Categories > Games > Lunar
Climate Control
0 Reviews(Eternal Blue) Late into the night, in a forest lake, Jean makes a promise to Lemina Ausa.
"Climate Control"
Series: Lunar 2: Eternal Blue
Author: Racewing (ghatch@panix.com)
Date: November 2003
Story copyright Racewing, characters copyright Working Designs.
---
The moon shone high in the nighttime sky, overlooking the lake below, its
light bending whenever the pond rippled. It didn't do this often, because
it wasn't a cold, blustery evening--no, it was the exact opposite, a hot
summer night.
The role the lake played at this point in time was nothing more than a cool
refuge from the elements, for anyone willing to take advantage of the
opportunity.
Fortunately, Lemina Ausa was all about opportunities.
This was what she liked to call "thinking outside the box." While everyone
else was trying to beat the heat simply by not paying attention to it, or
worse, by "thinking cool" (oh, please, superficial crap like that never
worked), Lemina was taking an active role. The frizzy-haired blond girl
was now lying up to her neck in cool water, eyes closed, her smile wide,
and every stitch of her clothing discarded to one side.
She opened her eyes, and turned her head to that side to make sure of that
last fact.
...
...wait a minute.
Her clothes had been to one side. Now they were gone.
Lemina looked left, right, behind herself; nothing. She clearly remembered
stepping out of a black dress and white panties and WHERE THE HELL WERE
THEY NOW SOMEONE WAS GOING TO PAY. Nobody pilfered the garments of the
prestigious Junior Premiere of the Magic Guild of Vane as long as she was
alive! Didn't this thief know who she was?
"Of course I do," another voice said at that moment.
That was enough to make Lemina stand up with a loud splash, shining and
topless in the moonlit lake. "Who was that? And how...?"
Wait a minute. That voice sounded familiar.
"Well, come on. You've been saying everything out loud. Yes, yes, Magic
Guild of Vane, I should know my place. Forgive me if I don't," the voice
said.
Lemina DID know that voice. But now she had a new question: when the hell
had the owner of that voice become so sharp with her tongue? Lemina could
almost respect that. Actually, to heck with that, she did. It was about
time that girl started lightening up...
"The way I see it, you should be thanking me," Jean said, coming out of her
hiding place. Her green hair and tanned face both shone in the moonlight,
the same moonlight which gave her white cotton robe a dull sheen.
"Do you have any idea how vulnerable you are right now? If he--or she--
wanted to, an assassin could take you out in two seconds flat with a single
projectile or a simple spell." Jean's eyes roamed up and down Lemina's
nude form, and a hint of smile formed on the right side of her mouth.
"...then again, you might be able to stall them if they stop to stare."
Lemina blushed, and with another audible splash, sat back down in the lake
to obscure herself. "Would you rather I have stayed with the camp to bake
like a holiday ham?"
"Actually, yes," Jean replied, walking around to Lemina's side of the lake.
"I wouldn't want a friend to get hurt on my watch. Staying with the rest
of us probably would have been better, even though I have to admit, this
lake thing's a good idea. I hate hot nights."
Lemina nodded. It was nice to see that someone else in this group of...
odd folks that she was traveling with possessed some common sense. "So...
how come you're out here?" Lemina asked.
Jean shrugged. "I'm a light sleeper. Always have been. And that... that
cat-thing Hiro carries around--it talks in its sleep! I couldn't take
it. So I got up to distance myself from the noise. That's when I
discovered you were gone, and went looking."
Lemina sneered. "But weren't you worried about being vulnerable too?"
A second later, she blinked... and discovered that Jean was no longer
where she'd been standing just a moment before.
She then heard a splash to her left. She looked over, and gasped when she
saw Jean sitting in the lake beside her, with her robe now on the grass
next to Lemina's clothes. It seemed that she, too, hadn't been wearing
anything under her outfit.
