from Cocoon, she could easily end up imprisoned or worse, killed. As she approached, she did so slowly, still unable to make out the figure exactly from where she was. Eventually she came to the conclusion it was simply a person of no matter or threat and continued on in her own direction. 'I wonder where Vanille is, or maybe she's still in Crystal sleep.. Poor kid, she's had it rough since the war, she deserves a nice long time spent happy or at least at peace.' the huntress thought to herself. Fang would eventually come to a clearing and lean against a nearby tree, trying to figure out exactly where she was on Cocoon. This place seemed foggy to her memories, it was as if this place was a half-remembered song, yet the people. Faces, faces she remembered but names.. the Pinkette soldier, what was her name.. "Argh.." she'd growl. "She was Lightnin' that's right!" Fang would continue, sifting through her clouded memories to put names to the faces she knew she cared about.

She seemed unawares of any people coming near her location, perhaps catching the former l'Cie off guard would be of benefit for some?

[Cid Raines]

Raines jolted awake.

His pale optics were now revealed to the sunlight that flickered in from the above. He closed his eyes again as the light harshly hit them, automatically blaming the sudden waking to light for causing the throbbing ache on the side of his head. It was a horrid feeling. He had never had a headache as bad as this before, and its sudden appearance could not be a good thing. There was no reason for him to have a headache, was there? It was like he had banged his head hard on something in the middle of the night - maybe even multiple times with an increase in how harshly he hit it on whatever object was even nearby, because of how painful the blasted thing was. Groggily, he sat himself up, barely taking in his surroundings before, with a second jolt, he realised who he was and what happened to him.

The final moments of his life where during the event that would come to be known as the Seige of Eden - not that he would have any knowledge of this. Early on in the crisis, the Primarch of Cocoon, himself, had requested that his former second-in-command take his life, and end his puppet-life to the fal'Cie. With a sudden growl, Raines hit the ground by his side, also using the moment to propel himself upwards into standing and immediately he swayed, leaning forwards as he rested against a solid object with his head in a gloved hand. "Dammit, Rygdea," he hissed under his breath, taking a few moments to regain his balance and calm himself. He took a couple of minutes, but once that was dealt with, he straightened up, a soft blue iris gazing over the area - and what caused both of his eyes to be wide open was the flood of shock that met him.

Had Rygdea refused to kill him, and instead knocked him out cold, and dropped him in the Sunleth Waterscape? With a frown, Raines looked about the forest around him, drawing himself away from the tree as his gaze wandered, shielding his eyes from the sunlight that would inevitably give him an even worse ache to his head. As he looked around, he became surer that this was in fact the Sunleth Waterscape, a place that he had not often frequented but it was still a place that was burned into his memory. Did the living forest mean that Cocoon was still... Still floating? Had those l'Cie changed their Focus, and saved Cocoon, as he hoped they would? A faint glimmer of a smile danced on his lips for a moment, but then he stopped, he froze. His reasoning for asking Rygdea to kill him... It was so that he wouldn't have his strings pulled by the Cocoon fal'Cie any more.

His heart felt like it had stopped beating as he desperately ripped off the glove on his right hand. The hopeful look in his eyes faltered as he saw the familiar branding of a Cocoon l'Cie on his hand. "No," he murmured, staring down at his hand, feeling defeat once again. But then, he realised something. The brand was different. It had returned to its beginning state, yes, but also... It was white. Completely white on his skin, rather than the black it used to be in his previous Foci. "...What?" Raines's eyebrows creased in a 'v' shape as he stared at his hand, trying to figure out why it was white instead of black. No reasons came to mind, but he remembered something. A woman, with long, wild dark hair. A huntress. A huntress with a white branding on her arm.

Oerba Yun Fang. Who else would be better to explain this to him than a person who had experienced it for themselves?

But Raines groaned inwardly. It was unlikely that he would meet the fiery woman here in the Waterscape. She would have become Crystal, or ... Cie'th, but he didn't want to think about that. No, actually. He didn't want to think any more about this. Raines did want to make sense of what had happened, but damn, this headache was just getting worse with every passing deep throught.

Luckily, the sound of shifting undergrowth made him focus on the present. He quickly slid the glove back on his hand, turning about as he tried to make sense of the direction the noise came from. His eyes quickly caught sight of a small group of Flan that slowly oozed their way across the grasses of the Sunleth, and he stilled his body, hoping that he wouldn't seem a threat to the creatures and be attacked. He doubted that he would be able to put up with any sort of fight right now.

