The Low- Hanging Moon ( Lightning/Snow/Serah )

[Noctis Lucis Caelum]

A month and more had passed since Noctis heard of Cocoon and the world of Pulse. During that time he had not been able to forget about it and the one who'd introduced it to him, the solitary L'cie.

Granted, he had access to information about this continent and discovered it to be a place protected from intruders that their ruling government, the Sanctum believed to be enemies from the worlds below. He had spent hours dabbling with interest about this world, so different from his own and supposedly filled with colours; named a paradise that kept humanity from destruction by whom they feared to be evil, the ones who came from other parts of Gran Pulse.
Those times he read about this, against the wonders there were on cocoon he was intrigued by, which were non existent in his world... landscape that still held exotic nature, made him sigh. Humanity, it's preservation always led to protection and some sort of conflict...

Noctis knew he was no enemy of Pulse or cocoon; he had no interest in destroying them and did not come from the planets surrounding it. As he faced the portal at the end of the deserted highway he had once led Lightning to, he looked around to take in one last view of his homeland before the brightness of a wall of light consumed him. It reminded him of the stories history books showed him, an aurora borealis...but these were no northern lights; manmade.
There were maps he had, futuristically spherical objects that had patterns to unlock, simple to navigate with once its contents were exposed; manipulation was all by touch and he had spent considerable time contemplating if this was the best idea. Reviewing over and over again his decisions to travel to Cocoon without much more of a reason than to set foot on the foreign land he so desired to see, and to meet the woman who came and left twice, mysteriously. For all he knew, she may not even be there.

As these thoughts crossed his mind, he traveled and soon stood with his jaw slackened, upon the monumental sky bridge that led to the hollow heart of cocoon. What he saw was like a painting, perfectly flawless; his mouth that had been slightly agape, curled at the corners into a faint smile as he breathed in air of this world.
The first few steps, he didn't care what direction they took him as he gazed around, marveling until he realised he had so far to go before the end of this bridge that he trudged along, keeping his sight limited to the road and just beyond it. The gates were opened but he wasn't about to pass it as it was guarded for inspection, and teleported through... a mile way into the cities he had only researched about, to keep his visit private and undetected. Those men who stood by the golden gates, were PSICOM, Noctis found them for himself and inwardly exclaimed at the peculiar weapons he glimpsed them in possession of.

The place was immensely built, a port city he assumed to be Palumpolum stretched out at his left upon this disc shaped continent he decided was nothing like a luna- crescent it was meant to resemble. It was complicated; signs, streets all curled round and round but he knew the beach city was near an edge and that was Bowdam. Choosing to continue straight on, he went by instincts and because there was apparently 'Eden', along this path.

The prince hadn't bothered to change his appearance, he was never going to unless special occasions requested him, even if it drew attention to him, especially in this place where everybody and everything he could see now, seemed to avoid black; Noctis was sceptical on how that was possible, even his hair had dyed itself a dark coffee shade and it didn't help.
He was but one of thousands of little figures in this wide continent, cruising along their streets, a tourist blending with citizens. This place was no midgar... and yet there was hostility in the atmosphere... Sooner or later, he was going to get lost or run into something or someone...and it would be no Tifa Lockhart.

[Snow Villiers]

Snow

Snow walked confidently, his long strides covering ground as he wound his way quickly through Cocoon. He wasn't exactly a friend of Cocoon anymore, that had passed when he had become a member of the I'Cie. It hadn't been his choice to become what he had, but it wasn't exactly anyone's choice. He thought about these things while his eyes scanned the surrounding area. He was supposed to meet Serah soon.

He smiled while he thought about her. He loved Serah, more then anything. But thinking of her also led him to think about her sister, Lightning. Lightning hated him even more then before since Serah had become a member of the I'Cie. He had never had a chance with her, she had always hated him. Sighing, he forgot to keep an eye out.

A siren went off, reaching his ears in a moment. Looking up across the sea of people, he saw what he had to avoid almost every time he came to Cocoon. "Damn!" He muttered to himself. Snow knew this part of Cocoon well. Ducking into an alley, he ran up and down the streets, avoiding what was out to destroy him and what he now stood for, which was in their minds the I'Cie.

