Rendezvous # 13: Chance Encounter

Nanaki was out at the valleys of Cosmo Canyon, doing his rounds of guarding the perimeter of the settlement, watching out for any monsters that might attack the town when he heard something shuffle and he initially thought maybe he strayed a bit too far from where he's supposed to be. He was just about to turn back and return to his post when he heard a pair of voices, screaming.

And that's where he got confused. He might be young compared to the other members of their tribe but he's quite knowledgeable about humans, enough that he was usually mistaken as an adult when the travelling and visiting humans came to Cosmo Canyon. As such, he can tell signs of what a human would be feeling depending on their cries or vocal sounds. As it is, when a human scream, it indicates that they were afraid of something; something much common with the younger age bracket of human children.

But the screams of two young human children weren't from fear, from what he can tell, the kids were actually happy. Nanaki walked a bit closer to where the screams originated from and he saw two kids running away from 2 flying Griffins and 2 Gagihandis. Running towards his direction, to be exact. The children had backpacks slightly bigger than their bodies, outright showing they were travelling, and had expressions of delight on their faces.

"I told you they hate being blasted by ice!"

"And I told you they hate being shocked by Thunder!"

"No, what they hated was the Sleeskee exploding at the sleeping Grand Horn. You must admit it Cloud. It was funny."

The two keep on bartering jabs at each other until they saw him, which was then followed by sudden stop from the two. Sensing the Griffins and Gagihandis approaching his and the kids position, Nanaki called out to the two kids. "Hurry up! There are monsters behind you two!"

Magic was then felt being cast, signaled by the sudden lightning bolt coming from the blond and a tornado from the black haired kid. The one with the sword turned around slashed his sword. Which confused Nanaki until a cry from one of the Griffins was heard and he noticed a gash at one of its wings, something that wasn't there before.

"Should we finish this, Cloud? We had our fun already," the black haired kid remarked. Nanaki could see the kid was primarily a magic user based on his apparent lack of weapons on his person, except for the sturdy looking gloves and boots which Nanaki surmised were used for close combat situations, and from the surge of magic he could feel from the kid's hands. Materia equipped in his bracers were glowing, signaling the use of magic.

"No, you had your fun, Ver! I was just roped into your mess!" the blond whose name was Cloud, a strange but unique name for a human, replied back. He then sighed. "Yeah, we should." Cloud then raised his sword, which had runes on it and Materia equipped around its hilt, and slashed at the air, a purple colored Materia glowing and making a streak of light every time the sword was moved. The flying Griffins then cried out in pain from the sudden appearance of wounds on their bodies.

"Geez, you sourpuss," Ver, the black haired kid, said with a tone of resignation. He then released the pent up energy from the Materias and an attack struck the remaining monsters. Fireballs started hitting the Gagihandis and honed at them when they tried to evade the barrage. A ball of energy followed the fireballs, honing on the monsters and when it reached them, a sudden surge of ice and frost came out below them, launching up in the air. Ver seemed to pause in his series of magic attacks, prompting Nanaki to turn his attention back to kid.

The kid had his eyes closed and his face was in a serious expression. His Materia in his bracers were still glowing and Nanaki could feel something rise in their surroundings. At the exact moment the Gagihandis almost touched the ground, Ver opened his eyes and raised his arm towards the monsters, as if directing his magic towards them.

A strong bolt of electricity came out from the kid's arms, hitting the 2 Gagihandis. Their cries were short as the bolt ran its course through their bodies in a very short time, evident by their smoke coming out of their mouths. Green mist began then cover up the 2 monsters, the Lifestream taking back the monsters to itself.

Nanaki was almost shocked by the sheer power the black haired kid had. Keyword: almost. He already saw how devastating magic could be but Nanaki had to give credit where its due. To think a kid, a mere human kid, could wield it in such a manner surprised him.

The other kid's slashes stopped seconds after the Lifestream finished retrieving the Gagihandis. The two Griffins that were on the receiving end of his strange attacks fell down to the ground and the Planet went on claiming their bodies.

Cloud then sheathed back his sword and went towards Ver, dragging the kid by the straps of the backpack he had on his back. "W-Wait a minute, Cloud! I'm still catching my breath!" the kid whined, resisting the pull of the other. His feet were then scrambling to get away but it only led Cloud to effort more on his pull.

