Veld turned into the small cafe, his partner close behind him. The walk had been down hill from upper Junon, and it was a good day for a walk. Veld liked the breeze off the water, the smell of salt in the air. From the coffee shop you could see the ocean in the distance and hear the gulls. He wouldn't mind being stationed in Junon, especially since it meant being closer to Chloe.

The coffee shop was near Junon University, and clearly designed to cater to student clientele. The walls were painted vibrant green and plastered with work by local artists, and fliers for local events. The Drunken Moogles concert Chloe said she'd wanted to see; a new art gallery opening new week.

He noted some Shinra propaganda among the fliers. The Future is Bright at Shinra. There was a recruitment poster for the military; it showed General Heidegger standing in front of a sea of saluting recruits. Shine in the Shinra Military.

He also noted that some of it had been defaced, or partially covered by fliers reading "Protest Shinra: Save Junon Harbor" with a picture of a cartoon dolphin. Veld rolled his eyes at that and moved to stand in line behind a longhaired kid carrying a guitar case.

"We don't stand out at all," drawled Vincent. It was springtime, and Vincent's Turk uniform stood in sharp contrast to the students' shorts and T-shirts.

"I told you not to wear the suit," said Veld. He wasn't much better, kaki dress pant and white collared dress shirt complete with a tie, but it was a light blue tie that Veld felt was less formal. Besides, it was definitely better than being in uniform.

The only other nicely dressed people in the place were there for an interview. Veld recognized someone from Shinra HR talking to what had to be one of the university's up and coming graduates. Shinra would eat up these graduates as fast as the university could spit them out, and any idealists who didn't jump at the chance of a job were idiots.

Veld spotted the girls they were meeting sitting at a table at the back. He smiled and waved, before proceeding towards the line to order drinks. It felt more polite to order something before sitting down.

"I'm still on call," said Vincent. "You never know when something might come up."

"You're always on call," said Veld. "You do know salary positions don't get paid more for extra hours, Valentine. Honestly, if I didn't know better I'd say you slept in uniform."

Vincent just grunted.

They ordered their coffees then went to join the girls. Chloe stood and embraced Veld. Happiness seemed to wash over him as he pulled her into a hug. She grinned up at him, light brown eyes shining. Veld couldn't get over how beautiful her eyes were, sure there were lots of brown eyed girls but Chloe's eyes were something else. Or more likely Chloe was just something else, and that caused an incurable bias.

She felt so tiny in his arms, like something delicate you weren't supposed to touch, but she fit just right. He could wrap on arm around her like she was nothing at all, but hugging her it felt like he could surround her and keep her safe from the word. It was hard to put his finger on what made him feel this way about her.

He'd seen girls with bigger tits and nicer asses; Chloe wasn't the kind of girl that made men stop and stare. She was more of a brain, not like the broads in the science department exactly; she was smart, but no genius.

Funny thing was, all things considered, he couldn't picture anything better. Especially when she looked up at him and smiled, brown hair messy, gorgeous without even trying. Veld had a habit of going on and on about her to Vincent, and only shut up when his partner started dryly finishing his sentences or threatening to shoot him.

They broke their embrace and she looked away blushing. "Oh, you remember my roommate, Hananko?" she said, introducing the skinny Wutaian girl who was sitting across from her.

"Hello again," said Hananko. She stood and nodded to them. Veld knew in her country it was probably the custom to bow. He wondered how hard it would be living in some brand new country, having to relearn all the little nuances that most people took for granted.

"Good to see you," said Veld. "Oh, this is Vincent Valentine, he's my partner in the department. Vincent, this Hananko Wei."

Vincent held out his hand and Hananko took it. "Miss Wei," he said. Veld noted that Vincent's handshake was as formal and business like as his greeting. It was all Veld could do not to groan. What did it take to get the guy to relax?