Glancing over his shoulder as he jogged out of an alley, he wasn't paying attention for a split second to what was in front of him. Turning his head, he was relieved that he had ditched the squad that was out for him. He didn't have any more time to think about that when he realized that he was simply a few inches from a man dressed in dark clothes. He twisted, trying to avoid the man, but he bumped into him.

Having been in an odd angle when he had bumped into him, he fell off his feet. Picking himself back up, he shook his head, clearing it quickly. Glancing at the man he had run into, he sighed. "Sorry..." He spoke out, before brushing off his clothes quickly. Glancing at him, he noticed the man looked different...there was something about him. An enemy maybe? He couldn't be sure. "You don't see much black here in Cocoon...are you from around here?" He probably didn't have time to talk to the man, but something was making him talk. He didn't ignore his instinct, and besides, he was right, he hadn't seen someone wear so much black in a long time.

[Noctis Lucis Caelum]

Noctis had no great mind for the man who had clashed into him, then fell on his feet. His eyes were widely staring at the stranger, not thinking too much about how he hadn't been paying attention to where he was going because, this person was the first citizen of Cocoon he met now. It almost unnerved him, what if he was not welcome here after all...?

His dark hair shook as he flinched to avoid such thinking, it only led to self consciousness and possibly fear. What had he had to fear here, his magic surrounded him and pride could be no better suited to a prince like himself.
The siren rung over them two seconds before they crossed paths and Noctis had been confused, seeing some PSICOM rush past as he tried to modestly duck away from being seen. Momentarily, he had felt a panic in the case that intrusion had been alerted, he didn't know about the existence of many L'cie as he believed they wouldn't stay here being hunted down unless they were tough nuts to crack like Lightning.

Being away in the Clouds for awhile, he suddenly heard what this man had said; those words had not passed through his ears thankfully. He was burly, Noctis could see, and wore likewise to all cocoon people, strange clothes mismatched in colour but somehow aesthetically pleasing. This was time he didn't want to be overtly unfriendly and dismissed the apology with a nod, demurely acknowledging the way he always did with unfamiliars. It gave him the opportunity to observe that this man had a slight pant from rushing but why...? If he was able to stop now and converse, then it must be nothing...to answer truthfully or not? It would do no good if my identity is discovered, but there is nothing to hide? His brain inwardly argued, then eventually was forgotten because it all just sounded like waffle after a minute; he tended to ignore the me, myself and I complexities when they came to no conclusion.
"No... I've come from near Tenabrae... and only visiting..."
The subject was flighty, he wasn't going to expose everything about why he was here but maybe eventually as he gathered more analysis about this stranger so he pushed it away; there could only be hints to confirm about L'Cie and the Fal'Cie in order to know Lightning's whereabouts. This stranger seemed friendly enough to care, and smart for noticing the blackness of his attire, his answers may be useful; Noctis had been wrong to not change but he had nothing colourful so who was to blame? "Tell me, what was the Siren for? I had thought no enemies of Cocoon have been known to breech the perimetres in some time... "

[Snow Villiers]

Snow

Snow smiled a little bit at the darkly dressed man when he saw that he was staring t him. But then the smile slid from his face. The man might not be just a tourist, he might be with them. Was he an enemy? He sure didn't dress like anyone he knew. crossing his muscled arms, he raised an eyebrow, looking the man over. Snow towered over him, but he was used to that, he towered over a lot of people with his height.

He noticed that the man seemed to be deep in thought, before snapping out of it quickly. Snow glanced around, while his breathing had gone back to normal. Not much fazed him physically, and even with all that running, his breathing had been only slightly affected. He was worried about Serah, and even Lightning, although he knew Lightning would be able to take care of herself, as well as Serah. He just had a tendency to worry about Serah since he loved her so much.

He didn't see any PSICOM, so that was a good thing. If this man was indeed an enemy, he would have notified them right? That might be why he was so weary of attack, but it didn't stop him from being friendly. After all, he didn't know that this man was an enemy, and he hadn't shown anything that might put him as such.

