Familiar Faces (Tag: Claire)

Zack strolled along the shopping area. It was nice, he supposed. He found a few things he wanted to send back to shore to his mom and had sent her a care package of the things. That was the nice thing about this place - the pay. He sent back most of what he made to his mom. He wanted to take care of her in her old age now that their father was out of the picture. He smiled. Lots of things here were reminding him of others. Xion already adored the book shop, though she was too sheepish to say it. Noct liked the bars, a little party never hurt anyone. He was feeling particularly nostalgic as he thought back to his days in the military.

Lightning really needed to get herself some nice clothes. She didn't really have many things, because in Seattle she had worn her uniform almost all of the time. But here she wouldn't wear one, besides a trainingsuit, so she went to the shopping area to buy many things. She had already been in three shops and was carrying many bags, when she suddenly saw a familiar face. Or a familiar back, to be precise. She followed the black-haired man and when she kept up with him, she tipped on his shoulder, waiting for Zack to turn around with a big smile.

Zack turned after he felt someone tap on his shoulder for his attention. Not many people tended to do it with the giant wings blocking their way. He quickly tucked in his wings as he turned around as to avoid knocking anyone over - a lesson he had learned the hard way as a child with many broken toys and not being allowed anywhere with glass. His face lit up brightly when he saw a familiar face. "Light!" he gasped in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

Although it wasn't really her style and her bags were kinda hindering, she hugged her old friend tightly. "Obviously the same thing you do here, don't cha think?", she meant and let go of him again. She lifted up all the bags she got so far. "A little shopping, because I have like nothing to wear here.", she explained. "You wanna help me?", she asked with a wink.

"It's so good to see you," Zack said. She lifted her bags to show him what she had been doing so far and he took that as his cue to take the bags from her. "Well, we can't have you running around in those uniforms, can we?" Zack teased. He had gotten new clothes too but he used most of his on his mother and sister. "I've got plenty of time to kill. Where to first?"

Lightning had counted on Zack's gentleman behaviour and smiled thankful when he took the bags. "Thanks, you're an angel!", she teased him and nodded then. "True! Oh, perfect then! Uhmm.... let's go in there!", she said and pointed on the next shop, before going there with him. "You wanna get something for yourself too? I think a cool necklace would suit you!", she suggested and went over to the jewelry. Of course she also looked at the girl's jewelry. "Oh, that's pretty... or this... Do you like leather? Than this could be cool.", she said and took a necklace for men, holding it in front of his neck.

"Ah ha ha, glad to see you haven't changed too much, Light," Zack said when she called him an 'angel'. It was a running joke with all of his friends, particularly anyone back from his days in service, like his combat partners. He trailed behind her and into their next shop. The leather necklace was nice, but it wasn't Zack's style. "Aw, Light, you know I don't really do anything except for my tags."

"Can only give that back, Zacky", she smiled. She was truly happy to meet one of her best friends from her childhood - or more her teenager years - on this island and couldn't be more excited. She wondered if Noctis would be here, too... She grinned. "I know, but you could. A little accessory never hurt nobody, right? Of course you don't need it to be cute.", she meant and put the necklace back, taking a blue necklace for woman, holding it against her neck. "What do you think about this? Too feminine for me?", she asked amused. She didn't wear jewelry often, but she loved how glittery and splendid they were, they could easily compared to little drops of shimmering light and she just adored that. She was just a girl loving pretty things, after all.

"Been years since anyone called me that." Zack chuckled. He had been fresh in the marines when he met Lightning and Noctis. He had heard they broke up but hadn't heard the whole detail of exactly how or why. It was a personal thing and Zack knew some things were better left unasked because they weren't the types of things to share openly. "Hmm... that blue does look good." he said. "Right dress and you could rock it."

"I guess you will hear it more often now, now that I'm here!", she meant with a small wink. A mischievous glint popped up in her face. "Alright, then we should go and buy that dress, don't you think?" She quickly bought the necklace and the small, fitting earrings and went back to him. She put the small bag she got into one of the bigger ones he was carriying with an innocent smile. "So tell my, Zacky, how have you been all the time? It's sad we lost the mail contact after some years.", she went on and looked interested up to him, while they were walking oout of the shop, down the area.

Zack chuckled. "I guess." he replied. "Right... so the dress?" he said. He waited as she put the bag within another. He figured that was what Lightning wanted him around for - carrying her things. But really he didn't mind. It had been a while and catching up was nice. "Well you never sent me your address..." he said. "And things were kind of hectic after I went back home... Shit kind of hit the fan with my parents."

"Hmmm..", she nodded while they were walking. "You wanna talk about it or better not? How's your sister Xion?", she kept on asking.
"Oh, let's go inside here, they have nice dresses! A little expensive maybe but hey, I didn't go shopping for a long time!! I'll get a breathtaking dress, be sure!", she said confidently and entered the shop . Inside she started to look through the rows of ballgrowns and cocktaildresses and took a few to try them on, mostly blue or black ones. "This is nice....oh, and this! What do you think about this one, Zacky?", she mumbled and showed him the dresses.