But then he jumped, only then hearing the nearby footsteps. Raines turned around, looking around, but he saw noth-- No, he had just saw someone disappear off into the brush. Curiosity peaked in him, and without realising what he was doing he set off at an ambling pace after the figure that he had just seen (half doubting that it was an actual person and thinking it would be a hallucination), following them through the newly made trail through the Waterscape. Soon enough, he heard a growl in a nearby clearing, but his senses were too dulled to hear their next words. Feeling more surefooted, Raines sped up his pace, soon coming into the clearing the other person had stopped in. He stopped suddenly.

"Fang?"

[ ooc. god this post is long! 915 words just for you, fang <3 please don't torture me and give me a long post in response :P ]

[OERBA YUN FANG |]

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"Fang?"

The sound of her name jolted the huntress out of her reverie, at first she couldn't identify where the sound came from but slowly as she re-oriented herself from her thoughts she turned to figure out who just said her name.. and who in the world on Cocoon could know her? Out of instinct an arm reached back toward her lance, until her eyes settled on the frame of a man. 'who is this?' she thought to herself, stopping and furrowing her brows as she studied Cid. Oh god, all of this thinking and she was only awake for an hour, it made her head spin, but she would force herself through it for now. He had a handsome face (for a Coccoon-born man), and his attire was either that of someone of status, or someone who wanted to look important. Jade eyes flitted from his form to behind him as another mess of Flans wiggled their way through the Waterscape.

'He looks.. familiar...' she'd think, going back to Cid. Fang remained silent, 'I know him, his face I know it, but from where? He's important, he..' she trailed off her inner monologue as she finally approached the man, getting a better look at him. 'Cocoon born.. he helped me find Vanille, speaking of which, where is she? Even if she's crystal I have to find her..' Fang looked into her hand where a jagged piece of crystal she had picked up after waking was held. "I know you." she'd say finally, her voice on edge, "Your face, you.. you're familiar, half of me tells me you're a no-good viper, the other part tells me you're as lost as I am." Fang paused, putting the crystal fragment into her hip-pack. "If you are in the same situation as I am, I suppose we could help each other, after all you're a person too." Running a hand through her onyx locks the huntress sighed.

Still watching him, she finally blinked as realization hit her like a ton of bricks. "...Raines?" wait. Raines, the Cid Raines that attacked her family that attacked.. her. "What in Etro's name are you doing here?" Now, she was really confused. Distancing herself back to her tree once more the huntress rubbed her temples in obvious frustration and probably confusion. "How long in the future have I woken up?" Months? Days? Years? She didn't know, and this world was not the same as it was back when she was causing trouble on Cocoon with ... agh, that pinkette, that soldier! Soldier girl! She'd wrack her brain trying to remember, and the woman looked honestly confused, really and truly. Then again, having holes in your memories does that to you she supposed. Sighing as she finally looked back to Cid, and then to the whited out brand on her shoulder.

"Have you seen Vanille?" she'd inquire quietly. Oh, this was nostalgic. After all they met while trying to locate Fang's little sister.

[Cid Raines]

This wasn't good. The huntress had reached behind herself to her lance. Was there still hard feelings between them? Briefly Raines remembered when he attacked the six l'Cie on the Fifth Ark, but he pushed that out of his mind. He didn't want to focus on that. The thing he wanted to concentrate on right now was getting the woman to realise that he was not a threat. Easier said than done, though. Raines relaxed his posture, keeping his arms held loosely by his side with his hands in their natural position of being slightly curled. He could tell that the huntress was examing him closely. He could tell, even from the distance between them, that Fang looked like she had just woken up from sleeping. She looked dazed, unsure... Kind of like how he felt right now, actually.

Raines's body relaxed even more so as Fang came closer to him, if only to study him from up close. He stayed still, barely moving as though he was trying not to startle the woman. After a few moments, he frowned. "I know you," she finally said, the silence broken. The man then realised that Fang's memories were probably still returning to her. She was definitely groggy because she had just been asleep... Or rather, slumbering in crystal. Just like him. Confusion flooded his eyes. It was Fang's Focus to destroy Cocoon, was it not? So why were they standing here in the Sunleth Waterscape? Unless she had changed her Focus, like how he had what seemed years ago.