When the man spoke Snow learned a little bit about him. His voice was controlled, steady, he didn't show any emotion whatsoever. And then his mind registered on the place that he had said he came from. Tenebrae? He didn't know of any place named Tenebrae in Cocoon or even Pulse...but maybe it was from pulse. He wasn't one to judge, or get upset from the fact that he didn't know where the man had come from though.

"Tenebrae? Never heard of the place." His coat normally covered his I'Cie mark, but it didn't do that much good with PISCOM, since they knew what he looked like, they didn't have to see his mark to hunt him now. The look of surprise on his face was quickly covered over as the man asked about the sirens. "The sirens...they could be for many different things, their job has many ranges of what they do." He glanced at him, not sure if he should say that much to him. But he wasn't afraid, he knew his strength, and he could protect himself, so why be worried?

His eyes gazed up and down the man in surprise when he spoke about Cocoon's perimeters. uncrossing his arms, his mark wasn't covered up as he purposely let it show. If this man truly was against the I'Cie, he should just get it over with. However, Snow had never lost his friendly nature.

"Cocoon picks strange enemies, and the perimeters, are easier to breech then one might think. But you are right, for some time they have not been breached so far as I know. Someone might have tried it though..." His eyes looked away from the man, before he looked back to see his reaction. He hadn't been in Cocoon in some time, but he wasn't sure about Lightning and the others, so he couldn't be sure. Leave it to lightning to try something like that. He had needed to get some information from Maqui regarding Cocoon, so using his knowledge of the place, he had gone in, that he didn't need to tell the man though.

[Noctis Lucis Caelum]

Never heard of Tenabrae?...the land meaning darkness...
He saw the smile wipe off this strangers face almost as immediately as it had been put on; somehow it made stirred defense in him but he made no move. It was a long shadow that cast behind this man, as he stood strongly built and proportioned to overcome most physiques such as Noctis' own. Questions about whether this was a mark of the man's strength arose, and he could rest his case that it would be no good if his magic reflected his size.

It didn't matter if he didn't know where he came from, now his whereabouts would be more of a mystery and that benefitted him more than he hoped. Though there was a downside, what if they mistook it and thought he came from somewhere in Pulse? There was need to clarify.
"It is not a place in Pulse..."
Almost saying more, he stopped as a look of surprise crossed the man's face and he wondered if he had been too naive to ask about the sirens. The answer was vague and he learned, they were not trusting eachother one bit more than simple greetings. Other games like this, he was not cunning enough to make the cut but reserving information was typically him; it just worked out to be easy and he nodded once again noting that it was many ranges...Had this man any association with them, it made him not want to speak of the details to Noctis but it gave that part away about him; he knew more than he let on. Especially with the less serious face he wore...

"It seems this place is very highly secured by the PSICOM... then, I bid luck to whoever it might be."
Whoever that might have been, could very well have been himself... it hadn't taken much to get in here unnoticed but who was to tell him, the siren hadn't been for him.
Lowering his gaze for a second, he knew eye contact was usually his enemy but when in the face of another who could truly be his enemy, it was made for reading into things. There was a surge of wonder in him, as he found himself lost for words but with so much to ask; just not open to it... he would have to lead it with babysteps to get what he wanted this time. He gave that one last phrase he told this man, the biggest hint to challenge him if they were on mutual terms or that he was really enemy. "I will keep that in mind about the sirens... Thank you."

It seemed like he ought to be on his way, showing some shred of gratitude to the stuff he picked up about this place, but to where? He was displaced in this street, and he hadn't gaged enough from this man to know if he should venture deeper into Cocoon. This stopped him from leaving like he was expected to... "Where might it lead to the homes of people here? I see none from the outskirts..."
One more of these things he pretended not to know, where he was going was just straight ahead... but he had read that residences were only in the middle of Cocoon, the hollow... and it did help that this man may know the map of this city in ways he couldn't compare research to. In spite of it all, Noctis dug for true generosity and amiable gestures; it was just coincidence that what he said would be something the man could relate to if he resided here. He had reason to assume the blonde stranger would see through some of what waters he was testing.

