Vincent watched the waters rippling on the shore in the cold morning sunlight. They splashed against the crumbling ruins of what had been Junon Cannon. Dolphins played among the coral, chattering as they leapt over the surf. Vincent was early; he was waiting for his friends. They were meeting him in Junon before continuing on together to the Western Continent and Rocket Town.
"So," a cheerful voice called from behind him. "Watchya get for Cid?"
"Get?" Vincent asked the young ninja as she bounced down the steps to the beach.
"Yeah, you know, for his birthday."
"Nothing."
"Wha?!" she stomped her feet on the rock Vincent was lazing on as she shoved his shoulder. "Nothing?! You have to get him something! It's his birthday!"
Yes, Vincent thought. He should probably buy a gift. It had not really crossed his mind before; he had not celebrated a birthday, his own or anyones, in a long time. Now he thought about again it; gifts were traditional.
"What do you suggest?" he asked, standing up. Yuffie only shrugged at him. "What did you get?"
"Hah!" she winked at him. "That's a surprise!"
Vincent sighed. "Is anyone else here yet?"
"Nope! It's just you and me!" Yuffie hooked her arm around his and started hauling Vincent off the beach. "Let's go shopping!"
*****************
Considering the damage done by Emerald Weapon four years previous, the shopping arcades of Junon Port were on rather good shape. The lower village and upper city were now living in harmony - no more pollution, no more troops, no more misery and squalor.
"Well then!!" Yuffie declared upon reaching the first arcade. "Go buy a gift!"
Vincent stared at her. When was the last time he had bought a gift? He shook his head, thinking further back than the ring he had offered Lucrecia.
He had acquired a rare book for his father through his ShinRa links. It was supposed to have been a way of saying sorry, of reconciling with his father. That had also failed.
Did he not even have a happy memory of giving a gift? Not to anyone?
Yuffie saw something strange happen in that instant - Vincent's face lit up.
"Okay, Vince, don't do that; it's creepy!"
"Do what?" he frowned momentarily.
"Smile like that! It's... disconcerting."
Vincent huffed - he did not realise that Yuffie's vocabulary included the word 'disconcerting.'
"What were you thinking about?"
"My mother."
"No! You have a mother?!"
Vincent sighed again - this girl had fallen on her head far too many times.
"I had a mother," he said. "She died when I was a boy, a teenager."
"Oh, sorry..." Yuffie kicked at the tarmac, her cheeks colouring a little.
"I bought her a necklace for her last birthday. It was made from blue gemstones and pink coral. She wore it every single day..."
"Now we're making progress! So, think of something Cid likes and we'll see what we can find!"
What Cid likes?
Alcohol...
Air ships...
His wife...
Swearing...
Lances...
Smoking...
Vincent did not think any of those things made appropriate gift ideas, but he followed Yuffie into the first shop on her itinerary anyway. It was a general store, selling everything from potions to phones to shoes.
"Anything the weary traveller needs we've got!" the young clerk told them as they entered.
Vincent's eyes roamed the shelves, but this was all just everyday wares. Nothing here would say 'gift.'
"Come on Yuffie," he said, leaving.
"See yah!" he heard the girl call to the clerk on her way out. "Alright, lets try Zell's Gifts and Gadgets!" and she once again hauled Vincent along behind her. Well, at least a shop with 'gifts' in its name sounded more promising.
Zell's store was bright and noisy. It was full of whirling and flashing toys... and children wanting to buy those toys.
"Wow!" Yuffie cried, seeing a fluffy robotic kitten doing back flips . Vincent rubbed his weary eyes and followed the childish warrior into the crowd.
"Can I help you?" a female voice asked out of the crowd. Vincent turned to see a willowy shop attendant with a name badge that read 'Sara' on her white shirt. She smiled at him as she pushed her glasses back onto her nose.
"I'm looking for a gift," he replied.
"Ah, well we can certainly help there. Do you know what you want?"
"No."
"Oh," she seemed only a little perturbed by his short, blunt answer. "Well, do you know what the person, is it an adult? Okay, so what do they like?"
Vincent reeled off the short list and the attendant smiled.
"Quite a friend you have there. I think we might have a few things. Come this way."
Sara turned about and gracefully picked her way through the rough gaggles of children, her slim figure allowing her to move unimpeded. Vincent marched after her, simply sliding people out of his way with a firm hand.
"Well," she said, holding two boxes out to him. "We have a couple of things here. This is a working scale model of the great Highwind that was once tethered here, before it was... well, re-acquired by Captain Cid Highwind who... what's so funny?"
Vincent could not help smirking at her slightly embarrassed words.
"I apologise; but the person I am buying the gift for is Cid Highwind."
"Oh," Sara blushed. "Oh! You, yes! How silly of me! Of course, you must be Vincent Valentine. I am sorry!"
Vincent shook his head; "No, it is alright. And I will take the ship... I think."
He should ask Yuffie first. He thought Cid would enjoy being able 'fly' his beloved Highwind again, but Vincent could not be sure. He called the ninja over and showed her the box.
"Oooh! No!" Vincent frowned, this was not the reaction he was expecting. "You can't get him that!"
"Why?"
"Well... you see... Damnit, Vince! I've got that for him!"
"Oh," Vincent was disheartened.