"Let's just say I'm resourceful," Jean said with a wink.
Now, Lemina was a big girl. Popular, powerful, and just plain hard-headed.
She knew she was all of these things, she considered them part of her
charm. In fact, the Junior Premier of the Magic Guild of Vane was
required to be all of these things, so that she did not scare easily. To
that end, it worked quite well.
But what Jean had just done then spooked her the hell out.
What was this girl? Even if she was a former assassin, a former
killer--and, Lemina had to admit, the most graceful dancer she'd even seen
on two legs--to have that sort of power, that sort of speed...
"How... how did you do that...? Lemina asked, her eyes and mouth wide.
"Trade secret," Jean responded, and then leant back against the earth.
"...wow, coming here was a good idea. Everything's so quiet, so
peaceful." The dancer sighed wistfully.
Lemina nodded in agreement. "Yeah. The moon's full, and there have to be
a trillion or so stars out tonight. It's beautiful."
"With all the fighting there is in the world, it's easy to forget that
things like this can exist... or that it's possible to find moments like
this, where you can just relax by yourself or with someone, and forget all
your problems, if only for a little while."
"...yeah. No worries," Jean heard Lemina whisper. She looked over, and
saw her new friend's head drooped low, the ends of her blond locks now
submerged in the freshwater.
"Lemina? Are you all..." Jean began to ask. Then she remembered.
"...right. Your mother."
Lemina shook her head. "It's nothing," she said quickly--too quickly.
"Yeah, it's a great night."
Lemina felt two hands grip her shoulders then--grips that were stronger
than Jean's physique had ever let on.
"Lemina Ausa, I swear on my honor that I will find your mother, and, with
your permission, bring the villain behind her capture to a swift and
painful justice."
Lemina looked up, and into Jean's eyes, her own blinking back tears, yet
showing a hint of vengeful fire if one looked deep enough into them.
"Painful sounds good. You have my permission--provided I can assist in
delivering this pain that you speak of. Nobody, but nobody crosses Vane
and lives. Especially when they make it personal," she added, clenching a
fist.
Jean nodded. With that sort of determination behind her, perhaps this girl
had a chance. Perhaps she'd underestimated someone she'd previously
thought as just a spoiled brat playing Premier.
In one smooth, swift motion, Jean pulled Lemina close, and pressed their
lips together in a long, full kiss. Lemina's eyes snapped open, too
surprised to fight it; instead, opting to relax, as Jean's kiss wasn't
intrusive enough to give her a reason to.
At least, that's what she was telling herself.
After a long, quiet moment, Jean broke away. "The promise is made, then...
and sealed." She rose from the lake, wrapped her robe around her, and
started on her way. "I'll see you in the morning, Lemina." She winked.
"Don't stay up too late. Tired people are vulnerable too."
Lemina barely had the time to catch her breath and say "goodbye" before
Jean was, once again, lost to the shadows.
---
As she stared up at the night sky, this time alone, Lemina couldn't help
but think that all of this was highly unusual.
Jean, while often cheerful around people, never truly opened up to anyone.
She kept to herself when it really counted... just like her. The
difference was that while Lemina simply couldn't be bothered when she could
handle things herself, Jean had had a lot of secrets.
Lemina had nothing to hide.
Except for the fact that, for the first time, she needed help. Real help.
From others.
Had Jean sensed that?
Damn. First that Hiro kid, now her. She was trying not to let this get
out too much. It'd wreak havoc on her image.
[I will find your mother, and, with your permission, bring the villain to a
swift and painful justice!]
Hmm.
Maybe, just this once, it'd be worth it.
{...thanks, Jean.}
-----
Notes:
Love these characters (Lucia aside). HATE THIS GAME. Honestly, the first
was great, but the second was just an exercise in such tedium, this is all
I could come up with. I think it suffices though. At least for now.
Mwahahahaha. :)
Till next.
-Racewing
http://racewing.anifics.com
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