"I'm the one who should be tired! Not you. Come on, the town is close. You can rest all you want there," Cloud quipped back to the shorter kid, still intent on dragging Ver to Cosmo Canyon. Ver sighed and reached out to his brother's hand on his back pack. As if a silent message was received, Cloud released his hold on the strap. The black haired kid then turned around and walked behind Cloud.

The two passed Nanaki, not noticing his presence nor any recognition to his strange appearance. Nanaki guessed they forgot he was even there or were just too exhausted to notice the orange-colored individual around them. As the two kids went on following the path towards Cosmo Canyon, Nanaki followed them.

It was his duty to watch out for any monster attacks and any visitors. And he is quite curious about the two. They were a bit too young for traveling alone and the sheer skill both the two had in fighting the monsters implied they had experience in fighting them. Not to mention the skill the black haired kid had on using magic.

Well, he was thinking he would be bored out of his mind on doing his routines that morning. Then this happened. It was interesting and honestly, Nanaki is intrigued by the two kids. Might as well, see what the two's goal in visiting Cosmo Canyon.

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The two were planning to travel to Midgar, or at least somewhere at the Eastern Continent. From what he overheard from their discussions at the lounge of Shildra Inn that night, they were on a self-appointed quest to find their own fortunes. Or something along those lines. Human children speak a very unique language that even the adults of their species couldn't comprehend them, much less get a hold of the pronunciations they used.

Nanaki expected the parents of the kids would arrive a few hours after the two made their way through the town but it seemed the two don't have their parents with them. It was even more emphasized when he overheard the item shop attendant asked them the same thing and the reply he heard was, "My brother is the only one in this world with me now. So that's why we are going to explore the world! Aaaand maybe check out Kalm? I think we had a family there."

They also seemed to have spent some time on the road based on what he had found following the two. Nanaki followed the two after he requested Nascha to take over his patrol for the meantime. He discovered that they had travelled for some time before coming to Cosmo Canyon, evidenced by their worn out footwear and slightly torn clothes, which were immediately replaced by a brand new set of boots and clothes at the only clothing shop in the entire Cosmo Canyon. They also had a collection of monster parts, showing that they had fought various monsters on their way to Cosmo Canyon's hub center and discovered could earn money by selling them, which were sold at the weapon smith, pharmacy and the general store of Cosmo Canyon.

Cloud, the apparent elder sibling, mostly took charge of the dealings in selling and buying while Ver, the younger sibling, would be delegated with the task of arranging the bought merchandise in their bags. By the time the two had settled down at the Shildra Inn and bought dinner from Barlow, Nanaki had exhausted himself from his indiscreet actions. Deciding he must at least tell his grandfather about the new visitors/travelers – the number of tourists, travelers and pilgrims to Cosmo Canyon experiences a very steep dive ever since ShinRa waged War at Wutai -, Nanaki returned to his quarters at his grandfather's residence.

Elder Bugenhagen, the oldest of all the elders, the wisest and, frankly, the most experienced of all the elders in Cosmo Canyon, have his residence near the town's and the world's only Planetarium and Observatory. Nanaki was adopted by Elder Bugenhagen after his own father disappeared and his mother died at the Battle against the Gi Tribe; he was single-handedly raised by the old man despite their difference in species. As such, Nanaki always revere the old man as his grandfather ever since.

He noticed his grandfather was still up at the observatory, most likely watching the stars and planets of the universe through the ancient telescope of Cosmo Canyon. Nanaki always wondered why Cosmo Canyon have a working ancient telescope that could observe the planets and the stars out at the vast space of the universe. And there was the big replica of the solar system in the other room that encompasses the whole room. Not to mention the technology in Cosmo Canyon that seemed to be ancient yet and the same time appears to be futuristic, giving off the feeling it was an artifact of a very advanced civilization that was displaced in time.

The elders of both the humans and his tribe once said that those were their inheritance from their ancestors, back when the Cetra used to exist. Much was lost during the passing of time, not even the records kept at the library could tell him about life before the start of the 1st Millennium. The only thing that he found that had proved Cosmo Canyon's technology and establishments was that it was a hidden research center established by the Cetra. Nanaki also recalled that their tribe was said to be the guardians of Cosmo Canyon, but that was it.

