Dark clouds scudded across the evening sky over Citrine, misting the country side. The dreariness adding to the feeling of grief from the recent events that occured in Erul. While many went to recover in the castle, Claudiesa lingered in the gardens of castle Citrine to mule recent events over in her mind. She sat amongst a bunch of white flowers, her knees brought up to her chest as she knelt down plucking a flower.
Her armor was still covered in the blood stains of the many she ended. She noticed some of the blood smeared on one of the white petals as the clouds decided to mist down on her and the castle.

Lumen walked through the grand gardens of Castle Citrine. His bandaged arms in new wraps and nestled underneath his sleeves. The raindrops bounced eagerly into thousands of little droplets as they hit Lumen's slightly water resistant robes. With worry on his face, Lumen looked up at the sky, thinking critically on the future.

"What a mess....."

Lumen's mind was weighing the current situation. He had recently proposed to his close friend, Prima. But his troubled mind was worrying about the future of the country, the future of the world even. And if being matrimonially attached was a good idea in the long run. He felt that if something happened between him and Prima. And they happen to sire a child. Is it really right to usher a child into such a war torn world? Where innocent noncombatants are slaughter for nameless means? All of this took its toll on Lumen's mind. He paced slowly through the gardens, water from the grass slowly soaking his feet.
And then there was the matter of delivering the ' ' Goddess's Voice' ' to Freian soil. He did not want to leave Citrine in times of war, but he could not bare to dispose of a final request from a fallen friend.

"So much to do....So little time....."

Claudiesa sat staring at the flower. Her mind wandering to their desperate escape from Erul, and Serah's sacrifice.
She frowned. There was something about Serah's death that bothered her. "Why....?"

Her train of thought halted as she heard a familiar voice wander into the gardens.
Without looking away from the flower she answered Lumen's last few words. "Time...waits for no one." she watched as the blood from the petal began to slowly wash away. "What do you plan to do?"
The last part she asked to herself aloud. But to any it would seem she was talking to them.

Lumen turned his head to where the familiar voice harkened.
He saw the towering form of Claudiesa, sitting while staring at a white flower. Approaching slowly as the rain fell, Lumen came to be in speaking distance with Claudiesa.

"Time waits for no one, but does time move at all?"

Lumen was quoting a famous line from one of his favorite scholars. An intellectual by the name of Amai. He read her books often to build on his extensive education.

Lumen tilted his head in thought as he heard the last words spoken from Claudiesa.

"Why do I get the feeling your not talking to me when you say that?....."

"It's a question that could be asked of all of us." she said, still crouched among the flowers.

She watched as the last streaks of blood drip from the white flower petal, rendering it to its pristine white once again.

"Time moves. Often moves us to decision. At least, that's how I see it."
She stood up from her crouched position, the white flower still in her grasp, at her side, as she stared out at the field of flowers.
She turned to Lumen. "You can't be indecisive forever..." her gaze lingered on the necklace that hung around Lumen's neck.
She recognized it as Serah's.

"Some theorize, and this includes me. That everything happening now has happened. Is happening. And going to happen. All at once. But then again, time is so theoretical that one can never be sure...."
Lumen pondered in thought for a moment at Claudiesa's statement about being indecisive. And watched as her gaze fall to Serah's beloved necklace. He then understood that Claudiesa's natural intuition was kicking in, and that it was related to the necklace that as of late, has been wearing.

"Indeed your highness.....But one must be pensive on matters of such consequence......That of which is weighing on my mind now....."

we'll continue tomorrow. :)

The misty rain steadly increased, rumbling of thunder could be heard above.
Claudiesa looked up at the dark clouds, flashes of lightning lighting the thick clouds. "We all have a lot weighing on our minds, but time is not on our side. We must decide soon."
She turned away walking along the path towards the castle and stopped, looking over her shoulder at Lumen beckoning him to follow. "Come, the rain is thickening, and I need a sparing partner." she said before continuing once more towards the castle.

Re: It not going to happen this weekend. Mostly because my health still isnt the best and this weekend i have a couple of doctor appt. ^^" im sorry for the inconvience i cause you. qvq

The dark clouds harkened thunder to their side as the marched across the already gray sky. Lumen looked at the clouds overhead as the rain started falling harder.

"Truer words have not been spoken. Time is of the essence.....And I have selected my path....I just need to inform milord Akara about it......"

Lumen followed claudiesa, shaking his head side to side as he spoke.

"I am sorry....But I am in no condition to practice. My arms were damaged during the Divine Atrocity at the Erulean Castle......."

Lumen slowly pulled the sleeves back on his robes, revealing bandages spiraling all the way up his arms to the elbow.

Claudiesa looked back at Lumen and his bandaged arms. Droplets streaked down her helm.
"Don't worry. I have something in mind. Come."
She turned away, puffing small flames from her helm, creating steamy wisps in the air as they trekked back to the castle.

Lumen tilted his head in curiosity. He could not seem to ponder any scenario where sparring would not cause his arms pain and hinder their recovery.

"I would prefer not to spar. But go ahead and lead the way. I am willing to hear what you have in mind."

Carefully, Lumen rolled up his sleeves to cover his bandaged arms. Just that simple task made his arms ache.

Claudiesa nodded without looking back.

"I probably should be more specific. When I say spar, I mean excersise. Training or excersising is typically called sparing in Vepura, because it's usually two or more people together."

She looked up at the castle, its surface glistening.

"I'll explain further once we're inside."

[ time skip to inside ]

They entered the large training gym of the Citrine Castle. It was extremely clean and it seemed every piece of equipment was polished daily. That was because it was. Lumen would exercise in the morning then clean up the gym and himself afterward. Lumen followed claudiesa inside. Droplets of rain falling off him.

"here we are. The Citrine gym....."

Claudiesa nodded aprovingly at the room briefly before making her way to an open space in the middle of the gym.

She beckoned Lumen to join her in the middle.