No-good viper. Ouch. Raines had a visible cringe on his face as he realised that she was probably half-remembering that time in the Fifth Ark. Still, the second part of that sentence did give him hope that she wouldn't harbor any hard feelings towards him.

Lost for words, he stayed silent. He didn't know what to say in response to Fang. He was hoping that she would remember him, but he guessed that it might take a bit longer for her to remember. By then, Raines would probably be dreading her remembrance of him. He jumped a little when he heard his name spoken, eyes focusing back on Fang (his gaze had wandered off while he was thinking) as she realised who he was. A small smile crept onto his features as she asked why he was here, then returned to the tree she had been at before, obviously trying to stem a headache. The thought made him have to rub his head in pain.

"Good that you've remembered me. I was beginning to think I would have to explain who I was to you," Raines finally responded, brushing his dark hair out of his face. "I don't know how long it's been, Fang, if I'm honest," he frowned a little as he tilted his head to see the woman's face. She looked extremely confused, perhaps moreso than he was when he woke up. He followed her gaze to her shoulder, then remembering his own brand on his hand. His eyes slowly travelled across the grass between them to his hand by his side.

"Have you seen Vanille?"

A smile once again graced Raines's lips, obviously remembering when they had first met. It soon faded when he shook his head. "I haven't, no. I... I have just woken up myself," he looked up, eyes fixed on the Pulsian woman. "Did you turn to crystal?" Better get on with it. If she did, then Raines could, hopefully, find out what happened after he had ... supposedly, died.

[OERBA YUN FANG |]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=style, background-color:#666666; width:450px; padding:0px; border: 12px solid #1c1c1c;] [style=width: 120px; height:120px; float: left; background: transparent; padding: 0px 0px 0px 20px;][style=width: 100px; height:100px; float: left; background: url(http://i1216.photobucket.com/albums/dd369/darkpalace2010/GameIcons/Games-FF-XIII-02.png); border: 7px solid #1c1c1c;] [/style] well some nights [style=width: 404px; height:60px; background: transparent; font-size: 10px; font-family: georgia; letter-spacing:2px; line-height:105%; text-align: justify; padding:5px 0px 0px 0px;]I WISH THIS WOULD ALL END CAUSE I COULD USE SOME FRIENDS FOR A CHANGE. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - [/style] TAGGED: Raines WORDS: 955 STATUS: complete Fang looked genuinely shocked, and rather surprised. Raines being here, and alive.. obviously she wasn't hundreds of years in the future.. hopefully. He looked rather dazed and confused too, perhaps less-so than herself. After all leave it to her to end up trying to figure out a million things at once after waking up. Bonds do that to you though, she supposed as she let out a soft sigh and studied him as he relaxed his posture and the realization hit her that it was indeed Raines, and this time he wasn't there to fight her or cause trouble. Which was good, all things considered even Fang doubted her ability to fight in such a condition as hers. Though, what seemed to be a comfort to her was that this land, although foreign was wild, and the wilds are a place that Fang had always called home. Briefly her mind drifted back to memories of a simpler time when she was growing up. Living on the sea-shore and helping her father hunt.. 'Life was simple then..' she thought to herself, 'None of this damn l'Cie stuff, or Crystal, or hell any of that..' Fang would trail off, obviously a little distracted with her inner train of thought. Sighing softly, she'd sigh and look back to Raines, it was a little uncomfortable for her to be around him, after all her last memory was that of him trying to kill them. Though she remembered why, she remembered the notion he had in his mind. He was trying to defy his fate, just as she and Vanille had tried to do.. Reaching up and resting a hand on that burned out scar of a l'Cie brand she'd sigh. "Good to know I ain't the slave of another Fal'Cie." she'd say quietly, obviously not wanting to deal with being a l'Cie again, to deal with being a puppet again. After all, was it too much for her to want to be left to her own devices for once? Inwardly she'd laugh dryly at the thought. "Yeah, it is good, part of me wants to punch you in the teeth for attacking my friends and family." she'd sigh, making it known she did remember his attack on her and her family and that she obviously didn't take kindly to the idea of having to fight him after he helped her find Vanille. "But, you're in the same situation I am, and to be honest I doubt I could hurt anything while my head is spinning." she'd laugh dryly, attempting to make humor of something in their predicament. In all truth, Fang was terrified. Vanille wasn't here, she hadn't heard Hide nor hair of Lightning, Hope, Snow, or Sazh.. she could only hope that she hadn't woken too far in the future to as to end up completely lost. She'd note his small smile and it eased her worries for now; at least there was one friendly face and a one less flan or other creature to worry about. His admission to not knowing when or even where they woke up at was expected, but dreaded. She was almost at a loss of words, yet, she didn't show it. "I assumed as much, seems you and I'll be makin' quite a team again eh?" she'd say to Raines, remembering when she initially worked with him to catch Snow and the other l'Cie. Shooting him a grin and almost returning to the more Fang-like Fang, as she stepped toward him. Raines had always been more on the soft-spoken side, or at least to her. Finally settling a few feet from him she'd look and watch yet another little mass of flans wiggle their way through the clearing as if they weren't there. Maybe Cocoonian Flans had a migration of sorts? Who knows, back on Gran Pulse the Flans were huge and they liked to lurk in the shadows of the cliffs and dark places and leap on people dumb enough to run around alone. "You just woke up too?" she'd bite her lip, "Then I suppose we'll be working together to figure all of this out." Fang would pause for a moment, eyeing him "As long as you aren't gonna attack me or any of my family.. if we find 'em." Obviously she was willing to team up with Raines, that much was clear. But, He'd have to make it clear to her he wasn't here to use her to find the other ex-l'Cie and try and pull the stunt he did on the fifth ark. The fifth ark,.. she trailed off in thought, her jade eyes floating back to the mark on her shoulder. That's where Bahamut.. that was when.. she made her decision to truly help Lightning and the other l'Cie. Anyone who knew Fang knew that when she made her mind up, her decision was set in stone and only a select few things could make her question her resolve in such an action. As for right now, all seemed quiet, nothing hostile in the area.. it was safe in the clearing for now. A decent place to make a camp and get their bearings, if that was needed. Raines knew this place more than she did, so with his help, hopefully the two of them could re-orient themselves. And once they were able to re-orient themselves? Well, that meant Fang and Raines would be on their way to figuring out what was going on and make some strides in getting back on their feet. Her eyes trailed upward briefly to the sky, she looked at it longingly for just a second. 'If only I could fly..' she thought to herself. They'd be okay. Hopefully. NOTES: AMG I HAD MUSE D: Long post <3 [/style]