[Snow Villiers]

Snow

Snow nodded when he said it was secured very much. "Yes, PISCOM are good at securing the area of Cocoon..." When the man said good luck to the person trying to get across, he arched his eyebrow. Maybe this man wasn't with the enemy. It would take guts to say something like that, after all, saying you wish luck to the enemy of Cocoon made you an enemy as well.

He wondered about him, he didn't seem to be a threat to him, but he hadn't noticed the I'Cie mark on his arm either. To be a member of the ICie made you an enemy, it was a curse. The end was bad either way, but he wasn't going to stand around and do nothing while this happened to them!

He loved Serah so much, it hurt to see her unhappy about being one of the I'Cie. Glancing at the man, he could see him hesitating, like he didn't want to leave without talking for a bit longer. He didn't know why, but he had the same feeling, like he should leave, but he was drawn to talk to the man before him. "Really? You would wish an enemy of Cocoon good luck?" He shook his head, he probably wouldn't answer that, after all, someone who says that would become an enemy of Cocoon just in the blink of an eye.

He somehow could feel that this man knew more about the sirens then he let on. He felt his arm tense up, and glancing down, saw that his mark was a bright blue. It hurt a little bit, but he hid the pain. "You want to know where this road leads too?" He glanced down the particular road they were on. This road led to the main road, which led to the middle of Cocoon eventually. He glanced back at him. "No, to 'protect' the citizens, the houses are close to the middle of Cocoon." He hated the word protect. Those they were 'protecting' the people of Cocoon from were just like them...humans.

[Noctis Lucis Caelum]

The arched brow was a sign that satiated his intentional banter. He hadn't contemplated beforehand that if he was heard by others, he would have been put up as an enemy to Cocoon anyway; that made sense that if this man who stood before him agreed against the L'cie like he potentially could, they would be foe.
As this man made no mention of any side he was on, it was only these little give aways that fed Noctis' needs to know. There was a funny question, and the stranger was shaking his head in doubt. Perhaps he was disapproving... that meant he wasn't L'cie? It was a balancing act again...

One mistake would tip such scales; they both wished to know and were enthralled by conversation despite not making sense of why. His eyes glimmered lighter as he reflected, the self consciousness in making speech pressuring him slightly and it all changed the colours of his mood. There was nothing he could help about that, it was something alien to most people Noctis encountered but that was because no one dared ask him what influenced the shades of his iris and hair to swap between various tones at different times of day.
"For whatever reason they are an enemy to Cocoon, they see themselves as righteous... So, Yes I would bid equal luck to the sides on what they stand for."

He was still assertive of his opinions, that was a positive sign... but elaborating with a reason to back up such vague answers was necessary. Sometimes he was thought to be extreme or biased, only misunderstood was the true nature of statements he made. Glancing down the same way, he tilted his head slightly to see further than he could from where he was, the position was difficult as people's heads bobbed around to obscure his vision. They went by like wafts of vapour though... no attention was given by Noctis and this stranger to the crowd and the crowd echoed the same neglect...

"I've come here to find this road..."
Dreamily, he trailed off, remembering what he had come for and instantaneously letting go of some distrust and precaution. His eyes lit up with fresh faith that he was going the right way, even when he had been confident his citings were not completely hopeless. "...As you say protect, I'm presuming I'll encounter hardships, entering that area... is that correct?"
Hardships weren't even close to what he was imagining, if this place was as high tech as it gets, then protection would be making him walk on eggshells... even with teleportation, he needed to know where he was going before he could do such a thing... but he had never seen the heart of Cocoon.

[Snow Villiers]

Snow

Snow watched the man think. He seemed to just realize that by saying that he might become an enemy of Cocoon. He smiled a bit, he wasn’t always serious, in fact, he usually was the complete opposite. He made mistakes more then he should, but he didn’t do that on purpose. Right now he wasn’t going to make the mistake of letting his guard down around a man he didn’t know anything about. He glanced around once again, looking at the place he had once loved. It had changed since becoming one of the I’Cie. It had lost its glory now that he was faced with reality.

