More than a Myth

A Night Out

"Lightning!" Sazh confronted the soldier as she approached them. "What are you doing? You're supposed to be resting."
Lightning plainly answered, "I'm feeling better. I'm sick of that infirmary anyway."
Prompto recovered his shotgun as he asked, "What about your wounds?"
"They're healing."
Gladiolus stated, "We knew that."
Ignis pushed up his glasses. "You shouldn't be in the field when you're recovering."
She scoffed. "I said I'm fine. These scratches can't keep me down."
Noctis didn't understand how she believed her terrible gashes were just "scratches" to her. He smiled. She was so tough.
Sazh shook his head. "Ugh, what are we gonna do with you, Soldier Girl?"
Lightning headed for the town. Noctis quickly caught up with her. "So you're feeling alright?"
She sounded irritated. "Yes, as I said, I am fine."
Noctis smiled again. "That's great."
"Why?"
"I just don't like to see you in bad shape. I'd prefer to see you well."
Lightning blushed. "Thanks." She decided to change the subject. "Liking your new home?"
Noctis guessed she was referring to her home. "Yeah. Snow and Serah have been very welcoming."
She nodded. "I don't get why you're working for P.L.R. when this isn't your home to protect."
Noctis said, "I might as well make myself useful while I'm here, right?"
"I guess so."
"Dude!" Prompto sprinted up to Noctis. The prince didn't realize how far ahead he and Lightning had gone. Prompto stopped their advance by stepping in front of them. "You have to see this! It's awful!"
Noctis and Lightning became alerted. "What?"
"Come on!"
Lightning and Noctis followed Prompto. By now Sazh and the others joined them. All were curious about Prompto's urgency. He led them to a part of the land that dropped dramatically. They were up on a high cliff that overlooked the valley. Yellow dots were scattered about. Noctis couldn't tell what they were. Gladiolus asked, "So what's so terrible?"
Ignis pointed out, "Those are chocobos."
Prompto exclaimed, "Exactly!"
Sazh said, "I don't get what's so exciting, kid."
Prompto sighed, putting emphasis on the second word, "What color are they?"
Ignis answered, "Yellow."
Prompto said, "Yes! They're ALL yellow!"
Noctis rolled his eyes. "So?"
"It's so boring compared to the ones back home!"
Sazh furrowed his brow. "Aren't all chocobos yellow?"
Ignis explained, "In our world, chocobos come in any color you could imagine."
Sazh looked to Lightning. "Really?" Lightning nodded. "Well, I'd like to see that."
Prompto complained, "All of them being yellow takes half the fun out of chocobos!"
They sighed at Prompto's logic. Noctis was sure he'd pout the whole way back.

Later...

"I'm still not going to send you on missions for a little while." Fang stood her ground.
Lightning grunted, "I can handle it."
Fang reasoned, "But it'd be better if you didn't risk further injury."
Lightning knew Fang was right. She gave in. "How long until I'm back on duty then?"
Fang said, "Uh, probably about a week or two. It's not as long as I think you should wait, but I know you won't take anything longer."
Lightning sighed. "Fair enough."
Fang got a mischievous grin. "That gives you plenty of time to spend with pretty boy." Lightning raised an eyebrow. Fang hinted, "You know, your new beaux?"
Lightning was frustrated, not by her comment, but by the fact that she couldn't deny it. Lightning defended, "Don't call him pretty boy."
"Why not? He is a pretty boy."
"No, he's not."
"Why are you getting so defensive?"
Lightning wasn't sure why she was upset. It may have been because he always defended her. Maybe her feelings for him were still growing. It was hard to decipher right now. "Just forget it, Fang."
Fang chuckled. "I'm kidding... But I need to ask you one thing." Lightning nodded for her to go on. "Light, are you sure we can trust these guys? I'm still a little iffy about Cent too."
Lightning crossed her arms. "I don't blame you for being suspicious, especially after seeing Noctis's true power. But these guys are dependable and it would be better to keep them as allies instead of enemies. Same for Cent." Lightning thought for a second. "But watch out for Gladiolus and Prompto. They tend to be pranksters."
"I'll keep that in mind."
Lightning turned to leave the Pulsian. She headed home.