Through Their Eyes
A young man sat in his garden. His name was Luke, but everyone called him Watts, after that one incident with the light bulbs when he was younger. He sat with a filing folder next to him, papers spread on the grass in front of him, a glass of lemonade not far from that. He sat deep in thought, staring at a head-and-shoulders shot of a girl from Deling City. The girl's black hair had blonde highlights, and she had coal black eyes. ~*Maybe we'll get somewhere yet, he thought.
Another young man called out to him from up the street. His name was Markus, but everyone called him Zone from his tendency to sit and stare into space. As he walked along, hands in pockets, he noticed the files around Watts. ~*Maybe he's finally got someone...He pulled his hand out of his pocket and waved.
Watts looked up. "Hi Zone!"
"Don't call me that, Watts."
"You call me Watts, sir."
"Don't call me sir, either."
"Sorry sir. I mean Zone. I mean Markus."
"Don't call me Markus."
"What should I call you?"
"Oh fine, just call me Zone."
"Ok, if you say so."
They'd had conversations like this several times. Always the same basic plot. Not always the same names, but they always came out with Watts calling Markus Zone. They grasped hands, glad to see each other again. Watts had been on a mission in Deling City for the past few months, and when you're seventeen (as Zone and Watts were), you miss your best friend.
"Have you found a girl?"
"Yes, sir."
"I said don't call me that. What's the girl's name?"
"Um..." Watts pulled a paper out of his file. "Rinoa Heartilly."
"Wow. Sounds rich."
"General Caraway's daughter."
Zone looked thrilled like Christmas had come early. "The general's daughter?"
"You bet, Zone. She's a total rebel, just about like you an' me."
"Good work, Watts!"
"Thanks, Zone. Here's her picture." He took the head-and-shoulders shot out of the file and handed it to Zone.
"Wow...she looks like a princess, man. Where is she?"
"She said she'd wait for us in Timber."
"Ok. Let's get on board the Raider."
The Raider was kind of a pet name for the train that Zone and Watts had built out of scrap metal. It had been Watts' idea to paint it yellow, but the long spikes on the front were Zone's idea. They would have died before give up the Raider. After admiring their work a few minutes, they hopped aboard.
~~~~~~~~~~*~*~~~~~~~~~~
The girl got a soda and sat down at a bench. She wore all shades of blue and black, and she wore a light blue sleeveless overcoat. This was Rinoa.
She looked at her watch, then out at the railroad tracks. They were late. That man, Watts, had said that he was bringing a friend to meet her. She'd been waiting for a half an hour already.
Suddenly a clanking and churning announced the arrival of the Raider. Watts' arm beckoned Rinoa aboard. Hastily she got up, spilling a little bit of soda as she jogged up to and hopped aboard the Raider.
Zone and Watts, having helped her aboard, stood back and looked at her.
"I tolja she was pretty, Zone."
"Yeah, maybe so. I still say she looks like a princess."
Rinoa blushed at these compliments. She tried to look modest and sipped at her soda. "Hi Watts. And you must be Zone." She extended her hand to Zone to shake.
"Yeah, how ya doin." He shook her hand, then turned to Watts. "Show her her room."
"This way, Princess Rinoa."
Rinoa giggled and followed Watts.
~~~~~~~~~~*~*~~~~~~~~~~
After a few months on the open rails, Rinoa, Zone, and Watts were just about as close as two guys and a girl can get. Stuck in a train for months on end makes you get to know people.
One night, in the spring, Rinoa got on board the Raider with a sparkle in her eye, twirling around.
"Ok. Either Seifer slipped her something, or she's in love."
"Shut up, Zone, dear." Rinoa twirled past them.
Zone and Watts looked at each other. "Love."
"So! Who's the lucky guy, Rin?"
"MYOB, Watts."
"No way, Rin, we wanna know now."
"Ok. Seifer."
Laughing deeply, Zone and Watts shook their heads. "No way, you can't fool us, hun, we know you. Who is it?"
She looked from one face to the other. "Fine." She sat down next to Watts at their semi-circle table. "I dunno what his name is. And I'm not in love with him. But he has this bronze hair, and these sea green gray eyes, and he looks like he's lost someone close to him in his life. Like he doesn't want anyone to get close to him again, because he's afraid of losing them. He's so sad...but he doesn't want people to know it." She was staring straight ahead as though to remember his face.
Zone and Watts looked at each other, their eyes saying "But she's not in love with him." "Rin, I can't believe you didn't even get his name," Watts commented.
She snapped back into the real world. "Well it's not important. Seif'd kill me if I looked sideways at this kid."
"Why?" Zone and Watts loved it when they could get the dirt on Rinoa's boyfriend, so much so that they actually spoke in harmony.
"Well apparently, Seif has this total hate-mode on this kid. He's really great, and cute, and smart, and deep, and funny, kinda like the Drama Star at high school. Not that I like him. And lets face it, Seif's just about equivalent to the quarter back."
Zone and Watts laughed. "You do like him, hun, we can tell."
"Don't call me hun, Watts."