"Oh, please, call me Hananko," she said, "everyone here does, and we are going to be friends, right?" She smiled at Vincent and Veld couldn't help smile himself. She had cute way of talking; she spoke Eastern perfectly, but with the slightest accent

He'd told Chloe to mention Vincent to Hananko, sort of warm her up to the idea. Tell her some things, all good of course. It seemed like she interested. Who wouldn't be? Veld didn't consider himself a bad looking guy by any means, but he knew when girls took the time to look them over it was Vincent who held their gaze. Not that his partner noticed half the time. All work and no play, that was Vincent.

The guy needed to relax once in a while, meet some girls. They were Turks sure, some of the first agents of a new and exciting department, but that didn't mean they couldn't have lives.

Veld took a seat beside Chloe and Vincent was left to set next to Hananko. Veld didn't know if she was Vincent's type, heck, Veld didn't know if Vincent had a type, but she was cute enough.

Nothing compared to his Chloe, but still was petty in the way Wutaian girls tended to be. Not that he thought all Wutaian looked alike, but most of the girls he'd seen had had the same type of beauty, long black hair sleek as silk and almond eyes. Hananko eyes were large, as were her lips, which gave a sort of doll like quality.

"So Hananko," asked Veld, "how are things with your music? Did I tell you Hananko's a pianist, Vincent. Vincent just loves music."

Veld knew well enough that Vincent would prefer awkward silence to small talk, so it was better to push things along: get the conversation going.

"I play the piano and the cello, actually. And really?" asked Hananko. She smiled up at Vincent, all her attention on him. "What kind of music is your favorite?"

"Uh..." Vincent shot Veld a glare. "I like music. I mean, it's so difficult to choose just one type."

The recovery was good enough. Vincent was a Turk, after all. He had to be good at sounding natural, even if he was lying or making things up on the spot. Besides, at least they were having a conversation.

"I know what you mean," said Hananko. "There are so many styles. Everyone thinks I should have a favorite composer, but it's so hard to choose one."

"Yeah," said Vincent nodding, "it would be. How does Eastern music compare to Wutaian music. You're from Wutai, right?" A look of horror briefly crossed Vincent's face as he realized how awkward it would be if she wasn't from Wutai. Fortunately, Veld was the only one who knew Vincent well enough to realize that the slight narrowing of Vincent's eyes was in fact a look of horror.

"Yes, I am," said Hananko, "I came to Junon to study music when I was eighteen; the university offered me a scholarship. Well, I love western music, it's very different, but I like my native music as well. I can play the...you would call it a Wutaian Violin and also what you would call a lute, and play many traditional pieces."

"Sounds like you're quite accomplished," said Vincent.

Veld took a large sip of coffee to hide his smirk. Vincent Valentine was being charming? What strange alternate reality was this?

"Oh, thank you," said Hananko. She looked away to hide her blush. "I'm just lucky, my father is a successful merchant and specialized in imports from the Eastern continent. It's because of him that I was exposed to eastern music. He bought me my first piano and paid for me to have piano lessons when I was very young. I suppose I...well I fell in love with the piano." She brushed a strand of long black hair behind her ear. "All my life it was my dream to study music in the east."

"Hananko's been offered a position with Midgar Symphony," said Chloe. "It's so exciting, isn't it?" Chloe looked to her friend, beaming with pride.

"I didn't know Midgar has a Symphony," said Vincent.

"Midgar doesn't have anything yet, well except a bunch of small towns clustered around a swamp," said Veld. "Construction starts next year. All those villages combined into one metropolis. They're building everything up off the ground as soon as the drain the water out of the wetlands. We should count ourselves lucky the old man didn't put us on assignment clearing out Zoloms."

"Lucky? I'd enjoy the target practice," said Vincent, actually cracking a smile.

"Seems cruel," said Hananko, "all the creatures that are going to be cleared away for the city. I am happy though, it sounds like it will be wonderful. A floating city in the cloud's. It's like something from a poem. A city of the gods."

"A city of Shin-ra," said Vincent.

"Shin-ra's vision," said Chloe, "apparently it's going to be a center for arts and theater as well as everything else."

"Yeah," said Veld. "President Shinra wants it to rival Junon in every possible way. I guess that's why there's going to be a symphony."

"The city has a symphony before it's even built," said Vincent, "what'll they think of next."