this lovely template was made by Arro from Caution 2.0.

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[Cid Raines]

Fang looked like she had a lot on her mind - to which the man didn't blame her for. He too could feel himself start to think about a lot of things, but he forced them back into the depths of his mind. He didn't need to get an even worse headache right now, not when they were here in the wilds of the Sunleth Waterscape. It was safe, yes, but he doubted that he could defend himself if he ended up surprise attacked while lost in thought. Pale optics watched the huntress closely - a habit he did with everyone - and briefly, Raines wondered if it would be better to leave Fang to be for a while, and speak to her later, when she had thought everything over. That may be a good idea for the both of them, as Raines himself had a lot of thinking to do, but he couldn't bring himself to zone out and start thinking about currently pointless things. He would do that later, once he was somewhere perhaps a little safer.

As the wavy-haired woman touched the whited out brand on her upper arm, she spoke quietly. Raines wasn't able to hear her words perfectly, probably because it was just a thought that escaped to her voice, but he caught word of, "ain't the slave of another fal'Cie." The man's eyes travelled down to the grass below them. He didn't understand what exactly the burnt mark on his hand meant, but he knew that he didn't have a Focus. At least, he didn't wake up with the faint images of one on his mind. Upon realising this, Raines felt slightly more positive. He didn't want to be a slave to the fal'Cie - well, because of what his Focuses were about - and it made him feel a bit better knowing that he didn't have a troubling task to complete. But...

When he had first been made a l'Cie, his Focus was something he could barely remember, and it was not until a year later that he realised what his Focus was. Raines's spirits started to drop once again, and desperately he tried to find something to hold onto, something that could give him hope that he wasn't a slave to the fal'Cie again.

And then, he remembered the brands. The branding was different. When he was first a l'Cie, his mark had been black as coal, but now, waking up after the death he thought he had... the brand was now white as snow.

"Yeah, it is good, part of me wants to punch you in the teeth for attacking my friends and family."

