Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy
Well hello, this is my first fanfiction! :D Please be generous in your reviews, it would help me mucho to get an outside opinion lol. Enjoy!
"Mother...what's happening next door?"
A young boy stood peering inquisitively out a window, his eyes and ears riveted by bustle of activity outside. Struggling for balance, he stood on the tips of his toes to rest his weight upon the ledge of the sill. He was considerably small for his age, this disproportion the cause of a disparaged self-regard. Fortunately to his advantage, his hair - spiked and sprawled in almost every direction - served to lengthen his stunted figure. It took on a gentle blonde color from his mother and was tied neatly in the back where it was allowed to grow long.
Men were moving in, out and about old Loire residence, employed in conveying packaged items and furniture pieces from cargo trucks parked out front. They were industrious in their work and determined to perform efficiently for their labor was not paid in cheap. They arrived at dawn in a sudden, unexpected instance; each vehicle proceeding in loose tandem with the other. The tumultuous roar of the engines and its black smoke emissions pervaded the air, breaking the quiet rest of a village rousing from sleep. It was not long before the boy was able to make out the men's foreign appearances. The manner in which they dressed was unlike anything he had seen before: bold in color and variant. It intrigued the boy, who until now saw nothing outside of his rural province.
As the men continued to work, one object in particular caught hold of his interest. It was large and covered by a white sheet that outlined the contours of its odd shape. It laid resting on the ground only several inches short of two feet, but where it lacked in height it was made up for in width and immensely in weight. The object was handled by three men and facilitated unsuccessfully by a fourth. Among them it was nearly impossible to lift off ground. Clearly seeing their difficulty others joined in to help. It took a total of seven sets of hands to get the object carried away. He stared as it disappeared behind the doors of the neighboring manor.
The Loire Manor had been untenanted for years. According to oral tradition, its former owner, an elderly woman, died in the house long before the boy was born. Despondent and forlorn from the early death of her husband, the woman surrendered the once impressive estate to pitiful neglect. With no written will and no living relatives to survive her, the house was left in dilapidation, its contents auctioned or simply taken from the premises under discretion or by notions of rightful merit.
The boy turned back to his mother who was hard at work in the kitchen. Although older than the other mothers she managed to retain a magnificently robust form that conferred to her a less graceful, but more youthful appearance. She had a penchant for keeping busy and found it excruciatingly impractical to squander time idling. Apparently already in the know, the woman gave her son a ready answer, glancing up to impart a quick smile.
"We're getting new neighbors Cloud, isn't that exciting?"
The boy nodded and returned the smile. He had not been totally unaware of the rumors surrounding prospective newcomers.
"From what I have learned from Master Fair himself," she continued, "his family and theirs are quite intimately connected. We'll have to be courteous and pay them a visit soon so that we may introduce ourselves."
Cloud looked on in attempt to discern their whereabouts among the multitude outside, but to no present avail. For weeks on end an enlivenment had captivated the village of Nibelhiem when it was rumored that a reputable family from a distant city was considering building a vacation home on its vast grasslands. This stimulating news brought out an eager anticipation from its villagers, who after years of residence had become over-familiar with repetition of the uneventful. The rumor did not subside over time and instead became a rather common, controversial topic. Cloud's understanding was limited, derived from frequent allusions to an outside family and their supposed wealth. Now that the situation presented itself before him he drew to a realization that not only was the aforementioned family his neighbors, but were also people of consequence, corroborated by their "intimate" association with the Fair family.
After a moment's silence and observation, the boy's mother spoke again, this time insisting that he go outside to offer assistance. Reluctant he gestured a quiet decline, only conceding after careful prodding from his mother. As he stepped out, he felt the warmth of the early sun in combination with a light, airy breeze, envelope his body. Not knowing exactly whom to ask, he neared the less intimidating of men, making sidesteps along the way so not to cause obstruction for the busy movers. Falling short in capturing their attentions he succumbed to his frustration and resorted to taking the matter into his own. Mustering with what little courage he found from within, he pulled himself atop the bed of one of the cargo trucks when suddenly a hand forcefully seized him by the shoulder.
"What do you think you're doing boy?"