"Well there's need to be a symphony to play at the ground breaking ceremony," said Hananko. "It will be an honor to take part in such an historic event."

"Oh I'm sure," said Vincent. "Congratulations on being selected. You must feel really proud."

"Just fortunate," said Hananko. "A job means I'll be able to stay in the country. I want to be here to live in Midgar. To see the world that Shinra builds. You two must be very proud, working for such a great company."

"You've read the brochures I take it?" asked Vincent.

They laughed together, and conversation continued over coffee. Once the coffee was finished they discussed going out to dinner, but Vincent insisted he needed to get back to work. Veld said he'd better go too. The truth was he didn't want to make Hananko feel like a third wheel, and he could make time to go out with Chloe later. It was Spring Break next week and Hananko would be back in Wutai for the holiday, which meant he'd have plenty of alone time with Chloe.

"Will I see you again, Mr. Valentine?" asked Hananko.

"Vincent," he said, "you can call me Vincent. And I don't know, I'll see how my schedule looks and maybe you will."

"You were trying to set me up, weren't you?" Vincent accused once they were back at the office. Well the Junon office, which at the moment was more a cluster of tin, trailers on the edge of the construction sight for the new military base.

"Oh, why would you say that?" asked Veld. He flopped into his chair and put his feet up on the desk. "And would you really mind if I were? Come on, would it kill you to have a little fun."

"She's too young for me," said Vincent.

"She's my age," said Veld, "you're what? Twenty-four? Two years isn't that big of an age gap."

"I'm almost twenty five," said Vincent. He gave looked at Veld for a long moment, his eyes narrow. "And if we take the maturity gap between you and I as an example."

"Ouch," said Veld. "What are you trying to say, partner? You don't think I'm mature. You know what your problem is Vincent? You're too serious."

"And you're not serious enough, rookie, " retorted Vincent.

"I am when I need to be," said Veld. He took his feet off the desk and sat up. "There's nothing I take more seriously than my duties as a Turk. However, I believe you can have a personal life as well as a professional life that you keep separate. You can't be the suit all the time, can you?"

"You really think men like us can have personal lives?" asked Vincent. "I don't really think it's fair to get involved."

"Why not?" asked Veld.

"We keep secrets, it's part of our job," said Vincent, "so we'd never be able to be fully honest. We might be putting their lives in danger and they wouldn't even know. We're going to make enemies, Veld. They won't stop coming after us just because we're off duty for the day."

"The department has taken measures. Our last names aren't on any of the records, well yours is because you didn't opt in, but the rest of us are fairly safe. Come on, there are lots of Vincents and Velds in the world, no last name means it will be harder to track our personal connection down," said Veld. "And I guess…I figure if we do our jobs right we won't have enemies left alive, or at least none that would dare to go after us. Being a Turk is going to mean something soon. Shinra is going to change the world, and we'll be a part of that."

"The more Shinra changes things the more enemies it's bound to make," said Vincent. "Our jobs aren't easy. We can never know if we're going to make it back at the end of the day. That kind of puts a damper on making long term plans."

"What?" asked Veld.

"I've seen people die, Veld. We both have. We know what that looks like. Something just leaves them. It's as easy as flipping a switch, the light's gone and it's never coming back. Then all that's left behind is a body and everyone who's going to be left to grieve. We've come so close to dying ourselves, on more than one occasion. I don't want to have people who need me to be there for them when I don't know if I'll make it back from the next mission."

Veld was silent for a moment. Then broke the silence with a chuckle. "Don't be so dramatic," he said. "It's not like I'm telling you to marry the girl. I'm just saying you should get out once in awhile."

"So you don't think you'd marry Chloe one day?" asked Vincent.

"Chloe? Well...yeah, I guess I would like to, one day. If we last that long," said Veld. "Our relationship, that is, I'm not planning on getting killed anytime soon. But yeah, it would be nice, a wife and kid to come home to at the end of the day."

The men looked up to see Jackie, the Turk's latest recruit, came into the room. She was the first woman in the department, and looked like something from a pin up, big blue eyes and long blonde hair. She was also the most promising recruit he'd seen.

