A nightmare about death and destruction, hardship and loss, and plenty more death.
Such a nightmare would be hard on anyone with a stable mind, but for Vincent Valentine it was a nightly ordeal. Such as it was it made sleep a challenge.
Still he tried, it seemed it was all he could do to maintain his sanity.
He shifted in his sleep and he felt like he was lying on uneven ground. He opened his eyes and saw that he was in an entirely different place than he was before. He had been in a cave before and now he was in a fancy white room. From where he lay he saw the end board of a large bed, a small circular wooden table with two chairs, and an open set of glass doors leading outside surrounded with white curtains. The curtains were flowing in a light breeze, while the sound of the ocean reached Vincent's ears, followed by the scent of salt water.
"What is this...?"
His eyes closed once again, his mind beginning to feel overwhelmed by what was going on when he felt a delicate touch on his cheek. He opened his eyes again and after turning his head to look towards the ceiling, Vincent saw a hauntingly familiar face looking down at him.
"Good morning Mr. Valentine," said Lucrecia Crescent with a smile.
The shock that went through Vincent's body was like he had been electrocuted. He sat up quickly and had he the room he would have leapt out of the bed. Instead he stood off to the side of the bed and got a good look at her, and within seconds his fears were dashed. It was her all right, from the long auburn hair tied in back with a yellow ribbon to the white dress he had seen her wear in the mako cave. The voice too...it sent a shiver through his body remembering how familiar it was to him. There was no doubt about it. This was indeed Lucrecia.
"How...are you here?"
She was sitting on the bed, her hands on her lap where just a moment ago Vincent's head had been laying, and looking as if she didn't know what he was implying. "What do you mean?"
Was she playing dumb? Last time Vincent checked Lucrecia had been absorbed into a crystal made of mako energy, a sort of limbo where she would remain for all eternity. Vincent knew there was no way she could be here, unless this was a crazy dream that was being played out to torment him.
"This must be a dream..."
The smile faded from her beautiful face, like he had struck a sensitive spot.
"What makes you think that?"
Deciding to play his cards carefully, Vincent spoke, "...let's just say that I had a nightmare, and that right now what I am seeing seems too good to be real."
He had chosen his words carefully, now it was up to Lucrecia to answer.
She got up from the bed and walked around it, the dress she wore dragging on the red carpet, and she stopped in front of him. Looking into his crimson eyes, she reached for his cheek again. Vincent panicked and reached for the pistol on his right hip. Lucrecia didn't stop, her hand graced his skin. Her touch was warm, sensual, but most important it had been real. She was real.
"That must have been a horrible experience," she said, seeming oblivious to his shock.
Vincent took a step back and brought his right hand to his face. He did still not believe this was real. This woman shouldn't be here, and yet here she was, acting like the last fifty years between them hadn't happened.
"Vincent?"
He looked at her. she was genuinely concerned by his behavior.
However, as Vincent wondered if he was dreaming or perhaps going insane, something about this whole situation seemed oddly pleasant. He couldn't quite put it to words, but in his mind, this felt right.
He decided to be careful, and keep that good feeling going. "I uh...just had to gather myself. Sorry to worry you...Lucrecia."
Her smile returned, and Vincent's spirit seemed to be rejuvenated by that. "That's good, Vincent. I'm glad."
A set of knocks at the entrance door got both their attentions, but Lucrecia was the first to respond, "I'll get that."
As Lucrecia walked to the door Vincent couldn't take his eyes off her, like he was afraid that if he did she would vanish. She came back with a moogle pushing a cart behind her. The cart had a few silver plate dishes with various breakfast meals on them.
"Kupo! Mog's Resort Room Service has arrived to give you breakfast, kupo."
'Resort?' Vincent figured that was the name of the place he was in, and it sounded like a place near Costa del Sol. However, he had a feeling that this wasn't the case. Moogles didn't look like that back home, least not to his knowledge.
Lucrecia didn't seem worried. "Thank you." She took a seat at the table and got herself ready to eat.
The moogle himself seemed pleased, "I'll be back in an hour to pick the cart up, please enjoy yourselves until then, as well as enjoy the rest of your stay here, kupo!"
As the moogle left, Vincent took a seat next to Lucrecia. Not feeling hungry as his mind still had trouble digesting what he was seeing. He still had this insatiable wanting to just accept what was going on.
Lucrecia smiled at him and offered him a plate, and he accepted it.