I value my writing over my schoolwork. Is that unhealthy?
--
"There is something strange about being in peace when others nearby are not. You feel as if you should not be relaxed, but nevertheless, you are saturated in it…basking in it…covered in it. There is no escape. You want to…and yet..."
Tifa fondled a smooth pear in her hands and listened. Gently, she put it to her lips and bit into, tasting the light, fresh flavor. Cloud watched without saying a word.
"I …do not understand," Tifa replied. "I am a princess of a peaceful nation. My father has never toiled through war or had any serious illnesses…"
Cloud took the pear from her hand. He looked into her eyes intentionally and put his lips to it in the same way she had done, in the exact spot. Tifa felt her ears grow hot as he took a bite. Cloud handed the pear back to her with a smirk.
"If we stay in confidence with each other," Cloud said, "You will understand eventually."
"If we stay… in confidence?"
Cloud looked away as if he had lost focus. Tifa looked down at her pear, wondering if it was right to take a bite. She went ahead and ate it anyhow.
"So, as a princess, what is it that you do for the kingdom of Gelinde?" Cloud asked.
"What do you mean? I am a princess. Princesses do not have to work…"
Cloud shook his head in disagreement. He eyed the picnic basket and felt inside to find a sandwich.
"Before she became queen, the last princess of Kiel founded an orphanage in her kingdom," Cloud revealed. "And my sister helped to build and found a hospital in Dunkelheit. Being a princess, or even a ruler, means more than just sitting pretty in the palace all day. In other kingdoms, for all the jewels you have and the clothes you wear, there is a price to be paid."
Cloud pulled the sandwich out and carefully broke it in half.
"The higher the position and the more you have, the more that is expected from you. That is a rule for both the king and the beggar."
Tifa let her head fall down, and she sighed in shame.
"I knew it," she muttered.
"Halves?" Cloud asked.
Tifa perked her head up and saw a half of sandwich in her face. She took it halfheartedly and began to nibble.
"I said to much," Cloud spoke quietly. "My apologies."
"I cannot be offended by the truth," Tifa replied. "I guess I knew it all along…I am nothing but a bargaining chip…"
"Your father thinks more highly of that," he argued. "He loves you."
"Even a cow can be loved and lavished with…"
"A princess is not just an object exchanged for peace," he continued. "Your father probably wants to find the best possible man…the best one for you, that is."
Tifa snorted and ate a piggish bite.
"Why should I care either way?" she replied. "Even if that is true, he has no idea what is best for me when it comes to men…"
"You mean the Prince of Kiel?" Cloud teased.
Tifa gave him the evil eye, and Cloud laughed. She took her irritations out on the sandwich and snubbed her nose at him.
"He is a good man," Tifa admitted. "But he is also an irredeemable flirt! Like someone we know…"
"You are exaggerating his faults," Cloud replied. "Zack is only looking for love in all the wrong places."
Tifa stopped in mid-bite and stared at him, incredulously.
"Why did you address him by name instead of by title?"
"A very, long story…but not for today…we came here to enjoy ourselves."
Tifa huffed and rolled her eyes. Cloud reached into the basket again and pulled out the wine. When she saw the bottle in his hands, it gave her a shock.
"H-how did you know to look for it?" Tifa asked nervously.
"I can read your mind," Cloud replied. "And at this very moment, it is as open as a book."
Tifa felt the corner of her mouth and her left eye twitch.
"Speaking of books," he continued, "How far have you gotten through that diary?"
"Y-you n-n-n-never told me you c-c-c-could r-r-read minds!" Tifa stammered in terror.
"Oh? You did not know that?"
The sandwich fell from her hand. Her face turned hot and red and she shook her head, with her hands on her cheeks.
"Oh no…oh no…oh no!"
"Be in peace," Cloud said calmly. "I can only do it when a person is relaxed."
"What have you read?!"
"Not much…I do respect your privacy after all…"
"You promise?" she asked desperately.
Cloud raised his hand and nodded.
"On my honor," he answered.
She frowned, and then, let her entire upper body slump forward. Tifa heard a loud pop and the sound of liquid pouring. She smelled alcohol.
"Have I made you uncomfortable?" Cloud asked.
"Ay," Tifa moaned.
"Then this should do the trick."
Tifa raised her head up, and he presented a glass of wine to her. She took it thankfully and drank.
"Feeling better?"
"Ay."
Without realizing it, much of her lady etiquette had disappeared. She sat up straight, tilted her head back, and drank until the wine glass was empty. Tifa sighed in relief.
"That was good…"
"So is this…"
Her eyes widened and she looked down. Somehow, someway, without her noticing, Cloud had laid himself down, making use of her lap as a pillow. Her face turned red again. And Cloud looked rather tired.
"What on earth are you doing?!" Tifa shrieked.
"Resting," Cloud replied with a yawn.
"I know that, but why there?!"
Cloud closed his head and drifted away.
"I did not… sleep well last night…I need to …"
Before he could finish, Cloud had completely fallen asleep. And suddenly, her heart felt at ease. Her hands moved on their own and rested on his head.