Honestly, Nanaki couldn't understand why they must do the semicentennial 'ritual' to appease the Planet if they couldn't understand why they do it the first place. From what he researched, there seems to be a connection between their rituals and the Cetra. It was even reinforced by his discovery of Cosmo Canyon's history, making his theory of their tribe and species were members of the Ancients, or at least a part of their empire or something.

The lack of solid evidence doesn't help though. And that irritates Nanaki. Deneh doesn't mind that she would be staying at the altar somewhere at the vastness of the Canyon for a solid 10 years, which is not really a long time for the kind but still. And Deneh's almost insulting words of him being a coward just makes him…

Making a deep sigh, Nanaki climbed up the ladder to his observatory. It wouldn't really make any difference if he got worked up over Deneh's words. The ritual will still be done as it is a part of their tribe and kind's culture. However, Nanaki hoped he won't be chosen to be one for he doesn't really want to stay at the altar, doing meditation for 10 years.

"Grandfather?" Nanaki called out. "Grandfather, are you there?" No response, not even a shuffle can be heard as Nanaki successfully landed to the second floor of the building. He noticed that the entire floor was a mess: papers scattered over floor, his grandfather's clothes all strewed atop over his bed and stack of paper boxes, which Nanaki assumed to be take-out meals from the Shildra Inn. "…He only acts like this when he notices something strange."

Making his way towards the small ladder leading to his grandfather's personal room in the observatory, he called out, "…Hey! OLD MAN! YOU ATE TAKE OUT AGAIN?! YOU KNOW ITS BAD FOR YOU HEALTH!"

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING OLD MAN?! THIS OLD MAN FED YOU HALF-EATEN MEAT WHEN YOU WERE YOUNG! AND WUTAIN IS GOOD FOR ME!"

A bang resounded throughout the entire room and his grandfather came down from his small persona room on his huge ball of Materia. The expression on the old man's face was showing anger but the smile on Elder Bugenhagen unsettled Nanaki.

"You were too focused on your meditations, Grandfather, so I had to resort to calling you those," Nanaki admitted without any shame on his tone but he still ducked his head. Hearing his grandfather scoff, he raised his head and saw the angry expression gone on his face.

"What happened, Grandfather? Something serious? The last time you holed up in your room and ate take-out for lunch and dinner was when ShinRa made their move against Wutai."

Elder Bugenhagen floated towards the scattered papers on the floor and raised his arm, making the Materia glow slightly and the papers to fly to his outstretched hand. "The Planet called me, Nanaki. The Planet told me a Cetra arrived in town and She wants me to talk with the Cetra." Nanaki noticed his Grandfather picked a single sheet of paper from the ones he collected and motioned the rest towards the table at the corner of the room.

"The Planet told me before that the last of Her chosen people is somewhere at the Easter Continent so that means this Cetra the Planet told me to talk to isn't Gast's daughter," his Grandfather said. His Grandfather's eyes seemed to be concentrated on the picture of a human adult printed on the paper.

"Who?" Nanaki asked. He never heard of someone named 'Gast' before and it seemed to this 'Gast' had a history with his Grandfather.

"Oh, I never told you about this before, haven't I? I used to work at ShinRa before they used the Lifestream as fuel. Back then, ShinRa was a small company that used windmills and solar panels to supply power to many people. But then someone at the R&D discovered a node of the Lifestream and thought it would be best used as fuel," his Grandfather disclosed to him. "Gast was one of my coworkers there at R&D. After I resigned, because I can't stand them using the Lifestream, ignoring my reports on the repercussions and the Planet doesn't want me to be with them anymore, ShinRa disposed the windmills and solar panels. Gast helped me bring them to Cosmo Canyon since Cosmo Canyon was too far for ShinRa to reach back then and well…"

Elder Bugenhagen gestured to windows showing the windmills and solar panel plastered over the roofs of the houses and establishments of Cosmo Canyon. "Cosmo Canyon was a small place, Nanaki. Most of the residents who lived here are pilgrims, those who believed in the 'old fables' of The Ancients and The Planet, and your tribe, the Gopsids. Actually, your tribe were the majority of the residents here until..."

His Grandfather shook his head. "That was a story for a different time, Nanaki. Anyway, I had contact with Gast after I left. He was my friend at ShinRa since we were co-workers and he was like my little brother, in a sense. Last I heard from him, he was working against ShinRa after he discovered something about the Calamity and was in a relationship with a Cetra."

