Everglow - Chapter Ten
Vincent wasn't surprised to find Rufus casually seated in a large armchair at the head of a large table, slowly sipping a steaming drink from a mug. Papers were spread across the desk in front of him, some bearing official looking seals and ornate, unreadable signatures.
The members of Avalanche were seated beside him.
Cloud, Tifa, Cid, Barret, and even Yuffie had showed up for the occasion. None looked particularly pleased, but Vincent was happy to note that they all seemed confused and anxious to be enlightened.
"Take a seat," Rufus invited.
But Vincent decided to remain standing, his arms crossed. "We need to speak of this alone. This is not a matter they should be concerned in."
Yuffie took the hint that they were not wanted and sniffed indignantly. "Yeah, well, nice to see you too, Vincent." The young ninja rose to her feet and stomped over toward the stoic gunman, thrusting a finger to his chest and ramming his heart accusingly. "We've been worried sick about you and what do we get for it? Not a word! Not a single, solitary syllable in months!"
Vincent's crimson eyes narrowed, and Yuffie's expression turned slightly queasy, but she didn't back down.
"Vincent," a gentler, more feminine voice interjected softly. "How have you been?"
Vincent raised his eyes at the simple question to meet Tifa's warm eyes. She smiled softly, but there was still tension. "I am well enough," he replied simply.
"What's this whole shindig about?" Cid grunted, his characteristic accent still heavy. "I was planning a nice flight here but then these Shinra dogs call and next thing I know…"
"It would be nice to get an explanation," Barret agreed in his deep, gruff voice. "Didn't get an explanation with that little traitor and now we're getting ourselves knee deep in some other muck."
Vincent's ruby eyes flared at the connotation, and he stepped forward, ready to rebuke the team for their misunderstanding, but Rufus decided to begin, perhaps to avoid a conflict. He pulled out a sheet of plain white paper and laid it in the center of the table for all to see.
Vincent immediately recognized the logo. It was identical to the one that had been painted on the helicopters that had raided Midgar the night he had found the twins. As he had been able to decipher in the dark, the logo was thin. A plain, white staff with a knobbed head stood erect, the thin wood grains painted in a light, shimmering silver. Thin ribbons of sea foam green and gold entwined themselves around the rod, threading both through and around it. At the bottom, there was some kind of inscription, but the conditions for the photograph had not been optimal, and so only a few letters could be deciphered from the shadows.
Mor C m Te re Nov Ve it
"What is it?" Yuffie asked.
"We are not sure, but I believe you recognize the insignia?"
All nodded gravely. Apparently Avalanche had been investigating the raid as well.
"I wanted everyone to be familiar with this," Rufus continued. "We believe this organization to be a greater threat than we can possibly fathom right now." He rotated in the chair and then gathered most of the papers from the tabletop. "Now, I will speak with Vincent in private, and then we'll return to finish other matters."
Cloud deliberately averted his eyes when Vincent tried to establish some semblance of a greeting. Scowling, Vincent turned abruptly and followed Rufus out.
The president of Shinra waited until they were in another room, the door closed, locked, with Turks posted outside, before he spoke.
"Vincent, I have some very disconcerting news."
Vivian sat in a large recliner with little Nadiya nestled in her lap, a book in front of the pair. Aidan sat close beside the nurse, balancing on the padded armrest, and peering over her elbow to look at the pages. The book was a novel, and while Vivian was sure that the children could read even the complex text on their own, they seemed to enjoy the sound of her voice as they were encircled in warm arms that held no threat to them at all.
When she came to the end of the chapter, she gently marked their place with a parchment strip decorated with pressed wildflowers. "That's enough for now." She set the book aside, but Nadiya didn't move. Vivian smiled and rocked the little girl, content to sit with them in blissful silence. Aidan even showed rare sentimentality and laid his head on her shoulder.
Vivian was much more relaxed now that the children had been allowed to change rooms. This place was more like a home, its warmth a sensation that the twins had been deprived of since birth.
Nadiya's room, which was where they sat now, was painted soft lavender with spring pansies and their golden dappled centers as a border dividing the room horizontally. The bed was also a misty purple, and was heaped with soft pillows and warm, heavy comforters. There was the chair they sat in, and a small round table holding a lamp next to it. The base of the lamp was a ceramic fairy, wings of clear plastic and fine glitter spread out happily as pale hands reached up, grasping the star that housed the light bulb. There was plenty of empty space on the misty gray-carpeted floor, a wardrobe next to the window, and a bookshelf at the bedside, filled to overflowing with the fanciful tales that Nadiya had come to delight in over the past few days.
Aidan's room, though themed differently, had been designed with no less care. All the ornate decorations made Vivian wonder if the children were to be permanently housed here. She wasn't sure what she thought of the idea.
Nadiya was still, her breathing smooth and even, and Vivian thought she had fallen asleep. She raised herself slowly to her feet and walked toward the bed, pulling down the covers in preparation to warmly cradle the child.
But Nadiya awoke with a start just as Vivian was about to lay her in the bed. She jolted, and Vivian knew that had she possessed a voice, she would have screamed in fright. Her eyes searched frantically for something. Aidan was at her side in a moment.
"Nadiya, what is it?"
She calmed within seconds, but the ferocity of her fright left both Vivian and Aidan stunned.
Slowly wriggling out of Vivian's grip, she walked toward her bookshelf and pulled down a blue crayon and a clean sheet of paper. Vivian noted how tightly her wings were pressed around her sides; a sign that she had learned was the outward manifestation of alarm.
"What was it, Sis?" Aidan asked.
Slowly, Nadiya pressed the crayon to the paper and began to write a single word in wobbling, childlike handwriting.
Mother.
A/N: This can be taken a few different ways, no?
Yes, I am back from the dead. It took a while, too. Met Vincent, though. His coffin was next to mine. He says hello.
Next chapters should come quick, because they're all planned out. The only thing holding me back is the avaliability of our family's single computer.