Snow wondered at the changing of his eye color. Whatever…whoever this man was, he certainly was different. His hair seemed to change with his eyes, Snow had never seen anyone’s eyes or hair color change before. He thought it was different, but different didn’t scare him. People were different, that was what he knew from past experience. Nodding slowly at his words, he smiled. “We share the same view point it would seem!” He knew this might be a mistake as well.

“Those that live in Cocoon…they are to righteous, you are right.” He had once been one of them, thinking that he had to protect those living in cocoon from those on the outside. He had been a protector of those living in Cocoon, and now he was ashamed he had done so. Of course, not all were as he said, yet they lived their lives thinking that anything not like them were abnormal. Serah, Lightning and himself, they were now monsters in their eyes, but yet they had not asked to be such.

He had come to find a road? “You are looking for a certain road then?” There were many streets that wound through Cocoon. Shrugging a little, Snow glanced down the road leading into the heart of Cocoon. “Those that are enemies of Cocoon would indeed find hardship when they enter the heart of Cocoon…or even the outskirts...” Turning, he walked a few steps away before turning his body to look at this man once again.

“If you are not an enemy of Cocoon, then you should have no problem, although of lately, if they find out you are not from Cocoon they might just jump to conclusions and say that you are en enemy.” Looking back toward Cocoon, he sighed disheartened. “There’s really not all that much to Cocoon after you look past its empty shell!” His eyes held some sad emotions. Yes, Cocoon thought him an enemy, which saddened him since once he had been one of the protectors. Yet, if they thought that he was a monster, he couldn’t help that! “And they might not like your dark clothes, but like I said, it shouldn’t be a problem if you aren’t what they see as an enemy of Cocoon...”

“By the way, my name is Snow Villiers…” He trailed off slightly. He didn’t care if the man knew his name. Besides, it would be rude of him not to speak his name. He didn’t care if this man was an enemy, because he wasn’t ashamed of his name, or his…curse being one of the I’Cie.

[Noctis Lucis Caelum]

The kaleidoscope eyes stopped changing colour as it painted a sterling grey and studied the stranger's new smile, before the shut briefly to take in some relief after what he'd just realised. A shared view point... so he believes in the L'cie or is just not fearful under the sanctum's rule, that every citizen be cautious of those with a marking...
Either way was not an issue now, seeing as this man seemed to lighten up considerably after he'd said something so rash and self opinionated.
Noctis watched as the man shrugged and agreed with him with some unorthodoxed significance though he did not reciprocate a charmed smile; they'd both revealed quite an amount in a short space of time. He had succeeded at the friendly, truce game without being too withdrawn and lacking commitment to it as usual; it seemed to remind him of how he was with his friends.

Moving on from that statement, he didn't know what to say about why this man shared the same view. Though something did pop in mind and he pursued it feeling safe about doing so now.
"Is it common that this viewpoint is shared here... I would've thought you'd be biased against it."
Awaiting, he could listen to no sound of his heart beat. Whenever he was out and about, it felt free but that was only in familiar territory, this was not his homeland and there was this indescribable regard for how he was being perceived every second eyes were laid on him. He glanced back down the road and nodded once then explained quite honestly, carrying the calm vagueness that always made his speech indirect. "I don't know of a road name... this path leading to homes just brings me closer to someplace I'm searching but likewise i'm not certain if the person I am trying to find is actually here... much less, home if I recall her duties."

There was a pause, and Noctis' hand twitched by his side, hiding the awkward move by stretching his fingers, he reprocessed what he had been prompted to do. This man was respectable, and helped him with information; there was also agreement with an introduction so he should not be disregarded... With those qualifying reasons, he reached out his hand for Snow Villiers to take offering his name only to make a fair deal... It also shed light to his formalities though under other circumstances, he had never announced his name fully as he did now...
"Snow Villiers, I am Noctis Lucis Caelum..."
It was good call for them to finally have a name to a face, but he could never forget such a meeting anyway even if Snow remained anonymous for the rest of Noctis' life. At the mention of dark clothes, he glimpsed his dressing again in wonder if camouflaging was really such a good idea; not that there was any time for that.