Watts sighed.
A young man sat in his garden. His name was Luke, but everyone called him Watts, after that one incident with the light bulbs when he was younger. He sat with a filing folder next to him, papers spread on the grass in front of him, a glass of lemonade not far from that. He sat deep in thought, staring at a head-and-shoulders shot of a girl from Deling City. The girl's black hair had blonde highlights, and she had coal black eyes. ~*Maybe we'll get somewhere yet, he thought.
Another young man called out to him from up the street. His name was Markus, but everyone called him Zone from his tendency to sit and stare into space. As he walked along, hands in pockets, he noticed the files around Watts. ~*Maybe he's finally got someone...He pulled his hand out of his pocket and waved.
Watts looked up. "Hi Zone!"
"Don't call me that, Watts."
"You call me Watts, sir."
"Don't call me sir, either."
"Sorry sir. I mean Zone. I mean Markus."
"Don't call me Markus."
"What should I call you?"
"Oh fine, just call me Zone."
"Ok, if you say so."
They'd had conversations like this several times. Always the same basic plot. Not always the same names, but they always came out with Watts calling Markus Zone. They grasped hands, glad to see each other again. Watts had been on a mission in Deling City for the past few months, and when you're seventeen (as Zone and Watts were), you miss your best friend.
"Have you found a girl?"
"Yes, sir."
"I said don't call me that. What's the girl's name?"
"Um..." Watts pulled a paper out of his file. "Rinoa Heartilly."
"Wow. Sounds rich."
"General Caraway's daughter."
Zone looked thrilled like Christmas had come early. "The general's daughter?"
"You bet, Zone. She's a total rebel, just about like you an' me."
"Good work, Watts!"
"Thanks, Zone. Here's her picture." He took the head-and-shoulders shot out of the file and handed it to Zone.
"Wow...she looks like a princess, man. Where is she?"
"She said she'd wait for us in Timber."
"Ok. Let's get on board the Raider."
The Raider was kind of a pet name for the train that Zone and Watts had built out of scrap metal. It had been Watts' idea to paint it yellow, but the long spikes on the front were Zone's idea. They would have died before give up the Raider. After admiring their work a few minutes, they hopped aboard.
~~~~~~~~~~*~*~~~~~~~~~~
The girl got a soda and sat down at a bench. She wore all shades of blue and black, and she wore a light blue sleeveless overcoat. This was Rinoa.
She looked at her watch, then out at the railroad tracks. They were late. That man, Watts, had said that he was bringing a friend to meet her. She'd been waiting for a half an hour already.
Suddenly a clanking and churning announced the arrival of the Raider. Watts' arm beckoned Rinoa aboard. Hastily she got up, spilling a little bit of soda as she jogged up to and hopped aboard the Raider.
Zone and Watts, having helped her aboard, stood back and looked at her.
"I tolja she was pretty, Zone."
"Yeah, maybe so. I still say she looks like a princess."
Rinoa blushed at these compliments. She tried to look modest and sipped at her soda. "Hi Watts. And you must be Zone." She extended her hand to Zone to shake.
"Yeah, how ya doin." He shook her hand, then turned to Watts. "Show her her room."
"This way, Princess Rinoa."
Rinoa giggled and followed Watts.
~~~~~~~~~~*~*~~~~~~~~~~
After a few months on the open rails, Rinoa, Zone, and Watts were just about as close as two guys and a girl can get. Stuck in a train for months on end makes you get to know people.
One night, in the spring, Rinoa got on board the Raider with a sparkle in her eye, twirling around.
"Ok. Either Seifer slipped her something, or she's in love."
"Shut up, Zone, dear." Rinoa twirled past them.
Zone and Watts looked at each other. "Love."
"So! Who's the lucky guy, Rin?"
"MYOB, Watts."
"No way, Rin, we wanna know now."
"Ok. Seifer."
Laughing deeply, Zone and Watts shook their heads. "No way, you can't fool us, hun, we know you. Who is it?"
She looked from one face to the other. "Fine." She sat down next to Watts at their semi-circle table. "I dunno what his name is. And I'm not in love with him. But he has this bronze hair, and these sea green gray eyes, and he looks like he's lost someone close to him in his life. Like he doesn't want anyone to get close to him again, because he's afraid of losing them. He's so sad...but he doesn't want people to know it." She was staring straight ahead as though to remember his face.
Zone and Watts looked at each other, their eyes saying "But she's not in love with him." "Rin, I can't believe you didn't even get his name," Watts commented.
She snapped back into the real world. "Well it's not important. Seif'd kill me if I looked sideways at this kid."
"Why?" Zone and Watts loved it when they could get the dirt on Rinoa's boyfriend, so much so that they actually spoke in harmony.
"Well apparently, Seif has this total hate-mode on this kid. He's really great, and cute, and smart, and deep, and funny, kinda like the Drama Star at high school. Not that I like him. And lets face it, Seif's just about equivalent to the quarter back."
Zone and Watts laughed. "You do like him, hun, we can tell."
"Don't call me hun, Watts."
Watts sighed.