--
"It could be a forgery," Hojo intervened. "We should not jump to conclusions."
Shinra paced around in his study, browsing the letter over and over again but not actually reading it. He, the king, was enraged. Not just because of what had been written, but because of the person who wrote it. He elderly blood was boiling. And Hojo had never seen him so incensed before in his life.
"And why would an anonymous person forge the seal of a Dunkelheit ruler?" Shinra hissed. "For what reason?"
"It is possible."
"Their royal family owns a special signet ring that only royal families know," Shinra declared. "It cannot be a fake…"
Yuffie stood a few yards away from the doors and was fanning herself. Vincent sat on the edge of the couch in silence. Shinra wearily handed him the letter and sat on the other end of the couch. He rubbed his balding head and what was left of his hair.
"He is mocking us," Shinra groaned. "He is here, and in his insolence, he writes a personal letter! To me! Dunkelheit swine! Vermin! Bastard!"
"My lord," Vincent interrupted. "You are popping a vein in your neck again…"
"Just read it!"
Vincent winced for a moment and shrugged his shoulders. He straightened the small, thin papers against his knee, sighed lightly, took a deep breath, and read the following:
To Shinra, the Great Ruler of Gelinde at this time,
Normally, at the start of letter, I would greet the recipient with warm words and information of my circumstances in Dunkelheit. However, because of the enmity that your kingdom has towards mine, I will refrain from doing so and come right to the point. As I nearly entered into your domain with my party, in secret, a banished fugitive followed me from my country. With his men, he assaulted us well into the night and in the wee hours of the morn, when we reached the city gates. There, I engaged the fugitive personally. The turbulence of the fight broke through barrier, and my party temporarily escaped. The fugitive and his men, unfortunately, came through with us at the same time. This was never my intention. One the day of our arrival, his men assaulted me again, here in the city of Royals, but this time, I was in the company of a Gelinde citizen. Fortunately, this person is safe and well at the moment.
As you can already infer, a fugitive from Dunkelheit is trouble for both you and me. I cannot specify the reason for his relentless pursuit, but I can tell you this: your daughter is in grave danger. In order to move your daughter into a safer position, we can proceed in three ways. My first proposal is that you can swallow your pride and assist me in the capture of this fugitive. Afterwards, we can calmly discuss other issues. Second, you can step aside and allow me to capture the fugitive. Then, I can take your daughter back to my kingdom with no hassle and no fuss. Third, the most likely the option you will choose, you can decide to oppose me and attempt to separate me your daughter, the princess. But hear you this; if you so choose the third proposal, I am given the sacred right to take the princess back to Dunkelheit, with or without your permission. Of course, I will suffer a blow in that as well, because the issue of the fugitive will probably not be resolved.
By now, in my dreams, I have seen the path you will take, and I am prepared to act based on your decision. However, dreams and premonitions are not set in stone. Out of humility, I encourage you to do what is right, not for my kingdom, but for yours. And I do not wish to separate you from your daughter. In the future, I solemnly hope that you and I are personally on better terms, but pessimistically, I doubt it. Very soon, I shall visit you in person, and then we can speak to each other, man to man. Until that time, God bless you.
Sincere regards from the Ruler of Dunkelheit at this time
Vincent took a deep breath and folded the letter back up.
"Well, he is quite eloquent," Hojo commented.
"Is that all you can say?!" Shinra yelled.
Yuffie tried to say something, but her words came out in a stammer.
"I would sorely consider the first two proposals," Vincent said reflectively.
"You what?" Shinra hissed.
"I would too," Hojo agreed. "We cannot handle a fugitive from that country…especially if he can their king to be concerned…"
"It could be a lie," Shinra replied.
"Do you want to take that chance, your highness?" Vincent questioned.
The last page of the letter dropped out of Vincent's hands. He stretched himself to pick it up and saw a detailed, colored sketch of a person. A comical arrow pointed directly at the person's head and by the arrow was a label: "the fugitive".
"He was nice enough to tell us what the fugitive looked like," Vincent declared.
"Are you deriding me?" Shinra asked angrily.
Yuffie cleared her throat to gain the men's attention.
"Where is my mistress at this time?" she asked.
"In the Church," Shinra answered. "Right outside of Royals in the fields."
Yuffie nodded firmly and ran out of the room. Vincent got up to follow.
"NO!" Shinra bellowed. "Let her go…we could some more information."
"But she is…"
"I doubt she will be harmed."
Shinra snatched the small portrait out of Vincent's hand and took a careful look at the person.
"Handsome but frightful," Shinra observed.
He turned the page around and found a note.
P.S.
This man, who shall remain nameless, is extremely dangerous. If you so choose the first proposal, follow these instructions: if you catch sight of him, notify me through my messenger (there is no need to tell me; I will know). Do NOT let your people or your soldiers try to engage him; avoid at all costs. However, if you choose the other two options and you happen to spot him, do NOT approach him in any way or fashion.
In all situations, remember this: Exercise extreme caution.