Fang's words jolted Raines out of his thoughts, and he felt himself laugh a little. Yeah, same old Fang. At least that didn't change. He nodded to show that he felt the same way. "If, later, you feel up to it, you can punch me. Just, mind the teeth. I'd like to be able to chew my food," he offered, the smile still on his face from the aftermath of a small cheery moment. He sighed after a moment though, glancing around the clearing to make sure there weren't any creatures watching them and getting ready to attack, just for something to do. Though, it was also habit. Working for the Guardian Corps, you had to keep your wits about you.

"If I'm honest, I'm glad it's you I found here. I know you better than the others. Snow's a good person, but I doubt I could listen to him with this headache," he grinned back at the woman, taking note of the fact that she had stepped towards him, and settled a few feet from him. This relaxed him, quite a lot. It seemed like the awkward atmosphere that had come about when they had met again was slowly starting to fade.

He nodded in response to her question, confirming it. As she eyed him closely, trying to read his motives, Raines took the opportunity to settle down where he had been standing, glancing back up at Fang after. He frowned a little, but he knew that it was a precaution. He nodded. "I don't have reason to attack you. As far as I know, and considering we're here on Cocoonian soil, I don't have a reason to attack you or the others," he paused, glancing up at the sky, before back at Fang. "I reckon, first, we need to make camp. Get our bearings. I haven't been here for a long time, and it might take a while to figure out in what direction places are." It was a horrible feeling, to feel lost, when you were used to knowing where exactly you were.

Raines fell silent for a few moments, his eyebrows furrowing into a small 'v' shape as he thought for a moment. The last thing before he closed his eyes and waited for death's embrace that he saw was the sky, with Phoenix burning brightly in the sky. Raines's gaze slowly travelled back upwards, looking for any sign that the fal'Cie was fine, that Cocoon was fine, but he suddenly had his doubts when he noticed a lack of landmass on the other side of the airspace.

"...Fang, what happened to Cocoon in the end?"

[OERBA YUN FANG |]

"If, later, you feel up to it, you can punch me. Just, mind the teeth. I'd like to be able to chew my food,"

She couldn't help it; Fang laughed a bit.

She thought it funny he'd reply like that, it eased her mind a bit. For a moment her jade eyes possessed a rare mirth in them that wasn't normally seen unless she was off causing trouble or doing what she did best; cause trouble. For a moment a very brief moment her anxieties were lifted, though after her little burst she'd return his smile slightly. Fang felt more at ease than she was when she was alone, and looking around the clearing something tell-tale was noted by the huntress. Something big had passed through here recently. Thick heavily leaved branches were laying on the ground or tangled lower-hanging branches. They'd make a suitable temporary shelter from any weather that may have been moving in. Thinking back to her days on Gran Pulse, and when she was hunting well.. if she was unfortunate enough to be caught in one of Pulse's rather violent storms there were always plenty of outcroppings and the like to take shelter under.

She looked back to Raines, wondering if he was familiar with survival techniques at all. Perhaps Pulse and Cocoon differed in how they handled the situations, but for Fang it was all second nature. Her sharp gaze was studying every inch of the clearing, pushing any thoughts of Vanille or anyone else to the back of her mind for now. She was looking for something in particular which would allow the huntress to deem the place safe for a few nights if not more. Finally she'd reply a smirk on her lips. "Is that so Raines? I suppose I'll go easy on ya." she'd pause; "After all we're a team in this situation, yes? That's what you Cocoonians teach your military; to work as a team and such, correct?" Her voice was half curious, half joking. Raines initially made her curious about people from Cocoon. The way he agreed to help her find Vanille, agreed to keep her and her sister safe.. She always appreciated that.

Then he spoke again, the Oerban this time cracking a grin right back to him. Her expression obviously amused at the situation.

"If I'm honest, I'm glad it's you I found here. I know you better than the others. Snow's a good person, but I doubt I could listen to him with this headache,"

"Ya sure ya wouldn't like Hero boy here with ya? He'd be griping about not havin' his girlie with him I suppose though." Fang would tap her chin, Snow was always someone who made her laugh, either with his ridiculous antics. Raines was suffering from a headache too eh? Perhaps she wasn't the only one suffering from a brain pounding incessantly while she worked out where they were. Judging by how she felt before, dehydration could easily be a culprit for their discomfort. The huntress breathed a sigh of relief though; it felt good to have someone here and not be completely alone in this entire situation. Vanille was Etro knows where and the same for the rest of her ragtag family of former l'Cie. It seemed Fang relaxed, the muscles beneath her tanned skin releasing their tension as she rolled her shoulders and continued observing the clearing. Finally spotting what she had been looking for earlier she'd mentally grin.