"Well perhaps if I am I found as enemy to Cocoon, it'd draw other apparent ones out... if even then I don't find the... a friend... then there would be no reason to remain here."
There was a slip of tongue, he had always been occupied with thoughts of the L'cie and their relation to Crystals of this world, in search of a solution to his own war; in this case, it was more of doubt that the woman he tried to find regarded him as friend, more likely an acquaintance, that he stumbled on words to describe her and redeeming himself on that was impossible.

[Serah Farron]

Serah was glad to be back in Cocoon. The little adventure she had in Wonderland was more than enough for her. Serah had to be more careful when it came to traveling to other worlds, but for now and decided to jut stay in Cocoon with her Snow and Lightning.

She walked slowly behind her sister as they walked down the street. Lightning decided to go everywhere with her and so she could protect her. Serah was never good at fighting and disliked holding a weapon to attack others but sometimes that couldn’t be avoided.

"Lightning…..." Serah said stopping in her place. She wanted to thank her sister and apologize for all the problems she caused…. She was once afraid of telling her sister that she became a I’Cie afraid of her reaction after all Lightning did work for the government of Cocoon, but Lightning always stood by her side and protected her regardless of what she became.

Lightning and Snow where there for her when she needed them. The two were the most important people in her life, ones she could not live without. Serah was fortunate to have them both by her side. Her only wish was that they would get along with each other.

Serah knew those two were exactly the opposite Snow was everything Lightning wasn’t and hated. For that Lightning tried to keep her away from Snow. Serah hoped that she could change her sisters mind about Snow and maybe get her to accept him.

[Snow Villiers]

Snow

Glancing at the dark clothed man standing close to him, he noticed the way the man seemed to be studying him. Was it shocking to the man that he shared his opinion about enemies of Cocoon? It would surprise probably anyone, just because to be an enemy of Cocoon was to die, or so people thought. They had both spoken rashly and more then likely unwisely for saying that, but with doing so, they had removed the tension of meeting each other.

Morals, was that why the man shared the same point of view? Most wouldn’t think twice about those with ill fate, thinking they must be evil. They were only blaming the unknown for their fear of different things. Or maybe they had forgotten how they had built Cocoon in the first place. Anything different, anything not well known, they made into the enemy, thinking it wiser to destroy the unknown the learn about it.

Shoulder lifted a little, eyes smiled at the man. “No, that viewpoint is not common in Cocoon, in fact, if you ask any on that street across from us, I think you would find no one with the same viewpoint that we share. In their eyes, an enemy of Cocoon should be eliminated without thought.” He glanced at the sea of people leading their regular lives, not thinking about anything but themselves. “But yet, there are a few who think the same…they are simply scattered and quiet about their opinions, and who could blame them? If it were found out that they supported the ‘enemy’ then they would be destroyed without a thought.”

Snow listened to him as he spoke once again, of course he wouldn’t know the road name if he didn’t live here. Cocoon was complicated to say the least when it came to roads and the layout of the city. A woman…her duties? That sounded an awful lot like Lightning, but then again, there were lots of women who had duties that kept her away from her home. And besides, Lightning didn’t have anymore duties with soldier, since she was now one of the enemy of them. “This person…a woman…what exactly might her duties be? Being from Cocoon, I might be able to help you out with finding her. Or, do you know her name?” It would be easy to find this woman that the man knew if Snow knew her name.

Noctis Lucis Caelum…that was a long name, quite different from what he knew, although interesting none the less. Reaching out his own hand, he shook hands with this Noctis, a genuine smile on his face. “Its nice being able to put a name on a stranger that shares my viewpoint! You might be right about drawing others out, although there are only a few that share the same opinion…” Glancing at him, he cocked his head a little bit. “So this friend you are looking for, she shares the same viewpoint?” It would be easy to narrow it down with all the clues this Noctis had given him.

[Noctis Lucis Caelum]

Pondering what was said, he could read that Snow Villiers was no common man. It was his exterior that probably hid some of the knowledgeable qualities he had but that was only because the world was used to judging books by its covers; stereotyping them all. Noctis himself was probably an oddball in the midst of being j judged but as long as he didn't have to face it, he was okay with humanity's trivialities.

