"Who are you?" was the first thing I was asked when I arrived on the Blackbird.
"Claudia Thorne." At least I suppose that's what I said. I don't remember. I probably stuttered it out or something like that. Whatever I said it was acceptable because the gruff old captain grunted.
"You're late, Thorne," he told me. He turned away from me for a moment. "Audrey, show the lass about my fine bird and then see what she knows about self-defense. I'm assigning you to be her teacher for now."
"Your name's Claudia?" Audrey asked me once we were off the bridge. He seemed to find it extremely amusing. "That's one upper class name, you should be having a shopping spree or something, not wasting your time here."
"You're the one who told me to apply," I reminded him. He said something about that being before he found out I had one rich-assed daddy. I didn't reply because we were near a window and I was looking at the most beautiful view I'd ever seen. I still prefer the view from on board an airship to any other.
It wasn't until late that evening when Audrey decided to see how much self-defense I knew. Turned out, none. Audrey apologized quietly as he took me to the infirmary. It was the first and last time he ever apologized for any of his actions.
A few days later, when I was feeling a little better, Audrey took it upon himself to teach me to fight. The only problem was, Audrey didn't like to teach, he preferred to allow people to learn. I became very friendly with the medics after that.
"You should go buy yourself a better weapon," Audrey told me repeatedly (I only had that little knife I'd gotten before being set loose on Midgar for the first time), even giving me some gil to do so. Unfortunately for me, I was finding that in all the new places I went, the only time I knew where I was going was when I was in the air. It didn't help that nobody seemed interested in helping me out. I blamed my new hairstyle.
It was looked down upon by the airshipmen for a sailor to have long hair. It was impractical, too, because you just never knew what it could become caught on. So, very early on, I'd snipped it quite short, which ruined my sweet young girl lost in a strange place act.
I was going through my routine of looking for, but not finding, a weapons shop when I spied them coming down the walk from the ShinRa mansion. Dr. Valentine and another scientist. I'd only met the doctor a few times but he had a severe sort of disposition that had frightened me in my younger days. I briefly thought of ducking down a side street, but before I could act on it he recognized me.
"Claudia Thorne?" he asked, quite uncertain. I didn't blame him, if he didn't look like his son in almost every way, I wouldn't have been sure of who he was either. That he even remembered my name was beyond me.
"Yes, sir," I replied with as much respect as I'd ever given anyone in my life.
"What are you doing around these parts?" he asked me. I tried to speak but found no words coming out. I didn't want him to think badly of me because I was an airwoman. It wasn't a good profession to be in.
"Visiting," I finally choked out. Dr. Valentine accepted it, to my greatest relief. I was honestly terrified of the man, he is the only person I have ever had to admit feeling that way about.
"You are a friend of my son's, correct?" he asked. For a moment I thought it was a difficult question for him to ask, but I banished the thought from my mind.
"Yes," I told him quietly, not bothering to correct him because he was indeed wrong.
"How is the boy?" he asked me.
"I wouldn't know," I replied. "I haven't seen him in a long time."
The man with whom I was speaking was Vincent's father. Dr. Grimoire Valentine. He was an imposing but gentle man and it was the last time I would see him alive. His untimely fate would foreshadow his son's, but nobody knew that yet.