"The Planet told me he had a daughter with the Cetra after I noticed his PHS wasn't working anymore. That he died in protecting his daughter after ShinRa discovered his relationship with a Cetra. I guess he hid it from them, that gutsy little scamp," his grandfather chuckled sadly at his reverie. Nanaki kept silent all throughout Elder Bugenhagen's spiel, he had no idea his Grandfather used to work with ShinRa before it became what it was now and had a friend who died to protect his Cetran daughter.

"What about the other Ancients, I mean, the other Cetra?" he asked, curious. He said 'the last of Her chosen people' yet his Grandfather didn't elaborate how it came to that point. "I read that the remnants of their people stayed at the Northern Crater to watch over the Calamity's Seal but how did it reached to the point that your friend's daughter became the last?"

"ShinRa happened," his Grandfather said in a flat tone. "I don't know why or how or when, but they became obsessed with searching for the Cetra and the 'source' of Mako, their term for Lifestream. Without me there, Gast believed in their words and even participated on capturing some of the Cetra at the Northern Continent However, from his last messages, he was disillusioned in the end because he discovered the truth. He also fell in love with the Cetra, rescuing her from ShinRa and hid away."

"Makes me wonder if that was what Fujito did after I sent him away from the town."

"Who?"

"…Nothing of importance Nanaki."

"So… this Gast loved her enough for him to have a daughter with the Cetra. ShinRa was disappointed in the captured Cetras' refusals in aiding them from reaching this 'source' of Mako, I reckon, that they killed them. Am I right, Grandfather?" Nanaki asked.

"Yes. Anyway, this is a good thing you are here. Did anyone came to the town today? I was busy all day deciphering Her words to me. Sometimes I think The Planet forgets that I am not a Cetra but only a mere human." His Grandfather then folded the paper on his hand and hid it in his sleeve. He then floated to the stack of paper boxes he had on the dining table and picked them up in one scoop. "Nanaki, would you be so kind and help me clean up the room?"

Nanaki sighed and went to pick up the clothes his grandfather had scattered in his earlier trance. "Tell the Planet sometimes to schedule Her talks with you. I know it is important but the mess you Grandfather leave in your trances must be followed," Nanaki grumbled.

"Sorry." But the smile on his wrinkled face doesn't show the expression of being sorry.

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After relaying his discovery that day to his Grandfather, Nanaki's interest grew every second Elder Bugenhagen pondered on their next action. According to his Grandfather's words, one of the two boys that came to the town was a Cetra. Or maybe both of them were. No one else came that day to Cosmo Canyon, and most of them weren't expecting at all since most of their usual visitors and tourists often arrive between the months of March and June where the climate of Cosmo Canyon is much cooler than the rest of the year, so the only people his Grandfather and The Planet refer would be the two.

But they're kids, so it would look bad and selfish for them if they ask the two kids to come to the town's hall in the middle of the night. "Nanaki, go to sleep. We'll talk to the two tomorrow. You say they were planning to stay around for some days, right? Then we have a lot of time." Figured his Grandfather would think the same thing as him.

"Alright. You too Grandfather. You now look like you age," Nanaki remarked before he scampered off towards his own quarters. The yell of his Grandfather's 'Get back here you little scamp!' echoed throughout the entire floor and possibly the entire town, but Nanaki doesn't regret it. Not even a little.

His Grandfather knew it too. Even if Nanaki's years of age is around the digit of 30 to 40 years, his physical and psychological development of his body and mind would be equal to a human teenager. He's a teenager amongst his people if one would use the human equivalent. Such that his Grandfather despairs of the idea of him not living up to the point Nanaki could be considered as an adult by his people.

Elder Bugenhagen's expanded lifespan came from the diluted blood of his great-grandparents' Cetra heritage, such that he lived for a century already. But he and Nanaki knew that he couldn't compare it to the lifespan of a Gopsid, who are said were living amongst the Cetra way before the 1st Millennium and had the lifespan of more than 5 decades.

Thus Nanaki's attempts to cheer up his Grandfather in way one would say 'childish'. His Grandfather doesn't mind and both of them wouldn't admit that they enjoy the times they made fun of each other. Keeps away the reminders of Elder Bugenhagen inevitable death.