Quiet in their opinions they would have to be...
Snow had much to say now that they were on name basis, and he could see a sort of enlightenment that he could share his viewpoints simply since Noctis related to them. It was understandable with what he'd thought, and anyone else in this mass would be too cowardly to stand up for an opinion that was unbiased by doctrine from the sanctum.
The smiles reached Snow's eyes, telling him he had ample time to engage in conversation now when earlier both of them were likely to carry on with their lives as strangers. "I see what you mean... It is both fear and ignorance that the latter people agree with one mainstream idea, though they would argue even that. I suppose then, anyone with a thought or second thoughts would be destroyed too."

What was next left him with numerous options again, he was indecisive as to whether he could tell Snow a name and give away all of his purpose here. It took some courage and a leap of faith but Noctis knew no wrong would come of it if he said anything. Little did he know that Snow already fitted a profile to the woman he admired and was searching for.
"Her duties... mainly lead her away from Cocoon I believe, though she has told me that her priorities lay with her family so I've thought she may be home even without facts."
He didn't want to say sister in some remote fear that Lightning was going to oppose to him talking about her the way he wanted to, or as a normal person would. She kept the mystery about herself, and real name down to the bone; he closed his eyes, inhaling as he leaked some more descriptions out.

"Your offer is one I greatly appreciate...and She does shares the same viewpoint... It is possibly why we can be friends." This suggested some things to Snow, or anyone in his position... they could be friends, if not enemies... although for now, acquaintances made do unless something were to change that...
He said friends, also because he still had doubts Lightning thought that way of him regardless of some fleeting feelings he had for her which were stupid for only having met her twice. It was the lowest of low if he ever began to believe they were real, due to the shallow entity of feelings... it was only that she shared some common traits with him that he probably thought more about her than he needed.

The revelations made him want to shake his head and sit down to think, even in the heat of Cocoon's weather. His tough expression faltered, when he heard Snow say it was nice and his lips parted with some mild amusement he now donned. It was the last cycle of thinking that arrived, he had avoided saying her name but it was too much to keep in and he sighed gently. What if it did make things easier...
"It's been awhile since I have seen her... Her name is Lightning..."

[Snow Villiers]

Snow

Snow nodded slowly, yes indeed fear, why did so many people fear what they did not know? “Yes, the Cocoon government isn’t shy about talking of those that they think they need to destroy. They are very vocal about speaking of the different ‘monsters’ that they felt the need to destroy.” Cocoon had been built as a safe area away from those that could harm the people. A good thought, it had turned sour when they had went overboard with the plan.

He could feel the indecisiveness that Noctis seemed to be feeling. Was he hesitant to tell him a name? thinking it would lead to the woman getting in some trouble? He wasn’t sure, but he respected the fact that he probably wanted to keep her safe if she was a friend of his.

He finally made up his mind to trust him. As he started speaking of her duties, he cocked his brow. She seemed like an admiral woman, wanting to keep her family safe. It must not be Lightning though, if he thought she would be at home. Lightning had never been at home before it had seemed, and being an enemy didn’t exactly make it easy to stay at home now.

He waited as he seemed to be thinking about giving the woman’s name out. He couldn’t help if he didn’t have a name to go on. Shrugging, he looked around. He probably shouldn’t be just standing around with a stranger anyway. PISCOM was hunting him, and he really wanted to make sure Serah was safe. If she was with Lightning though, she would be safe. Lightning wouldn’t let any harm come to Serah if she could help it, and neither would he.

A woman with the same viewpoint? There weren’t too many women he knew that had the guts to have that view of the so called enemies of Cocoon. Noctis seemed to be thinking a great deal. From what he had gathered from him, he seemed to do that often, thinking about every move before making the actual move or decision.

