terra (toransu) wrote in missions, @ 2012-11-12 10:20:00 |
|
|||
Terra was ready. With her weapon in hand, she knew she was mentally prepared also. Soft blue-grey eyes looked out into the sky that mirrored it. The storm was a wildcard, it could prove to be an advantage or a disadvantage. They would just need to make the best out of it. It wasn’t that Terra had seen her sister, but she turned her head to the left just in time to see Celes there. It was odd, knowing when Celes was around her, something that she had just passed off as being a ‘weird sister thing,’ only they weren’t sisters, not by blood. The guilt came and went, not facing Celes immediately as she returned. But they had a battle, she reasoned, and then Celes had been injured and so had Terra, and their beds were in different areas. Then the second battle happened, then she needed a shower, then to rest up. There was no time to think about the complicated, about how she really felt. Terra knew she loved Celes, and that she loved her. Blood didn’t matter, when they had each other. And then there was that but.. These were the thoughts that ran through Terra’s head as she looked over at Celes, the tall, blonde, and beautiful cadet that would become the best Magitek Knight that ever was. There was no doubt about it. None. The next generation would read about Celes Chere, they would talk about her in the halls of Balamb for years to come (“I heard she would’ve won Festival Queen, but that wouldn’t have been fair so she dropped out”), and then there was Terra. Well, Terra wasn’t sure what she would be, where she would be. But it was okay. She would figure it out in due time. The slight hint of green were at her roots again, though unnoticeable to anyone that didn’t Know. Terra exhaled and finally approached Celes, just as the team leaders began to call everyone in. Celes had been watching Terra out of the corner of her eye – that flash of wheat yellow blonde, the slight frame, and Celes’ hang twisted tight around the pommel of her rapier, digging her heels in and trying to swallow the lead block in her throat. Her arm was bandaged to almost humorous proportions; each bandage was practically dark crimson in color, though the blood had long dried. She had a streak of dirt on her cheek. Far from looking like the immaculate ice queen who wandered the hall of Balamb with a tongue that had no patience for anyone who even looked at her wrong (those protective walls were high), she looked like a mess, and she knew it, and she wore her grime proudly, chin held up and her eyes (Mako blue, like the inside of a glacier) staring straight ahead. “Are you ready,” she said once Terra had come close enough to hear her voice – nothing like the musicality of her singing voice, all cold dread and professionalism. She would be a great Magitek Knight one day – it would be an awful waste of research and money if she were not. She tried to keep the concern out of her voice, wary, still, of Terra, as if she were afraid to be rejected by her. No, she was afraid to be rejected by her. Celes’ words were cold, and anyone that was used to her warmth may have flinched. In fact, Terra could have easily done so, but she had prepared herself for it. She coolly took place her by side, unsure whether to frown or smile. Terra decided to do the latter. It would have been alarming if Celes acted different, the younger Chere knew the older one well, and she knew Celes was on her guard. Their relationship had come to this, being wary of each other. Cid would turn in his grave. “I am,” replied Terra, who looked straight ahead. She carefully watched the cadets prepare themselves for a battle that would be hard fought. Some of them may not even return home, it was a sickening thought, but there would be no way that they could lose. This was their home. Resisting the urge to hug her sister, she put on her Big Girl Shoes; Terra had grown up in the past few weeks, but it was still Celes that made her who she was. Her body visibly relaxed, though her gaze was still set straight ahead. “I missed you Celes. I’m sorry to have hurt you, I know I did. There are no winners here.” Finally, Terra shifted, looking up at the taller blonde, though one leg was leaning toward their comrades. Her team leader was calling her name. “We’ll talk about it after all this mess?” Her voice was hopeful, and despite how tired she looked, there was a usual Terra Spark in her eyes. Celes shifted imperceptibly, tightening her jaw. And then she relaxed, turning her head to Terra – there was no smile, but there was a relief, a tenderness, and a cold, hard instruction in her eyes: Live. She reached out to Terra and placed her hand on her shoulder, or made out to do so, before letting her hand drop limply to her side, eyes boring holes into Terra’s skull. She wished she were more sentimental, found it easier to articulate, but she could never find the words she wanted to say without feeling like she was kicking herself in the face. I’m sorry, she wanted to say, you can trust me, please don’t doubt me, you are the most important thing to me – all truths free from argument, all absolutely law. “I missed you too,” and the words come out sounding strained. Celes looked pained. “We’ll talk.” Terra’s smile looked even more relaxed, and there seemed to be a new found ambition in the way she carried herself. Approval from Celes had always meant much, there was no greater confidence than one given by her sister. “I know,” were her last words to Celes. I know that you only wanted to keep me safe. I know that we’ve managed to become something even closer than just blood. I know that you love me, care for me, wish you could give me everything. For a moment, it looked like Terra was going to hug Celes, but her name was called again. Instead, she gave a smile of reassurance, along with a curt nod. Later. They would talk later. |