"They divorced." Zack shrugged. He was well over it, but his sister was not. She blamed herself. "Dad was abusing Xion's ability... She's going through a rough patch right now. Thought this place was good for her."

He followed her inside the shop. He patiently waited as she picked out what she liked. When she held them up he gave them a serious look. "I think these are nice," he said, as he plucked at each individual dress. "But you should probably try them on. I'll wait by the dressing room if you want."

"Oh, I understand..must have been hard. Oh, he did?? How could he! So she's here aswell now? So you can keep an eye on her, huh, big brother? Just like a guardian angel. Adorable", she teased him with a smirk, trying to ease the atmosphere again.
She nodded. "Yup, will do that. And that would be nice, Zacky.", she smiled at him and entered the changing room. The first dress she tried on was a black one, really tight and reaching her knees, but with a slit on its side. It only had one long arm and a flower on that shoulder. Pretty, pretty, she thought and looked at herself in the cabine, before stepping out and presenting it to Zack. "What do you think?", she asked and spinned around, showing it to him from all sides. "Do I make you feel like you want to eat me up?", she smiled teasingly at him. Probably not, because he had never fallen for her charme.

"Signed her up for a brilliant child competitions. Cash prize." Zack said. "Then he'd gamble and drink the money away. Ma and Xion were bad off when I got back..." But he smiled never the less, keeping his more chipper attitude about things. "Gotta look after her. This place is better than being with our dad. Had to pay for the divorce myself but we got through it." His father had tried to take custody of Xion, tried to say he was a better parent than their mother who put herself through two jobs just to feed the family.

"Oh yes, starving," Zack said, though he didn't see her as anything more than his friend. "Better hope we have a dance or something if you get that. Maybe you should try something a little more casual? Like... Party dress?"

She shook her head. What an asshole. "That was the least you could do to him if you ask me." How could a man do this to his family? She didn't get it. She nodded. "That's good.. now it's over.", she said encouraging and smiled at him.
She chuckled. "I knew it. But yeah, maybe you're right...", she mumbled and looked at herself in the mirror. "I'll try another one on!", she decided and got back into the cabin. This time she tried on a dark blue dress, it was a little shorter and was without sleeves. Simple, but elegant and made of a nice fabric. She came out of the cabin again and looked asking at him. "Casual enough?"

Zack nodded. He would have beaten his dad if it wouldn't have resulted in an assault charge. He couldn't do that when his mom and sister needed him.

Zack smiled. "Yeah, that one is good." he said. "But if you like both the dresses, get them both. We might need more formal clothes if we go out in the field and on undercover stuff. It is what they're training us for, right?"

Lightning smiled brightly and nodded a few times, smiling into the mirror excited. "Yes. Yes, that's true. I think I'll get them both then. I tried the other ones on too, but they didn't fit properly.", she meant and then changed again, taking both dresses to the counter to pay for them. "Great then! Next step are shoes!", she winked at Zack. That was always the worst part for men.

"Right." Zack confirmed as he took the bags the dresses came in after she paid. He was just glad she was smiling. Last time he saw her she had been very distressed after her break up with Noctis. "Black goes with everything." he said in regards to the shoes.

"Yes, you're absolutely right!", she said in a good temper and walked into the next shoestore. "Alright, I need a few pairs... dou you wanna wait or help me? Probably wait", she said grinning and started to go through the rows of shoes, trying on a few and asking for Zack's opinion about them.

"We are here," Zack said. While he didn't particularly care for shopping. He knew it was important to Lightning, he wasn't about to deny her the chance. He would just have to grin and bear it. Besides, it was for an old friend. He would be hard pressed to tell her no.

Lightning decided for 5 different kinds of summer shoes and bought them. "Good.... I think that should be it for today!"; she said and turned around to him with a big smile. "What are you doing tonight?", she asked and took the bags from the counter and went outside the shop. She didn't want Zack to carrie anything else since he was already carrying so many things.

"Was going to go out and fly but that can wait until tomorrow. You busy, Light?" Zack asked. He figured she might want to get settled in, meet her roommates and get to know them a little better. Or if she would try and find Noctis. Which would either end out really well or end up horribly wrong. Zack wasn't sure and it made him a touch nervous.

She smiled crafty. "No, I'm not. What about we two go to the discopub or anything? I read there was one and I really need to go out again, it's been a long time, believe me!", she said and rolled her eyes. Her workmates weren't really outgoing if if they did, they didn't invite her, because she was a  girl. Frustrating enough that she didn't have many friends besides her work, because she was a workaholic. Most of the time, she didn't care, but she have had her lonely evenings. She quirked an eyebrow by his face. "You nervous? Is something wrong?", she asked. It had always been easy for her to tell Zack's or Noctis' feelings, she just had gotten an eye for them after all those years, and obviously that hadn't changed.

"Yeah! I went to the pub already. All good stuff! You'll like it," Zack said with a bright smile. But then she had to call him out on his nerves. Quick, Zack, think fast. Do he did what he normally did. "Just thinking. My sister's here too you know? Neither you or Noct ever met her." He bluffed. A partial truth but not an obvious lie either.