When he heard the name, his jaw dropped open. He didn’t utter a sound, staring at Noctis, he was surprised, and he couldn’t stop it from showing. “L…Lightning?! Are you sure this is the woman?” he was astounded, but why should he be? He himself had thought he might be talking about her, but he couldn’t actually believe it was his future sister in law the man was looking for. “Yes…I know Lightning, actually…I have had very many dealings with her.” Snapping his jaw shut, he shook his head, trying to clear it. Lightning…someone’s friend? maybe helping Noctis find Lightning wasn’t such a good idea for him. Lightning hated him, but he had to be with her a lot anyway, so it didn’t really matter if he helped the man find her. “You said it was awhile since you have seen her last? How long exactly?” A lot must have changed since Noctis had last seen Lightning, although a lot had happened quickly, so it might not have been that long.

[Lightning]

Back in Cocoon….. Lightning wasn’t sure if she should be relieved to be back planet where she was despised and considered an enemy, but that was the fate of all I’Cie the curse of becoming one. This was the world she was going to save? A small laugh escaped her lips ‘I am going to save a world I am destined to destroy…… How did I come to that conclusion?’

She didn’t care at first about this world or anyone in it.They turned against her everyone she worked with when she became a I’Cie . A choice that wasn’t even hers to begin with but Lightning accepted her destiny and was ready to face it.

Traveling to different worlds though did help her to come to a decision and finally understand why her sister requested her to save Cocoon. Thanks to a certain stranger she met in Terbinan.

She only met him twice and they have already established a certain trust between them even when there were a lot of things they kept secret. She invited him once to come to Cocoon but wasn’t sure if he would after all what would bring him to that world?

"Over here" Lightning said leading her sister into a corner as they quickly crossed the main street. PSICOM were everywhere they needed to be careful. She tried to avoid unnecessary fights after all with her sister with her it would be hard to focus on the battles and not worry about Serah.

Serah wasn’t much of a fighter and she disliked using her weapon even at times when there was no alternative. So maybe taking the longer road and finding another way around was the best option for both of them.

Lightning stopped at the sound of her name and turned to face her sister. "What is it… are you alright?" She rarely showed emotions or even signs of concern for anyone, even with allies and companions but with Serah it was different. Lightning was her guardian hence it was her job to protect and worry about her.

[Noctis Lucis Caelum]

The understanding was mutual. Snow relayed the situation about fear and governing in Cocoon greatly similar to his own ideas about it. Introduce a little anarchy... and maybe this place could be saved. Saved... he wondered if he had convinced Lightning to make her decision against destruction of this amazing world.
The indecision and reservations had built up to be knocked down and now he was going to spill everything as Snow had asked; it was relevant though, everything he said, because he knew her. Noctis could see the perplexed jaw dropped expression on the man's face and he at first bewildered that only her name caused such a staggering reaction. Then he had to let more thought into it, and realised he always did believe she would probably have either amazed some people in an other wordly way or put them off by her strict, coldly focused attitude. It led him to dismiss the startling, and allowed him to not stare at Snow in the haze of incredulity.

"Yes, I am sure... if Lightning is the only name she uses, it could not be a different person."
Noctis suggested, filling all the loopholes there could be about how little he would describe, and that it was sufficient to bring him all this way here. These words would confirm if Snow was correctly pinpointing who he was referring to. His voice didn't change but it did show curiousity and surprise as he nearly raised an eyebrow to the stunned man. "Many dealings? I had thought confronting her would be seldom..." But wasn't that what happened with anyone and a stranger, or less than family... unless he was a familiar to her; that would explain that Snow could even be attached... he found himself forcing his mind to deviate, making no remark on his analysis.

"Around a month... Does this mean you are clear on her whereabouts? I am hoping your dealing with her is recent..."
So that she would actually be around... Merely her name was enough? Or was this uncanny that he knew her too... although perhaps that was likely as he spoke of 'monsters' the way she did... even then, the monsters aren't the same ones...
Quivering, his eyes danced in their sockets as Snow shook his head and he began to consider some sort of disdain was evident between Snow and Lightning; there was no enthusiasm so he probably saw her in a less positive light than Noctis himself. The best option for him should have been to simply ask Snow what his connection with her was, though they were friends, a normal person would be delighted at the mention from a friend of friend's vantage point.