"What are we talking about?" asked Jackie.

"What Veld plans to name his kids," said Vincent.

Jackie laughed and took a seat at her desk, immediately going to work on a report. She was just as no nonsense as Vincent.

"Vincent doesn't think we can have lives," said Veld. He looked over his shoulder at Jackie. "You're seeing someone, aren't you Jackie? Military guy?"

"Not that it's any of your business, but yes," said Jackie, "Captain Carter and I are dating, but I wouldn't say we're making any marriage plans."

"Not right now," said Veld, "but someday maybe?"

"Yeah," said Jackie, "someday maybe, I know he wants to have kids, military boys to follow in his footsteps."

"What's he going to do if you have girls," asked Veld.

"Train them to be just as tough as any boy," shrugged Jackie, "I mean, I will be their mother after all." She laughed and pulled her long hair back into a ponytail. "But seriously, I don't see me having kids any time soon. I'm a Turk, not a home maker."

"I just think having a job doesn't preclude having a life," said Veld, "I tried introducing Vincent to a girl today, but he's not having any of it."

Jackie moved to the coffee maker. "Hey guys, I'm not the only one capable of making coffee you know." She moved to the small cabinet, "or of buying more when we run out."

Veld got to his feet. "I'll run to the store," he said.

"No, it's fine, I'll grab it this time," said Jackie, heading towards the door. "But you owe me."

Vincent has moved to retrieve some files, obviously hoping to escape the conversation by focusing on work, but Veld was having none of it.

"You really don't see yourself meeting someone?" asked Veld, "not ever?"

"I think we're going to be very busy in the years to come," said Vincent. "Not everyone is so happy about Midgar's construction as Hananko."

"I don't see why not," said Veld. "Shinra's going out of it's way not to ruffle people's feathers. All those towns that are already there aren't going to be touched. We're building that giant ass plate just so we don't have top demolish any existing structures."

"We're building the plate because there's nothing they can do stop us," said Vincent. "We'd have to pay them to take their land, but there's no law against building over their property if we build high enough. No sunlight is going to make it pretty difficult to farm. We've also drained the swamps, many of the towns were fishing communities."

"Many of those towns were stricken with malaria," Veld countered, "sorry I if I don't see modernity as a problem. The way I see it, they get to keep their towns, and they get a new city rising above them. That means lots of new jobs and opportunities, beats fishing right?"

"We're changing their way of life," said Vincent.

"For the better," said Veld. "All the new reactors are gonna pump out a lot of electricity, and with Shinra powering the world everyone to going live very comfortable lives."

"Not everyone agrees," said Vincent.

"Well, they'll be dealt with," said Veld, "one way or another. Shinra's paying us for something, aren't they? But hey, now, it's not fair changing the subject. Don't think I haven't caught on, and you're not getting out that easy."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," said Vincent.

"Are you going to give Hananko a call or what?"

"Why are you so set on meddling in my love life?" asked Vincent.

"I'm just trying to make sure you have a life," said Veld. "One of these days you're going to wake up and realize you're an old man and all these chances have passed you by. Enjoy yourself while you can, that's all I'm saying. You aren't going to be young forever."

"No, you're right about that, at least," said VIncent. "Still, you're the one who seems to be in a rush to grow up." Vincent moved to the coffee machine and poured himself a cup. "Thinking about marriage and all that. Do you want a house in the suburbs too? Want me to marry your girls best friend so we can all raise our kids together?"

"I wasn't saying that," said Veld. "I just think Hananko's a nice girl is all."

"You know her that well?" asked Vincent.

"Yeah," said Veld. "She's been Chloe's best friend for years. They were friends before we even met, so I got introduced fairly early on. See that's the trick with girls, if you can get the best friend to like you then you're set."

"Veld's school of how to get girls?" asked Vincent. "I think I'll be all right on my own. No offense Veld, but Hananko's just not my type."

"Oh, so who is?" asked Veld.

"I don't know? I'm more into brown hair," said Vincent, "and older women are nice."

Veld grinned and stood to clap Vincent on the back. "Well then, maybe there's hope for you yet."