Cocoonians seemed overly clean to the huntress, they seemed as though they were afraid of getting down and dirty. Hopefully Raines wasn't too much of a prude, but she had faith in the former military man. After all, they had to do this stuff in basic training, right? Either way her headache seemed to recede with her tension around Raines. Perhaps this would be a chance to rectify their friendship, no matter how businesslike it was before. Perhaps he'd be a valuable friend and ally, and there was nothing Fang appreciated more than a good friend when things were sour. Reaching back into her hip pack she pulled out a fragment of the crystal she had been encased in, looking at the delicate and beautiful fragment. A reminder for the Huntress that she'd been asleep, she'd been crystal and she had succeeded in her focus.. memories of that flooded her mind. She grimaced mentally at the image.

Ragnarok.

"I don't have reason to attack you. As far as I know, and considering we're here on Cocoonian soil, I don't have a reason to attack you or the others,"

His words jolted her from her stupor. She'd smile, completely at ease with his assurance that he wasn't there to attack her. Fang could only imagine the sad excuse of a fight it'd be. 'It'd be like two way to drunk people trying to slug it out in the middle of a bar or something; heh.' she mused to herself. The wind around them picked up, signalling to Fang what season she was facing, Autumn. Now, She didn't mind these months, despite the cold and the chill of the nights, the days were often beautiful. It may in fact be the reason the flans were so intent on getting to wherever they were going to hibernate for the winter. It reminded her of watching the Behemoths on Gran Pulse retire for the winter in their massive caves in groups of five or six at a time. Finally her stature straightened as she rolled her shoulders and cracked a grin at his statement of making a shelter.

"Yeah, lets get going then eh?" Fang would approach a recently uprooted tree. The dirt had hardened and flaked off as just dust. Good enough for a temporary shelter, for them at this time. Without much other words she began to approach the woodlands around the clearing, dragging branches as if they were nothing to her. She began lining the edging around the tree with the thick branches which still had much of their leaves, a sign this was early into the autumn season. She'd glance to Raines to see if he was off getting branches to add to the shelter. Once she had made a decent enough skeleton of the shelter Fang crawled into the space and began to even things out as best as she could and remove any stray rocks that could cause issues for when either of them woke, Though when Fang stood up out of the makeshift shelter to be she laughed knowing she was probably caked in dirt,

It didn't bother her.

After that she'd holler to Raines, "Oi, get some branches with more leaves than wood for me eh? Make a pile and I'll show ya somethin' cool." What would be next.. a fire. She needed many stones though, stones would provide warmth inside of the shelter for Raines and herself through the night. Gathering a few of the medium sized flat stones she has gotten from before and then looking about for any good firewood, her interest was piqued when she saw an old abandoned Chocobo nest full of down from the former resident hatchlings. "Good enough." she said to herself again. If there was one place Fang was in her element it was here in the wilds. Fire would be the next big priority, and then maybe Raines could scout for some water, fish or small animals to hunt would provide food and a river or lake would be nice for her to wash the dirt from her body.

Her pile of stones, wood and tindling was complete.. all she needed was a-

"...Fang, what happened to Cocoon in the end?"

Ragnarok.

That question.. the woman ceased her activity and sighed softly. She remembered what she did at the end, she remembered well. The agony of the transformation, it burned her very soul. Her fists would clench, "Ragnarok." that was her initial reply, "We saved Cocoon, we stopped it from crashing into Gran Pulse, enveloped it in Crystal and.. we- Vanille and I fell asleep." That's at least what Fang thought happened. Cocoon had a sun Fal'Cie didn't it? She'd look up and see him absent.. What if Orphan's demise caused the demise of all the other Fal'Cie on Cocoon.. what if in spite of saving the Viper's nest she still destroyed it..? A soft exhale of air escaped her lips as she tried to rationalize everything quickly, Cocoon was Raines' home as much as Gran Pulse was hers.

"..After that? I don't know Raines."


OOC: Oh god. Look at what you made me do D: Long post is long. ;)