"What about the other one?" Sara asked, swapping boxes with him. The second contained a novelty bottle opener in the shape of the Highwind. Vincent withheld a chuckle.
"Nope," Yuffie said. "Barret got one like that."
Vincent groaned and handed back the bottle opener. "Thank you, but we will try another shop."
"Good luck," Sara offered as they left.
The peculiar pair tried four more gift shops, three general stores and two hardware stores. Nothing fit the bill, nothing said 'Cid.'
"Well," Yuffie huffed as they emerged from the latest building. "I give up. And the others must be waiting for us by now."
"I still have no gift," Vincent informed her.
"Well... I'm sure Cid will understand. We tried!"
Vincent shook his head - this was important now. He would find something for Cid.
"Alright!" Yuffie threw her arms in the air. "There's one more shop, but you're not gonna find anything... flight-y."
Yuffie lead Vincent deeper into the belly of the city, away from the coast. Further and further into ever narrower alleyways.
"Yuffie?" Vincent asked, ducking under washing lines and stepping over sleeping strays. "How do you know about this place?"
"Oh, well, you see... it's run by this guy from Cosmo Canyon. He used to work with Bugenhagen. When he passed away, Nanaki wanted to tell this guy, Arden is his name. Anyway, I came with him to tell Arden. It's an awesome shop! But not really... for Cid, you know?
Vincent did not know, having never seen the shop before.
Finally Yuffie came to a halt outside a small brown door. Intricate designes, like those found in Wutai, were carved into its pale wood. Either side of the door were two small, dusty windows. These had similar designes painted in red, black and white all over them - it was impossible to see inside.
Yuffie pushed the door open and waltzed inside. A puff of sweet smelling smoke billowed outside after her. Vincent followed the ninja through the haze.
Inside seemed more like a child's toy box turned on its head than a shop. It was small and cluttered. Items lay on tables, shelves, the floor. Every surface held a shiny little oddity or a small dusty curio. Gem encrusted baubles and polished metal bibelot reflected the dim light of paper lanterns, bathing everything in miniature rainbows. Incense bowls smoked in every corner of the room.
"Mr. Arden?" Yuffie called.
"Hmm? Oh! Is that you, Miss Kisuragi?" A croaky, high pitched voice drifted from behind a beaded curtain, followed by a small bald head.
"Yes sir," Yuffie bowed to the hunched little man as he emerged from the back room.
"And what brings you here? I have not seen you in months. More catnip?"
"Oh, no, no sir," Vincent was surprised by Yuffie's politeness. She must have a great deal of respect for this elderly gentleman. "We're here to find a gift for Captain Highwind."
"We?" Arden squinted in the dim light and only now saw Vincent, silent as ever, by the door. "Ah, is that Mr. Valentine?"
"Yes sir."
"Nanaki has spoken well of you, Mr. Valentine. He respects you, so I must also. What can I help you with?"
"As Yuffie said; a gift for Cid Highwind."
"Ah, yes, yes. The gruff and obnoxious 'Captain' of Rocket Town."
Nanaki held nothing back from this man, did he?
"Mr Valentine, to your left; see the small golden orb... no, not that small," Arden gave a chuckle that sounded like sandpaper on limestone. "The size of your fist. Ah, yes that. I think that will suffice. Yes, that is perfect."
"What is it?" Vincent asked. He turned the object round in his hands. It was a golden globe, encased in four concentric circles of silver metal about an inch in width. Each was attached to the next on a separate axis, so that they all could move independently of one another.
"Put it on a table, just clear a space... carefully!" Vincent followed the old man's instructions to the best of his ability, catching a little metal horse as it literally galloped off the table. "Now, yes that's it. There should be an indentation on the top; push it."
Vincent pressed his gloved finger into the small dip and stood back a little. Something inside the orb whirred and chattered. The rings began to move of their own volition, spinning and dancing on their axes. The dimple on the top began to glow, turning iridescent. Vincent saw colours sliding and shifting on its surface.
He bent to take a closer look only to be hit by a wave of nausea as the floor, and the table on it, seemed to disappear from under his feet, replaced by a black void.
"Stand up straight or you'll fall over," the old man scolded.
Vincent looked up, following a jet of bubbling colours as it burst from the orb's surface. He saw, dancing about him as they found their places in the dark blanket, a million stars; a whole galaxy of tiny lights. A great blue comet, its tail streaming thousands of miles behind it, sailed through the blackness, hurtling towards a great swirling gas giant.
"What is this?" Vincent asked awed by the power in tiny object.
"A toy," Arden chuckled again. "A replica of the machine in Cosmo Canyon. It is not as powerful, nor is the space it depicts the one in the night sky now. However, it does have a few touches that Bugenhagen's does not." He said the last with a touch of pride in his voice. "It is portable, and... can be used to 'travel,' using the rings, through a small region of our immediate space. I am sure the good Captain will need little help in learning the intricacies of it's guidance mechanisms."
"It is beautiful," Vincent offered; he had found his gift.
Cid had dreamt of space travel all his life. Though his wish had been granted when the ShinRa No. 26 had finally taken off, his stay in the heavens had been brief. The Captain could use this device to 'travel' further and for longer, without a cumbersome ship.
"Yes," Vincent said. "This is Cid's gift."