--
"Why did you push me off so suddenly?" Cloud whined. "I was in the middle of a striking dream."
"My legs were falling asleep along with you," Tifa scolded.
"And I was getting overheated," she thought to herself.
Cloud shrugged and dug into the basket for a sandwich.
"Was it cozy?" Tifa asked shyly.
"How else would I have fallen asleep?"
Tifa became overheated again. "Well, sleep on another lap next time, oh scoundrel!"
"Never!" he replied defiantly.
Tifa growled and reached for the bottle of wine. Cloud beat her to it, and poured it himself.
"Allow me," he said.
"I have allowed you an arm and a leg," Tifa replied.
"I agree not," Cloud argued.
"Oh?"
Cloud handed her another glass on wine. For a moment, she believed that he was trying to get her intoxicated, so she refused to drink any of it. He found another glass and poured.
"Believe me," he continued. "We are a long way from that…until then, you will allow me…much…much more…"
"You have a perverse mind," Tifa responded.
"That depends on what I was thinking," he countered. "Perhaps, it is you that has a perverse mind…"
"Piss off!"
Cloud chuckled to himself.
"What are your real intentions?" Tifa asked. "I would be a fool to think that you only came here to see me."
"I prefer not to say," Cloud replied slyly.
"I insist!"
"So do I."
"Do you have impure motives?" Tifa questioned.
"Define 'impure'," Cloud answered derisively.
Tifa hit the roof.
"I mean …'concupiscent'! I have had too many suitors like that…and I have no use for another one…"
His eyes narrowed. He downed the wine to the very last drop and haphazardly laid the glass on its side in the basket.
"I am…just another suitor to you?"
"Well, of course you are!"
His eyes widened in shock, but then, he closed them and let out a heavy sigh.
"I suppose I am. Figures…"
Cloud gave her a slightly dejected smile. He reached out and gently pulled some of her hair, smoothing it with his fingers. Her heart danced.
"Such a pity," he whispered.
A sudden breeze passed by. Cloud let her hair fall out of his hand and looked sternly towards the city. Tifa instinctively looked with him, but she had no idea what he saw. She lightly tugged his arm to get his attention.
"Is something the matter?" she inquired.
Cloud did not respond and continued to look.
"Is something there?"
He looked at her as if he had just woken up and shook his head.
"Nothing important."
He went to take her hand on his arm, but his hand stopped at the last minute and jerked away. He let out another sigh and did not even glance her way. Her hand nearly slid off, slowly and unwillingly, until she finally took a firm grasp.
"We did come to enjoy ourselves, did we not?" Tifa asked. "I have not been alone on a picnic before."
"But you are not alone," Cloud argued.
"With a man," she added.
"You mean with a swain, am I right?"
"You sound…agitated…"
"You are mistaken…"
He looked back to the town again with a rare bout of seriousness in his eyes. He frowned, and a depressed look appeared on his face. For a moment, Tifa felt responsible for it, and the blood rushed out of her face.
"Is this really all there is to my life?" he murmured to himself. "Am I really this old? Sometimes, I feel so tired…"
"You feel fatigued again?" Tifa interrupted.
"Uh…a tad…I think…"
"Then you must rest on my lap!"
Cloud raised an eyebrow in skepticism, but Tifa kept insisting wholeheartedly. He quickly succumbed and lowered himself down for a second time. Tifa, to his astonishment, seemed highly pleased. She reached into the basket to look for something.
"Now, the priestess bought these rather strange grapes from foreign merchants. And when I mean strange, they have this pinkish color to them…"
As Tifa jabbered away cheerfully, Cloud saw something different in her eyes. She seemed more weary than happy, and there was a small gleam of guilt and awkwardness. He smiled and rolled his eyes.
"Where are they?!"
Tifa felt blindly into the basket, trying to feel for the roughness of the vine. So focused was her search that Tifa did not notice the weight shifting off of her lap. With a small triumph, she pulled out a cluster of the oddest-looking grapes that anyone would ever see.
"What say you?" Tifa asked. "Are they not strange? Pink as roses…"
A hand caressed her cheek. Tifa was startled, and she turned her head instinctively. Her eyes met his. He had an intense gaze fixed upon her, almost as if he were peering into her soul. Tifa felt overwhelmed, unable to bear looking on and yet unable to look away. Slowly, he leaned closer, and Tifa the blood rushed back into her face.
"Put the fruit down," he commanded.
The cluster dropped from hand and onto the blanket.
"Stop trying so hard," Cloud whispered. "You are a rather nervous girl."
Tifa nodded sullenly. "I know…pathetic, am I not?"
Cloud leaned all the way and gave her a passionate, heartfelt kiss on the lips. Tifa melted into it like butter.
"You are by far the most adorable creature I have ever met."
Tifa smiled and sighed in her bliss, promptly keeled over, and fainted in his arms.
--
That's it for now. I have a whole bunch of reports to prepare for, so it's time for me to go to sleep...at 12:50 am. Homeschooling starts whenever...Yeah!
